Chapter XLIII
In which Smallbones changes from a king's man into a smuggler, and alsochanges his sex.
If we adhered to the usual plans of historical novel writers, we should,in this instance, leave Smallbones to what must appear to have been hisinevitable fate, and then bring him on the stage again with a _coup detheatre_, when least expected by the reader. But that is not ourintention; we consider that the interest of this our narration of bygoneevents is quite sufficient, without condescending to what is calledclaptrap; and there are so many people in our narrative continuallylabouring under deception of one kind or another, that we need not addto it by attempting to mystify our readers; who, on the contrary, weshall take with us familiarly by the hand, and, like a faithfulhistorian, lead them through the events in the order in which theyoccurred, and point out to them how they all lead to one common end.With this intention in view, we shall now follow the fortunes ofSmallbones, whom we left floundering in about seven fathoms water.
The weather was warm, even sultry, as we said before; butnotwithstanding which, and notwithstanding he was a very tolerableswimmer, considering that he was so thin, Smallbones did not like it. Tobe awoke out of a profound sleep, and all of a sudden to find yourselffloundering out of your depth about half a mile from the nearest land,is anything but agreeable; the transition is too rapid. Smallbonesdescended a few feet before he could divest himself of the folds of theFlustering coat which he had wrapped himself up in. It belonged toCoble, he had purchased it at a sale-shop on the Point for seventeenshillings and sixpence, and, moreover, it was as good as new. Inconsequence of this delay below water-mark, Smallbones had very littlebreath left in his body when he rose to the surface, and he could notinflate his lungs so as to call loud until the cutter had walked awayfrom him at least one hundred yards, for she was slipping fast throughthe water, and another minute plainly proved to Smallbones that he wasleft to his own resources.
At first, the lad had imagined that it was an accident, and that therope had given way with his weight; but when he found that no attentionwas paid to his cries, he then was convinced that it was the work of MrVanslyperken.
"By _gum_, he's a done for me at last. Well, I don't care, I can die butonce, that's sartin sure; and he'll go to the devil, that'ssartin sure."
And Smallbones, with this comfortable assurance, continued to strike outfor the land, which, indeed, he had but little prospect of ever making.
"A shame for to come for to go to murder a poor lad three or four timesover," sputtered Smallbones, after a time, feeling his strength failhim. He then turned on his back, to ease his arms.
"I can't do it no how, I sees that," said Smallbones, "so I may just aswell go down like a dipsey lead."
But, as he muttered this, and was making up his mind to discontinuefurther exertions,--not a very easy thing to do, when you are about togo into another world, still floating on his back, with his eyes fixedon the starry heavens, thinking, as Smallbones afterwards narratedhimself, that there wa'n't much to live for in this here world, andconsidering what there could be in that 'ere, his head struck againstsomething hard. Smallbones immediately turned round in the water to seewhat it was, and found that it was one of the large corks whichsupported a heavy net laid out across the tide for the taking ofshoal-fish. The cork was barely sufficient to support his weight, but itgave him a certain relief, and time to look about him, as the saying is.The lad ran under the net and cork with his hands until he arrived atthe nearest shoal, for it was three or four hundred yards long. When hearrived there, he contrived to bring some of the corks together, untilhe had quite sufficient for his support, and then Smallbones votedhimself pretty comfortable after all, for the water was very warm, andnow quite smooth.
Smallbones, as the reader may have observed during the narration, was alad of most indisputable courage and of good principles. Had it been hisfortune to have been born among the higher classes, and to have had allthe advantages of education, he might have turned out a hero; as it was,he did his duty well in that state of life to which he had been called,and as he said in his speech to the men on the forecastle, he fearedGod, honoured the king, and was the natural enemy to the devil.
The Chevalier Bayard was nothing more, only he had a wider field for hisexertions and his talents; but the armed and accoutred Bayard did notshow more courage and conduct when leading armies to victory, than didthe unarmed Smallbones against Vanslyperken and his dog. We considerthat _in his way_, Smallbones was quite as great a hero as theChevalier, for no man can do more than his best; indeed, it isunreasonable to expect it.
While Smallbones hung on to the corks, he was calculating his chances ofbeing saved.
"If so be as how they comes to take up the nets in the morning, why thenI think I may hold on; but if so be they waits, why they'll then find medead as a fish," said Smallbones, who seldom ventured above amonosyllable, and whose language if not considered as pure English, wascertainly amazingly Saxon; and then Smallbones began to reflect, whetherit was not necessary that he should forgive Mr Vanslyperken before hedied, and his pros and cons ended with his thinking he could, for it washis duty; however he would not be in a hurry about it, he thought thatwas the last thing that he need do; but as for the dog, he wa'n'tobliged to forgive him that was certain--as certain as that his tail wasoff; and Smallbones, up to his chin in the water, grinned so at theremembrance, that he took in more salt water than was pleasant.
He spit it out again, and then looked up to the stars, which weretwinkling above him.
I wonder what o'clock it is, thought Smallbones, when he thought heheard a distant sound. Smallbones pricked up his ears andlistened;--yes, it was in regular cadence, and became louder and louder.It was a boat pulling.
"Well, I am sure," thought Smallbones, "they'll think they have caught aqueer fish anyhow:" and he waited very patiently for the fisherman tocome up. At last he perceived the boat, which was very long and pulledmany oars. "They be the smuglars," thought Smallbones.
"I wonder whether they'll pick up a poor lad? Boat ahoy!"
The boat continued to pass towards the coast, impelled at the speed ofseven or eight miles an hour, and was now nearly abreast of Smallbones,and not fifty yards from him.
"I say, boat ahoy!" screamed Smallbones, to the extent of his voice.
He was heard this time, and there was a pause in the pulling, the boatstill driving through the water with the impulse which had been givenher, as if she required no propelling power.
"I say you arn't a going for to come for to leave a poor lad here to bedrowned, are you?"
"That's Smallbones, I'll swear," cried Jemmy Ducks, who was steering theboat, and who immediately shifted the helm.
But Sir Robert Barclay paused; there was too much at stake to run anyrisk, even to save the life of a fellow-creature.
"You takes time for to think on it anyhow," cried Smallbones--"you aregoing for to leave a fellow-christian stuck like a herring in a fishingnet, are you? you would not like it yourself, anyhow."
"It is Smallbones, sir," repeated Jemmy Ducks, "and I'll vouch for himas a lad that's good and true."
Sir Barclay no longer hesitated: "Give way, my lads, and pick him up."
In a few minutes, Smallbones was hauled in over the gunnel, and wasseated on the stern-sheets opposite to Sir Robert.
"It's a great deal colder out of the water than in, that's sartain,"observed Smallbones, shivering.
"Give way, my lads, we've no time to stay," cried Sir Robert.
"Take this, Smallbones," said Jemmy.
"Why, so it is, Jemmy Ducks!" replied Smallbones, withastonishment--"why, how did you come here?"
"Sarcumstances," replied Jemmy; "how did you come there?"
"Sarcumstances too, Jemmy," replied Smallbones.
"Keep silence," said Sir Robert, and nothing more was said until thelugger dashed into the cave.
The cargo was landed, and Smallbones who was very cold was not sorry toassist. He carried up his loa
d with the rest, and as usual the womencame half-way down to receive it.
"Why, who have we here?" said one of the women to whom Smallbones wasdelivering his load, "why, it's Smallbones."
"Yes," replied Smallbones, it is me; "but how came you here, Nancy?"
"That's tellings, but how came you, my lad?" replied Nancy.
"I came by water anyhow."
"Well, you are one of us now, you know there's no going back."
"I'm sure I don't want to go back, Nancy; but what is to be done?nothing unchristianlike I hope."
"We're all good Christians here, Smallbones; we don't bow down to idolsand pay duty to them as other people do."
"Do you fear God, and honour the king?"
"We do; the first as much as the other people, and as for the king, welove him and serve him faithfully."
"Well, then I suppose that's all right," replied Smallbones; "but wheredo you live?"
"Come with me, take your load up, and I will show you, for the sooneryou are there the better; the boat will be off again in half-an-hour, ifI mistake not."
"Off, where?"
"To France, with a message to the king."
"Why, the king's in Holland! we left him there when we sailed."
"Pooh! nonsense! come along."
When Sir Robert arrived at the cave, he found an old friend anxiouslyawaiting his arrival; it was Graham, who had been despatched by theJacobites to the court of St Germains, with intelligence of greatimportance, which was the death of the young Duke of Gloucester, theonly surviving son of King William. He had, it was said, died of amalignant fever; but if the reader will call to mind the address of oneof the Jesuits on the meeting at Cherbourg, he may have some surmises asto the cause of the duke's decease. As this event rendered thesuccession uncertain, the hopes of the Jacobites were raised to thehighest pitch: the more so as the country was in a state of anxiety andconfusion, and King William was absent at the Hague. Graham had,therefore, been despatched to the exiled James, with the propositionsfrom his friends in England, and to press the necessity of an invasionof the country. As Nancy had supposed, Sir Robert decided uponimmediately crossing over to Cherbourg, the crew were allowed a shorttime to repose and refresh themselves, and once more returned to theirlaborious employment; Jemmy Ducks satisfied Sir Robert that Smallbonesmight be trusted and be useful, and Nancy corroborated his assertions.He was, therefore, allowed to remain in the cave with the women, and SirRobert and his crew, long before Smallbones' garments were dry, wereagain crossing the English Channel.
Now, it must be observed, that Smallbones was never well off forclothes, and, on this occasion, when he fell overboard, he had nothingon but an old pair of thin linen trousers and a shirt which, from dintof long washing, from check had turned to a light cerulean blue: whatwith his struggles at the net and the force used to pull him into theboat, the shirt had more than one-half disappeared--that is to say, onesleeve and the back were wholly gone, and the other sleeve was wellprepared to follow its fellow, on the first capful of wind. His trousersalso were in almost as bad a state. In hauling him in, when his head wasover the gunnel, one of the men had seized him by the seat of histrousers to lift him into the boat, and the consequence was, that theseat of his trousers having been too long set upon, was also left in hismuscular gripe. All these items put together, the reader may infer,that, although Smallbones might appear merely ragged in front, that inhis rear he could not be considered as decent, especially as he was theonly one of the masculine sex among a body of females. No notice wastaken of this by others, nor did Smallbones observe it himself, duringthe confusion and bustle previous to the departure of the smugglers; butnow they were gone, Smallbones perceived his deficiencies, and was verymuch at a loss what to do, as he was aware that daylight would discoverthem to others as well as to himself: so he fixed his back up againstone of the rocks, and remained idle while the women were busily employedstoring away the cargo in the various compartments of the cave.
Nancy, who had not forgotten that he was with them, came up to him.
"Why do you stay there, Smallbones? you must be hungry and cold, come inwith me, and I will find you something to eat."
"I can't, Mistress Nancy, I want your advice first. Has any of the menleft any of their duds in this here cavern?"
"Duds, men! No, they keep them all on the other side. We have nothingbut petticoats here and shimmeys."
"Then what must I do?" exclaimed Smallbones.
"Oh, I see, your shirt is torn off your back. Well, never mind, I'lllend you a shimmey."
"Yes, Mistress Nancy, but it be more worse than that, I an't got nobehind to my trousers, they pulled it out when they pulled me into theboat. I sticks to this here rock for decency's sake. What must I do?"
Nancy burst into a laugh. "Do, why if you can't have men's clothes, youmust put on the women's, and then you'll be in the regular uniform ofthe cave."
"I do suppose that I must, but I can't say that I like the idea much,anyhow," replied Smallbones.
"Why, you don't mean to stick to that rock like a limpit all your life,do you? there's plenty of work for you."
"If so be, I must, I must," replied Smallbones.
"You can't appear before Mistress Alice in that state," replied Nancy."She's a lady bred and born, and very particular too, and then there'sMiss Lilly, you will turn her as red as a rose, if she sees you."
"Well then, I suppose I must, Mistress Nancy, for I shall catch my deathof cold here, I'm all wet and shivery, from being so long in the water,and my back against the rock, feels just as ice."
"No wonder, I'll run and fetch you something," replied Nancy, who wasdelighted at the idea of dressing up Smallbones as a woman.
Nancy soon returned with a chemise, a short flannel petticoat, and ashawl, which she gave to Smallbones, desiring him to take off his wetclothes, and substitute them. She would return to him as soon as he hadput them on, and see that they were put tidy and right.
Smallbones retired behind one of the rocks, and soon shifted hisclothes, he put everything on the hind part before, and Nancy had toalter them when she came. She adjusted the shawl, and then led him intothe cave where he found Mistress Alice, and some of the women who werenot busy with the cargo.
"Here's the poor lad who was thrown overboard, madam," said Nancy,retaining her gravity. "All his clothes were torn off his back, and Ihave been obliged to give him these to put on."
Lady Barclay could hardly repress a smile. Smallbones' appearance wasthat of a tall gaunt creature, pale enough, and smooth enough to be awoman certainly, but cutting a most ridiculous figure. His long thinarms were bare, his neck was like a crane's, and the petticoats were soshort as to reach almost above his knees. Shoes and stockings he hadnone. His long hair was platted and matted with the salt water, and oneside of his head was shaved, and exhibited a monstrous half-healed scar.
Lady Barclay asked him a few questions, and then desired Nancy to givehim some refreshment, and find him something to lie down upon in thedivision of the cave which was used as a kitchen.
But we must now leave Smallbones to entertain the inhabitants of thecave with the history of his adventures, which he did at intervals,during his stay there. He retained his women's clothes, for Nancy wouldnot let him wear any other, and was a source of great amusement not onlyto the smugglers' wives, but also to little Lilly, who would listen tohis conversation and remarks which were almost as naive andunsophisticated as her own.