_1st Witch_. "Hail!"
_2d Witch_. "Hail!"
_3d Witch_. "Hail!"
_1st Witch_. "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater."
_2d Witch_. "Not so happy, yet much happier."
MACBETH.
I hope I shall be believed in saying, if Marble had been with us when
we retook the ship, I should have been perfectly happy. He was not,
however, and regret was left to mingle in our triumph. I had a hasty
interview with Major Merton that night, and communicated all that was
necessary to quiet the apprehensions of his daughter. Emily was in her
state-room, and had been alarmed, as a matter of course; but when she
learned that all was over, and had terminated successfully, her fears
yielded to reason. Of course, both she and her father felt it to be a
great relief that they were no longer prisoners.
We were no sooner fairly in command of our old ship, again, than I had
all hands called to get the anchor. We hove up, and passed out to sea
without delay, it being necessary to cover our movements with as much
mystery as possible, in order to prevent certain awkward demands from
the Spanish government, on the subject of the violation of neutral
territory. A hint from Major Merton put me on my guard as respected
this point, and I determined to disappear as suddenly as we had
arrived, in order to throw obstacles in the way of being traced. By
day-light, therefore, both the ship and schooner were four leagues
from the land, and on the "great highway of nations;" a road, it may
be said in passing, that was then greatly infested by foot-pads and
other robbers.
Just as the sun rose, we buried the dead. This was done decently, and
with the usual ceremony, the triumph of victory giving place to the
sad reflections that are so apt to succeed to the excited feelings of
most of our struggles. I saw poor Le Compte disappear from sight with
regret, and remembered his recent hopes, his generous treatment, his
admiration of Emily, and all that he had so lately thought and felt,
as a warning of the fragile nature of life, and that which life can
bestow. Thus terminated an acquaintance of a month; but a month that
had been pregnant with incidents of great importance to myself.
It now became necessary to decide on our future course. I had the
ship, just as the French got her from us, with the addition of those
portions of their own cargo with which they had intended to trade on
the coast of South America. These consisted of silks and various
fancy articles, with a little wine, and would be nearly as valuable at
home as they were in Spanish America. I was strongly averse to
smuggling, and the ship having already followed out her original
instructions on this point, I saw no necessity for pursuing the
ungrateful trade any further. Could I return to the island, and get
the articles of value left on it by the French, such as the copper
they had not used, and divers pales received from the Bombay ship,
which had been abandoned by us all under a tent, more profit would
accrue to my owners than by any illicit commerce we could now possibly
carry into effect on the coast.
While Talcott, and the new chief-mate, and myself were discussing
these points, the cry of "sail ho!" was heard. A large ship had
suddenly hove up out of the morning's mist, within a mile of us, and I
thought, at first, we had got under the guns of a Spanish
man-of-war. A second look at her, however, satisfied us all, that,
though heavy and armed, she was merely one of those clumsy traders
that sailed, periodically, from the colonies to Spain. We went to
quarters, and cleared ship, but made no effort to avoid the stranger.
The Spaniards, of the two, were the most uneasy, I believe, their
country being then at war with England; but we spoke each other
without coming to blows. As soon as the strangers saw the American
ensign, they expressed a wish to communicate with us; and, unwilling
to let them come on board us, I volunteered a visit to the Spanish
captain. He received me with formal politeness, and, after some
preliminary discourse, he put into my hands some American newspapers,
which contained a copy of the treaty of peace between the United
States and France. On looking over the articles of this new compact, I
found that, had our recapture of the Crisis been delayed to that very
day, at noon, it would have been illegal. The two nations, in fact,
were at peace, when the French seized the ship, but the customary
provisions as to captures in distant seas, just brought us within the
saving clauses. Such is war, and its concomitants!
In the course of half an hour's conversation, I discovered that the
Spaniard intended to touch at Valparaiso, and called, in order to get
men, his own having suffered, up the coast, with the small-pox. His
ship was large, carried a considerable armament, and he should not
deem her safe from the smaller English cruisers, unless he doubled the
Cape much stronger handed than he then was. I caught at the idea, and
inquired what he thought of Frenchmen? They would answer his purpose,
for France and Spain had a common enemy, and nothing would be easier
than to send the French from Cadiz to Marseilles. A bargain was
consequently struck on the spot.
When I got back on board the Crisis, I had all the prisoners mustered
on deck. They were made acquainted with the offers of the Spanish
captain, with the fact that peace now existed between our respective
countries, and with the chance that presented itself, so opportunely,
for them to return home. The proposition was cheerfully accepted,
anything being better than captivity. Before parting, I endeavoured to
impress on the French the necessity of prudence on the subject of our
recapturing the Crisis in Spanish waters, inasmuch as the circumstance
might induce an inquiry as to what took the ship there; it being well
understood that the mines were the punishment of those who were taken
in the contraband trade in that quarter of the world. The French
promised fairly. Whether they kept their words I never knew, but, if
they did not, no consequences ever followed from their revelations. In
such a case, indeed, the Spanish government would be very apt to
consider the question one that touched the interests of smugglers
alike, and to feel great indifference between the parties. At all
events, no complaints were ever made to the American government; or,
if made, they never reached my ears, or those of my owners. It is most
probable nothing was ever said on the subject.
About noon we had got rid of our prisoners. They were allowed to take
away with them all their own effects, and, as usually happens in such
cases, I make little doubt some that belonged to other persons. The
ships then made sail, each on her own course; the Spaniard running
down the coast, while we spread our studding-sails for the island. As
soon as this was done, I felt relieved from a great burthen, and had
leisure to think of other matters. I ought to mention, however, that I
put the second-mate, or him who had become chief-mate by my own
advancement, in command of the "Pretty Poll," giving him two
experienced seamen as his own mates, and six men, to sail her. This
made Talcott the Crisis' first officer, and glad was I to see him in a
station a little suited to his attainments.
That evening, just as the sun was setting, I saw Emily again, for the
first time since she had stood leaning over the rail as the Crisis
shot through the inlet of the lagoon. The poor girl was pale, and it
was evident, while she could not but rejoice at her liberation, and
her release from the solicitations of the unfortunate Le Compte, that
his death had cast a shade of sadness over her pretty features. It
could not well be otherwise, the female breast ever entertaining its
sympathies for those who submit to the influence of its owner's
charms. Then, poor Le Compte had some excellent qualities, and he
treated Emily, as she admitted to me herself, with the profoundest
respect, and delicacy. His admiration could scarce be an offence in
_her_ eyes, however disagreeable it proved, in certain points of
view.
Our meeting partook of the character of our situation, being a mixture
of melancholy and happiness. I rejoiced in our success, while I
regretted Marble, and even our late enemies, while the Major and his
daughter could not but remember all the gloomy particulars of their
late, and, indeed, of their present position.
"We seem to be kept, like Mahomet's coffin, sir," Emily observed, as
she looked affectionately at her father, "suspended between heaven and
earth--the Indies and America--not knowing on which we are to
alight. The Pacific is our air, and we are likely to breathe it, to
our heart's content."
"True, love--your comparison is not an unhappy one. But, Wallingford,
what has become of Captain Marble in these stirring times? You have
not left him, Sancho Panza like, to govern Barritaria, while you have
come to recover his ship?"
I told my passengers of the manner in which our old friend had
disappeared, and inquired if anything had been seen of the whale-boat,
or the schooner, on the night of the tropical tempest.
"Nothing"--answered the Major. "So far from expecting to lay eyes on
the 'Beautiful Emily,' again, we supposed you would be off for Canton
by the end of the fortnight that succeeded our own departure. At
least, that was poor Le Compte's version of the matter. I am certain
however, that no sail was seen from this ship, during the whole
passage; nor, had we any storm like that you have described. More
beautiful weather, I never met at sea."
Upon this, I sent for the log-book, and ascertained, by day and date,
that the Crisis was not within fifty leagues of the spot, where we
encountered the thunder-squall. Of course the ship we saw was a
stranger; most probably a whaler. This destroyed any little hope that
was left concerning Marble's fate.
But it is time I should mention a _galanterie_ of poor Le
Compte's. He was well provided with shipwrights--better, indeed, than
with seamen--as was apparent by the readiness with which he had
constructed the schooner. During the passage from Marble Land, he had
set these workmen about building a poop on the Crisis' quarter-deck,
and I found the work completed. There was a very pretty, airy cabin,
with two state-rooms communicating with light quarter-galleries, and
everything that is customary with such accommodations. Furniture had
been made, with French dexterity and taste, and the paint was just dry
to receive it. Emily and her father were to take possession of these
new accommodations the very day succeeding that in which the ship fell
again into our hands. This alteration was not such as I would have
made, as a seaman; and I wonder Mons. Le Compte, who had the gauntlet
to run through the most formidable navy in the world, should have
ventured on it, since it sensibly affected the ship's sailing on a
wind. But, now it was peace, I cared little about it, and determined
to let it remain, so long, at least, as Miss Merton continued on
board.
That very night, therefore, the Major occupied one of the state-rooms,
and his daughter the other. Imitating poor Le Compte's gallantry, I
gave them a separate table, though I took quite half my meals with
them, by invitation. Emily did not absolutely dress my wound, a flesh
injury in the shoulder, that office falling to her father's share, who
had seen a good deal of service, and was familiar with the general
treatment of hurts of this nature; but she could, and did, show many
of those gentle and seductive attentions, that the tenderness of her
sex can alone bestow, with full effect, on man. In a fortnight my hurt
was cured, though Emily had specifics to recommend, and advice to
bestow, until we were both ashamed to allude to the subject any
longer.
As for the passage, it was just such a one as might be expected to
occur, in the trades of the Pacific. The ship was under studding-sails
nearly the whole time, making, day in and day out, from a hundred and
twenty to two hundred miles in the twenty-four hours. The mates kept
the watches, and I had little to do, but to sit and chat with the
Major and his daughter, in the cool, airy cabin, that Le Compte had
provided for us; listen to Emily's piano, which had been transferred
from the prize, and subsequently saved from the wreck; or read aloud
out of some of the two or three hundred beautifully bound, and
sweetly-scented volumes that composed her library. In that day, people
read Pope, and Young, and Milton, and Shakspeare, and that sort of
writers; a little relieved by Mrs. Radcliffe, and Miss Burney, and
Monk Lewis, perhaps. As for Fielding and Smollet, they were well
enough in their place, which was not a young lady's library,
however. There were still more useful books, and I believe I read
everything in the ship, before the voyage ended. The leisure of a
sea-life, in a tranquil, well-ordered vessel, admits of much study;
and books ought to be a leading object in the fitting out that portion
of a vessel's equipment which relates chiefly to the welfare of her
officers and crew.
Time passed pleasantly enough, with a young fellow who had certainly
some reason to be satisfied with his own success thus far in life, and
who could relieve the tedium of ship's duty in such society. I cannot
say I was in love, though I often thought of Emily when she was not
before my eyes, and actually dreamt of her three times, in the first
fortnight after the re-capture of the ship. What was a little
remarkable, as I conceive, I often found myself drawing comparisons
between her and Lucy, though I hardly knew why, myself. The result was
very much after this sort;--Emily had vastly the advantage in all that
related to art, instruction, training--I am wrong, Mr. Harding had
given his daughter a store of precise, useful knowledge, that Emily
did not possess; and then I could not but see that Lucy's tact in
moral feeling, was much of the highest order of the two. But, in
purely conventional attainments, in most that relates to the world,
its usages, its finesse of feeling and manner, I could see that Emily
was the superior. Had I known more myself, I could have seen that both
were provincial--for England, in 1801, was but a province, as to mere
manners, though on a larger scale than America is even now--and that
either would have been remarked for peculiarities, in the more
sophisticated circles of the continent of Europe. I dare say, half my
own countrymen would have preferred Lucy's nature to the more
artificial manner of Emily; but, it will not do to say that even
female deportment, however delicate and feminine nature may have made
it, cannot be improved by certain general rules for the government of
that which is even purely conventional. On the whole, I wished that
Lucy had a little of Emily's art, and Emily a good deal more of Lucy's
nature. I suppose the perfection in this sort of thing is to possess
an art so admirable that it shall appear to be nature, in all things
immaterial, while it leaves the latter strictly in the ascendant, in
all that is material.
In person, I sometimes fancied Emily was the superior, and, sometimes,
when memory carried me back to certain scenes that had occurred during
my last visit to Clawbonny, that it was Lucy. In complexion, and
perhaps in eyes, the English girl beat her rival; possibly, also, in
the teeth; though Lucy's were very even and white; but, in the smile,
in the outline of the face, most especially in the mouth, and in the
hands, feet, and person generally, I think nine judges in ten would
have preferred the American. One peculiar charm was common to both;
and it is a charm, though the strongest instance I ever saw of it in
my life, was in Italy, that may be said to belong, almost exclusively,
to the Anglo-Saxon race: I mean that expression of the countenance
which so eminently betokens feminine purity and feminine tenderness
united; the look which artists love to impart to the faces of
angels. Each of the girls had much of this; and I suppose it was
principally owing to their heavenly blue eyes. I doubt if any woman
with black, or hazel eyes notwithstanding all the brilliancy of their
beauty, ever possessed this charm in the higher degree. It belonged to
Grace even more than to Lucy or Emily; though, of the two last, I
think the English girl possessed it, in a slight degree, the most, so
far as it was connected with mere shading and colour; while the
American exhibited the most of it, in moments of feeling and
emotion. Perhaps, this last advantage was owing to Lucy's submitting
most to nature, and to her impulses. It must be remembered, however,
that I had not seen Lucy, now, for near two years; and two of the most
important years of a young female's life, as respected her personal
appearance.
As relates to character, I will not now speak as plainly as I shall be
called on to do, hereafter. A youth of twenty is not the best judge of
such things, and I shall leave events to tell their own story, in this
particular.
We had been at sea a fortnight, when happening to allude to the pearl
fishery, I bethought me of my own prizes. A ship that carries a
numerous crew, is a sort of _omnium gatherum_, of human
employments. For ordinarily manned craft, seamen are necessary; but
ships of war, privateers and letters-of-marque, can afford, as poor
Marble would express it, to generalize. We had several tradesmen in
the Crisis--mechanics, who found the restraints of a ship necessary
for their own good--and, among others, we happened to have a
goldsmith. This man had offered to perforate my pearls, and to string
them; an operation to which I consented. The fellow had performed his
task as well as could be desired, and supplying from his own stores a
pair of suitable clasps, had formed the whole into a simple, but as
beautiful a necklace, as I ever laid eyes on. He had put the largest
pearl of all directly in the centre, and then arranged the remainder,
by placing several of the smaller together separated by one of the
second size, until the whole formed a row that would much more than
encircle my own neck, and which, of course, would drop gracefully
round that of a female.
When I produced this beautiful ornament, one that a woman of rank
might have coveted, Emily did not endeavour to conceal her
admiration. Unaccustomed, herself, to the higher associations of her
own country, she had never seen a necklace of the same value, and she
even fancied it fit for a queen. Doubtless, queens usually possess
much more precious pearls than those of mine, and yet it was to be
supposed they would not disdain to wear even such as they. Major
Merton examined the necklace carefully, and I could see by his
countenance, he was surprised and pleased.
On the whole, I think it may be questioned, if any other man enjoys as
many _physical_ advantages with the same means, as the Americans. I
speak more of his habits, than of his opportunities; but I am of
opinion, after seeing a good deal of various parts of the world, that
the American of moderate fortune has more physical indulgences than
any other man. While this is true, however, as a whole, there are
certain points on which he signally fails. He fails _often_, when it
comes to the mere outward exhibition; and it is probable there is not
a single well-ordered household--meaning for the purposes of comfort
and representation united--in the whole country. The particular
deficiency, if deficiency it be, applies in an almost exclusive degree
to the use of precious stones, jewelry, and those of the more valuable
metals in general. The ignorance of the value of precious stones is so
great, that half the men, meaning those who possess more or less of
fortune, do not even know the names of those of the commoner sorts. I
doubt, if one educated American in twenty could, even at this moment,
tell a sapphire from an amethyst, or a turquoise from a garnet; though
the women are rather more expert as lapidaries. Now, I was a true
American in this respect; and, while I knew I possessed a very
beautiful ornament, I had not the smallest idea of its value, as an
article of commerce. With the Major it was different. He had studied
such things, and he had a taste for them. The reader will judge of my
surprise, therefore, when I heard him say:--
"That necklace, in the hands of Rundle and Bridges, would bring a
thousand pounds, in London!"
"Father!" exclaimed Emily.
"I do think it. It is not so much the size of the pearls, though these
largest are not common even in that particular, but it is their
extreme beauty; their colour and transparency--their _water_, as
it is called."
"I thought that a term applied only to diamonds"--observed Emily, with
an interest I wished she had not manifested.
"It is also applied to pearls--there are pearls of what is called the
'white water,' and they are of the sort most prized in Europe. The
'yellow water' are more esteemed among nations of darker skins; I
suppose that is the secret. Yes, I think if you send this necklace to
London, Wallingford, you will get six or eight hundred pounds for it."
"I shall never sell it, sir--at least, not as long as I can avoid it."
I saw that Emily looked at me, with an earnestness for which I could
not account.
"Not sell it!--" repealed her father--"Why, what in the name of
Neptune can _you_ do with such an ornament?"
"Keep it. It is strictly my own. I brought it up, from the bottom of
the sea, with my own hands; removed the pearls from what the editors
would call their 'native homes' myself, and I feel an interest in
them, that I never could feel in any ornament that was purchased."
"Still, this will prove rather an expensive taste. Pray, What interest
do you obtain for money, in your part of the world, Wallingford?"
"Six per cent., in New York, sir, perhaps, on the better sort of
permanent securities."
"And how much is sixty pounds sterling, when turned into dollars?"
"We usually say five for one, though it is not quite that; from two
hundred and eighty to two hundred and ninety, all things
considered--though two hundred and sixty-six, nominally, or
thereabouts."
"Well, even two hundred and sixty-six dollars a year, is a good deal
for a young man like you to pay, for the pleasure of saying he owns a
pearl necklace that he cannot use."
"But it cost me nothing, sir, and of course I can lose nothing by it."
"I rather think you will lose what I tell you, if the ornament can be
sold for that sum. When a man has property from which he might derive
an income, and does not, he is, in one sense, and that the most
important, a loser."
"I have a sister, Major Merton; I may possibly give it to her--or,
should I marry, I would certainly give it to my wife."
I could see a smile struggling about the mouth of the major, which I
was then too young, and I may add, too American, to understand. The
incongruity of the wife of a man of two thousand, or five and twenty
hundred dollars a-year, wearing two years' income round her neck, or
of being magnificent in only one item of her dress, household, or
manner of living, never occurred to my mind. We can all laugh when we
read of Indian chiefs wearing uniform-coats, and cocked-hats, without
any other articles of attire; but we cannot imagine inconsistencies in
our own cases, that are almost as absurd in the eyes of highly
sophisticated and conventional usages. To me, at that age, there was
nothing in the least out of the way, in Mrs. Miles Wallingford's
wearing the necklace, her husband being unequivocally its owner. As
for Emily, she did not smile, but continued to hold the necklace in
her own very white, plump hand, the pearls making the hand look all
the prettier, while the hand assisted to increase the lustre of the
pearls. I ventured to ask her to put the necklace on her neck. She
blushed slightly, but she complied.
"Upon my word, Emily," exclaimed the gratified father, "you become
each other so well, that I am losing a prejudice, and begin to believe
even a poor man's daughter may be justified in using such an
ornament."
The sight was certainly sufficient to justify anything of the
sort. The dazzling whiteness of Miss Merlon's skin, the admirable
outlines of her throat and bust, and the flush which pleasure gave her
cheeks, contributed largely to the beauty of the picture. It would
have been difficult to say, whether the charms of the woman ornamented
the pearls, or those of the pearls ornamented the woman! I remember I
thought, at the time, my eyes had never dwelt on any object more
pleasing, than was Miss Merton during the novelty of that
spectacle. Nor did the pleasure cease, on the instant; for I begged
her to continue to wear the necklace during the remainder of the day;
a request with which she had the good nature to comply. Which was most
gratified by this exhibition, the young lady or myself, it might be
difficult to say; for there is a mutual satisfaction in admiring, and
in being admired.
When I went into the cabin to say good-night, I found Emily Merton,
with the necklace in her hand, gazing at it, by the light of a
powerful lamp, with eyes as liquid and soft as the pearls
themselves. I stood still to admire her; for never before had I seen
her so bewitchingly beautiful. Her countenance was usually a little
wanting in intellectual expression, though it possessed so much of
that which I have described as _angelic_; but, on this occasion,
_it seemed to me_, to be full of ideas. Can it be possible,
whispered conceit--and what very young man is entirely free from
it--can it be possible, she is now thinking how happy a woman Mrs.
Miles Wallingford will one day be?--Am I in any manner connected with
that meditating brow, that reflecting air, that fixed look, that
pleased and yet doubting expression?
"I was about to send for you, Captain Wallingford," said Emily, the
instant she saw me, and confirming my conceited conjectures, by
blushing deeper than I had seen her before, in the whole of that
blushing, sensitive, and enjoyable day; "about to send for you, to
take charge of your treasure."
"And could you not assume that much responsibility, for a single
night?"
"'T would be too great--it is an honour reserved for Mrs. Wallingford,
you know."
This was smilingly said, I fancied sweetly and kindly, and yet it was
said not altogether without something that approached to an
_équivoque_; a sort of manner that the deep, natural feeling of
Grace, and needle-like truth of Lucy had rendered unpleasant to me. I
took the necklace, shook the young lady's hand for good-night--we
always did that, on meeting and parting for the day--paid my
compliments to the father, and withdrew.
I was dressing next morning, when Neb came bolting into my state-room,
with his Clawbonny freedom of manner, his eyes looking lobsters, and
_his_ necklace of pearl, glittering between a pair of lips that
might have furnished a cannibal two famous steaks. As soon as fairly
established in command, I had brought the fellow aft, berthing him in
the steerage, in order to have the benefit of more of his personal
service than I could obtain while he was exclusively a foremast
Jack. Still, he kept his watch; for it would have been cruel to
deprive, him of that pleasure.
"Oh! Masser Mile!" exclaimed the black, as soon as he could speak; "'e
boat!--'e boat!"
"What of the boat?--Is any one overboard?"
"'E whale-boat, sir!--Poor Captain Marble--'e whale-boat, sir!"
"I understand you, Neb--go on deck, and desire the officer of the
watch to heave-to the ship, as soon as it is proper; I will come up,
the instant I can."
Here, then, I thought, Providence has brought us on the track of the
unfortunate whale-boat; and we shall doubtless see the mutilated
remains of some of our old companions--poor Marble, doubtless, from
what Neb said--well, the will of God be done. I was soon dressed; and,
as I went up the cabin-ladder, the movement on deck denoted the nature
of the excitement that now prevailed generally, in the ship. Just as
I reached the quarter-deck, the main-yard swung round, and the sails
were brought aback. The whole crew was in commotion, and it was some
little time before I could learn the cause.
The morning was misty, and the view round the ship, until within a few
minutes, had been confined to a circle of less than a mile in
diameter. As the sun rose, however, the mist broke away gradually, and
then the watch caught a view of the whale-boat mentioned by
Neb. Instead of being floating about on the ocean, with the remains of
its unfortunate crew lying in its bottom, as I had expected to see it,
when I caught the first glimpse of the unlooked-for object, it was not
a mile distant, pulling briskly for us, and containing not only a
full, but a strong and an animated crew.
Just at that instant, some one cried out "Sail-ho!" and sure enough, a
ship was seen some four or five miles to leeward, a whaler evidently,
turning to windward, under easy canvass, in order to rejoin her boat,
from which she had lately been separated by the night and the
fog. This, then, was no more than a whaler and her boat; and, on
sweeping the horizon with a glass, Talcott soon discovered, a mile to
windward of the boat, a dead whale, with another boat lying by it, in
waiting for the approach of the ship, which promised to fetch as far
to windward, on its next tack.
"They desire to speak us, I suppose, Mr. Talcott," I remarked. "The
ship is probably an American; it is likely the captain is in the boat,
and he wishes to send letters or messages home."
A shout came from Talcott, at the next instant--then he cried out--
"Three cheers, my lads; I see Captain Marble in that boat, as plainly
as I see the boat itself!"
The cheers that followed, were a spontaneous burst of joy. They
reached the approaching boat, and gave its inmate an earnest of his
reception. In three more minutes. Marble was on the deck of his old
ship. For myself, I was unable to speak; nor was poor Marble much
better off though more prepared for the interview.
"I knew you, Miles; I knew you, and the bloody 'Pretty Poll,'" he at
last got out, the tears running down his cheeks like water, "the
moment the fog lifted, and gave me a fair glimpse. They've got
her--yes--d----n her--God bless her, I mean--they've got her, and the
bloody Frenchmen will not go home with _that_ feather in their
caps. Well, it couldn't have happened to a cleverer fellow; and I'm
just as happy as if I had done it myself!"
There he stood, sound, safe, and sturdy as ever; and the four Sandwich
Islanders were all in the boat, just as well as if they had never
quitted the ship. Every man of the crew had to shake hands with
Marble, congratulations were to be exchanged, and a turbulent quarter
of an hour passed, before it was possible to get a coherent account
from the man of what had befallen him. As soon as practicable,
however, he motioned for silence, and told his own story aloud, for
the benefit of all hands.
"You know how I left you, men," Marble commenced, swabbing his eyes
and cheeks, and struggling to speak with something like an appearance
of composure, "and the errand on which I went. The last I saw of you
was about half an hour before the gust broke. At that time I was so
near the ship, as to make out she was a whaler; and, nothing doubting
of being in sight of you in the morning, I thought it safer to pull
alongside of _her_, than to try to hunt for the schooner in the
dark. I found an old shipmate in the whaler's captain, who was looking
for a boat that had struck adrift the night before; and both parties
were pleased. There was not much time for compliments, however, as you
all know. The ship bore up to speak you, and then she bore up, again
and again, on account of the squalls. While Mr. Wallingford was
probably hugging the wind in order to find _me_, we were running
off to save our spars; and next morning we could see nothing of
you. How else we missed each other, is more than I can say; for I've
no idee you went off and left me out here, in the middle of the
ocean--"
"We cruised for you, within five miles of the spot, for a whole day!"
I exclaimed, eagerly.
"No, no--Captain Marble," the men put in, in a body, "we did all that
men could do, to find you."
"I know it! I could swear to it, without a word from one of you. Well,
that's the whole story. We could not find you, and I stuck by the ship
as a matter of course, as there was no choice between that and jumping
overboard; and here has the Lord brought us together again, though we
are every inch of five hundred miles from the place where we parted."
I then took Marble below, and related to him all that had occurred
since the separation. He listened with the deepest interest,
manifesting the strongest sympathy in our success. Nothing but
expressions of gratification escaped him, until I remarked, as I
concluded my account--
"And here is the old ship for you, sir, just as we lost her; and glad
am I to see her once more in so good hands."
"Who put that bloody poop on her, you or the Frenchman, Miles?"
"The Frenchman. Now it is peace, however, it is no great matter; and
the cabin is very convenient for the Major and his daughter."
"It's just like 'em! Spoiling the neatest quarter-deck on the ocean,
with a bloody supernumerary cabin!"
"Well, sir, as you are master now, you can have it all cut away again,
if you think proper."
"I! I cut away anything! I take the command of this ship from the man
who has so fairly won it! If I do, may I be d----d!"
"Captain Marble! You astonish me by this language, sir; but it is
nothing more than a momentary feeling, of which your own good
sense--nay, even your duty to the owners--will cause you to get rid."
"You never were more mistaken in your life, Master Miles Wallingford,"
answered Marble, solemnly. "I thought of all this the moment I
recognised the ship, and that was as soon as I saw her; and my mind
was made up from that instant. I cannot be so mean as to come in at
the seventh hour, and profit by your courage and skill. Besides, I
have no legal right to command here. The ship was more than
twenty-four hours in the enemy's hands, and she comes under the usual
laws of recapture and salvage."
"But the owners, Captain Marble--remember there is a cargo to be taken
in at Canton, and there are heavy interests at stake."
"By George, that would make me so much the more firm. From the first,
I have thought matters would be better in your hands than mine; you
have an education, and that's a wonderful thing, Miles. As to sailing
a ship, or stowing her, or taking care of her in heavy weather, or
finding my way across an ocean, I'll turn my back on no man; but it's
a different thing when it comes to figures and calculations."
"You disappoint me greatly in all this, sir; we have gone through so
much together--"
"We did not go through _the recapture of this vessel_ together,
boy."
"But it was _your_ thought, and, but for an accident, would have
been your _deed_."
"I don't know that; I have reflected coolly in the matter, after I got
over my mortification; and I think we should have been flogged, had we
attacked the French at sea. Your own plan was better, and capitally
carried out. Harkee, Miles, this much will I do, and not a jot
more. You are bound to the island, I take it for granted, to pick up
odds and ends; and then you sail for Canton?"
"Precisely--I am glad you approve of it, as you must by seeing into it
so readily."
"Well, at the island, fill up the schooner with such articles as will
be of no use at Canton. Let her take in the copper, the English goods,
and the like of that; and I will carry her home, while you can pursue
the v'y'ge in the ship, as you alone have a right to do."
No arguments of mine could turn Marble from his resolution. I fought
him all day on the subject, and at night he was put in command of the
"Pretty Poll," with our old second-mate for his first officer.