Bells were ringing; bonfires blazing throughout England. The battle of
Waterloo had been fought. Peace, broken by the return of Napoleon from
Elba, was restored; and the great agitator of Europe was a captive on
board a British man-of-war, about to sail for Saint Helena. Though the
nation was rejoicing, the hearts of many of all ranks, who had lost
loved ones on the field of battle, were mourning.
Jessie Flamank was not alone in her sorrow. She was resigned; but time
had not assuaged it, nor lessened her tender love for Ralph's memory.
She had, of late, ample work, as several ladies in the neighbourhood who
had heard her history were in the habit of sending for her to assist in
making dresses for their families. Among them was a Mrs Chandos, whose
husband, Colonel Chandos, had just returned home wounded from Waterloo,
in which battle their only son had fallen.
The bereaved mother, while arranging the mourning for her little girls,
spoke of him to Jessie, adding, with tears in her eyes, "His younger
brother perished on board the _Falcon_, five years ago, in the Indian
Ocean."
Jessie naturally became deeply interested in the poor lady, and could
not help telling her that her intended husband was an officer in the
same ship.
"We long hoped against hope that some might have escaped, and that our
son might be among the number," said Mrs Chandos; "but now we know that
we have lost both our brave boys."
"All things are possible with God, ma'am; He orders all for the best; we
should trust Him," answered Jessie, gently.
Scarcely had she reached home, when a young sailor, whom she at once
recognised as Peter Puddle, hurried up to the door.
"Oh, Miss Flamank, I am so glad to find you!" he exclaimed eagerly; "I
have been twice to the house, and was afraid that you had left it. May
I come in?"
Jessie assured him that he was welcome.
"I have news for you. Wonderful news, which you little expected to
hear," he continued.
"Oh, tell me! What is it?" cried Jessie, gasping for breath, and her
heart beating violently.
"I had always heard say, what you thought also, that your father,
Captain Flamank, perished at sea; now I've got to tell you that he
didn't, for I've seen him, and he is alive and well, and he sent me on
to tell you that he would be with you soon."
"My father alive!" ejaculated Jessie. Is she to be blamed if she felt
disappointed at hearing his name instead of Ralph's as she had expected?
Her affection for her father, long supposed dead, however, quickly
revived, and she became eager to welcome him home.
Peter told her that the captain of the ship to which he himself belonged
having died at the Cape of Good Hope, it became necessary for the
consignees to find another. That one had been selected who, with other
officers, had just arrived after having been prisoners to the French for
several years in a remote island in the Indian Ocean. The crews of the
captured vessels had been sent away and exchanged; but the officers had
been detained till the termination of the war, for fear that they might
give information to the English of the position of the island, the
favourite rendezvous of French privateers.
"You may suppose how surprised I was to hear that our new captain's name
was Flamank," continued Peter. "I at once told him that I knew you, and
how kind you had been to me, and soon found that he was your father. He
seemed never tired of asking me questions about you, and so of course I
gave him a full account of all that I thought would interest him. He,
in return, told me a great deal about himself. His ship had not been
wrecked, as was supposed, but had been captured by a French privateer,
on board which he had been taken. She was shortly afterwards wrecked on
an island in the Indian Ocean, when the Frenchmen attempted to reach the
shore in their boats, leaving the prisoners on board. The boats were
swamped, and all in them perished. Notwithstanding this, most of the
prisoners having built a raft, pushed off on it and shared their fate.
Captain Flamank and two others, seeing signs of the gale abating,
refused to join them, and the next day landed safely in a sheltered
cove, in the neighbourhood of which they took up their abode, having
brought on shore a large store of provisions and everything they
required from the wreck before she went to pieces. His two companions,
one of whom was wounded, died, and he was left alone for several years
till taken off by another French privateer. From what the captain said
I have an idea that he thinks of going back there if he has an
opportunity, as he had hidden away no small amount of treasure, taken
out of the wreck, which he didn't tell the French privateer's-men of,
for more reasons than one. First, he couldn't speak their lingo;
secondly, as bad weather was coming on, they were in a hurry to be off;
and as it was property which their countrymen had taken from English
vessels, he had no fancy to let them get it. But I've still another
strange thing to tell you. Soon after the captain was taken aboard the
privateer, she was chased by an English frigate during a heavy gale.
The privateer narrowly escaped shipwreck on the island they had left;
and it was the opinion of the Frenchmen, and the captain thinks they
were right, that the frigate was cast away. There can be no doubt that
she was the _Falcon_, and he thinks that some, if not all the crew, may
have escaped, and be still living on the island."
Jessie was making many eager inquiries on the subject, when Peter,
looking at his watch, jumped up, and telling her that she would soon see
the captain, hurried away. Before an hour was over she was clasped in
her father's arms. He had much to hear from her of her numerous trials
and difficulties, and she in return longed to learn more about his
adventures and the supposed wreck of the _Falcon_ than Peter had told
her. He confirmed in all points the account she had heard.
"It has always been supposed, I find, that my ship, the _Dolphin_, was
driven on shore during a hurricane in the Indian Ocean, and that all on
board had perished," continued Captain Flamank. "The report was brought
home as you know by another English ship, the _Chieftain_, which had
been in company with us. She herself narrowly escaped the outer end of
a reef, and was driven far away to the southward, and her master having
observed our perilous position, and not again falling in with us,
naturally concluded that we had been lost. This I have only lately
learned. We were truly in great danger, but happily, being carried
through an opening in the reef, were able to anchor in safety under the
lee of the land.
"We congratulated ourselves on our escape. Scarcely, however, had we
made sail after the gale was over, than we saw standing out of a bay, a
short distance off, which a lofty headland had concealed from us, a
large ship which we soon knew to be a French privateer. In vain we did
our utmost to escape, while we fired our stern guns in the hopes of
crippling her. She soon ranged up alongside, when, finding that further
resistance would be useless, with a sad heart I hauled down my flag. I
was at once transferred to the privateer with several of my men, and a
prize-crew was put on board the _Dolphin_, which sailed to the
northward. As I never heard of her again, I suspect that she went down
in a hurricane before she reached her destination. The privateer
cruised for some time in the southern part of the Indian Ocean, and
after taking another prize with a large amount of specie, which was of
course removed on board her, she one night was wrecked on a small rocky
island, of the existence of which no one appeared to be aware. I will
not describe the horrors which ensued. All discipline was lost, each
man, regardless of the rest, thinking only how he could secure his own
safety."
Captain Flamank then gave Jessie a full account of the occurrences of
which Peter had already told her.
"The years spent on that lone island, especially after the death of my
two companions, were indeed sad ones," he continued. "Often I believed
that I should never again see the face of a fellow-creature. I thought
of you, too, my child, left as I feared you would be when your
grandmother was taken away, alone in the hard, cruel world, with no one
to protect you from its snares, or to help you in your distress."
"But God protects those who trust in Him, and He never forsook me, but
sent me kind friends who gave me all the help I needed," exclaimed
Jessie, looking up in her father's face.
"I know that now, Jessie, but I did not then. I should have borne my
misfortunes much better had I done so," he answered. "That good young
fellow Peter, my mate, first put the truth before me on the voyage home.
Many men would not dare to speak as faithfully to their captain as he
did to me. He got me to read the Bible, and showed me throughout the
Psalms God's numberless gracious promises to those who trust to Him, and
His boundless love to sinful men in the Gospels, and what ample rules
under all circumstances in life He has afforded us in the Epistles."
"Peter did not tell me of this," said Jessie.
"No, I should have supposed that he would not," answered her father; "he
is too modest and humble to boast of anything he has done. I need not
tell you, after the years I had spent in solitude, with what joy I
welcomed the sight of a ship approaching the island. It was greatly
damped, however, when I discovered that she was French. Still I
resolved if I could to go on board her, hoping ultimately to make my
escape. The very day before the wreck I had discovered the latitude and
longitude we were in, and had noted it in my pocket-book, so that I
could calculate the exact position of the island. I had also buried all
the treasure which my companions and I had landed, and had raised over
it a mound exactly resembling those I had placed over their graves. I
thus should be able at any time to find the spot, I thought, while no
one else was likely to disturb it. On ascertaining from the Frenchmen
who landed that their ship was a privateer, and that they were still at
war with the English, I said nothing about the treasure, determined
rather to let it remain concealed for ever than allow them to possess
it, for I knew that though I might claim it they would without scruple
take it from me. Of this I was convinced from the way in which they
pulled up all the vegetables in my garden and carried off everything of
value which they found in the hut. Among other articles were my
sextant, chronometer, and nautical almanacks, which I had brought in my
chest from the _Dolphin_, though unable to use them on board the
privateer till the day I spoke of. The chronometer I had carefully
wound up every day, and it was still going when I returned to the wreck.
I was thus able when on the island to verify my previous calculations
and to ascertain its exact position.
"Having claimed the sextant and chronometer when I was carried on board,
I was told that they were no longer mine, and care was taken that I
should not ascertain the ship's position. In short, for several days I
was kept below, so that I could not even discover the course we were
steering. From what I overheard, however, I found that three days after
leaving the island we were chased during a heavy gale by an English
frigate, when we narrowly escaped destruction on a reef at its western
end, on which it was supposed the frigate had been cast away. She, I
have no doubt from what I have since heard, was the _Falcon_, to which
Ralph Michelmore belonged. From my own experience, I have hopes if such
was the case that some of the people may have reached the shore, and are
still living there."
"Oh, father! I cannot doubt it; and that Ralph is among them,"
exclaimed Jessie, clasping her hands.
"I pray for your sake, my child, that he may be," said Captain Flamank.
"Such scenes as took place when I was wrecked in the privateer are not
likely to have occurred on board a well-disciplined man-of-war. After
again, as I have described, narrowly escaping shipwreck, I began to hope
that the time when I should be free and able to return to England was
approaching. Notwithstanding the vigilance of the Frenchmen, I managed
on several occasions to creep on deck at night, when a glance at the
stars in the clear sky overhead assured me that the ship was steering to
the northward, and as I supposed to one of the French settlements in
India. What was my surprise, therefore, to find one morning that we
were standing towards a small hilly island, with the appearance of which
I was totally unacquainted. On being seen by the captain I was sent
below, and when I was allowed to return on deck I discovered that we
were in a completely land-locked harbour, with several other ships at
anchor, most of which I knew from their build to be English. Lofty
cliffs circled nearly round the harbour, concealing the masts even of
the largest ships from being seen by any passing stranger. In one place
the land sloped more gradually from the water, and on it were a number
of huts, mostly well-built and of considerable size, forming a regular
village. Some way above the village were several more huts surrounded
by a high palisade with a gateway, before which paced a couple of
sentries. I had not had much time to make my observations when I was
ordered into a boat, and on landing was at once conducted up to the
last-mentioned group of huts. Entering the gate I was led into a hut
close to it, in which sat an officer who told me that I must consider
myself a prisoner of war, and that as the English shut up the French who
fell into their hands in Porchester Castle, I had no reason to complain.
I urged that I had not been taken prisoner, and that after years of
absence from my home I was anxious to return there. He shrugged his
shoulders, smiling grimly, and made no reply. I found between thirty
and forty persons living within the palisade, most of them masters and
mates of captured ships. Several had been there from nearly the
commencement of the war. They told me that they were strictly watched,
and that they found it impossible to send letters home to inform their
friends of their fate. Civilians and common seamen had of late not been
allowed to land, but had been sent away immediately; the object of the
French being, it was evident, to conceal this convenient rendezvous of
their privateers from the enemy. I found this account too true, and
though I made many attempts to send letters to you I was unable to
succeed. We were not otherwise harshly treated, but we all pined for
freedom, and great was our joy when peace was concluded, and we were
sent off to the Cape. Care was even then taken to prevent us from
learning the exact position of the island of our captivity; but we
ascertained it pretty correctly, and should another war break out it is
not likely to be again used for the same purpose. On reaching the Cape
I at once obtained, as you know, the command of a ship, and thus had no
means of informing you of my existence before my arrival."
Much more interesting conversation, as may be supposed, passed between
the father and daughter.
Jessie was very anxious to repeat what she had heard to her friend Mrs
Chandos, and Captain Flamank consented to accompany her to the house of
that lady. What mother could listen to such a narrative without the
hope arising that her son might be among those who had escaped? Colonel
Chandos, though less sanguine than his wife, was willing to make every
effort necessary to ascertain the truth.
With the aid of the friends of other officers of the _Falcon_, a fine
brig, the _Hope_, was chartered and quickly fitted out, Captain Flamank
taking the command of her, with Peter as one of his mates. A picked
crew having been easily obtained, she sailed on her long voyage.
Jessie knew that she must pass many anxious months before the brig could
return; but would not He Who had restored her father to her have
preserved also her still fondly loved Ralph? She had many kind friends
to comfort and encourage her; and the warm sympathy of Mrs Chandos
assisted greatly to keep up her spirits.
We might follow the _Hope_ on her course. We can picture the delight of
the exiles as they saw a brig, with English colours flying, heave-to off
the bay, and her boat approach the shore. We can imagine their
surprise, as they warmly grasped his hand on landing, when Captain
Flamank announced himself as the former occupant of the hut, and, after
the first greetings were over, led them to the spot which they had
supposed was a grave, and with their assistance unearthed the
long-hidden treasure.
We need scarcely speak of the eager questions Ralph put to the captain
about Jessie, or say that before night the exiles with the treasure were
on board the brig, and that she was on her homeward voyage.
Seven months had passed since the _Hope_ had sailed, and Jessie had
begun anxiously to count the days and hours as they went slowly by.
That her Ralph would return she felt sure. Often she went to a spot
whence she could gaze down the Sound, in expectation of seeing the brig
with her white canvas spread gliding up it; but as often was she
disappointed. Many a vessel left the harbour with a favouring breeze
which kept the homeward bound at a distance. She had one day been asked
to visit Mrs Chandos, with whom she was seated, when voices were heard
in the hall, and soon afterwards the colonel entered the room.
"Prepare yourselves for a joyful event," he said, looking at his wife
and Jessie. "Some young naval officers have just arrived, and if you
will accompany me, Miss Flamank, I will lead you to the dining-room,
where you will find one of them whom you know."
As they left the room a stranger sprang by them, and Jessie heard Mrs
Chandos exclaim, "My son! My own dear boy!" In another instant Jessie
was weeping tears of joy, supported in the arms of Ralph.
They were soon joined by her father and Dickenson, who, after spending a
few hours with his friends, set off to afford a happy surprise to his
own family in Hampshire.
Their voyage home had been prosperous, excepting the loss of a man
overboard who had joined the brig at the Cape.
"He was in a wretched condition, produced by drunkenness; but the
captain could not refuse him a passage," observed Ralph. "I knew him
directly he came on board, though he entered under a feigned name, as my
old shipmate Dick Bracewell; but I don't think he recognised me. He no
longer appeared the smart seaman he once was; indeed, he could with
difficulty perform his duty. I intended, however, to make myself known,
and to speak to him with earnestness and kindness, when during the only
gale we encountered, directly after leaving the Cape, he fell from the
fore-topsail yard, and before an effort could be made to save him he had
sunk for ever."
Jessie did not till long afterwards tell Ralph of the way his old
shipmate had behaved to her.
"I forgive him," said Ralph. "When a man once leaves the right course
and takes to drinking as unhappy Dick did, it is impossible to say of
what vile actions he may be guilty."
Ralph and Jessie were married shortly after the return of the _Hope_.
And Chandos, who acted as best-man to his old messmate, declared that it
was the happiest day of his life.
They neither of them again went to sea, Ralph having been appointed to
the coastguard, in which service he obtained a situation for Jacob
Crane; while Captain Flamank enjoyed an ample competency from the
treasure he had brought home in the _Hope_. Of that vessel, which the
captain purchased, honest Peter, in the course of a few years, obtained
the command. She proved a more fortunate craft than the _Amity_, and
being well formed, and well manned, and well commanded, never failed to
bring in to him and her liberal owner a good return.
Ralph and Jessie enjoyed many years of happiness, ever acknowledging
that all the trials and anxieties through which they had gone had been
ordered for the best, and ever grateful for the present blessings
bestowed on them.