CHAPTER VIII.
The Liverpool Ladies are very civil to me--I am admitted into good Society--Introduced to Captain Levee--Again sail to Senegal--Overhear a Conspiracy to seize the Ship by the Crew of a Slaver, but am enabled to defeat it--Am thanked and rewarded by the Owner--Take a Trip to London with Captain Levee--Stopped by Highwaymen on the Road--Put up at a Tavern--Dissipated Town Life--Remove to a genteel Boarding-House--Meet with a Government Spy--Return to Liverpool.
As the captain reported me to be a very attentive and good officer,although I was then but twenty-three years of age, and as I had beenpreviously on good terms and useful to the owner, I was kindlyreceived by him, and paid much more attention to, than my situation onboard might warrant. My captivity among the Negroes, and the narrativeI gave of my adventures, were also a source of much interest. I was atfirst questioned by the gentlemen of Liverpool, and afterwards one ofthe merchant's ladies, who had heard something of my adventures, andfound out that I was a young and personable man, with better mannersthan are usually to be found before the mast, invited me one eveningto a tea-party, that I might amuse her friends with my adventures.They were most curious about the Negro queen, Whyna, inquiring intoevery particular as to her personal appearance and dress, and tryingto find out, as women always do, if there was any thing of an intriguebetween us. They shook their little fingers at me, when I solemnlydeclared that there was not, and one or two of them cajoled me asideto obtain my acknowledgment of what they really believed to be thetruth, although I would not confess it.
When they had tired themselves with asking questions about the Negroqueen, they then began to ask about myself, and how it happened I wasnot such a bear, and coarse in my manners and address, as the otherseamen. To this I could give no other reply but that I had beeneducated when a child. They would fain know who were my father andmother, and in what station of life it had pleased God to place them;but I hardly need say, my dear Madam, to you who are so wellacquainted with my birth and parentage, that I would not disgrace myfamily by acknowledging that one of their sons was in a situation sounworthy; not that I thought at that time, nor do I think now, that Iwas so much to blame in preferring independence in a humble position,to the life that induced me to take the step which I did; but as Icould not state who my family were without also stating why I hadquitted them, I preserved silence, as I did not think that I had anyright to communicate family secrets to strangers. The consequences ofmy first introduction to genteel society were very agreeable; Ireceived many more invitations from the company assembled,notwithstanding that my sailor's attire but ill corresponded with thepowdered wigs and silk waistcoats of the gentlemen, or the hoops andfurbelows of satin which set off the charms of the ladies.
At first I did not care so much, but as I grew more at my ease, I feltashamed of my dress, and the more so as the young foplings would puttheir glasses to their eyes, and look at me as if I were a monster.But supported as I was by the fair sex, I cared little for them. Theladies vowed that I was charming, and paid me much courtesy; indeed myvanity more than once made me suspect that I was something more than amere favourite with one or two of them, one especially, a buxom youngperson, and very coquettish, who told me, as we were looking out ofthe bay window of the withdrawing-room, that since I could be sosecret with respect to what took place between the Negress queen andmyself, I must be sure to command the good-will and favour of theladies, who always admired discretion in so young and so handsome aman. But I was not to be seduced by this flattery, for somehow oranother I had ever before me the French lady, and her conduct to me;and I had almost a dislike, or I should rather say, I had imbibed anindifference for the sex.
This admission into good society did, however, have one effect uponme; it made me more particular in my dress, and all my wages wereemployed in the decoration of my person. At that time you mayrecollect, Madam, there were but two styles of dress among the seamen;one was that worn by those who sailed in the northern seas, and theother by those who navigated in the tropical countries, both suitableto the climates. The first was the jacket, woollen frock, breeches,and petticoat of canvas over all, with worsted stockings, shoes, andbuckles, and usually a cap of skin upon the head; the other a lightshort jacket, with hanging buttons, red sash, trowsers, and neat shoesand buckles, with a small embroidered cap with falling crown, or a hatand feather. It was this last which I had always worn, having beencontinually in warm climates, and my hair was dressed in its naturalringlets instead of a wig, which I was never partial to, although verycommon among seamen; my ears were pierced, and I wore long goldearrings, as well as gilt buckles in my shoes; and, by degrees, I notonly improved my dress so as to make it very handsome in materials,but my manners were also very much altered for the better.
I had been at Liverpool about two months, waiting for the ship tounload and take in cargo for another voyage, when a privateerbelonging to the same owner, came into port with four prizes ofconsiderable value; and the day afterwards I was invited by the ownerto meet the captain who commanded the privateer.
He was a very different looking person from Captain Weatherall, whowas a stout, strong-limbed man, with a weather-beaten countenance. He,on the contrary, was a young man of about twenty-six, very slight inperson, with a dark complexion, hair and eyes jet black. I should havecalled him a very handsome Jew--for he bore that cast of countenance,and I afterwards discovered that he was of that origin, although Icannot say that he ever followed the observances of that remarkablepeople. He was handsomely dressed, wearing his hair slightly powdered,a laced coat and waistcoat, blue sash and trowsers, withsilver-mounted pistols and dagger in his belt, and a smart hanger byhis side. He had several diamond rings on his finger, and carried asmall clouded cane. Altogether, I had never fallen in with so smartand prepossessing a personage, and should have taken him for one ofthe gentlemen commending the king's ships, rather than the captain ofa Liverpool privateer. He talked well and fluently, and with an air ofcommand and decision, taking the lead in the company, although itmight have been considered that he was not by any means the principalperson in it. The owner, during the evening, informed me that he was afirst-rate officer, of great personal courage, and that he had made agreat deal of money, which he had squandered away almost as fast as hereceived it.
With this person, whose name was Captain Levee (an alteration, Isuspect, from Levi), I was much pleased; and as I found that he didnot appear to despise my acquaintance, I took much pains to pleasehim, and we were becoming very intimate, when my ship was ready tosail. I now found that I was promoted to the office of first mate,which gave me great satisfaction.
We sailed with an assorted cargo, but very light, and nothing ofconsequence occurred during our passage out. We made good traffic onthe coast as we ran down it, receiving ivory, gold-dust, and wax, inexchange for our printed cottons and hardware. After being six weekson the coast, we put into Senegal to dispose of the remainder of ourcargo; which we soon did to the governor, who gave us a fair exchange,although by no means so profitable a barter as what we had made on thecoast; but that we did not expect for what might be called the refuseof our cargo. The captain was much pleased, as he knew the owner wouldbe satisfied with him, and, moreover, he had himself a venture in thecargo; and we had just received the remainder of the ivory from thegovernor's stores, and had only to get on board a sufficiency ofprovisions and water for our homeward voyage, when a circumstance tookplace which I must now relate.
Our crew consisted of the captain, and myself, as first mate, thesecond mate, and twelve seamen, four of which were those who had beentaken prisoners with me, and had been released, as I have related, inour previous voyage. These four men were very much attached to me, Ibelieve chiefly from my kindness to them when I was a slave to thequeen Whyna, as I always procured for them every thing which I could,and, through the exertions of my mistress, had them plentifullysupplied with provisions from the king's table. The second mate andother eight men we had shipped at Liverp
ool. They were fine, stoutfellows, but appeared to be loose characters, but that we did notdiscover till after we had sailed. There was anchored with us atSenegal a low black brig, employed in the slave-trade, which had madethe bay at the same time that we did; and to their great surprise--forshe was considered a very fast sailer--she was beaten at all points byour ship, which was considered the fastest vessel out of Liverpool.The crew of the slaver were numerous, and as bloodthirsty a set oflooking fellows as ever I fell in with. Their boat was continuallyalongside of our vessel, and I perceived that their visits were madeto the eight men whom we had shipped at Liverpool, and that they didnot appear inclined to be at all intimate with the rest of the crew.This roused my suspicions, although I said nothing; but I watched themvery closely. One forenoon, as I was standing at the foot of thecompanion-ladder, concealed by the booby-hatch from the sight of thoseon deck, I heard our men talking over the side, and at last, as Iremained concealed, that I might overhear the conversation, one of theslaver's men from the boat said, "To-night, at eight o'clock, we willcome to arrange the whole business." The boat then shoved off, andpulled for the brig.
Now, it was the custom of the captain to go onshore every evening todrink sangaree and smoke with the governor, and very often I went withhim, leaving the ship in charge of the second mate. It had been myintention, and I had stated as much to the second mate, to go thisevening, as it was the last but one that we should remain at Senegal;but from what I overheard I made up my mind that I would not go. Aboutan hour before sunset, I complained of headache and sickness, and satdown under the awning over the after part of the quarter-deck. Whenthe captain came up to go on shore, he asked me if I was ready, but Imade no answer, only put my hand to my head.
The captain, supposing that I was about to be attacked by the fever ofthe country, was much concerned, and desired the second mate to helphim to take me down to the state-room, and then went on shore; theboat was, as usual, pulled by the four men who were prisoners with me,and whom the captain found he could trust on shore better than theothers belonging to the crew, who would indulge in liquor wheneverthey had an opportunity. I remained in my bed-place till it was nearlyeight o'clock, and then crept softly up the companion-hatch toascertain who was on deck.
The men were all below in the fore-peak at their suppers, and as I hadbefore observed that their conferences were held on the forecastle, Iwent forward, and covered myself up with a part of the main-topsail,which the men had been repairing during the day. From this position Icould hear all that passed, whether they went down into the fore-peak,or remained to converse on the forecastle. About ten minutesafterwards I heard the boat grate against the ship's side, and the menof the slaver mount on the deck.
"All right?" inquired one of the slavers.
"Yes," replied our second mate; "skipper and his men are on shore, andthe first mate taken with the fever."
"All the better," replied another; "one less to handle. And now, mylads, let's to business, and have every thing settled to-night, sothat we may not be seen together any more till the work is done."
They then commenced a consultation, by which I found it was arrangedthat our ship was to be boarded and taken possession of as soon as shewas a few miles out of the bay, for they dared not attack us while wewere at anchor close to the fort; but the second mate and eight menbelonging to us were to pretend to make resistance until beaten downbelow, and when the vessel was in their power, the captain, I, and theother four men who were ashore in the boat, were to be silenced forever. After which there came on a discussion as to what was to be donewith the cargo, which was very valuable, and how the money was to beshared out when the cargo was sold. Then they settled who were to beofficers on board of the ship, which there is no doubt they intendedto make a pirate vessel. I also discovered that, if they succeeded, itwas their intention to kill their own captain and such men of theslaver who would not join them, and scuttle their own vessel, whichwas a very old one.
The consultation ended by a solemn and most villainous oath beingadministered to every man as to secrecy and fidelity, after which themen of the slaver went into their boat, and pulled to their ownvessel. The second mate and our men remained on deck about a quarterof an hour, and then all descended by the ladder to the fore-peak, andturned into their hammocks.
As soon as I thought I could do so with safety, I came out of mylurking-place, and retreated to the state-room. It was fortunate thatI did, for a minute afterwards I heard a man on deck, and the secondmate came down the companion-hatch, and inquired whether I wanted anything. I told him no; that I was very ill, and only hoped to be ableto go to sleep, and asked him if the captain had returned. He repliedthat he had not, and then went away. As soon as I was left to myself,I began to consider what would be best to be done. I knew the captainto be a very timorous man, and I was afraid to trust him with thesecret, as I thought he would be certain to let the men know by hisconduct that they were discovered, and their plans known. The four menwho were prisoners with me I knew that I could confide in. This wasthe Tuesday night, and we proposed sailing on the Thursday. Now we hadno means of defence on board, except one small gun, which washoneycombed and nearly useless. It did very well to make a signalwith, but had it been loaded with ball, I believe it would have burstimmediately. It is true that we had muskets and cutlasses, but whatuse would they have been against such a force as would be opposed, andtwo-thirds of our men mutineers. Of course we must have beenimmediately overpowered.
That the slavers intended to take possession of their own vesselbefore they took ours, I had no doubt. It is true that we outsailedthem when we had a breeze, but the bay was usually becalmed, and itwas not till a vessel had got well into the offing that she obtained abreeze, and there was no doubt but that they would take theopportunity of boarding us when we were moving slowly through thewater, and a boat might easily come up with us. The slaver had statedhis intention of sailing immediately to procure her cargo elsewhere,and if she got under weigh at the same time that we did, no suspicionwould be created. To apply for protection to the governor would beuseless--he could not protect us after we were clear of the bay.Indeed, if it were known that we had so done, it would probably onlyprecipitate the affair, and we should be taken possession of while atanchor, for the shot from the fort would hardly reach us. It was,therefore, only by stratagem that we could escape from the clutches ofthese miscreants. Again, allowing that we were to get clear of theslavers, we were still in an awkward position, for, supposing thecaptain to be of any use, we should still only be six men againstnine, and we might be overpowered by our own crew, who were determinedand powerful men.
All night I lay on my bed reflecting upon what ought to be done, andat last I made up my mind.
The next morning I went on deck, complaining very much, but statingthat the fever had left me. The long-boat was sent on shore for morewater, and I took care that the second mate and eight men should bethose selected for the service. As soon as they had shoved off, Icalled the other four men on the forecastle, and told them what I hadoverheard. They were very much astonished, for they had had no ideathat there was any thing of the kind going forward. I imparted to themall my plans, and they agreed to support me in every thing--indeed,they were all brave men, and would have, if I had acceded to it,attempted to master and overpower the second mate and the others, andmake sail in the night; but this I would not permit, as there was agreat risk. They perfectly agreed with me that it was no useacquainting the captain, and that all we had to do was to get rid ofthese men, and carry the vessel home how we could. How that was to bedone was the point at issue. One thing was certain, that it wasnecessary to leave the bay that night, or it would be too late.Fortunately, there was always a light breeze during the night, and thenights were dark, for there was no moon till three o'clock in themorning, by which time we could have gained the offing, and then wemight laugh at the slaver, as we were lighter in our heels. The boatcame off with the water about noon, and the men went to dinner. Thecaptain ha
d agreed to dine with the governor, and I had been asked toaccompany him. It was to be our farewell dinner, as we were to sailthe next morning. I had been cogitating a long while to find out howto get rid of these fellows, when at last I determined that I would goon shore with the captain, and propose a plan to the governor. Hisknowledge of what was about to be attempted could do no harm, and Ithought he would help us; so I went into the boat, and when we landedI told the men what I intended to do. As soon as I arrived at thegovernor's, I took an opportunity, while the captain was reading abook, to request a few moments' conversation, and I then informed thegovernor of the conspiracy which was afloat, and when I had so done, Ipointed out to him the propriety of saying nothing to the captainuntil all was safe, and proposed my plan to him, which he immediatelyacceded to. When he returned to where the captain was still reading,he told him that he had a quantity of gold-dust and other valuables,which he wished to send to England by his ship; but that he did notwish to do it openly, as it was supposed that he did not traffic, andthat if the captain would send his long-boat on shore after dark, hewould send all the articles on board, with instructions to whom theywere to be consigned on our arrival. The captain of course consented.We bade the governor farewell about half an hour before dark, andreturned on board. After I had been a few minutes on deck, I sent forthe second mate, and told him as a secret what the governor hadproposed to do, and that he would be required to land after dark forthe goods, telling him that there was a very large quantity ofgold-dust, and that he must be very careful. I knew that thisintelligence would please him, as it would add to their plunder whenthey seized the vessel; and I told him that as we sailed at daylight,he must lose no time, but be on board again as soon as he could, thatwe might hoist in the long-boat. About eight o'clock in the evening,the boat, with him and the eight men, went on shore. The governor hadpromised to detain them, and ply them with liquor, till we had time toget safe off. As soon as they were out of sight and hearing, weprepared every thing for getting under weigh. The captain had gone tohis cabin, but was not in bed. I went down to him, and told him Ishould remain up till the boat returned, and see that all was right;and that in the mean time I would get every thing ready for weighingthe next morning, and that he might just as well go to bed now, and Iwould call him to relieve me at daylight. To this arrangement heconsented; and in half an hour I perceived that his candle was out,and that he had retired. Being now so dark that we could not perceivethe slaver, which lay about three cables' length from us, it wasfairly to be argued that she could not see us; I therefore wentforward and slipped the cable without noise, and sent men up aloft toloose the sails. There was a light breeze, sufficient to carry usabout two knots through the water, and we knew that it would ratherincrease than diminish. In half an hour, weak-handed as we were, wewere under sail, every thing being done without a word being spoken,and with the utmost precaution. You may imagine how rejoiced we allwere when we found that we had manoeuvred so well; notwithstanding, wekept a sharp look-out, to see if the slaver had perceived our motions,and had followed us; and the fear of such being the case kept us underalarm till near daylight, when the breeze blew strong, and we feltthat we had nothing more to dread. As the day broke, we found that wewere four or five leagues from the anchorage, and could not see thelower masts of the slaver, which still remained where we had left her.
Satisfied that we were secure, I then went down to the captain, and,as he lay in bed, made him acquainted with all that had passed. Heappeared as if awakened from a dream, rose without making any reply,and hastened on deck. When he found out that we were under weigh, andso far from the land, he exclaimed:
"It must all be true; but how shall we be able to take the ship homewith so few hands?"
I replied, that I had no fears on that score, and that I would answerfor bringing the vessel safe to Liverpool.
"But," he said at last, "how is it that I was not informed of allthis? I might have made some arrangements with the men."
"Yes, Sir," I replied, "but if you had attempted to do so, the vesselwould have been taken immediately."
"But why was I not acquainted with it, I want to know?" he said again.
I had by this time made up my mind to the answer I should give him; soI said: "Because it would have placed a serious responsibility on yourshoulders if, as captain of this vessel, you had sailed to Englandwith such a valuable cargo and so few hands. The governor and I,therefore, thought it better that you should not be placed in such anawkward position, and therefore we considered it right not to say aword to you about it. Now, if any thing goes wrong, it will be myfault, and not yours, and the owner cannot blame you." When I had saidthis, the captain was silent for a minute or two, and then said:
"Well, I believe it is all for the best, and I thank you and thegovernor too."
Having got over this little difficulty, I did not care. We made allsail, and steered homewards, and, after a rapid passage, during whichwe were on deck day and night, we arrived, very much fatigued, atLiverpool. Of course the captain communicated what had occurred to theowner, who immediately sent for me, and having heard my version of thestory, expressed his acknowledgment for the preservation of thevessel; and to prove his sincerity, he presented me with fifty guineasfor myself, and ten for each of the men. The cargo was soon landed,and I was again at liberty. I found Captain Levee in port; he had justreturned from another cruise, and had taken a rich prize. He met mewith the same cordiality as before; and having asked me for a recitalof what had occurred at Senegal, of which he had heard something fromthe owner, as soon as I had finished, he said:
"You are a lad after my own heart, and I wish we were sailingtogether. I want a first-lieutenant like you, and if you will go withme, say the word, and it will be hard but I will have you."
I replied that I was not very anxious to be in a privateer again; andthis brought on a discourse upon what occurred when I was in theRevenge with Captain Weatherall.
"Well," he said at last, "all this makes me more anxious to have you.I like fair fighting, and hate buccaneering like yourself; however, wewill talk of it another time. I am about to start for London. What doyou say, will you join me, and we will have some sport? With plenty ofmoney, you may do any thing in London."
"Yes," I replied, "but I have not plenty of money."
"That shall make no difference; money is of no use but to spend it,that I know of," replied Captain Levee. "I have plenty for both of us,and my purse is at your service; help yourself as you please, withoutcounting, for I shall be your enemy if you offer to return it. That'ssettled; the horses are all ready, and we will start on Wednesday. Howwill you dress? I think it might be better to alter your costume, nowyou are going to London. You'll make a pretty fellow, dress how youwill."
"Before I give you an answer to all your kind proposals, I must speakto the owner, Captain Levee."
"Of course, you must; shall we go there now?"
"Willingly," I replied. And we accordingly set off.
Captain Levee introduced the subject as soon as we arrived at thecounting-house, stating that he wanted me to be first-lieutenant ofthe privateer, and that I was going to London with him, if he had noobjection.
"As for going to London with you for five or six weeks, Captain Levee,there can be no objection to that," replied the owner; "but as forbeing your first-lieutenant, that is another question. I have a vesselnow fitting out, and intended to offer the command of it to Mr.Elrington. I do so now at once, and he must decide whether he prefersbeing under your orders to commanding a vessel of his own."
"I will decide that for him," replied Captain Levee. "He must commandhis own vessel; it would be no friendship on my part to stand in theway of his advancement. I only hope, if she is a privateer, that wemay cruise together."
"I cannot reply to that latter question," replied the owner. "Herdestination is uncertain; but the command of her is now offered to Mr.Elrington, if he will accept of it, before his trip to themetropolis."
I replied that
I should with pleasure, and returned the owner manythanks for his kindness; and, after a few minutes' more conversation,we look our leave.
"Now I should advise you," said Captain Levee, as we walked towardshis lodgings, "to dress as a captain of a vessel of war, much in thestyle that I do. You are a captain, and have a right so to do. Comewith me, and let me fit you out."
I agreed with Captain Levee that I could not do better; so we went andordered my suits of clothes, and purchased the other articles which Irequired. Captain Levee would have paid for them, but I had moneysufficient, and would not permit him; indeed with my pay and presentof fifty guineas I had upwards of seventy guineas in my purse, and didnot disburse more than fifty in my accoutrements, although my pistolsand hanger were very handsome.
We did not start until three days after the time proposed, when Ifound at daylight two stout well-bred horses at the door; one forCaptain Levee, and the other for me. We were attended by twoserving-men belonging to the crew of the privateer commanded byCaptain Levee--powerful, fierce-looking, and determined men, armed tothe teeth, and mounted upon strong jades. One carried the valise ofCaptain Levee, which was heavy with gold. The other had charge ofmine, which was much lighter, as you may suppose. We travelled forthree days without any interruption, making about thirty miles a-day,and stopping at the hostelries to sleep every night. On the fourth daywe had a slight affair, for as we were mounting a hill towards theevening, we found our passage barred by five fellows with crape masks,who told us to stand and deliver.
"We will," replied Captain Levee, firing his pistol, and reining uphis horse at the same time. The ball struck the man, who fell back onthe crupper, while the others rushed forward. My pistols were allready, and I fired at the one who spurred his horse upon me, but thehorse rearing up saved his master, the ball passing through the headof the animal, who fell dead, holding his rider a prisoner by thethigh, which was underneath his body. Our two men had come forward andranged alongside of us at the first attack, but now that two hadfallen, the others finding themselves in a minority, after exchangingshots, turned their horses' heads and galloped away. We would havepursued them, but Captain Levee said it was better not, as there mightbe more of the gang near, and by pursuing them we might separate andbe cut off in detail.
"What shall we do with these fellows?" asked our men of Captain Levee.
"Leave them to get off how they can," replied Captain Levee. "I willnot be stopped on my journey by such a matter as this. I dare say theydon't deserve hanging more than half the people we meet. Let us pushon and get into quarters for the night. After all, Mr. Elrington,"said Captain Levee to me, as we were setting off, "it's only a littleland privateering, and we must not be too hard upon them."
I confess, Madam, when I recalled all that I had witnessed on board ofthe Revenge, that I agreed with Captain Levee, that these highwaymenwere not worse than ourselves.
No other adventure occurred during our journey, and when we arrived inLondon we directed our horses' steps to a fashionable tavern in St.Paul's, and took possession of apartments, and as Captain Levee waswell known, we were cordially greeted and well attended. The tavernwas in great repute, and resorted to by all the wits and gay men ofthe day, and I soon found myself on intimate terms with a numerous setof dashing blades, full of life and jollity, and spending their moneylike princes; but it was a life of sad intemperance, and my headached every morning from the excess of the night before, and in ourexcursions in the evenings we were continually in broils anddisturbances, and many a broken head, nay, sometimes a severe wound,was given and received. After the first fortnight, I felt weary ofthis continual dissipation, and as I was dressing a sword-cut whichCaptain Levee had received in an affray, I one morning told him so.
"I agree with you," he replied, "that it is all very foolish anddiscreditable, but if we live with the gay and pretty fellows, we mustdo as they do. Besides, how could I get rid of my money, which burnsin my pocket, if I did not spend as much in one day as would sufficefor three weeks?"
"Still I would rather dress a wound gained in an honourable contestwith the enemy than one received in a night brawl, and I would rathersee you commanding your men in action than reeling with otherdrunkards in search of a quarrel in the streets."
"I feel that it is beneath me, and I'm sure that it's beneath you. Youare a Mentor without a beard," replied Captain Levee. "But still itrequires no beard to discover that I have made an ass of myself. Now,what do you say, shall we take lodgings and live more reputably, forwhile in this tavern we never shall be able to do so?"
"I should prefer it, to tell you the honest truth," I replied, "for Ihave no pleasure in our present life."
"Be it so, then," he replied. "I will tell them that I take lodgings,that I may be near to a fair lady. That will be a good and sufficientexcuse."
The next day we secured lodgings to our satisfaction, and removed intothem, leaving our horses and men at the tavern. We boarded with thefamily, and as there were others who did the same, we had a verypleasant society, especially as there were many of the other sex amongthe boarders. The first day that we sat down to dinner, I found myselfby the side of a young man of pleasing manners, although with much ofthe coxcomb in his apparel. His dress was very gay and very expensive,and he wore a diamond-hilted sword and diamond buckles--at least sothey appeared to me, as I was not sufficient connoisseur todistinguish the brilliant from the paste. He was very affable andtalkative, and before dinner was over gave me the history of many ofthe people present.
"Who is the dame in the blue stomacher?" I inquired.
"You mean the prettiest of the two, I suppose," he replied, "that onewith the patches under the eye? She is a widow, having just buried anold man of sixty, to whom she was sacrificed by her mother. Butalthough the old fellow was as rich as a Jew, he found such fault withthe lady's conduct that he left all his money away from her. This isnot generally known, and she takes care to conceal it, for she isanxious to make another match, and she will succeed if her funds,which are not _very_ great, enable her to carry on the game a littlelonger. I was nearly taken in myself, but an intimacy with her cousin,who hates her, gave me a knowledge of the truth. She still keeps hercarriage, and appears to be rolling in wealth, but she has sold herdiamonds and wears paste. And that plain young person on the otherside of her has money, and knows the value of it. She requiresrent-roll for rent-roll, and instead of referring you to her fatherand mother, the little minx refers you to her lawyer and man ofbusiness. Ugly as she is, I would have sacrificed myself, but shetreated me in that way, and upon my soul I was not very sorry for it,for she is dear at any price, and I have since rejoiced at my want ofsuccess."
"Who is that elderly gentleman with such snow-white hair?" I inquired.
"That," replied my companion, "nobody exactly knows, but I have myidea. I think," said he, lowering his voice to a whisper, "that he isa Catholic priest, or a Jesuit, perhaps, and a partisan of the houseof Stuart. I have my reasons for supposing so, and this I am sure of,which is, that he is closely watched by the emissaries of government."
You may remember, Madam, how at that time the country was disturbed bythe landing of the Pretender in the summer of the year before, and thegreat successes which he had met with, and that the Duke of Cumberlandhad returned from the army in the Low Countries, and had marched toScotland.
"Has there been any intelligence from Scotland relative to themovements of the armies?" I inquired.
"We have heard that the Pretender had abandoned the siege of FortWilliam, but nothing more; and how far the report is true, it is hardto say. You military men must naturally have a war one way or theother," said my companion, in a careless manner.
"As to the fighting part of the question," I replied, "I should feelit a matter of great indifference which side I fought for, as theclaim of both parties is a matter of mere opinion."
"Indeed," he said; "and what may be your opinion?"
"I have none. I think the claims of both parties equal. The
house ofStuart lost the throne of England on account of its religion--that ofHanover has been called to the throne for the same cause. Theadherents of both are numerous at the present moment; and it does notfollow because the house of Hanover has the strongest party, that thehouse of Stuart should not uphold its cause while there is a chance ofsuccess."
"That is true; but if you were to be obliged to take one side or theother, which would it be by preference?"
"Certainly I would support the Protestant religion in preference tothe Catholic. I am a Protestant, and that is reason enough."
"I agree with you," replied my companion. "Is your brave friend of thesame opinion?"
"I really never put the question to him, but I think I may safelyanswer that he is."
It was fortunate, Madam, that I replied as I did, for I afterwardsdiscovered that this precious gossiping young man, with his rings andribbons, was no other than a government spy, on the look-out formalcontents. Certainly his disguise was good, for I never should haveimagined it from his foppish exterior and mincing manners.
We passed our time much more to my satisfaction now than we didbefore, escorting the ladies to the theatre and to Ranelagh, and thefreedom with which Captain Levee (and I may say I also) spent hismoney, soon gave us a passport to good society. About a fortnightafterwards, the news arrived of the battle of Culloden, and greatrejoicings were made. My foppish friend remarked to me:--
"Yes, now that the hopes of the Pretender are blasted, and theHanoverian succession secured, there are plenty who pretend torejoice, and be excessively loyal, who, if the truth were known, oughtto be quartered as traitors."
And I must observe, that the day before the news of the battle, theold gentleman with snow-white hair was arrested and sent to the Tower,and he afterwards suffered for high treason.
But letters from the owner, saying that the presence of both of us wasimmediately required, broke off this pleasant London party. Indeed,the bag of gold was running very low, and this, combined with theowner's letter, occasioned our breaking up three days afterwards. Wetook leave of the company at the lodgings, and there was a tenderparting with one or two buxom young women; after which we againmounted our steeds and set off for Liverpool, where we arrived withoutany adventure worthy of narration.
The Privateer's-Man, One hundred Years Ago Page 8