CHAPTER TWENTY.
ADVENTURES ON THE ROAD.--WELCOMED AT HOME.--CONFESS MY LOVE FOR THELITTLE REBEL.--TOM'S GRIEF FOR HIS MOTHER'S DEATH.--HEAR OF CAPTAINCOOK'S DEATH.--VISIT TO LONDON.--THE GORDON RIOTS.--ENCOUNTER WITH THEMOB.--SAVE AN OLD GENTLEMAN IN HIS CARRIAGE.--GIVE HIM MY NAME.--WONDERWHO HE CAN BE.--JOIN THE CHARON, CAPTAIN THOMAS SYMONDS.--SAIL FOR WESTINDIES.
Seldom, I suspect, have two rough-looking subjects made their appearanceat an inn in the great City of London than Tom Rockets and I must haveseemed when we arrived there by the Deal heavy coach on the evening ofthe 22nd of March, 1780. Our faces were of the colour of dark copper,and our beards were as rough and thick as holly bushes, while Tomsported a pig-tail and love-locks, which he flattered himself wouldprove the admiration of all the belles in his native village. They, atall events, drew forth not a few remarks from the little errand-boys inthe streets of London, as we heard such remarks as, "There go two seamonsters!" "Where can those niggers have come from?" "Look there, atthat sailor man with a bit of a cable fastened on to his pole!" Morethan once Tom turned to try and catch hold one of the little jackanapes,but he was off so fast down some lane or other that even Tom could notovertake him. I advised him to give up the attempt, and to take theirimpertinence coolly. I kept Tom by me wherever I went, for I feltpretty certain that, should I once lose sight of him, he might neverfind his way back to me.
I cannot stop to describe all the sights we saw, and the places wevisited in the mighty metropolis. The town was talking a great deal ofa duel which had taken place the very morning of our arrival in HydePark between Lord Shelbourne and Colonel Fullerton. The quarrel wasabout some reflection which the latter gentleman had cast upon hislordship. On the second shot the colonel hit Lord Shelbourne, who fellto the ground, but the wound was not considered dangerous. I bethoughtme of the duel I had fought when I was a boy, and that these two greatpeople were very little wiser than I was then.
As soon as we could get places in the old coach we started for Falmouth,intending to visit the remainder of the sights on our way back to theship. Away we rumbled, one fine morning, on board the big coach, as Tomcalled it, with a guard behind well armed with a huge blunderbuss and abrace of horse pistols. We stopped to change horses at an inn aboutthirty miles from London. A long line of horses, with packs on theirbacks, were collected in front of the stables to be watered. Twenty menor so were lounging about, apparently belonging to them. Presentlythere was a cry of, "The Custom-house officers! the Custom-houseofficers!" The men ran up from all directions, unloosed the halters,leaped on the backs of some saddle-horses standing ready, and the wholeparty began to move along the road. They had not gone many yards whenanother party of horsemen were seen galloping up from the direction inwhich they were going. The smugglers--for such the guard told us theywere--turned round and dashed by us, but they were again met by anotherparty of Custom-house officers. Swords were drawn, pistols were fired,the bullets came flying about the coach, greatly to the alarm of some ofthe passengers, who cried out and begged the combatants to desist. Ourhorses kicked and plunged, and nearly upset the coach. Tom and I couldnot help wishing to join the skirmish, and had jumped off for thepurpose, though I had scarcely made up my mind with which party to side,when some of the smugglers threw down their arms and cried peccavi,while the rest tried to escape across the country over the hedges andditches. Some were caught, but several effected their escape. I waswell satisfied, when I had time to reflect on the matter, that I had nothad time to mix in the affray. Altogether, thirty horses were captured,as were several of the smugglers, some of whom were wounded, as werefive or six of the horses. We were, when passing through Devonshire,attacked by a party of highwaymen, but they, finding several armed menon the top of the coach who did not look as if we would stand anynonsense, thought it was wiser not to make any further attempt atrobbing us. These trifling circumstances were the only events whichoccurred to us worthy of notice till we reached Falmouth. Tomaccompanied me to my father's house, for I wanted to show him to themall, and also to ascertain whether his mother was living before I lethim go home. We had been so long without hearing that I could not tellwhat might have occurred during our absence; my knees positivelytrembled as I approached the dear old red-brick house, and I felt as ifI could scarcely walk up the flight of stone steps in front of it. Thedoor was open. A little child was playing on the steps, and when he sawus he ran into the house, crying out--
"Oh, Grannie, Grannie! dear me, dear me! there are two big uglyblackamoors a-coming!"
Tom made a face, and looked at himself as if he did not much like thecompliment, though he might have felt he deserved it. I should havecaught up the little fellow and kissed him heartily, for I guessed thathe must be one of my dear sister Mary's children, and the first kindredthing I had seen for many a long year. The cry brought out a neat, trimold lady, in a mob cap. She gave me an inquiring glance through herspectacles, and then, hurrying forward, caught me in her arms and kissedme again and again on both cheeks in spite of my huge beard andwhiskers.
"My boy, my boy! you've came back at last to your old father and mother,bless Heaven far it?" she exclaimed, holding me at arms' length toexamine my features, and then drawing me to her again. Tom pulled offhis hat, and scraped his feet, and hitched up his trousers, and lookedas if he expected to receive a similar welcome. Poor fellow! his heartyearned, I dare say, to have the arms of his own old mother round hisneck. My mother looked at him to inquire who he was, and when I toldher, an expression of sorrow crossed over her features, and I too trulyguessed that she had some sad tidings for him. She, however, summoned amaid-servant, to whom she whispered a few words, and then told her totake him into the kitchen and make him comfortable. My father was out,but while I was sitting in the parlour I heard him come in. My motherwent out to tell him that I had arrived, and he came hurrying in withsteps far more tottering than was formerly his wont. He wrung my handwith both of his for more than a minute. From the tremulous motion ofhis fingers, and the tone of his voice and his general appearance, withsorrow I observed that he was much broken and aged. Still his playfulhumour had not deserted him, and he soon began to amuse himself bycutting jokes on my swarthy features and unshorn visage. Mary's littleboy, Jack, in a very short time, became perfectly reconciled to mylooks, and came and sat on my knee and let me dance him and ride him,and listened eagerly to the songs I sang him and the stories I told.Though I had not had a child in my hands for I don't know how manyyears, it all came naturally, and the little chap and I became greatfriends. Only my sister Jane, the one just above me in age, was athome. All my brothers were scattered about, some in England, others indifferent parts of the world seeking their fortunes. I was in a greathurry to talk to Jane about Madeline. I knew that she would sympathisewith me. I had not written home a word about her, for I knew that itwould never do to say that I had fallen in love with the daughter of arebel, as my feelings and motives and reasons would not fail to bemisunderstood. I thought that I would first interest Jane, and thenthat we could win over my mother to listen to what we had to say, andthen that my father would easily be brought round. Of course I knewthat two important events must occur before anything I could say or dowould be of any use. The abominable war between England and the UnitedStates must cease, and I must become possessed of a competence tosupport a wife as I felt Madeline ought to be supported.
I had not been long in the house before the news of my arrival hadspread among our friends and neighbours. Many came in to see thelong-absent sailor, as the ladies called me, and some to inquire abouttheir relatives, my old shipmates and comrades. Of too many, unhappily,I could give but a bad account. Some had died of fever, others had beenkilled fighting with the enemy, and many, knocked up by hard work anddisease, would, I thought, never return, or, if they found their wayhome, it would be but to die. I tried, however, to make the best of allthe accounts I had to give, but I strained my conscience not a little atimes to do so. This was
a moral cowardice, I own. I could not standthe tears and sorrowful faces of friends when I would have wished tohave had smiles and laughter. Still there can be no doubt that thetruth should be spoken on all occasions, and I should, at every cost,have had it out at once. After all, the worst was to have to tell poorTom that his mother was dead. For the life of me I could not do it, soI got Jane to go and break the sad news to him. I knew that the goodgirl would do it as gently as it could be done. She screwed up hercourage, and went into the kitchen and sat down, and began to tell himhow she was always talking of him, and hoping that he was a good lad,and then how ill she had been. At last Tom got up--
"Oh, Miss Jane!" said he, almost choking, "I know by your looks what youare going to tell me. Bless you for your kindness. The old lady hasgone to heaven; that's it, I know. She was a good mother to me, and Idon't care who knows, I would sooner by half have died myself. Blessyou, miss! Bless you, miss!"
Then Tom sat down, and, putting his hands on the kitchen table, hid hisface in them, and by the working of his brawny shoulders I knew how muchhe was affected. We left him to the care of our old cook, BetsyTreggle, who, we knew, could minister to his sorrow better than wecould, and returned into the parlour.
"Sailors have got hearts, I see," observed my mother.
"I should think so, mother," said I; "the sea does not wash them away;and yet there isn't a braver fellow ever stepped the deck of a ship thanthe same Tom Rockets, who seems to be almost pumping his heart outyonder."
Then I gave them all an account of his adventure at the taking of SanFernando D'Omoa, when he handed the Spanish officer a cutlass to fightwith him. In the first few days I was at home I was made more of than Iever had been before in my life. Tom stayed on with us. He had now nohome to go to--no friends for whom he cared. He recovered his spiritsand became as great a lion among his class as I was among mine--indeed,I suspect a far greater, as he made more than I could of all theadventures he had gone through, and was eager to tell about. The dayspassed by very pleasantly, but I felt a weight oppressing me, and couldnot rest till I had unburdened my mind to Jane about Madeline early on.At last I got her alone quietly, and told her all that had happened frombeginning to end, and all my hopes and fears and wishes. She listenedattentively. Her countenance changed its expression frequently as Iwent on. I looked at her earnestly to try and discover what shethought.
"Oh, brother," she exclaimed at last, "I doubt not that she is a dearcharming girl. I doubt not that you love her, and that she is deservingof your love, but she is the daughter of a rebel. She is living amongrebels; she will not leave them; but for you to go to them, to wed withher would assuredly bring dishonour and disgrace upon your name."
"Why, Jane, I did not expect you to speak thus," I exclaimed. "You arehard upon me. I would not wish to go and live with rebels; but theAmericans will not be rebels much longer. We are pressing them hard byland and sea, and they will soon come to terms. If they do not give inI think we shall give up, for everybody is heartily sick of the war.Nobody is gaining anything, and everybody is losing by it. Fighting theFrench and the Spaniards is a very different thing. Everybody feelsthat. It's all natural, you know."
"I'm sure that I shall be glad to hear that the war is over," said Jane,with a sigh, "but surely the Americans must be very wicked people tobehave as they have done to their lawful sovereign King George."
"They say that he has been a very ill-advised King to behave as he hasdone to them," I replied. "You see, dear Jane, that there are two sidesto every question; but do not let us discuss that matter just now.You'll say that, for the sake of Madeline Carlyon, I am siding too muchwith the Americans, but that is not the reason. I have been on thespot. I know the feelings of both sides. I have seen how things havebeen managed. I am sure the war can bring no honour or profit toEngland, and I heartily wish that it was ended one way or the other."
"So do I, brother, believe me," said Jane warmly; "and then, if MissCarlyon is all you describe her, I for one will cordially welcome her asa sister if you can persuade her to come over here to visit our kith andkin."
I jumped up and gave Jane a hearty kiss when she said this.
"Just like my own good sister," said I at the same time, and in a momentI pictured to myself the happiness which would be mine, when perhaps inthat very room I might be introducing Madeline to my family. I forgotthat I was still a poor lieutenant--that the wealth I had so nearlypossessed, and had fought so hard to obtain, had gone to the bottom inthe old Leviathan--that I had saved but a few hundred pounds ofprize-money--that England and the American States were still activelyengaged in war--that the Atlantic still rolled between her and me, andthat her kindred would probably exert their influence to make her giveup all thoughts of one fighting on the side of their enemies. I wasyoung, and hope was bright, and difficulties and impediments werespeedily kicked away. Before another day Jane and I were talking awayas if my marriage with Madeline Carlyon was a settled thing. At last wetold our mother, dear old soul! She didn't see how it could be exactly,but then that was her fault; and though she used to have some ideaformerly that the Americans were red, and wore leathern cloaks andpetticoats covered with beads and feathers, and painted their faces,yet, as I assured her that Miss Carlyon was quite fair, and spokeEnglish like an English girl, she would be very glad to receive her as adaughter, and for my sake love her very much. The toughest job was totell my father. I was half afraid how he would take the matter. He didnot scold me, or say I had been acting foolishly, but merely smiled andremarked that he had heard of midshipmen falling in love before, andthat he had no doubt that Miss Carlyon was a very charming young lady;but that when I brought her over as my wife he should be able topronounce a more decided opinion on the matter. There was, however, atouch of irony in his tone which I did not altogether like. However, heused after that to listen very patiently when we were all talking abouther, and, I flattered myself, began to take an interest in my project.The days flew by very rapidly. I was invited out everywhere, and becamequite a lion, not only because I had been in so many engagements andstorms and dangers of all sorts, and had had so many hair-breadthescapes, but more especially because I had actually seen and conversedwith General Washington. The young ladies, however, looked upon me as avery insensible sort of a person, especially for a naval officer, andcould not in any way make me out. Of course, neither Jane nor my motherand father said a word about Miss Carlyon, and so we let them wonder ontill I believe that I completely lost my character among them. Sixweeks thus passed rapidly away. The time thus spent was interesting tome, but no events occurred of sufficient importance to describe to myreaders. My regular employment was to search the public papers for newsfrom America, to see how affairs were going in that country; and thoughmost naval officers would have been anxious for a continuance of thewar, my great wish was to discover signs that there was a probability ofits being brought to a conclusion.
Since I had known Captain Cook I had always taken great interest in hisadventures, and just now the sad news arrived of his death on the islandof Hawaii, one of a group of newly-discovered islands in the PacificOcean called the Sandwich Islands. Four of his marines were killed atthe same time. At first the natives treated him and his people asdivinities, but on some misunderstanding they furiously set upon CaptainCook, and killed him with their clubs as he was retreating to his boat.The Resolution and Discovery proceeded on their voyage under the commandof Captain Clerke, but he soon after dying at sea, Mr King took commandof the expedition. Captain Clerke was a very gallant fellow. I knewhim well.
At last my leave was nearly up, and I had to set off to rejoin my ship,allowing myself a few days to spend in London. Jane advised me to stopat Bristol to visit our great-uncle, Sir Hurricane Tempest, but Ireplied that I did not think the old gentleman would care about seeingme, and I certainly should not find any pleasure in seeing him.
"You don't know," she answered, laughing; "he might take a fancy to youand
make you his heir. He has asked me to visit him, and I think Iwill, some of these days."
"I hope that you will, Jane, dear," said I. "You are far more likely towin an old man's heart than I am. I am as likely to become his heir asSultan of the Turks."
Jane still further urged the point, but I only laughed and went on toLondon without stopping to see him.
On arriving in London, accompanied by Tom Rockets, I went to the houseof a relative of ours in Bloomsbury Square, one of the most fashionableand elegant quarters of London. He and his wife were very grand people,but they had a fancy for patronising celebrities small and great, andhaving by some chance heard that I had seen a good deal of service, andcould talk about what I had seen, they begged I would come and see them,and make their house my home. I took them at their word, though I thinkthey were somewhat astonished when Tom and I arrived in a coach with ourtraps stored inside and out of it. They looked, at all events, as if Ihad tumbled from the moon. However, I made myself perfectly at home,and we soon became great friends. I was on the point of leaving themwhen a letter reached me from Captain Luttrell, prolonging my leave, andI found that I might have remained three weeks longer at home. Whenthey heard of it, they most kindly invited me to remain on with them. Iamused myself pretty well, after I had seen all the sights of London, bywandering about and examining the outside, as it were, of the hugemetropolis. One of the places at which I found myself was the suburb ofTyburn, to the north of Hyde Park. It was a considerable distance fromLondon itself, and well it might be, for here was the place of executionof all ordinary malefactors. One day I was passing this spot when I sawfour carts approaching. In each of them were three persons sitting,with their arms closely pinioned. On each side of the carts rode publicofficers, the sheriffs, city marshals, the ordinary of Newgate, andothers. I asked a bystander where they were going and what was to bedone to them, for I did not know at the time that I was near Tyburn.
"Why, of course, they are all going to be hung," was his reply. "We arepretty well accustomed to such sights about here."
"Are they all murderers?" I asked, thinking, perhaps, that they were agang of pirates.
"No--oh no!" said my friend. "They are mostly guilty of robbery,though. You will hear what they have to say for themselves before theyare turned off; I will learn for you, if you have a curiosity to know."
He went away, and soon returned with a paper on which were written thenames of the malefactors and their crimes. One had stolen some wearingapparel; another had robbed a gentleman of his watch on the highway; athird had purloined some silks and ribbons from a shop, and so on. Noneof the crimes, that I remember, were attended with violence, and most ofthe criminals were mere lads, from seventeen to twenty years of age, andonly one or two above it. I remarked this to my companion.
"Yes," he observed. "The older ones are too knowing to be caught."
The poor lads seemed terribly agitated and cast down at theirapproaching fate, and shed abundance of tears. One after the other wasled up to the fatal drop and cast off. I could not stop to see the end,but hurried away. I had seen hundreds of my fellow-creatures die, but Ihoped that I might never again see any put to death as these were.
After this I went down to Chatham to see how the ship was getting on,and then returned to London. I found the city in a complete state ofuproar and confusion. It was on a Friday, the 2nd of June, when Tom andI made our way towards the Houses of Parliament, for I had heard thatLord George Gordon was going with a large body of people to present aprotest against the repeal of any of the penal laws against the RomanCatholics. I wanted to see the fun. There must have been twentythousand people at least, who arrived in three different bodies beforethe Houses of Parliament. Here they behaved very orderly, and dispersedafter being addressed by some of the magistrates; but the mob in otherplaces broke out into all sorts of excesses, and as we went home wefound them busily employed in demolishing a Romish Chapel in DukeStreet, near Lincoln's Inn Fields. They hauled out all the ornaments,and what they thought of no value they trampled under foot, but the restthey made off with. Several houses, either belonging to Romanists, orinhabited by persons supposed to be favourable to them, we sawcompletely gutted. The same sort of work went on for several days. Atlast I got so completely mixed up with one of the mobs that I could notget free of them.
"Here, you look a likely man to lead us!" exclaimed a fellow standingnear me. "Where shall we go next?"
I did not answer him, but endeavoured to get away. This did not suithim.
"What does the captain say?" he exclaimed.
"To Sir George Saville's, to Sir George Saville's!" cried some one.
"Hurrah for Sir George Saville's in Leicester Fields! He was the veryman who brought the Romish Bill into Parliament. Down with his house,down with it!" shouted another fellow. "Lead on, captain--lead on!"
I at once saw that this was a trick that the real leader of the mobmight be screened. I was determined to escape or I might be ruined. Itold Tom to keep his eye on me, and to follow my movements. The mobbegan to move on, destroying one or two houses on their way. We at lastpassed the entrance to a narrow lane. Leaping aside, I darted down it.Tom followed. None of the mob missed me. I had got some way along thelane when a big, ill-favoured-looking fellow rushed out of a house witha thick stick in his hand, evidently with the intention of joining therioters. Seeing a gentleman, and probably thinking I was a Romanistescaping from the mob, he immediately turned on me and aimed a blow atmy head. I was just turning a corner, and he did not see Tom Rockets,but Tom saw him, and with a stroke of his fist felled him to the ground.Some other persons in the neighbouring houses saw the transaction, andthe fellow quickly recovering there was a hue and cry made after us, thepeople rushing from their doors just as dogs are seen to run out fromtheir kennels, yelping and barking when a stranger cur passes throughthe village.
As we were unarmed we could do nothing to defend ourselves, and had totrust to our heels for safety. Our pursuers were very likely, I knew,to tear us in pieces without asking any questions, and before we hadtime to explain who we were. I never ran faster in my life. How wewere to escape them I could not tell. On we went: I sang out to Tom tostick by me, for if I should lose him I was afraid he might never findhis way home again. We were distancing our pursuers. I made as manyturns as I could, so as to cause them to lose the scent; but there wereknowing fellows among them, and I conclude that they found as great aninterest in the chase as a foxhunter does when following the hounds. Atlast I saw before me a large mob. There is safety in numbers, I thoughtto myself, so I called to Tom to dash in among them.
"Hurrah! hurrah! have you caught the fellow?" I sang out.
"No, he's slipped out of his kennel, but we'll take care that he doesnot burrow in it again," replied some of the people.
I guessed that they referred to the unfortunate inmate of the mansioninto which numbers of them were forcing their way, while pictures,books, and pieces of furniture were being thrown out of the windows. Ipretended to be very eager to get into the house, but making my wayround on the opposite side, followed by Tom, we got free; and when Ilooked back I saw that no one was following us. We now walked along ascomposedly as we could, but it was not without difficulty that we foundour way into Bloomsbury Square. As we got there we saw a mob followingat our heels, and we naturally thought they were after us. We had torun for it to reach my relative's house. On came the mob. One of thefinest houses in the square belonged to my Lord Mansfield. They rushedtowards it, and began thundering at the door. They soon broke it open,and in they poured. In an instant the place became the scene of themost dreadful havoc and destruction. Again did I see pictures, clothes,books, furniture of the richest sorts, ruthlessly destroyed. I couldscarcely have supposed that the work could have been done so rapidly.Then the most daring of the ruffians broke into the wine-cellar, and wesaw them coming out with bottles and jugs and glasses, and distributingthe rich liquor to the rabble
outside.
What had become of my lord and his lady all this time we could not tell;we had great fears that they had fallen victims to the blind fury of theignorant populace. I wanted to go out, but my relative would not letme. What the drunken mob might next have done I do not know, when afresh party were seen entering the square; but they were a body of theroyal guards with a magistrate at their head. He boldly approached themob, and, halting the soldiers at no great distance from them, began toread the Riot Act. He finished it without faltering, the mob continuingas before their work of destruction. "Men," he shouted, "I have warnedyou. I am going to give the order to the troops to fire if you do notdesist. Once again I warn you--your blood be on your own heads--Fire!"
No sooner was the fatal command given than the soldiers levelled theirmuskets and let fly in among the rabble. Several fell; there wereshrieks and cries and curses; but the people were too eager in theirthirst for plunder to be driven off from the work they had in hand.Again the order was given to fire; but the humane magistrate ordered thetroops to fire over the heads of the people. Some on this began to moveoff, but others continued their task of plunder and destruction. No onethought of attacking the soldiery. It showed the class of peoplecomposing the rioters--the very scum of the populace. This last fire ofcourse did not produce any effect, and the mob began to proceed togreater extremities, and set fire both to the out-houses and stables, asalso to the mansion itself, when they had possessed themselves ofeverything they thought of value. Only after repeated volleys from thesoldiery were they driven off, and not till they had completed the workof destruction they had commenced. This did not take them long, and atlast, several of their number having fallen, a panic seized them, andaway they went helter-skelter in every direction out of the square. Icould not resist the temptation of sallying out to see what they wouldnext do, in spite of the warnings of my relative, who advised me to keepin the house. I laughed at the idea of there being any danger, and saidthat Tom and I would very soon be back again.
The troops stood their ground in readiness to march in any direction towhich they might be sent. Some of the mob went off towards the east,and I went after them, hearing that they were about to attack some ofthe prisons, and having a fancy to see how they would proceed about theundertaking. Tom and I had gone about half a mile or more, when, comingalong a street which crossed that we were in, I saw a coach drivingsomewhat fast. Some of the rioters saw it also, and some seizing thehorses' heads, others proceeded to open the door, crying out that theperson inside was a papist escaping from justice.
"Papist! I am no papist," cried out an old gentleman from the interior;"let my carriage proceed on, scoundrels, or I'll break some of yourheads for you."
This threat had no effect; indeed, from the appearance of the fellows Ihad no doubt that their only object in attacking the carriage was forthe sake of robbing the inmate. I had this time taken care to come outprovided with a stout bludgeon and a sword. I knew pretty well the sortof coward hearts to be found in that sort of gentry, so telling Tom whatI proposed doing, I sang out, "To the rescue! to the rescue!--offscoundrels, off!" and, drawing my sword, I rushed furiously at them, asif I had twenty stout fellows at my back. The desired effect wasproduced. They did not stop to see who was coming, but took to theirheels and left the carriage free. I assisted back the old gentleman,who had been dragged half out of it, and, shutting the door, told thecoachman to drive on as hard as he could go.
"Stop, stop! I want to know your name, young man, to thank you for yourbravery," exclaimed the old gentleman vehemently.
"Hurricane Hurry, at your service, sir, a lieutenant in his Majesty'sNavy," I answered. "I hail from Falmouth, sir--but I won't stop you,sir, the mob are coming back, and to a certainty they won't let you offas easily as before. Drive on, coachman, drive on for your life: I cantackle them if they attack me."
The coachman needed no second warning, but, lashing on his horses, drovefuriously along the street, though the old gentleman put his head out ofthe coach window and ordered him to stop, as he had another word to sayto me, and wanted me to get into the coach with him. I would gladlyhave done as he desired, as there was no object in exposing myself andTom to the fury of the mob, and was running after the coach, when,looking over my shoulder, I saw some of the ruffians so close on myheels that I was obliged to turn round and defend myself, or I mighthave received a knock on the head which would probably have quieted mefor ever. Knowing that there was nothing like a sudden onslaught, Iturned suddenly round, and, seconded by Tom, made so furious anonslaught on the scoundrels that they one and all fled, as if a body ofdragoons were upon them. The old gentleman, who was still looking outof the window, calling first to the coachman and then to me, must haveseen this last manoeuvre of mine.
After Tom and I had with loud shouts pursued the mob a little way, weonce more turned round and set off in order to overtake the coach. Ithad, however, by that time got out of sight, and though we followed inthe direction I supposed it had gone, we did not again see it.
"Never mind," said I, "I should have liked to have known who the oldgentleman was; he looked like somebody of consequence. However, I amvery glad to have been of service to him."
After this adventure I began to reflect that it would be wiser to returnhome. I could not tell what might next happen. The day was drawing toa close. As we looked eastward, we saw the whole sky glowing with alurid glare, which I afterwards found was produced by the conflagrationof Newgate prison, which, after the mob had broken into and released allthe prisoners, they set on fire. My relative was very glad to see meback safe, and on hearing of my adventures said that Tom and I were veryfortunate to have escaped with our lives, and positively prohibited ouragain quitting the house. During the next day flames were seen burstingforth in every direction. Most of the prisons, as also many privatehouses, were broken open and burnt to the ground, and several hundredpeople were shot by the military, while perhaps an equal number diedfrom drinking inordinately of spirits which they procured at thedistillers', into which they broke, or were burnt to death in the ruinsof the houses they set on fire. At length, however, so many troops,regular and militia, poured into London, that the rioters werecompletely overcome, and numerous arrests took place. Among others,Lord George Gordon was apprehended and committed a prisoner to theTower.
Not long after this, I bade my kind friends in London good-bye, andjoined my ship at Chatham. I ought to have said that they were verymuch interested in the account I gave them of the way I had rescued theold gentleman in the coach. Who he could be they could not guess, butthey said that they would make inquiries, and if they could hear theywould let me know. I felt no little curiosity to obtain thisinformation; but day after day passed by and I heard nothing about thematter. There was something in his look and in his eagerness to speakto me which struck me forcibly at the time, and over and over again hiscountenance recurred to me; but whether I had ever seen it before, orwhy it made so deep an impression on me, I could not tell. There wasnothing very remarkable in saving an old gentleman from a mob, when mobswere parading all parts of London, and undoubtedly many old gentlemen,physicians and others, were driving about in their coaches, called out,however unwillingly, by urgent business. Hearing nothing, my curiosityat length died away, and I thought no more about the matter. I mustremark that Lord George Gordon was afterwards brought to trial, butacquitted of having in any way participated in the riots and plunderingand destruction of property which had occurred, as also that any of thedisorders had occurred in consequence of his instigation or counsel. Heundoubtedly was influenced in his proceedings by a warm affection forthe Protestant faith, though it may be doubted whether he took thewisest course to support it. He wished that the multitudes he assembledshould merely produce a moral effect on the Houses of Parliament. Theruffians and robbers of London took the opportunity, on finding largemasses of people assembled, to create disturbances, and to incite themore ignorant masses to commit all sor
ts of outrages in order that theymight have greater licence and opportunities of plunder. In this theyunhappily succeeded, and brought no small amount of opprobrium anddisgrace on the Protestant cause. I have now said, I think, enoughabout my adventures on shore.
On the 16th of June Captain Luttrell was superseded in his command ofthe Charon by Captain Thomas Symonds, whose son was appointed thirdlieutenant of the ship. On the 1st of July we dropped down toSheerness, where we got in our guns. On the 12th we removed to theLittle Nore, where the purser, surgeon, lieutenant of marines, gunnerand carpenter quitted the ship. On the 24th we sailed from the Nore,and on the 25th anchored in the Downs. We quitted it with a convoy onthe 28th, and arrived at Spithead the following morning. Here the firstlieutenant was superseded by Mr Thomas Edwards. On the 6th of Augustwe sailed from Spithead, and on the 7th anchored in Plymouth Sound.Here we remained till the 9th, when we proceeded down channel. On the10th we took our departure from the Lizard, and once more I bade adieuto the British shore. I will not say that I quitted it with regret. Idearly loved England, in spite of all her faults, but I believed that Imight on the other side of the Atlantic have a prospect of meeting withMadeline Carlyon, or at all events of hearing of her, and that alone wasample inducement to me gladly to encounter all the dangers and hardshipsto which I might be exposed.
Many others have, I suppose, thought and felt and hoped as I did, andmany others have been disappointed.
"Hurrah for the West Indies--Spanish galleons--dark-eyed Creoles andprize-money!" was the general toast on board the Charon.