The captives were grouped together, some sitting, and some standing.
Not one of them looked dejected at his fate; though I could see by their
movements that they were impatient of the bonds that tied them. My
attention was most frequently directed to the old gentleman who had been
addressed as Mr Evelyn. Notwithstanding the grief expressed in his
countenance, it possessed an air of benevolence and kindness of heart
that even his settled melancholy did not conceal. I could not
understand why, but I felt a deeper interest for this person than for
any of the others--a sort of yearning towards him, mingled with a desire
to protect him from the malice of his enemies.
Almost as soon as they were gone, John Gough beckoned to Mr Evelyn to
sit down by his side. Possibly this was done to prevent his assisting
his companions to regain their liberty, as he, not being pinioned like
the rest, might easily have done, and they might have overpowered their
guard before his companions could come to his assistance. But Gough was
well armed, and the rest being without weapons of any kind, it was
scarcely probable that they would have risked their lives on so
desperate an attempt.
Mr Evelyn came and quietly sat himself down in the place indicated. I
observed him with increasing interest, and, singular to relate, the more
I gazed on his venerable face, the more strongly I felt assured that I
had seen it before. This of course was impossible; nevertheless, the
fancy took possession of me, and I experienced a strange sensation of
pleasure as I watched the changes his features underwent.
"John Gough, I am sorry to see you mixed up in this miserable business,"
said he, mildly addressing his companion. The other did not answer, and
as his back was turned towards me, I could not observe the effect the
observation had upon him.
"The men who have left us, I know to be bad men," continued the speaker;
"I expect nothing but wickedness from them. But you, I am aware, have
been better brought up. Your responsibility therefore becomes the
greater in assisting them in their villainy."
"You had better not let them hear you, Mr Evelyn," replied Gough, at
last, in something like a surly tone; "I would not answer for the
consequences."
"Those I do not fear," the other answered. "The results of this
transaction can make very little difference to a man on the verge of the
grave, who has outlived all his relatives, and has nothing left to fall
back upon but the memory of his misfortunes: but to one in the prime of
life like yourself, who can boast of friends and relatives who feel an
interest in your good name, these results must be serious indeed. What
must be the feelings of your respectable father when he learns that you
have joined a gang of pirates; how intense must be the grief of your
amiable mother when she hears that you have paid the penalty that must
sooner or later overtake you for embracing so lawless a life."
"Come, Mr Evelyn," exclaimed Gough, though with a tremulousness in his
voice that betrayed the state of his feelings, "you have no right to
preach to me. I have done as much as I could for you all. The men
would have made short work with you if I had not interposed, and pointed
out to them this uninhabited island."
"Where it seems you left a poor woman to be starved to death," continued
Mr Evelyn.
"It was no fault of mine," replied the man; "I did all I could to
prevent it."
"It would have been more manly if you had remained with her on this
rock, and left your cowardly associates to take their selfish course.
But you are weak and irresolute, John Gough; too easily persuaded into
evil, too slow to follow the impulses of good. The murder of that poor
woman is as much your deed as if you had blown her brains out before you
abandoned her. Indeed I do not know but what the latter would have been
the less criminal."
John Gough made no answer. I do not think, however, his mind was quite
easy under this accusation, for he seemed restless, and kept playing
with his pistols, with his eyes cast down.
"Your complicity in this mutiny, too, John Gough, is equally
inexcusable," continued Mr Evelyn. "It was your duty to have stood by
Captain Manvers and his officers; by which you would have earned their
eternal gratitude, and a handsome provision from the owners of the
vessel."
"It's no use talking of these things now, Mr Evelyn," said Gough,
hurriedly. "I have taken my course. It is too late to turn back.
Would to God," he added, dashing his hand violently against his brow, "I
had had nothing to do with it."
"It is never too late, John Gough, to do good," here cried out Mrs
Reichardt, as she rose from her place of concealment, as much to my
surprise as that of all who could observe her. But nothing could equal
the astonishment of Gough when he first caught sight of her features--he
sprang to his feet, leaving his pistols on the ground, and clasping his
hands together, exclaimed, "Thank God, she is safe!"
"Yes," she replied, approaching him and taking his hand kindly. "By an
interposition of Providence you are saved from the guilt of one murder.
In the name of that God who has so signally preserved you against
yourself, I command you to abandon your present wicked designs."
The man hesitated, but it seemed as if he could not take his gaze from
her face, and it was evident that her presence exerted an extraordinary
influence over him. In the mean time I had made my appearance on the
scene, not less to the astonishment of the lookers-on; and my first act
was to take possession of the pair of pistols that Gough had left on the
ground; my next to hurry to the group of captives, who had been
regarding us, in a state as it were of perfect bewilderment, and with my
American knife to cut their bonds.
"I will do whatever you think proper," said John Gough. "Believe me, I
have been reluctantly led into this, and joined the mutiny knowing that
I should have been murdered if I did not."
"You must endeavour to make what amends are in your power," continued
Mrs Reichardt, "by assisting your officers in recovering possession of
the ship."
"I will gladly assist in whatever they may think feasible," said the
man. "But we must first secure the desperate fellows who have just left
us; and as we are but poorly provided with weapons, that of itself will
be a service of no slight danger. To get possession of the ship I am
afraid will be still more hazardous; but you shall find me in the front
of every danger." Here Captain Manvers and the others came up to where
John Gough and Mrs Reichardt were conversing; he heard Gough's last
speech, and he was going to say something, when I interposed by stating
that there was no time now for explanations, for in a few minutes the
fellows who had gone to the hut would return, and the only way to
prepare for them was for the whole party to go to our house, to which
Mrs Reichardt would lead them, where they would find plenty of arms and
ammunition. In the meantime I would keep watch, and observe their
motions, and by firing one of the pistols would signal to them if I was
in any danger. Lastly, I recommended that the oars should be removed
from the boat, to prevent the mutineers making their escape to the ship.
My appearance and discourse attracted general attention. I particularly
noticed that Mr Evelyn started as soon as he caught sight of me, and
appeared to observe me with singular carefulness; but that, no doubt,
arose from my unexpected address, and the strange way in which I had
presented myself before him.
The Captain approving of my proposal, the whole party, after taking away
the boat's oars, moved off rapidly in the direction of the house. I
again concealed myself in the grass, and waited the return of the
mutineers. They did not remain away long. I could hear them
approaching, for they laughed and shouted as they went along, loud
enough to be heard at a considerable distance. When they began to
descend the rocks, they passed so close to me, that I could hear every
word that was spoken.
"Well, flesh is grass, as the parson says," said Jack, "they must have
died sooner or later, if we hadn't parted company with so little
ceremony. But, hallo! My eyes and limbs! Where's John Gough? Where's
the Captain? Where's all on 'em?"
It is impossible to express the astonishment of the men on reaching the
spot where they had so lately left their prisoners, and discovering that
not a trace of them was to be seen. At first they imagined that they
had escaped in the boat, but as soon as they saw that the boat was safe,
they gave up that idea. Then they fancied John Gough had taken the
prisoners to stroll a little distance inland, and they began to shout as
loud as their lungs would permit them. Receiving no response, they
uttered many strange ejaculations, which I could not then understand,
but which I have since learned were profane oaths; and seemed at a loss
what to do, whether to wander about the island in search of them, or
return to their ship.
Only one chanced to be for the former, and the others overruled him, not
thinking it was worth their while to take so much trouble as to go
rambling about in a strange place. They seemed bent on taking to the
boat, when one of them suggested they might get into a scrape if they
returned without their companion. They finally resolved on sitting down
and waiting his return.
Presently, one complained he was very sleepy, as he had been too busy
mutineering to turn into his hammock the previous night, and the others
acknowledged they also felt an equal want of rest from the same cause.
Each began to yawn. They laid themselves at their full length along the
grass, and in a short time I could hear by their snoring, as Jackson
used to do, that they were asleep.
I now crept stealthily towards them on my hands and knees, and they were
in such a profound sleep, that I had no difficulty whatever in removing
the pistols from their belts. I had just succeeded in this, when I
beheld the Captain, and John Gough, and Mr Evelyn, and all the rest of
them, well armed with guns and pistols, approaching the place where we
were.
In a few minutes afterwards the mutineers were made prisoners, without
their having an opportunity of making the slightest resistance. I was
much complimented by the Captain for the dexterity with which I had
disarmed them; but while I was in conversation with him, it is
impossible to express the surprise I felt, on seeing Mr Evelyn suddenly
rush towards me from the side of Mrs Reichardt, with whom he had been
talking, and embracing me with the most moving demonstrations of
affection, claim me as his grandson.
The mystery was soon explained. Mr Evelyn had met so many losses in
business as a merchant, that he took the opportunity of a son of his old
clerk--who had become a captain of a fine ship, employed in the South
American trade--being about to proceed on a trading voyage to that part
of the world, to sail in his vessel with a consignment of goods for the
South American market. He had also another object, which was to inquire
after the fate of his long-lost daughter and son-in-law, of whom he had
received no certain intelligence, since the latter took ship with the
diamonds he had purchased to return home. The vessel in which they
sailed had never been heard of since; and Mr Evelyn had long given up
all hopes of seeing either of them again, or the valuable property with
which they had been intrusted.
On their going to the house, he had asked Mrs Reichardt my name,
stating that I so strongly resembled a very dear friend of his he
believed had perished many years ago, that he felt quite an interest in
me. The answer he received led to a series of the most earnest
inquiries, and Mrs Reichardt satisfied him on every point, showed him
all the property that had formerly been in the possession of Mrs
Henniker and her husband; related Jackson's story, and convinced him,
that though he had lost the daughter for whom he had mourned so long,
her representative existed in the Little Savage, who was saving him from
the fate for which he had been preserved by the mutineers.
I have only to add, that I had the happiness of restoring to my
grandfather the diamonds I had obtained from Jackson, which were no
doubt very welcome to him, for they not only restored him to affluence,
but made him one of the richest merchants upon Change.
I was also instrumental in obtaining for the Captain the command of his
ship, and of restoring discipline amongst the crew. The ringleaders of
the mutiny were thrown into irons, and taken home for trial; this
resulted in one or two of them being hanged by way of example, and these
happened to be the men who so barbarously deserted Mrs Reichardt. She
accompanied me to England in Captain Manvers' vessel; for when he heard
of the obligations I owed her, my grandfather decided that she should
remain with us as long as she lived. We however did not leave the
island, until we had shown my grandfather, the captain, and his
officers, what we had effected during our stay, and every one was
surprised that we could have produced a flourishing farm upon a barren
rock. I did not fail to show the places where I had had my fight with
the python, and where I had been pursued by the sharks, and my narrative
of both incidents seemed to astonish my hearers exceedingly.
I must not forget to add, that the day before our departure, John Gough
came to me privately, and requested my good offices with the Captain,
that he might be left on the island. He had become a very different
character to what he had previously been; and as there could be no
question that the repentance he assumed was sincere, I said all I could
for him. My recommendation was successful, and I transferred to John
Gough all my farm, farming stock, and agricultural implements; moreover,
promised to send him whatever he might further require to make his
position comfortable. He expressed great gratitude, but desired
nothing; only that his family might know that he was well off, and was
not likely to return.
Perhaps John Gough did not like the risk he ran of being tried for
mutiny, or was averse to sailing with his former comrades: but whatever
was the cause of his resolution, it is certain that he remained behind
when the ship left the island, and may be there to this hour for all I
know to the contrary.
We made a quick voyage to England, and as my readers will be no doubt
glad to hear, the Little Savage landed safely at Plymouth, and was soon
cordially welcomed to his grandfather's house in London.