By Pike and Dyke: a Tale of the Rise of the Dutch Republic

by G. A. Henty

  CHAPTER V

  NED'S RESOLVE

  On the ninth morning after the departure of the brig Ned was upas soon as daylight appeared, and made his way to the walls. Thewatchman there, with whom he had had several talks during the lasttwo days, said:

  "There is a brig, hull down, seaward, and I should say that she isabout the size of the one you are looking for. She looks, too, asif she were heading for this port."

  "I think that is she," Ned said, gazing intently at the distantvessel. "It seems to me that I can make out that her jib is lighterin colour than the rest of her canvas. If that is so I have nodoubt about its being the Good Venture, for we blew our jib awayin a storm off Ostend, and had a new one about four months ago."

  "That is her then, young master," the watchman said, shading hiseyes and looking intently at the brig. "Her jib is surely of lightercolour than the rest of her canvas."

  With this confirmation Ned at once ran round to the house he hadtaken, and told the servants to have fires lighted, and everythingin readiness for the reception of the party.

  "My father," he said, "will be brought here in the course of anhour or so. My mother will arrive a little later."

  Ned then went round to the doctor, who had promised that he wouldpersonally superintend the removing of his patient, and would bringfour careful men and a litter for his conveyance. He said thathe would be round at the burgomaster's in half an hour. Ned thenwent back to his father. Captain Martin looked round eagerly as heentered.

  "Yes, father," Ned said, answering the look; "there is a brig insight, which is, I am pretty sure, the Good Venture. She will bein port in the course of a couple of hours. I have just been roundto Doctor Harreng, and he will be here in half an hour with thelitter to take you over to the new house."

  Captain Martin gave an exclamation of deep thankfulness, and thenlay for some time with his eyes closed, and spoke but little untilthe arrival of the doctor and the men with the litter.

  "You must first of all drink this broth that has just been sent upfor you," the surgeon said, "and then take a spoonful of cordial.It will be a fatigue, you know, however well we manage it; and youmust be looking as bright and well as you can by the time your goodwife arrives, else she will have a very bad opinion of the doctorsof Enkhuizen."

  Captain Martin did as he was ordered. The men then carefully raisedthe mattress with him upon it, and placed it upon the litter.

  "I think we will cover you up altogether," the doctor said, "as wego along through the streets. The morning air is a good deal keenerthan the atmosphere of this room, and you won't want to look about."

  The litter was therefore completely covered with a blanket, andwas then lifted and taken carefully down the broad staircase andthrough the streets. The burgomaster's wife had herself gone onbefore to see that everything was comfortably prepared, and whenthe bed was laid down on the bedstead and the blanket turned backCaptain Martin saw a bright room with a fire burning on the hearth,and the burgomaster's wife and nurse beside him, while Ned and thedoctor were at the foot of the bed.

  "You have not suffered, I hope, in the moving, Captain Martin?"the burgomaster's wife asked.

  "Not at all," he said. "I felt somewhat faint at first, but themovement has been so easy that it soon passed off. I was glad myhead was covered, for I do not think that I could have stood thesight of the passing objects."

  "Now you must drink another spoonful of cordial," the doctor said,"and then lie quiet. I shall not let you see your wife when shearrives if your pulse is beating too rapidly. So far you have beengoing on fairly, and we must not have you thrown back."

  "I shall not be excited," Captain Martin replied. "Now that Iknow the vessel is in sight I am contented enough; but I have beenfearing lest the brig might fall in with a Spaniard as she camethrough the islands, and there would be small mercy for any on boardhad she been detected and captured. Now that I know she is comingto port safely, I can wait quietly enough. Now, Ned, you can beoff down to the port."

  The doctor went out with Ned and charged him strictly to impressupon his mother the necessity for self restraint and quiet whenshe saw her husband.

  "I am not over satisfied with his state," he said, "and much willdepend on this meeting. If it passes off well and he is none theworse for it tomorrow, I shall look to see him mend rapidly; butif, on the other hand, he is agitated and excited, fever may setin at once, and in that case, weak as he is, his state will be veryserious."

  "I understand, sir, and will impress it upon my mother; but I donot think you need fear for her. Whatever she feels she will, I amsure, carry out your instructions."

  Ned went down to the port. He found that the brig was but a quarterof a mile away. He could make out female figures on board, and knewthat, as he had rather expected would be the case, his mother hadbrought his sisters with her. Jumping into a boat he was rowed offto the vessel, and climbing the side was at once in his mother'sarms. Already he had answered the question that Peters had shoutedbefore he was halfway from the shore, and had replied that his fatherwas going on as well as could be expected. Thus when Ned leapt onboard his mother and the girls were in tears at the relief to theanxiety that had oppressed them during the voyage lest they shouldat its end find they had arrived too late.

  "And he is really better?" were Mrs. Martin's first words as shereleased Ned from her embrace.

  "I don't know that he is better, mother, but he is no worse. Heis terribly weak; but the doctor tells me that if no harm comes tohim from his agitation in meeting you, he expects to see him mendrapidly. He has been rather fretting about your safety, and I thinkthat the knowledge that you are at hand has already done him good.His voice was stronger when he spoke just before I started thanit has been for some days. Only, above all things, the doctor saysyou must restrain your feelings and be calm and quiet when you firstmeet him. And now, girls, how are you both?" he asked turning tothem. "Not very well, I suppose; for I know you have always shownyourselves bad sailors when you have come over with mother."

  "The sea has not been very rough," Janet said; "and except when wefirst got out to sea we have not been ill."

  "What are you going to do about the girls?" Mrs. Martin asked. "Ofcourse I must go where your father is, but I cannot presume uponthe kindness of strangers so far as to quarter the girls upon them."

  "That is all arranged, mother. Father agreed with me that it wouldnot be pleasant for any of you being with strangers, and I havetherefore taken a house; and he has just been moved there, so youwill have him all to yourself."

  "That is indeed good news," Mrs. Martin said. "However kind peopleare, one is never so comfortable as at home. One is afraid ofgiving trouble, and altogether it is different. I have heard allthe news, my boy. Master Peters tried his best to conceal it fromme, but I was sure by his manner that there was something wrong.It was better that I should know at once," she went on, wiping hereyes. "Terrible as it all is, I have scarce time to think aboutit now when my mind is taken up with your father's danger. And ithardly came upon me even as a surprise, for I have long felt thatsome evil must have befallen them or they would have assuredlymanaged to send me word of themselves before now."

  By this time the Good Venture had entered the port, and had drawnup close beside one of the wharves. As soon as the sails were loweredand the warps made fast, Peters directed three of the seamen tobring up the boxes from the cabin, and to follow him. Ned then ledthe way to the new house.

  "I will go up first, mother, and tell them that you have come."

  Mrs. Martin quietly removed her hat and cloak, followed Ned upstairs,and entered her husband's room with a calm and composed face.

  "Well, my dear husband," she said almost cheerfully, "I have cometo nurse you. You see when you get into trouble it is us women thatyou men fall back upon after all."

  The doctor, who had retired into the next room when he heard thatMrs. Martin had arrived, nodded his head with a satisfied air. "Shewill do," he said. "I have not much fear for m
y patient now."

  Ned, knowing that he would not be wanted upstairs for some time,went out with Peters after the baggage had been set down in thelower room.

  "So you had a fine voyage of it, Peters?"

  "We should have been better for a little more wind, both coming andgoing," the mate said; "but there was nothing much to complain of."

  "You could not have been long in the river then, Peters?"

  "We were six and thirty hours in port. We got in at the top of tideon Monday morning, and went down with the ebb on Tuesday evening.First, as in duty bound, I went to see our good dame and give heryour letter, and answer her questions. It was a hard business that,and I would as lief have gone before the queen herself to giveher an account of things as to have gone to your mother. Of courseI hoisted the flag as we passed up the river. I knew that some ofthem were sure to be on watch at Rotherhithe, and that they wouldrun in and tell her that the Good Venture was in port again. I hadrather hoped that our coming back so soon might lead her to thinkthat something was wrong, for she would have known that we couldscarce have gone to Amsterdam and discharged, loaded up again, andthen back here, especially as the wind had been light ever sinceshe sailed. And sure enough the thought had struck her; for whenI caught sight of the garden gate one of your sisters was there onthe lookout, and directly she saw me she ran away in. I hurried onas fast as I could go then, for I knew that Mistress Martin wouldbe sorely frightened when she heard that it was neither your fathernor you. As I got there your mother was standing at the door. Shewas just as white as death. 'Cheer up, mistress,' I said as cheeryas I could speak. 'I have bad news for you, but it might have beena deal worse. The captain's got a hurt, and Master Ned is stoppingto nurse him.'

  "She looked at me as if she would read me through. 'That's thetruth as I am a Christian man, mistress,' I said. 'It has been abad business, but it might have been a deal worse. The doctor saidthat he was doing well.' Then your mother gave a deep sigh, andI thought for a moment she was going to faint, and ran forward tocatch her; but she seemed to make an effort and straighten herselfup, just as I have seen the brig do when a heavy sea has floodedher decks and swept all before it.

  "'Thanks be to the good God that he is not taken from me,' shesaid. 'Now I can bear anything. Now, Peters, tell me all about it.'

  "'I ain't good at telling a story, Mistress Martin,' I said; 'buthere is Master Ned's letter. When you have read that maybe I cananswer questions as to matters of which he may not have written. Iwill stand off and on in the garden, ma'am, and then you can readit comfortable like indoors, and hail me when you have got to thebottom of it.' It was not many minutes before one of your sisterscalled me in. They had all been crying, and I felt more uncomfortablethan I did when those Spanish rascals gave us a broadside as I wentin, for I was afraid she would so rake me with questions that shewould get out of me that other sad business; and it could hardlybe expected that even the stoutest ship should weather two suchstorms, one after the other.

  "'I don't understand it all, Master Peters,' she said, 'for my songives no good reason why the Spaniards should thus have attacked anEnglish ship; but we can talk of that afterwards. All that mattersat present is, that my husband has been wounded and has lost hisleg, and lies in some danger; for although Ned clearly makes thebest of it, no man can suffer a hurt like that without great riskof life. He wishes me to go over at once. As to the girls, he saysI can take them with me or leave them with a friend here. But theywish, as is natural, greatly to go; and it were better for allreasons that they did so. Were they left here they would be inanxiety about their father's state, and as it may be long before hecan be moved I should not like to leave them in other charge thanmy own. When will you be ready to sail again?"

  "'I shall be ready by tomorrow evening's tide, Mistress Martin,' Isaid. 'I have cargo on board that I must discharge, and must havecarpenters and sailmakers on board to repair some of the damageswe suffered in this action. I do not think I can possibly be readyto drop down the river before high water tomorrow, which will beabout six o'clock. I will send a boat to the stairs here at halfpast five to take you and your trunks on board.'

  "'We shall be ready,' she said. 'As Ned says that my husband is wellcared for in the house of the burgomaster, and has every comfortand attention, there is nothing I need take over for him.' I saidthat I was sure he had all he could require, and that she need takeno trouble on that score; and then said that with her permissionI would go straight back on board again, seeing there was much todo, and that it all came on my shoulders just at present.

  "I had left the bosun in charge, and told him to get the hatchesoff and begin to get up the cargo as soon as he had stowed thesails and made all tidy; for I had not waited for that, but hadrowed ashore as soon as the anchor was dropped. So without goingback to the brig I crossed the river and landed by the steps atthe bridge, and took the letters to the merchants for whom I hadgoods, and prayed them to send off boats immediately, as it wasurgent for me to discharge as soon as possible; then I went to themerchants whose names you had given me, and who ship goods withus regularly, to tell them that the Venture was in port but wouldsail again tomorrow evening, and would take what cargo they couldget on board for Enkhuizen or any of the seaward ports, but notfor Amsterdam or other places still in the hands of the Spaniards.

  "Then I went to the lord mayor and swore an information beforehim to lay before the queen and the council that the Spaniards hadwantonly, and without offence given, attacked the Good Venture andinflicted much damage upon her, and badly wounded her captain; andwould have sunk her had we not stoutly defended ourselves and beatthem off. I was glad when all that was over, Master Ned; for, asyou know, I know nought about writing. My business is to sail theship under your father's orders; but as to talking with merchantswho press you with questions, and seem to think that you have noughtto do but to stand and gossip, this is not in my way, and I wishedsorely that you had been with me, and could have taken all thisbusiness into your hands.

  "Then I went down to the wharves, and soon got some carpenters atwork to mend the bulwarks and put some fresh planks on the deckwhere the shot had ploughed it up. Luckily enough I heard of a manwho had some sails that he had bought from the owners of a shipwhich was cast away down near the mouth of the river. They were alittle large for the Venture; but I made a bargain with him in yourfather's name, and got them on board and set half a dozen sailmakersto work upon them, and they were ready by the next afternoon. Theothers will do again when they have got some new cloths in, and afew patches; but if we had gone out with a dozen holes in them thefirst Spaniard who saw us, and who had heard of our fight with theDon Pedro, would have known us at once.

  "I was thankful, I can tell you, when I got on board again. Justas I did so some lighters came out, and we were hard at work tilldusk getting out the cargo. The next morning at daylight freshcargo began to come out to us, and things went on well, and wouldhave gone better had not people come on board pestering me withquestions about our fight with the Spaniards. And just at noon twoof the queen's officers came down and must needs have the wholestory from beginning to end; and they had brought a clerk withthem to write it down from my lips. They said we had done rightgallantly, and that no doubt I should be wanted the next day atthe royal council to answer other questions touching the affair.You may be sure I said no word about the fact that in six hours weshould be dropping down the river; for like enough if I had theywould have ordered me not to go, and as I should have gone whetherthey had or not--seeing that Captain Martin was looking for hiswife, and that the mistress was anxious to be off--it might haveled to trouble when I got back again.

  "By the afternoon we had got some thirty tons of goods on board,and although that is but a third of what she would carry, I was wellcontent that we had done so much. After the new sails had come onboard I had put a gang to work to bend them, and had all ready andthe anchor up just as the tide turned. We had not dropped down manyhundred yards when the boat with Mistress Martin a
nd your sisterscame alongside; and thankful I was when it came on dark and wewere slipping down the river with a light southwesterly wind, forI had been on thorns all the afternoon lest some messenger mightarrive from the council with orders for me to attend there. I didnot speak much to your mother that evening, for it needs all aman's attention to work down the river at night.

  "The next morning I had my breakfast brought up on deck insteadof going down, for, as you may guess, I did not want to have yourmother questioning me; but presently your sister came up with amessage to me that Mistress Martin would be glad to have a quarterof an hour's conversation with me as soon as duty would permit meto leave deck. So after awhile I braced myself up and went below,but I tell you that I would rather have gone into action again withthe Don Pedro. She began at once, without parley or courtesies, byfiring a broadside right into me.

  "'I don't think, Master Peters, that you have told me yet all thereis to be told.'

  "That took me between wind and water, you see. However, I made ashift to bear up.

  "'Well, Mistress Martin,' says I, 'I don't say as I have given youall particulars. I don't know as I mentioned to you as Joe Wigginswas struck down by a splinter from the longboat and was dazed forfull two hours, but he came round again all right, and was fit forduty next day.'

  "Mrs. Martin heard me quietly, and then she said:

  "'That will not do, John Peters; you know well what I mean. Youneed not fear to tell me the news; I have long been fearing it.My husband is not one to talk loosely in the streets and to bringupon himself the anger of the Spaniards. He must have had goodcause before he said words that spoken there would place his lifein peril. What has happened at Vordwyk?"

  "Well, Master Ned, I stood there as one struck stupid. What was thereto say? I am a truthful man, but I would have told a lie if I hadthought it would have been any good. But there she was, lookingquietly at me, and I knew as she would see in a moment whetherI was speaking truth or not. She waited quiet ever so long and atlast I said:

  "'The matter is in this wise, Mistress Martin. My orders was I wasto hold my tongue about all business not touching the captain orthe affairs of this ship. When you sees the captain it's for youto ask him questions, and for him to answer if he sees right andgood to do so.'

  "She put her hand over her face and sat quiet for some time, andwhen she looked up again her eyes were full of tears and her cheekswet; then she said in a low tone:

  "'All, Peters,--are they all gone?'

  "Well, Master Ned, I was swabbing my own eyes; for it ain't in aman's nature to see a woman suffering like that, and so quiet andbrave, without feeling somehow as if all the manliness had gone outof him. I could not say nothing. What could I say, knowing what thetruth was? Then she burst out a-crying and a-sobbing, and I stealsoff without a word, and goes on deck and sets the men a-hauling atthe sheets and trimming the sails, till I know there was not oneof them but cussed me in his heart and wished that the captain wasback again.

  "Mistress Martin did not say no word about it afterwards. She cameup on deck a few times, and asked me more about the captain, andhow he looked, and what he was doing when he got his wound. Andof course I told her all about it, full and particular, and how hehad made every one else lie down, and stood there at the tiller aswe went under the stern of the Spaniard, and that none of us knewhe was hit until it was all over; and how we had peppered them withour four carronades, and all about it. But mostly she stopped downbelow till we hauled our wind and headed up the Zuider Zee towardsEnkhuizen."

  "Well, now it is all over, Peters," Ned said, "there is no doubtthat it is better she should have heard the news from you insteadof my father having to tell her."

  "I don't deny that that may be so, Master Ned, now that it is allover and done; but never again will John Peters undertake a jobwhere he is got to keep his mouth shut when a woman wants to getsomething out of him. Lor' bless you, lad, they just see rightthrough you; and you feel that, twist and turn as you will, theywill get it out of you sooner or later. There, I started withmy mind quite made up that orders was to be obeyed, and that yourmother was to be kept in the dark about it till she got here; andI had considered with myself that in such a case as this it wouldbe no great weight upon my conscience if I had to make up some kindof a yarn that would satisfy her; and yet in three minutes aftershe got me into that cabin she was at the bottom of it all."

  "You see, she has been already very uneasy at not hearing for solong from her father and brothers, Peters; and that and the factthat my father had spoken openly against the Spanish authoritiesset her upon the track, and enabled her to put the questionsstraightforwardly to you."

  "I suppose that was it, sir. And now, has the captain said anythingabout what is going to be done with the ship till he gets well?"

  "Nothing whatever, Peters. He has spoken very little upon anysubject. I know he has been extremely anxious for my mother toarrive, though he has said but little about it. I fancy that forthe last few days he has not thought that he should recover. But thedoctor told me I must not be uneasy upon that ground, for that hewas now extremely weak, and men, even the bravest and most resolutewhen in health, are apt to take a gloomy view when utterly weak andprostrate. His opinion was that my mother's coming would probablycheer him up and enable him to rally.

  "I think, too, that he has been dreading having to tell her theterrible news about her father and brothers; and now he knows thatshe is aware of that it will be a load off his mind. Besides, Iknow that for his sake she will be cheerful and bright, and withher and the girls with him, he will feel as if at home. The doctortold me that the mind has a great influence over the body, andthat a man with cheerful surroundings had five chances to one asagainst one amongst strangers, and with no one to brighten him up.I have no doubt that as soon as he gets a little stronger he willarrange what is to be done with the brig, but I am sure it will bea long time before he can take the command again himself."

  "Ay, I fear it will be," Peters agreed. "It is a pity you are notfour or five years older, Master Ned. I do not say that I couldn'tbring the ship into any port in Holland; for, having been sailingbackwards and forwards here, man and boy, for over thirty years, Icould do so pretty nigh blindfold. But what is the good of bringinga ship to a port if you have not got the head to see about gettinga cargo for her, and cannot read the bills of lading, or as muchas sign your name to a customs list.

  "No, Master Ned, I am not fit for a captain, that is quite certain.But though I would not mind serving under another till your fatheris fit to take charge again, I could not work on board the Ventureunder another for good. I have got a little money saved up, andwould rather buy a share in a small coaster and be my own masterthere. After serving under your father for nigh twenty years, Iknow I should not get on with another skipper nohow."

  "Well, Peters, it is no use talking it over now, because I haveno idea what my father's decision will be. I hope above all thingsthat he will be able to take command again, but I have great doubtsin my own mind whether he will ever do so. If he had lost the legbelow the knee it would not so much have mattered; but as it is,with the whole leg stiff, he would have great difficulty in gettingabout, especially if the ship was rolling in a heavy sea."

  John Peters shook his head gravely, for this was the very thinghe had turned in his mind over and over again during the voyage toand from England.

  "Your cargo is not all for this place, I suppose, Peters?"

  "No, sir. Only two or three tons which are down in the foreholdtogether are for Enkhuizen, the rest are for Leyden and the Hague.I told the merchants that if they put their goods on board I mustsail past the ports and make straight on to Enkhuizen; for thatfirst of all I must bring Mistress Martin to the captain, but thatI would go round and discharge their goods as soon as I had broughther here. It was only on these terms I agreed to take the cargo."

  "That will do very well, Peters. I will go on board with you atonce, and see to whom your goods are consigned here, and warn themto r
eceive them at once. You will get them on shore by tonight,and then tomorrow I will sail with you to Leyden and the Hague,and aid you in getting your cargo into the right hands there. Nowthat my mother and the girls are here my father will be able tospare me. We can be back here again in four or five days, and bythat time I hope he will be so far recovered as to be able to thinkmatters over, and come to some decision as to the future managementof the brig. Of course if he wishes me to stay on board her I shallobey his orders, whether you or another are the captain."

  "Why, of course, you will remain on board, Master Ned. What elseshould you do?"

  "Well, Peters, my own mind is set upon joining the Prince ofOrange, and fighting against the Spaniards. Before I sailed fromhome I told my sisters that was what I was longing to do, for Icould scarce sleep for thinking of all the cruelties and massacresthat they carried out upon the people of the Netherlands, who are,by my mother's side, my kinsfolk. Since then I have scarce thoughtof aught else. They have murdered my grandfather and uncles and oneof my aunts; they have shot away my father's leg, and would havetaken his life had he not escaped out of their hands; so that whatwas before a longing is now a fixed idea, and if my father willbut give me permission, assuredly I will carry it out.

  "There are many English volunteers who have already crossed thesea to fight against these murderers, although unconnected by tiesof blood as I am, and who have been brought here to fight solelyfrom pity and horror, and because, as all know, Spain is the enemyof England as well as of the Netherlands, and would put down ourfreedom and abolish our religion as she has done here. I know thatmy wishes, in this as in all other matters, must give way to thoseof my father. Still I hope he may be moved to consent to them."

  Ned thought it better to allow his father and mother to remainquietly together for some time, and did not therefore return tothe house until twelve o'clock, when he knew that dinner would beprepared; for his mother was so methodical in her ways that everythingwould go on just as at home directly she took charge of the affairsof the house. He went up for a few minutes before dinner, and wasstruck with the change in the expression of his father's face.There was a peaceful and contented look in his eyes, and it almostseemed to Ned that his face was less hollow and drawn than before.Ned told him that it would be necessary for the brig to go round toLeyden and the Hague, and that Peters had proposed that he shouldgo with him to see the merchants, and arrange the business partsof the affair.

  "That will do very well," Captain Martin said. "You are young,Ned, to begin having dealings with the Dutch merchants, but whenyou tell them how it comes that I am not able to call upon themmyself, they will doubtless excuse your youth."

  "Do you wish us to take any cargo there, father, if we can getany?"

  Captain Martin did not answer for some little time, then he said:

  "No, Ned, I think you had best return here in the ship. By that timeI shall, I hope, be capable of thinking matters over, and decidingupon my arrangements for the future. When is Peters thinking ofsailing?"

  "By tomorrow morning's tide, sir. He said that he could be readyperhaps by this evening; but that unless you wished it otherwisehe would not start till tomorrow's tide, as he will thereby avoidgoing out between the islands at night."

  "That will be the best way, Ned. If the winds are fair he will beat the Hague before nightfall."

  The day after his return Ned took an opportunity of speaking to hismother as to his wish to take service with the Prince of Orange,and to aid in the efforts that the people of the Netherlands weremaking to free themselves from their persecutors. His mother, ashe feared would be the case, expressed a strong opposition to hisplan.

  "You are altogether too young, Ned, even if it were a matter thatconcerned you."

  "It does concern me, mother. Are you not Dutch? And though I wasborn in England and a subject of the queen, it is natural I shouldfeel warmly in the matter; besides we know that many English arealready coming over here to help. Have not the Spanish killed myrelations, and unless they are driven back they will altogetherexterminate the Protestants of the Netherlands? Have they notalready been doomed to death regardless of age and sex by Philip'sproclamation? and do not the Spaniards whenever they capture a townslay well nigh all within it?"

  "That is all true enough," his mother agreed; "but proves in noway that you are a fit age to meddle in the affair."

  "I am sixteen, mother; and a boy of sixteen who has been years atsea is as strong as one of eighteen brought up on land. You havetold me yourself that I look two or three years older than I am,and methinks I have strength to handle pike and axe."

  "That may be perfectly true," said Mrs. Martin, "but even supposingall other things were fitting, how could we spare you now whenyour father will be months before he can follow his trade on thesea again, even if he is ever able to do so?"

  "That is the thing, mother, that weighs with me. I know not what myfather's wishes may be in that respect, and of course if he holdsthat I can be of use to him I must give up my plan; but I want youat any rate to mention it to him. And I pray you not to add yourobjections, but to let him decide on the matter according to hiswill."

  "There will be no occasion for me to add objections, Ned. I do notthink your father will listen to such a mad scheme for a moment."

  It was not until three or four days later that Mrs. Martin, seeingthat her husband was stronger and better, and was taking an interestin what passed in the house, fulfilled her promise to Ned by tellinghis father of his wishes.

  "You must not be angry with him," she said when she had finished;"for he spoke beautifully, and expressed himself as perfectly willingto yield his wishes to yours in the matter. I told him, of course,that it was a mad brained scheme, and not to be thought of. Still,as he was urgent I should lay it before you, I promised to do so."

  Captain Martin did not, as his wife expected, instantly declarethat such a plan was not to be thought of even for a moment, butlay for some time apparently turning it over in his mind.

  "I know not quite what to say," he said at length.

  "Not know what to say?" his wife repeated in surprise. "Why, husband,you surely cannot for a moment think of allowing Ned to embark inso wild a business."

  "There are many English volunteers coming over; some of them notmuch older, and not so fit in bodily strength for the work as Ned.He has, too, the advantage of speaking the language, and can passanywhere as a native. You are surprised, Sophie, at my thinking ofthis for a moment."

  "But what would you do without him?" she exclaimed in astonishment.

  "That is what I have been thinking as I lay here. I have beentroubled what to do with Ned. He is too young yet to entrust withall the business of the ship, and the merchants here and at homewould hesitate in doing business with a lad. Moreover, he is tooyoung to be first mate on board the brig. Peters is a worthy man anda good sailor, but he can neither read nor write and knows noughtof business; and, therefore, until I am able, if I ever shall be,to return to the Good Venture, I must have a good seaman as firstmate, and a supercargo to manage the business affairs of theship. Were Ned four years older he could be at once first mate andsupercargo. There, you see your objection that I need him falls tothe ground. As to other reasons I will think them over, and speakto you another time."