[Illustration]

WILLIS THE PILOT, A Sequel to the Swiss Family Robinson:

OR, ADVENTURES OF AN EMIGRANT FAMILYWRECKED ON AN UNKNOWN COAST OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 

INTERSPERSED WITH

TALES, INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL, AND ILLUSTRATIONS OFNATURAL HISTORY. 

BOSTON:LEE AND SHEPARD, PUBLISHERS. NEW YORK:LEE, SHEPARD AND DILLINGHAM. 1875. 

LITHOTYPED BY COWLES AND COMPANYAt the Office of the American Stereotype Company, PHOENIX BUILDING, BOSTON. 

ILLUSTRATED BY KILBURN & MALLORY

PREFACE. 

The love of adventure that characterises the youth of the present day, and the growing tendency of the surplus European population to seekabroad the comforts that are often denied at home, gives absorbinginterest to the narratives of old colonists and settlers in thewonderful regions of the New World. Accordingly, the work known as the_Swiss Family Robinson_ has long enjoyed a well-merited popularity, and has been perused by a multitude of readers, young and old, withprofit as well as pleasure. 

A Swiss clergyman resolved to better his fortune by emigration. Infurtherance of this resolution, he embarked with his wife and foursons--the latter ranging from eight to fifteen years of age--for oneof the newly-discovered islands in the Pacific Ocean. As far as thecoast of New Guinea the voyage had been favorable, but here a violentstorm arose, which drove the ill-fated vessel out of its course, andfinally cast it a wreck upon an unknown coast. The family succeeded inextricating themselves from the stranded ship, and landed safely onshore; but the remaining passengers and crew all perished. For manyyears these six individuals struggled alone against a variety oftrials and privations, till at length another storm brought theEnglish despatch-boat _Nelson_ within reach of their signals. Such isa brief outline of the events recorded in the _Swiss Family Robinson_. 

The present volume is virtually a continuation of this narrative. Thecareers of the four sons--Frank, Ernest, Fritz, and Jack--are taken upwhere the preceding chronicler left them off. The subsequentadventures of these four young men, by flood and field, are faithfullydetailed. With these particulars are mingled the experiences ofanother interesting family that afterwards became dwellers in the sameterritory; as are also the sayings and doings of a weather-beatensailor--Willis the Pilot. 

The scene is laid chiefly in the South Seas, and the narrativeillustrates the geography and ethnology of that section of theFar-West. The difficulties, dangers, and hardships to be encounteredin founding a new colony are truthfully set forth, whilst it is shownhow readily these are overcome by perseverance and intelligent labor. It will be seen that a liberal education has its uses, even undercircumstances the least likely to foster the social amenities, andthat, too, not only as regards the mental well-being of itspossessors, but also as regards augmenting their material comforts. 

In the _Swiss Family Robinson_ the resources of Natural History havebeen largely, and perhaps somewhat freely, drawn upon. This branch ofknowledge has, therefore, been left throughout the present volumecomparatively untouched. Nevertheless, as it is the aim of thenarrator to combine instruction with amusement, the more elementaryphenomena of the Physical Sciences have been blended with the currentof the story--thus garnishing, as it were, the dry, hard facts ofOwen, Liebig, and Arago, with the more attractive, groupings of lifeand action. 

The reader has, consequently, in hand a _mélange_ of the useful andagreeable--a little for the grave and a little for the gay--so that, should our endeavors to impart instruction prove unavailing, _enrevanche_ we may, perhaps, be more successful in our efforts to amuse. 

CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

The Colony--Reflections on the Past--Ideas of Willis the Pilot--SophiaWolston

CHAPTER II. 

To what extent Willis the Pilot had Ideas on certain Subjects--TheKnights of the Ocean

CHAPTER III. 

Wherein Willis the Pilot proves "Irrefragably" that Ephemerides die ofConsumption and Home-Sickness--The Canoe and its Young ones--TheSearch after the Sloop--Found--The Sword-Fish--Floating Atoms--AdmiralSocrates

CHAPTER IV. 

A Landscape--Sad Houses and Smiling Houses--Politeness in China--EightSoups at Dessert--Wind Merchants--Another Idea of the Pilot's--Susan, vice Sophia

CHAPTER V. 

Allotment of Quarters--A Horse Marine--Travelling Plants--Change ofDynasty in England--A Woman's Kingdom--Sheep converted intoChops--Resurrection of the Fried Fish--A Secret

CHAPTER VI. 

The Queen's Doll--Rockhouse to Falcon's Nest--TheWind--Grasses--Admiral Homer--The Three Frogs--Oat Jelly--EsquimauxAstronomy--An Unknown

CHAPTER VII. 

The Search for the Unknown--Three Fleets on Dry Land--TheIndiscretions of a Sugar Cane--Larboard and Starboard--The supposedSensibility of Plants--The Fly-trap--Vendetta--Root and Germ--Mine andCountermine--The Polypi--Oviparous and Viviparous--A Quid pro Quo

CHAPTER VIII. 

Inhabitant of the Moon, Anthropophagian or Hobgoblin?--The LacedemonianStew of Madame Dacier--Utile Dulci--Tête-à-tête between Willis andhis Pipe--Tobacco versus Birch--Is it for Eating?--Mosquitoes--TheAlarm--Toby--The Nocturnal Expedition--We've got him

CHAPTER IX. 

The Chimpanzee--Imperfect Negro, or Perfect Ape--The Harmonies ofNature--A Handful of Paws--A Stone Skin--Seventeen Spectacles on oneNose--Animalculæ--Pelion on Ossa--Ptolemy--Copernicus toGalileo--Metaphysics and Cosmogonies--A live Tiger

CHAPTER X. 

The Pioneers--Excursion to Coromandel--Hindoo Fancies--A CagedHunter--Louis XI and Cardinal Balue--A Furlong of News--Carnage--TheBaronet and his seventeen Tigers--Fifty-four feet of Celebrity--Sterne'sWindow--Promenade of the Consciences--Emulation and Vanity

CHAPTER XI. 

On the Watch--Fecundity of Plants and Animals--Latest News from theMoon--A Death-Knell every Second--The Inconveniences of being too nearthe Sun--Narcotics--Willis contralto--Hunting turned upsidedown--Electric Clouds--Partialities of Lightning--Bells andBellringers--Conducting Rods--The Return--The Two Sisters--Tobybecomes a Dragoman

CHAPTER XII. 

Man proposes, but God disposes--The Choice of aProfession--Conqueror--Orator--Astronomer--Composer--Painter--Poet--VillageCurate--The Kafirs--Occupations of Women--The Alpha and Omega of theSea

CHAPTER XIII. 

Herbert and Cecilia--The little Angels--A Catastrophe--TheDeparture--Marriage of the Doge with the Adriatic--Sovereigns of theSea--Dante and Beatrix--Eleonora and Tasso--Laura and Petrarch--TheReturn--Surprises--What one finds in Turbots--A Horror--ThePrice of Crime--Ballooning--Philipson and the Cholera--AMetamorphosis--Adventure of the Chimpanzee--Are you Rich?

CHAPTER XIV. 

The Tears of Childhood and Rain of the Tropics--Charles'Wain--Voluntary Enlistment--A Likeness Guaranteed--The World atPeace--Alas, poor Mary!--The same Breath for two Beings--The firstPillow--The Logic of the Heart--How Fritz supported Grief--A Grain ofSand and the Himalaya

CHAPTER XV. 

God's Government--King Stanislaus--The Dauphin son of Louis XV. --Theshortest Road--New Year's Day--A Miracle--Clever Animals--TheCalendar--Mr. Julius Cæsar and Pope Gregory XIII. --How the day afterthe 4th of October was the 15th--Olympiads--Lustres--The Hegira--AHorse made Consul--Jack's Dream

CHAPTER XVI. 

Separation--Guelphs and Ghibelines--Montagues andCapulets--Sadness--The Reunion--Jocko and his Education--TheEntertainments of a King--The Mules of Nero and the Asses ofPoppæa--Hercules and Achilles--Liberty and Equality--Semiramis andElizabeth--Christianity and the Religion of Zoroaster--The WillisonianMethod--Moral Discipline versus Birch

CHAPTER XVII. 

Where there's a Will there's a Way--Mucius Scævola--What's to bedone?--Brutus Torquatus and Peter the Great--Australia, Botany Bay, and the Flying Dutchman--New Guinea and the Buccaneer--Vancouver'sIsland--White Skins--Danger of Landing on a Wave--Hanged orDrowned--Route to Happiness--Omens

CHAPTER XVIII. 

Bacon and Biscuit--Let Sleeping Dogs Lie--The Paternal Benediction--AnApparition--A Mother not easily deceived--The Adieu--The EmperorConstantine--hoc signo vinces--The Sailor's Postscript--Cæsar and hisFortunes--Recollections--Mrs. Becker plucks Stockings and KnitsOrtolans--How delightful it is to be Scolded--The Bodies vanish, butthe Souls remain

CHAPTER XIX. 

Eighteen Hundred and Twelve--The _Mary_--Count Ugolino--The Sources ofRivers--The Alps demolished--No more Pyrenees--The First Ship--AdmiralNoah--Fleets of the Israelites--The Compass--Printing--Gunpowder--Actiumand Salamis--Dido and Æolus--Steam--Don Garay and Roger Bacon--Melchthal, Furst, and William Tell--Going a-pleasuring--Upset versus blown up--ADead Calm--The Log--Willis's Archipelago--The Island of Sophia--The BreadFruit-tree--Natives of Polynesia--Striped Trowsers--Abduction ofWillis--Is he to be Roasted or Boiled?--When the Wine is poured out, we must Drink it

CHAPTER XX. 

Jupiter Tonans--The Thunders of the Pilot--Worshippers of theFar West--A late Breakfast--Rono the Great--A PolynesianLegend--Manners and Customs of Oceanica Mr. And Mrs. Tamaidi--RegalPomp--Elbow Room--Katzenmusik--Queen Tonico and the ShavingGlass--Consequences of a Pinch of Snuff--Disgrace of the GreatRono--Marins--Coriolanus--Hannibal--Alcibiades--Cimon--Aristides--ASop for the Thirsty--Air something else besides Oxygen andHydrogen--Maryland and Whitechapel--Half-way up the Cordilleras--HumanMachines--Star of the Sea, pray for us!

CHAPTER XXI. 

Lying-to--Heart and Instinct--Sparrows viewed asConsumers--Migrations--Posting a Letter in thePacific--Cannibals--Adventures of a Locket

CHAPTER XXII. 

The Utility of Adversity--An Encounter--The _Hoboken_--Bill alias Bob

CHAPTER XXIII. 

In which Willis shows, that the term Press-gang means something elsebesides the Gentlemen of the Press

CHAPTER XXIV. 

Another Idea of the Pilot's--The _Boudeuse_

CHAPTER XXV. 

Delhi--William of Normandy and King John--Isabella of Bavaria and Joanof Arc--Poitier and Bovines--History of a Ghost, a Gridiron, and aChest of Guineas

CHAPTER XXVI. 

Willis falls in with the Sloop on terra firma, instead of at thebottom of the Sea, as might have been expected--Admiral Cicero--TheDefunct not yet Dead

CHAPTER XXVII. 

Captain Littlestone is found, and the Rev. Mr. Wolston is seen for thefirst time

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

Willis proves that the only way to be free is to get sent toPrison--An Escape--A Discovery--Promotions--Somnambulism

Conclusion

CHAPTER I. 

THE COLONY--REFLECTIONS ON THE PAST--IDEAS OF WILLIS THE PILOT--SOPHIAWOLSTON. 

The early adventures of the Swiss family, who were wrecked on anunknown coast in the Pacific Ocean, have already been given to theworld. There are, however, many interesting details in theirsubsequent career which have not been made public. These, and theconversations with which they enlivened the long, dreary days of therainy season, we are now about to lay before our readers. 

Becker, his wife, and their four sons had been fifteen years on thisuninhabited coast, when a storm drove the English despatch sloop_Nelson_ to the same spot. Before this event occurred, the family hadcleared and enclosed a large extent of country; but, whether theterritory was part of an island or part of a continent, they had notyet ascertained. The land was naturally fertile; and, amongst otherthings that had been obtained from the wreck of their ship, weresundry packages of European seeds: the produce of these, together withthat of two or three heads of cattle they had likewise rescued fromthe wreck, supplied them abundantly with the necessaries of life. Theyhad erected dwellings here and there, but chiefly lived in a cave nearthe shore, over the entrance to which they had built a sort ofgallery. This structure, conjointly with the cave, formed a commodioushabitation, to which they had given the name of _Rockhouse_. In thevicinity, a stream flowed tranquilly into the sea; this stream theywere accustomed to call _Jackal River_, because, a few days aftertheir landing, they had encountered some of these animals on itsbanks. Fronting Rockhouse the coast curved inwards, the headlands oneither side enclosing a portion of the ocean; to this inlet they hadgiven the name of _Safety Bay_, because it was here they first feltthemselves secure after having escaped the dangers of the storm. Inthe centre of the bay there was a small island which they called_Shark's Island_, to commemorate the capture of one of those monstersof the deep. Safely Bay, had, a second time, acquired a legitimatetitle to its name, for in it Providence had brought the _Nelson_safely to anchor. 

By unwearying perseverance, indefatigable industry, and an untiringreliance on the goodness of God, Becker and his family had surroundedthemselves with abundance. There was only one thing left for them todesire, and that was the means of communicating with their kindred;and now this one wish of their hearts was gratified by the unexpectedappearance of the _Nelson_ on their shore. The fifteen years of exilethey had so patiently endured was at once forgotten. Every bosom wasfilled with boundless joy; so true it is, that man only requires a rayof sunshine to change his most poignant griefs into smiles andgladness. 

The first impressions of their deliverance awakened in the minds ofthe young people a flood of projects. The mute whisperings thatmurmured within them had divulged to their understandings that theywere created for a wider sphere than that in which they had hithertobeen confined. Europe and its wonders--society, with its endearinginterchanges of affection--that vast panorama of the arts and ofcivilization, of the trivial and the sublime, of the beautiful andterrible, that is called the world--came vividly into their thoughts. They felt as a man would feel when dazzled all at once by a spectacle, the splendor of which the eyes and the mind can only withstand bydegrees. They had spelt life in the horn-book of true and simplenature--they were now about to read it fluently in the gilded volumeof a nature false and vitiated, perhaps to regret their formertranquil ignorance. 

Becker himself had, for an instant, given way to the generalenthusiasm, but reflection soon regained her sway; he asked himselfwhether he had solid reasons for wishing to return to Europe, whetherit would be advisable to relinquish a certain livelihood, and abandona spot that God appeared to bless beyond all others, to run after thedoubtful advantages of civilized society. 

His wife desired nothing better than to end her days there, under thebeautiful sky, where, from the bosom of the tempest, they had beenguided by the merciful will of Him who is the source of all things. Still the solitude frightened her for her children. "Might it not, "she asked herself, "be egotism to imprison their young lives in thenarrow limits of maternal affection?" It occurred to her that thedangers to which they were constantly exposed might remove them fromher; to-day this one, to-morrow another; what, then, would be her owndesolation, when there remained to her no bosom on which to rest herhead--no heart to beat in unison with her own--no kindly hand tograsp--and no friendly voice to pray at her pillow, when she wascalled away in her turn!

At length, after mature deliberation, it was resolved that Beckerhimself, his wife, Fritz and Jack, two of their sons, should remainwhere they were, whilst the two other young men should return toEurope with a cargo of cochineal, pearls, coral, nutmegs, and otherarticles that the country produced of value in a commercial point ofview. It was, however, understood that one of the two should returnagain as soon as possible, and bring back with him any of hiscountrymen who might be induced to become settlers in this land ofpromise, Becker hoping, by this means, to found a new colony whichmight afterwards flourish under the name of _New Switzerland_. Themission to Europe was formally confided to Frank and Ernest, the twomost sedate of the family. 

Besides the captain and crew, there was on board the ship now ridingat anchor in the bay a passenger, named Wolston, with his wife and twodaughters. This gentleman was on his way to join his son at the Capeof Good Hope, but had been taken seriously ill previous to the_Nelsons_ arrival on the coast. He and his family were invited onshore by Becker, and had taken up their quarters at Rockhouse. Wolston was an engineer by profession, but his wife belonged to ahighly aristocratic family of the West of England; she had beenbrought up in a state of ease and refinement, was possessed of all theaccomplishments required in fashionable society, but she was at thesame time gifted with strong good sense, and could readily accommodateherself to the circumstances in which she was now placed. Her twodaughters, Sophia the youngest, a lively child of thirteen, and Marythe eldest, a demure girl of sixteen, had been likewise carefully, butsomewhat elaborately, educated. Attracted no less by the hearty andwarm reception of the Swiss family, than determined by the state ofhis health and the pure air of the country, Wolston resolved to awaitthere the return of the sloop, the official destination of which wasthe Cape of Good Hope, where it had to land despatches from Sidney. 

Captain Littlestone, of H. B. M. 's sloop _Nelson_, had kindly consentedto all these arrangements; he agreed to convey Ernest and Frank Beckerand their cargo to the Cape, to aid them there with his experience, and, finally, to recommend them to some trustworthy correspondents hehad at Liverpool. He likewise promised to bring back young Wolstonwith him on his return voyage. 

Everything being prepared, the departure was fixed for the next day:the sloop, with the blue Peter at the fore, was ready, as soon as theanchor was weighed, to continue her voyage. The cargo had been stowedunder hatches. Becker had just given the farewell dinner to CaptainLittlestone and Lieutenant Dunsley, his second in command. These twogentlemen had discreetly taken their leave, not to interrupt by theirpresence the final embraces of the family, the ties of which, after somany long years of labor and hardship, were for the first time to bebroken asunder. 

During the voyage, Wolston had formed an intimacy with the boatswainof the _Nelson_, named Willis, and he, on his side, held Wolston andhis family in high esteem. Willis was likewise a great favorite withhis captain--they had served in the same ship together when boys;Willis was known to be a first-rate seaman; so great, indeed, was hisskill in steering amongst reefs and shoals, that he was familiarlystyled the "Pilot, " by which cognomen he was better known on boardthan any other. At the particular request of Wolston, who had somecommunications to make to him respecting his son, Willis remained onshore, the captain promising to send his gig for him and his twopassengers the following morning. 

Whilst Wolston was busy charging the pilot with a multitude ofmessages for his son, Mrs. Becker was invoking the blessings of Heavenupon the heads of her two boys; praying that the hour might bedeferred that was to separate her from these idols of her soul. Beckerhimself, upon whom his position, as head of the family, imposed theobligation of exhibiting, at least outwardly, more courage, instilledinto their minds such principles of truth and rules of conduct as thesolemnity of the moment was calculated to engrave on their hearts. 

The dial now marked three o'clock, tropical time. Willis, wiping, withthe cuff of his jacket, a drop that trickled from the corner of hiseye, laid hold of his seal-skin sou'-wester as a signal of immediatedeparture. Ernest and Frank were bending their heads to receive theparting benediction of their parents, when suddenly a fierce torrentof wind shook the gallery of Rockhouse to its foundation, and uprootedsome of the bamboo columns by which it was supported. 

"Only a squall, " said Willis quietly. 

"A squall!" exclaimed Becker, "what do you call a hurricane then?"

"Oh, a hurricane, I mean a downright reefer, all square andclose-hauled, that is a very different affair; but, after all, thisbegins to look very like the real article. "

Now came a succession of gusts, each succeeding one more powerful thanits predecessor, till every beam of the gallery bent and quivered;dense copper-colored clouds appeared in the atmosphere, rollingagainst each other, and disengaging by their shock, the thunder andlightnings. Then fell, not the slender needles of water we call rain, but veritable floods, that were to our heaviest European showers whatthe cataracts of the Rhine, at Staubach, or the falls of Niagara, areto the gushings of a sylvan rivulet. In a few minutes the Jackal riverhad converted the valley into a lake, in which the plantations andbuildings appeared to be afloat, and rendering egress from Rockhousenearly impossible. 

However much of a colorist Willis might be, he could not have painteda storm with the eloquence of the elements that had cut short hisobservation. 

"You will not attempt to embark in weather like this?" inquired Mrs. Becker anxiously. 

"My duty it is to be on board, " replied the Pilot. 

"The craft that ventures to take you there will get swamped twentytimes on the way, " observed Becker. 

"The worst of it is, the wind is from the east, and evidently carrieswaterspouts with it. These waterspouts strike a ship without theslightest warning, play amongst the rigging, whirl the sails aboutlike feathers--sometimes carry them off bodily, or, if they do not dothat, tear them to shreds and shiver the masts. In either case, theconsequences are disagreeable. "

"A reason for you to be thankful you are safe on shore with us!"remarked Mrs. Wolston. 

"It is all very well for you, Mrs. Wolston, and you, Mrs. Becker, totalk in that way; your business in life is that of wives and mothers. But what will the Lords of the Admiralty say, when they hear that thesloop _Nelson_ was wrecked whilst Master Willis, the boatswain, wasskulking on shore like a land-rat?"

"Oh, they would only say there was one useful man more, and a victimthe less, " replied Fritz. 

"Why, not exactly, Master Fritz; they would say that Willis was apoltroon or a deserter, whichever he likes; they would very likelycondemn him to the yard-arm by default, and carry out the operationwhen they get hold of him. But I will not endanger any one else; all Iwant is the use of your canoe. "

"What! brave this storm in a wretched seal-skin cockle-shell likethat?"

"Would it not be offending Providence, " hazarded Mary Wolston, "forone of God's creatures to abandon himself to certain death?"

"It would, indeed, " added Mrs. Wolston; "true courage consists infacing danger when it is inevitable, but not in uselessly imperilingone's life; there stops courage, and temerity begins. "

"If it is not pride or folly. I do not mean that with reference toyou, Willis, " hastily added Wolston; "I know that you are open as day, and that all your impulses arise from the heart. "

"That is all very fine--but I must act; let me have the canoe. I wantthe canoe: that is my idea. "

"Having lived fifteen years cut off from society, " gravely observedBecker, "it may be that I have forgotten some of the laws it imposes;nevertheless, I declare upon my honor and conscience--"

"Let me have the canoe, otherwise I must swim to the ship. "

"I declare, " continued Becker, "that Willis exaggerates therequirements of his duty. There are stronger forces to which the humanwill must yield. It is one thing to desert one's post in the hour ofdanger, and another to have come on shore at the express desire of asuperior officer, when the weather was fine, and nothing presaged astorm. "

"If there is danger, " continued the obstinate sailor, whom the unitedstrength of the four men could scarcely restrain, "I ought to shareit; that is my duty and I must. "

"But, " said Wolston, "all the boatswains and pilots in the world cando nothing against hurricanes and waterspouts; their duty consists insteering the ship clear of reefs and quicksands, and not in fightingwith the elements. "

"There is one thing you forget, Mr. Wolston. "

"And what is that, Willis?"

"It is to be side by side with your comrades in the hour of calamity, to aid them if you can, and to perish with them if such be the will ofFate. At this moment, poor Littlestone may be on the point of takingup his winter quarters in the body of a shark. But there, if thesloop is lost while I am here on shore, I will not survive her; allthat you can say or do will not prevent me doing myself justice. "

At this moment Jack, who had disappeared during this discussion, unobserved, came in saturated to the skin with water, and in a statedifficult to describe. Like the boots of Panurge, his feet werefloating in the water that flowed from the rim of his cap. 

"What is this?" exclaimed his mother. "You wilful boy, may I askwhere, in all the world, you have been?"

"I have just come from the bay. O father and mother! O Mr. And Mrs. Wolston! O Master Willis! if you had only seen! The sea is furious;sometimes the waves rise to the skies and mingle with the clouds, sothat it is impossible to say where the one begins and the other ends. It is frightful, but it is magnificent!"

"And the sloop?" demanded Willis. 

"She is not to be seen; she is no longer at anchor in the bay. "

"Gone to the open sea, to avoid being driven ashore, " said Wolston. "Captain Littlestone is not the man to remain in a perilous positionwhilst there remained a means of escape; besides, nothing thatscience, united with courage and presence of mind, could do, wouldhave been neglected by him to save his ship. "

"In addition to which, " observed Becker, "if he had found himself inpositive danger, he would have fired a gun; and in that case, thoughwe are not pilots, every one of us would have hastened to hisassistance. "

"You see, Willis, " said Mrs. Wolston, "God comes to ease your mind;were we to allow you to go to the sloop now, the thing is simplyimpossible. "

"I have my own idea about that, " insisted Willis, whilst he keptbeating a tatoo on the isinglass window panes. 

Whilst thus chafing like a caged lion, Wolston's youngest daughterwent towards him, and gently putting her hand in his, said, "Sweetheart" (for so she had been accustomed to address him), "do youremember when, during the voyage, you used to look at me very closely, and that one evening I went boldly up to you and asked you why youdid so?"

"Yes, Miss Sophia, I recollect. "

"Do you remember the answer you gave me?"

"Yes, I told you that I had left in England, on her mother's bosom, alittle girl who would now be about your own age, and that I could notobserve the wind play amongst the curls of your fair hair withoutthinking of her, and that it sometimes made my breast swell like themizen-top-sail before the breeze. "

"Yes, and when I promised to keep out of your sight, not to reawakenyour grief, you told me it was a kind of grief that did you more goodthan harm, and that the more it made you grieve, the happier you wouldbe. "

"All true:" replied the sailor, whose excitement was melting awaybefore the soft tones of the child like hoar frost in the sunshine. 

"Then I promised to come and talk to you about your Susan every day;and did I not keep my word?"

"Certainly, Miss Sophia; and it is only bare justice to say that yougracefully yielded to all my fatherly whims, and even went so far asto wear a brown dress oftener than another, because I said that mylittle Susan wore that color the last time I kissed her. "

"Oh, but that is a secret, Willis. "

"Yes, but I am going to tell all our secrets--that is an idea of mine. You then went and learned Susan's mother's favorite song, with whichyou would sometimes sing me to sleep, like a great baby that I am, andmake me fancy that I was surrounded by my wife and daughter, and wascomfortably smoking my pipe in my own cottage, with a glass of grog atmy elbow. "

Willis said this so earnestly, that the smile called forth by theoddness of the remark scarcely dared to show itself on the lips of thelisteners. 

"Very well, " resumed the little damsel, "if you are not morereasonable, and if you keep talking of throwing your life away, I willnever again place my hand in yours as now; I shall not love you anymore, and shall find means of letting Susan's mother know that youwent away and killed yourself, and made her a widow. "

Men can only speak coldly and appeal to reason--logic is their panaceain argument. Women alone possess those inspirations, those simplewords without emphasis, that find their way directly to the heart, andfor which purpose God has doubtless endowed them with those soft, mildtones, whose melodies cause our most cherished resolutions to vanishin the air; like those massive stone gates we have seen in some of theold castles in Germany, that resist the most powerful effort to pushthem open, but which a spring of the simplest construction causes tomove gently on their formidable hinges. 

Willis was silent; but no openly-expressed submission could have beenmore eloquent than this mute acquiescence. 

In the meantime the tempest raged with increased fury, the windshowled, and the water splashed; it appeared at each shock as if theelements had reached the utmost limit of the terrific; that the sea, as the poet says, had lashed itself into exhaustion! But, anon, therecame another outburst more terrible still, to declare that, in hisanger as in his blessings, the All-Powerful has no other limit thanthe infinite. 

"If it is not in the power of human beings to aid the crew of the_Nelson_, " said Mrs. Becker kneeling, "there are other means moreefficacious which we are guilty in not having sought before. "

Every one followed this example, and it was a touching scene to beholdthe rough sailor yield submissively to the gentle violence of thechild's hand, and bend his bronzed and swarthy visage humbly besideher cherub head. 

CHAPTER II. 

TO WHAT EXTENT WILLIS THE PILOT HAD IDEAS ON CERTAIN SUBJECTS--THEKNIGHTS OF THE OCEAN. 

The storm continued to rage without intermission for three entiredays. During this interval, not only was it impossible to send thecanoe or pinnace to sea, but even to venture a step beyond thethreshold, so completely had the tempest broken up the burning soil, the thirst of which the great Disposer of all things had proportionedto the deluges that were destined to assuage it. 

All had at length yielded to bodily fatigue and mental anxiety, forthe seeming eternity of these three days and three nights had beenpassed in prayer, and in the most fearful apprehensions as to the fateof the _Nelson_ and her crew. 

Nothing in the horizon as yet indicated that the thunders were tiredof roaring, the clouds of rending themselves asunder, the winds ofhowling, or the waves of frantically beating on the cliffs. 

Towards evening the ladies had retired to the sick-room with a view ofseeking some repose. Becker, Willis, and the young men bivouacked inthe hall, where some mattresses and bear-skins had been laid down. Here it was arranged that, for the common safety, each during thenight should watch in turn. But about two in the morning, Ernest hadno sooner relieved Fritz than, fatigue overcoming his sense of duty, the poor fellow fell comfortably asleep, and he was soon perfectlyunconscious of all that was passing around him. 

Becker awoke first--it was broad daylight. "Where is Willis?" hecried, on getting up. 

"Holloa!" exclaimed Fritz, running towards the magazine, "the canoehas disappeared!"

In an instant all were on their feet. 

"Some one of you has fallen asleep then, " said Becker to his children;"for when the pilot watched I watched with him, and never lost sightof him for a moment. "

"I am the culprit, " said Ernest; "and if any mischief arises out ofthis imprudence, I shall never forgive myself. But who could havedreamt of any one being foolhardy enough to attempt the rescue of aship in a nutshell that scarcely holds two persons?"

"I pray Heaven that your sleepy-headedness may not result in the lossof human life! You see, my son, that there is no amount of duty, be itever so trifling in importance, that can be neglected with impunity. It is the concurrent devotion of each, and the sacrifices of one foranother, that constitutes and secures the mutual security. Society ona small, as on a large scale, is a chain of which each individual is alink, and when one fails the whole is broken. "

"I will go after him, " said Ernest. 

"Fritz and I will go with you, " added Frank. 

"No, " said Ernest; "I alone am guilty, and I wish alone to remedy myfault--that is, as far as possible. "

"I could not hide the canoe, " observed Fritz, "but I hid the oars, andI find them in their place. "

"That, perhaps, will have prevented him embarking, " remarked one ofthe boys. 

"A man like Willis, " replied Becker, "is not prevented carrying outhis intentions by such obstacles; he will have taken the first thingthat came to hand; but let us go. "

"What, father, am I not then to go alone, and so bear the penalty ofmy own fault?"

"No, Ernest, that would be to inflict two evils upon us instead ofone; it is sufficient that you have shown your willingness to do so. Besides, three will not be over many _to convince_ Willis, even if yetin time. "

"And mother? and the ladies?" inquired Fritz. 

"I shall leave Frank and Jack to see to them; a mere obstinate freak, or a catastrophe, it will be time enough, when over, to inform them ofthis new idea of the Pilot's. "

"It is something more than an idea this time, " remarked Jack. 

Just as Becker and his two sons were issuing from the grotto, thereport of a cannon-shot resounded through the air. 

Awoke and startled by the explosion, Becker's wife and Mrs. Wolstoncame running towards them. As for the girls, their guardian angel hadtoo closely enveloped them in its wings to admit of their sleep beingdisturbed. 

"The sloop on the coast!" said Frank; "for the sound is too distinctto come from a distance. "

"Unless Willis has got upon Shark's Island, " objected Fritz, runningtowards the terrace, armed with a telescope. "Just so; he is there, Isee him distinctly; he is recharging our four-pounder. "

"God be praised! you relieve my conscience of a great burden, " saidErnest, placing his hand on his breast. 

"He is going to discharge it, " cried Fritz--boom. Then a second shotreverberated in the air. 

"If Captain Littlestone be within hearing of that signal, he will besure to reply to it. " said Becker. "Listen!"

They hushed themselves in silence, each retaining his respiration, asif their object had been to hear the sound of a fly's wing rather thanthe report of a cannon. 

"Nothing!" said Becker sadly, at the expiration of a few minutes. 

"Nothing!" reiterated successively all the voices. 

"How in all the world did Willis contrive to get transported toShark's Island?" inquired Mrs. Becker. 

"Simply, wife, by watching when asleep, whilst one of our gentlemenslept when he watched. "

"Yes, mother, " said Ernest, "and if you would not have me blush beforeMrs. Wolston, you will not insist upon an explanation of the mystery. "

"Mrs. Wolston, " she replied, "is not so exacting as you seem to think, Master Ernest--the only difference that her presence here should makeamongst you is that you have two mothers instead of one. "

"That is, " said Mrs. Wolston smiling, "if Mrs. Becker has noobjections to dividing the office with me. "

"Shall I not have compensation in your daughters?" said Mrs. Becker, taking her by the hand. 

"Still, " interrupted Fritz, "I cannot yet conceive how Willis managedto reach Shark's Island in a wretched canoe, without oars, throughwaves that ought to have swallowed him up over and over again. "

"Bah!" exclaimed Jack; "what use has a pilot for oars?"

"There is a question! You, who modestly call yourself the besthorseman on the island, how would you do, if you had nothing to rideupon?"

"I could at least fall back upon broomsticks, " retorted theimperturbable Jack. "Besides, in Willis's case, the canoe was thesteed, the oars the saddle--nothing more. "

"We shall not stay here to solve the riddle, " said Becker; "the stormseems disposed to abate; and the more that it was unreasonable to facecertain destruction in a vain endeavor to assist a problematicalshipwreck, the more it is incumbent upon us now to go in quest of the_Nelson_. "

"But the sea will still be very terrible!" quickly added Mrs. Becker. 

"If all danger were over, wife, the enterprise would do us littlecredit. It is our duty to do the best we can, according to thestrength and means at our command. Fritz, Ernest, and Jack, go and puton your life-preservers--we shall take up Willis in passing. "

"I must not insist, " said Mrs. Becker; "the sacrifice would, indeed, be no sacrifice, if it could be easily borne; and yet--"

"Remember the time, wife, when I was obliged, in order to secure theprecious remains of our ship, to venture with our eldest sons on afloat of tubs, leaving you exposed, alone with a child of seven, tothe chance of eternal isolation!"

"That is very true, husband: I am unjust towards Providence, which hasnever ceased blessing us; but I am only a weak woman, and my heartoften gets the better of my head. "

"To-day I leave Frank with you; but, instead of your being hisprotector, as was the case fifteen years ago, he will be yours. Thenthere is Mrs. Wolston, her daughters, and husband, quite a new worldof sympathies and consolations, by which our island has been somiraculously peopled. "

"Go then, husband, and may God bring back in safety both the pinnaceand the _Nelson_!"

"By the way, Mrs. Wolston, how does our worthy invalid get on? We livein such a turmoil of events and consternations, that I must beg athousand pardons for not having asked after him before. "

"His sleep appears untroubled; and, notwithstanding all the terrors ofthe last few days, I entertain sanguine hopes of his immediaterecovery. "

"You will at least return before night?" said Mrs. Becker to herhusband. 

"Rely upon my not prolonging my stay beyond what the exigencies of theexpedition imperiously require. "

"Good gracious! what are these?" exclaimed Mrs. Wolston as the threebrothers entered, equipped in seal-gut trowsers, floating stays of thesame material, and Greenland caps. 

"The Knights of the Ocean, " replied Jack gravely, "who, like theheroes of Cervantes, go forth to redress the wrongs done by thetempest, and to break lances--oars, I mean--in favor of persecutedsloops. "

Mrs. Becker herself could scarcely refrain from smiling. 

Such is the power of the smile that, in season or out of season, itoften finds its way to the most pallid lips, in the midst of thegreatest disasters and the deepest grief. It appears as if alwayslistening at the door ready to take its place on the slightest notice. This diversion had the good effect of mixing a little honey with--ifthe expression may be used--the bitterness of the parting adieus. Becker took the lead in hiding his sorrow; the three youngGreenlanders tore themselves from the maternal embrace, andaffectionately kissed the hand held out to them by Mrs. Wolston. 

Then, between those that departed and those that remained behind, there was nothing more than the ties of recollection, the commonsadness, and the endless links of mutual affection. 

CHAPTER III. 

WHEREIN WILLIS THE PILOT PROVES "IRREFRAGABLY" THAT EPHEMERIDES DIE OFCONSUMPTION AND HOME-SICKNESS--THE CANOE AND ITS YOUNG ONES--THESEARCH AFTER THE SLOOP--FOUND--THE SWORD-FISH--FLOATING ATOMS--ADMIRALSOCRATES. 

When they had come within a short distance of the bay, Jack thought hesaw a large black creature moving in the bushes that lined the shore. 

"A sea monster!" he cried, levelling his musket; "I discovered it, andhave the right to the first shot. "

"No, sir, " said Fritz, whose keen eye was a sort of locomotivetelescope, "I object to that, for I do not want you to kill or woundmy canoe. "

"Nonsense, it moves. "

"Whether it moves or not, we shall all see by and by; but do you notobserve this monster's young ones gambolling by its side?"

"Which proves I am right, unless you mean to say your canoe has beenhatching, " and Jack again levelled his rifle. 

"Don't fire, it is the hat and jacket of Willis!"

"What!" exclaimed Ernest, "is the Pilot a triton then, that he coulddispense with the canoe?"

"Well, yes, unless the canoe has found its way back of its own accord, which would indeed make it an intelligent creature. "

"The Pilot has evidently reached Shark's Island by swimming, in spiteof surf and breakers--a feat almost without a parallel. "

"Bah!" said Ernest, parodying Jack's witticism about the oars, "whatdoes a pilot care about surf and breakers?"

Strongly moored in a creek of the Jackal River, and protected by abluff, forming a screen between it and the sea, the pinnace had in noway suffered from the storm. 

The swell was so violent, that they had a world of trouble in makingthe island; as they approached, Willis, who had made a speaking-trumpetby joining his hands round his mouth, was roaring out alternately, "starboard, " "larboard, " "hard-a-port, " just as if these terms hadnot been Hebrew to the impromptu mariners. 

At last, tired of holloaing, "Stop a bit, " he said, "I shall find aquicker way;" with that he threw himself directly into the sea, andcut through the waves towards them as if his arms had been driven by asteam engine. 

Arrived on board, he gave a vigorous turn to the tiller, laid hold ofthe sheet, let out a reef here, took in another there; the pinnace wassoon completely at his command, and behaved admirably; true, shepitched furiously, and the gunwale was under water at every plunge. Heheaded along the coast till the point beyond which Fritz had firstobserved the _Nelson_ was fairly doubled; some days before this pointwas called Cape Deliverance, it was now, perhaps, about to acquire theterm of Cape Disappointment, but for the moment its future designationwas in embryo. 

Leaping on the poop, Willis carefully scanned the horizon as the boatrose upon the summit of the waves; but seeing nothing, he at lastleapt down again with an expression of rage that, under othercircumstances, would have been irresistibly comic. Abandoning thedirection of the pinnace, he went and sat down on a bulk-head, andcovered his face with his hands, in an attitude of profounddesolation. 

"Willis! Willis!" cried Jack, "I shall tell Sophia. "

But there was neither the soft voice there, the caressing hand, northe sweet fascination of the young girl's presence, and Williscontinued immovable. 

Becker saw that his was one of those minds that grew less calm themore they were urged, and the excitement of which must be permitted towear itself out; he therefore beckoned his sons to leave him to hisown reflections. 

The wind still blew a gale, and the pinnace pitched heavily; but thesun was now beginning to break through the masses of lurid cloud, andthe air was becoming less and less charged with vapor. 

"I can descry nothing either, " said Becker; "and yet this is thedirection the storm must have driven the sloop. "

"The sea is very capricious, " suggested Fritz. 

"True, but not to the extent of carrying a ship against the wind. "

"Unfortunately, " said Jack, "it is not on sea as on land, where theslightest indications of an object lost may lead to its discovery; aword dropped in the ear of a passer-by might put you on the track, buthere it is no use saying, 'Sir, did you not see the _Nelson_ pass thisway?'"

"Fire a shot, " said Ernest; "it may perhaps be heard, now that the airis less humid. "

The two-pounder was ready charged; Fritz struck a light and set fireto a strip of mimosa bark, with which he touched the piece, and thereport boomed across the waters. 

Willis raised his head and listened anxiously, but soon dropped itagain, and resumed his former attitude of hopeless despair. 

"It may be, " said Ernest, "that the _Nelson_ hears our signal, thoughwe do not hear hers. "

"How can that be?" inquired Jack. 

"Why, very easily. Sound increases or diminishes in intensityaccording as the wind carries it on or retards it. "

"What, then, is sound, that the wind can blow it about, most learnedbrother?"

"It is a result of the compression of the air, that from itselasticity extends and expands, and which causes a sort of tremblingor undulation, similar to that which is observed in water when a stoneis thrown into it. "

"And you may add, " said Becker, "that bodies striking the air excitesonorous vibrations in this fluid; thus it rings under the lash thatstrikes it with violence, and whistles under the rapid impulsion of aswitch: it likewise becomes sonorous when it strikes itself with forceagainst any solid body, as the wind when it blows against the cordageof ships, houses, trees, and generally every object with which itcomes in contact. "

"I can understand, " replied Jack, "how this sonorous effect isproduced on the particles of air in immediate contact with the objectstruck; but how this sound is propagated, I do not see. "

"Very likely; but still it travels from particle to particle, in acircle, at the rate of three hundred and forty yards in a second. "

"Three hundred and forty yards in a second!" said Willis, who wasbeginning by degrees to recover his self-possession. "Well, that iswhat I should call going a-head. "

"And by what sort of compasses has this speed been measured, MasterErnest?"

"The first accurate measurement, Master Jack, was made at Paris in1738. There are there two tolerably elevated points, namely, Montmartre and Montlhéry--the distance between these, in a directline, is 14, 636 _toises_. Cannons were fired during the night, and theengineers on one of the elevations observed that an interval ofeighty-six seconds and a half elapsed between the flash and the reportof a cannon fired on the other. "

"That half-second is very amusing, " said Jack laughing; "if there hadbeen only eighty or eighty-six net, one might still be permitted toentertain some doubts; but eighty-six and a half admits nothing of thekind. But why not three-quarters or six-eighths, they would do aswell?"

"What is more natural than to reckon the fraction, if we are desirousof obtaining absolute precision? Is six months of your time of novalue? Are thirty minutes more or less on the dial of your watch of nosignification to you?"

"Your brother is perfectly right, Jack; you are not always successfulin your jokes. "

"Other experiments have been made since then, " continued Ernest, "andthe results have always been the same, making allowances for the wind, and a slight variation that is ascribed to temperature. "

"To confirm the accuracy of this statement, the speed of light wouldhave to be taken into consideration. "

"True; but the velocity of light is so great, that the instant acannon is fired the flash is seen. "

"Whatever the distance?"

"Yes, whatever the distance. Bear in mind that the rays of the sunonly require eight minutes to traverse the thirty-four millions ofleagues that extend between us and that body. Hence it follows thatthe time light takes to travel from one point to another on the earthmay be regarded as _nil_. "

"That is something like distance and speed, " remarked Willis, "and maybe all right as regards the sun, but I should not be disposed to admitthat there are any other instances of the same kind. "

"Very good, Master Willis; and yet the sun is only a step from us incomparison to the distance of some stars that we see very distinctly, but which are, nevertheless, so remote, that their rays, travelling atthe same rate as those of the sun, are several years in reaching us. "

Willis rose abruptly, whistling "the Mariner's March, " and went tojoin Fritz, who was steering the pinnace. 

At this _naïve_ mark of disapprobation on the part of the Pilot, Becker, Ernest, and Jack burst involuntarily into a violent peal oflaughter. 

"Laugh away, laugh away. " said Willis; "I will not admit yourcalculations for all that. "

The sky had now assumed an opal or azure tint, the wind had graduallydied away into a gentle breeze, the waves were now swelling gently andregularly, like the movements of the infant's cradle that is beingrocked asleep. Never had a day, opening in the convulsions of atempest, more suddenly lapsed into sunshine and smiles: it was likethe fairies of Perrault's Tales, who, at first wrapped in sorry rags, begging and borne down with age, throw off their chrysalis and appearsparkling with youth, gaiety, and beauty, their wallet converted intoa basket of flowers, and their crutch to a magic wand. 

"Father" inquired Fritz, "shall we go any farther?"

Since the weather had calmed down, and there was no longer anynecessity for exertion, the expedition had lost its charm for theyoung man. 

"I think it is useless; what say you, Willis?"

"Ah, " said the latter, taking Becker by the hand, "in consideration ofthe eight days' friendship that connects you even more intimately withCaptain Littlestone than my affection for him of twenty years'standing, keep still a few miles to the east. "

"If the sloop has been driven to a distance by the storm, and isreturning towards us, which is very likely, I do not see that we canbe of much use. "

"But if dismasted and leaky?"

"That would alter the case, only I am afraid the ladies will be uneasyabout us. "

"But they were half prepared, father. "

"Jack is right, " added Fritz, whose energies were again called intoplay by the thought of the _Nelson_ in distress; "let us go on. "

"Besides, on the word of a pilot, the sea will be very calm and gentlefor some time to come: there is not the slightest danger. "

"And what if there were?" replied Fritz. 

"Well, Willis, I shall give up the pinnace to you till dark, " saidBecker, "and may God guide us; we shall return to-night, so as toarrive at Rockhouse early in the morning. "

"Hurrah for the captain!" cried Willis, throwing a cap into the air. 

The evolutions of a cap, thrown up towards the sky or down upon theground, were very usual modes with Willis of expressing his joy orsorrow. 

This homage rendered to Becker, he hastened to let a reef out of thesheet, and the pinnace, for a moment at rest, redoubled its speed, like post-horses starting from the inn-door under the combinedinfluence of a cheer from the postillion and a flourish of the whip. 

"There is a cockle-shell that skips along pretty fairly, " said Willis;"but it wants two very important things. "

"What things?"

"A caboose and a nigger. "

"A caboose and a nigger?"

"Yes, I mean a pantry and a cook; a gale for breakfast is all verywell, one gets used to it, it is light and easily digested; but thesame for dinner is rather too much of a good thing in one day. "

"I observed your thoughtful mother hang a sack on one of yourshoulders, which appeared tolerably well filled--where is it?"

"Here it is, " said Jack, issuing from the hatchway; "here are ourstores: a ham, two Dutch cheeses, two callabashes full of Rockhousemalaga, and there is plenty of fresh water in the gourds; with these, we have wherewithal to defy hunger till to-morrow. "

"Capital!" said Willis. 

This time, however, a cap did not appear in the air, as the last onehad not been seen since the former ovation. 

"Let us lay the table, " said Jack, arranging the coils of rope thatcrowded the deck. "Well, you see, Willis, we want for nothing on boardthe pinnace, not even a what-do-you-call-it?"

"A caboose, Master Jack. "

"Well, not even a caboose. "

"Quite true; and if the _Nelson_ were in the offing, I would notexchange my pilot's badge for the epaulettes of a commodore; but, alas! she is not there. "

"Cheer up, Willis, cheer up; one is either a man or one is not. Whatis the good of useless regrets?"

"Very little, but it is hard to be yard-armed while absent at my timeof life--and afterwards--your health, Mr. Becker. "

"That would be hard at any age, Willis; but I rather think it has notcome to that yet. "

"When it has come to it, there will be very little time left to talkit over. "

"Did you not say, brother, that the _Nelson_ might hear our signalswithout our hearing hers? If so, there is a chance for Willis yet. "

"Certainly, Jack, because she has the wind in her favor to act as aspeaking-trumpet, whilst we had it against us acting as a deafener. "

"Is there any other influence that affects sound besides the wind?"

"Yes, I have already mentioned that temperature has something to dowith it. Sound varies in intensity according to the state of theatmosphere. If, for example, we ring a small bell in a closed vesselfilled with air, it has been observed that, as the air is withdrawn bythe pump, the sound gradually grows less and less distinct. "

"And if a vacuum be formed?"

"Then the sound is totally extinguished. "

"So, then, " objected Willis, "if two persons were to talk in what youcall a vacuum, they would not hear each other?"

"Two persons could not talk in a vacuum, " replied Ernest. 

"Why not?"

"Because they would die as soon as they opened their mouths. "

"Ah, that alters the case. "

"If, on the contrary, a quantity of air or gas were compressed into aspace beyond what it habitually held, then the sound, " continuedErnest, "would be more intense than if the air were free. "

"In that case a whisper would be equal to a howl!"

"You think I am joking, Willis; but on the tops of high mountains, such as the Himalaya and Mont Blanc, where the air is much rarified, voices are not heard at the distance of two paces. "

"Awkward for deaf people!"

"Whilst, on the icy plains of the frozen regions, where the air iscondensed by the severe cold, a conversation, held in the ordinarytone, may be easily carried on at the distance of half a league. "

"Awkward for secrets!"

"And how does sound operate with regard to solid bodies?" inquiredJack. 

"According to the degree of elasticity possessed by their veins orfibres. "

"Explain yourself. "

"That is, solid bodies, whose structure is such that the vibrationcommunicated to some of their atoms circulates through the mass, aresusceptible of conveying sound. "

"Give us an instance. "

"Apply your ear to one end of a long beam, and you will heardistinctly the stroke of a pin's head on the other; whilst the samestroke will scarcely be heard through the breadth of the wood. "

"So that, in the first case, the sound runs along the longitudinalfibres where the contiguity of parts is closer, than when the body istaken transversely?"

"Just so. "

"And across water?"

"It is heard, but more feebly. "

For some time Fritz had been closely observing with the telescope aparticular part of the horizon, when all at once he cried, "This timeI see him distinctly; he is bearing down upon us. "

"Who? the sloop?" cried Willis, starting up and letting fall the glasshe had in his hand. 

"What an extraordinary pace! he bounds into the air, then plumps intothe water, then leaps up again, just like an India-rubber ball, thattouches the ground only to take a fresh spring!"

"Impossible, Master Fritz; the _Nelson_ tops the waves honestly andgallantly; but as to leaping into the air, she is a little too bulkyfor that. "

"Ah, poor Willis, it is not the _Nelson_ that is under my glass atpresent, but an enormous fish, ten or twelve feet in length. "

"Oh, how you startled me!"

"Father! Ernest! prepare to fire! Jack, the harpoon! he is coming thisway. "

Fritz stood at the stern of the pinnace, his rifle levelled, followingwith his eyes the movements of the monster; when within reach, hefired with so much success and address that he hit the creature on thehead. It then changed its course, leaving behind a train of blood. 

"Let us after him, Willis; quick!"

The Pilot turned the head of the pinnace, and Jack immediately threwhis harpoon. 

"Struck!" cried he joyfully. 

By the hissing of the line, and then the rapid impulsion of thepinnace, it was felt that the monster had more strength than the craftand its crew together. 

Ernest and his father fired at the same time; the ball of the formerwas lost in the animal's flesh, that of the latter rebounded off ahorny protuberance that armed the monster's upper lip. 

Fritz had time to recharge his rifle; he levelled it a second time, and the ball went to join the former; but, for all that, the pinnacecontinued to cleave the water at a furious rate. 

Becker seized an axe and cut the rope. 

"Oh, father, what a pity! such a splendid capture for our museum ofnatural history!"

"It is a sword-fish, children; a monster of a dangerous species, andof extreme voracity. If, by way of reciprocity, the fish have a museumat the bottom of the sea, they will have some fine specimens of thehuman race that have become the prey of this creature; and it may bethat we were on the way to join the collection. "

"Did you observe the formidable dentilated horn?"

"It is by means of this horn or sword, from which it takes its name, that it wages a continual war with the whale, whose only mode ofescape is by flourishing its enormous tail; but the sword-fish, beingvery agile, easily avoids this, bounds into the air as Fritz saw itdoing just now, then, falling down upon its huge adversary, pierceshim with its sword. "

"By the way, talking about the whale, " said Jack, "all naturalistsseem agreed, and we ourselves are convinced from our own observation, that its throat is very narrow, and that it can only swallow molluscs, or very small fishes--what, in that case, becomes of the history ofJonah?"

"It is rather unfortunate, " replied Becker, "that the whale has beenassociated with this miracle. There is now no possibility ofseparating the whale from Jonah, or Jonah from the whale; yet, in theGreek translation of the Chaldean text, there is _Ketos_--in theLatin, there is _Cete_--and both these words were understood by theancients to signify a fish of enormous size, but not the whale inparticular. The shark, for example, can swallow a man, and even ahorse, without mangling it. "

"I have heard, " said Jack, "of navigators who have landed on the backof a whale, and walked about on it, supposing it a small island. "

"There is nothing impossible about that, " observed Willis. 

"One thing is certain, that we had just now within reach a sea monsterwho has carried off four leaden bullets in his body without seeming tobe in the least inconvenienced by them; on the contrary, he seemed tomove all the quicker for the dose. "

"Life is a very different thing with those fellows than with us. Thecarp is said to live two hundred years, and it is supposed that awhale might live for ten centuries if the harpoon did not come in theway to shorten the period. "

"Ah!" exclaimed Willis, with a sigh that might have moved a train ofwaggons, "these fellows have no cares. "

"And the ephemeride, that dies an instant after its birth, do yousuppose that it dies of grief?"

"Who knows, Master Jack?"

"The ephemeride does not die so quickly as you think, " said Becker;"it commences by living three years under water in the form of amaggot. It afterwards becomes amphibious, when it has a hornycovering, on which the rudiments of wings may be observed. Then, fouror five months after this first metamorphosis, generally in the monthof August, it issues from its skin, almost as rapidly as we throw offa jacket; attached to the rejected skin are the teeth, lips, horns, and all the apparatus that the creature required as a water insect;then it is no sooner winged, gay, and beautiful, than, as you observe, it dies--hence it is called the day-fly, its existence beingterminated by the shades of night. "

"I was certain of it, " said Willis. 

"Certain of what?"

"That it died of grief at being on land. When one has been accustomedto the water, you see, under such circumstances life is not worth thehaving. "

"The day-fly, " continued Becker, "is an epitome of those men whospend a life-time hunting after wealth and glory, and who perishthemselves at the moment they reach the pinnacle of their ambitiousdesires. Whence I conclude, my dear children, that there are nothingbut beginnings and endings of unhappiness in this world, and that truefelicity is only to be hoped for in another sphere. "

"What a curious series of transformations! First an aquatic insect, next amphibious, then throwing away the organs for which it has nofurther use, and becoming provided with those suited to its newstate!"

"Yes, my dear Fritz; and yet those complicated and beautifuloperations of Nature have not prevented philosophers from assertingthat the world resulted from _floating atoms_, which, by force ofcombination, and after an infinity of blind movements, conglomerateinto plants, animals, men, heaven, and earth. "

"I am only a plain sailor, " said Willis "yet the eye of a worm teachesme more than these philosophers seem to have imagined in theirphilosophy. "

"Such a system could only have originated in Bedlam or Charenton. "

"No, Ernest, it is the system of Epicurus and Lucretius. Without goingso far back, there are a thousand others quite as ridiculous, withwhich it is unnecessary to charge your young heads. "

"All madmen are not in confinement, and it may be that Epicurus andLucretius had arrived at those limits of human reason, where geniusbegins in some and folly in others. "

"It is not that, Fritz; but if men, says Malebranche somewhere, [A] areinterested in having the sides of an equilateral triangle unequal, andthat false geometry was as agreeable to them as false philosophy, theywould make the problems equally false in geometry as in morality, forthis simple reason, that their errors afford them gratification, whilst truth would only hurt and annoy them. "

"Very good, " observed Willis; "this Malebranche, as you call him, musthave been an admiral?"

"No, Willis, nothing more than a simple philosopher, but one of goodfaith, like Socrates, who admitted that what he knew best was, that heknew nothing. "

The sun had gradually disappeared in the midst of purple tingedclouds, leaving along the horizon at first a fringe of gold, then asimple thread, and finally nothing but the reflection of his rays, sent to the earth by the layers of atmosphere, [B] like the adieu wereceive at the turning of a road from a friend who is leaving us. 

There was a festival in the sky that night; the firmament brought out, one by one, her circlet of diamonds, till the whole were sparklinglike a blaze of light; the pinnace also left a fiery train in herwake, caused partly by electricity and partly by the phosphorescentanimalculae that people the ocean. 

"Willis, " said Becker, "I leave it entirely to you to decide theinstant of our return. "

The Pilot changed at once the course of the boat, without attemptingto utter a word, so heavy was his heart at this unsuccessfultermination of the expedition. 

"It will be curious, " observed Fritz, "if we find the _Nelson_, on ourreturn, snugly at anchor in Safety Bay. "

"I have a presentiment, " said Jack; "and you will see that we havebeen playing at hide-and-seek with the _Nelson_. "

Willis shook his head. 

"Are there not a thousand accidents to cause a ship to deviate fromher route?"

"Yes, Master Ernest, there are typhoons, and the waterspouts of whichI spoke to you before. In such cases, ships often deviate from theirroute, but generally by going to the bottom. "

Willis concluded this sentence with a gesture that defies description, implying annihilation. 

"Remember Admiral Socrates, Willis, " said Jack; "_what I know best is, that I know nothing_, and avow that God has other means ofaccomplishing his decrees besides typhoons and waterspouts. "

"My excellent young friends, I know you want to inspire me with hope, as they give a toy to a child to keep it from crying, and I thank youfor your good intentions. Now, for three days you have, so to speak, had no rest, and I insist on your profiting by this night to take somerepose; and you also, Mr. Becker; I am quite able to manage thepinnace alone. "

"Yes providing you do not play us some trick, like that of thismorning, for instance. "

"All stratagems are justifiable in war. Master Ernest had fair warningthat I had an idea to work out. Besides, a prisoner, when underhatches, has the right to escape if he can: under parole, the case isquite different. "

"Well, Willis, if you give me your simple promise to steer straightfor New Switzerland, and awake me in two hours to take the bearings--"

"I give it, Mr. Becker. "

The three Greenlanders then descended into the hold, for tropicalnights are as chilly as the days are hot, and Becker, rolling himselfup in a sail, lay on deck. 

In less than five minutes they were all fast asleep, and Willis pacedthe deck, his arms crossed, and mechanically gazing upon a star thatwas mirrored in the water. 

"Several years to come to us, and that at the rate of seventy thousandleagues a second--that is _a little_ too much. "

Then he went to the rudder, his head leaning upon his breast, andglancing now and then with distracted eye at the course of the boat, buried in a world of thought, sad and confused, doubtless beholding insuccession visions of the _Nelson_, of Susan, and of Scotland. 

FOOTNOTES:

[A] "Search after Truth, " book ix. 

[B] The twilight is entirely owing to this. 

CHAPTER IV. 

A LANDSCAPE--SAD HOUSES AND SMILING HOUSES--POLITENESS IN CHINA--EIGHTSOUPS AT DESSERT--WIND MERCHANTS--ANOTHER IDEA OF THE PILOT'S--SUSAN, VICE SOPHIA. 

Towards five o'clock next morning everything about Rockhouse wasbeginning to assume life and motion--within, all its inhabitants werealready astir--without, little remained of the recent storm andinundation except that refreshing coolness, which, conjointly with thepurified air, infuses fresh vigor, not only into men, but also intoevery living thing. The citrous, the aloes, and the Spanish jasminesperfumed the landscape. The flexible palms, the tall bananas, withtheir unbrageous canopy, the broad, pendant-leaved mangoes, and allthe rank but luxuriant vegetation that clothed the land to the water'sedge, waved majestically under the gentle breeze that blew from thesea. The Jackal River unfolded its silvery band through the roses, bamboos, and cactii that lined its banks. The sun--for that luminaryplays an important part in all Nature's festivals--darted its rays onthe soil still charged with vapor. Diamond drops sparkled in the cupsof the flowers and on the points of the leaves. In the distance, pines, cedars, and richly-laden cocoa-nut trees filled up thebackground with their dark foliage. The swans displayed theirbrilliant plumage on the lake, the boughs of the trees were alive withparroquets and other winged creatures of the tropics. Add to thecharms of this scene, Mrs. Becker returning from the prairie with ajar of warm, frothy milk--Mrs. Wolston and Mary busied in amultiplicity of household occupations, to which their white hands andringing voices gave elegance and grace--Sophia tying a rose to theneck of a blue antelope which she had adopted as a companion--Frankdistributing food to the ostriches and large animals, and admit, ifthere is a paradise on earth, it was this spot. 

Compare this scene with that presented by any of our large cities atthe same hour in the morning. In London or Paris, our dominion rarelyextends over two or three dreary-looking rooms--a geranium, perhaps, at one of the windows to represent the fields and green lanes of thecountry; above, a forest of smoking chimneys vary the monotony of thezig-zag roofs; below, a thousand confused noises of waggons, cabs, andthe hoarse voices of the street criers; probably the lamps are justbeing extinguished, and the dust heaps carted away, filling our rooms, and perhaps our eyes, with ashes; the chalk-milk, the air, and theodors are scarcely required to fill up the picture. 

Breakfast was spread a few paces from Mr. Wolston's bed, whom the twoyoung girls were tending with anxious solicitude, and whose sicknesswas almost enviable, so many were the cares lavished upon him. 

"You are wrong, Mrs. Becker, " said Mrs. Wolston, "to make yourselfuneasy, the sea has become as smooth as a mirror since theirdeparture. "

"Ah, yes, I know that, my dear Mrs. Wolston, but when one has alreadyundergone the perils of shipwreck, the impression always remains, andmakes us see storms in a glass of water. "

"I am certain, " remarked Mr. Wolston, "the cause of their delay is aconcession made to Willis. "

"Very likely he would not consent to return, unless they went as faras possible. "

"By the way, madam, " said Mary, "now that you have got two great girlsadded to your establishment, I hope you are going to make them usefulin some way--we can sew, knit, and spin. "

"And know how to make preserves, " added Sophia. 

"Yes, and to eat them too, " said her mother. 

"If you can spin, my dears, we shall find plenty of work for you; wehave here the Nankin cotton plant, and I intend to dress the wholecolony with it. "

"Delightful!" exclaimed Sophia, clapping her hands; "Nankin dressesjust as at the boarding-school, with a straw hat and a green veil. "

"To be sure, it must be woven first, " reflected Mrs. Becker; "but Idare say we shall be able to manage that. "

"By the way, girls, " said Mrs. Wolston, "have you forgotten yourlessons in tapestry?"

"Not at all, mamma; and now that we think of it, we shall handsomelyfurnish a drawing-room for you. "

"But where are the tables and chairs to come from?" inquired Mrs. Becker. 

"Oh, the gentlemen will see to them. "

"And the room, where is that to be?"

"There is the gallery, is there not?"

"And the wool for the carpet?"

"Have you not sheep?"

"That is true, children; you speak as if we had only to go and sitdown in it. "

"The piano, however, I fear will be wanting, unless we can pick up anErard in the neighboring forest. "

"True, mamma, all the overtures that we have had so much trouble inlearning will have to go for nothing. "

"But, " said Mrs. Becker, "by way of compensation, there is thevegetable and fruit garden, the pantry, the kitchen, the dairy, andthe poultry yard; these are all my charges, and you may have some ofthem if you like. "

"Excellent, each shall have her own kingdom and subjects. "

"It being understood, " suggested Mrs. Wolston, "that you are not toeat everything up, should the fruit garden or pantry come under yourcharge. "

"That is not fair, mamma; you are making us out to be a couple ofcannibals. "

"You see, " continued Mrs. Wolston, "these young people have not theslightest objection to my parading their accomplishments, but themoment I touch their faults they feel aggrieved. "

"I am persuaded, " rejoined Mrs. Becker laughing, "that there are nocalumniators in the world like mothers. "

"Therefore, mamma, to punish you we shall come and kiss you. "

And accordingly Mrs. Wolston was half stifled under the embraces ofher two daughters. 

"I am certainly not the offender, " said Mrs. Becker, "but I should notobject to receive a portion of the punishment; these greatboys--pointing to Frank--are too heavy to hang on my neck now; youwill replace them, my dears, will you not?"

"Most willingly, madam; but not to deprive them of their places inyour affection. "

"In case you should lose that, Master Frank, " said Mrs. Wolston, "youmust have recourse to mine. "

"But now, my friends, what do you say to going down to the shore tomeet the pinnace, and perhaps the _Nelson_?" said Mrs. Becker. 

"Ah, yes, " said Sophia; "and I will stay at home to wait upon father. "

"No, " said Mary; "I am the eldest--that is my right. "

"Well, my children, do not quarrel about that, " said Wolston; "I feelrather better; and I dare say a walk will do me good. Perhaps, when Iget tired, Frank will lend me his arm. "

"Better than that, " hastily added Frank; "I shall saddle Blinky; andlead him gently, and you will be as comfortable as in an arm-chair. "

"What is that you call Blinky?"

"Oh, one of our donkeys. "

"Ah, very good; I was afraid you meant one of your ostriches, and Icandidly admit that my experiences in equitation do not extend toriding a winged horse. "

"In that case, " said Mrs. Becker, "to keep Blinky's brother from beingjealous, I, shall charge him with a basket of provisions; and we shalllay a cloth under the mangoes, so that our ocean knights, as Jack willhave it, may have something to refresh themselves withal as soon asthey dismount. "

The little caravan was soon on the march; the two dogs cleared theway, leaping, bounding, and scampering on before, sniffing the busheswith their intelligent noses; then, returning to their master, theyread in his face what was next to be done. Mary walked by the side ofBlinky, amusing her father with her prattle. Sophia, with herantelope, was gambolling around them, the one rivalling the other inthe grace of their movements, not only without knowing it, but ratherbecause they did not know it. The two mothers were keeping an eye onthe donkey; whilst Frank, with his rifle charged, was ready to bringdown a quail or encounter a hyena. 

Some hours after the pinnace hove in sight, the voyagers landed, andreceived the warm congratulations of those on shore. When Willis hadsecured the boat, he took a final survey of the coast, penetratingwith his eyes every creek and crevice. 

"Is there no trace of the _Nelson_?" inquired Wolston. 

"None!"

"Well, I had all along thought you would find it so; the wind for fourdays has been blowing that it would drive the _Nelson_ to herdestination. Captain Littlestone, being charged with importantdespatches, having already lost a fortnight here, has, no doubt, takenadvantage of the gale, and made sail for the Cape, trusting to find usall alive here on his return voyage. "

"Yes, " said the Pilot, "I know very well that you have all goodhearts, and that you are desirous of giving me all the consolation youcan. "

"Would you not have acted, under similar circumstances, precisely aswe suppose Captain Littlestone to have done?"

"I admit that the thing, is not only possible, but also that, ifalive, it is just what he would have done. I trust, if it be so, thatwhen he gets into port he will report me keel-hauled?"

"Keel-hauled?"

"Yes, I mean dead. It is a thousand times better to pass for a deadman than a deserter. "

"The wisest course he could pursue, it appears to me, would be to holdhis tongue--probably you will not be missed. "

"Ah! you think that her Majesty's blue jackets can disappear in thatway, like musk-rats? But no such thing. When the captain in command atthe station hails on board, every man and boy of the crew, from thepowder-monkey to the first-lieutenant, are mustered in pipe-clay onthe quarter-deck, and there, with the ship's commission in his hand, every one must report himself as he calls over the names. 

"Then the captain will tell the simple truth. "

"Well, you see, truth has nothing at all to do with the rules of theservice, the questions printed in the orderly-book only will be asked, and he may not have an opportunity of stating the facts of the case;besides, discipline on board a ship in commission could not bemaintained if irregularities could be patched up by a few words fromthe captain. When it is found that I had been left on shore, thequestions will be, 'Was the _Nelson_ in want of repairs?' 'No. ' 'Didshe require water?' 'No. ' 'Provisions?' 'No. ' 'Then Willis hasdeserted?' 'Yes. ' And his condemnation will follow as a matter ofcourse. "

"In that case, the Captain would be more to blame than you are. "

"So he would, and it is for that reason I hope he will be able to showby the log that I was seized with cholera, tied up in a sack, and dulythrown overboard with a four-pound shot for ballast. "

"I cannot conceive, " said Becker, "that the discipline of any servicecan be so cruelly unreasonable as you would have us believe. "

"No, perhaps you think that just before the anchor is heaved, and theship about to start on a long voyage, the cabin boys are asked whetherthey have the colic--that lubbers, who wish to back out have only tosay the word, and they are free--that the pilot may go a-hunting if helikes, and that the officers may stay on shore and amuse themselves indefiance of the rules of the service? In that case the navy would berather jolly, but not much worth. "

When Willis was once fairly started there was no stopping him. 

"Dead, " he continued; "that is to say, without a berth, pay, or even aname, nothing! My wife will have the right to marry again, my littleSusan will have another father, and I shall only be able to breathe bystealth, and to consider that as more than I deserve. You must admitthat all this is rather a poor look-out a-head. "

"Really, Willis, " said Mrs. Wolston, "you seem to take a pride inmaking things worse than they are, conjuring up phantoms that have noexistence. "

"It is true, madam. I may be going upon a wrong tack. Judging from allappearances, the sloop, instead of being on her way to the Cape, istranquilly reposing at the bottom of the sea. But it is only death fordeath; hanged by a court-martial or drowned with the sloop, it comes, in the end, to the same thing. "

"I dare say, Willis, had there really been an accident, and you hadbeen on board, you would not have felt yourself entitled to escape?"

"Certainly not, madam; unless the crew could be saved, it would lookanything but well for the pilot to escape alone. "

Willis, however, to do him justice, seemed trying to smother hisgrief; and, in the meanwhile, the two girls had been spreading a purewhite cloth on a neighboring rock, cutting fruit plates out of thethick mangoe leaves, cooling the Rockhouse malaga in the brook, andgiving to the repast an air of elegance and refinement which had theeffect of augmenting the appetite of the company. The viands were notbetter than they had been on many similar occasions, but they were nowmore artistically displayed, and consequently more inviting. 

Who has not remarked, in passing through a street of dingy-lookinghouses, one of them distinguished from the others by its fresh andcheerful aspect, the windows garnished with a luxuriant screen offlowers, with curtains on either side of snowy whiteness and elaborateworkmanship? Very likely the passer-by has asked himself, Why is thishouse not as neglected, tattered, and dirty as its wretched neighbors?The answer is simple; there dwells in this house a young girl, blithe, frolicsome, and joyous, singing with the lark, and, like a butterfly, floating from her book to her work-box--from her mother's cheek to herfather's, leaving an impress of her youthfulness and purity onwhatever she touches. 

For a like reason the _al fresco_ dinner of this day had a charm thatno such feast had been observed to possess before. 

"We are not presentable, " said Fritz, referring to his seal-gutuniform. 

"Ah, " replied Mrs. Wolston, "it is your costume of war, brave knights;and, for my part, I admire you more in it than in the livery of HydePark or Bond Street. "

"In that case, " said Ernest, "we shall do as they do in China. "

"And what is that?"

"Well, the most profound remark of respect a host can pay to hisguests, is to go and dress after dinner. "

"Just when they are about to leave?"

"Exactly so, madam. "

"That is very decidedly a Chinese observance. Are they not somewhatbehind in cookery?"

"By no means, madam; on the contrary, they have attained a very highdegree of perfection in that branch of the arts. It is customary, atevery ceremonious dinner, to serve up fifty-two distinct dishes. Andwhen that course is cleared off, what do you think is produced next?"

"The dessert, I suppose. "

"Eight kinds of soup, never either one more or one less. If the numberwere deficient, the guests would consider themselves grossly insulted, the number of dishes denoting the degree of respect entertained by thehost for his guests. "

"I beg, Mrs. Wolston, " said Mrs. Becker laughing, "that you will notestimate our esteem for you by the dinner we offer you. "

"Well, " replied Mrs. Wolston in the same tone, "let me see; to betreated as we ought to be, there are fifty-seven dishes wanting, therefore we must go and dine at home. John, call my carriage. "

At this sally they all laughed heartily, and even Willis chimed inwith the general hilarity. 

"Then, after the soups, " continued Ernest, "comes the tea, and withthat the dessert, as also sixty square pieces of silver paper to wipethe mouth. It is then that the host vanishes, to reappear in abrilliant robe of gold brocade and a vest of satin. "

"These people ought all to perish of indigestion. "

"No; they are moderate eaters, their dishes consist of small saucers, each containing only a few mouthfuls of meat, and, as for Europeans, the want of forks and spoons--"

"What! have they no forks?"

"Not at table--nor knives either; but, on the other hand, they areexceedingly expert in the use of two slender sticks of ivory, whichthey hold in the first three fingers of the right hand, and with whichthey manage to convey solids, and even liquids, to their mouths. "

"Ah! I see, " said Jack; "the Europeans would be obliged, like Mrs. Wolston, to call their carriage, in spite of the fifty-two saucers ofmeat: it puts me in mind of the stork inviting the fox to dine withher out of a long-necked jar. "

"We are apt to judge the Chinese by the pictures seen of them on theirown porcelain, and copied upon our pottery, " said Becker; "but thisconveys only a ludicrous idea of them. They are the most industrious, but at the same time the vainest, most stupid, and most credulouspeople in the world; they worship the moon, fire, fortune, and athousand other things; people go about amongst them selling wind, which they dispose of in vials of various sizes. "

"That is a trade that will not require an extraordinary amount ofcapital. "

"True; and besides, as they carry on their trade in the open air, theyhave no rent to pay. "

"Their bonzes or priests, " continued Becker, "to excite charity, perambulate the streets in chains, sometimes with some inflammablematter burning on their heads, whilst, instead of attempting to purifythe souls of dying sinners, they put rice and gold in their mouthswhen the vital spark has fled. They have a very cruel mode ofpunishing renegade Lamas: these are pierced through the neck with ared-hot iron. "

"What is a Lama, father?"

"It is a designation of the Tartar priests. "

For some time Willis had been closely examining a particular point inthe bay with increasing anxiety; at last he ran towards the shore andleapt into the sea. Becker and his four sons were on the point ofstarting off in pursuit of him. 

"Stop, " said Wolston, "I have been watching Willis's movements for thelast ten minutes, and I guess his purpose--let him alone. "

Willis swam to some object that was floating on the water, andreturned in about a quarter of an hour, bringing with him a plank. 

"Well, " he inquired, on landing, "was I wrong?"

"Wrong about what?" inquired Wolston. 

"The _Nelson_ is gone. "

"The proof, Willis. "

"That plank. "

"Well, what about the plank?"

"I recognise it. "

"How, Willis?"

"How! Well, " replied the obstinate pilot, "fish don't breed planks, and--and--I scarcely think this one could escape from a dockyard, andfloat here of its own accord. "

"Then, Willis, according to you, there are no ships but the _Nelson_, no ships wrecked but the _Nelson_, and no planks but the _Nelson's_. Willis, you are a fool. "

"Every one has his own ideas, Mr. Wolston. "

Towards evening, when they were on their way back to Rockhouse, Sophiaconfidentially called Willis aside, and he cheerfully obeyed thesummons. 

"Pilot, " said she, "I have made up my mind about one thing. "

"And what is that, Miss Sophia?"

"Why, this--in future, when we are alone, as just now, you must callme Susan, as you used to call your own little girl when at home, notMiss Susan. "

"Oh, I cannot do that, Miss Sophia. "

"But I insist upon it. "

"Well, Miss Sophia, I will try. "

"What did you say?"

"Miss Sus--"

"What?"

"Susan, I mean. "

"There now, that will do. "

CHAPTER V. 

ALLOTMENT OF QUARTERS--A HORSE MARINE--TRAVELLING PLANTS--CHANGE OFDYNASTY IN ENGLAND--A WOMAN'S KINGDOM--SHEEP CONVERTED INTOCHOPS--RESURRECTION OF THE FRIED FISH--A SECRET. 

After some days more of anxious but fruitless expectation, it wasfinally concluded that either the _Nelson_ had sailed for the Cape, or, as Willis would have it, she had gone to that unexplored and dreadland where there were neither poles nor equator, and whence no marinerwas ever known to return. It was necessary, therefore, to makearrangements for the surplus population of the colony--whether for atime or for ever, it was then impossible to say. At first sight, itmight appear easy enough to provide accommodation for the elevenindividuals that constituted the colony of New Switzerland. It is truethat land might have been marked off, and each person made sovereignover a territory as large as some European kingdoms; but thesesovereignties would have resembled the republic of St. Martin--therewould have been no subjects. What, then, would they have governed? itmay be asked. Themselves, might be answered; and it is said to be afar more difficult task to govern ourselves than to rule others. 

Though space was ample enough as regards the colony in general, it wassomewhat limited as regards detail. To live _pêle-mêle_ in Rockhousewas entirely out of the question. Independently of accommodation, athousand reasons of propriety opposed such an arrangement. Whether ornot there might be another cave in the neighborhood, hollowed out byNature, was not known; if there were, it had still to be discovered. Chance would not be chance, if it were undeviating and certain in itsoperations. To consign the Wolstons to Falcon's Nest or ProspectHill, and leave them there alone, even though under the protection ofWillis, could not be thought of; they knew nothing of the dangers thatwould surround them, and as yet they were ignorant of the topographyof the island. It was, therefore, requisite that both families shouldcontinue in proximity, so as to aid each other in moments of peril, but without, at the same time, outraging propriety, or shacklingindividual freedom of action. Under ordinary circumstances, thesedifficulties might have been solved by taking apartments on theopposite side of the street, or renting a house next door. But, alas!the blessings of landlords and poor-rates had not yet been bestowed onthe island. 

One day after dinner, when these points were under consideration, Willis, who was accustomed to disappear after each meal, no one knewwhy or whereto, came and took his place amongst them under thegallery. 

"As for myself, " said the Pilot, "I do not wish to live anywhere. Since I am in your house, Mr. Becker, and cannot get away honestly fora quarter of an hour, I must of course remain; but as for becoming amere dependant on your bounty, that I will not suffer. "

"What you say there is not very complimentary to me, " said Mr. Wolston. 

"Your position, Mr. Wolston, is a very different thing: besides, youare an invalid and require attention, whilst I am strong and healthy, for which I ought to be thankful. "

"You are not in my house, " replied Becker "any more than I am inyours; the place we are in is a shelter provided by Providence for usall, and I venture to suppose that such a host is rich enough tosupply all our wants. I am only the humble instrument distributing thegifts that have been so lavishly bestowed on this island. "

"What you say is very kind and very generous, " added Willis, "but Imean to provide for myself--that is my idea. "

"And not a bad one either, " continued Becker; "but how? You arewelcome here to do the work for four--if you like; and then, supposingyou eat for two, I will be your debtor, not you mine. "

"Work! and at what? walking about with a rifle on my shoulder; airingmyself, as I am doing now under your gallery, in the midst of flowers, on the banks of a river: or opening my mouth for quails to jump downmy throat ready roasted--would you call that work?"

"Look there, Willis--what do you see?"

"A bear-skin. "

"Well, suppose, by way of a beginning, I were to introduce you to afine live bear, with claws and tusks to match, ready to spring on you, having as much right to your skin as you have to his--now, were I tosay to you, I want that animal's skin, to make a soft couch similar tothe one you see yonder, would you call that work?"

"Certainly, Mr. Becker. "

"Very good, then; it is in the midst of such labors that we pass ourlives. Before we fell comfortably asleep on feather beds, thoseformidable bones which you see in our museum were flying in the air;the cup which I now hold in my hand was a portion of the clay on whichyou sit; the canoe with which you ran away the other day was a liveseal; the hats that we wear, were running about the fields in the formof angola rabbits. So with everything you see about you; for fifteenyears, excepting the Sabbath, which is our day of rest and recreationas well as prayer, we have never relapsed from labor, and you are atliberty to adopt a similar course, if you feel so disposed. "

"No want of variety, " said Jack; "if you do not like the saw-pit, youcan have the tannery. "

"Neither are very much in my line, " replied Willis. 

"What then do you say to pottery?"

"I have broken a good deal in my day. "

"Yes, but there is a difference between breaking it and making it. "

"What appears most needful, " remarked Fritz, "is, three or four acresof fresh land, to double our agricultural produce. "

"Is land dear in these parts?" inquired Mrs. Wolston, smiling. 

"It is not to be had for nothing, madam; there is the trouble ofselecting it. "

"And the labor of rendering it productive, " added Ernest. 

"But how do you manage for a lawyer to convey it?"

"I was advising Ernest to adopt that profession, " said Mrs. Becker;"wills and contracts would be in harmony with his studioustemperament. "

"At present, the question before us, " said Becker, "is the allotmentof quarters; in the meantime, Mr. And Mrs. Wolston, with the youngladies, will continue to occupy our room. "

"No, no, " said Wolston "that would be downright expropriation. "

"In that case the matter comes within the sphere of our lawyer, and Itherefore request his advice. "

To this Ernest replied, by slowly examining his pockets; after thisoperation was deliberately performed, he said, in a _nisi prius_ tone, "That he had forgotten his spectacles, and consequently that it wasimpossible for him to look into the case in the way its importancedemanded, otherwise he was quite of the same opinion as his learnedbrother--his father, he meant. "

"And what if we refuse?" said Mrs. Wolston. 

"If you refuse, Mrs. Wolston, there is only one other course toadopt. "

"And what is that, Master Frank?"

"Why, simply this, " and rising, he cried out lustily, "John, call Mrs. Wolston's carriage. "

"Ah, to such an argument as that, there can be no reply; so I see youmust be permitted to do what you like with us. "

"Very good, " continued Becker; "then there is one point decided: mywife and I will occupy the children's apartment. "

"And the children, " said Jack, "will occupy the open air. For my ownpart, I have no objection: that is a bedroom exactly to my taste. "

"Spacious, " remarked Ernest. 

"Well-aired, " suggested Fritz. 

"Hangings of blue, inlaid with stars of gold, " observed Frank. 

"Any thing else?" inquired Becker. 

"No, father, I believe the extent of accommodation does not go beyondthat. "

"Therefore I have decided upon something less vast, but morecomfortable for you; you will go every night to our _villa_ ofFalcon's Nest. "

"On foot?"

"On horseback, if you like and under the direction of Willis, whom Iname commander-in-chief of the cavalry. "

"Of the cavalry!" cried the sailor; "what! a pilot on horseback?"

"Do not be uneasy, Willis, " replied Jack, "we have no horses. "

"Ah, well, that alters the case. "

"But then we have zebras and ostriches. "

"Ostriches! worse and worse. "

"Say not so, good Willis; when once you have tried Lightfoot orFlyaway, you would never wish to travel otherwise: they run so fastthat the wind is fairly distanced, and scarcely give us time tobreathe--it is delightful. "

"Thank you, but I would rather try and get the canoe to travel onland. "

"Ah, Willis, " said Fritz, "that would be an achievement that would doyou infinite credit--if you only succeed. "

"Will you allow me to make a request, Mrs. Becker?"

"Listen to Willis, " said Jack, "he has an idea. "

"The request I have to urge is, that you will permit me to encamp onShark's Island, and there establish a lighthouse for the guidance ofthe _Nelson_, in case she should return. "

"What! the commander-in-chief of cavalry on an island?"

"No, not of the cavalry, but of the fleet; it is only necessary forMr. Becker to change my position into that of an admiral, which willnot give him much extra trouble. "

"I shall do so with pleasure, Willis. "

"In that case, since I am an admiral, the first thing I shall do, isto pardon myself for the faults I committed whilst I was a pilot. "

"Capital!" said Ernest, "that puts me in mind of Louis XII. , who, onascending the throne, said that it was not for the King of France torevenge the wrongs of the Duke of Orleans. "

"What, then, is to become of the boys? I intended to make you theircompass--on land, of course. "

"The boys, " cried the latter, "are willing to enlist as seamen, andaccompany the admiral on his cruise. "

"You will spin yarns for us, Willis, will you not?"

"Well, my lads, if you want a sleeping dose, I will undertake to dothat. "

"But there are objections to this arrangement, " Mrs. Becker hastilyadded. 

"What are they, mother?"

"In the first place, a storm might arise some fine night--one of thosedreadful hurricanes that continue several days, like the one thatterrified us so much lately--and then all communication would be cutoff between us. "

"You could always see one another. "

"How so, Willis?"

"From a distance--with the telescope. "

"Then, " continued Mrs. Becker, "you would be a prey to famine, forthough the telescope, good Master Willis, might enable you to see ourdinner--from a distance--I doubt whether that would prevent you dyingof starvation. "

"We might easily guard against that, by taking over a sufficientquantity of provisions with us every night, and bringing them backnext morning. "

"But could you carry over my kisses, Willis, and distribute themamongst my children every morning and evening, like rations of rice?"

"If the arrangement will really make you uneasy, Mrs. Becker, I giveit up, " said Willis, polishing with his arm the surface of hisoil-skin sou'-wester. 

"Not at all, Willis. It is for me to give up my objections. Besides, Iobserve Miss Sophia staring at me with her great eyes; she will neverforgive me for tormenting her sweetheart. "

"Ah! since I have been staring at you, I have only now to eat you uplike the wolf in Little Red Ridinghood, " and in a moment her slenderarms were clasped round Mrs. Becker's neck. 

"Good, " said Becker, "there is another point settled--temporarily. "

"In Europe, " observed Wolston, "there is nothing so durable as thetemporary. "

"In Europe, yes, but not here. To-morrow morning we shall select atree near Falcon's Nest, and in eight days you shall be permanentlyhoused in an aerial tenement close to ours, so that we may chat toeach other from our respective balconies. "

"That will be a castle in the air a little more real than those I havebuilt in Spain. "

"Then you have been in Spain, papa?"

"Every one has been less or more in the Spain I refer to. Sophy--it isthe land of dreams. "

"And of castanets, " remarked Jack. 

"Then my sweetheart will be alone on his island, like an exile?"

"No, Miss Sophia, we are incapable of such ingratitude. After enjoyingthe hospitality of Willis in Shark's Island, he will surely deign toaccept ours at Falcon's Nest; so, whether here or there, he shallalways have four devoted followers to keep him company. "

The Pilot shook Fritz by the hand, at the same time nearly dislocatinghis arm. 

"I wonder why God, who is so good, has not made houses grow ofthemselves, like pumpkins and melons?" said Ernest. 

"Rather a lazy idea that, " said his father; "our great Parent hasclearly designed that we should do something for ourselves; he hasgiven us the acorn whence we may obtain the oak. "

"Nevertheless, there are uninhabited countries which are gorged withvegetation--the territory we are in, for example. "

"True; but still no plant has ever sprung up anywhere without a seedhas been planted, either by the will of God or by the hands of man. With regard, however, to the distribution of vegetation in a naturalstate, that depends more upon the soil and climate than anything else;wherever there is a fertile soil and moist air, there seeds will findtheir way. "

"But how?"

"The seeds of a great many plants are furnished with downy filaments, which act as wings; these are taken up by the wind and carried immensedistances; others are inclosed in an elastic shell, from which, whenripe, they are ejected with considerable force. "

"The propagation of plants that have wings or elastic shells may, inthat way, be accounted for; but there are some seeds that fall, bytheir own weight, exactly at the foot of the vegetable kingdom thatproduces them. "

"It is often these that make the longest voyages. "

"By what conveyance, then?"

"Well, my son, for a philosopher, I cannot say that your knowledge isvery profound; seeds that have no wings borrow them. "

"Not from the ant, I presume?"

"No, not exactly; but from the quail, the woodcock, the swallow, and athousand others, that are apparently more generous than the poor ant, to which Æsop has given a reputation for avarice that it will havesome trouble to shake off. The birds swallow the seeds, many of whichare covered with a hard, horny skin, that often resists digestion;these are carried by the inhabitants of the air across rivers, seas, and lakes, and are deposited by them in the neighborhood of theirnests--it may be on the top of a mountain, or in the crevice of arock. "

"True, I never thought of that. "

"There are a great many philosophers who know more about the motionsof stars than these humbler operations of Nature. "

"You are caught there, " said Jack. 

"There are philosophers, too, who can do nothing but ridicule theknowledge of others. "

"Caught you there, " retaliated Ernest. 

"It was in this way that a bird of the Moluccas has restored the clovetree to the islands of this archipelago, in spite of the Dutch, whodestroyed them everywhere, in order that they might enjoy the monopolyof the trade. "

"Still, I must fall back upon my original idea; by sowing a brick, weought to reap a wall. "

"And if a wall, a house, " suggested another of the young men. 

"Or if a turret, a castle, " proposed a third. 

"Or a hall to produce a palace, " remarked the fourth. 

"There are four wishes worthy of the four heads that produced them!What do you think of those four great boys, Mrs. Wolston?"

"Well, madam, as they are wishing, at any rate they may as well wishthat chinchillas and marmots wore their fur in the form of boas andmuffs, that turkeys produced perigord pies, and that the fish weredrawn out of the sea ready roasted or boiled. "

"Or that the sheep walked about in the form of nicely grilled chops, "suggested Becker. 

"And you, young ladies, what would you wish?"

Mary, who was now beyond the age of dolls, and was fast approachingthe period of young womanhood, felt that it was a duty incumbent uponher to be more reserved than her sister, and rarely took part in theconversation, unless she was directly addressed, ceased plying herneedle, and replied, smiling, "I wish I could make some potent elixir in the same way as gooseberrywine, that would restore sick people to health, then I would give afew drops to my father, and make him strong and well, as he used tobe. "

"Thank you for the intention, my dear child. "

"And you, Miss Sophia? It is your turn. "

"I wish that all the little children were collected together, and thatevery papa and mamma could pick out their own from amongst them. "

Here Willis took out his pocket-handkerchief and appeared to beblowing his nose, it being an idea of his that a sailor ought not tobe caught with a tear in his eye. 

"Now then, Willis, we must have a wish from you. "

"I wish three things: that there had not been a hurricane lately, thatcanoes could be converted into three masters, and that Miss Sophia maybe Queen of England. "

"Granted, " cried Jack. 

And laying hold of a wreath of violets that the young girl had beenbraiding, he solemnly placed it on her head. 

"You will make her too vain, " said Mrs. Wolston. 

"Ah mamma, do not scold, " and gracefully taking the crown from her ownfair curls, she placed it on the silvery locks of her mother; "Iabdicate in your favor, and, sweetheart, I thank you for placing ourdynasty on the throne. Mary, you are a princess. "

"Yes, " she replied, "and here is my sceptre, " holding up her spindle. 

"Well answered, my daughter, that is a woman's best sceptre, and herkingdom is her house. "

"Our conversation, " said Becker, "is like those small threads of waterwhich, flowing humbly from the hollow of a rock, swell into brooks, then become rivers, and, finally, lose themselves in the ocean. "

"It was Ernest that led us on. "

"Well, it is time now to get back to your starting-point again. Godhas said that we shall earn our bread by the sweat of our brow, andconsequently that our enjoyments should be the result of our ownindustry; that is the reason that venison is given to us in the formof the swift stag, and palaces in the form of clay; man is endowedwith reason, and may, by labor, convert all these blessings to hisuse. "

"Your notion, " said Mr. Wolston, "of drawing the fish out of the seaready cooked, puts me in mind of an incident of college life which, with your permission, I will relate. "

"Oh yes, papa, a story!"

"There was at Cambridge, when I was there, a young man, who, insteadof study and sleep, spent his days and nights in pistol practice andplaying on the French horn, much to the annoyance of an elderly maidenlady, who occupied the apartments that were immediately under hisown. "

"These are inconveniences that need not be dreaded here. "

"Our police are too strict. "

"And our young men too well-bred, " added Mrs. Wolston. 

"Not only that, " continued Mr. Wolston, "this young student, who neverthought of study, had a huge, shaggy Newfoundland dog, and the oldlady possessed a chubby little pug, which she was intensely fond of;now, when these two brutes happened to meet on the stairs, the largeone, by some accident or other, invariably sent the little one rollinghead over heels to the bottom; and, much to the horror of the oldlady, her favorite, that commenced its journey down stairs with fourlegs, had sometimes to make its way up again with three. "

"I always understood that dogs were generous animals, and would nottake advantage of an animal weaker than themselves; our dogs would nothave acted so. "

"Well, perhaps the dog was not quite so much to blame in these affairsas its master; besides, in making advances to its little friend, itmight not have calculated its own force. "

"Yes, and perhaps might have been sorry afterwards for the mischief ithad done. "

"Very likely; still the point was never clearly explained, and, whether or no, the elderly lady could not put up with this sort ofthing any longer; she complained so often and so vigorously, that hertroublesome neighbor was served in due form with a notice to quit. Theyoung scapegrace was determined to be revenged in some way on theparty who was the cause of his being so summarily ejected from hisquarters. Now, right under his window there was a globe belonging tothe old lady, well filled with good-sized gold fish. His eye by chancehaving fallen upon this, and spying at the same time his fishing-rodin a corner, the coincidence of vision was fatal to the gold-fish;they were very soon hooked up, rolled in flour, fried, and gently letdown again one by one into the globe. "

"I should like to have seen the old lady when she first became awareof this transformation!"

"Well, one of the fish had escaped, and was floating about, evidentlylamenting the fate of its finny companions. "

"It was very cruel, " observed Mary. 

"Elderly ladies who have no family and live alone are very apt tobestow upon animals the love and affection that is inherent in usall. "

"Which is very much to be deprecated. "

"Why so, Master Frank?"

"Are there not always plenty of poor and helpless human beings uponwhom to bestow their love? are there not orphans and homelesscreatures whom they might adopt?"

"There are; but it requires wealth for such benevolences, and thegoddess Fortune is very capricious; whilst one must be very poorindeed that cannot spare a few crumbs of bread once a day. Besides, admitting that this mania is blamable when carried to excess, still itmust be respected, for it behoves us to reverence age even in itsfoibles. "

Frank, whose nature was so very susceptible, that a single grain ofgood seed soon ripened into a complete virtue, bent his head in tokenof acquiescence. 

"Now the old lady loved these gold-fish as the apples of her eyes, andher astonishment and grief, in beholding the state they were in, wasindescribable. "

"And yet it was a loss that might have been easily repaired. "

"Ah, you think so, Jack, do you? If you were to lose Knips, would thefirst monkey that came in your way replace him in your affections?"

"That is a very different thing--I brought Knips up. "

"No; it is precisely the same thing. She had the fish when they werevery small, had seen them grow, spoke to them, gave each of them aname, and believed them to be endowed with a supernaturalintelligence. "

"Therefore, I contend the student was a savage. "

"Not he, my friend, he was one of the best-hearted fellows in theworld: hasty, ardent, inconsiderate, he resisted commands and threats, but yielded readily to a tear or a prayer. As soon as he saw thesorrowful look of the old woman, he regretted what he had done, andundertook to restore the inhabitants of the globe to life. "

"With what sort of magic wand did he propose to do that?"

"All the inhabitants of the house had collected round the old lady andher globe, endeavoring to console her, and at the same time trying toaccount for the phenomenon; some ascribed the transformation tolightning, others went so far as to suggest witchcraft. Our scapegracenow joined the throng, took the globe in his hands, gravely examinedhis victims, and declared, with the utmost coolness that they were notdead. 'Not dead, sir! are you sure?' 'Confident, madam; it is only alethargy, a kind of coma or temporary transformation, that will begradually shaken off; I have seen many cases of the same kind, and, ifproper care be taken as to air, repose, and diet, particularly asregards the latter, your fish will be quite well again to-morrow. '"

"Did she believe that?"

"One readily believes what one wishes to be true; besides, intwenty-four hours, all doubt on the subject would be at an end; addedto which, the young man was ostensibly a student of medicine, and hadthe credit in the house of having cured the washerwoman's canary of asore throat. "

"Well, how did he manage about the fish?"

"Very simply; he went and bought some exactly the same size that werenot in a lethargy; he then, at the risk of breaking his neck or beingtaken for a burglar, scaled the balcony, and substituted them for thedefunct. Next morning, when he called to inquire after his patients, he found the old lady quite joyful. "

"Had she no doubts as to their identity?"

"Well, one was a little paler and another was a trifle thinner, butshe was easily persuaded that this difference might arise from theirconvalescence. The young man immediately became a great favorite; andthe old lady would rather have shared her own apartments with him, than allow him to quit the house; he consequently remained. "

"What, then, became of the pistols and the French horn?" inquiredJack. 

"From that time on there sprung up a close friendship between the two;he was induced by her to convert his weapons of war intopharmacopoeas. Always, when she made some nice compound of jelly andcream, he had a share of it; he, on his side, scarcely ever passed herdoor without softening his tread; and both himself and his dogmanaged, eventually, to acquire the favor of the old lady's pug. "

"He appears to have been one of those medical gentlemen WHO profess tocure every conceivable disease by one kind of medicine. "

"And who generally contrive to remove both the disease and the patientat the same time. "

"You mistake the individual altogether; he is now one of the mostesteemed physicians in London, remarkable alike for his skill andbenevolence. It is even strongly suspected by his friends that he isnot a little indebted for his present eminent position to his firstpatients--the canary and the gold-fish. "

It was now the usual hour for retiring to rest. After the eveningprayer, which Mary and Sophia said alternately aloud, Willis and thefour brothers prepared to start for Shark's Island, to pass theirfirst night in the store-room and cattle-shed that had been erectedthere. Of course they could not expect to be so comfortable in suchquarters as at Rockhouse or Falcon's Nest; but then novelty is toyoung people what ease is to the aged. Black bread appears deliciousto those who habitually eat white; and we ourselves have seenhigh-bred ladies delighted when they found themselves compelled todine in a wretched hovel of the Tyrol--true, they were certain of aluxurious supper at Inspruck. So grief breaks the monotony of joy, just as a rock gives repose to level plain. 

Whilst the pinnace was gradually leaving the shore, loaded withmattresses and other movables adapted for a temporary encampment, Jack signalled a parting adieu to Sophia, and, putting his fingers tohis lips, seemed to enjoin silence. 

"All right, Master Jack, " cried she. 

"What is all this signalling about?" inquired Mrs. Wolston. 

"A secret, " said the young girl, leaping with joy; "I have a secret!"

"And with a young man? that is very naughty, miss. "

"Oh, mamma, you will know it to-morrow. "

"What if I wanted to know it to-night?"

"Then, mamma, if you insisted--that is--absolutely--"

"No, no, child, I shall wait till to-morrow; keep it till then--if youcan. "

"Sophia dear, " said Mary to her sister, when their two heads, enveloped in snowy caps with an embroidered fringe, were recliningtogether on the same pillow, "you know I have always shared my_bon-bons_ with you. "

"Yes, sister. "

"In that case, make me a partner in your secret. "

"Will you promise not to speak of it?"

"Yes, I promise. "

"To no one?"

"To no one. "

"Not even to the paroquette Fritz gave you?"

"No, not even to my paroquette. "

"Well, it is very likely I shall speak about it in my dreams--youlisten and find it out. "

"Slyboots!"

"Curiosity!"

Like those delicate flowers that shrink when they are touched, eachthen turned to her own side; but it would have cost both too much notto have fallen asleep as usual, with their arms round each other'snecks;--consequently this tiff soon blew over, and, after a prolongedchat, their lips finally joined in the concluding "Good-night. "

CHAPTER VI. 

THE QUEEN'S DOLL--ROCKHOUSE TO FALCON'S NEST--THEWIND--GLASSES--ADMIRAL HOMER--THE THREE FROGS--OAT JELLY--ESQUIMAUXASTRONOMY--AN UNKNOWN. 

Next morning, Sophia came running in with a sealed letter in her hand, which she opened and read as follows:--

 "HEAD QUARTERS, SAFETY BAY, DAYBREAK. 

 "The Admiral commanding the Fleet stationed in Safety Bay to her Most gracious Majesty Sophia, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland. 

 "May it please your Majesty, "The crews of your Majesty's yachts, the _Elizabeth_ and the _Morse_, are quite entire and in perfect health. The enemy having kept at a respectful distance, we have not had as yet an opportunity of proving our courage and devotion. Mr. Midshipman Jack fell asleep on the carriage of a four-pounder, like Marshal Turenne before his first battle; but, in all other respects, the conduct of the officers has been most exemplary, and merits the utmost commendation. 

 "It is the admiral's intention to push out a reconnaissance towards the east, in the direction of Pearl Bay, which he has not yet explored. If, however, your Majesty should regard this expedition as likely to interfere with the good understanding that subsists between that government and your own, it will be only necessary to fire a gun, in which case we shall return to port. Under other circumstances, the squadron will proceed with the enterprise, and endeavor to obtain a collar for your Majesty's doll. "

"For my doll!" exclaimed Sophia angrily; "when did Jack find out thatI had a doll?"

"Is that, then, your secret?" inquired her mother. 

"Yes, mamma, Master Jack took a pigeon with him for the expresspurpose of playing me this trick. "

"And what is worse, included yourself in the conspiracy. Dreadful!"

"Is it not--to speak of a young person of thirteen's doll?"

"Say nearer fourteen, my dear. "

"Therefore, to punish your confederates, I shall fire a gun, and put astop to their excursion, " said Becker, turning to one of thesix-pounders that flanked Rockhouse in the direction of the river. 

"Clemency being one of the dearest rights of the royal prerogative, "replied Sophia, "I shall pardon them, and I pray you not; to throw anyobstacle in the way of their expedition. "

"Very good, your Majesty; but there are state reasons which should beallowed to overrule the impulses of your heart; those gentlemen haveforgotten that we were to go and lay the first stone, or rather tocut, to-day, the first branch of your aerial residence at Falcon'sNest. "

Admiral Willis and his officers having obeyed the preconcerted signal, the whole party started on their land enterprise. One of the young menwas harnessed to a sledge, containing saws, hatchets, a bamboo ladderthat had formerly done duty as a staircase to the Nest, and everythingelse requisite for the contemplated project. 

Jack had already started when Sophia called him back, and he hastilyobeyed the summons. 

"What are your Majesty's commands?"

"Oh, nothing particular, only should you meet my doll in company withyour go-cart, be pleased to pay my respects to them. " Saying this, shemade a low curtsy, and turned her back upon him. 

"Your Majesty's behests shall be obeyed, " said Jack, and he ran off torejoin the caravan. 

The sad ravages of the tempest presented themselves as they proceeded;tall chestnuts lay stretched on the ground, and seemed, by theirappearance, to have struggled hard with the storm. 

"After all, " inquired Frank, "what is the wind?"

"Wind is nothing more than air rushing in masses from one point toanother. "

"And what causes this commotion in the elements?"

"The equilibrium of the atmosphere is disturbed by a variety ofactions;--the diurnal motion of the sun, whose rays penetrate the airat various points; absorption and radiation, which varies according tothe nature of the soil and the hour of the day; the inequality of thesolar heat, according to seasons and latitude; the formation andcondensation of vapor, that absorbs caloric in its formation, anddisengages it when being resolved into liquid. "

"I never thought, " remarked Willis, "that there were so many mysteriesin a sou'-easter. Does it blow? is it on the starboard or larboard?was all, in fact, that I cared about knowing. "

"In a word, the various circumstances that change the actual densityof the air, making it more rarefied at one point than another, producecurrents, the force and direction of which depend upon the relativeposition of hot and cold atmospheric beds. Again, the winds acquirethe temperature and characteristics of the regions they traverse. "

"That, " observed Frank, "is like human beings; you may generallyjudge, by the language and manners of a man, the places that he isaccustomed to frequent. "

"There are hot and cold winds, wet and dry; then there are the tradewinds. "

"Ah, yes, " cried Willis, "these are the winds to talk of, especiallywhen sailing with them--that is, from east to west; but when yourcourse is different, they are rather awkward affairs to get ahead of. The way to catch them is to sail from Peru to the Philippines. "

"Or from Mexico to China. "

"Yes, either will do; then there is no necessity for tacking, you haveonly to rig your sails and smoke your pipe, or go to sleep; you may, in that way, run four thousand leagues in three months. "

"Stiff sailing that, Willis. "

"Yes, Master Ernest, but it does not come up to your yarn about thestars, you recollect, ever so many millions of miles in a second!"

"The trade winds, I was going to observe, " continued Becker, "thatblow from the west coast of Africa, carry with them a stifling heat. "

"That might be expected, " remarked Frank, "since they pass over thehot sands of the desert. "

"Well, can you tell me why the same wind is cooler on the east coastof America?"

"Because it has been refreshed on crossing the ocean that separatesthe two continents?"

"By taking a glass of grog on the way, " suggested Willis. 

"Yes; and so in Europe the north wind is cold because it carries, orrather consists of, air from the polar regions; and the same effect isproduced by the south wind in the other hemisphere. "

"It is for a like reason, " suggested Ernest, "that the south wind inEurope, and particularly the south-west wind, is humid, and generallybrings rain, because it is charged with vapor from the AtlanticOcean. "

"How is it, father, that the almanac makers can predict changes in theweather?"

"The almanac makers can only foresee one thing with absolutecertainty, and that is, that there are always fools to believe whatthey say. A few meteorological phenomena may be predicted withtolerable accuracy; but these are few in number, and range within verynarrow limits. "

"Their predictions, nevertheless, sometimes turn out correct. "

"Yes, when they predict by chance a hard frost on a particular day inJanuary, it is just possible the prediction may be verified; out of amultitude of such prognostications a few may be successful, but thegreater part of them fail. Their few successes, however, have theeffect with weak minds of inspiring confidence, in defiance of thefailures which they do not take the trouble to observe. "

"At what rate does the wind travel?"

"The speed of the wind is very variable; when it is scarcely felt, thevelocity does not exceed a foot a second; but it is far otherwise inthe cases of hurricanes and tornados, that sweep away trees andhouses. 

"And sink his Majesty's ships, " observed Willis. 

"In those cases the wind sometimes reaches the velocity of forty-fiveyards in a second, or about forty leagues in an hour. "

"Therefore, " remarked Jack, "the wind is a blessing that could verywell be dispensed with. "

"Your conclusions, Jack, do not always do credit to yourunderstanding. The wind re-establishes the equilibrium of thetemperature, and purifies the air by dispersing in the massexhalations that would be pernicious if they remained in one spot; itclears away miasma, it dissipates the smoke of towns, it waters somecountries by driving clouds to them, it condenses vapor on the frozensummits of mountains, and converts it into rivers that cover the landwith fruitfulness. "

"It likewise fills the sails of ships and creates pilots, " observedWillis. 

"And brings about shipwrecks, " remarked Jack. 

"It conveys the pollen of flowers, and, as I had occasion to state theother day, sows the seeds of Nature's fields and forests. It islikewise made available by man in some classes of manufactures--mills, for example. "

"And it causes the simoon, " persisted Jack, "that lifts the sand ofthe desert and overwhelms entire caravans; how can you justify suchravages?"

"I do not intend to plead the cause of either hurricanes or simoons;but I contend that, if the wind sometimes terrifies us by disasters, we have, on the other hand, to be grateful for the infinite good itdoes. In it, as in all other phenomena of the elements, the evils arerare and special, whilst the good is universal and constant. "

Fritz, as usual, with the dogs and his rifle charged, acted as pioneerfor the caravan, now and then bringing down a bird, sometimes adding aplant to their collection, and occasionally giving them someinformation as to the state of the surrounding country. 

"Father, " said he, "I chased this quail into our corn-field; the grainis lying on the ground as if it had been passed over by a roller, butI am happy to say that it is neither broken nor uprooted. "

"Now, Jack, do you see how gallantly the wind behaves, prostrating thestrong and sparing the weak? If you had been charged with the safetyof the grain, no doubt you would have placed it in the tops of thehighest trees. "

"Very likely; and, until taught by experience, everybody else wouldhave done precisely the same thing. "

"True; therefore in this, as in all other things, we should admire thewisdom of Providence, and mistrust our own. "

"Whoever would have thought of trusting the staff of human life tosuch slender support as stalks of straw?"

"If grain had been produced by forests, these, when destroyed by war, burned down by imprudence, uprooted by hurricanes, or washed away byinundations, we should have required ages to replace. "

"Very true. "

"The fruits of trees are, besides, more liable to rot than those ofgrain; the latter have their flowers in the form of spikes, oftenbearded with prickly fibres, which not only protect them frommarauders, but likewise serve as little roofs to shelter them from therain; and besides, as Fritz has just told us, owing to the pliancy oftheir stalks, strengthened at intervals by hard knots and thespear-shaped form of their leaves, these plants escape the fury of thewinds. "

"That, " said Willis, "is like a wretched cock-boat, which oftencontrives to get out of a scrape when all the others are swamped. "

"Therefore, " continued Becker, "their weakness is of more service tothem than the strength of the noblest trees, and they are spread andmultiplied by the same tempests that devastate the forests. Added tothis, the species to which this class of plants belong--thegrasses--are remarkably varied in their characteristics, and bettersuited than any other for universal propagation. "

"Which was remarked by Homer, " observed Ernest "who usuallydistinguishes a country by its peculiar fruit, but speaks of theearth generally as _zeidoros_, or grain-bearing. "

"There, Willis, " exclaimed Jack, "is another great admiral for you. "

"An admiral, Jack?"

"It was he who led the combined fleets of Agamemnon, Diomedes, andothers, to the city of Troy. "

"Not in our time, I suppose?"

"How old are you, Willis?"

"Forty-seven. "

"In that case it was before you entered the navy. "

"I know that there is a Troy in the United States, but I did not knowit was a sea-port. "

"There is another in France, Willis; but the Troy I mean is, or ratherwas, in Asia Minor, capital of Lesser Phrygia, sometimes called Ilion, its citadel bearing the name of Pergamos. "

"Never heard of it, " said Willis. 

"To return to grain, " continued Becker, laughing. "Nature has renderedit capable of growing in all climates, from the line to the pole. There is a variety for the humid soils of hot countries, as the riceof Asia; immense quantities of which are produced in the basin of theGanges. There is another variety for marshy and cold climates--as akind of oat that grows wild on the banks of the North American lakes, and of which the natives gather abundant harvests. "

"God has amply provided for us all, " said Frank. 

"Other varieties grow best in hot, dry soils, as the millet in Africa, and maize or Indian corn in Brazil. In Europe, wheat is cultivateduniversally, but prefers rich lands, whilst rye takes more readily toa sandy soil; buckwheat is most luxuriant where most exposed to rain;oats prefer humid soils, and barley comes to perfection on rocky, exposed lands, growing well on the cold, bleak plains of the north. And, observe, that the grasses suffice for all the wants of man. "

"Yes, " observed Ernest, "with the straw are fed his sheep, his cows, his oxen, and his horses; with the seeds, he prepares his food andhis drinks. In the north, grain is converted into excellent beer andale, and spirits are extracted from it as strong as brandy. "

"The Chinese obtain from rice a liquor that they prefer to the finestwines of Spain. "

"That is because they have not yet tasted our Rockhouse malaga. "

"Then of roasted oats, perfumed with vanilla, an excellent jelly maybe made. "

"Ah! we must get mamma to try that--it will delight the young ladies. "

"And, no doubt, you will profit by the occasion to partake thereofyourself, Master Jack. "

"Certainly; but I would not, for all that, seek to gratify my ownappetite under pretence of paying a compliment to our friends. "

"I know an animal, " said Willis, "that, for general usefulness, beatsgrain all to pieces. "

"Good! let us hear what it is, Willis. "

"It is the seal of the Esquimaux; they live upon its flesh, and theydrink its blood. "

"I scarcely think, " said Jack, "that I should often feel thirsty undersuch circumstances. "

"The skin furnishes them with clothes, tents, and boats. "

"Of which our canoe and life-preservers are a fair sample, " saidFritz. 

"The fat furnishes them with fire and candle, the muscles with threadand rope, the gut with windows and curtains, the bones with arrowheads and harness; in short, with everything they require. "

"True, Willis, in so far as regards their degree of civilization, which is not very great, when we consider that they bury their sickwhilst alive, because they are afraid of corpses; that they believethe sun, moon, and stars to be dead Esquimaux, who have beentranslated from earth to heaven. "

Whilst chatting in this way, the party had imperceptibly arrived atFalcon's Nest, wherein they had not set foot for a fortnightpreviously. 

Fritz went up first, and before the others had ascended, came runningdown again as fast as his legs would carry him. 

"Father, " he cried, in an accent of alarm, "there is a fresh litter ofleaves up stairs, which has been recently slept upon, and I miss aknife that I left the last time we were here!"

CHAPTER VII. 

THE SEARCH FOR THE UNKNOWN--THREE FLEETS ON DRY LAND--THEINDISCRETIONS OF A SUGAR CANE--LARBOARD AND STARBOARD--THE SUPPOSEDSENSIBILITY OF PLANTS--THE FLY-TRAP--VENDETTA--ROOT AND GERM--MINE ANDCOUNTERMINE--THE POLYPI--OVIPAROUS AND VIVIPAROUS--A QUID PRO QUO. 

"Have any of you been at Falcon's Nest lately?" inquired Becker, whenhe had verified the truth of Fritz's intelligence. 

"None of us, " unanimously replied all the boys. 

"You will understand that the question I put to you is, under thecircumstances in which we are placed, one of the greatest moment. If, therefore, there is any unseemly joking, any trick, or secret projectin contemplation, with which this affair is connected, do not concealit any longer. "

All the boys again reiterated their innocence of the matter inquestion. 

Becker then called to mind the mysterious disappearance of Willis, and, although they were too short in duration to admit of his havingbeen at Falcon's Nest, still he deemed it advisable to put thequestion to him individually. 

Willis declared that the present was the first time he had been in thevicinity of the Nest, and his word was known to be sacred. 

"There can be no mistake then, " said Becker; "the traces areself-evident. This is altogether a circumstance calculated to give usserious uneasiness. Nevertheless, we must view the matter calmly, andconsider what steps we should take to unravel the mystery. "

"Let us instantly beat up the island, " suggested Fritz. 

"It appears to me, " remarked Willis, "that the _Nelson_ has beenwrecked after all, and that one of the men has escaped. "

"That, " replied Ernest, "is very unlikely. All the crew knew that theisland was inhabited, and consequently, had any one of them beenthrown on shore, he would have come at once to Rockhouse, and notstopped here. "

"As regards the Captain or Lieutenant Dunsley, " said Willis, "who wereon shore, and could easily find their way, what you say is quite true;but the men were kept on board; and if we suppose that a sailor hadbeen thrown on the opposite coast, he would not be able to determinehis position in fifteen days. "

"Much less could he expect to find a villa in a fig-tree. "

"To say nothing of the light that has been kept burning recently onShark's Island, nor of the buildings with which the land is strewn, nor the fields and plantations that are to be met with in alldirections. For, although a swallow alone is sufficient to convey theseeds of a forest from one continent to another, still it requires thehand of man to arrange the trees in rows and furnish them with props. "

"Perhaps we may have crossed each other on the way; and the stranger, after passing the night here, has steered, by some circuitous route, in the direction of Safety Bay. "

"May it not have been a large monkey, " suggested Jack, "who hasresolved to play us a trick for having massacred its companions atWaldeck?"

"Monkeys, " replied Ernest, "do not generally open doors, and, seeingno bed prepared for them, go down stairs and collect material for amattress. You may just as well fancy that the monkey, in this case, came to pass the night at Falcon's Nest with a cigar in its mouth. "

"Then he must have been dreadfully annoyed to find neither slippersnor a night-cap. "

"There is, unquestionably, a wide field of supposition open for us, "said Becker; "but that need not prevent us taking active measures toarrive at the truth. Our first duty is to care for the safety of theladies; Mr. Wolston is still ailing and feeble, so that, if a strangerwere suddenly to appear amongst them, they might be terriblyalarmed. "

"There are six of us here, " remarked Willis, "the cream of our sea andland forces; we could divide ourselves into three squadrons, one ofwhich might sail for Rockhouse. "

"Just so; let Fritz and Frank start for Rockhouse. "

"And what shall we say to the ladies, father?" inquired the latter;"it does not seem to me necessary to alarm our mother, Mrs. Wolston, and the young ladies, until something more certain is ascertained. "

"Your idea is good, my son, and I thank you for bringing it forward;it is one of those that arise from the heart rather than the head. "

"We have, only to find a pretext for their sudden return, " observedErnest. 

"Very well, " said Jack, "they have only to say it is too hot to work. "

"Just as if it were not quite as hot for us as for them. Your excuse, Jack, is not particularly artistic. "

"Might they not as well say they had forgotten a tool or a pockethandkerchief?"

"Or, better still, that they had forgotten to shut the door when theyleft, and came back to repair the omission. "

"We shall say, " replied Fritz, "that, finding there were twelve strongarms here to do what my father accomplished fifteen years ago byhimself--for the assistance of us boys could not then be reckoned--wewere ashamed of ourselves, and had returned to Rockhouse to makeourselves useful in repairing the damage to the gallery caused by thetempest. "

"Well, that excuse has, at least, the merit of being reasonable; andlet it be so. Fritz and Frank will return to Rockhouse; Ernest andmyself will continue the work in hand, and receive the friend or enemywhich God has sent us, should he return to resume his quarters; Willisand Jack will investigate the neighborhood. "

"By land or water, Willis?" inquired Jack. 

"By land, Master Jack, for this cruise. I shall abandon the helm toyou, for I know nothing of the shoals here-abouts. "

"If, " continued Becker, "though highly improbable, any thing importantshould have happened, or should happen at Rockhouse, you will fire acannon, and we will be with you immediately. Willis and Jack willdischarge a rifle if threatened with danger; and we shall do the sameon our side, if we require assistance. "

"It is a pity, " remarked Jack, "that we had not two or threefour-pounders amongst the provisions. "

"I scarcely regard this matter as altogether a subject for joking, "continued Becker, "and sincerely hope that all our precautions mayprove useless. Take each of you a rifle and proceed with caution;above all, do not go far apart from each other; do not fire withouttaking good aim, and only in case of self-defence or absolutenecessity; for this time it does not appear to be a question of bearsand hyenas, but, as far as we are able to judge, one of our ownspecies. "

Two of the squadrons then hauled off in different directions, carefully examining the ground as they went, beating up the thickets, and endeavoring to obtain some further trace of the stranger, in orderto confirm those at Falcon's Nest. 

The squadron of observation, in the meanwhile set diligently to work. A tree having been selected at about fifteen paces from that alreadyexisting, it was necessary, as on the former occasion, to discharge anarrow carrying the end of a line, and in such a way that the cordmight fall across some of the strongest branches; this done, thebamboo ladder was drawn up from the opposite side and held fast untilErnest had ascended and fastened it with nails to the top of the tree. 

Ernest then commenced lopping off the branches to the right and left, so as to form a space in the centre for their contemplated dwelling;whilst Becker himself below was making an entrance into the trunk, taking care to avoid an accident that formerly happened, by assuringhimself that a colony of bees had not already taken possession of theground. The gigantic fig-trees at Falcon's Nest being for the mostpart hollow, and supported in a great measure by the bark--like thewillows in Europe when they reach a certain stage of their growth--itwas easy to erect a staircase in the interior; still this was a workof time, and Becker had resolved in the meantime to give up thehabitation already constructed to Wolston and his family, at leastuntil such time as an entrance was attached to the new one that didnot require any extraordinary amount of gymnastics. 

[Illustration]

A portion of the day had been occupied in these operations, whenWillis and Jack returned to the camp. 

"We have seen no one, " said the Pilot. 

"But, " said Jack, "we are on the track of Fritz's knife. "

"Be good enough to explain yourself. "

"Well, father, at the entrance to the cocoa-nut tree wood we stumbledupon two sugar canes completely divested of their juice. "

"Which proves--" said Ernest; but his remark was cut short by Jack, who continued--

"Not a bit of it; a philosopher would have passed these two worthlesssugar canes just as a place-hunter passes an overthrown minister, thatis, as unworthy of notice. "

"And what did you do?"

"Well, I, the headless, the thoughtless, the stupid--for these are theepithets I am usually favored with--I took them up, scrutinized themcarefully, and discovered--"

"That they were sugar canes. "

"In the first instance, yes. "

"Very clever, that!"

"And then that they had not been torn up--_they had been cut_. "

"Is that all?"

"Yes, most wise and learned brother, that is all; and I leave you todraw the inferences. "

"I may add, " observed the sailor, "that, as we were steering for theplantation, myself on the starboard and Jack on the larboard--"

"On the what?"

"Master Jack on the left and myself on the right. "

"That I pitched right over these canes without ever noticing them. "

"Which is not much to be wondered at; Willis has been so long at seathat he has no confidence in the solidity of the land; during ourcruise, he kept a look-out after the wind, expecting, I suppose, thatit would perform some of the wonderful things you spoke of thismorning. "

"After all, " observed Becker, "this is another link in the chain ofevidence, and I congratulate Jack on his sagacity in tracing it. "

"But the affair is as much a mystery as ever. "

"True; and the solution may probably be awaiting us at Rockhouse. "

The united squadrons then started on their homeward voyage, Jackthrusting his nose into every bush, and carefully scanning all thestray objects that seemed to be out of their normal position. 

"If these plants and bushes had tongues, " said Jack, "they couldprobably give us the information we require. "

"Do you think, " inquired Ernest, "that plants and bushes are utterlywithout sensation?"

"Faith, I can't say, " replied Jack; "perhaps they can speak if theyliked--probably they have an idiom of their own. You, that know alllanguages, and a great many more besides, possibly can converse withthem. "

"I should like to know, " said Becker, "why you two gentlemen arealways snarling at each other; it is neither amusing nor amiable. "

"Ernest is continually showing me up, father, and it is but fair thatI should be allowed to retort now and then. But to return to plants, Ernest; you say they have nerves?"

"If they have, " said Willis, "they do not seem to possess the bottleof salts that most nervous ladies usually have. "

"No, " replied Ernest, "they have no nerves, properly so called; butthere are plants, and I may add many plants, which, by theirqualities--I may almost say by their intelligence--seem to be placedmuch higher in the scale of creation than they really are. Thesensitive plant, for example, shrinks when it is touched; tulips opentheir petals when the weather is fine, and shut them again at sunsetor when it rains; wild barley, when placed on a table, often moves byitself, especially when it has been first warmed by the hand; theheliotrope always turns the face of its flowers to the sun. "

"A still more singular instance of this kind was recently discoveredin Carolina, " remarked Becker; "it is called the _fly-trap_. Its roundleaves secrete a sugary fluid, and are covered with a number of ridgeswhich are extremely irritable: whenever a fly touches the surface theleaf immediately folds inwards, contracts, and continues this processtill its victim is either pierced with its spines or stifled by thepressure. "

"It is probably a Corsican plant, " observed Jack, "whose ancestorshave had a misunderstanding with the brotherhood of flies, and haveleft the _Vendetta_ as a legacy to their descendants. "

"There is nothing in Nature, " continued Ernest, "so obstinate as aplant. Let us take one, for example, at its birth, that is, to-day, atthe age when animals modify or acquire their instincts, and you willfind that your own will must yield to that of the plant. "

"If you mean to say that the plant will refuse to play on the flute orlearn to dance, were I to wish it to do so, I am entirely of youropinion. "

"No, but suppose you were to plant it upside down, with the plantuleabove and the radicle below; do you think it would grow that way?"

"Plantule and radicle are ambitious words, my dear brother; recollectthat you are speaking to simple mortals. "

"Well, I mean root uppermost. "

"Right; I prefer that, don't you, Willis?"

"Yes, Master Jack. "

"At first the radicle or root would begin by growing upwards, and theplantule or germ would descend. "

"That is quite in accordance with my revolutionary idiosyncracies. "

"You accused me just now of using ambitious words. "

"Well, I understand a revolution to mean, placing those above whoshould be below. "

"Nature then, " continued Ernest, "very soon begins to assert herrights; the bud gradually twists itself round and ascends, whilst theroot obeys a similar impulse and descends--is not this a proof ofdiscernment?"

"I see nothing more in it than a proof of the wonderful mechanism Godhas allotted to the plant, and is analogous to the movements of awatch, the hands of which point out the hours, minutes, and seconds oftime, and are yet not endowed with intelligence. "

"Very good, Jack, " said Becker. 

"Suppose, " continued Ernest, "that the ground in the neighborhood ofyour plant was of two very opposite qualities, that on the right, forexample, damp, rich, and spongy; that on the left, dry, poor, androcky; you would find that the roots, after growing for a time up ordown, as the case might be, will very soon change their route, andtake their course towards the rich and humid soil. "

"And quite right too, " said Willis; "they prefer to go where they willbe best fed. "

"If, then, these roots stretched out to points where they wouldwithdraw the nourishment from other plants in the neighborhood--howcould you prevent it?"

"By digging a ditch between them and the plants they threaten toimpoverish. "

"And do you suppose that would be sufficient?"

"Yes, unless the plant you refer to was an engineer. "

"Therein lies the difficulty. Plants are engineers; they would sendtheir roots along the bottom of the ditch, or they would creep underit--at all events, the roots would find their way to the coveted soilin spite of you; if you dug a mine, they would countermine it, andobtain supplies from the opposite territory, and revenge themselvesthere for the scurvy treatment to which they had been subjected. Whatcould you do then?"

"In that case, I should admit myself defeated. "

"If, " continued Ernest, "we present a sponge saturated with water tothe naked roots of a plant, they will slowly, but steadily, directthemselves towards it; and, turn the sponge whichever way you will, they will take the same direction. "

"It has been concluded, " remarked Becker, "from these incontestablefacts, that plants are not devoid of sensibility; and, in fact, whenwe behold them lying down at sunset as if dead, and come to life againnext morning, we are forced to recognise a degree of irritability inthe vegetable organs which very closely resemble those of the animaleconomy. "

"In future, " said Jack, "I shall take care not to tread upon a weed, lost, being hurt, it should scream. "

"On the other hand, they have not been found to possess any other signof this supposed sensibility. All their other functions seem perfectlymechanical. "

"Ah then, father, " exclaimed Jack, "you are a believer in my system!"

"We make them grow and destroy them, without observing anythinganalogous to the sensation we feel in rearing, wounding, or killing ananimal. "

"But the fly-trap, father, what of that?"

"It is no exception. The fly-trap seizes any small body that touchesit, as well as an insect, and with the same tenacity; hence, we mayreadily conclude that these actions, so apparently spontaneous, are inreality nothing more than remarkable developments of the laws ofirritability peculiar to plants. "

"It does not, then, spring from a family feud, as Jack supposed?"remarked Willis. 

"Besides, " continued Becker, "if plants really existed, possessingwhat is understood by the term sensation, they would be animals. "

"For a like reason, animals without sensation would be plants. "

"Evidently. Moreover, the transition from vegetable to animal life isalmost imperceptible, so much so, that polypi, such as corals andsponges, were for a long time supposed to be marine plants. "

"And what are they?" inquired Willis. 

"Insects that live in communities that form a multitude of contiguouscells; some of these are begun at the bottom of the sea andaccumulated perpendicularly, one layer being continually depositedover another till the surface is reached. "

"Then the coral reefs, that render navigation so perilous in unknownseas, are the work of insects?"

"Exactly so, Willis. "

"Might they not as well consist of multitudes of insects piled heapsupon heaps?"

"It is in a great measure as you say, Willis. "

"Not I--I do not say it--quite the contrary. "

"Well, Willis, you are at liberty to believe it or not, as you thinkproper. "

"I hope so; we shall, therefore, put the polypi with Ernest's starsand Jack's admirals. "

"So be it, Willis; but to resume the subject. There is a remarkableanalogy in many respects between the lower orders of animals andplants, the bulb is to the latter what the egg is to the former. Thegerm does not pierce the bulb till it attains a certain organization, and it remains attached by fibres to the parent substance, from which, for a time, it receives nourishment. "

"Not unlike the young of animals, " remarked Willis. 

"When the germ has shot out roots and a leaf or two, it then, but nottill then, relinquishes the parent bulb. The plant then grows by anextension and multiplication of its parts, and this extension isaccompanied by an increasing induration of the fibres. The samephenomena are observed as regards animals. "

"Curious!" said Willis. 

"Animals, however, are sometimes oviparous. "

"Oviparous?" inquired Willis. 

"Yes, that is, they lay eggs; others are viviparous, producing theiryoung alive. A few are multiplied like plants by cuttings, as in thecase of the polypi. "

"Bother the polypi, " said Willis, laughing, "since we have to thankthem for destroying some of his Majesty's ships. "

"Then again, " continued Becker, "both plants and animals are subjectto disease, decay, and death. "

"But, father, if the analogies are remarkable, the differences are notless marked. "

"Well, Ernest, I shall leave you to point them out. "

"Without reckoning the faculty of feeling, that cannot be denied tothe one nor granted to the other, the most striking of thesedistinctions consists in the circumstance that animals can changeplace, whilst this faculty is absolutely refused to plants. "

"If we except those, " remarked Jack, "that insist upon travelling tothe succulent parts of the earth, and are as indefatigable in diggingtunnels as the renowned Brunel. "

"Then plants are obliged to accept the nourishment that their fixedposition furnishes to them; whilst animals, on the contrary, by meansof their external organs, can range far and near in search of thealiments most congenial to their appetites. "

"Which is often very capricious, " remarked Willis. 

"Then, considered with regard to magnitude, the two kingdoms presentremarkable distinctions; the interval between a whale and a mite isgreater than between the moss and the oak. "

"Ho!" cried Jack, "there is Miss Sophia coming to meet us, Willis. "

"Perhaps they have news at the grotto. "

"Well, " inquired the child, "have you seen them?"

"Good, " thought Becker, "our chatterers have not been able to holdtheir tongues; I am surprised at that as regards Frank. "

"We expected to have found them at Rockhouse. "

"To have found whom?"

"The sailors from the wreck. "

"What wreck?"

"The _Nelson_. "

"I sincerely hope that the _Nelson_ has not been wrecked. "

"In that case, whom do you refer to yourself, Miss Sophia?"

"To your go-cart and my doll, Master Jack. "

CHAPTER VIII. 

HABITANT OF THE MOON, ANTHROPOPHAGIAN OR HOBGOBLIN?--THE LACEDEMONIANSTEW OF MADAME DACIER--UTILE DULCI--TETE-A-TETE BETWEEN WILLIS AND HISPIPE--TOBACCO VERSUS BIRCH--IS IT FOR EATING?--MOSQUITOES--THEALARM--TOBY--THE NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION--WE'VE GOT HIM. 

Some days passed without anything having occurred to ruffle thetranquil existence of the island families. Every morning the _élite_of the sea and land forces continued to divide themselves into threesquadrons of observation; one of which remained at Rockhouse on somepretext or other, whilst the other two were occupied in exploring thecountry, or in carrying on the works at Falcon's Nest. 

The mysterious stranger, whether shipwrecked seaman, savage, orhobgoblin, who kept all the bearded inhabitants of Rockhouse on thealert, had reappeared in his old quarters, where another litter ofleaves had been miraculously strewn exactly in the same place theformer had occupied. 

Beyond this, however, and sundry gashes here and there--of whichFritz's knife was clearly guilty, but which could not have beenperpetrated without an accomplice--nothing had transpired to enablethem to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion as to who or what thispersonage could be. 

Though the hypothesis was highly improbable, still Willis persisted inhis theory of the shipwreck; he only doubted whether the individual onshore was a marine or the cabin-boy, an officer or a foremast man, and, if the latter, whether it was Bill, Tom, Bob, or Ned. 

Ernest rather inclined to think that the invisible stranger was aninhabitant of the moon, who, in consequence of a false step, hadtumbled from his own to our planet. 

The warlike Fritz was impatient and irritated. He would over and overagain have preferred an immediate solution of the affair, even were itbathed in blood, rather than be kept any longer in suspense. 

Frank, on the contrary, took a metaphysical view of the case; and, believing that Providence had not entirely dispensed with miracles indealing with the things of this world, came to the conclusion that itwas no earthly visitor they had to deal with; and he even went so faras to hint that prayer was a more efficacious means of solving themystery than the methods his brothers were pursuing. 

Jack, coinciding in some degree with Ernest, shifted his view from anape to an anthropophagian, and blamed the latter for not comingearlier; when he and his brothers were younger, and consequently moretender, they would have made a better meal, and been more easilydigested. 

As to what opinion Becker himself entertained, with regard to theoccurrence at Falcon's Nest that kept his sons in a feverish state ofanxiety, and had awakened all the fears of the Pilot for the safety ofhis friends on board the _Nelson_, nothing could be clearlyascertained; in so far as this matter was concerned he kept his owncounsel; and, to use an expression of Madame de Sevigné, "had thrownhis tongue to the dogs. "

The close of the day had, as usual, collected all the members of thefamily round the domestic hearth; and it may be stated here that Mrs. Wolston, Mary, and Mrs. Becker alternately undertook the preparationsof the viands for the diurnal consumption of the community. By thismeans, uniformity, that palls the appetite, was entirely banished fromtheir dishes. One day they would have the cooked, or ratherhalf-cooked, British joints of Mrs. Wolston and her daughter, variedoccasionally, to the great delight of Willis, with a tureen ofhotch-potch or cocky-leekie. The next there would be a display of thecosmopolite and somewhat picturesque cookery of Mrs. Becker; there washer famous peccary pie, with ravansara sauce, followed by herdelicious preserved mango and seaweed jelly. Nor did she hesitate todraw upon the raw material of the colony now and then for a new hashor soup, taking care, however, to keep in view the maxim thatprudence is the mother of safety--an adage that was rather roughlyhandled by the renowned French linguist, Madame Dacier, who, on oneoccasion nearly poisoned her husband with a Lacedemonian stew, thereceipt for which she had found in Xenophon. 

Luckily Becker's wife did not know Greek, consequently he ran no riskof being entertained with a classic dinner; but he was often remindedby his thoughtful partner of Meg Dod's celebrated receipt: before youcook your hare, first--catch it. 

Sophia desired earnestly to have a share in the culinary government;but having shown on her first trial, too decided a leaning towardspuddings and pancakes, her second essay was put off till she becamemore thoroughly penetrated with the value of the eternal precept_utile dulci_, which signifies that, before dessert it is requisite tohave something substantial. 

As soon as they had finished their afternoon meal, Willis departed onone of his customary mysterious excursions; and Jack, who, like thebirds that no sooner hop upon one branch than they leap upon another, had also disappeared. It was not long, however, before he made hisappearance again; he came running in almost out of breath, and criedat the top of his voice, "I have discovered him!"

"Whom?" exclaimed half a dozen voices. 

"The inhabitant of the moon?" inquired Ernest. 

"No. "

"I know, " said Sophia playfully, "your go-cart and my doll. "

"No, I have discovered Willis' secret. "

"If you have been watching him, it is very wrong. "

"No, father; seeing some thin columns of smoke rising out of athicket, I thought a bush was on fire; but on going nearer, I saw thatit was only a tobacco-pipe. "

"Was the pipe alone, brother?"

"No, not exactly, it was in Willis' mouth; and there he sat, socompletely immersed in ideas and smoke, that he neither heard nor sawme. "

"That he does not smoke here, " remarked Becker, "I can easilyunderstand; but why conceal it?"

"Ah, " replied Mrs. Wolston, "you do not know Willis yet;--beneath thatrough exterior there are feelings that would grace a coronet: he is, no doubt, afraid of leading your sons into the habit. "

"That is very thoughtful and considerate on his part. "

"He was always smoking on board ship, and it must have been a greatsacrifice for him to leave it off to the extent he has done lately. "

"Then we shall not allow him to punish himself any longer; and as forthe danger of contagion from his smoking here, that evil may perhapsbe avoided. "

"Do not be afraid, father; it will not be necessary to establisheither a quarantine or a lazaretto on our account. "

"Besides, any of the boys, " said Mrs. Becker, "that acquire the habit, will, by so doing, voluntarily banish themselves from my levees. "

"It is an extraordinary habit that, smoking, " observed Mrs. Wolston. 

"Yes, " said Becker; "and what makes the habit more singular is, thatit holds out no allurements to seduce its votaries. Generally, thepath to vice, or to a bad habit, is strewn with roses that hide theirthorns, but such is not the case with smoking; in order to acquirethis habit, a variety of disagreeable difficulties have to beovercome, and a considerable amount of disgust and sickness must beborne before the stomach is tutored to withstand the nauseous fumes. "

"In point of fact, " observed Wolston, "if, instead of being made partand parcel of the appliances of a fashionable man, cigars andmeershaums were classed in the pharmacopoeia with emetics andcataplasms, there is not a human being but would bemoan his fate ifcompelled to undergo a dose. "

"Just so, " added Becker; "the great and sole attraction of tobacco toyoung people consists in its being to them a forbidden thing; theapple of Eve is of all time--it hangs from every tree, and takesmyriads of shapes. If I had the honor of being principal of a collegeI should no more think of forbidding the pupils to use tobacco than Ishould think of commanding them not to use the birch for purposes ofself-chastisement. "

"Perhaps you would be quite right. "

"Instead of lecturing them on the pernicious effects of tobacco, Ishould hang up a pipe of punishment in the class-room, and obligeoffending pupils to inhale a fixed number of whiffs proportionate tothe gravity of their delinquency. "

"An excellent idea, " observed Wolston; "for it is often only necessaryto show some things in a different light in order to give them a newaspect and value. This puts me in mind of an illustration in point;these two girls, when children, were the parties concerned, and I willrelate the circumstance to you. "

"In that case, " said Mary, "I shall go and feed the fowls. "

"And I, " said Sophia, "must go and water the flowers. "

"Oh, then, " cried Jack laughing, "it is another doll story, is it?"

"No, Master Jack, it is not a doll story; and, besides, we girls wereno bigger at the time than that. "

On saying this Sophia placed her two hands about a foot and a halffrom the floor and then the two girls vanished. 

"When Mary was about six years old, " began Wolston, "a slight rashthreatened to develope itself, and the doctor ordered a small blisterto be applied to one of her arms. Now, there was likely to be somedifficulty about getting her to submit quietly to this operation, so, after an instant's reflection, I called both her and her sister, andtold them that the most diligent of the two should have a vesicatoryput on her arm at night. 'Oh, ' cried both the girls quite delighted, 'it will be me, papa, I shall be so good. Mamma, mamma--such atreat--papa has promised us a vesicatory for to-night!'"

"That was simplicity itself, " said Mrs. Becker, laughing till thetears came into her eyes. 

"The day passed, the one endeavoring to excel the other in thequantity of leaves they turned over; and, from time to time, I heardthe one asking the other in a low voice, 'Have you ever seen avesicatory? What is it made of? Is it for eating? And each in turnregarded her arms, to judge in advance the effect of the marvellousornament. "

"I should like much to have seen them. "

"Night came, and I declared gravely that the eldest was fairlyentitled to the prize. The latter jumped about with joy, and Sophiabegan to cry. 'Don't cry, ' said Mary, 'if you are good, papa will, perhaps, give you one to-morrow, too, ' Then the joyful patient, turning to me, said, 'On which arm, papa?' and I told her that theceremony of placing it on must take place when she was in bed. To bedaccordingly she went, the ornament was applied, she looked at it, waspleased with it, thanked me for it, and fell asleep as happy as aqueen. But, alas! like that of many queens, the felicity did not lastlong; before morning, I heard her saying to her sister, in a dolefultone, 'Soffy, will you have my vesicatory?' 'Oh, yes, just lend it tome for a tiny moment. ' At this I hurried to the spot, and, as you mayreadily suppose, opposed the transfer. "

"Poor Sophia!"

"Yes; she was quite heart-broken, and said, sobbing, 'It is alwaysMary that gets everything, nobody ever gives anything to me. '"

Next day, Willis laid hold of his sou'-wester, and was starting off onhis customary pilgrimage, when Becker stopped him. 

"Willis, " said he, "have you any objections to state what theengagements are, that require you to leave us at pretty much the samehour every day?"

"I merely go for a walk, Mr. Becker. "

"Ah!"

"You see I require to take a turn just after dinner for the sake of myhealth. "

"A habit that you contracted on board ship; eh, Willis?"

"On board ship; yes Mr. Becker, that is to say--"

"Just so, " observed Mrs. Wolston; "and by the way, Willis, I regretthat you do not smoke now; they say there is plenty of tobacco on theisland. "

"Smoke!" cried Willis, raising his ears like a war-horse at the soundof the trumpet, "why so, Mrs. Wolston?"

"Because we are dreadfully tormented with those horrid mosquitoes, andyou might help us to get rid of them. You smoked at sea, did you not?"

"Yes, madam; but then my constitution--"

"Bah!" said Wolston, "I thought you were as strong as a horse, Willis. "

"Well, I have no cause to complain neither; but then they say tobaccowould kill even a horse. "

"Of course, Willis, your health is a most necessary consideration. "

"Still for all that, if the mosquitoes really do annoy Mrs. Wolston, Ishould have no objection to take a whiff now and then. "

"You must not put yourself about though, on our account, Willis. "

"About; no, it would not put me about. "

"Very good; then it only remains to be seen whether there is a pipe inthe colony. "

"Ah, " said Willis, feeling his pockets, "yes, exactly--here is one. "

"Curious how things do turn up, isn't it, Willis?" said Becker; "butthe mosquitoes would not be frightened away by the smoke, if appliedat long intervals, so you will have to repeat the dose at least two orthree times every day, always supposing it does not affect yourconstitution. "

"Sailors, you see, " replied Willis, "are like chimneys, they alwayssmoke when you want them, and sometimes a great deal more than youwant them, " And on turning round, he beheld Sophia holding a light, and a good-sized case of Maryland, which had been preserved from thewreck. 

Ever after that time the mosquitoes had a most persevering enemy inWillis; and, notwithstanding his health, his daily walks entirelyceased. 

For some time the Pilot and the four young men passed the night in atent erected about midway between Rockhouse and the Jackal River. Theapparent reason for this modification of their plans was the greaterfacility it afforded for their all meeting at daybreak, breakfastingtogether, and setting out for Falcon's Nest before the temperaturereached ninety degrees in the shade, which junction could not be soeasily effected with one party encamped at Rockhouse and the otherbivouacked on Shark's Island, with an arm of the sea between them. 

The real motive, however, was that all might be within hail of eachother, and prepared for every emergency, in the event of the strangerappearing in a more palpable shape, and assuming a hostile attitude. We say the stranger, because, judging from the indications, there wasonly one--still that did not prove that there might not be several. 

One night, as Fritz was lying with one eye open, he observed Mary'slittle black terrier suddenly prick up the fragments of its ears, andbegin sniffing at the edge of the tent. This shaggy little cur wascalled Toby; it had accompanied the Wolstons on their voyage, and wasMary's exclusive property; but Fritz had found the way to the animal'sheart as usual through its stomach, and Mary was in no way jealous ofhis attentions to her favorite, but rather the reverse. 

Fritz, feeling convinced by the actions of the dog, which was of thetrue Scotch breed, that something extraordinary was passing outsidethe tent, seized his rifle, hastened out, and was just in time todistinguish a human figure on the opposite bank of the Jackal River, which, on seeing him, took to its heels and disappeared in the forest. 

He was soon joined by the Pilot and his brothers; the dogs leapedabout them, and the alarm became general throughout the encampment. Fritz re-established order, enjoined silence, and said, "I am determined this time to follow the affair up; who will accompanyme?"

"I will!" said all the four voices at once. 

"Scouting parties ought not to be numerous, " said Fritz; "I will, therefore, take Willis, in case this mystification has anything to dowith the _Nelson_. "

"And me, " said Jack, "to serve as a dessert, in case the individualshould turn out to be an anthropophagian. "

"Be it so; but no more. Frank and Ernest will remain to tranquilizeour parents, in case we should not return before they are up. "

"And if so, what shall we say?"

"Tell them the truth. We shall proceed direct to Falcon's Nest; and ifthe stranger--confiding in our habit of sleeping during the night--bethere as usual, we shall do ourselves the honor of helping him to getup. "

"Providing he does not nightly change his quarters like OliverCromwell--not so much to avoid enemies, as to calm his uneasyconscience. "

"Well, we shall be no worse than before; we shall have tried torestore our wonted quietude, and, if we fail, we can say, like FrancisI. At Pavia, '_All is lost except our honor_. '"

Some minutes after this conversation, three shadows might have beenseen stealing through the glades in the direction of Falcon's Nest. Nothing was to be heard but the rustling of the leaves--the deafenedbeating of the sea upon the rocks--and, to use the words of Lamartine, "those unknown tongues that night and the wind whisper in the air. "The trees were mirrored in the rays of the moon, and the ground, atintervals, seemed strewn with monstrous giants; their hearts beat, notwith fear, but with that feverish impatience that anticipates decisiveresults. 

When they arrived at the foot of the tree on which the aerial dwellingwas situated, Fritz opened the door, and resolutely, but stealthily, ascended. 

Willis and Jack followed him with military precision. 

They reached the top of the staircase, and held the latch of the doorthat opened into the apartment. 

A train of mice, in the strictest incognito, could not have performedthese operations with a greater amount of secretiveness. On openingthe door they stood and listened. 

Not a sound. Jack fired off a pistol, and the fraudulent occupier ofthe room instantly started up on his feet. Fritz rushed forward, andclasped him tightly round the body. 

"Ho, ho, comrade, " said he, "this time you do not get off so easily!"

CHAPTER IX. 

THE CHIMPANZEE--IMPERFECT NEGRO, OR PERFECT APE--THE HARMONIES OFNATURE--A HANDFUL OF PAWS--A STONE SKIN--SEVENTEEN THOUSAND SPECTACLESON ONE NOSE--ANIMALCULÆ--PELION ON OSSA--PTOLEMY--COPERNICUS TOGALILEO--METAPHYSICS AND COSMOGONIES--ISAIAH--A LIVE TIGER. 

"The chimpanzé or chimpanzee, " says Buffon, the French naturalist, "ismuch more sagacious than the _ourang outang_, with which it has beeninaccurately confounded; it likewise bears a more marked resemblanceto the human being; the height is the same, and it has the sameaspect, members, and strength; it always walks on two feet, with thehead erect, has no tail, has calves to its legs, hair on its head, abeard on its chin, a face that Grimaldi would have envied, hands andnails like those of men, whose manners and habits it is susceptible ofacquiring. "

Buffon knew an individual of the species that sat demurely at table, taking his place with the other guests; like them he would spread outhis napkin, and stick one corner of it into his button-hole just asthey did, and he was exceedingly dexterous in the use of his knife, fork, and spoon. Spectators were not a little surprised to see him goto a bed made for him, tie up his head in a pocket-handkerchief, placeit sideways on a pillow, tuck himself carefully in the bed-clothes, pretend to be sick, stretch out his pulse to be felt, and affect toundergo the process of being bled. 

The naturalist adds that he is very easily taught, and may be made auseful domestic servant, at least as regards the humbler operations ofthe kitchen; he promptly obeys signs and the voice, whilst otherspecies of apes only obey the stick; he will rinse glasses, serve attable, turn the spit, grind coffee, or carry water. Add to his virtuesas a domestic, that he is not much addicted to chattering about thefamily affairs, has no followers, and is very accommodating in thematter of wages. 

It was neither more nor less than a chimpanzee that Fritz had caughtin the dark at Falcon's Nest. 

"Now then, old fellow, " said he, "you will help us to clear up thismysterious affair. "

The caged stranger made no reply to this observation; Willis and Jackthen questioned him, the one in English and the other in French. 

Still no reply. 

He did not submit, however, to be interrogated quietly; on thecontrary, his struggles to get away were most vigorous, so much sothat Fritz adopted the precaution of binding him. 

"If it had been one of our sailors, " said Willis, "he would haverecognized my voice long ago. "

"Who are you?" asked one. 

"Where do you come from?" inquired another. 

"Do not attempt to escape, " said a third. 

"We mean you no harm; on the contrary, we are friends, disposed to doyou good if we can. "

"If all his brothers and sisters are as talkative as himself, "remarked Jack, "they must be a very amusing sort of people. "

"He can walk at all events, " said Fritz giving him a smart push. 

The chimpanzee fell flat on the floor. 

"It appears, sir, that you are determined to have your own way, wemust therefore wait till daylight. "

An hour passed in polyglot expostulations with the stranger on thescore of his obstinacy, but all to no purpose; to use a popularexpression, he was as dumb as the Doges. He deigned, however, to emptyat a single draught a calabash of Malaga that Willis gave him, butthere his condescension stopped. 

The Pilot, who now encountered mosquitoes in all directions, madepreparations for smoking; the light he struck, however, instead ofclearing up the mystery, only perplexed them more and more; there laytheir new companion, stretched on the ground, staring at them with aludicrous grin. 

If, on the one hand, it occurred to them this man was an animal, onthe other the animal was a man, and Buffon did not happen to be thereat the time to assign him officially a place in the former kingdom. 

The next difficulty that presented itself was, how they were to gethim along; when they broke in the onagra, they ran a prong through hisear; in reducing the buffalo to subjection, they did not feel theslightest compunction in thrusting a pin through the cartilage of hisnose; then, in order to give elasticity to the legs of the ostrich, they yoked him to two or three other animals, and, willing orunwilling, he was compelled ultimately to yield obedience to the lordsof creation. But whether the creature before them was a lower order ofnegro or a higher order of ape, there was too great a resemblancebetween the captured and the capturers to admit of any of thesemethods of impulsion being adopted. It was, therefore, stretched on aplank, like a nabob in his palanquin, that the chimpanzee made hisfirst appearance at Rockhouse. 

When the cavalcade arrived there, all the family, with the exceptionof Ernest and Frank, were still asleep. The first thing they did wasto clothe the creature they had captured in a sailor's pantaloons andjacket, with which he seemed rather pleased, and the result of thisoperation was, that he began to assume a less ferocious aspect, andbehave more respectfully towards his captors. All the family had satdown to breakfast, when Fritz and Jack, taking him by the hands, ledhim gravely into the gallery. A cord was attached to his legs, allowing him to walk, but was so arranged that he could not run. 

On his appearance the young girls fled at once; and, more accustomedto drawing-rooms than the rude realities of savage life, Mrs. Wolston's first impulse was to do the same. 

"Goodness gracious!" she cried with an air of alarm, "what horror isthat?"

"That, madam, is precisely what we have been anxious for the last twoor three hours to find out, " replied Fritz. 

"Does the creature speak?"

"Up till now, madam, " replied Willis, "he has only opened his mouth toswallow my calabash of Malaga; beyond that, he has kept as close as apurser's locker. "

When the first shock had passed, and the company had regained theirself-possession, Jack related, with his customary originality, theincidents of the nocturnal expedition, of which Fritz was theoriginator, leader, and hero. The ladies then, for the first time, were made acquainted with the doubts, fears, perplexities, andbattues, which, out of gallantry, they had hitherto been kept inignorance of. Becker then, having carefully investigated the creature, pronounced it to be (as we already know) a full-grown specimen of akind of ape, called by the Africans "the wild man of the woods, " andby naturalists the _jocko_ or chimpanzee. 

"It is naturally very savage, " added Becker; "but this individualseems already to have received some degree of education. "

As a proof of this, the chimpanzee seated himself amongst them verymuch at his ease; he scanned the faces surrounding him with an air ofcuriosity, and seemed to search for a particular countenance that itannoyed him not to find. Some fruit and nuts that were given him puthim in excellent humor. 

"He has, without doubt, been on board some ship, wrecked on thecoast, " said Wolston, "for I recollect having read that his kindredare only found in Western Africa and the adjacent islands; do you notrecognize him, Willis, to belong to the _Nelson_, like the plank ofthe other day?"

"No, sir. "

"So much the better. "

"We do not ship such cattle on board his Majesty's ships, " added thePilot. 

The girls, ashamed of their fear, now came peeping in at the door, and, seeing that nobody had been devoured, took refuge by the side oftheir mother. 

"Look here, father, " said Ernest, feeling the creature's crania, after having facetiously begged pardon for the liberty, "its head isprecisely like our own; that is very humiliating. "

"Yes, my son, but his tongue and other organs are also exactly likeours, yet he cannot utter a word. His head is of the same form andproportion, but he does not for all that possess human intelligence. Is this not a very striking proof that mere matter, though perfectlyorganized, neither produces words nor thought; and that it requires aspecial manifestation of the Divine will to call these attributes intoexistence?"

"True; but, father, some writers say that apes have been observed toprofit by fires lighted in the forest, and have gone and warmedthemselves when the travellers left. "

"That, my son, is instinct, nothing more; the operation of keeping upa fire, by throwing a few branches upon it, is exceedingly simple, buttheir instinct has never been known to rise to that amount ofintelligence. "

"You recollect, father, that heathcock we saw some years agodisplaying his glossy plumage to the dazzled hens; is that not awell-marked proof of coquetry? and is not this coquetry an indicationof something more than mere instinct?"

"You will permit me to believe, my son, at least till the contrary hasbeen proved, that these actions to which you refer have nothing at allto do with coquetry. Those brilliant colors are designed for a purposeother than that which you suppose; they serve as signals to keep thecommunity together, or, in other words, they are a common centre roundwhich the hens may revolve. "

"The transition from apes to heathcocks, " remarked Jack, "appears tome somewhat abrupt. "

"Not so abrupt as you think, Master Jack, " said Wolston; "those whotake the trouble to study Nature, observe an admirable gradation andeasy progression from a simple to a complex organization. There is norace or species that is not connected by a perceptible link with thatwhich precedes and that which follows. "

"What relation is there, for example, " inquired Jack, "between anoyster and a horse?"

"No immediate relation certainly, but there are intermediate links bywhich the two are brought together: they may be regarded, however, asthe opposite extremes of the brotherhood--the two poles in the chainof existence. A horse bears even less resemblance to a turnip than toan oyster; a relationship may, nevertheless, be traced, step by step, between them, dissimilar as they are. There is the polypus, thatsingular product of Nature, which, regarded in one light, performs allthe functions of animal life, whilst, when regarded in another, it hasthe ordinary attributes of a plant; does this not clearly anddistinctly mark the transition from the vegetable to the animalkingdom? Again, certain species of worms blend the animal with theinsect tribe, those which are covered with a horny substance unitethem with the crustaceae. These approach fish on the one hand, andreptiles on the other, whilst reptiles in some species becomemoluscs. "

"And what is a molusc?" inquired Willis. 

"The term _molusc_ is applied by naturalists to creatures which haveno vertebrae, as for example, the cuttle fish and the oyster. "

"I believe _you_, Mr. Wolston; but if I had asked Ernest or Jack, theywould have told me that it was a commodore or an admiral. "

"Reptiles, I was going to say, are connected at one end of the chainwith moluscs by the slug, and at the other with fish by the eel. Fromflying-fish to birds the transition is by no means abrupt. Theostrich, whose legs are like goat's, and runs rather than flies, connects birds with quadrupeds; these again return to fish through thecetacea. "

"Yes, but the interval between such creatures and man is still great. "

"True; to connect the two would be a process replete withinsurmountable difficulties, and only possible to creative power. Theprojecting snout would have to be flattened, and the features ofhumanity imprinted upon it--that head bent upon the ground would haveto be directed upwards--that narrow breast would have to be flattenedout--those legs would have to be converted into flexible arms, andthose horny hoofs into nimble fingers. "

"To accomplish which, " remarked Frank, "God had only to say, 'Let itbe so. '"

"Assuredly; and as there is nothing incongruous in Nature, aseverything is admirably adapted for its purpose, as unity of design isperceptible in all things, as every effect proceeds from a cause, andbecomes a cause in its turn of succeeding effects, so God has willedthat there should be a chain of resemblance running through all hisworks, and the link that connects man with the animal kingdom--thehighest type of the mammiferous race, and the nearest approach tohumanity amongst the brutes--is the creature before you. "

As if to illustrate this position, and prove his title to the placeawarded him, the chimpanzee quietly laid hold of Mr. Wolston's strawhat and stuck it on his crispy head. 

"He is, perhaps, afraid of catching cold, " said Jack, thrusting a matunder his feet. 

"Compare birds with quadrupeds, " continued Mr. Wolston, "and you willfind analogies at every step. Does the powerful and kingly eagle notresemble the noble and generous lion?--the cruel vulture, theferocious tiger?--the kite, buzzard, and crow preying upon carrion, hyenas, jackals, and wolves? Are not falcons, hawks, and other birdsused in the chase, types of foxes and dogs? Is the owl, which prowlsabout only at night, not a type of the cat? The cormorants and herons, that live upon fish, are they not the otters and beavers of the air?Do not peacocks, turkeys, and the common barn-door fowl bear astriking affinity to oxen, cows, sheep, and other ruminating animals?"

During these remarks, Jack's monkey, Knips, had found its way into thegallery, and, observing the newcomer, went forward to accost him as ifan old friend; the latter, however, uttered a menacing cry, and wasabout to seize Knips with evidently no amiable design, but wasprevented by the cords that bound his legs. Knips leaped upon the backof one of the boys, and there, as if on the tower of an impregnablefortress, commenced making a series of grimaces at the chimpanzee, these being the only missiles within reach that he could launch at hisrelation. The enemy retorted, and kept up a smart fire of likeammunition. 

"It appears, " remarked Mrs Wolston, "that apes are something like men:the great and the little do not readily amalgamate. "

"We must make them amalgamate, " said Jack, taking one of Knips's paws, whilst Ernest held that of the chimpanzee; thus they compelled them toshake hands, but with what degree of cordiality we are unable tostate. 

"You ought to oblige them now to take an oath of fealty, " said Mrs. Wolston. 

"Chimpanzee, " said Jack, speaking for Knips, "I promise always totreat you in future with smiles, delicacies, and respect. "

"Knips, " replied the wild man of the woods, through the organs ofErnest, "I promise to have for you only the most generous intentions;to share with you the nuts I may have occasion to crack, that is, bygiving you the shells and keeping the kernel; I promise, moreover, notto immolate you at the altar of my just rage, unless it is impossiblefor me to avoid an outburst of temper. "

"Now the embrace of peace. "

"Ah, madam, " said Jack, "you must excuse that ceremony, theirfriendship is too new for such intimacy, and Knips don't much likebeing bitten. "

"Need we other proofs, " remarked Becker, when the scene between themonkeys was concluded, "that everything has been premeditated, weighed, and calculated? It was necessary for that most arid country, Arabia, that we should have a sober animal, susceptible of existing along time without water, and capable of treading the hot sands of thedesert. God has accordingly given us the camel. "

"And the dromedary, " remarked Ernest. 

"So everywhere, " continued Becker; "and add to these evidences ofDivine wisdom the brilliant colors, the silken furs, the goldenplumage, and the ever-varying forms, yet, in all this diversity, there is unison--a harmony. Like the various objects which a cleverartist introduces into his sketch, they are placed without uniformity, but still with reference to their effect upon each other, and so tothe unity of the general design. "

"Therefore, " remarked Ernest, "we have an animal whose skin is ofstone, which it throws off annually to assume a new one--whose fleshis its tail and in its feet--whose hair is found inside in itsbreast--whose stomach is in its head, which, like the skin, is renewedevery year, the first function of the new being to digest the oldone. "

Here the Pilot manifested some symptoms of incredulity. 

"That is not all, Willis, " continued Ernest, "the animal of which Ispeak carries its eggs in the interior of its body till they arehatched, and then transfers them to its tail. It has pebbles in itsstomach, can throw off its limbs when they incommode it, and replacethem with others more to its fancy. To finish the portrait, its eyesare placed at the tip of long flexible horns. "

"Do you really mean me to believe that yarn?" inquired Willis. 

"Yes, Willis, unless you intend to deny the existence of lobsters. "

"Lobsters! Ah! you are talking of them, are you!"

"Have not, " continued Ernest, "six thousand three hundred andsixty-two eyes been counted in one beetle? sixteen thousand in a fly?and as many as thirty-four thousand six hundred in a butterfly? Ofcourse, facets understood. "

"Supposing these facets myope or presbyte, " observed Jack, "that givesseventeen thousand three hundred and twenty-five pairs of spectacleson one nose!"

"How wonderfully varied are the forms of Nature. If, from the mastodonand the fossil mammoth, to which Buffon attributes five or six timesthe bulk and size of the elephant, we descend to those animalculae, ofwhich Leuwenhoek estimates that a thousand millions of them would notoccupy the place of an ordinary grain of sand. "

Here Willis lost all patience and left the gallery, whistling asusual, under such circumstances, the "Mariner's March. "

"Malesieu has detected animals by the microscope twenty-seven timessmaller than a mite. A single drop of water under this instrumentassumes the aspect of a lake, peopled by an infinite multitude ofliving creatures. "

"Therefore, " observed Wolston, "it is not the great works of Nature, or those of which the organization is most perfect, that alonepresents to the mind of man the unfathomable mysteries of creation;atoms become to him problems, that utterly defy the utmost efforts ofhis intelligence. "

"Which, " suggested Becker, "does not prevent us believing ourselves awell of science, nor hinder us from piling Pelion on Ossa to scale theskies. "

"What becomes, in the presence of these facts, of the metaphysics andcosmogonies that have succeeded each other for two thousand years?What of all the theories, from Ptolemy to Copernicus, from Copernicusto Galileo, Descartes and his zones, Leibnitz and his monads, Wolf andhis fire forces, Maupertuis and his intelligent elements, Broussais, who, in his anatomical lectures, has oftener than once shown to hispupils, on the point of his scalpel, the source of thought; what, Isay, becomes of all these?"

"There is less wisdom in such vain speculation than in these simplewords: '_I believe in God the Father, the Creator of all things_. '"

"Worlds, " says Isaiah, "are, before Him, like the dew-drops on a bladeof grass. "

"We are now, however, getting into the clouds, " remarked Wolston; "letus return to the earth by the shortest route. What do you mean to dowith the chimpanzee?"

"Why, we must cage him in some way, " replied Becker; "to let him looseagain would be to create fresh uneasiness for ourselves. To kill himwould be almost a kind of homicide. "

"Can I come in now?" inquired Willis, thrusting his head into thegallery. 

"Yes, with perfect safety. "

"You see, when Master Ernest begins to spin, he gets into the chapterof miracles, and forgets that we have ears. "

"I cannot help seeing them sometimes though, Willis; when they are alittle longer than usual, it is difficult to hide them altogether. "

"Well, " replied Willis, "I confess I am a bit of a fool, and as youare at a loss what to do with our friend here, I shall take him overwith me to Shark's Island: there will be a pair of us there then. "

"If you will undertake to be his guide and instructor, he is yours, Willis. "

"What shall I call him?"

"Jocko. "

"It shall go hard with me if I do not make a gentleman of him in amonth's time. "

"I should like, " said Frank, "if you could convert him into a tiger. "

"A tiger?"

"Yes, we want a footman in livery to fetch Mrs. Wolston's carriagenext time she calls for it. "

"I feel highly flattered by the compliment, " said Mrs. Wolston, "butfear you will not be able to turn him out entire. "

"Why so, madam?"

"Where are the top boots to come from?"

CHAPTER X. 

THE PIONEERS--EXCURSION TO COROMANDEL--HINDOO FANCIES--A CAGEDHUNTER--LOUIS XI. AND CARDINAL BALUE--A FURLONG OF NEWS--CARNAGE--THEBARONET AND HIS SEVENTEEN TIGERS--FIFTY-FOUR FEET OF CELEBRITY--STERNE'SWINDOW--PROMENADE OF THE CONSCIENCES--EMULATION AND VANITY. 

When a country is released from the presence of an enemy that annoyedand harassed them, the people feel as if a weight had been taken offtheir shoulders; so the inhabitants of New Switzerland had breathedmore freely since the capture of the chimpanzee. 

The works at Falcon's Nest were completed, and the two families hadtaken possession of their aerial dwellings, where they were perchedlike a pair of rookeries within call of each other. 

The confined air of towns has a tendency to plunge men into lethargyand indolence, and to precipitate the decadence of a constitution inwhich the seeds of disease have been sown; whilst, on the other hand, the pure air of the country braces the nerves, excites a healthyaction in the system, and invigorates a shattered frame; so it waswith Mr. Wolston--under the benign influences of the genial climateand the refreshing sea breeze, he gradually, but steadily, recoveredhealth and strength. 

A larger breadth of land had been cleared and fitted for receivinggrain, which it was susceptible of reproducing a hundred-fold. Such isthe sublime contract God has made with man, that, in exchange for hislabor and skill, a single grain of wheat will produce seven or eightstalks, each bearing an ear containing fifty grains; a single grainhas been known to yield twenty-eight ears, and Pliny states that Neroreceived a grain bearing the enormous number of three hundred andsixty ears. Strange that such a singular instance of fecundity shouldpresent itself during the domination of a man, or rather monster, whodared to wish that the Roman people had only one head, so that hemight cut it off at a single blow!

Willis and the Wolstons were as yet ignorant of the extent and limitsof the colony; there were two inclosed and cultivated sections, namedrespectively Waldeck and Prospect Hill, which they had not yetinspected. With a view to enable them to form a more accurateconception of the boundaries of the territory they inhabited, a grandexcursion was decided upon that would enable them leisurely toinvestigate every nook and cranny of the settlement. 

The storehouse was accordingly overhauled, and the ladies called in toprepare viands for the journey; they were likewise invited to furnisha supply of certain enchanted travelling bags, in which the gentlemenwere often astonished to find, during their distant expeditions, athousand and one useful things that they would never have dreamt ofbringing with them of their own accord. 

Becker, Wolston, Ernest, and Frank set about the construction of avehicle on four wheels for the luggage and the ladies; they did notcontemplate erecting a machine with elastic springs and gilded panels, like the Lord Mayor's state coach--their object was to produce amachine that would ease, without dislocating, the limbs of thetravellers, and that would move at least more gently than a gardener'scart, loaded with hampers of greens for Covent Garden Market. It mayreadily be supposed that Ernest's Latin was not of much service inthese operations, for even Wolston's mechanical skill was sorely triedin elaborating the design. 

Fritz, Willis, and Jack had already started as pioneers of theexpedition to examine the buildings, and to see that no more apes orother piratical marauders had established themselves on theirpremises; and, in compliance with a request made by Willis, whostrongly objected to becoming a bushranger, they had gone by water. Itwas further arranged that, on their return, all should starttogether--the entire community in one cavalcade, like an army on themarch. 

The young ladies were as much pleased in anticipation with thisjourney as if the destination of the travellers had been Brighton orRamsgate. To children of their age, change is always pleasing. Often, in consequence of a death, the collapse of a bank, the loss of alaw-suit, or some dire disaster of that sort, parents have seenthemselves compelled to abandon the home of their fathers, endeared tothem by many gentle recollections, perhaps to embark for some fardistant land; they stifle their sighs, and bid a mute farewell to eachstone and each tree, familiar to them as household words; they departwith reluctance, and often turn to cast a lingering look behind atobjects so dear to their memory. Not so the children; they issue fromthe door like a flock of caged pigeons just let loose; they sing andleap and laugh with glee; the old house has no charms for them, theyare as glad to depart as their elders are wishful to stay; the trunkdesires to multiply its roots on the soil, but the buds prefer to blowelsewhere--for the latter life resolves itself into the word FUTURE, and for the former into the word PAST. 

Leaving Wolston, Becker, and his two sons hard at work on thecarriage, let us turn to the pinnace which was now making its wayalong the shore under the guidance of the Pilot. 

"I should like much, " said Fritz, "to present Mr. And Mrs. Wolstonwith a couple of bear, leopard, or tiger skins. "

"So should I, " said Jack. 

"I wish you could think of some other sort of gift, " suggested Willis;"what do you say to a couple of seal or shark skins?"

"Won't do, " replied both Fritz and Jack in one voice. "What objectionshave you to the others?"

"Well, you are in some sort consigned to my care; I should like you toreturn to your parents with your own skins entire. "

"Then you think it is a terrific affair to kill a tiger or two? Youhave been accustomed to the sea, and fancy landsmen are good fornothing but shooting crows and wild-cats; that is a mistake, however;we are familiar with larger game. "

"Shiver my timbers! do you call bears and tigers game?"

"I am afraid, Willis, you are a bit of a milksop. "

"Avast heaving there, Master Fritz! as it is, I am a half-hanged manalready, so death has now no terrors Dov me; it is the first pang thatis most felt. "

"Yes; but in the case of tigers, they never give you time to feel asecond pang; miss your aim, and it is all over with you. "

"True; and therefore I wish you would give up the project. As formyself, I would face anything with a four-pounder, but rifle practiceon board ship is mostly confined to the marines; it is not that, however, I am troubled about; I am certain your worthy father wouldnever forgive me if I countenance this project. "

"You need not tell him anything about it. "

"Where, then, are the skins to come from? Can you say you bought themat the furrier's? You must really hit upon some other fancy. "

"But it is not a fancy, Willis, it is a necessity; it is not our ownamusement we are consulting. Just imagine yourself what will happenduring the excursion now being arranged. Our parents will, of course, offer their bear skins to Mr. And Mrs. Wolston; there will be refusalson the one side and entreaties on the other. "

"And, as is usual in these sort of discussions, " added Jack, "Mrs. Wolston will call her carriage. "

"Yes, " continued Fritz, "and my mother will most certainly depriveherself of a covering that is absolutely indispensable during the coldnights of this climate. "

"There is reason in what you say, " observed Willis, scratching hisear. 

"You see, Willis, the thing ought and must be done. "

"As you put it, yes; but it will take time to prepare the skins. "

"They will not be ready in time for this expedition certainly, and mymother must do without her skin this journey; but it is our duty toprevent anything of the sort happening in future. "

"Were I to consent to this project, " said Willis, "there is stillsomething more required. "

"What, Willis?"

"Why, the tigers and what's-a-names; it is necessary to find the brutebefore you can get its skin. "

"Granted; there would be a difficulty in the case had we not herequite handy a magnificent covering of wild animals, all ready to killor to be killed. Just steer a point to the east, Willis; there, thatwill do. Just beyond that bluff you see yonder, there is a low flatplain covered with brushwood and tufted with trees; on the left, thisprairie is bounded by a chain of low hills, and on the right a broadriver, which last we have named the St. John, because it bears someresemblance to a stream of that name in Florida; beyond this plainthere is a swamp. "

"And, " added Jack, "behind this swamp there is a magnificent forest ofcedars, peopled with the finest furs imaginable, but garnished, however, with formidable claws and rows of teeth. "

"I was not aware, " said Willis, "that we were within reach of suchamiable neighbors. "

"Oh, they cannot reach us; thanks to the conformation of that chain ofhills you see yonder, there is only one pass that opens into oursettlement, and that we have taken care to shut up and fortify. "

"It appears then, " said Willis, "that there will be no difficulty infinding the animals, but--"

"Come, Willis, no more buts; you hunt in your own way from morningtill night, let us for once hunt in ours. "

"I go a-hunting?"

"Yes, there you are, charging your piece just now. "

"Oh, my pipe you mean; but look at the difference; mosquitoes bitehuman beings, they don't eat them!"

"And, you may add, their skins don't make bed-clothes. Besides, if mymother takes rheumatism or the ague, it will be you that is to blame. "

"I would rather face all the tigers in Bengal and all the lions inAfrica than incur such a responsibility. I will, therefore, take apart in your cruise, and if any accident happens to either of you, Ishall stay in the forest till nothing is left of me but my cap and mybones. In this way I will escape all reproach in this world, and I mayas well, after all, rejoin my old commander, Captain Littlestone, bythis road as by any other. "

In the meantime, they had reached the coast of Waldeck, and havinglanded, they found the outhouses and sheds that had been erected therein satisfactory order; the apes had not forgotten a battue that hadonce been got up for their special behoof, as not an individual was tobe seen in the neighborhood. A morass of the district that had beenconverted into a rice plantation, promised an abundant crop; and thecotton plants, that Frank had once mistaken for flakes of snow, rearedtheir woolly blossoms, looking for all the world like the powderedheads of our ancestors. After a slight repast, the pinnace was oncemore in motion, and the party steering for Prospect Hill. 

"Ah, " sighed Willis, "I wish we had only Sir Marmaduke Travers' cagehere. "

"Cage!" cried Fritz, laughing, "what, to shut up the game first andshoot it afterwards?" "No, quite the reverse: to shut up the hunters. "

"Ah, you would serve us in the same way as Louis XI. Served CardinalBalue. "

"I know nothing of either Louis XI. Or Cardinal Balue; but the cage Ispeak of was an excellent invention, for all that. "

"Which you would like to prove to us by caging ourselves, eh?"

"Sir Marmaduke Travers, " continued Willis, "was an English gentleman, and he was travelling in Coromandel, no one knew why or for whatpurpose. "

"For the fun of the thing, probably, " suggested Jack; the English aresaid to be great oddities. "

"At that time there happened to be a Hindoo widow somewhere in thoseparts. This lady was very rich, very young, very beautiful, and veryfond of tormenting her admirers. And, as fate would have it, thetravelling Englishman was completely taken captive by this darkbeauty; and taking advantage of the hold she had obtained upon hisheart, she amused herself by making him do all sorts of out of the waythings. Sometimes she would bid him let his moustache grow, then shewould order him to cut it off; he had to worship Brahma, adopt thefashion of the Hindoos, and had even to undergo the indignity ofhaving his head tied up in a dirty pocket-handkerchief. "

"That is to say, " remarked Jack, "that the lady, not having a pug or amonkey, made Sir Marmaduke a substitute for both. "

"Very likely, but still Sir Marmaduke was no fool; he was, on thecontrary, a gentleman and a philosopher. "

"I doubt that, " said Jack. 

"You are wrong, then. You have been brought up in an out of the waypart of the world, and are not familiar with the usages of civilizedsociety. When once a man has allowed the tender passion to take rootin his breast, it cannot afterwards be extinguished at will; it growsand grows like an oil spot, so that what might easily have beenmastered at first, makes us in time its devoted slave. "

"I cannot admit, " said Fritz, "that any sensible man would allowhimself to be treated in the way you state. "

"The wisest and bravest have often, for all that, been obliged to bendtheir heads to such circumstances; in fact, those only escape whosehearts have been steeled by time or adversity. Well, nothing wouldplease the lady in one of her caprices short of Sir Marmaduke's goingalone to the jungle and killing a tiger or two for her. This causedhim some little uneasiness. "

"I should think so, " remarked Jack, "unless he had been accustomed toface the animals. "

"However, the widow's hand was to be the reward of the achievement, and the thing must consequently be done. Being, however, as I havesaid, a bit of a philosopher, he considered with himself that if, bychance, he should perish in the attempt he would lose the widow allthe same, and that he could not think of with any thing likeequanimity. To extricate himself from this dilemma he sent a despatchto an enterprising friend of his, then stationed with his regiment atCalcutta, requesting his advice. "

"And this friend, no doubt, sent him a couple of tigers all readytrussed?"

"No, better than that; he sent him a strong iron cage fifteen feetsquare, very solid. This was shipped on board a cutter commanded byCaptain Littlestone, and I was entrusted with the task of erecting iton shore, whilst an express was sent off to Sir Marmaduke. "

"Ah!" said Jack, "I begin to understand now. "

"Well, he rigged himself in tiger-hunting costume, went and bade thelady good-bye, who coolly wished him good sport, mounted a horse, androde off to conquer a lady who, as a proof of her affection, had socavalierly consigned him to the tender mercies of the wild beasts. "

"Why, it was dooming him to certain destruction, " said Fritz. 

"In the meantime the cage had been conveyed to a valley surroundedwith mountains, the caves of which were known to shelter entirecolonies of tigers. Here also came Sir Marmaduke. The cage was firmlyembedded in the soil, the exterior was thickly studded over with sharpspikes screwed into the bars; inside were placed a table and a sofa, with crimson velvet cushions. "

"A lady's boudoir in the wilderness, " said Jack. 

"In one corner there was a case containing a dozen bottles of paleale, and as many of champagne; in another was a second case containingcurry pies and a variety of preserved meats; in a third case were fiveand twenty loaded rifles, together with a complete magazine inminiature of powder and shot. On the table were sundry cases ofhavannahs, a box of _allumettes_, the last number of the _EdinburghReview_, and a copy of the _Times_. "

"What is the _Times_?" inquired Jack. 

"It is a furlong of paper, folded up and covered with news, advertisements, and letters from the oldest inhabitant of everywhere. Leaving, then, Sir Marmaduke seated in the centre of his cage, wetowards night returned to the cutter, first scattering two or threequarters of fresh beef in the vicinity of the cage. "

"That should have assembled all the tigers in Coromandel, " saidFritz. 

"Anyhow, it brought enough. Towards midnight Sir Marmaduke could countthirty noble brutes capering in the moonlight and feasting upon thebeef that had been provided for them. "

"What did the Englishman do then?"

"He took aim at the most magnificent specimen of the herd and fired. No sooner had he done this than the whole pack came scampering towardsthe cage, thinking, doubtless, they had nothing to do but scrunch thebones of the solitary hunter. This was the signal for a regularslaughter. Sir Marmaduke discharged his rifles point blank in thenoses of the animals that environed him on all sides; those who werenot wounded by the balls were severely injured by the spikes of thecage in their furious efforts to seize their enemy. The howling, yelling, and fury was quite a new sensation for Sir Marmaduke; herather enjoyed the thing whilst the excitement lasted. However, allthings must have an end; when the sun appeared on the horizon thewounded retired, leaving the dead masters of the situation. "

"I suppose, in the meantime, " remarked Fritz, "that the amiable Hindoowas considering whether or not, under the circumstances, she shouldwear mourning for her defunct cavalier. "

"Be that as it may, the defunct made his appearance, safe and sound, that same day, whilst the cutter stood out to sea with every vestigeof the cage except the dead tigers. Shortly after, the widow wasastonished to see an army of coolies marching in procession towardsher door, all, like the slaves of Aladdin, heavily laden; and she wasnot awakened from her surprise till the master of the ceremonies hadplaced the following letter in her hands:

"Madam, --With this you will receive seventeen fall-grown tigers, whichI have had the honour of shooting for you. 

"Marmaduke Travers. "

"That was a choice bijou for a lady, " said Jack. 

[Illustration]

"Yes, " added Fritz; "and if the ladies of Coromandel have stands intheir drawing-rooms, to display the tributes to their charms, SirMarmaduke's present afforded abundant material for adorning those ofthe widow. "

"Well, the consequence was, that Sir Marmaduke's name rung from oneend of India to the other. The feat of killing, single-handed, seventeen tigers, converted him into a hero of the first magnitude. Nofestival was complete without him, he was courted by the fashionablesand worshipped by the mob; some enthusiasts even proposed to erect atomb for him, that being the way they honor their great men in easternnations. "

"Every country, " remarked Fritz, "has its own peculiarities in thisrespect. The memory of the illustrious men of Greece and Rome wasperpetuated in the intrinsic merit of the works of art erected intheir names. In England quantity takes the place of quality; there issaid to be in London a statue of a hero disguised as Achilles, sixyards in height, and perched upon a pedestal twelve yards high. "

"Making in all, " remarked Jack, "exactly eighteen yards of fame. "

"The handsome Hindoo, " continued Willis, "was proud of the feat hercharms had inspired. She gloried in showing off the redoubtabletiger-slayer at her _réunions_, and ended in being completelyfascinated herself with her former slave. The match that she hadformerly sneezed at she now earnestly desired, and, as Sir Marmadukedid not declare himself so speedily as she desired, she determined togive him a little encouragement by sending one of the most invitingand most odoriferous of notes. "

"Sir Marmaduke must then have considered himself one of the happiestof men, " said Fritz. 

"Well, " continued Willis, "neither man nor woman can, in affairs ofthis kind, depend upon themselves for two consecutive hours. Theaspirations of a whole life-time may be dispelled in five minutes, andthe wishes of to-day may become the detestations of to-morrow. The newsensations awakened in Sir Marmaduke by the affair of the cage--hisrecollection of the ferocious brutes as they clung with expiringenergy to the bars of the cage, their streaked skins streaming withblood, the fearful howling and terrific death yells, the formidableclaws that were often within an inch of his face--had, somehow orother, chased the passion he had felt for the widow completely out ofhis breast. "

"Oh, the scamp of a Travers!" said Jack, energetically. 

"He began to ask himself coolly what a lady, who had made suchextraordinary demands upon him before marriage, might not require himto do after; and the result of his cogitations is expressed in thefollowing reply that he sent to the now smiling widow:--

"'Sir Marmaduke Travers is highly flattered by the charming note ofthe adorable daughter of Brahma; he shall gladly continue to bask inthe sunshine of her smiles, out his ambition desires and will acceptnothing more. '"

"Flowery and laconic, " said Fritz. 

"Well, " inquired Willis, "was I not right in wishing to have the cageof Sir Marmaduke here?"

"Yes, but we cannot get it. We have no ingenious trend at Calcutta tosend us such a machine, and furnish it with crimson-cushioned sofasand pale ale, so we shall have to rest satisfied with our owningenuity, tact, and agility. "

Fritz and Jack were justified in relying upon their own resources. They had been often sorely tried, and never had been found wanting incases of emergency. Since the arrival of the Wolstons their couragehad become almost temerity; previous to that event, they had beencontent to meet danger bravely when it was inevitable, and never wentdeliberately in search of it. Now, however, if we apply the glass ofwhich Sterne speaks to their breasts and spy what is passing therein, we shall fad that an imperious desire to become heroes had takenpossession of their inward souls--a determination to make themselvesconspicuous at all hazards was burning within them; that, in fact, they were courting the admiration of the new audience that Providencehad sent to the colony, the praise of which found more favor in theirhearts than the paternal admonitions. 

This was far from being commendable; but, although emulation andvanity have some features in common, still they must not beconfounded: the former consists in generous efforts to equal orsurpass some one in something praiseworthy; the second is a kind ofself-love, that seeks to purchase respect or flattery at no matterwhat cost;--the one is a vice, the other a virtue. 

Fritz and Jack were not actuated by vanity; they were urged on bytheir impulses, without weighing the circumstances that gave themrise; and indeed they were not even conscious of being more desirousof renown now than they had been hitherto. 

The temperament of Ernest and Frank was of another kind. Their natureswere much less excitable, and it did not appear that the recentarrivals had altered their outward demeanor in the slightest degree;they continued calm, staid, and reflective, as they had ever been. 

All four were a singular mixture of the child and the man--knowingmany things that young people are ignorant of, they were yet almosttotally unacquainted with the ordinary attributes of sociallife--unsophisticated and naive to an extreme degree, they would haveappeared in a fashionable drawing-room downright fools. On the otherhand, they possessed great clearness of perception, presence of mindin danger, promptitude in action, and the utmost coolness in the faceof apparently insurmountable obstacles--qualities that would haveutterly confounded the young men who shine in the saloons of Europe, whose chief merit often consists in their being familiar with theunmeaning conventionalisms of fashionable life. 

At Prospect Hill they found the outhouses and plantations in much thesame position as at Waldeck. Here the crimson flowers of the caperplant, the white flowers of the tea plant, and the rich blossoms ofthe clove tree, perfumed the air and promised a fragrant harvest. Thiswas a charming caravansary, all ready with its smiles to welcome theillustrious colonists as soon as they presented themselves. 

These points being settled to the satisfaction of the three pioneers, a sheep was taken on board the pinnace at the request of Willis--whoseemed to have taken a violent fancy for mutton chops--and they setsail towards the east. 

In the first instance they made for a projecting head-land that seemedto bar their progress in that direction, and, much to the astonishmentof the Pilot, they entered a cavern that formed the entrance to anatural tunnel. This, besides being an interesting feature in thecoast scenery, was one of the treasures of the colony, for itcontained vast quantities of edible birds' nests, so much prized bythe Chinese. The voyagers did not, however, tarry here; these were notthe objects they were now in search of. Nautilus Bay and the Bay ofPearls were likewise traversed unheeded, nor could the attractivebanks of the St. John, fringed with verdant foliage, divert them fromthe project they had in contemplation. 

Wise men, when they indulge in folly, are often more foolish than realfools; so it was with Willis: now that he had joined in the scheme, heevinced more ardor in its execution than the young men themselves. Hesaid that it would not be enough to capture skins for Mr. And Mrs. Wolston, they must also capture one a-piece for Mary and Sophialikewise, and talked as if the adventure of Sir Marmaduke and hisseventeen tigers had been a bagatelle. 

Some hours before dark they landed at a spot well known to both Fritzand Jack; it was a place where Becker and his sons had some timebefore been engaged in deadly conflict with a herd of lions, and whereone of their dogs had fallen a victim to the enraged monarchs of theforest. 

"My plan, " said Willis, "is to kill the sheep and place the quarterson the shore, just as bait is thrown into the water to bring the fishwithin the net. "

"A reminiscence of Sir Marmaduke, " said Jack. 

"Then, " continued Willis, "we shall light a fire to take the place ofthe sun, who is about to retire for the night. This done, I proposethat we should return to the pinnace, keep the mutton within riflerange, and riddle the skins that come to feast upon it. "

After some opposition on the part of Fritz and Jack, who preferred toencounter their antagonists on more equal terms, the proposal ofWillis was ultimately agreed to. 

CHAPTER XI. 

ON THE WATCH--FECUNDITY OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS--LATEST NEWS FROM THEMOON--A DEATH-KNELL EVERY SECOND--THE INCONVENIENCES OF BEING TOO NEARTHE SUN--NARCOTICS--WILLIS CONTRALTO--HUNTING TURNED UPSIDEDOWN--ELECTRIC CLOUDS--PARTIALITIES OF LIGHTNING--BELLS ANDBELL-RINGERS--CONDUCTING RODS--THE RETURN--THE TWO SISTERS--TOBYBECOMES A DRAGOMAN. 

As is usual in tropical climates, a blazing hot day was succeeded byan intensely dark night. The fire that the hunters had made on shorecast a lurid glare on the prominent objects round about. The flames, as they fitfully lit up the landscape into that dim distinctnesstermed by artists the _chiar oscuro_, made the bushes and trunks oftrees appear like monsters issuing stealthily from the forest thatlined the background. There seemed to be some attraction, however, elsewhere for the real monsters, not a single wild beast having as yetappeared on the scene. 

The two young men were eagerly straining their eyes from the stern ofthe pinnace, whilst the dogs kept diligently wagging their tails inexpectation of a signal for the onset. The position of Willis could beascertained now and then by an eye of fire, which opened and shut ashe inhaled or exhaled the fumes of his Maryland. The ripple beatgently on the sea-line of the boat, which oscillated with theregularity and softness of a cradle. 

"It is always so, " said Jack, impatiently; "if we don't want wildbeasts, there are shoals of them to be seen; but if we do want them, then they are all off to their dens. "

"Perhaps, there are none now, " suggested Willis. 

"Say rather, " observed Fritz, "that there ought to be thousands; foron the one hand they multiply rapidly, and on the other there is noone to destroy them. Spaniards once left a few cattle on St. Domingo, and they increased at such a rate, that the island very soon would nothave been able to support them, had they not been kept down byconstant slaughter. "

"Besides, " remarked Jack, "the bovine race reproduce themselves moreslowly than other animals; a single sow, according to a calculationmade by Vauban, if allowed to live eleven years, would produce sixmillions of pigs. "

"What a cargo of legs of pork and sides of bacon!" exclaimed Willis, laughing. 

"Then fish; there are more than a hundred and sixty thousand eggs in asingle carp. A sturgeon contains a million four hundred andsixty-seven thousand eight hundred and fifty, whilst in some codfishthe number exceeds nine millions. "

"Oh, you need not favor us with the 'Mariner's March, ' Willis; what mybrother says is perfectly correct. "

"What, then, do these shoals of creatures live upon?"

"The big ones upon the little ones; fish devour each other. "

"A beautiful harmony of Nature, " remarked Fritz drily. 

"Then plants, " continued Jack, "are still more prolific than animals. Some trees can produce as many of their kind as they have branches, oreven leaves. An elm tree, twelve years old, yields sometimes fivehundred thousand pods; and, by the way, Willis, to encourage you incarrying on the war against the mosquitoes, a single stalk of tobaccoproduces four thousand seeds. "

"The leaves, however, are of more use to me than the seeds, " repliedWillis. 

"This admirable proportion between the productiveness of the twokingdoms demonstrates the far-seeing wisdom of Providence. If thepower of multiplication in vegetables had been less considerable, thefields, gardens, and prairies would have been deserts, with only aplant here and there to hide the nakedness of the land. Had Godpermitted animals to multiply in excess of plants, the entirevegetation would soon have been devoured, and then the animalsthemselves would of necessity have ceased to exist. "

"How is it, then, " inquired Willis, "with this continualmultiplication always going on, the inhabitants of land and sea do notget over-crowded?"

"Why, as regards man, for example, if thirteen or fourteen humanbeings are born within a given period, death removes ten or elevenothers; but though this leaves a regular increase, still thepopulation of the globe always continues about the same. "

"It may be so, Master Jack, but when I was a little boy at school, Igenerally came in for a whipping, if I made out two and two to beanything else than four. "

"And served you right too, Willis; but if the human family did notcontinually increase, if the number of deaths exceeded continuallythat of the births, at the end of a few centuries the world would beunpeopled. "

"Very good; but if, on the other hand, there is a continual increase, how can the population continue the same?"

"Because the increase supposes a normal state; that is to say, thebirths are only estimated as compared with deaths from disease or oldage. But then there are shipwrecks, inundations, plagues, and war, which sometimes exterminate entire communities at one fell swoop. Thenwhole nations die out and give place to the redundant populations ofothers; phenomena now observed in the cases of the aborigines ofAustralia and America. "

"Very true. "

"No signs of furs yet, " cried Fritz, who was every now and thenlevelling his rifle at the phantoms on shore. 

"We need not dread, " continued Jack, "ever being hustled or jostled onthe earth; life will fail us before space. There are now eight hundredmillions of human beings in existence, and, according to the mostmoderate computation, room enough for twice that number. As it is, themost fertile sections of the earth are not the most populous; thereare four hundred millions in Asia, sixty millions in Africa, forty inAmerica, two hundred and thirty in Europe, and only seventy millionsin the islands and continent of Oceanica!"

"To which, " remarked Fritz, "you may add the eleven inhabitants of NewSwitzerland. "

"Assuming, then, this calculation to be nearly accurate, thoughauthorities vary materially in their computations of the earth'sinhabitants, and regarding it in connexion with the average durationof human life, a thousand millions of mortals must perish inthirty-three years; to descend to detail, thirty millions every year, three thousand four hundred every hour, sixty every minute, or ONEEVERY SECOND. "

"Aye, " remarked Willis, "we are here to-day and gone to-morrow. "

"Suppose, then, that the population of the earth were twice as great, cultivation would be extended, territories that are now lying wastewould be teeming with life and covered with fertile fields, but thesame beautiful equilibrium would be maintained. "

"And the inhabitants of the planets, " said Fritz, "what are theyabout?"

"What planets do you mean?" inquired Willis. 

"Well, all in general; the moon, for example, in particular. "

"The moon, " replied Jack, "has, in the first place, no atmosphere. This we know, because the rays of the stars passing behind her arenot, in the slightest degree, refracted; and this proves that neithermen, nor animals, nor vegetables of any kind, are to be found in thatplanet, for they could not exist without air. "

"That should settle the question, " remarked Willis. 

"Yes, " remarked Fritz; "but some theorists, nevertheless, insist thatthere may be living creatures in the moon, for all that--of course, differently constituted from the inhabitants of our earth, andsusceptible of existing without air. There is, however, no evidence ofany kind to support such a theory; it is a mere fancy, the dream of animaginative brain. Upon the same grounds, it may be argued, that theinterior of the earth is inhabited, and that elves and gnomes arepossible beings. Besides, the telescope has been brought to so high adegree of perfection, that objects the size of a house can now bedetected in the moon. "

"It seems, I am afraid, " remarked Jack, who, like his brother, wasgetting annoyed by the phantasmagoria on shore, "that we were aboutas well supplied with wild beasts here as they are with men in theplanets. "

"In speaking of the moon, however, " continued Fritz, "I do not implyall the planets; for, certain as we are that the moon has noatmosphere, so we are equally certain that some of the planets possessthat attribute. Still there are other circumstances that render thenotion of their being inhabited by beings like ourselves exceedinglyimprobable. Mercury, for example, is so embarrassed by the solar rays, that lead must always be in a state of fusion, and water, if notreduced to a state of vapor, will be hot enough to boil the fish thatare in it. Uranus, at the other extremity of the system, receives fourhundred times less heat and light than we do, consequently neitherwater nor any thing else can exist there in a liquid state; what isfluid on our earth must be frozen up into a solid mass. Good, Ideclare my brother has fallen asleep!"

"It is very--interesting--however, " said Willis, making ineffectualefforts to smother a yawn. 

"The same difficulty with comets; there must have been some veryurgent necessity for human beings in order to have peopled them. Whenthey pass the perihelion--"

"The what?" inquired Willis. 

"The point where they approach nearest the sun--when they pass theperihelion, I was going to say, the heat they endure must be terrific;when on the other hand, at their extreme distance from that body, thecold must be intense. The comet of 1680 did not approach within fivethousand _myriamètres_ of the sun. "

"Friends coming within that distance of each other should at leastshake hands, " said Willis. 

"Still, even at that distance, the heat, according to Newton, must belike red-hot iron, and if constituted like our earth, when heated tothat degree, must take fifty thousand years to cool. "

"Fifty thousand years!" said Willis, yawning from ear to ear. 

"The central position between these extremes, which would eithercongeal our earth into a mass of ice or burn it up into a heap ofcinders, is therefore the most congenial to such beings as ourselves. Whence I conclude--"

Here the crimson flashes of Willis's pipe, which had been graduallydiminishing in brilliance suddenly ceased; _contralto_ notes issuedfrom the profundities of his breast, and it became evident to theorator that all his audience were sound asleep. 

"Whence I conclude, " said Fritz, addressing himself, "that my orationsmust be somewhat soporiferous. "

Being thus left alone to keep a look-out on shore, his thoughtsgradually receded within his own breast, where all was rose-coloredand smiling, for at his age rust has not had time to corrupt, normoths to eat away. And it was not long before he himself, like his twocompanions, was fast locked in the arms of sleep. 

How long this state of things lasted the chronicle saith not; but thethree sleepers were eventually awakened by a simultaneous howl of thedogs. They were instantly on their feet, with their rifles levelled. 

It was too late; day had broken, and there was light enough toconvince them that nothing was to be seen. The sheep's quarters had, however, entirely disappeared, and they had the satisfaction ofknowing that they had politely given the denizens of the forest afeast gratis. 

"Ah, they shall pay us for it yet, " said Jack. 

"This is a case of the hunters being caught instead of the game, "remarked Fritz. 

"The poor sheep! If Ernest had been here, he would have erected amonument to its memory. "

"I doubt that; epitaphs are generally made rather to please the livingthan to compliment the defunct. But, Willis, we must deprive you ofyour office of huntsman in chief--I shall go into the forest andrevenge this insult. "

"I have no objection to abdicate the office of huntsman, but mustretain that of admiral, in which capacity I announce to you that therewill be a storm presently, and that we shall just have time to makeRockhouse before it overtakes us. "

"That is rather a reason for our remaining where we are. "

"We have come for skins, and skins we must have. "

"Besides, we are two to one, and in all constitutional governments themajority rules. "

"Have you both made up your minds?" inquired Willis. 

"Yes, we are quite decided. "

"In that case, " said Willis, "let us hoist the anchor and be offhome. "

"Home! but we are determined to have the skins first. "

"No, you are not, " said Willis; "I know you better than you knowyourselves. You are both brave fellows, but I know you would not, forall the skins in the world, have your good mother suppose that youwere buffeted about by the waves in a storm. "

"True; up with the anchor, Willis, " said Fritz. 

"Be it so, " said Jack, shaking his fist menacingly at the silentforest, "but we shall lose nothing by waiting. "

The sailor had not erred in his calculations, for they had scarcelyunfurled the sail before they heard the distant rumbling of the storm. As soon as the first flash of lightning shot across the sky, Jack puthis forefinger of one hand on the wrist of the other, and begancounting one--two--three. 

"Do you feel feverish?" inquired Willis. 

"No, not personally, " replied Jack; "I am feeling the pulse of thestorm--twenty-four--twenty-five--twenty-six--it is a mile off. "

"Aye! how do you make that out?"

"Very easily; you recollect Ernest telling us that light travelled sorapidly, that the time it occupied in passing from one point toanother of the earth's surface was scarcely perceptible to oursenses?"

"Yes, but I thought he was spinning a yarn at the time. "

"You were wrong, Willis; he likewise told us that sound travels at therate of four hundred yards in a second. "

"Well, but--"

"Have patience, Willis! When the lightning flashes, the electric sparkis discharged, is it not?"

"Well, I was never high enough aloft to see. "

"But others have been; Newton and Franklin have seen it. Now, if thesound reaches our ears a second after the flash, it has travelled fourhundred yards. If we hear it twelve or thirteen seconds after, it hastravelled twelve or thirteen times four hundred yards, or about half amile, and so on. "

"But what has that to do with your pulse?"

"In the first place, I am in perfect health, am I not?"

"I hope so, Master Jack. "

"Then when our systems are in good order, the pulse, keeping fractionsout of view, beats once in every second; and consequently, though wedo not always carry a watch, we always have our arteries about us, andmay therefore always reckon time. "

"Now I understand. "

"Ah! then we are to escape this time without the 'Mariner's March. '"

"It appears, Master Jack, that you have turned philosopher as well asyour brothers. Can you tell me what causes lightning?"

"Yes, I can, Willis. You must know, in the first place, that all thelayers of the atmosphere are, more or less, charged with electricity. "

"Ask him how, " said Fritz drily. 

"Ah, you hope to puzzle me, " replied Jack, "but thanks to Mr. Wolston, I am too well up in physics to be easily driven off my perch, andtherefore may safely take my turn in philosophising. "

"Well, we are listening. "

"The air, by means of the vapor it contains, absorbs electricity fromterrestrial bodies, and so becomes a sort of reservoir of thisinvisible fluid. All chemical combinations evolve electricity, the aircollects it and stores it up in the clouds. There, worshipful brother, your question is answered. "

"Good, go on. "

"Well, Willis, you must know, in the second place, the clouds are verygood fellows, and share with each other the good things they possess. When one cloud meets another, the one over-supplied with this fluidand the other in its normal state, there is an immediate interchangeof courtesies, the negative electricity of the one is exchanged forthe positive of the other. "

"There does not appear, however, to be much generosity in thistransaction, since the surcharged cloud does not cede its superfluousabundance without a consideration. "

"It is very rarely that philanthropy amongst us goes much further, "remarked Fritz. 

"No, everybody is not like Willis, " rejoined Jack, "who acts like aprince, and gives legs of mutton gratis to hyenas and tigers. Thedischarges of electricity from one cloud to another are the flashes oflightning, and it is to be observed that the thunder is nothing morethan the noise made by the fluid rushing through the air. "

"What, then, is the thunderbolt?"

"There is no such thing as what is popularly understood by the termthunderbolt. The lightning itself, however, often does mischief. Thishappens when the discharge, instead of being between two clouds in theair, takes place between a cloud and the ground--a cloud surchargedwith electricity understood. Then all intervening objects are struckby the fluid. "

"There, however, you are wrong, " said Fritz. "All objects are notstruck; on the contrary, the fluid avoids some things and searches outothers, even moving in a zig-zag direction to manifest these caprices;it often discharges itself on or into hard substances, and passes bythose which are soft or feeble. "

"I might say this arose from a sentiment of generosity, " added Jack, "but I have other reasons to assign. "

"So much the better, " said Fritz, "as I should scarcely be satisfiedwith the first. "

"Well, " continued Jack, "lightning has its likings and dislikings. "

"Like men and women, " suggested Willis. 

"It has a partiality for metal. "

"An affection that is not returned, however, " observed Fritz. 

"If the fluid enters a room, for example, it runs along the bellwires, inspects the works of the clock, and sometimes has the audacityto pounce upon the money in your purse, even though a policeman shouldhappen to be in the kitchen at the time. "

"Perhaps, " remarked Willis, "it is Socialist or Red Republican in itsnotions. "

"It does not, however, patronise war, " replied Jack; "I once heard ofit having melted a sword and left the scabbard intact. "

"That, to say the least of it, is improbable, " remarked Fritz. "Thehilt, or even the point, might have been fused; but even supposing theelectric fluid to have been capable of such flagrant preference, thescabbard could not have held molten metal without being itselfconsumed. "

"Aye, " remarked Willis, "there are plenty of non-sensical stories ofthat kind in circulation, because nobody takes the trouble to testtheir truth. Still, according to your own account, a man or woman runsno danger from the lightning. "

"I beg your pardon there, Willis; the electric fluid does not go outof its way to attack a human being, but if one should-happen to be inits way, it does not take time to request that individual to standaside, it simply passes through him, and leaves him or her, as thecase may be, a coagulated mass of inanimate tissues. "

"What a variety of ways there are of getting out of the world!" saidWillis lugubriously. 

"Again, " continued Jack, "anything that happens to be in the vicinityof the clouds when this interchange of courtesies is going on, is aptto draw the storm upon itself, hence the continual war that is carriedon between the lightning and the steeples. "

"Something like an individual coming within range of a cloud ofmosquitoes, " suggested Willis. 

"A learned German--one of us, " said the scapegrace, laughing, "calculated, in 1783, that in the space of thirty-three years therehad been, to his own knowledge, three hundred and eighty-six spiresstruck, and a hundred and twenty bell-ringers killed by lightning, without reckoning a much larger number wounded. "

"And yet, " remarked Willis, "I never heard of an insurance againstaccidents by lightning. "

"There are plenty of them, however, in Roman Catholic countries, " saidFritz. "Every village has one, and the charge is almost nominal. "

"How, then, do these companies make it pay?"

"They find it answer somehow, and they never collapse. "

"Then everybody ought to insure. "

"Yes, but there are some obstinate people who do not see the good ofit. "

"If my life had not already been forfeited, I should insure it. Buthow is it done?"

"Well, you have only to go into a church, fall down on your kneesbefore the priest, he will make you invulnerable by a sign of thecross; then, come storms that pulverize the body or crush the mind, you are perfectly safe. "

"Ah! that is the way you insure your lives, is it, trusting to thepriests rather than to Providence? For my own part, I should prefer apolicy of insurance--that is to say, if my life were of any value. "

"Next to steeples, " continued Jack, "come tall trees, such as poplarsand pines. Should you ever be caught by a storm in the open country, Willis, never take shelter under a tree; face the storm bravely, andsubmit to be deluged by the rain. Dread even bushes, if they areisolated. An entire forest is less dangerous than a single reed whenit stands alone. "

"But you forget, brother, that when a man stands alone he is quite asprominent an object as the trunk of a tree four or five feet high, particularly in an open plain. "

"Quite so. It is therefore advisable, when severe storms are closeupon us, to lie down flat on the ground. "

"Suppose, " remarked Fritz, smiling, "a brigade of soldiers on themarch suddenly to collapse in this way, as if before a discharge ofgrape. "

"And why not? If it is done in the case of grape-shot, why may it notbe done when the artillery is a thousand times more effective?"

"Well, I suspect it would rather astonish the commanding officer, that is all. "

"Then, Willis, " continued Jack, "you must not run during a storm, because the air you put in motion by so doing may draw the electricityinto the current. "

"Do the conductors not prevent the lightning from doing harm?"

"Yes, but you cannot carry one of them on your hat. These rods areonly useful in protecting buildings, and then to nothing more thandouble the area of their length; it is for this last reason that roofsof public buildings have them projecting in all directions. "

"They are a sort of trap set for the lightning, are they not?"

"Yes, and into which it is pretty sure to fall. Franklin, of whom Ispoke just now, was the first to suggest that bars of steel would drawlightning out of a cloud surcharged with electricity. "

"What becomes of it when it is caught?"

"Keeping in view its partiality for bell-pulls, a wire is attached tothe rod down which the unconscious fluid glides. "

"Like a powder-monkey from the main-top. "

"Exactly; till it enters a well, and there it is left at the bottom incompany with Truth. "

A practical storm had begun to mix itself up with the theory asdeveloped by Jack, but not before they had very nearly reached theirdestination, where they were waited for with the greatest anxiety. 

No sooner had they landed than Sophia ran to meet Willis, who wasadvancing with Jack. 

"Ah, sweetheart, " she said, "Susan has been so uneasy about you. "

"You are a good girl, Miss Soph--Susan. "

"Oh, if you only knew how frightened we have been!"

"What, do you admit fear to be one of your accomplishments, MissSophia?" inquired Jack. 

"Certainly, when others are concerned, Master Jack. But, by the way, do you recollect the chimpanzee?"

"Yes, what about the rascal?"

[Illustration]

"Oh, I must not tell you, mamma would call me a chatterbox; you willknow by-and-by. "

In the meanwhile Mary, on her side, was congratulating Toby, who keptscampering between herself and Fritz, at one moment receiving thecaresses of the one and at the next of the other, with everydemonstration of joy. This had become an established mode ofcommunication between the young people when Fritz arrived from alengthened ramble; the intelligent, brute, in point of fact, hadassumed the office of dragoman. 

"Ah, ah, Becker, glad to see you again, " said Willis. "Your sons arefountains of knowledge, whilst I am--"

"A very worthy fellow, Willis, and I know it, " replied Becker, shakinghim heartily by the hand. 

CHAPTER XII. 

MAN PROPOSES, BUT GOD DISPOSES--THE CHOICE OF APROFESSION--CONQUEROR--ORATOR--ASTRONOMER--COMPOSER--PAINTER--POET--VILLAGECURATE--THE KAFIRS--OCCUPATIONS OF WOMEN--THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF THESEA. 

To the storm succeeded one of those diluvian showers that have alreadybeen described. Rain being merely a result of evaporation, it wasevident that sea and land in those climates must perspire at anenormous rate to effect such cataclysms. In consequence of thisdeluge, the proposed excursion was indefinitely postponed. Theprovisions, the marvellous kits, the waggon, were all ready; butNature, as often happens under such circumstances, had assumed amenacing attitude, and for the present forbade the execution of theproject. 

A sort of vague sadness, that generally accompanies a gloomyatmosphere, weighed upon the spirits of the colonists. Recollectionsof the _Nelson_ and her sudden disappearance thrust themselves morevividly than ever upon their memory; and Willis was observed to throwhis sou'-wester unconsciously on the ground--a proof that remembrancesof the past occupied his thoughts. 

One of the ladies was occupied in the needful domestic operations ofthe household, whilst the other sat with a stocking on her left arm, busily occupied in repairing the ravages of tear and wear upon thatuseful though humble garment. The two young ladies spun, as used to dothe great ladies of the court of King Alfred, and as Hercules himselfis said to have done when he changed his club and lion's skin for aspindle and distaff with the Queen of Lybia; Jack was apparentlysketching, Fritz had a collection of hunting apparatus before him, andthe other two young men, each with a book, were deeply immersed instudy. 

This state of things was by no means cheerful, and Wolston determinedto break up the monotony by introducing a subject of conversationlikely to interest them all, the old as well as the young. 

"By the way, gentlemen, " said he, "it occurs to me that you have notyet thought of selecting a profession; your future career seems atpresent somewhat obscure. "

"What would you have?" inquired Jack; "there is no use for lawyers andjudges in our colony, except to try plundering monkeys or protectjackal orphans. "

"True; but suppose you were to find yourselves, by some chance, againin the great world, there it is necessary to possess a qualificationof some kind; a blacksmith or a carpenter, expert in his handicraft, has a better chance of acquiring wealth and position than a manwithout a profession, however great his talents may be; an idler is amere clog in the social machine, and is often thrust aside to browsein a corner with monks and donkeys. "

"But to acquire a profession, is not instruction and practicenecessary?"

"Certainly; it is impossible to become a proficient in any art orscience by mere study alone; but before sowing a field, what is done?"

"It is ploughed and manured. "

"And should there be only a few seeds?"

"We can sow what we have, and reserve the harvest till next season. Byeconomising each crop in this way, we shall soon have seeds enough tocover any extent of land. "

"May I request you, Master Ernest, to draw a conclusion from that asregards sowing the seeds of a future career?"

"I would infer, from your suggestion, that we might adapt ourselvesfor such and such a profession by preparing our minds to receiveinstruction in it, and we might also avail ourselves in the meantimeof such sources of information regarding it as are at present open tous. The physician in prospective, for example, might make himselffamiliar with the medical properties of such plants as are within hisreach; he might likewise examine the bones of an ape, and thus, byanalogy, become acquainted with the framework of the human body. Thewould-be lawyer might, in the same way, avail himself of the libraryto obtain an insight into those social mysteries that bind men incommunities and necessitate human laws for the preservation of peaceand order. Thus, by directing our thoughts into one line of study, wemay form a basis upon which the superstructure may be easily erected, and the necessary academical degrees or sanction of the universityobtained. "

"And, when you see this, why not adopt so commendable a course?"

"Because we may probably be destined to remain here, where, accordingto Jack, the learned professions, at least, are not likely to be muchin demand. "

"The study of a particular science or art has charms in itself, whichamply compensate the student for his labor. But, even admitting you donot return to the Old World, you forget that it is your intention tocolonise this territory. "

"It seems, however, that God has willed it otherwise. "

"What God does not will in one way, he may bring about in another. What reason have you for supposing that the _Nelson_ may not returnwith colonists?"

"It will be from the other world then, " said Willis. 

"Yes, from the other world, " replied Jack, "but not in the sense youimply. "

"Besides, should the _Nelson_ not reappear, that is no reason whyanother accident may not drive another ship upon the coast that willbe more fortunate; what has happened to-day may surely happen againto-morrow. And in the event of colonists arriving, will there not besick to cure, boundaries to determine, differences of opinion todecide, and opposing claims to adjudge. "

"Certainly, Mr. Wolston. "

"Well, admitting these necessities, what profession will each of youselect? Let us begin with you, Master Fritz. "

"The career, " replied Fritz, "that would be most congenial to mytaste is that of a conqueror. "

"A conqueror!"

"Yes; Alexander, Scipio, Timour the Tartar, and Gengis Khan are thesort of men I should like to resemble. They have made a tolerablefigure in the world, and I should have no objection to follow in theirfootsteps. "

"But you forget that their footsteps are marked with tears, disasters, terror, and bloodshed. "

"These are indispensable. "

"Why?"

"Once, when a great commander was asked the same question, he replied, that you cannot make omelets without breaking eggs. "

"Yes, " remarked Becker, "but if you had read the anecdote entire, youwould have seen that he was asked in return, 'What use there was forso many omelets. '"

"Added to which, " continued Wolston, "that is not a normal career;there is no diploma required for it; it is an accident arising out ofadventitious circumstances, sometimes fostered by ambition, but nocourse of study can produce a conqueror. "

"What, then, is the use of military schools?"

"They are, to the best of my knowledge, instituted for rearingdefenders for one's country, and not with a view to the subjugation ofanother's. "

"My poor Fritz, " said Mrs. Becker laughing, "I hope when you conquerhalf the world, you will find an occupation for your mother more inconsonance with your dignity than mending your stockings. "

"Then, again, " continued Wolston, "war cannot be waged by a singleindividual. "

"There must be an enemy somewhere, " suggested Willis. 

"The difficulty does not, however, lie there, " observed Jack; "for, ifwe have no enemies, it is easy enough to make them. "

"There must, at all events, be armies, magazines, and a treasury--oreggs, as the great commander in question hinted. "

"True, " replied Fritz; "but there is the same difficulty as regardsall professions; there can be no barristers without briefs, nophysicians without patients. "

"You will admit, however, that clients and patients are not so rare ashundreds of thousands of armed men and millions of money. "

"Brother, " said Jack, "your cavalry are routed and your infantryoutflanked. "

"If you are determined to be a conqueror, let it be by the pen ratherthan by the sword--or, what do you say to oratory? It is not easier, perhaps, but, at all events, eloquence is not denied to ordinarymortals. You will not then, to be sure, rank with the Hannibals, theTamerlanes, or the Cæsars; but you may attain a place withDemosthenes, who was more dreaded by Philip of Macedon than an army ofsoldiers. "

"Or Cicero, " remarked Becker, "who preserved his country from therapacity of Cataline. "

"Or Peter the Hermit, " remarked Frank, "who by his eloquence rousedEurope against the Saracens. "

"Or Bossuet, " added Wolston, "and then you may venture to assert inthe face of kings that _God alone is Great_, should they, like LouisXIV. , assume the sun as an emblem, and adopt such a silly scroll as'_Nec pluribus impar_. '"

"Bossuet, Peter the Hermit, Cicero, and Demosthenes, are not so bad, after all, as a last resource, " remarked Mrs. Wolston, "and I wouldrecommend you to enrol yourself in that list of conquerors, MasterFritz. "

"The more especially, " observed Jack, "as you have no impediment inyour voice, and would not have to undergo a course of pebbles likeDemosthenes. "

"So far as that goes, Jack, " replied Fritz, "you would possess a likeadvantage for the profession as myself; but I will take time toreflect. " Then, turning towards his mother, he said, "Conqueror orJack Pudding, mother, you shall always find me a dutiful son. "

His mother was more gratified by this expression of attachment thanshe would have been had he laid at her feet the four thousand goldenspurs found, in 1302, on the field of Courtray. 

"And now, Ernest, what profession do you intend to adopt? what isyour dream of the future?"

"I, Mr. Wolston! Well, having no taste for artillery, brilliantcharges, blood-stained ruins, and the other _agrémens_ of war, Icannot be a hero. Do you know when I feel most happy?"

"No, let us hear. "

"It is towards evening, when I am reposing tranquilly on the banks ofthe Jackal. "

"Ah, I thought so, " cried Jack; "no position so congenial to the truephilosopher as the horizontal. "

"When the sun, " continued Ernest, gravely, "is retiring behind theforest of cedars that bounds the horizon; when the palms, the mangoes, and gum trees, mass their verdure in distinct and isolated groups;when nature is making herself heard in a thousand melodious voices;when the hum of the insect is ringing in my ears, and the breeze isgently murmuring through the foliage; when thousands of birds arefluttering from grove to grove, sometimes breaking with their wingsthe smooth surface of the river; when the fish, leaping out of theirown element, reflect for an instant from their silvery scales thedeparting rays of the sun; when the sea, stretching away like a vastplain of boundless space, loses itself in the distance, then my eyesand thoughts are sometimes turned upwards towards the azure of thefirmament, and sometimes towards the objects around me, and I feel asif my mind were in search of something which has hitherto eluded itsgrasp, but which it is sure of eventually finding. Under thesecircumstances, I assure you, I would not exchange the moss on which Isat for the greatest throne in Christendom. "

"But surely you do not call such a poetical exordium a profession?"remarked Becker. 

"It must be admitted, " said Wolston, "that the sun and trees havetheir uses, especially when the one protects us from the other; thesun, for example, dries up the moisture that falls from the trees, andthe trees shelter us from the burning rays of the sun. Still, I am ata loss myself to connect these things with a profession in a socialpoint of view. "

"What would you have thought, " inquired Ernest, "if you had seenNewton and Kepler gazing at the sky, before the one had determined themovements of the celestial bodies, and the other the laws ofgravitation? What would you have thought of Parmentier passing hoursand days in manipulating a rough-looking bulb, that possessed no kindof value in the eyes of the vulgar, but which afterwards, as thepotato, became the chief food of two-thirds of the population ofEurope? What would you think of Jenner, with his finger on his brow, searching for a means of preserving humanity from the scourge of thesmall-pox?"

"But these men had an object in view. "

"Jenner, yes; but not the other two. They thought, studied, contemplated, and reflected, satisfied that one day their thoughts, calculations, and reflections would aid in disclosing some mystery ofNature; but it would have perplexed them sorely to have namedbeforehand the nature and scope of their discoveries. "

"According to you, then, " said Jack, "there could not be a moredignified profession than that of the scarecrow. The greatestdunderhead in Christendom might simply, by going a star-gazing, passhimself off as an adept in the occult sciences, and claim the right ofbeing a benefactor of mankind in embryo. "

"At all events, " replied Ernest, "you will admit that, so long as I amready to bear my share of the common burdens, and take my part inproviding for the common wants, and in warding of the common dangers, it is immaterial whether I occupy my leisure hours in reflection or inrifle practice. "

"Well, " said Jack, "when you have made some discovery that will enrolyour name with Descartes, Huygens, Cassini, and such gentlemen, youwill do us the honor of letting us know. "

"With the greatest pleasure. "

"It is a pity that Herschell has invented the telescope: he might haveleft you a chance for the glory of that invention. "

"If I have not discovered a new star, brother, I discovered long agothat you would never be one. "

"Well, I hope not; their temperature is too unequal for me--they areeither freezing or boiling: at least, so said Fritz the other day, whilst we were--all, what were we doing, Willis?"

"We were supposed to be hunting. "

"Ah, so we were. "

"Now, Master Jack, it is your turn to enlighten us as to your futurecareer. "

"It is quite clear, Mr. Wolston, that, since my brothers are to be soillustrious, I cannot be an ordinary mortal; the honor of the familyis concerned, and must be consulted. I am, therefore, resolved tobecome either a great composer, like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven; arenowned painter, like Titian, Carrache, or Veronese; or a great poet, like Homer, Virgil, Shakspeare, Dante, Milton, Goethe, and Racine. "

"That is to say, " remarked Mrs. Wolston, "that you are resolved to bea great something or other. "

"Decidedly, madam; on reflection, however, as I value my eyesight, Imust except Homer and Milton. "

"But have you not determined to which of the muses you will throw thehandkerchief?"

"I thought of music at first. It must be a grand thing, said I tomyself, that can charm, delight, and draw tears from the eyes of themultitude--that can inspire faith, courage, patriotism, devotion andenergy, and that, too, by means of little black dots with tails, interspersed with quavers, crotchets, sharps and flats. "

"Have you composed a sonata yet?"

"No, madam; I was going to do so, but it occurred to me that I shouldrequire an orchestra to play it. "

"And not having that, you abandoned the idea?"

"Exactly, madam. I then turned to poetry. That is an art fit for thegods; it puts you on a level with kings, and makes you in history evenmore illustrious than them. You ascend the capitol, and there you arecrowned with laurel, like the hero of a hundred fights. "

"What is the subject of your principal work in this line?"

"Well, madam, I once finished a verse, and was going on with a second, but, somehow or other, I could not get the words to rhyme. "

"Then it occurred to you that you had neither a printer nor readers, and you broke your lyre?"

"I was about to reproach you, Master Jack, " said Wolston, "forundertaking too many things at once; but I see the ranks are beginningto thin. "

"Beautiful as poetry may be, " continued Jack, one gets tired ofreading and re-reading one's own effusions. "

"It is even often intensely insipid the very first time, " remarkedMrs. Wolston. 

"There still remains painting, " continued Jack. "Painting is vastlysuperior to either music or poetry. In the first place, it requires nointerpreter between itself and the public;--what, for example, remainsof a melody after a concert? nothing but the recollection. Poesy mayexcite admiration in the retirement of one's chamber; your nostrilsare, as it were, reposing on the bouquet, though often you have stilla difficulty in smelling anything. But if once you give life tocanvas, it is eternal. "

"Eternal is scarcely the proper word, " remarked Wolston: "thecelebrated fresco of Leonardo da Vinci, in the refectory of theDominicans at Milan, is nothing but a confused mass of colors andfigures. "

"I answer that by saying that the painting in question is only afresco. Besides, I use the word eternal in a modified or relativesense. A painting is preserved from generation to generation, whilstits successive races of admirers are mingled with the dust. Thensuppose a painter in his studio; he cannot look around him withoutawakening some memory of the past. He can associate with those heloves when they are absent, nay, even when they are dead, and theyalways remain young and beautiful as when he first delineated them. "

"Take care, " cried Ernest, pushing back his seat, "if you go on atthat rate you will take fire. "

"No fear of that, brother, unless you have a star or a comet in yourpocket, in which case you are not far enough away yet. "

These occasional bickerings between Ernest and Jack were always givenand taken in good part, and had only the effect of raising agood-humored laugh. 

"Let the painter, " he continued, "fall in with a spot that pleaseshim, he can take it with him and have it always before his eyes. Thehand of God or of man may alter the original, the forest may lose itstrees, the old castle may be destroyed by fire or time, the greenmeadow may be converted into a dismal swamp, but to him the landscapealways retains its pristine freshness, the same butterfly stillflutters about the same bush, the same bee still sucks at the sameflower. "

"Really, " said Mrs. Wolston, "it is a pity, after all, that you didnot achieve your second verse. "

"And yet, " continued Jack, "that is only a copy. How much more sublimewhen we regard the painter as a creator! If there is in the past orpresent a heroic deed--if there is in the infinity of his life onemoment more blessed than another, like Pygmalion he breathes into itthe breath of life, and it becomes imperishable. Who would think acentury or two hence of the victories of Fritz, unless the skill ofthe painter be called in to immortalize them!"

"I agree with you in thinking that the arts you name are the source ofbeautiful and legitimate emotions. But generally it is better to viewthem as a recreation or pastime, rather than a profession. They havedoubtless made a few men live in posterity, but, on the other hand, they have embittered and shortened the lives of thousands. "

"You will never guess what led me to adopt this art in preference tothe two others. It was the discovery, that we made some years ago, ofa gum tree, the name of which I do not recollect. "

"The myrica cerifera, " said Ernest. 

"From the gum of this tree the varnish may be made. Now, like mybrother, who, when he sees the sun overhead, considers he ought toprofit by the circumstance and become a discoverer, so I said tomyself: You have varnish, all you want, therefore, to produce amagnificent painting is canvas, colors, and talent; consequently, youmust not allow such an opportunity to pass--it would be unpardonable. Accordingly, I set to work with an energy never before equalled; and, "added he, showing the design he had just finished, "here are two eyesand a nose, that I do not think want expression. "

"Capital!" said Mrs. Wolston; "your painting will be in admirablekeeping with the hangings my daughters have promised to work for yourmamma. "

"Nobody can deny, " continued Jack, laughing, "that the colony isadvancing in civilization; it already possesses a conqueror, a memberof the Royal Society minus the diploma, and an Apelles in embryo. "

"It is now your turn, Frank. "

"I, " replied Frank, in his mild but penetrating voice, "if I may beallowed to liken the flowers of the garden to the occupations of humanlife, I should prefer the part of the violet. "

"It hides itself, " said Mrs. Wolston, "but its presence is not theless felt. "

"When I have allowed myself to indulge in dreams of the future, I havepictured myself dwelling in a modest cottage, partially shrouded inivy, not very far from the village church. My coat is a littlethreadbare. "

"Why threadbare?" inquired Sophia. 

"Because there are a number of very poor people all round me, and Icannot make up my mind to lay out money on myself when it is wanted bythem. "

"Such a coat would be sacred in our eyes, " said Mrs. Wolston. 

"In the morning I take a walk in my little garden; I inspect theflowers one after the other; chide my dog, who is not much of aflorist; then, perhaps, I retire to my study, where I am always readyto receive those who may require my aid, my advice, or my personalservices. "

Here Mrs. Wolston shook Frank very warmly by the hand. 

"Sometimes I go amongst the laborers in the fields, talk to them ofthe rain, of the fine weather, and of HIM who gives both. I enter thehome of the artizan, cheer him in his labors, and interest myself inthe affairs of his family; I call the children by their names, caressthem, and make them my friends. I talk to them of our Redeemer, andthus, in familiarly conversing with the young, I find means ofinstructing the old. They, perhaps, tell me of a sick neighbor; Idirect my steps there, and endeavor to mitigate the pangs of diseaseby words of consolation and hope; I strive to pour balm on the woundedspirit, and, if the mind has been led away by the temptations of theworld, I urge repentance as a means of grace. If death should step in, then I kneel with those around, and join them in soliciting a placeamongst the blessed for the departed soul. "

"We shall all gladly aid you in such labors of love, " said Mrs. Wolston. 

"When death has deprived a family of its chief support, then I appealto those whom God has blessed with the things of this world for themeans of assisting the widow and the fatherless. To one I say, 'Youregret having no children, or bemoan those you have lost; here aresome that God has sent you. ' I say to another, 'You have only onechild, whilst you have the means of supporting ten; you can at leastcharge yourself with two. ' Thus I excite the charity of some and thepity of others, till the bereaved family is provided for. I obtainwork for those that are desirous of earning an honest living, I bringback to the fold the sheep that are straying, and rescue those thatare tottering on the brink of infidelity. "

Here the girls came forward and volunteered to assist Frank in suchworks of mercy. 

"I accept your proffered aid, my dear girls, but, as yet, I am onlypicturing a future career for myself. After a day devoted to suchlabors as these, I return to my home, perhaps to be welcomed by alittle circle of my own, for I hope to be received as a minister ofthe Protestant Church, and, as such, may look forward to a partner inmy joys and troubles. Should Providence, however, shape my destinyotherwise, I shall have the poor and afflicted--always a numerousfamily--to bestow my affections upon. But, whilst much of my time isthus passed amongst the sorrowing and the sick, still there are hoursof gaiety amongst the gloom--there are weddings, christenings, andmerrymakings--there are happy faces to greet me as well as sadones--and I am no ascetic. I take part in all the innocent amusementsthat are not inconsistent with my years or the gravity of myprofession--but you seem sad, Mrs. Wolston. "

"Yes, Frank; you have recalled my absent son, Richard, so vividly tomy memory, that I cannot help shedding a tear. "

"Is your son in orders then, madam?"

"He is precisely what you have pictured yourself to be, a minister ofthe gospel, and a most exemplary young man. "

"If, " remarked Becker, "we have hitherto refrained from inquiringafter your son, madam, it was because we had no wish to recall to yourmind the distance that separated you from him, and we should be gladto know his history. "

"There is little to relate; he is very young yet, and as soon as hehad obtained his ordination, he was offered a mission to Oregon, whichhe accepted; but the ship having been detained at the Cape of GoodHope, he regarded the accident as a divine message, to convert theheathen of Kafraria, where he now is. "

"It is no sinecure to live amongst these copper-colored rascals, " saidWillis; "they are constantly stealing the cattle of the Dutch settlersin their neighborhood. About twelve years ago, our ship was stationedat the Cape, and I was sent with a party of blue jackets into theinterior, as far as Fort Wiltshire, on the Krieskamma, the most remotepoint of the British possessions in South Africa. There we dispersed acloud of them that had been for weeks living upon other people'sproperty. They are tall, wiry fellows, as hardy as a pine tree, and asdaring as buccaneers. The chief of the _kraals_, or huts, wear leopardor panther skins, and profess to have the power of causing rain tofall, besides an endless number of other miraculous attributes. Amongst them, a wife of the ordinary class costs eight head of cattle, but the price of a young lady of the higher ranks runs as high astwenty cows. When a Kafir is suspected of a crime, his tongue istouched seven times with hot iron, and if it is not burnt he isdeclared innocent. "

"I am afraid, " said Jack, "if they were all subjected to that test, they would be found to be a very bad lot. But now, since we have alldecided upon a profession, let us hear what the young ladies intenddoing with themselves; let them consult their imagination for abeautiful future gilded with sunshine, and embroidered with gold. "

"There is only one occupation for women, " said Mrs. Becker, "and thatis too well defined to admit of speculation, and too important toadmit of fanciful embellishments. "

"Well, then, mother, let us hear what it is. "

"It is to nurse you, and rear you, when you are unable to helpyourselves; to guide your first steps, and teach you to lisp yourfirst syllables. For this purpose, God has given her qualities thatattract sympathy and engender love. She is so constituted as to imparta charm to your lives, to share in your labors, to soothe you when youare ruffled, to smooth your pillow when you are in pain, and tocherish you in old age; bestowing upon you, to your last hour, caresthat no other love could yield. These, gentlemen, are the duties andoccupations of women; and you must admit, that if it is not ourprovince to command armies, or to add new planets to the galaxy of thefirmament; that if we have not produced an Iliad or an Ænead, aJerusalem Delivered, or a Paradise Lost, an Oratorio of the Creation, a Transfiguration, or a Laocoon, we have not the less our modestutility. "

"I should think so, mother, " replied Jack; "it would take no end ofphilosophers to do the work of one of you. "

"It surprises me, " said Willis, "that not one of you has selected thefinest profession in the world--that of a sailor. "

"The finest profession of the sea, you mean, Willis. There is no doubtof its being the finest that can be exercised on the ocean, since itis the only one. If it is the best, Willis, it is also the worst. "

"It has also produced great men, " continued Willis; "there areColumbus, Vasco de Gama, and Captain Cook, to whom you are indebtedfor a new world. "

"No thanks to them for that, " said Jack; "if they had not discovered anew world we should have been in an old one. "

"That does not follow, " remarked Ernest; "the new world would haveexisted even if it had not been discovered, and you might have foundyour way there all the same. "

"Not very likely, " replied Jack, "unless one of the stars you intendto discover had shown us the way; otherwise it would only have existedin conjecture; and as nobody under such circumstances would havedreamt of settling in it, they would not have been shipwrecked duringthe voyage. "

"Very true, " remarked Fritz; "if we had not been here we should, veryprobably, have been somewhere else, and perhaps in a much worseplight. Let me ask if there is any one here who regrets his presentposition?"

Willis was about to reply to this question, but Sophia observing thatthere was something wrong with the handkerchief that he wore round hisneck, hastened towards him to put it to rights, and he was silent. 

The hour had now arrived when the families separated for the night. Mary was preparing as usual to recite the evening prayer, but beforedoing so she whispered a few words in her mother's ear. 

"Yes, my child;" and, turning to Frank, she added, "Since you aredetermined to adopt the ministry as a profession, it is but right thatwe should for the future entrust ourselves to your prayers. "

The two families were now located in their respective eyries; andJack, whilst escorting the Wolstons to the foot of their tree, said toSophia, "I thought the chimpanzee had been playing some prank. "

"So he has. Has nobody told you of it?"

"No, not a soul. "

"Then I will be as discreet as my neighbors; good night, Master Jack. "

CHAPTER XIII. 

HERBERT AND CECILIA--THE LITTLE ANGELS--A CATASTROPHE--THEDEPARTURE--MARRIAGE OF THE DOGE WITH THE ADRIATIC--SOVEREIGNS OF THESEA--DANTE AND BEATRIX--ELEONORA AND TASSO--LAURA AND PETRARCH--THERETURN--SURPRISES--WHAT ONE FINDS IN TURBOTS--A HORROR--THEPRICE OF CRIME--BALLOONING--PHILIPSON AND THE CHOLERA--AMETAMORPHOSIS--ADVENTURE OF THE CHIMPANZEE--ARE YOU RICH?

Next day the sky was shrouded in dense masses of cloud, some grey aslead, some livid as copper, and some black as ink. Towards evening thetwo families, as usual, resolved themselves into a talking party, andWolston, requesting them to listen, began as follows:--

"There were two rich merchants in Bristol, between whom a very closeintimacy had for a long time existed. One of them, whom I shall callHenry Foster, had a daughter; and the other, Nicholas Philipson, had ason, and the two fathers had destined these children for one another. The boy was a little older than the girl, and their tastes, habits, and dispositions seemed to fit them admirably for each other, and soto ratify the decision of the parents. Little Herbert and Cecilia werealmost constantly together. They had a purse in common, into whichthey put all the pieces of bright gold they received as presents onbirthdays and other festive occasions. In summer, when the twofamilies retired to a retreat that one of them had in the country, thechildren were permitted to visit the cottagers, and to assist thedistressed, if they chose, out of their own funds--a permission whichthey availed themselves of so liberally that they were called by thecountry people the two little angels. "

"What a pity there are no poor people here!" said Sophia, dolefully. 

"Why?" inquired her mother. 

"Because we might assist them, mamma. "

"It is much better, however, as it is, my child; our assistance mightmitigate the evils of poverty, but might not be sufficient to removethem. "

This reasoning did not seem conclusive to Sophia, who shook her headand commenced plying her wheel with redoubled energy. 

"When Herbert Philipson was twelve years of age he was sent off toschool, and Cecilia was confided to the care of a governess, who, under the direction of Mrs. Foster, was to undertake her education. But neither music nor drawing, needlework, grammars nor exercises, could make little Cecilia forget her absent companion. Absence, thatcools older friendships, had a contrary effect on her heart; themonths, weeks, days, and hours that were to elapse before Herbertreturned for the holidays, were counted and recounted. When thatperiod--so anxiously desired--at length arrived, there was no end ofrejoicing: she told Herbert of all the little boys and little girlsshe had clothed and fed, of the old people she had relieved, of thetears she had shed over tales of woe and misery, how she had carriedevery week a little basket covered with a white napkin to widowRobson, how often she had gone into the damp and dismal cottage of thedying miner, and how happy she always made his wife and their ninepitiful looking children. "

"That is a way of conquering human hearts, " remarked Mrs. Becker, "often more effective than those referred to the other day. "

"Once, when Herbert was at home for the holidays, he accompaniedCecilia on her charitable visits, and was greatly surprised to findthat blessings were showered upon his own head wherever they went;people, whom he had never seen before, insisted upon his being theirbenefactor. This he could not make out. At last, by an accident, hediscovered the secret--Cecilia had been distributing her gifts in hisname! He remonstrated warmly against this, declaring that he had nowish to be praised and blessed for doing things that he had no handin. Finding that his protestations were of no avail, he determined, on the eve of his returning to school, to have his revenge. "

"He did not buy Cecilia a doll, did he?" inquired Jack. 

"No; he collected all the eatables, clothing, blankets, and money hecould obtain; went amongst the poorest of the cottages, anddistributed the whole in Cecilia's name. "

"Ah, " remarked Mrs. Becker, "it is a pity we could not all remain atthe age of these children, with the same purity, the same innocence, and the same freshness of sensation; the world would then be averitable Paradise. "

"For some years this state of things continued, the affection betweenthe young people strengthened as they grew older, the occasionalholiday time was always the happiest of their lives. Herbert, in duecourse, was transferred from school to college, where he obtained adegree, and rapidly verged into manhood. Cecilia from the girl atlength bloomed into the young lady. A day was finally fixed when theywere to be bound together by the holy ties of the church; everythingwas prepared for their union, when the commercial world was startledby the announcement that Philipson was a ruined man. A ship in whichhe had embarked a valuable freight had been wrecked, and an agent towhom he had entrusted a large sum of money had suddenly disappeared. "

"How deplorable!" cried Fritz. 

"Not so very unfortunate, after all, " remarked Mary. 

"What makes you think so?"

"Because nothing had occurred to interrupt the marriage; only one ofthe families was ruined, and there was still enough left for both. "

"But, " said Fritz, "even admitting that the friendship between the twofamilies continued uninterrupted, and that the father of Cecilia waswilling to share his property with the father of Herbert, still theyoung man, in the parlance of society, was a beggar; and it is alwayshard for a man to owe his position to a woman, and to become, as itwere, the _protégé_ of her whom he ought rather to protect. "

"If that is the view you take, Master Fritz, then I agree with youthat the misfortune was deplorable, " said Mary, bending at the sametime to hide her blushes, under pretence of mending a broken thread. 

"And what if Cecilia's father had been ruined instead of Herbert's?"inquired Jack. 

"I should say, " replied Sophia, "that we have as much right to beproud and dignified as you have. "

"The best way in such a case, " observed Willis, laughing, "would befor both parties to get ruined together. "

"Herbert, " continued Wolston, "was a youth of resolution and energy. He entertained the same opinion as Fritz; and instead of wasting histime in idle despondency, got together some articles of merchandise, and sailed for the Indian Archipelago, promising his friends that hewould return to his native land in two years. "

"Two years is a long time, " remarked Mary; "but sometimes it passesaway very quickly. "

"Ah!" observed Sophia, Cecilia, in the meantime, would redouble hercharities and her prayers. "

"The two years passed away, then a third, and then a fourth, but not asingle word had either been heard of or from the absentee. Cecilia wasrich, and her hand was sought by many wealthy suitors, but hithertoshe had rejected them all. "

"The dear, good Cecilia, " cried Sophia. 

"Up till this period the family had permitted her to have her own way. But as it is necessary for authority to prevent excesses of all kinds, they thought it time now to interfere; they could not allow her tosacrifice her whole life for a shadow. Her parents, therefore, insisted upon her making a choice of one or other of the suitors forher hand. She requested grace for one year more, which was granted. "

"Come back, truant, quick; come back, Master Herbert!" cried Sophia. 

"There now, Willis, " cried Jack, "you see the effect of your newworld; people go away there, and never come back again. "

"Oh, but you must bring him back in time, father; you must indeed, "urged Sophia. 

"If it were only a romance I were relating to you, Sophia, I couldvery easily bring him back; but the narrative I am giving you is amatter of fact, which I cannot alter at will. There would be nodifficulty in bringing a richly-laden East Indiaman, commanded byCaptain Philipson, into the Severn, and making Herbert and Ceciliaconclude the story in each other's arms, but it would not be true. "

"Then if I had been Cecilia, I should have become a nun, " said Mary, timidly. 

"Exaggeration, my daughter, is an enemy to truth. It is easy to say, 'I would become a nun, ' and in Roman Catholic countries it is quite aseasy to become one; but, though it may be sublime to retire in thisway from the world, it is frightful when a woman has afterwards toregret the inconsiderate step she has taken, and which is often thecase with these poor creatures. "

"As you said of myself, " remarked Willis, "it is a crime to go downwith a sinking ship so long as there is a straw to cling to. "

"I presume, " continued Wolston, "that during this year poor Ceciliaprayed fervently for the return of her old playfellow; but her prayerswere all in vain, the year expired, and still no news of the youngman; at last she despaired of ever seeing him again, and, after asevere struggle with herself, she decided upon complying with thedesire of her parents and her friends. A few months after the expiringof the year of grace, she was the affianced bride of a highlyrespectable, well-to-do, middle-aged gentleman. John Lindsey, herintended husband, could not boast of his good looks; he was little, rather stout, was deeply pitted in the face with the small-pox, andhad a very red nose, but he was considered by the ladies of Bristol asa very good match for all that. "

"Oh, Cecilia, how ridiculous!" exclaimed Sophia. 

"Better, at all events, than turning nun, " said Jack. 

"The family this season had gone to pass the summer at the sea-coast;and one day that Cecilia and her intended were taking their accustomedwalk along the shore--"

"Holloa!" cried Jack, "the truant is going to appear, after all. "

"John Lindsey, observing a ring of some value upon Cecilia's finger, politely asked her if she had any objections to tell him its history. She replied that she had none, and told him it was a gift of youngPhilipson's. 'I am well acquainted with your story, ' said Lindsey, 'and do not blame the constancy with which you have treasured thememory of that young man; on the contrary, I respect you for it--infact, it was the knowledge of your self-sacrifice to this affectionand all its attendant circumstances, that led me to solicit the honorof your hand; for, said I to myself, one who has evinced so muchdevotion for a mere sentiment, is never likely to prove unfaithful tosacred vows pledged at the altar, ' 'Come what may, you may at leastrely upon that, sir, ' she answered. 'Then, ' continued Lindsey, 'as aneternal barrier is about to be placed between yourself and your pastaffections, perhaps you will pardon my desire to separate you, as muchas possible, from everything that is likely to recal them to yourmind. ' Saying that, he gently drew the ring from her finger, and threwit into the sea. "

It was strongly suspected that Mary shed a tear at this point of therecital. 

"It is all over with you now, Herbert, " cried Fritz. 

"You had better make a bonfire of your ships, like Fernando Cortez inMexico; or, if you are on your way home, better pray for a hurricaneto swallow you up, than have all your bright hopes dashed to atoms, when you arrive in port. "

"I am only a little girl, " said Sophia; "but I know what I should havesaid, if the gentleman had done the same thing to me. "

"And what would you have said, child?" inquired her mother. 

"I should have said, that I was not the Doge of Venice, and had nointention of marrying the British Channel. "

"Can you describe the ceremony to which you refer?"

"Yes; but it would interrupt papa's story, and Jack would laugh atme. "

"Never mind my story, " replied her father, "there is plenty of timeto finish that. "

"And as for me, " said Jack, "though I do not wear a cocked hat andknee breeches, and though, in other respects, my tailor has ratherneglected my outward man, still I know what is due to a lady and aqueen. "

"There, he begins already!" said Sophia. 

"Never mind him, child; go on with your account of the marriage. "

"Well, " began Sophia, "for a long time, there had been disputesbetween the states of Bologna, Ancona, and Venice, as to whichpossessed the sovereignty of the Adriatic. "

"If it had been a dispute about the Sovereignty of the ocean ingeneral, " remarked Willis, "there would have been another competitor. "

"Venice, " continued Sophia, "carried the day, and about 1275 or 76 sheresolved to celebrate her victory by an annual ceremony. For thispurpose, a magnificent galley was built, encrusted with gold, silver, and precious stones. This floating _bijou_ was called the_Bucentaure_, was guarded in the arsenal, whence it was removed on theeve of the Ascension. Next day the Doge, the patriarch, and theCouncil of Ten embarked, and the galley was towed out to the open sea, but not far from the shore. There, in the presence of the foreignambassadors, whilst the clergy chanted the marriage service, the Dogeadvanced majestically to the front of the galley, and there formallywedded the sea. "

"He might have done worse, " observed Willis. 

"The ceremony, " continued Sophia, "consisted in the Doge throwing aring into the sea, saying, 'We wed thee, O sea! to mark the real andperpetual dominion we possess over thee. '"

"And it may be added, " observed Becker, "that the history of Veniceshows how religiously the spouses of the Adriatic kept their vows. "

"Now, " said Sophia, "that I have told my tale, let us hear what becameof Cecilia. "

"Well, the marriage took place the morning after Herbert's ring hadbeen thrown to the fishes. Whilst the bride, bridegroom, and theirfriends were congratulating each other over the wedding breakfast, asis usual in England on such occasions, Cecilia's father was called outof the room. "

"Too late, " remarked Fritz. 

"Herbert Philipson had arrived that same morning; but, as Fritzobserves, he was just an hour too late. He had acquired a fortune, buthis long-cherished hopes of happiness were completely blasted. "

"Why did he stay away five years without writing?" inquired Mrs. Wolston. 

"He had written several times, but at that time no regular post hadbeen established, and his letters had never reached theirdestination. "

"When did he find out that Cecilia was married?"

"Well, some people think it more humane to kill a man by inches ratherthan by a single blow of the axe. Not so with Herbert's friends; thefirst news that greeted him on landing were, that his ever-rememberedCecilia was probably at that moment before the altar pledging her vowsto another. "

"I should rather have had a chimney-pot tumble on my head, " remarkedWillis. 

"Herbert was a man in every sense of the word--the mode of hisdeparture proves that. On hearing this painful intelligence, he simplycovered his face with his hands, and, after a moment's thought, resolved to see his lost bride at least once more. "

"Poor Herbert!" sighed Mary. 

"Foster was thunderstruck when the stranger declared himself to be theson of his old friend; and, after cordially bidding him welcome, sorrowfully asked him what he meant to do. 'I should wish to see Mrs. Lindsey in presence of her husband, ' he replied, 'providing you haveno objections to introduce me to the company. '"

"Bravo!" ejaculated Willis. 

"Foster could not refuse this favor to an unfortunate, who had justbeen disinherited of his dearest hopes. He, therefore, took Herbert bythe hand and led him into the room. Nobody recognized him. 'Ladies andgentlemen, ' said he, 'permit me to introduce Mr. Herbert Philipson, who has just arrived from Sumatra. ' You may readily conceive thedismay this unexpected announcement called up into the countenances ofthe guests. There was only one person in the room who was calm, tranquil, and unmoved--that person was Cecilia herself. She rosecourteously, bade him welcome, hoped he was well, coolly asked him whyhe had not written to his friends, and politely asked him to take aseat beside herself and husband, just, for all the world, as if he hadbeen some country cousin or poor relation to whom she wished to show alittle attention. "

"I would rather have been at the bottom of the sea than in her place, for all that, " said Mary. 

"Why? She had nothing to reproach herself with. Had she not waitedlong enough for him?"

"Young heads, " remarked Becker, "are not always stored with sense. Afoolish pledge, given in a moment of thoughtlessness is oftenobstinately adhered to in spite of reason and argument. The young ideadelights in miraculous instances of fidelity. What more charming to ayoung and ardent mind than the loves of Dante and Beatrix, of Eleonoraand Tasso, of Petrarch and Laura, of Abelard and Heloise, or of DeanSwift and Stella? Young people do not reflect that most of thesestories are apocryphal, and that the men who figure in them sought toadd to their renown the prestige of originality; they put on a passionas ordinary mortals put on a new dress, they yielded to imaginationand not to the law of the heart, and almost all of them paid by a lifeof wretchedness the penalty of their dreams. "

"That is, I presume, " remarked Mrs. Wolston, "you do not object to anyreasonable amount of constancy, but you object to its being carried toan unwarrantable excess. "

"Exactly so, madam, " replied Becker; "constancy, like every thing elsewhen reasonable limits are exceeded, becomes a vice. "

"The merriments of the marriage breakfast, " continued Wolston"slightly interrupted by the arrival of the new guest, were resumed. Fresh dishes were brought in, and, amongst others, a fine turbot wasplaced on the table. The gentleman who was engaged in carving theturbot struck the fish-knife against a hard substance. "

"I know what!" exclaimed two or three voices. 

"I rather think not, " said Wolston, drily. 

"Oh, yes, the ring! the ring!"

"No, it was merely the bone that runs from the head to the tail of thefish. "

"Oh, father, " cried Sophia, "how can you tease us so?"

"If they had found the ring, " replied Wolston, laughing, "I shouldhave no motive for concealing it. Fruit was afterwards placed beforeHerbert, and, when nobody was looking, he pulled a clasped dagger outof his pocket. "

Here Sophia pressed her hands closely on her ears, in order to avoidhearing what followed. 

"It was a very beautiful poignard, " continued Wolston, "and rather abijou than a weapon; and, as the servants had neglected to hand him afruit-knife, he made use of it in paring an apple. "

"Is it all over?" inquired Sophia, removing a hand from one ear. 

"Alas! yes!" said Jack, lugubriously, "he has been and done it. "

"O the monster!"

"Travelling carriages having arrived at the door for the bridal party, Herbert quietly departed. "

"What!" exclaimed Sophia, "did they not arrest and drag him toprison?"

"Oh, " replied Jack, "the crime was not so atrocious as it appears. "

"Not atrocious!"

"No; you must bear in mind that young Philipson had passed thepreceding five years of his life amongst demi-savages, whose mannersand customs he had, to a certain extent, necessarily contracted. Insome countries, what we call crimes are only regarded as peccadillos. In France, for example, till very lately, there existed what wascalled the law of _combette_, by right of which pardon might beobtained for any misdeed on payment of a certain sum of money. Therewas a fixed price for every imaginable crime. A man mightconsequently be a Blue Beard if he liked, it was only necessary toconsult the tariff in the first instance, and see to what extent hismeans would enable him to indulge his fancy for horrors. "

"On quitting the house, " continued Wolston, "Herbert Philipson benthis way to the shore, and shortly after was observed to plunge intothe sea. "

"So much the better, " exclaimed Sophia; "it saved his friends a moredreadful spectacle. "

"The weather being fine and the water warm, Herbert enjoyed his bathimmensely; he then returned to his hotel, went early to bed, and sleptsoundly till next morning. "

"The wretch!" cried Sophia, "to sleep soundly after assassinating hisold playfellow, who had suffered so much on his account. "

"It is pretty certain, " continued Wolston, "that, if Philipson hadbeen left entirely to himself, he would always have shown the samedegree of moderation he had hitherto displayed. "

"Oh, yes, moderation!" said Sophia. 

"But his friends began to prate to him about the shameful way he hadbeen jilted by Cecilia, and, by constantly reiterating the same thing, they at last succeeded in persuading him that he was an ill-used man. His self-esteem being roused by this silly chatter, he began to affecta ridiculous desolation, and to perpetrate all manner of outrageousextravagances. "

"Bad friends, " remarked Willis, "are like sinking ships; they drag youdown to their own level. "

"The first absurd thing he did was to purchase a yacht, and when astorm arose that forced the hardy fishermen to take shelter in port, he went out to sea, and it is quite a miracle that he escapeddrowning. Then, if there were a doubtful scheme afloat, he was sure totake shares in it. Nothing delighted him more than to go up in aballoon; he would have gladly swung himself on the car outside if theproprietor had allowed him. "

"I have often seen balloons in the air, " remarked Willis, "but I couldnever make out their dead reckoning. "

"A balloon, " replied Ernest, "is nothing more than an artificialcloud, and its power of ascension depends upon the volume of air itdisplaces. 

"Very good, Master Ernest, so far as the balloon itself is concerned;but then there is the weight of the car, passengers, provisions, andapparatus to account for. "

"Hydrogen gas, used in the inflation of balloons, is forty timeslighter than air. If a balloon is made large enough, the weight of thecar and all that it contains, added to that of the gas, will fallconsiderably short of the weight of the air displaced by the machine. "

"I suppose it rises in the air just as an empty bottle well corkedrises in the water?"

"Very nearly. Air is lighter than water; consequently, any vesselfilled with the one will rise to the surface of the other. So in thecase of balloons. The gas, in the first place, must be inclosed in anenvelope through which it cannot escape. Silk prepared withIndia-rubber is the material usually employed. As the balloon rises, the gas in the interior distends, because the air becomes lighter theless it is condensed by its superincumbent masses; hence it isrequisite to leave a margin for this increase in the volume of thegas, otherwise the balloon would burst in the air. "

"If a balloon were allowed to ascend without hindrance where would itstop?"

"It would continue ascending till it reached a layer of air as lightas the gas; beyond that point it could not go. "

"And if the voyagers do not wish to go quite so far?"

"Then there is a valve by which the gas may be allowed to escape, tillthe weight of the machine and its volume of air are equal, when itceases to ascend. If a little more is permitted to escape, the balloondescends. "

"And should it land on the roof of a house or the top of a tree, thevoyagers have their necks broken. "

"That can only happen to bunglers; there is not the least necessityfor landing where danger is to be apprehended. When the aeronaut isnear the ground, and sees that the spot is unfavorable fordebarkation, he drops a little ballast, the balloon mounts, and hecomes down again somewhere else. "

"The fellow that made the first voyage must have been very daring. "

"The first ascent was made by Montgolfier in 1782, and he was followedby Rosiers and d'Arlandes. "

"With your permission, father, " said Ernest, "I will claim priority inaerial travelling for Icarus, Doedalus, and Phaeton. "

"Certainly; you are justified in doing so. Gay-Lussac, a philosophicFrenchman, rose, in 1804, to the height of seven thousand yards. "

"He must have felt a little giddy, " remarked Jack. 

"Most of the functions of the body were affected, more or less, by theextreme rarity of the air at that height. Its dryness caused wetparchment to crisp. He observed that the action of the magnetic needlediminished as he ascended, sounds gradually ceased to reach his ear, and the wind itself ceased to be felt. "

"That, of course, " remarked Ernest, "was when he was travelling in thesame direction and at the same speed. "

"Well, " said Jack, "we can find materials here for a balloon; theladies have silk dresses, there is plenty of India-rubber--we used tomake boots and shoes of it; hydrogen gas can be obtained from avariety of substances. What, then, is to prevent us paying a visit tosome of Ernest's friends in the skies?"

"Unfortunately for your project, Jack, no one has discovered the artof guiding a balloon; consequently, instead of finding yourself at_Cassiope_, you might land at _Sirius_, where your reception would besomewhat cool. "

"But what became of Herbert?" inquired one of the ladies. 

"Singularly enough, he escaped all the dangers he so recklesslybraved, and all the bad speculations he embarked in turned out good. Somehow or other, the moment he took part in a desperate scheme itbecame profitable. "

"Ah!" exclaimed Sophia, "his victim, like a guardian angel, continuedto watch over him. "

"When the cholera appeared in England, he was sure to be found wherethe cases were most numerous. He followed up the pest with so muchpertinacity and publicity, that it was no unusual thing to find itannounced in the newspapers that Philipson and the cholera had arrivedin such and such a town. "

"The bane and the antidote, " remarked Jack. 

"If Cecilia had been one of those women who delight in horse-racing, fox-hunting, opera-boxes, and public executions, she would have beenhighly amused to see her old friend's name constantly turning up undersuch extraordinary circumstances. "

"Is she not dead, then?" inquired Sophia, with astonishment, "It appears that her wounds were not mortal, " quietly replied hermother. 

"Besides, " observed Jack, "there are human frames so constituted thatthey can bear an immense amount of cutting and slashing. So in thecase of animals; there, for instance, is the fresh-water polypus--ifyou cut this creature lengthwise straight through the middle, a rightside will grow on the one half and a left side on the other, so thatthere will be two polypi instead of one. The same thing occurs if youcut one through the middle crosswise, a head grows on the one half anda tail on the other, so that you have two entire polypi either way. "

"And you may add, " observed Ernest, "since so interesting a subject ison the _tapis_, that if two of these polypi happen to quarrel overtheir prey, the largest generally swallows the smallest, in order toget it out of the way; and the latter, with the exception of being alittle cramped for space, is not in the slightest degree injured bythe operation. "

"And does that state of matters continue any length of time?"

"The polypus that is inside the other may probably get tired ofconfinement, in which case it makes its exit by the same route itentered; but, if too lazy to do that, it makes a hole in the body ofits antagonist and gets out that way. But, what is most curious ofall, these processes do not appear to put either of the creatures tothe slightest inconvenience. "

"I am quite at a loss to make you all out, " said Sophia. 

"Well, my child, " replied her mother, "you should not close up yourears in the middle of a story. "

"Cecilia, or rather Mrs. Lindsey, however, " continued Wolston, "was apious, painstaking, simple-minded woman, who devoted her wholeattention to her domestic duties. Notwithstanding her fortune, she didnot neglect the humblest affairs of the household, and thought only ofmaking her husband pleased with his home. When she was told of thevagaries of Philipson, she prayed in private that he might be led fromhis evil ways, and could not help thanking Providence that she was notthe wife of such a dreadful scapegrace. "

"I should think so, " remarked Mrs. Becker. 

"At last, Herbert Philipson astonished even his own companions by acrowning act of folly. There was then a young woman in Bristol, ofgood parentage, but an unmitigated virago; her family were thoroughlyashamed of her temper and her exploits. They allowed her to have herown way, simply for fear that, through contradiction, she might plungeherself into even worse courses than those she now habituallyfollowed. In short, she was the talk and jest of the whole town. "

"What a charming creature!" remarked Mrs. Becker. 

"No servant of her own sex could put up with her for two daystogether; she styled everybody that came near her fools and asses, anddid not hesitate to strike them if they ventured to contradict her. She got on, however, tolerably well with ostlers, stable-boys, cabmen, and such like, because they could treat her in her own style, and werenot ruffled by her abuse. "

"How amiable!" exclaimed Mrs. Wolston. 

"Herbert heard of this young person, and, through a fast friend of hisown, obtained an introduction to her, and on the very first interviewhe offered her his hand. He was known still to be a wealthy man, soneither the lady herself nor anybody connected with her made theslightest objection to the match, thinking probably that, if therewere six of the one, there were at least half a dozen of the other. "

"They ought to have gone to Bedlam, instead of to church, " saidWillis; "that is my idea. "

"Nevertheless, they went to church; and, after the marriage, Ceciliasought and obtained an introduction to the lady, and, whether byentreaties or by her good example, I cannot say; be this as it may, the unpromising personage in question became one of the best wives andthe best mothers that ever graced a domestic circle--in this respecteven excelling the pattern Cecilia herself; and, what is still more tothe purpose, she succeeded in completely reforming her husband. When Ileft England there was not a more prosperous merchant, nor a moreestimable man in the whole city of Bristol, than Herbert Philipson. "

"From which we may conclude, " remarked Mrs. Becker, "it is alwaysadvisable to have angels for friends. "

"We may also conclude, " remarked Mrs. Wolston, "that when a stroke ofadversity, or any other misfortune, overturns the edifice of happinesswe had erected for the future, we may build a new structure with freshmaterial, which may prove more durable than the first. "

"Talking of having angels for friends, " said Becker, "puts me in mindof the association of Saint Louis Gonzaga, at Rome. On the anniversaryof this saint, the young and merry phalanx forming the associationmarch in procession to one of the public gardens. In the centre ofthis garden a magnificent altar has been previously erected, on whichis placed a chafing-dish filled with burning coals. The processionforms itself into an immense ring round the altar, broken here andthere by a band of music. These bands play hymns in honor of thesaints, and other _morceaux_ of a sacred character. Each member of theassociation holds a letter inclosed in an embossed and highlyornamented envelope, bound round with gay-colored ribbons and threadsof gold. These letters are messages from the young correspondents totheir friends in heaven, and are addressed to 'Il Santo Giovane LuigiGonzaga, in Paradiso. ' At a given signal, the letters, in the midst ofprofound silence, are placed on the chafing-dish. This done, the musicresounds on all sides, and the assembly burst out into loudacclamations, during which the letters are supposed to be carried upinto heaven by the angels. "

"A curious and interesting ceremony, " remarked Mrs. Wolston, "and onethat may possibly do good, inasmuch as it may induce the young peoplecomposing the association to persevere in generous resolutions. "

The two families again separated for the night. And whilst the youngmen were escorting the Wolstons to their tree, Sophia went towardsJack. "Will you tell me, " inquired she, "what happened whilst I had myears closed up, Jack?"

"Yes, with all my heart, if you will tell me first what the chimpanzeehad been about during our absence. "

"Well, he got up into our tree when we were out of the way. Aftersoaping his chin, he had taken one of papa's razors, and just as hewas beginning to shave himself, some one entered and caught him. "

"Oh, is that all? What I have to tell you is a great deal moreappalling than that. "

"Well, then, be quick. "

"But I am afraid you will be shocked. "

"Is it very dreadful?"

"More so than you would imagine. If you dream about it during thenight, you will not be angry with me for telling you?"

"No, I will be courageous, and am prepared to hear the worst. "

"What was your father saying when you shut up your ears?"

"Herbert had just pulled out a dagger. "

"And when you took your hands away?"

"All was then over; Herbert had done some dreadful thing with thedagger, and I want to know what it was. "

"He pared an apple with it, " replied Jack, bursting into a roar oflaughter, and, running off, he left Sophia to her reflections. 

A few seconds after he returned. This time he had almost a solemn air, the laughter had vanished from his visage, like breath from polishedsteel. 

"Miss Sophia, " inquired he gravely, "are you rich?"

"I don't know, Master Jack; are you?"

"Well, I have not the slightest idea either. "

CHAPTER XIV. 

THE TEARS OF CHILDHOOD AND RAIN OF THE TROPICS--CHARLES'SWAIN--VOLUNTARY ENLISTMENT--A LIKENESS GUARANTEED--THE WORLD ATPEACE--ALAS, POOR MARY!--THE SAME BREATH FOR TWO BEINGS--THE FIRSTPILLOW--THE LOGIC OF THE HEART--HOW FRITZ SUPPORTED GRIEF--A GRAIN OFSAND AND THE HIMALAYA. 

At daybreak next morning, all the eyes in the colony were busilyengaged in scrutinizing the sky. This time the operation seemedsatisfactory, for immediately afterwards, all the hands were, withequal diligence, occupied in packing up and making other preparationsfor the meditated excursion to the remote dependencies of NewSwitzerland. 

The dense veil that the day before had shrouded them in gloom was nowbroken up into shreds. The azure depths beyond had assumed theappearance of a blue tunic bespattered with white, and the cloudssuggested the idea of a celestial shepherd, driving myriads of sheepto the pasture. Children alone can dry up their tears with therapidity of Nature in the tropics; perhaps we may have already madethe remark, and must, therefore, beg pardon for repeating the simile asecond time. 

In a short time, the two families were assembled on the lawn, in frontof the domestic trees of Falcon's Nest, ready to start on theirjourney. The cow and the buffalo were yoked to the carriage, which wassnugly covered over with a tarpauling, thrown across circular girds, like the old-fashioned waggons of country carriers. Frank mounted thebox in front; Mrs. Becker, Wolston, and Sophia got inside; whilstErnest and Jack, mounted on ostriches that had been trained and brokenin as riding horses, took up a position on each side, where the doorsof the vehicle ought to have been. These dispositions made, after afew lashes from the whip, this party started off at a brisk rate inthe direction of Waldeck. 

It had been previously arranged that one half of the expedition shouldgo by land, and the other half by water, and that on their return thisorder should be reversed, so that both the interior and the coastmight be inspected at one and the same time. The only exception wasmade in favor of Willis, who was permitted both to go and return bysea. 

The second party, consisting of Mrs. Wolston, Becker, Mary, and Fritz, started on foot in the direction of the coast. They had not gone farbefore Becker observed a large broadside plastered on a tree. 

"What is that?" he inquired. 

Nobody could give a satisfactory reply. 

"Perhaps, " suggested Mrs. Wolston, "paper grows ready made on thetrees of this wonderful country. "

"They all approached, and, much to their astonishment, read asfollows:--

"TAKE NOTICE. 

"The renowned Professor Ernest Becker is about to enlighten thebenighted inhabitants of this country, by giving a course of lectureson optics. The agonizing doubts that have hitherto envelopedastronomical science, particularly as regards the interiors of themoon and the stars, have arisen from the absurd practice of looking atthem during the night. These doubts are about to be removed for everby the aforesaid professor, as he intends to exhibit the luminaries inquestion in open day. He will also place Charles's Wain[C] at thedisposal of any one who is desirous of taking a drive in the MilkyWay. The learned professor will likewise stand for an indefiniteperiod on his head; and whilst in this position will clearlydemonstrate the rotundity of the earth, and the tendency of heavybodies to the centre of gravity. In order that the prices of admissionmay be in accordance with the intrinsic value of the lectures, nothingwill be charged for the boxes, the entrance to the pit will be gratis, and the gallery will be thrown open for the free entry of the people. The audience will be expected to assume a horizontal position. Personsgiven to snoring are invited to stay at home. "

"I rather think I should know that style, " remarked Willis. 

"It is a pity Ernest is not with us, " observed Fritz; "but the placardwill keep for a day or two. "

"They say laughing is good for digestion, " remarked Mrs. Wolston; "andif so, it must be confessed that Master Jack is a useful member of thecolony in a sanitary point of view. "

The party had scarcely advanced a hundred paces farther, when Fritzcalled out, "Holloa! there is another broadside in sight. "

This one was headed by a smart conflict between two ferocious lookinghussars, and was couched in the following terms:--

"PROCLAMATION. 

"All the inhabitants of this colony capable of bearing arms, who arepanting after glory, are invited to the Fig Tree, at Falcon's Nest, there to enrol themselves in the registry of Fritz Becker, who isabout to undertake the conquest of the world. Nobody is compelled tovolunteer, but those who hold back will be reckoned contumacious, andwill be taken into custody, and kept on raw coffee till such time asthey evince a serious desire to enlist. There will be no objection torecruits returning home at the end of the war, if they come out of italive. Neither will there be any objections to the survivors bringingback a marshal's baton, if they can get one. The Commander-in-chiefwill charge himself with the fruits of the victory. Surgicaloperations will be performed at his cost, and cork legs will be servedout with the rations. In the event of a profitable campaign, amonument will be erected to the memory of the defunct, by way of areward for their heroism on the field of battle. "

"Well, Fritz, " said Becker, with a merry twinkle in his eye, "you weresorry that Ernest was not present to hear the last placard read;fortunately, you are on the spot yourself this time. "

Fritz tried to look amused, but the attempt was a decided failure. 

When the party had gone a little farther, another announcement mettheir gaze; all were curious to know whose turn was come now; as theyapproached, the following interesting question, in large letters, stared them in the face:--

"HAVE YOU HAD YOUR PORTRAIT TAKEN YET?

"It has been reserved for the present age, and for this prolificterritory, so exuberant in cabbages, turnips, and other potables, toproduce the greatest of living artists--real genius--who is destinedto outshine all the Michel Angelos and Rubenses of former ages. Notthat these men were entirely devoid of talent, but because they coulddo nothing without their palette and their paint brushes. Now thatillustrious _maestro_, Mr. Jack Becker, has both genius and ingenuity, for he has succeeded in dispensing with the aforementioned troublesomeauxiliaries of his art. His plan which has the advantage of not beingpatented, consists in placing his subject before a mirror, where he ispermitted to stay till the portrait takes root in the glass. By thisnovel method the original and the copy will be subject alike to theravages of time, so that no one, on seeing a portrait, will be liableto mistake the grand-mother for the grand-daughter. Likenessesguaranteed. Payments, under all circumstances, to be made in advance. 

"Ah, well, " said Becker, laughing, "it appears that the scapegrace hasnot spared himself. "

"I hope there is not a fourth proclamation, " said Mrs. Wolston. 

"There are no more trees on our route, at all events, " repliedBecker. 

"Glad to hear that; Jack must respect the avocation chosen by Frank, since he sees nothing in it to ridicule. "

As they drew near the Jackal River, in which the pinnace was moored, Mary and Fritz were a little in advance of the party. 

"Are you really determined to turn the world upside down, MasterFritz?"

"At present, Miss Wolston, I am myself the sum and substance of myarmy, in addition to which I have not yet quite made up my mind. "

"It is an odd fancy to entertain to say the least of it. "

"Does it displease you?"

"In order that it could do that, I must first have the right to judgeyour projects. "

"And if I gave you that right?"

"I should find the responsibility too great to accept it. Besides, adetermination cannot be properly judged, without putting one's self inthe position of the person that makes it. You imagine happinessconsists in witnessing the shock of armies, whilst I fancy enjoymentto consist in the calm tranquility of one's home. You see our views offelicity are widely different. "

"Not so very widely different as you seem to think, Miss Wolston. Asyet my victories are _nil_; I have not yet come to an issue with myallies; to put my troops on the peace establishment I have only todisembody myself, and I disembody myself accordingly. "

"Oh!" exclaimed Mary, "you are very easily turned from your purpose. "

"Easily! no, Miss Wolston, not easily; you cannot admit that anobjection urged by yourself is a matter of no moment, or one that canbe slighted with impunity. "

"Ah! here we are at the end of our journey. "

"Already! the road has never appeared so short to me before. "

"What!" exclaimed Mrs. Wolston, coming up to her daughter, "you appearvery merry. "

"Well, not without reason, mamma; I have just restored peace to theworld. "

The pinnace was soon launched, and, under the guidance of Willis, wasmaking way in the direction of Waldeck. The sea had not yet recoveredfrom the effects of the recent storm; it was still, to use anexpression of Willis, "a trifle ugly. " Occasionally the waves wouldcatch the frail craft amidships, and make it lurch in an uncomfortablefashion, especially as regarded the ladies, which obliged Willis tokeep closer in shore than was quite to his taste. The briny elementstill bore traces of its recent rage, just as anger lingers on thehuman face, even after it has quitted the heart. 

Whilst the pinnace was in the midst of a series of irregulargyrations, a shrill scream suddenly rent the air, and at the sameinstant Fritz and Willis leaped overboard. 

_Mary had fallen into the sea_. 

Becker strained every nerve to stay the boat. Mrs. Wolston fell on herknees with outstretched hands, but, though in the attitude of prayer, not a word escaped her pallid lips. 

The two men floated for a moment over the spot where the poor girl hadsunk; suddenly Fritz disappeared, his keen eye had been of servicehere, for it enabled him to descry the object sought. In a few secondshe rose to the surface with Mary's inanimate body in his left arm. Willis hastened to assist him in bearing the precious burden to theboat, and Becker's powerful arms drew it on deck. 

The joy that all naturally would have felt when this was accomplishedhad no time to enter their breasts, for they saw that the body evincedno signs of life, and a fear that the vital spark had already fledcaused every frame to shudder. They felt that not a moment was to belost; the resources of the boat were hastily put in requisition;mattresses, sheets, blankets, and dry clothes were strewn upon thedeck. Mrs. Wolston had altogether lost her presence of mind, and coulddo nothing but press the dripping form of her daughter to her bosom. 

"Friction must be tried instantly, " cried Becker; "here, take thisflannel and rub her body smartly with it--particularly her breast andback. "

Mrs. Wolston instinctively followed these directions. 

"It is of importance to warm her feet, " continued Becker; "but, unfortunately, we have no means on board to make a fire. "

Mrs. Wolston, in her trepidation, began breathing upon them. 

"I have heard, " said the Pilot, "that persons rescued from drowningare held up by the feet to allow the water to run out. "

"Nonsense, Willis; a sure means of killing them outright. It is notfrom water that any danger is to be apprehended, but from want of air, or, rather, the power of respiration. What we have to do is to try andrevive this power by such means as are within our reach. "

The Pilot, meantime, endeavored to introduce a few drops of brandybetween the lips of the patient. Fritz stood trembling like an aspenleaf and deadly pale; he regarded these operations as if his own lifewere at stake, and not the patient's. 

"There remains only one other course to adopt, Mrs. Wolston, " saidBecker, "you must endeavor to bring your daughter to life by means ofyour own breath. "

"Only tell me what to do, Mr. Becker, and, if every drop of blood inmy body is wanted, all is at your disposal. "

"You must apply your mouth to that of your daughter, and, whilst hernostrils are compressed, breathe at intervals into her breast, and soimitate the act of natural respiration. "

Stronger lungs than those of a woman might have been urgent under suchcircumstances, but maternal love supplied what was wanting in physicalstrength. 

The Pilot had turned the prow of the pinnace towards home; he feltthat, in the present case at least, the comforts of the land werepreferable to the charms of the sea. 

"This time it is not my breath, but her own, " said Mrs. Wolston. 

"Her pulse beats, " said Becker; "she lives. "

"Thank God!" exclaimed Fritz and Willis in one voice. 

A quarter of an hour had scarcely yet elapsed since the patient'sfirst immersion in the sea; but this brief interval had been an age ofagony to them all. As yet, her head lay quiescent on her mother'sbosom, that first pillow, common alike to rich and poor, at thethreshold of life. 

The%signs of returning animation gradually became more and moreevident; at length, the patient gently raised her head, and glancedvacantly from one object to another; then, her eyes were turned uponherself, and finally rested upon Fritz and Willis, who still boreobvious traces of their recent struggle with the waves. Here sheseemed to become conscious, for her body trembled, as if some terriblethought had crossed her mind. After this paroxysm had passed, shefeebly inclined her head, as if to say--"I understand--you have savedmy life--I thank you. " Then, like those jets of flame that are nosooner alight than they are extinguished, she again became insensible. 

As soon as they reached the shore, Fritz hastened to Rockhouse, andmade up a sort of palanquin of such materials as were at hand, intowhich Mary was placed, and thus was conveyed, with all possible careand speed, on the shoulders of the men to Falcon's Nest. A few hoursafterwards she returned to consciousness and found herself in a warmbed, surrounded with all the comforts that maternal anxiety andBecker's intelligent mind could suggest. 

Fritz was unceasing in his exertions; no amount of fatigue seemed towear him out. As soon as he saw that everything had been done for theinvalid that their united skill could accomplish, he bridled anuntrained ostrich, and rode or rather flew off in search of the landportion of the expedition. 

"Mary is saved, " he cried, as he came up with them. 

"From what?" inquired Wolston, anxiously. 

"From the sea, that was about to swallow her up. "

"And by whom?"

"By Willis, myself, and us all. "

The same evening, the two families were again assembled at Falcon'sNest, and thus, for a second time, the long talked-of expedition wasbrought to an abrupt conclusion. 

"Ah, " said Willis, "we must cast anchor for a bit; yesterday it wasthe sky, to-day it was the sea, to-morrow it will be the land, perhaps--the wind is clearly against us. "

How often does it not happen, in our pilgrimage through life, that wehave the wind against us? We make a resolute determination, we set outon our journey, but the object we seek recedes as we advance; it is nouse going any farther--the wind is against us. We re-commence ten, twenty, a hundred times, but the result is invariably the same. How isthis? No one can tell. What are the obstacles? It is difficult to say. Perhaps, we meet with a friend who detains us; perhaps, a recollectionthat our memory has called, induces us to swerve from the path--theblind man that sung under our window may have something to do withit--perhaps, it was merely a fly, less than nothing. 

It is not our minor undertakings, but rather our most importantenterprises, that are frustrated by such trifles as these; for it mustbe allowed that we strive less tenaciously against an obstacle thatdebars us from a pleasure, than against one that separates us from aduty--in the one case we have to stem the torrent, in the other wesail with the current. 

When we observe some deplorable instance of a wrecked career--when wesee a man starting in life with the most brilliant prospectscollapsing into a dead-weight on his fellows, we are apt to supposethat some insurmountable barrier must have crossed his path--someHimalaya, or formidable wall, like that which does not now separateChina from Tartary; but no such thing. Trace the cause to its source, and what think you is invariably found? A grain of sand; theunfortunate wretch has had the wind against him--nothing more. 

Rescued from the sea, Mary Wolston was now a prey to a raging fever. Ill or well, at her age there is no medium, either exuberant health orcomplete prostration; the juices then are turbulent and the blood isardent. 

Somehow or other, a good action attaches the doer to the recipient;so, in the case of Fritz, apart from the brotherly affection which hehad vaguely vowed to entertain for the two young girls that had sounexpectedly appeared amongst them, he now regarded the life of Maryas identical with his own, and felt that her death would inevitablyshorten his own existence; "for, " said he to himself, "should she die, I was too late in drawing her out of the water. " In his tribulationand irreflection, he drew no line between the present and the past, but simply concluded, that if he saved her too late, he did not saveher at all. Hope, nevertheless, did not altogether abandon him. Hewould sometimes fancy her restored to her wonted health, abounding inlife and vigour. Then the pleasing thought would cross his mind that, but for himself, that charming being, in all probability, would havebeen a tenant of the tomb. Would that those who do evil only knew thedelight that sometimes wells up in the breasts of those who do good!

The first day of Mary's illness, Fritz bore up manfully. On thesecond, he joined his father and brothers in their field labors; but, whilst driving some nails into a fence, he had so effectually fixedhimself to a stake that it was only with some difficulty that he couldbe detached. The third day, at sunrise, he called Mary's dog, shouldered his rifle, and was about to quit the house. 

"Where are you going?" inquired Jack. 

"I don't know--anywhere. "

"Anywhere! Well, I am rather partial to that sort of place; I will gowith you. "

"But I must do something that will divert my thoughts. There may bedanger. "

"Well I can help you to look up a difficulty. "

Every day the two brothers departed at sunrise, and returned togetheragain in the evening. Mrs. Becker felt acutely their sufferings. Shewatched anxiously for the return of the two wanderers, and generallywent a little way to meet them when they appeared in the distance. 

"She does not run to meet us, " said Fritz, one day; "that is a badsign. "

"Not a bit of it, " replied Jack. "If she had any bad news to give us, she would not come at all. "

FOOTNOTES:

[C] The constellation known in astronomy as the _Great Bear_ is in, some parts of England termed the _Plough_, and in others _Charles'sWain_ or _Waggon_. It may be added, that the same constellation ispopularly known in France as the _Chariot of David_. 

CHAPTER XV. 

GOD'S GOVERNMENT--KING STANISLAUS--THE DAUPHIN SON OF LOUIS XV. --THESHORTEST ROAD--NEW YEAR'S DAY--A MIRACLE--CLEVER ANIMALS--THECALENDAR--MR. JULIUS CÆSAR AND POPE GREGORY XIII. --HOW THE DAY AFTERTHE 4TH OF OCTOBER WAS THE 15TH--OLYMPIAD--LUSTRES--THE HEGIRA--AHORSE MADE CONSUL--JACK'S DREAM. 

Some men, when they regard the sinister side of events, are apt tocall in question the axiom, Nothing is accomplished without the willof God. Why, they ask, do the wicked triumph? Why are the justoppressed? Why this evil? What is the use of that disaster? Was itnecessary that Mary Wolston should be thrown into the sea, and thatshe should afterwards die in consequence of the accident?

To these questions we reply, that God does not interrupt the ordinarycourse of His works. Man is a free agent in so far as regards his ownactions; were it otherwise, we should not be responsible for our owncrimes. We might as well plunge into vice as adhere to virtue; for wecould not be called upon to expiate the one, nor could we hope to berewarded for the other. It is not to be expected that God is toperform miracles at every instant for our individual benefit. It isunreasonable in us to suppose that, in obedience to our wishes ordesires, He will alter His immutable laws. 

A foot slips on the brink of a precipice, and we are dashed to atoms. Our boat is upset in a squall, and we are drowned. Like StanislausLeszinsky, King of Poland, we fall asleep in the corner of a chimney, our clothes take fire, and we are burned to death. We go a hunting; wemistake a grey overcoat for the fur of a deer, and we kill our friendor his gamekeeper, as once happened to the son of Louis XV. , who inconsequence almost died of grief, and renounced forever a sport ofwhich he was passionately fond. Did Providence will, exact, orpre-ordain all these calamities? Certainly not; but our Creator hasseen fit to tolerate and permit them, since he did not interpose toprevent them. 

The government of God is a conception so wonderful, so sublime, thatnone but Himself can fathom its depths. Human intelligence is toofinite to penetrate or comprehend a system so complex, and yet souniform. The mind of man can only form a just idea of a cause when theeffect has been made manifest to his understanding. There might havebeen a reason for the death of Mary Wolston--who knows? But if it wereso, that reason was beyond the pale of mortal ken. 

Let us not, however, anticipate. Mary Wolston is not yet dead. On thecontrary, when the ninth day of her illness had passed, Fritz and Jackwere returning from an expedition, the nature of which was only knownto themselves, but which, to judge from the packs that they bore ontheir backs, had been tolerably productive. The two young men observedtheir mother advancing, as usual, to meet them, but this time _sheran_. They had no need to be told in words that Mary Wolston was nowout of danger; the serenity of their mother's countenance was moreeloquent than the most elaborate discourse that ever stirred humansouls. 

Mrs. Becker herself felt that words were superfluous, so she quietlytook her son's arm, and they walked gently homewards, whilst Jackstrode on before. On turning a corner of the road, the latter stumbledupon Wolston and Ernest, who, in the exuberance of their joy, had alsocome out to meet the hunters. They were, however, a little behind; butthat was nothing new. These two members of the colony had become quiteremarkable for procrastination and absence of mind. When Wolston themechanician, and Ernest the philosopher, travelled in company, it wasrare that some pebble or plant, or question in physics, did not inducethem to deviate from their route or tarry on their way. One day theyboth started for Rockhouse to fetch provisions for the family dinner, but instead of bringing back the needful supplies of beef and mutton, they returned in great glee with the solution of an intricate problemin geometry. All fared very indifferently on that occasion, and, inconsequence, Wolston and Ernest were, from that time on, deprived ofthe office of purveyors. 

In the present instance, instead of running like Mrs. Becker, they hadphilosophically seated themselves on the trunk of a tree. At theirfeet was a diagram that Wolston had traced with the end of his stick;this was neither a tangent nor a triangle, as might have beenexpected, but a figure denoting how to carve one's way to a position, amidst the rugged defiles of life. 

"In all things, " observed Wolston, "in morals as well as physics, theshortest road from one point to another, is the straight line. "

"Unless, " objected Ernest, "the straight line were encumbered withobstacles, that would require more time to surmount than to go round. Two leagues of clear road would be better than one only a singleleague in length, if intersected by ditches and strewn with wildbeasts. "

"Bah!" cried Jack, who had just come up out of breath, "you might leapthe one and shoot the others. "

"Your argument, " replied Wolston, "is that of the savage, who canimagine no obstacles that are not solid and tangible. The obstaclesthat retard our progress in life neither display yawning chasms norrows of teeth; they dwell within our own minds--they are versatility, disgust, ennui, thirst after the unknown, and love of change. Theselead us to take bye-paths and long turnings, and fritter away thestrength that should be used in promoting a single aim. Hence arise amultiplicity of hermaphrodite avocations and desultory studies, thatterminate in nothing but vexation of spirit. Let us suppose, forexample, that Peter has made up his mind to be a lawyer. "

"I do not see any particular reason why Peter should not be a lawyer, "said Jack. 

"Nor I either; but unfortunately when Peter has pored a certain timeover Coke upon Littleton, and other abstruse legal authorities, heaccidentally witnesses a review; he throws down his books, andresolves to become a soldier. "

"After the manner and style of our Fritz, " suggested Jack. 

"He changes the Pandects for Polybius, and Gray's Inn for a militaryschool. All goes well for awhile; the idea of uniform helps him overthe rudiments of fortification and the platoon exercise. He passes twoexaminations creditably, but breaks down at the third, in consequenceof which he throws away his sword in disgust. He does not like now torejoin his old companions in the Inn, who have been working steadilyduring the years he has lost. He therefore, perhaps, adopts a middlecourse, and gets himself enrolled in the society of solicitors, whichdoes not exact a very elaborate diploma. "

"Well, after all, the difference between a barrister and a solicitoris not so great. "

"True; but the exercises to which he has been accustomed previouslyunfit him for the drudgeries of his new employment, and he soonabandons that, just as he abandoned the other two. "

"Your friend Peter is somewhat difficult to please, " said Jack. 

"He then goes into business, a term which may mean a great deal ornothing at all; it admits of one's going about idle with theappearance of being fully occupied. Then a few unsuccessfulspeculations bring him back, at the end of his days, to the pointwhence he started--that is, zero. "

"Ah, yes, I see now, " cried Jack, whilst he traced a diagram on theground. "Poor Peter has always stopped in the middle of eachprofession and gone back to the starting point of another, thuspassing his life in making zig-zags, and only moving from one zero toanother. "

"Exactly, " added Wolston: "whilst those who persevered in following upthe profession they chose at first finally succeeded in attaining aposition, and that simply by adhering to a straight line. "

Here Fritz and his mother arrived, arm in arm. 

"Ha! there you are, " cried Ernest. "We were on our way to meet you. "

"You surely do not call sitting down there being on your way to meetus, do you?"

"Well, yes, mother, " suggested Jack, "on the principle that two bodiescoming into contact meet each other. "

Like those flowers that droop during a storm, but recover theirbrilliancy with the first rays of the sun, so a few days more sufficedto restore Mary Wolston to better health than she had ever enjoyed inher life before. Some months now elapsed without giving rise to anyevent of note. All the men, women, and children in the colony had beenbusily employed from early morn to late at e'en. No sooner had onefield been sown than there was another to plant; then came the grainharvest and its hard but healthy toil; next, much to the delight ofWillis, herrings appeared on the coast, followed by their attendantdemons, the sea-dogs; salmon-fishing, hunting ortolans, the foundriesand manufactories, likewise exacted a portion of their time. Frequently parties were occupied for weeks together in the remotedistricts; so that, with the exception of one day each week--theSabbath--the two families had of late been rarely assembled togetherin one spot. 

The hope of ever again beholding the _Nelson_ had gradually ceased tobe entertained by anybody. Like an echo that resounds from rock torock until it is lost in the distance, this hope had died away intheir breasts. Willis nevertheless continued to keep the beacon onShark's Island alight; but he regarded it more as a sepulchral lamp incommemoration of the dead, than as a signal for the living. 

One morning, the break of day was announced by a cannon-shot. Allinstantly started on their feet and gazed inquiringly in each other'sfaces. One thing forced itself upon all their thoughts--daybreakgenerally arrives without noise; it is not accustomed to announceitself with gunpowder; like real merit, it requires no flourish oftrumpets to announce its advent. 

"Good, " said Becker; "Fritz and Jack are not visible, therefore we mayeasily guess who fired that shot. "

"Particularly, " added Wolston, "as this is the first of January. Lastnight I observed an unusual amount of going backwards and forwards, so, I suppose, nobody need be much at a loss to solve the mystery. "

"Aye, " sighed Willis, "New Year's Day brings pleasing recollections tomany, but sad ones to those who are far away from their own homes. "

Shortly after, the absentees arrived, each mounted on his favoriteostrich. 

"Mrs. Wolston, " said Fritz, spreading out a fine leopard's skin, "begood enough to accept this, with the compliments of the season. "

"Mr. Wolston, " said Jack, at the same time, "here is the outercovering of a panther, who, stifling with heat, commissioned me topresent you with his overcoat. "

"I am very proud of your gift, Master Fritz, " said Mrs. Wolston; "itis really very handsome. "

"It may, perhaps, be useful at all events, madam, " said Fritz; "for, in the absence of universal pills and such things, it is a capitalpreventative of coughs and colds. "

"You have been over the way again, then?" inquired Willis. 

"Yes; but, as you see, we adopted a more efficacious mode ofoperations than the one you suggested. "

"Ah, " replied Willis, drily, "you did not light a fire this time tofrighten the brutes away, and go to sleep when it went out!"

Sophia then presented Willis with a handsome tobacco pouch, on whichthe words, "From Susan, " were embroidered. 

"Bless your dear little heart!" said the sailor, whilst a tearsparkled in the corner of his eye, "you make me almost think I am inOld England again. "

"What is the matter?" inquired Mrs. Wolston, as Mary came running in. 

"Oh, such a miracle, mamma! my parrot commenced talking this morning. "

"And what did it say, child?"

Here Mary blushed and hesitated; Mrs. Wolston glanced at Fritz, andthought it might be as well not to inquire any further. 

"Perhaps somebody has changed it, " suggested Jack. 

"Not very likely that a strange parrot could pronounce my own name. "

"Well, perhaps your own has been learning to spell for a long time, and has just succeeded in getting into words of two or more syllables. These creatures abound in sell-esteem; and yours, perhaps, would notspeak till it could speak well. "

"Odd, that it should pitch upon New Year's morning to say all sorts ofpretty things. They do not carry an almanack in their pockets, dothey?"

"Well, " remarked Willis, "parrots do say and do odd things. I heard ofone that once frightened away a burglar, by screaming out, 'TheCampbells are coming;' so, Miss Wolston, perhaps yours does keep alog. "

"By counting its knuckles, " suggested Jack. 

"Counting one's knuckles is an ingenious, but rather a clumsysubstitute for the calendar, " remarked Wolston. 

"And who invented the calendar?" inquired Willis. 

"I am not aware that the calendar was ever invented, " replied Wolston. "Fruit commences by being a seed, the admiral springs from thecabin-boy, words and language succeed naturally the babble of theinfant; so, I presume, the calendar has grown up spontaneously to itspresent degree of perfection. "

"Yes, Mr. Wolston, but some one must have laid the first plank. "

"The motions of the sun, moon, and stars would, in all probability, suggest to the early inhabitants of our globe a natural means ofmeasuring time. God, in creating the heavenly bodies, seems to havereflected that man would require some index to regulate his labors andthe acts of his civil life. The primary and most elementarysubdivisions of time are day and night, and it demanded no greatstretch of human ingenuity to divide the day into two sections, calledforenoon and afternoon, or into twelve sections, called hours. Suchsubdivisions of time would probably suggest themselves simultaneouslyto all the nations of the earth. Necessity, who is the mother of allinvention, doubtless called the germs of our calendar into existence. "

"Yes, so far as the days and hours are concerned. There are otherdivisions--weeks, for example. "

"The division of time into weeks is a matter that belongs entirely torevelation; the Jews keep the last day of every seven as a day ofrest, in accordance with the law of Moses, and the Christians dedicatethe first day of every seven to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. "

"Then there are months. "

"The month is another natural division. The return of the moon inconjunction with the sun, was observed to occur at regular intervalsof twenty-nine days, twelve hours, and some minutes. This interval iscalled the _lunar month_, which for a long time was regarded as theradical unit in the admeasurement of time. "

"But the year is now the unit, is it not?"

"Yes, in course of time the moon, in this respect, gave place to thesun. It was observed that the earth, in performing her revolutionround the sun, always arrived at the same point of her orbit at theend of three hundred and sixty-five days, five hours, fifty-eightminutes, and forty-five seconds. "

"Does the earth invariably pass the same point at that interval?"

"Yes, invariably; and the interval in question is termed the solaryear. "

"After all, " remarked Jack, "the perseverance of the earth is verymuch to be admired. It goes on eternally, always performing the samejourney, never deviates from its path, and is never a minute toolate. "

"If the earth had performed her annual voyage in a certain number ofentire days, the solar year would have been an exact unit of time; butthe odd fraction defied all our systems of calculation. Originally, wereckoned the year to consist of three hundred and sixty-five days. "

"And left the fraction to shift for itself!"

"Yes, but the consequence was, that the civil year was always nearly aquarter of a day behind; so that at the end of a hundred andtwenty-one years the civil year had become an entire month behind. Thefirst month of winter found itself in autumn, the first month ofspring in the middle of winter, and so on. 

"Rather a lubberly sort of log, that, " remarked Willis. 

"This confusion became, with time, more and more embarrassing. Anotherevil was, likewise, eventually to be apprehended, for it was seenthat, on the expiring of fourteen hundred and sixty revolutions of theearth round the sun, fourteen hundred and sixty-one civil years wouldbe counted. "

"But where would have been the evil?"

"All relations between the dates and the seasons would have beenobliterated, astronomical calculations would have become inaccurate, and the calendar virtually useless. "

"Well, Willis, you that are so fertile in ideas, what would you havedone in such a case?" inquired Jack. 

"I! Why I scarcely know--perhaps run out a fresh cable and commenced anew log. "

"Your remedy, " continued Wolston, "might, perhaps, have obviated thedifficulty; but Julius Cæsar thought of another that answered thepurpose equally well. It was simply to add to every fourth civil yearan additional day, making it to consist of three hundred and sixty-sixinstead of three hundred and sixty-five, This supplementary day wasgiven to the month of February. "

"Why February?"

"Because February, at that time, was reckoned the last month of theyear. It was only in the reign of Charles IX. Of France, or in thesecond half of the sixteenth century, that the civil year was made tobegin on the 1st of January. As the end of February was five daysbefore the 1st or kalends of March, the extra day was known by thephrase _bis sexto_ (_ante_) _calendus martii_. Hence the fourth yearis termed in the calendar _bissextile_, but is more usually called byus in England _leap year_. "

"The remedy is certainly simple; but are your figures perfectlysquare? If you add a day every four years, do you not overleap theearth's fraction?"

"Yes, from ten to eleven minutes. "

"And what becomes of these minutes? Are they allowed to run up anotherscore?"

"No, not exactly. In 1582, the civil year had got ten clear days thestart of the solar year, and Pope Gregory XIII. Resolved to cancelthem, which he effected by calling the day after the 4th of Octoberthe 15th. "

"That manner of altering the rig and squaring the yards, " said Willilaughing, "would make the people that lived then ten days older. If ithad been ten years, the matter would have been serious. Had the Popesaid to me privately, 'Willis, you are now only forty-seven, butto-morrow, my boy, you will fill your sails and steer right intofifty-seven, ' I should have turned 'bout ship and cleared off. Few mencare about being put upon a short allowance of life, any more than wesailors on short rations of rum. "

"But you forget, Willis, that, though ten years were added to yourage, you would not have died a day sooner for all that. "

"Still, it is my idea that the Pope was not much smarter at taking alatitude than Mr. Julius Cæsar--but what are you laughing at?"

"Nothing; only Julius Cæsar is not generally honored with the prefix_Mr_. It is something like the French, who insist upon talking of _SirNewton_ and _Mr. William Shakespeare_; the latter, however, by way ofamends, they sometimes style the _immortal Williams_. '"

"Not so bad, though, as a Frenchman I once met, who firmly believedthe Yankees lived on a soup made of bunkum and soft-sawder. But whowas Julius Cæsar. "

"Julius Cæsar, " replied Jack, sententiously, "was first of all anauthor, Laving published at Rome an Easy Introduction to the LatinLanguage; he afterwards turned general, conquered France and England, and gave _Mr. _ Pompey a sound thrashing at the battle of Pharsalia. "

"He must have been a clever fellow to do all that; still, my ideacontinues the same. When he began to caulk the calendar, he ought tohave finished the business in a workmanlike manner. "

"That, however, " continued Wolston, "he left to Pope Gregory, whodecreed that three leap years should be suppressed in four centuries. Thus, the years 1700 and 1800, which should have been leap years, didnot reckon the extra day; so the years 2000 and 2400 will likewise bedeprived of their supplementary four-and-twenty hours. "

"There is one difficulty about this mode of stowing away extra days;these leap years may be forgotten. "

"Not if you keep in mind that leap years alone admit of being dividedby four. "

"Did the Pope manage to get entirely rid of the fraction?"

"Not entirely; but the error does not exceed one day in four thousandyears, and is so small that it is not likely to derange ordinarycalculations; and so, Willis, you now know the origin of the calendar, and likewise how time came to be divided into weeks, months, andyears. "

"You have only spoken of the Christian calendar, " remarked Ernest. "There have been several other systems in use. Those curious peoplethat call themselves the children of the sun and moon, possess a modeof reckoning that carries them back to a period anterior to thecreation of the world. Then, the Greeks computed by Olympiads, orperiods of four years. The Romans reckoned by lustri of five years, the first of which corresponds with the 117th year of the foundationof Rome. "

"And when does our calendar begin?"

"It dates only from the birth of Christ, but may be carried back tothe creation, which event, to the best of our knowledge, occurred fourthousand and four years before the birth of our Savior. This period, added to the date of the present, or any future year, gives us, asnearly as we can ascertain, the interval that has elapsed since ourfirst parents found themselves in the garden of Eden. "

"Our calendar, " remarked Jack, "appears simple enough; it is to beregretted that there have been, and are, so many other modes ofreckoning extant. What with the Greek Olympiads, the Roman lustres, the Mahometan hegira, and Chinese moonshine, there is nothing butperplexity and confusion. "

"It is possible, however, " said Becker, "to accommodate all thesesystems with each other. Leaving the Chinese out of the question, wehave only to bear in mind, that the Christian era begins on the firstyear of the 194th Olympiad, 753 years after the building of Rome, and622 years before the Mahometan hegira. These three figures will serveus as flambeaux to all the dates of both ancient and modern history. "

The discourse was here interrupted by Toby, who entered the room, andwas gleefully frisking and bounding round Mary. 

"Really, " observed Mrs. Becker, "Toby does seem to know that this isNew Year's Day, he looks so lively and so smart. "

The animal, in point of fact, wore a new collar, and seemed consciousthat he was more than usually attractive that particular morning. At asign from Mary, the intelligent brute went and wagged his tail toFritz. Hereupon the young man, observing the collar more closely, noticed the following words embroidered upon it: _I belong nowentirely to Master Fritz, who rescued my mistress from the sea_. 

"Ah, Miss Wolston, " said Fritz, "you forget I only did my duty; youmust not allow your gratitude to over-estimate the service I renderedyou. "

"Well, I declare, " cried Mrs. Wolston, laughing "here is anotheranimal that speaks. "

"The age of Aesop revived, " suggested Mrs. Becker. 

"What do you say, Master Jack?" inquired Mrs. Wolston. "Do you supposethat Toby has learned embroidery in the same way that the parrotlearned grammar?"

"Oh, more astonishing things than that have happened! Mr. Wolstonthere will tell you that he has seen a wooden figure playing at chess;why, therefore, should the most sagacious of all the brutes not learnknitting?"

"I fear, in speaking so highly of the dog, " replied Mrs. Wolston, "youare doing injustice to other animals. Marvellous instances ofsagacity, gratitude, and affection, have been shown by other brutesbeside the dog. A horse of Caligula's was elevated to the dignifiedoffice of consul. "

"Yes, and talking of the affection of animals, " observed Ernest, "putsme in mind of an anecdote related by Aulus Gellius. It seems that alittle boy, the son of a fisher man, who had to go from Baiæ to hisschool at Puzzoli, used to stop at the same hour each day on the brinkof the Lucrine lake. Here he often threw a bit of his breakfast to aDolphin that he called Simon, and if the creature was not waiting forhim when he arrived, he had only to pronounce this name, and itinstantly appeared. "

"Nothing very wonderful in that, " said Jack; "the common gudgeon, which is the stupidest fish to be found in fresh water, would do thatmuch. "

"Yes; but listen a moment. The dolphin, after having received hispittance, presented his back to the boy, after having tacked in allhis spines and prickles as well as he could, and carried him rightacross the lake, thus saving the little fellow a long roundabout walk;and not only that, but after school hours it was waiting to carry himback again. This continued almost daily for a year or two; but at lastthe boy died, and the dolphin, after waiting day after day for hisreappearance, pined away, and was found dead at the usual place ofrendezvous. The affectionate creature was taken out of the lake, andburied beside its friend. [D]

"And, on the other hand, " added Jack, "if animals sometimes attachthemselves to us, we attach ourselves to them. We are told thatCrassus wore mourning for a dead ferret, the death of which grievedhim as much as if it had been his own daughter. [E] Augustus crucifiedone of his slaves, who had roasted and eaten a quail, that had foughtand conquered in the circus. [F] Antonia, daughter-in-law of Tiberius, fastened ear-rings to some lampreys that she was passionately fondof. "[G]

"That, at all events, was attachment in one sense of the word, " saidMrs. Wolston. 

"Without reference to the dog in particular, " continued Jack, "proofsof sagacity in animals are very numerous. The nautilus, when he wantsto take an airing, capsizes his shell, and converts it into a gondola;then he hoists a thin membrane that serves for a sail; two of hisarms are resolved into oars, and his tail performs the functions of arudder. There are insects ingenious enough to make dwellings forthemselves in the body of a leaf as thin as paper. At the approach ofa storm some spiders take in a reef or two of their webs, so as to beless at the mercy of the wind. Beavers will erect walls, and constructhouses more skilfully than our ablest architects. Chimpanzees havebeen known spontaneously to sit themselves down, and perform theoperation of shaving. "

"Stop, Jack, " cried Mrs. Wolston; "I must yield to such a deluge ofargument, and admit that Toby may have acquired the art of embroiderywith or without a master, only I should like to see some otherspecimen of his skill. "

"Probably you will by-and-by, " replied Jack, laughing, "if you keepyour eyes open. "

Here Sophia came into the room leading her gazelle. 

"Ah, just in time, " said Mrs. Wolston; "here is another animal thatprobably has something to say. "

"Wrong, mamma, " replied Sophia; "my gazelle is as mute as a mermaid. Very provoking, is it not, when all the other animals in the housetalk?"

"You had better apply to Master Jack; he may, probably, be able to hitupon a plan to make your gazelle communicative. "

"Will you, Master Jack?"

"Certainly, Miss Sophia. The plan I would suggest is very simple. Feedhim for a week or two with nouns, adjectives, and verbs. "

Here Sophia, addressing her gazelle, said, "Master Jack Becker is agoose. "

Meantime Fritz was leaning on the back of Mary's chair. 

"Miss Wolston, " said he, "did you not tell me that you had broughtToby up, and that you were very fond of him?"

"Yes, Fritz. "

"Then it would be unfair in me to withdraw his allegiance from younow, and, consequently, I must refuse your present"

"But where would have been the merit of the gift if I did not holdhim in some esteem? Besides, I thought you were fond of Toby. "

"So I am, Miss Wolston. "

"Then you will not be indebted to me for anything--I owe you much. "

"No such thing; you owe me nothing. "

"My life, then, is nothing?"

"Oh, I did not mean that; I must beg your pardon. "

"Which I will only grant on condition you accept my gift. "

"Well, if you insist upon it, I will. "

"I can see him as before; the only difference will be that you are hismaster, in all other respects he will belong to us both. "

"May I know what your knight-errant is saying to you, Mary?" inquiredMrs. Becker. 

"Oh, I have been so angry with him; he was going to refuse mypresent. "

"That was very naughty of him, certainly. "

"He has, however, consented, like a dutiful squire, to obey mybehests. "

"Yes, mother, Toby is henceforth to be divided between us. "

"Divided?"

"Yes; that is, he is to be nominally mine, but virtually to belong tous both. Is it not so, Miss Wolston?"

"Yes, Master Fritz. "

On his side, Jack had approached Miss Sophia. 

"So you won't give me your gazelle?" he whispered. 

"No, certainly not, Mr. Jack, " replied Sophia; "if you had saved mylife, as Fritz saved my sister's, I should then have had the right tomake you a present. But you know it is not my fault. "

"Nor mine either, " said Jack. 

"Perhaps not; but if I had fallen into the sea, you would have allowedthe sharks to swallow me, would you not?"

"I only wish we had been attacked by a hyena or a bear on our way toWaldeck. "

"God be thanked, that we were not!"

"Well, but look here, Miss Sophia; let me paint the scene. You havefainted, as a matter of course, and fallen prostrate on the ground, insensible. "

"That is likely enough, if we had encountered one of the animals youmention. "

"Then I throw myself between you and the savage brute. "

"Supposing you were not half a mile off at the time. "

"No fear of that--he rises, on his hind legs, and glares. "

"Is it a hyena or a bear?"

"Oh, whichever you like--he opens his jaws, and growls. "

"Like the wolf at Little Red Riding Hood. "

"I plunge my arm down his throat and choke him. "

"Clever, very; but are you not wounded?"

"I beg your pardon, however; all my thoughts are centred in you--Ithink of nothing else. "

"I am insensible, am I not?"

"Yes, more than ever--we all run towards you, and exert ourselves tobring you back to your senses. "

"Then I come to life again. "

"No, stop a bit. "

"But it is tiresome to be so long insensible. "

"My mother has luckily a bottle of salts, which she holds to yournose--I run off to the nearest brook, and return with water in thecrown of my cap, with which I bathe your temples. "

"Oh, in that case, I should open one eye at least. Which eye is openedfirst after fainting?"

"I really don't know. "

"In that case, to avoid mistakes, I should open both. "

"It is only then, when I find you are recovering, that I discover thebrute has severely bitten my arm. "

"Then comes my turn to nurse you. "

"You express your thanks in your sweetest tones, and I forget mywounds. "

"Sweet tones do no harm, if they are accompanied with salves andointment. "

"In short, I am obliged to carry my arm in a sling for three monthsafter. "

"Is that not rather long?"

"No; because your arm, in some sort, supplies, meantime, the place ofmine. "

"Your picture has, at least, the merit of being poetic. Is itfinished?"

"Not till next New Year's Day, when you present me with an embroideredscarf, as the ladies of yore used to do to the knights that defendedthem from dragons and that sort of thing. "

"What a pity all this should be only a dream!"

"Well, I am not particularly extravagant, at all events; others dreamof fortune, honor, and glory. "

"Whilst you confine your aspirations to a bear, a bite, and a scarf. "

"You see nothing was wanted but the opportunity. "

"And foresight. "

"Foresight?"

"Yes; if you had previously made arrangements with a bear, the wholescene might have been realized. "

"You are joking, whilst I am taking the matter _au serieux_. "

"That order is usually reversed; generally you are the quiz and I amthe quizzee. "

"You will admit, at all events, that I would not have permitted thebear to eat you. "

Here Sophia burst into a peal of laughter, and vanished with hergazelle. 

FOOTNOTES:

[D] Aulus Gellius, VII. , 8. 

[E] Macrobius, _Saturn_, XL, 4. 

[F] Plutarch. 

[G] Pliny, IX. , 53. 

CHAPTER XVI. 

SEPARATION--GUELPHS AND GHIBELINES--MONTAGUES ANDCAPULETS--SADNESS--THE REUNION--JOCKO AND HIS EDUCATION--THEENTERTAINMENTS OF A KING--THE MULES OF NERO AND THE ASSES OFPOPPÆA--HERCULES AND ACHILLES--LIBERTY AND EQUALITY--SEMIRAMIS ANDELIZABETH--CHRISTIANITY AND THE RELIGION OF ZOROASTER--THE WILLISONIANMETHOD--MORAL DISCIPLINE VERSUS BIRCH. 

Winter was now drawing near, with its storms and deluges. Beckertherefore felt that it was necessary to make some alterations in theirdomestic arrangements; and he saw that, for this season at all events, the two families must be separated--this was to create a desert withina desert; but propriety and convenience demanded the sacrifice. 

It was decided that Wolston and his family should be quartered atRockhouse, whilst Becker and his family should pass the rainy seasonat Falcon's Nest, where, though these aerial dwellings were butindifferently adapted for winter habitations, they had passed thefirst year of their sojourn in the colony. The rains came andsubmerged the country between the two families, thus, for a time, cutting off all communication between them. The barriers thatseparated the Guelphs from the Ghibelines, the Montagues from theCapulets, the Burgundians from the Armagnacs, and the House of Yorkfrom that of Lancaster, could not have been more impenetrable thanthat which now existed between the Wolstons and Beckers. 

Whenever a lull occurred in the storm, or a ray of sunshine shotthrough the murky clouds, all eyes were mechanically turned to thewindow, but only to turn them away again with a sigh; so completelyhad the waters invaded the land, that nothing short of the dove fromNoah's Ark could have performed the journey between Rockhouse andFalcon's Nest. 

Dulness and dreariness reigned triumphant at both localities. The calmtranquility that Becker's family formerly enjoyed under similarcircumstances had fled. They felt that happiness was no longer to beenjoyed within the limits of their own circle. Study and conversationlost their charms; and if they laughed now, the smile never extendedbeyond the tips of their lips. The young people often wished theypossessed Fortunatus's cap, or Aladdin's wonderful lamp, to transportthem from the one dwelling to the other; but as they could obtain nosuch occult mode of conveyance, there was no remedy for their miseriesbut patience. To the Wolstons this interval of compulsory separationwas particularly irksome, as this was the first time in their livesthat they had been entirely isolated for any length of time. 

At Falcon's Nest, Ernest was the most popular member of the domesticcircle. His astronomical predilections made him the Sir Oracle of thestorm, and he was constantly being asked for information relative tothe progress and probable duration of the rains. Every morning he wascalled upon for a report as to the state of the weather; but, with allhis skill, he could afford them very little consolation. 

But all things come to an end, as well as regards our troubles as ourjoys. One morning, Ernest reported that less rain had fallen duringthe preceding than any former night of the season; the next morning astill more favorable report was presented; and on the third morningthe floods had subsided, but had left a substratum of mud thatobliterated all traces of the roads. Notwithstanding this, and a smartshower that continued to fall, Fritz and Jack determined to force apassage to Rockhouse. 

Towards evening, the two young men returned, soaking with wet andcovered with mud, but with light hearts, for they had found theircompanions in the enjoyment of perfect health and in the best spirits. They brought back with them a missive, couched in the followingterms:--

"Mr. And Mrs. Wolston, greeting, desire the favor of Mr. And Mrs. Becker's company to dinner, together with their entire family, thisday se'nnight, weather permitting. "

Ernest was hereupon consulted, and stated that, in so far as the rainwas concerned, they should in eight days be able to undertake thejourney to Rockhouse. This assurance was not, however, entirely reliedupon, for between this and then many an anxious eye was turnedskywards, as if in search of some more conclusive evidence. Those whopossess a garden--and he who has not, were it only a box ofmignionette at the window--will often have observed, in consequence ofabsence or forgetfulness, that their flowers have begun to droop; theyhasten to sprinkle them with water, then watch anxiously for signs oftheir revival. So both families continued unceasingly during theseeight days to note the ever-varying modifications of the clouds. 

At length the much wished-for day arrived; the morning broke with ablaze of sunshine, and though hidden with a dense mist, the ground wassufficiently hardened to bear their weight. Wolston awaited his guestsat a bridge of planks that had been thrown across the Jackal River, where he and Willis had erected a sort of triumphal arch of mangoeleaves and palm branches. Here Becker and his family were welcomed, asif the one party had just arrived from Tobolsk, and the other fromChandernagor, after an absence of ten years. 

Another warm reception awaited them at Rockhouse, where an abundantrepast was already spread in the gallery. Mrs. Becker had oftenintended to work herself a pair of gloves, but the increasing demandfor stockings had hitherto prevented her. She was pleased, therefore, on sitting down to dinner, to discover a couple of pairs under herplate, with her own initials embroidered upon them. 

"Ah, " said she, "I was almost afraid I had lost my daughters, but Ihave found them again. "

After dinner the girls showed her a quantity of cotton they had spun, which proved that, though they might have been dull, they had, atleast, been industrious. 

"Mary span the most of it, " said Sophia; "but you know, Mrs. Becker, she is the biggest. "

"Oh, then, " said Jack, "the power of spinning depends upon the bulkof the spinner?"

"Oh, Master Jack, I thought you had been ill, that you had notcommenced quizzing us before. "

"Never mind him, Soffy, " said her father; "to quote Hudibras, "There's nothing on earth hath so perfect a phiz, As not to give birth to a passable quiz. "

Here Willis led in the chimpanzee, who made a grimace to the assembledcompany. 

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, " said Willis, "Jocko is about to show youthe progress he has made in splicing and bracing. "

"Good!" said Becker, "you have been able to make something of him, then?"

"You will see presently. Jocko, bring me a plate. "

Hereupon the chimpanzee seized a bottle of Rockhouse malaga, andfilled a glass. 

"He has erred on the safe side there, " said Jack, drily. 

"Well, " added Willis, laughing, "we must let that pass. Jocko, " saidhe, assuming a sententious tone, "I asked you for a plate. "

The chimpanzee looked at him, hesitated a moment, then seized theglass, and drank the contents off at a single draught. A box on theears then sent him gibbering into a corner. 

"Your servant, " remarked Mrs. Wolston, "has been taking lessons fromDean Swift as well as yourself, Willis. "

"I will serve him out for that, the swab; he does not play any ofthose tricks when we are alone. I must admit, however, that I amgenerally in the habit of helping myself. "

Here attention was called to the parrot, who was screaming outlustily, "I love Mary, I love Sophia. "

"Holloa, " exclaimed Fritz, "Polly loves everybody now, does she?"

"Well, you see, " replied Sophia, "I grew tired of hearing him screamalways that he loved my sister, so by means of a little coaxing, and agood deal of sugar, I got him to love me too. "

The poultry were next mustered for the inspection of their oldmasters. These did not consist of the ordinary domestic fowls alone;amongst them were a beautiful flamingo, some cranes, bustards, and avariety of tame tropical birds. With the fowls came the pigeons, whichwere perching about them in all directions. 

"We are now something like the court of France in the fourteenthcentury, " said Wolston. 

"How so?" inquired Becker. 

"In the reign of Charles V. , they were obliged to place a trellis atthe windows of the Palace of St. Paul to prevent the poultry frominvading the dining room. "

"Rural anyhow, " observed Jack. 

"Of course, most other features of the palace were in unison with thisprimitive state of matters. The courtiers sat on stools. There wasonly one chair in the palace, that was the arm-chair of the king, which was covered with red leather, and ornamented with silk fringes. "

"So that we may console ourselves with the reflection, that we are ascomfortable here as kings were at that epoch in Europe, " remarkedErnest. 

"Yes; historians report, that when Alphonso V. Of Portugal went toParis to solicit the aid of Louis XI. Against the King of Arragon, whohad taken Castile from him, the French monarch received him with greathonor, and endeavored to make his stay as agreeable as possible. "

"Reviews, I suppose, feasts, tournaments, spectacles, and so forth. "

"A residence was assigned him in the Rue de Prouvaires, at the houseof one Laurent Herbelot, a grocer. "

"What! amongst dried peas and preserved plums?"

"Precisely; but the house of Herbelot might then have been one of themost commodious buildings in all Paris. Alphonso was afterwardsconducted to the palace, where he pleaded his cause before the king. Next day he was entertained at the archiepiscopal residence, where hewitnessed the induction of a doctor in theology. The day after that aprocession to the university was organized, which passed under thegrocer's windows. "

"These were singular marvels to entertain a king withal, " said Jack. 

"Such were the amusements peculiar to the epoch. It must be observedthat the Louis in question was somewhat close-fisted, and rarely drewhis purse-strings unless he was certain of a good interest for hismoney. But courts in those days were very simple and frugal. Thesumptuary laws of Philip le Bel (1285) had fixed supper at threedishes and a lard soup. The king's own dinner was likewise limited tothree dishes. "

"These three dishes might, however, have yielded a better repast thanthe fifty-two saucers of the Chinese, " remarked Jack. 

"No one could obtain permission to give his wife four dresses a year, unless he had an income of six thousand francs. "

"What business had the laws to interfere with these things, I shouldlike to know?" inquired Mrs. Wolston. 

"Those who possessed two thousand francs income were only allowed towear one dress a year, the cloth for which was not permitted to exceedtenpence a yard; but ladies of rank could go as high as fifteenpence. "

"Philip le Bel must have been an old woman, " insisted Mrs. Wolston. 

"No private citizen was permitted to use a carriage, and such personswere likewise interdicted the use of flambeaux. "

"They were permitted to break their necks at all events, that issomething. "

"In England, the same primitive simplicity prevailed; Queen Elizabethis said to have breakfasted on a gallon of ale, her dining-room floorwas strewn every day with fresh straw or rushes, and she had only onepair of silk stockings in her entire wardrobe. "

"At the same time, " observed Ernest, "these usages stand in singularcontradiction to those that prevailed at an earlier age. The supper ofLucullus rarely cost him less than thirty thousand francs, and hecould entertain five and twenty thousand guests. Six citizens of Romepossessed a great part of Africa. Domitius had an estate in France ofeighty thousand acres. "

"Poor fellow!"

"When Nero went to Baize he was accompanied by a thousand chariots andtwo thousand mules caparisoned with silver. Poppæa followed him withfive hundred she asses to furnish milk for her bath. Cicero purchaseda dining-room table that cost him a million sesterces, or about twohundred thousand francs. I can understand the progress ofcivilization, and I can also understand civilization remainingstationary for a given period; but I cannot understand why a citizenof ancient Rome should be able to lodge twenty-five thousand men, whilst a king of France could scarcely keep the ducks from waddlingabout his apartments, and a queen of England could fare no better thana ploughman. "

"If, " replied Frank, "there were no other criterion of civilizationthan luxury and riches, you would have good grounds for surprise; butsuch is not the case. Between ancient and modern times, Christianityarose, and that has tended in some degree to keep down the ostentationof the rich, and to augment, at the same time, the comforts of thepoor. In place of the heroes, Hercules and Achilles, we have had theapostles Peter and Paul; so Luther and Calvin have been substitutedfor Semiramis and Nero. Pride has given place to charity, andcorruption to virtue. "

"Would that it were so, Frank, " continued Ernest. "Christianity has, doubtless, effected many beneficial changes, and produced many ablemen; but in this last respect antiquity has not been behind. It hasalso its sages: Thales, Socrates, and Pythagoras, for example. "

"True, " replied Frank, "antiquity has produced some virtuous men, buttheir virtue was ideal, and their creed a dream. "

"And the Stoics?"

"The Stoics despised suffering, and Christians resign themselves toits chastisements; this constitutes one of the lines of demarcationbetween ancient and modern theology. "

"But there were many signal instances of virtue manifested in ancienttimes. "

"Yes; but for the most part, it was either exaggerated or false;unyielding pride, obstinate courage, implacable resentment ofinjuries. Errors promenaded in robes under the porticos. Ambition washonored in Alexander, suicide in Cato, and assassination in Brutus. "

"But what say you to Plato?"

"The immolation of ill-formed children, and of those born without thepermission of the laws, prosecution of strangers and slavery; suchwere the basis of his boasted republic, and the gospel of hisphilosophy. "

"Why, then, are these men held up as models for our imitation?"

"Because they are distant and dead; likewise, because they were, inmany respects, great and wise, considering the paganism and darknesswith which they were surrounded. Life was then only sacred to the few;the many were treated as beasts of burden. The Emperor Claudian evenfelt bound to issue an edict prohibiting slaves from being slain _whenthey were old and feeble_. "

"Which leaves a margin for us to suppose that they might be slain whenthey were young and strong, " observed Jack. 

"By the constitution of Constantine certain cases were defined, wherea master might suspend his slave by the feet, have him torn by wildbeasts, or tortured by slow fire. "

"Does slavery and its horrors not still exist, for example, in Russiaand the United States of America?"

"Slavery does exist, to the great disgrace of modern civilization, inthe countries you mention; but, so far as I am aware, its horrors arenot recognized by the laws. "

"There, Mr. Frank, " said Wolston, "I am very sorry to be under thenecessity of contradicting you. I have visited the slave states ofNorth America, and have witnessed atrocities perhaps less brutal, butnot less heart-rending, than those you mention. "

"But do the laws recognize them?"

"Yes, tacitly; the testimony of the slaves themselves is not receivedas evidence. "

"Why do a people that call their county a refuge for the down-troddennations of Europe suffer such abominations?"

"Well, according to themselves, it is entirely a question of the_almighty dollar_. If there were no slaves, the swamps and morasses ofthe south could not be cultivated. It has been found that the negrowill dance, and sing, and starve, but he will not work in the fieldswhen free. Besides, they assert, that the slaves are generally wellcared for, and that it is only a few detestable masters that beat themcruelly. "

"Then, at all events, dollars are preferred to humanity by the UnitedStates men, in spite of their vaunted emblems--liberty and equality. "

"Quite so. In all matters of internal policy, the dollar reignssupreme. "

"Admitting, " continued Frank, "that the evils of slavery may exist ina section of the American Union, and amongst the barbarous hordes ofRussia, these evils are trifling in comparison with others that stainthe annals of antiquity. We are told that a hundred and twenty personsapplied to Otho to be rewarded for killing Galba. That so many menshould contend for the honor of premeditated murder, is sufficientlycharacteristic of the epoch. There was then no corruption, no brutalpassion, that had not its temple and its high priest. In the midst ofall this wickedness and vice there appeared a man, poor and humble, who accomplished what no man ever did before, and what no man willever do again--he founded a moral and eternal civilization. Judaismand the religion of Zoroaster were overthrown. The gods of Tyre andCarthage were destroyed. The beliefs of Miltiades and of Pericles, ofScipio and Seneca, were disavowed. The thousands that flocked annuallyto worship the Eleusinian Ceres ceased their pilgrimage. Odin and hisdisciples have all perished. The very language of Osiris, which wasafterwards spoken by the Ptolemies, is no longer known to hisdescendants. The paganisms which still exist in the East are rapidlyyielding to the march of western intelligence. Christianity alone, amidst all these ring and fallen fabrics, retains its originalvitality, for, like its author, it is imperishable. "

"It is a curious thing what we call conversation, " observed Mrs. Wolston. "No sooner is one subject broached than another isintroduced; and we go on from one thing to another until the originalidea is lost sight of. Leaving the palace of Charles V. , to go withthe King of Portugal to a grocer's shop in some street or other ofParis, we cross the Alps, the Himalaya, and the Atlantic. Lucullus, Nero, Achilles, Peter, Paul, Tyre and Sidon, Semiramis andElizabeth--queens, saints, and philosophers, are all passed in review, and why? Because the pigeons put my husband in mind of the Palace ofSt. Paul!"

"No wonder, " observed Jack; "these pigeons are carriers, and naturallysuggest wandering. "

Once more seated round the table, Fritz, observing that themisunderstanding between Willis and the chimpanzee still continued, thrust a plate into the hand of the latter, and pointed with hisfinger to Willis. This time Jocko obeyed, for the language wasintelligible, and he went and placed the plate before his master. 

"Ho, ho!" cried Willis, "so you have come to your senses at last, haveyou? Well, that saves you an extra lesson to-morrow, you lubber you. "

"He takes rather long to obey your orders, though, Willis; it israther awkward to wait an hour for anything you ask for. What systemdo you pursue in educating him--the Pestalozzian or the parochial?"

"We follow the system in fashion aboard ship, " replied Willis. 

"And what does that consist of?"

"A rope's end. "

"Oh, then, you are an advocate for the birch, are you?" said Wolston;"it is, doubtless, a very good thing when moderately and judiciouslyadministered. That puts me in mind of the missionary and the king ofthe Kuruman negroes. "

"A tribe of Southern Africa, is it not?"

"Yes, the missionary and the king were great friends. The king notonly permitted him to baptize his subjects, but offered to whip themall into Christianity in a week. This summary mode of proselytism didnot, however, coincide with the Englishman's ideas, and he refused theoffer, although the king insisted that it was the only kind ofargument that could ever reach their understandings. "

The day at length drew to a close, and, though no one asked the timeyet all felt that the moment of departure was approaching; whetherthey were willing to go was doubtful, but at they were loth to departwas certain. 

"It is time to return now, " said Becker, rising. 

"Already!"

"There are some clouds in the distance that bode no good. "

"Nothing more than a little rain at worst, " said Jack. 

"And your mother?" inquired Decker. 

"Oh! we can make a palanquin for her. "

"Your plan, Jack, is not particularly bright; it puts me in mind ofsome genius or other that took shelter in the water to keep out of thewet. "

"Very odd, " said Jack, "we are always wishing for rain, and when itcomes, we do all we can to keep out of its way. "

"That is, because we are neither green pease nor gooseberries, " saidErnest, drily. 

"True, brother; and as the rain is your affair, perhaps you will begood enough to delay it for an hour or so. "

"I am sorry on my own account, as well as yours, that I have not yetdiscovered the art of controlling the skies. "

Here Fritz whispered a few words in his mother's ear, that called upone of those ineffable smiles that the maternal heart alone canproduce. 

"Well, " said Mrs. Becker, "if you think so, deliver the messageyourself. "

"Mrs. Wolston, " said Fritz, "I am charged to invite you and yourfamily to Falcon's Nest this day week. "

"The invitation is accepted, unless my daughters have any objectionsto urge. "

"How can you fancy such a thing, mamma?" said both girls. 

"The fact is, that my daughters have got such a dread of cold water, that they dread to wet the soles of their shoes, unless one or otherof you gentlemen is within hail. "

"Mamma does so love to tease us, " said Mary; "we are afraid of nothingbut putting you to inconvenience. "

"Well, in that case, we shall be at Falcon's Nest on the appointedday, unless the roads are positively submerged. "

"In that case, " said Jack, "a line of canoes will be placed upon thehighway, between the two localities. "

As the prospect of a prize incites the young scholar to increasedexertion--as the prospect of worldly honors urges the ambitious man onin his career--as the oasis cheers the weary traveller on his journeythrough the desert, and makes him forget hunger and thirst--as thedreams of comfort and home warm the blood of a wayfarer amongst snowand ice--as hope smooths the ruggedness of poverty and softens thecalamities of adversity, so the prospect of meeting again mitigatesthe regrets of parting. 

CHAPTER XVII. 

WHERE THERE'S A WILL THERE'S A WAY--MUCIUS SCÆVOLA--WHAT'S TO BEDONE?--BRUTUS TORQUATUS AND PETER THE GREAT--AUSTRALIA, BOTANY BAY, AND THE FLYING DUTCHMAN--NEW GUINEA AND THE BUCCANEER--VANCOUVER'SISLAND--WHITE SKINS--DANGER OF LANDING ON A WAVE--HANGED ORDROWNED--ROUTE TO HAPPINESS--OMENS. 

The old saw, _Where there's a will there's a way_, means--if it meansanything--that a great deal may be effected by energy. A man withoutenergy is a helpless character, and invariably lags behind his fellowmortals in the stream of life; like a cork in an eddy, he is rebuffedhere and jostled there, and goes on travelling in a circle to the endof the chapter. Not so the man of action; no jostling thwarts him, norebuffs retard him; he breaks through all sorts of obstacles, andfloats along with the current. 

Such a man was Becker. Though surrounded with dangers, and harassed bythe elements, almost alone he had converted a wilderness into fertilefields; he pursued the track that his judgment suggested, and followedit up with invincible resolution; he manfully resisted the severesttrials, and cheerfully bore the heaviest burdens; his reliance onTruth or Virtue and on God were unfaltering; but had he provided forevery emergency? Is mortal power capable of overcoming everydifficulty? We shall see. 

A day or two after the entertainment at Rockhouse, Becker whispered tothe Pilot--

"Willis, take a rifle, and come along with me; I have something to sayto you. "

They walked a quarter of an hour or so without uttering a word, whenWillis broke the silence. 

"You seem sad, Mr. Becker. "

"Yes, Willis, I am almost distracted. "

"Still, you seem well enough; you are as hale and hearty as if youhad just been keel-hauled and got a new rig. "

"It is not my body that is suffering, Willis; it is my mind. "

"Whatever is the matter?"

"Willis, _my wife is dying_. "

And so it was. For a long period Becker's wife had been a prey toracking pains, which, so to speak, she hid from herself, the better toconceal them from others, just as if suffering had been a crime. Afterhaving resisted for fourteen years the afflictions of exile, long andperilous expeditions, nights passed under tents, humid winters andfierce burning summers, her health had, at length, succumbed, not allat once, like fabrics sapped by gunpowder, but little by little, likethose that are demolished piecemeal with the pickaxe of the workman. Day by day she grew more and more feeble, without those who wereconstantly by her side observing the insidious workings of disease. Like Mucius Scævola, who held his hands in a burning brazier withoututtering a word, she so effectually hid her griefs within the recessesof her own bosom, that no one even suspected her illness. 

"But, Mr. Becker, " said Willis, "I saw your wife this morning, and sheseemed as well as usual. "

"Yes, _seemed_, Willis, that is true enough; not to give us pain, shehas concealed her illness from us all. It is only within the lasttwelve hours that I accidentally discovered that she has been longlaboring under some fearful malady. "

"Do you know the nature of the disease?"

"No, that I have no means of ascertaining; it may be a distinct formof disease, or it may be a complication of disorders, which I knownot. "

"It would not signify about the name if we only knew a remedy. "

"True; but I dread some malady of a cancerous type, which could not beeradicated without surgical skill. "

"I wish I had been born a doctor instead of a pilot, " sighed Willis. 

"I cannot see her perish before my eyes. "

"Certainly not, Mr. Becker; it would never do to allow a ship to sinkif she can be saved. "

"Well, what is to be done?"

"There lies the difficulty; had it been a question of anything thatfloats on the water, I might have suggested a remedy; but, in thiscase, I am fairly run aground. "

"I know too well what must be done, Willis. In cases of ordinarymaladies, with care and due precaution, proper nourishment and time, Nature will generally effect a cure. "

"Nature has no diploma, but she accomplishes more cures than thosethat have. "

"Unfortunately this is not a malady that can be cured by such means;and, unless its progress be checked in time, it may ultimately assumea form that will render a cure impossible. "

"Is death, then, inevitable?"

"A patient may retain a languishing life under such circumstances forsome time; but if the disease be cancer, a cure is hopeless withoutinstruments and scientific skill. "

"I thought I was the only wretched being in the colony, " said Willis, sighing, "but I find I am not alone. "

"There are no hopes of the _Nelson_, are there?" inquired Becker. 

"None now; for some time Mr. Wolston and yourself almost persuaded methat she had escaped; but had she reached the Cape, we should haveheard of her ere now. "

"The probabilities of another vessel touching here are small, are theynot?"

"We are not in the direct track to anywhere; therefore, unless a shiphas been driven out of her course by a gale, there is not a chance. "

"Unfortunate that I am!" exclaimed Becker, covering his face with hishands. "Brutus, Manlius Torquatus, and Peter the Great, condemnedtheir sons to death, but they were guilty; still the sacrifice must bemade. "

Here Willis stared aghast, and began to fear Becker's intellect hadbeen affected by his troubles. 

"I do not exactly understand you, Mr. Becker. "

"Two of my sons have gone on before us; they were to embark in thecanoe for Shark's Island, and wait for us there. I must have courage, and you also, Willis. "

This exordium did not tend to alter the Pilot's impression. Theywalked on for some time in silence towards the coast. 

"Do you know the latitude and longitude of this coast, Willis?"

"Good!" thought the Pilot, "he has changed the subject. "

"Yes; we are in the South Sea, and no great distance from the line. "

"What continent is nearest us?"

"We cannot be very far off the south coast of New Holland, or, as itis named in some charts, Australia. You know that the _Nelson_ hailedfrom Botany Bay, or Sydney, as the convict colony which the EnglishGovernment has just founded there is called. "

"How far do you suppose we are from Sydney?"

"Well, I should say, with a fair wind and a smart craft, Sydney is notabove two months' sail, if so much. "

"Is the coast inhabited?"

"Yes. "

"What character do the inhabitants bear?"

"According to the Dutch sailors, who have been on the coast, they arethe most plundering and lubberly set of rascals to be met withanywhere. "

"They are not acquainted with the use of fire-arms, are they?"

"No not of fire-arms; but they have a machine of their own that theycall a waddy, or something of that sort, which they throw like aharpoon; but the thing takes a twist in the air, and strikes behindthem. "

"Is the coast accessible?"

"No; it is fringed with reefs, and, in some places, the surf runs formiles out to sea. "

"The navigation along shore, then, is extremely perilous?"

"Whatever can he be driving at?" thought Willis. 

"Yes; such a lee shore in a gale would terrify the Flying Dutchmanhimself. "

Here Becker shook his head dolefully, and they walked on a littlefurther in silence. 

"What islands do you suppose are nearest us, Willis?"

"I should say we are in or near the group marked in the chartPapuasia; beyond them is the territory of New Guinea, and a point tonor'ard are a whole nest of islands discovered by the celebratedbuccaneer, Dampière. "

"And their inhabitants?"

"Oh, some of them are pretty fair; but, taking them in the lump, theyare a bad lot. "

"The islands to the west are those discovered by Cook, Vancouver, andBougainville, are they not?"

"They are marked Polynesia in the charts. "

"Do you know of any European settlements on these islands?"

"Well, there is a fort of the Hudson's Bay Company on Vancouver'sIsland, but that is a long way north; and, I believe, a factory hasrecently been anchored in New Zealand, but that is a long way south. "

"And what are the principal islands between?"

"There is New Caledonia, the New Hebrides, the Friendly Islands, theSocieties' Islands, the Marquesas, Tahite, and the Pelew Islands; buteach navigator gives them a new name, so that it is hard to say whichis which; all you can do is to say that there is an island in latitudeso and so and longitude so and so, but the name is almost out of thequestion. "

"And the natives?"

"Some of them are remarkably tame, and trade freely with strangers;but others have strongly marked cannibal propensities, and dote upon awhite-skin feast when they can get one. "

Here Becker shuddered, and uttered an exclamation of horror. 

"That would be a terrible fate, Willis. "

"Whatever can he mean?" thought the Pilot. 

"Willis, to reach Europe from here, what course do you think would bebest?"

"Now I think I shall fix him at last, " said the Pilot, levelling hisrifle at an imaginary bird. 

"You will only waste gunpowder, " said Becker; "I see nothing. "

"You asked me just now what course I should steer for Europe, did younot?"

"Yes. "

"Well, the most direct course would be to make the Straits ofMacassar, and then steer for Java. "

"And when there?"

"You would then be fifteen or sixteen hundred leagues from the Cape. "

"So much?"

"Yes, that is about the distance in a straight line across the IndianOcean. When at the Cape, another fifteen days' sail will bring you tothe line; five or six weeks after that St. Helena will heave in sight;then you fall in with the Island of Ascension; leaving which a week ortwo will bring you to the Straits of Gibraltar, where you get thefirst glimpse of Europe. But if you are bound for England, yourdaughter may commence working a pair of slippers for you; they will beready by the time you get there. "

They had now arrived at the point of the Jackal River where thepinnace was moored. 

"What do you think of this boat?" inquired Becker. 

"The pinnace is well enough for fair weather; but it is not the sortof craft I should like to command in a storm at sea. "

"So that to venture to sea in it would be to incur imminent danger?"

"There is no denying that, Mr. Becker; if she shipped a moderatelyheavy sea, down she must go to the bottom, like a four and twentypound shot; and if she should spring a leak, you cannot land to puther to rights; the waves are by no means solid. "

"Just as I thought!" exclaimed Becker; "I was right in judging that itwould be a sacrifice. It is almost certain death; but they must go. "

"Where?" inquired Willis. 

"To Europe if need be, if God in his mercy spares the pinnace. "

"What for?"

"I have the means of purchasing surgical skill, and I must use all thesacrifices at my command to obtain it. "

"Avast heaving, Mr. Becker, " cried Willis; "now I understand; thething is as clear as the tackle of the best bower, and when aresolution is once formed, nothing like paying it out at the word ofcommand. When shall we start?"

"I am not talking of either you or myself, Willis. "

"Of whom then, may I ask?"

"Fritz and Jack. Fritz knows something of navigation; and if theysucceed, they will have saved their mother; if they perish, they willhave died to save her. "

"Fritz, as you say, does know something of navigation, particularly asregards coasting; but here you have a pilot, accustomed to salt water, quite handy, why not engage him also?"

"Willis, you have yourself said that the undertaking is perilous inthe extreme, and your life is not bound up like theirs in that oftheir mother. "

"True; but do you not see that I am sick of dry land, and that I amgetting rusty for the want of a little sea air?"

"I felt ashamed to ask you to share in so desperate an enterprise, otherwise I would have proposed it to you, Willis. "

"But you might have seen that I was growing thin, absolutely piningaway, and drying up on land. There are ducks that can live withoutwater, but I am not one of them. "

"Am I, then, to understand that you offer to risk your life in thisforlorn hope?"

"Certainly, Mr. Becker; a man condemned to be hanged, running the riskof being drowned is no great sacrifice. "

"Willis, I accept your offer, to share in the dangers of thisenterprise, most gratefully. I thank you in the name of my sons and oftheir mother, and trust that God may enable me to recompense you foryour devotion to them and to myself. "

[Illustration]

"You forget, " added Willis, wiping a tear from the corner of hiseye, that he ascribed to a grain of dust, "you forget that I was onthe point of venturing out to sea in the canoe, had you yourself andMr. Wolston not prevented me. There is work to be done, I admit; andit is not impossible to cross even the Indian Ocean in the pinnace. But we may find a doctor, perhaps, at some of the settlements--forinstance, at Manilla, in the Philippines. "

"That is not to be hoped for, Willis; there is, probably, only oneskilful medical man in each colony, and he will be prevented leavingby Government engagements. "

"True; then we had better hoist sail for Europe direct, and trust tofalling in with a ship now and then. "

"Alas!" sighed Becker, "in a path so wide as the ocean, it would beunwise to trust to such chances; you will have to rely, I fear, entirely upon the resources of the pinnace alone. "

"Well, I dare say, though we may have to put up with half rations, weshall not starve on the voyage, at all events. "

They had unmoored the pinnace, and were on their way to Shark'sIsland. 

"You are about to announce to your sons their departure?" said Willis, inquiringly. 

"Yes; but my heart almost fails me. "

"The iron must be struck while it is hot. Will you commission me towhisper a few words in their ear?"

"Thanks, Willis; but what right have I to expect courage from them, ifI exhibit weakness myself? No, my friend, I may shed tears in yourpresence, but not before them. "

"A man ought never to allow his feelings to get the better of hiscourage, " said Willis, in whose eyes, however, the dust was evidentlyplaying sad havoc. 

"These boys have almost never been absent from me. I have watched themgrow up from infancy to adolescence, and from adolescence to manhood;they have always been dutiful and obedient, and with gratitude I haveblessed them every night of their lives. But stern are the decrees ofFate; I must command them to depart from me--perhaps for ever!"

"There are evils that lead to good, " said Willis, "even though theseevils be the Straits of Magellan or the storms of the Indian Ocean. "

Here the pinnace reached the offing of Shark's Island, where Fritz andJack, leaning on the battery, watched the progress of the boat. 

"Do you observe how downcast my father looks?" said Fritz. 

"Willis does not look much gayer, " remarked Jack. 

"Do you believe in omens, Jack?"

"Now and then. "

"Well, mark me, there is a screw loose somewhere, or I am no oracle. "

CHAPTER XVIII. 

BACON AND BISCUIT--LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE--THE PATERNAL BENEDICTION--ANAPPARITION--A MOTHER NOT EASILY DECEIVED--THE ADIEU--THE EMPERORCONSTANTINE--IN HOC SIGNO VINCES--THE SAILOR'S POSTSCRIPT--CÆSAR ANDHIS FORTUNES--RECOLLECTIONS--MRS. BECKER PLUCKS STOCKINGS AND KNITSORTOLANS--HOW DELIGHTFUL IT IS TO BE SCOLDED--THE BODIES VANISH, BUTTHE SOULS REMAIN. 

On their return from Shark's Island, Fritz and Jack were deeplyaffected, not by the dread of the perils they were destined toencounter--these never gave them a moment's uneasiness--but by theknowledge that a merciless vulture was preying upon the vitals oftheir beloved mother. 

Willis on the contrary, appeared as lively as if he had just receivednotice of promotion; but whether the idea of again dwelling on theopen sea had really elevated his spirits, or whether this gaiety wasonly assumed to encourage Becker and his sons, was best known tohimself. 

It was arranged amongst them that no one, under any circumstances, should be made acquainted with the design they had in contemplation. By this means all opposition would be vanquished, and the regrets ofseparation would, in some degree, be avoided. Besides, if the projectwere divulged, might not Frank and Ernest insist upon their right toshare its dangers? This eventuality alone was sufficient to impressupon them all the urgency of secrecy. The really strong man knows hisweakness, and therefore dislikes to run the risk of exposing it, soBecker dreaded the tears and entreaties that this desperateundertaking would inevitably exercise, were it generally knownbeforehand to the rest of the family; whereas, if once the pinnacewere fairly at sea, it could not be recalled, and time would do therest. 

Since, then, all the preparations had to be made in such a way as notto excite suspicion that any thing extraordinary was on foot, theprogress was necessarily slow. Willis, under pretext of amusinghimself, refitted the pinnace, and strengthened it so far as he couldwithout impairing its sailing efficiency. He called to mind that, whenCaptain Cook reached Batavia, after his first voyage round the world, he observed with astonishment that a large portion of the sides of hisfamous ship the _Endeavor_ was, under the water line, no thicker thanthe sole of a shoe. 

As soon as the weather had settled, and the tropical heats set in, theWolstons resumed their abode at Falcon's Nest; whilst, under someplausible pretext or other, Willis, Fritz, and Jack took up theirquarters at Rockhouse. This arrangement gave the destined navigatorsthe means of carrying on their operations unobserved, especially asregards salting provisions and baking for the voyage. 

Along with the stores, a portion of the valuables, that still remainedin the magazines of Rockhouse, were placed on board the pinnace; for, though gold and precious stones were not of much value in NewSwitzerland, Becker had not forgotten that such was not the case inother portions of the world; he reflected that his sons must befurnished with the means of returning to the colony with comfort. There was also a man of science and education to be bought, and that, he knew, could not be done without as the French proverb has it, having some hay in one's boots. 

Storms are usually heralded by some premonitory symptoms: theatmosphere becomes oppressive, the clouds increase in density, the skygradually becomes obscure and large drops of rain begin to fall, thenfollows the deluge, and the elements commence their strife. It is muchthe same with impending misfortunes: gloom gathers on the countenance, our movements become constrained, our thoughts wander, and a tearlingers in the corner of the eye. Fritz and Jack endeavored in vain toappear unconcerned, but, in spite of their efforts, it was painfullyevident that their minds were burdened by some heavy weight. Theywere more tender and more affectionate, particularly towards theirmother. Towards evening, when they quitted the family circle forRockhouse, their adieus were so earnest, so warm, and so oftenrepeated, that it almost appeared as if they were laying in a stock ofthem for their voyage, to store up and preserve with the bacon andbiscuits. Even the animals came in for an extra share of caresses, and, if they were capable of reflection, it must have puzzled themsorely to account for all the endearments that were lavished upon themby the two brothers. 

Becker himself was no less affected than his sons; sometimes, when thelatter were busily occupied with some preparation for the voyage, hewould fix his eyes sadly upon them, just as if every trait of thesecherished features had not already been deeply graven on his soul. 

During the preceding rainy season, the two young men felt the dayslong and tedious, and wished in their inmost hearts that they wouldpass away more swiftly; now, the hours seemed to fly withunaccountable rapidity, and they would gladly have lengthened them ifthey had had the power. But no one can arrest

 Le temps, cette image mobile De l'immobile éternité. 

And time is right in holding on the even tenor of its way; for if itonce yielded to the desires of mortals, there would be no end ofconfusion and perplexity. It takes unto itself wings and flies away, say the fortunate; it lags at a snail's pace, say the unfortunate. Theidler knows not how to pass it away. The man of action does notobserve its progress. Those who are looking forward to some favoriteamusement exclaim, "Would that it were to-morrow!" but how many thereare that might well ejaculate, from the bottom of their souls, "Wouldthat to-morrow may never arrive!" How, then, could such wishes be metin a way to satisfy all?

A day at length arrived when everything was ready for departure, andwhen nothing was wanted to weigh anchor but courage on the part ofthe voyagers. The pinnace was laden to the gunwale, the compass was inits place, the casks were filled with fresh water from the JackalRiver, and Willis reported that both wind and sea were propitious fora start. 

The morning of that day was lovely in the extreme. Willis, Fritz, andJack were early at Falcon's Nest; the two families breakfastedtogether under the trees in the open air. After breakfast anadjournment to the umbrageous shade of the bananas was proposed andagreed to. 

"Mother, " said Fritz, taking Mrs. Becker's arm, "I want you all tomyself. "

"I object to that, if you please, " cried Jack, taking her other arm. 

"Why, you boys seem extravagantly fond of your mother to-day, " saidMrs. Becker, gaily. 

"Well, you see, mother, we have the right to have an idea now andthen--Willis has one every week. "

"So long as your ideas are about myself, I have no reason to object tothem, " said Mrs. Becker, smiling. 

"We have always been dutiful sons, have we not, mother?" inquiredFritz. 

"Yes, always. "

"You are well pleased with us then?"

"Yes, surely. "

"We have never caused you any uneasiness, have we?" inquired Jack. 

"That is to say, inadvertently, " added Fritz; "designedly is out ofthe question. "

"No, not even inadvertently, " replied their mother. 

"Were you very sorry when Frank and Ernest were going to leave us?"

"Yes, my children, the tears still burn my cheek. "

"Nevertheless, you knew that it was for the common welfare, and youfelt resigned to the separation. "

"But why do you ask such a question now?"

"Well, _à propos de rien_, mother, " replied Jack, "simply because welove you, and, like misers, we treasure your love. "

Towards the afternoon both families were again assembled under thetrees at Falcon's Nest This time it was dinner that brought themtogether; the repast consisted of cold meats of various kinds, but thechief dish was a wonderful salad, the rich, fresh odor of whichperfumed the air. Wolston, Frank, and Ernest kept up a livelyconversation, yet, though all seemed happy and pleased, there werebursting hearts at the table that day. "

"I am going to take a turn in the pinnace to-morrow, " said Willis, quietly; "who will go with me?"

"I will!" cried all the four brothers. 

"I shall require you, Frank and Ernest, to take a look at the riceplantation to-morrow, " said Becker, "so I wish you to put off theexcursion till another time. "

"We are at your orders, father, " replied the two young men. 

"Where are you going, Willis?" inquired Mrs. Wolston. 

"Well, I am anxious to discover whether we inhabit an island or acontinent, and may, consequently, extend the survey beyond the pointsalready known; so you must not be disappointed should we not returnthe same night. "

"But what is the good of such an expedition?" inquired Mrs. Becker. 

"The country may be inhabited, or there may be inhabited islands inthe vicinity, " replied Willis. 

"If there be natives anywhere near, " said Mrs. Becker, "they have leftus at peace hitherto, and, in my opinion, since the dog sleeps, itwill be prudent for us to let it lie. "

"It is not a question of creating any inconvenience, " suggestedBecker, "but only to ascertain more accurately our geographicalposition: such a knowledge can do us no possible harm, but, some day, it may be of immense service to us. "

"What if you should fall in with a ship?" inquired Mrs. Wolston. 

"In that case we shall give your compliments to the commander, "replied Jack. 

"You may do that if you like, but try and bring it back with you ifyou can. "

"Do you wish to leave us?"

"I do not mean that, " hastily added Mrs. Wolston, "but I am beginningto get anxious about my son, poor fellow. If the _Nelson_ has notarrived at the Cape, then he will suppose we are all drowned, and Ishould like to fall in with some means of assuring him of our safety. "

"Oh yes, " cried the two girls, "do try and fall in with a ship; ourpoor brother will be so wretched. "

"You might say our brother as well, " added the two young men. 

Here the two mothers interchanged a glance of intelligence, whichmight mean very little, but which likewise might signify a great deal. 

A moment of intense anxiety had now arrived for Becker and his twosons; they could scarcely refrain from shedding tears, but they feltthat the slightest imprudence of that nature would divulge everything. 

"Come now, my lads, look alive, " cried Willis, in a voice which hemeant to be gruff; "if you intend to take a few hours' repose beforewe start in the morning, it is time to be off. "

Fritz and Jack, had it been to save their lives, could not now havehelped throwing more than usual energy into their parting embracesthat particular afternoon; but they passed through the ordeal withtolerable firmness, and then with heavy hearts turned towards thedoor. 

"I think I will walk with you as far as Rockhouse, " said Becker. 

All four then departed; and when the party were about fifty yards fromFalcon's Nest, Fritz and Jack turned round and waved a final adieu tothose loved beings whom probably, they might never see again. 

"It is well, " said Becker. "I am satisfied with your conductthroughout this trying interval. "

It was now an hour when there is something indescribably sombre aboutthe country; day was declining, the outlines of the larger objects inthe landscape were becoming less distinct, and the trees were assumingany sort of fantastical shape that the mind chose to assign to them. Here and there a bird rustled in the foliage, but otherwise thesilence was only broken by footsteps of the four men. 

In ordinary life children quit the parental home by easy and almostimperceptible gradations. First, there is the school, then college;next, perhaps, the requirements of the profession they have adopted. Thus they readily abandon the domestic hearth; friends, intercourse, and society divide their affection, and the separation from homerarely, if ever, costs them a pang. Not so with Becker's two sons;their world was New Switzerland; therefore, like the rays of the sunabsorbed by the mirror of Archimedes, all their affections wereconcentrated on one point. 

On the former occasion when the family ties were on the eve of beingrent asunder, the case was very different. It is true, Frank andErnest were about to leave for an indefinite period of time; but then, every comfort that the most fastidious voyager could desire wasawaiting them on board the _Nelson_; for a well-appointed ship is likea well-appointed inn on shore, all your wants are ministered to withthe utmost celerity. Besides, Captain Littlestone had taken the youngmen under his special protection, and had promised to see themproperly introduced and cared for in Europe. How dissimilar was theposition of Fritz and his brother; they were about to tumble into theold world should they be so fortunate as to reach it, much as if theyhad dropped from the skies, without a guide and without a friend. Theywere about to entrust themselves to the ocean, separated from itstreacherous floods by a few wretched planks; to be exposed for months, almost unsheltered, to wind, rain, and the mercy of pitiless storms. 

"If God in His mercy preserves you, my sons, " said Becker, breaking atlast the silence, "you will find yourselves launched in an ocean stillmore turbulent than that you have escaped--an ocean where falsehoodand cunning assume the names of policy and tact; where results alwaysjustify the means, whatever these may be; where everything issacrificed to personal interest and ambition; where fortune is honoredas a virtue that dispenses with all others, and where profligacies ofthe most odious kinds are decorated with gay and seductive colors. Itis difficult for me to foresee the various circumstances amidst whichyou may be placed; but there are certain rules of conduct thatprovide for nearly every emergency. I have no need to urge loyalty orcourage--these qualities are inseparable from your hearts. Strive onlyfor what is just and honest. Submit to be cheated rather than becheats yourselves; ill-gotten gains never made any one rich. Put yourtrust in Providence. Seek aid from on high, when you find yourselvessurrounded with difficulties. Never forget that there is no corner onthe earth's surface, however obscure, that the eyes of the Lord arenot there to behold your actions. Act promptly and with energy. Bearin mind that every moment lost will be to your mother an age ofsuffering, and that her life is suspended on the fragile thread ofyour return. "

The party had now reached the banks of the Jackal River, where thepinnace was moored. Fritz and Jack were shedding tears unrestrainedly, and had dropped on their knees at their father's feet. 

"I call, " said Becker, in a trembling voice, "the benediction ofHeaven upon your heads, my sons. "

"Oh, but they must not go!" cried Mrs. Becker, rushing out from behindsome tall brushwood that hid her from their view; "they shall not go!"

Fritz and Jack were instantly inclosed within their mother's arms. 

"Ah!" cried she, pushing aside the hair from their brows, the betterto observe their features, "you thought to deceive your mother, didyou?"

"Pardon!" exclaimed both the young men. 

Here Becker thought it necessary to interfere; and, summoning all thecourage he could muster to the task, said--

"Why should they not go? Is this the first expedition they haveundertaken?"

"No, it is not the first expedition they have undertaken, but it isthe first time their eyes and their looks betokened an eternal adieu. It is the first time that I felt they were forsaking me for ever, andit is the first time you ever addressed them with the words you justnow uttered. "

Becker saw that it was useless to attempt to carry deceit anyfurther; he therefore withdrew his eyes from the piercing glance ofhis wife. Willis, caught in the act, as it were, was completely thrownoff his guard, and had not a word to say for himself. Fritz and Jackhad again fallen on their knees, this time at the feet of theirmother. 

"Ah! I begin to understand, " she screamed, as she glanced around onthe scared group that surrounded her, like a wounded lioness whosecubs were being carried off; "now the bandage begins to drop from myeyes. A thousand inexplicable things dart into my mind. You aresending the boys on an impracticable voyage to secure the safety oftheir mother; but you did not think that in order to prolong myexistence for a few years, you would kill me instantly with grief!What right have you to impose a remedy upon me that is a thousandtimes worse than the malady? Have I ever complained? May my sufferingsnot be agreeable to me? May I not like them? Is pain and suffering notour lot from the cradle to the tomb? But I am not ill, I was neverbetter in my life than I am at this moment. "

Here she was seized with a paroxysm of nervous tremors that convulsedher frame most fearfully, and completely belied her words. Beckerrushed forward and held her firmly in his arms. 

"God give me strength!" he murmured. "Go, my children, where your dutycalls you; go, my friend, do not prolong this terrible scene aninstant longer. "

Not another word was spoken, the pinnace was unmoored; Fritz, Jack, and Willis embarked. When at some little distance from the shore, there was just light enough for Fritz to notice that his father wasdirecting the feeble steps of his mother in the direction of Falcon'sNest. In a few moments more all the objects on shore were one confusedmass of unfathomable shadow. The pinnace dropped anchor at Shark'sIsland, where some few final preparations for the voyage had to bemade. Fritz here took a pen and wrote:

"We part. We are gone. When you read this letter, the sea, for somedistance, will extend between us. We shall live and move elsewhere, but our hearts still with you. We wish that Ernest and Frank woulderect a flagstaff on the spot where we last parted with our parents. It may be to us what the celestial standard bearing the scroll, _inhoc signo vinces_ was to the Emperor Constantine. The place is alreadysacred, and may be hallowed by your prayers for us. Our confidence inthe divine mercy is boundless. Do not despair of seeing us again. Wehave no misgivings, not one of us but anticipates confidently theperiod when we shall return and bring with us health, happiness, andprosperity to you all. 

"Let me add a word, " said Jack. 

"The sea is calm, our hearts are firm, our enterprise is under theprotection of Heaven--there never was an undertaking commenced undermore favorable auspices. Farewell then, once more, farewell. All ouraspirations are for you. 

"FRITZ. 

"JACK. 

"P. S. --Willis was going to write a line or two when, lo and behold! abig tear rolled upon the paper. 'Ha!' said he, 'that is enough, I willnot write a word, they will understand that, I think, ' and he threwdown the pen. "

"How is the letter to be sent on shore?" inquired Fritz. 

"There is a cage of pigeons on board the pinnace, " replied Jack, "butI do not want them to know that, for, if they should expect to hearfrom us, and some accident happen to the pigeons, they might bedreadfully disappointed. "

"We can return on shore, " observed Willis, "and place it on the spot, where we embarked; they are sure to be there to-morrow. "

This suggestion was incontinently adopted. The letter was attached toa small cross, and fixed in the ground. The voyagers had allre-embarked in the pinnace, which was destined to bear even more thanCæsar and his fortunes. Willis had already loosened the warp, when, athought crossed the mind of Fritz. 

"I must revisit Falcon's Nest once more, " said he. 

"What!" cried Willis, "you are not going to get up such another sceneas we witnessed an hour or two ago?"

"No, Willis, I mean to go by stealth like the Indian trapper, so as tobe seen by no mortal eye. I wish to take one more look at the oldfamiliar trees, and endeavor to ascertain whether my mother hasreached home in safety. "

"But the dogs?" objected Willis. 

"The dogs know me too well to give the slightest alarm at my approach. I shall not be long gone; but really I must go, the desire is toopowerful within me to be resisted. "

"I will go with you, " said Jack. 

Here Willis shook his head and reflected an instant. 

"You are not angry with us, Willis, are you?"

"Not at all, " he replied, "and I think the best thing I can do, underthe circumstances, is to go too. "

"Very well, make fast that warp again, and come along. "

The party then disappeared amongst the brushwood. 

"Some time ago, " remarked Fritz, "we followed this track about thesame hour; there was danger to be apprehended, but the enterprise wasbloodless, though successful. "

"You mean the chimpanzee affair, " said Willis. 

"Yes; this time we have only an emotion to conquer, but I am afraid itis too strong for us. "

"These are the trees, " said Jack, as they debouched upon the road, "that I stuck my proclamations upon. We had very little to think of inthose days. "

As the party drew near Falcon's Nest, the dogs approached and welcomedthem with the usual canine demonstrations of joy. 

"I have half a mind to carry off Toby, " said Fritz; "but I fear Marywould miss him. "

Externally all appeared tranquil at Falcon's Nest; this satisfied theyoung men that their mother had succeeded in reaching home, at least, in safety; a light streaming through the window of Becker's dwelling, however, showed that the family had not yet retired for the night. 

"If they only knew we were so near them!" remarked Jack. 

The entire party then sat down upon a rustic bench, shrouded withflowering orchis and Spanish jasmine. 

"How often, on returning from the fields or the chase, we have seenour mother at work on this very seat, " observed Fritz. 

"Aye, " added Jack; "once I observed she had fallen asleep whilstknitting stockings. I advanced on tip-toe, removed gently her knittingapparatus, stockings, and all, and placed on her lap some ortolansthat I had caught and strangled; but I first plucked one of them, andscattered the feathers all about, and then retreated into a thicket towatch the _dénouement_ of my scheme. She awoke, put down her hand totake up a stocking, and laid hold of a bird. She stared, rubbed hereyes, stared again, looked about, and could find nothing but theortolan feathers. I then ran forward and embraced her, looking as if Ihad just come from unearthing turnips. 'Well, I declare, ' she saidwith a bewildered air, 'I could have sworn that I was knitting justnow, and here I find myself plucking ortolans; and what is more, Ihave not the slightest idea where, in all the world, the birds havecome from!' Of course, I looked as innocent as possible; so that themore she stared and reflected, the less she could make the matter out. At last, she went on plucking the birds, and when this was done shestuck them on the spit. When the ortolans were roasted and ready to beserved up, I went into the kitchen, carried them off, and put mymother's knitting apparatus on the spit. Imagine her surprise when shebeheld her worsted and stockings at the fire, knowing, at the sametime, that four hungry stomachs were waiting for their dinners! Atlast, fearing that she was going to ascribe the metamorphosis to somehallucination of her own, I went up to her, threw my arms round herneck, told her the whole story, and we both of us enjoyed a heartylaugh over it. "

"Aye, Jack, those were laughing times, " said Fritz, sadly. 

"Not only that, but our mother was always so even--tempered; she wasnever ruffled in the slightest degree by my nonsense; though she oftenhad the right to be very angry, yet she never once took offence. Onanother occasion, Mary and Sophia Wolston were working here at thosemysterious embroideries which they always hid when we came near. "

"Toby's collar, I suppose, " remarked Fritz. 

"My tobacco pouch, " suggested Willis. 

"I approached, " continued Jack, "with the muffled softness of a cat, and was just on the point of discovering their secret, when my monkey, Knips, who was cracking nuts at their feet, made a spring, and drew abobbin of silk after it; this caused them to look round, and great wasmy astonishment to find myself caught at the very moment I expected tosurprise them. They commenced scolding me at an immense rate, but thenit was so delightful to be scolded!"

"Aye, " murmured Fritz, "that is all over now. "

Like a file of sheep, one recollection dragged another after it, sothat the whole of the past recurred to their memories. Some faintstreaks of light now warned them that day was about to break; thecocks began to crow one after the other, and to fill the air withtheir shrill voices. 

"Now, " said Willis, "it is high time to be off. "

Jack hastily gathered two bouquets of flowers, which he suspended tothe lintel of each dwelling. 

"These, " said he, "will show them that we have paid them anothervisit. "

They then bent down all three on their knees, uttered a short prayer, and afterwards disappeared amidst the shadows of the chestnut trees. 

"Listen!" said Willis, seeing that his companions were about to make ahalt, "if you stop again, or speak of returning any more, I will ceaseto regard you as men. "

Half an hour afterwards, on the morning of the 8th March, 1812, thepinnace bore out to sea, and when day broke, the crew could not descrya single trace of New Switzerland on any point of the horizon. 

CHAPTER XIX. 

EIGHTEEN HUNDRED AND TWELVE--THE MARY--COUNT UGOLINO--THESOURCES OF RIVERS--THE ALPS DEMOLISHED--NO MORE PYRENEES--THEFIRST SHIP--ADMIRAL NOAH--FLEETS OF THE ISRAELITES--THECOMPASS--PRINTING--GUNPOWDER--ACTIUM AND SALAMIS--DIDO ANDAENEAS--STEAM--DON GARAY AND ROGER BACON--MELCHTHAL, FURST, ANDWILLIAM TELL--GOING A-PLEASURING--UPSET VERSUS BLOWN UP--A DEADCALM--THE LOG--WILLIS'S ARCHIPELAGO--THE ISLAND OF SOPHIA--THE BREADFRUIT-TREE--NATIVES OF POLYNESIA--STRIPED TROWSERS--ABDUCTION OFWILLIS--IS HE TO BE ROASTED OR BOILED?--WHEN THE WINE IS POURED OUT, WE MUST DRINK IT. 

At the date of the events narrated in the preceeding chapter, comparatively little was known of Oceania, that is, of the islands andcontinents that are scattered about the Pacific Ocean. Most of themhad been discovered, named, and marked correctly enough in the charts, but beyond this all was supposition, hypothesis, and mystery. Themighty empire of England in the east was then only in its infancy, Sutteeism and Thuggism were still rampant on the banks of the Ganges, but the power of the descendants of the Great Mogul was on the wane. California was only known as the hunting-ground of a savage race ofwild Indians. The now rich and flourishing colonies of Australia wererepresented by the convict settlement of Sydney. The Dutch hadasserted that the territory of New Holland was utterly uninhabitable, and this was still the belief of the civilized world; nor was itwithout considerable opposition on the part of _soi-disant_philanthropists that the English government succeeded in establishinga prison depot on what at the time was considered the sole spot inthat vast territory susceptible of cultivation. At the present time, these formerly-despised regions send _one hundred tons of pure gold_to England. The political state of Europe itself had at this timeassumed a singular aspect. Napoleon had made himself master of nearlyall the continental states; Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Holland, and apart of Germany were at his feet; and, by the Peace of Tilsit, he hadsecured the coõperation of Alexander, Emperor of Russia, in hisschemes to ruin the trade and commerce of Great Britain. England, byher opportune seizure of the Danish fleet, broke up the first greatnorthern confederacy that was formed against her. This act, thoughmuch impugned by the politicians of the day, is now known not only tohave been perfectly justifiable, but also highly creditable to thepolitical foresight of Canning and Castlereagh, by whom it wassuggested, to say nothing of the daring and boldness that Nelsondisplayed in executing the manoeuvre. When news of this event reachedthe Russian Emperor it threw him into a paroxysm of rage, and hedeclared war against England in violent language. He had the insolenceto make peace with France the _sina qua non_ of his friendship. At thedistance of nearly half a century, the actual language employed has apeculiar flavor. The emperor, after detailing his grievances, declaresthat henceforth there shall be no connection between the twocountries, and calls on his Britannic Majesty to dismiss hisministers, and conclude a peace forthwith. The British Governmentreplied to this by ordering Nelson to set sail forthwith for the mouthof the Neva. A bitter and scorching manifesto was at the timeforwarded to the emperor. It accused him flatly of duplicity, andboldly defied him and all his legions. The whole document is wellworthy of perusal in these lackadaisical times. It is datedWestminister, December 18, 1807. It sets forth anew the principles ofmaritime war, which England had then rigidly in force. Napoleon haddeclared the whole of the British Islands in a state of blockade. TheBritish Government replied by blockading _de facto_ the whole ofEurope. This was done by those celebrated orders in council, which, more than anything else, precipitated the downfall of Napoleon. Theythrew the trade of the world into the hands of England. Of course, Russia was deeply affected, so was Spain and all the other maritimestates; and they were all, one way or another, in open hostility withthis country. But England laughed all their threats to scorn; and inthe whole history of the country, there was not a more brilliantperiod in her eventful history. She stood alone against the world inarms. Even the blusterings of the United States were unheeded, and inno degree disturbed her stern equanimity. She saw the road to victory, and resolved to pursue it. But England then had great statesmen, and, of them all, Lord Castlereagh was the greatest, although he served aPrince Regent who cared no more for England or the English people, than the Irish member, who, when reproached for selling his country, thanked God that he had a country to sell. 

At length the ill-will of the Americans resolved itself into openwarfare, and the United States was numbered with the overt enemies ofEngland. This resulted in British troops marching up to Washington andburning the Capitol, or Congress House, about the ears of the memberswho had stirred up the strife. Meanwhile, all the islands of France inthe east and west had been taken possession of; the British flag wavedon the Spanish island of Cuba, and in the no less valuable possessionsof Holland, in Java. Everywhere on the ocean England held undisputedsway. This state of things gave rise to one great evil--the seaswarmed with cruisers and privateers, English, French, and American;so that no vessel, unless sailing under convoy, heavily armed, or avery swift sailer, but ran risk of capture. 

The _Mary_--for so Fritz now called the pinnace--had been ten days atsea, the wind had died away, and for some time scarcely a zephyr hadruffled the surface of the water, the sails were lazily flappingagainst the mast, and but for the currents, the voyagers would havebeen almost stationary. It may readily be supposed that, under suchcircumstances, their progress was somewhat slow, and, as Jackobserved, to judge from their actual rate of sailing, they ought tohave started when very young, in order to arrive at the termination ofthe voyage before they became bald-headed old men. 

They prayed for a breeze, a gale, or even a storm; their fresh waterwas beginning to get sour, and they reflected that, if the calmcontinued any length of time, their provisions would eventually runshort, and the ordinary resource of eating one another would starethem in the face. Jack, being the youngest, would probably disappearfirst, next Fritz, then Willis would be left to eat himself, in orderto avoid dying of hunger, just as the unfortunate Count Ugolinodevoured his own children to save them from orphanage. 

As yet, however, there were no symptoms of such a dire disaster; theywere in excellent health and tolerable spirits; they had provisionsenough to last them for six months at least, and consequently had notas yet, at all events, the slightest occasion to manifest a tendencyto anthropophagism. 

"I can understand the sea, " remarked Jack, "as I understand the landand the sky; God created them, that is enough; but I cannot understandhow a mighty river like the Nile or the Ganges can continue eternallydischarging immense deluges of water into the sea without becomingexhausted. From what fathomless reservoirs do the Amazon and theMississippi receive their endless torrents?"

"The reservoirs of the greatest rivers, " replied Fritz, "are nothingmore than drops of water that fall from the crevice of some rock on ornear the summit of a hill; these are collected together in a pool orhollow, from which they issue in the form of a slender rivulet. Atfirst, the smallest pebble is sufficient to arrest the course of thisthread of water; but it turns upon itself, gathers strength, finallysurmounts the obstacle, dashes over it, unites itself with otherrivulets, reaches the plain, scoops out a bed, and goes on, as yousay, for ever emptying its waters into the sea. "

"Yes; but it is the source of these sources that I want to know theorigin of. You speak of hills, whilst we know that water naturally, byreason of its weight and fluidity; seeks to secrete itself in thelowest beds of the earth. "

"It is scarcely necessary for me to observe that water may come downa hill, although it never goes up. Rain, snow, dew, and generally allthe vapors that fall from the atmosphere, furnish the enormous massesof water that are constantly flowing into the sea. The vapor alonethat is absorbed in the air from the sea is more than sufficient tofeed all the rivers on the face of the earth. Mountains, by theirformation, arrest these vapors, collect them in a hole here and in acavern there, and permit them to filter by a million of threads fromrock to rock, fertilizing the land and nourishing the rivers thatintersect it. If, therefore, you were to suppress the Alps that risebetween France and Italy, you would, at the same time, extinguish theRhone and the Po. "

"It would be a pity to do that, " said Jack; "there was a time thoughwhen there were no Pyrenees. "

"That must have been, then, at a period prior to the formation ofgranite, which is esteemed the oldest of rocks. "

"No such thing, " insisted Jack; "it was so late as 1713, when, by thepeace of Utrecht, the crown of Spain was secured to the Duke of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV. "

"Howsomever, " remarked Willis, "all the mariners in the French fleetcould not convince me that the Pyrenean mountains are only a hundredyears old. "

"My brother is only speaking metaphorically, " said Fritz; "when thecrown of Spain was assigned to the Duke of Anjou, his grandfathersaid--_Qu il n'y avait plus de Pyrénées_. He meant by that simply, that France and Spain being governed by the same prince, the moralbarrier between them existed no longer. The formidable mountains stillstood for all that, and he who removes them would certainly bepossessed of extraordinary power. "

"I am always putting my foot in it, " said Willis, "when the yarn isabout the land; let us talk of the sea for a bit. Who built the firstship?"

"Well, " replied Fritz, "I should say that the first ship was the ark. "

"Whence we may infer, " added Jack, "that Noah was the first admiral. "

"We learn from the Scriptures, " continued Fritz, "that the firstnavigators were the children of Noah, and it appears from profanehistory that the earliest attempts at navigation were manifested nearwhere the ark rested; consequently, we may fairly presume that the artof ship-building arose from the traditions of the deluge and the ark. "

"In that case, the art in question dates very far back. "

"Yes, since it dates from 2348 years before the birth of Christ; butthe human race degenerated, the traditions were forgotten, andnavigation was confined to planks, rafts, bark canoes, or the trunk ofa tree hollowed out by fire. "

"That is the sort of craft used by the inhabitants of Polynesia at thepresent day, " remarked Willis. 

"It appears, however, by the Book of Job, that pirates existed inthose days, and that they went to sea in ships and capturedmerchantmen, which proves, to a certain extent, that there weremerchantmen to conquer. We know also that David and Solomon equippedlarge fleets, and even fought battles on sea. "

"Whether an ancient or modern, a Jew or a Gentile, " said Willis, "hemust have been a brave fellow who launched the first ship, and riskedhimself and his goods at sea in it. "

"True, " continued Fritz; "but when once the equilibrium of a floatingbody was known, there would be no longer any risk; as soon as it cameto be understood that any solid body would float if it were lighterthan its bulk of water, the matter was simple enough. "

"Very good, " interrupted Jack; "but the words 'when' and 'as soon as'imply a great deal; _when_, or _as soon as_, we know anything, themystery of course disappears. But before! there is the difficulty. Particles of water do not cohere--how is it, then, that a ship of war, that often weighs two millions of pounds, does not sink through them, and go to the bottom? Individuals, like myself for example, who arenot members of a learned society, may be pardoned for not knowing howwater bears the weight of a seventy-four. "

"The seventy-four would, most undoubtedly, sink if it were heavierthan the weight of water it displaced; but this is not the case; woodis generally lighter than water. "

"The wood, yes; but the cannon, the cargo, and the crew?"

"You forget the cabooses, the cockpits, and the cabins, that do notweigh anything. Allowing for everything, the weight of a ship, cargoand all, is much lighter than its bulk of water, and consequently itcannot sink. "

"But how is it, then, that the immense bulk of a seventy-four moves soeasily in the water? One would think that its prodigious weight wouldmake it stick fast, and continue immoveable. "

"When the seventy-four in question has displaced its weight of water, its own weight is substituted for the water, and is in consequencevirtually annihilated; it does not, in point of fact, weigh anythingat all, and therefore is easily impelled by the wind. "

"When there is any, understood, " added Jack. 

"And a yard or so of canvas, " suggested Willis. 

"True, " continued Fritz, "a sail or two would be very desirable; theseinstruments of propulsion do not appear, however, to have been used bythe ancients. We first hear of a sail being employed at the time whenIsis went in search of her husband Osiris, who was killed by hisbrother Typhon, and whose quarters were scattered in the Nile. Thislady, it seems, took off the veil that covered her head, and fastenedit to an upright shaft stuck in the middle of the boat, and, much toher astonishment, it impelled her onwards at a marvellous speed. "

"A clever young woman that, " said Willis; "but I doubt whether veilswould answer the purpose on board a seventy-four, particularly asregards the mainsail and mizentops. "

"The Phoenicians were the most enterprising of the early navigators. They appeared to have sailed round Africa without a compass, for theyembarked on the Red Sea and reappeared at the mouth of the Nile, andthe compass was not invented till the fourteenth century. "

"And who was the inventor of the compass?" inquired Willis. 

"According to some authorities, it was invented by a Neapolitan namedJean Goya; according to others, the inventor was a certain Hugues deBercy. "

"Then, " said Jack, "you do not admit the claims of the Chinese andHindoos, who assert priority in the discovery?"

"I neither deny nor admit their claims, because I do not know thegrounds upon which they are founded; like the invention of gunpowderand printing, the discovery of the compass has many rival claimants. "

"I am of opinion, " said Jack, "that Guttenberg is entitled to thehonor of discovering printing, and that Berthold Schwartz inventedgunpowder. "

"Perhaps you are right; but there is scarcely any invention ofimportance that has not two or three names fastened to it asinventors; they stick to it like barnacles, and there is no way toshake any of them off. So, in the case of illustrious men, nationsdispute the honor of giving them birth; there are six or seven townsin Asia Minor that claim to be the birth-place of Homer. Nationalvanities justly desire to possess the largest amount of genius; hence, no sooner does anything useful make its appearance in the world, thanhalf a dozen nations or individuals start up to claim it as theiroffspring. The wisest course, under such circumstances, is to sidewith the best accredited opinion, which I have done in the case of thecompass. "

"It was no joke, " said Willis, "to circumnavigate Africa without acompass. "

"You are quite right, Willis, if you judge the navigation of thosedays by the modern standard; but it is to be borne in mind that theancients never lost sight of the coast. They steered from cape topromontory, and from promontory to cape, dropping their anchor everynight and remaining well in-shore till morning. If by accident theywere driven out into the open sea, and the stars happened to be hiddenby fog or clouds, they were lost beyond recovery, even though within aday's sail of a harbor; because, whilst supposing they were making forthe coast, they might, in all probability, be steering in preciselythe opposite direction. "

"It is certainly marvellous, " said Jack, "that a piece of iron stuckupon a board should be a safe and sure guide to the mariner throughthe trackless ocean, even when the stars are enveloped in obscurityand darkness!"

"It is a symbol of faith, " remarked Willis, "that supplies the doubtsand incertitudes of reason. "

"As for the ships, or rather galleys, of the ancients, " continuedFritz, "with the exception of the ambitious fleets of the Greeks andRomans that fought at Salamis and Actium, one of the modern ships ofwar could sweep them all out of the sea with its rudder. "

"Yes, " said Jack, "at the period of which you speak, the ancientspossessed a great advantage over us. The winds in those days werepersonages, and were very well known; they were called Aeolus, Boreas, and so forth. They were to be found in caves or islands, and, iftreated with civility, were remarkably condescending. Queen Dido, through one of these potentates, obtained contrary winds, to preventAeneas from leaving her. "

"By the way, " said Willis, "there is, or at least was, in one of theScottish rivers, a ship without either oars or sails. "

"Yes, very likely; but it did not move. "

"It did though, and, what is more, against both wind and tide. "

"I wish we had your wonderful ship here just now, it is just the thingto suit us under present circumstances, " said Jack. 

"So it would, Master Jack, for it sails against currents, up rivers, and the crew care no more about the wind than I do about the color ofthe clouds when I am lighting my pipe. "

"You don't happen to mean that the _Flying Dutchman_ has appeared onthe Scotch coast, do you, Willis?"

"Not a bit of it, I mean just exactly what I say. It is a real ship, with a real stern and a real figure-head, but manned by blacksmithsinstead of mariners. "

"Well, but how does it move? Does somebody go behind and push it, oris it dragged in front by sea-horses and water-kelpies?"

"No, it moves by steam. "

"But how?"

"Aye, there lies the mystery. The affair has often been discussed byus sailors on board ship; some have suggested one way and someanother. "

"Neither of which throws much light on the subject, " observed Jack;"at least, in so far as we are concerned. "

"All I can tell you, " said Willis, "is, that the steam is obtained byboiling water in a large cauldron, and that the power so obtained isvery powerful. "

"That it certainly is, if it could be controlled, for steam occupiesseventeen or eighteen hundred times the space of the water in itsliquid state; but then, if the vessel that contains the boiling waterhas no outlet, the steam will burst it. "

"It appears that it can be prevented doing that, though, " repliedWillis, "even though additional heat be applied to the vapor itself. "

"By heating the steam, the vapor may acquire a volume forty thousandtimes greater than that of the water; all that is well known; but assoon as it comes in contact with the air, nothing is left of it but acloud, which collapses again into a few drops of water. "

"That may be all very true, Master Fritz, if the steam were allowed toescape into the air; but it is only permitted to do that after it hasdone duty on board ship. It appears that steam is very elastic, andmay be compressed like India-rubber, but has a tendency to resist thepressure and set itself free. Imagine, for example, a headstrong youngman, for a long time kept in restraint by parental control, suddenlylet loose, and allowed scope to follow the bent of his owninclinations. "

"Very good, Willis; for argument's sake, let us take your headstrongyoung man, or rather the steam, for granted, and let us admit that itis as elastic as ever you please--but what then?"

"Then you must imagine a piston in a cylinder, forced upwards whenthe steam is heated, and falling downwards when the steam is cooled. Next fancy this upward and downward motion regulated by a number ofwheels and cranks that turn two wheels on each side of the ship, keeping up a constant jangling and clanking, the wheels or paddlessplashing in the water, and then you may form a slight idea of thething. "

"Oh!" cried Jack, "we invented a machine of that kind for our canoe, with a turnspit. Do you recollect it, Fritz?"

"Yes, I recollect it well enough; and I also recollect that the canoewent much better without than with it. "

"You spoke just now, " continued Willis, "of rival nations, who pouncelike birds of prey upon every new invention; and so it is with thesteamship. An American, named Fulton, made a trial in the Hudson withone in 1807--that is about five years ago--and I believe the Yankees, in consequence, are laying claim to the invention. "

"Now that you bring the thing to my recollection, " said Fritz, "theidea of applying steam in the arts is by no means new, although, Imust candidly admit, I never heard of it being used in propellingships before. The Spaniards assert that a captain of one of theirvessels, named Don Blas de Garay, discovered, as early as thesixteenth century, the art of making steam a motive power. "

"I don't believe that, " said Jack. 

"Why?"

"Because a real Spaniard has never less than thirty-six words in hisname. If you had said that the steam engine was discovered by DonPedrillo y Alvares y Toledo y Concha y Alonzo y Martinez y Xacarillo, or something of that sort, then I could believe the man to have been agenuine Spaniard, but not otherwise. "

"Spaniard or no Spaniard, the Spanish claim the discovery of steamthrough Don Blas; the Italians likewise claim the discovery for amechanician, named Bianca; the Germans assign its discovery toSolomon de Causs; the French urge Denis Papin; and the English claimthe invention for Roger Bacon. "

"You have forgotten the Swiss, " said Jack. 

"The Swiss, " replied Fritz, with an air of dignity, "put forward nocandidate: steam and vapor and smoke are not much in their line. Theydiscovered something infinitely better--the world is indebted to themfor the invention of liberty. I mean rational, intelligent, and trueliberty--not the savagery and mob tyranny of red republicanism. Thethree discoverers of this noble invention were Melchthal, Furst, andWilliam Tell. "

"You can have no idea, " continued Willis, "of the stir that steam wascreating in Europe the last time I was there. Of course there wereplenty of incredulous people who said that it was no good; that itwould never be of any use; and that if it were, it would not pay forthe fuel consumed. On the other hand, the enthusiasts held that, eventually, it would be used for everything; that in the air we shouldhave steam balloons; on the sea, steam ships, steam guns, and perhapssteam men to work them; that on land there would be steam coachesdriven by steam horses. Journeys, say they, will be performed in notime, that is, as soon as you start for a place you arrive at it, justlike an arrow, that no sooner leaves the bow than you see it stuck inthe bull's eye. "

"In that case, " observed Jack, "it will be necessary to do away withrespiration, as well as horses. "

"A Londoner will be able to say to his wife, My dear, I am going toBirmingham to-day, but I will be back to dinner; and if a Parisianlights his cigar at Paris, it will burn till he arrives at Bordeaux. "

"Holloa, Willis, you have fairly converted Fritz and me into marinesat last. "

"I am only speaking of what will be, not of what is--that makes allthe difference you know. It is expected that there will be steamcoaches on every turnpike-road; so that, instead of hiring apost-chaise, you will have to order a locomotive, and instead ofpostboys, you will to engage an engineer and stoker. "

"Then, instead of saying, Put the horses to, " remarked Jack, "weshall have to say, Get the steam up. "

"Exactly; and when you go on a pleasure excursion, you will be whiskedfrom one point to another without having time to see whether you passthrough a desert or a flower-garden. "

"What, then, is to become of adventures by the way, road-side inns, and banditti?"

"All to be suppressed. "

"So it appears, " said Jack; "men are to be carried about from place toplace like flocks of sheep; perhaps they will invent steam dogs aswell to run after stragglers, and bring them into the fold by the calfof the leg. Your new mode of going a-pleasuring may be a veryexcellent thing in its way, Willis; but it would not suit my taste. "

"Probably not; nor mine either, for the matter of that, Master Jack. "

"At all events, " said Fritz, "you would run no danger of being upseton the road. "

"No; but, by way of compensation, you may be blown up. "

"True, I forgot that. "

"This conversation has carried us along another knot, " said Jack, opening the log, which he had been appointed to keep; "and now, byyour leave, I will read over some of my entries to refresh yourmemories as to our proceedings. 

"March 9th. --Wind fair and fresh--steered to north-west--a flock ofseals under our lee bow--feel rather squeamish. 

"10th. --No wind--fall in with a largish island and four little ones, give them the name of Willis's Archipelago. 

"11th. --A dead calm--sea smooth as a mirror--all of us dull andsleepy. 

"12th. --Heat 90 deg. --shot a boobie, roasted and ate him, ratherfishy--passed the night amongst some reefs. 

"13th. --Same as the 12th, but no boobie. 

"14th. --Same as the 13th. 

"Dreadfully tiresome, is it not, " said Jack; "no wonder they call thisocean the Pacific. "

"Alas!" sighed Willis, thinking of the _Nelson_, "it does not alwaysjustify the name. "

"15th. --Hailed a low island, surrounded with breakers, named itSophia's Island. "

"But all these islands have been named half a dozen times already, "said Willis. 

"Oh, never mind that, another name or two will not break their backs. "

"16th. --Current bearing us rapidly to westward--caught a sea cow, andhad it converted into pemican. 

"17th. --Shot another boobie, which we put in the pot to remind us thatwe were no worse off than the subjects of Henry IV. No wind--seablazing like a furnace. "

"You will have to turn over a new leaf in your log by-and-by, " saidWillis, "or I am very much mistaken. "

"Well, I hope you are not mistaken, Willis, for I am tired of thissort of thing. "

A red haze now began to shroud the sun, the heat of the air becamealmost stifling, but the muffled roar of distant thunder and brightflashes of light warned the voyagers to prepare for a change. Willisreefed the canvas close to the mast, and suggested that everythinglikely to spoil should be put under hatches. This was scarcely donebefore the storm had reached them, and they were soon in the midst ofa tropical deluge. At first, a light breeze sprung up, blowing towardsthe south-east, which continued till midnight, when it chopped round. Towards morning, it blew a heavy gale from east to east-south-east, with a heavy sea running. In the meantime, the pinnace laboredheavily, and several seas broke over her. Willis now saw that theironly chance of safety lay in altering their course. All the canvas wasalready braced up except the jib, which was necessary to give thecraft headway, and with this sail alone they were soon after speedingat a rapid rate in the direction of the Polynesian Islands. The galecontinued almost without intermission for three weeks, during whichperiod Willis considered they must have been driven some hundreds, ofmiles to the north-west. 

The gale at length ceased, the sea resumed its tranquility, and thewind became favorable. The pinnace had, however, been a good dealbattered by the storm, and their fresh water was getting low, and itwas decided they should still keep a westerly course till they reachedan island where they could refit before resuming their voyage. 

"The gale has not done us much good, " said Jack, sadly; "if it hadblown the other way, we might have been in the Indian Ocean by thistime. "

"Cheer up, " said Willis, taking the glass from his eye, "I see landabout three miles to leeward, and the landing appears easy. "

"But the savages?" inquired Jack. 

"The islands of this latitude are not all inhabited, " replied Fritz;"besides, under our present circumstances, we have no alternative butto take our chance with them. "

"Well, I do not know that, " objected Jack; "it would be better for usto do without fresh water than to run the risk of being eaten. "

"What a beautiful coast!" cried Willis, who still kept the telescopeat his eye. "Near the shore the land is flat, and appears cultivated;but behind, it rises gradually, and is closed in with a range ofhills, covered with trees. There is a beautiful bay in front of us, which appears to invite us ashore. But the place is inhabited; theshore is strewn with huts, and I can see clumps of the bread-fruittree growing near them. "

"What sort of vegetable is the bread-fruit?" inquired Fritz. 

"It is a very excellent thing, and supplies the natives with breadwithout the intervention of grain, flour-mills, or bakers. It can beeaten either raw, or baked, or boiled; either way, it is palatable. The tree itself is like our apple trees; but the fruit is as large asa pine-apple--when it is ripe, it is yellow and soft. The natives, however, generally gather it before it is ripe; it is then cooked inan oven; the skin is burnt or peeled off--the inside is tender andwhite, like the crumb of bread or the flour of the potato. "

"Let me have the telescope an instant, " said Fritz; "I should like tosee what the natives are like. Ah, I see a troop of them collecting onshore; some of them seem to be covered with a kind of wrought-steelarmor. "

"Perhaps the descendants of the Crusaders, " remarked Jack, "returningfrom the Holy Land by way of the Pacific Ocean!"

"Others wear striped pantaloons, " continued Fritz. 

"That is to say, " observed Willis, "the whole lot of them are as nakedas posts. What you suppose to be cuirasses and pantaloons, are theirtabooed breasts and legs. "

"Are you sure of that, Willis?"

"Not a doubt about it. "

"Such garments are both durable and economical, " remarked Jack; "but Iscarcely think they are suitable for stormy weather. But do you thinkit is safe to land amongst such a set of barebacked rascals, Willis?"

"I should not like to take the responsibility of guaranteeing oursafety; but I do not see what other course we can adopt. "

They had now approached within musket-shot of the shore. They couldsee that a venerable-looking old man stood a few paces in front of thegroup of natives. He held a green branch in one hand, and pressed withthe other a long flowing white beard to his breast. 

"According to universal grammar, " said Jack, "these signs should meanpeace and amity. "

"Yes, " replied the Pilot; "the more so that the rear-guard are pouringwater on their heads, which is the greatest mark of courtesy thenatives of Polynesia can show to strangers. "

"Gentlemen, " cried Jack, taking off his cap and making a low bow, "weare your most obedient servants. "

"We must be on our guard, " said Willis; "these savages are verydeceitful, and sometimes let fly their arrows under a show offriendship. I will go on shore alone, whilst you keep at a littledistance off, ready to fire to cover my retreat, if need be. "

The young men objected to Willis incurring danger that they did notshare; but on this point Willis was inexorable, so they were obligedto suffer him to depart alone. By good chance, they had shipped asmall cask of glass beads on board the pinnace. The Pilot took a fewof these with him, and, placing a cask and a couple of calabashes inthe canoe, he rowed ashore. 

The natives were evidently in great commotion; there was an immenseamount of running backwards and forwards. Something important was, obviously enough, going forward; but, whether the excitement wascaused by curiosity or admiration, it was hard to say. They might bepreparing a friendly reception for the stranger, or they might bepreparing to eat him--which of the two was an interesting questionthat Willis did not care about probing too deeply at that particularmoment. 

Fritz and Jack anxiously watched the operations of the natives fromthe bay. They could not with safety abandon the pinnace; but to leaveWillis to the mercy of the sinister-looking people on shore was not tobe thought of either. The _Mary_ was, therefore, run in as close aspossible, and Jack leaped on the sands a few minutes after the Pilot. 

Willis marched boldly on towards the natives, and when he arrivedbeside the old man, the crowd opened up and formed an avenue throughwhich a chief advanced, followed by a number of men, seeminglypriests, who carried a grotesque-looking figure that Jack presumed tobe an idol. The figure was made up of wicker-work--was of colossalheight--the features, which represented nothing on earth beneath norheaven above, were inconceivably hideous--the eyes were discs ofmother-of-pearl, with a nut in the centre--the teeth were apparentlythose of a shark, and the body was covered with a mantle of redfeathers. 

At the command of the chief, some of the natives advanced and placed aquantity of bananas, bread-fruits, and other vegetables at the Pilot'sfeet; the priests then came forward and knelt down before him, andseemed to worship after the fashion of the ancients when they paidtheir devotions to the Eleusinian goddess, or the statue of Apollo. Meanwhile, Jack, on his side, was likewise surrounded by the natives, who was treated with much less ceremony than Willis. Instead offalling down on their knees, each of them, one after the other, rubbedtheir noses against his, and then danced round him with everydemonstration of savage joy. 

Jack had now an opportunity of observing the personages about him morein detail. They were mostly tall and well-formed; their features boresome resemblance to those of a negro, their nose being flat and theirlips thick; on the other hand, they had the high cheek-bones of theNorth American Indian and the forehead of the Malay. Nearly all ofthem were entirely naked, but wore a necklace and bracelets of shells. They were armed with a sort of spear and an axe of hard wood edgedwith stone. Their skins were tattooed all over with lines and circles, and painted; these decorations, in some instances, exhibiting carefulexecution and no inconsiderable degree of artistic skill. Theseobservations made, Jack pushed his way to the spot where Willis wasreceiving the homage of the priests. 

"What! you here?" said the Pilot. 

"Yes, Willis, I have come to see what detained you. By the way, isthere anything the matter with my nose?"

"Nothing that I can see; but the natives of New Zealand rub theirnoses against each other, and probably the same usage is fashionhere. "

"Why, then, do they make you an exception?"

"I have not the remotest idea. "

The priests at length rose, and the chief advanced. This dignitaryaddressed a long discourse to Willis in a sing-song tone, which lastednearly half an hour. After this, he stood aside, and looked at Willis, as if he expected a reply. 

"Illustrious chief, king, prince, or nabob, " said Willis, "I am highlyflattered by all the fine things you have just said to me. It is true, I have not understood a single word, but the fruits you have placedbefore me speak a language that I can understand. Howsomever, mostmighty potentate, we are not in want of provisions; but if you canshow us a spring of good water, you will confer upon us an everlastingfavor. "

"You might just as well ask him to show you what o'clock it is by thedial of his cathedral, " said Jack. 

"They would only point to the sun if I did. "

"But suppose the sun invisible. "

"Then they would be in the same position as we are when we forget towind up our watches. Gentlemen savages, " he said, turning to thenatives and handing them the glass beads, "accept these trifles as atoken of our esteem. "

The natives required no pressing, but accepted the proffered giftswith great good-will. The dancing and singing then recommenced withredoubled fury, and poor Jack's nose was almost obliterated by theconstant rubbing it underwent. 

Suddenly the hubbub ceased, and a profound silence reigned throughoutthe assembly. The oldest of the priests brought a mantle of redfeathers, similar to the one that covered the idol. This was thrownover the Pilot's shoulders; a tuft of feathers, something resembling afuneral plume, was placed upon his head, and a large semi-circular fanwas thrust into his hand. Thus equipped, a procession was formed, onehalf before and the other half behind him. The _cortége_ began to moveslowly in the direction of the interior, but the operation wasdisconcerted by Willis, who remained stock-still. 

"Thank you, " he said, "I would rather not go far away from the shore. "

As soon as the natives saw clearly that Willis was not disposed tomove, the chief issued a mandate, and four stout fellows immediatelyremoved the idol from its position, and Willis was placed upon thevacant pedestal. 

The kind of adoration with which all these proceedings wereaccompanied greatly perplexed the voyagers. What could it all mean?Was this a common mode of welcoming strangers? It occurred to Jackthat the Romans were accustomed to decorate with flowers the victimsthey designed as sacrifices to the altars of their gods beforeimmolating them. This reminiscence made his flesh creep with horror, and filled him with the utmost dismay. 

"Willis!" he cried to the Pilot, whom they were now leading off intriumph, "let us try the effects of our rifles on this rabble; youjump over the heads of your worshippers, and we will charge throughthem to shore. I will shoot the first man that pursues us, and signalFritz to discharge the four-pounder amongst them. "

"Impossible, " replied Willis; "we should both be stuck all over witharrows and lances before we could reach the pinnace. Did I not tellyou not to come ashore?"

"True, Willis, but did you suppose I had no heart? How could I look onquietly whilst you were surrounded by a mob of ferocious-looking men?"

"Well, well, Master Jack, say no more about it; I do not suppose theymean to do me any harm; but there would be danger in rousing thepassions of such a multitude of people. They seem, luckily, to directtheir attentions exclusively to me, so you had better go back and lookafter the canoe. "

"No; I shall follow you wherever you go, Willis, even into thesoup-kettles of the wretches. "

"In that case, " said Willis, "the wine is poured out, and, such as itis, we must drink it. "

CHAPTER XX. 

JUPITER TONANS--THE THUNDERS OF THE PILOT--WORSHIPPERS OF THEFAR WEST--A LATE BREAKFAST--RONO THE GREAT--A POLYNESIANLEGEND--MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF OCEANIA--MR. AND MRS. TAMAIDI--REGALPOMP--ELBOW ROOM--KATZENMUSIK--QUEEN TONICO AND THE SHAVINGGLASS--CONSEQUENCES OF A PINCH OF SNUFF--DISGRACE OF THE GREATRONO--MARIUS--CORIOLANUS--HANNIBAL--ALCIBIADES--CIMON--ARISTIDES--ASOP FOR THE THIRSTY--AIR SOMETHING ELSE BESIDES OXYGEN ANDHYDROGEN--MARYLAND AND WHITECHAPEL--HALF-WAY UP THE CORDILLERAS--HUMANMACHINES--STAR OF THE SEA, PRAY FOR US!

Was he on his way to the Capitol or to the Gemoniae? The solution ofthis question became, for the moment, of greater importance to Willisthan the "to be or not to be" of Hamlet to the State of Denmark. Thisincertitude was all the more painful, that it was accompanied bymyriads of insects, created by the recent rains; these swarmed in theair to such an extent, that it was utterly impossible to inhale theone without swallowing the other. The sailor, notwithstanding hiselevated and somewhat perilous position, true to his instincts andtormented by the flies, took out his pipe, filled it, and struck alight. As soon as the first column of smoke issued from his mouth, thecavalcade halted spontaneously, the natives fell on their faces, theirnoses touching the ground, and in an attitude of the profoundest fearand apprehension. Jupiter thundering never created such a sensation asWillis smoking. The savages seemed glued to the earth with terror. Ifthe Pilot had thought it advisable to escape, he might have walkedover the prostrate bodies of his captors, not one of whom would havebeen bold enough to follow what appeared to be a human volcano, vomiting fire and smoke, --the fire of course being understood. 

Willis, however, now saw that he possessed in his pipe a ready meansof awing them. Besides, it was clear that, through some fortunatecoincidence, the natives had mistaken him for a divinity. There was, consequently, no immediate danger to be apprehended; he thereforebecame himself again, and began to enjoy the novelty of his newdignity. 

It was certainly a curious contrast. Willis, seated on a sort ofthrone, crowned with a waving plume of feathers, shrouded in a fierymantle, and surrounded by a crowd of prostrate figures, was quietlypuffing ribbons of smoke from the tips of his lips. There he sat, forall the world like a crane in a duck-pond. From time to time the moredaring of the worshippers slightly raised their heads to see whetherJupiter was still thundering; but when their eye caught a whiff ofsmoke, they speedily resumed their former posture. Some of them eventhrust their heads into holes, or behind stones, as if moreeffectually to shelter themselves from the fury of the fiery furnace. At last the eruption ceased, Willis knocked the ashes out of his pipe, replaced it in his pocket, and the convoy resumed its route. Afterhalf an hour's march, the procession halted near a clump of plantains, in front of a structure more ambitious than any of those in theneighborhood. A female, laden with rude ornaments, was standing at thedoor. This lady, who rivalled the celebrated Daniel Lambert indimensions, would have created quite a _furore_ at Bartholomew Fair;according to Jack, she was so amazingly fat, that it would have takenfull five minutes to walk round her. She took the Pilot respectfullyby the hand, and led him into the interior of the building, which wascrowded with images of various forms, and was evidently a temple. Willis, at a sign from his conductress, seated himself in a chair, raised on a dais, and surmounted by a terrific figure similar to theone already described, but draped in white feathers instead of red. 

The fat lady, or rather the high priestess--for she was the reigningpotentate in this magazine of idols--took a sucking pig that was heldby one of the priests. After muttering a prayer or homily of somesort, she strangled the poor animal, and returned it to the priest. Byand by, the pig was brought in again cooked, and presented with greatceremony to Willis. There were likewise sundry dishes of fruit, nuts, and several small cups containing some kind of liquid. One of thepriests cut up the pig, and lifted pieces of it to Willis's mouth;these, however, he refused to eat. The fat priestess, observing this, chewed one or two mouthfuls, which she afterwards handed to the Pilot. This was putting the sailor's gallantry to rather a rude test. He wasequal to the emergency, and did not refuse the offering. But he musthave felt at the time, that being a divinity was not entirely withoutits attendant inconveniences. 

Nor was this the only infliction of the kind he was doomed towithstand. One of the priests took up a piece of kava-root, put itinto his mouth, chewed it, and then dropped a bit into each of thecups already noticed. One of these, containing this nectar, waspresented to Willis by the fat Hebe who presided at the feast, and hehad the fortitude to taste it. Another of the cups was handed to Jack. 

"No, I thank you, " said he, shaking his head; "I breakfasted ratherlate this morning. "

Meantime, another personage had entered upon the scene. After havingperformed an obeisance to Willis like the rest, this individual backedhimself to where Jack was standing, by this means adroitly avoidingboth the kava and the nose-rubbings. He was distinguished from theother natives by an ornament round his waist, which fell to his knees. His skin seemed a trifle less dark, his features less marked; but hisbody was tattooed and stained after the common fashion. 

The new comer turned out to be a Portuguese deserter, who hadabandoned his ship twenty years before, and had married the daughterof a chief of the island on which he now was. At the present moment, he filled the part of prime minister to the king, an office be couldnot have held in his own ungrateful country, since he could neitherread nor write. These accomplishments, it appeared, were not, however, absolutely indispensable in Polynesia. It has been found thatwhen a savage is transferred to Europe, he readily acquires the habitsof civilized life. By a similar adaptation of things to circumstances, this European had identified himself with the savages. He had adoptedtheir manners, their customs, and their costume. When he thought ofhis own country, it was only to wonder why he ever submitted to theconstraint of a coat, or put himself to the trouble of handling a forkand spoon. He had not, however, entirely forgotten his mother tongue, and, moreover, still retained in his memory a few English words. Hewas likewise very communicative, and told Jack that they were in theIsland of Hawai; that the name of the king was Toubowrai Tamaidi, who, he added, intended visiting the pinnace with the queen next day, topay his respects in person to the great Rono. "His Majesty, " said thePortuguese, "would have been amongst the first to throw himself at hisfeet, but unfortunately the royal residence is a good way off; andthough both the king and the queen are on the way, running as fast asthey can, it may take them some time yet to reach the shore. "

"But who is the great Rono?" inquired Jack. 

"Well, " replied the prime minister, "you ought to know best, since youarrived with him. "

Jack felt that he was touching on delicate ground, and saw that it wasnecessary to diplomatise a little. 

"True, " said he; "but I am not acquainted with the position thatillustrious person holds in relation to Hawai. " The Portuguese thenmade a very long, rambling, and not very lucid statement, from whichJack gleaned the following details. About a hundred years before, during the reign of one of the first kings, there lived a greatwarrior, whose name was Rono. This chief was very popular, but he wasvery jealous. In a moment of anger he killed his wife, of whom he waspassionately fond. The regret and grief that resulted from this actdrove him out of his senses; he wandered disconsolately about theisland, fought and quarrelled with every one that came near him. Atlast, in a fit of despair, he embarked in a large canoe, and, afterpromising to return at the expiration of twelve hundred moons, with awhite face and on a floating island, he put out to sea, and was neverheard of more. 

This tradition, it appears, had been piously handed down from familyto family. The natives of Hawai--who are not more extravagant in thematter of idols than some nations who boast a larger amount ofcivilization, but who do not destroy them so often--enrolled Ronoamongst the list of their divinities. An image of him was set up, sacrifices were instituted in his honor. Every year the day of hisdeparture was kept sacred, and devoted to religious ceremonies. Thetwelfth hundred moon had just set, when a large boat appeared in thebay, and a man came ashore. The high priest of the temple, Raou, andhis daughter, On La, priestess of Rono, solemnly declared that the manin question was Rono himself, who had returned at the precise timenamed, and in the manner he promised. 

It was, therefore, clear from this statement that Willis was to behenceforward Rono the Great. 

Jack was rather pleased than otherwise to learn that he was thecompanion of a real live divinity. It assured him, in the first place, that the danger of his being converted into a stew or a fricassee wasnot imminent. He did not forget, however, that the consequences mightbe perilous if, by any chance, the illusion ceased; for he knew thatthe greater the height from which a man falls, the less the mercyshown to him when he is down. As soon, therefore, as the ceremonieshad a little relaxed, and Willis was left some freedom of action, Jackwent forward, and knelt before him in his turn. 

"O sublime Rono, " said he, "I know now why your nose has escaped allthe rubbings that mine has had to undergo. "

"Do you?" said Willis; "glad to hear it, for I am as much in the darkas ever. "

Jack then related to him the fabulous legend he had just heard. 

After a while, Willis shook off his _entourage_ as gently as possible, and succeeded in getting out of the temple. Accompanied by Jack, heproceeded towards the shore, receiving, as he went, the adoration ofthe people. The route was strewn with fruit, cocoa-nuts, and pigs, andthe natives were highly delighted when any of their offerings wereaccepted by the deified Rono. 

The islanders appeared mild, docile, and intelligent, notwithstandingthe singular delusion that possessed them. Living from day to day, they were, doubtless, ignorant of those continual cares andcalculations for the future that in the old world pursue us even intothe hours of sleep. Were they happier in consequence? Yes, if thechild is happier than the man, and if we admit that we often loose intranquillity and happiness what we gain in knowledge and perfection:yes, if happiness is not exclusively attached to certain peoples andcertain climates; yes, if it is true that, with contentment, happinessis everywhere to be found. 

The houses of the Hawaians are singular structures, and scarcely canbe called dwellings. They consist of three rows of posts, two on eachside and one in the middle, the whole covered with a slanting roof, but without any kind of wall whatever. 

They do not bury their dead, but swing them up in a sort of hammock, abundantly supplied with provisions. It is supposed that this is donewith a view to enable the souls of the departed to take their flightmore readily to heaven. The practice, consequently, seems to indicatethat the natives possess a confused idea of a future state. When achild dies, flowers are placed in the hammock along with theprovisions--a touch of the nature common to us all. They express deepgrief by inflicting wounds upon their faces with a shark's tooth; and, when they feel themselves in danger of dying, they cut off a joint ofthe little finger to appease the anger of the Divinity. There wasscarcely one of the adult islanders who was not mutilated in this way. 

Though the worshippers of the great Rono appeared gentle and peaceableenough, there were to be seen here and there a human jaw-bone, seemingly fresh, with the teeth entire, suspended over the entrancesto the huts. These ghastly objects sent a shudder quivering throughJack's frame, and made Willis aware that it would not be advisablerashly to throw off his sacred character. 

As it was now late, and as they knew that Fritz would be uneasy aboutthem, they put off laying in their stock of water till next day. Jacktold the prime minister that the great Rono would be prepared toreceive their majesties whenever they chose to visit him. This done, Willis and his companion seated themselves in the canoe, and rowed outto the pinnace. 

"God be thanked, you have returned in safety!" cried Fritz; "I neverwas so uneasy in the whole course of my life. "

"Well, brother, we have not been without our anxieties as well, andhad we not happened to have had a divinity amongst us, we might nothave come off scathless. "

Jack then related their adventures, which gradually brought a smile tothe pale lips of Fritz. 

"But the water?" inquired Fritz, after he had heard the story. 

"Oh, water; they offered us something to drink on shore that willprevent us being thirsty for a month to come, but we shall see to thatto-morrow. "

Towards dark, some fireworks were discharged on board the pinnace, byway of demonstrating that Willis's pipe was not the only fiery terrorthe great Rono had at his command. 

Early next morning a flotilla of canoes were observed rounding one ofthe points that formed the bay. The one in advance was larger than theothers, and was evidently the trunk of a large tree hollowed out. Jack's new friend, the Portuguese, hailed the pinnace, and announcedthe King and Queen of Hawai, who thereupon scrambled into the pinnace. His majesty King Toubowrai had probably felt it incumbent upon himselfto do honor to the illustrious Rono, for he wore an old uniform coat, very likely the produce of a wreck, through the sleeves of which theangular knobs of his copper-colored elbows projected. He did not seemvery much at his ease in this garment, which contrasted oddly with thetight-fitting tattooed skin that served him for pantaloons. 

His wife, Queen Tonico, princess-like was half stifled in a thickblanket or mat of cocoa-nut fibre. Her ears were heavily laden withteeth and ornaments of various kinds, made out of bone, mother ofpearl, and tortoise-shell. Her nails were two or three inches long;and, to judge by the number of finger-joints that were wanting, shewas either troubled with delicate nerves, or was slightlyhypochondriac. 

The royal pair were accompanied by a band of music: fortunately, thisremained in the regal barge. It consisted of a flute with four holes, a nondescript instrument, seemingly made of stones; a drum made out ofthe hollow trunk of a tree, covered at each end with skin, of whatkind it is needless to inquire. The sounds emitted by this orchestrawere of an ear-rending nature, and of a kind graphically termed by theGermans Katzenmusik. 

"Illustrious Rono, " cried Jack, "for goodness sake, tell thesegentlemen you are not a lover of sweet sounds. "

"Belay there!" roared Willis. 

This command, however, had no effect; the artists continued thumpingand blowing away as before. Willis, thinking to make himself betterheard, placed his hands on his mouth, and roared the same orderthrough them. This action seemed to be received as a mark ofapprobation, for the noise became absolutely terrific. 

"No use, " said Willis: "I can make nothing of them. You try what youcan do. "

"Very good, " said Jack, lighting what is technically termed an_artichoke_, but better known as a zig-zag cracker; "if they do notunderstand English, perhaps they may comprehend pyrotechnics. "

The artichoke was thrown into the royal barge. At first there was onlya slight whiz, finally it gave an angry bound and leaped into themidst of the musicians. Startled, they tried to get out of its way;but they were no sooner at what they thought to be a safe distance, than the thing was amongst them again. Their majesties, who were justthen engaged in kissing the Rono's feet, started up in alarm; but whenthey saw the danger did not menace themselves, they burst into ahearty laugh at the antics of their suite. 

This episode over, and the orchestra silenced, the Sovereign of Hawaiproceeded to inspect the pinnace. He expressed his delight every nowand then by uttering the syllables "_ta-ta_. " Fritz handed one ofthose shaving glasses to the Queen that lengthen the objects theyreflect. This astonished her Majesty vastly, and caused her to _ta-ta_at a great rate. She looked behind the mirror, turned it upside down, and at last, when she felt assured that it was the royal person itcaricatured, she commenced measuring her cheeks to account for theextraordinary disproportion. 

They next all sat down to a repast that was spread on deck. TheirMajesties observing Rono use a fork, did so likewise; but though theystuck a piece of meat on the end of it, and held it in one hand, theycontinued carrying the viands to their mouths with the other. At theconclusion of the feast, Willis took a pinch of snuff out of acanister. Their Majesties insisted upon doing so likewise. Willishanded them the canister, and they filled their noses with thetreacherous powder. Then followed a duet of sneezing, accompanied withfacial contortions. The royal personages thinking, probably, that theywere poisoned, leaped into the sea like a couple of frogs, and swam tothe royal barge. 

"Holloa, sire, " cried Jack, "where are you off to?"

This was answered by the barge paddling away rapidly towards land. Hitherto, the whole affair had been a farce; but now the natives, whohad collected in great numbers along the shore, seeing their king andqueen leap into the water with a terrified air, supposed that anattempt had been made to cut short their royal lives, and, under thisimpression, discharged a cloud of arrows at the pinnace, and mattersbegan to assume a serious aspect. 

"What!" exclaimed Jack, "shooting at the great Rono!"

"That, " said Fritz, "only proves they are men like ourselves. He whois covered with incense one day, is very often immolated the next. "

"And that simply because Rono treated Mr. And Mrs. What's-their-namesto a pinch of snuff. Serve them right to discharge the contents of thefour-pounder amongst them. "

"No, no, " cried Willis; "the worthy people are, perhaps, fond of theirking and queen. "

"Worthy people or not, " said Fritz, drawing out an arrow that had sunkinto the capstan, "it is very likely that if this dart had hit one ofus, there would only have been two instead of three in the crew of thepinnace. "

"Well, " said Willis, "Master Jack thought the voyage rather dull; nowsomething has turned up to relieve the monotony of his log. "

"We are still without fresh water though, Willis; I wish you could saythat had turned up as well. "

"It will be prudent to go in search of that somewhere else now, " saidWillis, unfurling the sails. "Fortunately the wind is fresh, and wecan make considerable headway before night. "

As they steered gently out of the bay a second cloud of arrows wassent after them, but this time they fell short. 

"The belief in Rono is about to be seriously compromised, " remarkedFritz; "I should advise the priestess to retire into private life. "

"Impossible. "

"Why?"

"Because she is too fat to live in an ordinary house, she could onlybreathe in a temple. But, O human vicissitudes!" added Jack, rollinghimself up in a sail after the manner of the Roman senators; "beholdRono the Great banished from his country, and compelled to go andpillow his head on a foreign sail, like Marius at Minturnus--likeCoriolanus amongst the Volcians--like Hannibal at the house ofAntiochus--like Alcibiades at the castle of Grunium in Phrygia, givento him out of charity by the benevolent Pharnabazus, and in which hewas burnt alive by his countrymen--like Cimon, voted into exile byballot and universal suffrage--like Aristides, whom the people gottired of hearing called the Just, and many others. "

"Who are all these personages?" inquired Willis. 

"They were worthies of another age, " replied Fritz; "very excellentmen in their way, and you are in no way dishonored by being numberedamongst them. "

"Yesterday, " continued Jack, "an entire people were upon their kneesbefore you; they offered up sacrifices, and poured out incense ontheir altars for you; fruit and pigs were scattered in heaps, likeflowers, upon your path; the crowd were prostrated by the fumes ofyour pipe. To-day--alas, the change!--a cloud of arrows, and not asingle glass of cold water!"

"That gives you an opportunity of quenching your thirst with thenectar offered to you yesterday, " said Fritz; "as for myself, I haveno such resource. "

"Yes, that was a posset to quench one's thirst withal; I only wish Ihad a cupful to give you. I do not regret having had an opportunity ofbecoming acquainted with the people though. They have enabled me torectify some erroneous notions I formerly entertained. If, forexample, I were to ask you what air consists of? you would, no doubt, reply that is a compound body made of oxygen and hydrogen or azote, inthe proportion of twenty-one of the one to seventy-nine of the other. "

"Yes, most undoubtedly. "

"Well, such is not the case; there are other elements in the airbesides these. "

"If you mean that the air accidentally, or even permanently, holds insolution a certain quantity of water, or a portion of carbonic acidgas, and possibly some particles of dust arising from terrestrialbodies, then I grant your premises. "

"No; what I mean is, that the air of Hawai is composed of threedistinct elements. "

"Possibly; but if so, the air in question is not known to chemists. "

"These three elements are oxygen, hydrogen, and insects. "

"Ah, insects! I might have fancied you were driving at some hypothesisof that sort. "

"I intend to communicate this discovery to the first learned societywe fall in with. "

"In the Pacific Ocean?"

"Yes: there or elsewhere. "

"I always understood, " observed Willis, "that air was a sort of cloud, one and indivisible. "

"A cloud if you like, Willis; but do you know the weight of it youcarry on your shoulders?"

"Well, it cannot be very great, otherwise I should feel it. "

"What do you say to a ton or so, old fellow?"

"If you wish me to believe that, you will have to explain how, where, when, why, and wherefore. "

"Very good. Willis; you have bathed sometimes?"

"Yes, certainly. "

"In the sea?"

"Yes. "

"Do you know what water weighs?"

"No, but I know that it is heavy. "

"Well, a square yard of air weighs two pounds and a half, but a squareyard of water weighs two thousand pounds. Now, can you calculate theweight of the water that is on your back and pressing on your sideswhen you swim?"

"No, I cannot. "

"You are not sufficiently up in arithmetic to do that, Willis?"

"No. "

"Nor am I either, Willis; but let me ask you how it is that the wavesdo not carry you along with them?"

"Because one wave neutralises the effect of another. "

"Very good; but how is it that these ponderous waves, coming down uponyou, do not crush you to atoms by their mere weight?"

"Well, I suppose that liquids do not operate in the same way assolids: perhaps there is something in our bodies that counterbalancesthe effect of the water. "

"Very likely; and if such be the case as regards water, may it not beso also as regards air?"

"But I do not feel air; whereas, if I go into water, I not only feelit, but taste it sometimes, and I cannot force my way through itwithout considerable exertion. "

"That is because you are organized to live in air and not in water. You ask the smallest sprat or sticklebake if it does not, in the sameway feel the air obstruct its progress. "

"But would the stickleback answer me, Master Fritz?"

"Why not, if it is polite and well bred?"

"By the way, Willis, " inquired Jack, "do you ever recollect havinglived without breathing?"

"Can't say I do. "

"Very well, then; had you felt the weight of the air at any givenmoment, it must have produced an impression you never felt before, butyou have not, because circumstances have never varied. A sensationsupposes a contrast, whilst, ever since you existed, you have alwaysbeen subject to atmospheric pressure. "

"Ah, now I begin to get at the gist of your argument. You mean, forexample, that I would never have appreciated the delicate flavor ofMaryland or Havanna, had I not been accustomed to smoke thecabbage-leaf manufactured in Whitechapel. "

"Precisely so; and take for another example the farm of Antisana, which is situated about midway up the Cordilleras, mountains of SouthAmerica. When travellers, arriving there from the summits which arecovered with perpetual snow, meet others arriving from the plain wherethe heat is intense, those that descend are invariably bathed inperspiration, whilst those that have come up are shivering with coldand covered with furs. The reason of this is, that we cannot feel warmtill we have been cold, and _vice versâ_. "

"Our bodies, " resumed Fritz, "however much the thermometer descends, never mark less than thirty-five degrees above zero. In winter theskin shrinks, and becomes a bad conductor of heat from without; but, at the same time, does not allow so much gas and vapor to escape fromwithin. In summer, on the contrary, the skin dilates and allowsperspiration to form, a process that consumes a considerable amount oflatent heat. Starting from this principle, it has been calculated thata man, breathing twenty times in a minute, generates as much heat intwenty-four hours as would boil a bucket of water taken at zero. "

"If means could be found, " remarked Jack, "to furnish him with aboiler, by fixing a piston here and a pipe there man might beconverted into one of the machines we were talking about the otherday. "

"Were I disposed to philosophize, " added Fritz, "I might prove to youthat for a long time men have been little else than mere machines. "

Before night they had run about thirty miles further to thenorth-east, without seeing any thing beyond a formidable bluff, guarded by a fringe of breakers, that would soon have swallowed up the_Mary_ had she ventured to reach the land. It was necessary however toobtain fresh water at any price before they resumed their voyage. 

It was to be feared that all the islanders of the Pacific were not inexpectation of a great Rono, consequently Willis suggested that itwould be as well to search for an uninhabited spot. The only questionwas, how long they might have to search before they succeeded; forthey knew that there were plenty of small islands in these latitudesunencumbered by savages, and furnished with pools and springs ofwater. 

Night at length closed in upon them, and with it came a dense mist, that enveloped the _Mary_ as if in a triple veil of muslin. 

"Willis, " inquired Jack, "what difference is there between a mist anda cloud?"

"None that I know of, " replied the Pilot, "except that a cloud whichwe are in is mist, and mist that we are not in is a cloud. And now, mylads, " he added, "you may turn in, for I intend to take the firstwatch. "

Before turning in, however, all three joined in a short prayer. Theyoung men had not yet forgotten the pious precepts of their father. Prayer is beautiful everywhere, but nowhere is it so beautiful as onthe open sea, with infinity above and an abyss beneath. Then, when allis silent save the roar of the waves and the howling of the winds, itis sublime to hear the humble voice of the sailor murmuring, "Star ofthe night, pray for us!"

That night the star of the night did pray for the three voyagers, forthe rays of the moon burst through the darkness and the mist, and fellupon a long line of reefs under the lee of the pinnace. Had they heldon their course a few minutes longer, our story would have been ended. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

LYING TO--HEART AND INSTINCT--SPARROWS VIEWED ASCONSUMERS--MIGRATIONS--POSTING A LETTER IN THEPACIFIC--CANNIBALS--ADVENTURES OF A LOCKET. 

The glimpse of moonshine only lasted a second, but it was sufficientto light up the valley of the shadow of death. All around was againenveloped in obscurity. The moon, like a modest benefactor who hideshimself from those to whose wants he has ministered, concealed itselfbehind its screen of blackness. 

The pinnace was thrown into stays, and they resolved to lie-to tilldaybreak. There might be rocks to windward as well as to leeward; atall events, they felt that their safest course lay in maintaining, asfar as possible, their actual position; and, after having returnedthanks for their almost miraculous escape, they made the usualarrangements for passing the night. 

Next morning they found themselves in the midst of a labyrinth ofrocks, from which, with the help of Providence, they succeeded inextricating themselves. The rocks, or rather reefs, amongst which theywere entangled, are very common in these seas. As they are scarcelyvisible at high water, they are extremely dangerous, and often bafflethe skill of the most expert navigator. 

Whilst Willis steered the pinnace amongst the islands and rocks of theHawaian Archipelago, Fritz kept a look-out for savages, fresh water, and eligible landing-places. And Jack, after having posted up his log, set about inditing a letter for home. 

"The voyage, " said he, "has lately been so prolific in adventure, thatI scarcely know where to begin. "

"Begin by saluting them all round, " suggested Fritz. 

"But, brother of mine, that is usually done at the end of theletter, " objected Jack. 

"What then? you can repeat the salutations at the end, and you mightalso, for that matter, put them in the middle as well. "

"I have written lots of letters on board ship for my comrades, "remarked Willis, "and I invariably commenced by saying--_I take a penin my hand to let you know I am well, hoping you are the same_. "

"What else could you take in your hand for such a purpose, O Rono?"inquired Jack. 

"Sometimes, after this preamble, I added, '_but I am afraid_. '"

"I thought you old salts were never afraid of anything, short of theFlying Dutchman. "

"Yes; but the letters I put that in were for young lubbers, who, instead of sending home half their pay, were writing for extrasupplies, and were naturally in great fear that their requests wouldbe refused. "

"I scarcely think I shall adopt that style, Willis, even though itwere recognized by the navy regulations. "

"Do you think the pigeon will find its way with the letter from hereto New Switzerland?" inquired Willis. 

"I have no doubt about that, " replied Fritz, "it naturally returns toits nest and its affections. If you had wings, would you not flystraight off in the direction of the Bass Rock or Ailsa Craig, to huntup your old arm-chair?"

"Don't speak of it; I feel my heart go pit-pat when I think of home, sweet home. "

"So do the birds. When they soften the grain before they throw it intothe maw of their fledgelings--when they fly off and return laden withmidges to their nests--when they tear the down from their breasts toprotect their eggs and their young, do you think their hearts do notbeat as well as yours?"

"But all that is said to be instinct. "

"Heart or instinct, where is the difference? The Abbé Spallanzani sawtwo swallows that were carried to Milan return to Pavia in fifteenminutes, and the distance between the two cities is seven leagues. "

"That I can easily believe. "

"When you see a little, insignificant bird flying backwards andforwards, perching on one branch and hopping off to another, whistling, carolling, perching here and there, you think that it hasno cares, that it does not reflect, and that it does not love!"

"Well, I have heard in my time a great many wonderful stories ofrobin-redbreasts and jenny-wrens, but I always understood that theywere intended only to amuse little boys and girls. "

"You consider, doubtless, that a field-sparrow is not a creature ofmuch importance; but do you know that he consumes half a bushel ofcorn annually?"

"If that is his only merit, the farmers, I dare say, would be glad toget rid of him. "

"But it is not his only merit. What do you think of his killing threethousand insects a week. "

"That is more to the purpose. But, to return to the pigeon, supposingit is possible for it to find its way, how long do you suppose it willtake to get there?"

"It is estimated that birds of passage fly over two hundred miles aday, if they keep on the wing for six hours. "

"Two hundred miles in six hours is fast sailing, anyhow. "

"Swallows have been seen in Senegal on the 9th of October, that is, eight or nine days after they leave Europe; and that journey theyrepeat every year. "

"They must surely make some preparations for such a lengthyexcursion. "

"When the period of departure approaches, they collect together introops on the chimneys or roofs of houses, and on the tops of trees. During this operation, they keep up an incessant cry, which bringsfamilies of them from all quarters. The young ones try the strength oftheir wings under the eyes of the parents. Finally, they make somestrategic dispositions, and elect a chief. "

"You talk of the swallows as if they were an army preparing forbattle, with flags flying, trumpets sounding, and ready to march atthe word of command. "

"The resemblance between flocks of birds and serried masses of men inmartial array is striking. Wild ducks, swans, and cranes fly in a kindof regimental order; their battalions assume the form of a triangle orwedge, so as to cut through the air with greater facility, anddiminish the resistance it presents to their flight. 

"But how do you know it is for that?"

"What else could it be for? The leader gives notice, by a peculiarcry, of the route it is about to take. This cry is repeated by theflock, as if to say that they will follow, and keep the directionindicated. When they meet with a bird of prey whose attacks they mayhave to repulse, the ranks fall in so as to present a solid phalanx tothe enemy. "

"If they had a commissariat in the rear and a few sappers in front, the resemblance would be complete. "

"If a storm arises, " continued Fritz, without noticing Willis'scommentary, "they lower their flight and approach the ground. "

"Forgotten their umbrellas, perhaps. "

"When they make a halt, outposts are established to keep a look outwhile the troop sleeps. "

"And, in cases of alarm, the outposts fire and fall in as a matter ofcourse. "

"Great Rono, " said Jack, "you are become a downright quiz. I havefinished my letter whilst you have been discussing the poultry, " headded, handing the pen to his brother, "and it only waits yourpostscriptum. " Fritz having added a few lines, the epistle was sealed, and was then attached to one of the pigeons, which, after hovering ashort time round the pinnace, took a flight upwards and disappeared inthe clouds. 

They were now in sight of a large island, which bore no traces ofhabitation. There was a heavy surf beating on the shore, but the casewas urgent, so Willis and Jack embarked in the canoe, and, after ahard fight with the waves, landed on the beach. 

Each of them were armed with a double-barrelled rifle, and furnishedwith a boatswain's whistle. The whistle was to signal the discovery ofwater, and a rifle shot was to bring them together in case of danger. These arrangements being made, Jack proceeded in the direction of athicket, which stood at the distance of some hundred yards from theshore. He had no sooner reached the cover in the vicinity of the treesthan he was pounced upon by two ferocious-looking savages. They gavehim no time to level his rifle or to draw a knife. One of his captorsheld his hands firmly behind his back, whilst the other dragged himtowards the wood. At this moment the Pilot's whistle rang sharplythrough the air. This put an end to any hopes that Jack might haveentertained of being rescued through that means. Had he sounded thewhistle, it would only have led Willis to suppose that he had heardthe signal, and was on his way to join him. 

Poor Jack judged, from the aspect of the men who held him, that theywere cannibals, and consequently that his fate was sealed, for if hissurmises were correct, there was little chance of the wretchesrelinquishing their prey. Jack had often amused himself at the expenseof the anthropophagi, but here he was actually within their grasp. Though death terminates the sorrows and the sufferings of man, andthough the result is the same in whatever shape it comes, yet thereare circumstances which cause its approach to be regarded with terrorand dismay. In one's bed, exhausted by old age or disease, the lipsonly open to give utterance to a sigh of pain; life, then, is a burdenthat is laid down without reluctance; we glide imperceptibly andalmost voluntarily into eternity. 

At twenty years of age, however, when we are full of health and ardor, the case is very different. Then we are at the threshold of hope andhappiness; our illusions have not had time to fade, the future is abrilliant meteor sparkling in sunshine. At that age our seas arealways calm, and the rocks and shoals are all concealed. Our barksglide jauntily along, the sailors sing merrily, the perils areshrouded in romance, and the flag flutters gaily in the breeze. Thenlife is not abandoned without a tear of regret. 

To die in the midst of one's friends is not to quit them entirely. They come to see us through the marble or stone in which we areshrouded. It is another thing to have no other sepulchre than theæsophagus of a cannibal. How the recollections of the past darted intoJack's mind! He felt that he loved those whom he was on the point ofleaving a thousand times more than he did before. What would he nothave given for the power to bid them one last adieu? The idea ofquitting life thus was horrible. 

It was in vain that he tried to shake off his assailants; hisadolescent strength was as nothing in the arms of steel that boundhim. He saw that he was powerless in their hands, and at length ceasedmaking any further attempts to escape. 

The savages, finding that he had relaxed his struggles, commenced torifle and strip him. They tore off his upper garments, and discovereda small locket, containing a medallion of his mother, which theunfortunate youth wore round his neck. This prize, which the savagesno doubt regarded as a talisman of some sort, they both desired topossess. They quarrelled about it, and commenced fighting over it. Jack's hands were left at liberty. In an instant he had seized hisrifle. He ran a few paces back, turned, took deliberate aim at themost powerful of his adversaries, who, with a shriek, fell to theground. The other savage, scared by the report of the shot and itseffects upon his companion, took to flight, but he carried off thelocket with him. 

Jack had now regained his courage. He felt, like Telemachus in themidst of his battles, that God was with him, and he flew, perhapsimprudently, after the fugitive. Seeing, however, that he had nochance with him as regards speed, he discharged his second rifle. Theshot did not take effect, but the report brought the savage to hisknees. The frightened wretch pressed his hands together in an attitudeof supplication. Jack stopped at a little distance, and, by animperious gesture, gave him to understand that he wanted the locket. The sign was comprehended, for the savage laid the talisman on theground. 

"Now, " said Jack, "in the name of my mother I give you your life. "

By another sign, he signified to the man that he was at liberty, whichhe no sooner understood than he vanished like an arrow. 

Great was the consternation of Fritz when he heard the reports; hefeared that the whole island was in commotion, and that both hisbrother and the Pilot were surrounded by a legion of copper-coloreddevils. From the conformation of the coast he could see nothing, and, like Sisiphus on his rock, he was tied by imperious necessity to hispost. 

The Pilot, on hearing the first shot, ran to the spot, and both he andJack arrived at the same instant, where the savage lay bleeding on theground. 

"You are safe and sound, I hope?" said Willis, anxiously. 

"With the exception of some slight contusions, and the loss of myclothes, thank God, I am all right, Willis. "

"We are born to bad luck, it seems. "

"Say rather we are the spoilt children of Providence. I have justpassed through the eye of a needle. "

"Is this the only savage you have seen?"

"No, there were two of them; and, to judge from their actions, Iverily believe the rascals intended to eat me. As for this one, he ismore frightened than hurt. "

And so it was, he had escaped with some slugs in his shoulders; but heseemed, by the contortions of his face, to think that he was dying. 

"Fortunately, " said Jack, "my rifle was not loaded with ball. I shouldbe sorry to have the death of a human being on my conscience. "

"Well, " said Willis, "I am not naturally cruel, but, beset as you havebeen, I should have shot both the fellows without the slightestcompunction. "

"Still, " said Jack, giving the wounded savage a mouthful of brandy, "we ought to have mercy on the vanquished--they are men likeourselves, at all events. "

"Yes, they have flesh and bone, arms, legs, hands, and teeth like us;but I doubt whether they are possessed of souls and hearts. "

"The chances are that they possess both, Willis; only neither the onenor the other has been trained to regard the things of this world in aproper light. Their notions as to diet, for example, arise fromignorance as to what substances are fit and proper for human food. "

"As you like, " said Willis; "but let us be off; there may be more ofthem lurking about. "

"What! again without water?"

"No, this time I have taken care to fill the casks; the canoe is ladenwith fresh water. "

"Fritz must be very uneasy about us; but this man may die if we leavehim so. "

"Very likely, " said the Pilot; "but that is no business of ours. "

"Good bye, " said Jack, lifting up the wounded savage, and propping himagainst a tree; "I may never have the pleasure of seeing you again, and am sorry to leave you in such a plight; but it will be a lessonfor you, and a hint to be a little more hospitable for the future inyour reception of strangers. "

The savage raised his eyes for an instant, as if to thank Jack for hisgood offices, and then relapsed into his former attitude of dejection. 

Twenty minutes later the canoe was aboard the pinnace. 

"Fritz, " said Jack, throwing his arms round his brother's neck, "I amdelighted to see you again; half an hour ago I had not the shadow of achance of ever beholding you more. "

CHAPTER XXII. 

THE UTILITY OF ADVERSITY--AN ENCOUNTER--THE HOROKEN--BILL ALIAS BOB. 

A light but favorable breeze carried them away from land, and theywere once again on the open sea. Willis, after a prolongedinvestigation of the sun's position, taken in relation to someobservations he had made the day before, concluded that the bestcourse to pursue, under existing circumstances, was to steer for theMarian Islands. [H] In addition to the distance they had originally totraverse, all the way lost during the storm was now before them. Asregards provisions, they had little to fear; they could rely uponfalling in with a boobie or sea-cow occasionally, and fresh fish wereto be had at any time. Their supply of water, however, gave them someuneasiness, for the quantity was limited, and they might be retardedby calms and contrary winds. The chances of meeting a European shipwere too slender to enter for anything into their calculations. 

"It appears to me, " said Jack, one beautiful evening, when they weresome hundreds of miles from any habitable spot, "that, having escapedso many dangers, the watchful eye of Providence must be guarding usfrom evil. "

"Very possibly, " replied Fritz; "one of the early chroniclers of theChristian Church says that Lazarus, whom our Saviour resuscitated atthe gates of Jerusalem, became afterwards one of the most popularpreachers of Christianity, and in consequence the Jews regarded himwith implacable hatred. "

"But what, in all the world, has that to do with the Pacific Ocean?"inquired Jack. 

"Very little with the Pacific in particular, but a great deal withthe ocean in general. Lazarus, his sisters, and some of his friends, were thrown into prison, tried, and condemned. "

"And stoned or crucified, " added Jack. 

"No; the high priest of the temple had a great variety of punishmentson hand besides these. He resolved to expose them to the mercy of thewaves, without provisions, and without a mast, sail, or rudder. "

"Thank goodness, we are not so badly off as that. "

"_He_, for whom Lazarus suffered, and who is the same that nourishesthe birds of the air and feeds the beasts of the field; watched overthe forlorn craft; under his guidance, the little colony of martyrswere wafted in safety to the fertile coasts of Provence. They landed, according to the tradition, at Marseilles, of whom Lazarus was thefirst bishop, and has always been the patron saint. Who knows?--thesame good fortune may perhaps await us. "

"We are not martyrs. "

"True; but Providence does not always measure its favors by the meritsof those upon whom they are bestowed--misfortune, alone, is often asufficient claim; so it is well for us to be patient under a littlesuffering, for sweet often is the reward. "

"A little hardship, now and then, " added Jack, "is, no doubt, salutary. The Italians say: '_Le avversità sono per l'animo cio ch' èun temporale per l'aria_. ' Suffering teaches us to prize health andhappiness; were there no such things as pain and grief, we should beapt to regard these blessings as valueless, and to estimate them asour legitimate rights. For my own part, I was never so happy in mywhole life as when I embraced you the other day, after escaping out ofthe clutches of the savages. "

"There are many charms in life that are almost without alloy: theperfume of flowers--music--the singing of birds--the riches ofart--the intercourse of society--the delights of the familycircle--the treasures of imagination and memory. Some of the mostbeneficent gifts of Nature we only know the existence of when we aredeprived of them; occasional darkness alone enables us to appreciatethe unspeakable blessing of light. Man has a multitude of enjoymentsat his command; but so many sweets would be utterly insipid without afew bitters. "

"The rheumatism, for example, " said Willis, rubbing his shoulders. 

"Many enjoyments, " continued Fritz, "spring from the heart alone; theaffections, benevolence, love of order, a sense of the beautiful, oftruth, of honesty, and of justice. "

"On the other hand, " said Willis, "there are dishonesty, injustice, disappointment, and blighted hopes; but you are too young to know muchabout these. When you have seen as much of the world on sea and onland as I have, perhaps you will be disposed to look at life fromanother point of view. In old stagers like myself, the tender emotionsare all used up; it is only when we are amongst you youngsters that weforget the present in the past; when we see you struggling withdifficulties, it recalls our own trials to our mind, rouses in ussentiments of commiseration, and softens the asperities of our years. "

"According to you, then, " said Fritz, levelling his rifle at a petrel, "the misfortunes of the one constitute the happiness of the other?"

"Unquestionably, " said Jack; "for instance, if you miss that bird, somuch the worse for you, and so much the better for the petrel. "

"It is very rarely, brother, that you do not interrupt a seriousconversation with some nonsense. "

"Keep your temper, Fritz; I am about to propose a serious questionmyself. How is it that the petrel you are aiming at does not come andperch itself quietly on the barrel of your rifle?"

"Jack, Jack, you are incorrigible. "

"Did you ever see a hare or a pheasant come and stare you in the facewhen you were going to shoot it?"

"Stunsails and tops!" cried Willis, "if I do not see somethingstranger than that staring us in the face. "

"The sea-serpent, perhaps, " said Jack. 

"I thought it was a sea-bird at first, " said Willis, "but they do notincrease in size the longer you look at them. "

"They naturally appear to increase as they approach, " observed Fritz. 

"Yes, but the increase must have a limit, and I never saw a bird withsuch singular upper-works before. Just take a cast of the glassyourself, Master Fritz. "

"Halls of Æolus!" cried Fritz, "these wings are sails. "

"So I thought!" exclaimed Willis, throwing his sou'-wester into theair, and uttering a loud hurrah. 

"If it is the _Nelson_" said Jack, "it would be a singular encounter. "

"_The Nelson_!" sighed Willis, "in the latitude of Hawai; no, that isimpossible. "

"She is bearing down upon us, " said Fritz. 

"Just let me see a moment whether I can make out her figure-head, "said Willis. "Aye, aye!"

"Can you make it out?"

"No; but, from the sheer of the hull, I think the ship is Britishbuilt. "

"Thank God!" exclaimed both the young men. 

"Yes, you may say 'Thank God;' but, if it turns out to be aman-of-war, I must report myself on board, and I doubt whether mystory will go down with the captain. "

"But if it is the _Nelson_?" insisted Jack. 

"Aye, aye; the _Nelson_, " replied Willis, "is not going to turn uphere to oblige us, you may take my word for that. "

"I have better eyes than you, Willis; just let me see if I can makeher out. No, impossible; nothing but the hull and sails. "

"It is just possible, " persisted Jack, "that the _Nelson_ may havebeen detained at the Cape, and afterwards blown out of her course likeourselves. "

"All I can say is, " replied Willis, "that if Captain Littlestone be onboard that ship, it will make me the happiest man that ever mixed aration of grog. But these things only turn up in novels, so it is nouse talking. "

"She has hoisted a flag at the mizzen, " cried Fritz. 

"Can you make it out?"

"Well, let me see--yes, it must be so. "

"What, the Union Jack?" cried Willis. 

"No, a red ground striped with blue. "

"The United States, as I am a sinner!" cried Willis. "Well, it mighthave been worse. We can go to America; there are surgeons there aswell as in Europe--at all events, we can get a ship there for England. But let me see, we must hoist a bit of bunting; unfortunately, we haveonly British colors aboard, and I am afraid they are not inparticularly high favor with our Yankee cousins just now. "

"Never mind a flag, " said Fritz. 

"Oh, that will never do, they have hoisted a flag and are waiting areply. But let me see, " added Willis, rummaging amongst some stores, "here is one of our Shark's Island signals--that, I think, will puzzlethe Yankee considerably. "

The Pilot's signal was answered by a gun, the report of which rangthrough the air. The strange ship's sails were thrown back and shestood still. A boat then put off with a young man in uniform and sixrowers on board. 

"Pinnace ahoy!" cried the officer through a speaking trumpet, "who areyou?"

"Shipwrecked mariners, " cried Fritz, in reply. 

"What is the name of your craft?"

"The _Mary_. "

"What country?"

"Switzerland. "

"I was not aware that Switzerland was a naval power, " observed Willis. 

"She has no sea-port, " said Jack, "but she has a fleet--of row boats. "

"Where do you hail from?" inquired the officer. 

"New Switzerland. "

"That gentleman is very curious, " observed Jack. 

Here a silence of some minutes ensued; the officer seemed at fault inhis geography. 

"Where away?" at last resounded from the trumpet. 

"Bound for Europe, " replied Fritz. 

This reply elicited an expression of doubt, accompanied with such atremendous exjurgation as made both Fritz and Jack almost shrink intothe hold. 

A few minutes after the Yankee in command stepped on board, andexplanations were entered into that perfectly satisfied the republicanofficer. He continued, however, to eye Willis curiously. 

The _Hoboken_, for that was the name of the strange ship, was anAmerican cruiser, carrying twelve ship guns and a long paixhan. Shewas attached to the Chinese station, but had recently obtainedinformation that war had been declared between England and the States. She was now making her way to the west by a circuitous route to avoidthe British squadron, and, at the same time, with a view to pick up anEnglish merchantman or two. 

Fritz and Jack being citizens of a sister republic, and subjects of aneutral power, were received on board with a hearty welcome, and withthe hospitality due to their interesting position. Willis alsoreceived some attention, and was treated with all the courtesy thatcould be shown to the native of an enemy's country. 

The pinnace was taken in tow till the young men made up their minds asto the course they would adopt. A free passage to the States waskindly offered to them, and even pressed upon their acceptance; butthe captain left the matter entirely to their own option. 

Fritz and Jack were delighted with the warmth of their reception; and, after being so long cooped up in the narrow quarters of the pinnace, looked upon the Yankee cruiser, with its men and officers in uniform, as a sort of floating palace. The _Nelson_ having been only adespatch-boat, it had given them but an indifferent idea of aman-of-war. On board the Yankee every thing was kept in apple-pieorder. Discipline was maintained with martinet strictness. Thefittings shone like a mirror. The brass cappings glistened in the sun. Complicated rolls of cable were profusely scattered about, but withoutconfusion. The deck always seemed as fresh as if it had been plankedthe day before. The sails overhead seemed to obey the word of commandof their own accord. The boatswain's whistle seemed to act upon themen like electricity. The seamen's cabins, six feet long by six feetbroad, in which a hammock, locker, and lashing apparatus wereconveniently stowed, were something very different from theaccommodation on board the pinnace. These things were regarded byFritz and Jack with great interest; and nowhere is the genius of manso brilliantly displayed as on board a well-appointed ship of war. 

The young men, however, when they sat down to dinner in the captain'scabin, and beheld a long table flanked with cushioned seats, commandedat each end by arm-chairs, the side-board plentifully garnished withplate and crystal of various kinds, fastened with copper nails toprevent damage from the ship's pitching, they did not reflect thatthey were in the crater of a volcano, and that two paces from wherethey sat there was powder enough to blow the ship and all its crew upinto the air. 

They were likewise highly amused by the perpetual "guessing, ""calculating, " "reckoning, " and inexhaustible curiosity of the crew;but their admiration of the ship, her guns, her stores, and hertackle, were boundless; they felt that their pinnace was a mere toy incomparison. The urbanity of the officers also was a source of muchgratification to them; Jack even declared that all the civilization ofEurope had been shipped on board the _Hoboken_, and in so far as thatwas concerned, they had no occasion to go on much further. 

The object of this expedition, however, was a surgeon. There was oneon board. Would he go to New Switzerland? Jack determined to try, andaccordingly he walked straight off to the personage in question. 

"Doctor, " said he, "would you do myself and my brother a great favor?"

"Certainly; and, if it is in my power, you may consider it done. "

"Well, will you embark with us for New Switzerland?"

"For what purpose, my friend?"

"My mother is laboring under a malady, which there is every reason tofear is cancer. "

"And suppose a fever was to break out in this ship whilst I amabsent, what do you imagine is to become of the officers and crew?"

"There are no symptoms of disease on board; but my mother is dying. "

"You forget, young man, that disease may make its appearance at anymoment. There are many sons on board whose lives are as dear to theirmothers as your mother's is to you, and for every one of these lives Iam officially accountable. "

Jack hung down his head and was silent. 

"No, my good friend, it is impossible for me to grant such a request;but, from what I know of your history, and the means at your command, you may be able to obtain the services of a competent medical man. Iwould, therefore, recommend you to abandon your boat, and proceed withus to our destination. "

After a lengthy consultation, the two brothers and Willis determinedto adopt this course. The cargo of the pinnace was accordinglytransferred to the hold of the _Hoboken_. A short summary of theirhistory was written, corked up in a bottle, and fastened to the mastof the _Mary_, which was then cut adrift. A tear gathered on thecheeks of the young men as they saw their old friend in adversitydropping slowly behind, and they did not withdraw their eyes from ittill every vestige of its hull was lost in the shadows of the waters. 

As Fritz and Jack were thus engaged in gazing listlessly on the ocean, and reflecting upon their altered prospects, and perhaps trying topenetrate the veil of the future, Willis came towards them rubbing hisbreast, as if he had been seized with a violent internal spasm. 

"Hilloa, " cried Jack, "the Pilot is sea-sick! Shall I run for somebrandy, Willis?"

"No, stop a bit; we were in hopes of falling in with CaptainLittlestone, were we not?"

"Yes; but what then?"

"We were disappointed, were we not?"

"Yes. That has not made you ill, has it?"

"No; somebody else has turned up; there is one of the _Nelson's_ crewon board this ship. "

"One of the _Nelson's_ crew?"

"Aye, and if you only knew how my heart beat when I saw him. "

"I can easily conceive your feelings, " said Jack, "for my own hearthas almost leaped into my mouth. "

"And I am thunderstruck, " added Fritz. 

"I went towards my old friend, " continued Willis, "with tears in myeyes, threw my arms round him, and gave him a hearty but affectionatehug. "

"And what did he say?"

"Nothing, at first; but, as soon as I left his arms at liberty, hegave me such a punch in the ribs as almost doubled me in two; it wasenough to knock the in'ards out of a rhinoceros--ugh!"

"A blow in earnest?" exclaimed Fritz in astonishment. 

"Yes; there was no mistake about it; it was a real, good, earnest JohnBull knock-down thump; it put me in mind of Portsmouth on a payday--ugh!"

"Extremely touching, " said Jack, smiling. 

"Then, when I called him by his name Bill Stubbs, and asked what hadbecome of the sloop, he said that he knew nothing at all about thesloop, and swore that he had never set his eyes on my figure-headbefore, the varmint--ugh!"

"Odd, " remarked Jack. 

"Are you sure of your man?" inquired Fritz. 

"But you say his name is Bill, whilst he declares his name is Bob. "

"Aye, he has evidently been up to some mischief, and changed histicket. "

"Then what conclusion do you draw from the affair. "

"I am completely bewildered, and scarcely know what to think; perhapsthe crew has mutinied, and turned Captain Littlestone adrift on adesert island. That is sometimes done. Perhaps--"

"It is no use perhapsing those sort of melancholy things, " said Fritz;"we may as well suppose, for the present, that Captain Littlestone issafe, and that your friend has been put on shore for somemisdemeanour. "

"May be, may be, Master Fritz; and I hope and trust it is so. But tohave an old comrade amongst us, who could give us all the informationwe want, and yet not to be able to get a single thing out of him--"

"Except a punch in the ribs, " suggested Jack. 

"Exactly; and a punch that will not let me forget the lubber in ahurry, " added Willis, clenching his fist; "but I intend, in themeantime, to keep my weather eye open. "

A few weeks after this episode the _Hoboken_ was slowly wending herway along the bights of the Bahamas. Fritz, Jack, and Willis werewalking and chatting on the quarter-deck. The sky was of a deep azure. The sea was covered with herbs and flowers as far as the eye couldreach--sometimes in compact masses of several miles in extent, and atother times in long straight ribbons, as regular as if they had beenspread by some West Indian Le Notre. The ship seemed merely displayingher graces in the sunshine, so gentle was she moving in the water. Theair was laden with perfumes, and a soft dreamy languor stole over thefriends, which they were trying in vain to shake off. In one directionrose the misty heights of St. Domingo, and in another the cloud-cappedsummits of Cuba. Sometimes the highest peaks of the latter pierced theveil that enveloped them, and seemed like islands floating in the sky, or heads of a race of giants. 

"The air here is almost as balmy and fragrant as that of NewSwitzerland, " remarked Fritz. 

"Aye, aye, " said the Pilot; "but it is not all gold that glitters: inthese sweet smells a nasty fever is concealed, with which I have nowish to renew my acquaintance. "

"By the way, talking about acquaintances, Willis, have you obtainedany further intelligence from your friend Bill, _alias_ Bob?" inquiredJack. 

"No, not a syllable; the viper is as cunning as a fox, and keeps hismouth as close as a mouse-trap. "

"He seems as obstinate as a mule, and as obdurate as a Chinaman intothe bargain. "

"All that, and more than that; but, " added Willis, "I have found outfrom the mate that he was pressed on board this ship at New Orleans. "

"Pressed on board?" said Fritz, inquiringly. 

"Yes; that is a mode of recruiting for the navy peculiar to Englandand the United States. Would you like to hear something about how thesystem is carried out?"

"Yes, Willis, very much. "

"The transactions, however, that I shall have to relate are in no waycreditable, either to myself or anybody else connected with them; andI am afraid, when you hear the particulars, you will be ready to turnround and say, your friend the Pilot is no good after all. "

"Have you, then, been desperately wicked, Willis?"

"Well, that depends entirely upon the view you take of what I am totell you. Listen. "

FOOTNOTES:

[H] Sometimes called the _Ladrones_ or _Archipelago of Saint Lazarus_. 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

IN WHICH WILLIS SHOWS, THAT THE TERM PRESS-GANG MEANS SOMETHING ELSEBESIDES THE GENTLEMEN OF THE PRESS. 

"When I was a youngster, about a year or two older than you are now, Master Fritz, I slipped on board the brig _Norfolk_ as boatswain'smate. The ship at the time was short of hands, so there was noimmediate probability of her weighing anchor; but on the same day Iscratched my name on the books a despatch arrived, in consequence ofwhich we left the harbor, and proceeded out to sea under sealedorders. One day, when off the Irish coast, I was called aft by thefirst lieutenant. 

"'You know something of Cork, my man, I believe?' said he. 

"'Yes, your honor, I have been ashore there once or twice, ' said I. 

"'Very good, ' said he; 'get ready to go ashore there again as quick asyou like. '

"Leave to go on shore is always agreeable to a sailor. He prefers thesea, but likes to stretch himself on land now and then, just to enjoya change of air, and look about him a bit; so it was with all possibleexpedition that I made the requisite preparations. 

"When I reappeared, I found a party of twenty men mustered on deck inpipe-clay order. A full ration of small arms was served out to them, and, under the command of the lieutenant, we embarked in the long-boatand rowed ashore. We landed at a point of the coast some miles distantfrom Cork, and it was dark before we reached the military barracks ofthat town, which, for the present, appeared to be our destination. 

"I had not the slightest idea of what we were to do on shore. From ourbeing so heavily armed, I knew it was no mere escort or parade dutythat was in question, and began to think there was work of some kindon hand. This gave me no kind of uneasiness. I only wondered whateverit could be, for there was clearly a mystery of some kind or other. Were we going to besiege Paddy, in his own peaceable city of Cork? Hadsome of the peep-o'-day boys been burning down farmer Magrath's ricksagain? or was there a private still to be routed out and demolished? Icould not tell. 

"Half an hour after our arrival, I was called into a private room bythe lieutenant, who was seated at a table with a package of clothesbeside him. The first lieutenant of the _Norfolk_, I must remark, wasa bit of an original. He had won his way up to the rank he then heldfrom before the mast. His build was rather squat, and his face wasgarnished with a pair of fiery red whiskers, so he was no beauty, added to which he was reckoned one of the most rigid martinets in theservice; yet, for all that, his crew liked him, for they knew hisheart was in the right place. 

"'See, my man, ' said he, 'take this package, and rig yourself out inthe toggery it contains. '

"I obeyed this order, and soon after stood before him, in a pair ofjack-boots, with a slouching sort of tarpauling hat on my head, sothat I might either have passed for a manner out of luck or a dustman. 

"'Well, ' said the lieutenant, laughing, 'now you have quite the air ofthe hulks about you. '

"This remark not being very complimentary, I did not feel called uponto make any reply. 

"'You know, ' he continued, 'that the brig is short about a dozenhands, and I want you to pick up a few likely lads here. I understandthere are a number of able-bodied seamen skulking about thepublic-houses, where they will likely remain as long as their moneylasts. I should like to secure as many of them as possible, and thencapture a few stout landsmen to make up the number; but, in the firstplace, I want you to go and find out the best place to make a razzia. '

"I stared when I found myself all at once promoted to the post ofpioneer for a party of kidnappers, and muttered something or otherabout honor. 

"'Honor, sir!' roared the lieutenant, 'what has honor to do with it, sir? It is duty, sir. It is the laws of the service, sir, and you mustobey them, sir. '

"'But it is hard, your honor, ' said I, 'that the laws of the serviceshould force men to do what they think is wrong. '

"'And what right, sir, have you to think it is wrong, or to judge theacts of your superiors? If the laws of the service order you fiftylashes at the yard-arm to-morrow, you will find that you will getthem. Do you want to be handed over to the drummer, and to cultivatean acquaintance with the cat?'

"'No, your honor, ' said I, laughing. 

"The lieutenant's face by this time was as red as his whiskers, and, though he was in a towering rage, he quickly calmed down again, likeboiling milk when it is taken off the fire. 

"'Then, ' said he, quietly, 'am I to understand you refuse?'

"'No, your honor, ' said I. 'If it is my duty, I must obey; but youwill pardon the liberty, when I say that it is hard to be forced todrag away a lot of poor fellows against their wills. '

"'Look ye, ' replied the lieutenant, 'I tolerate your freedom of speechfor two reasons--the first, because we are here alone, and no harm isdone; the second, because I entertain the same opinion myself; but, mind you, we are both bound by the regulations of the service, and itis mutiny for either of us to disobey. '

"According to the moral law, the mission with which I was chargedcould scarcely be considered honorable; but, according to the laws ofthe land, or rather of the sea, it was perfectly unexceptionable. Amongst the seamen, a foray amongst the landlubbers was regarded morein the light of a spree than anything else. If, indeed, it werepossible to pick up the lazy and idle amongst the population, thismode of enlistment might be useful; but often the industrious head ofa family was seized, whilst the idle escaped. It was rare, however, that a ship's crew were employed in this sort of duty; men were moreusually obtained through the crimps on shore, who often fearfullyabused the authority with which they were invested for the purpose. Asfor myself, the lieutenant's arguments removed all my scruples, if Iever had any. 

"I then suggested a plan of operations, which was approved. The menwere to be kept ready for action, and the lieutenant himself was toawait my report at the 'Green Dragon, ' one of the hotels in the town. 

"At that time there was in the outskirts of Cork a sort of tavern andlodging-house, called the 'Molly Bawn. ' This establishment wasfrequented by the lowest class of seamen and 'tramps. ' Thither Iwended my way. It was late when I arrived in front of the place; andwhilst hesitating whether I should venture into such a preciousmenagerie, I happened to look round, and, by the light of a dim lampthat burned at the corner of the street, I caught a glimpse of thelieutenant leaning against the wall, quietly smoking an Irish dudeen. "

"Like Rono the Great in the island of Hawai, " suggested Jack. 

"Something. This, however, cut short my deliberations. I walked in. There was a crowd of men and women drinking and smoking about the bar. These, however, were not the people I sought. The regular tenants ofthe house were not amongst that lot, and it was essential for me tofind out in what part of the premises they were stowed. I commencedproceedings by ordering a noggin of whisky, and making love to thedamsel that brought it in. After having formally made her an offer ofmarriage, I asked after the landlord. She told me he was engaged withsome customers, but offered to take a message to him. 

"'Then, ' said I, 'just tell him that a friend of One-eyed Dick's wouldlike to have a parley with him. '"

"And who was One-eyed Dick?" inquired Fritz. 

"One of the crew of a piratical craft captured by one of our cruisersa few months before, and who at that time was safely lodged inPortsmouth jail. 

"The girl soon returned. She told me to walk with her, and led methrough some narrow passages into what appeared to be another house. She knocked at a door that was strongly barred and fastened inside. Aslight glance at these precautions made me aware that there was nochance of making a capture here without creating a great disturbance. So, after reflecting an instant, I decided upon adopting some othercourse. 

"When the door was opened I could see nothing distinctly; there was aturf-fire throwing a red glare out of the chimney, a dim oil-lamp hungfrom the roof, but everything was hidden in a dense cloud of tobaccosmoke, through which the light was not sufficiently powerful topenetrate. "

"The atmosphere must have been stifling, " observed Fritz. 

"Yes, it puts me in mind of your remark about the air, which, yousaid, consists of--let me see--"

"Oxygen and hydrogen. "

"Just so; but the air a sailor breathes when he is at home consistsalmost entirely of tobacco smoke. At last, I could make out twenty orthirty rough-looking fellows seated on each side of a long deal tablecovered with bottles, glasses, and pipes. Dan Hooligan, the landlord, sat at the top--a fit president for such an assembly. He was partly asmuggler, partly a publican, and wholly a sinner. I should say thatthe liquor consumed at that table did not much good to the revenue. How Dan contrived to escape the laws, was a mystery perhaps best knownto the police. "

"So you are a pal of One-eyed Dick's, are you?' said he. 

"'Rather, ' said I, adopting the slang of the place. 

"'Well, ' said he, 'Dick has been a good customer of mine, and all hispals are welcome at the 'Molly. ' I have not seen him lately, however--how goes it with him now?'

"'Right as a trivet, ' said I, 'and making lots of rhino. '

"'Glad to hear it; and what latitude does he hail in now?'

"'That, ' said I, 'is private and confidential. '

"'Oh, ' said he, 'there are no outsiders here, we are all sworn friendsof Dick's, every mother's son of us. '

"'Then, ' said I, 'Dick is off the Cove in the schooner _Nancy_, ofBrest, '"

"Holloa, Willis, " cried Jack, "there was a fib!"

"Well, I told you to look out for something of that sort when Ibegan. "

"'What!' cried the landlord, 'Dick in a schooner off the Irish coast?'

"'Yes, ' said I; 'and aboard that schooner there is as tight a cargo ofbrandy and tobacco as ever you set eyes upon. '

"Here the landlord pricked up his ears, and the rest of the companybegan to listen attentively. The fellow that sat next me coolly toldme that both he and Dick had been lagged for horse-stealing, and hadsubsequently broken out of prison and escaped. He further told me thatmost of the gentlemen present had been all, one way or another, mixedup with Dick's doings; from which I concluded they were a rare parcelof scamps, and resolved, within myself, to try and bag the wholesquad. They were all stout fellows enough, most of them seamen. Ithought they might be able to 'do the State some service, ' anddetermined to convert them into honest men, if I could. '

"'Dick cannot come ashore, ' said I; 'some one of his old pals here haspeached, and there is a warrant out against him. '

"This information threw the assembly into a state of violentcommotion. They rose up, and swore terrible vengeance against the headof the unfortunate culprit when they caught him. The oaths ratheralarmed me at first, for they were of a most ferocious stamp. 

"'Yes, ' continued I, 'Dick is aboard the schooner, but, as there aretwo or three warrants out against him, he does not care about comingashore; so said he to me, 'We want a lugger and a few hands to run thecargo ashore; and if you look in at the 'Molly, ' and see my old pal, Dan, perhaps you will find some lads there willing to give us a turn. The captain said, if the thing was done clean off, he would standsomething handsome. "

"'Just the thing for us!' shouted half a dozen voices. 

"'But the lugger?' said I. 

"'Oh, Phil Doolan, at the Cove, has a craft that has landed as manycargoes as there are planks in her hull. Besides, he has stowage for afleet of East Indiamen. '

"'Well, gentlemen, " said I, 'the chaplain, One-eyed Dick, and myself, will be at Phil Doolan's to-morrow at midnight; do you agree to meetus there?'

"This question was answered by a universal 'Yes;' and by way ofclenching the affair, I ordered a couple of gallons of the stiffestpotheen in the house. This was received with three cheers, and beforeI left the 'Molly' every man-jack of them had disappeared under thetable. Dan himself, however, kept tolerably sober, and promised, onaccount of his friendship for One-eyed Dick, to have the whole kitsafe at Phil Doolan's by twelve o'clock next night, and with thisassurance I made my exit from the premises, and steered for the'George and Dragon. '

"The lieutenant agreed with me in thinking that it would cause toomuch uproar to attack the 'Molly Bawn. ' He congratulated me on mysuccess in laying a trap for the people, and promising to meet me atthe Cove, he ordered a car, and drove off in the direction of the_Norfolk's_ boat. Early next morning I started to reconnoitre theground and organize my plan of operations. I found Phil Doolan'smansion to be a mud-built tenement, larger, and standing apart from, the houses that then constituted the village. It was ostensibly asailor's lodging-house and tavern for wayfarers, but, like the 'MollyBawn, ' was in reality a rendezvous of smugglers, occasionallypatronized by fugitive poachers and patriots. It was known to itsfamiliars as 'The Crib, ' but was registered by the authorities as the'Father Mahony, ' who was represented on the sign-post by a full-lengthportrait of James the Second. What gave me most satisfaction was toobserve that the building was conveniently situated for a sack. 

[Illustration]

"When night set in I marched the _Norfolk's_ men in close order, and as secretly as possible, to the Cove. Approaching Phil Doolan's inone direction, I could just catch a glimpse of the red coats of a fileof marines advancing in another, with the lieutenant at their head, and, exactly as twelve o'clock struck on the parish clock, the 'FatherMahony' was surrounded on all sides by armed men. Two or threelanterns were now lit, and dispositions made to close up every avenueof escape. "

"'There he is!' cried Willis, interrupting himself, and staring intothe air. 

"Who?" inquired Jack--"Phil Doolan?"

"No--Bill Stubbs, late of the _Nelson_. "

"Where?"

"That squat, broad-shouldered man there, bracing the maintops. "

"Yes, now that you point him out, I think I have seen him before, "said Fritz. 

"Holloa, Bill, " cried Jack. 

"You see, " said Willis, "he turned his head. "

"How d'ye do, Bill?" added Jack. 

"Are you speak'ng to me, sir?" inquired the sailor. 

"Yes, Bill. "

"Then was your honor present when I was christened? I appear to haveforgotten my name for the last six-and thirty years. "

"No use, you see, " said Willis; "he is too old a bird to be caught byany of these dodges. But I have lost the thread of my discourse. "

"You had surrounded the cabin, and were lighting lamps. "

"Half a dozen men were stationed at the door, pistol in hand, ready torush in as soon as it opened. The lieutenant and I went forward andknocked, but no one answered. We knocked again, louder than before, but still no answer. 

"'Open the door, in the King's name!' thundered the lieutenant. Silence, as before. 

"Calling to the marines, he ordered them to root up Phil Doolan'ssign-post, and use it as a battering ram against the door. The firstblow of this machine nearly brought the house down, and a crackedvoice was heard calling on the saints inside. 

"'Blessed St. Patrick!' croaked the voice, 'whativer are ye kicking upsuch a shindy out there for? Whativer d'ye want wid an old woman, andniver a livin' sowl in the house 'cept meself and Kathleen in hercoffin?'

"'Kathleen is dead, then?' said the lieutenant with a grin. 

"'Save yer honor's presence, she's off to glory, an' as dead as aherrin, ' replied the voice. 

"'Really!' said the lieutenant, 'and where is Phil Doolan?'

"'Och, yer honor? he's gone to get some potheen for the wake. '

"'Well, ' said the lieutenant, 'I should like to take a share in wakingthe defunct--what's her name?'

"'Kathleen, yer honor. '

"'Well, just let us in to take a last look at the worthy creature. '

"The door then creaked on its rusty hinges, and we entered. Not asoul, however, was to be seen anywhere, save and except the old womanherself. The coffin containing the remains of Kathleen, resting on twostools, stood in the middle of the floor, with a plate of salt asusual on the lid. I fairly thought I had been done, and looked uponmyself as the laughing stock of the entire fleet. "

"So far, " remarked Jack, "your story has been all right, but the lastepisode was rather negligently handled. "

"How?" inquired Willis. 

"Why, you did not make enough of the coffin scene; your description istoo meagre. You should have said, that the wind blew without in fiercegusts, the weathercocks screeched on the roofs, and caused you todread that the ghost of the defunct was coming down the chimney; largeflakes of snow were rushing through the half-open door; a solitaryrushlight dimly lit up the chamber, and cast frightful shadows uponthe wall. "

"Well; but the night was fine, and there was not a breath of wind. "

"What about that? A little wind, more or less, a weathercock or so, some drops of rain, or a few flakes of snow, do not materially detractfrom the truth, whilst they heighten the color of the picture. "

"And if some lightning tearing through the clouds were added?"

"Yes, that would most undoubtedly increase the effect; but go on withyour story. "

"I knew Phil to be an artful dodger, and was determined not to befoiled by a mere trick, so I laid hold of a lantern and closelyexamined the walls and flooring. My investigation was successful, forjust under the coffin I detected traces of a trap-door. "

"'Well, my good woman, what have you got down there?" inquired thelieutenant. 

"'Is it underground, ye mane, yer honor? divil a hail's there, if itisn't the rats. '

"'Well, just remove the coffin a little aside; we shall see if wecannot pepper some of the rats for you. '

"Here the old woman appealed to a vast number of saints, and protestedagainst Kathleen's remains being disturbed. The lieutenant, however, grew tired of this farce, and ordered the coffin to be shifted. Asailor accordingly laid hold of each end. 

"'Blazes!' said one, 'here is a body that weighs. '

"'Perhaps, ' said the other, 'the coffin is lined with lead. '

"The trap-door was drawn up, and the lieutenant, pistol in hand, descended alone. 

"'Now, my lads, ' said he, addressing some invisible personages, 'weknow you are here, and I call upon you to yield in the King'sname--resistance is useless, the house is surrounded, and we are inforce, so you had better give in without more ado. '

"No answer was returned to this exordium; but we heard the murmuringof muffled voices, as if the rapscallions were deliberating. I nowdescended with my lamp, followed by some of the seamen, and beheld myfriends of the night before either stretched on the ground or proppedup against the walls, like a lot of mummies in an Egyptian tomb. 

"They were handcuffed one by one, pushed or hauled up the stairs, andthen tied to one another in a line. When we had secured the whole lotof them in this way--

"'Lieutenant, ' said I, winking, 'will you permit me to send a ballinto that coffin?'

"'Please yourself about that, young man, ' said he. 

"Here the old woman recommenced howling again and called upon all thesaints in the calendar to punish us for my sacrilegious design. 

"'Shoot a dead body, ' said I, 'where's the harm?' Besides, what isthat salt there for?'

"'To keep away evil spirits, ' was the reply. 

"'Very well, ' said I, 'my pistol will scare them away as well. ' Then, cocking it with a loud clink, I presented it slowly at the coffin. "

"The lid all at once flew off--the salt-was thrown on the ground witha crash--the defunct suddenly returned from the other world in perfecthealth, and sat half upright in his bier. I did not recognize theindividual at first, but, on closer inspection, found him to be mycommunicative companion of the preceding night--the horse-stealer ofthe 'Molly Bawn;' and, being a stout young fellow, he was harnessed tothe others, and we commenced our march to the boats. "

"You do not appear to have had much trouble in effecting the capture, "remarked Fritz. 

"No; the men were unarmed, and were nearly all intoxicated. You neversaw such a troop; scarcely one of them could walk straight; theyassumed all sorts of figures; the file of prisoners was just like abar of music, it was a string of quavers, crotchets, and zig-zags. Luckily, it was late at night, else we might have had the villageabout our ears, and, instead of flakes of snow and screechingweathercocks, we might have had a shower of dead cats and rotten eggs. Probably a rescue might have been attempted; at all events, we mighthave calculated on a volley of brickbats on our way to the boats. There would have been no end of commotion, uproar, confusion, andhubbub, possibly smashed noses, blackened eyes, broken beads--"

"Holloa, Willis!"

"You said just now that a little colouring was necessary. "

"Certainly; but the privilege ought not to be abused. Besides, brokenheads and smashed faces are the realities, and not the accessories ofthe picture. "

"Oh, I see. If it is night, the moon should be introduced; and if itis day, the sun--and so on?"

"Of course; and, if the circumstances are of a pleasing nature, youmust leave horrors and terrors on your pallette; change gusts intozephyrs, snow into roses and violets, and the weathercocks into goldenvanes glittering in the sunshine. "

"I understand. "

"You want to color a popular outbreak, do you not?"

"Yes. "

"Then you should introduce a tempest howling, the waves roaring, thelightning flashing, and discord raging in the air as well as on theearth. "

"Well, to continue my story. Although it was midnight, the disturbancebegan to wake up the villagers, and a crowd was collecting, so wehurried off our prisoners to the boats as speedily as we could. Somefive and twenty able bodied men were thus added to his Majesty'sfleet. The object of our visit to the Irish coast was accomplished, and the _Norfolk_ continued her voyage to the West Indies. Now youknow what is meant by the word _pressed_, and likewise the nauticalsignification of the word _press-gang_. "

"And you say that Bill Stubbs has been trapped on board this ship bysuch means?"

"Yes, at New Orleans. "

"According to your story, then, that does not say very much in hisfavor?"

"No, not a great deal; still, that proves nothing--the fact of hiscalling himself Bob is a worse feature. A man does not generallychange his name without having good, or rather bad, reasons for it. "

"What appears to me, " remarked Fritz, "as the most singular feature ofyour press-gang adventure is, that you are alive to tell it. "

"Why so?"

"Because I think it ought to end thus: 'The victims of the press-gangstrangled Willis a few days after, '"

"Aye, aye, but you do not know what a sailor is; our recruits had notbeen a fortnight at sea before they entirely forgot the trick I hadplayed them. "

Just as Willis concluded his narrative, the man at the mast-headcalled out, "Sail ho!"

"Where away?" bawled the captain. 

"Right a-head, " replied the voice. 

The _Hoboken_ had hitherto pursued her voyage uninterruptedly, and theYankee captain now prepared to signalize himself by a capture. 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

A SEA FIGHT--ANOTHER IDEA OF THE PILOT'S--THE BOUDEUSE. 

The captain of the _Hoboken_ was rather pleased than otherwise whenthe look-out reported the strange sail to show English colors. Helooked rather glum, however, half an hour afterwards, when the samevoice bawled that she was a bull-dog looking craft, schooner-rigged, and pierced for sixteen guns. The Yankee had hoped to fall in with afat West Indiaman, instead of which he had now to deal with aman-of-war, carrying, perhaps, a larger weight of metal than himself. 

The heads of the two ships were standing in towards each other, therewas no wind to speak of, but every hour lessened the distance thatseparated the antagonists. 

"Pilot, " said the captain, addressing Willis, "be kind enough to letme know what you think of that craft. "

"I think, " said Willis, taking the telescope, "I have had my eyes onher before. Aye, aye, just as I thought. An old tub of a Spaniardconverted into an English cruiser, and commanded by CommodoreTruncheon, I shouldn't wonder. She has caught a Tartar this time, however. Nothing of a sailer. If a breeze springs up, you may easilygive her the slip, if you like, captain. "

"Give her the slip! No, not if I can help it. My cruise hitherto hasnot been very successful, and I must send her into New York as aprize. Mr. Brill, " added he, addressing the officer next in command, "prepare for action. "

In an instant all was commotion and bustle on deck. Half an hourafter, the captain, now in full uniform, took a hasty glance at theposition of his crew. A portion of the men were stationed at the guns, with lighted matches. Others were engaged in heating shot, andpreparing other instruments of destruction. Jack and Fritz, armed withmuskets, were ready to act as sharp-shooters as soon as the enemy camewithin range, and Willis was standing beside them, with his hands inhis pockets, quietly smoking his pipe. 

"What, Pilot!" exclaimed the captain in passing, "don't you intend totake part in the skirmish?"

"I am much your debtor, captain, but I cannot do that. "

"And these young men?"

"They are not Englishmen, and your kindness to them entitles you toclaim their assistance. I am sorry that honor and duty prevent megiving you mine. "

"No matter, captain, " said Fritz, "my brother and myself will do dutyfor three. "

"Then, Pilot, you had better go below. "

"With your permission, captain, I would rather stay and look on. "

"But what is the use of exposing yourself here?"

"It is an idea of mine, captain. But I shall remain perfectly neutralduring the engagement. "

"As you like then, Pilot, as you like, " said the captain, as heresumed his place on the quarter-deck. 

At this moment a cannon ball whistled through the air. 

"Good, " said Willis; "the commodore gives the signal. "

"That shot, " observed Jack, "passed at no great distance from yourhead, Willis. You had better take a musket in self-defence. Besides, that ship is English, and you are a Scotchman. "

"The ship is a Spaniard by birth, " replied Willis, "and it is prettywell time it was converted into firewood, for the matter of that. Butit is the flag, my boy--_that_ is neither Spanish nor English. "

"What is it, then?" inquired Fritz. 

"It is the union-jack, Master Fritz. It is the ensign of Scotland, England, and Ireland united under one bonnet; and as such, it is assacred in my eyes as if it bore the cross of St. Andrew. "

Musket balls were now rattling pretty freely amongst the shrouds. Theyoung men levelled their muskets and fired. 

Soon after, the two ships were abreast of each other, and almost atthe same instant both discharged a deadly broadside. The conflictbecame general. The crashing of the woodwork and the roaring of theguns was deafening. A thick smoke enveloped the two vessels, so thatnothing could be seen of the one from the other; still the firing andcrashing went on. The sails were torn to shreds, the deck wasencumbered with fragments of timber; men were now and then falling, either killed or wounded, and a fatigue party was constantly engagedin removing the bodies. There are people who consider such a spectaclemagnificent; but that is only because they have never witnessed itshorrors. 

Already many immortal souls had returned to their Maker; many sons hadbecome orphans, and many wives had been deprived of their husbands;but as yet there was nothing to indicate on which side victory was tobe declared. Soon, however, a cry of fire was raised, which causedgreat confusion; and another cry, announcing that the captain hadfallen, increased the disorder. 

A ball crashed through the taffrail, near where Jack and Fritz werestanding; it passed between them, but they were both severely woundedby the splinters, and were conveyed by Willis to the cockpit. Thedoctor, seeing his old friend Jack handed down the ladder, hastenedtowards him and tore out a piece of wood from the fleshy part of hisarm. He next turned to Fritz, who had received a severe flesh-wound onthe shoulder. When both wounds were bandaged, he left the care of theyoung men to Willis, who had escaped with a few scratches, which, however, were bleeding pretty freely--to these he did not pay theslightest attention. 

"How stands the contest?" inquired Fritz in a weak voice. 

"The _Hoboken_ is done for, " replied Willis; "the commodore waspreparing to board when we left the deck; but it does not make muchdifference; we shall go to England instead of America, that is all. "

"God's will be done, " said Fritz. 

Just then Bill Stubbs was swung down in a hammock; both his legs hadbeen shot off by a cannon ball. The surgeon could only now attend to atithe of his patients, so numerous had the wounded become. A glance atthe new comer satisfied him that he was beyond all human skill, and hedirected his attention to the cases that promised some hopes ofrecovery. Willis, seeing that his old comrade was abandoned to diealmost uncared for, staunched his wounds as well as he could, fetchedhim a panniken of water, and performed a number of other little actsof kindness and good will. This he did, less with a view of obtainingan explanation from him at a moment when no man lies, than to mitigatethe pangs of his last convulsions. For an instant the old mariner'sbody appeared re-animated with life. His eyes were fixed upon Williswith an ineffable expression of recognition and regret. Heconvulsively grasped the Pilot's hand and pressed it to his breast, and his lips parted as if to speak. Willis bent his ear to the mouthof the dying man, but all that followed was an expiring sigh. Hisearthly career was ended. 

The hardy sailor who is supposed never to shed a tear, then wiped thecorner of his eyes. Next he turned to the children of his adoption, whose pale faces indicated the amount of blood they had shed, andwhose wounds, if he could have transferred them to himself, would haveless pained his powerful muscles than they now grieved his excellentheart. 

A party of boarders from the enemy had taken possession of the ship. Willis reported himself to the officer in command, and at his request, Fritz and Jack, together with the cargo of the pinnace, were conveyedon board the victorious schooner. Shortly after the _Hoboken_ wasdespatched to Bermuda as a prize, with the prisoners, the wounded, andthe dying. 

The old tub that had gained this victory was named the _Arzobispo_, having, as Willis supposed, been captured in the Spanish Main. It wasunder the command of Commodore Truncheon, better known in the fleet bythe _soubriquet_ of Old Flyblow. 

The _Arzobispo_, though old and clumsy, was a stout-built craft; andso thick was its hide, that the broadsides of the Yankee had done thehull no damage to speak of. The superstructure, however, wascompletely shattered; the masts and rigging hung like sweeps over thesides; and, to the unpractised eye, the ship was a complete wreck. Afew days, however, sufficed to put everything to rights again so faras regards external appearance; but how this impromptu carpentry wouldstand a storm was another question. 

The commodore was on his way to Europe when he fell in with theYankee, and, notwithstanding the disabled condition of the ship, heresolved to continue his voyage. Some of the officers expostulatedwith him on the hazard of crossing the Atlantic in so shaky a trim. Heonly got red in the face, and said that he had crossed theherring-pond hundreds of times in crafts not half so seaworthy. He waslike the

 Froggy who would a wooing go, Whether his mother would let him or no. 

The consequences of this defiance of advice were fatal to Old Flyblow;for, a week or two after his victory, he was pounced upon by theFrench corvette, _Boudeuse_, which was fresh, heavily armed, and wellmanned. The commodore's jury masts were knocked to pieces by the firstbroadside, his flag went by the board, and he was completely at theenemy's mercy. Willis lent a hand this time with a good will; but itwas of no use, the wreck would not obey the helm, and the corvettehovered about, firing broadsides, and sending in discharges ofmusketry, when and where she liked. It was only when the commodore sawclearly that there was neither mast nor sail enough to yaw the ship, that he waved his cocked hat in token of surrender. 

Fritz and Jack were still confined below with their wounds, whenWillis brought them word that they would have to shift themselves andtheir cargo once more. The captain received them on board the_Boudeuse_ with marked courtesy, and informed them that he was bounddirect for Havre de Grace. 

"It seems, then, " said the Pilot, "that neither America nor Englandis to be our destination after all. But never mind, there are no lackof surgeons amongst the _mounseers_. "

"If we go on this way much longer, " said Jack, sighing, "we shall becarried round the world without arriving anywhere. Alas, my poormother!"

CHAPTER XXV. 

DELHI--WILLIAM OF NORMANDY AND KING JOHN--ISABELLA OF BAVARIA AND JOANOF ARC--POITIERS AND BOVINES--HISTORY OF A GHOST, A GRIDIRON, AND ACHEST OF GUINEAS. 

At first the three adventurers were regarded as prisoners of war;when, however, their entire history came to be known, and theirextraordinary migrations from ship to ship authenticated, they werelooked upon as guests, and treated as friends. 

"I thought I had only obtained possession of an English cruiser, " saidthe captain; "but I find I have also acquired the right of beinguseful to you. "

The commander of the _Boudeuse_ was a very different sort of a personfrom Commodore Truncheon; the former treated his men as if every oneof them had a title and great influence at the Admiralty, whilst thelatter swore at his crew as if the word of command could not beunderstood without a supplementary oath. The English commodore mightbe the better sailor of the two, but certainly the French captaincarried off the palm as regards politeness, urbanity, and gentlemanlybearing. 

The wounds of Fritz and Jack were healing rapidly under the skilfultreatment of the French surgeon, and, with a lift from Willis, theywere able to walk a portion of the day on deck. With reviving health, their cheerful hopes of the future returned, their dormant spiritswere re-awakened, and their minds regained their wonted animation. 

"The corvette spins along admirably, " said the Pilot, "and is steeringstraight for the Bay of Biscay. "

"Ah!" said Jack sighing, "it is very easy to steer for a place, but itis not quite so easy to get there. I am sick of your friend the sea, Willis; and would give my largest pearl for a glimpse of a town, avillage, or even a street. "

"If you want to see a street in all its glory, Master Jack, you musttry and get the captain to alter his course for Delhi. "

"But I should think, Willis, that there is nothing in thestreet-scenery of Delhi to compare with the Boulevards of Paris, Regent-street in London, or the Broadway of New York. "

"Beg your pardon there, Master Jack; I know every shop window inRegent-street; I have often been nearly run over in the Broadway, andcan easily imagine the turn out on the Boulevards; but they aresolitudes in comparison with an Indian street. "

"How so, Willis?"

"Well, it is not that there are more inhabitants, nor on account ofthe traffic, for no streets in the world will beat those of London inthat respect--it is because the people live, move, and have theirbeing in the streets; they eat, drink, and sleep in the streets; theysing, dance, and pray in the streets; conventions, treaties, andalliances are concluded in the streets; in short, the street is theIndians' home, his club, and his temple. In Europe, transactions arenegotiated quietly; in India, nothing can be done without roaring, screaming, and bawling. "

"There must be plenty of deaf people there, " observed Jack. 

"Possibly; but there are no dumb people. Added to the endlessvociferations of the human voice, there is an eternal barking of dogs, elephants snorting, cows lowing, and myriads of pigs grunting. Thenthere is the thump, thump of the tam-tam, the whistling of fifes, andthe screeching of a horrible instrument resembling a fiddle, which canonly be compared with the Belzebub music of Hawai. If, amongst thesediscordant sounds, you throw in a cloud of mosquitoes and a hurricaneof dust, you will have a tolerable idea of an Indian street. "

"There may be animation and life enough, Willis, but I should preferthe monotony of Regent-street for all that. Would you like to airyourself in Paris a bit?"

"Yes, but not just now; the less my countrymen see of France, underpresent circumstances, the better. "

"What is England and France always fighting about, Willis?"

"Well, I believe the cause this time to be a shindy the _mounseers_got up amongst themselves in 1788. They first cut off the head oftheir king, and then commenced to cut one another's throats, andEngland interfered. "

"That, " observed Fritz, "may be the immediate origin of the presentwar [1812]. But for the cause of the animosity existing between thetwo nations, you must, I suspect, go back as far as the eleventhcentury, to the time of William, Duke of Normandy. "

"What had he to do with it?"

"A great deal. He claimed a right, real or pretended, to the Englishthrone. He crossed the Channel, and, in 1066, defeated Harold, King ofEngland, at the battle of Hastings. "

"Both William and Harold were originally Danes, were they not?"inquired Jack. 

"Yes; I think Rollo, William's grandfather, was a Norman adventurer, or sea-king, as these marauders were sometimes called. William, afterthe victory of Hastings, proclaimed himself King of England and Dukeof Normandy, and assumed the designation of William the Conqueror. "

"Then how did France get mixed up in the affair?" inquired Willis. 

"William's grandfather, when he seized the dukedom cf Normandy, becamevirtually a vassal of the King of France, though it is doubtfulwhether he ever took the trouble to recognize the suzerainty of thethrone. As sovereign, however, the King of France claimed the right ofhomage, which consisted, according to feudal usage, in the vassaladvancing, bare-headed, without sword or spurs, and kneeling at thefoot of the throne. "

"Was this right ever enforced?"

"Yes, in one case at least. John Lackland--or, as the French calledhim, John Sans Terre--having assassinated his nephew Arthur, Duke ofBrittany, in order to obtain possession of his lands, was summoned byPhilip Augustus, King of France, to justify his crime. John did notobey the summons, was declared guilty of felony, and Philip tookpossession of Normandy. Thus the first step to hostilities was laiddown. "

"The English having lost Normandy, the vassalage ceased. "

"Yes, so far as regards Normandy; but, in the meantime, Louis leJeune, King of France, unfortunately divorced his wife, Elenor ofAquitaine, who afterwards married an English prince, and addedGuienne, another French dukedom to the English crown. "

"So another vassalage sprung up. "

"Exactly. All the French King insisted upon was the homage; but EdwardIII. Of England, instead of bending his knee to Philip of Valois, argued with himself in this way: 'If I were King of England and Franceas well, the claim of homage for the dukedom of Guienne would beextinguished. '"

"Rather cool that, " said Jack, laughing. 

"'We shall then, ' Edward said to himself, 'be our own sovereign, anddo homage to ourself, which would save a deal of bother. '"

"Well, he was right there, at least, " remarked the Pilot. 

"The King of France, however, entertained a different view of thesubject. Hence arose an endless succession of sieges, battles, conquests, defeats, exterminations, and hatreds, which, no doubt, gaverise to the ill-feeling that exists at present between England andFrance. It is curious, at the same time, to observe what mischiefindividual acts may occasion. If William of Normandy had remainedcontented with his dukedom, and Louis le Jeune had not divorced hiswife, France would not have lost the disastrous battles of Agincourtand Poitiers. "

"Nor gained the brilliant victory of Bovines, " suggested Jack. 

"Certainly not; but she would have been spared the indignity of havingone of her kings marched through the streets of London as a prisoner. "

"True; but, on the other hand, the captured monarch would not havehad an opportunity of illustrating the laws of honor in his ownperson. He returned loyally to England and resumed his chains, when hefound that the enormous sum demanded by England for his ransom wouldimpoverish his people: otherwise he could not have given birth to themaxim, 'That though good faith be banished from all the world beside, it ought still to be found in the hearts of kings. '"

"One of the kings of Scotland, " remarked Willis, "was placed in asimilar position. The Scottish army had been cut to pieces at thebattle of Flodden, the king was captured in his harness, conveyed toLondon, and the people had to pay a great deal more to obtain hisfreedom than he was worth. But, before that, the Scotch nearly caughtone of the Edwards. This time the English army had been cut to pieces;but the king did not wait to be captured, he took to his heels, orrather to his horse's hoofs. He was beautifully mounted, and followedby half a dozen Scottish troopers; away he went, over hill and dale, ditch and river. Dick Turpin's ride from London to York was nothing toit. The king proved himself to be a first-rate horseman, for, afterbeing chased this way over half the country, he succeeded in bafflinghis pursuers. All these escapades between England and Scotland are, however, forgotten now, or at least ought to be; there are, doubtless, a few thick-headed persons in both sections of the empire who delightin keeping alive old prejudices, but they will die out in time. "

"It seems, however, they have not died away yet, " said Fritz, "in sofar as regards France and England, since the two countries are at waragain. But, as I observed before, had it not been for the ambition ofWilliam and the anti-connubial propensities of John, the English wouldnever have been masters of Paris, and a great part of France underCharles VI. "

"Still, in that case, " persisted Jack, "Charles VII. Would not havehad the opportunity of liberating his country. "

"Then, " continued Fritz, "history would not have had to record theshameless deeds of Isabella of Bavaria. "

"Nor chronicle the brilliant achievements of Joan of Arc, " added Jack. 

"Any how, " observed Willis, "the mounseers are a curious people. Ihave heard it remarked that they are occupied all day long in gettingthemselves into scrapes, and that Providence busies herself all nightin getting them out again. "

By chatting in this way, Fritz, his brother, and the Pilot contrivedto relieve the monotony of the voyage, and to pass away the timepleasantly enough. Each contributed his quota to the common fund;Fritz his judgment, Jack his humor, and Willis his practicalexperience, strong good sense, and vigorous, though untutoredunderstanding. A portion of Jack's time was passed with the surgeon, between whom a great intimacy had sprung up. Time did not, therefore, hang heavily on the hands of the young men; for even during the nighttheir thoughts were busy forming projects, or in embroidering thecanvas of the future with those fairy designs which youth alone cancreate. 

One morning Willis arrived on deck, pale, and with an air of fatigueand lassitude altogether unusual. He gazed anxiously into every nookand cranny of the ship. 

"Whatever is the matter, Willis?" inquired Jack. "Have you seen theFlying Dutchman?"

"No, Master Jack, " said he in a forlorn tone; "but I have either seenthe captain or his ghost. "

"What! the captain of the _Hoboken_?"

"No; the captain of the _Nelson_. "

"In a dream?"

"No, my eyes were as wide open as they are now; he looked into mycabin, and spoke to me. "

"Impossible, Willis. "

"I assure you it is the case though, impossible or not. "

"Where is he then?" exclaimed both the young men, starting. 

"That I know not; I have looked for him everywhere. "

"What did he say to you?"

"At first he said, How d'ye do, Willis?"

"Naturally; and what then?"

"He asked me what I thought of the cloud that was gathering in thesouth-west. "

"Imagination, Willis. "

"But look there, you can see a storm is gathering in that quarter. "

"The nightmare, Willis. But what did you say to him?"

"I could not answer at the moment; my tongue clove to the roof of mymouth, and I rose to take hold of his hand. "

"Then he disappeared, did he not?"

"Yes, Master Jack. "

"I thought so. "

"But I heard the door of my cabin shut behind him, as distinctly as Inow hear the waves breaking on the sides of the corvette at thismoment. "

"You ought to have run after him. "

"I did so. "

"Well, did you catch him?"

"No; I was stopped by the watch, for I had nothing on me but my shirt;the officers stared, the sailors laughed, and the doctor felt mypulse. But, for all that, I am satisfied there is a mysterysomewhere. "

"But, Willis, the thing is altogether improbable. "

"Well, look here; Captain Littlestone is either dead or alive, is henot?"

"Yes, " replied Jack, "there can be no medium between thesehypotheses. "

"Then all I can say is this, that as sure as I am a living sinner, Ihave seen him if he is alive, and, if he is dead, I have seen hisghost. "

"You believe in visitations from the other world then, Willis?"

"I cannot discredit the evidences of my own senses, can I?"

"No, certainly not. "

"Besides, this brings to my recollection a similar circumstance thathappened to an old comrade of mine. Sam Walker is as fine a fellow asever lived, he sailed with me on board the _Norfolk_, and I know himto be incapable of telling a falsehood. Though his name is SamWalker, we used to call him 'Hot Codlins. '"

"Why, Willis?"

"Because he had an old woman with a child tatooed on his arm, insteadof an anchor, as is usual in the navy. "

"A portrait of _Notre Dame de Bon Lecours_, I shouldn't wonder, " saidJack; "but what had that to do with hot codlins: a codlin is a fish, is it not?"

"I will explain that another time, " said Willis, the shadow of a smilepassing over his pale features. "The short and the long of the storyis, that Sam once saw a ghost. "

"Well, tell us all about it, Willis. "

"But I am afraid you will not believe the story if I do. "

"On the contrary, I promise to believe it in advance. "

"Very well, Master Jack. Did you ever see a windmill?"

"No, but I know what sort of things they are from description. "

"There are none in Scotland, " continued Willis; "at least I never sawone there. "

"How do they manage to grind their corn then? There should be oats inthe land o' cakes, at all events, " said Jack, with a smile. 

"Well, in countries that have plenty of water, they can dispense withmills on land. Though there are no wind-mills in Scotland, there aresome in the county of Durham, on the borders of England, for itappears my mate Sam was born in one of them. His father and motherdied when he was very young, and he, conjointly with the rats, wasleft sole owner and occupant of the mill. Some of the neighboringvillagers, seeing the poor boy left in this forlorn condition, got himinto a charity school, whence he was bound apprentice to a shipmasterengaged in the coal trade, by whom he was sent to sea. The ship youngSam sailed in was wrecked on the coast of France, and he fell into thehands of a fisherman, who put the mark on his arm we used to joke himabout. "

"I thought so, " said Jack; "the mark in question represents the patronsaint of French sailors. "

"After a variety of ups and downs, Sam found himself rated as afirst-class seaman on board a British man-of-war. He served withmyself on board the _Norfolk_, and was wounded at the battle ofTrafalgar [1806], which, I dare say, you have heard of. "

"Yes, Willis, it was there that your Admiral Nelson covered himselfwith immortal renown. "

"There and elsewhere, Master Fritz. "

"It cost him his life, however, Willis, and likewise shortened thoseof the French Admiral Villeneuve and the Spanish Admiral Gravina;that, you must admit, is too many eggs for one omelet. "

"As you once said yourself, great victories are not won without loss, and the battle of Trafalgar was no exception to the rule. Sam, havingbeen wounded, was sent to the hospital, and when his wound was healed, he was allowed leave of absence to recruit his strength, so he thoughthe would take a run to Durham and see how it fared with the paternalwindmill. Time had, of course, wrought many changes both outside andin, but it still remained perched grimly on its pedestal, but nowentirely abandoned to the bats and owls. The sails were gone, and thewoodwork was slowly crumbling away; but the basement being of hewngranite, it was still in a tolerable state of preservation. The place, however, was said to be haunted; exactly at twelve o'clock at nightdismal howls were heard by the villagers to issue from the mill. According to the blacksmith, who was a great authority in suchmatters, Sam's father was a very avaricious old fellow, and had hidhis money somewhere about the building; and you know, Master Jack, that when a man dies and leaves his money concealed, there is no restfor him in his grave till it is discovered. "

"I really was not aware of it before, " replied Jack; "but I amdelighted to hear it. "

"When Sam arrived, nobody disputed his title to the property, exceptthe ghost; but Sam had seen a good deal of hard service, and declaredthat he would not be choused out of his patrimony for all the ghostsin the parish; and, in spite of the persuasions of the villagers, resolved to take up his abode there forthwith. Sam accordingly laid ina supply of stores, including a month's supply of tobacco and rum. Hefirst made the place water-tight, then made a fire sufficient to roastan ox, and when night arrived made a jorum of grog, a little stiff, tokeep away the damp. This done, he lit his pipe, and began to cook asteak for his supper. The old mill, for the first time since thedecease of the former proprietor, was filled with the savory odor ofroast beef. "

"And there are worse odors than that, " remarked Jack. "Whilst thesteak was frizzling, he took a swig at the grog; and, thinking oneside was done, he gave the gridiron a twist, which sent the steak alittle way up the chimney, and, strange to say, it never came downagain. 

"'Ten thousand What's-a-names, ' cried Sam, 'where's my steak?'

"No answer was vouchsafed to this query; he looked up the chimney, andcould see no one. "

"The steak had really disappeared then?" said Jack, inquiringly. 

"Yes, not a fragment remained; but he had more beef, so he cut offanother; and, as his head had got a little middled with the grog, hethought it just possible that he might have capsized the gridiron intothe fire, so he quietly recommenced the operation. "

"And the second steak disappeared like the first?" "Yes, Master Fritz, with this difference--there was a dead man's thigh-bone in its place. "

"An awkward transformation for a hungry man, " said Jack. 

"'Here's a go!' cried Sam, like to burst his sides with laughing, 'they expect to frighten me with bones, do they? they've got the wrongman--been played too many tricks of that kind at sea to be scared bythat sort of thing. Ha, ha, ha! capital joke though. '"

"Your friend Sam must have been a merry fellow, Willis. "

"Yes, but he was hungry, and wanted his supper; so he continuedsupplying the gridiron with steaks as long as the beef lasted, butonly obtained human shin-bones, clavicles and tibias. 

"'Never mind, ' said Sam to himself, 'they will tire of this game incourse of time. '

"When the beef was done, he kept up a supply of rashers of bacon, andthrew the bones as they appeared in a corner, consoling himself in themeantime with his pipe and his grog. "

"He must have been both patient and persevering, " remarked Jack. 

"This went on till a skull appeared on the gridiron. "

"A singular object to sup upon, " observed Jack. 

"'I wonder what the deuce will come next, ' said Sam to himself, throwing the skull amongst the rest of the bones. 

"The next time, however, he took the gridiron off the fire, there washis last rasher done to a turn. 

"'Now, ' said Sam, 'I am going to have peace and quietness at last. '

"He sat down then very comfortably, and kept eating and drinking, anddrinking and smoking, till the village clock struck twelve. "

"Good!" cried Jack. "You may come in now, ladies and gentlemen; theperformance is just a-going to begin. "

"Sam heard a succession of crack cracks amongst the bones, and turninground he beheld a frightful-looking spectre, pointing with its fingerto the door. "

"Was it wrapped up in a white sheet?" inquired Jack. 

"Yes, I rather think it was. "

"Very well, then, I believe the story; for spectres are invariablywrapped up in white sheets. "

"The bones, instead of remaining quietly piled up in the corner, hadjoined themselves together--the leg bones to the feet, the ribs to theback-bone--and the skull had stuck itself on the top. Where the fleshcame from, Sam could not tell; but he strongly suspected that his ownsteaks and bacon had something to do with it. But, be that as it may, there was not half enough of fat to cover the bones, and the figurewas dreadfully thin. Sam stared at first in astonishment, and began todoubt whether he saw aright. When, however, he beheld the figure move, there could be no mistake, and he knew at once that it was a ghost. Anybody else would have been frightened out of their senses, but Samtook the matter philososophically and went on with his supper. 

"'How d'ye do, old fellow?' he said to the spectre. 'Will you have amouthful of grog to warm your inside? Sit down, and be sociable. '

"The spectre did not make any reply, but continued making a sign forSam to follow. 

"'If you prefer to stand and keep beckoning there till to-morrow youmay, but, if I were in your place, I would come nearer the fire, ' saidSam; 'you may catch cold standing there without your shirt, you know. '

"The same silence and the same gesture continued on the part of theghost, and Sam, seeing that his words produced no effect, recommencedeating. "

"There is one thing, " remarked Jack, "more astonishing about yourfriend Sam than his coolness, and that is his appetite. "

"The spectre did not appear satisfied with the state of affairs, forit assumed a threatening attitude and strode towards the fire-place. 

"'Avast heaving, old fellow, ' cried Sam, 'there is one thing I havegot to say, which is this here: you may stand and hoist signals thereas long as ever you like; but if you touch me, then look out forsqualls, that's all. '

"The 'old fellow, ' however, paid no attention to this caution. Hestrode right up to the fire-place, and, whilst pointing to the doorwith one hand, grasped Sam's arm with the other. Sam started up, shookoff the hand that held him, and pitched into the spectre right andleft. But, strange to say, his hands went right through its bones andall, just as if it had been made of the hydrogen gas you spoke of theother day. Sam saw that it was no use laying about him in thisfashion, for the spectre stood grinning at him all the time, so hegave it up. 

"'I wish, ' said he, 'you would be off, and go to bed, and not keepbothering there. '

"Still the spectre maintained the same posture, and keptpertinaciously pointing to the door. 

"'Well, ' said Sam, 'since you insist upon it, let us see what there isoutside. Go a-head, I will follow. '

"The spectre led him into what used to be the garden of the mill, butthe enclosure was now overgrown with rank and poisonous weeds. Therewas a path running through it paved with flagstones; the spectrepointed with its finder to one of them. Sam stooped down, and, much tohis astonishment, raised it with ease. Beneath there was an ironchest, the lid of which he also opened, and saw that it was filledwith old spade guineas and Spanish dollars. 

"'You behold that treasure!' said the spectre, in a hollow voice. 

"'Ha, ha, old fellow! you can speak, can you? Now we shall understandeach other. Yes, I see a box, filled with what looks very like goldand silver coins. '

"'I placed that treasure there before my death, ' added the spectre. 

"'Ah, so! than you are dead?' said Sam. 

"'One half of that money I wish you to give to the poor, and the otherhalf you may keep to yourself, if you choose. '

"'Golley!' said Sam, 'you are not much of a swab after all, though youlook as thin as a purser's clerk. Give us a shake of your paw, myhearty. '

"Here Sam, somehow or other, stumbled over the lamp, and when he gotup again the spectre had vanished. He laid hold of the chest, however, and groped his way back to the mill. When safe inside, he made a stiffjorum of grog, and then fell comfortably asleep. That night he dreamtthat he was eating gold and silver, that he was his own captain, thatthe cat-o'-nine tails was entirely abolished in the navy, and that hisship, instead of sailing in salt water was floating in rum. When heawoke, the sun was steaming through all the nooks and crannies of theold mill. All the marks of the preceding night's adventures werethere--the gridiron, the empty rum jar, the the table o'erturned inthe _mélée_ with the ghost--but the chest of money was gone. "

"And what did Sam conclude from that incident?" inquired Fritz. 

"Well, he supposed that he had slept rather long, and that somebodyhad come in before he as up and had walked off with the box. "

"If I had been in his place, " continued Fritz, "I should have said tomyself that the mind often gives birth to strange fancies, particularly after a heavy supper, and that I had muddled my brainwith rum; consequently, that all the things I imagined I had seen wereonly the chimeras of a dream. "

"But that could not be, Master Fritz, for two reasons; the first, thatthe mark of the ghost's hand remained on his arm. "

"Very likely burnt it when he grilled the bacon. "

"The second, that the ghost was no more seen or heard of in the mill. "

"That proof is a poser for you, brother, I think, " said Jack. 

"Did you heave that sigh just now, Master Fritz?" inquired Willis, ina low tone. 

"It was not I, " said Fritz, looking at his brother. 

"Nor I, " said Jack, looking at Willis. 

"Nor I, " said Willis, looking behind him. 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

WILLIS FALLS IN WITH THE SLOOP ON TERRA FIRMA, INSTEAD OF AT THEBOTTOM OF THE SEA, AS MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPECTED--ADMIRAL CICERO--THEDEFUNCT NOT YET DEAD. 

The corvette, notwithstanding the multitude of British cruisersscattered about the ocean, and the other dangers that beset her, heldon the even tenor of her way. A gale sprung up now and then, but theyonly tended to give a filip to the common-place incidents recorded inthe log. This quietude was not, however, enjoyed by all the persons onboard. Willis was a prey to violent emotions; and so it often happens, in the midst of the profoundest calm, storms often rage in the heartof man. 

Whether in reality or in a dream, Willis declared that CaptainLittlestone paid him a visit every night, and invariably asked himprecisely the same questions. On these occasions, Willis asserted thathe distinctly heard the door open and shut whilst a shadow glidedthrough. That he might once, or even twice, have been the dupe of hisown imagination, is probable enough; but a healthy mind does notpermit a delusion to be indefinitely prolonged--it struggles with thehallucination, and eventually shakes it off; providing always the mindhas a shadow, and not a reality, to deal with, and that the patient isnot a monomaniac. The dilemma was consequently reduced to thisposition--either Willis was mad, or Captain Littlestone was on boardthe _Boudeuse_. 

In all other respects, Willis was perfectly sane. He himself searchedevery corner of the ship, but without other result than a confirmationof his own impression that there were no officers on board other thanthose of the corvette; and yet, notwithstanding his own conviction indaylight, he still continued to assert the reality of his interviewswith Captain Littlestone during the night. The Italians say, _Lasperanza è il sogno d'an uomo svegliato_. Was Willis also dreamingwith his eyes open? Might not the wish be father to the thought, andthe thought produce the fancy? There is only one other supposition tobe hazarded--could it be possible, in spite of all his researches, that Willis did see what he maintained with so much pertinacity he hadseen?

These questions are too astute to admit of answers without dueconsideration and reflection; therefore, with the reader's permission, we shall leave the replies over for the present. 

On the 12th June a voice from the mast-head called "Land ahoy!" muchto the delight of the voyagers. The land in question was the island ofSt. Helena. This sea-girt rock had not at that time become classicground. It had not yet become the prison and mausoleum of Napoleon theGreat. The petulant squabbles between Sir Hudson Lowe and hisillustrious prisoner had not been heard of. Little wotted then theproud ruler of France the fate that awaited him, for, when the_Boudeuse_ touched at the island, all Europe, with the singleexception of England, was kneeling at his feet. 

On the 30th the Island of Ascension was reached. Here, in accordancewith a usage peculiar to French sailors, a bottle, containing a shortabstract of the ship's log, was committed to the deep. Willis thoughtthis ceremony, under existing circumstances, would have been betterobserved in the breach than the observance, for, said he, if a Britishcruiser picked up that bottle within twenty-four hours, she stood achance of picking up the _Boudeuse_ as well. 

On the 15th July the peak of Teneriffe hove in sight This remarkablebasaltic rock rises to the extraordinary height of three thousandeight hundred yards above the level of the sea; it is consequentlyseen at a considerable distance, and constitutes a valuable landmarkfor navigators in these seas. Six weeks later the _Boudeuse_ droppedanchor in the Havre roads. 

Here the three adventurers had to encounter by far the greatestmisfortune that had as yet befallen them. The continental system ofNapoleon was then in force. The importation of everything English orIndian was strictly prohibited. The cargo the young men had broughtwith them from New Switzerland, which already had escaped so manyperils, was, therefore, declared contraband, and seized by the French_fisc_--an institution that rarely permitted such a prize to quit itsrapacious grasp. 

Behold now our poor friends, Fritz and Jack, in a strange land, deprived at once of their fortune and their chance of returninghome--the two beacons that had cheered them on their way! All theirbright hopes of the future were thus annihilated at one fell swoop. Their fortitude almost gave way under the severity of this blow; theexcess of their distress alone saved them. Grief requires leisure togive itself free vent; but when we are compelled, by absolutenecessity, to earn our daily bread, we cannot find time for tears; andsuch was the case with Willis and his two friends; they were herewithout a friend and without resources of any kind whatever. 

If they had only known Greek and Latin; if they had only been halfdoctors or three-quarter barristers, or if even they had been doctorsand lawyers complete, it would have sorely puzzled their skill to haveraised a single sous in hard cash. Fortunately, however, whilstcultivating their minds, they had acquired the art of handling a sawand wielding a hammer. The blouse of the workman, consequently, fittedthem as well as the gown of the student, and they set themselvesmanfully to earn a living by the sweat of their brow. They werecarpenters and blacksmiths by turns, regulating their occupations bythe grand doctrines of supply and demand. 

Jack alone of the three was defective in steadiness; he only joinedWillis and his brother at mid-day. What he did with himself during theforenoon was a profound mystery. He rose before daybreak, anddisappeared no one knew where, or for what purpose. His companions inadversity endeavored in vain to discover his secret; he was determinedto conceal his movements, and succeeded in baffling their curiosity. To judge, however, by the ardor with which he worked, he was engagedin some one of those schemes that are termed follies before success, but which, after success, are universally acknowledged to be brilliantand praiseworthy instances of industrial enterprise. 

If, after a hard day's work, when assembled together in the littleroom that served them for parlor, kitchen, and hall, the power ofregret vanquished fatigue, and sadness drove away sleep, then Jack, who compared himself to Peter the Great, when a voluntary exile in theshipyards of Saardam, would endeavor to infuse a little mirth into thelugubrious party. If all his efforts to make them merry failed, allthree would join together in a humble prayer to their Heavenly Father, who bestowed resignation upon them instead. 

If Willis and his two friends were not accumulating wealth, at allevents they were earning the bread they ate honestly and worthily. They had all three laid their shoulders vigorously to the wheel andkept it jogging along marvellously for a month. By that time, adetailed report of the seizure of their property had been placedbefore the director of the Domaine Extraordinaire, who was thesovereign authority in all matters pertaining to the exchequer of theempire. He saw at once that this capture was extremely harsh, andprobably thought that, if it became known, it would raise a storm ofindignation about the ears of his department. Here were two youngmen--Moseses, as it were, saved from the bulrushes. Lost in the desertfrom the period of their birth, and ignorant of the dissensions thenraging in Europe, they were unquestionably beyond the ordinaryoperation of the law. This will never do, he probably said to himself;the civilization which these two young men have come through so manyperils to seek ought not to appear to them, the moment they arrived inEurope, in the form of spoliation and barbarism. 

The name of this _extraordinary_ director of Domaine Extraordinairewas M. De la Boullerie, and, when we fall in with the name of a reallygood-hearted man, we delight to record it. He felt that the two youngmen had been hardly dealt with, but he had not the power to order arestitution of the property, now that the seizure had been made, andsundry perquisities, of course, deducted by the excise officials. Accordingly, he referred the matter to the Emperor, who commanded thegoods to be immediately restored intact. Napoleon, at the same time, praised the functionary we have named for calling his attention to themerits of the case, and thanked him for such an opportunity ofrepairing an injustice. [I]

There are many such instances of generosity as the foregoing in thecareer of the great Emperor--mild rays of the sun in the midst ofthunderstorms; sweet flowers blowing here and there, in the bosom ofthe gigantic projects of his life--which many will esteem more highlythan his miracles of strategy and the renown of his battles. Asnothing that tends to elevate the soul is out of place in this volume, we may be permitted to insert one or two of these anecdotes. 

In 1806, Napoleon was at Potsdam. The Prussians were humbled to thedust, and the outrage of Rossbach had been fearfully avenged. A letterwas intercepted, in which Prince Laatsfeld, civil governor of Berlin, secretly informed the enemy of all the dispositions of the Frencharmy. The crime was palpable, capital, and unpardonable. There wasnothing between the life and death of the prince, except the time toload half a dozen muskets, point them to his breast, and cry--Fire. The princess flew to the palace, threw herself at the feet of theEmperor, beseeched, implored, and seemed almost heart-broken. "Madam, "said Napoleon, "this letter is the only proof that exists of yourhusband's guilt. Throw it into the fire. " The fatal paper blazed, crisped, passed from blue to yellow, and the treachery of PrinceLaatsfeld was reduced to ashes. 

Another time, a young man, named Von der Sulhn, journeyed from Dresdento Paris; unless you are told, you could scarcely imagine for whatpurpose. There are people who travel for amusement, for business, fora change of air, or merely to be able to say they have been at suchand such a place. Some go abroad for instruction, others, perhaps, with no other object in view than to eat frogs in Paris, bouillabaisseat Marseilles, a polenta at Milan, macaroni at Naples, an olla podridain Spain, or conscoussou in Africa. Von der Sulhn travelled toassassinate the Emperor. Like Scævola and Brutus, he, no doubt, imagined the crime would hand down his name to posterity. In youth, all of us have erred in judgment more or less. Sulhn thought theEmperor ought to be slain. Unfortunately for him, the Duke of Rovigo, the then minister of police, entertained a different opinion. Hethought, in point of fact, that the Emperor ought not to be killed:hence it was that the young Saxon found himself in chains, and thatthe Duke went to ask the Emperor what he should do with him. We ought, however, to mention that the young man, in his character of anenlightened German, testified his regret that he had not succeeded incarrying out his project, and protested that, in the event ofregaining his liberty, he would renew the attempt. "Never mind, " saidthe Emperor to the duke, "the young man's age is his excuse. Do notmake the affair public, for, if it is bruited about, I must punish theheadstrong youth, which I have no wish to do. I should be sorry toplunge a worthy family into grief by immolating such a scapegrace. Send him to Vincennes, give him some books to read, and write to hismother. " In 1814, the young man obtained his liberty, his family, andhis Germany, and it is to be hoped that he afterwards became arespectable pater-familias, a sort of Aulic councillor, and that, during the troublesome times in the land of Sauerkraut, he was before, and not behind, the barricades of his darling patria. If he be dead, it is to be supposed that, instead of lying a headless trunkignominiously in a ditch, or in the unconsecrated cemetery of Clamort, he is reposing entire in the paternal tomb. 

On the 15th of March, 1815, the Emperor landed at Cannes--he hadreturned from the island of Elba. On the beach he was joined by oneman, at Antibes by a company, at Digne by a battalion, at Gap by aregiment (that of Labedoyer), at Grenoble by an army. The hearts ofthe soldiers of France went to him like steel to the loadstone--firsta drop, and then a torrent; the Empire, like a snowball, increased asit progressed. At Lyons, the Count of Artois, the setting sun, isobliged to go out of one gate the moment that Napoleon, the risingsun, comes in at another. Smiles, orations, triumphal arches, and eventhe discourses that had been prepared to welcome the Bourbons, wereused to congratulate their successor on his return. Cockades and flagswere altered to suit the occasion, by inserting a stripe of red hereand another of blue there. One national guard, but only one, remainedfaithful to the Bourbons; he would neither alter his cockade nor hiscolors, and remained true to his patrons in the hour of disaster. Everybody asked, what would the Emperor do with him? Would he beimprisoned or banished? Neither; the Emperor sent him a cross of theorder of merit! It is, no doubt, grand to have overthrown thebrilliant army of Murad Bey in Egypt; to have vanquished Melas, Wurmser, and Davidowich in Italy; Bragation, Kutusoff, and Barclay deTolly in Russia; Mack in Germany; and thus to have reduced the entirecontinent of Europe to subjection. But it appears to us that a stillgreater feat was the victory he gained over himself, when, in themidst of the fever excited by his return, and the animosity ofparties, he gave this cross to the solitary adherent of misfortune. Having made these slight digressions into the future, it is properthat we should return to our story. 

The mysterious roads of Providence do not always lead to the placesthey seem to go; it often happens that, when we expect to be swallowedup by the breakers that surround us, we are wafted into a harbor, andthat we encounter success where we only anticipated disappointment. The rigorous enactments of the continental system, that the other dayhad ruined the two brothers, became all at once the source ofunlooked-for wealth; for, on account of the scarcity of colonialproduce, a scarcity dating from the prohibitory laws promulgated in1807, the merchandise of the young men had more than quadrupled invalue. 

From the grade of hard-working mechanics they were suddenly promotedto the rank of wealthy merchants. They consequently abandoned thelaborious employments that for a month had enabled them to live, andto keep despair and misery at bay. Willis, greatly to hisinconvenience, found himself transformed into a gentleman at large, which caused him to make some material alterations in the manipulationand quality of his pipes. 

Fritz busied himself in collecting in, the by no means inconsiderablesums, which their property realised. He did not value the gold for itsglitter or its sound, he valued it only as a means of enabling himselfand his brother to return promptly to their ocean home. Jack undertookthe task of finding a scalpel to save his mother--doubtless adifficult task; for how was he to induce a surgeon of standing toabandon his connexion, his family, and his fame, and to undertake aperilous voyage to the antipodes, for the purpose of performing anoperation in a desert, where there were neither newspapers to proclaimit, academicians to discuss it, nor ribbons to reward it? As for thegentlemen of the dentist and barber school, like Drs. Sangrado andFontanarose of Figaro, the remedy was even worse by a great deal thanthe disease. But, as we have said, Jack promised to find a surgeon, and the research was so arduous, that he was scarcely ever seen duringthe day by either Willis or his brother. 

To Willis was confided the office of chartering a ship for thehomeward voyage, and there were not a few obstacles to overcome inorder to accomplish this. French ship-masters at that time engaged invery little legitimate business; they embarked their capital inprivateering, prefering to capture the merchantmen of England torisking their own. One morning, Willis started as usual in search of aship, but soon returned to the inn where they had established theirhead-quarters in a state of bewilderment; he threw himself into achair, and, before he could utter a word, had to fill his pipe andlight it. 

"Well, " said he, "I am completely and totally flabbergasted. "

"What about?" inquired the two brothers. 

"You could not guess, for the life of you, what has happened. "

"Perhaps not, Willis, and would therefore prefer you to tell us atonce what it is. "

"After this, " continued Willis, "no one need tell me that there are nomiracles now-a-days. "

"Then you have stumbled upon a miracle, have you, Willis?"

"I should think so. That they do not happen every day, I can admit;but I have a proof that they do come about sometimes. "

"Very probably, Willis. "

"It is my opinion that Providence often leads us about by the hands, just as little children are taken to school, lest they should betempted to play truant by the way. "

"Not unlikely, Willis; but the miracle!"

"I was going along quietly, not thinking I was being led anywhere inparticular, when, all at once, I was hove up by--If a bullet had hitme right in the breast, I could not have been more staggered. "

"Whatever hove you up then, Willis?"

"I was hove up by the sloop. "

"What sloop?"

"The _Nelson_. "

"Was it taking a walk, Willis?" inquired Jack. 

"Have you been to sea since we saw you last?" asked Fritz. 

"If I had fallen in with the craft at sea, Master Fritz, I should nothave been half so much astonished. The sea is the natural element ofships; we do not find gudgeons in corn fields, nor shoot hares on theocean. But it was on land that I hailed the _Nelson_. "

"Was it going round the corner of a street that you stumbled upon it, Willis?" inquired Jack. 

"Not exactly; but to make a long story short--"

"When you talk of cutting anything short, we are in for a yarn, " saidJack. 

"And you are sure to interrupt him in the middle of it, " said Fritz. 

"Well, in two words, " said Willis, knocking the ashes out of his pipe, "I was cruising about the shipyards, looking if there was a condemnedcraft likely to suit us--some of them had gun-shot wounds in theirtimbers, others had been slewed up by a shoal--and, to cut the mattershort--"

"Another yarn, " suggested Jack. 

"I luffed up beside the hull of a cutter-looking craft that had beencompletely gutted. But, changed and dilapidated as that hull is, Irecognized it at once to be that of the _Nelson_. Now do you believein miracles?"

"But are you sure, Willis?"

"Suppose you met Ernest or Frank in the street to-morrow, pale, meagre, and in rags, would you recognize them?"

"Most assuredly. "

"Well, by the same token, sailors can always recognize a ship theyhave sailed in. They know the form of every plank and the line ofevery bend. There are hundreds of marks that get spliced in thememory, and are never forgotten. But in the present case there is noroom for any doubt, a portion of the figure head is still extant, andthe word _Nelson_ can be made out without spectacles. "

"But how did it get there?"

"You know, Master Fritz, it could not have told me, even if I hadtaken the trouble to inquire. "

"Very true, Willis. "

"I was determined, however, to find it out some other way, so Isteered for a café near the harbor, where the pilots and long-shorecaptains go to play at dominoes. I was in hopes of picking up somestray waif of information, and, sooth to say, I was not altogetherdisappointed. "

"Another meeting, I'll be bound, " said Jack. 

"My falling in with the _Nelson_ astonished you, did it not?"

"Rather. "

"Then I'll bet my best pipe that this one will surprise you stillmore. You recollect my comrade, Bill, _alias_ Bob, of the _Hoboken_?"

"Yes, perfectly. "

"Then I met him. "

"What! the man who had both his legs shot off, and died in consequenceof his wounds?" inquired Jack. 

"The same. "

"And that was afterwards thrown overboard with a twenty-four poundshot tied to his feet!" exclaimed Fritz. 

"The same. "

At this astonishing assertion the young men regarded Willis with anair of apprehension. 

"You think I am mad, no doubt, do you not?"

"Whatever can we think, Willis?"

"I admit that my statement looks very like it at first sight, butstill you are wrong, as you will see by-and-by. I could scarcelybelieve my eyes when I saw him. 'Is that you, Bill Stubbs, ' says I, 'at last?'

"'Lor love ye!' says he, 'is that you, Pilot?'

"He then took hold of my hand, and gave it such a shake as almostwrenched it off. 

"'Where in all the earth did you hail from?' he said. 'I thought youwere dead and gone?'

"'And I thought you were the same, ' said I, 'and no mistake. '

"'Alive and hearty though, as you see, Pilot; only a little at seaamongst the _mounseers_. '

"'But what about the _Hoboken_?' says I. 

"'What _Hoboken_?' says he. 

"'Were you not aboard a Yankee cruiser some months back?'

"'Never was aboard a Yankee in all my life, ' says Bill. 

"And no more he was, for he never left the _Nelson_ till she was highand dry in Havre dockyard; so, the short and the long of it is, that Imust have been wrong in that instance. "

"So I should think, " remarked Fritz. 

"Yet the resemblance was very remarkable; the only difference was acarbuncle on the nose, which the real Bill has and the other has not, but which I had forgotten. "

"Like Cicero, " remarked Jack. 

"Another Admiral?" inquired Willis, drily. 

"No, he was only an orator. "

"Bill soon satisfied me that he was the very identical William Stubbs, and that the other was only a very good imitation. "

"He did not receive you with a punch in the ribs, at all events, likethe apocryphal Bill, " remarked Jack. 

"No; but what is more to the purpose, he told me that, after havingstruggled with the terrible tempest off New Switzerland--which yourecollect--the _Nelson_ found herself at such a distance, that CaptainLittlestone resolved to proceed on his voyage, and to return again asspeedily as possible. 

"'We arrived at the Cape all right, ' added Bill, 'landed the NewSwitzerland cargo, and sailed again with the Rev. Mr. Wolston onboard. A few days after leaving the Cape, we were pounced upon by aFrench frigate; the _Nelson_, with its crew, was sent off as a prizeto Havre, and here I have been ever since, ' said Bill, 'a prisoner atlarge, allowed to pick up a living as I can amongst the shipping. '"

"And the remainder of the crew?" inquired Fritz. 

"Are all here prisoners of war. "

"And the Rev. Mr. Wolston and the captain?"

"Are prisoners on parole. "

"Where?"

"Here. "

"What! in Havre?"

"Yes, close at hand, in the Hotel d'Espagne. "

"And we sitting here, " cried Jack, snatching up his hat and rushingdown stairs four steps at a time. 

Willis and Fritz followed as fast as they could. 

When they all three reached the bottom of the stairs. 

"If Captain Littlestone is here, Willis, " said Jack, "he could nothave been on board the _Boudeuse_. "

"That is true, Master Jack. "

"In that case, Great Rono, you must have been dreaming in thecorvette as well as in the Yankee. "

"No, " insisted Willis, "it was no dream, I am certain of that. "

"Explain the riddle, then. "

"I cannot do that just at present, but it may be cleared up by-and-by, like all the mysteries and miracles that surround us. "

FOOTNOTES:

[I] This circumstance is historical, and will be found at length inthe Memoirs of Napoleon, by Amédée Goubard. 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

CAPTAIN LITTLESTONE IS FOUND, AND THE REV. MR. WOLSTON IS SEEN FOR THEFIRST TIME. 

Jack, on arriving at the hotel, ascertained the number of the room inwhich Captain Littlestone was located. In his hurry to see his oldfriend, the young man did not stop to knock at the door, but enteredwithout ceremony, with Fritz and Willis at his heels. They foundthemselves in the presence of two gentlemen, one of whom sat with hisface buried in his hands, the other was reading what appeared to be asmall bible. 

The latter was a young man seemingly of about twenty-four ortwenty-five years of age. He had a mild but noble bearing, and hisaspect denoted habitual meditation. His eyes were remarkably piercingand expressive; in short, he was one of those men at whom we are ledinvoluntarily to cast a glance of respect, without very well knowingwhy; perhaps it might be owing to the gravity of his demeanour, perhaps to the peculiar decorum of his deportment, or perhaps to thescrupulous propriety of his dress. He raised his eyes from the book heheld in his hand, and gazed tranquilly at the three figures who had soabruptly interrupted his reveries. 

"May I inquire, " said he, "to what we owe this intrusion on ourprivacy, gentlemen?"

"We have to apologise for our rudeness, " said Fritz; "but are you notthe Rev. Mr. Wolston?"

"My name is Charles Wolston, and I am a minister of the gospel, andmissionary of the church. "

"Then, sir, " continued Fritz, "I am the bearer of a message from yourfather. "

"From my father!" exclaimed the missionary, starting up; "you comethen from the Pacific Ocean?"

[Illustration]

Here the second gentleman raised his head, and looked as if he hadjust awakened from a dream. He gazed at the speakers with a puzzledair. 

"Do you know me, captain?" said Willis. 

Littlestone, for it was he, continued to gaze in mute astonishment, asif the events of the past had been defiling through his memory; and heprobably thought that the figures before him were mere phantomcreations of his brain. 

"Willis! can it be possible?" he exclaimed, taking at the same timethe Pilot's proffered hand. 

"Yes, captain, as you see. "

"And the two young Beckers, as I live!" cried Littlestone. 

"Yes, " said Jack, "and delighted to find you at last. "

Littlestone then shook them all heartily by the hand. 

"It is but a poor welcome that I, a prisoner in the enemy's country, can give you to Europe; still I am truly overjoyed to see you. Butwhere have you all come from?"

"From New Switzerland, " replied Jack. 

"But how?"

"By sea. "

"That, of course; and I presume another ship anchored in Safety Bay?"

"No, captain. Seeing you did not return to us, we embarked in thepinnace and came in search of you. "

"Your pinnace was but indifferently calculated to weather a gale, keeping out of view the other dangers incidental to such a voyage. "

"True, captain; but my brother and I, with Willis for a pilot andProvidence for a guardian, ventured to brave these perils; and here weare, as you see. "

"And your mother consented to such a dangerous proceeding, did she?"

"It was for her, and yet against her will, that we embarked on thevoyage. "

"I do not understand. "

"For her, because, when we left, she was dying. "

"Dying, say you?"

"Yes, and our object in coming to Europe was chiefly to obtainsurgical aid. "

"And have you found a surgeon?"

"Not yet, but we are in hopes of finding one. "

"If money is wanted, besides the value of the cargo I landed for youat the Cape, you may command my purse. "

"A thousand thanks, captain, but the merchandise we have here islikely to be sufficient for our purpose. Unfortunately, gold is notthe only thing that is requisite. "

"What, then?"

"In the first place, a disinterested love of humanity is needful;there are few men of science and skill who would not risk more thanthey would gain by accepting any offer we can make. It is not easy tofind the heart of a son in the body of a physician. "

"What, then, will you do, my poor friend?"

"That is my secret, captain. "

During this conversation, the missionary had put a thousand questionsto Willis and Fritz relative to his father, mother, and sisters, and asmile now and then lit up his features as Fritz related some of thefamily mishaps. 

"You must have undergone some hardships in your voyage from theantipodes to Havre de Grace, " said Littlestone to Jack, "notwithstanding the skill of my friend the Pilot. "

"Yes, captain, a few, " replied Jack. "I myself made a narrow escapefrom being killed and eaten by a couple of savages. "

"And how did you escape?"

"Providence interfered at the critical moment. "

"Well, so I should imagine. "

"Our friend the Pilot was more fortunate; he was abducted by thenatives of Hawaii; but, instead of converting him into mincemeat, theytransformed him into a divinity, bore him along in triumph to atemple, where he was perfumed with incense, and had sacrifices offeredup to him. "

"Willis must have felt himself highly honored, " said the captain, smiling. 

"These fine things did not, however, last long, for next day they werewound up with a cloud of arrows. "

"And another interposition of Providence?"

"Yes, none of the arrows were winged with death. "

"After that, " remarked Willis, "we fell in with a Yankee cruiser, weretaken on board, and carried into the latitude of the Bahamas, where wefell in with Old Flyblow, who, after a tough set-to, sent the Yankee aprize to Bermuda, and took us on board as passengers. "

"And, " added Jack, "whilst we were under protection of the Americanflag, Willis fell in with a certain Bill Stubbs, who was shot in thefight and died of his wounds. This trifling accident did not, however, prevent Willis falling in with him alive in Havre. "

"You still seem to delight in paradoxes, Master Jack, " said thecaptain. 

"The English cruiser, " continued Jack, "was afterwards captured by aFrench corvette, on which it appears you were on board _incognito_. "

"What! I on board?"

"Yes; ask Willis. "

"If you were not, captain, how could you come to my cabin every nightand ask me questions?" inquired the latter. 

At this point, a shade of anxiety crossed Littlestone's features; heturned and looked at the missionary--the missionary looked atFritz--Fritz stared at his brother--Jack gazed at Willis--and Willis, with a puzzled air, regarded everybody in turn. 

"At last, " continued Jack, "after experiencing a variety of both goodand bad fortune, sometimes vanquished and sometimes the victors, firstwounded, then cured, we arrived here in Havre, where, for a time, wewere plunged into the deepest poverty; we were blacksmiths andcarpenters by turns, and thought ourselves fortunate when we had achair to mend or a horse to shoe. "

"The workings of Providence, " said the missionary, "are verymysterious, and, perhaps, you will allow me to illustrate this fact bydrawing a comparison. A ship is at the mercy of the waves; it sways, like a drunken man, sometimes one way and sometimes another. All onboard are in commotion, some are hurrying down the hatchways, andothers are hurrying up. The sailors are twisting the sails about inevery possible direction. Some of the men are closing up theport-holes, others are working at the pumps. The officers are issuinga multiplicity of orders at once, the boatswain is constantly soundinghis whistle. There is no appearance of order, confusion seems to reigntriumphant, and there is every reason to believe that the commands areissued at random. "

"I have often wondered, " said Jack, "how so many directions issued onship board in a gale at one and the same moment could possibly beobeyed. "

"Let us descend, however, to the captain's cabin, " continued themissionary. "He is alone, collected, thoughtful, and tranquil, his eyefixed upon a chart. Now he observes the position of the sun, and marksthe meridian; then he examines the compass, and notes the polarydeviation. On all sides are sextants, quadrants, and chronometers. Hequietly issues an order, which is echoed and repeated above, and thusaugments the babel on deck. "

"A single order, " remarked Willis, "often gives rise to changes intwenty different directions. "

"On deck, " continued the missionary, "the crew appear completelydisorganized. In the captain's cabin, you find that all this apparentconfusion is the result of calculation, and is essential to the safetyof the ship. "

"Still, " said Jack, "it is difficult to see how this result iseffected by disorder. "

"True; and, therefore, we must rely upon the skill of the captain; webehold nothing but uproar, but we know that all is governed by themost perfect discipline. So it is with the world; society is a ship, men and their passions are the mast, sails, rigging, the anchors, quadrants, and sextants of Providence. We understand nothing of thecombined action of these instruments; we tremble at every shock, andfear that every whirlwind is destined to sweep us away. But let uspenetrate into the chamber of the Great Ruler. He issues his commandstranquilly; we see that He is watching over our safety; and whateverhappens, our hearts beat with confidence, and our minds are at rest. "

"Therefore, " added Littlestone, "we are resigned to our fate asprisoners of war; but still we hope. "

"And not without good reason, " said Willis; "for it will go hard withme if I do not realize your hopes, and that very shortly too. "

"I do not see very well how our hopes of liberty can be realized tillpeace is proclaimed. "

"Peace!" exclaimed Willis. "Yes, in another twenty years or so, perhaps; to wail for such an unlikely event will never do; my youngfriend, Master Jack Becker, is in a hurry, and we must all leave thisplace within a month at latest. "

"You mean us, then, to make our escape, Willis; but that isimpossible. "

"I have an idea that it is not impossible, captain; the cargo MastersFritz and Jack have here will realize a large sum; the pearls, saffron, and cochineal, are bringing their weight in gold. I shall beable to charter or buy a ship with the proceeds, and some dark nightwe shall all embark; and if a surgeon is not willing to come of hisown accord, I shall press the best one in the place: it won't be thefirst time I have done such a thing, with much less excuse. "

"One will be willing, " said Jack; "so you need not introduce One-eyedDick's schooner here, Willis. "

"So far so good, then; it only remains for us to smuggle the captain, the missionary, and the crew of the _Nelson_ on board. "

"But we are prisoners, " said Littlestone. 

"I know that well enough; if you were not prisoners, of course therewould be no difficulty. "

"Recollect, Willis, we are not only prisoners, but we are on parole. "

"True, " said Willis, scratching his ear, "I did not think of that. "

"The situation, " remarked Jack, "is something like that of Louis XIV. At the famous passage of the Rhine, of whom Boileau said: 'Hisgrandeur tied him to the banks. ' Had you been only a common sailor, captain, a parole would not have stood in the way of your escape. "

"But, " said Willis, "the parole can be given up, can it not?"

"Not without a reasonable excuse, " replied the captain. 

"Well, " continued Willis, "you can go with the minister to theMaritime Prefect, and say: 'Sir, you know that everyone's country isdear to one's heart, and you will not be astonished to hear thatmyself and friend have an ardent desire to return to ours. This desireon our part is so great, that some day we may be tempted to fly, and, consequently, forfeit our honor; for, after all, there are only a fewmiles of sea between us and our homes. We ought not to trust to ourstrength when we know we are weak. Do us, therefore, the favor towithdraw our parole; we prefer to take up our abode in a prison, sothat, if we can escape, we may do so with our honor intact. "

"And suppose this favor granted, we shall be securely shut up in adungeon. I scarcely think that would alter our position for thebetter, or render our escape practicable. "

"You will, at all events, be free to try, will you not?"

"That is a self-evident proposition, Willis, and, so far as that goes, I have no objection to adopt the alternative of prison fare. What sayyou, minister?"

"As for myself, " replied the missionary, "a little additional hardshipmay do me good, for the Scriptures say: Suffering purifieth the soul. "

"We shall, therefore, resign our paroles, Willis; but bear in mindthat it is much easier to get into prison than to get out. "

"Leave the getting out to me, captain; where there's a will there'salways a way. "

"Do you think, " whispered the captain to Fritz, "that Willis is allright in his upper story?"

Fritz shook his head, which, in the ordinary acceptation of the sign, means, I really do not know. 

CHAPTER XXVIII. 

WILLIS PROVES THAT THE ONLY WAY TO BE FREE IS TO GET SENT TOPRISON--AN ESCAPE--A DISCOVERY--PROMOTIONS--SOMNAMBULISM. 

Three weeks after the events narrated in the foregoing chapter, thethrice-rescued produce of Oceania had been converted into the currentcoin of the empire. 

The greater portion of the proceeds was placed at the disposal ofWillis, to facilitate him in procuring the means of returning to NewSwitzerland. He--like connoisseurs who buy up seemingly worthlesspictures, because they have detected, or fancy they have detected, some masterly touches rarely found on modern canvas--had bought, not aship, but the remains of what had once been one. This he obtained foralmost nothing, but he knew the value of his purchase. The carcass wasrefitted under his own eye, and, when it left the ship-yard, looked asif it had been launched for the first time. The timbers were old; butthe cabins and all the internal fittings were new; a few sheets ofcopper and the paint-brush accomplished the rest. When the mast wasfitted in, and the new sails bent, the little sloop looked as jauntyas a nautilus, and, according to Willis himself, was the smartestlittle craft that ever hoisted a union-jack. 

Whether the captain and the missionary still entertained the beliefthat the Pilot's wits had gone a wool-gathering or not, certain it isthat they had followed his instructions, in so far as to relinquishtheir parole, and thus to lose their personal liberty. They were bothsecurely locked up in one of the rooms or cells of the old palace orcastle of Francois I. , which was then, and perhaps is still, used asthe state prison of Havre de Grace. This fortalice chiefly consists ofa battlemented round tower, supported by strong bastions, andpierced, here and there, by small windows, strongly barred. The footof the tower is bathed by the sea, which, as Willis afterwardsremarked, was not only a favor granted to the tower, but likewise anobligation conferred upon themselves. 

When the Pilot's purchase had been completely refitted, storesshipped, papers obtained, and every requisite made for the outwardvoyage, the departure of the three adventurers was announced, and acrowd assembled on shore to see their ship leave the harbor. She wastowed out to the roads, where she lay tranquilly mirrored in the sea, ready to start the moment her commander stepped on board. NeitherFritz nor Jack, however, had yet completed their preparations. For themoment, therefore, the vessel was left in charge of some Frenchseamen, whom Willis, however, had taken care to engage only for ashort period. 

Somewhere about a week after this, Fritz and Jack, in a small boat, painted perfectly black and manned by four stout rowers, with muffledoars, were lurking about the fortalice already mentioned. The nightwas pitch dark, and there was no moon. The waves beat sullenly on thefoot of the tower and surged back upon themselves, like an enragedenemy making an abortive attempt to storm the walls of a town. Not aword was uttered, and the young men were intently listening, as ifexpecting to hear some preconcerted signal. 

Meanwhile, in one of the rooms or cells of the round tower, aboutsixty feet above the level of the sea, Captain Littlestone, themissionary, and the Pilot were engaged in a whispered conversation, through which might be detected the dull sound of an oiled fileworking against iron. The cell was ample in size, but the stone wallswere without covering of any kind. It was lighted during the day byone of the apertures we have already described; the thickness of thewalls did not permit the rays of the sun to penetrate to the interior, and at the time of which we speak the apartment was perfectly dark. 

"I should like to see the warder, " whispered Willis, "when he comes, with his bundle of keys and his night-cap in his hand, to wish yourhonors good morning, but, in point of fact, to see whether yourhonors are in safe custody. How astonished the old rascal will be! Ho, ho, ho!"

"My good fellow, " said the missionary, "it is scarcely time to laughyet. It is just possible we may escape; but vain boasting is in nocase deserving of approbation. It is, indeed, scarcely consistent withthe dignity of my cloth to be engaged in breaking out of a prison;still, I am a man of peace, and not a man of war. "

"No, " said Willis, "you are not; but I wish to goodness you were aseventy-four--under the right colors, of course. "

"I was going to remark, " continued the missionary, "that I am a man ofpeace, and, consequently, do not think that I am justly entitled to betreated as a prisoner of war. Under these circumstances, I am, nodoubt, justified in shaking off my bonds in any way that is open tome; the more particularly as the apostle Paul was once rescued frombondage in a similar way. "

"He was let down from a window in a basket, was he not?"

"Yes; whilst journeying in the city of Damascus, the governor, whosename was Avetas resolved to arrest him and accordingly placed sentriesat all the gates. Paul, however was permitted to pass through a house, the windows of which overhung the walls of the town, whence, as yousay, he was let down in a basket, and escaped. "[J]

"I trust your reverence will be in much the same position as theapostle, by-and-by--only you will have to dispense with the basket, "said Willis. 

"I have no wish to remain in bondage longer than is absolutelynecessary, " said the minister; "but there still seem difficulties inthe way. "

"Yes, " said Willis, plying the file with redoubled energy, "this irongives me more bother than I anticipated; but it is the nature of ironto be hard; however, it will not be long before we are all out ofbondage, as your reverence calls it. "

"May not the warder discover our escape, and raise an alarm in timeto retake us?" inquired the missionary. 

"No, I think not, " replied the captain; "thanks to our habit ofsleeping with our faces to the wall, he will be deceived by thedummies we have placed in the beds, for he always approaches ontip-toe not to awake us. "

"That may be for the first round; but the second will assuredlydisclose our absence. "

"Very likely, " remarked Willis; "he will then go right up to the beds, and shake the dummies by the shoulders, and say, Does your honor notknow that it is ten o'clock, and that your breakfast is cooling? Thedummies will, of course, not condescend to reply, and then--but whatmatters? By that time we shall have shaken out our top-sail, andpursuit will be out of the question. I should like to see the craftthat will overtake us when once we are a couple of miles ahead. "

"Poor man!" said the missionary, sighing; "our escape may, perhaps, cost him his place. "

"No fear of that, " said Willis; "perhaps, at first, he will make anattempt to tear his hair, but, as he wears a wig, that will not domuch mischief. "

"I shall, however, leave my purse on the table, " said the missionary;"as it is tolerably well filled, that may afford the poor fellow someconsolation. "

"And I shall do the same, " said the captain. 

"If that does not console him for being deprived of the pleasure ofour society, I do not know what will, " observed Willis. 

"It is now two o'clock, " said the captain, feeling his watch, "and thewarder goes his first rounds at three; we have therefore just one hourfor our preparations. "

"I have severed one bar, " said Willis, "and the other is nearlythrough at one end, so keep your minds perfectly at ease. "

"Your patience and equanimity, Willis, does you infinite credit, " saidthe missionary. "Minister of the Gospel though I be, I fear that I donot possess these qualities to the same extent, for, to confess thetruth, I feel an inward yearning to be free, and yet am restless andanxious. "

"There is no great use in being in a hurry, " said the Pilot; "themore haste the less speed, you know. "

"True; but might not these bars have been sawn through before? If thishad been done, our flight would have been, at least, lessprecipitate. "

"You forget, Mr. Wolston, " said the captain, "that we did not knowtill nine o'clock the affair was to come off to-night. "

"And I could not come any sooner to tell you, " remarked the Pilot; "Ihad the greatest difficulty in the world to get in here; the maritimecommissary would not take me into custody. "

"I forgot to ask you how you contrived to get incarcerated, " observedthe captain; "you were not a prisoner, and could not plead yourparole. "

"No; and consequently I had to plead something else. "

"Willis, " said the missionary, "the work you are engaged in must bevery fatiguing, let me exercise my strength upon the bars for a shorttime. "

"If you like, minister, but keep the file well oiled. "

"What, motive, then, did you urge, Willis?" inquired CaptainLittlestone. 

"'Mr. Commissary, ' said I, 'one of your frigates captured the Englishcutter _Nelson_ some time ago, but the capture was not complete. '

"'How so?' inquired the commissary. 

"'Because, Mr. Commissary, ' said I, 'you did not capture theboatswain, and a British ship without a boatswain is no good; it islike a body without a soul. '

"'Is that all you have to tell me?' said the commissary, looking glum. 

"'No, ' said I, 'to make the capture complete, you have still to arrestthe boatswain, and here he is standing before you--I am the man; buthaving been detained by family affairs in the Pacific Ocean, I couldnot surrender myself any sooner. '

"'And what do you want me to do with you?' said he. 

"'Why, what you would have done with me had I been on board the_Nelson_, to be sure. '

"'What! take you prisoner?'

"'Yes, commissary. '

"'You wish me to do so?'

"'Yes, certainly, '

"'Is it possible?'

"'Then you refuse to take me into custody, Mr. Commissary?' said I. 

"'Yes, positively, ' said he; 'we take prisoners, but we do not acceptthem when offered. '

"'Then you will not allow me to join my captain in his adversity?'

"'Your captain is as great a fool as yourself, ' said he; 'he need nothave gone to prison unless he liked. '

"'That was a matter of taste on his part, Mr. Commissary, but is amatter of duty on mine, '"

"This bar is nearly through, " whispered the missionary. 

"There is no time to be lost, " said the captain; "the warder will beround in a quarter of an hour. "

"Well, " continued Willis, "the commissary began to get angry, he roseup, and was about to leave the room, when I placed myself resolutelybefore him. 

"'Sir, ' said I, 'one word more--you know the French laws; be goodenough to tell me what crime will most surely and most promptly sendme to prison. '

"'Oh, there are plenty of them, ' said he, laughing. 

"'Well, commissary, ' says I, 'suppose I knock you down here on thespot, will that do?"

"Was that not going a little too far, Willis?"

"What could I do? The ship was all ready, everybody on board butyourselves, circumstances were pressing, and you know I would havefloored him as gently as possible. "

At this moment the bar yielded. To the end of a piece of twine, whichWillis had rolled round his body, a piece of stone was attached; thishe let down till it touched the water, and then the caw of a crow rangthrough the air. 

"That was a very good imitation, Willis, " said the captain. "You didnot break any of the commissary's bones, did you?"

"No; the threat was quite sufficient; he would not yield to myprayers, but he yielded to my impudence, and ordered me into custody. At first, however, I was thrust into an underground cell; but Iobtained, or rather my louis obtained for me, permission to chum withyou; and, by the way, what a frightful staircase I had to mount! thatmore than any thing else, obliges us to get down by the window. "

[Illustration]

Willis, who continued to hold one end of the cord, at the sound of awhistle drew it up, and found attached to the other end a stout ropeladder. This he made fast to the bars of the window that stillremained intact. At the request of the minister, all three then fellupon their knees and uttered a short prayer. Immediately after, Wolston went out of the window and began to descend, the captainfollowed, and Willis brought up the rear. All three were cautiouslyprogressing downwards, when the missionary called out he had forgottento _forget_ his purse. 

"I have made the same omission, " said the captain; "hand yours up, Wolston. "

The missionary accordingly held up his with one hand whilst he held onthe ladder with the other. The captain bent down to take it, but foundhe could not reach it without endangering his equilibrium. They bothmade some desperate efforts to accomplish the feat, but the thing wasimpossible. 

"I see no help for it, " said the missionary, "but to ascend all threeagain. "

"That is awkward, " said the captain. 

"Gentlemen, " said Willis, "three o'clock is striking on the prisonclock; the warder will be round in two minutes. "

"God sometimes permits good actions to go _unrewarded_, " said themissionary; "but he never _punishes_ them. "

"Let us re-ascend, then, " said the captain. 

"So be it, " said Willis, going upwards. 

They had scarcely time to re-enter the cell before they heard thesound of steps and the clank of keys in the corridor. The stepsdiscontinued at their door, and a key was thrust into the lock. 

"What is the matter?" cried the captain from his bed, as the gaolerthrust his head inside the door. 

"Why, " said the warder, "I heard a noise, and thought that your honormight be ill. "

"Thank you for your attention, Ambroise, " replied the captain, in ahalf sleepy tone; "but you have been deceived, we are all quite well. "

"Entirely so, " added the missionary. 

"All right old fellow!" cried Willis, with a yawn. 

This triple affirmation, which assured him, not only of the health, but also of the custody of his prisoners, seemed satisfactory to thegaoler. 

"I am sorry to have awoke your honors, " said he, as he withdrew hishead and relocked the door; "it must have been in the room overhead. "

"Good?" said Willis, "the old rascal expects nothing. "

Two well-lined purses were laid on the table, and in a few minutesmore the three men resumed their position on the ladder in the sameorder as before. They arrived safely in the boat, where they werecordially welcomed by Fritz and Jack. The men were then ordered topull for their lives to the ship, which they did with a hearty will. The instant they stepped on board the anchor was weighed, and whenmorning broke not a vestige of the old tower of Havre de Grace wasanywhere to be seen. 

"Why, " exclaimed the captain, looking about him with an air ofastonishment, "this is my own vessel!"

"Yes, captain, " said Willis, touching his cap, "and I am its boatswainor pilot, whichever your honor chooses to call me. "

"But how did you obtain possession of her?"

"By right of purchase she belongs to our friends, Masters Fritz andJack, but they have agreed to waive their claim, providing you proceedwith them to New Switzerland. "

"I agree most willingly to these conditions, " said CaptainLittlestone, addressing the two brothers, "the more so that mydestination was Sydney when the _Nelson_ was captured. "

"In the meantime, captain, " said Fritz, "my brother and I have torequest that you will resume the command, and treat us as passengers. "

"Thank you, my friends, thank you. Willis, are all the old crew onboard?"

"All that were in Havre, your honor; I commissioned Bill Stubbs topick them up, and he managed to smuggle them all on board. "

"Then pipe all hands on deck. "

"Aye, aye, captain, " said Willis, sounding his whistle. 

When the men were mustered, Littlestone made a short speech to them, told them that they would receive pay for the time they had been inthe enemy's power, and inquired whether they were all willing tocontinue the voyage under his command. This question was responded toby a general assent. 

"Then, " he continued, turning to Willis, "the share you have had inthe rescue of the _Nelson_ and its crew, conjointly with my interestat the Admiralty, will, I have not the slightest doubt, obtain for youthe well-merited rank of lieutenant of his Majesty's navy. I have, therefore, to request that you will assume that position on boardduring the voyage, until confirmed by the arrival of your commission. "

"Thank your honor, " said Willis, bowing. 

"And now, lieutenant, you will be kind enough to rate William Stubbson the books as boatswain. "

"Aye, aye, captain, " said Willis, handing his whistle to Bill. 

"Pipe to breakfast, " said the captain. 

"Aye, aye, sir, " replied the new boatswain, sounding the whistle. 

"By the way, " said Littlestone, turning to Jack, "I do not see thesurgeon you spoke of on board. How is this?"

"He is on board for all that, " said Jack, drawing an official lookingdocument out of his pocket; "be kind enough to read that. "

The captain accordingly read as follows:--

 "_Havre, 15th October, 1812. _

 "This is to certify that Mr. Jack Becker has, for some time, been a student in the hospitals of this town, and that he has successfully passed through a stringent examination as to his acquaintance with the diagnosis and cure of various diseases; as also as to his knowledge of the practice of physic and surgery generally. 

 "He has specially directed his attention to the treatment of cancer, and has performed several operations for the eradication of that malady to the satisfaction of the surgeon in chief and my own. 

 (Signed) "GARAY DE NEVRES, M. D. , Inspector of the Hospitals". 

This document was countersigned, sealed, and stamped by the mayor, theprefect, and other authorities of the department. 

"How have you contrived to obtain so satisfactory a certificate in soshort a period?" inquired the captain. 

"I was introduced to the chief surgeon by the medical man on board the_Boudeuse_. I stated my position to him, and, probably, he threwfacilities in my way of obtaining the object I had in view that were, perhaps, rarely accorded to others. All the cases of cancer, forexample, were placed under my care; I had, therefore, an opportunityof observing a great many phases and varieties of that disease. "

"Are you determined to follow up the profession of surgery, then?"

"Yes, captain; I have shipped a medicine chest on board, a completeassortment of instruments, and a collection of English, French, andGerman medical works. It is my intention to make myself thoroughlyfamiliar with the theory of the science, and trust to chance forpractice. "

"Then allow me, Mr. Becker, to rate you as surgeon of the _Nelson_ forthe outward voyage. Will you accept the office?"

"With pleasure, Captain; but, at the same time, I trust there will beno occasion to exercise my skill. "

"No one can say what may happen; disease turns up where it is leastexpected. Lieutenant, " he added, turning to Willis, "be kind enough torate Mr. Becker on the ship's books as surgeon. "

"Aye, Aye, sir. "

Meantime the _Nelson_ was making her way rapidly along the Frenchcoast, and had already crossed the Bay of Biscay. The _Nelson_ behavedherself admirably, and took to her new gear with excellent grace. Allwas going merrily as a marriage bell. They did not now run very muchrisk of cruisers, as Fritz had French papers perfectly _en regle_, andCaptain Littlestone would have had little difficulty to prove hisidentity; besides, the speed of the _Nelson_ was sufficient to securetheir safety in cases where danger was to be apprehended. 

One night, about four bells (ten o'clock), when Willis was lazilylolling in his hammock, doubtless ruminating on his newly-acquireddignity, his cabin-door gradually opened, and the captain entered. Willis stared at first, thinking he might have something important tocommunicate, but he only muttered something about a cloud gathering inthe west. This was too much for Willis; it resembled his formermeditations so vividly, that he leaped out of his hammock, seizedLittlestone by the collar, and called loudly for Fritz and Jack. 

"It is not very respectfull, captain, to handle you in this way; butthe case is urgent, and I should like to have the mystery cleared up. "

The two brothers, when they entered the cabin, beheld Willis holdingthe captain tightly in his arms. 

"I have caught him at last, you see, " said the Pilot. 

"So it would appear, " observed Jack; "but are you not aware thecaptain is asleep?"

And so it was Littlestone had walked from his own cabin to that ofWillis in a state of somnambulism. 

"What is the matter?" inquired the latter, when he became conscious ofhis position. 

"Nothing is the matter, captain, " replied Jack, "only you have beenwalking in your sleep. "

"Ah--yes--it must be so!" exclaimed Littlestone; gazing about him witha troubled air. "Have I not paid you a visit of this kind before, Willis?"

"Yes, often. "

"Where?"

"On board the _Boudeuse_. "

"That must have been the craft I was transferred to, then, after thecapture of the _Nelson_. Just call Mr. Wolston, and let us have thematter explained. "

On comparing notes, it appeared that the captain and the missionaryhad been on board the _Boudeuse_. Both had been ill, and both had beenclosely confined to their cabin during the entire voyage, partly onaccount of their being prisoners of war, and partly on account oftheir illness. On one occasion, but on one only, the captain hadescaped from his cabin during the night. Willis might, therefore, haveseen him once, but that he had seen him oftener was only a dream. 

"It appears, then, " said Littlestone, "that my illness has left thisunfortunate tendency to sleep-walking. I shall, therefore, placemyself in your hands, Master Jack; perhaps you may be able to chase itaway. "

"I will do my best, captain; and I think I may venture to promise acure. "

Willis was sorry for the captain's sleeplessness, but he was glad thatthe mystery hanging over them both had been so far cleared up. Hisvisions and dreams had been a source of constant annoyance to him; butnow that their origin had been discovered, he felt that henceforwardhe might sleep in peace. 

After a rapid run, the sloop cast anchor off the Cape. Here CaptainLittlestone reported himself to the commander on the station, andreceived fresh papers. He also sent off a despatch to the Lords of theAdmiralty, in which he reported the capture and rescue of his ship. Heinformed them that his own escape and that of the crew was entirelyowing to the tact and daring of Willis, the boatswain, whom, inconsequence, he had nominated his second in command, _vice_ LieutenantDunsford, deceased; the appointment subject, of course, to theirlordship's approval. 

Willis wrote a long letter to his wife, informing her of his expectedpromotion, adding that, in a year or so after the receipt of hiscommission, he should retire on half-pay, and then emigrate to adelightful country, where he had been promised a vast estate. He saidthat, probably, he should have an entire island to himself, andpossibly have the command of the fleet; but he thought it as well tosay nothing about tigers, sharks, and chimpanzees. 

The missionary also wrote to England, relinquishing his charge inSouth Africa, and requesting a mission amongst the benightedinhabitants of the Pacific Ocean, where he stated he was desirous ofsettling for family reasons, and where besides, he said, he would havea wider and equally interesting field for his labors. 

The two brothers found at the Cape a large sum of money at theirdisposal; this, however, they had now no immediate use for; they, consequently, left it to await the arrival of Frank and Ernest, who, in all probability, would return with the _Nelson_. 

The arrangements made, the _Nelson_ was fully armed and manned, anample supply of stores and ammunition was shipped, the mails in Sydneywere taken on board, and the sloop resumed her voyage. 

FOOTNOTES:

[J] 2nd Cor. , xi. , 32. 

CONCLUSION. 

Three months after leaving the Cape, the coast of New Switzerland wastelegraphed from the mast head by Bill Stubbs. A gun was immediatelyfired, and towards evening the _Nelson_ entered Safety Bay. Fritz, Jack, Captain Littlestone, the missionary, and Willis, were allstanding on deck, eagerly scanning the shore. 

"There is father!" cried Jack, "armed with a telescope; and now I seeFrank and Mrs. Wolston. "

"There comes Mr. Wolston and Master Ernest, " cried Willis, "as usual, a little behind. "

"But I see nothing of my mother and the young ladies!" said Fritz. 

"Very odd, " said Captain Littlestone, sweeping the horizon with hisglass "I can see nothing of them either. "

A horrible apprehension here glided into the hearts of the young men. They knew well that, had their mother been able, she would have beenthe first to welcome them home. Perhaps, under the inspiration ofdespair, their lips were opening to deny the mercy of that Providencewhich had hitherto so remarkably befriended them, when at a greatdistance, and scarcely perceptible to the naked eye, they descriedthree figures advancing slowly towards the shore. 

One of these forms was Mrs. Becker, who was leaning upon the arms ofMary and Sophia Wolston. 

"God be thanked, we are still in time, " cried Fritz and Jack. 

A loud cheer, led by Willis, then rent the air. Half an hour after, the two young men leaped on shore; they did not stay to shake handswith their father and brothers, but ran on to where their motherstood. It was a long time before they could utter a syllable; thegreeting of the mother and her children was too affectionate to beexpressed in words. 

Next morning, at daybreak, preparations for a serious operation weremade in Mrs. Becker's room. The entire colony was in a state ofintense excitement, and an air of anxiety was imprinted on everycountenance. In the room itself the wing of a fly could have beenheard, so breathless was the silence that prevailed. The patient'seyes had been bandaged, under pretext of concealing from her sight thesurgical instruments and preparations for the operation. The realdesign, however, was to hide the operator, whom Mrs. Becker supposedto be an expert practitioner from Europe; for it was not thoughtadvisable that a mother's anxieties should be superadded to thepatient's sufferings. 

At the moment of trial the few persons present had sunk on theirknees; Jack alone remained standing at the bedside of his mother. TheJack of the past had entirely disappeared; he was somewhat pale, verygrave, but collected, firm, and resolute. It was, perhaps, the firstinstance on record of a son being called upon to lacerate the body ofhis mother. But the moment that God imposed such a task upon one ofHis creatures, it is God himself that becomes the operator. 

When, some days after, Mrs. Becker--calm, radiant, andsaved--requested to see and thank her deliverer, it was Jack whopresented himself. If she had known this sooner, it would, mostundoubtedly, have augmented her terror, and increased the fever. As itwas, it redoubled her thankfulness, and hastened her recovery. 

Frank and Ernest embarked on board the _Nelson_ when she returned toNew Switzerland on her way to Europe. Two years afterwards, the formerreturned in the capacity of a minister of the Church of England, bringing with him a sufficient number of men, women, and children tofurnish a respectable congregation; and it was rumored, though withwhat degree of truth I will not venture to say, that one of the younglady passengers in the ship was his destined bride. Ernest remainedsome years in Europe, partly to consolidate relations between thecolony and the mother country, and partly with a view to realize hispet project of establishing an observatory in New Switzerland. 

Willis, instead of being suspended at the yard-arm as he had insistedon prognosticating, received his lieutenancy in due course, accompanied by a highly flattering letter from the Lords of theAdmiralty, thanking him, in the name of the captain and crew of the_Nelson_, for his exertions in their behalf. As soon, however, aspeace was proclaimed, he retired on half-pay, and, with his wife anddaughter, emigrated to Oceania. He assumed his old post of admiral onShark's Island, where a commodious house had been erected. We mustpremise, at the same time, that to his honorary duties as admiral, conjoined the humbler, but not less useful, offices of lighthousekeeper, manager of the fisheries, and harbor-master. 

As a country grows rich, and advances in prosperity, it rarely, ifever, happens that the sum of human life becomes happier or better. Itis, therefore, not without regret we learn that gold has beendiscovered in a land so highly favored by nature in other respects;for, if such be the case, then adieu to the peace and tranquillity itsinhabitants have hitherto enjoyed. The colony will soon be overrunwith Chinamen, American adventurers, and ticket-of-leave convicts. Farewell to the kindliness and hospitality of the community, for theywill inevitably be deluged with the refuse of the old, and also, alas!of the new world. 

THE END.