David Balfour

  CHAPTER XXII

  HELVOETSLUYS

  The weather in the end considerably worsened; the wind sang in theshrouds, the sea swelled higher, and the ship began to labour and cryout among the billows. The song of the leadsman in the chains was nowscarce ceasing, for we thrid all the way among shoals. About nine in themorning, in a burst of wintry sun between two squalls of hail, I had myfirst look of Holland--a line of windmills birling in the breeze. It wasbesides my first knowledge of these daft-like contrivances, which gaveme a near sense of foreign travel and a new world and life. We came toan anchor about half-past eleven, outside the harbour of Helvoetsluys,in a place where the sea sometimes broke and the ship pitchedoutrageously. You may be sure we were all on deck save Mrs. Gebbie, someof us in cloaks, others mantled in the ship's tarpaulins, all clingingon by ropes, and jesting the most like old sailor-folk that we couldimitate.

  Presently a boat, that was backed like a partan-crab, came gingerlyalongside, and the skipper of it hailed our master in the Dutch. ThenceCaptain Sang turned, very troubled like, to Catriona; and the rest of uscrowding about, the nature of the difficulty was made plain to all. The_Rose_ was bound to the port of Rotterdam, whither the other passengerswere in a great impatience to arrive, in view of a conveyance due toleave that very evening in the direction of the Upper Germany. This,with the present half-gale of wind, the captain (if no time were lost)declared himself still capable to save. Now James More had trysted inHelvoet with his daughter, and the captain had engaged to call beforethe port and place her (according to the custom) in a shore boat. Therewas the boat, to be sure, and there was Catriona ready: but both ourmaster and the patroon of the boat scrupled at the risk, and the firstwas in no humour to delay.

  "Your father," said he, "would be gey an little pleased if we was tobreak a leg to ye, Miss Drummond, let-a-be drowning of you. Take my wayof it," says he, "and come on-by with the rest of us here to Rotterdam.Ye can get a passage down the Maes in a sailing scoot as far to theBrill, and thence on again, by a place in a rattel-waggon, back toHelvoet."

  But Catriona would hear of no change. She looked white-like as shebeheld the bursting of the sprays, the green seas that sometimes pouredupon the forecastle, and the perpetual bounding and swooping of the boatamong the billows; but she stood firmly by her father's orders. "Myfather, James More, will have arranged it so," was her first word andher last. I thought it very idle and indeed wanton in the girl to be soliteral and stand opposite to so much kind advice; but the fact is shehad a very good reason, if she would have told us. Sailing scoots andrattel-waggons are excellent things; only the use of them must first bepaid for, and all she was possessed of in the world was just twoshillings and a penny halfpenny sterling. So it fell out that captainand passengers, not knowing of her destitution--and she being too proudto tell them--spoke in vain.

  "But you ken nae French and nae Dutch neither," said one.

  "It is very true," says she, "but since the year '46 there are so manyof the honest Scots abroad that I will be doing very well, I thank you."

  There was a pretty country simplicity in this that made some laugh,others looked the more sorry, and Mr. Gebbie fall outright in a passion.I believe he knew it was his duty (his wife having accepted charge ofthe girl) to have gone ashore with her and seen her safe; nothing wouldhave induced him to have done so, since it must have involved the lossof his conveyance; and I think he made it up to his conscience by theloudness of his voice. At least he broke out upon Captain Sang, ragingand saying the thing was a disgrace; that it was mere death to try toleave the ship, and at any event we could not cast down an innocent maidin a boatful of nasty Holland fishers, and leave her to her fate. I wasthinking something of the same; took the mate upon one side, arrangedwith him to send on my chests by track-scoot to an address I had inLeyden, and stood up and signalled to the fishers.

  "I will go ashore with the young lady, Captain Sang," said I. "It is allone what way I go to Leyden;" and leaped at the same time into the boat,which I managed not so elegantly but what I fell with two of the fishersin the bilge.

  From the boat the business appeared yet more precarious than from theship, she stood so high over us, swung down so swift, and menaced us soperpetually with her plunging and passaging upon the anchor cable. Ibegan to think I had made a fool's bargain, that it was merelyimpossible Catriona should be got on board to me, and that I stood to beset ashore at Helvoet all by myself and with no hope of any reward butthe pleasure of embracing James More, if I should want to. But this wasto reckon without the lass's courage. She had seen me leap with verylittle appearance (however much reality) of hesitation; to be sure, shewas not to be beat by her discarded friend. Up she stood on the bulwarksand held by a stay, the wind blowing in her petticoats, which made theenterprise more dangerous and gave us rather more of a view of herstockings than would be thought genteel in cities. There was no minutelost, and scarce time given for any to interfere if they had wished thesame. I stood up on the other side and spread my arms; the ship swungdown on us, the patroon humoured his boat nearer in than was perhapswholly safe, and Catriona leaped into the air. I was so happy as tocatch her, and the fishers readily supporting us, escaped a fall. Sheheld to me a moment very tight, breathing quick and deep; thence (shestill clinging to me with both hands) we were passed aft to our placesby the steersman; and Captain Sang and all the crew and passengerscheering and crying farewell, the boat was put about for shore.

  As soon as Catriona came a little to herself she unhanded me suddenlybut said no word. No more did I; and indeed the whistling of the windand the breaching of the sprays made it no time for speech; and our crewnot only toiled excessively but made extremely little way, so that the_Rose_ had got her anchor and was off again before we had approached theharbour mouth.

  We were no sooner in smooth water than the patroon, according to theirbeastly Hollands custom, stopped his boat and required of us our fares.Two guilders was the man's demand, between three and four shillingsEnglish money, for each passenger. But at this Catriona began to cry outwith a vast deal of agitation. She had asked of Captain Sang, she said,and the fare was but an English shilling. "Do you think I will have comeon board and not ask first?" cries she. The patroon scolded back uponher in a lingo where the oaths were English and the rest right Hollands;till at last (seeing her near tears) I privately slipped in the rogue'shand six shillings, whereupon he was obliging enough to receive from herthe other shilling without more complaint. No doubt I was a good dealnettled and ashamed. I like to see folk thrifty but not with so muchpassion; and I daresay it would be rather coldly that I asked her, asthe boat moved on again for shore, where it was that she was trystedwith her father.

  "He is to be inquired of at the house of one Sprott, an honest Scotchmerchant," says she; and then with the same breath, "I am wishing tothank you very much--you are a brave friend to me."

  "It will be time enough when I get you to your father," said I, littlethinking that I spoke so true. "I can tell him a fine tale of a loyaldaughter."

  "O, I do not think I will be a loyal girl, at all events," she cried,with a great deal of painfulness in the expression. "I do not think myheart is true."

  "Yet there are very few that would have made that leap, and all to obeya father's orders," I observed.

  "I cannot have you to be thinking of me so," she cried again. "When youhad done that same, how would I stop behind? And at all events that wasnot all the reasons." Whereupon, with a burning face, she told me theplain truth upon her poverty.

  "Good guide us!" cried I, "what kind of daft-like proceeding is this, tolet yourself be launched on the continent of Europe with an emptypurse--I count it hardly decent--scant decent!" I cried.

  "You forget James More, my father, is a poor gentleman," said she. "Heis a hunted exile."

  "But I think not all your friends are hunted exiles," I exclaimed. "Andwas this fair to them that care for you? Was it fair to me? was it fairto Miss Grant that counselled you to go, and would be driven
fairhorn-mad if she could hear of it? Was it even fair to these Gregory folkthat you were living with, and used you lovingly? It's a blessing youhave fallen in my hands! Suppose your father hindered by an accident,what would become of you here, and you your lee-alone in a strangeplace? The thought of the thing frightens me," I said.

  "I will have lied to all of them," she replied. "I will have told themall that I had plenty. I told _her_ too. I could not be lowering JamesMore to them."

  I found out later on that she must have lowered him in the very dust,for the lie was originally the father's not the daughter's, and she thusobliged to persevere in it for the man's reputation. But at the time Iwas ignorant of this, and the mere thought of her destitution and theperils in which she must have fallen, had ruffled me almost beyondreason.

  "Well, well, well," said I, "you will have to learn more sense."

  I left her mails for the moment in an inn upon the shore, where I got adirection for Sprott's house in my new French, and we walked there--itwas some little way--beholding the place with wonder as we went. Indeed,there was much for Scots folk to admire; canals and trees beingintermingled with the houses; the houses, each within itself, of a bravered brick, the colour of a rose, with steps and benches of blue marbleat the cheek of every door, and the whole town so clean you might havedined upon the causeway. Sprott was within, upon his ledgers, in a lowparlour, very neat and clean, and set out with china and pictures and aglobe of the earth in a brass frame. He was a big-chafted, ruddy, lustyman, with a crooked hard look to him; and he made us not that muchcivility as offer us a seat.

  "Is James More Macgregor now in Helvoet, sir?" says I.

  "I ken nobody by such a name," says he, impatient-like.

  "Since you are so particular," says I, "I will amend my question, andask you where we are to find in Helvoet one James Drummond, _alias_Macgregor, _alias_ James More, late tenant in Iveronachile?"

  "Sir," says he, "he may be in Hell for what I ken, and for my part Iwish he was."

  "The young lady is that gentleman's daughter, sir," said I, "beforewhom, I think you will agree with me, it is not very becoming to discusshis character."

  "I have nothing to make either with him, or her, or you!" cries he inhis gross voice.

  "Under your favour, Mr. Sprott," said I, "this young lady is come fromScotland seeking him, and by whatever mistake, was given the name ofyour house for a direction. An error it seems to have been, but I thinkthis places both you and me--who am but her fellow-traveller byaccident--under a strong obligation to help our countrywoman."

  "Will you ding me daft?" he cries. "I tell ye I ken naething and careless either for him or his breed. I tell ye the man owes me money."

  "That may very well be, sir," said I, who was now rather more angry thanhimself. "At least I owe you nothing; the young lady is under myprotection; and I am neither at all used with these manners, nor in theleast content with them."

  As I said this, and without particularly thinking what I did, I drew astep or two nearer to his table; thus striking, by mere good fortune, onthe only argument that could at all affect the man. The blood left hislusty countenance.

  "For the Lord's sake dinna be hasty, sir!" he cried. "I am truly wishfu'no to be offensive. But ye ken, sir, I'm like a wheen guid-natured,honest, canty auld fallows--my bark is waur nor my bite. To hear me, yemicht whiles fancy I was a wee thing dour; but na, na! its a kind auldfellow at heart, Sandie Sprott! And ye could never imagine the fyke andfash this man has been to me."

  "Very good, sir," said I. "Then I will make that much freedom with yourkindness, as trouble you for your last news of Mr. Drummond."

  "You're welcome, sir!" said he. "As for the young leddy (my respec's toher!) he'll just have clean forgotten her. I ken the man, ye see; I havelost siller by him ere now. He thinks of naebody but just himsel'; clan,king, or dauchter, if he can get his wameful, he would give them a' thego-by! ay, or his correspondent either. For there is a sense in whilk Imay be nearly almost said to be his correspondent. The fact is, we areemployed thegether in a business affair, and I think it's like to turnout a dear affair for Sandie Sprott. The man's as guid's my pairtner,and I give ye my mere word I ken naething by where he is. He micht becoming here to Helvoet; he micht come here the morn, he michtnae comefor a twalmonth; I would wonder at naething--or just at the ae thing,and that's if he was to pay me my siller. Ye see what way I stand withit; and it's clear I'm no very likely to meddle up with the young leddy,as ye ca' her. She cannae stop here, that's ae thing certain sure. Dod,sir, I'm a lone man! If I was to tak her in, its highly possible thehellicat would try and gar me marry her when he turned up."

  "Enough of this talk," said I. "I will take the young lady among betterfriends. Give me pen, ink, and paper, and I will leave here for JamesMore the address of my correspondent in Leyden. He can inquire from mewhere he is to seek his daughter."

  This word I wrote and sealed; which while I was doing, Sprott of his ownmotion made a welcome offer, to charge himself with Miss Drummond'smails, and even send a porter for them to the inn. I advanced him tothat effect a dollar or two to be a cover, and he gave me anacknowledgment in writing of the sum.

  Whereupon (I giving my arm to Catriona) we left the house of thisunpalatable rascal. She had said no word throughout, leaving me to judgeand speak in her place; I, upon my side, had been careful not toembarrass her by a glance; and even now although my heart still glowedinside of me with shame and anger, I made it my affair to seem quiteeasy.

  "Now," said I, "let us get back to yon same inn where they can speak theFrench, have a piece of dinner, and inquire for conveyances toRotterdam. I will never be easy till I have you safe again in the handsof Mrs. Gebbie."

  "I suppose it will have to be," said Catriona, "though whoever will bepleased, I do not think it will be her. And I will remind you this onceagain that I have but one shilling, and three baubees."

  "And just this once again," said I, "I will remind you it was a blessingthat I came alongst with you."

  "What else would I be thinking all this time!" says she, and I thoughtweighed a little on my arm. "It is you that are the good friend to me."

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