CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.
THE AMBUSH--THE ESCAPE--RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE--AND CONCLUSION.
An hour before the appointed time Ole Thorwald, under cover of a darknight, stole out of his own dwelling with slow and wary step, andcrossed the little plot of ground that lay in front of it with the slyand mysterious air of a burglar, rather than that of an honest man.
Outside his gate he was met in the same cautious manner by adark-skinned human being, the character of whose garments was somethingbetween those of a sailor and a West India planter. This was Sambo,Thorwald's major-domo, clerk, overseer, and right-hand man. Sambo wasnot his proper name, but his master, regarding him as being theembodiment of all the excellent qualities that could by any possibilityexist in the person of a South Sea islander, had bestowed upon him thegeneric name of the dark race, in addition to that wherewith Mr Masonhad gifted him on the day of his baptism.
Sambo and his master exchanged a few words in low whispers, and thengliding down the path that led from the stout merchant's house to thesouth side of the village, they entered the woods that lined the shore,like two men bent on a purpose which might or might not be of theblackest possible kind.
"I don't half like this sort of work, Sambo," observed Thorwald,speaking and treading with less caution as they left the settlementbehind them.
"Ambushments, and surprises, and night forages, especially when theyinclude Goats' Passes, don't suit me at all. I have a strong antipathyto everything in the way of warfare, save a fair field and no favourunder the satisfactory light of the sun."
"Ho!" said Sambo quietly, as much as to say--I hear and appreciate, buthaving no observation to make in reply, I wait for more from yourhonoured lips.
"Now, you see," pursued Thorwald, "if I were to follow my own tastes--which it seems to me I am destined not to be allowed to do any more inthe affairs of this world, if I may judge by the events of the pastmonth--if I were to follow my own tastes, I say I would go boldly to theprison where this pestiferous pirate captain lies, put double irons onhim, and place a strong guard round the building. In this case I wouldbe ready to defend it against any odds, and would have the satisfactionof standing up for the rights of the settlement like a man, and ofhurling defiance at the entire British navy (at least such portion of itas happens to be on the island at this time) if they were to attempt arescue--as this Bumpus hints they are likely to do. Yet it seems to mestrange and unaccountable that they should thus interest themselves in avile pirate. I verily believe that I have been deceived, but it is toolate now to alter my plans or to hesitate. Truly, it seemeth to me thatI might style myself an ass without impropriety."
"Ho!" remarked Sambo, and the grin with which the remark was accompaniedseemed to imply that he not only appreciated his master's sentiment, butagreed with it entirely.
"You've got eleven men, I trust, Sambo?"
"Yes, mass'r."
"All good and true, I hope? men who can be trusted both in regard totheir fighting qualities, and their ability to hold their tongues?"
"Dumb as owls, ebery von," returned Sambo.
"Good! You see, my man, I _must_ not permit that fellow to escape; atthe same time I do not wish to blazon abroad that it is my friend HenryStuart who is helping him. Neither do I wish to run the risk of killingmy friends in a scrimmage, if they are so foolish as to resist me;therefore I am particular about the men you have told off for this duty.Where did you say they are to meet us?"
"Close by de point, mass'r."
A few minutes' walk brought them to the point where the men wereawaiting them. As far as Ole could judge, by the dim light of a fewstars that struggled through the cloudy sky, they were eleven as stoutfellows as any warrior could desire to have at his back in a hand tohand conflict. They were all natives, clothed much in the same manneras Sambo, and armed with heavy clubs, for, as we have seen, Thorwald wasresolved that this should be a bloodless victory.
"Whereabout is the boat?" whispered Ole to his henchman, as he gropedhis way down the rocky slopes towards the shore.
"'Bout two hondr'd yards more farder in front," said Sambo.
"Then I'll place the men here," said Ole, turning to the natives whowere following close at his heels. "Now, boys, remain under cover ofthis rock till I lead you on to the attack; and mind what I say toyou--_no killing_! Some of party are my friends, d'ye understand? Idon't want to do them a damage, but I do want to prevent their lettingoff as great a villain, I believe, as ever sailed the ocean under ablack flag--only his was a red one; because of his extremebloody-mindedness, no doubt, which led, him to adopt the colour ofblood. We will attack them in the rear, which means, of course, bysurprise, though I must confess that style of warfare goes much againstthe grain with me. There are just four men, I am told, besides thepirate. Our first onset will secure the fall of at least two of theparty by my own cudgel--and mark me, lads, I don't say this in thespirit of boasting. He would indeed be but a poor warrior who could notfell two men when he took them unawares and in the dark. No, I feelhalf ashamed o' the work, but I suppose it is my duty. So you see therewill be just two men and the pirate left for us to deal with. Four ofyou ought to be able to overcome the two men without drawing blood,except, it may be, a little surface-fluid. The remaining nine of uswill fall on the pirate captain in a body. You will easily know him byhis great size, and I have no manner of doubt but that he will makehimself further known by the weight of his blows. If I happen to fall,don't look after me till you have overcome and bound the pirate. Theropes are all ready, and my man Sambo will carry them."
Having delivered this address to his followers, who by their "Ho's" andgrins indicated their perfect readiness to do as they were bid, OleThorwald left them in ambush, and groped his way down to the beach,accompanied by Sambo.
"Did you bring the chain and padlock, Sambo?"
"Yis, mass'r. But you no tink it am berer to take boat away--pull himout ob sight?"
"No, Sambo, I have thought on that subject already, and have come to theconclusion that it is better to let the boat remain. You see they haveplaced it in such a way that as long as daylight lasted it could be seenfrom the settlement, and even now it is visible at some distance, as yousee. If we were to remove it they would at once observe that it wasgone, and thus be put on their guard. No, no, Sambo. I may not be fondof ambushments, but I flatter myself that I have some talent for suchmatters."
The master and servant had reached the beach by this time, where theyfound the boat in the exact position that had been indicated by JohnBumpus. It lay behind a low piece of coral rock, fastened to an ironring by means of a rope, while the oars lay in readiness on the thwarts.
Sambo now produced a heavy iron chain with which the boat was speedilyfastened to the ring. It was secured with a large padlock, the key ofwhich Ole placed in his pocket.
This being satisfactorily accomplished, they returned to the place ofambush.
"Now, Mister Gascoyne," observed Thorwald with a grim smile, as he satdown beside his men and pulled out his watch, "I will await yourpleasure. It is just half-past eleven; if you are a punctual man, as JoBumpus led me to believe, I will try your metal in half-an-hour, andhave you back in your cage before one o'clock! What say you to that,Sambo?"
The faithful native opened his huge mouth wide and shut his eyes,thereby indicating that he laughed, but he said nothing, bad, good, orindifferent, to his master's facetious observation. The other nativesalso grinned in a quiet but particularly knowing manner, after which thewhole party relapsed into profound silence and kept their midnight watchwith exemplary patience and eager expectation.
At this same hour the pirate captain was seated in his cell on the edgeof the low bedstead, with his elbows resting on his knees and his faceburied in his hands.
The cell was profoundly dark--so dark that the figure of the prisonercould scarcely be distinguished.
Gascoyne did not move for many minutes, but once or twice a deep sighescaped him, shewin
g that although his body was at rest, his thoughtswere busy. At last he moved and clasped his hands together violently asif under a strong impulse. In doing so, the clank of his chains echoedharshly through the cell. This seemed to change the current of histhoughts, for he again covered his face with both hands and began tomutter to himself.
"Ay," said he, "it has come at last. How often I have dreamed of thiswhen I was free and roaming over the wide ocean. I would say that Ihave been a fool did I not feel that I have more cause to bow my headand confess that I am a sinner. Ah! what a thing pride is. How littledo men know what it has cost me to humble myself before them as I havedone; yet I feel no shame in confessing it here, when I am all alone.Alone! am I alone?"
For a long time Gascoyne sat in deep silence as if he were following outthe train of thought which had been suggested by the last words.Presently his ideas again found vent in muttered speech.
"In my pride I have said that there is no God. I don't think I everbelieved that; but I tried to believe it, for I knew that my deeds wereevil. Surely my own words will condemn me, for I have said that I thinkmyself a fool, and does not the Bible say that `the fool hath said inhis heart there is no God?' Ay, I remember it well. The words wereprinted in my brain when I learnt the Psalms of David at my mother'sknee, long, long ago. My mother! what bitter years have passed sincethat day! How little did ye dream, mother, that your child would cometo _this_. God help me!"
The pirate relapsed into silence, and a low groan escaped him. But histhoughts seemed too powerful to be restrained within his breast, forthey soon broke forth again in words.
"Your two texts have come true, pastor Mason. You did not mean them forme, but _they were sent_ to me. `There is no rest, saith my God, to thewicked.' No rest! I have not known rest since I was a boy. `Be sureyour sin shall find you out.' I laughed at these words once; they laughat _me_ now. I have found them out to be true--and found it out toolate. Too late! _Is_ it too late? If these words be true, are not allthe words of God equally true? `The blood of Jesus Christ his Soncleanseth us from _all_ sin.' That was what you said, pastor Mason, onthat Sunday morning when the savages were stealing down on us. It gaveme comfort then, but, ah me! it seems to give me no comfort now. Oh!that I had resisted the tempter when he _first_ came to me! Strange! Ioften heard this said long, long ago; but I laughed at it--not in scorn,no, it was in easy indifference. I did not believe it had anything todo with me. And now, I suppose, if I were to stand in the publicstreets and cry that I had been mistaken, with all the fervour of abursting heart, men would laugh at me in an easy way--as I did then.
"I don't fear death. I have often faced it, and I don't remember everfeeling afraid of death. Yet I shrink from death _now_. Why is this?What a mystery my thoughts and feelings are to me. I know not what tothink. But it will soon be over, for I feel certain that I shall bedoomed to die. God help me!"
Gascoyne again became silent. When he had remained thus a few minuteshis attention was roused by the sound of footsteps and of whisperingvoices close under his window. Presently the key was put in the lock,the heavy bolt shot back, and the door creaked on its hinges as itopened slowly.
Gascoyne knew by the sound that several men entered the cell, but asthey carried no light he could not tell how many there were. He was ofcourse surprised at a visit at such an unusual hour, as well as at thestealthy manner in which his visitors entered; but having made up hismind to submit quietly to whatever was in store for him, and knowingthat he could not hope for much tenderness at the hands of theinhabitants of Sandy Cove, he was not greatly disturbed. Still, hewould not have been human had not his pulse quickened under theinfluence of a strong desire to spring up and defend himself.
The door of the cell was shut and locked as quietly as it had beenopened; then followed the sound of footsteps crossing the floor.
"Is that you, jailer?" demanded Gascoyne.
"Ye'll know that time enough," answered a gruff voice that was notunfamiliar to the prisoner's ear.
The others who had entered along with this man did not move from thedoor--at least, if they did so, there was no sound of footsteps. Theman who had spoken went to the window and spread a thick cloth over it.Gascoyne could see this, because there was sufficient light outside tomake the arms of the man dimly visible as he raised them up toaccomplish his object. The cell was thus rendered, if possible, moreimpenetrably dark than before.
"Now, pirate," said the man, turning round, and suddenly flashing a darklantern full on the stern face of the prisoner, "you and I will have alittle convarse together--by yer leave or without yer leave. In casethere might be pryin' eyes about, I've closed the porthole, d'ye see."
Gascoyne listened to this familiar style of address in surprise, but didnot suffer his features to betray any emotion whatever. The lanternwhich the seaman (for such he evidently was) carried in his hand threw astrong light wherever its front was turned, but left every other part ofthe cell in partial darkness. The reflected light was, however, quitesufficient to enable the prisoner to see that his visitor was a short,thick-set man, of great physical strength, and that three men of unusualsize and strength stood against the wall, in the deep shadow of arecess, with their straw hats pulled very much over their eyes.
"Now, Mister Gascoyne," began the seaman, sitting down on the edge ofthe small table beside the low pallet, and raising the lantern a little,while he gazed earnestly into the prisoner's face, "I've reason tobelieve--"
"Ha! you are the boatswain of the _Talisman_," exclaimed Gascoyne, asthe light reflected from his own countenance irradiated that of DickPrice, whom, of course, he had seen frequently while they were on boardthe frigate together.
"No, mister pirate," said Dick; "I am _not_ the bo's'n of the_Talisman_, else I shouldn't be here this night. I _wos_ the bo's'n ofthat unfortunate frigate, but I is so no longer."
Dick said this in a melancholy tone, and thereafter meditated for a fewmoments in silence.
"No," he resumed with a heavy sigh, "the _Talisman's_ blow'd up, an' herbo's'n's out on the spree--so to speak,--though it ain't a cheerfulspree by no means. But to come back to the pint, (w'ich wos wot theclergyman said w'en he'd got so far away from the pint that he never_did_ get back to it,) as I wos sayin', or was agoin' to say w'en youprewented me, I've reason to b'lieve you're agoin' to try for to makeyer escape."
"You are mistaken, my man," said Gascoyne, with a sad smile; "nothing isfarther from my thoughts."
"I don't know how far it's from yer thoughts," said Dick, sternly, "butit's pretty close to your intentions, so I'm told."
"Indeed you are mistaken," replied Gascoyne. "If Captain Montague hassent you here to mount guard he has only deprived you of a night's restneedlessly. If I had intended to make my escape I would not have givenmyself up."
"I don't know that--I'm not so sure o' that," rejoined the boatswainstoutly. "You're said to be a obstinate feller, and there's no sayin'what a obstinate feller won't do or will do. But I didn't come here forto argify the question with _you_, Mister Gascoyne. Wot I com'd herefor wos to do my duty, so, now, I'm agoing to do it."
Gascoyne, who was amused in spite of himself by the manner of the man,merely smiled and awaited in silence the pleasure of his eccentricvisitor.
Dick now set down the lantern, went to the door and returned with a coilof stout rope.
"You see," observed the boatswain, as he busied himself in uncoiling andmaking a running noose on the rope, "I'm ordered to prewent you fromcarryin' out your intentions--wotiver these may be--by puttin' a coil ortwo o' this here rope round you. Now, wot I've got to ask of you is--Will ye submit peaceable like to have it done?"
"Surely this is heaping unnecessary indignity upon me?" exclaimedGascoyne, flushing crimson with anger.
"It _may_ be unnecessary, but it's got to be done," returned Dick, withcool decision, as he placed the end of a knot between his powerfulteeth, and drew it tight. "Besides, Mister Gascoyne, a pirate mustex
pect indignities to be heaped upon him. However, I'll heap as few aspossible on ye in the discharge of my duty."
Gascoyne had started to his feet, but he sat down abashed on being thusreminded of his deserts.
"True," said he; "true. I will submit."
He added in his mind, "I deserve this;" but nothing more escaped hislips, while he stood up and permitted the boatswain to pass the cordround his arms, and lash them firmly to his sides.
Having bound him in a peculiarly tight and nautical manner, Dick oncemore went to his accomplices at the door, and returned with a hammer andchisel, and a large stone. The latter he placed on the table, and,directing Gascoyne to raise his arms--which were not secured below theelbows--and place his manacles on the stone, he cut them asunder with afew powerful blows, and removed them.
"The darbies ain't o' no use, you see, as we ye got you all safe withthe ropes. Now, Mister Gascoyne, I'm agoin' to heap one more indignityon ye. I'm sorry to do it, d'ye see; but I'm bound for to obey orders.You'll be so good as to sit down on the bed, for I ain't quite so longas you--though I won't say that I'm not about as broad--and let me tiethis napkin over yer mouth."
"Why?" exclaimed Gascoyne, again starting and looking fiercely at theboatswain; "this, at least, must be unnecessary. I have said that I amwilling to submit quietly to whatever the law condemns me. You don'ttake me for a woman or a child, that will be apt to cry out when hurt?"
"Certainly not; but as I'm goin' to take ye away out o' this here limbo,it is needful that I should prewent you from lettin' people know thatyer goin' on your travels; for I've heerd say there's some o' yerfriends as is plottin' to help you to escape."
"Have I not said already that I do not wish to escape, and thereforewill not take advantage of any opportunity afforded me by my friends?--Friends! I have no friends! Even those whom I thought were my friendshave not been near my prison all this day."
Gascoyne said this bitterly, and in great anger.
"Hush!" exclaimed Dick; "not quite so loud, mister pirate. You seethere _is_ some reason in my puttin' this on your mouth. It'll be aswell to let me do it quietly, else I'll have to get a little help."
He pointed to the three stout men who stood motionless and silent in thedark recess.
"Oh, it was cowardly of you to bind my arms before you told me this,"said Gascoyne, with flashing eyes. "If my hands were free now--"
He checked himself by a powerful effort, and crushed back the boastfuldefiance which rose to his lips.
"Now, I'll tell ye wot it is, Mister Gascoyne," said Dick Price, "I dobelieve yer not such a bad feller as they say ye are, an' I'm disposedto be marciful to ye. If ye'll give me your word of honour that you'llnot holler out, and that you'll go with us peaceably, and do wot yerbid, I'll not trouble you with the napkin, nor bind ye up more than I'vedone already. But," (here Dick spoke in tones that could not bemisunderstood,) "if ye won't give me that promise, I'll gag ye and bindye neck and heels, and we'll carry ye out o' this shoulder high. Now,wot say ye to that?"
Gascoyne had calmed his feelings while the boatswain was speaking. Heeven smiled when he replied--"How can you ask me to give my word ofhonour? What honour has a pirate to boast of, think you?"
"Not much, pr'aps," said Dick; "howsomdever, I'll be content with wot'sleft of it; and if there ain't none, why, then, give us yer word. It'lldo as well."
"After all, it matters little what is done with me," said Gascoyne, in aresigned voice. "I am a fool to resist thus. You need not fear that Iwill offer any further resistance, my man. Do your duty, whitever thatmay be."
"That won't do," said Dick, stoutly; "ye must promise not to hollerout."
"I promise," said Gascoyne, sternly. "Pray cease this trifling, and ifit is not inconsistent with your duty, let me know where I am to betaken to."
"That's just wot I'm not allowed for to tell. But you'll find it out inthe coorse of time. Now, all that you've got to do is to walk by myside, and do wot I tell ye."
The prisoner made no answer. He was evidently weary of theconversation, and his thoughts were already wandering on other subjects.
The door was now unlocked by one of the three men who stood near it. Asits hinges creaked, Dick shut the lantern, and threw the cell at onceinto total darkness. Taking hold of Gascoyne's wrist gently, as if toguide, not to force him away, he conducted him along the short passagethat led to the outer door of the prison. This was opened, and thewhole party stood in the open air.
Gascoyne looked with feelings of curiosity at the men who surroundedhim, but the night was so intensely dark that their features wereinvisible. He could just discern the outlines of their figures, whichwere enveloped in large cloaks. He was on the point of speaking tothem, when he remembered his promise to make no noise, so he restrainedhimself, and followed his guard in silence.
Dick and another man walked at his side--the rest followed in rear.Leading him round the out-skirts of the village, towards its northernextremity, Gascoyne's conductors soon brought him to the beach, at aretired spot, where was a small bay. Here they were met by one whosestature proved him to be a boy. He glided up to Dick, who said in a lowwhisper--
"Is all ready?"
"All right," replied the boy.
"The ooman aboard?"
"Ay."
"Now, Mr Gascoyne," said Dick, pointing to a large boat floating besidethe rocks on which they stood, "you'll be so good as to step into that'ere boat, and sit down beside the individual you see a-sittin' there inthe stern-sheets."
"Have you authority for what you do?" asked Gascoyne, hesitating.
"I have power to enforce wot I command," said Dick, quietly. "Rememberyer promise, mister pirate, else--"
Dick finished his sentence by pointing to the three men who stood near--still maintaining a silence worthy of Eastern mutes; and Gascoyne,feeling that he was completely in their power, stepped quickly into theboat, and sat down beside the "individual" referred to by Dick, who wasso completely enveloped in the folds of a large cloak as to defyrecognition. But the pirate captain was too much occupied with his ownconflicting thoughts and feelings to bestow more than a passing glanceon the person who sat at his side. Indeed it was not surprising thatGascoyne was greatly perplexed by all that was going on at that time;for he could not satisfactorily account to himself for the mystery andsecrecy which his guards chose to maintain. If they were legitimateagents of the law, why these muffled oars with which they swept the boatacross the lagoon, through the gap in the coral reef and out to sea?And if they were _not_ agents of the law, who were they, and where werethey conveying him?
The boat was a large one, half-decked, and fitted to stand a heavy seaand rough weather. It would have moved sluggishly through the water hadnot the four men who pulled the oars been possessed of more than averagestrength. As soon as they passed the barrier reef, the sails werehoisted, and Dick took the helm. The breeze was blowing fresh off theland, and the water rushed past the boat as she cut swiftly out to sea,leaving a track of white foam behind her. For a few minutes the mass ofthe island was dimly seen rising like a huge shade on the dark sky, butsoon it melted away and nothing remained for the straining eyes to restupon save the boat with its silent crew and the curling foam on theblack sea.
"We've got him safe now, lads," said Dick Price, speaking, for the firsttime that night, in unguarded tones, "you'd better do the deed. Thesooner it's done the better."
While he was speaking one of the three men opened a large clasp knifeand advanced towards Gascoyne.
"Father," said Henry, cutting the rope that bound him, "you are free atlast!"
Gascoyne started, but before he had time to utter the exclamation ofsurprise that sprang to his lips, his hand was seized by the muffledfigure that sat at his side.
"Oh! Gascoyne, forgive us--forgive _me_!" said Mary Stuart in atrembling voice. "I did, indeed, know something of what they meant todo, but I knew nothing of the cruel violence that these bonds--"
; "Violence!" cried Dick Price, "I put it to yourself, Mister Gascoyne, ifI didn't treat ye as if ye wos a lamb?"
"Wot a blissin' it is for a man to git his mouth open agin, and let hisbreath go free," cried Jo Bumpus, with a deep sigh. "Come, Corrie, giveus a cheer--hip! hip! hip!--"
The cheer that followed was stirring and wonderfully harmonious, for itwas given in a deep bass, and a shrill treble, with an intermediatebaritone "Ho!" from Jakolu.
"I know it, Mary, I know it;" said Gascoyne, and there was a slighttremor in his deep voice as he drew his wife towards him, and laid herhead upon his breast. "You have never done me an evil turn--you havedone me nothing but good--since you were a little child. Heaven blessyou, Mary!"
"Now, father," said Henry, "I suppose you have no objection to make yourescape?"
"No need to raise that question, lad," said Gascoyne, with a perplexedsmile. "I am not quite clear as to what my duty is now that I am freeto go back and again give myself up."
"Go back!--free!" exclaimed John Bumpus in a tone of withering sarcasm."So, Mister Gascoyne, ye've got sich an oncommon cargo o' conceit in yeyet, that you actually think ye could go back without so much as `Byyour leave!'"
While Jo was speaking he bared to the shoulder an arm that was thereverse of infantine, and, holding it up, said slowly--
"I've often had a sort o' desire, d'ye see, to try whether this bit of alimb or the one that's round Mrs Stuart's waist is the strongest. Nowif _you_ have any desire to settle this question, just try to shove thisboat's head up into the wind--that's all!"
This was said so emphatically by the pugnacious Bumpus that hiscompanions laughed, and Corrie cheered in admiration.
"You see," observed Henry, "you need not give yourself any concern as tothis point, you have no option in the matter."
"No, not a bit o' poption in it wotiver--though wot that means I ain'trightly sure," said Dick Price.
"Perhaps I ought to exercise my parental authority over you, Henry,"said Gascoyne, "and _command_ you to steer back to Sandy Cove."
"But we wouldn't let him, mister pirate," said Dick Price, who, now thathis difficult duties were over, was preparing to solace himself with apipe; an example that was immediately followed by Bumpus, who backed hisfriend by adding--
"No more we would."
"Nay, then, if Henry joins me," said Gascoyne, "I think that we two willnot have a bad chance against you three."
"Come, that's good! so _I_ count for nothing," exclaimed Corrie.
"Ha! stick up, lad," observed Bumpus. "The niggers wot you pitched intoat the mouth o' yon cave didn't think that--eh! didn't they not?"
"Well, well, if Corrie sides with you I feel that my wisest course is tosubmit. And now, Henry," said Gascoyne, resuming his wonted gravity oftone and demeanour, "sit down here and let me know where we are going toand what you mean to do. It is natural that I should feel curious onthese points even although I _have_ perfect confidence in you all."
Henry obeyed, and their voices sank into low tones as they mingled inearnest converse about their future plans.
Thus did Gascoyne, with his family and friends, leave Sandy Cove in thedead of that dark night, and sail away over the wide waste of the greatPacific Ocean.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reader, our tale is nearly told. Like a picture, it contains but asmall portion of the career of those who have so long engaged yourattention, and, I would fain hope, your sympathy. The life of man maybe comprehensively epitomised almost to a point, or expanded out _adinfinitum_. He was born, he died, is its lowest term. Its highest isnot definable.
Innumerable tomes, of encyclopaedic dimensions, could not contain, muchless exhaust, an account of all that was said and done (and all thatmight be said about what was said and done) by our _ci-devant_sandal-wood trader and his friends. Yet there are main points, amid thelittle details of their career, which it would be unpardonable to passover in silence. To these we shall briefly refer before letting thecurtain fall.
There is a distant isle of the sea, a beautiful spot, an oceanic gem,which has been reclaimed by the Word of God, from those regions thathave been justly styled "the dark places of the earth." We will notmention its name; we will not even indicate its whereabout, lest weshould furnish a clue to the unromantic myrmidons of the law, whoseinflexible justice is only equalled by their pertinacity in tracking thecriminal--to his lair!
On this beautiful isle, at the time of our tale, the churches and housesof Christian men had begun to rise. The natives had begun to cultivatethe arts of civilisation, and to appreciate, in some degree, theinestimable blessings of Christianity. The plough had torn up thevirgin soil, and the anchors of merchant-ships had begun to kiss thestrand. The crimes peculiar to civilised men had not yet beendeveloped. The place had all the romance and freshness of a flourishinginfant colony.
Early one fine morning, a half-decked boat rowed into the harbour ofthis isle, and ran alongside the little quay, where the few natives whochanced to be lounging there were filled with admiration at the sight offive stalwart men who leaped upon the rocks, an active lad who held theboat steady, and a handsome middle-aged woman, who was assisted to landwith much care by the tallest of her five companions.
There were a few small bales of merchandise in the boat. These beingquickly tossed ashore, one of the natives was asked to shew the way tothe nearest store, where they might be placed in safe keeping.
This done; the largest man of the party, who was clad in the roughgarments of a merchant captain, offered his arm to the female, who wasevidently his wife, and went off in search of the chief magistrate ofthe settlement, leaving his companions to look after the boat and smoketheir pipes.
The handsome stranger introduced himself to the magistrate as MrStuart; stated that he intended to settle on the island as a generalmerchant, having brought a few bales of merchandise with him; that hehad been bred an engineer and a shipwright, and meant also to work athis old trade, and concluded by asking for advice and generalinformation in regard to the state of trade on the island.
After having obtained all the information on these subjects that themagistrate could give, insomuch that that functionary deemed him aperfect marvel of catechetical wisdom and agreeable address,--thestalwart stranger proceeded to inquire minutely into the state ofreligion and education among the natives and settlers, and finally leftthe charmed magistrate rejoicing in the belief that he was a mostintelligent philanthropist, and would be an inestimable acquisition tothe settlement.
A small trading store was soon built. The stranger was not a rich man.He began in a humble way, and sought to eke out his subsistence by doingthe ordinary work of a wright. In this latter occupation he was ablyassisted by his stout son, Henry; for the duties of the store wereattended to chiefly by the lad Corrie, superintended by Mr Stuart.
The mysterious strangers were a source of much gossip and greatspeculation, of course, to the good people of Green Isle, (as we shallstyle this gem of the Pacific, in order to thwart the myrmidons of thelaw!) They found them so reserved and uncommunicative, however, on thesubject of their personal affairs, that the most curious gossip in thesettlement at last gave up speculating in despair.
In other respects, the new family were noted for kindliness andurbanity. Mrs Stuart, especially, became an intimate friend of themissionary who dwelt there, and one of his hardest-working parishioners.Mr Stuart also became his friend; but the stern gravity ofcountenance, and reserved, though perfectly well-bred and even kindlymanner of the stranger forbade close intimacy. He was a most regularattender at church, not only on Sundays but at the weeklyprayer-meetings and occasional festivals, and the missionary noticedthat his Bible looked as if it were a well-thumbed one.
At first the two seamen, whom people soon found out, were namedrespectively Jo and Dick, wrought in the wright's workshop, and at allkinds of miscellaneous jobs; besides making frequent and sometimes longvoyages in thei
r boat to the neighbouring islands. As time flew bythings seemed to prosper with the merchant. The keel of a littleschooner was laid. Father, and son, and seamen (as well as the nativeservant, who was called Jako) toiled at this vessel incessantly untilshe was finished--then, Henry was placed in command of her, Jo and Dickwere appointed first and second mates, two or three natives completedthe crew, and she went to sea under the somewhat peculiar name of the_Avenger_.
This seemed to be the first decided advance in the fortunes of the newfamily. Business increased in a wonderful way. The _Avenger_ returnedagain and again to the Green Isle laden with rich and varied commoditiesfor the successful merchant. In course of time the old store was takendown, and a new one built; the _Avenger_ was sold, and a large brigpurchased, the rather pretty name of which--"_Evening Star_"--waserased, and the mysterious word _Avenger_ put in its place. Everything,in short, betokened that Mr Stuart was on the high road to fortune.
But there were some mysteries connected with the merchant which sorelypuzzled the wisest heads in the place, and which would have puzzledstill wiser heads had they been there. Although it soon became quiteevident to the meanest capacity that Mr Stuart was the richest man onthe island; yet he and his family continued to occupy the poor, shabby,little, ill-furnished cottage which they had erected with their ownhands when they first landed, and although they sold the finest silksand brocades to the wives and daughters of the other wealthy settlers,they themselves wore only the plainest and most sombre fabrics thatconsisted with respectability.
People would have called them a family of misers, but for their goodnessof character in other respects, and for the undeniable fact that theywere by far the most liberal contributors to the church and to thepoor--not only in their own island, but in all the other islands aroundthem.
Another thing that puzzled the mercantile men of the place extremely wasthe manner in which Mr Stuart kept his books of business. They soonbegan to take note that he kept two ledgers and two distinct sets ofbooks--the one set small, the other set very bulky. Some of the moreaudacious among his customers ventured to peep over his shoulder, anddiscovered that the small set contained nothing but entries of boatsmade, and repairs to shipping executed, and work connected exclusivelywith the shipwright department of his business--while the large bookscontained entries of those silks, and sugars, and teas, and spices,etcetera, which turned so much gold into his coffers.
It thus became evident to these men of business that the merchant keptthe two departments quite separate, in order to ascertain the distinctprofits on each. They were the more amazed at this when they consideredthat the shipwright work must necessarily be a mere driblet, altogetherunworthy the attention of one so wealthy. But that which amazed themmost of all was, that such a man, in such circumstances, could waste histime in doing with his own hands the work of an ordinary mechanic--thus(as they concluded) entailing on himself the necessity of devoting muchof the night to his more lucrative concern.
These long-headed men of business little knew the man. They did notknow that he was _great_ in the highest sense of the term, and that,among other elements of his greatness, he possessed the power of seizingthe little things--the little opportunities--of life, and turning themto the best account; that he not only knew what should be done, and howto do it, but was gifted with that inflexible determination of purposeto carry out a design, without which knowledge and talent can neveraccomplish great things. The merchant did not, as they supposed, worklate at night. He measured his time, and measured his work. In this hewas like many other men in this struggling world; but he _stuck_ to histime and to his work, in which respect he resembled the great few whosenames stand prominent on the page of history.
In consequence of this, Mr Stuart wrought with success at bothdepartments of his business, and while in the one he coined thousands,in the other he earned more than the average wages of a working man.
The _Avenger_ was erratic and uncertain in her voyages. She evidentlysailed to the principal islands of the South Seas, and did business withthem all. From one of these voyages, Henry, her captain, returned witha wife--a dark-haired, dark-eyed, ladylike girl--for whom he built asmall cottage beside his father's, and left her there while he was awayat sea.
It was observed by the clerks in Mr Stuart's counting-room, that theirchief accountant, Mr Corrie, was a great letter writer--that when oneletter was finished, he invariably began another, and kept it by him,adding sheet after sheet to it until the _Avenger_ returned and carriedit off. Once Mr Corrie was called hurriedly away while in the act ofaddressing one of these epistles. He left it lying on his desk, and asmall, contemptible, little apprentice allowed his curiosity so far toget the better of him, that he looked at the address, and informed hiscompanions that Mr Corrie's correspondent was a certain Miss AliceMason!
Of course, Mr Corrie received voluminous replies from this mysteriousAlice; and, if one might judge from his expression on reading theseepistles, (as that contemptible little apprentice _did_ judge,) thecourse of _his_ love ran smoother than usual; thus, by itsexceptionality, proving the truth of the rule.
Years passed away. The merchant's head became grey, but his giganticframe was as straight and his step as firm as ever. His wife, strangeto say, looked younger as she grew older! It seemed as if she wererecovering from some terrible illness that had made her prematurely old,and were now renewing her youth. The business prospered to such anextent that, by becoming altogether too wonderful, it ceased to be amatter of wonder altogether to the merchants of the Green Isle. Theyregarded it as semi-miraculous--the most unprecedented case of "luck"that had ever been heard of in the annals of mercantile history.
But the rich merchant still dwelt in the humble, almost mean, cottage,and still wrought as an engineer and shipwright with his own hands.
In the little cottage beside his own there were soon seen (and _heard_)three stout children, two boys and a girl, the former being namedrespectively Gascoyne and Henry, the latter, Mary. It is needless tosay that these were immense favourites with the eccentric merchant.
During all this time there was a firm in Liverpool which receivedperiodical remittances of money from an unknown source. The cashier ofthat firm, a fat little man, with a face like a dumpling and a nose likea cherry, lived, as it were, in a state of perpetual amazement in regardto these remittances. They came regularly, from apparently nowhere,were acknowledged to nobody, and amounted, in the course of time, tomany thousands. This firm had, some years previously, lost a finevessel. She was named the _Brilliant_; had sailed for the South Seaislands with a rich cargo, and was never more heard of. The fat cashierknew the loss sustained by this vessel to a penny. He had prepared andcalculated all the papers and sent duplicates on board, and as he had astake in the venture he never forgot the amount of the loss sustained.
One day the firm received a remittance from the Unknown, with a note tothe following effect at the foot of it:--"This is the last remittance onaccount of the _Brilliant_. The value of the cargo, including compoundinterest, and the estimated value of the vessel, have now been repaid tothe owners."
The fat cashier was thunderstruck! He rushed to his ledger, examinedthe account, calculated the interest, summed up the whole, and found itcorrect. He went home to bed and fell sound asleep in amazement; awokein amazement; went back to the office in amazement; worked on day afterday in amazement; lived, and eventually died, in a state of unrelievedamazement in regard to this incomprehensible transaction!
About the same time that this occurred Mr Stuart entered his poorcottage, and finding his wife there, said--
"Mary, I have sent off the last remittance to-day. I have made amendsfor that evil deed. It has cost me a long and hard struggle to realisethe thousands of pounds that were requisite; for some of the goods hadgot damaged by damp in the cavern of the Isle of Palms, but the profitsof my engineering and shipwright business have increased of late, and Ihave managed to square it all off with interest. And now,
Mary, I cando no more. If I knew of any others who have suffered at my hands Iwould restore what I took tenfold--but I know of none. It thereforeremains that I should work this business for the good of mankind. Ofall the thousands that have passed through my hands I have not used onepenny. You know that I have always kept the business that has grown outof the labour of my own hands distinct from that which has been rearedon the stolen goods. I have lived and supported you by it, and now,through God's blessing, it has increased to such an extent that I thinkwe may afford to build a somewhat more commodious house and furnish it alittle better."
"As for the mercantile business--it _must_ go on. It has prospered andstill prospers. Many mouths are dependent on it for daily bread. Iwill continue to manage it, but every penny of profit shall go incharity as long as I live. After that, Henry may do with it as hepleases. He has contributed largely to make it what it is, and deservesto reap where he has sown so diligently. Do you think I am right in allthis, Mary?"
We need scarcely remark that Mary did think it all right, for she andGascoyne had no differences of opinion _now_.
Soon after this, Corrie went off on a long voyage in the _Avenger_. Thevessel touched at San Francisco, and, while there, some remarkablescenes took place between Jo Bumpus and a good-looking woman whom hecalled Susan. This female ultimately went on board the _Avenger_, andsailed in her for Green Isle.
On the way thither they touched at one of the first of the South Seaislands that they came in sight of, where scenes of the mostunprecedented description took place between Corrie and a bluff oldgentleman named Ole Thorwald, and a sweet, blue-eyed, fair-haired,maiden named Alice Mason!
Strange to say this fair girl agreed to become a passenger in the_Avenger_; and, still more strange to say, her father and Ole Thorwaldagreed to accompany her, also an ancient piece of animated door-mattingcalled Toozle and a black woman named Poopy, whose single observation inregard to every event in sublunary history was, "Hee! hee!"
On reaching Green Isle, Corrie and Alice were married, and on the sameday Bumpus and Susan were also united. There was great rejoicing on theoccasion; Ole Thorwald and Dick Price distinguished themselves bydancing an impromptu and maniacal _pas de deux_ at the double wedding!
Of Captain Montague's future career we know nothing. He may have beenkilled in the wars of his country, or he may have become an admiral inthe British navy, for all we know to the contrary. One thing only weare certain of, and that is, that he sailed for England in the pirateschooner, and seemed by no means to regret the escape of the piratecaptain!
Years rolled away. The head of Gascoyne became silvery white, but Timeseemed impotent to subdue the vigour of his stalwart frame, or destroythe music of his deep bass voice. He was the idol of numerousgrandchildren as well as of a large circle of juveniles, who, withoutregard to whether they had or had not a right to do so, styled him"Grandfather."
Little did these youngsters think, as they clambered over his hugeframe, and listened with breathless attention to his wild stories of thesea, that "grandfather" had once been the celebrated and much-dreadedDurward, the pirate!
Nothing would induce Gascoyne to take a prominent part in the publicaffairs of his chosen home; but he did attempt to teach a class of thevery smallest boys and girls in the missionary's Sunday school, and hecame, in time, to take special delight in this work.
He was never so happy as when telling to these little ones the story ofredeeming love. In the choice of subjects for his class, he wassomewhat peculiar as well as in his manner of treating them. He wasparticularly emphatic and earnest, used to fill his little hearers withawe, when he spoke of the danger of sin and the importance of resistingits beginnings. But his two favourite themes of all--and those whichdwelt most frequently on his lips--were, "God is Love," and, "Love isthe fulfilling of the law."
THE END.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends