Chapter LIX
The dead man attends at the auction of his own effects, and bids thesale to stop--One more than was wanted--Peter steps into his shoesagain--Captain Hawkins takes a friendly interest in Peter's papers--Riga Balsam sternly refused to be admitted for the relief of the ship'scompany.
As soon as the sails were furled, I thanked the master of the vessel forhis kindness, and requested the boat. He ordered it to be manned,saying, "How glad your captain will be to see you!" I doubted that. Weshook hands, and I pulled to the _Rattlesnake_, which lay about twocables' length astern of us. I had put on a jacket, when I left the brigon service, and coming in a merchantman's boat, no attention was paid tome; indeed, owing to circumstances, no one was on the look-out, and Iascended the side unperceived. The men and officers were on thequarter-deck, attending the sale of dead men's effects before the mast;and every eye was fixed upon six pair of nankeen trousers exposed by thepurser's steward which I recognized as my own. "Nine shillings for sixpair of nankeen trousers," cried the purser's steward.
"Come, my men, they're worth more than that," observed the captain, whoappeared to be very facetious. "It's better to be in his trousers thanin his shoes." This brutal remark created a silence for a moment. "Well,then, steward, let them go. One would think that pulling on his trouserswould make you as afraid as he was," continued the captain, laughing.
"Shame!" was cried out by one or two of the officers, and I recognisedSwinburne's voice as one.
"More likely if they put on yours," cried I, in a loud, indignant tone.
Everybody started, and turned round; Captain Hawkins staggered to acarronade: "I beg to report myself as having rejoined my ship, sir,"continued I.
"Hurrah, my lads! three cheers for Mr Simple!" said Swinburne.
The men gave them with emphasis. The captain looked at me, and withoutsaying a word, hastily retreated to his cabin. I perceived, as he wentdown, that he had his arm in a sling. I thanked the men for their kindfeeling towards me, shook hands with Thompson and Webster, who warmlycongratulated me, and then with old Swinburne, (who nearly wrung my armoff, and gave my shoulder such pain as to make me cry out,) and with theothers who extended theirs. I desired the sale of my effects to bestopped; fortunately for me, it had but just begun, and the articleswere all returned. Thompson had informed the captain that he knew myfather's address, and would take charge of my clothes, and send themhome, but the captain would not allow him.
In a few minutes, I received a letter from the captain, desiring me toacquaint him in writing, for the information of the senior officer, inwhat manner I had escaped. I went down below, when I found one verymelancholy face, that of the passed midshipman of the _Acasta_, who hadreceived an acting order in my place. When I went to my desk, I foundtwo important articles missing; one, my private letter-book, and theother, the journal which I kept of what passed, and from which thisnarrative has been compiled. I inquired of my messmates, who stated thatthe desk had not been looked into by any one but the captain, who, ofcourse, must have possessed himself of those important documents.
I wrote a letter containing a short narrative of what had happened, and,at the same time, another on service to the captain, requesting that hewould deliver up my property, the private journal, and letter-book inhis possession. The captain, as soon as he received my letters, sent upword for his boat to be manned. As soon as it was manned, I reported it,and then begged to know whether he intended to comply with my request.He answered that he should not, and then went on deck, and quitted thebrig to pull on board of the senior officer. I therefore determinedimmediately to write to the captain of the _Acasta_, acquainting himwith the conduct of Captain Hawkins, and requesting his interference.This I did immediately, and the boat that had brought me on board nothaving left the brig, I sent the letter by it, requesting them to put itinto the hands of one of the officers. The letter was received previousto Captain Hawkins' visit being over, and the Captain of the _Acasta_put it into his hands, inquiring if the statement were correct. CaptainHawkins replied that it was true that he had detained these papers, asthere was so much mutiny and disaffection in them, and that he shouldnot return them to me.
"That I cannot permit," replied the captain of the _Acasta_, who wasaware of the character of Captain Hawkins; "if, by mistake, you havebeen put in possession of any of Mr Simple's secrets, you are bound inhonour not to make use of them; neither can you retain property not yourown." But Captain Hawkins was determined, and refused to give them tome.
"Well, then, Captain Hawkins," replied the captain of the _Acasta_, "youwill oblige me by remaining on my quarter-deck till I come out of thecabin."
The captain of the _Acasta_ then wrote an order, directing CaptainHawkins immediately to deliver up _to him_ the papers of mine in hispossession; and coming out of the cabin, put it into Captain Hawkins'hands, saying, "Now, sir, here is a written order from your superiorofficer. Disobey it, if you dare. If you do, I will put you underarrest, and try you by a court-martial. I can only regret, that anycaptain in His Majesty's service should be forced in this way to do hisduty as a gentleman and a man of honour."
Captain Hawkins bit his lip at the order, and the cutting remarksaccompanying it. "Your boat is manned, sir," said the captain of the_Acasta_, in a severe tone. Captain Hawkins came on board, sealed up thebooks, and sent them to the captain of the _Acasta_, who re-directedthem to me, on His Majesty's service, and returned them by the sameboat. The public may therefore thank the captain of the _Acasta_ for thememoirs which they are now reading.
From my messmates I gained the following intelligence of what had passedafter I had quitted the brig. The fire of the praam had cut them upseverely, and Captain Hawkins had been struck in the arm with a piece ofthe hammock-rail, which had been shot away shortly after I left.Although the skin only was razed, he thought proper to consider himselfbadly wounded; and giving up the command to Mr Webster, the secondlieutenant, had retreated below, where he remained until the action wasover. When Mr Webster reported the return of the boats, with the captureof the gun-boat, and my supposed death, he was so delighted, that hequite forgot his wound, and ran on deck, rubbing his hands as he walkedup and down. At last, he recollected himself, went down into his cabin,and came up again with his arm in a sling.
The next morning he went on board of the _Acasta_, and made his reportto the senior officer, bringing back with him the disappointedpassed-midshipman as my successor. He had also stated on thequarter-deck, that if I had not been killed, he intended to have triedme by a court-martial, and have turned me out of the service; that hehad quite enough charges to ruin me, for he had been collecting themever since I had been under his command; and that now he would make thatold scoundrel of a gunner repent his intimacy with me. All this wasconfided to the surgeon, who, as I before observed, was very much of acourtier; but the surgeon had repeated it to Thompson, the master, whonow gave me the information. There was one advantage in all this, whichwas that I knew exactly the position in which I stood, and what I had toexpect.
During the short time that we remained in port, I took care that _Rigabalsam_ should not be allowed to come alongside, and the men were allsober. We received orders from the captain of the _Acasta_ to join theadmiral, who was off the Texel in pursuance of directions he hadreceived from the Admiralty to despatch one of the squadron, and we wereselected, from the dislike which he had taken to Captain Hawkins.