CHAPTER XV
_A further account of the journey from Harwich to Helvoetsluys--Description of a number of marine objects never mentioned by anytraveller before--Rocks seen in this passage equal to the Alps inmagnitude; lobsters, crabs, &c., of an extraordinary magnitude--Awoman's life saved--The cause of her falling into the sea--Dr. Hawes'directions followed with success._
I omitted several very material parts in my father's journey across theEnglish Channel to Holland, which, that they may not be totally lostI will now faithfully give you in his own words, as I heard him relatethem to his friends several times.
"On my arrival," says my father, "at Helvoetsluys, I was observed tobreathe with some difficulty; upon the inhabitants inquiring into thecause, I informed them that the animal upon whose back I rode fromHarwich across to their shore did not swim! Such is their peculiar formand disposition, that they cannot float or move upon the surface of thewater; he ran with incredible swiftness upon the sands from the shore,driving fish in millions before him, many of which were quite differentfrom any I had yet seen, carrying their heads at the extremity of theirtails. I crossed," continued he, "one prodigious range of rocks,equal in height to the Alps (the tops or highest parts of these marinemountains are said to be upwards of one hundred fathoms below thesurface of the sea), on the sides of which there was a great variety oftall, noble trees, loaded with marine fruit, such as lobsters, crabs,oysters, scollops, mussels, cockles, &c. &c.; some of which were acart-load singly! and none less than a porter's! All those which arebrought on shore and sold in our markets are of an inferior dwarf kind,or, properly, waterfalls, _i.e._, fruit shook off the branches of thetree it grows upon by the motion of the water, as those in our gardensare by that of the wind! The lobster-trees appeared the richest, but thecrab and oysters were the tallest. The periwinkle is a kind of shrub;it grows at the foot of the oyster-tree, and twines round it as the ivydoes the oak. I observed the effect of several accidents by shipwreck,&c., particularly a ship that had been wrecked by striking againsta mountain or rock, the top of which lay within three fathoms of thesurface. As she sank she fell upon her side, and forced a very largelobster-tree out of its place. It was in the spring, when the lobsterswere very young, and many of them being separated by the violence ofthe shock, they fell upon a crab-tree which was growing below them; theyhave, like the farina of plants, united, and produced a fish resemblingboth. I endeavoured to bring one with me, but it was too cumbersome, andmy salt-water Pegasus seemed much displeased at every attempt to stophis career whilst I continued upon his back; besides, I was then, thoughgalloping over a mountain of rocks that lay about midway the passage,at least five hundred fathom below the surface of the sea, and beganto find the want of air inconvenient, therefore I had no inclination toprolong the time. Add to this, my situation was in other respects veryunpleasant; I met many large fish, who were, if I could judge by theiropen mouths, not only able, but really wished to devour us; now, as myRosinante was blind, I had these hungry gentlemen's attempts to guardagainst, in addition to my other difficulties.
"As we drew near the Dutch shore, and the body of water over our headsdid not exceed twenty fathoms, I thought I saw a human figure in afemale dress then lying on the sand before me with some signs of life;when I came close I perceived her hand move: I took it into mine, andbrought her on shore as a corpse. An apothecary, who had just beeninstructed by Dr. Hawes [the Baron's father must have lived very latelyif Dr. Hawes was his preceptor], of London, treated her properly, andshe recovered. She was the rib of a man who commanded a vessel belongingto Helvoetsluys. He was just going out of port on a voyage, when she,hearing he had got a mistress with him, followed him in an open boat.As soon as she had got on the quarter-deck she flew at her husband, andattempted to strike him with such impetuosity, that he thought it mostprudent to slip on one side, and let her make the impression of herfingers upon the waves rather than his face: he was not much out in hisideas of the consequence; for meeting no opposition, she went directlyoverboard, and it was my unfortunate lot to lay the foundation forbringing this happy pair together again.
"I can easily conceive what execrations the husband loaded me with when,on his return, he found this gentle creature waiting his arrival, andlearned the means by which she came into the world again. However, greatas the injury is which I have done this poor devil, I hope he will diein charity with me, as my motive was good, though the consequences tohim are, it must be confessed, horrible."