IN WHICH THE CREW OF THE YUNGFRAU LOSE A GOOD PRIZE, AND SNARLEYYOW
LOSES HIS CHARACTER.
The next morning the Yungfrau was clear of St. Helen's, and sounding the
eastern part of the Isle of Wight, after which she made sail into the
offing, that she might not be suspected by those on shore waiting to
receive the cargo. The weather was fine, and the water smooth, and as
soon as she was well out, the cutter was hove-to. In the hurry of
weighing, Mr Vanslyperken had not thought, or had not known perhaps,
that the wife of Jemmy Ducks was still on board, and as he was turning
up and down on the quarter-deck, he perceived her on the forecastle,
laughing and talking with the men.
"What woman is that?" said he to Jansen, who was at the wheel.
"De frau, mynheer. Dat is de frau of Shimmy Duk."
"How dare she come on board? Send her aft here, marine." The marine
went forward and gave the order; and Jemmy, who expected a breeze, told
his wife to behave herself quietly. His advice did not, however, appear
to be listened to, as will be shown in the sequel.
"How came you on board, woman?" cried Vanslyperken, looking at her from
top to toe several times, as usual, with his hands in his great-coat
pockets, and his battered speaking trumpet under his arm.
"How did I come on board! why, in a boat to be sure," replied Moggy,
determined to have a breeze.
"Why did you not go on shore before the cutter sailed?" replied
Vanslyperken in an angry tone.
"Why, just for the contrary reason, because there was no boat."
"Well, I'll just tell you this, if ever I see you on board again, you'll
take the consequences," retorted Vanslyperken.
"And I'll just tell you this," replied Moggy; "if ever you come on shore
again you shall take the consequences. I'll have you--I give you
warning. Flog my Jemmy, heh! my own dear, darling Jemmy." Hereupon
Moggy held out one arm bent, and with the palm of her other hand slapped
her elbow--"_There_!" cried she.
What Jemmy's wife meant by this sign, it is impossible for us to say;
but that it was a very significant one was certain, for Mr Vanslyperken
foamed with rage, and all the cutter's crew were tittering and laughing.
It was a species of freemasonry known only to the initiated at the
Sally Port.
"Send the marines aft here. Take this woman below," cried Vanslyperken.
"I shall put all this down to your husband's account, and give him a
receipt in full, depend upon it."
"So you may. Marines, keep off, if you don't wish your heads broken;
and I'll put all this down to your account; and as you say, that you'll
pay off my pet, mark my words, if I don't pay off on yours--on your
nasty cur there. I'll send him to cruise after Corporal Van Spitter.
As sure as I stand here, if you dare to lay a finger on my Jemmy, I'll
kill the brute wherever I find him, and make him into _saussingers_,
just for the pleasure of eating him. I'll send you a pound as a
present. You marine, don't be a fool--I can walk forward without your
hofferin' your arm, and be damned to you." So saying, Moggy stalked
forward, and joined the men on the forecastle.
"D'ye know much of that strapping lass?" said Mr Vanslyperken's new
acquaintance.
"Not I," replied Vanslyperken, not much pleased at the observation.
"Well, look out for squalls, she'll be as good as her word. We'll draw
the foresheet, and stand in now, if you please."
It was about dusk, for the days were now short, and the cutter was eight
miles off the land. By the directions of the informer, for we have no
other name to give him, they now bore up and ran along the island until
they were, by his calculations, for it then was dark, abreast of a
certain point close to the Black Gang Chyne. Here they hove-to, hoisted
out their boats, three in number, and the men were sent in, well armed
with pistols and cutlasses. Short had the charge of one, Coble of the
second, the stern sheets of the third was occupied by Vanslyperken and
the informer. As soon as all was ready, Jemmy Ducks, who, much to
Vanslyperken's wish, was left in charge of the cutter, received his
orders to lie-to where he was, and when the tide made flood, to stand
close in-shore; and all was prepared for a start, when it occurred to
Vanslyperken that to leave Snarleyyow, after the threat of Jemmy's wife,
and the known animosity of Smallbones, would be his death-warrant. He
determined, therefore, to take him in the boat. The informer protested
against it, but Vanslyperken would not listen to his protestations. The
dog was handed into the boat, and they shoved off. After they had
pulled a quarter of an hour in-shore, they altered their course, and
continued along the coast until the informer had made out exactly where
he was. He then desired the other two boats to come alongside, told the
crews that they must keep the greatest silence, as where they were about
to proceed was directly under where the smugglers would have a party to
receive the goods, and that the least alarm would prevent them from
making the capture. The boats then pulled in to some large rocks,
against which the waves hoarsely murmured, although the sea was still
smooth, and passing between them, found themselves in a very small cove,
where the water was still, and in which there was deep water.
The cove was not defended so much by the rocks above water, for the
mouth of it was wide; but there appeared to be a ridge below, which
broke off the swell of the ocean. Neither was it deep, the beach not
being more than perhaps fifty feet from the entrance. The boats, which
had pulled in with muffled oars, here lay quietly for nearly an hour,
when a fog came on and obscured the view of the offing, which otherwise
was extensive, as the moon was at her full, and had shone bright.
"This is all the better," whispered the informer: "they will fall into
he trap at once. Hark! hist! I hear oars."
They all listened; it was true, the sound of oars was heard, and the men
prepared their arms.
The splash of the oars was now more plain. "Be silent and ready,"
whispered the informer, and the whisper was passed round. In another
minute a large lugger-built boat, evidently intended for sailing as well
as pulling, was seen through the fog looming still larger from the mist,
pulling into the cove.
"Silence, and not a word. Let her pass us," whispered the informer.
The boat approached rapidly--she was within ten fathoms of the entrance,
when Snarleyyow, hearing the sound, darted forward under the thwarts,
and jumping on the bow of the boat, commenced a most unusual and
prolonged baying of Bow wow, bow wow wow wow!
At the barking of the dog the smugglers backed water to step their way.
They knew that there was no dog with those they expected to meet, it was
therefore clear that the Philistines were at hand. The dog barked in
spite of all attempts to prevent him, and acting upon this timely
warning, the lugger-boat pulled short round, just as lights were shown
from the cliffs to notify an enemy at hand, for the barking of the dog
had not escaped the vigilance of those on shore, and in a few seconds
she disappeared in the mist.
"Blast your cur! Five thousand pounds out of my pocket," exclaimed the
informer. "I told you so. Chuck him overboard, my men, for your
pockets would have been lined."
Vanslyperken was as savage, and exclaimed, "Give way, my men, give way;
we'll have her yet."
"Send a cow to chase a hare," replied the informer, throwing himself
back in the stern sheets of the boat. "I know better; you may save
yourself the trouble, and the men the fatigue. May the devil take you,
and your cursed dog with you! Who but a fool would have brought a dog
upon such an occasion? Well, I've lost live thousand pounds; but
there's one comfort, you've lost too. That will be a valuable beast, if
you put all down to his account."
At this moment Vanslyperken was so much annoyed at the loss of what
would have been a fortune to him, that he felt as angry as the informer.
The boat's crew were equally enraged, the dog was pommelled, and
kicked, and passed along from one to the other, until he at last gained
the stern sheets, and crouched between the legs of his master, who
kicked him away in a rage, and he saved himself under the legs of the
informer, who, seizing a pistol, struck him with the butt-end of it such
a blow, that nothing but the very thick skull of the dog could have
saved him. Snarleyyow was at a sad discount just then, but he very
wisely again sought protection with his master, and this time he was not
noticed.
"What are we to do now?" observed Vanslyperken.
"Go back again, like dogs with their tails between their legs; but
observe, Mr Lieutenant, you have made me your enemy, and that is more
serious than you think for."
"Silence, sir, you are in a king's boat."
"The king be damned," replied the informer, falling back sulkily against
the gunwale of the boat.
"Give way, men, and pull on board," said Vanslyperken, in equally bad
humour.
In equally bad humour the men did give way, and in about an hour were on
board the cutter.
Every one was in a bad humour when the affair was made known; but
Smallbones observed, "that the dog could be no such great friend, as
supposed, of Vanslyperken's, to thwart his interests in that way; and
certainly no imp sent by the devil to his assistance." The ship's
company were consoled with this idea, and Jansen again repeated, "that
the tog was but a tog, after all."