CHAPTER VII.
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.
Jerry was at the tiller; Jim Freeman and his friends stood near me atthe main-hatch ready to obey the commands of Darius, and since allhands of us, with the exception of Josiah Coburn, really wereoystermen, knowing no other business or trade, there was little reasonfor the Britishers to have any suspicions regarding us.
It was evident, however, that Darius had seen something to cause himalarm, otherwise he would not remain in the hold, having a care tokeep out of sight while he might be seeing much which would please thecommander to hear about.
So far as I could make out, the Britishers regarded us as ignorantfishermen who were trying to earn a very slim livelihood by sellingoysters at a price which would hardly pay enough to provide food for acrew the size of ours.
Three or four of the petty officers were making very awkward attemptsto open the shells with a marlin-spike, while the idle crew, havingnothing better to do, watched the proceedings on their ship as well asaboard our craft.
I was not looking for an explanation of the old man's behavior amongthe seamen, therefore gave little heed to the old shell-backs wholined the starboard rail from the forecastle-deck to the mainmast.
Gaze intently as I might, it was impossible to see anything whichcould have caused Darius uneasiness, and I dismissed the matter frommy mind with the belief that he remained hidden from view simply toavoid being recognized as an old sailor whom it would pay to impressinto his majesty's service.
It was just when I was growing a trifle more cheerful in mind becauseof having banished the fears which assailed me when the old man leapedso suddenly into the hold, that one of the officers called out:
"Here, you Bubby, come aboard and show us how to open theseshell-fish!"
"Will one of your men stand by for our line, sir?" I asked, becausethe pungy was bobbing around on the small waves ten feet or more fromthe ship's side, and I was not minded to take the chances of jumpingfor the rail when there was good possibility of landing in the water.
The Britisher said something to the knot of men forward, and severalof them stepped forward, overhanging the rail, while Jerry made readyto pass one of the small hawsers.
I stopped only long enough to get one of our oyster-knives from thecuddy, and by that time the Avenger was alongside the ship, rubbingagainst the huge fenders which had been swung out.
At the moment there was no thought of fear in my mind because I wasthus venturing into the very jaws of the lion; I had it in mind onlyto play my part well, and believed that by showing the gentlemen howeasily the shells might be opened, I would be forwarding our business.
Much to my surprise, when I would have clambered aboard the ship,whose rail towered many feet above ours, one of the sailors leaned farover to give me aid when it was not really needed. He grasped both myhands in a grip as of iron, holding me back when it appeared that hewould pull me aboard, and while I was thus hampered, I heard himwhisper:
"Tell Darius Thorpe to be to the eastward of the Tangiers this night!"
Having thus spoken, he hauled me inboard quickly, disappearingimmediately among the throng of men which literally covered the ship'sdeck.
"Well, Bubby, have you gone daft?"
This aroused me to the consciousness that I was playing my part verybadly, and I quickly went to the after-hatchway where was our basketof oysters around which several officers were standing.
Without speaking I whipped out the oyster-knife, and, using thecombing of the hatch as a bench, set about opening the shells asrapidly as the most expert could have done.
The gentlemen were so astonished at seeing me do readily what they hadfailed at, that I had a good two dozen fat oysters ready for theeating before any one made an attempt at swallowing them.
From that out, until the basket was emptied, I was kept busy, andalthough I searched with my eyes while thus engaged, it was impossibleto single out the sailor who had sent the message to Darius.
When there was nothing before me but shells, and one of the officersasked if my father was going to send more aboard, I thought it wouldbe more in keeping with my part to act like a lad who was eager toreceive money for his cargo, therefore I replied that we would sendthe whole load aboard at the rate of eight cents a bushel.
To this proposition the gentleman agreed, and I called out for theothers to begin slinging the baskets up, counting on lending a hand totake them over the rail; but I was not allowed to abandon my job ofoyster-opener.
I worked as lively as I ever did in my life, and it surely seemed asif I would not be allowed to go on board the Avenger until the entirecargo had been eaten, therefore I called for Jerry to help me, afterour small lot had been dumped on the ship's hold.
Darius did not come out of the hold. He had good excuse for remainingthere while we were unloading; but once the pungy was empty I greatlyfeared suspicions might be aroused by his remaining hidden from view.
Not until Jerry and I had opened a full two bushels, and given one ofthe cooks a few lessons in the manner of holding a knife to the bestadvantage while shucking, were we allowed to cease the tiresome labor,for it must be known that we did not claim to be experts at such work.
One of the officers paid us for the cargo, and agreed to take as manyevery other day while they remained at that station.
As if eager to know how long we might find a ready market thereabouts,I asked if he could tell me when there was a possibility of the ship'sbeing moved; but he shut his mouth as close as any of our oysters,saying that it was enough for us to know that they would patronize uswhile they remained there, consequently I did not succeed in gettingany information for Commodore Barney.
I explained my reasons for asking such a question, by saying that itwould be a waste of time for us to sail down the bay when the fleetswere not there, because our only other market was at Annapolis orBaltimore, and he said with a laugh:
"When we're not here you can look for us further north, and we willtake your oysters wherever we go."
I observed that we were on board the Narcissus, and thus understoodthat Darius had made no mistake when he gave that name to the ship,therefore my admiration for the old man's knowledge of nauticalmatters increased, for only an experienced seaman could have thusrecognized a craft he had seen but once before.
By setting down so much when our business was concluded, it wouldappear as if we loafed on the deck of the ship some time, whereas wewere given to understand that our room was better than our companyimmediately the transaction was completed, and in a very few secondsafter the officers allowed Jerry and I to cease the labor of shucking,we were aboard the Avenger, getting under way.
"Look at the name they've given that old bargee!" one of the gentlemenon the quarter-deck cried with a laugh as the pungy swung around untilthe letters on her stern could be read. "These Americans may be hotfor vengeance; but I take notice that they're ready to feed the enemyif there's a dollar to be made."
All this seemed very funny to the Britishers, and they cracked many aquip and joke at our expense, as I guessed by the roars of laughterwhich could be heard so long as we were within earshot.
Darius came on deck once we had filled away; but he kept his hatpulled well down over his face as he walked aft from the main-hatch,and when he had taken the tiller I asked:
"What were you afraid of that you kept under cover so close?"
"It was a mighty snug shave, lad," he replied with a long indrawing ofthe breath. "I knew one of the men on the forecastle deck, 'cause Iwas shipmate with him on the privateer Honest Ben, when Joshua Barneywas in command. I'm not sayin' that he'd given me away; but I fearedhe might sing out on seein' me."
"What is his name?"
"Bill Jepson. He's a Baltimore man; but whether he's there owin' tofallin' in with a press-gang, or on account of his own free will, it'shard to say, though I never believed Bill would willingly have servedthe king."
"He wants you to be to the eastward of the Tangiers this night,"
Isaid, and the old man started as if he had been struck by a bullet.
"How do you know, lad?"
Then I told him when the sailor had had speech with me, and againrepeated the message.
"That shows as how poor Bill was pressed into the service," Dariussaid sympathetically, "an' now he's countin' that an old shipmate willlend a hand."
"Which of course you will do!" I cried hotly.
"We must make some kind of a turn to favor him; but we're here on thecommodore's business, an' the question is whether we'll be warrantedin doin' what may turn all the plans upside down. Bill reckons to slipover the side, an' swim ashore. If we're roundabout here, theBritishers will count it for certain that we had a hand in thedesertion, an' the Avenger may be taken from us before we've got wellinto our work. The king's officers ain't noways easy in handlin' themas tries to get the best of 'em."
"But if the man swims for the islands expectin' to find us, and we'renot there, he'll be retaken."
"Ay, lad, an' most likely dance at the yard-arm for desertion."
"Then of course we must help him," and I beckoned to Jerry, knowingfull well he would fall into my way of thinking.
Before anything could be said between my partner and me, however, theAvenger had come off the Severn, and we received peremptory orders toheave to.
"Why didn't you remain alongside, as you were told?" an officer askedangrily when the pungy was at a standstill, and Darius replied:
"The current carried us down the bay durin' the night, an' whenmornin' came the captain of that other ship ordered us alongside, sir.He bought our cargo an' agreed to take more, so if you'd like totrade with us, we can have fifteen or twenty bushels here by to-morrownight, in case the wind holds."
I could see that two or three of the gentlemen on the quarter-deck puttheir heads together, as if talking about us, and then the one who hadfirst spoken ordered us to lay alongside.
"They're goin' to search us, an' it may be I'll have an invite to stopaboard quite a spell." Darius said half to himself as he swung thepungy around preparatory to obeying orders.
"Then why do we go alongside? It wouldn't take many minutes to run outof range," I said excitedly.
"They'd sink us in a twinkling, an' even though I knew we might give'em the slip, it shouldn't be done, 'cause we couldn't come hereagain, which never'd suit the commodore."
The possibility that any of our crew might be pressed into service onboard the ship frightened me, as may be imagined; but I understoodeven while making the suggestion, that we could not hope to escape,and the fate of poor Tom Sackett was pictured before me.
There was no way out of it, however, but my knees were very weak whenwe ranged up under the starboard guns, waiting like criminals untilhis majesty's officers should work their will regardless of right orwrong.
Darius was the one who stood in the most danger, for it could readilybe seen that he was an old sailor; but he never turned a hair. Onewould have said to see him that nothing was more pleasant than to thusbe overhauled, and he made a most awkward flourish by way of a bowwhen we were come into position.
Jim Freeman passed a hawser, and when it was made fast a midshipman,who acted as if he owned the whole of Chesapeake Bay, came aboard withtwo marines.
The little whipper-snapper poked his nose into the cuddy, andpretended to be nearly overcome by the odor of the place, therefore hesent the marines below to overturn everything in the bunks, as ifbelieving we had somebody hidden there.
The soldiers came up with our three old muskets, and the littlewhifflet demanded in a tone of authority to be told why we went sowell armed.
"We carry 'em, sir, so's we can get a mess of ducks now an' then,"Darius replied as respectfully as if he had been speaking to the king."They ain't any great shakes of guns, seein's how all of 'em arerusted pretty bad; but we oystermen can't afford anythin' better."
One would have thought the little ape had found three or fourthirty-two pounders, by the way he passed them up over the rail forthe inspection of the officers on the quarter-deck, and then heturned his attention to the hold.
I heard the gentlemen laughing as they looked at our weapons, and in atwinkling the pieces were thrown down on the deck with so little carethat the hammer of one was broken off short to the lock, but those whoserved the king had little care how they destroyed the property ofthose whose crime consisted in being born Americans.
The midshipman got one whiff from the hold, which I'm free to admitwasn't pleasing, and the soldiers were sent below while he stood witha handkerchief decked out with lace held to his nose, as if in dangerof fainting.
As a matter of course nothing was found below, save a lot of mud andsome oyster shells. A blind man might have seen that so far as thevessel was concerned she could be nothing more than an honestoysterman; but the whifflet forced the marines to search over everyportion of the hold, and while this was being done one of the officersasked how many bushels we sold to those of the Narcissus.
Darius replied to the question, speaking as nearly unlike a sailor aspossible, and not until he had stated the price, showing Britishsilver as proof of the amount received, was the curiosity of thegentleman satisfied.
Then the midshipman clambered over the side of the ship to make hisreport, and the moment had come when if any of our number were to betaken from us, we would be made aware of it.
I stood by the side of Darius trembling with apprehension, and evenamid my fear I took note of the fact that Jerry was feeling far fromcomfortable in mind, while the old man chewed incessantly on a hugepiece of tobacco that caused his cheeks to swell out as if on thepoint of bursting.
Although we had good cause for being frightened, nothing came of it,and never did words sound more sweetly in my ears than when one of theofficers said:
"You can get on about your business; but don't make the mistake againof trying to get below us without first reporting."
"We wasn't countin' on goin' very far away, sir," Darius repliedawkwardly. "There's good fishin' to be found around the islands here,an' I was reckonin' on gettin' the drags out."
"Very well, but see to it that you heave to when coming nearabout, andremain until getting permission to proceed."
"Yes sir, I'll do it for certain," Darius cried, and as one of theBritisher's crew cast off our hawser, we filled away, standing to thenortheast.
There was not one aboard the Avenger who did not realize what a narrowescape we had had from being forced to serve the king, and I dareventure to say that all hands drew a breath of relief as the pungysailed beyond range of the big guns.
"Where are you bound?" Jerry asked when he was sufficiently master ofhimself to note the course.
"I reckon we'll run over to Pocomoke; we'll find oysters in thatlocality, such as they are, an' there's no need of running too faraway from the market."
"You're goin' to lend Bill Jepson a hand!" I cried joyfully, for itwould have gone far toward breaking my heart to turn a deaf ear to thepoor fellow's appeal.
"That's just what I ain't so clear about," Darius repliedthoughtfully. "Suppose we talk the matter over a bit."
I called Jim Freeman and his friends aft, knowing full well what theiropinion would be, and when we were together, repeated the story as Ihad told it to the old man.
Then Darius explained that by helping a sailor to desert from one ofthe enemy's ships, we might get into serious difficulties, to saynothing of losing the sloop, and he also put it very plainly that ingoing outside the task set us, we stood a good chance of disappointingthe commodore.
It was Jerry who put the matter to my liking, when he said:
"There are chances in favor of our bein' able to do this withoutinterferin' with the work set for us by the commodore; but there isn'tmuch hope for the sailor if he swims over to the Tangiers an' fails offindin' us waitin' for him. You say he'll be hanged if they catch himtryin' to desert. I don't believe I could sleep well nights if weshould leave this place, an' he met with his death."
A
ll hands of us felt much as did Jerry, and after thinking the matterover a moment Darius said slowly, as if choosing well his words:
"You lads must understand that I'm as hot for helpin' Bill as you canbe; but we're doin' our little part in a war, an' at such times thelife of one man don't count for very much when the good of others isconcerned. To tell the truth, I couldn't really say what we ought'erdo if I studied the thing over for four an' twenty hours. You lads ownthis 'ere pungy, an' I allow you have the right to say somethin' as towhat shall be done with her, though you the same as put the craft outof your keepin' when you took a guarantee from the commodore that somany dollars should be paid in case she was lost. We'll consider it assettled, an' now get to work. Swing out the drags, an' we'll let theBritishers see that we're fishin', even though it ain't noways likelywe'll get much here."
I am free to confess that Darius' words made me a bit uneasy in mindregarding our deciding the matter, for I knew full well that he hadspoken no more than the truth. It would be hard on Bill Jepson if wegave him the cold shoulder; but by trying to lend a hand we might bedoing others a wrong.
However, the question had been decided, and there was little sense incrying over spilled milk, for I was not minded to make any effort atbringing about a change of opinion, therefore I turned to with theothers that we might appear to be industriously fishing.
Darius stood to the eastward until we were in Pocomoke bay, and therewe stood a good show of getting fifteen or twenty bushels before itwould be time to be at the rendezvous appointed by Bill Jepson.
During all this while we had the enemy's fleets in fairly good view,for the vessels appeared to be to the northward of New Point; but, asa matter of course, it could be of little benefit to the commodore toknow how many vessels there were, if we could not give him any idea oftheir weight of metal.
It was nearly noon before we got breakfast, and when the meal was cometo an end we had struck some small oyster beds, therefore we were keptjumping from that time until dark, and then had on board a good twentybushels of fair stock. Not enough from a money-making point of view;but plenty to serve our purpose, for it might not be well to let theBritishers think we could take on a cargo quickly.
Now the greater portion of this time we were in view of those aboardthe two vessels we had visited, and by using their spy-glasses itwould have been possible for them to make out what we were doing.
Once the night began to shut in, however, we were out of sight, andDarius said as we hauled in the drags for the last time:
"Now we'll run over for the Tangiers, lads, an' stay there till two orthree o'clock in the mornin'. If Bill don't show up by that time wemust count that he couldn't get away, or was caught in the act."
"Are you simply reckoning on laying off the islands?" I asked,understanding that a man might swim ashore at one point while we wereat another, and easily fail of finding us.
"I reckon that some of us will take to the canoe, an' cruise off thewestern shore lookin' for him. His best time for makin' the try willbe when the last dog-watch goes off duty at eight o'clock, or again atmidnight. It won't be easy to paddle 'round so long; but it's a man'slife that you're after."
"Jerry and I will go in the canoe," I said, thinking it no more thanright for us to perform the greatest share of the labor since we wereheld, by Darius, responsible for making the attempt to aid the sailor.
We made a hearty supper that night, eating the last of the ham, andfrying a generous quantity of oysters with it, and then the pungy washove to on the westward side of the large island, as near inshore aswe dared to run.
I proposed that she be anchored lest the wind set her on the beach;but Darius claimed that it was necessary for us to be ready to leaveat a moment's notice, and promised to have an eye on the craft all thewhile we were absent.
Then Jerry and I took to the canoe, with good prospect of half anight's work before us, and paddled around to the eastward, afterwhich we set about going back and forth for a distance of a quarter ofa mile, since that seemed to be the place a man naturally would makefor.
We could see the riding lights of the ship plainly, and although itwould require considerable labor to swim so far, it should be readilydone by one who was at all familiar with the work.
"We'd find ourselves in a pretty hobble if a boat put off from theship just now," Jerry said in a low tone, and I was angry with him forhaving offered such a suggestion. There was enough in the venture tomake a fellow nervous, without conjuring up all the possibilities at atime when one needed to have his wits about him.
"We won't think of anything except trying to pick the poor man up," Isaid sharply. "This isn't the kind of work that suits me, and I'm notso cold-blooded that I can picture out all the trouble which may comeupon us."
"A fellow can't help thinkin'," Jerry replied grumpily, and I said yetmore curtly:
"He needn't talk about it to mix others up." Then, angered with myselffor having spoken so petulantly, I added, "To tell the truth, Jerry, Iam as frightened as a lad well can be, and don't dare to talk overlymuch lest I should show the white feather in a way to make you ashamedof me."
"You can't be any worse off than I am," my partner replied, and thenwe both laughed softly. An acknowledgment of our timorousness seemedto hearten us, and we worked the paddles in a more whole-souledfashion.
As I have said, we decided to pull back and forth on a line about aquarter of a mile long, and all the while kept a sharp watch in thedirection of the vessel, for a swimmer's head on the water is not avery large object to see in the night.
We did not dare indulge in much conversation, and during an hour wehad not spoken once; but then I said, thinking to spare ourselvesuseless labor:
"If he slipped off at eight o'clock, he should have been here by thistime. We may as well lay still till midnight."
I had hardly ceased speaking when we heard a sound as of some onewhistling softly, and nothing more was needed to tell us that BillJepson had succeeded in slipping away from the ship.