CHAPTER FIVE.
A CONSULTATION IN WHICH THERE IS MUCH MUTINY.
This consultation was held upon the forecastle of his Majesty's cutterYungfrau, on the evening after the punishment of Smallbones. The majorpart of the crew attended; all but the Corporal Van Spitter, who, onthese points, was known to split with the crew, and his six marines, whoformed the corporal's tail, at which they were always to be found. Theprincipal personage was not the most eloquent speaker, for it was DickShort, who was supported by Obadiah Coble, Yack Jansen, and anotherpersonage, whom we must introduce--the boatswain or boatswain's mate ofthe cutter; for although he received the title of the former, he onlyreceived the pay of the latter. This person's real name was JamesSalisbury, but for reasons which will be explained, he was invariablyaddressed or spoken of as Jemmy Ducks. He was indeed a very singularvariety of human discrepancy as to form: he was handsome in face, with amanly countenance, fierce whiskers and long pigtail, which on himappeared more than unusually long, as it descended to within a foot ofthe deck. His shoulders were square, chest expanded, and, as far ashalf-way down, that is, to where the legs are inserted into the humanframe, he was a fine, well-made, handsome, well-proportioned man. Butwhat a falling off was there!--for some reason, some accident it issupposed, in his infancy, his legs had never grown in length since hewas three years old: they were stout as well as his body, but not morethan eighteen inches from the hip to the heel; and he consequentlywaddled about a very ridiculous figure, for he was like a man _razeed_or cut down. Put him on an eminence of a couple of feet, and not seehis legs, and you would say at a distance, "What a fine-looking sailor!"but let him get down and walk up to you, and you would find that Naturehad not finished what she had so well begun, and that you are exactlyhalf mistaken. This malconformation below did not, however, affect hisstrength--it rather added to it; and there were but few men in the shipwho would venture a wrestle with the boatswain, who was veryappropriately distinguished by the cognomen of Jemmy Ducks. Jemmy was asensible, merry fellow, and a good seaman: you could not affront him byany jokes on his figure, for he would joke with you. He was indeed thefiddle of the ship's company, and he always played the fiddle to themwhen the danced, on which instrument he was no mean performer; and,moreover, accompanied his voice with his instrument when he sang to themafter they were tired of dancing. We shall only observe that Jemmy wasa married man, and he had selected one of the tallest of the other sex:of her beauty, the less that is said the better--Jemmy did not look tothat, or perhaps, at such a height, her face did not appear so plain tohim as it did to those who were more on a level with it. The effect ofperspective is well known, and even children now have as playthings,castles, etcetera, laid down on card, which, when looked at in a properdirection, appear just as correct as they do preposterous when lyingflat before you.
Now it happened that from the level that Jemmy looked up from to hiswife's face, her inharmonious features were all in harmony, and thus didshe appear--what is very advantageous in the marriage state--perfectionto her husband, without sufficient charms in the eyes of others toinduce them to seduce her from her liege lord. Moreover, let it berecollected, that what Jemmy _wanted_ was _height_, and he had gainedwhat he required in his wife, if not in his own person: his wife waspassionately fond of him, and very jealous, which was not to be wonderedat, for, as she said, "There never was such a husband before or since."
We must now return to the conference, observing, that all these partieswere sitting down on the deck, and that Jemmy Ducks had his fiddle inhis hand, holding it with the body downwards like a base viol, for healways played it in that way, and that he occasionally fingered thestrings, pinching them as you do a guitar, so as to send the sound of itaft, that Mr Vanslyperken might suppose that they were all met formirth. Two or three had their eyes directed aft, that the appearance ofCorporal Van Spitter or the marines might be immediately perceived; for,although the corporal was not a figure to slide into a conferenceunperceived, it was well known that he was an eavesdropper.
"One thing's sartin," observed Coble, "that a dog's not an officer."
"No," replied Dick Short.
"He's not on the ship's books, so I can't see how it can be mutiny."
"No," rejoined Short.
"Mein Got--he is not a tog, he is te tyfel," observed Jansen.
"Who knows how he came into the cutter?"
"There's a queer story about that," said one of the men.
Tum tum, tumty tum--said the fiddle of Jemmy Ducks, as if it took partin the conference.
"That poor boy will be killed if things go on this way: the skipper willnever be content till he has driven his soul out of his body--poorcreature; only look at him as he lies in his hammock."
"I never seed a Christian such an object," said one of the sailors.
"If the dog ain't killed, Bones will be, that's sartain," observedCoble: "and I don't see why the preference should be given to a humanindividual, although the dog is the skipper's dog--now then, what d'yesay, my lads?"
Tum tum, tum tum, tumty tumty tum, replied the fiddle.
"Let's hang him at once."
"No," replied Short.
Jansen took out his snickerree, looked at Short, and made a motion withthe knife, as if passing it across the dog's throat.
"No," replied Short.
"Let's launch him overboard at night," said one of the men.
"But how is one to get the brute out of the cabin?" said Cobb; "if it'sdone at all it must be done by day."
Short nodded his head.
"I will give him a launch the first opportunity," observed Jemmy Ducks,"only--(continued he in a measured and lower tone)--I should first liketo know whether he really is a dog or _not_."
"A tog is a tog," observed Jansen.
"Yes," replied one of the forecastle men, "we all know dog is a dog, butthe question is--is _this_ dog a dog?"
Here there was a pause, which Jemmy Ducks filled up by again touchingthe strings of his fiddle.
The fact was, that, although every one of the sailors wished the dog wasoverboard, there was not one who wished to commit the deed, not onaccount of the fear of its being discovered who was the party by MrVanslyperken, but because there was a great deal of superstition amongthem. It was considered unlucky to throw any dog or animal overboard;but the strange stories told about the way in which Snarleyyow firstmade his appearance in the vessel, added to the peculiarly diabolicaltemper of the animal, had often been the theme of midnight conversation,and many of them were convinced that it was an imp of Satan lent toVanslyperken, and that to injure or to attempt to destroy it wouldinfallibly be followed up with terrible consequences to the party, ifnot to the vessel and all the crew. Even Short, Coble, and Jansen, whowere the boldest and leading men, although when their sympathies wereroused by the suffering of poor Smallbones they were anxious to revengehim, had their own misgivings, and, on consideration, did not like tohave anything to do with the business. But each of them kept theirreflections to themselves, for, if they could not combat, they were tooproud to acknowledge them.
The reader will observe that all their plans were immediately put an endto until this important question, and not a little difficult one, wasdecided--Was the dog a dog?
Now, although the story had often been told, yet, as the crew of thecutter had been paid off since the animal had been brought on board,there was no man in the ship who could positively detail, from his ownknowledge, the facts connected with his first appearance--there was onlytradition, and to solve this question, to tradition they were obliged torepair.
"Now, Bill Spurey," said Coble, "you know more about this matter thanany one, so just spin us the yarn, and then we shall be able to talk thematter over soberly."
"Well," replied Bill Spurey, "you shall have it just as I got it wordfor word, as near as I can recollect. You know I wasn't in the craftwhen the thing came on board, but Joe Geary was, and it was one nightwhen we were boozing over a stiff glass at the new
shop there, theOrange Boven, as they call it, at the Pint of Portsmouth--and so, yousee, falling in with him, I wished to learn something about my newskipper, and what sort of a chap I should have to deal with. When Ilearnt all about _him_, I'd half-a-dozen minds to shove off again, butthen I was adrift, and so I thought better of it. It won't do to be sonice in peace times, you know, my lads, when all the big ships arerotting in Southampton and Cinque Port muds. Well, then, what he toldme I recollect as well--ay, every word of it--as it he had whispered itinto my ear but this minute. It was a blustering night, with a dirtysouth-wester, and the chafing of the harbour waves was thrown up infoams, which the winds swept up the street, they chasing one another asif they were boys at play. It was about two bells in the middle watch,and after our fifth glass, that Joe Geary said as this:--
"It was one dark winter's night when we were off the Texel, blowingterribly, with the coast under our lee, clawing off under storm canvas,and fighting with the elements for every inch of ground, a hand in thechains, for we had nothing but the lead to trust to, and the vessel soflogged by the waves, that he was lashed to the rigging, that he mightnot be washed away; all of a sudden the wind came with a blast loudenough for the last frump, and the waves roared till they were hoarserthan ever; away went the vessel's mast, although there was no morecanvas on it than a jib pocket-handkerchief, and the craft rolled andtossed in the deep troughs for all the world like a wicked man dying indespair; and then she was a wreck, with nothing to help us but GodAlmighty, fast borne down upon the sands which the waters had disturbed,and were dashing about until they themselves were weary of the load; andall the seamen cried unto the Lord, as well they might.
"Now they say, that _he_ did not cry as they did, like men andChristians, to Him who made them and the waters which surrounded andthreatened them; for Death was then in all his glory, and the foamingcrests of the waves were as plumes of feathers to his skeleton headbeneath them; but he cried like a child--and swore terribly as well ascried--talking about his money, his dear money, and not caring about hismore precious soul.
"And the cutter was borne down, every wave pushing her with giant forcenearer and nearer to destruction, when the man at the chains shriekedout--`Mark three, and the Lord have mercy on our souls!' and all thecrew, when they heard this, cried out--`Lord save us, or we perish!'But still they thought that their time was come, for the breaking waveswere under their lee, and the yellow waters told them that, in a fewminutes, the vessel, and all who were on board, would be shivered infragments; and some wept and some prayed as they clung to the bulwarksof the unguided vessel, and others in a few minutes thought over theirwhole life, and waited for death in silence. But _he_, he did all; hecried, and he prayed, and he swore, and he was silent, and at last hebecame furious and frantic; and when the man said again and again, `TheLord save us!' he roared out at last, `Will the _devil_ help us, for--'In a moment, before these first words were out of his mouth, there was aflash of lightning, that appeared to strike the vessel, but it harmedher not, neither did any thunder follow the flash; but a ball of blueflame pitched upon the knight heads, and then came bounding and dancingaft to the taffrail, where _he_ stood alone, for the men had left him toblaspheme by himself. Some say he was heard to speak, as if inconversation, but no one knows what passed. Be it as it may, on asudden he walked forward as brave as he could be, and was followed bythis creature, who carried his head and tail slouching as he does now.
"And the dog looked up and gave one deep bark, and as soon as he hadbarked the wind appeared to lull--he barked again twice, and there was adead calm--he barked again thrice, and the seas went down--and he pattedthe dog on the head, and the animal then bayed loud for a minute or two,and then, to the astonishment and fear of all, instead of the vesselbeing within a cable's length of the Texel sands in a heavy gale, andwithout hope, the Foreland lights were but two miles on our beam with aclear sky and smooth water."
The seaman finished his legend, and there was a dead silence for aminute or two, broken first by Jansen, who in a low voice said, "Then tetog is not a tog."
"No," replied Cobb, "an imp sent by the devil to his follower indistress."
"Yes," said. Short.
"Well, but," said Jemmy Ducks, who for some time had left off touchingthe strings of his fiddle, "it would be the work of a good Christian tokill the brute."
"It's not a mortal animal, Jemmy."
"True, I forgot that."
"Gifen by de tyfel," observed Jansen.
"Ay, and christened by him too," continued Coble. "Who ever heard anyChristian brute with such a damnable name?"
"Well, what's to be done?"
"Why," replied Jemmy Ducks, "at all events, imp o' Satan or not, thathere Smallbones fought him to-day with his own weapons."
"And beat him too," said. Coble.
"Yes," said Short.
"Now, it's my opinion, that Smallbones ar'nt afraid of him," continuedJemmy Ducks, "and devil or no devil, he'll kill him, if he can."
"He's the proper person to do it," replied Coble; "the more so, as youmay say that he's his _natural_ enemy."
"Yes, mein Got, de poy is de man," said Jansen.
"We'll put him up to it at all events, as soon as he is out of hishammock," rejoined Jemmy Ducks.
A little more conversation took place, and then it was carriedunanimously that Smallbones should destroy the animal, if it waspossible to destroy it.
The only party who was not consulted was Smallbones himself, who layfast asleep in his hammock. The consultation then broke _up_, and theyall went below.