For the next four days, Charlie followed his uncle's instructions and
amused himself. He visited Exeter Change, took a boat and rowed down
the river to Greenwich, and a coach and visited the palace of Hampton
Court. He went to see the coaches make their start, in the morning,
for all places in England, and marvelled at the perfection of the
turnouts. He went to the playhouses twice, in the evening, and saw Mr.
Garrick in his performance as Richard the Third.
On the fifth day, a great surprise awaited him. His uncle, at
breakfast, had told him briefly that he did not wish him to go out
before dinner, as someone might want to see him; and Charlie,
supposing that a messenger might be coming down from the India House,
waited indoors; and an hour later he was astonished, when the door of
the room opened and his mother and sisters entered.
With a shout of gladness and surprise, Charlie rushed into their arms.
"My dear mother, my dear girls, this is an unexpected pleasure,
indeed! Why, what has brought you here?"
"Didn't you know we were coming, Charlie? Didn't Uncle tell you?" they
exclaimed.
"Not a word," Charlie said. "I never dreamt of such a thing. What, has
he called you up here to stay till I go?"
"Oh, my dear, he has been so kind," his mother said; "and so funny! He
wrote me such a scolding letter, just as if I had been a very naughty
little girl. He said he wasn't going to allow me to bring disgrace
upon him, by living in wretched lodgings at Yarmouth, nor by his
grandnieces being sent out as governesses. So he ordered me at
once--ordered me Charlie, as if I had no will of my own--to give up
the lodgings, and to take our places in the coach, yesterday morning.
He said we were not to shame him by appearing here in rags, and he
sent me a hundred pounds, every penny of which, he said, was to be
laid out in clothes. As to the future, he said it would be his duty to
see that I brought no further disgrace upon the family."
"Yes, and he's been just as kind to me, Mother. As I told you when I
wrote, he had ordered an enormous outfit, which will, I am sure, cost
hundreds of pounds. He makes me go to the playhouses, and all sorts of
amusements; and all the time he has been so kind he scolds, and
grumbles, and predicts that I shall be hanged."
"I'm sure you won't," Kate, his youngest sister, said indignantly.
"How can he say such a thing?"
"He doesn't mean it," Charlie laughed. "It's only his way. He will go
on just the same way with you, I have no doubt; but you mustn't mind,
you know, and mustn't laugh, but must look quite grave and serious.
"Ah! Here he is.
"Oh, Uncle, this is kind of you!"
"Hold your tongue, sir," said his uncle, "and try and learn not to
speak to your elders, unless you are addressed.
"Niece Mary," he said, kissing her upon the forehead, "I am glad to
see you again. You are not so much changed as I expected.
"And these are my grandnieces, Elizabeth and Kate, though why Kate I
don't know. It is a fanciful name, and new to the family, and I am
surprised that you didn't call her Susanna, after your grandmother."
Kate made a little face at the thought of being called Susanna.
However, a warning glance from Charlie closed her lips, just as she
was about to express her decided preference for her own name. Mr.
Tufton kissed them both, muttering to himself:
"I suppose I ought to kiss them. Girls always expect to be kissed at
every opportunity.
"What are you laughing at, grandniece?"
"I don't think girls expect to be kissed, except by people they like,"
Kate said; "but we do like kissing you, Uncle," throwing her arms
round his neck, and kissing him heartily; "because you have been so
kind to Charlie, and have brought us up to see him again."
"You have disarranged my white tie, Niece," Mr. Tufton said,
extricating himself from Kate's embrace.
"Niece Mary, I fear that you have not taught your daughters to
restrain their emotions, and there is nothing so dreadful as emotional
women."
"Perhaps I have not taken so much pains with their education, in that
way, as in some others," Mrs. Marryat said, smiling. "But of course,
Uncle, if you object to be kissed, the girls will abstain from doing
so."
"No," Mr. Tufton said, thoughtfully. "It is the duty of nieces to kiss
their uncles, in moderation--in moderation, mind--and it is the duty
of the uncles to receive those salutations, and I do not know that the
duty is altogether an unpleasant one. I am, myself, unaccustomed to be
kissed, but it is an operation to which I may accustom myself, in
time."
"I never heard it called an operation, Uncle," Lizzie said demurely;
"but I now understand the meaning of the phrase of a man's undergoing
a painful operation. I used to think it meant cutting off a leg, or
something of that sort, but I see it's much worse."
Her uncle looked at her steadily.
"I am afraid, Grandniece, that you intend to be sarcastic. This is a
hateful habit in a man, worse in a woman. Cure yourself of it as
speedily as possible, or Heaven help the unhappy man who may some day
be your husband.
"And now," he said, "ring the bell. The housekeeper will show you to
your rooms. My nephew will tell you what are the hours for meals. Of
course, you will want to be gadding about with him. You will
understand that there is no occasion to be in to meals; but if you are
not present when they are upon the table, you will have to wait for
the next. I cannot have my house turned upside down, by meals being
brought up at all sorts of hours.
"You must not expect me, Niece, to be at your beck and call during the
day, as I have my business to attend to; but of an evening I shall, of
course, feel it my duty to accompany you to the playhouse. It will not
do for you to be going about with only the protection of a
hare-brained boy."
The remainder of Charlie's stay in London passed most pleasantly. They
visited all the sights of town, Mr. Tufton performing what he called
his duty with an air of protest, but showing a general thoughtfulness
and desire to please his visitors, which was very apparent even when
he grunted and grumbled the most.
On the evening before he started, he called Charlie down into his
counting house.
"Tomorrow you are going to sail," he said, "and to start in life on
your own account, and I trust that you will, as far as possible, be
steady, and do your duty to your employers. You will understand that,
although the pay of a writer is not high, there are opportunities for
advancement. The Company have the monopoly of the trade of India, and
in addition to their great factories at Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras,
they have many other trading stations. Those who, by their good
conduct, attract the attention of their superiors, rise to positions
of trust and emolument. There are many who think that the Company
will, in time, enlarge its operations; and as they do so, superior
opportunities will offer themselves; and since the subject of India
has been prominently brought before my notice, I have examined the
question, and am determined to invest somewhat largely in the stock of
the Company, a step which will naturally give me some influence with
the board. That influence I shall, always supposing that your conduct
warrants it, exercise on your behalf.
"As we are now at war with France, and it is possible that the vessel
in which you are proceeding may be attacked by the way, I have thought
it proper that you should be armed. You will, therefore, find in your
cabin a brace of pistols, a rifle, and a double-barrel shotgun: which
last, I am informed, is a useful weapon at close quarters. Should your
avocations in India permit your doing so, you will find them useful in
the pursuit of game. I hope that you will not be extravagant; but as a
matter of business I find that it is useful to be able to give
entertainments, to persons who may be in a position to benefit or
advance you. I have, therefore, arranged that you will draw from the
factor at Madras the sum of two hundred pounds, annually, in addition
to your pay. It is clearly my duty to see that my nephew has every
fair opportunity for making his way.
"Now, go upstairs at once to your mother. I have letters to write, and
am too busy for talking."
So saying, with a peremptory wave of his hand he dismissed his nephew.
"Well, Mother," Charlie said, after telling her of his uncle's
generosity, "thank goodness you will be all right now, anyhow. No
doubt Uncle intends to do something for you and the girls, though he
has said nothing at present, beyond the fact that you are not to be in
wretched lodgings, and they are not to go out as governesses. But even
if he should change his mind, and I don't think he ever does that, I
shall be able to help you.
"Oh, he is kind, isn't he?"
The parting was far less sad than that which had taken place at
Yarmouth. Charlie was now assured that his mother and sisters would be
comfortable, and well cared for in his absence; while his mother,
happy in the lightening of her anxiety as to the future of her
daughters, and as to the prospects of her son, was able to bear with
better heart the thought of their long separation.
Mrs. Marryat and the girls accompanied him on board ship. Mr. Tufton
declined to join the party, under the plea that, in the first place,
he was busy; and in the second, that he feared there would be an
emotional display. He sent, however, his head clerk with them, to
escort the ladies on their return from the docks.
The Lizzie Anderson was a fine ship, of the largest size, and she was
almost as clean and trim as a man of war. She carried twelve cannon,
two of them thirty-two pounders, which were in those days considered
large pieces of ordnance. All the ships of the Company, and, indeed,
all ocean-going merchantmen of the day, were armed, as the sea swarmed
with privateers, and the black flag of the pirates was still
occasionally to be seen.
The girls were delighted with all they saw, as, indeed, was Charlie;
for accustomed, as they were, only to the coasting vessels which
frequented the port of Yarmouth, this floating castle appeared to them
a vessel of stupendous size and power.
This was Charlie's first visit, also, to the ship, for his uncle had
told him that all directions had been given, that the trunks with the
things necessary for the voyage would be found in his cabin, at the
time of starting, and the rest of the luggage in the hold. Everything
was in order, and Charlie found that his cabin companion was a doctor
in the service, returning to Madras. He was a pleasant man, of some
five or six and thirty, and assured Mrs. Marryat that he would soon
make her son at home on board ship, and would, moreover, put him up to
the ways of things upon his arrival in India. There were many visitors
on board, saying goodbye to their friends, and all sat down to lunch,
served in the saloon.
When this was over, the bell rang for visitors to go ashore. There was
a short scene of parting, in which Charlie was not ashamed to use his
handkerchief as freely as did his mother and sisters. Five minutes
later, the great vessel passed through the dock gates. Charlie stood
at the stern, waving his handkerchief as long as he could catch a
glimpse of the figures of his family; and then as, with her sails
spread and the tide gaining strength every minute beneath her, the
vessel made her way down the river, he turned round to examine his
fellow passengers.
These were some twenty in number, and for the most part men. Almost
all were, in some capacity or other, civil or military, in the service
of the Company; for at that time their monopoly was a rigid one, and
none outside its boundary were allowed to trade in India. The Company
was, indeed, solely a great mercantile house of business. They had
their own ships, their own establishments, and bought and sold goods
like other traders. They owned a small extent of country, round their
three great trading towns; and kept up a little army, composed of two
or three white regiments; and as many composed of natives, trained and
disciplined like Europeans, and known as Sepoys. Hence the clergyman,
the doctor, a member of the council of Madras, four or five military
officers, twice as many civilians, and three young writers, besides
Charlie, were all in the employment of the Company.
"Well, youngster," a cheery voice said beside him, "take your last
look at the smoke of London, for it will be a good many years before
you see it again, my lad. You've blue skies and clear ones where
you're going, except when it rains, and when it does there is no
mistake about it."
The speaker was the captain of the Lizzie Anderson, a fine sailor-like
man of some fifty years, of which near forty had been spent in the
service of the Company.
"I'm not a Londoner," Charlie said, smiling, "and have no regret for
leaving its smoke. Do you think we shall make a quick voyage?"
"I hope so," the captain said, "but it all depends upon the wind. A
finer ship never floated than the Lizzie Anderson; but the Company
don't build their vessels for speed, and it's no use trying to run,
when you meet a Frenchman. Those fellows understand how to build
ships, and if they could fight them as well as they build them, we
should not long be mistress of the sea."
Most of the people on board appeared to know each other, and Charlie
felt rather lonely, till the doctor came up and began to chat with
him. He told him who most of his fellow passengers were:
"That gentleman there, walking on the other side of the deck, as if
not only the ship but the river and banks on both sides belonged to
him, is one of the council. That is his wife over there, with a
companion holding her shawl for her. That pretty little woman, next to
her, is the wife of Captain Tibbets, the tall man leaning against the
bulwarks. Those two sisters are going out to keep house for their
uncle, one of the leading men in Madras; and, I suppose, to get
husbands, which they will most likely do before they have been there
many weeks. They look very nice girls.
"But you soon get acquainted with them all. It is surprising how soon
people get friendly on board ship, though, as a rule, they quarrel
like cats and dogs before they get to the end of it."
"What do they quarrel about?" Charlie asked, surprised.
"Oh, about anything or nothing," the doctor said. "They all get
heartily sick of each other, and of the voyage, and they quarrel
because they have nothing else to do. You will see, we shall be as
happy a party as possible till we get about as far as the Cape. After
that, the rows will begin, and by the time we get to India, half the
people won't speak to each other.
"Have you been down the river before? That's Gravesend. I see the
captain is getting ready to anchor. So, I suppose the tide has nearly
run out. If this wind holds, we shall be fairly out at sea when you
get up tomorrow.
"You snore, I hope?"
"No, sir, I don't think so," Charlie said.
"I hoped you did," the doctor said, "because I'm told I do, sometimes.
However, as I usually smoke a cigar on deck, the last thing, I hope
you will be fairly asleep before I am. If at any time I get very bad,
and keep you awake, you must shake me."
Charlie said it took a good deal to keep him awake, and that he should
probably get accustomed to it, ere long.
"It's better to do that," he said with a laugh, "than to keep on
waking you, for the next four or five months."
A week later, the Lizzie Anderson was running down the Spanish coast,
with all sail set. She was out of sight of land, and so far had seen
nothing likely to cause uneasiness. They had met many vessels,
homeward bound from the Mediterranean, and one or two big ships which
the captain pronounced to be Indiamen. That morning, however, a vessel
was seen coming out from the land. She seemed, to Charlie's eyes,
quite a small vessel, and he was surprised to see how often the
captain and officers turned their glasses towards her.
"I fancy our friend over there is a French privateer," the doctor
remarked to him; "and I should not be surprised if we found ourselves
exchanging shots with her, before many hours are over."
"But she's a little bit of a thing," Charlie said. "Surely she would
never venture to attack a ship like ours."
"It's the size of the guns, not the size of the ship, that counts, my
boy. She has the advantage of being able to sail three feet to our
two; and probably, small as she is, she carries half as many men again
as we do. However, we carry heavy metal, and can give a good account
of ourselves. Those thirty-twos will astonish our friend, if she comes
within range."
The stranger was a large schooner, and the tautness of the spars and
rigging showed that she was in beautiful order. She crossed the line
upon which the merchantman was sailing, some two miles in her rear;
and then, bearing up, followed in her wake.
Charlie stood near the captain, who, instead of watching her, was
sweeping the horizon with his glass. Presently he paused, and gazed
intently at a distant object.
"I thought so," he said to the first officer. "I fancied that fellow
wasn't alone. He would hardly have ventured to try his strength with
us, if he had been. Send a man up to the tops, and let him see what he
can make her out to be. I can only see her topmasts, but I can make
out no yards."
Presently the lookout came down, and reported that the distant vessel
appeared to be a large fore-and-aft schooner, bearing down upon them.
"She will not be up for two hours, yet," the captain said. "It will be
getting dark, then. It is not likely they will engage at night, but
they will keep close, and show their teeth at daybreak."
It soon became known that the belief of the captain was that the
vessel in their wake, and that which could be seen approaching on the
beam, were French privateers; and soon all were preparing, in their
own way, for what might happen. The sailors cleared the decks, and
loosed the guns. The gentlemen went below, and shortly returned
bringing up rifles and fowling pieces. Small arms and cutlasses were
brought up, and piled round the masts.
"Why don't you put on more sail, sir?" Mr. Ashmead, the member of the
council, said to the captain. "My wife, sir, objects to the sound of
firearms, and I must really beg that you will increase your speed. As
it is, we are losing rather than gaining upon that vessel behind. The
duty of the ships of the Company is to try not to fight."
"If they can help it," the captain added quietly. "Not to fight, if
they can help it, Mr. Ashmead. But unfortunately, the choice upon the
present occasion lies with the gentlemen yonder, and not with us. It
is not of the slightest use adding to the sail we carry, for at our
very best speed, those schooners could sail round and round us. As
night comes on I intend to shorten sail, and put the ship into
fighting trim. In the morning I shall again increase it, but I shall
not make any attempt to escape a combat which it depends entirely on
those privateers to bring on, or not, as they choose. I am sorry that
Mrs. Ashmead should be exposed to the unpleasantness of listening to
the explosion of firearms, and that my other lady passengers should be
exposed to the danger which cannot but arise, more or less, from a
naval conflict.
"However, I hope, sir, that there need be no great anxiety as to the
result. The Company has given us a heavy armament, and you may be sure
that we shall all do our best."
Seeing the gentlemen go below for their guns, Charlie asked one of the
other young writers, a lad of about his own age, named Peters, with
whom he had become very friendly, to go below with him. He had not yet
examined the arms that his uncle had given him, for he had not thought
of them since he saw the gun cases under his berth, on his first
arrival on board ship. He found the doctor already in his cabin,
putting together a heavy double-barrelled gun.
"Well, youngster," he said, "so we're likely to have a brush. I see
you have a couple of gun cases under your berth. You are a good deal
better provided than most lads who go out as writers.
"Ah! That's a beautiful piece of yours," he said, as Charlie unlocked
one of the cases and took out a rifle, "a small bore and a heavy
barrel, and beautifully finished. With a greased patch and a heavy
charge, that ought to carry a bullet far and true. Have you had any
practice?"
"Not with this gun, sir. I used, sometimes, to practise shooting at
gulls with a musket, on board the cutter my father commanded; and I
got to be a fair shot with it."
"Then you ought to be able to do good work, with such a piece as that.
What is in the other case?
"Ah! That's a beauty, too," he said, as he examined the
double-barrelled gun. "Made extra strong and heavy, I see, so as to
carry bullets. You'll find your shoulder ache, at first; but you'll
get accustomed to it, in time. I'm always in favour of heavy barrels.
They shoot stronger and straighter than your light guns, are not so
liable to get bent or bruised, if a stupid servant drops one across a
stone; and, after all, two or three pounds difference in weight does
not make any material difference, when you're accustomed to it.
Although, I grant, a heavy gun does not come quite so quickly up to
the shoulder, for a snap shot."
"Now, Peters," Charlie said, "you take the double barrel. I will use
the rifle. Mine will come into play first, but, as my uncle said when
he gave it me, yours will do most execution at close quarters."
At dusk the schooners, having exchanged some signals by flags, took up
their positions, one on each quarter of the ship, at a distance of
some two miles.
"Do not you think," Charlie asked his friend the doctor, "that they
are likely to try and board us tonight?"
"No," the doctor said. "These privateers generally depend upon their
long guns. They know that we shall be on the watch all night, and
that, in a hand-to-hand fight, they would lose a considerable number
of men; while by keeping at a distance, and maintaining a fire with
their long guns, they rely upon crippling their opponents; and then,
ranging up under their stern, pouring in a fire at close quarters
until they surrender.
"Another thing is that they prefer daylight, as they can then see
whether any other vessel is approaching. Were one of our cruisers to
hear a cannonade in the night, she would come down and take them
unaware. No, I think you will see that at daylight, if the coast is
clear, they will begin."
Such was evidently the captain's opinion also, as he ordered sail to
be still further shortened, and all, save the watch on deck, to turn
in at once. The lights were all extinguished, not that the captain had
any idea of evading his pursuers, but that he wished to avoid offering
them a mark for their fire, should they approach in the darkness.