THK 
 
 PKIVATEEBSMAN, 
 
 ADVENTURES, BY SEA AND LAND, IN CIVIL 
 
 AND SAVAGE LIFE, ONE HUNDRED 
 
 YEARS AGO. 
 
 CAPTAIN MAEEYAT, E.N. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 XEW EDITION. 
 
 LONDON: GEORGE BELL & SONS, YOEK STIiEET, 
 COYENT GARDKN. 
 
 1868.
 
 LONDON : 
 PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
 
 THE MIVATEERSMAN. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 We cru'go off Hispaniola Capture of a French Ship Continue 
 our Cruise Make a Nocturnal Attack upon a Rich Planter's 
 Dwelling Are repulsed with Loss. 
 
 To Mistress . 
 
 EESPECTED MADAM, 
 
 IN compliance with your request I shall now tran- 
 scribe from the journal of my younger days some por- 
 tions of my adventurous life. When I wrote, I 
 painted the feelings of my heart without reserve, and 
 I shall not alter one word, as I know you wish to 
 learn what my feelings were then, and not what my 
 thoughts may be now. They say that in every man's 
 life, however obscure his position may be, there would 
 be a moral found, were it truly told. I think, 
 Madam, when you have perused what I am about to 
 write, you will agree with me, that from my history 
 both old and young may gather profit, and I trust, if 
 ever it should be made public, that, by Divine permis- 
 sion, such may be the result. Without further pre- 
 face I shall commence with a narrative of icy cruise 
 off Hispaniola, in the Eevenge privateer. 
 
 
 20213E3
 
 TtB PRTVATEEBSMAX. 
 
 The Eevenge mounted fourteen guns, and was 
 commanded by Captain Weatberall, a very noted 
 privateer 's-man. One morning at daybreak we dis- 
 covered a vessel from tbe mast-Head, and immediately 
 made all sail in cbase, crowding every stitcb of canvass. 
 As we neared, we made her out to be a large sbip, 
 deeply laden, and we imagined tbat sbe would be an 
 easy prize ; but as we saw her hull more out of the 
 water, she proved to be well armed, having a full tier 
 of guns fore and aft. As it afterwards proved, she 
 Avas a vessel of 600 tons burden, and mounted twenty- 
 four guns, having sailed from St. Domingo, and being 
 bound to France. 
 
 She had been chartered by a French gentleman 
 (and a most gallant fellow we found him), who had 
 acquired a large fortune in the West Indies, and was 
 then going home, having embarked on board his whole 
 property, as well as his wife and his only son, a youth 
 of about seventeen. As soon as he discovered what 
 we Avere, and the impossibility of escape from so fast 
 a sailing vessel as the Eevenge, he resolved to fight us 
 to the last. Indeed he had everything to fight for; 
 his whole property, his wife and his only child, his own 
 liberty, and perhaps life, were all at stake, and he had 
 every motive that could stimulate a man. As we sub- 
 sequently learnt, he had great difficulty in inspiring 
 the crew Avith an equal resolution, and it was not until 
 he It y I engaged to pay them the value of half the cargo, 
 provided they succeeded in beating us off and forcing 
 their way in safety to France, that he could rouse 
 them to their duty. 
 
 Won by his example, for he told them that he did
 
 OAPTTJBE OF A FRENCH SHIP. 8 
 
 not desire any man to do more than he would do him- 
 self, and perhaps more induced by his generous offer, 
 the French crew declared they would support him to 
 the last, went cheerfully to their guns, and prepared for 
 action. When we were pretty near to him, he short- 
 ened sail ready for the combat, having tenderly forced 
 his wife down below to await in agony the issue of a 
 battle on which depended everything so dear to her. 
 The resolute bearing of the vessel, and the cool in- 
 trepidity with which they had hove to to await us, 
 made us also prepare on our side for a combat which 
 we knew would be severe. Although she was superior 
 to us in guns, yet, the Eevenge being wholly fitted for 
 war, we had many advantages, independent of our 
 being very superior in men. Some few chase-guns 
 were fired during our approach, when, having ranged up 
 within a cable's length of her, we exchanged broadsides 
 for half an hour, after which our captain determined 
 upon boarding. AYe ran our vessel alongside, and at- 
 tempted to throw our men on board, but met with a 
 stout resistance. The French gentleman, who was at 
 the head of his men, with his own hand killed two of 
 our stoutest seamen, and mortally wounded a third, 
 and, encouraged by his example, his people fought witli 
 Buch resolution that after a severe struggle we were 
 obliged to retreat precipitately into our own vessel, 
 leaving eight or ten of our shipmates weltering in their 
 7>lood. 
 
 Our captain, who had not boarded with us, was much 
 enraged at our defeat, stigmatizing us as cowards for 
 allowing ourselves to be driven from a deck upon 
 which we had obtained a footing ; he called upon us to
 
 4 THE PE1VATEEESMAN. 
 
 renew the combat, and leading the way he was the 
 first on board of the vessel, and was engaged hand to 
 hand with the brave Trench gentleman who had al- 
 ready made such slaughter among our men. Brave 
 and expert with his weapon as Captain "Weatherall 
 undoubtedly was, he for once found rather more than 
 a match in his antagonist ; he was slightly wounded, 
 and would, I suspect, have had the worst of this hand- 
 to-hand conflict, had not the whole of our crew, who 
 had now gained the deck, and were rushing forward, 
 separated him from his opponent. Out-numbered and 
 over-matched, the French crew fought most resolutely, 
 but notwithstanding their exertions, and the gallant 
 conduct of their leader, we succeeded in driving them 
 back to the quarter-deck of the vessel. Here the com- 
 bat was renewed with the greatest obstinacy, they 
 striving to maintain this their last hold, and we exert- 
 ing ourselves to complete our conquest. The French- 
 men could retreat no further, and our foremost men 
 were impelled against them by those behind them 
 crowding on to share in the combat. Eetreat being 
 cut off, the French struggled with all the animosity 
 and rage of mingled hate and despair ; while we, in- 
 furiated at the obstinate resistance, were filled with 
 vengeance and a thirst for blood. Wedged into one 
 mass, we grappled together, for there was no room for 
 fair fighting, seeking each other's hearts with shortened 
 weapons, struggling and falling together on the deck, 
 rolling among the dead and the dying, or trodden 
 underfoot by the others who still maintained the com- 
 bat with unabated fury. 
 Numbers at last prevailed; we had gained a dear-
 
 CAPTURE O? A .TBENOH SHIP. 5 
 
 bought victory we were masters of the deck, we had 
 struck the colours, and were recovering our lost 
 breaths after this very severe contest, and thought 
 ourselves in full possession of the ship ; but it proved 
 otherwise. The first b'eutenant of the privateer and 
 six of us had dashed down the companion, and were 
 entering the cabin in search of plunder, when we 
 found opposed to our entrance the gallant French 
 gentleman, supported by his son, the captain of the 
 vessel, and five of the French sailors ; behind them 
 was the French gentleman's wife, to whose protection 
 they had devoted themselves. The lieutenant, who 
 headed us, offered them quarter, but, stung to madness 
 at the prospect of the ruin and of the captivity which 
 awaited him, the gentleman treated the offer with con- 
 tempt, and rushing forward attacked our lieutenant, 
 beating down his guard, and was just about to pierce 
 him Avith the lunge which he made, when I fired my 
 pistol at him to save the life of my officer. The ball 
 entered his heart, and thus died one of the bravest 
 men I ever encountered. His son at the same time 
 was felled to the deck with a pole-axe, when the re- 
 mainder threw themselves down on the deck and cried 
 for quarter. So enraged were our men at this renewal 
 of the combat that it required all the efforts and au- 
 thority of the lieutenant to prevent them from com- 
 pleting the massacre by taking the lives of those wha 
 no longer resisted. But who could paint the condition 
 of that unhappy lady who had stood a witness of the 
 horrid scene her eyes blasted with the sight of her hus- 
 band slain before her face, her only son groaning on 
 the deck and weltering in his blood ; and she left alone,
 
 THE PEIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 bereft of all that was dear to her; stripped of the 
 wealth she was that morning mistress of, now a widow, 
 perhaps childless, a prisoner, a beggar, and in the 
 hands of lawless ruffians, whose hands were reeking 
 with her husband's and offspring's blood, at their 
 mercy, and exposed to every evil which must befall a 
 beautiful and unprotected female from those who were 
 devoid of all principle, all pity, and all fear! "Well 
 might the frantic creature rush as she did upon our 
 weapons, and seek that death which would have been 
 a mercy and a blessing. With difficulty we prevented 
 her from injuring herself, and, after a violent struggle, 
 nature yielded, and she sank down in a swoon on the 
 body of her husband, dabbling her clothes and hair 
 in the gore which floated on the cabin-deck. This 
 scene of misery shocked even the actors in it. Our 
 sailors, accustomed as they were to blood and rapine, 
 remained silent and immoveable, resting upon their 
 weapons, their eyes fixed upon the unconscious form 
 of that unhappy lady. 
 
 The rage of battle was now over, our passions had 
 subsided, and we felt ashamed of a conquest purchased 
 with such unutterable anguish. The noise of this re- 
 newed combat had brought down the captain ; he or- 
 dered the iady to be taken away from this scene of 
 horror, and to be carefully tended in his own cabin ; 
 the wound of the son, who was found still alive, 
 was immediately dressed, and the prisoners were se- 
 cured. I returned on deck, still oppressed with the 
 scene I had witnessed, and when I looked round me, 
 and beheld the deck strewed with the dead and dying 
 victors and vanquished indiscriminately mixed up
 
 CRUISE COKTIKCED. 7 
 
 together the blood of both nations meeting on the 
 deck and joining their streams, I could not help put- 
 ting the question to myself, " Can this be right and 
 laAvful all this carnage to obtain the property of 
 others, and made legal by the quarrels of kings?" 
 Keason, religion, and humanity answered, " No." 
 
 I remained uneasy and dissatisfied, and felt as if I 
 were a murderer ; and then I reflected how this pro- 
 perty, thus wrested from its former possessor, who 
 might, if he had retained it, have done much good with 
 it, would now be squandered away in riot and dissipa- 
 tion, in purchasing crime and administering to de- 
 bauchery. I was young then, and felt so disgusted 
 and so angry with myself and everybody else, that if 
 I had been in England I probably should never again 
 have put my foot on board of a privateer. 
 
 But employment prevented my thinking ; the decks 
 had to be cleaned, the bodies thrown overboard, the 
 blood washed from the white planks, the wounded to be 
 removed and their hurts dressed, the rigging and other 
 damages to be repaired, and when all this had been 
 done we made sail for Jamaica with our prize. Our 
 captain, who was as kind and gentle to the vanquished 
 as he was brave and resolute in action, endeavoured 
 by all the means he could think of to soften the cap- 
 tivity and sufferings of the lady. Her clothes, jewels, 
 and everything belonging to her, were preserved un- 
 touched ; he would not even allow her trunks to be 
 searched, and would have secured for her even all her 
 husband's personal effects, but the crew had seized 
 upon them as plunder, and refused to deliver them up. 
 I am almost ashamed to say that the sword and watch
 
 8 THE PBIVATEEBSMA3-. 
 
 of her husband fell to my lot, and, whether from my 
 wearing the sword, or from having seen me fire the 
 pistol which had killed him, the lady always expressed 
 her abhorrence of me whenever I entered her presence. 
 Her son recovered slowly from his wound, and on our 
 arrival at Port Royal was permitted by the admiral to 
 be sent to the King's Hospital, and the lady, who was 
 most tenderly attached to him, went on shore and re- 
 mained at the Hospital to attend upon him. I was 
 glad when she was gone, for I knew how much cause 
 she had for her hatred of me, and I could not see her 
 without remorse. As soon as we had completed our 
 repairs, filled up our provisions and water, we sailed 
 upon another cruise, which was not so successful, as 
 you will presently perceive. 
 
 For five or six weeks we cruised without suc- 
 cess, and our people began to grumble, when one 
 morning our boats in shore off Hispaniola surprised a 
 small schooner. A negro who was among the prison- 
 ers offered to conduct us through the woods by night 
 to the house of a very rich planter, which was situated 
 about three miles from a small bay, and at some dis- 
 tance from the other plantations. He asserted that we 
 might there get very valuable plunder, and, moreover, 
 obtain a large ransom for the planter and his family, 
 besides bringing away as many of the negro slaves as 
 we pleased. 
 
 Our captain, who was tired of his ill-success, and 
 who hoped also to procure provisions, which we very 
 much wanted, consented to the negro's proposal, and 
 standing down abreast of the bay, which was in the 
 Bight of Lugan, he ran in at dark, and anchoring close
 
 PLANTER'S DWELLING ATTACKED. 9 
 
 to the shore we landed with forty men, and, guided by 
 the negro, we proceeded through the woods to the 
 house. The negro was tied fast to one of our stoutest 
 and best men, for fear he should give us the slip. It 
 was a bright moonlight ; we soon arrived, and sur- 
 rounding the house forced our way in without opposi- 
 tion. Having secured the negroes in the out-houses, 
 and placed guards over them, and videttes on the look- 
 out to give timely notice of any surprise, we proceeded 
 to our work of plunder. The family, consisting of the 
 old planter and his wife and his three daughters, two 
 of them very beautiful, was secured in one room. Xo 
 words can express their terror at thus finding them- 
 selves so suddenly in the power of a set of ruffians, 
 from whose brutality they anticipated every evil. In- 
 deed, the horrid excesses committed by the privateers- 
 men when they landed on the coast fully justified 
 their fears; for as this system of marauding is con- 
 sidered the basest of all modern warfare, no quarter is 
 ever given to those who are taken in the attempt. In 
 return, the privateersmen hesitate at no barbarity 
 when engaged in such enterprises. 
 
 Dumb with astonishment and terror, the old couple 
 sat in silent agonv, while the poor girls, who had more 
 evils than death to fear, drowned in their tears fell at 
 the captain's feet and embraced his knees, conjuring 
 him to spare and protect them from his men. 
 
 Captain Weatherall, who was, as I have before 
 stated, a generous and humane man, raised them up, 
 assuring them, on his word, that they should receive 
 no insult; and as his presence was necessary to direct 
 the motions of his people, he selected me, as younger
 
 10 THE PEIYATEEBSMAtf. 
 
 and less brutal than most of his crew, as a guard over 
 them, menacing me with death if I allowed any man to 
 enter the room until he returned, and ordering me to 
 defend them with my life from all insults. I was then 
 young and full of enthusiasm ; my heart was kind, and 
 I was pure in comparison with the major portion of 
 those with whom I was associated. 
 
 I was delighted with the office confided to me, and 
 my heart leaped at having so honourable an employ- 
 ment. I endeavoured by every means in my power to 
 dissipate their terrors and soothe their anxious minds ; 
 but while I was thus employed, an Irish seaman, dis- 
 tinguished even amongst our crew for his atrocities, 
 came to the door, and would have forced his entrance. 
 I instantly opposed him, urging the captain's most 
 positive conmands ; but, having obtained a sight of the 
 young females, he swore with a vile oath that he would 
 soon find out whether a boy like me was able to oppose 
 him, and finding that I would not give way he attack- 
 ed me fiercely. Fortunately I had the advantage of 
 position, and, supported by the justice of my cause, I 
 repelled him with success. But he renewed the attack, 
 while the poor young women awaited the issue of the 
 combat with trembling anxiety a combat on which 
 depended, in all probability, their honour and their 
 lives. At last I found myself very hard pushed, for I 
 had received a wound on my sword arm, and I drew a 
 pistol from my belt witli my left hand, and fired it, 
 wounding him in the shoulder. Thus disabled, and 
 fearing at the same time that the report would bring 
 back the captain, who he well knew would not be 
 trifled with, he retired from the door vowing vengeance.
 
 PL A3f TEH'S DWELLING ATTACKED. 11 
 
 I then turned to the young women, who had witnessed 
 the conflict in breathless suspense, encircled in the 
 arms of the poor old couple, who had rushed toAvards 
 them at the commencement of the fray, offering them 
 their useless shelter. Privateersman as I was, I 
 could not refrain from tears at the scene. I again at- 
 tempted to reassure them, pledged myself in the most 
 solemn manner to forfeit my life if necessary for their 
 protection, and they in some degree regained their 
 confidence. They observed the blood trickling down 
 my fingers from the wound which I had received, and 
 the poor girls stained their handkerchiefs with it in the 
 attempts to staunch the flow. 
 
 But this scene was soon interrupted by an alarm. 
 It appeared that a negro had contrived to escape and 
 to rouse the country. They had collected together 
 from the other plantations, and our party being, as is 
 usually the case when plunder is going on, very negli- 
 gent, the videttes were surprised, and had hardly time 
 to escape and apprize us of our danger. There was 
 not a moment to be lost ; our safety depended upon 
 an immediate retreat. The captain collected all hands ; 
 and while he was getting them together, that the re- 
 treat might be made in good order, the old planter, 
 who, by the report of the fire-arms and the bustle and 
 confusion without, guessed what had taken place, 
 pressed me to remain with them, urging the certainty 
 of our men being overpowered, and the merciless con- 
 sequences which would ensue. He pledged himself, 
 with his fingers crossed in the form of the crucifix, 
 that he would procure me safe quarter, and that I 
 shoiild ever enjoy his protection and friendship. I re-
 
 12 THE PKIVA1EEESMAS". 
 
 fused him kindly but firmly, and he sighed and said no 
 more. The old lady put a ring on my finger, which 
 she took from her own hand, and kissing my forehead 
 told me to look at that ring and continue to do good 
 and act nobly as I had just done. 
 
 I waved my hand, for I had no time even to take 
 the proffered hands of the young ones, and hastened to 
 join my shipmates, already on the retreat, and exchang- 
 ing shots with our pursuers. "We were harassed by 
 a multitude, but they were a mixed company of plant- 
 ers, mulattoes, and slaves, and not half of them armed, 
 and we easily repelled their attacks whenever they 
 came to close quarters. Their violent animosity, how- 
 ever, against us and our evil doings induced them to 
 follow close at our heels, keeping up a galling irregular 
 fire, and endeavouring to detain us until we might be 
 overpowered by their numbers, every minute increas- 
 ing, for the whole country had been raised, and were 
 flocking in. This our captain was well aware of, and 
 therefore made all the haste that he could, without dis- 
 turbing the regularity of his retreat, to where our 
 boats were lying, as should they be surprised and cut 
 off our escape would have been impossible. Notwith- 
 standing all his care, several of oar men Avere separated 
 from us by the intricacies of the wood, or from wounds 
 which they had received, and which prevented them 
 from keeping up with us. At last, after repelling 
 many attacks, each time more formidable than the pre- 
 ceding, we gained our boats, and embarking with the 
 greatest precipitation we put off for the schooner. 
 The enemy, emboldened by our flight, flocked down 
 in great numbers to the water's edge, and we had the
 
 OUR BEPULSE. 13 
 
 mortification to hear our stragglers who had been 
 captured imploring for mercy; but groans and then 
 silence too plainly informed us that mercy had been 
 denied. 
 
 Captain Weatherall was so enraged at the loss of 
 his men that he ordered us to pull back and attack 
 the enemy on the beach, but we continued to pull for 
 the schooner, regardless of his threats and entreaties. 
 A panic had seized us all, as well it might. We even 
 dreaded the ill-aimed and irregular fire which thev 
 poured upon us, which under other circumstances 
 would have occasioned only laughter. The schooner 
 had been anchored only two hundred yards from the 
 beach, and we were soon on board. They continued 
 to fire from the shore, and the balls passed over us. 
 We put a spring upon our cable, warped our broadside 
 to the beach, and loading every gun with grape and 
 cannister we poured a whole broadside upon our assail- 
 ants. From the shrieks and cries, the carnage must 
 have been very great. The men would have reloaded 
 and fired again, but the captain forbade them, saying, 
 " We have done too much already." I thought so too. 
 He then ordered the anchor to be weighed, and with a 
 fresh land breeze we were soon far away lyorn this 
 unlucky spot.
 
 14 THE PBIVATEEKSMAIT. 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 We are pursued by two Schooner-Privateers, and failing to escape 
 them a terrible Contest ensues Three Acts of a Murderous 
 Naval Drama We are worsted Captain Weatherall is killed 
 I am plundered and wounded. 
 
 ABOUT six weeks after the unlucky affair before 
 described we met with, a still greater disaster. "We 
 had cruised off the Spanish main, and taken several 
 prizes ; shortly after we had manned the last and had 
 parted company, the Eevenge being then close in 
 shore, a fresh gale sprung up, which compelled us to 
 make all sail to clear the land. "We beat off shore 
 during the whole of the night, when the weather mo- 
 derated, and at daybreak we found out that we had not 
 gained much offing, in consequence of the current ; 
 but, what was more important, the man who went to 
 the look-out at the mast-head hailed the deck, saying 
 there were two sails in the offing. The hands were 
 turned up to make sail in chase, but we found that 
 they were resolutely bearing down upon us ; and as 
 we neared each other fast we soon made them out to 
 be vessels of force. One we knew well she was the 
 Esperance, a French schooner-privateer, of sixteen guns 
 and one hundred and twenty men ; the other proved 
 to be a Spanish schooner-privateer, cruising in com- 
 pany with hsr, of eighteen guns, and full manned.
 
 PURSUED BY TWO PKIYATEEBS. 15 
 
 Now our original complement of men had been 
 something more than one hundred ; but by deaths, 
 severe wounds in action, and manning our prizes, our 
 actual number on board was reduced to fifty-five effect- 
 ive men. Finding the force so very superior, we made 
 every attempt with sails and sweeps to escape, but the 
 land to leeward of us, and their position to windward, 
 rendered it impossible. Making, therefore, a virtue 
 of necessity, we put a good face upon it, and prepared 
 to combat against such desperate odds. 
 
 Captain "Weatherall, who was the life and soul of 
 his crew, was not found wanting on such an emergency. 
 With the greatest coolness and intrepidity he gave 
 orders to take in all the small sails, and awaited thd 
 coming down of the enemy. When everything was 
 ready for the unequal conflict, he ordered all hands 
 aft, and endeavoured to inspire us with the same ar- 
 dour which animated himself. He reminded us that 
 we had often fought and triumphed over vessels of 
 much greater force than our own; that we had al- 
 ready beaten off the French privateer on a former 
 occasion ; that the Spaniard was not worth talking 
 about, except to swell the merits of the double victory, 
 and that if once we came hand to hand our cutlasses 
 would soon prove our superiority. He reminded us that 
 our only safety depended upon our own manhood ; for 
 we had done such mischief on the coast, and our recent 
 descent upon the plantation was considered in such a 
 "light, that we must not expect to receive quarter if we 
 were overcome. Exhorting us to behave well and to 
 fight stoutly, he promised us the victory. The men 
 had such confidence in the captain that we returned
 
 1(J THE PE1VATEEESMAN. 
 
 him three cheers, -when, dismissing us to our quarters, 
 he ordered St. George's ensign to be hoisted at the 
 main-masthead, and hove to for the enemy. 
 
 The French schooner was the first which ranged up 
 alongside; the wind was light and she came sloAvly 
 down to us. The captain of her hailed, saying that 
 his vessel was the Esperance, and our captain replied 
 that he knew it, and that they also knew that his was 
 the Revenge. The Trench captain, who had hove to, 
 replied very courteously that he was well aware what 
 vessel it was, and also of the valour and distinguished 
 reputation of Captain "Weatherall, upon which Captain 
 "Weatherall, who stood on the gunnel, took off his hat 
 in acknowledgment of the compliment. 
 
 Now Captain Weatherall was well known, and it 
 was also well known that the two vessels would meet 
 with a severe resistance, which it would be as well to 
 avoid, as even if they gained the victory it would not 
 be without great loss of men. The French captain 
 therefore addressed Captain "Weatherall again, and said 
 he hoped, now that he was opposed to so very superior 
 a force, he would not make a useless resistance, but, as 
 it would be no disgrace to him, and would save the 
 lives of many of his brave men, his well-known human- 
 ity would induce him to strike his colours. 
 
 To this request our commander gave a gallant and 
 positive refusal. The vessels lay now close to each 
 other, so that a biscuit might have been thrown on 
 board of either. A generous expostulation ensued 
 which continued till the Spanish vessel was a short dis- 
 tance astern of us. 
 
 "You now see our force." said the French captain.
 
 A TEEEIBLE COKTE8T. 17 
 
 " Do not fight against impossible odds, but spare your 
 brave and devoted men." 
 
 " In return for your kind feeling towards me," re- 
 plied Captain Weatherall, " I offer you both quarter, 
 and respect to private property, upon hauling down 
 your colours." 
 
 " lou are mad, Captain Weatherall," said the French 
 captain. 
 
 "You allow that I have lived bravely," replied Cap- 
 tain Weatherall; "you shall find that I will conquer 
 you, and if necessary I will also die bravely. "We will 
 now fight. In courtesy, I offer you the first broad- 
 side." 
 
 " Impossible," said the French captain, taking ofl 
 his hat. 
 
 Our captain returned the salute, and then, slipping 
 down from the gunwale, ordered the sails to be filled, 
 and after a minute, to give the Frenchman time to 
 prepare, he fired off in the air the fusee which he held 
 in his hand, as a signal for the action to begin. "We 
 instantly commenced the work of death by pouring in 
 a broadside. It was returned with equal spirit, and a 
 furious cannonading ensued for several minutes, when 
 the Spaniard ranged up on our lee quarter with his 
 rigging full of men to board us. Clapping our helm 
 a-weather, and hauling our fore sheets to windward, we 
 fell off athwart his hawse, and raked him with several 
 broadsides fore and aft ; our guns having been loaded 
 with langridge and lead bullets, and his men being 
 crowded together forward, ready to leap on board ol 
 us, her deck became a slaughter-house. The officers 
 nncleavDured in vain to animate their men, who, instead
 
 18 THE PBIVATEEBSMAJT. 
 
 of gaining our decks, were so intimidated by the car- 
 nage that they forsook their own. The Frenchman, 
 perceiving the consternation and distress of his consort, 
 to give her an opportunity of extricating herself from 
 her perilous condition, now put his helm a-weather, ran 
 us on board, and poured in his men ; but we were well 
 prepared, and soon cleared our decks of the intruders. 
 In the mean time the Spaniard, by cutting away our 
 rigging, in which his bowsprit was entangled, swung 
 clear of us, and fell away to leeward. The .Frenchman 
 perceiving this sheered off, and springing his luff, shot 
 ahead clear of us. Such was the first act of this terri- 
 ble drama. We had as yet sustained little damage, 
 the enemy's want of skill, and our good fortune com- 
 bined, having enabled us to take them at such a disad- 
 vantage. 
 
 But, although inspirited by such a prosperous be- 
 ginning, our inferiority in men was so great that our 
 captain considered it his duty to make all sail in hopes 
 of being able to avoid such an unequal combat. This 
 our enemies attempted to prevent by a most furious 
 cannonade, which we received and returned without 
 flinching, making a running fight of it, till at last, our 
 fore-yard and foretop-mast being shot away, we had 
 no longer command of the vessel. Finding that, al- 
 though we were crippled and could not escape, our 
 fire continued unabated, both the vessels again made 
 preparations for boarding us, while we on our part 
 prepared to give them a warm reception. 
 
 As we knew that the Frenchman, who was our most 
 serious opponent, must board us on our weather-bow, 
 we traversed over four of our guns, loaded to tlio
 
 A TEBEIBLK CONTEST. 19 
 
 muzzle with musket-balls, to receive him, and bemg 
 all ready with our pateraroes and hand grenades we 
 waited for the attack. As he bore down for our bows, 
 with all his men clinging like bees, ready for the 
 spring, our guns were discharged and the carnage was 
 terrible. The men staggered back, falling down over 
 those who had been killed or wounded, and it required 
 all the bravery and example of the French captain, 
 who was really a noble fellow, to rally the remainder 
 of his men, which at last he succeeded in doing, and 
 about forty of them gained our forecastle, from which 
 they forced our weak crew, and retained possession, 
 not following up the success, but apparently waiting 
 till they were seconded by the Spaniard's boarding 
 us on our lee quarter, which would have placed us be- 
 tween two fires, and compelled us to divide our small 
 force. 
 
 By this time the wind, which had been light, left us, 
 and it was nearly a calm, with a swell on the sea 
 which separated the two vessels ; the Spaniard, who 
 was ranging up under our lee, having but little way, 
 and not luffing enough, could not fetch us, but fell off 
 and drifted to leeward. The Frenchmen who had been 
 thrown on board, and who retained possession of our 
 forecastle, being thus left without support from their 
 own vessel, which had been separated from us by the 
 swell, or from the Spaniard, which had fallen to lee- 
 ward, we gave three cheers, and throwing a number of 
 hand grenades in among them we rushed forward with 
 our half-pikes, and killed or drove every soul of them 
 overboard, one only, and he wounded in the thigh, 
 o 2
 
 20 THE PEITATEEESMA3T. 
 
 escaped by swimming back to his own vessel. Here, 
 then, was a pause in the conflict, and thus ended, I 
 may say, the second act. 
 
 Hitherto the battle had been fought with generous 
 resolution; but after this hand-to-hand conflict, and 
 the massacre with which it ended, both sides appeared 
 to have been roused to ferocity. A most infernal can- 
 nonade was now renewed by both our antagonists, and 
 returned by us with equal fury; but it was now a 
 dead calm, and the vessels rolled so much with the 
 swell that the shot were not so effective. By degrees 
 we separated more and more from our enemies, and 
 the firing was now reduced to single guns. During 
 this partial cessation our antagonists had drawn near 
 to each other, although at a considerable distance from 
 us. "We perceived that the Spaniard was sending two 
 of his boats full of men to supply the heavy loss sus- 
 tained by his comrade. Captain Weatherall ordered 
 the sweeps out, and we swept our broadside to them, 
 trying by single guns to sink the boats as they \vent 
 from one vessel to the other. After two or three at- 
 tempts, a gun was successful ; the shot shattered the 
 first of the boats, which instantly filled and went 
 down. The second boat pulled up and endeavoured 
 to save the men, but we now poured our broadside 
 upon them, and, daunted by the shot flying about 
 them, they sought their own safety by pulling back to 
 the vessel, leaving their sinking companions to their 
 fate. Failing in this attempt, both vessels recom- 
 menced their fire upon us, but the distance and the 
 swell of the sea prevented any execution, and at last
 
 A MUEDEBOU8 NAVAL DRAMA. 21 
 
 they ceased firing, waiting till a breeze should spring 
 up, which might enable them to renew the contest with 
 better success. 
 
 At this time it was about eleven o'clock in the fore- 
 noon, and the combat had lasted about five hours. 
 "We refreshed ourselves after the fatigue and exertion 
 which we had undergone, and made every preparation 
 for a renewal of the fight. During the engagement 
 we were so excited that we had no time to think; 
 but now that we were cool again and unoccupied we 
 had time to reflect upon our position, and we began to 
 feel dejected and apprehensive. Fatigued with exertion, 
 we were weak and dispirited. "We knew that our best 
 men were slain or groaning under their severe wounds, 
 that the enemy were still numerous, and, as they per- 
 severed after so dreadful a slaughter, that they were 
 of unquestionable bravery and resolution. Good for- 
 tune, and our captain's superior seamanship, had, up to 
 the present, enabled us to make a good fight, but for- 
 tune might desert us, and our numbers were so re- 
 duced that if the enemy continued resolute we must 
 be overpowered. Our gallant captain perceived the 
 despondency that prevailed, and endeavoured to re- 
 move it by his own example and by persuasion. After 
 praising us for the resolution and courage we had 
 already shown, he pointed out to us that, whatever 
 might be the gallantry of the officers, it was clear that 
 the men on board of the opposing vessels were awed 
 by their heavy loss and want of success, and that if 
 they made one more attempt to take xis by the board 
 and faued, which he trusted they would do, no per- 
 suasion would ever induce them to try it again, and
 
 22 THE PEIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 the captains of the vessels would give over such an 
 unprofitable combat. He solemnly averred that the 
 colours should never be struck while he survived, and 
 demanded who amongst us were base enough to refuse 
 to stand by them. Again we gave him three cheers, 
 but our numbers were few, and the cheers were faint 
 compared with the first which had been given, but still 
 we were resolute, and determined to support our cap- 
 tain and the honour of our flag. Captain "Weatherall 
 took care that this feeling should not subside he dis- 
 tributed the grog plentifully ; at our desire he nailed 
 the colours to the mast, and we waited for a renewal 
 of the combat with impatience. At four o'clock in 
 the afternoon a breeze sprang up, and both vessels 
 trimmed their sails and neared us fast not quite in 
 such gallant trim as in the morning, it is true but 
 they appeared now to have summoned up a determined 
 resolution. Silently they came up, forcing their way 
 slowly through the water; not a gun was fired, but 
 the gaping mouths of the cannon, and their men mo- 
 tionless at their quarters, portended the severity of the 
 struggle which was now to decide this hitherto well- 
 contested trial for victory. "When within half a cable's 
 length, we saluted them with three cheers, they re- 
 turned our defiance, and running up on each side of 
 us, the combat was renewed with bitterness. 
 
 The Frenchman would not this time lay us onboard 
 until he was certain that the Spaniard had boarded us 
 to leeward ; he continued luffing to windward and 
 plying us with broadsides until we were grappled with 
 the Spaniard, and then he bore down and laid his gun- 
 wale on our bow. The Spaniard had already boarded
 
 DEATH OF CAPTAIN \TEATHEKALL. 28 
 
 us on the quarter, and we were repelling this attack 
 when the Frenchman laid us on the bow. We fought 
 with desperation, and our pikes gave us such an ad- 
 vantage over the swords and knives of the Spaniards 
 that they gave ground, and, appalled by the desperate 
 resistance they encountered, quitted our decks, strewed 
 with their dead and dying shipmates, and retreated in 
 confusion to their own vessel. But before this repulse 
 had been effected, the French had boarded us on the 
 weather-bow, and driving before them the few men who 
 had been sent forward to resist them, had gained our 
 main deck, and forced their way to the rise of the 
 quarter-deck, where all our remaining men were now 
 collected. The combat was now desperate, but after 
 a time our pikes, and the advantage of our position, 
 appeared to prevail over numbers. We drove them 
 before us we had regained the main deck, when our 
 brave commander, who was at our head, and who had 
 infused spirit into us all, received a bullet through his 
 right wrist ; shifting his sword into his left hand, he 
 still pressed forward encouraging us, when a ball entered 
 his breast and he dropped dead. With his fall fell the 
 courage and fortitude of his crew, so long sustained 
 and to complete the mischief, the lieutenant and two 
 remaining officers also fell a few seconds after him. 
 Astonished and terrified, the men stopped short in their 
 career of success, and wildly looked round for a leader. 
 The French, who had retreated to the forecastle, per- 
 ceiving our confusion, renewed the attack, our few re- 
 maining men were seized with a panic, and throwing 
 down our arms, we asked for quarter where a moment
 
 24, THE PEIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 before victory was in our hands ; such was the finale of 
 our bloody drama. 
 
 Out of 'fifty-five men twenty-two had been killed in 
 this murderous conflict, and almost all the survivors 
 desperately or severely wounded. Most of the remain- 
 ing crew after we had cried for quarter jumped down 
 the hatchway, to avoid the cutlasses of their enraged 
 victors. I and about eight others, having been driven 
 past the hatchway, threw down our arms and begged 
 for quarter, which we had little reason to expect would 
 be shown to us. At first no quarter was given by our 
 savage enemies, who cut down several of our disarmed 
 men and hacked them to pieces. Perceiving this, I got 
 on the gunwale ready to jump overboard, in the hopes 
 of being taken up after the slaughter had ceased, when 
 a Erench lieutenant coming up protected us, and saved 
 the poor remains of our crew from the fury of his men. 
 Our lives, however, were all he counted upon preserv- 
 ing we were instantly stripped and plundered with- 
 out mercy. I lost everything I possessed ; the watch, 
 ring, and sword I had taken from the gallant French- 
 man were soon forced from me, and, not stripping off 
 my apparel fast enough to please a Mulatto sailor, I 
 received a blow with the butt-end of a pistol under 
 the left ear, which precipitated me down the hatch- 
 way, near which I was standing, and I fell senseless 
 into the hold.
 
 I BUFFER CRUEL TREATMENT. 215 
 
 CHAPTEE III. 
 
 We are sent in, on board the Revenge, and treated with great 
 cruelty Are afterwards recaptured by the Hero privateer, and 
 retaliate on the French I am taken to the hospital at Port 
 Royal, where I meet the French lady Her savage exultation at 
 my condition She is punished by one of my comrades. 
 
 'ON coming to my senses, I found myself stripped 
 naked and suffering acute pain. I found that my 
 right arm was broken, my shoulder severely injured by 
 my fall ; and, as I had received three severe cutlass- 
 wounds during the action, I had lost so much blood 
 that I had not strength to rise or do anything for 
 myself. There I lay, groaning and naked, upon the 
 ballast of the vessel, at times ruminating upon the 
 events of the action, upon the death of our gallant 
 commander, upon the loss of our vessel, of so many of 
 our comrades, and of our liberty. After some time, the 
 surgeon, by order of the French, commander, came 
 down to dress my wounds. He treated me with the 
 greatest barbarity. As he twisted about my broken limb 
 I could not help crying at the anguish which he caused 
 me. He compelled me to silence by blows and male- 
 dictions, wishing I had broken my rascally neck rather 
 than he should have been put to the trouble of coming 
 down to dress me. However, dress me he did, out of 
 fear of his captain, who, he knew well, would send
 
 2($ THE PKIVATEEKSMAff. 
 
 round to see if he had executed his orders, and then 
 he left me, with a kick in the ribs by way of remem- 
 brance. Shortly afterwards the vessels separated. 
 Fourteen of us, who were the most severely hurt, were 
 left in the Eevenge, which was manned by an officer 
 and twenty Frenchmen, with orders to take her into 
 Port-au-Paix. The rest of our men were put on board 
 of the French privateer, who sailed away in search of 
 a more profitable adventure. 
 
 About an hour after they had made sail on the vessel, 
 the officer who had charge of her, looking down the 
 hatchway, and perceiving my naked and forlorn con- 
 dition, threw me a pair of trousers, which had been 
 rejected by the French seamen as not worth having ; 
 and a check shirt, in an equally ragged condition, I 
 picked up in the hold ; this, with a piece of old rope 
 to tie round my neck as a sling for my broken arm, 
 was my whole wardrobe. In the evening I gained 
 the deck, that I might be refreshed by the breeze, 
 which cooled my feverish body and somewhat restored 
 me. 
 
 We remained in this condition for several days, 
 tortured with pain, but more tortured, perhaps, by the 
 insolence and bragging of the Frenchmen, who set no 
 bounds to their triumph and self-applause. Among 
 those who had charge of the prize were two, one of 
 whom had my watch and the other my ring ; the first 
 would hold it to me grinning and asking if Monsieur 
 would like to know what o'clock it was ; and the other 
 would display the ring, and tell me that his sweetheart 
 would value it when she knew it was taken from a 
 conquered Englishman. This was their practice every
 
 BECAPTUBED BY T1IE HEBO. 27 
 
 day, and I was compelled to receive their gibes with- 
 out venturing a retort. 
 
 On the eleventh day after our capture, when close to 
 Port-au-Pabr, and expecting we should be at anchor 
 before nightfall, we perceived a great hurry and confu- 
 sion on deck ; they were evidently making all the sail 
 that tbfey could upon the vessel ; and then, hearing 
 them fire off their stern-chasers, we knew for certain 
 that they were pursued. Overjoyed at the prospect of 
 being released, we gave three cheers. The French from 
 the deck threatened to fire down upon us, but we 
 knew that they dared not, for the Revenge was so 
 crippled in the fight that they could not put sail upon 
 her so as to escape, and their force on board was too 
 small to enable them to resist if overtaken we 
 therefore continued our exulting clamours. At last 
 we heard guns fired and the shot whizzing over the 
 vessel a shot or two struck our hull, and soon after- 
 wards, a broadside being poured into us, the French- 
 men struck their colours, and we had the satisfaction 
 of seeing all these Gasconaders driven down into the 
 hold to take our places. It was now their turn to be 
 dejected and downcast, and for us to be merry ; and 
 now also the tables had to be turned, and we took the 
 liberty of regaining possession of our clothes and 
 other property which they carried on their backs and 
 in their pockets. I must say we showed them no mercy. 
 
 ""What o'clock is it, Monsieur?" said I to the 
 fellow who had my watch. 
 
 " At your service, Sir," he replied, humb.y taking 
 out my watch, and presenting it to me. 
 
 " Thank you," said I, taking the watch, and saluting
 
 28 THE PRIVATEEKSMAJr. 
 
 him with a kick in the stomach, which made him dou- 
 ble up and turn round from me, upon which I gave 
 him another kick in the rear to straighten him again. 
 " That ring, Monsieur, that your sweetheart will prize." 
 
 " Here it is," replied the fellow, abjectly. 
 
 "Thank you, Sir," I replied, saluting him with the 
 double kick which I had given to the former. " Tell 
 your sweetheart I sent her those," cried I, " that is, 
 when you get back to her." 
 
 " Hark ye, brother," cries one of our men, " I '11 
 trouble you for that jacket which you borrowed of me 
 the other day, and in return here are a pair of iron 
 garters (holding out the shackles), which you must 
 wear for my sake I think they will fit you well." ' 
 
 " Mounseer," cries another, " that wig of mine 
 don't suit your complexion, I '11 trouble you for it. 
 It's a pity such a face as yours should be disfigured in 
 those curls. And while you are about it, I '11 thank 
 you to strip altogether, as I think your clothes will fit 
 me, and are much too gay for a prisoner." 
 
 " I was left naked through your kindness the other 
 day," said I to another, who was well and smartly 
 dressed, " I '11 thank you to strip to your skin, or you 
 shall have no skin left." And I commenced with my 
 knife cutting his ears as if I would skin them. 
 
 It was a lucky hit of mine, for in his sash I found 
 about twenty doubloons. He would have saved them, 
 and held them tight, but after my knife had entered 
 his side about half an inch he surrendered the prize. 
 After we had plundered and stripped them of every- 
 thing, we set to to kick them, and we did it for half an 
 hour so effectually that they were all left groaning ia
 
 TAKES TO POET EOTAL. 29 
 
 a heap on the ballast, and we then found our way on 
 deck. 
 
 The privateer which had recaptured us proved to be 
 the Hero, of New Providence ; the Frenchmen were 
 taken out, and some of her own men put in to take us 
 to Port Eoyal ; we, being wounded, and not willing to 
 join her, remained on board. On our arrival at Port 
 Royal, we obtained permission to go to the King's 
 Hospital to be cured. As I went upstairs to the ward 
 allotted to me, I met the French lady whose husband 
 had been killed, and who was still nursing her son at 
 the hospital, his wounds not having been yet cured. 
 Notwithstanding my altered appearance, she knew me 
 again immediately, and seeing me pale and emaciated, 
 with my arm in a sling, she dropped down on her 
 knees, and thanked God for returning upon our heads 
 a portion of the miseries we had brought upon her. 
 She was delighted when she heard how many of us had 
 been slain in the murderous conflict, and even rejoiced 
 at the death of poor Captain Weathers!!, which, con- 
 sidering how very kind and considerate he had been to 
 her, I thought to be very unchristian. 
 
 It so happened that I was not only in the same ward, 
 but in the cradle next to her son ; and the excitement 
 I had been under when we were recaptured, and my 
 exertion in kicking the Frenchmen, had done me no 
 good. A fever was the consequence, and I suffered 
 dreadfully, and she would look at me, exulting in my 
 agony, and mocking my groans ; till at last the surgeon 
 told her it was by extreme favour that her son had 
 been admitted into the hospital instead of being sent 
 to prison, and that if she did not behave herself in *
 
 30 THE PRIVATEEESMAIT. 
 
 proper manner he would order her to be denied admit- 
 tance altogether; and that if she dared to torment suffer- 
 ing men in that way, on the first complaint on my part, 
 her son should go to the gaol and finish his cure there. 
 This brought her to her senses, and she begged pardon, 
 and promised to offend no more ; but she did not keep 
 her word for more than a day or two, but laughed out 
 loud when the surgeon was dressing my arm, for a 
 piece of bone had to be taken out, and I shrieked with 
 anguish. This exasperated one of my messmates so 
 much that, not choosing to strike her, and knowing how 
 to wound her still worse, he drove his fist into the head 
 of her son as he lay in his cradle, and by so doing re- 
 opened the wound that had been nearly healed. 
 
 " There 's pain for you to laugh at, 'jon French 
 devil," he cried. 
 
 And sure enough it cost the poor young man his 
 life. 
 
 The surgeon was very angry with the man, but told 
 the French lady, as she kneeled sobbing by the side of 
 her son, that she had brought it upon herself and him 
 by her own folly and cruelty. I know not whether she 
 felt so, or whether she dreaded a repetition, but this is 
 certain, she tormented me no more. On the contrary, 
 I think she suffered very severely, as she perceived that 
 I rapidly mended and that her poor son got on but 
 slowly. At last my hurts were all healed, and I left 
 too hospital, hoping never to see her more.
 
 SAIL JOB LIVERPOOL. 81 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Sail for Liverpool in the Sally and Kitty Fall in with a Gale- 
 Boy overboard Nearly drowned in attempting to save him 
 See the owners at Liverpool Embark in the Dalrymple for the 
 Coast of Africa Arrive off Senegal. 
 
 A GBEAT deal of prize-money being due to us, 1 
 called upon the agent at Port Royal to obtain an ad- 
 vance. I found him in a puzzle. Owing to the death 
 of Captain "Weatherall and so many of the officers, he 
 hardly kne\v whether those who applied to him were 
 entitled to prize-money or not. Whether he thought 
 I appeared more honest than the others, or from what 
 cause I know not, he requested me, as I knew everything 
 that had passed, to remain with him for a short time ; 
 and, finding that I could read and write well, he ob- 
 tained from me correct lists of the privateer's crew, 
 with those who were killed, and on what occasion. All 
 this information I was able to give him, as well as the 
 ratings of the parties ; for on more than one occasion 
 the privateer' s-men had come to him representing 
 themselves as petty officers when they were only com- 
 mon seamen on board, and had in consequence received 
 from him a larger advance than they were entitled to. 
 As soon as his accounts were pretty well made up, he 
 asked me whether I intended to go to England, as if so 
 he would send me home with all the papers and docu- 
 ments to the owner at Liverpool, who would_require my 
 assistance to arrange the accounts; and, as I had had
 
 32 THE PBIYATEERSUA3T. 
 
 quite enough of privateering for a time, 1 consented 
 to go. About two months after leaving the hospital, 
 during which I had passed a very pleasant life, and 
 quite recovered from my wounds and injuries, I sailed 
 for Liverpool in the Sally and Kitty West-Indiaman, 
 commanded by Captain Clarke, a very violent man. 
 
 We had not sailed twelve hours before we fell in 
 with a gale, which lasted several days, and we kept 
 under close-reef-topsails and storm-staysails. The gale 
 lasting a week raised a mountainous swell, but it waa 
 very long and regular. On the seventh day the wind 
 abated, but the swell continued, and at evening there 
 was very little wind, when a circumstance occurred 
 which had nearly cost me my life, as you will acknow- 
 ledge, Madam, when I relate the story to you. During 
 the dog-watch, between six and eight, some hands being 
 employed in the foretop, the other watch below at sup- 
 per, and the captain and all the officers in the cabin, I 
 being at the helm heard a voice, apparently rising out 
 of the sea, calling me by name. Surprised, I ran to 
 the side of the ship, and saw a youth named Eichard 
 Pallant in the water going astern. He had fallen out 
 of the forechains, and, knowing that I was at the helm, 
 had shouted to me for help. I immediately called all 
 hands, crying, A man overboard. The captain hastened 
 on deck with all the others, and ordered the helm a-lee. 
 The ship went about, and then fell round off, driving 
 fast before the swell, till at last we brought her to. 
 
 The captain, although a resolute man, was much 
 confused and perplexed at the boy's danger for his 
 triends were people of property at Ipswich, and had 
 confided the boy to his particular care. He ran back-
 
 BOY OVEEBOABD. 33 
 
 wards and forwards, crying out that the boy must perish, 
 as the swell was so high that he dared not send a boat, 
 for the boat could not live in such a sea, and if the boat 
 were lost with the crew there would not be hands enow 
 left on board to take the vessel home. As the youth 
 was not a hundred yards from the vessel, I stated the 
 possibility of swimming to him with the deep-sea line, 
 which would be strong enough to haul both him and the 
 man who swam to him on board. Captain Clarke, in 
 a great rage, swore that it was impossible, and asked 
 me who the devil would go. Piqued at his answer, and 
 anxious to preserve the life of the youth, I offered to 
 try it myself. I stripped, and, making the line fast 
 round my body, plunged from the ship's side into the 
 sea. It was a new deep-sea line, and stiff in the coil, 
 so that, not drawing close round me, it slipped, and I 
 swam through it, but catching it as it slipped over my 
 feet, I made it secure by putting my head and one arm 
 through the noose. I swam direct for the boy, and 
 found that I swam with ease, owing to the strength 
 and buoyant nature of the water in those latitudes. I 
 had not swum more than half-way before the line got 
 foul on the coil on board, and, checking me suddenly, 
 it pulled me backwards and under water. I recovered 
 myself, and struck out again. During this time, to clear 
 the line on board, they had cut some of the entangled 
 parts, and in the confusion and hurry severed the 
 wrong part, so that the end went overboard, and I had 
 half the coil of line hanging to me, and at the same 
 time was adrift from the ship. They immediately 
 hailed me to return, but from the booming of the waves 
 I could not hear what they said, and thought that they
 
 34 THE PEIVATEEESMAJf. 
 
 were encouraging me to proceed. I shouted in return 
 to show the confidence which I had in myself. I easily 
 mounted the waves as they breasted me, but still I made 
 my way very slowly against such a swell, and saw the 
 boy only at intervals when I was on the top of the 
 wave. He could swim very little, and did not make 
 for the ship, but, with his eyes fixed upon the sky, pad- 
 dled like a dog to keep himself above water. I now 
 began to feel the weight of the line upon me, and to 
 fear that I should never hold out. I began to repent 
 of my rashness, and thought I had only sacrificed my- 
 self without any chance of saving him. I persevered, 
 nevertheless, and having, as I guessed, come to the 
 spot where the boy was, I looked round, and not seeing 
 him was afraid that he had gone down, but on mount- 
 ing the next wave I saw him in the hollow, struggling 
 hard to keep above water, and almost spent with his 
 long exertion. 
 
 I swam down to him, and, hailing him, found he was 
 still sensible, but utterly exhausted. I desired him to 
 hold on by my hand but not to touch my body, as we 
 should both sink. He promised to obey me, and I 
 held out my right hand to him, and made a signal for 
 them to haul in on board, for I had no idea that the 
 line had been cut. I was frightened when I perceived 
 the distance that the ship was from me at least a 
 quarter of a mile. I knew that the deep-sea line was 
 but a hundred fathoms in length, and therefore that I 
 must be adrift, and my heart sunk within me. All 
 the horrors of my situation came upon me, and I felt 
 that I was lost ; but although death appeared inevit- 
 able, I still struggled for life but the rope now
 
 JfEABLY DROWNED IN SAVINS HIM. 35 
 
 weighed me down more and more. While swimming 
 forward it trailed behind, and although it impeded my 
 way, I did not feel half its weight. Now, however, 
 that I was stationary, it sank deep, and pulled me 
 down with it. The waves, too, which, while I breasted 
 them and saw them approach, I easily rose over, being 
 now behind us, broke over our heads, burying us under 
 them, or rolling us over by their force. 
 
 I tried to disengage myself from the line, but the 
 noose being jammed, and having the boy in one hand, 
 I could not possibly effect it. But what gave me 
 courage in my difficulties was, that I perceived that 
 the people on board were getting out the boat ; for 
 although the captain would not run the risk for one 
 person, now that two were overboard, and one of them 
 risking his life for the other, the men insisted that the 
 boat should be hoisted out. It was an anxious time 
 to me, but at last I had the satisfaction of seeing her 
 clear of the ship, and pulling round her bow. The 
 danger was, however, considered so great, that when 
 they came to man the boat only three men could be 
 found who would go in her, and in the confusion they 
 came away with but two oars and no rudder. Under 
 these disadvantages they of course pulled very slowly 
 against a mountainous sea, as they were obliged to 
 steer with the oars to meet it, that the boat might not 
 be swamped. But the sight of the boat was sufficient 
 to keep me up. My exertions were certainly in- 
 credible ; but what will not a man do when in fear of 
 death ! As it approached slowly and slowly did my 
 powers decrease. I was now often under water with 
 the boy, and rose again to fresh exertion, when at last 
 D -2
 
 HO THE PEIVATEEBSMAHc 
 
 a crested wave broke over us, and down we went 
 several feet under the water. The force of the sea 
 drove the boy against ine, and he seized me by the 
 loins with my head downwards. I struggled to disen- 
 gage myself! It was impossible. I gave myself up 
 for lost and what a crowd of thoughts and memories 
 passed through my brain in a few moments, for it 
 could not have been longer! At last, being head 
 downwards, I dived deeper, although I was bursting 
 from so long holding my breath under water. 
 
 This had the desired effect. Finding me sinking 
 instead of rising with him, the boy let go his hold that 
 he might gain the surface. I turned and followed 
 him, and drew breath once more. Another moment 
 had sealed our fates. I no longer thought of saving 
 the boy, but struck out for the boat which was now 
 near me. Perceiving this, the boy cried out to me for 
 pity's sake not to leave him. I felt myself so far re- 
 covered from my exhaustion, that I thought I could 
 save him as well as myself, and compassion induced, me 
 to turn back. I again gave him my hand, charging him 
 on his life not to attempt to grapple with me, and 
 again resumed the arduous struggle of keeping him 
 as well as myself above water. My strength was 
 nearly gone, the boat approached but slowly, and we 
 now sunk constantly under the water, rising every few 
 seconds to draw breath. Merciful Q-od ! how slow 
 appeared the approach of the boat. Struggle after 
 struggle fainter and fainter still still I floated. At 
 last my senses almost left me, I took in water in 
 quantities. I felt I was in green fields, when I was 
 seized by the men and thrown into the bottom of the
 
 ABRIVAL AT LITEEPOOL. 37 
 
 boat, where I lay senseless alongside of the boy. There 
 was great danger and difficulty in getting again to the 
 ship. More than once the boat was half filled by the 
 following seas, and when they gained the ship it was 
 impossible to get us out, as, had they approached the 
 side, the boat would have been dashed to atoms. They 
 lowered the tackles from the yard-arms. The three 
 men clambered up them, leaving us to take our chance 
 of the boat being got in, or her being stove to pieces, 
 in which latter case we should have been lost. They 
 did get us in, with great damage to the boat, but we 
 were saved. The line was still round me, and it was 
 found that I had been supporting the weight of seventy 
 yards. So sore was I with such exertion, that I kept 
 my hammock for many days, during which I reviewed 
 my past life, and vowed amendment. 
 
 We arrived at Liverpool without any further adven- 
 ture worth recording, and I immediately called upon 
 the owner with the papers intrusted to me. I gave 
 him all the information he required, and he asked me 
 whether I should like to return to privateering, or to 
 go as mate of a vessel bound to the coast of Africa. 
 I inquired what her destination was to be, and, as I 
 found that she was to go to Senegal for ivory, wax, 
 gold dust, and other articles, in exchange for English 
 prints and cutlery, I consented. I mention this, as, 
 had she been employed in the slave-trade, as were 
 most of the vessels from Liverpool to the Coast, I 
 would not have joined her. A few days afterwards I 
 went on board of the Dalrymple, Captain Jones, as 
 mate ; we had a very quick passage to Senegal, and 
 brought our vessel to at anchor off the bar.
 
 THE PBIVATEEHSMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 In crossing the Bar at Senegal the boat is upset by a Tornado 
 We escape being devoured by Sharks only to be captured by tho 
 Natives Are taken into the interior of the country, and brought 
 before the Negro King, from whose wrath we are saved by the 
 intercession of his female attendants. 
 
 A DAT or two after we had arrived, the master of 
 another vessel that was at anchor near to us came on 
 board and borrowed our long-boat and some hands 
 that he might go in it to Senegal. The captain, who 
 was an old friend of the party who made the request, 
 agreed to lend it to him, and as accidents are very 
 frequent with boats crossing the bar, on account of 
 the heavy breakers, the best swimmers were selected 
 for the purpose, and the charge of the boat was given 
 to me. "We set off", five men rowing and I at the helm. 
 When we approached the bar, a tornado, which had 
 been for some time threatening, came upon us. The 
 impetuosity of these blasts is to be matched in no part 
 of the world, and as it came at once in its full force, 
 we endeavoured, by putting the boat before it, to escape 
 its fury. This compelled us to run to the southward 
 along the coast. "We managed to keep the boat up for 
 a long while, and hoped to have weathered it, when, 
 being on the bar, and in broken water, a large wave 
 curled over us, filled the boat, and it went down in an 
 instant.
 
 BOAT UPSET. 39 
 
 Our only chance now was to reach tie shore by 
 awimmiug, but it was at a distance, with broken water 
 the whole way ; and our great terror was from tae 
 sharks, whish abound on the coast and are extremely 
 ravenous nor were we without reason for our alarm. 
 Scarcely had the boat gone down, and we were all 
 stretching out for the shore, when one of our men 
 shrieked, having been seized by the sharks, and in- 
 stantly torn to pieces. His blood stained the water all 
 around, and this attracting all the sharks proved the 
 means of our escape. Never shall I forget the horrible 
 sensation which I felt as I struggled through the 
 broken water, expecting every minute a limb to be 
 taken off by one of those voracious animals. If one 
 foot touched the other, my heart sunk, thinking it was 
 the nose of a shark, and that its bite would immediately 
 follow. Agonized with these terrors, we struggled on 
 now a large wave curling over us and burying us 
 under water, or now forced by the waves towards the 
 beach, rolling us over and over. So battered were we 
 by the surf, that we dived under the waves to escape 
 the blows which we received, and then rose and struck 
 out again. At last, worn out with exertion, we gained 
 the shore, but our toil was not over. 
 
 The beach was of a sand so light that it crumbled 
 beneath us, and at the return of the wave which 
 threw us on shore we were dragged back again and 
 buried in sand and water. We rose to renew our 
 endeavours, but several times wit h out success, for 
 we could not obtain a firm footing. At last the 
 Negroes, who had witnessed our accident, and who now 
 came down in great numbers on the beach, laid hold
 
 40 THE PEIVA.TEEBSMAN. 
 
 of us as the sea threw us up, and dragged us beyond 
 the reach of the waves. Worn out with fatigue we 
 lay on the sand, waiting to ascertain what the savages 
 would do with us ; they were not long in letting us 
 know, for they soon began to strip us of every article 
 of clothing on our backs. One of our men attempted 
 to resist, upon which a Negro drove a spear through 
 his thigh. 
 
 Having divided our apparel, after some consultation, 
 they tied our hands, and placing us in the midst of a 
 large force, armed with spears and bows and arrows, 
 they went off with us for the inland part of the 
 country. "We set off with heavy hearts ; taking, as we 
 thought, a last farewell of the ocean, and going for- 
 wards in great apprehension of the fate that awaited 
 us. The sand was very deep, and the heat of the sun 
 excessive, for it was then about noon. "Without any 
 garments, we were soon scorched and blistered all 
 over, and in intolerable anguish, as well as fatigued ; 
 but the Negroes compelled us to move on, goading us 
 with their spears if we slackened our pace, and threat- 
 ening to run us through if we made a halt. We 
 longed for the night, as it would afford a temporary 
 relief to our sufferings. It came at last, and the 
 Negroes collected wood and lighted a fire to keep off 
 the wild beasts, lying round it in a circle, and placing 
 us in the midst of them. We hoped to have some 
 rest after what we had gone through, but it was 
 impossible the night proved even worse than the day. 
 The mosquitoes came down upon us in such swarms, 
 and their bites were so intolerable, that we were almost 
 frantic. Our hands being tied, we could not beat
 
 CA.PTUBED BY NEaBOE3. 41 
 
 them off, and \ve rolled over arid over to get rid of 
 them. This made matters worse, for our whole bodies 
 being covered with raised blisters, from the rays of the 
 sun, our rolling over and over broke the blisters, and 
 the sand getting into the wounds, added to the bites 
 of the mosquitoes, made our sufferings intolerable. 
 "We had before prayed for night, we now prayed for 
 day. Some prayed for death. 
 
 When the sun rose, we set off again, our conduct- 
 ors utterly disregarding our anguish, and goading us 
 on as before. In the forenoon we arrived at a village, 
 where our guards refreshed themselves ; a very small 
 quantity of boiled corn was given to each of us, and 
 we continued our journey, passing by several small 
 towns, consisting, as they all do in that country, of 
 huts built of reeds, round in form, and gathered to 
 a point at top. This day was the same as the preced- 
 ing. We were pricked with spears if we stumbled or 
 lagged, threatened with death if we had not strength 
 to go on. At last the evening arrived, and the fires 
 were lighted. The fires were much larger than before, 
 I presume because the wild beasts were more numer- 
 ous, for we heard them howling in every direction 
 round us, which we had not done on the night before. 
 The mosquitoes did not annoy us so much, and we 
 obtained some intervals of broken rest. At daylight 
 we resumed our journey, as near as we could judge by 
 the sun, in a more easterly direction. 
 
 During the first two days we were badly received by 
 the inhabitants of the towns, whose people had been 
 kidnapped so often for the slave-trade ; they hated the 
 sight of our white faces, for they presumed that we had
 
 42 THE PIUVATEEBSMAU". 
 
 come for that purpose ; but as we advanced in the in 
 terior, we were better treated, and the natives looked 
 upon us with surprise and wonder, considering us as a 
 new race of beings. Some of the women, seeing how 
 utterly exhausted we were with fatigue and hunger, 
 looked with compassion on us, and brought us plenty 
 of boiled corn and goats' milk to drink. This refreshed 
 us greatly, and we continued our journey in anxious 
 expectation of the fate for which we were reserved. 
 
 On crossing a small river, which appeared to be the 
 boundary of two different states, a multitude of Negroes 
 approached, and seemed disposed to take us from our 
 present masters, but after a conference, they agreed 
 among themselves, and a party of them joined with 
 those who had previously conducted us. "We soon 
 came to the edge of a desert, and there we halted till 
 the Negroes had filled several calabashes and gourds 
 full of water, and collected a quantity of boiled corn. 
 As soon as this was done, we set off again, and entered 
 the desert. We we r e astonished and terrified when 
 we looked around us, not a single vestige of herbage, 
 not a blade of grass was to be seen all was one wide 
 waste of barren sand, so light as to rise in clouds at 
 the least wind, and we sank so deep in walking through 
 it that at last we could hardly drag one foot after the 
 other. But we were repaid for our fatigue, for when 
 we halted at night, no fires were lighted, and to our 
 great delight we found that there were no mosquitoes 
 to annoy us. We fell into a sound sleep, which lasted 
 till morning, and were much refreshed; indeed, so 
 much so as to enable us to pursue our journey with 
 alacrity ,
 
 TAKEN INTO THE COUNTRY. 43 
 
 In our passage over the desert we saw numbers of 
 elephants' teeth, but no animals. How the teeth camo 
 there, unless it were that the elephants were lost in 
 attempting to cross the desert, I cannot pretend to 
 say. Before we had crossed the desert, our water was 
 expended, and we suffered dreadfully from thirst, walk- 
 ing as we did during the whole day under a vertical 
 sun. The night was equally painful, as we were so 
 tortured with the want of water ; but on the following 
 day, when our strength was nearly exhausted, and we 
 were debating whether we should not lie down and 
 allow the spears of our conductors to put an end to 
 our miseries, we came to the banks of a river which the 
 Negroes had evidently been anxiously looking for. 
 Here we drank plentifully, and remained all the day to 
 recruit ourselves, for the Negroes were almost as ex- 
 hausted as we were. The next morning we crossed 
 the river, and plunged into a deep wood : the ground 
 being high, the mosquitoes did not annoy us so much 
 as they did down on the low marshy land near the sea- 
 coast. During our traverse through the wood we sub- 
 sisted solely upon the birds and animals which the Ne- 
 groes killed with their bows and arrows. 
 
 When we had forced our way through the forest, we 
 found the country, as before, interspersed with wicker 
 villages or small hamlets at a few miles' distance from 
 each other. Bound each village there were small 
 patches of Guinea corn, and we frequently came to 
 clusters of huts which had been deserted. Between 
 the sea-coast and the desert we had traversed we ob- 
 served that many of the inhabitants had European fire- 
 arms, but now the only weapons to be seen were spears
 
 y4 THE PBIVATEEESMAW. 
 
 and bows and arrows. As we advanced we were sur- 
 rounded at every village by the natives, who looked 
 upon us with surprise and astonishment, examining 
 us, and evidently considering us a new species. One 
 morning we arrived at a very large Negro town, and 
 as we approached, our guards began to swell with 
 pride and exultation, and drove us before them among 
 the crowds of inhabitants, singing songs of triumph, 
 and brandishing their weapons. Having been driven 
 through a great part of the town, we arrived at a num- 
 ber of huts separated by a high palisade from the rest, 
 and appropriated, as we afterwards found, to the use of 
 the king of the country, his wives and attendants. 
 Here we waited outside some time, while our guards 
 went in and acquainted this royal personage with the 
 present which they had brought for him. 
 
 "We had reason to think that our captors were not 
 his subjects, but had been at variance with him, and 
 had brought us as a present, that they might make 
 peace with an enemy too strong for them. "We were 
 at last ordered to go inside the enclosure, and found 
 ourselves in a large open building, constructed like the 
 others, of reeds and boughs. In the centre was squat- 
 ted a ferocious-looking old Negro, attended by four 
 young Negro women. He was raw-boned and lean, 
 and of a very large frame. A diabolical ferocity was 
 imprinted on his grim countenance, and as he moved 
 his arms and legs he showed that under his loose skin 
 there was a muscle of extraordinary power. I never 
 had before seen such a living type of brutal strength 
 and barbarity. On a mat before him were provisions 
 of different kind*. Behind him stood several grim
 
 Thr IVivatcci-s man 1)roii^ht Ix-t'ore the Jvin;
 
 THE NEGBO KING. 45 
 
 savages who held his weapons, and on each side, at a 
 greater distance, were rows of Negroes, with their 
 heads bent down and their arms crossed, awaiting his 
 orders. The chief or king, as well as the four women, 
 had clothes of the blue cotton cloth of the country, 
 that is, one piece wrapped round the loins and descend- 
 ing to the ankles, and another worn over their should- 
 ers ; but, with few exceptions, all the rest, as well as 
 the inhabitants generally, were quite naked. So were 
 we, as the reader may recollect. Bound the necks of 
 the women were rows of gold beads, longer by degrees, 
 until the last of the rows hung lower than their bosoms, 
 and both the king and they had large bracelets of gold 
 round their arms, wrists, and legs. The women, who 
 were young and well-looking, stared at us with eager 
 astonishment, while the old king scowled upon us so 
 as to freeze our blood. At last, rising from the ground, 
 he took his sabre from the man who held it behind 
 him, and walked up among us, who with our heads 
 bowed, and breathless with fear, awaited our impend- 
 ing fate. I happened to be standing the foremost, and 
 grasping my arm with a gripe which made my heart 
 sink, with his hand which held the sword he bent 
 down my head still lower than it was. I made sure 
 that he was about to cut off my head, when the women, 
 who had risen from the ground, ran crowding round 
 him, and with mingled entreaties and caresses strove 
 to induce him not to put his intentions, if such he 
 really had, into execution. They prevailed at last; 
 the youngest took away his sword, and then they led 
 him back to his seat, after which the women came to 
 us to gratify J .heir curiosity. They felt our arms aud
 
 40 THE PBIYATEERSMAIf. 
 
 breasts, putting innumerable questions to those who 
 brought us thither. They appeared very much amazed 
 at the length of my hair, for I had worn it tied in a 
 long cue. Taking hold of it, they gave it two or three 
 severe pulls, to ascertain if it really grew to my head, 
 and finding that it did so, they expressed much won- 
 der. When their curiosity was satisfied, they then 
 appeared to consider our condition, and having obtained 
 the old king's permission, they brought us a calabash 
 full of cush-cush, that is, Guinea corn boiled into a 
 thick paste. Our hands being still tied, we could 
 only by shaking our heads express our inability to 
 profit by their kindness. Understanding what we 
 meant, they immediately cut our thongs, and the 
 youngest of the four perceiving that my arms were 
 benumbed from having been confined so many days, 
 and that I could not use them, showed the most lively 
 commiseration for my sufferings. She gently chafed 
 my wrists with her hands, and showed every sign of 
 pity in her countenance, as indeed did all the other 
 three. But I was by far the youngest of the whole 
 party who had been captured, and seemed most to ex- 
 cite their pity and good-will. Shortly afterwards we 
 were all taken into an adjoining tent or hut, and our 
 bodies were rubbed all over with an oil, which after a 
 few days' application left us perfectly healed, and as 
 smooth as silk. So altered was our condition, that 
 those very people who had guarded us with their spears 
 and threatened us with death, were now ordered to 
 wait upon us, and as the king's wives frequently camo 
 to see how we were treated, we were served with the 
 utmost humility and attention,
 
 BECOME A ST.AVE. 47 
 
 CHAPTEE VT. 
 
 1 am given as a Slave to the old King's Favourite, Whyna 
 Assist my young Mistress to make her Toilet Hold frequent 
 Conversations with her, and become strongly attached to her 
 My Hatred and Dread of the old King increase He shoots a 
 Man with Bird-arrows. 
 
 ONE morning, after -we had been about three weeks 
 in these comfortable quarters, I was summoned away 
 from my companions into the presence of the king. 
 "When I came before him a small manacle was fixed 
 round my left ankle, and another round my left wrist, 
 with a light chain connecting the two. A circle of 
 feathers was put round my head, and a loose cloth 
 wrapped round my loins. I was then led forward to 
 him with my arms crossed over my breast, and my 
 head bowed. By his orders I was then placed behind 
 the youngest of the four women, the one who had 
 chafed my wrists, and I was given to understand that 
 I was her slave, and was to attend upon her, to which, 
 I must say, I gave a joyful assent in my heart, al- 
 though I did not at that time show any signs of glad. 
 ness. There I remained, with my arms folded, and 
 bowed as before, until dinner was brought in, and a 
 calabash full of cush-cush was put into my hands to 
 place before the king and his wives. My first attempt 
 at service was not very adroit, for, in my eagerness to
 
 48 THE PBIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 do my duty, I tripped over the corner of the mat which 
 served them for a table, and tumbling headlong for- 
 ward, emptied the calabash of cush-cush which I held 
 in my hand upon the legs of the old king, who sat 
 opposite to where I was advancing. He jumped up 
 roaring out with anger, while I in my fear sprung on 
 my legs, and rushed to the side of the apartment, ex- 
 pecting immediate death. Fortunately the victuals in 
 this country are always served up cool, and my new 
 mistress easily obtained my pardon, laughing heartily 
 at the scene, and at my apprehension. 
 
 The repast being over, I was ordered to follow my 
 mistress, who retired to another hut, according to their 
 custom, to sleep during the heat of the day. I was 
 placed before the door to prevent her being disturbed. 
 My only duty now was to attend upon my young mis- 
 tress. She was the king's favourite wife, and as she 
 was uniformly kind and gentle, I should have almost 
 ceased to lament my loss of liberty had it not been 
 from the fear I had of the old monarch. I knew that 
 my preservation depended entirely upon my mistress's 
 favour, and I endeavoured all I could to conciliate her 
 by the most sedulous attentions to please. Young 
 and generous in disposition, she was easily satisfied by 
 my ready obedience and careful service. I do not 
 think that she was more than seventeen years of age ; 
 but they are women at fourteen in that country, and 
 even earlier. She was a Negress as to colour, but not 
 a real Negress ; for her hair, although short and very 
 wavy, was not woolly, and her nose was straight. Her 
 mouth was small, and her teeth beautiful. Her figure 
 *as perfect her limbs being very elegantly formed.
 
 MY MISTRESS'S TOILET. 49 
 
 "WTien she first rose in the morning, I attended her to 
 the brow of a hill just without the palisades, where 
 with devout but mistaken piety she adored the rising 
 sun at least it appeared to me that she did so. She 
 then went down to the river to bathe, and as soon as 
 her hair was dry she had it dressed. This office, after 
 a short time, devolved upon me, and I became very 
 expert, having to rub her hair with a sweet oil, and 
 then roll it up in its natural curls with a quill, so as to 
 dispose them to the most fanciful advantage as to form. 
 After her toilet was complete, she went to feed her 
 poultry, and some antelopes and other beasts, and then 
 she practised at a mark with her bow and arrows and 
 javelin till about ten o'clock, when she went to the 
 king's hut, and they all sat down to eat together. 
 After the repast, which lasted some time, if she did not 
 repose with the king, she retired to her own hut, where 
 she usually refreshed herself till about four o'clock, 
 when she returned to the king, or ranged the woods, 
 or otherwise amused herself during the rest of the 
 evening. I will say for the old savage that he did not 
 confine his wives. Such was our general course of life, 
 and wherever she went I attended her. The attach- 
 ment I showed and really felt for her secured her con- 
 fidence, and she always treated me in a kind and fami- 
 liar manner. Their language consists of few words 
 compared to our own, and in a short time, by help of 
 signs, we understood each other tolerably well. She 
 appeared to have a most ardent curiosity to know who 
 we were, and from whence we came, and all the time 
 that we passed alone was employed in putting ques- 
 tions, and my endeavouring to find out her meaning
 
 50 THE PEIVATEEBSMAff. 
 
 and answer them. This, although very difficult at 
 first, I was eventually enabled to accomplish indiffer- 
 ently well. She was most zealous in her mistaken re- 
 ligion, and one morning when I was following her to 
 her devotions on the hill, she asked me where my God 
 was? I pointed upwards, upon which she told me 
 with great joy and innocency, that hers was there too, 
 and that, therefore, they must be the same God, or if 
 not they mnst be friends. Convinced that she was 
 right, she made me worship with her, bowing my head 
 down to the sand, and going through the same forms, 
 which of course I did not understand the meaning of; 
 but I prayed to my God, and therefore made no objec- 
 tion, as it was pleasing to her. This apparent conform- 
 ity in religion recommended me more strongly to her, 
 and we became more intimate, and I was certainly at- 
 tached to her by every tie of gratitude. I was quite 
 happy in the friendship and kindness she showed towards 
 me ; the only drawback was my fear of the proud old 
 king, and the recollection of him often made me check 
 myself, and suddenly assume a more distant and re- 
 spectful demeanour towards her. I soon found out that 
 she dreaded the old savage as much as I did, and hated 
 him even more. In his presence she treated me very 
 sternly, and ordered me about in a very dictatorial 
 manner ; but when we were alone, and had no fear of 
 being seen, she would then be very familiar, sometimes 
 even locking her arm into mine, and laughing as she 
 pointed out the contrast of the colours, and in the full 
 gaiety of her young heart rejoicing that we were alone, 
 and could converse freely together. As she was very 
 intelligent, she soon perceived .that I possessed much
 
 WITH HEB. 51 
 
 knowledge that she did not, and that she could not 
 comprehend what I wanted to teach her. This in- 
 duced her to look upon me with respect as well as 
 kindness. 
 
 One day I purposely left her bow behind in the hut 
 where my companions resided ; and on her asking me 
 for it, I told her that I had done so, but that I would 
 make my companions send it without my going back. 
 I tore off a piece of the bark of a tree, and with the 
 point of an arrow I wrote to one of them, desiring 
 him to send it by bearer ; and calling a young Negro 
 boy, told him in her presence to give that piece of bark 
 to the white man, and come back again to the queen. 
 "Whyna, for such was the name of my mistress queen, 
 stood in suspense, waiting the result ; in a few minutes 
 the boy returned, bringing the bow. Astonished at 
 this, she made me write again and again for her arrows, 
 her lance, and many other things. Finding by these 
 being immediately sent that we had a method of com- 
 municating with each other at a distance, she earnestly 
 insisted upon being taught so surprising an art. 
 Going at a distance from me, she ordered me to talk 
 to her when out of hearing, and finding that I could 
 not, or, as she seemed to suppose, that I would not, she 
 became discontented and out of humour. I could by no 
 means make her comprehend how it was performed, 
 but I made her understand that as soon as I was fully 
 acquainted with her language, I should be able to teach 
 her. She was satisfied with this, but made me promise 
 that I would teach nobody else. 
 
 By the canoes in the river, I easily made her com 
 preheud that I came in a vast boat from a distant land
 
 52 THE miVATEEESMAN. 
 
 over a great expanse of water, and also how it was that 
 we fell into the Negroes' power. I then found out 
 from her that the Negroes had pretended that we had 
 invaded their land to procure slaves, and that they had 
 vanquished us in battle ; hence their songs of triumph 
 on bringing us to the king. I pointed out the heavenly 
 bodies to her in the evenings, trying to make her 
 comprehend something of their nature and motions, 
 but in vain. This had, however, one good effect ; she 
 looked up to me with more respect, hoping that some 
 day, when I could fully explain myself, she might be 
 herself taught all these wonders. With these feelings 
 towards me, added to my sedulous endeavours to 
 please her, and obey her slightest wishes, it is not 
 surprising that she treated me as a companion, and 
 not as a slave, and gave me every innocent proof of her 
 attachment. More I never wished, and almost dreaded 
 that our intimacy would be too great. Happy when 
 alone with her, I ever returned with reluctance to the 
 presence of the old king, whose sight and company 
 I dreaded. 
 
 The boundless cruelty of this monster was a con' 
 tinual check to all my happiness. Accustomed to 
 blood from his childhood, he appeared wholly insensi- 
 ble to human feelings, and derided the agonies of the 
 wretches who daily fell by his hands. One day he 
 amused himself by shooting small bird-arrows at a 
 man who was bound to a post before the tent, which 
 was placed there for the punishment of those who 
 were his victims. He continued for hours fixing the 
 arrows in different parts of his body, mimicking and 
 <ieridin his cries. At last, contrary to his intentions, 

 
 HATRED OF THE KINO. 63 
 
 one of the arrows hit the man in the throat, and hia 
 head drooped. As the old savage saw that the poor 
 man was dying, he drew another arrow and sent it 
 through his heart, very much annoyed at his disap- 
 pointment in not prolonging the poor creature's suf- 
 ferings. I was witness to this scene with silent 
 horror, and many more of a similar nature. I hardly 
 need say, that I felt what my punishment would be if 
 I had by any means roused the jealousy of this mon- 
 ster ; and I knew that, without giving him real cause, 
 a moment of bare suspicion would be sufficient to 
 sacrifice my mistress as well as me.
 
 THE PJIIVATEEBSM^* 
 
 CHAPTEE VII. 
 
 I attend the King on ahunting Expedition Chase of wild Animab 
 
 Whyna and I in great danger from a Tiger Barbarity of the 
 
 King to my young Mistress I try to soothe her I and my Com- 
 panions are ransomed Sad parting with Whyna After an En- 
 counter with a hostile People, we reach Senegal Return to Eng- 
 land. 
 
 I HAD been about three months in captivity, when 
 the old king, with his four wives and a large party 
 of Negroes, left the town, and went into the woods to 
 hunt. My companions were left in the town, but I 
 was ordered to attend my mistress, and I went with 
 the hopes of being able by some means to make my 
 escape, for my fear of the old monarch was much 
 greater than my regard for my mistress. As I had 
 not become a proficient with the bows and arrows, or 
 in hurling the javelin, I was equipped with a strong 
 spear. My mistress was skilful to admiration with the 
 arrow and javelin ; she never missed her aim that I 
 knew, and she certainly never appeared to such ad- 
 vantage as she did at this hunting-party. Her activity, 
 her symmetry of limb, and her courage, her skill with 
 her weapons, all won the heart of the old king ; and I 
 believe that his strong attachment to her arose more 
 from her possession of the above qualities than from 
 any other cause. Certain it is, that the old savage 
 doted on her she was the only being who could bend 
 his stubborn will. As his age prevented him from
 
 HWTING EXPEDITION. 55 
 
 joining in the chase, he always appeared to part with 
 her with regret, and to caution her not to run into 
 useless danger ; and when we returned at night, the 
 old man's eyes sparkled with the rapture of dotage as 
 he welcomed her return. 
 
 The method of our chase was to beat the country, 
 with a number of men, in a vast circle, until we had 
 gathered all the game into one thicket ; then the strong- 
 est warriors with their large spears went in and drove 
 out the game, which was killed by the hunters whc 
 hovered about within the circle. 
 
 The animals which we had to encounter were large 
 fierce black pigs, leopards, jackals, tigers, mountain 
 cats, and others which I have no name for; and in 
 spite of the ferocity of many of these animals when 
 they bounded out, they were met with such a shower 
 of javelins, or transfixed by the strong stabbing-spears 
 of the warriors, that few escaped, and they rarely did 
 any mischief. One day, however, the beaters having 
 just entered a thicket, Whyna, who was eager for the 
 sport, and plied within the circle with the other hunt- 
 ers, hearing a rustling in the jungle, went to the verge 
 of it, to be the first to strike the animal which came 
 out. As usual, I was close to her, when a large tiger 
 burst out, and she pierced him with her javelin, but 
 not sufficient to wound the animal so severely as to 
 disable him. The tiger turned, and I drove my spear 
 into his throat. This checked him, as it remained in, 
 but in a .spring which he gave the handle broke short 
 off, and although the iron went further in, our dan- 
 ger was imminent. "Whyna ran, and so did I, to 
 escape from the beast's fury ; for although, after I had
 
 50 2'HE PEIYATEZBSMAST. 
 
 wounded it with my spear, we had both retreated, we 
 were not so far, but that in two or three bounds he 
 would have been upon us. My mistress was as fleet 
 as the wind, and soon passed me, but as she passed me 
 she caught me by the hand, and dragged me along at 
 a pace that with difiiculty I could keep my legs. The 
 surrounding hunters, alarmed at her danger, and know- 
 ing what they had to expect from the mercy of the old 
 king if she was destroyed by the animal, closed in be- 
 tween us and the tiger, and after a fierce combat, in 
 which some were killed and many wounded, they de- 
 spatched him with their spears. The head of the ani- 
 mal, which was of unusual size, wUs cut off and carried 
 home to the old king in triumph ; and w r hen he heard 
 of the danger that Whyna had been in, he caressed her 
 with tears, and I could not help saying that the old 
 wretch had some heart after all. Whyna told the king 
 that if I had not pierced the animal with my spear, and 
 prevented his taking his first spring, she should have 
 lost her life, and the monster grinned a ghastly smile 
 at me, which I presume he meant for either approba- 
 tion or gratitude. 
 
 At other times the chase would be that of the mul- 
 titude of birds which were to be found in the woods. 
 The bow and arrow only were used, and all I had to do 
 now was to pick up all my mistress had killed, and re- 
 turn her arrows she would constantly kill on the 
 wing with her arrow, which not many could do besides 
 her. By degrees I imbibed a strong passion for the 
 sport, attended as it was with considerable danger, 
 and was never so happy as when engaged in it. "Wo 
 remained about two months in the woods, when the
 
 THE KING'S CEUELTT TO WIIYNA. 57 
 
 king was tired, and we returned to the town, where I 
 continued for some time to pass the same kind of life 
 as I had done before. 
 
 I should have been quite happy in my slavery, from 
 my affection to my mistress, had not a fresh instance 
 of the unbounded cruelty of the old monarch occurred 
 a few days after our return from the chase, which filled 
 us all with consternation and horror, for we discovered 
 that not even my mistress, Whyna, could always pre- 
 vail with the savage monster. 
 
 One morning I perceived that one of the king's 
 guards, who had always treated me with great kind- 
 ness, and with whom I was very intimate, was tied up 
 to the executioner's post before the hut. Aware of 
 the fate which awaited him, I ran to the hut of Whyna, 
 and so great was my distress that I could not speak \ 
 aU I could do was to clasp her knees and repeat the' 
 man's name, pointing to the post to which he was tied. 
 She understood me, and eager to save the man, or to 
 oblige me, she ran to the large hut, and attempted to 
 intercede with the old barbarian for the mau's life; 
 but he was in an agony of rage and passion ; he re- 
 fused her, lifting up his sabre to despatch the man ; 
 Whyna was rash enough to seize the king's arm, and 
 prevent the blow ; at this his rage redoubled, his eyes 
 glowed like live coals, and turning to her with the look 
 of a demon, he caught her by the hair, and dragging 
 her across his feet, lifted up his scimitar in the act to 
 strike off her head. I sickened with horror at the 
 danger she was in, but I thought he would not strike. 
 I had no weapon, but if he had done so, I would have 
 revenged her death, even if I had lost my life. At
 
 58 TH 
 
 last the old monster let go her hair, spurnkg her away 
 with his foot, so that she rolled over on the sand, and 
 then turning to the unhappy man, with an upward 
 slanting blow of his sabre, he ripped him up from the 
 flank to the chest, so that his bowels fell down at his 
 feet; he then looked round at us all with an aspect 
 which froze our blood, and turned away sulkily to his 
 hut, leaving us to recover our spirits how we might. 
 
 Poor Whyna, terrified and enraged at the same time, 
 as soon as I had led her to her hut, and we were by 
 ourselves, gave way to the storm of passion which 
 swelled her bosom, execrating her husband with the 
 utmost loathing and abhorrence, and lamenting in the 
 most passionate manner her having ever been connected 
 with him. Trembling alike at the danger to which I 
 had exposed her, and moved by her condition, I could 
 not help mingling my tears with hers, and endeavoured 
 by caresses and condoling with her to reduce her ex- 
 citement. Had the old king seen me, I know what 
 both our fates would have been, but at that time I 
 cared not. I was very young, very impetuous, and I 
 was resolved that I would not permit either her or 
 myself to die unavenged. At last she sobbed herself 
 to sleep, and I took my usual station outside of the 
 hut. It was well that I did so, for not five minutes 
 afterwards the old wretch, having got over his temper, 
 came out of his tent and bent his steps towards the 
 hut, that he might make friends with her, for she was 
 too necessary to his happiness. He soon treated her 
 with his accustomed kindness, but I perceived that 
 after the scene I have described her aversion for aim 
 was doubled.
 
 AM IU.XSOMF,T>. 59 
 
 There -were some scores of women in the various 
 huts within the palisade, all of whom I understood 
 were wives to the old monarch, but none but the four 
 we found with him when we were first brought into 
 his presence were ever to be seen in his company. I 
 tad, by means of my kind mistress, the opportunity of 
 constantly supplying my companions with fowls and 
 venison, which was left from the king's table, and 
 through her care, they always met with kind an<? 
 gentle usage. 
 
 For another two months did I thus remain happy 
 in the company of "Whyna, and miserable when in the 
 presence of the king, whose eye it was impossible to 
 meet without quailing ; when one morning we were all 
 ordered out, and were surrounded by a large party 
 armed with spears, javelins, and bird-arrows I say 
 bird-arrows, as those that they use in war are much 
 larger. "We soon discovered that we were to be sent 
 to some other place, but where or why, we could not 
 find out. Shortly afterwards the crowd opened, and 
 "Whyna made her appearance. She took the feather 
 circle off my head, and the manacles off my wrist and 
 leg, and went and laid them at the king's feet. She 
 then returned, and told me that I was free as well as 
 my companions, but that I only, if I chose, had per- 
 mission to remain with her. 
 
 I did not at first reply. She then, in the most 
 earnest manner, begged me to remain with her as her 
 slave ; and as she did not dare to say what she felt, or 
 use caresses to prevail upon me, she stamped her little 
 feet with eagerness and impatience. The struggle in 
 my own heart was excessive. I presumed that we
 
 60 THE PKIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 were about to be made a present to some other king, 
 and I felt that I never could expect so easy and so 
 pleasant a servitude as I then enjoyed. I was sincerely 
 attached, and indeed latterly I was more than attached, 
 to Whyna ; I felt that it was dangerous. Had the 
 old king been dead, I would have been content to pass 
 my life with her ; and I was still hesitating, notwith- 
 standing the remonstrances of my companions, when 
 the crowd opened a little, and I beheld the old king 
 looking at me, and I felt convinced that his jealousy 
 was at last aroused, and that if I consented to remain, 
 my life would not be worth a day's purchase. 
 
 "Whyna also turned, and met the look of the old 
 king. Whether she read in his countenance what I 
 did, 1 know not ; but this is certain, she made no 
 more attempts to persuade me, but waving her hand 
 for us to set off on our journey, she slowly retired, and 
 when arrived at the hut turned round towards us. 
 We all prostrated ourselves before her, and then set 
 off on our journey. She retired to the door of her own 
 hut, and two or three times waved her hand to us, at 
 which our guards made us every time again prostrate 
 ourselves. She then walked out to the little hill where 
 she always went up to pray, and for the last time 
 waved her hand, and then I perceived her sink dowii 
 on the ground, and turn her head in the direction 
 which she always did when she prayed. 
 
 "We now proceeded on our journey in a north-west 
 direction, our guards treating us with the greatest 
 kindness. "We rested every day from ten till four 
 o'clock in the afternoon, and then walked till late ut 
 night, Corn was supplied us from the scattered haia-
 
 HOSTILE ENCOUNTER tJl 
 
 lets as vre passed along, and our escort procured us 
 flesh and fowl with their bows and arrows; but we 
 were in a state of great anxiety to know where we 
 were going, and nobody appeared able or willing to tell 
 us. I often thought of Whyna, and at times repented 
 that I had not remained with her, as I feared falling 
 into a worse slavery, but the recollection of the old 
 king's diabolical parting look was sufficient to make 
 me think that it was best as it was. Now that I had 
 left my mistress, I thought of her kindness and amiable 
 qualities and her affection for me ; and although it 
 may appear strange that I should feel myself in love 
 with a black woman, I will not deny but that I was so. 
 I could not help being so, and that is all the excuse I 
 can offer. 
 
 Our guards now informed us that we were about to 
 pass for a few miles through the territory of another 
 king, and that they were not sure what our reception 
 might be ; but this was soon made evident, for we ob- 
 served a party behind us, which moved as we moved, 
 although they did not attack us ; and soon afterwards 
 a larger body in front were blocking up our passage, 
 and we found that we were beset. The commander of 
 our party, therefore, gave orders for battle, and he put 
 into our hands strong spears, they being the only 
 weapons we could use, and entreated us to fight. Our 
 party was greatly outnumbered by the enemy, but ours 
 were chosen warriors. As for us white men, we kept 
 together, agreeing among ourselves, that we would de- 
 fend ourselves if attacked, but would not offend either 
 party by taking an unnecessary part in the fray, as it 
 was immaterial to us to whom we belonged.
 
 62 THE PBIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 The battle, or rather skirmish, soon began. They 
 dispersed, and shot their arrows from behind the trees, 
 and this warfare continued some time without damage 
 to either party, till at last they attacked us closely ; 
 then, our commander killing that of the enemy, they 
 gave way, just as another party was coming forward 
 to attack us white men ; but finding us resolute in our 
 defence, and our own warriors coming to our assistance, 
 the rout was general. They could not, however, pre- 
 vent some prisoners from being taken ; most of them 
 wounded with the bird-arrows, which, having their 
 barbs twisted in the form of an S, gave great pain in 
 their extraction. I observed that a particular herb 
 chewed, and bound up with the bleeding wound, was 
 their only remedy, and that when the bone was injured, 
 they considered the wound mortal. 
 
 "We now turned to the eastward to get back into 
 our own territory ; we left the prisoners and wounded 
 at a village, and receiving a reinforcement, we took a 
 circuit to avoid this hostile people, and continued our 
 route. On the eighth morning, just as we were stop- 
 ping to repose, one of the warriors, who had mounted 
 a hill before us, shouted and waved his hand. "We 
 ran up to him, and as soon as we gained the summit, 
 were transported with the sight of the British flag 
 flying on Senegal fort, on the other side of the river. 
 "We now understood that by some means or another 
 we had been ransomed, and so it proved to be ; for the 
 governor hearing that we were prisoners up the coun- 
 try, had sent messengers offering the old king a hand- 
 some present for our liberation. I afterwards found 
 out that the price paid in goods amounted to about
 
 BEACH SENEGAL. 63 
 
 fifty-six shillings a head. The governor received us 
 kindly, clothed us, and sent us down to the ship, 
 which was with a full cargo in the road, and intending' 
 to sail the next day, and we were received and wel- 
 comed by our messmates as men risen from the dead. 
 
 "We sailed two days afterwards, and haa a fortunate 
 voyage home to Liverpool.
 
 64 TILE PEIVATEEESMA.W. 
 
 CHAPTEE VIII. 
 
 The Liverpool Ladies are very civil to me I am admitted intt 
 good Society Introduced to Captain Levee Again sail to 
 Senegal Overhear a Conspiracy to seize the Ship by the Crew 
 of a Slaver, but am enabled to defeat it Am thanked and re- 
 warded by the Owner Take a Trip to London with Captain 
 Levee Stopped by Highwaymen on the Road Put up at a 
 Tavern Dissipated Town Life Remove to a genteel Boarding- 
 House Meet with a Government Spy Return to Liverpool. 
 
 As the captain reported me to be a very attentive 
 and good officer, although I was then but twenty-three 
 years of age, and as I had been previously on good 
 terms and useful to the owner, I was kindly received 
 by him, and paid much more attention to than my situa- 
 tion on board might warrant. My captivity among the 
 Negroes, and the narrative I gave of my adventures, 
 were also a source of much interest. I was at first 
 questioned by the gentlemen of Liverpool, and after- 
 wards one of the merchant's ladies, who had heard 
 something of my adventures, and found out that I was 
 a young and personable man, with better manners 
 than are usually to be found before the mast, invited 
 me one evening to a tea-party, that I might amuse her 
 friends with my adventures. They were most curious 
 about the Negro queen, Whyna, inquiring into every 
 particular as to her personal appearance and dress, and 
 trying to find out, as women always do, if there was
 
 THE LIVEEPOOL LADIES. G5 
 
 anything of an intrigue between us. They shook 
 their little fingers at me, when I solemnly declared 
 that there was not, and one or two of them cajoled me 
 aside to obtain my acknowledgment of what they 
 really believed to be the truth, although I would not 
 confess it. 
 
 "When they had tired themselves with asking ques- 
 tions about the Negro queen, they then began to ask 
 about myself, and how it happened I was not such a 
 bear, and coarse in my manners and address, as the 
 other seamen. To this I could give no other reply 
 but that I had been educated when a child. They 
 would fain know who were my father and mother, and 
 in what station of life it had pleased God to place 
 them ; but I hardly need say, my dear Madam, to you 
 who are so well acquainted with my birth and parent- 
 age, that I would not disgrace my family by acknow- 
 ledging that one of their sons was in a situation so 
 unworthy ; not that I thought at that time, nor do I 
 think now, that I was so much to blame in preferring 
 independence in a humble position, to the life that 
 induced me to take the step which I did ; but as I 
 could not state who my family were without also stat- 
 ing why I had quitted them, I preserved silence, as I 
 did not think that I had any right to communicate 
 family secrets to strangers. The consequences of my 
 first introduction to genteel society were very agree- 
 able ; I received many more invitations from the com- 
 pany assembled, notwithstanding that my sailor's at- 
 tire but ill corresponded witli the poAvdered wigs and 
 silk waistcoats of the gentlemen, or the hoops and fur- 
 belows of satin which set off the chanrs of the ladies.
 
 66 THE 1'RIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 At first I did not care so much, but as I grew more 
 at my ease, I felt ashamed of my dress, and the more 
 so as the young foplings would put their glasses to 
 their eyes, and look at me as if I were a monster. 
 But supported as I was by the fair sex, I cared little 
 for them. The ladies vowed that I was charming, and 
 paid me much courtesy ; indeed my vanity more than 
 once made me suspect that I was something more than 
 a mere favourite with one or two of them, one espe- 
 cially, a buxom young person, and very coquettish, 
 who told me, as we were looking out of the bay 
 window of the withdrawing-room, that since I could 
 be so secret with respect to what took place be- 
 tween the Negress queen and myself, I must be sure 
 to command the good-will and favour of the ladies, 
 who always admired discretion in so young and so 
 handsome a man. But I was not to be seduced by 
 this flattery, for somehow or another I had ever before 
 me the French lady, and her conduct to me ; and I 
 had almost a dislike, or I should rather say I had im- 
 bibed an indifference, for the sex. 
 
 This admission into good society did, however, have 
 one effect upon me ; it made me more particular in 
 my dress, and all my wages were employed in the 
 decoration of my person. At that time you may 
 recollect, Madam, there were but two styles of dress 
 among the seamen ; one was that worn by those who 
 sailed in the northern seas, and the other by those 
 who navigated in the tropical countries, both suitable 
 to the climates. The first was the jacket, woollen 
 frock, breeches, and petticoat of canvass over all, with 
 worsted stockings, shoes, and buckles, and usually a
 
 CAPTAIN LEVEE. 67 
 
 cap of skin upon the head; the other a light short 
 jacket, with hanging buttons, red sash, trowsers, and 
 neat shoes and buckles, with a small embroidered cap 
 with falling crown, or a hat and feather. It was this 
 last which I had always worn, having been continually 
 in warm climates, and my hair was dressed in its 
 natural ringlets instead of a wig, which I was never 
 partial to, although very common among seamen ; my 
 ears were pierced, and I wore long gold earrings, as 
 well as gilt buckles in my shoes ; and, by degrees, I 
 not only improved my dress so as to make it very 
 handsome in materials, but my manners were also very 
 much altered for the better. 
 
 I had been at Liverpool about two months, waiting 
 for the ship to unload and take in cargo for another 
 voyage, when a privateer belonging to the same owner 
 came into port with four prizes of considerable value ; 
 and the day afterwards I was invited by the owner to 
 meet the captain who commanded the privateer. 
 
 He was a very different looking person from Captain 
 Weatherall, who was a stout, strong-limbed man, with 
 a weather-beaten countenance. He, on the contrary, 
 was a young man of about twenty-six, very slight in 
 person, with a dark complexion, hair and eyes jet black. 
 I should have called him a very handsome Jew for he 
 bore that cast of countenance, and I afterwards dis- 
 covered that he was of that origin, although I cannot 
 say that he ever followed the observances of that re- 
 markable people. He was handsomely dressed, wear- 
 ing his hair slightly powdered, a laced coat and 
 waistcoat, blue sash and trowsers, with silver-mounted 
 pistols and dagger in his belt, and a smart hanger by 
 F 2
 
 68 THE PKiVATEERSMAN. 
 
 his side. He had several diamond rings on his finger, 
 and carried a small clouded cane. Altogether, I had 
 never fallen in with so smart and prepossessing a per- 
 sonage, and should have taken him for one of the gen- 
 tlemen commanding the king's ships, rather than the 
 captain of a Liverpool privateer. He talked well and 
 fluently, and with an air of command and decision, 
 taking the lead in the company, although it might have 
 been considered that he was not by any means the 
 principal person in it. The owner, during the evening, 
 informed me that he was a first-rate officer, of great 
 personal courage, and that he had made a great deal of 
 money, which he had squandered away almost as fast as 
 he received it. 
 
 With this person, whose name was Captain Levee, 
 (an alteration, I suspect, from Levi,) I was much 
 pleased; and as I found that he did not appear to 
 despise my acquaintance, I took much pains to please 
 him, and we were becoming very intimate, when my 
 ship was ready to sail. I now found that I was pro- 
 moted to the office of first mate, which gave me great 
 satisfaction. 
 
 "We sailed with an assorted cargo, but very light, and 
 nothing of consequence occurred during our passage 
 out. "We made good traffic on the coast as we ran 
 down it, receiving ivory, gold-dust, and wax, in ex- 
 change for our printed cottons and hardware. After 
 being six weeks on the coast, we put into Senegal to dis- 
 pose of the remainder of our cargo ; which we soon did 
 to the governor, who gave us a fair exchange, although 
 by no means so profitable a barter as what we had 
 made on the coast ; but that we did not expect for
 
 SAIL TO SENEGAn. 09 
 
 what might be called the refuse of our cargo. The 
 captain was much pleased, as he knew the owner 
 would be satisfied with him, and, moreover, he had 
 himself a venture in the cargo ; and we had just re- 
 ceived the remainder of the ivory from the governor's 
 stores, and had only to get on board a sufficiency of 
 provisions and water for our homeward voyage, when 
 a circumstance took place which I must now relate. 
 
 Our crew consisted of the captain, and myself, 
 as first mate, the second mate, and twelve seamen, 
 four of which were those who had been taken prison- 
 ers with me, and had been released, as I have re- 
 lated, in our previous voyage. These four men were 
 very much attached to me, I believe chiefly from my 
 kindness to them when I was a slave to the queen 
 Whyna, as I always procured for them everything 
 which I could, and, through the exertions of my mis- 
 tress, had them plentifully supplied with provisions 
 from the king's table. The second mate and other 
 eight men we had shipped at Liverpool. They were 
 fine, stout fellows, but appeared to be loose characters, 
 but that we did not discover till after we had sailed. 
 There was anchored with us at Senegal a low black 
 brig, employed in the slave-trade, which had made the 
 bay at the same time that we did ; and to their great 
 surprise for she was considered a very fast sailer 
 she was beaten at all points by our ship, which was 
 considered the fastest vessel out of Liverpool. The 
 rrew of the slaver were numerous, and as bloodthirsty 
 a set of looking fellows as ever I fell in with. Their 
 >oat was continually alongside of our vessel, and I 
 perceived that their visits were made to the eight men
 
 70 THE PKIVA.TEEESMAN. 
 
 whom we had shipped at Liverpool, and that they did 
 not appear inclined to be at all intimate with the rest 
 of the crew. This roused my suspicions, although I 
 said nothing ; but I watched them very closely. One 
 forenoon, as I was standing at the foot of the com- 
 J>anion-ladder, concealed by the booby-hatch from the 
 sight of those on deck, I heard our men talking over 
 the side, and at last, as I remained concealed, that I 
 might overhear the conversation, one of the slaver's 
 men from the boat said, " To-night, at eight o'clock, 
 we will come to arrange the whole business." The 
 boat then shoved off, and pulled for the brig. 
 
 Now, it was the custom of the captain to go on 
 shore every evening to drink sangaree and smoke with 
 the governor, and very often I went with him, leaving 
 the ship in charge of the second mate. It had been 
 my intention, and I had stated as much to the second 
 mate, to go this evening, as it was the last but one 
 that we should remain at Senegal ; but from what I 
 overheard I made up my mind that I would not go. 
 About an hour before sunset, I complained of head- 
 ache and sickness, and sat down under the awning over 
 the after part of the quarter-deck. "When the captain 
 came up to go on shore, he asked me if I was ready, 
 but I made no answer, only put my hand to my head. 
 
 The captain, supposing that I was about to be at- 
 tacked by the fever of the country, was much con- 
 cerned, and desired the second mate to help him to take 
 me down to the state-room, and then went on shore ; 
 the boat was, as usual, pulled by the four men who 
 were prisoners with me, and whom the captain found 
 he could trust on shore better than the others be-
 
 COUSPIHACT TO SEIZE THE SHIP. 71 
 
 longing to the crew, who would indulge in liquor 
 whenever they had an opportunity. I remained in 
 my bed-place till it was nearly eight o'clock, and then 
 crept softly up the companion-hatch to ascertain who 
 was on deck. 
 
 The men were all below in the fore-peak at their 
 suppers, and as I had before observed that their con- 
 ferences were held on the forecastle, I went forward, 
 and covered myself up with a part of the main-topsail, 
 which the men had been repairing during the day. 
 From this position I could hear all that passed, whe- 
 ther they went down into the fore-peak, or remained 
 to converse on the forecastle. About ten minutes 
 afterwards I heard the boat grate against the ship's side, 
 and the men of the slaver mount on the deck. 
 
 " All right ? " inquired one of the slavers. 
 
 " Yes," replied our second mate ; " skipper and his 
 men are on shore, and the first mate taken with the 
 fever." 
 
 " All the better," replied another ; " one less to han- 
 dle. And now, my lads, let's to business, and have 
 everything settled to-night, so that we may not be 
 seen together any more till the work is done." 
 
 They then commenced a consultation, by which I 
 found it was arranged that our ship was to be boarded 
 and taken possession of as soon as she was a few miles 
 out of the bay, for they dared not attack us while we 
 were at anchor close to the fort ; but the second mate 
 and eight men belonging to us were to pretend to 
 make resistance until beaten down below, and when 
 the vessel was in their power, the captain, I, and the 
 other four men who were ashore in the boat, were to
 
 72 THE PRTYATE^E.SMAN. 
 
 be silenced for ever. After which there came on a 
 discussion as to what was to be done with the cargo, 
 which was very valuable, and how the money was to be 
 shared out when the cargo was sold. Then they set- 
 tled who were to be officers on board of the ship, which 
 there is no doubt they intended to make a pirate ves- 
 sel. I also discovered that, if they succeeded, it waa 
 their intention to kill their own captain and such men 
 of the slaver who would not join them, and scuttle 
 their own vessel, which .was a very old one. 
 
 The consultation ended by a solemn and most vil- 
 lanous oath being administered to every man as to se- 
 crecy and fidelity, after which the men of the slaver 
 went into their boat, and pulled to their own vessel. 
 The second mate and our men remained on deck about 
 a quarter of an hour, and then all descended by the 
 ladder to the fore-peak, and turned into their ham- 
 mocks. 
 
 As soon as I thought I could do so with safety, I 
 came out of my lurking-place, and retreated to the 
 state-room. It was fortunate that I did, for a minute 
 afterwards I heard a man on deck, and the second 
 mate came down the companion-hatch, and inquired 
 whether I wanted anything. I told him no ; that I 
 was very ill, and only hoped to be able to go to sleep, 
 and asked him if the captain had returned. He replied 
 that he had not, and then went awav. As soon as I 
 was left to myself, I began to consider what would be 
 best to be done. I knew the captain to be a very 
 timorous man, and I was afraid to trust him with the 
 secret, as I thought he would be certain to let the men 
 know by his conduct that they were discovered and
 
 TlIE CONSPIRACY DEFEATED. 73 
 
 their plans known. The four men who were prisoners 
 with me I knew that I could confide in. This was the 
 Tuesday night, and we proposed sailing on the Thurs- 
 day. Now we had no means of defence on board, ex- 
 cept one small gun, which was honey-combed and 
 nearly useless. It did very well to make a signal with, 
 but had it been loaded with ball, I believe it would 
 have burst immediately. It is true that we had mus- 
 kets and cutlasses, but what use would they have been 
 against such a force as would be opposed, and two- 
 thirds of our men mutineers. Of course we must have 
 been immediately overpowered. 
 
 That the slavers intended to take possession of their 
 own vessel before they took ours, I had no doubt. It 
 is true that we outsailed them when we had a breeze, 
 but the bay was usually becalmed, and it was not till 
 a vessel had got well into the offing that she obtained 
 a breeze, and there was no doubt but that they would 
 take the opportunity of boarding us when we were 
 moving slowly through the water, and a boat might 
 easily come up with us. The slaver had stated his in- 
 tention of sailing immediately to procure her cargc 
 elsewhere, and if she got under weigh at the same time 
 that we did, no suspicion would be created. To apply 
 for protection to the governor would be useless he 
 could not protect us after we were clear of the bay. 
 Indeed, if it were known that we had so done, it would 
 probably only precipitate the affair, and we should be 
 taken possession of while at anchor, for the shot from 
 the fort would hardly reach us. It was, therefore, 
 only by stratagem that we could escape from the 
 clutches of these miscreants. Again, allowing that we
 
 74 THE PRIVATEERSMAN. 
 
 were to get clear of the slavers, we were still in an 
 awkward position, for, supposing the captain to be of 
 any use, we should still only be six men against nine, 
 and we might be overpowered by our own crew, who 
 were determined and powerful men. 
 
 All night I lay on my bed reflecting upon what 
 ought to be done, and at last I made up my mind. 
 
 The next morning I went on deck, complaining very 
 much, but stating that the fever had left me. The 
 long-boat was sent on shore for more water, and I 
 took care that the second mate and eight men should 
 be those selected for the service. As soon as they 
 had shoved off, I called the other four men on the 
 forecastle, and told them what I had overheard. They 
 Were very much astonished, for they had had no 
 idea that there was anything of the kind going for- 
 ward. I imparted to them all my plans, and they 
 agreed to support me in everything indeed, they were 
 all brave men, and would have, if I had acceded to it, 
 attempted to master and overpower the second mate 
 and the others, and make sail in the night ; but this 
 I would not permit, as there was a great risk. They 
 perfectly agreed with me that it was no use acquaint- 
 ing the captain, and that all we had to do was to get 
 rid of these men, and carry the vessel home how we 
 could. How that was to be done was the point at 
 issue. One thing was certain, that it was necessary to 
 leave the bay that night, or it would be too late. For- 
 tunately, there was always a light breeze during the 
 night, and the nights were dark, for there was no moon 
 till three o'clock in the morning, by which time we 
 could have gained the offing, and then we might laugh
 
 THE CONSPIEACT DEFEATED. 75 
 
 at the slaver, as we were lighter in our heels. The boat 
 came off with the water about noon, and the men went 
 to dinner. The captain had agreed to dine with the 
 governor, and I had been asked to accompany him. 
 It was to be our farewell dinner, as we. were to sail 
 the next morning. I had been cogitating a long while 
 to find out how to get rid of these fellows, when at last 
 I determined that I would go on shore with the cap- 
 tain, and propose a plan to the governor. His know- 
 ledge of what was about to be attempted could do no 
 harm, and I thought he would help us ; so I went 
 into the boat, and when we landed I told the men what 
 I intended to do. As soon as I arrived at the go- 
 vernor's, I took an opportunity, while the captain was 
 reading a book, to request a few moments' conversa- 
 tion, and I then informed the governor of the con- 
 spiracy which was afloat, and when I had so done, I 
 pointed out to him the propriety of saying nothing to 
 the captain until all was safe, and proposed my plan 
 to him, which he immediately acceded to. When he 
 returned to where the captain was still reading, he 
 told him that he had a quantity of gold-dust and other 
 valuables, which he wished to send to England by his 
 ship ; but that he did not wish to do it openly, as it 
 was supposed that he did not traffic, and that if the 
 captain would send his long-boat on shore after dark, 
 he would send all the articles on board, with instruc- 
 tions to whom they were to be consigned on our 
 arrival. The captain of course consented. "We bade 
 the governor farewell about half an hour before dark, 
 and returned on board. After I had been a few 
 minutes on deck, I sent for the second mate, and told
 
 76 THE PEITATEEESMAK. 
 
 him as a secret what the governor proposed to do, and 
 that he would be required to land after dark for the 
 goods, telling him that there was a very large quantity 
 of gold-dust, and that he must be very careful. I 
 knew that this intelligence would please him, as it 
 would add to their plunder when they seized the ves- 
 sel ; and I told him that as we sailed at daylight, he 
 must lose no time, but be on board again as soon as 
 he could, that we might hoist in the long-boat. About 
 eight o'clock in the evening, the boat, with him and 
 the eight men, went on shore. The governor had 
 promised to detain them, and ply them with liquor, 
 till we had time to get safe off. As soon as they 
 were out of sight and hearing, we prepared everything 
 for getting under weigh. The captain had gone to 
 his cabin, but was not in bed. I went down to him, 
 and told him I should remain up till the boat returned, 
 and see that all was right ; and that in the mean time 
 I would get everything ready for weighing the next 
 morning, and that he might just as well go to bed 
 now, and I would call him to relieve me at daylight. 
 To this arrangement he consented; and in half an 
 hour I perceived that his candle was out, and that he 
 had retired. Being now so dark that we could not 
 perceive the slaver, which lay about three cables' 
 length from us, it was fairly to be argued that she 
 could not see us ; I therefore went forward and slipped 
 the cable without noise, and sent men up aloft to loose 
 the sails. There was a light breeze, sufficient to carry 
 us about two knots through the water, and we knew 
 that it would rather increase than diminish. In half 
 an hour, weak-handed as we were, we were under saD,
 
 T1IE COSSPIBACY DEFEATED. 77 
 
 everything being done without a word being spoken, 
 and with the utmost precaution. You may imagine how 
 rejoiced we all were when we found that we had ma- 
 noeuvred so well ; notwithstanding, we kept a sharp 
 look-out, to see if the slaver had perceived our mo- 
 tions, and had followed us ; and the fear of such being 
 the case kept us under alarm till near daylight, when 
 the breeze blew strong, and we felt that we had no- 
 thing more to dread. As the day broke, we found 
 that Ave were four or five leagues from the anchorage, 
 and could not see the lower masts of the slaver, which 
 still remained where we had left her. 
 
 Satisfied that we were secure, I then went down to 
 the captain, and, as he lay in bed, made him acquainted 
 with all that had passed. He appeared as if awakened 
 from a dream, rose without making any reply, and 
 hastened on deck. AVhen he found out that we were 
 under weigh, and so far from the land, he exclaimed : 
 
 " It must all be true ; but how shall we be i.ble to 
 take the ship home with so few hands ?" 
 
 I replied, that I had no fears on that score, and 
 that I would answer for bringing the vessel safe to 
 Liverpool. 
 
 "But," he said at last, "how is it that I was not 
 informed of all this ? I might have made some ar- 
 rangements with the men." 
 
 "Yes, Sir," I replied, "but if you had attempted 
 to do so, the vessel would have been taken immedi- 
 ately." 
 
 " But why was I not acquainted with it, I want to 
 know ?" he said again. 
 
 I had by this time made up my mind to the answer
 
 78 THE PBIVATEEKSMAN. 
 
 I should give him ; so I said, " Because it would have 
 placed a serious responsibility on your shoulders, if, as 
 captain of this vessel, you had sailed to England with 
 such a valuable cargo and so few hands. The governor 
 and I, therefore, thought it better that you should not 
 De placed in such an awkward position, and therefore 
 we considered it right not to say a word to you about 
 it. Now, if anything goes wrong, it will be my fault, 
 and not yours, and the owner cannot blame you." 
 "When I had said this, the captain was silent for a 
 minute or two, and then said : 
 
 " Well, I believe it is all for the best, and I thank 
 you and the governor too." 
 
 Having got over this little difficulty, I did not care. 
 We made all sail, and steered homewards ; and, after 
 a rapid passage, during which we were on deck day 
 and night, we arrived, very much fatigued, at Liver- 
 pool. Of course the captain communicated what had 
 occurred to the owner, who immediately sent for me, 
 and having heard my version of the story, expressed 
 his acknowledgment for the preservation of the vessel; 
 and to prove his sincerity, he presented me with fifty 
 guineas for myself, and ten for each of the men. The 
 cargo was soon landed, and I was again at Liberty. I 
 found Captain Levee in port ; he had just returned 
 from another cruise, and had taken a rich prize. He 
 met me with the same cordiality as before ; and having 
 asked me for a recital of what had occurred at Senegal, 
 of which he had heard something from the owner, as 
 soon as I had finished, he said : 
 
 " You are a lad after my own heart, and I wish we 
 were sailing together. I want a first-lieutenant like
 
 A TEir WITH CAPTAUT LEVET?. 79 
 
 you, and if you will go with me, say the word, and it 
 will be hard but I will have you." 
 
 I replied that I was not very anxious to be in apri- 
 rateer again; and this brought on a discourse upon 
 what occurred when I was in the Eevenge with Cap- 
 tain Weatherall. 
 
 " WeD," he said at last, " all this makes me more 
 anxious to have you. I like fair fighting, and hate 
 buccaneering like yourself ; however, we will talk of it 
 another time. I am about to start for London. What 
 do you say, will you join me, and we will have some 
 sport ? With plenty of money, you may do anything 
 in London." 
 
 " Yes," I replied, " but I have not plenty of money." 
 
 " That shall make no difference ; money is of no use 
 but to spend it, that I know of," replied Captain 
 Levee. " I have plenty for both of us, and my purse 
 is at your service ; help yourself as you please, without 
 counting, for I shall be your enemy if you offer to re- 
 turn it. That 's settled ; the horses are all ready, and 
 we will start on "Wednesday. How will you dress ? I 
 think it might be better to alter your costume, now 
 you are going to London. You '11 make a pretty fellow, 
 dress how you will." 
 
 " Before I give you an answer to all your kind pro- 
 posals, I must speak to the owner, Captain Levee." 
 
 " Of course you must ; shall we go there now ? ' ' 
 
 " Willingly," I replied. And we accordingly set off. 
 
 Captain Levee introduced the subject as soon as we 
 arrived afc the counting-house, stating that he wanted 
 me to be first-lieutenant of the privateer, and that I 
 was going to London with him, if he had no objection.
 
 80 THE PBIVATEEESMAy. 
 
 " As for going to London with you for five or six 
 weeks, Captain Levee, there can be no objection to 
 that," replied the owner ; " but as for being your first- 
 lieutenant, that is another question. I have a vessel 
 now fitting out, and intended to offer the command of 
 it to Mr. Elrington. I do so now at once, and he 
 must decide whether he prefers being under your 
 orders to commanding a vessel of his own." 
 
 "I will decide that for him," replied Captain Levee. 
 " He must command his own vessel ; it would be no 
 friendship on my part to stand in the way of his ad- 
 vancement. I only hope, if she is a privateer, that we 
 may cruise together." 
 
 " I cannot reply to that latter question," replied the 
 owner. " Her destination is uncertain ; but the com- 
 mand of her is now offered to Mr. Elrington, if he will 
 accept of it before his trip to the metropolis." 
 
 I replied that I should with pleasure, and returned 
 the owner many thanks for his kindness ; and, after a 
 few minutes' more conversation, we took our leave. 
 
 " Now I should advise you," said Captain Levee, as 
 we walked towards his lodgings, " to dress as a captain 
 of a vessel of war, much in the style that I do. You 
 are a captain, and have a right so to do. Come with 
 me, and let me fit you out." 
 
 I agreed with Captain Levee that I could not do 
 better ; so we went and ordered my suits of clothes, 
 and purchased the other articles which I required. 
 Captain Levee would have paid for them, but I had 
 money sufficient, and would not permit him ; indeed 
 with my pay and present of fifty guineas I had up- 
 wards of seventy guineas in my purse, and did not dis-
 
 STOPPED BY HIGHWAYMEN. 81 
 
 burse more than fifty in my accoutrements, although 
 my pistols and hanger were very handsome. 
 
 We did not start until three days after the time 
 proposed, -when I found at daylight two stout well- 
 bred horses at the door ; one for Captain Levee, and 
 the other for me. "We were attended by two serving- 
 men belonging to the crew of the privateer commanded 
 by Captain Levee powerful, fierce-looking, and deter- 
 mined men, armed to the teeth, and mounted upon 
 strong jades. One carried the valise of Captain Levee, 
 which was heavy with gold. The other had charge of 
 mine, which was much lighter, as you may suppose. 
 We travelled for three days without any interruption, 
 making about thirty miles a day, and stopping at the 
 hostelries to sleep every night. Ou the fourth day we 
 had a slight affair, for as we were mounting a hill to- 
 wards the evening, we found our passage barred by 
 five fellows with crape masks, who told us to stand and 
 deliver. 
 
 "We will," replied Captain Levee, firing his pistol, 
 and reining up his horse at the same time. The ball 
 struck the man, who fell back on the crupper, while 
 the others rushed forward. My pistols were all ready, 
 and I fired at the one who spurred his horse upon me, 
 but the horse rearing up saved his master, the ball 
 passing through the head of the animal, who fell dead, 
 holding his rider a prisoner by the thigh, which was 
 underneath his body. Our two men had come forward 
 and ranged alongside of us at the first attack, but now 
 that two had fallen, the others finding themselves in a 
 minority, after exchanging shots, turned their horses' 
 heads and galloped away. We would have pursued
 
 g2 THE PKIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 them, but Captain Levee said it was better not, as 
 there might be more of the gang near, and by pursuing 
 them we might separate and be cut off in detail. 
 
 " "What shall we do with these fellows ? " asked our 
 men of Captain Levee. 
 
 " Leave them to get off how they can," replied Cap- 
 tain Levee. " I will not be stopped on my journey by 
 such a matter as this. I dare say they don't deserve 
 hanging more than half the people we meet. Let us 
 push on and get into quarters for the night. After 
 all, Mr. Elrington," said Captain Levee to me, as we 
 were setting off, "it's only a little land privateering, 
 and we must not be too hard upon them." 
 
 I confess, Madam, when I recalled all that I had 
 witnessed on board of the Eevenge, that I agreed with 
 Captain Levee, that these highwaymen were not 
 worse than ourselves. 
 
 No other adventure occurred during our journey, 
 and when we arrived in London we directed our horses' 
 steps to a fashionable tavern in St. Paul's, and took 
 possession of apartments, and as Captain Levee was 
 well known, we were cordially greeted and well at- 
 tended. The tavern was in great repute, and resorted 
 to by all the wits and gay men of the day, and I soon 
 found myself on intimate terms with a numerous set 
 of dashing blades full of life and jollity, and spending 
 their money like princes ; but it was a life of sad in- 
 temperance, and my head ached every morning from 
 the excess of the night before, and in our excursions 
 in the evenings we were continually in broils and dis- 
 turbances, and many a broken head, nay, sometimes a 
 severe wound, was given and received. After the first
 
 DISSIPATED TOWN LIFE. 88 
 
 fortnight, I felt weary of this continual dissipation, 
 and as I was dressing a sword-cut which Captain 
 Levee had received in an affray, I one morning told 
 him so. 
 
 "I agree with you," he replied, "that it is all very 
 foolish and discreditable, but if we live with the gay 
 and pretty fellows, we must do as they do. Besides, 
 how could I get rid of my money, which burns in my 
 pocket, if I did not spend as much in one day as would 
 suffice for three weeks ? " 
 
 " Still I would rather dress a wound gained in an 
 honourable contest with the enemy than one received 
 in a night brawl, and I would rather see you com- 
 manding your men in action than reeling with other 
 drunkards in search of a quarrel in the streets." 
 
 " I feel that it is beneath me, and I 'm sure that it 's 
 beneath you. You arc a Mentor without a beard," 
 replied Captain Levee. " But still it requires no 
 beard to discover that I have made an ass of myself. 
 Now, what do you say, shall we take lodgings and 
 live more reputably, for while in this tavern we nevei' 
 shall be able to do so ?" 
 
 " I should prefer it, to tell you the honest truth," 
 I replied, " for I have no pleasure in our present life." 
 
 " Be it so, then," he replied. " I will tell them 
 that I take lodgings, that I may be near to a fair lady. 
 That will be a good and sufficient excuse." 
 
 The next day we secured lodgings to our satisfac- 
 tion, and removed into them, leaving our horses and 
 men at the tavern. "We boarded with the family, and 
 as there were others who did the same, we had a very 
 pieasant society, especially as there were many of the 
 a 2
 
 84 THE PBFV A.TEERSHAN. 
 
 other sex among the boarders. The first day that we 
 sat down to dinner, I found myself by the side of a 
 young man of pleasing manners, although with much 
 of the coxcomb in his apparel. His dress was very 
 gay and very expensive, and he wore a diamond-hilted 
 sword and diamond buckles at least so they appeared 
 to me, as I was not sufficient connoisseur to distinguish 
 the brilliant from the paste. He was very affable and 
 talkative, and before dinner was over gave me the his- 
 tory of many of the people present. 
 
 "Who is the dame in the blue stomacher ? " I in- 
 quired. 
 
 " You mean the prettiest of the two, I suppose," he 
 replied, " that one with the patches under the eye ? 
 She is a widow, having just buried an old man of sixty, 
 to whom she was sacrificed by her mother. But al- 
 though the old fellow was as rich as a Jew, he found 
 such fault with the lady's conduct that he left all his 
 money away from her. This is not generally known, 
 and she takes care to conceal it, for she is anxious 
 to make another match, and she will succeed if her 
 funds, which are not very great, enable her to carry 
 on the game a little longer. I was nearly taken 
 in myself, but an intimacy with her cousin, who hates 
 her, gaye me a knowledge of the truth. She still 
 keeps her carriage, and appears to be rolling in wealth, 
 but she has sold her diamonds and wears paste. And 
 that plain young person on the other side of her has 
 money, and knows the value of it. She requires rent- 
 roll for rent-roll, and instead of referring you to ner 
 lather and mother, the little minx refers you to her 
 lawyer and man of business. Ugly as she is, I would
 
 A GOVERK3IENT SPY. 85 
 
 have sacrificed myself, but she treated me in that way, 
 and upon my soul I was not very sorry for it, for she 
 is dear at any price, and I have since rejoiced at my 
 want of success." 
 
 " Who is that elderly gentleman with such snow- 
 white hair ? " I inquired. 
 
 "That," replied my companion, "nobody exactly 
 knows, but I have my idea. I think," said he, lower- 
 ing his voice to a whisper, "that he is a Catholic 
 priest, or a Jesuit, perhaps, and a partisan of the house 
 of Stuart. I have my reasons for supposing so, and 
 this I am sure of, which is, that he is closely watched 
 by the emissaries of government." 
 
 You may remember, Madam, how at that time the 
 country was disturbed by the landing of the Pretender 
 in the summer of the year before, and the great suc- 
 cesses which he had met with, and that the Duke of 
 Cumberland had returned from the army in the Low 
 Countries, and had marched to Scotland. 
 
 "Has there been any intelligence from Scotland 
 relative to the movements of the armies ?" I inquired. 
 
 " We have heard that the Pretender had abandoned 
 the siege of Fort William, but nothing more; and 
 how far the report is true, it is hard to say. You 
 military men must naturally have a war one way or 
 the other," said my companion, in a careless manner. 
 
 " As to the fighting part of the question," I replied, 
 " I should feel it a matter of great indifference which 
 side I fought for, as the claim of both parties is a mat- 
 ter of mere opinion." 
 
 " Indeed," he said " and what ma/ be your opin 
 ion?"
 
 86 THE PEIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 * ! I have none. I think the claims of both parties 
 equal. The house of Stuart lost the throne of Eng- 
 land on account of its religion that of Hanover has 
 been called to the throne for the same cause. The 
 adherents of both are numerous at the present mo- 
 ment ; and it does not follow, because the house of 
 Hanover has the strongest party, that the house of 
 Stuart should not uphold its cause while there is a 
 chance of success." 
 
 " That is true ; but if you were to be obliged to 
 take one side or the other, which would it be by pre- 
 ference ? " 
 
 " Certainly I would support the Protestant religion 
 in preference to the Catholic. I am a Protestant, and 
 that is reason enough." 
 
 "I agree with you," replied my companion. "Is 
 your brave friend of the same opinion ?" 
 
 " I really never put the question to him, but I think 
 I may safely answer that he is." 
 
 It was fortunate, Madam, that I replied as I did, for 
 I afterwards discovered that this precious gossiping 
 young man, with his rings and ribbons, was no other 
 than a government spy, on the look-out for malcon- 
 tents. Certainly his disguise was good, for I never 
 should have imagined it from his foppish exterior and 
 mincing manners. 
 
 We passed our time much more to my satisfaction 
 now than we did before, escorting the ladies to the 
 theatre and to Hanelagh, and the freedom with which 
 Captain Levee (and I may say I also) spent his money, 
 soon gave us a passport to good society. About a 
 fortnight afterwards, the news arrived of the battle of
 
 BETUEN TO LIVEEPOOL. 87 
 
 Culloden, and great rejoicings were made. My foppish 
 friend remarked to me : 
 
 " Yes, now that the hopes of the Pretender are 
 blasted, and the Hanoverian succession secured, there 
 are plenty who pretend to rejoice, and be excessively 
 loyal, who, if the truth were known, ought to be quar- 
 tered as traitors." 
 
 And I must observe, that the day before the news 
 of the battle, the old gentleman with the snow-white 
 hair was arrested and sent to the Tower, and he after- 
 wards suffered for high treason. 
 
 But letters from the owner, saying that the presence 
 of both of us was immediately required, broke off this 
 pleasant London party. Indeed, the bag of gold was 
 running very low, and this, combined with the owner's 
 letter, occasioned our breaking up three days after- 
 wards. "We took leave of the company at the lodgings, 
 and there was a tender parting with one or two buxom 
 young women ; after which we again mounted our 
 steeds and set off for Liverpool, where we arrived with- 
 out any adventure worthy of narration.
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 I am put in command of the Sparrow-Hawk Am directed to 
 take four Jacobite Gentlemen secretly on board Run with 
 them to Bordeaux Land them in safety Dine with the Go- 
 vernor Meet with the Widow of the French Gentleman I had 
 unfortunately killed Am insulted by her second Husband 
 Agree to fight with him Sail down the River and prepare for 
 Action. 
 
 ON our arrival, Captain Levee and I, as soon as we 
 had got rid of the dust of travel, called upon the owner, 
 who informed us that all the alterations in Captain 
 Levee's vessel, which was a large lugger of fourteen 
 guns and a hundred and twenty men, were complete, 
 and that my vessel was also ready for me, and man- 
 ned ; but that I had better go on board and see if any- 
 . thing else was required, or if there was any alteration 
 that I would propose. Captain Levee and I imme- 
 diately went down to the wharf, alongside of which 
 my vessel lay, that we might examine her now that 
 she was fitted out as a vessel of war. 
 
 She had been a schooner in the Spanish trade, and 
 had been captured by Captain Levee, who had taken 
 her out from under a battery as she lay at anchor, 
 having just made her port from a voyage from South 
 America, being at that time laden with copper and 
 cochineal, a most valuable prize she had proved, and 
 as she was found to be a surprising fast sailer, the 
 owner had resolved to fit her out as a privateer.
 
 COMMAND THE SPABEOW-IIAWK. 88 
 
 She was not a large vessel, being of about a hundred 
 and sixty tons, but she was very beautifully built. 
 She was now armed with eight brass guns, of a calibre 
 of six pounds each, four howitzers aft, and two co- 
 horns on the taffrail. 
 
 " You have a very sweet little craft here, Elrington," 
 said Captain Levee, after he had walked all over her, 
 and examined her below and aloft. " She will sail 
 better than before, I should think, for she then had a 
 very full cargo, and now her top hamper is a mere no- 
 thing. Did the owner say how many men you had ? " 
 
 " Fifty-four is, I believe, to be our full complement," 
 I replied, " and I should think quite enough." 
 
 " Yes, if they are good men and true. You may do 
 a great deal with this vessel, for you see she draws so 
 little water, that you may run in where I dare not 
 venture. Come, we will now return to our lodgings, 
 pack up, and each go on board of our vessels. We 
 have had play enough, now to work again, and in good 
 earnest." 
 
 " I was about to propose it myself," I replied, " for 
 with a new vessel, officers and men not known to me, 
 the sooner I am on board and with them the better. It 
 will take some time to get everything and everybody 
 in their places." 
 
 " Spoken like a man who understands his business," 
 replied Captain Levee. " I wonder whether we shall 
 be sent out together ? " 
 
 " I can only say that I hope so," I replied, " as I 
 should profit much by your experience, and hope to 
 prove to you that, if necessary, I shall not be n bad 
 second."
 
 90 THE PBIVATEEBSMAK. 
 
 Aud as I made this reply, we arrived at the house 
 where we had lodged. 
 
 Captain Levee was a man who, when once he had 
 decided, was as rapid as lightning in execution. He 
 sent lor a dealer in horses, concluded a bargain with 
 him in five minutes, paid his lodgings and all demands 
 upon him, and before noon we were both on board of 
 our respective vessels. But, previous to the seamen 
 coming up for our boxes, I observed to him, " I should 
 wish, Levee, that you would let me know, if it is only 
 at a rough guess, what sum I may be indebted to you ; 
 as I may be fortunate, and if so, it will be but fair to 
 repay you the money, although your kindness I cannot 
 so easily return." 
 
 " I '11 tell you exactly," said Levee. " If I take no 
 prizes this cruise, and you do make money, why then 
 we will, on our return, have another frolic somewhere, 
 and you shall stand treat. That will make us all square, 
 if I am not fortunate ; but if I am, I consider your 
 pleasant company to have more than repaid me for any 
 little expense I may have incurred." 
 
 " You are very kind to say that," I replied ; " but I 
 hope you will be fortunate, and not have to depend 
 upon me." 
 
 " I hope so too," he replied, laughing. " If we come 
 back safe and sound, we will take a trip to Bath I am 
 anxious to see the place." 
 
 I mention this conversation, Madam, that I may 
 make you acquainted with the character of Captain 
 Levee, and prove to you how worthy a man I had as a 
 companion. 
 
 It required about ten days to complete my little
 
 JACOBITES ON BOAED. 91 
 
 schooner with everything that I considered requisite, 
 and the politeness of the owner was extremely gratify- 
 ing. We were, however, but just complete, when the 
 owner sent for me in a great hurry, and having taken 
 me into a back room next to the counting-house, he 
 locked the door, and said 
 
 " Captain Elrington, I have been offered a large sum 
 to do a service to some unfortunate people ; but it is 
 an affair which, for our own sakes, will demand the ut- 
 most secrecy : indeed, you will risk more than I shall ; 
 but at the same time I trust you will not refuse to per- 
 form the service, as I shall lose a considerable advantage. 
 If you will undertake it, I shall not be ungrateful." 
 
 I replied that I was bound to him by many acts of 
 kindness, and that he might confide in my gratitude. 
 
 " Well, then," he replied, lowering his voice, " the 
 fact is this ; four of the Jacobite party, who are hotly 
 pursued, and for whose heads a large reward is offered, 
 have contrived to escape to this port, and are here con- 
 cealed by their friends, who have applied to me to land 
 them at some port in France." 
 
 "I understand," I replied; " I will cheerfully exe- 
 cute the commission." 
 
 " I thank you, Captain Elrington ; I expected no 
 other answer from you. I would not put them on 
 board Captain Levee's vessel for many reasons ; but, 
 at the same time, he knows that he is to sail to-morrow, 
 and he shall wait for you and keep company with you 
 till you have landed them ; after which you may con- 
 cert your own measures with him, and decide whether 
 you cruise together or separate."
 
 92 THE PBIVATEEKSMAN. 
 
 " Captain Levee will of course know that I have 
 them on board?" 
 
 " Certainly ; but it is to conceal these people from 
 others in his ship, and not from him, that they are put 
 on board of your vessel. At the same time, I confess 
 I have my private reasons as well, which I do not wish 
 to make known. You can sail to-morrow ? " 
 
 " I can sail to-night, if you wish," I replied. 
 
 " No ; to-morrow night will be the time that I have 
 fixed." 
 
 " At what time will they come on board ? " 
 
 " I cannot reply to that till to-morrow. The fact is, 
 that the government people are on a hot scent ; and 
 there is a vessel of war in the offing, I am told, ready 
 to board anything and everything which comes out. 
 Captain Levee will sail to-morrow morning, and will in 
 all probability be examined by the government vessel, 
 which is, I understand, a most rapid sailer." 
 
 " Will he submit to it ? " 
 
 " Yes, he must ; and I have given him positive orders 
 not to make the least attempt to evade her or prevent 
 a search. He will then run to Holyhead, and lay-to 
 there for you to join him, and you will proceed together 
 to the port which the people taken on board shall 
 direct, for that is a part of the agreement they have 
 made with me." 
 
 " Then of course I am to evade the king's vessel ? " 
 
 " Certainly ; and I have no doubt but that you will 
 be able so to do. Your vessel is so fleet, that there 
 will be little difficulty : at all events, you will do your 
 best : but recollect, that although you must make every
 
 JACOBITES OK BOABD. 98 
 
 attempt to escape, you must not make any attempt at 
 resistance indeed, that would be useless against a 
 vessel of such force. Should you be in a position which 
 might enable them to board you, you must find some 
 safe hiding-place for your passengers ; for I hardly 
 need say, that if taken with them on board, the vessel 
 will be confiscated, and you will run some danger of 
 your life. I have nothing more to say to you just 
 now, except that you may give out that Captain Levee 
 sails to-morrow, and that you are to follow him in ten 
 days. Your powder is on board ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I got it on board as soon as we hauled out 
 in the stream." 
 
 " Well, then, you will call here to-morrow morning 
 about eleven o'clock, not before, and (I hardly need 
 repeat it), but 1 again say secrecy, as you value 
 your life." 
 
 As soon as I had left the owner, I went down to the 
 wharf, stepped into the boat, and went on board Cap- 
 tain Levee's vessel, which, I have omitted to state, was 
 named the ArroAv. I found him on board, and very 
 busy getting ready for sea. 
 
 " So you are off to-morrow, Levee ? ' ' said I, before 
 all the people on the deck. 
 
 " Yes," he replied. 
 
 " I wish I was, too ; but I am to remain ten days 
 longer, I find." 
 
 45 1 was in hopes we should have cruised together," 
 replied Captain Levee ; " but we must do as our owner 
 wishes. What detains you? I thought you were 
 ready." 
 
 "I thought so too," I replied; "but we find that
 
 91 THE PBIVATEERSMATT. 
 
 the head of the mainmast is sprung, and we must have 
 a new one. I have just come from the owner's, and 
 must set to work at once, and get ready for shifting 
 our mast. So, fare you well, if I do not see you be- 
 fore you sail." 
 
 "lam to see the owner to-night," replied Levee. 
 |U Shall we not meet then, and take a parting glass ?" 
 
 "I fear not, but I will come if I can," I replied; 
 "if not, success to the Arrow !" 
 
 "And success to the Sparrow-Hawk!" replied Le- 
 vee, "and Grod bless you, my good fellow." 
 
 I shook hands with my kind friend, and went over 
 the side of the lugger into my boat, and then pulled 
 for my own vessel. As soon as I got on board, I sent 
 for officers and men, and said to them 
 
 " We are to shift our mainmast for one that is three 
 feet longer, and must work hard, that we may be able 
 to sail as soon as possible. I cannot allow any of you 
 to go on shore till the work is finished ; when it is 
 done, you will have leave as before till we sail." 
 
 That afternoon I sent down the topsail-yard and 
 topmast, unbent the mainsail, main-topsail, and gaff 
 sent down the topmast and running-rigging on deck 
 cast loone the lanyards of the lower rigging, and quite 
 dismantled the mainmast, so as to make it appear as if 
 we were about to haul to the wharf and take it out. 
 The men all remained on board, expecting that we 
 should shift our berth the next day. 
 
 On the following morning I laid out a warp to the 
 wharf, as if intending to haul in ; and at the time ap- 
 pointed, I went on shore to the owner, and told him 
 had done.
 
 JACOBITES CN BOARD. 95 
 
 " But," he said, " I find that you will have to sail 
 this night as soon as it is dark. How will you get 
 ready?" 
 
 I replied that at nightfall I would immediately re- 
 place everything, and in an hour would be ready 
 for sea. 
 
 " If such be the case, you have done well, Mr. El- 
 rington, and I thank you for your zeal on my behalf, 
 which I shall not forget. Everything has been ar- 
 ranged, and you must come up here with some of your 
 seamen as soon as you are ready to sail. Tour men, 
 or rather four of them, must remain in the house. 
 The four gentlemen who are to be embarked will be 
 dressed in seamen's attire, and will carry down their 
 boxes and trunks as if they were your men taking 
 your things on board. Ton will then remain a little 
 distance from the wharf in the boat till your own men 
 come down, and if there is no discovery you will take 
 them on board with you ; if, on the contrary, there is 
 any suspicion, and the officers of the government are 
 on the watch, and stop your men, you will then push 
 off with the passengers, slip your cable if it is neces- 
 sary, and make all sail for Holyhead, where you will 
 fall in with the Arrow, which will be waiting there for 
 you. Is the Arrow still in sight ?" 
 
 " No," I replied ; " she was out of sight more than 
 an hour ago, and from our masthead we could see the 
 top-gallant sails of the vessel of war bearing N.N.~W." 
 
 " Keep a look-out upon her, and see how she bears 
 at dark," replied the owner, "for you must not fall in 
 with her if possible. I think you had better return 
 on board now, that you may keep your people quiet."
 
 96 THE PBIYATEEBSMAJT. 
 
 When I arrived on board the schooner, I toid my 
 officers that I did not think that we should shift the 
 mast as proposed, and that everything must be got 
 ready for refitting. I did not choose to say more, but 
 I added that I was to go on shore in the evening to 
 smoke a pipe with the owner, and then I should know 
 for certain. I employed the men during the whole 
 of the day in doing everything in preparation which 
 could be done without exciting suspicion ; and as soon 
 as it was dark I called the men aft, and told them that 
 I thought it was very likely, from the Arrow not 
 having made her appearance, that we might be sent to 
 join her immediately, and that I wished them to rig 
 the mainmast, and make everything ready for an im- 
 mediate start, promising them to serve out some liquor 
 if they worked well. This was sufficient, and in little 
 more than an hour the mast was secured, the rigging 
 all complete, and the sails ready for bending. I 
 then ordered the boat to be manned, and telling the 
 officers that they were to bend the sails, and have 
 everything ready for weighing on my return on board, 
 which would be in an hour, or thereabouts, I pulled 
 on shore, and went up to the owner's, taking four men 
 with me, and leaving three men in the boat. I ordered 
 these three men to remain till the others came down 
 with my trunks and effects, and not to leave the boat 
 on any consideration. 
 
 "When I arrived at the owner's, I told him what I 
 had done, and he commended my arrangements. In 
 the back room I found four gentlemen dressed in sea- 
 men's clothing, and as there was no time to be lost, 
 they immediately shouldered the trunks and valises ;
 
 JACOBITES ON BOABD. 97 
 
 desiring my own men to remain with the owner to 
 bring down anything that he might wish to send on 
 board, I left them in the counting-house. The gentlemen 
 followed me with their loads down to the boat, and 
 when I got there the men told me that some people 
 had come down and asked whose boat it was, and why 
 they were lying there, and that they had told the 
 people that the captain had taken four men with him 
 to bring down his things, and that they were waiting 
 for him ; so it was lucky that I said to my men what I 
 did. 
 
 We hastened to put the trunks into the boat, and to 
 get in ourselves after we had received this intelligence, 
 and then I shoved off" from the wharf, and laid about 
 a stone's throw distant for my other men. At last we 
 heard them coming down, and shortly afterwards we 
 perceived that they were stopped by other people, and 
 in altercation with them. I knew then that the of- 
 ficers were on the alert, and would discover the strata- 
 gem, and therefore desired my men and the gentlemen, 
 who had each taken an oar in readiness, to give way 
 and pull for the schooner. As we did so, the king's 
 officers on search who had stopped my four men came 
 down to the wharf and ordered us to come back, but 
 we made no reply. As soon as we were alongside, we 
 hoisted the things out of the boat, veered her astern 
 by a tow-rope, slipped the cable, and made sail. For- 
 tunately it was very dark, and we were very alert in 
 our movements. "We could perceive lights at the 
 wharf as we sailed out of the river, and it was clear 
 that we had had a narrow escape ; but I felt no alarm 
 on account of the owner, as I knew that although they
 
 Q8 THE PBIVATEERSMAN. 
 
 might suspect, they could prove nothing. "When 
 about three miles out we hove to, hoisted in the boat, 
 and shaped our course. 
 
 All I had now to fear was the falling in with the 
 ship of war in the offing, and I placed men to keep 
 a sharp look-out in every direction, and told the of- 
 ficers that it was necessary that we should avoid her. 
 "When last seen, about an hour before dark, she was 
 well to windward, and as the wind was from the north- 
 ward, she would probably sail faster than we could, as a 
 schooner does not sail so well free as on a wind. We had 
 run out about four hours, and were steering our course 
 for Holyhead, when suddenly we perceived the ship of 
 war close to us, and to leeward. She had been lying 
 with her mainsail to the mast, but she evidently had 
 made us out, for she filled and set top-gallant sails. 
 
 I immediately hauled my wind, and as soon as she 
 had way, she tacked and followed in pursuit, being 
 then right astern of us, about half a mile off. Ifc was 
 very dark, and I knew that as our sails were set, and 
 we bore from her, it would be difficult for her to keep 
 us in sight, as we only presented what we call the 
 feather-edge of our sails to her. I therefore steered 
 on under all sail, and, finding that the schooner weath- 
 ered on her, I kept her away a little, so as to retain 
 the same bearings, and to leave her faster. 
 
 In an hour we could not make out the ship, and 
 were therefore certain that she could not see us ; so 
 as I wanted to get clear of her, and be at Holyhead as 
 soon as possible, I lowered down all the sails and put 
 niy helm up, so as to cross her and run to leeward un- 
 der bare poles, while she continued her windward
 
 PUBSTTED BY KINO'S SHIP. 99 
 
 chase. This stratagem answered, and we saw no more 
 of her ; for, two hours afterwards, we fell in with the 
 Arrow, and, hailing her, we hoth made sail down the 
 Bristol Channel as fast as we could, and at daybreak 
 there was no vessel in sight, and of course we had no- 
 thing more to fear from the Liverpool cruiser, "j 
 
 As we now sailed rapidly along in company, with 
 the wind on our quarter, it was high time for me to 
 look to my passengers, who had remained on deck in 
 perfect silence from the time that they had come on 
 board. I therefore went up to them, and apologized 
 for not having as yet paid them that attention that I 
 should have wished to have done under other circum- 
 stances. 
 
 " Captain," replied the oldest of them, with a court- 
 eous salute, " you have paid us every attention ; you 
 have been extremely active in saving our lives, and we 
 return you our sincere thanks." 
 
 "Yes, indeed," replied a young and handsome man 
 who stood next him, " Mr. Elrington has saved us 
 from the toils of our enemies ; but now that we are in 
 no fear from that quarter, I must tell him that we 
 have hardly had a mouthful of food for twenty-four 
 hours, and if he wishes to save our lives a second time, 
 it will be by ordering a good breakfast to be prepared 
 for us." 
 
 " Campbell speaks the truth, my dear Sir," said the 
 one who had first spoken. " We have lately gained 
 the knowledge of what it is to hunger and thirst ; and 
 we all join in his request." 
 
 " You shall not wait long," I replied ; " I will be up 
 again in a moment or two." I went down into the 
 
 H 2
 
 100 THE PEIVATEEE8MAN. 
 
 cabin, and, ordering my servant to put on the table a 
 large piece of pressed Hamburg beef, a cold pie of 
 various flesh and fowl combined, some bread and 
 cheese, and some bottles of brandy and usquebaugh, I 
 then went up again, and requested them all to de- 
 scend. Hungry they certainly were, and it was in- 
 credible the quantity that they devoured. I should 
 have imagined that they had not been fed for a week 
 and I thought that if they were to consume at that 
 rate, my stock would never last out, and the sooner 
 they were landed the better. As soon as they left off 
 eating, and had finished two bottles of usquebaugh, I 
 said to them, " Gentlemen, my orders are to land you 
 at any port of France that you should prefer. Have 
 you made up your minds as to which it shall be, for it 
 will be necessary that we shape a course according to 
 your decision?" 
 
 "Mr. Elrington, on that point we would wish to 
 advise with you. I hardly need say that our object 
 is to escape, and that falling in with and being cap- 
 tured by a ship of war, and there are many out in 
 pursuit of us and other unfortunate adherents to the 
 house of Stuart, would be extremely disagreeable, as 
 our heads and our bodies would certainly part com- 
 pany, if we were taken. Now, which port do you 
 think we should be most likely to reach with least 
 chance of interruption?" 
 
 "I think," I replied, "as you pay me the compli- 
 ment to ask my opinion, that it would be better to 
 run down the Bay of Biscay, and then put in the port 
 of Bordeaux, or any other, where you could be landed 
 in safety ; and my reason is this : the Channel is full
 
 GEATITTJDE 01 THE JACOBITES. 101 
 
 of cruisers looking after those of jour partv who are 
 attempting to escape; and my vessel will be chased 
 aud searched. Now, although we might sail faster than 
 any one vessel in the Channel, yet it is very possible 
 that in running away from one, we may fall into the 
 jaws of another. And besides, we are two privateers, 
 and cruising off Bordeaux will excite no suspicion, as 
 it is a favourite cruising-ground ; so that, if we were 
 boarded, there would be little danger of discovery ; 
 but, of course, as long as 1 can prevent that, by taking 
 to my heels, I shall not be boarded by any one. The 
 only objection to what I propose is, that you will be 
 confined longer in a vessel than you may like, or than 
 you would be if you were to gain a nearer port." 
 
 "I agree with the captain of the vessel," said a 
 grave-looking personage, who had not yet spoken, and 
 whom I afterwards discovered to be a Catholic priest, 
 " the stanchest adherent to the cause could not have 
 given better advice, and I should recommend that it 
 be followed." 
 
 The others were of the same opinion ; and, in con- 
 sequence, I edged the schooner down to the Arrow, 
 and hailed Captain Levee, stating that we were to run 
 to Bordeaux. After that I prepared for them sleeping 
 accommodations as well as I could, and on my making 
 apologies, they laughed, and told me such stories of 
 their hardships during their escape, that I was not 
 surprised at their not being difficult. I found out 
 their names by their addressing one another, to be 
 Campbell, M'Intyre, Ferguson, and M'Donald ; all of 
 them very refined gentlemen, and of excellent dis- 
 course. They were very merry, and laughed at all
 
 102 THE PE1VATEEB3MAN. 
 
 that they had suffered ; sang Jacobite songs, as they 
 were termed, and certainly did not spare my locker of 
 wine. The wind continued fair, and we met with no 
 interruption, and on the fourth evening, at dusk, we 
 made the mouth of the Garonne, and hove to, with 
 our heads off shore, for the night. Captain Levee then 
 came on board, and I introduced him to my passen- 
 gers. To my surprise, after some conversation, he 
 said 
 
 " I have now escorted Captain Elrington, according 
 to the orders I received, and shall return to Liverpool 
 as soon as possible ; if, therefore, gentlemen, you have 
 any letters to send to your friends announcing your 
 safety, I shall be most happy to present them in any 
 way you may suggest as most advisable." 
 
 That Captain Levee had some object in saying this, 
 I was quite certain ; and therefore I made no remark. 
 The passengers thanked him for his proposal ; and, 
 being provided with writing materials, they all wrote 
 to their friends, and put their letters into Captain 
 Levee's hands, who then bade them farewell, and went 
 on deck with me. 
 
 " Of course, you were not serious in what you said, 
 Captain Levee ? " I inquired, as we walked forward. 
 
 "No," he replied ; " but I considered it prudent to 
 make them believe so. Although Englishmen, they 
 are enemies to our country, so far as they are enemies 
 to our government, and, of course, wish no harm to 
 the French, who have so warmly supported them. 
 Now, if they knew that I remained here waiting for 
 your coming out of the river, they would say so, and I 
 might lose the chance of a good prize, as nothing
 
 CAPTAIN LEYEE'S STRATAGEM. 103 
 
 would sail, if they knew that the coast was not clear. 
 Now, I shall part company with you in an hour, and 
 make all sail for England, as they may suppose, but, 
 without fail, to-morrow night I shall be oft here again, 
 about five leagues from the port, with my sails furled ; 
 therefore, stay in the river as long as they will let you, 
 as, while you are in port with the flag of truce, vessels 
 may sail out." 
 
 " I understand you, and will do all I can to assist 
 your views. Captain Levee. Now, we will go down 
 again. I will give you a receipt for a coil of rope, 
 which you will send your boat for, and write a letter 
 to the owners, after which you will wisli me good bye, 
 and make sail." 
 
 " Exactly," Captain Levee replied, who then ordered 
 his boat to go for a coil of three-inch, and bring it on 
 board. 
 
 "We then descended to the cabin, and I wrote a 
 letter to the owner, and also a receipt for the coil of 
 rope, which I delivered to Captain Levee. The boat 
 soon returned from the lugger, the rope was taken on 
 board, and then Captain Levee wished me farewell, 
 and made his polite adieus to the gentlemen, who fol- 
 lowed him on deck, and waited there till he had hoisted 
 in his boat, and made all sail. 
 
 " How long will she be before she arrives at Liver- 
 pool with this wind ? " inquired Mr. Campbell. 
 
 "She will carry her canvass night and day," I re- 
 plied ; " and, therefore, as she sails so fast, I should 
 say in five or six days." 
 
 " "Well, I am grateful that we have such an early and 
 safe opportunity of communicating with our friends in
 
 104 THE PRIVATEEBSMA-N. 
 
 England; we might have waited two months other- 
 wise." 
 
 "Very true," replied the priest, "but Heaven haa 
 assisted our anxious wishes. Let us be grateful for all 
 things." 
 
 My passengers watched the lugger until she was 
 nearly out of sight. I dare say that their thoughts 
 were, that those on board of her were going to the 
 country of their birth, from which they were exiles, 
 probably for ever : they did not speak, but went down 
 below, and retired to their beds. At daylight the next 
 morning I ran the schooner in ; and as soon as I was 
 within three miles of the coast, I hoisted the white 
 flag of truce, and stood for the mouth of the river 
 Garonne. I perceived that the batteries were manned, 
 but not a shot was fired, and we entered the river. 
 
 When we were a mile up the river, we were boarded 
 by the French authorities, and my passengers, who had 
 dressed themselves in their proper costume, informed 
 the officer in the boat who they were, upon which he 
 was very polite, and, calling a pilot out of the boat, the 
 schooner was taken charge of by him, and we very soon 
 afterwards, having wind and tide in our favour, were 
 anchored alongside of two large merchant vessels and 
 a French privateer of sixteen guns, which I instantly 
 recognised as our old antagonist off Hispaniola, in the 
 action in which the Revenge was captured, and Cap- 
 tain "Weatherall lost his life. However, I kept my 
 knowledge to myself, as the French officer and the 
 Jacobite gentlemen were present. As soon as we had 
 anchored, the passengers were requested to go into the 
 boat, and the French officer and I to accompany them,
 
 THE GOVEENOE'S INVITATIDIT. 106 
 
 that I might report myself to the governor, and we 
 pulled away to the town, one of my boats following 
 with the passengers' luggage. 
 
 On our landing, there was a great crowd assembled, 
 and they looked very hard at me, as I was dressed in 
 my lace coat and a cocked-up hat, also bound with 
 broad gold lace. On our arrival in the presence of 
 the governor, we were received with much urbanity ; 
 and as I had brought the Jacobite gentlemen in my 
 schooner, it was presumed that I was favourable to 
 the cause, and I was very politely treated. The 
 governor invited us all to dine with him on that day. 
 I made some excuse, saying, that I was anxious to re- 
 turn to Liverpool, that I might fit out for the coast 
 of Africa, in which service I was to be employed by 
 my owners ; but the passengers insisted upon my 
 staying a day or two, and the governor added to 
 their solicitations his own. 
 
 I therefore accepted, not only because I was glad to 
 have an opportunity to see so celebrated a town, but 
 because it would meet the views of Captain Levee. 
 We took leave of the governor, and went to an hotel, 
 and I then sent my boat on board for necessaries, and 
 hired a handsome apartment in the hotel. I had not 
 been there half an hour, when the priest came to me 
 and said, " Captain, you are not aware of the rank and 
 consequence of the three gentlemen whom you have 
 been so successful in escorting to a place of safety. I 
 am requested by them to make you a handsome re- 
 muneration for your kindness and skilful conduct on 
 this occasion." 
 
 " Sir," I replied, " this must not t>e. I am most
 
 106 THE PBIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 happy in having assisted in the escape of unfortunate 
 gentlemen; and all the pleasure I feel at having so 
 done would be destroyed if I were to accept of what 
 you offer. It is useless to repeat it ; and if you do, I 
 shall consider it an insult, and immediately repair on 
 board of my vessel. Tou will therefore tender my 
 best thanks and my refusal, with ardent wishes for 
 their future welfare." 
 
 "After what you have said, Captain Elrington, I 
 will, of course, not resume the offer. I will tell my 
 fellow-passengers what you have said, and I am sure 
 that they will, as I do, admire your high sense of 
 honour." The priest shook me by the hand, and then 
 quitted my apartment. I did not see the other pas- 
 sengers till it was the hour to go to dine at the go- 
 vernor's, when they embraced me cordially, and the 
 one calling himself Campbell said, " Should you ever 
 be in distress or a prisoner in this country, recollect 
 you have a friend who is ready to serve you. Here is 
 an address to a lady, to whom you must write, and 
 say that you wish the assistance of your passenger to 
 Bordeaux that will be sufficient I trust you may 
 never require it." 
 
 "We had a pleasant dinner at the governor's, and 
 among the people invited to meet us, I perceived the 
 French captain of the privateer. I knew him imme- 
 diately, although he did not recognise me. "We had 
 some conversation together, and he spoke about hia 
 cruises in the West Indies, and asked me whether I 
 knew Captain "Weatherall. I said there was a Captain 
 "Weatherall who commanded the Eevenge privateer, 
 and who was killed when his vessel was taken.
 
 DINNEB, AT THE GOYEEIfOE'S. 107 
 
 "Exactly," said the captain ; "he was a brave man, 
 and fought nobly, and so did all his people they 
 fought like devils." 
 
 "Yes," I replied, "they fought as long as they 
 could, but Captain Weatherall was very short-handed. 
 He had but fifty-five men on board at the commence- 
 ment of the action." 
 
 "More than that, I'm sure," replied the French 
 captain. 
 
 " He had not, I assure you," I replied ; " he had 
 lost so many in an attack on shore, and had so many 
 away in prizes." 
 
 Our conversation had attracted general notice, and 
 a French army officer observed, " Monsieur speaks so 
 positively, that one would imagine that he was actually 
 on board." 
 
 " And so I was, Sir,' ' replied I, " and have my wounds 
 to show for it. I knew this officer immediately I saw 
 him, for I was close to Captain "Weatherall at the time 
 that this officer expostulated with him before the ac- 
 tion; and I crossed my sword with him during the 
 combat." 
 
 " You have convinced me that you were on board," 
 replied the captain of the privateer, " by your men- 
 tioning the expostulations previous to the combat tak- 
 ing place. I am delighted to have met with so brave an 
 enemy, for every man on board that vessel was a hero." 
 
 The conversation was then general, and many par- 
 ticulars were asked ; and I will do the French captain 
 the justice to say, that he was vejy correct in all his 
 statements, and neither vaunted his cwn success, nor 
 did us less than justice.
 
 108 THE PEIVA.TEEBSMAK. 
 
 The party then broke up to go to the theatre, and 
 afterwards we repaired to the hotel. I remained there 
 two days more, and on the last of these two days I 
 had promised to sup with the French captain of the 
 privateer, who had called upon me, and behaved very 
 politely. The following day, after noon, when the tide 
 served, I was to sail. Accordingly, after the theatre 
 was over, I went* with the French captain to his house, 
 in company with two or three more. Supper was on 
 the table when we arrived there, and we went into the 
 room, waiting for the presence of the captain's lady, 
 who had not gone to the theatre, and to whom I had 
 not been introduced. After a few minutes she made her 
 appearance, and as she entered the room, I was struck 
 with her extreme beauty, although she was past the 
 meridian of life. I thought I had seen her face before, 
 and as she came forward with her husband, it at once 
 rushed into my mind that she was the widow of the 
 French gentleman who had so gallantly fought his 
 vessel, and who fell by iny hand the lady who was 
 nursing her son at the King's Hospital at Jamaica, 
 and who had been so inveterate against me. Our 
 eyes met, and her cheeks flushed ; she recognised me, 
 and I coloured deeply as I bowed to her. She was 
 taken with a faintness, and fell back. Fortunately her 
 husband received her in his arms. 
 
 " What is the matter, my love ? " he said. 
 
 " Nothing; but I am taken with a vertigo," replied 
 she ; " it will go off directly. Make my excuses to the 
 company, while I retire for a few minutes." 
 
 Her husband went out of the room, and after a 
 minute or two came back, saying that Madam was not
 
 THE FRENCH LADY AGAIN. 109 
 
 well enough to return to the room, and begged that 
 they would admit her excuse, and sit down to supper 
 without her. Whether his wife had informed him of 
 who I was, I know not ; but nothing could exceed the 
 civility of the French captain towards me during the 
 supper. "We did not, however, remain very late, as 
 the lady of the house was indisposed. 
 
 I found out, as I walked home with another French 
 officer, that the captain of the privateer had fallen in 
 with the French lady on her return from Jamaica, 
 where her son died in the Hospital, and had married 
 her; and that, moreover, unlike most French hus- 
 bands, he was most ardently attached to her. 
 
 I had breakfasted the next morning, and packed up 
 my clothes preparatory to going on board, and had just 
 returned from a visit of leave-taking with the governor, 
 when who should walk up into my apartment but the 
 French captain of the privateer, accompanied by three 
 or four French officers of the army. I perceived by 
 his looks when he entered that he was a little excited, 
 but I met him cordially. He began a conversation 
 about his action with Captain "Weatherall, and instead 
 of speaking handsomely as he had done before, he 
 used expressions which I considered offensive, and I 
 at once took him up by observing that, being under a 
 flag of truce, it was impossible for me to notice what 
 he said. 
 
 " No," he replied ; " but I wish we were once more 
 on the high seas together, for I have a little debt of 
 gratitude to pay off." 
 
 "Well," I replied, "you may have; and I should 
 not be sorry to give you an opportunity, if it were pos- 
 sible."
 
 110 THE PRIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 "May I inquire whether you intend to go home 
 as a cartel, and carry your flag of truce to Liverpool ? " 
 
 " No, Sir," I replied ; " I shall haul down my flag of 
 truce as soon as I am out of gunshot of your batteries 
 I understand what you mean, Sir. It is very true that 
 your vessel carries nearly double the number of guns 
 that mine does, but nevertheless I shall haul down my 
 flag of truce, as I say I will." 
 
 " Not if I follow you down the river, I presume ? " 
 he said with a sort of sneer. 
 
 " Follow me if you dare," I cried; "you will meet 
 with your master, depend upon it." 
 
 " Sacre ! " replied he, in a passion, " I will blow you 
 out of the water ; and if I take you I will hang you for 
 a pirate." 
 
 "Not the last, certainly," I said coolly. 
 
 " Look you, Sir," he cried, shutting his fist upon 
 the palm of his other hand, " if I take you I will hang 
 you ; and if you take me, you may serve me in the 
 same way. Is it a bargain, or are you a coward ? " 
 
 "Gentlemen," I said to the officers present, "you 
 must feel that your countryman is not behaving well. 
 He has insulted me grossly. I will, however, consent 
 to his terms on one condition, which is, that he will 
 permit one of you, after he has sailed, to make known 
 the conditions upon which we fight to his wife ; and 
 that one of you will pledge me his honour that he will 
 impart these conditions as soon as we are gone." 
 
 " Agree to do so pledge yourself to do so, Xavier," 
 cried the French captain to one of the officers present. 
 
 " Since you wish it, certainly," he said. 
 
 " You pledge yourself to make the conditions known 
 to Madam, as soon as we have sailed ? " -
 
 TEBMS WITH THE FRENCH CAPT^IK. Ill 
 
 " I do, upon the honour of an officer and a gentle- 
 man," replied he, " painful as it will be to me." 
 
 " Then, captain," I replied, " I agree to your condi- 
 >-ions, and one or the other of us shall hang." 
 
 You may suppose, Madam, that I must have been 
 in a state of great irritation to have consented to such 
 terms. I was so, and could not brook such insult in 
 the presence of the French officers. Moreover, as you 
 will observe, in my conversation I did not commit my- 
 self in any way. There was nothing dishonourable* 
 I told him that I should haul down my flag of truce, 
 and I also told him that he would meet with his mas- 
 ter, which was true enough, as he would meet with 
 the Arrow, commanded by Captain Levee, as well as 
 with my vessel ; while he thought that he would have 
 to fight with my inferior vessel alone, and, making sure 
 of conquest, he purposely insulted me, to make me 
 accept such conditions as would administer to the 
 revenge of his wife, who had evidently worked him up 
 to act in such a manner ; and I accepted them, because 
 I hoped the fate would be his if Captain Levee joined 
 me, and if not, I was determined that I never would 
 be taken alive. 
 
 After I had agreed to his conditions, they all took a 
 very ceremonious leave, and I bowed them out with 
 great mock humility. I then bade farewell to my 
 passengers, who lodged in the same hotel, and went 
 down to my boat, and puDed on board. As soon as 
 the tide served, the pilot came on board, and we got 
 under weigh. I observed a great bustle, and a hurry- 
 ing to and fro of boats on board of the French priva- 
 teer, and we had not gone above two miles down the
 
 112 THE PBIVATEEliSMAU. 
 
 river, before I perceived the men were aloft and lower- 
 ing her sails. I told my officers that I had received a 
 challenge from the French privateer, and had accepted 
 it, and that we must get everything ready for action. 
 They were much astonished at this, as the disparity of 
 force was so great, but they went cheerfully to their 
 duty, as did the men, among whom the news was soou 
 spread.
 
 KHGAGE THE TEENCH PBIYAIEEB. 118 
 
 OHAPTEE X. 
 
 Captain Levee and I engage -with the French Privateer We 
 come off victorious My revenge against the French Lady 
 We take our Prize to Liverpool. 
 
 THE wind was light, and we did not gain the mouth 
 of the river till near sun-down, when the pilot left 
 us ; and as soon as we were three miles in the offing, I 
 hauled down the flag of truce in the sight of the 
 French privateer, who was following us close, and 
 was not more than four miles from us. To avoid 
 mistake, I had agreed with Captain Levee that should 
 I he coming out after dark, I would cany a light at 
 the peak, and this light I now hoisted. It enabled the 
 French privateer to follow me, and appeared only as a 
 mark of contempt towards him. I stood on in the 
 direction where I was to find Captain Levee, and 
 could make out the Frenchman following me, and 
 gradually nearing me. As it became dark, I made 
 more sail to keep him further off till I had joined the 
 Arrow, but the light at my peak pointed out to him 
 where I was. All this seemed a mystery to my officers 
 and men, until, having run out about four leagues, I 
 desired them to keep a sharp look-out for the Arrow. 
 
 About half-past eight o'clock we perceived her lying- 
 to ; she had furled her sails after dark, as usual. The 
 light I bore told her who I was, and I ran close to her,
 
 114 THE PEIYATEEESMAtf. 
 
 and, hailing Captain Levee, desired him to prepare for 
 action, and that I would come on board to speak to 
 him. This, of course, created a great bustle on board 
 of the Arrow, and I hastened on board that they might 
 not show any lights. I then informed Captain Levee 
 of all that had passed, and that the Frenchman was not 
 more than five miles from us. We agreed that I 
 should still keep up the light, and bear away a little to 
 draw the Frenchman to leeward of the port, and also 
 to leeward of the Arrow ; that the Arrow should lower 
 her sails again, so as not to be perceived until I had 
 drawn the Frenchman past him, and that then I should 
 commence the action under sail, and fight till the Arrow 
 came up to my assistance. This being arranged, I 
 hastened on board of my schooner, and, keeping away 
 four points, I waited for the coming up of my antagon- 
 ist. In half an hour we could perceive him through 
 the gloom, not more than a mile from us, under all sail, 
 standing steadily for the light which we carried at our 
 peak. 
 
 As I had already discovered that my little schooner 
 sailed faster than m/ opponent, I allowed her to come 
 up within a quarter of a mile of me, when I rounded 
 to ; and, desiring my men to aim at his rigging, so as 
 to dismantle him, poured in my broadside of grape and 
 langridge, and then shifted my helm and resumed my 
 course, putting more sail on, so as to increase my dis- 
 tance to what it was before. This manoauvre I exe- 
 -cuted three times with success, and I had the satisfac- 
 tion of perceiving that his foretop-mast was stot away, 
 but when I rouuded-to the fourth time, he did the same, 
 and we exchanged broadsides. The efiect of his supe-
 
 ENGAGE THE FRENCH PEIYATEEB. 115 
 
 rior artillery was evident, for my rigging and sails were 
 much damaged ; happily nothing so serious as to im- 
 pede our speed, and I again put before the breeze as 
 before, and increased my distance previous to again 
 rounding-to ; for, as the water was very smooth, I 
 knew that if I was crippled she would lay me by the 
 board immediately, and I might be taken and hanged 
 before the Arrow could come up to my assistance. I 
 therefore continued a running fight at such a distance 
 as rendered me less liable to suffer from his guns. 
 
 It is true that this distance made my guns even more 
 ineffective, but I was decoying my Frenchman off from 
 the land, and placing the Arrow between him and his 
 port, so that his return would be intercepted. This 
 continued for about an hour, when I perceived that the 
 Frenchman had got up a new foretop-mast, and had set 
 the sail upon it. He now ran out his bow chasers, 
 and continued to fire upon me with them alone, not 
 choosing to lose ground by rounding-to, to give me a 
 broadside ; and as his canvass was all out, and I was 
 occasionally rounding-to to dismantle him, we retained 
 much the same distance from one another. At last a 
 shot from his bow- chaser struck off the head of my 
 mainmast, and my gaff came down. 
 
 This was serious. "We hastened to reef the mainsail 
 and hoist it up again upon the remainder of the mast, 
 but having no gaff-topsail our speed was necessarily de- 
 creased, and the enemy appeared to be gradually closing 
 \\ith us. I looked out for the Arrow, but could per- 
 ceive no signs of her ; indeed it was too dark to see 
 farther than half a mile. Finding that on the point of 
 sailing we were on I had no chance, I determined to 
 i 2
 
 116 THE PEIVATEEKSMAJT. 
 
 alter my course, and put my schooner right before the 
 wind so that I might set the square mainsail, which 
 would give time for the Arrow to arrive ; indeed at this 
 time I was in a state of great anxiety. However, I 
 had made up my mind not to be taken alive, and to 
 sell my life as dearly as I could. 
 
 When the enemy perceived that we had put before 
 the wind, he did the same, and, as we were about half a 
 mile from each other, we continued to exchange broad- 
 sides as we ran, she gradually nearing us so as to make 
 her heavy artillery more effective. This portion of the 
 contest continued for an hour, during which my little 
 schooner had received much injury, and we were con- 
 stantly repairing damages. At last, much to my de- 
 light, the day began to dawn, and I then discovered the 
 Arrow about a mile and a half from us, right astern, 
 under a press of sail. 
 
 I pointed her out to my officers and men, who were 
 inspired with fresh courage at the sight. The enemy 
 also perceived her, and appeared determined to bring 
 the combat to an issue previous to her coming up, and 
 I feared that, at all events, I might swing at the yard- 
 arm, let the issue of the coming combat be what it might. 
 She neared, steering a course so as to cut me off, and 
 I continued to pour in my broadsides to cripple her if 
 possible, as she did not now fire, but ran steadily for 
 me, and my chances were bad. 
 
 Anxious that the Arrow should close as soon as pos- 
 sible, I hauled down my square mainsail, that we might 
 not run from her, and prepared for an obstinate resist- 
 ance if boarded. At last the Frenchman was within a 
 cable's length, and at this critical moment the Arrow

 
 THE FBENCH PBIVATEEB TAKEN. 117 
 
 was about a mile to windward. "We poured in our 
 last broadside, and hastened to seize our pikes and 
 cutlasses to repel the boarders, when to my satisfaction 
 I found that one of our shot had cut .his gaff in two. 
 I immediately rounded to the wind ; and as my antag- 
 onist was within pistol-shot of me, with her men all 
 ready for the leap on board, I put my helm down, went 
 round in stays, and crossed her so near to windward 
 that you might have thrown a biscuit on board. 
 
 This manoeuvre prevented his boarding, and I may 
 say saved my life, for his gaff being shot away he could 
 not heave in stays to follow me, but was obliged to 
 wear round after me, which increased his distance at 
 least a cable's length to leeward. A furious broadside, 
 however, which he poured in, crippled me altogether. 
 Everything came running down upon the decks, and I 
 was left a complete wreck ; but I was to windward of 
 him, and although he might sink me, he could not board 
 or take possession until he had refitted his after-sail. 
 
 But now his time was come. A fresh antagonist, 
 with equal weight of metal, was close to him, and he 
 had to decide whether he would fight or run. "Whether 
 he conceived that running was useless, which it cer- 
 tainly was, or was determined to take us both or die, 
 I know not ; certain it is that he did not put his vessel 
 before the wind, but waited with determination the 
 coming up of the Arrow. Captain Levee passed under 
 the Frenchman's stern, raking him with a broadside 
 that almost unrigged him, and then engaged him to 
 leeward, so as to cut off all chance of his escape. 
 
 The Frenchman returned the fire with spirit, and I 
 took my men from my guns that W3 might set some
 
 118 THE PBIVATEEBSMAK. 
 
 sail upon the vessel, for after the Ariow commenced 
 her fire no further notice Avas taken of me by the 
 Frenchman. After a contest we'll maintained for half 
 an hour, the mainmast of the Frenchman went by the 
 board, and this almost settled the question, as he could 
 not keep his vessel to the wind, and consequently she 
 fell off, and received a raking fire from the Arrow. At 
 last her bowsprit was between the main and fore rig- 
 ging of the Arrow, and her decks were swept by the 
 Arrow's raking fire. I had got some sail up forward, 
 and was anxious to be at the close of the action. I 
 perceived that the Frenchman was attempting to board 
 the lugger, and was pouring all his people on the fore- 
 castle, and I therefore edged down to him that I might, 
 with my people, board him on the quarter, which would 
 place him, as we say, between two fires. The conflict 
 was at its highest, the French attempting and the 
 Arrow's crew repelling them, when I laid my schooner 
 on her quarter, and leaped on board of her with my few 
 remaining men. The Frenchmen turned to repel my 
 attack, and thus weakened their party opposed to the 
 Arrow's men ; the consequence was, that they were 
 first beaten back, and then boarded by Captain Levee 
 and his crew. 
 
 As soon as I had gained the deck of the Frenchman, 
 I thought of nothing but to single out the French cap- 
 tain. At first I could not see him, but as his crew re- 
 treated from Captain Levee and his men, I perceived 
 him, pale and exhausted, but still attempting to rally 
 them. As my object was to take him alive, I rushed 
 in advance at him, wrestled, and threw him on his back 
 on the deck. There I held him, while the combatants,
 
 THE FBENCH PRIYATEEB TAKEN. 119 
 
 fighting and retreating, tumbled over us one after 
 another, and bruised us severely with their -weight. At 
 last the French were beaten below, and I had time to 
 breathe ; calling to two of my men, I desired them to 
 take charge of the French captain, and, as they valued 
 their lives, not to let him escape, or destroy himself 
 but to take him into our vessel and guard him carefully 
 in my cabin. Having done this, I went to Captain 
 Levee, and we embraced. 
 
 "You did not come a minute too soon," I said, 
 wiping the blood from my face. 
 
 " No, indeed ; and, but for your clever manoeuvre 
 you would have been beaten. Your vessel is a mere 
 nutshell compared to this ; you did well, more than 
 well, to maintain the combat so long. Have you lost 
 many men ?" 
 
 " We had ten sent below before we boarded ; what 
 may have followed since I do not know. I have the 
 French captain safe in my cabin." 
 
 " I saw the men hand him over : well, now to re- 
 pair damages, and then I will tell you what you shall 
 "do. I must send on board and help you ; the Arrow 
 has not suffered much considering, and I can spare 
 the men. As soon as we have cleared up the decks a 
 little, we will breakfast together, and talk the matter 
 over." 
 
 It required two hours before we could clear the 
 decks of our vessels, for we had separated, and the 
 Arrow had taken charge of the prize. Before I took 
 the boat to go on board the Arrow, I went down into 
 my cabin, where the French captain lay bound and 
 watched by two of the men.
 
 120 THE PBTYATEEBSMAW. 
 
 " You are prepared to pay the penalty agreed upon, 
 Monsieur? " said I. 
 
 " I am, Sir," he replied. " I now understand what 
 you meant when you said that I should meet with my 
 match. I have no one to blame but myself. I urged 
 you to the conditions, expecting an easy and certain 
 conquest with my superior vessel. I have fallen into 
 my own net, and there 's an end of the matter except 
 that when things go wrong, a woman is certain to be 
 at the bottom of it." 
 
 "I am aware, Sir," I replied, "that your wife insti- 
 gated you to act as you did, or you would never have 
 so behaved. In attempting to revenge the death of one 
 husband she has lost two." 
 
 " (Test vrai," replied the Frenchman, composedly, 
 and I then quitted the cabin, and went on board of 
 the Arrow. 
 
 "Well, Elrington," said Captain Levee, "what do 
 you intend to do with the French captain ? Is he to 
 pay the forfeit, and swing at the yard-arm ? " 
 
 " I don't like hanging a man, especially a brave man, 
 in cold blood," I replied. " It was all his wife's doing, 
 and he has confessed as much." 
 
 "He would certainly have hanged you," replied 
 Levee. 
 
 " Yes, that I believe ; but it would have been that 
 he might have a quiet life at home not from any 
 resentment against me. Now I have no feeling of that 
 kind to actuate me." 
 
 " "What will you do, then ? " . ., -, 
 
 " Not hang him, certainly ; and yet I should like to 
 punish her."
 
 PUNISH THE FBEtfCH LADY, 121 
 
 " She deserves it," replied Captain Levee. " Now 
 Ejrington, will you approve of my suggestion ? " 
 
 " Let me hear it." 
 
 " It is this : they do not know that I have assisted 
 in taking the privateer, as they have no idea that I am 
 here. As soon as we have refitted her and your ves- 
 sel, I will remain where I am. You shall run into the 
 mouth of the Garonne, with your colours flying, and 
 the English Jack over the French flag on board of the 
 prize. This will lead them to suppose that you have 
 taken the vessel without assistance. When just out of 
 gun-shot, heave-to, fire a gun, and then swing an 
 eifigy to the yard-arm, and remain there, to make them 
 suppose that you have hung the French captain. At 
 nightfall you can make sail and rejoin me. That will 
 punish her, and annoy them general! v." 
 
 " I will do so ; it is an excellent device, and she will 
 never know the truth for a long time to come." 
 
 We remained all that day refitting ; in the evening 
 I made sail, in company with the French schooner, 
 which was manned by Captain Levee, and stood in 
 shore. At break of the following day I ran in, stand- 
 ing for the harbour, without my colours being hoisted, 
 and then it occurred to me that I would make their 
 disappointment greater, by allowing them first to ima- 
 gine that the victory was theirs; so, when about six miles 
 off, I hoisted French colours on the French schooner, 
 and French colours over English on board of my own. 
 
 I continued to stand on till within two miles and a 
 half of the batteries, and could see crowds flocking 
 down to witness the supposed triumphant arrival of 
 their privateer into port ; when of a sudden I hauled
 
 122 THE PKIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 my wind, hove-to, braJed up my sails, and changed the 
 colours, firing a gun in bravado. Allowing them half 
 an hour to comment upon this disappointment, I then 
 fired another gun, and hoisted up to the yard-arm the 
 figure of a man, composed of clothes stuffed with hay, 
 made to represent the French captain ; and having so 
 done, I remained during the whole fo'renoon, with my 
 sails brailed up, that they might have a clear view of 
 the hanging figure. At last we perceived a large boat, 
 with a flag of truce, coming out of the river. I remain- 
 ed where I was, and, allowing it to come alongside, I 
 perceived in it the French officer who had pledged 
 himself to give the conditions of the combat to the 
 lady ; and seated by him was the French captain's wife, 
 with her head sunk down on her knees, and her face 
 buried in her handkerchief. 
 
 I saluted the officer as he came on deck. He re- 
 turned my bow, and then said, " Sir, the fortune of war 
 has proved in your favour, and I perceive that the con- 
 ditions of the issue of the combat have been adhered to 
 on your side. Against that I have not a word to say, 
 as my friend would have as rigidly adhered to them. 
 But, Sir, we war not with the dead, and I have come 
 off at the request of his miserable wife, to beg that you 
 will, now that your revenge is satisfied, deliver up to 
 her her husband's body, that it may receive the rites 
 of the Church, and Christian burial. You surely, as a 
 brave man, will not deny this small favour to a woman 
 whom you have twice deprived of her husband ? " 
 
 "Sir," I replied, "on condition that his lady will 
 step on board and make the request herself, 1 will 
 comply with it, but on no other terms."
 
 BEYENGE ON THE TRENCH LADY. 123 
 
 " It will be most painful, and her feelings might well 
 have been spared such a trial as to meet your face 
 again, and make the request in person ; but, as you in* 
 sist upon it, I will make known your terms." 
 
 As he went into his boat I ran down into the cabin, 
 and desired them to cast loose the French captain, say- 
 ing to him, " Sir, your wife is here requesting your 
 body, which she believes to be swinging at the yard- 
 arm, for I have put that trick into execution to punish 
 her. I never intended to take your life, and I shall 
 now do more, I shall give you not only life but liberty 
 such shall be my revenge." 
 
 The Trench captain stared as if confounded, but 
 made no reply. I then went on deck, where I found 
 the lady had been lifted up the side. They led her to 
 me, and she fell on her knees, but the effort was too 
 much for her, and she fainted away. I ordered her to 
 be taken down into the cabin, and, without any ex- 
 planation, desired the Trench officer to accompany her, 
 not wishing to be present at the unexpected meet- 
 ing. I therefore remained on deck, and ordering the 
 men to lower down the effigy they did so, laughing at 
 the Trench seamen in the boat, who for the first time 
 perceived, for they had not looked up before, that it 
 was only a sham captain. I looked over the side, and 
 told them that the captain was alive and well, and 
 would be in the boat very soon, at which they were 
 greatly rejoiced. In the mean time the explanation 
 took place in the cabin, and after a few minutes the 
 French officer came up, and expressed k's satisfaction 
 at what I had done.
 
 124 THB PEITATEEESMAJf. 
 
 " You have given a lesson, Sir, without being guilty 
 of barbarity. Tour conduct has been noble." 
 
 He was soon followed by the French captain and 
 his lady, who was now all gratitude, and would have 
 kissed my hands, but I prevented her, and said, 
 " Madam, at least now you have no occasion to hate 
 me. If I was so unfortunate, in self-defence, as to 
 slay your first husband, I have restored to you your 
 second. Let us, then, part in amity." 
 
 The French captain squeezed my hand, but said 
 nothing. I begged they would take some refresh- 
 ment, but they were too anxious to return and un- 
 deceive their friends, and requested permission to go 
 into the boat. Of course I consented, and as the boat 
 pulled away the crew gave three huzzas, as a compli- 
 ment to us. When they were a mile in shore, I haul- 
 ed down the colours of both vessels, and made sail out 
 to rejoin Captain Levee, which I did in the evening, 
 and then related all that had passed. 
 
 He was much pleased with the result of the affair, 
 and we then, having consulted, considered it advisable 
 to run back to Liverpool with the prize, for she re- 
 quired so many hands to man her as to render us by 
 no means efficient vessels. Moreover, I have omitted 
 to state that, while I was in the Garonne, the Arrow 
 had taken two good prizes, which she had manned and 
 sent to Liverpool. We [therefore made sail to the 
 northward, and in a week were again in port, with our 
 prize, "We found that the other vessels had arrived 
 safe, and the owner was much pleased with the results 
 of this short and eventful cruise.
 
 MB. TREYANNION'S INQriEIES, 125 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 cause myself to be dismissed from my Owner's Service Am 
 arrested Conveyed to London, and confined in the Tower 
 Am visited by a Romish Priest, and through his interference 
 obtain my Liberation Set off to Liverpool, and find my 
 Owner and Captain Levee Their surprise Miss Trevannion. 
 
 "WHEN I called upon our owner, -which I did as 
 soon as I had dropped my anchor and furled sails, 
 he embraced me, and then led me into the back room 
 next to his counting-house. 
 
 " My dear Elrington," said he, "well as you managed 
 to get off the Jacobite gentlemen, there is a strong sus- 
 picion on the part of the government that they were 
 on board of your vessel, and that I was a party to their 
 escape. Whether they will take any measures now 
 that you have returned I know not ; they may have 
 gained some intelligence, or they may worm out some- 
 thing, by their emissaries, from, those who compose 
 your crew, and if so we must expect their vengeance. 
 Now tell me where you landed them, and all the events 
 of your cruise, for I have heard but little from those 
 who brought in the prizes taken by the Arrow. Cap- 
 tain Levee is too busy with his own vessel and the 
 prize to come on shore for these two hours, and I wish 
 to talk with you alone upon this affair." 
 
 After I had narrated all that had passed, and the
 
 126 THE PBIVATEEESMA3T. 
 
 manner in winch the French privateer had been cap- 
 tured, the owner said 
 
 " If the government spies, and there are plenty of 
 them about, find out from your crew that you landed 
 passengers at Bordeaux, depend upon it you will be 
 arrested and examined, without you get out of the way 
 till the affair has blown over. Now the men will nar- 
 rate in the taverns the curious history of this French 
 privateer, and in so doing cannot fail to state that you 
 were on shore in France. Now, Elrington, you have 
 run the risk to oblige me, and I must keep you out 
 of difficulty ; and, if you feel inclined to hide yourself 
 for a time, I will of course pay all your expenses." 
 
 "No," I replied; " if they find out what has taken 
 place, and wish to get hold of me in consequence, I 
 think it will be better to brave it out. If I hide away, 
 it will make them more anxious to have me, and will 
 confirm their suspicions that I am what they are 
 pleased to call a traitor ; a reward will be offered for 
 my apprehension, and at any time that I do appear 
 the reward will cause me to be taken up. If, on the 
 contrary, I brave it out, and, if I am asked, say at once 
 that 1 did land passengers, at all events they will not 
 make it high treason ; so, with your leave, I will stay. 
 I hardly need say that I shall take the whole responsi- 
 bility on myself, and declare that I took them on 
 board without your knowledge ; that you may rest 
 assured^of." 
 
 " On consideration, I think that your plan is the 
 best," replied my owner. " I am grateful for your 
 offer of screening me, which I would not permit, 
 were it not that I shall be useful to you if any mis-
 
 DISMISSED FBOM COMMABD. 127 
 
 chance takes place, and, if in prison, could be of no 
 service." 
 
 "Then, Sir," I replied, "the wisest course will be 
 for you at once to dismiss me from the command of 
 the privateer, in consequence of your having been in- 
 formed that I carried passengers and landed them in 
 France. That step will prove you a friend to the go- 
 vernment, and will enable you, after a time, to get me 
 out of my scrape more effectually." 
 
 "You are sacrificing yourself, Eirington, and all 
 for me." 
 
 " Not so, Sir. I am only securing a friend in case 
 of need." 
 
 " That you certainly are," replied my owner, squeez- 
 ing my hand. " "Well, it will be the best plan even for 
 you, and so let it be." 
 
 "Then I will now return on board, and tell the 
 officers that I am dismissed, There is no time to be 
 lost ; and here comes Captain Levee ; so for the pre- 
 sent, Sir, farewell." 
 
 On my return on board, I called up the officers and 
 men, and told them that I had offended the owner, 
 and that he had dismissed me from the command of 
 the privateer. One of the officers inquired what I had 
 done : and I said, before the men, that it was for land- 
 ing the passengers in France. They all condoled with 
 me, and expressed their sorrow at my leaving them, 
 and I believe they were sincere. It was fortunate 
 that I did as I had done, for I found that the govern- 
 ment emissaries were on board at the time that I made 
 the communication, and had already gained the in- 
 formation from some of my crew. I ordered my chest
 
 128 THE PIUYATEERSMAJT. 
 
 and bedding to be put into the boat, and, as soon as 
 they were ready, I gave up the command to the first 
 officer, and bidding them all farewell went down the 
 side, and pulled on shore, repairing to my former 
 lodgings. 
 
 I had not been there two hours before I was arrest- 
 ed and taken to prison. I was, however, very com- 
 fortably lodged, because I was a state prisoner, and I 
 presume that more respect is paid to a man when he 
 is to be drawn and quartered, and his head set above 
 the Tower gates, than a petty malefactor. The next 
 day I was summoned before what was called the Com- 
 mission, and asked whether I had not landed some 
 people in France ? I replied immediately that I had 
 done so. 
 
 " Who were they ?" was the next inquiry. 
 
 " They stated themselves to be Eoman Catholic 
 priests, " replied I, " and such I believed them to be." 
 
 "Why did I do so?" 
 
 " Because, in the first place, they paid me one hun- 
 dred guineas each ; and, in the second, because I con- 
 sidered them mischievous, dangerous men, conspiring 
 against the government, and that the sooner they were 
 out of the country the better." 
 
 "How did I know that they were traitors ?" 
 
 "All Roman priests were traitors in my opinion, and 
 I hated them as bad as I did the French ; but it is 
 difficult to deal with a priest, and I thought that I was 
 performing a good service in ridding the country of 
 them." 
 
 "Who else was privy to the affair ?". 
 
 "No one ; I had made the arrangement with them
 
 CONVEYED TO LONDON. 129 
 
 myself, and not an officer or man on board knew any- 
 thing about it." 
 
 " But my owner, Mr. Trevannion, was be a party to 
 it?" 
 
 " No, be was not ; and on my return be dismissed 
 ine from tbe command of the privateer, as soon as be 
 found out that I had landed the priests in Trance." 
 
 A great many more questions were put to me, all 
 of which I answered very cautiously, yet without ap- 
 parent hesitation; and, after an examination of four 
 hours, the president of the Commission told me that I 
 had been, by my own acknowledgment, aiding and 
 abetting the escape of malignant traitors, and prevented 
 them meeting their just fate on the scaffold. That, in 
 so doing, I had been guilty of treason, and must abide 
 the sentence of the supreme Commission in London, 
 whither I should be sent the following day. I replied 
 that I was a loyal subject ; that I hated the French and 
 Eomish plotters, and that I had done what I considered 
 was best; that if I had done wrong, it was only an 
 error in judgment ; and any one that said I was a traitor 
 lied in his throat. 
 
 My reply was taken down, and I was sent back to 
 prison. 
 
 The following afternoon the gaoler came into my 
 room, accompanied by two persons, one of whom in- 
 formed me that I was delivered over to their custody 
 to be taken to London. I was led out, and at the door 
 I found three horses, upon one of which I was desired 
 to mount. As soon as I was in the saddle, a rope was 
 passed from one leg to the other under the horse's belly, 
 so as to prevent my escape ; and my horse was led be-
 
 130 THE PKIVATEEESMAW. 
 
 tween the other two, upon which my keepers rode, each 
 having a hand-rein made fast from my horse's bridle to 
 his own. A crowd was assembled round the entrance 
 of the gaol, and among the lookers-on I perceived Cap- 
 tain Levee and my owner ; but of course I thought it 
 imprudent to take any notice of them, and they did 
 not make any recognition of me. 
 
 I hardly need say, my dear Madam, how very revolt- 
 ing it was to my feelings to be thus led away like a 
 felon ; but at the same time I must acknowledge the 
 courtesy of my conductors, who apologized for being 
 compelled to take such measures of security, and on 
 the way showed great kindness and good-feeling. 
 
 Everything being arranged, we proceeded on our jour- 
 ney : but it was late when we set off, owing to one of 
 my conductors being sent for by the commissioner, and 
 having to wait for letters for nearly three hours. As 
 it may be supposed, we could not travel at speed, and 
 we seldom went faster than a walk, which I was sorry 
 for, as I was anxious that the journey should be over 
 and my fate decided as soon as possible. 
 
 Almost an hour after dark, a party of men rushed 
 from the side of the road, and some seizing the bridles 
 of the horses the others threw the two conductors off 
 their saddles by taking them by the leg and heaving 
 them over on the other side. This was done so quickly, 
 that the two men, who were well armed, had not time 
 to draw out a pistol or any other weapon of defence ; 
 and as soon as they were on the ground they were im- 
 mediately seized and overpowered. The faces of the 
 men who had thus assailed the king's officers were 
 blackened so as to disguise them, but from their voices
 
 ATTEMPTS D BESCUE. 181 
 
 I knew them to be the men and officers of the priva- 
 teer. " Now then, Captain Elrington," said one of 
 them, " be off with you as fast as possible, and we will 
 take care of these fellows." 
 
 I still remained in my saddle, and, although some- 
 what flurried with the surprise of the attack, I had had 
 time to recover myself, and had decided upon my mode 
 of behaviour. I felt, as I had said to the owner when 
 we consulted together, that an escape now would be 
 only putting off the evil day, and that it was better to 
 meet the case boldly at once ; so I rose in my stirrups, 
 and said to the men in a loud voice, " My good fellows, 
 I am much obliged to you for your exertions in my 
 behalf, as it proves your good-will, but I cannot and 
 will not take advantage of them. By some mistake I 
 am accused of being a traitor, when I feel that I am a 
 true and loyal subject, which I have no doubt will be 
 fully established upon my arrival in London. I cannot, 
 therefore, take advantage of this opportunity to escape. 
 I respect the laws of my country, and I beg you to do 
 the same. Oblige me by releasing the two gentlemen 
 whom you have made your prisoners, and assist them 
 to remount their horses, for I am resolved that I wiL 
 go to London and be honourably acquitted. Once 
 more, my lads, many thanks for your kind intentions ; 
 and now I wish you farewell ; and if you would do me 
 a great favour, you will disperse peaceably, and leave 
 us to proceed on our journey.'' 
 
 The men perceived that I was in earnest, and there- 
 fore did as I requested, and in another minute I was 
 again alone with my two keepers. 
 
 "You have behaved honourably, Sir, and perhaps 
 & 2
 
 132 THE PklVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 wisely," observed one of my conductors, as he was 
 about to remount his horse. " I will not ask you who 
 those people were, although I have no doubt but you 
 recognised them yourself." 
 
 " No," I replied, " I did not. I guessed from whence 
 they came, but I did not recognise any one individual." 
 I gave this cautious answer, although I had recog- 
 nised Captain Levee and one of my own officers. 
 
 "Well, Captain Elrington, you have proved to us 
 that you may be trusted, and therefore, on your 
 pledging your word that you will not escape, we 
 shall have a great pleasure in removing all unpleasant 
 precautions." 
 
 " I certainly have proved that I would not escape, 
 and will readily give you my assurance that I will not 
 alter my mind." 
 
 " That is sufficient, Sir," replied the officer ; and he 
 then cut away the rope which bound my legs, and also 
 took off" the two leading reins attached to the other 
 horses. " "We shall now, " he said, "proceed not only 
 more pleasantly, but more rapidly." 
 
 My conductors then mounted their horses, and we 
 set off at a good trot, and in an hour arrived at the 
 place where we were to put up for the night. "We 
 found supper prepared for us, and good beds. My 
 conductors now left me free of all restraint, and we 
 retired to our beds. The next day we continued our 
 journey in the same manner. My companions were 
 pleasant and gentlemanlike men, and we discoursed 
 freely upon every topic ; no one could have imagined 
 that I was a state-prisoner. 
 
 "We arrived at London on the fifth day, and I waa
 
 Ail CHABGED WITH TREASON. 133 
 
 then delivered over to the keeper of the Tower 
 according to the instructions that my conductors had 
 received. They bade me farewell, and promised that 
 they would not fail to represent my conduct to the 
 authorities, and gave me hopes of a speedy release. I 
 had the same idea, and took possession of the apart- 
 ments prepared for me (which were airy and well ven- 
 tilated) with almost cheerfulness. 
 
 On the third day of my arrival a Commission was 
 sent to the Tower to examine me, and I gave the same 
 replies as before. They were very particular in ob- 
 taining the descriptions of the persons of those whom 
 I had landed in France, and I answered without 
 disguise. I afterwards found out that I had done n 
 very foolish thing. Had I misrepresented their per. 
 sons, it would have been supposed that they really 
 were four Catholic priests, but from my exact descrip- 
 tion they discovered that I had rescued the four trait- 
 ors (as they termed them) that they were the most 
 anxious to secure and make an example of ; and then- 
 annoyance at this discovery had so angered them 
 against me that my subsequent conduct could not 
 create any feeling favourable towards me. 
 
 Three weeks elapsed, and I was wearied of confine- 
 ment. My gaoler told me that he feared my case was 
 a bad one ; and, after another week had passed, he said 
 that I was condemned as aiding and abetting treason. 
 I must say that I little expected this result, and it 
 quite overthrew me. I asked my gaoler what was his 
 authority. He said that so many people had assisted 
 and effected the escape of the rebels without one 
 having been convicted of having so done except myselfj
 
 134 THE PBIYATELTISMAN. 
 
 on my own avowal, that they deemed it absolutely ne- 
 cessary that an example should be made to deter 
 others from aiding those who were still secreted in 
 the country; and that in consequence it had been 
 decided by the Privy Council that I should be made 
 an example of. He told me much more which I need 
 not repeat, except that it proved the malignant feeling 
 that was indulged by the powers in authority against 
 those who had assisted their defeated opponents, and I 
 felt that I had no chance, and prepared my mind to 
 meet my fate. 
 
 Alas, my dear Madam, I was but ill prepared to die, 
 not that I feared death, but I feared what must be 
 my condition after death. I had lived a reckless, law- 
 less life, without fear of God or man ; all the religious 
 feelings which had been instilled into me by my good 
 tutor (you know my family history, and I need say no 
 more) during my youth had been gradually sapped 
 away by the loose companionship which I had held 
 since the time that I quitted my father's house ; and 
 when I heard that I was to die my mind was in a 
 state of great disquiet and uncomfortable feeling. I 
 wished to review my life, and examine myself, but I 
 hardly knew where to begin. 
 
 All was chaos and confusion. I could remember 
 many bad actions, but few good ones. I felt that I 
 was like a vessel without a rudder, and without a 
 pilot ; and after hours and hours of deep thought I 
 would give up the task of examination in stern despair, 
 saying to myself, " "Well, if it must be so, it must." I 
 felt an inclination to defy that Heaven which I felt 
 would never be opened to me. This was the case for
 
 VISIT OF A ROMISH PEIEST. 135 
 
 more than a week after I heard of my condemnation, 
 until I began to reflect upon the nature of our creed, 
 and the terms of salvation which were offered ; and as 
 I thought over them I felt a dawn of hope, and I re- 
 quested the gaoler to furnish me with a Bible. I read 
 it day and night, for I expected every morning to bo 
 summoned to execution. I felt almost agony at times 
 lest such should be the case ; but time passed on, and 
 another fortnight elapsed, during which I had profited 
 by my reading, and felt some contrition for my many 
 offences and my life of guilt, and I also felt that I 
 could be saved through the merits of Him who died for 
 the whole world. Day after day my faith became more 
 lively, and my mind more at ease. One morning the 
 gaoler came to me, and said that there was a priest 
 who wished to see me. As I understood he was a 
 Roman, I was about to refuse ; but on consideration 
 I thought otherwise, and he was admitted. He was a 
 tall, spare man, with a dark Spanish countenance. 
 
 " You are, I believe," said he, " Captain Elrington, 
 who effected the escape of some of our poor friends, 
 and who are now condemned for your kind act ? " 
 
 " I am, Sir," replied I. 
 
 " I am aware," said he, " that your profession of faith 
 is not mine, and do not, therefore, come to talk with 
 you on serious points, without you should wish it 
 yourself; my object is, being indebted as we are to you 
 for saving our friends, to offer to be of any use that I 
 can to you, in executing any wishes, or delivering any 
 messages, which you may wish to give, should you suffer 
 for your generous conduct, and you may trust anything 
 to me with safety, that I swear to 7011 ; " and he took
 
 136 THE PB1YATEEBSMAN. 
 
 a crucifix from the folds of his garment, and kissed it, 
 as he said so. 
 
 "I thank you fva- your kind offer, Sir," replied I, 
 " but I have nothing to trouble you with. I have long 
 quitted my family, who know not whether I am alive 
 or dead, for reasons that I need not explain. I am 
 under an assumed name, and it is my intention to suf- 
 fer under that name, that my family may no 1 " be dis- 
 graced by my ignominious death, or be aware that I 
 have perished on the scaffold." 
 
 "Perhaps you are right," replied the priest; "but 
 let us talk upon another point ; have you no friends 
 that could exert themselves in your favour so as to 
 procure your pardon and release ?" 
 
 " None," replied I, "except those who, I am sure, 
 are exerting themselves to the utmost of their power, 
 and to whom ho message from me is necessary." 
 
 " Do you know nobody at court," said the priest, 
 " no person of rank in the government or I may say 
 opposed to the government for people now-a-days are 
 not what they seem or pretend to be ? " 
 
 " I have no knowledge of any titled person," replied 
 I ; " when I parted with one of the gentlemen whom 
 I landed at Bordeaux he gave me the name of a lady 
 of quality at Paris, desiring me, if in difficulty, to ap- 
 ply to him through her ; but that was if in difficulty 
 in France ; of course she could do nothing for me in 
 this country." 
 
 " Have you the name of the lady ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied I; "it is on the first leaf of my 
 pocket-book. Here it is." 
 
 The priest read the name, ard then said
 
 PnOSPECT OF DEATH. 137 
 
 "You must write immediately a few words, ac- 
 quainting her with your position. I will see the letter 
 safely delivered before the week is over." 
 
 " What good can she possibly do me ?" replied I. 
 
 " I cannot say ; but this I know, that if anything is 
 to be done, it will be. Write immediately." 
 
 The priest called the gaoler and requested writing 
 materials, which were brought, and in a few minutes I 
 had done as he requested. 
 
 "There, Sir, I have written to please you; but I 
 candidly state that I consider it a useless attempt." 
 
 " Were I of your opinion, I should not have advised 
 you to write," replied he. "There are wheels with- 
 in wheels that you have no conception of, in these 
 troubled times. What I most fear is that it may ar- 
 rive too late." 
 
 The priest took his leave of me, and I was left to 
 my own thoughts. When I considered that the ad- 
 dress of this lady had been given to me by the very 
 man whom they were so anxious to secure as a traitor, 
 I at once decided that no benefit could arrive from 
 any interference on her part ; and I therefore, after a 
 quarter of an hour, dismissed the whole subject from 
 my thoughts, and commenced my reading of the sacred 
 writings. The following morning, when the gaoler 
 came in, I could not help observing to him, that as I 
 had been condemned so many days I felt much sur- 
 prise at the delay of my execution. His reply was, 
 that he heard that others were in custody upon the 
 same charge, and that they waited for their convictions, 
 that we might all suffer at the same time ; for the or- 
 der for my execution had come on the Friday last, but
 
 138 THE PBIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 had been countermanded on the afternoon of the same? 
 day. Although this satisfied me that I had no hopes 
 of escape, yet I was pleased that I had obtained more 
 time for preparation, and I renewed my reading with 
 ardour. Another week passed, when the gaoler, with 
 a solemn face, and much apparent concern, came in, 
 and informed me that the other parties arrested had 
 been tried before the Commission, and had been con- 
 demned, and that it was expected that the execution 
 would take place either on the morrow or the day 
 after. The announcement did not affect me much. I 
 had made up my mind that I should suffer, and had to 
 a degree weaned myself from life. I considered how 
 all hopes of my ever enj oying the delight of my family 
 and kindred ties had flown away, and I looked with 
 disgust upon my career as a privateersman a career 
 of recklessness and blood, so denounced by the sacred 
 writings which I had before me. I reflected, that if I 
 were to leave the prison I should have no other means 
 of sustenance, and should probably return to my 
 former life, and load my soul with a still heavier 
 weight of crime; and, although I felt an occasional 
 bitter pang at the idea of leaving the world so young 
 a world which I could not hate still I was, after a 
 few hours' communing and reflection, resigned to my 
 fate, and exclaimed with sincerity, " Thy will be 
 done." I think, Madam, you may have observed 
 that, sinful as I was, my whole career proved that 
 I was not a hardened sinner. Good was not driven 
 entirely out of me, but was latent, notwithstanding 
 all my excesses, and the bad company which had in. 
 fluenced me.
 
 OBDEB FOB MT LIBEBATION. 139 
 
 I now prayed, and prayed earnestly, and I thought 
 that my prayers were heard. Such was my state of 
 mind on the day before the one appointed for my exe- 
 cution, when the gaoler and one of the sheriff's officers 
 came into my cell, accompanied by the Eoman Ca- 
 tholic priest whom I have before mentioned. I per- 
 ceived by the countenance of the gaoler, who was a 
 humane man, that he had no unpleasant news. The 
 sheriff's officer delivered to him an order for my liber- 
 ation, and to my astonishment I was told by the gaoler 
 that my pardon was signed, and that I was free. I 
 was stupified with the intelligence, and I stood without 
 making any reply. The priest waved his hand to them 
 as a hint to leave the room, which they both did. As 
 they left, my eyes followed them, and then I cast them 
 down upon the Bible which lay before me on the table, 
 and, slipping down from the bench upon my knees, I 
 covered up my face and prayed. My prayers were 
 confused I hardly knew what I said but I knew 
 that they were intended to be grateful to Heaven for 
 my unexpected preservation from an ignominious 
 death. After a time, I rose up, and perceived the 
 priest, whose presence I had till then forgotten. He 
 had been kneeling at the other side of the table pray- 
 ing with me, and I am sure for me and he was rising 
 up just after I had. 
 
 " I trust, Captain Ellington," said he, after a pause, 
 " that the peril you have been in will influence your 
 future life ; and that this severe trial will not be 
 thrown away upon you." 
 
 "I trust not, Sir," replied I. "I feel that it has 
 been good for me to have been afflicted, I believe
 
 140 THE PBTVATEEBSMAW 
 
 that 1 have been indebted to your exertions for my 
 deliverance." 
 
 " No further than having seen your letter duly and 
 speedily delivered. I could do no more, for with all 
 will I have no power; and that was little to do for 
 one who so generously assisted our friends in their 
 distress." 
 
 " Am I then to believe that I am indebted to the 
 interest of a French lady, residing at the court of 
 Versailles, for my deliverance ? " 
 
 " Even so this may appear strange to you, Captain 
 .Elrington, but such is the case. Understand, that in 
 these troubled times the ruling monarch of this coun- 
 try cannot distinguish his friends from his enemies. 
 He can only trust to professions, and they are not 
 always sincere. There are many in the council at 
 this time who, if the Pretender, as he is called, had 
 succeeded, would long before this have joined him, and 
 who had wished him success, although they dared not 
 venture to assist him. The interest of the lady in 
 question with these people has prevailed over the true 
 adherents of the Hanoverian king, and thus through 
 this lady have you obtained your release. I state this 
 to you in confidence ; to publish what I have told you 
 would be to betray your friends. Can I be of any 
 further service to you ? for you can leave your prison 
 as soon as you please. 
 
 "None, I thank you, good Sir," replied I ; " I have 
 money more than sufficient to reward my gaoler, and 
 to defray my expenses to Liverpool." 
 
 " You have my best thanks and sincere wishes for 
 your happiness. Then I will not intrude upon you
 
 DISCHARGE FEOM THE TOWEU. I'll 
 
 any more, except to give you my address in case of 
 need. You have made warm friends by your conduct, 
 and if ever you require their assistance it will not be 
 withheld." 
 
 The priest gave his address upon a piece of paper 
 and then came to me. 
 
 " Our creeds are not exactly the same, but you will 
 not, my son, refuse my blessing ? " said he, putting 
 his hand upon my head. 
 
 " Oh, no," said I, dropping on my knees, " I receive 
 it all in thankfulness." 
 
 ".May God bless you, my son," said he, with emo- 
 tion and he then quitted the cell. 
 
 "What with the previous excitement when my libera- 
 tion was announced, and the parting with the kind 
 priest, my feelings were so powerful, that, as soon as 
 I was alone, I gave vent to them in a flood of tears. 
 As soon as I was more composed, I rose from the bench, 
 put my necessaries into my valise, and summoned the 
 gaoler, to whom I made a handsome present, thanking 
 him for his kindness during my incarceration. I then 
 shook hands with him, feed the turnkey who had at- 
 tended upon me, and in a minute more I was clear of 
 the Tower gates. How my heart heaved when I was 
 once more in the open air. 
 
 I looked around me, and perceived that many men 
 were busy in erecting a scaffolding. My heart sank as 
 I beheld them, as I felt certain what it was for ; but, 
 to verify my opinion, I turned to an old woman who 
 had a sort of stall from which she dispensed mead to 
 the populace, and inquired of her for what the scaffold 
 was being erected.
 
 142 THE PBIVATEEBSMAIT. 
 
 " It's for the men who are to be executed to-morrow 
 for aiding the Jacobites to escape," said she. " Won't 
 your worship take a glass of mead this morning ? ' ' 
 
 " I am not thirsty," I replied, as I walked hastily 
 away with my valise upon my shoulders. 
 
 A stranger to this part of London, I hardly knew 
 where to direct my steps; I walked past the square 
 before the Tower, until I came into a street called 
 Catherine Street, where a tavern met my view, and 
 into it I entered immediately, glad, as it were, to hide 
 myself, for I felt as if all the world looked upon me as 
 a person just discharged from prison. I obtained good 
 entertainment there, and slept there that night. The 
 next morning, the host having provided me two good 
 horses, and a youngster to take them back, I set off 
 for Liverpool, and after five days' travel without 
 adventure I arrived at the town, and proceeded direct 
 to the house of Mr. Trevannion, my owner. I took 
 my valise off the boy's horse, and having paid him for 
 his attendance I knocked at the door, for it was late 
 in the evening, and dark, when I arrived. The door 
 (for it was at his private house door, which was next 
 to the counting-house door, that I knocked) was open- 
 ed ; and the woman who opened it shrieked, and let 
 drop the candle, exclaiming, " Help, God a ghost, 
 a ghost ! " for it appeared that the news had arrived at 
 Liverpool from a messenger who had been sent express 
 after I had been condemned, stating that there was no 
 hope, and that I was to suffer on the Monday previous ; 
 and this was the Saturday evening on which I had 
 arrived. Mr. Trevannion' s clerk, hearing a noise in 
 the passage, came out with another candle, and, seeing
 
 BETUBN TO LIYEBPOOL. 143 
 
 me, and the woman lying on the floor in a swoon, 
 stared, staggered to the door of the room where his 
 master was sitting, and the door being a-jar he fell 
 back with great force into the room, dropping under 
 the table between Mr. Trevannion and Captain Levee, 
 who was sitting with him, smoking, as was very often 
 their wont. This brought out Captain Levee with one 
 of the table-candlesticks, who, upon seeing me, ran to 
 me, and embracing me warmly, cried out, as the clerk 
 made his escape 
 
 " Here is Elrington alive and well, Sir !" 
 
 At this announcement Mr. Trevannion came out, 
 and threw himself into my arms, saying 
 
 " I thank God for all his mercies, but, above all, that 
 I have not been the cause of your death, my dear 
 Elrington. Come in," he exclaimed, in a faltering 
 voice ; and as soon as he gained his seat he laid his 
 head down and sobbed with excitement and joy. 
 
 I followed Captain Levee into the room, and was 
 taking a chair, when I perceived there was another 
 person present besides Captain Levee and Mr. Trevan- 
 nion, which was the daughter of the latter ; that is, I 
 presumed as much, for I knew that he was a widower, 
 and had one daughter living, out of a family of three 
 children. She appeared to be about seventeen years 
 of age, and had just come from a Protestant convent, 
 as they called establishments where young women were 
 educated at Chester. Mr. Trevannion was still with 
 his face covered, and not yet recovered from his burst 
 of feeling, when this young gentlewoman came up to 
 me, and said 
 
 " Captain Elrington, you have behaved nobly to my 
 father ; accept my hand and my friendship."
 
 144 THE PKIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 I was so dazzled from coining out of the dark, and 
 so excited from what had just passed, that I was 
 almost bewildered ; but I accepted the offered hand, 
 and bowed over it, although I declare that at the time 
 I could not distinguish her features, although I per- 
 ceived that her person was slight and elegant. As she 
 retreated to her seat, Mr. Trevannion, who had recov- 
 ered from his emotion, said 
 
 "I thought that at this moment your head was 
 exhibited over the gates of Temple-bar. The idea, as 
 Captain Levee will tell you, has haunted me ; for I 
 felt, and should always have felt, that I was the cause 
 of your death. God bless you, my dear Sir, and may 
 I have an opportunity of showing you my gratitude 
 and regard for your noble conduct towards me, and 
 the sacrifice which you would have made. You need 
 not tell me, for I know too well, that you took all the 
 onus and blame of the affair upon your own shoulders, 
 and preferred death to impeaching me." 
 
 "My dear Elrington," said Captain Levee, "I told 
 our crew, and you have proved me a true prophet, that 
 you never would peach, but die game. We were talk- 
 ing of you, supposing you dead, when you came in. I 
 must tell you, that more than once Mr. Trevannion 
 had made up his mind to deliver himself up, and 
 acknowledge the truth, but I prevented him, as it 
 would have been a useless sacrifice." 
 
 " You did ; but, nevertheless, it was so heavy on my 
 conscience, that had it not been for your perseverance, 
 and the thoughts of leaving my poor girl here an 
 orphan in the world, I certainly should have so done, 
 for I felt life to be a burden." 
 
 " I am very glad that you did not, Sir,'.' I replied ;
 
 RETURN TO UVEBPOOL. 145 
 
 " my life is of little value ; 3 hare no one to support, 
 no one to love, and no one to lament me if I fall. A 
 shot from the enemy may soon send me out of the 
 world, and there will only be a man the less in it, as 
 far as people are interested about me." 
 
 " That is not the case now, at all events," replied 
 Mr. Trevannion ; " but pray tell us how it is that you 
 have escaped." 
 
 "I have not escaped," I replied ; "here is my par- 
 don, with the sign-manual." 
 
 "And how was it obtained?" exclaimed Captain 
 Levee ; " all intercession made through some of the 
 strongest friends of the government was in vain, that 
 I can assert ; for you must not suppose that we have 
 been idle down here. "We did not leave London till 
 after you were condemned, and every entreaty to see 
 you, or to communicate by letter, was denied to us." 
 
 " I had better, then, begin at the beginning, and 
 state all that occurred. I will first thank you, my 
 dear Levee, for your kind assistance, which I would 
 not avail myself of, as I calculated (wrongly, I own) 
 that it would be wiser to remain a prisoner ; and I 
 considered that my very refusal to escape would be 
 admitted by the government as a proof of my inno- 
 cence. I did not know that I had to deal with such 
 malignant people." 
 
 I then commenced my narrative, which occupied the 
 remainder of the evening, and, having received theii 
 congratulations, we had a pipe or two, and, as I was/ 
 fatigued, we retired to bed. I slept little on this, I 
 may say, first night of rest and quiet, after my libera- 
 tion. I was happy, and yet perplexed. During the
 
 146 THTC PBIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 time of my imprisonment, it had occurred to me that 
 the life of a privateersman was not one which I could 
 follow up with a good conscience ; and I had, on mv 
 iourney down to Liverpool, made up my mind that I 
 would give it up. I knew this might annoy Mr. Tre- 
 vannion, and that I should have to meet with the ridi- 
 cule of Captain Levee, and I was thinking whether it 
 were possible, in the first place, that I could give some 
 well-grounded excuse ; and, in the next, what other 
 means of gaining my livelihood I could substitute in 
 its stead. My restlessness induced me to get up ear- 
 lier than usual, and I went out for an hour's walk 
 upon the wharfs. I saw my little schooner riding on 
 the stream, and, as she gently rose and dipped to the 
 swell which ran in with the tide, she looked so beauti- 
 ful that my resolutions were already giving way. I 
 would look at her no longer ; so I turned from the 
 river, and walked back to the owner's house. It was 
 still early wlnn I went into the eating-hall, where I 
 found Miss Tr 3vannion alone.
 
 147 
 
 CHAPTEE XII. 
 
 state my newly-awakened scruples as to the lawfulness of 
 Privateersman's Life to Mr. Trevannion, but nevertheless under- 
 take another Cruise Save a Youth from drowning, who he 
 proves to be Conflict with a French Privateer Take her and 
 deliver a Prize Return to Liverpool Resign the Command of 
 the Sparrow-hawk, and agree to superintend Mr. Trevannion's 
 
 Miss TEEVANNTON, my dear Madam, was taller 
 than your sex usually are, her figure slight, and still 
 unformed to a certain degree, but promising perfection. 
 Her hair was very dark, her features regular and hand- 
 some, her complexion very pale, and her skin fair as 
 the snow. As she stood in silence, she reminded you 
 of a classical antique statue, and hardly appeared to 
 breathe through her delicate lips ; but when she was 
 animated with conversation, it almost reminded you of 
 the Promethean fire which poets state was stolen from 
 Heaven to animate a piece of marble. Then the colour 
 came in her cheeks, intelligence played on her count- 
 enance, and everything which at first sight appeared 
 wanting, was, like magic, found to light up her face. 
 Her smiles were the sweetest I ever beheld, and one 
 of those smiles she bestowed upon me as I entered the 
 room and paid her my obeisance. The night before, I 
 had not observed her much ; I waa too busy with her
 
 148 THE PKIVATEERSMA.S". 
 
 father and Captain Levee, and she sat remote from the 
 table and distant from the light, and she never spoke 
 but when she took my hand and thanked me, as I 
 mentioned before. I thought then that her voice was 
 like a silver bell, but made no other remark upon her. 
 "We had, however, exchanged but few words before her 
 father came in, accompanied by Captain Levee, and 
 we sat down to our morning's repast of chocolate. 
 
 After we had broken our fast, Captain Levee hasten- 
 ed away on board of his vessel. My imprisonment had 
 detained him from sailing, and Mr. Trevannion was 
 anxious that he should be off as soon as possible to 
 make up for lost time, as the expenses of the vessel 
 were heavy. 
 
 "Farewell, Elrington, for the present," said he ; "I 
 shall come to you on board of your schooner some time 
 during the day." "When Captain Levee was gone 
 for, to tell the truth, I was afraid of his ridicule I 
 thought it a good opportunity to give my thoughts to 
 my owner, and as I had nothing to say which his 
 daughter might not hear, I began as follows : 
 
 " Mr. Trevannion, I think it right to state to you 
 that during my imprisonment a great change has come 
 over my feelings upon certain points. I am not 
 ashamed to acknowledge that it has been occasioned by 
 the death which stared me in the face, and from my 
 having seriously communed with myself, and examined, 
 more than I perhaps have done during the whole of my 
 former life, the sacred writings which are given us as 
 our guide. The point to which I refer is, that I have 
 come to a conviction that privateering is not a lawful 
 or Honourable profession, and with these feelings 1
 
 MT NEW SCRUPLES. 149 
 
 Should wish to resign the command of the schooner 
 which you have had the kindness to give me." 
 
 "Indeed, Elrington," replied Mr. Trevannion. "Well, 
 I should not have thought to have heard this from you, 
 I confess. Much as I respect your scruples, you are 
 too scrupulous. I can hardly imagine that you have 
 turned to the sect of the Quakers, and think fighting is 
 contrary to the Scriptures." 
 
 " No, Sir, not so far as that. I consider war, as a 
 profession, both necessary and honourable, and a na- 
 tion is bound to be prepared for any foreign attack, and 
 to act upon the defensive, or on the offensive, if it is 
 necessary. It is not that. I do not consider the 
 soldier who fights for his country is not doing his duty, 
 nor the seamen who are employed by the state are not 
 equally justified in their profession. What I refer to 
 is privateering. That is, vessels fitted out for the 
 purpose of aggression by private merchants, and merely 
 for the sake of profit. They are not fitted out with 
 any patriotic motives, but merely for gain. They are 
 speculations in which the lives of people on both sides 
 are sacrificed for the sake of lucre and had you wit- 
 nessed such scenes of bloodshed and cruelty as I have, 
 during my career, such dreadful passions let loose, and 
 defying all restraint, you would agree with me that he 
 who leads such miscreants to their quarry has much to 
 answer for. Were it possible to control the men on 
 board of a privateer as the men are controlled in the 
 king's service it might be more excusable ; but man- 
 ned, as privateers always will be, with the most reckless 
 characters, when once they are roused by opposition, 
 ntimulated by the sight of plunder, or drunken with
 
 ISC THS PBIVATEERSMAU. 
 
 victory, no power on earth can restrain their barbarity 
 and vengeance, and a captain of a privateer who at- 
 tempted would, in most cases, if he stood between 
 them and their will, unless he were supported, fall a 
 victim to his rashness. All this I have seen ; and all 
 I now express I have long felt, even when younger and 
 more thoughtless. You know that I did give up 
 privateering at one time, because I was shocked at the 
 excesses to which I was a party. Since that I have 
 accepted the command of a vessel, for the idea of 
 being captain was too nattering to my vanity to permit 
 me to refuse ; but reflection has again decided me not 
 to engage in it further. I hope this communication 
 will not displease you, Mr. Trevannion. If I am 
 wrong in my opinion at all events I am sincere, for I 
 am giving up my only source of livelihood from a 
 sense of duty." 
 
 " I know that you are sincere, Elrington," replied 
 Mr. Trevannion, "but at the same time I think that you 
 are much too strait-laced in your opinions. When 
 nations are at war, they mutually do all the mischief 
 that they can to each other, and I cannot see what dif- 
 ference there is between my fitting out a privateer 
 under the king's authority, or the king having vessels 
 and men for the national service. The government fit 
 out all the vessels that they can, and when their own 
 funds are exhausted they encourage individuals to em- 
 ploy their capital in adding to the means of distressing 
 the enemy. If I had property on the high seas, would 
 it be respected any more than other English property 
 by the enemy ? Certainly not ; and, therefore, I am 
 not bound to respect theirs. The end of war is to ob-
 
 JtY NEW SCRUPLES. iCl 
 
 tain an honourable peace ; and the more the enemy is 
 distressed, the sooner are you likely to obtain one. I 
 do not, therefore, consider that privateering is worse 
 than any other species of warfare, or that the priva- 
 ieersman is a whit more reckless or brutal than sol- 
 diers or men-of-war's men in the hour of victory in the 
 king's service." 
 
 " There is this difference, Sir," replied I ; " first, in 
 the officers commanding; although glad to obtain 
 prize-money, they are stimulated by nobler feelings as 
 well. They look to honour and distinction ; they have 
 the feeling that they are defending their king and 
 country, to support them and throw a halo on their 
 exertions ; and they have such control over their men, 
 that, although I admit they are equally inclined to ex- 
 cess as the privateersman, they are held in check by 
 the authority which they dare not resist. Now, Mr. 
 Trevannion, privateersmen seek not honour, and are 
 not stimulated by a desire to serve the country ; all 
 they look to is how to obtain the property of others 
 under sanction ; and could they without any risk do so, 
 they would care little whether it was English property 
 or not, provided that they put the money into their 
 pockets. If I held this opinion as a seaman on board 
 of a privateer, what must I feel now, when I am the 
 leader of such people, and the responsibility of their 
 acts is thrown upon my shoulders, for such I feel is 
 the case!" 
 
 "I think," replied Mr. Trevannion, "that we had 
 better not discuss this question any further just now. 
 Of course you must decide for yourself ; but I have 
 this favour to ask of you. Trusting to your resuming
 
 152 THE PBITJ TEEESMAN. 
 
 tlie command of the vessel, I have no one to replace 
 you at present, and I hope you will not refuse to take 
 the command of her for one more cruise : should you 
 on your return and on mature reflection be of the same 
 opinion as you are now, I certainly shall no longer 
 press you to remain, and will do all I can to assist yoxi 
 in any other views you may have." 
 
 "To that, Sir, I can have no objection," replied I; 
 " it would be unfair of me to leave you without a cap- 
 tain to the vessel, and I am therefore ready to sail in 
 her as soon as you please, upon the understanding that 
 I may quit her, if I am of the same opinion as I am 
 now, upon my return to port." 
 
 "I thank you, my dear Sir," said Mr. Trevannion, 
 rising ; " that is all I request. I must now go to the 
 counting-house." 
 
 So saying, he left the room, but his countenance 
 showed that he was far from pleased. 
 
 Miss Trevannion, who had been a silent listener to 
 the conversation, as soon as her father had closed the 
 door after him, thus spoke : 
 
 " Captain Elrington, the opinion of a young maiden 
 like me can be of little value, but you know not how 
 much pleasure you have given me by the sentiments 
 you have expressed. Alas! that a man so good, so 
 generous, and so feeling in every other respect, should 
 be led away by the desire of gain, to be the owner of 
 such a description of property. But in this town 
 wealth is everything ; the way by which it is obtained 
 is not thought of. My father's father left him a large 
 property in vessels employed wholly in the slave-trade, 
 and it was through the persuasions of my poor mother
 
 MISS TBEYANNION'S APPBOVAL. 168 
 
 that my father was induced to give up that nefarious 
 traffic. Since that his capital has been chiefly em- 
 ployed in privateering, which, if not so brutal and dis- 
 graceful, is certainly nearly as demoralizing. I have 
 been home but a short time, and I have already ventured 
 to express my opinion, certainly not so forcibly and so 
 well as you have, upon the subject ; but I was laughed 
 at as a tender-hearted girl, who could not be a fit judge 
 of such matters. But now that you, a captain of one 
 of his vessels, have expressed your dislike to the pro- 
 fession, I think some good may arise. If my father 
 were- a poor man, it would be more excusable, if ex- 
 cuse there can be ; but such is not the case. He is 
 wealthy, and to whom has he to leave his wealth but 
 to me, his only child? Captain Elrington, you are 
 right be firm my father's obligations to you are 
 very great and your opinion will have its influence. 
 I am his daughter his only daughter his love for 
 me is great, I know, and I also have my power over 
 aim. Supported as I have been by you, I will now 
 exert it to the utmost to persuade him to retire from 
 further employment of his means in such a speculation. 
 I thanked you yesterday, when I first saw you, for 
 your noble behaviour ; I little thought that I should 
 have again, in so short a time, to express my thanks." 
 
 Miss Trevannion did not wait for any reply from 
 me, but then quitted the room. 
 
 I must say, that, although so young a person, I was 
 much pleased at Miss Trevannion' s approval of my sen- 
 timents. She appeared, from the very short acquaint- 
 ance I had had with her, to be a person of a firm and 
 decided disposition, and very different from the insipid
 
 15' THE PRIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 class of females generally met with. Her approval 
 strengthened my resolution ; still, as I had promised 
 her father that I would go another cruise in the priva- 
 teer, I left the house and went on board to resume the 
 command. My return was joyfully hailed by the 
 officers and men, which is not always the case. I 
 found her, as may be supposed, ready for sea at a 
 minute's warning, so that I had nothing to do but em- 
 bark my effects, which I did before the noon was 
 passed, and then went on shore to Mr. Trevannion, to 
 receive his orders. I found him with Captain Levee 
 in the back room ; and I told Mr. Trevannion that I 
 had resumed the command, and was ready to sail as 
 soon as he pleased. 
 
 " "We must make up for lost time, Elrington," re- 
 plied he ; "I have ordered Captain Levee to cruise 
 to the northward of the Western Isles, occasionally 
 working up as far as the Scilly Isles. Now I think 
 you had better take your ground in the Channel, be- 
 tween Dunkirk and Calais. There is as much to be 
 made by salvage in recapturing English vessels in that 
 quarter as there is in taking the enemy's vessels ; and 
 I am sure," added Mr. Trevannion, smiling, "you will 
 think that legitimate warfare." 
 
 At this Captain Levee laughed, and said, " I have 
 been told what you said to Mr. Trevannion, Elrington. 
 I said that it was the effects of being condemned for 
 high treason, and would wear off in a three-months' 
 cruise." 
 
 " G-ood impressions do wear off very soon, I fear," 
 replied I ; " but I hope that it will not be the case in 
 this instance."
 
 SAVE A YOUTH TEOM DBOVNING. 165 
 
 "We shall see, my good fellow," replied Captain 
 Levee ; " for my part I hope they will, for otherwise we 
 shall lose the best privateersman I ever fell in with 
 However, it 's no use bringing up the question now ; let 
 us wait till our cruises are over, and we meet again 
 Good bye, Elrington, and may you be fortunate. My 
 anchor is short stay apeak, and I shall be under sail in 
 half an hour." 
 
 Captain Levee sailed at the time that he mentioned > 
 I remained at anchor till the next morning, and then 
 once more was running down the Irish Channel before 
 a stiff breeze. I forgot to mention that while at Mr. 
 Trevannion's I had looked at the address of the Catho- 
 lic priest who had announced to me my release from 
 prison, and had left copies of it, as well as of that of 
 the lady at Paris, in the care of Mr. Trevannion. It 
 was now cold, autumnal weather, and the Channel was 
 but rough sailing-ground. During the first fortnight 
 we were fortunate enough to make two recaptures of 
 considerable value, which arrived safely in the Thames, 
 after which we had a succession of gales from the 
 southward, it being the time of the equinox, which 
 drove us close to the sands of Yarmouth, and we even 
 had difficulty in clearing them and getting into sea- 
 room by standing to the eastward. The weather still 
 continued very bad, and we were lying-to under storm- 
 sails for several days, and at last found ourselves a 
 degree and a half to the northward, off the coast o 1 
 Norfolk, when the weather moderated, and the wind 
 changed to the northward. It was a fine clear night, 
 but -with no moon, and we were running before the 
 wind to regain our cruising-ground ; but the wind
 
 l&v THE PBIVATEEBBMATf. 
 
 again shifted and baffled us, and at last it fell light, 
 and, being on a wind, we did not make more than four 
 miles an hour, although there was very little sea. 
 About one o'clock in the morning I had gone on 
 deck, and was walking to and fro with the first officer, 
 Mr. James, when I thought that I heard a faint hallo 
 from to windward. 
 
 " Stop," said I ; " silence there forward." 
 
 I listened, and thought that I heard the cry again. 
 
 Mr. James," said I, " did you not hear some one 
 shout ? " 
 
 " No, Sir," replied he. 
 
 " Wait, then, and listen." 
 
 "We did so, but I could not hear it repeated. 
 
 " I am certain that I heard a voice as if on the waters," 
 said I. " Perhaps some one has fallen overboard. Turn 
 the hands up to muster, and haul the fore-sheet to 
 windward." 
 
 The men were mustered, but no one was missing. 
 
 " It was your fancy, Sir," observed the first officer. 
 
 "It may have been," replied I; "but I am still 
 in my own mind persuaded that such was the case. 
 Perhaps I was mistaken." 
 
 " Shall we let draw the fore-sheet, Sir ? " said Mr. 
 James. 
 
 " Yes, we may as well ; but the wind is lighter than 
 it was. I think we shall have a calm." 
 
 " It will be as much as she can do to stem the tide 
 and hold her own," observed Mr. James. " Let draw 
 the fore-sheet, my lads." 
 
 Somehow or another I had a feeling which I could 
 not surmount, that I certainly had heard a faint shout ;
 
 SAVE A YOUTH PKOM DBOWNING. 167 
 
 and although, admitting such to be the case, there was 
 little chance of being of service to any one, I felt a re- 
 luctance to leave the spot, and as I walked the deck 
 silent and alone this feeling became insurmountable. 
 
 I remained on deck till the tide turned, and then, 
 instead of taking advantage of it so as to gain to the 
 southward, I put the schooner's head the other way, 
 so as to keep as near as I could to the spot where I 
 heard the voice, reducing her sail so as just to stem 
 the tide. I cannot now account for my anxiety, which, 
 under the circumstances, I most certainly never should 
 have felt, unless it was that Providence was pleased to 
 interpose on this occasion more directly than usual. I 
 could not leave the deck ; I waited for daylight with 
 great impatience, and as the day dawned I had my 
 telescope in my hand looking round the compass. 
 
 At last, as the sun rose from the fog on the horizon, 
 something attracted my eye, and I made it out to be 
 the two masts of a vessel which had sunk in about six 
 fathoms of water. Still I could see nothing except the 
 masts. However, to make sure, I made sail on the 
 schooner, and stood towards them. A short tack 
 enabled us to fetch, and in half an hour we passed 
 the wreck about a half-musket-shot to windward, when 
 we perceived an arm lifted up out of the water, and 
 waved to us. 
 
 "There is somebody there," said I, "and I was 
 right. Quickly, my lads ; fore-sheet to windward, and 
 lower down the stern-boat." 
 
 This was done in a minute, and in a short time the 
 boat returned, bringing with them a lad about sixteen 
 years old, whom they had found in the water, clinging
 
 ^58 THE PEITATEEESMAK. 
 
 to the masts of the vessel. He was too much exhaxist- 
 ed to speak or move. He was put into bed, covered up 
 with blankets, and some warm spirits and water poured 
 down his throat. We then hoisted up the boat, and 
 made sail upon the schooner, and I went down below 
 to breakfast, rejoicing that I had acted upon the im- 
 pulse which I had felt, and had thus been instrumental 
 in saving the life of a fellow-creature. A few minutes 
 after he was put into bed the lad fell into a sound 
 sleep, which continued during the whole of the day. 
 The next morning he awoke greatly recovered, and 
 very hungry, and as soon as he had eaten he rose and 
 dressed himself. 
 
 I then sent for him, as I was impatient to see him 
 and learn his history. When he entered the cabin, it 
 struck me 1 had seen his features before, but where I 
 could not say. To my inquiries he stated that the brig 
 was the Jane and Mary, of Hull, laden with coals ; 
 that they had started a wooden end during the gale, 
 and that she had filled so rapidly that they ot the 
 boat from off the boom to save their lives, but from 
 the heavy sea running, and the confusion, the boat had 
 been bilged against the bulwarks, and went down as 
 they were shoving off ; that he had supported himself 
 by one of the oars, and was soon separated from his 
 companions who floated around him ; that during this 
 time the brig had sunk, and he, clinging to the oar, 
 had been drawn towards her as she sank, and carried 
 some feet under water. On his rising he perceived 
 the top-gallant masts above water, and had made for 
 them, and on looking round he could not see any of 
 the rest of the crew, who must have all perished ; that
 
 WHO HE PROVES TO BE. 159 
 
 he had been two days on the mast, and was perished 
 with cold. Finding that his feet, which hung down 
 on the water, were much warmer than the other por- 
 tions of his body exposed to the wind, he had sunk 
 himself down in the water, and remained there, and 
 had he not done so he must have perished. 
 
 I asked him how long he had been at sea, and he 
 said he had only gone one voyage, and had been but 
 three months on board. There was something in his 
 manner so superior to the condition of apprentice 
 (which he stated himself to be) on board of such a 
 vessel, and I felt such an interest, which I could not 
 account for, towards the lad, that I then asked who 
 were his friends. He replied, stammering, that he 
 had not a friend in the world except a brother older 
 than himself by many years, and he did not know 
 where he was. 
 
 " But your father's name ? Is he alive, and who is 
 he? You must tell me that, or I shall not know 
 where to send you." 
 
 The youth was very confused, and would not give 
 me any answer. 
 
 " Come, my lad," I said, "I think as I have saved 
 your life I deserve a little confidence, and it shall not 
 be misplaced. I perceive that you have not been 
 brought up as a lad for the sea, and you must there- 
 fore trust me." 
 
 " I will, Sir," he replied, " if you will not send ino 
 back to my father and mother." 
 
 " Certainly not against your will, my good lad," I 
 replied, " although I shall probably persuade you all I 
 can to return to them. I presume you ran away froi:j 
 your home ?"
 
 160 1HJS PEIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 "Yes, Sir, I did," replied he ; "for I cculd not pos- 
 sibly stay there any longer, and ray brother did so 
 before me, for the same reason that I did." 
 
 " "Well, I promise you, if you will confide in me, 
 that I will not force your inclinations ; so now tell me 
 who are your father and mother, and why you left 
 home. You want a friend now, and without con- 
 fidence you cannot expect friendship." 
 
 " I will tell you all, Sir," he replied, "for I see by 
 your face that you will not take advantage of me." 
 
 He then commenced, and you may imagine my sur- 
 prise, my dear Madam, when I found that it was my 
 own brother Philip, whom I had left a child of ten 
 years old, who was addressing me. He had, as he had 
 asserted, left his home and thrown himself on the wide 
 world for the same reason which I had ; for his spirit, 
 like mine, could not brook the treatment which he re- 
 ceived. I allowed him to finish his narrative, and then 
 made myself known to him. 
 
 You may imagine the scene, and the delight of the 
 poor fellow, who, as he encircled me in his arms, 
 clinging to me with the tears of joy on his cheeks 
 told me that his great object had been to find me out, 
 and that, although he had no idea what had become oi 
 me, he thought it most likely that I had taken to a 
 seafaring life. 
 
 I now felt certain that Providence had specially in- 
 terposed in this business, and had, for its own good 
 reasons, created those unusual feelings of interest 
 which I described to you, that I might be the saviour 
 of my brother ; and most grateful was I, I can assure 
 you. I had now a companion and friend, one to love 
 and to cherish. I was no longer alone in the world,
 
 YTCJO HTB PBOTE8 TO BE. 161 
 
 and 1 do not know when I had felt so happy for a long 
 while. 
 
 I left my brother below in the cabin, and went on 
 deck to acquaint the officers with this strange meeting. 
 The intelligence soon ran through the vessel, and of 
 course the poor shipwrecked boy became an object of 
 unusual interest. That whole day I was interrogating 
 and receiving intelligence from him relative to our 
 family. I made him describe his sisters and every 
 member of it, even the servants and our neighbours 
 were not forgotten, and for the first time since I had 
 quitted home, I knew what had occurred during the 
 six years of my absence. From the accounts he gave 
 me, I certainly had no inclination ever to return as 
 long as certain parties were in existence ; and my 
 brother declared that nothing but force should ever 
 induce him. The more I talked with him, the more I 
 was pleased with him. He appeared of a frank, noble 
 disposition, full of honour and high sentiments, win- 
 ning in his manners, and mirthful to excess. Indeed, 
 his handsome countenance implied and expressed as 
 much, and it did not deceive. 
 
 I hardly need say that he took up his quarters in 
 my cabin, and, having procured for him more suitable 
 apparel, he looked what he was, the perfect young 
 gentleman. He was soon a general favourite on board, 
 not only with the officers but with the men. One 
 would have thought that the danger and distress we 
 had found him in would have sickened him for the sea 
 for ever ; but it was quite the contrary. He delight- 
 ed in his profession, and was certainly born to be a 
 sailor. I asked him what he felt when he had re.
 
 162 'ilia PKlV-a-TEEKSMAI,-. 
 
 mained so Icng clinging to the mast; if he had not 
 given up all hopes of being saved ? and he replied no, 
 that he had not ; that he did not know how long he 
 might have had to remain there, but that he had never 
 abandoned the idea of being taken off by some vessel 
 or another, and that he thought that he might have 
 continued there for twenty-four hours longer without 
 being exhausted, as after he had sunk himself into the 
 water he felt warm, and no exertion was necessary. It 
 is of such buoyant spirits as these, Madam, that sea- 
 men should be made. 
 
 You cannot have an idea of the pleasure which I 
 experienced at this falling in with my brother Philip. 
 It appeared to have given a new stimulus to my exist- 
 ence ; even privateering did not appear so hateful to 
 me, after I had heard him express his delight at being 
 likely to be so employed, for such he stated had long 
 been his ardent wish. Two days afterwards we had 
 regained our cruising- ground, and perceived a French 
 privateer steering for the port of Calais, in company 
 with a large merchant vessel which she had captured. 
 The wind was light, and we discovered her at daybreak, 
 just as the fog cleared away, she being then about mid- 
 channel, and not more than five miles distant. "We 
 made all sail, and soon were within gun-shot. The 
 Frenchman appeared determined not to part with his 
 prize without a trial of strength, but as the captured 
 vessel was the nearest to us, I decided to retake her 
 first, and then fight him if he wished. I therefore 
 steered to lay the prize by the board. The French- 
 man, a lugger of twelve guns, perceiving our intention, 
 made also foi the prize to defend her, he steering up
 
 CONFLICT WITH FEENCH PEIVATEEE. 163 
 
 for her close-hauled, we running down to her free, the 
 prize lying between us, and sheltering each of us from 
 the other's guns. It is difficult to say whether the 
 Frenchman or we were the first to touch her sides with 
 our respective vessels ; I rather think that the French- 
 man was a second or two before us. At all events 
 they were quicker than we were, and were on the deck 
 first, besides having the advantage of the assistance of 
 their men already on board, so that we were taken at 
 a great disadvantage. However, we did gain the deck 
 by boarding at two points, forward and aft, and a fierce 
 contest ensued. The French were more numerous 
 than we were, but my men were better selected, being 
 all very powerful, athletic fellows. Philip had boarded 
 with the other party forward, which was led by my 
 chief officer. My party, who were abaft, not being so 
 numerous, were beaten back to the taffrail of the vessel, 
 where we stood at bay, defending ourselves against the 
 furious assaults of the Frenchmen. But if we lost, the 
 other party gained, for the whole body of the French- 
 men were between us and them, and those who faced 
 Philip's party were driven back to abaft the mainmast. 
 It so happened that Philip was thrown down on the 
 deck, and his men passed over him ; and while in that 
 position, and unable to rise from the pressure upon 
 him, he heard a calling out from below : this told him 
 that the English prisoners were in the hold; and as 
 soon as he could rise he threw off the hatches, and they 
 rushed up, to the number of twenty-three stout fellows, 
 to our support, cheering most manfully, and by their 
 cheers announcing to the French that we had received 
 assistance. Ihis gave fresh courage to my men, who 
 * 2
 
 164 THE PBIYATEEBSMAW. 
 
 were hard pressed and faint with their great exertion. 
 We cheered, and rushed upon the enemy, who were al- 
 ready weakened by many of them having turned round 
 to resist the increased impetus from forward. Our 
 cheers were replied to by Philip's party and the prison* 
 ers, and the French were losing the day. They made an- 
 other desperate rush upon Philip's men, and succeeded 
 in driving them back to before the main-hatches ; but 
 what they gained forward, they lost abaft, as we push- 
 ed on with vigour. This was their last attempt. The 
 main-hatch being open, several of them in the confusion 
 fell into it, others followed them of their own accord, 
 and at last every one of them was beaten down from 
 the deck, and the hatches were put over them, with 
 three cheers. 
 
 " Now for the privateer she is our own,' ' cried 
 Philip; "follow me, my men," continued he, as he 
 sprang upon the bulwarks of the prize, and from thence 
 into the main rigging of the lugger alongside. 
 
 Most of my men followed him ; and as there were 
 but few men left on board of the lugger, she was soon 
 in our possession, and thus we had both the enemy and 
 the prize without firing a cannon-shot. It was strange 
 that this combat between two privateers should thus 
 be decided upon the ^deck of another vessel, but such 
 was the fact. "We had several men badly wounded, 
 but not one killed. The French were not quite so for- 
 tunate, as seven of their men lay dead upon the decks. 
 The prize proved to be the Antelope "West-Indiaman, 
 laden with sugar and rum, and of considerable value. 
 We gave her up to the captain and crew, who had af- 
 forded us such timely assistance, and they were not a
 
 EKTUBN TO LIVERPOOL. 165 
 
 little pleased at being thus rescued from a French 
 prison. The privateer was named the Jean "Bart, of 
 twelve guns, and one hundred and fifteen men, some 
 away in prizes. She was a new vessel, and this her 
 first cruise. As it required many men to man her, and 
 we had the prisoners to encumber us, I resolved that I 
 would take her to Liverpool at once; and six days 
 afterwards we arrived there without further adventure. 
 Philip's gallant conduct had won him great favour with 
 my officers and men, and I must say that I felt very 
 proud of him. 
 
 As soon as we had anchored both vessels, I went on 
 shore with Philip to Mr. Trevannion's to give him an 
 account of what had occurred during the short cruise, 
 and I hardly need say that he was satisfied with the 
 results, as we had made three recaptures of value be- 
 sides a privateer. I introduced Philip to him, ac- 
 quainting him with his miraculous preservation, and 
 Mr. Trevannion very kindly invited him for the present 
 to remain in his house. We then took our leave, pro- 
 mising to be back by dinner-time, and I went with 
 Philip to fit him out in a more creditable way ; and 
 having made my purchases and given my orders, (it 
 being then almost two o'clock post meridiem,') we hast- 
 ened to Mr. Trevannion's, that we might be in time 
 for dinner. I was, I must confess, anxious to see Miss 
 Trevannion, for she had often occupied my thoughts 
 during the cruise. She met me with great friendliness 
 and welcomed me back. Our dinner was very agreeable, 
 and Philip's sallies were much approved of. He was, 
 indeed, a mirthful, witty lad, full of jest and humour, 
 and with a good presence withal. Mr. Trevanniou
 
 16(3 THE PEIVATEEESMAK. 
 
 being called out just as dinner was finished, Miss Tre- 
 ranniou observed 
 
 " I presume, Mr. Elrington, that your good fortune 
 and the reputation you have acquired iu so short a 
 time, have put an end to all your misgivings as to a 
 privateersman's life ?" 
 
 " I am not quite so light and inconstant, Miss Tre- 
 vannion," replied I ; " I rejoice that in this cruise I 
 have really nothing to lament or blush for, and trust at 
 the same time we have been serviceable to our coun- 
 try ; but my opinion is the same, and I certainly wish 
 that I had fought under the king's pennant instead of 
 on board of a privateer." 
 
 " You are, then, of the same mind, and intend to re- 
 sign the command ?" 
 
 " I do, Miss Trevannion, although I admit that this 
 lad's welfare makes it more important than ever that 
 I should have some means of livelihood." 
 
 " I rejoice to hear you speak thus, Mr. Elrington, 
 and I think my father's obligations to you are such, 
 that if he does not assist you, I should feel ashamed of 
 him but such I am certain will not be the case. He 
 will forward your views, whatever they may be, to the 
 utmost of his power at the same time, I admit, from 
 conversations I have had with him, that he will be 
 mortified at your resigning the command." 
 
 " And so shall I,' ' said Philip, " for I do not agree 
 with you or my brother : I see no more harm in pri- 
 vateering than in any other fighting. I suppose, Miss 
 Trevannion, you have been the cause of my brother's 
 scruples, and I tell you candidly to your face, that I 
 do not thank vou for it."
 
 EESIGN THE COMMAND. 167 
 
 Miss Trevannion coloured up at this remark, and 
 then replied, " I do not think, Mr. Philip, that I have 
 had the pleasure of seeing your brother more than 
 three times in my life, and that within this last six 
 weeks, and sure I am that we have not had a quarter 
 of an hour's conversation altogether. It is, therefore, 
 assuredly, too much to say that I am the cause, and your 
 brother will tell you that he expressed these opinions 
 before I ever had had any conversation with him." 
 
 "That may be," replied Philip, "but you approved 
 of his sentiments, and that concluded the business, 1 
 am sure, and I don't wonder at it. I only hope that 
 you won't ask me to do anything I do not wish to do ; 
 for I am sure that I could never refuse you anything." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say so, Mr. Philip ; for if I 
 see you do that which I think wrong, I shall certainly 
 try my influence over you," replied Miss Trevannion, 
 smiling. " I really was not aware that I had such 
 power." 
 
 Here Mr. Trevannion came in again, and the con- 
 versation was changed; and shortly afterwards Miss 
 Trevannion left the room. Philip, who was tired of 
 sitting while Mr. Trevannion and I took our pipes, and 
 who was anxious to see the town, also left us ; and I 
 then stated to Mr. Trevannion that having now com- 
 pleted the cruise which I had agreed that I would, I 
 wished to know whether he had provided himself with 
 another captain. 
 
 " As you appear so determined, my dear Elrington, 
 I will only say that I am very sorry, and will not urge 
 the matter any longer. My daughter told me since 
 your absence that she was certain you would adhere la
 
 168 THE PEIVATEEBSHAN. 
 
 your resolution ; and, although I hoped the contrary, 
 yet I. have been considering in which way I can servo 
 you. It is not only my pleasure but my duty so to 
 do ; I have not forgotten, and never will forget, that 
 you in all probability saved my life by your self-devo- 
 tion in the affair of the Jacobites. "When you first 
 came to me, you were recommended as a good ac- 
 countant, and, to a certain degree, a man of business ; 
 and, at all events, you proved yourself well acquainted 
 and apt at figures. Do you think that a situation on 
 shore would suit you?" 
 
 " I should endeavour to give satisfaction, Sir," I re- 
 plied ; " but I fear that I should have much to learn." 
 
 " Of course you would ; but I reply that you would 
 soon learn. Now, Elrington, what I have to say to 
 you is this : I am getting old, and in a few years shall 
 be past work ; and I think I should like you as an as- 
 sistant for the present, and a successor hereafter. If 
 you would like to join me, you shall superintend the 
 more active portion of the business ; and I have no 
 doubt but that in a year or two you will be master of 
 the whole. As you know, I have privateers and I 
 have merchant vessels, and I keep my storehouses. I 
 have done well up to the present ; not so well, perhaps, 
 now, as I did when I had slave-vessels, which were 
 most profitable ; but my deceased wife persuaded me 
 to give up that traffic, and I have not resumed it, in 
 honour of her memory. These foolish women should 
 never interfere in such matters ; but let that pass. 
 What I have to say is, that if you choose after a year 
 to join me as a partner, I will give you an eighth of the 
 business, and as we continue I will make over a further
 
 A 5fEW MODE OF LIFE. 169 
 
 share in proportion to the profits ; and I will make 
 such arrangements as to enable you at my death to 
 take the whole concern upon favourable terms." 
 
 Mr. Trevannion knocked the ashes out of his pipe, 
 and, as he concluded, 
 
 " I am," I replied, " as you may imagine, Sir, much 
 gratified and honoured at your proposal, which I hardly 
 need say that I willingly accept. I only hope you 
 will make allowance for my ignorance at first setting 
 off, and not ascribe to any other cause my imperfec- 
 tions. You may assure yourself that good- will shall 
 never be wanting on my part, and I shall work day 
 and night, if required, to prove my gratitude for so 
 kind an offer." 
 
 "Then, it is settled," said Mr. Trevannion; "but 
 what are we to do with your brother Philip ? ' ' 
 
 " He thinks for himself, Sir, and does not agree 
 with me on the question in point. Of course, I have 
 no right to insist that my scruples should be his ; in- 
 deed, I fear that I should have little chance in per- 
 suading him, as he is so fond of a life of adventure. 
 It is natural in one so young. Age will sober him." 
 
 " Then you have no objection to his going on board 
 of a privateer?" 
 
 " I would rather that he was in any other service, 
 Sir ; but as I cannot control him I must submit, if he 
 insist upon following that profession. He is a gallant, 
 clever boy, and as soon as I can, I will try to procure 
 him a situation in a king's ship. At present he must go 
 to eea in some way or the other, and it were, perhaps, 
 better that he should be in good hands (such as Cap- 
 tain Levee's for instance) on board of a privateer, than 
 mix up with those who might demoralize him more."
 
 170 THE PBIYATEEBSMA.IS, 
 
 " Well, then, lie shall have his choice," replied Mr. 
 Trevannion. "He is a smart lad, and wiii do you 
 credit wherever he may be." 
 
 " If I may take the liberty to advise, Sir," replied I, 
 " I think you could not do better than to give the 
 command of the Sparrow-hawk to the chief officer, Mr. 
 James ; he is a good seaman and a brave man, and I 
 have no doubt will acquit himself to your satisfaction." 
 
 " I was thinking the same ; and as you recommend 
 him he shall take your place. Now, as all this is set- 
 tled, you may as well go on board and make known 
 that you have resigned the command. Tell Mr. James 
 that he is to take your place. Bring your clothes on 
 shore, and you will find apartments ready for you on 
 your return, for in future you will of course consider this 
 house as your residence. I assure you that, now that 
 you do not leave me, I am almost glad that the aifair 
 is arranged as it is. I wanted assistance, that is the 
 fact, and I hold myself fortunate that you are the party 
 who has been selected. We shall meet in the evening." 
 
 Mr. Trevannion then went away in the direction of 
 his daughter's room instead of the counting-house as 
 usual, and I quitted the house. I did not go imme- 
 diately down to the wharf to embark. I wanted to 
 have a short time for reflection, for I was much over- 
 powered with Mr. Trevannion' s kindness, and the 
 happy prospects before me. I walked out into the 
 country for some distance, deep in my own reflections, 
 and I must say that Miss Trevannion was too often 
 interfering witli my train of thought. 
 
 I had of course no fixed ideas, but I more than once 
 was weighing iu my mind whether I should not make 
 known to them who I was, and how superior in birth
 
 A NEW MODE OF LIFE. 171 
 
 fco what they imagined. After an hour passed in build- 
 ing castles, I retraced my steps, passed through the 
 town, and, going down to the wharf, waved my hand- 
 kerchief for a boat, and was soon on board. I then 
 summoned the officers and men, told them that I had 
 resigned the command of the vessel, and that in future 
 they were to consider Mr. James as their captain. I 
 packed up my clothes, leaving -nany articles for my 
 successor which were no longer of any use to me, but 
 which he would have been compelled to replace. 
 
 Philip I found was down in the cabin, and with him 
 I had a long conversation. He stated his wish to re- 
 main at sea, saying that he preferred a privateer to a 
 merchant vessel, and a king's ship to a privateer. Not 
 being old enough, or sufficient time at sea to be eli- 
 gible for a king's ship, I agreed that he should sail 
 with Captain Levee, as soon as he came back from his 
 cruise. He had already sent in a good prize. As soon 
 as my clothes and other articles were put into the 
 boat, I wished them all farewell, and was cheered by 
 the men as I pulled on shore. 
 
 My effects were taken up to Mr. Trevannion's house 
 by the seamen, to whom I gave a gratuity, and I was 
 met by Mr. Trevannion, who showed me into a large 
 and well-furnished bed-room, which he told me was in 
 future to be considered as my own. I passed away 
 the afternoon in arranging my clothes, and did not go 
 down to the parlour till supper-time, where I found 
 Miss Trevannion, who congratulated me upon my 
 having changed my occupation to one more worthy 
 of me. I made a suitable reply, and we sat down to 
 supper. Having described this first great e* ent in my 
 life, I shall for the present conclude.
 
 172 THE PBIVATEEKSMAJT. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIII. 
 
 After staying a year with him, Mr. Trevannion proposes to take 
 me into Partnership, but I decline the offer from conscientious 
 motives Miss Trevannion treats me with unmerited coldness 
 This and her Father's anger make me resolve to quit the 
 House What I overhear and see before my departure The 
 Ring. 
 
 You may now behold me in a very different position, 
 fay dear Madam ; instead of the laced hat and hanger 
 at my side, imagine me in a plain suit of gray with 
 black buttons, and a pen behind my ear ; instead of 
 walking the deck and balancing to the motion of the 
 vessel, I am now perched immoveably upon a high 
 tftool ; instead of sweeping the horizon with my tele- 
 scope, or watching the straining and bending of the 
 spars aloft, I am now with my eyes incessantly fixed 
 upon the ledger or day-book, absorbed in calculation. 
 You may inquire how I liked the change. At first, 
 I must confess, not over-much, and, notwithstanding 
 my dislike to the life of a privateersman, I often sighed 
 heavily, and wished that I were an officer in the king's 
 service. The change from a life of activity to one of 
 sedentary habits was too sudden, and I often found 
 myself, with my eyes still fixed upon the figures before 
 me, absorbed in a sort of castle-building reverie, in 
 which I was boarding or chasing the enemy, handling 
 my cutlass, and sometimes so moved by my imagina-
 
 A TEAE WITH ME. IBEVAN2fIOIf. 173 
 
 tion as to brandish my arm over my head, when an 
 exclamation of surprise from one of the clerks would 
 remind me of my folly, and, angry with myself, I 
 would once more resume my pen. But after a time I 
 had more command over myself, and could sit steadily 
 at my work. Mr. Trevannion had often observed how 
 absent I was, and it was a source of amusement to 
 him ; when we met at dinner, his daughter would say, 
 " So I hear you had another sea-fight this morning, 
 Mr. Elrington ;" and her father would laugh heartily 
 as he gave a description of my ridiculous conduct. 
 
 I very soon, with the kind assistance of Mr. Trevan- 
 nion, became master of my work, and gave him satis- 
 faction. My chief employment consisted in writing 
 the letters to correspondents. At first I only copied 
 Mr. Trevannion' s letters in his private letter-book ; 
 but as I became aware of the nature of the corre- 
 spondence, and what was necessary to be detailed, I 
 then made a rough copy of the letters, and submitted 
 them to Mr. Trevannion for his approval. At first 
 there were a few alterations made, afterwards I wrote 
 them fairly out, and almost invariably they gave satis- 
 faction, or, if anything was added, it was in a postscript. 
 Mr. Trevannion' s affairs, I found, were much more ex- 
 tensive than I had imagined. He had the two priva- 
 teers, two vessels on the coast of Africa trading for 
 ivory and gold-dust and other articles, two or three 
 vessels employed in trading to Virginia for tobacco and 
 other produce, and some smaller vessels engaged in the 
 Newfoundland fisheries, which, when they had taken 
 in their cargo, ran to the Mediterranean to dispose of
 
 174 THE PEIVATEEBSMAK. 
 
 it, and returned with Mediterranean produce to LiA r er- 
 pool. That he was a very wealthy man, independent 
 of his large stakes upon the seas, was certain. He had 
 lent much money to the guild of Liverpool, and had 
 some tenanted properties in the county ; but of them 
 I knew nothing, except from the payment of the rents. 
 "What surprised me much was, that a man of Mr. Tre- 
 vannion's wealth, having but one child to provide for, 
 should not retire from business and I once made the 
 remark to his daughter. Her reply was : " I thought 
 as you do once, but now I think differently. When I 
 have been on a visit with my father, and he has stayed 
 away for several weeks, you have no idea how restless 
 and uneasy he has become from want of occupation. It 
 has become his habit, and habit is second nature. It 
 is not from a wish to accumulate that he continues at 
 the counting-house, but because he cannot be happy 
 without employment. I, therefore, do not any longer 
 persuade him to leave off, as I am convinced that 
 it would be persuading him to be unhappy. Until you 
 came, I think the fatigue was too great for him ; but 
 you have, as he apprizes me, relieved him of the heavi- 
 est portion of the labour, and I hardly need say that I 
 am rejoiced that you have so done." 
 
 " It certainly is not that he requires to make money, 
 Miss Trevannion ; and, as he is so liberal in everything, 
 I must credit what you assert, that it is the dislike tc 
 having no employment which induces him to continue 
 in business. It has not yet become such a habit in 
 me," continued I, smiling ; " I think I could leave it 
 off with great pleas ire."
 
 ME. TBEVANNION'S OFFEB. 176 
 
 " But is not that because you have not yet recovered 
 from your former habits, which were so at variance 
 with a quiet and a sedentary life ?" replied she. 
 
 " I fear it is so" said I, " and I believe, of all habits, 
 those of a vagrant are the most difficult to overcome. 
 You used to laugh at me the first few months that I 
 was here. I presume that I am a little improved, as 
 I have not been attacked lately ? " 
 
 " My father says so, and is much pleased with you, 
 Mr. Elrington, if my telling you so gives you any satis- 
 faction." 
 
 " Certainly it does, because I wish to please him." 
 
 " And me, too, I hope ? " 
 
 " Yes, most truly, Miss Trevannion ; I only wish I 
 had it in my power to show how much I study your 
 good opinion." 
 
 " "Will you risk my father's displeasure for it ? " re- 
 plied she, looking at me fixedly. 
 
 "Yes, I will, provided " 
 
 " Oh ! there is a proviso already." 
 
 " I grant that there should not have been any, as I 
 am sure that you would not ask me to do anything 
 which is wrong. And my proviso was, that I did not 
 undertake what my conscience did not approve." 
 
 "Your proviso was good, Mr. Elrington, for when a 
 woman would persuade, a man should be particularly 
 guarded that he is not led into error by a rash promise. 
 I think, however, that we are both agreed upon thepoint. 
 I will therefore come at once to what I wish you to 
 do. It is the intention of my father, in the course of 
 a few days, when you shall have accomplished your 
 year of service, to offer to take you into partnership ;
 
 176 THE 
 
 and I au certain it will be on liberal terms. Now 1 
 wish you to refuse his offer unless he gives up pri- 
 vateering." 
 
 " I will do so at all risks, and I am truly glad that 
 I have your encouragement for taking such a bold 
 step." 
 
 " I tell you frankly that he will be very indignant. 
 There is an excitement about the privateering which 
 has become almost necessary to him, and he cares little 
 about the remainder of his speculations. He is so 
 blind to the immorality to which it leads, that he does 
 not think it is an unlawful pursuit ; if he did, I am 
 sure that he would abandon it. All my persuasion has 
 been useless." 
 
 " And if a favourite and only daughter cannot pre- 
 vail, what chance have I, Miss Trevannion ? " 
 
 " A better chance, Mr. Elrington ; he is partial to me, 
 but I am a woman, and he looks upon my observations 
 as a woman's weakness. The objections raised by a 
 man, a young man, and one who has so long been ac- 
 tively engaged in the service, will, therefore, carry more 
 weight ; besides, he has now become so accustomed to 
 you, and has had so much trouble taken off his hands, 
 and, at the same time, has such implicit confidence in 
 you, that I do not think, if he finds that he has to 
 choose between your leaving him and his leaving off 
 privateering, he will hesitate in relinquishing the latter. 
 You have, moreover, great weight with him, Mr. 
 Elrington ; my father is fully aware of the deep obliga- 
 tion he is under to your courage and self-devotion in 
 the affair of the Jacobite refugees. You will, therefore, 
 succeed, if you are firm ; and, if you do succeed, you
 
 ME. TBEVANNION'S OFFER 177 
 
 will have my gratitude, if that is of any importance to 
 you ; my friendship you know you have already." 
 
 The entrance of Mr. Trevannion prevented my reply . 
 We had been waiting for his return from a walk, and 
 dinner had been ready some time. " I have just seen 
 some of the men of the Arrow," said Mr. Trevannion, 
 taking off his hat and spencer, "and that detained 
 me." 
 
 "Has Captain Levee arrived, then, Sir ? " said I. 
 
 " No ; but he has sent in a prize of no great value 
 laden with light wares. The men in charge tell me 
 he has had a rough affair with a vessel armed en flute, 
 and that he has lost some men. Tour brother Philip, 
 as usual, is wounded." 
 
 I should here observe, that during the year which 
 had passed away the two privateers had been several 
 times in port they had met with moderate success, 
 barely sufficient to pay their expenses; my brother 
 Philip had always conducted himself very gallantly, 
 and had been twice wounded in different engagements. 
 
 " Well, Sir," replied I, "I do not think that the loss 
 of a little blood will do any harm to such a hot-headed 
 youth as Master Philip ; but I hope in a short time to 
 give him an opportunity of shedding it in the service of 
 the king, instead of in the pursuit of money. Indeed," 
 continued I, as I sat down to table, " the enemy are 
 now so cautious, or have so few vessels on the high 
 seas, that I fear your privateering account current will 
 not be very favourable, when balanced, as it will be in 
 a few days, notwithstanding this cargo of wares just 
 arrived." 
 
 "Then we must ho^e better for next year," replied
 
 178 THE PBIVATEEBSMATT. 
 
 Mr. Trevannion. "Arny, my dear, have you been out 
 to-day?" 
 
 " Yes, Sir ; I was riding for two hours." 
 " Have they altered your pillion yet ?" 
 " Yes, Sir ; it came home last night, and it is now 
 very comfortable." 
 
 " I called at Mrs. Carleton's, who is much better. 
 "What a fop that Mr. Carleton is I don't know what 
 scented powder he uses, but it perfumed the whole 
 room. Had not Mrs. Carleton been such an invalid, 
 I should have opened the window." 
 
 Mr. Trevannion then turned the conversation to 
 some political intelligence which he had just received, 
 and this engaged us till the dinner was over, and I re- 
 turned to the counting-house, where I found the men 
 who had brought in the prize, and who gave me a letter 
 from Philip, stating that his wound was of no conse- 
 quence. 
 
 The communication of Mr. Trevannion took place, 
 as his daughter had assured me it would, on the an- 
 niversary of my entering into Mr. Trevannion' s count- 
 ing-house. After dinner, as we, as usual, were smoking 
 our pipes, Mr. Trevannion said : " Elrington, you have 
 been with me now one year, and during that time you 
 have made yourself fully master of your business ; 
 much to my surprise, I acknowledge, but still more to 
 my satisfaction. That I have every reason to be satis- 
 fied with you, you may imagine, when I tell you that 
 it is now my intention to take you into partnership, 
 and I trust by my so doing that you will soon be an 
 independent man. You know the capital in the busi- 
 ness as well as I do. I did say an eighth, but I now
 
 ME. TBEYANNION'S OFFEE. 170 
 
 propose to make aver to you one-fourth, and to allcw 
 your profits of every year (deducting your necessary 
 expenses) to be invested in the business, until you 
 have acquired a right to one half. Of future arrange- 
 ments we will speak hereafter." 
 
 " Mr. Trevannion," replied I, " that I am truly 
 grateful for such unexpected liberality I hardly need 
 say, and you have my best thanks for your noble offer ; 
 but I have scruples which, I must confess, I cannot 
 get over." 
 
 " Scruples ! " exclaimed Mr. Trevannion, laying 
 down his pipe on the table. " Oh ! I see now," con- 
 tinued he, after a pause ; " you think I am robbing 
 my daughter. No, no, the labourer is worthy of his 
 hire, and she will have more than sufficient. You 
 carry your conscientiousness too far, my dear fellow ; 
 I have more than enough for Amy, out of the business 
 altogether." 
 
 " I am aware of that, Sir," added I, " and I did not, 
 therefore, refer to your daughter when I said that I 
 had scruples. I must be candid with you, Sir. How 
 is it that I am now in your employ ? " 
 
 "Why, because you had a dislike to privateering, 
 and I had a debt of gratitude to pay." 
 
 "Exactly, Sir; but whether you had been pleased 
 to employ me or not, I had made up my mind, as you 
 well know, from conscientious motives, not to continue 
 on board of a privateer." 
 
 " Well, I grant that." 
 
 " The same motives, Sir, will not allow me to be a 
 sharer in the profits arising from such sources. I 
 should consider myself equally wrong if I did so, as if 
 
 N 2
 
 180 THE PBITATEEBSMAN. 
 
 I remained on board. Do not be angry with me, Sir,'' 
 continued I ; "if I, with many thanks, decline your 
 offer of being your partner, I will faithfully serve you 
 upon any salary which you may consider I may merit, 
 and trust to your liberality in everything." 
 
 Mr. Trevannion made no reply ; he had resumed his 
 pipe, and continued to smoke it, with his eyes fixed 
 upon the mantel-piece. As soon as his pipe was out, 
 he rose, put on his hat, and walked out of the room, 
 Avithout making any further observation. I waited a 
 few minutes, and then went back to the counting- 
 house. 
 
 That Mr. Trevannion was seriously offended I was 
 convinced; but I valued the good opinion of his 
 daughter more than I did that of Mr. Trevannion ; in- 
 deed, my feelings towards her had, during the year 
 that I had been in the house, gradually become of that 
 nature that they threatened much my peace of mind. 
 I cannot say that I loved her in the usual acceptation of 
 the term, adoration would better express what I felt. 
 She was so pure, so perfect, such a model of female 
 perfection, that I looked up to her with a reverence 
 which almost quelled any feeling of love. I felt that 
 she was above me, and that, with her wealth, it would 
 be madness for one in my present position to aspire to 
 her. Yet with this feeling I would have sacrificed 
 all my hopes and present advantages to have obtained 
 her approving smiles. It is not, therefore, to be won- 
 dered at that I risked Mr. Trevannion' s displeasure to 
 gain her approbation ; and when I resumed my seat at 
 my desk, and thought of what had passed, I made up 
 my mind to be once more an outcast in the world
 
 ME. TBEVAinriON's OFFEB. 181 
 
 rather than swerve from the promise -which I had 
 made to her. I knew Mr. Trevannion to be a very 
 decided man, and hasty when offended. That he was 
 seriously offended with me there was no doubt. I 
 found that he had quitted the house immediately after 
 he had left the room. I had hoped that he had gone 
 to his daughter's apartments, and that a conversation 
 with her might have produced a good effect ; but such 
 was not the case. 
 
 In about half an hour Mr. Trevannion returned, and 
 as he walked into the back room adjoining the count- 
 ing-house, he desired me to follow him. I did so. 
 "Mr. Elrington," said he, sitting down, and leaving 
 me standing at the table, "I fear, after what has 
 passed, that we shall not continue on good terms. 
 You have reproached me, an old man, with carrying 
 on an unlawful business ; in short, in raising your own 
 scruples and talking of your own conscience, you have 
 implied that I am acting contrary to what conscience 
 should dictate. In short, you have told me, by impli- 
 cation, that I am not an honest man. You have 
 thrown back in my face my liberal offer. My wish to 
 oblige you has been treated not only with indifference, 
 but I may add with contumely ; and that merely be- 
 cause you have formed some absurd notions of right 
 and wrong in which you will find no one to agree with 
 you, except, perhaps, priests and women. I wish you 
 well, Mr. Elrington, nevertheless. I am truly sorry 
 for your infatuation, and wished to have served you, 
 but you will not be assisted by me." 
 
 Here Mr. Trevannion paused, but I made no reply. 
 After a time, wiping the perspiration from his fore-
 
 182 THE PBIVATEEBSMAtf. 
 
 head with his handkerchief, for he evidently was in a 
 state of great excitement, he continued : 
 
 "As you do not choose to join me from conscien- 
 tious scruples, I cannot but imagine that you do not 
 like to serve me from similar motives, for I see little 
 difference between the two (and here, Madam, there 
 was some force in his observation, but it never oo 
 curred to me before) ; at all events, without weighing 
 your scruples so exactly as to know how far they may 
 or may not extend, I feel that we are not likely to go 
 on pleasantly together. I shall always think that I am 
 reproached by you when anything is said connected 
 with the privateers, and you may have twinges of 
 conscience which may be disagreeable to you. Let us; 
 therefore, part quietly. For your services up to the 
 present, and to assist you in any other engagements 
 you may enter on, take this " 
 
 Mr. Trevannion opened a lower drawer of the table, 
 and put before me a bag containing, as I afterwards 
 discovered, 250 gold jacobuses. 
 
 "I wish you well, Mr. Elrington, but I sincerely 
 wish that we had never met." 
 
 Mr. Trevannion then rose abruptly, and, before I 
 could make my reply, brushed past me, went out at 
 the door, and again walked away at a rapid pace down 
 the street. I remained where I stood ; my eyes had 
 followed him as he went away. I was completely sur- 
 prised. I anticipated much anger, much altercation ; 
 but I never had an idea that he would be so unjust as to 
 throw off in this way one who for his sake had gone 
 through a heavy trial and come out with honour. My 
 heart was full of bitterness. I felt that Mr. Tre-
 
 IE ATE ME. TREVANNION. 183 
 
 vannion nad treated me with harshness and ingrati- 
 tude. 
 
 "Alas!" thought I, "such is the world, and such 
 will ever be the case with such imperfect heings as we 
 are. How vain to expect anything like consistency, 
 much less perfection, in our erring natures ! Hurt hut 
 the self-love of a man, wound his vanity, and all obli- 
 gations are forgotten." 
 
 I turned away from the bag of money, which I was 
 resolved not to accept, although I had not at the time 
 twenty guineas at my own disposal. It was now within 
 half an hour of dark ; I collected all my books, put 
 some in the iron safe, others as usual in my desk, and 
 having arranged everything as completely as I could, 
 I locked the safe, and enclosed the keys in a parcel, 
 which I sealed. Putting Mr. Trevaimion's name on 
 the outside, I laid the parcel on the table in the room 
 where we had had our conference, by the side of the 
 bag of money. 
 
 It was now dark, or nearly so, and leaving the con- 
 fidential porter, as usual, to shut up the house, I went 
 up to the sitting-room with the expectation of seeing 
 Miss Trevannion, and bidding her farewell. I was not 
 disappointed ; I found her at her netting, having just 
 lighted the lamp which hung over the table. 
 
 "Miss Trevannion," said I, advancing respectfully 
 towards her, " I have fulfilled my promise, and I have 
 received my reward" she looked up at me "which 
 is, I am dismissed from this house and your presence 
 for ever." 
 
 " I trust," said she, after a pause, " that you have 
 not exceeded my wishes. It appears to me so strange,
 
 184 THE PBIVATEETISMAN. 
 
 that I must think that such is the case. My father 
 never could have dismissed you in this way for merely 
 expressing an opinion, Mr. Elrington. You must have 
 gone too far." 
 
 " Miss Trevannion, when you meet your father, you 
 can then ascertain whether I have been guilty of in- 
 temperance or rudeness, or a proper want of respect 
 in making the communication, which I did in exactly 
 the manner you yourself proposed, and my reward has 
 been such as I state." 
 
 " Tou have a better reward, Mr. Elrington, if what 
 you assert is really correct ; you have the reward of 
 having done your duty ; but 'I cannot imagine that 
 your dismissal has arisen from the mere expression of 
 an opinion. You'll excuse me, Mr. Elrington, that, as 
 a daughter, I cannot, in justice to a much-respected 
 father, believe that such is the case." 
 
 This was said in so cold a manner, that I was nettled 
 to the highest degree. Miss Trevannion had promised 
 me her gratitude, instead of which I felt that she was 
 doubting my word, and, as it were, taking the side of 
 her father against me. And this was the return from 
 her. I could have upbraided her, and told her what I 
 felt ; namely, that she had taken advantage of my feel- 
 ings towards her to make me a cat's-paw to obtain her 
 end with her father ; and that now, having failed, I 
 was left to my fate, without even commiseration ; but 
 she looked so calm, so grave, and so beautiful, that I 
 could not do it. I commanded my wounded feelings, 
 and replied : 
 
 " Since I have the misfortune to meet the displea- 
 sure of the daughter as well as of the father, Misa
 
 MISS TEE VAJTNI UN'S COLDNESS. 185 
 
 Trevannion, I have not another word to say, but fare- 
 well, and may you prosper." 
 
 My voice faltered as I said the last words, and, bow- 
 ing to her, I quitted the room. Miss Trevannion did 
 not even say farewell to me, but I thought that her 
 lips appeared to move, as quitting the room I took my 
 last look upon her beautiful face. I shut the door after 
 me, and, overpowered by my feelings, I sank upon a 
 settee in the ante-room, in a state of giddy stupor. I 
 know not how long I remained there, for my head 
 turned and my senses reeled ; but I was aroused from 
 it by the heavy tread of Mr. Trevannion, who came 
 along the corridor without a light, and not perceiving 
 me opened the door of the sitting-room where his 
 daughter still remained. He threw the door to after 
 he had entered, but it did not quite close, leaving a 
 narrow stream of light through the ante-room. 
 
 "Father," said Miss Trevannion in my hearing, 
 "you look warm and excited." 
 
 "I have reason so to be," replied Mr. Trevannion, 
 abruptly. 
 
 "I have heard from Mr. Elrington the cause of it," 
 replied Miss Trevannion ; " that is, I have heard his 
 version of it. I am glad that you have come back, as 
 I am most anxious to hear yours. What has Mr. 
 Elrington said or done to cause such irritation and 
 his dismissal?" 
 
 " He has behaved with insolence and ingratitude," 
 replied Mr. Trevannion ; " I oifered him partnership, 
 and he refused, unless I would give up privateering." 
 
 " So he stated ; but in what manner was he insolent 
 fco you?" 
 
 " Insolent ! told me that he acted from conscien-
 
 ISO THE PEIVATEERSMAS 
 
 tious motives, which was as much as to Bay that I clid 
 not." 
 
 " "Was his language very offensive ?" 
 
 " No, not his language that was respectful enough ; 
 but it was the very respect which made it insolent. So 
 I told him that as he could not, from scruples of con- 
 science, join me in privateering, of course his scruples 
 of conscience could not allow him to keep the books, 
 and I dismissed him." 
 
 " Do you mean to say, my dear father, that he, in a 
 respectful manner, declined entering into partnership 
 from these scruples which you mention ; that he gave 
 you no other offence than expressing his opinion, and 
 declining your offer ?" 
 
 "And what would you have more?" replied Mr. 
 Trevannion. 
 
 " I wish to know where was the insult, the ingrati- 
 tude, on his part which you complain of?" 
 
 " Simply in refusing the offer. He ought to have 
 felt grateful," and he was not ; and he had no right to 
 give such reasons as he did ; for the reasons were con- 
 demning my actions. But you women cannot under- 
 stand these things." 
 
 " I rather think, my dear father, that we cannot ; 
 for I cannot perceive either the insult or the ingrati- 
 tude which you complain of, and such I think will be 
 your own opinion when you have had time to reflect, 
 and are more cool. Mr. Elrington expressed nothing 
 more to-day, when he stated his dislike to privateering 
 from conscientious motives, than he did after his return 
 from his confinement in the Tower, when he gave up 
 the command of the privateer on those very grounds ; 
 and then, when still warm with gratitude to him for
 
 WKAT I OTERHEAB. 187 
 
 his self-devotion, you did not consider it an insult, but, 
 on the contrary, took him still nearer to you into your 
 own house. Why, then, should you consider it an in- 
 sult now ? Neither can I see any ingratitude. Tou 
 made him an offer, the value of which, in a worldly 
 point of view, he could not but appreciate, and he 
 declined it from conscientious motives ; declined it, as 
 you acknowledge, respectfully ; proving that he was 
 ready to sacrifice his worldly interests to what he con- 
 sidered his duty as a Christian. When Mr. Elrington 
 told me that you had dismissed him, I felt so certain 
 that he must have been guilty of some unpardonable 
 conduct towards you to have induced you to have re- 
 sorted to such a step, that I did not credit him when 
 he asserted the contrary. I could not believe, as a 
 daughter, anything so much to the prejudice of my 
 own father, and so much at variance with his general 
 conduct. I now feel that I have been most unjust to 
 Mr. Elrington, and conducted myself towards him in 
 a way which I bitterly regret, and hope by some 
 means to be able to express my contrition for " 
 
 "Amy Amy," said Mr. Trevannion, severely, "are 
 you blinded by regard for this young man, that you 
 side against your own father ? Am I to understand 
 that you have given your affections without my sanc- 
 tion or approval ? ' ' 
 
 "No, Sir," replied Miss Trevannion ; "that I do re- 
 spect and regard Mr. Elrington is true, and I cannot 
 do otherwise for his many good qualities and his devo- 
 tion towards you ; but if you would ask me if I love 
 nim, I reply that such a thought has not yet entered 
 my head. Without a knowledge of who he is, or hifi
 
 188 THE PBIVATEEBUMAK. 
 
 family, and without your approval, I should never 
 think of yielding up my affections in so hasty a man- 
 ner ; but I may say more : these affections have never 
 been solicited by Mr. Elrington. He has always 
 behaved towards me with that respect, which, as the 
 daughter of his patron, I have had a right to expect ; 
 but in no instance has he ever signified to me that he 
 had any preference in my favour. Having assured you 
 of this, my dear father, I cannot but say that I con- 
 sider that he has, in this instance, not only been treat- 
 ed with injustice by you, but also by me." 
 
 " Say no more," replied Mr. Trevannion. As he 
 said this, I heard footsteps in the passage, and was 
 about to retreat to my own room ; but, as the party 
 came without a light, I remained. It was the porter, 
 who knocked at the sitting-room door, and was re- 
 quested to come in by Mr. Trevannion. 
 
 " If you please, Sir, Mr. Elrington is gone out, I 
 believe, and I found this packet directed to you on the 
 table of the inner room, and also this bag of money, 
 which I suppose you forgot to put away before you 
 left." 
 
 " Very well, Humphrey, leave them on the table." 
 
 The man did so, and quitted the room, not perceiving 
 me in the dark as he passed through the ante-room. 
 
 " He has not taken the money,' ' observed Mr. Tre- 
 vannion. " He might have done so, as he ought tc 
 be paid for his services." 
 
 " I presume, my dear father, that his feelings were 
 too much hurt by what passed," said Miss Trevanniou. 
 " There are obligations which cannot be repaid witL 
 gold."
 
 WHAT I OVEBHEAB. 189 
 
 " These, I perceive, are the keys of the safe , I did 
 not think that he would have gone away this night " 
 
 I now considered it high time to quit the ante-room, 
 where I had beeu irresistibly detained by the con- 
 versation which took place. J hastened to my own 
 chamber, determined that I would leave the house 
 the next morning before any one was stirring. I gained, 
 it in the dark, but, having the means of striking a 
 light, I did so, and packed up all my clothes ready for 
 my departure. I had just fastened down my valise, 
 when I perceived a light on the further end of the 
 long corridor which led to my apartment. Thinking 
 it might be Mr. Trevannion, and not wishing to see 
 him, I blew out my own light and retreated to a small 
 dressing-room, within my chamber, communicating by 
 a glass door. The light evidently approached, and at 
 last I perceived the party was entering my room, the 
 door of which was wide open. It was Miss Trevan- 
 niou who entered, and, turning round with her cham- 
 ber-light in her hand, appeared to survey the apart- 
 ment with a mournful air. She perceived my valise, 
 and her eyes were fixed upon it for some time ; at last 
 she walked up to the dressing-table, and, sitting on 
 the stool before it, leant down her head upon her 
 hands and wept. 
 
 "Alas!" thought I, "if those tears were but for 
 me ; but it is not so she has been excited, and her 
 tears have come to her relief." 
 
 After a time she raised her head from the table, and 
 said, " How unjust have 1 been and I shall see him 
 no more ! if I could but beg his pardon, I should be 
 more happy. Poor fellow I what must ho have felt
 
 190 THE PBIVATEEKSMAJT. 
 
 at tOij harsh bearing. Oh ! my father, 1 could not 
 have believed it. And what did I say ? that I had 
 no feeling for well, I thought so at the time, but now 
 I am not quite sure that I was correct, though he 
 well, it's better that he's gone but I cannot bear that 
 he should have gone as he has done. How his opinion 
 of me must have changed ! That is what vexes me " 
 and again she bent her head down on the table and wept. 
 
 In a moment she again rose, and took her candle in 
 her hand. Perceiving on the dressing-table a small 
 gold ling which I had taken off my finger the day be- 
 fore, and had forgotten, she took it up and examined 
 it. After a little while she laid her light down on the 
 table, and put the ring upon her finger. 
 
 " I will keep it till I see him again," murmured she; 
 and then taking her light she walked slowly out of the 
 room. 
 
 The knowledge I had gained by this unintentional 
 eaves-dropping on my part, was the source of much 
 reflection ; and as I lay on the bed without taking off 
 ray clothes, it occupied my thoughts till the day began 
 to break. That I still retained the good opinion of 
 Miss Trevannion was certain, and the mortification I 
 had endured at our final interview was now wholly re- 
 moved. It was her duty to suppose her parent not in 
 fault till the contrary was proved. She had known 
 her father for years me she had only known for a 
 short time and never before had she known him guilty 
 of injustice. But her expressions and her behaviour 
 in my room was it possible that she was partial to me, 
 more partial than she had asserted to her father when 
 sb3 was questioned? and her taking away the ring !
 
 MY 8EWTIMEXT8 TOWABDS MISS TEEVANNION. 191 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 A Conspiracy, vhich ends satisfactorily to all Parties Prirateer-* 
 ing is abandoned, and Captain Levee and Philip serve the King. 
 
 THE night passed away in attempts at analyzing the 
 real feelings of Miss Trevannion, and also my own to- 
 wards her ; and now that I was to be separated from 
 her, I discovered what I really had not before imagin- 
 ed, that my future happiness was seriously endangered 
 by my sentiments towards her ; in short, dear Madam, 
 that I was most seriously in love. 
 
 " And now," thought I, " of what avail is it to have 
 made this discovery now, except it were to convince 
 me, as Miss Trevannion had said, that it were better 
 that I were gone." 
 
 I did not fail to call to mind her observation about 
 my unknown parentage and family, and this I reflected 
 upon with pleasure, as it was the chief objection raised 
 by her, and, at the same time, one that I could proudly 
 remove, from my birth being really more distinguished 
 than her own. Should I make it known ? How could 
 I ? we should, probably, never meet again. All this, 
 and much more, was canvassed in my mind during the 
 night, and also another question of more real import- 
 ance, which was, what I was to do, and where I was to
 
 192 THE 
 
 go ? On this last point I could not make up my mind, 
 but I determined ihat I would not leave Liverpool for 
 a day or two, but would take up my quarters at my 
 old lodgings, where I had lived with Captain Levee. 
 
 As the day dawned, I rose from the bed, and, taking 
 my valise on my shoulder, I went softly down-stairs, 
 opened the street door, and, shutting it again carefully, 
 I hastened down the street as fast as I could. I met 
 nobody, for it was still early, and arrived at the lodg- 
 ing-house, where I had some trouble to obtain admit- 
 tance ; the old lady at last opening the door in great 
 dishabille. 
 
 " Captain Elrington! is it possible," exclaimed she, 
 " why, what's the matter ? " 
 
 "Nothing, Madam," replied I, "but that I have 
 come to take possession of your lodgings for a few 
 days." 
 
 "And welcome, Sir," replied she; "will you walk 
 up-stairs while I make myself more fit to be seen. I 
 was in bed and fast asleep when you knocked ; I do be- 
 lieve I was dreaming of my good friend, Captain Levee," 
 
 I went up-stairs and threw myself on the old settee 
 which was so familiar to me, and somehow or another, 
 in a few minutes I was in a sound sleep. How long I 
 might have slept on I cannot tell, but in less than an 
 hour I was waked up by loud talking and laughter, 
 and a few seconds afterwards found myself embraced 
 by ray brother Philip and Captain Levee. The Arrow 
 had anchored at break of day, and they had just come 
 on shore. I was delighted to see them, as every one 
 is when he meets with friends when he is in distress. 
 I briefly stated how it was that they found me there^
 
 A CONSPIRACY. 198 
 
 and when breakfast was on the table, I entered into 
 full details of what had passed, with the exception 01 
 Miss Trevannion having entered my room that I con- 
 sidered too sacred to repeat to any one. 
 
 " You know, my dear Elrington," said Captain Le- 
 vee, "that I have not the scruples which you have 
 relative to privateering, but still I respect the con- 
 scientious scruples of others. There is no excuse for 
 Mr. Trevannion' s conduct, and I cannot think but 
 there is something else at the bottom of all this. You 
 haven't been making love to his daughter, or, what 
 would amount to the same thing, she has not been 
 making advances to you ? " 
 
 " I have not dared the first, Levee, and you do not 
 know her, to suppose her capable of the latter." 
 
 " "Well, if she had done so, there would have been 
 no harm done," replied he; " but I will say no more 
 as you look so grave. Philip and I will now call upon 
 Mr. Trevannion, and while I engage the old gentleman, 
 Philip shall run alongside of the young maiden, and 
 between the two we shall get our bearings and distance, 
 and know how the land lies and I will tell you more, 
 Elrington, although I have no objection to be captain 
 of a privateer, I certainly consider the command of a 
 king's ship more reputable ; and if I could manage to 
 get the Arrow hired into the king's service (I still re- 
 maining in command of her), I should prefer it being 
 so. At all events, I'll side with you, and that will 
 drive the old gentleman on a dead lee-shore. Come 
 along Philip we shall be with you in two hours. 
 Elrington." With these words Captain Levee left the 
 room, followed by my brother.
 
 194 THE PRIYATEEBSMAW. 
 
 It was nearly three hours before they returned, and 
 then I received the following narratives : Captain Le- 
 vee, as he sat down, said, "Now, Philip, we '11 hear your 
 account first." 
 
 "Well, mine is soon told," replied Philip; "I had 
 made up my mind how to act, and did not tell Captain 
 Levee what I intended to do. "When Mr. Trevannion 
 met us in the room behind the counting-house he ap- 
 peared very much flurried : he shook hands with Cap- 
 tain Levee, and offered me his hand, which I refused, 
 saying, ' Mr. Trevannion, I have just seen my brother, 
 and 1 hardly need say that nothing will induce me to 
 remain in your employ. I will, therefore, thank you 
 for my wages at your convenience.' 
 
 " ' Hey-day, young man,' cried he, ' you give yourself 
 strange airs. Well, Sir, you shall have your discharge; 
 I can do without such snip-jacks as you are.' 
 
 " ' Snip-jacks ! Mr. Trevannion,' replied I ; ' if I 
 must say it, we are better born and better bred than 
 you or any of your connexions, and you were honoured 
 by our service.' " 
 
 " You said that, Philip ? then you were wrong." 
 
 " 1 told the truth." 
 
 " Still, you should not have said it ; we took his ser- 
 vice, and therefore " 
 
 "We are not snip-jacks," interrupted Philip, "and 
 his calling names brought on the reply." 
 
 " Tou must admit the provocation, Eirington," said 
 Captain Levee. 
 
 " Well, go on, Philip." 
 
 " ' Indeed,' said Mr. Trevannion, in a great passion; 
 well, then, I will soon rid myself of the obligation.
 
 195 
 
 Call this afternoon, Master Philip, and you shall re- 
 ceive your wages. You may now quit the room.' 
 
 " I did so, and put my hat a-cock to annoy him." 
 
 " So far his narrative is quite correct," said Captain 
 Levee ; " now go on." 
 
 " Well," said Philip, " instead of turning out of the 
 house, I turned into it, and went to the young lady's 
 sitting-room. I opened the door softly, and found her 
 with her hand up to her head, looking very sedate and 
 sorrowful. ' Master Philip,' said she, ' you startled 
 me ; I am glad to see you when did you arrive ? ' 
 
 " ' This morning, Miss Trevannion.' 
 
 " ' "Well, sit down and bear me company for a time. 
 Have you seen your brother ? ' 
 
 " ' I have, Miss Trevanniou,' replied I, still remain- 
 ing on my feet, ' and I have just seen your father. I 
 come now to bid you farewell. I have left the priva- 
 teer, and shall never join her again ; perhaps I may 
 never see you again either, which, believe me, I am 
 truly sorry for.' 
 
 " She covered her eyes with her hand, as she leant 
 on the table, and I saw a tear fall as she said 
 
 " ' It is a sad business altogether, and has distressed 
 me very much. I hope your brother does not think 
 that I blame him ; tail him that I do not in the least, 
 and that he must forget my behaviour to him when we 
 parted. I did him injustice, and I beg his pardon- 
 Tell him so, Philip.' " 
 
 "Did she say those words, Philip ? " 
 
 " Yes, word for word, and looked like an angel when 
 ehe said so. I replied that I would certainly deliver 
 her message, but that I must not remain, for fear of 
 o 2
 
 196 THE PBIVATEER8MAJT. 
 
 Mr. Trevannion finding me with her, as he ordered me 
 to quit the house. 
 
 " ' Indeed,' said she ; ' what can be the matter with 
 my poor father ? ' 
 
 "'Why, Miss Trevannion,' said I, 'he was very 
 angry, and he had reason, for I was very saucy, and 
 that's the truth.' 
 
 " ' "Why, Philip, what did you say to him ? ' 
 
 " ' Oh, I hardly know,' replied I, ' but I know that 
 I said more than I ought ; for I was very angry at my 
 brother's dismissal. Good bye, Miss Trevannion.' 
 
 " Miss Trevannion was taking a ring off her finger 
 as I said good bye, and I thought she was going to 
 give it me as a keepsake ; but, after a little hesitation, 
 she put it on again, and then held out her hand, saying, 
 ' Good bye, Master Philip, let us not part in anger, at 
 all events.' I took her hand, bowed, and turned away 
 to quit the room ; when I was at the door I looked 
 round, and she was sitting with her face in her handa 
 and I think she was weeping. I went out into the 
 street, and waited for Captain Levee, and there's an 
 end of my story." 
 
 ""Well, now I '11 give you my portion, Elrington. Aa 
 soon as Philip went out of the room, Mr. Trevannion 
 said, ' That's a most impudent boy, and I am glad that 
 he is gone. You are of course aware that his bro- 
 ther has left me, and the cause of our disagreement ?" 
 
 " ' Yes, Sir,' replied I, drily, ' I have heard the whole 
 particulars.' 
 
 " ' Did. you ever hear of such ridiculous scruples ? ' 
 said he. 
 
 "'Yes, Sir, I heard them before, and so did you,
 
 LEVEE RESIGNS HIS COMMAND. 197 
 
 when lie gave up the command of the privateer, and I 
 respected them, because I knew that Mr. Elrington 
 was sincere. Indeed, his observations on that head are 
 undeniably true, and have had great weight with me ; 
 BO much so, that I intend to enter into the king's ser- 
 vice as soon as I possibly can.' 
 
 " I wish you had seen the look of Mr. Trevannion 
 when I said this he was stupified. That I, Captain 
 Levee, who had commanded his vessels so long I, the 
 very beau ideal of a privateersman, a reckless, extrava- 
 gant dare-devil, should also presume to have scruples, 
 was too much for him. ' Et tu, Brute,' he might have 
 exclaimed, but he did not ; but he stared at me with- 
 out speaking for some time ; at last he said, ' Is the 
 golden age arrived, or is this a conspiracy ? ' 
 
 " ' Neither one nor the other, Sir,' I replied ; ' I fol- 
 low privateering because I can do no better ; but as 
 soon as I can do better, I shall leave it off.' 
 
 " ' Perhaps,' said Mr. Trevannion, ' you would wish 
 to resign the command at once. If so, I beg you will 
 not make any ceremony.' 
 
 " ' I have not wished to put you to any inconvenience, 
 Mr. Trevannion,' replied I, ' but as you kindly beg me 
 to use no ceremony, I will take advantage of your of- 
 fer, and resign the command of the Arrow this day,' * 
 
 " Surely, Levee, you have not done so ?" 
 
 " Yes, I have," replied Captain Levee, " and I have 
 done so, in the first place, out of friendship to you, 
 and, in the second, because I wish to be employed in 
 the king's service, and my only chance of obtaining 
 that wish is doing what I have done." 
 
 " How will that effect your purpose ?'*
 
 108 THE PBIVATEEBSltAN. 
 
 " Because the men have sailed so long with me, that 
 they will not sail under any other person, if I tell them 
 not. Mr. Trevannion will find himself in an awkward 
 position, and I think we can force him to hire his ves- 
 sel to government, who will gladly accept such a one 
 as the Arrow." 
 
 "That I believe, if from her reputation alone," re- 
 plied I. " "Well, Levee, I thank you very much for 
 this proof of sincere friendship. The plot thickens, 
 and a few days will decide the question." 
 
 " Very true, and now let me finish my story. ' I am 
 afraid,' said Mr. Trevannion, in a very sarcastic tone, 
 ' that I shall not be able to find any one to replace you 
 in this moral age, Captain Levee ; but I will try.' 
 
 " ' Sir,' I replied, ' I will now answer your sarcasm. 
 There is some excuse for ignorant seamen before the 
 mast, who enter on board of privateers ; they are in- 
 different to blood and carnage, and their feelings are 
 blunted : there is some excuse even for decayed gentle- 
 men like me, Mr. Trevannion (for I am a gentleman 
 born), who, to obtain a maintenance without labour, 
 risk their lives and shed their blood ; but there is no ex- 
 cuse for those who, having already as much wealth and 
 more than they can require, still furnish the means 
 and equip vessels of this description to commit the de- 
 struction which they do, for the sake of gain. There 
 is a sermon, Sir, for you from a captain of a privateer, 
 and I now wish you good morning.' I then got up, 
 and, making a profound bow, I quitted the room be- 
 fore Mr. Trevannion made any reply, and here I am. 
 Now all we have to do is to wait quietly, and see what 
 takes place ; but first, I ohall go on board the Arrow
 
 CONSIDEUATIOS. 109 
 
 and let them know that I have quarrelled wivh the 
 owner. The men are not very well pleased a^ it is 
 with their want of success these two last voyages, and 
 it will require but little to blow up the discontent into 
 a mutiny. Come, Philip, I shall want you to assist 
 me. We shall be back to dinner, Elrington." 
 
 When I was again alone, I had time to consider 
 what had passed. "What I chiefly dwelt upon was the 
 interview between Philip and Miss Trevannion her 
 message to me her hesitation and keeping the ring. 
 I could not help surmising that our feelings towards 
 each other were reciprocal, and this idea gave me infi- 
 nite delight, and repaid me for all that had passed. 
 Then my brother's hasty declaration to her father, that 
 we were better born and bred than he was, would cer- 
 tainly be repeated by him to his daughter, and must 
 make an impression. And what would Mr. Trevan- 
 nion do ? "Would he give way to the unanimous 
 opinion against him ? I feared not, at least without 
 another struggle. All these questions occupied my 
 thoughts till the return of Captain Levee and Philip 
 from the privateer. They had well managed their 
 business. The crew of the Arrow had come to an 
 unanimous resolution that they would not -sail with 
 any other captain but Captain Levee ; and that if he 
 did resign the command of the vessel, as soon as their 
 wages were paid, and they received their share of 
 prize-money, they would leave, and enter into the 
 king's service. 
 
 That afternoon Mr. Trevannion sent for the officer 
 next in command, to give him the command of the vessel; 
 but as he went over the side, the men, expecting that
 
 200 THE PBITATEEBBMAN. 
 
 he was sent for for that purpose, told him that they 
 would serve under no one but Captain Levee, and that 
 he might acquaint the owner with their determination. 
 This put the finishing blow to Mr. Trevannion. As 
 soon as this was communicated to him, he was wild 
 with rage in being thus thwarted in every way. As I 
 afterwards was informed, he went even to his daughter, 
 acquainted her with all that had passed, and gave vent 
 to his indignation, accusing her of being a party in the 
 conspiracy. But this was to be his last effort: the 
 excitement had been too great, and after dinner he felt 
 so unwell that he went to bed. The next morning he 
 was in a raging fever, and at times delirious. The 
 fever was so violent that the doctors had much to do 
 to reduce it, and for ten days Mr. Trevannion was in 
 great danger. At last it was got under, leaving him 
 in a state of great weakness and exhaustion, and his 
 recovery was anything but rapid. Humphrey, the 
 porter, had brought us this intelligence ; as now 
 there was no one to transact the business of the house, 
 and the poor fellow did not know what to do, I de- 
 sired him to apply to Miss Trevannion for directions, 
 and told him that, although I would not enter the 
 house, I would, if she wished it, see to the more im- 
 portant concerns which could not be neglected. She 
 was then attending her father, and sent me a message, 
 requesting, as a favour to her, that I would assist all 
 I could in the dilemma. I consequently sent for the 
 books, and gave orders, and made the necessary ar- 
 rangements, as I had done before I had been dismissed 
 by Mr. Trevannion. 
 
 It was nearly five weeks before Mr. Trevanaion had
 
 ME. TUEYANNION'S ILLNESS. 201 
 
 sufficiently recovered to mention anything about busi- 
 ness to him, and then it was that he learnt from his 
 daughter that I had carried it on for him during his ill- 
 ness, and that everything had gone on as well as if he 
 had acted for himself. Although Miss Trevannion had 
 not expressed a wish that I should call, she had sent 
 Humphrey for my brother Philip, to let us know the 
 dangerous state in which her father was, and after that 
 Philip called every day, and was the bearer of messages 
 to me. As her father recovered, she told Philip that 
 he had expressed himself very strongly as to his con- 
 duct towards me, and had acknowledged that I was 
 right in my scruples, and that he was astonished that 
 he had not viewed privateering in the same light that 
 I did. That he felt very grateful for my considerate 
 and kind conduct in conducting the business during 
 his illness, and that as soon as he was well enough he 
 would call upon me, to beg my pardon for his conduct 
 towards me. Miss Trevannion also told him that her 
 father had said that he considered his illness a judg- 
 ment upon him, and a warning to open his eyes to his 
 sacrifice of principle to the desire of gain, and that he 
 received it accordingly with humility and thankfulness ; 
 that it was his intention to offer the privateer vessels to 
 government, and if they did not hire them, he should 
 dispose of them in some other way. This was very 
 agreeable intelligence, and was the source of much con- 
 versation between Captain Levee and me. 
 
 About a fortnight afterwards, Mr. Trevannion, who 
 was still weak, sent me a billet, in which he said that 
 he was afraid that his anxiety to see me and his being 
 still confined to his room, rather retarded his recovery,
 
 202 THE PBIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 and begged as a favour that I "would accept his acknow- 
 ledgment in writing, and come to see him. That I 
 consented to do, and repaired to his house accordingly. 
 I found him in his room, sitting in his dressing-gown, 
 and he had evidently suffered much. 
 
 "Mr. Elrington," said he, "I trust to your excellent 
 nature to accept my apologies for the very unjust treat- 
 ment you have received at my hands. I am ashamed 
 of myself, and I can say no more." 
 
 " I beg, Mr. Trevannion, that you will say no more ; 
 I accept the return of your friendship with pleasure," 
 replied I ; " I am sorry that you have been so ill." 
 
 "I am not," replied he; "it is good for us to be 
 chastised at times. My sickness has opened my eyes, 
 and made me, I trust, a better man. May I ask a fa- 
 vour of you ? ' ' 
 
 "Most certainly, Sir," replied I. 
 
 "It is that you will execute a commission for me, 
 which is to go to London on my account, see the go- 
 vernment people who control the naval affairs, and offer 
 the Arrow as a hired vessel. You know all her qualities 
 so well, and have kept her accounts so long, that you 
 will be able to furnish them with all necessary inform- 
 ation. I should wish Captain Levee to go with you, 
 and, if you possibly can, make it a condition that he is 
 taken into the king's service, and appointed the captain 
 of her." 
 
 " I will do so with pleasure," replied I. 
 
 " One more favour I have to beg, Mr. Elrington. 
 When I 39 foolishly quarrelled with you, you left a bag 
 of money, to which you were fully entitled from ycur 
 good services, upon the table in the inner room. I
 
 MR. TREYANNION'S ILLNESS. 203 
 
 trast now that you will not mortify me by refusing it, 
 or I shall think that you have not really forgiven me.'* 
 
 I bowed assent. 
 
 "I thank you, Mr. Elrington thank you very much. 
 Now I shall soon get well. To-morrow, perhaps, you 
 will have the kindness to come and see me again. I 
 feel rather overcome at present. Remember me kindly 
 to Philip. Good-bye for to-day," said Mr. Trevannion 
 holding out his emaciated hand. " God bless you." 
 
 I took his hand and quitted the room, shutting the 
 door softly. Mr. Trevannion was quite alone when I 
 was with him. Humphrey, the porter, had shown me 
 up-stairs to the room. 
 
 Anxious as I was to see Miss Trevannion, I did not 
 venture into the sitting-room, but passed the door and 
 went down-stairs ; when I was going out of the street 
 door, Humphrey followed me, and said Miss Trevan- 
 nion wished to see me. I went back again with a 
 beating heart, a sensation I had not felt before, when 
 about to go into her presence. She was standing by 
 the table. 
 
 " Mr. Elrington," said she, as I bowed upon enter- 
 ing, " I did not think that you could carry your resent- 
 ment against me so far as to leave the house without 
 asking to see me ; but if you do not wish to see me, 
 'tis a duty I owe to myself to wish to see you, if only 
 for a moment, that I may beg your pardon for my 
 conduct towards you when we last parted. I have 
 suffered much since that, Mr. Elrington ; do not make 
 me suffer more by continuing your resentment. He- 
 collect I am but a weak woman, and must not be 
 judged so severely as one of your own sex."
 
 204 THE PRIVATEKR8MAN. 
 
 " I hare nothing to pardon that I am aware of, Miss 
 Trevannion," replied I; "I did not intrude upon you 
 just now, because being no longer an inmate of the 
 house, and not having parted with you in complete 
 amity, I thought it would be presumptuous in me so to 
 do." 
 
 "You are very generous, Mr. Elrington," replied 
 she ; " now take my hand, and I promise never to bo 
 so hasty again." 
 
 I took the proffered hand, and raised it respectfully 
 to my lips. I had never done so before; but Miss 
 Trevannion showed no signs of displeasure, or attempt- 
 ed to withdraw it. 
 
 " Do you think my father looks very ill, Mr. Elring- 
 ton ? " said she. 
 
 " From his appearance, I think that he must have 
 suffered much." 
 
 "I am most thankful that you have come to see 
 him, Mr. Elrington. You have no idea how his mind 
 was troubled, and how he longed to be reconciled to 
 you. I trust he has made his peace." 
 
 "I have always had too much respect for your fa- 
 ther, and gratitude for his kindness to me, to have 
 made that a work of difficulty." 
 
 " You rejoice me much make me very happy, Mr. 
 Elrington," replied Miss Trevannion, as the tears 
 dropped fast from her eyes. " You must excuse me," 
 said she ; "I have become very weak and nervous 
 during my father's illness and sitting up with him so 
 much, but it is over now." 
 
 "You have had much anxiety, I see, Miss Trevan- 
 nion ; you are pale and thin to what you were."
 
 INTERVIEW -WITH MISS TEEA'ANNION. 206 
 
 " Did my father ? but I have no right to ask sucli 
 questions." 
 
 " You would inquire, Miss Trevannion, whether any- 
 thing was said as to future arrangements ? " 
 
 Miss Trevannion made a sign of assent. 
 
 " I have promised to execute a commission for 
 him, and am going to London, accompanied by Captain 
 Levee." 
 
 " To get rid of those wretched privateers, is it not ? " 
 
 " Yes it is, and I am to come to-morrow to arrange 
 further : but I think you want to return to your 
 father's room, so I will now take my leave." 
 
 " You are considerate, Mr. Elrington ; I did want to 
 go up-stairs ; but before I go I have some property of 
 yours to place in your hands." 
 
 I bowed, thinking that she referred to the ring, 
 which I perceived on her finger, and was annoyed that 
 she was in such haste to return it. But, on the con- 
 trary, she went to the buffet and brought out the bag 
 of gold jacobuses, which she laid on the table. 
 
 " You are very proud, Mr. Elrington, not to take 
 what was fairly your due," said Miss Trevannion, 
 smiling. 
 
 "It is much more than I have ever earned," replied 
 I ; " but your father made me promise not to refuse it 
 a second time, and of course I shall now take it." 
 
 My heart was much lightened when I found that it 
 was the gold, and not the ring. 
 
 " Then good-bye, Mr. Elrington ; to-morrow I shall 
 gee you, of course," 
 
 Miss Trevannion then left the room and hastened 
 up-stairs to her father, and 1 went home to my lodg-
 
 20G THE PEIVATEEHSMAIT. 
 
 ings. I narrated the substance of what had passed be- 
 tween Mr. Trevannion and me to Captain Levee and 
 Philip, and also that I had been kindly received by 
 Miss Trevannion. 
 
 " "Well, I like the reconciliation and arrangement 
 very much," said Captain Levee; "and as you have 
 such a bag of gold, and I have not fifty guineas in the 
 world, you shall stand treat in London, Elrington." 
 
 " That I will with pleasure ; it will only be dis- 
 charging an old debt, Levee. Philip shall go with us." 
 
 " But " said Captain Levee, " do you not think they 
 will recognise their state prisoner, and be cautious of 
 a Jacobite?" 
 
 "They may remember the name," said I, "but my 
 person was seen but by few. I do, however, think it 
 would be advisable, as I shall have to sign papers, to 
 take another." 
 
 "I think so, too," replied Captain Levee; "what 
 shall we call you?" 
 
 " Let me see ; I'll have a good name. I had a re- 
 lative of the name of Musgrave ; I think I will borrow 
 his name. "What say you, Philip ? "Will you be, for 
 the future, Philip Musgrave ?" 
 
 " Yes, brother, with all my heart. The name ap- 
 pears to fit me better than that of Elrington." 
 
 Thus, Madam, did I resume my real name without 
 any suspicion on the part of Captain Levee ; but I 
 could not well sign government papers with an as- 
 sumed one. 
 
 On the following day I called upon Mr. Trevannion, 
 who received me with great affection, and it was ar- 
 ranged that I should set off :n three days, which tiiae
 
 ME. TREYANNION'S COMMISSION. 207 
 
 would be required for preparation, and to make the 
 necessary purchases. To supply funds for the journey, 
 Mr. Trevannion gave me another bag of jacobuses, of 
 the same amount as the former, saying that he wished 
 us to appear bravely when we arrived in London, and 
 that he should require no account of the expenditure, 
 only that if the contents of the bag were not sufficient, 
 he would supply more. This was nothing more but an 
 excuse on his part to be generous ; for one quarter of 
 the money would have been sufficient for all needful 
 expenses. I told him that I had taken the name of 
 Musgrave, as that of Elrington might be remembered 
 to the injury of the proposal, and he said that it was 
 well thought of by me. Miss Trevannion had entered 
 the room when I mentioned that to her father, and 
 afterwards had quitted it. After I had taken leave of 
 Mr. Trevannion, I went down to the sitting-room, 
 where I found his daughter waiting for me. We had 
 much friendly discourse, and at one time she said, " I 
 heard you say that you had taken the name of Musgrave 
 for your intended journey. Do you intend to retain 
 that name when you return ?" 
 
 "Why should I ?" replied I. 
 
 "Because," replied she, "perhaps it is your real 
 name. Excuse a lady's curiosity, but is not that the 
 fact?" 
 
 "Miss Trevannion," replied I, "my real name must 
 at present remain a secret." 
 
 "That is to say, it will no longer be a secret if in- 
 trusted to me ? I thank you, Sir, for the compliment. ' 
 
 " I do not intend to imply that, Miss Trevannion ; J 
 fully believe tha/: you can keep a secret."
 
 208 THE PEIVATJ5ERSMAN. 
 
 "If you fully believe so, you might, then, reply to 
 my question ; the more so, as I now pledge myself to 
 keep your secret most faithfully." 
 
 "Then, Miss Trevannion, my real name is Musgrave," 
 replied I. 
 
 "I thank you for your confidence, Mr. Musgrave, 
 which shall not be misplaced. I might now follow up 
 my inquiries as to why you changed your name, with 
 many other queries ; but I am too discreet for that 
 the time may come when I shall know all ; but I am 
 content with your proof of confidence, and thank you 
 for it." 
 
 Miss Trevannion never was so lively and communi- 
 cative with me before, as she was this morning ; there 
 was a friendliness without any of her usual reserve, 
 and I left her more full of admiration and devotion 
 than ever. 
 
 In three days more our preparations were made, and, 
 taking leave of Miss Trevannion and her father, who was 
 recovering, and had admitted company to his room, we 
 set off on horseback, as we had done before, and 
 attended by the same two men of Captain Levee's who 
 had served us on a former journey to London. "We 
 had no adventure whatever on this journey which could 
 be worth narrating, and I shall therefore say that we 
 arrived in good health and spirits, and took up our 
 abode at once at our former lodging-house, instead of 
 going to the inn. We were welcomed by the hostess, 
 who had her house almost empty. The following day 
 I made inquiries, and, in consequence, went to the 
 Navy Office, and, requesting to see one of the head 
 clerks, informed him of the occasion of my coming up
 
 MR. TRETASNiosr's COMMISSION. 209 
 
 to London. He was very civil, and replied that the 
 government were in want of vessels, and be had no 
 doubt but they would have the Arrow, as she was well 
 known as a strong privateer. I then inquired whether 
 they thought it likely that Captain Levee might be 
 taken into the service, stating what an excellent crew 
 the Arrow had, and that they would not remain in her, 
 unless they were commanded by him, in whom they 
 had great confidence. 
 
 The clerk replied that it might be done certainly, 
 "but," added he " Sir, you cannot expect people to 
 do such kind offices without they are rewarded." 
 
 I perfectly understood him, and replied, that, of 
 course, I did not expect it ; but I was so ignorant as 
 to what ought to be done, that I begged that he would 
 give me his advice, for which I should be most grate- 
 ful. 
 
 " "Well, well, you understand me, Mr. Musgrave, and 
 that is sufficient. I will be plain with you. It mil 
 cost 100 guineas to obtain what you want for Cap- 
 tain Levee, and of that money I shall not receive a 
 doit." 
 
 " I shall be most happy to give that sum and half as 
 much more to obtain my wish, Sir, and shall feel much 
 obliged to you in the bargain ; and while I am negoti- 
 ating, I may as well state that I have a brother who 
 sails with Captain Levee, who is most anxious to bo 
 with him, and sail as his lieutenant." 
 
 "That will cost another fifty guineas, Mr. Mus- 
 grave." 
 
 " I am most willing," replied I. 
 
 " Well, we must first get the vessel hired into the 
 p
 
 210 THE PKIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 service. You Lave your tonnage and equipment all 
 on paper?" 
 
 " Everything that is requisite ; and, moreover, every 
 cruise she has made, the actions she has fought, and 
 the prizes she has taken under the command of Cap- 
 tain Levee, and with the crew now on board." 
 
 " Furnish all these documents, Mr. Musgrave, and 
 leave it to me. I am to understand that you perfectly 
 agree to the terms I have proposed ? " 
 
 " Perfectly, Sir ; and, if you please, I will sign c 
 memorandum to that effect." 
 
 "No, no," replied he, "we never put such things 
 down on paper. It is an affair of honour and good 
 faith. Tou say your money is all ready." 
 
 " At a minute's warning." 
 
 " That is sufficient, Mr. Musgrave. I will now wish 
 vou good morning. Send me the documents." 
 
 " I have them in my pocket, Sir." 
 
 " Better still ; then the affair may be arranged this 
 afternoon, and you may call to-morrow at about two in 
 the afternoon ; and you may as well bring the money 
 with you, as you can but take it away again if every- 
 thing is not to your satisfaction." 
 
 I returned to the lodgings quite delighted with the 
 prospect of such a fortunate issue to my mission, and 
 was in good time for dinner. I did not tell Captain 
 Levee or Philip of what had passed, but merely that I 
 considered that there was a good chance of success, and 
 that I was to call on the following day. That night 
 we went to the theatre, and saw a play performed, 
 written by Shakspeare, in the time of Queen Elizabeth, 
 and called the " Merry "Wives of "Windsor." "We were
 
 ENTEB THE KING'S SERVICE. 211 
 
 much pleased with the character of Foist aff, a fat 
 knight, full of humour. The next day, at the time ap- 
 pointed, I called upon the head clerk, who told me that 
 everything was arranged according to my wishes ; that 
 the hiring of the vessel was according to her tonnage ; 
 and he considered that the price oifered by the govern- 
 ment was fair and liberal ; so did I, and immediately 
 accepted it. He then drew from his desk the articles 
 of agreement between the government and the owner 
 of the vessel, and, at the same time, the warrants for 
 Captain Levee and Philip, to act as commander and 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " Now, Mr. Musgrave, all you have to do is to sign 
 the first paper, and fulfil the other portion of our 
 agreement." 
 
 I immediately pulled out the bag of money which I 
 had brought with me, and, after counting it over, the 
 clerk gave me his pen to sign the document, and 
 handed to me the warrants for Philip and Captain 
 Levee. 
 
 " You have behaved liberally in this affair, Mr. 
 Musgrave," said the gentleman, as he locked up the 
 bag of money in his desk : " if at any time I can be of 
 use to you, you may command me." 
 
 " I thank you, Sir," replied I; " I may by-and-by 
 have to ask you to exert your influence in behalf of 
 my brother, that he may obtain the command of one of 
 the king's ships, and if you can help me, I shall be 
 most grateful." 
 
 " Depend upon it I will," replied he, " and I beg 
 you will use no ceremony on making the application." 
 
 lie then shook hands with me, and I went home. 
 p 2
 
 212 THE PBTVATEEBSMAX. 
 
 Dinner was over when I came back, but the hostess 
 had put away some victuals for me, and while I was 
 eating them I gave, them an account of my success, 
 handing their warrants to Captain Levee and Philip. 
 They could hardly credit me, even when the docu- 
 ments were in their hands, but, pledging them to 
 secrecy, I told them by what means I had been so 
 successful. Whereupon they thanked me, and we 
 then went out to procure the uniforms suitable to 
 their respective ranks, and this occupied us till the 
 evening, when we agreed to go to the cockpit and see 
 the fights between the various animals, with which 
 Philip particularly was much delighted. As we had 
 nothing to detain us in London, and it was necessary 
 that the Arrow should immediately run round to the 
 Nore, we determined, as the uniforms were to be ready 
 on the following day, that the day after that we would 
 return to Liverpool.
 
 CJIAPTEE XV. 
 
 We return to Liverpool I have an interview with Miss Trevannion 
 Piutus interferes with Cupid, and I sail again for the coast or 
 Africa. 
 
 WE set off, and arrived at Liverpool, without acci- 
 dent, late on the sixth night, when we repaired to our 
 usual lodgings. The next day I called to tell Mr. 
 Trevannion that I had returned, and was informed by 
 Humphrey that he was quite strong again, and very 
 anxious to see me, although he had no idea that I 
 should return so soon. Humphrey went up to an- 
 nounce my arrival, and Mr. Trevannion admitted me 
 immediately, although he was not yet out of bed. 
 
 " I fear that you have not been successful," said he 
 as he took my hand. 
 
 "On the contrary, Sir, I have succeeded in every- 
 thing," and I then gave him an account of what had 
 happened. 
 
 ""Well," replied he, " I am glad of it, and recollect 
 I must be at the expense, as, without you had incur- 
 red it, the schooner would not, in all probability, have 
 been hired. And now I want to consult with you 
 about something else. Here is a letter from Captain 
 Irving, of the Amy, brought home by the Chester Lass." 
 
 These were two vessels employed on the Gold Coast, 
 which belonged to Mr. Trevanniou.
 
 214 THE PRIVATEERSMAN. 
 
 " Itead it," said Mr. Trevannion, " and give me your 
 opinion."; 
 
 I did so : Captain Irving stated that he had pushed 
 the two vessels up a small river on the coast, which he 
 had not known of before, and had fallen in with a black 
 ruler, who had never yet treated with the English ; but 
 only with the Spaniards, for slaves. That his English 
 commodities were quite new to the natives, and that, 
 in consequence, he had made a most fortunate traffic 
 with them, and had loaded a vessel with ivory, wax, 
 and gold dust to the amount of 1000 pounds, and that 
 he had sent the Chester Lass, remaining himself, to 
 continue the barter before it was known to the other 
 ships on the coast, which it would soon be. He con- 
 tinued, that he had not sufficient of the articles which 
 were most valued by the natives, and requested that 
 Mr. Trevannion would immediately despatch another 
 vessel with various goods enumerated, and that then 
 he should be able to fill his own vessel as well as the 
 one that he had despatched home ; that the river was 
 in such a latitude, and the mouth difficult to discover ; 
 that he sent a little sketch of the coast, which would 
 facilitate the discovery but that no time was to be 
 lost, as the sickly season was coming on, and it was 
 very unhealthy at that time. 
 
 As I folded up the letter, Mr. Trevannion said, 
 
 " Now, here is an invoice of the whole cargo sent 
 home by the Chester Lass. I reckon it worth about 
 7000. 
 
 I looked over the invoice, and agreed with Mr. Tre- 
 vannion that it was well worth that, if not more. 
 
 " This is most important, you will acknowledge,
 
 MB. TBEYAXjriox's OFFER. 216 
 
 Musgrave," said Mr. Trevannion ; "but before I go 
 any further, I trust that, now the only difficulty is got 
 over, you will not refuse to be my partner ; the only 
 difference I intend to make, is, that I now offer you 
 one-fourth instead of one-eighth. Silence gives con- 
 sent," continued Mr. Trevannion, as I did not imme- 
 diately /eply. 
 
 " I was so astonished at your munificent offer, Sir, 
 that I could not well speak." 
 
 " Then it 's agreed ; so say no more about it," said 
 Mr. Trevannion, taking me by the hand, and pressing 
 it warmly " and now to business. My idea is, to 
 send out the Sparrow-Hawk, being so fast a sailer. Of 
 course, as a privateer, she has done her work ; and as 
 the government wish the complement of the Arrow to 
 be increased, I think we cannot do better than to fill 
 her up with some of the Sparrow-Hawk' s men, leaving 
 about twenty-five on board of her, and sending her out 
 as soon as possible to the coast, with the articles which 
 Captain Irving requests." 
 
 " I agree with you, Sir, that it will be the best 
 plan." 
 
 " But whom to send is the difficulty," said Mr. Tre- 
 vannion. " Captain Paul, of the Chester Lass, is very 
 ill, and not likely to be out of bed for some time ; and 
 even if he were well, I have no opinion of him in an 
 affair of this moment. If, as Captain Irving says, he 
 can fill the Amy, her cargo will be worth three times 
 that of the Chester Lass ; but, of course, the destina- 
 tion of the Sparrow-Hawk must be a secret, and I do 
 not know whom to intrust her to. "We require some* 
 one in whom we can put confidence. ; '
 
 216 THE PE1VATEEESMAN. 
 
 "I agree with you, Sir," replied I; "and, if you 
 have no objection, I think that the best plan will be 
 for me to go myself; I shall be back again in ten 
 weeks at the furthest." 
 
 " Well, as you will now have a strong interest in it, 
 I really think so too. In fact, I don't know whom else 
 we can trust." 
 
 " I agree with you, Sir, and I will go myself, and 
 I think the sooner the better ; but I do not know 
 whether we can obtain all the goods requisite imme- 
 diately." 
 
 "We can have them in five or six days," replied Mr. 
 Trevannion; "I sent Humphrey out to make inquiry." 
 
 "At all events, I must look to them myself; and 
 there are many other things to manage, so I had better 
 wish you a good morning now, Mr. Trevannion, and in 
 the evening I will call again, and let you know what I 
 have done." 
 
 "Do so," said he, and I then took my leave. 
 
 I certainly was very much astonished as well as much 
 pleased at Mr. Trevannion' s liberality relative to the 
 partnership, and I could now look forward to com- 
 petency in a few years at the furthest. Certainly, if 
 Mr. Trevannion had been hasty in bis conduct towards 
 me he had made most noble reparation. I first re- 
 turned to the lodgings and told Captain Levee and 
 Philip what had passed ; they immediately proposed 
 that we should all go together on board the Sparrow- 
 Hawk, that I might make my arrangements, and that 
 they might persuade some of the men to join the Arrow. 
 I first picked out the men I wished to sail with me ; 
 and then they talked over the rest, who that evening
 
 INTERVIEW WITH MISS TEEVANNION. 217 
 
 went on shore for their wages, and the next morning 
 joined the Arrow, as Captain Levee was anxious to get 
 round to the Nore. The day after the men joined, the 
 Arrow sailed, which I was not sorry for, as it left me 
 more at leisure to expedite my own affairs. Philip 
 promised to be my correspondent, and I bade them 
 both farewell with regret. I called in the evening, as 
 I had promised, upon Mr. Trevannion, and he then 
 gave me the deed of partnership, signed and dated the 
 day when he first made the offer, and we had quar- 
 relled ; but I did not see Miss Trevannion ; much to 
 my regret, her father said that she was ailing. The 
 business I had to transact, and fitting out the Sparrow- 
 Hawk, so completely occupied me, that it was now 
 three days that I had been at Liverpool without having 
 seen her, and 1 was much annoyed at it, as I had call- 
 ed every day. My feelings towards her were now 
 stronger than before. She was never out of my 
 ;houghts, and I hardly know how it was that I trans- 
 acted business as I did. This evening I was determined, 
 if possible, that I would see her, and find out why she 
 avoided me, as it appeared to me that she did. When 
 I called, therefore, I did not ask to see her father, but 
 told Humphrey to find out where Miss Trevannion 
 was, and say that I requested to speak with her. 
 Humphrey returned, and said that she was in the 
 sitting-room, to which I instantly repaired. 
 
 " I am fearful that I have given you some uninten- 
 tional cause of displeasure, Miss Trevannion," said I, as 
 I entered, "for you have appeared to avoid me since 
 my return." 
 
 "Indeed, Mr. Musgrave, I have not," replied she;
 
 218 THE PEITATEEBSMAU. 
 
 " I was most anxious to see you, and have thought it 
 very unpolite, I may add, unkind, on your part not to 
 have come to me." 
 
 " I have been in the house every day, and sometimes 
 twice a day, with your father, Miss Trevannion, and 
 have never met you. Once I inquired for you, and 
 your father told me you were unwell, whereas Hum- 
 phrey had but five minutes before told me that you 
 were well and in good spirits." 
 
 " Humphrey told the truth, and so did my father. 
 I Avas in good health and spirits, and in five minutes 
 afterwards I was ill and unhappy." 
 
 " I trust I was no party to it, Miss Trevannion." 
 
 " You were a party to it, but not the great offender, 
 who was my father. He had told me that upon your 
 return he had installed you as his partner, and had 
 done you the justice you had deserved ; and then he 
 told me that you were going out to the coast of Africa 
 in the Sparrow-Hawk." 
 
 " It is very true, Miss Trevannion ; but where is the 
 offence ?" 
 
 " The offence is this : my father no sooner does you 
 justice than he wants more ivory and gold-dust, having 
 more than enough already ; but I told him it was as 
 bad as privateering, for in either case he sends people 
 out to sacrifice their lives, that he may gain more 
 money. I have no patience with this foolish pursuit 
 of wealth." 
 
 " After all your father's kindness to me, Miss Tre- 
 vannion, I could do no less than accept the offer." 
 
 " You would have been more wise and more just to 
 yourself to have refused it, Mr. Musgrave. I read the
 
 INTERVIEW WITH MISS TKEVANNION. 219 
 
 letters to my father when they arrived, and you know 
 what Captain Irving says about the unhealthiness of 
 the climate. You have been my father's best friend, 
 and he should not have treated you thus." 
 
 " I never did value life, Miss Trevannion ; but really 
 the kind interest you have expressed on this occasion 
 makes me feel as if my poor life was of some value. 
 To one who has been such a football of fortune as I 
 have been, and who has hardly known a kind feeling 
 towards him ever expressed, it is a gratification that I 
 really appreciate, and, coming from one whom I respect 
 and esteem more than any other person in the world, 
 it quite overpowers me. Indeed, Miss Trevannion, I 
 am truly grateful." 
 
 I was correct when I said that it overpowered me, 
 for it did completely, and I was so oppressed by my 
 feelings, that I reeled to a chair, and covered up my 
 face with my hands. "What would I have given to 
 have dared to state what I felt ! 
 
 " Tou are ill, Mr. Musgrave," said Miss Trevannion, 
 coming to me. " Can I offer you anything ?" 
 
 I made no reply ; I could not speak. 
 
 " Mr. Musgrave," said Miss Trevannion, taking my 
 hand, " you frighten me. What is the matter ? Shall 
 I call Humphrey ? " 
 
 I felt her hand tremble in mine, and, uncertain what 
 to think, I came to the resolution to make the avowal. 
 
 " Miss Trevannion," said I, after a pause, and rising 
 from my chair, " I feel that this internal conflict is too 
 great for me, and if it last it must kill me. I give you 
 my honour that I have for months tried everything in 
 aiy power to curb my desires and to persuade myself
 
 220 1H 
 
 of my folly and rash ambition, but I cannot do *> 
 any longer. It were better that I knew my fate at 
 once, even if my sentence should be my death. You 
 will ridicule my folly, be surprised at my presumption, 
 and, in all probability, spurn me for the avowal, but 
 make it I must. Miss Trevannion, I have dared 
 to love you ; I have but one excuse to offer, which 
 is, that I have been more than a year in your com- 
 pany, and it is impossible for any one not to love one 
 so pure, so beautiful, and so good. I would have 
 postponed this avowal till I was able to resume my 
 position in society, by the means which industry 
 might have afforded me ; but my departure upon this 
 business, and the kind of presentiment which I have, 
 that I may not see you again, has forced it from me. 
 In a few days I leave you be gentle with me for my 
 involuntary offence pity me while you condemn, and 
 I will return no more." 
 
 Miss Trevannion did not reply ; she breathed quick, 
 and stood motionless. I gathered courage ; I looked 
 in her face, there was no displeasure I approached 
 her, she was half fainting, and put her hand upon my 
 shoulder to steady herself. I put my arm round her 
 waist, and led her to the sofa, and knelt at her feet, 
 watching every change in her beautiful countenance. 
 I took her hand and pressed it to my lips ; by degrees 
 I became more bold, and got by her side, and pressed 
 her to my heart. She burst into tears, and wept with 
 her head on my bosom. 
 
 "Do not be angry with me," said I, after a time. 
 
 " Do I appear as if I was angry with you f " replied 
 Bhe, raising her head.
 
 INTERVIEW WITH MISS TKEVANNION. 221 
 
 " Oh, no ; but I cannot believe my happiness to be 
 real. It must be a dream." 
 
 "What is life but a dream?" replied she mourn- 
 fully. " Oh, the coast of Africa ! How I dread it ! " 
 
 And so I confess did I from that moment ; I had a 
 presentiment, as I had told her, that something would 
 go wrong, and I could not get over the feeling. 
 
 I shall no longer dwell upon what took place on 
 that delightful evening, Madam ; suffice to say, that 
 Miss Trevannion and I were mutually pledged, and, 
 after an exchange of thought and feeling, we parted, 
 and when we did part I pressed those dear lips to 
 mine. I went home reeling with excitement, and 
 hastened to bed, that I might have unrestrained free- 
 dom of thought. I enacted the scene of the evening 
 over and over again ; recalled each motion, each look, 
 every word which had passed, and, defying fever and 
 presentiment of evil, imagined also our happy meeting 
 to part no more. It was long before I could compose 
 myself to sleep, and when I did, I need not say who it 
 was that occupied my dreams. I called as soon as I 
 could venture so to do on the following day, and had 
 a long interview with my dear Amy. Before I went 
 up to her father, I tried to soothe her anxiety upon 
 my approaching voyage, and to persuade her that 
 there was little or no danger to be apprehended in 
 BO short a stay. Willingly would I have given it up, 
 but Mr. Trevannion had so set his mind upon it, and 
 I had, by my consent, rendered it so impossible for him 
 to find a substitute in time, that I could not do so, and 
 I persuaded Miss Trevannion that I was right in acting 
 to my promise One question that came forward was,
 
 222 THE PEIYATEEBSMA5 
 
 whether we should make known our engagement to 
 her father at once, and this was decided in the nega- 
 tive. Mueh as he liked me, he was not yet prepared 
 to receive me so suddenly as a son-in-law, and Amj 
 was of opinion that the communication had better be 
 postponed. To this, of course, I gave a willing assent 
 I was satisfied with the knowledge of her affection, 
 which I felt would never change. As I was talking 
 w.th her father, after my interview with Amy, he said : 
 
 " Really, Elrington, or Musgrave, I hardly know 
 which to Call you." 
 
 " Musgrave is my real name, Sir," replied I. 
 
 " Musgrave Musgrave where did I know a Mus- 
 grave ? " 
 
 " AVe are from the north,' ' replied I. 
 
 " Well," said he, " I was going to say, that I really 
 wish I could find some one else to take your place in 
 this voyage, for I do not much like your going." 
 
 " Do, my dear father," said Miss Trevannion, who 
 was standing by him. 
 
 " Hey ! Miss Amy, what have you to do with it, I 
 should like to know, and how can it concern you whe- 
 ther Mr. Musgrave goes or not ? " 
 
 " I said so, Sir, because I know how you will feel 
 his loss for so long a period. You know how you did 
 feel his loss before, and I do not wish to see you work- 
 ing so hard, as you will have to do it without his as- 
 sistance." 
 
 ""Well, that's kindly thought, Amy, at all events; 
 but still I fear that Mr. Musgrave must go, and I 
 must work by myself till he comes back ; so it 's no 
 use saying any more about it."
 
 SAIL 1ST THE SPARTKVWVHAWK. 223 
 
 Amy sighed and made no reply. On the third day 
 after this interview, everything -was ready, and on the 
 following morning I was to sail. Mr. Trevannion had 
 BO many directions to give, and kept me so wholly with 
 him, that I could hardly find time to speak to his 
 daughter. However, it was agreed that as I was to 
 sail at daylight, that she would see me after her father 
 had gone to bed. Our meeting took place need I 
 say that it was a tender one. "We renewed our vows 
 over and over again, and it was not till past midnight 
 that I tore myself away. Old Humphrey looked very 
 knowingly at me when he let me out of the street-door. 
 I slipped a guinea in his hand and wished him good- 
 bye. I hastened on board of the Sparrow-Hawk, and, 
 desiring to be called before daylight, went down into 
 the cabin. There I remained sitting at the table and 
 thinking of Amy so long, that when the mate came 
 down to wake me he found that I was still sitting 
 there, having never been to bed during the whole of 
 the night. 
 
 I started from my reverie and hastened on deck to 
 get the schooner under weigh. It was soon done, 
 although we were, comparatively speaking, short- 
 handed. There was a fine breeze, and lightened as 
 she now was, the little vessel flew through the water. 
 Liverpool was soon out of sight, and we were dashing 
 down the Irish Channel. 
 
 " She sails well now," said I to the second mate, 
 a very clever man, and much better educated than 
 most seamen, for he could navigate, as well as being a 
 first-rate seaman. 
 
 " Yes, Sir," replied Olivarez, " she walks fast. She
 
 224 THE PBIVATEEESMAIf, 
 
 is not too deep now," replied he ; " what a slaver she 
 would make." 
 
 This man was not an Englishman, but a Brazilian 
 Portuguese by birth, although he had long been out 
 of his country. Having set her course, I went down 
 below, that I might indulge in my castle-building 
 more at my ease. The wind increased to a gale, but 
 as it was from the northward, and bore us to our des- 
 tination, it was welcomed. We soon crossed the Bay 
 of Biscay, and were in more genial latitudes ; and, 
 after a rapid run of about four weeks, I found myself 
 nearly in the latitude given to us of the river where 
 the Amy was at anchor. I then hauled in for the 
 shore, which was very low, and required being ap- 
 proached with caution. We saw some towering palm- 
 trees at sunset, and then we hove to ; the next day 
 we again stood in, and having ascertained our exact 
 latitude at noon, we found ourselves about four miles 
 to the northward of the river's mouth. We shaped a 
 course, and in two hours I made out the marks given 
 for our guidance in the rough sketch of Captain Ir- 
 ving, and thus satisfied that I was right, ran directly 
 for the mouth of the river. Captain Irving was cor- 
 rect in saying it was difficult, for it was not until wo 
 were within a mile that we could find any opening; 
 but at last we did, and at the same time perceived the 
 masts of two vessels at some distance up the river. 
 We stood in, and found that tLere was no bar at the 
 river mouth, which was a very unusual circumstance 
 on this coast. The soundings were gradual, and in an 
 hour afterwards we anchored between the Amy and a 
 fine schooner under British colours Captain Irving
 
 THE COAST OF AFEICA. 226 
 
 recognised the Sparrow-Hawk, and immediately came 
 on board. After the usual salutations, he told me that 
 his vessel was half-laden, but t!aat he waited for the 
 articles he had sent for to enable him to complete his 
 cargo. I told him that I had them on board, and he 
 should have them as soon as he sent his boats. He 
 stated that no vessels, except those engaged in the 
 slave-trade, had ever come into this river, and that 
 they only brought the cloth and other articles usual 
 in the trade ; but that his assorted cargo had astonished 
 the people, and they were wild to possess things which 
 they had never before seen. They had offered slaves 
 in quantities, but finding that he would not take them 
 in exchange, they had now brought down ivory and 
 gold-dust. He told me how glad he was that I had 
 come, as the river was very sickly, and was becoming 
 more and more so every day ; that out of twelve men 
 he had already four down with fever. 
 
 I inquired of him what that vessel was on the other 
 side of us. He replied it was a Liverpool slave-trader, 
 and that the captain appeared to be a very good sort 
 of man ; that he never indulged in liquor, nor was 
 given to profane language. 
 
 A few minutes afterwards the captain of the slaver 
 came on board to pay his respects, and I asked him 
 down in the cabin, and gave him beer and cheese, the 
 two greatest luxuries in those climes. He appeared, 
 as Captain Irving stated, a very quiet, well-behaved, 
 serious person, which I was rather surprised at. "When 
 we repaired on deck, I observed, as the vessel was 
 close to us, that there were two very large dogs ou 
 board, who, at the sight of the captain, bayed furi-
 
 220 THE PKIVATEEE8MA.N. 
 
 ously. He told me that they were Cuba bloodhou ads 
 and that he never went on shore without them, as they 
 were the most faithful and courageous animals, and he 
 considered that he was safer with them than with half 
 a dozen armed men. Shortly afterwards Captain Irving 
 and he both took leave. As there were still some hours 
 of daylight, Captain Irving sent his boats for the goods, 
 and after that, as the evening fell, I went down below, 
 as Captain Irving requested I would do, and by no 
 means remain on deck after sun-down, as it was ex- 
 tremely unhealthy. 
 
 On the following day Captain Irving went on shore 
 with his goods and trafficked most favourably. Indeed, 
 as we afterwards found out, he had procured in ex- 
 change more ivory than his vessel would hold, besides 
 much gold-dust. The day after, I went on shore with 
 Captain Irving to call upon the king, as he called him- 
 self. He was seated in front of a hut made of palmetto 
 leaves, with a lace coat on, but no other garment what- 
 ever, so that he made a curious appearance. After a 
 little conversation, I went away, and, hearing that the 
 slaver was taking her cargo on board, about a hundred 
 yards further up, I walked in that direction. The slaves 
 were brought down in about twenty at a time, all of 
 them fastened by the neck to a long bamboo pole, 
 which confined them all together. One string of them 
 had been sent down and put into the boat, and another 
 was standing ready for embarkation ; when, as I cast 
 my eyes over them and commiserated their misery, I 
 observed a female whom I thought I had seen before. 
 I looked again, and behold ! it was "Whyna, the princess 
 who had been so kind to me in my captivity, I went
 
 FIND WHYNA A SLAVS. 1!27 
 
 up to her and touched her on the shoulder. She 
 turned round, as well as the lashing to the pole 
 would permit her, and on seeing me gave a faint scream- 
 Without ceremony I took out my knife and released 
 her, and led her away. She fell down at my feet and 
 kissed them. The black man who had charge of the de- 
 livery of the slaves was very angry, and ran up to me, 
 brandishing his long stick ; but the captain of the 
 schooner, who was on shore, and who had witnessed 
 what I had done, saluted him with a kick in the sto- 
 mach, which made him quiet enough. In few words I 
 told the captain of the slaver that I was once in cap- 
 tivity, and this woman had befriended me, requesting 
 him to name his price and I would willingly pay it. 
 
 "It's not worth mentioning, Sir," replied he: 
 "women are as cheap as dirt; take her and welcome." 
 
 "Not so," replied I ; " I must pay for her ransom." 
 
 ""Well then, Sir," said he, "I am in great want of 
 a telescope ; you have one on board, will you let me 
 have it?" 
 
 " Most certainly," replied I, " and many thanks into 
 the bargain." 
 
 I lifted up the poor creature, who was sadly ema- 
 ciated and weak, and led her to the boat of the Amy 
 and put her in. Captain Irving came down, and we 
 returned on board. It was with great difficulty that, 
 after I had given the poor creature some refreshment, 
 which she was really in need of, I could recollect suffi- 
 cient of her language to make myself understood by her ; 
 but by degrees words came to my memory, and as she 
 spoke I recovered more As well as I could make her 
 out, the warriors had risen against the king on account 
 a 2
 
 228 THE PETVATEEKSMAN. 
 
 of his barbarity, and had cut him to pieces ; and that 
 all his wives and servants had been sold as slaves. I 
 promised her that she should not be a slave, but should 
 come to my country and be taken care of. 
 
 She kissed my hands, and as she smiled her thanks, 
 she reminded me of the Whyna of former times. I 
 did not, however, think it advisable that she should 
 come on board of the schooner, and I requested Clap- 
 tain Irving to take charge of her, and let her want for 
 nothing, telling him that I intended that she should 
 go home in his vessel. He willingly consented, and I 
 hailed the schooner for a boat and went on deck. 
 Whyna followed, but I told her I was obliged to go on 
 board of the schooner, and that she had better go and 
 lie down. As she probably thought that the Amy was 
 my vessel, and that I was going away on a visit, she 
 complied with my request, and went down with Cap- 
 tain Irving, who led her into a state-room which was 
 not occupied. 
 
 As soon as I arrived on board the schooner, I sent 
 the telescope which the captain of the slaver had 
 begged for. "Whyna had said to me, " I shall be your 
 slave now," evidently expecting that she was to rfcmain 
 with me, but that I could not consent to. Miss Tre- 
 vannion had heard from me my adventures when in 
 captivity, and I would not on that account allow 
 Whyna to be in the same vessel with me. The next 
 day Captain Irving came on board to tell me that he 
 had two more men down with the fever, and that he 
 wished I could give them some assistance in getting 
 his cargo on board, which I did, and before night the 
 Any was loaded up to the atchways, and there still
 
 BOAT STAVED. 229 
 
 remained a considerable number of elephants' teeth, oil 
 shore in the hut where he received them. I therefore 
 determined, as his crew were evidently sickening fast, 
 that he should sail immediately, and that I would take 
 the remainder of the ivory on board of the schooner 
 and follow him, giving him a rendezvous to wait at 
 until I joined him, that we might proceed home in 
 company. That night three of my men were ill. 
 
 I was on board of the Amy, and had been talking 
 with Whyna, who wanted to know why I did not sleep 
 on board of the vessel. I told her that I could not, 
 but that we were to go to England directly, and that 
 I was living on board of the schooner. Captain Trying 
 weighed at daybreak, and in an hour was out of the 
 river, and as I was as anxious to be clear of such an 
 unhealthy spot, I manned my boats and went on shore 
 for the ivory that was left. I found that it would take 
 the whole of the day to embark it, as we had to go two 
 miles further up the river than the depth of water 
 would permit the vessel to do ; for the ivory was in a 
 hut close to the king's house. I had sent off four 
 boat-loads, and it being then noon, I went off with the 
 fifth myself, that I might get my dinner, leaving the 
 second mate to attend on shore, and taking with me 
 the first mate who messed in the cabin. As we were 
 in the middle of the stream, the boat struck against a 
 stump of a tree, as we supposed, and knocked so large 
 a hole in the bow that she began to fill. I immediate- 
 ly ordered the men to pull for the nearest point, which 
 was on the opposite side of the river, that we might 
 ground the boat to prevent her sinking. 
 
 The first mate, who was a very active man, finding
 
 280 THE PBITATBEESMAK. 
 
 that the elephants' teeth prevented his reaching the 
 bow of the boat, and stuffing into it some oakum which 
 he had found in the stern sheets, sounded with the 
 boat-hook, and finding that there was not more than 
 three feet of water where we were pulling, jumped over 
 the bows to push the oakum into the hole ; but the 
 poor fellow had not been a few seconds in the water, 
 when he gave a shriek, and we perceived that a large 
 shark had snapped him in two. This was a sad mis- 
 hap, and the men, terrified, pulled as hard as they 
 could, while two of them baled out the boat, to gain 
 the shore, for we knew what fate awaited us if we sunk 
 in the river. With great exertion we succeeded, run- 
 ning her up among the canes, which grew on that side 
 of the river so thick that it was difficult to force your 
 way through them. 
 
 We landed up to our knees in mud, and, throwing 
 out the ivory, we found that a whole plank was rent 
 out, and that it was impossible to repair our boat ; 
 and we were hidden by the canes from those wha 
 could have assisted us, had they known that we re- 
 quired their assistance, and we had no possible means 
 of communication. At last I thought that if I could 
 force my way through the canes to the point down the 
 river, I could hail and make signals for assistance ; 
 and desiring the men to remain by the boat, I set off 
 upon my expedition. At first I got on pretty well, as 
 there were little paths through the canes, made, as I 
 imagined, by the natives ; and, although I was often 
 up to my knees in thick black mud, I continued to get 
 on pretty fast ; but at last the canes grew so thick 
 that I could hardly force my way through them, and it
 
 LOSE MT WAT IN THE CANES. 231 
 
 was a work of excessive labour. Still I persevered, ex- 
 pecting each second that I should arrive at the banks of 
 the river, and be rewarded for my fatigue ; but the more 
 I laboured the worse it appeared to be, and at last I be- 
 came worn out with fatigue, and quite bewildered. I 
 then tried to find iny way back, and was equally un- 
 successful, and I sat down with anything but pleasant 
 thoughts in my mind. I calculated that I had been 
 two hours in making this attempt, and was now quite 
 puzzled how to proceed. I bitterly lamented my rash- 
 ness, now that it was too late. 
 
 Having reposed a little, I resumed my toil, and was 
 again, after an hour's exertion, compelled, from fatigue, 
 to sit down in the deep black mud. Another respite 
 from toil, and another hour or more of exertion, and I 
 gave myself up for lost. The day was evidently fast 
 closing in the light overhead was not near so bright 
 as it had been ; and I knew that a night passed in the 
 miasma of the cane was death. At last it became 
 darker and darker. There could not be an hour of 
 daylight remaining. I determined upon one more 
 struggle, and, reeking as I was with perspiration and 
 faint with fatigue, I rose again, and was forcing my 
 way through the thickest of the canes, when I heard a 
 deep growl, and perceived a large panther not twenty 
 yards from me. It was on the move as well as I was, 
 attempting to force his way through the canes, so as 
 to come to me. I retreated from him as fast as I 
 could, but he gained slowly on me, and my strength 
 was fast exhausting. I thought I heard sounds at a 
 distance, and they became more and more distinct, but 
 what they were my fear and my struggles probably
 
 232 THE PEIVATEEESMAK. 
 
 prevented me from making out. My eyes were fixed 
 upon the fierce animal which was in pursuit of me, 
 and I now thanked Grod that the canes were so thick 
 and impassable ; still the animal evidently gained 
 ground until it was not more than five yards from 
 me, dashing and springing at the canes, and tearing 
 them aside with his teeth. 
 
 The sounds were now nearer, and I made them out 
 to be the howling of other animals. A moment's 
 pause, and I thought it was the baying of dogs ; and 
 I then thought that I must have arrived close to 
 where the schooner was, and that I heard the baying 
 of the bloodhounds. At last I could do no more, and 
 1 dropped, exhausted and almost senseless, in the mud. 
 I recollect hearing the crushing of the canes, and then 
 a savage roar, and then yells, and growls, and struggles, 
 and fierce contentions but I had fainted. 
 
 I must now inform the reader that about an hour 
 after I had left the boat the captain of the slaver was 
 pulling up the river, and was hailed by our men in 
 our long-boat. Perceiving them on shore on that 
 side of the river, and that they were in distress, he 
 pulled towards them, and they told him what had 
 happened, and that an hour previous I had left the 
 boat to force my way through the cane-brakes, and 
 they had heard nothing of me since. 
 
 " Madness ! " cried he. " He is a lost man. Stay 
 till I come back from the schooner." 
 
 He went back to the schooner, and taking two of 
 his crew who were negroes, and his two bloodhounds, 
 into the boat, he returned immediately, and as soon as 
 he landed he put the bloodhounds on my track, and
 
 ATTACK OF FEYEK. 233 
 
 jjent the negroes on with them. They had followed 
 me in all my windings, for it appeared that I had 
 travelled in every direction, and had come up with me 
 just as I had sunk with exhaustion, and the panther 
 was so close upon me. The bloodhounds had attacked 
 the panther, and this was the noise which sounded 
 in my ears, as I lay stupified and at the mercy of the 
 wild beast. The panther was not easily, although 
 eventually, overcome, and the black men coming up 
 had found me and borne me in a state of insensibility 
 on board the Sparrow-Hawk. The fever had come on 
 me, and it was not till three weeks afterwards that I 
 recovered my senses, when I learnt what I have now 
 told the reader, and much more, with which I am about 
 to make him acquainted. 
 
 "When I recovered my senses, I found myself in the 
 cabin of the Sparrow-Hawk. For some hours I was 
 confused and wandering, but I rallied from time to 
 time, till I could at last recognise the beams and car- 
 lines over my head. I was too weak to move, and I 
 continued to lie on my back till I again fell asleep ; 
 how long I do not know, but it must have been for 
 many hours, and then when I awoke I found myself 
 much stronger. 
 
 I could now turn on my bed, and doing so I per- 
 ceived a young man of the name of Ingram by my 
 side in a doze, with his eyes shut. I called him in a 
 faint voice, and he started up. 
 
 " I have been very ill," said I, "have I not ? " 
 
 " Yes, Sir, indeed you have." 
 
 " I have ben trying to recollect all about it, bu': T 
 cannot as yet."
 
 234 THE PBIYATEEBSMAX. 
 
 "It's not worth remembering, Sir," replied he 
 " Do you wish anything to drink ? " 
 
 " No," replied I. 
 
 " Then you had better go to sleep again." 
 
 " I cannot do that. I feel as if I should like to get 
 ap. "Where is Mr. Thompson ? I must see him." 
 
 " Mr. Thompson, Sir," replied he ; " don't you re- 
 collect?" 
 
 "What?" 
 
 " Why, Sir, he was bitten in two by a shark." 
 
 " Shark ! " this was the key-note required, and my 
 memory returned. " Yes, yes, I recollect now all, all. 
 I recollect the panther and the cane-brakes. How 
 was I preserved ?" 
 
 " The bloodhounds killed the panther, and you were 
 brought on board insensible, and have been in a raging 
 fever ever since." 
 
 " It must be so," replied I, collecting my senses 
 after a few moments of thought. "It must be so. 
 How long have I been ill ? " 
 
 "This is the twenty-first day." 
 
 " The twenty-first day ! " cried I. " Is it possible ? 
 Are none of the men ill ? " 
 
 " No, Sir, they are all well." 
 
 " But I hear the water against the bends. Are we 
 not still at anchor ?" 
 
 " No, Sir, the second mate got the schooner under 
 weigh as he found you were so ill." 
 
 " And I have been ill twenty-one days ! Why we 
 must be near home ?" 
 
 " We expect to make the land in a few days, Sir," 
 replied Ingram.
 
 ATTACK OF FEVER. 235 
 
 " Thank Heaven for all its mercies," said I. " I 
 never expected to see old England again. But what a 
 bad smell there is. What can it be ?" 
 
 " I suppose it is the bilge-water, Sir," replied In- 
 gram. " People who are ill and weak always are 
 annoyed by it ; but I think, Sir, if you would take 
 a little gruel, and then go to sleep again, it would be 
 better." 
 
 " "Well, I fear I am not very strong, and talking 
 so much has done me no good. I tliink I could 
 take a little gruel." 
 
 " Then, Sir, I '11 go and get some made, and be back 
 very soon." 
 
 "Do, Ingram, and tell Mr. Olivarez, the second 
 mate, that I would speak to him." 
 
 "Yes, I will," replied the man, and he left the 
 state-room. 
 
 I waited some time listening for the arrival of the 
 second mate, and then I thought that I heard odd 
 noises in the hold before the bulk-head of the state- 
 room in which I was lying, but I was still very weak, 
 and my head swam. After a time Ingram came down 
 with the gruel, into which he put some sugar and a 
 spoonful of rum, to flavour it, as he said. He offered 
 it to me, and I drank it all, for I had an appetite ; but 
 whether it was that I was very weak, or the rum he 
 put in was more than he said, it is certain that I had 
 hardly given him back the basin than I felt so drowsy 
 that I turned away from him, and was soon again in 
 forgetfulness. 
 
 This Ingram was a young man who had been ap- 
 prenticed to an apothecary, and had taken to the sea.
 
 236 THE PEITA.TEEKSMA1T. 
 
 He was well educated, and a very merry fellow, aud 1 
 liad chosen him as one who could attend upon me in 
 the cabin, and at the same time be otherwise useful if 
 required, as he was a very good seaman, and very 
 active. "When I awoke again I felt convinced that I 
 must have slept through the night, as it was broad 
 daylight, as before, but Ingram was not by my bed- 
 side. There was no bell in the state-room, and I was 
 obliged to await his coming. I felt much stronger 
 than the day before, and now proposed getting out of 
 bed as soon as Ingram should come down into the 
 cabin. I now remembered that the second mate had 
 not come down to me, and heard noises and murmur- 
 ings in the hold as I had the day previous, which sur- 
 prised me, and I became more anxious for the return 
 of Ingram. At last he came, and I told him that I 
 had been awake more than an hour. 
 
 " How do you feel yourself, Sir ? " said he. 
 
 " Quite strong. I should like to get up and dress. 
 Perhaps I may be able to get on deck for a quarter of 
 an hour." 
 
 "I think," replied he, "that you had better wait, 
 and hear what I have to tell you, Sir. I would not 
 tell you yesterday, because I thought it would be too 
 much for you ; but as I see you are really better to- 
 day, I must say that I have strange things to tell you." 
 
 "Indeed!" cried I, with surprise. "Strange things. 
 By the bye, why did not Olivarez come to me yester- 
 day?" 
 
 " I will explain all to you, Sir, if you will lie down 
 and listen to what I have to say, and take the news 
 quietly."
 
 CONSPIRACY OF OLITABEZ. 237 
 
 " Very well, Ingram, I will do so. Now pray go 
 on." 
 
 "You were brought on board in a state of fever 
 and insensibility by the captain of the slaver. He 
 said, as he lifted you over the side, that you were a 
 dead man. We all thought the same, and you were 
 taken down into the cabin with that persuasion on the 
 part of the whole crew. Tour delirium and fever 
 increased, and every hour it was expected that you 
 would give up the ghost. Now, Sir, two days after- 
 wards the slaver sailed with his cargo, and we were 
 left alone in the river. Olivarez, who of course com- 
 manded, talked to the men. He said that you were as 
 good as dead already, and that he thought that this 
 was a fair opportunity for their making money. He 
 proposed that the ivory still on shore should be 
 changed for slaves, which he said the negroes would 
 gladly do, and that we should run with our cargo to 
 the Brazils. He said that it would be useless our re- 
 maining in the river, as we should all lose our lives in 
 the same way that you had done, and that he thought, 
 as commanding the schooner, he knew what would 
 best please the owner, who had long employed vessels 
 in the slave-trade, and would not be sorry to find that 
 we had run a cargo, and would reward them all liber- 
 ally. That this would be an excuse to leave the river 
 immediately, whereas otherwise they would have to 
 wait till you recovered or died, and by that time they 
 might half of them be dead themselves. Do you under- 
 stand me, Sir ? " 
 
 " Yes, perfectly. Go on, Ingram." 
 
 " "Well, Sir, the men did not perceive what he was
 
 238 THE PEITATEEESMAN. 
 
 about, and replied that so long as they left the river 
 they did not care how soon, and that it was better that 
 we should take a cargo of slaves at all events, for 
 Olivarez was in command now, and they should do as 
 he ordered them. I made no reply, indeed Olivarez 
 never put the question to me. Well, Sir, the ivory 
 was soon exchanged for slaves, who are now on board, 
 and it is the slaves whom you have smelt and com- 
 plained of. We received on board 140, and provisions 
 sufficient with what we had, and, having taken in all 
 the water we could, below and on deck, we made sail 
 out of the river, and have since steered for the Brazils." 
 
 " But Olivarez has taken a most unwarrantable re- 
 sponsibility," said I; "and one that he shall answer 
 for." 
 
 "Stop, Sir," replied Ingram, "you have only heard 
 the first part of the story. When we had been three 
 days at sea, Olivarez, who had been talking to the men, 
 one by one and apart, called them together, and said, 
 it was an opportunity not to be lost, that they had 
 possession of the vessel, and the owner would never have 
 a clue to where she had gone, and that now was the 
 time to take possession of her for themselves, and 
 employ her in the slave-trade on their own account. 
 That, sailing so fast, nothing could overhaul her or 
 board her, and, therefore, they were free from danger. 
 He then proposed that he should command and navi- 
 gate, and receive one-half of the profits, and that the 
 other half should be divided among the crew the 
 expense of the provisions, &c., being paid out of it 
 previous to their sharing and making a calculation ; he 
 showed then that every voyage would be worth about
 
 IWQEAM'S NABEATIVE. 239 
 
 100 a man after all expenses were paid. The crew 
 consented at once to the terms all but me ; and when 
 he asked me, my answer was, that I would consent to 
 nothing while you were yet alive. I said that, because 
 I was afraid that they would murder me, or throw me 
 overboard." 
 
 " Go on, Ingram ; go on, and let me hear it all at 
 once." 
 
 " ' Then you will soon be freed from your difficulty,' 
 said Olivarez. 
 
 " ' I do not know that, Sir,' I replied, ' for I think 
 Mr. Musgrave may get over it.' 
 
 " ' Indeed,' he returned, ' well, then, so much the 
 worse for him. 1 
 
 " As he, Olivarez, said this, the whole of the crew, 
 to do them justice, cried out, that there should be no 
 murder, for if there was, they not only would have 
 nothing to do with the affair, but would make it known 
 at the first port to which they came. That you had 
 always been a kind, good officer, and were too brave a 
 man to die in that way." 
 
 " ' "Well, my men,' said Olivarez, ' I never had an idea 
 of the kind, and I promise you, if he lives through it, 
 there shall be no murder ; I will put him on shore at 
 the first port we arrive at, but in such a way as to se- 
 cure our safety that we must look to.' 
 
 "The men said that that was all right, and then 
 they all agreed to join him." 
 
 " ' And you, Ingram,' said Olivarez, ' what do you 
 
 "'What I said before,' I replied ; ' that as long as Mr 
 Musgrave. lires I will come to no agreement whatever.
 
 240 THE PE1TATEEE8MAN. 
 
 " ' "Well,' said Olivarez, ' it is but postponing your 
 decision ; I know that you will join us. So now, my 
 kds, as we're all agreed, we may as well go to din- 
 ner.' " 
 
 " The scoundrel shall pay for this," cried I. 
 
 " Hush, Sir, hush, I pray ; say nothing, but wait 
 patiently and see what turns up. We are not yet at 
 Eio, and when we are, we may be able to do something, 
 but everything depends upon keeping quiet, for if the 
 men become alarmed, they may be persuaded to kill 
 you to save themselves." 
 
 " That is very true, Ingram," replied I. " Leave me 
 now for half an hour, I wish to be alone." 
 
 You may imagine, my dear Madam, my agitation at 
 hearing this intelligence. I, who had thought that I 
 was within a few days' sail of Liverpool, to be there 
 received by my cherished Amy, to find myself in the 
 hands of pirates, and close to the Brazils with a cargo 
 of slaves ; which they, or rather Olivarez, had taken 
 in the vessel to Bio that he might not be discovered ; 
 for he might have found a better mart for his live car- 
 go. And then what would be the anxiety of Amy and 
 her father when I was not heard of? It would be 
 supposed that the schooner was upset in a squall, and 
 all hands had perished. Excited and angry as I was, 
 I felt the truth of what Ingram said, and that it was 
 necessary to be quiet. Perhaps I might by that means 
 not only preserve my life, but again find myself in my 
 own country. "When Ingram returned, I asked him if 
 Olivarez knew that I was better, and had recovered 
 my reason. He replied that he did, but that he had 
 told him I was so weak that I could hardly recover.
 
 nr GUAM'S KABRATIYE. 241 
 
 " That is well," said I ; " keep him in that belief as 
 long as you can." 
 
 He now offered me more gruel, which I took, and I 
 believe that he put an opiate in it, for shortly after I 
 had taken it I again felt drowsy, and was soon fast 
 asleep. I awoke sooner than before, for it was night, 
 and I heard the voice of Olivarez on deck ; from what 
 I gathered, land was in sight, and I heard him order 
 the schooner to be hove to. In the morning Ingram 
 came down in the cabin, bringing me some breakfast, 
 which I ate heartily, for I was recovering fast, and had 
 become quite ravenous. 
 
 " Land is in sight," said I. 
 
 "Yes, Sir, it is; but we are many miles to the 
 northward of Rio, I understand, for Olivarez knows 
 the coast well. "We shall not be in to-day, if we are 
 to-morrow." 
 
 " I feel quite strong now," replied I, " and I want 
 to get up." 
 
 "Do so, Sir," said he; "but if you hear any one 
 coming down the ladder get into bed again." 
 
 "With Ingram' s assistance I dressed myself, and 
 went into the cabin. I reeled as I walked, but as 
 soon as I felt the cool breeze from the stern-ports, I 
 was rovived, and in an hour I could walk quite strong. 
 
 " Have you heard any more ? " inquired I of In- 
 gram. 
 
 " Olivarez asked me this morning how you were. I 
 replied that you were recovering fast." 
 
 " ' Very well,' said he, ' you will share his fate, what- 
 ever i 1 ; may be, since you have been so careful cf him,
 
 242 TilE PKIVATEEBSMAJ?. 
 
 and have put us in such a dilemma ; but I '11 contrive 
 to dispose of you both.' 
 
 " I made no reply, Sir, as I knew that would only 
 irritate him." 
 
 " You did right, Ingram ; a few days will decide our 
 fate. I do not think that he dares to murder us." 
 
 " Nor do I think he wishes it, if he can be clear of 
 us with safety to himself," replied Ingram. 
 
 Two days more passed away, and then Ingram told 
 me that we Avere a few miles from the town, and should 
 soon be at anchor. 
 
 " Go softly," replied I, "and tell me what is going 
 on." 
 
 He went up the ladder, but soon came down again, 
 saying, "We are locked in, Sir." 
 
 I was very much annoyed at this, but it could not 
 be helped our only remedy was patience ; but I must 
 confess that I was in a state of great anxiety. We 
 heard the anchor let go, and boats came on board, 
 after which all was silent for the night. The next 
 morning we heard them open the hatches, and the 
 slaves were ordered upon deck. The day was passed 
 in landing them. I was ravenously hungry, and asked 
 Ingram whether they intended to starve us. He went 
 up the ladder to call for victuals, when he found on 
 the upper step of the ladder a large vessel full of water 
 and some cooked provisions, which had probably been 
 put there during the night. There was enough to last 
 two or three days. The next day passed and no one 
 came near us, and I had some thoughts of dropping 
 out of the stern-ports and at tempt ing to swim on
 
 TUKVCIIERT OP OLTTAEEZ. 243 
 
 shore ; but Ingram, who had put his head out of them 
 as far as he could, told me that we must be at some 
 distance from the shore, and there were several sharks 
 playing round the stern, as is always the case with 
 vessels laden with slaves. 
 
 The next morning, however, put an end to our sus- 
 pense ; for the companion was unlocked, and Olivarez, 
 accompanied by four Portuguese, came down into the 
 cabin. He spoke to them in Portuguese, and they 
 advanced, and, seizing Ingram and me by the collar, 
 led us up the ladder. I would have expostulated, but 
 of course could not make myself understood. Olivarez, 
 however, said, 
 
 " Resistance is useless, Mr. Musgrave ; all you have 
 to do is to go quietly with these men. As soon as the 
 schooner has sailed, you will be released." 
 
 "Well," replied I, "it may be so, Olivarez; but 
 mark my words, you will repent this, and I shall see 
 you on a gibbet." 
 
 "I trust the wood is not yet out of the ground,' ; 
 replied he ; " but I cannot waste any more words with 
 you." 
 
 He then spoke to the Portuguese, who appeared tc 
 be government officers of some kind, and they led us 
 to the gangway; we went into the boat, and they 
 pulled us to the shore. " Where can they be taking 
 us, Ingram?" said I. 
 
 "Heaven knows, Sir, but we shall find out." 
 
 I attempted to speak to the officers, but they cried 
 
 " Silentio" which word I fully understood to mean 
 
 "silence," and, finding that I could not induce them 
 
 to hear me, I said no more. We landed at a jetty, 
 
 2
 
 244 T11.K PRIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 and were then led through the streets to a large 
 square. On one side of it was a heavy building, to 
 which they directed their steps. The door was opened 
 for us, and we were led in. A paper was produced 
 by our conductors, and was apparently copied into a 
 book, after which they went away, leaving us with the 
 people who had received us, and who, by their appear- 
 ance, I knew to be gaolers. 
 
 " Of what crime am I accused?" inquired I. 
 
 No reply was given, but two of the subordinates 
 took us away, unlocked a massive door, and thrust us 
 into a large court-yard, full of men of every colour. 
 
 "Well," said I, as the door closed upon us, "we 
 are in gaol at all events ; but the question now is, 
 shall we be released as Olivarez had stated ?" 
 
 " It is hard to say," replied Ingram. " The question 
 is, what gaol is this ? Could we find any one who 
 could speak English, we migat discover." 
 
 Several of those around us had come towards us to 
 examine us, and then left us, when, as we were con- 
 versing, a negro came up, and, hearing what we said, 
 addressed us in English. 
 
 " Massa want one to speak English I speak Eng- 
 lish some long while on board English vessel." 
 
 " Well, then, my good fellow," said I, " can you tell 
 us what this gaol is, and what prisoners are confined 
 here for?" 
 
 " Yes, massa, everybody know that, suppose he live 
 at Rio. This gaol for people that go dig diamonds." 
 
 " How do you mean ? " 
 
 "Mean! massa people sent hero to work in dia- 
 -.-auu-mines all life long till they die. Keep 'em hero
 
 ISTOBMED OF THEIB SITUATION. 245 
 
 till hab plenty to send up all at one time. Then 
 guard take them up the country, and they go dig and 
 wash for diamond. Suppose you find very big dia- 
 mond, you go free. Suppose not, den you die there." 
 
 "Merciful Heavens!" cried I to Ingram, "then 
 we are condemned as slaves to the mines." 
 
 "Yes," replied Ingram with a sigh. ""Well, it's 
 better than working in the quicksilver-mines. At all 
 events, we shall have fresh air." 
 
 "Fresh air without liberty," cried I, clasping my 
 hands. 
 
 " Come, Sir, courage, we do not yet know our fate. 
 Perhaps we may, as Olivarez said, be allowed to go 
 free after the schooner sails." 
 
 I shook my head, for I was convinced otherwise.
 
 246 THE PBTVATEESSMAN. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 The Diamond-Mines, and what occurred there I lose my friend 
 Ingram, and another acquaintance, but they both leave me 
 valuable Legacies. 
 
 AFTER remaining in the court about two hours, it 
 being then near to nightfall, the gaolers came out into 
 the yard, and we were all driven into a large apart- 
 ment, the walls of which were of such solid materials, 
 and the floor of large flag-stones, as to prevent any 
 possibility of escape. I was never in such a scene of 
 filth and wretchedness. There was not a spot where 
 one could be driven without being defiled in some way 
 or another ; and so many human beings one half of 
 whom were negroes being crowded into so small a 
 space, with only one barred window, so high up as 
 only to serve as a ventilator, created an atmosphere 
 worse than any slave-vessel's hold. I leaned with my 
 back against the wall, and, I must say, never was so 
 miserable in my life. I thought of Amy, and my san- 
 guine hopes and anticipations of happiness, now all 
 wrecked. I thought of Captain Levee and my brother 
 Philip careering over the seas, free as the Avind. I 
 thought of poor "Whyna, and the distress she must feel 
 at finding I did not rejoin her. I planned a hundred 
 schemes to make known my situation, but every scheme,
 
 BEST TO THE DIAMOND-MINES. 24V 
 
 aa soon as I weighed it, 1 tound was hopeless. Still 
 weak from previous disease, I felt as if I should be 
 suffocated if I remained long in this pestiferous abode, 
 and I wept like a child. Daylight came at last, and 
 soon afterwards the door was opened; we were ad- 
 mitted into the yard, and all hastened to the large tub 
 of water, which was soon emptied. The fighting and 
 scrambling to obtain first possession was really revolt- 
 ing. An hour afterwards some coarse provisions were 
 served out, and then we learnt, to our great delight, 
 that we were immediately to set out for the mines. It 
 would be thought that this could be no great cause for 
 exultation ; we were about to go to pass the rest of our 
 lives in bondage ; but all misery is comparative, and 
 sooner than have remained another night in that dread- 
 ful hole, I would have welcomed any change. About 
 an hour afterwards a guard of dirty-looking soldiers 
 came in ; we were all handcuffed to a long chain, at 
 about two feet apart, one on each side, so that we 
 walked in pairs, and as soon as the first chain was full 
 and I was handcuffed to it we were ordered out 
 into the square to wait for the others. My superior 
 dress and appearance as an Englishman excited much 
 curiosity ; people pointed to me and made remarks, but 
 I had no opportunity of communicating with any of the 
 authorities, nor would it have been of any use if I had 
 had. We remained there more than an hour, as the 
 other chains of prisoners came out one by one ; we 
 were five chains in all, about forty on a chain. "We 
 were then ordered to move on, walking between a 
 guard of about twenty or thirty soldiers, who marched, 
 on each side of us, with their muskets and baycnets
 
 248 THE PKITATEEBSMAN. 
 
 fixed, about three yards from each other. la another 
 hour we were clear of the town, and threading our way 
 through a lane bounded on each side by prickly peara 
 and other shrubs. There was no want of merriment 
 among the party ; they talked and laughed with one 
 another and the soldiers who guarded them, and ap- 
 peared to care little for their fate. As for me, I was 
 broken-hearted with the disgrace and the villanous 
 manner in which I had been thus sacrificed. My heart 
 was full of bitterness, and I could gladly have lain 
 down and died, had I not been still buoyed up with 
 some faint hope that I should have an opportunity oi 
 making my position known, and obtain my release. I 
 will pass over the journey, as one day was but the fore- 
 runner of the other. We halted at noon, and were 
 supplied with fruit and maize, but we were never un- 
 chained, day or night. In a short time I was like all 
 the rest covered with vermin, and disgusting to my- 
 self. It was, I think, between four and five weeks 
 before we arrived at our destination, which was in the 
 district of Tejuco, and the locality of the diamond- 
 mines was called the Sierra de Espinha90. This sierra, 
 or mountain, was a ridge of inaccessible precipices on 
 each side of a narrow valley, traversed by a, small river 
 called the Tequetinhonha, and in this valley, and in the 
 bed of the river, were the diamonds found, for which 
 we were condemned to toil for the remainder of our 
 days. As we entered the ravine, I perceived how im- 
 possible it would be to escape, even if a person could 
 find his way back, after having succeeded in his escape. 
 For many miles the road was a narrow path cut on 
 the side of the mountain, a yawning precipice below
 
 THE DIAMOND-MINES. 249 
 
 and inaccessible rocks above, and this narrow way was 
 at every two miles blocked up by a guard-house built 
 upon it, and through the portcullis of which it would 
 be necessary to force a way. And here we were, thou- 
 sands of miles away from civilized life, in the heart of 
 a country uninhabited except by occasional bands of 
 Indians. At last we filed through the last of the 
 guard-houses, and found ourselves in a wider part of 
 the ravine, which was crowded with buildings of 
 various descriptions. We were led up to the direct- 
 or's house, and our names, persons, and descriptions 
 were taken down by a clerk. When my turn came, 
 and I was asked in Portuguese who I was, I shook my 
 head, and replied "Ingles." An interpreter was 
 called, and I then stated my name and begged the 
 director would hear what I had to say. He shook his 
 head, and, after they had taken my description, desired 
 me to go away. 
 
 " Why did you not explain for me ? " said I to the 
 interpreter. 
 
 " Because he won't hear what you have to say ; if 
 he would, every man on the chain would attempt to 
 prove that he was sent here by mistake. You may 
 by-and-by find an opportunity to speak to him, that is, 
 after you have learnt Portuguese, and have been here 
 a year or two ; but it will do no good." 
 
 During the whole of the journey I had been separ- 
 ated from Ingram, and now, for the first time since 
 we left prison, I had an opportunity of shaking him 
 by the hand. I need not say how glad I was to meet 
 again my companion in misfortune, and our only fear 
 was now, that we should be again separated ; but such
 
 250 THE PBIVATEEBSMAJT. 
 
 was not the case. There were regular lodgings 01 
 barracks for the slaves, which were certainly not bad ; 
 but as all escape was considered impossible, any one 
 who chose to raise a little hut for himself out of the 
 bushes which grew on the rocks was permitted so to 
 do. The hours of work were regular ; we were al- 
 lotted out in gangs, which took up a certain square of 
 the river, or river's side ; we worked from daylight 
 till near dusk, with only an hour allowed for repose in 
 the heat of the day. There was a superintendent 
 over each gang of twenty, who watched them and 
 made them work. These superintendents were con- 
 trolled by inspectors, who had the charge of four or 
 five gangs, and who brought unto the director the 
 produce of the day's toil. The work was simple. The 
 sand and alluvial soil were thrown into troughs with 
 small sieve bottoms, out of which escaped all the 
 smaller matter, when it was washed with the water 
 from the river. The stones and larger particles were 
 then carefully examined, and any diamonds found were 
 taken out and delivered to the superintendents, who 
 then made them over to the inspectors, when they came 
 round. The inspectors carried them to their houses, 
 (for they had houses from government,) and in the 
 evening delivered every diamond found to the director. 
 After a short time, I found that the office of superin- 
 tendent, and also of inspector, was open tjo any of the 
 slaves who conducted themselves well ; and that the 
 whole of those now employed in the offices were slavea 
 for life, as well as ourselves. "What puzzled me was, 
 how so many people, for in all we amounted to seven 
 hundred or more, were to be found in food ; but I after-
 
 THE DIAMOND-MINES. 251 
 
 wards discovered that the government had farms and 
 herds of cattle at a few miles' distance, cultivated by 
 slaves and Indians expressly for the purpose. Our 
 rations were scanty, but we were permitted to culti- 
 vate, as well as we could, any spot we could find on the 
 arid side of the mountain as a garden ; and some of 
 them, who had been there for many years, had, in 
 course of time, produced a good soil, and reared plenty 
 of vegetables. To my surprise, I found at least 
 twenty Englishmen among the whole mass of slaves ; 
 and one or two of them were inspectors, and several 
 of them superintendents saying much in favour of 
 my countrymen. Their conversation and their advice 
 tended much to soothe the hardships of my captivity, 
 but I found from them that any hopes of ever leaving 
 the mines were useless, and that our bones must all be 
 laid by the side of the mountain. Of course, Ingrain 
 and I were inseparable ; we worked in the same gang, 
 and we very soon built a hut for ourselves ; and In- 
 gram, who was a light-hearted young man, set to work 
 to make a garden. He moved heavy stones on the 
 sides of the mountain, and scraped up all the mould 
 he could find ; sometimes he would get his handker- 
 chief full, but not often ; but, as he said, every little 
 helped. He killed lizards for manure, and with them 
 and leaves he made a little dung-heap, which he water- 
 ed, to assist putrefaction. Everything that would 
 assist, he carefully collected ; and by degrees he had 
 sufficient for a patch of four or five yards square. 
 This he planted; and with the refuse made more ma- 
 nure ; and in the course of a few months, by incessant 
 activity and assisted by me, he had a very tolerable
 
 252 THE PBIVATBEESMAW. 
 
 patch of ground covered with this manure and the 
 alluvial soil washed out by the diamond-seeking, mixed 
 up together. We then obtained seeds, and grew vege- 
 tables like the rest, and this proved a great increase 
 to our comforts that is, our bodily wants ; but my 
 mind was far away. Amy Trevannion was never out 
 of my thoughts, and I fell into a deep melancholy. I 
 worked hard at my vocation, and was fortunate enough 
 to find some good diamonds, long before I had been 
 a year at the mines. Having acquired the Portuguese 
 language, I was soon after raised to the office of super- 
 intendent. I now no longer worked, but overlooked 
 others, with a cane in my hand to administer punish- 
 ment to those who neglected their business. I cannot 
 say that I liked the change ; I was not so miserable 
 when I was employed, but I did my duty with dili- 
 gence. Ingram was in my gang, and another English- 
 man, an old man, I should think not less than seventy 
 years old. He told me that he belonged to a mei- 
 chant vessel, and in a drunken brawl a Portuguese had 
 bean killed ; he and two others had been condemned 
 to the mines, but the others were dead long ago. 
 About a month after my elevation, this old man, who 
 was very feeble, and whom I treated with great kind- 
 ness on account of his age exacting no more than I 
 thought he could well perform fell sick. I reported 
 him as being really ill, and Ingram, who was by no 
 means a bad doctor, told me that he would die. A 
 few hours before his death he sent for me to his hut, 
 and, after thanking me for my kindness to him, he said 
 that he knew he was dying, and that he wished to 
 leave me all his property, (which the slaves are per-
 
 AM APPOINTED INSPECTOR. 253 
 
 mitted to do,) that is, he left me his garden, which 
 was the best on the Sierra, his hut, which also was a 
 very good one, and then, putting his hand under the 
 leaves which formed his bed, he pulled out a tattered, 
 thumbed book, which he told me was a Bible. 
 
 "At first I read," said he, "to pass away time in 
 this melancholy place, but of late I have read it I hope 
 to a better purpose." 
 
 I thanked the poor man for his present, and wished 
 him good-bye. A few hours afterwards he was dead, 
 and Ingram and I buried him by the side of the moun- 
 tain. Shortly afterwards our inspector died, and, to 
 my astonishment, I was put into his place. I could 
 not imagine why I was thus so fortunate in being pro- 
 moted, but I afterwards found out that, although I 
 had never but casually seen her, I was indebted for 
 my good fortune to a fancy which the director's eldest 
 daughter (for he had his family with him) had taken 
 for me. 
 
 This was singular, for I had never spoken to her, 
 and, what is more strange, I never did speak to her, 
 nor did she ever attempt to speak to me, so that it was 
 wholly disinterested on her part. I had now still less 
 to do, and was in constant communication with the di- 
 rector, and one day stated to him how it was that I had 
 been brought there. He told me that he believed me, 
 but could not help me, and after that the subject was 
 never again mentioned between us. Having little to 
 do, I now took up the Bible given me by the old 
 Englishman, as I had time to read it, which I had not 
 before, when I was employed the whole dav ; but now
 
 254 THE PEIYJLTEEESMAK. 
 
 I had a convenient cottage, as I may call it, of my own, 
 and plenty of leisure and retirement. 
 
 I studied the Bible carefully and found much com- 
 fort in it. Not that I was content with my lot that 
 I never could be while I was separated from Amy 
 but still I found much consolation, and I became, to a 
 certain degree, resigned. I thought of my former life 
 with disgust, and this second reading of the Bible, for 
 the reader may recollect that the first took place when 
 I was first confined in the Tower, was certainly of great 
 advantage to me. I had more time to dwell upon it 
 more time for reflection and self-examination and 
 every day I reaped more advantage and became more 
 worthy of the name of Christian. I now prayed fer- 
 vently, and I think my prayers were heard, as you, my 
 dear Madam, will also think as I continue my narra- 
 tive. About three months after I had been appointed 
 an inspector, Ingram was taken ill. At first he com- 
 plained of disordered bowels, but in a few days inflam- 
 mation came on, which ended in mortification. He 
 was in great agony until the mortification took place, 
 when he obtained comparative relief. 
 
 " My dear Mr. Musgrave," he said, as I was at his 
 bedside, " in a few hours I shall have escaped from the 
 mines, and be no more in bondage. I shall follow the 
 poor old Englishman, who left you his executor. I am 
 about to do the same. I shall now make my will verb- 
 ally, as we have no writing materials here, and leave 
 you all I possess." 
 
 " Why are you not more serious, Ingram," I said, 
 " at such a moment as this ? ' '
 
 INGBAM'S LEGACY. 255 
 
 1 1 ain mos.5 serious," lie replied. " I know that in a 
 few hours I shall be no more, and I trust in the mercy 
 of Him who died for kings and for slaves ; but, Mus- 
 grave, I have a secret to tell you. Do you recollect 
 the story in the fairy tales of the little white cat whose 
 head was obliged to be cut off, and who then turned 
 into the most beautiful princess in the world ? "Well, 
 my secret is something like hers." 
 
 I thought, by his continuing in this strain, that his 
 head was wandering. I was about to speak to him, 
 when he continued : 
 
 "Do you know what has occasioned my death r I 
 will tell you the secret. I was washing for diamonds, 
 when I found one of a size which astonished me. I 
 knew it was of great value, and I did not choose that 
 the King of Portugal should receive such a benefit 
 from my hands. I put it into my mouth to secrete it. 
 hardly knowing what I should do afterwards, but I 
 was thinking how I should act, when one of the super- 
 intendents passing (that crabbed old Portuguese be- 
 longing to the next gang), and seeing me idle and in 
 deep thought, he struck me with his cane such a smart 
 rap on the shoulders, that he not only made me jump 
 out of my reverie, but the diamond went down my 
 throat. I'm sure if I had tried to swallow it I could 
 not have done so, but the shock forced it down. Well, 
 this has occasioned my death, for it has remained in 
 my stomach and occasioned the stoppage, which has 
 ended in inflammation and mortification. I feel it here 
 even now ; give me your finger, don't you feel it ? 
 Well, now you understand why I talked of the little 
 *'hite cat. Don't cut off my head, but when I aiu
 
 256 THE PBTYATEEUSMAJT. 
 
 dead, just put your knife down there and take out the 
 diamond and bury it, for I tell you and they say 
 dying men see clearer than others but that I am 
 certain you will be released from these mines, and 
 then the diamond will be a fortune to you, and you 
 will find that being my executor was of some value to 
 you. Now, pray no scruple I entreat it as a last 
 favour, promise me that you will do as I wish pray 
 promise me, or I shall die unhappy." 
 
 I could not help promising him to execute his wishes, 
 he appeared so earnest and asked it as a last fa- 
 vour, but I felt very repugnant at the idea. In another 
 hour poor Ingram breathed his last, and I was most 
 melancholy at the loss of so worthy a friend, who had 
 by serving me been subjected to the same slavery as 
 myself. I left the hut and went to my own house, 
 thinking over the strange communication that had 
 been made to me. And why, thought I, should I 
 obtain this diamond ? I have no chance of leaving 
 this ; yet, who knows, Ingram prophesied in his dying 
 moments that I should well, at all events, I will 
 keep my promise to the poor fellow. I reported his 
 death to the director, and, about an hour afterwards, 
 went to the hut where he lay. His countenance was 
 placid, and I looked at him for a long while, and que- 
 ried whether he was not happier than I was or ever 
 could be. But, to comply with his request I could 
 not bear the idea. I did not want the diamond, and I, 
 who in my early career had thought nothing of cutting 
 and maiming the living man, now shuddered at the 
 idea of making an incision in a dead body. But there 
 was no time to be lost, the burials always took place
 
 OBTAIN THE LAEGE DIAMOND. 257 
 
 at sunset, and it was near the hour. I bent a piece of 
 bamboo cane double, like a pair of sugar-tongs, and 
 then putting my finger to the part of his stomach 
 which he had pointed out, I felt that there was a hard 
 substance, and I made an incision with my knife 
 probing with the blade. I touched the diamond, and 
 then, using the piece of cane as a pau\ of pincers, I 
 contrived, after one or two attempts, to extract it. I 
 threw the diamond without examination into a pan of 
 water which stood by the bed, and, covering up the 
 body, I made a hole in the floor of the hut and buried 
 the knife, which I felt I never could use again. 
 
 I looked out of the hut and perceived two of the 
 slaves, who performed that office, coming towards mo 
 to take away the body. I desired them to carry it 
 leaving the clothes on, followed them, and saw it 
 deposited in the earth; after which I read prayers 
 over the grave, and could not refrain from shedding 
 many tears to the memory of my faithful associate. I 
 then returned to the hut, and taking the pan of water 
 in my hand went to my abode. I could not bear to 
 touch the diamond, but I dared not leave it where it 
 was ; so I poured all the water out of the pan, and 
 then rolled the diamond out on the floor, which was of 
 hardened clay. I saw at once that it was one of 
 great value, weighing, I should think, thirteen or 
 fourteen grammes, and of a very pure water. It was in 
 the form of an obtuse octohaedron, and on one side 
 was quite smooth and transparent. Having made 
 this examination, I picked up some of the clay with a 
 piece of iron, and, rolling the diamond into the hole, I 
 jammed the clay down over it. " There," said I, "you
 
 258 THE PEITATEEItSMAN. 
 
 may remain till doomsday, or till some one finds you j 
 you will be of no use to me ;" and I thought of the 
 cock in the fable. My tattered Bible caught my eye, 
 and I said to it, "You are of more value than all 
 the diamonds in the world;" and I only uttered what 
 I felt. 
 
 For a long time I mourned for Ingram, and thought 
 nothing of the diamond. Three months more passed 
 away, and I had been eighteen months in the mines, 
 when some visitors made their appearance no less than 
 one of the principals of the Jesuit order, who had been 
 sent by the king of Portugal out to the Brazils, on a 
 tour of inspection, as it was called, but in fact to 
 examine into the state of affairs, and the way in which 
 the government revenue was collected. There had 
 lately been so much peculation on the part of the various 
 officers, that it was considered necessary to make 
 minute inquiry. A Portuguese nobleman had been 
 sent out the year before, but had died shortly after his 
 arrival, and there was every reason to suppose that he 
 had been poisoned, that the inquiry might be got rid 
 of. Now this Jesuit priest had been sent out, pro- 
 bably because a Portuguese, who thought little of poi- 
 soning and stabbing a layman, would not dare to 
 attempt the life of so sacred a character. Having full 
 and extraordinary powers, he had made a short inquiry 
 into the different departments of government, and had 
 now come to the mines to ascertain how far the delivery 
 of the diamonds at the treasury agreed with the collec- 
 tion at the mines ; for these mines had usually produced 
 from a million to a million and a half of revenue. The 
 director was in a great fuss when he heard of this
 
 THE JESUIT PEIE8T. 259 
 
 arrival at the further barrier; although immediately 
 announced to him, he had scarcely an hour to prepare 
 before the superior of the Jesuits arrived with his 
 suite, consisting of about twenty people, and fifty or 
 sixty sumpter mules and riding-horses. "We were all 
 called out to receive him, that is, all the inspectors. I 
 went to attend the parade, and awaited with much in- 
 difference ; but my feelings were soon changed, when 
 in this superior of the Jesuits I beheld the Catholic 
 priest who had visited me in the Tower and obtained 
 my release. The superior bowed to the director and to 
 all around him, and as he then looked at us all, he re- 
 cognised me immediately. 
 
 " You here, my son ?" said he. 
 
 " Yes, holy father," replied I, "and I thank Heaven 
 that your arrival will enable me to prove my inno- 
 cence." 
 
 " Pray how is this ?" said he. 
 
 In a few words I narrated my story. 
 
 " And you were thrown into prison without being 
 permitted to defend yourself? " 
 
 " Even so, good father, and sent to the mines to slave 
 for life." 
 
 " Did you not make known your case to the director 
 <>f the mines ?" 
 
 " I did, Sir, but he stated that he pitied me, but could 
 not help me." 
 
 "Is this the case, Mr. Director?" said the Jesuit, 
 severely. 
 
 " It is, Sir," replied the director ; " I have more than 
 once reported cases of what appeared to me great 
 nardship, if what those condemned have said was true,
 
 260 THE PBIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 and have been told that I was too officious, and that 
 there could be no reversal of sentence. I can prove 
 to you, Sir, by my journals and letter-books, how 
 many cases I did formerly attempt to bring before the 
 government ; but I at last received such replies, which 
 I can show you, as will prove that there has been no 
 fault of mine." 
 
 "Allow me to add, holy father," said I, "that the 
 kindness and consideration of the director have been 
 very great to all those under his charge, and I think it 
 very fortunate that such a person has been appointed 
 to this situation, as he has done everything that has 
 been in his power to alleviate the miseries of bond- 
 age." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say so, Mr. Elrington. Mr. 
 Director, this gentleman is a dear friend of mine ; let 
 him instantly be released. My orders are not to be 
 disputed by the viceroy himself." 
 
 The superior then embraced me cordially, and told 
 me that I was free, and should return with him to Bio. 
 Imagine, my dear Madam, my joy and gratitude. I 
 fell on my knees before him, and kissed bis hands. He 
 gave me his blessing, and raised me up. 
 
 " Where is your companion in misfortune ? " said 
 he. 
 
 " Alas ! Sir, he is dead," replied I. 
 
 The superior shook his head and turned away, say- 
 ing, "I will search into this aifair to the bottom, 
 depend upon it, when I get back to Bio." 
 
 He then desired the director to bring out his books, 
 and his own secretary to follow him, leaving his serv- 
 ants in the court-yard with me and the other in-
 
 AM EELEASED FROM THE MISES, 261 
 
 Epectors. I received the congratulations of all parties 
 present, and as soon as possible I escaped from them, 
 and returned to my own room, where I knelt and fer- 
 vently thanked God for my unexpected deliverance ; 
 and, having paid my duty to the Most High, I sat 
 down, and fell into a most delightful reverie of antici- 
 pations. In the evening, after the superior had dis- 
 missed him, the director sent for me, and said, 
 
 " Allow me to return you many thanks for your 
 kindness in speaking so favourably of me as you have 
 done. You have, indeed, been of service to me, and I 
 am most grateful." 
 
 " I only did you justice, director," replied I. 
 
 " Yes, but how few have justice done them in this 
 world ! " replied he. " The superior desired me to tell 
 you, that you are to live with the gentlemen of his 
 suite. Of course, you know, it is not etiquette for 
 him to'admit anybody to his table. At all events you 
 must allow me one pleasure, which is to supply you 
 with clothes proper to your appearance, which I can 
 easily do without inconvenience to myself." 
 
 The director then led me into his room, and opened 
 a wardrobe full of rich suits, selected two of the hand- 
 somest, with linen and every other article requisite, a 
 handsome sword and hat, all of which he begged me 
 to accept. Calling one of his servants, he ordered him 
 to put them into a valise, and take them to my apart- 
 ment. 
 
 " Is there anything else that I can do ? speak 
 freely." 
 
 " No, director," replied I, " I will accept these 
 things from you, as I cannot procure them here, but
 
 262 THE PRIYATEEBSMAIV. 
 
 when at Rio, I have means to obtain everything that I 
 require. I return you many thanks." 
 
 " I will send my servant to arrange your hair," said 
 he ; " and I pray you to consider him at your disposal 
 during the few days which the superior may remaiu 
 here." 
 
 " Do you think it will take him so long ?" 
 
 " Yes," replied the director, " I will tell you in con- 
 fidence, that he has brought with him the produce of 
 the mines accounted for to the government at home, 
 and on his first inspection has found such defalcation 
 from that which has been transmitted by me to Eio, 
 that I expect there will be serious business. They 
 never imagined at Eio that he would have undertaken 
 such a tedious journey as he has done, and they are in 
 much alarm about it ; but I will leave you now, that 
 you may go home and make your toilet. Allow me to 
 congratulate you, with all my heart, at the fortunate 
 termination to your unjust bondage." 
 
 Having again thanked him for his kindness, I went 
 to my lodging, where I found his servant waiting for 
 me ; and having had my hair arranged in a very toler- 
 able manner, and a little powder thrown in, I put on 
 one of the suits, which fitted me pretty well, requiring 
 but a slight alteration, from being rather full, which 
 the servant soon managed. Thus did I once more 
 appear as a gentleman contrary to all my expecta- 
 tions and I then went and joined the suite of the 
 superior, who, when they perceived the difference 
 which dress made in my appearance, congratulated 
 me, and warmly welcomed me to join the meal which 
 had just been prepared for them. On the following
 
 THE JESUIT PBIEST. 263 
 
 day, the superior sent for me, and ordering me to sit 
 down requested that I would enter into full detail of 
 what had happened to me since we last parted. I did 
 so, and my narrative occupied the whole afternoon. 
 
 " Your life has been full of vicissitude," replied he ; 
 " I trust, however, that your adventures are now over, 
 and that you will be restored to your friends : the ser- 
 vice you performed for our cause will never be forgot- 
 ten." 
 
 I ventured to ask him how it was that he was now 
 in the employ of the King of Portugal. He re- 
 plied, 
 
 " I am an Irishman by birth, and educated at St. 
 Omers. I was first sent to Spain by the order when 
 I was young, and have since been employed all over 
 the world in the advancement of our holy church. 
 Country with our order is of no consequence. "We all 
 serve the holy church, and go wherever our services 
 are required. I would you were a Catholic, I could 
 advance you beyond all your hopes ; but you are 
 engaged to be married, and that puts an end to the 
 question." 
 
 As I thought the holy father must be tired with our 
 long conference, I rose and took my leave. 
 
 Three days afterwards I was informed by him that 
 he intended to set oif on his return to Eio, and now I 
 thought of the diamond, which I resolved to carry with 
 me. I had no fear of being searched while under this 
 excellent superior's protection, and therefore I went to 
 my lodging, dug up the diamond, and, having washed it, 
 for the first time gave it the examination which it de- 
 served. It certainly was a stone of great value, but of
 
 2tM THE PEIVATEEESMA.U'. 
 
 what value I could not exactly say. Prom what I had 
 learnt from the director, who usually put his idea of 
 the value upon any diamond of size which was brought 
 to him, I considered that 20,000 was the least which 
 could be put upon the stone. I took the precaution 
 not to carry it loose in my pocket, but to sew it within 
 the lining of my clothes. Glad I was, indeed, when 
 the orders to start the next morning were given out. 
 I found that a horse was appointed for me, and, having 
 made up my valise, not forgetting my tattered Bible, 
 I went to my bed thanking God that this was to be 
 the last night that I was to pass in the accursed Sierra 
 de Espinhaco. 
 
 At daylight the superior took his leave, mounted his 
 mule, and we set forth, passing the guard-house in the 
 narrow road, which I never expected to pass again. 
 Before noon we were clear of the Sierra, and once 
 more in the open country. The attendants, with a 
 portion of the sumpter mules, went in advance, to pre- 
 pare for the superior's arrival at the spot where we 
 were to halt. 
 
 The weather was excessively sultry, and the glare of 
 the sun was very distressing. At noon we stopped to 
 take our dinner, and the usual siesta after it. The at- 
 tendants in advance had raised a sort of palanquin for 
 the superior, and everything was ready. The superior 
 alighted, and sat down under the palanquin, which pro- 
 tected him from the rays of the sun ; we all sat round 
 at a respectful distance. The heat was so intense, that, 
 to relieve himself, the superior had, when he sat down, 
 thrown off his long black robe, such as is worn by tho 
 priests of his order, Dinner was served up, and wo
 
 DAXGEE FEOM A SNAKE. 265 
 
 had a merry party, notwithstanding the great heat. 
 After our meal, we all shaded ourselves as well as we 
 could, and took our siesta for about two hours, when 
 the superior rose up, and gave the signal for resuming 
 our journey. The horses were soon ready, and the su- 
 perior's mule being brought up to the palanquin, he rose 
 up, and one of his attendants was lifting up his robe 
 for the superior to resume it, when my eye detected 
 the head of a snake just showing itself out of the side- 
 pocket of the robe in which he carried his breviary and 
 his handkerchief. I knew the snake well, for we often 
 found them in the Sierra de Espinhaco, and some two 
 or three of the slaves had lost their lives by their bite, 
 which was so fatal, that they died in less than five 
 minutes afterwards. The superior had his handker- 
 chief in his hand, and would have undoubtedly put it 
 in his pocket before he mounted his mule, and if so 
 would certainly have been bitten, and lost his life. As 
 the superior was fastening his robe at the throat, I 
 darted forward, seized it, threw it on the ground, and 
 commenced stamping upon it with all my force, much 
 to the surprise of the whole party. Some of them 
 thought me mad, and others, who were horrified at 
 such treatment of the holy garment, called out, " He- 
 retico maldetto!" which, Madam, you must know, 
 means, accursed heretic. Having felt the snake (which 
 is very short, but very thick in the body, with a head 
 like a toad) several times moving under my feet, and 
 then moving no more, I then stepped off the garment, 
 and turning it over I lifted it up by the skirt, so that 
 the dead snake rolled out of the pocket. 
 
 " I thank the God whom we all worship, and the
 
 266 THE PBIVATEEBSMAK. 
 
 Son of G-od, who died for us all, whether Catholic or 
 Heretic," cried I, " that I have been the means of pre- 
 serving the holy father." 
 
 I had knelt down as I thus prayed, and the supe- 
 rior, perceiving the danger that he had "been in, did the 
 same, and silently returned his thanks ; at his example 
 all the rest went down on their knees. 
 
 "Yes," said the superior; "would to God that in- 
 stead of reviling each other all denominations of 
 Christians would join in thus bruising the head of the 
 serpent which seeks our spiritual death." 
 
 He then rose and said, 
 
 " My son, I thank thee for the kind service thou 
 hast performed.' ' 
 
 I then explained to the superior the deadly nature 
 of the animal, and my fear that he would hare put his 
 handkerchief in the pocket of his robe before I had 
 time to prevent him, and begged him to excuse my 
 seeming abruptness. 
 
 " There needs no apology for saving a man's life," 
 replied he, smiling. " Come, let us go forward." 
 
 I hardly need say that AVC were not quite so long 
 in returning to Rio as we were in going to the mines. 
 "We accomplished our journey, without using extreme 
 haste, in about half of the time. On our arrival, we 
 took up our quarters at a magnificent palace, which 
 had been appropriated to the superior during his re- 
 sidence at Eio, and I found myself sumptuously lodged. 
 For some days, during which the superior had frequent 
 interviews with the viceroy, I did not see him, but one 
 day I was summoned to his presence. 
 
 "My son," said he, "I have lost no time in in-
 
 ACCOUNT OF OLITAEEZ. 267 
 
 vestigating your affair, and I find that all you have 
 said is quite correct. To the disgrace of the govern- 
 ment here, and the manner in which justice is 
 administered, it appears that this man, Olivarez, on his 
 arrival, went to the secretary of the judge of that court 
 in which such offences are tried, and stated that he 
 had two English mutineers on board, who had attempt- 
 ed to take the vessel, and wounded several of his men 
 dangerously ; that he wished, of course, to deliver 
 them up to justice, but that the immediate departure 
 of his vessel would be prevented by so doing, as his 
 crew would be required as evidence ; that the delay 
 would be very disadvantageous ; and he inquired whe- 
 ther it could not be managed that these men might be 
 punished without the appearance of himself and his 
 men, as he would pay a good sum rather than be de- 
 tained. The secretary perfectly understood the trick, 
 and, upon the receipt of five hundred cruzados, he ac- 
 cepted the deposition of Olivarez, sworn to by him, as 
 sufficient evidence, and you were consigned to the 
 mines upon this deposition by a warrant from the 
 judge. We have had some trouble to obtain all the 
 facts, but the question has been severely applied, and 
 has elicited them. Now, first, as to the judge and his 
 secretary, they have gone to the gaol, and will take 
 your place in the mines for life. Next as to Olivarez. 
 It appears that, on his arrival, he sold his cargo ot 
 slaves very advantageously ; that having received the 
 money he gave a small portion to each of his men, and 
 that they went on shore, and, like all English seamen, 
 were soon in a state of intoxication ; that Olivarez took 
 such steps with the police, as to have them all thrown
 
 268 THE PBIVATEEBSA1AN. 
 
 into prison when in that state ; and, on the following 
 morning, he went to them, persuaded them that they 
 had committed themselves during their intoxication, 
 and that it required a large sum to free them. This he 
 pretended to have paid for them, and, having purchased 
 a cargo for his voyage, he got them all on board, and 
 again ran for the coast of Africa. In three months 
 he returned with another cargo, which he sold. He 
 had found out his mother, and now he expended the 
 money he had made, in purchasing a good property 
 about seven miles from Bio, where he placed his 
 mother and some slaves to take care of it, and 
 cultivate it. He contrived to defraud his crew as 
 much as he could, and before he went to the coast 
 again he married an amiable young person, the daugh- 
 ter of a neighbour. He made a third and a fourth voy- 
 age with equal success, but on the third voyage he con- 
 trived to get rid of a portion of his English crew, 
 who were now becoming troublesome, by taking some 
 Portuguese sailors out with him, and leaving the Eng- 
 lish on the coast, as if by mistake. Previous to the 
 fourth voyage, it appears that he satisfied the remain- 
 der of the English crew by producing accounts, and 
 sharing out to them several hundred dollars previous to 
 their departure for the coast. He made a slight addi- 
 tion to his Portuguese sailors, not putting too many 
 on board, to avoid suspicion, and when on the coast of 
 Africa, a portion of the English crew died, whether 
 by poison or not is not known, and the others he put 
 on shore, seizing all their property, and the dollars 
 with which he had satisfied them. On his return from 
 his fourth voyage, having now nothing to fear from the
 
 HIS PUNISHMENT. 269 
 
 partners in Ms atrocious deed, having realized a large 
 sum, he determined to remain on shore altogether, and 
 live on his property with his mother and wife. He 
 did so, and sent out the schooner under a Portuguese 
 captain and crew, to be employed for him as owner in 
 the slave traffic, and she has made two voyages since, 
 and is expected back again every day. Now, my son, 
 retribution has fallen heavily upon this bad man. Had 
 he been discovered and punished when he first did the 
 deed, it would have been as nothing compared to what 
 it has been now ; he then had no property no ties 
 in fact, nothing or little to regret ; but now, with a 
 wife and child, with a valuable property, living in in- 
 dependence, and increasing that wealth daily now, 
 when he is at the very summit of his ambition, restored 
 to his own country, respected and considered as being 
 a man of wealth, he has been seized, thrown into a 
 dungeon, put to the question, and now lies in a state 
 of misery, awaiting the sentence of death which has 
 been pronounced against him. Neither has he the 
 consolation of knowing that he leaves those whom he 
 loves in a state of affluence, for all his property, having 
 been gained by making use of your property, necessa- 
 rily is your property, and not his, and it has been con- 
 fiscated accordingly for your use and benefit. As soon 
 as everything is collected, it will be paid into your 
 hands. Thus, my son, I have at last attained justice 
 for you." 
 
 I was, as you may imagine, my dear Madam, profuse 
 in my acknowledgments, but he stopped me, saying, 
 
 " I was sent here to see that justice was done to 
 everybody, if I possibly could no easy task, when all
 
 270 THE PEIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 are amassing money, not caring how they obtain it ; 
 but, surely, if any one has peculiar claims upon me, it 
 is you." 
 
 The superior then asked me many questions relative 
 to my parentage, and I did not conceal anything from 
 him. I told who I was, and why, at an early age, I 
 had left my father's house. He asked me many ques- 
 tions, and, after about two hours' conversation, he 
 dismissed me, saying, 
 
 " You may always depend upon my protection and 
 gratitude." 
 
 Before he dismissed me, he told me that he was 
 about to send a despatch-boat to Lisbon, and as I 
 might wish to inform my friends of my safety, if I 
 would write letters, he would insure their being safely 
 delivered to my friends in England. I gladly availed 
 myself of this offer, and indeed would have begged a 
 passage for myself, if it had not been that I considered 
 Olivarez's money to be the property of Mr. Trevaii- 
 nion, and was determined to remit it to him before I 
 left Eio. This detained me about six weeks longer, 
 during which interval Olivarez had suffered the penalty 
 due to his crimes, having been strangled in the market- 
 place. 
 
 The money received was 28,000 cruzados, and not 
 knowing how to dispose of it, I applied to the supe- 
 rior, who gave me orders for it in duplicates upon the 
 treasury at Lisbon, one of which I had very soon an 
 opportunity of sending home to Mr. Trevannion, with 
 a duplicate of my first letter, and a second to him and 
 Amy, stating my intention of returning as soon as pos- 
 sible. But this was by a Portuguese frigate, which
 
 LEAVE BIO. 271 
 
 made a very circuitous route home, and I did not 
 choose to go by that conveyance, as her detention at 
 the different ports was so uncertain. At last I became 
 very impatient for my departure, and anxiously awaited 
 the sailing of some vessel to any port of Europe. 
 
 I had reserved 1000 cruzados for my own expenses, 
 which I considered as quite sufficient, but they were 
 gradually wasting away, for I was everywhere received, 
 and in the best company of Eio. At last one day the 
 superior sent for me, and told me that he was about 
 to send an advice-boat to Lisbon, and I might take a 
 passage if I wished; that it was a very small one, 
 but a very fast sailer. I thanked him heartily, ac- 
 cepted the proposal, and went to my room to pack 
 up my clothes. In the afternoon the captain of the 
 xebeque called upon me, and told me that he would 
 start on the following morning if I would be ready. I 
 replied that I should be, put some dollars into his 
 hands, requesting that he would procure for me any- 
 thing that he considered would be necessary and 
 agreeable, and if the sum I had given him was not 
 enough, I would repay him the remainder as soon 
 as we were out of harbour. T took my leave of 
 the superior, who parted with me with many protesta- 
 tions of regard on his side, and tears of gratitude on 
 mine, and early the next morning I Avas on board of 
 the xebeque. In light winds she was extremely fast, 
 but she certainly was too small to cross the Atlantic 
 Ocean; nevertheless, as the captain said, she had 
 crossed it several times, and he hoped that she often 
 would again. 
 
 The passage, however, that he usually made, was
 
 272 THE PEIVATEEKSMAN. 
 
 to run up to the northward of the Antilles, and then 
 cross over, making the Bahama Isles, and from thence 
 taking a fresh departure for Lisbon. Our crew con- 
 sisted of only eight men, besides the captain ; but, as 
 the vessel was not more than thirty tons, they were 
 sufficient. "We made a good run, until we were in 
 about twenty-four degrees of north latitude, when, as 
 we stretched to the eastward to cross the Atlantic, we 
 met with a most violent gale, which lasted several 
 days, and I fully expected every hour that the vessel 
 would go down, buried as she was by the heavy sea. 
 At last we had no chance but to scud before the wind, 
 which we did for two days before a raging and follow- 
 ing sea, that appeared determined upon our destruc- 
 tion. On the second night, as I was 011 deck, watch- 
 ing the breaking and tossing of the billows, and the 
 swift career of the little bark, which enabled her to 
 avoid them, the water suddenly appeared of one white 
 foam, and, as we rose upon the next sea, we were 
 hurled along on its crest, reeling on the foam until it 
 had passed us, and then we struck heavily upon a rock. 
 Fortunately, it was a soft coral rock, or we had all 
 perished. The next wave lifted us up again, and threw 
 us further on, and, on its receding, the little xebeque 
 laid high and dry, and careened over on her bilge. 
 
 The waters rose and fell, and roared and foamed 
 about us, but they lifted us no more, neither did they 
 wash us off the decks as we clung to the rigging ; for 
 the stout short mast, upon which the lateen sail was 
 hoisted, had not been carried away. "We remained 
 where we were till morning, every one holding on, and 
 not commuuicatiug with each other. As the night
 
 WBECZED ON AN ISLAND. 27,3 
 
 wore away, so did the gale decrease and the sea sub- 
 side. The waters now gradually left us ; at intervals 
 when the waves receded, we could walk on shore- but 
 we remained on the vessel till noon, by which time we 
 found our vessel high and dry, having been carried 
 over a coral reef, which appeared to extend one or two 
 miles into the offing. 
 
 The men, who had been much buffeted by the waves 
 and who were exhausted by clinging so long to the 
 rigging, now that they found themselves safe, and were 
 warmed by the heat of the sun, rallied, and began to 
 move about. We had a long consultation as to how 
 we should act. There was no chance of gettin* the 
 vessel off again, and we did not exactly know where 
 we were; but the captain and I agreed that it must 
 >e upon one of the small islands of the Bahama grouo 
 that we had been cast away, and our conjecture was 
 right. After some consultation, the captain and I 
 called the men together, and told them that it was 
 very probable that we might be some time before we 
 could find the means of getting off the island, and that 
 therefore, we must all do our best; that we would 
 land and erect a tent with the sails, and obtain pro- 
 visions ; after that we would consider the vessel and 
 her stores as public property, but that every man's 
 private property should be secured to him as if we 
 were still on board of the xebeque ; that the captain 
 should retain the command as before, and his orders 
 should be obeyed by everybody, as long as they were 
 reasonable and just. 
 
 The men, who were weU-behaved, quiet fellows, 
 and not, like English seamen, given to liquor, readily
 
 274 THE PEITATEEESMAW. 
 
 agreed, and it was arranged tliat the following rnoni 
 ing we should commence our labours. This was a sad 
 blow to me, who was anticipating a speedy meeting 
 with Amy. I knew how doubtful was the chance of 
 our being seen by any vessel, and that I must remain 
 here for months, if not longer ; but I had been school- 
 ed, and could now say with fervency, "Thy will, O 
 Lord, and not mine, be done." 
 
 "We remained on board of the vessel that night, and 
 the next morning the gale had ceased, and the waters, 
 to our astonishment, had receded, so as to leave us at 
 leastfsixty yards from the sea, which was now almost 
 calm. We first took a survey of the island, to ascer- 
 tain if there was any water, and, as the island was not 
 more than two miles in circumference, this did not 
 take us long. Fortunately, in the centre we found a 
 deep hole sunk in the soft coral rock by some other 
 people who had been wrecked here, and in the hole 
 the water was, although a little brackish, somewhat 
 palatable. It evidently was the sea-water filtered 
 through the soft rock. 
 
 The whole of the island was surrounded with coral 
 reefs, with lanes of deep water running between them, 
 and the fish were sporting in thousands after the 
 storm, but there was not a tree or vestige of vegeta- 
 tion upon the whole island. We soon, however, dis- 
 covered that it was frequented by turtle, for we found 
 some eggs, fresh-buried, in the sand. Having made 
 this survey, we then went back to the vessel, and with 
 spars and sails rigged a tent upon the highest point of 
 the island, which might be ten or fifteen feet above the 
 level of the sea. The tent was large enough to hold
 
 DESOBTPTION OTf THE ISLA5D. 275 
 
 fifty men, if required, so we brought our bedding aud 
 chests and all our cooking apparatus on shore, made a 
 fire-place outside the tent with the little cabouse we 
 had on board of the vessel, sent a man to obtain water 
 from the hole, and put on some meat to boil for our 
 dinners. In the evening we all went out to turn turtle, 
 and succeeded in turning three, when we decided that 
 we would not capture any more until we had made a 
 turtle-pond to put them in, for we had not more than 
 two months' provisions on board of the vessel, and did 
 not know how long we might be detained. The men 
 behaved very well, and indeed seemed determined to 
 make themselves as comfortable as they could under 
 existing circumstances. The next day we put out some 
 lines in deep water, and caught several large fish, and 
 then we went to find a proper spot for a turtle-pond. 
 "We selected a hole in the reef which we thought would 
 answer, as we had only one end of it to fill up, and we 
 commenced breaking away the rock with crow-bars, and 
 worked hard the whole of the day, some breaking and 
 others carrying the masses broken off. By degrees 
 they rose to the surface of the water, and in two days 
 more we calculated that the pond would be ready to 
 receive the turtle. "We had killed one turtle in the 
 morning, and we now lived upon it altogether, as we 
 wished to save our salt provisions. The captain and 
 I had many consultations as to what we should do, 
 and what attempts we should make to get off from 
 this spot. Build a boat we could not, as we had not 
 a carpenter among us, or the means of making the 
 iron-work necessary. "We had some tools, such as 
 are usually used on board of vessels, and several pounds 
 
 of large nails, but none fit for boat-building. I 
 T 2
 
 276 THE PBIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 proposed that we should examine the bottom of the 
 xebeque, and see what damage was done to it. "We 
 did so, and found that the garboard streak was broken 
 and two of her timbers, but they were easy to repair ; 
 in every other respect she was sound. I then proposed 
 that we should cut down the xebeque to a large boat, 
 which we could easily do by ripping off her planks and 
 decks, and sawing down her timbers to the height we 
 required. It would be a heavy boat, it was true, but 
 we should be able to launch her with rollers, and the 
 draught of water would be so small that we could get 
 her over the reefs, which we could not possibly do the 
 xebeque. The captain approved of the idea, and we 
 agreed that as soon as the turtle-pond was finished we 
 would make the attempt. In two days more we had 
 finished the pond, and had turned thirty turtle, which 
 we put into it. The men, now that they found that 
 they had plenty to eat, began to show signs of laziness, 
 and did not very readily commence the work upon the 
 xebeque. They ate and slept, ate and slept again, on 
 the mattresses spread in the tent. At times they 
 would fish, but it was with difficulty that the captain 
 and I could persuade them to work, and if they did 
 work half an hour, they then threw down their axes 
 and crowbars, and went back to the tent. They had 
 plenty of tobacco, and they smoked half the day, ate 
 turtle, and then slept again. Nevertheless, as the 
 captain and I worked hard, the work progressed, 
 in about ten days after we began the work, we had 
 ripped off her decks and her side-planks as low as 
 Ave thought right, and we were now sawing through 
 the timbers, when the quiet of our party was disturbed 
 by what may be considered a very strange quarrel.
 
 QUABEEL AMOXG THE MEN. 277 
 
 One of the jaen asserted in conversation that St. An- 
 tony was btrn in Padua ; one or two of the other sea- 
 men denied it, and this difference of opinion, which at 
 first was a mere nothing, from sullenness, I presume, 
 and something being required to excite them, in the 
 course of a day or two ended in a serious feud ; the 
 Paduans terming the anti-Paduans heretics and Jews. 
 The epithet of Jew was what irritated so much, and 
 the parties being exactly even, four on each side, on 
 the third day, after an angry altercation, they all 
 rushed out of the tent to decide the affair with their 
 knives. The conflict was very fierce, and took place 
 when the captain and I were at the xebeque, and be- 
 fore we could separate them four of them had fallen ; 
 two were killed, and the other two badly wounded. It 
 may appear ridiculous that people should take each 
 other's lives for such a trifle ; but, after all, nations 
 declare war against each other, and thousands are killed 
 on both sides, for causes almost as slight. With great 
 difficulty we separated the remaining combatants, and 
 such was their rage and excitement, that every now 
 and then they would attempt to break from us and 
 attack each other again ; but at last we disarmed 
 them. 
 
 This was a sad business ; and it was melancholy to 
 think that companions in misfortune should take each 
 other's lives, instead of feeling grateful to the Almighty 
 for their preservation. 
 
 "We buried the two men who had fallen, and dressed 
 the wounds of the hurt ; but after this quarrel the four 
 others came to their work, and continued steadj at it. 
 We had now removed the upper portion of the xe-
 
 278 THE PEIVATEEKSMAW. 
 
 beque, and commenced fixing beams and carlines on the 
 lower part, so as to make a decked boat of it, and in 
 another week we had decked her over. But we had a 
 great deal more to do : we had to reduce the mast and 
 yard to a proper size, to alter the sail and rigging, to 
 make a small rudder, and rollers to launch her upon. 
 All this, with our reduced force, occupied us another 
 month ; for the two wounded men, although recover- 
 ing, could but just crawl about. We turned many 
 more turtle at night, that we might have a sufficient; 
 supply. "We now looked out for a channel of deep 
 water through the reef, to get our boat out, and made 
 one out to a certain extent, but could not survey fur- 
 ther without getting off the reef, and the sharks were 
 so numerous that we dared not venture. However, 
 we took it for granted, as we had found deep water in 
 shore, that we should be sure to do so in the offing ; 
 and we now got our boat upon the rollers which we 
 had made, by digging away the sand from beneath her, 
 and a trench to the water's edge. We had been two 
 months on the island when all was ready for launching. 
 Anxious as I was to return to England, I cannot 
 say that I was unhappy when on this island : there 
 was always a fine sea-breeze, which cooled the air, and 
 enabled us to work without exhaustion. With the ex- 
 ception of the unfortunate quarrel I have referred to, 
 everything went on quietly. After work was over, I 
 resorted as usual to my Bible, and read for hours ; and 
 this calmed and allayed any impatient feelings which 
 might at times arise. I felt that I had great cause to 
 be grateful to the Almighty for preserving me as he 
 had done, and that it would be folly and wickedness
 
 WOBK AT THE BOAT. 279 
 
 on my part to repine because I could not obtain all 
 that I wished. I waited, therefore, for His own good 
 time, without murmuring, and in full confidence that 
 all was for the best. 
 
 At last we contrived to get our boat into the water, 
 and she floated much lighter than we thought she 
 would have done, considering the weight of wood that 
 was in her. As soon as she was anchored about 
 ten feet from the beach, we made a gangway to her 
 with planks, and commenced getting all our salt 
 provisions, water, and stores, which we had selected as 
 most necessary, on board of her. The stowage of 
 these occupied us two days ; we then got the yard 
 up, and bent the sail, and, having fitted oars, we deter- 
 mined that the next day we would embark. As she 
 still swam light, we got on board of her as many turtle 
 as we could conveniently carry, and then, for the last 
 time, went on shore to sleep. 
 
 As there was no room for our chests, it was agreed 
 that we each should have a bundle on board, selecting 
 those things which we most required and most valued. 
 This proposal, which was made by the captain, put 
 me in mind of the diamond, which had scarcely once 
 entered my thoughts since I had been on the island. 
 When I took it out of my chest, I thought that I 
 might as well make it more convenient to carry, as 
 there was no saying what might be the result of our 
 new expedition ; so, when the other men were all busy 
 about their own effects, or asleep, I first took the 
 precaution to roll it up in a covering of pitch, so that, 
 if taken from me or lost, it might not be known to be 
 a diamond, and then I sewed it up in a piece of
 
 280 THE PBIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 leather, which I cut from an old glove, putting a 
 strong leather lanyard to it, so that I might wear it 
 round my neck. Having done this without any one 
 taking notice, and having nothing else to do, I took 
 some fine twine and worked it over, like the mousing 
 of a stay, in a way peculiar to sailors, so that, when 
 finished, it was very much in the shape of a miniature 
 buoy to an anchor, and reminded me of a fend-off, or 
 fender, such as they use to prevent any injury to the 
 sides of a vessel when coming in contact with another. 
 Having finished my work, I put the leather lanyard 
 round my neck, inside of my shirt, so that my diamond 
 was concealed from sight ; I then put up my remain- 
 ing pieces-of-eight which were nearly 500, the best 
 of my clothes, (for during my stay at Rio I had very 
 much increased my stock,) and I hardly need say that 
 the old Bible was not left behind. 
 
 It was a beautiful calm morning when we embarked, 
 and, lifting the anchor, took to our oars, and pulled 
 out through the deep channel, the captain standing at 
 the bow and conning us through, while I took the 
 helm. The boat pulled well and steered well ; we 
 had yet to see what she could do under canvass. After 
 a pull of two hours we were clear of the reef, and out 
 in the open sea. "We then laid in the oars, and com- 
 menced our preparations for hoisting the sail to a 
 breeze, which then blew from the southward. When 
 all was ready, the men hoisted the sail, but in so 
 doing, a rope being foul, as I was attempting to clear 
 it, I was tripped up, and fell with my right knee on a 
 spike, which entered deep, putting me to excruciating 
 pain, and laming me completely. I was obliged tc sit
 
 EMBA.BK IN THE BOAT. 281 
 
 down abaft, for I nearly fainted away. In the mean 
 time the sail was set, and the boat stood well up to it. 
 She proved to be very stiff under canvass, which was a 
 source of great congratulation. My knee became so 
 painful and stiff that I could not move it ; I took one 
 of my shirts out of my bundle, tore it up into band- 
 ages, and put them on. We had resolved to attempt 
 to make New Providence, the largest of the Bahama 
 group, where we knew that there was a town called 
 Nassau, and from whence we hoped to obtain some 
 conveyance to Europe ; but we knew nothing of the 
 port, or the inhabitants, or what trade was carried on 
 with them. 
 
 For several hours our little bark went gaily over tho 
 water, but towards nightfall the wind shifted, and tho 
 weather looked threatening. "We hardly knew how 
 to steer, as we did not know the position of the island 
 which we had left, and now the wind heading us, we 
 hauled up on the larboard tack, with our head to the 
 northward and eastward. As the sun went down, the 
 wind increased, and the sea ran fast. Our boat be- 
 haved well, till it began to blow very hard, and then it 
 took in so much water, that we were forced to bale. 
 
 "We had reefed our sail, and made everything as 
 snug as we could, but the sea rising fast, and the 
 boat taking in more water, we considered it prudent 
 to lighten her, which we did by throwing overboard 
 all the turtle. This we did without regret, as we 
 were tired of eating them for so long a while. The 
 day broke, and there appeared every sign of bad 
 weather, and the waves now tossed and foamed too 
 much for such a small craft as we were in. About
 
 282 THE PEIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 noon we saw a vessel on a wind to leeward of us, 
 which was a source of great delight to us all, and we 
 bore down to her. "We soon made her out to be au 
 hermaphrodite brig, under her close-reefed topsails 
 and trysails. "We ran under her counter and hailed. 
 "We perceived several men standing abaft, and appa- 
 rently they suspected us for a rover, for they had 
 muskets and other weapons in their hands. "We told 
 them that we had been shipwrecked, and the boat waa 
 sinking in the gale, and then we rounded to under her 
 lee. 
 
 There we remained for four or five hours, during 
 which the wind and the sea went down very fast, and 
 the boat no longer took in water ; but we had been 
 all too much alarmed with the danger in which we had 
 been, to like to continue our voyage in her, and as we 
 thought that we could now go alongside with safety, 
 we hailed again, and asked permission. After some 
 parleying they threw us a rope, which we made fast 
 to the boat, and lowered our sail, keeping off on a 
 broad sheer, as there still was a great deal of sea. 
 They then entered into conversation with us. I told 
 them all that had happened, and inquired where the 
 brig was bound to. 
 
 They replied, to James Town, Virginia. I asked 
 them if they could give us a passage there, as we were 
 afraid to proceed in our boat ; or if not, would they 
 see us safe into New Providence. 
 
 The captain then came forward. He was a very 
 dark man, dark as a mulatto, with keen small eyes, 
 and a hooked nose. I never beheld a more deformed 
 and repulsive countenance.
 
 TAKEN UP BY A. BBI3. 283 
 
 Ho said that he could not go to New Providence, 
 as it was out of his way, and that we might easily get 
 there ourselves if we thought proper. 
 
 I replied, that ^the boat was not sufficiently large 
 and seaworthy, and that we had alreadv nearly gone 
 down, and if another gale should come on, we certainly 
 should founder, and again requested that he would 
 take us on board. 
 
 " Have you any money to pay for your passage ? " 
 inquired he. 
 
 " Why," said I, " common charity and the feelings 
 of a seaman towards sailors in distress should be suffi- 
 cient to induce you to take us on board, and not leave 
 us to perish ; but if you require money," I replied, 
 " we have more than sufficient to satisfy you." 
 
 "How much?" screamed out a lad of about four- 
 teen, who was the very image of the captain in minia- 
 ture. 
 
 I did not reply to this question, and the captain then 
 said, "What do you propose to do with the boat?" 
 
 ."Let her go adrift, to be sure," replied I. 
 
 " What have you got on board of her ? " said he. 
 
 I enumerated, as well as I could recollect, the pro* 
 visions and stores that we had. 
 
 "Well," replied he, "I will wait till it is a little 
 smoother, and then we wll clear the boat and take 
 you on board." 
 
 He then left the gangway, where he had been 
 standing, and we continued to be towed by the brig. 
 
 " I do not like that fellow," said I to the Portu- 
 guese captain ; " he appears, or pretends, to take Ub 
 for pirates, but he is more like a pirate himself."
 
 284 THE PE1VATEEBSMAN. 
 
 " He looks like the devil himself,'' replied the cap- 
 tain, " and to ask people in our condition to pay for 
 their passage ! He is a monster ! However, we all 
 have a few doubloons, thank Heaven." 
 
 About an hour afterwards, it being much more 
 moderate, the captain of the brig told us to sheer 
 alongside, and that four of us might come out and the 
 others remain in the boat till she was cleared. 
 
 " I think you had better go," said I to the captain, 
 " for with so much motion I never shall be able to get 
 up the side with my bad knee." 
 
 We then sheered the boat alongside, and the cap- 
 tain and three of our men got on board, but not with- 
 out difficulty. I saw them go aft and down below 
 with the captain of the brig, but I never saw them on 
 deck again, much to my surprise, although we were 
 more than half an hour before they again hailed us, 
 and told us to come alongside again. During this 
 half-hour my mind misgave me sadly that all was not 
 right, from not seeing the Portuguese captain, or 
 either of the three men, and I took it into my head 
 that the vessel was a pirate ; and I knew if such was 
 the case, we should instantly be rifled, if not murdered. 
 I took the precaution of taking off the bandage from 
 my knee, and, having removed the diamond from my 
 neck, I put ii under my ham in the cavity, which held 
 it with ease, and then put the bandage on again over 
 it, as I thought they would hardly take a bandage off 
 a bad knee to see if there was anything concealed be- 
 neath it. It was with difficulty that I contrived to 
 get on board the brig, and as soon as I had gained 
 the deck, I was ordered to go down into the cabin : aa
 
 WE AKE MADE PBISONEBS. 285 
 
 1 went aft, I looked round for the Portuguese captain 
 and the men, but could not see them. I contrived, 
 with difficulty, to get down into the cabin, and as 
 soon as I was there I was seized by the arms and held 
 fast by two of the men, while others bound me with 
 seizings. 
 
 As the captain was looking on, I inquired into the 
 cause of this outrage. He replied, that we were a 
 parcel of rascally pirates, who would have taken his 
 vessel if he had not been too deep for us ; I told him 
 it was false, and that I could easily prove it, as we 
 still had the despatches on board with which we had 
 been charged, and that I could show good proof that I 
 was the same person that I stated myself to be ; that 
 I very much feared that we had fallen into the hands 
 of pirates ourselves, but that I would have justice done 
 as soon as we arrived at James Town, without he in- 
 tended to murder us all before we arrived. His an- 
 swer was, that he was too old a bird to be caught with 
 such chaff, and that he would secure us and deliver us 
 up to the authorities as soon as he arrived. I replied, 
 in great anger, that he would then be convinced of his 
 error, if it was an error, on his part ; that his conduct 
 was infamous, and he looked like a scoundrel, and I 
 believed him to be one. 
 
 " You call me a scoundrel, do you," said he, level- 
 ling a pistol at my head. 
 
 " You call us scoundrels, do you," cried the boy I 
 have made mention of, and who was evidently the son 
 of the captain, taking up another pistol in his hand. 
 " Shall I shoot him, father?" 
 
 " No, Peleg, not yet ; we will pay them all when
 
 286 THE PBITATEEESMAIf. 
 
 we get in. Take him away, and put him in irons with 
 the rest," said the captain ; and I was immediately drag- 
 ged forward between decks through a door in the bulk* 
 heads, where I found the Portuguese captain and three 
 seamen already in irons. 
 
 "This is pretty treatment," said he to me. 
 
 "Yes, it is, indeed," replied I; "but I will make 
 him smart for it when we arrive." 
 
 " Shall we ever arrive ?" said the Portuguese cap- 
 tain, looking at me and compressing his lips. 
 
 " I say, my man," said I to the seaman who stood 
 over us with a pistol and a cutlass, " who are you, and 
 what are you ? Tell us the truth : are you pirates ?" 
 
 "I never was yet," replied he, "nor do I mean to 
 be; but our skipper says that you are, and that he 
 knew you as soon as you came alongside. That's all 
 I can say about it." 
 
 " Why, if we are pirates, as he says, and he recog- 
 nises us, he must have been in pirates' company, that 
 is clear." 
 
 " Well, he may have been, for all I know," replied 
 the man. "I don't consider him any very great 
 things ; but he is our captain, and we must obey 
 orders." 
 
 The man now brought forward the other three men 
 who had been left in the boat. They told us that the 
 boat had been cleared ; all the provisions, stores, sails, 
 &c., had been taken out of her ; a proof that she had 
 been gutted and then cut adrift ; that all our bundles 
 were down in the captain's cabin, and that the ill-look- 
 ing urchin, his son, had overhauled them, one after 
 another, and handed to his father all the money that
 
 BOBBED OF OUE PBOPEHTY. 287 
 
 ho had found ; that they had been searched very care- 
 fully ; and that they had heard the captain say that we 
 were all to be sent up, one by one, and searched 
 in the same manner ; and so it proved. I was first 
 taken aft to have my pockets rummaged by the little 
 villain, and as soon as I had been led forward and 
 again put into irons, the Portuguese captain and three 
 other seamen were sent for and treated in the same 
 way. We inquired of the men what money they had 
 in their bundles and about their persons. They had 
 each man four doubloons at Eio for wages, and the 
 captain had about forty doubloons. I had five hun- 
 dred pieces-of-eight : so that, altogether, we had been 
 robbed to the tune of about four hundred pounds sterl- 
 ing, independent of our clothes, which were of some 
 value to us ; that is, mine were at all events. 
 
 The seamen who guarded us, and who relieved each 
 other every watch, were not at all surly or ill-natured. 
 I asked one of them during the night-watch whether 
 he thought the captain would take our lives. 
 
 " No," said he ; " we will not allow that. You may 
 be pirates, as he says, although we do not think you 
 are ; but if pirates, you shall have fair play ; that we 
 have all made up our minds to. No hanging first, and 
 trying afterwards." 
 
 I had a long conversation with this man, who appear- 
 ed very much inclined to be sociable. He told me 
 that the vessel was named the Transcendant ; that she 
 sailed from Virginia to the West Indies, and that some- 
 times she went to England ; that the captain of her 
 was also the owner, but where he came from, or what 
 he was, they did not know, except that he was a Vir- 
 ginian, they believed so, for that he had a tobacco
 
 288 THE PEITATEEESMAN. 
 
 estate there, which was carried on by hia eldest son. 
 He called the captain a stingy, miserly fellow, who 
 would sacrifice any man's life to save a shilling 
 and that there were odd stories about him at James 
 Town. 
 
 I was well satisfied with my conversation with this 
 man, as it assured me that our lives would not be 
 taken, and I had no fear of the result upon my arrival 
 at James Town, for, as I have mentioned before, Mr. 
 Trevannion had vessels which sailed to that port, and 
 I well recollected the names of the parties to whom 
 the vessel and cargo were consigned. 
 
 On the following day the captain of the brig, follow- 
 ed by his ill-favoured son, came forward and looked at 
 us as we sat in irons, upon which I addressed him, 
 
 " You have put me in irons, Sir, when I threw my- 
 self upon your protection. Tou have robbed us of our 
 money to the amount of nearly 400, and you detain 
 our other property. I now again desire that I may 
 be released. I offered to convince you that I was a 
 person of property, but you refused to listen to me. 
 Now, Sir, I will tell you that I am a partner in the 
 house of Trevannion, at Liverpool, and that we have 
 vessels that trade between James Town and that port. 
 Our vessels are consigned to Messrs. Fairbrother and 
 Wilcocks, of James Town, and on my arrival I will 
 soon prove that to you ; and also not only make you 
 surrender the property you have robbed ua of, but I 
 will make you smart pretty handsomely for your treat- 
 ment of us ; that you may depend upon." 
 
 " Fairbrother and Wilcocks," muttered he; "con- 
 found the fellow. Oh," said he, turning to me, " you 
 got the name of that firir 4 from some ship you have
 
 ABE CHABGED WITH PIBACT. 289 
 
 plundered and sunk, I suppose. No, no, that won't 
 do, old birds are not to be caught with chaff." 
 
 "I believe you to have been a pirate yourself, ii 
 you are not one now," replied I ; "at all events you are 
 a thief and a paltry villain but our time will come." 
 
 "Yes, it will," said the captain of the xebeque; 
 " and remember, you scoundrel, if you can escape and 
 buy off justice, you shall not escape seven Portuguese 
 knives, mind you that." 
 
 "No, no," cried the Portuguese sailors; "stop till 
 we are on shore, and then come on shore if you dare." 
 
 "I say, father," said young Hopeful, "this looks 
 like mischief; better hang them, I reckon, than to be 
 stuck like pigs. They look as if they'd do it, don't 
 they?" 
 
 I shall never forget the diabolical expression of the 
 captain of the brig after the Portuguese sailors had 
 done speaking. He had a pistol at his belt, which he 
 drew out. 
 
 "That's right, shoot 'em, father; dead men tell no 
 tales, as you have always said." 
 
 " No, no," said the seaman who was on guard, mo- 
 tioning them back with his cutlass, " there will be no 
 shooting nor hanging either ; we are all sworn to that. 
 If so be they be pirates, there's the law of the country 
 to condemn them ; and if they be not pirates, why- 
 then that's another story." 
 
 The captain looked at the seaman as if he could 
 have shot him if he dared. Then turned round hastily 
 and went back to the cabin, followed by his worthy 
 offspring. 
 
 For seven days we remained in irons, ~rhen we
 
 290 THE MUVATEEBSMAH. 
 
 heard land announced by the sailors on deck, and the 
 brig's head was put towards it. At night she was 
 hove to, and the next morning again stood in, and we 
 perceived that we were in smooth water. Towards 
 night the anchor was let go, and we asked the guard 
 if we had arrived at James Town. 
 
 He replied, "No, but we were in a river on the 
 coast, but he did not know what river it was nor did 
 any of the crew, nor could they tell why the captain 
 had anchored there. But they had seen several canoes 
 with Indians cross the river, but that there appeared 
 to be no white settlement that they could discover." 
 The mystery was, however, cleared up on the following 
 morning. A small boat, which could barely hold eight 
 people, was lowered from the stern, and hauled up 
 alongside. "We were taken up, one by one, the scoun- 
 drel of a captain having first stripped each of us to our 
 trousers, not even allowing us a shirt. We were or- 
 dered to get into the boat. As soon as we were all in, 
 and our weight brought the boat down to her gunnel, 
 two oars were handed to us, and then the captain of 
 the brig said, 
 
 "Now, you rascally pirates, I might have hanged 
 you all, and I would have done so, for I know you well. 
 I recollect your faces when you plundered the ' Eliza,' 
 when I was off Porto Rico ; but if I put you in prison 
 at James Town, I shall have to wait two or three 
 months until the court sits, and I cannot be detained 
 for such scoundrels as you ; so now you may pull on 
 shore, and get on how you can. Shove off, directly, or 
 I '11 put a bullet through your brains." 
 
 "Hold fast," cried I, "and let him fire if he dares.
 
 WE ABE CAST ADEIFT. 291 
 
 You men belonging to the Tramcendant, I call you to 
 witness this treatment. Tour captain has robbed us 
 of a large sum of money, and now turns us adrift, so as 
 to compel us to land among savages, who may kill us 
 immediately. I appeal to you, will you permit this 
 cruelty and injustice ? If you are English, I conceive 
 you will not." 
 
 There was some talk and expostulation with the cap- 
 tain of the brig, in consequence of what I said ; but 
 while it was going on, the captain's son leaned over 
 the side, and with his knife cut the painter, or rope 
 which held the boat, and as the tide was running on 
 very strong, in less than half a minute we were a long 
 way astern of the brig, and drifting fast up the river. 
 
 We got our oars, and attempted to pull for the brig, 
 for we knew that the seamen were taking our parts 
 but it was in vain ; the tide ran several miles an hour,' 
 and in another minute or two, with all our exertions^ 
 we were nearly a quarter of a mile astern of her, and 
 the boat was so loaded that we hardly dared move lest 
 we should upset it. We had, therefore, no option but 
 to go on shore and take our chance ; but when the men 
 were pulling round for the shore, on reflection I thought 
 that we had better not land so soon, as the sailors had 
 told us that they had seen the Indians in their canoes. 
 I therefore recommended that we should allow the 
 boat to drift up the river with the tide, and then drift 
 down again when the tide turned, remaining in the 
 middle of the stream till it was dark, when we would 
 land and make our way into the woods. My advice 
 was followed ; we sat still in the boat, just keeping her 
 head to the stream with the oars, and, being without 
 
 D 2
 
 29*, THE PEIVA.TEEBSMAW. 
 
 our shirts, the sun scorching and blistering our backs, 
 till past noon, during which time we must have drifted 
 nearly twenty miles up the river, which was as broad 
 as the arm of a sea at the entrance ; then the tide 
 turned, and we drifted back again till it was dusk, 
 when it was again slack water. All this while we kept 
 a sharp look-out to see if we could perceive any In- 
 dians, but not one was to be seen. I now proposed that 
 we should take our oars and pull out of the river, as if 
 we had only gone up on a snrvey, for the brig had 
 got under weigh, and had anchored, for want of wind, 
 about four miles off, and the Indians, if there were any, 
 would suppose that we were returning to the ship. "We 
 did so, and pulled till it was dark, and were within two 
 miles of the brig, where the flood-tide again made 
 strong, when we turned the boat's head up the river, 
 and pulled with the oars to get up as far as we could 
 before we landed. This we did, suffering much from 
 hunger and thirst, as well as being confined so long in 
 one position. As my knee was quite well, I now took 
 off the bandage, and hung my diamond round my neck 
 as before. I could not help feeling a satisfaction, when 
 I thought that the thief of a captain little imagined 
 what a mine of wealth he was losing when he turned 
 me adrift. It was about midnight when the tide ceased 
 to flow, and we then agreed to land, and the question 
 then was, whether we should separate or keep together. 
 After some discussion, we agreed to separate in twos, 
 and the Portuguese captain and I agreed to keep each 
 other company. We first pushed the boat into the 
 stream, that she might drift away, and then, shaking 
 each other by the hand and bidding adieu, we all start-
 
 LAND ON AN UNKNOWN COAST. 293 
 
 ed in different directions. For some time the captain 
 and I threaded the woods in silence, when we were 
 stopped by a stream of deep water, with such high 
 banks, that in the dark we did not know how to cross 
 it. We walked by the side of it for some time to dis- 
 cover a passage, and in so doing we at last found our- 
 selves again on the banks of the river, and our boat ly 
 ing close to us, having grounded not far from where 
 we had shoved her off. We tasted the water in the 
 creek, and found it quite fresh : we had several times 
 tried it on the river, and found it quite salt from the 
 tide running in. We drank plentifully, and sat down 
 to recover ourselves, for although we had not walked 
 more than half an hour, the pushing through the brush- 
 wood was very fatiguing. 
 
 "I think," said I, " that this boat will certainly be- 
 tray us, and would it not be better to take possession 
 of it again? It will hold two comfortably, and I think 
 we shall get on as well, if not better, in a boat than in 
 the woods without compass and without guide." 
 
 "I agree with you," said the captain; "but what 
 shall we do ? " , 
 
 " Let us retrace our steps ; let us pull again, with 
 the ebb-tide, for the mouth of the river, and then coast 
 it along shore ; we may arrive at some settlement, it 
 we do not starve by the way." 
 
 "I agree with you," he said, "it will be the best 
 plan ; we must conceal ourselves in the day, and coast 
 along at night." 
 
 We waded into the river, got into the boat, and 
 again pulled out. The boat being light now pulled 
 well, and we made good speed ; and at daylight we 
 were clear of the river, and close to a small island near
 
 294 THE PEITATEEESMAW. 
 
 the jaouth of it. Upon tliis we agreed to land, to try 
 if we could procure food, for we were much exhausted, 
 and also to conceal ourselves from the natives. We 
 ran our little boat on shore, and concealed her among 
 some bushes which grew down at the water's edge. We 
 looked well round, but could see nothing, and we then 
 walked out in search of food; we found some wild 
 plums, which we eagerly devoured ; and going down 
 again to the beach, where there were some rocks, we 
 found shell-fish, of which we broke the shells between 
 two stones, and made a meal of. After our hunger 
 was satisfied, we lay down under the shelter of the boat, 
 and fell fast asleep. We were so tired that we did 
 not wake up till it was nearly dark, when we agreed to 
 start again, and pull along the coast to the northward. 
 We were just launching our boat, when we perceived 
 a canoe about three miles off, steering for the mouth 
 of the river to the island. This stopped us, and we re- 
 mained in our hiding-place. The canoe approached 
 steering directly for the spot where we lay concealed, 
 and we imagined that they had discovered us. Such, 
 however, proved not to be the case, for they ran on 
 shore about fifty yards from us, and, hauling up the 
 canoe, they got out and walked away on land. There 
 were four men, but it was now too dark to dis- 
 tinguish any more. We remained quiet for a quar- 
 ter of an hour, when I proposed that we should em- 
 bark." 
 
 "Have you ever managed a canoe ?" said the Por- 
 tuguese captain to me. 
 
 " I have been in one in Africa very often," I said, 
 "but they are dug-outs, as we call them." 
 
 " So have I, and I do not think there is so much
 
 DISCOVERED BY INDIANS. 295 
 
 difference between them and these canoes. Can you 
 paddle?" 
 
 "Tea," I replied. 
 
 " So can I," he said. " JSTow observe, the best 
 thing we can do is to take possession of that canoe ; 
 and then we shall get on better, for our boat will 
 always attract notice, whereas a canoe will not ; 
 besides, it will prevent these Indians, if they are come 
 to look for us, which I suspect they have, from follow- 
 ing us." 
 
 " I think you are right," I said ; " but how shall we 
 manage ?" 
 
 " In this way. You shall shove off our boat and 
 walk by its side, dragging it up to where the canoe 
 lies ; I will go to the canoe, launch it, and then wo 
 will make off with both till we are too far out to bo 
 taken ; then, when we have got into the canoe, we will 
 turn our boat adrift." 
 
 I agreed to the proposals. "We launched our boat 
 very quietly, and I walked in the water up to my knees, 
 drawing it after me till I arrived opposite to the canoe. 
 The Portuguese crept on his hands and knees till he 
 had gained the canoe, pushed her off, aud joined me. 
 We made her fast to the tow-rope of our own boat, 
 then got into the boat, and pulled away from the 
 isknd. 
 
 "We had not gained more than a hundred yards 
 when the whiz of an arrow met our ears. The Indiana 
 had discovered us, it was evident. Two or three more 
 arrows came flying by us, but we had now got well out, 
 and they fell harmless. "We contused to pull till we 
 were half a mile from the island, and then we laid on 
 our oars. The stars shone bright ; there was a young
 
 296 THE PBIVATEEESMAJf. 
 
 moon, so as to enable us to see pretty well. "We found 
 the paddles of the canoe lying on the cross-pieces. We 
 had nothing to take from the boat but our tow-rope 
 and the two small oars ; these we put into the canoe, 
 and then, getting in ourselves, we let the boat go adrift. 
 We put her head to the northward, between the island 
 and the main, and paddled away as fast as we could. 
 
 The captain was a much better hand than I was, 
 and he therefore took the office of steersman. The 
 water was as smooth as glass, and we made rapid pro- 
 gress, and did not discontinue our exertions, except 
 now and then resting for a few moments, till the 
 morning dawned, when we could hardly distinguish 
 the island we had left, and found ourselves about five 
 miles from the mainland. We had now time to ex- 
 amine the contents of the canoe, and had much reason 
 to be gratified with our acquisition. It had three 
 bear-skins at the bottom, several pounds of yams, 
 cooked and uncooked, two calabashes full of water, 
 bows and arrows, three spears, a tomahawk, three 
 fishing-lines and hooks, and some little gourds full of 
 black, white, and red paint ; and, what we prized more 
 than all, some flints and a large rusty nail, with rotten 
 wood to serve as tinder. 
 
 " We are fortunate," said the captain ; " now, 
 before we pull in for the shore we must paint our- 
 selves like Indians ; at all events, you must black 
 yourself, as you have no shirt, and I must do the 
 same, although I do not require it so much as you do." 
 
 " Let us have something to eat and drink first," 
 replied I, " and we will proceed to our toilet after- 
 wards."
 
 ADVENTUBES WITH THE INDIANS. 297 
 
 CHAPTEE XYII, 
 
 My adventures with the Indians, with what happened to the Por- 
 tuguese Captain, my companion. 
 
 HA YIN a eaten some venison, and drunk out of the 
 calabash, the captain painted me black, with here and 
 there a line of red and white on the face and shoul- 
 ders. I performed the same duty towards him, and we 
 then resumed our paddles, and pushed in a slanting 
 direction for the shore. The tide now ran down 
 against us, and we could hardly stem it, and finding 
 ourselves opposite a beach clear of trees for a quarter 
 of a mile, we agreed to run on shore to look for a 
 large stone. "We soon found one which answered our 
 purpose, and, paddling off again to three or four hun- 
 dred yards, we made the stone fast to the bow-rope of 
 our boat, and anchored the canoe with it. Having 
 succeeded in this, we got out the fishing-lines, and, 
 with a piece of raw meat as a bait, we soon had several 
 fish in the canoe ; after which we put on no more 
 baits, but pretended to fish till the tide slacked, when 
 we lifted our anchor and recommenced our paddling to 
 the northward. 
 
 At night we landed on a rock, close to the beach, 
 having well reconnoitred before it was dark, to see 
 if there were any canoes <>r Indians to be seen on the
 
 298 THE rETYATEEBBMAK. 
 
 shore ; and thus we continued for five days, during 
 which we passed the mouths of one or two rivers, and 
 had gained, as we supposed, more that 150 miles along 
 the coast, but how much to the northward we could 
 not tell, as we followed the windings of the shore. 
 "We were twice obliged to land to obtain water, but we 
 always did so in the daytime, having taken the pre- 
 caution to black the whole of our bodies and take off 
 our trousers before we landed. Our deer's flesh was 
 all gone, and we continued to live on fish, cooking as 
 much as we could at one time. The collecting fire- 
 wood was the great risk which we ran ; for we were 
 then obliged to land where there was wood. It was 
 on the sixth day that we were first in danger. As we 
 rounded a point, we fell in with another canoe with 
 six or seven people in it. They were not more than 
 300 yards off when we first saw them. The Indians 
 stood up in the canoe, looked at us very earnestly, and 
 then, perceiving that we were not of their tribe, I pre- 
 sume, pulled towards us. We immediately turned and 
 pulled away. They had been fishing, and two of them 
 were pulling up the lines, while the others paddled, 
 which gave us a little advantage ; but they had three 
 paddles and we had only two. They shouted and 
 paddled with all their might, but they gained little, aa 
 they were seven in the canoe, five men and two women, 
 and deep in consequence. As they gained slowly upon 
 us, notwithstanding all our exertions, the Portuguese 
 said to me, " They have no weapons in the boat, I 
 should think ; if they had, they would use them, for 
 we are within bow-shct. Can you use a bow and 
 arrow?"
 
 ADYENTUBES WITH THE INDIANS. 299 
 
 "I could once," replied I, " use it very fairly;" for 
 when I was captive with Whyna, she would often 
 practise the bow and arrow with me, and I became 
 somewhat expert before I left her. 
 
 " "Well, then," said he, "let me paddle on, and do 
 you put an arrow in the bow and threaten them, at all 
 events." 
 
 I did so, and stood up, taking aim as if about to 
 shoot, at which they ceased paddling, and after talking 
 a little they turned the head of their canoe round, and 
 made for the shore. "We proceeded, as may be imagin- 
 ed, with all diligence. I laid down my bow and 
 arrows and resumed my paddle, and in an hour we 
 could no longer see our late pursuers. We continued 
 our voyage, and for three days met with no further 
 adventures, when about noon, on the fourth day, the 
 sky became overcast, and there was every prospect of 
 rough weather. Before night the wind and sea rose, 
 and it was no longer possible for us to keep along the 
 coast, which already was covered with breakers. 
 
 We had therefore no remedy but to make for the 
 shore and haul up the canoe, for we could not perceive 
 any inlet which might shelter us. It was quite dark 
 when we dashed the canoe through the breakers and 
 landed. We hauled her up some distance, as there 
 was every appearance of worse weather, and sheltered 
 ourselves under the lee of a high rock. The wind now 
 blew fiercely, and rain descended in torrents. We 
 tried to light a fire to warm ourselves, but could not 
 succeed, so we lay down on one bear-skin, and covered 
 ourselves with the others, waiting impatiently for day- 
 light. When the day dawned the weather was worse
 
 300 THE PEITATEEESMAN. 
 
 than ever. "We uow looked out for a better place of 
 concealment for ourselves and our canoe, and found one 
 at about fifty yards' distance : between two high rocka 
 there was a narrow cleft or passage, which was large 
 enough for us and for the canoe, and this hid us both 
 from the storm and from the Bea. Into this cleft we 
 hauled our canoe and withdrew ourselves, making a 
 meal off some fish we roasted on the embers. "We re- 
 mained there for two days, when the weather moder- 
 ated, but the sea was still too rough for us to launch 
 the canoe ; so we decided upon remaining one day 
 more, although our provisions were all gone and our 
 calabashes quite empty. On the third day, to our 
 great surprise and alarm, we heard the report of a 
 musket not far from us. From this we knew that we 
 could not be very far from the English settlements, 
 for it was only the Indians near to the settlements 
 who had obtained muskets. But whether it was an 
 Indian or a white man who fired we could not, of 
 course, tell. I recollected that, in the last advices we 
 had had from James Town, our factors had stated that 
 there was a cruel war carried on between the Indians 
 and the settlers, and that the Indians had ravaged the 
 plantations ; but that was two years ago, and how it 
 might be now it was impossible to tell. A second re- 
 port of a musket still nearer induced me to creep 
 along by the side of the rock, and look out to see if 
 any one was near. To my great alarm, I perceived 
 five Indians with muskets not a hundred yards off. I 
 drew back, as I hoped, unperceived, but the eye of an 
 Indian was too keen. They had discovered me ; and 
 whilst I was relating to the Portuguese captain what
 
 TAKEN BY THE INDIANS. 301 
 
 I had seen, they were suddenly upon us. "We had no 
 tune to make resistance, even if we were inclined so to 
 do ; we therefore sat still. They came up and looked 
 at us. The wet had washed off a great portion of the 
 paint upon my back and shoulders. One of the Indi- 
 ans touched me on the shoulder, and said, " Ugh ! 
 white man paint like Indian." They then examined 
 the canoe and its contents, and, having spoken a few 
 words to each other, apparently relating to the canoe, 
 they put a thong of leather round each of our arms, 
 and, making a motion for us to follow them, they led 
 us away. 
 
 "We've done our best, and could do no more," said 
 the Portuguese; "I feel that it's all over with me 
 now, and I shall soon sleep in the bosom of Jesus." 
 
 My heart was too full to make any reply. The In- 
 dians led on, and I followed in silence. 
 
 "We passed through the woods, which appeared to 
 be interminable, till the night closed in, and then the 
 Indians halted, and while one remained as guard over 
 us the others collected wood for a fire. They had 
 some provisions, but offered none to us. After an 
 hour they lay down to sleep round the fire, placing me 
 and the Portuguese captain next to the fire, and lying 
 outside of us. They were soon fast asleep, or appeared 
 to be, when I said to the captain, "Have you your 
 knife ? for if they remain asleep, let us wait an hour 
 or so, and if you can cut the leather thong which the 
 Indian holds in his hand, and then watch your oppor- 
 tunity, I will do the same, and we may escape." 
 
 " I have my knife, but my Indian is not asleep," re 
 plied he ; "I will wait till he is."
 
 302 THE PKIYATEEBSMAK 
 
 "What signal shall we make if we succeed?" 
 said I. 
 
 " When you are ready, lift your arm up, I shall 
 understand, and if I am ready I will do the same. 
 Agreed ; and now let us be quiet, for depend upon it 
 our conversation has roused them all." 
 
 We then composed ourselves, as if to sleep, and re- 
 mained in that way for more than an hour, by which 
 time we were convinced that our captors were slum- 
 bering. I then drew out my knife, for the Indians 
 had not attempted to rifle us, and cut the thong which 
 was round my arm, without awaking the Indian who 
 had the other end in his hand. I remained quiet for 
 a quarter of an hour, when the Portuguese lifted up his 
 arm as a signal that he was free. I listened attentive- 
 ly, and, being certain that the Indians were asleep, I 
 lifted up my arm also. 
 
 The Portuguese then rose up carefully, and without 
 noise, stepping past the bodies of the Indians, till he 
 was clear of the circle. I did the same, and pointed 
 to the muskets, which lay on the grass by the Indians. 
 He took one up and I another, and we retreated to a 
 short distance. 
 
 "We must have the other muskets," said I; "stay 
 where you are." 
 
 I advanced cautiously and took up the other three 
 muskets, and was retreating with them, when one of 
 the Indians turned round as if awaking. I ran past 
 the Portuguese, and making a sign for him to follow 
 me we retreated a few yards into the wood, where 
 we could watch the Indians without being seen our- 
 selves. The Portuguese motioned to be off, but I de-
 
 ESCAPE FEOM THE INDIANS. 303 
 
 tained him, and I was right. The Indian roused up 
 and sat upon his haunches ; perceiving that we had 
 escaped, he waked up the others. They started on 
 their feet, and looking round found that the muskets 
 were all gone ; and then they held a consultation. At 
 last they appeared to have made up their minds to 
 follow, and, if possible, recapture us, for they went 
 back in the direction of the sea. 
 
 "Now, then, we must hide three of the muskets," 
 said I, in a whisper, " and keep the others to defend 
 ourselves." 
 
 "We examined and found that they were all loaded, 
 and the Portuguese then said to me, " There are five 
 of them. If they meet with us, and we discharge two 
 muskets and we do not kill, we shall be at their mercy. 
 If we do kill, still there will be three against two ; we 
 had better carry all the muskets. Do you take two, 
 and I will take three." 
 
 As I thought he was right, I consented, and we now 
 went the same path towards the sea which the Indians 
 had done before us in pursuit of us. We walked fast, 
 as we knew the Indians would do the same, and they 
 had the start of us, so that we were not likely to come 
 up with them. It was severe work, but we did not 
 slacken our pace, and before dawn the sea was quite 
 visible through the branches of the trees, for we had 
 arrived at the outskirts of the wood. 
 
 As soon as we had gained the beach, which was 500 
 yards wide, we looked round to see if we could per- 
 ceive the Indians, but we could observe nobody. 
 
 " Let us, while it is yet dark, go round so as to get 
 on the opposite side of the rocks where we were con-
 
 304 THE PBIVA.TEEESMlA.ir. 
 
 concealed," said the Portuguese. "If they are there, 
 we shall take them by surprise." 
 
 Keeping just within the wood, we walked half a mile 
 to the southward, and then emerged just as the day 
 was breaking, and made for the rocks. As soon as we 
 arrived, we examined very cautiously before we entered 
 the cleft, but there was nobody there, and the canoe 
 was safe. 
 
 " They are not here," said I ; " where can they be ? " 
 
 "They cannot be far off," said the Portuguese; "I 
 suspect they are hidden somewhere, and intend to sur- 
 prise us while we are launching our canoe, and when 
 our muskets will be out of our hands." 
 
 " I agree with you ; let us now wait at some little 
 distance from the rocks till broad daylight, we shall 
 then be secure from surprise." 
 
 "We did so, and when the sun rose we looked well 
 round, but could see nobody. We entered the cleft, 
 and were about to lay down the muskets, and lay hold 
 of the canoe, when I perceived a small piece of rock to 
 drop down. This caused me immediately to suspect 
 the truth, and I cried to the Portuguese to come back 
 with me. He did so, and I told him that I was certain 
 that the Indians had climbed tho rock, and were lying 
 down on the top of it, ready to pounce upon us. 
 
 " Depend upon it they must be there," said he, 
 when I mentioned the falling piece of rock ; " let us 
 walk round and see if we can discover them." 
 
 We did so, but they were too well concealed. 
 
 " But what must be done now ? " said he. " It u 
 useless our attempting to clamber to the top of the 
 rock, for no one could do it with a musket ir his hand."
 
 ESCAPE FROM THE I1OHANG. 805 
 
 " No," replied I, " that is certain ; and if we attempt 
 
 to bring the canoe out of the cleft, they may drop 
 
 down upon us." 
 
 "I think," said he, "that if we were to go in and 
 
 take the tow-rope in our hands, which is several yards 
 
 long, we might haul out the canoe by it, and when 
 
 once it is clear of the cleft they cannot move without 
 
 our seeing them." 
 
 " "We will try, at all events," replied I. " Do you 
 
 stay on the watch while I get hold of the tow-rope and 
 
 bring it out." 
 The Indians did not expect this manoeuvre, it was 
 
 clear. Still keeping the muskets in our possession, 
 the butts on the sand, and the muzzles resting on our 
 
 shoulders, we laid hold of the tow-rope, and by great 
 exertion hauled the canoe several yards away from be. 
 tween the two rocks. "We then paused for breath after 
 a minute or two, with our eyes fixed upon the top of 
 the rock to see if they moved, and then we hauled 
 it at least a hundred yards further off, when for the 
 first time I perceived that the bow and arrows were 
 not in the canoe, and that they must have been taken 
 by the Indians. 
 
 " Then we must haul again," said the Portuguese, 
 when I stated this to him, " till we are out of bow-shot. 
 Let us put the muskets into the canoe, and drag it as 
 fast as we can." 
 
 We did so, and gained another hundred yards before 
 we stopped, when an arrow was discharged from the 
 summit of the rock, and buried itself in the sand close 
 to my feet.
 
 806 THE PBIYATEERSITAW. 
 
 K Haul again," said the Portuguese, " we are not out 
 of shot yet." 
 
 Again we exerted ourselves, and gained another hun- 
 dred yards, during which two more arrows were dis- 
 charged, and one of them went through the left arm of 
 my comrade ; but as it was through the fleshy part, 
 and did not touch the bone, it did not disable him. A 
 third arrow was sent after us, but did not reach us, and 
 we knew ohat we were out of distance. 
 
 " Cut the shaft of the arrow, and draw it through 
 the arm," said the Portuguese. 
 
 "Not now," said I; "they will perceive me doing 
 so, and will think that you are disabled. That may in- 
 duce them to rush upon us, thinking they have only 
 O man to deal with." 
 
 " "Well, it's no great matter," replied he ; "we must 
 now drag our canoe down to the water and launch 
 her, if they will let us. "We have outwitted them so 
 far." 
 
 "We now turned the head of the canoe towards the 
 sea, and slowly dragged her down ; our eyes, as may be 
 Bupposed, constantly kept upon the rock, to see if the 
 Indians would move, but they did not. They perhaps 
 felt that they had no chance with us, having all the 
 fire-arms and an open beach in our favour. We 
 launched our canoe without further interruption on 
 their part, and in a few minutes, taking care to be out 
 of arrow distance, we passed the rock with our head to 
 the northward. "When about two miles off, we per- 
 ceived the Indians to descend from the rock and walk 
 away into the woods.
 
 BEBPAIH OF THE POBTTJGTJESE, 307 
 
 " Let us praise God for this miraculous escape," said 
 I to the Portuguese. 
 
 "I do ; and the holy patron saint who has preserved 
 me," replied the Portuguese captain ; " but I am still 
 heavy at heart. I feel that we have escaped only to 
 come into more strange and fresh calamity. I shall 
 never get back to Lisbon, that I feel convinced of." 
 
 I tried all I could to encourage him, but it was ot 
 no avail. He told me that the presentiment was too 
 strong, and could not be overcome by any argument. 
 Indeed, he appeared to have allowed the idea so to have 
 taken possession of his mind, that his reason became 
 enervated ; and, having heard how the Indians burnt 
 their prisoners, he talked about martyrdom at the 
 stake, and rising up to heaven in great glory, there to 
 be received by the whole body of saints and legions of 
 angels. 
 
 " What is the use of our thus labouring at the pad- 
 dle ? ' ' said he ; " why not at once let us go ashore and 
 receive the crown of martyrdom ? I am ready ; for I 
 long for the hour, and shall rejoice." 
 
 I said all I could to keep him quiet, but it was use- 
 less ; and such was his insanity, that he gradually near- 
 ed the shore by steering against me with his paddle, so 
 that I could not prevent it. I had drawn the shaft of 
 the arrow through his arm, and he appeared to feel no 
 pain. I expostulated with him at his keeping the 
 canoe so near the shore, but he smiled and gave no 
 reply. 
 
 We had the stream against us and made but little 
 way, and it vexed me very much to hear him talk so 
 loud as he did, as the Indians must have heard him, 
 x 2
 
 808 THE PBIVATEEB8MA1*. 
 
 and I thought would follow us along the coast ;. but D* 
 ransacked the whole book of martyrs, telling me how 
 one had his body sawn in two, another was pinched to 
 death ; this one burnt, that tortured ; every variety of 
 death he entered upon during the whole of that day 
 without ceasing. 
 
 I ascribed much of this to the pain arising from the 
 wounded arm, notwithstanding which he paddled with 
 as much vigour as ever. As the night came on I en- 
 treated him to hold his tongue, but it was in vain, and 
 I felt assured that his reason was quite gone. He 
 continued to talk loud and rave without intermission, 
 and I now considered our fate as sealed. "We had no 
 water in the boat or provisions of any kind, and I pro- 
 posed that we should heave-to and catch some fish, 
 telling him that if he talked we should scare them 
 away. 
 
 This made him quiet for a time, but as soon as we 
 had hooked four or five fish, he again commenced his 
 history of the glorious martyrs. I prayed him to be 
 silent, for a short time at least, and he was so for about 
 four or five minutes, when he would break out into 
 some ejaculation, which I immediately stopped. At 
 last he could talk no more for want of water ; his lips 
 were glued together, and so were mine. Nevertheless, 
 I continued paddling for two hours more, when I found 
 by the canoe grounding that he had steered her on the 
 beach. There was no help for it. "We landed and 
 went in search of water, which we found about half of 
 a mile from where our canoe was beached. 
 
 We drank heartily, filled the calabash, and were re- 
 turning to the canoe, when he again commenced talk-
 
 KECAPTUBED BY THE INDIANS. 309 
 
 ing as loud as ever. I was in great anger, but 1 put 
 my hand before his mouth, beseeching him in a whisper 
 to be quiet. As we were doing this, we were suddenly 
 sprung upon and seized by several Indians, and in a 
 minute were bound hands and feet. 
 
 "I knew it," cried the Portuguese; "I knew it 
 would be so. "Well, I am prepared ; are not you, my 
 good friend ? " 
 
 I made no reply. I felt that in his madness he had 
 sacrificed his own life and mine also ; but it was the 
 will of Heaven. The Indians left two to guard us, and 
 went down to the canoe, returning with their muskets. 
 I soon perceived that they were the same whom we 
 had escaped from the night before, and the one who 
 had spoken a little English when we were first captured, 
 now came to me and said, " White man paint like In- 
 dian, steal gun ugh." 
 
 When the Indians had returned from the canoe, our 
 feet were unbound, and we were again led away by the 
 leather thong which was fast to our arms. The Por- 
 tuguese now began to find his tongue again, and talked 
 incessantly, the Indians not checking him ; from which 
 it was evident that they were on their own domains. 
 After four hours' walking they kindled a fire, and went 
 to repose as before : but this time they took our knives 
 from us, and bound our legs so tight that they gave 
 us much pain. I did not expostulate as I knew it was 
 useless. My companion, as the thong entered into hia 
 flesh, seemed pleased, saying, " Now my martyrdom is 
 commencing." 
 
 Alas! poor man but I will not anticipate. We 
 travelled three days, during which we were supplied
 
 310 THE PEFVATBBBSMAK. 
 
 with a small portion of parched Indian corn every day. 
 just sufficient for our sustenance, and no more. On the 
 fourth morning the Indians, after an hour's travelling, 
 set up some shrill and barbarous cries which I after- 
 wards discovered was their warwhoop. These erica 
 were replied to by others at a distance, and in about a 
 quarter of an hour afterwards we found ourselves close 
 to a number of wigwams, as they are termed, (the In- 
 dian houses,) and soon surrounded by a large party of 
 men, women, and children, who greeted us with taunts 
 and menaces. 
 
 "We were led into a larger wigwam than the others, 
 where we found several Indians of grave aspect as- 
 sembled, and a man who could speak English was 
 ordered in as interpreter. He asked us where we 
 came from in the canoe. I replied, that we came from 
 the south, but we had been wrecked in a big ship, and 
 had taken the canoe, which we found on the beach. 
 They asked no more questions. We were led out, and 
 in about an hour afterwards the Indian who had 
 spoken English to us when we were captured, came 
 up with two others and painted us black, saying, 
 "The white men like paint. Black paint good." 
 
 I did not know till afterwards that this painting 
 black was a sign that we were condemned to death, 
 but so it was. They took off our trousers, the cnly 
 garment we had on, and left us naked. To my sur- 
 prise, they did not take the diamond which was sewed 
 up in leather from off my neck ; but, as I learnt sub- 
 sequently, the Indians are much given to conjurors 
 and charms, wearing many round their own necks and 
 about their persons, and they respect the charms that
 
 TTE BUN THE GAUNTLET. 811 
 
 their enemies wear, indeed are afraid of them, lest 
 they should be harmed by having them in their posses- 
 sion. We remained in a wigwam during that day, 
 with guards over us. The following day we were led 
 out and cast loose, and we found all the Indians, 
 women and children, ranged in two lines, each holding 
 in their hands a club or stick, or rod of some descrip- 
 tion or another. 
 
 We were led to the end of the row, and looked 
 about us in amazement. They made signs to us which 
 we did not understand, and while we were remaining 
 in doubt as to what was to be our fate, an old woman, 
 who had been menacing and grinning at me for some 
 time, and who was the most hideous animal that I ever 
 beheld in the shape of a woman, thrust a stra\v into 
 my eye, giving me most excruciating agony. I was so 
 carried away by rage and pain, that I saluted her with 
 a kick in the stomach, which laid her doubled up on 
 the ground, expecting to be scalped for so doing the 
 next moment. On the contrary, the Indians laughed, 
 while some of the other women dragged her away. 
 
 At last the interpreter came, and from him we learnt 
 that we had to run the gauntlet, and that, as soon aa 
 we gained the large lodge where we had been ex- 
 amined by the old Indians on the day previous, we 
 were safe, and that we must run for that as fast as we 
 could. The Portuguese, who was still as mad as ever, 
 was then pushed on ; he would not run, but walked 
 glorying in the blows, which showered down upon him 
 like hail ; and, moreover, he prevented me from running 
 for some time, till I got past him. I had been cruelly 
 punished, and was mad with pain, when I perceived a
 
 812 THE PBIVATE1B8MAW. 
 
 tall, gaunt Indian waiting for me with a heavy club. 
 Careless of life or consequences, I rushed past him, and 
 as I passed I threw out my fist with such impetus, 
 that, hitting him under the right ear, he fell senseless, 
 and it appears that he never rose again, for the blow 
 killed him ; after which I at last gained the council- 
 house, and was soon afterwards followed hy my com- 
 panion, who was streaming with blood. We were 
 then led away, and tied by our necks to two stakes 
 about twenty yards apart, and there we remained for 
 the night. 
 
 The Portuguese passed the night in singing; I 
 passed it in silence and prayer. I felt convinced that 
 we were to die, and I feared that it would be by fire 
 or torture, for I had heard something of the manrers 
 and customs of these Indians. I made my peace with 
 God as well as a poor sinner could, prayed for mercy 
 through Jesus Christ, sighed my adieu to Amy, and 
 made up my mind to die. 
 
 Early the next morning the Indians brought fire- 
 wood, and placed it in bundles round the stakes, at a 
 distance of about fourteen yards from the centre. 
 They then went to the Portuguese, tied his hands be- 
 hind him, and exchanged the rope by which he had 
 been fastened for a much stronger one, one end of 
 which they fastened to his wrists behind him, and the 
 other to the stake. As they left me as I was before, 
 it was plain that the Portuguese was to suffer first. 
 They then set fire to the piles of wood which were 
 round the stake, which were too far from him to bum 
 him, and I could not imagine what they intended to 
 do, but you may conceive that I was in a state of awflal
 
 Unman"' the Gauntlet .
 
 ABOUT TO BE BUEUT. 81? 
 
 suspense and anxiety, as I was well convinced that his 
 fate, whatever it might be, would Ibe my own. 
 
 During these appaLing preparations, the Portuguese 
 appeared as if he really enjoyed the scene. 
 
 "Now, my good friend," said he to me, "you shall 
 see how I can suffer for the true faith. Even a heretic 
 like you shall be converted by my example, and I shall 
 ascend to heaven with you in my arms. Come on, ye 
 fiends ; come on, ye heathens, and see how a Christian 
 can suffer." 
 
 Much as I felt for him and for myself, I could not 
 lament that his reason had left him, as I thought his 
 Bufferings would be less ; but his exclamations were 
 soon drowned by a loud yell from the Indians, who all 
 rushed upon my unfortunate companion. 
 
 For a moment or two they were crowded so thick 
 round him that I could not perceive what they were 
 doing, but after that they separated, and I beheld him 
 bleeding profusely, his ears and nose having been cut 
 off, and a broken iron ramrod passed through both 
 cheeks. And now a scene took place, at the remem- 
 brance of which, even now, my blood curdles. Some 
 caught up the burning sticks and applied them to his 
 flesh, others stuck him full of small splints, the ends of 
 which they lighted. The Indian warriors shot at him 
 with muskets loaded with powder only, so as to burn 
 him terribly on every part of the body. The women 
 took up handfuls of lighted ashes and showered them 
 down on him, so that the ground he trod upon was a 
 mass of burning embers, and he walked upon fire. 
 
 Bed-hot irons were now brought forward, and his 
 body seared in all parts, his tormentors seeking out 
 where they could give him the most pain. At last one
 
 314 THE PlilVATEERSMAW. 
 
 applied the hot iron to his eyes, and burnt them out. 
 Imagine my feelings at this horrid scene imagine the 
 knoAvledge that this was to be also my fate in a short 
 time, but what is more strange to tell, imagine, Madam, 
 iny companion not only deriding his torturers, but not 
 flinching from the torture ; on the contrary, praising 
 God for his goodness in thus allowing him to be a 
 martyr for the true faith, offering his body to their in- 
 flictions, and shouting manfully; but such was the 
 behaviour of my insane friend, and this behaviour ap- 
 peared to give great satisfaction to the Indians. 
 
 Eor nearly two hours did this torture continue, his 
 body was black and bloody all over, and the smell 01 
 the burning flesh was horrible ; but by this time it 
 appeared as if he was much exhausted, and, indeed, 
 appeared to be almost insensible to pain. He walked 
 round the stake as before upon the burning coals, but 
 appeared not to know when further torture was ap- 
 plied to him or not. He now sang hymns in Portu- 
 guese in a low voice, for he was much exhausted. 
 Soon afterwards he staggered and fell down with his 
 face upon the burning embers ; but even the flesh of 
 his face grilling, as it were, appeared to have no effect 
 upon him. An Indian then went up to him, and with 
 his knife cut a circle round his head, and tore off the 
 whole scalp, flesh and hair together, and when he had 
 done this the old woman whom I had saluted with 
 a kick before I ran the gauntlet, and who had his 
 ears hanging on her neck to a string, lifted up a hand- 
 ful of burning coals, and put them upon his bleeding 
 Lead. 
 
 This seemed to rouse him. He lifted up his head, 
 but his features were no longer to be distinguished, aa
 
 SAVED BY THE SQUAW. 315 
 
 Lis face was burnt to a black coal, and lie said, " Take 
 me, ye holy saints, Angels, receive me," and, to 
 my great astonishment, he again rose on his legs, and 
 tottered round and round for a few minutes. At last 
 he sank down, with his back against the stake, and 
 one of the Indians cleaved his brain with his toma- 
 hawk ; and thus ended the life and the misery of my 
 unfortunate companion and it was now my turn. 
 
 " Well," thought I, " it is but two hours of suffering, 
 and then I shall be beyond their malice. May God have 
 mercy apon my soul." 
 
 The same preparations were now made for me. I 
 was fastened with the stout rope, and my arms tied 
 behind me, the wood was fired, and one of the chiefs 
 was haranguing the Indians. He finished, the low 
 yell was given, when the old woman whom I had 
 before mentioned, ran up to me, and, saying something 
 which I could not understand, put her hand upon me. 
 
 When she did this the other Indians, who were 
 about to rush on me, drew back with signs of disap- 
 pointment on many of their wild countenances. The 
 chiefs then went into the council-house, leaving me 
 tied where I was, and the wood burning around me, 
 the mass of Indians standing about as if waiting the 
 decision of the chiefs. After a time three Indians) 
 one of whom was the interpreter, came up to me, and, 
 kicking aside the burning poles, cast me loose. 
 
 I asked the interpreter what he was about to do. 
 He replied, "You kill Indian here, (pointing to his 
 own ear,) you kill him dead. Squaw lose husband 
 want another take you stead of him." 
 
 They led me to the council-} louse before the chiefs.
 
 816 THE PEIVATEEESMA5. 
 
 The old woman whom I had kicked was there. It 
 was her husband that I had killed by the blow be- 
 hind the ear, and she had claimed me in his stead, 
 and, according to the custom of the country, her claim 
 was allowed, and I was made over to her, and received 
 into the tribe. Strange custom for a woman to marry 
 the murderer of her husband, but still such it was, 
 and thus did I find myself freed from the stake when I 
 least expected it. The principal chief made me a speech, 
 which was interpreted, in which he told me that I was 
 now the husband of Manou, and was one of their own 
 tribe ; that I must be strong in war, and must hunt 
 and procure venison for my family. 
 
 They then washed off the black paint, and after a 
 few more speeches and ceremonies I was handed over 
 to the hideous old hag, whose neck was still decorated 
 with the two ears of my companion. To say that I 
 would have preferred the torture would be saying too 
 much, but that I loathed the creature to excess was 
 certain. However, I said nothing, but allowed her to 
 take me by the hand and lead me to her wigwam. As 
 soon as we were in she brought me some venison, which 
 I ate greedily, for I had had nothing for thirty-six 
 hours. She then offered me the leggings, as they call 
 them, which the Indians wear, and the other portions 
 of the Indian, dress, which probably belonged to her 
 late husband. I put them on, as I was glad to cover 
 my nakedness, and, worn out with walking and exer- 
 tion, I first thanked God for my miraculous preserva- 
 tion, and then lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 
 
 It was not until the next day that I awoke, and I 
 then perceived the old woman rubbing oil upon the
 
 SAVED BY THE SQUAW. 317 
 
 deep cuts made in my wrists and shoulders by the 
 leather thongs. She again set meat before me, and I 
 ate heartily, but I looked upon her with abhorrence, 
 and when she attempted to fondle me I turned away 
 and spit with disgust, at which she retired, grumbling, 
 I now had leisure to reflect. I passed over with a 
 shudder the scenes that had passed, and again returned 
 thanks to God for my deliverance. I called to mind 
 how often I had been preserved and delivered. From 
 my bondage in Africa, from my imprisonment in the 
 Tower, from my hopeless slavery in the mines, from 
 our wreck on the island, and now, after passing through 
 such dangers, from an almost certain cruel death by 
 torture ! Truly did I feel how grateful I ought to be 
 for that Providence which had often preserved me, and 
 that my only reliance in future must be in its gracious 
 protection. 
 
 But here I was, married to a woman I detested, and 
 living with barbarians ; and I said to myself, " That 
 kind Heaven which has already done so much for me 
 will, in its own good time, also release me from this 
 thraldom. In the mean while let me not murmur, but 
 be thankful. My squaw, as they call their wives 
 among the Indians, now came up to me and offered to 
 paint me, and I thought it advisable that she should, 
 as I felt that the sooner I conformed myself to their 
 customs the more chance I had of making my escape, 
 which I was resolved to do the first opportunity. 
 
 As soon as she had completed my toilet I walked 
 out of the wigwam, that I might look about me and be 
 seen. The Indians, who were sauntering about, met 
 me with a friendly " TJgh," which appeared a favourite
 
 318 THB PEIVATEEBSMAK. 
 
 monosyllable with them. At last I met with the in- 
 terpreter, and began to converse with him. I asked 
 what nation I was now belonging to, and he said the 
 Massowomicks. I asked how large their country was, 
 and he told me much which I could not understand, 
 except that it appeared to me a very powerful nation. 
 
 I was very careful of mentioning the English, or 
 anything about their settlement, although I was anxi- 
 ous to know where it was ; but I asked him whether 
 they were at war with any other nation. He said, 
 " No, they had been at war with other tribes, but that 
 they had all made peace that they might join against 
 the white man, who had taken their land." 
 
 " I am an Indian now," said I. 
 
 " Yes, and you will forget the white man," said he, 
 " You have now red blood in your veins. You marry 
 Indian wife, you all the same as one Indian." 
 
 I said, " War Indian beat his wife, suppose she talk 
 too much ? " 
 
 " Plenty talk, plenty beat," said he. 
 
 " Suppose my wife talk too much and I beat her, 
 what Indian people say ? " 
 
 "Say good. Suppose wife too old, you take two 
 wife, one more young." 
 
 I was very much pleased with this conversation ; 
 not that I had the slightest idea of profiting by his in- 
 formation by taking another wife, but I felt such a 
 disgust at my present one, and had already seen what 
 a fury she could be, that I was resolved, if necessary, 
 to show her that I was master, for I felt certain that 
 if I did not, she would soon attempt to master me and 
 BO it turned out.
 
 I BECOME AW INDIAN. 819 
 
 On the third day she took down a bow and arrows 
 and made a sign to me to go out, and, I presumed, 
 bring back food ; and as there was nothing in the 
 house I thought the request reasonable. I therefore 
 went out of the wigwam and found that many of the 
 young men were going out on a hunting-party, and 
 that I was to join them. We set off and travelled for 
 six hours before we came to the hunting-ground, and 
 as the deer passed me I thought of Whyna and my 
 hunting excursions with her. I was, however, fortu- 
 nate, and killed two deer, much to the surprise of the 
 Indians, who thought a white man could not use a bow 
 and arrows, and I rose very much in their estimation 
 in consequence. The deer was cut up, and we hung 
 upon branches what we could not carry. 
 
 We did not go home that night, but feasted over a 
 large fire. The next morning we all carried home our 
 loads, and mine was as large as any of the others, if not 
 larger ; neither did I flag on the way, for I was natur- 
 ally very strong and active, and had lately been inured 
 to fatigue. When we arrived, the squaws and men 
 among the others were despatched for the remainder 
 of the venison. I now went out every day by myself 
 and practised with my bow, till I had become more 
 expert, for I wanted practice. I had no musket, but 
 I had a tomahawk and a long knife. I began to pick 
 up a few words of the language, and by means of the 
 interpreter I gained them very fast. Before I had 
 been three months with the Indians I had acquired 
 their confidence and respect. They found that I was 
 expert, and able to gain my own livelihood, and I may 
 add that before I had been three months I had also
 
 820 THE PBrVATEEBSMAJT. 
 
 mastered my wife. "When she found that I would not 
 Mibmit to her caresses, she was very indignant and 
 very violent, but I immediately knocked her down, 
 and beat her unmercifully. This brought her to her 
 senses, and after that I treated her as my slave with 
 great rigour, and as she was a notorious scold the In- 
 dians liked me all the better for it. 
 
 Tou may think that this was not fair treatment to- 
 wards a woman who had saved my life ; but she only 
 saved it for her own purposes, and would have worn 
 my ears, as well as my companion's, if I had not killed 
 her husband. The fact is, I had no alternative; I 
 must have either treated her kindly and submitted to 
 her nauseous endearments, or have kept her at a re- 
 spectful distance by severity, and I hardly need say 
 that I preferred the latter. So fai as her choice of a 
 husband was concerned, she made a bad one, for she 
 received nothing but blows and bad usage. I had one 
 day driven my wife out of the wigwam in consequence 
 of her presuming to "talk too much," as the Indian 
 said, when the interpreter told me that one of the 
 chiefs was willing that I should marry his daughter, 
 polygamy being one of their customs. 
 
 I was very much annoyed at this, for I knew 
 the young girl very well : she was very graceful 
 and very pretty ; and I felt that my fidelity to Amy 
 would be in great danger if the marriage was to take 
 place ; and if proposed, I dared not refuse so great a 
 distinction. 
 
 I replied that I was fortunate, but that I feared my 
 present wife would make her very unhappy, as she 
 wanted to-be the chief woman of the wigwam, and
 
 ANOTHEB WIFE OFFERED TO ME. 321 
 
 when I was away I could not tell what the old woman 
 might do to her, and the conversation was dropped. 
 
 This little Indian had, before this, shown me as 
 much favour as an Indian girl ever ventures to show, 
 sufficient, at all events, to satisfy me that I was not 
 disagreeable to her, and what the interpreter had said 
 made me very uncomfortable. However, I consoled 
 myself with the recollection that if I were compelled 
 to marry this girl, it would be an involuntary infidelity 
 on my part, and on that account might well be ex- 
 cused ; for the hope of again rejoining Amy never left 
 me at any time. 
 
 One day I went out in search of deer, and was led 
 away from my companions after a buck which I had 
 wounded and attempted to overtake. They saw me in 
 chase of my quarry, and left me in pursuit. I follow- 
 ed for several hours, continually coming up with it 
 and as continually losing it again. At last, I heard 
 the report of a musket close to where the deer was 
 last seen by me, and I thought that some Indian had 
 shot it. I walked forward, however, very cautiously, 
 and perceived a white man standing by the animal^ 
 which lay at his feet. I started back, for I did not 
 know whether I had fallen in with a friend or a foe ; 
 but as I knew that he had not had time to reload his 
 musket, I hallooed to him, concealing myself at the 
 same time behind a tree. 
 
 " Is that you, Evans ?" said the man in reply. 
 " No," said I, " it is an Englishman." 
 "Well, show yourself, then," said he. 
 "I am dressed as an Indian," replied I; "I was 
 taken by the Indians."
 
 322 THE PBIVATEEBSMAtf. 
 
 " Well, come along," said the man, who was attired 
 as a seafaring man. 
 
 I came from behind the tree, and when he saw me 
 he snatched up his musket. 
 
 " Don't be afraid," said I. 
 
 "Afraid!" said he; "I should like to see what I 
 am afraid of; but I'll be on my guard." 
 
 "That's right," I replied. 
 
 I then told him that I had been taken by the Indi- 
 ans, and they saved my life because one of theii 
 women chose me as her husband, and that I was anx- 
 ious to escape from them. 
 
 " "Well," said he, " I am on board of a schooner at 
 anchor down below in the river. There are a few of 
 us come on shore to get some venison, and I have lost 
 my comrades ; but I had no idea that the Indians were 
 down here so close to the English settlements." 
 
 "How close are we, then?" said I; "for I know 
 not where I am. This is certainly not our usual hunt- 
 ing-ground, for I have been led many miles from it, in 
 ptirsuit of the animal you have just shot." 
 
 " "Well, I thought so ; for I have been on shore here 
 more than once, and I have never met with an Indian. 
 You ask how far you are from the settlement ; that I 
 can hardly tell you, because the settlers have >pread 
 out so far ; but you are about forty or fifty miles from 
 James Town." 
 
 "And what river, then, is your schooner at an- 
 chor in?" 
 
 "I don't know the name," replied the man; "I'm 
 not sure that it has a name. "We come here for wood 
 and water, because it is quiet, not inhabited, and no 
 questions asked."
 
 MEET WITH AN ENGLISHMAN. 823 
 
 " What are you, then ?" inquired I. 
 
 " Why, to tell you the truth, we are what are called 
 ' Jolly Bovers ; ' and if you have a mind to come on 
 board, we can find a berth for you, I dare say." 
 
 "Many thanks," replied I; "but I am not suffi- 
 ciently fond of the sea, and I should be of no use" 
 (for by this term of Jolly Eover I knew that they 
 were pirates). 
 
 "That's as you please," replied he; "no harm's 
 done." 
 
 "No," replied I; "and I thank you for your kind 
 offer, but I cannot live long on board of a vessel. 
 Will you now tell me which is the right track to the 
 English plantations ? " 
 
 "Why," said he, "they bear right out in that direc- 
 tion ; and I dare say, if you travel five or six leagues, 
 you will fall aboard of some plantation or another 
 right in that quarter ; follow your nose, old fellow, and 
 you can't go wrong." 
 
 " Many thanks," I replied; "am I likely to meet 
 your companions ? they may take me for an Indian." 
 
 "Not in that direction," replied he; "they were 
 astern of me a long way." 
 
 " Farewell, then, and many thanks," I replied. 
 
 " Good-bye, old fellow ; and the sooner you rub off 
 that paint, the sooner you'll look like a Christian," 
 said the careless rover, as I walked away. 
 
 " No bad advice," I thought, for I was now deter- 
 mined to make for the English settlements as fast as I 
 could, " and I will do so when I once see an English 
 habitation, but not before ; I may fall in with Indians 
 yet"
 
 324 TH 
 
 I then set off as fast as 1 could, and being now in- 
 ured to running for a long time without stopping, I 
 'eft the rover a long way behind me in a very short 
 time. I continued my speed till it was dark, when I 
 heard the barking of a dog, which I knew was English, 
 for the Indian dogs do not bark. I then proceeded 
 cautiously and in the direction where I heard the dog 
 bark, and arrived in a quarter of an hour to a cleared 
 ground, with a rail fence round it. 
 
 " Thank God !" I cried, "that I am at last among 
 my own countrymen." 
 
 I considered, however, that it would L.ut be prudent 
 to show myself, especially in my Indian paint, at such 
 a time of night, and I therefore sat down under the 
 lee-side of a large tree, and remained there till morning. 
 I then looked about for water, and having found a run- 
 ning stream I washed off my paint, and appeared what 
 I really was, a white man in an Indian dress. I then 
 went up again to the clearing, and looked for the habit- 
 ation, which I discovered on the top of a hill, about 
 four hundred yards off. The trees were cleared away 
 for about three hundred yards all round it. It waa 
 built of heavy logs, let into one another, with one win- 
 dow only, and that very small. The door was still shut. 
 I walked up to it, and tapped at the door. 
 
 " Who's there ? " replied a hoarse voice. 
 
 "An Englishman, and a stranger," I replied. "I 
 have just escaped from the Indians." 
 
 " Well, we'll see what you are in a very short time," 
 replied the voice. " James, get me my gun." 
 
 In a minute the door opened, and I beheld a woman 
 more than six feet high, of gaunt appearance and large
 
 ESCAPE FBOM THE INDIANS. 325 
 
 dimensions : I thought that I had never seen such a 
 masculine creature before. It was her voice which I 
 had heard. Two men were seated by the fire-place. 
 
 "Who are you ?" said she, with the musket ready 
 for the present. 
 
 I told her in a few words. 
 
 " Show me the palm of your hand turn it up afc 
 once." 
 
 I did so, without the least idea of the reason for the 
 demand ; but I afterwards discovered that it was to 
 ascertain whether I was one of those who had been 
 transported to the settlement, as they all had the letter 
 H branded on them. 
 
 " Oh, you 're not a gaol-bird, then, I see : you may 
 come in ; but you'll give me that bow and arrows if 
 you please." 
 
 " Certainly," replied I, " if you wish it." 
 
 " Why, there 's nothing like making sure in this 
 world ; and although you look a very peaceable, good- 
 looking sort of personage, notwithstanding your Indian 
 set-out, still I 've known just as amiable people as you, 
 in appearance, very mischievous at times. Now come 
 in, and let us hear what you have to say for yourself. 
 Jeykell, get some more wood." 
 
 One man went out to obey her orders ; the other sat 
 by the fire with his musket between his knees. I sat 
 down by the fire, at the request of the woman, who 
 had seated herself by the side of the man, and then, 
 on her repeating her question, I gave her a narrative of 
 my adventures, from the time that I left Rio. 
 
 " Well," says she, " we seldom hear stories like them -. 
 it 's all the world like a book ; and pray what 's thnt
 
 326 THE PBI STEERSMAN. 
 
 thiug (pointing to the diamond in its case) you ha>-e 
 hanging to your neck there ? you have left that out in 
 your history." 
 
 " That's a charm given me by my Indian wife, to 
 preserve me from disasters from wild animals ; no pan- 
 ther, wolf, or bear will ever attack me." 
 
 " Well," said she, " if so be it has that power, all I 
 can say is, it's not a bad charm to wear in these parts, 
 for there are animals enough in the woods in summer, 
 and round the house all night in winter ; but I don't 
 believe a bit in the charm, and that's the truth ; how- 
 ever, if it does no good, it can't do no harm, so you may 
 keep it on, and welcome." 
 
 " May I ask how far it is to James Town ? " said I. 
 
 " What, going to James Town already P I suppose 
 you expect to be there to-night?" 
 
 " Not exactly, my good woman," replied I. " I 
 must trespass upon your kindness to give me some- 
 thing to eat, for I am hungry." 
 
 " Good woman ! bah ! and pray how dare you call 
 me good woman ? Call me mistress, if you want any- 
 thing." 
 
 " I beg your pardon," said I. " Well, then, mistress, 
 will you give me something to eat ?" 
 
 " Yes, I will. James, fetch the meal-cake and a bit 
 of salt pork, and give him to eat, while I call the cows 
 from the bush." 
 
 The mistress, as I shall in future call her, then put 
 down her musket and left the cabin. During her ab- 
 sence I entered into conversation with the man called 
 James, for the other had gone out. To my inquiry 
 how far it was to James Town, he replied that he real])
 
 COKTEBSATIOtf WITH THE COKYICT. 327 
 
 did not know ; that he was sent out a convict, and sold 
 for ten years to the husband of the mistress, who had 
 died two years ago ; that this man had a small vessel, 
 in which he went to James Town by water, and that 
 he had returned with him in his vessel ; that the dis- 
 tance by water he considered about one hundred and 
 fifty miles, but by land it was not half that distance ; 
 that he did not know the way, nor did he believe that 
 there was any road as yet made to James Town, as this 
 plantation was quite by itself, and a long way from any 
 other. He understood that the nearest plantation was 
 twenty miles off, and he knew there was no road to it, 
 as no one ever went or came except by water. 
 
 " But," said I, " are not the settlers at war with the 
 Indian tribes that surround them ?" 
 
 " Tes ; and have been now for three or four years ; 
 and the Indians have done great mischief to the plant- 
 ations, and killed a great many people, but the settlers 
 have punished them severely." 
 
 " Then how is it that this plantation, which is so so- 
 litary, has not been attacked ?" 
 
 " Because the mistress's husband was a great friend 
 of the Indians, and, it is said, used to bring them car- 
 goes of muskets and ammunition from James Town, 
 contrary to all law and regulation. But if he was 
 friendly with them, the mistress is not ; for she has 
 quarrelled with the principal chief, and I should not be 
 surprised if we were attacked some day, and all scalped." 
 
 " And what does the mistress say to that ? " 
 
 " Oh, she don't care ; she'd fight a hundred Indians, 
 OT white men either. I never Haw such a creature 
 she's afraid of nothing."
 
 328 THE PRIVATEEBSMAJT. 
 
 " Who is the other man I saw here ?" 
 
 " Oh, he 's another like myself. There were tftree 
 of us, but one was drowned by falling overboard from 
 the sloop." 
 
 "Well, but my good fellow, how sliall I get to 
 James Town ? " 
 
 " I 'm sure I can't tell ; but my idea is that you will 
 never get there unless mistress chooses." 
 
 " Why, surely she won't detain me by force ? " 
 
 "Won't she? you don't know her. Why she'd 
 stop an army," replied the man. " I don't think that 
 she will let you go I don't know ; but that's my opi- 
 nion. She wants another hand." 
 
 " What, do you mean to say that she '11 make me 
 work?" 
 
 " I mean to say that, according to the laws of the 
 settlement, she has a right to detain you. Any person 
 found roving here, who cannot give a satisfactory ac- 
 count of himself, may be detained till something is 
 heard about him ; for he may be a runaway convict, or a 
 runaway apprentice, which is much the same, after all. 
 Now, she may say that your account of yourself is not 
 satisfactory, and therefore she detained you ; and if you 
 won't work, she won't give you to eat ; so there you are." 
 
 " Well, we will see if she is able." 
 
 " Able ! if you mean strong enough, why she'd take 
 you up with one hand ; and she is as resolute and se- 
 vere as she is strong. I had rather have to deal with 
 three men, and that's the truth." 
 
 " What's the truth, James?" cried the mistress, 
 coming in at the door. " Let 's hear the truth from 
 your lips, :'t will be something now."
 
 MY FEW MISTRESS. 329 
 
 " I said that I was sent here for finding a pocket- 
 book, mistress ; that 's all." 
 
 " Yes ; but you did not tell him where you found it 
 at the bottom of a gentleman's coat-pocket, you 
 know. Tou can only tell the truth by halves yet, I 
 see." 
 
 Wishing to ascertain how far the man's suspicions 
 were correct, I said to her, 
 
 " I have good friends in James Town : if I were 
 once there I could procure money and anything else to 
 any amount that I required." 
 
 " "Well," says she, " you may have ; but I 'm afraid 
 that the post don't go out to-day. One would think, 
 after all your wanderings and difficulties, that you 'd be 
 glad to be quiet a little, and remain here ; so we 'il talk 
 about James Town some time about next spring." 
 
 " Indeed, mistress, I hope you will not detain me 
 here. I can pay you handsomely, on my arrival at 
 James Town, for your kind treatment and any trouble 
 you may take for me." 
 
 " Pay me ! what do I want with money ? there 's 
 no shops here with ribbons, and calicoes, and muslins ; 
 and if there were, I'm not a fine madam. Money ! 
 why I've no child to leave what I have to no husband 
 to spend it for me. I have bags and bags of dollars, 
 young man, which my husband heaped up, and they 
 are of as much use to me as they are now to him." 
 
 " I am glad that you are so rich, mistress, and more 
 glad that your money is so little cared for and so little 
 wanted ; but if you do not want money, I do very 
 much want to get back to my friends, who think I aro 
 dead, and mourn for me."
 
 83C THE PBIYATEEBSMA*. 
 
 " "Well, if they have mourned, their sorrow is over 
 by this time, and therefore your staying here will not 
 distress them more. I may as well tell you at once 
 that you shall not go ; so make up your mind to be 
 contented, and you'll fare none the worse for it." 
 
 This was said in so decided a tone, that, bearing in 
 mind what I had heard from the convict servant, I 
 thought it advisable to push the question no further 
 for the present, making up my mind that I would wait 
 a short time, and then make my escape, if she still per- 
 sisted in detaining me by force ; but this I could not 
 venture upon until I was in possession of fire-arins, and 
 I could not obtain them while she had any suspicion. 
 I therefore replied 
 
 " Well, since you are determined I shall not go, I 
 have nothing more to say, except that I will wait your 
 pleasure, and, in the mean time, let me make myself 
 as useful as I can, for I don't want to eat the bread of 
 idleness." 
 
 "You're a very sensible young man," replied she ; 
 " and now you shall have a shirt to put on, which will 
 improve your appearance a great deal." 
 
 She then went into the inner room, which I pre- 
 sumed was her bed-room, as there were but two rooms 
 in the cabin. As she went out, I could not help won- 
 dering at her. On examination, I felt assured that 
 she was more than six feet high, and her shoulders as 
 broad and her arms as nervous as a man's of that sta- 
 ture. Her chest was very expanded, but bosom she 
 had none. In fact, she was a man in woman's cloth- 
 ing, and I began to doubt her sex. Her features were 
 not bad, had they been of smaller dimensions, but her
 
 MY NEW MISTBESS. 331 
 
 nose was too large, although it was straight ; her eyes 
 were grand, but they were surmounted with such 
 coarse eyebrows ; her mouth was well shaped, and her 
 teeth were good and regular, but it was the mouth of 
 an ogress ; her walk was commanding and firm ; every 
 action denoted energy and muscle ; and certainly, from 
 the conversation I have already made known, her mind 
 was quite as masculine as her body she was a splendid 
 monster. In a minute she returned, bringing me a 
 good check shirt and a pair of duck trousers, which I 
 thankfully accepted. 
 
 "I've plenty more for those who please me," said 
 she, carelessly; "when you've put them on, come out 
 to me, and I'll show you the plantation." 
 
 In a minute or two I joined her, and she led me 
 round the tobacco-fields, then to the maize or Indian 
 corn grounds, pointing out and explaining everything. 
 She also showed me the cows, store pigs, and poultry. 
 "Wishing to please her, I asked many questions, and 
 pretended to take an interest in all I saw. This 
 pleased her much, and once or twice she smiled but 
 such a smile ! After an hour's ramble we returned, 
 and found the two servants very busy, one husking 
 maize, and the other in the shed where the tobacco 
 was dried. I asked some questions of her about the 
 tobacco how many casks or bales she made a year ? 
 She replied that she made it in bales, and sold it by 
 weight. 
 
 " It must be heavy carriage from here to Jamea 
 Town?" said I. 
 
 "Yes, indeed, if it went that way it never would
 
 832 THE 
 
 arrive, I imagine," replied she ; " but I have a sloop 
 in the river below, which carries it round." 
 
 "When is the time it is harvested and fit to be 
 carried round ? " inquired I. 
 
 " It is now turning fast," said she ; " all that you see 
 hanging in the drying sheds has been already drawn ; 
 in three or four weeks it will be housed, and then we 
 begin to pack : in about two months from this the 
 sloop will take it round." 
 
 " But is it not expensive keeping a sloop on pur- 
 pose, with men to have her in charge ? " inquired I, to 
 hear what she would say. 
 
 " The sloop lies at anchor, without a soul on board," 
 said she. " No one ever comes up this river. I 
 believe Captain Smith, who made the settlement, did 
 so once. There is another river, about twenty miles 
 further down, which is occasionally frequented by 
 buccaneers, I am told indeed, I know it, for my 
 husband had more to do with them than perhaps 
 was good for his soul, but this little river is never 
 visited." 
 
 " Then your servants take her round ? " 
 
 " Yes ; I leave one in charge, and take two with me.'* 
 
 " But you have but two." 
 
 " Not till you came one died ; but now I have 
 three,' ' and she smiled at me again. 
 
 If I had not been so afraid of affronting her, I cer- 
 tainly would have said to her, " Do anything, I beg, but 
 smile." 
 
 I said no more on that point. She called Jeykell, 
 who was in the tobacco-shed, and desired him to kill a
 
 CONSIDERATIONS. 333 
 
 couple of chickens, and bring them in. 'We then 
 entered the cabin, and she observed 
 
 "I don't doubt but you are tired with so nmch 
 fatigue ; you look so ; go and sleep on one of their 
 beds ; you shall have one for yourself by night." 
 
 I was not sorry to do as she proposed, for I was 
 tired out. I lay down, and I did not wake till she 
 called me and told me that dinner was ready. I was 
 quite ready for that also, and I sat down with her, but 
 the two convict servants did not. She ate in propor- 
 tion to her size, and that is saying enough. After 
 dinner she left me, and went with her two men on 
 her farming avocations, and I was for a long while 
 cogitating on what had passed. I perceived that I was 
 completely in her power, and that it was only by 
 obtaining her good-will that I had any chance of 
 getting away, and I made up my mind to act accord- 
 ingly. I found a comfortable bed, of the husks of 
 Indian corn, prepared for me at night, in an ante-room 
 where the two servant-men slept. It was a luxurv 
 that I had not enjoyed for a long while. For several 
 days I remained very quiet, and apparently very con- 
 tented. My mistress gave me no hard work, chiefly 
 sending me on messages or taking me out with her. 
 She made the distinction between me and the convicts 
 that I always took my meals with her and they did 
 not. In short, I was treated as a friend and visitor 
 more than anything else, and had I not been so 
 anxious about going to England, I certainly had no 
 reason to complain except of my detention, and this, 
 it was evident, it was not in her power to prevent, as, 
 antil the sloop went away with the tobacco, she had
 
 334 THE PBIVATEESSMAK. 
 
 no means of sending me away. One day, however, as 
 I was walking past the tobacco-shed, I heard my 
 name mentioned by the two convicts, and stopping I 
 heard James say, 
 
 " Depend upon it, that 's what she 's after, Jeykell ; 
 and he is to be our master, whether he likes it or not." 
 
 "Well, I shouldn't wonder," replied the other- 
 " she does make pure love to him, that 's certain." 
 
 "Very true; everything's fierce with her even 
 love and so he '11 find it if he don't fancy her." 
 
 " Yes, indeed : well, I 'd rather serve another ten 
 years than she should fall in love with me." 
 
 " And if I had my choice, whether to be her husband 
 or to swing, I should take the cord in preference." 
 
 " Well, I pity him from my heart ; for he is a good 
 youth and a fair-spoken and a handsome, too ; and I 'm 
 sure that he has no idea of his unfortunate situation." 
 
 "No idea, indeed," said I to myself, as I walked 
 away. " Merciful Heaven ! is it possible ! " And when 
 I thought over her conduct, and what had passed be- 
 tween us, I perceived not only that the convicts were 
 right in their supposition, but that I had, by wishing 
 to make myself agreeable to her, even assisted in bring- 
 ing affairs to this crisis. 
 
 That very day she had said to me : "I was very young 
 when I married, only fourteen, and I lived with my 
 husband nine years. He is dead more than a year now." 
 
 When she said that, which she did at dinner, while 
 she was clawing the flesh off a wild turkey, there was 
 something so ridiculous in that feminine confession, 
 coming from such a masculine mouth, that I felt very 
 much inclined to laugh, but I replied,
 
 MT MISTEES8 PEOPOSES TO ME. 335 
 
 " You are a young widow, and ought to think of 
 another husband." 
 
 Again, when she said, "If ever I marry again, it 
 shall not be a man who has been burnt on the hand. 
 No, no, my husband shall be able to open both hands 
 and show them." 
 
 I replied, " You ara right there. I would never dis- 
 grace myself by marrying a convict." 
 
 "When I thought of these and many other conversa- 
 tions which had passed between us, I had no doubt, in 
 my own mind, but that the convicts were correct in 
 their suppositions, and I was disgusted at my own 
 blindness. 
 
 "At all events," said I to myself, after a long cogi- 
 tation, "if she wants to marry me, she must go to 
 James Town for a parson, and if I once get there, I will 
 contrive, as soon as extra constables are sworn in, to 
 break off the match." But, seriously, I was in an 
 awkward plight. There was something in that woman 
 that was awful, and I could imagine her revenge to be 
 most deadly. I thought the old Indian squaw to be 
 bad enough, but this new mistress was a thousand 
 times worse. WTiat a hard fate, I thought, was mine, 
 that I should be thus forced to marry against my will, 
 and be separated from her whom I adored. I was a 
 long while turning over the matter in my mind, and at 
 last I resolved that I would make no alteration in my 
 behaviour, but behave to her as before, and that if the 
 affair was precipitated by my mistress, that I would 
 be off to the wcods, and take my chance of wild beasta 
 and wild Indians, rather than consent to her wishes. J 
 then went into the cabin, where I found her alone.
 
 830 THE tiilVATBBESMAN. 
 
 " Alexander," said she (she would know my Christian 
 name, and called me by it), "they say widows court 
 the men, and that they are privileged to do so " (I 
 turned pale, for I little thought that there was to bo 
 an explanation so soon) ; " at all events, whether they 
 are or not, I know that a woman in my position cannot 
 well expect a young man in yours to venture without 
 encouragement. Now, Alexander, I have long per- 
 ceived your feelings and your wishes, and I have only 
 to say that mine are such as yours " (oh, I wish they 
 were, thought I), " and therefore you have but to ask 
 and to have." 
 
 I was mute with fear and despair, and could not 
 find a reply to make to her. 
 
 "Why do you not answer, Alexander? Do you 
 think me too forward?" 
 
 "No," stammered I; "you are very kind, but this 
 is so unexpected so unlocked for so unhoped for I 
 am so overcome." 
 
 Observe, Madam, how strangely the sexes were 
 changed. I was the woman in this instance. 
 
 "I should like to consult my friends." 
 
 " Consult your fiddlesticks," replied she, quickly. 
 " Who have you got to consult ? I hope, Alexander," 
 said she, setting her broad teeth together, " that you 
 are not trifling with me ?" 
 
 " Indeed, I never should think of trifling with you, 
 mistress," replied I. " I feel much obliged to you for 
 showing such a preference for me." 
 
 " I think, Alexander, that you ought ; so now then, 
 if you please, give me your answer," replied she. 
 
 " Had I been prepared for your kindness, I would
 
 MY MISTRESS PROPOSES TO ME. 337 
 
 have done so at once, but I have many serious ques- 
 tions to put to myself, and, if you please, we will re- 
 new the subject to-morrow morning. I will then tell 
 you candidly how I am situated ; and if after that you 
 do not withdraw your proposal, 1 shall be most happy 
 to be yours as soon as we can go to James Town to be 
 married." 
 
 "If," replied she, "you mean to insinuate, Alexan- 
 der, that you have a wife in England, that is of no 
 consequence in this settlement; for those who live 
 here are free from all English marriages ; and as for 
 going to James Town, that is quite unnecessary. If 
 the people in the settlement were to wait for a parson 
 when they married, they would never be married at 
 all. All that is necessary is, that we shall draw up 
 an agreement of marriage on paper, sign it, and have 
 it witnessed. However, as I perceive that you are 
 flurried, I will wait till to-morrow morning for your 
 decision." 
 
 My mistress then rose from her stool, and went into 
 her chamber, shutting to the door with more emphasis 
 than was at all agreeable to my nerves. I walked out 
 into the open air to recover myself, and to reflect upon 
 what course I should take in this awkward and dan- 
 gerous dilemma. Marrying was out of the question 
 but how to avoid it ? It was almost like being stopped 
 by a highwayman. He says, " Tour money or your 
 life." My mistress's demand was, "Marriage or your 
 life." There was but one hcpe, which was to escape 
 that very night, and take my chance in the woods, and 
 20 I resolved to do. 
 
 I did not go in till dark ; my mistress was in her
 
 838 THTH PEIYATEEESMAK 
 
 own room the two convicts were sitting by the fire. 
 I took my seat by them, but did not speak, except in a 
 whisper, telling them that their mistress was not well, 
 and that we had better go to bed, and not talk. They 
 stared at me at the idea of the mistress being ill ; they 
 had never known her to complain of anything since 
 they resided with her ; but the hint was sufficient. 
 They went to bed, and so did I with my clothes on, 
 watching the crevices of the door of her room to see if 
 her lamp was out. In about half an hour the little 
 thin beams through the clinks of her door disappeared, 
 and then I knew that she had gone to bed. I watched 
 two hours more before I ventured to stir. The con- 
 victs were both snoring loud, and effectually drowned 
 any slight noise I might make in moving about. I 
 went to the locker, secured all the cold meat for pro- 
 vision, took down one of the muskets and ammunition- 
 belts, and, having put the latter over my shoulders, I 
 then took the musket in my hand and crept softly to 
 the door of the cabin. Here was the only difficulty ; 
 once out, but five yards off, and I was clear. I re- 
 moved the heavy wooden bar, without noise, and had 
 now only to draw the bolt. I put my finger to it, and 
 was sliding it gently and successfully back, when my 
 throat was seized, and I was hurled back on the floor 
 of the cabin. I was so stunned by the violence of the 
 fall, that for a shore time I was insensible. "When I 
 recovered, I felt a great weight upon my chest, and 
 opening my eyes found my mistress sitting upon me, 
 and giving orders to the convicts, one of whom had 
 already lighted the lamp. 
 
 " For mercy's sake, get off my chest," said I, in a 
 faint voice.
 
 MY ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE. 889 
 
 "Yes, I will, but not yet," replied my mistress. 
 *' Now, James, hand them to me." 
 
 James handed some chains to his mistress, who, 
 turning round as she sat on my body, made the man- 
 acle at the end of the chain fast round my ankle. 
 This went with a snap-spring, which could not be 
 opened without a key belonging to it. At last she 
 rose off my body, and I could breathe free. She then 
 called to the convicts, saying, 
 
 " Go both of you into the tobacco-shed, and wait 
 there till I call you out. If I find you one foot nearer 
 to us, I '11 flay you alive." 
 
 The servants ran off as fast as they could. When 
 they were gone, my mistress said, 
 
 "So you were about to escape, were you? You 
 would avoid the chances of matrimony, and now you 
 have other chances which you little dreamt of." 
 
 " I thought it was the wisest thing that I could do," 
 replied I. " Since I must be plain, I am sacredly be- 
 trothed to another person, and I could not even for you 
 break my faith. I meant to have told you so to-mor- 
 row morning, but I was afraid it would annoy you, 
 ana therefore I wished to go away without giving you 
 any answer." 
 
 " Well, Sir, I offered to be your wife, which would 
 have made you my lord and master. You refuse it, 
 and now I make you my slave. I give you your op- 
 tion ; you shall either consent to be my husband, o? 
 you shall remain as you are, and toil hard ; but any 
 time that you think better of it, and are willing to 
 embrace my offer, you will be free, and T will he as a 
 wife in subjection." 
 
 I 2
 
 340 THE PBIVA.TEEBSMAW. 
 
 "So you say," replied I; "but suppose I was to 
 make you angrj after I married you, you -would do to 
 me as you have done now. I may, perhaps, one day 
 get free from this chain, but, once married to you, I 
 am a slavf> for ever." 
 
 "You may think otherwise before long," replied 
 Bhe ; " in the mean time, you may walk out and cool 
 yourself." 
 
 She then returned to her room, and I rose, having 
 determined to walk out and cool myself, as she pro- 
 posed ; but when I was on my legs, I found that to 
 the other end of the chain, which was very heavy and 
 about two yards long, was riveted an iron ball of about 
 thirty pounds weight, so that I could not walk without 
 carrying this heavy weight in my hands, for it could 
 not be dragged. I lifted up the iron ball, and went 
 out of the house. I was no longer afraid of her. I 
 was in too great a rage to fear anything. As I calmed, 
 I considered my case, and found it to be hopeless ; as 
 I thought of Amy, and the many months of hope de- 
 ferred, I wept bitterly ; and I had no consolation, for 
 the reader may recollect that I lost my Bible when I 
 was sent on shore, naked almost, by the rascally cap- 
 tain of the Transcendant. 
 
 I had now been twenty months away from Liver- 
 pool, and I felt as if my chance of seeing her that I 
 loved was indeed hopeless. I might remain chained in 
 such a solitude for years, or I might expire under her 
 barbarous treatment, for I fully knew what I had to 
 expect. However, I was resolved. I prayed fervently 
 for support and succour in my time of trouble, and 
 became ^oro ?omposed, I remained out the whole of
 
 MY MISTBESS'S PASS1OTT. 34l 
 
 the night, and watched the rising sun. The two con- 
 victs came out to their work, and shrugged their 
 shoulders as they passed me, but they dared not speak 
 to me. 
 
 My mistress at last came out. She commenced with 
 abuse, but I gave no answer. She tried soothing, but 
 I was mute. At last she became frantic in her passim, 
 hurled me away from her, and after being dreadfully 
 beaten I fell to the ground. She put her foot upon 
 my neck, and she stood there, looking like a fury. 
 She loaded me with epithets, and then of a sudden 
 went down on her knees by me, and begged my par- 
 don, calling me her dear Alexander her life entreat- 
 ing me to accede to her wishes. Never was there such 
 a tigress in love before, I really believe. 
 
 " Hear me," replied I ; "as long as I am chained, I 
 never will give any answer upon the present subject, 
 that I swear." 
 
 She rose from my side, and walked away. 
 
 It is impossible, my dear Madam, for me to describe 
 what I suffered from this woman for more than six 
 weeks, during which she kept me chained in this vay 
 at one time entreating me, the next moment kicking 
 me, and throwing me down. I had no peace my life 
 became a burden to me, and I often entreated her, in 
 mercy, to put an end to my sufferings. I also had my 
 paroxysms of rage, and then would spurn her, spit at 
 her, and do everything I could, and say all that I could 
 imagine, to show my hatred and contempt. At other 
 times I was sullen, and that always annoyed her. 
 She would bear my reproaches patiently bear any- 
 thing, so long as I would talk ; but if I. remained ob-
 
 342 THE PBIYATEEBSMAlf. 
 
 stinately silent, then, in a short time, her fury would 
 break forth. I pitied her, notwithstanding her ill- 
 treatment, for the woman did love me (after her own 
 fashion) most intensely. 
 
 It was on the seventh week of my confinement on 
 the chain, that one morning very early, as I was lying 
 in the tobacco-shed, for she had turned me out of the 
 cabin, I perceived among the trees, which were about 
 three hundred yards from the cabin, two Indiana, in 
 what is called their war-paint, which is a sign that 
 they were on a hostile excursion. I remained perfectly 
 quiet, and well concealed, that I might watch them. 
 The convicts had more than once told me that the In- 
 dians would attack us, in consequence of an insult 
 which my mistress had offered to their chief, with 
 whom her husband had been so friendly ; and when 
 they stated what had passed, I agreed with them that 
 they would not fail to resent the insult as soon as they 
 could. I had therefore always been on the look-out, 
 but had never seen any Indians before. My mistress, 
 to whom I had, in our days of sweet converse, spoken 
 about them, always laughed at the idea of their attack- 
 ing her, and said that they might come if they liked. 
 She had made every preparation for them, as she had 
 loop-holes stuffed up with moss just below the roof of 
 the cabin, from which you could fire down upon them 
 till they were within four yards of the cabin, and other 
 loop-holes, from which you might shoot them when 
 close to ; the window and door were impregnable, and, 
 provided that we were once in the cabin, there was no 
 doubt but that a serious, if not effectual, resistance 
 might be made. That the Indians were reconnoitring
 
 BECOtfKOITBIWO. 343 
 
 fcue cabin was evident, and that they did not do so for 
 nothing was equally certain. After a while, during 
 whicfl I made out six of them, they fell back in the 
 wood, and disappeared. The dog at that moment 
 came out to me, and it was probably the sight of the 
 dog which made them retreat, as they feared that he 
 would have given notice of their being so close to us. 
 I waited till the convicts came out, and then I went 
 into the cabin, and said, 
 
 " You drove me out of the house last night, and I 
 come to return good for evil. As I lay in the tobacco- 
 shed, I saw six Indians in the wood, to the east of the 
 cabin, reconnoitring, and I have no doubt but that you 
 will be attacked this night, so I give you notice." 
 
 " And you hope that, by this fear of their attack, 
 you will be set free, is it not ? " 
 
 " It is perfectly indifferent to me whether I am or 
 not. I have often asked you to put an end to my 
 misery, and as you have not done it, I shall bless those 
 Indians for the friendly act ; a blow of a tomahawk 
 will release me, if you will not." 
 
 " "Well, then, let them come with their tomahawks," 
 replied she, " and I will protect you from them, for no 
 one shall release you but myself." 
 
 "As you please," replied I ; "I have done my duty 
 in telling you what I have seen, and you may take 
 precautions or not ; for myself I care nothing." 
 
 So saying, I lifted up my ball of iron and went away 
 out of the door. I remained out of doors the whole of 
 the day, and there^jre did not know whether my mis- 
 tresc took any precautions or not, but I told the two
 
 844 THE PBITATEHH3MAK. 
 
 convicts what I had seen, and advised them not t.i 
 go far from the cabin, as they would run great danger. 
 
 They inquired of me where I had seen the Indians, 
 and I pointed out the spot in the wood, after which 
 they went away. I was certain that the attack would 
 be on this night, as there was no moon till three hours 
 before daybreak ; and as it was very dark it would 
 probably take place in the early part of the night. I 
 had made up my mind what I would do, which was 
 not in any way to defend the cabin while chained, but, 
 when I was freed, I would fight to the last, so that I 
 might be killed where I stood, and not be taken alive 
 and tortured. 
 
 I did not go out from home all that day, and, to my 
 surprise, I was not molested by my mistress. At 
 dark she called the convicts, but they did not answer ; 
 she came out to look for them, and asked me whether 
 I had seen them. 
 
 I told her that I had not seen them for two hours, 
 and I had thought that they were in the house. 
 
 " Did you tell them about the Indians ?" 
 
 "Yes, I did," I replied, "and stated my opinion 
 that they would attack us this night, and I advised 
 them not to go far from the cabin, or they might be 
 cut off." 
 
 " Then the cowardly sneaks have run off to the 
 woods, and left us to defend ourselves how we can." 
 
 "I shall not defend myself," replied I. "I shall 
 Btay here where I am. I wait for death, and will not 
 avoid it." 
 
 " Come into the house," eaid she, abruptly.
 
 FBEPAEATIONS FOB DEFENCE. 345 
 
 No," replied I, " I will not." 
 
 *' You will not," said she, and, catching up the 
 cnain and ball in one hand, with her other arm she 
 caught me round the waist, and carried me into the 
 house. 
 
 " "Well," replied I, " it is only deferring it a little 
 onger ; they will force their way in it at last, and I 
 will die here." 
 
 " "Wait until they arrive," replied my mistress. 
 " But do you mean to say that you will not defend the 
 house ?" 
 
 " Certainly not, as long as I am chained as a siave," 
 replied I. 
 
 My mistress made no reply, but busied herself with 
 barring the door and window. She then placed the 
 table and stools so that she might stand upon theip 
 and fire out of the upper loop-holes ; pulled the moss 
 out of the loop-holes ; took down the muskets of 
 which there were six from their rests ; examined the 
 priming of those which were loaded, and loaded those 
 which were not. She then got out a supply of pow- 
 der and ball, which she put ready on the table, 
 brought the axes out, that they might be at hand, 
 examined the water-jars to ascertain whether the 
 convicts had filled them as she had ordered, and then, 
 when all was prepared for defence, she removed the 
 tamp into the inner room, leaving the one we were in 
 so dark, that the Indians could not, by looking through 
 the chinks or loop-holes, discover where the occu- 
 pants of the cabin might be. All these arrangements 
 she made with the greatest coolness, and I could not 
 help admiring her courage and self-possess; on.
 
 346 THE 1'EIVArEEBSMAlT. 
 
 " Is there any more to be done, Alexander ? " said 
 she, in a mild voice. 
 
 " "Where is the dog ?" replied I. 
 
 "Tied up in the tobacco-shed," said she. 
 
 "Then there is no more to be done," replied I; 
 " the dog will give you notice of their coming, as 
 they will first occupy the tobacco-shed as an advanced 
 post." 
 
 " Alexander, will you promise not to escape if I set 
 you free?" 
 
 " Certainly not," replied I. " Tou set me free for 
 your own purposes, because you wish me to help to 
 defend your property ; and then, forsooth, when the 
 Indians are beat off, you will chain me again." 
 
 "No, no; that was not my feeling, as I sit here 
 alive," replied she ; " but I was thinking that, if forced 
 to retreat from the cabin, you would never be able to 
 escape, and I never could save you ; but they should 
 hack me to pieces first." 
 
 " Answer me one question," said I. "In a time of 
 peril like this, would you, as a conscientious person, 
 think that you were justified in retaining in such fet- 
 ters even a convict who had robbed you ? And if you 
 feel that you would not, on what grounds do you act 
 in this way to a man whom you profess to love ? I 
 leave it to your conscience." 
 
 She remained silent for some time : when the dog 
 barked, and she started up. 
 
 "I believe I am mad, or a fool," said she, sweeping 
 back her hair from her forehead. 
 
 She then took the key of the manacle out of her 
 dress, and released me.
 
 ATTACK OH 1 THE INDIASB. 317 
 
 " Alexander ' v 
 
 " Silence !" said I, putting my hand to her mouth, 
 " this is no time to be heard speaking. Silence !" re- 
 peated I in a whisper, " I hear them, they are round 
 the house." 
 
 I stood upon one of the stools and looked through a 
 loop-hole. It was very dark, but as the Indians stood 
 on the hill, there was clear sky behind them as *ow 
 down as their waists, and I could perceive their mo- 
 tions, as they appeared to be receiving orders from their 
 chief ; and they advanced to the door of the cabin with 
 axes and tomahawks. My mistress had mounted on the 
 table at the same time that I had got on the stool. We 
 now got down again without speaking, and, each taking 
 a musket, we kneeled down at the lower loop-holes 
 which I have described. On second thoughts I mounted 
 the stool, whispering to her, " Don't fire till I do." 
 
 The Indians came to the door and tapped, one ask- 
 ing in English to be let in. No reply was given, and 
 they commenced their attack upon the door with their 
 axes. As soon as this aggression took place, I took 
 good aim at their chief, as I presumed him to be, who 
 was now standing alone on the hill. I fired. He fell 
 immediately. 
 
 As I leaped from the stool my mistress discharged 
 her musket, and we botb caught up others and return- 
 ed to the loop-holes below. By this time the blows of 
 the axes were incessant, and made the cabin-door trem- 
 ble, and the dust to fly down in showers from the roof; 
 but the door was of double oak with iron braces, and 
 not easily to be cut through ; and the bars which held 
 it were of great size and st-^ngth.
 
 348 THE PKIVATEERSMATT 
 
 It was some time before we could get another shot 
 at an Indian, but at last 1 succeeded, and as his com- 
 rades were taking the body away my mistress shot an- 
 other. After this the blows of the axes ceased, and 
 they evidently had retreated. I then went into the 
 inner room and extinguished the lamp, that they might 
 not be able to see us for the lamp gave a faint light. 
 We returned to the table, and loaded the muskets in 
 the dark. 
 
 As I put my musket on the table, my mistress said, 
 " Will they come again ? " 
 
 " Yes ;" replied I, " I think they will ; but if you 
 wish to talk, we had better retreat to the fire-place : 
 there we shall be safe from any shot." 
 
 We retreated to the fire-place, and sat down on the 
 ashes ; it just held us both, and my mistress took thia 
 opportunity of embracing me, saying 
 
 " Dear Alexander, if I had a thousand lives, I would 
 sacrifice them for you." 
 
 " We have but one," replied I, " and that one I will 
 devote for your defence ; I can do no more." 
 
 "Who did you fire at ?" said she. 
 
 " The chief, as I believe, who was on the hill giving 
 orders. He fell ; and I think that he fell dead." 
 
 " Then depend upon it they will retreat," said she. 
 
 " I think not ; they will be revenged, if they possibly 
 can ; and we must expect a hard fight for it." 
 
 " Why, what can they do ? They never can break 
 through the door, and when daylight comes we can 
 shoot them by dozens." 
 
 "Depend upon it," said I, "they will try to burn 
 aa out. The wind is high, which is all in their favour
 
 ATTACK OF THE INDTA53. 340 
 
 and I suspect they are now gone to collect fire- 
 wood." 
 
 "And if they do fire the cabin, what shall we do? 
 I never thought of that." 
 
 " Wo must remain in it as Jong as we can, and then 
 sally out and fight to the last ; but everything de- 
 pends on circumstances. Be guided by me, and I will 
 save you if I can." 
 
 " Be guided by you ! " 
 
 " Tes ! Becollect I am not in. chains now. and that 
 although you have the courage of a man, still you have 
 not been so accustomed to warfare as I have been. 1 
 have long been accustomed to command, to plan, and 
 to execute, in times of peril like this." 
 
 " You have great strength and courage ; I little 
 thought what a lion I had chained up," replied she. 
 " "Well, I love you all the better for it, and I will be 
 guided by you, for I perceive already that you have the 
 best head of the two. Hark ! What is that ? " 
 
 "It is what I said," replied I; "they are laying 
 fire-wood against the logs of the cabin on the windward 
 side (this was on the side opposite to the door). Now 
 we must try if we cannot pick off some more of them," 
 said I, rising and taking a musket. " Bring the stools 
 over to this side, for we must fire from the upper loop- 
 holes." 
 
 "We remained at our posts for some time without 
 seeing an Indian. They had gone back to the wood 
 for more combustibles. At last we perceived them 
 coming back with the wood. I should imagine there 
 were at least twenty of them. 
 
 " Now, take good aim," said 3.
 
 350 THE PBIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 We both fired almost at the same moment, and three 
 Indians fell. 
 
 " Get down, and give me another musket," said I to 
 my mistress. 
 
 She handed me one, and, taking another for herself, 
 resumed her station. "We fired several times ; some- 
 times with and sometimes without success ; for the 
 Indians went away twice for fire-wood before they had 
 collected what they considered sufficient. By this 
 time it was piled up to the eaves of the cabin, and our 
 loop-holes were shut up ; we therefore went over to 
 the other side, where the door was, to see if there were 
 any Indians there, but could not see one. "We had 
 been on the look-out for about five minutes, when the 
 crackling of the wood, and the smoke forcing itself 
 through the crevices between the logs, told us that the 
 fire had been applied, and the wind soon fanned it up 
 so that the flame poured through every chink and 
 loop-hole, and lighted up the cabin. 
 
 " We must retreat to the fire-place," said I. " Come 
 quickly, or we shall be shot." 
 
 " "Why so ?" said she, as she did as I requested. 
 
 " They will peep through the loop-holes on the side 
 of the cabin where the door is and see us plainly, until 
 the cabin is filled with smoke, which it soon will be." 
 
 " But tell me what we are to do now, for I feel if 
 this smoke increases we shall not be able to speak to 
 one another." 
 
 This she said about five minutes after we had re- 
 mained standing in the fire-place, with our heads up 
 the chimney. 
 
 " Perhap's it will be as well," replied I, "that 1 do
 
 THE CABIK FIKED. 861 
 
 speak so. This fierce wind drives the smoke to lee- 
 ward m volumes, but the great burst of smoke will be 
 when the roof is well on fire. It is now burning 
 fiercely on the windward side, but we must wait till 
 the lee-side has caught, and then the volume of smoke 
 will be greater. The great point is to hit the precise 
 time of opening the door, and escaping shrouded in a 
 volume of smoke. If too soon, they will perceive us, 
 and we shall be shot down ; if too late, the roof will 
 fall upon us, and we shall be smothered or burnt. "We 
 had better now, I think, leave this, and be all ready. 
 Our best weapon, if we had to fight our way, will be 
 an axe. Let us each take one ; and, by now going 
 near to the door, and putting our mouths to one of 
 the loop-holes, we shall breathe freer, and unbar the 
 door at the right time. Do you agree with me ?" 
 
 "You are right," said she; "you are a man, and I 
 am a woman." 
 
 We left the fire-place, and, having felt for and found 
 the axes, we went near the door, and put our mouths 
 to the loop-holes below ; and the smoke passing above 
 them enabled us to breathe freer. I looked out and 
 perceived that, with the exception of about six yards 
 to leeward of the cabin, there was a dense volume of 
 smoke rolling along the ground for a long distance, 
 and that if we could only once gain it without being 
 perceived, we should probably be saved. I therefore 
 unbarred the door, drew the bolt, and held it in my 
 hand, all ready for a start. The cabin was now in 
 flames in every part as well as the roof. I touched 
 my mistress, and then took her hand in mine, watching 
 at the loop-hole. At last, when the heat was almost
 
 352 THI PRITATKEHSMAIT. 
 
 unbearable, an eddy of the wind drove back the smoke 
 close to the lee-side of the cabin, and all was dark. 1 
 jumped up, opened the door, and dragged my mistress 
 after me ; we walked out into the black mass completely 
 hid from our enemies, and then running hand-in-hand 
 as fast as we could to leeward in the centre of the 
 smoke, we found ourselves at least one hundred yards 
 from the cabin without the Indians having any idea 
 that we were not still inside. As we retreated, the 
 density of the smoke became less, and I then told her 
 to run for her life, as the Indians would discover that 
 the door of the cabin was open and that we had escaped 
 and so it proved. We were still a hundred yarda 
 from the wood when a yell was given which proved 
 that they had discovered our escape and were in pur- 
 suit. We gained the wood ; I turned round a moment 
 to look behind me, and perceived at least forty or fifty 
 Indians in full pursuit of us the foremost about two 
 hundred yards distant. 
 
 "Now we must run for it, mistress," said I, " and 
 we must no longer take hands. We shall have to 
 thread the wood. Away! We have no time to lose." 
 
 So saying, I snatched my hand from her and sprang 
 forward ; she following me as fast as she could, more 
 fearful, evidently, of my making my escape from her 
 than of her own escape from the Indians. As soon as I 
 was a hundred yards in the wood, I turned short to the 
 right, and fled with all my speed in that direction, b& 
 cause I hoped by this means to deceive the Indians, and 
 it was easier to run where the wood was not so thick. 
 My mistress followed me close ; she would have hal- 
 looed to me, but she had not breath after the first half*
 
 ESCAPE FROM THE CABIN. 863 
 
 inile. T found out that I was more fleet than she war. 
 Whether encumbered with her clothes, or perhaps not 
 so much used to exercise, I heard her panting after 
 me. I could easily have left her, but my fear was that 
 she would have called to me, and if she had, the Indi. 
 ans would have heard her, and have known the direc- 
 tion I had taken, and, when once on my trail, they 
 would, as soon as daylight came, have followed me bv 
 it to any distance ; I therefore slackened my speed so 
 as just to enable my mistress to keep up with me at 
 about ten yards' distance; when we had run about 
 three miles I felt certain that she could not proceed 
 much further : speak she could not, and as I ran with- 
 out once looking behind me, she could make no sign. 
 I continued at a less rapid pace for about a mile fur- 
 ther. I did this to enable her to keep up with me, 
 and to recover my own breath as much as possible pre- 
 vious to a start. The voicea of the Indians had long 
 been out of hearing, and it was clear that they had not 
 discovered the direction which we had taken. I knew, 
 therefore, that they could not hear her now if she did 
 cry out as loud as she could, and I gradually increased 
 my speed, till I could no longer hear her panting be- 
 hind me ; I then went off at my full speed, and after a 
 few minutes I heard her voice at some distance faintly 
 calling out my name. " Yes," thought I, " but I have 
 not forgotten the ball and chain ; and if you thought 
 that you had let loose a lion while we were in the 
 cabin, you shall find that you have loosed a deer in 
 the woods." I then stopped for a few moments to re- 
 cover my breath ; I did not, however, wait long ; I 
 was afraid that my mistress might recover her breath 
 
 11 A
 
 354) THE PEIYATEERSMAS. 
 
 as well as myself, and I again set off as fast as I could, 
 The idea of torture from the Indians, or again being 
 kept confined by my mistress, gave me endurance 
 which I thought myself incapable of. Before morn- 
 ing I calculated that I had run at least twenty miles, 
 if not more. 
 
 With the perspiration running down me in streams, 
 and hardly able to drag one leg before the other, I at 
 last, just about day-break, gaye it up, when I threw 
 myself on the ground, and dropped out of my hand my 
 axe, which I had carried the whole way. I lay there 
 for more than half an hour, tormented with thirst, but 
 quite unable to move. At last I recovered ; and, as I 
 well knew that the Indians would divide in parties oi 
 three or four, and hunt every part of the woods, and 
 by daylight probably discover my track, I rose and 
 prepared to resume my toil, when, looking round me, 
 I perceived that I was exactly on the spot where I had 
 followed the deer, and had fallen in with the Jolly 
 Eover, as he termed himself, who had pointed out the 
 way to the plantations. I turned and saw the river 
 below, and as he had told me that the Indians never 
 came there, I resolved to go to the river, where, at 
 least, I should find shell-fish and water. I did so ; and 
 in half an hour arrived at the skirts of the wood, and 
 found that the river was about four hundred yarda 
 from me and clear of trees at the mouth for some dis- 
 tance. I went down to the river, which ran swiftly 
 3ut, and I drank till I was ready to burst. I then 
 rose on my feet, and walked along its banks towards 
 the mouth, thinking what I should do. To get to 
 James Town appeared to me to be an impossibility,
 
 GET ON BOAED A SOHOOKEB. 355 
 
 unless by water, and I was not likely to meet with any 
 other vessel here but a pirate. Should I, then, go 
 aboard of a pirate ? It appeared to me to be my only 
 resource, and that I should be happy if I could find 
 one. 
 
 By this time I had arrived at the mouth of the 
 river, and, looking out to seaward, I saw a schooner at 
 anchor. She was about three miles off. That she was 
 a pirate vessel, I presumed. Should I go on board of 
 her or not ? and if so, how was I to get on board ? All 
 her boats were up ; and I surmised that she had just 
 left the river with the intention of sailing as soon as 
 there was any wind, for now it was calm. The river 
 ran out swiftly, and I thought I should be able, to swim 
 the distance with the assistance I should obtain from 
 the current, which swept down right for her, and she 
 was riding to its strength. 
 
 I was demurring. I had been perhaps two hours on 
 the beach, waiting to see if she might send a boat on 
 shore, when, as I stood at the river-side, still hesitating, 
 I happened to turn round and perceived three Indians 
 coming down upon me as fast as they could. I hesi- 
 tated no longer, but plunged into the stream, and was 
 swept out two hundred yards before they arrived at 
 the beach. I made for the schooner ; and the current 
 ran out so fast, that in half an hour I was close to her. 
 I swam for her cable, which I clung to, and then 
 shouted loudly. This induced some of the crew to 
 look over the bows, and they handed me a bowling 
 knot, into which I fixed mvself, and was hauled on 
 board. 
 
 I was dragged aft to give an account of myself, and 
 
 2 A 1
 
 350 THE I'RIVATEEESMAK. 
 
 I stated in few words that I had been pursued by the 
 Indians, and swam off to save my life. 
 
 " Hav'n't we met before ? " said a rough voice. 
 I looked, and saw the Jolly Hover whom I had 
 fallen in with on shore. I said, " Tes ; I was escaping 
 from the Indians when I met you, and you showed me 
 the direction of the plantations." 
 
 " All's right," said he. "It's a true bill ; and were 
 those Indians after you that we saw on the beach just 
 now ? " 
 
 " Tes," I replied ; and then I stated how it was that 
 they had attacked our cabin, and how we had escaped. 
 " That was well done, and so you swam off three 
 miles. . Fire and water won't hurt you; that's clear. 
 You're just the man for us. What thing-um-bob is 
 this that you have hung round your neck ? " said he, 
 taking up the leathern bag with the diamond in it. 
 
 " That," replied I a sudden thought having struck 
 me " is my caul ; I was born with a caul, and I have 
 always worn it, as it saves a man from drowning." 
 
 " No wonder that you swam three miles, then," re- 
 plied the man. 
 
 You must know, Madam, that some people are born 
 with a membrane over the face, which is termed a caul, 
 and there has been a vulgar error that such people can 
 never be drowned, especially if they wear this caul 
 about their person in after-life. Sailors are supersti- 
 tious in many things, but particularly in this, and my 
 caul was therefore as much respected by them as it 
 hung round my neck, as it was by the Indians when 
 they thought it was what they call " magic " or " medi- 
 cine."
 
 MEET WITH THE POBTUOUES2 SAILOBS. 357 
 
 " "Well," said the Jolly Rover, "as you had so much 
 fire, so much water, and so much running, I think you 
 won't be sorry to have a biscuit and glass of grog, and 
 then turn in ; to-morrow we will talk to you." 
 
 I went down below, very glad to accept the offer, 
 and as I was regaling myself, who should come up to 
 me but two of the Portuguese who had been wrecked 
 in the xebeque, and put on shore with me in the little 
 boat by the captain of the Transcendant. I was very 
 glad to see them. They told me that, after great hard- 
 ship and suffering, they had arrived famished at the 
 banks of this river, and had been taken on board by 
 the pirates, and had remained with them ever since ; 
 that they were very anxious to get away, but never 
 had an opportunity. I begged them not to say who I 
 was, but merely that I was once a shipmate of theirs. 
 They promised, and being very tired, I then lay down 
 and fell asleep. I was so worn out, that I did not 
 wake till the next morning, when I found that we were 
 under all sail running down to the southward. I saw 
 the Jolly Rover, as I had termed him, on deck, (his real 
 or assumed name, I don't know which, I found out to 
 be Toplift,) sitting on a gun abaft. He called me to 
 him. I said, 
 
 " Are you the captain ? " 
 
 " Yes," he replied, " for want of a better. I told 
 you months ago what we were, so it 's no use repeating 
 it. Do you intend to join us ?" 
 
 " Then," replied I, " I will be very candid with you. 
 I have been driven, as it were, on board of your vessel, 
 but certainly without knowing exactly what she was. 
 K"ow, captain, I have to ask you one question : Would
 
 358 THE PSrVATEEBSMAlT. 
 
 you, if you could go on shore in England, with plenty 
 of money at your command, and plenty of good friends, 
 would you be here ? " 
 
 " No ; certainly not," replied he. 
 
 " "Well ; I am in that position. If once in England, 
 I have money enough to live upon, and plenty of 
 friends; I therefore naturally want to get back to 
 England, and not to run the risk of my neck on board 
 of this vessel." 
 
 " That 's very true," replied he, " but there are other 
 considerations ; my men won't have a man on board 
 who will not swear fidelity, and if you will not, I can- 
 not protect you, they will throw you overboard. We 
 don't carry passengers." 
 
 " That 's very true, also ; and I will swear fidelity so 
 far as this, that you never shall be betrayed by me, and 
 I never will appear as a witness against one of you ; it 
 were most ungrateful if I did. "While I am on board, 
 I will do any duty you please to put me to, for I can- 
 not expect to eat my bread for nothing." 
 
 "And suppose we come to action ?" 
 
 " There 's the difficulty," replied I ; " against an Eng- 
 lish ship I never will fight." 
 
 "But if we are opposed to any other nation, and 
 there is a chance of our being overpowered ? " 
 
 " "Why, then, if you are overpowered, as I shall be 
 hung along with the rest, I think I must do all I can 
 to save my own life ; but, overpowered or not, I will 
 not fire a shot or draw a cutlass against my own 
 countrymen." 
 
 " "Well, I cannot deny but that 's all very fair." 
 
 <r l think," replied I, "it is as much as you can
 
 MY AGREEMENT WITH THE CAPTADT. 3-59 
 
 eipeet ; especially as I never will share any prize- 
 money." 
 
 " "WeU ; I will talk to the men, and hear what they 
 say ; but, now, answer me one question Are you not 
 a seaman ?" 
 
 " I will answer the truth to everything ; I am a 
 seaman, and I have commanded a privateer. I have 
 served many years in privateers, and have seen a great 
 deal of hard fighting." 
 
 " So I thought,' ' replied he ; " and now answer me 
 another question, Was it not you that played that 
 trick to that French privateer captain at Bordeaux ? '' 
 
 "Yes it was," replied I; "but how came you to 
 know that?" 
 
 " Because I was the mate of a merchant vessel that 
 had been captured, and I saw you three or four times 
 as you passed the vessel I was on board of; for, being 
 put in quarantine, we were not sent to prison till the 
 pratique was given. I thought that I knew you again." 
 
 " Well ; I have no concealment to make." 
 
 " No : but I will tell you candidly, my men, if they 
 knew all this, would not allow you to leave the vessel. 
 Indeed, you might be captain if you pleased, for I do 
 not suit them. Our captain for I was his officer 
 was killed about six months ago ; and I really am not 
 fit for the office I am too tender-hearted." 
 
 " Well ; you don't look so," replied I, laughing. 
 
 " Can't judge of outsides," replied he ; "but it's a 
 fact. They say that they will be all condemned if taken, 
 from my not destroying the crews of the vessels wo 
 take ; that they will be so many witnesses against 
 them ; and I cannot make up my mind to cold-blooded
 
 360 T1IE PE1VATETOE8MAN. 
 
 murder. I am bad enough ; I rob on the high seas ; 
 I kill on the high seas for we must kill when we fight ; 
 but I cannot commit deliberate murder either at sen 
 or on shore, and so I tell them. If any one else could 
 navigate the vessel, I should be superseded imme- 
 diately." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you say what you have, captain ; 
 it makes me less dissatisfied at finding myself here. 
 Well ; I have said all I can, and I must trust to you 
 to manage with your ship's company." 
 
 "It will be a difficult job," said he, musing. 
 
 " Tell them," replied I, " that I was once a captain 
 of a vessel like this (after all, there is not so much dif- 
 ference between a pirate and a privateer as you may 
 think) and that I will not be under the command of 
 any one." 
 
 " If they hear that, they will give you the command 
 of this vessel." 
 
 " I will refuse to take it ; and give my reasons." 
 
 " Well ; I '11 tell them that : I leave you to settle 
 with them how you can; but," added he, in a low 
 tone, " there are some desperate villains among them." 
 
 "That I take for granted," replied I ; "so now I 
 leave you to speak to them." 
 
 Toplift did so. He told them that I was a pirate 
 captain, who had lost his vessel and been thrown ou 
 shore, but I refused to join any ship except as captain 
 of her ; that I would not serve as first officer, and 
 would obey no one. He told them that he knew me 
 before, and he narrated the business at Bordeaux' 
 when I commanded a privateer, extolling me, as I 
 afterwards found, beyond all measure.
 
 BEFUSE TO TAKE THE OATH. 861 
 
 The crew, having heard what he had to say, went 
 forward, and, after consultation, 1 came to Topliffc and 
 said that T must take the oath. 
 
 Toplift replied that he had desired me so to do, and 
 that I had answered that I would not. " But," said 
 he, " you had better speak to him yourselves. Call 
 all hands aft and hear what he has to say " 
 
 This was done, and I was sent for. 
 
 " I have told them what you said, Sir. I don't 
 know your name." 
 
 " I have no name," replied I, proudly, " except 
 ' Captain,' that 's my name." 
 
 The fact is, Madam, I was determined to carry it 
 out bravely ; knowing that it is the best way to deal 
 with such people as I now had in hand. 
 
 " "WeD, then, Captain, I have told the men that you 
 will not take the oath." 
 
 "Take the oath!" replied I, with scorn; "no; ] 
 administer the oath to others. I make them take it. 
 I make them swear fidelity to me. Such has been my 
 conduct, and I shall not depart from it." 
 
 " "Well, but, Captain Toplift, you don't mean to say 
 that he is to remain on board with us and not take the 
 oath," said a surly-looking ruffian. "In spite of you, 
 he shall take the oath, Captain Toplift." 
 
 "Captain Toplift," said I, calmly, "do you allow 
 one of your crew to use such language as this ? Had 
 I been captain of this ship, I would have blown his 
 brains out as he stood. You don't know how to deal 
 with these rascals. I do." 
 
 Captain Toplift, who appeared much pleased at 
 being supported in this way by me (strange that a
 
 3G2 THE PRIYATEEBSMAN. 
 
 single individual, whom they might have ttrown over* 
 board in a minute, should have gained such an ascend- 
 ency, but so it was) and who perceived that the 
 men fell back, as if taken by surprise, then said, 
 " Captain, you have taught me a good lessen, which I 
 will take advantage of. Seize that fellow and put him 
 in irons." 
 
 " Hah !" cried the man, seeing that no man touched 
 him; "who is to bell the cat! hah!" and drew his 
 cutlass. 
 
 " I will, then," said I to Captain Toplift, " if you de- 
 sire it ;" and stepping forward I went up to the man, 
 saying, " Come, come, my good fellow, this won't do 
 here ; I am used to deal with such chaps as you, and I 
 can manage worse than you, a good deal." 
 
 I advanced till I was within the stroke of his cut- 
 lass before he was aware of it, and, seizing him by the 
 waist, I threw him flat on his back and put my foot 
 on his neck. 
 
 "Now," cried I, in an authoritative voice, "put this 
 man in irons immediately refuse who dares. Here, 
 you Sirs, lay hold of this fellow," continued I, looking 
 to the Portuguese ; who accordingly came forward and 
 led him away, assisted by others, who now joined them. 
 
 " Are there any more mutineers here ? " inquired I ; 
 "if so let them step forward." 
 
 No one stirred. 
 
 "My lads," said I, "it is very true that I have re- 
 fused to take the oath, for the oath is not given to 
 those who command, but to those who obey ; but at 
 the same time I am not one to betray you. You 
 know who I anr ; and is it likely ?"
 
 SPEAK TO THE CLEW. 368 
 
 " No, no," replied the men. 
 
 " Sir," asked one of them, who had been most for- 
 ward and insolent, "will you be our captain? say 
 but the word, you are the sort of man we want." 
 
 "You have a captain already," replied I, "and in a 
 few weeks I shall command a vessel of my own; I 
 cannot, therefore, accept your offer; but while I am 
 on board I will do all in my power to assist Captain 
 Toplift in any way, and you can desire no more. And 
 now, my men, as an old hand, I have but this advice 
 to give you, which is to return to your duty ; for 
 everything in a vessel of this description depends upon 
 obedience ; and to you, Captain Toplift, I have also 
 advice to give, which is to shoot the first man who 
 behaves as that scoundrel did who is now in irons. 
 Boatswain! pipe down." 
 
 I hardly knew whether this latter order would be 
 obeyed by the boatswain, or, if obeyed by the boat- 
 swain, whether it would be obeyed by the men ; but, 
 to my great satisfaction, it was ; and the men retired 
 peaceably. 
 
 " "Well, Captain Toplift," said I, " I have done you 
 no harm, and myself some good." 
 
 " You have indeed," replied he; "come down into 
 the cabin." "When we were in the cabin he said, 
 " You have unarmed and subdued the most mutinous 
 rascal in the vessel, and you have strengthened my 
 authority. They fully believe you are what you as- 
 sert from your behaviour, and I feel, with you at 
 my side, I shall get on better with these fellows than 
 i have done. But now, to keep up the idea, you 
 must, :f course, mess in the cabin with me, and I can
 
 8(54 THE PIUYATEERSMAK. 
 
 offer you clothes, not my own, but those of the former 
 captain, which will suit your shape and make." 
 
 I readily agreed with him; and, having equipped 
 myself in the clothes he offered me, which were hand- 
 some, I soon afterwards went on deck with him, and 
 received the greatest respect from the men as I passed 
 them. A cot was slung for me in the cabin, and I 
 lived altogether with Captain Toplift, who was a good- 
 hearted, rough sort of a man, certainly wholly unfit 
 for the command of a vessel manned by such a set of 
 miscreants, and employed on such a service. He told 
 me that he had been taken three years before by a 
 pirate vessel, and finding that he could navigate, they 
 had detained him by force, and that at last he had 
 become accustomed to his position. 
 
 "We all must live," said he, "and I had no other 
 means of livelihood left me ; but it's sorely against my 
 conscience, and that's the truth. However, I am 
 used to it now, and that reconciles you to anything, 
 except murder in cold blood, and that I never will 
 consent to." 
 
 On my inquiring where they were about to cruise, 
 he said, on the Spanish Main. 
 
 "But," said I, "it is peace with the Spaniards just 
 now." 
 
 " I hardly knew," said he, " it was peace. Not 
 that peace makes any difference to us, for we take 
 everything ; but you refer to myself, I know, and I 
 tell you frankly that I have preferred this cruise 
 merely that we may not fall in with English vessels, 
 which we are not likely to do there. I wish I was out 
 of her with all my heart and soul."
 
 WE MAKE FOB JAMA.ICA. 3G5 
 
 " No doubt of it, Captain Toplift, I think you are 
 sincere. Suppose you put into one of the inlets of 
 Jamaica, they won't know where we are ; let us take 
 a boat on shore and leave her. I will provide for 
 you, and you shall gain your living in an honest way." 
 
 " G-od bless you, Sir," said he ; "I will try what I 
 can do. "We must talk the matter over, for they 
 may suspect something, and then it would be all over 
 with us." 
 
 We continued to run down till we were in the 
 latitude of the Virgin Isles, and then we altered her 
 course for Jamaica. The first and second mates 
 generally received information of Captain Toplift as 
 to his movements and intentions, which they com- 
 municated to the crew. If the crew disapproved of 
 them, they said so, and they were considered to have 
 some voice in the matter. 
 
 Now, although no navigators, these men knew 
 enough of a chart and a course to find that there must 
 be some reason for its being altered as it was, instead 
 of running down by the Spanish Main, and they in- 
 quired why the cruise was altered. 
 
 Captain Toplift replied that he had taken my ad- 
 vice, and that I had assured him that at the back of 
 the island of Jamaica we should certainly fall in with 
 some rich Spanish vessels, if Ave lay there quiet in some 
 nook or another for a short time, as this was their 
 time for coming up from the south to the Havannah, 
 where they rendezvoused for a convoy. 
 
 This reply appeared very satisfactory to the crew, 
 for they were all cheerful and obedient, and we ran 
 dovm to Jamaica, and when we were close in shore
 
 366 THE PBIYATEEBSMAN 
 
 we shortened sail and hove to. "We remained three ol 
 four days in the offing, that we might not cause any 
 suspicion by our leaving too soon. Captain Toplift 
 then told the mates that I proposed anchoring in some 
 secret bay or inlet, as we were certain to see the 
 Spanish ships if we could send any one ashore on 
 the hills to look out for them. This was agreed to, 
 and we made sail and ran along the coast, looking out 
 for some convenient anchorage. 
 
 As we were so doing, a vessel hove in sight, and we 
 immediately made all sail in chase. As she did not at- 
 tempt to avoid us, we hauled off as she came near, to 
 see what she might be. She then hoisted a yellow 
 flag at her peak (for she was an hermaphrodite brig) ; 
 this puzzled us not a little, and we edged down to- 
 wards her, for she was very rakish-looking, except in 
 her sails. 
 
 As we neared, finding, I suppose, that we did not an- 
 swer her signals, and we were not the vessel she ex- 
 pected us to be, she suddenly altered her course before 
 the wind, setting all the sail that she possibly could. 
 "We immediately crowded canvass in chase, and came 
 up with her fast. As we ran, the mate and I looked 
 at her through the glass, and I made her out to be the 
 Transcendant, the captain of which had treated us so 
 cruelly when we were in the boat, and who had rob- 
 bed us of our money and clothes. I called the Portu- 
 guese and desired them to look at the vessel through 
 the glass, and give me their opinion. They directly 
 said that it was the vessel I supposed. 
 
 " Let us only catch the rascal," said I, " and we will 
 pay him in his own coin ; " and I immediately gave di-
 
 FALL IS WITH THE TBANSCENDANT. 367 
 
 reutions for the better trimming of the sails, so anxious 
 was I to come up with him. 
 
 The men of the schooner were much pleased at the 
 anxiety I displayed to come up with the chase, and by 
 the alacrity with which they obeyed me I saw how 
 anxious they were that I should be their captain. In 
 two hours we were within gun-shot, and sent one of 
 our bow-chasers after him. Perceiving that it was use- 
 less to run, the fellow hove to, and as we came along- 
 side he was all ready with his boat to come on board. 
 He did so,"and at first I kept out of sight to hear what 
 lie would say. He was followed up the side by his 
 amiable son. Captain Toplift received him on deck, 
 and he looked around him, saying, " I believe I am right. 
 I was afraid I had made more mistakes than one. I 
 believe you are in the free trade ? " 
 
 "Yes," replied Toplift, "we are." 
 
 " Yes, I thought so, captain, but I expected to meet 
 another schooner Avhich is very like to yours, and is 
 also in the trade. I made my signal to her, as, when she 
 has anything to get rid of, why I take it off her hands. 
 Perhaps you may have something of the kind which is 
 not exactly safe to show, church-plate and the like. 
 I pay ready money that's my plan." 
 
 As it afterwards appeared, Madam, this scoundrel 
 had been in the free trade, or pirating, himself, for 
 many years, but he had taken an opportunity of walk- 
 ing off with a large sum of money belonging to the 
 pirate crew, aad with this money he had purchased his 
 property in Virginia and the brig which he now com- 
 manded. Although he did not follow up the free trade 
 any more, he had made arrangements with a pirate
 
 308 THE PRIVATEEBSMAir 
 
 captain whom lie met at Port Royal to meet them at 
 the back of the island and receive such articles as the 
 pirate might want to turn into cash, by which he, of 
 course, took care to secure large profits. 
 
 This he had done several times, and as he sold hia 
 cargo at Port Royal for dollars, he had always cash to 
 pay for what the pirate wished to get rid of. But he 
 had now run into the lion's jaws, for not only were 
 I and the Portuguese on board to denounce him as a 
 robber, but, what was still more unfortunate for him, 
 three of the pirate's crew, whom had he swindled out of 
 their property, were also on board of us, and recognised 
 him immediately. 
 
 As Captain Toplift knew how I had been treated by 
 him, he thought it was time he should be confronted 
 with me, and to his question as to whether there was 
 anything to dispose of, he replied to him, " You must 
 put that question to the captain. There he is." 
 
 The fellow turned to me ; he looked at me, stared, 
 and was mute, when his cub of a boy cried out, " As 
 sure as a gun it's he, father, and no mistake." 
 
 "Oh, you imp of Satan, you know me, do you?" 
 replied I. " Yes, it is he. Send all the men aft." 
 
 The iren came fast enough. They were only wait- 
 ing till I had spoken to them to come and give inform- 
 ation against him. 
 
 "Now, my lads," said I, "this is a scoundrel who 
 fell in with some of us when we were in distress, after 
 we had lost our vessel. Instead of behaving as one 
 seaman does to another, he robbed us of all we had. 
 and turned us adrift naked to be killed by the Indians. 
 Of all, I and the two Portuguese you took on board
 
 CAPTUEE OF THE TBANSCENDANT. 369 
 
 about four months back are the only three left : the 
 others perished. The one who was with me was burnt 
 to death by the Indians, and I narrowly escaped. I 
 leave you to decide what this scoundrel merits." 
 
 " But there is more against him, captain," said the 
 men, and then four of them stepped out and declared 
 that he had run away with the money belonging to the 
 crew of which they were a part, and that the sum he 
 had stolen amounted to 25,000 dollars. 
 
 " What have you to say for yourself? " said I to 
 him. 
 
 " That I've been a cursed fool to be caught as I have 
 been." 
 
 " What will they do, father ? " 
 
 "Hang us, I suppose," replied he. 
 
 " Captain Toplifb," said I, "I do not command this 
 vessel, and I shall therefore leave you to decide upon 
 the fate of this miscreant ; " and, having said that, I 
 was going below to the cabin, when the captain of the 
 Transcendant's son ran to me, and said, " I want to 
 speak to you, Sir, when you are alone." 
 
 " What are you after, Peleg ? " cried his father. 
 
 " I'm going to save your life, father, if I can," re- 
 plied he. 
 
 " You'll be clever if you do that, boy," said the man, 
 sneeringly. 
 
 I allowed the boy to follow me down into the cabin, 
 and then asked him what he had to say. 
 
 " I have that to tell you which is of more value than 
 the lives of a hundred boys like me." 
 
 " Boys like you ? Why I thought it was to save 
 vour father's life that you came down, Sir ? " 
 2 D
 
 370 THE PBIVATEEESMAS. 
 
 " Pooli ! " said he, " let him hang ; he was born for 
 a halter. I am come to save my own life. I only said 
 that to gammon him." 
 
 " Tou're a hopeful youth," said I ; " and pray what 
 is that you can tell me that will save your own neck 
 from the halter ? " 
 
 "That which will save your own, most likely," 
 replied the boy, " and tit-for-tat's all fair." 
 
 " Well, let 's hear it then," replied I. 
 
 " No, not unless you promise. I can swing, if need 
 be, as well as father, but I'd rather not, 'cause I know 
 where all his money is hidden." 
 
 " I can't make any promise," replied I. 
 
 " Then I can't tell," replied he, " so I may e'en go 
 on deck and tell father that I cannot manage it ;" and 
 as he said the latter part of this speech, the undaunted 
 little villain actually laughed at the idea of gammoning 
 his father, as he termed it. 
 
 Train up a child in the way he should go, and he 
 will not depart from it, is mostly true ; but it is more 
 certain that if you train a child up in the way that he 
 should not go, he will be a more true disciple. Could 
 there be a more decided proof of the above than the 
 behaviour of this young villain? but his father had 
 made him so, and thus was he rewarded. 
 
 " Stop," said I, for I had reflected whether, after all, 
 there were any grounds for hanging the boy, and come 
 to a conclusion that a jury would have probably acquit- 
 ted him. " Stop," said I ; "you say that what you 
 can tell is of the greatest consequence." 
 
 " And becomes of more consequence every minute 
 that passes," replied he. " I will tell you everything,
 
 THE CAPTAIN HANGED. 371 
 
 and let you into father's secrets. I peach upon father 
 altogether." 
 
 " Well, then," replied I, " if what you have to dis- 
 close proves important, I will do all I can to save your 
 life, and I have no doubt that I shall be able so to 
 do." 
 
 "No more have I," replied he, "or I would not 
 have come to you. Now then, father came to the back 
 of the island to do a little business with a pirate 
 schooner, as he said just now ; and he has very often 
 done it before, as he said just now ; but father did not 
 tell you all. When we were in Port Eoyal, father 
 went to the captain of a king's vessel who is there, 
 having been sent to put down the pirates if possible, 
 and he oifered this captain of the king's ship, for a 
 certain sum, to put our friends that we exchange witn 
 into his hands." 
 
 " What, betray his friend the pirate ?" 
 
 " Yes, father agreed that he would come round as 
 he has done this day, and would contrive to chaffer and 
 bargain with him and keep him so late in the bay that 
 the king's ship should come upon him all of a. sudden 
 and take him, and this was father's intention, only you 
 have pinned him. The king's ship will be round that 
 point in two hours or thereabouts, so if you are found 
 here you will be taken and hanged as sure as I ain't 
 hanged yet, Now ain't this important news, and 
 worth all I asked for it ?" 
 
 " It certainly is, if it is true, boy." 
 
 " Oh, I '11 prove it, for I always goes with father, and 
 he trusts me with everything. I saw the paper 
 signed. The king's ship is called the Vestal, and the 
 2 B 2
 
 372 THE PEIVATEERBMAS 
 
 captain who signed the paper signed it Philip Mua- 
 grave." 
 
 " Indeed," said I, turning away, for I did not wish 
 the boy to perceive my emotion at this announcement. 
 I recovered myself as soon as I could, and said to him, 
 " Boy, I will keep my promise. Do you stay below, 
 and I will go on deck and plead for your life." 
 
 " Mayn't I go on deck for a bit ?" said he. 
 
 " What to wish your father good-bye ? No, no, 
 you had better spare yourself and him that painful 
 meeting." 
 
 " No, I don't want to wish him good-bye, I'll wait 
 till it 's over, only I never did see a man hanged, and I 
 have a curiosity to have just a peep." 
 
 " Out, you little monster," cried I, running up on 
 deck, for the information I had received was too im- 
 jportant not to be immediately taken advantage of. 
 
 " Well, captain, has the boy saved his father's life ?" 
 
 " No," replied I, in a loud voice. 
 
 "Then, up he goes," said the men, for the halter 
 had been round his neck and run out to the yard- 
 arm for some time, and the men had manned the rope, 
 only awaiting my return on deck. In a second, the 
 captain of the Transcendant was swinging in the air, 
 and certainly if ever a scoundrel merited his fate it 
 was that man. Shortly afterwards I turned round, 
 and there was the young hopeful looking at his fathers 
 body swinging to and fro with the motion of the vessel, 
 
 I looked in vain for a tear in his eye ; there was not 
 symptom of emotion. Seeing me look sternly at 
 him, he hastened down below again. 
 
 **My lads," said I to the men, who were au oa
 
 THE CEEW PLTJNDEB THE TBANSCENDAST. 373 
 
 deck, " I have received intelligence of that importance 
 that I recommend that we should cut that vessel 
 adrift, and make sail without a moment's loss of time." 
 
 "What, not plunder?" cried the men, looking at 
 the Transcendant. 
 
 " No, not think of it, if you are wise." 
 
 At this reply all of the men exclaimed that " that 
 would not do" " that plunder they would" that " I 
 was not the captain of the vessel," and many more 
 expressions, showing how soon a man may lose popu- 
 larity on board of a pirate vessel. 
 
 " I gave my opinion, my men, and if you will hear 
 why I said so " 
 
 " No, no, out boats," cried they all, and simul- 
 taneously ran to lower down the boats, for it was now 
 calm, that they might tow the schooner alongside of 
 the Transcendant. 
 
 " You might as well talk to the wind as talk to them 
 when there is plunder to be obtained," said Toplift to 
 me in a low tone. 
 
 " Come down with me," said I, " and I will tell you 
 what I have heard." 
 
 " Ain't they going to plunder the brig ?" said Mas- 
 ter Peleg, when we came down; "I know where 
 father's dollars are," and up he ran on deck. 
 
 I made a short remark upon the depravity of the 
 boy, and then informed Captain Toplift of what he had 
 told me. 
 
 " If you had told them, they would not have paid 
 attention to you. The boat's crew who came with the 
 captain have told them that there is money on board, 
 and all authority is row at an end."
 
 374 TH 
 
 "Well," replied I, "I believe that the boy has. told 
 the truth." 
 
 " And what do you mean to do ?" 
 
 "Bemain below quietly, if I am allowed," replied I. 
 
 "But I cannot," said he; "they would throw me 
 overboard." 
 
 " Make as bad a fight of it as you can," replied I. 
 
 "That I will," said Captain Toplift, and with so 
 superior a force opposed, we cannot stand long. But 
 I must tell you where you must be." 
 
 "Where?" replied I. 
 
 " At the entrance of the magazine, for as sure as we 
 stand here they will blow up the vessel rather than be 
 taken. Not all of them, but two or three I know are 
 determined so to do, and resolute enough to do it. 
 My pistols are there. You have only to open this 
 door, and you are in the magazine passage. See," said 
 he, opening the door, " there is the scuttle where they 
 hand the powder up." 
 
 " I will be on the watch, depend upon it ; and, Cap- 
 tain Toplift, if the schooner is taken, and I am alive, 
 you may have no fear for yourself." 
 
 " Now let us go on deck again." 
 
 "I will follow you," replied I. 
 
 " I am alone at last, thank Heaven ! " said I to my- 
 self. " What a position am I in, and how much will 
 be in suspense before twenty-four hours are over ! My 
 own brother here, not ten miles perhaps from me, com- 
 manding the vessel which will attack this on which I 
 am on board. That they will take us I ha\e no doubt ; 
 but what risk do I run of death by shot, or by their 
 blowing up the vessel in spite of me, or of no quarter
 
 PLUNDER OF THE TES8EL. 375 
 
 Deing given. "Well, I wish it were decided. At ail 
 events, I am long supposed dead, and I shall not be 
 recognised among the heaps of the bodies." 
 
 I then went to the locker and took out my duck 
 frock and trousers, determining that I would, if I were 
 killed, be killed in those clothes, and be thrown over- 
 board as a common seaman. I then went on deck, for 
 I heard the grating of the sides of the two vessels, and 
 knew that they were in contact. 
 
 All was uproar and confusion on board of the Trans- 
 cendant, but there was nobody on board the schooner 
 except Toplift and myself. I cannot say that I never 
 saw such a scene, for I had seen quite as bad on board 
 of a privateer. The common seamen, as well as the 
 soldiers, when let loose to plunder, are like maniacs. 
 In half an hour they had broken open everything, cut 
 the crew to pieces, and found out the hoard of dollars, 
 which was shown them by young Peleg, who tried for 
 his share, but for so doing received a chop with a cut- 
 lass, which cut off his right ear, and wounded him 
 severely on the shoulder ; but his right arm was not 
 disabled, and while the man that cut him down was 
 bending over a heap of dollars, which took both hands 
 to lift them, the boy ran his knife deep into the man's 
 side, who fell mortally wounded. The rush for the 
 dollars thus at the mercy of the rest was so great, that 
 Peleg was not minded, and he crept away and came on 
 board the schooner. AYe saw that he was bleeding 
 profusely, but we asked no questions, and he went 
 down the ladder forward. 
 
 " "What has that young villain been after ? " said 
 Topliffc.
 
 376 THE PBIVATEEESMABf. 
 
 "I presume he has been quarrelling for plunder, 
 and considered that he had a greater right to his 
 father's money than anybody else." 
 
 Among other plunder the people had not forgotten 
 to look for liquor, and an hour had not passed before 
 three-fourths of the men were more or less intoxicated. 
 They had found plenty of good clothes, and were 
 strutting about with gold-laced waistcoats and embroi- 
 dered coats over their dirty frocks. The uproar in- 
 creased every minute, ^when Toplift, who had been 
 looking out with the glass, exclaimed, " There she is, 
 by all that's sacred ! " 
 
 I caught the glass out of his hand, and found it was 
 the king's ship. She was a large flush vessel, appar- 
 ently of eighteen or twenty guns, just opening from 
 the point, and not seven miles from us. We were still 
 becalmed, and she was bringing the wind down with 
 her, so that to escape appeared impossible. 
 
 " Now, what shall we do ? " said Captain Toplift ; 
 " shall we allow her to come down upon us and say 
 nothing to the men, or shall we point out the danger 
 and persuade them to come on board and prepare ? " 
 
 " You must do as you please," replied I, " I am in- 
 different which. It will be dark in another hour, and 
 she will not be down by that time. I would rather 
 avoid fighting, and get away from the schooner quietly 
 if I could, but that I fear is impossible now." 
 
 " "Well, I must go on board of the brig and let them 
 know, for if they find it out themselves they will throw 
 us overboard." 
 
 Captain Toplift then went on board of the brig, and 
 calling to the men who were still sober, told them that
 
 ATTACKED BY A KING'S SHIP. 377 
 
 there was a king's ship coming down upon them not 
 seven miles off. This had the effect of putting an end 
 to the confusion and noise of a great portion of the 
 men, who hastened on board of the schooner, but 
 others, who were intoxicated, were with difficulty per- 
 suaded to return. 
 
 At last they were all got on board, and the schooner, 
 clear from the brig, was made ready for action ; but 
 Toplift was obliged to make some alteration in the sta- 
 tioning of the men, as those who were to hand up the 
 powder were all of them tipsy. By the time that the 
 schooner was ready, and the breeze had come down to 
 her, the corvette was not more than three miles from 
 us ; but it was quite dark, for there is no twilight in 
 those parts. We consulted what course we should 
 take to avoid her, if possible, and agreed that we would 
 stand in shore and pass her if we possibly could. We 
 knew that, if seen, we were then certain to be obliged 
 to fight ; but if not seen, we might escape. 
 
 We then shifted the helm and bore ,up across her 
 bows, but we had not steered in this direction more 
 than a quarter of an hour, when the Transcendant waa 
 perceived to be on fire, having been fired by the 
 drunken men before they left her, and soon afterwards 
 she burst out into flames that threw a strong light to 
 a great distance, discovering the corvette to us at 
 two miles' distance, and of course exposing us to the 
 corvette, who immediately altered her course for us. 
 We had therefore only to fight, and the crew, being 
 most of them in liquor, declared that they would fight 
 till the schooner sunk under them. In a quarter of an 
 hour, the corvette being close to us, and standing stem
 
 878 THE PBIYATEEBSAIAN. 
 
 on, we opened our fire, raking her masts and yards, and 
 then I went down below. I had changed my clothes 
 for the duck trousers and shirt which I had swum on 
 board in, and I now remained quietly in the cabin. A 
 few minutes afterwards the corvette opened her fire, 
 and the shot did great execution. The cries of the 
 wounded and the shouts of the tipsy men were min- 
 gled together, but the crew of the schooner fired with 
 great rapidity, and sustained the unequal conflict most 
 gallantly. 
 
 After a time some men darted down into the cabin. 
 I was then at the door which led to the magazine pas- 
 sage, and busied myself handing up the powder, as it 
 eecured me from observation, and it was supposed that 
 I was one of the crew sent down for that duty. 
 
 The men roared out, " Where is the captain ? We 
 want him to fight the ship. Toplift is an old fool, and 
 don't know what he is about." 
 
 I made no reply, but with my back towards them 
 continued to hand up the powder, and, having changed 
 my dress, they did not recognise me, so they rushed 
 upon deck again. 
 
 The corvette was now alongside of the schooner, 
 pouring in her broadsides with fatal execution, the 
 shot passing in every direction through her, so that 
 there was as much danger below as on deck, and it 
 was evident that the schooner could not oppose them 
 much longer. Still they continued to fire with great 
 resolution, being now sobered into more steadiness 
 than at first. But by this time more than half the 
 men were killed and wounded, and our guns were en- 
 cumbered with the wreck and bodies. I heard them, 

 
 ATTACKED BT A KING'S SHIP. 379 
 
 at the very time that a crashing broadside was poured 
 in by the corvette, cry oui, " Avast firing for a mo- 
 ment and clear the decks." 
 
 They did so, and, having thrown the bodies over 
 board and cut away the spars and rigging which had 
 fallen, so as to enable them to work their guns, during 
 which time three broadsides were poured in, they re- 
 manned their guns, and fought with as much spirit as 
 before. I could not help admiring the courage of the 
 scoundrels, for nothing could exceed it; but resistance 
 was useless, further than they preferred dying at their 
 guns to being hanged on the gibbet. 
 
 But the shouts of the pirates and the reports of the 
 guns gradually decreased. The men were swept away 
 by the enemy's fire, and the guns were one by one 
 disabled. The schooner's sides were torn out, and the 
 water poured in so fast that it was rising to the ma- 
 gazine. I heard a cry of boarders, and the striking 
 of the two vessels together, and then there was a rush 
 down below, when a man came aft to the magazine 
 passage. It was the fellow whom I had struck down 
 on the quarter-deck and had put into irons. 
 
 " Come along," said he, to the others ; " we '11 send 
 the corvette and ourselves all to the devil together. 
 Out of the way there." 
 
 " Stand back," said I. 
 
 " Stand back," replied he, pointing his pistol down 
 to the magazine. 
 
 I threw up his arm, and the pistol went off, striking 
 the beams above. 
 
 " Blast you," cried he, " whoever you are ; but I've 
 another," and he attempted to draw it out of his belt ;
 
 380 THE PEITATEEESMAN. 
 
 but before he could effect it I blew out his brains with 
 the pistol which I had ready cocked in my hand. 
 
 His companions started back, and I pointed my 
 second pistol at them, saying, " The man who comes 
 forward this way dies." 
 
 As I said this the crew of the corvette, who had 
 cleared the decks, charged down below, and the pirates 
 ran away and secreted themselves. Perceiving them 
 coming forward, I said to them, " Put a guard over 
 the magazine; they have attempted to blow up the 
 vessel already." 
 
 " "Who are you ? " said an officer. 
 
 "A prisoner," replied I. 
 
 " "Well, then, lead him on deck, and stay here, two 
 of you; shut down the magazine scuttle and keep 
 guard." 
 
 "Thank Heaven," thought I, "that this affair is 
 over," as a seaman led me by the collar on deck, and 
 handed me to others, who took me on board of the 
 corvette. 
 
 We were all put down below that remained out of 
 the schooner's crew, about eighteen or nineteen, not 
 more, and I was glad to find Captain Toplift, although 
 badly wounded with a splinter, was among the num- 
 ber. "We remained there huddled together with a 
 guard of ten men over us for more than an hour, when 
 we heard, from the conversation on deck, that the 
 schooner had sunk. After that the guns of the cor- 
 vette were secured, and the men had an allowance of 
 liquor served out to them, the watch was called, and 
 all was quiet during the remainder of the night. For 
 some time I was in a state of excitement from the
 
 PETSONEB. 381 
 
 events of the last twenty-four hours crowding so 
 rapidly, but by degrees I became calm. I asked one 
 of the guard who was the captain of the corvette. 
 
 " "What's that to you, you gallows-bird ?" replied he. 
 
 "A civil question might receive a civil reply," an- 
 swered I. 
 
 " So it might with any one else ; but if you don't 
 want the hilt of my cutlass down your throat, you will 
 hold your tongue." 
 
 But I did not require to repeat the question, as I 
 heard one of the officers on deck say, "It's Captain 
 Musgrave's orders." 
 
 This satisfied me, and I lay down with the rest of 
 the prisoners, waiting for daybreak, when I trusted my 
 troubles would soon be over. They were all sound 
 asleep. Strange that men who knew that they would 
 be hanged in a few days, if not the next morning, 
 should sleep so sound but so it was while I, who 
 had every reason to believe that my sufierings were 
 over, could not sleep one wink. I was, however, fully 
 satisfied with my own castle-buildings during the 
 night, and more satisfied when it was again broad day- 
 light. After the men had had their breakfast, an or- 
 der came down for all the prisoners to be brought on 
 deck. We were led up under guard, and made to stand 
 all iu a row. I looked round for my brother, but he 
 was not on deck. It was the first lieutenant who 
 was there, with several other officers, and the clerk, 
 with pen and ink, to take down the names of the 
 prisoners. 
 
 "Who was the captain vf this vessel?" said the 
 first lieutenant.
 
 382 THJB PEIVATEEBSMA5. 
 
 "I was, Sir," replied Toplift ; "but much against 
 my will." 
 
 " Oh, of course ; r every man was on board of her 
 against his will. "What is your name ? Put him down, 
 Mr. Pearson. Any other officers alive ?" 
 
 "No, Sir," replied Toplift. 
 
 The name of every man was then asked and put down, 
 and it so happened that I was the last ; for, anxious to 
 see my brother, I had walked up the foremost, and 
 they had commenced their interrogation at the other 
 end of the line. 
 
 " What is your name ? ' ' 
 
 "I do not belong to the schooner," replied I. 
 
 " Of course not : you dropped on board her from 
 the clouds." 
 
 " No, Sir, I did not ; I swam on board of her to 
 save my life." 
 
 " Then you went out of the frying-pan into the fire, 
 I reckon, my good fellow, for your life is forfeited 
 now." 
 
 "I rather think not, Sir," replied I. "On the 
 contrary, I feel it is quite safe." 
 
 " Give us none of your jaw, my good fellow, but 
 give us your name." 
 
 " Certainly, Sir, if you require it. My name is 
 Alexander Musgrave, Sir," replied I ; "I am the elder 
 brother of your captain, Philip Musgrave, and I will 
 thank you to go into his cabin and inform him that I 
 am here." 
 
 The first lieutenant and officers started back in 
 astonish'.nent, and so did Captain Toplift and the 
 pirates. The first lieutenant hardly knew whether to
 
 MEET MY BBOTHER PHILIP. 388 
 
 consider it as a pretence on my part or not, and was 
 undecided how to act, when Captain Toplift said, " I 
 do not know whether the gentleman is as he says, but 
 this is certain, and all the men can prove it as well as 
 myself, that he did swim on board, as he said, to escape 
 from the Indians, and that he has never joined the 
 crew. They offered to make him captain in my stead, 
 and he positively refused it." 
 
 "Yes," said all the pirates ; " that 's true enough." 
 ""Well, Sir," replied the first lieutenant, "I will 
 certainly carry your message." 
 
 "To make all certain," replied I, " I will write my 
 name on a slip of paper for you to take in to the cap- 
 tain. He knows my signature." 
 
 I did so, and the first lieutenant took the paper, and 
 went into the cabin. In a minute he returned, and 
 requested me to follow him. I did so, and in another 
 minute I was in the arms of my brother. For some 
 time we neither of us could speak. At last Philip said, 
 " That you are alive and well let me thank Heaven. I 
 have considered you as dead, and so have others ; and 
 to find you on board of a pirate on board of a vessel 
 which I have been riddling with shot, any one of which 
 might have caused your death ! Thank God I was 
 ignorant that you were on board, or I never could have 
 done my duty. I will not ask how you came onboard 
 of this vessel, for that must be the end of your narra- 
 tive, which I must have from the time that you first 
 .eft Eio, and afterwards in detail the whole from the 
 time that you left the Coast." 
 
 " Then they received my letters from Eio ?" 
 
 " Yes, after imagining you were dead, they were re-
 
 884 THE PBIVATEEESMAW, 
 
 joiced by those letters ; but I will not anticipate my 
 story, nor will I now ask for yours ; it is sufficient at 
 present that you are alive, my dear Alexander, and 
 once more in my arms." 
 
 "Let me ask one question," replied I. 
 
 " I know what it will be. She was in good health, 
 but suffering much in mind from having no account of 
 you. Her father and others have reasoned with her, 
 and painted the impossibility of your being in existence, 
 as the xebeque you sailed in had never been heard o 
 She still adheres to the opinion that you are alive, and 
 will not abandon the hope of seeing you again ; but 
 hope deferred has paled her cheek even more pale than 
 it usually is, and she evidently suffers much, for her 
 life is wrapped in yours. Now, having told you this, 
 you must come into my state-room, and allow me to 
 enable you to appear as my brother ought to do. I do 
 not think that there is any difference in our size now 
 although there was when we last parted." 
 
 "Many thanks, Philip, but before I adonize my 
 outward man I should wish to satisfy my inward crav- 
 ings ; and, to tell you the truth, I'm so hungry from 
 not having broken my fast for nearly twenty-four 
 hours, that if you could order something to eat while 
 you are looking out the clothes, I should feel in no 
 small degree grateful." 
 
 Philip rang the bell and ordered the steward to 
 bring something to eat and drink, and after eating I 
 occupied a quarter of an hour more in getting rid of 
 the pirate smoke and dirt, and putting on one of his 
 uniforms, for he had no other clothes on board, when I 
 came out looking not at all like a pirate.
 
 TOPLIFT BELEABED. 385 
 
 "Now, then," said Philip, "before we have our 
 tete-a-tete, come out with me, and let me introduce you 
 to the officers as my brother." 
 
 I went out with him, and was formally introduced. 
 The first lieutenant apologized for his rough speech, 
 but I told him that there was no occasion for any 
 apology, as I had no doubt that I looked very much 
 like a pirate at the time. 
 
 " More than you do now, Sir, at all events," replied 
 he. 
 
 " By the bye, brother," said I, " there is one man 
 among the prisoners who, although compelled to act 
 as captain by the men, is no pirate. His conduct I 
 will explain to you. May I request him to be kindly 
 treated ? His name is Toplift and also two Portu- 
 guese, my former companions." 
 
 " Certainly," replied Philip, " your word is sufficient. 
 Let those persons be released and taken care of," 
 said he to the first lieutenant. " "We will wait for the 
 particulars by-and-by." 
 
 I remained on deck about ten minutes, and then re- 
 turned to the cabin with my brother. 
 
 " "What is this which you have left on my dressing- 
 table ?" sflid Philip, surveying the leather bag which 
 contained the diamond. 
 
 "That, Philip," said I, " is a portion of my narra- 
 tive, and eventually may prove a very important one. 
 I don't think that I can afford to make you a present 
 of it, but I shall see." 
 
 " It does not look very valuable," replied he. 
 
 " At all events, do me the favour to lock it up carev 
 fully," replied I. 
 
 9c
 
 886 THE PEIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 ""Well, if you. are in earnest I will," he said, and 
 having put it in a drawer and locked it up, he said* 
 " Now, Alexander, let me have your history." 
 
 I commenced, and told him all that the reader is 
 now acquainted with. Dinner broke off my narrative, 
 and as soon as it was over I resumed it. "When I had 
 finished, he expressed his astonishment, and asked 
 many questions. Among others he said, " And that 
 little wretch Peleg, the captain of the Transcendant's 
 son, is he on board ?" 
 
 "I have not seen him," replied I, "and therefore 
 presume that he was not able to move, and went down 
 in the schooner." "Which was the case. 
 
 "You have indeed told me a strange tale," said 
 Philip, " and you have had some extraordinary escapes. 
 You must have a charmed life, and you appear to 
 have been preserved to prove that Amy's persuasion 
 of your being still alive was just and well-founded j 
 and now it is my turn to talk, and yours to listen. 
 "When I left you as lieutenant of Captain Levee's 
 schooner, we very shortly afterwards had an action, 
 with a Spanish vessel of very superior force, for she 
 mounted thirty guns. Having no chance with her, 
 from her superior weight of metal, we threw ourselves 
 on her bow and boarded. The Spaniards did not relish 
 this kind of close fighting, and gave us immediate pos- 
 session of their deck. Captain Levee, when he brought 
 in his prize, was appointed to a frigate of thirty-six 
 guns, and I followed him as his first lieutenant. "We 
 had another combat with a vessel of equal force, in 
 which we were the victors, and I was sent in the prize. 
 Captain Levee wrote very kindly in my behalf, and I
 
 MT STOBY AND PHILIP'S. 387 
 
 was made a captain, and given the command of a small 
 brig. But let me first finish with Captain Levee. He 
 captured a galleon, which gave him a large fortune, 
 and he then gave up the command of his ship, and 
 went on shore, telling me in a letter that he had 
 hitherto squandered away all his money, but now that 
 he had got so much, he intended to keep it. He has 
 done so, for he has purchased a large landed property, 
 is married, and, I believe, is very happy." 
 
 "He deserves it," replied I; "and long may he be 
 so." 
 
 " "Well, to continue. I was sent out on this station, 
 and, having information that the vessel which you are 
 now on board of was at anchor in a bay close to the 
 Havannah, I ran in and reconnoitred. She hoisted 
 Spanish colours, and I did the same. It fell calm, and 
 I lay about four miles outside. I was mistaken for 
 another Spanish vessel, and the captain of this vessel, 
 or, to speak correctly, the Spanish captain of the 
 Spanish brig, came out to see me, and did not discover 
 his mistake till he was on board. I detained him and 
 his boat's crew. It continued calm till the evening, 
 when the breeze sprung up, and I put the head of the 
 brig right for the bay, as if I were going to anchor. 
 The breeze being light, it was dark before I got in and 
 alongside this vessel. They were completely surprised, 
 for they imagined that their captain was dining with 
 his old friend, and, having no idea that we were any- 
 thing but Spanish, had not the least preparation for 
 resistance. "We had possession of her decks before 
 they could seize their arms, and I brought her out 
 without any one knowing that she had been captured. 
 2 c 2
 
 388 THE PEIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 On my arrival, the admiral gave me the command of 
 her, which I have held for nine months ; but she is 
 very defective, and I was ordered home, and should 
 have sailed, had it not been that that scoundrel, the 
 captain of the Transcendant, gave me the information 
 which induced me to come round to the back of the 
 island. Little did I think what happiness awaited me. 
 So much for myself. Do not think me an egotist for 
 speaking of myself, I am only clearing away the less 
 important information to arrive at that which most 
 interests you. The Amy arrived safe with her valuable 
 cargo. The captain reported that he had remained at 
 the rendezvous until blown off by a sort of hurricane, 
 and that, finding himself a long way off, he considered, 
 when the gale had ceased, that he was not justified in 
 remaining with so valuable a cargo, but was bound to 
 make the best of his way to Liverpool. He was right, 
 and his conduct was approved of by Mr. Trevannion, 
 who looked for your arrival every hour. At last a 
 week passed away and you did not make your appear- 
 ance, and great alarm was entertained for your safety. 
 The weeks grew into months, and it was supposed that 
 you had been upset in the same hurricane which had 
 driven the Amy so far off from her rendezvous. The 
 poor girl Whyna was, as you may suppose, kindly re- 
 ceived by Mr. Trevannion and his daughter, and soon 
 gained their affection ; but she pined for your return, 
 and when she was told that you were dead she never 
 recovered it. The climate certainly did not agree with 
 her, and she contracted a very bad cough during the 
 winter, but I believe from my heart that it was your 
 Joss which affected her the most severely. After sho
 
 PHILIP'S NABEATITB. 389 
 
 had been about eighteen months in England, she fell 
 into a consumption and died." 
 
 " Poor "Whyna ! " said I, with a sigh. 
 
 " Alexander," said Philip, " perhaps it was all for the 
 best, for that poor girl loved you sincerely, and, sup- 
 posing that she was now still alive and living with Miss 
 Trevannion, and on your return your marriage should 
 ^ which, of course, unless Heaven decrees otherwise, it 
 will) take place, that poor creature would have been 
 very unhappy ; and although the idea of her being a 
 rival to Miss Trevannion is something which may ap- 
 pear absurd to us, yet she had the same feelings, and 
 must have endured the same pangs, as any other woman, 
 let her colour be what it may. I think, therefore, that 
 her removal was a blessing and a happy dispensation. 
 I saw Mr. Trevannion and his daughter but once pre- 
 vious to their receiving your letters from Eio, acquaint- 
 ing them with your misfortunes and happy deliverance 
 from slavery. They were both very dejected, and Mr. 
 Trevannion talked of retiring from business, and living 
 upon his property near Liverpool. As I corresponded 
 regularly with Amy, I learnt that he had done so, and 
 had just wound up his affairs when your letters arrived 
 from Eio with an order on the Portuguese Exchequer 
 for a considerable sum. I hardly need say that the joy 
 occasioned by this intelligence was great. Amy reco- 
 vered her good looks, and her father bitterly lamented 
 his having retired from business, as he had wished to 
 have made the whole over to you. The money you re- 
 mitted from Eio he considered as your own, and he also 
 set apart your share of the business from the time that 
 you were admitted as a partner. He was not aware
 
 390 THE 1'liIVATEEBSMAN. 
 
 that you could carry a diamond of such immense value 
 about your person, exposed to the view of every one ; 
 among Indians, settlers, and pirates. That my delight 
 was equal to theirs you will, I am sure, give me cretlit 
 to believe ; and although I was obliged to sail for the 
 "West Indies, every day I anticipated receiving a letter 
 informing me of your arrival in England. Judge then 
 my distress at first receiving letters stating that you 
 had not been heard of for three months after your 
 leaving Eio, and expressions of fear that some accident 
 had happened, and then month after month many more 
 and more desponding letters, in which Mr. Trevannion 
 plainly stated that the xebeque must have foundered ; 
 and only Amy clinging to the hope that you were still 
 alive. I acknowledge that I considered you dead, and 
 you may therefore imagine my surprise and delight 
 when your signature on the slip of paper proved that 
 you were not only in existence, but on board of the 
 same vessel with me." 
 
 Such was the narrative of my brother Philip in re- 
 turn for mine, and it was late at night when we parted. 
 Oh! how sincerely did I pray that night, thanking 
 Heaven for all its mercies, and entreating that the 
 cup might not be again dashed from my lips. "When 
 I arose next morning I found that Philip was on deck, 
 and I followed him. 
 
 " "We shall soon be in Port Eoyal with this wind," 
 said he, " and I hope to find the admiral still there." 
 
 I had some conversation with the ofilcers, and then 
 went below to see Toplift. He was in his hammock, for 
 he had much fever and suffered from his woind, but 
 the surgeon said that he wculd do well.
 
 ARRIVE AT PORT ROYAL. 391 
 
 "Toplift," said I, "you must keep your mind at 
 ease, for my brother has promised me that you shall 
 not be tried with the others, and has no doubt that 
 when he explains the whole to the admiral you will be 
 thanked for your service." 
 
 Thanked!" said Toplift, "if I am not hanged, I 
 shall be fortunate enough." 
 
 "No fear of that," replied I, "so keep your mind 
 easy and get well as fast as you can." 
 
 "Well then, Sir, you have saved my life, at all 
 events, for had you not come on board, no one would 
 have ever spoken for me, or believed that I was not a 
 pirate in heart like all the others, except the two 
 Portuguese." 
 
 " If necessary, they will be evidence in your favour, 
 but I do not think any evidence will be required ex- 
 cept mine, and that will be sufficient with the admiral. 
 I promised you that you should never want the means 
 of getting your livelihood, and I repeat that promise 
 now." 
 
 " Thank you, Sir," replied he, and I then left him 
 and went up to the cabin to breakfast. 
 
 The following day we were at anchor at Port Eoyal; 
 my brother reported what had occurred, and the ad- 
 miral sent for all the pirate prisoners except Toplift, 
 whose case was so fully represented by me and my 
 brother, that he was permitted to go at large, and to 
 take a passage home to England free of expense if he 
 wished it. It is hardly necessary to say that Toplift 
 accepted this offer, and remained in the vessel with 
 me. The two Portuguese were also liberated. Three 
 days after our arrival we sailed for England, and after
 
 392 THE PBTYATHTIBSMAJr. 
 
 a quick run of between five and six weeks, we anchored 
 at Spithead. My brother could not leave his ship, 
 and I therefore requested him to write to Liverpool, 
 stating that he had intelligence of me, and that I was 
 alive ; that I had been wrecked and had fallen into the 
 hands of the Indians near the English settlements in 
 Virginia, and that I had escaped and was, he believed, 
 at James Town. 
 
 I considered it wise to make a communication like 
 this at first, as too sudden an announcement might be 
 dangerous to one in so weak a state of health as Philip 
 stated my Amy to be from the letter he had received 
 from her father. I remained with him at Portsmouth 
 until the reply came. Mr. Trevannion wrote and told 
 Philip that his communication had, as it were, raised his 
 daughter from the grave as she had fallen into a state 
 of profound melancholy, which nothing could remove 
 that he had very cautiously introduced the subject, 
 and by degrees told her what was reported, and eventu- 
 ally, when he found that she was more composed, that 
 he had put Philip's letter into her hand. 
 
 He concluded that he trusted that I would arrive, 
 and soon, for if any accident was now to happen to 
 me it would be the death of his daughter, who had not 
 strength enough left to bear another reverse. At my 
 request Philip then wrote that he had received a letter 
 from a brother officer stating that I was well and safe 
 on board, and that they would be in England a few 
 days after the receipt of the letter. 
 
 Leaving directions to Philip how to proceed, I now 
 went off to London, and, having fitted myself out with 
 every requisite of dress and toilet, I called upon a
 
 SELL MY DIAMOND. 393 
 
 celebrated Jew diamond merchant and showed him 
 my diamond, requesting that he would weigh it and 
 then estimate its value. He was much astonished at 
 the sight of such a stone, as well he might be, and 
 after weighing it and examining it he pronounced it 
 worth 47,000, provided a purchaser could be found 
 for an article of such value. 
 
 I told him that I was not a merchant, and could not 
 be travelling about to show the diamond to crowned 
 heads ; but if he would give me a liberal price for it, I 
 would abate a great deal, that he might dispose of it 
 to his own advantage. He requested that he might 
 call upon me with two of his friends, that they might 
 see the diamond and consult with him ; and then he 
 would give me an answer. "We fixed the time for 
 twelve o'clock on the following day, and I took my 
 leave. 
 
 The next day he called at the time appointed, ac- 
 companied by two gentlemen of his own persuasion. 
 They weighed the stone again very carefully, examined 
 it by the light of a powerful lamp to ascertain its 
 water, and to see if there were any flaws in it, calcu- 
 lated the reduction of weight which would take place 
 in cutting it, and, after a consultation, I was offered 
 38,000. I considered this an offer that I ought not 
 to refuse, and I closed with them. The next day the 
 affair was settled. I received money and bills on go- 
 vernment to the amount, and wrote to Philip telling 
 him what had taken place. Strange that from two 
 slaves in the mines I should have received such valu- 
 able legacies; from poor Ingram a diamond worth 
 so much money, and from the other Englishman a tat-
 
 894 THE PBIYATEEESMAK. 
 
 tered Bible which made me a sincere Christian a 
 legacy in comparison of which the diamond was as 
 dross. 
 
 Philip replied to my letter congratulating me on 
 the sale of the diamond, and informing me that to his 
 letter he had received a reply containing so satisfac- 
 tory an account of Amy's restored health, that he had 
 written to tell them that I had arrived safe in Eng- 
 land, and would be very soon with them. He recom- 
 mended my going immediately, as the anxiety and 
 suspense would be very injurious to Amy's health. I 
 therefore made every arrangement for my departure, 
 purchased horses, and procured four stout serving 
 men, well armed, to accompany me, and wrote a letter, 
 which I sent by an express courier, stating the exact 
 day which I expected to arrive at Mr. Trevannion's 
 country-seat. 
 
 I waited in London two days to wind up all my 
 affairs, and to give time for the express to arrive before 
 me, as I intended to travel very fast. My stay in 
 London was the occasion of an important discovery. I 
 was at the coffee-house at St. Paul's, and was talking 
 with one of Captain Levee's officers, with whom I had 
 picked up an acquaintance, when, on his calling me by 
 the name of Musgrave, a pinched-up sort of looking 
 personage, in a black suit, who was standing at the 
 bay-window, turned round, and coming up to me said, 
 " Sir, as a stranger I must apologize, but hearing your 
 friend call you by the name of Musgrave, may I ven- 
 ture to ask if you are any relative to Sir Eichard Mus- 
 grave, Baronet, who lived in Cumberland ?" 
 
 " Lived, did you say, Sir ? Is he then dead ? "
 
 ACCESSION TO A BABONETCY. 89G 
 
 u Yes, Sir ; lie has been dead these last seven 
 months, and we are looking out for his heir and cannot 
 find him." 
 
 "I knew the family very well," replied I, "for I am 
 connected with it. His eldest son, Eichard, of course, 
 must be his heir, as all the estates are entailed." 
 
 " His eldest son, Eichard, Sir, is dead. "We have 
 authenticated documents to prove that ; and, moreover, 
 his second son, Charles, is also dead. He came home 
 very ill and died, not at his father's house, but at the 
 house of one of his tenants on the estate. It is his 
 third son, Alexander Musgrave, whom we seek, and 
 seek in vain. He is now the heir to the baronetcy and 
 estates, but we have lost all clue to him. We under- 
 stand that a Captain Philip Musgrave is just arrived 
 from the West Indies. He is, we presume, the fourth 
 son. But until we can find out what has become of 
 Alexander Musgrave, and whether he is dead or alive, 
 we cannot act. I have written this day to Captain 
 Musgrave, requesting any information he can give, but 
 have received no answer. I presume, Sir, it is useless 
 to inquire of you?" 
 
 " Not exactly, Sir, for I am the Alexander Musgrave 
 you seek." 
 
 " Indeed, Sir, but what proof have you of your iden- 
 tity to offer to us?" 
 
 " The evidence of my brother, Captain Philip Mus- 
 grave, in whose ship I have just arrived from the West 
 Indies ; that his answer to your letter will be satis- 
 factory enough, I have no doubt. Here is a letter 
 from him to me, in which you see he addresses me ' uy
 
 396 THE PEIVATEEESMAN. 
 
 dear Alexander,' and concludes with ' your affectionate 
 brother, Philip Musgrave.' " 
 
 "This is indeed satisfactory, Sir," replied the gentle- 
 man, " and I have only to receive an answer from your 
 brother to make all right and clear. Allow me, Sir, 
 to congratulate you upon your accession to the title 
 and property. I presume you will have no objection, 
 as soon as the necessary proofs are obtained, to accom- 
 pany me down to Cumberland, where I doubt not, 
 you will be recognised by many." 
 
 " Of that, Sir, I have not the slightest doubt,' : 
 replied I, " but I cannot go down with you to Cum- 
 berland at present. I leave London for Liverpool the 
 day after to-morrow on important business, and cannot 
 disappoint the parties." 
 
 " Well, Sir, it must indeed be an important business 
 which will prevent you from taking possession of a title 
 and 4000 per annum," replied he ; "but here is my 
 address, and I hope I shall hear from you as soon as 
 possible, as I shall remain in town till I can bring the 
 heir down with me." 
 
 The man now looked as if he doubted me. He 
 could not imagine that I could neglect the taking pos- 
 session of the estate for any other business, and it did 
 appear singular, so I said to him, " Sir, I have been 
 long out of England, and am affianced to a young lady 
 who lives near Liverpool. She has been waiting to 
 hear from me for some time, and I have sent an ex- 
 press to say that I will be with her on such a day. I 
 cannot disappoint her, and I tell you more, that, with 
 out I possess her, the possession of the title and estates 
 will give me very little pleasure."
 
 ACCESSION TO A BARONETCY. 397 
 
 "Sir," replied he, making a bow, "I honour your 
 sentiments, and she must be a worthy lady who can 
 inspire such feelings. I only hope that you will not 
 remain too long at Liverpool, as London is expensive, 
 and I am anxious to return to Cumberland." 
 
 I then wished the gentleman farewell, and went 
 home to my lodgings. I had given him my address in 
 case he wanted to see me before my departure. 
 
 The next day I received a letter from Philip enclos- 
 ing the one written to him by this gentleman, whose 
 name was Campbell, and who was a lawyer. Philip 
 told me what reply he had made to him, and congra- 
 tulated me on my accession to the title and estates. 
 Almost an hour afterwards Mr. Campbell called upon 
 me with Philip's letter, which he declared to be 
 highly satisfactory, and sufficient in any court of 
 justice. 
 
 "But," said he, "I would wish to ask you a few 
 particulars." 
 
 " And I also would wish to make a few inquiries, 
 Mr. Campbell. I have heard your name in my youth, 
 although I cannot recollect ever having seen you." 
 
 " I was the confidential adviser of your father at one 
 time, Sir," replied he, "but latterly all intercourse had 
 ceased ; it was not until he was on his death-bed, and 
 fully repented the foolish step which he had taken, 
 and the injustice he had been guilty of, that he sent for 
 m6j much to the annoyance of Lady Musgrave, who 
 would have prevented me from coming into the house 
 even when I arrived, had it not been for the servants, 
 who disobeyed her." 
 
 " And my sisters, Sir, Janet and Mabel ? "
 
 398 THE PBITATEEESMAIT. 
 
 " Are both well, and have grown up very fine girla 
 Your father destroyed the deed by which Lady Mus- 
 grave was to have had a large jointure upon the estate, 
 and she is now entirely dependent upon you for what 
 she may receive. "When do you expect to be able to 
 come up from Liverpool ? " 
 
 " I can hardly say, but of course as soon as I can." 
 
 " Well, Sir, my own affairs will require my presence 
 in the metropolis for a month. In the mean time, 
 although I should have preferred to have gone down 
 with you to Faristone Hall, and have at once put you 
 in possession, yet affairs may remain as they are (for 
 everything is under seal, and Lady Musgrave has been 
 compelled to remove) till it suits your convenience. 
 I shall, however, write to let them know that you have 
 been found and will soon come down and take posses- 
 sion." 
 
 Mr. Campbell then asked me a few questions, to 
 which I replied satisfactorily, and then for the first 
 time he saluted me with my title, saying, " Sir Alex- 
 ander, I will now take my leave." 
 
 The next morning I set off on my journey, and 
 travelled with as much speed as the horses would 
 permit. I arrived on the fifth day at Mr. Trevan- 
 nion's seat, about nine miles from Liverpool. As I 
 rode up the avenue of chestnut trees, I perceived a 
 female form looking out from an upper window, which 
 soon afterwards made a precipitate retreat. I alight- 
 ed, and was received at the door in the embrace of 
 Mr. Trevannion, who welcomed me with tears, and 
 taking me by the hand he led me into an apartment 
 where I found my adored Amy, who threw herself
 
 VISIT TO MISS TBEVANNION. 399 
 
 into my arms and wept as if her heart would break ; 
 but her sobs were the sobs of joy, and when she did 
 raise her head and look at me, it was with eyes beam- 
 ing with pleasure, and with smiles upon her beautiful 
 lips. I clasped her to my bosom, and felt that I was 
 more than repaid for all I had suffered, and my heart 
 was throbbing with gratitude and love. 
 
 It was some time before we could sufficiently com- 
 pose ourselves to enter into lengthened conversation, 
 and then Amy inquired what had occurred to me to 
 occasion such lengthened absence. We sat down on 
 a sofa, and with Amy on one side of me and her 
 father on the other I entered into my narrative. 
 
 "And so you have been married since we last 
 heard from you?" said Amy, smiling, when I had 
 finished my history. 
 
 " Yes," replied I, " I have been; but I hope I shall 
 treat my second wife a little better than I did my first." 
 
 " I hope so too," replied Amy ; " but I have great 
 fear that your Virginian mistress may come over and 
 claim you." 
 
 " I do not think that likely. Erom the Indians 
 having followed me to the beach, they must have 
 fallen in with her." 
 
 " And what do you think became of her ? " 
 
 " Of course I cannot exactly say ; but I presume 
 she died gallantly, and fought with her axe to the last." 
 
 That evening I had a long conversation with Mr. 
 Trevannion. He told me what he had done with the 
 money, which he considered as mine, and I put into 
 his care the sum I had received for the diamond. I
 
 400 THE PB1VATEER8MAST. 
 
 then spoke to him about our marriage, and requested 
 that it might not be postponed. 
 
 "My dear Musgrave," said he, " my daughter's 
 happiness so depends upon her union with you, that 
 I can only say I am willing that it should take place 
 to-morrow. For yourself you know that I have the 
 highest esteem, and that you must be convinced of 
 when I have consented to the match without even 
 making inquiry as to your family and connexions. Now, 
 however, is the time that I should wish to have some 
 information about them." 
 
 . "My dear Sir, if you will only make inquiries, you 
 will find that the family of Musgrave is one of the 
 most highly connected in the north, and that the head 
 of it is, or was, a Sir Richard Musgrave, Baronet, of 
 Faristone Hall, in Cumberland. I am a near relative 
 of his, as I can satisfactorily prove." 
 
 " That is sufficient," replied Mr. Trevannion. " I 
 shall leave you to plead your cause with Amy to-mor- 
 row ; so now, good night." 
 
 The following day I told Amy that, since my arrival 
 in England. I had heard of the death of my father, and 
 that it was necessary that I should go to the north, as 
 family affairs required my presence. 
 
 "Are you serious ?" replied she. 
 
 " Never more so in my life. My presence is abso- 
 lutely necessary, and I made arrangements with the le- 
 gal adviser of our family that I would be there in less 
 than a month." 
 
 "It is a long journey," said Mr. TrevannioD, "and 
 how long do you stay ?"
 
 VISIT TO MTRS TEEfATTNION. -iGl 
 
 "That I cannot possibly say," k replied I; "but not 
 longer than I can help." 
 
 " I do not think that I shall let you go," said Amy ; 
 " you are not to be trusted out of sight. You are so 
 born for adventure that you will not be heard of again 
 for another two years." 
 
 "Such is my misfortune, I grant," replied I; "but, 
 Amy, you look pale and thin ; change of air would do 
 you much service. Suppose you and your father were 
 to come with me. Indeed, Mr. Trevannion, 1 am in 
 earnest. At this delightful time of the year nothing 
 would prove so beneficial to her health ; and, Amy, 
 then, you know, that I shall not be out of your sight." 
 
 " I should like the tour very much," replied she, 
 "but" 
 
 " I know what you would say. You do not like the 
 idea of travelling with me as Amy Trevannion. You 
 are right. Then let me propose that you travel with 
 me as Amy Musgrave." 
 
 " I second that proposal," said Mr. Trevannion. 
 
 " Consent, Amy ; let our marriage be quite private. 
 I know you will prefer that it should be so, and so will 
 your father. You will then travel with me as my wife, 
 and we never shall part again." 
 
 Amy did not reply till her father said, " Amy^, it is 
 my wish that it should be so. Recollect it will be the 
 last time that you have to obey your father, so do not 
 annoy me by a refusal." 
 
 "I will not, rny dear father," replied Amy, kissing 
 him. " Your last command I obey with pleasure. And 
 oh ! if I have sometimes been a wilful girl, forgive me 
 everything at this moment." 
 2 D
 
 402 THE PBIVATEEE8MAN. 
 
 " My dear child, I have nothing to forgive. May Q od 
 bless you ; and, Mr. Musgrave," said he, putting her 
 hand in mine, " if she proves as good a wife as she has 
 been a daughter, you now receive a treasure," and I 
 felt that the old man stated what was true. 
 
 It was arranged that the marriage should take place 
 on that day week, and that it should be quite private. 
 There was no parade of bridal clothes ; in fact, no one 
 was invited, and it was, at my request, quite a secret 
 marriage. A clergyman had been engaged to perform 
 the ceremony, and, on the day appointed, I received 
 the hand of my Amy in the drawing-room, and in the 
 presence only of Humphrey and two other confidential 
 servants. 
 
 After the ceremony was over, the clergyman re- 
 quested me to come with him into the adjoining room, 
 and said, " it was necessary that he should give a cer- 
 tificate of the marriage, which must be inserted in the 
 parish register." He had called me aside for that pur- 
 pose, that I might give him my exact name, profession, 
 &c. 
 
 " My name is Alexander Musgrave, as you have 
 heard when you married us." 
 
 " Yes, I know that, but I must be particular. Have 
 you no other name ? Is that the name that you have 
 been and will be in future known by ?" 
 
 " Not exactly," replied I ; "I have been known by 
 that name, but in future shall not be." 
 
 " Then what am I to say ?" 
 
 " You must say, Sir Alexander Musgrave, Baronet, 
 of Faristone Hall, Cumberland." 
 
 " Good," said he, " that is what I required ; and
 
 MY MABBIAGE. 408 
 
 the lady jour 1 ife, has she any other name but 
 Amy?" 
 
 " None, I believe." 
 
 The clergyman then wrote out the marriage certifi- 
 cate and signed it, taking a copy for registry, and wo 
 returned into the drawing-room. 
 
 " Here is the certificate of marriage, Madam," said 
 he ; " it ought to be in the care of the lady, and there- 
 fore, my lady, I hand it over to you." 
 
 " My lady is much obliged to you for your kindness," 
 replied Amy, for she thought that the clergyman was 
 only facetious. 
 
 She held the certificate in her hand folded as it had 
 been given her for some time. At last curiosity, or, 
 perhaps, having nothing else to do, induced her to 
 open it and read it. I was at this time talking with 
 the clergyman, and presenting him with a handsome 
 douceur for his trouble ; but, perceiving her to open 
 the certificate, I watched her countenance. She read 
 and started. I turned away as if not observing her. She 
 then went up to her father and desired him to read it. 
 
 The old gentleman took out his glasses, and it was 
 amusing to see the way in which he looked at his 
 daughter with his spectacles falling off his nose. He 
 then came up, and pointing to the certificate said, 
 " Pray how am I in future to address my daughter ?" 
 
 " As Amy, I trust, Sir, unless you wish to scold her, 
 and then you must call her Lady Musgrave. I am, 
 my dear Sir, as the certificate states, Sir Alexander 
 Musgrave, of Faristone, with a handsome property 
 descended to me. I did not know it till I arrived in 
 London ; and if I concealed it from vou till now, it 
 2 D 2
 
 404 THE PB1YATEERSMAN. 
 
 was only thab my Amy should have the satisfaction of 
 proving to me that she wedded me in pure disinterest- 
 edness of affection." 
 
 " It was very, very kind of you, Alexander, to do as 
 you have done, and I thank you sincerely for it." 
 
 "And now, my dear Amy, you understand why I 
 wished you to come with me to Cumberland, that you 
 may take possession of your future abode, and assume 
 that position in society which you will so much grace. 
 I trust, Sir," continued I, "that you will not part 
 from us, and that one roof will always cover us, as 
 long as Heaven thinks fit to spare our lives." 
 
 " May Grod bless you both," replied Mr. Trevanuion, 
 " I cannot part with you, and must follow." 
 
 About half an hour after this, I requested Amy and 
 Mr. Trevannion to sit by me, as I had now another 
 narrative to give them, which was an explanation why 
 and how it was that they found me in the position 
 that they had done ; in short, what were the causes 
 that induced me, and afterwards my brother Philip, to 
 quit our parental roof, and to come to the resolution 
 of fighting our own way in the world. It was as 
 follows : 
 
 " Sir Eichard Musgrave, my father, married a young 
 lady of high connexion, a Miss Arabella Johnson, and 
 with her lived, I have every reason to believe, a very 
 happy life for nearly twenty-five years, when it pleased 
 God to summon her away. I have a good recollection 
 of my mother ; for although I lived with my brother 
 at a private tutor's, about six miles off, I was continu- 
 ally at home, and she did not die till I was nearly six- 
 teen ; and I can only say that a more elegant, amiable, 
 and truly virtuous woman, as I believe, never existed.
 
 STOBf Of MY EARLY LIPE 405 
 
 By t'nis marriage my father had four sens and two 
 daughters ; Eichard, the eldest ; Charles, the second ; 
 myself, the third; and Philip, the fourth; and my 
 sisters, who came last, were named Janet and Mabel. 
 At the time of my mother's death, my eldest brother 
 was serving with the army, which he had entered from 
 a love of the profession, although, as heir to the baron- 
 etcy and estates, which are a clear 4000 per annum, 
 he of course had no occasion for a profession. My 
 second brother, Charles, being of an adventurous turn, 
 had gone out to the East Indies in a high position, as 
 servant to the Company. I was still at home, as well 
 as Philip, who is four years my junior, and my sisters 
 were of course at home. I pass over my regrets at my 
 mother's death, and will now speak more of my father. 
 He was a good-tempered, weak man, easily led, and 
 although, during my mother's lifetime, he was so well 
 led that it was of little consequence, the case proved 
 very different at her death. For a year my father re- 
 mained quiet in the house, content with superintend- 
 ing his improvements on his property, and he had 
 lately become infirm, and had given up the hounds and 
 rural sports in general. The dairy was one of his 
 principal hobbies ; and it so happened that a young 
 girl, the daughter of a labourer, was one of the females 
 employed in that part of the establishment. She was 
 certainly remarkably good-looking ; her features were 
 very small, and she did not show that robust frame 
 which people in her class of life generally do. She 
 was about seventeen years old, slight in figure, and 
 certainly a person that you would not pass without 
 making some commendatory remark upon her good 
 looks and modest appearance. She was not, however,
 
 106 TEE PRITATEEESMAN. 
 
 what she appeared ; she was beyond measure cunning 
 and astute, and, as it proved, inordinately ambitious. 
 My father, who was naturally of an amorous disposi- 
 tion, was attracted by her, and very soon was con- 
 stantly in the dairy, and his attentions were so marked, 
 that the other servants used to call her ' my lady.' A 
 few months after my father had shown a preference 
 for this girl, he was seized with his first attack of gout. 
 It did not last him long, and in six weeks he was 
 about again, and resumed his attentions to her. Philip 
 and I, who were at our tutor's, when we came home, 
 heard from others what was going on, and very fool- 
 ishly played the girl many tricks, and annoyed her as 
 much as we could. After we returned, my father had 
 another fit of gout, and when he was confined to his 
 room, he desired this girl to be sent for to attend upon 
 him. I cannot say what took place, but this is certain, 
 that my father's unfortunate passion became so great, 
 and I presume the girl's ambition rose in proportion, 
 that about six months afterwards this daughter of a 
 menial was raised to the dignity of Lady Musgrave 
 she being at that time about eighteen, and my father 
 verging on seventy. 
 
 " "When this ill-assorted and disgraceful connexion 
 was known, the gentry and aristocracy of the country 
 refused any longer to visit my father, and all commu- 
 nication was broken off. In a short time the ascend- 
 ency which this artful girl gained o^er the old man 
 was most wonderful. He lived but in her sight, and 
 knew no will but hers. Her father and family were 
 removed to a good house in the neighbourhood, and 
 gave themselves all the airs of gentlepeople. The 
 good old steward was dismissed, and her father cstab-
 
 STORY OF MF EABLT LIFE. 407 
 
 lished in his room, although the man could not read 
 or write, and was wholly unfit for the office. The ex- 
 pense which she launched out into, by his permission, 
 was excessive. New liveries, new coaches, diamonds, 
 and dresses fit for the court indeed, every kind of 
 luxury that could be conceived, and much greater than 
 my father could afford. She now showed herself in 
 her true colours ; vindictive and tyrannical to excess, 
 she dismissed all the old servants, and oppressed all 
 those to whom she owed a grudge ; yet my poor father 
 could see nothing but perfection in her. It was not 
 till four months after the marriage that Philip and I 
 came home, and our new step-mother had not for- 
 gotten our treatment of her. She treated us with 
 great harshness, refused our taking meals at my 
 father's table, and ordered us the coarsest fare ; and 
 when we complained to my father, denied everything 
 that we said. As we found that we could not induce 
 our father to listen to us or to believe us, we tried all 
 we could, and retaliated and annoyed her as much, if 
 not more, than she annoyed us, by talking of her mean 
 origin and her former occupation ; we defied her, and, 
 in so doing, we ruined ourselves ; for, after a useless 
 struggle on my father's part, he gave way to her im- 
 perious commands, and sending for me told me that I 
 had become such a reprobate that I was no longer a 
 son of his. He threw me a purse, telling me that it 
 was all I might expect from him, and that I was in- 
 stantly to leave the house, and never show my face in 
 it any more. I replied, with more spirit than respect, 
 that it was high time that the son of a gentleman and 
 lady should leave the house, when such low-born crea* 
 tures were installed in it as the mistress. My father,
 
 408 T 
 
 in a rage, flung his crutch at my head, and I left the 
 room. 
 
 " As I went out I met her in the passage ; she had 
 evidently been listening to what had passed, and she- 
 was full of exultation. 
 
 " ' It is your turn now, you she-devil,' said I, in 
 my rage ; ' but wait till my father dies. You shall go 
 a-milking again.' 
 
 " I do not mean to defend my conduct, but I was 
 then not seventeen, and that must be my excuse. I 
 little thought, when I said so, that it would be from 
 my hands that she would have to receive bounty ; but 
 so it is, as Mr. Campbell informs me that my father 
 destroyed, previous to his death, the papers which he 
 had signed to secure her a large jointure on the estate. 
 I set off" with my wardrobe and the purse of twenty 
 guineas, which my father had given me, and, having a 
 desire to see the world, I went on board of a merchant 
 vessel. Six months afterwards, when we were at Liver- 
 pool, I went on board of a privateer. The remainder 
 of my history you are already acquainted with. 
 
 " As soon as she had wreaked her vengeance upon 
 me, my brother Philip was the next ; but he was too 
 young at that time to be turned adrift, so she put it 
 off till the time should come, irritating and weaning 
 my father from him by every means in her power. 
 Three years afterwards she succeeded in having him 
 dismissed, also, and you know how I found him out. 
 All these circumstances were very well known in the 
 neighbourhood and to our own relations ; and one only, 
 my aunt, called upon my father, and, after a long con-' 
 versation, my father consented that my sisters should 
 go away, and remain under her charge. My step-
 
 STOET OF MY EABLY LIFTS. 409 
 
 mother's violent temper, her exactions, her imperious 
 conduct, which was now shown even towards him, with 
 what my aunt had advanced, had to a certain extent 
 opened my father's eyes. He perceived that she had 
 no other view but her own aggrandizement, and that 
 she cared little for him. Her repeated attempts, how- 
 ever, to make him sign in her favour, in case of his 
 death, were successful, and it was not till after her 
 conduct had alienated him from her, and he deplored 
 the loss of his children, that he committed the deed to 
 the flames. About three years after I had quitted the 
 house, my eldest brother, who had information of all 
 that had passed, and who remained in the army because 
 he declared that he never would go home till after his 
 father's death, was killed by a cannon-ball ; and my 
 second brother died of a fever about a year ago, when 
 resident at the court of a native prince. I had heard 
 nothing of these deaths, or of my father's, until my 
 arrival in London ; of course, I was most anxious to 
 go down to Cumberland, if it were only to undo the 
 wickedness which this woman had done, and to make 
 amends to those whom she had so cruelly treated. I 
 do not feel any spirit of revenge, but I feel that justice 
 demands it of me." 
 
 " And I shall go with you with pleasure, to help you 
 in your good work," said Amy, " and also because I 
 want to see how she will now behave to one whom she 
 has so persecuted, and who has become the arbiter of 
 her fate." 
 
 " Well, Amy, I will not trust myself on this ques- 
 tion. You shall be the arbitress of her fate, and what 
 vou decide shall be irrevocable." 
 
 "I fully appreciate the compliment you pay me,"
 
 410 THE PBIYATTVKBSMAIT. 
 
 said she, "but I prefer that it should be decided w 
 council, and we will call in my father to our assistance." 
 
 A fortnight after our marriage, we set off for Lon- 
 don, in a coach with six handsome black horses, and 
 eight armed servants in liveries on horseback. We 
 arrived safely on the seventh day, and there we reposed 
 for a time previous to setting out for Cumberland. 
 My aunt was in London and attending the court, which 
 I was not aware of, and with her were my two sisters, 
 Janet and Mabel, whom I had not seen for years, and 
 who warmly embraced me, promising that they would 
 soon come down and take up their abode at the hall. 
 They expressed their admiration of Amy, but, in so 
 doing, they only followed the general opinion, for it 
 was impossible to see and not admire her elegance and 
 beauty. My aunt showed us every attention, and we 
 were presented to his Majesty, who was pleased to 
 compliment Lady Musgrave in very flattering terms. 
 "We were joined in London by my brother Philip, who 
 had paid off his ship, and the day after he joined us I 
 said, 
 
 " Philip, there are only you and I left. Do you re- 
 collect when you inquired about the diamond, the day we 
 met on board of j our ship, what reply I made to you ? " 
 
 " Yes ; you said that you were afraid that you could 
 not afford to make me a present of it." 
 
 " At that time I did not think so, Philip, but now I 
 know that I can, and I have desired Mr. Trevannion to 
 put out to good security the 38,000 that the diamond 
 was sold for, in your name, and for your use. STou'll 
 not hesitate to accept it, Philip, for you know that I 
 can afford it." 
 
 " I do not hesitate, my dear Alexander, because I
 
 ABEIVE AT THE HALL. 411 
 
 would do the same to you, and you would not 
 
 me. At the same time, that is no reason that I should 
 
 not thank you kindly for your generous behaviour." 
 
 Philip accompanied us on our journey to Cumber- 
 land. It was tedious, for the roads were anything but 
 good, but the beauty of the scenery compensated for 
 the ruggedness of the way. In six days we arrived at 
 the Hall, where Mr. Campbell, who had called upon me 
 on my arrival in London, had preceded me to make 
 preparations for our reception, which was enthusiastic 
 to the highest degree. "We were called upon and con- 
 gratulated by all the county, who were delighted to 
 find that such a personage as Amy was to be the future 
 mistress. 
 
 As soon as all this bustle and excitement was over, 
 I sat down with Mr. Campbell to look over the state 
 of affairs, and to set things to rights. 
 
 After having done justice to many claimants, en- 
 gaged again the old servants that had been discharged, 
 promised farms to the tenants who had been unfairly 
 turned out, &c., we then proceeded to decide upon what 
 was to be done to the Dowager Lady Musgrave. It 
 appears that at my father's death, when she found that 
 the deed had been destroyed by his own hands in pre- 
 sence of others, she became frantic with rage, and 
 immediately hastened to secure the family jewels, and 
 every article of value that she could lay her hands upon, 
 but Mr. Campbell, having due notice of what she was 
 about, came in time to prevent her taking them away, 
 and, putting seals upon everything and leaving careful 
 guards in the Hall, my lady had gone to her father's 
 house, where she still remained. She had, on my 
 arrival, sent me a message, impiormg my meroy, and
 
 412 THE PBIVATEEBSMAW. 
 
 reminding me that whatever might be her errors, she 
 was still the lawful wife of my father, and she trusted 
 that respect to his memory would induce me to allow 
 her sufficient to maintain her as Lady Musgrave 
 should be. We had the consultation that Amy pro- 
 posed, and called in Mr. Campbell as a fourth, and it 
 was at last decided, that, on consideration that she re- 
 moved with her family to a distance of fifty miles from 
 Faristone, she should have an income of 300 per 
 annum, as long as she conducted herself with propriety 
 and did not marry again. The last clause was the 
 only one which she complained of. Mr. Campbell had, 
 at the request of my father, discharged Lady Mus- 
 grave's parent from the office of steward and called in 
 the old steward to resume his situation, and before dis- 
 missal he had to refund certain sums of money not 
 accounted for. 
 
 I have now told my eventful tale ; I have only to add, 
 that after all that I have passed through I have been 
 rewarded by many years of unalloyed happiness. My 
 two sisters are well married, and my three children are 
 all that a father could wish. Such, my dear Madam, 
 have been the vicissitudes of a " Privateersman," and 
 I now subscribe myself, 
 
 Tour most obedient, 
 
 ALEXANDEB MUSGBATE
 
 YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN, 
 
 January 1888. 
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