A very little way off was the prettiest villa ever designed, plenty of space round it, a fine view from all sides, and such a quantity of accommodation inside. A suite of publick rooms, particularly cheerful, good apartments for the attendants, and the Emperour’s own wing delightfully arranged,7 or 8 rooms including a bath and a private staircase. His ill humoured preference of the miserable Cottage punished him severely. Certainly this most charming house, all made in England and merely put together after reaching its destination, was a residence fit for any Prince. I never heard what they did with it. It was too large for any private family, and the Governour was provided for, pulled it to pieces probably and sold the materials.
The tomb was very saddening; ‘after life’s fitful fever’ to see this stranger grave. In a hollow, a square iron railing on a low wall enclosed the stone trap entrance to a vault, forget me nots were scattered on the sod around, and the weeping willow drooped over the flag. The ocean filled the distance. It would have been better to have left him there, with the whole island for his monument.
On we went again from St Helena to Ascension, miserably enough, the fare more wretched than ever, the ill humour encreasing on that account and added to on another, for we had taken on board at St Helena some new passengers, an old Mr and Mrs Blanch and a young sailor, Mr Agassiz, who had lost his health slave hunting on the Coast of Africa and was going home invalided. Mrs Churchill had varied her attentions to Mr Floyd by latterly paying a deal more to the 3rd mate than was at all fitting, a mere boy, very good looking, better employed about the ship than in gaining expertise in coquetry. The Captain put a stop to his walking arm in arm with her along the deck, but he could not check glances, asides, occasional tender encounters. Indeed she behaved shockingly, for which these two distracted about her, no sooner did fresh prey appear than she cast them off remorselessly—Captain Floyd entirely, the poor mate very nearly. Mr Agassiz she seized on and he paid her off for he became necessary to her. He bewitched her and so imprudent were they both that the Captain had to speak to him. Captain Floyd got savagely sulky, made himself odious. The mate went almost beside himself—the poor boy! heart had given itself away so confidingly and to be cast off as a worn out toy was so cruel a shock; he really pined away, acted quite foolishly. Never was such an unpleasant state of affairs.
For two days these disagreeable scenes went on; the 3rd produced graver matters to think of. About this time last year a vessel homeward bound had in this latitude been attacked by pirates, attacked and overpowered—the surviving men were made to walk the plank, the women after the worst usage left alive in the vessel which was stript and scuttled. It so happened that a cruiser came up with this doomed ship and rescued these unfortunates, several soldiers’ wives and one lady, her maid and some children. The lady was the wife of an Officer who remained with his regiment at St Helena, while she returned home on business, taking her little boy and girl with her. She was nearly out of her mind, extremely ill, and on landing sent the maid, with the children, the papers and other effects belonging to them and her husband to his parents, with an injunction to the maid to tell the dreadful tale. She was herself never more heard of. Whether she died or what became of her nobody could ever find out. She said she loathed herself and would never obtrude herself on her beloved husband’s sight. The maid described the Pirate as young and handsome, magnificently dressed in a fantastick style and with perfect command over a most horrible looking crew. Whether he it were who reconnoitred us, we could not say, but a most suspicious looking ‘craft’ bore down upon us, strangely rigged and piratically painted, coming from no regular direction. Several small merchantmen had sailed with us for company’s sake, these latitudes being at this time dangerous, and they all began to cluster in our wake at this unpleasant apparition.11 Mr Agassiz, whose employment it had been to look out for all sorts of contraband keels, said this was not a slaver. As she neared us, he ascended to the mast head and reported that she was all trim and smart and filled with a crowd of active men.
Upon this Captain West began his preparations; all the soldiers were called out in their red coats and dispersed about the deck. The two officers, suitably rigged out, marched here and there. Arms glancing in the sun’s rays. The whole crew was called up in full view. Every body on board had a proper place assigned. We ladies with the children were to go down to Mrs Blanch’s cabin on the lower deck when directed and our door guarded by Colonel Smith and Mrs Blanch. The soldiers ‘wives and children to keep below. The Surgeons went to prepare for extremities, and the Archdeacon retired to pray. Perhaps all this was unnecessary, yet it was certainly prudent, and as certainly made us very grave. Mrs Blanch, quite an old woman, was in agonies at the possibility of the treatment she might be subjected to, cried and wrung her aged hands, making her not only ridiculous but troublesome. Mrs Churchill quite shone; roused by the excitement she seemed all alive. Tray be quiet, Mrs Blanch,’ said she. If the worst came to the worst I may be in danger enough, but I think both you and Mrs Smith will be respected!’ and then she laughed one of those ringing laughs that must have reminded her of her girlhood. She had actually brought down with her some old linen she had for the voyage, scissors, and a housewife, etc., that she might help the surgeons, should it be requisite. Mr Agassiz and Captain West put on their uniforms, and as the English part of the Crew were always as neat as men of war’s men, we must have looked rather imposing to our new acquaintance, who soon came boldly within hail. It was before the new system of conversation signals; what we had to say to each other had to be bawled thro ‘the speaking trumpet. We were informed by ’John Thompson of New York’ that he was ‘bound for the Cape and else where; with what, we could not make out, neither did he explain how he had got so much out of his track as to be coming up from the south west on a nor ‘easterly course. In return we acquainted him that we were ‘Captain West, R.N., in the Childe Harold, with troops,’ which he seemed to think sufficient, for he rolled off and tho’ hovering on the outskirts of our horizon for many hours, we saw no more of him nearer and next morning, he had disappeared. Our companions also left us, by degrees, and we in the poop cabin soon resumed that ‘evenness and tranquillity of spirit’ which not even the jars in the Cuddy could disturb, altho’ the poor Colonel had a weary time of it.
From the day we left St Helena asthma had prevented his ever lying down; the hammock was never unrolled. A wrapper, a coverlet, and the easy chair were his doom. At first he could dress and take a walk on deck, latterly he was unable to catch breath enough for the slightest exertion. We had no proper food for him, sago and lemon juice only, and no medicine relieved him, his sufferings were unceasing, his weakness encreased alarmingly for want of proper nourishment; he could not manage meat in any shape. I was really in despair. The soldier’s wife made him gruel but he could not bear it; there were no eggs, no milk, chicken broth only. But there came comfort. We had reached Ascension, such a dreadful place, a bare rock, and we were to lay to for a few hours to catch turtle, very abundant there. Two King’s ships happened to be doing the same, on board of one of which Mr Agassiz betook himself, and mentioning to the commanding officer how shamefully our Captain was using us in the providing way, that gentleman sent to us, to Mrs Churchill and Mrs Smith, a goat in full milk—was there ever any thing kinder, a perfect stranger he was to all of us. We gave our goat in charge to Malek, who milked her himself and brought his jug of treasure to our cabins, where we divided it honestly. After supplying my Colonel, myself, and the two Willies, there was not much of my share left, but what there was I sent to Mrs Blanch. Mrs Churchill took care of Mr Agassiz, to whom we really owed this unspeakable comfort, and he used to offer his remains to the two disagreeable officers—they, far from being grateful, were indignant at getting so little, demanded their full share of what they insisted was meant for every body, in short were so turbulant that we two owners were afraid of bad consequences. After a consultation it was determined that I should explain, Mrs Churchill not quite liking to enco
unter Captain Floyd under existing circumstances. A good opportunity presenting itself, I set the matter at rest and amicably. I was sitting inside the Cuddy door with Mrs Blanch one evening, the two malcontents grumbling away outside. Malek was coming from the forecastle with his jug of milk. ‘I say, old fellow,’ said Captain Floyd, ‘hand us over that fine jug of yours. Share alike and fair play, we are not going to let the old gentleman in the sulks there keep all the good things to himself etc.,’ nice gentlemanly style! So I just addressed the pair very quietly, told them they were under a mistake about the goat, which was private property, presented especially to Mrs Churchill and me by a private friend, that my sick husband lived almost entirely upon her milk and that until he was supplied, I regretted being unable to offer him and Mr Bell any share of my share, which hitherto I had always given to Mrs Blanch and the little boys. Apologies, bows, smiles and a few epithets, well deserved, applied to the Captain, closed this business, of which we never heard another word, but indeed I got very anxious to reach England. The Colonel’s encreasing debility under the obstinacy of his asthma, the uncomfortable atmosphere of our little cabin, always filled with the smoke of stramonium,12 the cold, the illhumour, the bad fare, the improprieties of Mrs Churchill, the devotion of Mr Agassiz, the despair of the 3rd mate, the sarcasms of Captain Floyd, all combined to render the run from St Helena most disagreeable, tho’ we had a good wind. At last, off the Azores we got into what was as good as a trade wind, which sped us on I know not how many knots an hour. We were soon in the chops of the Channel, within a foot of never being heard of again too, for the greatest danger almost that can be run at sea we so narrowly missed here. A huge Merchantman tacking her way out, with no lights visible, nor any watch we supposed, bore down full upon us in the darkness of night. Our Captain, who was on deck, felt her approach or heard it, seized his trumpet first, and then the helm, and just turned us sufficiently out of the course to avoid the collision. I was lying on the sofa in the gloom of the just vanished twilight; I heard the rush of parting waters, distinguished the encreased blackness as the mass heaved past the windows, and shuddered, at I knew not what, the Captain had given us up. So very near had we been to danger. Hundreds of vessels, they say, are lost in this very way from utter carelessness on both parts. Captain West was prepared on deck, the little swivel loader to be fired if needed—only for this we had been gone. One more escape we had, from fire. The first mate next evening perceived some burning on the lower deck and entered every cabin instantly. The Archdeacon, surrounded by papers in flames on the floor, was vainly endeavouring to check the conflagration he had so unthinkingly raised—he had intended only to burn a few letters.
The coast appeared, first rocky, wild, rough, then came fields and trees, and villages and church spires; then we passed the Needles, and then, sailing on in smooth water with beauty on every side, we anchored in the roads off Portsmouth very early in the morning of some day towards the end of April 1830, St George’s day, I think it was, the 23rd. Most of the gentlemen called boats and went ashore. Captain West returned with such delicious things for breakfast, fresh butter, fresh eggs, cream, fine bread. Oh how we enjoyed the feast. It gave us strength for our preparations.
Our two servants bestirred themselves busily. Malek was to remain in the ship in charge of all our heavy luggage; Mary, and the trunks selected, was to land with us. The Colonel was the difficulty; for a week past he had not been able to move hand or foot without bringing on a spasm. They said at Bombay he would never live to reach home. They said at sea he would die on the Voyage, and I believe had we not got that goat, he could not have struggled on under such sufferings. It seemed this last day as if we should never get him safe ashore.
The chair was prepared, he was carried out to it, laid in, lowered to the boat, lifted up and settled among cushions, and the rest of our party seated as could best be managed. We were half an hour or so rowing in, and we landed by the same steps on the same quay, and we had secured rooms at the same hotel looking on the harbour, from which we had started two years and a half before for India. The Captain took the rooms in the morning as the nearest to the water and so the most convenient for the poor Colonel. What was our amazement to see him when the boat struck, rise unassisted, walk up the steps, and along the small portion of the quay in his large cloke which covered his wrapper and seat himself in the little parlour without a gasp. We ordered what was to us the most luxurious repast in the world, tea, bread and butter, eggs and muffins, and did we not enjoy it, our Captain, Mrs Churchill, Mr Agassiz, the Colonel, the 2 children and I. We even played whist, and when we went to bed, the Colonel lay down and slept till morning, the first time he had ventured on such an indulgence for six weeks. We really did feel too happy, I was too happy to sleep, I was tired, too.
We had had the Custom House officers on board early, but they had not been the least impolite—quite the contrary. In the first place, they found nothing contraband, my shawls being on myself and Mrs Churchill, and my trinkets in the Captain’s pockets. In the next place they looked for nothing, an old servant of Mr Gardiner’s family being Chief of the party. Mr Gardiner had written to him to expedite us on our way, and the civil creature not only let all our packages pass that we wished to take to the hotel, but the trunks (which went to the Custom House) of which I gave him the keys, I am persuaded were hardly looked at—for all their contents were untumbled when they came back to me. A long paper box in which were the Cape feathers and an embroidered muslin gown my Mother had thought of just at the last for Aunt Fanny were all that paid duty—£1 on the feathers, half their cost, on the gown 25/-although we had run it up into a petticoat. The probably thought it decorous to tax something. The good old man had also ordered a set of rooms at the George, higher up the town in case they should be wanted. In short he quite welcomed us home.
Next day I actually walked with my Colonel about the town and found it piercing cold up on the Ramparts. I bought a straw bonnet, the Colonel a pair of gloves and a warm scarf for Willie. Before going out I had written two notes, one to Jane to say we should be with her the next day and to ask her to put up Mrs Churchill for two nights, as we really would not lose sight of her, and one to Lady, then Mrs, Burgoyne, whose husband had some command at Portsmouth. She called on us in the afternoon, and tho’ very affected and a little airified was cousinly enough. We agreed to stop at her house next morning on our way to Malshanger to see her children. She lived in a pretty villa out of the town, and had all her plain children kept from school and nicely dressed to shew to us; there was good taste about her furniture and her garden, about all but herself. She herself was the same cockney looking, cockney mannered, self important little body that tormented us all as Charlotte Rose.
We were travelling most uncomfortably in two post chaises, Mrs Churchill, Louisa, and I in one, the Colonel, Willy and black Mary the maid in the other. There were three stages; we all met at the first, all met at the second, but we lost sight of the Colonel in the third. Where he had wandered his stupid postboy could not tell; very much out of the road, that was certain, for he did not reach Malshanger for an hour after we had been comfortably seated in Jane’s pretty drawing room. Poor Jane, she was watching at the gate. I forget all else almost that day.
The party assembled at Malshanger consisted of Mary, her husband, and two children, Tom having been born the previous January, William, Aunt Bourne, and her stepdaughter, Henrietta. We were too large an addition, but it was not for long, as Colonel Smith had determined to go up to town at once to see if any Doctor could get him a bit to rights. This resolution was hastened by an attack of asthma, the air up on those dry heights of Hampshire not at all suiting him. Asthma attacked him immediately. As his Indian servant would meet him in London, the general voice forbade my accompanying him, indeed I was in no trim for travelling. Besides I stood in need of rest after the discomforts of the voyage and the nights of broken sleep so long continued. He therefore departed on the 3rd morning, with his suite, in Jane’s
basket to Basingstoke, from thence by coach. Poor little Willy, who cried bitterly on leaving his Aunty was to be delivered to Miss Elphick at Kensington; she had given up the governess line, having her mother to provide for, and was trying to establish a sort of infant boarding School, which, poor soul, in spite of large help from all of us, she never succeeded in rendering a profitable speculation. Black Mary with whom I was glad to be done, for she was at times when excited rather unmanagable, was to go to the Agent’s to resume her sea service, and Mrs Churchill and Louisa were to be deposited at old Mrs Churchill’s. We were really glad to part with her. She was an incorrigible coquette, if not worse. After the distracting scene we had unhappily witnessed on her parting from the 3rd mate, and the very tender proceedings with Mr Agassiz, who was to see her again in London, she commenced a flirtation with my brother William, an engaged man at this time, and ought to have been thinking of good Sally, but man like, could not help philandering after a pretty woman. Mrs Churchill was really very inconsiderate, there was no actual harm in her; she was merely amusing herself, was what is called ‘fast’ in these days, in plain English, indecorous. She went soon after to visit her own Mother at Boulogne, Mr Agassiz her escort. More of her I never heard till some years after, when her husband got some good appointment in Bengal. She and Louisa went to India with them, and there they married their daughter to Colonel, afterwards General and then Sir John Michel,13 well known in Canada and Dublin.
Memoirs of a Highland Lady Page 75