The gull has found her place on shore;
The sun gone down again to rest;
And all is still but ocean's roar;
There stands the man unbless'd.
But see, he moves--he turns, as asking where
His mates? Why looks he with that piteous stare?
Dana.
Superstition would seem to be a consequence of a state of being, in
which so much is shadowed forth, while so little is accurately
known. Our far-reaching thoughts range over the vast fields of
created things, without penetrating to the secret cause of the
existence of even a blade of grass. We can analyze all substances
that are brought into our crucibles, tell their combinations and
tendencies, give a scientific history of their formation, so far as
it is connected with secondary facts, their properties, and their
uses; but in each and all, there is a latent natural cause, that
baffles all our inquiries, and tells us that we are merely men. This
is just as true in morals, as in physics--no man living being equal
to attaining the very faith that is necessary to his salvation,
without the special aid of the spirit of the godhead; and even with
that mighty support, trusting implicitly for all that is connected
with a future that we are taught to believe is eternal, to "the
substance of things _hoped_ for, and the evidence of things
_unseen_." In a word, this earthly probation of ours, was intended
for finite beings, in the sense of our present existence, leaving
far more to be conjectured, than is understood.
Ignorance and superstition ever bear a close, and even a
mathematical relation to each other. The degrees of the one, are
regulated by the degrees of the other. He who knows the least
believes the most; while he who has seen the most, without the
intelligence to comprehend that which he has seen, feels, perhaps,
the strongest inclination to refer those things which to him are
mysteries, to the supernatural and marvellous. Sailors have been,
from time immemorial, more disposed than men of their class on the
land, to indulge in this weakness, which is probably heightened by
the circumstance of their living constantly and vividly in the
presence of powers that menace equally their lives and their means,
without being in any manner subject to their control.
Spike, for a seaman of his degree of education, was not particularly
addicted to the weakness to which we have just alluded.
Nevertheless, he was not altogether free from it; and recent
circumstances contributed to dispose him so much the more to admit a
feeling which, like sin itself, is ever the most apt to insinuate
itself at moments of extraordinary moral imbecility, and through the
openings left by previous transgression. As his brig stood off from
the light, the captain paced the deck, greatly disturbed by what had
just passed, and unable to account for it. The boat of the
Poughkeepsie was entirely concealed by the islet, and there existing
no obvious motive for wishing to return, in order to come at the
truth, not a thought to that effect, for one moment, crossed the
mind of the smuggler. So far from this, indeed, were his wishes,
that the Molly did not seem to him to go half as fast as usual, in
his keen desire to get further and further from a spot where such
strange incidents had occurred.
As for the men forward, no argument was wanting to make _them_
believe that something supernatural had just passed before their
eyes. It was known to them all, that Mulford had been left on a
naked rock, some thirty miles from that spot; and it was not easy to
understand how he could now be at the Dry Tortugas, planted, as it
might be, on purpose to show himself to the brig, against the tower,
in the bright moonlight, "like a pictur' hung up for his old
shipmates to look at."
Sombre were the tales that were related that night among them, many
of which related to the sufferings of men abandoned on desert
islands; and all of which bordered, more or less, on the
supernatural. The crew connected the disappearance of the boat with
Mulford's apparition, though the logical inference would have been,
that the body which required planks to transport it, could scarcely
be classed with anything of the world of spirits. The links in
arguments, however, are seldom respected by the illiterate and
vulgar, who jump to their conclusions, in cases of the marvellous,
much as politicians find an expression of the common mind in the
prepared opinions of the few who speak for them, totally
disregarding the dissenting silence of the million. While the men
were first comparing their opinions on that which, to them, seemed
to be so extraordinary, the Señor Montefalderon joined the captain
in his walk, and dropped into a discourse touching the events which
had attended their departure from the haven of the Dry Tortugas. In
this conversation, Don Juan most admirably preserved his
countenance, as well as his self-command, effectually preventing the
suspicion of any knowledge on his part, that was not common to them
both.
"You did leave the port with the salutes observed," the Mexican
commenced, with the slightest accent of a foreigner, or just enough
to show that he was not speaking in his mother tongue; "salutes paid
and returned."
"Do you call that saluting, Don Wan? To me, that infernal shot
sounded more like an echo, than anything else."
"And to what do _you_ ascribe it, Don Esteban?"
"I wish I could answer that question. Sometimes I begin to wish I
had not left my mate on that naked rock."
"There is still time to repair the last wrong; we shall go within a
few miles of the place where the Señor Enrique was left; and I can
take the yawl, with two men, and go in search of him, while you are
at work on the wreck."
"Do you believe it possible that he can be still there?" demanded
Spike, looking suddenly and intently at his companion, while his
mind was strangely agitated between hatred and dread. "If he is
there, who and what was _he_ that we all saw so plainly at the foot
of the light-house?"
"How should he have left the rock? He was without food or water; and
no man, in all his vigour, could swim this distance. I see no means
of his getting here."
"Unless some wrecker, or turtler, fell in with him, and took him
off. Ay, ay, Don Wan; I left him that much of a chance, at least. No
man can say I _murdered_ my mate."
"I am not aware, Don Esteban, that any one _has_ said so hard a
thing of you. Still, we have seen neither wrecker nor turtler since
we have been here; and that lessens the excellent chance you left
Don Enrique."
"There is no occasion, señor, to be so particular," growled Spike, a
little sullenly, in reply. "The chance, I say, was a _good_ one,
when you consider how many of them devils of wreckers hang about
these reefs. Let this brig only get fast on a rock, and they would
turn up, like sharks, all around us, each with his maw open for
salvage. But this is neither here nor there; what puzzles me, was
what we saw at the light, half an hour since, and the musket that
was fired back at us! I _know_ that the figure at the foot of the
tower did not fire, for my eye was on him from first to last; and he
had no arms. You were on the island a good bit, and must have known
if the light-house keeper was there or not, Don Wan?"
"The light-house keeper _was_ there, Don Esteban--but he was in his
_grave_."
"Ay, ay, one, I know, was drowned, and buried with the rest of them;
there might, however, have been more than one. You saw none of the
people that had gone to Key West, in or about the house, Don Wan?"
"None. If any persons have left the Tortugas to go to Key West,
within a few days, not one of them has yet returned."
"So I supposed. No, it can be none of _them_. Then I saw his face as
plainly as ever I saw it by moon-light, from aft, for'ard. What is
your opinion about seeing the dead walk on the 'arth, Don Wan?"
"That I have never seen any such thing myself, Don Esteban, and
consequently know nothing about it."
"So I supposed; I find it hard to believe it, I do. It may be a
warning to keep us from-coming any more to the Dry Tortugas; and I
must say I have little heart for returning to this place, after all
that has fell out here. We can go to the wreck, fish up the
doubloons, and be off for Yucatan. Once in one of your ports, I make
no question that the merits of the Molly will make themselves
understood, and that we shall soon agree on a price."
"What use could we put the brig to, Don Esteban, if we had her all
ready for sea?"
"That is a strange question to ask in time of war! Give _me_ such a
craft as the Molly, with sixty or eighty men on board her, in a war
like this, and her 'arnin's should not fall short of half a million
within a twelvemonth."
"Could we engage you to take charge of her, Don Esteban?"
"That would be ticklish work, Don Wan. But we can see. No one knows
what he will do until he is tried. In for a penny, in for a pound. A
fellow never knows! Ha! ha! ha! Don Wan, we live in a strange
world--yes, in a strange world."
"We live in strange _times,_ Don Esteban, as the situation of my
poor country proves. But let us talk this matter over a little more
in confidence."
And they did thus discuss the subject. It was a singular spectacle
to see an honourable man, one full of zeal of the purest nature in
behalf of his own country, sounding a traitor as to the terms on
which he might be induced to do all the harm he could, to those who
claimed his allegiance. Such sights, however, are often seen; our
own especial objects too frequently blinding us to the obligations
that we owe morality, so far as not to be instrumental in effecting
even what we conceive to be good, by questionable agencies. But the
Señor Montefalderon kept in view, principally, his desire to be
useful to Mexico, blended a little too strongly, perhaps, with the
wishes of a man who was born near the sun, to avenge his wrongs,
real or fancied.
While this dialogue was going on between Spike and his passenger, as
they paced the quarter-deck, one quite as characteristic occurred in
the galley, within twenty feet of them--Simon, the cook, and Josh,
the steward, being the interlocutors. As they talked secrets, they
conferred together with closed doors, though few were ever disposed
to encounter the smoke, grease, and fumes of their narrow domains,
unless called thither by hunger.
"What _you_ t'ink of dis matter Josh?" demanded Simon, whose skull
having the well-known density of his race, did not let internal
ideas out, or external ideas in as readily as most men's. "Our young
mate _was_ at de light-house beyond all controwersy; and how can he
be den on dat rock over yonder, too?"
"Dat is imposserbul," answered Josh; "derefore I says it is n't
true. I surposes you know dat what is imposserbul is n't true,
Simon. Nobody can't be out yonder and down here at de same time. Dat
is imposserble, Simon. But what I wants to intermate to you, will
explain all dis difficulty; and it do show de raal super'ority of a
coloured man over de white poperlation. Now, you mark my words,
cook, and be full of admiration! Jack Tier came back along wid de
Mexican gentle'em, in my anchor-watch, dis very night! You see, in
de first place, ebbery t'ing come to pass in nigger's watch."
Here the two dark-skinned worthies haw-haw'd to their heart's
content; laughing very much as a magistrate or a minister of the
gospel might be fancied to laugh, the first time he saw a clown at a
circus. The merriment of a negro will have its course, in spite of
ghosts, or of anything else; and neither the cook nor the steward
dreamed of puting in another syllable, until their laugh was fairly
and duly ended. Then the cook made his remarks.
"How Jack Tier comin' back explain der differculty, Josh?" asked
Simon.
"Did n't Jack go away wid Miss Rose and de mate, in de boat dat got
adrift, you know, in Jack's watch on deck?"
Here the negroes laughed again, their imaginations happening to
picture to each, at the same instant, the mystification about the
boat; Biddy having told Josh in confidence, the manner in which the
party had returned to the brig, while he and Simon were asleep;
which fact the steward had already communicated to the cook. To
these two beings, of an order in nature different from all around
them, and of a simplicity and of habits that scarce placed them on a
level with the intelligence of the humblest white man, all these
circumstances had a sort of mysterious connection, out of which
peeped much the most conspicuously to their faculties, the absurdity
of the captain's imagining that a boat had got adrift, which had, in
truth, been taken away by human hands. Accordingly, they laughed it
out; and when they had done laughing, they returned again to the
matter before them with renewed interest in the subject.
"Well, how all dat explain dis differculty?" repeated Simon.
"In dis wery manner, cook," returned the steward, with a little
dignity in his manner. "Ebbery t'ing depend on understandin', I
s'pose you know. If Mr. Mulford got taken off dat rock by Miss Rose
and Jack Tier, wid de boat, and den dey comes here altogedder; and
den Jack Tier, he get on board and tell Biddy all dis matter, and
den Biddy tell Josh, and den Josh tell de cook--what for you
surprise, you black debbil, one bit?"
"Dat all!" exclaimed Simon.
"Dat just all--dat ebbery bit of it, do n't I say."
Here Simon burst into such a fit of loud laughter, that it induced
Spike himself to shove aside the galley-door, and thrust his own
frowning visage into the dark hole within, to inquire the cause.
"What's the meaning of this uproar?" demanded the captain, all the
more excited because he felt that things had reached a pass that
would not permit him to laugh himself. "Do you fancy yourself on the
Hook, or at the Five Points?"
The Hook and the Five Points are two pieces of tabooed territory
within the limits of the good town of Manhattan, that are getting to
be renowned for their rascality and orgies. They probably want
nothing but the proclamation of a governor in vindication of their
principles, annexed to a pardon of some of their unfortunate
children, to render both classical. If we continue to make much
further progress in political logic, and in the same direction as
that in which we have already proceeded so far, neither will
probably long be in want of this illustration. Votes can be given by
the virtuous citizens of both these purlieus, as well as by the
virtuous citizens of the anti-rent districts, and votes contain the
essence of all such principles, as well as of their glorification.
"Do you fancy yourselves on the Hook, or at the Five Points?"
demanded Spike, angrily.
"Lor', no sir!" answered Simon, laughing at each pause with all his
heart. "Only laughs a little at _ghost_--dat all, sir."
"Laugh at ghost! Is that a subject to laugh at? Have a care, you
black rascal, or he will visit you in your galley here, when you
will least want to see him."
"No care much for _him,_ sir," returned Simon, laughing away as hard
as ever. "_Sich_ a ghost ought n't to skear little baby."
"_Such_ a ghost? And what do you know of _this_ ghost more than any
other?"
"Well, I seed him, Cap'in Spike; and what a body sees, he is
acquainted wid."
"You saw an image that looked as much like Mr. Mulford, my late
mate, as one timber-head in this brig is like another."
"Yes, sir, he like enough--must say _dat_--so wery like, could n't
see any difference."
As Simon concluded this remark, he burst out into another fit of
laughter, in which Josh joined him, heart and soul, as it might be.
The uninitiated reader is not to imagine the laughter of those
blacks to be very noisy, or to be raised on a sharp, high key. They
_could_ make the welkin ring, in sudden bursts of merriment, on
occasion; but, at a time like this, they rather caused their
diversion to be developed by sounds that came from the depths of
their chests. A gleam of suspicion that these blacks were acquainted
with some fact that it might be well for him to know, shot across
the mind of Spike; but he was turned from further inquiry by a
remark of Don Juan, who intimated that the mirth of such persons
never had much meaning to it, expressing at the same time a desire
to pursue the more important subject in which they were engaged.
Admonishing the blacks to be more guarded in their manifestations of
merriment, the captain closed the door on them, and resumed his walk
up and down the quarter-deck. As soon as left to themselves, the
blacks broke out afresh, though in a way so guarded, as to confine
their mirth to the galley.
"Cap'in Spike t'ink _dat_ a ghost!" exclaimed Simon, with contempt.
"Guess if he see _raal_ ghost, he find 'e difference," answered
Josh. "One look at raal sperit wort' two at dis object."
Simon's eyes now opened like two saucers, and they gleamed, by the
light of the lamp they had, like dark balls of condensed curiosity,
blended with awe, on his companion.
"You ebber see him, Josh?" he asked, glancing over each shoulder
hurriedly, as it might be, to make sure that he could not see "him,"
too.
"How you t'ink I get so far down the wale of life, Simon, and nebber
see sich a t'ing? I seed t'ree of the crew of the `Maria
Sheffington,' that was drowned by deir boat's cap-sizin', when we
lay at Gibraltar, jest as plain as I see you now. Then--"
But it is unnecessary to repeat Josh's experiences in this way, with
which he continued to entertain and terrify Simon for the next
half-hour. This is just the difference between ignorance and
knowledge. While Spike himself, and every man in his brig who
belonged forward, had strong misgivings as to the earthly character
of the figure they had seen at the foot of the light-house, these
negroes laughed at their delusion, because they happened to be in
the secret of Mulford's escape from the rock, and of that of his
actual presence at the Tortugas. When, however, the same
superstitious feeling was brought to bear on circumstances that lay
_without_ the sphere of their exact information, they became just as
dependent and helpless as all around them; more so, indeed, inasmuch
as their previous habits and opinions disposed them to a more
profound credulity.
It was midnight before any of the crew of the Swash sought their
rest that night. The captain had to remind them that a day of
extraordinary toil was before them, ere he could get one even to
quit the deck; and when they did go below, it was to continue to
discuss the subject of what they had seen at the Dry Tortugas. It
appeared to be the prevalent opinion among the people, that the late
event foreboded evil to the Swash, and long as most of these men had
served in the brig, and much as they had become attached to her, had
she gone into port that night, nearly every man forward would have
run before morning. But fatigue and wonder, at length, produced
their effect, and the vessel was silent as was usual at that hour.
Spike himself lay down in his clothes, as he had done ever since
Mulford had left him; and the brig continued to toss the spray from
her bows, as she bore gallantly up against the trades, working her
way to windward. The light was found to be of great service, as it
indicated the position of the reef, though it gradually sunk in the
western horizon, until near morning it fell entirely below it.
At this hour Spike appeared on deck again, where, for the first time
since their interview on the morning of Harry's and Rose's escape,
he laid his eyes on Jack Tier. The little dumpling-looking fellow
was standing in the waist, with his arms folded sailor-fashion, as
composedly as if nothing had occurred to render his meeting with the
captain any way of a doubtful character. Spike approached near the
person of the steward, whom he surveyed from head to foot, with a
sort of contemptuous superiority, ere he spoke.
"So, Master Tier," at length the captain commenced, "you have
deigned to turn out at last, have you? I hope the day's duty you've
forgotten, will help to pay for the light-house boat, that I
understand you've lost for me, also."
"What signifies a great clumsy boat that the brig could n't hoist in
nor tow," answered Jack, coolly, turning short round at the same
time, but not condescending to "uncoil" his arms as he did so, a
mark of indifference that would probably have helped to mystify the
captain, had he even actually suspected that anything was wrong
beyond the supposed accident to the boat in question. "If you had
had the boat astarn, Captain Spike, an order would have been given
to cut it adrift the first time the brig made sail on the wind."
"Nobody knows, Jack; that boat would have been very useful to us
while at work about the wreck. You never even turned out this
morning to let me know where that craft lay, as you promised to do,
but left us to find it out by our wits."
"There was no occasion for my tellin' you anything about it, sir,
when the mast-heads was to be seen above water. As soon as I heard
that them 'ere mast-heads was out of water, I turned over and went
to sleep upon it. A man can't be on the doctor's list and on duty at
the same time."
Spike looked hard at the little steward, but he made no further
allusion to his being off duty, or to his failing to stand pilot to
the brig as she came through the passage in quest of the schooner's
remains. The fact was, that he had discovered the mast-heads
himself, just as he was on the point of ordering Jack to be called,
having allowed him to remain in his berth to the last moment after
his watch, according to a species of implied faith that is seldom
disregarded among seamen. Once busied on the wreck, Jack was
forgotten, having little to do in common with any one on board, but
that which the captain termed the "women's mess."
"Come aft, Jack," resumed Spike, after a considerable pause, during
the whole of which he had stood regarding the little steward as if
studying his person, and through that his character. "Come aft to
the trunk; I wish to catechise you a bit."
"Catechise!" repeated Tier, in an under tone, as he followed the
captain to the place mentioned. "It's a long time since I've done
anything at _that!_"
"Ay, come hither," resumed Spike, seating himself at his ease on the
trunk, while Jack stood near by, his arms still folded, and his
rotund little form as immovable, under the plunges that the lively
brig made into the head-seas that she was obliged to meet, as if a
timber-head in the vessel itself. "You keep your sea-legs well,
Jack, short as they are."
"No wonder for that, Captain Spike; for the last twenty years I've
scarce passed a twelvemonth ashore; and what I did before that, no
one can better tell than yourself, since we was ten good years
shipmates."
"So you say, Jack, though I do not remember _you_ as well as you
seem to remember _me_. Do you not make the time too long?"
"Not a day, sir. Ten good and happy years did we sail together,
Captain Spike; and all that time in this very--"
"Hush--h-u-s-h, man, hush! There is no need of telling the Molly's
age to everybody. I may wish to sell her some day, and then her
great experience will be no recommendation. You should recollect
that the Molly is a female, and the ladies do not like to hear of
their ages after five-and-twenty."
Jack made no answer, but he dropped his arms to their natural
position, seeming to wait the captain's communication, first
referring to his tobacco-box and taking a fresh quid.
"If you was with me in the brig, Jack, at the time you mention,"
continued Spike, after another long and thoughtful pause, "you must
remember many little things that I do n't wish to have known;
especially while Mrs. Budd and her handsome niece is aboard here."
"I understand you, Captain Spike. The ladies shall l'arn no more
from me than they know already."
"Thank 'e for that Jack--thank 'e with all my heart Shipmates of our
standing ought to be fast friends; and so you'll find me, if you'll
only sail under the true colours, my man."
At that moment Jack longed to let the captain know how strenuously
he had insisted that very night on rejoining his vessel; and this at
a time, too, when the brig was falling into disrepute. But this he
could not do, without betraying the secret of the lovers--so he
chose to say nothing.
"There is no use in blabbing all a man knows, and the galley is a
sad place for talking. Galley news is poor news, I suppose you know,
Jack."
"I've hear'n say as much on board o' man-of-war. It's a great place
for the officers to meet and talk, and smoke, in Uncle Sam's crafts;
and what a body hears in such places, is pretty much newspaper
stuff, I do suppose."
"Ay, ay, that's it; not to be thought of half-an-hour after it has
been spoken. Here's a doubloon for you, Jack; and all for the sake
of old times. Now, tell me, my litle fellow, how do the ladies come
on? Does n't Miss Rose get over her mourning on account of the mate?
Ar' n't we to have the pleasure of seein' her on deck soon?"
"I can't answer for the minds and fancies of young women, Captain
Spike. They are difficult to understand; and I would rather not
meddle with what I can't understand."
"Poh, poh, man; you must get over that. You might be of great use to
me, Jack, in a very delicate affair--for you know how it is with
women; they must be handled as a man would handle this brig among
breakers; Rose, in partic'lar, is as skittish as a colt."
"Stephen Spike," said Jack, solemnly, but on so low a key that it
entirely changed his usually harsh and cracked voice to one that
sounded soft, if not absolutely pleasant, "do you never think of
hereafter? Your days are almost run; a very few years, in your
calling it may be a very few weeks, or a few hours, and time will be
done with you, and etarnity will commence.--Do you never think of a
hereafter?"
Spike started to his feet, gazing at Jack intently; then he wiped
the perspiration from his face, and began to pace the deck rapidly,
muttering to himself--"this has been a most accursed night! First
the mate, and now _this!_ Blast me, but I thought it was a voice
from the grave! Graves! can't they keep those that belong to them,
or have rocks and waves no graves?"
What more passed through the mind of the captain must remain a
secret, for he kept it to himself; nor did he take any further
notice of his companion. Jack, finding that he was unobserved,
passed quietly below, and took the place in his berth, which he had
only temporarily abandoned.
Just as the day dawned, the Swash reached the vicinity of the wreck
again. Sail was shortened, and the brig stood in until near enough
for the purpose of her commander, when she was hove-to, so near the
mast-heads that, by lowering the yawl, a line was sent out to the
fore-mast, and the brig was hauled close alongside. The direction of
the reef at that point formed a lee; and the vessel lay in water
sufficiently smooth for her object.
This was done soon after the sun had risen, and Spike now ordered
all hands called, and began his operations in earnest. By sounding
carefully around the schooner when last here, he had ascertained her
situation to his entire satisfaction. She had settled on a shelf of
the reef, in such a position that her bows lay in a sort of cradle,
while her stern was several feet nearer to the surface than the
opposite extremity. This last fact was apparent, indeed, by the
masts themselves, the lower mast aft being several feet out of
water, while the fore-mast was entirely buried, leaving nothing but
the fore-topmast exposed. On these great premises Spike had laid the
foundation of the practical problem he intended to solve.
No expectation existed of ever getting the schooner afloat again.
All that Spike and the Señor Montefalderon now aimed at, was to
obtain the doubloons, which the former thought could be got at in
the following manner. He knew that it would be much easier handling
the wreck, so far as its gravity was concerned, while the hull
continued submerged. He also knew that one end could be raised with
a comparatively trifling effort, so long as the other rested on the
rock. Under these circumstances, therefore, he proposed merely to
get slings around the after body of the schooner, as near her
stern-post, indeed, as would be safe, and to raise that extremity of
the vessel to the surface, leaving most of the weight of the craft
to rest on the bows. The difference between the power necessary to
effect this much, and that which would be required to raise the
whole wreck, would be like the difference in power necessary to turn
over a log with one end resting on the ground, and turning the same
log by lifting it bodily in the arms, and turning it in the air.
With the stern once above water, it would be easy to come at the bag
of doubloons, which Jack Tier had placed in a locker above the
transoms.
The first thing was to secure the brig properly, in order that she
might bear the necessary strain. This was done very much as has been
described already, in the account of the manner in which she was
secured and supported in order to raise the schooner at the Dry
Tortugas. An anchor was laid abreast and to windward, and purchases
were brought to the masts, as before. Then the bight of the chain
brought from the Tortugas, was brought under the schooner's keel,
and counter-purchases, leading from both the fore-mast and main-mast
of the brig, were brought to it, and set taut. Spike now carefully
examined all his fastenings, looking to his cables as well as his
mechanical power aloft, heaving in upon this, and veering out upon
that, in order to bring the Molly square to her work; after which he
ordered the people to knock-off for their dinners. By that time, it
was high noon.
While Stephen Spike was thus employed on the wreck, matters and
things were not neglected at the Tortugas. The Poughkeepsie had no
sooner anchored, than Wallace went on board and made his report.
Capt. Mull then sent for Mulford, with whom he had a long personal
conference. This officer was getting grey, and consequently he had
acquired experience. It was evident to Harry, at first, that he was
regarded as one who had been willingly engaged in an unlawful
pursuit, but who had abandoned it to push dearer interests in
another quarter. It was some time before the commander of the
sloop-of-war could divest himself of this opinion, though it
gradually gave way before the frankness of the mate's manner, and
the manliness, simplicity, and justice of his sentiments. Perhaps
Rose had some influence also in bringing about this favourable
change.
Wallace did not fail to let it be known that turtle-soup was to be
had ashore; and many was the guest our heroine had to supply with
that agreeable compound, in the course of the morning. Jack Tier had
manifested so much skill in the preparation of the dish, that its
reputation soon extended to the cabin, and the captain was induced
to land, in order to ascertain how far rumour was or was not a liar,
on this interesting occasion. So ample was the custom, indeed, that
Wallace had the consideration to send one of the ward-room servants
to the light-house, in order to relieve Rose from a duty that was
getting to be a little irksome. She was "seeing company" as a bride,
in a novel and rather unpleasant manner; and it was in consequence
of a suggestion of the "ship's gentleman," that the remains of the
turtle were transferred to the vessel, and were put into the
coppers, _secundum artem,_ by the regular cooks.
It was after tickling his palate with a bowl of the soup, and
enjoying a half-hour's conversation with Rose, that Capt. Mull
summoned Harry to a final consultation on the subject of their
future proceedings. By this time the commander of the Poughkeepsie
was in a better humour with his new acquaintance, more disposed to
believe him, and infinitely more inclined to listen to his
suggestions and advice, than he had been in their previous
interviews. Wallace was present in his character of "ship's
gentleman," or, as having nothing to do, while his senior, the first
lieutenant, was working like a horse on board the vessel, in the
execution of his round of daily duties.
At this consultation, the parties came into a right understanding of
each other's views and characters. Capt. Mull was slow to yield his
confidence, but when he did bestow it, he bestowed it
sailor-fashion, or with all his heart. Satisfied at last that he had
to do with a young man of honour, and one who was true to the flag,
he consulted freely with our mate, asked his advice, and was greatly
influenced in the formation of his final decision by the opinions
that Harry modestly advanced, maintaining them, however, with solid
arguments, and reasons that every seaman could comprehend.
Mulford knew the plans of Spike by means of his own communications
with the Señor Montefalderon. Once acquainted with the projects of
his old commander, it was easy for him to calculate the time it
would require to put them in execution, with the means that were to
be found on board the Swash. "It will take the brig until near
morning," he said, "to beat up to the place where the wreck lies.
Spike will wait for light to commence operations, and several hours
will be necessary to moor the brig, and get out the anchors with
which he will think it necessary to stay his masts. Then he will
hook on, and he may partly raise the hull before night return. More
than this he can never do; and it would not surprise me were he
merely to get everything ready for heaving on his purchases
to-morrow, and suspend further proceedings until the next day, in
preference to having so heavy a strain on his spars all night. He
has not the force, however, to carry on such duty to a very late
hour; and you may count with perfect security, Captain Mull, on his
being found alongside of the wreck at sunrise the next day after
to-morrow, in all probability with his anchors down, and fast to the
wreck. By timing your own arrival well, nothing will be easier than
to get him fairly under your guns, and once under your guns, the
brig must give up. When you chased her out of this very port, a few
days since, you would have brought her up could you have kept her
within range of those terrible shells ten minutes longer."
"You would then advise my not sailing from this place immediately,"
said Mull.
"It will be quite time enough to get under way late in the
afternoon, and then under short canvas. Ten hours will be ample time
for this ship to beat up to that passage in, and it will be
imprudent to arrive too soon; nor do I suppose you will wish to be
playing round the reef in the dark."
To the justice of all this Capt. Mull assented; and the plan of
proceedings was deliberately and intelligently formed. As it was
necessary for Mulford to go in the ship, in order to act as pilot,
no one else on board knowing exactly where to find the wreck, the
commander of the Poughkeepsie had the civility to offer the young
couple the hospitalities of his own cabin, with one of his
state-rooms. This offer Harry gratefully accepted, it being
understood that the ship would land them at Key West, as soon as the
contemplated duty was executed. Rose felt so much anxiety about her
aunt, that any other arrangement would scarcely have pacified her
fears.
In consequence of these arrangements, the Poughkeepsie lay quietly
at her anchors until near sunset. In the interval her boats were out
in all directions, parties of the officers visiting the islet where
the powder had exploded, and the islet where the tent, erected for
the use of the females, was still standing. As for the light-house
island, an order of Capt. Mull's prevented it from being crowded in
a manner unpleasant to Rose, as might otherwise have been the case.
The few officers who did land there, however, appeared much struck
with the ingenuous simplicity and beauty of the bride, and a manly
interest in her welfare was created among them all, principally by
means of the representations of the second lieutenant and the
chaplain. About five o'clock she went off to the ship, accompanied
by Harry, and was hoisted on board in the manner usually practised
by vessels of war which have no accommodation-ladder rigged. Rose
was immediately installed in her state-room, where she found every
convenience necessary to a comfortable though small apartment.
It was quite late in the afternoon, when the boatswain and his mate
piped "all hands up anchor!" Harry hastened into the state-room for
his charming bride, anxious to show her the movements of a vessel of
war on such an occasion. Much as she had seen of the ocean, and of a
vessel, within the last few weeks, Rose now found that she had yet a
great deal to learn, and that a ship of war had many points to
distinguish her from a vessel engaged in commerce.
The Poughkeepsie was only a sloop-of-war, or a corvette, in
construction, number of her guns, and rate; but she was a ship of
the dimensions of an old-fashioned frigate, measuring about one
thousand tons. The frigates of which we read half a century since,
were seldom ever as large as this, though they were differently
built in having a regular gun-deck, or one armed deck that was
entirely covered, with another above it; and on the quarter-deck and
forecastle of the last of which were also batteries of lighter guns.
To the contrary of all this, the Poughkeepsie had but one armed
deck, and on that only twenty guns. These pieces, however, were of
unusually heavy calibre, throwing thirty-two pound shot, with the
exception of the Paixhans, or Columbiads, which throw shot of even
twice that weight. The vessel had a crew of two hundred souls, all
told; and she had the spars, anchors, and other equipments of a
light frigate.
In another great particular did the Poughkeepsie differ from the
corvette-built vessels that were so much in favour at the beginning
of the century; a species of craft obtained from the French, who
have taught the world so much in connection with naval science, and
who, after building some of the best vessels that ever floated, have
failed in knowing how to handle them, though not always in that. The
Poughkeepsie, while she had no spar, or upper deck, properly
speaking, had a poop and a topgallant-forecastle. Within the last
were the cabins and other accommodations of the captain; an
arrangement that was necessary for a craft of her construction, that
carried so many officers, and so large a crew. Without it,
sufficient space would not be had for the uses of the last. One gun
of a side was in the main cabin, there being a very neat and amply
spacious after-cabin between the state-rooms, as is ordinarily the
case in all vessels from the size of frigates up to that of
three-deckers. It may be well to explain here, while on this subject
of construction, that in naval parlance, a ship is called a
single-decked vessel; a _two-_decker, or a _three-_ decker, not from
the number of decks she actually possesses, but from the number of
_gun-_decks that she has, or of those that are _fully_ armed. Thus a
frigate has four decks, the spar, gun, berth, and orlop (or haul-up)
decks; but she is called a "single-decked ship," from the
circumstance that only one of these four decks has a complete range
of batteries. The two-decker has two of these fully armed decks, and
the three-deckers three; though, in fact, the two-decker has five,
and the three-decker six decks. Asking pardon for this little
digression, which we trust will be found useful to a portion of our
readers, we return to the narrative.
Harry conducted Rose to the poop of the Poughkeepsie, where she
might enjoy the best view of the operation of getting so large a
craft under way, man-of-war fashion. The details were mysteries, of
course, and Rose knew no more of the process by which the chain was
brought to the capstan, by the intervention of what is called a
messenger, than if she had not been present. She saw two hundred men
distributed about the vessel, some at the capstan, some on the
forecastle, some in the tops, and others in the waist, and she heard
the order to "heave round." Then the shrill fife commenced the
lively air of "the girl I left behind me," rather more from a habit
in the fifer, than from any great regrets for the girls left at the
Dry Tortugas, as was betrayed to Mulford by the smiles of the
officers, and the glances they cast at Rose. As for the latter, she
knew nothing of the air, and was quite unconscious of the sort of
parody that the gentlemen of the quarter-deck fancied it conveyed on
her own situation.
Rose was principally struck with the quiet that prevailed in the
ship, Captain Mull being a silent man himself, and insisting on
having a quiet vessel. The first lieutenant was not a noisy officer,
and from these two, everybody else on board received their cues. A
simple "all ready, sir," uttered by the first to the captain, in a
common tone of voice, answered by a "very well, sir, get your
anchor," in the same tone, set everything in motion. "Stamp and go,"
soon followed, and taking the whole scene together, Rose felt a
strange excitement come over her. There were the shrill, animating
music of the fife; the stamping time of the men at the bars; the
perceptible motion of the ship, as she drew ahead to her anchor, and
now and then the call between Wallace, who stood between the
knight-heads, as commander-in-chief on the forecastle, (the second
lieutenant's station when the captain does not take the trumpet, as
very rarely happens,) and the "executive officer" aft, was "carrying
on duty," all conspiring to produce this effect. At length, and it
was but a minute or two from the time when the "stamp and go"
commenced, Wallace called out "a short stay-peak, sir." "Heave and
pull," followed, and the men left their bars.
The process of making sail succeeded. There was no "letting fall" a
fore-topsail here, as on board a merchant-man, but all the canvas
dropped from the yards, into festoons, at the same instant. Then the
three topsails were sheeted home and hoisted, all at once, and all
in a single minute of time; the yards were counter-braced, and the
capstan-bars were again manned. In two more minutes it was "heave
and she's up and down." Then "heave and in sight," and "heave and
pull again." The cat-fall was ready, and it was "hook on," when the
fife seemed to turn its attention to another subject as the men
catted the anchor. Literally, all this was done in less time than we
have taken to write it down in, and in very little more time than
the reader has wasted in perusing what we have here written.
The Poughkeepsie was now "free of bottom," as it is called, with her
anchor catted and fished, and her position maintained in the basin
where she lay, by the counter-bracing of her yards, and the
counteracting force of the wind on her sails. It only remained to
"fill away," by bracing her head-yards sharp up, when the vast mass
overcame its inertia, and began to move through the water. As this
was done, the jib and spanker were set. The two most beautiful
things with which we are acquainted, are a graceful and high-bred
woman entering or quitting a drawing-room, more particularly the
last, and a man-of-war leaving her anchorage in a moderate breeze,
and when not hurried for time. On the present occasion, Captain Mull
was in no haste, and the ship passed out to windward of the light,
as the Swash had done the previous night, under her three topsails,
spanker and jib, with the light sails loose and flowing, and the
courses hanging in the brails.
A great deal is said concerning the defective construction of the
light cruisers of the navy, of late years, and complaints are made
that they will not sail, as American cruisers ought to sail, and
were wont to sail in old times. That there has been some ground for
these complaints, we believe; though the evil has been greatly
exaggerated, and some explanation may be given, we think, even in
the cases in which the strictures are not altogether without
justification. The trim of a light, sharp vessel is easily deranged;
and officers, in their desire to command as much as possible, often
get their vessels of this class too deep. They are, generally, for
the sort of cruiser, over-sparred, over-manned, and
over-provisioned; consequently, too deep. We recollect a case in
which one of these delicate craft, a half-rigged brig, was much
abused for "having lost her sailing." She did, indeed, lose her
fore-yard, and, after that, she sailed like a witch, until she got a
new one! If the facts were inquired into, in the spirit which ought
to govern such inquiries, it would be found that even most of the
much-abused "ten sloops" proved to be better vessels than common.
The St. Louis, the Vincennes, the Concord, the Fairfield, the
Boston, and the Falmouth, are instances of what we mean. In behalf
of the Warren, and the Lexington, we believe no discreet man was
ever heard to utter one syllable, except as wholesome crafts. But
the Poughkeepsie was a very different sort of vessel from any of the
"ten sloops." She was every way a good ship, and, as Jack expressed
it, was "a good goer." The most severe nautical critic could
scarcely have found a fault in her, as she passed out between the
islets, on the evening of the day mentioned, in the sort of undress
we have described. The whole scene, indeed, was impressive, and of
singular maritime characteristics.
The little islets scattered about, low, sandy, and untenanted, were
the only land in sight--all else was the boundless waste of waters.
The solitary light rose like an aquatic monument, as if purposely to
give its character to the view. Captain Mull had caused its lamps to
be trimmed and lighted for the very reason that had induced Spike to
do the same thing, and the dim star they presented was just
struggling into existence, as it might be, as the briliance left by
the setting sun was gradually diminished, and finally disappeared.
As for the ship, the hull appeared dark, glossy, and graceful, as is
usual with a vessel of war. Her sails were in soft contrast to the
colour of the hull, and they offered the variety and divergence from
straight lines which are thought necessary to perfect beauty. Those
that were set, presented the symmetry in their trim, the flatness in
their hoist, and the breadth that distinguish a man-of-war; while
those that were loose, floated in the air in every wave and
cloud-like swell, that we so often see in light canvas that is
released from the yards in a fresh breeze. The ship had an undress
look from this circumstance, but it was such an undress as denotes
the man or woman of the world. This undress appearance was increased
by the piping down of the hammocks, which left the nettings loose,
and with a negligent but still knowing look about them.
When half a mile from the islets, the main-yard was braced aback,
and the maintopsail was laid to the mast. As soon as the ship had
lost her way, two or three boats that had been towing astern, each
with its boat-sitter, or keeper, in it, were hauled up alongside, or
to the quarters, were "hooked on," and "run up" to the whistling of
the call. All was done at once, and all was done in a couple of
minutes. As soon as effected, the maintopsail was again filled, and
away the ship glided.
Captain Mull was not in the habit of holding many consultations with
his officers. If there be wisdom in a "multitude of counsellors," he
was of opinion it was not on board a man-of-war. Napoleon is
reported to have said that _one_ bad general was better than _two_
good ones; meaning that one head to an army, though of inferior
quality, is better than a hydra of Solomons, or Cæsars. Captain Mull
was much of the same way of thinking, seldom troubling his
subordinates with anything but orders. He interfered very little
with "working Willy," though he saw effectually that he did his
duty. "The ship's gentleman" might enjoy his joke as much as he
pleased, so long as he chose his time and place with discretion, but
in the captain's presence joking was not tolerated, unless it were
after dinner, at his own table, and in his own cabin. Even there it
was not precisely such joking as took place daily, not to say
hourly, in the midshipmen's messes.
In making up his mind as to the mode of proceeding on the present
occasion, therefore, Captain Mull, while he had heard all that
Mulford had to tell him, and had even encouraged Wallace to give his
opinions, made up his decision for himself. After learning all that
Harry had to communicate, he made his own calculations as to time
and distance, and quietly determined to carry whole sail on the ship
for the next four hours. This he did as the wisest course of making
sure of getting to windward while he could, and knowing that the
vessel could be brought under short canvas at any moment when it
might be deemed necessary. The light was a beacon to let him know
his distance with almost mathematical precision. It could be seen so
many miles at sea, each mile being estimated by so many feet of
elevation, and having taken that elevation, he was sure of his
distance from the glittering object, so long as it could be seen
from his own poop. It was also of use by letting him know the range
of the reef, though Captain Mull, unlike Spike, had determined to
make one leg off to the northward and eastward until he had brought
the light nearly to the horizon, and then to make another to the
southward and eastward, believing that the last stretch would bring
him to the reef, almost as far to windward as he desired to be. In
furtherance of this plan, the sheets of the different sails were
drawn home, as soon as the boats were in, and the Poughkeepsie,
bending a little to the breeze, gallantly dashed the waves aside, as
she went through and over them, at a rate of not less than ten good
knots in the hour. As soon as all these arrangements were made, the
watch went below, and from that time throughout the night, the ship
offered nothing but the quiet manner in which ordinary duty is
carried on in a well-regulated vessel of war at sea, between the
hours of sun and sun. Leaving the good craft to pursue her way with
speed and certainty, we must now return to the Swash.
Captain Spike had found the mooring of his brig a much more
difficult task, on this occasion, than on that of his former attempt
to raise the schooner. Then he had to lift the wreck bodily, and he
knew that laying the Swash a few feet further ahead or astern, could
be of no great moment, inasmuch as the moment the schooner was off
the bottom, she would swing in perpendicularly to the purchases. But
now one end of the schooner, her bows, was to remain fast, and it
became of importance to be certain that the purchases were so placed
as to bring the least strain on the masts while they acted most
directly on the after body of the vessel to be lifted. This point
gave Spike more trouble than he had anticipated. Fully one half of
the remainder of the day, even after he had begun to heave upon his
purchases, was spent in rectifying mistakes in connection with this
matter, and in getting up additional securities to his masts.
In one respect Spike had, from the first, made a good disposition.
The masts of the brig raked materially, and by bringing the head of
the Swash in the direction of the schooner, he converted this fact,
which might otherwise have been of great disadvantage, into a
circumstance that was favourable. In consequence of the brig's
having been thus moored, the strain, which necessarily led forward,
came nearly in a line with the masts, and the latter were much
better able to support it. Notwithstanding this advantage, however,
it was found expedient to get up preventer-stays, and to give the
spars all the additional support could be conveniently bestowed.
Hours were passed in making these preliminary, or it might be better
to say, secondary arrangements.
It was past five in the afternoon when the people of the Swash began
to heave on their purchases as finally disposed. After much
creaking, and the settling of straps and lashings into their places,
it was found that everything stood, and the work went on. In ten
minutes Spike found he had the weight of the schooner, so far as he
should be obliged to sustain it at all, until the stern rose above
the surface; and he felt reasonably secure of the doubloons. Further
than this he did not intend to make any experiment on her, the Señor
Montefalderon having abandoned all idea of recovering the vessel
itself, now so much of the cargo was lost. The powder was mostly
consumed, and that which remained in the hull must, by this time, be
injured by dampness, if not ruined. So reasoned Don Juan at least.
As the utmost care was necessary, the capstan and wind-lass were
made to do their several duties with great caution. As inch by inch
was gained, the extra supports of the masts were examined, and it
was found that a much heavier strain now came on the masts than when
the schooner was raised before. This was altogether owing to the
direction in which it came, and to the fact that the anchor planted
off abeam was not of as much use as on the former occasion, in
consequence of its not lying so much in a straight line with the
direction of the purchases. Spike began to have misgivings on
account of his masts, and this so much the more because the wind
appeared to haul a little further to the northward, and the weather
to look unsettled. Should a swell roll into the bight of the reef
where the brig lay, by raising the hull a little too rudely, there
would be the imminent danger of at least springing, if not of
absolutely carrying away both the principal spars. It was therefore
necessary to resort to extraordinary precautions, in order to
obviate this danger.
The captain was indebted to his boatswain, who was now in fact
acting as his mate, for the suggestion of the plan next adopted. Two
of the largest spare spars of the brig were got out, with their
heads securely lashed to the links of the chain by which the wreck
was suspended, one on each side of the schooner. Pig-iron and shot
were lashed to the heels of these spars, which carried them to the
bottom. As the spars were of a greater length than was necessary to
reach the rock, they necessarily lay at an inclination, which was
lessened every inch the after body of the wreck was raised, thus
forming props to the hull of the schooner.
Spike was delighted with the success of this scheme, of which he was
assured by a single experiment in heaving. After getting the spars
well planted at their heels, he even ordered the men to slacken the
purchases a little, and found that he could actually relieve the
brig from the strain, by causing the wreck to be supported
altogether by these shores. This was a vast relief from the cares of
the approaching night, and indeed alone prevented the necessity of
the work's going on without interruption, or rest, until the end was
obtained.
The people of the Swash were just assured of the comfortable fact
related, as the Poughkeepsie was passing out from among the islets
of the Dry Tortugas. They imagined themselves happy in having thus
made a sufficient provision against the most formidable of all the
dangers that beset them, at the very moment when the best laid plan
for their destruction was on the point of being executed. In this
respect, they resembled millions of others of their fellows, who
hang suspended over the vast abyss of eternity, totally unconscious
of the irretrievable character of the fall that is so soon to occur.
Spike, as has been just stated, was highly pleased with his own
expedient, and he pointed it out with exultation to the Señor
Montefalderon, as soon as it was completed.
"A nicer fit was never made by a Lunnun leg-maker, Don Wan," the
captain cried, after going over the explanations connected with the
shores--"there she stands, at an angle of fifty, with two as good
limbs under her as a body could wish. I could now cast off
everything, and leave the wreck in what they call `_statu quo,_'
which, I suppose, means on its pins, like a statue. The tafferel is
not six inches below the surface of the water, and half an hour of
heaving will bring the starn in sight."
"Your work seems ingeniously contrived to get up one extremity of
the vessel, Don Esteban," returned the Mexican; "but are you quite
certain that the doubloons are in her?"
This question was put because the functionary of a government in
which money was very apt to stick in passing from hand to hand was
naturally suspicious, and he found it difficult to believe that
Mulford, Jack Tier, and even Biddy, under all the circumstances, had
not paid special attention to their own interests.
"The bag was placed in one of the transom-lockers before the
schooner capsized," returned the captain, "as Jack Tier informs me;
if so, it remains there still. Even the sharks will not touch gold,
Don Wan."
"Would it not be well to call Jack, and hear his account of the
matter once more, now we appear to be so near the Eldorado of our
wishes?"
Spike assented, and Jack was summoned to the quarter-deck. The
little fellow had scarce showed himself throughout the day, and he
now made his appearance with a slow step, and reluctantly.
"You've made no mistake about them 'ere doubloons, I take it, Master
Tier?" said Spike, in a very nautical sort of style of addressing an
inferior. "You _know_ them to be in one of the transom-lockers?"
Jack mounted on the breech of one of the guns, and looked over the
bulwarks at the dispositions that had been made about the wreck. The
tafferel of the schooner actually came in sight, when a little swell
passed over it, leaving it for an instant in the trough. The steward
thus caught a glimpse again of the craft on board which he had seen
so much hazard, and he shook his head and seemed to be thinking of
anything but the question which had just been put to him.
"Well, about that gold?" asked Spike, impatiently.
"The sight of that craft has brought other thoughts than gold into
my mind, Captain Spike," answered Jack, gravely, "and it would be
well for all us mariners, if we thought less of gold and more of the
dangers we run. For hours and hours did I stand over etarnity, on
the bottom of that schooner, Don Wan, holdin' my life, as it might
be, at the marcy of a few bubbles of air."
"What has all that to do with the gold? Have you deceived me about
that locker, little rascal?"
"No, sir, I've _not_ deceived you--no, Captain Spike, _no_. The bag
is in the upper transom-locker, on the starboard side. There I put
it with my own hands, and a good lift it was; and there you'll find
it, if you'll cut through the quarter-deck at the spot I can p'int
out to you."
This information seemed to give a renewed energy to all the native
cupidity of the captain, who called the men from their suppers, and
ordered them to commence heaving anew. The word was passed to the
crew that "it was now for doubloons," and they went to the bars and
handspikes, notwithstanding the sun had set, cheerfully and
cheering.
All Spike's expedients admirably answered the intended purposes. The
stern of the schooner rose gradually, and at each lift the heels of
the shores dropped in more perpendicularly, carried by the weights
attached to them, and the spars stood as firm props to secure all
that was gained. In a quarter of an hour, most of that part of the
stern which was within five or six feet of the tafferel, rose above
the water, coming fairly in view.
Spike now shouted to the men to "pall!" then he directed the falls
to be very gradually eased off, in order to ascertain if the shores
would still do their duty. The experiment was successful, and
presently the wreck stood in its upright position, sustained
entirely by the two spars. As the last were now nearly
perpendicular, they were capable of bearing a very heavy weight, and
Spike was so anxious to relieve his own brig from the strain she had
been enduring, that he ordered the lashings of the blocks to be
loosened, trusting to his shores to do their duty. Against this
confidence the boatswain ventured a remonstrance, but the gold was
too near to allow the captain to listen or reply. The carpenter was
ordered over on the wreck with his tools, while Spike, the Señor
Montefalderon, and two men to row the boat and keep it steady, went
in the yawl to watch the progress of the work. Jack Tier was ordered
to stand in the chains, and to point out, as nearly as possible, the
place where the carpenter was to cut.
When all was ready, Spike gave the word, and the chips began to fly.
By the use of the saw and the axe, a hole large enough to admit two
or three men at a time, was soon made in the deck, and the sounding
for the much-coveted locker commenced. By this time, it was quite
dark; and a lantern was passed down from the brig, in order to
enable those who searched for the locker to see. Spike had breasted
the yawl close up to the hole, where it was held by the men, while
the captain himself passed the lantern and his own head into the
opening to reconnoitre.
"Ay, it's all right!" cried the voice of the captain from within his
cell-like cavity. "I can just see the lid of the locker that Jack
means, and we shall soon have what we are a'ter. Carpenter, you may
as well slip off your clothes at once, and go inside; I will point
out to you the place where to find the locker. You're certain, Jack,
it was the starboard locker?"
"Ay, ay, sir, the starboard locker, and no other."
The carpenter had soon got into the hole, as naked as when he was
born. It was a gloomy-looking place for a man to descend into at
that hour, the light from the lantern being no great matter, and
half the time it was shaded by the manner in which Spike was
compelled to hold it.
"Take care and get a good footing, carpenter," said the captain, in
a kinder tone than common, "before you let go with your hands; but I
suppose you can swim, as a matter of course?"
"No, sir, not a stroke--I never could make out in the water at all."
"Have the more 'care, then. Had I known as much, I would have sent
another hand down; but mind your footing. More to the left,
man--more to the left. That is the lid of the locker--your hand is
on it; why do you not open it?"
"It is swelled by the water, sir, and will need a chisel, or some
tool of that sort. Just call out to one of the men, sir, if you
please, to pass me a chisel from my tool-chest. A good stout one
will be best."
This order was given, and, during the delay it caused, Spike
encouraged the carpenter to be cool, and above all to mind his
footing. His own eagerness to get at the gold was so great that he
kept his head in at the hole, completely cutting off the man within
from all communication with the outer world.
"What's the matter with you?" demanded Spike, a little sternly. "You
shiver, and yet the water cannot be cold in this latitude. No, my
hand makes it just the right warmth to be pleasant."
"It's not the water, Captain Spike--I wish they would come with the
chisel. Did you hear nothing, sir? I'm certain I did!"
"Hear!--what is there here to be heard, unless there may be some
fish inside, thrashing about to get out of the vessel's hold?"
"I am sure I heard something like a groan, Captain Spike. I wish you
would let me come out, sir, and I'll go for the chisel myself; them
men will never find it."
"Stay where you are, coward! are you afraid of dead men standing
against walls? Stay where you are. Ah! here is the chisel--now let
us see what you can do with it."
"I am certain I heard another groan, Captain Spike. I cannot work,
sir. I'm of no use here--_do_ let me come out, sir, and send a hand
down that can swim."
Spike uttered a terrible malediction on the miserable carpenter, one
we do not care to repeat; then he cast the light of the lantern full
in the man's face. The quivering flesh, the pallid face, and the
whole countenance wrought up almost to a frenzy of terror,
astonished, as well as alarmed him.
"What ails you, man?" said the captain in a voice of thunder. "Clap
in the chisel, or I'll hurl you off into the water. There is nothing
here, dead or alive, to harm ye!"
"The groan, sir--I hear it again! _Do_ let me come out, Captain
Spike."
Spike himself, this time, heard what even _he_ took for a groan. It
came from the depths of the vessel, apparently, and was sufficiently
distinct and audible. Astonished, yet appalled, he thrust his
shoulders into the aperture, as if to dare the demon that tormented
him, and was met by the carpenter endeavouring to escape. In the
struggle that ensued, the lantern was dropped into the water,
leaving the half-frenzied combatants contending in the dark. The
groan was renewed, when the truth flashed on the minds of both.
"The shores! the shores!" exclaimed the carpenter from within. "The
shores!" repeated Spike, throwing himself back into the boat, and
shouting to his men to "see all clear of the wreck!" The grating of
one of the shores on the coral beneath was now heard plainer than
ever, and the lower extremity slipped outward, not astern, as had
been apprehended, letting the wreck slowly settle to the bottom
again. One piercing shriek arose from the narrow cavity within; then
the gurgling of water into the aperture was heard, when naught of
sound could be distinguished but the sullen and steady wash of the
waves of the gulf over the rocks of the reef.
The impression made by this accident was most profound. A fatality
appeared to attend the brig; and most of the men connected the sad
occurrence of this night with the strange appearance of the previous
evening. Even the Señor Montefalderon was disposed to abandon the
doubloons, and he urged Spike to make the best of his way for
Yucatan, to seek a friendly harbour. The captain wavered, but
avarice was too strong a passion in him to be easily diverted from
its object, and he refused to give up his purpose.
As the wreck was entirely free from the brig when it went down for
the third time, no injury was sustained by the last on this
occasion. By renewing the lashings, everything would be ready to
begin the work anew--and this, Spike was resolved to attempt in the
morning. The men were too much fatigued, and it was too dark to
think of pushing matters any further that night; and it was very
questionable whether they could have been got to work. Orders were
consequently given for all hands to turn in, the captain, relieved
by Don Juan and Jack Tier, having arranged to keep the watches of
the night.
"This is a sad accident, Don Esteban," observed the Mexican, as he
and Spike paced the quarter-deck together, just before the last
turned in; "a sad accident! My miserable schooner seems to be
deserted by its patron saint. Then your poor carpenter!"
"Yes, he was a good fellow enough with a saw, or an adze," answered
Spike, yawning. "But we get used to such things at sea. It's neither
more nor less than a carpenter expended. Good night, Señor Don Wan;
in the morning we'll be at that gold ag'in."