Fanny Campbell, The Female Pirate Captain: A Tale of The Revolution
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CHAPTER X.
It was a fine, clear day, that on which they started for a ride uponthis beautiful island. The whole day was passed in visiting its wildand romantic scenery, and its soft and verdant fields, its ruins of oldfaded castles, and, in short, time flew so fast with them while theywere thus employed, that night overtook them far from the shore, andindeed in a road and route where they found themselves quite bewilderedas to the proper course.
‘I have been thoughtless,’ said Lovell, ‘to let the time pass thusunheeded, and find me here at this hour.’
‘Oh, we have nothing to fear here, surely.’
‘I don’t know, dearest, in olden times, and indeed till quite lately,this island has been the very rendezvous of lawless and wickedcharacters.’
At this moment a man rushed from a thicket and presented a pistol atLovell.
‘What would you have of me,’ he asked.
‘Hand over the money then, and go on your way,’ said the robber,approaching to the steps of the vehicle as if to receive it.
Lovell waited until he was fairly within reach, when he threw himselffrom his position with the whole weight of his body full upon therobber, bearing him suddenly to the ground. As he fell, however, hedischarged his pistol, but it went wide of its air as regarded Lovell,just grazing Fanny’s head, which together with the report, it being sovery close to her head, and pointed directly at her, stunned her so asto render her insensible for some time.
The struggle between Lovell and the robber was but for a moment. Thepowerful frame of the former was too much for his adversary who stunnedand bleeding from his fall, was soon senseless. Lovell was a person of apeculiar temperament; he was not one to let off an offender in any casewhen he could mete out to him his due.--Therefore after reviving Fannyand convincing himself that she was not seriously hurt, he bound thestill senseless robber head and foot, and threw him into the back partof the vehicle, a sort of waggon in which they rode, and then hastenedon happy to find a shelter.
This he soon met with in the shape of a neat and comfortable cottage,where he found no trouble in obtaining assistance and such accommodationas he so much needed. Fanny was kindly attended by the good woman of thehouse, who said her husband would be home soon, that he was a fishermanand had not yet got home from a two days cruise. Lovell had the robberalso cared for, and found on examination that he was injured even moreseriously than he had at first supposed, his head having received asevere contusion in the fall. He dressed his wounds himself, beingsomewhat versed in such matters, and left him to rest until morning.
Fanny soon recovered from her slight injury; indeed the very nextmorning she was down in the lower room of the cottage surrounded by therosy cheeked children and grown up boys, who called the matron mother,and this their home. The thrift and industry that reigned there struckLovell and his wife with great interest, for it was remarkable. Thechildren, five in number, were cloathed coarsely but with the utmostneatness, and the rooms were the very picture of cleanliness and goodorder. It was apparently, and indeed so the good mother had intimatedrelative to her husband’s occupation, a fisherman’s cottage; but Fannysaid to her husband, ‘where can true content and happiness be found ifnot in such circumstances as these.’
The husband and father had not yet returned though it was afternoon ofthe subsequent day on which they had arrived at the cottage. Fanny wasevidently well enough to leave, but Lovell was anxious to see the fatherof these bright eyed and rosy cheeked children, and to recompense him insome degree for the hospitality they had enjoyed under his happy roof.And in addition to this inducement to stop still longer, the robber whomhe had secured, and who now lay unable to move in one of the apartmentsof the house, was pronounced by the physician whose services had beenprocured at an outlay of no little trouble from a great distance, to bedying, and Lovell wanted to see the matter at an end, either as tohis probable recovery, or proper attention paid to him whendeceased.--Several of the neighbors, who were but few, had called to seehim, but none could recognize him, and it was very evident that he wasa stranger in the neighborhood.--From him there could be no intelligencegained, for he had few lucid moments, his injuries being mainly upon thebrain.
At last in one of those intervals of reason, when Lovell stood byhis side he looked at him and recognizing him, said: ‘I have wrongedyou--forgive me. I have been driven step by step to this act, it was myfirst--but did I not hear a voice with you that I knew? It sounded veryfamiliar, and brought back the remembrance of years long past.’
‘I hardly think it can be the case,’ said Lovell kindly. ‘The lady withme was my wife.’
‘Can I see her?’ said the sufferer. ‘I would ask her forgiveness, too,for I feel that I am about to die.’
‘I would ask your forgiveness for the evil I have done--can you forgiveone who is dying and is repentant?’
‘I forgive you with all my heart,’ said Fanny; ‘have you asked yourMaker to do so?’
‘Nay, I dare not!’ said the man, shuddering. ‘But he will forgive allwho truly repent,’ said Fanny; ‘I will pray for you.’
And she lifted her voice, low and musical, to her Maker, in the piousprayer of a Christian, asking forgiveness for her enemy. It was abeautiful sight, and Fanny never looked more lovely to Lovell than atthat moment.
‘Is there nothing in which we can serve you?’ asked Fanny at length, ‘nomessage to your friends or family?’
‘None, I have none. My near relations are dead--my early friends havelong since discarded me! How strange that I remember so well your voice,lady. Where can we have met before?’
‘Have you felt thus?’ said Fanny. ‘The first words you spoke caused thesame thought in my mind. I’ve have not even yet learned your name.’
‘It is Banning!’ said the man.
A few words sufficed to gratify the curiosity of both as to theintervening years of their life. Banning had fallen into dissipatedhabits, and by degrees come to that which he now was. He had sought theisland to escape the pursuit of his creditors and the police, and hespoke truly when he said that this was his first step towards the lifeof a highway robber. Strange fortune had thus thrown them togetheragain, but such are its wayward freaks that nothing is impossible.
Fanny stood by his couch to the last, and bade him _hope_. He claspedthe hands of Lovell and his wife warmly in his own, the very individualshe would have sacrificed to his base purpose but a short time before,and soon breathed his last.
Turning her eyes at this moment she beheld the good wife of the cottagein the arms of her husband, who had just returned, and was walkingtowards the place where she sat with the children.
No sooner did she distinctly observe him than she at once _recognized_him, while he on his part also seemed embarrassed with inwardremembrances. At length as if the light had broke upon him all at once,he exclaimed, warmly pressing her hand.
‘Captain Channing! I bid you welcome.’
Reader, it was the pardoned Englishman whom Fanny had spared on boardthe Constance!
After a few days of happy fellowship and pleasant association, Lovelland Fanny sought again the deck of the Vision.
It was scarcely three weeks from the day that the Vision left the Isleof Man before she was riding at anchor quietly in the little harbor ofLynn.
Fanny and Lovell had both had enough of adventure, at least for awhile, but nevertheless they kept the yacht in readiness for frequentexcursions on the element to which both had become so much attached.Their fortune was ample, and there was no necessity for them to denythemselves this or any other desirable amusement that fancy mightsuggest.
It was while on an excursion with her husband, and far out of sight ofland, that Fanny gave birth to her first child, a noble and robust boy,whose maritime birth no doubt influenced his choice of a profession. TheVision was known in our harbor even until a few years since, and we aretold that not long since she was refitted and sold into the Venezuliannavy, being renowned for speed and excellent sea qualities. She is st
illemployed there, with a small armament and crew, as a revenue cutter or aspecies of _guarda costa_.