NORAH'S AND CAPTAIN TRACY'S ANXIETY AT NON-ARRIVAL OF THE OUZEL GALLEY--
HER OWNERS GIVE HER UP AS LOST--THE UNDERWRITERS REFUSE PAYMENT OF
INSURANCE--THE MATTER SUBMITTED TO ARBITRATION--CAPTAIN TRACY INVITED TO
DUBLIN--HE IS STILL CONVINCED THAT THE OUZEL GALLEY WILL APPEAR--THE
ARBITRATORS MEET AT A DINNER TO DISCUSS THE SUBJECT AND AGREE TO AWAIT
EVENTS--CAPTAIN TRACY RETURNS HOME--REPORTED LOSS OF THE CHAMPION--
CAPTAIN TRACY RESOLVES TO GO IN SEARCH OF THE OUZEL GALLEY AND
CHAMPION--NORAH GETS LEAVE TO GO WITH HIM--THE RESEARCH PURCHASED--
CAPTAIN O'BRIEN GOES TO BRISTOL TO OBTAIN HANDS--A STRANGER BRINGS A
MESSAGE FROM A DYING SHIPMATE--A MESSAGE FROM O.M.--FERRIS, TWIGG, AND
CASH SUPPLY FUNDS--CAPTAIN O'BRIEN RETURNS, AND SAILS ON BOARD THE
RESEARCH.
Interesting as Gerald's letter was to Norah and her father, it caused
them the greatest possible anxiety. Owen had sailed some considerable
time before it was written, and he had not yet arrived! Poor Norah
scarcely dared ask herself what had happened. Had the _Ouzel Galley_
been overtaken by the hurricane? Gerald at the same time appeared
certain that she had escaped it, and if she had, by what cause was she
delayed? Had she been captured by the enemy? That was too probable;
but, then, Owen would surely have found means of sending a letter to
England describing the event. Captain Tracy immediately wrote to the
house in Dublin, but they had heard nothing of the ship.
"Oh, father!" exclaimed Norah at length, in a tone which showed her
alarm, "can he have fallen into the hands of those terrible pirates of
whom Gerald speaks?"
"The _Ouzel Galley_ was too well manned, and, I may venture to say,
would have been too well handled and fought, to yield to a rascally
buccaneering craft," answered Captain Tracy. "No, no, Norah, don't let
that thought trouble you; she may have been dismasted in a gale of
wind--no skill can at all times prevent such an accident--or she may
have met with long calms in the tropics and contrary winds afterwards.
Wait a bit, cushla machree, and she'll come in some fine morning when we
least expect her."
Still the old captain himself was sadly troubled about the matter.
Norah could with difficulty keep up her spirits, though she tried to do
so for her father's sake and for that of Mrs Massey, to whom she
endeavoured not to communicate her own alarm; but the poor mother had
begun to feel as anxious as she was, and every time Norah went to see
her, her first utterance was, "No news of Owen yet?" Then she would
sigh, and the tears would trickle down her pale cheeks. The captain
paid daily visits to Waterford, carefully examining the public papers to
ascertain if anything had been heard of the _Ouzel Galley_; but week
after week and month after month went by, yet nothing was heard of her.
Captain Tracy again wrote to Ferris, Twigg, and Cash; in their answer
they said that, having waited so long a time without hearing of her,
they considered her lost, and were about to apply to the underwriters to
pay over the amount of her insurance. Captain Tracy, who, though
holding the firm in great respect, was nevertheless always free and
outspoken, replied that he did not consider the vessel as lost, and that
she might even now some day appear. He had expressed himself in a
similar manner to one of the underwriters, who was then at Waterford;
and when the firm applied for payment, that gentleman declined acceding
to their demand till they could produce evidence of the loss of the
vessel. Ferris, Twigg, and Cash became indignant, and talked of
instituting law proceedings. On this, Mr Thompson, one of the
underwriters, entreated them to desist, and proposed that the matter
should be placed in the hands of arbitrators. Mr Twigg and Mr Cash
agreed accordingly to postpone proceedings till they could hear from
their principal partner, Mr Ferris, who was still in Jamaica; and
finally consented, subject to his approval, to submit the matter to
arbitration.
"Then let us forthwith proceed to select a dozen good men and true
between us--you shall choose six and we'll choose six, and we'll bind
ourselves to abide by the decision to which they may come," said Mr
Thompson. As it was considered in Ireland, as well as across the
Channel, that a good dinner enjoyed by sensible people produces good
feeling and good fellowship, it was agreed by the contending parties
that they should invite the twelve arbitrators and lay the matter of the
supposed loss of the _Ouzel Galley_ before them on that occasion. As
Captain Tracy was rightly considered to be able to offer an enlightened
opinion on the subject, he was requested to come up to Dublin to afford
them all the information he possessed. Though he hated the land
journey, and looked upon it as a more dangerous adventure than he would
a voyage round the world, he could not refuse to comply with their
request. He therefore arranged to leave Norah with Mrs Massey, to
whom, though her own heart was well-nigh broken, she could afford
comfort and sympathy during his absence. Packing up his valise, girding
his sword to his side, and sticking a brace of pistols in his belt under
his cloak, he set off by the stage, fully expecting to have to fight his
way through half a score of highwaymen and footpads at the least.
Still, thinking it possible that the _Ouzel Galley_ might arrive, he
sent a boat down the harbour the evening before his departure, which
returned only just as he was about to start with the information that no
_Ouzel Galley_ was in sight.
Notwithstanding his expectation of being attacked by Rapparees or other
robbers, he reached Dublin in safety, and was welcomed by Mr Twigg, who
took him to his own house that they might discuss together the subject
in hand.
"A sad affair this, the loss of our good ship. We expected to realise a
fine percentage by her cargo, and now we not only lose that, but our
friends refuse to pay the insurance," observed the merchant. "You
surely, Captain Tracy, must be convinced that she went down in the
hurricane, or has been captured and destroyed by the enemy."
"I am not at all convinced of either one or the other," answered Captain
Tracy, bluntly. "She was, or, I may venture to say, she is, as
stout-built a ship ever floated, and I hold to the opinion that she
would not have foundered while any other craft could keep above water.
I hear, indeed, that two or three vessels which were caught in that same
hurricane, though severely damaged, got at last safely into port. Mr
Ferris wrote word, as you are aware, sir, that, after a thorough
examination of the coast, no signs were discovered of her having been
driven on shore, as all the vessels wrecked were identified and she was
not among them. If she had been captured by the enemy, her master, Owen
Massey, would have found means to communicate with us and let us know
that he and his people were prisoners. By a letter from my son, I hear
that there are still some picarooning villains infesting those seas, but
they generally attack smaller fry than the _Ouzel Galley_. She was, as
you are aware, well armed and well manned, and I can answer for it that
Owen Massey would not have been taken by surprise, and would have beaten
off in a fair fight any such craft, as he would any privateer of equal
or, I may venture to say, of considerably superior force. His orders
were to avoid fighting if he could do so with due regard to his safety--
and I never knew him disobey orders from the time he first came to sea
with me."
"Then, from what you say, Captain Tracy, your opinion is opposed to the
interests of the firm," observed Mr Twigg, in a tone which showed that
he was somewhat annoyed.
"I express the opinion I hold, sir, and you never found Gerald Tracy say
or do anything contrary to the interests of his employers," answered the
captain firmly. "What you want to obtain, sir, is a rightful decision;
and my belief and hope is that, if the insurance money were paid to you,
you would have to refund it."
"You only say what is true, captain, and you will pardon me for my
remark," exclaimed the merchant, who was really an upright and
generous-hearted man. "Nothing would give me greater satisfaction than
to see the _Ouzel Galley_ coming in under charge of her young master,
with or without her cargo, however much thereby Ferris, Twigg, and Cash
might be out of pocket. We'll now go and join our friends--and I beg
you to believe that nothing you may say will alter the respect in which
I hold you."
The matter on which the party had been assembled was soon discussed.
Some were of opinion that the _Ouzel Galley_ had been lost; others, that
she had been captured; while several held with Captain Tracy that she
was still afloat, perhaps dismasted or waterlogged, but that she would
in time find her way home. One fact was certain, that she had not yet
made her appearance, and that nothing had been heard of her since she
was seen off Bellevue on the morning of the hurricane. The important
point decided was that the two parties should on no account go to law,
and that they should wait a further decision till efforts had been made
to discover the fate of the missing ship, should she not in the mean
time return to port. Mr Ferris was informed that she had not yet
arrived, and was requested to take all the steps he could devise for
discovering what had become of her. Among others, he was to apply to
the admiral to ascertain if any British cruisers had seen or heard of
such a vessel in distress, while notice was to be sent on board every
merchantman begging the master to make inquiries concerning her, or to
afford any information he might already have obtained.
Captain Tracy, having concluded all the business he had to transact in
Dublin, went back to Waterford. What a blessed thing is hope! Poor
Norah and the widow were still supported by the expectation of the
_Ouzel Galley's_ return, even although every one else in Waterford
believed that she was long since at the bottom of the ocean. Day after
day and week after week went by, and still the _Ouzel Galley_ did not
appear. Norah's cheek was becoming thinner and paler, and the widow's
heart sadder and sadder. It seemed hard indeed to lose her only child;
but she trusted in God. She knew that He orders all for the best, and
not once did she allow her heart to entertain rebellious thoughts
against His love and mercy. Anxiously did the captain and Norah look
out for letters from Jamaica; they hoped that Gerald would send them
information. At all events, it would be a satisfaction to hear from
him; but since his last long letter, none arrived. News was received
from other sources of a fearful insurrection in the island, but Norah
got no letters from Ellen, and hearing that numerous white people had
fallen victims, she began seriously to fear that her friend might be
among them. The captain wrote to Dublin, but the house there had not
heard from Mr Ferris. At length another report came which added much
to their anxiety, and if found to be true must plunge them into deep
grief. It was to the effect that his Majesty's ship _Champion_, having
sailed from Jamaica on a cruise, had not since been heard of.
"She'll turn up," exclaimed the captain, when he brought home the
intelligence, which it would be useless to attempt concealing from
Norah. The news appeared in print in the public papers, and an opinion
was expressed that she had not been captured by the enemy, it being
thought more likely that she had been capsized in a squall and gone
down, or run during a dark night on one of the numerous reefs in the
seas she was navigating and been dashed to pieces before any of her
people could escape.
"I won't believe it, any more than I'll believe that the _Ouzel Galley_
is lost," exclaimed the captain. "Don't give way, Norah. These
newspapers tell lies; they're published for no other object. I
shouldn't be surprised if we hear that the _Champion_ has never been
missing, and that the admiral has sent her on some particular service;
probably the next packet from Jamaica will give us an account of her
return to Port Royal."
Still poor Norah could not restrain her tears. "I don't believe that
she's lost, Norah. Don't, now!" repeated her father. The captain,
indeed, did his best to comfort her, but it was a hard matter for him;
especially as he himself, notwithstanding his bold assertions, knew how
likely it was that the sloop of war had really been lost. His honest
heart was racked with grief as he thought that the days of his gallant
young son had been cut short. Fresh despatches arrived from Jamaica,
detailing the capture of several of the enemy's ships, the return to
port of various British cruisers, and the arrival of merchantmen; but
not a word was said about the _Champion_. Further despatches arrived,
which appeared in the public prints. A short paragraph alone mentioned
that all hope of her safety had been given up, while another spoke
somewhat pityingly of the vain notion entertained by a former commander
of a well-known Jamaica trader, the _Ouzel Galley_, that that vessel was
still in existence. "Indeed," it continued, "go certain it is that she
must be lost, that the masters and pilots of the vessels trading in
those seas have ceased to make inquiries about her."
"I hold to my opinion, notwithstanding," exclaimed the captain; "if
others refuse to help in looking for the good ship, I'll go myself.
There's an old proverb that the man who wants a thing goes for it
himself, and I'll not believe that either Owen or Gerald are lost till
I've had a thorough hunt for them. I've cash enough of my own to fit
out a stout vessel, and to arm and man her too. I intended it for you,
Norah, and Gerald, but there'll be sufficient left for what you may
want, my poor child, even if it comes to the worst; and you must stay at
home and take care of Widow Massey--you've need to comfort each other."
"No, father, if you go I will go; and go I hope you will," said Norah.
"Would that you had ten times as much fortune to fit out as many vessels
to search round the shores of the whole Atlantic. And, father, you'll
take me with you? I must go; I should die with anxiety were I to remain
behind. In the voyage I took with you I learnt all about a sea life. I
know the various dangers I may have to go through, but I don't fear
them; I am ready to endure whatever perils you may be exposed to, and
I'll not flinch from them."
Thus Norah argued with her father.
"But Mrs Massey--what will she do without you?" he asked.
"She would not detain me. Am not I going to assist in the search for
her son, as well as in that for Gerald?" answered Norah. "Were I Owen
Massey's younger brother, she would not hesitate to send me; she will
not do so now. She has too long lived a life of solitude to object to
being left for a few short months, especially when she can hope that
Owen may be found."
Norah had gained her point. The old captain was really thankful to have
her society, and so often had he braved the dangers of the sea that he
no longer feared them for his daughter. Firm as the captain was in his
opinion, few others agreed with him; and when it was known that he was
looking out for a ship, most of his acquaintance pitied him, and
whispered that the loss of his son had turned his head. Still, nothing
any one could say changed his resolution; indeed, there was something
grand in his very obstinacy, and worthy of admiration. The only person
who stuck to him was Captain O'Brien.
"If I were a younger man, faith, I'd be after going out as mate,"
exclaimed the brave old captain. "Whether the lads are alive or dead,
the point will be settled, and I am fain to believe that they are still
alive. If I can't go myself, I'll prove my faith in the undertaking by
subscribing five hundred pounds towards it. The sooner you get the ship
fitted out and put to sea, the better it will be for my friend Norah--of
that I'm very sure."
Though the two old captains were thus of one mind, no one else agreed
with them. The house of Ferris, Twigg, and Cash would have nothing to
do with the matter; they were not inclined to send good money after bad,
and unless they could gain some information, however slight, that the
_Ouzel Galley_ was really in existence, they should consider it folly to
send another vessel to look for her. They would not even help in
searching for a fitting vessel. Captain Tracy, however, heard of one
which had been brought into Cork harbour as a prize, and, accompanied by
his friend O'Brien, he went over to have a look at her. She was just
the vessel they wanted; she was ship-rigged, carried twenty guns, and
was quite new, having been only a few weeks out of port when she was
captured. She was of great beam, and would carry four or six more guns,
if necessary. The purchase was soon completed; and the two captains,
having engaged a few hands to navigate her, brought her round to
Waterford, where she could be fitted out under their own eyes. One of
the points to be settled was her name. Captain O'Brien, bowing to
Norah, proposed that she should be called _Love's Messenger_; but to
this Norah objected, and it was finally settled that she should be
called the _Research_. The captain had devoted Gerald's prize-money,
and the whole sum he had at his own disposal, and the amount contributed
by Captain O'Brien; but still a sum was required for ammunition, stores,
and the wages of the crew. Captain Tracy was in a dilemma; he might
obtain a cargo for the vessel, but then he would have to wait for a
convoy, as no insurance could otherwise be effected on her, and that
would cause a delay. Rather than suffer this, he resolved to sell his
patrimony, though very unwilling to do so. Captain O'Brien, who had
formerly traded to Bristol, had gone over to that port to look out for
efficient officers and any good men he could find to form part of the
crew; the remainder could be obtained at Waterford.
Captain Tracy was setting off one morning, resolved to make the final
arrangements with his lawyer for the disposal of his property, when just
as he left his house he was accosted by a man, whose ragged dress,
shoeless feet, and thin cheeks showed that he was suffering from the
extreme of poverty. Captain Tracy's well-practised eye convinced him at
once, before the man had spoken, that he was a sailor, and believing
that he came to beg, he put his hand into his pocket to relieve his
necessities, when the man, touching his battered hat, addressed him,
"Plase, yer honour, are you Captain Tracy?"
"I am. What is it you want with me?" asked the captain.
"Shure, I'm glad to hear it, for I've been looking for yer honour for
many a day," answered the man, "as I've made a vow, if you were still in
the land of the living, to give you a message from a dying shipmate, and
my mind couldn't rest aisy till I'd done it."
"What's the message, my friend? Is it a long or a short one?" asked the
captain, eyeing the man steadily, to judge whether he was speaking with
sincerity or uttering a falsehood. "What ship did you belong to, my
friend?"
"The _Fair Rosamond_, yer honour, homeward-bound from Port Royal. We
met with misfortunes from the time of sailing. We had Yellow Jack
aboard us; then a course of foul wind, and when about a hundred leagues
from the chops of the Channel, we were dismasted in a heavy gale; and at
last, after driving about for many a day till we ran short of water and
provisions, we were cast on the coast of Connemara, and only I and three
others got to shore--the captain and the rest of the hands who were left
alive, for Heaven hadn't spared many of them, were washed away and
drowned. I was like to have died too, but some country people took care
of me, and I pulled through; and then, remembering my vow, I set off
without a shiner in my pocket to give the message to yer honour."
"Come in, my friend," said the captain, by this time convinced that the
man was speaking the truth, and becoming anxious to hear what he had got
to say. The stranger looked at his ragged garments and hesitated when
the captain invited him into the parlour, where Norah was seated, and
bade him take a chair; however, plucking up courage, he did as he was
desired. Captain Tracy having briefly told Norah what he had just
heard, turned to the seaman.
"You have not yet given me your name," he said.
"It's Larry Cregan, yer honour. You may trust to what I say, for I
wouldn't desave yer honour, that I wouldn't," answered the man.
"Well, Larry, let me hear all about this message," said the captain,
"for you haven't given me a hint yet what it is."
"Well, thin, yer honour, it's nothing but the truth I'll spake," began
Larry. "We had well-nigh half our crew pressed out of the _Fair
Rosamond_, and had to make up our number with such hands as the captain
could get without being over particular. Among them was a countryman of
mine--Tim Reardon, he called himself. He looked mighty sickly when he
came aboard, and we hadn't been many days at sea before he grew worse.
He wasn't fit for work; but we were short-handed, and he had to stick to
his duty. And says I to myself, `Tim Reardon isn't long for this life,
and so I'll do my best to help him;' and when he was aloft or whatever
he had to do, I always kept near him, and helped him many a time when he
hadn't strength to pull and haul by himself. This won his heart and
made him wish, as he said, to do me a good turn; but that wasn't ever
likely to be in his power. He grew worse and worse, and at last could
no longer crawl upon deck. I used to sit by him when it was my watch
below, and spake such words to comfort him as I could think of. One
day, howsomdever, he says to me, `Larry, I've got something on my
conscience, and something else in my pocket which I want you to take
charge of.'
"`Anything to serve ye, Tim,' says I.
"`I've been an outrageous wicked fellow all my life, and have done all
sorts of bad things,' says Tim. `I've consorted with pirates, and have
seen many a robbery and cruel murther committed--but I won't talk of
that now. I can't do much good, I'm afraid, but what I can I wish to
do, what I'd made up my mind some time ago, when I was well-nigh dying
and should have slipped my cable if it hadn't been for the care I
received from a countryman, who took pity on me and nursed me as if I'd
been his brother. As I got better he told me to cheer up, as he felt
sure I should live. "Now, Tim," says he, "if you ever get to Old
Ireland, I want you to find out Captain Tracy, who lives near to
Waterford, and tell him that I am alive, and, please Heaven, will one
day get back to see him and his daughter. I can't tell him whereabouts
to look for me, for the best of reasons, that I don't know where I am--
nor have I any chance of making my escape; but you, Tim, may some day
get free, and promise me, if you do, that you will take this message to
Captain Tracy, and say that hope keeps me alive."'
"`But maybe Captain Tracy won't believe me?' says I. `If he doesn't,
his daughter will; and to make sure, take this bit of paper and show it
them,' he replied. He wrote two letters on it; it was but a scrap, but
it was the only piece he had. I put it in my 'baccy-box to keep it
safe. Not two days after that I managed to make my escape, and, getting
back to Jamaica, looked out for a homeward-bound vessel. As luck would
have it, I shipped aboard the _Fair Rosamond_; and now, as death is
hauling away at the tow-line, and I have no chance of fulfilling my
promise, if you wish to do me a service and keep my soul quiet, you'll
promise to take the message to Captain Tracy and the bit of paper in my
'baccy-box; I'll leave that to you, and everything else I've got on
board.
"I promised Tim that I'd do as he wished, and that if I failed he might
haunt me, if he'd a mind to do so, till my dying day. Tim has come more
than once in my dhrames to remind me, and I've been aiger ever since to
do his bidding."
"And where's the bit of paper?" asked Captain Tracy eagerly.
"Here it is, yer honour," answered the seaman, pulling a battered old
tobacco-box out of his pocket, from which he produced a yellow scrap of
paper, on which was written, apparently with the end of a burnt stick,
the letters O.M. Norah had been too much excited even to speak. She
gazed at the paper.
"Yes--these letters were, I am sure, written by Owen. I knew that he
was alive; I was certain of it!" she exclaimed, her bosom palpitating as
she spoke with the varied emotions which agitated her. "Oh, father,
look at them! They must have been written by Owen; he had no time or
means for writing more, and he was sure we should recognise them if they
were ever brought to us."
The captain took the paper and examined it. "Yes, I truly believe that
these letters were inscribed by Owen Massey. Had he attempted to write
more, he knew that the whole would probably be obliterated before it
could reach us, so he did the wise and thoughtful thing," he said. "I
praise Heaven that he is alive. I was sure from the first that the
_Ouzel Galley_ did not go down in the hurricane, and this proves it;
though what has become of her, or where Owen is imprisoned, is more than
I can make out--for imprisoned I take it that he is, and strictly
guarded too, or he'd have long since found his way home."
"The more reason, then, that we should go in search for him," exclaimed
Norah. "Oh, father, let us sail as soon as possible."
"Captain O'Brien will soon be back from Bristol, and nothing need longer
delay us, except the want of funds," said the captain, "and they must
first be raised. But with the assurance that Owen is still alive--and I
think the account we have heard affords that--I believe that my friends
Ferris, Twigg, and Cash will no longer hesitate to advance the required
amount. For, though we have no evidence that the _Ouzel Galley_ has
escaped destruction, my belief is that she is safe, as well as her
master, although we are at present almost as much in the dark as ever as
to where she is. Had Tim Reardon survived, we should, I have no doubt,
been able to obtain much valuable information to guide us; but as he is
dead, we must trust to what we can hereafter gain. We'll hear, however,
what further our friend the seaman can tell us. Perhaps, after he has
had some food, he may remember more of what Tim said to him."
"I'm mighty hungry, yer honour--it's the truth," said Larry, looking up;
on which Norah hastened to get some cold meat and bread, not forgetting
a noggin of whisky, at which Larry's eyes glistened. The captain
allowed him to eat in silence, and he proved how hungry he must have
been by the quickness with which he devoured the viands placed before
him. Another examination elicited little further information, however,
from the seaman; his messmate had never mentioned the circumstances
under which he had met the person who had given him the paper with the
initials O.M. on it. He remembered only that he had once spoken of a
fine ship of which O.M. had been master, and which he had not long ago
seen, although he either did not know her name or was bound not to
divulge it. It was evident, indeed, that the unfortunate Tim Reardon
was under some fearful oath which he was afraid to break, and that he
had always spoken with the greatest caution, lest he might in any way
commit himself.
"Many would call yours a cock-and-bull story," observed Captain Tracy,
"but I believe you, Larry, and you may have the satisfaction of knowing
that you have fulfilled your promise to your dying messmate. Though you
ask for no reward, I'll do what I can to repay you for the information
you have given me; and now you've had some rest and food, if you'll come
in with me to Waterford, I'll give you a fresh rig out, and you can cast
away the rags you've got on your back."
"Faith, yer honour, I'm in luck thin. I'm ready to walk a dozen miles
or more," exclaimed Larry, jumping up; and, giving a bow with his
battered hat and a scrape of the foot, he added, "The top of the morning
to you, young lady, and a thousand thanks. It's put fresh life into my
heart. Shure, I hope the gentleman you've been inquiring after will
come back alive some bright day."
Followed by Larry, the captain hurried into Waterford, where, having got
the seaman rigged out from top to toe in a new suit of clothing, he
repaired to Ferris, Twigg, and Cash's office. He there wrote a letter
to the firm in Dublin, giving an account of the information he had just
received, and urging them to advance the sum required to enable the
_Research_ to proceed on her voyage. Soon after he had despatched the
letter, Captain O'Brien arrived, bringing with him two mates and eight
good men.
"And now, old friend," he said, "as I've neither wife nor daughter at
home to pipe their eyes at the thoughts of my going, and old Molly, my
housekeeper, however unhappy she may be at first, will soon be
reconciled to my absence, I've made up my mind to offer myself as a
passenger, to help look after Mistress Norah, in case anything should
happen to you. Will you take me?"
"With all my heart," answered Captain Tracy. "I shall be glad of your
society on my own account, and still more for Norah's sake; for, though
I feel as strong and hearty as I did a dozen years ago, yet it may be
Heaven's will to call me, and it would be a comfort to my heart to think
that Norah was left with a friend to protect her till Owen Massey should
appear to claim her as his own."
"That matter is settled then, and I'll just have my traps packed up and
give directions to old Molly to take care of the house till my return,"
said Captain O'Brien. "Having done that, I'll be quickly aboard to take
charge till you appear, as I've already sent the mates and the men I
brought over on board to keep them out of harm's way. I've also given
notice that a few prime hands are wanted, and I hope to pick up two or
three old shipmates in whom I can place perfect confidence."
As the two old captains left the office they met Larry Cregan, looking a
very different being to what he had done a few hours before.
"Plase, yer honour," he said, touching his hat, "I've been told that a
few hands are wanted for the _Research_, and though I'm not worth much
at present, after I've put some good beef and pork on my bones I shall
turn out as good a hand as any of them."
"I'll take you at your word, Larry," said Captain Tracy, "and you may go
aboard as soon as you like."
"Shure, it's the safest place for me, yer honour," said Larry, "and
maybe I'd otherwise be taking in too much of the potheen, just for joy
with thinking that I'd delivered my message and was free of my oath."
Captain Tracy accordingly gave Larry an order to be received on board as
one of the crew, while he himself returned homeward, to make further
arrangements and to wait for a reply to the letter he had despatched to
Ferris, Twigg, and Cash. He and Norah paid Mrs Massey a farewell
visit. Norah had already carefully told her the information which had
been so curiously gained.
"I cannot help you to search for my son," said the widow, "but, though
unable to leave my home, I can pray unceasingly that Heaven will protect
you in your mission, and reward you for your love and devotion."
Captain Tracy had expressed his earnest desire to sail without delay,
and greatly to his satisfaction, much sooner than he expected, he
received a letter, sent by a special messenger, from his friends,
agreeing to his request and placing the required funds at his disposal.
They also consented to ship a certain amount of goods on board the
_Research_, and no sooner was this known than several other merchants in
Waterford agreed to add to her cargo. When it was known that Captain
Tracy was going out in command of the _Research_, and that Captain
O'Brien was to accompany him, as many good men as were required offered
to ship on board her, and her crew was thus speedily completed. Great
interest was excited when the object of the voyage became generally
known, and multitudes collected on the quays, cheering right heartily
as, her warps being cast off, sail was made and the _Research_ glided
away down the river. The two captains agreed that no ship they had ever
commanded was better found, better armed, or better manned than she was.
A fine northerly breeze earned her out of the harbour, and, all sail
being made, she took her departure from the land, and steered a course
for the West Indies.