University of Virginia Library

1. CHAPTER I.

In the month of September 183—, I
took passage in a small, rakish-looking
Spanish schooner, bound for Havana—
We weighed anchor about eight in the
morning, and sailed out of the harbor
with a fair wind and the prospect of
reaching our port in four or five days.—
I was the only passenger. The crew
consisted of five men forward, a black
cook, and the captain and mate. They
were all Spaniards. The vessel was one
of two or three regular traders that run
monthly between Havana and the Southern
ports of the Union. It was a long,
narrow craft, sharp in the bows and very
low in the water, with masts that raked
like a pen when one writes it. She was
a saucy-visaged looking sea-dog, but
having the reputation of being a fast sailer,
which reputation she did not belie, I
resolved to take passage in her, in preference
to a heavy Kennebec lumber brig
that was to sail that same afternoon. I
had not seen the Captain until after I got
on board, my passage having been taken
at the counting-room of the consignee,
while he was at the Custom House.

After I had settled myself in the state
room assigned me, which the mate had
resigned for my accommodation, finding
that the Captain had come on board, and
that we were fairly in motion, I put on
my sea blouse and ascended to the deck.
We were moving, or rather gliding thro'
the water at the rate of five knots, the
foresail and mainsail, with the fore-topsail
drawing free, and running dead before
the wind.

The tall, slender, pliant masts, the
withe-like yards across, the long and narrow
well kept deck, the foreign air about
every thing on board for a few moments
fixed my attention. The Spanish sailors,
in their striped woolen shirts, red,
peaked caps, and with their huge whiskers,
or mustaches, were at their posts
ready to obey the next order of the mate,
a fine-looking, tough old Spanish seaman,
with thick grey hair, and a pepper and
salt colored mustache on his lip as

enormous as the tail of a grey squirrel;
nevertheless, there was a bluff humor in
his clear black eyes, that showed he was
a good hearted man, ferocious as his
`bogotes' were.

At the helm stood a young, dark looking,
but exceedingly handsome man not
above four or five and twenty. He wore
no whiskers, but a jet black imperial relieved
the fine curve beneath his under
lip and chin. His face was sparkling
with intelligence and feeling, and his
large black expressive eyes were lively
with animation. His figure was slight
and symmetrical, well set off by a loose
gingham coat, striped with scarlet and
blue, which he wore with the most careless
negligence. His hair was dark and
flowing to his shoulders; a massive ring
glittered on the little finger of the hand
that grasped the tiller, and in the bosom
of his blue checked camisa glared a ruby.
A fine, bold expression of determination,
united with a seaman-like frankness, at
once prepossessed me in his favor. I knew
it was Captain Velasco, for I had heard
the mate address him by his title just as
I came on deck.

As he saw me look towards him, he
bowed with a smile and said with that
courtesy which never deserts the Spaniard,

`Buenos dias, caballero! I am glad
to see you on deck! We have a fine
wind and shall soon be on the open sea!
Is the Senor sea-sick?'

I answered in the negative, when he
smiled with much gratification and said,

`Bueno! It will be pleasant then!
I am happy to have you a passenger. I
hope your quarters below suit you!'

`I am quite well pleased with them,' I
answered.

`They are comfortable for one. I seldom
take passengers; but it is pleasant
to have one or two agreeable persons,
when the wind is fair and the sea smooth.
I hope, Senor, you will make a passage
highly to your satisfaction.'

`I have no doubt of it, Senor Velasco,'
I replied; and the ice being thus broken
to our acquaintance we were very soon
afterwards talking together very cordially;
he having resigned the helm to one
of the crew after passing the light.

It was noon and we were seated at
dinner together below, (I would here remark
that my friend, the Captain was
quite an epicure and lived accordingly,)
when the mate reported a boat in sight
towards the coast making a signal. The
handsome young captain was just then
relating to me the history of his life; how
that he was the nephew of an Havana
merchant, who had sent him both as
captain and supercargo of the schooner,
which the uncle owned; but, said he, I
shall purchase half of her when I reach
Havana, having laid up enough for the
purpose. One must grow rich, you know!'

`Are you married?' I asked him.

He colored, and his eyes beamed with
a gratified, happy expression, as he answered,
laughing,

`No, Senor, not yet! I shall be one
of these days. I am plighted to my
cousin Isabel, my uncle's daughter. She
is very beautiful, and I love her with all
my heart as my cousin, and I adore her
as my betrothed wife!'

It was at this crisis of our conversation
that old Jacobs the mate called down
the companion-way to inform us that a
boat was in the shore signalizing us.—
Captain Velasco went on deck and I followed.
We were running along parallel
with the coast about five miles off the
land, and about a mile from us we discovered
a small boat from which a white
handkerchief or flag was waving. The
boat was more than a league out to sea,
and as it did not seem to be a fishing
skiff the captain got his glass to take a
look at it.

`It is a green pleasure boat, and contains
a single person, who seems to be a
gentleman,' said he after a minute's observation.
`He is standing up in the
boat waving a handkerchief towards us!
It is some person adrift. Forward there!
Stand by to tack ship!

The next moment we had turned the
schooner's bows from her course and
were standing landward straight for the
boat. On seeing that he was observed,
the person in her ceased waving his
handkerchief. In about a quarter of an
hour we came up with him, and flinging
him a rope brought him along side. He
ascended the deck and thanked us, in
general, with the warmest expressions of
gratitude. He was a young gentleman,
well dressed, wearing a foraging cap such
as is worn in the army, and in an undress
military frock coat. He had a fine, manly
air, and was altogether a good looking
young fellow, with an air of decided
high breeding. He introduced himself
in English to the Captain, who understood
the language very well, as Lieut.
Henry — of the U. S. Army; and said
very handsomely,

`It is not enough that I thank you for
your humanity in relieving me from a
very perilous and annoying situation, for
you see (as we had done with surprise)
that I had no oars in my boat, and the
tide was drifting me rapidly out to sea.
It is my duty also to inform you, gentleman,'
he continued, laughing and blushing,
`how I came to be put in such a fix!'

`Come into the cabin, Senor Lieutenant;'
said the Captain courteously.—
`We were just dining when you signalized
us. You will need refreshment.—
Dine first, and then explain what you
choose afterwards. We ask nothing!—
As for me and my vessel, I am a Spanish
trader, between Charleston, Savannah
and the Havannah, and am now bound
to the latter port, with this gentleman as
a passenger and a fair cargo! So you
know us. If you desire it, you may visit
the Havana with us; or be put on shore
in this vicinity. It will be my pleasure
to serve you, Senor!'

The young officer bowed with deep
gratitude in his looks and descended with
us to the cabin. After we had progressed
a little with eating, he spoke again
and said, with an air of frankness,

`I cannot refrain any longer, in justice
to myself and your very natural curiosity,
to explain how I chanced to be placed in
such a ludicrous predicament. You are
both young men, and perhaps know what
it is to love! I shall therefore make no
concealment of my affair!'

The Captain smiled and his sparkling
glance confessed to the soft impeachment.
What our reply was is not on
record.

`Know then, my friends, I am engaged
to the daughter of a wealthy planter
who resides four miles up the river, the
mouth of which is in sight. I first saw
her at Saratoga last year, and we very
soon found from mutual tastes and sympathies,
and a union of hopes and fears,
that we were designed for each other.—
So we plighted our troth. But when
Col —, her father, was made acquainted
with the fact in a respectful letter
which I addressed to him, soliciting her
hand, he sent me in reply, the insulting
answer, that his child should never wed
a poor officer who had nothing but his
pay; and that as I doubtless thought
more of his dollars than his daughter, he
desired that I should cease to think
neither of the one nor the other as both
were equally beyond my reach.'

`The suspicious old dotard!' exclaimed
Captain Velasco with contempt.

`The next day he left the springs and
I saw no more of Isabel —.'

`Isabel? Is that her name?' demanded
ed the Captain with pleased surprise.

`It is. But why do you exclaim, Senor?'

`It is a very much loved name. I am
more interested now, for that name's
sake!'

`We corresponded secretly, and at
length I prevailed upon her to consent to
elope with me if I visited the South; for
gentlemen, it becomes me to say, that in
my family, character, and social position
there was nothing in the least exceptionable
to me. All my crime in the sight
of her father was, that I had only my
pay!'

`You had more! You had honor,
character, rank in the army! These
were an equivalent to his money! Aye,
my friend, more than an equivalent. A
rich man who marries his daughter to
these has `half a dozen for his six,' as
our proverb has it. But go on, Senor!'

`I came out South, having got a furlough
of two months. I secretly met her
in the grounds of her father's villa, and
there planned our elopement. The distance
to Charleston was but forty miles
—'

`It is about that from here by sea,'
said Captain Velasco in parenthesis.

`I had come from thence in a close
carriage with fleet horses. This I had
left on the opposite shore under the care
of a tried friend who had volunteered to
act as coachman in the affair. I crossed
the river in a leaky skiff I found on the
shore, and landed at the foot of the lawn.'

`When was this?' I asked.

`About nine o'clock last evening, just
before the moon rose! I found Isabel
and a faithful old African nurse awaiting
me with every thing prepared for flight.
As the skiff I crossed in would not be a
safe conveyance across the river, I took
for the purpose one of two boats belonging
to Colonel — which were under
the boat-house. Isabel had left a note for
her father informing him of her destina
tion, and that she should as my wife be
happy to meet him at Charleston the next
day. I had just started from the shore
with my precious prize, when Col. —
appeared on the bank in great excitement.
By some means he had discovered
Isabel's absence from the house, and
perhaps suspected something like the
truth, as I had seen in Charleston, his
body servant whom he had with him at
Saratogo, who doubtless had informed
his master that he had met me there.—
He now appeared on the shore, and seeing,
for it was light enough for this, that
Isabel was in the boat, he hailed and
called her by name. She was silent, I
pulled with all my strength to widen the
distance. Instantly he began to call upon
his slaves, and in three minutes he
was in the other boat in pursuit. The
river is wide and before I got half way
across, he was close upon me, with four
negroes at the oars! The upshot of it
was that he overtook me, and in spite of
my best efforts at withstanding him he
succeeded in securing me by the aid of
four slaves, binding my hands behind me
and taking possession of his daughter.—
He then gave me a parting word of advice
well laced with enraged oaths and
removing the oars, thwarts and every
thing available for paddling from the boat
he set me adrift.'

`The barbarous monster!' cried the
Captain indignantly.

The current was strong and I was set
rapidly down the river, having the pain
of seeing Isabel borne from me, filling
the air with her cries. I will not attempt
to describe, for I cannot, my feelings,'
he said, after a pause of deep emotion.
`I finally succeeded in releasing my
hands from their confinement. By this
time I was going out to sea. By midnight
I found I was rocking upon the
ground swell, and far from the land.—
The tide turned and carried me back to

within a mile of the beach, when again
at eleven o'clock it flowed seaward again
and my hopes of reaching the shore were
destroyed on discovering that I was again
receding from it towards the open sea. I
then looked for help seaward and discovered
your vessel. I continued to make
signals until, happily, you saw me and had
the humanity to turn from your course to
my relief!'

We had listened with deep interest to
the young officer's story; and when he
had ended we remained seated some time
in silence. Suddenly the young Captain
sprang to his feet and called to Jocobo.

`Senor!'

`How far are we from the mouth of the
river — off which we last tacked?'

`Two leagues!'

`Put the schooner about!'

`Si Senor!' answered the mate; and
in a few moments afterwards to our surprize
we were running back towards the
spot where we had taken the young officer
on board.