CHAPTER XV.
"As she lay, on that day, in the Bay of Biscay, O!"
Previously to the occurrence of the scene at the "Bold Dragoon,"Elizabeth had been safely reconducted to the mansion-house, where shewas left as its mistress, either to amuse or employ herself during theevening as best suited her own inclinations. Most of the lights wereextinguished; but as Benjamin adjusted with great care and regularityfour large candles, in as many massive candlesticks of brass, in arow on the sideboard, the hall possessed a peculiar air of comfort andwarmth, contrasted with the cheerless aspect of the room she had left inthe academy.
Remarkable had been one of the listeners to Mr. Grant, and returned withher resentment, which had been not a little excited by the languageof the Judge, somewhat softened by reflection and the worship. Sherecollected the youth of Elizabeth, and thought it no difficult task,under present appearances, to exercise that power indirectly whichhitherto she had enjoyed undisputed. The idea of being governed, orof being compelled to pay the deference of servitude, was absolutelyintolerable; and she had already determined within herself, some halfdozen times, to make an effort that should at once bring to an issue thedelicate point of her domestic condition. But as often as she met thedark, proud eye of Elizabeth, who was walking up and down the apartment,musing on the scenes of her youth and the change in her condition, andperhaps the events of the day, the housekeeper experienced an awe thatshe would not own to herself could be excited by anything mortal. It,however, checked her advances, and for some time held her tongue-tied.At length she determined to commence the discourse by entering on asubject that was apt to level all human distinctions, and in which shemight display her own abilities.
"It was quite a wordy sarmon that Parson Grant gave us to-night," saidRemarkable. "The church ministers be commonly smart sarmonizers, butthey write down their idees, which is a great privilege. I don't thinkthat, by nater, they are as tonguey speakers, for an off-hand discourse,as the standing-order ministers."
"And what denomination do you distinguish as the standing-order?"inquired Miss Temple, with some surprise.
"Why, the Presbyter'ans and Congregationals, and Baptists, too, for-til'now; and all sitch as don't go on their knees to prayer."
"By that rule, then, you would call those who belong' to the persuasionof my father, the sitting-order," observed Elizabeth. "I'm sure I'venever heard 'em spoken of by any other' name than Quakers, so called,"returned Remarkable, betraying a slight uneasiness; "I should be thelast to call them otherwise, for I never in my life used a disparaging'tarm of the Judge, or any of his family. I've always set store by theQuakers, they are so pretty-spoken, clever people, and it's a wondermentto me how your father come to marry into a church family; for they areas contrary in religion as can be. One sits still, and, for the mostpart; says nothing, while the church folks practyse all kinds of ways,so that I sometimes think it quite moosical to see them; for I went to achurch-meeting once before, down country."
"You have found an excellence in the church liturgy that has hithertoescaped me. I will thank you to inquire whether the fire in my roomburns; I feel fatigued with my journey, and will retire."
Remarkable felt a wonderful inclination to tell the young mistressof the mansion that by opening a door she might see for herself; butprudence got the better of resentment, and after pausing some littletime, as a salve to her dignity, she did as desired. The report wasfavorable, and the young lady, wishing Benjamin, who was filling thestove with wood, and the housekeeper, each a good-night, withdrew.
The instant the door closed on Miss Temple, Remark able commenced asort of mysterious, ambiguous discourse, that was neither abusive norcommendatory of the qualities of the absent personage, but whichseemed to be drawing nigh, by regular degrees, to a most dissatisfieddescription. The major-domo made no reply, but continued his occupationwith great industry, which being happily completed, he took a look atthe thermometer, and then opening a drawer of the sideboard, he produceda supply of stimulants that would have served to keep the warmth inhis system without the aid of the enormous fire he had been building. Asmall stand was drawn up near the stove, and the bottles and the glassesnecessary for convenience were quietly arranged. Two chairs were placedby the side of this comfortable situation, when Benjamin, for the firsttime, appeared to observe his companion.
"Come," he cried, "come, Mistress Remarkable, bring yourself to ananchor on this chair. It's a peeler without, I can tell you, good woman;but what cares I? blow high or blow low, d'ye see, it's all the samething to Ben. The niggers are snug stowed below before a fire that wouldroast an ox whole. The thermometer stands now at fifty-five, but ifthere's any vartue in good maple wood, I'll weather upon it, before oneglass, as much as ten points more, so that the squire, when he comeshome from Betty Hollister's warm room, will feel as hot as a hand thathas given the rigging a lick with bad tar. Come, mistress, bring up inthis here chair, and tell me how you like our new heiress."
"Why, to my notion, Mr. Penguillum----"
"Pump, Pump," interrupted Benjamin; "it's Christmas eve, MistressRemarkable, and so, dye see, you had better call me Pump. It's a shortername, and as I mean to pump this here decanter till it sucks, why, youmay as well call me Pump."
"Did you ever!" cried Remarkable, with a laugh that seemed to unhingeevery joint in her body. "You're a moosical creature, Benjamin, when thenotion takes you. But, as I was saying, I rather guess that times willbe altered now in this house."
"Altered!" exclaimed the major-domo, eyeing the bottle, that wasassuming the clear aspect of cut glass with astonishing rapidity; "itdon't matter much, Mistress Remarkable, so long as I keep the keys ofthe lockers in my pocket."
"I can't say," continued the housekeeper, "but there's good eatablesand drinkables enough in the house for a body's content--a littlemore sugar, Benjamin, in the glass--for Squire Jones is an excellentprovider. But new lords, new laws; and I shouldn't wonder if you and Ihad an unsartain time on't in footer."
"Life is as unsartain as the wind that blows," said Benjamin, with amoralizing air; "and nothing is more varible than the wind, MistressRemarkable, unless you hap pen to fall in with the trades, d'ye see,and then you may run for the matter of a month at a time, withstudding-sails on both sides, alow and aloft, and with the cabin-boy atthe wheel."
"I know that life is disp'ut unsartain," said Remark able, compressingher features to the humor of her companion; "but I expect there willbe great changes made in the house to rights; and that you will finda young man put over your head, as there is one that wants to be overmine; and after having been settled as long as you have, Benjamin, Ishould judge that to be hard."
"Promotion should go according to length of sarvice," said themajor-domo; "and if-so-be that they ship a hand for my berth, or placea new steward aft, I shall throw up my commission in less time than youcan put a pilot-boat in stays. The Squire Dickon"--this was a commonmisnomer with Benjamin--"is a nice gentleman, and as good a man to sailwith as heart could wish, yet I shall tel the squire, d'ye see, in plainEnglish, and that's my native tongue, that if-so-be he is thinkingof putting any Johnny Raw over my head, why, I shall resign. I beganforrard, Mistress Prettybones, and worked my way aft, like a man. Iwas six months aboard a Garnsey lugger, hauling in the slack of thelee-sheet and coiling up rigging. From that I went a few trips in afore-and-after, in the same trade, which, after all, was but a blindkind of sailing in the dark, where a man larns but little, exceptinghow to steer by the stars. Well, then, d'ye see, I larnt how a topmastshould be slushed, and how a topgallant-sail was to be becketted; andthen I did small jobs in the cabin, such as mixing the skipper's grog.'Twas there I got my taste, which, you must have often seen, is excellent. Well, here's better acquaintance to us." Remarkable nodded areturn to the compliment, and took a sip of the beverage before her;for, provided it was well sweetened, she had no objection to a smallpotation now and then, After this observance of courtesy between theworthy couple, the dialogue proceeded.
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bsp; "You have had great experiences in life, Benjamin; for, as the Scriptersays, 'They that go down to the sea in ships see the works of theLord.'"
"Ay! for that matter, they in brigs and schooners, too; and it moughtsay, the works of the devil. The sea, Mistress Remarkable, is a greatadvantage to a man, in the way of knowledge, for he sees the fashions ofnations and the shape of a country. Now, I suppose, for myself here, whois but an unlarned man to some that follows the seas, I suppose that,taking the coast from Cape Ler Hogue as low down as Cape Finish-there,there isn't so much as a headland, or an island, that I don't knoweither the name of it or something more or less about it. Take enough,woman, to color the water. Here's sugar. It's a sweet tooth, that fellowthat you hold on upon yet, Mistress Prettybones. But, as I was saying,take the whole coast along, I know it as well as the way from here tothe Bold Dragoon; and a devil of acquaintance is that Bay of Biscay.Whew! I wish you could but hear the wind blow there. It sometimes takestwo to hold one man's hair on his head. Scudding through the bay ispretty much the same thing as travelling the roads in this country, upone side of a mountain and down the other."
"Do tell!" exclaimed Remarkable; "and does the sea run as high asmountains, Benjamin?"
"Well, I will tell; but first let's taste the grog. Hem! it's the rightkind of stuff, I must say, that you keep in this country; but thenyou're so close aboard the West Indies, you make but a small run of it.By the Lord Harry, woman, if Garnsey only lay somewhere between CapeHatteras and the bite of Logann, but you'd see rum cheap! As to theseas, they runs more in uppers in the Bay of Biscay, unless it may be ina sow-wester, when they tumble about quite handsomely; thof it's not inthe narrow sea that you are to look for a swell; just go off the WesternIslands, in a westerly blow, keeping the land on your larboardhand, with the ship's head to the south'ard, and bring to, undera close-reefed topsail; or, mayhap, a reefed foresail, with afore-topmast-staysail and mizzen staysail to keep her up to the sea,if she will bear it; and ay there for the matter of two watches, ifyou want to see mountains. Why, good woman, I've been off there in theBoadishey frigate, when you could see nothing but some such matter as apiece of sky, mayhap, as big as the main sail; and then again, therewas a hole under your lee-quarter big enough to hold the whole Britishnavy."
"Oh! for massy's sake! and wa'n't you afeard, Benjamin? and how did youget off?"
"Afeard! who the devil do you think was to be frightened at a littlesalt water tumbling about his head? As for getting off, when we hadenough of it, and had washed our decks down pretty well, we called allhands, for, d'ye see, the watch below was in their hammocks, all thesame as if they were in one of your best bedrooms; and so we watched fora smooth time, clapt her helm hard a weather, let fall the foresail,and got the tack aboard; and so, when we got her afore it, I ask you,Mistress Prettybones, if she didn't walk? didn't she? I'm no liar, goodwoman, when I say that I saw that ship jump from the top of one sea toanother, just like one of these squirrels that can fly jumps from treeto tree."
"What! clean out of the water?" exclaimed Remark able, lifting her twolank arms, with their bony hands spread in astonishment.
"It was no such easy matte: to get out of the water, good woman; for thespray flew so that you couldn't tell which was sea or which was cloud.So there we kept her afore it for the matter of two glasses. The firstlieutenant he cun'd the ship himself, and there was four quarter mastersat the wheel, besides the master with six forecastle men in the gun-roomat the relieving tackles. But then she behaved herself so well! Oh! shewas a sweet ship, mistress! That one frigate was well worth more, tolive in, than the best house in the island. If I was king of EnglandI'd have her hauled up above Lon'on bridge, and fit her up for a palace;because why? if anybody can afford to live comfortably, his majestycan."
"Well! but, Benjamin," cried the listener, who was in an ecstasy ofastonishment at this relation of the steward's dangers, "what did youdo?"
"Do! why, we did our duty like hearty fellows. Now if the countrymen ofMonnsheer Ler Quaw had been aboard of her, they would have just struckher ashore on some of them small islands; but we run along the landuntil we found her dead to leeward off the mountains of Pico, and dam'meif I know to this day how we got there--whether we jumped over theisland or hauled round it; but there we was, and there we lay, undereasy sail, fore-reaching first upon one tack and then upon t'other, soas to poke her nose out now and then and take a look to wind'ard tillthe gale blowed its pipe out."
"I wonder, now!" exclaimed Remarkable, to whom most of the terms used byBenjamin were perfectly unintelligible, but who had got a confused ideaof a raging tempest. "It must be an awful life, that going to sea! and Idon't feel astonishment that you are so affronted with the thoughts, ofbeing forced to quit a comfortable home like this. Not that a body caresmuch for't, as there's more houses than one to live in. Why, when theJudge agreed with me to come and live with him, I'd no more notionof stopping any time than anything. I happened in just to see how thefamily did, about a week after Mrs. Temple died, thinking to be backhome agin' night; but the family was in such a distressed way that Icouldn't but stop awhile and help em on. I thought the situation a goodone, seeing that I was an unmarried body, and they were so much in wantof help; so I tarried."
"And a long time you've left your anchors down in the same place,mistress. I think yo' must find that the ship rides easy."
"How you talk, Benjamin! there's no believing a word you say. I must saythat the Judge and Squire Jones have both acted quite clever, so long;but I see that now we shall have a specimen to the contrary. I heern saythats the Judge was gone a great 'broad, and that he meant to bring hisdarter hum, but I didn't calculate on sich carrins on. To my notion,Benjamin, she's likely to turn out a desp'ut ugly gal."
"Ugly!" echoed the major-domo, opening eyes that were beginning to closein a very suspicious sleepiness, in wide amazement. "By the Lord Harry,woman, I should as soon think of calling the Boadishey a clumsy frigate.What the devil would you have? Arn't her eyes as bright as the morningand evening stars? and isn't her hair as black and glistening as riggingthat has just had a lick of tar? doesn't she move as stately as afirst-rate in smooth water, on a bowline? Why, woman, the figure-headof the Boadishey was a fool to her, and that, as I've often heard thecaptain say, was an image of a great queen; and arn't queens alwayscomely, woman? for who do you think would be a king, and not choose ahandsome bedfellow?"
"Talk decent, Benjamin," said the housekeeper, "Or I won't keep yourcompany. I don't gainsay her being comely to look on, but I willmaintain that she's likely to show poor conduct. She seems to thinkherself too good to talk to a body. From what Squire Jones had telledme, I some expected to be quite captivated by her company. Now, to myreckoning, Lowizy Grant is much more pritty behaved than Betsey Temple.She wouldn't so much as hold discourse with me when I wanted to ask herhow she felt on coming home and missing her mammy."
"Perhaps she didn't understand you, woman; you are none of the bestlinguister; and then Miss Lizzy has been exercising the king's Englishunder a great Lon'on lady, and, for that matter, can talk the languagealmost as well as myself, or any native-born British subject. You'veforgot your schooling, and the young mistress is a great scollard."
"Mistress!" cried Remarkable; "don't make one out to be a nigger,Benjamin. She's no mistress of mine, and never will be. And as tospeech, I hold myself as second to nobody out of New England. I was bornand raised in Essex County; and I've always heern say that the Bay Statewas provarbal for pronounsation!"
"I've often heard of that Bay of State," said Benjamin, "but can't saythat I've ever been in it, nor do I know exactly whereaway it is that itlays; but I suppose there is good anchorage in it, and that it's no badplace for the taking of ling; but for size it can't be so much as a yawlto a sloop of war compared with the Bay of Biscay, or, mayhap, Torbay.And as for language, if you want to hear the dictionary overhauled likea log-line in a blow, you must go to Wapping and listen to the Lon'onersas they deal out their lingo. Howsomever, I see n
o such mighty matterthat Miss Lizzy has been doing to you, good woman; so take another dropof your brews and forgive and forget, like an honest soul."
"No, indeed! and I shan't do sitch a thing, Benjamin. This treatment isa newity to me, and what I won't put up with. I have a hundred and fiftydollars at use, besides a bed and twenty sheep, to good; and I don'tcrave to live in a house where a body mustn't call a young woman by hergiven name to her face. I will call her Betsey as much as I please;it's a free country, and no one can stop me. I did intend to stop whilesummer, but I shall quit to-morrow morning; and I will talk just as Iplease."
"For that matter, Mistress Remarkable," said Benjamin, "there's nonehere who will contradict you; for I'm of opinion that it would be aseasy to stop a hurricane with a Barcelony handkerchy as to bring up yourtongue when the stopper is off. I say, good woman, do they grow manymonkeys along the shores of that Bay of State?"
"You're a monkey yourself, Mr. Penguillum," cried the enragedhousekeeper, "or a bear--a black, beastly bear! and ain't fit for adecent woman to stay with. I'll never, keep your company agin, sir, ifI should live thirty years with the Judge. Sitch talk is more befittingthe kitchen than the keeping-room of a house of one who is well-to-do inthe world."
"Look you, Mistress Pitty--Patty------Prettybones, mayhap I'm some suchmatter as a bear, as they will find who come to grapple with me; butdam'me if I'm a monkey--a thing that chatters without knowing a word ofwhat it says--a parrot; that will hold a dialogue, for what an honestman knows, in a dozen languages; mayhap in the Bay of State lingo;mayhap in Greek or High Dutch. But dost it know what it means itself?canst answer me that, good woman? Your midshipman can sing out, and passthe word, when the captain gives the order, but just send him adrift byhimself, and let him work the ship of his own head, and stop my grog ifyou don't find all the Johnny Raws laughing at him."
"Stop your grog, indeed!" said Remarkable, rising with greatindignation, and seizing a candle; "you're groggy now, Benjamin andI'll quit the room before I hear any misbecoming words from you." Thehousekeeper retired, with a manner but little less dignified, as shethought, than the air of the heiress, muttering as she drew the doorafter her, with a noise like the report of a musket, the opprobriousterms of "drunkard," "sot," and "beast."
"Who's that you say is drunk?" cried Benjamin fiercely, rising andmaking a movement toward Remarkable. "You talk of mustering yourselfwith a lady you're just fit to grumble and find fault. Where the devilshould you larn behavior and dictionary? in your damned Bay of State,ha?"
Benjamin here fell back in his chair, and soon gave vent to certainominous sounds, which resembled not a little the growling of hisfavorite animal the bear itself. Be fore, however, he was quitelocked--to use the language that would suit the Della-cruscan humor ofcertain refined minds of the present day--"in the arms of Morpheus," hespoke aloud, observing due pauses between his epithets, the impressiveterms of "monkey," "parrot," "picnic," "tar pot," and "linguisters"
We shall not attempt to explain his meaning nor connect his sentences;and our readers must be satisfied with our informing them that they wereexpressed with all that coolness of contempt that a man might well besupposed to feel for a monkey.
Nearly two hours passed in this sleep before the major domo was awakenedby the noisy entrance of Richard, Major Hartmann, and the master of themansion. Benjamin so far rallied his confused faculties as to shapethe course of the two former to their respective apartments, when hedisappeared himself, leaving the task of securing the house to himwho was most interested in its safety. Locks and bars were but littleattended to in the early days of that settlement, and so soon asMarmaduke had given an eye to the enormous fires of his dwelling heretired. With this act of prudence closes the first night of our tale.
The Pioneers; Or, The Sources of the Susquehanna Page 16
