THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER.
'Do you know the old man of the sea, of the sea?
Have you met with that dreadful old man?
If you haven't been caught, you will be, you will be;
For catch you he must and he can.'
--HOLMES.
Robert Stevens and twenty others captured with Bacon were kept in
prison. His mother and sisters visited him, but he saw nothing of his
stepfather. One evening he was informed that a gentleman wished to see
him, and immediately Mr. Giles Peram was admitted to his cell.
"How are you, Robert--ahem?" began Giles. "This is most extraordinary, I
assure you, and you have my sympathy, and you may not believe it, no,
you may not believe it, but I am sorry for you."
"You can spare yourself any tears on my account," the prisoner answered,
casting a look of scorn and indignation on the proud little fellow who
strutted before him with ill-concealed exultation. Without noticing the
irony in the words of the prisoner, Giles puffed up with the importance
of his mission, went on:
"Robert, I have come to you with a singular proposition. Now you are
very anxious to know what it is, are you not?"
"I have some curiosity; yet I have no doubt that I shall treat your
proposition with contempt."
"Oh, no, you won't. Your life depends on your acceptance."
"I can best answer you when I know what your proposition is."
"It is this. I am enamoured of your sister. She rejects my suit. Now, if
she will consent to become my wife, you shall have your liberty."
It was well for Peram that Robert Stevens was chained to the wall, or it
would have fared hard for the little fellow. Giles kept beyond the
length of the chain and the prisoner was powerless. His only weapon was
his tongue; but with that he poured out the vials of his wrath so
copiously on the wretch, that he retired in disgust.
Events soon shaped themselves so as to give Robert his liberty. Through
the intercession of Bacon's cousin, Nathaniel Bacon, senior, the
governor consented to pardon Bacon the rebel, if he would, on his knees,
read a written confession of his error and ask forgiveness. This
confession was made June 5, 1676. Between the last days of May and the
5th of June, Bacon had been denounced as a rebel; had marched and
defeated the savages; had stood for the burgesses and appeared at
Jamestown; had been arrested and quickly paroled, and was now, on the
5th of June, to confess on his knees that he was a great offender. The
old cavalier Berkeley was going to make an imposing scene of it. The
governor sent the burgesses a message to attend him in the council
chamber below, on public business, and when they came, he addressed them
on the Indian troubles, specially denouncing the murder of the six
chiefs in Maryland, though Colonel Washington, who commanded the forces
on that expedition, was present. With pathetic emphasis the
governor declared:
"Had they killed my grandfather and grandmother, my father and mother
and all my friends, yet if they came to treat of peace, they ought to
have gone in peace." Having finished this harangue, designed for the
humiliation of John Washington and his followers, he rose and with grim
humor said:
"If there be joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that
repenteth, there is joy now, for we have a penitent sinner come before
us. Call Mr. Bacon."
Bacon came in, holding the paper in his trembling hand, and, kneeling,
read his confession. It evidently grieved his lion heart to do so, for
at times he faltered, and his voice, usually clear and distinct, was
half smothered. When he had finished, Sir William Berkeley said:
"God forgive you; I forgive you," and three times he repeated the words.
"And all that were with him?" asked Colonel Cole, one of the council.
Hugh Price, who was present, was about to interpose some objection; but
before he could say anything, Sir William Berkeley answered:
"Yes, and all that were with him." As Bacon rose from his knees, the
governor took his hand and added: "Mr. Bacon, if you will live civilly
but till next quarter day, but till next quarter day, I'll promise to
restore you to your place there," pointing to the seat which Bacon
generally occupied daring the sessions of the council.
The order to release the prisoners was at once given, and Robert Stevens
was again a free man. He hastened to the home of his mother and sister,
where he met his stepfather, whose conduct was so odious to the young
man that he took up his abode at "the house of public entertainment kept
by the wife of a certain thoughtful Mr. Lawrence." Bacon was also living
here under his parole, for it was generally understood that he had not
been given permission to leave the city.
One morning, just as the excitement incident to the arrest and
confession of Bacon had begun to subside, a large ship entered the river
and cast anchor before the town. The ship flew English colors and was a
veritable floating palace. There are few crafts afloat even at this day
that equal it in elegance. It had been built by the most skilful
carpenters in the world at that time, and the long, tapering masts, the
deck and bows were more of the modern style than ships of that day.
Her cabins were large, roomy and fitted up with more than Oriental
splendor. There were Turkish carpets, and golden candelabra. Wealth,
strength, ease and grace were evident in every part of the strange
craft. No such vessel had ever before entered James River. The ship was
well armed, and the crew thoroughly disciplined. There was a long brass
cannon in the forecastle, with carronades above and below, for she was a
double-decker with a row of guns above and below, and at that time such
a formidable craft was able to destroy half of the English navy. The
name of the vessel was not in keeping with her general appearance. In
spite of the elegance and magnificence of the vessel, on her stern, in
great black letters, was the awful word:
"DESPAIR."
What strange freak had induced the owner of this wonderful craft to
give it such a melancholy name? Jamestown was thrown into a flutter of
excitement at first, and whispered rumors went about that the vessel was
a pirate. If it should prove a pirate, they knew it would be able to
destroy the town and all their fleet. This story was perhaps started by
some idlers, who sought to go aboard when the vessel first arrived, but
were refused admittance to her deck.
Though not permitted to go aboard, those loafers had seen enough to
start the report that the vessel was a gilded palace, ornamented with
gold. Two days had elapsed, and no one had come ashore, nor had any
visitor been admitted to the ship, and the governor, growing uneasy
about the strange craft, resolved to know something of it, so he sent
the sheriff to ascertain her mission.
The captain of the ship, who gave his name as George Small, answered:
"This vessel is the property of Sir Albert St. Croix, a wealthy merchant
from the East Indies, who will this day visit the governor and make
known the object of his visit to Jamestown."
That day, a boat fit for a king was lowered, and eight or ten sailors,
richly dressed, took their places at the oars. A man, whose long white
hair hung about his shoulders in snowy profusion, and whose beard, white
as the swan's down, came to his breast, descended to the boat and was
rowed ashore.
When he was landed, the sailors returned with the boat to the ship,
leaving him on the beach. The old man was richly dressed. He blazed with
jewels such as a king might envy, and the hilt of his sword was of pure
gold. He wore a brace of slender pistols, whose silver-mounted butts
protruded from his belt.
The dark cloak about his shoulders was Puritanic; but the elegance of
his attire and the profusion of jewelry which he wore proved that he was
not of that order. His low-crowned hat was three-cornered, trimmed with
lace and the brim held in place by three blazing diamonds. It was
something like the cocked hat, which, half a century later, was worn by
most of the gentry.
After watching the boat until it returned to the vessel, the old man
went toward the statehouse. He spoke to no one on the way, though he
paused under a large oak about half way between the statehouse and the
beach, and gazed long on the town and surrounding country.
The tree beneath which he paused was the same under whose wide spreading
branches Captain John Smith had halted to take a last farewell look of
Virginia, before embarking for England. The spot had already
grown historic.
The people were gathered in groups on the streets gazing at the
stranger, and various were the comments about him. He noticed the
excitement his advent had created, and walked quickly up the street to
the statehouse. Though his hair and beard were white as snow, his frame
was vigorous and strong, and his step had about it the elasticity of
youth. His brow was furrowed with care rather than time, and his eye
seemed still to flash with the fires of young manhood. Nevertheless he
was an old man. Every one who saw him on that memorable morning
pronounced him a prodigy.
Arriving at the statehouse, he asked for the governor, and was at once
shown to Sir William, who, gazing at him in wonder, asked:
"Whence came you, stranger?"
"From Liverpool."
"Who are you?"
"I am Sir Albert St. Croix, the owner of the good ship _Despair_, which
lies at anchor in your bay."
"But surely you are not of England?"
"I am an Englishman; but I have spent most of my life abroad, and for
many years have been in the East Indies. I amassed a fortune in diamonds
and jewels and, being in the decline of life, decided to travel over the
world. For that purpose, I builded me a ship to suit and engaged a crew
faithful even unto death."
The governor's countenance brightened, and he answered:
"Sir Albert, I am pleased to have you in Jamestown. Your arrival is
quite opportune, for I am most grievously annoyed with a threatened
rebellion."
Sir Albert fixed his great blue eyes on the governor and answered:
"Sir William Berkeley, it is not my purpose to interfere with any
political convulsions. I am simply a transient visitor. My home is
my ship."
"But your ship is an English craft, and your crew are Englishmen?"
"That is true."
"And as governor of the province, I will command them should their
services be needed."
There was a smile on the sad face of Sir Albert, as he answered:
"It would not avail you, governor, for my captain and crew know no other
master save myself, no will save mine."
"But the king?"
"They serve me, and I serve the king. I helped Charles II. out of a
financial strait, and, for that, an order from our dread sovereign and
lord has been issued, exempting my crew, myself and my vessel from any
kind of military duty for the term of fifty years."
The old man drew from his coat pocket a legal document proving his
assertion.
"Have you ever been in Virginia before?" the governor asked.
"Yes, many years ago. All things have changed since then."
"How long will you stay?"
"I know not. At any moment I may decide to leave, and should I do so, I
will sail at once. I linger no longer at any one place than my fancy
detains me."
"What is your wish, Sir Albert?"
"I only ask the privilege of going whithersoever I please in your
domain, without let or hindrance," and he produced an order from King
Charles II., which commanded Governor Berkeley to grant him such
privilege.
"This is strange," said the governor. "An armament such as yours might
overthrow the colony at this unsettled time."
"I shall take no part in the disturbance, unless it affects me
personally." The governor issued a passport for Sir Albert St. Croix,
vessel and crew, and the stranger left the statehouse. He walked up the
hill, passing the jail, and gazing about on the houses, as if he wished
to make himself acquainted with the town. No end of comment was excited
by his appearance, and a thousand conjectures were afloat as to the
object of his visit.
For a moment, the white-haired stranger paused before the public house
in which Bacon was at that moment reposing. Some thought he was going
in; but he passed on and addressed no one, until he came to Robert
Stevens, who stood at the side of a well, under a wide spreading
chestnut tree.
"Will you draw me some water? for I am athirst," said the stranger.
Robert did so, and handed the stranger a drink from an earthen mug,
which was kept by the town pump for the accommodation of the public.
After drinking, the old man returned the mug and, fixing his eyes on the
young man, asked:
"Have you lived long in Virginia?"
"I was born here, good sir."
"Then you must know all of Jamestown?"
"Not so much, good sir, as I might, if I had not passed a few years in
New England."
"Your home is still here?"
With a sigh, Robert answered:
"It is, though I do not live in it now."
Robert evidently was alluding to some domestic difficulties, and the
stranger very considerately avoided asking him any further questions
about himself. He asked about the proprietors of several houses and
gained something of the history of the town and people.
All expected that Sir Albert would return to his vessel; but he did not.
Instead, he wandered over the hill into the wood and sat down upon a
log. Robert saw him sitting there, with his white head bowed between his
hands, looking so sad and broken-hearted, despite all his wealth, that
his heart went out to him. He was for hours thus communing with nature,
then came back to the town and went on board the _Despair_.
After that, he frequently came ashore and strolled about the town,
seldom speaking, even when addressed. But for the letters from the
governor and the king, he might have been arrested on suspicion. He came
and went at will, occasionally pausing to ask a question which was so
guarded, that no one could suspect that he was interested in any
particular subject. One day, as he was passing the statehouse, Giles
Peram, who, with the powdered wig, lace, and ruffles of a cavalier, was
strutting before some of the court officials, turning his eyes with an
ill-bred stare on the stranger as he passed, remarked:
"Oh, how extraordinary!"
Sir Albert paused and, fixing his great blue eyes on the diminutive
egotist, said:
"Marry! the time of king's fools hath past; yet the king of fools still
reigns."
Giles Peram felt the retort most keenly, and, as usual, raged and fumed
and swore vengeance after the stranger was out of sight and hearing. Sir
Albert strolled down to a pond or lake that was near to the town, on the
banks of which was an ancient ducking-stool. Three or four idlers were
sitting on the bank, and of one of them he asked:
"For what is that ugly machine used?"
"It is a ducking-stool for scolds," was the answer. The fellow, feeling
complimented at being addressed by the celebrated stranger, went on,
"Well do I remember, good sir, when and for whom the stool was
constructed."
"For whom was it built?" asked Sir Albert.
"It was made for Ann Linkon, who had slandered goodwife Stevens as was,
but who has, since her husband was drowned at sea, married Hugh Price,
the royalist and friend of the governor. Oh, how Ann did scold and rave,
and it was a merry sight to see her plunged beneath the water."
The stranger asked some questions about Ann Linkon and was informed that
she had died several years before. "But to the last," the narrator
resumed, "she hated Dorothe Stevens. She rejoiced when poverty assailed
her, brought on by her own extravagance, after her husband had gone
away. Then when goodwife Stevens received the fortune from the
grandfather of her dead husband, the old Spaniard at St. Augustine, she
again went among the cavaliers and was enabled to marry Hugh Price. It
is not a happy life she leads now, though, for there is continual
trouble between the husband and the children, so she is grievously
harassed in mind continually."
Sir Albert listened as an uninterested person might, then asked some
questions about Hugh Price and his good wife Dorothe, and the refractory
children, who were causing so much trouble. He found the Virginian
voluble and willing to impart all the information he had; but he grew
heartily tired of the loafer and at last left him.
No one was more interested in the stranger from across the sea than
Rebecca Stevens. She had not seen him; but she had heard so much of him
from her brother and others, that her girlish curiosity was aroused. One
evening, as she was taking her favorite walk about the village, having
wandered farther than she intended, she found herself in the wood above
the town, near the old building, which Captain John Smith had called the
glass-house. She turned and began at once retracing her steps, for
already the sun had set, and the shades of night were gathering over the
landscape. She was in sight of the church, when a short, fat little man
suddenly met her. He was out of breath, as if he had been running. In
the gathering twilight she recognized him as her persecutor.
"Ah! Miss Stevens, this is truly extraordinary. Believe me, this meeting
is quite providential, for it enables me to pour into your ear my
tale of love."
"Mr. Peram, begone, leave me!"
"Oh, no, my dear, I will never let you go until you have consented to
take my name."
In his zeal, the ungentlemanly wooer seized her hand, and his vicious
little eyes glared at her with such ferocity, that she gave utterance to
a shriek of fear. The tread of hurried feet fell on her ears, and
through the deepening shades of twilight, she caught a glimpse of a
scarlet coat, long white hair and beard and flashing jewels. Hands of
iron seized Giles Peram. He was lifted into the air as if he had been an
infant, and flung head first into a cluster of white thorn, where he lay
for a few moments, confused and bleeding. Then Sir Albert St. Croix
raised the half-fainting Rebecca from the ground and said:
"Come, my child, be not affrighted; he will not harm you."
She gazed up at the kind face and asked:
"Are you the owner of the ship _Despair_?"
"I am."
"Thank you, Sir Albert," she began; but he quickly interrupted her with:
"Thank not me, sweet child; but come, tell me what hath gone amiss, and
have no fear, for I am powerful enough to save you from any harm."
While the villanous little coward Giles Peram crawled from the hedge and
hurried back to town, the old man led the victim of his insults to the
church, where they sat upon the step at the front of the vestibule. She
had no fear of this good old man, whom she instinctively loved, and who
seemed to wield over her a strange and mysterious influence. He asked
her all about her tormentor, and she confided everything to him. She
told him of the loss of her father at sea, and how they had lived
through adversity until better days dawned, then of her mother's second
marriage, and the trouble between her brother and Hugh Price. She did
not even omit the recent uprising in which her brother had joined Bacon
and the rebels in a mad blow for freedom.
"The worst has not yet come, I greatly fear," sighed the little maid.
"The rebellion is not over, and my brother will yet, I fear, be hung by
the governor, for Mr. Price, his bitter enemy, is a firm friend of the
governor."
"He shall not be harmed, sweet maid. I have a great ship, with larger
and more destructive guns than were ever in Virginia. I have a crew
loyal even unto death, and I could bombard and destroy their town, ere
they harm either your brother, yourself or your mother."
He looked so earnest, so like a good angel of deliverance, that the
impulsive Rebecca threw her arms about his neck, and he, pressing a kiss
upon her fair young cheek, exclaimed:
"God bless you! There, I must go."
He conducted her home, went aboard his ship, and next morning the
mysterious craft had disappeared from the harbor.
There were too many exciting incidents transpiring at Jamestown for the
public to dwell long on the stranger. The same day on which the ship
disappeared, the rumor ran about town:
"Bacon has fled! Bacon has fled!"
The rumor was a truth. Robert Stevens had gone with him, and although
Mr. Lawrence explained that Bacon's wife was ill, and he had gone to
visit her, yet Berkeley, ever suspicious, construed his sudden breaking
of his parole into open hostility, and prepared to treat it accordingly.