Afloat and Ashore Part 20

"Sooner too, I trust, Wallingford," resumed the father. "These Frenchmen can have it their own way, out here in the solitude of the Pacific; but, once in the Atlantic, I shall expect some British cruiser to pick us up, long ere we can reach France."

This was a reasonable expectation, and we conversed about it for some time. I shall not repeat all that pa.s.sed; but the reader can have no difficulty in understanding, that Major Merton and myself communicated to each other every fact that was likely to be of interest to men in our situation. When I thought it prudent to take my leave, he walked some distance with me, holding his way to a point on the outer side of the island, where I could get a view of the wreck. Here he left me, for the moment, while I proceeded along the beach, ruminating on all that had pa.s.sed.

The process by which nature uses her materials to found islands in the midst of oceans like the Pacific, is a curious study. The insect that forms the coral rock, must be an industrious little creature, as there is reason to think that some of the reefs that have become known to navigators within the last sixty or seventy years, have since been converted into islands bearing trees, by their labours. Should the work go on, a part of this vast sea will yet be converted into a continent; and, who knows but a railroad may yet run across that portion of our globe, connecting America with the old world? I see that Captain Beechy, in his voyage, speaks of a wreck that occurred in 1792, on a _reef_, where, in 1826, he found an island near three leagues long, bearing tall trees. It would be a curious calculation to ascertain, if one family of insects can make an island three leagues long, in thirty-four years, how many families it would take to make the grading of the railroad I have mentioned. Ten years since, I would not have ventured a hint of this nature, for it might have set speculation in motion, and been the instrument of robbing more widows and orphans of their straitened means; but, Heaven be praised! we have at length reached a period in the history of the country, when a man may venture on a speculation in the theory of geography without incurring the risk of giving birth to some wild--if not unprincipled--speculation in dollars and cents.

As I drew near the outer sh.o.r.e of the island, opposite to the wreck, I came unexpectedly on Marble. The poor fellow was seated on a raised projection of coral rock, with his arms folded, and, was in so thorough a brown study, that he did not even hear my footsteps in approaching, though I purposely trod heavily, in order to catch his ear. Unwilling to disturb him, I stood gazing at the wreck myself, for some little time, the place affording a much better view of it than any other point from which it had met my eye. The French had made far greater inroads upon their vessel, than the elements. She had struck to leeward of the island, and lay in a spot where, indeed, it might take years to break her entirely up, in that placid sea. Most of her upper works, however, were gone; and I subsequently discovered that her own carpenters had managed to get out even a portion of her floor-timbers, leaving the fabric bound together by those they left. Her lower masts were standing, but even her lower yards had been worked up, in order to make something useful for the schooner. The beach, at no great distance, was still strewed with objects brought from the reef, and which it had not yet been found necessary to use.

At length a movement of mine attracted Marble's attention, and he turned his head towards me. He seemed glad I had joined him, and expressed himself happy, also, that he saw me alone.

"I have been generalizing a little on our condition, Miles," he said, "and look at it which end forward I may, I find it bad enough; almost enough to overcome me. I loved that s.h.i.+p, Mr. Wallingford, as much as some folks love their parents--of wife or children, I never had any--and the thought that she has fallen into the hands of a Frenchman, is too much for my natur'. Had it been Smudge, I could have borne up against it; but, to haul down one's colours to a wrack, and a b.l.o.o.d.y French wrack, too, it is superhuman!"

"You must remember all the circ.u.mstances, Captain Marble, and you will find consolation. The s.h.i.+p was surprised, as we surprised the Lady of Nantes."

"That's just it--put that on a general principle, now, and where are you? Surprisers mustn't be surprised. Had we set a quarter-watch, sir, it never could have happened; and nothing less than a quarter-watch should have been set in a strange haven. What mattered it, that it was an uninhabited island, and that the s.h.i.+p was land-locked and well-moored, and the holding-ground was capital? It is all of no account when you come to look at the affair in the way of duty. Why, old Robbins, with his rivers in the ocean, would never have been caught in this miserable manner."

Then Marble fairly gave in, placed his two hard hands on his face, and I could see tears trickling from beneath them, as if water were squeezed from a stone.

"The chances of the sea, Captain Marble," I said, greatly shocked at such an exhibition, coming from such a quarter--"the chances of the sea are sometimes too much for the best sailors. We should look at this loss, as we look at the losses occasioned by a gale--then there is some hope left, after all."

"I should like to know what--to me, there is no land ahead."

"Surprisers may not only be surprised, but they may carry on their old trade again, and surprise once more, in their turn."

"What do you mean by that, Miles," said Marble, looking up eagerly, and speaking as quick as lightning; "are you generalizing, or have you any particular project in view?"

"Both, Sir. Generalizing, so far as taking the chances of war are concerned, and particularizing, as to a certain notion that has come into my head."

"Out with the last, Miles--out with it, boy; the Lord made you for something uncommon."

"First, let me know, Captain Marble, whether you have had any further conversation with Monsieur Le Compte? whether he has said any more on the subject of our future proceedings?"

"I just left the grinning rascal--these amiable smiles of his, Miles, are only so many grins thrown into our faces to let us feel his good luck; but, d--n him, if I ever get home, I'll fit out a privateer and be after him, if there's a fast-going schooner to be had in all America for love or money. I think I'd turn pirate, to catch the villain!"

Alas! poor Marble. Little would he, who never got higher than a mate, unless by accident, be likely to persuade your cautious s.h.i.+p-owners to intrust him with a vessel of any sort, to go tilting against wind-mills afloat, in that fas.h.i.+on.

"But, why go to America for a schooner, Captain Marble, when the French are polite enough to give us one here, exactly where we are?"

"I begin to understand you, boy. There is a little consolation in the idee, but this Frenchman has already got my commission, and without the doc.u.ment we should be no better than so many pirates."

"I doubt that, sir, even were a s.h.i.+p to act generally, provided she actually sailed with a commission, and lost it by accident. Commissions are all registered, and proof of our character could be found at home."

"Ay, for the Crisis, but not for this 'Pretty Polly'"--for so Marble translated Pet.i.te Pauline--"The commission is only good for the vessel that is named in it."

"I don't know that, Captain Marble. Suppose our s.h.i.+p had been sunk in an action in which we took our enemy, could we not continue our voyage in the prize, and fight anything that came in our way, afterwards?"

"By George, that does look reasonable. Here was I just threatening to go out as a pirate, yet hesitating about taking my own."

"Do not the crews of captured vessels often rise upon their captors, and recapture their own vessels? and were any of them ever called pirates?

Besides, nations at war authorise almost every sort of hostile act against their enemies."

"Miles, I have been mistaken--you _are_ a good seaman, but natur' meant you for a lawyer! Give me your hand, boy; I see a gleam of hope ahead, and a man can live on less hope than food."

Marble then told me the substance of the conversation he had held with Captain Le Compte. The latter had expressed a sudden and violent impatience to be off--I understood the cause in a moment; he wished to separate Emily from her old acquaintance, as soon as possible--intending to put the schooner into the water for us, that very afternoon, and to sail himself in the morning. This was a sudden resolution, and the French were moving heaven and earth to carry it into effect. I confess to some little regret at hearing it, for it was pleasant to meet the Mertons in that unexpected manner, and the influence of woman in such a solitude is unusually great. I now told Marble of my discovery, and when he had got through with his expressions of wonder, I carried him to the tents, and led him into the presence of his old acquaintances. In consequence of this visit, I enjoyed another half hour's _tete a tete_ with Emily, Marble soon taking the Major to walk with him, beneath the trees.

We were both recalled to a sense of our real situation, by the reappearance of Monsieur Le Compte. I cannot say that our conqueror behaved in the least unhandsomely towards us, notwithstanding his evident jealousy. He had the tact to conceal most of his feelings, and owing either to liberality or to art, he a.s.sumed an air of generous confidence, that would be much more likely to touch the feelings of the maid he sought, than any acts of severity. First asking permission of Miss Merton, he even invited us, and himself, to dine with the Major, and, on the whole, we had an agreeable entertainment. We had turtle and champaigne, and both of a quality that was then out of the reach of all the aldermen of London or New York; begging pardon of the Sir Peters and Sir Johns of Guildhall, for putting them, in any sense, on a level with the "gentleman from the Fourth Ward" or "the gentleman from the Eleventh Ward;" though, if the truth must be told, the last very often eat the best dinners, and drink, out of all comparison, the best wines. Who pays, is a fact buried in the arcana of aldermanic legerdemain. It was late before we left the table, though Monsieur Le Compte quitted us early.

At five o'clock precisely we were summoned to witness the launch.

Champaigne and claret had brought Marble into good humour, nor was I at all out of spirits, myself. Emily put on her hat, and took her parasol, just as she would have done at home, and accepting my arm, she walked to the s.h.i.+p-yard, like all the rest of us. Getting her a good place for the sight, I accompanied Marble to take a look at the "Pretty Poll," which had not as yet attracted as much of our attention as she ought. I had suggested to him the probability of an occasion offering to rise upon the Frenchman, while their attention was taken up with the schooner; but Monsieur Le Compte warily kept quite half his men in the s.h.i.+p, and this put the attempt out of the question, since the guns of the Crisis would have swept any part of the island.

The French mechanics deserved great credit for the skill they had manifested in the construction of _La Pet.i.te Pauline._ She was not only a safe and commodious craft for her size, but, what was of great importance to us, her lines promised that she would turn out to be a fast sailer. I afterwards ascertained that Captain Le Compte had been her draftsman, possessing not only much taste for, but a good deal of practice in, the art. The s.h.i.+p in which the Merton's had taken pa.s.sage to Bombay, had the copper for a teak-built frigate and sloop of war in her, and this had been transferred, among; other articles, to la Pauline, before the prize was burned. Availing himself of this circ.u.mstance, Monsieur Le Compte had actually coppered his schooner, and otherwise he had made her as neat and commodious as possible. I make no doubt he intended to surprise his friends at Ma.r.s.eilles, by showing what clever mariners, wrecked on an island of the Pacific, could do, on an emergency. Then, doubtless, he found it pleasant to linger on this island, eating fresh cocoa-nuts, with delicious turtle, and making love to Emily Merton. Some of the charms of "Pretty Poll" were fairly to be attributed to the charms of the young lady.

The men began to wedge up, the moment we were all present, and this portion of the labour was _soon_ completed. Monsieur Le Compte then took his station in the head of the schooner. Making a profound bow to Emily, as if to ask her permission, the signal was given; the spur-sh.o.r.es were knocked away, and the little craft slid off into the water so easily, making so little ripple as she shot a hundred fathoms into the bay, as to give the a.s.surance she would prove a fast vessel. Just as she was water-borne, Le Compte dashed a bottle against the tiller, and shouted, at the top of his voice, "_succes a la Belle Emelie._"

I turned to Emily, and saw by the blush that she understood French, while the manner in which she pouted her pretty plump lip betrayed the humour in which the compliment had been received.

In a few minutes, Captain Le Compte landed, and, in a set speech, he gave up the schooner to our possession. We were told not to consider ourselves as prisoners, our captain handsomely admitting that he had gained no laurels by his victory.

"We shall go away good friend," he concluded, "mais, suppose we shall meet, and _nos dux republique_ shall not be at peace, then each must fight for _son pavillion!_"

This was a good concluding sentiment, for such a scene. Immediately after the Mertons and their domestics, of whom there were a man and a woman, embarked, I took leave of them on the beach, and, either my observation, or my vanity, induced me to think Emily got into the boat with reluctance. Many good wishes were exchanged, and the Major called out to us, "we shall meet again, gentlemen--there has been a Providence in our previous intercourse. Adieu, until _then_."

The French were now in a great bustle. Most of the articles they intended to carry away were already on board the s.h.i.+p; and, by the time it was dusk, they had closed their communication with the land. When Captain Le Compte took his leave of us, I could not but thank him for his many civilities. He had certainly dealt generously by us, though I still think his sudden departure, which made us fall heirs to many things we otherwise might not have so done, was owing to his wish to remove Emily Merton, as quickly as possible, from my sight.

At daylight next morning, Neb came to the officers' tents to say, the s.h.i.+p was getting her anchors. I was up and dressed in a moment. The distance to the inlet was about a mile, and I reached it, just as the Crisis was cast. In a few minutes she came sweeping into the narrow pa.s.s, under her topsails, and I saw Emily and her father, leaning over the hammock-cloths of the quarter-deck. The beautiful girl was so near, that I could read the expression of her soft eyes, and I fancied they were filled with gentle concern. The Major called out, "G.o.d bless you, dear Wallingford"--then the s.h.i.+p swept past, and was soon in the outer bay. Half an hour later, or before I left the spot, she was at sea, under everything that would draw from her trunks down.

CHAPTER XVII.

"I better brook the loss of brittle life, Than those proud t.i.tles thou hast won of me; They wound my thoughts, worse than thy sword my flesh."

SHAKESPEARE

Half-way between this inlet and the s.h.i.+p-yard, I found Marble, standing with his arms folded, gazing after the receding s.h.i.+p. His countenance was no longer saddened; but it was fierce. He shook his hand menacingly at the French ensign, which was flying at our old gaff, and said--

"Ay, d----n you, flutter away; you quiver and shake now like one of your c.o.xcombs pigeon-winging; but where will you be this day two months?

Miles, no man but a b.l.o.o.d.y Frenchman would cast away a s.h.i.+p, there where this Mister Count has left the bones of his vessel; though _here_, where we came so nigh going, it's a miracle any man could escape. Hadn't we brought the Crisis through that opening first, he never would have dared to go out by it."

I confess I saw little about Monsieur Le Compte's management but skill and good seamans.h.i.+p; but nothing is more painful to most men than to admit the merit of those who have obtained an advantage over them.

Marble could not forget his own defeat; and the recollection jaundiced his eyes, and bia.s.sed his judgment.

"I see our people are busy, already, sir," I remarked, by way of drawing the captain's attention to some other subject. "They have hauled the schooner up to the yard, and seem to be getting along spars for sh.o.r.es."

"Ay, ay--Talcott has his orders; and I expect you will bestir yourself.

I shall step the masts myself, and you will get all the rigging ready to be put into its place, the moment it is possible. That Frenchman calculated, he told me to my face, that we might get to sea in a fortnight; I will let him see that a set of Yankees can rig and stow his b.l.o.o.d.y schooner, in three days, and then leave themselves time to play."

Marble was not a man of idle vaunts. He soon had everybody at work, with a system, order, silence, and activity, that proved he was master of his profession. Nor was the language which might sound so boastful to foreign ears, altogether without its justification. Forty Americans were a formidable force; and, well directed, I make no doubt they would accomplish far more than the ordinary run of French seamen, as they were governed and managed in the year 1800, and, counting them man for man, would have accomplished in double the time. Our crew had now long acted together, and frequently under the most trying circ.u.mstances; and they showed their training, if men ever did, on the present occasion.