CHAPTER XVI.
"O, MASSA, BUCKRA CALKER!"
The vessel was now nearly loaded. The boys began to consult with thecrew in regard to getting Peterson out of the prison, and aboard thevessel. As there were quite a number of watchmen to pass besidesJean, and who were rather more wakeful than that worthy, Dick advisedgetting them drunk. Sewall favored that plan. Neptune, on the otherhand, proposed taking the watchmen with them. He said every one of themwould go in a minute for the sake of getting their liberty. But neitherWalter nor Ned approved of either of these ways.
"I don't believe in getting persons drunk," said Walter; "nor do I wantto steal his negroes."
"Didn't he steal 'em?" said Dick.
"No; he bought 'em."
"Wal," said Sewall, "he bought 'em of those that did steal 'em; andthe receiver is as bad as the thief."
"Well, I won't do that," was the reply.
In a few days there would be a double-cross holiday, when the negroeswould be frolicking and dancing night and day. It was, therefore,resolved to make the attempt the night after the frolic, when thenegroes, being completely tired out, would be sure to sleep soundly ontheir posts.
Lemaire was notified of the time of sailing, and requested to furnish apilot to take the vessel out of the creek. Meanwhile, Sewall Lancaster,under pretence of fishing, had sounded the passe, and made himselffamiliar with the channel; and the vessel was towed out some distancefrom the wharf, to a place where she was hidden from view by a sharpturn of the creek around a wooded point, and lay at a single anchor.
Walter sold the boat to Lemaire for one hundred and fifteen dollars andanother boat, that, for a vessel's use, was worth more than the one hesold, being longer, stronger, and more burdensome, though clumsy andhomely. Having ascertained when the vessel was going, the planter saidto his overseer,--
"The schooner is going two days after the holiday. They have made agreat deal of the servants, and perhaps may take off some of them, orsome may stow themselves away. You must keep a good watch the lastnight they are here."
"The watchmen," said the overseer, "will all be sleepy after theholiday. I will keep watch with my son. They might take some fowl orpigs, if nothing else. They've got an old sailor on board that wouldsteal a man's boots off his feet while he slept."
This arrangement would have interfered most seriously with the designsof the boys, as it was their intention to sail the night before theappointed time, and would probably have frustrated the entire plan.But, the day before the holiday, a planter from Sans-Souci rode over toVauclin. He had seen the frames, and wanted to make arrangements withWalter to bring him some of the same dimensions, and also frames for ahouse, sugar mill, and out-buildings, inviting Walter so cordially tocome over to his plantation the next morning, offering to send a horseand servant for him, that he consented. The next morning a servant cameon horseback, and leading another horse for Walter, who told the crewthat he should be back in the evening to start. Walter dearly lovedto ride on horseback. Edmund Griffin, his father, owned a vast dealof land, and raised a great many colts. The travelling in those days,in that portion of the country where Walter was reared, being almostexclusively on horseback, he had been early accustomed to horses. Manya spanking gallop he had enjoyed, riding a half-broken colt to pasture,bareback, without shoes or stockings, and clinging with his great toesto the animal's sides, with no better bridle than a rope halter, and ahalf hitch over the colt's nose.
With a splendid, well-bitted horse under him, riding through wild andbeautiful scenery, and amid a vegetation entirely new, he enjoyed themost exquisite pleasure. Uneasy and perplexing thoughts would haveflung their sombre shadow over those pleasant scenes, and marred alltheir beauty, had Walter been aware that the overseer and his son, bothstrong, resolute men, armed to the teeth, were intending to share thewatch that night, and rouse any sleeping darkies by blows on the skullfrom the butt of a pistol.
In blissful ignorance of impending danger, he surrendered himselfto the pleasures of the hour, and enjoyed a most delightful ride,succeeded by a day of equal enjoyment at the hospitable mansion of theplanter.
Deliverance came, however, from a quarter whence it was least to beexpected, and thus the circumstance which threatened to render theeffort abortive, and involved a desperate conflict, proved the verymeans of its success.
Old Nep had been invited by the negroes to share in the amusementsof the holiday, and, arrayed in white pants, waistcoat, and jacket,proceeded to the great house to pay his respects to the ladies in thekitchen. When he arrived old Phil was engaged in a wordy contest withJuan Baptiste. It seems Phil had been whipped at last, for the loss ofso many turkeys and pigs, and Juan had been twitting him of it.
"You Guinea nigga youself," retorted Phil. "Nobody sleep more'nyouself. Oberseer and Massa Peter gwine to hold watch to-night. You setdown on de log, go sleep, see what you git youself; yah, yah."
"How you know dat?"
"Dinah hear massa say so--tell oberseer, kase Yankee vessel gwineaway."
Nep, in great alarm, hastened back with the tidings, upon whichDick Cameron instantly goes up to the house, pulls off his hat, andtells Lemaire that the captain has gone to Sans-Souci, to be gone hedidn't know how many days, and the vessel wouldn't sail the next day;therefore there was no need of the negro pilot.
After Dick had gone, Lemaire sent for the overseer,--who was a Spaniardnamed Juan Romero,--and said to him,--
"The vessel is not going the day set. The captain's gone to Sans-Souci.I'm sorry, for I want the calker to go to work on the new droger. It'sno use to set those stupid creatures to work on new work without him;neither do I understand it. These Yankees make the most of their time,and he seems as sharp as any of them. However, there it is; she won'tgo, and you need not watch."
"I can explain it," replied the overseer. "Monsieur Renault has beenhere, and wants to make a contract with him for timber. He has goneover to see about it, what kind of a place it is to get to, and thedepth of water, because, if he brings large timber, he will need abigger vessel, and, as I understand it, he's to bring, not onlytimber, but boards, shingles, nails, lattices, and all the materialsfor the buildings."
The next afternoon Renault sent Walter back to Vauclin by water,arriving at the vessel about eight o'clock.
It was very important for them to set out at the earliest moment, inorder to place the greatest possible distance between themselves andthe island before daybreak. So, at ten o'clock in the evening, theywent ashore, scattered themselves among the different sentinels, andfound nearly all of them asleep. During the whole of the holiday, andfor most of the night, they had been engaged in frolicking, drinking,and dancing fandango, had been kept at work during all the next day,and were now so utterly exhausted that they dropped asleep the momentthey sat down, and were so overcome with drowsiness as to stagger asthey walked.
Walter and Ned went to the yard, where they found Juan fast asleep.Walter gave a light tap on the door of the lock-up, when it wasinstantly opened, and they entered. Peterson had drawn the staple.The black grasped the hands of his young deliverers, and sobbed forjoy. They left immediately, closing the door silently after them,and sought the beach, soon coming to a watchman fast asleep, withDick standing by, ready to throttle him if he stirred. They passed ontill they came to another, whom Lancaster was watching, in the samesituation. All were now safely passed but the last, whom they saw at adistance, pacing along the beach.
"I'll take care of him," said Ned.
As they must cross his beat directly to reach the boat, the others layflat upon the ground, while Ned went whistling along.
"Who dere?" cried the sentinel.
Ned, giving his name, walked directly up to him, and they entered intoconversation about the holiday. Ned, giving him a cigar, persuaded himto sit down on an old boat and smoke.
The poor darky had drawn but a few whiffs, when he began to nod; fornature was exhausted by the sports of the holiday, want of sleep, andsubsequent labor. He fell over upon
Ned, who was sitting beside him,and the cigar dropped from his lips. Ned put his arm round the negro,and gently laid him at full length upon the boat. In a few moments hewas sound asleep, and Ned ran to join his companions.
At the boat they found Neptune, who, having had his share of theholiday, was asleep on the thwarts.
Swiftly and silently they pulled for the schooner.
"O, you bressed ole craft," said Peterson, kissing the gunwale; "youole friend, you is; many the good time Peterson had in you."
It was now dead calm, and they were on board a loaded vessel. Theprospect was by no means encouraging, for they well knew that, when theabsence of Peterson and the departure of the schooner were discovered,a vengeful pursuit would take place.
Peterson, who had been many years a slave on this same island in hisyouth,--as many of our readers are aware,--and was well acquainted withthe peculiarities of the climate, encouraged his shipmates.
"Nebber fear, Massa Walter. If it be calm here under de land in denight, if we get out five, six miles, den we take trabe wind; seabreeze, he blow all de time; plenty wind; much you carry, too."
They hove up the anchor. There were two sweeps on board the schooner.Dick and Peterson manned one, Walter and Lancaster the other, whileNed and Nep took the boat and towed ahead. Matters soon began toassume a brighter complexion. Cameron and Peterson were men of vaststrength. Lancaster was also a very strong man, and Walter belonged toa family renowned for strength and endurance. They had, while lyingat the plantation, taken the precaution to clean the vessel's bottom,and, as they could procure no tallow there, gave her bottom a coat oftar and brimstone, which rendered it smooth, and added greatly to hersailing. They were also excited to the utmost by their previous goodfortune, dread of being overtaken, and losing their hard-earned prize.Not a word was spoken. No sound was heard but that of the oars, thedeep breathing of the rowers, as they exerted themselves to the utmost,and at times a slight patter, as the sweat dropping from nose and chinstruck the deck. But when they had cleared the pass, were in the opensea, no signs of daybreak, and the lessening shore assured them theywere making good progress, their efforts, though unremitting, becameless severe. In the course of another hour they had made such progressthat the long silence was broken by Peterson.
"Nebber fear, Massa Walter," he said; "keep you heart up; dey no ketchus dis time; we soon come to de wind; land air so hot he kill de windin shore. I tell you, you'se hab wind enough."
"Only give me wind," said Walter, "I'll risk their catching us."
"The wind has got to come off the water," said Dick; "if we've got nowind to flee, they've got none to follow; it's as broad as 'tis long."
"I take it, Peterson," said Lancaster, "that we are somewhat nearer tothe wind than it is from us to the land."
"Sartin; we not near so fur to go to git de sea-breeze as we hab come."
"What time in the morning," asked Walter, "did they bring yourbreakfast?"
"About eight o'clock."
"They won't know that you are gone till Peter comes to bring yourbreakfast. The vessel was hidden by the woods; except by mere chancesome one should happen to go up on the hill, or down the creek in aboat, she could not be seen."
The day now began to break, and by the increasing light they saw withthe glass the line of blue water ahead rolling before the wind, whilebetween them and it extended a space of calm surface as smooth asglass. A joyous shout burst from the weary, anxious crew at the sight.
"Come aboard, Mr. Gates," said the captain; "we'll tow no more."
Ned went to one of the sweeps, while Nep busied himself in preparingbreakfast. The line that separated the broken water from the calm wasnow quite near. Peterson, unable to contain himself longer, gave ventto his emotions in a favorite negro song, to which the rest contributeda rousing chorus.
"My name is Johnny Jump-roun', And ebery person knock down.
_Chorus._ Ho, ho, high-land-a, Roun' de corner Sally.
"My breast is made ob steel-plate, My arms dey made ob crow-bars.
_Chorus._ Ho, ho, &c.
"And if you don't beliebe me, I gib you leabe to try me.
_Chorus._ Ho, ho," &c.
Under this new impulse the vessel went through the water faster thanever before, when the song was interrupted by the order, "Make sail."
"Gib dis chile room, 'cordin to his streff," shouted Peterson, flingingthe great sweep on board with a jerk, as though it had been the oarof a yawl boat, and springing for the main throat-halyards. Nothingnow was heard but the creaking of pulley-blocks and the rattle of thejib-hanks, as sail after sail went rapidly aloft. The Perseverancehad now lost the headway given by the oars, and lay motionless uponthe glassy surface of the ocean, her canvas hanging in idle folds;but as the sun came up, the line of dark-blue water ahead came nearerand nearer, little dimples flecked the smooth surface, a light coolair fanned the cheeks of the expectant crew, the sails gave a slightflutter, then slap came a heavy puff, the sheets strained and surged,the lee rail was in the water; Lancaster sprang to the helm, and putit hard up; the gallant craft shot ahead, the sunbeams glancing on hersails, and the white foam flashing under her forefoot.
"Glory to God!" shouted Peterson.
"O, Wal, we've done it," cried Ned; and utterly oblivious of thedistinctions of office, which he had heretofore so carefully observed,flung his arms round Walter's neck.
"Shipmates," said Walter, as he returned the embrace, "I have been formore than two years trying to do my duty and pray to my Maker; butthough I have had courage for everything else, I have not had for that.Let us thank God for bringing us safely through."
Lancaster bent over the tiller, the rest, even to old Dick, knelt onthe deck, while in a few broken words Walter gave vent to his emotions,and expressed the common sentiment. Charlie Bell's words had bornefruit, but not by the light of the moon or beneath the stars in somelone midnight watch, but in the bright glow of the morning sunbeams. Inthe midst of his crew, while his brow was moistened with sweat, and hishand outstretched to deliver the oppressed, the blessing of Him whoseways are not our ways came.
Lemaire was at breakfast, when, with eyes starting from their sockets,Peter entered the dining-hall (followed by Juan, old Phil, and all thehouse servants), exclaiming, "O, massa, de buckra calker no dere; hegwine away."
"Gone!" cried Lemaire, leaping from his chair.
"Yes, massa. I go wid de breakfast, de door open, buckra man no dere."
The negroes gave Peterson the name of buckra calker to distinguish him,and on account of his superiority, although there was not a blackernegro on the estate.
Without another word Lemaire ran to a cupola on the house-top, whichcommanded a view of the sea. The schooner was nowhere to be seen; not asail was visible in the offing.
CHAPTER XVII.
DELIVERED.
Notwithstanding the Perseverance might bring a cargo that must bedischarged in Boston or Salem, it was considered a settled fact by allat home, that she would, when arriving on the coast, steer first forPleasant Cove, and Captain Rhines was expecting her daily. The interestfelt there in respect to her coming was not a little increased by thereturn of Ben (Peterson's oldest son) in the Casco.
Ben brought home considerable money, having been fortunate in a"venture." The first thing he did was to clothe his mother and thethree youngest boys, one eleven, one thirteen, and the oldest fifteen;the next, to clapboard the house which, Peterson having lately builtit, was still unfinished. While Ben's hands were busy driving thenails, his thoughts were on the stretch respecting the best place fromwhich to watch for the arrival of the Perseverance. He well knew therewas no place to compare, in that respect, with the big maple on theheights of Elm Island. To Elm Island he hurried (when he had driven thelast nail), and repaired the platform in the top of the tree and theladder leading to it, both having become somewhat decayed since theboy-days of John Rhines and Charlie Bell. He erected a signal staff ont
he point of the island, from which to display a white cloth to givenotice to the people on the main land when the vessel hove in sight.For the first few days he flattered himself that every vessel sightedwas the one so anxiously sought; but there were many fore-and-afters,at that season of the year, making their way to the Bay of Chaleur,Labrador, the Penobscot, or bound from the eastern ports and NovaScotia, to the westward. At last the poor boy, becoming quitediscouraged, said to Lion Ben at the supper table,--
"I believe I shall go home. If I was there I might be earningsomething. I am spending time to no purpose, and shall wear out mywelcome."
"Don't go, Ben," replied Sally; "we love to have you here."
"Don't go," said the Lion; "I'll hire you to hoe corn, and then youcan earn something, and watch for the vessel, too."
Two mornings after this conversation Ben was in the tree just as theday was breaking, in order that he might make his observations beforeit was time to go to hoeing. There were plenty of schooners, but noneof them _the schooner_. At length he espied one that seemed to besteering in a different direction from the rest.
Long and patiently he watched her progress.
"She is heading directly up the bay; a pink-stern I guess, and aboutthe right size. It ain't her, after all," he exclaimed; "this vessel isrigged different; and yet how much she looks like her!"
At this he caught sight of Lion Ben, who was turning the cows into thepasture.
"Mr. Rhines," he cried, "I wish you would come up here. A pink iscoming up the bay, steering straight for Uncle Isaac's Cove. She hasn'tvaried a pint this hour and a half. I could swear it was the schooner,only she's rigged differently."
"How is this one rigged?"
"She's got two jibs and two gaff-topsails."
"So has the Perseverance."
Peterson was not aware of the change that had been made in her rig, ithaving been done while he was at sea.
The moment Lion Ben put the glass to his eye he said, "It's her."
Old and young were now flocking to every place commanding a good viewof the water. Half way between Elm Island and the main was a whale-boatcontaining Ben Peterson, Lion Ben, and all his family, the Lion pullingtwo oars, and Peterson one. Doubts now began to be freely expressed bysome of the least sanguine, and indignantly scouted by others.
"That's the vessel, to be sure," said Joe Bradish, always a prophet ofill omen; "but no knowing as Peterson's in her. He might be dead whenthey got there, or that planter might have sold him to another planteron some other island, or they might not be able to get him."
"Just shut up your clam-shell--will you? You're always an off-ox,"said Joe Griffin, seeing poor Luce tremble and the tears rundownher cheeks,--as she stood holding the two youngest children by thehand,--at the words of Bradish. "She's deep-loaded; that, to my mind,shows for itself that they've sold their cargo and had good luck; don'tit captain?" turning to Captain Rhines.
"I think it does, Joseph. Cheer up, my girl," to Luce, "and hope forthe best."
But, to the disappointment of all, the wind, that had been moderatingfor some time, died away to a flat calm, the tide turned, and thevessel so anxiously expected was obliged to anchor.
"Neighbors," said Lion Ben, "what say you for towing her up?"
"That's the talk, Ben," said Joe Griffin.
"Boats and boys!" shouted Joel Ricker.
"Hurrah for a tow!" echoed the crowd.
Thanks to Charlie Bell, whale-boats were plenty enough now.
"Father," said Ben, "you shall be fleet commodore."
It was but a short time before twelve boats and fifty men were ready.Joe Bradish was getting into Joe Griffin's boat.
"You shan't go, you small concern," said Joe, and pitched him headforemost into the water.
"Jonah's overboard--we shall have good luck, now."
"I'll hoist the flag, neighbors," said the captain, as they wereshoving off, "if they've got him."
"If you want to get Peterson home," said Dick Cameron, "take the boatand pull up. I'll keep ship."
"No need of that," said Walter, "for here comes the whole neighborhood."
"I seed him! I seed dad!" screamed little Ike, who was nestled close tothe side of Captain Rhines.
"So do I see his old black face," said the captain, standing up. Hewaved his hat, when a cheer arose from the fleet of boats astern. Likebees they swarmed aboard the schooner, completely covering her deck,while Peterson embraced his two boys, and clasped the hands of hisneighbors.
"They've got him, Luce; there goes the flag," cried Will Griffin; "Ican see it plain with the glass; they are stringing out the boats."
After a while,--
"Here she comes! Beeswax, don't she come!"
And well she might, with fifty of the strongest men in the town towingher, three to each of her own sweeps, and Lion Ben to lead.
A shout arose from the crowd that made the shores ring as the sweepswere shipped aboard the schooner, and Peterson, walking out on thebowsprit, waved his hand to his friends.
Tears of joyous sympathy moistened many a cheek when Luce flung herselfinto her husband's arms, while the little ones clasped his legs.
* * * * *
Walter and Ned have now become accustomed to hardship, had experienceof danger, and incurred responsibility. The next volume of the series,the Cruise of the Casco, will exhibit their capabilities when thrownmore entirely upon their own resources, and placed in trust of a largeinterest under circumstances of deadly peril.
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