Medusa

by E. H. Visiak

  When I came out on our deck, the moon was set, and the stars shone flickering, like wasted candles in a solemn hall; wherein the noise and hubbub our men set up seemed in the nature of a profanation.

  They stood all crowded on the larboard side, and I thought at first they were but embroiled about some trifling dispute; but what was my astonishment, upon going nearer, to behold Mr Falconer and the little mute man being haled hither and thither in the midst, while some endeavoured to drag them to the side, others violently opposed to have prevented them.

  But as I stood staring on them, the tumult, on a sudden, subsided and fell quiet, while I heard the voice of that ancient pious sailor upraised in a gentle mild remonstrance.

  “Sirs,” said he. “Sirs, I beseech ye! Here is a wicked violence that you do. What! would you call down a vengeance upon you? I charge you immediately to cease and give over, in the name of heaven!”

  But the boatswain, who discovered himself to be the prime mover in this assault, began to call upon them, with wild scurrilous oaths, not to take any notice of the old prating loon and not to let go of the Jonah devils; these hand-in-hand damned wizards, that has bewitched us, and the ship, and the flat ocean.

  “Overboard! overboard! and let them swim!” cried he, in an access, “or let the devils, their masters bear them up! Else, let the sea swallow them, swallow its own physic! take physic of what hath bewitched us! Bear a hand, all,” cried he, gripping hold on Mr Falconer by the shoulder, and begun to horse him along with violent heaves.

  But the ancient seaman spoke again.

  “Beware how you despise my warning!” said he. “Beware!” and the word was taken up and repeated by the rest as with one voice, so that it swelled in the night with a solemn and roaring sound.

  This quite conquered the boatswain; and, unhanding Mr Falconer, he turned away,murmuring. The rest dispersed in several knots, being now as quiet as they were before angry and embroiled; and the mate and Mr Vertembrex, left standing alone in the middle of the deck, went diverse ways; Mr Falconer composing his coat (being dragged half off his back), but after such a careless negligent manner, you might have thought this wild business had been none of his matters, no more than if those that had so mishandled him had been but elementals - as winds and water; and, indeed, like that little mute man, he did demean himself as if his thoughts were removed far inward and not minding outward happenings; which was the strangest thing of all.

  At this juncture, Mr Huxtable came out on the deck, being followed by the Captain and Obadiah, and was acquainted by me with what had befallen.

  He heard me with an anxious and haggard countenance, glancing his eyes at the Captain, careful, as I suppose, to prevent him from acting something outrageous; although I rather think the Captain was more contented than offended by our men’s violence to Mr Falconer. He muttered some angry expressions, as that they were a mutinous crew, and the like, but not unreadily assented to Mr Huxtable when he said, that, since the men dispersed before they came up, he thought they could compose this affair into something less heinous than a mutiny.

  “For, although” (said he) “it should be so held in a legal court, yet we must consider, as reasonable men, what the magistrate could scarce take cognisance of - I mean, the panic terror in which they were cast by the coming of that monstrous creature. Let us, therefore, have them to the rail, and do you speak to ‘em; for we ought to compose this matter forthwith, and not leave them in an apprehension that we shall hold them guilty of mutineering.”

  “‘Fore George, sir!” cried the Captain, “I think you’re the more accustomed to speak to them yourself.”

  “Very well, sir,” answered Mr Huxtable, “and so I will, if you will give charge to get them together.”

  The Captain, hereupon, called to Mr Falconer to have our men assembled on the main deck; where, from above, we presently beheld them; a sullen and rueful crew, standing silent, or murmuring, with the light of dawn, which began to break, shining cold and ghastly upon their upturned faces.

  Mr Huxtable began to speak; and sufficiently pacified their spirits; but what expressions he used with them I am not able to set down; for the faculty of my mind was overfull, so that, as I believe, I actually slept, standing supported against the barricade; nay, my recollection is but vague of how I afterward did get to my cabin and take up my repose.

  CHAPTER XVIII -

  Quest for the Rock Pillar: Appearances of Lights in the Sea

  It is not strange but, upon recalling to my thoughts those extraordinary surprising events of the past day, when I awoke in the morning, I at first took them to have been scenes in a dream rather than actual occurrences.

  I dressed myself quickly and went aloft, and found the weather to be unchanged, our ship continuing to bear all the sail we could make. The air came hot and close, and the sea appeared uncommon dark, the colour of a sloe, or damson, under a dark, cloudless sky.

  Our men were quiet and orderly, but yet, methought, somewhat sullen too. One of them told me, upon enquiry, that Mr Huxtable and the Captain were gone to breakfast in the cabin; wither, accordingly, I made my way.

  They took no notice of me upon my entry, Mr Huxtable seeming to brood in his mind while he ate, and scarce hearkening to the Captain, who was speaking with a vehement tone.

  “I shall not conceal my opinion,” said he, while I sat down, that it’s nothing else but plain unreason and downright gross superstition; and, if you was to meet with such an extravagant windlestraw notion among our men, you would rebuke ‘em heartily; for I have heard you reproving ‘em for much less. Have you considered what it might work upon them? for they will not remain ignorant of it, be sure! They are too apt already to be taken with such moonstuff. What! do you observe the prompting of a sort of scribbling loon? Sir, I protest, I wonder how you can.”

  Mr Huxtable returned but a short answer, speaking gruff in his beard; and the Captain, continuing in the same tenor, discovered to me what had occasioned him so much displeasure, being Mr Huxtable’s desire that we should cruise about in search of that Rock Pillar named in the mute’s writing, which he thought might be some small island lying unknown in these parts of the ocean.

  At last the Captain, put quite out of patience by Mr Huxtable’s brief replies, absolutely demanded that he should leave this extravagant resolution and keep the ship on her proper course.

  Mr Huxtable asked what he conceived that might be, seeing as we had not arrived the appointed rendezvous but found the pirate ship with no one on board save Mr Vertembrex only. He answered that it should be for the nearest place on the India coast, to replenish our provisions and fill our water-casks, and thence return to England; or, if he wished to go on in his quest, we should cruise about, and prosecute enquiries up and down the coast, where provisions could be had at some places and in any ships we happened to meet at sea. To which Mr Huxtable answered that we should do this also, but first prosecute a vigilant search for the Rock Pillar; “which, as I told you” (said he), “I have a secret persuasion we shall find, and that it’s very material to my quest. But be this how it may, I shall not be content to leave any, the most outlandish, obscure chance untried. This, therefore, we shall perform, and see what will come of it.”

  He ended with a peremptory tone; but the Captain started up from his chair, oversetting his glass.

  “See what will come of it!” cried he, with his face fiery red and the veins starting on his forehead. “‘Fore George, sir, I will tell you what will come of it, and that is, I’ll serve no more in quality of Captain aboard your ship! I deliver up my office; I’ll not be gainsaid and subordinated by a stark wool-gathering loon. Let him be your Captain! fit captain for such a goose chase!”

  With this, he ran raging out of the cabin, shutting the door after with all his force.

  Mr Huxtable sat still in his chair; and, though I could not see his eyes, being bent down upon the table, I saw from his stern brows and clenched fist that he was in a great anger. Nay, I was sensible
of it, as on a past occasion, as a huge, heavy-hanging cloud, which every moment might break with thunder.

  At length, with a massy vehement movement, as if he shook off a weight, he rose up, and betook himself from the cabin; whence I followed him out to the deck.

  I was surprised, upon stepping forth, to see how dark the heavens appeared, even darker than before, though clear sky, the sea looking almost black. Yet, what was still more remarkable, the light of the sun, which seemed to be dissolved (for I could scarce descry its rim), was no less than on any the brightest day; else, indeed, it had been apparently darker in the cabin, which it was not; and our ship, in all her sails, masts, and spars as well as the unshadowed spaces of the deck, did shine very bright.

  There was, methought, something more than ordinary in it; and I told Mr Huxtable my apprehensions. He answered that it certainly looked strange, but that he saw nothing to be disquieted at.

  “But may’t not signify,” said I, “a dreadful storm? What, if it should suddenly gather and break upon us, with our ship carrying so much sail?”

  “We shall be ready for it,” said he; “but now, you see, there’s not a cloud in the sky.”

  “Give me leave, sir,”said I; “I doubt that the Captain will be too angry to take proper precautions and order the ship.”

  “And do you think I am all so simple as not to take care against that?” said he sarcastically.

  “But come! I am afraid you have not taken proper care, of late, with your Latin; and, if I was a severe preceptor, you might have occasion to fear another sort of storm! Go, bring me my Tully from my cabin, and I shall hear you read over that place in the De Senectute treating of those lofty evidences of the immortality of the soul; for I would fain see them well implanted in your mind, if nothing else.”

  While I went, I saw the Captain coming down the deck. His look was moody; and he saluted Mr Huxtable, with a sullen glum tone, but in what words, or sense, I could not hear. However, when in half an hour, having finished my task, I returned, I saw them pacing side by side in discourse of low and friendly tones. I did hear Mr Falconer’s name mentioned once or twice, but could not hear the matter; for they broke off immediately I was come near. It was come into my thoughts that certes, by this time, they had interrogated Mr Falconer as they intended to have done.

  The sultry hot wind held intermittent all this day, though it can scarce be called a wind, it was so light; yet our ship just steered; the sea and sky continuing of the same extraordinary strange complexion, darkening towards noon even more pitchy black and purple and umber.

  Thus we held on our random course, keeping always a sharp look out for the Rock Pillar; and Mr Huxtable promised a handsome large reward for the first man that should spy it. I doubt not but that my readers will marvel as much as I did, how a man so reasonable as Mr Huxtable was, should take into his head to prosecute such a chimerical wild notion, as (by all appearance) this seemed to be; yet far otherwise in the event, as in no distant hour, we did learn.

  The odd seascape was more and more uneasy to me, temping my thoughts (by how much I can express the tenebrous and mysterious imaginations that came over me) to its own hue and element. Nor the less, by all appearance, was it disquieting to our men; who, judging by some low muttered discourse I heard, did take it for a prodigy, if not for a portent. As for Obadiah, I observed he held himself aloof from the rest, sauntering about the deck with a sour countenance and such a surly hang-dog demeanour as ordinarily, no doubt, had chafed them and run him into some angry dispute.

  I did often during that day look narrowly to see if I could spy a ship; which I thought might have availed to take off the uneasy forebodings that oppressed my soul. But I never did; and, in the state of mind in which I was, I verily believe I should have been astonished if I had. For all things appeared fantastical and strange, as if we were gotten into some supernatural region, and anything so ordinary as a ship appearing on the sea had been as if something solid and substantial should be thrust forth, on a sudden, in the habitations of shades and phantoms. Nay, for all our deck and masts and sails did shine so bright, the day had in my apprehension the quality of night. The dusky heavens appeared of a smoky tincture, bringing to my remembrance that gaudy Spanish church which I saw when I was a child, all fragrant with the fuming censers; and, at the recollection, my thoughts passed in the manner of a dream to that morning when, after making my escape from the academy, I awakened and beheld the gay meadow and the blue flowers in the wood.

  This lively excursion a little refreshed my thoughts; but a drowsy fit coming over me presently, I lay down on the deck beside the bulwarks, having a coiled rope to rest my head; whereupon the low ambiguous voices of our men, and the small sounds the wind made in the sails and cordage might probably have disposed me to sleep. But I lay in a sort of apathy, having an eye open to outward happenings.

  Towards sunset, I rose up and begun to rove about our deck. The sea and sky continued of that strange complexion of dark violet, but lighter in the west about the declining sun, appearing of a hard glowing consistency, like amethyst, streaked with carnelian.

  There was, I thought, an unwonted strange hush upon our ship. No sound of voices - no, not a murmur - among our men; and they stood, or moved about, after a sluggard slow manner, as if they had been drugged.

  The sun was sunk; the stars appeared, yet lacking of that wonderful golden lustre in which we commonly saw them since we came into these parts. The light wind now quite died away; and a mist arose; which increased, but only so as to cast up a veil beneath the already dimmed stars; and then it appeared as a blue vapour in the air. It hung from side to side across our deck in pearl-like wraiths, wherein our men appeared to stand enchanted.

  Some time in this day I took an occasion to inquire if Mr Huxtable had learnt anything from Mr Falconer on the topic of Obadiah’s narrative. He told me, no: that he had endeavoured it more than once, but that the least mention of these obscure matters did so work upon Mr Falconer’s mind as to bring him nigh into the very state and image of death.

  I went to rest; but I could not sleep, any more than I could that night when, upon going aloft, I was taken by our men for a ghost; and, as it was then, so now; I had lain not long in this wakeful state when I felt a sort of inward prompting to rise and go on deck; and though in a manner I did conclude it was nothing else but phantasy - which, no doubt, it was on the former occasion also - yet I presently rose up and went aloft in my long cloak.

  ’Twas a clear starry night, the light wind having revived and the mist dispersed; and pleasant it was to come into the cool air, to behold the stars, and the crescent moon, goldenly shining in the sky, that was the soft velvet dark colour of a pansy.

  I looked about me, but saw nothing beyond ordinary on our ship. The watch appeared quiet and orderly; and, under the poop, the rest lay on their mattresses, as Mr Huxtable, who always had a great care to the health of our men, since we came into these torrid parts desired that they should do, instead of lying in the close forecastle. Mr Falconer (being now in his ordinary health) stood on the quarter-deck near the helm.

  While I observed him, he turned his head, looking sharply and of purpose (as it should seem) out to sea over our starboard bow; and, on glancing my eyes that way, I thought I espied something in the waves that glistened as pearl-shell, and immediately afterward other the like appearances - three, four, or five of them - all close beside each other, as it might be a knot of dolphins or porpoises swimming; and so, indeed, I took them to be, and that appearance of shining the effect of sea-fire, whereby the water, especially in these parts of the ocean, being troubled - as by the plying of oars - is made to appear by night all of a silver shine.

  The appearances presently vanished away; and then I thought of them no more. But they were not porpoises, or dolphins - no, nor any the like sea-fishes or sea-beasts. If I had but known what they were (and also some other things besides), I had not been ignorant why Mr Falconer kept on looking in that quarter, as he d
id, where they appeared. The time was not long distant when I learnt what a dark, terrible significance there was in what I beheld thus, as in a glimpse, in this my second night-adventure to our deck; which I returned to bed accounting so little remarkable.

  It will appear in the sequel of my narrative; which not to hinder, I’ll jump the succeeding days, in which nothing worth remark fell out (the weather continuing as before) until the evening: when they befell which I know not how I can relate, or how my readers will be able to receive, although I should be furnished with the art and the force of a masterly writer.

  CHAPTER XIX -

  Mr Huxtable’s Philosophy

  When I went in to supper, I found the Captain had quite recovered his temper and ordinary spirits. Nay, we had not sat long but he grew exceeding merry, relating some gaudy japes, sometimes descanting on his grand acquaintances (as he thought them) in manner already described.

  Mr Huxtable was also in brave spirits; though not boisterous gay like the Captain; yet to that degree I had never known him in before, or thought he could be. He seemed like to one drunken; yet, nevertheless, in the possession of a clear reasonable mind. That sad overshadowing sorrow was absent from the wrinkles in his forehead, and his eyes did shine with a sort of sunny brightness.