CHAPTER XXX.
"A chieftain to the Highlands bound Cries, 'Boatman, do not tarry! And I'll give thee a silver pound, To row us o'er the ferry.'" _Lord Ullin's Daughter_.
The sky had been without a cloud during the day, the gale having beendry and piercing, and thousands of stars were now shining through achill atmosphere. As the eye, therefore, became accustomed to the changeof light, it obtained a more distinct view of surrounding objects. Atthe head of the line that was stretched along the narrow pathway marcheda platoon of the marines, who maintained the regular and steady front oftrained warriors. They were followed at some little distance by alarge and confused body of seamen, heavily armed, whose dispositionto disorder and rude merriment, which became more violent from theirtreading on solid ground, was with difficulty restrained by the presenceand severe rebukes of their own officers. In the centre of this confusedmass the whole of the common prisoners were placed, but were nototherwise attended to by their nautical guard than as they furnished thesubjects of fun and numberless quaint jokes. At some distance intheir rear marched Colonel Howard and Borroughcliffe, arm in arm, bothmaintaining the most rigid and dignified silence, though under theinfluence of very bitter feelings. Behind these again, and pressing asnigh as possible to her uncle, was Miss Howard, leaning on the armof Alice Dunscombe, and surrounded by the female domestics of theestablishment of St. Ruth. Katherine Plowden moved lightly, by herself,in the shadow of this group, with elastic steps but with a maidencoyness that taught her to veil her satisfaction with the semblance ofcaptivity. Barnstable watched her movements with delight, within sixfeet of her, but submitted to the air of caprice in his mistress, whichseemed to require that he should come no nearer. Griffith, avoiding thedirect line of the party, walked on its skirts in such a situationthat his eye could command its whole extent, in order, if necessary, todirect the movements. Another body of the marines marched at the closeof the procession, and Manual, in person, brought up the rear. The musichad ceased by command, and nothing was now audible but the regulartread of the soldiers, with the sighs of the dying gale, interruptedoccasionally by the voice of an officer, or the hum of low dialogue.
"This has been a Scotch prize that we've taken," muttered a surly oldseaman; "a ship without head-money or cargo! There was kitchen-timberenough in the old jug of a place to have given an outfit in crockery andknee-buckles to every lad in the ship; but, no! let a man's mouth waterever so much for food and raiment, damme, if the officers would give himleave to steal even so good a thing as a spare Bible."
"You may say all that, and then make but a short yarn of the truth,"returned the messmate who walked by his side: "if there had been sucha thing as a ready-made prayer handy, they would have choused a poorfellow out of the use of it.--I say, Ben, I'll tell ye what; it's myopinion that if a chap is to turn soldier and carry a musket, he shouldhave soldier's play, and leave to plunder a little--now the devil athing have I laid my hands on to-night, except this firelock and mycutlash--unless you can call this bit of a table-cloth something of awindfall."
"Ay! you have fallen in there with a fresh bolt of duck, I see!" saidthe other, in manifest admiration of the texture of his companion'sprize--"why, it would spread as broad a clew as our mizzen-royal, if itwas loosened! Well, your luck hasn't been every man's luck--for my part,I think this here hat was made for some fellow's great toe: I've riggedit on my head both fore and aft, and athwart-ships; but curse theinch can I drive it down--I say, Sam! you'll give us a shirt off thattable-cloth?"
"Ay, ay, you can have one corner of it; or for that matter, ye can takethe full half, Nick; but I don't see that we go off to the ship anyricher than we landed, unless you may muster she-cattle among yourprize-money."
"No richer!" interrupted a waggish young sailor, who had been hithertoa silent listener to the conversation between his older and morecalculating shipmates; "I think we are set up for a cruise in them seaswhere the day watches last six months; don't you see we have caught adouble allowance of midnight!"
While speaking, he laid his hands on the bare and woolly heads ofColonel Howard's two black slaves, who were moving near him, bothoccupied in mournful forebodings on the results that were to flowfrom this unexpected loss of their liberty. "Slew your faces this way,gentlemen," he added; "there; don't you think that a sight to put outthe binnacle lamps? there's darkness visible for ye!"
"Let the niggers alone," grumbled one of the more aged speakers; "whatare ye skylarking with the like of them for? The next thing they'll singout, and then you'll hear one of the officers in your wake. For my part,Nick, I can't see why it is that we keep dodging along shore here,with less than ten fathoms under us, when, by stretching into the broadAtlantic, we might fall in with a Jamaicaman every day or two, and havesugar hogsheads and rum puncheons as plenty aboard us as hard fare isnow."
"It is all owing to that Pilot," returned the other; "for, d'ye see,if there was no bottom, there would be no pilots. This is dangerouscruising-ground, where we stretch into five fathoms, and then drop ourlead on a sand-pit or a rock! Besides, they make night-work of it, too!If we had daylight for fourteen hours instead of seven, a man mighttrust to feeling his way for the other ten."
"Now, a'n't ye a couple of old horse-marines!" again interrupted theyoung sailor; "don't you see that Congress wants us to cut up JohnnyBull's coasters, and that old Blow-Hard has found the days too short forhis business, and so he has landed a party to get hold of night. Herewe have him! and when we get off to the ship, we shall put him underhatches, and then you'll see the face of the sun again! Come, my lilies!let these two gentlemen look into your cabin windows--what? you won't!Then I must squeeze your woolen nightcaps for ye!"
The negroes, who had been submitting to his humors with the abjecthumility of slavery, now gave certain low intimations that they weresuffering pain, under the rough manipulation of their tormentor.
"What's that!" cried a stern voice, whose boyish tones seemed to mockthe air of authority that was assumed by the speaker--"who's that, Isay, raising that cry among ye?"
The willful young man slowly removed his two hands from the woolly pollsof the slaves, but as he suffered them to fall reluctantly along theirsable temples, he gave the ear of one of the blacks a tweak that causedhim to give vent to another cry, that was uttered with a much greaterconfidence of sympathy than before.
"Do ye hear there!" repeated Merry--"who's skylarking with thosenegroes?"
"'Tis no one, sir," the sailor answered with affected gravity; "one ofthe palefaces has hit his shin against a cobweb, and it has made hisearache!"
"Harkye, you Mr. Jack Joker! how came you in the midst of theprisoners?--Did not I order you to handle your pike, sir, and to keep inthe outer line?"
"Ay, ay, sir, you did; and I obeyed orders as long as I could; but theseniggers have made the night so dark that I lost my way!"
A low laugh passed through the confused crowd of seamen; and even themidshipman might have been indulging himself in a similar manner at thisspecimen of quaint humor from the fellow, who was one of those licensedmen that are to be found in every ship. At length:
"Well, sir," he said, "you have found out your false reckoning now; soget you back to the place where I bid you stay."
"Ay, ay, sir, I'm going. By all the blunders in the purser's book, Mr.Merry, but that cobweb has made one of these niggers shed tears! Do letme stay to catch a little ink, sir, to write a letter with to my poorold mother-devil the line has she had from me since we sailed from theChesapeake!"
"If ye don't mind me at once, Mr. Jack Joker, I'll lay my cutlass overyour head," returned Merry, his voice now betraying a much greatersympathy in the sufferings of that abject race, who are still in somemeasure, but who formerly were much more, the butts of the unthinkingand licentious among our low countrymen; "then ye can write your letterin red ink if ye will!"
"I wouldn't do it for the world," said Joker, sneaking away towards hisproper station--"the old lady wouldn't forget the hand, and swea
r it wasa forgery--I wonder, though, if the breakers on the coast of Guinea beblack! as I've heard old seamen say who have cruised in them latitudes."
His idle levity was suddenly interrupted by a voice that spoke above thelow hum of the march, with an air of authority, and a severity of tone,that could always quell, by a single word, the most violent ebullitionof merriment in the crew.
The low buzzing sounds of "Ay, there goes Mr. Griffith!" and of"Jack has woke up the first lieutenant, he had better now go to sleephimself," were heard passing among the men. But these suppressedcommunications soon ceased, and even Jack Joker himself pursued his waywith diligence on the skirts of the party, as mutely as if the power ofspeech did not belong to his organization.
The reader has too often accompanied us over the ground between theabbey and the ocean, to require any description of the route pursued bythe seamen during the preceding characteristic dialogue; and we shall atonce pass to the incidents which occurred on the arrival of the partyat the cliffs. As the man who had so unexpectedly assumed a momentaryauthority within St. Ruth had unaccountably disappeared from among them,Griffith continued to exercise the right of command, without referringto any other for consultation. He never addressed himself to Barnstable,and it was apparent that both the haughty young men felt that the tiewhich had hitherto united them in such close intimacy was, for thepresent at least, entirely severed. Indeed, Griffith was only restrainedby the presence of Cecilia and Katherine from arresting his refractoryinferior on the spot; and Barnstable, who felt all the consciousness oferror, without its proper humility, with difficulty so far repressed hisfeelings as to forbear exhibiting in the presence of his mistress such amanifestation of his spirit as his wounded vanity induced him to imaginewas necessary to his honor. The two, however, acted in harmony on onesubject, though it was without concert or communication. The firstobject with both the young men was to secure the embarkation of the faircousins; and Barnstable proceeded instantly to the boats, in order tohasten the preparations that were necessary before they could receivethese unexpected captives: the descent of the Pilot having been made insuch force as to require the use of all the frigate's boats, which wereleft riding in the outer edge of the surf, awaiting the return of theexpedition. A loud call from Barnstable gave notice to the officer incommand, and in a few moments the beach was crowded with the busy andactive crews of the "cutters," "launches," "barges," "jolly-boats,""pinnaces," or by whatever names the custom of the times attached tothe different attendants of vessels of war. Had the fears of the ladiesthemselves been consulted, the frigate's launch would have been selectedfor their use, on account of its size; but Barnstable, who would havethought such a choice on his part humiliating to his guests, ordered thelong, low barge of Captain Munson to be drawn upon the sand, it beingpeculiarly the boat of honor. The hands of fifty men were applied to thetask, and it was soon announced to Colonel Howard and his wards that thelittle vessel was ready for their reception. Manual had halted on thesummit of the cliffs with the whole body of the marines, where hewas busily employed in posting pickets and sentinels, and giving thenecessary instructions to his men to cover the embarkation of theseamen, in a style that he conceived to be altogether military. The massof the common prisoners, including the inferior domestics of the abbey,and the men of Borroughcliffe, were also held in the same place, undera suitable guard: but Colonel Howard and his companion, attended by theladies and their own maids, had descended the rugged path to the beach,and were standing passively on the sands, when the intelligence that theboat waited for them was announced.
"Where is he?" asked Alice Dunscombe, turning her head, as if anxiouslysearching for some other than those around her.
"Where is who?" inquired Barnstable; "we are all here, and the boatwaits."
"And will he tear me--even me, from the home of my infancy! the land ofmy birth and my affections!"
"I know not of whom you speak, madam, but if it be of Mr. Griffith, hestands there, just without that cluster of seamen."
Griffith, hearing himself thus named, approached the ladies, and, forthe first time since leaving the abbey, addressed them: "I hope I amalready understood," he said, "and that it is unnecessary for me to saythat no female here is a prisoner; though, should any choose to trustthemselves on board our ship, I pledge them to the honor of an officerthat they shall find themselves protected, and safe."
"Then will I not go," said Alice.
"It is not expected of you," said Cecilia; "you have no ties to bindyou to any here." (The eyes of Alice were still wandering over thelisteners.) "Go, then, Miss Alice, and be the mistress of St. Ruth,until my return; or," she added, timidly, "until Colonel Howard maydeclare his pleasure."
"I obey you, dear child; but the agent of Colonel Howard, at B----, willundoubtedly, be authorized to take charge of his effects."
While no one but his niece alluded to his will, the master of theabbey had found, in his resentment, a sufficient apology for his rigiddemeanor; but he was far too well bred to bear, in silence, such amodest appeal to his wishes, from so fair and so loyal a subject asAlice Dunscombe.
"To relieve you, madam, and for no other reason, will I speak on thissubject," he said; "otherwise, I should leave the doors and windows ofSt. Ruth open, as a melancholy monument of rebellion, and seek my futurecompensation from the Crown, when the confiscated estates of the leadersof this accursed innovation on the rights of princes shall come to thehammer. But you, Miss Alice, are entitled to every consideration that alady can expect from a gentleman. Be pleased, therefore, to write to myagent, and request him to seal up my papers, and transmit them to theoffice of his majesty's Secretary of State. They breathe no treason,madam, and are entitled to official protection. The house, and most ofthe furniture, as you know, are the property of my landlord, who, in duetime, will doubtless take charge of his own interest. I kiss your hand,Miss Alice, and I hope we shall yet meet at St. James's--depend on it,madam, that the royal Charlotte shall yet honor your merits; I know shecannot but estimate your loyalty."
"Here I was born, in humble obscurity--here I have lived, and here Ihope to die in quiet," returned the meek Alice; "if I have known anypleasure, in late years, beyond that which every Christian can findin our daily duties, it has been, my sweet friends, in your accidentalsociety.--Such companions, in this remote corner of the kingdom, hasbeen a boon too precious to be enjoyed without alloy, it seems; and Ihave now to exchange the past pleasure for present pain. Adieu! my youngfriend; let your trust be in Him, to whose eyes both prince and peasant,the European and the American, are alike, and we shall meet again,though it be neither in the island of Britain nor on your own widecontinent."
"That," said Colonel Howard, advancing, and taking her hand withkindness, "that is the only disloyal sentiment I have ever heard fallfrom the lips of Miss Alice Dunscombe! Is it to be supposed that Heavenhas established orders among men, and that it does not respect the worksof its own formation! But adieu; no doubt, if time was allowed us forsuitable explanations, we should find but little or no difference ofopinion on this subject."
Alice did not appear to consider the matter as worthy of furtherdiscussion at such a moment; for she gently returned the colonel'sleave-taking, and then gave her undivided attention to her femalefriends. Cecilia wept bitterly on the shoulder of her respectedcompanion, giving vent to her regret at parting, and her excitedfeelings, at the same moment; and Katherine pressed to the side ofAlice, with the kindliness prompted by her warm but truant heart, Theirembraces were given and received in silence, and each of the youngladies moved towards the boat, as she withdrew herself from the armsof Miss Dunscombe. Colonel Howard would not precede his wards, neitherwould he assist them into the barge. That attention they received fromBarnstable, who, after seeing the ladies and their attendants seated,turned to the gentlemen, and observed:
"The boat waits."
"Well, Miss Alice," said Borroughcliffe, in bitter irony, "you areentrusted by our excellent host with a message to his agent; wil
l youdo a similar service to me, and write a report to the commander of thedistrict, and just tell him what a dolt--ay, use the plainest terms, andsay what an ass one Captain Borroughcliffe has proved himself in thisaffair? You may throw in, by way of episode, that he has been playingbo-peep with a rebellious young lady from the Colonies, and, like agreat boy, has had his head broken for his pains! Come, my worthy host,or rather fellow-prisoner, I follow you, as in duty bound."
"Stay," cried Griffith; "Captain Borroughcliffe does not embark in thatboat."
"Ha! sir; am I to be herded with the common men? Forget you that I havethe honor to bear the commission of his Britannic Majesty, and that--"
"I forget nothing that a gentleman is bound to remember, CaptainBorroughcliffe; among other things, I recollect the liberality of yourtreatment to myself, when a prisoner. The instant the safety of mycommand will justify such a step, not only you, but your men, shall beset at liberty."
Borroughcliffe started in surprise, but his feelings were too muchsoured by the destruction of those visions of glory, in which he hadbeen luxuriously indulging for the last day or two, to admit of hisanswering as became a man. He swallowed his emotions, therefore, by aviolent effort, and walked along the beach, affecting to whistle a lowbut lively air.
"Well, then," cried Barnstable, "all our captives are seated. The boatwaits only for its officers!"
In his turn, Griffith walked away, in haughty silence, as if disdainingto hold communion with his former friend. Barnstable paused a moment,from a deference that long habit had created for his superior officer,and which was not to be shaken off by every burst of angry passion; butperceiving that the other had no intention to return, he ordered theseamen to raise the boat from the sand, and bear it bodily into thewater. The command was instantly obeyed; and, by the time the younglieutenant was in his seat, the barge was floating in the still heavythough no longer dangerous surf, and the crew sprang into their places.
"Bear her off, boys!" he cried; "never mind a wet jacket. I've seen manya worthy fellow tumbling on this beach in a worse time than this! Nowyou have her head to sea; give way, my souls, give way."
The seamen rose simultaneously at their oars, and by an united effortobtained the command of their boat; which, after making a few suddenascents, and as many heavy pitches in the breakers, gained the smootherseas of the swelling ocean, and stemmed the waters in a direction forthe place where the Alacrity was supposed to be in waiting.