University of Virginia Library

4. CHAPTER IV.
The Story of the Adventurer.

The Mexican Captain laughed at the provision made by Hastings,
and then said,

`I assure you I will not lead you into any such temptation. Do I
look like a buccaneer?'

`Not much; but you seem to be a mysterious person.'

`There is no mystery about me whatever. I will lay myself open to
you like a printed book. Hear my history.'

`I will listen with pleasure.'

`I am a Boston boy, and at the age of fourteen, not liking Latin and
books, I ran away and shipped as cabin-boy on board one of my
father's ships, for he was a rich merchant and is now. The captain of
course had never seen me, and as I shipped under an assumed name, he
did not suspect whom he had carried off with him.'

`What name did you assume?'

`Jack Marshall.'

`Then this is not your real name, although you now call yourself
by it.'

`No, I have always kept the name.'

`And your father's?'

`That is unimportant to my story,' answered the seaman, coloring
slightly. `My first voyage was to St. Petersburg, where, not liking
my captain, I deserted; and as a fleet under Admiral Tate was just
then fitting out against the Danes, I shipped on board.'

`Tate! That is an American name.'

`Yes. The old Admiral was a Portland boy, and at the age of
sixteen ran away on board a ship, like myself. He brought up at
St. Petersburg, and entered the Russian navy. He was brave and
enterprising and a good seaman, and he passed through all the grades
of rank, till, as I have said, he rose to be an Admiral. I shipped as a
common sailor, but finding that I was a countryman, he gave me a

midshipman's berth, and I was with him in several engagements.
He was a brave man, and the best seaman in his fleet. After his affair
with the Danes, he took it into his head to visit the United States,
which he had been absent from more than thirty years. He had in
Portland a niece, whom he desired much to see. So he chose out a
fast sailing frigate and took me with him. After a passage of forty-two
days, we dropped anchor in Boston harbor. The Admiral then
purchased a handsome equipage, and made a journey in fine style down
to Portland, where he staid with his niece about six weeks, enjoying
himself finely, but creating not a little excitement, from his splendid
uniform, his Russian servants, and foreign mode of living, for he was
more Russian than American.

`After his return to Boston, we set sail for London. The Admiral
had taken quite a fancy to me, and took me with him wherever he
went to dine, and if he had lived I should have been rapidly promoted.
But one day he went to dine with Sir Astley Cooper, and before dinner
took a nap, as was his custom, on a sofa in the withdrawing room.
Just before dinner was announced I went to him to wake him, when, to
my grief and surprise, I found that he was dead.'

`Dead!' exclaimed Hastings.

`Yes. Upon examination, his death proved to have been caused by an
affection of the heart. In him I lost my best friend. He was about
sixty-five, and one of the noblest looking men I have seen, before or
since. Upon his death, I resolved to quit the Russian service. I found
an American vessel going to the Mediterranean and shipped in her, for I
had a desire to see the world. The Greeks were then fighting for
liberty, and I joined them, and at the age of eighteen was a lieutenant.
I was soon after taken prisoner, in the Dardanelles, by a Turkish
cruiser, and carried to Constantinople. By the aid of a beautiful
Georgian slave, whom I fell in love with, I effected my escape. After
various wanderings and adventures, I found myself in Circassia, where
they were at war with Persia. I joined with the former, and, after
sundry exploits, was made Colonel of Horse. I was rapidly rising to
promotion, when I was taken prisoner, in the battle of Kefhel, and
carried to Ispahan. The Persian Emperor offered me a command in
his cavalry, and one of his hundred daughters to wife, if I would
remain with him. But I rejected these offers, and after eight months'
imprisonment, I made my escape, and, joining a caravan, reached

Bagdad. Thence, I found my way, over land, and under several
disguises, to Calcutta. I was now twenty-three years of age, and quite
as much of a cavalry officer as I was a sailor. But I loved the sea,
and seeing there a Portuguese man-of-war bound to Valparaiso, I
shipped in her. At Valparaiso, I left her, as I found they were
fighting for their liberties and something was to do, and offered myself
to the General of the army. My services were accepted, and I
remained twelve months, getting more knocks than pesos. Having
helped them achieve their independence, and finding that there was no
money in the treasury to pay me for my services, I resolved to try
Buenos Ayres, where there was plenty of fighting and plenty of money.
I crossed the Andes on mules, and scoured the pampas on wild horses.
After a journey of twenty days, quite as tedious and dangerous as that
from Ispahan to Calcutta, I reached Buenos Ayres. Lbaralleja was
then battling with the Brazilians to recover Monte Video from them.
I joined his forces and was with him when he bombarded the city; but
tired of the prolonged siege, I resigned, after laying seven months
before the walls, and getting into the city, found in port the American
sloop of war Cyane, Captain Elliot. She was about to sail for Rio,
and I shipped in her. At Rio I left her, and having about twenty
thousand dollars with me, the fruits of my Buenos Ayrean campaign, I
resolved to purchase a fast sailing slaver that I saw there, which took
my eye, and cruise awhile on my own hook, for I had got quite sick of
playing second fiddle all round the world. I knew that I could find in
port plenty of seamen to man my vessel, for deserters are to be picked
up everywhere. So I purchased the slaver, — a beautiful craft as ever
swam — for ten thousand dollars. She was in perfect order, from
kelson to truck. She tonned little less than two hundred, and carried
six twelve pound carronades.

`I had no difficulty in shipping a crew. A number of rogues offered,
who supposed I was bound for the coast of Africa, for a cargo of black
cattle, but I gave such villains the go-by, and took aboard a pretty fair
crew, as the world goes, consisting of Americans, English, Scotch, and
Swedes, with a sprinkling of Danes. I had not a Portuguese nor a
Spaniard among them. All told, we were just forty men.'

`And what was your destination and object?' asked Hastings, who
was listening to this extraordinary man with deep interest. `Could
you have gone to the coast of Africa after all?'

The eyes of the seaman sparkled with angry light; but the emotion
was temporary. He answered calmly,

`No, sir. I would as soon go to the coast of Connecticut and steal
a cargo of white people, and take them to Algiers and sell them. The
man that would do one would do the other. It's a tempting trade, however,
for a man who would sell his soul to the devil. The poor blacks
can be bought in Africa for about twenty dollars a head, all round,
little and big. The expense of getting them to Rio, is about three dollars
a piece more. There they sell at public auction for two hundred
and three hundred dollars a piece on an average. An immense profit,
you see. But white folks will bring quite as good a price in Algiers or
Morocco, and, I dare say, can be got there quite as cheap. No, sir!
I had no intention of engaging in the slave trade. You might as well
ask me if I intended to go a pirating.'

`I beg your pardon,' answered Hastings, smiling at his earnestness.

`Granted! I will tell you where I was bound. I knew that the
Mexicans were at war with France, and I resolved to give 'em a lift.
I therefore steered for the West Indies, and stopping at Havana, got a
cruising commission from the Mexican consul, and hoisting the Mexican
flag, I captured in ten weeks, as many French merchantmen, besides
fighting, and causing to surrender to me, a French brig of war that
was escorting five merchantmen. For my services, the Mexicans gave
me ten thousand dollars and paid all my men's wages. I was laying at
anchor, down by the Sacrificios, ready for another cruise, when I
parted my cable, in a gale of wind, and letting go a second anchor, lost
that. I immediately made sail, my foretopmast-staysail being ready
bent, and run my vessel right for the Mole. But the current was too
strong to enable me to reach it, and so I resolved to beach her, as the
only means of saving the lives of those on board. After narrowly
escaping being driven on the Lavandera shoals, I run the brig upon the
beach, hard and fast. We saved our lives, and that was all. Not a
dollar of my silver did I ever see again.'

`That was a misfortune indeed.'

`Yes, but, my dear friend, I did not turn about, and throw myself into
the sea, to drown myself, because I had nothing left, not a maravedi to
buy a breakfast. No, no! I made my way to the town, and wrote to
the Government to give me another vessel. They had none to give,
but they had money; so they gave me a draft on a banker here in

New York, for forty thousand dollars. I reached here five weeks ago.
I found on the stocks, building for the Greeks, just such a craft as I
came for, and bought her and hurried her to completion. She was
launched ten days ago, her sails are all bent, and her ballast and guns
in. In a week, Burrows will have me a crew, and then I shall be
ready for sea and to fight the Johnny Crapeaus. All I want is, a good
first officer. I have been looking out for one for some days, and now I
have found the man I want. The moment I saw you and was told
your story, and that you were a sailor, I resolved to make you an offer
to retrieve your fortunes by going with me. I now make you the offer
of the berth of my first Luff.'

`Are you indeed in earnest, sir?'

`Yes. Why should n't I be? Will you take up with my offer, and
try your fortune on the sea?'

`You have saved me, Captain Marshall!' cried Hastings, grasping
his hand, his voice trembling with deep emotion. `But for you, I
should have destroyed myself. You have inspired me with strength,
courage, and hope.'

`It is settled then, that you are to go with me?'

`Yes. I have no other thought, or desire, than to comply with your
wish.'

`You will not drown yourself now, eh?'

`Do not speak of my folly. I see now, that a man never should
despair. Character and fortune, lost in one place, can be recovered in
another. The world is wide, and a thousand ways are open to the bold
and enterprizing.'

`Yes. Suppose you had drowned yourself, and I had also, when I
found myself on the beach at Vera Cruz, without a penny in the world,
what good would it have done us? It is a great deal better to go to
some other part of the world and live, than to jump plump into
Tophet. Who knows if he is going to better the matter? In my
opinion, a man who commits suicide, is a coward and a fool.'

`I agree with you.'

`There! I like that. It came out heartily. We are friends now,
Lieutenant Hastings. Let us have a bottle of wine, to drink one
another's good health and seal the compact. You do n't know how
much I am relieved to have got an officer at last. It gave me more
anxiety than fitting out my brig. Mistress Wynn!'

`Coming, Captain!'

`Be so kind, pretty widow, as to bring me another bottle of wine.'

`It will be the third, Captain.'

`I know it, sweet Bess. But I have talked a good deal, and that
makes one amazing thirsty. What, the deuce! are you going to put
me on short allowance?'

`No, Captain; but you remember, sir, when Mr. Burrows dined with
you, that you — you — I mean to say, sir —'

`You mean to say I drank a little too much.'

`Yes, sir; and you said you were quite surprised, and desired me
particularly, never to let you and your company have more than two
bottles.'

`So I did, Mistress widow fair. But I beg off this time. One
more bottle, for the love of thy pretty face.'

`Yes, sir, and only this one,' answered the neat little widow,
courtesying, and retiring for the wine.

`When do you sail?' asked Hastings.

`Within eight days.'

`What do you call the vessel?'

`The Lady of the Gulf. Will you lodge here, with me?'

`If you say so,' answered Hastings, cheerfully.

`By all means. To-morrow I will give you what money you will
want, in advance, for your outfit.'