In which affairs begin to wind up.
There are few people whose vindictive feelings are not satisfied with
the death of the party against whom those feelings have been excited.
The eyes of all on deck (that is all except one) were at first directed
to the struggling Vanslyperken, and then, as if sickened at the sight of
his sufferings, were turned away with a feeling very near akin to
compassion.
One only looked or never thought of Vanslyperken, and that one was
Smallbones, who watched the kicking and plunging of his natural enemy,
Snarleyyow. Gradually, the dog relaxed his exertions, and Smallbones
watched, somewhat doubtful, whether a dog who had defied every other
kind of death, would condescend to be hanged. At last, Snarleyyow was
quite still. He appeared nearly to have gone to--"Where the wicked cease
from troubling, and the weary are at rest."
"He won't a cum to life any more this time," said Smallbones; "but I'll
not let you out of my hands yet. They say a cat have nine lives, but, by
gum, some dogs have ninety."
There was a dead silence on the deck of the cutter for a quarter of an
hour, during which the bodies remained suspended. A breeze then came
sweeping along and ruffled the surface of the water. This was of too
great importance to allow of further delay. Sir Robert desired the
seamen of the _Yungfrau_ to come aft, told them he should take their
cutter to Cherbourg, to land the Women and his own people, and that then
they would be free to return to Portsmouth; all that he requested of
them was to be quiet and submissive during the short time that he and
his party were on board. Coble replied for the ship's company--"As for
the matter of that 'ere--there was no fear of their being quiet enough
when there were more than two to one against them; but that, in fact,
they had no animosity: for even if they did feel a little sore at what
had happened, and their messmates being wounded, what was swinging at
the yard-arm made them all friends again. The gentleman might take the
cutter where he pleased, and might use her as long as he liked, and when
he had done with her it was quite time enough to take her back to
Portsmouth."
"Well, then, as we understand one another, we had now better make
sail," said Sir Robert. "Cut away that rope," continued he, pointing to
the whip by which Vanslyperken's body was suspended.
Jansen stepped forward with his snickasee, the rope was divided at once,
and the body of the departed Vanslyperken plunged into the wave and
disappeared.
"They mayn't cut this tho'!" cried Smallbones. "I'll not trust
him--Jemmy, my boy, get up a pig of ballast. I'll sink him fifty fathoms
deep, and then if so be he cum up again, why then I give it up for a
bad job."
Jemmy brought up the pig of ballast, the body of Snarleyyow was lowered
on board, and, after having been secured with divers turns of the rope
to the piece of iron, was plunged by Smallbones into the wave.
"There," said Smallbones, "I don't a think that he will ever bite me any
more, anyhow; there's no knowing though. Now I'll just go down and see
if my bag be to be found, and then I'll dress myself like a Christian."
The cutter flew before the breeze which was on her quarter, and now that
the hanging was over the females came on deck. One of the Jesuit priests
was a good surgeon, and attended to the wounded men, who all promised to
do well, and as Bill Spurey said,
"They'd all dance yet at the corporal's wedding."
"I say corporal, if we only could go to Amsterdam instead of going to
Portsmouth."
"Mein Gott, yes;" replied the corporal, and acting upon this idea, he
went aft and entered into conversation with Ramsay, giving him a detail
of the affair with the widow and of her having gone to the Hague to
accuse Vanslyperken, ending with expressing his wish of himself and the
crew that they might go to the Hague instead of going to Portsmouth.
Nothing could please Ramsay better. He was most anxious to send a letter
to Mynheer Krause to inform him of the safety of his daughter, and he
immediately answered that they might go if they pleased.
"Mein Gott--but how, mynheer--we no have the excuse."
"But I'll give you one," replied Ramsay--"you shall go to the Hague."
The corporal touched his hat with the greatest respect, and walked
forward to communicate this good news. The crew of the _Yungfrau_ and
the conspirators or smugglers were soon on the best of terms, and as
there was no one to check the wasteful expenditure of stores and no one
accountable, the liquor was hoisted up on the forecastle, and the night
passed in carousing.
"Well, he did love his dog after all," said Jemmy Ducks.
"And he's got his love with him," replied one of the smugglers.
"Now, Jemmy, let's have a song."
"It must be without the fiddle then," replied Jemmy, "for that's jammed
up with the baggage--so here goes,"
I've often heard the chaplain say, when Davey Jones is nigh,
That we must call for help in need, to Providence on high,
But then he said, most plainly too, that we must do our best,
Our own exertions failing, leave to Providence the rest.
I never thought of this much till one day there came on board,
A chap who ventur'd to join as _seaman_ by the Lord!
His hair hung down like reef points, and his phiz was very queer,
For his mouth was like a shark's, and turn'd down from ear to ear.
He hadn't stow'd his hammock, not much longer than a week,
When he swore he had a call, and the Lord he was to seek.
Now where he went to seek the Lord, I can't at all suppose,
'Twas not on deck for there I'm sure, he never show'd his nose.
He would not read the Bible, it warn't good enough for him,
The course we steered by that he said, would lead us all to sin;
That we were damn'd and hell would gape, he often would us tell,
I know that when I heard his jaw, it made me gape like hell.
A storm came on, we sprung a leak, and sorely were we tired,
We plied the pumps, 'twas spell and spell, with lots of work beside;
And what d'ye think this beggar did, the trick I do declare,
He called us all to leave the pumps and join with him in prayer.
At last our boatswain Billy, who was a thund'ring Turk,
Goes up to him and says, "My man, why don't you do your work?"
"Avaunt you worst of sinners, I must save my soul," he cried,
"Confound your soul," says Billy, "then you shall not save your hide."
Acquaintance then he made soon with the end of the fore-brace,
It would have made you laugh to see his methodisty face;
He grinn'd like a roast monkey, and he howl'd like a baboon,
He had a dose from Billy, that he didn't forget soon.
"Take that," said Billy, when he'd done, "and now you'll please
to work,
I read the Bible often--but I don't my duty shirk,
The pumps they are not choked yet, nor do we yet despair,
When all is up or we are saved, we'll join with you in player."
"And now we'll have one from the other side of the house," said Moggy,
as soon as the plaudits were over.
"Come then, Anthony, you shall speak for us, and prove that we can sing
a stave as well as honester men."
"With all my heart, William;--here's my very best."
The smuggler then sang as follows:
Fill, lads, fill;
Fill, lads, fill.
Here we have a cure
For every ill.
If fortune's unkind
As the north-east wind,
Still we must endure,
Trusting to our cure,
In better luck still.
Drink, boys, drink;
Drink, boys, drink.
The bowl let us drain
With right good will.
If women deceive
Why should we grieve?
Forgetting our pain,
Love make again,
With better luck still.
Sing, lads, sing;
Sing, lads, sing.
Our voices we'll raise;
Be merry still;
If dead to-morrow,
We brave all sorrow.
Life's a weary maze--
When we end our days,
'Tis better luck still.
As the wounded men occupied the major part of the lower deck, and there
was no accommodation for the numerous party of men and women on board,
the carousing was kept up until the next morning, when, at daylight, the
cutter was run into Cherbourg. The officers who came on board, went on
shore with the report that the cutter belonged to the English
government, and had been occupied by Sir Robert and his men, who were
well known. The consequence was, an order for the cutter to leave the
port immediately, as receiving her would be tantamount to an aggression
on the part of France. But this order, although given, was not intended
to be rigidly enforced, and there was plenty of time allowed for Sir
Robert and his people to land with their specie and baggage.
Ramsay did not forget his promise to the corporal. He went to the French
authorities, stated the great importance of his forwarding a letter to
Amsterdam immediately, and that the way it might be effected would be
very satisfactory. That, aware that King William was at the Hague, they
should write a letter informing him of the arrival of the cutter; and
that his Majesty might not imagine that the French government could
sanction such outrages, they had sent her immediately on to him, under
the charge of one of their officers, to wait upon his Majesty, and
express their sentiments of regret that such a circumstance should have
occurred. The authorities were aware that, to obey Sir Robert would not
be displeasing to the court of Versailles, and that the excuse for so
doing could only be taken as a compliment to the English court,
therefore acted upon this suggestion. A French officer was sent on board
of the cutter with the despatch, and Ramsay's letter to Mynheer Krause
was committed to the charge of the corporal.
Before the sun had set, the _Yungfrau_ was again at sea, and, on the
third morning, anchored in her usual berth off the town of Amsterdam.