with all the gorgeous hues of a tropical sunset, assuming every variety
of strange and grotesque appearances; and the water reflected back their
image, if possible, with increased splendour. As far as the eye could
reach, nothing was visible but the glassy, undulating surface of the
sea, partially rippled by the "cat's paws"[5] which played over it. The
ship was gliding slowly over the smooth expanse of water--her large
sails flapping heavily against the masts, as the sea rose and fell, and
her smaller canvas just swelling in the breeze, and lending its feeble
aid to urge her onwards; the passengers were taking their evening lounge
on the poop and quarterdeck; while the ship's "band" were "discoursing
eloquent music" for their amusement; and the crew were scattered in
groups about the forecastle and waist. Just as the dusk of evening began
to render objects obscure and indistinct, the _look-out_ on the
forecastle called out--
[Footnote 5: Light, partial airs.]
"A light right ahead, sir!"
"Very well, my boy; keep your eye upon it, and let me know if we near
it."
In a short time the man exclaimed, "The light is close aboard of us,
sir!" and, at the same moment, a bugle-note was heard, and a glimmering
light appeared, which gradually enlarged, throwing a broad, blue,
unearthly glare over the fore part of the ship, till the smallest rope
was as visible as in broad daylight; while a loud, confused, roaring
noise was heard, and a stentorian voice shouted, apparently from the
sea--
"Ho! the ship, ahoy!"
"Holloa!" replied the officer.
"What ship is that?"
"The Honourable Company's ship Briton."
"Ah! my old friend, Captain Oakum!--welcome back again! I am too busy to
come on board just now; but I will pay you a visit to-morrow forenoon.
Be sure to have everything ready for me, for I have a great deal of work
on my hands just now.--Good-night!"
"Good-night!"
Again the bugle-note was heard; and then the car of his watery
majesty--looking to vulgar and unpoetic eyes very like a lighted
tar-barrel--floated slowly astern, throwing a flickering glare over the
sails, as it passed; while the "band" almost knocked down what little of
the breeze was left with their counter-blast of "Rule Britannia," which
they puffed away with all their might and main, till the car of Neptune
sank beneath the sea.
"Come forward," said a middie to the cadets near him, just before the
_car_ dropped astern--"come _forward_, and see Neptune's car; it is
worth your while to look at the old boy, whisking along at the tail of
half-a-score of dolphins, with a poop-light as big as a full-moon
blazing over his stern; you can see him quite plain from the
forecastle." And away they all ran, helter-skelter, towards the
forecastle--the middie knowingly allowing the young aspirants for
military distinction to get ahead of him, and bolting under the
forecastle, while they ran thundering up the ladder. They had hardly
reached the upper step, before a slight sprinkling from aloft made them
look upwards; and, while they were gaping, open-mouthed, in wonder from
whence the rain could proceed, as not a cloud was to be seen, they had
soon reason to think that a waterspout had burst over their heads;
for--splash, splash, splash--bucketful after bucketful of water was
poured on their devoted heads from the "foretop." As soon as they
recovered from the momentary shock and surprise, they made a precipitate
retreat, amid roars of laughter from all parts of the ship, in which
they were fain to join, to conceal their mortification.
All was now quiet for the night; the "band" had played "God save the
King;" the watch had been called; and the captain's steward had
announced, "Spirits on the table, sir."
"I had no idea, Captain Oakum," said one of the passengers at the
"cuddy" table, "that Neptune was such a dashing blade, with his flourish
of trumpets and car of flame. I shall feel a greater respect for him in
future. Does he always announce his approach in such style?"
"No; he sometimes does it by deputy. Last voyage, I was walking the
quarterdeck with some of my passengers, when we were all startled by
seeing a figure, in white, come flying down out of the maintop. It
fluttered its wings for a while, and then alighted on the deck, close
before us; touched its hat, and delivered a letter into my hands; and
then--whisk! before we had time to look round us, it was flying up into
the mizzentop. The figure in white was one of the topmen--intended, I
suppose, to represent Mercury; and the letter was from the King of the
Sea, announcing his approach. The men had rove a couple of 'whips' from
the main and mizzen mast-heads, and the end of each being made fast
round 'Mr Mercury's' waist, he was lowered from the one top, and 'run
up' into the other."
"Capital! It must have been rather startling, in the dusk of evening, to
see such a strange sea-bird alight at your feet."
The next morning, as soon as the decks were washed, preparations were
made for the approaching ceremony. The jolly-boat was got in from the
stern, and secured at the gangway, from which a long particoloured pole
projected, announcing that this was "Neptune's free-and-easy
shaving-shop." All the "scuppers" of the upper deck were stopped, and
the pumps were kept in constant motion, till the lee-side of the deck
was afloat, and the jolly-boat full to the "gunwale." An old sail was
drawn across the fore-part of the ship's "waist," like the curtain of a
theatre, to conceal the actors in the approaching ceremony, while making
their necessary preparations. There was an air of bustling and eager
mystery among all the old hands, which, to the uninitiated, gave rise to
vague and unpleasant feelings of fear. It was in vain they strained
their eyes to penetrate the mysteries of the sanctum concealed by the
provoking curtain, from behind which sundry notes of preparation were
heard, mixed with disjointed ejaculations--such as, "A touch more black,
Jem." "How does my scraper sit?" "Where's my nose?"--and so on. All was
bustle and animation; the carpenter's gang converting an old
gun-carriage into a triumphal car; the gunner preparing flags for its
decoration; his mates busy, with their paint-brushes, bedaubing the tars
who were to act as sea-horses; and the charioteer preparing and fitting
on Neptune's livery. At length all was ready for the reception of the
King of the Sea.
"On deck there!" shouted the man at the masthead.
"Holloa!" replied the officer of the watch.
"A strange sail right ahead, sir."
"Very well, my boy. Can you make out what she is?"
"She looks small, sir--not bigger than a boat."
The officer made his report to the captain, who kindly entered into the
spirit of the thing, to gratify the men, and desired to be informed when
the boat was near the ship.
"We are nearing the boat fast, sir." And the captain made his appearance
on deck, to reconnoitre the approaching stranger.
"Ship ahoy!" roared a voice ahead; "lay your maintopsail to the mast,
and give us a rope for the boat."
"Forecastle there!--a rope for the boat! Let go the maintop bowline!
Square away the mainyard, after-guard!" bawled the officer of the deck.
In the meantime, the unfortunates who had never crossed the line were
driven below; the "gratings" were laid on fore and aft, and sentries
were stationed at the hatchways to prevent escape.
A bugle-note was now heard murdering the "Conquering Hero," who soon
made his appearance in person, over the bows, and stood for a moment in
a _graceful_ attitude on the night-head, where he really cut quite an
imposing figure, with his robe of sheep-skins and flowing beard of
"oakum," and grasping in his extended hand a trident, with a fine fish
on its prongs. A few minutes after he had descended into the "waist,"
the screen we before mentioned was withdrawn, and the procession moved
on. First came the ship's musicians, fantastically dressed for the
occasion, and playing "Rule Britannia" with all their might and main;
next came the triumphal car, surmounted by a canopy decorated with flags
of all nations, under which were seated Neptune, Amphitrite, or Mrs Nep,
as Jack calls her, and a little triton; and immediately in the rear
followed the _suite_, consisting of the barber, doctor, clerk, and about
a dozen half-naked and particoloured demigods, who acted as
water-bailiffs. Each of these gentlemen merits a particular
description; for they were all great men, in their way. The doctor wore
an immense _floured_ wig, and an uncommonly long, unwholesome-looking
nose, and over all a rusty piece of tarpaulin, pinched into three
corners, to represent a hat; under his arm he carried his family
medicine-chest, the lid of which was open, and displayed to view pills
and powders of all shapes, sizes, and colours, in great profusion; and
in his hand he carried a large bottle, labelled, "Neptune's elixir." The
barber carried, slung over his arm, his shaving-box (a large tar
bucket), with brushes to correspond; the pouch in the front of his apron
was filled with little etceteras, such as boxes of _grease_ for the
hair, _powder_ for the teeth, &c.; and in his hand he brandished three
razors, each about three feet long--one made of smooth iron hoop, the
next about as genteel as a hand-saw, and the third, meant for particular
favourites, with teeth grinning at each other, half-an inch apart, more
or less. The clerk, or scribe, was a dandy of the first water: he had on
a small raree hat, which looked as if it had been forced up on one side
by an immense crop of oakum curls, which sprouted most luxuriantly from
under one of the rims. His whiskers were pointed to the wind with the
greatest nicety; and from behind his ear peeped the quill, his badge of
office; while a little inkstand dangled at his button-hole. The tips of
his nose and ears were almost hidden by a most magnificently stiff
collar, and his chin nestled in a bed of frill, made to match the collar
of the best _foolscap_. All these _gentlemen_ wore _long togs_.[6]
[Footnote 6: Coats]
On came the pageant: Neptune's sheep-skins and trident looked very
majestic; Amphitrite, a tall, high-cheek-boned Scotch "topman," with the
assistance of a little red paint and oakum locks, and arrayed
_cap-a-pie_ in cabin finery, made a very passable representation of a
she-monster; the barber brandished his razors; the scribe paraded his
list, and, every now and then, made use of an old frying-pan, with the
bottom knocked out of it, for a quizzing-glass; the jack-_tars_ who
acted as sea-horses pranced as uncouthly as jack-_asses_; and the
coachman, seated on the fore-part of the car, and proud of his livery
and shoulder-knots, cracked his whip, d----d his horses for _lubbers_,
and _singing out_ to them, "Hard a-port!" contrived to _weather_ the
after hatchway, and then _bear up_ round the "capstan," where, with a
graceful pull-up of the reins, very much like a strong pull at the
mainbrace, and an "Avast there!" to his obedient cattle, he stopped the
car. The captain was standing under the poop-awning, in readiness to
receive his majesty, who welcomed him most graciously to his dominions.
"Glad to see you once more, Captain Oakum," said he; "it warms the
cockles of my heart to fall in with an old friend; and my wife here and
I both wants comfort of some kind, after our long morning ride over the
water; the cold air is apt to give one a cold in the stomach." The
doctor immediately stepped forward with his bottle, and presented it to
his majesty. "No, no," said he; "none of your doctor's stuff for _me_;
keep that for my children; Captain Oakum knows my complaint of old."
The captain laughed, and his steward, taking the hint, produced a bottle
containing a different kind of _elixir_, which old Neptune seemed to
quaff with peculiar relish. A glass was then offered to Amphitrite, who
pretended to reject it, and tried to blush--in vain.
"Come, come! none of that 'ere humbug, old gal," said the king; "tip it
over; it'll do you good." And away it went, where many of its fellows
had gone before.
"Ah!" said she, smacking her lips with unqueenlike gusto, "glorious
stuff to drive out a cold!"
The whole of the suite were immediately seized with the same complaint,
and all required the application of the same remedy.
"I understand, Captain Oakum, you have a good many of my children on
board."
"Yes, a few. I hope you will treat them kindly."
"Oh, leave that to me, sir; I'll give none of them more nor they
desarves."
He then thrust out his trident to the captain's steward, with a graceful
air, as if he meant to impale him; but it was only for the purpose of
presenting the fish on its prongs, as an addition to his honour the
captain's dinner.
"I wish it war better; but we've had a sad sickly season down below, and
all the dolphins and bonitos are on the doctor's list with influenzie."
During this interview, the men were all standing near the gangway, armed
with buckets of water, wet swabs, &c., impatient for the commencement of
the fun.
"But I must wish you good-morning, Captain Oakum; I have no time to
lose. I have two or three other ships to board this morning."
"Good-morning!"
The band struck up "Off she goes." "Carry on, you lubbers!" said the
coachman. Crack went the whip--off pranced the horses--and away whirled
the car, which no sooner approached the gangway, than the procession was
greeted with torrents of water, and his "godship" was half smothered in
his own element. After gasping for breath, and shaking off the
superfluous moisture, Neptune and the _fair_ Amphitrite took their
station on "the booms," to superintend the operations of the day. The
clerk handed to his majesty a list of his new subjects, who were
recommended to his peculiar attention.
"Richard Goldie is the first on the list," said Neptune; "send him up!"
And away scampered the Tritons (or constables), who were naked to the
waist, the upper parts of their bodies being hideously painted,
fantastic-looking caps on their heads, and short painted staves in their
hands. The main-hatch "grating" was lifted, and up came our friend
Richard, blindfolded, between two constables, laughing and joking with
his captors as he came along. As soon as he made his appearance, Neptune
exclaimed--
"Who have we got here? I ought to know the cut of that younker's jib.
Ay, I'm blowed if it isn't the same that was cruising about the other
day after a drowning shipmate. One of the right sort that. Just put my
mark upon him--give him a touch of the tar-brush, and let him go."
Almost untouched, Richard was allowed to escape forward, where he
immediately equipped himself with a wet "swab," and prepared to follow
the example of those around him.
"Edward Cummin! Bring Edward Cummin!"
And Cummin made his appearance, escorted as Goldie had been, with a face
almost as white as the handkerchief that blinded his eyes, and shivering
with anticipation. The attendant Tritons seated him on the edge of the
jolly-boat at the gangway; and the barber, turning to Neptune, and
holding up his three razors, said--
"Please your honour, which?"
"Let us hear first what he has to say for himself," said Neptune.
"Where do ye come from?"
"From Scot----oo! oo!" said the poor fellow, as the barber thrust a
well-filled tar-brush into his mouth.
"How long is it since you left it?"
But Cummin had gained experience; he set his teeth, pressed his lips
together, and sat, a ludicrous picture of fear, mixed with desperate
resolution.
"A close Scot, I see," said Neptune; "give him some soap to soften his
_fizz_, and teach him to open his mouth. Shave him clean."
The barber lathered his victim's cheeks with tar, which he _dabbed_ on
without much regard for his feelings; while the Tritons, with their
hands in his hair, _tugged_ his head about in the proper direction. The
operation was performed with the "favourite's" razor, which left the
furrows of its _fine_ edge upon his cheeks. The doctor was standing by
with his vial of tar-water, and his box of indescribable pills, ready to
take advantage of every involuntary gasp of the poor patient. At last,
after daubing his hair with rancid grease, "to make it grow," the
bandage was suddenly taken from his eyes, and he was thrown backward
into the boat, and left floundering among the tarry water, till some
charitable hand dragged him out. Half-drowned and half-blinded, Cummin
staggered forwards, blessing his stars that his torments were over; but,
alas! he soon found that he had escaped from the fangs of the torturing
few, only to encounter the tender mercies of the vindictive many. Groans
and hisses from all quarters gave token of the dislike in which he was
held--bucketfuls of water were dashed in his face, and a rope drawn
suddenly right across, tripped up his feet, and he floundered on the
deck at the mercy of his tormentors, who, whenever he attempted to rise,
dashed torrents of water upon him, and half-buried him in wet "swabs."
Mad with rage and mortification, wearied and exhausted, Cummin at last
reached the forecastle, where he sat down for awhile, to recover breath
and strength.
"Come, Cummin, man," shouted Goldie to him--"come and join the sport."
There was something in Goldie's joyous and laughing tone which jarred
upon Cummin's excited feelings--it seemed to him like an insult, that
his companion should be so merry and happy, while he was sitting, like
an evil spirit, scowling on the scene of mirth before him. He made no
reply to Goldie, but muttered to himself--"Laugh on, my young cock of
the walk; you shall pay dearly for your fun." From that day, Cummin
became an altered man in manner; he no longer attempted to conceal his
dislike to Goldie, but on all occasions did his utmost to thwart and
annoy him. He used to pace up and down the deck, in gloomy silence,
while the rest of the crew were sleeping around him; and dark and deadly
were the thoughts that crowded through his brain. He felt that he was
disliked and avoided by all his companions, and, attributing their
estrangement to the arts and influence of Goldie, over and over again
did he vow bitter revenge against him. But how was his revenge to be
gratified? There was the rub. He was too much of a coward to attack him
openly, and feared to attempt any secret mischief, as he knew that he
would be immediately suspected as the author of it; for his hatred to
Goldie had, by this time, been remarked throughout the ship, where, it
was equally obvious, Goldie had no other enemy. But, while he is
meditating mischief, we must go on with our story.
When the Briton arrived in Madras Roads, several vessels were lying at
anchor there; and one of them, a small merchantman, had her foretopsail
loose, and "blue-peter" flying. This was the Columbine, a Liverpool
ship, which was expected to sail that night about twelve o'clock. As
Cummin stood on the forecastle in the evening, after the hammocks were
piped down, looking gloomily at that vessel, his countenance suddenly
brightened up. He rubbed his hands together, and laughed aloud; then
checking himself, and looking cautiously round, to see whether any one
was near him, he dived below. At midnight, the Columbine "got under
way," and stood to sea.
Next morning, while washing decks, the officer of the deck called out,
"Midshipman! I don't see Cummin; send him up."
"Cummin!--Richard Cummin!" was echoed round the decks; but no Richard
Cummin appeared.
The hands were called out to muster; Cummin did not answer to his name.
Strict search was made for him, but he was nowhere to be found. The
first and most natural conclusion was, that he had deserted to the
Columbine; but it was too late now to ascertain. But that belief was a
good deal shaken, when one of the men, who happened to have been awake
at eleven o'clock the night before, said that he had heard a loud splash
in the water, and ran immediately to the "port" to look out; but all was
silent again; and, if it was, as he now supposed, Cummin, he must have
gone down immediately. He did not give the alarm at the time, for he was
half-asleep when he heard the noise, and thought he must have been
mistaken. While the man was giving this evidence on the quarterdeck, up
came Goldie with a piece of paper, which he had found on the pillow of
his hammock, on which were scrawled the following words:--"Richie, I
must put an end to this life of misery and mortification; when I am
gone, perhaps you will think more kindly of me. I was wicked enough to
talk of revenge. I leave my chest and all my traps to you. Be kind to my
poor mother, for the sake of your unhappy shipmate." It was now evident
to all that the poor fellow, whose dejection and reserve had been long
noticed, had committed suicide; and, much as he was disliked, his
disappearance cast a gloom over the ship's company for some days. Goldie
grieved sincerely for him, now that he was gone--all his violence, all
his tempers were forgotten, and Richard only thought of him as the
friend of his boyhood, and the companion of his early days; and he was
much affected by the kindly feeling manifested in his note.
We must now transport ourselves, for awhile, on board the Columbine, and
follow Edward Cummin and his fortunes. On the night of the Briton's
arrival in Madras Roads, Cummin, who was a capital swimmer, dropped
unperceived under the bows of the Columbine, about an hour before she
got "under way," and climbed into the "head" by a rope that was hanging
overboard. He passed the look-out on the forecastle; but the man, being
half-asleep, took him for one of the ship's company. He then _dived_
down the main-hatchway, and concealed himself in the "heart" of one of
the cable-tiers, where he remained undiscovered during the day. Next
night, when all was quiet, he stole up on the gundeck, and was in the
act of helping himself out of one of the bread-bags there, when a man of
the mess, who happened to be awake, seized him as a thief, and dragged
him on the upper deck.
"Bring a light, quartermaster," said the mate; "let us see who this
skulking thief is. Holloa!" continued he, starting back, with surprise,
"who the deuce have we got here? Where did you spring from?"
"I came up from the cable-tier to get something to eat, sir; I was very
hungry."
"Out of the cable-tier! But how did you get _into_ the cable-tier?"
"I swam----"
"Swam into the cable-tier! You must be a clever fellow. Come, none of
your tricks upon travellers--tell the truth at once."
"I was going to tell you when you stopped me, sir. I am a 'Briton.'"
"Well, what has that to do with it?"
"Why, sir, I was tired of being one."
"Tired of being a Briton, and swam into the cable-tier! What do you
mean?"
"Why, sir, that I was one of the crew of the Briton, the Indiaman that
lay next you in the roads, and I cut and run from her, and got on board
of you, just before you got under way."
"Here's a pretty business! But we must make the best of a bad bargain. I
suppose you're one of the company's _hard ones_."