CHAPTER XXXII
Constance's Story
The surprise and recognition were mutual. Only the untoward state ofmy sister's garments prevented her from throwing herself into myarms. As it was, she could only grasp my hand and exclaim:
"Oh, Clifford, you here! I thought you were dead long ago."
"Far from it," I replied, leading her to the shelter of the weatherbulwarks, for the wind was now howling fiercely. "But tell me, howcame you here?"
"'Tis a long story," she said, striving to keep back the tears ofjoy that welled to her eyes. "But why--oh, there's Captain Jeremy!"
And at that moment our Captain came down the poop ladder, to find,to his unbounded astonishment, that Constance was one of the rescuedpassengers.
It was some time ere we dispensed with small talk and entered intothe more important details of our respective adventures, whenCaptain Jeremy listened with rapt attention to my sister'snarrative, occasionally giving vent to a hearty exclamation ofapproval as she told her story.
"You would hardly realize the consternation that your disappearancecaused. At first our uncle thought you had left the house by stealthin order to go fishing, and promised you a warm reception on yourreturn. But when evening came and you did not return, we began togrow anxious----"
"There you are," exclaimed Captain Jeremy. "Did I not say you were ayoung rascal, when you were found in the hold? Didst give a singlethought to your worthy relative's distress?"
"There was a hue and cry raised, but though the countryside wassearched most diligently, not a trace of you was found. A month orso later a lad's body was found in the Lym stream, and though 'twaswell-nigh unrecognizable, our uncle was convinced 'twas yours. Atany rate, he came to the conclusion that you had been drowned whileswimming in the river, and the body was buried as that of CliffordHammond."
"Then another misfortune came. Uncle John was thrown from his horsenear Buckland Rings, and received such severe injuries to his headthat in less than a week he died. Thus I was left without a relativein England. In my distress I thought of our mother's brother's wife,whom I knew to be living somewhere in Virginia; and being, as Ithought, without a single tie at home, I resolved to adventuremyself in the New World. With this object in view I went to seeLawyer Thompson of Lymington, who had, as you know, the ordering ofour affairs. He approved of my resolve, but urged me to wait untildefinite news could be obtained of our relative's whereabouts.Accordingly a letter was sent by the hand of one Captain JosephBennett, whose ship _Prudence_ was about to sail for the port ofRichmond."
"Four months later I had a reply, brought by the same CaptainBennett, to the effect that Mistress Green, our maternal aunt, wouldbe glad to receive me."
"The _Prudence_ was timed to sail again from Gravesend on thefollowing Thursday week, and having made arrangements for mypassage, I prepared for the hazardous journey."
"At length I bade farewell to the home of my childhood. LawyerThompson accompanied me as far as Southampton, whence the coach wasto carry me to London. It was a tedious two days' journey, with thebest part of another day's ride to Gravesend."
"On arriving at the latter place I found, to my consternation, thatthe _Prudence_ had sailed on a special voyage to Hull, and would notbe back for another fortnight."
"There was nothing to do but wait, and by good fortune I found acomfortable lodging at the house of one Mistress Thetwell. But onceagain I was doomed to disappointment. The _Prudence_ never returnedto the Thames--she was lost, with all her crew, off Yarmouth--so Iwas obliged to wait at Gravesend until such time as I could find aship that was sailing for Virginia."
"While awaiting this opportunity I chanced one day to be taking theair along the Rochester road, when I heard the sound of a horsegalloping behind me. I turned, and saw a mettlesome nag bolting downthe highway, while, clinging desperately to the animal's mane, was agirl of about my own age."
"As you know, Clifford, I was always used to horses, so as the bruterushed by I caught at the dangling bridle. The nag carried me somedistance, and just as I had mastered him he trod on my foot. Thepain was intense, and I was barely conscious of seeing the girl slipfrom the saddle ere I swooned."
"When I recovered my senses I found myself in a strange bed, with amotherly lady watching me."
"She was Mistress Farndale, wife of a wealthy landowner, and it washer daughter Winifred whose horse I had helped to stop. All themembers of the family were kind to me beyond measure, and, hearingmy story, proposed that I should stay as a companion to Winifredtill an opportunity occurred for me to take ship. And, strange tosay, I felt perfectly contented and happy, actually hoping that thatopportunity was yet a long way off."
"At length Master Farndale, for having spoken too openly in favourof Archbishop Sancroft, was threatened with arrest; so, havingdisposed of most of his property, he took ship for Virginia, havingpreviously made arrangements for his family to follow directly hehad prepared a suitable home for them."
"Thus I was able to carry out my original intentions, without havingto undergo the grief of parting from my newly found friends, when wetook passage on the _Phoenix_. There were Mistress Farndale, Rupertand Gerald, her sons; and Winifred and myself, together with amaid."
"I need not relate what happened on our unfortunate voyage, for youalready know of it; but when we were being taken on board this shipfrom the boat Winifred fell into the sea, and someone rescuedher----"
"Lucky lad! Lucky lad!" exclaimed Captain Jeremy, bringing his openhand down heavily on my back, to my great confusion. Then, asConstance was at a loss to understand this sudden outburst, heexplained: "You see, Mistress Constance, 'twas your brother whojumped after her. Sink me! 'twas a plucky action, for he was like tohave had his head crushed like an eggshell by the ship's side. But Imust away, for 'tis about time we made a landfall." So saying, hehurried on to the poop, leaving us to continue our conversation.
"I, too, have news for you," said I. "Constance, we are now rich,for the _Madre_ treasure has been found. It is on board this veryship."
"How much is it worth?" she asked, with true feminine curiosity.
"Nay, I cannot say to a certainty, yet 'tis enough for us to be forever free from monetary difficulties."
Then I related all the principal incidents of our voyage, notomitting the terrible fate of my father's murderer, till ourconversation was interrupted by the welcome cry of "Land--ho!"
From the poop I gazed once more upon the shores of Old England,after an absence of three years, for on our larboard bow I coulddiscern the dark, lofty outlines of the Lizard, the southernmostheadland of our isle.
The _Golden Hope_ was now bowling along under easy canvas at a goodsix knots, and ere night the dreaded Eddystone, rearing its uglyreef above the breakers, was well abeam, and the rugged Devon coastaway on our larboard bow. Should this breeze continue, to-morrow'seve would find us safe in Poole Harbour.
Just before sunset most of the rescued passengers, having recoveredfrom their harrowing experience, came on deck, and Constanceimmediately gave me an introduction to Mistress Farndale and herdaughter.
Presently we were joined by Rupert and Gerald Farndale, whoseacquaintance I had made earlier in the day; and together we formedquite a happy party, talking under the break of the poop deck untilit was quite dark.
Then the ladies retired, while I, lying in a hammock slung under thecrowded fo'c'sle, dreamed of Constance and Winifred, till I wasawakened by the violent ringing of the ship's bell and the hoarseorder, "Put your helm up, or we'll be run down!"
CHAPTER XXXIII
Safe in Port
'Twas a strange sight that met my eyes as I rushed on deck andgained the fo'c'sle.
The wind had fallen light, and in the cold, raw gloom of thatNovember morning I could see ahead and on both sides of us amultitude of great warships.
They were sailing in close order, under all plain sail, and had justgone about on the starboard tack, for their crews were still engagedwith the halyards and braces, in obe
dience to orders shouted in aforeign tongue.
This manoeuvre had thrown us fairly across their line, so that onlyby putting our helm hard up were we able to avoid being run down bya huge two-decker.
In the comparatively small limit of my vision, for the weather wasthick, I counted over forty sail, though, judging by the sounds,there must have been twice that number hidden in the mist.
We scraped past the two-decker at barely ten yards' distance. Shewas high-sided, and painted with one broad yellow and two narrowbrown stripes; while through her green-lined ports the muzzles ofsome thirty-two brass guns flashed dully in the moist atmosphere.
Her decks were crowded with men, for in addition to her crew therewere about a hundred phlegmatic-looking soldiers, in blue-and-yellowuniforms. On her poop stood a burly great-coated officer, who raisedhis speaking-trumpet with the evident intention of hailing us; butapparently he thought better of it, and in almost perfect silence,save for the hiss of the water at her cutwater and the straining andcreaking of her tackle, the ship glided past. Then, as she displayedher lofty stern, with its wreath of decorative giltwork, I read thename _Maese_.
For a full half-hour we were hard put to it to avoid being run downby the ships of the mighty fleet, which, we learned from the crew ofthe _Phoenix_, was known to have been lying at Helvoetsluys, readyto carry the Prince of Orange to England to wrest the crown from hisincapable father-in-law, King James.
"Where are they bound for, being so far down Channel?" asked themaster gunner.
"Nay, I know not," replied Captain Jeremy. "But Heaven forfend thatthey land in the West. Enough English blood was wasted in the lastrising, as many of us know."
"What chance hath the Prince, think you?" he continued, addressingthe master of the _Phoenix_, who had also turned out to see theunwonted sight.
"A far better one than had the Duke of Monmouth," was the answer;"though, with all his faults, give me King James. I fought under himwhen he was Duke of York, and a braver seaman never trod deck."
"Ah! James Duke of York and James King of England are two verydifferent personages, I trow," replied Captain Jeremy. "The bestfighter is ever the worst statesman."
"After all," said the master of the _Phoenix_, "so long as there areEnglish ships at sea and plenty of work for us poor seamen, itmatters not much who rules the roost. That's how the wind blows, sayI."
"The wind draws ahead," observed Captain Jeremy; "that is the matterthat concerns us chiefly. I doubt whether we'll see port today."
This was indeed the case, for the breeze, now provokingly light, hadbacked till it came from the east'ard, so that it meant a dead beatto windward. To men long absent from home this was especiallygalling, though in my case I found consolation in being in thecompany of Mistress Winifred, with whom I generally managed to haveseveral hours pleasurable conversation.
Neither did we make Poole that day nor the next, for it fell a flatcalm, after the manner of St. Martin's summer, so that forthirty-six hours we drifted with the tide within sight of the Dorsethills.
At length a steady southwesterly breeze sprang up, and, with barelya hogshead of biscuit and a gallon of water aboard, the _GoldenHope_ came in sight of Poole Harbour.
"What cheer--ho, Master Light!" exclaimed Captain Jeremy, as aweather-beaten pilot came over the side. "How fares it at home?"
"Precious little news," replied the pilot, "though they say thatEnglish beef will henceforth be flavoured with Orange."
"So?"
"Aye; they say the Dutchman hath landed at Torbay, and advanced onExeter. In short, there are all sorts of rumours, yet I pay scantheed to them."
With the air of a man who, in the exercise of his duty, scorns toindulge in conversation, Master Light made his way aft, and underhis guidance the _Golden Hope_ threaded the tortuous channel thatleads to Poole Town.
"Is it your wish to berth alongside the quay?" demanded the pilot.
"Nay, rather I would anchor in the stream," replied Captain Jeremy,mindful of the precious nature of our cargo.
"Hands shorten sail!"
Slowly the _Golden Hope_, with ever-decreasing way, glided abreastof the town, and with the welcome order, "Let go", the anchorplunged into the muddy waters of Poole Harbour.
The voyage of the _Golden Hope_ was over.
The news of the success of the Prince of Orange was hailed withdelight by the former crew of the _Neptune_. To them it meant thatthey were free to return to their homes in the marshes of Somerset,without fear of being again hauled before the justices and sentencedto a horrible existence in the unhealthy swamps of Barbados; and onthis account we, too, felt glad at the unexpected solution of theirdifficulties.
Our first care was to get the passengers and crew of the _Phoenix_safely ashore. There was, we heard, a stout barque on the point ofsailing for Virginia in a few days' time, so that those who were ofa mind to cross the ocean, and had sufficient means to pay for theirpassage, could avail themselves of her departure.
Mistress Farndale and her family had resolved to do this, but erethey went ashore I promised to call upon them as soon as my dutieswould permit, for until the matter of sharing the treasure wassettled Captain Jeremy would allow no communication with the land.
Three days later two assessors, being duly qualified Governmentofficers, came post haste from the Royal Mint and boarded us. Theseals of the strong room were broken and the massive locksunfastened, and the task of allotting the wealth proceeded.
Having set aside the tithe claimed by the state, and also the amountdue to Sir William Soams (who received a good eight hundred percentum on his outlay), the shares owing to the original crew of the_Golden Hope_ and to the men of the _Neptune_ were duly paid out.
Then the residue, by a rough calculation of the value of 180,000pounds, was to be equally divided 'twixt Captain Jeremy and theheirs of the late Captain Richard Hammond. I could hardly realizethe value of this immense sum, though I knew that our share wassufficient to restore the fortunes of our house to its formergreatness.
The _Golden Hope_ was now moored alongside a wharf on the Hamworthyside of the harbour, and at two bells in the afternoon watch the menmustered on deck, those who came off the _Neptune_ having fallen inon the larboard side, each with his bundle ready for his long trampto distant Sedgemoor.
In a few hearty words Captain Jeremy addressed them, thanking themfor their services, and wishing them every success in their future.Then, after three ringing cheers, the "Neptunes", their pocketsfilled with coin, went ashore, amid the boisterous farewells oftheir comrades of the last two years and more; and as the littleband of men, who were now returning to till the soil instead ofploughing the deep, disappeared from our view, I felt that anotherlink with the past had been finally severed.
Our share of the treasure having been placed in safe keeping in thetown vaults of the corporation of Poole, those of the crew whowished to take their discharge were dismissed, and under the commandof Clemens and the master gunner the _Golden Hope_ sailed for theThames, where she was to be handed back to her owners.
Two days later Master Phillips, a London goldsmith, arrived, and,having carefully examined the plate, made us a good offer. Thus theprecious cargo of the wrecked _Madre de Dios_ passed out of ourkeeping, though I retained a few pieces of rare and costlyworkmanship as a visible reminder of the treasure that, according tothe friar's prophecy, had been obtained through fire and blood.
* * * * *
Thus the story of the quest of the _Golden Hope_ draws to a close,yet I must briefly dwell on the subsequent history of the principalcharacters who played their parts in the search for the Madretreasure.
'Enery, bluff, stouthearted seaman, is now master and part owner ofthe vessel in which he sailed with Captain Jeremy to the far-offWest Indies, for the _Golden Hope_ is now engaged in prosperoustrading voyages to the Mediterranean ports. Yet whenever she returnshome, Captain 'Enery, still much the same as of yore, generallycontrives to visit his native Lymington;
nor does he forget toextend his journey as far as Brockenhurst, where, joining with hisformer captain in a glass and a pipe, he'll fight his battles o'eragain.
Of Clemens the Cornishman we still hear, though less frequently thanwe should like. He returned to his native town of Looe, where,having given up the sea, he has worked up a sound boat-buildingbusiness.
Silas Touchstone, the master gunner, finding little use for hiscalling on private vessels, took service in His Majesty's Fleet, andpromised to make a name for himself. Both at La Hogue and thedesperate and successful attempt upon St. Malo our late mastergunner was mentioned for conspicuous bravery. To what extent hisdauntless courage would have led him 'twould have been hard to say,had not his career afloat been nipped in the bud by the loss of aleg in action in Vigo Bay.
On attaining my twenty-first birthday I took ship to Richmond, inVirginia, where Winifred and I were made one. A happier couple'twould be hard to find, for our love has stood the test of time.Still, there are moments when I hear the call of the salt-ladenbreezes, and even yet I may once more adventure myself upon the highseas.
Nor must I omit mention of a tall, elderly man, who, despite hiswhite locks and iron-grey beard, still carries himself erect andalert as of yore. A general favourite with my children, especiallyhis little namesake, now a sturdy child of nine years, CaptainJeremy Miles has given up the sea, and spends the greater part ofhis leisure hours in spinning yarns to his interested listeners ofthe quest of the _Golden Hope_.
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