Afloat and Ashore Part 19

Under this arrangement, one of the cabin-doors was opened, and I sallied forth.

Astonishment almost deprived me of the power of vision, when I looked around me. Quite fifty armed white men, sailors and natives of France, by their air and language, crowded round me, as curious to see me, as I could possibly be to see them. In their midst was Harris, who approached me with an embarra.s.sed and sorrowful air--

"I know I deserve death, Mr. Wallingford," this man commenced; "but I fell asleep after so much work, and everything looking so safe and out-of-harm's-way like; and when I woke up, I found these people on h.o.a.rd, and in possession of the s.h.i.+p."

"In the name of wonder, whence come they, Harris? is there a French s.h.i.+p at the island?"

"By all I can learn and see, sir, they are the crew of a wrecked letter-of-marque--an Indiaman of some sort or other; and finding a good occasion to get off the island, and make a rich prize, they have helped themselves to the poor Crisis--G.o.d bless her! say I, though she is now under the French flag, I suppose."

I looked up at the gaff, and, sure enough, there was flying the _tri-color!_

CHAPTER XVI.

"The morning air blows fresh on him:"

"The waves dance gladly in his sight;"

"The sea-birds call, and wheel, and skim--"

"O, blessed morning light!"

"He doth not hear their joyous call; he sees No beauty in the wave, nor feels the breeze."

DANA.

Truth is, truly, often stranger than fiction. The history of the circ.u.mstances that brought us into the hands of our enemies will fully show this. La Pauline was a s.h.i.+p of six hundred tons, that carried letters-of-marque from the French government. She sailed from France a few weeks after we had left London, bound on a voyage somewhat similar to our own, though neither sea-otter skins, sandal-wood, nor pearls, formed any part of her contemplated bargains. Her first destination was the French islands off Madagascar, where she left part of her cargo, and took in a few valuables in return. Thence she proceeded to the Philippine Islands, pa.s.sing in the track of English and American traders, capturing two of the former, and sinking them after taking out such portions of cargo as suited her own views. From Manilla, la Pauline shaped her course for the coast of South America, intending to leave certain articles brought from France, others purchased at Bourbon, the Isle of France, and the Philippines, and divers bales and boxes found in the holds of her prizes, in that quarter of the world, in exchange for the precious metals. In effecting all this, Monsieur Le Compte, her commander, relied, firstly, on the uncommon sailing of his s.h.i.+p; secondly, on his own uncommon boldness and dexterity, and thirdly on the well-known disposition of the South Americans to smuggle. Doubloons and dollars taking up but little room, he reserved most of the interior of his vessel, after his traffic on the "Main," for such property as might be found in the six or eight prizes he calculated, with certainty, on making, after getting to the eastward of the Horn. All these well-grounded antic.i.p.ations had been signally realized down to a period of just three months to a day, prior to our own arrival at this unhappy island.

On the night of the day just mentioned, la Pauline, without the smallest notice of the vicinity of any danger, running in an easy bowline, and without much sea, had brought up on another part of the very reef from which we had made so narrow an escape. The rocks being coral, there was little hope for her; and, in fact, they appeared through her bottom within two hours after she struck. The sugars taken in at the Isle of France, as a ground tier of ballast, were soon rendered of doubtful value, as a matter of course, but the weather remaining pleasant, Captain Le Compte succeeded, by means of his boats, in getting everything else of value on the island, and forthwith set about breaking up the wreck, in order to construct a craft that might carry himself and his people to some civilized land. Having plenty of tools, and something like sixty men, great progress had been made in the work, a schooner of about ninety tons being then so far completed, as to be nearly ready to be put in the water. Such was the state of things, when, one fine night, we arrived in the manner already related. The French kept constant look-outs, and it seems we were seen, a distant speck on the ocean, just as the sun set, while the low trees of the island eluded our vigilance.

By the aid of a good night-gla.s.s, our movements were watched, and a boat was about to be sent out to warn us of our danger, when we pa.s.sed within the reef. Captain Le Compte knew the chances were twenty to one that we were an enemy, and he chose to lie concealed to watch the result. As soon as we had anch.o.r.ed within the basin, and silence prevailed in the s.h.i.+p, he manned his own gig, and pulled with m.u.f.fled oars up under our bows, to reconnoitre. Finding everything quiet, he ventured into the fore-chains, and thence on deck, accompanied by three of his men. He found Harris, snoring with his back supported against a gun-carriage, and immediately secured him. Then, it only remained to close the forescuttle and the cabin-doors, and to fasten them, to have us all prisoners below. The boat was sent for more men, and hours before any of us in the berths were awake, the s.h.i.+p had effectually changed masters.

Harris told our story, and the captors knew our whole history, from the day of sailing down to the present time.

Much of this I learned in subsequent conversations with the French, but enough of it was related to me then, to let me understand the outlines of the truth. My eyes also let me into many secrets. I found the island, by day-light, substantially as I had supposed it to be. It was not so large, however, as it had seemed to me by the aid of the moon, though its general character was the same. The basin in which the s.h.i.+p lay might have covered a hundred and fifty acres in extent, the belt of land which encircled it, varying in breadth from a quarter of a mile to three miles. Most of the island was an open grove, lying at an elevation of from ten to thirty feet above the ocean; and we ascertained there were several springs of the sweetest water on it. Nature, by one of its secret processes, had covered the earth with a beautiful short gra.s.s; and the French, with their usual attention to the table, and their commendable activity, had already several materials for salads, &c., in full growth. String-beans might be had for asking, and _pet.i.ts pois_ were literally a drug. I saw the tents of the French, extending in a line beneath the shades of the trees; and there was la Pet.i.te Pauline (the schooner) on her ways, actually undergoing the process of receiving her first coat of paint. As for la Pauline, herself, I could just discover her lower mast-heads, inclining at an angle of forty-five degrees from the perpendicular, through a vista in the trees.

There was a good-humoured common sense in all the proceedings of Mons.

Le Compte, that showed he was a philosopher in the best sense of the word. He took things without repining himself, and wished to make others as happy as circ.u.mstances would allow. At his suggestion, I invited Marble on deck; and, after making my own commander acquainted with the state of the facts, we both listened to the propositions of our captor.

Mons. Le Compte, all his officers, and not a few of his men, had been prisoners, some time or other, in England, and there was no difficulty in carrying on the negotiations in our mother tongue.

"_Votre batiment_--your _sheep_, shall become French--_bien entendu_"--commenced our captor--"vid her _cargaison--rig,_ and _tout cela. Bien; c'est convenu._ I shall not exact _rigueur_ in _mes conditions._ If you shall have _possible_ to take your _sheep_ from _nous autres Francais_--_d'accord._ Every man for himself _et sa nation._ Zere is the _pavillion Francais_--and zere it shall fly, so long as we shall not help--_mais--parole d'honneur_, ze prize come cheep, and shall be sell very dear--_entendez vous? Bien._ Now, sair, I shall put you and all your peepl' on ze island, vere you shall take our place, while we take your place. Ze arm shall be in our hand, while ze sheep stay, but we leave you _fusils, poudre et tout cela_, behind."

This was nearly verbatim, the programme of capitulation, as laid down by Captain Le Compte. As for Marble, it was not in his nature to acquiesce in such an arrangement, without much cavilling and contention. But _cui bono?_ We were in Mons. le Compte's hands; and, though disposed to deal very handsomely by us, it was easy enough to see he was determined to make his own conditions. I succeeded, at last, in making Marble understand that resistance was useless; and he submitted, though with some such grace as a man, who has not been mesmerized, submits to an amputation--those who _have,_ are said rather to delight in the amus.e.m.e.nt.

The terms of the capitulation--and they differed but little from surrendering at discretion--were no sooner agreed to, than our people were ordered into the forecastle, whence they were transferred to the boats, in readiness to be sent ash.o.r.e. All the chests, and private effects, were moved out, in the most honourable manner, and sent into la Pauline's boats, which lay prepared to receive them. As for us officers, we were put in the gig, Neb and the cabin steward being charged with the duty of looking after our private property. When everybody, the blacks excepted, was in a boat, we shoved off, and proceeded towards the landing, as chop-fallen and melancholy a party as ever took possession of a newly-discovered country. Marble affected to whistle, for he was secretly furious at the _nonchalance_ manifested by Captain Le Compte; but I detected him in getting parts of Monny Musk and the Irish Washerwoman, into the same strain. To own the truth, the ex-mate was morally much disturbed. As for myself, I considered the affair as an incident of war, and cared much less.

"_Voila, messieurs_," exclaimed Monsieur Le Compte, flouris.h.i.+ng his arm, with an air of unsurpa.s.sed generosity; "you shall be master here, so soon after we shall go away, and take our leetl' property wid us!"

"He's d----d generous, Miles," growled Marble, in my ear. "He'll leave us the island, and the reef, and the cocoa-nuts, when he has gone off with our s.h.i.+p, and her cargo. I'll bet all I'm worth, he tows off his b.l.o.o.d.y schooner, in the bargain."

"There is no use in complaining, sir; and by keeping on good terms with the French, we may fare the better."

The truth of this was soon apparent. Captain Le Compte invited us all to share his breakfast, and we repaired to the tent of the French officers, with that purpose. In the mean time, the French sailors were transferring the few articles they intended to carry away, to the s.h.i.+p, with the generous object of leaving their own tents to the immediate occupation of us prisoners. As Monsieur Le Compte's plan was to proceed to the Spanish Main, in order to complete his contemplated traffic in that quarter, no sooner were the tents prepared, than the French began also to s.h.i.+p such articles of their own, as it had originally been proposed to exchange for Spanish dollars. In the mean time, we sat down to breakfast.

"_C'est la fortune de guerre!_--vat you call fortune of war, _messieurs_," observed Captain Le Compte, whirling the stick in a vessel of chocolate, in a very artistical manner, all the while. "_Bon--c'est excellente--Antoin--_"

Antoin appeared in the shape of a well-smoked, copper-coloured cabin-boy. He was told to take a small pitcher of the chocolate, with Captain Le Compte's compliments to _mademoiselle_, and to tell her there was now every prospect of their quitting the island in a very few days, and of seeing _la belle France_, in the course of the next four or five months. This was said in French, and rapidly, with the vehemence of one who felt all he uttered, and more too but I knew enough of the language to understand its drift.

"I suppose the fellow is generalizing on our misfortunes, in his d----d lingo," growled Marble; "but, let him look out--he's not home yet, by many a thousand miles!"

I endeavoured to explain it all to Marble; but it was useless; he insisted the Frenchman was sending chocolate from his own table, to his crew, in order to play the magnifico, on the score of his own good luck.

There was no use in "kicking against the p.r.i.c.ks," and I let Marble enjoy the pleasure of believing the worst of his captor; a sort of Anglo-Saxon propensity, that has garnished many a page in English and American history--to say nothing of the propensities and histories of others, among the great family of nations.

When breakfast was over, Monsieur Le Compte led me aside, in a walk under the trees, to explain his views and intentions. He gave me to understand I had been selected for this communication, on account of his observing the state of mind of my captain. I also comprehended a little French, which was quite convenient in a conversation with one who interlarded his English so much with phrases taken from his mother tongue. I was given to understand that the French would put the schooner into the water that very evening, and that we should find her masts, rigging, and sails all fitted for her. With activity, she could be ready to quit the island in a fortnight, at the farthest. A portion of our own provisions would be landed, as better suited to our habits than those which had been taken from la Pauline, while a portion of the last would be transferred to the Crisis, for the same reason, as applied to the French. As for water-casks, &c., they were all arranged; everything, of the sort having been taken from the wreck, with little or no difficulty, immediately after the loss of the s.h.i.+p. In a word, we should have little more to do, than to step the masts, rig our craft, stow her hold, and proceed at once to the nearest friendly port.

"I zink you shall go to Canton," added Monsieur Le Compte. "Ze distance shall not be much more than to Sout' America; and zere you shall find plenty of your _compatriotes_. Of course, you can sleep and go _chez vous_--vat you call 'home,' with _toute la facilite_. Oui--_cet arrangement est admirable._" So the arrangement might appear to him, though I confess to a decided 'preference to remaining in the "blind Crisis," as our men had got to call her, after her blundering through the Straits of Magellan. "_Allons!_" exclaimed the French captain, suddenly. "We are near ze tent of Mademoiselle--we shall go and demand how she carry herself _ce beau matin!_" On looking up, I saw two small tents within fifty yards of us. They were beautifully placed, in the midst of a thicker portion of the grove than usual, and near a spring of the most exquisitely limpid water I ever beheld. These tents were made of new canva.s.s, and had been fas.h.i.+oned with care and skill. I could see that the one we first approached was carpeted over, and that it had many of the appliances of a comfortable abode. Mons. Le Compte, who was really a good-looking fellow under forty, put on his most amiable appearance as he got near the canva.s.s-door; and he hemmed once or twice, as respectfully as he could, by way of letting his presence be known.

In an instant, a maid-servant came out to receive him. The moment I laid eyes on this woman, it struck me her face was familiar, though I could not recall the place, or time, where, or when, we had before met. The occurrence was so singular, that I was still ruminating on it, when I unexpectedly found myself standing in the tent, face to face with Emily Merton and her father! We recognised each other at a glance, and, to Mons. Le Compte's amazement, hearty greetings pa.s.sed between us, as old acquaintances. Old acquaintances, however, we could scarce be called; but, on an uninhabited island in the South Seas, one is glad to meet any face that he has ever met before. Emily looked less blooming than when we had parted, near a twelvemonth before, in London; but she was still pretty and pleasing. Both she and her father were in mourning, and, the mother not appearing, I at once guessed the truth. Mrs. Merton was an invalid when I knew her, though I had not antic.i.p.ated for her so speedy a death. I thought Captain Le Compte appeared vexed at my reception.

Still, he did not forget his good manners; and he rose, saying he would leave me with my friends to make mutual explanations, while he proceeded to overlook the duty of the day. On taking his leave, I was not pleased to see him approach and kiss Emily's hand. The act was done respectfully, and not entirely without grace; but there were a feeling and manner in it that could not well be mistaken. Emily blushed, as she wished him good morning, and turning to look at me, in spite of a kind of dog-in-the-manger sensation, I could not forbear smiling.

"Never, Mr. Wallingford, never!" Emily said, with emphasis, the instant her admirer was out of hearing. "We are at his mercy, and must keep terms with him; but I can never marry a _foreigner_."

"That is poor encouragement for Wallingford, my dear," said her father, laughing, "should he happen to take a fancy to you himself."

Emily looked confused, but, what, for the circ.u.mstances, was better still, she looked concerned.

"I am sure, dear sir," she answered, with a quickness I thought charming, "I am sure Mr. Wallingford will not suppose I meant anything so rude. Then, he is no importunate suitor of mine, like this disagreeable Frenchman, who always seems to me more like a Turkish master, than like one who really respects a woman. Besides--"

"Besides what, Miss Merton?" I ventured to ask, perceiving that she hesitated.

"Besides, Americans are hardly foreigners to _us_," added Emily, smiling; "for we have even American relatives, you know, father."

"Quite true, my dear, and came near being Americans ourselves. Had my father established himself where he married, as had been his first intention, such would have been our national character. But, Mons. Le Compte has given us a moment to tell our stories to each other, and I think it will not be a very long moment. Let one of us commence, if we wish the offices done without unpleasant listeners."

Emily urged me to begin, and I did not hesitate. My story was soon told.

Major Merton and his daughter understood all about the capture of the s.h.i.+p in the basin, though they were ignorant of the vessel's name. I had only to relate our voyage on the main, and the death of Captain Williams, therefore, to have my whole story told. I made it all the shorter, from an impatience to hear the circ.u.mstances which had thrown my friends into their present extraordinary position.

"It seems extraordinary enough, beyond doubt," Major Merton began, the moment I left him an opening by my closing remark, "but it is all very simple, when you commence at the right end of the sad story, and follow events in the order in which they occurred."

"When you left us in London, Wallingford, I supposed we were on the point of sailing for the West Indies, but a better appointment soon after offering in the East, my destination was changed to Bombay. It was important that I should reach my port at as early a day as possible; and, no regular Indiaman being ready, I took pa.s.sage in a licensed running vessel, a s.h.i.+p of no size, or force. Nothing occurred until we had got within three or four days' sail of our port, when we fell in with la Pauline, and were captured. At first, I think Captain Le Compte would have been willing to let me go on parole, but no opportunity offered, and we went with the s.h.i.+p to Manilla. While there, the melancholy loss happened, which, no doubt, you have comprehended from our mourning; and I was strongly in hopes of making some arrangements that would still enable me to save my situation. But, by this time, Monsieur Le Compte had become an open admirer of Emily, and I suppose it is hopeless to expect any liberation, so long as he can invent excuses to frustrate it."

"I trust he does not abuse his power, in any way, and annoy Miss Merton with importunities that are unpleasant to her."

Emily rewarded me for the warmth with which I spoke, with a sweet smile and a slight blush.

"Of that I cannot accuse him, in one sense at least," resumed Major Merton. "Mons. Le Compte does all for us that his sense of delicacy can suggest; and it was not possible for pa.s.sengers to be more comfortable, or retired, on board s.h.i.+p, than we were in the Pauline. That vessel had a p.o.o.p, and its cabin was given up entirely to our use. At Manilla, I was permitted to go at large, on a mere verbal a.s.surance of returning; and, in all other particulars, we have been treated as well as circ.u.mstances would very well allow. Nevertheless, Emily is too young to admire a suitor of forty, too English to admire a foreigner, and too well-born to accept one who is merely a merchant sailor--I mean one who is nothing, and has nothing, but what his s.h.i.+p makes him, or can give him."

I understood Major Merton's distinction; he saw a difference between the heir of Clawbonny, pursuing his adventures for the love of the sea, and a man who pursued the sea as an adventurer. It was not very delicately made, but it was pretty well, as coming from an European to an American; the latter being a.s.sumed _ex gratia_, to be a being of an inferior order, morally, politically, physically, socially and in every other sense, but the pecuniary. Thank Heaven! the American dollar is admitted, pennyweight for pennyweight, to a precedency immediately next to that of the metal dollar of Europe. It even goes before the paper _thaler_ of Prussia.

"I can readily imagine Miss Merton would look higher than Captain Le Compte, for various reasons," I answered, making a sort of acknowledgment for the distinction in my favour, by bowing involuntarily, "and I should hope that gentleman would cease to be importunate as soon as convinced he cannot succeed."

"You do not know a Frenchman, Mr. Wallingford," rejoined Emily. "He is the hardest creature on earth to persuade into the notion that he is not adorable."

"I can hardly believe that this weakness extends as far as the sailors,"

said I, laughing. "At all events, you will be released the instant you reach France."