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CONCLUSION . . 1 10 24 32 44 56 65 81 93 118 128 142 152 170 186 201 220 239 I. II. III. IV. %\t f^m Cutters. CUTTER THE FIRST CUTTER THE SECOND CUTTER THE THIRD PORTLAND BILL THE TRAVESTIE THE SMUGGLING YACHT CONCLUSION 255 273 285 295 309 326 337 LIST OF PLATES. 1 POBTKAIT OF CAPTAIN MAERYAT, B.N. (FRONTISPIECE) 2 THE MAST-HEADED MIDSHIPMAN (tITLE) . . Vide 3 the bay of biscay 4 cutting away the masts 5 abandoning the circassian 6 sleeper's bay 7 the deck of the avenger 8 the capture 9 destruction of the indiaman . . 10 the sand-bank . . 11 escape on the raft 12 the ship on fire 13 rescuing the crew from the burning vessel 14 the retreat of the pirates 15 the wreck of the avenger 16 cave of the caicos 17 cain in the cavern 18 the arrow at plymouth 19 the active at portsmouth 20 the happy-go-lucky at st. maloes 60 8 29 43 66 72 93 103 126 136 138 140 168 209 212 241 258 273 288 MEMOIR CAPTAIN FREDERICK MARRYAT, R.N., C.B.F.R.S., F.L.S., AND CHEVALIER OF THE LEGION OP HONOUR. Frederick Marryat was born lOtli July, 1792, in London. He was second son of the late Joseph Marryat, Esq., of Wimbledon House, Sui-rey, an eminent West India Merchant, M. P. for Sand- wich, and Colonial Agent for the island of Gre- nada, by Charlotte, third daughter of the late Fred. Geyer, Esq., a distinguished American loy- alist, who suffered severely from the steadiness of his attachment to the cause of Great Britain during the struggle with her revolted colonies. The family trace their descent from Le Sieur Thos. Marriatte, a Protestant native of Normandy, and an officer in the Huguenot army (imder Ad- VI MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARKYAT, R.N. miral Coligny), who, having escaped the massacre of St. Bartholomew, 24th Aug., 1572, fled to Eng- land with the loss of all his property. The subject of our memoir, having acquired the rudiments of education at an academy in the im- mediate vicinity of the metropolis, was sent to a classical school at Ponder' s End, kept by a Mr. Freeman. It is to be hoped that the discipline of the school described by the hero of his earliest novel, is no true picture of the treatment he ex- perienced at Ponder's End ; but the following anecdote suggests that whatever punishments may have been in course of infliction at that seat of learn- ing, he was likely to have come in for his due share of them. The master, coming into the school one day, saw young Marryat standing upon his head. Surprised at this reversal of the ordinary practice of mortals, he inqmred the reason of it, when the lad with audacious readiness replied, "I had been trying for three hours to learn my lesson on my feet, but I couldn't ; so I thought I'd try whether I couldn't learn it on my head." There is no reason to doubt him when he says, " Superior in capacity to most of my school- fellows, I seldom took the pains to learn my lesson previous to going up with my class. I was too proud not to keep pace with my equals, and too idle to do more." But he acknowledges MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. Vll that besides " a little Latin and less Greek," lie made some proficiency in mathematics and algebra. Withdrawn from this school, he was placed with a teacher of mathematics in London, under whose tuition he remained a year, and on the 23rd of September, 1806, he entered the navy as a mid- shipman on board the Imperieuse, fortj^-four guns, commanded by the illustrious Lord Cochrane. During his service under this gallant officer, which lasted till the 18th October, 1809, he took part in more than fifty engagements, in which many ships of war and merchantmen were cut out, oif the coast of France and in the Mediterranean. Having chased a ship into the Bay of Arcupon, which sought safety under a battery. Lord Coch- rane resolved to cut her out, and young Marryat was one of the boarding party. He followed closely the first lieutenant who headed the expedition, and who at length, after his party had sustained a se- vere loss, succeeded in gaining the deck of the enemy. He had scarcely done so, when, struck by thirteen musket balls, he fell back a corpse, knock- ing down his follower in his fall, wlio was trampled on and almost sufibcated by his shipmates, who, burning to revenge their leader, rushed forward with impetuous bravery. The vessel captured, an examination took place nil ATEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. of the bodies of the killed and wounded. Marryat was numbered among the former, and being in a state of stupor was unable to deny the doom as- signed to him. But soon arrived the surgeon and his assistants, and with them came a midshipman who bore no good-will to Marryat. This worthy youth, seeing the supposed lifeless body of his comrade, gave it a slight kick, saying, " Here is a young cock that has done crowing ! Well, for a wonder, this chap has cheated the gallows ! " This salutation, with its comment, revived the almost expiring energies of the other, who faintly ex- claimed, " You are a liar ! " a retort which, not- withstanding the melancholy scene around, pro- duced a roar of laughter. Shortly after this he was engaged in a rather "untoward" enterprise. His ship fell in with a vessel of suspicious appearance. It was under French colours, which it soon hauled down, show- ing no others, and threatening to fire into the English ship if it attempted to board her. Upon this she was boarded and taken, with a loss of twenty- six killed and wounded on her side, and of sixteen on ours ; and not till then was it discover- ed that she was a Maltese privateer, and a friend, who had made a like mistake in supposing her MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.X. IX opponent to be Frencli. After this unfortunate mistake, the Imperieuse proceeded to Malta. It was while lying in this harbour that one night a midshipman — a son of the celebrated William Cobbett — fell overboard. Yoimg Mar- ryat jumped in after him, and held him up till a boat was lowered to their assistance. For this daring and humane act he received a certificate from Lord Cochrane. The road from Barcelona to Gerona, which lat- ter place was besieged by the French, had been completely conmaanded by them, for they had possession of the castle of Mongat. On the 31st July, 1808, Marryat had a hand in the reduction and levelling of that fortress, which, together with the rock on which it stood, was blown up, and the road, being thereby filled with fragments, was rendered impassable to artillery without a heavy loss of men. The garrison consisted of two offi- cers and 69 men, of whom two were killed, seven wounded, and the rest taken prisoners. This proceeding greatly delayed the transmission of the enemy's stores and provisions which were designed for their operations in Catalonia ; so much so, in- deed, that on one occasion the French general was under the necessity of abandoning the whole of X MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. his artillery and field ammunition. During these operations Marryat was twice wounded, and he a third time sustained injury in the defence of the castle of E,osas, under Lord Cochrane. On the arrival of the Imperieuse in the bay, she perceived that the castle of Trinidad — the maintaining: of which was essential to the preservation of the main fortress — had been so hotly bombarded by the enemy, that the British portion of the garrison had withdrawn from it. Lord Cochrane there- fore, taking with him a party of officers and sea- men, amongst whom was Mr Marryat, went on shore, and defended the fortress for some days, — indeed, until the main fortress was taken, not- withstanding that the castle, by this time a com- plete ruin, was attacked, sword in hand, by 1200 chosen men of the enemy. On the 30th of December following he assisted in taking, in the harbour of Cadaques, after a short action of the enemy's batteries, two national ves- sels and 12 merchantmen laden with wheat for the garrison of Barcelona. When Lord Cochrane proceeded against the boom constructed by the enemy, before he sent in the fire-ship to attack the French fleet in the Basque Roads, Mr Marryat was in one of the ex- plosion vessels, commanded by Captain Ury John- IIEMOIK OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. XI son, which his lordship led for that purpose. For his gallantry on that occasion he received a certificate from Captain Johnson, who brought his services under the notice of the Admiralty, and for his whole conduct in the Mediterranean he was recom- mended in Lord Cochrane's despatches. The log of the Centaur, 74, flag- ship of Sir Samuel Hood, attests that in September, 1810, while cruising off Toulon, he jumped overboard and saved the life of a seaman named John Mow- bray, who had fallen from the main-top ; and in 1811, when on his passage to join the ^olua, on the American station, he leaped overboard, and endeavoured to save a seaman named John Walker, but did not succeed in doing so. But we must give this incident in his own words : — " One of the fore-topmen, drawing water in the chains, fell overboard; the alarm was instantly given, and the ship hove to. I ran upon the poop, and, see- ing that the man could not swim, jumped over- board to save him. The height from which I descended made me go very deep in the water, and when I arose I could perceive one of the man's hands. I swam towards him : but, God ! what was my horror, when I found myself in the midst of his blood. I comprehended in a moment that a shark had taken him and expected XU MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRTAT, R.N. that every instant my own fate would be like his. I wonder I had not sank with fear : I was nearly paralysed. The ship, which had been going six or seven miles an hour, was at some distance, and I gave myself up for gone. I had scarcely the power of reflection, and was overwhelmed with the sudden, awful, and, as I thought, certain approach of death, in its most horrible shape. In a mo- ment I recollected myself; and I believe the actions of five years crowded into my mind in as many minutes. I prayed most fervently, and vowed amendment, if it should please God to spare me. I was nearly a mile from the ship before I was picked up ; and when the boat came along- side with me, three large sharks were under the stern. These had devoured the poor sailor, and, fortunately for me, had followed the ship for more prey, and thus left me to myself." Whilst in the ^olus, he jumped overboard and saved the life of a boy, for which he received a certificate from Captain Lord James Townshend ; nor was this the sole testimonial of approbation accorded to him by that gallant ofiicer. He had previously been mainly instrumental in saving the frigate from shipwreck during a tremendous hur- ricane ofi" Cape Malabar, on the 30th September 1811. The ^olus was laid on her beam-ends, IVIEMOIE. OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, E.N. XIU and her top-masts and mizen-masts had been blown over the side, when the question arose, who would be daring enough to venture aloft, and cut away the wreck of the main-topmast and the main- yard, " which was hanging up and down, with the weight of the topmast and topsail- yard resting uj)on it." AVe must let the captain tell how he conducted himself in this case of awful suspense and dismay : — " Seizing a sharp toma- hawk, I made signs to the captain that I woidd attempt to cut away the wreck, follow me who dared. I mounted the weather-rio:o:ina: : five or six hardy seamen followed me : sailors will rarely refuse to follow when they find an officer to lead the way. The jei'ks of the rigging had nearly thrown us overboard, or jammed us wdth the wreck. We were forced to embrace the shrouds with arms and legs ; and anxiously, and with breathless apprehension for oiu' lives, did the captain, officers, and crew, gaze on us as we mounted, and cheered us at every stroke of the tomahawk. The danger seemed passed when we reached the catharpens, where we had foot-room. We divided our work, some took the lanyards of the topmast-rigging, I, the slings of the main- yard. The lusty blows we dealt were answered by corresponding crashes, and at length, down XIV MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.X. fell the tremendous wreck over the larboard gun- wale. The ship felt instant relief ; she righted, and we descended amidst the cheers and the con- gratulations of most of our shipmates." For this heroic deed, Lord James Townshend, one of whose ship's company he had jareviously saved, gave him a certificate, and reported him to have " conducted himself with so much courage, intrepidity, and firmness, as to merit his warmest approbation." When he belonged to the Spartan, he was put in command of a boat, and cut out the Morning Star and Polly, privateers, from Haycock's Har- bour, and likewise a revenue cutter and two pri- vateers in Little River. Mr. Marryat obtained his promotion as lieu- tenant in 1812, and in the following year was appointed to I'Espiegle, Captain J. Taylor, in the West Indies. Whilst on service in this vessel, he once more risked his life to save a sailor named Jacob Small, who had fallen overboard in a heavy sea, but was unsuccessfid on account of the time it required to bring the vessel to and lower a boat to assist him. Lieutenant Marryat was picked up, utterly exhausted, more than a mile and a half from I'Espiegle. Having burst a blood-vessel, he was left behind in the West Indies, in sick quar- ters, and after a time was sent home invalided. MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRTAT, R.N. XY In January, 1814, lie joined the Newcastle, 58, Captain Lord George Stuart, and led an expedi- tion which was dispatched to cut out four vessels oflF New Orleans. This he did with a loss of one officer and twelve men. He acquired his com- mander's rank in 1815, and in 1818 invented a life-boat which was highly approved by the Royal Humane Society, and obtained their gold medal, with their warmest thanks for his services in saving human life. In the year 1822, Captain Marry at published " Suggestions for the abolition of the present system of impressment in the Naval Service," in which pamphlet he pointed out the propriety of all merchant vessels carrying apprentices proportioned to their tonnage, instead of West Indiamen only, as was then the case. A few months after its appearance his Majesty's ministers put this suggestion in force, taking the scale proposed by Captain Marryat with but little, if any, alteration. In 1820 he commanded the Beacon sloop, at St Helena, from which he exchanged into the Roserio, 18 guns ; and in this vessel he brought home dupli- cate despatches, announcing the death of Napoleon. He was now actively engaged in the Preventive Ser- vice, in which he effected thirteen seizures. Cap- tain Marryat's next appointment was, in March, XVI MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. 1823, to the Larne, 20 guns, in which he sailed to the East Indies, and remained there until the Burmese war in 1825. He was fully employed as senior officer of the naval forces, the order of Commodore Grant being that none should inter- fere with or supersede him. Sir Archibald Camp- bell, the commander-in-chief, was received on board the Larne at Calcutta, and Commander Marryat led the attack at Rangoon. His able, gallant, and zealous co-operation in this affair, — where he was the senior naval officer from May until the middle of September, 1824, during which period he had to perform duties of no com- mon character, — and the very important services he rendered to the East India Company as command- er of an armament sent against Bassein, are de- tailed in an official narrative of the naval opera- tions in Ava. Captain Marryat was often thanked for his services by the Supreme Government and other high authorities in India, every operation which he arranged or conducted having been attended with complete success ; he likewise received the thanks of both Houses of Parliament in common with his brother officers ; his rank alone precluding him from being individually named on that occasion. He now proceeded to Penang and Calcutta, returning to Rangoon in MEMOIR OF C.^TAIN MAKRYAT, R.N. XVll December, 1824, and in the following February sailed with the late Sir Robert Sale, of glorious memory, on an expedition to reduce the territory of Bassein. On his return in April, having suc- cessfully performed his perilous duty, he was pro- moted to a death vacancy, and commanded the Tees, which, on her arrival in England, he paid off. Captain Marryat commanded the Ariadne in the Channel and Western Islands, from November, 1828, to November, 1830. He was twice thanked for his services in the Burmese war by the Govern- or- Greneral of India, received three letters of thanks from Sir Archibald Campbell, commander-in- chief of the forces, and was five times recom- mended by him. He was likewise thanked for his expedition with Sir Robert Sale, and was three times recommended and thanked by Commodore Coe. In June, 1825, he received the decoration of C.B., and — an honour, a record of which must not be omitted — he was presented with a medal by that admirable institution, the Humane Society, for his daring and humane exertions to save the lives of so many men. That society has not on its list a name so worthy of honour as that of Marrj^at. In 1837, the cantain published " A Code of XVm MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRY AT, R.N. Signals for the Fse of Vessels employed in the Merchant Service." That admirable invention is now in use in the royal and mercantile service, not only of this country but of foreign nations. He twice received the thanks of the Ship Owners' Society for it, and, the publication having been translated into French in 1840, was brought un- der the notice of Louis Philippe, from whom he received the gold cross of the Legion of Honour. It was also translated into Dutch and Italian. In connection with this royal distinction we have a story to relate, which we are sorry to feel our- selves constrained to tell, because it presents our late king in a light in which it is not pleasant, and has not been customary, to regard him. "William TV. had read and had been delighted with " Peter Simple." It was likely that so true and striking a picture of naval life and manners would have captivated a sailor. He expressed a wish to see the author. The captain, standing in an ante-room in his favourite attitude, of which the reader will form a notion by turning to the accompanying portrait, the king came forth, and observing him, asked a gentleman in waiting who he was. The captain overheard the question, and said, addressing the gentleman, " Tell his Majesty I am Peter Simple." Upon this the king came MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARUYAT, R.X. XIX forward, and receiyed him graciously. Some time after this his Majesty was waited upon by a dis- tinguished member of the government, to request permission for the captain to wear the order con- ferred upon him by the King of the French, and to obtain, if not further promotion, some higher distinction for one who had so long and ably served his coimtry. The former request was granted as a matter of course ; and as to the lat- ter, the king said, " You best know his services ; give him what you please." The minister was about to retire, when his Majesty called him back. " Marryat ! Marryat ! by-the-bye, is not that the man who wrote a book against the impress- ment of seamen ?" " The same, your Majesty." " Then he shan't wear the order, and he shall have nothing,'^ said his Majesty. Every reader will make his o'svn comment upon this. The work in question had been written by a man who had the best interests and the honour of his profession at heart, who had done much to maintain them, and whom the late Earl of Dun- don aid, — best known as Lord Cochrane, the hero of Basque Roads, — in a letter recently written, has thus characterized : — " He was brave, zealous, in- telligent, and even thoughtful, yet active in the performance of his duties." It is painfid to XX MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRY AT, R.N. expose one act of injustice on the part of a sove- reign wliose nature, in tlie main, was manly, up- right, and generous. In 1829, Captain Marryat turned his attention to authorship, and in the following year resigned the command of the Ariadne. Having published the Naval Officer or Frank Mildmay, the recep- tion of which gave him great encouragement, he set to work with an earnestness and a zeal which he brought to all his undertakings. The King's Own, Peter Simple, and Jacob Faithful, followed each other in rapid succession. To these he added in the course of a few years, Japhet in Search of a Father ; Newton Forster ; Midship- man Easy; The Pasha of many Tales; Joseph Rushbrook, or the Poacher; The Phantom Ship ; Snarly Yow, or the Dog-Fiend ; Percival Keane ; The Pirate and Three Cutters ; Masterman Ready ; Poor Jack ; The Privateersman ; The Mission, or Scenes in Africa ; The Settlers in Canada ; 011a Podrida ; Diary in America (in two parts) ; Mon- sieur Violet's Adventures. All these works ob- tained a considerable popularity, and even gained the author a reputation which very few modern writers of fiction have succeeded in acquiring. From 1832 to 1836 he was likewise editor of the MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. XXI Metropolitan Magazine, in wliich some of his works of fiction were first produced. It would be unprofitable to dwell upon the genius of Marryat as a novelist. His merits lie upon the surface, and are obvious to every man, woman, and child, who take up one of his works and find themselves imable to lay it down again. He tells plainly and straight-forwardly a story, tolerably well constructed, of diversified incidents, alive with uncommon characters, and, as his experience was large and had been acquired over a wide expanse, he had always something to teU which would excite curiosity or rivet attention. He had one quality in common with great men, and in which men of finer genius than himself have been deficient, — a thorough manliness of heart and soul, which, by clearly showing him what he was able to accomplish, preserved him against the perpetration of that sublime nonsense and drivelling cant which now-a-days often pass for fine writing and fine sentiment. " Peter Sim- ple " has been pronounced his best novel ; but we confess we like " Jacob Faithful " at least as well ; although we think it would have been better if the Dominie had been mitigated, who is rather an extravagance than an original, and if that passage XXll MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. had been discarded in wliich the parish-boy tells us he reads Tacitus and Horace at a charity- school. His " Diary in America " gave great offence on the other side of the Atlantic. "VVe do not know whether the captain ever regretted it, but it was an ill-advised publication, and Avas certain, from its tone as well as its matter, to wound deeply a gallant and sensitive people, who, say what some few may to the contrary, are anxious to stand well in the estimation of the mother- country. But that this work was written with malice pre- pense against the Americans we cannot believe, for the author's venerable mother is a native of the United States ; and it may be pleasing to our brother Jonathan to know, what we are pretty certain is the fact, that from that lady he inherited the energy of will and the vigour of mind which he displayed in all the actions of his life. Captain Marryat had been seriously ill for more than a year, from the bursting of a succession of blood-vessels, which forbade all hope of his re- covery, and on the 9th of August, 1848, his sufferings were brought to a termination. He married Catharine, daughter of Sir Stephen Shairp, formerly Charge d'Affaires at the Court of Russia, by whom he left six children. Two of MEMOIR OF CAPTAIN MARRYAT, R.N. XXllI his sons were in tlie navy. The elder, a lieutenant, bade fair to prove himself a worthy son of his father; he jumped overboard and saved the life of a seaman in the Tagus, and his exertions at the wreck of the Sj^phax were of the most heroic kind ; but he perished with nearly the whole of his crew in the wreck of the Avenger, on the coast of Africa, in 1847. The younger son, Frank S. Marryat, displayed great talents as a hydrographer, and became midship- man on board Her Majesty's Ship Samarang, sur- vejdng vessel. He published, in 1848, a splendid volume, entitled " Borneo and the Indian Archi- pelago, with drawings of costumes and scenery, being a narrative of his surveying cruise," which was too expensive to be successful, and, as a com- mercial speculation, failed. He died at Kensing- ton Gore, Sept., 1855, at the age of 29. One of Capt. Marryat's daughters, Emilia Marryat, has lately commenced authorship, as a writer of ^Novels and Juvenile Stories. May, 1861. THE PIEATE. CHAPTER I. THE BAY OF BISCAY. It was in the latter part of the month of June, of the year 179—, that the angry waves of the Bay of Biscay were gradually subsiding, after a gale of ■u-ind as violent as it was unusual during that period of the year. Still they rolled heavily ; and, at times, the "wind Llew up in fitful, angry gusts, as if it would fain renew the elemental combat : but each effort was more feeble, and the dark clouds which had been summoned to the storm, now fled in every quarter before the powerful rays of the sun, who burst their masses asunder with a glorious flood of light and heat ; and, as he poured down his resplendent beams, piercing deep into the waters of that portion of the Atlantic to which we now refer, with the exception of one object, hardly - visible, as at creation, there was a vast circumfer- ence of water, bounded by the fancied canopy of THE PIRATE. heaven. AVe have said, with the exception of one object ; for in the centre of this picture, so simple, yet so sublime, composed of the three great ele- ments, there was a remnant of the fourth. We say a remnant, for it was but the hull of a vessel, dismasted, water-logged, its upper works only floating occasionally above the waves, when a transient repose from their still violent undulation permitted it to re-assume its buoyancy. But this was seldom ; one moment it was deluged by the seas, which broke as they poured over its gunwale ; and the next, it rose from its submersion, as the water escaped from the port-holes at its sides. How many thousands of vessels — how many mil- lions of property — have been abandoned, and event- ually consigned to the all-receiving depths of the ocean, through ignorance or through fear ! "What a mine of wealth must lie buried in its sands ! what riches lie entangled amongst its rocks, or remain suspended in its unfathomable gulf, where the compressed fluid is equal in gravity to that which it encircles, there to remain secured in its embed- ment from corruption and decay, until the destruc- tion of the universe, and the return of chaos ! Yet, immense as the accumulated loss must be, the major part of it has been occasioned from an ignor- ance of one of the first laws of nature, that of spe- cific gravity. The vessel to which we have referred was, to all appearance, in a situation of as extreme hazard as that of a drowning man clinging to a THE BAY OF BISCAY. O single rope-yarn ; yet, in reality, slie was more secure from descending to the abyss below than many gallantly careering on the waters, their occupants dismissing all fear, and only calcidating upon a quick arrival into port. The Circassian had sailed from Kew Orleans, a gallant and well- appointed ship, with a cargo, the major part of which consisted of cotton. The captain was, in the usual acceptation of the term, a good sailor ; the crew were hardy and able seamen. As they crossed the Atlantic, they had encountered the gale to which we have referred, were di-iyen down into the Bay of Biscay, where, as we shall hereafter explain, the vessel was dis- masted, and sprang a leak, which baffled all their exertions to keep under. It was now five days since the frightened crew had quitted the vessel in two of her boats, one of which had swamped, and every soid that occupied it had perished ; the fate of the other was uncertain. "We said that the crew had deserted the vessel, but we did not assert that every existing being had been removed out of her. Had such been the case, we should not have taken up the reader's time in describing inanimate matter. It is life that we portray, and life there still was in the shattered hull thus abandoned to the mockery of the ocean. In the caboose of the Circassian, that is, in the cooking-house, secui'ed on deck, and which fortun- ately had been so well fixed as to resist the force b2 THE PIRATE. of the breaking waves, remained three beings — a man, a woman, and a child. The two first-men- tioned were of that inferior race which have, for so long a period, been procured from the sultry Afric coast, to toil, but reap not for themselves ; the child which lay at the breast of the female was of European blood, now, indeed, deadly pale, as it attempted in vain, to draw sustenance from its exhausted nurse, down whose sable cheeks the tears coursed, as she occasionally pressed the infant to her breast, or turned it round to leeward to screen it from the spray which dashed over them at each returning swell. Indifferent to all else, save her little charge, she spoke not, although she shuddered with the cold as the water washed her knees each time that the hull was careened into the wave. Cold and terror had produced a change in her complexion, which now wore a yellow, or sort of copper hue. The male, who was her companion, sat opposite to her upon the iron range which once had been the receptacle of light and heat, but was now but a weary seat to a drenched and worn-out wretch. He, too, had not spoken for many hours ; with the muscles of his face relaxed, his thick lips pouting far in advance of his collapsed cheeks, his high cheek-bones prominent as budding horns, his eyes displaying little but their whites, he appeared to be an object of greater misery than the female, whose thoughts were directed to the infant and not THE BAY OF BISCAY. unto herself. Yet liis feelings were still acute, although his faculties appeared to be deadened by excess of suffering. " Eh, me ! " cried the negro woman faintly, after a long silence, her head falling back with extreme exhaustion. Her companion made no reply, but, roused at the sound of her voice, bent forward, slided open the door a little, and looked out to windward. The heavy spray dashed into his glassy eyes, and obscured his vision ; he groaned, and fell back into his former position. " Whiat you tink. Coco ? " inquired the negress, covering up more carefully the child, as she bent her head down upon it. A look of despair, and a shudder from cold and hunger, were the only reply. It was then about eight o'clock in the morning, and the swell of the ocean was fast subsiding. At noon the warmth of the sun was communicated to them through the planks of the cahooae, while its rays poured a small stream of vivid light through the chinks of the closed panels. The negro appeared gradually to revive ; at last he rose^ and with some difficulty contrived again to slide open the door. The sea had gradually decreased its violence, and but occasionally broke over the vessel ; carefully holding on by the door-jambs, Coco gained the outside, that he might survey the horizon. " "What you see, Coco?" said the female, observ- 6 THE PIKATE. ing from the caboose that his eyes were fixed upon a certain quarter, " So help me God, me tink me see something ; but ab so much salt water in lun eye, me no see clear," replied Coco, rubbing away the salt which had crystallised on his face during the morning. " What you tink um like. Coco ? " " Only one bit cloud," replied he, entering the caboose, and resuming his seat upon the grate with a heavy sigh. " Eh, me ! " cried the negress, who had uncov- ered the child to look at it, and whose powers were sinking fast. " Poor lilly Massa Eddard, him look very bad indeed — him die very soon, me fear. Look, Coco, no ab breath." The child's head fell back from the breast of its nurse, and life appeared to be extinct. " Judy, you no ab milk for piccaninny ; suppose um no ab milk, how can live ? Eh ! stop, Judy, me put lilly -finger in um mouth ; suppose Massa Eddard no dead, him pull." Coco inserted his finger into the child's mouth, and felt a slight drawing pressure. " Judy," cried Coco, " Massa Eddard no dead yet. Try now, suppose you ab lilly drop oder side." Poor Judy shook her head mournfuU}', and a tear rolled down her cheek ; she was aware that nature was exhausted. " Coco," said she, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand, " me give me THE BAY OF BISCAY. < heart blood for Massa Eddard ; but no ab milk — all gone." This forcible expression of love for the child, which was used by Judy, gave an idea to Coco. He drew his knife out of his pocket, and very coolly sawed to the bone of his fore-finger. The blood flowed and trickled down to the extremity, which he applied to the mouth of the infant. " See, Judy, Master Eddard suck — him not dead," cried Coco, chuckling at the fortunate result of the experiment, and forgetting at the moment their almost hopeless situation. The child revived by the strange sustenance, gradually recovered its powers, and in a few minutes it pidled at the finger with a certain deo^ree of vig-our. " Look, Judy, how Massa Eddard take it," con- tinued Coco. "Pull away, Massa Eddard, pull away. Coco ab ten finger, and take long -while suck em all dry." But the child was soon satisfied, and fell asleep in the arms of Judy. " Coco, suppose you go see again," observed Judy. The negro again crawled out, and again he scanned the horizon. " So help me God, dis time me tink, Judy — yes, 80 help me God, me see a ship ! " cried Coco joyfuUy. " Eh ! " screamed Judy, faintly, with delight ; " den Massa Eddard no die." » THE riRATE. " Yes, so help mc God — he come dis way ! " and Coco, who appeared to have recovered a portion of his former strength and activity, clambered on the top of the caboose, where he sat, cross-legged, waving his yellow handkerchief, with the hope of attracting the attention of those on board ; for he knew that it was very possible that an object float- ing little more than level with the water's surface might escape notice. As it fortunately happened, the frigate, for such she was, continued her course precisely for the wreck, although it had not been perceived by the look-out men at the mast-heads, whose eyes had been directed to the line of the horizon. In less than an hour our little party were threatened with a new danger, that of being run over by the frigate, which was now within a cable's length of them, driving the seas before her in one widely extended foam, as she pursued her rapid and impetuous course. Coco shouted to his utmost, and fortimately attracted the notice of the men who were on the bowsprit, stowing away the foretopmast -staysail, which had been hoisted up to dry after the gale. "Starboard, hard ! " was roared out. " Starboard it is," was the reply from the quar- ter-deck, and the helm was shifted without inquiry, as it always is on board of a man-of-war, although, at the same time, it behoves people to be rather careful how they pass such an order, without THE BAY OF BISCAY. V being prepared witli a subsequent and most satis- factory explanation. The topmast studding-sail flapped and fluttered, the fore- sail shivered, and the jib filled as the frigate rounded to, narrowly missing the wreck, which was now rnider the bows, rocking so vio- lently in the white foam of the agitated waters, that it was -^dth difiiculty that Coco coiJd, by clinging to the stump of the mainmast, retain his elevated position. The frigate shortened sail, hove to, and lowered down a quarter-boat, and in less than five minutes, Coco, Judy, and the infant, were rescued from theii' awful situation. Poor Judy, who had borne up against all for the sake of the child, placed it in the arms of the ofiicer who relieved them, and then fell back in a state of insensibility, in which condition she was carried on board. Coco, as he took his place in the stern sheets of the boat, gazed wildly round him, and then broke out into peels of extravagant laughter, which continued -^-ithout intermission, and were the only repKes which he could give to the interro- gatories of the quarter-deck, until he fell down in a swoon, and was intrusted to the care of the sui'geon. CHAPTER IT. THE BACHELOE. On tlie evening of the same day on which the child and the two negroes had been saved from the wreck by the fortunate appearance of the frigate, Mr Witherington, of Finsbury Square, was sitting alone in his dining-room, wondering what could have become of the Circassian, and why he had not received intelligence of her arrival. Mr With- erington, as we said before, was alone : he had his port and his sherry before him ; and although the weather was rather warm, there was a small fire in the grate, because, as Mr Witherington asserted, it looked comfortable. Mr Witherington having watched the ceiling of the room for some time, although there was certainly nothing new to be discovered, filled another glass of wine, and then proceeded to make himself more comfortable by unbuttoning three more buttons of his waistcoat, pushing his wig further off his head, and casting THE BACHELOR. 11 loose all tlie buttons at the knees of his breeches : he completed his arrangements by dragging to- wards him two chairs within his reach, putting his legs upon one while he rested his arm upon the other. And why was not Mr Witherington to make himself comfortable ? He had good health, a good conscience, and eight thousand a-year. Satisfied with all his little arrangements, Mr "Witherington sipped his port wine, and putting down his glass again, fell back in his chair, placed his hands on his breast, interwove his fingers ; and in this most comfortable position recommenced his speculations as to the non-arrival of the Circassian. We will leaA'e him to his cogitations while we introduce him more particularly to our readers. The father of Mr Witherington was a younger son of one of the oldest and proudest families in the West E-iding of Yorkshii'e : he had his choice of the four professions allotted to younger sons whose veins are filled with j^atrician blood — the army, the navy, the law, and the church. The army did not suit him, he said, as marching and comiter-marching were not comfortable ; the navy did not suit him, as there was little comfort in gales of wind and mouldy biscuit ; the law did not suit him, as he was not sure that he would be at ease with his conscience, which would not be com- fortable ; the church was also rejected, as it was, with him, connected with the idea of a small stipend, hard duty, a wife and eleven children, 12 THE PIRATE. which, were anything but comfortable. Much to the horror of his family, he eschewed all the liberal professions, and embraced the offer of an old back- slider of an uncle, M^ho proposed to him a situation in his banking-house, and a partnership as soon as he deserved it : the consequence was, that his relations bade him an indignant farewell, and then made no further inquiries about him : he was as decidedly cut as one of the female branches of the family would have been had she committed a faux pas. IsTevertheless, Mr "VYitherington senior stuck diligently to his business, in a few years was a partner, and, at the death of the old gentleman, his uncle, foimd himself in possession of a good property, and every year coining monej^ at his bank. Mr Witherington senior then purchased a house in Finsbury Square, and thought it advisable to look out for a wife. Having still much of the family pride in his composition, he resolved not to muddle the blood of the AVitheringtons by any cross from Cateaton Street or Mincing Lane ; and, after a proper degree of research, he selected the daughter of a Scotch earl, who went to London with a bevy of nine in a Leith smack to barter blood for vv-ealth. Mr Witherington being so fortunate as to be the first comer, had the pick of the nine ladies by courtesy ; his choice was light-haired, blue-eyed, a little THE BACHELOR. 13 freckled, and very tall, by no means bad-looldng, and standing on the list in the family Bible No. TV. From this union Mr Witherington had issue ; first, a daughter, christened Moggy, whom we shall soon have to introduce to our readers as a spinster of forty-seven ; and second, Anthony Alexander Witherington, Esquire, whom we just now have left in a very comfortable position, and in a very brown study. Mr Witherington senior persuaded his son to enter the banking-house, and, as a dutiful son, he entered it every day : but he did nothing more, having made the fortunate discovery that " his father was born before him ;" or, in other words, that his father had plenty of money, and would be necessitated to leave it behind him. As Mr Witherington senior had always studied comfort, his son had early imbibed the same idea, and carried his feelings, in that respect, to a much greater excess : he divided things into comfortable and uncomfortable. One fine day, Lady Mary Witherington, after paying all the household bills, paid the debt of Nature ; that is, she died : her busband paid the undertaker's bill, so it is to be presumed that she was buried. ]Mr Witherington senior shortly afterwards had a stroke of apoplexy, which knocked him doTVTi. Death, who has no feelings of honour, struck him when down. And Mr Witherington, after having laid a few days in bed, was by a second stroke laid 14 THK PIRATE. in the same vavdt as Lady Mary Witlierington : and Mr Witherington junior (our Mr Withering- ton), after deducting £40,000 for his sister's fortune, found himself in possession of a clear £8000 per annxun, and an excellent house in Finsbury Square. Mr Witherington considered this a comfortable income, and he therefore retired altogether from business. During the lifetime of his parents he had been witness to one or two matrimonial scenes, which had induced him to put down matrimony as one of the things not comfortable : therefore he remained a bachelor. His sister Moggy also remained unmarried ; but whether it was from a very unprepossessing squint which deterred suitors, or from the same dislike to matrimony as her brother had imbibed, it is not in OUT power to say. Mr Witherington was three years yovmger than his sister ; and although he had for some time worn a wig, it was only because he considered it more comfortable. Mr Wither- ington's whole character might be summed up in two words — eccentricity and benevolence : eccentric he certainly was, as most bachelors usually are. Man is but a rough pebble without the attrition received from contact with the gentler sex : it is wonderful how the ladies pumice a man down to a smoothness which occasions him to roll over and over with the rest of his species, jostling but not THE BACHELOR, 15 wounding his neighbours, as the waves of circum- stances bring him into collision with them. Mr Witherington roused himself from his deep reverie, and felt for the string connected with the bell-pidl, which it was the butler's duty invariably to attach to the arm of his master's chair previous to his last exit from the dining-room ; for, as Mr Witherington very truly observed, it was very wa- comfortable to be obliged to get up and ring the bell : indeed, more than once Mr Witherington had calctdated the advantages and disadvantages of having a daughter about eight years old who could ring the bell, air the newspapers, and cut the leaves of a new novel. When, however, he called to mind that she could not always remain at that precise age, he decided that the balance of comfort was against it. Mr Witherington having pulled the bell again, fell into a brown study. Mr Jonathan, the butler, made his appearance ; but observing that his master was occupied, he immediately stopped at the door, erect, motionless, and with a face as melancholy as if he was per- forming mute at the porch of some departed peer of the realm ; for it is an understood thing, that the greater the rank of the defunct the longer must be the face, and, of coiu'se, the better must be the pay. Now, as Mr Witherington is still in profoimd thought, and Mr Jonathan will stand as long as a 16 THE PIRATK. hackney-coacli horse, we will just leave them as they are, while we introduce the brief history of the latter to our readers. Jonathan Trapp has served as iooihoij, which term, we believe, is derived from those who are in that humble capacity receiving a quantum mff. of the appKca- tion of the feet of those above them to increase the energy of their service ; than as iootman, which implies that they have been promoted to the more agreeable right of administering instead of receiv- ing the above dishonourable apj)lications ; and lastly, for promotion could go no higher in the family, he had been raised to the dignity of butler in the service of Mr Witherington senior. Jona- than then fell in love, for butlers are guilty of in- discretions as well as their masters : neither he nor his fair flame, who was a lady's maid in an- other family, notwithstanding that they had witnessed the consequences of this error in others, would take warning: they gave warning, and they married. Like most butlers and ladies' maids who pair oflP, they set up a public-house ; and it is but justice to the lady's maid to say, that she would have pre- ferred an eating-house, but was overruled by Jona- than, who argued, that although people would drink when they were not dry, they never would eat imless they were hungry. Now, although there was truth in the observa- tion, this is certain, that business did not prosper : THE BACHELOR. 17 it has been surmised that Jonathan's tall, lank, lean figure injured his custom, as people are but too much inclined to judge of the goodness of the ale by the rubicund face and rotundity of the land- lord ; and therefore inferred that there could be no good beer where mine host was the picture of famine. There certainly is much in appearances in this world ; and it aj)pears, that in consequence of Jonathan's cadaverous appearance, he very soon appeared in the gazette : but what ruined Jonathan in one profession procured him immediate ^-lajdoy- ment in another. An appraiser, upholsterer, and undertaker, who was called in to value the fixtures, fixed his eye upon Jonathan, and knowing the value of his peculiarly lugubrious appearance, and having a half-brother of equal height, offered him immediate employment as a mute. Jonathan soon forgot to mourn his own loss of a few hundreds in his new occupation of mourning the loss of thou- sands ; and his erect, stiff, statue-like carriage, and long melancholy face, as he stood at the portals of those who had entered the portals of the next world, were but too often a sarcasm upon the grief of the inheritors. Even grief is worth no- thing in this trafficking world miless it is paid for. Jonathan buried many, and at last buried his wife. So far all was well ; but at last he buried his master, the undertaker, which was not quite so desirable. Although Jonathan wept not, yet did he express mute sorrow a^ he marshalled him to c 18 THE PIRATE. his long home, and drank to his memory in a pot of porter as he returned from the funeral, perched, with many others, like carrion crows on the top of the hearse. And now Jonathan was thrown out of employ- ment from a reason which most people would have thought the highest recommendation. Every undertaker refused to take him, because they could not match him. In this unfortunate dilemma, Jonathan thought of Mr Witherington junior ; he had served and he had buried Mr Witherington his father, and Lady Mary his mother ; he felt that he had strong claims for such variety of services, and he applied to the bachelor. Fortmi- ately for Jonathan, Mr Witherington's butler-in- cumbent was just about to commit the same folly as Jonathan had done before, and Jonathan was again installed, resolving in his own mind to lead his former life, and have nothing more to do with ladies' maids. But from habit Jonathan still carried himself as a mute on all ordinary occasions — never indulging in an approximation to mii'th, except when he perceived that his master was in high spirits, and then rather from a sense of duty than from any real hilarity of heart. Jonathan was no mean scholar for his station in life, and, during his service with the undertaker, he had acquired the English of all the Latin mottoes which are placed upon the hatchments ; and these mottoes, when he considered them as THE BACHELOR. 19 apt, lie was very apt to quote. We left Jonathan standing at the door ; he had closed it, and the handle still remained in his hand. " Jonathan," said Mr Witherington, after a long pause — " I -wish to look at the last letter from New York, you will find it on my dressing-table." Jonathan quitted the room without reply, and made his re-appearance with the letter. " It is a long time that I haye been expecting this vessel, Jonathan," observed Mr Witherington, unfolding the letter, " Yes, sir, a long while ; tempus fugit,^^ replied the butler in a low tone, half shutting his eyes. " I hope to God no accident has happened," continued Mr Witherington ; " my poor little cousin and her twins ! e'en now that I speak, they may be all at the bottom of the sea." " Yes, sir," replied the butler; "the sea defrauds many an honest undertaker of his profits." " By the blood of the Witheringtons ! I may be left without an heir, and shall be obliged to marry, which would be very imcomfortable." " Very little comfort," echoed Jonathan — " my wife is dead. In coelo quies." " Well, we must hope for the best : but this suspense is anything but comfortable," observed Mr Witherington, after looking over the contents of the letter for at least the twentieth time. " That win do, Jonathan ; I'll ring for cofiee c2 20 THE PIRATE. presently :" and Mr Witlierington was again alone and with his eyes fixed upon the ceiling. A cousin of Mr Witherington, and a very great favourite (for Mr Witherington, having a large fortune, and not having anything to do with busi- ness, was courted by his relations), had, to a certain degree, committed herself ;, that is to say, that, notwithstanding the inj mictions of her parents, she had fallen in love with a yomig Keutenant in a marching regiment, whose pedigree was but re- spectable, and whose fortime was anything but re- spectable, consisting merely of a subaltern's pay. Poor men, unfortunately, always make love better than those who are rich, because, having less to care about, and not being puifed up with their own consequence, they are not so selfish, and think much more of the lady than of themselves. Young ladies, also, who fall in love, never consider whether there is sufiicient to "make the pot boil" — probably because young ladies in love lose their appetites, and, not feeling inclined to eat at that time, they imagine that love will always supply the want of food. Now, we will appeal to the married ladies whether we are not rig-ht in asserting that, al- though the collation spread for them and their friends on the day of the marriage is looked upon with almost loathing, they do not find their ajjpe- tites return with interest soon afterwards. This was precisely the case vnth Cecilia Witherington, THE BACHELOR. 21 or rather Cecilia Templemore, for she had changed her name the day before. It was also the case with her husband, who always had a good appe- tite, even during his days of courtship ; and the consequence was, that the messman's account, for they lived in barracks, was, in a few weeks, rather alarming. Cecilia applied to her family, who very kindly sent her Word that she might starve.; but, the advice neither suiting her nor her husband, she then wrote to her cousin Antony, who sent her word that he shoxdd be most happy to receive them at his table, and that they should take up their abode in Finsbury Square. This was exactly what they wished ; but still there was a certain difficulty : Xiieutenant Templemore's regiment was quartered in a town in Yorkshire, which was some trifling distance from Finsbiuy Square ; and to be at Mr Witherington's dinner-table at six p.m., with the necessity of appearing at parade every morning at nine a.m., was a dilemma not to be got out of. Several letters were interchanged upon this knotty subject ; and at last it was agreed that Mr Temple- more should sell out, and come up to Mr A^^ither- ington with his pretty wife : he did so, and found that it was much more comfortable to turn out at nine o'clock in the morning to a good breakfast than to a martial parade. But Mr Templemore had an honest pride and independence of character which would not permit him to eat the bread of idleness, and after a sojourn of two months in most 22 THE PIRATE. comfortable quarters, without a messman's "bill, lie frankly stated his feelings to Mr Witherington, and requested his assistance to procure for himself an honourable livelihood. Mr AVitherington, who had become attached to them both, woidd have re- monstrated, observing that Cecilia was his own cousin, and that he was a confirmed bachelor ; but, in this instance, Mr Templemore was firm, and jMr Witherington very unwillingly consented. A mercantile house of the highest respectability re- quired a partner who could superintend their con- signments to America. Mr Witherington ad- vanced the sum required ; and, in a few weeks, Mr and Mrs Templemore sailed for New York. Mr Templemore was active and intelligent ; their affairs prospered ; and, in a few years, they anticipated a return to their native soil M'ith a competence. But the autumn of the second year after their arrival proved very sickly ; the yellow fever raged ; and among the thousands who were carried off, Mr Templemore was a victim, about three weeks after his wife had been brought to bed of twins. Mrs Templemore rose from her couch a widow and the mother of two fine boys. The loss of Mr Templemore was replaced by the establish- ment with which he was connected, and Mr Witherington offered to his cousin that asylum which, in her mournful and unexpected bereave- ment, she so much required. In three months her affairs were arranged ; and with her Kttle boys THE BACHELOR. 23 hanging at the breasts of two negro nurses, — for no others could be procured who would undertake the voyage, — Mrs Templemore, with Coco as male servant, embarked on board of the good ship Cir- cassian, A 1, bound to Liverpool. CHAPTER III. THE GALE. Those who, standing on the pier, had witnessed the proud bearing of the Circassian as she gave her canvass to the winds, little contemplated her fate : still less did those on board ; for confidence is the characteristic of seamen, and they have the happy talent of imparting their confidence to whomsoever may be in their company. We shall pass over the voyage, confining ourselves to a description of the catastrophe. It was during a gale from the north-west, which had continued for three days, and by which the Circassian had been driven into the Bay of Biscay, that, at about twelve o'clock at night, a slight Ivdl was perceptible. The captain, who had remained on deck, sent down for the chief mate. " Oswald," said Captain Ingram, " the gale is breaking, and I think before morning we shall have had the worst of it. I shall lie down for an hour or two : caD me if there be any change." THE GALE. 25 Oswald Baretli, a tall, sinewy-built, and liand- some specimen of transatlantic growth, examined tlie whole circumference of the horizon before he replied. At last his eyes were steadily fixed to leeward : " I've a notion not, sir," said he ; "I see no signs of clearing off to leeward : only a Ivdl for relief, and a fresh hand at the bellows, depend upon it." " We have now had it three days," replied Cap- tain Ingram, " and that 's the life of a siunmer's gale." " Yes," rejoined the mate ; " but always pro- vided that it don't blow back again. I don't like the look of it, sir ; and have it back we shall, as sure as there's snakes in Virginny." " Well, so be if so be," was the safe reply of the captain. "You must keep a sharp look-out, Bareth, and don't leave the deck to call me ; send a hand down." The captain descended to his cabin. Oswald looked at the compass in the bimiacle — spoke a few words to the man at the helm — gave one or two terrible kicks in the ribs to some of the men who were caulking — sounded the pmnp-well — put a fresh quid of tobacco into his cheek, and then pro- ceeded to examine the heavens above. A cloud, much darker and more descending than the others, which obscured the firmament, spread over the zenith, and based itself upon the horizon to lee- ward. Oswald's eye had been fixed upon it but a 26 THE PIRATE, few seconds, when he beheld a small lambent gleam of lightning pierce through the most opaque part ; then another, and more vivid. Of a sudden the wind lulled, and the Circassian righted from her careen. Again the wind howled, and again the vessel was pressed down to her bearings by its force : again another flash of lightning, which was followed by a distant peal of thunder. " Had the worst of it, did you say, captain ? I've a notion that the worst is yet to come," mut- tered Oswald, still watching the heavens. " How does she carry her helm, Matthew ? " inquired Oswald, walking aft. " Spoke a- weather." " I'll have that trysail off of her, at any rate," continued the mate. " Aft, there, my lads ! and lower down the trysail. Keep the sheet fast till it 's down, or the flogging will frighten the lady- passenger out of her wits. Well, if ever I own a craft, I'll have no women on board. Dollars shan't tempt me." The lightning now played in rapid forks ; and the loud thunder, which instantaneously followed each flash, proved its near approach. A deluge of slanting rain descended — the wind lulled — roared again — then lulled — shifted a point or two, and the drenched and heavy sails flapped. " Up with the helm, Mat ! " cried Oswald, as a near flash of liwhtninw for a moment blinded, and the accompanying peal of thunder deafened, those THE GALE. 27 on deck. Again tlie wind blew strong — it ceased, and it was a dead calm. The sails hung down from the yards, and the rain descended in perpendicular torrents, while the ship rocked to and fro in the trough of the sea, and the darkness became sudden- ly intense. " Down, there, one of you ! and call the captain," said Oswald. " By the Lord ! we shall have it. Main braces there, men, and square the yards. Be smart ! That topsail should have been in," mut- tered the mate ; " but I'm not captain. Square away the yards, my lads ! " continued he ; " quick, quick ! — there 's no child's play here ! " Owing to the difficulty of finding and passing the ropes to each other, from the intensity of the darkness, and the deluge of rain which blinded them, the men were not able to execute the order of the mate so soon as it was necessary ; and before they could accomplish their task, or Captain Ingram could gain the deck, the wind suddenly burst upon the devoted vessel from the quarter directly opposite to that from which the gale had blown, taking her all a-back, and throwing her on her beam-ends. The man at the helm was hurled over the wheel ; while the rest, who were with Oswald at the main-bits, with the coils of ropes, and every other article on deck not secured, were rolled into the scuppers, struggling to extricate themselves from the mass of confusion and the water in which they floundered. The sudden re- 28 THE PTKATE. vulsion awoke all the men below, wto imagined that the ship was foundering ; and, from the only hatchway not secured, they poured up in their shirts, with their other garments in their hands, to put them on — if fate permitted. Oswald Bareth was the first who clambered up from to leeward. He gained the helm, which he put hard up. Captain Ingram and some of the seamen also gained the helm. It is the rendez- vous of all good seamen in emergencies of this description : but the howling of the gale — the blinding of the rain and salt spray — the seas checked in their running by the shift of wind, and breaking over the shij) in vast masses of water — the tremendous peals of thunder — and the intense darkness which accompanied these horrors, added to the inclined position of the vessel, which obKged them to climb from one part of the deck to another, for some time checked all profitable communication. Their only friend, in this conflict of the elements, was the lightning (unhappy, indeed, the situation in which lightning can be welcomed as a friend) ; but its vi\dd and forked flames, darting down upon every quarter of the horizon, enabled them to per- ceive their situation ; and, awful as it was, when momentarily presented to their sight, it was not so awful as darkness and uncertainty. To those who have been accustomed to the difiiculties and dangers of a sea-faring life, there are no lines which speak more forcibly to the imagination, or prove the THE GALE. 29 beauty and power of the Greek poet, than those in the noble prayer of Ajax : — " Lord of earth and air, ©king! father! hear my humble prayer. Dispel this cloud, the light of heaven restore ; Give me to see — and Ajax asks no more. If Greece must perish — we Thy will obey ; But let us perish in the face of day !" Oswald gave the helm to two of the seamen^ and with his knife cut adrift the axes, which were lashed round the mizenmast in painted canvass covers. One he retained for himself, — the others he put into the hands of the boatswain and the second mate. To sj)eak so as to be heard was almost impossible, from the tremendous roaring of the wind; but the lamp still burned in the binnacle, and by its feeble light Captain Ingram could dis- tinguish the signs made by the mate, and could give his consent. It was necessary that the ship should be put before the wind, and the helm had no power over her. In a short time the lanyards of the mizen rigging were severed, and the mizen- mast went over the side, almost unperceived by the crew on the other parts of the deck, or even those near, had it not been from blows received by those who were too close to it, from the falling of the topsail- sheets and the rigging about the mast. Oswald, with his companions, regained the binnacle, and for some little while watched the compass. The ship did not pay off, and appeared 30 THE PIKATE. to settle down more into the water. Again Oswald made his signs, and again the cajDtain gave his assent. Forward sprang the undaunted mate, clinging to the bulwark and belajdng-pins, and followed by his hardy companions, until they had all three gaiaed the main-channels. Here, their exposure to the force of the breaking waves, and the stoutness of the ropes yielding but slowly to the blows of the axes, which were used almost under water, rendered the service one of extreme difficulty and danger. The boatswain was washed over the bidwark and dashed to leeward, where the lee-rigging only saved him from a watery grave. Unsubdued, he again climbed up to windward, re- joined and assisted his companions. The last blow was given by Oswald — the lanyards flew through the dead-eyes — and the tall mast disappeared in the foaming seas. Oswald and his companions hastened from their dangerous position, and rejoin- ed the captain, who, with many of the crew, still remained near the wheel. The ship now slowly paid off and righted. In a few minutes she was flying before the gale, rolling heavily, and occa- sionally striking upon the wrecks of the masts, which she towed wath her by the lee-rigging. Although the wind blew with as much violence as before, still it was not with the same noise, now that the ship was before the wind with her after- masts gone. The next service was to clear the ship of the wrecks of the masts ; but, although all THE GALE. _ 31 now assisted, but little could be effected until the day bad dawned, and even then it was a service of danger, as the shija rolled gunwale under. Those who performed the duty were slung in ropes, that they might not be washed away ; and hardly was it completed, when a heavy roll, assisted by a jerk- ing heave from a sea which struck her on the chess-tree, sent the foremast over the starboard cat- head. Thus was the Circassian dismasted in. the gale. CHAPTER lY. THE LEAK. The wreck of tlie foremast was cleared from the ship ; the gale continued ; but the sun shone brightly and warmly. The Circassian was again brought to the ^dnd. All danger was now con- sidered to be over, and the seamen joked and laughed as they were busied in preparing jury- masts to enable them to reach their destined port. " I wouldn't have cared so much about this spree/' said the boatswain, " if it warn't for the mainmast ; it was such a beauty. There 's not another stick to be foimd equal to it in the whole length of the Mississippi." "Bah! man," replied Oswald; " there 's as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it, and as good sticks growing as ever were felled : but I guess we'll pay pretty dear for our spars when we get to Liverpool, — but that concerns the owners." The wind, which at the time of its sudden change THE LEAK. 33 to the soutliT^'ard and eastward had blown with the force of a hurricane, now settled into a regular strong gale, such as sailors are prepared to meet and laugh at. The sky was also bright and clear, and they had not the danger of a lee shore. It was a delightful change after a night of darkness, danger, and confusion ; and the men worked that they might get sufficient sail on the ship to steady her, and enable them to shape a coui'se. " I suppose, now that we have the trysail on her forward, the captain will be for running for it," observed one who was busy turning in a dead-eye. " Yes," replied the boatswain ; " and with this wind on our quarter we shan't want much sail, I've a notion." " Well, then, one advantage in losing your masts — you haven't much trouble about the rig- ging." " Trouble enough, though, Bill, when we get in," replied another, gruffly : " new lower rigging to parcel and sarve, and every block to turn in afresh." " Never mind, longer in port — I'll get spKced." " Why, how often do you mean to get spliced. Bill ? You've a wife in eveiy State, to my sartain knowledge." " I arn't got one at Liverpool, Jack." " Well, you may take one there. Bill ; for you've been sweet upon that nigger girl for these last three weeks." 34 THE PIRATE. " Any port in a storm, but she won't do for harbour duty. But the fact is, you're all wrong there, Jack : it's the babbies I likes — I likes to see them both together, hanging at the niggers' breasts. I always think of two spider-monkeys nursing two kittens." " I knows the women, but I never knows the children. It's just six of one and half-a-dozen of the other ; an't it, Bill ? " " Yes ; like two bright bidlets out of the same mould. I say, Bill, did any of your wives ever have twins ? " " No ; nor I don't intend, until the owners give us double pay." " By the by," interrupted Oswald, who had been standing under the weather bulk-head, listening to the conversation, and watching the work in pro- gress, " we may just as well see if she has made any water with all this straining and buffeting. By the Lord ! I never thought of that. Carpen- ter, lay down your adze and sound the well." The carpenter, who, notwithstanding the un- easiness of the dismasted vessel, was performing his important share of the work, immediately complied with the order. He di^ew up the rope- yarn, to which an iron ride had been suspended, and lowered down into the piunp-well, and per- ceived that the water was dripping from it Imagining that it must have been wet from th quantity of water shipped over all, the carpente" THE LEAK. 35 disengaged the rope-yarn from the rule, drew another from the junk lying on the deck, which the seamen were working up, and then carefully proceeded to plumb the well. He haided it up, and, looking at it for some moments aghast, ex- claimed, " Seven feet water in the hold, by G— d ! " If the crew of the Circassian, the whole of which were on deck, had been struck with an electric shock, the sudden change in their countenances could not have been greater than was produced by this appalling intelligence. Heap upon sailors every disaster, every danger which can be accumulated from the waves, the wind, the elements, or the enemy, and they will bear up against them with a courage amounting to heroism. AU they demand is, that the one plank " between them and death " is sound, and they will trust to their own energies, and will be con- fident in their own skill : but sjiring a leak and they are half paralysed ; and if it gain upon them they are subdued ; for when they find that their exertions are futile, they are little better than childi'en. Oswald sprang to the pumps when he heard the carpenter's report. " Try again, Abel — it cannot be : cut away that line ; hand us here a dry rope- •yarn." Once more the well was sounded by Oswald, ^and the results were the same. " We must rig the d2 36 THE PIRATE. pumps, my lads," said the mate, endeavouring to conceal his own fears ; " half this water must have found its way in her when she was on her beam- ends." This idea, so judiciously thrown out, was caught at by the seamen, who hastened to obey the order, while Oswald went down to acquaint the captain, who, worn out with watching and fatigue, had, now that danger was considered to be over, thrown himself into his cot to obtain a few hours' repose. " Do you think, Bareth, that we have sprung a leak ? " said the captain, earnestly. " She never could have taken in that quantity of water." " Never, sir," replied the mate ; " but she has been so strained, that she may have opened her top-sides. I trust it is no worse." " What is your opinion, then ? " " I am afraid that the wreck of the masts have injured her : you may recollect how often we struck against them before we could clear ourselves of them ; once, particularly, the mainmast appeared to be right under her bottom, I recollect, and she struck very heavy on it." " Well, it is God's will : let us get on deck as fast as we can." When they arrived on deck, the carpenter walked up to the captain, and quietly said to him, " Seven feet three, sir." The pumps were then in full action ; the men had divided, by the dii'cctions of the boatswain, and, stripped naked to the waist, THE LEAK. 37 relieved each other every two minutes. For half an hour they laboured incessantly. This was the half-hour of suspense : the great point to be ascertained was, whether she leaked through the top-sides, and had taken in the water diu'ing the second gale ; if so, there was every hope of keeping it under. Captain Ingram and the mate remained in silence near the capstern, the former with his watch in his hand, during the time that the sailors exerted themselves to the ut- most. It was ten minutes past seven when the half- hour had expired ; the well was sounded, and the line carefully measured — seveyi feet six inches ! So that the water had gained upon them, notwith- standing they had plied the pumps to the utmost of their strength. A mute look of despair was exchanged among the crew, but it was followed up by curses and execrations. Captain Ingram remained silent, with his lips compressed. " It's aU over with us ! " exclaimed one of the men. " Not yet, my lads ; we have one more chance," said Oswald. " I've a notion that the ship's sides have been opened by the infernal straining of last night, and that she is now taking it in at the top sides generally : if so, we have only to put her before the wind again, and have another good speU at the pumps. When no longer strained, as she is 38 THE PIRATE. now vdih her broadside to the sea, she will close all up again." " I shouldn't wonder if Mr Bareth is not right," replied the carpenter j " however, that's my notion, too." " And mine," added Captain Ingram. " Come, my men ! never say die while there's a shot in the locker. Let's try her again." And, to encourage the men, Captain Ingram threw off his coat and assisted at the fu'st spell, while Oswald went to the helm and put the ship before the wind. As the Circassian rolled before the gale, the lazy manner in which she righted proved how much water there was in the hold. The seamen exerted themselves for a whole hour without intermission, and the well was again sounded — eight feet ! The men did not assert that they would pimip no longer ; but they too plainly showed their in- tentions by each resuming in silence his shirt and jacket, which he had taken off at the commence- ment of his exertions. " What's to be done, Oswald ? " said Captain Ingram, as they walked aft. " You see the men will pump no longer ; nor, indeed, would it be of any use. We are doomed." " The Circassian is, sir, I am afraid," replied the mate : " pumping is of no avail ; they could not keep her afloat till day-break. We must, THE LEAK. 39 therefore, trust to our boats, whicli I believe to be all sound, and quit lier before nigbt." " Crowded boats in such a sea as this ! " replied Captain Ingram, shaking his head mom-nfully. " Are bad enough, I grant ; but better than the sea itself. All we can do now is to try and keep the men sober, and if we can do so it will be better than to fatigue them uselessly ; they'll want all their strength before they put foot again uj^n dry land — if ever they are so fortimate. Shall I speak to them ? " " Do, Oswald," replied the captain ; " for my- self I care little, God knows ; but my wife — my children ! " " My lads," said Oswald, going forward to the men, who had waited in moody silence the result of the conference — " as for pumping any longer, it would be only wearing out your strength for no good. We must now look to our boats ; and a good boat is better than a bad ship. Still this gale and cross-running sea are rather too much for boats at present ; we had therefore better stick to the ship as long as we can. Let us set to with a will and got the boats ready, with provisions, water, and what else may be needful, and then we must trust to God's mercy and our own endeavours.'' " No boat can stand this sea," observed one of the men. " I'm of opinion, as it's to be a short life, it may as well be a merry one. What d'ye 40 THE PIRATE. say, my lads ? " continued lie, appealing to the men. Several of the crew were of the same opinion : but Oswald, stepping forward, seized one of the axes which lay at the main-bits, and going up to the seaman who had spoken, looked him stedfastly in the face ; — " Williams," said the mate, " a short life it may be to all of us, but not a merry one ; the meaning of which I understand very well. Sorry I shall be to have your blood, or that of others, on my hands ; but as sure as there's a heaven, I'll cleave to the shoulder the first man who attempts to break into the spirit-room. You know I never joke. Shame upon you ! Do j'ou call yourselves men, when, for the sake of a little liquor now, you would lose your only chance of getting drunk every day as soon as we get on shore again ? There's a time for all things ; and I've a notion this is a time to be sober." As most of the crew sided with Oswald, the weaker party were obliged to submit, and the pre- parations were commenced. The two boats on the booms were found to be in good condition. One party was employed cutting away the bulwarks, that the boats might be launched over the side, as there were no means of hoisting them out. The well was again sounded. Nine feet water in the hold, and the ship evidently settling fast. Two THE LEAK. 41 hours had now passed, and the gale was not so violent ; the sea, also, which at the change of wind had been cross, appeared to have recovered its regular run. All was ready ; the sailors, once at work again, had, in some measure, recovered their spirits, and were buoyed up with fresh hopes at the slight change in their favour from the decrease of the wind. The two boats were qmte large enough to contain the whole of the crew and passengers ; but, as the sailors said among themselves (proving the kindness of their hearts), " What was to become of those two poor babbies, in an open boat for days and nights, perhaps ? " Captain Ingram had gone do^vTi to Mrs Templemore, to impart to her their melancholy prospects ; and the mother's heart, as well as the mother's voice, echoed the words of the seamen, " What will become of my poor babes ? " It was not till nearly six o'clock in the evening that all was ready : the ship was slowly brought to the wind again, and the boats launched over the side. By this time the gale was much abated ; but the vessel was full of water, and was expected soon to go down. There is no time in which coolness and deter- mination are more required than in a situation like the one which we have attempted to describe. It is impossible to know the precise moment at whic'h a water-logged vessel, in a heavy sea, may go down ; and its occupants are in a state of men- 42 THE PIRATE. tal fever, with the idea of their remaining in her so late that she will suddenly submerge, and leave them to struggle in the wave. This feeling actuated many of the crew of the Circassian, and they had already retreated to the boats. All was arranged ; Oswald had charge of one boat, and it was agreed that the larger should receive Mrs Templemore and her children, under the protection of Captain Ingram. The number appointed to Oswald's boat being completed, he shoved off, to make room for the other, and laid to to leeward, waiting to keep company. Mrs Templemore came up with Captain Ingram, and was assisted by him into the boat. The nurse, with one child, was a*, last placed by her side ; Coco was leading Judy the other nurse, with the remaining infant in her arms ; and Captain Ingram, who had been obliged to go into the boat with the first child, was about to return to assist Judy with the other, when the ship gave a heavy pitch, and her forecastle was buried in the wave ; at the same time the gunwale of the boat was stove by coming in contact with the side of the vessel. " She's down, by G — d ! " exclaimed the alarmed seamen in the boat ; shoving off to escape from the vortex. Captain Ingram, who was standing on the boat's thwarts to assist Judy, was thrown back into the bottom of the boat ; and before he could extricate himsef, the boat was separated from the ship, and had drifted to leeward. THE LEAK. 43 " My child ! " screamed the mother : " my child ! " " Pull to again, my lads ! " cried Captain In- gram, seizing the tiller. The men, who had been alarmed at the idea that the ship was going down, now that they saw that she was still afloat, got out the oars and attempted to regain her, but in vain — they could not make head against the sea and wind. Further and fui'ther did they di-ift to leeward, notmth- standing their exertions ; while the frantic mother extended her arms, imploring and entreating. Captain Ingram, who had stimulated the sailors to the utmost, perceived that further attempts were useless. " My child ! my child ! " screamed Mrs Tem- plemore, standing up, and holding out her arms towards the vessel. At a sign from the captain^ the head of the boat was veered round. The bereaved mother knew that all hope was gone, and she fell down in a state of insensibility. CHAPTEU Y. THE OLD MAID. One morning, shortly after tlie disasters wMch we haye described, Mr Witherington descended to his breakfast- room somewhat earlier than usual, and found his green morocco easy-chair already tenanted by no less a personage than AVilliam the footman, who, with his feet on the fender, was so attentively reading the newspaper that he did not hear his master's entrance. " By my ancestor, who fought on his stumps ! but I hope you are quite comfortable, Mr William ; nay, I beg I may not disturb you, sir." William, although as impudent as most of his fraternity, was a little taken aback : "I beg your pardon, sir, but Mr Jonathan had not time to look over the paper." " Nor is it required that he should, that I know of, sir." " Mr Jonathan says, sir, that it is always right THE OLD MAID. 45 to look over the deaths, that news of that kind may not shock you." " Very considerate, indeed ! " " And there is a story there, sir, about a ship- wreck." " A shipwreck ! where, "William ? God bless me ! where is it ? " " I am. afraid it is the same ship you are so anxious about, sii', — the : I forget the name, sir." Mr Witherington took the newspaper, and his eye soon caught the paragraph in which the rescue of the two negroes and child from the wreck of the Circassian was fully detailed. " It is, indeed ! " exclaimed Mr Witherington. " My poor Cecilia in an open boat ! one of the boats was seen to go down, — perhaps she's dead — merciful God ! one boy saved. Mercy on me ! where's Jonathan ? " " Here, sir," repKed Jonathan, very solemnly, who had just brought in the eggs, and now stood erect as a mute behind his master's chair, for it was a case of danger, if not of death. " I must go to Portsmouth immediately after breakfast — shan't eat though — appetite all gone." " People seldom do, sir, on these melancholy occasions," repHed Jonathan. " Will you take your own carriage, sir, or a mourning coach ? " ' ' A mom'ning coach at foui'teen miles an 46 THE PIRATE. hour, vfith two pair of horses ! Jonathan, you're crazy." " Will you please to have black silk hatbands and gloves for the coachman and servants who attend you, sir ? " " Confound your shop ! no ; this is a resurrec- tion, not a death : it appears that the negro thinks only one of the boats went down." " Mors omnia vincit" quoth Jonathan, casting up his eyes. " Never you mind that ; mind your own busi- ness. That's the postman's knock — see if there are any letters." There were several ; and amongst the others there was one from Captain Maxwell, of the Eury- dice, detailing the circumstances already kno^wn^ and informing Mr Witherington that he had de- spatched the two negroes and the child to his address by that day's coach, and that one of the officers, who was going to town by the same con- veyance, would see them safe to his house. Captain Maxwell was an old acquaintance of Mr Witherington — had dined at his house in com- pany with the Templemores, and therefore had extracted quite enough information from the negroes to know where to direct them. " By the blood of my ancestors ! they'll be here to-night," cried Mr Witherington ; " and I have saved my journey. What is to be done ? better THE OLD MAID. 47 tell Mary to get rooms ready : d'ye hear, William ? beds for one little boy and two niggers." " Yes, sir," replied William ; " but wbere are the black people to be put ? " " Put ! I don't care ; one may sleep with cook, the other with Mary." " Very well, sir, I'll tell them," replied Wil- liam, hastening away, delighted at the row which he anticipated in the kitchen. " If you please, sir," observed Jonathan, " one of the negroes is, I belieye, a man." " WeU, what then ? " " Only, sir, the maids may object to sleep with him." "By all the plagues of the Witheringtons ! this is true ; well, you may take him, Jonathan — you like that colour." " Not in the dark, sir," replied Jonathan vnth a bow. "Well, then, let them sleep together: so that affair is settled." " Are they man and wife, sir ? " said the butler. " The devil take them both ! how should I know ? Let me have my breakfast, and we'll tallv over the matter by and hj." Mr Witherington applied to his eggs and muf- fin, eating his breakfast as fast as he could, with- out knowing why ; but the reason was that he was puzzled and perplexed Avith the anticipated arrival, and longed to think quietly over the dilemma, for 48 THE PIRATE. it was a dilemma to an old bachelor. As soon as he had swallowed his second cup of tea he put him- self into his easy-chair, in an easy attitude, and was very soon soliloquising as follows :— "By the blood of the Witheringtons ! what am I, an old bachelor, to do with a baby, and a wet- nurse as black as the ace of spades, and another black fellow in the bargain ? Send him back again ? yes, that's best : but the child — woke every morning at five o'clock with its squalling — obliged to kiss it three times a- day —pleasant ! — and then that nigger of a nurse — thick lips — Idssing child all day, and then holding it out to me — ignorant as a cow — if child has the stomach-ache she'll cram a pepper-pod down its throat — West India fashion — children never wdthout the stomach-ache — my poor, poor cousin ! — what has become of her and the other child, too ? — wish they may pick her up, poor dear ! and then she will come and take care of her owTi children — don't know what to do — great mind to send for sister Moggy — but she's so ftissy — won't be in a hurry. Think again." Here Mr Witherington was interrupted by two taps at the door. " Come in," said he ; and the cook, with her face as red as if she had been dressing a dinner for eighteen, made her appearance without the usual clean apron. " If you please, sir," said she, curtseying, " I will thank you to suit yourself with another cook." THE OLD MAID. 49 " Oh, very well," replied Mr Witherington, angry at the interruption. " And if you please, sir, I should like to go this very day — indeed, sir, I shall not stay." "Go to the devil ! if you please," replied Mr Witherington, angrily ; " but first go out and shut the door after you." The cook retired, and Mr Witherington -was again alone. " Confound the old woman — what a huff she is in ! won't cook for black people, I suppose — yes, that's it." Here Mr "Witherington was again interrupted by a second double tap at the door. " Oh! thought better of it, I suppose. Come in." It was not the cook, but Mary, the housemaid, that entered. " If you please, sir," said she, whimpering, " 1 shoidd wish to leave my situation." " A conspiracy, by heavens ! Well, you mav go." " To-night, sir, if you please," answered the woman. " This moment, for all I care ! " exclaimed Mr Witherington in his wrath. The housemaid retired ; and Mr Witherington took some time to compose himself. " Servants all going to the de^-il in this coun- try," said he at last; "proud fools — won't clean rooms after black people, I suppose — yes, that's it 50 TITE PIRATE. confound them all, black and white ! here's my whole establishment upset by the arrival of a baby. Well, it is very uncomfortable — what shall I do ? — send for sister Moggy ? — no, I'U send for Jonathan." Mr "Witherington rang the bell, and Jonathan made his appearance. " What is all this, Jonathan ? " said he ; " cook angry — Mary crying — both going away — what's it all about ? " " Why, sir, they were told by William that it was your positive order that the two black people were to sleep with them; and I believe he told Mary that the man was to sleep vnth her." " Confound that fellow ! he's always at mis- chief ; you know, Jonathan, I never meant that." " I thought not, sir, as it is quite contrary to custom," replied Jonathan. " Well, then, tell them so, and let's hear no more about it." Mr Witherington then entered into a consulta- tion with his butler, and acceded to the arrange- ments proposed by him. The parties arrived in due time, and were properly accommodated. Mas- ter Edward was not troubled with the stomach-ache, neither did he wake Mr Witherington at five o'clock in the morning ; and, after all, it was not very xmcomfortable. But, although things were not quite so imcomfortable as Mr Witherington had anticipated, still they were not comfortable ; THE OLD MAID. 51 and Mr Witherington was so annoyed by continual sldrmishes between bis servants, complaints from Judy, in bad English, of tbe cook, who, it must be owned, bad taken a prejudice against ber and Coco, occasional illness of tbe cbild, et ca^tera, tbat be foimd bis bovise no longer quiet and peaceable. Tbree montbs bad now nearly passed, and no tidings of tbe boats bad been received ; and Cap- tain Maxwell, wbo came up to see Mr Witbering- ton, gave it as bis decided opinion tbat tbey must have foundered in tbe gale. As, tberefore, tbere appeared to be no cbance of Mrs Templemore com- ing to take care of ber cbild, Mr Witberington at last resolved to write to Batb, wbere bis sister resided, and acquaint ber witb tbe wbole story, requesting ber to come and superintend bis domestic concerns. A few days afterwards be received tbe following reply : " Bath, August. " My dear Brother Antony, " Your letter arrived safe to band on Wed- nesday last, and I must say tbat I was not a little surprised at its contents; indeed, I tbougbt so mucb about it tbat I revoked at Lady Betty Blab- kin's wbist-party, and lost four sbillings and six- pence. You say tbat you bave a cbild at your bouse belonging to your cousin, wbo married in so indecorous a manner. I bope wbat you say is true ; but, at tbe same time, I know wbat bacbelors are guilty of; altbougb, as Lady Betty says, it is £2 52 THE PIRATE. better never to talk or even to hint about these improper things. I cannot imagine why men should consider themselves, in an unmarried state, as absolved from that purity which maidens are so careful to preserve ; and so says Lady Betty, with whom I had a little conversation on the subject. As, however, the thing is done, she agrees with me that it is better to hush it up as well as we can. " I presume that you do not intend to make the child your heir, which I should consider as highly improper ; and, indeed, Lady Betty tells me that the legacy-duty is ten per cent., and that it cannot be avoided. However, I make it a rule never to talk about these sort of things. As for your request that I will come up and superintend your establishment, I have advised with Lady Betty on the subject, and she agrees with me that, for the honour of the family, it is better that I should come, as it Tvill save appearances. You are in a peck of troubles, as most men are who are free-livers, and are led astray by artful and alluring females. However, as Lady Betty says, 'the least said the soonest mended.' " I will, therefore, make the necessary arrange- ments for letting my house, and hope to join ycu in about ten days ; sooner I cannot, as I find that my engagements extend to that period. Many questions have already been put to me on this unpleasant subject ; but I always give but one answer, which is, that bachelors -svill be bachelors ; THE OLD MAID. 63 and that, at all events, it is not so bad as if you were a married man : for I make it a rule never to talk about, or even to hint about these sort of things, for, as Lady Betty says, * Men will get into scrapes, and the sooner things are hushed up the better.' So no more at present from your affec- tionate sister, " Margaret "Witherington. "P.S. — Lady Betty and I both agree that you are very right in hiring two black people to bring the child into your house, as it makes the thing look foreign to the neighbours, and we can keep our own secrets. " M. W." " Now, by all the sins of the Witheringtous, if this is not enough to drive a man out of his senses ! — Confound the suspicious old maid ! I'll not let her come into this house. Confoimd Lady Betty, and all scandal- loving old tabbies like her ! Bless me ! " continued Mr Witherington, throwing the letter on the table, with a deep sigh, " this is any- thing but comfortable." But if Mr Witherington found it anything but comfortable at the commencement, he found it unbearable in the sequel. His sister Moggy arrived, and installed herself in the house with all the pomp and protecting air of one who was the saviour of her brother's rejDutation and character. AVhen the child was first brought down to her, instead of perceiving at once its like- 54 THE PIRATE. ness to ]^Ir Templcmore, whicli was very strong, she looked at it and at her brother's face "w^ith her only eye, and, shaking her finger, exclaimed, — "Oh, Antony ! Antony ! and did you expect to deceive me ? — the nose — the mouth exact — Antony, for shame ! fie, for shame ! " But we must hurry over the misery that Mr Witherington's kindness and benevolence brought upon him. Not a day passed — scarcely an hour, without his ears being galled with his sister's insinuations. Judy and Coco were sent back to America ; the servants, who had remained so long in his service, gave warning one by one, and, afterwards, were changed as often almost as there was a change in the moon. She ruled the house and her brother despotically ; and all poor Mr Witherington's comfort was gone until the time arrived when Master Edward was to be sent to school. Mr Witherington then plucked up coxir- age, and after a few stormy months drove his sister back to Bath, and once more found himself com- fortable. Edward came home during the holidays, and was a great favourite ; but the idea had become current that he was the son of the old gentleman, and the remarks made were so unpleasant and grat- ing to him, that he was not sorry, much as he was attached to the boy, when he declared his intention to choose the profession of a sailor. Captain Maxwell introduced him into the ser- THE OLD MAID. 55 vice ; and afterwards, when, in consequence of ill health and exhaustion, he was himself obKged to leave it' for a time, he procured for his protege other ships. We must, therefore, allow some years to pass away, during which time Edward Templemore pursues his career, Mr Witherington grows older and more particular, and his sister Moggy amuses herself with Lady Betty's remarks, and her darling game of whist. During all this period no tidings of the boats, or of Mrs Templemore and her infant, had been heard ; it was therefore naturally conjectured that they had all perished, and they were remembered but as thing's that had been. CHAPTEE VI. THE MIDSHIPMAN. The weather side of the quarter-deck of H. M. frigate Unicorn was occupied by two very great per- sonages : Captain Plumbton, commanding the ship, who was very great in width if not in height, taking much more than his allowance of the deck, if it were not that he was the proprietor thereof, and entitled to the lion's share. Captain P. was not more than four feet ten inches in height ; but then he was equal to that in girt : there was quite enough of him, if he had only been rolled out. He walked with his coat flying open, his thumbs stuck into the arm-holes of his waistcoat, so as to throw his shoulders back and increase his horizontal dimensions. He also held his head well aft, which threw his chest and stomach well forward. He was the prototype of pomposity and good-nature, and he strutted like an actor in a procession. The other personage was the fii'st-lieutenant, THE MIDSHIPMAN. 57 whom Nature had. pleased to fasliion in another mould. He was as tall as the captain was short — as thin as his superior was corpulent. His long, lanky legs were nearly up to the captain's shoulders ; and he bowed down over the head of his superior, as if he were the crane to hoist up, and the captain the bale of goods to be hoisted. He carried his hands behind his back, with two fingers twisted together ; and his chief difficidty appeared to be to reduce his own stride to the parrot march of the captain. His features were sharp and lean as was his body, and More every appearance of a cross- grained temper. He had been making divers complaints of divers persons, and the captain had hitherto appeared im- perturbable. Captain Plumbton was an even-tem- pered man, who was satisfied vnih a good dinner. Lieutenant Markitall was an odd-tempered man, who would quarrel with his bread and butter. " Quite impossible, sir," continued the first- lieutenant, " to carry on the duty without support " This oracular observation, which, from the relative forms of the two parties, descended as it were from above, was replied to by the captain with a " Yery true." " Then, sir, I presume you will not object to my putting that man in the report for punish- ment ? " "I'll think about it, Mr Markitall." This, with Captain Plumbton, was as much as to say, No. 58 THE PIRATE. " The yoimg gentlemen, sir, I am sorry to say, are very troublesome." " Boys always are," replied the captain. " Yes, sir ; bnt the duty must be carried on, and I cannot do withovit them." " Yery true — midshipmen are very useful." " But I'm sorry to say, sir, that they are not. Now, sir, there's Mr Temj^lemore ; I can do nothing with him — he does nothing but laugh." " Laugh ! — Mr Markitall, does he laugh at you?" " JSTot exactly, sir ; but he laughs at everything. If I send him to the mast-head, he goes up laugh- ing ; if I call him down, he comes down laughing ; if I find fault with him, he laughs the next minute : in fact, sir, he does nothing but laugh. I should particularly wish, sir, that you would speak to him, and see if any interference on your part — " " Would make him cry — eh ? better to laugh than cry in this world. Does he never cry, Mr MarkitaU ? " * Yes, sir, and very unseasonably. The other day, you may recollect, when you punished "Wilson the marine, whom I appointed to take care of his chest and hammock, he was crying the whole time ; almost tantamount — at least an indirect species of mutiny on his part, as it implied " " That the boy was sorry that his servant was punished ; I never flog a man but I'm sorry my- self, Mr MarkitaU." THE MIDSHIPMAX. 59 " "Well, I do not press the question of his crying — that I might look over ; but his laughing, sir, T must beg that you will take notice of that. Here he is, sir, coming up the hatchway. Mr Temple- more, the captain wishes to speak to you." Now, the captain did not wish to speak to him, but, forced upon him as it was by the first -lieu- tenant, he could do no less. So Mr Templemore touched his hat, and stood before the captain, we regret to say, with such a good-humoured, sly, confiding smirk on his countenance, as at once established the proof of the accusation, and the enormity of the offence. " So, sir," said Captain Plumbton, stopping in his perambulation, and squaring his shoulders still more, " I find that you laugh at the fii'st-lieu- tenant." "I, sir ? " replied the boy, the smirk expanding into a broad grin. " Yes ; you, sir," said the first-lieutenant, now drawing up to his full height ; " why, you're laughing now, sir." " I can't help it, sir — it's not my faidt ; and I'm sure it's not yours, sir," added the boy, demurely. " Are you aware, Edward — Mr Templemore, I mean — of the impropriety of disrespect to your superior officer?" " I never laughed at Mr Markitall but once, sir, that I can recollect, and that was when he tumbled over the messenger." 60 THE PIRATE. " And why did you laugh at him then, sir ?" " I always do laugh when any one tumbles down," replied the lad ; " I can't help it, sir." " Then, sir, I su23pose you would laugh if you saw me rolling in the lee-scuppers ? " said the captain. " Oh ! " replied the boy, no longer able to con- tain himself, " I'm sure I should burst myself with laughing — I think I see you now, sir." " Do you, indeed ! I'm very glad that you do not ; though I'm afraid, young gentleman, you stand convicted by your o"vvn confession." " Yes, sir, for laughing, if that is any crime ; but it's not in the Articles of War." " ISo, sir ; but disrespect is. You laugh when you go to the mast-head." " But I obey the order, sir, immediately — do I not, Mr Markitall?" " Yes, sir, you obey the order ; but, at the same time, your laughing proves that you do not mind the punishment." ' No more I do, sir. I spend half my life at the mast-head, and I'm used to it now." " But, Mr Templemore, ought you not to feel the disgrace of the punishment?" inquired the captain, severely. " Yes, sir, if I felt I deserved it I shoiild. I should not laugh, sir, if pott sent me to the mast- head," replied the boy, assuming a serious counte- nance. THE MIDSHIPMAK. 61 " You see, Mr Markitall, that lie can be grave," observed the captain. " I've tried all I can to make liim so, sir," re- plied the first-lieutenant; "but I wish to ask Mr Templemore what he means to imply by saying, ' when he deserves it.' Does he mean to say that I have ever punished him unjustly ? " " Yes, sir," replied the boy, boldly ; " five times out of six, I am mast-headed for nothing — and that's the reason why I do not mind it." " For nothing, sir ! Do you call laughing no- thing?" " I pay every attention that I can to my duty, sir ; I always obey your orders ; I try all I can to make you pleased with me — but you are always punishing me." "Yes, sir, for laughing, and, what is worse, making the ship's company laugh." " They ' ha\d and hold ' just the same, sir — I think they work all the better for being merry." " And pray, sir, what business have you to think?" replied the first-lieutenant, now very angry. " Captain Plumbton, as this young gentle- man thinks proper to interfere with me and the discipline of the ship, I beg you will see what effect your punishing may have upon him." " Mr Templemore," said the captain, " you are, in the first place, too free in your speech, and, in the next place, too fond of laughing. There is, Mr Templemore, a time for all things — a time to be 62 THE PIRATE. merry, and a time to be serious. The quarter-deck is not the fit place for mirth." " I'm sure the gangway is not," shrewdly inter- rupted the boy. " No — you are right, nor the gangway ; but you may laugh on the forecastle, and when below with your messmates." " No, sir, we may not ; Mr Markitall always sends out if he hears us laughing." " Because, Mr Templemore, you're always laugh- ing." " I believe I am, sir ; and if it's wrong I'm sorry to displease you, but I mean no disrespect. I laugh in my sleep — I laugh when I awake — I laugh when the smi shines — I always feel so happy ; but although you do mast-head me, Mr Markitall, I shoiild not laugh, but be very sorry, if any misfor- tune happened to you." "I believe you would, boy — I do, indeed, Mr Markitall," said the captain. " Well, sir," replied the fii'st-Keutenant, " as Mr Templemore appears to be aware of his error, I do not wish to press my complaint — I have only to re- quest that he will never laugh again." " You hear, boy, what the first-lieutenant says ; i*]'s very reasonable, and I beg I may hear no more complaints. Mr Markitall, let me know when the f )ot of that foretopsail will be repaired — I should like to shift it to-night." THE MIDSHIPMAN. 63 Mr Markitall went down under the half-deck to make the inquiry, "And, Edward," said Captain Plumbton, as soon as the lieutenant was out of ear-shot, "I have a good deal more to say to you upon this subject, but I have no time now. So come and dine with me — at my table, you know, I aUow laughing in moder- ation." The boy touched his hat, and with a grateful, happy coiratenance, walked away. We have introduced this little scene, that the reader may form some idea of the character of Edward Templemore. He was indeed the soul of mirth, good-hmnour, and kindly feelings towards others ; he even felt kindly towards the first-lieu- tenant, who persecuted him for his risible propen- sities. We do not say that the boy was right in laughing at all times, or that the first-lieutenant was wrong in attempting to check it. As the cap- tain said, there is a time for all things, and Edward's laugh was not always seasonable ; but it was his nature, and he could not help it. He was joyous as the May morning ; and thus he continued for years, laughing at everything — pleased with every- body — almost universally liked — and his bold, free, and happy spirit, unchecked by vicissitude or hardship. He served his time — was nearly turned back when he was passing his examination for laugl\iug, 64 THE riRATE. and then went laughing to sea again — was In com- mand of a boat at the cutting- out of a French corvette, and when on board was so much amused by the little French captain skipping about with his rapier, which proved fatal to many, that at last he received a pink from the little gentleman him- self, which laid him on the deck. For this affair, and in consideration of his woimd, he obtained his promotion to the rank of lieutenant — was appointed to a line-of-battle ship in the West Indies — laughed at the yellow-fever — was appointed to the tender of that ship, a fine schooner, and was sent to cruise for prize-money for the admiral, and promotion for himself, if he could, by any fortimate encounter, be so lucky as to obtain it. CHAPTER YII. SLEEPER'S BAY. On the western coast of Africa there is a small bay, which has received more than one name from its occasional visitors. That by which it was de- signated by the adventurous Portuguese, who first dared to cleave the waves of the Southern Atlantic, has been forgotten with their lost maritime pre- eminence ; the name allotted to it by the woolly- headed natives of the coast has never, perhaps, been ascertained ; it is, however, marked down in some of the old English charts as Sleeper's Bay. The main-land which, by its curvature, has formed this little dent on a coast possessing, and certainly at present requiring, few harbours, dis- plays, perhaps, the least inviting of all prospects ; offering to the view nothing but a shelving beach of dazzling white sand, backed with a few small humjnocks beat up by the occasional fury of the Atlantic gales — arid, bare, and without the slight- 66 THE PIRATE. est appearance of vegetable life. The inland pros- pect is shrouded over by a dense mirage, through which here and there are to be discovered the stems of a few distant palm-trees, so broken and disjoined by refraction that they present to the imagination anything but the idea of foliage or shade. The water in the bay is calm and smooth as the polish- ed mirror ; not the smallest ripple is to be heard on the beach, to break through the silence of nature ; not a breath of air sweeps over its glassy surface, which is heated with the intense rays of a vertical noon-day sun, pouring down a withering flood of light and heat ; not a sea-bird is to be discovered wheeling on its flight, or balancing on its wings as it pierces the deep with its searching eye, ready to dart upon its prey. All is silence, solitude, and desolation, save that occasionally may be seen the fin of some huge shark, either sluggishly moving through the heated element, or stationary in the torpor of the mid-day heat. A site so sterile, so stagnant, so little adapted to human life, cannot well be conceived, unless, by fl}^g to extremes, we were to portray the chilling blast, the transfixing cold, and " close-ribbed ice," at the frozen poles. At the entrance of this bay, in about three fathoms water, heedless of the spring cable which hung down as a rope which had fallen overboard, there floated, motionless as death, a vessel whose proportions would have challenged the unanimous admiration of those who could appreciate the merits sleeper's bay. 67 of lier build, had she been anchored in the most frequented and busy harbour of the universe. So beautiful were her lines, that you might almost have imagined her a created being that the ocean had been ordered to receive, as if fashioned by the Divine Architect, to add to the beauty and variety of His works ; for, from the huge leviathan to the smallest of the finny tribe — from the towering albatross to the boding peteral of the storm — where could be found, among the winged or finned fre- quenters of the ocean, a form more appropriate, more fitting, than this specimen of human skill, whose beautiful model and elegant tapering spars were now all that could be discovered to break the meeting lines of the firmament and horizon of the offing. Alas ! she was fashioned, at the ■^■ill of avarice, for the aid of cruelty and injustice, and now was even more nefariously employed. She had been a slaver — she was now the far-famed, still more dreaded, pirate- schooner, the " Avenger." Not a man-of-war which scoured the deep but had her instructions relative to this vessel, which had been so successful in her career of crime — not a trader in any portion of the navigable globe but whose crew shuddered at the mention of her name, and the remembrance of the atrocities which had been practised by her recldess crew. She had been everywhere — in the east, the west, the north, and the south, leaving a track behind her of rapine and f2 68 THE PIRATE. of murder. There she lay in motionless beauty, her low sides were painted black, with one small, narrow riband of red — her raking masts were clean, scraped — her topmasts, her cross-trees, caps, and even running-blocks, were painted in pure white. Awnings were spread fore and aft to protect the crew from the powerful rays of the sun ; her ropes were hauled taut ; and in eveiy point she wore the appearance of being under the control of seaman- ship and strict discipline. Through the clear smooth water her copper shone brightly; and as you looked over her taffrail down into the calm blue sea, you could plainly discover the sandy bottom beneath her, and the anchor which then lay under her counter. A small boat floated astern, the weight of the rope which attached her appear- ing, in the perfect calm, to draw her towards the schooner. We must now go on board, and our first cause of surprise will be the deception relative to the tonnage of the schooner, when viewed from a dis- tance. Instead of a small vessel of about ninety tons, we discover that she is upwards of two hun- dred ; that her breadth of beam is enormous ; and that those spars, :which appeared so light and ele- gant, are of unexpected dimensions. Her decks are of narrow fir planks, without the least spring or rise ; her ropes are of Manilla hemp, neatly secm-ed to copper belaying-pins, and coiled down on the deck, whose whiteness is well contrasted with the sleeper's bay. 69 bright green paint of her bulwarks ; her capstern and binnacles are cased in fluted mahogany, and ornamented with brass ; metal stanchions protect the skylights, and the bright muskets are arranged in front of the mainmast, while the boardiDg-pikes are lashed round the mainboom. In the centre of the vessel, between the fore and main-masts, there is a long brass 32-pounder fixed upon a carriage revolving in a circle, and so arranged that in bad weather it can be lowered down and housed ; while on each side of her decks are mounted eight brass guns of smaller calibre and of exquisite workmanship. Her build proves the skill of the architect ; her fitting- out, a judg- ment in which nought has been sacrificed to, al- though everything has been directed by, taste ; and her neatness and arrangement, that, in the person of her commander, to the strictest discipline there is united the practical knowledge of a thorough seaman. How, indeed, otherwise could she have so long continued her lawless yet successful career ? How could it have been possible to unite a crew of miscreants, who feared not God nor man, most of whom had perpetrated foul murders, or had been guilty of even blacker iniquities ? It was because he who commanded the vessel was so superior as to find in her no rivalry. Superior in talent, in knowledge of his profession, in courage, and, more- over, in physical strength — which in him was al- most Herculean, — imfortunately he was also 70 THE PIRATE. superior to all in villany, in cruelty, and contempt of all injunctions, moral and Divine. AVTiat liad been the early life of tliis person was but imperfectly known. It was undoubted that lie bad received an excellent education, and it was said that be was of an ancient border family on the banks of tbe Tweed : by what chances he had become a pirate — by what errors he had fallen from his station in society, until he became an out- cast, had never been revealed ; it was only known that he had been some years employed in the slave- trade previous to his seizing this vessel and com- mencing his reckless career. The name by which he was known to the crew of the pirate- vessel was " Cain," and well had he chosen this appellation ; for, had not his hand for more than three years been against every man's, and every man's hand against his ? In person he was about six feet high, with a breadth of shoulders and of chest de- noting the utmost of physical force which, perhaps, has ever been allotted to man. His features would have been handsome had they not been scarred with wounds ; and, strange to say, his eye was mild and of a soft blue. His mouth was well formed, and his teeth of a pearly white : the hair of his head was crisped and wavy, and his beard, which he wore, as did every person composing the crew of the pirate, covered the lower part of his face in strong, waving, and continued curls. The proportions of his body were perfect ; but from sleeper's bat. 71 tlieir vastness they became almost terrific. His costume was elegant, and well adapted to his form : linen trousers, and luitanued yellow leather boots, such as are made at the Western Isles ; a broad- striped cotton shirt ; a red Cashmere shawl round his waist as a sash ; a vest embroidered in gold tissue, with a jacket of dark velvet, and pendant gold buttons, hanging over his left shoulder, after the fashion of the Mediterranean seamen ; a round Turkish skull-cap, handsomely embroidered ; a pair of pistols, and a long knife in his sash, com- pleted his attire. The crew consisted in all of 165 men, of almost every nation ; but it was to be remarked that all those in authority were either Englishmen or from the northern countries : the others were chiefly Spaniards and Maltese. Still there were Portu- guese, Brazilians, negroes, and others, who made up the complement, which at the time we now speak of was increased by twenty-five additional hands. These were Kroimien, a race of blacks well knoAvn at present, who inhabit the coast near Cape Palmas, and are often employed by our men- of-war stationed on the coast to relieve the English seamen from duties which would be too severe to those who were not inui-ed to the climate. They are powerful, athletic men, good sailors, of a happy, merry disposition, and, unlike other Afiicans, will work hard. Fond of the English, they generally speak the languaj^e sufficiently to be understood, 72 THE PIRATE. and are very glad to receive a baptism wlien they come on board. The name first given them they usually adliere to as long as they live ; and you will now on the coast meet with a Blucher, a Wellington, a Nelson, &c., who will wring swabs, or do any other of the meanest description of work, without feeling that it is discreditable to sponsorials so grand. It is not to be supposed that these men had voluntarily come on board of the pirate ; they had been emploj-ed in some British vessels trading on the coast, and had been taken out of them when the vessels were burnt, and the Europeans of the crews murdered. They had received a promise of reward, if they did their duty ; but, not expecting it, they waited for the earliest opportunity to make their escape. The captain of the schooner is abaft, with his glass in his hand, occasionally sweeping the offing in expectation of a vessel heaving in sight ; t'he officers and crew are lying down, or lounging list- lessly about the decks, panting with the extreme heat, and impatiently waiting for the sea-breeze to fan their parched foreheads. With their rough beards and exposed chests, and their weather-beaten, fierce countenances, they form a group which is terrible even in repose. We must now descend into the cabin of the schooner. The fittings-up of this apartment are simple : on each side is a standing bed-place ; sleeper's bay. 73 against tlie after bulk-liead is a large buffet, origin- ally intended for glass and cliina, but now loaded witb silver and gold vessels of every size and de- scription, collected by tbe pirate from tbe different ships wbicb lie bad plimdered : tbe lamps are also of silver, and evidently bad been intended to orna- ment tbe shrine of some Catholic saint. In this cabin there are two individuals, to whom we shall now direct the reader's attention. Tbe one is a pleasant-countenanced, good-humoured Krouman, who bad been christened " Pompey the Great ;" most probably on account of bis large proportions. He wears a pair of duck trousers ; the rest of his body is naked, and presents a sleek, glossy skin, covering muscles which an anatomist or a sculjitor would have viewed with admiration. The other is a youth of eighteen, or thereabouts, with an intelligent, handsome comitenance, evi- dently of European blood. There, is, however, an habitually mournful cast upon his features : he is dressed much in the same way as we have de- scribed the captain, but the costume hangs more gracefully upon his slender, yet well- formed limbs. He is seated on a sofa, fixed in the fore part of the cabin, with a book in bis band, which occasionally he refers to, and then lifts his eyes from, to watch the motions of the Kromnan, who is busy in the office of steward, arranging and cleaning the costly articles in the buffet. " Massa Francisco, dis really fine ting," said 74 TIIE PIRATE. Pompey, holding up a splendidly embossed tankard, whicti he had been rubbing. " Yes," replied Francisco, gravely ; " it is, in- deed, Pompey." " How Captain Cain came by dis ?" Francisco shook his head ; and Pompey put his finger up to his mouth, his eyes, full of meaning, fixed upon Francisco, At this moment the personage referred to was heard descending the companion-ladder. Pompey recommenced rubbing the silver, and Francisco dropped his eyes upon the book. What was the tie which appeared to bind the captain to this lad was not known ; but, as the latter had always accompanied, and lived alto- gether with him, it was generally supposed that he was the captain's son ; and he was as often designated by the crew as yomig Cain as he was by his Christian name of Francisco. Still it was observed, that latterly they had frequently been heard in altercation, and that the captain was very suspicious of Francisco's movements. " I beg I may not interrupt your conversation," said Cain, on entering the cabin ; " the information you may obtain from a Krouman must be very im- portant." Francisco made no reply, but appeared to be reading his book. Cain's eyes passed from one to the other, as if to read their thoughts. " Pray what were you saying, Mr Pompey ?" sleeper's bay. 75 " Me say, Massa Captain ? me only tell young Massa dis very fine ting ; ask where you get liim — Massa Francisco no tell." " And what might it be to you, you black scoundrel?" cried the captain, seizing the goblet, and striking the man with it a blow on the head which flattened the vessel, and at the same time felled the Krouman, powerful as he was, to the deck. The blood streamed, as the man slowly rose, stupified and trembling from the violent concussion. Without saying a word, he staggered out of the cabin, and Cain threw himself on one of the lockers in front of the standing bed-place, saying, with a bitter smile, " So much for your intimates, Francisco !" " Rather, so much for your cruelty and in- justice towards an imoffending man," replied Francisco, laying his book on the table. " His question was an innocent one, — for he knew not the particulars connected with the obtaining of that flagon." " And you, I presume, do not forget them ? Well, be it so, young man ; but I warn you again — as I have warned you often — nothing but the remembrance of your mother has prevented me, long before this, from throwing your body to the sharks." " What influence my mother's memory may have over you I know not ; I only regret that, iu 76 THE PIRATE. any way, she had the misfortime to be connected with you." " She had the influence," replied Cain, " which a woman must have over a man when they have for years swung in the same cot ; but that is wear- ing off fast. I tell you so candidly : I wiU not even allow even her memory to check me, if I find you continue your late course. You have sliown disaffection before the crew — you have disputed my orders — and I have every reason to believe that you are now plotting against me." "Can I do otherwise than show my abhorrence," replied Francisco, " when I witness such acts of horror, of cruelty — cold-blooded cruelty, as lately have been perpetrated ? Why did you bring me here ? and why do you now detain me ? All I ask is, that you will allow me to leave the vessel. You are not my father ; you have told me so." " No, I am not your father ; but — you are yoirr mother's son." " That gives you no right to have power over me, even if you had been married to my mother ; which " " I was not." " I thank God ; for marriage with you would have been even greater disgrace." " What !" cried Cain, starting up, seizing the young man by the neck, and Kfting him off his seat as if he had been a puppet ; " but no — I can- sleeper's bay. 77 not forget your mother." Cain released Francisco, and resumed his seat on the locker. " As you please," said Francisco, as soon as he had recovered himself ; " it matters little whether I am brained by your own hand, or launched over- board as a meal for the sharks ; it will be but one more murder." " Mad fool ! why do you tempt me thus ?" re- pKed Cain, again starting up and hastily quitting the cabin. The altercation which we have just described was not imheard on deck, as the doors of the cabia were open, and the skylight removed to admit the air. The face of Cain was flushed as he ascended the ladder. He perceived his chief mate standing by the hatchway, and many of the men, who had been slumbering abaft, vnth their heads raised on their elbows, as if they had been listening to the conversation below. " It will never do, sir," said Hawkhurst, the mate, shaking his head. " No," repKed the captain ; " not if he were my own son. But what is to be done ? — he knows no fear." Hawkhurst pointed to the entering port. " When I ask your advice, you may give it," said the captain, turning gloomily away. In the meantime, Francisco paced the cabin in deep thought. Yomig as he was, he was indifierent to death ; for he had no tie to render life precious. 78 THE PIRATE. He remembered his motlier, but not bcr demise ; that had been concealed from him. At the age of seven he had sailed with Cain in a slaver, and had ever since continued with him. Until lately, he had been led to suppose that the captain was his father. During the years that he had been in the slave-trade, Cain had devoted much time to his education : it so haj)pened, that the only book which could be found on board of the vessel, when Cain first commenced teaching, was a Bible belong- ing to Francisco's mother. Out of this book he learned to read ; and, as his education advanced, other books were procured. It may ajDpear strange that the very traffic in which his reputed father was engaged did not corrupt the boy's mind ; but, accustomed to it from his infancy, he had considered these negroes as another species, — an idea fully warranted by the cruelty of the Europeans towards them. There are some dispositions so natui'ally Idnd and ingenuous that even example and evil contact cannot debase them : such was the disposition of Francisco. A& he gained in years and knowledge, he thought more and more for himself, and had already become disgusted with the cruelties prac- tised upon the unfortunate negroes, when the slave- vessel was seized upon by Cain and converted into a pirate. At first, the enormities committed had not been so great ; vessels had been seized and plundered, but life had been spared. In the course sleeper's bay. 79 of crime, however, the descent is rapid : and as, from information given by those who had been re- leased, the schooner was more than once in danger of being captured, latterly no lives had been spared; and but too often the murders had been attended with deeds even more atrocious. Francisco had witnessed scenes of horror until his young blood curdled : he had expostulated to save, but in vain. Disgusted with the captain and the crew, and their deeds of cruelty, he had latterly expressed his opinions fearlessly, and defied the captain ; for, in the heat of an altercation, Cain had acknowledged that Francisco was not his son. Had any of the crew or officers expressed but a tithe of what had fallen from the bold lips of Francisco, they would have long before paid the forfeit of their temerity ; but there was a feeling towards Francisco which could not be stifled in the breast of Cain — it was the feeling of association and habit. The boy had been his companion for years ; and from assuetude had become, as it were, a part of himself. There is a principle in our natures which, even when that nature is most de- based, will never leave us — that of requiring some- thing to love, something to protect and watch over: it is shown towards a dog, or any other animal, if it cannot be lavished upon one of our own species. Such was the feeling which so forcibly held Cain towards Francisco ; such was the feeling which had hitherto saved his life. 80 THE PIRATE. After having paced up and down for some time, tlie youth took his seat on the locker which the captain had quitted : his eye soon caught the head of Pompey, who looked into the cabin and beckoned with his finger. Francisco rose, and, taking up a flagon from the buffet which contained some spirits, walked to the door, and, without sa}-ing a word, handed it to the Krouman. " Massa Francisco," whispered Pompey, "Pom- pey say — all Kroumen say — suppose they run away, you go too ? Pompey say — all Kroumen say — sup- pose they try kill you ? Nebber Idll you while one Kroimian alive." The negro then gently pushed Francisco back with his hand, as if not wishing to hear his answer, and hastened forward on the berth deck. CHAPTER VIII. THE ATTACK. In the meantime, the sea-breeze had risen in the offing, and was sweeping along the surface to where the schooner was at anchor. The captain ordered a man to the cross-trees, directing him to keep a good look-out, while he walked the deck in company with his first mate. " She may not have sailed until a day or two later," said the captain, continuing the conversa- tion ; " I have made allowance for that, and, depend upon it, as she makes the eastern passage we must soon fall in with her ; if she does not heave in sight this evening by daylight, I shall stretch out in the offing ; I know the Portuguese well. The sea- breeze has caught our craft ; let them rim up the inner jib, and see that she does not foul her anchor." It was now late in the afternoon, and dinner had been sent into the cabin ; the captain descend- 82 THE PIRATE. ed and took his seat at the table with Francisco, who ate in silence. Once or twice the captain, whose wrath had subsided, and whose kindly feel- ings towards Francisco, checked for a time, had re- turned with greater force, tried, but in vain, to rally him into conversation, when " Sail ho /" was shouted from the mast-head. " There she is, by G — d !" cried the captain, jumping from, and then, as if checking himself, immediately resimiing, his seat. Francisco put his hand to his forehead, cover- ing his eyes as his elbow leant upon the table. "A large ship, sir; we can see down to the second reef of her topsails," said Hawkhurst, look- ing down the sky-light. The captain hastily swallowed some wine from a flagon, cast a look of scorn and anger upon Fran- cisco, and rushed on deck. "Be smart, lads !" cried the captain, after a few seconds' survey of the vessel through his glass ; " that's her : furl the awnings, and two. the anchor up to the bows : there's more silver in that vessel, my lads, than your chests will hold ; and the good saints of the churches at Goa will have to wait a little longer for their gold candlesticks." The crew were immediately on the alert ; the awnings were furled, and all the men, stretching aft the spring cable, wallved the anchor up to the bows. In two minutes more the Avenger was standing out on the starboard tack, shaping her THE ATTACK. 83 course so as to cut off the ill-fated vessel. The breeze freshened, and the schooner darted through the smooth water with the impetuosity of a dolphin after its prey. In an hour the hull of the ship was plainly to be distinguished ; but the sun was near to the horizon, and before they could ascertain what their force might be, daylight had disap- peared. Whether the schooner had been perceived or not it was impossible to say ; at all events, the course of the ship had not been altered, and if she had seen the schooner, she evidently treated her with contempt. On board the Avenger they were not idle ; the long gun in the centre had been cleared from the incumbrances which surrounded it, the other guns had been cast loose, shot handed up, and everything prepared for action, with all the energy and discipline of a man-of-war. The chase had not been lost sight of, and the eyes of the pirate- captain were fixed upon her through a night-glass. In about an hour more the schooner was within a mile of the ship, and now altered her course so as to range up within a cable's length of her to leeward. Cain stood upon the gunwale and hailed. The answer was in Portuguese. " Heave to, or I'U sink you ! replied he in the same language. A general discharge from a broadside of carro- nades, and a heavy volley of muskets from the Portuguese, was the decided answer. The broad- side, too much elevated to hit the low hull of the G2 84 THE PIRATE. schooner, was still not without effect — the foretop- mast fell, the jaws of the main- gaff were severed, and a large proportion of the standing, as well as the running rigging, came rattling down on her decks. The volley of musketry was more fatal : thirteen of the pirates were wounded, some of them severely. " "Well done ! John Portuguese," cried Hawk- hurst ; "by the holy poker ! I never gave you credit for so much pluck." "Which they shall dearly pay for," was the cool reply of Cain, as he still remained in his ex- posed situation. " Blood for blood ! if I drink it," observed the second mate, as he looked at the crimson rivulet trickling down the fingers of his left hand from a wound in his arm — "just tie my handlcerchief round this, Bill." In the interim, Cain had desired his crew to elevate their guns, and the broadside was re- turned. "That will do, my lads: starboard; ease off the boomsheet ; let her go right roimd, Hawkhurst, — we cannot afford to lose our men." The schooner wore round, and ran astern of her opponent. The Portuguese on board the ship, imagining that the schooner, finding she had met with imex- pected resistance, had sheered off, gave a loud cheer. THE ATTACK. 85 " The last you will ever give, my fine fellows !" observed Cain, with a sneer. In a few moments the schooner had rim a mile astern of the ship. " Now then, Hawkhurst, let her come to and about ; man the long gun, and see that every shot is pitched into her, while the rest of them get up a new foretop-mast, and knot and splice the rigging." The schooner's head was again turned towards the ship ; her position was right astern, about a mile distant or rather more ; the long 32-pounder gun a-mid-ships was now regularly served, every shot passing through the cabin-windows, or some other part of the ship's stern, raking her fore and aft. In vain did the ship alter her course, and present her broadside to the schooner ; the latter was immediately checked in her speed, so as to keep the prescribed distance at which the carro- nades of the ship were useless, and the execution from the long gun decisive. The ship was at the mercy of the pirate ; and, as may be expected, no mercy was shown. For three hours did this murderous attack continue, when the gvm, which, as before observed, was of brass, became so heated that the pirate- captain desired his men to dis- continue. Whether the ship had surrendered or not it was impossible to say, as it was too dark to distinguish : while the long gun was served, the foretop-mast and main-gafi" had been shifted, and all the standing and running rigging made good ; 86 THE PIRATE. the schooner keeping her distance, and following in the wake of the ship until daylight, "We must now repair on board of the ship : she was an Indiaman ; one of the very few that oc- casionally are sent out by the Portuguese govern- ment to a coimtry which once owned their undi- vided sway, but in which, at present, they hold but a few miles of territory. She was bound to Goa, and had on board a small detachment of troops, a new governor and his two sons, a bishop and his niece, with her attendant. The sailing of a vessel with such a freight was a circumstance of rare oc- currence, and was, of course, generally bruited about long before her departure. Cain had, for some months, received all the necessary intelligence relative to her cargo and destination ; but, as usual with the Portuguese of the present day, delay upon delay had followed, and it was not until about three weeks previous that he had been assured of her im- mediate departure. He then ran down the coast to the bay we have mentioned that he might inter- cept her ; and, as the event has proved, showed his usual judgment and decision. The fire of the schooner had been most destructive ; many of the Indiamen's crew, as well as of the troops, had been mowed down one after another ; until, at last, find- ing that all their efforts to defend themselves were useless, most of those who were still unhurt had consulted their safety, and hastened down to the lowest recesses of the hold to avoid the rakinff and THE ATTACK. 8T destructive sliot. At tlie time that the schooner had discontinued her fire to allow the gun to cool, there was no one on deck but the Portuguese cap- tain and one old weather-beaten seaman who stood at the helm. Below, in the orlop-deck, the re- mainder of the crew and the passengers were huddled together in a small space : some were at- tending to the wounded, who were nimierous ; others were involdng the saints to their assistance; the bishop, a tall, dignified person, apparently nearly sixty years of age, was kneeling in the centre of the group, which was dimly lighted by two or three lanterns, at one time in fervent prayer, at anotlier, interrupted, that he might give absolu- tion to those wounded men whose spirits were de- j)arting, and who were brought down and laid be- fore him by their comrades. On one side of him knelt his orphan niece, a young girl of about seventeen years of age, watching his countenance as he prayed, or bending down with a look of pity and tearful eyes on her expiring countrymen, whose last moments were gladdened by his holy offices. On the other side of the bishop stood the governor, Don Philip de Ribiera, and his two sons, youths in their prime, and holding commissions in the king's service. There was melancholy on the brow of Don Ribiera ; he was prepared for, and he antici- pated, the worst. The eldest son had his eyes fixed upon the sweet countenance of Teresa de Silva — that very evening, as they walked together on the 88 THE PIRATE. deck, had tliey exchanged their vows — that very evening they had luxuriated in the present, and had dwelt with delightful anticipation on the future. But we must leave them and return on deck. The captain of the Portuguese ship had walked aft, and now went up to Antonio, the old seaman, who was standing at the wheel. " I still see her with the glass, Antonio, and yet she has not fired for nearly two hours ; do you think any accident has happened to her long gun? if so, we may have some chance." Antonio shook his head. " We have but little chance, I am afraid, my captain ; I knew by the ring of the gun, when she fired it, that it was brass ; indeed, no schooner could carry a long iron gim of that calibre. Depend upon it, she only waits for the metal to cool and daylight to return : a long gun or two might have saved us ; but now, as she has the advantage of us in heels, we are at her mercy." " What can she be — a French privateer ?" " I trust it may be so ; and I have promised a silver candlestick to St Antonio that it may prove no worse : we then may have some chance of see- ing our homes again ; but I fear not." " What, then, do you imagine her to be, Antonio?" " The pirate which we have heard so much of." " Jesu protect us ! we must then sell our lives as dearlv as we can." THE ATTACK. 89 "So I intend to do, my captain," replied Antonio, shifting the hehn a spoke. The day broke, and showed the schooner con- tinuing her pursiut at the same distance astern, without any apparent movement on board. It was not until the sun was some degrees above the hori- zon that the smoke was again seen to envelope her bows, and the shot crashed through the timbers of the Portuguese ship. The reason for this delay was, that the pirate waited till the sun was up to ascertain if there were any other vessels to be seen, previous to his pouncing on his quarry. The Portuguese captain went aft and hoisted his en- sign, but no flag was shown by the schooner. Again whistled the ball, and again did it tear up the decks of the unfortunate ship : many of those who had reascended to ascertain what was going ctti, now hastily sought their former retreat. " Mind the helm, Antonio," said the Portu- guese captain ; "I must go down and consult with the governor." " Never fear, my captain ; as long as these limbs hold together I will do my duty," replied the old man, exhausted as he was by long watching and fatigue. The captain descended to the orlop-deck, where he found the major part of the crew and passengers assembled. " My lords," said he, addressing the governor and bishop, "the schooner has not shown any 90 THE PIRATE. colours, althoiigli our own are hoisted. I am come down to know your pleasure. Defence we can make none ; and I fear that we are at the mercy of a jDirate." "A pirate!" ejaculated several, beating their breasts, and calling upon their saints. " Silence, my good peojjle, silence," quietly ob- served the bishop ; " as to what it may be best to do," continued he, turning to the captain, " I can- not advise ; I am a man of peace, and unfit to hold a place in a council of war, Don Ribiera, I must refer the point to you and your sous. Tremble not, my dear Teresa ; are we not under the pro- tection of the Almighty ? " " Holy Virgin, pity us ! " exclaimed Teresa. " Come, my sons," said Don Ribiera, " we will go on deck and consult : let not any of the men follow us ; it is useless risking lives which may yet be valuable." Dan Ptibiera and his sons followed the captain to the quarter-deck, and with him and Antonio they held a consultation. " We have but one chance," observed the old man, after a time : "let us haul down our colours as if in submission ; they will then range up along- side, and either board us from the schooner, or from their boats ; at all events, we shall find out what she is, and, if a pirate, we must sell our Kves as dearly as we can. If, when we haid down the colours, she ranges up alongside, as I expect she THE ATTACK. 91 will, let all the men be prepared for a desperate struggle." " You are right, Antonio," replied tte govern- or ; "go aft, captain, and liaid down the colours; — let us see what she does now. Down, my boys ! and prepare the men to do their duty." As Antonio had predicted, so soon as the colours were hauled down, the schooner ceased firing and made sail. She ranged up on the quarter of the ship, and up to her main peak soared the terrific black flag ; her broadside was poured into the Indiaman, and before the smoke had cleared away there was a concussion from the meeting sides, and the bearded pirates poured upon her decks. The crew of the Portuguese, with the detach- ment of troops, still formed a considerable body of men. The sight of the black flag had struck ice into every heart, but the feeKng was resolved into one of desperation. " Knives, men, knives ! " roared Antonio, rush- ing on to the attack, followed by the most brave. "Blood for blood!" cried the second mate, aiming a blow at the old man. " You have it," replied Antonio, as his knife entered the pirate's heart, while, at the same mo- ment, he fell and was himself a corpse. The struggle was deadly, but the nimibers and ferocity of the pirates prevailed. Cain rushed for- wai'd followed by Hawkhurst, bearing down all 92 THE PIRATE. who opposed them. Witli one blow from the pirate-captain the head of Don Ribiera was severed to the shoulder ; a second struck down the eldest son, while the sword of Hawkhurst passed through the body of the other. The Portuguese captain had already fallen, and the men no longer stood their ground. A general massacre ensued, and the bodies were thrown overboard as fast as the men were slaughtered. In less than five minutes there was not a living Portuguese on the bloody decks of the ill-fated ship. CHAPTER IX. THE CAPTURE. " Pass the word for not a man to go below, Hawkhiirst !" said the pirate-captain. " I have, sir ; and sentries are stationed at the hatchways. Shall we haul the schooner off?" " No, let her remain ; the breeze is faint al- ready : we shall have a calm in half an hour. Have we lost many men ?" " Only seven, that I can reckon ; but we have lost Wallace" (the second mate). " A little promotion will do no harm," replied Cain ; " take a dozen of our best men and search the ship, there are others alive yet. By the by, send a watch on board of the schooner ; she is left to the mercy of the Kroumen, and " " One who is better out of her," replied Hawk- hurst. " And those we find below " continued the mate. 94 THE PIRATE. " Alive !" " True ; we may else be puzzled where to find that portion of her cargo wliich suits us," said Hawkhurst, going down the hatchway to collect the men who were plundering on the main deck and in the captain's cabin. "Here, you Maltese ! up, there! and look well round if there is anything in sight," said the cap- tain, walking aft. Before Hawkhurst had collected the men and ordered them on board of the schooner, as usual in those latitudes, it had fallen a perfect calm. Where was Francisco during this scene of blood ? He had remained in the cabin of the schooner. Cain had more than once gone down to him, to persuade him to come on deck and assist at the boarding of the Portuguese, but in vain — ^his sole reply to the threats and solicitations of the pii*ate was, — " Do with me as you please — I have made up my mind — you know I do not fear death — so long as I remain on board of this vessel I will take no part in your atrocities. If you do respect my mother's memory, suffer her son to seek an honest and honourable livelihood." These words of Francisco were ringing in the ears of Cain as he walked up and down on the quarter-deck of the Portuguese vessel, and, de- based as he was, he could not help feeling that the youth was his equal in animal, and his suj^erior in THE CAPTURE, 95 mental courage — lie was arguing in his own mind upon the course he should pursue with respect to Francisco, when Hawkhurst made his appearance on deck, followed by his men, who dragged up six individuals who had escaped the massacre. These were the bishop ; his niece ; a Portuguese girl, her attendant ; the supercargo of the vessel ; a sacris- tan ; and a servant of the ecclesiastic : they were haided along the deck and placed in a row before the captain, who cast his eyes upon them in severe scrutiny. The bishop and his niece looked roimd, the one proudly meeting the eye of Cain, although he felt that his houi* was come ; the other carefidly avoiding his gaze, and glancing round to ascertain whether there were any other prisoners, and, if so, if her betrothed was amongst them ; but her eye discovered not what she sought — it was met only by the bearded faces of the pirate-crew, and the blood which bespattered the deck. She covered her face with her hands. " Bring that man forward," said Cain, pointing to the servant. " Who are you ? " "A servant of my lord tlje bishop." " And you ? " continued the captain. " A poor sacristan attending upon my lord the bishop." " And you ? " cried he to the thiri. " The supercargo of this vessel." " Put him aside, Hawkhurst ! " 96 THE PIRATE. " Do you want the others ? " inquired Hawk- hurst, significantly "No." Hawkhurst gave a signal to some of the pirates, who led away the sacristan and the servant. A stifled shriek and a heavy plunge in the water were heard a few seconds after. During this time, the pirate had been questioning the supercargo as to the contents of the vessel, and her stowage, when he was suddenly interrupted by one of the pirates, who, in a hurried voice, stated that the ship had received several shot between wind and water, and was sinking fast. Cain, who was standing on the slide of the carronade with his sword in his hand, raised his arm and struck the pirate a blow on his head with the hilt, which, whether intended or not, fractured his skull, and the man fell uj)on the deck. " Take that, babbler ! for your intelligence ; if these men are obstinate, we may have worked for nothing." The crew, who felt the truth of their captain's remark, did not appear to object to the punishment inflicted, and the body of the man was dragged away. " What mercy can we expect from those who show no mercy even to each other ? " observed the bishop, lifting up his eyes to heaven. " Silence ! " cried Cain, who now interrogated THE CAPTURE. 97 tlie supercargo as to the contents of the liold — the poor man answered as well as he could — "the plate! the money for the troops — where are they?" " The money for the troops is in the spirit-room, but of the plate I know nothing ; it is in some of the cases belonging to my lord the bishop." " Hawkhurst ! down at once into the spirit- room and see to the money ; in the mean time I will ask a few questions of this reverend father." "And the supercargo — do you want him an}'' more ? " " No ; he may go." The poor man fell do^^Ti on his knees in thank- fulness at what he considered his escape : he was dragged away by the pirates, and, it is scarcely necessary to add, that in a minute his body was torn to pieces by the sharks, who, scenting their prey from a distance, were now playing in shoals around the two vessels. The party on the quarter-deck were now (unper- ceived by the captain) joined by Francisco, who, hearing from the Krouman, Pompey, that there were prisoners still on board, and amongst them two females, had come over to plead the cause of mercy. " Most reverend father," observed Cain, after a short pause ; " you have many articles of value in this vessel ? " "None," replied the bishop, "except this poor 98 THE PIRATE. girl ; she is, indeed, beyond price, and will, I trust, be soon an angel in heaven." " Yet is this world, if what you preacli be true, a purgatory wliicli must be passed through pre- vious to arriving there, and that girl may think death a blessing compared to what she may expect if you refuse to tell me what I would know. You have good store of gold and silver ornaments for your churches — where are they ? " " They are among the packages intrusted to my care." " How many may you have in all ? " " A hundred, if not more." " Will you deign to inform me where I may find what I require ? " " The gold and silver are not mine, but are the property of that God to whom they have been de- dicated," replied the bishop. "Answer quickly; no more subterfuge, good sir. Where is it to be found ? " " I will not tell, thou blood-stained man ; at least, in this instance, there shall be disappoint- ment, and the sea shall swallow up those earthly treasures to obtain which thou hast so deeply im- brued thy hands. Pirate ! I repeat it, I will not teU." " Seize that girl, my lads ! " cried Cain ; " she is yours, do with her as you please." " Save me ! oh, save me ! " shi'ieked Teresa, clinging to the bishop's robe. THE CAPTURE. 99 The pirates advanced and laid hold of Teresa. Francisco bounded from where he stood behind the captain, and dashed away the foremost. " Are you men ? " cried he, as the pirates re- treated. " Holy sir, I honour you. Alas ! I can- not save you," continued Francisco, mournfully. " Yet will I try. On my knees — by the love you bore my mother — by the affection you once bore me — do not commit this horrid deed. My lads ! " continued Francisco, appealing to the pirates, "join with me and entreat your captain ; ye are too brave, too manly, to injure the helpless and the in- nocent — above all, to shed the blood of a holy man, and of this poor trembling maiden." There was a pause — even the pirates appeared to side ■udth Francisco, though none of them dared to speak. The muscles of the captain's face quivered with emotion, but from what source could not be ascertained. At this moment the interest of the scene was heightened. The girl who attended upon Teresa, crouched on her knees with terror, had been casting her fearful eyes upon the men which composed the pirate-crew ; suddenly she uttered a scream of de- light as she discovered among them one that she well knew. He was a young man, about twenty- live years of age, with little or no beard. He had been her lover in his more innocent days ; and she, for more than a year, had mourned him as dead, for the vessel in which he sailed had never been 100 THE PIRATE. heard of. It had been taken by the pirate, and, to save his life, he had joined the crew. " Filippo ! Filippo ! " screamed the girl, rush- ing into his arms. " Mistress ! it is Filippo ; and we are safe." Filippo instantly recognised her : the sight of her brought back to his memory his days of happi- ness and of innocence ; and the lovers were clasped in each other's arms. " Save them ! spare them ! — by the spirit of my mother ! I charge you," repeated Francisco, again appealing to the captain. " May God bless thee, thou good yoimg man ! " said the bishop, advancing and placing his hand upon Francisco's head. Cain answered not ; bvit his broad expanded chest heaved Avith emotion — when Hawkhurst burst into the group. " We are too late for the money, captain ; the water is already six feet above it. We must now try for the treasure." This intelligence appeared to check the current of the captain's feelings. "Now, in one word, sir," said he to the bishop, " where is the treasure ? Trifle not, or, by Heaven ! " " Name not Heaven," replied the bishop : " you have had my answer." The captain turned away, and gave some di- rections to Hawkhurst, who hastened below. THE CAPTURE. 101 "Remove that boy," said Cain to the pirates, pointing to Francisco. " Separate those two fools," continued he, looking towards Filippo and the girl, who were sobbing in each other's arms. " Never ! " cried Filippo. " Throw the girl to the sharks ! Do you hear ? Am I to be obeyed?" cried Cain, raising his cutlass. Filippo started up, disengaged himself from the girl, and, drawing his knife, rushed towards the captain to plunge it in his bosom. With the quickness of lightning the captain caught his uplifted hand, and, breaking his wrist, hurled him to the deck. " Indeed ! " cried he, with a sneer. " You shall not separate us," said Filippo, at- tempting to rise. "I do not intend it, my good lad," replied Cain. " Lash them both together and launch them overboard." This order was now obeyed ; for the pirates not only quailed before the captain's cool courage, but were indignant that his life had been attempt- ed. There was little occasion to tie the unhappy pair together ; they were locked so fast in each other's arms that it would have been impossible almost to separate them. In this state they were carried to the entering- port, and cast into the sea. " Monster ! " cried the bishop, as he heard the 102 THE PIRATE. splash, "thou wilt have a heavy reckoning for this." " Now bring these forward," said Cara, with a savage voice. The bishop and his niece were led to the gang- way, " What dost thou see, good bishop ? " said Cain, pointing to the discoloured water, and the rapid motion of the fins of the sharks, eager in the an- ticipation of a further supply. " I see ravenous creatures after their kind," re- plied the bishop, " who will, in all probability, soon tear asunder these poor limbs ; but I see no mon- ster like thyself. Teresa, dearest, fear not; there is a God, an avenging God, as well as a rewarding one." But Teresa's eyes were closed — she could not look upon the scene. " You have your choice ; first torture, and then your body to those sharks for your own portion : and as for the girl, this moment I hand her over to my crew." " Never ! " shrieked Teresa, springing from the deck and plimging into the wave. There was the splash of contention, the lashing of tails, until the water was in a foam, and then the dark colour gradually cleared away, and nought was to be seen but the pure blue wave and the still unsatiated monsters of the deep. " The screws — the screws ! quick ! we'll have THE CAPTURE. 103 the secret from liini," cried the pirate-captain, turmng to his crew, who, Tillains as they were, had been shocked at this last catastrophe. " Seize him!" " Touch him not ! " cried Francisco, standing on the hammock-nettings ; " touch him not ! if you are men." Boiling with rage, Cain, let go the arm of the bishop, drew his pistol, and levelled it at Francisco. The bishop threw up the arm of Cain as he fired ; saw that he had missed his aim, and clasping his hands, raised his eyes to heaven in thankfulness at Francisco's escape. In this position he was col- lared by Hawkhurst, whose anger overcame his discretion, and who hurled him through the enter- ing-port into the sea. " Officious fool ! " muttered Cain, when he per- ceived what the mate had done. Then, recollect- ing himself, he cried, — "Seize that boy and bring him here." One or two of the crew advanced to obey his orders ; but Pompey and the Kroumen, who had been attentive to what was going on, had collected round Francisco, and a scuffle ensued. The pirates, not being very determined, nor very anxious to take Francisco, allowed him to be hurried away in the centre of the Kroumen, who bore him safely to the schooner. In the mean time Hawkhurst, and the major part of the men on board of the ship, had been 104 THE riRATE. tearing up the hold to obtain tlie valuables, but without success. The water had now reached above the orlop-deck, and all further attempts were unavailing. The ship was settKng fast, and it be- came necessary to quit her, and haul off the schooner, that she might not be endangered by the vortex of the sinking vessel. Cain and Hawkhurst, with their disappointed crew, returned on board the schooner, and before they had succeeded in detach- ing the two vessels a cable's length, the ship went down with all the treasure so coveted. The indig- nation and rage which were expressed by the cap- tain as he rapidly wall^cd the deck in company with his first mate — his violent gesticulations — proved to the crew that there was mischief brew- ing. Francisco did not return to the cabin ; he remained forward with the Kroumen, who, although but a small portion of the ship's company, were known to be resolute and not to be despised. It was also observed that all of them had supplied themselves with arms, and were collected forward, huddled together, watching every motion and man- oeuvre, and talking rapidly in their own language. The schooner was now steered to the north-westward under all press of sail. The sun again disappeared, but Francisco returned not to the cabin — he went below, surrounded by the Kroumen, who appeared to have devoted themselves to his protection. Once during the night Hawkhurst summoned them on deck, but they obeyed not the order ; and to the THE CAPTURE. 105 expostulation of the boatswain's mate, wlio came down, tliey made no reply. But there were many of the pirates in the schooner who appeared to comcide with the Kroumen in their regard for Francisco. There are shades of villany in the most profligate of societies ; and among the pirate's crew some were not yet wholly debased. The foul murder of a holy man — the cruel fate of the beau- tiful Teresa — and the barbarous conduct of the captain towards Filippo and his mistress, were deeds of an atrocity to which even the most hard- ened were unaccustomed. Francisco's pleadings in behalf of mercy were at least no crime ; and yet they considered that Francisco was doomed. He was a general favourite ; the worst-disposed of the pirates, with the exception of Hawkhurst, if they did not love, could not forbear respecting him ; al- though at the same time they felt that if Francisco remained on board the power even of Cain himself would soon be destroyed. For many months Hawk- hurst, who detested the youth, had been most ear- nest that he should be sent out of the schooner. jN^ow he pressed the captain for his removal in any way, as necessary for their mutual safety, pointing out to Cain the conduct of the Kromnen, and his fears that a large proportion of the ship's company were equally disaffected. Cain felt the truth of Hawkhurst's representation, and he went down to his cabin to consider upon what shoidd be done. It was past midnight, when Cain, worn out 106 THE PIRATE. with the conflicting passions of the day, fell into an uneasy slumber. His dreams were of Francis- co's mother — she appeared to him pleading for her son, and Cain "babbled in his sleep." At this time Francisco, with Pompey, had softlj^ crawled aft, that they might obtain, if they found the cap- tain asleep, the pistols of Francisco, with some ammunition. Pompey slipped in first, and started back when he heard the captain's voice. They re- mained at the cabin-door listening. "No — no," muttered Cain, " he must die — useless — plead not, woman ! — I know I murdered thee — plead not, he dies ! " In one of the sockets of the silver lamp there was a lighted wick, the rays of which were suffi- cient to afibrd a dim view of the cabin. Francisco, overhearing the words of Cain, stepped in, and walked up to the side of the bed. " Boy ! plead not," continued Cain, lying on his back and breath- ing heavily — " plead not — woman ! — to-morrow he dies." A pause ensued, as if the sleeping man was listening to a reply. " Yes ; as I murdered thee, so will I murder him." " Wretch ! " said Francisco, in a low, solemn voice, " didst thou kill my mother ? " " I did — I did ! " responded Cain, still sleep- ing. " And why ? " continued Francisco, who, at this acknowledgment on the part of the sleeping captain, was careless of discovery. THE CAPTURE, 107 " In my mood she vexed me," answered Cain. ** Fiend ; thou hast then confessed it ! " cried Francisco in a loud voice, which awoke the captain, who started up ; but before his senses were well recovered, or his eyes open so as to distinguish their forms, Pompey struck out the light, and all Avas darkness : he then put his hand to Francisco's mouth, and led him out of the cabin. " "Who's there ? — who's there ? " cried Cain. The officer in charge of the deck hastened down. " Did you call, sir ? " " Call ! " repeated the captain. " I thought there was some one in the cabin. I want a light — that's all," continued he, recovering himself, as he wiped the cold perspiration from his fore- head. In the mean time Francisco, with Pompey, had gained his former place of refuge with the Krou- men. The feelings of the young man changed from agony to revenge ; his object in returning to the cabin to recover his weapons had been frustrat- ed, but his determination now was to take the life of the captain if he possibly could. The following morning the Kroumen again refused to work or go on deck ; and the state of affairs was reported by Hawkhurst to his chief. The mate now assumed another tone ; for he had sounded not the majority but the most steady and influential men on board, who, like himself, were veterans in crime. 108 THE riRATE. "It must be, sir ; or you will no longer com- mand this vessel. I am desired to say so." " Indeed ! " replied Cain, with a sneer. " Per- haps you have already chosen my successor ? " Hawkhurst perceived that he had lost ground, and he changed his manner. " I speak but for yourself : if you do not command this vessel I shall not remain in her : if you quit her, I quit also ; and we must find another." Cain was pacified, and the subject was not re. newed. " Turn the hands up," at last said the captain. The pirate-crew assembled aft. " My lads, I am sorry that our laws oblige me to make an example ; but mutiny and disaffection must be punished. I am equally bound as your- selves by the laws which we have laid down for our guidance while we sail together; and you may believe that in doing my duty in this instance I am guided by a sense of justice, and wish to prove to you that I am worthy to command. Francisco has been with, me since he was a child ; he has lived with me, and it is painful to part with him : but I am here to see that our laws are put in force. He has been guilty of repeated mutiny and con- tempt, and — he must die." " Death ! death ! " cried several of the pirates in advance : " death and justice ! " " No more murder ! " said several voices from behind. THE CAPTURE. 109 " Who's that that speaks ? " " Too much murder yesterday — no more mur- der ! " shouted several voices at once. " Let the men come forward who speak," cried Cain, with a withering look. No one obeyed this order. "Down, then, my men ! and bring up Francisco." The whole of the pirate-crew hastened below, but with different intentions ; some were deter- mined to seize Francisco, aiid hand him over to death — others to protect him. A confused noise was heard — the shouts of " Doion, and seize him ! " opposed to those of " No murder ! iVb murder ! " Both parties had snatched up their arms ; those who sided with Francisco joined the Kroumen, whilst the others also hastened below to bring him on deck. A slight scufEe ensued before they separ- ated, and ascertained by the separation the strength of the contending parties. Francisco, perceiving that he was joined by a large body, desired his men to follow him, went up the fore-ladder, and took possession of the forecastle. The pirates on his side suppKed him with arms, and Francisco stood forward in advance. Hawkhurst, and those of the crcAV who sided with him, had retreated to the quarter-deck, and raUied round the captain, who leaned against the capstern. They were then able to estimate their comparative strength. The nmn- ber, on the whole, preponderated in favour of Fran- cisco ; but on the captain's side were the older and 110 THE PIRATE. more athletic of tlie crew, and, we may add, the more determined. Still, the captain and Hawk- hurst perceived the danger of their situation, and it was thought ad\dsable to parley for the present, and wreak their vengeance hereafter. For a few minutes there was a low consultation between both parties ; at last Cain advanced. " My lads," said he, addi-essing those who had rallied round Francisco, " I little thought that a fire- brand would have been cast in this vessel to set us all at variance. It was my duty, as your captain, to propose that our laws should be enforced. Tell me, now what it is that you wish. I am only here as your captain, and to take the sense of the whole crew. I have no animosity against that lad; I have loved him — I have cherished him ; but like a viper, he has stung me in return. Instead of being in arms against each other, ought we not to be united ? I have, therefore, one proposal to make to you, which is this : let the sentence go by vote, or ballot, if you please ; and whatever the sentence may be, I shall be guided by it. Can I say more ?" " My lads," replied Francisco, when the captain had done speaking, "I think it better that you should accept this proposal rather than that blood should be shed. My life is of little consequence ; say, then, will you agree to the vote, and submit to those laws, which, as the captain says, have been laid down to regidate the discipline of the vessel ?" The pirates on Francisco's side looked roimd THE CAPTURE. HI among their party, and, perceiving that they were the most numerous, consented to the proposal ; but Hawkhurst stepped forward and observed : " Of course, the Kroumen can have no votes, as they do not belong to the vessel." This objection was important, as they amounted to twenty-five, and, after that number was deduct- ed, in aU probability, Francisco's adlierents would have been in the minority. The pirates, with Francisco, objected, and again assumed the attitude of defence. " One moment," said Francisco, stepping in advance ; " before this point is settled, I wish to take the sense of all of you as to another of your laws. I ask you, Hawkhurst, and all who are now opposed to me, whether you have not one law, which is, Blood for hlood ? " " Yes — yes," shouted all the pirates. " Then let your captain stand forward, and an- swer to my charge, if he dares." Cain cuiied his lip in derision, and walked within two yards of Francisco. " Well, boy, I'm here ; and what is your charge ? " "Fii'st — I ask you. Captain Cain, who are so anxious that the laws should be enforced, whether you acknowledge that ' Blood for blood ' is a just law?" " Most just : and, when shed, the party who revenges is not amenable." 112 THE PIRATE. " 'Tis well : then, villain that thou art, answer — Didst thou not murder my mother ? " Cain, at this accusation, started. " Answer the truth, or lie like a recreant ! " repeated Francisco. " Did you not murder my mother ? " The captain's lij)s and the muscles of his face quivered, but he did not reply. " Blood for hlood ! " cried Francisco, as he fired his pistol at Cain, who staggered, and fell on the deck. Hawkhurst and several of the pirates hastened to the captain, and raised him. " She must have told him last night," said Cain, speaking with difficulty, as the blood flowed from the woimd. " He told me so himself," said Francisco, turn- ing round to those who stood by him. Cain was taken down into the cabin. On ex- ammation, his wound was not mortal, although the loss of blood had been rapid and very great. In a few minutes Hawkhurst joined the party on the quarter-deck. . He found that the tide had turned more in Francisco's favour than he had expected ; the law of " Blood for blood " was held most sacred : indeed, it was but the knowledge that it was solemnly recognised, and that, if one pirate wounded another, that other was at liberty to take his life, without punishment, which prevented con- stant affrays between parties, whose knives would THE CAPTURE. 113 otlierwise have been the answer to every affront. It was a more debased law of duelling, which kept such profligate associates on good terms. Finding, therefore, that this feeling predominated, even among those who were opposed to Francisco on the other question, Hawkhui'st thought it advisable to parley. " Hawkhurst," said Francisco, " I have but one request to make, which, if complied with, will put an end to this contention ; it is, that you will put me on shore at the first land that we make. If you and your party engage to do this, I will desire those who support me to return to their obedience." " I grant it," replied Hawkhurst ; " and so will the others. Will you not, my men ? " "Agreed — agreed upon all sides," cried the pirates, throwing away their weapons, and ming- ling with each other, as if they had never been opposed. There is an old saying, that there is honour amongst thieves ; and so it often proves. Every man in the vessel knew that this agreement would be strictly adhered to ; and Francisco now walked the deck with as much composure as if nothing had occurred. Hawkhurst, who was aware that he must fulfil his promise, carefully examined the charts when he went down below, came up and altered the course of the schooner two points more to the northward. The next morning he was up at the mast-head nearly I 114 THE PIRATE. half an hour, when he descended, and again altered the course. By nine o'clock, a low sandy island ajDpeared on the lee bow ; when within half a mile of it, he ordered the schooner to be hove to, and lowered down the small boat from the stern. He then turned the hands up. " My lads, we must keep our promise, to put Francisco on shore at the first land which we made. There it is ! " And a malicious smile played on the miscreant's features as he pointed out to them the barren sand-bank, which promised nothing but starvation and a lin- gering death. Several of the crew murmured ; but Hawkhurst was supported by his own party, and had, moreover, taken the precaution quietly to re- move all the arms, with the exception of those with which his adherents were provided. " An agreement is an agreement ; it is what he requested himself, and we promised to perform. Send for Francisco." " I am here, Hawkhurst ; and I tell you can- didly, that, desolate as is that barren spot, I prefer it to remaining in your company. I will bring my chest up immediately." " No — no ; that was not a part of the agree- ment," cried Hawkhurst. " Every man here has a right to his own pro- perty. I appeal to the whole of the crew." " True — true," replied the pirates ; and Hawk- hurst found himself again in the minority. " Be it so." THE CAPTURE. 115 The chest of Francisco was handed into the boat. " Is that all ? " cried Hawkhurst. *' My lads, am I to have no pro^asions or water ? " inquired Francisco. " No," replied Hawkhurst. " Yes — yes," cried most of the pirates. Hawkhvirst did not dare put it to the vote ; he turned sidkily away. The Kroumen brought up two breakers of water, and some pieces of pork. " Here, massa," said Pompey, pvitting into Francisco's hand a fishing-line with hooks. " Thank you, Pompey ; but I had forgot — that book in the cabin — you know which I mean." Pompey nodded his head, and went below ; but it was some time before he returned, during which Hawkhurst became impatient. It was a very smaU boat which had been lowered down ; it had a lug- sail and two pair of sculls in it, and was quite full when Francisco's chest and the other articles had been put in. " Come ! I have no time to wait," said Hawk- hurst ; "in the boat!" Francisco shook hands with many of the crew, and wished all of them farewell. Indeed, now that they beheld the poor lad about to be cast on a desolate island, even those most opposed to him felt some emotions of pity. Although they acknow- ledged that his absence was necessar}^, yet they I 2 116 THE PIRATE. knew his detei-mined courage ; and with them that quality was always a strong appeal. " A\Tio will row this lad ashore, and bring the boat off?" " Not I," replied one ; " it would haunt me ever afterwards." So they all appeared to think, for no one volun- teered. Francisco jumped into the boat. " There is no room for any one but me ; and I will row myself on shore," cried he. " Farewell, my lads ! farewell ! " " Stop ! not so ; he must not have the boat — he may escape from the island," cried Hawkhurst. " And why shoiddn't he, poor fellow ? " replied the men. " Let him have the boat." "Yes — yes, let him have the boat;" and Hawkhurst was again overruled. " Here, Massa Francisco — here de book." " What's that, sir ? " cried Hawkhurst, snatch- ing the book out of Pompey's hand. " Him, massa, Bible." Francisco waited for the book. " Shove off ! " cried Hawkhurst. " Give me my book, Mr Hawkhurst ! " " No ! " replied the malignant rascal, tossing the Bible over the taffrail ; "he shall not have that. I've heard say that there is consolation in it for the offiidedr Francisco shoved off his boat, and, seizing his THE CAPTURE. 117 sculls, pushed astern, picked up the book, which still floated, and laid it to dry on the after-thwart of the boat. He then pulled in for the shore. In the mean time the schooner had let draw her fore- sheet, and had already left him a quarter of a mile astern. Before Francisco had gained the sand- bank she was hidl-down to the northward. CHAPTER X. THE SAND-BANK. The first half hour that Francisco was on this desolate spot he watched the receding schooner : his thoughts were unconnected and vague. Wan- dering through the various scenes which had passed on the decks of that vessel, and recalling to his me- mory the different characters of those on board of her, much as he had longed to quit her — disgusted as he had been with those with whom he had been forced to associate — still, as her sails grew fainter and fainter to his view, as she increased her dis- tance, he more than once felt that even remaining on board of her would have been preferable to his present deserted lot. " 'No, no ! " exclaimed he, after a little further reflection, " I had rather perish here, than continue to witness the scenes which I have been forced to behold." He once more fixed his eyes upon her white sails, and then sat down on the loose sand, and re- THE SAND-BANK. 119 mained iu deep and melancholy reverie until the scorching heat reminded him of his situation ; he afterwards rose and tm-ned his thoughts upon his present situation, and to what would be the mea- sures most advisable to take. He hauled liis little boat still farther on the beach, and attached the painter to one of the oars, which he fixed deep in the sand ; he then proceeded to survey the bank, and found that but a small portion was uncovered at high- water ; for, trifling as was the rise of the tide, the bank was so low that the water flowed al- most over it. The most elevated part was not more than fifteen feet above high-water mark, and that Avas a small knoU of about fifty feet in circumfer- ence. To this part he resolved to remove his efiects : he returned to the boat, and having lifted out his chest, the water, and provisions, with the other articles which he had obtained, he dragged them up, one by one, until they were all collected at the spot he had chosen. He then took out of the boat the oars and little sail, which, fortunately, had re- mained in her. His last object, to haul the little boat up to the same spot, was one which demanded all his exertion ; but, after considerable fatigue, he contrived, by first lifting round her bow, and then her stern, to cflect his object. Tired and exhausted, he then repaired to one of the breakers of water and refreshed himself. The heat, as the day advanced, had become intoler- 120 THE PIRATE. able ; but it stimulated him to fresb exertion . He turned over the boat, and contrived that the bow and stern should rest upon two little hillocks, so as to raise it above the level of the sand beneath it two or three feet ; he sj)read out the sail from the keel above, with the thole-pins as pegs, so as to keep oiF the rays of the sun. Dragging the breakers of water and the provisions underneath the boat, he left his chest outside ; and having thus formed for himself a sort of covering which would protect him from the heat of the day and the damp of the night, he crept in, to shelter him- self until the evening. Although Francisco had not been on deck, he knew pretty well whereabouts he then was. Taking out a chart from his chest, he examined the coast to ascertain the probable distance which he might be from any prospect of succour. He calculated that he was on one of a patch of sand- banks off the coast of Loango, and about seven hundred miles from the Isle of St Thomas — the nearest place where he might expect to fall in with an Em-opean face. From the coast he felt certain that he could not be more than forty or fifty miles at the most ; but coidd he trust himself among the savage natives who inhabited it ? He knew how ill they had been treated by Europeans ; for, at that period, it was quite as common for the slave- trader to land and take the inhabitants away as slaves by force, as to purchase them in the more THE SAND-BANK. 121 nortlieni territories : still, lie miglit be fortunate enough to fall in ■^'ith some trader on the coast, as there were a few who still carried on a barter for gold-dust and ivory. We do not know — we cannot conceive a situa- tion much more deplorable than the one we have just described to have been that of Francisco. Alone — without a chance of assistance — with only a sufficiency of food for a few days, and cut off from the rest of his fellow-creatures, with only so much terra jirma as woidd prevent his being swallowed up by the vast, tmfathomable ocean, into which the horizon fell on every side around him ! And his chance of escape how small ! Hundreds of miles from any from whom he might expect assistance, and the only means of reaching them a small boat — a mere cockle-shell, which the first rough gale would inevitably destroy. Such, indeed, were the first thoughts of Fran- cisco ; but he soon recovered from his despondency. He was young, courageous, and buoyant with hope ; and there is a feeling of pride — of trust in our own resources and exertions, which increases and stimulates us in proportion to our danger and difficidty ; it is the daring of the soul, pro\ang its celestial origin and eternal duration. So intense was the heat that Francisco almost panted for sufficient air to support life, as he lay imder the shade of the boat during the whole of that day ; not a breath of wind disturbed tho 122 THE PIRATE. glassy wave — all nature appeared hushed into one horiible calm. It was not until the shades of night were covering the soKtude that Francisco ventured forth from his retreat ; but he found little relief; there was an unnatural closeness in the air — a suffocation unusual even in those climes. Francisco cast his eyes up to the vault of heaven, and was astonished to find that there were no stars visible — a grey mist covered the whole firmament. He directed his view downwards to the horizon, and that, too, was not to be defined ; there was a dark bank all around it. He walked to the edge of the sand-bank ; there was not even a ripple — the wide ocean appeared to be in a trance, in a state of lethargy or stupor. He parted the hair from his feverish brow, and once more surveying the horrible, lifeless, stagnant waste, his soul sickened, and he cast himself upon the sand. There he lay for many hours in a state bordering upon wild despair. At last he recovered himself, and, rising to his knees, he prayed for strength and submission to the will of Heaven. When he was once more upon his feet, and had again scanned the ocean, he perceived that there w^as a change rapidly approaching. The dark bank on the horizon had now risen higher up ; the opaqueness was everj^iere more dense ; and low murmurs were heard, as if there was wind stirring aloft, although the sea was still glassy as a lake. Signs of some movement about to take THE SAND-BAXK. 123 place were evident, and tlie solitary youtli watched and watched. And now the sounds increased, and here and there a wild thread of air — whence com- ing, who could tell ? and as rapidly disappear- ing — would ruffle, for a second, a portion of the stagnant sea. Then came whizzing sounds and moans, and then the rimibling noise of distant thunder — loud and louder yet — still louder — a broad black Kne is seen sweeping along the expanse of water — fearfid in its rapidity it comes ! — and the hurricane burst, at once and with all its force, and all its terrific soimds, upon the isolated Fran- cisco. The first blast was so powerfid and so imex- pected that it threw him down, and prudence dic- tated to him to remain in that position, for the loose sand was swept off and whirled in such force as to blind and prevent his seeing a foot from him ; he would have crawled to the boat for security, but he knew not in which direction to proceed. But this did not last ; for now the water was borne up upon the strong wings of the hurricane, and the sand was rendered firm by its saturation with the element. Francisco felt that he was drenched, and he raised his head. All he could discover was, that the firmament was mantled with darkness, horrible from its intensity, and that the sea was in one ex- tended foam — boiling everywhere, and white as 124 THE PIRATE. milk — but still smooth, as if the power of the wind had compelled it to be so ; but the water had encroached, and one half the sand-bank was covered with it, while over the other the foam whirled, each portion chasing the other with wild rapidity. And now the windows of heaven were opened, and the rain, mingled with the spray caught up by the hurricane, was dashed and hurled upon the forlorn youth, who still lay where he had been first thrown down. But of a sudden, a wash of water told him that he could there remain no longer: the sea was rising — rising fast ; and before he could gain a few paces on his hands and knees, another wave, as if it chased him in its wrath, repeated the warning of his extreme danger, and he was obliged to rise on his feet and hasten to the high part of the sand-bank, where he had drawn up his boat and his provisions. Blinded as he was by the rain and spray, he could distinguish nothing. Of a sudden, he fell violently ; he had stumbled over one of the break- ers of water, and his head struck against his sea- chest. Where, then, was the boat ? It was gone ! — it must have been swept away by the fury of the wind. Alas, then, all chance was over ! and, if not washed away by the angry waters, he had but to prolong his existence but a few days, and then to die. The effect of the blow he had re- THE SAND-BANK. 125 ceived on his forehead, with the shock of mind occasioned by the disappearance of the boat, over- powered him, and he remained for some time in a state of insensibility. When Francisco recovered, the scene was again changed ; the wdde expanse was now in a state of wild and fearful commotion, and the waters roared as loud as did the hurricane. The whole sand- bank, with the exception of that part on which he stood, was now covered with tumultuous foam, and his place of refuge was occasionally invaded, when some vast mass, o'erlording the other waves, ex- pended all its fury, even to his feet. Francisco prepared to die ! But gradually the darkness of the heavens dis- appeared, and there was no longer a bank upon the horizon, and Francisco hoped — alas ! hoped what ? — that he might be saved from the present im- pending death to be reserved for one still more horrible ; to be saved from the fury of the waves, which would swallow him uj), and in a few seconds remove him from all pain and suffering, to perish for want of sustenance under a burning sun ; to be withered — to be parched to death — calling in his agony for water ; and as Francisco thouglit of this he covered his face with his hands, and prayed, " Oh, God ! thy will be done ! but, in thy mercy, raise, still higher raise the waters ! " But the waters did not rise hi":her. The howl- 126 THE PIRATE. ing of tlie wind gradually decreased, and tlie foaming seas had obeyed the Divine injunction — they had gone so far, but no farther ! And the day dawned, and the sky cleared ; and the first red tints, announcing the return of light and heat, had appeared on the broken horizon, when the eyes of the despairing youth were directed to a black mass on the tumultuous waters. It was a vessel, with but one mast standing, rolling heavily, and running before the gale right on for the sand-bank where he stood ; her hull, one moment borne aloft, and the next disappearing from his view in the hollow of the agitated waters. " She will be dashed to pieces ! " thought Francisco ; " she will be lost ! — they cannot see the bank ! " And he would have made a signal to her, if he had been able, to warn her of her danger, forgetting at the time his own desolate situation. As Francisco watched, the sun rose, bright and joyous, over this scene of anxiety and pain. On came the vessel, flpng before the gale, while the seas chased her as if they would fain overwhelm her. It was fearful to see her scud — agonizing to know that she was rushing to destruction. At last he coidd distinguish those on board. He waved his hand, but they perceived him not ; he shouted, but his voice was borne away by the gale. On came the vessel, as if doomed. She was within two cables' length of the bank when those THE SAND-BANK. 127 on board perceived their danger. It was too late ! — they had rounded her to — another, and another wave hurled her towards the sand. She struck ! — her only remaining mast fell over the side, and the roaring waves hastened to complete their work of destruction and of death ! CHAPTEE XI. THE ESCAPE. Francisco's eyes were fixed upon the vessel, over which the sea now broke with terrific vio- lence. There appeared to be about eight or nine men on her deck, who sheltered themselves under the weather bulwarks. Each wave, as it broke against her side and then dashed in foam over her, threw her, with a convulsive jerk, still further on the sand-bank. At last she was so high up that their fury was partly spent before they dashed against her frame. Had the vessel been strong and well built — had she been a collier coasting the English shores — there was a fair chance that she might have withstood the fury of the storm until it had subsided, and that by remaining on board, the crew might have survived ; but she was of a very diiferent mould, and, as Francisco justly sur- mised, an American brig, built for swift sailing, THE ESCAPE. 129 very sharp, and, moreover, very sliglitly put to- gether. Francisco's eyes, as may easily be supposed, were never removed from the only object which could now interest him — the unexpected appear- ance and imminent danger of his fellow-creatures at this desolate spot. He perceived that two of the men went to the hatches, and slid them over to leeward : they then descended, and although the seas broke over the vessel, and a large quantity of water must have poured into her, the hatches were not put on again by those who remained on deck. But in a few minxites this mystery was solved ; one after another at first, and then by dozens, poured forth, out of the hold, the kid- napped Africans who composed her cargo. In a short time the decks were covered ^^dth them : the poor creatures had been released by the humanity of two of the English sailors, that they might have the same chance with themselves of sa\'in2r their lives. Still, no attempt was made to quit the vessel. Huddled together, like a flock of sheep, with the wild Avaves breaking over them, there they all remained, both European and African ; and as the heav}^ blows of the seas upon the sides of the vessel careened and shook her, they were seen to cling, in eveiy direction, with no distinction between the captured and their oppressors. But this scene was soon ©hanged ; the frame of 130 THE riRATE. tlie vessel could no longer witlistancl the violence of tlie waves, and as Francisco watched, of a sud- den it was seen to divide a-midships, and each por- tion to turn over. Then was the struggle for life ; hundreds were floating on the raging element, and wrestling for existence, and the white foam of the ocean was dotted by the black heads of the negroes who attempted to gain the bank. It was an awful, terrible scene, to witness so many at one moment tossed and dashed about by the waves — so many fellow-beings threatened with eternity. At one moment they were close to the beach, forced on to it by some tremendous wave ; at the next, the receding water and the imdertow swept them all back ; and of the many who had been swimming, one half had disappeared to rise no more. Fran- cisco watched with agony as he perceived that the number decreased, and that none had yet gained the shore. At last he snatched up the haulyards of his boat's sail which were near him, and hasten- ed down to the spot to afford such succour as might be possible ; nor were his efforts in vain. As the seas washed the apparently inanimate bodies on shore, and would then have again swept them away to return them in mockery, he caught hold of them and dragged them safe on the bank, and thus did he continue his exertions until fifteen of the bodies of the negroes were spread upon the beach. Although exhausted and senseless, they were not dead, and long before he had dragged up THE ESCAPE. 131 tlie last of the number, many of those previously- saved had, without any other assistance than the heat of the sun, recovered from their insensi- bility. Francisco would have continued his task of hiimanity, but the parted vessel had now been riven into fragments by the force of the waves, and the whole beach was strewed with her timbers and her stores, which were dashed on shore by the waters, and then swept back again by the return. In a short time the severe blows he received from these fragments disabled him from further exertion, and he sanlc exhausted on the sand ; indeed, all further attempts were useless. All on board the vessel had been launched into the sea at the same moment, and those who were not now on shore were past all succour. Francisco walked up to those who had been saved : he found twelve of them were recovered and sitting on their hams ; the rest were still in a state of insensibilitj^. He then went up to the knoll, where his chest and pro\dsions had been placed, and, throwing hunself down by them, surveyed the scene. The wind had lulled, the sun shone brightly, and the sea was much less violent. The waves had subsided, and, no longer hurried on by the force of the hurricane, broke majestically and solemnly, but not with the wildness and force which, but a few hours before, they had displayed. The whole of the beacli was strewed with the K 2 132 THE PIRATE. fragments of the vessel, with spars and water - casks ; and at every moment was to be observed the corpse of a negro turning round and round in the froth of the wave, and then disappearing. For an hour did he watch and reflect, and then he walked again to where the men who had been rescued were sitting, not more than thirty yards fi'om him ; they were sickly, emaciated forms, but belonging to a tribe who inhabited the coast, and who having been accustomed from their infancy to be all the day in the water, had supported them- selves better than the other slaves, who had been procured from the interior, or the European crew of the vessel, all of whom had perished. The Africans appeared to recover fast by the heat of the sun, so oppressive to Francisco, and were now exchanging a few words with each other. The whole of them had revived, but those who were most in need of aid were neglected by the others. Francisco made signs to them, but they imderstood him not. He returned to the knoll, and pouring out water into a tin pan from the breaker, brought it down to them. He offered it to one, who seized it eagerly ; water was a luxury seldom obtained in the hold of a slave-vessel. The man drank deeply, and woxild have di^ained the cup, but Francisco prevented him, and held it to the lips of another. He was obliged to refill it three times before they had all been supplied : he then brought them a handful of biscuit, and left THE ESCAPE. 133 tliem, for he reflected that, without some precau- tions, the whole sustenance would be seized hj them and devoured. He buried half- a- foot deep, and covered over with sand, the breakers of water and the pro'sdsions, and by the time he had finished this task, unperceived by the negroes, who still squatted together, the svm had simk below the horizon. Francisco had already matured his plans, which were, to form a raft out of the frag- ments of the vessel, and with the assistance of the negroes attempt to gain the mainland. He lay down, for the second night, on this eventful spot of desolation, and commending himself to the Almighty protection was soon in a deep slumber. It was not until the powerful rays of the sim blazed on the eyes of the youth that he awoke, so tired had he been Avith the anxiety and fatigue of the preceding day, and the sleepless harrowing night which had introduced it. He rose and seated himself upon his sea-chest : how different was the scene from that of yesterdaj'^ ! Again the ocean slept, the sky was serene, and not a cloud to be distinguished throughout the whole firmament ; the horizontal line was clear, even, and well defined : a soft breeze just rippled over the dark blue sea, which now had retired to its fonner boundary, and left the sand-bank as extended as when first Francisco had been put on shore. But here the beauty of the landscape terminated : the foregroimd was horrible to look upon ; the whole 134 THE PIRATE. of the beacli was covered with the timbers of the wreck, with water- casks, and other articles, in some parts heaj)ed and thrown up one upon another; and among them lay jammed and man- gled the bodies of the many who had perished. In other parts there were corpses thrown up high and dry, or still rolling and turning to the rip- pling wave : it was a scene of desolation and of death. The negroes who had been saved were all hud- dled up together, apparently in deep sleep, and Francisco quitted his elevated position and walked down to the low beach, to survey the means which the disaster of others afforded him for his own escape. To his great joy he fomid not only plenty of casks, but many of them full of fresh water, provisions also in sidficiency, and, indeed, every- thing that could be required to form a raft, as well as the means of support for a considerable time for himself and the negroes who had survived. He then walked up to them and called to them, but they answered not, nor even moved. He pushed them, but in vain ; and his heart beat quick, for he was fearful that they were dead from previous exhaustion. He applied his foot to one of them, and it was not until he had used force, which in any other case he would have dispensed with, that the negro awoke from his state of lethargy and looked vacantly about him. Francisco had some little knowledge of the language of the Kroumen, THE ESCAPE. 135 and lie addressed the negro in that tongue. To his great joy, he was answered in a language which, if not the same, had so great an affinity to it, that communication became easy. With the assistance of the negro, who used still less cere- mony with his comrades, the remainder of them were awakened, and a palaver ensued. Francisco soon made them understand that they were to make a raft and go back to their own coimtry ; explaining to them that if they remained there, the water and provisions wotJd soon be ex- hausted, and they would all perish. The poor creatures hardly knew whether to consider him a supernatural being or not ; they talked among themselves ; they remarked at his having brought them fresh water the day before ; they knew that he did not belong to the vessel in which they had been wrecked, and they were puzzled. "Whatever might be their speculations they had one good effect, which was, that they looked upon the youth as a superior and a friend, and most willingly obeyed him. He led them up to the knoll, and, desiring them to scrape away the sand, supplied them again with fresh water and biscuit. Perhaps the very supply, and the way in which it was given to them, excited their astonishment as much as anything. Francisco ate with them, and, selecting from his sea-chest the few tools in his possession, desired them to follow him. The casks were collected and rolled up ; the empty ones ar- 136 THE PIRATE. rang-ed for tlie raft ; tlie spars were hauled up and cleared of the rigging, wliicli was carefully separ- ated for lashings ; the one or two sails which had been found rolled up on the spars were spread out to dry ; and the provisions and articles of clothing, which might be useful, laid together on one sfde. The negroes worked willingly, and showed much intelligence : before the evening closed everything which might be available was secured, and the waves now only tossed about lifeless forms, and the small fragments of timber which could not be serviceable. It woidd occupy too much time were we to detail all the proceedings of Francisco and the negroes for the space of four days, during which they laboured hard. Necessity is tridy the mother of invention, and many were the ingenious resources of the party before they coidd succeed in form- ing a raft large enough to carry them and their provisions, with a mast and sail well secured. At length it was accomplished ; and on the fifth day Francisco and his men embarked, and, having pushed clear of the bank with poles, they were at last able to hoist their sail to a fine breeze, and steer for the coast before the wind at the rate of about three miles an hour. But it was not until they had gained half a mile from the bank that they were no longer annoyed by the dreadful smell arising from the putrefaction of so many bodies, for to bury them all wovdd have been a work of too o-reat time. THE ESCAPE. 137 The last two days of their remaining on the island, the effluvia had become so powerful as to be a source of the greatest horror and disgust even to the negroes. But before night, when the raft was about eight leagues from the sand-bank, it fell calm, and con- tinued so for the next day, when a breeze sprang up from the south-east, to which they trimmed their sail with their head to the northward. This wind, and the course steered, sent them off from the land, but there was no help for it ; and Francisco felt grateful that they had such an ample suppl}^ of provisions and water as to enable them to yield to a few days' contrary wind without danger of want. But the breeze continued steady and fresh, and they were now crossing the Bight of Benin ; the weather was fine and the sea smooth ; the Aying fish rose in shoals, and dropped down into the raft, which still forced its way through the water to the northward. Thus did Francisco and his negro crew remain for a fortnight floating on the wide ocean, without any object meeting their view. Day after day it was the same dreary " sky and water," and by the reckoning of Francisco they could not be far from the land, when, on the fifteenth day, they perceived two sail to the northward. Francisco's heart bounded with joy and grati- tude to Heaven ; he had no telescope to examine them, but he steered directly for them, and, about Dr. O. H. KOFV/OOD, CALSTOCK, OornwalU 138 THE PIKATE. dark, lie made tliem out to be a ship and a schooner hove to. As Francisco scanned them, surmising what they might be, the sun set behind the two vesseLs, and after it had smik below the horizon their forms were, for a few minutes, delineated with remark- able precision and clearness. There coidd be no mistake. Francisco felt convinced that the schooner was the Avenger ; and his first impvdse was to run to the sweep with which they were steered, and j)ut the head of the raft again to the northward. A m.oment's reflection determined him to act other- wise ; he lowered do-wn his sail that he might escape observation, and watched the motions of the vessels during the few minutes of light which remained. That the ship had been captured, and that her cap- ture had been attended with the usual scene of out- rage and violence, he had no doubt. He was now about four miles from them, and just as they were vanishing from his straining eyes he perceived that the schooner had made all sail to the west- ward. Francisco, feeling that he was then secure from being picked up by her, again hoisted his sail with the hope of reaching the ship, which, if not scuttled, he intended to remove on board of, and then make sail for the first port on the coast. But hardly had the raft regained her way when the horizon was lighted up, and he perceived that the pii'ates had set fire to the vessel. Then it was useless to proceed towards her ; and Francisco THE ESCAPE. 139 again thouglit of pvitting the head of the raft to the northward, when the idea struck him, knowing the character and cruelty of the pirates, that there might be some unfortunate people left on board to perish in the flames. He therefore continued his course, watching the burning vessel; the flames increased in Tiolence, mounting up to the masts and catching the sails one after the other. The wind blew fresh, and the vessel was kept before the wind — a circumstance that assured Francisco that there were people on board. At first she appeared to leave the raft, but as her sails, one after another, were consmned by the element, so did she decrease her speed, and Francisco, in about an hour, was close to her and under her counter. The ship was now one mass of fire from her bows to her mainmast ; a volimie of flame poured from her main hold, rising higher than her lower masts, and ending in a huge mass of smoke carried by the wind ahead of her ; the quarter-deck was still free from fire, but the heat on it was so intense that those on board were all collected at the tafi"- rail ; and there they remained, some \iolent, others in mute despair : for the Avenger's people, in their barbarity, had cut away and destroyed all the boats, to prevent their escape. From the light thrown round the vessel, those on board had perceived the approach of Francisco to their rescue, and immediately that it was under the counter, and 140 THE P1RA.TE. the sail lowered, almost all of them had descended by ropes, or the stern ladder, and gained a place in her. In a few minutes, without scarcely an ex- change of a word, they were all out of the brig, and Francisco pushed off just as the flames bui'st from the cabin- windows, darting out in a horizon- tal line like the tongues of fiery serpents. The raft, now encumbered with twelve more persons, was then steered to the northward ; and as soon as those who had been saved had been supplied with some water, which they so much needed, Francisco obtained the intelligence which he desired. The ship was from Carthagena, South America; had sailed from thence to Lisbon with a Don Cimianos, who had large property up the Magdalen river. He had wished to visit a part of his family at Lis- bon, and from thence had sailed to the Canary isles, where he also had property. In their way from Lisbon to South America they had been beaten by stress of weather to the southward, and afterwards had been chased by the Avenger ; being a very fast sailer she had rmi doTvoi several degrees before she had been captured. When the pirate took possession, and found that she had Kttle or no cargo of value to them, for her hold was chiefly filled with furniture and other articles for the use of Don Cumanos, angry at their disappoint- ment, they had first destroyed all their boats and then set fire to the vessel, taking care not to leave THE ESCAPE. 141 her imtil all chance of the fire being put ovit was hopeless. And thus had these miscreants left inno- c-ent and unfortunate people to perish. Francisco heard the narrative of Don Cumanos, and then informed him in what manner he had left the schooner, and his subsequent adventures. Fran- cisco was now very anxious to make the land, or obtain succour from some vessel. The man}' M-ho were now on board, and the time that he had already been at sea, obliged him to reduce the allowance of water. Fortmie favoui"ed him after all his trials ; on the third day a vessel hove in sight, and they were seen by her. She made sail for them, and took them all on board. It was a schooner trafficking on the coast for gold-dust and ivory ; but the magnificent offers of Don Cumanos induced them to give up their voyage and run across the Atlantic to Carthagena. To Francisco it was of Kttle moment where he went, and in Don Cuma- nos he had foimd a sincere friend. " You have been my preserver," said the Spa- niard ; " allow me to return the obKgation — come and live with me." As Francisco was equally pleased with Don Cumanos ; ho accepted the oficr ; they all arrived safely at Carthagena, and from thence proceeded to his estate on the Magdalen river. CHAPTER XIL THE LIEUTENANT. When we last mentioned Edward Templemore, we stated tliat lie was a lieutenant of tlie admiral's sliip on the West India station, commanding the tender. Now the name of the tender was the En- terprise : and it was singvdar that she was one of two schooners built at Baltimore, remarkable for their beauty and good qualities ; yet how diiferent were their emj)loyments ! Both had originally been built for the slave-trade : now one hoisted the English pennant, and cruised as the Enterprise ; the other threw out the black flag, and scoured the seas as the Avenger. The Enterprise was fitted much in the same way as we have already described her sister vessel, — that is, with one long brass gim a-midships, and smaller ones for her broadside. But in the numbers of their crew there was a great disparity ; the En- terprise not being manned with more than sixty- THE LIEUTENANT. 143 five English sailors, belonging to the admiral's ship. She was employed, as most admirals' tenders usu- ally were, sometimes carrying a tender made for a supply of provisions, or a tender of services, if required, from the admiral ; or, if not particularly wanted, with the important charge of a tender billet-doux to some fair friend. But this is a tender subject to touch upon. In the mean time it must be understood that she had the same commission to sink, burn, and destroy, as all other of his majesty's vessels, if anything came in her way ; but as she xxsually carried despatches, the real importance of which were, of course, unknown, she was not to go out of her way upon such ser\ace. Edward Templemore did, however, occasionally go a little out of his way, and had lately captured a very fine privateer, after a smart action, for which he anticipated his promotion ; but the admi- ral thought him too young, and therefore gave the next vacancy to his own nephew, who, the admiral quite forgot, was much yovmger. Edward laughed when he heard of it, upon his arrival at Port Royal ; and the admiral, who ex- pected that he would make his appearance pouting with disappointment, AA'hen he came up to the Penn to report himself, was so pleased with his good- humour that he made a vow that Templemore should have the next vacancy : but this he also quite forgot, because Edward happened to be, at the time it occurred, on a long cruise, — and " out 144 THE PIRATE. of sight out of mind " is a proverb so well estab- lished, that it may be urged as an excuse for a per- son who had so many other things to think of as the admiral intrusted with the command of the West India station. Lieutenant Templemore had, in consequence, commanded the Enterprise for nearly two years, and without grumbling ; for he was of a happy disposition, and passed a very happy sort of life. Mr Witherington was very indulgent to him, and allowed him to draw liberally ; he had plenty of money for himself or for a friend who required it, and he had plenty of amusement. Amongst other diversions, he had fallen most desperately in love ; for, in one of his trips to the Leeward Isles (so called from their being to windward) he had suc- coured a Spanish vessel, which had on board the new Governor of Porto Rico, with his family, and had taken upon himself to land them on that island in safety ; for which service the English admiral received a handsome letter, concluding with the moderate wish that his excellency might live a thousand years, and Edward Templemore an invi- tation to go and see them whenever he might pass that way : which, like most general invitations, was as much a compliment as the wish which woimd up the letter to the admiral. It did, however, so hap- pen that the Spanish governor had a very beauti- ful and only daughter, carefully guarded by a duenna, and a monli who was the depository of all THE LIEUTENANT. 145 the sins of the governor's establisliment ; and it Avas witli this daughter that Edward Templemore fell into the heresy of love. She was, indeed, very beautiful ; and, like all her countrywomen, was ardent in her affections. The few days that she was on board the schooner ^vith her father, during the time that the Enter- prise convoyed the Spanish vessel into port, were quite sufficient to ignite two such inflammable beings as Clara d' Alfarez and Edward Templemore. The monk had been left on board of the leaky ves- sel ; there was no accommodation in the schooner for him or the duenna, and Don Felix de Maxos de Cobas de Manilla d'Alfarez was too busy vath his cigar to pay attention to his daughter. When they were landed, Edward Templemore was asked to their residence, which was not in the town, but at a lovely bay on the south side of the island The town mansion was appropriated to business and the ceremony of the court : it was too hot for a permanent abode, and the governor only went there for a few hours each day. Edward Temj)lemore remained a short time at the island, and at his departure received the afore- mentioned letter from the father to the English admiral, and an assurance of unalterable fidelity from the daughter to the English lieutenant. On his return he presented the letter, and the admiral was satisfied with his conduct. When ordered out to cruise, which he always 146 THE PIRATE. was when there was nothing else to do, he submit- ted to the admiral whether, if he should happen to near Porto Rico, he could not leave an answer to the Spanish governor's letter ; and the admiral, who knew the value of keeping up a good under- standing with foreign relations, took the hint, and gave him one to deliver, if convenient. The second meeting was, as may be supposed, more cordial than the first on the part of the young lady ; not so, however, on the part of the duenna and holy friar, who soon found out that their charge was in danger from heretical opinions. Caution became necessary ; and as secrecy adds a charm to an amour, Clara received a long letter and a telescope from Edward. The letter informed her that, whenever he could, he would make his appearance in his schooner off the south of the island, and await a signal made by her at a certain window, acknowledging her recognition of his ves- sel. On the night of that signal he would land in his boat and meet her at an appointed spot. This was all very delightful ; and it so happened, that Edward had four or five times contrived, .during the last year, to meet Clara without discovery, and again and again to exchange his vows. It was agreed between them, that when he quitted the station she would quit her father and her home, and trust her future happiness to an EngKshman and a heretic. It may be a matter of sui'prise to seme of our THE LIEUTENANT. 147 readers that the admiral should not have discovered the frequent visits of the Enterprise to Porto E,ico, as Edward was obKged to bring his log for examin- ation every time that he returned ; but the admi- ral was satisfied with Edward's conduct, and his anxiety to cruise when there was nothing else for him to do. His logs were brought on shore to the admiral's secretary, carefully rolled and sealed up. The admiral's secretary threw the packages on one side, and thought no more of the matter, and Ed- ward had always a ready story to tell when he took his seat at the admiral's dinner-table ; besides, he is a very \infit person to command a vessel who does not Icnow how to write a log that will bear an investigation. A certain latitude is always allowed in every degree of latitude as well as longitude. The Enterprise had been despatched to Anti- gua, and Edward thought this an excellent oppor- timity to pay a visit to Clara d'Alfarez : he there- fore, upon his return, hove to off the usual headland, and soon perceived the white ciirtain thrown out of the window. " There it is, sir," said one of the midshipmen who was near him — for lie had been there so often that the whole crew of the Enterprise were aware of his attachment — "she has shown her flag of truce." "A truce to your nonsense, Mr Warren," replied Edward, laughing; "how came you to know anything about it ? " 1,2 148 TPIE PIRATE. " I only judge by cause and effect, sir ; and I know that I shall have to go on shore and wait for you to-night." " That's not unlikely ; but let draw the fore- sheet ; we must now get behind the headland." The youngster was right : that evening, a little before dark, he attended his commander on shore, the Enterprise lying to with a lantern at her peak. " Once more, dearest Clara !" said Edward, as he threw off her long veil and pressed her in his arms. " Yes, Edward, once more — but I am afraid only once more ; for my maid, Inez, has been dangerously ill, and has confessed to Friar Ei- cardo. I fear much that, in her fright (for she thought that she was dying), she has told all. She is better now." " Why should you imagine so, Clara ?" " Oh, you know not what a frightened fool that Inez is when she is ill ! Our religion is not like yours." " No, dear, it is not ; but I will teach you a better." " Hush, Edward, you must not say that. Holy Virgin ! if Friar Hicardo should hear you ! I think that Inez must have told him, for he fixes his dark eyes upon me so earnestly. Yesterday he observed to me that I had not confessed." " Tell him to mind his own business." " That is his business, and I was obliged to THE LIEUTENANT. 149 confess to Hm last night. I told him a great many things, and then he asked me if that was all. His eyes went through me. I trembled as I uttered an untruth, for I said it was." " I confess my sins but to my Maker, Clara ; and I confess my love but to you. Follow my plan, dearest !" " I will half obey you, Edward. I will not tell my love." " And sins you have none, Clara ; so you will obey me in all." " Hush, Edward, you must not say that. We all have sins ; and, oh ! what a grievous sin they say it is to love you, who are a heretic ! Holy Virgin, pardon me ! but I could not help it." " If that is your only sin, dearest, I can safely give you absolution." " JN^ay, Edward, don't joke, but hear me. If Inez has confessed, they 'will look for me here, and we must not meet again — at least not in this place. You know the little bay behind the rock, it is not much farther off, and there is a cave where I can wait : another time it must be there." " It shall be there, dearest ; but is it not too near the beach ? will you not be afraid of the men in the boat, who must see you ?" "But we can leave the beach. It is Ricardo alone that I am in dread of, and the Donna Maria. Merciful Heaven ! should my father know it all we should be lost — be separated for ever !" and Clara 150 THE PIRATE. laid her forehead on Edward's shoulder, as her tears fell fast. " There is nought to fear, Clara. Hush ! I heard a rustling in those orange-trees. Listen !" " Yes ! yes!" whispered Clara, hastily; "there is some one. Away ! dear Edward, away !" Clara sprang from his side, and hastened up the grove. Edward made his retreat, and, fl}^g down the rocky and narrow path through the underwood, was soon on the heach and into his boat. The Enterprise arrived at head- quarters, and Edward reported himself to the admiral. " I have work for you, Mr Templemore," said the admiral ; " you must be ready to proceed on service immediately. We've found your match." " I hope I may find her, sir," replied the lieu- tenant. " I hope so, too ; for, if you give a good ac- count of her, it wiU. put another swab on your shoulder. The pirate schooner, which has so long infested the Atlantic, has been seen and chased off Barbadoes by the Amelia ; but it appears that there is not a vessel in the squadron which can come near her unless it be the Enterprise. She has since captured two "West Indiamen, and was seen steering with them towards the coast of Guiana. Now, I am going to give jox\ thirty ad- ditional hands and send jou after her." " Thank you, sir," replied Edward, his counte- nance beaming with delight. THE LIEUTENAXT. 151 " IIo-\r soon will yon be ready ?" inquired the admiral. " To-morroTV morning, sir." " Very good. Tell ]\lr Hadley to bring me tbe order for tbe men and your sailing-orders, and I will sign them ; but recollect, Mr Templemore, you T\all have an awkward customer. Be prudent — brave I know you to be." Edward Templemore promised eA^erytbing, as most people do in such cases ; and before the next evening the Enterprise was well in the offing, under a heavy press of sail. CHAPTER XIII. THE LANDING. The property of Don Cumanos, to which he had retired with his family, accompanied by Fran- cisco, extended from the mouth of, to many miles up, the Magdalen river. It was a fine alluyial soil, forming one vast strip of rich meadow, covered with numerous herds of cattle. The house was not a hundred yards from the banks of this magnificent stream, and a small but deep creek ran up to the adjacent buildings ; for Don Cumanos had property even more valuable, being proprietor of a gold mine near the town of Jambrano, about eight miles farther up, and which mine had latterly be- come exceedingly productive. The ore was brought down the river in boats, and smelted in the out- houses near the creek to which we have just re- ferred. It will be necessary to observe, that the estab- lishment of the noble Spaniard was numerous, con- THE LANDING. 153 sisting of nearly one hundred persons, employed in the smelting-houses or attached to the household. For some time Francisco remained here happy and contented ; he had become the confidential supervisor of Don Cumanos' household, proved himself worthy of a trust so important, and was considered as one of the family. One morning, as Francisco was proceeding down to the smelting-house to open the hatches of the small decked boats which had arrived from Jambrano with ore, and which were invariably secured with a padlock by the superintendent above, to which Don Cumanos had a correspond- ing key, one of the chief men informed him that a vessel had anchored off the mouth of the river the day before, and weighed again early that morning, and that she was now standing off and on. " From Carthagena, probably, beating up," re- plied Francisco. " Valga me Dios, if I know that, sir," said Diego. " I should have thought nothing about it ; but Giacomo and Pedro, who went out to fish last night, as usual, instead of coming back before mid- night, have not been heard of since." " Indeed ! that is strange. Did they ever stay so long before ?" " Never, sir ; and they have fished together now for seven years." Francisco gave the key to the man, who ooened the locks of the hatches, and returned it. 154 THE PIRATE. " Tliere slie is !" cried the man ; the head-sails making their appearance as the vessel opened to their view from the projecting point distant about four miles. Francisco directed his eye towards her, and, without further remark, hastened to the house. " Well, Francisco," said Don Cimianos, who was stirring a small cup of chocolate, " what's the news this morning ? " "The Nostra Sefiora del Carmen and the Aguilla have arrived, and I have just unlocked the hatches. There is a vessel off the point which requires examination, and I have come for the telescope." "Requires examination ! Why, Francisco ?" "Because Giacomo and Pedro, who went fish- ing last night, have not returned, and there are no tidings of them." " That is strange ! But how is this connected with the vessel ? " " That I will explain as soon as I have had an examination of her," replied Francisco, who had taken up the telescope, and was drawing out the tube. Francisco fixed the glass against the sill of the window, and examined the vessel some time in silence. " Yes ! by the living God, it is the Avenger, and no other !" exclaimed he, as he removed the telescope from his eye. " Eh ?" cried Don Cumanos. " It is the pirate vessel — the Avenger — I'll THE LANDING. 155 forfeit my life upon it ! Don Cmnanos, you must be prej)ared. I know that they haye long talked of a visit to this quarter, and anticipate great booty, and they have those on board who know the coast well. The disappearance of joux two men con\ances me that they sent up their boats last night to reconnoitre, and have captm'ed them. Torture will extract the information which the pirates require, and I have little doubt but that an attack wiU be made, when they learn how much bullion there is at present on your premises." "You may be right," repKed Don Cumanos, thoughtfully ; " that is, pro"STLded you are sure that it is the pirate vessel." " Sure, Don Cmnanos ! I know every timber and plank in her ; there is not a rope or a block but I can recognise. At the distance of four miles, with such a glass as this, I can discover every little variety in her rigging from other craft. I will swear to her," repeated Francisco, once more look- ing through the telescope. " And if they attack, Francisco ?" '* We must defend ourselves, and, I trust, beat them off. They will come in their boats, and at night. If they were to run in the schooner by daylight and anchor abreast of us we should have but a poor chance. But they little think that I am here, and that they are recognised. They will attack this night, I rather think." " And what do you then propose, Francisco ?" 156 THE PIRATE. " That wc should send all tlie females away to Don Teodoro's — it is but five miles — and call the men together as soon as possible. We are strong enough to beat them off if we barricade the house. They cannot land more than from ninety to one hundred men, as some must remain in charge of the schooner ; and we can muster quite as many. It may be as well to promise our men a reward if they do their duty." " That is all right enough ; and the bullion we have here." " Here we had better let it remain ; it will take too much time to remove it, and, besides, will weaken our force by the men who must be in charge of it. The out-houses must be abandoned, and ever5rthing which is of consequence taken from them. Fire them they will, in all proba- bility. At all events we have plenty of time be- fore us, if we begin at once." " Well, Francisco, I shall make you com- mandant, and leave the arrangements to you, while I go and speak to Donna Isidora. Send for the men and speak to them ; promise them re- wards, and act as if you were ordering upon your own responsibility." " I trust I shall prove myself worthy of your confidence, sir," replied Francisco. " Carambo !" exclaimed the old don, as he left the room ; " but it is fortunate you are here. We might all have been murdered in om' beds." THE LANDING. 157 Francisco sent for the head men of the estab- lishment, and told them what he was convinced they Avoiild have to expect ; and he then explained to them his views. The rest were all smnmoned ; and Francisco pointed out to them the little mercy they woidd receive if the pirates were not repulsed, and the rewards which Avere promised by Don Cumanos if they did their duty. Spaniards are individually brave ; and, en- couraged by Francisco, they agreed that they would defend the property to the last. The house of Don Cumanos was well suited to resist an attack of this description, in which musketry only was expected to be employed. It was a long parallelogram of stone walls, with a wooden veranda on the first floor, — for it was only one story high. The windows on the first story were more numerous, but at the basement there were but two, and no other opening but the door in the whole line of building. It was of a composite architecture, between the Morisco and the Siianish. If the lower part of the house, A\'liich was of stone, could be secured from entrance, the assailants would, of course, fight under a great disadvantage. The wdndows below were the first secured by piling a heav}'' mass of stones in the interior of the rooms against them, rising to the ceiling from a base like the segment of a pjn-amid, extending to the opposite side of the chamber ; and every preparation was made for cflectually barri- 158 THE PIRATE. cading tlie door before night. Ladders were tlien fixed to ascend to the veranda, which was rendered musket-proof nearly as high as its railings, to pro- tect the men. The Donna Isidora, and the women of the establishment, were, in the afternoon, de- spatched to Don Teodoro's ; and, at the request of Francisco, joined to the entreaties of Donna Isi- dora, Don Cmnanos was persuaded to accompany them. The don called his men, and telling them that he left Francisco in command, expected them to do their duty ; and then shaking hands with him, the cavalcade was soon lost in the woods behind the narrow meadows which skirted the river. There was no want of muskets and ammunition. Some were employed casting bullets, and others in examining the arms which had long been laid by. Before evening, all was ready ; every man had re- ceived his arms and ammunition ; the flints had been inspected ; and Francisco had time to pay more attention to the schooner, which had, during the day, increased her distance from the land, but was not again standing in for the shore. Half-an- hour before dusk, when within three miles, she wore round and put her head to the ofiing. " They'll attack this night," said Francisco, " I feel almost positive : their yards and stay-tackles are up, aU ready for hoisting out the long- boat." " Let them come, senor ; we will give them a THE LANDING. 159 ■warm reception," replied Diego, the second in authority. It was soon too dark to perceive the vesseL Francisco and Diego ordered every man, but five, into the house ; the door was firmly barricaded, and some large pieces of rock, which had been rolled into the passage, piled against it. Fran- cisco then posted the five men down the banks of the river, at a hundred yards distance from each other, to give notice of the approach of the boats. It was about ten o'clock at night when Francisco and Diego descended the ladder, and went to examine their outposts. " Senor," said Diego, as ho and Francisco stood on the bank of the river, " at what hour is it your idea that these villains will make their attempt ? " " That is difficult to say. If the same captain commands them who did when I was on board of her, it will not bo until after the moon is down, which wiU not be till midnight ; but should it be any other who is in authority, they may not be so prudent," " Holy Virgin ! seiior, were you ever on board of that vessel?" " Yes, Diego, I was, and for a long while, too ; but not with my own good will. Had I not been on board, I never should have recognised her." " Very true, senor ; then we may thank the saints that you have once been a pirate." " I hope that I never was that, Diego," replied 160 THE PIRATE. Francisco, smiling ; " but I liave been a witness to dreadful proceedings on board of that vessel, at the remembrance of which, even now, my blood curdles." To pass away the time, Francisco then detailed m^any scenes of horror to Diego which he had wit- nessed when on board of the Avenger ; and he was still in the middle of a narrative when a musket was discharged by the farthermost sentinel. " Hark, Diego !" Another, and another, nearer and nearer to them, gave the signal that the boats were close at hand. In a few minutes the men all came in, announcing that the pirates were pulling up the stream in three boats, and were less than a quarter of a mile from the landing-place. " Diego, go to the house with these men, and see that all is ready," said Francisco. "I vnU. wait here a little longer ; but do not fire till I come to you." Diego and the men departed, and Francisco was left on the beach alone. In another minute, the sound of the oars was plainly distinguishable, and Francisco's ears were directed to catch, if possible, the voices. " Yes," thought he, " you come with the intentions of murder and robbery ; but you will, through me, be disappointed." As the boats approached, he heard the voice of Hawkhurst. The signal muskets fired had told the pirates that they were THE LANDING. 161 discovered, and that, in all probability, they would meet with resistance ; silence was, therefore, no longer of any advantage. ** Oars, my lads ! — oars !" cried Hawkhurst. One boat ceased rowing, and soon afterwards the two others. The whole of them were now plainly seen by Francisco, at the distance of about one cable's length from where he stood ; and the clear still night carried the sound of their voices along the water. " Here is a creek, sir," said Hawkhurst, " lead- ing up to those buildings. Would it not be better to land there, as, if they are not occupied, they will prove a protection to us if we have a hard fight for it ?" "Very true, Hawkhurst," replied a voice, which Francisco immediately recognised to be that of Cain. " He is alive, then," thought Francisco, " and his blood is not yet upon my hands." " Give way, my lads !" cried Hawkhurst. The boats dashed up the creek, and Fi'ancisco hastened back to the house. " Now, my lads," said he, as he sprang up the ladder, " you must be resolute ; we have to deal with desperate men. I have heard the voices of the captain and chief mate ; so there is no doubt as to its being the pirate. The boats are up the creek, and will land behind the out-buUdings. Haul up these ladders, and lay them fore and aft 162 THE PIRATE. on the veranda ; and do not fire without taking a good aim. Silence ! my men — silence ! Here they come." The pirates were now seen advancing from the out-bnildings in strong force. In the direction in which they came, it was only from the side of the veranda, at which not more than eight or ten men could be placed, that the enemy could be repulsed. Francisco therefore gave orders, that as soon as some of the men had fired they should retreat and load their muskets, to make room for others. When the pirates had advanced half way to the house, on the clear space between it and the out-buildings, Francisco gave the word to fire. The volley was answered by another, and a shout from the pirates, who, with Hawkhurst and Cain at their head, now pressed on, but not until they had received a second discharge from the Spaniards, and the pirates had fired in return. As the Spani- ards coidd not at first fire a volley of more than a dozen muskets at a time, their opponents imagined their force to be much less than it really was. They now made other arrangements. They spread themselves in a semicircle in front of the veranda, and kept up a continued galling fire. This was returned by the party under Francisco for nearly a quarter of an hour ; and as all the muskets were now called into action, the pirates found out that they had a more formidable enemy to cope with than they had anticipated. THE LANDING. 163 It was now quite dark, and not a figure was to be distinguished, except by the momentary flash- ing of the fire-arms. Cain and Hawkhurst, leav- ing theii* men to continue the attack, had gained the house, and a position imder the veranda. Ex- amining the windows and door, there appeared but little chance of forcing an entrance ; but it immediately occurred to them, that under the veranda their men would not be exposed, and that they might fire througli the wooden floor of it upon those above. Hawkhurst hastened away, and re- turned ■with about half the men, leaving the others to continue theii" attack as before. The advantage of this mancEuvre was soon evident. The musket- balls of the pirates pierced the planks, and woimded many of the Spaniards severely ; and Francisco was at last obliged to order his men to retreat into the house, and fire out of the windows. But even this warfare did not continue ; for the supporting-pillars of the veranda being of wood, and very dry, they were set fire to by the pirates. Gradually the flames wound round them, and their forked tongues licked the balustrade. At last, the whole of the veranda was in flames. This was a great advantage to the attacking party, who coidd now distinguish the Spaniards without their being so clearly seen themselves. Many were killed and woimded. The smoke and heat became so intense in the upper story, that the men could no longer remain there ; and, by the ad\ace of u2 164 THE PIRATE. Francisco, they retreated to tlie basement of the house. " What shall we do now, sefior ?" said Diego, with a grave face. " Do ?" replied Francisco ; " they have burnt the veranda, that is all. The house will not take fire ; it is of solid stone : the roof indeed may ; but still here we are. I do not see that they are more advanced than they were before. As soon as the veranda has burnt down, we must return above, and commence firing again from the windows." " Hark, sir ! they are trying the door." " They may try a long whde ; they should have tried the door while the veranda protected them from our sight. As soon as it is burnt we shall be able to drive them away from it. I will go up again and see how things are." " No, seiior ; it is of no use. Why expose yourself now that the flames are so bright ?" " I must go and see if that is the case, Diego. Put all the wounded men in the north chamber ; it will be the safest, and more out of the way." Francisco ascended the stone staircase, and gained the upper story. The rooms were filled with smoke, and he could distinguish nothing. An occasional bullet whistled past him. He walked towards the windows, and sheltered him- self behind the wall between them. The flames were not so violent, and the heat more bearable. In a short time, a crash, and then THE LANDING. 165 anotlier, told limi that tlie veranda liad fallen in. He looked througli tlie window. The mass of lighted embers had fallen down in front of the house, and had, for a time, driven away the assail- ants. Nothing was left of the veranda but the burning ends of the joists fixed in the wall above the windows, and the still glowing remains of the posts which once supported it. But the smoke from below now cleared away, and the discharge of one or two muskets told Fran- cisco that he was perceived by the enemy. " The roof is safe," thought he, as he wdthdrew from the ^\dndow ; " and now I do not know whether the loss of the veranda may not prove a gain to us." What were the intentions of the pirates it was difficidt to ascertain. For a time they had left off firing, and Francisco returned to his com- rades. The smoke had gradually cleared away, and they were able to resume their positions above ; but as the pirates did not fire, they, of course, coidd do nothing, as it was only by the flashing of the muskets that the enemy was to be distinguished. No further attempts were made at the door or windows below ; and Francisco in vain puzzled himself as to the intended plans of the assailants. Nearly half an hour of suspense passed away. Some of the Spaniards were of opinion that they had retreated to their boats and gone away, but 166 THE PIRATE. Francisco knew them better. All lie could do was to remain above, and occasionally look out to dis- cover tbeir motions. Diego, and one or two more, remained with him ; the other men were kept be- low, that they might be out of danger. " Holy Francis ! but this has been a dreadful night, seiior ! How many hours until daylight?" said Diego. " Two hours at least, I should think," replied Francisco ; " but the affair will be decided before that." " The saints protect us ! See, seiior, are they not coming ?" Francisco looked through the gloom, in the di- rection of the out-buildings, and perceived a group of men advancing. A few moments and he could clearly make them out. " Yes, truly, Diego ; and they have made ladders, which they are carrjdng. They intend to storm the windows. Call them up ; and now we must fight hard indeed." The Spaniards hastened iip and filled the room above, which had three windows in the front, look- ing towards the river, and which had been sheltered by the veranda. " Shall we fire now, seiior ?" *' No — no ; do not fire till your muzzles are at their hearts. They cannot mount more than two at a time at each window. Recollect, my lads, that you must now fight hard, for your lives will THE LANDING. 167 not be spared ; tliey will show no quarter and no mercy." The ends of the rude ladders now made their appearance above the sill of each window. They had been hastily, yet firmly, constructed ; and were nearly as wide as the mndows. A loud cheer was followed by a simultaneous mounting of the ladders. Francisco was at the centre window, when Hawklmrst made his appearance, sabre in hand. He struck aside a musket aimed at him, and the ball whizzed harmless over the broad water of the river. ^Vnother step, and he woidd have been in, when Francisco fired his pistol : the ball entered the left shoidder of Hawkhurst, and he dropped his hold. Before he could regain it, a Spaniard charged at him with his musket, and threw him back. He fell, bearing down with him one or two of his comi'aJes, who had been following him up the ladder. Francisco felt as if the attack at that window was of little consequence after the fall of Hawk- hurst, whose voice he had recognised ; and he hastened to the one on the left, as he had heard Cain encouraging his men in that direction. He was not wrotig in his conjecture ; Cain was at the window, attempting to force an entrance, but was opposed by Diego and ( ther resolute men. But the belt of the pirate captain was full of pistols, and he had already fir^'d three with efiect. Diego 168 TIIE PIRATE. and the two best men were wounded, and the others who opposed him were alarmed at his giant pro- portions. Francisco rushed to attack him ; but what was the force of so young a man against the Herculean power of Cain ? StiU Francisco's left hand was at the throat of the pirate, and the pistol was pointed in his right, when a flash of another pistol, fired by one who followed Cain, threw its momentary vivid light upon the features of Fran- cisco, as he cried out, " Blood for blood !" It was enough : the pirate captain uttered a yell of terror at the supposed supernatural appearance ; and he fell from the ladder in a fit amongst the still burn- ing embers of the veranda. The fall of their two chiefs, and the determined resistance of the Spaniards, checked the impetuosity of the assailants. They hesitated ; and they at last retreated, bearing away with them their wounded. The Spaniards cheered, and, led by Francisco, followed them down the ladders, and, in their turn, became the assailants. Still the pirates' retreat was orderly : they fired, and retired rank behind rank successively. They kept the Spaniards at bay, until they had arrived at the boats ; when a charge was made, and a severe con- flict ensued. But the pirates had lost too many men, and, without their commander, felt dispirited. Hawkhurst was still on his legs and giving his orders as coolly as ever. He espied Francisco, and rushing at him, while the two parties were THE LANDING. 169 opposed muzzle to muzzle, seized him by his collar and dragged him. in amongst the pirates. " Secure him, at all events!" cried Ilawkhurst, as they slowly retreated and gained the out-houses. Fran- cisco was overpowered and haided into one 'of the boats, all of which in a few minutes afterwards were pulling with all their might to escape from the muskets of the Spaniards, who followed the pirates by the banks of the river, annoying them in their retreat. CHAPTER XIY. THE MEETING. The pirates returned to their vessel discomiitecl. Tliose on board, wlio were prepared to hoist in ingots of precious metal, had to receive nought but wounded men, and many of their comrades had remained dead on the shore. Their captain was melancholy and downcast. Hawkhiu'st was badly wounded, and obliged to be carried below as soon as he came on board. The only capture which they had made was their former associate Fran- cisco, who, by the last words spoken by Hawkhurst as he was supported to his cabin, was ordered to be put in irons. The boats were hoisted in without noise, and a general gloom prevailed. All sail was then made upon the schooner, and when day dawned she was seen by the Spaniards far away to the northward. The report was soon spread through the schooner that Francisco had been the cause of their defeat ; THE MEETING. 171 and altliougli this "was only a surmise, still, as they considered that had he not recognised the vessel the Spaniards would not have been prepared, they had good grounds for what had swelled into an assertion. He became, therefore, to many of them, an object of bitter enmity, and they looked forward with pleasure to his destruction, which his present confinement they considered but the precursor of. " Hist ! Massa Francisco !" said a low voice near to where Francisco sat on the chest. Fran- cisco turned round and beheld the Kromnan, his old friend. "Ah! Pompey, are you aU still on board?" said Francisco. " AU ! no," replied the man, shaking his head ; " some die — some get away — only four Kroumen left. Massa Francisco, how you come back again ? Everybody tink you dead. I say no, not dead — ab charm with him — ab book." " If that was my charm, I have it still," re- plied Francisco, taking the Bible out of his vest ; for, strange to say, Francisco himself had a kind of superstition relative to that Bible, and had put it into his bosom previous to the attack made by the pirates. " Dat very good, Massa Francisco ; den jon quite safe. Here come Johnson — he very bad man. I go away." In the mean time Cain had retired to his cabin with feelings scarcely to be analysed. He was in 172 THE rmATE. a bewilderment. Notwitlistanding tlie wound lie had received by the hand of Francisco, he would never have sanctioned Hawkhurst putting him on shore on a spot which promised nothing but a lingering and miserable death. Irritated as he had been by the young man's open defiance, he loved him — loved him much more than he was aware of himself; and when he had recovered sufiiciently from his wound, and had been in- formed where Francisco had been sent on shore, he quarrelled with Hawkhurst, and reproached him bitterly and sternly, in language which Hawkhurst never forgot or forgave. The vision of the starving lad haunted Cain, and rendered him miserable. His affection for him, now that he was, as he supposed, lost for ever, increased with tenfold force ; and since that period Cain had never been seen to smile. He became more gloomy, more ferocious than ever, and the men trembled when he appeared on deck. The aj^parition of Francisco after so long an interval, and in such an unexpected quarter of the globe, acted, as we have before described, upon Cain. When he was taken to the boat he was still confused in his ideas, and it was not until they were nearly on board that he perceived that this young man was indeed at his side. He could have fallen on his neck and kissed him; for Francisco had become to him a capture more prized than all the wealth of the Indies. But one pure, good feel- THE MEETING. 173 ing was ■unextinguished in the bosom of Cain ; stained with every crime — with his hands so deeply imbrued in blood — at enmity with all the rest of the world, that one feeling burnt bright and clear, and was not to be quenched. It might have proved a beacon-light to steer him back to repentance and to good works. But there were other feelings which also crowd- ed upon the mind of the pirate captain. He knew Francisco's firmness and decision. By some in- scrutable means, which Cain considered as super- natural, Francisco had obtained the knowledge, and had accused him, of his mother's death. Would not the affection which he felt for the young man be met with hatred and defiance ? He was but too sure that it would. And then his gloomy, cruel disposition would reassvime its influence, and he thought of revenging the attack upon his life. His astonishment at the reappearance of Francisco was equally great, and he trembled at the sight of him, as if he were his accusing and condemning spirit. Thus did he wander from one fearful fancy to another, imtil he at last summoned up resolution to send for him. A morose, dark man, whom Francisco had not seen when he was before in the schooner, obeyed the conunands of the captain. The irons were un- locked, and Francisco was brought down into the cabin. The captain rose and shut the door. 174 THE PIRATE. " I little thought to see you here, Francisco," said Cain. " Probably not," replied Francisco, boldly, " but you have me again in your power, and may now wreak your vengeance." " I feel none, Francisco ; nor would I have siifFered you to have been put on shore as you were, had I known of it. Even now that our expedition has failed through your means, I feel no anger to- wards you, although I shall have some difficulty in preserving you from the enmity of others. Indeed, Francisco, I am glad to find that you are alive, and I have bitterly mourned your loss : " and Cain extended his hand. But Francisco folded his arms, and was silent. " Are you then so unforgiving ? " said the cap- tain. " You know that I tell the truth." " I believe that you state the truth. Captain Cain, for you are too bold to lie ; and, as far as I am concerned, you have all the forgiveness you may wish : but I cannot take that hand ; nor are our accounts yet settled." "What would you more? Cannot we be friends again ? I do not ask you to remain on board. You are free to go where you please. Come, Fran- cisco, take my hand, and let \is forget what is past." " The hand that is imbrued with my mother's blood, perhaps ! " exclaimed Francisco. "Never ! " THE MEETING. 175 "Not so, by G— d!" exclaimed Cain. "No, no ; not quite so bad as that. In my mood I struck your motlier ; I grant it. I did not intend to injure ber, but I did, and sbe died. I will not lie — that is the fact. And it is also tbe fact that I wept over ber, Francisco ; for I loved ber as I do you." ("It was a basty, bitter blow, tbat," con- tinued Cain, soliloquising, witb bis band to bis forebead, and unconscious of Francisco's presence at tbe moment. " It made me wbat I am, for it made me reckless.") " Francisco," said Cain, raising bis bead, " I was bad, but I was no pirate wben your mother lived. There is a curse upon me ; that which I love most I treat tbe worst. Of all the world, I loved your mother most : yet did she from me receive much injury, and at last I caused her death. Next to your mother, whose memory I at once revere and love, and tremble when I think of (and each night does she appear to me), I have loved you, Francisco ; for you, like her, have an angel's feelings : yet have I treated you as ill. You thwarted me, and you were right. Had you been wrong, I bad not cared ; but you were right, and it maddened me. Your appeals by day — your mother's in my dreams " Francisco's heart was softened ; if not repent- ance, there was at least contrition. " Indeed I pity you," replied Francisco. " You must do more, Francisco ; you must be 176 THE PIRATE. friends Math me," said Cain, again extending his hand. " I cannot take that hand, it is too deeply dyed in blood," replied Francisco. " "Well, well, so would have said yonr mother. But hear me, Francisco," said Cain, lowering his voice to a whisper, lest he should be overheard ; " I am tired of this life — perhaps sorry for what I have done — I wish to leave it — have wealth in plenty concealed where others know not. Tell me, Francisco, shall we both quit this vessel, and live together happily and without doing wrong ? You shall share all, Francisco. Say, now, does that please you ? " " Yes ; it pleases me to hear that you will abandon your lawless life. Captain Cain : but share your wealth I cannot, for how has it been gained ? " " It cannot be returned, Francisco ; I will do good with it. I will indeed, Francisco. I — will — repent :" and again the hand was extended. Francisco hesitated. " I do, so help me God ! I do repent, Fran- cisco ! " exclaimed the pirate captain. ''And I, as a Christian, do forgive you all," replied Francisco, taking the still extended hand. " May God forgive you, too ! " " Amen ! " replied the pirate, solemnly, cover- ing his face up in his hands. THE MEETING. 177 In tills position he remained some minutes, Francisco watching him in silence. At last the face was uncovered, and, to the surprise of Fran- cisco, a tear was on the cheek of Cain and his eyes suffused with moisture. Francisco no longer wait- ed for the hand to be extended ; he walked up to the captain, and, taking him by the hand, pressed it warmly. " God bless you, boy ! God bless you ! " said Cain ; " but leave me now." Francisco returned on deck with a light and grateful heart. His countenance at once told those who were near him that he was not condemned, and many who dared not before take notice of, now saluted him. The man who had taken him out of irons looked roimd ; he was a creature of Hawk- hurst, and he knew not how to act. Francisco ob- served him, and, with a wave of the hand, ordered him below. That Francisco was again in authority was instantly perceived, and the first proof of it was, that the new second mate reported to him that there was a sail on the weather bow. Francisco took the glass to examine her. It was a large schooner under all sail. Not wishing that any one should enter the cabin but himself, he went down to the cabin-door, and knocked before he entered, and reported the vessel. " Thank you, Francisco ; you must take Hawk- hurst's duty for the present — it shall not be for long ; and fear not that I shall make another cap- 178 THE PIRATE. ture. I swear to you I will not, Francisco. But this schooner — I know very well what she is : she has been looking after us some time ; and a week ago, Francisco, I was anxious to meet her, that I might shed more blood. ISTow I will do all I can to avoid her, and escape. I can do no more, Fran- cisco. I must not be taken." " There I cannot blame you. To avoid her will be easy, I should think; the Avenger outsails everything." " Except, I believe, the Enterprise, which is a sister vessel. By heavens ! it's a fair match," con- tinued Cain, his feelings of combativeness returning for a moment ; " and it will look like a ci^aven to refuse the fight : but fear not, Francisco — I have promised you, and I shall keep my word." Cain went on deck, and surveyed the vessel through the glass. "Yes, it must be her," said he aloud, so as to be heard by the pirates ; " she has been sent out by the admiral on purpose, full of his best men. What a pity we are so short-handed! " " There's enough of us, sir," observed the boat- swain. " Yes/' replied Cain, " if there was anything but hjjrd blows to be got ; but that is all, and I cannot spare more men. Ready about ! " continued he, walking aft. The Enterprise, for she was the vessel in pur- suit, was then about five miles distant, steering for THE MEETING. 179 the Avenger, wlio was on a wind. As soon as the Avenger tacked the Enterprise took in her topmast studding-sail, and havded her wind. This brought the Enterprise well on the weather- quarter of the Avenger, who now made all sail. The pirates, who had had quite enough of fighting, and were not stimulated by the presence of Ilawkhurst, or the wishes of their captain, now showed as much anxiety to avoid as they usually did to seek a combat. At the first trial of sailing between the two schooners there was no perceptible difierence ; for half an hour they both continued on a wind, and when Edward Templemore examined his sextant a second time, he could not perceive that he had gained upon the Avenger one cable's length. " "We will keep away half a point," said Edward to his second in command. " We can afford that, and still hold the weather- gage." The Enterprise was kept away, and increased her speed : they neared the Avenger more than a quarter of a mile. " They are nearing us," observed Francisco ; " we must keep away a point." Away went the Avenger, and would have re- covered her distance, but the Enterprise was again steered more off the wind. Thus did they continue altering their course until the studding-sails below and aloft were set by both, and the position of the schooners was 180 THE PIRATE. changed; the Enterprise now being on the star- board instead of the larboard quarter of the Aven- ger. The relative distance between the two schooners was, however, nearly the same, that is, about three miles and a half from each other ; and there was every prospect of a long and weary chase on the part of the Enterprise, who again kept away a point to near the Avenger. Both vessels were now running to the -eastward. It was about an hour before dark that another sail hove in sight right a-head of the Avenger, and was clearly made out to be a frigate. The pirates were alarmed at this im fortunate circumstance, as there was little doubt but that she would prove a British cruiser ; and, if not, they had equally rea- son to expect that she would assist in their capture. She had evidently perceived the two schooners, and had made all sail, tacking every quarter of an hour so as to keep her relative position. The Enterprise, who had also made out the frigate, to attract her attention, although not within range of the Aven- ger, commenced firing with her long-gim. " This is rather awkward," observed Cain. " It will be dark in less than an hour," observed Francisco ; " and that is our only chance." Cain reflected a minute. " Get the long gun ready, my lads ! We will return her fire, Francisco, and hoist American colours ; that will puzzle the frigate at all events, and the night may do the rest." THE MEETING. 181 The long gun of the Avenger was ready. " I would not fire the long gun," observed Francisco ; " it will show our force, and will give no reason for our attempt to escape. Now, if we were to fire our broadside- guns, the difierence of report between them and the one of large calibre fired by the other schooner would induce them to think that we are an American vessel." " Yery true," replied Cain ; " and, as America is at peace with all the world, that our antagonist is a pirate. Hold fast the long gun, there ; and unship the starboard ports. See that that ensign blows out clear." The Avenger commenced firing an occasional gun from her broadside, the reports of which were hardly to be heard by those on board of the frigate ; while the long- gun of the Enterprise reverberated along the water, and its loud resonance was swept by the wind to the frigate to leeward. Such was the state of afiairs when the sun sank down in the wave, and darkness obscured the vessels from each other's sight, except with the as- sistance of the night-telescopes. " What do you propose to do. Captain Cain ? " said Francisco. " I have made up my mind to do a bold thing. I will run down to the frigate, as if for shelter ; tell him that the other vessel is a pirate, and claim his protection. Leave me to escape afterwards ; the moon will not rise till nearly one o'clock." 182 THE PIRATE. " That will be a bold ruse, indeed ; but suppose you are once under ber broadside, and sbe suspects you?" "Then I will show her my heels. T should care nothing for her and her broadside if the schooner was not here," In an hour after dark the Avenger was close to the frigate, having steered directly for her. She shortened sail gradually, as if she had few hands on board ; and, keeping his men out of sight, Cain ran under the stern of the frigate. " Schooner ahoy ! What schooner is that ? " " Eliza of Baltimore, from Carthagena," re- plied Cain, rounding to under the lee of the man- of-war, and then continuing : " That vessel in chase is a pirate. Shall I send a boat on board ? " " ISTo ; keep company with us." " Ay, ay, sir," replied Cain. " Hands about ship ! " now resounded with the boatswain's whistle on board of the frigate, and in a minute they were on the other tack. The Aven- ger also tacked and kept close mider the frigate's counter. In the mean time, Edward Templemore and those on board of the Enterprise, who, by the course steered, had gradually neared them, per- ceiving the motions of the two other vessels, were quite puzzled. At one time they thought they had made a mistake, and that it was not the pirate vessel ; at another they surmised that the crew THE MEETING. 183 had rautinied and surrendered to the frigate. Edward hauled his wind, and steered directly for them, to ascertain what the real facts were. The captain of the frigate, who had never lost sight of either vessel, was equally astonished at the bold- ness of the supposed pirate. " Surely the rascal does not intend to board us ? " said he to the first-lieutenant. " There is no saying, sir ; you know what a character he has : and some say there are three hundred men on board, which is equal to our ship's company. Or perhaps, sir, he wiU pass to wind- ward of us, and give us a broadside, and be oif in the wind's eye again." " At aU events we will have a broadside ready for him," replied the captain. " Clear away the starboard guns, and take out the tompions. Pipe starboard- watch to quarters." The Enterprise closed with the frigate to wind- ward, intending to run round her stern and bring to on the same tack. " He does not shorten sail yet, sir," said the first-lieutenant, as the schooner appeared skim- ming along about a cable's length on their weather bow. " And she is full of men, sir," said the master, looking at her through the night-glass. " Fii-e a gmi at her ! " said the captain. Bang ! The smoke cleared away, and the 184 THE PIRATE. scliooner s foretopsail, which she was in the act of clewing up, lay over her side. The shot had struck the foremast of the Enterprise, and cut it in two below the catharpings. The Enterprise was, for the time, completely disabled. " Schooner ahoy ! What schooner is that ? " " His Majesty's schooner Enterprise." " Send a boat on board immediately " "Ay, ay, sir." " Turn the hands up ! Shorten sail ! " The top-gallants and courses of the frigate were taken in, and the mains^iil hove to the mast. " Signalman, whereabouts is that other schoon- er now ? " " The schooner, sir ? On the quarter," replied the signalman, who, with everybody else on board, was so anxious about the Enterprise, that they had neglected to watch the motions of the supposed iimerican. The man had replied at random, and he now jumped upon the signal-chests abaft to look for her. But she was not to be seen. Cain, who had watched all that passed between the other two vessels, and had been prepared to slip off at a moment's warning, as soon as the gun was fired at the other schooner, had wore round and made all sail on a wind. The night-glass discovered her half a mile astern ; and the ruse was immediately perceived. The frigate filled and made sail, leav- ing Edward to return on board — for there was no THE MEETING. 185 time to stop for the boat — tacked, and gave chase. But the Avenger was soon in the wind's-eye of her ; and at daylight was no longer to be seen. In the mean time, Edward Templemore had followed the frigate as soon as he could set sail on his vessel, indignant at his treatment, and vowing that he would demand a court-martial. ^> About noon the frigate rejoined him, when matters were fully explained. Annoyed as they all felt at not having captured the pirate, it was unanimously agreed, that by his audacity and coolness he deserved to escape. It was found that the mast of the Enterprise could be fished and scarfed, so as to enable her to continue her cruise. The carjjenters of the frigate were sent on board ; and in two days the injury was repaired, and Edward Templemore once more went in pursuit of the Avenger. CHAPTER XV. THE MISTAKE. The Avenger stood under a press of sail to the northward. She had left her pursuers far behind; and there was not a speck on the hori- zon, when, on the second morning, Francisco, who had resumed his berth in the captain's cabin, went up on deck. Notwithstanding the request of Cain, Francisco refused to take any part in the command of the schooner, considering himself as a passenger, or prisoner on pai'ole. He had not been on deck but a few minutes, when he observed the two Spanish fishermen belonging to the establishment of Don Cimianos conversing together forward. Their capture had quite escaped his memory, and he went forward to speak to them. Their surprise at seeing him was great, until Francisco informed them of what had passed. They then recounted what had occurred to them, THE MISTAKE. 187 and showed their thumbs, which had been put into screws to torture from them the truth. Francisco shuddered, but consoled them by promising that they should soon be at liberty, and return to their former master. As Francisco returned from forward, he found Hawkhurst on the deck. Their eyes met and flashed in enmity. Hawkhurst was pale from loss of blood, and evidently suffering ; but he had been informed of the apparent reconciliation between Francisco and the captain, and he could no longer remain in his bed. He knew, also, how the captain had avoided the combat with the Enterprise ; and something told him that there was a revolution of feeling in more than one point. Suffering as he was, he resolved to be a spectator of what passed, and to watch narrowly. For both Francisco and Cain he had imbibed a deadly hatred, and was watching for an opportunity to wreak his revenge. At present they were too powerful ; but he felt that the time was coming when he might be tri- umphant. Francisco passed Hawkhurst without speak- ing. " You are at liberty again, I see," observed Hawkhurst with a sneer. " I am not, at all events, indebted to you for it," replied Francisco haughtily ; " nor for my life either." *' No, indeed ; but I believe that I am indebted 188 THE PIRATE. to you for this bullet in my shoulder," replied the mate. " You are," replied Francisco coolly. " And depend upon it the debt shall be repaid with usury." " I have no doubt of it, if ever it is in your power ; but I fear you not." As Francisco made this reply, the captain came up the ladder. Hawkhurst turned away and walked forward. " There is mischief in that man, Francisco," said the captain in an under- tone ; "I hardly know whom to trust ; but he must be watched. He is tampering with the men, and has been for some time ; not that it is of much consequence, if he does but remain quiet for a little while. The command of this vessel he is welcome to very soon ; but if he attempt too early " " I have those I can trust to," replied Fran- cisco. " Let us go below." Francisco sent for Pompey the Krouman, and gave him his directions in the presence of the cap- tain. That night, to the surprise of all, Hawk- hurst kept his watch ; and, notwithstanding the fatigue, appeared every day to be rapidly recover- ing from his wound. Nothing occurred for several days, during which the Avenger still continued her course. What the captain's intentions were did not transpire; they were known only to Francisco. THE MISTAKE. 189 ""We are very short of water, sir," reported Ilawkliurst one morning : " shall we have enough to last us to where we are going ? " " How many days of full allowance have we on board ? " " Not above twelve at the most." " Then we must go on half allowance," replied Cain. " The ship's company wish to know where we are going, sir." " Have they deputed you to ask the ques- tion ? " " Not exactly, sir ; but I wish to know m}-- self," replied Hawkhurst, with an insolent air. " Turn the hands up," replied Cain: "as one of the ship's company under my orders, you will, with the others, receive the information you re- quire." The crew of the pirate collected aft. " My lads," said Cain, " I understand, from the first mate, that you are anxious to know where you are going ? In reply I acquaint yoxi, that having so many ' wounded men on board, and so much plunder in the hold, I intend to repair to our rendezvous when we were formerly in this part of the world — the Caicos. Is there any other question you may wish to ask of me ? " " Yes," replied Hawkhurst ; " we wish to know what your intentions are relative to that young man, Francisco. We have lost immense wealth ; 190 THE PIRATE. we have now thirty men wounded in the ham- mocks, and nine we left dead on the shore ; and I have a bidlet through my body : all of which has been occasioned by him. We demand justice ! " Here Hawkhurst was supported by several of the pirates ; and there were many voices which repeated the cry of " Justice ! " " My men ! you demand justice, and you shall have it," replied Cain. " This lad you all know well ; I have brought him up as a child. He has always disliked our mode of life, and has often re- quested to leave it, but has been refused. He challenged me by our own laws, ' Blood for blood ! ' He wounded me ; but he was right in his challenge, and, therefore, I bear no mahce. Had I been aware that he was to have been sent on shore to die with hunger, I would not have per- mitted it. What crime had he committed ? None ; or, if any, it was against me. He was then sentenced to death for no crime, and you yourselves exclaimed against it. Is it not true ? " " Yes — yes," replied the majority of the pirates. " By a miracle he escapes, and is put in charge of another man's property. There was no crime in defending that property. He is made a prison- er, and now you demand justice. You shall have i . Allowing that his life is forfeit for this offence, — you have already sentenced him, and left him to death imjustly, and therefore are bomid in justice THE MISTAKE. 191 to give his life in this instance. I ask it, my men, not only as his right, but as a favour to your cap- tain." "Agreed ; it's all fair ! " exclaimed the major- ity of the pirate's crew. " My men, I thank you," replied Cain ; " and in return, as soon as we arrive at the Caicos, my share of the plunder on board shall be divided among you." This last observation completely turned the tables in favour of the captain ; and those who had joined Hawkhurst now sided with the captain. Hawkhurst looked like a demon. " Let those who choose to be bought off, take your money," repKed he ; " but I will not. Blood for blood I will have ; and so I give you warning. That lad's life is mine, and have it I will ! Pre- vent me, if you can ! " continued the mate, holding up his clenched hand, and shaking it almost in the pirate-captain's face. The blood mantled even to the forehead of Cain. One moment he raised himself to his utmost height, then seizing a handspike, which lay near, he felled Hawkhurst to the deck. " Take that for your mutiny ! " exclaimed Cain, piitting his foot on Hawkhurst's neck. " My lads, I appeal to you. Is this man worthy to be in com- mand as mate ? Is he to live ? " " No ! no ! " cried the pirates. " Death ! " Francisco stepped forward. " My men, you 192 THE PIRATE. have granted your captain one favour ; grant me another, which is the life of this man. Recollect how often he has led you to conquest, and how brave and faithful he has been until now ! Recol- lect that he is suffering under his wound, which has made him irritable. Command you he cannot any longer, as he will never have the confidence of your captain ; but let him live, and quit the vessel." " Be it so, if you agree," repKed Cain, looking at the men ; " I do not seek his life." The pirates consented, Hawkhurst rose slowly from the deck, and was assisted below to his cabin. The second mate was then appointed as the first, and the choice of the man to fill up the vacancy was left to the pirate-crew. For three days after this scene all was quiet and orderly on board of the pirate. Cain, now that he had more fully made up his mind how to act, imparted to Francisco his plans ; and his giv- ing up to the men his share of the booty still on board was, to Francisco, an earnest of his good intentions. A cordiality, even a kind of feeling which never existed before, was created between them ; but of Francisco's mother, and the former events of his own life, the pirate never spoke. Francisco more than once put questions on the sub- ject ; the answer was, — " You shall know some of these days, Francisco, but not yet ; you woidd hate me too much ! " THE MISTAKE. 193 The Avenger was now clear of the English isles, and with light winds running down the shores of Porto Rico. In the evening of the day on which they had made the land, the schooner was be- calmed about three miles from the shore, and the new first mate proposed that he should land in the boat and obtain a further supply of water from a fall which they had discovered with the glasses. As this was necessary, Cain gave his consent, and the boat quitted the vessel fidl of breakers. Now it happened that the Avenger lay be- calmed abreast of the country-seat of Don d'Alfarez, the governor of the island. Clara had seen the schooner ; and, as usual, had thrown out the white curtain as a signal of recognition ; for there was no perceptible difference, even to a sailor, at that dis- tance, between the Avenger and the Enterprise. She had hastened down to the beach, and hurried into the cave, awaiting the arrival of Edward Tem- plemore. The pirate-boat landed at the very spot of rendezvous, and the mate leaped out of the boat. Clara flew to receive her Edward, and was instantly seized by the mate, before she discovered her mis- take. " Holy Virgin ! who and what arc you ? " cried she, struggling to disengage herself. " One who is very fond of a pretty girl I" re- plied the pirate, still detaining her. "Unhand me, wretch!" cried Clara. "Are you aware whom you are addressing ? " 194 THE PIRATE. "Not I ! nor do I care," replied the pirate. " You will perhaps, sir, when you learn that I am the daughter of the governor ! " exclaimed Clara, pushing him away. " Yes ! by heavens ! you are right, pretty lady, I do care ; for a governor's daughter will fetch a good ransom at all events. So come, my lads, a little help here ; for she is as strong as a yoimg mide. Never mind the water, throw the breakers into the boat again : we have a prize worth taking !" Clara screamed ; but she was gagged with a handkerchief and lifted into the boat, which imme- diately rowed back to the schooner. When the mate came on board and reported his capture the pirates were delighted at the prospect of addition to their prize-money. Cain could not, of course, raise any objections ; it would have been so different from his general practice, that it would have strengthened suspicions already set afloat by Hawkhurst, which Cain was most anxious just then to remove. He ordered the girl to be taken down into the cabin, hoisted in the boat, and the breeze springing up again, made sail. In the mean time Francisco was consoling the imfortimate Clara, and assm'ing her that she need be under no alarm, promising her protection from himself and the captain. The poor girl wept bitterly, and it was not until Cain came down into the cabia and corrobor- ated the assurances of Francisco that she could as- THE MISTAKE. 195 sume any degree of composure ; but to find friends when she had expected every insxdt and degrada- tion — for Francisco had acknowledged that the vessel was a pirate — was some consolation. The kindness and attention of Francisco restored her to comparative tranqiiillity. The next day she confided to him the reason of her coming to the beach, and her mistake with re- gard to the two vessels, and Francisco and Cain promised her that they would themselves pay her ransom, and not wait until she heard from her father. To divert her thoughts Francisco talked much about Edward Templemore, and on that sub- ject Clara could always talk. Every circumstance attending the amour was soon known to Francisco. But the Avenger did not gain her rendezvous as soon as she expected. When to the northward of Porto Rico an English frigate bore do-s^Ti upon her, and the Avenger was obliged to run for it. Before the wind is always a schooner's worst point of sailing, and the chase was continued for three days before a fresh wind from the southward, imtil they had passed the Bahama Isles. The pirates sufiered much from want of water, as it was necessary still further to reduce their allowance. The frigate was still in sight, although the Avenger had dropped her astern when the wind became light, and at last it subsided into a cabn, which lasted two days more. The boats of the frigate were hoisted out on the eve of the o 2 196 THE PIRATE. second day to attack the scliooner, then distant five miles, when a breeze sprang up from the north \\ard, and the schooner being then to windward, left the enemy hidl down. It was not imtil the next day that Cain ven- tured to run again to the southward to procure at one of the keys the water so much required. At last it was obtained, but with difficulty and much loss of time, from the scantiness of the supply, and they again made sail for the Caicos. But they were so much impeded by contrary winds and con- trary currents that it was not until three weeks after they had been chased from Porto Eico that they made out the low land of their former rendez- vous. "We must now return to Edward Templemore in the Enterprise, whom we left off the coast of South Am.erica in search of the Avenger, which had so strangely sKpped through their fingers. Edward had examined the whole coast, ran through the passage and roimd Trinidad, and then started oiF to the Leeward Isles in his pursuit. He had spoken every vessel he met with without gaining any in- formation, and had at last arrived off Porto Pico. This was no time to think of Clara ; but, as it was not out of his way, he had run down the island, and as it was just before dark when he arrived off that part of the coast where the governor resided, he had hove to for a little while, and had examined the windows : but the signal of recognition was not THE MISTAKE. 197 made, and after waiting till dark lie again made sail, mad witli disapjDointment, and fearing that all had been discovered by the governor ; whereas the fact was, that he had only arrived two days after the forcible abduction of Clara. Once more he di- rected his attention to the discovery of the pirate, and after a fortnight's examination of the inlets and bays of the Island of St Domingo without suc- cess, his provisions and water being nearly ex- pended, he returned, in no very happy mood, to Port Royal. In the mean time the disappearance of Clara had created the greatest confusion in Porto Rico, and upon the examination of her attendant, who was confronted by the friar and the duenna, the amour of her mistress was confessed. The appear- ance of the Avenger off the coast on that evening confirmed their ideas that the Donna Clara had been carried off by the English lieutenant, and Don Alfarez inmiediately despatched a vessel to Jamaica, complaining of the outrage, and demanding the restoration of his daughter. This vessel arrived at Port Royal a few days before the Enterprise, and the admiral was very much astonished. He returned a very polite an- swer to Don Alfarez, promising an investigation immediately upon the arrival of the schooner, and to send a vessel with the rcsiilt of the said investi- gation. 198 THE PIRATE. " This is a pretty business," said the admiral to his secretary. " Young madcap, I sent him to look after a pirate and he goes after the governor's daughter ! By the lord Harry, Mr Templemore, but you and I shall have an account to settle." " I can hardly believe it, sir," replied the se- cretary ; " and yet it does look suspicious. But on so short an acquaintance " " Who knows that, Mr Hadley ? Send for his logs, and let us examine them ; he may have been keeping up the acquaintance." The logs of the Enterprise were examined, and there were the fatal words — Porto Bico, Porto Bico, bearing in every division of the compass, and in every separate cruise, nay, even when the schooner was charged with despatches. " Plain enough," said the admiral. " Con- founded yomig scamp, to embroil me this way ! Not that his marrying the girl is any business of mine ; but I will punish him for disobedience of orders, at all events. Try him by a court-martial, by heavens ! " The secretary made no reply : he knew very well that the admiral would do no such thing. " The Enterprise anchored at daylight, sir," reported the secretary as the admiral sat down to breakfast. " And where's Mr Templemore ? " "He is outside in the verandah. Thev have THE IVnSTAKE. 199 told tim below of what he has been accused, and he swears it is false. I believe him, sir, for he ap- pears half mad at the intelligence." " Stop a moment. Have you looked over his log?" "Yes, sir. It appears that he was off Porto Eico on the 19th ; but the Spanish governor's let- ter says that he was there on the 17th, and again made his appearance on the 19th. I mentioned it to him, and he declares upon his honour that he was only there on the 19th, as stated in his log." " Well, let him come in and speak for himself." Edward came in, in a state of great agitation. " Well, Mr Templemore, you have been playing pretty tricks ! What is all this, sir ? Where is the girl, sir — the governor's daughter?" " Where she is, sir, I cannot pretend to say ; but I feel convinced that she has been carried off by the pirates." "Pirates! Poor girl, I pity her! — and — I pity you too, Edward. Come, sit do^vn hero, and tell me all that has happened." Edward knew the admiral's character so well, that he immediately disclosed all that had passed between him and Clara. He then stated how the Avenger had escaped him by deceiving the frigate, and the agreement made with Clara to meet for the future on the beach, with his conviction that the pirate schooner, so exactly similar in appearance to the Enterprise, must have preceded him at Porto 200 THE PIRATE. Hico, and have carried off tlie object of Lis attach- ment. Although Edward might have been severely- taken to task, yet the admiral pitied him, and, therefore, said nothing about his visits to Porto Rico. When breakfast was over he ordered the signal to be made for a sloop of war to prepare to weigh, and the Enterprise to be re-victualled by the boats of the squadron. " Now, Edward, you and the Comus shall sail in company after this rascally pirate, and I trust you will give me a good account of her, and also of the governor's daughter. Cheer up, my boy ! deiDend upon it they will try for ransom before they do her any injury." That evening the Enterprise and Comus sailed on their expedition, and having run by Porto Pico and delivered a letter to the governor, they steered to the northward, and early the next morning made the land of the Caicos, just as the Avenger had skirted the reefs and bore \\p for the narrow entrance. " There she is ! " exclaimed Edward ; " there she is, by heavens ! " making the signal for the enemy, which was immediately answered by the Comus. CHAPTER XYI. THE CAICOS. The small patch of islands called the Caicos, or Cayques, is situated about two degrees to the north- ward of St Domingo, and is nearly the southern- most of a chain which extends up to the Bahamas. Most of the islands of this chain are iminhabited, but were formerly the resort of piratical vessels, — the reefs and shoals with which they are all sur- rounded afforded them protection from their larger pursuers, and the passages through this dangerous navigation being known only to the pirates who frequented them, proved an additional security. The largest of the Caicos islands fonns a curve, like an opened horse-shoe, to the southward, with safe and protected anchorage when once in the bay on the southern side ; but, previous to arriving at the anchorage, there are coral reefs, extending upwards of forty miles, through which it is necessary to con- duct a vessel. This passage is extremely intricate, 202 THE PIRATE. but was well knoA^Ti to Hawkhurst, who had hi- therto been pilot. Cain was not so well acquainted with it, and it reqmred the greatest care in taking in the yessel, as, on the present occasion. Hawk- hurst could not be called upon for this service. The islands themselves — for there were several of them — were composed of coral rock ; a few cocoa- trees raised their lofty heads where there was suffi- cient earth for vegetation, and stunted brushwood rose up between the insterstices of the rocks. But the chief peculiarity of the islands, and which ren- dered them suitable to those who frequented them, was the numerous caves with which the rocks were perforated, some above high- water mark, but the majority with the sea-water flowing in and out of them, in some cases merely rushing in, and at high water filling deep pools, which were detached from each other when the tide receded, in others with a sufiicient depth of water at all times to allow you to pull in with a large boat. It is hardly neces- sary to observe how convenient the higher and dry caves were as receptacles for articles which were intended to be concealed until an opportunity occurred for disposing of them. In our last chapter we stated, that just as the Avenger had entered the passage through the reefs, the Comus and Enterprise hove in sight and dis- covered her : but it will be necessary to explain the positions of the vessels. The Avenger had entered the southern channel, with the wind from the south- THE CAICOS. 203 ward, and had carefully sounded her way for about four miles, imder little or no sail. The Enterprise and Comus had been examining Turk's Island, to the eastward of the Caicos, and had passed to the northward of it on the larboard tack, standing in for the northern point of the reef, which joined on to the great Caicos Island. They were, therefore, in a situation to intercept the Avenger before she arrived at her anchorage, had it not been for the reefs which barred their passage. The only plan which the English vessels could act upon was to beat to the southward, so as to arrive at the entrance of the passage, when the Enterprise would, of course, find sufficient water to follow the Avenger ; for, as the passage was too narrow to beat through, and the wind was from the southward, the Avenger could not possibly escape. She was caught in a trap ; and all that she had to trust to was the defence which she might be able to make in her stronghold against the force which could be employed in the attack. The breeze was fresh from the southward, and appeared inclined to increase, when the Comus and Enterprise made all sail, and worked, in short tacks, outside the reef. On board the Avenger, the enemy and their motions were clearly distinguished, and Cain per- ceived that he was in an awkward dilemma. That they would be attacked he had no doubt ; and although, at any other time, he would almost have rejoiced in such an opportunity of discomfiting his 204 THE PIRATE. assailants, yet now he thought very differently, and woidd have sacrificed almost everything to have been able to avoid the rencontre, and be permitted quietly to withdraw himself from his associates, without the spilling of more blood. Francisco was equally annoyed at this unfortmiate collision ; but no words were exchanged between him and the pirate-captain during the time that they were on deck. It was about nine o'clock, when having safely passed nearly half through the channel, that Cain ordered the kedge-anchor to be dropped, and sent down the people to their breakfast. Francisco went down into the cabin, and was explaining their situation to Clara, when Cain entered. He threw himself on the locker, and appeared lost in deep and sombre meditation. " Wliat do you intend to do ? " said Francisco. " I do not know ; I will not decide myself, Francisco," replied Cain. " If I were to act upon my own judgment, probably I shoidd allow the schooner to remain where she is. They can only attack in the boats, and, in such a case, I do not fear ; whereas, if we run right through, we allow the other schooner to follow us, without defending the passage ; and we may then be attacked by her in the deep water inside, and overpowered by the nimiber of men the two vessels will be able to bring against us. On the other hand, we certainly may defend the schooner from the shore as well as on THE CAICOS. 205 boai'd ; but we are weak-banded. I shall, however, call up the ship's company and let them decide. God knows, if left to me I would not fight at all." " Is there no way of escape ? " resumed Fran- cisco. " Yes, we might abandon the schooner ; and this night, when they would not expect it, run with the boats through the channel between the great island and the north Cayque ; but that I dare not propose, and the men would not listen to it : indeed, I very much doubt if the enemy will allow us the time. I knew this morning, long before we saw those vessels, that my fate would be decided before the sun went down." " What do you mean ? " " I mean this, Francisco," said Cain ; " that your mother, who always has visited me in my dreams whenever anji;hing (dreadful now to think of !) was about to take place, appeared to me last night ; and there was sorrow and pity in her sweet face as she mournfully waved her hand, as if to smnmon me to follow her. Yes, thank God ! she no longer looked upon me as for many years she has done." Francisco made no answer ; and Cain again seemed to be lost in meditation. After a little while Cain rose, and taking a small packet from one of the drawers, put it into the hands of Francisco. " Preserve that," said the pirate-captain ; 206 THE PIRATE. " shoiJd any accident happen tome, it will tell you who was yoiir mother : and it also contains direc- tions for finding treasure which I have buried. I leave everything to you, Francisco. It has been unfairly obtained ; but you are not the guilty party, and there are none to claim it. Do not answer me now. You may find friends, whom you will make after I am gone, of the same opinion as I am. I tell you again, be careful of that packet." " I see little chance of it availing me," replied Francisco. " If I live, shaU I not be considered as a pirate ? " "No, no ; you can prove the contrary," " I have my doubts. But God's will be done ! " " Yes, God's will be done ! " said Cain, mourn- fully. " I dared not have said that a month ago." And the pirate- captain went on deck, followed by Francisco. The crew of the Avenger were summoned aft, and called upon to decide as to the measures they considered to be most advisable. They preferred weighing the anchor and rimning into the bay, where they would be able to defend the schooner, in their opinion, much better than by remaining where they were. The crew of the pirate schooner weighed the anchor, and continued their precarious course : the breeze had freshened, and the water was in strong ripples, so that they could no longer see the danger THE CAICOS. 207 beneath, her bottom. In the mean time, the sloop of war and Enterprise continued to turn to windward outside the reef. By noon the wind had considerably increased, and the breakers now turned and broke in wild foam over the coral reefs, in every direction. The sail was still more reduced on board the Avenger, and her difficulties increased from the rapidity of her motion. A storm-jib was set, and the other hauled down ; yet even under this small sail she flew before the wind. Cain stood at the bowsprit, giving his directions to the helmsman. More than once they had grazed the rocks, and were clear again. Spars were towed astern, and every means resorted to, to check her way. They had no guide but the breaking of the wild water on each side of them. " Why should not Hawkhurst, who knows the passage so well, be made to pilot us ? " said the boatswain to those who were near him on the fore- castle. " To be sure ! let 's have him up ! " cried several of the crew ; and some of them went down below. In a minute they reappeared with Hawkhurst, whom they led forward. He did not make any re- sistance, and the crew demanded that he shoidd pilot the vessel. 208 THE PIRATE. " And suppose I will not ? " said Hawkhurst, coolly. "Then you lose your passage, that's all," re- plied the boatswain. " Is it not so, my men ? " continued he, appealing to the crew. " Yes ; either take us safe in, or — overboard," replied several. " I do not mind that threat, my lads," replied Hawkhurst ; " you have all known me as a good man and true, and it 's not likely that I shall desert you now. Well, since your captain there cannot save you, I suppose I must : but," ex- claimed he, looking about him, " how 's this ? Why, we are out of the passage already. Yes — and whether we can get into it again I cannot teU." " We are not out of the passage," said Cain ; "you know we are not." " Well, then, if the captain loiows better than I, he had better take you through," rejoined Hawk- hurst. But the crew thought differently, and insisted that Hawkhurst, who well knew the channel, should take charge. Cain retired aft, as Hawk- hurst went out on the bowsprit. " I will do my best, my lads," said Hawk- hurst ; " but recollect, if we strike in trying to get into the right channel, do not blame me. Starboard a little — starboard yet — steady, so — ■ ii^^ THE CAICOS. 209 there 's the true passage, my lads ! " cried he, pointing to some smoother water between the breakers ; " port a Kttle — steady." But Hawkhurst, who knew that he was to be put on shore as soon as convenient, had resolved to lose the schooner, even if his own life were for- feited, and he was now running her out of the passage on the rocks. A minute after he had con- ned her, she struck heavily again and again. The third time she struck, she came broadside to the >vind and heeled over : a sharp coral rock found its way through her slight timbers and planking, and the water poured in rapidly. During this there was a dead silence on the part of the marauders. "My lads," said Hawkhurst, " I have done my best, and now you may throw me overboard if you please. It was not my fault, but his," continued he, pointing to the captain. " It is of little consequence whose fault it was, Mr Hawkhurst," replied Cain ; "we will settle that point by and by ; at present we have too much on our hands. Out boats, men ! as fast as you can, and let every man provide himself with arms and ammunition. Be cool ! the schooner is fixed hard enough, and will not go down ; we shall save everything by and by." The pirates obeyed the orders of the captain. The three boats were hoisted out and lowered down. In the first were placed all the woimded men and 210 THE PIRATE. Clara d'Alfarez, wlio was assisted up by Francisco. As soon as tlie men liad provided themselves with arms, Francisco, to protect Clara, offered to take charge of her, and the boat shoved off. The men-of-war had seen the Avenger strike on the rocks, and the preparations of the crew to take to theix boats. They immediately hove to, hoisted out and manned their own boats, with the hopes of cutting them off before they could gain the island and prepare for a vigorous defence ; for, although the vessels could not approach the reefs, there was sufficient water in many places for the boats to pass over them. Shortly after Francisco, in the first boat, had shoved off from the Avenger, the boats of the men-of-war were darting through the sui"f to intercept them. The pirates perceived this, and hastened their arrangements ; a second boat soon left her, and into that Hawkhurst leaped as it was shoving off. Cain remained on board, going round the lower decks to ascertain if any of the wounded men were left ; he then quitted the schooner in the last boat and followed the others, being about a quarter of a mile astern of the second, in which Hawkhurst had secured his place. At the time that Cain quitted the schooner, it was difficult to say whether the men-of-war's boats would succeed in intercepting any of the pirate's boats. Both parties exerted themselves to their utmost ; and when the first boat, with Francisco THE CAICOS. 211 and Clara, landed, the headmost of the assailants was not much more than half a mile from them : but shallow water intervening there was a delay, which was favourable to the pirate. Hawkhurst landed in his boat as the laiinch of the Comus fired her eighteen-pound carronade. The last boat was yet two hundred yards from the beach, when an- other shot from the Comus's launch, which had been unable hitherto to find a passage through the reef, struck her on the counter, and she filled and went down. "He is gone !" exclaimed Francisco, who had led Clara to a cave, and stood at the mouth of it to protect her : " they have sunk his boat — no, he is swimming to the shore, and will be here now, long before the English seamen can land." This was true. Cain was breasting the water manfully, making for a small cove nearer to where the boat was sunk than the one in which Francisco had landed with Clara and the wounded men, and divided from the other by a ridge of rocks which separated the sandy beach, and extended some way into the water before they were submerged. Fran- cisco coidd- easily distingviish the pirate-captain from the other men, who also were swimming for the beach ; for Cain was far a-head of them, and as he gained nearer to the shore he was shut from Francisco's sight by the ridge of rocks. Francisco, anxious for his safety, climbed up the rocks and was watching. Cain was within a few yards of p2 212 THE PIRATE. tlie beach when there was the report of a musket ; the pirate- captain was seen to raise his body con- vulsively half out of the water — he floundered — the clear blue wave was discoloured — he sank, and was seen no more. Francisco darted forward from the rocks, and perceived Hawldiurst standing beneath them with the musket in his hand, which he was recharg-ing'. " Yillain ! " exclaimed Francisco, " you shall account for this." Hawkhurst had reprimed his musket and shut the pan. " Not to you," replied Hawkhurst, levelling his piece, and taking aim at Francisco. The ball struck Francisco on the breast ; he reeled back from his position, staggered across the sand, gained the cave, and fell at the feet of Clara. " Oh, God! " exclaimed the poor girl, " are t/ou hurt ? who is there, then, to protect me ?" " I hardly know," replied Francisco, faintly ; and, at intervals, "I feel no woimd. I feel stronger;" and Francisco put his hand to his heart. Clara opened his vest, and found that the packet given to Francisco by Cain, and which he had deposited in his breast, had been struck by the bullet, which had done him no injury further than the violent concussion of the blow — notwith- standing he was faint from the shock, and his head fell upon Clara's bosom. THE CAICOS. 213 But we must relate the proceedings of those who were mixed up in this excitiag scene. Ed- ward Templemore had watched from his vessel, with an eager and painful curiosity, the motions of the schooner — her runniag on the rocks, and the subsequent actions of the intrepid marauders. The long telescope enabled him to perceive dis- tiuctly all that passed, and his feelings were in- creased into a paroxysm of agony when his strain- ing eyes beheld the white and flutteriug habili- ments of a female for a moment at the gunwale of the stranded vessel — her descent, as it appeared to him, nothing loath, into the boat — the arms held out to receive, and the extension of hers to meet those offered. Could it be Clara ? A^Tiere was the reluctance, the unavailing attempts at resist- ance, which should have characterised her situa- tion ? Excited by feelings which he dared not analyse, he threw down his glass, and, seizing his sword, sprang into his boat, which was ready manned alongside, desiring the others to follow him. For once, and the only time in his existence when approaching the enemy, did he feel his heart sink within him — a cold tremor ran through his whole frame, and as he called to mind the loose morals and desperate habits of the pirates, horrible thoughts entered his imagination. As he neared the shore, he stood up in the stern-sheets of the boat, pale, haggard, and with trembling lips ; and the intensitv of his feelings would have been in- 214 THE PIRATE. tolerable but for a more violent tliirst for revensre. He clenclied his sword, while the quick throbs of his heart seemed, at every pulsation, to repeat to him his thoughts of blood ! blood ! blood ! He approached the small baj^ and perceived that there was a female at the mouth of the cave — nearer and nearer, and he was certain that it was his Clara — her name was on his lips when he heard the two shots fired one after another by Hawkhurst — he saw the retreat and fall of Francisco — when, mad- ness to behold ! he perceived Clara rush forward, and there lay the young man supported by her, and with his head uj)on her bosom. Could he be- lieve what he saw ? could she really be his be- trothed ? Yes, there she was, supporting the handsome figure of a young man, and that man a pirate — she had even put her hand into his vest, and was now watching over his reviving form. Edward could bear no more ; he covered his eyes, and now, maddened with jealousy, in a voice of thunder, he called out — " Give way, my lads ! for your lives, give way !" The gig was within half-a-dozen strokes of the car from the beach, and Clara, unconscious of wrong, had just taken the packet of papers from Francisco's vest, when Hawkhurst made his ap- pearance from behind the rocks which separated the two little sandy coves. Francisco had re- covered his breath, and, perceiving the approach of Hawkhurst, he sprang upon his feet to recover THE CAICOS. 215 his musket ; but, before be could succeed, Hawk- hurst had closed in \rith him, and a short and dreadful struggle ensued. It would soon have terminated fatally to Francisco, for the superior strength of Hawkhurst had enabled him to bear down the body of his opponent with his knee, and he was fast strangling him by twisting his handker- cliief round his throat, while Clara shrieked, and attempted in vain to tear the pirate from him. As the prostrate Francisco was fast blackening into a corse, and the maiden screamed for pity, and be- came frantic in her efforts for his rescue, the boat dashed high up on the sand ; and, with the bound of a maddened tiger, Edward sprang upon Hawk- hurst, tearing him down on his back, and severing his wrist with his sword-blade until his hold of Francisco was relaxed, and he wrestled in his own defence. " Seize him, my lads !" said Edward, pointing with his left hand to Hawkhurst ; as with his sword directed to the body of Francisco he bitterly continued,. " Tftis victim is mine !" But, whatever were his intentions, they were frustrated by Clara's recognition, who shrieked out, — "My Edward ! " sprang into his arms, and was immediately in a state of insensibility. The seamen who had secured Hawkhurst looked upon the scene with curious astonishment, wliile Edward waited with mingled feelings of impatience and doubt for Clara's recovery : he wished to be 216 THE PIRATE. assured by her that lie was mistaken, and he turned again and again from her face to that of Francisco, who was fast recovering. During this painful suspense, Hawkhurst was boimd and made to sit down. " Edward ! dear Edward ! " said Clara, at last, in a faint voice, clinging more closely to him ; " and am I then rescued by thee, dearest ?" Edward felt the appeal ; but his jealousy had not yet subsided. " Who is that, Clara ?" said he sternly. "It is Francisco. No pirate, Edward, but mj preserver." " Ha, ha ! " laughed Hawkhurst, with a bitter sneer, for he perceived how matters stood. Edward Templemore turned towards him with an inquiring look. " Ha, ha ! " continued Hawkhurst ; " why, he is the captain's son ! No pirate, eh ? Well, what will women not swear to, to save those they dote upon ! " "If the captain's son," said Edward, "why were you contending ?" "Because just now I shot his scoundrel father." " Edward ! " said Clara, solemnly, " this is no time for explanation, but, as I hope for mercy, what I have said is true ; believe not that viUain." "Yes," said Francisco, who was now sitting THE CAICOS. 217 up, "believe him when he says that he shot the captain, for that is true ; but, sir, if you value your owai peace of mind, believe nothing to the prejudice of that young lady." "I hardly know what to believe," muttered Edward Templemore ; " but, as the lady says, this is no time for explanation. With your permission, madam," said he to Clara, " my coxswain will see you in safety on board of the schooner, or the other vessel, if you prefer it ; my duty will not allow me to accompany you," Clara darted a reproachful yet fond look on Edward, as, with swimming eyes, she was led by the coxswain to the boat, which had been joined by the launch of the Comus, the crew of which were, with their officers, wading to the beach. The men of the gig remained until they had given Hawkhurst and Francisco in charge of the other seamen, and then shoved oflf with Clara for the schooner. Edward Templemore gave one look at the gig as it conveyed Clara on board, and order- ing Hawkhurst and Francisco to be taken to the launch, and a guard to be kept over them, went up, with the remainder of the men, in pursuit of the pirates. During the scene we have described, the other boats of the men-of-war had landed on the island, and the Avenger's crew, deprived of their leaders, and scattered in every direction, were many of them slain or captured. In about two hours it 218 THE PIRATE. was suj)posed that the majority of the pirates had been accounted for, and the prisoners being now very numerous, it was decided that the boats should return with them to the Comus, the captain of which vessel, as commanding-officer, would then issue orders as to their future proceedings. The caj)tured pirates, when mustered on the deck of the Comus, amounted to, nearly sixty, out of which number one half were those who had been sent on shore wounded, and had surrendered without resistance. Of kiUed there were fifteen ; and it was conjectured that as many more had been drowned in the boat when she was sunk by the shot from the carronade of the. laimch. Al- though, by the accoimt given by the captured pirates, the majority were secured, yet there was- reason to suppose that some were still left on the island concealed in Hxe caves. As the captain of the Comus had orders to re- turn as soon as possible, he decided to sail immedi- ately for Port Royal with the prisoners, leaving the Enterprise to secure the remainder, if there were any, and recover anything of value which might be left in the wreck of the Avenger, and then to destroy her. With the usual celerity of the service these orders were obeyed. The pirates, among whom Francisco was included, were secured, the boats hoisted up, and in half an hour the Comus dis- played her ensign, and made aU sail on a wind, THE CAICOS. 219 leaving Edward Templemore with the Enterprise, at the back of the reef, to perform the duties en- tailed upon him ; and Clara, who was on board of the schooner, to remove the suspicion and jealousy which had arisen in the bosom of her lover. CHAPTER XVII. THE TEIAL. In a week, the Comus arrived at Port Eoyal, and the captain went up to the Penn to inform the admiral of the successful result of the expedition. " Thank God," said the admiral, " we have caught these villains at last ! A little hanging will do them no harm. The captain, you say, was di'owned ? " "So it is reported, sir," replied Captain Manly ; " he was in the last boat which left the schooner, and she was simk by a shot from the launch." " I am sorry for that ; the death was too good for him. However, we must make an example of the rest : they must be tried by the Admiralty Court, which has the jurisdiction of the high seas. Send them on shore. Manly, and we wash our hands of them." " Very good, sir : but there are still some left THE TRIAL. 221 on tlie island, we have reason to beKeve ; and the Enterprise is in search of them." " By the by, did Templemore find his lady ?" " Oh, yes, sir ; and — all's right, I believe : but I had very little to say to him on the subject." " Humph ! " replied the admiral. " I am glad to hear it. "Well, send them on shore, Manly, to the proper authorities. If any more be foimd, they must be hung afterwards when Temple- more brings them in. I am more pleased at hav- ing secured these scoundrels than if we had taken a French frigate." About three weeks after this conversation, the secretary reported to the admiral that the Enter- prise had made her number outside ; but that she was becalmed, and would not probably be in until the evening. " That's a pity," replied the admiral ; " for the pirates are to be tried this morning. He may have more of them on board." " Very true, sir : but the trial will hardly be over to-day : the judge will not be in court till one o'clock at the soonest." "It's of little consequence, certainly; as it is, they are so many that they must be hanged by di- visions. However, as he is within signal distance, let them telegraph * Pirates now on trial.' He can pull on shore in his gig, if he pleases." It was about noon on the same day that the 222 THE PIRATE. pirates, and among them Francisco, escorted by a strong guard, were conducted to the Court House, and placed at the bar. The Court House was crowded to excess, for the interest excited was intense. Many of them who had been wounded in the attack upon the property of Don Cimianos, and afterwards captured, had died in their confine- ment. Still forty-five were placed at the bar ; and their pictm'esque costume, their bearded faces, and the atrocities which they had committed, created in those present a sensation of anxiety mingled with horror and indignation. Two of the youngest amongst them had been permitted to turn king's evidence. They had been on board of the Avenger but a few months ; still their testimony as to the murder of the crews of three West India ships, and the attack upon the property of Don Cumanos, was quite sufficient to condemn the remainder. Much time was necessarily expended in going through the forms of the court ; in the pirates answering to their various names ; and, lastly, in taking down the detailed evidence of the above men. It was late when the evidence was read over to the pirates, and they were asked if they had anything to offer in their defence. The question was repeated by the judge ; when Hawk- hurst was the first to speak. To save himself he THE TKIAL. 223 coiild scarcely hope ; his only object was to pre- vent Francisco pleading his cause successfully, and escaping the same disgraceful death. Hawkhurst declared that he had been some time on board of the Avenger, but that he had been taken out of a vessel and forced to serve against his will, as could be proved by the cap- tain's son, who stood there (pointing to Francisco), who had been in the schooner since her first fitting out : — that he had always. opposed the captain, who would not part with him, because he was the only one on board who was competent to navigate the schooner : that he had intended to rise against him, and take the vessel, having often stimulated the crew so to do ; and that, as the other men, as well as the captain's son, could prove, if they chose, he actually was in confinement for that attempt when the schooner was entering the passage to the Caicos ; and that he was only released because he was ac- quainted with the passage, and threatened to be thrown overboard if he did not take her in : that, at every risk, he had run her on the rocks ; and aware that the captain would mxirder him, he had shot Cain as he was swimming to the shore, as the captain's son coidd prove ; for he had taxed him with it, and he was actually struggling with him for life, when the officers and boats' crew separated them, and made them both prisoners : that he hardly expected that Francisco, the captain's son, would tell the truth to save him, as he was his 224 THE PIRATE. bitter enemy, and in the business at tbe Magdalen river, which had been long planned (for Francisco had been sent on shore under the pretence of being wrecked, but, in fact, to ascertain where the booty was, and to assist the pirates in their attack), Francisco had taken that opportunity of putting a bullet through his shoulder, which was well known to the other pirates, and Francisco could not venture to deny. He trusted that the court would order the torture to Francisco, and then he woidd pro- bably speak the truth ; at all events, let him speak now. AVhen Hawkhurst had ceased to address the court, there was an anxious pause for some minutes. The day was fast declining, and most parts of the spacious Court House were already deeply immersed in gloom ; while the light, sober, solemn, and almost sad, gleamed upon the savage and reckless countenances of the prisoners at the bar. The sun had sunk down behind a mass of heavy, yet gor- geous clouds, fringing their edges with molten gold. Hawkhurst had spoken fluently and ener- getically, and there was an appearance of almost honesty in his coarse and deep-toned voice. Even the occasional oaths with which his speech was garnished, but which we have omitted, seemed to be pronoujiced more in sincerity than in blasphemy, and gave a more forcible impression to his nar- rative. We have said, that when he concluded there THE TRIAL. 225 was a profound silence ; and amid tlie fast-falling shadows of the evening, those who were present began to feel, for the first time, the awful import-, auce of the drama before them, the number of lives which w^ere trembling upon the verge of existence, depending upon the single word of " Guilty." This painful silence, this harrowing suspense, was at last broken by a restrained sob from, a female ; but, owing to the obscurity involv- ing the body of the court, her person could not be distinguished. The wail of woman so unexpected — for who could there be of that sex interested in the fate of these desperate men ? — touched the heart of its auditors, and appeared to sow the first seeds of compassionate and hiunane feeling among those who had hitherto expressed and felt nothing but indignation towards the prisoners. The judge upon the bench, the counsel at the bar, and the jury imj)annelled in their box, felt the force of the appeal ; and it softened down the evil impression created by the address of Hawkhurst against the youthful Francisco. The eyes of all were now directed towards the one doubly accused — ac- cused not only by tlie public prosecutor, but even by his associate in crime, — and the survey was favourable. The^ acknowledged that he was one whose personal qualities might indeed challenge the love of woman in his pride, and her lament in his disgrace ; and as their regard was directed towards him, the smi, which had been obscxired, now 226 THE PIRATE. pierced througli a break in tlie mass of clouds, and threw a portion of his glorious beams from a win- dow opposite upon liim, and him alone, wlule all the other prisoners who surrounded him were buried more or less in deep shadow. It was at once evident that his associates were bold yet com- monplace villains — men who owed their courage, their only virtue perhaps, to their habits, to their physical organisation, or the influence of those around them. They were mere himian butchers, with the only adjunct that, now that the trade was to be exercised upon themselves, they coidd bear it with a sullen apathy — a feeling how far removed from true fortitude ! Even Hawkhurst, though more commanding than the rest, with all his daring mien and scowl of defiance, looked nothing more than a distinguished ruffian. "With the exception of Francisco, the prisoners had wholly neglected their personal appearance ; and in them the squalid and sordid look of the mendicant seemed allied with the ferocity of the murderer. Francisco was not only an exception, but form- ed a beautifal contrast to the others ; and as the evening beams lighted up his figure, he stood at the bar, if not with all the splendour of a hero of romance, certainly a most picturesque and interest- ing personage, elegantly, if not richly, attired. The low sobs at intervals repeated, as if im- possible to be checked, seemed to rouse and call him to a sense of the important part which he was THE TRIAL. 227 called upon to act in the tragedy there and then performing. His face was pale, yet composed ; his mien at once proud and sorrowful ; his eye was bright, yet his glance was not upon those in court, but far away, fixed, like an eagle's, upon the gor- geous beams of the setting sun, which glowed upon biTTi through the window that was in front of him. At last the voice of Francisco was heard, and all in that wide court started at the sound — deep, full, and melodious as the evening chimes. The ears of those present had, in the profound silence, but just recovered from the harsh, deep-toned, and barbarous idiom of Hawkhurst's address, when the clear, silvery, yet manly voice of Francisco, riveted their attention. The jury stretched forth their heads, the counsel and all in court turned anxiously round towards the prisoner, even the judge held up his forefinger to intimate his wish for perfect silence. " !My lord and gentlemen," commenced Fran- cisco, " when I first found myself in this degrading situation, I had not thought to have spoken or to have uttered one word in my defence. He that has just now accused me has recommended the torture to be applied ; he has already had his wish, for what torture can be more agonising than to find myself where I now am? So tortured, in- deed, have I been through a short yet wretched life, that I have often felt that an}i;hing short of self-destruction which would release me would be a Q 2 228 THE riRATE. blessing : but witliin these few minutes I bave been made to acknowledge tbat I bave still feelings in unison witb my fellow- creatures ; tbat I am not yet fit for deatb, and all too young, too unprepared to die : for wbo would not reluctantly leave tliis world while tbere is sucb a beauteous sky to love and look upon, or while there is one female breast who holds him innocent, and has evinced her pity for his misfortimes ? Yes, my lord ! mercy, and pity, and compassion, bave not yet fled from earth ; and therefore do I feel I am too young to die. God forgive me ! but I thought they had — for never have they been shown in those with whom by fate I have been connected ; and it has been from this conviction that I have so often longed for death. And now may that righteous God who judges us not here, but hereafter, enable me to prove that I do not deserve an ignominious punishment from my fellow-sinners — men ! " My lord, I know not the subtleties of the laws, nor the intricacy of pleadings. First, let me assert that I have never robbed ; but I have re- stored unto the plundered : I have never murdered ; but I have stood between the assassin's knife and his victim. For this have I been hated and reviled by my associates, and for this is my life now threat- ened by those laws against which I never have ofi'ended. The man who last addressed you has told you that I am the pirate-captain's son ; it is the assertion of the only irreclaimable and utterly re- THE TRIAL. 229 morseless villain among those wlio now stand be- fore you to be judged — the assertion of one whose glory, whose joy, whose solace, has been blood- shedding. " My lord, I had it from the mouth of the captain himself, previous to his murder by that man, that I was not his son. His son ! thank God, not so. Connected with him and in his power I was most certainly and most incomprehen- sibly. Before he died, he delivered me a packet that woidd have told me who I am ; but I have lost it, and deeply have I felt the loss. One only fact I gained from him whom they would call my father, which is, that with his own hand he slew — yes, basely slew — my mother." The address of Francisco was here interrupted by a low deep groan of anguish, which startled the whole audience. It was now quite dark, and the judge ordered the court to be lighted pre\dous to the defence being continued. The impatience and anxiety of those present were shown in low mur- mm-s of communication, imtil the lights were brought in. The word " Silence ! " from the judge produced an immediate obedience, and the prisoner was ordered to proceed. Francisco then continued his address, com- mencing with the remembrances of his earliest childhood. As he warmed mth his subject, he became more eloquent ; his action became ener- getical without violence ; and the paUid and 230 THE PIRATE. modest youtli gradually grew into the impassioned and inspired orator. He recapitulated rapidly, yet distinctly and with terrible force, all the startling events in his fearful life. There was truth in the tones of his voice, there was conviction in his ani- mated countenance, there was innocence in his open and expressive brow. All who heard believed ; and scarcely had he concluded his address, when the jury appeared im- patient to rise and give their verdict in his favour. But the judge stood up, and addressing the jury, told them that it was his most painful duty to re- mind them that as yet they had heard but assertion, beautiful and almost convincing assertion truly ; but still it was not proof. " Alas ! " observed Francisco, " what evidence can I bring forward, except the evidence of those around me at the bar, which will not be admitted ? Can I recall the dead from the grave ? can I expect those who have been murdered to rise again to assert my innocence ? can I expect that Don Cu- manos will appear from distant leagues to give evidence in my behalf? Alas ! he knows not how I am situated, or he would have flown to my suc- cour. No, no ; not even can I expect that the sweet Spanish maiden, the last to whom I offered my protection, will appear in such a place as this to meet the bold gaze of hundreds ! " " She is here ! " replied a manly voice ; and a passage was made through the crowd : and Clara, THE TRIAL. 231 supported by Edward Templemore, dressed in bis uniform, was usbered into tbe box for tbe wit- nesses. Tbe appearance of tbe fair girl, wbo looked round ber witb alainn, created a great sens- ation. As soon as sbe was sufficiently composed, sbe was sworn, and gave ber evidence as to Fran- cisco's bebaviour during tbe time tbat sbe was a prisoner on board of tbe Avenger. Sbe produced tbe packet wbicb bad saved tbe life of Francisco, and substantiated a great part of bis defence. Sbe extolled bis kindness and bis generosity ; and wben sbe bad concluded, every one asked of bimself, " Can tbis young man be a pirate and a murderer ? " Tbe reply was, " It is impossible." " My lord," said Edward Templemore, "I re- quest permission to ask tbe prisoner a question. "WTien I was on board of tbe wreck of tbe Avenger, I found tbis book floating in tbe cabin. I wosb to ask tbe prisoner wbetber, as tbat young lady bas informed me, it is bis ? " And Edward Temple- more produced tbe Bible. " It is mine," replied Francisco. " May I ask you by wbat means it came into your possession ? " " It is tbe only relic left of one wbo is now no more. It was tbe consolation of my murdered motber ; it bas since been mine. Give it to me, sir ; I may probably need its support now more tban ever." 232 THE PIRATE. " Was your mother murdered, say you ? " cried Edward Templemore, with much agitation. " I have already said so ; and I now repeat it." The judge again rose, and recapitulated the evidence to the jury. Evidently friendly to Fran- cisco, he was obliged to point out to them, that although the evidence of the young lady had pro- duced much which might be oflfered in extenuation, and induce him to submit it to His Majesty, in hopes of his gracious pardon after condemnation ; yet, that many acts in which the prisoner had been involved had endangered his life, and no testimony had been brought forward to prove that he had not, at one time, acted with the pirates, although he might since have repented. They would, of course, remember that the evidence of the mate, Hawkhurst, was not of any value, and must dis- miss any impression which it might have made against Francisco. At the same time he had the \mpleasant duty to point out, that the evidence of the Spanish lady was so far prejudicial, that it pointed out the good terms subsisting between the young man and the pirate-captain. Much as he was interested in his fate, he must reluctantly re- mind the jury, that the evidence on the whole was not sufficient to clear the prisoner ; and he con- sidered it their duty to return a verdict of guiliij againd all the prmners at the bar. THE TRIAL. 233 " My lord," said Edward Templemore, a few seconds after the judge had resumed his seat ; " may not the contents of this packet, the seal of which I have not ventured to break, aiford some evidence in favour of the prisoner ? Have you any objection that it should be opened previous to the jury delivering their verdict ? " " None," replied the judge ; " but what are its supposed contents ? " " The contents, my lord," replied Francisco, " are in the writing of the pirate- captain. He delivered that packet into my hands proAaous to OUT quitting the schooner, stating that it would in- form me who were my parents. My lord, in my present situation I claim that packet, and refuse that its contents shall be read in court. 1£ I am to die an ignomini-ous death, at least those who are connected with me shall not have to blush at my disgrace, for the secret of my parentage shall die with me." " Nay — nay ; be rided by me," replied Edward Templemore, with much emotion. " In the narra- tive, the hand- writing of which can be proved by the king's evidence, there may be acknowledgment of all you have stated, and it will be received as evidence ; will it not, my lord ? " " K the hand- writing is proved, T shoidd think it may," replied the judge ; " particularly as the lady was present when the packet was delivered, 234 THE PIRATE. and heard the captain's assertion. Will you allow it to be offered as evidence, young man ? " "No, my lord," replied Francisco; "unless I have permission first to peruse it myself. I will not have its contents divulged, unless I am sure of an honourable acquittal. The jury must deliver their verdict." The jury turned round to consult, during which Edward Templemore walked to Francisco, accom- panied by Clara, to entreat him to allow the packet to be opened ; but Francisco was firm against both their entreaties. At last the foreman of the jury rose to deliver the verdict. A solemn and awful silence prevailed throughout the court ; the sus- pense was painful to a degree. " My lord," said the foreman of the jury, " our verdict is " " Stop, sir ! " said Edward Templemore, as he clasped one arm round the astonished Francisco, and extended the other towards the foreman. " Stop, sir ! harm him not ! for he is my brother ! " "And my preserver!" cried Clara, kneeling on the other side of Francisco, and holding up her hands in supplication. The announcement was electrical ; the fore- man dropped into his seat ; the judge and whole court were in mute astonishment. The dead silence was followed by confusion, which, after a time, the judge in vain attempted to put a stop to. THE TRIAL. 235 Edward Templemore, Clara, and Francisco, continued to form the same group ; and never was there one more beautiful. And now that they were together, every one in court perceived the strong resemblance between the two young men. Francisco's complexion was darker than Edward's, from his constant exposure, from in- fancy, to a tropical sun ; but the features of the two were the same. It was some time before the judge coidd obtain silence in the conrt ; and when it had been ob- tained, he was himself puzzled how to proceed. Edward and Francisco, who had exchanged a few words, were now standing side by side. " My lord," said Edward Templemore, " the prisoner consents that the packet shall be opened." " I do," said Francisco, mournfully ; " although I have but little hope from its contents. Alas ! now that I have everything to live for — now that I cling to life, I feel as if every chance was gone ! The days of miracles have passed ; and nothing but the miracle of the reappearance of the pirate- captain from the grave can prove my innocence." " He reappears from the grave to prove thine innocence, Francisco ! " said a deep, hollow voice, which startled the whole court, and most of all Hawkhurst and the prisoners at the bar. Still more did fear and horror distort their countenances, when into the witness-box stalked the giant form of Cain. But it was no lono-er the fi£rure which wc have 236 THE PIRATE. described in the commencement of this narrative : his beard had been removed, and he was pale, wan, and emaciated. His sunken eyes, his hollow cheek, and a short cough, which interrupted his speech, proved that his days were nearly at a close. " My lord," said Cain, addressing the judge, " I am the pirate Cain, and was the captain of the Avenger ! Still am I free. I come here volun- tarily, that I may attest the innocence of that yoimg man ! As jet, my hand has not known the manacle, nor my feet the gyves ! I am not a prisoner, nor included in the indictment, and at present my evidence is good. None know me in this court, except those whose testimony, as prisoners, is unavailing ; and therefore, to save that boy, and only to save him, I demand that I may be sworn." The oath was administered, with more than usual solemnity. " My lord, and gentlemen of the jury, I have been in court since the commencement of the trial, and I declare that every word which Francisco has uttered in his own defence is true. He is totally innocent of any act of piracy or murder ; the packet would, indeed, have proved as much : but in that packet there are secrets which I mshed to remain unknown to all but Francisco ; and, rather than it should be opened, I have come forward my- self. How that young officer discovered that Francisco is his brother I know not ; but if he also THE TRIAL. 237 is the son of Cecilia Templeniore, it is true. But the packet will explain all. " And now, my lords, that my evidence is re- ceiyed, I am content : I have done one good deed before I die, and I surrender myself, as a pii-ate and a foul murderer, to justice. True, m}- life is nearly closed — thanks to that villain, there ; but I prefer that I should meet that death I merit, as an expiation of my many deeds of guilt." Cain then turned to Hawkhurst, who was close to him, but the mate appeared to be in a state of stupor ; he had not recovered from his first terror, and still imagined the appearance of Cain to be supernatural. " Villain ! " exclaimed Cain, putting his mouth close to Hawkliurst's ear, " doubly d — d villain ! thou 'It die like a dog, and unrevenged ! The boy is safe, and I'm alive ! " " Art thou really lining ? " said Ilawkhurst, recovering from his fear. " Yes, living — yes, flesh and blood ; feel, wretch ! feel this arm, and be convinced : thou hast felt the power of it before now," continued Cain, sarcastically. " And now, my lord, I have done : Francisco, fare thee well. I loved thee, and have proved my love. Hate not then my memory, and forgive me — yes, forgive me A\hen I 'm no more," said Cain, who then turned his eyes to the ceilinsr of the Court House. — " Yes, there she is, Francisco ! — there she is ! and see," cried he, ex- 238 THE PIRATE. tending botli arms above his head, " she smiles upon — yes, Francisco, your sainted mother smiles and pardons " The sentence was not finished ; for Ilawkhurst, when Cain's arms were upheld, perceived his knife in his girdle, and, with the rapidity of thought, he drew it out, and passed it through the body of the pirate-captain. Cain fell heavily on the floor, while the court was again in confusion. Hawkhurst was secured, and Cain raised from the ground. " I thank thee, Hawkhurst ! " said Cain, in an expiring voice ; " another murder thou hast to answer for : and you have saved me from the dis- grace, not of the gallows, but of the gallows ia thy com]3any. Francisco, boy, farewell ! " And Cain groaned deeply, and expired. Thus perished the renowned pirate- captain, who in his life had shed so much blood, and whose death produced another murder. " Blood for blood ! " The body was removed ; and it now remained but for the jury to give their verdict. All the prisoners were found guilty, with the exception of Francisco, who left the dock accompanied by his newly-found brother, and the congratulations of every individual who could gain access to him. CHAPTER XYIII. CONCLUSIOX. Our first object will be to explain to the reader by what means Edward Templemore was induced to surmise that in Francisco, whom he had con- sidered as a rival, he had found a brother ; and also to account for the reappearance of the pirate Cain. In pursuance of his orders, Edward Temple- more had proceeded on board of the wreck of the Avenger ; and while his men were employed in collecting articles of great value which were on board of her, he had descended into the cabin, which was partly under water. Here he had picked up a book floating near the lockers, and on examination found it to be a Bible. Surprised at seeing such a book on board of a pirate, he had taken it with him when he returned to the Enterprise, and had shown it to Clara, who 240 THE PIRATE. immediately recognized it as the property' of Fran- cisco. The book was saturated with the salt water, and as Edward mechanically turned over the pages, he referred to the title-page to see if there was any name upon it. There was not : but he observed that the blank or fly-leaf next to the binding had been pasted down, and that there was writing on the other side. In its present state it was easily detached from the cover ; and then, to his astonishment, he read the name of Cecilia Templemore — his own mother. He knew well the history ; how he had been saved, and his mother and brother supposed to be lost ; and it may readdy be imagined how great was his anxiety to ascertain by what means her Bible had come into the pos- session of Francisco. He dared not thiuk Fran- cisco was his brother — that he was so closely con- nected with one he still supposed to be a pirate : but the circumstance was possible ; and although he had intended to have remained a few days lon- ger, he now listened to the entreaties of Clara, whose peculiar position on board was only to be justified by the peculiar position from which she had been rescued, and returning that evening to the wreck he set fire to her, and then made all sail for Port Royal. Fortunately he arrived, as we have stated, on the day of the trial ; and as soon as the signal was made by the admiral he immediately manned his I -: CONCLUSION. 241 gig, and taking Clara ■with him, in case her evi- dence might be of use, arrived at the Court House when the trial was about half over. In our last chapter but one, we stated that Cain had been wounded by Hawkhurst, when he was swimming on shore, and had sunk : the ball had entered his chest, and passed through his lungs. The contest between Hawkhurst and Fran- cisco, and their capture by Edward, had taken place on the other side of the ridge of rocks, in the adjacent cove, and although Francisco had seen Cain disappear, and concluded that he was dead, it was not so ; he had again risen above the water, and dropping his feet and finding bottom, he con- trived to crawl out, and wade into a cave adjacent, where he lay do\\Ti to die. But in this cave there was one of the Avenger's boats, two of the pirates, mortally wounded, and the foui' Kroumen, who had concealed themselves there with the intention of taking no part in the conflict, and as soon as it became dark of making their escape in the boat, which they had hauled up diy into the cave. Cain staggered in, recovered the dry land, and fell. Pompey, the Krovmian, perceiving his con- dition, went to his assistance and bound up his wound, and the stanching of the blood soon re- vived the pirate- captain. The other pii-ates died unaided. Although the island was searched in every 242 THE PIRATE. direction, this cave, from the water flowing into it, escaped the vigilance of the British seamen ; and when they re-embarked, with the majority of the pirates captured, Cain and the Kroumen were un- discovered. As soon as it was dark, Cain informed them of his intentions ; and although the Kroumen would probably have left him to his fate, yet, as they re- quired his services to know how to steer to some other island, he was assisted into the stern-sheets, and the boat was backed out of the cave. By the directions of Cain they passed through the passage between the great island and the northern Caique, and before daylight were far away from any chance of capture. Cain had now to a certain degree recovered, and knowing that they were in the channel of the small traders, he pointed out to the Kroumen that, if supposed to be pirates, they would inevitably be punished, although not guilty, and that they must pass off as the crew of a small coasting-vessel which had been wrecked. He then, with the assist- ance of Pompey, cut off his beard as close as he could, and arranged his dress in a more European style. They had neither water nor provisions, and were exposed to a vertical sun. Fortunatelj'" for them, and still more fortunately for Francisco, on the second day they were picked up by an Ameri- can brig bound to Antigua. Cain narrated his fictitious disasters, but said CONCLUSION. 243 notliing about his wound, the neglect of whicli would certainly have occasioned his death a very few days after he appeared at the trial, had he not fallen by the malignity of Hawkhurst. Anxious to find his way to Port Royal, for he was indifferent as to his own life, and only wished to save Francisco, he was overjoyed to meet a small schooner trading between the islands, bound to Port Hoyal. In that vessel he obtained a passage for himself and the Kroumen, and had arrived three days previous to the trial, and during that time had remained concealed until the day that the Admiralty Court assembled. It may be as well here to remark, that Cain's reason for not wishing the packet to be opened was, that among the other papers relative to Fran- cisco were directions for the recovery of the treasure which he had concealed, and which, of course, he wished to be communicated to Francisco alone. We will leave the reader to imagine what passed between Francisco and Edward after the discovery of their kindred, and proceed to state the contents of the packet, which the twin-brothers now opened in the presence of Clara alone. "VVe must, however, condense the matter, which was very voliuninous. It stated that Cain, whose real name was Charles Osborne, had sailed in a fine schooner from Bilboa, for the coast of Africa, to procure a cargo of slaves ; and had been out about twenty-four hours when the crew perceived R 2 244 THE PIRATE. a boat, apparently with no one in her, floating about a mile a-head of tliem. The water was then smooth, and the vessel had but little way. As soon as they came up with the boat, they lowered down their skiflF to examine her. The men sent in the skiff soon returned, towing the boat alongside. Lying at the bottom of the boat were found several men almost dead, and re- duced to skeletons ; and in the stern-sheets a negro woman, with a child at her breast, and white female in the last state of exhaustion. Osborne was then a gay and unprincipled man, but not a hardened villain and murderer, as he afterwards became ; he had compassion and feeling — they were all taken on board the schooner: some recovered, others were too much exhausted. Among those restored was Cecilia Templemore and the infant, who at first had been considered quite dead ; but the negro-woman, exhausted by the de- mands of her nursling and her privations, expired as she was being removed from the boat. A goat, that fortunately was on board, proved a substitute for the negress ; and before Osborne had arrived off the coast the child had recovered its health and vigour, and the mother her extreme beauty. We must now pass over a considerable portion of the narrative. Osborne was impetuous in his passions, and Cecilia Templemore became his victim. He had, indeed, afterwards quieted her qualms of conscience by a pretended marriage, when CONCLUSION. 245 lie arrived at the Brazils with his cargo of human flesh. But that was little alleviation of her suffer- ings ; she who had been indulged in every luxury, who had been educated with the greatest care, was now lost for ever — an outcast from the society to which she could never hope to retui-n, and associat- ing with those she both dreaded and despised. She passed her days and her nights in tears ; and had soon more cause for sorrow from the brutal treat- ment she received from Osborne, who had been her destroyer. Her child was her only solace ; but for him, and the fear of leaving him to the demo- ralising influence of those about him, she would have laid down and died : but she lived for him — for him attempted to recall Osborne from his career of increasing guilt — bore meekly with re- proaches and with blows. At last Osborne changed his nefarious life for one of deeper guilt : he be- came a pirate, and still carried with him Cecilia and her child. This was the climax of her misery : she now wasted from day to day, and grief would soon have terminated her existence, had it not been hastened by the cruelty of Cain, who, upon an expostulation on her part, followed up with a denunciation of ilae consequences of his guilty career, struck her with such violence that she sank vmdcr the blow. She expired with a prayer that her child might be rescued from a life of guilt; and when the then 246 THE PIRATE. repentant Cain promised what lie never did per- form, she blessed him, too, before she died. Such was the substance of the narrative, as far as it related to the unfortunate mother of these two young men, who, when they had concluded, sat hand-in-hand in mournful silence. This, however, was soon broken by the innumerable questions asked by Edward of his brother, as to what he coTild remember of their ill-fated parent, which were followed up by the history of Francisco's eventful life. " And the treasure, Edward," said Francisco ; " I cannot take possession of it." "No, nor shall you either," replied Edward; " it belongs to the captors, and must be shared as prize-money. You will never touch one penny of it ; but I shall, I trust, pocket a very fair propor- tion of it ! However, keep this paper, as it is ad- dressed to you." The admiral had been made acquaiated with all the particulars of this eventful trial, and had sent a message to Edward, requesting that, as soon as he and his brother could make it convenient, he would be happy to see them at the Penn, as well as the daughter of the Spanish governor, whom he must consider as being under his protection during the time that she remained at Port Royal. This offer was gladly accepted by Clara ; and on the second day after the trial they proceeded up to the Penn. CONCLUSION. 247 Clara and Francisco were introduced, and apart- ments and suitable attendance provided for the former. " Templemore," said the admiral, " I'm afraid I must send you away to Porto Rico, to assure the governor of his daughter's safety." " I would rather you would send some one else? sir, and I'll assure her happiness in the mean time." " What ! by marrying her ? Humph ! yoii've a good opinion of yovu-self ! Wait till you're a captain, sir." " I hope I shall not have to wait long, sir," re- plied Edward, demurely. " By the by," said the admiral, " did you not say you have notice of treasure concealed in those islands ? " " My brother has : I have not.'' " We must send for it. I think we must send you, Edward. Mr Francisco, you must go with him." " With pleasure, sir," replied Francisco, laugh- ing ; " but I think I'd rather wait till Edward is a captain ! His wife and his fortune ought to come together. I think I shall not deliver up my papers until the day of his marriage ! " " Upon my word," said Captain Manh% " I wish, Templemore, you had your commission, for there seems so much depending on it — the young lady's happiness, my share of the prize-money, and 248 TIIE PIRATE. the admiral's eiglith. Really, admiral, it becomes a comm^on cause ; and I'm. sure lie deserves it ! " " So do I, Manly," replied the admiral ; " and to prove that I have thought so, here comes Mr Hadley with it in his hand : it only wants one little thing to complete it " "Which is your signature, admiral, I pre- sume," replied Captain Manly, taking a pen full of ink, and presenting it to his senior officer. " Exactly," replied the admiral, scribbling at the bottom of the paper ; " and now — it does not want that. Captain Templemore, I wish you .joy!" Edward made a very low obeisance, as his flushed countenance indicated his satisfaction. "I cannot give cormnissions, admiral," said Francisco, presenting a paper in return ; " but I can give information — and you will find it not un- important — for the treasure appears of great value." " God bless my soul ! Manly, you must start at daylight ! " exclaimed the admiral ; " why, there is enough to load your sloop ! There ! — read it ! — and then I will write your orders, and enclose a copy of it, for fear of accident." " That was to have been my fortune," said Fi-ancisco, with a grave smile ; " but I would not touch it." " Very right, boy ! — a fine principle ! But we are not quite so particular," said the admiral. CONCLUSION. 249 " Now, wliere's the young lady ? Let her laiow that diunei-'s on the table." A fortnight after this conversation, Captain Manly returned with the treasure ; and the Enter- prise, commanded by another officer, returned from Porto Rico, with a letter from the governor in re- ply to one from the admiral, in which the rescue of his daughter by Edward had been communi- cated. The letter was full of thanks to the admiral, and compliments to Edward ; and, what was of more importance, it sanctioned the miion of the young officer with his daughter, with a dozen boxes of gold doubloons. About six weeks after the above-mentioned important conversation, Mr Witherington, who had been reading a voluminous packet of letters in his breakfast-room in Finsbury Square, pulled his bell so violently that old Jonathan thought his master must be out of his senses. This, however, did not induce him to accelerate his solemn and measured pace ; and he made his appearance at the door, as usual, without speaking. "Why don't that fellow answer the bell?" cried Mr Witherington. " I am here, sir," said Jonathan, solemnly. "■ AVell, so you are ! but, confound you ! you come like the ghost of a butler ! But who do you think is coming here, Jonathan ! " *' I cannot tell, sir." 250 THE PIRATE. " But I can ! — you solemn old ! Edward's coming here ! — coming home directly ! " "Is he to sleep in his old room, sir?" replied the imperturbable butler. *' No ! the best bed-room ! Why, Jonathan, he is married — he is made a captain ! — Captain Templemore ! " "Yes— sir." " And he has found his brother, Jonathan ; his twin-brother ! " "Yes— sir." "His brother Francis — that was supposed to be lost ! But it's a long story, Jonathan ! — and a very wonderful one!— his poor mother has long been dead ! " " In coelo quies ! " said Jonathan, casting up his eyes. " But his brother has turned up again." " Resurgam ! " said the butler. " They will be here in ten days — so let every- thing be in readiness, Jonathan. God bless my soul ! " continued the old gentleman, " I hardly know what I'm about. It's a Spanish girl, Jona- than ! " " What is, sir ? " " What is, sir ! —why. Captain Templemore's wife ; and he was tried as a pirate ! " "Who, sir?" " Who, sir! why, Francis, his brother ! Jona- than, you're a stupid old fellow ! " CONCLUSION. 251 " Have you any further commands, sir ? " " No — no ! — there— that '11 do — go away." And in three weeks after this conversation, Cap- tain and ]Mrs Templemore, and his brother Frank, were established in the house, to the great delight of Mr Witherington ; for he had long been tired of solitude and old Jonathan. The twin-brothers were a comfort to him in his old age : they closed his eyes in peace — they divided his blessing and his large fortune — and thus ends our history of The Pirate ! THE THREE CUTTERS. THE THEEE CUTTEES. CHAPTER I. CUTTER THE FIRST. Header, have you ever been at Pljonouth ? If you have, your eye must have dwelt with ecstasy upon the beautiful property of the Earl of Moiuit Edgcumbe : if you have not been at Plymouth, the sooner that you go there the better. At Moimt Edgcumbe you wiU behold the finest timber in ex- istence, towering up to the summits of the hills, and feathering down to the shingle on the beach. And from this lovely spot you will witness one of the most splendid panoramas in the world. You will see — I hardly know what you will not see — you will see Ram Head, and Cawsand Bay ; and then you will see the Breakwater, and Drake's Is- land, and the Devil's Bridge below you ; and the town of Plymouth and its fortifications, and the Hoe ; and then you will come to the Devil's Point, 256 THE THREE CUTTERS. round wliich the tide runs deviKsh strong ; and then you will see the "New Yictualling Office, — about which Sir James Gordon used to stump all day, and take a pinch of snuff from every man who carried a box, which all were delighted to give, and he was delighted to receive, proving how much pleasure may be communicated merely by a pinch of snuff; and then you will see Mount "Wise and Mutton Cove ; the town of Devonport, with its magnificent dockyard and arsenals, North Comer, and the way which leads to Saltash. And you will see ships building and ships in ordinary ; and ships repairing and ships fitting ; and hulks and convict- ships, and the guard-ship ; ships ready to sail and ships under sail ; besides lighters, men-of-war's boats, dockyard-boats, bum-boats, and shore-boats. In short, there is a great deal to see at Plymouth besides the sea itself : but what I particularly wish now is, that you will stand at the battery of Mount Edgcumbe and look into Barn Pool below you, and there you will see, Ipng at single anchor, a cutter ; and you may also see, by her pendant and ensign, that she is a yacht. Of all the amusements entered into by the nobil- ity and gentry of our island there is not one so man- ly, so exciting, so patriotic, or so national, as yacht- sailing. It is peculiar to England, not only from our insidar position and our fine harbours, but because it requires a certain degree of energy and a certain amoimt of income rarely to be found elsewhere. It CUTTER THE FIRST. 257 has been wisely fostered by our sovereigns, wlio have felt that the securit}' of the kingdom is increased by every man being more or less a sailor, or conitected with the nautical profession. It is an amusement of the greatest importance to the country, as it has much improved our ship-building and our ship- fitting, while it affords emplojonent to our seamen and shipwrights. But if I were to say all that I could say in praise of yachts, I should never advance with my narrative. I shall therefore drink a bumj)er to the health of Admiral Lord Yarborough and the Yacht Club, and proceed. You observe that this yacht is cutter-rigged, and that she sits gracefully on the smooth water. She is just heaving up her anchor ; her foresail is loose, aU ready to cast her — in a few minutes she will be under way. You see that there are some ladies sitting at the tafPrail ; and there are five haunches of venison hanging over the stem. Of all amusements, give me yachting. But we must go on board. The deck, you observe, is of narrow deal planks as white as snow ; the guns are of polished brass ; the bitts and binnacles of maho- gany ; she is painted with taste ; and all the mould- ings are gilded. There is nothing wanting ; and yet how clear and how unencumbered are her decks ! Let us go below. This is the ladies' cabin : can anything be more tasteful or elegant ? is it not luxurious ? and, although so small, does not its very confined space astonish }'0u, wlien you view 258 THE THREE CUTTERS. SO many comforts so beautifully arranged ? This is the dining-room, and where the gentlemen repair. What can be more complete or recherche ? And just peep into their state-rooms and bed- places. Here is the steward's room and the beaufet : the steward is squeezing lemons for the punch, and there is the champagne in ice ; and by the side of the pail the long-corks are ranged up, all ready. Now, let us go forwards : here are the men's berths, not confined as in a man-of-war. No ! luxury starts from abaft, and is not wholly lost, even at the fore-peak. This is the kitchen : is it not admirably arranged ? What a multum in parvo ! And how delightful are the fumes of the turtle- soup ! At sea we do meet with rough weather at times ; but, for roughing it out, give me a yacht. Now that I have shown you round the vessel, I must introduce the parties on board. You observe that florid, handsome man, in white trousers and blue jacket, who has a telescope in one hand, and is sipping a glass of brandy and water which he has just taken off the skylight. That is the owner of the vessel, and a member of the Yacht Club. It is Lord B : he looks like a sailor, and he does not much belie his looks ; yet I have seen him in his robes of state at the opening of the Hoiise of Lords. The one near to him is Mr Stew- art, a lieutenant in the navy. He holds on by the rigging with one hand, because, having been actively employed all his life, he does not know CUTTER THE FIRST. 259 what to do with liands wliicli have nothing in them. He is a protege of Lord B., and is now on board as sailing-master of the yacht. That handsome, well-built man, who is stand- ing by the binnacle, is a Mr Hautaine. He served six years as midshipman in the navy, and did not like it. He then served six years in a cavalry regiment, and did not like it. He then married, and in a much shorter probation found that he did not like that. But he is very fond of yachts and other menfs wives, if he does not like his own ; and wherever he goes, he is welcome. That young man with an embroidered silk waistcoat and white gloves, bending to talk to one of the ladies, is a Mr Yaughan. He is to be seen at Almack's, at Crockford's, and everywhere else. Everybody knows him, and he knows everybody. He is a little in debt, and yachting is convenient. The one who sits by the lady is a relation of Lord B. ; you see at once what he is. He apes the sailor ; he has not shaved, because sailors have no time to shave every day; he has not changed his linen, because sailors cannot change every day. He has a cigar in his mouth, which makes him half sick and annoys his com- pany. He talks of the pleasure of a rough sea, which will drive all the ladies below — and then they will not perceive that he is more sick than themselves. He has the misfortune to be born to s 2 2G0 THE THREE CUTTERS. a large estate, and to be a fooJ. His name is Os- sulton. The last of the gentlemen on board whom I have to introduce is Mr Seagrove. He is slightly made, with marked features full of intelKgence. He has been brought up to the bar ; and has every qualification but application. He has never had a brief, nor has he a chance of one. He is the fid- dler of the company, and he has locked up his chambers and come, by invitation of his lordship, to play on board of his yacht. I have yet to describe the ladies — perhaps I should have commenced with them — I must excuse myself upon the principle of reserving the best to the last. All puppet- sho"v\Tnen do so ; and what is this but the first scene in my puppet-show ? We will describe them according to seniority. That tall, thin, cross -looking lady of forty-five is a spinster, and sister to Lord B. She has been per- suaded, very much against her will, to come on board ; but her notions of propriety would not permit her niece to embark under the protection of only her father. She is frightened at everything : if a rope is thrown down on the deck, up she starts, and cries, " Oh ! " if on the deck, she thinks the water is rushing in below ; if down below, and there is a noise, she is convinced there is danger ; and if it be perfectly still, she is sure there is something wrong. She fidgets herself and every- body, and is quite a nuisance with her pride and CUTTER THE FIRST. 261 ill- humour ; but she has strict notions of propriety, and sacrifices herself as a martyr. She is the Hon. Miss Ossulton. The lady who, when she smiles, shows so many dimples in her pretty oval face, is a young widow of the name of Lascelles. She married an old man to please her father and mother, which was very dutiful on her part. She was rewarded by finding herself a widow with a large fortune. Having married the first time to please her parents, she intends now to marry to please herself; but she is very young, and is in no hurry. That young lady Avith such a sweet expression of countenance is the Hon. Miss Cecilia Ossulton. She is lively, witty, and has no fear in her compo- sition ; but she is very young yet, not more than seventeen — and nobody knows what she really is — she does not know herself. These are the parties who meet in the cabin of the yacht. The crew consists of ten fine seamen, the steward, and the cook. There is also Lord B.^s valet, Mr Ossul- ton's gentleman, and the lady's maid of Miss Ossulton. There not being accommodation for them, the other servants have been left on shore. The yacht is now under way, and her sails are all set. She is running between Drake's Island and the main. Dinner has been announced. As the reader has learnt something about the prepar- ations, I leave him to judge whether it be not very pleasant to sit down to diimer in a yacht. The 262 THE THREE CUTTEKS. air had given everybody an appetite ; and it was not until tlie clotti was removed that the conversa- tion became general. " Mr Seagrove/^ said his lordship, " you very nearly lost your passage ; I expected you last Thursday." " I am sorry, my lord, that business prevented my sooner attending to your lordship's kind sum- mons." " Come, Seagrove, don't be nonsensical," said Hautaine ; " you told me yourself, the other even- ing, when you were talkative, that you had never had a brief in your life." "And a very fortunate circumstance,'^ replied Seagrove ; " for if I had had a brief I should not have known what to have done with it. It is not my fault ; I am fit for nothing but a commissioner. But still I had business, and very important busi- ness, too. I was summoned by Ponsonby to go with him to TattersaU's, to give my opinion about a horse he wishes to purchase, and then to attend him to Forest Wild to plead his cause with his uncle." " It appears, then, that you were retained," re- plied Lord B. ; "may I ask you whether your friend gained his cause ? " " No, my lord, he lost his cause, but he gained a suit." " Expound your riddle, sir," said Cecilia Ossul- ton. CUTTER THE FIRST. 263 " The fact is, that old Ponsonby is very anxious that William should marry Miss Percival, whose estates join on to Forest Wild. Now, my friend William is about as fond of marriage as I am. of law, and thereby issue was joined." " But why were you to be called in ? " inquired Mrs Lascelles. " Because, madam, as Ponsonby never buys a horse without consulting me " " I cannot see the analogy, sir," observed Miss Ossulton, senior, bridling up. " Pardon me, madam : the fact is,^' continued Seagrove, " that, as I always have to back Ponson- by's horses, he thought it right that, in this in- stance, I should back him : he required special pleading, but his imcle tried him for the capital offence, and he was not allowed counsel. As soon as we arrived, and I had bowed myself into the room, Mr Ponsonby bowed me out again — which would have been infinitely more jarring to my feelings had not the door been left a-jar." " Do anything but pun, Seagrove," interrupted Hautaine. " Well, then, I -v^dll take a glass of wine." " Do so," said his lordship ; " but recollect the whole company are impatient for your story." " I can assure you, my lord, that it was equal to any scene in a comedy." Now be it observed that Mr Seagrove had a great deal of comic talent ; he was an excellent 264 THE THREE CUTTERS. mimic, and coiild alter his voice almost as he pleased. It was a custom, of his to act a scene as between other people, and he performed it remark- ably well. Whenever he said that anything he was going to narrate was " as good as a comedy," it was generally understood by those who were acquainted with him that he was to be .asked so to do. Cecilia Ossulton therefore immediately said, " Pray act it, Mr Seagrove." Upon which Mr Seagrove — premising that he had not only heard, but also seen all that had passed — changing his voice, and suiting the action to the word, commenced. " It may,'^ said he, " be called " FIVE THOUSAND ACRES IN A RING-FENCE." We shall not describe ISIr Seagrove's motions ; they must be inferred from his words. " 'It "svill, then, William,' observed Mr Pon- sonby, stopping, and turning to his nephew, after a rapid walk up and down the room with his hands behind him imder his coat, so as to allow the tails to drop their perpendicidar about three inches clear of his body, ' I may say, without contradiction, be the finest property in the county — five thousand acres in a ring-fence.' " ' I dare say it will, imcle,' replied William, tapping his foot as he lovmged in a green morocco easy-chair ; ' and so, because you have set your CUTTER THE FIRST. 265 fancy upon having these two estates enclosed toge- ther in a ring-fence, you wish that I should also be enclosed in a ring-fence.* " ' And a beautiftd property it will be,' replied Mr Ponsonby. " ' Which, uncle ? the estate or the wife ? ' " ' Both, nephew, both ; and I expect your consent.' " ' Uncle, I am not avaricious. Your present property is sufficient for me. With your per- mission, instead of doubling the property, and doubling myself, I will remain your sole heir, and single.' " ' Observe, WiUiam, such an opportunity may not occur again for centuries. We shall restore Forest Wild to its ancient boundaries. You know it has been divided nearly two hundred years. We now have a glorious, golden opportunity of re- imiting the two properties ; and when joined, the estate ^vill be exactly what it was when granted to our ancestors by Henry the Eighth, at the period of the Befomiation. This house must be pidled down, and the monastery left standing. Then we shall have our own again, and the property mthout encumbrance.' " ' Without encumbrance, uncle ! You forget that there will be a wife.' " ' And you forget that there will bo five thou- sand acres in a ring-fence.' 266 THE THREE CUTTERS. " ' Indeed, uncle, you ring it too often in my ears that I should forget it. But, much as I should like to be the happy possessor of such a property, I do not feel inclined to be the happy possessor of Miss Percival ; and the more so, as I have never seen the property.' " ' We will ride over it to-morrow, William.' " ' Ride over Miss Percival, uncle ! That will not be very gallant. I will, however, one of these days ride over the property with you, which, as well as Miss Percival, I have not as yet seen.' " ' Then I can tell you she is a very pretty pro- perty.' " ' If she were not in a ring-fence.' " ' In good heart, William. That is, I mean an excellent disposition.' " ' Valuable in matrimony.' " ' And well tilled — I should say well educated, by her three maiden aimts, who are the patterns of propriety.' " ' Does any one follow the fashion ? ' " ' In a high state of cultivation ; that is, her mind highly ctdtivated, and according to the last new system — what is it ? ' " 'A four-course shift, I presume,' replied William, laughing ; ' that is, dancing, singing, music, and drawing.' " ' And only seventeen ! Capital soil, pro- mising good crops. What would you have more ? ' CUTTER THE FIRST. 267 " ' A very pretty estate, uncle, if it were not the estate of matrimony. I am sorry, very sorry, to disaj)point you; but I must decline taking a lease of it for life.' " ' Then, sir, allow me to hint to you that in my testament you are only tenant-at-will. I con- sider it a duty that I owe to the family that the estate should be re-united. That can only be done by one of our family marrying Miss Percival ; and as you will not, I shall now write to your cousin James, and if he accept my proposal, shall make him my heir. Probably he will more fully appre- ciate the advantages of five thousand acres in a ring-fence.' " And Mr Ponsonby directed his steps towards the door. " ' Stop, my dear uncle,' cried "William, rising up from his easy-chair ; ' we do not quite imder- stand one another. It is very true that I woidd prefer half the property and remaining single, to the two estates and the estate of marriage ; but at the same time I did not tell you that I wotdd pre- fer beggary to a wife and five thousand acres in a ring-fence. I know you to be a man of your word. I accept yom- proposal, and you need not put my cousin James to the expense of postage.' " ' Very good, William ; I require no more : and as I know you to be a man of your word, I shall consider this match as settled. It was on this account only that I sent for you, and now you 268 THE THREE CUTTERS. may go back again as soon as you please. I will let you know when all is ready.' " ' I must be at Tattersall's on Monday, uncle ; there is a horse I must have for next season. Pray, uncle, may I ask when you are likely to want me ? ' " ' Let me see — this is May — about July, I should think.' " ' July, uncle ! Spare me — I cannot marry in the dog-days. No, hang it ! not July.' " ' Well, William, perhaps, as you must come down once or twice to see the property — Miss Per- cival, I should say — it may be too soon — suppose we put it off till October.' " ' October — I shall be down at Melton.' " ' Pray, sir, may I then inquire what portion of the year is not, with you, dog-days ? ' " * Why, uncle, next April, now — I think that would do.' " ' Next April ! Eleven months, and a winter between. Suppose Miss Percival was to take a cold and die.' " *I should be excessively obliged to her,' thought William. " ' No ! no ! ' continued Mr Ponsonby : ' there is nothing certain in this world, William.' " ' Well then, uncle, suppose we arrange it for the first hard frost.' " ' We have had no hard frosts, lately, William. We may wait for years. The sooner it is over the CUTTER THE FIRST. 269 better. Go back to town, buy your horse, and then come down here, my dear "William, to oblige your tmcle — never mind the dog-days.' " ' Well, sir, if I am to make a sacrifice, it shall not be done by halves ; out of respect for you I will even marry in July, without any regard to the thermometer.' " ' You are a good boy, William. Do you want a cheque ? ' " *I have had one to-day,' thought William, and was almost at fault. ' I shall be most thank- fid, sir — they sell horse-flesh by the ounce now-a- days.' " ' And you pay in pounds. There, William.' " ' Thank you, sir, I 'm all obedience ; and I '11 keep my word, even if there should be a comet. I 'U go and buy the horse, and then I shall be ready to take the ring-fence as soon as you please.' " ' Yes, and you'll get over it cleverly, I 've no doubt. Five thousand acres, William, and — a pretty wife ! ' " * Have you any further commands, uncle ? ' said WilKam, depositing the cheque in his pocket- book. " ' None, my dear boy : are you going ? ' " ' Yes, sir ; I dine at the Clarendon.' " 'Well, then, good-bye. Make my compli- ments and excuses to your friend Seagrove. You will come on Tuesday or Wednesday.' " Thus was concluded the marriage between 270 THE THREE CUTTERS. William Ponsonby and Emily Percival, and the junction of tlie two estates, which formed together the great desideratum-^e^e thousand acres in a ring- fence.'^ Mr Seagrove finished, and looked round for approbation. "■ Very good, indeed, Seagrove," said his lord- ship ; " you must take a glass of wine after that." " I would not give much for Miss Percival's chance of happiness," observed the elder Miss Ossulton. " Of two evils choose the least, they say," ob- served Mr Hautaine. " Poor Ponsonby could not help himself." " That's a very polite observation of yours, Mr Hautaine — I thank you in the name of the sex," replied Cecilia Ossulton. " Nay, Miss Ossulton ; would you like to marry a person whom you never saw ? " " Most certainly not ; but when you mentioned the two evils, Mr Hautaine, I appeal to your honour, did you not refer to marriage or beg- gary?" " I must confess it. Miss Ossidton ; but it is hardly fair to call on my honour to get me into a scrape." " I only wish that the offer had been made to me," observed Vaughan ; " I should not have hesi- tated as Ponsonby did." " Then I beg you will not think of proposing CUTTER THE FIRST. 271 for me," said Mrs Lascelles, laugliing ; for Mr Yaughan had been excessively attentive. " It appears to me, Yaiiglian," observed Sea- grove, " that you have sKghtly committed yourself by that remark." Yaughan, who thought so too, replied : " Mrs Lascelles must be aware that I was only joking." " Fie ! Mr Yaughan," cried Cecilia Ossulton ; " you know it came from yoiir heart." " My dear Cecilia," said the elder Miss Ossul- ton, " you forget yourself — what can you possibly know about gentlemen's hearts ? " " The Bible says, that they are ' deceitful and desperately wicked,' aimt." " And cannot we also quote the Bible against your sex, j\Iiss Ossulton ? " replied Seagrove. " Yes, you could, perhaps, if any of you had ever read it," replied Miss Ossulton, carelessly. " Upon my word. Cissy, you are throwing the gauntlet down to the gentlemen," observed Lord B. ; " but I shall throw my warder down, and not permit this combat a routrance. — I perceive you drink no more wine, gentlemen, — we wiU take our coffee on deck." " We were jiist about to retire, my lord," ob- served the elder Miss Ossulton, with great asperity : " I have been trying to catch the eye of Mrs Las- celles for some time, but " " I was looking another way, I presume," in- terrupted Mrs Lascelles, smiling. 272 THE THREE CUTTERS. " I am afraid that I am the unfortunate cul- prit," said Mr Seagrove. " I was telling a little anecdote to Mrs Lascelles " " Which, of course, from its being communi- cated in an under-tone, was not proper for all the company to hear," replied the elder Miss Ossul- ton ; " but if Mrs Lascelles is now ready " continued she, bridling up, as she rose from her chair. " At all events, I can hear the remainder of it on deck," replied Mrs Lascelles. The ladies rose and went into the cabin, Cecilia and Mrs Lascelles exchanging very significant smiles as they followed the precise spinster, who did not choose that Mrs Lascelles should take the lead merely because she had once happened to have been married. The gentlemen also broke up, and went on deck. " We have a nice breeze now, my lord," ob- served Mr Stewart, who had remained on deck, " and we lie right up Channel." " So much the better," rej)lied his lordship ; " we ought to have been anchored at Cowes a week ago. They will all be there before us." " Tell Mr Simpson to bring me a light for my cigar," said Mr Ossulton to one of the men. Mr Stewart went down to his dinner ; the ladies and the coffee came on deck ; the breeze was fine, the weather (it was April) almost warm ; and the yacht, whose name was the Arrow, assisted by the tide, soon left the Mewstone far astern. ,t CHAPTER II. CUTTER THE SECOXD. Reader, have you ever been at Portsmouth ? If you have, you must have been delighted with the view from the saluting battery ; and if you have not, you had better go there as soon as you can. From the saluting battery jon may look up the harbour, and see much of what I have de- scribed at Plymouth : the scenery is different ; but similar arsenals and dock-yards, and an equal por- tion of our stupendous na\'y, are to be found there. And you will see Gosport on the other side of the harbour, and Sallj^port close to you ; besides a great many other places, which, from the saluting battery, you cannot see. And then there is South- sea Beach to your left. Before you, Spithead, with the men-of-war, and the Motherbank, crowded with merchant vessels ; — and there is the buoy where the Royal George was wrecked, and where 274 THE THREE CUTTERS. she still lies, tlie fish swimming in and out of her cabin windows : but that is not all ; you can also see the Isle of Wight, — E^yde, with its long wooden pier, and Cowes, where the yachts lie. In fact, there is a great deal to be seen at Portsmouth as well as at Plymouth ; but what I wish you par- ticularly to see just now is a vessel holding fast to the buoy, just off the saluting battery. She is a cutter ; and you may know that she belongs to the Preventive Service by the nimiber of gigs and galleys which she has hoisted up all round her. She looks like a vessel that was about to sail with a cargo of boats ; two on deck, one astern, one on each side of her. You observe that she is painted black, and all her boats are white. She is not such an elegant vessel as the yacht, and she is much more lumbered up. She has no haiinches of venison over the stern ; but I think there is a leg of mutton, and some cabbages hanging by their stalks. But revenue- cutters are not yachts. You will find no turtle or champagne ; but, nevertheless, you will, perhaps, find a joint to carve at, a good glass of grog, and a hearty welcome. Let us go on board. — You observe the gims are iron, and painted black, and her bulwarks are painted red : it is not a very becoming colour ;' but then it lasts a long while, and the dock-yard is not very generous on the score of paint — or lieu- tenants of the navy troubled with much spare CUTTER THE SECOND. 275 cash. She has plenty of men, and fine men they are ; all di-essed in red flannel shirts and blue trousers : some of them have not taken oflf their canvass or tarpauling petticoats, which are very useful to them, as they are in the boats night and day, and in all weathers. But we will at once go down into the cabin, where we shall find the lieu- tenant who commands her, a master's mate, and a midshipman. They have each their tumbler before them, and are drinking gin-toddy, hot, with sugar — capital gin, too, 'bove proof; it is from that small anker standing imder the table. It was one that they forgot to return to the custom-house when they made their last seizure. AVe must introduce them. The elderl}^ personage, with grizzly hair and whiskers, a round j)ale face, and a somewhat red nose (being too much in the mnd will make the nose red, and this old ofiicer is very often " in the wind," of course, from the very nature of his pro- fession), is a Lieutenant Appleboy. He has served in every class of vessel in the service, and done the duty of first- Keuteuant for twenty years ; he is now on promotion — that is to say, after he has taken a certain niunber of tubs of gin, he will be rewarded with his rank as commander. It is a pity that what he takes inside of him does not count, for he takes it morning, noon, and night. lie is just fiUing his fourteenth glass ; he always keeps a regular account, as he never exceeds his T 2 276 THE THREE CUTTERS. limited number, whicli is seventeen : then lie is exactly down to his bearings. The master's mate's name is Tomkins ; he has served his six years three times over, and has now outgrown his ambition : which is fortunate for him, as his chances of promotion are small. He prefers a small vessel to a large one, because he is not obliged to be so particular in his dress — and looks for his Keutenancy whenever there shall be another charity promotion. He is fond of soft bread, for his teeth are all absent without leave ; he prefers porter to any other liquor, but he can drink his glass of grog, whether it be based upon rum, brandy, or the liquor now before him. Mr Smith is the name of that young gentleman whose jacket is so out at the elbows ; he has been intending to mend it these last two months, but is too lazy to go to his chest for another. He has been turned out of half the ships in the service for laziness ; but he was born so — and therefore it is not his fault. A revenue-cutter suits him, she is half her time hove to ; and he has no objection to boat-service, as he sits down always in the stern- sheets, which is not fatiguing. Creeping for tubs is his delight, as he gets over so little gromid. He is fond of grog, but there is some trouble in carrying the tumbler so often to his mouth ; so he looks at it, and lets it stand. He says little, be- cause he is too lazy to speak. He has served more than eight years ; but as for passing — it has never CUTTER THE SECOND. 277 come into his head. Such are the three persons who are now sitting in the cabin of the revenue- cutter, di'inking hot gin-toddy. " Let me see, it was, I think, in ninety- three, or ninety-four. Before you were in the ser\-ice, Tomkins " " Maybe, sir ; it 's so long ago since I entered, that I can't recollect dates, — but this I know, that my aunt died three days before." " Then the question is, when did your aimt die?" " Oh ! she died about a year after my imcle." " And when did your uncle die ? " " I 'U be hanged if I know ! " " Then, d'ye see, you've no departure to work from. However, I think you cannot have been in the service at that time. We were not quite so particular about uniform as we are now." " Then I think the service was all the better for it. Now-a-days, in your crack ships, a mate has to go down in the hold or spirit-room, and after whipping up fifty empty casks, and breaking out twenty full ones, he is expected to come on quarter- deck as clean as if he was just come out of a band- box." *' Well, there's plenty of water alongside, as far as the outward man goes, and iron dust is soon brushed off. However, as you say, perhaps a little too much is expected ; at least, in five of the ships in which I was first-lieutenant, the captain was 278 THE THREE CUTTERS. always hauling me over the coals about the mid- shipmen not dressing properly, as if I was their dry-nurse. I wonder what Captain Prigg woidd have said, if he'd seen such a turn-out as you, Mr Smith, on his quarter-deck." "I shotdd have had one turn-out more," drawled Smith. " With your out-at-elbows jacket, there, eh ! " continued Mr Appleboy. Smith tiu-ned up his elbows, looked at one and then at the other ; after so fatiguing an operation, he was silent. " Well, where was I ? Oh ! it was about ninety-three or ninety-four, as I said, that it hap- pened — Tomkins, fill your glass, and hand me the sugar, — how do I get on ? This is No. 15," said Appleboy, counting some white lines on the table by him ; and taking up the piece of chalk, he marked one more line on his tally. " I don't think this so good a tub as the last, Tomkins, there 's a twang about it — a want of juniper : how- ever, I hope we shall have better luck this time. Of coiu'se you know we sail to-morrow ? " " I presume so, by the leg of mutton coming on board." " True — true : I 'm regular — as clock-work. After being twenty years a first-lieutenant, one gets a little method. I like regularity. Now the admiral has never omitted asking me to dinner once, every time I have come into harbour, except CUTTER THE SECOND. 279 this time, . I was so certain of it, that I never ex- pected to sail ; and I have but two shirts clean in consequence." " That 's odd, isn't it ? — and the more so, be- cause he has had such great people down here, and has been giving large parties every day." " And yet I made three seiziu'es, besides sweep- ing up those thirty-seven tubs." " I swept them up," observed Smith. " That 's all the same thing, younker. When you've been a little longer in the service, you'll find out that the commanding officer has the merit of all that is done : but you're green yet. Let me see, where was I ? Oh ! — It was about ninety- three or ninety-four, as I said. At that time I was in the Channel fleet Tomkins, I '11 trouble you for the hot water ; this water 's cold. Mr Smith, do me the favour to ring the bell. — Jem, some more hot water." " Please, sir," said Jem, who was barefooted as well as bareheaded, touching the lock of hair on his forehead, " the cook has capsized the kettle — but he has put more on." " Capsized the kettle ! Hah ! — very well — we'll talk about that to-morrow. Mr Tomkins, do me the favour to put him in the report : I may forget it. And pray, sii", how long is it since he has put more on ? " '* Just this moment, sir, as I came aft." " Yery well, we'll see to that to-morrow. You 280 THE THREE CUTTERS. bring the kettle aft as soon as it is ready. I say Mr Jem, is tliat fellow sober ? " " Yees, sir, he be sober as you be." " It 's quite astonishing what a propensity the common sailors have to liquor. Forty odd years have I been in the service, and I 've never found any difference. I only wish I had a guinea for every time that I have given a fellow seven- water grog diu'ing my servitude as first -lieutenant, I wouldn't call the king my cousin. "Well, if there 's no hot water, we must take lukewarm ; it won't do to heave to. By the Lord Harry ! who would have thought it ? — I 'm at number sixteen ! Let me count — yes ! — surely I must have made a mistake. A fact, by Heaven ! " continued Mr Appleboy, throwing the chalk down on the table. " Only one more glass, after this ; that is, if I have counted right — I may have seen double." " Yes," drawled Smith. " Well, never mind. Let 's go on with my story. It was either in the year ninety-three or ninety-four, that I was in the Channel fleet : we were then abreast of Torbay " " Here be the hot water, sir," cried Jem, put- ting the kettle down on the deck. " Very well, boy. By the by, has the jar of butter come on board ? " " Yes, but it be broke all down the middle. I tied him up with a ropeyarn." " Who broke it, sir ? " CUTTER THE SECOND. 281 " Coxswain says as how lie didn't." " But who did, sir ? " " Coxswain handed it up to Bill Jones, and he says as how he didn't." " But who did, sir ? " * " Bill Jones gave it to me, and I'm sure as how I didn't." " Then who did, sir, I ask you ? " " I think it be Bill Jones, sir, 'cause he ^s fond of butter, I know, and there be very little left in the jar." " Very well, we'll see to that to-morrow morn- ing. Mr Tomkins, you'll oblige me by putting the butter-jar down in the report, in case it should slip my memory. Bill Jones, indeed, looks as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth. Never mind. Well, it was, as I said before — it was in the year ninety-three or ninety-four, when I was in the Channel fleet ; we were then ofl" Torbay, and had just taken two reefs in the top-sails. Stop — before I go on with my story, I '11 take my last glass ; I think it's the last — let me count. Yes, by heavens ! I make out sixteen, well told. Never mind, it shall be a stiff one. Boy, bring the kettle, and mind you don't pour the hot water into my shoes, as you did the other night. There, that will do. Now, Tomkins, fill up yours ; and you, Mr Smith. Let us all start fair, and then you shall have my story — and a very curious one it is, I can tell you: I wouldn't have believed it myself, if I hadn't seen 282 THE THREE CUTTERS. it. Hilloa ! what's this? Confound it! what's the matter with the toddy ? Heh, Mr Tomkins ?" Mr Tomkins tasted ; but, like the lieutenant, he had made it very stiff; and, as he had also taken largely before, he was, like him, not quite so clear in his discrimination. " It has a queer twang, sir : Smith, what is it ?" Smith took up his glass, tasted the contents. " Salt wa^er," drawled the midshipman. " Salt water ! so it is, by heavens !" cried Mr Appleboy. " Salt as Lot's wife ! by all that's infamous I" cried the master's mate. " Salt water, sir ! " cried Jem, in a fright, ex- pecting a salt eel for supper. "Yes, sir," replied Mr Appleboy, tossing the contents of the tumbler in the boy's face, " salt water. Very well, sir, — very well ! " " It warn't me, sir," repKed the boy, making up a piteous look. " No, sir, but you said the cook was sober." " He was not so very much disguised, sir," re- plied Jem. " Oh ! very well — never mind. Mr Tomkins, in case I should forget it, do me the favour to put the kettle of salt water down in the report. The scoundrel ! I'm very sorry, gentlemen, but there's no means of having any more gin-toddy. But never mind, we'U see to this to-morrow. Two can play at this ; and if I don't salt-water their grog, CUTTER THE SECOND. 283 and make them drink it, too, I have been twenty- years a first-lieutenant for nothing, that's all. Good night, gentlemen ; and," continued the lieutenant, in a severe tone, " you'll keep a sharp look-out, Mr Smith — do you hear, sir ?" "Yes," drawled Smith, "but it's not my watch ; it was my first watch ; and, just now, it struck one bell." "You'll keep the middle watch, then, Mr Smith," said Mr Appleboy, who was not a little put out ; " and, Mr Tomkins, let me know as soon as it's daylight. Boy, get my bed made. Salt water, by all that's blue ! However, we'll see to that to-morrow morning." Mr Appleboy then turned in ; so did Mr Tom- kins ; and so did Mr Smith, who had no idea of keeping the middle watch because the cook was drunk and had filled up the kettle with salt water. As for what happened in ninety-three or ninety- four, I really would inform the reader if I knew ; but I'm afraid that that most curious story is never to be handed down to posterity. The next morning Mr Tomkins, as usual, for- got to report the cook, the jar of butter, and the kettle of salt water ; and Mr Appleboy's wrath had long been appeased before he remembered them. At daylight, the lieutenant came on deck, having only slept away half of the sixteen, and a taste of the seventeenth salt-water glass of gin- toddy, lie rubbed his gray eyes, that he might 284 THE THREE CUTTERS. poer tlirougli the gray of the morning ; the fresh breeze blew about his grizzly locks, and cooled his rubicund nose. The revenue-cutter, whose name was the Active, cast oif from the buoy, and, with a fresh breeze, steered her course for the Needles' passage. CHAPTER III. CUTTER THE THIRD. Reader ! have you been to St Maloes ? If you have, you were glad enough to leave the hole; and if you have not, take my advice, and do not give yourself the trouble to go and see that or any other French port in the Channel. There is not one worth looking at. They have made one or two artificial ports, and they are no great things ; there is no getting out or getting in. In fact, they have no harbours in the Channel, while we have the finest in the world ; a peculiar dispensa- tion of Providence, because it knew that we should want them, and France would not. In France, what are called ports are all alike, — nast}", narrow holes, only to be entered at certain times of tide and certain winds ; made up of basins and back- waters, custom-houses, and cabarets ; just fit for smugglers to run into, and nothing more; and, therefore, they are used for very little else. 286 THE THREE CUTTERS. Now, in tlie dog-liole called St Maloes there is some pretty laud, although a great deficiency of marine scenery. But never mind that. Stay at home, and don't go abroad to driiik sour wine, be- cause they call it Bordeaux, and eat villanous trash, so disguised by cooking that you cannot possibly tell which of the birds of the air, or beasts of the field, or fishes of the sea, you are cramming down your throat. " If all is right, there is no occasion for disguise," is an old saying ; so depend upon it that there is something wrong, and that you are eatiag ofial, under a grand French name. They eat everything in France, and woidd serve you up the head of a monkey who has died of the small- pox, as singe au ^petite Ttrole — that is, if you did not understand French ; if you did, they would call it, tete d'' amour a VjEthiopique, and then you would be even more puzzled. As for their wine, there is no disguise in that ; it 's half vinegar. No, no ! stay at home ; you can live just as cheaply, if you choose ; and then you will have good meat, good vegetables, good ale, good beer, and a good glass of grog ; and, what is of more importance, you will be in good company. Live with your friends, and don't make a fool of yourself. I would not have condescended to have noticed this place, had it not been that I wish you to observe a vessel which is lying along the pier- wharf, with a plank from the shore to her gun- wale. It is low water, and she is aground, and CUTTER THE THIRD. 287 the plank dips down at sucli an angle that it is a work of danger to go either in or out of her. You observe that there is nothing very remarkable in her. She is a cutter, and a good sea-boat, and sails well before the wind. She is short for her breadth of beam, and is not armed. Smugglers do not arm now — the service is too dangerous ; they effect their purpose by cunning, not by force. Nevertheless, it requires that smugglers shoidd be good seamen, smart, active fellows, and keen- witted, or they can do nothing. This vessel has not a large cargo in her, but it is valuable. She has some thousand yards of lace, a few himdred pounds of tea, a few bales of silk, and about forty ankers of brandy — ^just as much as they can land in one boat. All they ask is a heavy gale or a thick fog, and they trust to themselves for success. There is nobody on board except a boy ; the crew are all up at the cabaret, settling their Kttle accounts of every description — for they smuggle both ways, and every man has his own private venture. There they are all, fifteen of them, and fine-looking fellows, too, sitting at that long table. They are very merry, but quite sober, as they are to sail to-night. The captain of the vessel (whose name, by the by, is the Happy-go-lucky, — the captain christ- ened her himself) is that fiue-lookiiig yoimg man, with dark whiskers meeting under his throat. His name is Jack Pickersgill. You perceive, at 288 THE THREE CUTTERS. once, that he is mucli above a common sailor in appearance. His manners are good, he is remark- ably handsome, very clean, and rather a dandy in his dress. Observe how very politely he takes off his hat to that Frenchman, with whom he has just settled accounts ; he beats Johnny Crapeau at hia own weapons. And then there is an air of com- mand, a feeling of conscious superiority, about Jack ; see how he treats the landlord, de haut en has, at the same time that he is very civil. The fact is, that Jack is of a very good, old family, and received a very excellent education ; but he was an orj)han, his friends were poor, and could do but little for him : he went out to India as a cadet, ran away, and served in a schooner which smuggled opium into China, and then came home. He took a liking to the emplojonent, and is now laying up a very pretty little sum : not that he intends to stop : no, as soon as he has enough to fit out a vessel for himself, he intends to start again for India, and mth two cargoes of opium he will re- turn, he trusts, with a handsome fortune, and re- assume his family name. Such are Jack's inten- tions ; and, as he eventually means to reappear as a gentleman, he preserves his gentlemanly habits : he neither drinks, nor chews, nor smokes. He keeps his hands clean, wears I'ings, and sports a gold snuff-box ; notwithstanding which. Jack is one of the boldest and best of sailors, and the men know it. He is fiill of fun, and as keen as a razor. I>rawr!. "br ■-- ^.a^c.'- J at. S*-MaLu CUTTER THE THIRD. 289 Jack has a very heavy venture this time — all the lace is his own speculation, and if he gets it in safe, he will clear some thousands of pounds. A certain fashionable shop in London has already agreed to take the whole off his hands. That short, neatly-made young man, is the second in command, and the companion of the captain. He is clever, and always has a remedy to propose when there is a difficulty, which is a great quality in a second in command. His name is Corbett. He is always merry — half-sailor, half- tradesman ; knows the markets, runs up to London, and does business as well as a chaj)man — lives for the day and laughs at to-morrow. That little punchy old man, with long gray hair and fat face, with a nose like a note of inter- rogation, is the next personage of importance. He ought to be called the saihng-master, for, although he goes on shore in France, off the English coast he never quits the vessel. When they leave her with the goods, he remains on board ; he is always to be found off any part of the coast where he may be ordered ; holding his position in defiance of gales, and tides, and fogs : as for the revenue- vessels, they all know him well enough, but they cannot touch a vessel in ballast, if she has no more men on board than allowed by her tonnage. He knows every creek, and hole, and corner, of the coast ; how the tide runs in — tide, half- tide, eddy. 290 THE THREE CUTTERS. or current. That is his value. His name is Morrison. You observe that Jack PickersgUl has two excellent supporters in Corbett and Morrison ; his other men are good seamen, active, and obedient, which is all that he requires. I shall not particu- larly introduce them. " Now you may call for another litre, my lads, and that must be the last ; the tide is flowing fast, and we shall be afloat in half an hour, and we have just the breeze we want. What d'ye think, Morri- son, shall we have dirt ?" "I've been looking just now, and if it were any other month in the year I should say, yes ; but there's no trusting April, captain. Howsom- ever, if it does blow off", I'll promise you a fog in three hours afterwards." " That will do as well. Corbett, have you settled with Duval?" " Yes, after more noise and charivari than a panic in the Stock Exchange would make in Eng- land. He fought and squabbled for an hour, and I foimd that, without some abatement, I never should have settled the afiair." " What did you let him ofi"?" " Seventeen sous," replied Corbett, laughing. "And that satisfied him?" inquired Pickers- gill. "Yes — it was all he could prove to be a sur- CUTTER THE THIRD. 291 faire : two of tlie knives were a little rusty. But lie will always have something off; he could not be happy without it. I really think he would commit suicide if he had to pay a bill without a deduction." "Let him live," replied Pickersgill. " Jean- nette, a bottle of Volnay of 1811, and three glasses." Jeannette, who was the Jilie de cabaret, soon appeared with a bottle of wine, seldom called for, except by the captain of the Ilappy- go-lucky. "You sail to-night ?" said she, as she placed the bottle before him. Pickersgill nodded his head. " I had a strange dream," said Jeannette ; "I thought you were all taken by a revenue cutter, and put into a cachot. I went to see you, and I did not know one of you again — you were all changed." " Very likely, Jeannette ; you would not be the first who did not know their friends again when in misfortime. There was nothiug strange in your dream." " Mais, mon Dieu ! jc ne suis pas comme ^a, moi." " No, that you are not, Jeannette ; you are a good girl, and some of these fine days I'll marry you," said Corbett. " Doit etre lien beau ce jour la, par exemple,''^ repHed Jeannette, laughing ; " you have promised c2 292 THE THREE CUTTERS. to marry me every time you have come in these last three years." " "Well, that proves I keep to my promise, any how." " Yes ; but you never go any further." *' I can't spare him, Jeannette, that is the real truth," said the captain : " but wait a little, — in the mean time, here is a five-franc-piece to add to your petite fortune.'^ " Merci hien, monsieur le capitaine ; hon voy- age ! " Jeannette held her finger up to Corbett, saying, with a smile, *' mechant ! " and then quitted the room. " Come, Morrison, help us to empty this bottle, and then we will all go on board." " I wish that girl wouldn't come here with her nonsensical dreams," said Morrison, taking his seat ; "I don't like it. "When she said that we should be taken by a revenue cutter, I was looking at a blue and a white pigeon sitting on the wall opposite ; and I said to myself. Now, if that be a warning, I will see : if the blue pigeon flies siwaj first, I shall be in jail in a week ; if the tvhite, I shall be back here." "Well?" said Pickerso:ill, laujyhino-, "It wasn't well," answered Morrison, tossiag off his wine, and putting the glass do-woi with a deep sigh ; "for the cursed b/ue pigeon flew away immediately." "Why, Morrison, you must have a chicken- CUTTER THE THIRD. 293 heart to be frightened at a blue pigeon ! " said Corbett, laughing, and looking out of the window; " at all events, he has come back again, and there he is sitting by the white one." " It 's the first time that ever I was called chicken-hearted," replied Morrison, in wrath. " JN^or do you deserve it, Morrison," repKed Pickersgill ; " but Corbett is only joking." " Well, at all events, I 'U try my luck in the same way, and see whether I am to be in jail : I shall take the blue pigeon as my bad omen, as you did." The sailors and Captain Pickersgill all rose and went to the ^vindow, to ascertain Corbett's fortune by this new species of augury. The blue pigeon flapped his wings, and then he sidled up to the white one ; at last, the white pigeon flew ofi" the wall and settled on the roof of the adjacent house. " Bravo, Avhite pigeon ! " said Corbett ; " I shall be here again in a week. The whole party, laughing, then resumed their seats ; and Morrison's countenance brightened uj). As he took the glass of wine poured out by Pickersgill, he said, "Here's your health, Corbett ; it was all nonsense, after all — for, d'ye see, I can't be put in jail without you are. We all sail in the same boat, and when you leave me you take with you everything that can condemn the vessel — so here's success to our trip." " We ^ill all di-ink that toast, my lads, and 294 THE THREE CUTTERS. tten on board," said the captain ; " here's success to our trip." The captain rose, as did the mates and men, drank the toast, turned down the drinking-vessels on the table, hastened to the wharf, and, in half an hour, the Happy-go-lucky was clear of the port of St Maloes. CHAPTER IT. PORTLAND BILL. The Happy-go-lucky sailed with a fresh, breeze and a flo^vdiig sheet from St Maloes, the evening before the Arrow sailed from Barn Pool. The Active sailed from Portsmouth the morning after. The yacht, as we before observed, was bound to Cowes in the Isle of Wight. The Active had orders to cruise wherever she pleased within the limits of the admiral's station ; and she ran for West Bay, on the other side of the Bill of Port- land. The Happy-go-lucky was also bovmd for that bay to land her cargo. The wind was light, and there was every ap- pearance of fine weather, when the Happy-go- lucky, at ten o'clock on the Tuesday night, made the Portland lights ; as it was impossible to run her cargo that night, she hove to. At eleven o'clock the Portland lights were made by the revenue cutter Active. Mr Apple- 296 THE THREE CUTTERS. boy went up to have a look at them, ordered the cutter to be hove to, and then went do^Ti to finish his allowance of gin-todd3^ At twelve o'clock the yacht Arrow made the Portland lights, and con- tinued her course, hardly stemming the ebb tide. Day broke, and the horizon was clear. The first on the look-out were, of course, the smug- glers ; they, and those on board the revenue cutter, were the only two interested parties — the yacht was neuter. " There are two cutters in sight, sir," said Cor- bett, who had the watch ; for Pickersgill, having been up almost the whole night, had thro\\Ti him- self down on his bed with his clothes on. " "What do they look like ?" said Pickersgill, who was up in a moment. " One is a yacht, and the other may be ; but 1 rather think, as far as I can judge in the gray, that it is our old friend off here." "What! old Appleboy?" " Yes, it looks like him ; but the day has scarcely broke yet." " "Well, he can do nothing in a light wind like this ; and before the wind we can show him our heels: but are you sm^e the other is a yacht .^" said Pickersgill, coming on deck. " Yes ; the king is more careful of his canvass." "You're right," said Pickersgill, "that is a yacht ; and you're right there again in your guess — that is the stuj^id old Active, which creeps about PORTLAND BILL. 297 creeping for tubs. Well, I see nothing to alarai us at present, proAided it don't fall a dead calm, and then we must take to our boat as soon as he takes to his ; we are four miles from him at least. Watch his motions, Corbett, and see if he lowers a boat. What does she go now ? Four knots ? — that will soon tire their men." The positions of the three cutters were as follows : — The Happy-go-lucky was about four miles off Portland Head, and well into West Bay. The reyeniie cutter was close to the Head. The yacht was outside of tlie smuggler, about two miles to the westward, and about five or six miles from the revenue cutter. " Two vessels in sight, sir," said Mr Smith, coming down into the cabin to Mr Appleboy. " Very well," replied the lieutenant, who was lying down in his standing bed-place. " The people say one is the Happy-go-lucky, sir," drawled Smith. " Hell ? what ! Happy-go-lucky ? Yes, I re- collect ; I've boarded ber twenty times — always em.pty. How's she standing ?" " She stands to the westward now, sir ; but sbe was hove to, they say, when they first saw her." " Then she has a cargo in her ;" and Mr Apple- boy shaved himself, dressed, and went on deck. " Yes," said the lieutenant, rubbing his eyes 298 THE THREE CUTTERS. again and again, and then looking tlirough tlie glass, " it is her, sure enough. Let draw the fore- sheet — hands make sail. What vessel 's the other ? " " Don't know, sir, — she's a cutter." " A cutter ? yes ; may be a yacht, or may he the new cutter ordered on the station. Make all sail, Mr Tomkins ; hoist our pendant, and fire a gun — they will understand what we mean then ; they don't know the Happy-go-lucky as well as we do." In a few minutes the Active was ujider a press of sail ; she hoisted her pendant, and fired a gun. The smuggler perceived that the Active had recog- nised her, and she also threw out more canvass, and ran off more to the westward. ' There's a gun, sir," reported one of the men to Mr Stewart, on board of the yacht. " Yes ; give me the glass — a revenue cutter ; then this vessel in shore running towards us must be a smuggler." " She has just now made all sail, sir.' " Yes, there's no doubt of it. I will go down to his lordship ; keep her as she goes." Mr Stewart then went down to inform Lord B. of the circumstance. Not only Lord B. but most of the gentlemen came on deck ; as did soon after- wards the ladies, who had received the intelligence from Lord B., who spoke to them through the door of the cabin. PORTLAND BILL. 299 But the smuggler had more wind than the revenue cutter, and increased her distance. " If we were to wear round now, my lord," ob- served Mr Stewart, " she is just abreast of us and in shore, we could prevent her escape." " Round with her, Mr Stewart," said Lord B. ; " we must do our duty and protect the laws." " That will not be fair, papa," said Cecilia Ossulton ; " we have no quarrel with the smug- glers : I'm sure the ladies have not, for they bring us beautiful things." " Miss Ossulton," observed her aunt, " it is not proper for you to offer an opinion." The yacht wore round, and, sailing so fast, the smuggler had little chance of escaping her ; but to chase is one thing — to capture, another. " Let us give her a gun," said Lord B., " that will frighten her ; and he dare not cross our hawse." The gun was loaded, and not being more than a mile from the smuggler, actually threw the ball almost a quarter of the way. The gentlemen, as well as Lord B., were equally excited by the ardour of pursuit ; but the wind died away, and at last it was nearly calm. The revenue cutter's boats were out, and coming up fast. **Let us get our boat out, Stewart," said his lordship, " and help them ; it is quite calm now." 300 THE THREE CUTTERS. The boat was soon out : it was a very large one, usually stowed on, and occupied a large por- tion of, the deck. It pulled six oars; and when it was manned, Mr Stewart jumped in, and Lord B. followed him. "But you have no arms," said Mr Hautaine. " The smugglers never resist now," observed Stewart. " Then you are going on a very gallant expe- dition, indeed," observed Cecilia Ossulton ; " I wish you joy." But Lord B. was too much excited to pay at- tention. They shoved oif, and pulled towards the smuggler. At this time the reveniie boats were about five miles astern of the Happy-go-lucky, and the yacht about three-quarters of a mile from her in the offing. Pickersgill had, of course, observed the motions of the yacht ; had seen her wear on chase, hoist her ensign and pendant, and fire her gun. " Well," said he, " this is the blackest ingrati- tude ! to be attacked by the very people whom we smuggle for ! I only wish she may come up with us ; and, let her attempt to interfere, she shall rue the day : I don't much like this, though." As we before observed, it fell nearly calm, and the revenue boats were in chase. Pickersgill watched them as they came up." "^Yhat shall we do?" said Corbett,— "get the boat out ?" PORTLAND BILL. 301 " Yes," replied Pickersgill, " we will get the boat out, and have the goods in her all ready ; but we can pull faster than they do, in the first place ; and, in the next, they will be pretty well tired be- fore they come up to us. We are fresh, and shall soon walk away from them ; so I shall not leave the vessel till they are within half a mile. We must sink the ankers, that they may not sei2:e the vessel, for it is not worth while taking them with us. Pass them along, ready to run them over the bows, that they may not see us and swear to it. But we have a good half hour, and more." " Ay, and you may hold all fast if you choose," said Morrison, "although it's better to be on the right side and get ready ; otherwise, before half an hour, I '11 swear that we are out of their sight. Look there," said he, pointing to the eastward at a' heav}' bank, " it 's coming right down upon us, as I said it would." " True enough ; but still there is no sayiag which will come first, Morrison, the boats or the fog : so we must be prepared." "HiRoa! what's this? why there's a boat coming from the yacht ! " Pickersgill took out his glass. " Yes, and the yacht's own boat, with tlie name painted on her bows. Well, let them come — we will have no ceremony in resisting them ; they are not in the act of parliament, and must take the consequences. We have nought to fear. 302 THE THREE CUTTERS. Get stretchers, my lads, and hand-spikes ; they row six oars, and are three in the stern sheets : they must be good men if they take us," In a few minutes Lord B, was close to the smuggler. " Boat ahoy ! what do you want ?" " Surrender in the king's name.^' " To what, and to whom, and what are we to surrender? We are an English vessel coasting along shore." " Pull on board, my lads," cried Stewart ; " I am a king's officer : we know her." The boat darted alongside, and Stewart and Lord B., followed by the men, jumped on the deck. " WeU, gentlemen, what do you want ? " said PickersgiU. " We seize you ! you are a smuggler, — there 's no denying it ; look at the casks of spirits stretched along the deck." " We never said that we were not smugglers," replied PickersgiU ; " but what is that to you ? You are not a king's ship, or employed by the revenue." " No ; but we carry a pendant, and it is our duty to protect the laws " " And who are you ? " said PickersgiU. " I am Lord B." "Then, my lord, aUow me to say that you would do much better to attend to the framing of laws, and leave people of less consequence, like PORTLAND BILL. 303 those astern of me, to execute them. ' Mind your own business,' is an old adage. We shall not hui't you, my lord, as you have only employed words, but we shall put it out of your power to hurt us. Come aft, my lads. Now, my lord, resistance is useless ; we are double your numbers, and you have caught a Tartar." Lord B. and Mr Stewart perceived that they were in an awkward predicament. " You may do what you please," observed Mr Stewart, "but the revenue boats are coming up, recollect." "Look you, sir, do you see the revenue cutter ? " said Pickersgill. Stewart looked in that direction, and saw that she was hidden in the fog. *' In five minutes, sir, the boats will be out of sight also, and so will your vessel; we have no- thing to fear from them." " Indeed, my lord, we had better return," said Mr Stewart, who perceived that Pickersgill was right. " I beg your pardon, you will not go on board your 3"acht so soon as you expect. Take the oars out of the boat, my lads, two or three of you, and throw in a couple of our paddles for them to reach the shore with. The rest of you knock do^vn the first man who ofiers to resist. You are not aware, perhaps, my lord, that you have attempted piraci/ on the hiffh seas ? " 304 THE THREE CUTTERS. Stewart looked at Lord B. It was true enouo-h. The men of the yaclit could offer no resistance ; the oars were taken out of the boat and the men put in again. "My lord," said Pickersgill, "your boat is manned, do me the favour to step into it ; and you, sir, do the same. I shoTild be sorry to lay my hands upon a peer of the realm, or a king's officer even on half pay." Remonstrance was vain ; his lordship was led to the boat by two of the smugglers, and Stewart followed. " I will leave your oars, my lord, at the ^Vey- mouth Custom-house, and I trust this will be a lesson to you in future to 'mind your own busi- ness.' " The boat was shoved o.T from the sloop by the smugglers, and was soon lost sight of in the fog, which had now covered the revenue boats as well as the yacht, at the same time it brought down a breeze from the eastward, " Haul to the wind, Morrison," said Pickers- gill, " we will stand out to get rid of the boats ; if they pull on they will take it for granted that we shall run into the bay, as will the revenue cut- ter." Pickersgill and Corbett were in conversation abaft for a short time, when the former desired the course to be altered two points. " Keep silence all of you, my lads, and let me PORTLAND BILL. 305 know if you hear a gun or a bell from tlie yacht," said Pickersgill. " There is a gun, sir, close to us," said one of the men ; " the sound was right ahead." " That will do, keep her as she goes. Aft here, my lads ; we cannot run our cargo in the bay, for the cutter has been seen to chase us, and they will all be on the look-out at the preventive stations for us on shore. Now, my lads, I have made up my mind that, as these yacht gentlemen have thought proper to interfere, that I will take possession of the yacht for a few days. We shall then outsail everything, go where we like unsuspected, and land our cargo with ease. I shall run alongside of her — she can have but few hands on board; and mind, do not hurt anybody, but be civil and obey my orders. Morrison, you and your four men and the boy will remain on board as before, and take the vessel to Cherbourg, where we will join you." In a short time another gun was fired from the yacht. Those on board, particularly the ladies, were alarmed ; the fog was very thick, and they coidd not distinguish the length of the vessel. They had seen the boat board, but had not seen her turned adrift without oars, as the fog came on just at that time. The yacht was left with only three seamen on board, and shoidd it come on bad wea- ther, they were in an awkward predicament. Mr Hautaine had taken the conmaand, and ordered the 306 THE THREE CUTTERS, guns to be fired tliat tlie boat miglit be enabled to find them. The fourth gun was loading, when they perceived the smuggler's cutter close to them looming through the fog. " Here they are/' cried the seamen ; " and they have brought the prize along with them ! Three cheers for the Arrow ! " " Hilloa ! you '11 be on board of us ! " cried Hautaine. " That 's exactly what I intended to be, sir," replied Pickersgill, jumping on the quarter-deck, followed by his men. " A\Tio the devil are you ? " " That's exactly the same question that I asked Lord B. when he boarded us," replied Pickersgill, taking off his hat to the ladies. " Well, but what business have you here ? " " Exactly the same question which I put to Lord B.," replied PickersgiQ. " Where is Lord B., sir ? " said Cecilia Ossul- ton, going up to the smuggler ; " is he safe ? " " Yes, madam, he is safe ; at least he is in his boat with all his men, and unhurt : but you must excTise me if I request you and the other ladies to go down below while I speak to these gentlemen. Be under no alarm, miss, you will receive neither insult nor ill-treatment — I have only taken pos- session of this vessel for the present." " Take possession," cried Hautaine, "of a yacht ! " PORTLAND BILL. 307 " Yes, sir, since the owner of the yacht thought proper to attempt to take possession of me. I always thought that yachts were pleasure-yessels, sailing about for amusement, respected themselves, and not interfering with others ; but it appears that such is not the case. The owner of this yacht has thought proper to break through the neutrality and commence aggression, and under such circiunstances I have now, in retaliation, taken possession of her." " And, pray, what do you mean to do, sir ? " " Simply for a few days to make an exchange. I shall send you on board of my vessel as smug- glers, while I remain here with the ladies and amuse myself with yachting." " Wliy, sir, you cannot mean " " I have said, gentlemen, and that is enough ; I should be sorry to resort to violence, but I must be obeyed. You have, I perceive, three seamen only left : they are not sufEcient to take charge of the vessel, and Lord B. and the others you will not meet for several days. My regard for the ladies, even common humanity, points out to me that I cannot leave the vessel in this crippled con- dition. • At the same time, as I must have hands on board of my own, you will oblige me by going on board and taking her safely into port. It is the least return you can make for my kindness. In those dresses, gentlemen, you will not be able to do your duty ; oblige me by shifting and putting x2 308 THE THREE CUTTERS. on these." Corbett handed a flannel shirt, a rough jacket and trousers, to Messrs Hautaine, Ossuiton, Vaughan, and Seagrove. After some useless re- sistance they were stripped, and having put on the smugglers' attire, they were handed on board of the Happy-go-lucky. The three English seamen were also sent on board and confined below, as well as Ossulton's servant, who was also equipped like his master, and confined below with the seamen. Corbett and the men then handed up all the smuggled goods into the yacht, dropped the boat, and made it fast astern, and Morrison hai-ing received his direc- tions, the vessels separated, Morrison running for Cherbourg, and Pickersgill steering the yacht along shore to the westward. About an hour after this exchange had been effected the fog cleared up, and showed the revenue cutter hove to for her boats, which had pulled back and were close on board of her, and the Happy-go-lucky about three miles in the offing ; Lord B. and his boat's crew were about four miles in shore, paddling and drift- ing with the tide towards Portland. As soon as the boats were on board the revenue cutter made all sail after the smuggler, paying no attention to the yacht, and either not seeing or not caring about the boat which was drifting about in West Bay. CHAPTEH V. THE TEAVESTIE. " Here we are, Corbett, and now I only wish, my venture had been double," observed Pickersgill ; "but I shall not allow business to absorb me wholly — we must add a little amusement. It appears to me, Corbett, that the gentleman's clothes which lie there will fit you, and those of the good-looking fellow vv^ho was spokesman will, I am sure, suit me well. Now let us dress our- selves, and then for breakfast." Pickersgill then exchanged his clothes for those of Mr Hautaine, and Corbett fitted on those of Mr Ossulton. The steward was sunmioncd up, and he dared not disobey ; he appeared on deck, trem- bling. " Steward — yon Avill take these clothes below," said Pickersgill, " and, observe, I now command this yacht ; and during the time that I am on board you will pay me the same respect as you did 310 THE THREE CUTTERS. Lord B. : nay, more, you will always address me as Lord B. You will prepare dinner and break- fast, and do your duty just as if his lordship was on board, and take care that you feed us well, for I will not allow the ladies to be entertained in a less sumptuous manner than before. You will tell the cook what I say ; and now that you have heard me, take care that you obey : if not, recollect that I have my own men here, and if I but point with my finger, overboard you go. Do you per- fectly comprehend me ? '' " Yes, — sir," stammered the steward. "Yes, s//*.' — What did I tell you, sirrah? — Yes, my lord. Do you understand me ? " " Yes — my lord." " Pray, steward, whose clothes has this gentle- man put on ? " " Mr — Mr Ossulton's, I think — sir — my lord, I mean." " Very well, steward ; then recollect, in future you always address that gentleman as Mr Ossul- to?i" " Yes, my lord," and the steward went down below, and was obliged to take a couple of glasses of brandy to keep himself from fainting. " Who are they, and what are they, Mr Mad- dox ? " cried the lady's-maid, who had been weep- ing. " Pirates ! — bloody, murderous, sticJc-at-nothing pirates ! " replied the steward. THE TRAVESTIE. 311 " Oh ! " screamed the lady^s-maid, " what will become of us, poor unprotected females ? " And she hastened into the cabin, to impart this dreadful intelligence. The ladies in the cabin were not in a very enviable situation. As for the elder Miss Ossvd- ton, (but, perhaps, it will be better in future to distinguish the two ladies, by calling the elder simply Miss Ossulton, and her niece, Cecilia,) she was sitting with her salts to her nose, agonised with a mixture of trepidation and wounded pride. Mrs Lascelles was weeping, but weeping gently. Cecilia was sad, and her heart was beating with anxiety and suspense — when the maid rushed in. " madam ! miss ! Mrs Lascelles ! I have found it all out ! — they are murderous, bloody, do- everythmg pirates ! ! ! " " Mercy on us ! " exclaimed Miss Ossulton ; " surely they will never dare ? " " Oh, ma'am, they dare anything ! — they just now were for throwing the steward overboard ; and they have rummaged all the portmanteaus, and dressed themselves in the gentlemen's best clothes. The captain of them told the steward that he was Lord B., and that if he dared to call him anything else, he would cut his throat from ear to ear ; and if the cook do n't give them a good dinner, they swear that they'll chop his right hand off, and make him eat it without pepper or salt ! " 312 THE THREE CUTTERS. Miss Ossulton screamed, and went oif into hysterics. Mrs Lascelles and Cecilia went to her assistance ; but the latter had not forgotten the very different behaviour of Jack Pickersgill, and his polite manners, when he boarded the vessel. She did not, therefore, believe what the maid had reported, but still her anxiety and suspense were great, especially about her father. After having restored her aunt she put on her bonnet, which was lying on the sofa. " Where are you going, dear ? " said Mrs Lascelles. " On deck," replied Cecilia. " I must and will speak to these men." " Gracious heaven. Miss Ossulton ! going on deck ! have you heard what Phoebe says ! " " Yes, aunt, I have ; but I can wait here no longer." " Stop her ! stop her ! — she will be murdered ! — she will be — she is mad ! " screamed Miss Ossulton ; but no one attempted to stop Cecilia, and on deck she went. On her arrival she foimd Jack Pickersgill and Corbett walking the deck, one of the smugglers at the helm, and the rest for- ward, and as quiet as the crew of the yacht. As soon as she made her appearance Jack took off his hat, and made her a bow. " I do not know whom I have the honour of addressing, young lady ; but I am flattered with THE TRAVESTIE. 313 tills mark of confidence. You feel, and I assure you you feel correctly, that you are not exactly in lawless hands." Cecilia looked with more surprise than fear at Pickersg'ill. Mr Hautaine's dress became him ; he was a handsome, fine-looking man, and had nothing of the rufiian in his appearance ; unless, like Byron's Corsair, he was lialf savage, half soft. She could not help thinking that she had met many with less pretensions, as far as appearance went, to the claims of a gentleman, at Almack's and other fashionable circles. " I have ventured on deck, sir," said CeciKa, with a little tremidousness in her voice, "to request, as a favour, that you will inform me what your in- tentions may be with regard to the vessel and with regard to the ladies ! " " And I feel much obliged to you for so doing, and I assure you I wHL, as far as I have made up my own. mind, answer you candidly : but you tremble — allow me to conduct you to a seat. In few words, then, to remove your present alarm, I intend that the vessel shall bo returned to its owner, with every article in it, as religiously respected as if they were church property. With respect to you, and the other ladies on board, I pledge you my honour that you have nothing to fear ; that you shall be treated with every respect ; your privacy never invaded ; and that, in a few days, you will be restored to youi- friends. Young lady, I pledge 314 THE THREE CUTTERS. my hopes of future salvation to the truth of this ; but, at the same time, I must make a few con- ditions, which, however, will not be very severe." " But, sir," replied Cecilia, much relieved, for Pickersgill had stood by her in the most respectful manner, " you are, I presume, the captain of the smuggler ? Vraj answer me one question more — What became of the boat with Lord B. ? He is my father." " I left him in his boat, without a hair of his head touched, yoimg lady ; but I took away the oars." " Then he will perish ! " cried Cecilia, putting her handkerchief to her eyes. " No, young lady ; he is on shore, probably, by this time. Although I took away his means of assisting to capture us, I left him the means of gaining the land. It is not every one who would have done that, after his conduct to us." " I begged him not to go," said Cecilia ; " I told him that it was not fail', and that he had no quarrel with the smugglers." " I thank you even for that," replied Pickersgill. "And now, miss — I have not the pleasure of re- collecting his lordship's family name " " Ossulton, sir," said Cecilia, looking at Pickers- gill with surprise. " Then, with your permission, Miss Ossulton, I wiU now make you my confidant : excuse my using so free a term, but it is because I wish to relieve THE TRAVESTIE, 315 your fears. At the same time, I cannot permit you to divulge all my intentions to the whole party on board. I feel that I may trust you, for you have courage, and where there is courage there generally is truth ; but you must first tell me whether you will condescend to accept these terms ? " Cecilia demurred a moment ; the idea of being the confidant of a smuggler rather startled her : but still, her knowledge of what his intentions were, if she might not reveal them, might be im- portant ; as, perhaps, she might dissuade him. She could be in no worse position than she was now, and she might be in a much better. The conduct of Pickersgill had been such, up to the present, as to inspire confidence ; and, although he defied the laws, he appeared to regard the courtesies of life. CecHia was a courageous girl, and at length she replied : — " Provided what you desire me to keep secret wiU not be injurious to any one, or compromise me in my peculiar situation, I consent." " I would not hurt a fly, Miss Ossulton, but in self-defence ; and I have too much respect for you, from your conduct during om- short meeting, to compromise you. Allow me now to be very candid ; and then, perhaps, you will acknowledge that in my situation others would do the same, and, perhaps, not show half so much forbearance. Your father, without any right whatever, interferes with me and my caUing : he attempts to make me 316 THE TirilEE CUTTERS. a prisoner, to have me thro^vn in jail, heavily fined, and, perhaps, sent out of the country. I will not enter into any defence of smuggling ; it is sufficient to say that there are pains and penalties attached to the infraction of certain laws, and that I choose to risk them. But Lord B. was not empowered by Government to attack me ; it was a gratuitous act ; and had I thrown him and all his crew into the sea, I should have been justified : for it was, in short, an act of piracy on their part. Now, as your father has thought to turn a yacht into a revenue cutter, you cannot be surprised at my re- taliating, in turning her into a smuggler ; and as he has mixed up looking after the revenue with yachting, he cannot be surprised if I retaliate, by mixing up a little yachting with smuggling. I have dressed your male companions as smugglers, and have sent them in the smuggling vessel to Cherbourg, where they will be safely landed ; and I have dressed myself, and the only person whom I could join with me in this frolic, as gentlemen, in their places. My object is twofold : one is, to land my cargo, which I have now on board, and which is very valuable ; the other is, to retaKate upon your father and his companions for their at- tempt upon me, by stepping into their shoes and enjoying, for a day or two, their luxuries. It is my intention to make free with nothing but his lordship's wines and eatables — that you may be assured of ; but I shall have no pleasure if the THE TRAVESTIE. 317 ladies do not sit down to the dinner-table with us, as they did before with your father and his friends." " You can hardly expect that, sir," said Cecilia. " Yes, I do ; and that will be not only the price of the early release of the yacht and themselves, but it will also be the only means by which they will obtain anything to eat. You observe. Miss Ossul- ton, the sins of the fathers are visited on the child- ren. I have now told you what I mean to do, and what I wish. I leave you to think of it, and decide whether it will not be the best for all parties to consent. You have my permission to tell the other ladies that, whatever may be their conduct, they are as secure from ill-treatment or rudeness as if they were in Grosvenor Square ; but I cannot answer that they will not be hungry, if, after such forbearance in every point, thcj^ show so little gratitude as not to honour me with their com- pany." " Then I am to understand that we are to be starved into submission ? " " No, not starved, Miss Ossulton ; but recollect that you will be on bread and water, and detained im^til you do consent, and yoirr detention will in- crease the anxiety of your father." " You know how to persuade, sir," said Cecilia. " As far as I am concerned, I trust I shall ever be ready to sacrifice any feelings of pride to spare my father so much uneasiness. With your permission. 318 THE THREE CUITERS. I will now go down into the cabin and relieve my companions from the worst of their fears. As for obtaining what you wish, I can only say that, as a yotmg person, I am not likely to have much influence with those older than myself, and must inevitably be overruled, as I have not permission to point out to them reasons which might avail. Would you so far allow me to be relieved from my promise, as to communicate all you have said to me to the only married woman on board ? I think I then might obtain your mshes, which, I must candidly tell you, I shall attempt to effect only because I am most anxious to rejoin my friends." " And be relieved of my company," replied Pickersgill, smiling ironically, — " of course you are ; but I must and will have my petty revenge : and although you may, and probably will, detest me, at all events you shall not have any very for- midable charge to make against me. Before you go below. Miss Ossulton, I give you my permission to add the married lady to the number of my confi- dants ; and you must permit me to introduce my friend, Mr Ossulton ; " and Pickersgill waved his hand in the direction of Corbett, who took off" his hat, and made a low obeisance. It was impossible for Cecilia Ossulton to help smiling. "And," continued Pickersgill, " having taken the command of this yacht instead of his lordship, it is absolutely necessary that I also take his lord- THE TRAVESTIE. 319 ship's name. While onboard, I am Lord B. ; and allow me to introduce myself under that name : I cannot be addressed otherwise. Depend upon it, Miss Ossulton, that I shall have a most paternal solicitude to make you happy and comfortable." Had Cecilia Ossulton dared to have given vent to her real feelings at that time, she would have bui'st into a fit of laughter ; it was too ludicrous. At the same time, the very burlesque reassured her still more. She went into the cabin with a heavy weight removed from her heart. In the mean time, Miss Ossulton and Mrs Las- celles remained below, in the greatest anxiety at Cecilia's prolonged stay ; they knew not what to think, and dared not go on deck. Mrs Lascelles had once determined at all risks to go up ; but Miss Ossulton and Phoebe had screamed, and im- plored her so fervently not to leave them, that she xmwillingly consented to remain. Cecilia's counte- nance, when she entered the cabin, reassured Mrs Lascelles, but not her aunt, who ran to her, crying and sobbing, and clinging to her, saying, " What have they done to you, my poor, poor Cecilia ?" " Nothing at all, aunt," replied Cecilia; "the captain speaks very fairly, and says that he shall respect us in every possible way, provided that we obey his orders ; but if not " " If not — what, Cecilia ? " said Miss Ossulton, grasping her niece's arm. 320 THE THREE CUTTERS. " He will starve us, and not let us go ! " " God have mercy on us ! " cried Miss Ossulton, renewing her sobs. Cecilia then went to Mrs Lascelles, and com- municated to her, apart, all that had passed. Mrs Lascelles agreed with CeciKa that they were in no danger of insult ; and as they talked over the mat- ter, they at last began to laugh : there was a novelty in it, and there was something so ridiculous in all the gentlemen being turned into smugglers. Cecilia was glad that she coiild not tell her aunt, as she wished her to be so frightened as never to have her company on board of the yacht again ; and Mrs Lascelles was too glad to annoy her for many and various insults received. The matter was therefore canvassed over very satisfactorily, and Mrs Lascelles felt a natural curiosity to see this new Lord B. and the second Mr Ossulton. But they had had no breakfast, and were feeling very hungry now that their alarm was over. They desired Phoebe to ask the steward for some tea or coffee. The reply was, that " Breakfast was laid in the cabin, and Lord B. trusted that the ladies would come to partake of it." " No, no," replied Mrs Lascelles, " I never can, mthout being introduced to them first." " Nor will I go," replied Cecilia ; "but I mil write a note, and we will have our breakfast here." Cecilia wrote a note in pencil as follows : — THE TRAVESTIE. 321 " Miss Ossultou's compliments to Lord B., and, as the ladies feel rather indisposed after the alarm of this morning, they trust that his lordship will excuse their coming to breakfast ; but hope to meet his lordship at dinner, if not before that time on deck." The answer was propitious, and the steward soon appeared with the breakfast in the ladies' cabin. '* Well, Maddox," said Cecilia, "how do you get on with youi* new master ? " The steward looked at the door, to see if it was closed, shook his head, and then said, with a look of despair, " He has ordered a haunch of venison for dinner, miss, and he has twice threatened to toss me overboard." " You must obey him, Maddox, or he certainly will. These pirates are dreadful fellows. Be at- tentive, and serve him just as if he was my father." " Yes, yes, ma'am, I will ; but our time may come. It 's burglary on the high seas, and I '11 go fifty miles to see him hanged." " Steward ! " cried Pickersgill, from the cabin. " 0, Lord ! he can't have heard me — d'j^e think he did, miss ? " " The partitions are very thin, and you spoke very loud," said Mrs Lascellcs ; "at all events, go to him quickly." " Good bye, miss ; good bye, ma'am ; if I 322 THE THREE CUTTERS. shouldn't see you any more," said Maddox, trem- bling with fear, as he obeyed the awful summons — which was to demand a tooth-pick. Miss Ossulton would not touch the breakfast ; not so Mrs Lascelles and Cecilia, who ate very heartily. " It 's very dull to be shut up in this cabin," said Mrs Lascelles ; " come, Cecilia, let 's go on deck." *' And leave me ! " cried Miss Ossulton. " There is Phcsbe here, aunt ; we are going up to persuade the pirates to put us all on shore." Mrs Lascelles and Cecilia put on their bonnets and went up. Lord B. took off his hat, and begged the honour of being introduced to the pretty widow. He handed the ladies to a seat, and then commenced conversing upon various subjects, which at the same time possessed great novelty. His lord- ship talked about France, and described its ports ; told now and then a good anecdote ; pointed out the different headlands, bays, towns, and villages, which they were passing rapidly, and always had some little story connected with each. Before the ladies had been two hours on deck they found themselves, to their infinite surprise, not only interested, but in conversation with the captain of the smuggler, and more than once they laughed outright. But the soi-disant Lord B. had inspired them with confi- dence ; they fully believed that what he had told them was true, and that he had taken possession of THE TRAYESTIE. 323 the yacht to smuggle his goods, to be revenged, and to have a laugh. Now none of these three offences are capital in the eyes of the fair sex, and Jack was a handsome, fine-looking fellow, of ex- cellent manners and very agreeable conversation ; at the same time, neither he nor his friend were in their general deportment or behaviour otherwise than most respectful. " Ladies, as you are not afraid of me, which is a greater happiness than I had reason to expect, I think you may be amused to witness the fear of those who accuse your sex of cowardice. With your permission, I wiR send for the cook and stew- ard, and inquire about the dinner." *' I should like to know what there is for din- ner," observed Mrs Lascelles demurely ; " wouldn't you, Cecilia ? " Cecilia put her handkerchief to her mouth. " Tell the steward and the cook both to come aft immediately," cried Pickersgill. In a few seconds they both made their appear- ance. " Steward ! " cried Pickersgill, with a loud voice. " Yes, my lord," replied Maddox, with his hat in his hand. " What wines have you put out for dinner ? " " Chamjjagno, my lord ; and claret, my lord ; and Madeira and sherry, my lord." " No Burgundy, sir ? " y2 324 TIIE THREE CUTTERS. " No, my lord ; there is no Burgundy on board." " Wo Burgundy, sir ! do you dare to tell me that ? " " Upon my soul, my lord," cried Maddox, drop- ping on his knees, " there is no Burgundy on board — ask the ladies." " Yery well, sir, you may go." " Cook, what have you got for dinner ? " " Sir, a haunch of mutt — of venison, my lord," replied the cook, with his white night- cap in his hand. " What else, sirrah ? " " A boiled calf's head, my lord." " A boiled calf's head ! Let it be roasted, or I '11 roast you, sir ! " cried Pickersgill, in an angry tone. " Yes, my lord ; I '11 roast it." " And what else, sir ? " " Maintenon cutlets, my lord." " Maintenon cutlets ! I hate them — I won't have them, sir. Let them be dressed a Vomhre Chmoise." " I don't know what that is, my lord." " I don't care for that, sirrah ; if you don't find out by dinner-time, you're food for fishes — that 's all : you may go." The cook walked off wringing his hands and his night-cap as well — for he still held it in his right hand — and disappeared down the fore-hatch- way. THE TRAVESTIE. 325 " I have done this to pay you a deserved com- pKment, ladies ; you have more courage than the other sex." " Recollect that we have had confidence given to us in consequence of your pledging your word, my lord." " You do me, then, the honour of believing me?" " I did not imtil I saw you," replied Mrs Las- celles ; " but now I am convinced that you will perform your promise." " You do, indeed, encourage me, madam, to pur- sue what is right," said Pickersgill, bowing ; "for yoiu' approbation I should be most sorry to lose, still more sorry to prove myself unworthy of it." As the reader wiU observe, everything was going on remarkably weU. CHAPTEE YI. THE SMUGGLING YACHT. Cecilia returned to the cabin, to ascertain whetlier her aunt was more composed ; but Mrs Lascelles remained on deck. She was mucb pleased with Pickersgill ; and they continued their con- versation. Pickersgill entered into a defence of his conduct to Lord B. ; and Mrs Lascelles could not but admit the provocation. After a long conversa- tion she hinted at his profession, and how superior he appeared to be to such a lawless life. "You may be incredulous, madam," replied PickersgUl, " if I tell you that I have as good a right to quarter my arms as Lord B. himself; and that I am not imder my real name. Smuggling is, at all events, no crime ; and I infinitely prefer the wild life I lead at the head of my men to being spurned by society because I am poor. The great- est crime in this country is poverty. I may, if I am fortunate, some day resume my name. You THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 327 may, perhaps, meet me, and if you please, you may expose me." "That I shotJcl not be likely to do," replied the widow ; " but still I regret to see a person, evidently intended for better things, employed in so disreputable a profession." " I hardly know, madam, what is and what is not disreputable in this conventional world. It is not considered disreputable to cringe to the vices of a coiu't, or to accept a pension wrmig from the industry of the nation, in return for base servility. It is not considered disreputable to take tithes, in- tended for the service of God, and lavish them away at watering-places or elsewhere, seeking plea- sure instead of doing God service. It is not con- sidered disreputable to take fee after fee to uphold injustice, to plead against innocence, to pervert truth, and to aid the devil. It is not considered disreputable to gamble on the Stock Exchange, or to corrupt the honesty of electors by bribes, for doing which the penalty attached is equal to that decreed to the offence of which I am giulty. All these, and much more, are not considered disre- putable ; yet, by all these are the moral bonds of society loosened, while in mine we cause no guilt in others " "But still it is a crime." " A violation of the revenue laws, and no more. Observe, madam, the English government encour- age the smuggling of our manufactures to the 328 THE THREE CUTTEBS. Continent, at the same time that they take every step to prevent articles being smuggled into this country. Now, madam, can that be a crime when the head of the vessel is turned north, which becomes no crime when she steers the opposite way ? " " There is a stigma attached to it, you must al- low." " That I grant you, madam ; and as soon as I can quit the profession I shall. No captive ever sighed more to be released from his chains ; but I will not leave it, till I find that I am in a situation not to be spurned and neglected by those with whom I have a right to associate." At this moment the steward was seen forward making signs to Mrs Lascelles, who excused herself, and went to him. " Por the love of God, madam," said JVIaddox, " as he appears to be friendly with you, do pray find out how these cutlets are to be dressed ; the cook is tearing his hair, and we shall never have any dinner ; and then it will all fall upon me, and I — shall be tossed overboard." Mrs Lascelles desired poor Maddox to wait there while she obtained the desired information. In a few minutes she returned to him. " I have found it out. They are first to be boiled in vinegar, then fried in batter, and served up with a sauce of anchovy and Malaga raisins." " First fried in vinegar, then boiled in batter, and served up with almonds and raisins ! " THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 329 " No — no ! " Mrs Lascelles repeated tlio in- junction to the frightened steward, and then re- turned aft, and re-entered into a conversation with Pickersgill, in which, for the first time, Corbett now joined. Corbett had sense enough to feel, that the less he came forward xmtil his superior had established himself in the good graces of the ladies, the more favourable would be the result. In the mean time Cecilia had gone down to her aunt, who still continued to wail and lament. The yomig lady tried all she could to console her, and to persuade her that if they were civil and obedient they had nothing to fear. " Civil and obedient, indeed ! " cried Miss Os- sulton, "to a fellow who is a smuggler and a pirate ! I, the sister of Lord B. ! Never ! The presumption of the wretch ! " " That is all very well, axmt ; but recollect, we must submit to circumstances. Those men insist upon our dining with them ; and we must go, or we shall have no dinner." "I sit down -with a pirate ! Never ! I '11 have no dinner — I '11 starve — I '11 die ! " " But, my dear aunt, it 's the only chance we have of obtaining our release ; and if you do not do it Mrs Lascelles will think that you wish to remain with them." " Mrs Lascelles judges of other people by her- self." " The captain is certainly a very well-behaved. 330 THE THREE CUTTERS. handsome man. He looks like a nobleman in dis- guise. What an odd thing it would be, aunt, if this shoidd be all a hoax ! " " A hoax, child ? " replied Miss Ossulton, sit- ting up on the sofa. Cecilia fomid that she had hit the right nail, as the saying is ; and she brought forward so many- arguments to prove that she thought it was a hoax to frighten them, and that the gentleman above was a man of consequence, that her aunt began to listen to reason, and at last consented to join the dinner-party. Mrs Lascelles now came down be- low ; and when dinner Avas annoimced they re- paired to the large cabin, where they found Pick- ersgill and Corbett waiting for them. Miss Ossulton did not venture to look up, until she heard Pickersgill say to Mrs Lascelles, " Per- haps, madam, you will do me the favour to introduce me to that lady, whom I have not had the honoiu' of seeing before ? " " Certainly, my lord," replied Mrs Lascelles. " Miss Ossulton, the aunt of this young lady." Mrs Lascelles purposely did not introduce hm lords/rip in retiirn, that she might mystify the old spinster. "I feel highly honoured in finding myself in the company of Miss Ossulton," said Pickersgill. " Ladies, we wait but for you to sit down. Ossul- ton, take the head of the table, and serve the soup." THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 331 Miss Ossulton was astonislied ; she looked at the smugglers, and perceived two well-dressed gentlemanly men, one of whom was apparently a lord, and the other ha\ang the same family name. " It must be all a hoax," thought she, and she Aery quietly took to her soup. The dinner passed off very pleasantly ; Pickers- gill was agreeable, Corbett funny, and Miss Ossul- ton so far recovered herself as to drink wine with his lordship, and to ask Corbett what branch of their family he belonged to. " I presume it 's the Irish branch ? " said Mrs Lascelles, prompting him. " Exactly, madam," replied Corbett. " Have you ever been to Torquay, ladies ? " in- quired Pickersgill. " No, my lord," answered Mrs Lascelles. "We shall anchor there in the course of an hour, and probably remain there till to-morrow. Steward, bring coffee. Tell the cook these cutlets were remarkably well dressed." The ladies retired to their cabin. Miss Ossul- ton was now convinced that it was aU a hoax ; but, said she, " I shall tell Lord B. my opinion of their practical jokes when he returns. AVhat is his lord- ship's name who is on board ? " " He won't tell us," replied Mrs Lascelles ; "but I think I know ; it is Lord Blarney." " Lord Blaney you mean, I presume," said Miss Ossulton ; " however, the thing is carried too far. 332 THE THREE CUTTERS. Cecilia, we will go on shore at Torquay, and wait till the yacht returns with Lord B. I don't like these jokes ; they may do very well for widows, and people of no rank." Now, Mrs Lascelles was sorry to find Miss Os- sulton so much at her ease. She owed her no little spite, and wished for revenge. Ladies will go very far to obtain this. How far Mrs Lascelles would have gone, I will not pretend to say; but this is certain, that the last inuendo of Miss Ossul- ton very much added to her determination. She took her bonnet and went on deck, at once told Pickersgill that he could not please her or Cecilia more than by frightening Miss Ossulton, who, un- der the idea that it was all a hoax, had quite reco- vered her spirits ; talked of her pride and iU- nature, and wished her to receive a useful lesson. Thus, to follow up her revenge, did Mrs Lascelles commit herself so far, as to be confidential with the smuggler in return. " Mrs Lascelles, I shall be able to obey you, and, at the same time, to combine business with pleasure." After a short conversation, the yacht dropped her anchor at Torquay. It was then about two hours before sunset. As soon as the sails were furled, one or two gentlemen, who resided there, came oh board to pay their respects to Lord B. ; and, as Pickersgill had foimd out from Cecilia that her father was acquainted with no one there, he THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 333 received them in person ; asked them down in the cabin — called for wine — and desired them to send their boat away, as his own was going on shore. The smugglers took great care that the steward, cook, and lady's maid, should have no communica- tion with the guests ; one of them, by Corbett's direction, being a sentinel over each individual. The gentlemen remained about half-an-hour on board, during which Corbett and the smugglers had filled the portmanteaus found in the cabin with the lace, and they were put in the boat; Corbett then landed the gentlemen in the same boat, and went up to the hotel, the smugglers following him with the portmanteaus, without any suspicion or interruption. As soon as he was there, he ordered post-horses, and set off for a town close by, where he had correspondents ; and thus the major part of the cargo was secured. Corbett then returned in the night, bringing with him people to receive the goods ; and the smugglers landed the silks, teas, &c., with the same good fortune. Everything was out of the yacht except a portion of the lace, which the portmanteaus would not hold. Pickersgill might easily have sent this on shore ; but, to please Mrs Lascelles, he arranged otherwise. The next morning, about an hour after break- fast was finished, Mrs Lascelles entered the cabin pretending to be in the greatest consternation, and fell on the sofa as if she were going to faint. " Good heavens ! what is the matter ? " ex- 334 THE THREE CUTTERS. claimed Cecilia, who knew very well what was coming. "Oh, the wretch! he has made such pro- posals ! " " Proposals ! what proposals ? what ! Lord Blaney ? " cried Miss Ossulton. " Oh, he 's no lord ! he 's a villain and a smug- gler ! and he insists that we shall both fill our pockets full of lace, and go on shore with him." " Mercy on me ! Then it is no hoax after all ; and I've been sitting down to dinner with a smug- gler ! " "Sitting down, madam! — if it were to be no more than that — but we are to take his arm up to the hotel. Oh, dear ! Cecilia, I am ordered on deck ; pray, come with me ! " Miss Ossulton rolled on the sofa, and rang for Phoebe ; she was in a state of great alarm. A knock at the door. " Come in," said Miss Ossulton, thinking it was Phoebe ; when Pickersgill made his appear- ance. " What do you want, sir ? Go out, sir ! go out directly, or I '11 scream ! " "It is no use screaming, madam ; recollect, that all on board are at my service. You wiU oblige me by listening to me. Miss Ossulton. I am, as you know, a smuggler ; and I must send this lace on shore. You will oblige me by putting it into your pockets, or about your person, and pre- THE SMUGGLING YACHT. 335 pare to go on shore with me. As soon as we arrive at the hotel, you will deliver it to me, and I then shall reconduct you on board of the yacht. You are not the first lady who has gone on shore with contraband articles about her person." " Me, sir ! go on shore in that way ? No, sir — never ! What will the world say ? — the Hon. Miss Ossulton walking with a smuggler ! No, sir, — never ! " " Yes, madam ; walking arm-in-arm with a smuggler : I shall have you on one arm, and Mrs Lascelles on the other ; and I would ad^dse you to take it very quietly ; for, in the first place, it will be you who smuggle, as the goods will be found on your person, and you will certainly be put in pri- son ; for, at the least appearance of insubordina- tion, we run and inform against you ; and further, your niece will remain on board as a hostage for your good behaviour — and if you have any regard for her liberty, you will consent immediately." Pickersgill left the cabin, and shortly after- wards Cecilia and Mrs Lascelles entered, apparent- ly much distressed. They had been informed ol all, and Mrs Lascelles declared, that for her part, sooner than leave her poor Cecilia to the mercy of such people, she had made up her mind to submit to the smuggler's demands. Cecilia also begged so earnestly, that Miss Ossulton, who had no idea that it was a trick, with much sobbing and blubbering^ consented. 336 THE THREE CUTTERS. "Wlien all was ready, Cecilia left the cabin ; Pickersgill came down, handed up the two ladies, who had not exchanged a word with each other during CeciKa's absence ; the boat was ready- alongside — they went in, and pulled on shore. Everything succeeded to the smuggler's satisfac- tion. Miss Ossulton, frightened out of her wits, took his arm ; and, with Mrs Lascelles on the other, they went up to the hotel, followed by four of his boat's crew. As soon as they were sho-vvn into a room, Corbett, who was already on shore, asked for Lord B., and joined them. The ladies retired to another apartment, divested themselves of their contraband goods, and, after calling for some sandwiches and wine, Pickersgill waited an hour, and then returned on board. Mrs Lascelles was triumphant ; and she rewarded her new ally — the smuggler — with one of her sweetest smiles. Commmiity of interest will sometimes make strange friendships. CHAPTER YII. CONCLUSION. "We must now return to tlie other parties who have assisted in the acts of this little drama. Lord B., after paddling and paddling, the men relieving each other, in order to make head against the wind which was off shore, arrived about midnight at a small town in West Bay, from whence he took a chaise on to Portsmouth, taking it for granted that his yacht would arrive as soon as, if not before himself, little imagining that it was in possession of the smufffjlers. There he remained three or four days, when, becoming impatient, he applied to one of his friends who had a yacht at Cowes, and sailed with him to look after his own. We left the Happy-go-lucky chased by the re- venue cutter. At first the smuof^ler had the ad- vantage before the wind ; but, by degrees, the wind went roimd with the sxm, and brought the revenue cutter to leeward : it was then a chase on a wind, and the revenue cutter came fast up with her. 338 THE THREE CUTTERS. Morrison, perceiving that lie had no chance of escape, let run the ankers of brandy that he might not be condemned ; but still he was in an awkward situation, as he had more men on board than allowed by act of parliament. He therefore stood on, not- withstanding the shot of the cutter went over and over him, hoping that a fog or night might enable him to escape ; but he had no such good fortune ; one of the shot carried away the head of his mast, and the Happy-go-lucky's luck was all over. He was boarded and taken possession of; he asserted that the extra men were only passengers : but, in the first place, they were dressed in seamen's clothes ; and, in the second, as soon as the boat was aboard of her, Appleboy had gone down to his gin-toddy, and was not to be disturbed. The gen- tlemen smugglers therefore passed an uncomfort- able night ; and the cutter going to Portland by daylight, before Appleboy was out of bed, they were taken on shore to the magistrate. Hautaine explained the whole afiair, and they were immedi- ately released and treated with respect ; but they were not permitted to depart imtil they were bound over to appear against the smugglers, and prove the brandy having been on board. They then set off for Portsmouth in the seamen's clothes, having had quite enough of yachting for that sea- son, Mr Ossulton declaring that he only wanted to set his lufffraere, and then he would take care how he put himself again in the way of the shot of a CONCLUSION. 339 revenue cruiser, or of sleeping a night on her decks. In the mean time, Morrison and his men were locked up in the gaol, the old man, as the key was turned on him, exclaiming, as he raised his foot in vexation, " That cursed blue pigeon ! " We will now return to the yacht. About an hour after Pickersgill had come on board, Corbett had made all his arrangements and followed him. It was not advisable to remain at Torquay any longer, through fear of discovery ; he therefore weighed the anchor before dinner, and made sail. " "What do you intend to do now, my lord ? " said Mrs Lascelles. " I intend to run down to Cowes, anchor the yacht in the night, and an hour before daylight have you in my boat, with all my men. I will take care that you are in perfect safety, depend upon it, even if I run a risk. I shoidd, indeed, be miserable, if, through my wild freaks, any accident should happen to Mrs Lascelles or Miss Ossulton." " I am very anxious about my father," ob- served Cecilia. " I trust that you will keep your promise." " I always have hitherto, Miss Ossulton ; have I not?" " Ours is but a short and strange acquaintance." " I grant it ; but it will serve for you to talk about long after. I shall disappear as suddenly as z 2 340 THE THREE CUTTERS. I have come — you will neither of you, in all pro- bability, ever see me again." The dinner was announced, and they sat down to table as before ; but the elderly spinster refused to make her appearance, and Mrs Lascelles and Cecilia, who thought she had been frightened enough, did not attempt to force her. Pickersgill immediately yielded to these remonstrances, and from that time she remained undisturbed in the la- dies' cabin, meditating over the indignity of having sat down to table, having drank wine, and been ob- liged to walk on shore, taking the arm of a smug- gler, and appear in such a humiliating situation. The wind was light, and they made but little progress, and were not abreast of Portland till the second day, when another yacht appeared in sight, and the two vessels slowly neared, tmtil in the after- noon they were within four miles of each other. It then fell a dead calm : signals were thrown out by the other yacht, but could not be distinguished, and, for the last time, they sat down to dinner. Three days' companionship on board of a vessel, cooped up together, and having no one else to con- verse with, wiU produce intimacy ; and Pickersgill was a young man of so much originality and infoiTu- ation, that he was listened to with pleasure. He never attempted to advance beyond the line of strict decorum and politeness ; and his companion was equally mipresimiing. Situated as they were, and feeling what must have been the case had they CONCLUSION. 341 fallen into other hands, both Cecilia and Mrs Las- celles felt some degree of gratitude towards him ; and, although anxious to be relieved from so strange a position, they had gradually acquired a perfect confidence in him, and this had produced a degree of familiarity on their parts, although never ven- tured upon by the smuggler. As Corbett was at the table, one of the men came down and made a sign. Corbett shortly after quitted the table and went on deck. " I wish, my lord, you would come up a moment, and see if you can make this flag out," said Corbett, giving a significant nod to Pickersgill. "Excuse me, ladies, one moment," said Pickersgill, who went on deck. " It is the boat of the yacht coming on board," said Corbett ; " and Lord B, is in the stern-sheets with the gentleman who was with him." "And how many men in the boat? — let me see — only four. Well, let his lordship and his friend come : when they are on the deck, have the men ready in case of accident ; but if you can manage to tell the boat's crew that they are to go on board again, and get rid of them that way, so much the better. An-ange this ^\'ith Adams, and then come down again — his lordship must see us all at dinner." Pickersgill then descended, and Corbett had hardly time to give his directions and to resume his seat, before his lordship and ]\Ir Stewart pulled up alongside and jumped on deck. There was no 342 THE THREE CUTTERS. one to receive them but the seamen, and those whom they did not know. They looked around in amazement ; at last his lordship said to Adams, who stood forward, — " What men are you ? " " Belong to the yacht, ye'r honour," Lord B. heard laughing in the cabin ; he would not wait to interrogate the men ; he walked aft, followed by Mr Stewart, looked down the skylight, and perceived his daughter and Mrs Lascelles, with, as he supposed, Hautaine and Ossulton. Pickersgill had heard the boat rub the side, and the sound of the feet on deck, and he talked the more loudly, that the ladies might be caught by Lord B. as they were. He heard their feet at the skylight, and knew that they could hear what passed ; and at that moment he proposed to the ladies that as this was their last meeting at table they should all take a glass of champagne to drink to " their happy meeting with Lord B." This was a toast which they did not refuse. Maddox poured out the wine, and they were all bowing to each other, when his lordship, who had come down the ladder, walked into the cabin, followed by Mr Stew- art. Cecilia perceived her father ; the cham- pagne-glass dropped from her hand — she flew into his arms, and burst into tears. " Who would not be a father, Mrs Lascelles ? " said PickersgiU, quietly seating himself, after hav- ing first risen to receive Lord B. CONCLUSION. 343 " And pray, whom may I have the honour of finding estabhshed here?" said Lord B. in an angry tone, speaking over his daughter's head, who still lay in his arms. " By heavens, yes ! — Stewart, it is the smuggling captain dressed out." " Even so, my lord," replied Pickersgill. " You abandoned your yacht to capture me ; you left these ladies in a vessel crippled for want of men : they might have been lost. I have returned good for evil by coming on board with my own people, and taking charge of them. This night I expected to have anchored your vessel in Cowes, and have left them in safety." " By the — " cried Stewart. " Stop, sir, if you please ! " cried PickersgiU ; " recollect you have once already attacked one who never offended. Oblige me by refraining from in- temperate language ; for I tell you I will not put up with it. Recollect, sir, that I have refrained from that, and also from taking advantage of you when you were in my power. Recollect, sir, also, that the yacht is still in possession of the smugglers, and that you are in no condition to insult with im- punity. My lord, allow me to observe, that we men are too hot of temperament to argue, or Ksten coolly. With your permission, your friend, and my friend, and I, will repair on deck, leaving you to hear from your daughter and that lady all that has passed. After that, my lord, I shaU be most happy to hear any thing which your lordship may please to say. ' ' 344 THE THREE CUTTERS. " Upon my word — " commenced Mr Stewart. "Mr Stewart," interrupted Cecilia Ossulton, " I request your silence ; nay, more, if ever we are again to sail in the same vessel together, I insist upon it." "Your lordship will oblige me by enforcing Miss Ossulton 's request," said Mrs Lascelles. Mr Stewart was dumbfoimded — no wonder — to find the ladies siding with the smuggler. " I am obliged to you, ladies, for your inter- ference," said Pickersgill; "for, although I have the means of enforcing conditions, I should be sorry to avail myself of them. I wait for his lordship's reply." Lord B. was very much surprised. He wished for an explanation ; he bowed with hauteur. Every- body appeared to be in a false position ; even he. Lord B., somehow or another, had bowed to a smuggler. Pickersgill and Stewart went on deck, walking up and down, crossing each other without speaking, but reminding you of two dogs who both are anx- ious to fight, but have been restrained by the voice of their masters. Corbett followed, and talked in a low tone to Pickersgill ; Stewart went over to leeward to see if the boat was still alongside, but it had long before returned to the yacht. Miss Ossul- ton had heard her brother's voice, but did not come out of the after-cabin ; she wished to be magnifi- CONCLUSION. 345 cent, and at tlie same time she was not sure wliether all was right, Phoebe having informed her that there was nobody with her brother and Mr Stew- art, and that the smugglers still had the command of the vessel. After a while, Pickersgill and Cor- bett went doAvn forward, and returned dressed in the smugglers' clothes, when they resumed their walk on the deck. In the mean time it was dark ; the cutter flew along the coast, and the Needles' lights were on the larboard bow. The conversation between Cecilia, Mrs Lascelles, and her father, was long. When all had been detailed, and the conduct of Pickers- gill duly represented, Lord B. acknowledged that, by attacking the smuggler, he had laid himself open to retaliation ; that Pickersgill had shown a great deal of forbearance in every instance ; and after all, had he not gone on board the yacht, she might have been lost, with only three seamen on board. He was amused with the smuggling and the fright of his sister, still more with the gentlemen being sent to Cherbourg, and much consoled that he was not the only one to be laughed at. He was also much pleased with Pickersgill's intention of lea\ang the yacht safe in Cowes harbour, his respect to the property on board, and his conduct to the ladies. On the whole, he felt grateful to Pickersgill, and where there is gratitude there is always good will. " But who can he be ? " said Mrs Lascelles ; 346 THE THREE CUTTERS. " his name lie acknowledges not to be Pickersgill, and he told me confidentially that he was of good family." " Confidentially, my dear Mrs Lascelles ! " said Lord B. " Oh, yes ! we are both his confidants. Are we not, Cecilia ? " " Upon my honour, Mrs Lascelles, this smug- gler appears to have made an impression which many have attempted in vain." Mrs Lascelles did not reply to that remark, but said, " Now, my lord, you must decide — and I trust you will, to oblige us, treat him as he has treated us, with the greatest respect and kindness." " Why should you suppose otherwise ? " replied Lord B. ; " it is not only my wish but my interest so to do. He may take us over to France to-night, or anywhere else. Has he not possession of the vessel ? " "Yes," replied CeciKa ; "but we flatter our- selves that we have the command. Shall we call him down, papa ? " " Ring for Maddox. Maddox, tell Mr Pickers- gill, who is on deck, that I wish to speak with him, and shall be obliged by his stepping down into the cabin." " Who, my lord ? What ! Him ? " " Yes, him" replied Cecilia, laughing. " Must I call him, my lord, now, miss ? " " You may do as you please, Maddox ; but re- CONCI.USION. 347 collect he is still in possession of the vessel," replied Cecilia. " Then, with your lordship's permission, I will ; it's the safest way." The smuggler entered the cabin ; the ladies started as he appeared in his rough costume. With his throat open, and his loose black handkerchief, he was the beau icUal of a handsome sailor. "Your lordship wishes to commvmicate with me?" " Mr Pickersgill, I feel that you have had cause of enmity against me, and that you have behaved with forbearance. I thank you for your consider- ate treatment of the ladies ; and I assure you, that I feel no resentment for what has passed." " My lord, I am quite satisfied with what you have said ; and I only hope that, in future, you will not interfere with a poor smuggler, who may be striving, by a life of danger and privation, to procure subsistence for himself, and, perhaps, his family. I stated to these ladies my intention of anchoring the yacht this night at Cowes, and leav- ing her as soon as she was in safety. Your unex- pected presence will only make this difference, which is, that I must previously obtain your lord- ship's assurance that those with you will allow me and my men to qviit her without molestation, after we have performed this service." " I pledge you my word, Mr Pickersgill, and I 348 THE THREE CUTTERS. thank you into the bargain. I trust you wdll allow me to offer some remimeration." " Most certainly not, my lord." " At all events, Mr Pickersgill, if, at any other time, I can be of service, you may command me." Pickersgill made no reply. " Surel}^, Mr Pickersgill,—" " Pickersgill ! how I hate that name ! " said the smuggler, musing. " I beg your lordship's pardon — If I may require your assistance for any of my unfortimate companions — " " Not for yourself, Mr Pickersgill ? " said Mrs Lascelles. " Madam, I smuggle no more." " For the pleasure I feel in hearing that reso- lution, Mr Pickersgill," said Cecilia, "take my hand and thanks." " And mine," said Mrs Lascelles, half crying. "And mine, too," said Lord B., rising up. Pickersgill passed the back of his hand across his eyes, turned round, and left the cabin. " I 'm so happy ! " said Mrs Lascelles, bursting into tears. " He 's a magnificent fellow," observed Lord B. " Come, let us all go on deck." " You have not seen my aunt, papa." " True ; I '11 go in to her, and then follow you." The ladies went upon deck. Cecilia entered into conversation Avath Mr Stewart, giving him a CONCLUSION. 349 narrative of what had happened. Mrs Lascelles sat abaft at the taiFrail, -with, her pretty hand support- ing her cheek, looking very mnch a la Juliette. " Mrs Lascelles," said Pickersgill, " before we part, allow me to observe, that it is you who have induced me to give up my profession — " " Why me, Mr Pickersgill ? " " You said that you did not like it." Mrs Lascelles felt the force of the complunent. " You said just now that you hated the name of Pickersgill : why do you call yom-self so ? " " It was my smuggling name, Mrs Lascelles." "And now that you have left off smuggling, prav what may be the name we are to call yoxx by?" " I cannot resume it till I have not only left this vessel, but shaken hands with, and bid farewell to, my companions ; and by that time, Mrs Las- celles, I shall be away from you." " But I 've a great curiosity to know it ; and a lady's curiosity must be gratified. You must call upon me some day, and tell it me. Here is my address." Pickersgill received the card with a low bow ; and Lord B. coming on deck, Mrs Lascelles hasten- ed to meet him. The vessel was now passmg the Bridge at the Needles, and the smuggler piloted her on. As soon as they were clear and well inside, the whole party went down into the cabin, Lord B. request- 350 THE THREE CUTTERS. ing Pickersgill and Coi'bett to join hun in a parting glass. Mr Stewart, who had received the accoxmt of what had passed from Cecilia, was very attentive to Pickersgill, and took an opportunity of saying that he was sorry that he had said or done anything to annoy him. Every one recovered his spirits ; and all was good hiunour and mirth, because Miss Ossulton adhered to her resolution of not quitting the cabin till she could quit the yacht. At ten o'clock the yacht was anchored. Pickersgill took his leave of the honourable company, and went in his boat with his men ; and Lord B. was again in possession of his vessel, although he had not a ship's company. Maddox recovered his usual tone ; and the cook flourished his knife, swearing that he should like to see the smuggler who would again order him to dress cutlets a Vomhre Chinoise. The yacht had remained three days at Cowes, when Lord B. received a letter from Pickersgill, stating that the men of his vessel had been captured, and would be condemned, in consequence of their having the gentlemen on board, who were bound to appear against them, to prove that they had sunk the brandy. Lord B. paid all the recognis- ances, and the men were liberated for want of evi- dence. It was about two years after this that Cecilia Ossulton, who was sitting at her work-table in deep mourning for her aimt, was presented with a letter by the butler. It was from her friend Mrs Las- CONCLUSION, 351 celles, informing her that she was married again to a Mr Davenant, and intended to pay her a short visit on her way to the Continent. Mr and Mrs Davenant arrived the next day ; and when the latter introduced her husband, she said to Miss Ossulton, " Look, Cecilia dear, and tell me if you have ever seen Davenant before." 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