The Life of a Celebrated Buccaneer

by Richard Clynton

  CHAPTER IV.

  All the Buccaneer's neighbours had adopted some characteristic emblem ordevice with an appropriate motto. No people, of any degree ofself-respect, can get on without such things. The device generally takesthe form of some beast or bird of prey--eagles and vultures beinggreatly favoured. The bold Buccaneer with a characteristic modestyadopted the lion as his emblem, and as his motto "God and my Right." Itis wonderful how he made both ends of his motto meet to his own greatadvantage. These two principles seldom seemed to clash, and if they did,he generally overcame the difficulty in a most satisfactory manner. Thisperhaps was the effect of his having a good conscience.

  Now the lion is a noble-looking animal. His appearance is ferocious,while his roar is terrifying in the extreme. Those who have watched, andstudied his habits, say that in spite of all this, he is about as mean abeast as ever stole a meal or entered upon an unequal fight, being everready to rob and plunder the weaker inhabitants of the jungle. Ofcourse, the animal had his good points; all animals have, and, no doubt,it was these that attracted the Buccaneer's attention. How delighted hewas when his lion's roar frightened any one of his neighbours! Whatpleasure too it gave him when he put out his large paw and snatched ahandful of feathers out of any of their birds! But then what a terriblescreeching there was, and very often a fight.

  Not to be behind his neighbour in anything, he created high soundingtitles, and honourable distinctions, to reward those of his sons who didwell in the buccaneering trade. Then to support the weight of theirnewly acquired dignity, he either allowed them to levy blackmail on whomthey could, or he sent round the hat amongst his own people. This hatwas with him a cherished institution, and was used on all kinds ofoccasions. It was hung up in all his churches, but taken down and sentround after every service. Of such importance was it that it must bedeemed to be worthy at all times of a capital to begin with. For lengthof titles he could not approach many of his neighbours, who frequentlyfound consolation for empty pockets, ruined castles, and extreme povertyin a long string of names.

  The bold Buccaneer grew in strength, in riches, and in righteousnessalso. His family increased and multiplied as all good people's familiesshould; but still he fought, and for the most part conquered. Thisproved to his own satisfaction that God was generally on his side. Whenthe enemy was handed over to him he despoiled him, thus following theexample set him by most other peoples and nations, in olden times and innew. It is a good thing to pluck a beaten adversary well, lest he fliesagain too soon, and sticks either his beak, or his claws into you. Donot believe him if he says he will not do it. To his beaten foe theBuccaneer was kind, for he gave to him spiritual consolation; giving hisBible and selling him his strong and intoxicating drinks. He fullybelieved that those who did not live up to the teaching of his bookwould be eternally damned, though he did not at all times show adisposition to live up to it himself, it being very much tooinconvenient to do so. There was occasionally such a difference betweenhis preaching, and his practice, that his neighbours wondered whether hewas a knave or a hypocrite, or a good honest gentleman who saw noincongruity in his line of action.

  Sometimes in his encounters with his enemies he came off second best, asthe saying is. Then there was nothing he was so sure of as that thedevil was fighting against him. It was his custom then to look about fora scapegoat, and if he found one he sacrificed him to appease the Divineanger. Then having bound up his broken head and dressed his wounds, hetook down his book, read a chapter or two, said his prayers, and thenwaited until the Lord handed his enemy over to him. Then he quicklywiped off old scores, adding or taking something, by way of interest.Thus he became very much respected by all who knew him. As heprospered, so did his church, for he was very generous as most sailorsare. Whatever the edifice was within, it was beautiful without, and hada complete organisation. The High Priest, not Caiaphas, stood at thehead of all things, and he was the keeper of the Buccaneer's conscience.It was the duty of the High Priest to keep all his subordinates inorder. This was a task which at times he could not perform, for themembers of the ecclesiastical body showed themselves to be true chips ofthe Buccaneer block, and though essentially men of peace, they provedthemselves at times to be equally men of war. His priests being thekeepers of his conscience, frequently took upon themselves to lecturehim; not hesitating even to tell him of his transgressions. Havingbrought the ardent old sinner upon his knees, and prescribed for himprayers, mortifications, and fastings; having also bled him, theycleaned and repaired his conscience and sent him on his way again. Thusdid the priesthood grow in power and in self-respect.

  Comparisons, it is said, are odious; but they are necessary at times,and if we compare our friend with any one of his neighbours, we find himnot a bit worse; he himself thinking, indeed, that he was infinitelybetter. To exterminate the heathen, or to bring them over from theirevil ways, and to burn all heretics was at one time the pious object ofhis life. The weak, too, had to be protected, and those who cannot takecare of themselves ought, at all times, to be extremely obliged to thosewho will do it for them, and of course they must expect to pay. Then theevil doer had to be punished and fined, and the pride of the arrogantand haughty had to be humbled, and surplus populations had to be workedoff, and anybody undertaking these very disagreeable, though necessaryduties, is deserving of the thanks of those who have neither the taste,nor the leisure for the occupation. There is nothing strange in allthis. Did not Moses sit upon the hilltop with Aaron on one side and Huron the other, and while these two held up his hands did he not look withsatisfaction upon Joshua discomfiting the Amalekites? and very wellJoshua seems to have done his work.

  Who then will blame the Buccaneer? As in Joshua's day, so now suchthings are necessary. And if the Buccaneer did burn a heretic or two,what then? He was strictly impartial. To-day it was what was called aHoly Roman that he fried, to-morrow he varied the bill of fare byroasting a Protestant. That was in his early days.

  Our Buccaneer was essentially a fighting man, and though the Book heswore by preached peace on earth and good will towards men, his habitwas to mix himself up--in early times at least--in every pot-house brawlthat he could, and a cracked head was to him an honourable distinction.He as often as not took the wrong side, and he was frequently foundfighting in very queer company; but to his honour it must be said thatthe weakness of a neighbour, who was put upon, was more to him than anyabstract principle of right or wrong, and though he was not abovepitching into a fellow smaller than himself, he would not allow anyoneelse to indulge in the luxury if he could help it.

  The ill-natured--those who are for ever ready to find out spots andblemishes in other people, to the utter neglect of their own, said allkinds of things. Called him a hard fighting, hard drinking, and hardswearing Christian. He did swear; it was a bad habit, no doubt; but thenhis climate was enough to make any man swear, and drink into thebargain. He had his failings, and he did not mind being told of them,and he would sit patiently in church, whilst his priests thundered athim from their many pulpits. He took it all in; said his prayersdevoutly, and when the inevitable Hat came round, he gave liberally.Perhaps he experienced some slight regret on such occasions that some ofhis wicked neighbours were not present to partake of the spiritual foodthat was thus given freely. He felt sure it would have hit some of themvery hard. It might perhaps have made them mend their ways, though, asit did not seem to have a permanent effect upon the Buccaneer himself,there may be a doubt upon the subject. It is said that eels getaccustomed to skinning.

  In passing it may be mentioned that his women--at least in earlytimes--were honest, virtuous, brave and true, and in every way fittingmothers for a race of warriors. It may be presumed that they had theirfaults. Indeed, some of his laws and customs would lead us to believethat such was the case. For instance, it was laid down as a rule that nohusband should beat his wife with a stick of greater diameter than oneinch. There was very great humanity here. Scolds he sometimes ducked. Ifthat did not stop the rancour of their tongues
he tried the effect of aninstrument called the "branks." This fitted over the head something likea dog-muzzle, and was fastened behind with a padlock, while an ironplate rested upon the tongue, and kept it quiet. This was found to beeffective.

  Judging from our present high state of civilization when women areallowed full liberty of speech, these early habits and customs of theBuccaneer will not bear looking into. Occasionally in later times someone of his sons, not conspicuous for chivalry, knocked down his wife, orhis mother-in-law, and then jumped upon her; but as a general rule hismanners were very much softened, and his women were treated with verygreat indulgence. Perhaps those who suffered were deserving people. If,in his ruder age, the women did not love their lords and masters, theyat least respected them, and this feeling in the long-run brings themost happiness. In his latter days a deep suit of mourning, with muchcrape, and a becoming widow's cap, often covered a joyous heart, and afresh campaign was commenced. But what is love? You have it; you have itnot. It is sometimes near, then again it is obscured by distance. Itwanders about like a sweet and gentle spirit above the earth; soaringsometimes with outstretched wings to heaven. It seems brightest whenafar. Touch it, and it will shrink and fade like the delicate petals ofa flower. It often haunts a grave-yard and makes a home amongst thetombs. You fly from it, and it follows; you turn and chase it and itflies. What is love? It is a veritable Will o' the Wisp.