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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
were lowered as far as was found possible, without absolutely
placing the lower yards on the hammock-cloths. In a word, we
put the ship in the most unmanageable position, without absolutely littering our decks. The security of the haven, and the
extreme beauty of the weather, emboldened the captain to do
this; apprehension of every sort appearing to have quite taken
leave of him.
The work proceeded merrily. We had not only a strong
crew, but we had a good crew; and our Philadelphians were in
their element, the moment there was a question of the rigging.
By sunset, the chafes were examined, and parcelled, and served
anew; and the top-mast rigging was all got up and put over the
mast-heads again, and everything was ready to sway upon in
the morning. But an uncommonly active day required a good
night’s rest; and the people were all ordered to turn in, as soon
as they had supped. The ship was to be left to the vigilance of
the captain and the three mates, during the night.
The anchor-watch was set at eight, and ran from two hours,
to two hours. My turn commenced at midnight, and was to last
until two; Marble succeeding me from two until four, when all
hands were to be called to get our sticks aloft. When I turned
out at twelve, I found the third-mate conversing, as well as
he could, with the Dipper; who, with Smudge, having slept so
much of the day, appeared disposed to pass the night in smoking.
“How long have these fellows been on deck?” I asked of the
third-mate, as he was about to go below.
“All my watch; I found them with the captain, who passed
them over to me for company. If that chap, the Dipper, only
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
knew anything of a human language, he would be something
of society; but I’m as tired of making signs to him, as I ever was
with a hard day’s work.”
I was armed, and felt ashamed of manifesting fear of an unarmed man. Then the two savages gave no additional cause of
distrust; the Dipper having taken a seat on the windlass, where
he was smoking his pipe with an appearance of philosophy
that would have done credit to the gravest-looking baboon. As
for Smudge, he did not appear to be sufficiently intellectual
to smoke; an occupation that has at least the merit of affecting the air of wisdom and reflection. I never could discover
whether your great smokers were actually wiser than the rest
of the race, or not; but, it will be admitted, they occasionally
seem to be so. It was a pity Smudge did not have recourse to
the practice, as it might have given the fellow an appearance
of sometimes cogitating. As it was, while his companion was
enjoying his pipe at the windlass, he kept strolling about the
deck, much as a pig would have wandered in the same place,
and seemingly with the same object.
I took charge of the decks with a very lively sense of the peculiarity of our situation. The security that prevailed on board
struck me as unnatural; and yet I could detect no particular
reason for immediate alarm. I might be thrown overboard or
murdered by the two savages on deck, it was very true; but of
what use would it be to destroy me, since they could not hope
to destroy all the rest on board without being discovered. The
night was star-lit, and there was little chance of a canoe’s approaching the ship without my seeing it; a circumstance that,
of itself, in a great measure, removed the danger. I passed the
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
first quarter of an hour in reflecting on these things; and then,
as use accustomed me to my situation, I began to think less of
them, and to revert to other subjects.
Clawbonny, Grace, Lucy, and Mr. Hardinge, often rose before my mind’s eye, in those distant seas. It was seldom I passed
a tranquil watch at night, without revisiting the scenes of my
boyhood, and wandering through my own fields, accompanied by my beloved sister, and her quite as well beloved friend.
How many hours of happiness had I thus passed on the trackless wastes of the Pacific and the Atlantic; and with how much
fidelity did memory recall the peculiar graces, whether of body
or mind, of each of the dear girls in particular! Since my recent
experience in London, Emily Merton would occasionally adorn
the picture, with her more cultivated discourse and more finished manner; and yet I do not remember to have ever given
her more than a third place on the scale of my admiration.
On the present occasion I was soon lost in ruminations on
the past, and in imagining events for the future. I was not particularly expert at building castles in the air; but what youth of
twenty, or maiden of sixteen, never reared some sort of a fabric of this nature? These fanciful structures are the results of
inexperience building with the materials of hope. In my most
imaginative moments, I could even fancy Rupert an industrious, staid lawyer, adorning his profession, and rendering both
Lucy and Grace happy. Beyond this, it was not easy for the human faculties to conceive.
Lucy sang sweetly. At times, her songs fairly haunted me,
and for hours I could think of nothing but their tender sentiment and their touching melody. I was no nightingale myself,
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
though I sometimes endeavoured to hum some one of the airs
that floated in my recollection, like beautiful visions of the
past. This night, in particular, my thoughts recurred to one of
these songs that told of affection and home; and I stood, for
several minutes, leaning over the railing forward, humming
the tune to myself, while I endeavoured to recall not only the
words, but the sweet voice that was wont to give them so much
thrilling pathos. I did this sometimes at Clawbonny; and time
and again had Lucy placed her soft little hand on my mouth, as
she would laughingly say, “Miles, Miles! do not spoil so pretty
a song! You will never succeed with music, so work the harder
with your Latin.” Sometimes she would steal behind me – I
fancied I could hear her breathing at my shoulder, even as I
leaned over the rail – and would apply her hand slyly to my
lips, in her many attempts of this nature. So vivid did one of
these scenes become, that I thought I really felt the soft smooth
hand on my mouth, and I was actually about to kiss it, when
something that was smooth enough, certainly, but which was
very far from being soft, passed between my teeth, and I felt it
drawn so tight as completely to prevent my calling out. At the
same moment, my arms were seized from behind, and held as
if grasped by a vice. Turning, as well as I was able, I found that
rascal Smudge had been breathing within an inch of my ear,
while he passed the gag; and the Dipper was busy in lashing
my arms together behind my back. The whole had been done
so suddenly, and yet with so much skill, that I was a helpless
prisoner, as it might be, in a single instant!
Resistance being as much out of my power as it was to give
any alarm, I was soon secured, hands and feet, and placed care-
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fully in the waist, a little out of the way; for I probably owed
my life solely to the wish of Smudge to keep me as his slave.
From that instant every appearance of stupidity vanished
from this fellow’s countenance and manner, and he became
the moving spirit, and I might say the soul, of all the proceedings of his companions. As for myself, there I sat, lashed to a
spar, utterly unable to help myself, an unwilling witness of all
that followed. I felt the imminent danger of our situation, but
I think I felt the disgrace of having such a surprise occur in my
watch, more even than the personal risks I ran!
In the first place, I was disarmed. Then, the Dipper took a
lantern which stood on the binnacle, lighted it, and showed it,
for half a minute, above the taffrail. His signal must have been
instantly answered, for he soon extinguished the light, and
moved about the deck, in attentive watchfulness to seize any
straggler, who might happen to come on deck. Little fear of that,
however, weariness chaining the men to their berths as closely
as if they had been bolted down with iron. I now expected to see
the fellows fill the yawl with effects, and run away with them,
for, as yet, I could not believe that two men would have the hardihood to attack such a ship’s company as ours.
I reckoned without my host. It might have been ten minutes after I was seized, that dark-looking figures began to climb
the ship’s sides, until more than thirty of them were on her
decks. This was done so noiselessly, too, that the most vigilant
attention on my part gave no notice of their approach, until
they stood among us. All these men were armed; a few with
muskets; others with clubs, and some with bows and arrows.
So far as I could discover, each had some sort of a knife, and a
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
few had hatchets, or tomahawks. To my great regret, I saw that
three or four were immediately stationed at the companionway, aft, and as many more at the booby-hatch, forward. This
was effectually commanding the only two passages by which
the officers and men would be likely to ascend, in the event of
their attempting to come on deck. It is true, the main hatch, as
well as that of the steerage, was used by day, but both had been
covered over night, and no one would think of using either,
unless aware of the danger that existed on deck.
I suffered a good deal, both from the gag and the ropes
that bound my limbs, and yet I hardly thought of the pain, so
intense was my curiosity as to what was to follow. After the
savages were all on board, the first quarter of an hour passed
in making their dispositions, Smudge, the stupid, inanimate,
senseless Smudge, acting as leader, and manifesting not only
authority, but readiness and sagacity. He placed all his people
in ambush, so that, one appearing from below, would not at
once be apprized of the change that had taken place on deck,
and thus give the savages time to act. After this, another quarter of an hour passed, during which the fall of a pin might
almost have been heard, so profound was the silence. I shut my
eyes in this terrific interval, and endeavoured to pray.
“On deck, here – forward, there!” said a voice suddenly,
that, at once, I knew to be the captain’s. I would have given the
world to be able to answer, in order to warn him of the danger,
but this was impossible. I did groan, and I believe the captain
heard me; for he moved away from the cabin-door, and called
out “Mr. Wallingford – where have you got to, Mr. Wallingford?” He was without his hat, having come on deck half-clad,
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
simply to ascertain how went the night, and it makes me shudder, even now, to write about the blow that fell on his unprotected skull. It would have felled an ox, and it crushed him on
the spot. The caution of his murderers prevented his falling,
however, for they did not wish to alarm the sleepers below;
though the plash on the water that followed, could not fail to
reach ears which took in every sound with the avidity of mine.
Thus perished Captain Williams, a mild, well-meaning man,
an excellent seaman, and one whose principal fault was want
of caution. I do not think the water was necessary to complete
his fate, as nothing human could have survived such a blow.
Smudge had been the principal actor in this frightful
scene; and, as soon as it was over, he caused his men to return
to their ambushes. I now thought the officers and men were
to be murdered, in this manner, as one by one they appeared
on deck. It would soon be time for Marble to turn out, though
there was the hope he might not unless called, and I could not
do this office, situated as I was. But, I was mistaken. Instead
of enticing any men on deck, the savages pursued a different
course. Having destroyed the captain, they closed the doors of
the companion-way, drew over the booby-hatch, and adopted
the safe expedient of making all below prisoners. This was not
done altogether without noise, and the alarm was evidently
given by the means taken to secure the fastenings. I heard a
rush at the cabin-doors, which was soon followed by one at
the booby-hatch; but Smudge’s ingenuity had been sufficient
to prevent either from being successful.
As soon as certain that their prisoners were safe, the savages came and loosened the ropes of my arms sufficiently to
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put me more at my ease. They removed those which bound my
feet entirely, and, at the same instant, the gag was taken from
my mouth. I was then led to the companionway, and, by a sign,
given to understand I might communicate with my friends below. In the management of all this, I found that Smudge, the
semi-human, dull, animal-seeming Smudge, was at the head. I
also came to the conclusion my life was to be spared, for a time
at least, and for some purpose that, as yet, baffled my conjectures. I did not call out immediately, but waited until I heard a
movement on the ladder, when I complied with the orders of
my captors and masters.
“Mr. Marble,” I cried, loud enough to be heard below, “is
that you?”
“Ay, ay – and is that you, Master Miles?”
“This is I. Be cautious how you act, Mr. Marble. The savages
are in possession of the upper deck, and I am their prisoner.
The people are all below, with a strong watch at the fore-scuttle.”
I heard a long, low whistle, within the companion-way
doors, which it was easy enough to interpret into an expression of the chief-mate’s concern and wonder. For myself, I saw
no use in attempting concealment, but was resolved to speak
out fully, even though it might be at the risk of betraying some
of my feelings to my captors, among whom I thought it probable there might be more than one who understood something
of English.
“We miss Captain Williams below here,” Marble resumed,
after a short delay. “Do you know anything of his movements?”
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
“Alas! Mr. Marble – poor Captain Williams can be of no
service to any of us, now.”
“What of him?” was demanded in a clear, full voice and as
quick as lightning. “Let me know, at once.”
“He has been killed by a blow from a club, and is thrown
overboard.”
A dead silence followed, and it lasted near a minute.
“Then it has fallen to my duty to decide what is to be done!”
Marble at length exclaimed. “Miles, are you at liberty? – dare
you say what you think?”
“I am held here, by two of the savages, whose prisoner I
certainly am. Still, Mr. Marble, they encourage me to speak, but
I fear some among them understand what we say.”
There was another pause, during which the mate was
doubtless reflecting on the best course to pursue.
“Harkee, Miles,” Marble continued, “we know each other,
and can tell what is meant without blabbing. How old are you,
out there, on deck.”
“Quite thirty years, Mr. Marble – and good stout years they
are, too.”
“Well provided for, with sulphur and the pills, or only with
Indian tools, such as our boys sometimes play with?”
“A little of the first – half-a-dozen, perhaps; with some of
the last, and a plenty of carvers.”
An impatient push from the Dipper warned me to speak
plainer, and satisfied me that the fellow could comprehend
what passed, so long as we confined ourselves to a straight,
forward discourse. This discovery had the effect to put me still
more on my guard.
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
“I understand you, Miles,” Marble answered, in a thoughtful manner; “we must be on our guard. Do you think they
mean to come below?”
“I see no signs at present – but understanding – ” emphasizing the word, “is more general than you imagine, and no
secrets must be told. My advice is ‘Millions for defence, and not
a cent for tribute.’”
As this last expression was common in the mouths of the
Americans of the day, having been used on the occasion of the
existing war with France, I felt confident it would be understood. Marble made no answer, and I was permitted to move
from the companion-way, and to take a seat on the hen-coops.
My situation was sufficiently remarkable. It was still dark; but
enough light fell from the stars to permit me to see all the
swarthy and savage forms that were gliding about the decks,
and even to observe something of the expression of the countenances of those, who, from time to time, came near to stare
me in the face. The last seemed ferociously disposed; but it was
evident that a master-spirit held all these wild beings in strict
subjection; quelling the turbulence of their humours, restraining their fierce disposition to violence, and giving concert and
design to all their proceedings. This master-spirit was Smudge!
Of the fact, I could not doubt; his gestures, his voice, his commands, giving movement and method to everything that was
done. I observed that he spoke with authority and confidence,
though he spoke calmly. He was obeyed, without any particular marks of deference, but he was obeyed implicitly. I could
also see that the savages considered themselves as conquerors;
caring very little for the men under hatches.
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