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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
Mr. Hardinge heard my proposition, at first, as a piece of
pleasantry; but Grace expressing a strong desire to see a large
town, or what was thought a large town in this country, in
1799, and Lucy looking wistful, though she remained silent
under an apprehension her father could not afford the expense
of such a journey, which her imagination rendered a great deal
more formidable than it actually proved to be, the excellent divine finally acquiesced. The expense was disposed of in a very
simple manner. The journey, both ways, would be made in the
Wallingford; and Mr. Hardinge was not so unnecessarily scrupulous as to refuse passages for himself and children in the
sloop, which never exacted passage-money from any who went
to or from the farm. Food was so cheap, too, as to be a matter of
no consideration; and, being entitled legally to receive that at
Clawbonny, it made no great difference whether it were taken
on board the vessel, or in the house. Then there was a Mrs.
Bradfort in New York, a widow lady of easy fortune, who was a
cousin-german of Mr. Hardinge’s – his father’s sister’s daughter – and with her he always staid in his own annual visits to
attend the convention of the Church – I beg pardon, of the
Protestant Episcopal Church, as it is now de rigueur to say; I
wonder some ultra does not introduce the manifest improvement into the Apostles’ Creed of saying, “I believe in the Holy
Protestant Episcopal Catholic Church, &c.” – but, the excellent divine, in his annual attendance on the convention, was
accustomed to stay with his kinswoman, who often pressed
him to bring both Lucy and Grace to see her; her house in
Wall street being abundantly large enough to accommodate
a much more numerous party. “Yes,” said Mr. Hardinge, “that
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
shall be the arrangement. The girls and I will stay with Mrs.
Bradfort, and the young men can live at a tavern. I dare say this
new City Hotel, which seems to be large enough to contain a
regiment, will hold even them. I will write this very evening to
my cousin, so as not to take her by surprise.”
In less than a week after this determination, an answer was
received from Mrs. Bradfort; and, the very next day, the whole
party, Neb included, embarked in the Wallingford. Very different was this passage down the Hudson from that which had
preceded it. Then I had the sense of error about me, while my
heart yearned towards the two dear girls we had left on the
wharf; but now everything was above-board sincere, and by
permission. It is scarcely necessary to say that Grace and Lucy
were enchanted with everything they saw. The Highlands, in
particular, threw them both into ecstasies, though I have since
seen so much of the world as to understand, with nearly all
experienced tourists, that this is relatively the worst part of the
scenery of this beautiful river. When I say relatively, I mean as
comparing the bolder parts of our stream with those of others – speaking of them as high lands – many other portions of
this good globe having a much superior grandeur, while very
few have so much lovely river scenery compressed into so small
a space as is to be found in the other parts of the Hudson.
In due time we arrived in New York, and I had the supreme
happiness of pointing out to the girls the State’s Prison, the Bear
Market, and the steeples of St. Paul’s and Trinity-old Trinity, as
it was so lately the fashion to style a church that was built only
a few years before, and which, in my youth, was considered
as magnificent as it was venerable. That building has already
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
disappeared; and another edifice, which is now termed splendid, vast, and I know not what, has been reared in its place. By
the time this is gone, and one or two generations of buildings
have succeeded, each approaching nearer to the high standard
of church architecture in the old world, the Manhattanese
will get to understand something of the use of the degrees of
comparison on such subjects. When that day shall arrive, they
will cease to be provincial, and – not till then.
What a different thing was Wall street, in 1799, from what
it is to-day? Then, where so many Grecian temples are now
reared to Plutus, were rows of modest provincial dwellings; not
a tittle more provincial, however, than the thousand meretricious houses of bricks and marble that have since started up in
their neighbourhood, but far less pretending, and insomuch
the more creditable. Mrs. Bradfort lived in one of these respectable abodes, and thither Mr. Hardinge led the way, with just as
much confidence as one would now walk into Bleeker street,
or the Fifth Avenue. Money-changers were then unknown, or,
if known, were of so little account that they had not sufficient
force to form a colony and a league by themselves. Even the
banks did not deem it necessary to be within a stone’s throw
of each other – I believe there were but two – as it might be
in self-defence. We have seen all sorts of expedients adopted,
in this sainted street, to protect the money-bags, from the little
temple that was intended to be so small as only to admit the
dollars and those who were to take care of them, up to the
edifice that might contain so many rogues, as to render things
safe on the familiar principle of setting a thief to catch a thief.
All would not do. The difficulty has been found to be uncon-
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
querable, except in those cases in which the homely and almost worn-out expedient of employing honest men, has been
resorted to. But, to return from the gossipings of old age to an
agreeable widow, who was still under forty.
Mrs. Bradfort received Mr. Hardinge in a way to satisfy us
all that she was delighted to see him. She had prepared a room
for Rupert and myself, and no apologies or excuses would be
received. We had to consent to accept of her hospitalities. In
an hour’s time, all were established, and I believe all were at
home.
I shall not dwell on the happiness that succeeded. We were
all too young to go to parties, and, I might almost add, New
York itself was too young to have any; but in the last I should
have been mistaken, though there were not as many chil-
dren’s balls in 1799, perhaps, after allowing for the difference
in population, as there are to-day. If too young to be company,
we were not too young to see sights. I sometimes laugh as I
remember what these were at that time. There was such a museum as would now be thought lightly of in a western city of
fifteen or twenty years’ growth – a circus kept by a man of the
name of Ricketts – the theatre in John street, a very modest
Thespian edifice – and a lion, I mean literally the beast, that
was kept in a cage quite out of town, that his roaring might
not disturb people, somewhere near the spot where the trian-
gle that is called Franklin Squarenow is. All these we saw, even
to the theatre; good, indulgent Mr. Hardinge seeing no harm
in letting us go thither under the charge of Mrs. Bradfort. I
shall never forget the ecstasy of that night! The novelty was
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quite as great to Rupert and myself as it was to the girls; for,
though we had been to China, we had never been to the play.
Well was it said, “Vanity, vanity – all is vanity!” He that
lives as long as I have lived, will have seen most of his opinions,
and I think I may add, all his tastes, change. Nothing short of
revelation has a stronger tendency to convince us of the temporary character of our probationary state in this world, than
to note for how short a period, and for what imperfect ends, all
our hopes and success in life have been buoying us up, and occupying our minds. After fifty, the delusion begins to give way;
and, though we may continue to live, and even to be happy,
blind indeed must be he who does not see the end of his road,
and foresee some of the great results to which it is to lead. But
of all this, our quartette thought little in the year 1799.
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CHAPTER VIII
“Thou art the same, eternal sea!
The earth hath many shapes and forms
Of hill and valley, flower and tree;
Fields that the fervid noontide warms,
Or Winter’s rugged grasp deforms,
Or bright with Autumn’s golden store;
Thou coverest up thy face with storms,
Or smilest serene – but still thy roar
And dashing foam go up to vex the sea-beat shore.”
Lunt.
I had a free conversation with my guardian, shortly after
we reached town, on the subject of my going to sea again. The
whole country was alive with the armament of the new marine;
and cocked-hats, blue coats and white lapels, began to appear
in the streets, with a parade that always marks the new officer
and the new service. Now, one meets distinguished naval men
at every turn, and sees nothing about their persons to denote
the profession, unless in actual employment afloat, even the
cockade being laid aside; whereas in 1799 the harness was put
on as soon as the parchment was received, and only laid aside
to turn in. Ships were building or equipping in all parts of the
country; and it is matter of surprise to me that I escaped the
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fever, and did not apply to be made a midshipman. Had I seen
another captain who interested me as much as Captain Dale, I
make no doubt my career would have been quite different: but,
as things were, I had imbibed the prejudice that Southey, in his
very interesting, but, in a professional sense, very worthless,
life of Nelson, has attributed to that hero – “aft, the more honour; forward, the better man.” Thus far, I had not got into the
cabin-windows, and, like all youngsters who fairly begin on
the forecastle, felt proud of my own manhood and disdain of
hazards and toil. I determined, therefore, to pursue the course
I had originally pointed out to myself, and follow in the footsteps of my father.
Privateers were out of the question in a war with a country
that had no commerce. Nor do I think I would have gone in
a privateer under any circumstances. The business of carrying
on a warfare merely for gain, has ever struck me as discreditable; though it must be admitted the American system of private-armed cruisers has always been more respectable and better conducted than that of most other nations. This has been
owing to the circumstance that men of a higher class than is
usual in Europe, have embarked in the enterprises. To a letterof-marque, however, there could be no objection; her regular
business is commerce; she arms only in self-defence, or, if she
capture anything, it is merely such enemies as cross her path,
and who would capture her if they could. I announced to Mr.
Hardinge, therefore, my determination not to return to Clawbonny, but to look for a berth in some letter-of-marque, while
then in town.
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Neb had received private instructions, and my sea dunnage, as well as his own, was on board the Wallingford – low
enough the wreck had reduced both to be – and money obtained from Mr. Hardinge was used to purchase more. I now
began to look about me for a ship, determined to please my
eye as to the vessel, and my judgment as to the voyage. Neb
had orders to follow the wharves on the same errand. I would
sooner trust Neb than Rupert on such a duty. The latter had
no taste for ships; felt no interest in them; and I have often
wondered why he took a fancy to go to sea at all. With Neb
it was very different. He was already an expert seaman; could
hand, reef and steer, knot and splice, and was as useful as nine
men in ten on board a vessel. It is true, he did not know when
it became necessary to take in the last reef – had no notion of
stowing a cargo so as to favour the vessel, or help her sailing;
but he would break out a cask sooner than most men I ever
met with. There was too much “nigger” in him for head-work
of that sort, though he was ingenious and ready enough in his
way. A sterling fellow was Neb, and I got in time to love him
very much as I can conceive one would love a brother.
One day, after I had seen all the sights, and had begun
to think seriously of finding a ship, I was strolling along the
wharves on the latter errand, when I heard a voice I knew cry
put, “There, Captain Williams, there’s just your chap; he’ll
make as good a third-mate as can be found in all America.” I
had a sort of presentiment this applied to me, though I could
not, on the instant, recall the speaker’s name. Turning to look
in the direction of the sounds, I saw the hard countenance of
Marble, alongside the weather-beaten face of a middle-aged
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shipmaster, both of whom were examining me over the nettings of a very promising-looking armed merchantman. I
bowed to Mr. Marble, who beckoned me to come on board,
where I was regularly introduced to the master.
This vessel was called the Crisis, a very capital name for a
craft in a country where crisises of one sort or another occur
regularly as often as once in six months. She was a tight little
ship of about four hundred tons, had hoop-pole bulwarks,
as I afterwards learned, with nettings for hammocks and old
junk, principally the latter; and showed ten nine-pounders,
carriage-guns, in her batteries. I saw she was loaded, and was
soon given to understand that her shipping-articles were then
open, and the serious question was of procuring a third-mate.
Officers were scarce, so many young men were pressing into
the navy; and Mr. Marble ventured to recommend me, from
near a twelvemonth’s knowledge of my character. I had not
anticipated a berth aft quite so soon, and yet I had a humble
confidence in my own ability to discharge the duty. Captain
Williams questioned me for fifteen or twenty minutes, had a
short conversation with Mr. Marble alone, and then frankly
offered me the berth. The voyage was to be round the world,
and it took my fancy at the very sound. The ship was to take
a cargo of flour to England; there, she was to receive a small
assorted cargo for the North-West Coast, and some of the sandal-wood islands; after disposing of her toys and manufactures
in barter, she was to sail for Canton, exchange her furs, wood
and other articles for teas, &c., and return home. To engage
in this voyage, I was offered the berth I have mentioned, and
thirty dollars a-month. The wages were of little moment to me,
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
but the promotion and the voyage were of great account. The
ship, too, carried out letters-of-marque and reprisal with her,
and there were the chances of meeting some Frenchman in
the European waters, at least.
I examined the vessel, the berth I was to occupy, made a
great many shy glances at the captain, to ascertain his character by that profound expedient, analyzing his looks, and finally determined to ship, on condition Neb should be taken
as an ordinary seaman. As soon as Marble heard this last proposal, he explained the relation in which the black stood to
me, and earnestly advised his being received as a seaman. The
arrangement was made accordingly, and I went at once to the
notary and signed the articles. Neb was also found, and he was
shipped too; this time regularly, Mr. Hardinge attending and
giving his sanction to what was done. The worthy divine was
in excellent spirits, for that very day he had made an arrangement with a friend at the bar to place Rupert in his office, Mrs.
Bradfort insisting on keeping her young kinsman in her house,
as a regular inmate. This left on the father no more charge
than to furnish Rupert with clothes, and a few dollars of pocket-money. But I knew Rupert too well to suppose he would, or
could, be content with the little he might expect from the savings of Mr. Hardinge. I was not in want of money. My guardian
had supplied me so amply, that not only had I paid my debt to
the owners of the John, and fully equipped myself for the voyage, but I actually possessed dollars enough to supply all my
probable wants during the expected absence. Many of the officers and men of the Crisis left behind them orders with their
wives and families to receive their wages, in part, during their
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