THE OFFICE OF FRANK, TRUNNION & SWAB--HARRY BRACEWELL REPORTS THE
ARRIVAL OF THE "ARROW"--HISTORY OF NICHOLAS SWAB--THE SLAVE TRADE--OUR
FIRM GIVES UP ALL CONNECTION WITH IT--CAPTAIN RODERICK TRUNNION--
SOMETHING ABOUT MYSELF AND FRIENDS--INTERVIEW BETWEEN MR. TRUNNION AND
GODFREY MAGOR, MATE OF THE "ARROW"--AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL--A STRANGE
ACCUSATION--SUSPICIONS OF CAPTAIN TRUNNION--MRS. BRACEWELL AND HER
DAUGHTER MARY.
"The `Arrow' has come in, sir, from the Coast of Africa, under charge of
Mr Godfrey Magor, the second mate," I heard Harry Bracewell, one of our
shipping clerks, say, as I was seated on a high stool, pen in hand,
leaning over my desk in the office of Messrs. Crank, Trunnion & Swab,
general merchants, of Liverpool Harry addressed the senior partner, Mr
Peter Crank, who had just then stepped out of his private room with a
bundle of papers in his hand into the counting-house, where I, with a
dozen other clerks, senior and junior, were driving our quills as fast
as we could move them over the paper, or adding up columns of figures,
or making calculations, as the case might be.
As I turned my head slightly, I could see both Mr Crank and Harry.
They afforded a strange contrast. Harry was tall, well-built, had a
handsome countenance, with a pleasant expression which betokened his
real character, for he was as kind, honest, and generous a young fellow
as ever lived--the only son of his mother, the widow of a naval officer
killed in action. She had come to Liverpool for the sake of giving a
home to Harry, who had been for some time in the employment of the firm.
The difference between Mr Crank and Harry was indeed most conspicuous
in their personal appearance. Whereas Harry was tall, Mr Crank was
short and stout; he had a bald head, shining as if it had been carefully
polished, a round face, with a florid complexion, and a nose which was
allowed by his warmest friends to be a snub; but he had a good mouth,
bright blue eyes, often twinkling with humour, which seemed to look
through and through those he addressed, while his brow exhibited a
considerable amount of intellect. Had not he possessed that, he would
not have been at the head of the firm of Crank, Trunnion & Swab.
"Brought home, did you say, by Godfrey Magor? What has happened to
Captain Rig and the first mate?"
"Both died from fever while up the Nunn, as did all hands except himself
and three others. So Mr Magor told me; and the survivors were all so
weak, that he could not have brought the vessel home had he not shipped
six Kroomen. He had also a narrow escape from pirates, who actually
boarded his vessel, when a man-of-war heaving in sight, they made off
without plundering her or killing any one."
"Bless my heart! I'm sorry to hear about Captain Rig's death. The poor
man remained longer up the river than he should have done, no doubt
about that I have over and over again charged the masters of our vessels
to be careful in that respect, but they won't attend to what I say. Let
me see! that makes the fifth who has lost his life during the last two
years. I'm thankful he got clear of the pirates. Those rascals have
long been the greatest pests on that coast. It is time the British
Government should take effectual steps to put a stop to their
depredations by sending a squadron into those seas. Have you brought
the manifest and the other papers with you?"
"Yes, sir," answered Harry, producing them. "Mr Magor will be on shore
himself in an hour or two, when he has seen the vessel made snug, for he
has no one to leave in charge; he himself is still suffering from the
fever, and two of her white crew are in their bunks."
Mr Crank, taking the documents, retired with them into his room, to run
his eye over the list of articles brought by the "Arrow," and to
calculate their present market value. The result I know was
satisfactory. I had afterwards to note down the prices which they
fetched. Merchants who could make so large a percentage on all their
cargoes were certain to grow rich. It was at the cost, however, of the
lives of a great number of human beings; but that was not my employers'
look out, nor did they allow the matter to trouble their consciences.
They could always obtain fresh masters to take charge of their vessels,
and fresh crews to man them.
In a short time Mr Trunnion, who had heard on 'Change of the arrival of
the "Arrow," came in to learn what news she had brought, expecting to
find her master, who was wont, immediately he came on shore, to put in
an appearance at the office. Mr Trunnion expressed himself much
shocked at Captain Rig's death.
"Poor fellow! he used to boast that he was acclimatised, but it is a
proof of the old adage, `that the pitcher which goes often to the well
gets broken at last.' We might have lost a worse man;" and with this
remark Mr Trunnion passed into his room, in which he sat to receive
visitors on private business.
Mr Trunnion, although the second partner, was the youngest in the firm.
He was a good-looking, urbane, well-mannered man, who, if not always
loved by those under him, was much liked and respected in the social
circle in which he moved, he being also one of the magnates of
Liverpool. For my own part, I had reason to like and be grateful to Mr
Swab, the junior member of the firm. He had formerly been a clerk in
the house, but by diligent attention to and a thorough knowledge of
business and strict honesty, he had some years before been made a
partner. To him I felt that I owed all the knowledge I possessed of
commercial affairs, as from my first entrance into the office he took
notice of me, and gave me the instruction I so much required. My chief
friend was Harry Bracewell, who was also a favourite with Mr Swab, and
had received the same instruction from him that I had obtained. Mr
Swab was not at all ashamed of his origin. He used to tell us that he
had risen, not from the gutter, but from the mud, like other strange
animals, having obtained his livelihood in his early days by hunting at
low tide for whatever he could pick up along the shore, thrown overboard
from the lighters or similar vessels unloading at the quays. At length
it was his good fortune to pick a purse out of the mud containing ten
golden guineas, and, as he used to tell us, being convinced that he
should never have a find like it, he resolved to quit his occupation,
for which he had no particular fancy, and endeavour to obtain a
situation where he might have a prospect of rising in the world. Though
he could neither read nor write, he was well aware that those
acquirements were necessary for his advancement, as also that a decent
suit of clothes would greatly contribute to his obtaining a respectable
place. These objects were now within his reach. The most easily
attained was the suit of clothes, and these he bought, with a cap and a
good pair of shoes, at a slopseller's, including three shirts, a
necktie, and other articles of clothing, for the moderate sum of 2
pounds, 13 shillings and 6 pence. He had taken good care not to let the
slopseller know of his wealth; indeed, that fact he kept locked in his
own bosom, as he did his purse in a place in which no one was likely to
discover it. The balance of the ten pounds into which he had broken he
expended in supporting himself while he acquired the first rudiments of
knowledge, with the aid of a friend, the keeper of a second-hand
bookstall, a broken-down schoolmaster, who, strange to say, still
retained a pleasure in imparting instruction to the young. Nicholas
Swab first bought a spelling-book, and then confessed that he should
find it of no use unless Mr Vellum would explain to him the meaning of
the black marks on the pages.
"Then you do not know your letters, my poor boy?" said the old man in a
tone of commiseration.
"No, sir, I don't; but I soon will, if you'll tell them to me," answered
Nicholas in a confident tone.
"Sit down on that stool, and say them after me as I point them out to
you," said Mr Vellum.
With great patience he went over the alphabet again and again.
"Now I want to put them together, sir," said Nicholas, not content with
the extent of the first lesson. All day long he sat with the book
before him, and then took it with him to his home. That home, the abode
of his mother, a widow, with a pension of five shillings a week, which
enabled her to live, although too small to afford subsistence to her
son, was in a small garret up a dark stair in one of the poorest of the
back streets of Liverpool. Nicholas set working away by the flame of a
farthing rushlight, and at dawn he was up again poring over his book.
Old Vellum was so pleased with the progress made by his pupil, that he
continued to give him all the assistance in his power, not only teaching
him to read but to write. In a few weeks young Nicholas could do both
in a very creditable manner. Having thus gained the knowledge he
desired, dressed in a decent suit of clothes, he went round to various
offices in Liverpool offering to fill any vacant situation for which he
might be considered fit. Although he met with numerous rebuffs, he
persevered, and was finally taken into the small counting-house of which
Mr Peter Crank's father was the head. To the firm, through all its
various changes, he had remained attached, and though frequently offered
opportunities of bettering himself, had refused to leave it. "No, no;
I'll stick to my old friends," he always answered; "their interests are
mine, and although I am but a poor clerk, I believe I can forward them."
From the first, during all his leisure moments, of which he had not
many, he continued to study hard, and to improve himself, spending a
portion of his wages in books, which he obtained from Mr Vellum, who
allowed him also the run of his library. He was raised from grade to
grade until he became head clerk, and during the illness of Mr Crank
and the absence of Mr Trunnion, he so well managed the affairs of the
firm, that they felt bound to offer him a partnership in the business,
to the success of which he had so greatly contributed. Notwithstanding
his rise in the social circle, Nicholas Swab continued to be the same
unostentatious, persevering, painstaking man which he had been from the
first--upright in all his dealings, and generous to those who required a
helping hand.
Some of the transactions of the firm would not, it must be confessed,
stand the test of the present code of morality. The slave trade had,
until lately, been lawful, and the firm had engaged in it with as little
hesitation as it would in any other mercantile business. It had been in
the habit of buying negroes in the cheapest market, and disposing of
them in the dearest, without for a moment considering how they were
obtained. When the traffic was pronounced illegal, it withdrew its own
vessels, but still had no hesitation in supplying the means for fitting
out others which it knew were about to proceed to the African coast,
although no particular inquiries were made on the subject. It was not
very long before the time of which I speak that the fact dawned on the
minds of the partners that the traffic was hateful in the sight of God,
as well as in that of a large number of their countrymen, and that it
was the main cause of the cruel wars and miseries unspeakable from which
the dark-skinned children of Africa had long suffered. Being really
conscientious men, they had agreed to abandon all connection with the
traffic, and to employ their vessels in carrying on a lawful trade on
the coast. To do this, however, was not at first so easy as might be
supposed. One of the vessels especially, which they had contributed to
fit out and to supply with goods, although not belonging to them, was
commanded by Mr Trunnion's brother--a Captain Roderick Trunnion, of
whose character I had heard from time to time mysterious hints thrown
out not much to his credit. He occasionally made his appearance at
Liverpool. He seemed to me to be a fine, bold, dashing fellow, ready to
do and dare anything he might think fit. He was like several privateer
captains I had met with, who set their own lives and those of their
followers at slight value, provided they could carry out their
undertakings. He gave, I believe, his brother, Mr Thomas Trunnion, the
partner in our firm, considerable cause for anxiety and annoyance. The
last time he had been on shore, in order to recover his brother's
confidence he endeavoured to make himself agreeable to the other
partners. Mr Swab, however, I know, did not trust him, as he privately
told Harry Bracewell on one occasion. "And don't you," he added; "he is
without principles; he always did what he chose regardless of God or
man. And he doesn't believe in God, or that any man has a grain of
honesty, nor does he, except when it suits him, boast of having any
himself."
Captain Trunnion, however, appeared to have insinuated himself into the
good graces of our senior partner, at whose house he was a frequent
visitor. He had a strong attraction there; for Lucy, Mr Crank's, only
child, was a sweet, amiable, pretty girl, and Captain Trunnion believed
that, could he win her, he should not only obtain a charming wife, but
become possessed, some day or other, of Mr Crank's property. Which
influenced him most I cannot say. All I know is, that he did not make
any progress in the affections of Miss Lucy, for a very good reason,
which he was not long in suspecting--that she had already given her
heart to some one else. That some one was my friend Harry Bracewell
Captain Trunnion had, however, gone away without suspecting who was his
rival.
My father and mother resided in Chester, so that I was received into the
house, as a lodger, of Mrs Bracewell; thus it was that I became more
intimate with Harry than I might otherwise have been. I also had an
opportunity of being constantly in the society of the widow's only
daughter, Mary--a charming little unaffected girl, full of life and
spirits, who treated me as her brother's friend, almost like a brother.
For a long time I also thought only of her as a sister, although,
somehow or other, I began at last to entertain the hope that, when I had
by steady industry obtained the means of making her my wife, she would
not feel it necessary to refuse me; and as my family was a respectable
one, I had no reason to fear that any objection would be raised by Mrs
Bracewell or Harry. Of my own family I need not speak, except of one
member--my brother Charley, who had gone to sea before I entered the
office, and was now a midshipman of some years' standing. He had lately
joined the "Rover" frigate, employed on the African station. Charley
and I had been fast friends and companions, as brothers should be, when
we were together, and when separated we constantly corresponded with
each other. I cannot say that I had any special fondness for mercantile
pursuits, or at all events for the work of an office, having to sit for
ten or twelve hours of the day on a high stool at a desk, but yet I was
thoroughly impressed with the fact that I must gain my own livelihood,
and that by working hard alone could I expect to do so. Had the choice
been given me, I should have preferred a life in the open air, with the
opportunity of travelling about and seeing the world; but my father did
not wish to have more than one son in the navy, and Charley had been
devoted as an offering to Neptune. I was, however, very happy in my
situation. Understanding what I was to do, I took a pleasure in doing
it well; and I spent my evenings happily in the society of Mrs
Bracewell and her son and daughter. We had generally music and singing,
now and then two or three visitors. Occasionally we went out to Mr
Crank's parties and those of other friends, so that our lives were in no
respects dull.
I enter into these details in order that more interest may be taken in
the rest of my narrative than might otherwise have been the case.
About an hour after Harry had reported the arrival of the vessel, as I
was engaged in Mr Trunnion's private room in taking down letters at his
dictation, the mate of the "Arrow" was announced. As Mr Crank was out,
Mr Trunnion desired him to come in and give an account of his voyage.
As I was not desired to quit the room, I continued transcribing the
notes which I had taken down, but I glanced round at the mate as he
entered. His appearance showed that he had suffered from the fever
which had carried off so many of his shipmates. His cheek was pale and
hollow, his eye dull, and his figure emaciated; even his voice sounded
weak and hollow.
"Sit down," said Mr Trunnion in a kind voice, showing that he was
struck by the sickly look of the poor mate. "I should like to hear full
particulars of your voyage. It has been a successful one judging by the
manifest, which I have been looking over, although fatal to so many long
in our employment. You have managed well, too, in bringing home the
`Arrow.' We are well satisfied--I can tell you that at once."
The mate then began an account of the transactions connected with the
vessel from the time of her arrival on the Coast of Africa, the number
of places visited, and the trade transactions at each. They were very
interesting to me I know at the time, but I did not note them. Mr
Magor then described how one after the other the captain and crew died,
until he and three others were alone left. "I doubted indeed whether I
should have been able to bring the vessel home," he continued. "We had
a narrow escape of being captured by a picarooning craft which swept
alongside us during a calm. A number of the crew, headed by their
captain, had actually made their way on board, and having bound me and
three of my men, were proceeding to get off the hatches to take the
cargo out of the hold, when a man-of-war, bringing up a strong breeze
from the south, hove in sight. The pirates on discovering her hurried
on board their own craft, carrying away two of my Kroomen, and casting
off the grapplings with which they had made her fast alongside, got out
their long sweeps and pulled away for their lives. As soon as the
remaining Kroomen had set me and the other white men free, we ran out
our guns and began firing at her. She returned our shot; and as she had
more guns and heavier metal than ours, we judged it prudent not to
follow her. When the breeze came, which it did soon afterwards, she
stood away under all sail before the wind. She showed that she was a
fast craft, for she had almost got out of sight before the man-of-war
came up with us. The latter pursued her, but whether she was overtaken
or not I cannot say, as we continued our voyage towards England, and I
saw no more of either of them. The pirates who had boarded us were of
all nations, Spaniards, Portuguese, and French, and there were several
Englishmen among them. That their leader was one I could swear, for I
heard him speaking English to several of the villains; and what is more,
as he gave me a good opportunity of marking his features while I was
bound to the mainmast, I should remember him were I ever to meet him
again."
"I hope that you may never fall in with him again under similar
circumstances," remarked Mr Trunnion. "Should you do so, he will
probably make you walk the plank before he begins discharging your cargo
into his own craft."
While the mate was narrating his adventures I heard a strange race
speaking in an authoritative tone in the outer office. Suddenly the
door was burst open, and a tall powerful man, dressed in riding-boots,
his clothes bespattered with mud, yet having in other respects a
nautical cut about him, entered the room. Mr Trunnion gazed on him
without speaking.
"What, Tom! don't you know me?" exclaimed the new-comer advancing and
putting out his hand. "My beard has grown, and I have become somewhat
sunburnt since we parted."
"Bless my heart! is it you, Roderick?" exclaimed Mr Trunnion. "I own
that I did not recognise you, and was surprised at the intrusion of a
stranger."
Roderick Trunnion, giving a laugh, threw himself into a chair opposite
his brother, who reassumed his usual cold and dignified demeanour as he
took his seat. From my desk I could observe what was going forward. I
saw the mate start and narrowly scan the countenance of the new-comer
with a look of extreme astonishment, while the latter, who did not
appear to remark him, leaned forward and gazed at his brother, whose
manner seemed to irritate him.
"Where in the world have you come from, Roderick?" asked Mr Trunnion.
"From Falmouth last, where I left the `Vulture' to refit. We met with a
somewhat heavy gale, in which she was fearfully knocked about, and had
we not kept the pumps going she would have foundered to a certainty. As
I wanted to see you and other friends; I took horse and rode night and
day to get here. The business I have got to speak of brooks of no
delay, and is such as you and I can talk about best alone."
Turning round as he spoke, he cast a glance at Mr Magor. For a moment,
it seemed to me that his eye appeared to quail, but he quickly recovered
himself.
"Have you finished your business here?" he asked in a bold tone, looking
at the mate. "If so, you will leave me and your employer alone--for I
presume that you are the master of one of his vessels. And that
youngster--you do not wish him to take down our conversation, I
suppose," he added, first looking at me then round at his brother.
"Really, Roderick, you have been so accustomed to command, that you
forget that you are not on your own quarter-deck," observed Mr
Trunnion, who was evidently annoyed at the authoritative tone assumed by
his brother.
The mate rose and looked first at Mr Trunnion then at Captain Roderick.
"I have met that man before," he said, "and it is my duty to tell you
when and how it was. It was not long ago, on the high seas, when he
boarded the `Arrow' at the head of--"
Mr Trunnion, as the mate spoke, looked very much agitated, and I
naturally fancied that something extraordinary was about to be said.
Captain Roderick alone appeared perfectly cool. Fixing his glance on
the mate, he exclaimed in a loud tone, interrupting him--
"You, my good fellow, may have met me half-a-dozen times for what I know
to the contrary, or half-a-dozen men whom you may mistake for me,
although I cannot say that I ever set eyes on you before. However, go
on and tell Mr Trunnion what I did when you fancy that you saw me, and
I shall then know whether you are mistaken as to my identity."
The mate looked greatly confused.
"I can only hope that I am mistaken, and unless Mr Trunnion desires me,
I shall decline at present stating where, as I believe, I last saw you."
Mr Trunnion was silent for a minute, and seemed lost in thought.
Suddenly looking up he said--
"You have been suffering from fever, Mr Magor, and your recollection of
events, very naturally, is somewhat clouded. A few weeks' quiet and
rest will restore your health. I would advise you not to repeat what
you have just said. I'll send on board and relieve you of charge of the
brig as soon as possible, and you can go to your friends in the
country."
Mr Magor, making a nautical bow to Mr Trunnion, and giving another
glance towards Captain Roderick, left the room.
"Westerton," continued my employer, turning to me, "you have heard all
that has been said, and if it were repeated, although the poor man is
under an hallucination, it might be the cause of disagreeable reports.
You are discreet, I can trust you. Let not a word on the subject escape
your lips. You can now go and finish those letters at your own desk."
I did as I was ordered, and gathering up the papers, followed the mate
out of the room, leaving the two brothers together. What followed, I of
course cannot say. For an hour or more they were closeted together. At
last Captain Roderick came out, and returned to the inn where he had put
up his horse. All I know is, that Mr Trunnion did not invite him to
his house. It seemed to me suspicious, and I could not help thinking
about the matter, and wished that I could have consulted Harry
Bracewell. Two evenings afterwards we went to a party at the house of
Mr Crank. Shortly after we arrived, who should walk in but Captain
Roderick. By the way Mr Crank and Lucy received him, I felt convinced
that Mr Trunnion had said nothing to prejudice the senior partner
against him. He made himself at home as usual, treating Miss Lucy with
great deference, and it seemed to me that he was gaining ground in her
good graces.
His appearance was greatly improved since the day I had seen him in the
counting-house. His face was carefully shaved, and his dress was such
as to set off his well-made active figure. His aim was evidently to
play the agreeable, not only to the young lady of the house, but to all
the ladies present, and with some--especially with the dowagers--he
appeared to be as successful as he could desire. He cast an indifferent
glance now and then at me, as if he had never set eyes on me before, and
appeared perfectly unconscious of the accusation--for such I considered
it--brought against him by Mr Magor. When I observed his apparent
success with Lucy Crank, I felt a greater desire than ever to tell Harry
what I had heard, and to advise him to warn her and her father of what I
believed to be the real character of the man. His brother, I supposed,
from fraternal affection of family pride, had said nothing to his senior
partner to warn him, and, of course, even to Harry I could not venture
to say what I thought about Captain Trunnion. I could only hope that
Lucy would remain as indifferent to him as she had always before
appeared to be, and that he would quickly again return to the "Vulture."
I was surprised, indeed, that he had ventured to be so long absent from
his vessel, as his presence would be necessary while she was refitting.
Perhaps, after all, his statements about her might not be true; she
might not even be at Falmouth, although his mud-bespattered appearance
on his arrival showed that he had ridden a long distance.