The Perils and Adventures of Harry Skipwith by Land and Sea

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER FOUR.

  ARRIVE AT NEW ORLEANS, AND OFF TO GALVESTON IN TEXAS--A HURRICANE ANDWORSE--THE PIRATE--A FIGHT FOR IT--WE ARE LOST--AN UNEXPECTED FRIEND--THE BLACK FINS--MARCUS HAS CHARGE OF THE PIRATES' PRIZE, AND LANDS US ATGALVESTON.

  The quay was still in sight, and I saw several men rushing along it,waving their hands, and apparently shouting at the top of their voices;but the paddles made too much noise to allow of their being heard,while, as the master and crew of the steamer were looking ahead, theywere not seen. I had an idea that they wanted to say something aboutme, and I was very glad when the _Wondrous Highflier_ had run the Cityof Themistocles out of sight. We reached New Orleans without anyadventure, and I was not sorry to get a shave and to change my clothes,which were not improved by the adventures I had gone through. I tookPeter regularly into my service, for, poor fellow, he had no one else onwhom to depend, and I thus obtained an attendant on whose fidelity Icould perfectly rely.

  I had now to consider in which direction I should next bend my steps.It was a question with me whether I should make another attempt toascend the Mississippi or steer my course to the westward. I was, Ifound, more knocked up than I had at first supposed, and required somedays' rest. A week or more passed before I again went out. The secondor third day after this, I was sauntering along, when I encountered anegro staggering under what seemed a very heavy load. Presently he camedirectly against me, and as his white eyes rolled round, I heard himsay--

  "Massa, you Harry Skipwith? Den cut away from here, or you no liveto-morrow. You know Marcus. Dat's 'nough!"

  On went the negro, staggering as before under his load, and I soon lostsight of him among the motley crowd of that capital of the South. Afterall I had heard it would have been madness to have neglected thewarning, so on my way to my hotel I inquired at a ship-broker's if anyvessel was ready to sail for Galveston, the chief port of Texas.

  "The steamer goes in three days," was the answer.

  "Yes, but I have a fancy to go by a sailing vessel."

  "Oh, if that's it, there's a fine brig, the _Shaddock_, CaptainBuckwheat, sails this evening. If you can be ready, I will ask thecaptain if he can give you a berth."

  I did not wish to appear too eager, so I said I would try to get ready,and, if I succeeded, I would take a passage in the _Shaddock_.

  I had never shrank from danger when I could meet it face to face, butthe uncertain character of that which now threatened me made meunusually nervous.

  I hurried back to my hotel, and, after packing up my luggage, I orderedsome negro porters to convey it down to the wharf where the schooner waslying, telling Peter to accompany them, while Ready and I followed at adistance.

  I had a notion that the men whom Marcus and I had encountered on theriver had escaped, and in each white man I met I expected to recogniseone of them. Of course I knew their features better than they couldknow mine, for it was still dusk when our struggle took place; but thenI had told them that I had escaped from the _Mighty Go-ahead_. That wasa sufficient clue for them to trace me; and that they would attempt todo so, and not rest till they had wreaked a bitter vengeance on my head,I felt very sure.

  I was walking leisurely along, when I felt some one brush by. A voicesaid, "Quick, massa, quick!" It was the same black who had in themorning given me the friendly warning. I hurried on, and reached the_Shaddock_ without interruption.

  "You're just in time; we should have sailed without you, if you hadn'tcome," said Captain Buckwheat, as I stepped on board. "We were allready ten minutes ago; the wind is fair, and we can't afford to losetime in this country, whatever's your fashion in the Old World."

  I heartily agreed with my friend in this instance, and was not sorry tosee that the last warp was being cast off, and that the topsails wereloosed. I recognised the friendly negro watching the brig at adistance, as she slowly glided out from among the other vessels. Oncefree of them, aided by the current, we made rapid progress down theriver. I could not help frequently looking astern, to ascertain if wewere followed; and though I had done nothing of which my conscienceaccused me, I had a pretty vivid notion of the feelings which mustanimate a culprit endeavouring to escape from the hands of justice.When clear of the yellow-mouthed Mississippi, the wind fell, and thebrig lay rolling on, the glassy yet undulating surface of the ocean.The sun, casting a blood-red hue on the water, was just sinking behind adark mound of vapour to the west, while in the east vast masses ofensanguined clouds floated slowly across the sky. I had never felt theair so hot and oppressive. Even Ready lay gasping at my feet, lookingup inquiringly into my countenance, with his tongue out.

  "There's something coming," observed the skipper, and he ordered everystitch of canvas to be furled, and the topmasts to be struck. There wasindeed something coming. Scarcely was the vessel made snug, than downcame the hurricane on us with terrific violence. Away we drovehelplessly before it, like a mere straw on the water. Happily it wasfrom the westward, or we should have driven on shore. Away we scudded,out of our course, but that could not be helped. When the hurricaneceased, we found that we had been whisked off some two or three hundredmiles nearer Cuba than we were when it began. The wind subsided towardsevening, and though the little vessel tumbled about a good deal, we wereonce more able to make sail. Two days after that, I was awoke soonafter daybreak, by a loud exclamation uttered by the captain, who hadentered the cabin. I saw him busily employed in stowing away somepapers and bags, which he had taken out of a chest, in a hole under hisbed-place.

  "What is the matter?" I asked.

  "Matter! why that a pirate is close aboard us, and that the chances arewe all have our throats cut before ten minutes are over. That'ssomething the matter, I guess."

  I agreed with him, and slipping into my clothes, hurried on deck.There, about two hundred yards off, on our quarter, coming fast up withus, was a long, low, black schooner, the very beau-ideal of apirate. Her decks were crowded with men, all black, and a veryvillainous-looking crew they appeared to be. At that moment, that wemight have no doubt as to her character, up went a black flag at herpeak, and a shot from a gun in her bows came whizzing between our masts.

  While the black schooner approached, the crew of the _Shaddock_ wereemployed in making sail, but I saw at a glance that we had not theslightest chance of escaping; still I have always held that while thereis life we should never despair, so I lent a hand with all my might atpulling and hauling. Peter followed my example. Ready took the end ofthe ropes in his mouth and hauled too, but I cannot say that he did muchgood.

  "Will those black chaps aboard there really cut all our throats, as thecaptain says?" asked Peter, looking up at me. "We'll stand up and fightthem before we give in, I hope, sir!"

  "I hope so too, Peter," I answered. "But our two guns cannot do muchagainst the six or eight they carry, besides that long fellowamidships."

  "Hip, hurrah! there is the captain casting loose our little barkers--weare not to yield without a blow."

  By this time all sail was set--the guns were manned, and the captain nowserved out arms to all on board.

  The pirates, however, on seeing that notwithstanding all our efforts wecould not escape them, did not again fire. Our two guns could do verylittle harm to them till they got nearer. They were run over on thestarboard side, on which the schooner was approaching.

  "Aim high, lads," said the captain to his two mates who had charge ofthem. "Our best chance will be to knock away some of his spars."

  "Ay, aye, sir," was the answer, given in a cheerful voice, which, at allevents, betrayed no fear.

  It was satisfactory to feel that we were to have a stroke for life, andyet, as the schooner drew near, and I observed through my glass thevillainous-looking, well-armed fellows who crowded her decks, and sawthe size of her guns, I felt that we had but little chance of escaping.

  "Now, lads, see what you can do," cried the captain, who was narrowlywatching the schooner.

  Our two pop-guns gave out th
eir puffs of smoke, and a couple of holes inthe enemy's sails showed that the aim had not been bad, but no otherdamage was done.

  Still the schooner did not fire, but came silently and stealthilygliding on in a way which was much more calculated to try our couragethan if her crew had been shouting and gesticulating. It showed thatthey had perfect confidence in their own power. The mates loaded andfired their guns again. An after mainbrace aboard the schooner was shotaway, and it made her head incline a little more towards us.

  We were now almost within pistol-shot of each other, when I saw somethirty muskets levelled at us, and the next instant a rattling shower ofbullets came whistling round our heads. Several of our poor fellowsfell: the rest fired in return, but before the smoke cleared away, witha loud crash the pirate ran us aboard, and fifty fierce-lookingdesperadoes sprang shouting on our deck.

  I had armed myself with a cutlass, resolving to fight to the last,though fully expecting to be cut to pieces. Ready stood barkingfuriously on one side of me; Peter kept on the other. Captain Buckwheatproved that he was a man, but he was cut down by a pirate's sword, aswas one of the mates close to me, and in less than a minute half ourcrew lay bleeding on the deck. Our opponents were mostly blacks--thoughthere were brown fellows also--and as they were shouting in English, Iconcluded that they were either runaway American slaves or vagabondnegroes from the West India Islands. Not that I thought much about whatthey were at the time; indeed, the grinding of the two vessels together,the cries and shrieks of the combatants, the smoke and rattle offirearms, and the fall of spars and blocks from aloft completelybewildered me, besides which all my energies were required for my owndefence.

  Scarcely an instant after the pirates had reached our decks, I foundmyself set on by a huge brown fellow, who had led the boarders, and wasapparently an officer among them. He was a good swordsman, and had notReady flown at his legs, and Peter kept poking at him with aboarding-pike, he would soon have put me _hors de combat_. With theiraid I managed to defend myself till several other fellows set upon me,and, overmatched, the big pirate had his sword uplifted to cut me down,when a black man sprang forward and interposed his own weapon between itand my head, shouting at the same time--

  "Back, all of you. That man's life is sacred, and the lad's too.You'll own it when I tell you."

  It was a thoroughly melodramatic position. Though he was now dressed asan officer, I instantly recognised in my deliverer, Marcus, the slave,whose life I had assisted to save.

  The pirates, who were about to hack me to pieces, now surrounded me withfriendly gestures, and I felt that I was safe. When, however, I lookedabout me, I saw with regret that not a single man of the crew hadescaped: a few were gasping out their heart's blood on deck; the restwere dead. I should by that time have been in the same condition hadnot Marcus interposed to save me. Ready recognised him immediately, buthe snapped and growled at the other blacks as they passed. Poor Peterkept close to my side; though so ready at first to fight, he wasunaccustomed to scenes of slaughter, and was terror-stricken with thehorrors he had witnessed.

  Marcus kept near us, sword in hand, evidently uncertain how the piratesmight treat us, and prepared, if necessary, to do battle in our cause.I wished to address him--I scarcely knew how.

  "Marcus," I said at length, "I am grateful to you for saving my life,but I little expected to find you in such company."

  "`Misfortune introduces us to strange bedfellows' is an old saying," heanswered. "And most decidedly my misfortunes have given me someroughish companions; but you see I have already gained some influenceover them; and of one thing be assured, your life and that of the ladare safe. When I tell them what you have done for me, there is not aman of all this lawless band who would not be ready to die for you. Onehideous monster, slavery, has made them all what they are; and when theyknow how you hate it, they will love you."

  While Marcus was speaking, the pirates were unceremoniously pitching thedead bodies of my shipmates overboard--all of them yet warm--some whohad scarcely ceased to breathe. Two or three, though badly wounded,were yet fully capable of comprehending their position. They begged--they entreated for life.

  "What are you--Englishmen or Americans?"

  Two owned that they were Americans from the Northern States.

  "Then overboard with them," shouted the captain. "We'll not deprive thesharks of their share of the booty."

  One man declared that he was an Englishman, but a tin case was found onhim, containing a certificate of his being a citizen of the UnitedStates. I was certain, from some remarks which he had let fall, thatthe man had run from a British man-of-war. In vain he protested that hehated slavery and the people of the States, that he was a true-bornBriton--in vain he shrieked out and entreated for mercy. In spite ofhis desperate struggles, he was lifted up and thrown among the shoal ofblack-finned monsters which surrounded the vessel. I cannot dwelllonger on these horrors--I would gladly shut them out from my thoughtsas I would then have done from my sight.

  The schooner's crew were sufficiently numerous to man the brig morestrongly than before; some more guns were sent on board her, that partof her cargo which seemed useless thrown overboard, and the two vesselsthen made sail together. I was allowed to retain my cabin, and Peterhad one awarded him aft, that he might be near me.

  Marcus came on board as one of the officers of the prize. I asked himhow he came to know enough of nautical affairs to take a command amongthe pirates.

  "I picked up my knowledge on my voyage to England," he answered."Besides, a very small amount of knowledge makes me superior to most ofmy companions. Only two or three know anything of navigation, and thatvery imperfectly. The captain knows most, and he is jealous of anyequal. If he were to be killed, the rest would scarcely find their wayinto a port; but for that he does not care."

  "But, Marcus," said I, "how can you, a man capable of better things,endure such a life?"

  "I hate it," he answered bitterly. "Recollect, though, what drove me toit. To escape from the lash and chains, from indignities and insults,what will not a man endure?"

  "Will you leave it?" I asked.

  "Yes, certainly, if I have the means," he answered.

  "I will afford them if I have the power," I answered. "Trust to me;think on the subject, but do not allow your comrades to suspect yourintentions, nor to observe that we have any secrets between us."

  Marcus walked forward. The two vessels made sail to the westward. Amulatto acted as captain of the brig. He seemed to be a smart seaman,but knew very little of navigation. I now had practical experience ofthe advantage of never losing an opportunity of gaining knowledge.Whenever I had been at sea I had always endeavoured to pick up as muchnautical information as possible, and had learnt to take an observationand to work a day's work with perfect ease. I therefore offered myservices to navigate the brig to any port to which the pirates wished toproceed, intimating that I should prefer being set on shore on themainland.

  "You were bound for Galveston, and we will go there," said Marcus. "Wewill put you on shore on the island; and should the truth be suspected,we can be far away before any vessel is sent in pursuit of us."

  Marcus afterwards told me that he arranged with his shipmates to do as Iwished. It was wonderful what influence he had in a short time gainedover those lawless characters. It was the triumph of mind over brutestrength. He had, I learned, however, known several of his presentcomrades before, and they had spoken in his praise to the rest. Cruelwretches as the pirates had become, they treated me with everyconsideration, and supplied me with all the luxuries at their command.Light and contrary winds delayed our progress, so that ten days passedbefore we made the low sandy shore of Galveston Island.

  The sky was of intense blue, the ocean, smooth as glass, shone withbrilliant lustre, and the sun's rays darted down on our deck, making thepitch in the seams bubble and hiss, while a line of white sand was theonly soil on which I could hope to land--terra-firma it certainly wasnot.
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  The atmosphere sparkled with heat--the sand almost blinded me, and Iexpected to be thoroughly cooked before I reached Galveston. Still mydesire to be free of the pirates overcame every other consideration.The two vessels stood in. There was nothing suspicious about the brig,and the schooner was made to look as innocent as possible. How myfollowers and I were to get on shore was now the question. At length wemade out some canoes with Indians in them fishing. We made a signal,and one of them paddled towards us. The people in her held up the fishthey had caught and offered them for sale, thinking that was what wewanted. They seemed rather astonished when they saw that Peter and Iwere the only white people on board. The captain took the fish, paidthem liberally, and then told them that they must take some passengers,who wanted to land at Galveston, as he was bound elsewhere. After somebargaining, the Indians agreed to do as we desired.

  I took the opportunity, while the captain was bargaining with theIndians, to ask Marcus how he purposed to quit the pirate band.

  "If you remain willingly among evil companions, you cannot avoid beingresponsible for their crimes," I observed.

  "I must bide my time," he answered. "I have promised you that I will domy best to quit them, and I never break my word."

  I knew that I could trust him. My parting with the pirates was brief.Marcus was the only man on board with whom I could bring myself to shakehands. Scarcely had I and Peter and Ready taken our seats in the narrowcanoe, with my very moderate amount of luggage between my knees, than, abreeze springing up, the two vessels stood away from the land. Thecanoe's head was put towards the north end of the island on whichGalveston stands. Our crew were of a peculiarly unhealthy-lookingolive-colour, their faces being covered with wrinkled parchment-likeskin. A straw hat and a shirt and belt formed their costume. Theyunderstood a little English, but I judged it better not to enter intoconversation with them, lest they should ask inconvenient questions; andso almost in silence, except when they exchanged a few remarks with eachother in their native tongue, we glided over the sparkling water. Atlength, when we had rounded the north end of the island, they ran thecanoe on to the beach, and told me to get out, as they were going nofurther. I expostulated, but they said that they had performed theircontract, and had their reasons for not going to the town with suchsuspicious people as we were. Against this I had nothing to say. Ithus had practical experience of the inconvenience of having been seenin bad company. Though a reason, it is the lowest for avoiding it. Howto get my baggage into the town was a puzzle, till I bethought me ofslinging it on a long pole, one end of which Peter carried on hisshoulder, and the other I placed under my arm, and thus we began ourmarch towards the town.