The Pirate
it--And, now I think upon't, you shall have your last interview, for
it's out of my line to prevent a parting scene; and what signifies a
tide--we can sail by to-morrow's ebb as well as by this."
Cleveland sighed, for Norna's prediction rushed on his mind; but the
opportunity of a last meeting with Minna was too tempting to be
resigned either for presentiment or prediction.
"I will go presently ashore to the place where they all are," said
Bunce; "and the payment of these stores shall serve me for a pretext;
and I will carry any letters or message from you to Minna with the
dexterity of a valet de chambre."
"But they have armed men--you may be in danger," said Cleveland.
"Not a whit--not a whit," replied Bunce. "I protected the wenches when
they were in my power; I warrant their father will neither wrong me, nor
see me wronged."
"You say true," said Cleveland, "it is not in his nature. I will
instantly write a note to Minna." And he ran down to the cabin for that
purpose, where he wasted much paper, ere, with a trembling hand, and
throbbing heart, he achieved such a letter as he hoped might prevail on
Minna to permit him a farewell meeting on the succeeding morning.
His adherent, Bunce, in the meanwhile, sought out Fletcher, of whose
support to second any motion whatever, he accounted himself perfectly
sure; and, followed by this trusty satellite, he intruded himself on the
awful presence of Hawkins the boatswain, and Derrick the quarter-master,
who were regaling themselves with a can of rumbo, after the fatiguing
duty of the day.
"Here comes he can tell us," said Derrick.--"So, Master Lieutenant, for
so we must call you now, I think, let us have a peep into your
counsels--When will the anchor be a-trip?"
"When it pleases heaven, Master Quarter-master," answered Bunce, "for I
know no more than the stern-post."
"Why, d----n my buttons," said Derrick, "do we not weigh this tide?"
"Or to-morrow's tide, at farthest?" said the Boatswain--"Why, what have
we been slaving the whole company for, to get all these stores aboard?"
"Gentlemen," said Bunce, "you are to know that Cupid has laid our
Captain on board, carried the vessel, and nailed down his wits under
hatches."
"What sort of play-stuff is all this?" said the Boatswain, gruffly. "If
you have any thing to tell us, say it in a word, like a man."
"Howsomdever," said Fletcher, "I always think Jack Bunce speaks like a
man, and acts like a man too--and so, d'ye see"----
"Hold your peace, dear Dick, best of bullybacks, be silent," said
Bunce--"Gentlemen, in one word, the Captain is in love."
"Why, now, only think of that!" said the Boatswain; "not but that I have
been in love as often as any man, when the ship was laid up."
"Well, but," continued Bunce, "Captain Cleveland is in love--Yes--Prince
Volscius is in love; and, though that's the cue for laughing on the
stage, it is no laughing matter here. He expects to meet the girl
to-morrow, for the last time; and that, we all know, leads to another
meeting, and another, and so on till the Halcyon is down on us, and then
we may look for more kicks than halfpence."
"By --," said the Boatswain, with a sounding oath, "we'll have a mutiny,
and not allow him to go ashore,--eh, Derrick?"
"And the best way, too," said Derrick.
"What d'ye think of it, Jack Bunce?" said Fletcher, in whose ears this
counsel sounded very sagely, but who still bent a wistful look upon his
companion.
"Why, look ye, gentlemen," said Bunce, "I will mutiny none, and stap my
vitals if any of you shall!"
"Why, then I won't, for one," said Fletcher; "but what are we to do,
since howsomdever"----
"Stopper your jaw, Dick, will you?" said Bunce.--"Now, Boatswain, I am
partly of your mind, that the Captain must be brought to reason by a
little wholesome force. But you all know he has the spirit of a lion,
and will do nothing unless he is allowed to hold on his own course.
Well, I'll go ashore and make this appointment. The girl comes to the
rendezvous in the morning, and the Captain goes ashore--we take a good
boat's crew with us, to row against tide and current, and we will be
ready at the signal, to jump ashore and bring off the Captain and the
girl, whether they will or no. The pet-child will not quarrel with us,
since we bring off his whirligig along with him; and if he is still
fractious, why, we will weigh anchor without his orders, and let him
come to his senses at leisure, and know his friends another time."
"Why, this has a face with it, Master Derrick," said Hawkins.
"Jack Bunce is always right," said Fletcher; "howsomdever, the Captain
will shoot some of us, that is certain."
"Hold your jaw, Dick," said Bunce; "pray, who the devil cares, do you
think, whether you are shot or hanged?"
"Why, it don't much argufy for the matter of that," replied Dick;
"howsomdever"----
"Be quiet, I tell you," said his inexorable patron, "and hear me
out.--We will take him at unawares, so that he shall neither have time
to use cutlass nor pops; and I myself, for the dear love I bear him,
will be the first to lay him on his back. There is a nice tight-going
bit of a pinnace, that is a consort of this chase of the Captain's,--if
I have an opportunity, I'll snap her up on my own account."
"Yes, yes," said Derrick, "let you alone for keeping on the look-out for
your own comforts."
"Faith, nay," said Bunce, "I only snatch at them when they come fairly
in my way, or are purchased by dint of my own wit; and none of you could
have fallen on such a plan as this. We shall have the Captain with us,
head, hand, and heart and all, besides making a scene fit to finish a
comedy. So I will go ashore to make the appointment, and do you possess
some of the gentlemen who are still sober, and fit to be trusted, with
the knowledge of our intentions."
Bunce, with his friend Fletcher, departed accordingly, and the two
veteran pirates remained looking at each other in silence, until the
Boatswain spoke at last. "Blow me, Derrick, if I like these two
daffadandilly young fellows; they are not the true breed. Why, they are
no more like the rovers I have known, than this sloop is to a
first-rate. Why, there was old Sharpe that read prayers to his ship's
company every Sunday, what would he have said to have heard it proposed
to bring two wenches on board?"
"And what would tough old Black Beard have said," answered his
companion, "if they had expected to keep them to themselves? They
deserve to be made to walk the plank for their impudence; or to be tied
back to back and set a-diving, and I care not how soon."
"Ay, but who is to command the ship, then?" said Hawkins.
"Why, what ails you at old Goffe?" answered Derrick.
"Why, he has sucked the monkey so long and so often," said the
Boatswain, "that the best of him is buffed. He is little better than an
old woman when he is sober, and he is roaring mad when he is drunk--we
have had enough of Goffe."
"Why, then, what d'ye say to yourself, or to me, Boatswain?" demanded
the Quarter-master. "I am content to toss up for it."
"Rot it, no," answered the Boatswain, after a moment's consideration;
"if we were within reach of the trade-winds, we might either of us make
a shift; but it will take all Cleveland's navigation to get us there;
and so, I think, there is nothing like Bunce's project for the present.
Hark, he calls for the boat--I must go on deck and have her lowered for
his honour, d----n his eyes."
The boat was lowered accordingly, made its voyage up the lake with
safety, and landed Bunce within a few hundred yards of the old
mansion-house of Stennis. Upon arriving in front of the house, he found
that hasty measures had been taken to put it in a state of defence, the
lower windows being barricaded, with places left for use of musketry,
and a ship-gun being placed so as to command the entrance, which was
besides guarded by two sentinels. Bunce demanded admission at the gate,
which was briefly and unceremoniously refused, with an exhortation to
him, at the same time, to be gone about his business before worse came
of it. As he continued, however, importunately to insist on seeing some
one of the family, and stated his business to be of the most urgent
nature, Claud Halcro at length appeared, and, with more peevishness than
belonged to his usual manner, that admirer of glorious John expostulated
with his old acquaintance upon his pertinacious folly.
"You are," he said, "like foolish moths fluttering about a candle, which
is sure at last to consume you."
"And you," said Bunce, "are a set of stingless drones, whom we can smoke
out of your defences at our pleasure, with half-a-dozen of
hand-grenades."
"Smoke a fool's head!" said Halcro; "take my advice, and mind your own
matters, or there will be those upon you will smoke you to purpose.
Either begone, or tell me in two words what you want; for you are like
to receive no welcome here save from a blunderbuss. We are men enough of
ourselves; and here is young Mordaunt Mertoun come from Hoy, whom your
Captain so nearly murdered."
"Tush, man," said Bunce, "he did but let out a little malapert blood."
"We want no such phlebotomy here," said Claud Halcro; "and, besides,
your patient turns out to be nearer allied to us than either you or we
thought of; so you may think how little welcome the Captain or any of
his crew are like to be here."
"Well; but what if I bring money for the stores sent on board?"
"Keep it till it is asked of you," said Halcro. "There are two bad
paymasters--he that pays too soon, and he that does not pay at all."
"Well, then, let me at least give our thanks to the donor," said Bunce.
"Keep them, too, till they are asked for," answered the poet.
"So this is all the welcome I have of you for old acquaintance' sake?"
said Bunce.
"Why, what can I do for you, Master Altamont?" said Halcro, somewhat
moved.--"If young Mordaunt had had his own will, he would have welcomed
you with 'the red Burgundy, Number a thousand.' For God's sake begone,
else the stage direction will be, Enter guard, and seize Altamont."
"I will not give you the trouble," said Bunce, "but will make my exit
instantly.--Stay a moment--I had almost forgot that I have a slip of
paper for the tallest of your girls there--Minna, ay, Minna is her name.
It is a farewell from Captain Cleveland--you cannot refuse to give it
her?"
"Ah, poor fellow!" said Halcro--"I comprehend--I comprehend--Farewell,
fair Armida--
''Mid pikes and 'mid bullets, 'mid tempests and fire,
The danger is less than in hopeless desire!'
Tell me but this--is there poetry in it?"
"Chokeful to the seal, with song, sonnet, and elegy," answered Bunce;
"but let her have it cautiously and secretly."
"Tush, man!--teach me to deliver a billet-doux!--me, who have been in
the Wits' Coffee-house, and have seen all the toasts of the Kit-Cat
Club!--Minna shall have it, then, for old acquaintance' sake, Mr.
Altamont, and for your Captain's sake, too, who has less of the core of
devil about him than his trade requires. There can be no harm in a
farewell letter."
"Farewell, then, old boy, for ever and a day!" said Bunce; and seizing
the poet's hand, gave it so hearty a gripe, that he left him roaring,
and shaking his fist, like a dog when a hot cinder has fallen on his
foot.
Leaving the rover to return on board the vessel, we remain with the
family of Magnus Troil, assembled at their kinsman's mansion of Stennis,
where they maintained a constant and careful watch against surprise.
Mordaunt Mertoun had been received with much kindness by Magnus Troil,
when he came to his assistance, with a small party of Norna's
dependants, placed by her under his command. The Udaller was easily