CHAPTER XXVIII.
The captain of the watch thought it would never do for his master toarrive home in his present frame of mind, for if he did, there would be,as sailors say, "The devil to pay, and no pitch hot." The other watch,too, would be sure to take advantage of the cloudy state of the weatherto stir up strife and discord, and no stone ought to be left unturned toprevent this; so old Dogvane thought. He fully believed with thatclever, funny little fellow, the cook, that the other watch were agreedy lot of office grabbers. Their hunger, perhaps, might be in ameasure accounted for by the small amount of food they received of thatparticular kind.
The bold Buccaneer paced the deck in moody silence, and ever and anonturned a look back to the land of ruin he had left behind him. The wordsof the gipsy were still ringing in his ears. Old Dogvane was at thewheel, and he anxiously watched the old rover's face. The Buccaneer whenin anger was not unlike a thunder storm. He made almost as much noise,he was quite as destructive, and nearly as uncontrollable; but if leftalone he in time worked himself out, and after the storm, came theproverbial calm.
The canny old captain having waited a while, watched his opportunity,and he made bold to speak, couching his language in the most respectfulterms; but first of all to attract attention he muttered something tohimself.
"What is that thou sayest?" asked the Buccaneer, stopping short in hiswalk.
"Nothing sir, nothing," was Dogvane's reply; "I was merely thinking asit were, to myself, of the land we have just left behind us, and I wassaying to myself, sir, only to myself, that needs must when the devildrives." It would be difficult to know to what the captain's words hadreference. In all probability he did not know himself, but an old sayingis generally a safe one, for it may mean much or little, or even nothingat all.
"In what way are you heading now, Master Dogvane?" asked the Buccaneer.
This gave the old captain the opportunity he had been looking for.
"You see, sir," he replied, "it is all very well for this Egyptian hagto curse; but I was driven by necessity to do what I did, andindirectly, if not directly, the other watch are responsible for theblood that has been shed."
"Still on the old tack, Master Dogvane; still on the old tack? Will yoube for ever putting the saddle upon other backs but your own?"
"Heaven forbid that I should accuse any body of men wrongfully; but theother watch have, or seem to have an especial aptitude for getting intoscrapes. They are a quarrelsome lot and their captain has a proudstomach. But look you, master, at this Egyptian baggage. See what adisorderly house she kept; I will not say disreputable, for God forbidthat I should take away any woman's character. But her house was such adisgrace to all concerned, that we had to interfere. The Arab is a braveman; but he is a heathen, and full of atrocity; a follower of animpostor, what then if we slew a few of them; if by doing so we saved,as the saying is, our own bacon? For the same reason we, as I havealready said, put your beloved son into a pit, and no doubt, he wouldhave been saved even as Joseph was, only a little thing prevented it, hewas slain in the meantime. Had it not been for this little accident, Ihave every reason to believe that he would have risen far higher thanever Joseph did in the Egyptian household." The Buccaneer was nowsitting upon the after-sky-light, and became an attentive listener tothe captain, who continued:
"Even as Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of thesword, so have we the black population of the Soudan. The heathenfuriously raged, and we smote them hip and thigh. The cross has againtriumphed over the crescent."
This allusion to the Buccaneer's religion was a happy one, but who knewthe master better than Dogvane? Was Dogvane then a humbug? Good peopleall, upon this subject there will be a diversity of opinion, for hisenemies accused him of many worse things than being a humbug, while hisfriends and admirers were ready to canonize him as a saint. The truecourse, perhaps, lay in the middle of the stream. Dogvane continued,"Have you so little love for your religion, sir, that the slaughteringof a few thousands of infidels causes you remorse, and sorrow? Why inolden days you slew thousands of Christians without the smallestcompunction; why then cry over the spilling of a little infidel blood?Time was, sir, when you would have regarded the affair otherwise. Forevery one of your sons killed, I dare swear a thousand Arabs havefallen, leaving the balance largely in favour of Christianity, and soclearing the ground ready for a purer faith. The weeds have been torn upby the roots, so that flowers may be sown. What though we did kill a fewthousands of people, did not Pekah, king of Israel, slay in Judea, onehundred and twenty thousand persons in one day? Would any one say Pekahdid wrong?" The Buccaneer was mollified. It no doubt flattered hisvanity being compared to the ancient king of Israel.
"But she called me a hypocrite; a Christian masquerader, Dogvane," hesaid.
"Who, sir, would ever think of paying the slightest attention to what anangry woman says? Why ten to one if we were to return there now, youwould find there had been a heavy fall of rain and all was sunshineagain, and if you taxed her with her words, she would swear she hadnever used them."
"I would even now retrace my way to yonder land, that is just sinkingbelow the horizon, if I thought it would be as you say."
"Counting upon the extreme uncertainty of a woman's mind, I have nodoubt it would be so, and if my master wishes it, about we go. Butstay, second thoughts they say are best. This Mediterranean is atreacherous sea. Storms often rising beneath the serenest sky. Besides,it would ill become one in my master's position of high respectabilityto dally away his time as Mark Antony did in this self-same land. Awoman, sir, is far more dangerous in her softer moods than in her anger.It is under the mellowing influence of a smile that the hardest menfall. We had better keep our head pointed homewards. Then, sir, we canretrace our steps at our own convenience, and receive from the Egyptiangipsy's cooler mind the thanks we deserve. These Easterns are a prolificrace, and multiply as fast as flies. To lop off the surplus populationwith the sword is a benefit. A tree is all the better for the occasionalapplication of the knife."
Thus did Dogvane clear away the anger from his master's mind. He playedupon all his weaknesses, and he approached him above all on the side ofhis religion, and, as will appear hereafter, on the side also of histrade which touched him more nearly even than his religion. Perhaps oneside of religion is not, nor has it been in the past, fully appreciated.It has always proved an instrument to work off the surplus population.Even that gentlest and most peaceful of all, that religion which wasbreathed out over the world, near two thousand years ago, has often andoften, been dragged in to sanction, and sanctify, the bloodiest and, attimes, the most unholy of wars. As people will bring forth and multiply,in obedience to Divine command, it is fortunate that pestilence andfamine have so able an ally to keep in check the flood of human nature.
Dogvane, finding he was master of the situation, said: "I had in Egypt,sir, as I told you, a deep and subtle game, but of that, no matter. Ifyour old servant has displeased you, shift watches, say I, and joy tothose who come after us."
Of course there was no better way to obtain a hearing than to excite theBuccaneer's curiosity and then stop short. The trick succeeded, forDogvane was at first asked and then entreated, or rather commanded, todisclose his policy. Having stowed away his quid in the lining of hishat, and expectorated freely over the ship's side, as every honestsailor should, before commencing a lengthy yarn, the captain thus began.It has been mentioned that at a yarn he could not be beaten.
"Day and night, sir," he said, "my thoughts dwell upon your affairs, andwe often sit up late on board the old Ship of State discussing them.Often, and often has broad-faced day looked in upon our counsels."
"I am sorry to hear, Master Dogvane, that the Ojabberaways indulge attimes in rebellion, and even indecent conduct on board the old ship. Ifthey are not very careful I shall punish them. I shall stop their grog;but proceed."
"The Ojabberaways do at times, sir, make use of unseemly language; butit is their bringings up. I cannot deny bet
ween ourselves that our tradehas been falling off. Our neighbours have learnt very much; they have ina measure overtaken us, and unless we are careful, sir, they will beatus on our own ground."
"But when the other watch said this, Master Dogvane, you stoutly deniedit."
"That was done, sir, as a matter of principle. Of course we could notconscientiously admit anything to be right that the other watch said.But there are other grounds, sir, for silence; for to use a homelyproverb, it is never wise to cry stinking fish. That holds good all theworld over. In the management of one's private affairs silence isgolden. Our trade is undoubtedly depressed. Boots, shoes and woollenstuffs may be up, as our doughty carpenter said, but other things aresadly down. It cannot be denied, for instance, that the demand forheathen gods has sadly fallen off in recent years."
"Have the labours then of my missionaries been crowned with suchsuccess? Are infidels turning from the errors of their ways, MasterDogvane?"
"Heaven only knows, sir! the fact remains the same; whether it is thatthe endeavours of your missionaries have been blessed; or whether it isthat the gods made at your great idol manufactery of Brummagem are notup to the usual standard of perfection I know not; but there it is,heathen gods are a drug in the market."
"Dogvane, this is a most weighty matter, and it must be looked to.Idolatry is a dreadful thing; most degraded and very much to becondemned; but it is better than nothing, and until the heathen becomeconverted it would not be well, nay it would be cruel to take from themwhatever little comfort they may find in their brazen images. Tocounteract any evil influence that may arise from the worship of thesethings, Dogvane, order my State Church to purify the idols before theyleave our shores. Give instructions, Dogvane, directly we arrive home,to our High Priest to this effect. Command him to have solemn prayersand fastings, so that they may, all of them, be the better able towrestle with the devil. It would be as well also, Dogvane, to bid therich amongst them to share what they have with their poorer brethren,who will be the better able to pray when their minds are not distractedby the emptiness of their stomachs, for we hear there are poor amongstthem. Let all my divines of every denomination humble themselves beforetheir God. Why that troubled look, Master Dogvane?"
"This is a delicate matter, sir. I have noticed the ecclesiasticaltemper does not brook much interference. It does not appear to me thatthey care very much about humbling themselves. Had that young rascal,Random Jack, belonged to our watch this would have been again afavourable opportunity for him to show his zeal and courage."
"Dogvane, I notice a disposition in you at times to shirk your duty,"the Buccaneer said.
"Master, not another word. I will brave the displeasure of all your manyreligious denominations rather than you should harbour such a thoughtabout old Bill Dogvane."
"Bid, then, my priest pray over these idols, sprinkling them well withholy water. Who knows, Dogvane, but that some good may thus be done?These brazen images being blessed by our pious divines may carry intothe midst of the heathen some subtle influence, and by some mysteriousagency they may be converted even at the very time they are praying totheir false gods. Dogvane, it is worth the trial, and at any cost wemust prevent the trade from falling into the hands of our unscrupulousand unconscientious neighbours." The Buccaneer was silent for a fewmoments, then he said: "Dogvane, I am fully convinced that even in thisworld sin brings its own punishment; and this falling off in our tradein idols may be due entirely to a falling off in the article. Have youreceived any information of a confidential nature that either France orGermany or our cousin Jonathan have gone in for this industry?"
"No, sir, I have no official communication on the subject; thoughJonathan has that turn for business that he would manufacture anythingfrom a tin pin to a brazen image; while, if it would only pay, he wouldturn out devils by the thousand."
"You may depend upon it, Dogvane, that this depression in our trade isowing either to the inferiority or costliness of the article. Here liesthe keystone of our mercantile failures."
"Then, sir, there are other things. Our cotton stuffs hang heavy uponour hands. In fact, we want fresh fields for all our industries."
"Ah! say you so; where, Master Dogvane, is your remedy for this evil?"
"Sir, the eye of your faithful servant has rested upon the nakedpopulation of the Soudan. To clothe this people in our fabrics wouldtake many millions of yards of your cotton stuffs."
"The idea, Dogvane, is certainly a good one, and it pleases me. Let ushasten to put it to the trial lest our neighbours be beforehand with us.Say not a word, Dogvane, of this when we get home, for if the idea getswind some of our many cheap-Jacks will take possession of it and turn itto account; for, as you say, that fellow Jonathan has a keen eye forbusiness, and if he could he would try to get to windward of his ownfather. The selfishness of our friends, Dogvane, is always to me afruitful source of regret. But let us not forget that our primary objectis not the selling of our goods at a remunerative price--no, Heavenforbid!--it is the converting of the heathen. The base motive of gainwould not make me stir hand or foot in this matter; but to bring thesepoor benighted savages into our fold, Dogvane, is a worthy ambition. Tomake them Christians like ourselves, good Dogvane, would be a gloriousthing. This, I say, must be our very first consideration. Into ourcotton stuffs let there be worked some moral precept; or better still,some prayer. A waistcloth, Dogvane, if used fore and aft would be asuitable table for the Ten Commandments, which would thus beconveniently placed before the eyes of all. In time the seed thus sownon the outside of the black soil may take root inwardly and bring forthmuch good fruit. By degrees the whole population may become converted,and putting away the habit of barbarism may put on the garb ofcivilisation, thus opening out for us a wide field whereto to send ourindustries. Our ales will moisten their parched lips, increase theirstamina, and strengthen their inward man. Our spirits, too, willsupplant the vile concoctions they at present drink. Being thusstrengthened in body and soul, their intellect likewise will becomestronger. Their eyes will be opened, and a new and more beautiful worldwill dawn upon them. It is a grand idea, Dogvane, and well worthy ofyou. Commence at once. By converting this people we shall reap thereward of millions of fresh consumers. Stop slaughtering, Dogvane; stopat once. It is inhuman, it is cruel; besides they are only fighting fortheir hearth and home, and what people so base as not to shed theirblood in so good a cause? Stay, then, our hand, for by cutting theirthroats, Master Dogvane, you are contracting the field for our homeindustries. There is undoubtedly a bright future in front of us, andyou, Dogvane, have done much to re-establish yourself in my goodopinion."
The Buccaneer was quite elated. His step became buoyant again. The darkcloud that had rested upon his brow passed away. "Soon," he said, "weshall again hear the merry rattle of our looms. Our stills will havefresh life thrown into them. The heavy scent of the hop shall weight ouratmosphere; and rest like a grateful fragrance over our island home. Ourfriend and helpmate, old John Barleycorn, shall lift again his cheeryhead, and in his train will come, dancing merrily, his hand-maidens,Colombia root, camomile, quassia and cheretta."
The Buccaneer was in such excellent spirits that he began singing an olddrinking song of his, to the merits of John Barleycorn, and he madeDogvane join in the chorus. Thus they merrily passed the time, until thelook-out man aloft cried out: "Land ho!" and soon the bold coast of theBuccaneer's strong-hold loomed out in the distance.
The Life of a Celebrated Buccaneer Page 28
