Jackson threw himself back in his bed-place and was silent. So was I,
for I was recalling all that he had told me, and my doubts were raised
as to the truth of it. I did not like his hurrying over the latter
portion of his narrative in the way which he had done. What he had said
about my mother was not satisfactory. I had for some time been
gradually drawing towards him, not only showing, but feeling, for him a
great increase of good-will; but suspicion had entered my mind, and I
now began to feel my former animosity towards him renewed. A night's
sleep, however, and more reflection, induced me to think that possibly I
was judging him too harshly, and as I could not afford to quarrel with
him, our intercourse remained as amicable as before, particularly as he
become more and more amiable towards me, and did everything in his power
to interest and amuse me.
I was one day reading to him the account of a monkey, given in the book
of Natural History, in which it is said that that animal is fond of
spirits and will intoxicate itself, and Jackson was telling me many
anecdotes of monkeys on board of the vessel he had sailed in, when it
occurred to me that I had never thought of mentioning to him, or of
ascertaining the contents of the cask which had been thrown into the
bathing-pool with the seaman's chest, and I did so then to Jackson,
wondering at its contents and how they were to be got at.
Jackson entered into the question warmly, explaining to me how and where
to bore holes with a gimlet, and making two spiles for me to stop the
holes with. As soon as he had done so, curiosity induced me to go down
to the pool where the cask had been lying so long in about a foot and
half water. By Jackson's directions I took a pannikin with me, that I
might bring him a specimen of the contents of the cask, if they should
prove not to be water. I soon bored the hole above and below, following
Jackson's directions, and the liquor, which poured out in a small stream
into the pannikin, was of a brown colour and very strong in odour, so
strong, indeed, as to make me reel as I walked back to the rocks with
the pannikin full of it. I then sat down, and after a time tasted it.
I thought I had swallowed fire, for I had taken a good mouthful of it.
"This cannot be what Jackson called spirits," said I. "No one can drink
this--what can it be?" Although I had not swallowed more than a
table-spoonful of it, yet, combined with the fumes of the liquor which I
had inhaled when drawing it off into the pannikin, the effect was to
make my head swim, and I lay down on the rock and shut my eyes to
recover myself. It ended in my falling asleep for many hours, for it
was not much after noon when I went to the cask, and it was near sunset
when I awoke, with an intense pain, in my head. It was some time before
I could recollect where I was, or what had passed, but the pannikin full
of liquor by my side first reminded me; and then perceiving how late it
was, and how long I must have slept, I rose up, and taking the pannikin
in my hand, I hastened to return to the cabin.
As I approached, I heard the voice of Jackson, whose hearing, since his
blindness, I had observed, had become peculiarly acute.
"Is that you, Frank?"
"Yes," replied I.
"And what has kept you so long?--how you have frightened me. God
forgive me, but I thought that I was to be left and abandoned to
starvation."
"Why should you have thought that?" replied I.
"Because I thought that some way or another you must have been killed,
and then I must have died, of course. I never was so frightened in my
life, the idea of dying here all alone--it was terrible."
It occurred to me at the time, that the alarm was all for himself, for
he did not say a word about how sorry he should have been at any
accident happening to me, but I made no remark, simply stating what had
occurred, and my conviction that the contents of the cask were not
drinkable.
"Have you brought any with you?" inquired he, sharply.
"Yes, here it is," said I, giving him the pannikin. He smelt it, and
raised it to his lips--took about a wine-glass full of it, and then draw
his breath.
"This is delightful," said he; "the best of old rum, I never tasted so
good. How big did you say that the cask was?"