The surf skiff, or, The heroine of the Kennebec :: :: University of Virginia Library

The old gsherman, Northrop, seemed
relieved as soon as the men embarked;
and George had noticed that he kept his
features concealed by turning his head
from them, and that he hastened up the
path as rapidly as he could.

`Your father is rather inhospitable towards
the English sailors,' said George.

`Yes. He does not much like the
English ever; and especially in war.'

`He seemed to avoid them in a very
marked manner, as if he feared to be
recognised. Did you observe this!'

`Yes. But don't let us speak of this,
George. We have ourselves to talk
about; and we have God to thank for
the safety of this night!'

`We have every thing to be grateful
for, dearest May. As we walk up I
will tell you how things went on board
the frigato.

When he had ended his narrative,
which took him, slow as they walked
arm in arm, till they got quite to the top
of the cliff, he demanded of her an account
of her dangerous enterprize; and
when she described her danger amid the
surf, he shuddered and caught her to his
heart.

`You seem to have been brought to
life from the dead, dearest May. But
you are safe, and I am happy. You
have no idea of the anguish I have suffered
the last three hours, pacing up and
down this cliff-top in the storm, which I
felt not, watching the sea for you. I
knew you were battling with the elements,
and felt my own impotency without
a boat to go and share with you the
dangers you voluntarily encountered.
I can hardly realise that I once more see
you in safety—fold you to my heart in
hope and joy!'

`I trembled for you, George, when I
saw you going towards the frigate, and
the storm so close upon you. I more
than once repented of my wish to have
you go, and when I fancied, as I did for
a little time, that you had been caught by
the tornado and had perished, I felt that
I should always look upon myself as your
murderer.'

`In your cause, for your sake, dearest
May, I would willingly have met death.
And how did you know that I escaped?'

`By watching the frigate's movements
in the midst of the hurricane. I watched
her until she came near Porpus Ledge,
and saw her tack and stand westward;
and then I knew that you were guiding
her destiny.'

`Sweet May, the consciousness of your
thoughts and prayers being with me; the
anticipation of your love when I should
return to you successful, gave me courage,
coolness, and skill even superiar to
myself. Your spirit seemed to stand by
my side, and bid me be calm and strong,
and fear not.'

`I was by you, George. My heart
was more in the ship with you than in
my own bosom. It was while lingering
over you at the helm, in your pathway
through the storm, that I beheld the shallop
contending with the winds and waves
in the offing. You know the result.'

`Brave and generous May,' he said,
pressing her hands in his. `Now, as
humanity makes no more demands upon
you to-night, for the hurricane has subsided
into a smart gale only, you had
best seek your pillow. You need repose.'

`Not more than you, George?'

`I will throw myself down on the floor
in your father's room; for he will doubtless
need sleep after the extraordinary
fatigues of the night. To-morrow, love,
we will again see each other, I will
dream of you and of my happiness.'

They were now at the door of the cottage.
William Northrop was already inside,
removing his wet jacket for a drier.
May said a few words of affection to her
faer, and then, at his reiterated desire,
sought her couch; but she did not retire
so secretly that George did not meet her
in the entry and steal from her lips a
sweet good night. How pure and innocent
was that love.

He then entered the room where William
Northrop sat, smoking a pipe which
he had just lighted. He was thinking of
his escape, of his daughter's courage and
affection; and trying to lift his heart to
God for his goodness in permitting him
to live. He knew not how to pray, that
man of a wicked life. He could only
sit and smoke, and try to make his heart
move with thankfulness. But May knew
the path of prayer often trod by the feet
of her pure spirit. She had no sooner
closed the door than she knelt, dripping
as her garments were with the salt-sea
spray, by her little bed, and raising her
seraphic countenance to Heaven, with
eyes beaming faith and love, thanked
God her Father for his great mercies to
herself, to her father, and to George.

William Northrop's gratitude went up
in smoke and was as substantial and
abiding; but hers was written down by
the golden pen of the recording angel.

George, too happy to talk, threw himself
upon the floor, simply saying:—
`Good night, master William.' He
wished to lay and think of May, so long
hopelessly loved, now fairly won and his
own for ever. Oh, what joy to the good
to be loved by the pure and beautiful.

`Who was the pilot of that ship,
George?' asked Northrop, as the lover
lay dreaming, awake, of May. `She had
a pilot I am sure, or she would not have
been where she is now.'

As William Northrop said this, he
knocked the ashes from his pipe, and
replaced it in his lips.

`It was I, sir,' answered George.

`You? Do you mean to say that you
piloted that ship in?' cried Northrop,
in a loud, angry tone of surprise.

`Yes, sir,' answered George, firmly.

`I have been thinking who on the coast
was traitor enough to have done it. And
so you are he?' thundered the fisherman,
rising up. `Stand on your feet,
and let me look at you.'

George was already upon his feet,
surprised at the violent manner of the
old man. He was also struck by his expression
of `traitor.' He turned pale,
and a strange feeling passed over him.

`What harm was there, sir, in tacking
the ship in?' he said calmly. `She was
in peril; and her signals guns were firing
an hour before I started.'

`Let them fire. She was an enemy.
It would have been a service to have let
her be wrecked.'

`I did not think of her being an enemy
so much as I—' Here he stopped full.
He was about to continue `as I thought

of May's wishes.' But he recollected in
good time that her father never liked his
visits to her; and had better be kept in
ignorance in his present mood of her influence
over him. Besides, he feared if
he mentioned her name he might visit
her with that anger which he saw gathering
against himself. He therefore terminated
his answer with—`as I thought
of the duties of humanity!'

`Humanity!' repeated William Northrop,
with a sneer. `You have done
work this night, young man, that you
ought to swing for!'

`I have saved the lives of five hundred
human beings, Master William,' answered
George, firmly. `I do not think I
can be censured for this.'

`We shall see!' responded the old
man with significant emphasis. `We
shall see! How came that boat wrecked
with the English sailors I found on
the beach?' he demanded, moodily.

`In bringing me off!'

`What became of your own boat?'

`It was swamped along side when I
went on board!'

`Did you take any one with you?'

`Buttermilk!'

`Humph! Two of you! very well.
What did the English Captain pay you?'

`He offered me money but I refused
all recompense!'

`You did!' repeated Northrop, looking
him in the face with surprise.

`Yes; I believe the black took something.'

`And so you piloted this English ship
of war into the bay for love!' he said,
sarcastically.

`Yes, sir, for love,' responded George,
with peculiar emphasis, and a slight
smile upon his fine face.

`It was your duty to have wrecked
her on the Porpus!'

`And lost my own life, Master William!'

`You had better have been drowned
than hanged, as you are liked to be!'

`Hanged, Captain Northrop?' exclaimed
George, starting at the word with indignation
not unmixed with alarm; for
he was young and ignorant of the laws
of the land; and did not know but that
his having piloted the ship in would
would bring his head into peril.

`Yes, young man. The ship is, you
say, an English frigate! You knew it
to be such when you heard her signals.
You went knowingly on board of her;
and you piloted her, an enemy's ship,
safely into the bay; when without your
aid she would have been lost!'

`There is little doubt of that, sir. I
feel sure she would have been wrecked.
If I have done wrong, I still have the
satisfaction of knowing that I have saved
the lives of half a thousand men!'

`Here are your countrymen killing
Englishmen every day wherever they
can meet them, and you are risking your
own life to save an English ship containing
five hundred of them; and preserving
her and them to do us an injury!'

`I am sorry, sir,' answered George,
`that I have done wrong. But I cannot
undo what is done!' His conscience
now showed him plainly that the old
man's words were based on truth. He
had, as the reader will remember, opposed
going on board in the outset, advancing
precisely similar arguments to
May. But love had over-ruled his patriotic
prejudices. He now felt that he was
guilty of the very thing which Northrop
charged him with; and was not entirely
free from apprehensions of the result.

`But if I suffer, it will be sweet to
know it was for May's sake!' he said,
cheerfully.

`You can undo what you have done,
young man!' said William Northrop,
coming close up to him as he stood leaning
against the wainscoating by the door,

and speaking in an under tone and in a
very impressive manner.

`How?' cried George Hunnewell,
with eagerness.

`The ship is dismasted in port. It
will take her two or three days, or more,
to refit. She will then want a pilot out!'

`Yes, sir!'

`Don't you understand me?'

`I do not know that you mean anything
more than I hear, Master William.'

`You are very dull, or see fit to be so.
The frigate, I say, will want a pilot out!'

`I would not pilot her. I was asked
and refused to do it!'

`You must do it! You must go on
board and offer to do it!'

`You but now have accused me, as
also my conscience almost has done, of
being a traitor by piloting the frigate in!'

`Your only course is now to pilot her
out and redeem your folly in bringing
her in, by wrecking her on the Porpus
ledge!'

`Wreck her, sir!'

`Yes. It is your only course to avoid
the consequences that will otherwise follow
you!'

`I will not be a party to such a crime,
sir,' answered George, with a kindling
eye. `I am ashamed to have any man
believe that I could do such a deed. It
is not in me, Master William Northrop.
I am not the man!'

`You are not. Very well. You will
have to take the consequences!'

`I am willing to abide the result of
what I have done,' he answered, firmly.
As the storm seems to be passing off,
and the sky is clear in the west, I will
try and reach home across the hills.
Good night, Master Northrop!'

`Good night. To-morrow I hope you
will think better of my suggestion.'

`I can give you no other answer than
that I have already made,' answered the
young man, as he left the room and passed
out of doors.

The wind still blew high but the clouds
had been driven eastward, and lay piled
up near the horizon in vast black masses,
from which the far-off lightning gleamed,
and the low muttering thunder came.
Over-head all was star-bright; and the
moon two hours high was struggling
through a squadron of white clouds, the
rear-guard of the storm.