A Yacht Voyage to Norway, Denmark, and Sweden Part 9

"It is open," he uttered, breathlessly,--"it is open;--and I will conduct you. I have told--the authorities that you are three countrymen of mine,--and you will receive attention--depend upon it."

"These gentlemen," interceded the Spanish Minister, "do not desire to go to the Museum to-day; they have altered their minds."

"Oh!--very well," said Mr. C----, nothing daunted; "let's go elsewhere.

Time's my own--time's my own. I suppose time is yours, my Lord,--and yours, and yours?" addressing himself to us individually, and noting us, as a shepherd would count his flock, with the tip of his forefinger.

"Yes, certainly," we replied; "yes, time is ours."

"But," again interposed the Spanish Minister, "if these gentlemen do go anywhere, I have offered to accompany them, and my services have been accepted. _Both_ of us are needless."

"Of course, your Excellency," replied poor old C----, "I yield; for you are, by your rank, abler than I am to secure for them that attention which, as strangers, they merit." He held his hand out to us, which we received with cordiality; and he took his leave, hoping that we might find gratification in everything we saw.

When Mr. C---- had gone, the Minister showed us several curiosities in his possession, and amongst them a beautiful Spanish dagger. The steel was so hard, that, a Danish copper coin, about the size and solidity of an English penny, was placed horizontally on a marble slab, and the Spanish Minister, with one blow, pierced the piece of money with the dagger's point without blunting it in the least.

The cloudless sky and grateful warmth of the sun made us prefer the open air to the confined gases of museums, libraries, laboratories, cathedrals, and their vaults; and, wandering along the fortifications which surround the city till we reached Fredrikshavn, we pa.s.sed through a private way and entered the fortress itself. As we sauntered along, conversing on various subjects, a culprit of some kind--for this fortress is full of them--would occasionally cross our path, and add interest to our discourse by the Minister's recital of some remarkable incident in the man's life, which had brought him to the condition of a slave. Although the inner ramparts, or citadel, of Fredrikshavn are not allowed to be approached by any one, the rank of the Spanish Minister seemed to cause an exception in his favour; for, as we came near to the drawbridge leading over the inside moat of all, the two sentinels, who were on duty, recognised the Minister, and, instead of stopping us, presented arms.

Within these ramparts, on a wooden bench, from which the Sound, spotted with the white sails of many ships,--and, faintly, the distant mountains of Sweden,--might be seen, two black men sat. Removed at a distance of twenty yards from them, four sentinels stood, resting carelessly, with folded arms, on the muzzles of their fire-locks; but, even in this negligence, paying much attention to the movements of these black men.

We stopped and observed the strange group; and our sympathy was moved by the dress and melancholy demeanour of the two men. The one nearest to us, who appeared the eldest, rested his chin on the back of his hands, which were clasped round the top of a large walking-stick; and in that att.i.tude kept his eyes fixed on the blue waters of the Sound; his thoughts, no doubt, wandering to his home, some pleasant spot, far away.

His hat was brown by long use, and rent at the rims, beneath which his white hair, here and there, straggled forth. His coat, once black, was now thread-bare and worn at the elbows; while his shoes, almost without soles, kept sad unison with the other parts of his dress. The other old man, whose clothes were equally squalid, sat more upright, and seemed livelier, and of a lighter heart, misfortune not having yet touched so blightingly the natural volatility of his disposition; for, now and then, he spoke in low tones to his companion, who sometimes smiled, but rarely made answer.

"You are observing those black men?" said the Spanish Minister. "They are the most interesting objects in Copenhagen."

"Who are they?" we asked.

"Those two men," continued the Spaniard, "were once men of note in their own country; and their misfortune resolves itself into this simple tale. The man with grey hair, nearest to us, seemingly bent with excess of sorrow, was the king of some Danish colony in the East Indies; and the other, his favourite minister. After having reigned for many years with equity and wisdom, and having seen his little island, cradled in the lap of peace, put forth the strength of prosperity, the old monarch's bright day of happiness and glory was suddenly overshadowed by a cloud, which, though, by its insignificance, at first un.o.bserved, gradually gained bulk and darkness, and replete, at last, with all the elements of storm and destruction, burst upon his head. A man murdered a woman, his wife; and, according to the criminal code of his country, was arrested, tried, and convicted; and this king, by the advice of his minister, ordered the a.s.sa.s.sin to be executed. The intelligence reached the ears of the Court of Denmark, and by command of Christian, the black monarch and his adviser were arrested, on the plea, that, the one being, though a monarch, a subject of Denmark, had no power to carry the statutes of his own realm summarily into effect, without the previous a.s.sent of the Danish Government; and, that, the other, being the princ.i.p.al minister, was as culpable as his master in permitting such an infringement of the law. They were both subsequently tried for the offence, and being found guilty, were placed on board a Danish ship of war, and brought to Copenhagen, where, within this fortress, they are doomed to pa.s.s, in solitary confinement, the small portion of life which may yet remain to them."

The guns of the citadel, as I said before, are of immense dimensions; and I do not think I exaggerate when I state that the body of a child, nine or ten years old, may very easily be placed inside of them. I never saw such heavy cannon either at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Dover, or any other fortified port in England. The sentinels would not allow us to take a minute survey of these ordnance; but as soon as we walked round from the muzzle to the breech, in order to examine their really herculean proportions, a bayonet, thrust before our eyes, would be sure to interrupt the stream of information which commenced flowing through them to the mind. I suppose the soldier had read or heard of England, and thinking the people who lived in it, or came from it, were wonderful creatures, deemed it not impossible we might put a few of the guns under his charge into our pockets, and walk off with them; and unless that was his thought, I cannot conceive what mischief can arise from four gentlemen looking at four dismounted guns. However, governments, like men, have their whims; and it is of very little use trying to talk them out of their fallacies. It is as likely, that, when meeting a maniac in Bedlam, who fancies himself Napoleon Buonaparte, or any other paG.o.d, you will be able to point out the delusion under which he labours, and to a.s.sure him that his social position, though respectable, was never imperial. He will understand you as soon, and as soon a.s.sent to the truth of your observations.

Our scrutiny had been thus interrupted, when the Baron de B---- came up to us. We had expressed a desire to eat, for the mere sake of saying hereafter that we had eaten, a real Copenhagen dinner, and the Baron offered to show us an hotel, where we could gratify our wish to the utmost extent. Having made no arrangements to dine on board, we started at once for the hotel; and it turned out to be the identical one at which my old acquaintance, Joe Washimtum, held the official post of commissionaire. Like those useful and diligent bees of the great hive of mankind, Joe was standing, with his black hands in his black breeches'

pocket, beneath the huge arch of the Hotel d'Angleterre, chattering and laughing with a few other bees of a similar calling, but of a different colour to himself. Joe raised his white hat five distinct times the instant he saw our party, and, advancing towards us, he observed, still with doffed hat and bended body,

"Good acc.u.mmumdashum, gentlemen!"

"These gentlemen can dine here, can they not?" said the Baron de B., appealing to the exquisite Joe.

"No doubt at arl, sir, in de questchums," replied Joe quickly, and with his aethiopian face shining like a bright boot.

After the Baron de B., and the Spanish Minister had seen that we were likely to encounter no difficulties under the protection of Joe, they left us, expressing much regret they could not remain with us, being obliged to dine at the Palace. When they had gone, "Dis way, gentlemen, dis way," Joe breathed softly, and marshalled us his own peculiar way.

Joe soon put the whole hotel in an uproar by his magnificent description of our personal rank and appearance; and in about ten minutes every lacquey and scullery maid in the establishment knew that we were the identical Englishmen who had come to Copenhagen in a yacht.

Joe had ascertained, somehow or other, there was a n.o.bleman among us; but his sagacity failed on this occasion, and he could not make out which was the substantive Briton. Joe, however, was not to be done, and so, after awhile, he addressed us all, as "my Lard;" and, though quite out of his province, he _would_ stand at the door of the room where we dined, and see that the waiters attended properly, and were sufficiently agile in their movements. Joe, moreover, acted as interpreter.

"Waiter, some bread?"

"Es, my Lard," Joe would reply to me, and transfer the command in Danish to the waiter.

"Hock, waiter;--bring some hock."

"Suttinlee, my Lard," said Joe to P.; then coming up to the table, and, leaning confidentially over it, observed.

"Me would rec.u.mdate, my Lard, de Bunseppalouse, it bery good wine, c.u.msiddumrately dan de hock."

"How do you know; have you tasted it?" said R.

"No, my Lard; me only go by de smell--him bery rifferous, bery, my Lard;" and Joe sniffed till the steam from the vegetables rushed up his nostrils.

"I say," R called out to Joe, as he was disappearing over the threshold in search of the _Bunseppalouse_, "you black pudding, you; what do you mean by my _Lard_? can't you p.r.o.nounce your O's? what do you with your A's, when you meet them?"

"Leeb um to himself, my Lard," replied Joe, deferring his exit; "nebber trouble him; if me do, me bery quick wid him."

"Oh! that's your syntax, is it?" said R.

"Hebben forbid, my Lard, me gib de King money;" answered Joe solemnly.

"Dat d-- bad polumcy."

Joe had evidently mistaken the signification of the word "syntax," and, catching the last syllable, concluded that R. referred to the system universally adopted to supply the pecuniary wants of a government; and therefore the solemnity of his answer.

I cannot say much in favour either of the dinner or the wine, vinegar being the dominant ingredient of both; and, do what we would with mustard and pepper, its pungent taste remained.

The evening turned out very wet, so that the only amus.e.m.e.nt we could find was to stand at the window, and criticise the different carriages as they pa.s.sed on their way to the theatre. I certainly never saw such rusty old rattle-traps, and I do not except the king's equipage, since the hackney landaus have been abolished in England.

While we were smoking our cigars, Joe came into the room, and desired to know if we would allow him to show us the "Coal Holes" and "Cider Cellars" of Copenhagen; but we told him we were travelling in order to gather information and reform our morals, and not to pa.s.s the night in revelling. Convincing Joe that we were not in the vein to leave our arm-chairs, and begging him not to call us all "my Lard," since there was but one "Lard" between the three, we asked him whence he came.

"Me jist leebe Flora."

"No, no," I said; "in what part of the world were you born?"

"Oh! dat one oder ting. Me barn in Jamaikee, sir; but me leebe um two tree year ago."

"What made you leave the island?" I inquired.

"Bekase him not de same kind of place, sir, as before--de n.i.g.g.e.rs grow so d---- imperant."

"But you must find Copenhagen very cold and uncomfortable," I replied; "and surely impudence in one's own country is more tolerable than discomfort and winter here."

"No, sir," answered Joe, all the soul of his great namesake, Washington, beaming through his eyes; "me no tollumrate imperance; one imperant raskill make me blood cold more dan de winter do. Jamaikee no de place for de man of eddumcashum."

"In fact, you left it in disgust," I suggested.

"Suttinlee, sir," replied Joe; then seeming anxious to forget Jamaica, and every thing connected with it, he said,

"Me hope you like you dinner, gentlemen; and will disgest him," he continued.

"I hope we shall _digest_ it," I answered; "but there was vinegar enough to stop any human creature's growth."

"Me said so, sir!" exclaimed Joe; "me tell Monsieur Sangnette so; dem French cooks, debilish fond of souring deir tings. Me nebber widout um stomick ache; d-- de feller!" and Joe hurried out of the room, before his anger had cooled, to inform M. Sangnette how dissatisfied we were with the dinner, and what torture, similar to his own, we should soon undergo.

Before ten o'clock I was in my berth, listening to the rain pattering on the deck, the trickling noise of which conveyed to my mind, as I lay in my warm bed, an absorbing feeling of comfort, which can only be conceived by those who have a roof to shelter their heads from the pitiless storm. I remained awake for some hours; and, beside the falling of the rain, and the sharp bubbling sound of its big drops as they fell into the sea close to the vessel's side, the night was so still, that I could hear the sentinels in the citadel of Fredrikshavn demanding the pa.s.s-word, as the officer went his rounds. When our watch, too, struck the hour, I could follow the echo of the bell, rising and sinking, half way across the Sound.