CHAPTER XIX.
The look-out place at the mast head of the old Ship of State had manynames, and amongst the rest it was called the owl's nest. This bird issagacious looking; but by some people it is considered stupid, thoughperhaps rats, and mice, and other like vermin, think he is sharp enoughfor them. From this point of vantage Dogvane was bidding his master tobehold the bright things that lay beneath him. "Look around you," hesaid, "and your eyes will rest upon a beautiful picture; upon fields ofgolden corn bending their heads ready for the sickle of the reaper; uponpastures well stocked with flocks and herds and upon a contented and ahappy people." Just as the Buccaneer was stooping down to adjust his eyeto the telescope, Dogvane very deftly slipped in, as the clever littlemiddy had said he would, a slide beautifully painted with rural scenes,for what he had said existed only in his imagination, for a good deal ofthe land was lying fallow. The Buccaneer seemed lost in wonder andadmiration, and was silent; but Dogvane kept talking all the time.Conjurors always do this to distract the attention of their audience,otherwise their imposition might be found out. "Your eyes rest, sir,"the captain said, "upon a peaceful scene; no one would think that allthose quiet looking villages, with their churches, stand over the bonesof dead pirates." The Buccaneer did not like this allusion to his pastlife so he said:
"Master Dogvane! there are but few men that have not had their earlyindiscretions. Even the very best of us in looking back wish some thingsundone. Many a saint has commenced life as a sinner; then let the deadpast be buried, and often the greater the sinner the greater the saint.The first public act of Moses was a murder."
Dogvane took advantage of this diversion to slip in another slide."Behold!" he cried, "your happy villages, with their churches, nestlingin amongst the trees. Behold your towns and cities, the monuments ofyour industry and intelligence! See the tall tapering chimneys risingfar into the murky sky. Look down, my master; look down at your riversthickly studded with innumerable ships." Dogvane said not a word aboutthe nationality of those ships. He did not tell his master that theybelonged, a good many of them, to the innumerable cheap-Jacks thatinfested the shores.
"Dogvane!" cried the Buccaneer, as he wiped the small glass of histelescope, "I see chimneys enough; but I see no smoke coming from them.They seem to me to be mute monuments raised to a dead industry." Theartist had quite forgotten to put the smoke in. Perhaps he painted fromnature--some artists do. Dogvane was quite equal to the occasion, "Wecompel all your subjects, sir, to consume their own smoke."
This of course was not the case, if it had been, the Buccaneer's peoplewould not have had to live at times in a gloom that made mid-dayscarcely distinguishable from midnight.
Do I accuse a high official; a man whose character was as that of thewife of Caesar, of not adhering to the truth?
Heaven forbid, that we should be so profane. But even truth at timesmust be suppressed, and though this may be considered by thestraight-laced and sickly minded to be lying by implication, it is notso. It is done in the very best and most pious society; and in a highstate of civilization it is absolutely necessary; because truth hurtsthe feelings of the refined.
The tinkling of many bells rose up on the air, and hovered for a whileover the crow's nest. "What sound is that?" asked the Buccaneer. "Thebell wethers, sir, ringing out their glad tidings of large andmultiplying flocks." It was nothing of the sort. It was the muffin mangoing his constant and monotonous rounds.
"Listen, sir!" exclaimed Dogvane in high glee, "to the merry, butperfectly unintelligible cry of your happy costermongers. From dewy morntill dewy eve they vend their wares."
"If their cry, Master Dogvane, is unintelligible, why allow them todisturb the quiet of my people?"
"For all that I do, sir, there is a goodly reason. One of the favouritecries of our enemies is that we are revolutionists, up-setters, anddestroyers of cherished customs. We refute this base slander by pointingto your costermongers. Here is a time-honoured institution that we haveleft untouched, and if the merry voice of the costermonger is to besilenced the guilt shall be on the head of the Port Watch, for old BillDogvane will have nothing to do with it." After this burst ofimpassioned eloquence the captain of the Starboard Watch wiped aglistening tear from his eye, took a little time to get his breath andthen continued: "Look at your sanitary arrangements! In a matter ofdrains you have not an equal."
"All this is very well, Master Dogvane, and at home things may be soundenough; but how about my neighbours?"
"Your neighbours, sir? oh! I am credibly informed that in a matter ofdrains they are not good. I believe they have none; or if they have, Ihave no official information on the subject."
"Confound their drains, man! How do I stand with them?" Saying this, theBuccaneer turned his glass to distant parts. Dogvane tried very hard todistract the attention of his master, so that he could turn thetelescope round until the small end might be where the big end ought tobe; but he had no opportunity; neither had he any foreign slides. Thiswas an oversight, and Dogvane was disconcerted. He tried to persuade hismaster by all manner of devices, not to trouble himself about otherpeople's affairs. Told him that he was looked upon with jealousy, as allgreat and good men are; but that he ought to be too wise to mind whatpeople said.
This rather flattered the Buccaneer's vanity. So long as he was fearedand respected that was all he cared for. This was not right from aChristian point of view; but we must not expect too much; for the fleshis at all times weak, and man has been endowed with certain qualitiesthat will occasionally assert themselves. Was not the Hulk alongside theold Ship of State, the custodian of all Christian principles? Would youfind charity and humility reigning supreme there? Good people all,beneath the priestly frock there sometimes beats a hard and unforgivingheart. Saint Chrysostom was a godly but outspoken man; one of strongconvictions. He expressed an opinion that in his day the number ofbishops who might be saved bore a very small proportion to those whowould be damned. We live in better times, and the balance now would beno doubt against the devil. At least let us be charitable, and hope so.
The Buccaneer kept his gaze fixed upon the East, and Dogvane was notexperiencing an ecstasy of delight. Presently his master cried, "Eh!what is that I see?" Dogvane seized the glass and placed his eye to thehole, "It is nothing, sir, but a dust storm. Such things are of frequentoccurrence in the East, and very trying and disagreeable they are tothose who have to live there. This is no doubt what that youngster,Random Jack, made such a fuss about."
"But who is kicking up the dust?" the Buccaneer demanded. Dogvane ranthrough a number of common and ordinary causes for such things, whichhowever did not seem to satisfy his master, who said to the captain'ssurprise, "Dust storm, or no dust storm, Master Dogvane, I am going totake a look there myself. There is no knowing but what the Bandit of theEast may be behind that cloud."
"Ah! the old scare!" muttered Dogvane. "Down on deck and pipe my yacht'screw away!" cried the Buccaneer as he prepared to descend. Dogvane wasfor making a thousand excuses, the manufacturing of which was to him amatter of the greatest ease. But it was of no use, and so down he wentto comply with his master's bidding. He was still more horrified when helearnt that it was his master's intention to make a few calls on hisneighbours on his way to the East.
"What do you want to leave home for now, sir, when all your people areso happy and comfortable?" Dogvane asked as he went down through thelubbers' hole.
"And what better time, pray, could I choose?"
"But your neighbours may not like to be taken thus unceremoniously?"Dogvane said as he began to descend.
"A friend, Master Dogvane, is always welcome, and by our reception weshall see in what estimation we are held."
"But, sir," cried Dogvane, looking up from the rigging.
"But me, no buts, Master Dogvane, but do as you are told; so down yougo."
Dogvane seemed to have lost somewhat of his alacrity, for he took aterrible long time in reaching the deck, and kept up a runningaccompaniment to his thoug
hts, which, however, was not loud enough to beheard, and therefore cannot be recorded; though it is safe enough toassume that so good a man made use of no bad language. Somethingevidently troubled the old captain's mind, for when the two of themreached the deck, he said, "Master, you must not listen to everythingyou hear against the great Bandit of the East. People are not all honeybehind your back. In the past you have ever been too ready to draw thesword, following the example of those who fight first, and argueafterwards."
"Because, Master Dogvane, experience has taught me that if you thrashyour enemy first he is the more amenable to reason."
"That, honoured sir, was all very well in an uncivilized and barbarousage. When the mind was not open to reason, and when the manners had notbeen softened by Christianity, then the sword was, no doubt, a goodmajor premise; but now, sir, it should never be drawn except throughdire necessity. In a just and good cause I am ready to shed my last dropof blood for you."
"Nobly said, Dogvane! nobly said!" exclaimed the Buccaneer, as heslapped old Dogvane in an approving manner on the back, thereby nearlyknocking all the wind out of his body.
"But, mind you, master," Dogvane said, "I must be assured that the causeis just. An appeal to arms should only take place when the noble art ofdiplomacy has failed. Then, sir, by all manner of means draw the sword."
"Master Dogvane; tell me what is Diplomacy?" asked the Buccaneer.
"Diplomacy, sir, is the polished and courteous method that one nationhas of conducting business with another."
"To my mind, Master Dogvane, it is the polished method by which onenation tries very often to overreach another. Strip it of its courtlyparaphernalia and you often find this Diplomacy to be a lying,intriguing, cheating, and unprincipled rascal, that every honest manought to shun. Look you! it has been said that by this self-sameDiplomacy I have lost a good deal of what I have won in fair and openfight."
Dogvane sighed over his master's want of enlightenment. But he knew toowell that in his present mood he was not to be reasoned with, so whatcould a poor sailor do? What cannot be cured must be endured. Dogvanefelt assured that everything was to be put down to the fallaciousteachings of the Port Watch, and had he not been the pious man that hewas he would undoubtedly have damned all their knavish tricks, ifnothing else.
The cook, the butcher, and the carpenter, could see that something wasamiss by the troubled look upon their captain's face, so they were notat all surprised to hear the bo'sn's whistle pipe the crew of the boldBuccaneer's royal yacht away; to be one of the crew of which wasesteemed a great distinction, as it was a sure road to preferment. Thecook only hoped the old man, meaning the Buccaneer, was not going tomake a fool of himself; but he had his doubts, of course. Had thesagacious and learned Pepper been one of the party to give his masterthe benefit of his advice it would have been a different matteraltogether.
But where is the old cox'sn all this time. Is the Buccaneer going tomake his round of calls without his right-hand man?
Good people all, the cox'sn was on shore moving about amongst thepeople, doing good after his humble fashion, wherever he could. He didnot always accompany his master, more is the pity; but the truth must betold. He could not at all times get on with Captain Dogvane, and oldJack Commonsense was not much of a traveller.