Frank Mildmay; Or, the Naval Officer

by Frederick Marryat

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN.

  Where the remote Bermudas ride, In th' ocean's bosom. ANDREW MARVELL.

  There is a peculiar kind of beauty among these islands, which we mightreally believe to be the abode of fairies. They consist of a cluster ofrocks, formed by the zoophyte, or coral worm. The number of the islandsis said to be equal to the days of the year. They are covered with ashort green sward, dark cedar trees, and low white houses, which have apretty and pleasing effect; the harbours are numerous, but shallow; andthough there are many channels into them, there is but one for largeships into the principal anchorage.

  Numerous caverns, whose roofs sparkle with the spars and stalactitesformed by the dripping water, are found in every part of the islands.They contain springs of delicious coolness, to quench the thirst, or tobathe in. The sailors have a notion that these, islands float, and thatthe crust which composes them is so thin as to be broken with littleexertion. One man being confined in the guard-house for having gotdrunk and misbehaved, stamped on the ground, and roared to the guard,"Let me out, or, damn your eyes, I'll knock a hole in your bottom,scuttle your island, and send you all to hell together." Rocks andshoals abound in almost every direction, but chiefly on the north andwest sides. They are, however, well-known to the native pilots, andserve as a safeguard from nightly surprise or invasion.

  Varieties of fish are found here, beautiful to the eye and delicious tothe taste: of these, the best is the red grouper. When on a calm, clearday you glide among these lovely islands, in your boat, you seem to besailing over a submarine flower-garden, in which clumps of trees,shrubs, flowers, and gravel walks, are planted in wild but regularconfusion.

  My chief employment was afloat, and according to my usual habit, I foundno amusement unless it was attended with danger; and this propensityfound ample gratification in the whale fishery, the reason for which wasjust approaching. The ferocity of the fish in these southern latitudesappears to be increased, both from the heat of the climate and the careof their young; for which reason it would seem that the risk in takingthem is greater than in the polar seas.

  From what I am able to learn of the natural history of the whale, shebrings forth her young, seldom more than one at a time, in the northernregions, after which, with the calf at her side, the mother seeks a moregenial climate, to bring it to maturity. They generally reach Bermudaabout the middle of March, where they remain but a few weeks, afterwhich they visit the West-India Islands, then bear away to thesouthward, and go round Cape Horn, returning to the polar seas by theAleutian Islands and Behring's Straits, which they reach in thefollowing summer; when the young whale, having acquired size andstrength in the southern latitudes, is enabled to contend with hisenemies in the north, and here also the dam meets the male again. Frommy own experience and the inquiries I have been enabled to make, I amtolerably certain that this is a correct statement of the migration ofthese animals, the females annually making the tour of the two greatAmerican continents, attended by their young.

  The maternal solicitude of the whale makes her a dangerous adversary,and many serious accidents occur in the season for catching whales. Onone occasion I had nearly paid with my life for the gratification of mycuriosity. I went in a whale-boat rowed by coloured men, natives of theislands, who were very daring and expert in this pursuit. We saw awhale, with her calf, playing round the coral rocks; the attention whichthe dam showed to its young, the care she took to warn it of danger, wastruly affecting. She led it away from the boats, swam round it, andsometimes she would embrace it with heir fins, and roll over with it inthe waves. We contrived to get the "vantage ground" by going to seawardof her, and by that means drove her into shoal water among the rocks.At last we came so near the young one, that the harpooner poised hisweapon, knowing that the calf once struck, the mother was our own, forshe would never desert it. Aware of the danger and impending fate ofits inexperienced offspring, she swam rapidly round it, in decreasingcircles, evincing the utmost uneasiness and anxiety; but the parentaladmonitions were unheeded, and it met its fate.

  The boat approached the side of the younger fish, and the harpoonerburied his tremendous weapon deep in the ribs. The moment it felt thewound, the poor animal darted from us, taking out a hundred fathom ofline; but a young fish is soon conquered when once well struck: such wasthe case in this instance; it was no sooner checked with the line thanit turned on its back, and, displaying its white belly on the surface ofthe water, floated a lifeless corpse. The unhappy parent, with aninstinct always more powerful than reason, never quitted the body.

  We hauled in upon the line, and came close up to our quarry just asanother boat had fixed a harpoon in the mother. The tail of the furiousanimal descended with irresistible force upon the very centre of ourboat, cutting it in two, and killing two of the men; the survivors tookto swimming for their lives in all directions. The whale went inpursuit of the third boat, but was checked by the line from the one thatstruck her: she towed them at the rate of ten or eleven miles an hour:and had she had deep water; would have taken the boat down, or obligedthem to cut away from her.

  The two boats were so much employed that they could not come to ourassistance for some time, and we were left to our own resources muchlonger than I thought agreeable. I was going to swim to the calf whale;but one of the men advised me not to do so, saying that the sharks wouldbe as thick about him as the lawyers round Westminster Hall, and that Ishould certainly be snapped up if I went near: for my comfort he added,"These devils seldom touch a man if they can get anything else." Thismight be very true; but I must confess I was very glad to see one, ofthe boats come to our assistance, while the mother whale, encumberedwith the heavy harpoon and line, and exhausted with the fountain ofblack blood which she threw up, drew near to her calf, and died by itsside; evidently, in her last moments, more occupied with thepreservation of her young than of herself.

  As soon as she turned on her back, I had reason to thank the "Mudian"for his good advice; there were at least thirty or forty sharksassembled round the carcasses, and as we towed them in, they followed.When we had grounded them in the shallow water close to the beach, theblubber was cut off; after which, the flesh was given to the blackpeople, who assembled in crowds, and cut off with their knives largeportions of the meat. The sharks as liberally helped themselves withtheir teeth; but it was very remarkable, that though the black men,often came between them and the whale, they never attacked a man. Thiswas a singular scene; the blacks with their white eyes and teeth,hallooing, laughing, screaming, and mixing with numerous sharks--themost ferocious monsters of the deep--yet preserving a sort of truceduring the presence of a third object: it reminded me, comparing greatthings with small, of the partition of Poland.

  I found that there was neither honour nor profit for me in thisdiversion, so I no more went a whale-fishing, but took my passage toHalifax in a schooner--one of those vessels built during the war, inimitation of the Virginia pilot boats; but like most of our imitations,about as much resembling the original as a cow is like a hare, andbearing exactly the same proportion in point of velocity. And, as if ithad been determined that these vessels should in every respect disgracethe British flag the command of them was conferred on officers whoseconduct would not induce captains to allow them to serve under them, andwho were therefore very unwisely sent into small vessels, where theybecame their own masters, and were many of them constantly drunk: suchwas the state of my commander from the time I sailed until we reachedHalifax. The example of the lieutenant was followed by his mate andthree midshipmen; the crew, which consisted of twenty-five men, werekept sober by being confined to their allowance, and I had a hopefulprospect.

  Fortunately, drinking was not among my vices. I could get "fresh," aswe call it, when in good company and excited by wit and mirth; but Inever went to the length of being drunk; and, as I advanced in years,pride and cunning made me still more guarded. I perceived the immenseadvantage which sobriety gave me over a drunkard, and I failed not to
profit by it.

  Keeping constantly on deck, almost night and day, I attended to thecourse of the vessel and the sail she carried, never taking the troubleto consult the lieutenant, who was generally senseless in his cabin. Wemade Sambro Lighthouse (which is at the entrance of Halifax harbour) inthe evening, and one of the midshipmen, who was more than half drunk,declared himself well acquainted with the place, and his offer to pilotthe vessel in was accepted. As I had never been there before, I couldbe of no use; but being extremely doubtful of the skill of our pilot, Iwatched his proceedings with some anxiety.

  In half an hour we found ourselves on shore on Cornwallis Island, as Iafterwards learned, and the sea made a fair breach over us. Thissobered the lieutenant and his officers; and as the tide fell, we foundourselves high and dry. The vessel fell over on her side, and I walkedon shore, determined to trust myself no more with such a set of beasts.Boats came down from the dockyard at daylight, and took me and someothers who had followed my example, together with our luggage, to theflag-ship. After two days' hard labour, the vessel was got off, andbrought into the harbour. The admiral was informed of the wholetransaction, and one of the captains advised him to try the lieutenantby a court-martial, or, at least, to turn him out of the vessel, andsend him home. Unfortunately, he would not follow this advice, but senthim to sea again, with despatches. It was known that all hands weredrunk on quitting the port; and the vessel ran upon a reef of rockscalled the Sisters, where she sank, and every soul perished. Hermast-heads were seen just above water the next morning.

  The frigate I was to join came into harbour soon after I reachedHalifax. This I was sorry for, as I found myself in very good quarters.I had letters of introduction to the best families. The place isproverbial for hospitality; and the society of the young ladies, who areboth virtuous and lovely, tended in some degree to reform and polish therough and libertine manners which I had contracted in my career. I hadmany sweethearts; but they were more like Emily than Eugenia. I was agreat flirt among them, and would willingly have spent more time intheir company; but my fate or fortune was to be accomplished, and I wenton board the frigate, where I presented my introductory letters to thenobleman who commanded her. I expected to have seen an effeminate youngman, much too refined to learn his business; but I was mistaken. LordEdward was a sailor every inch of him, he knew a ship from stem tostern, understood the characters of seamen, and gained their confidence.He was, besides, a good mechanic--a carpenter, rope-maker, sail-maker,and cooper. He could hand, reef, and steer, knot and splice; but he wasno orator--he read little, and spoke less. He was a man of no show. Hewas good-tempered, honest, and unsophisticated, with a large proportionof common sense. He was good-humoured and free with his officers;though if offended he was violent, but soon calm again; nor could youever perceive any assumption of consequence from his title of nobility.He was pleased with my expertness in practical seamanship; and before weleft the harbour, I became a great favourite. This I took care toimprove, as I liked him both for himself and his good qualities,independently of the advantages of being on good terms with the captain.

  We were not allowed to remain long in this paradise of sailors, beingordered suddenly to Quebec. I ran round to say adieu to all my dearArcadian friends. A tearful eye, a lock of hair, a hearty shake of afair hand, were all the spoils with which I was loaded when I quittedthe shore, and I cast many a longing, lingering look behind, as the shipglided out of the harbour; white handkerchiefs were waved from thebeach, and many a silent prayer for our safe return was put up fromsnowy bosoms and from aching hearts. I dispensed my usual quantum ofvows of eternal love and fidelity, before I left them, and my departurewas marked in the calendar of Halifax as a black day, by at least sevenor eight pairs of blue eyes.

  We had not been long at sea before we spoke an Irish Guinea-man fromBelfast, loaded with emigrants for the United States: I think aboutseventeen families. These were contraband. Our captain had some twentythousand acres on the island of St. John's, or Prince Edward's, as it isnow called, a grant to some of his ancestors, which had been bequeathedto him, and from which he had never received one shilling of rent, forthe very best reason in the world--because there were no tenants tocultivate the soil. It occurred to our noble captain that this was thevery sort of cargo he wanted, and that these Irish people would makegood clearers of his land, and improve his estate. He made the proposalto them, and as they saw no chance of getting to the United States, and,provided they could procure nourishment for their families, it was amatter of indifference to them where they colonised, the proposal wasaccepted, and the captain obtained permission of the admiral toaccompany them to the island to see them housed and settled. Indeed,nothing could have been more advantageous for all parties; theyincreased the scanty population of our own colony, instead of adding tothe number of our enemies. We sailed again from Halifax a few hoursafter we had obtained the sanction of the admiral, and, passing throughthe beautiful passage between Nova Scotia and the island of Cape Breton,known by the name of the Gut of Canso, we soon reached Prince Edward'sIsland.

  We anchored in a small harbour near the estate, on which we found a manresiding with his wife and family; this fellow called himself thesteward, and from all I could see of him during our three weeks' stay,he appeared to me to be rascal enough for the stewardship of anynobleman's estate in England. The captain landed, and took me as hisaide-de-camp. A bed was prepared for his lordship in the steward'shouse, but he preferred sleeping on clean hay in the barn. This noblelord was a man whose thoughts seldom gave much labour to his tongue; healways preferred hearing others to talking himself; and whoever was hiscompanion, he must always be at the expense of the conversation. Norwas it by the usual mode of simple narrative that his mind wascompletely impressed with the image intended to be presented to him; herequired three different versions, or paraphrases, of the same story orobservation, and to these he had three different expletives orejaculations. These were "hum!" "eh!" and "ah!" The first denotedattention; the second, part comprehension; and the third, assent andentire approval; to mark which more distinctly, the last syllable wasdrawn out to an immoderate length, and accompanied by a sort of halflaugh.

  I shall give one instance of our colloquial pastime. His lordship,after we had each taken up our quarters for the night, on the soft dryhay, thus began:--

  "I say,"--a pause.

  "My lord?"

  "What would they say in England, at our taking up such quarters?"

  "I think, my lord, that as far as regards myself, they would saynothing; but as far as regards your lordship, they would say it was veryindifferent accommodation for a nobleman."

  "Hum!"

  This I knew was the signal for a new version. "I was observing, mylord, that a person of your rank, taking up his quarters in a barn,would excite suspicion among your friends in England."

  "Eh?" says his lordship.

  That did not do--either your lordship's head or mine is very thick,thinks I. I'll try again, though dying to go to sleep. "I say, mylord, if the people in England knew what a good sailor you are, theywould be surprised at nothing you did; but those who know nothing, wouldthink it odd that you should be contented with such quarters."

  "Ah!" said his lordship, triumphantly.

  What further observations he was pleased to make that night I know not,for I fell fast asleep, and did not awake till the cocks and hens beganto fly down from their roosts, and make a confounded clamour for theirbreakfasts, when his lordship jumped up, gave himself a good shake, andthen gave me another of a different sort: it answered the purpose,however, of restoring me to that reason, of which the cackling of thepoultry had only produced the incipient signs.

  "Come, rouse out, you damned lazy chap," said my captain. "Do you meanto sleep all day? We have got plenty to do."

  "Ay, ay, my lord," said I. So up I jumped, and my toilet was completedin the same time, and by the same operation, as that of a Newfoundlanddog, namely a good shake.
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br />   A large party of the ship's company came on shore with the carpenter,bringing with them every implement useful in cutting down trees andbuilding log-houses. Such was to be our occupation, in order to housethese poor emigrants. Our men began to clear a patch of land, bycutting down a number of pine-trees, the almost exclusive natives of thewood; and having selected a spot for the foundation, we placed fourstems of trees in a parallelogram, having a deep notch in each end,mutually to fit and embrace each other. When the walls, by thisrepeated operation, were high enough, we laid on the rafters, andcovered the roof with boughs of the fir and the bark of the birch-tree,filling the interstices with moss and mud. By practice, I became, avery expert engineer, and with the assistance of thirty or forty men, Icould build a very good house in a day.

  We next cleared, by burning and rooting up, as much land as would serveto sustain the little colony for the ensuing season; and having planteda crop of corn and potatoes, and giving the settlers many articlesuseful in their new abode, we left them, agreeably to our orders, and tomy great joy returned to dear Halifax, where I again was blessed withthe sight of my innocent harem. I remember well that I received asevere rebuke from the captain for inattention to signals. One wasaddressed to us from the flag-ship; I was signal midshipman, but insteadof directing my glass towards the old _Centurion_, it was levelled at acertain young Calypso, whose fair form I discovered wandering along the"_gazon fleuri_:" how long would I not have dwelt in this happy Arcadia,had not another Mentor pushed me off the rocks, and sent me once more tobuffet the briny waves.

  Contrary to the opinion of any rational being, the President of theUnited States was planning a war against England, and every ship inHalifax harbour was preparing to fight the Yankees. The squadron sailedin September. I bade adieu to the nymphs of Nova Scotia with moreindifference than became me, or than the reception I had met with fromthem seemed to deserve; but I was the same selfish and ungrateful beingas ever. I cared for no one but my own dear self, and as long as I wasgratified, it mattered little to me how many broken hearts I leftbehind.