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diff --git a/old/69952-h/69952-h.htm b/old/69952-h/69952-h.htm deleted file mode 100644 index 3ef822d..0000000 --- a/old/69952-h/69952-h.htm +++ /dev/null @@ -1,19286 +0,0 @@ -<!DOCTYPE html> -<html lang="en"> -<head> - <meta charset="UTF-8"> - <title> - Leonard Lindsay Or the Story of a Buccaneer | Project Gutenberg - </title> - <link rel="icon" href="images/cover.jpg" type="image/x-cover"> - <style> - -body { - margin-left: 10%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - h1,h2 { - text-align: center; /* all headings centered */ - clear: both; - font-weight: normal; -} - -p { - margin-top: .51em; - text-align: justify; - text-indent: 1em; - margin-bottom: .49em; -} - -hr { - width: 33%; - margin-top: 2em; - margin-bottom: 2em; - margin-left: 33.5%; - margin-right: 33.5%; - clear: both; -} - -hr.chap {width: 65%; margin-left: 17.5%; margin-right: 17.5%;} - -hr.r10 {width: 10%; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 45%; margin-right: 45%;} - -div.chapter {page-break-before: always;} -h2.nobreak {page-break-before: avoid;} - -.fs60 {font-size: 60%} -.fs80 {font-size: 80%} -.fs90 {font-size: 90%} -.fs120 {font-size: 120%} -.fs130 {font-size: 130%} -.fs150 {font-size: 150%} - -table { - margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto; -} -table.autotable { border-collapse: collapse; } -.tdl {text-align: left; padding-left: 2em; text-indent: -2em;} -.tdr {text-align: right; vertical-align: bottom;} -.tdc {text-align: center; line-height: 2em; padding-top: .5em;} - -.pagenum { /* uncomment the next line for invisible page numbers */ - /* visibility: hidden; */ - position: absolute; - left: 92%; - font-size: small; - text-align: right; - font-style: normal; - font-weight: normal; - font-variant: normal; - text-indent: 0; - color: #A9A9A9; -} /* page numbers */ - -.blockquot { - margin-left: 5%; - margin-right: 10%; -} - - -.center {text-align: center;} - -.right {text-align: right;} - -.wsp {word-spacing: 0.3em;} - -.smcap {font-variant: small-caps;} - -/* Images */ - -img { - max-width: 100%; - height: auto; -} - - -.figcenter { - margin: auto; - text-align: center; - page-break-inside: avoid; - max-width: 100%; -} - -/* Poetry */ -/* uncomment the next line for centered poetry */ -.poetry-container {display: flex; justify-content: center;} -.poetry-container {text-align: center;} -.poetry {text-align: left; margin-left: 5%; margin-right: 5%;} -.poetry .stanza {margin: 1em auto;} -.poetry .verse {text-indent: -3em; padding-left: 3em;} - -/* Transcriber's notes */ -.transnote {background-color: #E6E6FA; - color: black; - font-size:small; - padding:0.5em; - margin-bottom:5em; - font-family:sans-serif, serif; -} - -.no-indent {text-indent: 0em;} - -/* Poetry indents */ -.poetry .indent0 {text-indent: -3em;} -.poetry .indent1 {text-indent: -2.5em;} -.poetry .indent2 {text-indent: -1.75em;} -.poetry .indent6 {text-indent: 0em;} - -h2 {font-size: 100%; font-weight: normal; word-spacing: .2em;} - - </style> -</head> -<body> -<p style='text-align:center; font-size:1.2em; font-weight:bold'>The Project Gutenberg eBook of Leonard Lindsay, by Angus B. Reach</p> -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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 <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a>. 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. -</div> - -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Title: Leonard Lindsay</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-left:2em; text-indent:0; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:1em;'>or, the story of a buccaneer</p> -<p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em'>Author: Angus B. Reach</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Release Date: February 4, 2023 [eBook #69952]</p> -<p style='display:block; text-indent:0; margin:1em 0'>Language: English</p> - <p style='display:block; margin-top:1em; margin-bottom:0; margin-left:2em; text-indent:-2em; text-align:left'>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)</p> -<div style='margin-top:2em; margin-bottom:4em'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEONARD LINDSAY ***</div> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 65%"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="Cover"> -</div> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<h1> -LEONARD LINDSAY<br> -<span class="fs60">OR</span><br> -<span class="fs80"><em>THE STORY OF A BUCCANEER</em></span></h1> -<br><br> -<p class="center fs80">BY</p> - -<p class="center wsp">ANGUS B. REACH</p> -<br><br> - -<p class="center wsp">“<span class="smcap">No Peace beyond the Line.</span>”—<cite>Old Sailors Proverb</cite></p> -<br><br> - -<p class="center fs90">LONDON</p> - -<p class="center wsp">GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS</p> - -<p class="center fs80 wsp"><span class="smcap">The Broadway, Ludgate</span></p> - -<p class="center fs90 wsp">NEW YORK: 416 BROOME STREET</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">[Pg iii]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS.</h2> -</div> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<table class="autotable"> -<tr> -<td class="tdl"></td> -<td class="tdr">PAGE</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER I.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">OF MY BOYHOOD, AND HOW, BEING CAST AWAY AT SEA, I AM CARRIED TO THE WEST INDIES -AGAINST MY WILL</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER II.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">OF MY ESCAPE FROM THE FRENCH SHIP, AND MY LANDING IN HISPANIOLA</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_18">18</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER III.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">I JOIN A BROTHERHOOD OF HUNTERS AND ADVENTURERS ON THE COAST</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_27">27</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER IV.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">OF THE LIFE OF A BUCCANEER</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER V.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">HOW WE ENCOUNTER GREAT DANGERS, THE SPANIARDS ATTACKING US</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VI.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">HOW THE DEADLY FEVER OF THE COAST FASTENS ON ME</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_58">58</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE BUCCANEERS TIRE OF THE LIFE ON SHORE, AND DETERMINE TO GO AGAIN TO SEA</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_64">64</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER VIII.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">[Pg iv]</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE LEGEND OF FOUL-WEATHER DON</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_73">73</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER IX.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE AUTHOR, WITH SUNDRY OF HIS COMRADES, SET OUT FOR THE CREEK WHERE HE LEFT HIS -BARK, AND THERE BRAVELY CAPTURE A SPANISH SCHOONER</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_89">89</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER X.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THEY RETURN WITH THE PRIZE TO THE MARMOUSETTES, AND NICKY HAMSTRING SHORTLY RELATES -HIS HISTORY</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_103">103</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XI.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE BUCCANEERS PRESENTLY SET SAIL IN THE SCHOONER FOR JAMAICA, WITH A RELATION OF -THE EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED THERE</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_110">110</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">OF THE DEATH OF AN OLD FRIEND</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_125">125</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE BUCCANEERS SAIL FOR THE SPANISH MAIN, AND ARE CHASED BY A GREAT SHIP OF WAR</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_131">131</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIV.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF THE UNKNOWN SHOALS AND THE DWARF PILOT</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_140">140</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XV.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">AT LENGTH THEY CATCH THE DWARF PILOT, AND HEAR STRANGE THINGS TOUCHING A TREASURE</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XVI.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">HOW THE DWARF TURNS TRAITOR, AND OF HIS FATE</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_170">170</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XVII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">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’</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_183">183</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XVIII.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">[Pg v]</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">A KNAVE OF THE CREW PLAYING WITH COGGED DICE IS KEEL-HAULED</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_191">191</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XIX.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">WE CRUISE OFF CARTHAGENA AWAITING THE GALLEON, AND I FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE -SPANIARDS</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_205">205</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XX.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">I AM TRIED AND TORTURED BY THE SPANIARDS</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_220">220</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXI.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">HOW I ESCAPE FROM THE SPANISH GUARDHOUSE—AM CHASED BY BLOOD-HOUNDS IN THE WOODS, -AND HOW AT LENGTH I FIND A STRANGE ASYLUM</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_243">243</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE FAMILY OF THE SPANISH MERCHANT</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_263">263</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXIII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">HOW WE SAIL TO JOIN THE PEARL FLEET, AND THE NEGRO DIVER’S STORY</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_282">282</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXIV.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">MY ADVENTURES AMONG THE PEARL FISHERS, AND MY ESCAPE FROM THE FLEET</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_303">303</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXV.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE PIRAGUA IS PICKED UP BY A GREAT PRIVATEER, AND I FIND MYSELF AMONG NEW SHIPMATES</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_338">338</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXVI.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE LEGEND OF THE DEMON WHO HAUNTS POINT MORANT IN JAMAICA</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_357">357</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXVII.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">WHAT HAPPENS ABOARD THE ‘SAUCY SUSAN’—AND THE ENDING OF HER AND HER CREW</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_369">369</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXVIII.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">[Pg vi]</span></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE FOODLESS BOAT AND THE ISLAND</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_397">397</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER XXIX.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW WORLD</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_412">412</a></td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdc" colspan="2">CHAPTER THE LAST.</td> -</tr> -<tr> -<td class="tdl">I MEET OLD FRIENDS</td> -<td class="tdr"><a href="#Page_416">416</a></td> -</tr> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</span></p> -</div> -<p class="center fs150">LEONARD LINDSAY;</p> - -<p class="center fs60">OR,</p> - -<p class="center fs130">THE STORY OF A BUCCANEER.</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.<br><br> - -<span class="fs80">OF MY BOYHOOD, AND HOW, BEING CAST AWAY AT SEA, I AM <br> -CARRIED TO THE WEST INDIES AGAINST MY WILL.</span></h2> - - -<p>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, <span class="smcap">Leonard Lindsay</span>, -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</span> -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.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“The king sits in Dunfermline town,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Drinking the blude-red wine,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">O whare will I get a skeely skipper</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To sail this ship of mine?</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Then up and spake an eldern knight,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Sat at the king’s right knee,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That ever sailed the sea.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“O forty mile off Aberdeen</div> - <div class="verse indent2">’Tis fifty fathom deep,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">And there lies gude Sir Patrick Spens,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Wi’ the Scots lords at his feet.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>And here at the outset of what was to me so adventurous -a voyage, I would describe my captain and my shipmates,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</span> -away her fore-topmast, and that I was overboard in the -boiling sea.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“In Judah’s land God is well known,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">His name in Israel’s great,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">In Salem is his tabernacle,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">In Zion is his seat.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>After this, there came on me silence and darkness, I -having gradually fallen into a fit or trance.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘You are not, then, a Spaniard?’</p> - -<p>I mustered my few words of French, and answered, -that—‘I was not, but a Scotsman.’</p> - -<p>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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</span> -on British ground again—‘That is,’ says he, ‘after you -have either escaped or served your time.’</p> - -<p>These phrases naturally threw me into great trouble, -and I earnestly asked what he signified by them.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘But be thankful,’ said my comrade, ‘that you are not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘Why,’ said I, ‘is he so inveterate against the people -of Spain?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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:—</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">OF MY ESCAPE FROM THE FRENCH SHIP, AND MY LANDING<br> -IN HISPANIOLA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>That same night, Wright came to me and pointed her -out as a means of escape.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 <em>terral</em>, 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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</span> -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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</span> -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!</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">I JOIN A BROTHERHOOD OF HUNTERS AND ADVENTURERS ON THE<br> -COAST.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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 <em>scaur</em>. -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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</span> -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 <em>Moscas del Fuego</em>. -But these extinguished their lamps in the latter part of -the night.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</span> -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;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</span> -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 <em>grilles -de bois</em>, 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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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 -<em>nomme de guerre</em>, 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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">OF THE LIFE OF A BUCCANEER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Being returned to the opposite side, I rambled through<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</span> -the village, for such it was, to note the appearance of the -place, and its inhabitants.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</span> -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 <em>barbecu</em>, 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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Behold me now, therefore, a Buccaneer on the coast of -Hispaniola! I let my beard and moustache grow, and they<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</span> -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.</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">HOW WE ENCOUNTER GREAT DANGERS, THE SPANIARDS<br> -ATTACKING US.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>I, happening to be in the bow of the canoe as look-out<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>Presently the tide began silently to ebb, and in due -time it left the marsh bare. But, oh! what a dismal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘There—see, there!’ he cried; ‘down the channel!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Now or never, Will Thistle!’ cried Nicky. ‘This is -life or death! Catch her as she passes!’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</span> -upon us in Spanish, French, and English, to surrender. -But we only plied our paddles the harder, working fast -to seaward.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>The advice was good, and the canoe speedily flew up -the tributary creek, urged on, not only by our paddles,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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?<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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?</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</span></p> - -<p>‘Who goes there?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</span> -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 <em>terral</em>, 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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">HOW THE DEADLY FEVER OF THE COAST FASTENS ON ME.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘Is that a black corby on the thorn-bush near the boat’s -grapnel?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘No, no; no eat,’ said Blue Peter, the Mosquito -Indian; ‘sleep mosh, sleep good, smoke pipe, and sleep -cool and long.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</span> -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!</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE BUCCANEERS TIRE OF THE LIFE ON SHORE, AND DETERMINE<br> -TO GO AGAIN TO SEA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</span></p> - -<p>This proposal meeting with a clamour of approbation, -Stout Jem flung aloft his hat.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>During this period of my sojourn in Hispaniola it was -our custom to spend the evenings together in the principal<span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE LEGEND OF FOUL-WEATHER DON.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>Stout Jem told it thus:—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘“Where is your captain?” says he, in a hollow harsh -voice.</p> - -<p>‘The old man comes forward, as pale as a corpse, and, -quoth he—</p> - -<p>‘“In the name of God, what want ye on board my -ship?”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“Men,” said the old mariner, faintly, “he will not -be denied; get his boat aboard.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“Who are you?” said he, “and why should we take -you or your boat aboard?”</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p>‘“Well, I did heave you a rope; no true-hearted -mariner would see a man adrift upon the ocean, and not<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</span> -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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“Nevvy!” says the old man, “know you whom you -have brought aboard into this ship?”</p> - -<p>‘“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?”</p> - -<p>‘“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!”</p> - -<p>‘“Do you know him, then, uncle?” says Ned; “have -you ever seen him before?”</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘“And what did he?” asked the young sailor, his -heart fluttering within him.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</span></p> - -<p>‘“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.</p> - -<p>‘“Hold, hold!” said Captain Purvis; “he must go by -his own free will, or he will not go at all.”</p> - -<p>‘“But who—who, in the devil’s name, is he, uncle?” -shouted Ned.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘“But he has been seen since,” quoth Ned, after a -pause, for he did not know what to think of this story.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</span></p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘“So he brought bad weather, did he?” said Ned, -musing.</p> - -<p>‘“For the three weeks he was on board,” says the -old man, “the blast never lulled, and the sea ran higher -than the mainyard.”</p> - -<p>‘“And what did he do all that time?” cries Ned, again.</p> - -<p>‘“He sat in the great cabin,” replied the uncle, -“with his back against the rudder-case, and never spoke -word nor broke bread.”</p> - -<p>‘“How did he leave you?” was Ned’s next question.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘“And what is Foul-Weather Don doing in the cabin -just now?” says Ned.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘“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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“Foul-Weather Don,” says Ned at last, as bold as -steel, “you’re more free than welcome.”</p> - -<p>The spectre took no notice.</p> - -<p>‘“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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</span> -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!”</p> - -<p>‘And Ned cocked the great pistol and levelled at the -strange passenger. The figure never moved a muscle of -its wan stern face.</p> - -<p>‘“Take the dollar and my blessing with it, then,” -shouted Ned, and he drew the trigger.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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 <em>you</em> are—very -good; and here <em>we</em> are.”</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Well, as I was saying, the poor fellows were holding<span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘“He’s going—he’s going,” whispered old Captain -Purvis. “The Lord hath preserved us in his great goodness.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“Haul your wind, when the elements will allow you,” -says the Don, quite solemnly.</p> - -<p>‘“Thank you for nothing,” quoth Ned Purvis. “I -should think we would, when you have brought us across -the ocean against our will.”</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“The curse,” said the men, “is following us in a<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</span> -visible shape. There can be no good luck for ship, or -crew, or cargo, with such a couple of attendants swimming -astern.”</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p>‘“Messmates, I have brought misfortune on the ship, -and spoiled the voyage; I am willing to land.”</p> - -<p>‘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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</span> -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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</span></p> - -<p>‘“By all the stars,” quoth Ned, “who knows but this -is Foul-Weather Don’s treasure-chest.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“Aha,” says Ned, “I would fain have you in England, -but what am I to do with you here?”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</span></p> - -<p>‘“Lord!” says one of them, “see there; if the boat -were to fill and go down. Did you ever see more fearful -monsters?”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</span> -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.”</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</span> -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.’</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE AUTHOR, WITH SUNDRY OF HIS COMRADES, SET OUT FOR THE</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -3.5em;" class="fs80">CREEK WHERE HE LEFT HIS BARK, AND THERE BRAVELY</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -16em;" class="fs80">CAPTURE A SPANISH SCHOONER.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>While we were talking lowly among ourselves, Blue -Peter, the Mosquito-man, suddenly started up on his<span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Tush!’ says Nicky; ‘you are a fool, Peter! and take -a wild pig for a Spaniard.’</p> - -<p>But the Indian seized his piece, cocked it, and suddenly -levelling it, fired, before we could prevent him.</p> - -<p>‘Hush!’ quoth he, very earnestly—‘hush! and we will -be safe.’</p> - -<p>‘Safe!’ said Nicky. ‘Why, if they are Spaniards, they -will be down upon us in a twinkling.’</p> - -<p>‘No,’ replied the Mosquito-man—‘no, no! They -shooting all round: think my gun one of their camarados—eh?’</p> - -<p>‘The man is right,’ said Le Picard. ‘But what, in the -name of the diable, have you fired at?’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Instead of taking the boats,’ quoth I, ‘why should we -not take the ship?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Look you,’ quoth I, ‘this is my plan. Yesterday the -Spaniards were hunting ashore, and to-day it is very like<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>But Nicky and I, pointing to the cabin and drawing -forth pistols, made them understand that they must go<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>We were drawing our first deep breath after our peril -when I heard a great shout above me, and starting round,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THEY RETURN WITH THE PRIZE TO THE MARMOUSETTES, AND<br> -NICKY HAMSTRING SHORTLY RELATES HIS HISTORY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Nicky,’ says I, being in this mood, ‘do you ever -think of home?’</p> - -<p>‘That do I,’ he responded, ‘and hug myself that I am -not there.’</p> - -<p>‘But is there no old place,’ quoth I—‘no old face you -would wish to look on again?’</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘Perhaps,’ quoth I, ‘you were not happy at home?’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘To London, no doubt?’ quoth I.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>This was Nicky’s story, and an adventurous one it was. -While I was thinking of it, he began again—</p> - -<p>‘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:</p> - -<p class="fs80 no-indent"> -‘Take comfort, pretty Margery, and swab away your tears,<br> - Your sweetheart, Tom, has sailed among the gallant Buccaneers,<br> - So dry your eyes, my Margery, your Tom is true and bold,<br> - And he’ll come again to see you, lass, with glory and with gold,<br> - For his comrades are the stoutest and the bravest in the land,<br> - And there’s ne’er a Don came out of Spain will meet them hand to hand.<br> -<br> - So-ho! for pike and sabre cut, and balls about your ears,<br> - ’Tis little he must care for these, would join the Buccaneers!<br> -<br> -‘The man who lies at home at ease, a craven heart has he,<br> - While there’s wild boars on the hills to hunt, and Spaniards on the sea;<br> - So look alive my stately Don, for spite your thundering guns,<br> - Your shining gold we’ll make our own, and eke your pretty nuns.<br> - We’ll spend the first, and love the last, and when we tire ashore,<br> - ’Tis but another cruise my boys, and back we come with more.<br> -<br> - So-ho! for pike and sabre cut, and balls about your ears,<br> - ’Tis little he must care for these, would join the Buccaneers!’<br> -</p> - -<p>‘Silence, silence, Nicky!’ said I, laughing; ‘you will -awaken the watch below.’</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p class="fs80 no-indent"> -‘What though to peace in Europe, the Dons and we incline,<br> -The treaty seldom has much force—to the south’ard of the line.<br> -Here’s wassailing and fighting, the merriest of lives,<br> -With staunch and jovial comrades, with sweethearts and with wives.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</span><br> -We sweep the green savannahs, we storm the Spanish walls,<br> -And we’re kings upon the water, by the grace of cannon balls.<br> -<br> -Then ho! for pike and sabre cut, and bullets round your ears,<br> -’Tis little he must care for these, would head the Buccaneers!’<br> -</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘What ship is this?’ exclaimed Stout Jem, who was -the first to leap upon deck.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE BUCCANEERS PRESENTLY SET SAIL IN THE SCHOONER FOR</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: 1.5em;" class="fs80">JAMAICA, WITH A RELATION OF THE EVENTS WHICH HAPPENED</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -27.5em;" class="fs80">THERE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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:</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>On this we all shouted—‘Yes, yes; a cruize, a cruize!’</p> - -<p>‘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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</span> -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 ‘<em>Perros Inglesos</em>’ 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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘No, no, Captain Archemboe,’ quoth our commander;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</span> -‘they tried, but having failed, we mean to have our revenge.’</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</span> -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!</p> - -<p>In the very midst of this riotous assemblage, a man,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</span> -cask, treading, trampling, and dancing in the spilt wine, -until they had churned it into red mud.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">OF THE DEATH OF AN OLD FRIEND.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Well,’ said I, ‘do you not intend to come on and light -me to the door?’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Mr. Wright,’ I said. He replied not a word.</p> - -<p>‘John Blagrove,’ I repeated.</p> - -<p>He started, and said feebly, ‘I am he—who calls?’</p> - -<p>‘Leonard Lindsay,’ I replied, ‘the Scots mariner, whom -you aided to escape from the ship of Montbars.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘I know you now,’ he said; ‘how came you here?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>I asked him if he had not had proper medicines and -help in his fever.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘But surely,’ quoth I, ‘you require help—attendance?’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</span> -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:</p> - -<p>‘Buccra dying—buccra pray to Obi.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘I set Obi for him,’ she cried; ‘I set Obi for you. De -Fetish hab kill him—de Fetish will kill you.’</p> - -<p>Blagrove at this started up in bed—‘I am getting -blind,’ he said, faintly; ‘what voice is that?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</span></p> - -<p>I now supported his head, and saw that the great -change was at hand.</p> - -<p>‘Mary, Mary,’ he said faintly; ‘I come, Mary, my -wife.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘You gib me money,’ said the negress, quickly; ‘oh, -den I go to Massa Pratt’s, and I find Obi when de -daylight come.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE BUCCANEERS SAIL FOR THE SPANISH MAIN, AND ARE CHASED<br> -BY A GREAT SHIP OF WAR.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Nicky Hamstring,’ said Captain Jem, ‘show the Don -a sight of the flag which Sir Francis Drake carried against -the great Armada.’</p> - -<p>At this bold speech, the men seemed to pluck up a little.</p> - -<p>‘What, boys!’ quoth brave Jem; ‘you do not mean to -stretch out your throats to the Spaniard’s whittles?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Captain Jem pulled out a great pistol and cocked it.</p> - -<p>‘That was George Bell’s voice!’ he shouted. ‘Hark -ye, you snivelling cur, say but another syllable of striking<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Now, men,’ said Captain Jem, ‘be steady and sharp, -and in ten minutes we shall have the big ship’s weather-guage.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Surrender,’ he said, ‘or we will run the frigate over -you.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Do you surrender?’ hailed the Spaniard once more.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</span></p> - -<p>Yet no muscle quivered in Captain Jem’s face. All at -once he sung out, sharp and quick—</p> - -<p>‘Nicky, strike the flag.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘If the spars stand it we’re safe,’ shouted the Captain -to me.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE STRANGE ADVENTURE OF THE UNKNOWN SHOALS<br> -AND THE DWARF PILOT.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Bristol Tom!’ I cried, sharply, ‘did you hear nothing -like the roar of surf?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘It must have been the wind eddying in the sail above -me,’ I thought, but I kept my ears cocked pretty sharply.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>In a moment the deck of the schooner was alive with -startled men, I leaped forward, and flung myself on the -bowspirit.</p> - -<p>‘Breakers right a-head!’ I screamed ‘Up with the -helm—hard up.’</p> - -<p>‘Breakers on the lee bow!’ sung out two or three -voices at once.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Hold your luff!’ I shouted—‘hold your luff! but -keep her well in hand. So—steady.’</p> - -<p>‘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?</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Breakers a-head!’ sung out Nicky Hamstring’s voice -as the direction of the ship was altered.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘She has struck!’ cried half the crew at once. But the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>After breakfast, this plan was put into execution, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>At this we all listened greedily enough.</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Then what ships come hither that you act as pilot for?’ -asked I.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</span> -his reason. After a short pause, however, the dwarf-pilot -resumed his discourse.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Captain Jem now began to lose patience, so he cried -very wrathfully.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>This proposition certainly looked reasonable.</p> - -<p>‘What will you do, when we get to sea?’ asked Bristol -Tom.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</span></p> - -<p>‘So you landed here on purpose?’ says I.</p> - -<p>‘Whether I did or no,’ says the dwarf, ‘is nothing to -you. Do you want a pilot, or do you not?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Call you that seamen’s hospitality?’ says the little -man, grinning.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Huzza, we have him now!’ I shouted.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</span> -the consequences of another broadside, the dwarf called -out—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘I hope we may make the schooner, Will Thistle,’ said -Edward Lanscriffe, one of the boat’s crew.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Haunted?’ said I, ‘what do you mean? Haunted -by whom?’</p> - -<p>‘By whom but the dwarf who paddled that canoe,’ -answered the bowman, a sailor from Penzance.</p> - -<p>‘Why,’ quoth I, ‘do you think he is anything but a -man like ourselves—only, perhaps, for the matter of -that, a trifle shorter?’</p> - -<p>All the men shook their heads gloomily, and one of -them replied—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>I tried to laugh at all this, but somehow I was startled -and put out of spirits myself, not that I much heeded the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘I told you so; no schooner for us to-night.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</span></p> - -<p>‘Why do they not continue firing guns?’ I muttered, -impatiently. ‘Come, boys, let us give them a -cheer.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Come, come,’ quoth I, ‘Paul Williamson, you will -swing in your hammock to-night, for all that is come and -gone.’</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘No, confound him!’ I shouted; ‘and we thought we -should never have got to the schooner again. Why did -you not keep firing?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘We can’t see,’ we replied, standing up, and peering -into the darkness. ‘Show a light, man—show a light!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Ho! ho! Do you want a pilot? I think you do,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</span> -indeed,’ exclaimed the shrill, cracked voice we knew so -well.</p> - -<p>‘The dwarf, by God!’ ejaculated Paul Williamson. -‘I told you so. It is a demon, and we are bewitched.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>Paul Williamson shook his head. ‘The schooner,’<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</span> -quoth he, ‘is anchored near the centre of the shoals, and -you hear how heavy and how near the surf is beating.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The day dawned, and we speedily discovered the -schooner, about as far off as she was when we lost sight<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Why,’ quoth I, ‘we could not see you in the dark.’</p> - -<p>‘There was a light all night at the main-topmast-head,’ -says Captain Jem.</p> - -<p>‘Yes, but we lost sight of it once, and then we could -not tell your lantern from a star. Why did you not -fire?’</p> - -<p>‘We were clearing away the bow gun,’ answered Captain -Jem, ‘when we heard you fire a musket.’</p> - -<p>‘We fire! that was the dwarf. We had no musket.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">AT LENGTH THEY CATCH THE DWARF PILOT, AND HEAR<br> -STRANGE THINGS TOUCHING A TREASURE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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!’</p> - -<p>I followed his eye, and started up with delight. A -long bank of sand, with ridges of coral, along which we<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Ho, ho!’ quoth I. ‘Here is the hermitage, at last.’</p> - -<p>‘Stop!’ says the shrill voice I had so often heard, -‘stop there—as you value your life!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Stop!’ quoth he again; and being unarmed, I had -nothing for it, in prudence, but to obey.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>The little man paused a moment. ‘Let me alone, and -I will let you alone,’ he said.</p> - -<p>‘No, no,’ quoth I. ‘You paid us the first visit, and -we must show our good breeding by returning it.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Come on. I will do you no harm.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Well, gentlemen,’ says the dwarf, very politely, ‘behold -you in my dwelling. What may be your pleasure?’</p> - -<p>‘Our pleasure,’ said I, ‘is that you shift your dwelling -for a brief space, and sling your hammock on board the -schooner.’</p> - -<p>‘I protest against being thus unlawfully carried away,’ -says the little man.</p> - -<p>‘You are at perfect liberty to protest,’ said I; ‘but -you must go on board all the same.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0"><span class="smcap">Herein I discourse of the Perilous Loss of the Great</span></div> - <div class="verse indent1"><span class="smcap">Treasure Ship Santa Fè, and of my miraculous escape,</span></div> - <div class="verse indent1"><span class="smcap">being the only one of that ship’s company who, through</span></div> - <div class="verse indent1"><span class="smcap">the special Grace of the Blessed Virgin, was preserved</span></div> - <div class="verse indent1"><span class="smcap">out of a great danger.</span></div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Then followed the words of the narrative in this -wise:—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</span> -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——’</p> - -<p>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:—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Captain Jem was leaning over the side, fishing with a -hook and line.</p> - -<p>‘Well, what have you found?’ quoth he, as if he did -not think that my search could have availed much.</p> - -<p>‘Pound!’ I echoed, clambering on board. ‘I have -found what may well make our fortunes.’</p> - -<p>At these words, our comrades came running from all -sides very eagerly.</p> - -<p>‘Where is the dwarf?’ quoth I.</p> - -<p>‘Oh, in the great cabin,’ replied the captain. ‘A -sullen piece of goods, I warrant you. He refuses to -speak a word.’</p> - -<p>‘Have him out,’ answered I; ‘and we will try to make -him find his tongue.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</span></p> - -<p>And so, presently, Master Pilot was hustled forth upon -the deck.</p> - -<p>‘Will you tell us,’ quoth I, ‘why you choose to live -alone amongst these grim rocks?’</p> - -<p>The little man grinned, twisted his features, and -answered never a word. The crew looked on curiously.</p> - -<p>‘Once upon a time, there sailed a Spanish treasure-ship -from Porto Bello.’</p> - -<p>The dwarf pricked up his ears, and all the blood went -away from his face.</p> - -<p>‘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, <em>with the treasure on board</em>, 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——’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘I suppose,’ quoth the dwarf, ‘that you will give me a -fair share of the booty when we get it?’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>With that the Manxman produced the missing page -from his bosom.</p> - -<p>‘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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</span> -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:—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>‘Why may there not be more than one single castaway -ship lying hereabouts?’ quoth our surgeon. And -we echoed, ‘Why indeed?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">HOW THE DWARF TURNS TRAITOR, AND OF HIS FATE.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>At this information, there were many threatening -scowls cast upon the Manxman, but he bore them firmly -enough.</p> - -<p>‘Well, Paul Bedloe,’ says the Captain, ‘what say you -to this?’</p> - -<p>‘I presume your divers are not so expert as mine—that -is what I say,’ answered the little man, coolly -enough.</p> - -<p>At this Blue Peter fired up.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</span></p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.”’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>‘And the ingot—the silver ingot!’ shouted half a dozen -of the men.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>I looked hard into the dwarf’s eyes. He bore my gaze -for a minute steadily enough, and then tried to turn -away.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</span></p> - -<p>‘You have lied in your throat!’ I cried—‘you have lied, -and you know you have lied. There are two wrecks on -the shoal.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘We were looking for the gold,’ said the captain.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘We must run back through the shoal,’ says I.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Captain Jem at this moment returned on deck, carrying -two large pistols.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘Well, captain, do you want a pilot?’</p> - -<p>‘Do you undertake to run the schooner through -these shoals into the open sea to the northward?’ I -replied.</p> - -<p>‘Why, I told you from the first I would run you into -the open sea,’ says the imperturbable Mr. Bedloe.</p> - -<p>‘Take charge of the schooner, then,’ quoth the -captain.</p> - -<p>‘Unloose my arms,’ answered Bedloe. ‘I ought to -have as good a chance as the others.’</p> - -<p>The captain hesitated.</p> - -<p>‘Wounds, man!’ cried the dwarf; ‘I give you my -word of honour I am not going to take the schooner from -you.’</p> - -<p>The cool impudence of the fellow was amusing; and -so, stepping forward, I cut the rope-yarns which bound -him.</p> - -<p>‘Now, then,’ quoth he to Bristol Tom and the captain, -both of whom stood by the tiller, ‘look sharp for the -pilot’s orders.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>All at once, the man at the mast-head shouted—‘A -sail!’</p> - -<p>We were all of us startled at the news.</p> - -<p>‘Not the Spanish frigate, Johnson?’ said I.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>I was standing by the dwarf as we heard this. He<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</span> -leaped upon the bulwarks, clambered a few feet into the -rigging, and then dropped upon the deck, exclaiming:—‘The -Piragua!’</p> - -<p>‘What!’ says the captain, ‘your Piragua with the -Indians and the Welshman?’</p> - -<p>‘That and no other,’ answered Bedloe. ‘You see, -gentlemen, I have told you no lies.’</p> - -<p>‘The canoe is running for the lee of the large rock, -where the dwarf lived,’ cries the man in the rigging.</p> - -<p>‘Then, by the Lord, they are more in love with -coral reefs and sand-banks than I am!’ replied Captain -Jem.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Pilot!’ cried the captain, ‘why do you not run through -the channel at once, without waiting for the strength of -the squall?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Starboard—hard a starboard!’</p> - -<p>I started round at the sound; and just at that moment,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Port—hard a port—for the love of life—port!’ I -roared.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘In with all! furl and brail—furl and brail!’ shouted -Captain Jem.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>It was just before sundown that we learned the fate of -the dwarf and his comrades. A great wave rising between<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">OF THEIR UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR THE SUNKEN TREASURE—WEARYING</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -12em;" class="fs80">AT LENGTH OF THE UNDERTAKING, THEY PURSUE</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -7em;" class="fs80">THEIR COURSE—THE LEGEND OF ‘NELL’S BEACON,’ OR THE</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -29.25em;" class="fs80">‘CORPUS SANT.’</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>The boatswain had the helm, and I pointed it out to -him.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</span> -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:—</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘This to confound thy unbelief, thou contemner of -holy men and things!’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>This was the Spanish tale of the Corpus Sant, and I -now asked for the English legend of ‘Nell’s Beacon.’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</span> -coarse gruff voice, chanted the following stanzas, -which, rude as they are, I put down just as I heard -them:—</p> - - -<p class="center fs120 no-indent">The Legend of ‘Nell’s Beacon.’</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry fs80"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">There are stormy seas do roll,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Which the boldest well may dread,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When the east wind whistles snell</div> - <div class="verse indent2">On the cliffs of Beachy Head.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">By that coast, tempest beaten,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">On the sea-weed clustered stones,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Stout-hearted sailors many,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Have laid their weary bones.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">From the sandy shores of Eastbourne,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Nigh the rocks whereof I sing,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sailed a brave and lusty seaman,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And his name was Richard King.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He was captain of a trading sloop,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Which voyaged unto the Seine,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And ’twas Beachy Head he always made</div> - <div class="verse indent2">When he returned again.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">For there, from eve to dawning,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">A beacon always shone</div> - <div class="verse indent0">During the time, whate’er it was,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That Richard King was gone.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">From the window of a cottage</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That beam came, ever bright,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">For there sat Nelly, Richard’s wife,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And trimmed the lamp all night.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">She trimmed it, for she knew</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That her husband dear would gaze,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When the white cliffs loomed a-head,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">For those love-enkindled rays;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And when he saw them flicker,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Through the darkness of the night,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">He would straightways cry right cheerily</div> - <div class="verse indent2">‘There’s Nelly’s Beacon Light.’</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">But, ah! these long night watches,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">They paled poor Nelly’s cheek;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Her eye was bright and fevered,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">But her step grew slow and weak.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Her husband bent above her,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And she looked up in his face—</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘I’m wearing fast away,’ quoth she;</div> - <div class="verse indent2">‘I go unto my place.</div><span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</span> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">But you are bound to sea, dear,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To the stormy Spanish shore;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Look, Richard, look upon your Nell,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">You ne’er may see her more!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But watch when you return, dear,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">You will know that I am dead,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">If no light shines out to greet you</div> - <div class="verse indent2">From the top of Beachy Head.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Yet death shall never part us,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">For, if it lawful be,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">My soul shall fly to you, dear,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Athwart the roaring sea;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But not a ghastly sheeted corpse</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Shall I appal your sight,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">You will see an airy Beacon,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And my soul will be the Light.’</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">The storm roared loud at midnight,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">With sleet, and wind, and rain;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The struggling ship tossed wildly</div> - <div class="verse indent2">On the rocky coast of Spain:</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When suddenly the captain cried—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">‘Oh God, my wife is dead!’</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Upon the topmast gleamed a light—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">The Light of Beachy Head!</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0"> - -<hr class="chap"></div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">Two score of years went slowly by,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And again the storm-blast blew,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Old Richard King, with long grey hair,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Spake cheerily to the crew.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Oh look aloft, my gallant boys,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">There’s hope within our sight,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">A kindly spirit watches us—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">There’s Nelly’s Beacon Light!’</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">But as he spoke, the Beacon</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Came floating through the air,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The captain knew the sign—he knelt</div> - <div class="verse indent2">In thanksgiving and prayer.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The tempest swept him from the deck,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">But as he sunk like lead,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Above his forehead shone the light</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Which gleamed from Beachy Head!</div><span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</span> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">And still in time of tempest</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Does Nelly’s Beacon burn,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Sometimes it shines aloft to cheer,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Sometimes alow to warn;</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But it reads us all this lesson—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">True love is never dead,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The symbol shines on every sea</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That shone from Beachy Head!</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">A KNAVE OF THE CREW PLAYING WITH COGGED DICE IS KEEL-HAULED.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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,</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘But how?’ cries I. ‘Have you sold the clothes, -Simon?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘And so you have had bad luck, Simon?’ rejoined I.</p> - -<p>‘Bad luck,’ interrupted Clink: ‘yes, and most of those -have bad luck who play with George Bell.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>So it was determined that Bell should be closely -watched, and the dice which he was so fond of using, examined<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Come,’ quoth he ‘<em>Allons, mon camerade, jouons plus -fortément.</em> Let us play for a better stake.’</p> - -<p>‘I am agreeable,’ replied the other, softly.</p> - -<p>‘<em>C’est bien, alors.</em> Let it be a double doubloon; I have -not many left.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</span> -pocket, holding, as I observed, the dice all the while in -his hand.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘A thunderstorm, or a single flash?’ says Bell, meaning, -shall we decide the game by one cast, or in a great many.</p> - -<p>‘Oh, one flash; short and sweet!’ quoth the French -man. Both of them rattled the dice and flung them forth.</p> - -<p>‘Trays,’ called out Le Picard.</p> - -<p>‘Sixes,’ exclaimed Bell; ‘the money is mine,’ and he -grasped the gold greedily.</p> - -<p>‘I will hold you doubles or quits,’ cried Le Picard, in -true gambling spirit.</p> - -<p>‘Well, if you want your revenge, I suppose I must not -say no,’ answered the other, in a quiet unobtrusive tone.</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>Both players looked up in surprise.</p> - -<p>‘Bell,’ said the captain, sternly, ‘hand me over that -dice.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Come here, Simon Radley,’ says Captain Jem, and -Simon stood forth, shaking his clenched fist at Bell.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>Simon replied that it was so, and was entering into -particulars, when Bell burst out with a great affectation -of scorn and indignation—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘No, that you may depend upon,’ answered Radley.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Thereupon, more than two-thirds of the crew made the -sign.</p> - -<p>‘Good,’ replied the captain; ‘now, let those who -have lost money, or aught else to him, hold up their -hands.’</p> - -<p>Nearly the same number of hands were immediately -displayed. Bell grew yellow in the face, and glared -about him with fierce spite.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</span> -he had fired it, and against which he had staked, being -incited by Bell, a good perspective glass.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>‘We will soon settle that matter,’ says the captain, ‘and -that by splitting open the ivory.’</p> - -<p>‘Oh, certainly, certainly, I agree to that,’ says Bell; -‘here are my dice, sir,’ and he whipped out several cubes -from his pocket.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Flogged before,’ said the boatswain. ‘Ay, I warrant -thee. Aboard what ship?’</p> - -<p>‘Aboard no ship at all,’ roared the culprit. ‘On shore. -Oh dear!—oh, dear!’</p> - -<p>‘On shore,’ answered the boatswain. ‘At the cart’s -tail I presume?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Not guilty then,’ says Nicky Hamstring. ‘No; no -more than you are now, I dare affirm.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Anything,’ says he, whining like a hungry cat; ‘anything -sooner than flogging.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Meantime, half a dozen of the men, in great glee at -the anticipated ducking, went about the preparations -without loss of time.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘You have hit it my hearty,’ says the boatswain; ‘hit -it to a tee. Yes; we will give you an opportunity of inspecting<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>At this the cowardly animal began to howl and blubber -again.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>At this moment Captain Jem came up.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘O, Lord!’ he gasped; ‘murder—it is—murder;’ and -then the coughing well-nigh choked him.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">WE CRUISE OFF CARTHAGENA AWAITING THE GALLEON, AND I<br> -FALL INTO THE HANDS OF THE SPANIARDS</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</span> -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 <em>Nuestra a Senora de Papa</em>, 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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</span></p> - -<p>At length the organ ceased, and there was silence.</p> - -<p>‘Very well sung,’ said Simon Radley, who pulled the -stroke-oar, ‘and a very good psalm.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Pull, my men, pull—we’ve come to seek a rich -galleon, and not to list the droning of chests full of -whistles.’</p> - -<p>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,—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</span> -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,—</p> - -<p>‘Not a cry—not a sound—if you value your life.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Then they are not afraid of French or English adventurers -in these seas?’ I said.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>The negro looked on in consternation. ‘Why do you -do that?’ he said, at length.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>At this the poor fellow, understanding the device, -looked up pitifully in my face—</p> - -<p>‘I have a wife,’ quoth he, ‘and she will also think——’ -Here his voice failed him, and the honest creature began -to whimper.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</span> -Spain,—you showed yourself a singular pattern of discretion.’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘What! fearful, after the last pair of candlesticks you -have bestowed on yonder lady, in her house upon the -hill?’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</span></p> - -<p>‘Blaspheme not holy things,’ interposed the older -man.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</span></p> - -<p>‘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,’<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>And so saying, Don José drank off a full glass of -wine, and leaned back, laughing lustily. His comrade -arose—</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>The old man drily promised to observe the message, -and then both drunk to the success of the voyage.</p> - -<p>‘To-morrow evening, then, you turn your faces eastward?’ -said the cavalier.</p> - -<p>‘If there be but a breath to clear us of the land, I -trust we may say our vespers at sea,’ replied the merchant.</p> - -<p>‘And if there be but that same breeze,’ I whispered to -myself, ‘you may chance say your matins aboard the -Will-o’-the-Wisp.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Santa Maria!’ cried the negro, springing up, for he -was terribly frightened at being found with us, ‘Santa -Maria—the guard-boat!’</p> - -<p>And, true enough, just round the bows of a large -tartan came a great launch, impelled by six oarsmen, and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER XX.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">I AM TRIED AND TORTURED BY THE SPANIARDS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</span> -ledge of wooden boards, on which hard bed full a score of -soldiers lay sleeping in their <em>ponchos</em>, or loose cloaks.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘<em>Madre de Dios</em>—here’s a goodly crowing,’ cried the -officer of the watch; ‘why, thou pernicious heretic and -contemner of saints, thou buccaneering and piratical<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘How came it that your comrades deserted you, friend?’ -quoth the sergeant, in rather an amicable tone.</p> - -<p>‘I will tell you nothing about my comrades,’ I replied;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</span> -‘I do not want to be uncourteous, but you shall hear -nothing from me on that score.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</span> -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:</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry fs80"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">“Aloof! and aloof! and steady I steer,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">’Tis a boat to our wish,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">And she slides like a fish,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">When cheerily stemm’d and when you row clear!</div> - <div class="verse indent6">She now has her trim,</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Away let her swim.</div> - <div class="verse indent0">Mackerels are swift i’ the shine of the moon!</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And herrings in gales when they wind us,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">But timing our oars, so smoothly we run,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">That we leave them in shoals behind us—</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Then cry one and all!</div> - <div class="verse indent6">Amain! for Whitehall!</div> - <div class="verse indent0">The Diegos we’ll board to rummage their hold,</div> - <div class="verse indent0">And drawing our steel, they must draw out their gold.”</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</span></p> -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Bring up the prisoner!’ said my judge, and I was -moved forward nearly to the table.</p> - -<p>The clerk peered at me with his green eyes.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</span> -by them on the high seas, in the islands, on the -main, and elsewhere.’</p> - -<p>It was the clerk who spoke thus, in a thin squeak, like -the cheeping of rusty iron.</p> - -<p>‘I said, when I saw him last night,’ added the army -officer, ‘that there was gallows written in the heretic’s -face.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘I knew by his face it is what he would come to,’ -replied Guzman.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Silence!’ proclaimed the alcaide, ‘the course of justice -must not be interrupted.’ The little clerk made a bow, -and Don José laughed outright.</p> - -<p>‘Why did you enter in your boat the harbour of -Carthagena?’ the judge demanded.</p> - -<p>I said, that not recognising his authority to ask I -should not answer the question.</p> - -<p>‘Take down,’ said the alcaide, ‘that he denies the authority -of the king of Spain in this, his new empire.’</p> - -<p>The clerk obeyed, with a sort of joyful chuckle.</p> - -<p>‘On what voyage were you bound?’ I was next asked.</p> - -<p>I remained mute.</p> - -<p>‘We shall make him find his tongue presently,’ -grinned the clerk; ‘even though we should squeeze it -out of his thumbs.’</p> - -<p>I guessed the meaning of this hint, but still held my -peace.</p> - -<p>‘Where was your ship when you came into the harbour?—speak, -sir!’ thundered the alcaide, ‘or it will be -the worse for you.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>There was a pause after this alternative had been offered -to me. Then I collected my thoughts and spoke thus:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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——</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The hidalgo answered, by removing his sombrero, and -bowing, with a wonderful air of mock gravity and condescension,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</span> -to his reprover. Then the examination recommenced:</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Were you not taken in the act of playing the spy -in the harbour of Carthagena?’ roared the alcaide again.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘A pretty thing—a pretty thing I that I am thus<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</span> -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—’</p> - -<p>‘And your prey, kite!’ said Don José, with the old -bitter sneer gleaming on his face.</p> - -<p>The alcaide foamed at the mouth, and bellowed rather -than spoke.</p> - -<p>‘The pirate—the pirate shall die the death! I say -it! Here prevail no traitors’ counsels!’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Guards—guards!’ screamed out the clerk. ‘Turn -out the guards! Where are the soldiers? Treason! -The life of the alcaide is in danger!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Meantime, the alcaide entirely threw off all appearance -of a judge’s impartiality.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>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——</p> - -<p>‘Hounds that you are!—would you murder in cold -blood an unarmed and manacled man?’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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:—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘<em>El medico</em>,’ 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.</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>I said I would not put him to the trouble of reading -them—I would tell nothing.</p> - -<p>‘Take off his handcuffs,’ said the magistrate. They -were removed. The executioner looked inquiringly at -his patron.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>But I must hasten with the tale of my own trials.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Señor the alcaide is wanted upon the beach; a -schooner with English colours set, which hath been<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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!’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</span> -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:—</p> - -<p>‘You have a good friend. Keep up your heart, and -you may yet have a chance for your life.’</p> - -<p>The blessed words fell upon my ears like rain on -parched herbage.</p> - -<p>‘Who—who is it? Of whom do you speak?’ I cried, -eagerly.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER XXI.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">HOW I ESCAPE FROM THE SPANISH GUARDHOUSE—AM CHASED BY</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: 0em;" class="fs80">BLOOD-HOUNDS IN THE WOODS, AND HOW AT LENGTH I FIND A</span><br> -<span style="margin-left: -23.5em;" class="fs80">STRANGE ASYLUM.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>The clock, from a neighbouring church, struck two. -My cell-door opened gently, and the turnkey appeared,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</span> -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 <em>trabucco</em>, as he called it—with a fair -supply of shot and slugs, I burst out into exclamations -of gratitude.</p> - -<p>‘Long live Don José!’ I cried. ‘I fear not the woods -now; there is life and food within this hollow iron.’</p> - -<p>‘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.”’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>The clerk tried to speak, but only husky murmurs -passed his lips.</p> - -<p>‘Lie there,’ I continued, ‘until your friends come to -your rescue.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</span> -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!</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Ho!’ thought I, ‘the siesta is over, and Señors the -dogs are the first astir.’</p> - -<p>My eye fell upon the water-fowl again. It seemed<span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>I had, indeed, hardly assumed my position of defence<span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</span> -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:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</span></p> - -<div class="blockquot fs80"> - -<p>“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.”</p> -</div> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>With such-like rhapsodies, I relieved the fulness of my -heart, as I followed the stream, splashing down in its<span class="pagenum" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</span> -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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</span></p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</span> -lane, fearing every moment that I would run into what -the French call a <em>cul-de-sac</em>; 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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Ladies,’ I gasped out, ‘I am an unfortunate Scots -sailor; your countrymen pursue me to kill me. Gentle -ladies, save my life!’</p> - -<p>Just as I said this the footsteps of the Spaniards echoed -between the high walls.</p> - -<p>‘Where is the English rascal?’ they cried; ‘he shall -die the death!’</p> - -<p>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:</p> - -<p>‘Rise, young man; and pass in.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER XXII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE FAMILY OF THE SPANISH MERCHANT.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘You are not to suppose, Master Mariner,’ quoth he, -‘that you are in the mansion of a grandee of Spain. Because,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Truly,’ says I, ’ Martin, this was but little short of a -miracle.’</p> - -<p>‘Master Mariner,’ quoth the simpleton, ‘I rejoice to -hear you say so. So indeed think I, and so thinks my -mistress, only——’</p> - -<p>‘What,’ cries I, ‘does any one refuse to believe the -token?’</p> - -<p>‘Ay, verily,’ answered the old steward, ‘even Mistress -Joseffa herself, who is in noways inclined, at the present<span class="pagenum" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</span> -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.”</p> - -<p>‘“But look you again, Mistress Joseffa,” says I, “all -wedding rings are plain, just like this ring.”</p> - -<p>‘But she, sir, in noways put down by my argument, -answers, “Truly, but wedding rings are also gold, and -this is brass, Master Martin.”’</p> - -<p>‘Well,’ says I, ‘how did you answer that consideration? -Methought, it pushed you home.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</span> -Martin’s interpretation of the vision was quite erroneous.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The señora received me with a sort of goodnatured<span class="pagenum" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘Young man, I fear me you are a heretic?’</p> - -<p>I replied softly that I was of the religion of my fathers.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</span> -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,</p> - -<p>‘Do not regard him—Leonard, my own sailor, I will -marry only you.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Tell me but his name,’ I would say; ‘bring me but -face to face with him; I ask no more.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>But I was not satisfied. And so I applied very earnestly -to Martin, professing to consult him as to a vision<span class="pagenum" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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!</p> - -<p>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:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</span></p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘Don José,’ said I, speaking in a low and tremulous -voice, for very passion; ‘it were best that you leave this -house.’</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>I was likely to lose my senses in reality at this cool -effrontery, and so, going up close to the Spanish nobleman, -I said—</p> - -<p>‘Remember, Don Ottavio y St. Jago, who is known to -every duenna at the Court of Madrid—remember, your<span class="pagenum" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Eavesdropper!’ he cried, ‘you were lurking in your -boat, beneath the cabin galleries of the galleon.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Most grateful mariner—most worthy pirate—a goodly<span class="pagenum" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>The Spaniard looked at me from head to foot, raised his -eyebrows, and gave a slight whistle.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</span> -said, ‘If ever in future years you visit Madrid, seek me -out, and I will be your friend.’</p> - -<p>Just then, the Señora Moranté entered. ‘Don José,’ -she said, ‘I have looked everywhere for Joseffa, but——’</p> - -<p>Here she observed me, and suddenly became silent. -Don José went up to her, and took her hand.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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?</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Joseffa had wept upon my neck—her mother had -blessed me—Martin had told me of a special vision, in<span class="pagenum" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</span> -which St. Gieronimo had appeared and promised to watch -over me!</p> - -<p>‘God bless them all!’ I had not thought shame to -weep in saying it.</p> - -<p>Another half-hour and the ocean was again beneath my -feet.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER XXIII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">HOW WE SAIL TO JOIN THE PEARL FLEET, AND THE NEGRO<br> -DIVER’S STORY.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>Garbo, the captain, was a good fellow, and a prime<span class="pagenum" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Wooroo,’ quoth the captain, ‘we want to hear something -about you; where you were born, and how you -came hither.’</p> - -<p>The gigantic African only stared.</p> - -<p>‘Come, now,’ says Captain Garbo, ‘tell us your story, -Wooroo—tell us about what you were in Africa, and -what you did there.’</p> - -<p>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?’</p> - -<p>‘Never mind that, Wooroo,’ says the captain, ‘if we -have a fancy to hear you speak. I will give you brandy, -man.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</span></p> - -<p>It was pitiful to see how the brute-man shook himself -with pleasure, and how his features worked.</p> - -<p>‘You make me very drunk—dead drunk?’ he -grunted.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘No, no,’ said Garbo; ‘you shall not get drunk -until we have the story out of you. Come, heave -a-head!—heave a-head!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</span></p> - - -<p>The Story of the Negro Diver.</p> - -<p>‘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!</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</span> -drink, and we were drunk and happy, and we said we -would go to war and bring more slaves.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘As you will, Wooroo,’ says Captain Garbo, interrupting -him, ‘if you only get enough of it.’</p> - -<p>‘Give some now,’ answered the negro. He drank off -a small mugful, and went on, with more and more animation, -as follows:—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</span> -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.”</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘I say truth,’ replied the negro. ‘Give me more strong<span class="pagenum" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>The poor devil told this part of his strange tale with a -visible shudder. He went on.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</span> -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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</span> -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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</span> -and no sails; and as a man without legs cannot walk, so -a ship without rigging cannot move upon the ocean.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Ay, that I’ll be bound you did!’ said Captain Garbo.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</span> -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—’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Give me the wages you said—make me much -drunk.’</p> - -<p>Captain Garbo, without a word, filled a large measure<span class="pagenum" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER XXIV.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">MY ADVENTURES AMONG THE PEARL FISHERS, AND MY ESCAPE<br> -FROM THE FLEET.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘That is the convoy of the Pearl Fleet,’ said Garbo;<span class="pagenum" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</span> -‘we must first speak her, and she will allot our station on -the bank.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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 <em>chasse-marées</em>, and moved by a number of great -sweeps, which extended from her sides like the long legs -of some huge insect of the sea.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>While I was pondering thus, Captain Garbo accosted -me in a whisper—</p> - -<p>‘This is but a mad freak of your countrymen,’ he said,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</span> -‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘A squall,’ I cried out, ‘and the privateer knew it was -coming. It was that made them so bold.’</p> - -<p>Just then a whole row of lanterns was run up to the -gaff of the great ship.</p> - -<p>‘See,’ said Garbo—‘a squall indeed. That is the -signal for the recal of all her boats.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘A sail, close to astern,’ was at the moment sung out -from the other extremity of our craft.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</span> -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?</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Ay,’ said the officer of the man-of-war, shivering in -his cold wet clothes, ‘it was the ship the scoundrels<span class="pagenum" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</span> -wanted, and there is no denying but they have carried -her off very cleverly.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</span> -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:—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry fs80"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Sir Drake, whom well the world’s end knew,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Which thou did compass round,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">And whom both poles of heaven once saw,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Which north and south do bound.</div> - </div> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">‘The starres alone would make thee knowne</div> - <div class="verse indent2">If men were silent here;</div> - <div class="verse indent1">The sun himselfe cannot forget</div> - <div class="verse indent2">His fellow-travellere!’</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</span></p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘If I were you, I would go to Jamaica, and claim my -property.’</p> - -<p>‘What property?’ I said, in amazement.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>I then intimated my hopes, that his trade so venturously -conducted was a profitable one.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>This speech the pearl merchant, or jeweller, delivered<span class="pagenum" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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?’</p> - -<p>Of course I engaged to be ready at a moment’s warning, -and we were about to part, when he said suddenly—</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>At ten o’clock exactly I took my way over the sandy<span class="pagenum" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</span> -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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</span> -made a curious contrast to the cracked crockery and -wooden platters, and hacked and broken knives and forks -which lay beside them.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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. <em>C’est bien alors</em>—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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_326">[Pg 326]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_327">[Pg 327]</span></p> - -<p>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:</p> - -<p>‘Juan and Blanco are both detected!’</p> - -<p>Then seeing me, he stopped as suddenly as though he -had been shot. But Peralta speedily reassured him.</p> - -<p>‘Go on, man; go on. He who standeth there is my -friend; he is one of us. Go on. Have they confessed?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Peralta stood still for a moment, and then said hurriedly, -‘Doth it blow?’</p> - -<p>The mulatto replied, that there was a light air only, -from the eastward.</p> - -<p>‘With the tide two hours on the ebb. That will do -well. Disco is on board the piragua?’</p> - -<p>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?’</p> - -<p>‘None, none,’ I replied; wondering with my whole soul -at the meaning of this strange scene.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_328">[Pg 328]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Now,’ quoth Peralta, ‘for the beach, and make as -little noise as you can in running.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_329">[Pg 329]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_330">[Pg 330]</span> -some of our friends ashore will be swimming down upon -us with their knives in their teeth.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>I uttered an exclamation of wonder, at which Peralta -laughed pleasantly.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_331">[Pg 331]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Hark!’ said Disco, ‘the surf on the bar.’</p> - -<p>‘And see,’ added Jenipa, ‘the lights of the Pearl Fleet -close to in the offing.’</p> - -<p>‘Forward, and look out, both of you,’ cried Peralta, -sharply. ‘Keep your eyes open on either bow.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_332">[Pg 332]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_333">[Pg 333]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_334">[Pg 334]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_335">[Pg 335]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_336">[Pg 336]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘No, no,’ said Peralta. ‘We could not have got them -out of trouble; but we have been the cause that they fell -into it.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_337">[Pg 337]</span> -and resumed, to a certain degree, his usual -manner.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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!’</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_338">[Pg 338]</span></p> - -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXV">CHAPTER XXV.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE PIRAGUA IS PICKED UP BY A GREAT PRIVATEER, AND I FIND<br> -MYSELF AMONG NEW SHIPMATES.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Disco,’ I shouted, ‘did you hear that? What was -that cry?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘It is a spirit,’ said the Indian. ‘It is some bad spirit -of the fog. It will come to us and kill us.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_339">[Pg 339]</span></p> - -<p>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:</p> - -<p>‘There! look there!’</p> - -<p>We all turned round at once, and saw, not thirty<span class="pagenum" id="Page_340">[Pg 340]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Why, comrades, never believe your eyes—if it be not -Old Rumbold, of Port Royal in Jamaica, and Heaven<span class="pagenum" id="Page_341">[Pg 341]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_342">[Pg 342]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_343">[Pg 343]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_344">[Pg 344]</span> -dancing in hell, I’ll make you feel the flat of my cutlass!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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? -<em>Messieurs les aventuriers</em> 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:</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_345">[Pg 345]</span> -foaled of an acorn, and I doubt it not but that a crew of -their choosing will be found to match bravely.’</p> - -<p>I inquired what he thought were the reasons which induced -them to detain us on board?</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_346">[Pg 346]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Now, then,’ the captain began, ‘you, Shambling Ned,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_347">[Pg 347]</span> -‘tell us how you came by that trench upon your forehead.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_348">[Pg 348]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_349">[Pg 349]</span></p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_350">[Pg 350]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Now, Jack,’ said Jerry, ‘here’s the mark for you; -let’s see what pith you have got in your muscles.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_351">[Pg 351]</span> -scourge fell, turned to a burning red; but he uttered no -sound.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘He will faint in a minute,’ said Rumbold, ‘and cheat -Jerry of the finishing stroke’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_352">[Pg 352]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_353">[Pg 353]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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 <cite>London Gazette</cite>, 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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_354">[Pg 354]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_355">[Pg 355]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_356">[Pg 356]</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_357">[Pg 357]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVI">CHAPTER XXVI.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE LEGEND OF THE DEMON WHO HAUNTS POINT MORANT IN<br> -JAMAICA.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_358">[Pg 358]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_359">[Pg 359]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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 <em>Vard lokur</em>—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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_360">[Pg 360]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_361">[Pg 361]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_362">[Pg 362]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_363">[Pg 363]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p>‘“Fling that carrion into the sea, and take warning by -the fate of Torquil Randa how you dispute the will of -such as I.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_364">[Pg 364]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘There was silence for the space of a minute, and then -the form of Torquil spoke.</p> - -<p>‘“I am sent from the dead,” it said, “to give you a -last warning.”</p> - -<p>‘“Return to those who sent you,” answered the witch; -“I take no warnings.”</p> - -<p>‘“I am bid to tell you,” said the spirit, “that the -measure of your iniquities is nearly full.”</p> - -<p>‘The witch of Lapland rose erect, and stood confronting -the apparition.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘Tronda’s frame shivered as she saw this, but she lost -no whit of countenance, and looked her terrible visitant -steadily in the face.</p> - -<p>‘“There will be given you one last opportunity,” the -apparition said. “Will you repent?”</p> - -<p>‘“No!” said the witch of Lapland.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_365">[Pg 365]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Then the elder spoke thus—</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“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.</p> - -<p>‘But at the moment when Tronda had made her -decision, the sudden moan of a hollow sounding wind<span class="pagenum" id="Page_366">[Pg 366]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“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.</p> - -<p>“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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_367">[Pg 367]</span> -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?”</p> - -<p>‘But the apparition said—</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p>‘“Alas! alas! my power is gone from me, and the elements -obey me no more!”</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘“And you too,” said Tronda, looking up at them, -“leave me!”</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_368">[Pg 368]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘At this the spectre of the Norse mariner turned to -Tronda, and said—</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_369">[Pg 369]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘“What is this I hear, men,” says he, “that one of -you has been frightened by a demon?”</p> - -<p>‘“It was the devil, Sir Francis!” said the sailor, by -name James Gilbert.</p> - -<p>‘“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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVII">CHAPTER XXVII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">WHAT HAPPENS ABOARD THE ‘SAUCY SUSAN’—AND THE ENDING<br> -OF HER AND HER CREW.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_370">[Pg 370]</span> -some one pulled my doublet, and, looking round, I saw -Rumbold.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>I inquired where Jerry, the Captain, and Nixon were?</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>I said, that surely the fellows would not murder him -for his wealth.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Upon this I replied, heartily shaking Rumbold’s hand -at the same time,—</p> - -<p>‘You helped me, at my time of need, among the -Spaniards. Perhaps, I can help you now—will you entrust -the pearls to me?’</p> - -<p>‘My good fellow,’ says Rumbold, with great eagerness, -‘that is precisely the favour I came to ask of you.’</p> - -<p>And with that, he fumbled in his bosom, and presently<span class="pagenum" id="Page_371">[Pg 371]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Farewell—take care!’ exclaimed Rumbold. ‘I must -not be seen here.’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_372">[Pg 372]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘The murthering rogue!’ he cried. ‘But he has made -his last cast—either he or I go down on that deck a dead -man!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_373">[Pg 373]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Stand from under,’ shouted Jerry, ‘and allow the villain -to drop clear. He has stabbed me as he did Shambling -Ned.’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_374">[Pg 374]</span> -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—</p> - -<p>‘Stop—stop, every mother’s son of you, where you -are till the fellow falls, and then stand by to pitch him -overboard.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Up with the hound, and over the side with him to the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_375">[Pg 375]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘One!’ cried Jerry.</p> - -<p>The four executioners, who seemed to like the job well, -gave the wretch a swing.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_376">[Pg 376]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘She is a barco longo—a Spanish express boat, comrades,’ -he shouted; ‘and we must overhaul her despatches -before we part company.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_377">[Pg 377]</span> -Jerry thundered out along the deck—‘The first gun -ready there—send your cold iron aboard of him!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Back the main topsail,’ cried Jerry. ‘The run is -taken out of him.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘That is the despatch box,’ quoth old Ward. ‘He -meant to fling it into the sea, but Tommy Nixon was too -sharp for him.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_378">[Pg 378]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_379">[Pg 379]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>So the weapon was duly produced.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Now,’ says Mackett, stopping in his work, ‘which -side of the sloop shall I send the mast over?’</p> - -<p>‘Over any side, with a murrain to thee, so thou makest -haste,’ answered Jerry.</p> - -<p>Mackett watched the roll of the seas narrowly, and just<span class="pagenum" id="Page_380">[Pg 380]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘And now, Spaniards,’ said Jerry, ‘you may get to -Truxillo as speedily as you like, and give our compliments -to the good folks there.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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:—</p> - -<p>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.<span class="pagenum" id="Page_381">[Pg 381]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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;—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="right">‘From my House at Ferrol.<br> -Upon such a date. </p> - -<p>‘Good and trusty Manual—</p> - -<p><span style="margin-left: 2em;">‘You having been absent at the mines in</span> -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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_382">[Pg 382]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Nevertheless, Manual, I must do our spoilers this<span class="pagenum" id="Page_383">[Pg 383]</span> -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.”’</p> -</div> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.”</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘And the matter which concerns us most, shipmates,’ -said Jerry. ‘Go on, Mr. Rumbold.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_384">[Pg 384]</span></p> - -<p>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.—</p> - -<p>‘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 <em>Isles des Aves</em>, 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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_385">[Pg 385]</span></p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>The cabin in question was but a filthy hole, close and<span class="pagenum" id="Page_386">[Pg 386]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘Shambling Ned,’ quoth the doctor, gravely, ‘hath a -skull so thick, that neither steel nor spirits can very easily -reach the brain, and therefore—’</p> - -<p>‘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—’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_387">[Pg 387]</span> -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:—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>‘Ho! ho! ho!’ laughed the doctor; ‘here be a footpad -teaching us politeness, and the rules of the most courtlike -society.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>‘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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_388">[Pg 388]</span> -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!”</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘“—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,”<span class="pagenum" id="Page_389">[Pg 389]</span> -“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.”’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Master Rumbold,’ said the worthy Nixon, ‘do you -love oysters?’</p> - -<p>At that question I saw very well what the man was -driving at, and watched him narrowly—‘Because,’ he<span class="pagenum" id="Page_390">[Pg 390]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘Truly,’ replied Rumbold, ‘if by oysters you mean -pearls—’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘’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.’</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_391">[Pg 391]</span> -you took me aboard. Search me, man, and be satisfied.’</p> - -<p>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!’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry fs80"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Haul, cheerily, jades of Jamaica,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And trulls of Tortugas also,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">The wenches have hold of the tow-rope,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And across the salt sea we do go—</div> - <div class="verse indent1">Across the salt sea we do go, boys,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">To the Sues and the Prues on the shore,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">Where he hath no wife may find one,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">And he who hath one may have more.’</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>‘Excellent, upon my reputation!’ shouted the highwayman; -‘Sedley could not have made better, nor Tom -D’Urfey either. Well did I know both.’</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>And the sots upon the floor, staggering to their feet,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_392">[Pg 392]</span> -waved lanterns and flagons, and shouted and yelled with -drunken voices—‘To our next carouse in the Isles des -Aves.’</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>The revellers shouted a furious chorus of applause.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Comrades,’ cried Jerry, articulating with difficulty, -‘I propose—that until the morning—the ‘Saucy Susan’—be -left—(hiccup)—to take care of—herself!’</p> - -<p>Another loud chorus of approbation welcomed this -proposition, the shouting and laughter being followed -by the usual outburst of discordant singing and swearing.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_393">[Pg 393]</span></p> - -<div class="poetry-container"> -<div class="poetry fs80"> - <div class="stanza"> - <div class="verse indent0">‘Up with your hammers, Bessy and Madge—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Up with your hammer, Sue;</div> - <div class="verse indent1">Plait their cravats for Joe, Tom, and Jack—</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Cravats they’ll grin grimly through!</div> - <div class="verse indent1">Never hang head, girls, and never look glum,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">Though they strap for it, all the three,</div> - <div class="verse indent1">There’s stout fellows plenty are left in the world,</div> - <div class="verse indent2">In spite of old Tyburn tree!’</div> - </div> -</div> -</div> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>And following his example, all the rest drained their -glasses, and flung them in a volley over their shoulders.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Ho! ho!’ shouted Jerry, with an insane roar of -laughter; ‘a bullet found its billet. Caulk the shot-hole<span class="pagenum" id="Page_394">[Pg 394]</span> -with the stopper of a brandy flask; it will be better in a -man’s flesh than in a bottle to-night.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Now fetch me them brandy-bottles,’ cries the -mate.</p> - -<p>‘Go easy, go easy,’ says Nixon.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Come, Tommy Nixon,’ roared the mate, ‘dip thy -beak into that snapdragon—come.’</p> - -<p>And so saying, he grasped the man with both his -brawny fists.</p> - -<p>‘Let go, let go your hold, you idiot!’ cried Nixon, -‘you will have the ship on fire.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_395">[Pg 395]</span></p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘There went a powder flask!’ cried Rumbold; and -then, as if the word appalled him, he staggered back -from me, crying—</p> - -<p>‘The magazine—the magazine—it is just beneath the -floor of the cabin!’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_396">[Pg 396]</span> -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!</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_397">[Pg 397]</span> -a canopy, all above our heads, and we gazed and gazed, -but saw nothing on the midnight sea.</p> - -<p>‘They are gone—it is all over,’ said Rumbold. ‘Lord, -have mercy on their sinful souls.’</p> - -<p>To this I solemnly responded, with my heart as with -my tongue, ‘Amen! amen!’</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXVIII">CHAPTER XXVIII.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE FOODLESS BOAT AND THE ISLAND.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_398">[Pg 398]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘For these gauds,’ he said, ‘two poor ignorant Indians -have very probably been sacrificed, and now a whole<span class="pagenum" id="Page_399">[Pg 399]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘Well,’ said Rumbold, ‘we must try to get there, -that is all; so let us set to work.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_400">[Pg 400]</span> -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?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_401">[Pg 401]</span></p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Cleopatra, queen of Egypt, drank dissolved pearls. -Pity we have not the means to make the beverage here?’</p> - -<p>By sundown he was raving again.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘They know when death is coming,’ he said.</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_402">[Pg 402]</span></p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_403">[Pg 403]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_404">[Pg 404]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_405">[Pg 405]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_406">[Pg 406]</span> -me, he who wore the toucan’s feather said, gravely, and -in excellent Spanish—</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>‘Eat, stranger,’ he said, in most sonorous Spanish; -‘eat, and be refreshed.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>Then the other took up the word—</p> - -<p>‘Truly he sleeps well; but you have been preserved; -for which thank the God of many names and many nations.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_407">[Pg 407]</span></p> - -<p>‘I am called Buonahari, and my fathers were caciques.’</p> - -<p>The other then said—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>The first Indian again interposed—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>The second Indian resumed—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.’</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_408">[Pg 408]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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?</p> - -<p>They replied, ‘No. None else.’</p> - -<p>‘Did not privateers sometimes come there?’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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:—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_409">[Pg 409]</span> -are blue. You are, perhaps, then, one of those nations -which come from across the ocean, and make war on the -Spaniards?’</p> - -<p>Having assented to this conjecture, the Indian resumed -thus:—</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_410">[Pg 410]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_411">[Pg 411]</span> -last of the race of Guanhani will be taken from the -earth.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_412">[Pg 412]</span> -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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_XXIX">CHAPTER XXIX.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">THE DISCOVERY OF A NEW WORLD.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>Now, when the night was dark, and the songs of the<span class="pagenum" id="Page_413">[Pg 413]</span> -people were loud, the chief of the Bohitos came to my -forefather, the cacique, and said—</p> - -<p>‘Why are not all the young men at the festival?’</p> - -<p>And the cacique answered, ‘They are at the festival; -they have come from the woods and the sea to praise -Zemi.’</p> - -<p>But the chief of the Bohitos answered, ‘Not so—look! -there is a light upon the sea.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘It is Zemi, who looks at our festival from the sea.’</p> - -<p>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—</p> - -<p>‘Saw you ever thunder and lightning so close to the -ocean?’</p> - -<p>And my forefather answered, ‘Never.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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.</p> - -<p>At this the chief of the Bohitos was troubled, and all -the people were afraid, and kneeled down upon the beach,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_414">[Pg 414]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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,<span class="pagenum" id="Page_415">[Pg 415]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_416">[Pg 416]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - - -<hr class="r10"> - -<div class="chapter"> -<h2 class="nobreak" id="CHAPTER_THE_LAST">CHAPTER THE LAST.<br><br> -<span class="fs80">I MEET OLD FRIENDS.</span></h2> -</div> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_417">[Pg 417]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_418">[Pg 418]</span> -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!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_419">[Pg 419]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_420">[Pg 420]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_421">[Pg 421]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>‘Hurrah,’ I shouted; ‘bravely done!’</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>‘Lindsay! Will Thistle! Hurrah!’ he shouted.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_422">[Pg 422]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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?”’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>By this time it was getting dark, the gale still blowing -furiously.</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_423">[Pg 423]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_424">[Pg 424]</span> -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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘And all the old faces are still on board?’ quoth I.</p> - -<p>‘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<span class="pagenum" id="Page_425">[Pg 425]</span> -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.’</p> - -<p>‘And the negro,’ says I; ‘the Spanish negro, we captured -fishing for pisareros off Carthagena?’</p> - -<p>‘Oh! he was sent ashore with the sailors of the -galleon, who, I hear, landed at Porto Bello.’</p> - -<p>‘There was,’ says I, ‘on board that galleon, one old -man, a merchant—’</p> - -<p>‘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.’</p> - -<p>To tell the truth, I was not sorry to hear this.</p> - -<p>‘We got enough from him as it was, Nicky,’ I said.</p> - -<p>‘Humph!’ quoth Nicky, ‘I must say we did.’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p>‘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!’</p> - -<p>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.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_426">[Pg 426]</span></p> - -<p>And now my story is told.</p> - -<p>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!</p> - -<p>And now I bid my readers a kind good by!</p> - -<p>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.</p> - - -<p class="center fs80">THE END.</p> - -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> -<p class="center fs60">Woodfall & Kinder, Printers, Milford Lane, Strand, London, W.C.</p> -<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop"> - -<div class="chapter"></div> -<div class="transnote"> - -<h2><span class="fs130">Transcriber’s Notes</span></h2> -<ul> -<li>pg iii Added comma after: OF MY BOYHOOD, AND HOW</li> -<li>pg iv Added missing page number 89</li> -<li>pg 6 Changed gallantly. At night-fall to: nightfall</li> -<li>pg 7 Changed leeward fore-topsail yardarm to: yard-arm</li> -<li>pg 14 Changed would not render up a marevedi to: maravedi</li> -<li>pg 16 Changed After which the quarter-master to: quartermaster</li> -<li>pg 38 Added period after: hate Jack Spaniard</li> -<li>pg 39 Changed spelling of: in the expedition in which l’Olonais to: l’Olonnais</li> -<li>pg 43 Changed For the Sea, the mosquito men to: Mosquito</li> -<li>pg 76 Changed ‘“Ay, nevvy,” quoth the old captain, to: Nevvy</li> -<li>pg 90 Changed therefore of quite sufficent to: sufficient</li> -<li>pg 101 Changed which lay close a-beam to: abeam</li> -<li>pg 104 Changed I had the midwatch to: mid-watch</li> -<li>pg 109 Changed I hope, never bear to: hear</li> -<li>pg 137 Changed Will-o’-the Whisp to: Will-o’-the-Wisp</li> -<li>pg 142 Changed “Breakers on the weather bow to: ‘Breakers</li> -<li>pg 142 Changed all clear with the anchor.” to: anchor.’</li> -<li>pg 142 Changed “Down with your helm to: ‘Down</li> -<li>pg 143 Changed great labyrinth of sandbanks to: sand-banks</li> -<li>pg 149 Changed “So you landed here to: ‘So</li> -<li>pg 149 Changed “Call you that seamen’s to: ‘Call</li> -<li>pg 152 Changed schooner if you don’t wan’t to: want</li> -<li>pg 152 Changed have been allowed on board.” to: board.’</li> -<li>pg 156 Changed schooner in the morning.” to: morning.’</li> -<li>pg 162 Changed “Where is the dwarf?’ to: ‘Where is the dwarf?’</li> -<li>pg 167 Changed sprit of the main-sail to mainsail</li> -<li>pg 167 Changed dollars, reals, and marvedis to: maravedis</li> -<li>pg 168 Changed And we echood to: echoed</li> -<li>pg 168 Changed screamed joyously over-head to: overhead</li> -<li>pg 168 Changed glances of the hot sun-light to: sunlight</li> -<li>pg 169 Changed wavy bunches of slimy seaweed to: sea-weed</li> -<li>pg 171 Changed mass of slushy seaweed to: sea-weed</li> -<li>pg 172 Changed him very nervously, fidgetting to: fidgeting</li> -<li>pg 176 Changed Meantine the sky was growing to: Meantime</li> -<li>pg 177 Added letter e after: dwarf as we heard this. H</li> -<li>pg 191 Changed chapter heading DICE IS KEELHAULED to: KEEL-HAULED</li> -<li>pg 193 Changed towards the stern, which heightenng to: heightening</li> -<li>pg 208 Added period after: and there was silence</li> -<li>pg 212 Changed while below was a great beauffet to: buffet</li> -<li>pg 214 Added quote after: sign that the waters are abated.</li> -<li>pg 218 Changed trust we may say our vepsers to: vespers</li> -<li>pg 225 Changed Tomorrow I was to appear to: To-morrow</li> -<li>pg 225 Changed out a squadron of their armadillos. to: armadilloes</li> -<li>pg 229 Changed at the rate of a brass marvedi to: maravedi</li> -<li>pg 232 Changed in the harbour of Cathagena to: Carthagena</li> -<li>pg 232 Changed rescue single-handed, griped to: gripped</li> -<li>pg 233 Removed repeated word from: pirate shall die the the</li> -<li>pg 236 Removed repeated word from: and which shall shall now be rehearsed</li> -<li>pg 242 Changed pretended to be, in some agitatation to: agitation</li> -<li>pg 244 Changed which I eagerly asisted to: assisted</li> -<li>pg 251 Changed track to tell of who has cleft to: left</li> -<li>pg 257 Added missing word in: I have landed from a vessel the bay</li> -<li>pg 263 Added missing chapter title: THE FAMILY OF THE SPANISH MERCHANT.</li> -<li>pg 265 Changed devil incarnate, whom they call Mountbars to: Montbars</li> -<li>pg 266 Changed ‘Ay, verily,” to: ‘Ay, verily,’</li> -<li>pg 267 Changed he answered that tomorrow to: to-morrow</li> -<li>pg 268 Changed arching of her dark eye-brows to: eyebrows</li> -<li>pg 272 Changed I will marry only you.” to: you.’</li> -<li>pg 275 Changed “Eavesdropper!’ to: ‘Eavesdropper!’</li> -<li>pg 277 Added quote after: everywhere for Joseffa, but——</li> -<li>pg 280 Changed Spaniard would keep all to himseif to: himself</li> -<li>pg 280 Changed these adventurers oft-times to: ofttimes</li> -<li>pg 317 Changed from sun-down to sun-rise to: sundown to sunrise</li> -<li>pg 325 Removed repeated word from: even the the most skilful</li> -<li>pg 329 Changed Disco himself, a Musquito Indian to: Mosquito</li> -<li>pg 332 Added period after: firing pistols in the air</li> -<li>pg 334 Changed The Mosquitto man merely shrugged to: Mosquito</li> -<li>pg 341 Changed thickened speech and blood-shot to: bloodshot</li> -<li>pg 343 Changed short run down by the Mosquitto coast to: Mosquito</li> -<li>pg 346 Changed rules of privateers-men to: privateersmen</li> -<li>pg 348 Changed pitiful hound of a Portugee to: Portuguese</li> -<li>pg 349 Changed from the mizenmast to: mizen-mast</li> -<li>pg 349 Changed teach a cowardly Portugee to: Portuguese</li> -<li>pg 350 Changed and his ancles to: ankles</li> -<li>pg 361 Changed Tonquil entered it unbidden. to: Torquil</li> -<li>pg 362 Changed single quote to double after: and bidding, shall overwhelm him.</li> -<li>pg 362 Changed “Look you, Torquil Randa,’ to: ‘Look you, Torquil Randa,’</li> -<li>pg 362 Changed “whoso in this galley to: ‘whoso in this galley</li> -<li>pg 372 Changed was that villainous Portuguee to: Portuguese</li> -<li>pg 381 Changed avoid all pirates, flebustiers to: flibustiers</li> -<li>pg 383 Changed and whom they called ‘Captain to: “Captain</li> -<li>pg 388 Added quote before: Well, captain, you know</li> -<li>pg 388 Added quote after: Oxford Road shall cry,</li> -<li>pg 391 Changed taken under stout L’Olonnais to: l’Olonnais</li> -<li>pg 392 Changed ‘Here be what I like,’ voicferated to: vociferated</li> -<li>pg 392 Changed shirks overboard after the Portuguee to: Portuguese</li> -<li>pg 397 Changed ‘Amen! am en!’ to: amen</li> -<li>pg 399 Changed Dios, the great head-land to: headland</li> -<li>pg 406 Added quote after: near me a broken boat.</li> -<li>pg 422 Changed Spanish craft we wanted to carry to Jamaics to: Jamaica</li> -<li>pg 424 Added hyphen to: cruise of the Will-o’-the Wisp</li> -<li>pg 426 Added quote after the letter o in: and the ‘Will-o-the-Wisp’</li> -</ul> - -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin-top:4em'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LEONARD LINDSAY ***</div> -<div style='text-align:left'> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -Updated editions will replace the previous one—the old editions will -be renamed. -</div> - -<div style='display:block; margin:1em 0'> -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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