Philosopher Jack Part 8

"It is a matter of death to _me_," interrupted the other in a low tone, "but I grant your request. My clerk will arrange it with you."

He left the office abruptly, with a bowed head, and Mr Black having arranged matters to his satisfaction with the clerk, left it soon after, with a sigh of relief. He cared no more for Mr Wilkins's grief than did the dirty clerk for his master's troubles.

Returning to his dirty office, Mr Black then proceeded to do a stroke of very dingy business.

That morning, through some mysterious agency, he had learned that there were rumours of an unfavourable kind in reference to a certain bank in the city, which, for convenience, we shall name the Blankow Bank. Now, it so happened that Mr Black was intimately acquainted with one of the directors of that bank, in whom, as well as in the bank itself, he had the most implicit confidence. Mr Black happened to have a female relative in the city named Mrs Niven--the same Mrs Niven who had been landlady to Philosopher Jack. It was one of the root-principles of Mr Black's business character that he should make hay while the sun shone.

He knew that Mrs Niven owned stock in the Blankow Bank; he knew that the Bank paid its shareholders a very handsome dividend, and he was aware that, owing to the unfavourable rumours then current, the value of the stock would fall very considerably. That, therefore, was the time for knowing men like Mr Black, who believed in the soundness of the bank, to buy. Accordingly he wrote a letter to Mrs Niven, advising her to sell her shares, and offering to transact the business for her, but he omitted to mention that he meant to buy them up himself. He added a postscript on the back, telling of the loss of the _Lively Poll_.

Mrs Niven was a kind-hearted woman, as the reader knows; moreover, she was a trusting soul.

"Very kind o' Maister Black," she observed to Peggy, her maid-of-all-work, on reading the letter. "The Blankow Bank gi'es a high dividend, nae doot, but I'm well enough off, and hae nae need to risk my siller for the sake o' a pund or twa mair income i' the year. Fetch me the ink, Peggy."

A letter was quickly written, in which worthy Mrs Niven agreed to her relative's proposal, and thanked him for the interest he took in her affairs. Having despatched Peggy with it to the post, she re-read Mr Black's epistle, and in doing so observed the postscript, which, being on the fourth page, had escaped her on the first perusal.

"Hoots!" said she, "that's stipid. I didna notice the PS." Reading in a low tone, and commenting parenthetically, she continued, "`By the way, did not one of your lodgers, a student, sail in the _Lively Poll_, (Atweel did he; he telt _me_, though he telt naebody else, an' gaed muckle again' _my_ wull) as a common sailor?' (Common indeed! na, na, he was an uncommon sailor, if he was onything.) `If so, you'll be sorry to learn that the _Lively Poll_ is lost, and all her crew and pa.s.sengers have per--'"

Instead of reading "perished" poor Mrs Niven finished the sentence with a shriek, and fell flat on the floor, where she was found soon after, and with difficulty restored to consciousness by the horrified Peggy.

That same morning, in his lowly cottage on the Scottish border, Mr John Jack opened a newspaper at the breakfast-table. Besides Mrs Jack there sat at the table four olive branches--two daughters and two sons--the youngest of whom, named Dobbin, was peculiarly noticeable as being up to the eyes in treacle, Dobbin's chief earthly joy being "treacle pieces."

Mr Jack's eye soon fell on the message from the sea. Of course he knew nothing of the writer, but recognised the name of the vessel as being that in which his son had sailed for the Southern Seas, for our hero had written to tell of his departure, although he had not asked or waited for advice. Mr Jack was a man of strong nerve. Rising quietly from the table, he left the room, but his wife noticed the expression of his face, and followed him into their bedroom.

"What's wrang, John?"

The poor man turned abruptly, drew his wife to him, and pressed her head on his breast.

"O Maggie!" he said, in a low husky voice, "`the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away,' can you finish the sentence?"

"Ay, `blessed be the name o' the Lord,'" said Mrs Jack in a tremulous voice; "but what--"

"Listen," said her husband, and he read out the fatal message.

"It canna be--oh! it canna be--that my Teddie is gone," said the stricken mother, clasping her hands; "I canna, I winna believe it. Are ye sure that was the ship's name?"

"Yes, too sure," answered her husband. "I've mislaid the dear boy's letter, but I'll go and see Mrs Niven. He mentioned it, I know, to her."

There was yet another house in Scotland into which the message carried profound grief; namely, that of Bailie Trench. Need we say that the supposed loss of an only son was a crushing blow, rendered all the more terrible by the thought that death had been met so suddenly in a voyage which had been undertaken in search of health?

But we will spare the reader further details, and return once more to the Coral Island, where we left the castaways making themselves as comfortable as the nature of the place would admit of.

And, truth to tell, there are many people in civilised lands much less comfortably situated than were these same castaways.

The weather, as O'Rook said, "was splendacious, almost equal to that of ould Ireland." Cocoa-nuts and other fruits were abundant. The lagoon swarmed with fish, including sharks, which rendered fishing an excitingly dangerous, as well as enjoyable, pastime. Polly Samson found gardens of coral and seaweed in crystal pools, which she could gaze at and admire for hours, though she could not walk in them. But she could, and did, sympathise with the little fish of varied size and colour which darted about in these water gardens, and Philosopher Jack found in them an inexhaustible theme for discourse to the teachable and inquisitive Baldwin Burr. The captain found enough of employment in directing and planning generally for the whole party. Cutting firewood, gathering nuts and wild fruit, fell to the lot of Bob Corkey; and Simon O'Rook slid naturally into the office of cook. The remainder of the men were employed at various jobs, according to circ.u.mstances.

Watty Wilkins was a pa.s.sionate fisher. He divided his time between the lagoon and the couch of his sick friend Bell Trench, who soon began to improve on rest, sunshine, and cocoa-nut milk. As for Mr Luke, being fit for nothing, he was allowed to do very much what he pleased, except at meal times, when O'Rook made him wash the dishes, many of which were merely flat stones. In short, the place was, according to Polly, a sort of paradise, and would have been almost perfect, but for a tendency in one or two of the men to quarrel, and a powerful disposition in Bob Corkey and Simon O'Rook to argue. Though the arguing never quite degenerated into quarrelling, and the quarrelsome men never absolutely came to blows, their tendencies made this coral paradise imperfect.

Two of the most troublesome men, named respectively Bounce and Badger, were cured by the captain in the following manner:--They had been quarrelling verbally for half an hour one morning, calling each other names, and threatening, as usual, to fight, but not doing so.

"Come, lads, follow me," said the captain to them sternly, and much to their surprise.

He led the way to a neighbouring grove, where he stopped. "Now," said he, "this is a cool, shady spot. I want to know which of you two is the best man. Come, go to work and fight it out. I'll see fair play."

Bounce and Badger showed much unwillingness, whereupon the captain b.u.t.toned his coat, turned up his wristbands, doubled his enormous fists, and declared that they would have to fight with him if they would not fight with each other.

"But we don't want to fight, sir," said Bounce, humbly, seeing that the captain was thoroughly in earnest.

"Very well, then, shake hands," said the captain, in a tone so peremptory that the men were fain to obey.

"Now, go back to camp together," said the captain, "and let us have no more boasting--d'ee understand?"

They went off at once. After that there was less disagreement and no threatening to fight among the men.

One morning--it was a Sunday--the captain called the whole party together after breakfast, and announced the fact that he was going to preach them a sermon.

"You see, my lads," said he, "since you have agreed that I shall continue to be your captain on sh.o.r.e as well as at sea--to be the governor, in short, of this little colony--it is right that we should come to a distinct understanding as to our new position, and be guided by fixed laws. In time I will draw you up a code which I hope will be ratified by yourselves, and will work well. To-day I mean to start by preaching a sermon. I pr'pose to do so every Sunday, and to have family prayers every morning. Is that agreed to?"

"Agreed," said nearly every one. Bounce and Badger laughed, however, supposing that the captain was jesting.

But he was very far from jesting. Taking no notice of the laughter, he continued, in an earnest, impressive manner, which enforced respect while he pointed towards the other side of the island--

"My lads, the skeleton that lies over yonder furnishes me with a text: `One is taken, and another left.' That poor fellow was taken away from this life. You and I have been left behind. a.s.suredly we have been left for a good purpose, and the merciful G.o.d who has spared us means that we should henceforth live for His glory. My lads, you all know what a blessed thing is a state of peace, and you also know what a miserable thing it is to be for ever quarrelling. Since we landed on this island, we've had a little of both. I took in hand to stop the quarrelling the other day, in my own way. P'r'aps it wasn't altogether my own way either, for I've read in the Bible of smiting a scorner, that the simple might take warning. However, be that as it may, that system may serve a turn; but it's not the straight road to come to a state of peace. If we are to live happily here, my lads, to avoid quarrelling, to honour our Maker, and to prove to each other--as well as to angels and devils, who may be lookin' on for all that I know--that we stand on a higher level than the brutes, we must square our conduct by the rules and laws laid down by the Prince of Peace, whose desire is that on earth men should live together in peace and goodwill. I'll now read you some of these laws."

Here the captain drew a small Bible from his pocket, and slowly read the fifth chapter of Matthew's Gospel, pausing at each verse, and commenting thereon, after his own peculiar fashion, to the surprise of all who heard him; for although all knew the captain to be an upright man, they were not prepared, by his usually stern look and brusque off-hand manner, for the tender spirit and depth of feeling which he now displayed.

"Now, my lads," said he, shutting the book, "that's all I've got to say to you to-day, but before closing, let me ask you to think like men--not like children--about what we have been reading. The service of G.o.d is not a mere matter of ceremonies. Jesus Christ came to save you and me, not so much from punishment, as from sin itself. It is a great salvation. Those of you who may have been swimming with the current know and care nothing about the power of sin. If you think you do, my lads, turn up stream. Try to resist sin, and you'll learn something new. Only those who are made willing and strong by the Spirit of G.o.d can do it successfully. No doubt that remark will set adrift a lot o'

thoughts and questions in your minds. To all of them I give you a short text as a good course to steer by: `Ask, and ye shall receive.' Ask light and ask wisdom.

"Now, cook," continued the captain, turning to O'Rook, "go to work and get your dinner under weigh, for talking makes one hungry. Meanwhile, I intend to go and have a short ramble on the sea-sh.o.r.e, and I want to know if there is any small female on this island who wants to go with me."

At this Polly jumped up with a laugh, put her little hand in that of her father, and stood on tiptoe, with upturned face. The captain stooped, received a stiff nor'-wester, and the two went off together.

The following night, as the party were seated round the fire finishing supper, Watty Wilkins surprised his friends by rising, clearing his throat, extending his right arm, after the manner of an orator, and delivering himself of the following speech:--

"Lady and gentlemen,--I rise on the present occasion, with or without your leave (`Order,' from Ben Trench), to make a few pertinent remarks (`Impertinent,' from Philosopher Jack) regarding our present strange and felicitous circ.u.mstances. (Hear, hear.) Our community is a republic--a glorious republic! Having const.i.tuted Captain Samson our governor, pastor, and lawgiver, it has occurred to me that we might, with great advantage to ourselves, inst.i.tute a college of learning, and, without delay, elect professors. As a stowaway, I would not have presumed to make such a proposal, but, as a free and independent citizen of this republic, I claim the right to be heard; and I now move that we proceed to elect a professor of natural philosophy, natural history, and any other natural or unnatural science that any of us may happen to remember or invent. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) As a student is naturally allied to a professor, and somewhat resembles him--the only difference being that the one knows mostly everything, and the other next to nothing--I further propose that we appoint to this professorship Philosopher Jack, with a salary of grat.i.tude depending on merit, and the duty of lecturing to us every night after supper for our entertainment."

Watty Wilkins sat down amid great applause, and Ben Trench seconded the motion, which was of course carried unanimously.

Philosopher Jack at once accepted the professorship, and proceeded then and there to deliver his inaugural address, in which he philosophised of things past, present, and to come, both seriously and humorously, in a way that filled his favourite pupil, Baldwin Burr, with inexpressible delight.

When he had finished, Bob Corkey rose, and with an air of intense solemnity said--

"Messmates, my lady, fathers, and brethren,--I begs to offer a observation or two. It seems to me that a college with only one professor ain't quite the thing for this great and enlightened republic.

Seems to me; therefore, that we should appint a professor who could spin yarns for our amus.e.m.e.nt, not to say edification. And, for this end, I moves that we appint Simon O'Rook (great applause), whose gifts in the way o' story-tellin', or nat'ral lyin', so to speak, is unequalled by any nat'ral philosopher on the island." (Hear, hear, and cheers, mingled with laughter.)

This motion was seconded by Bounce, and the appointment was gracefully accepted by O'Rook, who, however, declined taking office till the following night as it was getting late, and he required time to compose his professional lies; but he ventured, as a free citizen of the "noo"

republic, to move that the house should adjourn to bed.

The idea thus jestingly introduced was so far carried into effect in earnest, that Philosopher Jack did, on many evenings thereafter, amuse and interest his comrades round the camp-fire, by relating many a tale from history, both ancient and modern, with which his memory was well stored. He also proved to himself, as well as to others, the great value of even a small amount of scientific knowledge, by being able to comment on the objects of surrounding nature in a way that invested them with an interest which, to absolutely ignorant men, they could not have possessed.