THE CAT-OF-NINE-TAILS BEGETS A TALE THE MOST ANNOYING TO RALPH--THE
STORY OF THE THREE CROWS BEATEN HOLLOW--SEVEN'S THE MAIN AND A LOSING
CAST--A PROMISED TREATISE ON ORNITHOLOGY PUT AN END TO RATHER ABRUPTLY
BY THE BIPLUMAL RESOLVING THEMSELVES INTO THE MERE BIPEDAL.
When fully secured, the poor wretch sent for me. He was in a paroxysm
of fear: he protested his innocence over and over again: he declared
that he should die under the first lash; that it was for love of me only
that he had come on board of a man-of-war; he conjured me by the
fellowship of our boyish days, by all that I loved and that was sacred
to us, to save him from the gangway. The easiness of my nature was
worked upon, and I promised to use my influence to procure for him a
pardon. I went to Mr Farmer, but all my efforts were unavailing. The
culprit passed a sleepless night in the intolerable agony of lear.
Before he was brought up to be flogged, Mr Pigtop had been fully
avenged.
The gratings are rigged, the hands are turned up, and Joshua Daunton is
supported by two ship's corporals in a nearly fainting state, and
stripped by another--he is too much paralysed to do it himself. The
officers are mustered on the break of the quarter-deck, and the marines
are drawn up, under arms, on the gangway. Captain Reud looks fierce and
forbidding, and Mr Farmer, for his generally impassible features,
really quite savage. I come forward shudderingly and look down. The
wandering and restless eyes of the frightened young man meet, in an
instant, what, most probably, they are seeking--my own.
"Ralph Rattlin, speak for me to the captain." The words were in
themselves simple, but they were uttered in a tone of the most touching
pathos. They made me start: I thought that I knew the voice, not as the
voice of Joshua Daunton, the mischievous imp that had tormented us all
so scientifically, but of some dear and long-forgotten friend. "Ralph
Rattlin, speak for me to the captain--this must not be."
"But it shall be, by G---!" said the irascible Creole.
"Captain Reud," said I, "let me entreat you for this once only--"
"Boatswain's mate--"
"Oh, Captain Reud, if you knew what a strange sympathy--"
"The thief's cat."
"Indeed, sir, since he has been on board he has never stolen--"
"Mr Rattlin, another word, and the masthead. Stand back, Stebbins!--
let Douglas give him the first dozen."
Now, this Douglas was a huge, raw-boned boatswain's mate that flogged
left handed, and had also a peculiar jerk in his manner of laying on the
cat-o'-nine-tails, and that always brought away with it little knobs of
flesh wherever the knots fell, and so neatly, that blood would, at every
blow, spout from the wounds, as from the puncture of a lancet. Besides,
the torture was also doubled by first scoring over the back in one
direction, and the right-handed floggers coming after in another. They
cut out the skin in lozenges.
I looked in the captain's face, and there was no mercy; I looked below,
and there appeared almost as little life. After the left-handed
Scotchman had bared his brawny arm and measured his distance, and just
as he was about to uplift it and strike, Daunton murmured out, "Ralph
Rattlin, I knew your father! beware, or your own blood will be
dishonoured in me!"
"That voice!--they shall flog you through me!" I exclaimed, and was
about to leap into the waist, and cover him with my arms, when I was
forcibly withheld by the officers around me; whilst the captain roared
out, "He shall have another dozen for his impudent falsehood--
boatswain's mate, do your duty."
The terrific lash, like angry scorpions, fell upon the white and
quivering flesh, and the blood spurted out freely. It was a vengeful
stroke; and loud, and long, and shrill was the scream that followed it.
But, ere the second stroke fell, the head of the tortured one suddenly
collapsed upon the right shoulder, and a livid hue spread rapidly over
the face and breast.
"He is dead!" said those around, in a half-hushed tone.
The surgeon felt his pulse, and placed his hand upon his breast to seek
for the beating of the heart, and shaking his head, requested him to be
cast loose. He was immediately taken to the sick-bay, but, with all the
skill of the doctor, his resuscitation was, at first, despaired of; and
only brought about, at length, with great difficulty. The fact was, not
that he had been flogged, but very nearly frightened, to death.
And I was utterly miserable. The words that Daunton had spoken at the
gangway, and the strange interest that I had taken in his behalf, gave
rise to suspicions that I felt to be degrading. He had declared himself
to be of my blood; the officers and crew construed the expression as
meaning my brother. I was now, for the first time, looked coldly upon;
I felt myself avoided. Such conduct is chilling--too often fatal to the
young and proud heart; it will rise indignant at an insult, but guarded
and polite contumely, and long and civil neglect, wither it. I was fast
sinking into an habitual despondency. This confounded Joshua had
previously completely ruined my outward man: the inward man was in great
danger from his conduct, perhaps his machinations. I was shunned with a
studied contempt; the more particularly as my messmates were the
subjects of the constant jibes of the captain and the other officers,
which messmates were of a unanimous opinion that Master Joshua ought to
have been hung, inasmuch as it is now apparent that their ruined apparel
was all derivable from his malice, and his "Practice of Chemistry made
Easy." They all panted with impatience for his convalescence, in order
that they might see Mr Rattlin's _elder brother_ receive the remainder
of his six dozen.
I verily believe that, as I approached my native shores, I should have
fallen into a settled depression of spirits, which would have terminated
in melancholy madness, had I not been roused to exert my moral energies,
and awaken my half-entombed pride, by a stinging and a very wholesome
insult.
So soon as we were ordered home, Captain Reud's mental aberrations
became less frequent; but, when they supervened, they were more
extravagant in their nature. He grew roguish, fretful, and cruel.
Though he never spoke to me harshly, he addressed me more rarely. I had
not dined with him for a long while: he had taken the mysterious
destruction of my wardrobe as a valid excuse; and had gone so far, on
one occasion, in a very delicate manner, as to present me with a
complete change of linen, which perished like the rest, under the
provident care of Joshua. But, after the claim of relationship by that
very timid personage, there was no consideration in Reud's look; and,
whenever he did speak to me, there was a contemptuous harshness in his
tone that would have very much wounded my feelings at any other time.
But, just then, I took but little notice of and interest in anything.
When I say that we were reduced to rags in our habiliments, the reader
is not to take the words _au pied de lettre_. By taking up slops from
the purser, and by aid of the ship's tailor, we had been enabled to walk
the quarter-deck without actual holes in our dress; but the dresses
themselves were grotesque, for the imitation of our spruce uniform was
villainous, and our hats were deplorable; they were greased with oil,
and broken, and sewed, and formless, or rather multiform: bad as were
our fittings-out, we had not enough of them.
Through the rude and the cold flying mists of winter, after we had
struck soundings, we again saw England. It was in the inclement month
of January: I was starved and half clad. A beggar of any decent
pretension, had he met me in the streets of London, would have taken the
wall of me, though I had, at the time, more than three hundred dollars
in cash, Spanish doubloons and silver, a power for drawing bills for a
hundred a year, more than three years' pay due, and prize-money to a
very considerable amount.
Under these circumstances, my eyes once more greeted my native land.
I got into disgrace. I record it frankly, as my boast is, throughout
this biography, to have spoken the truth of all the different variations
of my life. Since the captain's incipient insanity, the _Eos_ had
gradually become an ill-regulated ship. The gallant first-lieutenant,
formerly so smart and so active, had not escaped the general
demoralisation. He was a disappointed man. He had not distinguished
himself. God knows, it was neither for want of daring nor expense of
life. He had cut out everything that could be carried, and had
attempted almost everything that could not. I am compelled to say that
these bloody onslaughts were as often failures as successes. He was no
nearer his next step on the ladder of promotion than before. His temper
became soured, and he was now often lax, sometimes unjust, and always
irritable. The other officers shared in the general falling off, and
too often made the quarter-deck a display for temper.
The third-lieutenant--yes, I think it was the third--had mast-headed me,
about the middle of the first dog-watch; most likely deservedly, for I
had lately affected to give the proud and sullen answer. Before I went
aloft to my miserable station, I represented to him that I had the first
watch; that there was now but three of the young gentlemen doing their
duty, the others having very wisely fallen ill, and taken the protection
of the sick-list. I told him, respectfully enough, "that if he kept me
up in that disagreeable station from half-past five till eight, I could
not possibly do my duty, for very weariness, from eight till midnight.
It was a physical impossibility." But he was inexorable. Up I went,
the demon of all evil passions gnawing at my heart.
It was almost dark when I went aloft. It was a gusty, dreary night,
bitterly, very bitterly cold. I was ill-clad. At intervals, the fierce
and frozen drifts, like the stings of so many wasps, drove fiercely into
my face; and I believe that I must confess that I cried over my crooked
and aching fingers as the circulation went on with agony, or stopped
with numbness. It is true, I was called down within the hour; but that
hour of suffering had done me much constitutional mischief. I was
stupified as much as if I had committed a debauch upon fat ale.
However, I was too angry to complain, or to seek relief from the
surgeon. I went on deck at half-past eight, with obtuse faculties and a
reckless heart.
The frigate was, with a deeply-laden convoy, attempting to hold her
course in the chops of the Channel. It blew very hard. The waves were
bounding about us with that short and angry leap peculiar, in
tempestuous weather, to the narrow seas between England and France. It
was excessively dark; and, not carrying sufficient sail to tack, we were
wearing the ship every half-hour, showing, of course, the proper signal
lights to the convoy. We carried also the customary poop-light of the
commodore.
Such was the state of affairs at a little after nine. The captain, the
first-lieutenant, the master, the officer of the watch, and the channel
pilot that we had taken on board off the Scilly Islands, with myself;
were all on deck. Both the signal midshipmen were enjoying the comforts
of sickness in their warm hammocks below. Now, I will endeavour to give
a faithful account of what happened; and let the unprejudiced determine,
in the horrible calamity that ensued, how much blame was fairly
attributable to me. I must premise that, owing to shortness of number,
even when all were well, there was no forecastle midshipman.
A dreadful gust of icy wind, accompanied by the arrowy sleet, rushes aft
rather heading us.
"The wind is getting more round to the east. We'd better wear at once,"
said the pilot to the master.
"The pilot advises us to wear," said the master to the captain.
"Mr Farmer," said the captain to the first-lieutenant, "watch and
idlers, wear ship."
"Mr Pond," said Mr Farmer to the lieutenant of the watch (a diminutive
and peppery little man, with a squeaking voice, and remarkable for
nothing else excepting having a large wife and a large family, whom he
was impatient to see), "wear."
"Mr Rattlin," squeaked Mr Pond through his trumpet, "order the
boatswain's mate to turn the watch and idlers up--wear ship."
"Boatswain's mate," bawled out the sleepy and sulky Mr Rattlin, "watch
and idlers, wear ship."
"Ay, ay, sir--whew, whew, whittle whew--watch and idlers, wear ship!
Tumble up there, tumble up. Master-at-arms, brush up the
bone-polishers."
"What an infarnal nonsensical ceremony!" growled the pilot, _sotto
voce_; "all bawl and no hawl--lucky we have plenty of sea-room."
"Jump aft, Mr Rattlin," said the captain, "and see that the
convoy-signal to wear is all right."
Mr Rattlin makes one step aft.
"Are the fore-topmast staysail halliards well manned, Mr Rattlin?--Jump
forward and see," said the officer of the watch.
Mr Rattlin makes one step forward.
"Is the deep sea-lead ready?" said the master. "Mr Rattlin, jump into
the chains and see."
Mr Rattlin makes one step to the right--"_starboard_, the wise it
call."
"Mr Rattlin, what the devil are you about?--where's the hand stationed
to the foresheet?" said the first-lieutenant. "Jump there and see."
Mr Rattlin makes one step to the left hand,--"_port_, the wise it
call."
"Where's the midshipman o' th' watch--where's the midshipman o' th'
watch?" roars out the captain. "By heavens, there's no light to show
over the bows! Mr Rattlin, be smart, sir,--jump forward, and see to
it."
The chilled, the torpid, and half-stupified Mr Rattlin finally went
forward to the forecastle, where he ought to have been from the first,
and more especially as the boatswain was also on the sick-list.
The consequence of all these multitudinous and almost simultaneous
orders--to jump and see, when, by-the-by, it was too dark to see
anything a yard off properly--was, that one of the signal lanterns was
blown out, and the signal consequently imperfect--that the fore-topmast
staysail halliards were so badly manned, that those upon them could
scarcely start that then necessary sail from its netting--that the
people were not ready with the deep sea-lead--that little Mr Pond was
obliged to put down his trumpet, and ease off the foresheet himself till
relieved by the quarter-master; but, still, there actually _was_ a
lantern over the bows, and that in good time.
Well, the noble ship was no longer buffeted on her bows by the furious
wind: as the haughty Essex turned on his heel from the blow of his
termagant mistress queen, so did the _Eos_ turn her back to the
insulting blast, and flew rapidly before it. Owing to the darkness of
the night, assisted by the weak voice of Mr Pond, whose orders could
not be very distinctly heard, perhaps a little to his lubberly manner of
working the ship, the bounding frigate was much longer before the wind
than necessary. I was straining my sight near the cathead on one side,
and the captain of the forecastle on the other, but we could discover
nothing in the nearly palpable obscure.
On she dashed, and our anxious eyes saw nothing, whilst our minds feared
greatly;--she is at her utmost speed. In her reckless course she seems
sufficiently powerful to break up the steadfast rock, or tear the shoal
from its roots at the bottom of the ocean. On she rushes! I think I
hear faintly the merchant cry of "Yeo-yo--yeo!" but the roar of the
vexed waters beneath our bows, and the eternal singing of the winds
through the frost-stiffened shrouds, prevent my being certain of the
fact. But I tremble excessively--when, behold, a huge, long black mass
is lying lazily before us, and so close that we can almost touch it!
"Hard a-port," I roared out at the top of my voice.
"Hard a-starboard," sang out the captain of the forecastle, equally
loudly.
Vain, vain were the contradictory orders. The frigate seemed to leap at
the object before her as at a prey; and dire was the crash that ensued.
As we may suppose the wrathful lioness springs upon the buffalo, and,
meeting more resistance from its horny bulk than she had suspected,
recoils and makes another spring, so did the _Eos_ strike, rebound, then
strike again. I felt two distinct percussions.
The second stroke divided the obstacle. The _Eos_ passed through it or
over it, and the eye looked in vain for the vast West Indiaman, the
bearer of wealth, and gay hopes, and youth, and infancy, manly strength,
and female beauty. There was a smothered feminine shriek, hushed by the
whirlpool of down-absorbing waves, almost as soon as made. It was not
loud, but it was fearfully distinct, and painfully human. One poor
wretch only was saved, to tell her name and speak of the perished.
As usual, they had kept but a bad look-out. Her officers and her
passengers were making merry in the cabin--the wine-cup was at their
lips, and the song was floating joyously from the mouths of the fair
ones returning to the land of their nativity. The blooming daughters,
the newly-married wife, and two matrons with their innocent ones beside
them, were all in the happiness of their hopes when the Destroyer was
upon them suddenly, truly like a strong man in the darkness of night;
and they were all hurled, in the midst of their uncensurable revelry, to
a deep grave over which no tombstone shall ever tell "of their
whereabout."
Our own jib-boom was snapped off short, and as quickly as is a twig in
frosty weather. Supposing the ship had struck, every soul rushed on
deck. They thanked God it was _only_ the drowning of some forty
fellow-creatures, and the destruction of a fine merchant-ship. We
hauled the single poor fellow that was saved on board. The
consternation among the officers was very great. It blew too hard to
lower the boats: no effort was or could be made to rescue any chance
struggler not carried down in the vortex of the parted and sunken ship--
all was blank horror.
Besides the consternation and dismay natural to the appalling accident,
there was the fear of the underwriters, and of the owners, and of
damages, before the eyes of the captain. I was sent for aft.
"I had not the charge of the deck," said Captain Reud, looking fiercely
at the first-lieutenant. "_I_ am not responsible for this lubberly
calamity."
"I had not the charge of the watch or the deck either," said Mr Farmer,
in his turn, looking at small Mr Pond, who was looking aghast; "surely,
I cannot be held responsible."
"But you gave orders, sir--I heard you myself give the word to raise the
fore-tack--that looks very like taking charge of the deck--no, no, _I_
am not responsible."
"Not so fast, not so fast, Mr Pond. I only assisted you for the good
of the service, and to save the foresail."
Mr Pond looked very blank indeed until he thought of the master, and
then he recovered a great portion of his usual vivacity. Small men are
always vivacious.
"No, no, I am not responsible--I was only working the ship under the
directions of the master. Read the night orders, Mr Farmer."
"The night orders be damned!" said the gruff old master.
"I will not have my night order damned," said Reud. "You and the
officer of the watch must share the responsibility between you."
"No offence at all, sir, to you or the night orders either. I am
heartily sorry I damned them--heartily; but, in the matter of wearing
this here ship precisely at that there time, I only acted under the
pilot, who has charge until we are securely anchored. Sure_lye_, I
can't be 'sponsible."
"Well," said the pilot, "here's a knot of tangled rope-yarn--but that
yarn won't do for old Weatherbrace, for, d'ye see, I'm a Sea William
(civilian), and not in no ways under martial law--and I'm only aboard
this here craft as respects shoals and that like--I'm clearly not
'sponsible!--nothing to do in the 'varsal world with working
her--'sponsible pooh!--why did ye not keep a better look-out for'ard?"
"Why, Mr Rattlin, why?" said the captain, the first-lieutenant, the
lieutenant of the watch, and the master.
"I kept as good a one as I could--the lanterns were over the bows."
"You may depend upon it," said the captain, "that the matter will not be
permitted to rest as it is. The owners and underwriters will demand a
court of inquiry. Mr Rattlin had charge of the forecastle at the time.
Mr Rattlin, come here, sir. You sang out, just before this calamity
happened, to port the helm."
"I did, sir."
"Quarter-master," continued Reud, "did you port the helm? Now, mind
what you say; did you, sir? because if you _did not_; six dozen."
"We did, sir--hard a-port."
"And the ship immediately after struck?"
"Yes, sir."
"Pooh! the case is clear--we need not talk about it any longer. A clear
case, Mr Farmer. Mr Rattlin has charge of the forecastle--he descries
a vessel ahead--he takes upon himself to order the helm hard a-port, and
we run over and sink her accordingly. He is responsible, clearly."
"Clearly," was the answering echo from all the rejectors of
responsibility.
"Mr Rattlin, I am sorry for you. I once thought you a promising young
man; but, since your desertion at Aniana--we must not mince matters
now--you have become quite an altered character. You seem to have lost
all zeal for the service. Zeal for the service is a thing that ought
not to be lost; for a young gentleman without zeal for the service is a
young gentleman, surely--you understand me--who is not zealous in the
performance of his duty. I think I have made myself tolerably clear.
Do you think, sir, I should hold now the responsible commission I do
hold under his Majesty, if I had been without zeal for the service? I
am sorry that I have a painful duty to perform. I must place you under
an arrest, till I know what may be the port admiral's pleasure
concerning this unpleasant business; for--for the loss of the _Mary
Anne_ of London you are clearly responsible."
"Clearly" (_omnes rursus_).
"Had you sung out hard a-starboard, instead of hard a-port, the case
might have been different."
"Clearly."
"Go down below to your berth, and consider yourself a prisoner. The
young gentlemen in his Majesty's service are not permitted to run down
West Indiamen with impunity."
"Clearly."
In these kind of capstan-head court-martials, at which captains will
sometimes administer reefers' law, "Woe to the weakest!" A defence was
quite a work of superfluity; so, consoling myself with the vast
responsibility with which, all at once, I found myself invested, I went
and turned in, anathematising every created thing above an inch high and
a foot below the same dimensions. However, in a very sound sleep I soon
forgot everything--even the horrible scene I had just witnessed.