Safe in Port
'Twas a strange sight that met my eyes as I rushed on deck and
gained the fo'c'sle.
The wind had fallen light, and in the cold, raw gloom of that
November morning I could see ahead and on both sides of us a
multitude of great warships.
They were sailing in close order, under all plain sail, and had just
gone about on the starboard tack, for their crews were still engaged
with the halyards and braces, in obedience to orders shouted in a
foreign tongue.
This manoeuvre had thrown us fairly across their line, so that only
by putting our helm hard up were we able to avoid being run down by
a huge two-decker.
In the comparatively small limit of my vision, for the weather was
thick, I counted over forty sail, though, judging by the sounds,
there must have been twice that number hidden in the mist.
We scraped past the two-decker at barely ten yards' distance. She
was high-sided, and painted with one broad yellow and two narrow
brown stripes; while through her green-lined ports the muzzles of
some thirty-two brass guns flashed dully in the moist atmosphere.
Her decks were crowded with men, for in addition to her crew there
were about a hundred phlegmatic-looking soldiers, in blue-and-yellow
uniforms. On her poop stood a burly great-coated officer, who raised
his speaking-trumpet with the evident intention of hailing us; but
apparently he thought better of it, and in almost perfect silence,
save for the hiss of the water at her cutwater and the straining and
creaking of her tackle, the ship glided past. Then, as she displayed
her lofty stern, with its wreath of decorative giltwork, I read the
name _Maese_.
For a full half-hour we were hard put to it to avoid being run down
by the ships of the mighty fleet, which, we learned from the crew of
the _Phoenix_, was known to have been lying at Helvoetsluys, ready
to carry the Prince of Orange to England to wrest the crown from his
incapable father-in-law, King James.
"Where are they bound for, being so far down Channel?" asked the
master gunner.
"Nay, I know not," replied Captain Jeremy. "But Heaven forfend that
they land in the West. Enough English blood was wasted in the last
rising, as many of us know."
"What chance hath the Prince, think you?" he continued, addressing
the master of the _Phoenix_, who had also turned out to see the
unwonted sight.
"A far better one than had the Duke of Monmouth," was the answer;
"though, with all his faults, give me King James. I fought under him
when he was Duke of York, and a braver seaman never trod deck."
"Ah! James Duke of York and James King of England are two very
different personages, I trow," replied Captain Jeremy. "The best
fighter is ever the worst statesman."
"After all," said the master of the _Phoenix_, "so long as there are
English ships at sea and plenty of work for us poor seamen, it
matters not much who rules the roost. That's how the wind blows, say
I."
"The wind draws ahead," observed Captain Jeremy; "that is the matter
that concerns us chiefly. I doubt whether we'll see port today."
This was indeed the case, for the breeze, now provokingly light, had
backed till it came from the east'ard, so that it meant a dead beat
to windward. To men long absent from home this was especially
galling, though in my case I found consolation in being in the
company of Mistress Winifred, with whom I generally managed to have
several hours pleasurable conversation.
Neither did we make Poole that day nor the next, for it fell a flat
calm, after the manner of St. Martin's summer, so that for
thirty-six hours we drifted with the tide within sight of the Dorset
hills.
At length a steady southwesterly breeze sprang up, and, with barely
a hogshead of biscuit and a gallon of water aboard, the _Golden
Hope_ came in sight of Poole Harbour.
"What cheer--ho, Master Light!" exclaimed Captain Jeremy, as a
weather-beaten pilot came over the side. "How fares it at home?"
"Precious little news," replied the pilot, "though they say that
English beef will henceforth be flavoured with Orange."
"So?"
"Aye; they say the Dutchman hath landed at Torbay, and advanced on
Exeter. In short, there are all sorts of rumours, yet I pay scant
heed to them."
With the air of a man who, in the exercise of his duty, scorns to
indulge in conversation, Master Light made his way aft, and under
his guidance the _Golden Hope_ threaded the tortuous channel that
leads to Poole Town.
"Is it your wish to berth alongside the quay?" demanded the pilot.
"Nay, rather I would anchor in the stream," replied Captain Jeremy,
mindful of the precious nature of our cargo.
"Hands shorten sail!"
Slowly the _Golden Hope_, with ever-decreasing way, glided abreast
of the town, and with the welcome order, "Let go", the anchor
plunged into the muddy waters of Poole Harbour.
The voyage of the _Golden Hope_ was over.
The news of the success of the Prince of Orange was hailed with
delight by the former crew of the _Neptune_. To them it meant that
they were free to return to their homes in the marshes of Somerset,
without fear of being again hauled before the justices and sentenced
to a horrible existence in the unhealthy swamps of Barbados; and on
this account we, too, felt glad at the unexpected solution of their
difficulties.
Our first care was to get the passengers and crew of the _Phoenix_
safely ashore. There was, we heard, a stout barque on the point of
sailing for Virginia in a few days' time, so that those who were of
a mind to cross the ocean, and had sufficient means to pay for their
passage, could avail themselves of her departure.
Mistress Farndale and her family had resolved to do this, but ere
they went ashore I promised to call upon them as soon as my duties
would permit, for until the matter of sharing the treasure was
settled Captain Jeremy would allow no communication with the land.
Three days later two assessors, being duly qualified Government
officers, came post haste from the Royal Mint and boarded us. The
seals of the strong room were broken and the massive locks
unfastened, and the task of allotting the wealth proceeded.
Having set aside the tithe claimed by the state, and also the amount
due to Sir William Soams (who received a good eight hundred per
centum on his outlay), the shares owing to the original crew of the
_Golden Hope_ and to the men of the _Neptune_ were duly paid out.
Then the residue, by a rough calculation of the value of 180,000
pounds, was to be equally divided 'twixt Captain Jeremy and the
heirs of the late Captain Richard Hammond. I could hardly realize
the value of this immense sum, though I knew that our share was
sufficient to restore the fortunes of our house to its former
greatness.
The _Golden Hope_ was now moored alongside a wharf on the Hamworthy
side of the harbour, and at two bells in the afternoon watch the men
mustered on deck, those who came off the _Neptune_ having fallen in
on the larboard side, each with his bundle ready for his long tramp
to distant Sedgemoor.
In a few hearty words Captain Jeremy addressed them, thanking them
for their services, and wishing them every success in their future.
Then, after three ringing cheers, the "Neptunes", their pockets
filled with coin, went ashore, amid the boisterous farewells of
their comrades of the last two years and more; and as the little
band of men, who were now returning to till the soil instead of
ploughing the deep, disappeared from our view, I felt that another
link with the past had been finally severed.
Our share of the treasure having been placed in safe keeping in the
town vaults of the corporation of Poole, those of the crew who
wished to take their discharge were dismissed, and under the command
of Clemens and the master gunner the _Golden Hope_ sailed for the
Thames, where she was to be handed back to her owners.
Two days later Master Phillips, a London goldsmith, arrived, and,
having carefully examined the plate, made us a good offer. Thus the
precious cargo of the wrecked _Madre de Dios_ passed out of our
keeping, though I retained a few pieces of rare and costly
workmanship as a visible reminder of the treasure that, according to
the friar's prophecy, had been obtained through fire and blood.
* * * * *
Thus the story of the quest of the _Golden Hope_ draws to a close,
yet I must briefly dwell on the subsequent history of the principal
characters who played their parts in the search for the Madre
treasure.
'Enery, bluff, stouthearted seaman, is now master and part owner of
the vessel in which he sailed with Captain Jeremy to the far-off
West Indies, for the _Golden Hope_ is now engaged in prosperous
trading voyages to the Mediterranean ports. Yet whenever she returns
home, Captain 'Enery, still much the same as of yore, generally
contrives to visit his native Lymington; nor does he forget to
extend his journey as far as Brockenhurst, where, joining with his
former captain in a glass and a pipe, he'll fight his battles o'er
again.
Of Clemens the Cornishman we still hear, though less frequently than
we should like. He returned to his native town of Looe, where,
having given up the sea, he has worked up a sound boat-building
business.
Silas Touchstone, the master gunner, finding little use for his
calling on private vessels, took service in His Majesty's Fleet, and
promised to make a name for himself. Both at La Hogue and the
desperate and successful attempt upon St. Malo our late master
gunner was mentioned for conspicuous bravery. To what extent his
dauntless courage would have led him 'twould have been hard to say,
had not his career afloat been nipped in the bud by the loss of a
leg in action in Vigo Bay.
On attaining my twenty-first birthday I took ship to Richmond, in
Virginia, where Winifred and I were made one. A happier couple
'twould be hard to find, for our love has stood the test of time.
Still, there are moments when I hear the call of the salt-laden
breezes, and even yet I may once more adventure myself upon the high
seas.
Nor must I omit mention of a tall, elderly man, who, despite his
white locks and iron-grey beard, still carries himself erect and
alert as of yore. A general favourite with my children, especially
his little namesake, now a sturdy child of nine years, Captain
Jeremy Miles has given up the sea, and spends the greater part of
his leisure hours in spinning yarns to his interested listeners of
the quest of the _Golden Hope_.