Medusa

by E. H. Visiak

  Once he told me there’s an island that lies near submerged in the sea, and that strange things might befall a ship that happened to be near in those parts. But, upon my asking where it was, and what manner of things, he answered only that they were past understanding, and would tell me no more, though I did urge him, save that there shined an extraordinary strange light.

  “Why, have you seen it?” said I.

  “If I had seen it,” said he, “I should not be here. Yet I have seen it in part, and am never the same after. Never the same. Ha!”

  He spoke this with a muttering low tone of voice, that dwindled with a ghostly sound; and immediately after, he sunk into a kind of absent fit, glaring dolefully with a look like a kind of gleaming blindness in his eyes, that kept continuously turning casting their slant black glitter in the sun.

  It gave me a horrible scare. But he soon recovered himself; and thereupon besought me not to tell Mr Huxtable, or the Captain, what he had said, lest they should account him to be mad.

  “Nay, ’tis but a sailor’s tale,” said he. “I could relate many such wonderful outlandish stories, and so I will if you pass me your word you will not blab.”

  His wild aspect and the queer tones of his voice affected me with oddly compounded feelings - as pity and wonder and a kind of ghostly dread; and my readers may conceive how such experiences as this conduced to render him phantastical, not to say downright affrighting, in my thoughts and imaginations, so that he was become sometimes as a kind of substantial spectre and (in a manner of expression) daylight ghost unto me.

  Now, to hark back to Mr Huxtable and his discourses to our men; I have told you that some derided them, and they, indeed, were abetted secretly therein by no less a person than the Captain himself, holding that Mr Huxtable went too much out of his station to be so familiar with common seamen.

  This was soon divulged to me in some passages between the Captain and Mr Huxtable. It was the sole occasion when I saw my worthy patron in anger, and it not a little served to establish his authority over the Captain. It happened in the cabin after dinner; and, as recollection serves me, I set it down:

  “I venture, sir,” said the Captain, “to remark upon something I have often wondered at - I mean, that remarkable condescension you show towards our men in discoursing with ‘em on deck, as you are accustomed to do.”

  I thought this was very handsome, and was the more surprised, therefore, when Mr Huxtable answered, as he did, somewhat haughty and satirical.

  “I thank you,” said he; “although, I own, I do not see any great condescension in it. I do but endeavour a little to raise their thoughts. I think I ought rather to compliment you in discovering so much sensibility as to consider it condescending.”

  “Nay, sir,” said the Captain, with a mincing accent, “I shall hold to my opinion of it, by your leave; although, I protest, the profit of our men in what you say to them is really beyond estimation.”

  Upon this, Mr Huxtable tried sharply in his chair, while an angry flush came over his face.

  “You own, do you?” said he, with a low stern tone, “that it’s profitable to them. It cannot but appear the stranger, then that you should endeavour, as you do, as much as possibly you can, to dash and defeat the effects by thrusting in when I am gone, your satirical and sneering comments! How, sir?” cried he, with a voice like crashing thunder, “have you dared?”

  But the Captain, being finally subdued by this sudden astonishing rebuke, answered not a word; and Mr Huxtable rose up presently, and betook himself out on the deck.

  Being past the Cape de Verde Islands, we steered more easterly, and soon met with a great rippling sea, which, as the Captain told us, was caused by a strong current setting against the wind; and with many other such in the next six or seven days. In this time we saw some sharks and benitoes.

  Sometimes the wind whiffled about, sunk, leaving us becalmed, and sprung up afresh; which gave our men work enough. Sometimes lowering clouds darkened the seascape; and then, indeed, the windows of heaven were opened; for the rain fell as if the swollen sea was another Flood. Sometimes there came a roaring tornado.

  As we got near the equator, we had pretty fair weather, with some small winds and calms. During the calms, some of our men, especially Obadiah, took some fishes, having their lines slung over the gunnel. But I disliked the barbarous appearance of this sport, and always have. Accordingly, I was the less diverted from my book to observe it (for Mr Huxtable began to enter me in the rudiments of the Latin tongue): though I often stood to view the porpoises, of which a great many came swimming past, turning quickly in the breaching waves as if they did play before us.

  Now, in regard to these porpoises, hear a strange story. One of our men, called Merry Jack, struck one of them with a fizgig. Whereupon, the carpenter’s mate, that stood near him, uttered a kind of doleful cry, and, “Farewell, Jack,” said he; “for you’re not long for this world, that’s true.”

  “Why, what do you mean?” said Merry Jack, leaving to haul in the porpoise, that lay violently bending and unbending on the dart, while the waves turned red with its blood. “How not long for this world? I be hale enough.”

  “Very likely you be,” returned the other; “but you won’t be for long. Don’t you know that he who strikes a porpoise, strikes through the heart in his own body?”

  This gave him such a scare, he let the porpoise go, fizgig and all.

  “But I have seen men strike porpoises afore,” said he, with a small faltering voice.

  “Very like you have,” said the carpenter’s mate, returning quickly upon him; “but have you seen them take any?”

  “No,” said Merry Jack, halting in his speech. “No, messmate, I can’t recollect as I have. But I have let this-here porpoise go free.”

  “Let him go free, have you?” said his mate scornfully while he pointed to the sea; where the porpoise, having ceased to struggle and now (it should seem) quite dead, appeared a moment just sinking beneath the waves. “So should you go free, I warrants you, when we ha’ let go your dead carcass sinking down!”.

  “But I did strike un unwitting and in ignorance,” said the poor man, fetching his last endeavour. Sure, it should avail if I struck un in ignorance!”

  “Well, I hope it may; but I’ld not lean on such a sorry staff if I was you. But come, Jack “ (said this ruthless comforter), “a sailor’s life ain’t as merry as a porpoise’s, I warrants you! so where’s the sorrow if it happen as it will, and you slips your cable, and goes away from this port of earthly trouble?”

  So saying, he turned, and with a countenance more droll than befittingly serious, betook himself away; while Merry Jack, leaning with his back against the bulwarks and his head sunk upon his breast, appeared to yield himself to the very drench and abysm of despair.

  I was sorry for the woebegone creature; and, stepping to him, endeavoured to have comforted him by reasoning with him and showing him his error in giving any credence to such a piece of foolish superstition as this was, but he said shortly, that I, being but a younker, knew nothing at all. When I told him that Mr Huxtable would certainly confirm what I said, he answered that Mr Huxtable had not lived a seafaring life, as he had, and that all his learning and all his wisdom was not able to weigh in the scales against actual experience.

  “Call it superstition, or by what long name you will,” said he, with a passionate burst, “and veer out your cable to the better end, ’tis all but one. I have seen what I have seen; and the sea will perform his matters.”

  So, seeing that he would be rid of me, I went away, leaving him in a deep dump. On acquainting Mr Huxtable, as I did as soon as I found occasion, he said that he would touch upon these foolish superstitions in his next discourse to our men.

  This, no doubt, had been on the morrow if the calm had held, but the wind, springing up in the night, blew an uncertain small gale all that day, which kept our men pretty busy handing the sails, so that there was no opportunity.

  On the day f
ollowing, we crossed the line; and, the small inconstant gale continuing, crept slowly southward against a great swell out of the S.E., the Captain taking every occasion of an east wind, though it blew but in a flurry, to get beyond this region of uncertain winds, calms, rains, and tornadoes; which, besides retarding our course, might endanger sickness among our men.

  In the preventing as much as possible such sickness, care was ever had of Mr Huxtable in rainy weather that our men shifted themselves when wet, having, in this respect, the same experience with them, as Captain Dampier tells us he had with his own men; for, what the heat of the weather and their continual labours, and the natural carelessness of such people, they were too lazily propense to lie down in their hammocks in their drenched or dank clothes.

  Thus was Mr Huxtable’s discourse procrastinated. But as, in the meantime, the poor credulous man apparently languished under a settled despondency and despair, he told me he would take an occasion to speak with him, lest he should either desperately do himself a mischief, or else grieve himself to death, and so (which is no unlikely issue in such cases) bring along that selfsame calamity whereof he was in dread.

  Now, as was afterward discovered, the carpenter’s mate who had frightened the poor man with this porpoise story, was one that had a crotchet (as it is called), which was an extravagant overweening regard for animals, especially fishes and all manner of sea-beasts - in the sense that he did esteem them above the human kind. It is extremely probable, therefore, that he invented the superstition himself, on purpose to avenge that murdering of the porpoise.

  Be this what it will, the sea itself, by what odd working of the law, or no-law of contingency, or coincidence, which, on some occasions, is so remarkable in things, in this sad incident seemed also to play his prank. For, while Mr Huxtable was speaking to the man, being the third day, in the morning, after we crossed the equator, and, with gentle soothing words and persuasive reasons fit for his understanding, began a little to work upon his stubborn dejectedness, what should happen, but that, just as he uttered the word, the dead carcass of a porpoise did appear driving in the waves near the side; which put a period to Mt Huxtable’s endeavour. Nay, to end my tale, which is sufficiently dismal, the man fell sick the very next day, having, as Mr Huxtable thought, taken a chill in the night; and, so low now was his bodily strength declined, ’twas not of power to resist, so that, despite all the care and remedies that could be used with him, he continually sunk, and lived not above three days after.

  My readers, perhaps, will think this but a foolish story, scarce worth the setting down. Nevertheless, the experience of such superstitious credulity, and its evil consequence, was very exemplary to my understanding and a great confirmation of Mr Huxtable's counsels, admonishing me that they who steer their course by the logic stars are not unwise, regarding monsters and marvels, whether old or new, as mere spectacles in the heavens, not to be steered by, nor unreasonably observed. Not that I deny there be hidden causes in things, undiscovered laws, occasioning prodigies (so thought), which in time to come, perhaps, will be intelligently discerned; and of this my narrative in the sequel bears good witness.

  Something in this sense I did write in a small manuscript book that I had made; and showed it, not without diffidence, to Mr Huxtable; which, with a countenance of the utmost gravity (though, methought, there was a sort of smiling appearance in his eyes), he greatly commended.

  “And to conclude pithily,” said he, “you might add, that, although there’s a constellation called the Crab, we have yet to learn of a Porpoise!”

  Asking the reader’s pardon for this digression, I proceed.

  The calms and shiftings of winds which we met with in crossing the line, though to be expected by any experienced seaman, were very provoking to our men’s tempers: much more to the Captain’s, hot and testy, as any the least stop, or delay, in our course always made him; but his continual fault-finding with the mate (if Mr Huxtable were not by) seemed rather amusing to the on-lookers than afflicting to his object; in which respect it might be accounted somewhat commodious. ’Twas in vain the Captain’s bewailing himself to Mr Huxtable; for, if he did, he answered that it was only what any seafaring man might expect in closing the equator; to which the Captain could but assent, unless he would be ridiculous.

  But however burthensome and vexatious to everybody else on the ship this inconstant season may have been, ’twas full of novel and affrighting experiences to me: whether in a hot sultry calm our ship rolled heavily in sluggard surges, or a tornado came roaring over the sea. If ‘chance a fierce flurry surprised us before our men had time to take in enough sail, it set us heeling with our lee ports under, leaving sometimes a strong constant wind, and we ran away right afore it at ten or twelve knots, casting a foaming wave at our bows.

  The dazzling gaudy colours I often saw at sunset struck my soul with admiration; for in the parts about the equator they are exceeding glowing and grand; and, if I attempted to describe such a wonderful enthralling phenomenon, I should be obliged to invoke (if that were not profane) the aid of some pagan muse and be barbarically poetical: to tell you that the heavens had put on their Tyrian and flaming robes to celebrate the festival of the dying Sun; while, reared up before them in their vestments of many glowing hues of purple and cinnamon, yellow, green and blue, the spent and phantastical shaped clouds were piled as a sacrifice upon the altar, tier upon tier, above the western horizon.

  Likewise also of the extreme bright shining of the moon; comparable to Venus’ dazzling charm. But to tell of the stars in their multitude, that hung like lamps of living gold, would need a higher mood, above mythological imaginations.

  Being now come to about three degrees south of the line, we had again a brisk constant wind from the N.E., which carried us to the coast of Brazil.

  ’Twas early in the morning when we sailed round Cape St Augustine, being the easternmost promontory; and, after standing in traverse on the south side, we anchored among many other ships, both great and small (being the ordinary riding-ground of the port), two or three leagues from Pernambuc.

  The weather was very fair; as it had been since we met with the N.E.wind; and, under the clear spaces of the sky, the sea appeared extraordinarily transparent and bright, like crystal shot with flame.

  I looked with longing upon the land; that rose up, beyond some low hills, mountainous high, but having a pleasant and gracious aspect, not harsh and stern, being all chequered with woods and savannahs. By the sea-side stood some small houses, about the size of our English cottages, being, as I suppose, fishermen’s dwellings; but, in the distance, towards the south, I could see the town, that lay about a mile from the shore, looking very handsome and considerable, with the walls of many great buildings shining in the sun exceedingly white, like bleached bone. Very eagerly I expected to go ashore, especially after being frustrated at Santa Cruz; and Mr Huxtable said that he would take me with him when he went that afternoon.

  He told me that he did not design to make any long stay at this port, since we had already stocked ourselves at Santa Cruz, but only one day to fill our water, and buy some provisions as fruits, especially limes and oranges, which here were very abundant. In the meantime, between the going and returning of our boats, our men should refresh themselves ashore.

  Chapter X -

  Violent Strange Behaviour of Obadiah: Pernambuc Described

  It was convenient that the Captain, having some acquaintance with Portuguese,should go ashore to treat with the merchants himself in the providing what we wanted, there being, as he was credibly informed, few or no Englishmen in the port; since the European trade was in Portuguese vessels, as were those that lay with us in the road.

  Soon after he had gone in his boat, there appeared some very odd clumsy-looking craft, which came towards us, being contrived of several logs fastened side by side, with one mast or two, carrying large sails. In each of them sat two men, one at either end.

  These were fishermen, being very swarthy, slov
enly dressed, and of a sort of jocose villainous cast of countenance; and, one of their craft coming aboard with us, Mr Huxtable bought some fish, which was in a basket hanging up at the mast. Thereupon, after delivering the fish to the steward, he betook himself aft, to go to his cabin, bidding me, as he went, to acquaint him as soon as I saw the Captain’s boat returning, that he might have timely notice to break off his work and make ready to go ashore; when he would take me with him to see the town.

  No sooner his back was turned, but Obadiah stepped to the gangway, where the log-boat was preparing to depart, and bought, in haste, the residue of the fish, tossing on the deck, with careless prodigality in requital, a gold coin; whereupon, he stepped stealthily forward, with his arm full, glancing his eyes on me, with a sullen angry look; but was not gotten above a few paces when the boatswain, standing near the break of the poop, called him to stand.