With Porter in the Essex

by Amanda M. Douglas

  CHAPTER XII.

  AT VALPARAISO.

  I forgot to set down the fact that we brought away from Nukuheva, or, Isuppose I should say, from Madison Island, Mr. Maury and his companions.They had had quite enough of the place and the life there, beautifulthough the first was, and enticing as the latter might be. It was saidCaptain Porter proposed that these men remain in the fort, since,conversant with the language as they were, communication with thenatives would be more readily had.

  To such a proposition they declined flatly, and this fact should havebeen sufficient to show those of our crew who still hankered for theflesh-pots of Nukuheva, what would have been their condition of mindafter having remained as long in that veritable garden of Eden.

  Our voyage had hardly more than begun, that is to say, it was on thesecond day after leaving port, when one of the marines brought word thatPhil and I had been summoned to the quarter-deck.

  The wooden-headed fellow had not taken the trouble to find out why suchan order was given, nor which of the officers had sent it; he only knewthat his sergeant told him to summon us, and we two lads were in a finestate of excitement. Even Master Hackett looked grave when he questionedus closely as to whether we had made foolish talk which might have beenoverheard by the officers, or if our duties had been seriously neglectedat any time lately.

  He was helping us make ready for the visit all the while he asked thesequestions, therefore no time was lost in such converse.

  We could not have neglected our duties, for, as a matter of fact, we hadnone while at sea save to answer the beck and call of every member ofthe ship's crew, and were so far beneath the officers in station thatthey did not even take the trouble to look at us, except when ourservices were required.

  However, there was neither rhyme nor reason in our speculating very longas to why we were thus summoned. We were bound to answer the call assoon as might be or find ourselves slated for punishment; and as soon asMaster Hackett announced that we were togged out in proper fashion, Philand I went aft feeling very uncomfortable in mind. And we came to knowthen, if never before, that there is no sense in crossing bridges tillyou come to them, or, in other words, it's unwise "to trouble troubletill trouble troubles you."

  On going aft we found my cousin, Lieutenant McKnight, standing near thebreak of the quarter-deck, and, saluting him as I would have done hadthere been no kinship between us, I asked if he knew who had summonedus.

  "I did, lad," he replied. "It is the captain's orders that you and yourmate look after the prisoner, Oliver Benson. He has been cared for byone of Robert White's cronies, and it is believed best to give him incharge of those who have personal reasons for holding him fast,particularly while we are in the harbor of Valparaiso. You'll find himin the brig, and separate rations will be served out for him. See to itthat he holds no communication with any of the crew; but allow him towalk about for half an hour every day while you stand guard over himwith loaded muskets. In order to render you more careful, lads, I maysay that we believe the fellow has some plan for escape in his mind, andyou are detailed as his keepers in order that we may be certain ofnipping it in the bud."

  This was the longest speech the lieutenant, my cousin, had favored mewith since I came on board, and it pleased me mightily, as did also thefact that we two lads were rated by our officers as being better able tolook after the prisoner than some others of the crew.

  Having spoken, Lieutenant McKnight turned on his heel, and we were leftto set about the new duties according to our own ideas as to how theyshould be performed.

  We went below from the after end of the gun-deck, and there found thegloomy cage guarded by a single sentinel, with whom Benson appeared tobe carrying on a lively conversation.

  This portion of the ship would have been shrouded in darkness but for alantern which hung over against the bench where I fancied the guardshould remain, and the light was so dim that for the moment Benson didnot recognize us.

  "Have you come to relieve me?" the marine said as we approached, andwhile replying to him I was seized by a sudden thought.

  "Will you ask Lieutenant McKnight if he expects us both to remain onduty, or may we stand watch and watch?"

  "It ain't likely he counts on two lads at the same time lookin' afterone man who's locked in where he can neither help hisself nor hurtothers," the marine replied pertly, whereupon I told him that we shouldexpect him to bring an answer directly from the lieutenant, otherwise Iwould go on deck and learn the reason why.

  He looked at me for an instant as if surprised that a boy aboard shipshould speak to him in such a fashion, and indeed I was ratherastonished at my own air of authority; but I would not lower the words,once having given them utterance, and he, most likely knowing of thekinship between the lieutenant and myself, turned on his heel withoutgiving vent to the sharp words I believed were trembling on the tip ofhis tongue.

  Five minutes later, and before either Phil or I had gone so near thecage that Benson could distinguish our features, the man came back withthe word that we were to look after the prisoner according to our ownideas of how such work should be done.

  When the marine had left us once more, I went boldly up to the bars ofthe prison, and Benson uttered a low cry of what I took to be mingleddisappointment and anger.

  "So you two are to look after me?" he said with a sneer, evidentlyhaving forgotten that he had promised ever to remember us withliveliest gratitude because of what we had done when he was in the powerof the cannibals.

  Phil, who had never believed soft words should be wasted on a villainlike Benson, answered his remark, which was at the same time aquestion:--

  "It is only right we should do so, if for no other reason than to repayyou for the care you have had over us on two occasions. We shan'tthreaten, however, either to sell you to the whalers or make certain youare roasted and eaten; therefore the account won't be really squaredhowever long a time may elapse before we gain a home port."

  "Home port?" he cried as if in dismay. "Am I not to be sent ashore atValparaiso?"

  "Captain Porter doesn't consider it necessary to tell us all he intendsto do; but I'd be willing to wager considerable that you'll remain inthis cage until we are anchored in some port of the United States."

  Benson appeared to be staggered by this reply, and during two or threeminutes remained as if in deep thought, after which he asked sharply:--

  "Why has the guard been changed? Isn't an armed marine enough to keep mehere, when it would be impossible to get out unless some one suppliedme with the proper tools for prying off the bars?"

  "We know nothing more than that we have been ordered on duty," Philreplied curtly. "If the captain had counted on your understanding fullyabout the business, I reckon one of the lieutenants would have been herebefore this to make explanations."

  Benson gave over for the time being trying to learn the reason for ourcoming, and appeared eager to be friendly with us, as might be seen whenhe tried to enter into conversation; but neither Phil nor I gave him anyencouragement. We believed there was some serious cause for thuschanging the guard, and were determined not to hold more converse withthe prisoner than was absolutely necessary.

  It was agreed between us that we would stand watch and watch, two hoursat a stretch, and that he who was off duty should not leave the otheralone more than fifteen minutes at one time.

  You see, we suspected that the marines had shown themselves too friendlyto the Britisher; and because it was believed by our officers that anescape was being connived at, we were assigned the duty of makingcertain the sailor-selling Benson remained on board the frigate untilhe might be sent to some prison more secure than could be found inChili.

  Quarters on the gun-deck were luxurious as compared with those we wereforced to occupy while acting as jailers. Above we had good air andplenty of it, save during a severe gale; but in the hold of the frigatewe were shut out from everything, even the light of day. One hour wasthe same as another in that place of blackness; the _Essex_ mightov
erhaul and capture half a dozen prizes without our being any thewiser, and we could only judge what might be the weather by the heel orlurch of the ship. All this we understood before having been on duty anhour; and as I realized that many, many long, dreary days might be spentby us in this disagreeable task, I began to wish most fervently that theBritisher had been left in the Typee village to supply the cannibalswith the materials for a feast.

  When an hour had passed and we had come to an end of discussing thereasons for our having been assigned to this duty, we drew lots todecide who should take the first trick, and Phil was thus selected;whereupon I proposed to go and have a chat with Master Hackett, to learnif he could throw any light on the subject.

  "Remember, you are not to remain away more than fifteen minutes," Philsaid warningly, and I promised to keep that fact well in mind.

  When I gained the gun-deck once more, I found the old sailor in a finestate of anxiety concerning us. Because we had not returned, he believedwe yet remained in the cabin, and was worrying lest we had been accusedof some serious misdemeanor.

  He was evidently relieved and considerably surprised by my explanations,but could give us no information whatsoever, save that he, like us lads,believed the captain had reason to suspect that one or more of themarines had become too friendly with the prisoner.

  "I'll keep my eyes an' ears open, lad, an' it'll be odd if I don't pickup a bit of news here an' there. It goes without sayin' that the captainhas good cause for givin' such an order, an' the reason is bound to leakout sooner or later."

  "Will you come below sometimes and have your smoke with us?" I asked.

  "If it so be there are no objections made, I will, lad. It might be agood plan, in case you have a chance of speakin' with LieutenantMcKnight, to ask if I would be allowed there. The rule is that none savethe guards are to go near the brig."

  It was time for me to join Phil once more, the fifteen minutes havingbeen spent, as nearly as I could judge, and back I went to the drearypost of duty.

  I had hardly more than repeated to him the brief conversation held withMaster Hackett, when my cousin Stephen came down the ladder, greeting usin most friendly fashion.

  After he had spoken of our duties, enjoining upon us the necessity ofkeeping the prisoner in full view all the time, he was pleased to givethe following explanation for what appeared almost like an excess ofprecaution:--

  "It is your especial duty to see that no one has an opportunity ofspeaking with the prisoner. It is not supposed that he can escapeunaided; there is a possibility some of our people have been taken in byhis smooth talk, and the captain is determined he be lodged in prison ata port where we may be certain he will be held."

  Then it was that I made bold to ask if Master Hackett might be allowedto visit us, and the permission was given without hesitation.

  "There is nothing to prevent his paying you a visit at such times as heis off duty; but if any other member of the crew should come withoutauthority from one of the officers, you are to warn him away at once,and in case he refuses to go immediately, give the alarm aft withoutdelay."

  With that the lieutenant left us, and Benson, who must have overheard atleast a portion of the conversation, said mockingly:--

  "I always believed the Yankees were cowards; but never before fanciedthe crew of a frigate could be scared by one Englishman."

  Phil would have made an angry reply, but that I motioned him to besilent, afterward saying in a low tone:--

  "It is worse than foolish to bandy words with the fellow. We know by hisanger that our coming here has broken up some scheme he had in mind, andhe may as well be allowed the poor satisfaction of gibing at us now andthen."

  "He may have full swing of his tongue once in a while, but I'm notminded to let him go on as he pleases all the time. While you were ondeck he had altogether too much to say. Suppose you let Master Hackettknow what Lieutenant McKnight said, and then we'll settle down to thework in shipshape fashion."

  Once more I went on deck; the old sailor seemed greatly pleased at theconfidence which the officers appeared to have in him, by thusstipulating he should be the only visitor allowed near the brig, andpromised to keep us posted on all that was happening aboard ship.

  And he kept his promise to the letter. No less than twice each day, andsometimes much oftener, he sat with us repeating the talk of hisshipmates, until we who were forced to remain alone in the darkness hada very good idea of what was going on above us.

  The gun-deck barnacles were positive, according to Master Hackett, thatat least two of the marines had been detected in favoring the prisonermore than was allowable, and some of them went so far as to say withassurance that a plot to liberate him when the first port was made hadbeen discovered.

  Not until the new year had begun did we learn anything of the outsideworld, and then Master Hackett reported that we were lying at San Maria,on the coast of South America, taking in water. No sail had been sightedduring all this time; but information was given us at this port that theBritish frigate _Phoebe_, 36, Captain Hillyar, had weathered the Hornsearching for the _Essex_.

  One week after this, Master Hackett reported that we were entering theport of Conception; and before the day had come to an end we learnedthat no vessels had been found, but that the news regarding the_Phoebe_ was confirmed.

  "We're now under way for Valparaiso," the old man said, "an' unless I'mway off in my reckonin', we'll find there that the Chilian authoritieshave had a change of heart so far as we Yankees are concerned."

  "Are you of the mind that they'll make trouble for us?" Phil asked.

  "I ain't reckonin' they'll go quite so far as that, but it'll stand usin hand to be prepared for anything while we're lyin' there."

  "Why doesn't the captain give that port the go-by?" I asked. "Why shouldwe put in there if the Chilians are like to be disagreeable to us?"

  "Captain Porter isn't the kind of a man to run away from an enemy, lad,an' that's what it would look like if we tried to slip around the Hornjust now. His plan, accordin' to my way of reckonin', an' I've said itbefore, is to take the Britishers one by one as they come along, untilwe've given the whole boilin' of 'em a floggin'. If we didn't look in atValparaiso, the enemy would say we were afraid to tackle anything but awhaler."

  "How much heavier than our frigate is a 36-gun ship?"

  "She'd be about the same in weight of metal, though there might beconsiderable difference in the way it was distributed. Now, a regular36-gun ship should carry twenty-six long eighteens below, with sixteen32-pound carronades an' two chase guns above, makin' forty-four in all.We've got, as you know, forty 32-pound carronades, an' six long twelves,which would make the _Phoebe_ heavier than the _Essex_, even though ourcraft has two guns more. Now, there isn't a man aboard this 'ere frigatewho wouldn't kick, an' kick hard, if Captain Porter should try to runaway from the Britisher. Give us half a show, an' we'll prove thatwhalers are only taken by us in order to replenish stores an' protectour own merchantmen."

  "That's brave talk; but you'll sing a different tune when we'realongside the _Phoebe_!" Benson cried from his cage; and this tauntthrew Master Hackett into a towering passion.

  Although it was forbidden that he should hold any converse with theprisoner, he freed his mind by telling us in a tone sufficiently loud tobe heard by the Britisher, what he would do, regardless of rules, incase "that chimpanzee in the cage" had anything more to say against theYankees.

  "I've heard too much talk from him already," the old man continued, "an'the next time he so much as peeps while I'm around, I shall go straightaft an' ask permission to give him a dozen flicks with the cat, laid onby myself, which will be all he'll need by way of puttin' a stopper onhis tongue."

  From that moment until we were done with him forever, Benson never somuch as snored while Master Hackett was near at hand.

  On the 3d day of February we knew the frigate had come to an anchor, andshortly afterward the old sailor appeared to give us the news.

  "Yes, we
're in Valparaiso again, an' now we're salutin' the fort."

  We could both hear and feel the report of the guns as they weredischarged, and already knew as much as the old man was telling us.

  "The captain will go ashore to chin with the governor accordin' to therules an' regulations of the navy, an' after that the old chap willvisit us."

  "But what of a change of heart, Master Hackett?" I asked with a laugh."I thought you counted on our getting a different reception from what wemet with last."

  "All this visitin' an' firin' salutes don't cut any ice. It's a waythese 'ere swells have, no matter how they're feelin'. That puffed upold governor might come aboard of us a dozen times, hobnobbin' with theofficers, an' yet be jest as willin' to cut our throats. Wait till the_Phoebe_ heaves in sight, an' then we'll have a fairly good idee ofwhether they're friendly or not."

  "Are we lying at our old anchorage?" Phil asked.

  "Not a bit of it, my lad. We're well out in the bay, where we can getunder way in a jiffy, an' the _Essex Junior_ is cruisin' around outside,so's to give us warnin' when the Britisher heaves in sight."

  "Then the captain is expecting a fight?"

  "Expectin' it, lad? Why, he knows it's got to come! The only thing we'rein the dark about is how soon the Britisher will show up."

  Phil and I took turns going on deck during this and the following day,and I was on the forecastle twenty-four hours after our arrival, whenthe governor, his wife, and a boat-load of officers, came off to pay aceremonious visit.

  It was near sunset when Master Hackett visited us again, and this timehe had quite a budget of news to unfold.

  In view of the fact that the enemy might appear at any moment, shoreleave was forbidden the crew, and only three of the officers had beenallowed to land since they made their calls upon the governor; but theselast visits were enough to show that Master Hackett's predictions wereverified.

  The officers found, so the marine gossips reported, that there was nolonger any great show of friendliness among the people regarding us,and, in fact, it was openly said that the Chilians would be well pleasedif we were beaten in the battle which seemed so near at hand.

  "The British government has been threatenin', I reckon," Master Hackettsaid with an air of great wisdom, "an' the governor himself is countin'on our gettin' the worst of the fight; but there's where he's makin' amistake, unless it so chances that too many Englishmen come up at thesame time."

  "We shall have the _Essex Junior_ to help us," I said like a simple,whereupon the old man replied scornfully:--

  "What would she amount to in a fight? In an action with a frigate shewouldn't be any force to speak of. A craft carryin' ten 18-poundcarronades and ten short sixes, with a crew of only sixty men, wouldlikely be in the way rather than lend any help. No, lad, the _Junior_ain't to be thought of; an' when we go to quarters, you'll find thatshe'll get orders to keep at a proper distance, if only for the sake ofshowin' that we don't put two craft against one. The _Phoebe_ will getfair play, an' no mistake."

  There was never a thought in Master Hackett's mind that the commander ofthe _Phoebe_ might not count on giving us fair play; but the fact wassoon made known to us.

  "How many men can we muster?" Phil asked.

  "What with prize crews, an' them as have been drafted to the _Junior_,I'm told that there are only two hundred an' twenty-five aboard this'ere ship, countin' officers, cooks, boys, and sich-like uselessraffle."

  "How many would likely be on board the _Phoebe_?"

  "A full hundred more than we've got, an' when it comes to boardin', orclose quarters where muskets can be used, that extra hundred will countagainst us terrible."

  "Are you growing faint-hearted, Master Hackett?" Phil asked with alaugh; at which question the old man turned upon him savagely.

  "An old shellback like me grow faint-hearted? You're talkin' at random,lad! My time is bound to come before many years have passed, an' I onlyhope to lose the number of my mess while standin' by the guns in a fairfight. A sailorman ain't built to die in his bed, nor does it beseem himto be buried on shore. What he needs to put him out of this worldcomfortably is the roaring of a broadside, the cheers of his messmates,an' a shot tied to his feet when he's dropped over the rail after havin'done his duty. So that we win the battle, it don't make much differencewhen I go into the next life; but if you should speak of bein' tookprisoner, an' kept cooped up in a cage like that day in an' day out,there's where I might show the white feather, an' small blame to me."

  The conversation was taking on altogether too gloomy a turn, moreespecially since we knew beyond a peradventure that before many days thefrigate would be in action, and I put an end to it by proposing that oneor the other of us go on deck for a whiff of fresh air.

  Phil took advantage of the opportunity; Master Hackett followed him upthe ladder, and I was left with only my gloomy thoughts for company,unless one counts the prisoner, as perhaps would be correct, since onthis occasion he took it upon himself to be unusually friendly.

  "I'm not counting on saying what your chances will be when the _Essex_meets the _Phoebe_" he began. "Your people may get the best of her--"

  "As we surely will!" I replied angrily, for I did not like the tone ofdoubt which accompanied the words.

  "Very well, say that you whip her handsomely. Do you think it can bedone without sacrificing some of your men?"

  "Of course we must expect that more than one poor fellow will lose thenumber of his mess."

  "The _Phoebe_ isn't the only ship that's likely been sent out againstyou; and even though you whip the first two or three you come across,the time must arrive when you'll be too short-handed to work thefrigate. In other words, no matter how successful your ship may be,you're bound to come to grief finally."

  It was some such thought as this which was in my own mind, and itangered me that the Britisher should put it into words, for I did notrelish being reminded of what appeared to be a fact.

  "Why should you figure on our meeting vessel after vessel until we nolonger have a crew left?" I asked sharply.

  "Because it proves that in the long run I shall be set free by mycountrymen, and then will come the time when I'll have the upper handonce more."

  "Well?" I asked, failing to grasp his meaning.

  "Well?" he said with a laugh. "To save your own neck, why not makefriends with me now? It isn't to be expected that you could set meashore; but you might leave the door unlocked by accident, and when thetime came that you were in the brig of a British man-of-war, I would doyou a good turn."

  It surprised me so much, this speech of Benson's, that I allowed him tofinish, instead of checking the villain as I should have done when itfirst dawned upon me that he was proposing I play the traitor.

  "Look you, Oliver Benson!" I cried, speaking slowly that the words wouldhave more weight. "If I knew beyond a peradventure that I might save myown life by doing the wicked thing you propose, I would say 'no' with mylast breath. If you so much as hint at such a proposition again I willgo straight to the captain with the story, and then you may be certainhe'll give you a taste of the cat."

  "My turn will come before the _Essex_ is out of this scrape, and of thatthere is no doubt," he replied venomously; and I questioned not but thathe would wreak vengeance upon Phil and me whenever the opportunitypresented itself.

  I was yet in the dumps when Phil returned, refreshed by a sniff of thesea air and a glimpse of the sun; but did not think it well to give himan account of the conversation just held with Benson. In the first placeit could do no good, and, secondly, might make him as dispirited as Ihad become; for a fellow may not speak of death or imprisonment, whenone or the other is sure to come soon, without experiencing a certainheaviness of heart which does not tend to mental comfort.

  If we were to suffer death or imprisonment as the conclusion of thecruise, there was no good reason for looking forward to it.

  Phil reported that the _Essex Junior_ could be seen in the offing; thatthe frigate was lying near th
e entrance of the harbor where she could begotten under way whatever the direction of the wind, and thateverything, save the taking down of the bulkheads aft, was in trim for afight.

  "You'd hardly recognize the gun-deck now," he said in conclusion. "Themen are not lounging around jawing or spinning yarns; but appear on thealert as if expecting the call to quarters at any instant, and it needsonly sand on the deck, so Master Hackett says, to give the propershowing.

  "Sand on the deck?" I repeated.

  "Ay, so that the planks shall not be slippery when covered with theblood of our men. I am told that it is always strewn around before aship goes into action."

  I could not repress a shudder. It was bad enough to hear Benson talk ofwhat must surely come to us finally, without listening to an account ofthe preparations made for the actual approach of death.

  At that time, when it seemed as if we were cornered like rats, I thoughtof my home which I had left so many months, and with the thought came agreat wonderment that boys should ever be eager to leave their mother'sside in order to take part in the wickedness of the world--for surely awar is wicked, whatever the cause.

  While I sat there in the darkness, staring at the bars of Benson'sprison, I heard again my mother's voice, and for the hundredth timesince leaving home realized that she was my best friend; that I hadvoluntarily left her in order to come at last face to face with death ora lingering imprisonment.

  Surely, this world never held a lad so foolish as I had proved myself tobe!