_Third Mate and Ship's Cousin go ashore on liberty._
Many shipmasters and owners will remember how very dull were freights
for Europe, at Cuba, in the spring and summer of 1839; and Captain
Smith had been in Matanzas but a day or two when he became convinced
of the unwelcome truth. We lay day after day sweltering in the sun,
until nearly a week had passed, and there was as yet no freight
engaged. As our orders were to lay four weeks waiting, unless we
should be loaded and ready to sail before that time had elapsed,
Langley and I determined that, as I had plenty of money, we would beg
a week's liberty of the skipper in this time of idleness, and take a
cruise ashore; and we had secretly resolved that in some manner, not
yet discovered, we would effect the escape of my Cousin Clara--Langley
also, in full intention to take the life of Don Carlos Alvarez, should
he run athwart his hawse. Mr. Stowe had been on board during the first
day or two after our arrival, and had given us both pressing
invitations to spend a week at his house, and to renew our
acquaintance with the girls. So the Saturday night after our arrival,
Langley and I preferred our petition to the skipper at the
supper-table.
"Why, boys," said our good-natured captain, "if I thought you wouldn't
get into some confounded scrape, I'd as lief spare you awhile as not;
we've nothing to do aboard ship, so--"
"Beg your pardon, Captain Smith," interrupted Mr. Brewster, who had
been on bad terms with my friend William for a day or two; "I beg your
pardon, sir, but there can be plenty of work to do. It's a slick time
to refit the rigging."
"Why, Mr. Brewster," said the captain, "our rigging was thoroughly
refitted at Valetta."
"Yes, sir, I know that, sir," persisted Brewster, "but we had a rough
trip from there, sir; that last blow we had gin' our standin' riggin'
a devil of a strainin', sir."
"Oh! well, Mr. Brewster," replied the skipper, "it'll take but a day
or two to set up our shrouds, and I'm afraid we shall have plenty of
time for that."
"Very well, Captain Smith," resumed the second mate, "it is nothing to
me, sir. I'd as lief they'd be ashore all the time, sir, but before
you give Mr. Langley leave, I'd just wish to enter a complaint against
him, sir. I shouldn't thought of saying nothin' about it, only to see
him coming and asking for liberty so bloody bold, just as if he
reckoned he desarved it, makes me feel a leetle riley, sir. He was
guilty of using disrespectable language to his superior officer, to
me, sir, and upon the quarter-deck, too, sir, d----n him. You see,
that night afore last, in his anchor-watch, it was rather warm in my
state-room, so I went between decks to walk and cool off a little, and
I heard Bill sitting on the booby-hatch and a spoutin' poetry to
his-self. Well, I just walks up the ladder, pokes my head through the
slide and hails him; but instead of answering me in a proper manner,
what does he do but jumps off the hatch and square off in this manner,
as if he was agoin' to claw me in the face, and he sings out--'Are you
a goose or a gobbler, d----n you?' I didn't want to pick a fuss
before the rest of the watch, or by the holy Paul I'd a taught him the
difference between his officer and a barn-yard fowl in a series of one
lesson--blast his etarnal picter!"
"Mr. Langley," said the skipper, "what have you to say for yourself?
Such language upon the quarter-deck to your superior officer is very
impertinent."
"If you'll allow me," replied the accused, "I think I can give a
version of the story which will sound a little different. You see, the
second mate wears a night-cap, to keep the cockroaches or bugs out of
his ears--"
"That's a lie," roared Brewster. "I wears it because I've got a
catarrh, which I ketched by doing my duty in all weathers, long afore
you ever dipped your fingers in pitch, you lazy son of a gun."
"Silence!" cried Captain Smith, suppressing a laugh. "Mr. Langley,
never mind the night-cap, but go on with your story."
"Well," resumed the third mate, "he does wear one, any how, and night
before last I sat on the hatch, as he says, reading Shakspeare in the
moonlight, and when the second mate's night-capped head rose through
the slide, he looked so very spectral that I couldn't forbear hailing
him with--'Art thou a ghost or goblin damned?' which he persists in
rendering his own fashion. I'm sure I didn't intend to liken him to a
barn-yard fowl of any kind; I should rather have gone into the stable
in search of comparisons."
To the great chagrin and astonishment of Mr. Brewster, all hands of us
burst into a roar of laughter; but Langley, by the skipper's advice,
finally begged pardon, and peace and amity were restored. Brewster
withdrew his objections, and the skipper granted us a week's liberty.
The next day, after dinner, the yawl was brought to the side and
manned, and my chum and I prepared for our departure.
"Remember," quoth my cousin Pedro, as I bade him good-bye, in the
mate's state-room, where, from extreme caution, he generally lay
_perdu_, "remember to see Clara; tell her who you are, and bring us
word from her."
"Yes," added the mate, "tell her of Pedro's escape, but do not
undeceive her as to the belief of my death--that's too late now. God
bless the dear girl!" and the voice of the usually stout-hearted
seaman trembled as he spoke.
"Good-bye, Frank; good-bye, Bill," said Mr. Brewster, as we came on
deck again, and shaking hands with us; "kiss all the girls for me, and
bring off some good cigars the first time you come on board. These
d----d bumboatmen don't have the best quality."
"Keep out of all manner of scrapes." added the captain, by way of
climax. "However, I shall see you or hear of you every day, either at
the house or counting-room."
"Ay, ay; yes, sir; oh! certainly; of course, sir; good-bye, shipmates;
good-bye, sir;" shouted we, right and left, in reply to the divers
charges, injunctions and parting salutations, as the boat pushed off.
"Now let fall, my men, give way," continued Bill. "By lightning!
Frank, _pre_haps we wont have a spree!"
The ship's cousin replied only by an expressive pantomime.
Two Bowery clerks, driving a fast trotting-horse up the Third Avenue,
may, in a measure, realize the feeling of intense pleasure which we
experienced at this time.
Away we went in crack style, till, as we neared the mole, Langley gave
the order "unrow;" six oar-blades instantly glittered in the sun, the
bow-man seized his boat-hook, and our stout crew forced our way
through the jam of ship and shore-boats to the landing stairs, saluted
by a volley of oaths and interjections, selected with no great care
from the vocabularies of almost every European and African language.
There is no place in the world which will seem, at first sight, more
strange and foreign to a home-bred New Englander than the mole at
Matanzas. It attracted even our eyes, which had last looked upon the
picturesque groups in the streets and upon the quay of Valetta. Sunday
is a holiday in Cuba, and a motley crowd had assembled under the cover
of the immense shed which is built on the mole. Upon a pile of
sugar-boxes near us were seated a group of Dutch sailors, gravely
smoking, and sagely keeping silent, in striking contrast with a knot
of Frenchmen, who were all talking at once and gesticulating like
madmen. Here stalked a grave Austrian from Trieste, and yonder a
laughing, lively Greek promenaded arm-in-arm with a Maltese.
Hamburghers and Danes, Swedes and Russians, John Bulls by scores,
Paddies without number, Neapolitans, Sicilians and Mexicans, all were
there, each with fellows and some one to talk to. A group of
emigrants, just landed from the Canary Islands, were keeping watch
over their goods, and were looking with great interest and many
earnest remarks upon this first appearance of their new home. Not far
from them a collection of newly imported African negroes, naked, save
a strip of cloth about their loins, were rivaling in volubility and
extravagance of gesture even the Frenchmen. Native islanders, from the
mountains, in picturesque, brigand-like dresses, with long knives
stuck jauntily in their girdles, gazed with stupid wonder at the crowd
of foreigners. Soldiers from the barracks, with most ferocious looking
whiskers and mustaches, very humbly offered for sale little bunches of
paper cigaritos. Black fruit women, whose whole dress consisted of a
single petticoat of most laconic Fanny Ellslerish brevity, invited the
passer by, in terms of the most affectionate endearment, to purchase
their oranges, melons, and bananas. Young Spanish bloods, with
shirt-bosoms bellying out like a maintop-sail in a gale, stalked along
with great consequence, quizzing the strangers. Children, even of ten
years of age, and of both sexes and all colors, naked as Job when he
came into the world, excited the attention of no one but greenhorns
like myself. Down East molasses drogher skippers, who, notwithstanding
the climate, clothed themselves in their go-ashore long-napped black
beaver hats, stiff, coarse broadcloth coats, thick, high bombazine
stocks and cowhide boots, landed from their two-oared unpainted yawls,
and ascended the stairs with the air of an admiral of the blue.
Uniforms of Spanish, American, French and English navy officers were
thickly scattered amidst the crowd, and here and there, making for
itself a clear channel wherever it went, rolled the stalwart form of
the Yankee tar.
"This is a regular-built tower of Babel," said Langley, at last, "but
come, let's work out of 'em."
After some difficulty we gained the street, and our first move was to
a _pulperia_, where I treated our boat's crew, and bought as many
bananas, oranges and cigars as they could take down to the boat, to
send to my shipmates aboard. The second was to charter a volante, in
which we got under weigh for Mr. Stowe's house, which was situated
about a half a mile from the mole, in a retired street running
parallel with the Cabanas river, surrounded by a large garden, at the
foot of which was a summer-house, overhanging the river, to which led
a flight of steps. Upon our arrival we alighted from our vehicle, paid
our driver and rang the gate-bell. A gray-headed negro gave us
admission and conducted us to the house, where we were met by our
host.
"Ah! my dear boys," he cried, "I am delighted to see you, and so will
be Mrs. Stowe and the girls. They associate with the natives but very
little, and old friends like you will be a godsend."
Half an hour afterward Langley and I were as much at home as could be,
laughing and chatting with Mary and Ellen Stowe. Mary was a tall,
handsome brunette of eighteen, and my chum had always preferred her to
her sister, but my predilections were in favor of the gentle Ellen.
While we were children the elders often predicted that when we grew up
there would be a wedding some day, but her father had carried her with
him when he moved from Boston to the West Indies, and there seemed an
end to our intimacy. She was two years younger than I, and
consequently, at the time I saw her in Matanzas, about sixteen. I wish
I could describe her--perhaps I may be able to give you some idea of
her. She was of the middle height, and bade fair to be exquisitely
formed; her face was intellectual, a tolerably high forehead, straight
nose, a small mouth with pretty rosy lips, white, even teeth, small
and thorough bred hands and feet, and her eyes, which I have purposely
left to the last, are, notwithstanding Mr. Stewart's encomiastic
account of the dark orbs of the Creole girls, I think, the most
beautiful in the world; they are large, dark-blue and loving, and when
she looks up at you, even if you are the most wicked man in the world,
it will calm your thoughts and make you still and quiet. Dear reader,
imagine Ellen very beautiful, and take my word for it that your fancy
will not deceive you. Ellen and I resumed our former friendship almost
immediately, and after dinner we walked into the garden to talk over
auld lang syne.
"Do you remember, Ellen," said I, "how we both cried when I bade you
good-bye?"
"Did _I_?" asked Ellen, mischievously.
"Yes, you little sinner, much more than I did, because I was fourteen
and had the dignity of manhood to support."
"Well," said Ellen, "I think I do remember something about it."
"Is it possible! and does your memory serve you still farther; you
said that if I would ever come to see you, you would never refuse to
kiss me again."
"Why, Frank Byrne, what a fertile invention you have got."
"Not so," I replied, "only an excellent memory, come, now, own the
truth, didn't you promise me so?"
"But, Frank, I was a little girl then, and my contracts were not valid
you know; however, if--"
"If what?" demanded I, perceiving that she blushed and hesitated.
"Why, if _you_ wish to kiss _me_, I don't know that I should object a
great deal."
Of course I did no such thing.
"Why, Ellen," I said in a few moments, "you've grown very prudish;
where did you learn to be?"
"Oh! I don't know," she replied, "unless it was among the nuns."
"The nuns!" I repeated, my thought taking a new turn."
"Ay, the nuns, my lad, the nuns," cried Ellen, laughing immoderately
at my abstracted look.
"At what convent?" I asked.
"The Ursuline. I went to school there immediately after our arrival,
and, Frank, only think! my particular preceptress, Sister Agatha,
father says is your own cousin. She understood English so much better
than any of the rest that I was put under her immediate care."
I was peculiarly interested in this piece of information, as the
reader may suppose. I questioned Ellen closely, and finally told her
the story of the loves and misfortunes of Mr. Stewart and Clara. The
tears stood in the beautiful eyes of my auditor as I finished.
"Langley and I have a plan for her escape," I added.
"Oh! Frank, she would not escape; she has taken the veil; she will not
break her vow."
"Yes she will, when she hears that her brother is free and Stewart is
alive."
"Well," said Ellen, "I know what I would do in her place, but what is
your plan? In case she is willing to escape how do you propose to
manage?"
"That's the difficulty; don't the nuns ever come out of the convent?"
"Never alone; always by twos. Sister Agatha is a great saint, and has
a deal of liberty, but she is always in company."
"Well, well," said I, "we shall have to scale the walls then."
"Pooh! you are as romantic as William."
"Well, Miss Wisdom, wont you suggest something?"
"Certainly. Frank," replied Ellen. "Sister Agatha always took quite a
liking for me, because I was her scholar I suppose, and an American,
and she and the Superior, who is a very good-natured person, came
immediately to see me, when I was sick last summer, and afterward
called very often. Now, if papa is willing, when your ship is ready to
sail I'll fall sick again and send for Sister Agatha, who will be sure
to come with some one else, but she can slip out through the court
after awhile, and down the garden-walk here to the river, and go into
your boat, which shall be waiting, and then you can take her off to
the ship."
"That is a capital plan, dear Ellen," said I, "but there is one grand
objection to it."
"What is that, Frank?"
"You would get into trouble by it."
"Oh, no! I think not; but yonder comes papa with mother, and William
is saying fine things to Mary, behind them."
"Ah, Frank!" cried Mr. Stowe, as we made our appearance, "we were
looking for you. I did not know but that you had run away with Ellen."
"No," said I, "not yet; but we were contriving the best plan to run
away with a nun."
"Hush! you fool!" whispered Langley, pinching my arm.
"Go to thunder!" was the reply, "I know what I'm about." I then
related to Mr. Stowe the story the reader well knows, and which I
found Mr. Stowe knew very well also, and finally disclosed Ellen's
very excellent plan for the deliverance of my cousin.
"If," said Mr. Stowe, in reply, when I had finished, "if you can get
sister Agatha's consent to elope at the proper time, Ellen may fall
sick if she pleases. I may be suspected in having a hand in the
matter; but if the affair is properly managed, they can do no more
than suspect, and that I care nothing about, as I'm going to move back
to Boston in the spring. But the grand difficulty you will find to be
in persuading Sister Agatha to break her vow."
"Let me alone for that," replied I, "if I can only have an interview
with her."
"That is easily done," said Mary Stowe, "the nuns are allowed to see
their friends at the grate."
"And I will go with you to the convent to-morrow, and engage the
superior's attention while you talk with your cousin," added her
father.
In the evening Langley and I held a council of war, wherein it was
decided, _nem. con_., that our plot was in a fair way to be
accomplished.