Newton Forster

by Frederick Marryat

  Chapter XXIII

  "ORLANDO--Then forbear your food a little while, While, like a doe, I go to find my fawn, And give it food. There is a poor old man Oppressed with two weak evils, age and hunger." SHAKESPEARE.

  Reader, were you ever really hungry? I do not mean the common hungerarising from health and exercise, and which you have the means ofappeasing at the moment, when it may be considered a source of pleasurerather than of pain:--I refer to the gnawing of starvation; because, ifyou have not been, you can form no conception of the agony of thesuffering. Fortunately, but very few of my readers can have anyknowledge of it; the general sympathy which it creates is from an ideal,not a practical knowledge. It has been my lot during the vicissitudes ofa maritime life to have suffered hunger to extremity; and althoughimpossible to express the corporeal agony, yet some notion of it may beconceived from the effect it had upon my mind. I felt that I hated thewhole world, kin or no kin; that theft was a virtue, murder excusable,and cannibalism anything but disgusting; from which the inference may besafely drawn, viz., that I was devilish hungry.

  I mention this, because Nicholas Forster, although he had been two dayswithout food, and had disposed of every article which was saleable, wasendued with so much strength of principle as not to have thought (or ifhe _had_ thought of it, immediately to have dismissed the thought) ofvending the property found in the trunk by his son, and which hadremained so long in their possession. That few would have been soscrupulous, I will acknowledge: whether Nicholas was over-scrupulous,is a question I leave to be debated by those who are fond of argument. Ionly state the fact.

  Until the arrival of the ship brought home by Mr Berecroft, theallotment of Newton's wages had been regularly paid to his father; butwhen the owner discovered that the brig had parted company with theconvoy, and had not since been heard of, the chance of capture wasconsidered so great that the owner refused to advance any more onNewton's account. Nicholas was thus thrown upon his own resources, whichwere as small as they well could be. The crew of the brig, who quittedher in the boat, were picked up by a homeward-bound vessel, and broughtwhat was considered the certain intelligence of Jackson and Newtonhaving perished on the wreck. Nicholas, who had frequently called at theowner's since his allowance had been stopped, to obtain tidings of hisson, was overwhelmed with the intelligence of his death. He returned tohis own house, and never called there again. Mr Berecroft, who wished tofind him out and relieve him, could not ascertain in what quarter of thetown he resided, and shortly after was obliged to proceed upon anothervoyage. Thus was the poor optician left to his fate; and it is probablethat, but for the fortunate return of Newton, it would soon have beenmiserably decided.

  Newton was much pleased when he learnt from his father that he had notdisposed of the property which he had picked up at sea, for he now feltassured that he had discovered the owner at Guadaloupe, and intended totransmit it to M. de Fontanges as soon as he could find a safeconveyance; but this at present was not practicable. As soon as hisfather had been re-established in his several necessities and comforts,Newton, aware that his purse would not last for ever, applied to theowner of the brig for employment; but he was decidedly refused. The lossof the vessel had soured his temper against anyone who had belonged toher. He replied that he considered Newton to be an unlucky person, andmust decline his sailing in any of his vessels, even if a vacancy shouldoccur.

  To every other application made elsewhere, Newton met with the same illfortune. Mr Berecroft was not there to recommend or to assist him, andmonths passed away in anxious expectation of his patron's return, whenthe intelligence was brought home that he had been carried off byyellow-fever, which that year had been particularly malignant and fatal.The loss of his only protector was a heavy blow to poor Newton; but hebore up against his fortune and redoubled his exertions. As before, hecould always obtain employment before the mast; but this he refused,knowing that if again impressed, however well he might be off himself,and however fortunate in prize-money, his father would be leftdestitute, and in all probability be starved before he could return. Therecollection of the situation in which he had found him on his returnfrom the West Indies made Newton resolve not to leave his father withoutsome surety of his being provided with the means of subsistence. He wasnot without some employment, and earned sufficient for their mutualmaintenance by working as a rigger on board of the ships fitting forsea; and he adhered to this means of livelihood until something bettershould present itself. Had Newton been alone in the world, or his fatherable to support himself, he would have immediately applied to CaptainCarrington to receive him in some capacity on board of his frigate, orhave entered on board of some other man-of-war. Newton's heart was toogenerous, and his mind too truly English, not to bound when he read orheard of the gallant encounters between the vessels of the rivalnations, and he longed to be one of the many thousands so diligentlyemployed in twining the wreath of laurel round their country's brow.

  Nearly one year of constant fatigue, constant expectation, and constantdisappointment was thus passed away; affairs grew daily worse,employment scarce, money scarcer. Newton, who had been put off fromreceiving his wages until the ensuing day, which, as they had no credit,was in fact putting off their dinner also to the morrow, went home, anddropped on a chair in a despondent mood, at the table where Nicholas wasalready seated.

  "Well, Newton, what's for dinner?" said Nicholas, drawing his chairclose to the table in preparation.

  "I have not been paid the money due to me," replied Newton; "and,father, I'm afraid there's nothing."

  Nicholas backed his chair from the table again, with an air ofresignation, as Newton continued:

  "Indeed, father, I think we must try our fortune elsewhere. What's theuse of staying where we cannot get employment? Everything is now gone,except our wearing apparel. We might raise some money upon mine, it istrue; but had we not better, before we spend it, try if fortune will bemore favourable to us in some other place?"

  "Why, yes, Newton, I've been thinking that if we were to go to London,my improvement on the duplex--"

  "Is that our only chance there, sir?" replied Newton, half smiling.

  "Why no; now I think of it, I've a brother there, John Forster, or Jack,as we used to call him. It's near thirty years since I heard of him; butsomebody told me, when you were in the West Indies, that he had become agreat lawyer, and was making a large fortune. I quite forgot thecircumstance till just now."

  Newton had before heard his father mention that he had two brothers, butwhether dead or alive he could not tell. The present intelligenceappeared to hold out some prospect of relief, for Newton could not for amoment doubt that if his uncle was in such flourishing circumstances, hewould not refuse assistance to his brother. He therefore resolved not towait until their means were totally exhausted: the next day he disposedof all his clothes except one suit, and found himself richer than hehad imagined. Having paid his landlord the trifle due for rent, withoutany other incumbrance than the packet of articles picked up in the trunkat sea, three pounds sterling in his pocket, and the ring of Madame deFontanges on his little finger, Newton, with his father, set off on footfor the metropolis.