Newton Forster; Or, The Merchant Service

by Frederick Marryat

  VOLUME TWO, CHAPTER FIVE.

  _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 roan 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, you can form no conception of the agony of the suffering.Fortunately, but very few of my readers can have any knowledge of it;the general sympathy which it creates is from an ideal, not a practicalknowledge. It has been my lot during the vicissitudes of a maritimelife to have suffered hunger to extremity; and although impossible toexpress the corporeal agony, yet some notion of it may be conceived fromthe effect it had upon my mind. I felt that I hated the whole world,kin or no kin; that theft was a virtue, murder excusable, andcannibalism any thing 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, isa 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,which were as small as they well could be. The crew of the brig, whoquitted her in the boat, were picked up by a homeward-bound vessel, andbrought what was considered the certain intelligence of Jackson andNewton having perished on the wreck. Nicholas, who had frequentlycalled at the owner's since his allowance had been stopped, to obtaintidings of his son, was overwhelmed with the intelligence of his death.He returned to his own house, and never called there again. MrBerecroft, who wished to find him out and relieve him, could notascertain in what quarter of the town he resided, and shortly after wasobliged to proceed upon another voyage. Thus was the poor optician leftto his fate; and it is probable that, but for the fortunate return ofNewton, it would soon have been miserably 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 Monsieur 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 necessaries 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. Theloss of the vessel had soured his temper against any one who hadbelonged to her. He replied that he considered Newton to be an unluckyperson, and must decline his sailing in any of his vessels, even if avacancy should occur.

  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 by theyellow 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.The recollection of the situation in which he had found him on hisreturn from the West Indies made Newton resolve not to leave his fatherwithout some surety of his being provided with the means of subsistence.He was not without some employment, and earned sufficient for theirmutual maintenance by working as a rigger on board of the ships fittingfor sea; and he adhered to this means of livelihood until somethingbetter should present itself. Had Newton been alone in the world, orhis father able to support himself, he would have immediately applied toCaptain Carrington to receive him in some capacity on board of hisfrigate, or have entered on board of some other man-of-war. Newton'sheart was too generous, and his mind too truly English, not to boundwhen he read or heard of the gallant encounters between the vessels ofthe rival nations, and he longed to be one of the many thousands sodiligently employed in twining the wreath of laurel round theircountry'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 Nicholaswas already 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? Every thing 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;but somebody told me when you were in the West Indies, that he hadbecome a great lawyer, and was making a large fortune. I quite forgotthe circumstance 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 notto wait until their means were totally exhausted: the next day hedisposed of all his clothes except one suit, and found himself richerthan he had imagined. Having paid his landlord the trifle due for rent,without any other incumbrance than the packet of articles picked up inthe trunk at sea, three pounds sterling in his pocket, and the ring ofMadame de Fontanges on his little finger, Newton with his father set offon foot for the metropolis.