The Admirable Lady Biddy Fane Part 51

We were yet a couple of furlongs from the light when Palmer stayed his rowers, and we coming up with him, he whispered us that one of the ships lay hard by without light aboard; and sure enough, on straining our eyes, we perceived on our right hand a dark ma.s.s, which might well be a ship's hulk, but I could make out nothing for the pelting rain and obscurity.

"Well, Palmer," says I, "what is best to do? Shall we examine this closer or go on?"

"Master," says he, "I am for examining this vessel. For if we get an ill reception on the further ship, and alarm is given, our retreat to the sh.o.r.e may be cut off by a sortie from this here."

So, being agreed amongst themselves, we drew on till we reached the ship, and then we found that she lay aground and on her side, as if she had been careened. Twice we pulled right around her, raising our voices to draw attention; but no one stirred abroad, and we remained unchallenged. Not a sound could we hear, nor could we find out much with our eyes for the darkness and rain (as I say); but in pa.s.sing those ports on the under side of the ship, that lay pretty near on a level with our heads as we stood up in our boats, a most sickening stench a.s.sailed our nostrils. Not knowing what to be at, we lay still for a few minutes, listening in silence; then Palmer called out l.u.s.tily and we beat the side of the ship with our oars. Never a sound did we get in reply, nor could we spy sign of movement or glimmer of light anywhere, which put our superst.i.tious seamen to great fear. But this Thomas Palmer, being bolder than the rest, presently volunteered to go into the ship by one of the ports and get some explanation of this mystery, which he accordingly did, and after being absent some time he comes again to the port, and cries out that we can come aboard if we will, for there is none there to do us mischief.

"What!" cries one of the seamen, "are none of our old mates aboard?"

"That I can not tell for the darkness," says Palmer; "but mates or not, this I will answer for--every man-jack of 'em is dead."

At this moment Pennyfarden, catching me by the arm, calls out:

"Lord love us, master! look above there."

Looking up as he bade us we then perceived (our eyes being now grown accustomed to this obscurity) two bodies hanging over the sea about a fathom from our heads we sat in our boats, on that side of the ship which (as I say) inclined over towards the water. Despite the dimness, we made these out to be the corpses of men, and doubted not that they hung there from the yard-arms above.

For some while we could do nothing but strain our eyes at these indistinct objects as they slowly swung in the little breeze that was springing, being pierced (as it were) with fear that this was my poor old uncle, thus barbarously put to death by the mutineers; but still more terrified with the uncertainty of the whole business, the silence, the darkness, and that foul stench of corruption that poisoned the air.

"Let us get hence!" says one of the seamen hoa.r.s.ely.

"Nay, we must know if this be our commander that hangs here ere we venture to the ship where there is light," says Palmer. "Have you never a tinder-box, master, or anything dry enough to burn?"

I had my tinder-gun dry in my pocket, and my lady found amongst our store in the canoe two or three of the cuati-nuts, and with some ado we contrived to get these alight under the tent that I have mentioned. And when they were well ablaze we rowed right under the hanging bodies, where, standing up, I suddenly brought the flaming nuts out of the tent and lifted them up as high as I could over my head, so that the light fell on the faces above. Their eyes were staring wide open, and their lower jaws were dropped. But one was an eye short, and I knew him at once for Ned Parsons; while the other, by his pointed teeth alone, I could have sworn to amongst a thousand for our old enemy Rodrigues!

CHAPTER LXVI.

TOUCHING THOSE INCIDENTS THAT HAD HAPPENED TO SIR BARTLEMY AS HE LAY AT THE MOUTH OF THE ORONOQUE.

Turning from this grisly spectacle while still the flame was bright, Thomas Palmer cries of a sudden: "Why, this is none of our ships; for our sides are painted of a lively hue."

Whereupon, casting my eyes that way, I perceived that this was none but that great black ship which had been our undoing.

So now, guessing pretty well how matters stood, we no longer hesitated to draw towards that light we had been making for. And coming to it anon, and calling out loudly for those aboard, we were answered at once by the l.u.s.ty voice of my stout old uncle, who had been brought on deck by the watch on perceiving our light alongside the black ship.

Hearing his voice, my Lady Biddy cried in her sweet voice, as clear as any bell: "We are here, dear heart; we have come back to you."

To tell of the great, unbounded joy in every heart when we came on deck would call for more wit than I possess, so I must span that over and come to the time when, the day beginning to break, my Lady Biddy was induced to go into the cabin prepared for her; and my uncle and I, grown calm, sat us down together with a bottle and a paper of tobacco, and he fell to telling of his adventures; of which (not to weary the reader) will I repeat no more than is necessary.

"You see, nephew," says my uncle, "when we anch.o.r.ed in these roads, the water was prodigiously swollen by reason of the flux of rains; for you must understand that there is a bar to the east, which does in a manner hem in the flood. Well, here lay we very peacefully a week after the party had set out in search of you, when what should we spy in the offing one early morn but the black ship, which I knew at once for my old enemy, and another, which hath turned out to be none other than our first ship, the _Adventurer_, fitted out as a pirate, and commanded by that villain Parsons. My first intent was to stand up to them and pay off old scores; but having regard to the weakness of our company by the absence of those picked men gone up the Oronoque, and reflecting that if I were by any accident crippled in this bout, it would go hard with you on your coming hither, I was persuaded from my purpose; but as to showing our heels to the enemy, as some advised, that would I not do.

They came on, thinking to make light work of such small fry as we were; but we stood to our guns and beat 'em off all day. However, when we could no longer see to fight, I found myself so crippled that I resolved to draw our little barks into shallow water, where their heavy ships might not dance round us on the morrow as they had that day. Accordingly we put our boats and towed us in till we touched bottom. The next day our enemy, spying us in our new ground, lifted anchor and bore down on us, thinking to pepper us all round and about as before; but presently they ran aground at a decent distance from us by reason that they drew so much more than we; nevertheless, they were near enough to bruise us again sorely with their great guns, and that was all they wanted, for 'twas the design of that accursed Rodrigues to waste none of his men in hand-to-hand fight, but just riddle us day after day with his large shot until we sank or yielded. But herein did he reckon without taking account of the hand of Providence, which is ever on the side of right; though it does seem at times as if He would be for ever a-scourging us.

That night the waters sank so prodigiously that ere daybreak both we and the pirate careened over in such sort that our guns could no longer be brought to bear one upon another, which was a comfort to us. Out of this pickle was there no way until the waters should again swell. Seeing which, this Rodrigues sent me a mighty civil letter, saying that he had come there but to refresh his company and get water; bearing me no ill-will, but rather the contrary; and since, as it was evident, we must lie there neighbors for months to come, we should do better to make terms of peace and live in comfort than to go plaguing each other out of existence. To this I sent answer that I would by no means make terms with a villain, and that if he would live he must keep out of my reach.

A reply came saying that he should certainly have regard to my amiable warning, and that as he was averse to useless bloodshed, he should order his company to keep to the east of our position in their expeditions ash.o.r.e, and while mine kept to the west no injury would be offered us; therewith he signed himself my 'obedient, humble servant, Rodrigues.'

Well, nephew, I perceived it would be to our advantage to agree to this condition--tacitly, for I would never put my hand to compact with such a rascal. And, to be brief," says my uncle, "we pa.s.sed the summer without conversing or coming to blows with our neighbors. But foreseeing full well that Rodrigues, as soon as the waters rose, and he could float his ships, would certainly give his company the pleasure of spoiling us before going away, I took my measures to be prepared against him, keeping my company cheerful, sober, hopeful, and G.o.d-fearing, which Rodrigues could not do by his men, because they were naturally of a violent, willful disposition. So while mine daily increased in steadfastness and vigor, his grew more violent and lawless, as we could hear every night by their drunken revelry and singing of filthy songs.

And then, knowing the advantage must be to him who could first get afloat, I did secretly by night convey all my heavy stores out of this ship into my companion bark, keeping aboard only such shot as I intended to deliver into that scurvy pirate. The first day of the rains we lifted; yet I still of purpose kept her careened over to deceive Rodrigues. The second morning, the water having risen in the bay still further, I found we might contrive, with the next breeze, to right the ship and get into that deeper water where the _Black Death_ lay; and with this design I got all my men to their posts, and everything ready for a speedy start. In the afternoon came a sweet little breeze from the land, on which I gave the signal; and all replying with a hearty cheer and stout hearts, we presently righted ourselves, and shaking out our sails slid easily off the sand, like a duck into a mill-pond. And now, nephew, I bore right up to Rodrigues with a warlike blast of our trumpets, and pa.s.sing to that side of her where she lay exposed below the water-line, I poured such a volley through her timbers as would stay her from taking to the water if she had the mind, Then wore we round by her other side, and gave her just such another dose over her bulwarks and through her decks; but my gunners, at my desire, did take especial care to bruise all her boats, so that they could not put off to our attack. And having served Rodrigues' ship in this sort, we wore away and served his consort--for they were a couple--in the like fashion. In line, Benet, we riddled 'em both like a pair of colanders, and seeing by the disablement of their boats that they could neither do us any further mischief, I held off, knowing they must come to yield themselves up to our mercy in the end from sheer starvation; for they had no store aboard, by reason of their wilful improvidence and headstrong insubordination, and no means to provide themselves with necessaries from the land neither, now that every boat was disabled. We counted that a few days would humble Rodrigues and bring his rascals to their knees; but they were in no mood to suffer privation long, and that very evening one of their number swam to us, while his fellows spread out a white sheet over the side of their ship for a sign of peace. Coming aboard, this messenger said he had been sent by his commanders, Edward Parsons and Sanchey Rodrigues, to acknowledge themselves at my mercy, and to know what terms I would make with them and their company.

"'Surrender yourselves prisoners to me,' says I, 'and you shall receive such treatment at my hands as humanity prescribes, until I may deliver you to the ministers of justice to be dealt with according to your deserts.'

"'Why, your honor,' says he ruefully, 'that is but to offer us a safe conduct to the gallows; and for my own part I would as soon trust to Providence in these wilds as to justice in England. 'Tis hard on us poor fellows, who would die honest men, and have no love for such plaguy adventures as those who have brought us to ruin.'

"'Nay,' says I, 'if you would have indulgence of me I must have good a.s.surance that you are not willing accomplices of your commanders.'

"'I take your honor at that," says he quickly, "for though I be here in the name of our commanders, my chief purpose is to plead for my mates.

You shall have that a.s.surance you demand before another day is past: set every one of us down for a born scoundrel else.'

"And with that he leaps into the sea, and swims back to his ship. In the middle of the night following we were aroused by shots fired on the _Black Death_, whereby we knew that the men had risen in mutiny against their captains; but clearly they were prepared for this a.s.sault, for the fighting continued on and off all that night and best part of the day following; but about six in the evening the battle grew to its loudest, and after half an hour we perceived that it 'twas decided one way or the other by the firing coming to an end, and a prodigious cheer being raised. Nor were we long in learning how matters stood, for shortly after the company, coming to the side of their ship with a waving of hats and much hallooing, swung up that wretch Rodrigues and his fellow, Parsons, by their necks to the yard-arm."

When my uncle had made an end of his discourse, I ventured to ask him if he had chanced to hear anything of Sir Harry Smidmore since he had been lying in these parts.

"'Nay," says he, "I have seen naught of him; but I got tidings of him only yesterday from one of the pirates we have now aboard. He tells me that before coming hither Rodrigues put ash.o.r.e on that island where he set you and Smidmore, to see if hardship had subdued your spirits and inclined you to cast in your lot with him. There, on a post planted in the sh.o.r.e, they found a bottle tied, with a letter inside it signed by Sir Harry, telling how--to his great joy and the praise of Heaven--he had been found by an honest merchant putting in for water, and was about to sail with him thence for the city of Bristol. And so, Benet," says he, "you have no reason to torment yourself on that score."

CHAPTER LXVII.

LADY BIDDY BREAKS HER TROTH, AND WE HEAR FALMOUTH BELLS AGAIN.

Our carpenters set to work and patched up the sides of the pirate ships without delay, so that when the water gained still more they floated without leakage.

While this was doing, the rest of the companies were mightily busy making all ready for our departure. And to see the nimble bustle on all sides, and to hear the lively mirth, mingled with s.n.a.t.c.hes of sea-songs, in every part, one would have thought there was not a sad heart aboard; yet, Lord knows, there was one amongst them as heavy and dull as lead.

For now I could reckon the number of days (within a few) that it would take us to reach England; and once my Lady Biddy was landed there, and I was a.s.sured that Smidmore was alive, I must quit her forever, and go elsewhere to finish the rest of my life as I best could alone. However, I did my utmost to bear a cheerful and contented mien, for killjoy is but a poor friend. I could find nothing to talk upon without restraint; but I went about with a quick step, as though I had all the business in the world to look after, and made a good pretense to sing songs and whistle old tunes--though they nearly choked me, for I could recall none but the ditties my dear lady and I used to sing together in our home in the cave. Nevertheless, despite my whistling, etc., I could see my dear cousin was anxious about me--for women do see through deceit and right into the very heart of a man as we can in no wise; and many a time out of the corner of my eye I perceived her watching of me with grave eyes and a drawn face--nay, once when I broke off whistling because I found I had got on to the tune of "Spring flowers be sweet" (which was our old favorite song), I saw her turn away with her dear eyes full of tears.

To cut this matter short, we set sail ere long, and with a prosperous gale came ere long to the Canaries, where we rested to revictual and better equip ourselves. Here were two or three English ships; and one day Sir Bartlemy, having come from a visit to one of our countrymen, told me that he had learned for a certainty that Sir Harry Smidmore was in England, and that all the world did talk of his escape, etc., etc.

Hearing this, I perceived that now the time was come for making my last sacrifice; for 'twas useless to return to England, and, worse than that, to pain my dear lady with that dejection of spirit which I could not conceal. And so, after a night of such bitter struggling between my baser and better self as I am willing to pa.s.s over, I went to my uncle, as he sat alone in his cabin, and told him I had given up my design of returning to England with him, and should count it a favor if he would entrust me with one of the ships to go a-trading as his agent to Campeachy and those regions.

"Why, what maggot has bit you, nephew?" says he in amaze. "You have shown no disposition to go roaming since we quitted the Oronoque; nay, it seemed to me that your sole joy was to be with us, and that you could not rest out of sight of niece Biddy."

That was indeed true, but I felt I must indulge this delight no longer, but break away from that perilous, pa.s.sionate attachment while I had the manhood to obey the advice of my conscience. But I could not explain this to my uncle, and so hung my head in silence, being as sore at heart as any man could be.

"Do you feel it is your duty, Benet?" says my uncle tenderly, after a pause; seeing, as I take it, how matters stood.

I nodded my head, not daring to speak, lest my strength should give way under the strain of anguish that I felt in thinking I must never again see my dear lady.

"In that case, dear fellow," says the kind-hearted old gentleman, getting up and laying his hand on my neck, "G.o.d forbid I should balk your design. You shall have a ship, and means for your venture, to boot, as being but a little out of that great store of gold we have taken from the pirates. May the Lord prosper you in all you undertake, as doubtless he will, being just as well as merciful."

"We will say naught of this to my Lady Biddy, uncle," says I, "for I know not how to explain my sudden turn of intention to her satisfaction."

"As you will, nephew," says he--"as you will."

Then, taking my friend Matthew Pennyfarden aside, I asked him if he would come with me and share my fortunes.