THE WRECK NEAR THE LAND'S-END.
The sound of a wreck was sufficient, at any time, to rouse the most
lethargic; and old and young rose at once, and left the comfortable fire
and warm mixtures, and crowded round the new comer to hear the
particulars. All he could tell them, however, was that there was a
vessel in distress off the Point; he and several others had heard the
gun. She was not a wreck yet, the man said, but it could not be long
before she must strike,--for the weather was terrific, and the wind was
blowing right in; so he ran up to the village to give the alarm. There
was not a moment's hesitation among the listeners,--everyone prepared to
go down to the Point at once.
Some took ropes, and some took baskets, or bags, or whatever came to
hand; and each man got his lantern, and away they started to the scene
of distress. The wind was blowing a fearful hurricane, and the rain was
falling heavily, beating into the faces of the foremost, and almost
taking away the breath of the older and weaker of the party. As they
proceeded, others came out of their houses and joined them,--women as
well as men. On they went through the storm, with their hats and bonnets
tied down with handkerchiefs or pieces of string, to keep them from
being blown away. Noble creatures! thus to brave the storm on such a
night as this, for the sake of saving the lives and relieving the
sufferings of their fellow-creatures in distress.
To save life, however, was not the only object these poor people had in
view; nor was it, I fear, the principal one with a great many. When a
vessel was wrecked on the Cornish coast, in those days, it was believed
by most of the lower orders, that all that was washed ashore, became the
undoubted property of anyone who was fortunate enough to pick it up; and
so a wreck was looked upon as a God-send, and everyone took care of
himself, and sometimes returned with a rich booty.
At length they arrived at the Point, or as near it as it was prudent to
approach in this dreadful storm. The night was too dark for them to
distinguish the vessel; but as the gun was fired at intervals, the flash
enabled them to see that she was not far from the rocks, on which she
might strike at any moment, and all must perish; for no boat could go
out to their rescue, nor could a boat from the vessel live a single
moment in such a sea.
Although the watchers remained some hundreds of yards from the Point,
the sea dashed up every now and then against the high cliff, and
drenched them with its spray; but still they continued to watch--their
lanterns giving out a dim line of light as they stood closely packed
together, sheltering one another from the wind and rain. Another gun was
fired, and the watchers saw that the vessel was close upon the breakers.
A dreadful shriek was now borne towards them by the wind, which was
blowing towards the shore, and now they knew that all was over and that
the vessel had struck, and was most likely dashed in pieces.
Nothing more could be done till daylight appeared; so many of the
watchers sought the shelter of the rocks to wait for it, in order to
begin their work; for with that wind, and the tide beating in, the
contents of the vessel must wash on shore very quickly. The crew must
all have perished,--of that there was no doubt. The dreadful shriek
they had heard was that of the drowning crew. The only anxiety now was
concerning the valuables which might come in with the tide.
As the day dawned, the storm abated a little, and, towards morning, many
of the villagers were seen approaching the Point;--among them, Mr.
Freeman was conspicuous. He came along feebly, keeping the even tenor of
his way,--now speaking to one, and then to another, as he was overtaken
and passed on the road by the more energetic and youthful of the
wreckers, who were all too intent upon the gains in prospect to pay much
attention to an infirm man, although they knew not in their haste and
thoughtlessness that their actions were watched and noted down in the
memory of one who did not often forget a slight.
Long before it could properly be said to be daylight, the approaches to
the little cove were covered with people, watching for the prizes which
they expected every wave would wash in. The beautiful white sand was
covered with foam, and frequently a huge wave would come dashing in and
break beneath the very feet of the most daring and reckless of the
watchers, who had approached to the verge of the rocks which bounded the
innermost circle of the cove.
No one, as yet, could venture on the sand with safety, and it was yet
too dark for the watchers to see far before them, for the daylight on
that tempestuous morning was a long time making its appearance. A long
and eventful year had just terminated, and the new year seemed very
unwilling to take up what the old year had left it to do; but the laws
of nature must be obeyed, and so the new year's morning came at last,
and, with it, the prizes so much coveted by the wreckers.
Timber, casks, and boxes (some empty and some full) came washed in to
the very feet of those who were standing on the lowest rocks; but,
before they could reach them, they were carried out again by the
receding tide. There were some adventurous enough, however, to make a
grasp at the prizes as they came rolling in; but they would have met
with a watery grave, had they not been held back by the more prudent. As
the tide ebbed, it left the little cove comparatively free from danger,
and then many prizes were seized and carried away by the eager finders.
Mr. Freeman having no wish or intention, apparently, to appropriate any
of the unfortunate sailors' property to himself, wandered about from one
place to the other, watching for the bodies that he knew must be washed
on shore soon, in order to ascertain, if possible, by the appearance of
the sailors, or from any papers they might have about them, the name of
the ship, and her cargo and destination. In the course of the day
several bodies were washed ashore; but, even in this short time, they
were so disfigured by the sharp-pointed rocks against which they had
been dashed by the angry sea, that there were no traces left in any of
them of the "human face divine," and even their clothes had been torn
off by the merciless rocks and waves.
In the course of his wandering along the coast, Mr. Freeman surprised
several parties dividing and disputing about the property which had been
washed on shore in different parts. Here would be seen, perhaps,
half-a-dozen men quarrelling about the possession of a cask of wine or
brandy, and, in the _melèe_, the top would be knocked in, whilst, in
their eagerness to get at its contents, the cask would be overturned,
and the whole contents spilt on the sand. In another place might be seen
half-a-score women squabbling about the possession of a cask of fruit or
provisions. At length, in turning a sharp point of rock, he came
suddenly on a man and two women who were kneeling on the sand between
two rocks, intently examining the contents of a large sea-chest which
they had broken open. Mr. Freeman stood behind a rock for a few minutes,
concealed from their view, and watched their proceedings, as, one by
one, they took the things out of the chest, with the evident intention
of dividing the spoil. He had not before interfered with any of the
wreckers in their unlawful plunder, but he now stepped forward and
commanded them to replace all the things in the chest and put on the
cover. The two women started to their feet at once (for there was a
superstitious dread among the people generally at being "ill-wished" by
"The Maister" if they thwarted him); while the man remained kneeling
over the chest, holding in his hands the last article which he had taken
from it, in seeming doubt as to whether he had better put it back or bid
defiance to the apparently feeble form before him, when Josiah Trenow
jumped over a rock into the little cranny, and asked what was the
matter.
"That chest," said Mr. Freeman, "must be taken care of; I have reasons
which I shall not make known at present. If you will get it taken to
some safe place, Josiah, I shall feel much obliged to you. In my own
house it will be safest, I think."
"By all mains, sar," replied Josiah; "the best place I do knaw es your
awn house, Maister. So come, boy," continued he, addressing the man, who
was still kneeling by the side of the chest, and looking with longing
eyes at its contents, which seemed very valuable, "you and I'll carr'n
up."
However reluctant the man was to relinquish the prize, he had not the
foolhardiness to oppose two such powerful antagonists. In stature and
physical strength and courage, Josiah Trenow was the acknowledged
champion of the parish, and very few men liked to be pitted against him,
either in the ring or in more serious combat; whilst Mr. Freeman's
well-known ability in foretelling the future and relieving those who
were possessed of evil spirits, and even ill-wishing people himself (as
they believed), rendered him an object of dread to the superstitious and
weak-minded, of which there were not a few in those days. Josiah had not
much difficulty, therefore, in procuring sufficient assistance to carry
the chest to Mr. Freeman's house.