The events I have described in the preceding chapters were afterwards
told me by my friends, and I have faithfully given them in the words of
the narrators. Of course the commencement of my narrative is somewhat
conjectural; but there can be no doubt, from the circumstances I have
mentioned, that the main features were perfectly true. The storm blew
furiously all that night, and the ship ran on before it; but as day
dawned its rage appeared expended, and by noon the waves subsided, and
the wind gently as before filled the broad fields of canvas spread to
receive it. I slept through it all, for the close air of the cabins,
after having been exposed for so many days in the open boat, made me
drowsy. I have a faint recollection of opening my eyes in the morning,
and finding the sun shining in through the port, and the sweet face of
Ellen Barrow hanging over me. When she saw me look up and smile, (for
even then I thought such a face ought to be beloved, and must be kind
and good, and I felt that I did love her), she covered me with kisses,
and, forlorn little foundling though I was, I felt very happy. I have
no distinct recollection of anything which happened in the boat; but I
remember, as if it were yesterday, that lovely countenance, with the sun
just tingeing her auburn locks as my waking eyes first fell on it; and
though I do not suppose that I had ever heard of an angel, I had some
indefinite sort of notion that she was one; at all events, that she was
a being in whom I might place implicit confidence, and who would watch
over me, and guard me from danger. I put out my little arms and threw
them round her neck, and returned her kisses with right good-will.
Dear Mrs Clayton had faithfully fulfilled her promise of carefully
nursing my little sister, by holding her half the night in her arms,
during the raging of the storm, fearful that any harm should come to her
new-found treasure; and it was only when the sea subsided, and the ship
was more steady, that she would consent to place her in a little cot
which had been slung by her side. In the afternoon all the passengers
were again collected together on deck. We, of course, afforded the
subject of general conversation and curiosity. Speculations of all
sorts were offered as to who we could be--where we could have come from,
and how it happened that we were in an open boat, in the condition in
which we were found. I was asked all sorts of questions; but to none of
them could I return a satisfactory answer. I had some indistinct idea
of having been on board another ship, and of there being a great
disturbance, and of my crying very much through fear; and I suspect that
I must have cried myself to sleep, and remained so when I was put into
the boat. Ellen Barrow had taken me under her especial protection,
though everybody, more or less, tried to pet me, and I was very happy.
Scarcely four-and-twenty hours had passed, it must be remembered, since,
without food or human aid, we floated on the open ocean, the dying and
the dead our only companions; and now we were on board a well-found
ship, and surrounded by kind friends, all vying with each other to do us
service. Sir Charles every now and then, as I passed him, patted me on
the head; and as I looked up I liked the expression of his countenance,
so I stopped and smiled, and frequently ran back to him. In this manner
we shortly became great friends.
"I wonder what their names can be!" exclaimed Mrs Clayton, as those
most interested in us were still sitting together in earnest
consultation. "The boy's initials are M.S., and the little girl's E.S.,
that is certain. If we cannot discover their real names, we must give
them some ourselves."
"Oh, let them be pretty ones, by all means!" cried Ellen Barrow. "I
must not let my pet be called by an ugly name. Let me consider--it must
not be romantic either, like invented names found in novels."
"I should advise you to choose the surname first for both the children,
and then settle the respective Christian names," remarked the judge.
"Will you help us, Sir Charles?" asked Miss Barrow.
"No, my dear young lady--I propose that our committee abide by your
choice, if I am allowed to have a word to say about the Christian name--
so on your shoulders must rest the responsibility," was Sir Charles's
answer.
"It must begin with S, that is certain," said Ellen Barrow, speaking as
she thought on. "Something to do with the sea: Seagrave--I don't like
that; Seaton--it might do. What do you think of Seaworth, Sir Charles?
It is a pretty name and appropriate--Seaworth--I like Seaworth."
"So do I; and I compliment you on the selection," said the judge. "Let
the surname of the children be Seaworth from henceforth, till the real
name is discovered; and now for a Christian name for the boy. It must
begin with M. I do not like long names, and I have a fancy for one in
particular--I must beg that he be called Mark. I had a friend of that
name, who died early. Do you object to it, Miss Ellen?"
"I had not thought of it, certainly," said Ellen Barrow. "I was going
to propose Marmaduke; but let me try how it sounds in combination with
Seaworth--Mark Seaworth--Mark Seaworth. A very nice name; I like it,
and I am sure I shall like it very much in a short time." So, thanks to
Sir Charles and Ellen Barrow, I was called Mark Seaworth.
Mrs Clayton now claimed the right of naming her little charge. It was
a matter, however, of still longer consideration. Emily, and Eliza, and
Elizabeth, and a number of others beginning with E were thought of, but
none seemed to please.
"Give her the name of her mother, then," said Sir Charles.
"How do you know it?" exclaimed several voices.
"The mother of us all," replied the judge, smiling.
"Oh dear, yes! Let her be called Eva rather," exclaimed Mrs Clayton,
delighted. "It is a sweetly pretty name, and not often used."
"I meant simply Eve; but Eva is an improvement on my idea," said Sir
Charles.
"Eva, Eva," was pronounced in chorus by all the party; and by that name
my little sister was afterwards christened. Thus this important matter
was finally arranged.
Several days passed away without the occurrence of anything worthy of
note, that I have heard of. My little sister slowly gained strength and
health under the careful nursing of Mrs Clayton.
One fine day, sweet Ellen Barrow was, as usual, romping with me about
the deck--now running after me--now catching hold of me to fondle me,
and then letting me go for the sake of again chasing me; and though I
struggled and screamed when she overtook me, I cannot say that I was
either alarmed, or that I disliked the treatment I received. Sir
Charles was calmly watching us all the time, with a smile on his
countenance. At last the young lady, weary with her exertions, threw
herself into a seat, while I came and nestled by her side. After
looking at us for a few minutes he came nearer to her.
"My dear young lady," he said, "will you answer me a question?"
"A hundred, Sir Charles," she answered, "if you are kind enough to ask
them; for I do not think you will prove a censorious father confessor."
"Well, then, as you give me leave, I may venture to ask you more than
one," said Sir Charles. "In the first place, tell me what you propose
doing with that little boy when you get ashore."
"Doing with him, Sir Charles? Why, I daresay Captain and Mrs Clayton
will assist me in taking charge of him," replied Ellen Barrow, with a
puzzled expression. "But I do not think, I own, that I had thought at
all about the future."
"I thought not, my dear Miss Barrow," said Sir Charles, smiling. "The
young seldom think of the future; but we old people are taught by many a
severe lesson the importance of preparing for it. Now, as Captain and
Mrs Clayton can scarcely wish to have the responsibility of taking
charge of both your little pet and his sister, and as he has no claim on
any here on board in particular, I have resolved to constitute myself
his guardian till his natural protectors can be found. Captain Willis,
who has a sort of legal right over him, consents to my wish; so I intend
to take him with me when we land. Pray, therefore, make the most of him
now you have him; but do not fix your heart on him entirely, for though
I hope you may often see him, I cannot let you have him altogether."
"What! Sir Charles, do you really intend to adopt the dear little
fellow?" exclaimed Miss Barrow with animation. "He will, indeed, be
fortunate; but I should be very, very sorry if I thought that I was not
to see him again," she added, while a tear stood in her bright eye, and,
turning round she gave me a hug and a kiss, which I thought very good of
her.
"Till his rightful guardians are found, I propose to take entire charge
of him," said Sir Charles. "I will do my best to fulfil the important
duty I have undertaken; it is not a light one, I own. It is not only to
train up the boy to perform well his allotted task in this world, to
fear God, to act honourably towards his neighbour, to overcome
difficulties, and to secure a good place in the rank of fame and fortune
among his fellow-men, but to prepare an immortal soul for eternity."
Well, indeed, did that good man fulfil his self-imposed duty and utterly
beyond all return are the benefits I received from him.
Alas! that so few who have the charge of youth should think of their
deep responsibilities as he did. How many private tutors I have met
with, who think they have done their duty when they have taught their
pupils the sufficient knowledge of Latin and Greek, and mathematics to
enable them to enter the universities, without a thought beyond--without
pointing out to them, clearly and unmistakably, whatever may be their
station in life, that they must have responsibilities, and that they
should so act in everything they do here, that they may be ever prepared
for entering the life which is to endure for ever! I know that, let the
tutor be ever so anxious to perform his duty, let the pupil be ever so
ready to listen, times will come when good intentions and precepts may
be forgotten; but such failings off should not damp the energies of
either, but with sorrow for their derelictions, and earnest prayer for
strength from above, they should rise to new exertions, and each year
will afford to the tutor greater encouragement, as he sees in the lives
of his pupils the fruit of his instruction.
What I wish you to remember is this, that every one of you--the poorest
and humblest as well as the richest--may do a great deal of good to your
fellow-creatures, if you will but try to find out the way; and also that
you cannot devote yourself to amusement, as so many do, without
committing a very grave fault, by neglecting the duties of which I have
spoken; while I am very certain that you would lose an unfailing source
of happiness, for which no other gratification can afford any
recompense.
I beg you to think very deeply of what I have said; and now I will go on
with my narrative.
Sir Charles at once set to work with my education, and Ellen Barrow was,
under his directions, my instructress. I do not remember that I was
much troubled with the sight of books; but she drew a number of pictures
of various objects, and made me repeat their names, and then she cut out
the alphabet in cardboard, by which means I very soon knew my letters.
If I was sick she never attempted to teach me, so that all the means
offered me of gaining knowledge were pleasurable, and I thus took at
once a strong liking to learning, which has never deserted me. Before
the termination of the voyage. I could express myself in English, so as
to be understood as well as are most children of my age; and as Sir
Charles would not allow me to be taught nonsense, I put a right
signification upon the words I used.
One morning, at daybreak, a cry was heard from the mast-head of "Land
ahead!" and so true had been the observations of Captain Willis, that a
few hours afterwards, with a fine breeze, we were entering Table Bay, at
the Cape of Good Hope.
The Cape of Good Hope colony is, as most of my young readers are well
aware, now an English settlement. It once belonged to the Dutch; but we
took it from them during the last war, when they sided with the
republican French. It is most celebrated for its sheep pastures; but it
also produces wine, and corn, and oil, and affords ample room for the
establishment of numbers of our countrymen, who cannot find employment
at home. The climate is very healthy; but there are very strong winds,
and sometimes droughts which destroy the labours of the husbandman.
However, people who settle there become much attached to the country;
and those fond of chasing wild beasts may gratify their tastes to the
full in the interior; but they must remember that they cannot, at the
same time, attend properly to their farming operations, which must, of
necessity, be carried on in more settled districts. It is on many
accounts a very valuable colony to Great Britain, and, among others,
because it is on the high road to her extensive possessions in
Australasia and that in its harbours the numerous shipping which sail
thither may find shelter in time of war, and at all times may replenish
their water and provisions. It affords a home to thousands of our
countrymen, and it supplies the raw material, wool, to our
manufacturers; and its inhabitants, by using a large quantity of British
manufactures, afford employment to thousands of persons at home, who
would otherwise of necessity be idle. By my calculations, every three
or four Englishmen who go to one of our southern colonies, and are
prosperous, afford employment to one person of those remaining at home;
and we thus see how immediately the mother country is benefited by an
extensive colonisation. Those very emigrants, or those who have taken
their places, had they remained, it must be borne in mind, might have
been idle and paupers; while the money which is now circulating,
usefully affording employment to others, would have been employed in
supporting them in idleness. However, the subject is irrelevant to my
history: I mention it because I want to draw the attention of my young
friends to the value of our colonial possessions, that when they become
men, they may do their utmost to increase the prosperity of the
colonies, being assured that they cannot turn their attention to a more
patriotic subject.
We remained several days in Table Bay; during which time most of the
passengers lived on shore, and some even ventured a considerable way
into the interior. Cape Town extends along the shores of the bay at the
foot of the far-famed Table Mountain, towards which the ground gradually
rises from the waters. The streets are straight, regularly constructed,
and run at right angles to each other. They are lined with elm and oak
trees, which in summer afford a grateful shade.
There is a clean nice look about the place, which reminds one of an
English town. I visited it many years after the time of which I am now
speaking, for which reason I am able to describe it. The squares are
well laid out, and the public edifices are numerous and substantial.
The private houses are built chiefly of red brick or stone, with a
terrace before the door shaded by trees. Here not only the Dutch, but
the English, as was once the custom in the old country in days long gone
by, delight to sit and work in the shade, when the sun is hot, or in the
evening to enjoy the fresh breeze from the open sea.
There are upwards of 25,000 inhabitants, half of whom are white, the
majority being Dutch or of Dutch descent.
Cape Town is strongly fortified. The entrance to the bay is commanded
by a battery called the _Mouille_. There is a castle to the left of the
town, and several other forts and batteries. The colony is divided into
two provinces--the Western Province, of which Cape Town is the capital;
and the Eastern Province, of which Graham's Town is the capital. Each
province is divided into districts, many of which retain the old Dutch
names; indeed, nearly all the places in the long settled parts are
called by the appellations given them by the early possessors of the
colony.
There are no navigable rivers; and as the country is wild and
mountainous, the means of communication are not easy. To the east,
about five hundred miles from the frontier, is the new settlement of
Natal, which, from its beautiful climate, and many excellent qualities,
promises some day to become a very valuable possession.
Having got our stores on board, the Blue Peter was hoisted, our
passengers again collected in their accustomed places, full of all the
things they had seen and heard, and once more we were ploughing the
ocean towards the mouth of the wealth-bearing Hoogly.