THE LIVERPOOL LADIES ARE VERY CIVIL TO ME--I AM ADMITTED INTO GOOD
SOCIETY--INTRODUCED TO CAPTAIN LEVEE--AGAIN SAIL TO SENEGAL--OVERHEAR A
CONSPIRACY TO SEIZE THE SHIP BY THE CREW OF A SLAVER, BUT AM ENABLED TO
DEFEAT IT--AM THANKED AND REWARDED BY THE OWNER--TAKE A TRIP TO LONDON
WITH CAPTAIN LEVEE--STOPPED BY HIGHWAYMEN ON THE ROAD--PUT UP AT A
TAVERN--DISSIPATED TOWN LIFE--REMOVE TO A GENTEEL BOARDING-HOUSE--MEET
WITH A GOVERNMENT SPY--RETURN TO LIVERPOOL.
As the captain reported me to be a very attentive and good officer,
although I was then but twenty-three years of age, and as I had been
previously on good terms and useful to the owner, I was kindly received
by him, and paid much more attention to than my situation on board might
warrant. My captivity among the Negroes, and the narrative I gave of my
adventures, were also a source of much interest. I was at first
questioned by the gentlemen of Liverpool, and afterwards one of the
merchant's ladies, who had heard something of my adventures, and found
out that I was a young and personable man, with better manners than are
usually to be found before the mast, invited me one evening to a
tea-party, that I might amuse her friends with my adventures. They were
most curious about the Negro queen, Whyna, inquiring into every
particular as to her personal appearance and dress, and trying to find
out, as women always do, if there was anything of an intrigue between
us. They shook their little fingers at me, when I solemnly declared
that there was not, and one or two of them cajoled me aside to obtain my
acknowledgment of what they really believed to be the truth, although I
would not confess it.
When they had tired themselves with asking questions about the Negro
queen, they then began to ask about myself, and how it happened I was
not such a bear, and coarse in my manners and address, as the other
seamen. To this I could give no other reply but that I had been
educated when a child. They would fain know who were my father and
mother, and in what station of life it had pleased God to place them;
but I hardly need say, my dear Madam, to you who are so well acquainted
with my birth and parentage, that I would not disgrace my family by
acknowledging that one of their sons was in a situation so unworthy; not
that I thought at that time, nor do I think now, that I was so much to
blame in preferring independence in a humble position, to the life that
induced me to take the step which I did; but as I could not state who my
family were without also stating why I had quitted them, I preserved
silence, as I did not think that I had any right to communicate family
secrets to strangers. The consequences of my first introduction to
genteel society were very agreeable; I received many more invitations
from the company assembled, notwithstanding that my sailor's attire but
ill corresponded with the powdered wigs and silk waistcoats of the
gentlemen, or the hoops and furbelows of satin, which set off the charms
of the ladies. At first I did not care so much, but as I grew more at
my ease, I felt ashamed of my dress, and the more so as the young
foplings would put their glasses to their eyes, and look at me as if I
were a monster. But supported as I was by the fair sex, I cared little
for them. The ladies vowed that I was charming, and paid me much
courtesy; indeed my vanity more than once made me suspect that I was
something more than a mere favourite with one or two of them, one
especially, a buxom young person, and very coquettish, who told me, as
we were looking out of the bay-window of the withdrawing-room, that
since I could be so secret with respect to what took place between the
Negress queen and myself, I must be sure to command the good-will and
favour of the ladies, who always admired discretion in so young and so
handsome a man. But I was not to be seduced by this flattery, for
somehow or another I had ever before me the French lady, and her conduct
to me; and I had almost a dislike, or I should rather say I had imbibed
an indifference, for the sex.
This admission into good society did, however, have one effect upon me;
it made me more particular in my dress, and all my wages were employed
in the decoration of my person. At that time you may recollect, Madam,
there were but two styles of dress among the seamen; one was that worn
by those who sailed in the northern seas, and the other by those who
navigated in the tropical countries, both suitable to the climates. The
first was the jacket, woollen frock, breeches, and petticoat of canvass
over all, with worsted stockings, shoes, and buckles, and usually a cap
of skin upon the head; the other a light short jacket, with hanging
buttons, red sash, trowsers, and neat shoes and buckles, with a small
embroidered cap with falling crown, or a hat and feather. It was this
last which I had always worn, having been continually in warm climates,
and my hair was dressed in its natural ringlets instead of a wig, which
I was never partial to, although very common among seamen; my ears were
pierced, and I wore long gold earrings, as well as gilt buckles in my
shoes; and, by degrees, I not only improved my dress so as to make it
very handsome in materials, but my manners were also very much altered
for the better.
I had been at Liverpool about two months, waiting for the ship to unload
and take in cargo for another voyage, when a privateer belonging to the
same owner came into port with four prizes of considerable value; and
the day afterwards I was invited by the owner to meet the captain who
commanded the privateer.
He was a very different looking person from Captain Weatherall, who was
a stout, strong-limbed man, with a weather-beaten countenance. He, on
the contrary, was a young man of about twenty-six, very slight in
person, with a dark complexion, hair and eyes jet black. I should have
called him a very handsome Jew--for he bore that cast of countenance,
and I afterwards discovered that he was of that origin, although I
cannot say that he ever followed the observances of that remarkable
people. He was handsomely dressed, wearing his hair slightly powdered,
a laced coat and waistcoat, blue sash and trowsers, with silver-mounted
pistols and dagger in his belt, and a smart hanger by his side. He had
several diamond rings on his finger, and carried a small clouded cane.
Altogether, I had never fallen in with so smart and prepossessing a
personage, and should have taken him for one of the gentlemen commanding
the king's ships, rather than the captain of a Liverpool privateer. He
talked well and fluently, and with an air of command and decision,
taking the lead in the company, although it might have been considered
that he was not by any means the principal person in it. The owner,
during the evening, informed me that he was a first-rate officer, of
great personal courage, and that he had made a great deal of money,
which he had squandered away almost as fast as he received it.
With this person, whose name was Captain Levee, (an alteration, I
suspect, from Levi,) I was much pleased; and as I found that he did not
appear to despise my acquaintance, I took much pains to please him, and
we were becoming very intimate, when my ship was ready to sail. I now
found that I was promoted to the office of first mate, which gave me
great satisfaction.
We sailed with an assorted cargo, but very light, and nothing of
consequence occurred during our passage out. We made good traffic on
the coast as we ran down it, receiving ivory, gold-dust, and wax, in
exchange for our printed cottons and hardware. After being six weeks on
the coast, we put into Senegal to dispose of the remainder of our cargo;
which we soon did to the governor, who gave us a fair exchange, although
by no means so profitable a barter as what we had made on the coast; but
that we did not expect for what might be called the refuse of our cargo.
The captain was much pleased, as he knew the owner would be satisfied
with him, and, moreover, he had himself a venture in the cargo; and we
had just received the remainder of the ivory from the governor's stores,
and had only to get on board a sufficiency of provisions and water for
our homeward voyage, when a circumstance took place which I must now
relate.
Our crew consisted of the captain, and myself, as first mate, the second
mate, and twelve seamen, four of which were those who had been taken
prisoners with me, and had been released, as I have related, in our
previous voyage. These four men were very much attached to me, I
believe chiefly from my kindness to them when I was a slave to the queen
Whyna, as I always procured for them everything which I could, and,
through the exertions of my mistress, had them plentifully supplied with
provisions from the king's table. The second mate and other eight men
we had shipped at Liverpool. They were fine, stout fellows, but
appeared to be loose characters, but that we did not discover till after
we had sailed. There was anchored with us at Senegal a low black brig,
employed in the slave-trade, which had made the bay at the same time
that we did; and to their great surprise--for she was considered a very
fast sailer--she was beaten at all points by our ship, which was
considered the fastest vessel out of Liverpool. The crew of the slaver
were numerous, and as bloodthirsty a set of looking fellows as ever I
fell in with. Their boat was continually alongside of our vessel, and I
perceived that their visits were made to the eight men whom we had
shipped at Liverpool, and that they did not appear inclined to be at all
intimate with the rest of the crew. This roused my suspicions, although
I said nothing; but I watched them very closely. One forenoon, as I was
standing at the foot of the companion-ladder, concealed by the
booby-hatch from the sight of those on deck, I heard our men talking
over the side, and at last, as I remained concealed, that I might
overhear the conversation, one of the slaver's men from the boat said,
"To-night, at eight o'clock, we will come to arrange the whole
business." The boat then shoved off, and pulled for the brig.
Now, it was the custom of the captain to go on shore every evening to
drink sangaree and smoke with the governor, and very often I went with
him, leaving the ship in charge of the second mate. It had been my
intention, and I had stated as much to the second mate, to go this
evening, as it was the last but one that we should remain at Senegal;
but from what I overheard I made up my mind that I would not go. About
an hour before sunset, I complained of headache and sickness, and sat
down under the awning over the after part of the quarter-deck. When the
captain came up to go on shore, he asked me if I was ready, but I made
no answer, only put my hand to my head.
The captain, supposing that I was about to be attacked by the fever of
the country, was much concerned, and desired the second mate to help him
to take me down to the state-room, and then went on shore; the boat was,
as usual, pulled by the four men who were prisoners with me, and whom
the captain found he could trust on shore better than the others
belonging to the crew, who would indulge in liquor whenever they had an
opportunity. I remained in my bed-place till it was nearly eight
o'clock, and then crept softly up the companion-hatch to ascertain who
was on deck.
The men were all below in the fore-peak at their suppers, and as I had
before observed that their conferences were held on the forecastle, I
went forward, and covered myself up with a part of the main-topsail,
which the men had been repairing during the day. From this position I
could hear all that passed, whether they went down into the fore-peak,
or remained to converse on the forecastle. About ten minutes afterwards
I heard the boat grate against the ship's side, and the men of the
slaver mount on the deck.
"All right?" inquired one of the slavers.
"Yes," replied our second mate; "skipper and his men are on shore, and
the first mate taken with the fever."
"All the better," replied another; "one less to handle. And now, my
lads, let's to business, and have everything settled to-night, so that
we may not be seen together any more till the work is done."
They then commenced a consultation, by which I found it was arranged
that our ship was to be boarded and taken possession of as soon as she
was a few miles out of the bay, for they dared not attack us while we
were at anchor close to the fort; but the second mate and eight men
belonging to us were to pretend to make resistance until beaten down
below, and when the vessel was in their power, the captain, I, and the
other four men who were ashore in the boat, were to be silenced for
ever. After which there came on a discussion as to what was to be done
with the cargo, which was very valuable, and how the money was to be
shared out when the cargo was sold. Then they settled who were to be
officers on board of the ship, which there is no doubt they intended to
make a pirate vessel. I also discovered that, if they succeeded, it was
their intention to kill their own captain and such men of the slaver who
would not join them, and scuttle their own vessel, which was a very old
one.
The consultation ended by a solemn and most villainous oath being
administered to every man as to secrecy and fidelity, after which the
men of the slaver went into their boat, and pulled to their own vessel.
The second mate and our men remained on deck about a quarter of an hour,
and then all descended by the ladder to the fore-peak, and turned into
their hammocks.
As soon as I thought I could do so with safety, I came out of my
lurking-place, and retreated to the state-room. It was fortunate that I
did, for a minute afterwards I heard a man on deck, and the second mate
came down the companion-hatch, and inquired whether I wanted anything.
I told him no; that I was very ill, and only hoped to be able to go to
sleep, and asked him if the captain had returned. He replied that he
had not, and then went away. As soon as I was left to myself, I began
to consider what would be best to be done. I knew the captain to be a
very timorous man, and I was afraid to trust him with the secret, as I
thought he would be certain to let the men know by his conduct that they
were discovered and their plans known. The four men who were prisoners
with me I knew that I could confide in. This was the Tuesday night, and
we proposed sailing on the Thursday. Now we had no means of defence on
board, except one small gun, which was honey-combed and nearly useless.
It did very well to make a signal with, but had it been loaded with
ball, I believe it would have burst immediately. It is true that we had
muskets and cutlasses, but what use would they have been against such a
force as would be opposed, and two-thirds of our men mutineers. Of
course we must have been immediately overpowered.
That the slavers intended to take possession of their own vessel before
they took ours, I had no doubt. It is true that we outsailed them when
we had a breeze, but the bay was usually becalmed, and it was not till a
vessel had got well into the offing that she obtained a breeze, and
there was no doubt but that they would take the opportunity of boarding
us when we were moving slowly through the water, and a boat might easily
come up with us. The slaver had stated his intention of sailing
immediately to procure her cargo elsewhere, and if she got under weigh
at the same time that we did, no suspicion would be created. To apply
for protection to the governor would be useless--he could not protect us
after we were clear of the bay. Indeed, if it were known that we had so
done, it would probably only precipitate the affair, and we should be
taken possession of while at anchor, for the shot from the fort would
hardly reach us. It was, therefore, only by stratagem that we could
escape from the clutches of these miscreants. Again, allowing that we
were to get clear of the slavers, we were still in an awkward position,
for, supposing the captain to be of any use, we should still only be six
men against nine, and we might be overpowered by our own crew, who were
determined and powerful men.
All night I lay on my bed reflecting upon what ought to be done, and at
last I made up my mind.
The next morning I went on deck, complaining very much, but stating that
the fever had left me. The long-boat was sent on shore for more water,
and I took care that the second mate and eight men should be those
selected for the service. As soon as they had shoved off I called the
other four men on the forecastle, and told them what I had overheard.
They were very much astonished, for they had had no idea that there was
anything of the kind going forward. I imparted to them all my plans,
and they agreed to support me in everything--indeed, they were all brave
men, and would have, if I had acceded to it, attempted to master and
overpower the second mate and the others, and make sail in the night;
but this I would not permit, as there was a great risk. They perfectly
agreed with me that, it was no use acquainting the captain, and that all
we had to do was to get rid of these men, and carry the vessel borne how
we could. How that was to be done was the point at issue. One thing
was certain, that it was necessary to leave the bay that night, or it
would be too late. Fortunately, there was always a light breeze during
the night, and the nights were dark, for there was no moon till three
o'clock in the morning, by which time we could have gained the offing,
and then we might laugh at the slaver, as we were lighter in our heels.
The boat came off with the water about noon, and the men went to dinner.
The captain had agreed to dine with the governor, and I had been asked
to accompany him. It was to be our farewell dinner, as we were to sail
the next morning. I had been cogitating a long while to find out how to
get rid of these fellows, when at last I determined that I would go on
shore with the captain, and propose a plan to the governor. His
knowledge of what was about to be attempted could do no harm, and I
thought he would help us; so I went into the boat, and when we landed I
told the men what I intended to do. As soon as I arrived at the
governor's, I took an opportunity, while the captain was reading a book,
to request a few moments' conversation, and I then informed the governor
of the conspiracy which was afloat, and when I had so done, I pointed
out to him the propriety of saying nothing to the captain until all was
safe, and proposed my plan to him, which he immediately acceded to.
When he returned to where the captain was still reading, he told him
that he had a quantity of gold-dust and other valuables, which he wished
to send to England by his ship; but that he did not wish to do it
openly, as it was supposed that he did not traffic, and that if the
captain would send his long-boat on shore after dark, he would send all
the articles on board, with instructions to whom they were to be
consigned on our arrival. The captain of course consented. We bade the
governor farewell about half an hour before dark, and returned on board.
After I had been a few minutes on deck, I sent for the second mate, and
told him as a secret what the governor proposed to do, and that he would
be required to land after dark for the goods, telling him that there was
a very large quantity of gold-dust, and that he must be very careful. I
knew that this intelligence would please him, as it would add to their
plunder when they seized the vessel; and I told him that as we sailed at
daylight, he must lose no time, but be on board again as soon as he
could, that we might hoist in the long-boat. About eight o'clock in the
evening, the boat, with him and the eight men, went on shore. The
governor had promised to detain them, and ply them with liquor, till we
had time to get safe off. As soon as they were out of sight and
hearing, we prepared everything for getting under weigh. The captain
had gone to his cabin, but was not in bed. I went down to him, and told
him I should remain up till the boat returned, and see that all was
right; and that in the mean time I would get everything ready for
weighing the next morning, and that he might just as well go to bed now,
and I would call him to relieve me at daylight. To this arrangement he
consented; and in half an hour I perceived that his candle was out, and
that he had retired. Being now so dark that we could not perceive the
slaver, which lay about three cables' length from us, it was fairly to
be argued that she could not see us; I therefore went forward and
slipped the cable without noise, and sent men up aloft to loose the
sails. There was a light breeze, sufficient to carry us about two knots
through the water, and we knew that it would rather increase than
diminish. In half an hour, weak-handed as we were, we were under sail,
everything being done without a word being spoken, and with the utmost
precaution. You may imagine how rejoiced we all were when we found that
we had manoeuvred so well; notwithstanding, we kept a sharp look-out, to
see if the slaver had perceived our motions, and had followed us; and
the fear of such being the case kept us under alarm till near daylight,
when the breeze blew strong, and we felt that we had nothing more to
dread. As the day broke, we found that we were four or five leagues
from the anchorage, and could not see the lower masts of the slaver,
which still remained where we had left her.
Satisfied that we were secure, I then went down to the captain, and, as
he lay in bed, made him acquainted with all that had passed. He
appeared as if awakened from a dream, rose without making any reply, and
hastened on deck. When he found out that we were under weigh, and so
far from the land, he exclaimed:
"It must all be true; but how shall we be able to take the ship home
with so few hands?"
I replied, that I had no fears on that score, and that I would answer
for bringing the vessel safe to Liverpool.
"But," he said at last, "how is it that I was not informed of all this?
I might have made some arrangements with the men."
"Yes, Sir," I replied, "but if you had attempted to do so, the vessel
would have been taken immediately."
"But why was I not acquainted with it, I want to know?" he said again.
I had by this time made up my mind to the answer I should give him; so I
said, "Because it would have placed a serious responsibility on your
shoulders, if, as captain of this vessel, you had sailed to England with
such a valuable cargo and so few hands. The governor and I, therefore,
thought it better that you should not be placed in such an awkward
position, and therefore we considered it right not to say a word to you
about it. Now, if anything goes wrong, it will be my fault, and not
yours, and the owner cannot blame you." When I had said this, the
captain was silent for a minute or two, and then said:
"Well, I believe it is all for the best, and I thank you and the
governor too."
Having got over this little difficulty, I did not care. We made all
sail, and steered homewards; and, after a rapid passage, during which we
were on deck day and night, we arrived, very much fatigued, at
Liverpool. Of course the captain communicated what had occurred to the
owner, who immediately sent for me, and having heard my version of the
story, expressed his acknowledgment for the preservation of the vessel;
and to prove his sincerity, he presented me with fifty guineas for
myself, and ten for each of the men. The cargo was soon landed, and I
was again at liberty. I found Captain Levee in port; he had just
returned from another cruise, and had taken a rich prize. He met me
with the same cordiality as before; and having asked me for a recital of
what had occurred at Senegal, of which he had heard something from the
owner, as soon as I had finished, he said:
"You are a lad after my own heart, and I wish we were sailing together.
I want a first-lieutenant like you, and if you will go with me, say the
word, and it will be hard but I will have you."
I replied that I was not very anxious to be in a privateer again; and
this brought on a discourse upon what occurred when I was in the Revenge
with Captain Weatherall.
"Well," he said at last, "all this makes me more anxious to have you. I
like fair fighting, and hate buccaneering like yourself; however, we
will talk of it another time. I am about to start for London. What do
you say, will you join me, and we will have some sport? With plenty of
money, you may do anything in London."
"Yes," I replied, "but I have not plenty of money."
"That shall make no difference; money is of no use but to spend it, that
I know of," replied Captain Levee. "I have plenty for both of us, and
my purse is at your service; help yourself as you please, without
counting, for I shall be your enemy if you offer to return it. That's
settled; the horses are all ready, and we will start on Wednesday. How
will you dress? I think it might be better to alter your costume, now
you are going to London. You'll make a pretty fellow, dress how you
will."
"Before I give you an answer to all your kind proposals, I must speak to
the owner, Captain Levee."
"Of course you must; shall we go there now?"
"Willingly," I replied. And we accordingly set off. Captain Levee
introduced the subject as soon as we arrived at the counting-house,
stating that he wanted me to be first-lieutenant of the privateer, and
that I was going to London with him, if he had no objection.
"As for going to London with you for five or six weeks, Captain Levee,
there can be no objection to that," replied the owner; "but as for being
your first-lieutenant, that is another question. I have a vessel now
fitting out, and intended to offer the command of it to Mr Elrington.
I do so now at once, and he must decide whether he prefers being under
your orders to commanding a vessel of his own."
"I will decide that for him," replied Captain Levee. "He must command
his own vessel; it would be no friendship on my part to stand in the way
of his advancement. I only hope, if she is a privateer, that we may
cruise together."
"I cannot reply to that latter question," replied the owner. "Her
destination is uncertain; but the command of her is now offered to Mr
Elrington, if he will accept of it before his trip to the metropolis."
I replied that I should with pleasure, and returned the owner many
thanks for his kindness; and, after a few minutes' more conversation, we
took our leave.
"Now I should advise you," said Captain Levee, as we walked towards his
lodgings, "to dress as a captain of a vessel of war, much in the style
that I do. You are a captain, and have a right so to do. Come with me,
and let me fit you out."
I agreed with Captain Levee that I could not do better; so we went and
ordered my suits of clothes, and purchased the other articles which I
required. Captain Levee would have paid for them, but I had money
sufficient, and would not permit him; indeed with my pay and present of
fifty guineas I had upwards of seventy guineas in my purse, and did not
disburse more than fifty in my accoutrements, although my pistols and
hanger were very handsome.
We did not start until three days after the time proposed, when I found
at daylight two stout well-bred horses at the door; one for Captain
Levee, and the other for me. We were attended by two serving-men
belonging to the crew of the privateer commanded by Captain Levee--
powerful, fierce-looking, and determined men, armed to the teeth, and
mounted upon strong jades. One carried the valise of Captain Levee,
which was heavy with gold. The other had charge of mine, which was much
lighter, as you may suppose. We travelled for three days without any
interruption, making about thirty miles a day, and stopping at the
hostelries to sleep every night. On the fourth day we had a slight
affair, for as we were mounting a hill towards the evening, we found our
passage barred by five fellows with crape masks, who told us to stand
and deliver.
"We will," replied Captain Levee, firing his pistol, and reining up his
horse at the same time. The ball struck the man, who fell back on the
crupper, while the others rushed forward. My pistols were all ready,
and I fired at the one who spurred his horse upon me, but the horse
rearing up saved his master, the ball passing through the head of the
animal, who fell dead, holding his rider a prisoner by the thigh, which
was underneath his body. Our two men had come forward and ranged
alongside of us at the first attack, but now that two had fallen, the
others finding themselves in a minority, after exchanging shots, turned
their horses' heads and galloped away. We would have pursued them, but
Captain Levee said it was better not, as there might be more of the gang
near, and by pursuing them we might separate and be cut off in detail.
"What shall we do with these fellows?" asked our men of Captain Levee.
"Leave them to get off how they can," replied Captain Levee. "I will
not be stopped on my journey by such a matter as this. I dare say they
don't deserve hanging more than half the people we meet. Let us push on
and get into quarters for the night. After all, Mr Elrington," said
Captain Levee to me, as we were setting off, "it's only a little land
privateering, and we must not be too hard upon them."
I confess, Madam, when I recalled all that I had witnessed on board of
the Revenge, that I agreed with Captain Levee, that these highwaymen
were not worse than ourselves.
No other adventure occurred during our journey, and when we arrived in
London we directed our horses' steps to a fashionable tavern in Saint
Paul's, and took possession of apartments, and as Captain Levee was
well-known, we were cordially greeted and well attended. The tavern was
in great repute, and resorted to by all the wits and gay men of the day,
and I soon found myself on intimate terms with a numerous set of dashing
blades full of life and jollity, and spending their money like princes;
but it was a life of sad intemperance, and my head ached every morning
from the excess of the night before, and in our excursions in the
evenings we were continually in broils and disturbances, and many a
broken head, nay, sometimes a severe wound, was given and received.
After the first fortnight, I felt weary of this continual dissipation,
and as I was dressing a sword-cut which Captain Levee had received in an
affray, I one morning told him so.
"I agree with you," he replied, "that it is all very foolish and
discreditable, but if we live with the gay and pretty fellows, we must
do as they do. Besides, how could I get rid of my money, which burns in
my pocket, if I did not spend as much in one day as would suffice for
three weeks?"
"Still I would rather dress a wound gained in an honourable contest with
the enemy than one received in a night brawl, and I would rather see you
commanding your men in action than reeling with other drunkards in
search of a quarrel in the streets."
"I feel that it is beneath me, and I'm sure that it's beneath you. You
are a Mentor without a beard," replied Captain Levee. "But still it
requires no beard to discover that I have made an ass of myself. Now,
what do you say, shall we take lodgings and live more reputably, for
while in this tavern we never shall be able to do so?"
"I should prefer it, to tell you the honest truth," I replied, "for I
have no pleasure in our present life."
"Be it so, then," he replied. "I will tell them that I take lodgings,
that I may be near to a fair lady. That will be a good and sufficient
excuse."
The next day we secured lodgings to our satisfaction, and removed into
them, leaving our horses and men at the tavern. We boarded with the
family, and as there were others who did the same, we had a very
pleasant society, especially as there were many of the other sex among
the boarders. The first day that we sat down to dinner, I found myself
by the side of a young man of pleasing manners, although with much of
the coxcomb in his apparel. His dress was very gay and very expensive,
and he wore a diamond-hilted sword and diamond buckles--at least so they
appeared to me, as I was not sufficient connoisseur to distinguish the
brilliant from the paste. He was very affable and talkative, and before
dinner was over gave me the history of many of the people present.
"Who is the dame in the blue stomacher?" I inquired.
"You mean the prettiest of the two, I suppose," he replied, "that one
with the patches under the eye? She is a widow, having just buried an
old man of sixty, to whom she was sacrificed by her mother. But
although the old fellow was as rich as a Jew, he found such fault with
the lady's conduct that he left all his money away from her. This is
not generally known, and she takes care to conceal it, for she is
anxious to make another match, and she will succeed if her funds, which
are not _very_ great, enable her to carry on the game a little longer.
I was nearly taken in myself, but an intimacy with her cousin, who hates
her, gave me a knowledge of the truth. She still keeps her carriage,
and appears to be rolling in wealth, but she has sold her diamonds and
wears paste. And that plain young person on the other side of her has
money, and knows the value of it. She requires rent-roll for rent-roll,
and instead of referring you to her father and mother, the little minx
refers you to her lawyer and man of business. Ugly as she is, I would
have sacrificed myself; but she treated me in that way, and upon my soul
I was not very sorry for it, for she is dear at any price, and I have
since rejoiced at my want of success."
"Who is that elderly gentleman with such snow-white hair?" I inquired.
"That," replied my companion, "nobody exactly knows, but I have my idea.
I think," said he, lowering his voice to a whisper, "that he is a
Catholic priest, or a Jesuit, perhaps, and a partisan of the house of
Stuart. I have my reasons for supposing so, and this I am sure of,
which is, that he is closely watched by the emissaries of government."
You may remember, Madam, how at that time the country was disturbed by
the landing of the Pretender in the summer of the year before, and the
great successes which he had met with, and that the Duke of Cumberland
had returned from the army in the Low Countries, and had marched to
Scotland.
"Has there been any intelligence from Scotland relative to the movements
of the armies?" I inquired.
"We have heard that the Pretender had abandoned the siege of Fort
William, but nothing more; and how far the report is true, it is hard to
say. You military men must naturally have a war one way or the other,"
said my companion, in a careless manner.
"As to the fighting part of the question," I replied, "I should feel it
a matter of great indifference which side I fought for, as the claim of
both parties is a matter of mere opinion."
"Indeed," he said; "and what may be your opinion?"
"I have none. I think the claims of both parties equal. The house of
Stuart lost the throne of England on account of its religion--that of
Hanover has been called to the throne for the same cause. The adherents
of both are numerous at the present moment; and it does not follow,
because the house of Hanover has the strongest party, that the house of
Stuart should not uphold its cause while there is a chance of success."
"That is true; but if you were to be obliged to take one side or the
other, which would it be by preference?"
"Certainly I would support the Protestant religion in preference to the
Catholic. I am a Protestant, and that is reason enough."
"I agree with you," replied my companion. "Is your brave friend of the
same opinion?"
"I really never put the question to him, but I think I may safely answer
that he is."
It was fortunate, Madam, that I replied as I did, for I afterwards
discovered that this precious gossiping young man, with his rings and
ribbons, was no other than a government spy, on the look-out for
malcontents. Certainly his disguise was good, for I never should have
imagined it from his foppish exterior and mincing manners.
We passed our time much more to my satisfaction now than we did before,
escorting the ladies to the theatre and to Ranelagh, and the freedom
with which Captain Levee (and I may say I also) spent his money, soon
gave us a passport to good society. About a fortnight afterwards, the
news arrived of the battle of Culloden, and great rejoicings were made.
My foppish friend remarked to me:--
"Yes, now that the hopes of the Pretender are blasted, and the
Hanoverian succession secured, there are plenty who pretend to rejoice,
and be excessively loyal, who, if the truth were known, ought to be
quartered as traitors."
And I must observe, that the day before the news of the battle, the old
gentleman with the snow-white hair was arrested and sent to the Tower,
and he afterwards suffered for high treason.
But letters from the owner, saying that the presence of both of us was
immediately required, broke off this pleasant London party. Indeed, the
bag of gold was running very low, and this, combined with the owner's
letter, occasioned our breaking up three days afterwards. We took leave
of the company at the lodgings, and there was a tender parting with one
or two buxom young women; after which we again mounted our steeds and
set off for Liverpool, where we arrived without any adventure worthy of
narration.