Illustrated Article. See page 437. take into the heavy tale the misery which my poor mother and friends must THE CHASE OF THE SMUGGLER. "Who will tell this to thee, Mary?" suffer, when they came to know it, and THE crib in which I was confined was as dark as pitch, and, as I soon found, as hot as the black hole in Calcutta. I don't pretend to be braver than my neighbours, but I would pluck any man by the beard who called me coward. In my small way I had in my time faced death in various shapes; but it had always been above board, with the open heaven overhead, and generally I had a goodly fellowship in danger, and the eyes of others were upon me. No wonder, then, that the sinking of the heart within me, which I now experienced for the first time, was bitter exceedingly, and grievous to be borne. Cooped up in a small suffocating cabin, scarcely eight feet square, and not above four feet high, with the certainty of being murdered, as I conceived, were I to try to force my way on deck; and the knowledge that all my earthly prospects, all my dreams of promotion, were likely to be blasted, and for ever ruined by my sudden spiriting away, not to VOL. IX. rose to my throat, but could get no farther for a cursed bump that was like to throttle me. Why should I blush to own it-when the gipsy, after all, jinked an old rich goutified coffee-planter at the eleventh hour, and married me, and is now the mother of half a dozen little Cringles or so? However, I made a strong effort to bear my misfortunes like a man, and, folding my arms, I sat down on a chest to abide my fate, whatever that might be, with as much composure as I could command, when half a dozen cockroaches flew flicker flicker against my face. For the information of those who have never seen this delicious insect, I take leave to mention here, that, when full grown, it is a large dingy browncoloured beetle, about two inches long, with six legs, and two feelers as long as its body. It has a strong antihysterical flavour, something between rotten cheese and assafoetida, and seldom stirs abroad when the sun is up, but lies concealed in the most obscure and obscene 250 crevices it can creep into; so that, when it is seen, its wings and body are thickly covered with dust and dirt of various shades, which any culprit who chances to fall asleep with his mouth open is sure to reap the benefit of, as it has a great propensity to walk into it, partly for the sake of the crumbs adhering to the masticators, and also, apparently, with a scientific desire to inspect, by accurate admeasurement with the aforesaid antennæ, the state and condition of the whole potato trap. At the same time I felt something gnawing the toe of my boot, which I inferred to be a rat-another agreeable customer for which I had a special abhorrence; but, as for beetles of all kinds, from my boyhood up, they had been an abomination unto me, and a cockroach is the most abominable of all beetles; so between the two I was speedily roused from my state of supine, or rather dogged endurance; and, forgetting the geography of my position, I sprung to my feet, whereby I nearly fractured my skull against the low deck above. I first tried the skylight; it was battened down-then the companion hatch, it was locked — but the ladder leading up to it, being cooler than the noisome vapour bath I had left, I remained standing in it, trying to catch a mouthful of fresh air through the joints of the door. All this while we had been slipping along shore with the land wind abeam of us, at the rate of five or six knots, but so gently and silently, that I could distinctly hear the roar of the surf, as the long smooth swell broke on the beach, which, from the loudness of the noise, could not be above a mile to windward of us. I perceived at the same time that the schooner, although going free, did not keep away as she might have done, so that it was evident he did not intend to beat up, so as to fetch the Crooked Island passage, which would have been his course, had he been bound for the States; but was standing over to the Cuba shore, at that tice swarming with pirates. It was now good daylight, and the Terral gradually died away, and left us rolling gunwale under, as we rose and fell on the long seas, with our sails flapping, bulkheads creaking and screaming, and main-boom jig-jigging, as if it would have torn every thing to pieces. I could hear my friend Obed walking the deck, and whistling manfully for the sea breeze, and exclaiming from time to time in his barbarous lingo, "Souffle, souffle, San Antonio." But the saint had no bowels, and there we lay roasting until near ten o'clock in the forenoon. During all this period, Obed, who was short-sighted, as I learned afterwards, kept desiring his right arm, Paul Brandywine, to keep a bright look-out for the sea-breeze to windward, or rather to the eastward, for there was no wind-because he knowed it oftentimes tumbled down right sudden and dangerous at this season about the corner of the island hereabouts; and the pride of the morning often brought a shower with it, fit to level a maize plat smooth as his hand.”—“No black clouds to windward yet, Paul?" Paul could see nothing, and the question was repeated three or four times. "There is a small black cloud about the size of my hand to windward, sir, right in the wake of the sun, just now, but it won't come to any thing; I sees no signs of any wind." "And Elijah said to his servant, Go up now, and look toward the sea, and he went up and looked, and said there is nothing; and he said go again seven times, and it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." I knew what this foreboded, which, as I thought, was more than friend Obed did; for he shortened no sail, and kept all his kites abroad, for no use as it struck me, unless he wished to wear them out by flapping against the masts. He was indeed a strange mixture of skill and carelessness; but, when fairly stirred up, one of the most daring and expert, and self-possessed seamen I had ever seen, as I very soon had an ugly opportunity of ascertaining. The cloud on the horizon continued to rise rapidly, spreading over the whole eastern sky, and the morning began to lower very ominously; but there was no sudden squall, the first of the breeze coming down as usual in cat's paws, and freshening gradually; nor did I expect there would be, although I was certain it would soon blow a merry capful of wind, which might take in some of the schooner's small sails, and pretty considerably bother us, unless we could better our offing speedily, for it blew right on shore, which, by the setting in of the sea breeze, was now close under our lee. At length the sniffler reached us, and the sharp little vessel began to speak, as the rushing sound through the water is called; while the wind sang like an Eolian harp through the THE OLIO. taught weather rigging. Presently I heard the word given to take in the two gaff topsails and flying jib, which was scarcely done, when the moaning sound roughened into a roar, and the little vessel began to yerk at the head seas, as if she would have cut through them, in place of rising to them, and to tie over, as if Davy Jones himself had clapperclawed the mast heads, and was in the act of using them as levers to capsize her, while the sails were tugging at her, as if they would have torn the spars out of ber, so that I expected every moment, either that she would torn over, keel up, or that the masts would snap short off by the deck. All this, which I would without the smallest feeling of dread, on the contrary with exhilaration, have faced cheerily on deck in the course of duty, proved at the time, under my circumstances, most alarming and painful to me; a fair strae death out of the main top, or off the weather-yard arm, would to my imagination have been an easy exit comparatively, but to be choked in this abominable hole, and drowned darkling like a blind puppy -the very thought made me frantic, and I shouted and tumbled about, until I missed my footing and fell backwards down the ladder, from the bottom of which I scuttled away to the lee-side of the cabin, quiet, through absolute despair and exhaustion from the heat and closeness. I had remarked that from the time the breeze freshened, the everlasting Yankee drawling of the crew, and the endless confabulation of the captain and his mate, had entirely ceased, and nothing was now heard on deck but the angry voice of the raging elements, and at intervals a shrill piercing word or two from Obed, in the altered tone of which I had some difficulty in recognising his pipe, which rose clear and distinct above the roar of the sea and wind, and was always answered by a prompt, sharp, "aye, aye, sir," from the men. There was no circumlocution, nor calculating, nor guessing now, but all hands seemed to be doing their duty energetically and well. "Come, the vagabonds are sailors after all, we shan't be swamped this turn;" and I resumed my place on the companion ladder, with more ease of mind, and a vast deal more composure, than when I was pitched from it when the squall came on. moment after, I could hear the captain sing out, loud even above the howling of the wind and rushing of the water, put your "There it comes at last "Pretty near it; rather close shaving that same, captain," quoth Paul, with a congratulatory chuckle; "but ĺ say, sir, what is that wreath of smoke rising from Annotta Bay over the headland?" "Why, how should I know, Paul? Negroes burning brush, I guess." "The smoke from brushwood never rose and flew over the bluff with that swirl, I calculate; it is a gun or I mistake." And he stepped to the companion for the purpose, as I conceived, of taking out the spy-glass, which usually hangs there in brackets fitted to hold it; he undid the hatch, and pushed it back, when I popped my head out, to the no small dismay of the mate; but Obed was up to me, and while with one hand he seized the glass, he ran the sliding top sharp up against my neck, till he pinned me into a kind of pillory, to my great annoyance; so I had to beg to be released, and once more slunk back into my hole. There was a long pause; at length, Paul, to whom the skipper had handed the spy-glass, spoke. "A schooner, sir, is rounding the point." As I afterwards learned, the Negroes who had witnessed my capture, especially the old man who had taken me for his infernal majesty, had raised the alarm, so soon as they could venture down to the overseer's house, which was on the sinuggling boat shoving off, and Mr. Fyall immediately dispatched In a an express to the Lieutenant commanding the Gleam, then lying in Annotta Bay, about ten miles distant, when she instantly slipped and shoved out. "Well, I can't help it if there be,” in finding a bottle of very tolerable rejoined the captain. Another pause. "Why, I don't like her, sir; she looks like a man-of-war-and that must have been the smoke of the gun she fired on weighing." "Eh?" sharply answered Obed, "if it be, it will be a hanging matter if we are caught with this young splice on board; he may belong to her for what I know. Look again, Paul." A long, long look. "A man-of-war schooner, sure enough, sir; I can see her ensign and pennant, now that she is clear of the land." "Oh Lord, oh Lord," cried Obed, in great perplexity," what shall we do?" "Why, pull foot, captain," promptly replied Paul; "the breeze has lulled, and in light winds she will have no chance with the tidy little Wave." I could now perceive that the smugglers made all sail, and I heard the frequent swish-swish of the water, as they threw bucketsful on the sails, to thicken them and make them hold more wind, while we edged away, keeping as close to the wind, however, as we could, without stopping her way. 66 Starboard," quoth Obed-"rap full, Jem-let her walk through it, my boy-there, main and fore-sail, flat as boards; why, she will stand the maingaff-topsail yet set it, Paul, set it;" and his heart warmed as he gained confidence in the qualifications of his vessel. "Come, weather me, now, see how she trips it along-poo, I was an ass to quail, wan't I, Paul?" No chance, now, thought 1, as I descended once more; I may as well go and be suffocated at once." I knocked my foot against something, in stepping off the ladder, which, on putting down my hand, I found to be a tinder-box, with steel and flint. I had formerly ascertained there was a candle in the cabin, on the small table, stuck into a bottle; so I immediately struck a light, and as I knew that meekness and solicitation, having been tried in vain, would not serve me, I determined to go on the other tack, and to see how far an assumption of coolness and self-possession, or, it might be, a dash of bravado, whether true or feigned, might not at least ensure me some consideration and better treatment from the lawless gang into whose hands I had fallen. So I set to and ransacked the lockers, where, amongst a vast variety of miscellaneous matters, I was not long rum, some salt junk, some biscuit, and a goglet or porous earthern jar of water, with some capital cigars. By this time I was like to faint with the heat and smell; so I filled a tumbler with good half and half, and swigged it off. The effect was speedy, I thought I could eat a bit; so I attacked the salt jank and made a hearty meal, after which I replenished my tumbler, lighted a cigar, pulled off my coat and waistcoat, and, with a sort of desperate glee, struck up at the top of my pipe, "Ye Mariners of England." My joviality was soon noticed on deck. "Eh, what be that?" quoth Obed, "that be none of our ditties, I guess? who is singing below there?" "We be all on deck, sir," responded Paul. "It can't be the spy, eh?sore enough it must be he, and no one else; the heat and choke must have made him mad.” "We shall soon see," said Paul, as he removed the skylight, and looked down into the cabin. Obed looked over his shoulder, peering at me with his little short-sighted pig's eyes, into which, in my pot valiancy, I immediately chucked half a tumbler of very strong grog, and under cover of it attempted to bolt through the scuttle, and thereby gain the deck; but Paul, with his shoulder of mutton fist, gave me a very unceremonious rebuff, and down I dropped again. "You makes yourself at home, I sees, and be hanged to you," said Obed, laying the emphasis on the last word, pronouncing it" yoo-oo" in two syllables. "I do, indeed, and be damned to you-oo," I replied; " and why should I not? the visit was not volunteered, you know; so come down, you longlegged Yankee smuggling scoundrel, or I'll blow your bloody buccaneering craft out of the water like the peel of an onion. You see I have got the magazine scuttle up, and there are the barrels of powder, and here is the candle, so” Obed laughed like the beginning of the bray of the jackass before he swings off into his "heehaw, heehaw”"Smash my eyes, man, but them barrels be full of pimento, all but that one with the red mark, and that be crackers fresh and sharp from the Brandywine mills." "Well, well, gunpowder, or pimen to, I'll set fire to it if you don't be civil." "Why, I will be civil; you are a curious chap, a brave slip, to carry it so, with no friend near; so, civil I will be." He unlocked the companion hatch and came down to the cabin, doubling his long limbs up like foot rules, to suit the low roof. "Free and easy, my man," continued the captain, as he entered. 66 Well, I forgive you-we are quits now-and if we were not beyond the Island Craft, I would put you ashore, but I can't stand back now." "Why, may I ask?" "Simply, because one of your men of war schooners an't more than hull down astarn of me at this moment; she is working up in shore, and has not chased me as yet; indeed she may save herself the trouble, for ne'er a schooner in your blasted service has any chance with the tidy little Wave." I was by no means so sure of this. "Well, Master Obediah, it may turn up as you say, and in a light wind, I know you will either sail or sweep away from any one of them; but, to be on the square with you, if it comes on to blow, that same hooker, which I take to be his Britannic Majesty's schooner, Gleam, will, from his greater beam, and superior length, outcarry and forereach on you, aye, and weather on you too, hand over hand; so this is my compact-if he nails you, you will require a friend at Court, and I will stand that friend; if you escape-and I will not interfere either by advice or other wise, either to get you taken or to get you clear-will you promise to put me on board the first English merchant vessel we fall in with, or, at the longest, to land me at St. Jago de Cuba, and I will promise you, on my honour, notwithstanding all that has been said or done, that I will never hereafter inform against you, or in any way get you into trouble, if I can help it. Is it done? Will you give me your hand upon it?" Obed did not hesitate a moment; he clenched my hand and squeezed it, till the blood nearly spouted from my finger-ends; one might conceive of Norwegian bears greeting each other after this fashion, but I trust no Christian will ever, in time coming, subject my digits to a similar species of torture. “Agreed, my boy, I have promised, and you may depend on me; smuggler though I be, and somewhat worse on occasion mayhap, I never breaks my word." There was an earnestness about the poor fellow, in which I thought there could be no deception, and from that moment we were on what I may call a very friendly footing for a prisoner and his jailor. "Well, now, I believe you, so let us have a glass of grog, and" Here the mate sung out, "Captain, come on deck, if you please; quickly, sir, quickly." By this time it had begun to breeze up again, and as the wind rose, I could see the spirits of the crew fell, as if conscious they had no chance if it freshened. When we went on deck, Paul was still peering through the telescope. "The schooner has tacked, sir." A dead silence; then giving the glass a swing, and driving the joints into each other, with such vehemence as if he would have broken them in pieces, he exclaimed, "She is after us, so sure as I ben't a niger." "No! is she though?" eagerly enquired the captain, as he at length seized the spy-glass, twisting and turning it about and about, as he tried to hit his own very peculiar focus. At length he took a long, long, breathless look, while the eyes of the whole crew, some fifteen hands or so, were rivetted upon him with the most intense anxiety. "What a gaff top sail she has got→→ my eye!-and a ringtail with more clothes in it than our square sail-and the breeze comes down stronger and stronger!" All this while I looked out equally excited, but with a very different interest. "Come, this will do," thought I; "she is after us; and if old Dick Gasket brings that fiery sea-breeze he has now, along with him, we shall puzzle the smuggler, for all his long start." "There's a gun, sir," cried Paul, trembling from head to foot. "Sure enough," said the skipper, "and it must be a signal. And there go three flags at the fore. She must, I'll bet a hundred dollars, have taken our tidy little Wave for the Admiral's tender that was lying in Morant Bay.” "Blarney," thought I; "tidy as your little Wave is, she won't deceive old Dick-he is not the man to take a herring for a horse; she must be making signals to some man-of-war in sight." "A strange sail right-a-head," sung out three men from forward all at once. "Did'nt I say so?"-I had only thought so. "Come, Master Obediah, it thickens now, you're in for it,” said l. To be concluded in our next. |