Soon after I entered Holy Orders I joined the old ---, 74, in the West
Indies. As we were for a considerable time stationary at Port Royal,
Jamaica, and my health was suffering from the climate, I obtained leave
to take a few weeks' cruise with an elder brother, who commanded a brig
of war on the station. While I was on board the brig, she was sent in
search of a piratical craft, which had of late been committing great
depredations on British commerce in those seas. At length, after a long
search, we sighted her, made chase, attacked, and, after a desperate
fight, captured her, with a loss of several of our own men, and
one-third of the pirates killed and wounded.
Among the pirate crew a young man was brought on board badly wounded,
whose countenance exhibited such an expression of deep melancholy and
despair, that I could not help feeling compassion for him; indeed, I
persuaded myself that he must be less guilty than his companions. They
were, or their physiognomies woefully belied them, as villainous a set
of scoundrels as were ever collected together, and their captain, if
report spoke true, was the greatest miscreant of them all. I attended
daily by the bed-side of the unhappy youth I speak of, and had hopes,
although he said little, that I had worked on his mind some impression
of the awful state in which he was placed; but as he recovered his
strength his obduracy of heart appeared to return, and he seemed to have
persuaded himself that he should escape the punishment of his crimes.
After a long beat we at length entered Port Royal in triumph with our
prize, and were thanked by all the merchants for the service we had
rendered them. The pirates were tried without delay, one of them
turning king's evidence, and being all convicted of the most atrocious
murders on the high seas, with this single exception, they were all
sentenced to death.
The evening before his execution the young man I spoke of sent to
entreat me to visit him. I gladly acceded to his wish. I found him
heavily ironed and chained to the ground, in a room with a
strongly-grated window, where three of his piratical shipmates were also
confined. These latter were Spaniards, and dark ferocious-looking
ruffians they seemed--more like beasts than men with immortal souls, so
brutalising are the effects of habitual crime.
They regarded me as I entered with glances of furious hate, for they
recognised me as having belonged to the ship which captured them, and,
had they not been manacled, they would, I truly believe, have rushed at
me to satisfy their longing for vengeance, but their chains, fortunately
for me, holding them down, they again sank into the sullen apathy from
which my appearance had roused them.
Sitting down on a low stool, furnished by the gaoler, I expressed my
willingness to afford the prisoner every aid in my power that his awful
state demanded.
"You were kind to me, sir, when I lay wounded, from the first, on our
passage here, and I thought you would excuse me speaking to you," he
answered, looking furtively around as if some one was watching him.
"Oh, sir, there are many, many things weighing like hot lead upon my
mind, and I must tell them to some fellow-creature before I am sent on
my last voyage, or I should have to come back again to haunt this world,
which is already sick of me and my crimes. Oh, sir, it is dreadful to
think of dying when one has lived as I have done; yet my life for some
years has been one of misery, ever haunted by a hideous spirit or a
being of--There it is, sir! see, see! I knew that I could not talk of
him without his coming! There, there, there!" he shrieked out.
I exerted all my powers to soothe the mind of the poor wretch, throwing
in such observations as I thought might tend to bring him to think on
the new state of existence he was about to enter. Pirate as he was, I
felt that he was still a fellow-creature, and who can tell what strong
temptations might have led him into crime? Who among us can say how we
should have withstood the same? Let us feel grateful that we have
received the benefit of a religious education, and pray Heaven to keep
us from sin. Seeing that until he had relieved his mind by a narration
of the circumstances in his career which pressed most heavily on it, he
would be unable to attend to me, I told him that I was prepared to
listen to anything he might have to say. On this he immediately
commenced a sketch of his life in almost the following words:--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Confessions of a Pirate.
"I am a Devonshire man, and was born near Salcombe. A wild-looking
place is Salcombe Range. My father's cottage stood on the hill facing
directly down the bay, or range, as they call it in the west country, so
that the only view I remember in childhood was that of the dark cliffs
on each side of its entrance, with its heaving and foaming waters; the
only music I ever heard, their hollow melancholy sound.
"My father had been an officer of excise at Plymouth, and, having
somehow or other made his fortune, retired here to end his days. This
he soon did, for, shortly after I was born, my mother dying, he took to
drinking harder than ever--he was never a very sober man--and before I
was seven years old I was left an orphan. I had now no one to look
after me, except an old woman, whose chief occupation was mixing
smuggled spirits to fit them for the market; when she used to taste and
taste the stuff till she went reeling to bed. I consequently had plenty
of time and opportunity to follow my own inclinations, and was early
taught all sorts of wild pranks by boys older than myself.
"For some time my principal employment consisted in dodging the steps of
the revenue officers, both when a run was about to be made, and
afterwards when the tubs and cases were to be carried up the country. I
could neither read nor write, and as for religion, I never heard of it;
indeed, I was as ignorant as could well be. At last, the clergyman of
the parish took compassion on my unprotected state; and the old woman
who had charge of me dying, like my father, in a fit of drunkenness, he
sent for me up to his house, and asked me if I should like to go to
school. Though I did not know what school meant, I answered `Yes,' for
I wanted to go somewhere; it little signified to me where. As I was
treated kindly I got on very well, so that in three years I was
considered one of the best scholars in the school, though at the same
time one of the wildest. The vicar was a strict man, and, though he
expressed himself satisfied with my progress, I was never a favourite of
his.
"Although I had continued my intimacy with several of my early smuggling
companions, I managed to reach my eighteenth year without being
considered worse than a wild sort of chap. About this time I formed an
acquaintance with a pretty girl, the daughter of a respectable farmer in
the neighbourhood. Her old father spoke to me on the subject. I
knocked him down and fled. I had behaved like a villain. I knew it
then; I feel it now. The poor girl refused to see me when I afterwards
tried to meet her, and soon died of a broken heart. The neighbourhood
was no longer to my liking. I felt that every finger was pointed at me;
but I stifled conscience, and tried to appear indifferent as to what
folks said of me. Oh, that I had listened to that small voice then! My
after-life would have been very different.
"I had always been accustomed to get about in boats; and having just
before formed the acquaintance of a noted smuggler, one Brand Hallton by
name--I then thought him one of the finest fellows on either side of the
channel--I made my first trip across to the coast of France in his
company. That man was the chief cause of my subsequent career in crime
and misery--my evil genius. Oh, sir, warn all the young men you may
meet to shun the company of the wicked and immoral as they would a
pestilence! They are the instruments with which the devil works out his
deeds of darkness. I did not know how bad he was, or, perhaps, I might
have avoided him and been saved. For two years or more, I was
constantly in some smuggling craft or another; and though we frequently
lost a cargo, we managed to escape being taken and sent on board a
man-of-war to serve the king. This hazardous varied sort of life just
suited my taste, and, as I had more learning than the rest of my
companions, I was looked up to by most of them. However, our success
was not to last for ever: through the treachery, as we afterwards
discovered, of one of the people we employed on shore, we were unusually
unfortunate; and, suspecting what was the case, we vowed to be revenged
on whomever it might be.
"I had never seen blood shed--my hands were free from that crime. Oh
that they were so now, I should not care so much about dying! We had a
large cutter, carrying four guns, with forty stout hands on board, Brand
Hallton being our captain; so that we could easily beat off any revenue
boats which might attempt to board us.
"Every one was armed to the teeth; and on the occasion I am about to
speak of, the word was passed that all the helpers on shore should come
prepared for resistance, in case of being molested. We took in our
cargo, consisting of silks, laces, tea, and other valuable commodities,
at Cherbourg, and made the land just before sunset. We stood in at
once, and found the spotsman at his post, with a signal that all was
clear. The night was pitchy dark, though calm; and, except the signals,
not a light was shown. About fifty men were stationed on shore, to
carry the things inland.
"We set to work as fast as possible getting the things into the boats,
and all went on well for some time. I, with some others, in one of the
boats, had left the cutter, when a pistol was flashed from the shore as
a signal for us to return; but, before we had pulled many strokes, there
was a rapid discharge of fire-arms, while loud shouts, oaths, and cries
arose: torches were kindled, and by their light we could see our friends
on shore mixed in a hot fight with a number of red-coats.
"As soon as we made out what was going forward, we pulled back as fast
as we could to the vessel, to put the bales into her, intending to
return to assist our people; but, before we reached her, a splash of
oars was heard close to us, and in a moment a large boat was alongside
our galley. At the same time, a loud voice ordered us to surrender;
but, as we were not the chaps to do that in a hurry, our coxswain drew
his pistol, and fired it towards the boat. A deep groan was the answer,
and immediately other pistols were fired on each side. By the flashes
we saw a number of men, their cutlasses shining brightly, about to
spring into our boat; but, at the same time, we knew that we must beat
them or die. They were brave fellows, and would, perhaps, have taken us
all; but we were fighting with halters round our necks; for after the
resistance we had offered, we knew that, if made prisoners, we should be
hung. They had already cut down two or three of our people, when
another of our boats came up, and attacked them on the other side.
There was now little chance for them: we dared not save them if we
would. They fought bravely to the last--every one of them was killed.
"They were countrymen, and were only doing their duty. That night's
work, sir, weighed like lead upon my conscience, till other crimes drove
the thoughts of it out, and my heart became seared. It is only now that
I am about to quit the world that my conscience is roused up. It is
very terrible, sir. My life seems a dreadful dream; and I cannot even
now believe that I am to die to-morrow to go where I have already sent
so many others, not more fit to die than I am. It is too much to think
of. I wonder what sort of a place I shall be in to-morrow at this
time!" he suddenly exclaimed, after a long silence.
"You must trust in the mercy of One who is all merciful," I answered,
"and repent of your crimes, and then be assured, as was the thief on the
cross, you will be forgiven."
"I wish I thought it might be so, sir," he observed, "but I have been
too wicked--too great a reprobate for pardon; and _he_--_he_ knows
better!--that ghastly figure there!--_he_ shakes his head, and grins at
me, mocking at the very idea of it! Oh, that I could have another spell
of life to get free of him! Is there any chance of being let off?" he
asked, with sudden animation.
"Not the slightest," I answered. "Do not for a moment indulge in such a
hope."
"Well, sir, well--perhaps it is best as it is. I have thought a good
deal about death since I lay wounded, and have made up my mind to the
worst. My life has long been a burden to me; but it is the future--the
future which makes me tremble; and then that dreadful ghost-like figure
unnerves me. Off with you--off!" he shrieked out. "Leave me for this
once at rest!"
The Spaniards, aroused by his cries, scowled fiercely on him, and
cursing him for a noisy madman, again sank back upon the stone floor.
After being silent for a minute, he appeared to have perfectly recovered
his senses, and continued--
"I will go on, sir, with what I was telling you about--I want to get it
off my mind. Well, after we had killed the people in the revenue boat,
we hove the things into the cutter, and pulled again to the shore to
assist our friends. It was fortunate for them that we did so, for the
soldiers had come down in great numbers, and completely got the better
of them. Some were made prisoners, numbers were either killed outright
or desperately wounded, and the remainder were fighting hand-to-hand for
their lives, close down to the water's edge. Some of the best men were
with us. We were fresh and desperate; so, managing to drive back the
soldiers for a minute, by a furious charge, before they again came on,
we covered the retreat of the rest to the boats, and then followed
ourselves. In a moment they were afloat, and we were pulling off from
the shore. Several volleys were fired at us without doing us any
mischief, and we could see the soldiers, by the flashes of their
pistols, galloping up and down along the beach, in search of those of
our friends who were trying to escape. About twenty of our people got
off, but of course all the things, except a few we had on board, were
lost, and we vowed vengeance against whomever had betrayed us. We all
took a dreadful oath to that effect, which we most fearfully fulfilled.
Oh! I wish that it had been broken.
"We were sullen and out of humour enough when we got on board; but there
was no time then to meditate on revenge, so we lost not a moment in
making sail and standing off the coast. We well knew that, after what
we had done, the revenue cruisers would be keeping a very sharp look-out
for us; but we were not to be daunted, even by the certainty of death,
if taken. We spoke a lugger standing in for the coast, and two nights
afterwards we ourselves followed her, and ran the rest of our cargo.
When on shore, about that work, we discovered who it was who had
betrayed us, and we renewed our oath to be revenged on him whenever we
could get him into our power. He was a man who often had acted as
spotsman for us, and in whom we placed entire confidence, though with
the world in general he did not enjoy the best of characters. His name
was Arnold, a tall, fine-looking fellow, still in the prime of manhood.
He had been bribed to deliver us into the hands of the law, and,
fancying that his treachery was undiscovered, he was now looking forward
to getting a larger reward by informing against us a second time. We
did revenge ourselves! Oh, it was dreadful! Ah!--there he is! His
livid, corpse-like face is laughing, and muttering at me behind your
back. I knew I could not speak of him without his coming. Yes, yes,
yes!--I'll follow! I'll follow!--I know I must!"
And the wretched man broke into loud shrieks for mercy. He soon
recovered, and continued--as if he had not interrupted himself--
"We allowed two months to pass before we ventured back to the coast,
when we ran in with a valuable cargo, which we landed without his
knowing anything about the matter. Five of us, among whom was Brand
Hallton, who had dependence on each other, then went on shore at night.
We had been persuaded by Hallton that we had but one course to pursue,
and we had promised to obey his directions. While we waited hidden
among the rocks on the beach, at some short distance from Arnold's
house, we sent word by a lad we took with us, that we wished to speak to
him about running another crop of goods. It was a dark night, with a
drizzling rain, but perfectly calm, the only noise we could hear being
the ripple of the water on the sand, while nothing could be seen but the
high beetling cliff above us. For a long time we waited; the moments
seemed hours to me. We then thought he suspected something, and would
not come. At last we heard the sound of footsteps on the beach moving
towards us. My heart beat faster. I ground my teeth in my eagerness.
I thought I was about to do an act of justice. That he might not by
chance take alarm, one of our men went forward to welcome him as a
friend. The stranger proved to be Arnold. Another then joined him, and
began to talk about the business in hand. He took the bait eagerly, and
offered to lend us his assistance. As he came by where I, with the
other men, lay hid, the first two put their pistols to his head, and
threatened to blow his brains out if he uttered a word, while we rushed
on him, pinioned his arms, and gagged him, to make sure of his not
giving an alarm. Powerful man as he was, he trembled violently in every
limb, for he then felt that we were aware who had before betrayed us;
and more than that, he well knew it and our _laws_; he knew that we were
not men to hesitate at punishing a traitor. From the moment we seized
him we did not exchange a single word with each other; but, lashing his
feet, we lifted him into our boat, which was close at hand. At the same
time, also, we lifted into her a large stone, with a rope made fast to
it, and then shoved off from the shore.
"We pulled off for a mile or more, and then laying on our oars, we told
the miserable wretch what we were about to do, giving him one minute to
prepare for death. In his struggles to free himself, as he heard his
doom, he contrived to loosen one of his hands, and to slip the gag from
his mouth. He shrieked out in an agony of fear, and, as he entreated us
to let him live, he trembled as if every limb in his body would part.
He talked of his wife and family, who would starve if he were taken away
from them; he promised, in the most abject terms, to be our slave--to
work for us to the utmost of his power--to do all we could require of
him; but we laughed at his offers; we reminded him that he had shown no
pity to us--that he had caused the death of several of our friends and
the imprisonment of others, and that he must take the consequence of his
treachery. Again, with groans and tears, he petitioned for mercy; he
was not a man much given in general to words, but now they flowed forth,
like a torrent in winter, with prayers for life; but nothing, he could
say could alter our determination. At first, he attempted to deny what
he had done, but we soon made him acknowledge his crime: he had broken
our laws, and must abide the penalty. At last, we got tired of
listening to him; we were eager for vengeance, and yet we felt a
pleasure in witnessing his agony.
"`Come--we have had enough of this palaver,' said one of our people.
`If you have got a bit of a prayer to say, be quick about it.'
"`In a minute more you won't be in so great a hurry to open your mouth,'
sneered another.
"The miserable wretch saw we were in earnest, and I believe he did try
to say a prayer; but we were in a hurry to finish the job. I fully
believe, indeed, that every one of us had thought we were going to do an
act of strict justice; but when it came to the point, my mind misgave
me. There was, however, now no drawing back; I dared not even utter my
thoughts to my companions. My hands trembled as I assisted to make the
rope, with the stone to it, fast round his feet; but the darkness
prevented their seeing my agitation. We then let the stone hang
overboard, while we lifted our victim, thus bound hand and foot, on to
the gunwale of the boat. For a moment we let him remain there; and oh,
what a cry of agony he gave as we tilted him up, and down he went
straight into the deep sea!--the water closed over his head, and not a
mark remained to show that a moment before another living being had been
with us in health and strength! We thought the sea would for ever hide
the deed from mortal eye, and that no one but ourselves would ever be
able to tell how Arnold died. Ah! fools that we were to think to escape
punishment for work like that!
"As soon as all was over, for an instant we sat silent and stupefied,
and then shipping our oars, we pulled towards the cutter as hard as we
could, away from the accursed spot. We had not pulled many strokes when
a horror seized me. I could have shrieked aloud, but my fear was too
great, for there, directly in our wake, was Arnold! Up he had risen--
his body half out of the water--his countenance blue and livid--his eyes
starting from his head--his hair on end--his arms extended towards us,
as if he would clasp the boat in his embrace, and carry us down with him
to the dreadful place he had come from! Larger and larger he grew--a
pale flame seemed to play round his features, distorted with rage and
agony! As fast as we could pull, he came hissing after us! We all
shrieked with horror--we stretched every nerve to get away from him--but
the harder we pulled the faster he came along. We sent the water flying
from our bows, our oars bent and cracked; but nothing would do--on, on
he came! Oh, how I wished I had had nothing to do with the foul deed!
We had shown no mercy to him--we knew he would show none to us. You do
not believe what I am saying; but it is as true as that I am speaking to
you. See, sir!--see, there is his face at the farther end of the room--
just as he appeared to me on that fatal night! He has never quitted me
since, and never will--he will be with me on the scaffold to-morrow,
jeering and cursing me, and I shall meet him where I am hound to in the
other world. Oh! why did I do that deed?
"The dead man had got within a few fathoms of us, when, expecting every
moment to feel myself within his cold grasp, I could bear it no longer,
and swooned away.
"The pale, waning moon was shining on my face from out of the pure sky
when I came to my senses, and I found myself lying on the deck of the
cutter, which was running briskly across the Channel. I got up and
looked around me; all that had passed seemed a horrid dream, but I knew
it was too true. I was afraid to speak of what had happened, and, when
I once referred to it to one of my partners in crime, he reminded me
with a dreadful threat of my oath of secrecy. In vain I tried to banish
the thoughts of it from my own mind; every night did the accusing
spectre recall it with terrible certainty, for no sooner did darkness
appear, than, whenever I looked out on the sea, whether in storm or
calm, when the stars shone bright, or the sky was overcast, there, in
the wake of the ship, appeared the blue, livid figure of the wretched
Arnold. It was very, very dreadful, sir. I dared not return to my
native place, nor to any neighbourhood where I was known, for I felt
that everybody would point at me as a murderer; I knew the mark of Cain
was on my brow. I grew weary of existence, even a smuggling life was
too tame for me; I longed for a change of scene, for more excitement;
and falling in with a French brig bound for the coast of Africa, I
shipped on board her. Her sails were loose and her anchor spread, as I
handed my traps on deck, and, before I had time to see the faces of all
her crew, we were standing with a strong breeze out of the harbour of
Bordeaux.
"My evil destiny still pursued me. There was one on board, whom rather
than have met I would have jumped overboard and swam on shore again, had
it been possible. That man was Brand Hallton. He had been the first to
lead me into crime, and I knew of so many black deeds he had done, that
I feared and hated him more than any man alive, though I could never
withstand his evil persuasions. A short time passed before he came on
deck, as he had been attending to some duty below. I knew him in a
moment, but he pretended not to recognise me, though he soon afterwards
took an opportunity to assure me that he would stand my friend if I
would not attempt to claim his acquaintance. I found that he had
entered before the mast under an assumed name, but on what account he
did not choose to inform me, though I had little doubt it was for the
sake of performing some piece of villainy or other. I dared not disobey
him; indeed, I should have gained nothing if I had attempted to betray
him, and thus we appealed by degrees to form an intimacy.
"We had on board a freight of coloured cottons, beads, and other
trinkets, with hard dollars to exchange for slaves, with manacles to
keep them quiet when in our power. That coast of Africa is a deadly,
burning place, as we had soon reason to know; but I cared not for heat
or for sickness--neither could increase the wretchedness of my own
miserable fate. For some days after sailing I began to hope that I had
escaped from my tormentor, but one night, on going on deck to keep my
watch, as I looked over the side to observe how fast the ship was going
through the water, there, on the sea, a few fathoms only from her,
appeared that dreadful figure. He has never since then quitted the ship
I have sailed in. Sometimes, as the moonbeams played upon the waters, I
have seen him following in our wake, with his arms spread out, leaping
from the waves and making horrid faces at me. When I have been keeping
a look-out ahead, he has appeared as if leading the way, pointing with
one hand and threatening with the other, and every now and then turning
round his gibbering distorted countenance, his eyeballs starting from
their sockets, and his hair on end as I first saw him. Night after
night have I thus been haunted, till life became a burden to me, and I
should have jumped overboard and drowned myself, but I knew that he in a
moment would fly at me like a shark at its prey, and carry me down in
his cold clasp to the unfathomed depths of the ocean. I was afraid to
ask any of my shipmates if they saw him, for they would at once have
said I was a murderer; and thus my mind was left to brood in silence on
my awful destiny; yet I fear, sir, there were many of those with me who
were likely to have seen sights almost as dreadful. Oh! what a dreary
voyage that was. At last, we sighted a long, low line of coast, with
the trees gradually rising from the water, and a grey, sandy beach below
them. This was the deadly coast of Africa, somewhere about the mouth of
the Gambia; but we stood on farther to the south, and came to an anchor
a short way up the Gaboon River, our yard-arms almost touching the lofty
palms, cotton-trees, and monkey-bread trees, which grew on its banks.
It was a beautiful-looking spot, but death was in every gale, and those
of our crew who slept on shore died soon afterwards of a fever, which
carried off several others of our men. I wished to be of the number,
but neither sickness, shot, nor the sea, could have power over one
accursed like me.
"We found the greater part of our living cargo already assembled in
barracoons close down to the shore; and the remainder arrived in a few
days from the interior--men, women, and children, to the number of three
hundred. They were all prisoners, taken in war with a neighbouring
tribe--hostilities being continued solely for the purpose of making
slaves. As we received them on board, we stowed them away as close as
they would pack between low decks, where there was barely room for them
to sit upon their hams; but you know what a hell-afloat a slave-ship
presents, and, though we did our best to keep them alive, we lost many
before the voyage was over. After leaving the coast, we shaped our
course for Martinique, where our captain intended to dispose of his
slaves, and then to go back for another cargo. What with the stench of
the slaves, the heat of the weather, our bad food and water, I wonder
any of us survived. We used to have the poor wretches in gangs at a
time upon deck to air themselves and to take exercise, but they were
quickly sent down again below, and I believe, had it not been for fear
of their dying, they would never have been allowed to taste the fresh
air of heaven. The captain and the first mate used to sleep in a sort
of round-house on the after-part of the deck, with arms by their side
ready to defend themselves in case of a surprise, for they had not much
confidence even in their own crew, though they were not worse than the
general run of slavers.
"One day I was sitting in the shade under the foot of the foresail,
trying to get a little fresh air as it blew off the sail, when Hallton
placed himself near me, pretending to be busily engaged in working a
Turk's head, or some such thing. The rest of the people were either in
the after-part of the ship, or lying about the decks asleep. Looking
cautiously round to see that no one observed him, he addressed me.
"`How like you a slaving life?' he began; `pleasant isn't it? Black
fever, yellow fever, and the stench of these negroes in one's nose all
one's days. For my part, I'd as soon mend shoes, or turn tailor, as
spend my time in this way.'
"`Then why did you join the brig? You knew how she was to be employed,'
I observed.
"`I, my fine fellow! I never, for a moment, intended to keep at this
work; I had other objects in view. I know I can trust to you, so I do
not mind talking of them. I have long formed a plan by which we can
make a rapid fortune, and spend our days, like gentlemen, in luxury and
independence. Ah! you are a lad of spirit, and will join me; but the
idea must not be hinted at, even to the stars.'
"He thus continued for some time, letting out by degrees what he was
thinking of, so that the whole of his proposal should not take me by
surprise, when he explained it to me.
"Well, we reached Martinique in safety, and, after landing the slaves,
prepared for another trip across the Atlantic. How Brand Hallton gained
the information, I do not know; but, while lying here, he learned that
on our return the brig was to be fitted up with cabins, and that the
merchant who owned her intended to return in her to France, with his
family and all the wealth he had amassed. In the meantime, he was
busily employed in working his way into the confidence of the worst
disposed of the crew, and was very active in engaging several new hands
to supply the place of those who died by fever.
"The second voyage was much like the first. We took on board a still
larger number of blacks, and lost many of the whites by sickness. Day
after day we lost one or other of our crew, till scarcely any of those
who sailed with us from France remained. The first man we lost died
raving mad: it was dreadful to listen to him. No sooner did he touch
the water than there was Arnold's ghost, with its fierce staring eyes,
surrounded by a pale, blue light, and, seizing the corpse in its grasp,
it turned it round and round, gibbering and mowing at it with delight,
it seemed, and then plunged with it beneath the waters. I shuddered as
I saw it, for I felt that such would be my fate, or, perhaps, a worse
one; for I fancied that if I was seized with the fever, I, perhaps,
should be thrown overboard while yet alive, and I pictured to myself the
horror of feeling myself in _his_ power, carried down--down--down to
eternal fire and torment. I could not withdraw my eye from the spot
where I had seen the corpse disappear. As I watched, that dreaded
figure again rose to the surface without his prey; and, as we sailed
along, he kept following in our course, his countenance now assuming a
look of eagerness, as if watching for further victims. He was not
disappointed: two days afterwards, another Frenchman died, and his fate
was like that of the first; and such was the lot of every one who died
on board the ship. Though I felt on each occasion that my turn would
come next, I lived on, and did not even catch the fever. After landing
the blacks in Martinique, we found that Hallton's information was
correct; and the brig, a remarkably fast sailer and a fine vessel in
every way, quickly prepared to take the merchant, his money-chests, and
his wife and daughters, on board. Once or twice I thought of warning
them of what I more than expected their fate would be; but fear of
Hallton, and the influence he had gained over me, prevented me from
saying anything; and they embarked.
"The old gentleman was in high glee at the thought of returning once
more to his _belle France_. His wife was a Creole, and did not seem
much to like the trouble of moving; but his daughters were in raptures
with the idea of visiting Paris and all its wonders. There were three
of them; all remarkably handsome girls, tall and slight, with clear
olive complexions and sparkling eyes. The old man loved his daughters
almost as much as his dollars, of which he had many thousands on board,
the greater part of the wealth he had accumulated during upwards of
thirty years' banishment from his native land. For some days after
sailing all appeared to go on well, and I hoped that Hallton had given
up the evil intentions I knew he had entertained; for I began to feel a
tender interest in one of the younger daughters of our owner. What is
strange, sir, is, that whenever she was on deck at night, where she
often came to watch the bright stars glittering in the water, the
dreaded ghost of Arnold never appeared. Those few days were the only
ones of anything like peace or happiness I have enjoyed since I plunged
so deeply into crime. She was indeed to me a ministering angel: and I
determined, for her sake, to try and reform. Hallton suspected
something and watched me narrowly, keeping his plans entirely from me,
so that I was not prepared for the tragedy which was soon to follow.
Two of our mates having died from the fever, I was appointed to do duty
in the place of the youngest, and, by this means, had opportunities,
which I should not otherwise have enjoyed, of paying slight attentions
to the young ladies.
"I was not long in discovering that my unfeigned devotion had its due
effect on the heart of Mdlle. Julie, the youngest of the three. Though
respectful and tender in my manner, I was bolder than under other
circumstances I should have been towards one so much my superior in rank
and education. She either did not consider how much below her I was
placed, or disregarded the circumstance, for in perfect innocence of
heart she encouraged my advances; and her old father and mother being
generally in their cabin below, had no opportunity of discovering what
we were about. At last I ventured to offer my arm to assist her in
walking the deck when the ship rolled much. She accepted it with but
slight hesitation; and from that day forward I was her constant
companion, her sisters being rather amused than otherwise by what they
considered merely a sailor's gallantry towards the youngest and
prettiest lady present; the captain, who, in his way, was a very
respectable man, taking them under his especial care. They were,
however, not so fond of the fresh air as Mdlle. Julie, and thus she was
often on deck alone with me. Often would she stay by my side, watching
the sun sink with a halo of ruddy flame into the ocean, till the
twinkling stars came out, and the pale moon cast its tranquil light upon
the sea. She used to recount to me, with artless simplicity, the events
of her short life, and all her hopes and prospects for the future. She
was not ambitious: she would like to see Paris and all its wonders; but
after that, she would be content to settle down in a quiet little
country village, with--
"`One you love,' I added, as she paused.
"`Yes,' she answered, blushing. And I thereon spoke of my love and
devotion, but confessed my poverty and the hopelessness of ever gaining
sufficient to support her.
"She smiled at my scruples; told me that she had wealth enough for both,
and that she valued a true and honest heart more than all the riches of
the world.
"Poor girl! she little knew the accursed wretch to whom she was ready to
link her fate. Once or twice I thought of telling her the truth; but I
dared not: indeed, while I was by her side, I already felt better, and
thought I might reform. Dreams--dreams, which were soon to fade away,
and leave the frightful reality more glaring before my eyes. Some time
had thus passed; the winds were light and baffling, so we had not made
much way, when one night, during my watch on deck, I found Brand Hallton
standing close by me, just before the mainmast. Besides the man at the
wheel, there was only one lookout man forward awake; the rest of the
watch were fast asleep, stowed away under the poop-deck.
"`How fares your love with the old Frenchman's pretty daughter?' said
Hallton, touching my arm.
"I shuddered as he did so, and could scarcely answer.
"`What matters that to you?' I at length replied. `She is not likely
to think of one so mean and poor as I am,' I added.
"`No, no,' he answered, in a low, jeering tone; `you can't deceive me,
my man. She looks upon you as an officer and a gentleman. Ha, ha, ha!
With one like me, a poor man before the mast, the case would be
different. I'll tell you what it is, Hawkins. The girl loves you, and
would marry you to-morrow, if we had a priest to join your hands. She
does not know that you are a murderer,' he hissed in my ear. `If any
one told her, she would not believe it. I know what women are when they
are in love, as that girl is with you; but the old father would not be
so deaf; and, at all events, he would as soon see his daughter in the
grave as married to one like you. Ha, ha, ha!'
"`I do not know what you are aiming at,' I exclaimed, turning round on
my tormentor. `Do you wish to provoke me?'
"`Pardon me, Mr Officer,' he answered, laughing; `I forgot your rank.
No, I do not wish to provoke you; but I wish to tell you the truth, that
you are following a wild-goose chase, which will only lead you among
shoals at last. Take my advice: change your course, and give up this
sentimental work. The girl shall be yours, if you follow my advice; but
if not, you will lose her to a certainty, and do yourself no good into
the bargain.'
"I told you, sir, how complete was the power that man exercised over me
from my having participated with him in the murder of Arnold, nor was he
lenient in exercising it. Though my spirit was rising, he soon made me
quail before him. He so worked upon me, that he at length brought me
over to agree to a plan he had formed. This was to put under hatches
the master and such of the crew as would not join us; then to alter the
ship's course towards the coast of America, where he proposed to make
off with as much of the gold as the boats would carry--with Mdlle.
Julie as my share--after cutting away the masts, so that we could not be
pursued, should the master and his companions, by any chance, break
loose from the hold. He sneered when I told him, that as there was to
be no bloodshed, I did not object to join him in his plan. I was very
wicked, I know it; but bad as I was, he was worse. I was tempted by the
hopes of winning Julie, for he had convinced me that I could never gain
her by fair means. He was deceiving me all the time.
"It did once cross my mind that I would try to make amends for my former
crimes by endeavouring to save the old merchant, and trust to his
gratitude to reward me by his daughter's hand; but my courage failed me
when I thought of the difficulties I should have to encounter, besides
the risk, even should I succeed in preserving the father, after all, of
losing the young lady. You see, sir, I had no ballast to keep me
steady; from the want of it the first breeze capsized me, as it will
every man who attempts to sail without it. The next morning the young
lady came on deck, looking fresh and fair as the flowers in May. I
walked with her as usual before her sisters appeared, but there was that
on my countenance which prevented me meeting her eye. She rallied me on
my silence, and I tried to recover my spirits, but in vain. I was on
the point of telling her of the danger she was in, and of vowing to
protect her and her family with my life, when, as my lips were about to
utter the words, I caught the dark eye of Brand Hallton watching me at a
distance: pretending that the duty of the ship called me away, I quitted
her side. I cannot tell you, sir, what my feelings were as I walked
for'ard. I would gladly have cut the villain down as I passed him, but
I dared not, my eye quailed before his dark sneering glance. I dived
below to my cabin, and buried my face in my hands; I thought my heart
would have burst. Again and again I cursed the bitter fate which had
delivered me into the power of that more than fiend. I was aroused from
my stupor by a dreadful shriek. I rushed on deck. Near the companion
lay the old merchant, life ebbing fast away from a deep gash on his
head, which had rendered him all but senseless; one of his daughters was
kneeling over him, her hands uplifted as if to protect him from further
violence. Brand Hallton was furiously engaged with the captain, whom he
had driven right aft, and, as I appeared, a blow from his cutlass sent
him reeling into the sea. Giving one cry for help, which Hallton
answered with a laugh of derision, he cast a look of despair towards the
ship, and the waters closed over him for ever. The murderer then
turning upon me, exclaimed--
"`You would have betrayed us, would you? You shall suffer for it.'
"I was unarmed, and before I could seize anything to defend myself, a
blow from his cutlass stretched me on the deck, but not senseless; I
wish that I had been so, I should have been spared the horrors I was
witness to.
"Apparently satisfied with his vengeance, the miscreant turned to other
acts of blood. Some of the men had overpowered the first mate, who had
remained faithful to the master, and who, even now, while death was
staring him in the face, refused to accept his life on the dreadful
terms the mutineers proposed. Lashing his hands behind him, they placed
him at the outer end of a plank, which they shoved over the stern of the
vessel, some of them holding it down in-board.
"`Will you join us?' said Hallton.
"The mate was a brave fellow.
"`No!' he exclaimed with a firm voice; `never!'
"`Let go,' cried Hallton, with an oath, `he would have hung us if he
could.'
"The man jumped off the plank. Not a cry escaped the mate, as, with a
sullen splash, he fell into the sea, and sank immediately.
"The deeds of horror which followed I will not describe.
"The ship was now entirely in the power of a gang of the most murderous
ruffians who ever dared the vengeance of Heaven.
"During all this time the eldest of the three young ladies lay senseless
on the deck; but what had become of Julie and her sister I knew not. A
minute afterwards I heard a shriek; I opened my eyes; Julie herself
rushed on deck. She cast one terrified glance around--not a friendly
eye met her sight.
"She saw me bleeding, and apparently dead; she would have thrown herself
down near me"; but she encountered Hallton on the way. Darting from his
grasp, before any one could stop her, she fled aft, and threw herself
over the taffrail into the sea. Hallton immediately ordered a boat to
be lowered, but the falls were unrove, and it was some time before it
was in the water, and the brig hove up into the wind. Oh! what an agony
I was in! I did not wish her to be saved.
"I could only hear Brand shouting to the men in the boat, and pointing
out to them the direction they were to pull; I watched every movement
anxiously; I conjectured that she was still struggling in the waves--
love of life triumphing over her fears--and probably kept up by her
garments.
"`Pull away, and you'll have her yet,' shouted the chief mutineer.
There was another horrid pause. `No, she has sunk,' he cried. `A few
strokes more, and watch for her if she rises. I see her hair below the
water. Oh, you fools, you have missed her!'
"He still stood watching--an age it seemed to me. My feelings almost
overpowered me. He stepped down on the deck. I heard the boat
alongside: the men came on deck: they brought not Julie. She had
escaped them; and, had I dared to pray, I would have thanked Heaven for
it.
"After this, I know not what occurred for several days. I was in a
raging fever; and, had I not lost so much blood, I should have died.
Hallton had spared my life, both because I was the only man, besides
himself, on board, who understood how to navigate the ship, and because
he knew my temper, and that I was completely in his power: he had only
to threaten to deliver me up as the murderer of Arnold, and I was again
his slave.
"Well, sir, when I was able to crawl on deck, we were running up the
Gulf of Mexico; and, after changing our destination several times, we
stood for Vera Cruz. Hallton never once referred to what had occurred:
he spoke to me soothingly, telling me that, as he had been elected
captain, I was to be his first mate, and that a Spaniard, called
Domingos, was to be second. I told him that I was ready for anything;
for, in truth, I had no longer any power of thought. All I wanted was
excitement; and when he talked of the wealth we should gain by pirating,
I only longed for the chase and the fierce fight. When we were within
two days' sail of our port, the captain told me that he was convinced it
would never do to take the brig into the harbour, where she might be
recognised by the people on board some of the other vessels; that we
must look out for some other craft; and then taking the two to one of
the quays at the south of Cuba, where the old pirates used to resort, we
must refit, and alter one of them, so that she could not possibly again
be known. I had nothing to say against his plan, which, being agreed to
by all the crew, we once more changed our course.
"We cruised for some days on the Spanish main, when we sighted a large
schooner, which was at once pronounced to be an American merchantman.
They are very fast vessels in general; so that, if we alarmed her, we
could not hope to come up with her in the chase. Sending down our
topgallant-masts, we clewed up the topsails, and, slacking the braces,
we let the yards swing every way, while, at the some time, we hoisted
signals of distress. The schooner made us out before long, and stood
towards us to see what was the matter. When she was about a mile from
us, it fell a dead calm, and we were consulting whether we would get
alongside her in boats or wait for a breeze to board her, when the
captain ordered all the men to lie down; and, standing upon the
taffrail, he made signs that we were in want of water. On this, a boat
was lowered from the schooner, with six hands in her, and we saw a
couple of kegs handed down the side.
"Oh! sir, it was a devilish trick we played those who were ready to
relieve our distress--one that a seaman naturally looks on with peculiar
abomination; but we seemed to delight in outraging all the laws both of
God and man. With rapid strokes the boat pulled towards us; and as her
crew eagerly jumped on the deck of the brig, they were knocked on the
head and tumbled below. The last two who remained in the boat were
stabbed, so as not to make any noise. We then stripped off their shirts
and hats, and six of our best hands, including Hallton, dressing up in
them, with three others concealed at the bottom of the boat, pulled
towards the schooner. Another boat was got ready on the opposite side,
to where the schooner lay, to support the first, if necessary.
"Our people were not suspected till they got almost alongside the
schooner, when the Americans, seeing strange faces instead of their own
friends, could not doubt what sort of customers they had to deal with.
They seized what arms they could lay their hands on to defend
themselves; but it was too late for resistance. Hallton and his crew
were on board before they had time to load a musket.
"The greater number were cut down on the instant: a few defended
themselves on the fore port of the vessel, but the second boat
following, boarded on the bow, when these too were quickly overpowered.
Not one of our party was hurt. The master of the schooner and his two
mates were killed. Some of the crew, to whom we offered their lives on
condition of joining us, accepted our terms; but several refused to do
so. After taking possession of our prize, which was a remarkably fine
schooner, just suited to our purpose, we set to work to dispose of our
prisoners. Hallton, with his usual diabolical cunning, hit upon a plan
to secure the obedience of those of the schooner's crew who had joined
us, by making them murder the remainder of their shipmates.
"It was cold-blooded, dreadful work. The victims were compelled to
stand at the gangway, while, one by one, their former friends advanced
with a pistol, and, blowing out their brains, hove them into the sea.
Two men had thus been murdered, when it came to the turn of a youth of
respectable appearance, the son of the owner, I think he was, to perform
the part of executioner. He had at first consented to live, but I have
my doubts whether he did not even then contemplate what he afterwards
attempted.
"Seizing the pistol which was offered him, with a stern look he advanced
towards the wretch he was ordered to kill; but, instead of drawing the
trigger, he turned suddenly round, and taking a deliberate aim at our
captain, fired. The ball grazed the captain's cheek. With a look of
fury he rushed with his drawn cutlass at the daring youth, who, standing
firmly prepared for his fate, was cut down on the deck. Life ebbing
fast away from several tremendous gashes, the young man lifted himself
from the deck on one arm--
"`Wretch,' he said, `my pistol missed its aim, or I should have saved
the lives of my companions, and your crew from further crime; but be
assured that your career of wickedness will quickly be brought to a
close, and that the fate to which you have consigned so many others will
soon be your own. May Heaven pardon me for what I would have done!'
"`Heave the young villain overboard, some of you! and stop his prating,'
exclaimed the captain, stamping with fury.
"But none of us stirred--hardened as we were, we could not do it: even
we were struck by his heroism; and at that moment, had he chosen to be
our captain, we would gladly have deposed Hallton and followed the dying
youth in his stead.
"`Am I to be disobeyed?' cried the captain as he gave another cut across
the face of the unhappy man; and dragging the yet living body to a port,
with his own hands hurled him overboard.
"That murder cost him his influence over us; and I think even the worst
of us would have been sick of him had he been destined much longer to
command us; but the words of the murdered youth were soon to prove true.
"You will scarcely believe it, sir, but not only were all the prisoners
made to walk the plank, but Hallton--fearing that some of the others
might attempt his life--murdered the rest of the schooner's crew who had
entered with us, not excluding the two who had commenced their career by
shooting their own shipmates. Well, sir, I shall soon have done with my
history. After taking everything out of the brig, we scuttled her, nor
did we leave her till we saw the waves close over her topgallant masts.
We then did all we could to alter the appearance of the schooner, and
shaped our course for Cuba.
"We there passed some weeks, spending our ill-gotten wealth in every
kind of debauchery and folly. We then refitted our craft and again went
to sea. After taking and sinking several merchantmen, with all their
crews on board, we returned to our former rendezvous; and this work
continued for some time, till we fell in with the ship of war which
captured us.
"There, sir, I have given you a sketch of the greater part of my career,
the rest you know; and I assure you, sir, that I have been far happier
since I was taken than during any former time of my manhood. That one
dreadful thought oppresses me, that I must meet Arnold and be carried in
his cold embrace, down, down, down--
"Oh, save me from him--save me!" cried the pirate, hiding his face in
his hands, and cowering down towards me, to escape from the vision which
haunted his imagination.
I remained with him for the greater part of that night; and, at length,
quitted him more composed in mind and resigned to his fate than I could
have expected. The next morning was to be his last; and at his
particular request, I accompanied him to the fatal scaffold. A large
crowd had assembled--blacks and whites, soldiers and sailors, to witness
the execution of the noted pirates. With a firm step he walked from his
prison to the foot of the gibbet, and mounted the steps. Resting a
moment, he addressed the spectators, exhorting them to take example from
his dreadful fate, and to avoid the evil courses which had, step by
step, conducted him to it. At length the executioner warned him that
his time was up.
"I am ready," he answered, and was about to submit his neck to the fatal
noose, when, starting back, he exclaimed in a voice of agony, "He is
come! he is come! Oh, save me from him!--save me!"
Before he could utter more, the drop was let fall, and all was soon
over. The rest of the crew died making no sign.
Such was the closing scene in the life of a pirate--the dreadful phantom
conjured up by his conscience haunting him to the last.