Foxholme Hall, and Other Tales by William Henry Giles Kingston
sir, when I was able to crawl on deck, we were running up theGulf of Mexico; and, after changing our destination several times, westood for Vera Cruz. Hallton never once referred to what had occurred:he spoke to me soothingly, telling me that, as he had been electedcaptain, I was to be his first mate, and that a Spaniard, calledDomingos, was to be second. I told him that I was ready for anything;for, in truth, I had no longer any power of thought. All I wanted wasexcitement; and when he talked of the wealth we should gain by pirating,I only longed for the chase and the fierce fight. When we were withintwo days' sail of our port, the captain told me that he was convinced itwould never do to take the brig into the harbour, where she might berecognised by the people on board some of the other vessels; that wemust look out for some other craft; and then taking the two to one ofthe quays at the south of Cuba, where the old pirates used to resort, wemust refit, and alter one of them, so that she could not possibly againbe known. I had nothing to say against his plan, which, being agreed toby all the crew, we once more changed our course.
"We cruised for some days on the Spanish main, when we sighted a largeschooner, which was at once pronounced to be an American merchantman.They are very fast vessels in general; so that, if we alarmed her, wecould not hope to come up with her in the chase. Sending down ourtopgallant-masts, we clewed up the topsails, and, slacking the braces,we let the yards swing every way, while, at the some time, we hoistedsignals of distress. The schooner made us out before long, and stoodtowards us to see what was the matter. When she was about a mile fromus, it fell a dead calm, and we were consulting whether we would getalongside her in boats or wait for a breeze to board her, when thecaptain ordered all the men to lie down; and, standing upon thetaffrail, he made signs that we were in want of water. On this, a boatwas lowered from the schooner, with six hands in her, and we saw acouple of kegs handed down the side.
"Oh! sir, it was a devilish trick we played those who were ready torelieve our distress--one that a seaman naturally looks on with peculiarabomination; but we seemed to delight in outraging all the laws both ofGod and man. With rapid strokes the boat pulled towards us; and as hercrew eagerly jumped on the deck of the brig, they were knocked on thehead and tumbled below. The last two who remained in the boat werestabbed, so as not to make any noise. We then stripped off their shirtsand hats, and six of our best hands, including Hallton, dressing up inthem, with three others concealed at the bottom of the boat, pulledtowards the schooner. Another boat was got ready on the opposite side,to where the schooner lay, to support the first, if necessary.
"Our people were not suspected till they got almost alongside theschooner, when the Americans, seeing strange faces instead of their ownfriends, could not doubt what sort of customers they had to deal with.They seized what arms they could lay their hands on to defendthemselves; but it was too late for resistance. Hallton and his crewwere on board before they had time to load a musket.
"The greater number were cut down on the instant: a few defendedthemselves on the fore port of the vessel, but the second boatfollowing, boarded on the bow, when these too were quickly overpowered.Not one of our party was hurt. The master of the schooner and his twomates were killed. Some of the crew, to whom we offered their lives oncondition of joining us, accepted our terms; but several refused to doso. After taking possession of our prize, which was a remarkably fineschooner, just suited to our purpose, we set to work to dispose of ourprisoners. Hallton, with his usual diabolical cunning, hit upon a planto secure the obedience of those of the schooner's crew who had joinedus, by making them murder the remainder of their shipmates.
"It was cold-blooded, dreadful work. The victims were compelled tostand at the gangway, while, one by one, their former friends advancedwith a pistol, and, blowing out their brains, hove them into the sea.Two men had thus been murdered, when it came to the turn of a youth ofrespectable appearance, the son of the owner, I think he was, to performthe part of executioner. He had at first consented to live, but I havemy doubts whether he did not even then contemplate what he afterwardsattempted.
"Seizing the pistol which was offered him, with a stern look he advancedtowards the wretch he was ordered to kill; but, instead of drawing thetrigger, he turned suddenly round, and taking a deliberate aim at ourcaptain, fired. The ball grazed the captain's cheek. With a look offury he rushed with his drawn cutlass at the daring youth, who, standingfirmly prepared for his fate, was cut down on the deck. Life ebbingfast away from several tremendous gashes, the young man lifted himselffrom the deck on one arm--
"`Wretch,' he said, `my pistol missed its aim, or I should have savedthe lives of my companions, and your crew from further crime; but beassured that your career of wickedness will quickly be brought to aclose, and that the fate to which you have consigned so many others willsoon be your own. May Heaven pardon me for what I would have done!'
"`Heave the young villain overboard, some of you! and stop his prating,'exclaimed the captain, stamping with fury.
"But none of us stirred--hardened as we were, we could not do it: evenwe were struck by his heroism; and at that moment, had he chosen to beour captain, we would gladly have deposed Hallton and followed the dyingyouth in his stead.
"`Am I to be disobeyed?' cried the captain as he gave another cut acrossthe face of the unhappy man; and dragging the yet living body to a port,with his own hands hurled him overboard.
"That murder cost him his influence over us; and I think even the worstof us would have been sick of him had he been destined much longer tocommand us; but the words of the murdered youth were soon to prove true.
"You will scarcely believe it, sir, but not only were all the prisonersmade to walk the plank, but Hallton--fearing that some of the othersmight attempt his life--murdered the rest of the schooner's crew who hadentered with us, not excluding the two who had commenced their career byshooting their own shipmates. Well, sir, I shall soon have done with myhistory. After taking everything out of the brig, we scuttled her, nordid we leave her till we saw the waves close over her topgallant masts.We then did all we could to alter the appearance of the schooner, andshaped our course for Cuba.
"We there passed some weeks, spending our ill-gotten wealth in everykind of debauchery and folly. We then refitted our craft and again wentto sea. After taking and sinking several merchantmen, with all theircrews on board, we returned to our former rendezvous; and this workcontinued for some time, till we fell in with the ship of war whichcaptured us.
"There, sir, I have given you a sketch of the greater part of my career,the rest you know; and I assure you, sir, that I have been far happiersince I was taken than during any former time of my manhood. That onedreadful thought oppresses me, that I must meet Arnold and be carried inhis cold embrace, down, down, down--
"Oh, save me from him--save me!" cried the pirate, hiding his face inhis hands, and cowering down towards me, to escape from the vision whichhaunted his imagination.
I remained with him for the greater part of that night; and, at length,quitted him more composed in mind and resigned to his fate than I couldhave expected. The next morning was to be his last; and at hisparticular request, I accompanied him to the fatal scaffold. A largecrowd had assembled--blacks and whites, soldiers and sailors, to witnessthe execution of the noted pirates. With a firm step he walked from hisprison to the foot of the gibbet, and mounted the steps. Resting amoment, he addressed the spectators, exhorting them to take example fromhis dreadful fate, and to avoid the evil courses which had, step bystep, conducted him to it. At length the executioner warned him thathis time was up.
"I am ready," he answered, and was about to submit his neck to the fatalnoose, when, starting back, he exclaimed in a voice of agony, "He iscome! he is come! Oh, save me from him!--save me!"
Before he could utter more, the drop was let fall, and all was soonover. The rest of the crew died making no sign.
Such was the closing scene in the life of a pirate--the dreadful phantomconjured up by his conscience
haunting him to the last.
STORY SIX, CHAPTER ONE.
STORY SIX--THE SPIRIT OF THE STORM.
There once existed in the Pacific Ocean a beautiful island, called theIsland of Gracia. In the early ages of the world, before the human racehad begun to explore the more distant regions of the globe, it wasprobably a wild and barren rock, with abrupt sharp-edged hills and darkpools of stagnant water, without a patch of green herbage, or animal orvegetable life of any description to enliven its solitude; while theonly sound heard around it was that of the wild waves dashingceaselessly on its rugged shores. Ages passed away, and thoseindefatigable insects, the coral worms, built up their wonderfulhabitations, like lofty walls, around it; toiling, seemingly, for noother purpose than to show how for their structures can surpass in sizethe most mighty efforts of men. The reefs thus created broke the forceof the fierce waves; a soft yellow
"We cruised for some days on the Spanish main, when we sighted a largeschooner, which was at once pronounced to be an American merchantman.They are very fast vessels in general; so that, if we alarmed her, wecould not hope to come up with her in the chase. Sending down ourtopgallant-masts, we clewed up the topsails, and, slacking the braces,we let the yards swing every way, while, at the some time, we hoistedsignals of distress. The schooner made us out before long, and stoodtowards us to see what was the matter. When she was about a mile fromus, it fell a dead calm, and we were consulting whether we would getalongside her in boats or wait for a breeze to board her, when thecaptain ordered all the men to lie down; and, standing upon thetaffrail, he made signs that we were in want of water. On this, a boatwas lowered from the schooner, with six hands in her, and we saw acouple of kegs handed down the side.
"Oh! sir, it was a devilish trick we played those who were ready torelieve our distress--one that a seaman naturally looks on with peculiarabomination; but we seemed to delight in outraging all the laws both ofGod and man. With rapid strokes the boat pulled towards us; and as hercrew eagerly jumped on the deck of the brig, they were knocked on thehead and tumbled below. The last two who remained in the boat werestabbed, so as not to make any noise. We then stripped off their shirtsand hats, and six of our best hands, including Hallton, dressing up inthem, with three others concealed at the bottom of the boat, pulledtowards the schooner. Another boat was got ready on the opposite side,to where the schooner lay, to support the first, if necessary.
"Our people were not suspected till they got almost alongside theschooner, when the Americans, seeing strange faces instead of their ownfriends, could not doubt what sort of customers they had to deal with.They seized what arms they could lay their hands on to defendthemselves; but it was too late for resistance. Hallton and his crewwere on board before they had time to load a musket.
"The greater number were cut down on the instant: a few defendedthemselves on the fore port of the vessel, but the second boatfollowing, boarded on the bow, when these too were quickly overpowered.Not one of our party was hurt. The master of the schooner and his twomates were killed. Some of the crew, to whom we offered their lives oncondition of joining us, accepted our terms; but several refused to doso. After taking possession of our prize, which was a remarkably fineschooner, just suited to our purpose, we set to work to dispose of ourprisoners. Hallton, with his usual diabolical cunning, hit upon a planto secure the obedience of those of the schooner's crew who had joinedus, by making them murder the remainder of their shipmates.
"It was cold-blooded, dreadful work. The victims were compelled tostand at the gangway, while, one by one, their former friends advancedwith a pistol, and, blowing out their brains, hove them into the sea.Two men had thus been murdered, when it came to the turn of a youth ofrespectable appearance, the son of the owner, I think he was, to performthe part of executioner. He had at first consented to live, but I havemy doubts whether he did not even then contemplate what he afterwardsattempted.
"Seizing the pistol which was offered him, with a stern look he advancedtowards the wretch he was ordered to kill; but, instead of drawing thetrigger, he turned suddenly round, and taking a deliberate aim at ourcaptain, fired. The ball grazed the captain's cheek. With a look offury he rushed with his drawn cutlass at the daring youth, who, standingfirmly prepared for his fate, was cut down on the deck. Life ebbingfast away from several tremendous gashes, the young man lifted himselffrom the deck on one arm--
"`Wretch,' he said, `my pistol missed its aim, or I should have savedthe lives of my companions, and your crew from further crime; but beassured that your career of wickedness will quickly be brought to aclose, and that the fate to which you have consigned so many others willsoon be your own. May Heaven pardon me for what I would have done!'
"`Heave the young villain overboard, some of you! and stop his prating,'exclaimed the captain, stamping with fury.
"But none of us stirred--hardened as we were, we could not do it: evenwe were struck by his heroism; and at that moment, had he chosen to beour captain, we would gladly have deposed Hallton and followed the dyingyouth in his stead.
"`Am I to be disobeyed?' cried the captain as he gave another cut acrossthe face of the unhappy man; and dragging the yet living body to a port,with his own hands hurled him overboard.
"That murder cost him his influence over us; and I think even the worstof us would have been sick of him had he been destined much longer tocommand us; but the words of the murdered youth were soon to prove true.
"You will scarcely believe it, sir, but not only were all the prisonersmade to walk the plank, but Hallton--fearing that some of the othersmight attempt his life--murdered the rest of the schooner's crew who hadentered with us, not excluding the two who had commenced their career byshooting their own shipmates. Well, sir, I shall soon have done with myhistory. After taking everything out of the brig, we scuttled her, nordid we leave her till we saw the waves close over her topgallant masts.We then did all we could to alter the appearance of the schooner, andshaped our course for Cuba.
"We there passed some weeks, spending our ill-gotten wealth in everykind of debauchery and folly. We then refitted our craft and again wentto sea. After taking and sinking several merchantmen, with all theircrews on board, we returned to our former rendezvous; and this workcontinued for some time, till we fell in with the ship of war whichcaptured us.
"There, sir, I have given you a sketch of the greater part of my career,the rest you know; and I assure you, sir, that I have been far happiersince I was taken than during any former time of my manhood. That onedreadful thought oppresses me, that I must meet Arnold and be carried inhis cold embrace, down, down, down--
"Oh, save me from him--save me!" cried the pirate, hiding his face inhis hands, and cowering down towards me, to escape from the vision whichhaunted his imagination.
I remained with him for the greater part of that night; and, at length,quitted him more composed in mind and resigned to his fate than I couldhave expected. The next morning was to be his last; and at hisparticular request, I accompanied him to the fatal scaffold. A largecrowd had assembled--blacks and whites, soldiers and sailors, to witnessthe execution of the noted pirates. With a firm step he walked from hisprison to the foot of the gibbet, and mounted the steps. Resting amoment, he addressed the spectators, exhorting them to take example fromhis dreadful fate, and to avoid the evil courses which had, step bystep, conducted him to it. At length the executioner warned him thathis time was up.
"I am ready," he answered, and was about to submit his neck to the fatalnoose, when, starting back, he exclaimed in a voice of agony, "He iscome! he is come! Oh, save me from him!--save me!"
Before he could utter more, the drop was let fall, and all was soonover. The rest of the crew died making no sign.
Such was the closing scene in the life of a pirate--the dreadful phantomconjured up by his conscience
STORY SIX, CHAPTER ONE.
STORY SIX--THE SPIRIT OF THE STORM.
There once existed in the Pacific Ocean a beautiful island, called theIsland of Gracia. In the early ages of the world, before the human racehad begun to explore the more distant regions of the globe, it wasprobably a wild and barren rock, with abrupt sharp-edged hills and darkpools of stagnant water, without a patch of green herbage, or animal orvegetable life of any description to enliven its solitude; while theonly sound heard around it was that of the wild waves dashingceaselessly on its rugged shores. Ages passed away, and thoseindefatigable insects, the coral worms, built up their wonderfulhabitations, like lofty walls, around it; toiling, seemingly, for noother purpose than to show how for their structures can surpass in sizethe most mighty efforts of men. The reefs thus created broke the forceof the fierce waves; a soft yellow