BACON AND BISCUIT--LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE--THE PATERNAL BENEDICTION--AN
APPARITION--A MOTHER NOT EASILY DECEIVED--THE ADIEU--THE EMPEROR
CONSTANTINE--IN HOC SIGNO VINCES--THE SAILOR'S POSTSCRIPT--CÆSAR AND
HIS FORTUNES--RECOLLECTIONS--MRS. BECKER PLUCKS STOCKINGS AND KNITS
ORTOLANS--HOW DELIGHTFUL IT IS TO BE SCOLDED--THE BODIES VANISH, BUT
THE SOULS REMAIN.
On their return from Shark's Island, Fritz and Jack were deeply
affected, not by the dread of the perils they were destined to
encounter--these never gave them a moment's uneasiness--but by the
knowledge that a merciless vulture was preying upon the vitals of
their beloved mother.
Willis on the contrary, appeared as lively as if he had just received
notice of promotion; but whether the idea of again dwelling on the
open sea had really elevated his spirits, or whether this gaiety was
only assumed to encourage Becker and his sons, was best known to
himself.
It was arranged amongst them that no one, under any circumstances,
should be made acquainted with the design they had in contemplation.
By this means all opposition would be vanquished, and the regrets of
separation would, in some degree, be avoided. Besides, if the project
were divulged, might not Frank and Ernest insist upon their right to
share its dangers? This eventuality alone was sufficient to impress
upon them all the urgency of secrecy. The really strong man knows his
weakness, and therefore dislikes to run the risk of exposing it, so
Becker dreaded the tears and entreaties that this desperate
undertaking would inevitably exercise, were it generally known
beforehand to the rest of the family; whereas, if once the pinnace
were fairly at sea, it could not be recalled, and time would do the
rest.
Since, then, all the preparations had to be made in such a way as not
to excite suspicion that any thing extraordinary was on foot, the
progress was necessarily slow. Willis, under pretext of amusing
himself, refitted the pinnace, and strengthened it so far as he could
without impairing its sailing efficiency. He called to mind that, when
Captain Cook reached Batavia, after his first voyage round the world,
he observed with astonishment that a large portion of the sides of his
famous ship the _Endeavor_ was, under the water line, no thicker than
the sole of a shoe.
As soon as the weather had settled, and the tropical heats set in, the
Wolstons resumed their abode at Falcon's Nest; whilst, under some
plausible pretext or other, Willis, Fritz, and Jack took up their
quarters at Rockhouse. This arrangement gave the destined navigators
the means of carrying on their operations unobserved, especially as
regards salting provisions and baking for the voyage.
Along with the stores, a portion of the valuables, that still remained
in the magazines of Rockhouse, were placed on board the pinnace; for,
though gold and precious stones were not of much value in New
Switzerland, Becker had not forgotten that such was not the case in
other portions of the world; he reflected that his sons must be
furnished with the means of returning to the colony with comfort.
There was also a man of science and education to be bought, and that,
he knew, could not be done without as the French proverb has it,
having some hay in one's boots.
Storms are usually heralded by some premonitory symptoms: the
atmosphere becomes oppressive, the clouds increase in density, the sky
gradually becomes obscure and large drops of rain begin to fall, then
follows the deluge, and the elements commence their strife. It is much
the same with impending misfortunes: gloom gathers on the countenance,
our movements become constrained, our thoughts wander, and a tear
lingers in the corner of the eye. Fritz and Jack endeavored in vain to
appear unconcerned, but, in spite of their efforts, it was painfully
evident that their minds were burdened by some heavy weight. They
were more tender and more affectionate, particularly towards their
mother. Towards evening, when they quitted the family circle for
Rockhouse, their adieus were so earnest, so warm, and so often
repeated, that it almost appeared as if they were laying in a stock of
them for their voyage, to store up and preserve with the bacon and
biscuits. Even the animals came in for an extra share of caresses,
and, if they were capable of reflection, it must have puzzled them
sorely to account for all the endearments that were lavished upon them
by the two brothers.
Becker himself was no less affected than his sons; sometimes, when the
latter were busily occupied with some preparation for the voyage, he
would fix his eyes sadly upon them, just as if every trait of these
cherished features had not already been deeply graven on his soul.
During the preceding rainy season, the two young men felt the days
long and tedious, and wished in their inmost hearts that they would
pass away more swiftly; now, the hours seemed to fly with
unaccountable rapidity, and they would gladly have lengthened them if
they had had the power. But no one can arrest
Le temps, cette image mobile
De l'immobile éternité.
And time is right in holding on the even tenor of its way; for if it
once yielded to the desires of mortals, there would be no end of
confusion and perplexity. It takes unto itself wings and flies away,
say the fortunate; it lags at a snail's pace, say the unfortunate. The
idler knows not how to pass it away. The man of action does not
observe its progress. Those who are looking forward to some favorite
amusement exclaim, "Would that it were to-morrow!" but how many there
are that might well ejaculate, from the bottom of their souls, "Would
that to-morrow may never arrive!" How, then, could such wishes be met
in a way to satisfy all?
A day at length arrived when everything was ready for departure, and
when nothing was wanted to weigh anchor but courage on the part of
the voyagers. The pinnace was laden to the gunwale, the compass was in
its place, the casks were filled with fresh water from the Jackal
River, and Willis reported that both wind and sea were propitious for
a start.
The morning of that day was lovely in the extreme. Willis, Fritz, and
Jack were early at Falcon's Nest; the two families breakfasted
together under the trees in the open air. After breakfast an
adjournment to the umbrageous shade of the bananas was proposed and
agreed to.
"Mother," said Fritz, taking Mrs. Becker's arm, "I want you all to
myself."
"I object to that, if you please," cried Jack, taking her other arm.
"Why, you boys seem extravagantly fond of your mother to-day," said
Mrs. Becker, gaily.
"Well, you see, mother, we have the right to have an idea now and
then--Willis has one every week."
"So long as your ideas are about myself, I have no reason to object to
them," said Mrs. Becker, smiling.
"We have always been dutiful sons, have we not, mother?" inquired
Fritz.
"Yes, always."
"You are well pleased with us then?"
"Yes, surely."
"We have never caused you any uneasiness, have we?" inquired Jack.
"That is to say, inadvertently," added Fritz; "designedly is out of
the question."
"No, not even inadvertently," replied their mother.
"Were you very sorry when Frank and Ernest were going to leave us?"
"Yes, my children, the tears still burn my cheek."
"Nevertheless, you knew that it was for the common welfare, and you
felt resigned to the separation."
"But why do you ask such a question now?"
"Well, _à propos de rien_, mother," replied Jack, "simply because we
love you, and, like misers, we treasure your love."
Towards the afternoon both families were again assembled under the
trees at Falcon's Nest This time it was dinner that brought them
together; the repast consisted of cold meats of various kinds, but the
chief dish was a wonderful salad, the rich, fresh odor of which
perfumed the air. Wolston, Frank, and Ernest kept up a lively
conversation, yet, though all seemed happy and pleased, there were
bursting hearts at the table that day."
"I am going to take a turn in the pinnace to-morrow," said Willis,
quietly; "who will go with me?"
"I will!" cried all the four brothers.
"I shall require you, Frank and Ernest, to take a look at the rice
plantation to-morrow," said Becker, "so I wish you to put off the
excursion till another time."
"We are at your orders, father," replied the two young men.
"Where are you going, Willis?" inquired Mrs. Wolston.
"Well, I am anxious to discover whether we inhabit an island or a
continent, and may, consequently, extend the survey beyond the points
already known; so you must not be disappointed should we not return
the same night."
"But what is the good of such an expedition?" inquired Mrs. Becker.
"The country may be inhabited, or there may be inhabited islands in
the vicinity," replied Willis.
"If there be natives anywhere near," said Mrs. Becker, "they have left
us at peace hitherto, and, in my opinion, since the dog sleeps, it
will be prudent for us to let it lie."
"It is not a question of creating any inconvenience," suggested
Becker, "but only to ascertain more accurately our geographical
position: such a knowledge can do us no possible harm, but, some day,
it may be of immense service to us."
"What if you should fall in with a ship?" inquired Mrs. Wolston.
"In that case we shall give your compliments to the commander,"
replied Jack.
"You may do that if you like, but try and bring it back with you if
you can."
"Do you wish to leave us?"
"I do not mean that," hastily added Mrs. Wolston, "but I am beginning
to get anxious about my son, poor fellow. If the _Nelson_ has not
arrived at the Cape, then he will suppose we are all drowned, and I
should like to fall in with some means of assuring him of our safety."
"Oh yes," cried the two girls, "do try and fall in with a ship; our
poor brother will be so wretched."
"You might say our brother as well," added the two young men.
Here the two mothers interchanged a glance of intelligence, which
might mean very little, but which likewise might signify a great deal.
A moment of intense anxiety had now arrived for Becker and his two
sons; they could scarcely refrain from shedding tears, but they felt
that the slightest imprudence of that nature would divulge everything.
"Come now, my lads, look alive," cried Willis, in a voice which he
meant to be gruff; "if you intend to take a few hours' repose before
we start in the morning, it is time to be off."
Fritz and Jack, had it been to save their lives, could not now have
helped throwing more than usual energy into their parting embraces
that particular afternoon; but they passed through the ordeal with
tolerable firmness, and then with heavy hearts turned towards the
door.
"I think I will walk with you as far as Rockhouse," said Becker.
All four then departed; and when the party were about fifty yards from
Falcon's Nest, Fritz and Jack turned round and waved a final adieu to
those loved beings whom probably, they might never see again.
"It is well," said Becker. "I am satisfied with your conduct
throughout this trying interval."
It was now an hour when there is something indescribably sombre about
the country; day was declining, the outlines of the larger objects in
the landscape were becoming less distinct, and the trees were assuming
any sort of fantastical shape that the mind chose to assign to them.
Here and there a bird rustled in the foliage, but otherwise the
silence was only broken by footsteps of the four men.
In ordinary life children quit the parental home by easy and almost
imperceptible gradations. First, there is the school, then college;
next, perhaps, the requirements of the profession they have adopted.
Thus they readily abandon the domestic hearth; friends, intercourse,
and society divide their affection, and the separation from home
rarely, if ever, costs them a pang. Not so with Becker's two sons;
their world was New Switzerland; therefore, like the rays of the sun
absorbed by the mirror of Archimedes, all their affections were
concentrated on one point.
On the former occasion when the family ties were on the eve of being
rent asunder, the case was very different. It is true, Frank and
Ernest were about to leave for an indefinite period of time; but then,
every comfort that the most fastidious voyager could desire was
awaiting them on board the _Nelson_; for a well-appointed ship is like
a well-appointed inn on shore, all your wants are ministered to with
the utmost celerity. Besides, Captain Littlestone had taken the young
men under his special protection, and had promised to see them
properly introduced and cared for in Europe. How dissimilar was the
position of Fritz and his brother; they were about to tumble into the
old world should they be so fortunate as to reach it, much as if they
had dropped from the skies, without a guide and without a friend. They
were about to entrust themselves to the ocean, separated from its
treacherous floods by a few wretched planks; to be exposed for months,
almost unsheltered, to wind, rain, and the mercy of pitiless storms.
"If God in His mercy preserves you, my sons," said Becker, breaking at
last the silence, "you will find yourselves launched in an ocean still
more turbulent than that you have escaped--an ocean where falsehood
and cunning assume the names of policy and tact; where results always
justify the means, whatever these may be; where everything is
sacrificed to personal interest and ambition; where fortune is honored
as a virtue that dispenses with all others, and where profligacies of
the most odious kinds are decorated with gay and seductive colors. It
is difficult for me to foresee the various circumstances amidst which
you may be placed; but there are certain rules of conduct that
provide for nearly every emergency. I have no need to urge loyalty or
courage--these qualities are inseparable from your hearts. Strive only
for what is just and honest. Submit to be cheated rather than be
cheats yourselves; ill-gotten gains never made any one rich. Put your
trust in Providence. Seek aid from on high, when you find yourselves
surrounded with difficulties. Never forget that there is no corner on
the earth's surface, however obscure, that the eyes of the Lord are
not there to behold your actions. Act promptly and with energy. Bear
in mind that every moment lost will be to your mother an age of
suffering, and that her life is suspended on the fragile thread of
your return."
The party had now reached the banks of the Jackal River, where the
pinnace was moored. Fritz and Jack were shedding tears unrestrainedly,
and had dropped on their knees at their father's feet.
"I call," said Becker, in a trembling voice, "the benediction of
Heaven upon your heads, my sons."
"Oh, but they must not go!" cried Mrs. Becker, rushing out from behind
some tall brushwood that hid her from their view; "they shall not go!"
Fritz and Jack were instantly inclosed within their mother's arms.
"Ah!" cried she, pushing aside the hair from their brows, the better
to observe their features, "you thought to deceive your mother, did
you?"
"Pardon!" exclaimed both the young men.
Here Becker thought it necessary to interfere; and, summoning all the
courage he could muster to the task, said--
"Why should they not go? Is this the first expedition they have
undertaken?"
"No, it is not the first expedition they have undertaken, but it is
the first time their eyes and their looks betokened an eternal adieu.
It is the first time that I felt they were forsaking me for ever, and
it is the first time you ever addressed them with the words you just
now uttered."
Becker saw that it was useless to attempt to carry deceit any
further; he therefore withdrew his eyes from the piercing glance of
his wife. Willis, caught in the act, as it were, was completely thrown
off his guard, and had not a word to say for himself. Fritz and Jack
had again fallen on their knees, this time at the feet of their
mother.
"Ah! I begin to understand," she screamed, as she glanced around on
the scared group that surrounded her, like a wounded lioness whose
cubs were being carried off; "now the bandage begins to drop from my
eyes. A thousand inexplicable things dart into my mind. You are
sending the boys on an impracticable voyage to secure the safety of
their mother; but you did not think that in order to prolong my
existence for a few years, you would kill me instantly with grief!
What right have you to impose a remedy upon me that is a thousand
times worse than the malady? Have I ever complained? May my sufferings
not be agreeable to me? May I not like them? Is pain and suffering not
our lot from the cradle to the tomb? But I am not ill, I was never
better in my life than I am at this moment."
Here she was seized with a paroxysm of nervous tremors that convulsed
her frame most fearfully, and completely belied her words. Becker
rushed forward and held her firmly in his arms.
"God give me strength!" he murmured. "Go, my children, where your duty
calls you; go, my friend, do not prolong this terrible scene an
instant longer."
Not another word was spoken, the pinnace was unmoored; Fritz, Jack,
and Willis embarked. When at some little distance from the shore,
there was just light enough for Fritz to notice that his father was
directing the feeble steps of his mother in the direction of Falcon's
Nest. In a few moments more all the objects on shore were one confused
mass of unfathomable shadow. The pinnace dropped anchor at Shark's
Island, where some few final preparations for the voyage had to be
made. Fritz here took a pen and wrote:
"We part. We are gone. When you read this letter, the sea, for some
distance, will extend between us. We shall live and move elsewhere,
but our hearts still with you. We wish that Ernest and Frank would
erect a flagstaff on the spot where we last parted with our parents.
It may be to us what the celestial standard bearing the scroll, _in
hoc signo vinces_ was to the Emperor Constantine. The place is already
sacred, and may be hallowed by your prayers for us. Our confidence in
the divine mercy is boundless. Do not despair of seeing us again. We
have no misgivings, not one of us but anticipates confidently the
period when we shall return and bring with us health, happiness, and
prosperity to you all.
"Let me add a word," said Jack.
"The sea is calm, our hearts are firm, our enterprise is under the
protection of Heaven--there never was an undertaking commenced under
more favorable auspices. Farewell then, once more, farewell. All our
aspirations are for you.
"FRITZ.
"JACK.
"P.S.--Willis was going to write a line or two when, lo and behold! a
big tear rolled upon the paper. 'Ha!' said he, 'that is enough, I will
not write a word, they will understand that, I think,' and he threw
down the pen."
"How is the letter to be sent on shore?" inquired Fritz.
"There is a cage of pigeons on board the pinnace," replied Jack, "but
I do not want them to know that, for, if they should expect to hear
from us, and some accident happen to the pigeons, they might be
dreadfully disappointed."
"We can return on shore," observed Willis, "and place it on the spot,
where we embarked; they are sure to be there to-morrow."
This suggestion was incontinently adopted. The letter was attached to
a small cross, and fixed in the ground. The voyagers had all
re-embarked in the pinnace, which was destined to bear even more than
Cæsar and his fortunes. Willis had already loosened the warp, when, a
thought crossed the mind of Fritz.
"I must revisit Falcon's Nest once more," said he.
"What!" cried Willis, "you are not going to get up such another scene
as we witnessed an hour or two ago?"
"No, Willis, I mean to go by stealth like the Indian trapper, so as to
be seen by no mortal eye. I wish to take one more look at the old
familiar trees, and endeavor to ascertain whether my mother has
reached home in safety."
"But the dogs?" objected Willis.
"The dogs know me too well to give the slightest alarm at my approach.
I shall not be long gone; but really I must go, the desire is too
powerful within me to be resisted."
"I will go with you," said Jack.
Here Willis shook his head and reflected an instant.
"You are not angry with us, Willis, are you?"
"Not at all," he replied, "and I think the best thing I can do, under
the circumstances, is to go too."
"Very well, make fast that warp again, and come along."
The party then disappeared amongst the brushwood.
"Some time ago," remarked Fritz, "we followed this track about the
same hour; there was danger to be apprehended, but the enterprise was
bloodless, though successful."
"You mean the chimpanzee affair," said Willis.
"Yes; this time we have only an emotion to conquer, but I am afraid it
is too strong for us."
"These are the trees," said Jack, as they debouched upon the road,
"that I stuck my proclamations upon. We had very little to think of in
those days."
As the party drew near Falcon's Nest, the dogs approached and welcomed
them with the usual canine demonstrations of joy.
"I have half a mind to carry off Toby," said Fritz; "but I fear Mary
would miss him."
Externally all appeared tranquil at Falcon's Nest; this satisfied the
young men that their mother had succeeded in reaching home, at least,
in safety; a light streaming through the window of Becker's dwelling,
however, showed that the family had not yet retired for the night.
"If they only knew we were so near them!" remarked Jack.
The entire party then sat down upon a rustic bench, shrouded with
flowering orchis and Spanish jasmine.
"How often, on returning from the fields or the chase, we have seen
our mother at work on this very seat," observed Fritz.
"Aye," added Jack; "once I observed she had fallen asleep whilst
knitting stockings. I advanced on tip-toe, removed gently her knitting
apparatus, stockings, and all, and placed on her lap some ortolans
that I had caught and strangled; but I first plucked one of them, and
scattered the feathers all about, and then retreated into a thicket to
watch the _dénouement_ of my scheme. She awoke, put down her hand to
take up a stocking, and laid hold of a bird. She stared, rubbed her
eyes, stared again, looked about, and could find nothing but the
ortolan feathers. I then ran forward and embraced her, looking as if I
had just come from unearthing turnips. 'Well, I declare,' she said
with a bewildered air, 'I could have sworn that I was knitting just
now, and here I find myself plucking ortolans; and what is more, I
have not the slightest idea where, in all the world, the birds have
come from!' Of course, I looked as innocent as possible; so that the
more she stared and reflected, the less she could make the matter out.
At last, she went on plucking the birds, and when this was done she
stuck them on the spit. When the ortolans were roasted and ready to be
served up, I went into the kitchen, carried them off, and put my
mother's knitting apparatus on the spit. Imagine her surprise when she
beheld her worsted and stockings at the fire, knowing, at the same
time, that four hungry stomachs were waiting for their dinners! At
last, fearing that she was going to ascribe the metamorphosis to some
hallucination of her own, I went up to her, threw my arms round her
neck, told her the whole story, and we both of us enjoyed a hearty
laugh over it."
"Aye, Jack, those were laughing times," said Fritz, sadly.
"Not only that, but our mother was always so even--tempered; she was
never ruffled in the slightest degree by my nonsense; though she often
had the right to be very angry, yet she never once took offence. On
another occasion, Mary and Sophia Wolston were working here at those
mysterious embroideries which they always hid when we came near."
"Toby's collar, I suppose," remarked Fritz.
"My tobacco pouch," suggested Willis.
"I approached," continued Jack, "with the muffled softness of a cat,
and was just on the point of discovering their secret, when my monkey,
Knips, who was cracking nuts at their feet, made a spring, and drew a
bobbin of silk after it; this caused them to look round, and great was
my astonishment to find myself caught at the very moment I expected to
surprise them. They commenced scolding me at an immense rate, but then
it was so delightful to be scolded!"
"Aye," murmured Fritz, "that is all over now."
Like a file of sheep, one recollection dragged another after it, so
that the whole of the past recurred to their memories. Some faint
streaks of light now warned them that day was about to break; the
cocks began to crow one after the other, and to fill the air with
their shrill voices.
"Now," said Willis, "it is high time to be off."
Jack hastily gathered two bouquets of flowers, which he suspended to
the lintel of each dwelling.
"These," said he, "will show them that we have paid them another
visit."
They then bent down all three on their knees, uttered a short prayer,
and afterwards disappeared amidst the shadows of the chestnut trees.
"Listen!" said Willis, seeing that his companions were about to make a
halt, "if you stop again, or speak of returning any more, I will cease
to regard you as men."
Half an hour afterwards, on the morning of the 8th March, 1812, the
pinnace bore out to sea, and when day broke, the crew could not descry
a single trace of New Switzerland on any point of the horizon.