CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.
IN WHICH MR. VANSLYPERKEN IS TAUGHT A SECRET.
We are anxious to proceed with our narrative, but we must first explainthe unexpected appearance of Smallbones. When Corporal Van Spitter wasrequested by Vanslyperken to bring a pistol and cartridge, the corporal,who had not forgotten the hints thrown out by Vanslyperken during theirlast consultation, immediately imagined that it was for Smallbones'benefit. And he was strengthened in his opinion, when he learnt thatSmallbones was to go on shore with his master after it was dusk. NowCorporal Van Spitter had no notion of the poor lad's brains being blownout; and when Mr Vanslyperken went on deck and left the pistol, he wentinto the cabin, searched for it, and drew the bullet, whichVanslyperken, of course, was not aware of. It then occurred to thecorporal, that if the pistol were aimed at Smallbones, and he wasuninjured, it would greatly add to the idea, already half entertained bythe superstitious lieutenant, of there hem something supernatural aboutSmallbones, if he were loft to suppose that he had been killed, and hadreappeared. He therefore, communicated his suspicions to the lad, toldhim what he had done, and advised him, if the pistol were fired topretend to be killed, and, when left by his master, to come on boardquietly in the night. Smallbones, who perceived the drift of all this,promised to act accordingly, and in the last chapter it will be observedhow he contrived to deceive his master. As soon as the lieutenant wasout of hearing, Smallbones rose, and leaving the bag where it lay,hastened back to Portsmouth, and came on board about two hours beforeVanslyperken rang his bell. He narrated what had passed, but, ofcourse, could not exactly swear that it was Vanslyperken who fired thepistol, as it was fired from behind, but even if he could have so sworn,at that time he would have obtained but little redress.
It was considered much more advisable that Smallbones should pretend tobelieve that he had been attacked by robbers, and that the ball hadmissed him, after he had frightened his master by his unexpectedappearance, for Vanslyperken would still be of opinion that the ladpossessed a charmed life.
The state of Mr Vanslyperken during the remainder of that night waspitiable, but we must leave the reader to suppose rather than attempt todescribe it.
In the morning the corporal came in, and after asking after hissuperior's health, informed him that Smallbones had come on board; thatthe lad said that the robbers had fired a pistol at him, and thenknocked him down with the butt end of it, and that he had escaped, butwith the loss of the bag.
This was a great relief to the mind of Mr Vanslyperken, who hadimagined that he had been visited by the ghost of Smallbones daring thenight: he expressed himself glad at his return, and a wish to be leftalone, upon which the corporal retired. As soon as Vanslyperken foundout that Smallbones was still alive, his desire to kill him returned;although, when he supposed him dead, he would, to escape from his ownfeelings, have resuscitated him. One chief idea now whirled in hisbrain, which was, that the lad must have a charmed life; he had floatedout to the Nab buoy and back again, and now he had had a pistol-bulletpassed through his scull without injury. He felt too much fear toattempt anything against him for the future, but his desire to do so wasstronger than ever.
Excitement and vexation brought on a slow fever, and Mr Vanslyperkenlay for three or four days in bed; at the end of which period hereceived a message from the admiral, directing him to come or send onshore (for his state had been made known) for his despatches, and tosail as soon as possible.
Upon receiving the message, Mr Vanslyperken recollected his engagementat the house of the Jew Lazarus, and weak as he was, felt too muchafraid of the results, should he fail, not to get out of bed and go onshore. It was with difficulty he could walk so far. When he arrived hefound Ramsay ready to receive him.
"To sail as soon as possible:--'tis well, sir. Have you yourdespatches?"
"I sent to the admiral's for them," replied Vanslyperken.
"Well then, be all ready to start at midnight. I shall come on boardabout a quarter of an hour before; you may go, sir."
Vanslyperken quailed under the keen eye and stern look of Ramsay, andobeyed the uncourteous order in silence; still he thought of revenge ashe walked back to the boat and re-embarked in the cutter.
"What's this, Short?" observed Coble: "here is a new freak; we start atmidnight, I hear."
"Yes," replied Short.
"Something quite new, any how:--don't understand it, do you?"
"No," replied Dick.
"Well, now Jemmy's gone, I don't care how soon I follow, Dick."
"Nor I," replied Short.
"I've a notion there's some mystery in all this. For," continued Coble,"the admiral would never have ordered us out till to-morrow morning, ifhe did not make us sail this evening. It's not a man-of-war fashion, isit Dick?"
"No," replied Short.
"Well, we shall see," replied Coble. "I shall turn in now. You'veheard all about Smallbones, heh! Dick?"
Short nodded his head.
"Well, we shall see: but I'll back the boy 'gainst master and dog too,in the long run. Damn his Dutch carcase--he seems to make but smallcount of English subjects, heh!"
Short leant over the gunwale and whistled.
Coble, finding it impossible to extract one monosyllable more from him,walked forward, and went down below.
A little before twelve o'clock a boat came alongside, and Ramsay steppedout of it into the cutter. Vanslyperken had been walking the deck toreceive him, and immediately showed him down into the cabin, where heleft him to go on deck and get the cutter under way. There was a smallstove in the cabin, for the weather was still cold: they were advancedinto the month of March. Ramsay threw off his coat, laid two pair ofloaded pistols on the table, locked the door of the cabin, and thenproceeded to warm himself, while Vanslyperken was employed on deck.
In an hour the cutter was outside and clear of all danger, andVanslyperken had to knock to gain admittance into his own cabin. Ramsayopened the door, and Vanslyperken, who thought he must say something,observed gloomily--
"We are all clear, sir."
"Very good," replied Ramsay; "and now, sir, I believe that you havedespatches on board?"
"Yes," replied Vanslyperken.
"You will oblige me by letting me look at them."
"My despatches!" said Vanslyperken, with surprise.
"Yes, sir, your despatches; immediately, if you please--no trifling."
"You forget, sir," replied Vanslyperken angrily, "that I am not anylonger in your power, but on board of my own vessel."
"You appear not to know, sir, that you are in my power even on board ofyour own vessel," replied Ramsay, starting up, and laying his hand overthe pistols, which he drew towards him, and replaced in his belt. "Ifyou trust to your ship's company you are mistaken, as you will soondiscover. I demand the despatches."
"But, sir, you will ruin me and ruin yourself," replied Vanslyperken,alarmed.
"Fear not," replied Ramsay; "for my own sake, and that of the goodcause, I shall not hurt you. No one will know that the despatches havebeen ever examined and--"
"And what?" replied Vanslyperken, gloomily.
"For the passage, and this service, you will receive one hundredguineas."
Vanslyperken no longer hesitated: he opened the drawer in which he haddeposited the letters, and produced them.
"Now lock the door," said Ramsay, taking his seat.
He then examined the seals, pulled some out of his pocket, and comparedthem; sorted the letters according to the seals, and laid onecorresponding at the heading of each file, for there were threedifferent Government seals upon the despatches. He then took a longDutch earthen pipe which was hanging above, broke off the bowl, and putone end of the stem into the fire. When it was of a red heat he took itout, and applying his lips to the cool end, and the hot one close to thesealing-wax, he blew through it, and the heated blast soon dissolved thewax, and the despatches were opened one after another without theslightest difficulty or injury to th
e paper. He then commenced reading,taking memorandums on his tablets as he proceeded.
When he had finished, he again heated the pipe, melted the wax, whichhad become cold and hard again, and resealed all the letters with hiscounterfeit seals.
During this occupation, which lasted upwards of an hour, Vanslyperkenlooked on with surprise, leaning against the bulkhead of the cabin.
"There, sir, are your despatches," said Ramsay, rising from his chair:"you may now put them away; and, as you may observe, you are notcompromised."
"No, indeed," replied Vanslyperken, who was struck with the ingenuity ofthe method; "but you have given me an idea."
"I will tell you what that is," replied Ramsay. "You are thinking, if Ileft you these false seals, you could give me the contents of thedespatches, provided you were well paid. Is it not so?"
"It was," replied Vanslyperken, who had immediately been struck withsuch a new source of wealth; for he eared little what he did--all hecared for was discovery.
"Had you not proposed it yourself, I intended that you should have doneit, sir," replied Ramsay; "and that you should also be paid for it. Iwill arrange all that before I leave the vessel. But now I shall retireto my bed. Have you one ready."
"I have none but what you see," replied Vanslyperken. "It is my own,but at your service."
"I shall accept it," replied Ramsay, putting his pistols under hispillow, after having thrown himself on the outside of the bedclothes,pulling his roquelaure over him. "And now you will oblige me by turningthat cur out of the cabin, for his smell is anything but pleasant."
Vanslyperken had no idea of his passenger so coolly taking possession ofhis bed, but to turn out Snarleyyow as well as himself appeared anunwarrantable liberty. But he felt that he had but to submit, forRamsay was despotic, and he was afraid of him.
After much resistance, Snarleyyow was kicked out by his master, who thenwent on deck not in the very best of humours at finding he had socompletely sold himself to those who might betray and hang him the verynext day. "At all events," thought Vanslyperken, "I'm well paid forit."
It was now daylight, and the cutter was running with a favourablebreeze; the hands were turned up, and Corporal Van Spitter came on deck.Vanslyperken, who had been running over in his mind all the eventswhich had latterly taken place, he considered that, as he had lost thePortsmouth widow, he might as well pursue his suit with the widowVandersloosh, especially as she had sent such a conciliating message bythe corporal; and perceiving the corporal on deck, he beckoned to him toapproach. Vanslyperken then observed, that he was angry the other day,and that the corporal need not give that message to the FrauVandersloosh, as he intended to call upon her himself upon his arrival.Van Spitter, who did not know anything about the Portsmouth widow, andcould not imagine why the angry message had been given, of courseassented, although he was fully determined, that the widow should beinformed of the insult. The question was now, how to be able to go onshore himself; and to compass that without suspicion he remarked thatthe maid. Babette was a very fine maid and he should like to see heragain.
This little piece of confidence was not thrown away. Vanslyperken wastoo anxious to secure the corporal, and he replied, that the corporalshould go ashore and see her, if he pleased; upon which Corporal VanSpitter made his best military salute, turned round on his heel, andwalked away laughing in his sleeve at having so easily gulled hissuperior.
On the third morning the cutter had arrived at her destined port.During the passage Ramsay had taken possession of the cabin, orderingeverything as he pleased, much to the surprise of the crew. MrVanslyperken spoke of him as a king's messenger; but still Smallbones,who took care to hear what was going on, reported the abject submissionshown to Ramsay by the lieutenant, and this was the occasion of greatmarvel; moreover, they doubted his being a king's messenger, for, asSmallbones very shrewdly observed, "Why, if he was a king's messenger,did he not come with the despatches?" However, they could only surmise,and no more. But the dog being turned out of the cabin in compliancewith Ramsay's wish was the most important point of all. They could havegot over all the rest, but that was quite incomprehensible; and they allagreed with Coble, when he observed, hitching up his trousers "Dependupon it, there's a screw loose somewhere."
As soon as the cutter was at anchor, Ramsay ordered his portmanteau intothe boat, and Vanslyperken having accompanied him on shore, theyseparated, Ramsay informing Vanslyperken that he would wish to see himthe next day, and giving him his address.
Vanslyperken delivered his despatches, and then hastened to the widowVandersloosh, who received him with a well assumed appearance of mingledpleasure and reserve.
Vanslyperken led her to the sofa, poured forth a multitudinous compoundcomposed of regret, devotion, and apologies, which at last appeared tohave melted the heart of the widow, who once more gave him her hand tosalute.
Vanslyperken was all rapture at so unexpected a reconciliation: the nameof the cur was not mentioned; and Vanslyperken thought to himself, "Thiswill do--let me only once get you, my Frau, and I'll teach you to wishmy dog dead at your porch."
On the other hand the widow thought, "And so this atomy really believesthat I would look upon him! Well, well, Mr Vanslyperken, we shall seehow it ends. Your cur under my bed, indeed, so sure do you never--.Yes, yes, Mr Vanslyperken."
There is a great deal of humbug in this world, that is certain.