University of Virginia Library

4. CHAPTER IV.
THE ENGLISHMAN.

Leaving the party in the verandah to enjoy their cigars, we will
now follow the individual whom we have choson as the principal personage
of this sequel; we mean Herbert Vincent the young Privateersman's
mate.

It will be remembered that he was left on board the Indiaman on his
way into port to attach himself to the Privateer as soon as she arrived.—
He had suffered himself to be left behind by Freemantle with manifest
reluctance; but as he hoped by complying with his request to keep on
in the merchantman he might effect a plan of his own he had conceived,
he yielded and suffered the party to proceed to the villa alone. The
motive which influenced him to comply must have been a very powerful
one; for he was naturally of an imperious temper and little relished
submission. But by submission now, however, he felt could he alone
render himself powerful hereafter. He was of a jealous temper also;
and the address and courage and fine face of Freemantle rendered him
uneasy lest an impression unfavorable, by contrast, to himself, should
be made by him upon the mind of Mary Hood. For these reasons he
would rather have accompanied him; but a deeper motive led him to
proceed on his way in the ship.

The Indiaman reached the harbor the next morning and dropped anchor
off India wharf, then the principal pier of the port. As Vincent
had nothing to do with this vessel he landed immediately in a shortboat.
As he stepped upon the wharf he looked anxiously seaward in
hopes that he should descry the privateer standing in. She was not
yet in sight. To enable him to obtain a wider view of the harbor outside

he ascended Fort Hill which towered close at hand. It was not
then so closely surrounded by edifices as at the present day, and the
scope of the view seaward was uninterrupted. There was a man dressed
as a seaman also upon the hill standing near the flag-staff with a glass
at his eye and scanning the offing. Vincent directed his eyes upon
him a moment, and then advanced towards him, laid his hand upon his
arm, ere the man who was looking through the glass with one eye shut
was aware of his presence.

`Davieson!'

`What! Mr. Vincent!' exclaimed the stranger with a look of recognition.

`Yes, Davieson. What do you here?'

`I am watching a suspicious craft in the offing,' said the seaman,
who was a bluff, strong-built man about forty years old, with a face sea-browned
and rough from exposure to storm and sun.

`Is this all you have to do? Where is your ship?'

`I left her,' answered the man doggedly.

`For what?'

`I dont choose to tell!'

`You are in ill-humor, Davieson! Come let us go into the tavern
under the pitch of the hill here, and take a glass for old ship-mates'
sake!'

`Well that is something like! I never refuses a good offer, Mr. Vincent!
You are a gentleman, if you are no longer an officer!'

`I will first borow your glass!' said Vincent coloring; `What were
you looking for?'

`A privateer I want to ship in! She slipped and went from her
moorings below the castle there yesterday all of a sudden; and I and
four other boys as was in a boat pulling down to her were left to pull
back. But as she only slipped her cable, she'll be likely to be in again
soon! We heard firing to windward south away, and perhaps she went
out to see what was going on!'

`She prevented an English Corvette from capturing that Indiaman
that just came to anchor! She kept the Englishman off at long shot,
and even disabled him; while the merchantman kept safe to port!'

`That is what I call doing the haudsome thing!'

`How is it you have quit the service, Boatswain?'

`Why you see, I dont like to take every thing. A middy was saucy
and I struck him. So to save trouble and expense to the service I gave
it a wide berth, and just now I am adrift. I lodge down in the tavern
there, but as I'm hove short for cash, I and four other good men resolved
as I told you to try Freemantle we've heard so much off. As soon as
he gets back to port, I mean to ship with him! They say every man
that sails with him gets rich!'

`Who are these men with you?'

`Two of them left the frigate with me, and they were both fore-topmen.
Ned and Jack Breeze!'

`I remember them. They are daring fellows!'

`Yes. They don't fear much of anything. The other is a long
shore craft we picked up. His name is Lot Lunt, a fresh water sailor,
but he knows enough by natur' and is as brave as a lion! He says he's

been a schoolmaster, but how that is I don't know. I only know he
can drink grog like a purser's pig!'

Vincent appeared not to give his words attention; but he was listening
with the keenest interest, though his spy-glass was all the while at
his eye. Not a word escaped him, and his active mind was busily revolving
his description of these men, and deepening some plan he had
previously conceived.

`The privateer is in sight,' he suddenly cried. She is standing in
on a bowline! She has been concealed by the shoulder of the outer
island.'

`Then I'm aboard of her afore her anchor fairly touches the mud!
If Freemantle wants five good men we'll tell him he needn't go far for
them! We shall have hard knocks sailing with him, but hard dollars,
too! There I see her with my naked eye. What a mainsail she sets.
It looks like a boy with his grandfather's coat on! It covers her all
over! What a topsail! It is square as a sloop's! Not one breadth of
canvass less in it, I'll make oath, than in our mizzen-top-sail! Well,
let her come! The sooner the better! They say the war will soon
end and then there'll be an end to prizes! Freemantle must strike fast
and while he can; or his commissions will run out! I'll take the glass
down, Mr. Vincent. It belongs to the Commodore as keeps the Fore-Top-Tavern
there! He's mighty pertikkelar about it, and only lends
it to pertikkelar friends!'

Thus speaking, the seaman who had been boatswain's mate on board
the frigate in which Vincent had sailed, received the spy-glass from his
former officer and together they descended the steep path that led to
the tavern on the lower street.

It was about dusk on the evening of the day in which this interview
took place between Vincent and Davidson, that the former landed from
a six oared barge in a retired spot at the foot of an obscure street, and
landing alone took his way rapidly up the street. He traversed it to
its extremity and then turning to the left came near a long brick wall,
enclosing a huge stone edifice which had once been used as a distillery,
but was now appropriated to the safe custody of such prisoners of war
as had been brought into port in captured vessels of the enemy. The
number of prisoners confined here was now about three hundred. Among
them was a captain and his crew who had been taken by an
American brig of war under circumstances that led to the belief that
although he was cruising under English colors, he was a freebooter;
one of those lawless men who take advantage of wars and prey alike
indiscriminately upon the defenceless of both parties. While the rest
of the prisoners were detained waiting for exchange, or release by the
termination of the war, which was daily expected to be brought to a
close, this man and about thirty-five men with him was held in durance
awaiting his trial for piracy, so soon as intelligence could be obtained
from England denying his claim to English protection.

There was a heavy wooden gate in the wall of this prison enclosure,
and within the gate a small tenement not unlike a watchman's stall but
larger in which the porter stood watch; while suitable sentries did guard
duty day and night.

Coming to this gate, Vincent tapped lightly against a small wicket
which opened upon a level with his face.

`Smith!' he said in a low tone as the wicket opened.

`Well,' demanded a gruff voice within, in a strong Yankee twang.

`I am Vincent!' answered the young man in an under tone.

`Softly! Don't speak loud!' said Smith. `Have you the money
you promised me to day to bring with you?'

`Yes!'

`The cool hundred?'

`Yes. Here is fifty in this purse! You shall have fifty more when
you let me out!'

`Good! wait till I count it! It is a great risk I'm running! But a
hundred dollars ain't got by whistling for it! Wait till I count it!'

`Confound the cautious fellow,' muttered Vincent as the man closed
the wicket upon him. `If he deceives me now and keeps the money!
But I know him too well! His avarice must have the remaining fifty!'

`All right, Mr. Vincent! Now you must not do any thing to bring
the devil on me! As I open the gate steal in like a shadow! The
prisoners are all in the big room, shut up for the night!' he said as Vincent
entered through the cautious opening. `Take this old jacket and
old hat and pass yourself off as one of them. In this way you can
speak with who you please!'

`Where shall I find the Englishman, Keith?'

`It ain't him you want to see?'

`It is he, and no other!'

`It can't be. He is locked up in his room. They keep him close
at night I tell you! You know they 'spect he's a bloody pirate.'

`I must see him! You must bring me to conversation with him!'
said Herbert peremptorily.

`It is a hard matter. I've risked my neck now! But a hundred
dollars is worth its weight in New England. If they know'd what I
was doin' I'd be shot dead as a hammer! Won't it do to see some of
the rest on 'em? I can let you into the big room where they are playin'
cards, and drinkin', and boxin' and makin' noise enough to scare a
wood full o' bears! Don't you hear 'em?'

`I must see Keith!'

`You must!'

`Yes!'

`Don't I touch the other fifty?'

`Not unless I see the Englishman.'

`Wall, fifty dollars ain't to be got by honest means in these here wartimes!
So I'll see what I can do! There's a sojer there by that door
who keeps guard. Now he drinks like a fish when he can get it for
nothing! Now if you can stand a treat and give me the money to send
out a black nigger as goes the errands here for some ardent, I think we
might get the soger to try it! Get him blue and then you can go and
see this Pirate for yourself, and as long as you want to if you don't stay
till the relief comes round at twelve o'clock!'

Vincent drew from his pocket a flask and placed it in the hand of
Job Smith.

`I brought two of these with me to drink with the Englishman. He

can do with one. Now call your friend with the musket this way.'

`I'll have him here without coaxing when he sees this! Come here,
squire with the gun! Here's a prisoner and me what are going to spree
it on a small scale! Suppose you help us, coz three al'ays makes even
number. The sentinel advanced with alacrity.

`What! Brandy hey?' said the soldier after he had smelt of it!—
`This is a treat!'

`It's a present from my aunt Keziah-Ann. Let us drink her health
the first thing!'

The liquor was potent. The soldier was willing. His brains were
few. His draughts were many; and in twenty minutes Herbert had his
way clear to the apartment in which the prisoner he had come to visit,
was confined.