The Phantom Ship

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER TWELVE.

  Philip had not been long on board, ere he found that they were notlikely to have a very comfortable passage; for the Batavia was charteredto convey a large detachment of troops to Ceylon and Java, for thepurpose of recruiting and strengthening the Company's forces at thoseplaces. She was to quit the fleet off Madagascar, and run direct forthe Island of Java; the number of soldiers on board being presumedsufficient to insure the ship against any attack or accidents frompirates or enemies' cruisers. The Batavia, moreover, mounted thirtyguns, and had a crew of seventy-five men. Besides military stores,which formed the principal part of her cargo, she had on board a largequantity of specie for the Indian market. The detachment of soldierswas embarking when Philip went on board, and in a few minutes the deckswere so crowded that it was hardly possible to move. Philip, who hadnot yet spoken to the captain, found out the first mate, and immediatelyentered upon his duty, with which, from his close application to itduring his former voyage and passage home, he was much better acquaintedthan might have been imagined.

  In a short time all traces of hurry and confusion began to disappear,the baggage of the troops was stowed away, and the soldiers having beentold off in parties, and stationed with their messing utensils betweenthe guns of the main deck, room was thus afforded for working the ship.Philip showed great activity as well as method in the arrangementsproposed and the captain, during a pause in his own arduous duties, saidto him--

  "I thought you were taking it very easy, Mr Vanderdecken, in notjoining the ship before, but, now you are on board, you are making upfor lost time. You have done more during the forenoon than I could haveexpected. I am glad that you are come, though very sorry you were nothere when we were stowing the hold, which, I am afraid, is not arrangedquite so well as it might be. Mynheer Struys, the first mate, has hadmore to do than he could well give attention to."

  "I am sorry that I should not have been here, sir," replied Philip; "butI came as soon as the Company sent me word."

  "Yes, and as they know that you are a married man, and do not forgetthat you are a great shareholder, they would not trouble you too soon.I presume you will have the command of a vessel next voyage. In fact,you are certain of it, with the capital you have invested in theirfunds. I had a conversation with one of the senior accountants on thesubject this very morning."

  Philip was not very sorry that his money had been put out to such goodinterest, as to be the captain of a ship was what he earnestly desired.He replied, that "he certainly did hope to command a ship after the nextvoyage, when he trusted that he should feel himself quite competent tothe charge."

  "No doubt, no doubt, Mr Vanderdecken. I can see that clearly. Youmust be very fond of the sea."

  "I am," replied Philip; "I doubt whether I shall ever give it up."

  "_Never_ give it up! You think so now. You are young, active, and fullof hope; but you will tire of it by and bye, and be glad to lay by forthe rest of your days."

  "How many troops do we embark?" inquired Philip.

  "Two hundred and forty-five rank and file, and six officers. Poorfellows! there are but few of them will ever return: nay, more thanone-half will not see another birthday. It is a dreadful climate. Ihave landed three hundred men at that horrid hole, and in six months,even before I had sailed, there were not one hundred left alive."

  "It is almost murder to send them there," observed Philip.

  "Pshaw! they must die somewhere, and if they die a little sooner, whatmatter? Life is a commodity to be bought and sold like any other. Wesend out so much manufactured goods and so much money to barter forIndian commodities. We also send out so much life, and it gives a goodreturn to the Company."

  "But not to the poor soldiers, I am afraid."

  "No; the Company buy it cheap and sell it dear," replied the captain,who walked forward.

  True, thought Philip, they do purchase human life cheap, and make a rareprofit of it, for without these poor fellows how could they hold theirpossessions in spite of native and foreign enemies? For what a paltryand cheap annuity do these men sell their lives? For what a miserablepittance do they dare all the horrors of a most deadly climate, withouta chance, a hope of return to their native land, where they might haplyrepair their exhausted energies, and take a new lease of life! GoodGod! if these men may be thus heartlessly sacrificed to Mammon, whyshould I feel remorse if in the fulfilment of a sacred duty imposed onme by him who deals with us as He thinks meet, a few mortals perish?Not a sparrow fails to the ground without His knowledge, and it is forhim to sacrifice or to save. I am but the creature of his will, and Ibut follow my duty,--but obey the commands of One whose ways areinscrutable. Still, if for my sake this ship be also doomed, I cannotbut wish that I had been appointed to some other, in which the waste ofhuman life might have been less.

  It was not until a week after Philip arrived on board, that the Bataviaand the remainder of the fleet were ready for sea.

  It would be difficult to analyse the feelings of Philip Vanderdecken onthis his second embarkation. His mind was so continually directed tothe object of his voyage, that although he attended to his religiousduty, yet the business of life passed before him as a dream. Assured ofagain meeting with the Phantom Ship, and almost equally assured that themeeting would be followed by some untoward event in all probability bythe sacrifice of those who sailed with him, his thoughts preyed uponhim, and wore him down to a shadow. He hardly ever spoke, except in theexecution of his duty. He felt like a criminal; as one who, byembarking with them, had doomed all around him to death, disaster, andperil; and when _one_ talked of his wife, and _another_ of hischildren--when they would indulge in anticipations, and canvass happyprojects, Philip would feel sick at heart, and would rise from the tableand hasten to the solitude of the deck. At one time he would try topersuade himself that his senses had been worked upon in some moment ofexcitement, that he was the victim of an illusion; at another he wouldcall to mind all the past--he would feel its terrible reality: and thenthe thought would suggest itself that with this supernatural visionHeaven had nothing to do; that it was but the work and jugglery ofSatan. But then the relic--by such means the devil would not haveworked. A few days after he had sailed, he bitterly repented that hehad not stated the whole of his circumstances to Father Seysen, andtaken his advice upon the propriety of following up his search; but itwas now too late; already was the good ship Batavia more than a thousandmiles from the port of Amsterdam, and his duty, whatever it might be,_must_ be fulfilled.

  As the fleet approached the Cape, his anxiety increased to such a degreethat it was remarked by all who were on board. The captain and officerscommanding the troops embarked, who all felt interested in him, vainlyattempted to learn the cause of his anxiety. Philip would plead illhealth; and his haggard countenance and sunken eyes silently proved thathe was under acute suffering. The major part of the night he passed ondeck, straining his eyes in every quarter, and watching each change inthe horizon, in anticipation of the appearance of the Phantom Ship; andit was not till the day dawned that he sought a perturbed repose in hiscabin. After a favourable passage, the fleet anchored to refresh atTable Bay, and Philip felt some small relief, that up to the presenttime the supernatural visitation had not again occurred.

  As soon as the fleet had watered, they again made sail, and again didPhilip's agitation become perceptible. With a favouring breeze,however, they rounded the Cape, passed by Madagascar, and arrived in theIndian Seas, when the Batavia parted company with the rest of the fleet,which steered to Cambroon and Ceylon. "And now," thought Philip, "willthe Phantom Ship make her appearance? It has only waited till we shouldbe left without a consort to assist us in distress." But the Bataviasailed in a smooth sea and under a cloudless sky, and nothing was seen.In a few weeks she arrived off Java, and previous to entering thesplendid roads of Batavia, hove-to for the night. This was the lastnight they would be under sail, and Philip stirred not from the deck,but walked to and fro, anxiou
sly waiting for the morning. The morningbroke--the sun rose in splendour, and the Batavia steered into theroads. Before noon she was at anchor, and Philip, with his mindrelieved, hastened down to his cabin, and took that repose which he somuch required.

  He awoke refreshed, for a great weight had been taken off his mind. "Itdoes not follow, then," thought he, "that because I am on board thevessel that therefore the crew are doomed to perish; it does not followthat the Phantom Ship is to appear because I seek her. If so, I have nofurther weight upon my conscience. I seek her, it is true, and wish tomeet with her; I stand, however, but the same chance as others; and itis no way certain, that, because I seek, I am sure to find. That shebrings disaster upon all she meets, may be true, but not that I bringwith me the disaster of meeting her. Heaven, I thank thee! Now can Iprosecute my search without remorse."

  Philip, restored to composure by these reflections, went on deck. Thedebarkation of the troops was already taking place, for they were asanxious to be relieved from their long confinement, as the seamen wereto regain a little space and comfort. He surveyed the scene. The townof Batavia lay about one mile from them, low on the beach; from behindit rose a lofty chain of mountains, brilliant with verdure, and, hereand there, peopled with country seats belonging to the residents,delightfully embosomed in forests of trees. The panorama was beautiful;the vegetation was luxuriant, and, from its vivid green, refreshing tothe eye. Near to the town lay large and small vessels, a forest ofmasts; the water in the bay was of a bright blue, and rippled to a softbreeze; here and there small islets (like tufts of fresh verdure) brokethe uniformity of the waterline; even the town itself was pleasing tothe eye, the white colour of the houses being opposed to the darkfoliage of the trees which grew in the gardens and lined the streets.

  "Can it be possible," observed Philip to the captain of the Batavia, whostood by him, "that this beautiful spot can be so unhealthy? I shouldform a very different opinion from its appearance."

  "Even," replied the captain, "as the venomous snakes of the countrystart up from among its flowers, so does Death stalk about in thisbeautiful and luxuriant landscape. Do you feel better, MynheerVanderdecken."

  "Much better," replied Philip.

  "Still, in your enfeebled state, I should recommend you to go on shore."

  "I shall avail myself of your permission, with thanks. How long shallwe stay here?"

  "Not long, as we are ordered to run back. Our cargo is all ready for,us, and will be on board soon after we have discharged."

  Philip took the advice of his captain; he had no difficulty in findinghimself received by a hospitable merchant, who had a house at somedistance from the town, and in a healthy situation. There he remainedtwo months, during which he re-established his health, and thenre-embarked a few days previous to the ship being ready for sea. Thereturn voyage was fortunate, and in four months from the date of theirquitting Batavia, they found themselves abreast of St. Helena; forvessels, at that period, generally made what is called the easternpassage, running down the coast of Africa, instead of keeping towardsthe American shores. Again they had passed the Cape without meetingwith the Phantom Ship; and Philip was not only in excellent health, butin good spirits. As they lay becalmed, with the island in sight, theyobserved a boat pulling towards them, and in the course of three hoursshe arrived on board. The crew were much exhausted from having been twodays in the boat, during which time they had never ceased pulling togain the island. They stated themselves to be the crew of a small DutchIndiaman, which had foundered, at sea two days before; she had startedone of her planks, and filled so rapidly that the men had hardly time tosave themselves. They consisted of the captain, mates, and twenty menbelonging to the ship and an old Portuguese Catholic priest, who hadbeen sent home by the Dutch governor, for having opposed the Dutchinterests in the Island of Japan. He had lived with the natives, andbeen secreted by them for some time, as the Japanese government wasequally desirous of capturing him with the intention of taking away hislife. Eventually he found himself obliged to throw himself into thearms of the Dutch, as being the less cruel of his enemies.

  The Dutch government decided that he should be sent away from thecountry; and he had, in consequence, been put on board of the Indiamanfor a passage home. By the report of the captain and crew, one persononly had been lost; but he was a person of consequence, having for manyyears held the situation of President in the Dutch factory in Japan. Hewas returning to Holland with the riches which he had amassed. By theevidence of the captain and crew, he had insisted, after he was put intothe boat, upon going back to the ship to secure a casket of immensevalue, containing diamonds and other precious stones, which he hadforgotten; they added, that while they were waiting for him the shipsuddenly plunged her bowsprit under, and went down head foremost, andthat it was with difficulty they had themselves escaped. They hadwaited for some time to ascertain if he would rise again to the surface,but he appeared no more.

  "I knew that something would happen," observed the captain of the sunkenvessel, after he had been sitting a short time in the cabin with Philipand the captain of the Batavia; "we saw the Fiend or Devil's Ship, asthey call her, but three days before."

  "What! the Flying Dutchman, as they name her?" asked Philip.

  "Yes; that, I believe, is the name they give her," replied the captain."I have often heard of her; but it never was my fate to fall in with herbefore, and I hope it never will be again, for I am a ruined man, andmust begin the world afresh."

  "I have heard of that vessel," observed the captain of the Batavia."Pray, how did she appear to you?"

  "Why, the fact is, I did not see anything but the loom of her hull,"replied the other. "It was very strange; the night was fine, and theheavens clear; we were under top-gallant sails, for I do not carry onduring the night, or else we might have put the royals on her; she wouldhave carried them with the breeze. I had turned in, when about twoo'clock in the morning, the mate called me to come on deck. I demandedwhat was the matter, and he replied he could hardly tell, but that themen were much frightened, and that there was a Ghost Ship, as thesailors termed it, in sight. I went on deck; all the horizon was clear,but on our quarter was a sort of fog, round as a ball, and not more thantwo cables' length from us. We were going about four knots and a halffree, and yet we could not escape from this mist. `Look there,' saidthe mate. `Why, what the devil can it be?' said I, rubbing my eyes.`No banks up to windward, and yet a fog in the middle of a clear sky,with a fresh breeze, and with water all around it;' for you see the fogdid not cover more than half a dozen cables' length, as we couldperceive by the horizon on each side of it. `Hark, sir!' said themate--`they are speaking again.' `Speaking!' said I, and I listened;and from out this ball of fog I heard voices. At last, one cried out,`Keep a sharp look out forward, d'ye hear?' `Ay, ay, sir!' repliedanother voice. `Ship on the starboard bow, sir.' `Very well; strikethe bell there forward.' And then we heard the bell toll. `It must bea vessel,' said I to the mate. `Not of this world, sir,' replied he.`Hark!' `A gun ready forward.' `Ay, ay, sir!' was now heard out of thefog, which appeared to near us; `all ready, sir.' `Fire!' The reportof the gun sounded in our ears like thunder, and then--"

  "Well, and then?" said the captain of the Batavia, breathless.

  "And then?" replied the other captain, solemnly, "the fog and alldisappeared as if by magic, the whole horizon was clear and there wasnothing to be seen."

  "Is it possible?"

  "There are twenty men on deck to tell the story," replied the captain,"and the old Catholic priest to boot, for he stood by me the whole timeI was on deck. The men said that some accident would happen and in themorning watch, on sounding the well, we found four feet water. We tookto the pumps, but it gained upon us, and we went down, as I have toldyou. The mate says that the vessel is well known--it is called theFlying Dutchman."

  Philip made no remarks at the time, but he was much pleased at what hehad heard. "If," thought he "the Phantom Ship o
f my poor father appearsto others as well as to me, and they are sufferers, my being on boardcan make no difference. I do but take my chance of falling in with her,and do not risk the lives of those who sail in the same vessel with me.Now my mind is relieved, and I can prosecute my search with a quietconscience."

  The next day Philip took an opportunity of making the acquaintance ofthe Catholic priest, who spoke Dutch and other languages as well as hedid Portuguese. He was a venerable old man, apparently about sixtyyears of age, with a white flowing beard, mild in his demeanour, andvery pleasing in his conversation.

  When Philip kept his watch that night, the old man walked with him, andit was then, after a long conversation, that Philip confided to him thathe was of the Catholic persuasion.

  "Indeed, my son, that is unusual in a Hollander."

  "It is so," replied Philip; "nor is it known on board--not that I amashamed of my religion, but I wish to avoid discussion."

  "You are prudent, my son. Alas! if the reformed religion produces nobetter fruit than what I have witnessed in the East, it is little betterthan idolatry."

  "Tell me, father," said Philip--"they talk of a miraculous vision--of aship not manned by mortal men. Did you see it?"

  "I saw what others saw," replied the priest; "and certainly, as far asmy senses would enable me to judge, the appearance was most unusual--Imay say supernatural; but I had heard of this Phantom Ship before, andmoreover that its appearance was the precursor of disaster. So did itprove in our case, although, indeed, we had one on board, now no more,whose weight of guilt was more than sufficient to sink any vessel; one,the swallowing up of whom, with all that wealth from which heanticipated such enjoyment in his own country, has manifested that theAlmighty will, even in this world, sometimes wreak just and awfulretribution on those who have merited His vengeance."

  "You refer to the Dutch President, who went down with the ship when itsank."

  "I do; but the tale of that man's crime is long; to-morrow night, I willwalk with you, and narrate the whole. Peace be with you, my son, andgood night."

  The weather continued fine, and the Batavia hove-to in the evening, withthe intention of anchoring the next morning in the roadstead of St.Helena. Philip, when he went on deck to keep the middle watch, foundthe old priest at the gangway waiting for him. In the ship all wasquiet; the men slumbered between the guns, and Philip, with his newacquaintance, went aft, and seating themselves on a hencoop, the priestcommenced as follows:--

  "You are not, perhaps, aware that the Portuguese, although anxious tosecure for themselves a country discovered by their enterprise andcourage, and the possession of which, I fear, has cost them many crimes,have still never lost sight of one point dear to all good Catholics--that of spreading wide the true faith, and planting the banner of Christin the regions of idolatry. Some of our countrymen having been wreckedon the coast, we were made acquainted with the islands of Japan; andseven years afterwards, our holy and blessed St. Francis, now with God,landed on the Island of Ximo, where he remained for two years and fivemonths, during which he preached our religion and made many converts.He afterwards embarked for China, his original destination, but was notpermitted to arrive there; he died on his passage, and thus closed hispure and holy life. After his death, notwithstanding the many obstaclesthrown in our way by the priests of idolatry, and the persecutions withwhich they occasionally visited the members of our faith, the convertsto our holy religion increased greatly in the Japanese islands. Thereligion spread fast, and many thousands worshipped the true God.

  "After a time, the Dutch formed a settlement at Japan, and when theyfound that the Japanese Christians around the factories would deal onlywith the Portuguese, in whom they had confidence, they became ourenemies; and the man of whom we have spoken, and who at that period wasthe head of the Dutch Factory, determined, in his lust for gold, to makethe Christian religion a source of suspicion to the emperor of thecountry, and thus to ruin the Portuguese and their adherents. Such, myson, was the conduct of one who professed to have embraced the reformedreligion as being of greater purity than our own.

  "There was a Japanese lord of great wealth and influence, who lived nearus, and who, with two of his sons, had embraced Christianity, and hadbeen baptised. He had two other sons, who lived at the emperor's court.This lord had made us a present of a house for a college and school ofinstruction: on his death, however, his two sons at court, who wereidolaters, insisted upon our quitting this property. We refused, andthus afforded the Dutch principal an opportunity of inflaming theseyoung noblemen against us: by this means he persuaded the Japaneseemperor that the Portuguese and Christians had formed a conspiracyagainst his life and throne for, be it observed, that when a Dutchmanwas asked if he was a Christian, he would reply, `No; I am a Hollander.'

  "The emperor, believing in this conspiracy, gave an immediate order forthe extirpation of the Portuguese, and then of all the Japanese who hadembraced the Christian faith: he raised an army for this purpose andgave the command of it to the young nobleman I have mentioned, the sonsof the lord who had given us the college. The Christians, aware thatresistance was their only chance, flew to arms, and chose as theirgenerals the other two sons of the Japanese lord, who, with theirfather, had embraced Christianity. Thus were the two armies commandedby four brothers, two on the one side and two on the other.

  "The Christian army amounted to more than 40,000 men, but of this theemperor was not aware, and he sent a force, of about 25,000 to conquerand exterminate them. The armies met, and after an obstinate combat(for the Japanese are very brave) the victory was on the part of theChristians, and, with the exception of a few who saved themselves in theboats, the army of the emperor was cut to pieces.

  "This victory was the occasion of making more converts, and our army wassoon increased to upwards of 50,000 men. On the other hand, theemperor, perceiving that his troops had been destroyed, ordered newlevies and raised a force of 150,000 men, giving directions to hisgenerals to give no quarter to the Christians, with the exception of thetwo young lords who commanded them, whom he wished to secure alive, thathe might put them to death by slow torture. All offers of accommodationwere refused, and the emperor took the field in person. The armiesagain met, and on the first day's battle the victory was on the part ofthe Christians; still they had to lament the loss of one of theirgenerals, who was wounded and taken prisoner, and, no quarter havingbeen given, their loss was severe.

  "The second day's combat was fatal to the Christians. Their general waskilled; they were overpowered by numbers, and fell to a man. Theemperor then attacked the camp in the rear, and put to the sword everyold man, woman, and child. On the field of battle, in the camp, and bysubsequent torture, more than 60,000 Christians perished. But this wasnot all; a rigorous search for Christians was made throughout theIslands for many years; and they were, when found, put to death by themost cruel torture. It was not until fifteen years ago, thatChristianity was entirely rooted out of the Japanese empire, and duringa persecution of somewhat more than sixteen years, it is supposed thatupwards of 400,000 Christians were destroyed; and all this slaughter, myson, was occasioned by the falsehood and avarice of that man who met hisjust punishment but a few days ago. The Dutch Company, pleased with hisconduct, which procured for them such advantages, continued him for manyyears as the president of their factory in Japan. He was a young manwhen he first went there, but his hair was grey when he thought ofreturning to his own country. He had amassed immense wealth--immense,indeed, must it have been to have satisfied avarice such as his! Allhas now perished with him, and he has been summoned to his account.Reflect a little, my son. Is it not better to follow up our path ofduty; to eschew the riches and pleasures of this world, and, at oursummons hence, to feel that we have hopes of bliss hereafter?"

  "Most true, holy father," replied Philip, musing.

  "I have but a few years to live," continued the old man, "and God knowsI shall quit this world without reluctance."

 
; "And so could I," replied Philip.

  "_You_, my son!--no. You are young, and should be full of hopes. Youhave still to do your duty in that station to which it shall please Godto call you."

  "I know that I have a duty to perform," replied Philip. "Father, thenight air is too keen for one so aged as you. Retire to your bed, andleave me to my watch and my own thoughts."

  "I will, my son; may Heaven guard you! Take an old man's blessing.Good night."

  "Good night," replied Philip, glad to be alone. "Shall I confess all tohim?" thought Philip. "I feel I could confess to him--but no. I wouldnot to Father Seysen--why to him? I should put myself in his power, andhe might order me--No, no! my secret is my own. I need no advisers."And Philip pulled out the relic from his bosom, and put it reverently tohis lips.

  The Batavia waited a few days at St. Helena, and then continued hervoyage. In six weeks Philip again found himself at anchor in the ZuyderZee, and having the captain's permission, he immediately set off for hisown home, taking with him the old Portuguese priest, _Mathias_, withwhom he had formed a great intimacy, and to whom he had offered hisprotection for the time he might wish to remain in the Low Countries.