of the best scholars in the school, though at the sametime one of the wildest. The vicar was a strict man, and, though heexpressed himself satisfied with my progress, I was never a favourite ofhis.
"Although I had continued my intimacy with several of my early smugglingcompanions, I managed to reach my eighteenth year without beingconsidered worse than a wild sort of chap. About this time I formed anacquaintance with a pretty girl, the daughter of a respectable farmer inthe neighbourhood. Her old father spoke to me on the subject. Iknocked him down and fled. I had behaved like a villain. I knew itthen; I feel it now. The poor girl refused to see me when I afterwardstried to meet her, and soon died of a broken heart. The neighbourhoodwas no longer to my liking. I felt that every finger was pointed at me;but I stifled conscience, and tried to appear indifferent as to whatfolks said of me. Oh, that I had listened to that small voice then! Myafter-life would have been very different.
"I had always been accustomed to get about in boats; and having justbefore formed the acquaintance of a noted smuggler, one Brand Hallton byname--I then thought him one of the finest fellows on either side of thechannel--I made my first trip across to the coast of France in hiscompany. That man was the chief cause of my subsequent career in crimeand misery--my evil genius. Oh, sir, warn all the young men you maymeet to shun the company of the wicked and immoral as they would apestilence! They are the instruments with which the devil works out hisdeeds of darkness. I did not know how bad he was, or, perhaps, I mighthave avoided him and been saved. For two years or more, I wasconstantly in some smuggling craft or another; and though we frequentlylost a cargo, we managed to escape being taken and sent on board aman-of-war to serve the king. This hazardous varied sort of life justsuited my taste, and, as I had more learning than the rest of mycompanions, I was looked up to by most of them. However, our successwas not to last for ever: through the treachery, as we afterwardsdiscovered, of one of the people we employed on shore, we were unusuallyunfortunate; and, suspecting what was the case, we vowed to be revengedon whomever it might be.
"I had never seen blood shed--my hands were free from that crime. Ohthat they were so now, I should not care so much about dying! We had alarge cutter, carrying four guns, with forty stout hands on board, BrandHallton being our captain; so that we could easily beat off any revenueboats which might attempt to board us.
"Every one was armed to the teeth; and on the occasion I am about tospeak of, the word was passed that all the helpers on shore should comeprepared for resistance, in case of being molested. We took in ourcargo, consisting of silks, laces, tea, and other valuable commodities,at Cherbourg, and made the land just before sunset. We stood in atonce, and found the spotsman at his post, with a signal that all wasclear. The night was pitchy dark, though calm; and, except the signals,not a light was shown. About fifty men were stationed on shore, tocarry the things inland.
"We set to work as fast as possible getting the things into the boats,and all went on well for some time. I, with some others, in one of theboats, had left the cutter, when a pistol was flashed from the shore asa signal for us to return; but, before we had pulled many strokes, therewas a rapid discharge of fire-arms, while loud shouts, oaths, and criesarose: torches were kindled, and by their light we could see our friendson shore mixed in a hot fight with a number of red-coats.
"As soon as we made out what was going forward, we pulled back as fastas we could to the vessel, to put the bales into her, intending toreturn to assist our people; but, before we reached her, a splash ofoars was heard close to us, and in a moment a large boat was alongsideour galley. At the same time, a loud voice ordered us to surrender;but, as we were not the chaps to do that in a hurry, our coxswain drewhis pistol, and fired it towards the boat. A deep groan was the answer,and immediately other pistols were fired on each side. By the flasheswe saw a number of men, their cutlasses shining brightly, about tospring into our boat; but, at the same time, we knew that we must beatthem or die. They were brave fellows, and would, perhaps, have taken usall; but we were fighting with halters round our necks; for after theresistance we had offered, we knew that, if made prisoners, we should behung. They had already cut down two or three of our people, whenanother of our boats came up, and attacked them on the other side.There was now little chance for them: we dared not save them if wewould. They fought bravely to the last--every one of them was killed.
"They were countrymen, and were only doing their duty. That night'swork, sir, weighed like lead upon my conscience, till other crimes drovethe thoughts of it out, and my heart became seared. It is only now thatI am about to quit the world that my conscience is roused up. It isvery terrible, sir. My life seems a dreadful dream; and I cannot evennow believe that I am to die to-morrow to go where I have already sentso many others, not more fit to die than I am. It is too much to thinkof. I wonder what sort of a place I shall be in to-morrow at thistime!" he suddenly exclaimed, after a long silence.
"You must trust in the mercy of One who is all merciful," I answered,"and repent of your crimes, and then be assured, as was the thief on thecross, you will be forgiven."
"I wish I thought it might be so, sir," he observed, "but I have beentoo wicked--too great a reprobate for pardon; and _he_--_he_ knowsbetter!--that ghastly figure there!--_he_ shakes his head, and grins atme, mocking at the very idea of it! Oh, that I could have another spellof life to get free of him! Is there any chance of being let off?" heasked, with sudden animation.
"Not the slightest," I answered. "Do not for a moment indulge in such ahope."
"Well, sir, well--perhaps it is best as it is. I have thought a gooddeal about death since I lay wounded, and have made up my mind to theworst. My life has long been a burden to me; but it is the future--thefuture which makes me tremble; and then that dreadful ghost-like figureunnerves me. Off with you--off!" he shrieked out. "Leave me for thisonce at rest!"
The Spaniards, aroused by his cries, scowled fiercely on him, andcursing him for a noisy madman, again sank back upon the stone floor.After being silent for a minute, he appeared to have perfectly recoveredhis senses, and continued--
"I will go on, sir, with what I was telling you about--I want to get itoff my mind. Well, after we had killed the people in the revenue boat,we hove the things into the cutter, and pulled again to the shore toassist our friends. It was fortunate for them that we did so, for thesoldiers had come down in great numbers, and completely got the betterof them. Some were made prisoners, numbers were either killed outrightor desperately wounded, and the remainder were fighting hand-to-hand fortheir lives, close down to the water's edge. Some of the best men werewith us. We were fresh and desperate; so, managing to drive back thesoldiers for a minute, by a furious charge, before they again came on,we covered the retreat of the rest to the boats, and then followedourselves. In a moment they were afloat, and we were pulling off fromthe shore. Several volleys were fired at us without doing us anymischief, and we could see the soldiers, by the flashes of theirpistols, galloping up and down along the beach, in search of those ofour friends who were trying to escape. About twenty of our people gotoff, but of course all the things, except a few we had on board, werelost, and we vowed vengeance against whomever had betrayed us. We alltook a dreadful oath to that effect, which we most fearfully fulfilled.Oh! I wish that it had been broken.
"We were sullen and out of humour enough when we got on board; but therewas no time then to meditate on revenge, so we lost not a moment inmaking sail and standing off the coast. We well knew that, after whatwe had done, the revenue cruisers would be keeping a very sharp look-outfor us; but we were not to be daunted, even by the certainty of death,if taken. We spoke a lugger standing in for the coast, and two nightsafterwards we ourselves followed her, and ran the rest of our cargo.When on shore, about that work, we discovered who it was who hadbetrayed us, and we renewed our oath to be revenged on him whenever wecould get him into our power. He was a man who often had acted asspotsman for us, and in whom we pl
aced entire confidence, though withthe world in general he did not enjoy the best of characters. His namewas Arnold, a tall, fine-looking fellow, still in the prime of manhood.He had been bribed to deliver us into the hands of the law, and,fancying that his treachery was undiscovered, he was now looking forwardto getting a larger reward by informing against us a second time. Wedid revenge ourselves! Oh, it was dreadful! Ah!--there he is! Hislivid, corpse-like face is laughing, and muttering at me behind yourback. I knew I could not speak of him without his coming. Yes, yes,yes!--I'll follow! I'll follow!--I know I must!"
And the wretched man broke into loud shrieks for mercy. He soonrecovered, and continued--as if he had not interrupted himself--
"We allowed two months to pass before we ventured back to the coast,when we ran in with a valuable cargo, which we landed without