CHAPTER IX
"After all this, you may suppose one didn't weary so much, even of thecalm. As soon as the decks were clear, most of us took tea on the poop,for fear of meeting the brigadier's lady below, everyone holding his cupready for a start. Rollock, the planter, who had slept and swung in hiscot half the day, was like to split his sides when he heard the story;by-the-way, I believe both the little pups lived and throve on goat'smilk, and the men called one of them 'Young Jonah,' though he had somuch of the terrier that the old lady disowned him.
"It was quite dark, and cool for a night near the Line, though not aripple stirred, and I stayed after the rest to smoke a cigar, stoppingevery now and then near the aftermost bull's-eye, that shone through thedeck, and thinking of Lota. 'By Jove!' thought I, 'she hasn't said aword to the judge about our having met before. Think of having a secret,almost, with _her_!' After all, though, I felt well enough I might assoon hope for the Emperor of China's daughter as for such a creature,unless something wonderfully strange fell out; deucedly in love as Iwas, I wasn't puppy enough to fancy I'd ever succeed by mere talk; 'buthere's for a bold heart and a weather eye,' I thought; 'and if thesecan't do it, I _will_!' said I aloud, when someone clapped me on theshoulder.
"'Well, Tom, are you there?' said I, thinking it was Westwood. 'Why,'answered old Rollock, laughing, 'not so far wrong, my boy--but as it'sthirty years since anyone called me so, I thought you _were_, for amoment!--Meditating, eh?' 'Only a cigar before bedtime--will you haveone, sir?' 'Ah--well,' said the planter, 'I'll take a light atleast--queer life this, eh? Shouldn't know this _was_ water, now--morelike train-oil! Looks _junglish_ a little under the stars yonder.''Nothing but the haze come down,' said I; ''tis clear enough aloft,though--look out for squalls ere long.' 'As your friend Ford would haveit,' said Rollock; 'but how a lad of your spirit can manage to standthis so well, I can't think!' 'Deyvilish dull, sir!' said I, with a lazydrawl, 'but can't be helped, you know.' 'Come, come, now, don't mend itby copying poor Winterton,' chuckled Rollock; 'you're no fool, Collins,so don't pretend to be. I say though, Collins, my boy,' continued herather gravely, 'there is one really soft piece I begin to notice in youlately--I fear you're falling in love with that girl!' '_I_, sir!' saidI; 'dear me, what makes you----' 'My dear boy,' went on the kind-heartedold fellow, 'I take an interest in you; no lad of your stuff practisesall this tomfoolery without something under it, and I see you've _some_serious meaning or other. Did you know her before?' 'Oh--why--notexactly,' I dropped out, taken rather short. 'I see, I see!' he went on;'but I tell you what, Collins, a cadet can do nothing madder than marryat first landing; she had better be a cold-hearted flirt, afterall--though, God knows, no man can say what _that_ does but onethat's--felt it!--_I_--I mean I _knew_--a young fellow that went out asambitious as you can be, and he----'
"Here the planter's voice shook a little, and he stopped, puffing at hischeroot till the short end of it just lighted up his hook nose and partof his big white whiskers in the dark, only you saw his eye glistening,too. 'Devil take it!' thought I, 'who'd have expected the old boy to beso sharp, though?' 'Well but, Collins,' said he at last, 'just you enterheart and soul into your profession; I'd stake my life you'll rise, whoknows how far--when you get captain's pay even, _then_ you may think ofit--that is, if she----' 'Why,' said I, 'd'ye suppose the judgewould----' '_Judge!_' exclaimed Mr Rollock--'worse and worse! Weren't wetalking of pretty little Kate Fortescue? My _dear_ boy, you don't intendto say you mean Miss Hyde! I left _that_ to your puppy of a "firstofficer," as they call him! Why, that young girl will be the beauty ofCalcutta.' At this I fancied someone else gave a whistle near us. 'Ofcourse, sir,' said I, raising my voice, 'you didn't suppose me such afool.' In fact, Miss Fortescue had never entered my head at all.'Something strange about _you_, Collins!' said the planter, a littleshortly; 'you puzzle me, I must say.' As we turned to go below, I heardsomebody walk down the poop-ladder, and then the mate's voice sung outfrom the binnacle to 'strike eight bells!'
"The calm was as dead as ever next morning, and, if possible, hotterthan before--not a rope changed aloft, nor a cloth in the sails moved;but it was pretty hazy round us, which made the water a sort of paleold-bottle blue, that sickened you to look at; and a long dipping anddrawling heave gradually got up as if there were blankets on it; theship, of course, shifting round and round again slowly, like a dog goingto lie down, and the helm giving every now and then a sudden jolt. Nearnoon it cleared up with a blaze of light, as it were; the soledifference at first being, that what looked like melting lead before nowturned into so many huge bright sheets of tin, every sudden bend of itas good as flashing up thousands of needles in your eyes. A good dealsurprised we were, however, shortly after, to find there was a sail insight, another square-rigged vessel, seemingly standing up on thehorizon six or seven miles off. Being end on to us at the time, thoughevery glass in the ship was brought to bear on her, 'twas hard to saywhat she was; then she and we went bobbing and going up and down with along round heave between us, slowly enough, but always at crosspurposes, like two fellows see-sawing on a plank over a dyke. When shewas up, we were down, and we just caught sight of her royal, no biggerthan a gull on the water; jerk went our rudder, and next time she seemedto have vanished out of the glasses altogether, till we walked round tothe other side, and made her out again under the awning on the oppositebeam. At length she lifted broad to us for a moment or two, showing along pale sort of hull with a red streak, apparently without ports, andbrig-rigged, though the space betwixt her two masts was curious for thatkind of craft.
"'Wonderful light-sparred for her size that brig, sir,' said the thirdofficer, dropping his glass. 'Ay, so she is, Mr Small,' replied CaptainWilliamson; 'what would you call her then? You've as good knowledge ofcraft as any man, Mr Small, I think.' 'Why,' said the old mate, screwinghis eye harder for a long look, 'I'd say she's--not a cruiser, CaptainWilliamson--no, nor a Greenock Indyman--nor a----' 'Oh!' said Finch,'some African timberer or other, I daresay, Small.' 'Well, Mr Finch,'said the third mate, handing him the glass, 'mayhap you'll just sayyourself, sir.' 'No, no, Mr Small,' said the captain; 'I'd trust to youas soon as any man, sir, in a matter of the kind.' 'Why, the hull ofher's wonderful Yankee-like, sir,' said Small again; 'I'm thinkingthey've been and _squared_ her out of a schooner--and made a bad job ofit too, sir! Bless us! what a lean-headed pair o' taups'ls--as high asour fore one, sir.' Suddenly the old mate gave his thigh a slap, andlaid down his glass on the capstan; 'Lor', sir!' said he, 'that's thething; she's nothing more nor less but a John Crapeau, CaptainWilliamson!'
"'I daresay you're right, Mr Small,' said the skipper, taking the glass;'just so--ay, ay--I thought it myself!' 'Pity Old Nap's boxed up yondernowadays, then, sir,' said the first officer, rubbing his hands andpointing to eastward, where he thought St Helena was; 'why, sir, weshould have the peppering of the Frenchman; I don't suppose we'd need tocare though she were twice the size--and what's more, we want freshwater before seeing the Cape, sir!' 'Well,' said the old skipper,laughing, 'that is the worst of it, Finch! As for spirit, you've as muchas any man, Mr Finch, and I _do_ think we'd know how to take theweather-hand of him--eh?' 'I'll be bound we should!' said Finch,laughing too. As for the Frenchman, both Westwood and I had made him outby his rig at once, thanks to man-o'-war practice; but we smiled to eachother at the notion of making a prize of Monsieur, under Finch'smanagement, with not a gun that could have been used for half a day, andeverything else at sixes and sevens.
"In a little while it was proposed amongst the cadets, hot as the calmwas, to make a party to go and see the French vessel. Ford of course wasat the head of it. Winterton thought they would no doubt have plenty ofchampagne on board, and some others, who could row, wanted to try theirhands. Accordingly the captain's gig was got ready, a sort of awningrigged over it, and two or three of them got in; when one, who was MissFortescue's cousin, persuaded her to join, if Mr Rollock would come.Then the brigadier, being rather a good-humoured man, said he shouldlike to face the French on
ce more, and Daniel Snout shoved himselfeagerly in without asking, by your leave. One of the men was sent totake charge; and as there was room still, I was just going to jump intoo, for the amusement of it, when Mrs Brady hurried to the taffrailwith her parasol up, and said, if the brigadier went she should go aswell--in fact, the old woman's jealousy of her rib was always laughablyplain. 'Hang it! then,' thought I, 'catch me putting myself in the sameboat with _her_! the same ship is enough in all conscience!' So awaythey were lowered off the davits, and began pulling in tolerable stylefor the brig, a couple of hours' good work for such hands at midday,smooth water as it was.
"'Now, gentlemen,' said the first officer briskly, as we looked afterthem dipping over the long bright blue heave--'now, gentlemen, andladies also, if you please, we'll have another party as soon as the menget their dinner--give these gentlemen a full hour's law, we'll overhaulthem. See the larboard quarter-boat clear, Jacobs.' It was just theleast possible hazy again behind the brig in the distance, and as thejudge stood talking to his daughter on the poop, I heard her say, 'Isthe other vessel not coming nearer already, papa? See how much moredistinct its sails are this moment--there!--one almost observes thewhite canvas!' 'Pooh, Lota, child!' answered Sir Charles, 'that cannotbe--'tis perfectly calm, don't you know?' In fact, however, Lota showeda sailor's eye for air, and I was noticing it myself; but it was _only_the air made it look so. 'Ah! now,' exclaimed she again, ''tis asdistant as ever! That must have been the light'; besides, the brig hadbeen lifting on a wide swell.
"'I beg pardon, Sir Charles,' said the mate, coming up and taking offhis cap, 'but might I use the freedom--perhaps yourself and Miss Hydewould like to visit the French brig?' The judge looked at his daughteras much as to ask if she would like it. 'Oh yes! so much!' exclaimedshe, her bright eyes sparkling, 'shall we?' 'No! Not _I_!' said SirCharles. 'I shall take my siesta. Quite safe, sir--eh?' 'Oh, quite safe,Sir Charles!' said Finch, 'a dead calm, sir--I'll take the utmost careyou may be sure, Sir Charles--as safe as the deck, sir!' 'Oh, verywell,' replied the judge, and he walked down to see after his tiffin.The young lady was going down the quarter-gallery stair, when I caughtmy opportunity to say--'I hope you'll excuse it, Miss Hyde, ma'am--butI _do_ trust you'll not risk going in the boat so far, just now!' Half aminute after I spoke, she turned round, and looked at me with a curioussort of expression in her charming face, which I couldn't makeout--whether it was mischievous, whether it was pettish, or whether'twas inquisitive.
'Dear me!' said she, 'why--do you----' 'The weather might change,' Isaid, looking round about, 'and I shouldn't wonder if it did--or a swellmight get up--or----' 'I must say, Mr--Mr Collins,' said she, laughingslightly, 'you are very gloomy in your anticipations--almost timorous, Ideclare! I wonder how you came to be so weather-wise! But why did younot advise poor Mrs Brady, now?' I couldn't see her face as she spoke,but the tone of the last words made me feel I'd have given worlds tolook round and see what it was like at the moment. 'Perhaps, ma'am,'said I, 'you may remember the _rain_?' 'Well, we shall see, sir!'replied she, glancing up with a bright sparkle in her eye for aninstant, but only toward the end of the spanker-boom, as it were; andthen tripping down the stair.
"I kept watching the gig pull slowly toward the brig in the distance,and the cutter making ready on our quarter till the men were in, withJacobs amongst them; where they sat waiting in no small glee for themate and his party, who came up a few minutes after; and I was justbeginning to hope that Violet Hyde had taken my advice, when she andanother young lady came out of the round-house, dressed for the trip,and the captain gallantly handed them in. 'My compliments to the Frenchskipper, Mr Finch,' said the captain, laughing, 'and if he ain't betterengaged, happy to see him to dinner at--two bells[18] in the dog-watch,we'll make it!' 'Ay, ay, sir,' said Finch. 'Now then!--all ready?''Smythe's coming yet.' said a 'writer.' 'We can't wait any longer forhim,' replied the mate; 'ease away the falls, handsomely, on deck!''Stop,' said I, 'I'll go then!' 'Too late, young gentleman,' answeredthe mate, sharply, 'you'll cant us gunnel up, sir!--lower away, there!'However, I caught hold of a rope and let myself down the side, timeenough to jump lightly into her stern-sheets the moment they touched thewater. The officer stared at me as he took the yoke-lines to steer, buthe said nothing, and the boat shoved off; while Miss Hyde's blue eyesonly opened out, as it were, for an instant, at seeing me drop in sounceremoniously; and her companion laughed.
[18] Five o'clock P.M.
"'I shouldn't have supposed you so nimble, Mr Collins!' said the writer,looking at me through his eyeglass. 'Oh,' said I, 'Ford and I havepractised climbing a good deal lately.' 'Ha! ha!' said the civilian,'shouldn't be surprised, now, if your friend were to take the navigationout of Mr Finch's hands, some day!' 'Bless me, yes, sir!' said Finch,with a guffaw, as he sat handling the lines carelessly, and smiling tothe ladies, with his smart cap over one ear; 'to be sure--ha! ha!ha!--it's certain, Mr Beveridge! Wouldn't you take the helm here, sir?'to me. 'Oh, thank you, no, sir!' replied I, modestly, 'I'm not quite sofar _yet_--but we've got a loan of Hamilton Moore and Falconer'sDictionary from the midshipmen, and mean to----' 'No doubt you'll teachus a trick or two yet!' said Finch, with a sneer. 'Now, for instance,'said I, coolly, 'aloft yonder, you've got the _throat halliards_ jammedin the block with a gasket, and the mizzen-topsail cluelines rove wrongside of it, which Hamilton Moore distinctly----'
"'Hang the lubber that did it, so they are!' exclaimed the mate, lookingthrough the spy-glass we had with us. 'Now you've your _jibs_ hauleddown, sir,' continued I, 'and if a squall came on abeam, no doubt they'dwish to shorten sail from _aft_, and keep her away--however, she wouldbroach-to at once, as Hamilton Moore shows must----' 'You and HamiltonMoore may----Well, no fear of a squall just now, at any rate, ladies,'said he. 'Stretch out, men--let's head upon Mr Ford and his gig, yet!'
"Terribly hot it was, close to the water, and so stifling that youscarce could breathe, while the long glassy swell was far higher thanone thought it from the ship's deck; however, we had an awning hoisted,and it refreshed one a little both to hear the water and feel it belowagain, as the cutter went sliding and rippling over it to long slowstrokes of the oars; her crew being all men-o'-war's-men, that knew howto pull together and take it easy. The young ladies kept gazing ratheranxiously at the big old _Seringapatam_, as she rose and dropped heavilyon the calm, amused though they were at first by a sight of their latehome turning 'gable' on to us, with her three masts in one, and a whitestraw hat or two watching us from her taffrail; whereas, ahead, theyonly now and then caught a glimpse of the brig's upper canvas, over ahot, hazy, sullen-looking sweep of water as deep-blue as indigo--withsix hairy brown breasts bending before them to the oars, and as manypair of queer, rollicking, fishy sort of eyes, fixed steadily on thebonnets aft, in a shame-faced, down-hill kind of way, like fellows thatcouldn't help it. In fact, I noticed a curious grin now and then onevery one of the men's faces, and a look to each other when they caughtsight of myself sitting behind the mate, as he paid out his high-flyingspeeches; Jacobs, again, regarding me all the while out of the whites ofhis eyes, as it were, in a wooden, unknowing fashion fit to have made acat laugh--seeing he never missed his mark for one moment, and drew backhis head at every pull with the air of a drunken man keeping sight ofhis own waistcoat buttons.
"By the time we were halfway, the swell began to get considerable, andthe mate stepped up abaft to look for the gig. 'Can't see the boat yet,'said he; 'give way there, my lads--stretch out and bend your backs!there's the brig!' 'Hallo!' exclaimed he again, 'she's clued up royalsand to'gallants'ls! By heavens! there go her tops'ls down too! Going tobend new sails, though, I daresay, for it looks clear enough there.''The ship's run up a flag, aft sir,' said Jacobs. 'The----so she has,'said Finch, turning round; 'recall signal! What's wrong? Sorry _we_can't dine aboard the French vessel this time, ladies!' said he,'extremely _so_--and the griffins there after all, too. I hope _you_won't be disappointed in any great measure, Miss Hyde; but if you wishedit now, miss, I'd even _keep_
on, and----'
"The young lady coloured a little at this, and turned to her companionjust as I remembered her doing from the dragoon in the ball-room. 'Doyou not think, Miss Wyndham,' said she, '_we_ ought not to wish anyofficer of the ship should get reproved, perhaps, on _our_ account?' 'Ohdear, no,' said Miss Wyndham: 'indeed, Mr Finch, you had better go back,if the captain orders you.'
"'Hold on there with your larboard oars, you lubbers!' sang out Finch,biting his lip, and round we went, pulling for the Indiaman again; butby this time the swell was becoming so heavy as to make it hard work,and it was soon rarely we could see her at all; for nothing gets up sofast as a swell, sometimes, near the Line; neither one way nor theother, but right up and down, without a breath of wind, in huge smoothhills of water darker than lead, not a speck of foam, and the sky hotand clear. 'Twas almost as if a weight had been lifted from off the longheaving calm, and the whole round of it were going up dark into the sky,in one weltering jumble, the more strange that it was quiet; sweep up ittook the boat, and the bright wet oar-blades spread feathering out foranother stroke to steady her, let alone making way; though that wasnothing to the look of the Indiaman when we got near. She was rollingher big black hull round in it as helpless as a cask; now one side, thenthe other, dipping gunwale to in the round swell that came heaping uplevel with her very rail, and went sheeting out bright through thebulwarks again; the masts jumping, clamps and boom-irons creaking on theyards, and every sail on her shaking, as her lower yard-arms took it byturns to aim at the water--you heard all the noise of it, the plunge ofher flat broadside, the plash from her scuppers, the jolts of herrudder, and voices on board; and wet you may be sure she _was_ from stemto stern.
"'Comfortable,' thought I; 'we've come home too soon of a washing-day,and may wait at the door, I fear!' 'Oh dear,' exclaimed the threegriffins, 'how are we to get in!' and the young ladies looked pale atthe sight. The mate steered for her larboard quarter without saying aword, but I saw he lost coolness and got nervous--not at all the man fora hard pinch: seemingly, he meant to make a dash alongside and hook on.'If you do, sir,' said I, 'you'll be smashed to staves'; and all at oncethe ship appeared almost over our heads, while the boat took a send in.I looked to Jacobs and the men, and they gave one long stroke off, thatseemed next heave to put a quarter of a mile between us. 'Close shavethat,' said the bowman. 'Begs pardon, sir,' said Jacobs, touching hishat, with his eyes still fixed past the mate, upon me; 'hasn't we betterkeep steadying off, sir, till such time as a sulk in the swell----''Hold your jaw, sirrah,' growled Finch, as he looked ahead still moreflurried; 'there's a _squall_ coming yonder, gentlemen, and if we don'tget quick aboard, we may lose the ship in it! Pull round, d' ye hearthere!' Sure enough, when we lifted, there was the French brig clearout against a sulky patch of dark-grey sky, growing in, as it were, faroff behind the uneven swell, till _it_ began to look pale; theIndiaman's topsails gave a loud flap out, too, one after the other, andfell to the mast again.
"Suddenly I caught the glance of Violet Hyde's eyes watching meseriously, as I sat overhauling the Indiaman for a notion of what to do,and I fancied the charming girl had somehow got nearer to me during thelast minute or two, whether she knew it or not; at any rate, the thoughtof having such a creature to protect made all my blood tingle. 'Neverfear, ma'am,' said I, in a half whisper; when Finch's eye met mine, andhe threw me a malicious look, sufficient to show what a devil the fellowwould be if ever he had occasion; however, he gave the sign for the mento stretch out again, and high time it was, as the Indiaman'smain-topsail made another loud clap like a musket-shot. Still he washolding right for her _quarter_--the roll the ship had on her wasfearful, and it was perfect madness to try it; but few merchant mateshave chanced to be boating in a Line swell, I daresay; when just as wecame head on for her starboard counter, I took the boat's tiller asudden shove with my foot, as if by accident, that sent us sheering inclose under her _stern_. The bowman prized his boat-hook into therudder-chains, where the big hull swung round us on both sides like animmense wheel round its barrel, every stern window with a face watchingus--though one stroke of the loose rudder would have stove us to bits,and the swell was each moment like to make the men let go, as it hove usup almost near enough to have caught a hand from the lower-deck.
"'For God's sake steady your wheel,' said I; 'hard a port!' while themate was singing out for a line. 'Now, up you go,' said I to Jacobs inthe hubbub, 'look sharp, and send us down a whip and basket from theboom-end, as we did once in the _Pandora_, you know!' Up the rope wentJacob like a cat, hand over hand; and five minutes after, down came the'basket' over our heads into the boat, made out of a studding-sail andthree capstan-bars, like a big grocer's scale dangling from thespanker-boom. The mate proposed to go up first with Miss Hyde, but shehung back in favour of her companion; so away aloft went Miss Wyndhamand he, swinging across the Indiaman's stern as she rolled again, with agant-line to steady them in--Finch holding on to the whip by one hand,and the other round the young lady, while my blood crept at the thoughthow it might have been Lota herself!
"As soon as it came down again, she looked for a moment from me toJacobs, when Captain Williamson himself shouted over the taffrail!'Sharp, sharp, there! the squall's coming down! she'll be up in thewind! let's get the helm free!' and directly after I found myselfswinging twenty feet over the water with Violet Hyde, as the ship heeledto a puff that filled the spanker, and rose again on a huge swell,gathering steerage way, while every bolt of canvas in her flapped inagain at once like thunder. I felt her shudder and cling to me--therewas one half-minute we swung fairly clear of the stern; they stoppedhoisting--and I almost thought I'd have wished that same half-minutehalf-a-day; but a minute after she was in the judge's arms on the poop;the men had contrived to get the cadets on board, too, and the boat wasdragging astern, with the line veered out, and her crew still in itbaling her out.
"I fixed my eyes at once, breathless as we of the boat party were, onthe weather-signs and the other vessel, which everybody on the poop waslooking at, as soon as we were safe, and our friends in the gig had tobe thought of. The short top-swell was beginning to soften in longregular seas, with just air enough aloft to give our light sails apurchase on it, and put an end to the infernal clatter; but the vapourhad gathered quicker than you could well fancy behind the brig in thedistance, so that she looked already a couple of miles nearer, rising uptwo or three times on as many huge swells that shone like blue glass,while she steadied herself like a tight-rope dancer on the top of them,by a studding-sail set high from each side. On the far horizon beyondher, you'd have thought there was a deep black ditch sunk along underthe thickening blue haze, as it stretched out past her to both hands,till actually the solid breast of it seemed to shove the brig bodilyforward over the oily-like water, every spar and rope distinct; then thefog lifted below as if the teeth of a saw came splitting through it, andwe saw her bearing down towards us--cloud, water, and all, as itwere--with a white heap of foam at her bows.
"'Brace up sharp, Mr Finch!' said the old skipper hastily, 'and standover to meet her. Confound this! we _must_ have these people out ofthat brig in a trice; we shall soon have a touch of the Horse Latitudes,or my name's not Richard Williamson--ay, and bid good-bye to 'em too, Ithink!'
"For a quarter of an hour or so, accordingly, we kept forging slowlyahead, while the brig continued to near us. No one spoke, almost--youheard the lazy swash of the water round our fore-chains, and thestillness aboard had a gloomy enough effect, as one noticed the top ofthe haze creep up into round vapoury heads upon the sky, and felt itdarkening aloft besides. We were scarce three-quarters of a mile apart,and could see her sharp black bows drip over the bright sheathing, asshe rolled easily on the swell; when the Indiaman suddenly lost wayagain, sheered head round, and slap went all her sails from the royalsdown, as if she had fired a broadside. Almost the next moment, a longlow growl ran muttering and rumbling far away round the horizon, fromthe clouds and back to them again, as if they had been some huge monsteror oth
er on the watch, with its broad green muzzle shooting quietly overus as it lay; the brig dipped her gilt figure-head abeam of us, and thenshowed her long red streak; the swell sinking fast, and the whole seafar and wide coming out from the sky as dark and round as the mahoganydrum-head of the capstan.
"'Bless me, Small,' said the captain, 'but I hope they've not knocked ahole in my gig--ay, there _they_ are, I think, looking over the brig'squarter--but don't seem to have a boat to swim! Get the cutter hauledalongside, Mr Stebbing,' continued he to the fourth mate, 'and go aboardfor them at once--confounded bothering, this! Mind get my gig safe, sir,if you please--can ye _parley-voo_, though, Mr Stebbing?' 'Not a word,sir,' said the young mate, a gentlemanly, rather soft fellow, whom theother three all used to snub. 'Bless me, can't we muster a bit o' Frenchamongst us?' said the skipper; 'catch a _monshoor_ that knows a word ofEnglish like any other man--'specially if they've a chance of keeping mygig!' 'Well, sir,' said I, 'I'll be happy to go with the officer, as Ican speak French well enough!' 'Thank ye, young gentleman, thank ye,'said he, 'you'll do it as well as any man, I'm sure--only look sharp, ifyou please, and bring my gig with you!' So down the side we bundled intothe cutter, and pulled straight for the brig, which had just hoistedFrench colours, not old 'three-patches,' of course, but the newRestoration flag.
"I overhauled her well as we got near, and a beautiful longschooner-model she was, with sharp bows, and a fine easy-run hull fromstem to stern, but dreadfully dirty and spoilt with top-bulwarks, as ifthey meant to make her look as clumsy as possible; while the brig-rig ofher aloft, with the ropes hanging in bights and hitches, gave her thelook of a hedge-parson on a race-horse; at the same time, I counted sixclosed ports of a side, in her red streak, the exact breadth and colourof itself. Full of men, with a long gun, and schooner-rigged, she couldhave sailed round the Indiaman in a light breeze, and mauled her to anyextent.
"They hove us a line out of the gangway at once, the mate got up herside as she rolled gently over, and I followed him: the scene that metour eyes as soon as we reached the deck, however, struck me a good dealon various accounts. We couldn't at first see where Mr Rollock and hisparty might be, for the shadow of a thick awning after the glare of thewater, and the people near the brig's gangway; but I saw two or threedark-faced, very French-like individuals, in broad-brimmed straw hatsand white trousers, seemingly passengers; while about twenty Kroomen andnegroes, and as many seamen with unshaven chins, earrings, and stripedfrocks, were in knots before the long-boat, turned keel up amidships,careless enough, to all appearance, about us. One of the passengersleant against the mainmast, with his arms folded over his broad chest,and his legs crossed, looking curiously at us as we came up; his darkeyes half closed, the shadow of his hat down to his black moustache, andhis shirt-collar open, showing a scar on his hairy breast; one man, whomI marked for the brig's surgeon, beside him; and another waiting for usnear the bulwarks--a leathery-faced little fellow, with twinkling blackeyes, and a sort of cocked hat fore-and-aft on his cropped head. '_Moi_,monsieur,' said he, slapping his hand on his breast as the mate lookedabout him, 'oui, je suis capitaine, monsieur.'
"'Good-day, sir,' said Stebbing, 'we've just come aboard for ourpassengers--and the gig--sir, if you please.' 'Certainement, monsieur,'said the French skipper, bowing and taking a paper from his pocket,which he handed to the mate, 'I comprind, sare--monsieur lecapitaine d' la fregate Anglaise, il nous demande nos--vat youcall--_peppares_--voila! I have 'ad le honneur, messieurs, to be alreadysarch by vun off vos _crusoes_--pour des _esclaves_! vous imaginez_cela_, messieurs!' and here the worthy Frenchman cast up his hands andgave a grin which seemed meant for innocent horror. '_Slaifs! chez_ lebrigantin _Louis Bourbon_, Capitaine Jean Duprez? _Non!_' said he,talking away like a windmill, 'de Marseilles a l'Isle de France, avecles vins choisis----' 'You mistake, monsieur,' said I, in French; 'theship is an Indiaman, and we have only come for our _friends_, who areenjoying your wine, I daresay, but we must----' 'Comment?' said he,staring, '_what_, monsieur? have de gotness to----'
"Here the moustached passenger suddenly raised himself off the mast, andmade one stride between us to the bulwarks, where he looked straight outat the Indiaman, his arms still folded, then from us to the Frenchmaster. He was a noble-looking man, with an eye I never saw the like ofin anyone else, 'twas so clear, bold, and prompt--it actually went_into_ you like a sword, and I couldn't help fancying him in the thickof a battle, with thousands of men and miles of smoke. 'Duprez,' saidhe, quickly, 'je vous le dis encore--debarquez ces miserables!--nous_combattrons_!' 'Then, mon ami,' said the surgeon, in a low, cool,determined tone, stepping up and laying a hand on his shoulder, 'aussi,_nous couperons les ailes de l'Aigle_, seulement!--Hush, mon ami,restrain this unfortunate madness of yours!--c'est bien mal-a-propos apresent!' and he whispered something additional, on which the passengerfell back and leant against the mainmast as before. 'Ah!' said theFrench master in his own language, shaking his head, and giving hisforehead a tap, 'le pauvre homme-la! He has had a coup-de-soleil,messieurs, or rather of the _moon_, you perceive, from sleeping in itsrays! _Ma foi!_' exclaimed he, on my explaining the matter, 'c'estpos-_sible_?--we _did_ suppose your boat proposed us the honour tovisit, when evidently deterred by the excessive undulation!--My friends,resign yourselves to a misfort----' 'Great heavens! Mr Stebbing,' saidI, 'the boat is _lost_!' 'By George! what _will_ the captain say, then!'replied he; however as soon as I told him the sad truth, poor Stebbing,being a good-hearted fellow, actually put his hands to his face andsobbed.
"All this time the brig's crew were gabbling and kicking up a confoundednoise about something they were at with the spare spars, and in throwingtarpaulins over the hatches; for it was fearfully dark, and going torain heavy; the slight swell shone and slid up betwixt the two vesselslike oil, and the clouds to south-westward had gathered up to a steepblack bank, with round coppery heads, like smoke over a town on fire.'Will you go down, messieurs,' said the Frenchman, politely, 'and tastemy _vin de_----' 'No, sir,' said I, 'we must make haste off, orelse--besides, by-the-way, we couldn't, for you've got all your hatchesbattened down!' 'Diable, so they are!' exclaimed he, '_par honneur_,gentlemen, I regret the occasion of--ha!' Just before, a glaring brassysort of touch had seemed to come across the face of the immense cloud;and though everything, far and wide, was as still as death, save thecreaking of the two ships' yards, it made you think of the lasttrumpet's mouth! But at this moment a dazzling flash leaped zigzag outof it, running along from one cloud to another, while the huge darkmass, as it were, tore right up, changing and turning it inside out likedust--you saw the sea far away under it, heaving from glassy blue intounnatural-like brown--when crash broke the thunder over our very heads,as if something had fallen out of heaven, then a long bounding roar. Themad French passenger stood up, walked to the bulwarks, and looked outwith his hand over his eyes for the next; while the young mate and Itumbled down the brig's side without further to-do, and pulled fast forthe ship, where we hardly got aboard before there was another wildflash, another tremendous clap, and the rain fell in one clash, morelike stone than water, on sea and decks. For half an hour we wererolling and soaking in the midst of it, the lightning hissing throughthe rain, and showing it glitter; while every five minutes came a burstof thunder and then a rattle fit to split one's ears. At length, just asthe rain began to slacken, you could see it lift bodily, the standingsheets of it drove right against our canvas and through theawnings--when we made out the French brig with her jib, topsails, andboom-mainsail full, leaning over as she clove through it before thewind.
"The squall burst into our wet topsails as loud as the thunder, with aflash almost like the lightning itself, taking us broad abeam; the shipgroaned and shook for a minute ere gathering way and falling off, andwhen she rose and began to go plunging through the black surges no brigwas to be seen: every man on deck let his breath out almost in a cry,scarce feeling as yet but it was equal to losing sight for ever of ourlate shipmates, or the least hope of them. The passengers, lad
ies andall, crowded in the companion-hatch in absolute terror, every faceaghast, without thinking of the rain and spray; now and then the sulkycrest of a bigger wave would be caught sight of beyond the bulwarks, asthe sea rose with its green back curling over into white; and you'd havesaid the shudder ran down into the cabin, at thought of seeing one orother of the lost boat's crew come weltering up from the mist and vanishagain. I knew it was of no use, but I held on in the weathermizzen-rigging, and looked out to westward, against a wild break oflight which the setting sun made through the troughs of the sea; onceand again I could fancy I saw the boat lift keel up, far off betwixt meand the fierce glimmer.
"'Oh, do you see them? _do_ you not see it yet?' was passed up to meover and over, from one sharp-pitched voice to another; but all I couldanswer was to shake my head. At last, one by one, they went below; andafter what had happened, I must say I could easily fancy what a chill,dreary-like, awful notion of the sea must have come for the first timeon a landsman, not to speak of delicate young girls fresh from home, atsight of the drenched quarter-deck leaning bare down to leeward, thesleet and spray battering bleak against the round-house doors, where Ihad seen Miss Hyde led sobbing in, with her wet hair about her face;then the ship driving off from where she had lost them, with her threestrong lower masts aslant into the gale, ghastly-white and dripping--hersoaked sheets of canvas blown grey and stiff into the rigging, and _it_strained taut as iron; while you saw little of her higher than the tops,as the scud and the dark together closed aloft. Poor Miss Fortescue'smother was in fits below in her berth--the two watches were on the yardsaloft, where no eye could see them, struggling hard to furl and reef; soaltogether it was a gloomy enough moment. I stayed awhile on deck,wrapped in a pea-coat, keeping my feet and hanging on, and thinking howright down in earnest matters _could_ turn of a sudden. I wasn'tremarkably thoughtful in these days, I daresay, but there did I keep,straining my eyes into the mist to see, I couldn't tell what, andrepeating over and over again to myself these few words out of thePrayer-book, 'In the midst of life we are in death,' though scarceknowing what I said.
The Green Hand: Adventures of a Naval Lieutenant Page 12
