"Thou shalt seek the beach of sand,
Where the water bounds the elfin land;
Thou shalt watch the oozy brine
Till the sturgeon leaps in the light moonshine."
DRAKE.
There is but a word to say of the whaler. We spoke her, of course, and
parted, leaving her her boat. She passed half an hour, close to us,
and then went after her whale. When we lost sight of her, she was
cutting in the fish, as coolly as if nothing had happened. As for
ourselves, we made the best of our way for the island.
Nothing worth relating occurred during the remainder of the
passage. We reached our place of destination ten days after we found
Marble; and carried both the ship and schooner into the lagoon,
without any hesitation or difficulty. Everything was found precisely
as we had left it; two months having passed as quietly as an hour. The
tents were standing, the different objects lay where they had been
hastily dropped at our hurried departure, and everything denoted the
unchangeable character of an unbroken solitude. Time and the seasons
could alone have produced any sensible alteration. Even the wreck had
neither shifted her bed, nor suffered injury. There she lay, seemingly
an immovable fixture on the rocks, and as likely to last, as any other
of the durable things around her.
It is always a relief to escape from the confinement of a ship, even
if it be only to stroll along the vacant sands of some naked beach. As
soon as the vessels were secured, we poured ashore in a body, and the
people were given a holiday. There was no longer an enemy to
apprehend; and we all enjoyed the liberty of movement, and the freedom
from care that accompanied our peculiar situation. Some prepared
lines and commenced fishing; others hauled the seine; while the less
industriously disposed lounged about, selected the fruit of the
cocoa-nut tree, or hunted for shells, of which there were many, and
those extremely beautiful, scattered along the inner and outer
beaches, or lying, visible, just within the wash of the water. I
ordered two or three of the hands to make a collection for Clawbonny;
paying them, as a matter of course, for their extra services. Their
success was great; and I still possess the fruits of their search, as
memorials of my youthful adventures.
Emily and her maid took possession of their old tents, neither of
which had been disturbed; and I directed that the necessary articles
of furniture should be landed for their use. As we intended to remain
eight or ten days at Marble Land, there was a general disposition to
make ourselves comfortable; and the crew were permitted to bring such
things ashore as they desired, care being had for the necessary duties
of the ships. Since quitting London, we had been prisoners, with the
short interval of our former visit to this place, and it was now
deemed wisest to give the people a little relaxation. To all this, I
was advised by Marble; who, though a severe, and so often seemingly an
obdurate man, was in the main disposed to grant as much indulgence, at
suitable moments, as any officer I ever sailed with. There was an
ironical severity, at times, about the man, which misled superficial
observers. I have heard of a waggish boatswain in the navy, who, when
disposed to menace the crew with some of his official visitations,
used to cry out, "Fellow-citizens, I'm coming among you;" and the
anecdote never recurs to my mind, without bringing Marble back to my
recollection. When in spirits, he had much of this bitter irony in his
manner; and his own early experience had rendered him somewhat
insensible to _professional_ suffering; but, on the whole, I
always thought him a humane man.
We went into the lagoon, before the sun had risen; and before the
breakfast hour of those who lived aft, we had everything landed that
was necessary, and were in possession of our tents. I had ordered Neb
to attend particularly to the wants of the Mertons; and, precisely as
the bell of the ship struck eight, which, at that time of day, meant
eight o'clock, the black came with the major's compliments, inviting
"_Captain_" Wallingford and "_Captain_" Marble to breakfast.
"So it goes, Miles," added my companion, after promising to join the
party in a few moments. "This arrangement about the schooner leaves us
both captains, and prevents anything like your downhill work, which is
always unpleasant business. _Captain_ Marble and _Captain_
Wallingford sound well; and I hope they may long sail in company. But
natur' or art never meant me for a captain."
"Well, admitting this, where there are _two_ captains, one must
outrank the other, and the senior commands. You should be called
_Commodore_ Marble."
"None of your pleasantry, Miles," returned Marble, with a severe look
and a shake of the head; "it is by your favour, and I hope by your
good opinion, that I am master of even that little, half-blooded, part
French, part Yankee, schooner. It is my second, and I think it will be
my last command. I have generalized over my life, upon a large scale,
within the last ten days, and have come to the conclusion that the
Lord created me to be your mate, and not you to be mine. When natur'
means a man for anything partic'lar, she doesn't set him adrift among
human beings, as I was set adrift."
"I do not understand you, sir--perhaps you will give me an outline of
your history; and then all will be plain."
"Miles, oblige me in one particular--it will cost you no great
struggle, and will considerably relieve my mind."
"You have only to name it, sir, to be certain it will be done."
"Drop that bloody _sir_, then; it's unbecoming now, as between
you and me. Call me Marble, or Moses; as I call you, Miles."
"Well, be it so. Now for this history of yours, which you have
promised to give me, by the way, any time these two years."
"It can be told in a few words; and I hope it may be of service. A
human life, properly generalized on, is at any time as good as most
sermons. It is full of what I call the morality of idees. I suppose
you know to what I owe my names?"
"Not I--to your sponsors in baptism, like all the rest of us, I
suppose."
"You're nearer the truth than you may imagine, this time, boy. I was
found, a child of a week old, they tell me, lying in a basket, one
pleasant morning, in a stone-cutter's yard, on the North River side of
the town, placed upon a bit of stone that was hewing out for the head
of a grave, in order, as I suppose, that the workmen would be sure to
find me, when they mustered at their work. Although I have passed for
a down-easter, having sailed in their craft in the early part of my
life, I'm in truth York born."
"And is this all you know of your origin, my dear Marble?"
"All I _want_ to know, after such a hint. A man is never anxious
to make the acquaintance of parents who are afraid to own him. I dare
say, now, Miles, that _you_ knew, and loved, and respected
_your_ mother?"
"Love, and respect her! I worshipped her, Marble; and she deserved it
all, if ever human being did!"
"Yes, yes; I can understand _that_," returned Marble, making a
hole in the sand with his heel, and looking both thoughtful and
melancholy. "It must be a great comfort to love and respect a mother!
I've seen them, particularly young women, that I thought set quite as
much store by their mothers, as they did by themselves. Well, no
matter; I got into one of poor Captain Robbins's bloody currents at
the first start, and have been drifting about ever since, just like
the whale-boat with which we fell in, pretty much as the wind
blew. They hadn't the decency to pin even a name--they might have got
one out of a novel or a story-book, you know, to start a poor fellow
in life with--to my shirt; no--they just set me afloat on that bit of
a tombstone, and cast off the standing part of what fastened me to
anything human. There they left me, to generalize on the 'arth and its
ways, to my heart's content."
"And you were found next morning, by the stone-cutter, when he came,
again, to use his chisel."
"Prophecy couldn't have better foretold what happened. There I was
found, sure enough; and there I made my first escape from
destruction. Seeing the basket, which it seems was one in which he had
brought his own dinner, the day before, and forgotten to carry away
with him, he gave it a jerk to cast away the leavings, before he
handed it to the child who had come to take it home, in order that it
might be filled again, when out I rolled on the cold stone. There I
lay, as near the grave as a tomb-stone, when I was just a week old."
"Poor fellow--you could only know this by report, however. And what
was done with you?"
"I suppose, if the truth were known, my father was somewhere about
that yard; and little do I envy the old gentleman his feelings, if he
reflected much, over matters and things. I was sent to the Alms-House,
however; stone-cutters being nat'rally hard-hearted, I suppose. The
fact that I was left among such people, makes me think so much the
more, that my own father must have been one of them, or it never could
have happened. At all events, I was soon rated on the Alms-House
books; and the first thing they did was to give me some name. I was
No. 19, for about a week; at the age of fourteen days, I became Moses
Marble."
"It was an odd selection, that your 'sponsors in baptism' made!"
"Somewhat--Moses came from the scriptur's, they tell me; there being a
person of that name, as I understand, who was turned adrift pretty
much as I was, myself."
"Why, yes--so far as the basket and the abandonment were concerned;
but he was put afloat fairly, and not clapped on a tomb-stone, as if
to threaten him with the grave at the very outset."
"Well, Tombstone came very near being my name. At first, they thought
of giving me the name of the man for whom the stone was intended; but,
that being Zollickoffer, they thought I never should be able to spell
it. Then came Tombstone, which they thought melancholy, and so they
called me Marble; consaiting, I suppose, it would make me
_tough._"
"How long did you remain in the Alms-House, and at what age did you
first go to sea?"
"I staid among them the public feeds, until I was eight years old, and
then I took a hazy day to cut adrift from charity. At that time,
Miles, our country belonged to the British--or they treated it as if
it did, though I've heard wiser men than myself say, it was always our
own, the king of England only happening to be our king--but I was born
a British subject, and being now just forty, you can understand I went
to sea several years before the revolution."
"True--you must have seen service in that war, on one side, or the
other?"
"If you say _both_ sides, you'll not be out of the way. In 1775,
I was a foretop-man in the Romeny 50, where I remained until I was
transferred to the Connecticut 74--"
"The what?" said I, in surprise. "Had the English a line-of-battle
ship called the Connecticut?"
"As near as I could make it out: I always thought it a big compliment
for John Bull to pay the Yankees."
"Perhaps the name of your ship was the Carnatic? The sounds are not
unlike."
"Blast me, if I don't think you've hit it, Miles. Well, I'm glad of
it, for I run from the ship, and I shouldn't half like the thought of
serving a countryman such a trick. Yes, I then got on board of one of
our sloops, and tried my hand at settling the account with my old
masters. I was taken prisoner for my pains, but worried through the
war without getting my neck stretched. They wanted to make it out, on
board the old Jarsey, that I was an Englishman, but I told 'em just to
prove it. Let 'em only prove where I was born, I said, and I would
give it up. I was ready to be hanged, if they could only prove where I
was born. D----, but I sometimes thought I never _was_ born, at
all."
"You are surely an American, Marble? A Manhattanese, born and
educated?"
"Why, as it is not likely any person would import a child a week old,
to plant it on a tombstone, I conclude I am. Yes, I must be
_that_; and I have sometimes thought of laying claim to the
property of Trinity Church, on the strength of my birth-right. Well,
as soon as the war was over, and I got out of prison, and that was
shortly after you were born, Captain Wallingford, I went to work
regularly, and have been ever since sarving as dickey, or chief-mate,
on board of some craft or other. If I had no family bosom to go into,
as a resting-place, I had my bosom to fill with solid beef and pork,
and that is not to be done by idleness."
"And, all this time, my good friend, you have been living, as it might
be, alone in the world, without a relative of any sort?"
"As sure as you are there. Often and often, have I walked through the
streets of New York, and said to myself, Among all these people, there
is not one that I can call a relation. My blood is in no man's veins,
but my own."
This was said with a bitter sadness, that surprised me. Obdurate, and
insensible to suffering as Marble had ever appeared to me, I was not
prepared to find him giving such evidence of feeling. I was then
young, but now am old; and one of the lessons learned in the years
that have intervened, is not to judge of men by appearances. So much
sensibility is hidden beneath assumed indifference, so much suffering
really exists behind smiling countenances, and so little does the
exterior tell the true story of all that is to be found within, that I
am now slow to yield credence to the lying surfaces of things. Most of
all had I learned to condemn that heartless injustice of the world,
that renders it so prompt to decide, on rumour and conjectures,
constituting itself a judge from which there shall be no appeal, in
cases in which it has not taken the trouble to examine, and which it
had not even the power to examine evidence.
"We are all of the same family, my friend," I answered, with a good
design at least, "though a little separated by time and accidents."
"Family!--Yes, I belong to my own family. I'm a more important man in
my family, than Bonaparte is in his; for I am all in all; ancestors,
present time and posterity!"
"It is, at least, your own fault you are the last; why not marry and
have children?"
"Because my parents did not set me the example," answered Marble,
almost fiercely. Then clapping his hand on my shoulder, in a friendly
way, as if to soothe me after so sharp a rejoinder, he added in a
gentler tone--"Come, Miles, the Major and his daughter will want their
breakfasts, and we had better join them. Talking of matrimony, there's
the girl for you, my boy, thrown into your arms almost nat'rally, as
one might say."
"I am far from being so sure of that. Marble." I answered, as both
began to walk slowly towards the tent "Major Merton might hot think it
an honour, in the first place, to let his daughter marry a Yankee
sailor."
"Not such a one as myself, perhaps; but why not one like you? How many
generations have there been of you, now, at the place you call
Clawbonny?"
"Four, from father to son, and all of us Miles Wallingfords."
"Well, the old Spanish proverb says 'it takes three generations to
make a gentleman;' and here you have four to start upon. In _my_
family, all the generations have been on the same level, and I count
myself old in my sphere."
"It is odd that a man like you should know anything of old Spanish
proverbs!"
"What? Of _such_ a proverb, think you, Miles? A man without even
a father or mother--who never had either, as one may say--and he not
remember such a proverb! Boy, boy, I never forget anything that so
plainly recalls the tomb-stone, and the basket, and the Alms-House,
and Moses, and the names!"
"But Miss Merton might object to the present generation," I resumed,
willing to draw my companion from his bitter thoughts, "however
favourably disposed her father might prove to the last."
"That will be your own fault, then. Here you have her, but on the
Pacific Ocean, all to yourself; and if you cannot tell your own story,
and that in a way to make her believe it, you are not the lad I take
you for."
I made an evasive and laughing answer; but, being quite near the tent
by this time, it was necessary to change the discourse. The reader may
think it odd, but that was the very first time the possibility of my
marrying Emily Merton ever crossed my mind. In London, I had regarded
her as an agreeable acquaintance, with just as much of the colouring
of romance and of the sentimental about our intercourse, as is common
with youths of nineteen and girls a little younger; but as nothing
more. When we met on the island, Emily appeared to me like a friend--a
_female_ friend--and, of course, one to be viewed with peculiarly
softened feelings; still, as only a friend. During the month we had
just passed in the same ship, this tie had gradually strengthened; and
I confess to a perfect consciousness of there being on board a pretty
girl in her nineteenth year, of agreeable manners, delicate
sentiments, and one whose presence gave the Crisis a charm she
certainly never enjoyed during poor Captain Williams's time.
Notwithstanding all this, there was something--though what that
something was, I did not then know myself--which prevented me from
absolutely falling in love with my fair guest. Nevertheless, Marble's
suggestion was not unpleasant to me; but, on the other hand, it rather
conduced to the satisfaction of my present visit.
We were kindly received by our hosts, who always seemed to remember
the commencement of our acquaintance, when Marble and myself visited
them together. The breakfast had a little of the land about it; for
Mons. Le Compte's garden still produced a few vegetables, such as
lettuce, pepper-grass, radishes, &c.; most of which, however, had sown
themselves. Three or four fowls, too, that he had left on the island
in the hurry of his departure, had begun to lay; and Neb having found
a nest, we had the very unusual treat of fresh eggs. I presume no one
will deny that they were sufficiently "country-laid."
"Emily and myself consider ourselves as old residents here," the Major
observed, as he gazed around him, the table being set in the open air,
under some trees; "and I could almost find it in my heart to remain on
this beautiful island for the remainder of my days--quite, I think,
were it not for my poor girl, who might find the society of her old
father rather dull work, at her time of life."
"Well, Major," said Marble, "you have only to let your taste be known,
to have the ch'ice among all our youngsters to be her companion. There
is Mr. Talcott, a well-edicated and mannerly lad enough, and of good
connexions, they tell me; and as for Captain Wallingford here, I will
answer for _him_. My life on it, he would give up Clawbonny, and
the property on which he is the fourth of his name, to be king, or
Prince of Wales of this island, with such company!"
Now, it was Marble, and not I, who made this speech; and yet I
heartily wished it unsaid. It made me feel foolish and I dare say it
made me look foolish; and I know it caused Emily to blush. Poor girl!
she, who blushed so easily, and was so sensitive, and so delicately
situated--she was entitled to have more respect paid to her
feelings. The Major and Marble, however, took it all very coolly,
continuing the discourse as if nothing out of the way had been said.
"No doubt--no doubt," answered the first; "romance always finds
votaries among young people, and this place may well excite romantic
feelings in those who are older than these young men. Do you know,
gentlemen, that ever since I have known this island, I have had a
strong desire to pass the remainder of my days on it? The idea I have
just mentioned to you, therefore, is by no means one of a moment's
existence."
"I am glad, at least, dear sir," observed Emily, laughing, "that the
desire has not been so strong as to induce you to make formal
proposals on the subject."
"You, indeed, are the great obstacle; for what could I do with a
discontented girl, whose mind would be running on balls, theatres, and
other amusements? We should not have even a church."
"And, Major Merton," I put in, "what could you, or any other man, do
with _himself_, in a place like this, without companions, books,
or occupation ?"
"If a conscientious man, Miles, he might think over the past; if a
wise one, he would certainly reflect on the future. I should have
books, since Emily and I could muster several hundred volumes between
us; and, _with_ books, I should have companions. What could I
do? I should have everything to create, as it might be, and the
pleasure of seeing everything rising up under my own hand. There would
be a house to construct--the materials of that wreck to
collect--ropes, canvass, timber, tar, sugar, and divers other
valuables that are still out on the reef, or which lie scattered about
on the beach, to gather together, and save against a rainy day. Then
I would have a thought for my poultry; and possibly you might be
persuaded to leave me one or two of these pigs, of which I see the
French forgot half a dozen, in their haste to cheat the Spaniards. Oh!
I should live like a prince and be a prince _regnant_ in the
bargain."
"Yes, sir, you would be captain and all hands, if that would be any
gratification; but I think you would soon weary of your government,
and be ready to abdicate."
"Perhaps so, Miles; yet the thought is pleasant to me: but for this
dear girl, it would be particularly so. I have very few relatives; the
nearest I have being, oddly enough, your own country-people,
gentlemen. My mother was a native of Boston, where my father, a
merchant, married her; and I came very near being a Yankee myself,
having been born but a week after my parents landed in England. On my
father's side, I have not five recognised relatives, and they are
rather distant; while those on my mother's are virtually all
strangers. Then I never owned a foot of this earth on which we live,
in my life--"
"Nor I," interrupted Marble, with emphasis.
"My father was a younger son; and younger sons in England are
generally lack-lands. My life has been such, and, I may add, my means
such, that I have never been in the way of purchasing even enough
earth to bury me in; and here, you see, is an estate that can be had
for asking. How much land do you fancy there is in this island,
gentlemen? I mean, apart from the beach, the sands and rocks; but
such as has grass, and bears trees--ground that might be tilled, and
rendered productive, without much labour?"
"A hundred thousand acres," exclaimed Marble, whose calculation was
received with a general laugh.
"It seems rather larger to me, sir," I answered, "than the farm at
Clawbonny. Perhaps there may be six or eight hundred acres of the sort
of land you mention; though the whole island must contain several
thousands--possibly four, or five."
"Well, four or five thousand acres of land make a good estate--but, as
I see Emily is getting frightened, and is nervous under the
apprehension of falling heir to such extensive possessions, I will say
no more about them."
No more _was_ said, and we finished our breakfasts, conversing of
the past, rather than of the future. The Major and Marble went to
stroll along the groves, in the direction of the wreck; while I
persuaded Emily to put on her hat and stroll--the other way.
"This is a singular notion of my father's," my fair companion
remarked, after a moment of musing; "nor is it the first time, I do
assure you, on which he has mentioned it. While we were here before,
he spoke of it daily."
"The scheme might do well enough for two ardent lovers," said I,
laughing; "but would scarcely be Wise for an elderly gentleman and his
daughter. I can imagine that two young people, warmly attached to each
other, might get along in such a place for a year or two, without
hanging themselves; but I fancy even love would tire out, after a
while, and they would set about building a boat, in which to be off."
"You are not very romantic, I perceive, Mr. Wallingford," Emily
answered, and I thought a little reproachfully. "Now, I own that to
my taste, I could be happy anywhere--here, as well as in London,
surrounded by my nearest and dearest friends."
"Surrounded! Ay, that would be a very different matter. Let me have
your father, yourself, honest Marble, good Mr. Hardinge, Rupert, dear,
dear Grace, and Lucy, with Neb and some others of my own blacks, and I
should ask no better home. The island is only in twenty, has plenty of
shade some delicious fruits, and Would be easily tilled--one might do
here, I acknowledge, and it would be pleasant to found a colony."
"And who are all these people you love so well, Mr. Wallingford, that
their presence would make a desert island pleasant?"
"In the first place, Major Merton is a half-pay officer in the British
service, who has been appointed to some civil station in India"--I
answered, gallantly. "He is a respectable, agreeable, well-informed
gentleman, a little turned of fifty, who might act as Judge and
Chancellor. Then he has a daughter--"
"I know more of her and her bad qualities than you do yourself,
_Sire_--but who are Rupert, and Grace, and Lucy--_dear,
dear_ Grace, especially?"
"Dear, _dearest_ Grace, Madam, is my sister--my _only_
sister--all the sister I ever can have, either by marriage, or any
other means, and sisters are usually _dear_ to young men, I
believe."
"Well--I knew you had a sister, and a _dear_ sister, but I also
knew you had but one. Now as to Rupert--"
"He is not another sister, you may be well assured. I have mentioned
to you a friend from childhood, who went to sea with me, at first,
but, disliking the business, has since commenced the study of the
law."
"That, then, is Rupert. I remember some such touches of his character,
but did not know the name. Now, proceed on to the next--"
"What, Neb!--You know _him_ almost as well as I do myself. He is
yonder feeding the chickens, and will save his passage money."
"But you spoke of another--that is--was there not a Mr.--, Hardinge
was the name, I think?"
"Oh! true--I forgot Mr. Hardinge and Lucy, though they would be two of
the most important of the colonists. Mr. Hardinge is my guardian, and
will continue to be so a few months longer, and Lucy is his
daughter--Rupert's sister--the old gentleman is a clergyman, and would
help us to keep Sundays as one should, and might perform the marriage
ceremony, should it ever be required."
"Not much danger of that, I fancy, on your _desert_ island--your
Barrataria"--observed Miss Merton, quickly.
I cannot explain the sensitiveness of certain young ladies on such
points, unless it be through their consciousness. Now, had I been
holding this idle talk with Lucy, the dear, honest creature would have
laughed, blushed ever so little, possibly, and nodded her head in
frank assent; or, perhaps, she would have said "oh! certainly," in a
way to show that she had no desire to affect so silly a thing as to
wish one to suppose she thought young people would not get married at
Marble Land, as well as Clawbonny, or New York. Miss Merton, however,
saw fit to change the discourse, which soon turned on her father's
health. On this subject she was natural and full of strong
affection. She was anxious to get the Major out of the warm
latitudes. His liver had been touched in the West Indies, but he had
hoped that he was cured, or he never would have accepted the Bombay
appointment. Experience, however, was giving reason to suspect the
contrary, and Emily wished him in a cold climate as soon as possible,
and that with an earnestness that showed she regarded all that had
been said about the island as sheer pleasantry. We continued the
conversation for an hour when, returning to the tent, I left my fair
companion with a promise to be as active as possible, in order to
carry the ship into a higher latitude. Still I did not deem the island
a particularly dangerous place, notwithstanding its position; the
trades and sea breezes, with its ample shades, rendering the spot one
of the most delightful tropical abodes I had ever been in.
After quitting Emily, I went to join Marble, who was alone, pacing a
spot beneath the trees, that poor Le Compte had worn into a path, and
which he had himself called his "quarter-deck."
"This Major Merton is a sensible man, Miles," the ex-mate began, as
soon as I dropped in alongside of him, and joined in his semi-trot; "a
downright, sensible sort of a philosopher-like man, accordin' to my
notion."
"What has he been telling you, now, that has seized your fancy so much
stronger than common?"
"Why, I was thinking of this idee of his, to remain on the island, and
pass the remainder of the v'y'ge here, without slaving day and night
to get up two or three rounds of the ladder of promotion, only to fall
down again."
"And did the Major speak of such things? I know of no disappointments
of his, to sour him with the world."
"I was not speaking for Major Merton, but for myself, Miles. To tell
you the truth, boy, this idee seems just suited to me, and I have
almost made up my mind to remain behind, here, when you sail."
I looked at Marble with astonishment; the subject on which the Major
had spoken in pleasantry, rather than with any real design of carrying
his project into execution, was one that my old messmate regarded
seriously! I had noted the attention with which he listened to our
discourse, during breakfast, and the strong feeling with which he
spoke at the time, but had no notion of the cause of either. I knew
the man too well, not to understand, at once, that he was in sober
earnest, and had too much experience of his nature, not to foresee the
greatest difficulty in turning him from his purpose. I understood the
true motive to be professional mortification at all that occurred
since he had succeeded Captain Williams in command; for Marble was
much too honest and too manly, to think for a moment of concealing his
own misfortunes behind the mantle offered by my success.
"You have not thought of this matter sufficiently, my friend," I
answered, evasively, knowing the folly of attempting to laugh the
matter off--"when you have slept on it a night, you will see things
differently."
"I fancy not, Miles. Here is all I want, and just what I want. After
you have taken away everything that can be required for the vessels,
or desirable to the owners, there will be enough left to keep me a
dozen lives."
"It is not on account of food, that I speak--the island alone in its
fruits, fish and birds, to say nothing as to the seeds, and fowls, and
pigs, we could leave you, would be sufficient to keep fifty men; but,
think of the solitude, the living without object, the chances of
sickness--the horrible death that would follow to one unable to rise
and assist himself, and all the other miseries of being alone. Depend
on it, man was not created to live alone. Society is indispensable to
him, and--"
"I have thought of it all, and find it entirely to my taste. I tell
you, Miles, I should be exactly in my sphere, in this island, and that
as a hermit. I do not say I should not like _some_ company, if it
could be yourself, or Talcott, or the Major, or even Neb; but no
company is better than bad; and as for asking, or _allowing_ any
one to stay with me, it is out of the question. I did, at first, think
of keeping the Sandwich Islanders; but it would be bad faith, and they
would not be likely to remain quiet, after the ship had sailed. No, I
will remain alone. You will probably report the island when you get
home, and that will induce some vessel, which may be passing near, to
look for me, so I shall hear of you all, every four or five years."
"Gracious heaven! Marble, you cannot be serious in so mad a design?"
"Just look at my situation, Miles, and decide for yourself. I am
without a friend on earth--I mean nat'ral friend--I know what sort of
friend you are, and parting with you will be the toughest of all--but
I have not a relation on the wide earth--no property, no home no one
to wish to see me return, not even a cellar to lay my head in. To me
all places are alike, with the exception of this, which, having
discovered, I look upon as my own."
"You have a _country_, Marble; and that is the next thing to
family and home--overshadows all."
"Ay, and I'll have a country here. This will be America, having been
discovered by Americans, and in their possession. You will leave me
the buntin', and I'll show the stars and stripes of a 4th of July,
just as you will show 'em, in some other part of the world. I was born
Yankee, at least, and I'll die Yankee, I've sailed under that flag,
boy, ever since the year '77, and will not sail under another you may
depend on it."
"I never could justify myself to the laws for leaving a man behind me
in such a place."
"Then I'll run, and that will make all right. But, you know well
enough, boy, that leaving a captain is one thing, and leaving a man
another."
"And what shall I tell all your acquaintances, those who have sailed
with you so often and so long, has become of their old ship-mate?"
"Tell 'em that the man who was once _found_, is now _lost_,"
answered Marble, bitterly. "But I am not such a fool as to think
myself of so much importance as you seem to imagine. The only persons
who will consider the transaction of any interest will be the
newspaper gentry, and they will receive it only as _news_, and
thank you about half as much as they would for a murder, or a robbery,
or the poisoning of a mother and six little children."
"I think, after all, you would scarcely find the means of supporting
yourself," I added, looking round in affected doubt; for I felt, at
each instant, how likely my companion was to adhere to his notion, and
this from knowing him so well. "I doubt if the cocoa is healthy, all
the year round, and there must be seasons when the trees do not bear."
"Have no fear of that sort. I have my own fowling-piece, and you will
leave me a musket, or two, with some ammunition. Transient vessels,
now the island is known, will keep up the supply. There are two hens
setting, at this moment, and a third has actually hatched. Then one of
the men tells me there is a litter of pigs, near the mouth of the
bay. As for the hogs and the poultry, the shell-fish and berries will
keep them; but there are fifteen hogsheads of sugar on the beach,
besides thirty or forty more in the wreck, and all above water. There
are casks of beans and peas, the sea-stores of the French, besides
lots of other things. I can plant, and fish, and shoot, and make a
fence from the ropes of the wreck, and have a large garden, and all
that a man can want. Our own poultry, you know, has long been out; but
there is still a bushel of Indian-corn left, that was intended for
their feed. One quart of that, will make me a rich man, in such a
climate as this, and with soil like that on the flat between the two
groves. I own a chest of tools, and am, ship-fashion, both a tolerable
carpenter and blacksmith; and I do not see that I shall want for
anything. You _must_ leave half the things that are scattered
about, and so far from being a man to be pitied, I shall be a man to
be envied. Thousands of wretches in the greatest thoroughfares of
London, would gladly exchange their crowded streets and poverty, for
my solitude and abundance."
I began to think Marble was not in a state of mind to reason with, and
changed the subject. The day passed in recreation, as had been
intended; and next morning we set about filling up the schooner. We
struck in all the copper, all the English goods, and such portions of
the Frenchman's cargo as would be most valuable in America. Marble,
however, had announced to others his determination to remain behind,
to abandon the seas, and to turn hermit. As his first step, he gave
up the command of the Pretty Poll, and I was obliged to restore her,
again, to our old third-mate, who was every way competent to take care
of her. At the end of the week, the schooner was ready, and despairing
of getting Marble off in _her_, I ordered her to sail for home,
viâ Cape Horn; giving especial instructions not to attempt Magellan. I
wrote to the owners, furnishing an outline of all that had occurred,
and of my future plans, simply remarking that Mr. Marble had declined
acting out of motives of delicacy, since the re-capture of the ship;
and that, in future, their interests must remain in my care. With
these despatches the schooner sailed. Marble and I watched her until
her sails became a white speck on the ocean, after which she suddenly
disappeared.
As for the ship, she was all ready; and my only concern now was in
relation to Marble. I tried the influence of Major Merton; but,
unfortunately, that gentleman had already said too much in favour of
our friend's scheme, in ignorance of its effect, to gain much credit
when he turned round, and espoused the other side. The arguments of
Emily failed, also. In fact, it was not reason, but feeling that
governed Marble; and, in a bitter hour, he had determined to pass the
remainder of his days where he was. Finding all persuasion useless,
and the season approaching when the winds rendered it necessary to
sail, I was compelled to yield, or resort to force. The last I was
reluctant to think of; nor was I certain the men would have obeyed me
had I ordered them to use it. Marble had been their commander so long,
that he might, at any moment, have re-assumed the charge of the ship;
and it was not probable his orders would have been braved under any
circumstances that did not involve illegality, or guilt. After a
consultation with the Major, I found it necessary to yield to this
whim, though I did so with greater reluctance than I ever experienced
on any other occasion.