3. III.
There are some scenes which art does not attempt to delineate
— some agonies which baffle the powers of imagination. Such
was the terrible, though momentary, horror and agony, of the
wretched wife of the young merchant. In such cases, Nature
herself seems to acknowledge the same necessities with art, —
acknowledges her own incapacity to endure, what art lacks the
power to delineate; and interposes a partial death, to spare to the
victim the tortures of a horrid dying. Pauline Chastaign swooned
and lay unconscious upon the deck.
Meanwhile, the miserable captives stood silent, incapable, paralyzed
with their own terrors at the dreadful tragedy which had
been so suddenly conceived, and so rapidly hurried to its catastrophe.
The French captain shrugged his shoulders and prepared
for his own fate.
“`You have seen!' said Blackbeard addressing him and the
rest. `Trample on these colors'— pointing to the flag of the
Lily; which had been torn down and thrown upon the deck;—
`spit upon that cross!'—that of poor Pauline Chastaign, which
lay half crushed before them; — `and swear on the bloody head
obedience to the laws of the `Brothers of the Coast!'— such was
the name which the pirate fraternity bore among themselves;—
`or you share the fate of that young fool, and find the sharks
their supper this very night. Speak! You!'— addressing the
captain of the Frenchman.
The days of Rousseau, Voltaire, and Robespierre, had not yet
dawned. The Frenchman had not yet prepared to spit on
Christ, and substitute himself for God! Our captain knew his
fate, and was prepared for it. He took the broken cross reverently,
and kissed it, then, with a faint smile, he politely bowed
to the pirate-chief — in these gestures according his only answer.
“`To the plank with him!' was the command of Blackbeard
in a voice of thunder. A dozen unscrupulous ruffians seized
upon the Frenchman to hurry him to his doom. Then, for the
first time, the rest of the crew seemed to awaken to a sense of
desperation, as by a common instinct. With a wild cry they
rushed upon the pirates, striking right and left with muscular
arms, and all the reckless violence of despairing nature! Unhappily,
the timid policy of their captain had denied them weapons.
They had nothing upon which to rely but their own
sinews; nevertheless, so sudden, so unlooked for was the assault,
that the pirates bearing the captain, were overborne; he
rescued; and, with a cheer, they all together darted again upon
the foe, picking up knife or cutlass where they might. Alas!
the brave effort but shortened the pang of dying. A new flood
of ruffians from the pirate vessel poured in upon them, and finished
the struggle in a few moments; but Blackbeard himself,
meanwhile, had been wounded with a knife, and his smart rendered
him less than ever disposed to mercy. Maimed, slain, or
only wounded, the captives were all hurried into the deep;— but
one male being suffered to survive — a poor cabin-boy who, in
the last moment, grappled the knees of Blackbeard, swore allegiance
to his authority, and was admitted to mercy!
