THE LAST OF THE ISLES OF THE SEA.
“Don’t you believe those youngsters have gone off on a lark, Mr.
Lowington?” asked Judge Rodwood, after they had gone on shore at
Funchal, on their arrival from Fayal in search of the missing steamer.
“I do not think so now, though such was my fear in the first of it,”
replied the principal.
They had been to the banker’s, and ascertained all they could about the
Ville d’Angers; and were now on their way to the office of the consul.
“I think it must be a great temptation to such young fellows as this
O’Hara and Tom Speers,” added the judge. “You say that the captain of
the steamer has the absolute command of her.”
“He has in the absence of any vice-principal; for it does not answer
to place a landsman over a sailor at sea,” replied Mr. Lowington. “But
for all this, Capt. Fairfield, the instructor on board, would have
influence enough to prevent the students from going off on a runaway
excursion.”
“Frisbone would prevent it, if the instructor could not; for he is a
very decided man, and, if any thing is wrong, he does not mind cutting
through any amount of red tape.”
“As a rule, we have a stronger hold on these young men than mere
force,” continued Mr. Lowington. “Take your ward, for instance: he
is ambitious to obtain promotion; and any thing in the shape of a
lark would spoil all his chances. He was so interested in his future
prospects in the Tritonia, that he has been running away from the vast
fortune in store for him; and certainly he would not peril all his
hopes by engaging in a runaway expedition.”
“But he is under the orders of this O’Hara.”
“And O’Hara is controlled by the same motives. My banker has inquired
into the condition of the steamer, and ascertained that every thing was
regular on board of her. The boat that brought the captain on shore
lay at the landing-place two or three hours; and I am told that not
a seaman got out of it. That looks like discipline, which would not
prevail if the officers and crew were on a lark.”
“No doubt you are correct, Mr. Lowington. But it seems very strange to
me, that my ward should prefer the strict discipline of one of your
vessels to the freedom which I came out here to give him; and I confess
that I consider him ten times the man I supposed him to be when I left
New York,” said Judge Rodwood. “As I said before, the Marian belonged
to Mr. Speers, senior, and I intended to turn her over to my ward. You
see, the young fellow will have an income of over two hundred thousand
dollars a year as soon as he is of age; and that will be in the course
of six or eight months.”
“Poor fellow!” said Mr. Lowington with a smile.
“As he is fond of the sea, I don’t suppose he can spend his money any
better than in running this steam-yacht.”
“He is getting the right sort of experience now to enable him to handle
her,” added Mr. Lowington, as they entered a hotel, on their way to the
consul’s, to see if there were any familiar faces there.
There was one familiar face there, and it belonged to one David
Gregory. He was staying at the hotel with his English friends. All
three of them sat at a table in the public room, drinking a bottle
of wine together; and the mutineer had already had enough to make
him rather noisy. The principal immediately turned about so that the
runaway did not see him, and led the way out of the hotel.
“What is the matter?” asked Judge Rodwood, when they were in the
street. “You act like a man who sees a hard creditor in the distance.”
“One of the young fellows you saw at the table drinking wine must
have escaped from the Ville d’Angers when she was here,” replied Mr.
Lowington. “He was the first officer of the steamer, and the one who
made the trouble of which we read in the English paper.”
“And what are you going to do about it?” inquired the judge.
“I shall have him locked up on board of the American Prince. I see he
has made friends here.”
At the consul’s, the requisite arrangements were made for the arrest of
Gregory, and a couple of officers were sent for that purpose. It was
necessary for the principal to go with them to identify the fugitive.
The party walked into the room where the merry party were still
drinking.
“I think I shall be compelled to break up your party, Gregory,” said
the principal in his mild way.
The mutineer sprang to his feet as though a cannon had been discharged
under his ear. Of course he had not expected the American Prince to
return to the island, or even the Ville d’Angers. It was no use to
contend against the principal and the policemen, though Sir Philip
Grayner was inclined to resist.
“Mr. Lowington, I tried to do my duty on board of the steamer; and when
O’Hara attempted to run away with the vessel, and make a voyage to
England contrary to his orders, I wanted to bring the steamer back. I
failed, and here I am,” pleaded Gregory.
“I do not care to hear any explanation in this place. On board of the
ship I will listen to all you have to say,” replied the principal.
The officers sent him on board the Prince, where he was locked up in a
suitable apartment under the charge of Peaks, the big boatswain of the
vessel. The sprigs doubtless made their tour of the Isles of the Sea
and of the United States; but Gregory did not accompany them.
On the day of the arrival of the Prince and the Marian, a clipper
schooner came into the port from Teneriffe. She had put into Santa
Cruz de Palma; and Mr. Lowington had a long talk with her captain,
who reported the Ville d’Angers as having sailed from the latter port
on the 3d of the month, for the Cape Verds. The Spanish captain had
been on board of the steamer; and he declared that every thing was in
perfect order. The students were studying and reciting. Capt. O’Hara
was anxious to find the fleet.
“Why did he go to the Cape Verds?” asked the principal.
“Because this fleet was reported as having gone there,” replied the
Spanish captain.
If the steamer had gone to the Cape Verds, and every thing was in good
order on board of her, it was no use to wait for her; and the American
Prince and the Marian sailed as soon as they could get up steam.
On the 13th of the month they reached Fayal again, where the schooners
were waiting for them. Gregory was sent on board of the Josephine as
soon as the anchor of the Prince touched the rocks at the bottom. Mr.
Fluxion received him with a smile, for discipline had been victorious
in the end. All hands were called; and the uniform was stripped from
the recreant officer. Gregory attempted to excuse himself on the plea
that Capt. O’Hara was running away with the steamer.
“All you had to do was to obey orders. But you did not believe that
Capt. O’Hara was running away with the vessel: you knew better than
this. Your number in the Josephine is 36 from this date,” said Mr.
Fluxion sternly. “But I will say to you, and to all, that the next
promotions in all the vessels of the fleet will be made by the results
of an examination to be held on the 1st of June. Whatever place you
win, you shall have at that time, though your demerits for conduct will
be considered in making the award.”
The fleet at once departed for the Bermudas. The wind was fair, and the
weather generally good, with the exception of a gale, and a two-days’
fog, so that the schooners made the passage in ten days. The fleet kept
together all the way, and sighted St. David’s Head at the same time.
This is the north-eastern point of the islands, off which the pilots
cruise in good weather, and near which are the two eastern passages
into the inner waters, enclosed by an almost continuous reef to the
northward and westward of the islands. Each vessel took a pilot, and,
going through narrow channels between the reefs, came into the harbor
of St. George, the most northern town in the islands.
“Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!” came from a steamer at anchor, as the Prince
went across her bow.
“What’s that?” asked the principal.
“It must be the truant steamer,” replied Dr. Winstock.
“Three cheers for the Tritonia!” shouted a voice on board of the
steamer, as the vessel indicated came into the harbor.
“The Ville d’Angers has got here before us,” said Mr. Pelham. “She must
have passed us in that fog.”
“Three cheers for the Marian!” called Capt. O’Hara, as the beautiful
steam-yacht came into view.
They were all given with a will; and there could be no doubt the
students on board were glad to see their shipmates after the long
separation. In a short time the vessels of the fleet were anchored, and
the boats began to drop from the davits into the water.
“Arrah, Tom, my darlint! your guardian has caught you at last!”
exclaimed O’Hara, when he saw the barge of the Marian approaching the
steamer.
“I shall be as resigned as possible to my fate,” replied Tom.
“To the millions of money, you mane!”
“I shall not quarrel with that.”
“If you fall out with it, remimber your best frind.”
“I shall certainly do that, my dear fellow, whatever happens to me. But
I shall not leave the squadron if I can help it.”
“Faix, I hope you won’t while I am in it!” added Capt. O’Hara, grasping
the hand of the second officer. “But here comes his honor the judge. Be
ready for him, Tom, and trate him loike a gintieman.”
“I shall certainly do that,” replied Tom, as he went to the gangway,
where the steps had already been rigged, though the steamer had been in
port but a few hours.
“Which is my boy?” demanded the judge, as he came on deck.
“Here he is,” replied O’Hara, pointing out the second officer.
“Tom, my lad, I am delighted to see you, after wandering all over the
ocean in search of you!” exclaimed Judge Rodwood, grasping both the
hands of his ward, and giving him a very affectionate greeting. “What
do you mean by running away from me?”
“I am very glad to see you, sir; though I do not want to be taken out
of the squadron,” replied Tom, who found the judge a very different
person from what he had anticipated.
He was not a bit like the stern judge he had fancied; and he could not
help liking him at first sight.
“You can stay in the squadron till your head is as white as mine, if
you like, my lad,” protested the guardian warmly. “The Marian, which is
not a very ugly craft, is your property, or will be in a few months;
and I didn’t know but you might like to make a cruise in her. Do as you
please, however.”
“That alters the case,” replied Tom, laughing, and bestowing an
admiring glance upon the beautiful steam-yacht. “But I think I should
like to remain a while longer.”
By this time the principal and the two vice-principals were on board.
They greeted the captain with great heartiness; and it was clear enough
that he was not under the displeasure of the authorities. O’Hara
made his report in full on the spot, detailing all the incidents of
the cruise. He sent for the log-books kept by all the officers, and
submitted them for examination. The captain had the satisfaction of
having his management of the steamer approved.
The meeting between Mr. Frisbone and the principal was a very
interesting event; and the ship’s company of the Ville d’Angers
understood its meaning so well, that they involuntarily gave three
cheers as the two gentlemen joined hands on the deck.
“Your boys have been the salvation of myself and those I care a good
deal more for than I do for myself, Mr. Lowington!” exclaimed the
prince; and the tears gathered in his eyes as he spoke.
“I am glad that they have been of service to you,” replied the
principal, as they retired to the cabin to see the ladies.
“That Tom Speers, who is worth three millions of dollars now, would
weigh down the whole of the money in gold,” continued the Prince; and
he proceeded to tell the story of Tom’s noble conduct in saving the
life of Miss Rodwood.
“I hope the money that comes to him will not spoil him. He had been
brought up in poverty; and the change may turn his head,” added the
principal.
“Not a bit of it!” exclaimed Mr. Frisbone. “Tom’s head is not one of
the sort to be turned by money, or any thing else. He will do more
good with that fortune than his uncle ever did; and I thank God it has
fallen into good hands.”
“Let us hope so.”
“And believe so; for I know the young man through and through.”
“This is a fine steamer you have, Mr. Frisbone,” added the principal,
looking about the cabin.
“It is a fine steamer _you_ have, Mr. Lowington,” yelled the Prince, in
his loudest tone. “She belongs to you, every timber and bolt in her!
she was saved by your boys, or she would have gone to the bottom. More
than this, I have a considerable sum of money from the salvage of the
Castle William, which I shall pay over to you, deducting the expenses I
have incurred in fitting up the ship, coaling and provisioning her.”
The Prince produced his accounts, and insisted upon paying over his
balance in sovereigns to the principal; who received it under protest.
“What shall I do with the steamer?” asked Mr. Lowington.
“Use her instead of them two topsail schooners!” screamed the Prince,
as he always did when he had a bright idea.
“In due time we will consider that question. Now you are almost back
to New York, where you started from; and I understand that you were in
quest of health for your wife’s sister.”
“That’s so; but I don’t think any thing particular ails her now. We
have given her something to think about all the time; and I guess she
is pretty much cured now. I shall spend the winter in that place on the
back side of the peak of Teneriffe; and if I get there by the 1st of
December, it will be soon enough.”
“Then this steamer must convey you to your destination,” said the
principal.
“Well, I sha’n’t mind staying with you all summer, if you don’t object.
This sort of life agrees with my wife and her sister, now they have got
used to it; and I don’t get seasick myself.”
The rest of the day was spent in exchanging visits between the vessels;
and not much study was done. The Prince and his ladies visited the
Marian and the American Prince. Tom Speers went with them; for it
could not be denied that he was a prime favorite with the ladies, and
especially with Miss Louise. Clinch was sent back to the Josephine, and
became No. 35.
The next morning, when things had settled down again, the signal
for the lecture was displayed on board of the American Prince. The
grand saloon of the steamer was crowded on this occasion, for all
the passengers, officers, and engineers of the Marian and the Ville
d’Angers were present.
“Before the professor begins his lecture, I wish to say that all the
offices of the squadron will be given out in accordance with the
results of an examination to be conducted at Hamilton, beginning on the
1st of June. It will include all branches of study and seamanship; and
the marks for conduct will be added to the result of the examination,”
said the principal. “I am sorry I was not able to give this notice to
the ship’s company of the Tritonia on the 1st of May, as I did in the
other vessels.”
“But we all knew there was to be a new method adopted; and some of
us were sure it was to be an examination,” added O’Hara, when he had
obtained permission to speak.
“So much the better if you understood the matter. I will add that
we have another vessel to officer, and that the examination will be
general; that is, the offices will be assigned throughout the squadron,
instead of confining the result to a single vessel. The one who stands
highest will have his choice of all the places in the squadron; and so
on till all the positions are given out. I wish you all to consider
the subject during the next week, so that you can choose your places
without any delay. I have adopted this method, after consulting the
faculty, rather because it affords a little variety than because it is
a superior plan to the one we have been using.”
The principal retired, and Professor Mapps took his place before the
chart he had made of the Bermudas.
“These islands are different in many respects from any you have yet
visited,” the professor began. “They are coralline,--the most northerly
of this type in the world. The rock formed is a gray limestone, which
is very soft. They are in latitude thirty-two, twenty; and in longitude
sixty-four, fifty. The group consists of five principal islands, and
about five hundred small ones, varying in size from a few square feet
up to a square mile in extent. The largest island is Bermuda, which
is fifteen miles long, and occupies the most southern position in
the group. On it is Hamilton, the capital. The land on our starboard
side, where you see the town, is St. George, three miles and a half in
length; on the other side of us is St. David’s, about two and a half
miles long. The other two are in the south-west, Somerset and Ireland,
each two or three miles in length. None of the islands are more than
two miles wide, and in some places you can hardly choose on which side
you would fall overboard. The group is twenty miles long; and they
contain only twenty-four square miles of land, with a population of
about twelve thousand. More than half of the people are negroes.
“There are few wells, or at least few that produce good water. You
observe that the houses in the town of St. George are all white or
nearly so, including the roofs. They have not been whitewashed, as you
may suppose; but they are plastered. This is done to keep them clean;
for all the water used is gathered on them, and kept in cisterns or
tanks. Where large quantities are required, and the roofs do not afford
a sufficient supply, portions of the hillside are plastered in the same
manner, and the water that is collected on them is saved. The water
from the clouds is the purest that can be had, if it can be kept free
from impurities after it falls.
“Agriculture, possibly for the want of labor, is in a very backward
state. The negroes are not disposed to work any more than enough to
procure the bare necessities of life. You will see little patches
of ground spaded up, for they don’t often use the plough, as the
irregular surface of the land hardly admits it in many places. But it
is remarkably fertile and productive It yields three crops a year of
vegetables, which find a ready market in the neighboring ports of the
United States, only six to seven hundred miles distant. The exports of
the Bermudas amount to about three hundred and fifty thousand dollars
a year. There is a regular steamer to and from New York, but the
government has to subsidize the company that runs it.
“This is a very important naval and military station of Great Britain,
with extensive magazines and store-houses. On the island of Ireland
is a dock-yard, provided with a floating dry dock, built of iron in
England, and towed out to the islands. As a naval and military station,
the islands are said to be second only to Malta. On account of this
interest, the governor, whose authority is little less than supreme,
is appointed by the crown of England; and the incumbent is invariably
a man of great ability. The two branches of the Legislature are the
House of Assembly, which is the popular body, elected by the people of
the parishes, and the Council, nominated to the crown by the governor.
Though white and black are allowed to vote, there are three times as
many voters of the former as of the latter. The voter must own real
estate to the amount of sixty pounds; and he must have four times this
amount before he can be a member of the House of Assembly. No negro has
ever been elected to this office.
“The climate may be said to be delightful; and as a rule the islands
are very healthy. When the yellow fever and other diseases have
prevailed here as epidemics, it has been entirely owing to the lack
of proper drainage, and the neglect of other sanitary measures The
mercury rarely goes above eighty-five or below forty; and the average
is about seventy. It hardly compares with Orotava, and it is too damp
for most pulmonary affections.
“I will conclude this brief talk with a word about the history of
the islands. They get their name from a Spaniard by the name of Juan
Bermudez, who discovered them about four hundred years ago. But it was
not settled by the Spaniards. Very likely the roving buccaneers of the
Spanish main had temporary homes here; and there are stories of vast
wealth hidden by these worthies. When the more modern settlers took
possession of it, they found hogs in vast numbers, though the islands
were uninhabited; and there were many evidences of the visits of human
beings.
“In 1609, not long after the first settlement of Virginia, a vessel
called the Sea Adventure was fitted out in England to convey Sir
Thomas Gates, just appointed governor of the Virginia Colony, Admiral
Sir George Somers, and other officials, to the scene of their future
labors. This vessel went with a fleet, loaded with colonists and
supplies for the new home in Virginia. In a terrible storm, the Sea
Adventure was separated from the rest of the fleet, and was wrecked on
the Bermudas. After suffering great hardships, the shipwrecked party
reached the shores of these islands without the loss of a single life.
The voyagers found plenty of turtle, fish, and fruit in the island, as
well as a most delicious climate; and they were so well pleased with
the paradise they had found, that they did not attempt to get away
for a year. At the end of this time they had built a vessel, in which
they embarked for Virginia, and reached their destination in safety.
But the colony were in the utmost need of supplies, being almost in
a state of starvation. In this emergency Sir George Somers, who is
represented as a noble and unselfish man, willing to peril his life for
the salvation of others, procuring a party of volunteers to accompany
him, sailed for the Bermudas to obtain a supply of provisions from that
land, ‘flowing with milk and honey.’ Unhappily he died when his vessel
reached the locality where we now are; and after him this island was
called St. George, though I cannot say when or how he happened to be
canonized. After him also the scene of his death received the name of
the ‘Somers Islands,’ as they are often called. The colonists reported
so favorably, that settlements were commenced in 1612; and the islands
have been under the British Government since that time.”
The professor finished his remarks, and the students hastened on shore
for the first time.