University of Virginia Library

10. CHAPTER X.

One morning, about seven weeks after the events detailed in the last
chapter, old Commodore Ellingwood was seated in his leather arm chair,
before a comfortable fire in his parlor. One foot was bandaged and supported
upon a soft cushion of down, the work of the gentle needle-craft of
Grace. As usual the commodore was smoking his Turkish hookah, and
teaching little Hindoo Jack his catechism. The lad was squatted at his feet
upon the rug, holding the bowl of the pipe, with his large brilliant round
eyes fixed with awe upon his master, and vainly endeavoring to pronounce
the king's English.

`As Ben says, Jack, we'll have to clap a stopper on your talking hamper,
and bring you up with a round turn! Who was the old man?'

`Me no massa commodory, me no speak him!' answered the little fellow
with sparkling eager eyes.

`Now heave! me—'

`Mee—'

`Thu!'

`Foo—'

`Thu.'

`Phoo—'

`I dare say the creature means thu by foo, Ben,' said the commodore habitually
addressing himself to his familiar, though Ben was gone to the Post
Office. `Say su!'

`Su—'

`That's right!' exclaimed the commodore, who, it will be seen, had his
own peculiar way also of spelling. `Now lah!'

`Alah!'

`Not Allah! That's Turkish. Lah!'

`You'll never be a Christian, Jack. Now after me all at once. Ready!'

`Yis, Massa.'

`Methusulah!'

`Phoosylelalah!'

`That's about as much like it as a leather handspike is like the fore-yard.
Who made you?'

`De debbil!'

`No, you scoundrel! I thought I'd driven that answer into your shining
black head so that it wouldn't give. You'll go to the devil yet with all my
teaching. You are just like a crab rowing up stream; two strokes forward

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`Yis massy, Poo-soo-sy-la-lah!'

`Pussy be —, you young heathen! Ben there is no use trying to convert
this heathen. It's like wearing ship on a pivot.'

`'Taint in him, commodore. It stands to reason such a darkey as he
shouldn't be convarted. His jaw-tackle's wrong set in the first place, and
he'd have to be stripped and new-hampered afore catechism'd do him any
good. Here's two newspapers, but no letter!'

`None for me?' asked Grace, entering the room, lovely in person as when
last seen, though pale and wearing an expression of settled sadness.

`No, Miss Grace, none this voyage o' the mail stage.'

`Nor for Mrs. Winter?' she asked in a tone of disappointment.

`Not none, Miss Grace.

At this moment, Mrs. Winter entered the room with an earnest look.—
She was now an inmate of the mansion at Grove Lawn, and had become a
great favorite with the commodore. The three had talked all over again
and again, the affairs of the absent hero of this tale, and Mrs. Winter had
spoken so eloquently of her son, that the commodore's prejudices were
thrown overboard, and he felt and took a deep interest in him. Ben, who
was an acute observer of things, had made up his own mind that the commodore
and widow would get `spliced and sail under the same colors.' But
Grace saw nothing in her father's conduct to induce her to harbor any notion
of the kind. His manner was respectful and friendly; and as Mrs.
Winter was accomplished and agreeable, he found her society quite a favor
and a great relief; for Ben's yarns would give out; and as the commodore
had listened to every one of them at least fifty times each one, they failed
to awaken his attention or direct his mind from the twinges of gout.

They were all expecting letters now from Frank. It had been more than
three months since he had been written to by Grace and Mrs. Winter, save
that the letter, after learning from her agent that he had withheld the amount
of the draft for two thousand dollars, had again written him enclosing it to
him. The letter, of course, reached Marseilles after Frank's departure.

`Well, Grace, open and read the news,' said her father. `Letters will
come by and by Mrs. Winter! Let us see what vessels have arrived since
Saturday.'

Grace taking the paper, after Ben had aired it before the grate, glanced at
the shipping intelligence. `Nothing from Marseilles, sir. But here is a
strange thing. Returned to port last evening the barque Selma, after being
three days out, bound for Havre, having been chased and boarded by a pirate,
and robbed of ten kegs of dollars. For particulars of this outrage see
first page!'

`The dogs!' cried the commodore. `Where are our cruisers that these
hawks dare to venture upon the coast. Three days out, then it must have
been not thirty six hours sail from port, giving her time to get back again!
This is bold enough!'

`I'd like to be in a sloop with yer honor, and have this chap a pistol shot
under our lee,' said Ben.

`Read the particulars Gracy! This is an insult to the whole navy, stationed
here.

`Here they are, sir!'

`Read!'

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`PIRACY!—ROBBERY OF THE BARQUE SELMA OF THIS PLACE,
OFF EASTPORT, THREE DAYS AGO!

It is with no little surprise that we have to record a singularly bold and successful
piracy in our waters. The barque Selma, Captain Bunker, sailed hence
four days since for Havana, with eleven passengers. Yesterday she put back
into port, having met with a pirate, which took from her a large amount of specie.
Captain Bunker was severely wounded with a cutlass, by the pirate, for
defending property entrusted to him. We give below his letter to his merchants,
(politely handed to us for publication,) communicating the particulars
of this high-handed piracy, trusting that an armed vessel at once be despatched
to put a stop to further depredations of this character upon the high seas by
this vessel.

“Gentlemen,—It is my painful duty to communicate to you the particulars
of a piracy committed upon my vessel, in consequence of which I have thought
it best to put back to port. I sailed from Boston on the afternoon of the 11th
instant with a fair wind from the north-west, which by night placed the land
beneath the horizon. The wind chopped round in the second watch to the
south-east and was attended with squalls. At day-break we had clear and light
winds from the south, under which we laid our course, and run about four or
five knots for eight hours, when the wind veered to the east, and soon after
died away leaving us becalmed. We were in longitude 66 deg. 10 min., latitude
43 deg. 07 There were four sail in sight also becalmed; two schooners
in the northern board, six miles distant, a ship, about four miles astern, and a
brig about a league and a half ahead. The brig had been standing towards us
from the east, on the opposite tack before the wind lulled, and we had been remarking
how close she laid to the wind and the squareness of her yards; and
it was my opinion, as also my first officer's that she was a man-of-war brig. But
as we could not see her except bows-to, we could not judge. About eight bells
(4 o'clock, P. M.) the wind came out of the north and west, and we began to
move. The brig also got the breeze and laid her course. As the wind strengthened,
we were soon running three and a half knots, and rapidly nearing the
stranger. As she approached I saw that she was low in the water, very broad
in the beam like a slaver, and with very lofty rakish masts. I at once set her
down for a foreign vessel and showed my colors to get hers. She took no notice
of them, and we continued to shorten our distance until we were within a
quarter of a mile of her, when I was able, with my glass, to see enough of her
to make me shy of her company, if I had been a few degrees farther south;
but in this latitude I did not think of a pirate! I had all light sail set and was
running with the wind which had hauled to the north, nearly abeam on the
starboard tack, the stranger having it in the same way on the larboard tack.—
He was to lceward, and closely hugging the wind in a manner that led me to
think that he desired to speak with me. I bore away a point, when he passed
us within a cable's length and hailed. I sprang into the rigging with my trumpet
to answer, when I saw that she had at least forty men upon her deck; that
she carried a 32 pounder amidships, and had three ports to a side. The person
who hailed was armed with a cutlass and pistols in his belt, and I saw at once
that she was a pirate. Without waiting for my reply he ordered me to heave-to
and to enforce his command, opened his bow port and fired a shot over our
heads. I had no alternative but to obey, and gave orders to lay the main top-sail
to the mast. A boat was let down and eight men, armed to the teeth, pullled
her alongside. A young man, evidently either an Englishman or an American,
though he wore a mustache, clambered up the side, and leaping upon deck
cutlass in hand, approached me and asked if I commanded the vessel. I answered
in the affirmative. He then demanded to see my papers. I conducted
him into the cabin and placed them in his possession. He looked over the manifest,
and seeing by it that specie was on board, he commanded me to tell him
where it was placed. This I refused todo. He placed his hand upon the ring
of the patch of the run, where it was stowed, when I seized a sabre, sprung forward,
threw him off and stood uponit. He attacked me, and for a few moments
we had a combat, in which I wounded him slightly, and was myself severely

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wonnded in the left shoulder. He then said I had better submit to his
proceedings, or he would blow the barque out of the water! There was no alternative.
He ordered his men to come on board, and they conveyed the ten
kegs of specie to their brigantine, which, in the meanwhile, had been laid
alongside. He demanded the gold watches of the passengers, and even took a
necklace of diamonds from a lady a trunk. Seeing the ship which was astern
now approaching, he ordered his men on board, very politely bade us good evening,
and putting up his helm, squared away his yards and run southward, dead
before the wind. Not being able to fulfil my commissions in Havre, after the
loss of the specie, I thought it best to put back to port, from which I was only
a day and a half's sail.

Very respectfully yours,

E BUNKER.

P. S. The vessel had no name upon her stern, was painted black with black
spars, square-rigged with top-gallant stay-sails, was unusually taunt and rakish,
and a fast sailer. Some of her men were Americans or English, though most
of them were Spaniards. They seemed to be under good discipline, committing
no personal outrages upon my passengers or people.”

`Well, Ben what do you think of that, eh?' asked the commodore, when
Grace had ended, casting his eye corner-ways towards the old tar.

`It's what I call blasted cool, saving the ladies' presence.'

`It's time our cruisers were out Ben.'

`There'll be one out afore long. I only wish you had command, commodore.
I'd like to see you make a fringe of the fellows for the main-yard.'

`Here is more, sir,' said Grace. Another paragraph headed “Postscript.”'

`Let us hear it, Grace.

“Since the above was put in type, we learn that orders have just been received
from the commodore at Charlestown, by Captain Howel, of the corvette
Concord, now lying in the stream ready for sea, to put to sea forthwith, and
cruise for twenty days in search of this piratical brigantine!'

`That's it, Ben. Now we shall hear of her, rest assured.'

`But how can they find her?' asked Grace.

`If Howel is a sailor he can easily fall in with her. He only has to run
to the latitude where she was last seen, and run it down, keeping the list
three days wind in his mind, and the probable distance and course the pirate
would be likely to take. Ten to one she was back in the same spot
again in forty-eight hours after.'

`If it was after a thief on land,' said Ben, oracularly, then there might be
doubts; there's sich a sight o' roads crossing and crissing the land for a chap
to steer his course and be off on one, while you're cruisin' on another.—
But at sea, Miss Grace, it's all smooth board and open sailin'? There's no
skulking there,'

`You are right, Ben,' said the commodore. `Now Jack, let's see if you
can box-haul Methusulah.'

`Mooshy-mooly!'

`Yer honor!'

`Mooshy-mooly? Ben!'

`That little heathen rascal will be damned yet.'

`It stands to reason he should be, yer honor—he can't say catechism
enough no how to get into the main-cabin aloft, and what he does say is sich
outlandish gibberish, that the angel what stands sentry 'd send him for'ard
at onct, thinking he was talking heathen bible instead o' reglar Christian
catechism as you and I've tried to convert him with. It's no use.'

`No Ben, not a — bit!' answered the commodore with a hearty oath,
which can be expressed by a discreet dash.