CHAPTER VIII.
It was the boast of our Buccaneer that he never turned his back uponeither friend or enemy, but in this perhaps he romanced a little, as thevery best and bravest of men will. The accusation was certainly broughtagainst him in after years. In dwelling upon our own actions a littlelatitude is always allowed, and the disposition to boast a little mustbe considered to be a pardonable weakness. Indeed, why should we detractfrom ourselves when there are so many kind friends and bitter enemiesever ready to render us the service and all for nothing?
He did love to dwell upon his past actions, many of which were glorious,and over his pipe and his glass he would spin many a yarn, and he woulddeclare that there was no nobler sight than a good sea-fight, no finermusic than the clash of arms, no finer scent than that which came fromthe muzzle of a freshly discharged gun. All this is, of course, merely amatter of opinion.
If his sons were successful, he rewarded them well, if otherwise theyfrequently had to play the part of the scapegoat, and were driven outinto the wilderness of neglect. He worshipped success and there isnothing like it. It changes the aspect of the blackest deed, and underits mellowing influence rank rebellion, it is well known, comes outoftentimes, if not always, in the pure and beautiful light ofpatriotism.
It has been mentioned that our bold Buccaneer had engendered a certainamount of jealousy amongst his neighbours, who were for ever calling himhard names, and always retained the privilege of adding to the number.Such things do not break bones or otherwise injure people, moreespecially if nature has endowed them with good, thick, serviceableskins, and in this respect she had been considerate to the subject ofour history. A good thick skin is, in this world, a tower of strength,from the top of which the fortunate ones can defy ill-nature. At times,however, a shaft did pierce through some soft and indifferently guardedspot in the Buccaneer's armour. He had fought many a good fight both bysea and land, and against long odds, and he could not bear to think,that there should be a suspicion even, that he was a bully ever ready topitch into one smaller than himself.
There is something very offensive about the above term. Schoolboys arefor ever requesting their fellows to pitch into boys their own size andcalling them bullies if they will not. But has not the bully beensomewhat put upon, misunderstood, and subjected to unjust obloquy? Toattack one your own size is a mistake and worthy only of the immortalDon. As a rule for everyday life it would never do, and might be fraughtwith injustice. All virtue does not lie on the side of the small boy,who frequently by his self-sufficiency and conceit deserves a thrashing.Oftentimes he presumes upon his smallness and makes himself asdisagreeable as a drowsy fly in cold weather. If a small boy be put uponby one bigger than himself, he can in turn set upon his inferior, andthus the chain of responsibility can be carried on "ad infinitum," andin the end justice will be done to all.
We are all children of nature and she has established bullying as aprinciple which is, by the aid of the microscope, to be detected fromthe mite to the man. The small of each species which she wishes topreserve, she guards and surrounds with especial attributes. The skunkis not a large animal, and yet enemies and friends alike approach himwith extreme respect. Was there ever a nation yet, that was kept fromthrashing and robbing another on account of its size?
Does the bully never walk about in public offices, or in privatedwelling-houses? Is he never to be found on the domestic hearth? Ask thehumble swain of yonder fair-haired, blue-eyed, and angel-faced damsel,if he knows what it is to be bullied? Ask the husband of many yearsstanding if he has ever experienced the feeling? All things have theirallotted functions to perform in this most complex world of ours, and nodoubt the bully is as necessary as many of those minute insects whosepresence is only known by the energy of their actions. So much for thebully.
His neighbours also said he was a money-grubber; a mere tradesman, butwithal a proud and even prosperous man. That he could fight well hadbeen proved on many a battle-field. What then, if now, he made a goodlyincome by means of trade? All love this money, yet so many pretend todespise the means by which it is obtained. To march your thousand intoyour neighbour's country; to lay waste his lands, to filch from him hismoney, and to ravish, perhaps, his daughters, has ever been consideredmore noble and honourable, than to sit quietly at home and allow thegold to trickle into your coffers through the peaceful channels oftrade.
We have touched upon this subject with the tip only of our pen before,for we fear pollution. The trader is looked upon askance. The uncrownedqueen of society turns up her dainty nose at him. The poor man knows it,and as soon as he can hides all trace of his calling. Frequently enrolshimself in some civic guard and calls himself a colonel, and tries tohide under his military plumes all signs of the desk and high stool.Then as to our Buccaneer's pride. Such a thing is, no doubt, to becondemned, but its next-of-kin, namely, self-respect, is very much to beesteemed. The Buccaneer maintained that his pride amounted to this andnothing more, and he gloried in it; took it with him everywhere, moreespecially to his church. When he prayed he might humble himself beforehis God, but as regards his fellow-man he must hold his head up andclaim that consideration which he considered his due. If you wished tosee pride fully displayed, there could be no better place than thedebatable ground of a church pew in the Buccaneer's island.
When his sons visited his neighbours or any parts called foreign, theywere perhaps a little haughty and had a good-natured contempt for thepeople they found themselves amongst. But that they did not hail fromtheir own fair land was, however, more their misfortune than theirfault. Perhaps it is the vulgar ostentation that sometimes accompaniesthe acquirement of great wealth that renders it so offensive to the lessfortunate.
Pride, no doubt, is not a Christian virtue, yet have I found noChristian entirely without it. The Buccaneer's High Priest and othergreat church dignitaries, were they humble? Yes, humble enough if youpaid them the respect they thought their due; if you approached theecclesiastical breeches and gaiters with modest diffidence. Did notcontradict them--not the breeches and gaiters, but the divine beingsinside them--or doubt the superiority of their learning, wisdom, andvirtue, or presume to make use of that intellect which God has givenyou. Humble enough then; but your ordinary, and sometimes yourextraordinary priests cannot brook opposition. Admit also that ourBuccaneer was great, good, rich, generous, brave, and a few other thingsbarely worth the mentioning, and he was humble enough, heaven knows.What he was almost entirely without, was that offensive pride which apeshumility.