by E. H. Visiak
He kindly consented, and I soon possessed, in a handsome gilded cage, one of those prating birds adorned with pink and grey feathers.
It lifted its voice the moment we came out of the shop, and the words it uttered were “Pax Vobiscum” over and over, with a kind of guttural and affected benevolent tone; which set Mr Huxtable a-laughing.
I asked him what it was. He answered that it was a sort of monkish salutation, “Certes.” said he, “they have converted the very parrots!”
Our boats lay on a sandy beach near a steep hill; under which there stood a house with a crane for lading or unlading goods (the arm, like the beam of scales, goes up and down with ropes, or pulleys, having hooks to take hold on the merchandise), which was an apparent mark to our direction.
When we arrived the place, most of our men were already come, and the boatswain stood impatiently blowing his whistle to hasten some of the others that we saw coming down the slope. Our provisions (being in crates) were already stowed - part in our long-boat, part in the jolly boat.
My parrot was an object of diversion to our men, who came gathering round to observe it; and “Well,” said one of them - ’twas one of those two that we saw consorting with the negro woman - “I wishes now as that I had bought one, at all hazards, I do.”
“Well, why did not you?” said I.
“Well,: said he, “I doubted the Captain had taken it amiss if I had brought a talking bird aboard our ship.”
Leaving the others to follow after, Mr Huxtable entered his boat, bidding me take my seat in the bows; which I did, having my parrot in his cage on my lap.
It uttered its monkish saying while they shoved off the boat; which seemed a fitting Vale for this gay and vociferous bird.
CHAPTER XII -
Departure From Pernambuc
Early in the morning next day, the tide of flood being spent, we weighed anchor and went away, having a brisk land-breeze and fair weather.
When we were gotten out a good distance but still in sight of land, we went to the southward, as the wind (being now easterly) obliged us to do, and kept along by the shore; so sailing for five or six days; in which time nothing of moment did occur. The wind was very unsettled, between sea and land-breezes; but, at last, after blowing in short flurries for some days, it came to the southward; which was an occasion for us to stretch off to sea, on purpose to weather a great shoal which runs a great way out from the shore.
We sailed over this shoal, being seven or eight days after our departure from Pernambuc, at the deeper end (as was discovered by sounding). Whilst we were on it, our men - amongst whom, be sure, was Obadiah, none readier! - did take a great many fish, some being strange, gaudy, outlandish creatures; the fishes in this part of the world appearing as numerous and as various as the fowls and the fruits.
Thereafter, we had some small westerly gales, squalls, and rain for four or five days (the wind faint and often shifting about, and lastly hanging in the south) being fallen between the verge of the south coasting Trade, and the south-east general or true Trade. In this time, we saw many dolphins about us, and some sharks, as well as shear-waters, being small black fowl that fly skimming he water; hence their appellation. We also saw a small whale, with its spout shining like a thin misty fountain.
The next day, the wind being easterly, we ran with it to the southward for some days; and now, besides shear-waters, many other birds came flocking about us. Some were near as big as geese, others as ducks; of which latter kind some were black, some grey, and some spotted black and white. These, called pintado birds, come sweeping along the sea in flocks, or else appear sitting afoot upon the water. They are foul-weather birds, and,accordingly, not welcome to seamen, especially if they come about a ship, as these did, presaging a storm.
The same night we saw these ill-omened birds, the sun gilded the clouds very prettily, and then made them all glorious - those below pure gold, those above a very bright red, glowing darker upwards - while it entered a smoky dark cloud that lay above the horizon.
I admire the spectacle, standing with Mr Huxtable beside the poop-railing; but he told me that he rather dreaded the consequences of it, and, that, especially considering the time of the year (being now winter), we should have a violent storm.
“And ’tis so also in the experiences of our lives,” added he, commenting, as his custom was, in philosophical mode; “for the soul hath her clouds and vapours no less apparent than the sky; whereupon that internal sun shines with the like glowing and gaudy dark magnificence; and then you may expect its passionate and meridian storms. Provide for them in time, and hand your topsails; stand ready to take ‘em in! as now our Captain will soon give charge to do. The world is full of signs, as well from within as from without - not one or two, but a whole conflux, if we have eyes.”
I did not on every occasion - as now I did not - well understand the sense of his observations; yet I did always lay them up in my mind - yea, and in my book also! - having that respect and veneration towards my wise benefactor as not lightly to pass over his slightest word.
Now, what he feared concerning a storm duly happened to us; for the wind, blowing in from the W.N.W., increased in the night; so that, upon going aloft in the morning, I saw we ran at a great rate before wind and sea, having no other sail but our main-topsails reefed and our fore-sail with the yard lowered about three-parts.
’Twas a wild and stormy seascape; a great tumbling, jostling sea; the heavens covered with rueful clouds; and sea-birds hovering above the waters, uttering their melancholy mews. A strange sight it was, from the poop, to see the petrels flocking close under our stern, whilst they slowly flew in our wake, patting the water, first with one foot, then the other - as I had read in Captain Dampier’s Voyages that they do - and also how they got their name - in allusion to St Peter’s walking upon the Lake of Gennesareth.
This violent gale, lasting a day and a night, handsomely helped us on our course; thought it was very uncomfortable when it rained, as it did often, pouring down from a black cloud as if the bottom was fallen out of some huge water-butt; and then it blew harder than ever; but, running so light before wind and sea, we shipped but little water. Afterward, when the weather abated, we went on to the eastward, with variable winds, and made, in general, very good runs.
Chapter XIII -
Mr Huxtable’s Sorrow
Not to detain the reader too long at a time when nothing worthy remark did befall - at least, concerning the real scope of my narrative - I’ll jump our succeeding course by relating no more than the briefest particulars.
Having, accordingly, made the Cape of Good Hope, and touched there to fill our water, we went on two days still to the eastward, and then steered away until we got in with the Trade wind. From thence, after seven or eight weeks going, with variable weather and much rain, and when we were in the latitude of 20d. S., the wind suddenly began to blow excessively hard, and so continued, with brief intermission, about the space of two weeks; forcing us to run afore it, without any, or scarce any sail abroad.
At length it abated of its fierceness, and sank, leaving so faint a breath that our ship, which lay weltering in the swollen waves, was scarce able to steer. On the day following the skies cleared.
I saw Mr Huxtable in grave discourse with the Captain at the break of the poop just before he took an observation of the sun with the quadrant; but indeed, he had appeared, of late, while the storm lasted, very heavy and anxious in his thought. Upon learning our position, he spoke something with an urgent low tone that I could not hear; not the Captain’s answer, only the close - “and this is on the very verge of the calms!”
“This will be a flat calm,” said Mr Huxtable - “and of how long continuance?”
He lifted up his hand as he spoke, with a violent passionate gesture; and, immediately turning about,made his way down the ladder to enter the alley-way; the Captain standing looking after him, with a serious musing countenance, and a look in his eyes of compassion such as I had never supp
osed he had so much sensibility as to discover.
I did not see Mr Huxtable again that morning until came in and sat him down to dinner; which he did with a heavy brooding mind, eating and speaking (if the Captain said anything to him) after a listless manner. I was grieved to see him so, and wondered what the cause was, and thence what design he had in going this voyage; which though I did in a manner conclude it to be something out of the ordinary, had not hitherto much engaged my thoughts.
Going on deck after dinner, we saw that a flat calm indeed was already setting in, with sultry hot weather: the wind, now in the last extremity, coming in faint breathings, the sun began to shine so hot it made the air like a glass-house.
The ship, under all her sail, lay slowly rolling, falling away, and coming to her course again, shaking her yards, and tolling of her bell until the evening. After the sun was set, however, the wind a little revived; which put us in better hopes.
That night I slept unquiet, dreaming, and waking. At about the second or third time, lying with my senses more than ordinary keen in the moonlit cabin, that was brighter than day, I heard the sound of some commotion (as it should seem) in the forepart of our ship. I did take but little notice of this at the time, and it had quite passed away from my recollection, but for what befell after, as I shall relate.
I over-slept myself next morning by an hour and more; which upon observing (by a small clock, set up by the wall of my cabin), I wondered Mr Huxtable had not sent, or come himself, to see for me;: but, hearing, while I dressed myself, the sound of hurrying to and fro in the ‘tween-decks and of much stamping of feet aloft, I conceived that something more than ordinary was befallen to engage his thoughts.
For the rest, I was sensible, as well as by the sultry warmth of the air as by the ship’s gentle motion, that we lay now quite becalmed, which, when I went aloft, as I did presently, was confirmed, and, indeed, lively apparent to me like a painted picture.
I beheld, against the dusky blue sky, the still, tall stacks of our sails, that hung drooping in the glare, and the blue-dark expanses of the sluggard ocean. What principally engaged my mind, however, was the spectacle of our men - even the whole ship’s company - congregated under the quarter-deck, and the Captain standing, looking down upon them, with his hand gripping hold on the rail and a very angry countenance, being only restrained by Mr Huxtable, who stood by his side, from a more violent behaviour.
As I stepped up behind them, the boatswain, standing a little advanced of the rest, was making a long speech; in which, at length, after much winding about, humble protestations, extravagant encomiums, and the like, he said abruptly:
“We wishes to enquire of Mr Huxtable on a matter of apparitions and sea-devils: what should be thought on them, what evil they may work, and the like.”
“Why, what a coil of nonsense is this!” cries the Captain. “Are you all gone stark staring mad?”
“But Mr Huxtable, with a “Sir, by our leave,” stepped to the rail, and smiling on the boatswain, “What can have prompted you, I wonder,” said he, “to enquire on such a topic. I hope we have no hobgoblins aboard our ship.”
“well, your honour,” answered the boatswain, “to be plain with you, we do be afeared of an apparition aboard, as was suspected afore by some on us, and was seen of my mate, Philip Campion, while he went about for to go down below after his watch. He did see it plain in the bright moonlight, and it was terrible to see.”
“Why, what was the appearance of it?” asked Mr Huxtable. “But come! Campion,” says he, turning short on the man (for he stood among them), “do you give me an account of this terrible apparition, where you did see it, and when, and what manner of shape it took; whether a horse, an ape, an ostrich, or plain Poor Poll!”
He spoke this with a satirical, yet pleasantly hearty tone of voice. But Campion was diffident, standing mute with his head bowed, appearing all cramped and awkward, being an old, lean, large built man, having his arms and legs bended curiously awry; which gave him somewhat of a comical aspect, with his simple countenance, mild like a sheep’s, and his straggling spare grey beard.
But, however, persuaded by the rest, and, indeed, jogged forth from their midst, he said presently, after a jolting halting manner:
“’Twas abaft of the round-house, your honour. ’Twas grim and terrible. It had great, green, staring round eyes. Ay! ay! and a headpiece to him, rising up. Ay! ay! rising up like a peak of rock.”
I am sure that my readers, remembering that horrid apparition I saw at the window of the mill and on two occasions after, will not marvel but that a chill damp came over me at this speech; so that I scarce restrained myself from uttering an exclamation.
“It rose up high and narrow,” said Campion, continuing after a stop, “like to a rock dwindled at the top. It set me all over on a tremor to see his terrible grim pointed headpiece, rising up aloft of his terrible green gleaming eyes.”
A murmur arose from the others upon this; but Mr Huxtable, glancing shrewdly at me, immediately began to make them a speech, assuring them that he would consider the matter, and admonishing them, that, even if it was an evil spirit that Campion saw, and not a mere creature of phantasy (which he thought much more probable), they had no cause to be afeared, but ought to repose their trust in God, who over all evil spirits exercised a controlling power.
And, while he spoke, that ancient, pious seamen, Giles Kedgley, standing a little apart from the rest, did sometimes interpose a confirmatory word, solemnly nodding his head; which weighted his words, and increased the contenting of their minds and the pacifying of their ghostly apprehensions. But, whether or not a ghost did walk our ship, a dreadful imagination tormented me; which, when our men were dispersed, and the Captain (being very cross and sullen) had removed himself to the other side of the deck, I could not refrain myself from divulging to Mr Huxtable; and, though he could not explain that affrighting correspondency of apparitions - I mean, the seaman’s vision and mine - nevertheless the very act of confiding it to him, as well as the reasonable and robust expressions he used with me, sufficiently disburdened and fortified my mind. Thereupon, pleased, as he told me, with my wide forbearance in holding my tongue and not discovering anything to our men, he said that he would now content my curiosity by divulging to me his story and the occasion of our voyage.
But, understanding that I had not yet broken my fast, he went and made the steward provide me a meal, bidding me come to him afterward in his cabin.
He told me then, that, in a voyage to China, his wife and child going along with him, his ship was chased and taken by pirates, who would have murdered all aboard; but, obtaining speech with their Captain, he undertook, if he would spare them, to convey a rich ransom to him at a place that he should appoint; to which the pirate captain consented, but held his son for a hostage. He set him and his wife ashore on the Indian coast, allowing him a sum sufficient to defray their voyage to England. In the voyage his wife died, having been thrown into a languishing disorder by the encounter with the pirates and parting from her child.
Upon his sad coming home, being now only in hope to save his son, he learnt that the merchant-company in which the biggest part of his fortune was entrusted, had met with heavy losses; and, in order to raise the ransom, as well as the charges of the voyage to the rendezvous, he was obliged to sell his estate. The farmhouse was part thereof; and he continued to dwell therein by the kind allowance of the purchaser. Obadiah Moon was the pirate’s emissary, sent to guide him to the rendezvous when he should be come into the India seas.
“I ever took Obadiah for a rogue,” said I when he had ended. “But why did he send his letter by me instead of bearing it himself?”
“That I can’t tell you,” said he, “unless it was a precaution, such hardy rogues being often exceedingly timorous on land, where they are not in their element. But as to his chasing you, you told me (for I did ask him) that he desired a piece of service of you, but what it was he said he had forgot.”
“We
ll,” said I, “’twas a happy chance that I fell in with him, or I had never come to your door; and then I know not what I should have done, or what would have become of me.”
“It is not everyone is beholden to a pirate,” said he, smiling affectionately on me. “But never set your deliverance down to chance; like ungrateful men, that yet, if an evil thing befall them, are as ready, the other way, to accuse the providence of God. But who can tell what is evil and what is good? He sendeth good in evil guises; he useth all instruments, pirates no less than martyrs and saints. The hand that delivered you was the same as afflicted me.”
He raised his eyes to those portraits of his wife and child that hung over against us by the wall and, in the illumination of a beam that shone obliquely through the porthole and fell full upon the picture of that beautiful lady, as it seemed to me, she smiled, looked graciously upon us from her golden frame; and I was sensible that her spirit was with us, and did bless us, supernaturally possessing (by what I can express) a larger space within and without the confines of the cabin.
The lovely countenance grew dim; or else my sight was misty with tears. I looked upon Mr Huxtable, who was gazing strange and rapt, and was entailed, on a sudden, by a sympathetic concordance of wonder and joy that shined in his eyes. My soul was translated with a rapture such as cannot be uttered; enchanted as by the dazzling bright radiance of a celestial sun.