The sounds of water being freely sluiced along the deck overhead, and of
the vigorous use of holystones and scrubbing-brushes immediately
following thereupon, awoke me on the following morning, and I opened my
eyes to find the rays of the newly risen sun flashing off the heaving
surface of the ocean through the open scuttle of the state-room which I
occupied. Although I could not have been asleep more than three or four
hours at most, I awoke wonderfully refreshed, and the memory of what had
happened to me during the night instantly returning, I at once sprang
out of the berth, determined to avail myself forthwith of the renewed
opportunity of starting the day by taking a salt-water bath under the
head pump. It took me but a few seconds to make my way out on deck,
where I found the watch, under the supervision of the second mate, as I
presumed, busily engaged in the operation of washing decks, while the
fresh, invigorating trade-wind, sweeping in over the port cat-head,
hummed and drummed with an exhilarating note through the taut weather
rigging and into the hollows of the straining canvas overhead. The
weather was brilliantly fine, the clear, deep azure of the sky merely
flecked here and there with a few solemnly drifting puff-balls of trade-
cloud, and the ocean of deepest blue sweeping in long, regular,
sparkling, snow-capped surges diagonally athwart our bows, from beneath
which the flying-fish continually sprang into the air and went flashing
away on either hand, like handfuls of bright silver dollars new from the
Mint. Merely to breathe such an exhilarating atmosphere, and to feel
the buoyant, life-like lift and plunge of the straining, hurrying ship,
were joys unspeakable, and I felt in positively hilarious spirits as I
danced up the poop ladder to greet the officer of the watch, and prefer
my modest request for a minute's use of the head pump.
The individual whom I assumed to be the officer of the watch was a young
fellow apparently not very much older than myself, attired in a somewhat
dandified style of semi-uniform, bare-footed, and with his trousers
rolled up above his knees. It was he who was sluicing the water about
the poop so freely, while half-a-dozen of the crew vigorously plied the
holystone and scrubber under his directions, and my first quick glance
round the decks sufficed to show that the holystoning process was
confined to the poop only, the cleansing of the main-deck seemed to be
accomplished sufficiently by the application of the scrubber only. The
exuberant buoyancy of my spirits suffered a sudden and distinct check as
I glanced at the faces of those about me, which, without exception,
seemed to belong to the lowest and most depraved class of seamen--
sullen, brutal, reckless, resembling, more than anything else, in air
and expression, an assemblage of wild beasts, whose natural ferocity has
not been eradicated but is held in check, subdued, and daunted by the
constant exercise of a ferocity even greater than their own. The aspect
of the young man whom I conceived to be the officer of the watch was
even more repellent than that of his subordinates; and it was in
distinctly subdued tones that I bade him good-morning and preferred my
request to be allowed to take a bath under the head pump.
He did not respond to my salutation, but, carefully placing upon the
deck the bucket which he had just emptied, stood intently regarding me,
with his feet wide apart and both hands upon his hips. He remained
silent for so long a time that the men about him suspended their
operations, regarding him with dull curiosity, while I felt my patience
rapidly oozing away and my temper rising at the gratuitous insolence of
his demeanour, and I was on the point of making some rather pungent
remarks when he suddenly seemed to bethink himself, and said, in accents
that were apparently intended to convey some suggestion of an attempt at
civility:
"So you are the British naval officer that Monsieur Leroy told me about
when I relieved him, are you? And you want a bath, do you? Very well;
go and take one, by all means. And, hark ye, Monsieur Englishman, a
word in your ear. Take my advice, and after you have had your bath get
back to your cabin, and stay there until the captain has been informed
of your presence in the ship; for if he were to come on deck, and
unexpectedly see you, the chances are that he would blow your brains out
without thinking twice about it. He is not quite an angel in the matter
of temper, and I may tell you that he is not too well disposed toward
Englishmen in general, and English naval officers in particular. Now be
off, get your bath, and scuttle back to your cabin as quickly as may
be."
"I am much obliged to you for your warning, monsieur," said I, "and I
will act upon it. Do you care to increase my obligation to you by
stating why your captain has such a--prejudice, shall we call it,
against British naval officers?"
"Well," replied my new acquaintance--whose name I subsequently learned
was Gaston Marcel--"for one thing, this ship, which is his own property,
is employed in the slave-trade, and Captain Tourville has already
suffered much loss and damage through the meddlesome interference of
your pestilent cruisers. But I believe he has other and more private
reasons for his hatred of your nation and comrades."
So that was it. After having suffered shipwreck, I had been run down
and narrowly escaped with my life, only to fall into the hands of a
Frenchman--and a slaver at that! Now, most slavers were little if
anything better than pirates; they were outlaws whose crimes were
punishable with death; trusting for their safety, for the most part, to
the speed of their ships, but fighting with the desperation of cornered
rats when there was no other way of escape; neither giving nor asking
quarter; and, in many cases, guilty of the most unspeakable atrocities
toward those hapless individuals serving in the Slave Squadron who were
unfortunate enough to fall into their hands. This was especially true
in the case of those who carried on their nefarious traffic under the
French flag; for they were, almost without exception, West Indian
Creoles, most of whom bore a dash of negro blood in their veins,
therefore adding the inherited ferocity of the West African savage to
the natural depravity of those to whose unbridled passions they owed
their being. If, as was more than likely, I had fallen into the power
of one of these fiends, my plight was like to be desperate indeed. I
came to the conclusion that I could not do better than act upon the
advice of the second mate, and abide the issue of events with as much
equanimity as I could muster. Accordingly, as soon as I had taken my
bath I returned to the state-room which had been assigned to me by the
mate, and there remained _perdu_, awaiting the moment when that somewhat
formidable individual the captain should be pleased to send for me.
The approach to my state-room was, it will be remembered, through the
main cabin; and as I passed through the latter the ugly, shock-headed
steward, more ugly and more shock-headed now, in the garish light of
day, than he had been when he presented himself fresh from his hammock
on the night before--was down on his hands and knees busily engaged in
scrubbing the cabin floor, while the strips of carpet and the table-
cloth were rolled up and placed upon the table, the beautifully polished
surface of which was partially protected by a large square of green
baize. I bade the fellow good-morning; but he took no more notice of me
than if I had never spoken; so I passed on and entered my sleeping
apartment, closing the door behind me. I then proceeded to dress
leisurely and perform my toilet as well as the means at my disposal
would permit, but when it is remembered that I had no change of linen,
and owned only the clothes which I happened to be wearing when I was
washed off the wreck, it will be readily understood that when I had done
all that was possible to render myself presentable the result still left
much to be desired.
The steward finished the washing and swabbing of the cabin deck, and
then retired, returning about half an hour later--by which time the
planks were dry--to relay the strips of carpet, replace the table-cloth,
and arrange the table for breakfast, producing, somewhat to my surprise,
a very elegant table-equipage of what, seen through the slats which
formed the upper panel of my cabin door, appeared to be solid silver and
quite valuable china.
He had barely finished his task when seven bells struck on deck, and
prompt upon the last stroke the door in the after bulkhead was thrown
open and a man issued from it, and, passing rapidly through the cabin,
with just a momentary pause to glance at the tell-tale barometer
swinging in the skylight, made his way out on deck.
I caught a glimpse of him, through the slats in the top panel of my
door, as he passed, and judged him to be about thirty years of age. He
was rather tall, standing about five feet ten inches in his morocco
slippers; very dark--so much so that I strongly suspected the presence
of negro blood in his veins--with a thick crop of jet-black hair, a
luxuriantly bushy beard, and a heavy thick moustache, all very carefully
trimmed, and so exceedingly glossy that I thought it probable that the
gloss was due to artificial means. The man was decidedly good-looking,
in a Frenchified fashion, and was a sea dandy of the first water, as was
evidenced by the massive gold earrings in his ears, the jewelled studs
in the immaculate front of his shirt of pleated cambric, his nattily cut
suit of white drill, and the diamond on the little finger of his right
hand, the flash of which I caught as he raised his hand to shield his
eyes from the dazzle of the sun when glancing at the barometer.
I heard his voice--a rather rich, full baritone--addressing the second
mate, but could not distinguish what was said, at that distance and
among the multitudinous noises of the straining ship; and a few minutes
later the door opposite my own, on the other side of the cabin, opened,
and Monsieur Leroy, the chief mate of the ship--to whose slackness of
discipline I was chiefly indebted for being run down during the previous
night--emerged and followed his chief out on deck. I recognised him in
part by his figure, and in part by the fact that he was evidently an
occupant of one of the state-rooms adjoining the main cabin, which would
only be assigned to an officer of rank and consideration. As I now
gained a momentary glimpse of him he appeared to be about thirty-seven
years of age, broadly built, his features almost hidden by the thickly
growing beard, whiskers, and moustache that adorned them, and out of
which gleamed and flashed a pair of resolute but good-natured eyes as
black as the bushy eyebrows that overshadowed them. He was dressed in a
coat and pair of trousers of fine, dark-blue cloth, and, like the
captain, wore no waistcoat. His shirt, thus exposed, however, unlike
that of his superior, was made of coarse linen woven with a narrow blue
stripe in it. Also, like his captain, he wore no stockings on his
slippered feet.
While I was speculating what the captain's behaviour toward me would
probably be, the steward unceremoniously flung open my cabin door, and
in surly tones curtly informed me that the captain desired to see me at
once upon the poop. He stood aside to permit me to pass, waved a
directing hand toward the passage leading out on deck, and then busied
himself in putting a few finishing touches to the arrangement of the
table.
When, in obedience to this summons, I stepped out on deck, the washing
down had been completed and the planks were already practically dry; the
running gear had been carefully coiled down; the brasswork polished;
mops, swabs, and scrubbing-brushes stowed away; and the crew were
mustered on the forecastle, partaking of breakfast. They glanced
curiously at me as I emerged on to the quarter-deck, and one of them
said something that excited a burst of sardonic laughter from the rest,
disregarding which I sprang lightly up the poop ladder and found myself
in the presence of a group consisting of the captain and the two mates.
The countenances of the latter expressed much annoyance and some
perturbation, particularly that of Leroy, the chief mate; but the look
of savage ferocity on the captain's face was positively fiendish, and
enough to strike terror into the heart of even the boldest who might
find himself in the power of such an individual. My hopes of
considerate, or even of ordinarily merciful, treatment from one of so
vindictively ferocious a character as this man seemed to be at once sunk
to zero; yet I was not minded that any Frenchman should enjoy the
satisfaction of saying that he had frightened me. I therefore assumed a
boldness of demeanour that I was very far from feeling, and bowed with
all the ease and grace that I could muster. Then addressing the captain
I said:
"Good-morning, Captain Tourville. I am afraid that the hard necessities
of misfortune compel me to claim from you that succour and hospitality
which the shipwrecked seaman has the right to ask--"
"Stop!" shouted Tourville, as, with clenched fist, he stood seeming
about to spring upon me; "I admit no such right, especially of an
Englishman. The English have ever been my most implacable enemies.
Because, forsooth, I choose to earn my living by following a vocation of
which some of them disapprove, they must needs do their utmost to ruin
me, and by heaven they have very nearly succeeded, too! Who are they
that they should presume to thrust their opinions down the throats of
other people? If their own countrymen choose to be led by the nose and
are willing to submit to their dictation, well and good, it is nothing
to me; it is their own affair, not mine. But what right have they to
dictate to other nations, to say you shall do this, and shall not do
that? I tell you that it is nothing short of monstrous, and I am
ashamed of France that she has submitted to be thus dictated to. But if
my country is so weak as to tolerate interference from a foreign Power,
I am not. I claim to judge for myself what is right or wrong, and to be
governed by my own conscience. I am a slaver, and I care not who knows
it! And I will continue to be a slaver as long as I please, despite the
disapproval of a few English fanatics. But let those beware who dare to
interfere with me, and especially those Englishmen who have done their
utmost to ruin me! You, monsieur, are one of them; by your own
confession you belong to an English man-o'-war engaged in the
suppression of that trade by which I am striving to make a living; and
do you suppose that because you happen to have suffered shipwreck you
are entitled to claim from me succour and hospitality, and ultimate
restoration to your own people in order that you and others like you may
do your utmost to ruin me? I tell you no! I do not admit the claim;
you are an enemy--an implacable enemy--and you shall be treated as such.
The fact of your shipwreck is merely an accident that has placed you in
my power, and you shall die! I will revenge upon you some few of the
countless injuries that I have suffered at the hands of your accursed
countrymen!"
"Shame upon you, monsieur!" I cried. "Are you coward enough to revenge
yourself upon a mere lad like myself? I will not ask you what your crew
will think of you, but what will you think of yourself, in your calmer
moments, when you come to reflect--"
"Silence, boy!" he thundered; "silence, you English dog! How dare you
speak--" Then, suddenly interrupting himself, he turned to the chief
mate and exclaimed:
"Leroy, have that insolent young puppy confined below in irons until I
can make up my mind how to dispose of him."
The chief mate approached and took me by the arm. "Come with me,
Monsieur John Bulldogue," said he, not unkindly, as he led me away; "and
do not allow yourself to be more anxious as to your fate than you can
help. I tell you candidly that I cannot form the slightest idea what
that fate will eventually be; many men, knowing the skipper as well as I
do, would no doubt say that you will be thrown to the sharks before you
are an hour older--and it may be; yes, it certainly may be; for you are
the first who has ever dared to assume a defiant attitude toward him and
he is an inordinately vain man, as well as a man of unbridled temper.
But, somehow, I am inclined to think that your defiance, which some
people would say must seal your fate, will be more likely to tell in
your favour than against you. Yes; although you have the misfortune to
be an Englishman, I really think I may venture to encourage you to hope
for the best. Now, here we are; and here comes Moulineux with the
irons. I must obey orders and see that they are put on you; but make
yourself as comfortable as you can; and I will send you down some
breakfast presently. And, monsieur, you may rely upon my goodwill; I
admire courage wherever I see it, whether in friend or in enemy, and you
have proved that you possess it. If I find it in my power to do
anything to help you, I will."
The place in which I now found myself confined was a small apartment
that was apparently used upon occasion as an auxiliary store-room, for
there were a number of barrels and cases of various sizes in it, as well
as what had the appearance of being spare sails. As the place was
constructed in the depths of the ship, and considerably below the level
of the water-line, there was no window to give light to it, the only
light which reached it being as much as could find its way down through
the partially open hatchway, some ten feet above. I was therefore able
to observe my surroundings only very indistinctly even after I had been
some time in the place and my eyes had become accustomed to the gloom of
it. The mate was as good as his word in the matter of breakfast, a man
bringing down to me a most excellent and substantial meal after I had
been incarcerated for nearly an hour. I discussed the food with relish,
for I was hungry, and then sat impatiently awaiting the moment when my
fate should be made known to me. But hour after hour passed without
word or sign from the man who held my destiny in the hollow of his hand;
and it was not until late in the afternoon that the carpenter appeared
and, removing my irons, requested me to follow him. He conducted me up
the steep ladder leading to the main-deck and into the main cabin, where
Captain Tourville was sitting alone. There was silence for a full
minute after the carpenter had ushered me into the cabin and closed the
door behind me. Tourville remained seated at the end of the table, with
one hand clenched on the cloth before him, while with the other he
plucked quickly and impatiently at his thick beard and then combed it
through with his fingers, "glowering" moodily at me meanwhile, in an
absent-minded fashion, as though he scarcely realised my presence. At
length he pulled himself together with an effort, and, pointing to the
lockers, said:
"Be seated, monsieur, and have the kindness to tell me who and what you
are; and how you come to be on board my ship. I have only heard my
chief mate's story as yet."
Whereupon I proceeded to give him the required information, as briefly
as possible, not omitting to mention the fact of my being an officer of
the Slave Squadron; for I had already stated this to the chief mate, and
from what had transpired earlier in the day I knew that he, in turn, had
communicated the information to his captain. That what I told him did
not appear greatly to increase his state of irritation seemed proof
enough that he had already learned all the material facts, and I
congratulated myself upon having shown him that I was not to be
frightened into the suppression of any portion of my history, no matter
how damaging its effect might be expected to be upon my interests. When
I had told him everything he remained silent for quite two or three
minutes, drumming the table meditatively with his fingers.
At length he looked up from the table, at which he had been moodily
glowering, and said:
"Monsieur Fortescue, I thank you for the evident frankness with which
you have told your story; and, in return, feel that you are entitled to
some explanation of what you must doubtless have deemed my very
extraordinary conduct of this morning. It is unnecessary for me to
enter into details, but I may inform you that I have suffered
irreparable loss and injury at the hands of the English. They have
chosen to regard the method by which I earn my living as unlawful, and
on no less than four occasions have brought me to the verge of ruin at
the moment when I was upon the point of realising a handsome competence.
They have persecuted me relentlessly, confiscated my property, slain my
two brothers in action, and would have hanged me ignominiously, had I
not been fortunate enough to effect my escape from them; and it was an
Englishman who--well, that is a story into which I need not enter with
you; let it suffice to say that the injuries which I have suffered at
the hands of your countrymen have been such, that the mere name of
Englishman excites me to a very frenzy of anger and hate, in which I am
really not responsible for my actions. Now, the question is: What is to
be done with you? I tell you candidly that your life is not safe for a
moment while you remain on board this ship. Even as you sit there the
memory of all that I have suffered at the hands of your countrymen so
strongly moves me that I find it exceedingly difficult to refrain from
blowing your brains out--"
"But, monsieur," I interrupted, "pardon me for suggesting such a thing,
but are you not surrendering yourself to a very childish weakness? Is
it possible that you, a man in the very prime of life and apparently in
perfect bodily and mental health, can be so utterly devoid of self-
control that because you have suffered injury, real or imagined, from--"
"_Sacre_!" he interrupted, starting savagely to his feet; "there is no
question, monsieur, as to the reality of the injuries that I have
suffered at the hands of your hateful countrymen--"
"Very well, monsieur," I cut in, speaking very quietly, "for argument's
sake I will admit, if you like, that your injuries are both real and
deep. Still, does it not seem to you absurdly illogical that because
certain persons have injured you, you must yield to this insane craving
to wreak your revenge upon somebody else who has had no hand in the
infliction of those injuries?"
"Quite possibly; I cannot tell," answered Tourville. "It may be that I
_am_ mad on this one particular point. But I do not admit the soundness
of your argument, monsieur. You contend that you personally have not
injured me. That may be perfectly true. But you admit that you belong
to the Slave Squadron; and it is at the hands of that same squadron that
I have suffered much of the injury of which I complain. Now it is
impossible for me to discriminate between the individuals in that
squadron who have injured me, and those who have not; and I therefore
contend that I am perfectly justified in wreaking my vengeance upon any
of them who chance to fall into my power. And, in any case, if I should
blow out your brains I shall at least have rid myself of one potential
enemy. Therefore--"
And to my immeasurable surprise the man calmly drew a pistol from his
belt and levelled it across the table straight at my head. I sprang to
my feet with the idea of flinging myself upon and disarming him, for I
could no longer doubt the fellow was stark, staring mad upon this one
particular point; but before I could get at him the weapon exploded, and
the ball, passing so close to my head that I felt it stir my hair,
buried itself in the panelling of the cabin behind me. With a savage
snarl he raised his hand, and would have dashed the heavy pistol-butt in
my face; but by that time I was upon him, and, seizing his throat with
one hand, while I wrenched the weapon from his grasp with the other, I
bore him to the deck, and planted my right knee square in the middle of
his chest, pinning him securely down.
"You treacherous, murderous scoundrel!" I cried. "How shall I deal
with you? You are as dangerous as a wild beast! If I were to beat your
brains out with the butt of this pistol I should only be treating you as
you deserve! And I will do it too as sure as you are lying there at my
mercy, unless you will swear by all you hold sacred that you will never
again attempt my life, and that you will set me ashore, free, at the
first port at which we touch. Will you swear that, or will you die?"
"I swear it, monsieur," he gasped. "Release my throat and let me rise,
and I swear to you by the Blessed Virgin that I will declare a truce in
your favour, and that you shall leave this ship as soon as a suitable
opportunity offers."
I relaxed my grasp upon his throat, and permitted him to regain his
feet, whereupon he looked at me for some moments with an expression of
surprise, not altogether unmingled, methought, with fear. Then, bowing
profoundly, he said:
"Leave me, monsieur, I beg of you. I will send for you again, a little
later."
I passed out of the cabin, and made my way up on to the poop, where I
found Monsieur Leroy, the chief mate, in charge of the watch. He nodded
to me as I ascended the poop ladder, and when I joined him in his fore-
and-aft promenade of the weather side of the deck, jerked his head
knowingly toward the skylight and remarked:
"In his tantrums _again_? Ah! quite as I expected. It is rather
unfortunate for you, monsieur, that you happen to be an Englishman, for
the mere mention of the word to him has the same effect as exhibiting a
red rag to a bull: it drives him perfectly frantic with rage."
"So it appears," remarked I dryly. "What is the cause of it? Have you
any idea?"
"No," answered the mate. "I doubt whether anybody knows; perhaps he
does not even know himself. Of course I have heard him speak of the
losses which he has sustained through the interference of the ships of
the Slave Squadron; but we who elect to make our living by following a
vocation which civilised nations have agreed to declare unlawful must be
prepared to be interfered with. For my own part I have no particular
fault to find with those who have undertaken to suppress the slave-
trade. We go into the business with our eyes open; we know the
penalties attaching to it; and if we are foolish or unskilful enough to
permit ourselves to be caught we must not grumble if those penalties are
exacted from us. I like the life; I enjoy it; it is full of excitement
and adventure; and when we succeed in outwitting you gentlemen the
profits are handsome enough to amply repay us for all our risk and
trouble. It is like playing a game of skill for a heavy wager; and I
contend that no man who is not sportsman enough to bear his losses
philosophically should engage in the game. But that is not precisely
what ails the skipper; he takes his ill-luck grievously to heart it is
true, but he insists that he has other grievances against the English as
well; and, whatever they may be, they seem to have partially turned his
brain."
"Partially!" I objected. "Why, the man is as mad as a March hare. He
absolutely loses all control of himself when he allows his temper to
master him, and becomes more like a savage beast than a man!"
"Ay, that is true, he does," agreed Leroy. "But, hark ye, monsieur, let
me give you a friendly hint--you have escaped unharmed thus far,
therefore I believe you may consider yourself reasonably safe; but in
case of any further outbreaks on the captain's part, take especial care
that you give him no reason to suppose that you are afraid of him; that
is the surest road to safety with him."
"Upon my word I believe you are right," said I. "At all events that is
the road which I took with him just now, for I pinned him down to the
cabin deck, and threatened to beat his brains out. Yet here I am,
alive, to speak of it."
"Good!" ejaculated the mate. "If you did that you are all right; I
believe that if there is one thing he admires more than another it is
absolute fearlessness. Show him that you do not care the snap of a
finger for him and he will forgive you anything, even the fact that you
are an Englishman."
I walked the poop with Monsieur Leroy for a full hour, chatting with him
and learning many things very well worth knowing; and while I was
chatting with him I kept my eyes about me, carefully noting all the
particulars and peculiarities of the barque, with a view to future
contingencies. Among other things I learned that she was named _La
Mouette_; that she was of three hundred and sixty-four tons register;
that she mounted fourteen twenty-eight pound carronades on her main-deck
and four six-pounders on her poop; that she carried a complement of one
hundred and seventy men; and that she was then bound into the river
Kwara for a cargo of slaves to be conveyed to Martinique, or Cuba, as
circumstances might decide.
At the end of about an hour I was once more summoned to the cabin, where
I found Tourville sitting at the table. The man had now completely
regained his self-control; he was perfectly calm, and waved me
courteously to a seat on the cabin sofa, which I took.
"Monsieur Fortescue," said he, "I shall not mock you or myself by
pretending to excuse or apologise for my recent outbreak of violence,
for it is due to a weakness which I am wholly unable to conquer, and
which may, quite possibly, get the better of me again. If it should, I
must ask you to kindly be patient and forbearing with me, and to keep
out of my way until the fit has passed. What I particularly wish to say
to you now is that you are from this moment perfectly safe so long as it
may be necessary for you to honour my ship with your presence. But,
since you will naturally desire to rejoin your own ship as speedily as
possible, I propose to tranship you into the first vessel bearing the
British flag which we may chance to fall in with--provided, of course,
that she is not a ship of war. Should we happen to fall in with a
British man-o'-war, my course of action will be guided by circumstances;
I shall not feel myself justified in trusting to her captain's
magnanimity to let us go free after delivering you safe on board her;
but should the weather be fine enough to allow of such a proceeding
without risk to you, I will give you a boat in which you may make your
own way on board her. Meanwhile, I beg that you will regard yourself as
my guest, free to come and go in this cabin as you please, and to take
your meals at my table; and I have also made arrangements for your
greater comfort in the state-room which Leroy assigned to you when you
came aboard last night. I trust that these plans of mine will be
agreeable to you."
I replied that they were not only perfectly agreeable to me, but that I
regarded them as exceedingly generous--taking all the circumstances of
the case into consideration; that I regretted his violent antipathy to
Englishmen, as I feared that, in consequence of it, my presence could
never be otherwise than exceedingly disagreeable to him, but that during
my enforced sojourn aboard _La Mouette_ I would strive to render my
nationality as little obtrusive as possible, and that I trusted we might
very soon be fortunate enough to fall in with a craft of some sort into
which he could transfer me. To which he replied that he fervently hoped
so too, for both our sakes; then directing my attention to a case of
books attached to the after bulkhead, on the opposite side to that
occupied by the piano, he rose, bowed, and retired to his own cabin. As
for me, I went out on deck and resumed my conversation with Leroy,
telling him what had passed, and begging him to keep a sharp look-out
for vessels; for that since Captain Tourville made no attempt to
disguise his uneasiness at my presence on board his ship I was quite
determined to tranship into the first craft that we might happen to fall
in with, provided, of course, that she did not happen to be of
questionable character--for I had no inclination to jump out of the
frying-pan into the fire by going aboard another slaver.
The mate fully agreed with me as to the wisdom of leaving the ship as
soon as possible; indeed I soon discovered that, even after what had
passed between Tourville and myself, he was still very far from
satisfied that there might not be further trouble ahead. "If such
should unfortunately come," said he, "you must maintain a bold front,
and show him that you are not to be so easily frightened. When his fits
are upon him he very strongly reminds me of a wild beast which hesitates
to attack so long as one faces it boldly, but springs the instant that
one's back is turned."
I considered this very excellent advice, singularly applicable to the
circumstances, and determined to act upon it. At eight bells I was
summoned below to supper, and found the cabin brilliantly lit, and the
table a picture of dainty elegance in the matter of equipage and of
choice fare. Captain Tourville was evidently no ascetic in the matter
of eating and drinking, and the meal to which we immediately sat down
was quite as good as many that I have partaken of ashore in so-called
first-class hotels.
Tourville seemed at first to be in imminent danger of relapsing into one
of his black moods, for he was distrait and inclined to be silent; but I
was determined not to permit this if I could help it. I therefore
persisted in talking to him, trying him with subject after subject,
until I discovered him to be an enthusiast upon the arts of painting and
music--in both of which I also dabbled, in an amateurish way. As soon
as I spoke of these his brow cleared, he threw off his gloom, and spoke
fluently and with evident knowledge of his subject, with the result that
the meal which had begun so inauspiciously ended quite pleasantly. Nay,
more than that, as soon as the cloth was drawn this extraordinary man
opened the piano and, sitting down to it, played piece after piece, sang
several songs, and finally invited me to sing, the result being that, on
the whole, the evening passed with far less constraint than I had
anticipated.
The next morning, while Tourville was engaged in taking his sights for
the longitude and working them out, he suddenly complained of feeling
ill, sent for Leroy, gave him certain instructions, and then took to his
bed. By noon it became evident that he was in for a smart attack of
malarial fever, to which it appeared he was very subject; and when I
turned in that night the mate volunteered the information that he feared
the skipper was going to be very ill.
Tourville's condition on the following morning amply justified Leroy's
foreboding; he grew steadily worse, became delirious, and at length grew
so violent that about mid-day the mate considered it necessary to remain
with him constantly, lest in his madness he should rise from his bed and
fling himself through the stern windows into the sea. One result of
this was that I offered to take Leroy's watch, from eight o'clock to
midnight, an offer which was gratefully accepted; but as we were running
down before a fair wind there was nothing for me to do beyond
maintaining a good look-out, and I thus found it unnecessary to give the
crew any orders or to interfere with them in any way. For the next
three days Tourville's condition was such that the constant presence of
some one in his cabin, night and day, to watch over him and guard
against the possibility of his doing himself an injury, became an
absolute necessity, and Leroy, the chief mate, and Thoreau, the
boatswain, shared this duty between them. I volunteered to assume
nursing duty in the place of Leroy, but my offer was declined, the chief
mate rather drily remarking that the presence of an Englishman by the
captain's bedside was scarcely likely to accelerate the patient's
recovery, while some of his ravings were of such a character that it was
better for all concerned that I should not hear them. But, he added, if
I would be complaisant enough to keep his watch for him, he would esteem
it a very great favour. Of course I could do no less than accede to
this suggestion with a good grace.