Ben Burton: Born and Bred at Sea

by William Henry Giles Kingston

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN.

  I interrupted my narrative with an account of Mr Jonas Quelch'sadventures, with which I shortly afterwards became acquainted. I wish Icould describe the ball which followed the dinner I have alreadymentioned; how perseveringly the ladies danced country dances and jigs,and how furiously the gentlemen flung about, sprang here and there,rushed up and down the room, and performed antics of every possibledescription, such as might have astonished the more sober professors ofthe art across the channel. My mother stole into a corner of the room,where she could see without being observed, and nothing would induce herto go further. Although Captain. Oliver found her out, and entreatedher to join in what was going forward, she refused to dance even withhim.

  "I could not resist joining in the fun as you do, Mrs Burton," said MrSchank, "but I am afraid the ladies would object to my hopping up anddown the room, lest I should come down upon their tender feet with mytimber-toe, so I am obliged to abandon the sport I delighted in in myyounger days." Mr Gillooly, also, at length discovered her, and wasfar more persevering in his efforts to induce her to take part in thedance, though with no more success.

  "Sure, Mistress Burton, you would not be after breaking a jintleman'sheart, which is as soft as butther whenever he is thinking of you!" heexclaimed, pressing his hand on his bosom and looking up with anexpression which he intended to be extremely captivating.

  "Indeed, Mr Gillooly, but it is more likely that any heart you have gotwould be after melting rather than breaking," remarked my mother,observing the fiery countenance and the violent perspiration into whichher swain had thrown himself. "My dancing days are over, and had I notsupposed that the gentlemen here would have had the good taste not topress me to do what I dislike, I should not have ventured into theroom."

  Nothing abashed, however, by this answer, Mr Gillooly continued to pourout his compliments into my mother's ear, and she had to be still moreexplicit before he would receive a refusal. At length he left her, andwas soon afterwards seen rushing about, as before, with one of my aunts,or with some other young lady of equal powers of endurance. CaptainOliver, after this, sat himself down by my mother's side.

  "Your boy has grown into a fine big lad," he observed, "and though he issomewhat young, still I think he is strong enough to hold his own in amidshipman's berth, and if you are disposed to let him go, I am ready totake him."

  "A midshipman's berth!" exclaimed my mother, and a choking feeling cameinto her throat. "Surely you cannot intend such advancement to my boy--the boatswain's son. I never wished him to be above his station, and ifhe were to rise to be a boatswain like his dear father, I should be wellcontented."

  "Do not say that, Mrs Burton. His father was a fine seaman, and wouldhave been an honour to the quarter-deck himself. I promised to befriendyour boy, and I can do so far more if he is in the rank of a midshipmanthan if he is simply one of the ship's boys. From what I see of yourrelations and friends, indeed, though to be sure some of their doingsare a little eccentric compared with our English notions, yet theirposition is such that their young relative should be placed in the rankof a gentleman. Say no more about it, I will assist him, and so I amsure will Mr Schank, in procuring his necessary outfit. That matter,therefore, need not trouble you, and I hope in a short time that he willpick up so much, prize-money that he will be able to support himselftill he attains the rank of Lieutenant."

  Of course my mother could offer no objection to this very generousproposal. All she pleaded was, that I might remain a short time longerwith her on shore. Lieutenant Schank then came in with a proposal whichhe had to make. It was that she should return to his mother's house,where I might employ my time to advantage in obtaining the instructionwhich I could not get at Ballybruree. This offer she gladly accepted.Indeed, she told me that she had herself thought of returning toWhithyford, in order to avoid the persevering addresses of Mr Gilloolyand her other admirers. The frigate was to remain on the coast for aweek or ten days, after which time she had been ordered to go round toPortsmouth to refit. Captain Oliver, therefore, kindly offered mymother and me a passage, should she in the meantime be able to makearrangements for her departure. For this proposal she was verygrateful. A journey across the whole width of Ireland and England wasboth difficult, hazardous, and very expensive, if performed in acomfortable manner. I was delighted with the thoughts of meeting againthe Little Lady with the kind Misses Schank; for I must confess that thehabits and customs of my relatives did not suit my taste much more thanthey did that of my mother. As to the ball, I need not further describeit. The ladies who came from a distance occupied all the upper rooms inthe house, while the gentlemen were stowed away in the lower rooms andout-houses, many of them, however, little knowing how they got to bed orwhere they were.

  Great was the lamentation her friends expressed when my mother'sdetermination of going to England was made known; indeed, someconsidered that a decided insult was offered to her native country. MrGillooly, indeed, made some remarks as to her motives, which certainlydid not further his cause.

  We set off the next day for Ballybruree with the rest of our party, myuncle and aunt inviting us to return to Ballyswiggan, there to remaintill the frigate was ready to take us on board. Mr Tim Laffan, whoshowed much good feeling, undertook to dispose of my mother's fewpossessions, and in the course of a few days placed in her hands a sumwhich she considered even more than their value.

  "Well, Mrs Burton, I had hoped other things," he said, as he shook herwarmly by the hand, as she was mounting her pony to proceed toBallyswiggan, "but I know enough about ladies' hearts to be aware thatthey are more difficult to manage than the toughest lawsuit."

  Dan Hogan was away on duty, and we were off before he returned, butCaptain Michael Tracy insisted on walking by my mother's side all theway to Ballyswiggan; indeed I could not help thinking that if anyone wasto win her heart, he was likely to be the happy man. We had a somewhatmoving scene when bidding farewell to my grandfather and grandmother.

  The old gentleman, indeed, wept bitterly as he was apt to do, especiallyafter his tenth tumbler of whisky and water, provided it was of the fullstrength. I need not say anything more about him at present. Wereached Ballyswiggan Castle in safety, the small amount of property mymother wished to retain following us in a cart. Mr Kilcullin was verykind, and my aunt promised to write occasionally, and let us know howthe rest of the family got on. She was, indeed, the only one of hersisters who was much practised in the art of penmanship, the othershaving spent most of their time in gaining a knowledge of horseflesh, inriding up and down the country, and in practising certain very usefuldomestic duties. I certainly did feel very proud, and so I think did mymother, when the boat from the frigate came to fetch us on board, and wewere seated in the stern sheets with our boxes in the bows, a youngmidshipman in a fresh bright uniform steering. A short, somewhat stoutman pulled the stroke oar. He looked at my mother very hard. At lengtha beaming smile came over his broad countenance, and he could no longerhelp giving her a look of recognition. I thought I knew him. He was noother than my old friend Toby Kiddle. Still, as the midshipman treatedus with so much respect, he evidently thought it did not become him toaddress us. Our friends on shore, I should have said, saluted us withloud shouts as we pushed off. "Long life to Ben Burton!" cried a voice."May he live to be an admiral, and an honour to old Ireland, and may henever forget the land of his ancestors." My mother waved an adieu. Herheart was too full with a variety of emotions to speak.

  "Is Ben Burton your name?" said the midshipman, looking at me. "Iunderstand you are going to join us. You are a lucky chap, for our shipis a happy one, and we are likely to see a good deal of service."

  When we got on board, one of the first people I set eyes on was PatBrady.

  "I could not help it, Ben," he said. "Some of the boys got round me andtalked of old times, and faith, though I was living on shore like agintleman, after all I could not resist the look of the trim frigate,and the th
oughts of the fighting and the fun on board. But, Ben, I hearyou are to be one of the young gintlemen, and I know my place too welland your interests ever to be claiming relationship with you. You willunderstand that, Ben. If ever you can do me a good turn I am sure youwill, and I need not tell you that when we are boarding an enemy's ship,and you are in the thickest of the fun, Pat Brady won't be far off yourside. Just tell your mother that, for may be I may not have anopportunity of speaking to her as I would wish."

  "He is a good honest fellow, that cousin of ours," said my mother when Itold her. "It is just like him, and I am very thankful to think thatyou have so true a friend among the men. If you behave wisely andkindly to them, depend upon it you will always be able to get work done,when others much older than yourself will fail, and that more thananything else will gain you the approval of your superior officers."

  The Third-Lieutenant of the frigate had gone home on sick leave, and hiscabin was given up to my mother. She told me she felt very strangeoccupying a berth aft when she had been so long accustomed to one in thefore-part of the ship. It was satisfactory to see as much attentionpaid her as if she had always occupied the position of a lady. Indeed Imay say with satisfaction that she was well deserving of all theattention paid her, while in her manner and conversation she wasthoroughly the lady. I was said to take after her, and, at the risk ofbeing considered vain and egotistical, it is satisfactory to believe Idid. "It would be a shame not to place that boy on the quarter-deck," Iheard the Captain observe to Mr Schank one day, when he was not awarehow near I was. "He looks, and is, thoroughly the gentleman, and willmake a smart young officer, depend on that."

  I was delighted to find myself on board ship again, and if the choicehad been given me I suspect that I should have remained rather than haveaccompanied my mother back to Whithyford. After we had doubled CapeClear a sail hove in sight, to which we gave chase. She was a largebrig, and soon showed us that she had a fast pair of heels, by keepingwell ahead. All sail was pressed on the frigate, and yet, after chasingseveral hours, we appeared to be no nearer to her. Still Captain Oliverwas not a man to strike to an enemy, or to give up a chance of making aprize as long as the slightest possibility of doing so remained. Allnight long we kept in her wake; she probably expecting a fog, or achange of wind, or some other circumstance to enable her to alter hercourse without being perceived by us. The night, however, was veryclear, and when morning broke there she was still ahead. It wasevident, also, that we had gained on her considerably.

  "I say, Ben, our skipper and First-Lieutenant are licking their lips atthe thoughts of the prize we shall pick up before the day is many hoursolder," observed my friend Tom Twigg, the midshipman who steered theboat which brought us on board; he had ever since then marked me as anobject of his especial favour. He was a merry little fellow, with thefunniest round face, and round eyes, and round nose possible. He oftengot into scrapes; but he declared that, like a hedgehog or slater, orwoodlouse, he always managed to roll himself out of them. "I ratherthink the skipper has entered you on the books that you may have a sharein the prize we are going to make," he observed. "It will not be verygreat, but it is something, and no man on board will grudge it you."About noon we got the brig under our guns, when she hauled down hercolours, and proved to be a richly-laden Letter of Marque. It was verypleasant returning into port with her, and this circumstance puteverybody on board in good humour, the Captain and Lieutenant Schankespecially, who of course had large shares.

  "I wish I could accompany you, Mrs Burton," said Mr Schank, when wereached Portsmouth; "but that is impossible. You must let me frank youup, however, to my mother's. I dare say by this time you pretty wellknow how to manage on the road. Pay the postboys well, and take carethat youngster does not tumble off the roof and break his neck." Ofcourse my mother thanked the Captain and all the officers for thekindness she had received on board. They insisted on her saying nothingabout the matter; indeed, they declared they had not done enough, andwould not let her go till they had made her accept a purse of gold,which they declared would have been my father's share of the prize justtaken had he been alive. Lieutenant Schank had written on before toannounce our coming. The old lady, therefore, and the three MissesSchank were on the look-out for us as our post-chaise drove up to thecottage, while I saw poor Mrs Lindars looking out at an upper windowfrom the room she occupied, and there in the midst of the ladiesdownstairs was the Little Lady, a perfect little fairy she looked amongthe three mature Misses Schank. Miss Anna Maria held her up in herarms, and the little girl cried out, "Oh! Mamma, mamma, I know you aremy mamma, though I have got four other mammas here." She had grown verymuch, and instead of going off in beauty, had become one of the mostperfect little creatures I ever set eyes on. Nothing could be morehearty than the welcome we received, and the dear old lady told mymother that she must look upon herself as one of the family, and onlyhelp the other ladies just as much as she felt inclined. Mrs Lindars,soon after we arrived, begged we would come up, and the Little Lady,taking me by the hand, led the way. There was something very strikingin the affectionate and tender way the Little Lady addressed MrsLindars; indeed it for the moment struck me that they were somethingalike, though one was somewhat advanced in life, and the features of theother were scarcely yet formed. Mrs Lindars welcomed my mother verykindly. "And Ben has indeed grown into a fine lad," she observed. "AndEmily, too, you see her greatly improved, Mrs Burton. Ben, you must beher champion if she requires one. Alas! I fear she will. I trust herfate may be happier than mine."

  "Yes, ma'am, I will fight for her, that I will," I answered, looking atEmily; "not that I think anyone would ever be so wicked as to try andharm her." The poor lady smiled sadly and shook her head.

  "Beauty is rather a snare than a protection," she observed.

  Of course I did not exactly understand her meaning; I heard afterwards,though I think I have already alluded to the fact, that the poor ladyhad, at a very early age, married a foreigner, calling himself Lindars,and that she had one child, a girl. Her husband, after frequentlyabsenting himself, returned to Whithyford, when one day he and the childdisappeared. The poor mother was left in an agony of doubt as to whathad become of her infant, persuading herself that it had been murdered.A letter, however, at length reached her from her husband, saying thathe was on the point of leaving England, and that he purposed carryingthe child with him. From that day she had never received the slightestintelligence of her husband or daughter. Her brother Jack had beenabsent from home at the time of her marriage, and five years passed awaybefore he again returned, so that he had been unable to assist her inher inquiries. I was placed for instruction under the care of an oldgentleman residing in the village, who had formerly been a schoolmaster.He was well able to impart to me the knowledge I most required, and asI was very anxious to learn, I made considerable progress. My sparetime was spent almost entirely in the company of little Emily. I wasnever tired of attending on her. As was then the custom, she wore alittle red mantle as a walking dress. One day we were out in thefields, when she ran off in chase of a butterfly. At the further end ofthe field a bull was grazing, having been turned out to indulge hissulky humour by himself. The sight of the red cloak fluttering over thegreen meadow suddenly excited his rage, and with a loud roar he camerushing up towards it. I saw the little girl's danger, and quick aslightning darted towards her. The cloak was fortunately secured by avery slight string. I tore it off and told her to run on; while,seizing the cloak, which I at once guessed was the cause of the bull'srage, I darted off in a different direction. The animal followed, as Ihad expected. On he came, however, at a speed which was likely soon tobring him up to me. It was some distance to the nearest hedge. Towardsthat, however, I made my way, as the best means of escape. The bull wasnot five yards from me. The hedge was thick and high. Into it or overit I must go, or run the certainty of a toss. I sprang towards thehedge. Just at the spot I reached was the stem of a small tree; onebran
ch alone had escaped the pruner's hatchet. Throwing the cloakagainst the hedge, I seized the bough and sprang to the top--not apleasant position, considering the brambles of which it was composed.The bull, with a loud roar, dashed into the hedge below me, into whichhe fixed his head, tearing up the ground, and making the bushes shakeall round. I looked out and saw that Emily had reached the gate insafety; but how to descend was now the difficulty, for if I jumped backinto the field out of which I came the bull would probably again attackme, whereas, on the other side, I could not descend without the risk oftearing my clothes and scratching myself with the brambles.

  "Thou be a brave lad; I seed it all!" exclaimed a voice near me, andlooking down I saw a person who appeared to be a farmer, standing on thefurther side of the hedge.

  "Jump into my arms, I'll catch thee, lad," he added, seeing thepredicament in which I was placed. I willingly did as he bid me, and,caught by his arms, reached the ground in safety. "We must have thelittle maiden's cloak, though," he said, laughing. "I will bring upsome of my men, and we will soon handle the old bull." He was as goodas his word. Five or six farm servants soon made their appearance witha stout rope, which they threw over the bull's neck and led him quietlyoff, while, accompanied by the farmer, I passed through a gate a littleway on, and, securing the cloak, crossed the field to where Emily, stillin a great fright, was waiting for me. The farmer insisted onaccompanying us home. He was well-known, I found, to the ladies, andwith great glee he recounted to them my exploit, bestowing more praiseon me, I thought, than I deserved. Emily, however, declared that he wasright, and that if it had not been for me, she was sure the bull wouldhave tossed her up into the moon, or at all events as high as the moon.

  My mother was now busily employed in preparing my outfit, and many atear did she shed over her work when she thought that I was soon to beseparated from her. A letter came at length from Captain Oliver, sayingthat the frigate was ready for sea, and that I must come at once down toPortsmouth. Fortunately my friend Farmer Cocks was going up to London,and undertook to escort me thus far, and from thence he was to see meoff in the coach for Portsmouth. I will not describe my parting. Therewas a good deal more crying than I like to think of, and the dear LittleLady wept till her heart seemed about to break. However, her tearsprobably soon dried up, but my poor mother's sorrow was likely to be farmore enduring.

  "Thou art a brave, honest lad, Ben Burton," said the good farmer,pressing a five-pound note into my hand as I was about to mount on thetop of the Portsmouth coach. "Thou wilt have plenty of use for this ingetting thy new clothes for sea; but if not, spend it as thou thinkestbest. I have no fear that thou wilt squander it as some do, and markthee, shouldst thou ever want a home to come to, thou wilt always find awarm welcome at Springfield, from my good dame and me." I pocketed hisgift with a sincere "Thank you," and he wrung my hand warmly, again andagain, until I got fairly out of his reach on to the top of the coach.