THE SHIP MADE SNUG--VISITORS COME ON BOARD--JERRY VINCENT--NEWS OF MY
WIFE, AND HOME--HOW MY UNCLE BECAME INDIGNANT--JERRY WISHES ME TO TAKE
FRENCH LEAVE--I REFUSE, I ASK FOR AND OBTAIN PERMISSION TO GO ASHORE--
MEETING WITH UNCLE KELSON--JERRY PREPARES MY WIFE FOR THE INTERVIEW--
TEMPTED TO DESERT--A HAPPY TIME--JERRY'S RECOLLECTIONS--ON BOARD THE
ARETHUSA--YARNS--A GHOST STORY--A SLIPPERY DECK--THE PIRATES' HEADS.
The _Nymph_ under all plain sail, our prize following in our wake,
glided on past Southsea Castle--the yellow beach, the green expanse of
the common, the lines of houses and cottages beyond the Postdown hills
rising in the distance, the batteries of Gosport and Portsmouth ahead,
the masts of numberless vessels of all sizes seen beyond them.
I waited at my station in the fore-top for the order to shorten sail I
cast many a glance towards the shore, where she whom I loved best on
earth was, I fancied, gazing at the two ships with thousands of other
spectators, little supposing that I was on board one of them. As we
entered the harbour, we heard with joyous hearts the order given to
shorten sail. The boatswain's pipe sounded shrilly; the topmen flew
aloft. Never did a ship's crew pull and haul, and run out on the yards,
with greater alacrity to furl the canvas.
The water was covered with boats, the people standing up and waving and
cheering. It was no easy matter to steer clear of them as we stood up
the harbour. When rounding to off the dockyard, the anchor was dropped,
the cable running out like lightning, as if eager to do its duty and
help to bring us safe home. The prize then massing us, brought up close
under our stern.
Scarcely was the cable stoppered, and the ship made snug, than hundreds
of boats pulled up alongside, those on board anxious to hear all about
the victory we had gained.
Among the first was a somewhat battered-looking wherry, with a little
wizened old man and a boy pulling. The former, catching sight of me as
I stretched my neck through a port, throwing in his oar, uttered a shout
of astonishment, and then, with the agility of a monkey, quickly
clambered up the side by a rope I hove to him.
"What! Will, Will, is it you yourself?" exclaimed Jerry Vincent,
wringing my hand and gazing into my face. "We all thought you were far
away in the East Indies, and Mistress Kelson made up her mind that you'd
never come back from that hot region where they fry beefsteaks on the
capstan-head."
"But my wife--my wife! is she well? Oh, tell me, Mr Vincent," I
exclaimed, interrupting him. "She expected me to come back."
"She's well enough, if not so hearty as we'd be wishing; for, to say the
truth, the roses don't bloom in her cheeks as they used to do."
I cannot describe the joy and relief this reply brought to my heart.
The gratitude which I felt made me give old Jerry a hug, which well-nigh
pressed the breath out of his body.
"Why, Will, my boy, you are taking me for Mrs Weatherhelm," he
exclaimed, bursting into a fit of laughter. "You'll soon see her, and
then you can hug her as long as you like, if you can get leave to go on
shore; if not, I'll go and bring her here as quick as I can pull back to
the point and toddle away over to Southsea."
"Oh, no, no; I wouldn't have her here on any account," I answered as I
thought of the disreputable characters who in shoals would soon be
crowding the decks, and who were even now waiting in the boats until
they were allowed to come on board.
"Tell me, Jerry, about my uncle and Aunt Bretta; how are they both?"
"Hearty, though the old gentleman did take on when you were carried away
by the pressgang. If ever I saw him inclined to run a-muck, it was
then. We had a hard matter, I can tell you, to prevent him from posting
off to London to see the First Lord of the Admiralty, to grapple him by
the throat if he did not send an order down at once to have you
liberated. I don't know, indeed, what he'd have done; but at last we
persuaded him that if he made up his mind to proceed to such
extremities, the First Lord would either laugh in his face or order the
porters to kick him down stairs. He in time came to that conclusion
himself, and so quieted down, observing that you would do your duty and
bear yourself like a man."
"I must try and get leave from the first lieutenant. He could not
refuse me, when I tell him I was torn away from my wife, and I will
promise to be back again at any time he may name."
"You may try it, Will, but I'm not so sure about the matter. If he
doesn't, why, I'd advise you to take French leave and slip into my
wherry as soon as it's dark. I'll have a bit of canvas to cover you up,
and pull you ashore in a jiffey. You can land at the yard of a friend
of mine, not far from the point, and disguise yourself in shore-going
toggery. Every one knows me, and I'll get you through the gates; and if
I'm accused of helping you off, I'll stand the consequences. It can
only be a few months in gaol, and though I'd rather have my liberty, I
can make myself happy wherever I am."
"No, Jerry, I would not let you run that risk for my sake on any
account; nor would I run it myself, much as I love my liberty and my
wife," I answered. "You stay here and I'll go and ask the first
lieutenant at once; if he refuses me now, he'll be sure to give me leave
another day."
"Well go Will,--go," said Jerry. "I'm much afraid that your first
lieutenant, unless he is very much unlike others I have known, won't
care a rap about your wife's feelings or yours. He'll just tell you
it's the same tale half the ship's company have to tell, and if your
wife wants to see you, she may come aboard like the rest of the women."
Without waiting to hear more of what Jerry might say, I hurried aft, and
found the first lieutenant issuing his orders.
"What is it you want, my man?" he asked as I approached him, hat in
hand.
"Please, sir, I've got a young wife ashore at Southsea, and I was torn
away from her by a pressgang. May I have leave to go and see her, and I
promise to be back at any time you may name."
"A pressed man!--no, no, my fine fellow, no pressed men can be allowed
out of the ship. They may take it into their heads not to return at
all," he answered, turning away.
"Pardon me, sir," I said, "but I give you my word of honour that I will
come back as soon as you order me."
He glanced round with a look of astonishment, muttering, "Your word of
honour! Who are you, my man?"
"I am a Shetlander, sir. I have been brought up to keep my word.
Though I was pressed, I have done my duty. It was I, sir, who hauled
down the flag of the _Cleopatra_ when we took her."
While he was speaking, a midshipman brought him a letter. He opened it,
and glancing over the few lines it contained, his eye brightened. I
stood watching, resolved not to be defeated.
As soon as he had folded the letter and put it into his pocket, I again
stepped up.
"May I go, sir?" I said.
"Well," he answered, smiling, "you hauled down the Frenchman's flag. I
am to have my reward, and you shall have yours. You may go ashore, but
you must be back in three days. All the crew will be required for
putting the ship to rights, to take the mainmast out of her and replace
it by a new one," and he ordered one of the clerks to put down my name
as having leave.
I found afterwards that the letter I saw him read contained an
intimation that he was forthwith to be made a commander.
In a few days the news was received that the great Earl of Chatham had
presented our captain and his brother to King George, who had been
pleased to knight our captain, and to make Commander Pellew a
post-captain.
No one else, that I know of, obtained any honours or rewards, though
each man and boy received his share of prize-money, and with that we had
no cause to complain.
However, to go back to the moment when the first lieutenant gave me
leave. "Thank you, sir! thank you!" I exclaimed, with difficulty
stopping myself from tossing up my hat for joy.
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, I rushed below, and, taking
the things I wanted out of my bag, I tumbled into Jerry's wherry.
The old man pulled as fast as he and his boy could lay their backs to
the oars.
"Stop, stop, my lad! wait for me!" he exclaimed as I jumped ashore and
was preparing to run to Southsea. "You'll frighten your wife and send
her into `high strikes' if you pounce down upon her as you seem inclined
to do. Wait till I go ahead and tell her to be looking out for you.
You won't lose much time, and prevent a great deal of mischief, though I
can't move along quite at the rate of ten knots an hour, as you seem
inclined to do."
I at once saw the wisdom of Jerry's advice, and waited, though somewhat
impatiently, until he and his boy had secured the boat.
"Come along, Will, my lad," he said at length, stepping ashore; "I'll
show you what my old legs can do," and off he set.
We soon crossed the High Street, and made our way through the gate
leading out of the town on to Southsea Common.
The village of Southsea was but a small, insignificant place in those
days. We had not gone far when we caught sight of a person with a
wooden leg stumping along at a good rate some way ahead. Although his
back was towards us, I at once felt sure that he was Uncle Kelson.
"All right!" cried Jerry, "that's Mr Kelson. He always carries a press
of sail. It couldn't have been better. I'll go on and make him
heave-to, and just tell him to guess who's come back; but I don't think
there's much fear of his getting the `high strikes' even though he was
to set eyes on you all of a sudden."