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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
dare say it made me look foolish; and I know it caused Emily to
blush. Poor girl! she, who blushed so easily, and was so sensitive, and so delicately situated – she was entitled to have more
respect paid to her feelings. The Major and Marble, however,
took it all very coolly, continuing the discourse as if nothing
out of the way had been said.
“No doubt – no doubt,” answered the first; “romance always finds votaries among young people, and this place may
well excite romantic feelings in those who are older than these
young men. Do you know, gentlemen, that ever since I have
known this island, I have had a strong desire to pass the remainder of my days on it? The idea I have just mentioned to
you, therefore, is by no means one of a moment’s existence.”
“I am glad, at least, dear sir,” observed Emily, laughing,
“that the desire has not been so strong as to induce you to
make formal proposals on the subject.”
“You, indeed, are the great obstacle; for what could I do
with a discontented girl, whose mind would be running on
balls, theatres, and other amusements? We should not have
even a church.”
“And, Major Merton,” I put in, “what could you, or any
other man, do with himself, in a place like this, without companions, books, or occupation ?”
“If a conscientious man, Miles, he might think over the past;
if a wise one, he would certainly reflect on the future. I should
have books, since Emily and I could muster several hundred
volumes between us; and, with books, I should have companions. What could I do? I should have everything to create, as it
might be, and the pleasure of seeing everything rising up un-
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
der my own hand. There would be a house to construct – the
materials of that wreck to collect – ropes, canvass, timber, tar,
sugar, and divers other valuables that are still out on the reef,
or which lie scattered about on the beach, to gather together,
and save against a rainy day. Then I would have a thought for
my poultry; and possibly you might be persuaded to leave me
one or two of these pigs, of which I see the French forgot half
a dozen, in their haste to cheat the Spaniards. Oh! I should live
like a prince and be a prince regnant in the bargain.”
“Yes, sir, you would be captain and all hands, if that would
be any gratification; but I think you would soon weary of your
government, and be ready to abdicate.”
“Perhaps so, Miles; yet the thought is pleasant to me: but
for this dear girl, it would be particularly so. I have very few
relatives; the nearest I have being, oddly enough, your own
country-people, gentlemen. My mother was a native of Boston,
where my father, a merchant, married her; and I came very
near being a Yankee myself, having been born but a week after my parents landed in England. On my father’s side, I have
not five recognised relatives, and they are rather distant; while
those on my mother’s are virtually all strangers. Then I never
owned a foot of this earth on which we live, in my life – ”
“Nor I,” interrupted Marble, with emphasis.
“My father was a younger son; and younger sons in England are generally lack-lands. My life has been such, and, I may
add, my means such, that I have never been in the way of purchasing even enough earth to bury me in; and here, you see, is
an estate that can be had for asking. How much land do you
fancy there is in this island, gentlemen? I mean, apart from the
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
beach, the sands and rocks; but such as has grass, and bears
trees – ground that might be tilled, and rendered productive,
without much labour?”
“A hundred thousand acres,” exclaimed Marble, whose calculation was received with a general laugh.
“It seems rather larger to me, sir,” I answered, “than the
farm at Clawbonny. Perhaps there may be six or eight hundred
acres of the sort of land you mention; though the whole island
must contain several thousands – possibly four, or five.”
“Well, four or five thousand acres of land make a good estate – but, as I see Emily is getting frightened, and is nervous
under the apprehension of falling heir to such extensive possessions, I will say no more about them.”
No more was said, and we finished our breakfasts, conversing of the past, rather than of the future. The Major and
Marble went to stroll along the groves, in the direction of the
wreck; while I persuaded Emily to put on her hat and stroll –
the other way.
“This is a singular notion of my father’s,” my fair companion remarked, after a moment of musing; “nor is it the first
time, I do assure you, on which he has mentioned it. While we
were here before, he spoke of it daily.”
“The scheme might do well enough for two ardent lovers,”
said I, laughing; “but would scarcely be Wise for an elderly
gentleman and his daughter. I can imagine that two young
people, warmly attached to each other, might get along in such
a place for a year or two, without hanging themselves; but I
fancy even love would tire out, after a while, and they would
set about building a boat, in which to be off.”
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
“You are not very romantic, I perceive, Mr. Wallingford,”
Emily answered, and I thought a little reproachfully. “Now, I
own that to my taste, I could be happy anywhere – here, as well
as in London, surrounded by my nearest and dearest friends.”
“Surrounded! Ay, that would be a very different matter.
Let me have your father, yourself, honest Marble, good Mr.
Hardinge, Rupert, dear, dear Grace, and Lucy, with Neb and
some others of my own blacks, and I should ask no better home.
The island is only in twenty, has plenty of shade some delicious fruits, and Would be easily tilled – one might do here, I
acknowledge, and it would be pleasant to found a colony.”
“And who are all these people you love so well, Mr. Wallingford, that their presence would make a desert island pleasant?”
“In the first place, Major Merton is a half-pay officer in the
British service, who has been appointed to some civil station in
India” – I answered, gallantly. “He is a respectable, agreeable,
well-informed gentleman, a little turned of fifty, who might
act as Judge and Chancellor. Then he has a daughter – ”
“I know more of her and her bad qualities than you do
yourself, Sire – but who are Rupert, and Grace, and Lucy –
dear, dear Grace, especially?”
“Dear, dearest Grace, Madam, is my sister – my only sister – all the sister I ever can have, either by marriage, or any
other means, and sisters are usually dear to young men, I believe.”
“Well – I knew you had a sister, and a dear sister, but I also
knew you had but one. Now as to Rupert – ”
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
“He is not another sister, you may be well assured. I have
mentioned to you a friend from childhood, who went to sea
with me, at first, but, disliking the business, has since commenced the study of the law.”
“That, then, is Rupert. I remember some such touches of
his character, but did not know the name. Now, proceed on to
the next – ”
“What, Neb! – You know him almost as well as I do myself.
He is yonder feeding the chickens, and will save his passage
money.”
“But you spoke of another – that is – was there not a Mr. –
, Hardinge was the name, I think?”
“Oh! true – I forgot Mr. Hardinge and Lucy, though they
would be two of the most important of the colonists. Mr.
Hardinge is my guardian, and will continue to be so a few
months longer, and Lucy is his daughter – Rupert’s sister –
the old gentleman is a clergyman, and would help us to keep
Sundays as one should, and might perform the marriage ceremony, should it ever be required.”
“Not much danger of that, I fancy, on your desert island –
your Barrataria” – observed Miss Merton, quickly.
I cannot explain the sensitiveness of certain young ladies
on such points, unless it be through their consciousness. Now,
had I been holding this idle talk with Lucy, the dear, honest
creature would have laughed, blushed ever so little, possibly,
and nodded her head in frank assent; or, perhaps, she would
have said “oh! certainly,” in a way to show that she had no
desire to affect so silly a thing as to wish one to suppose she
thought young people would not get married at Marble Land,
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
as well as Clawbonny, or New York. Miss Merton, however,
saw fit to change the discourse, which soon turned on her father’s health. On this subject she was natural and full of strong
affection. She was anxious to get the Major out of the warm
latitudes. His liver had been touched in the West Indies, but
he had hoped that he was cured, or he never would have accepted the Bombay appointment. Experience, however, was
giving reason to suspect the contrary, and Emily wished him
in a cold climate as soon as possible, and that with an earnestness that showed she regarded all that had been said about the
island as sheer pleasantry. We continued the conversation for
an hour when, returning to the tent, I left my fair companion
with a promise to be as active as possible, in order to carry
the ship into a higher latitude. Still I did not deem the island
a particularly dangerous place, notwithstanding its position;
the trades and sea breezes, with its ample shades, rendering
the spot one of the most delightful tropical abodes I had ever
been in.
After quitting Emily, I went to join Marble, who was alone,
pacing a spot beneath the trees, that poor Le Compte had
worn into a path, and which he had himself called his “quarter-deck.”
“This Major Merton is a sensible man, Miles,” the ex-mate
began, as soon as I dropped in alongside of him, and joined in
his semi-trot; “a downright, sensible sort of a philosopher-like
man, accordin’ to my notion.”
“What has he been telling you, now, that has seized your
fancy so much stronger than common?”
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
“Why, I was thinking of this idee of his, to remain on the
island, and pass the remainder of the v’y’ge here, without slaving day and night to get up two or three rounds of the ladder
of promotion, only to fall down again.”
“And did the Major speak of such things? I know of no disappointments of his, to sour him with the world.”
“I was not speaking for Major Merton, but for myself, Miles.
To tell you the truth, boy, this idee seems just suited to me, and
I have almost made up my mind to remain behind, here, when
you sail.”
I looked at Marble with astonishment; the subject on which
the Major had spoken in pleasantry, rather than with any real
design of carrying his project into execution, was one that my
old messmate regarded seriously! I had noted the attention
with which he listened to our discourse, during breakfast, and
the strong feeling with which he spoke at the time, but had
no notion of the cause of either. I knew the man too well, not
to understand, at once, that he was in sober earnest, and had
too much experience of his nature, not to foresee the greatest difficulty in turning him from his purpose. I understood
the true motive to be professional mortification at all that occurred since he had succeeded Captain Williams in command;
for Marble was much too honest and too manly, to think for a
moment of concealing his own misfortunes behind the mantle
offered by my success.
“You have not thought of this matter sufficiently, my
friend,” I answered, evasively, knowing the folly of attempting
to laugh the matter off – “when you have slept on it a night,
you will see things differently.”
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
“I fancy not, Miles. Here is all I want, and just what I want.
After you have taken away everything that can be required for
the vessels, or desirable to the owners, there will be enough
left to keep me a dozen lives.”
“It is not on account of food, that I speak – the island alone
in its fruits, fish and birds, to say nothing as to the seeds, and
fowls, and pigs, we could leave you, would be sufficient to keep
fifty men; but, think of the solitude, the living without object,
the chances of sickness – the horrible death that would follow to one unable to rise and assist himself, and all the other
miseries of being alone. Depend on it, man was not created to
live alone. Society is indispensable to him, and – ”
“I have thought of it all, and find it entirely to my taste. I
tell you, Miles, I should be exactly in my sphere, in this island,
and that as a hermit. I do not say I should not like some company, if it could be yourself, or Talcott, or the Major, or even
Neb; but no company is better than bad; and as for asking,
or allowing any one to stay with me, it is out of the question.
I did, at first, think of keeping the Sandwich Islanders; but it
would be bad faith, and they would not be likely to remain
quiet, after the ship had sailed. No, I will remain alone. You
will probably report the island when you get home, and that
will induce some vessel, which may be passing near, to look for
me, so I shall hear of you all, every four or five years.”
“Gracious heaven! Marble, you cannot be serious in so mad
a design?”
“Just look at my situation, Miles, and decide for yourself. I
am without a friend on earth – I mean nat’ral friend – I know
what sort of friend you are, and parting with you will be the
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AFLOAT AND ASHORE
toughest of all – but I have not a relation on the wide earth –
no property, no home no one to wish to see me return, not
even a cellar to lay my head in. To me all places are alike, with
the exception of this, which, having discovered, I look upon as
my own.”
“You have a country, Marble; and that is the next thing to
family and home – overshadows all.”
“Ay, and I’ll have a country here. This will be America, having been discovered by Americans, and in their possession. You
will leave me the buntin’, and I’ll show the stars and stripes of
a 4th of July, just as you will show ‘em, in some other part of
the world. I was born Yankee, at least, and I’ll die Yankee, I’ve
sailed under that flag, boy, ever since the year ‘77, and will not
sail under another you may depend on it.”
“I never could justify myself to the laws for leaving a man
behind me in such a place.”
“Then I’ll run, and that will make all right. But, you know
well enough, boy, that leaving a captain is one thing, and leaving a man another.”
“And what shall I tell all your acquaintances, those who
have sailed with you so often and so long, has become of their
old ship-mate?”
“Tell ‘em that the man who was once found, is now lost,”
answered Marble, bitterly. “But I am not such a fool as to think
myself of so much importance as you seem to imagine. The
only persons who will consider the transaction of any interest will be the newspaper gentry, and they will receive it only
as news, and thank you about half as much as they would for
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
a murder, or a robbery, or the poisoning of a mother and six
little children.”
“I think, after all, you would scarcely find the means of supporting yourself,” I added, looking round in affected doubt; for
I felt, at each instant, how likely my companion was to adhere
to his notion, and this from knowing him so well. “I doubt if
the cocoa is healthy, all the year round, and there must be seasons when the trees do not bear.”
“Have no fear of that sort. I have my own fowling-piece,
and you will leave me a musket, or two, with some ammunition. Transient vessels, now the island is known, will keep up
the supply. There are two hens setting, at this moment, and a
third has actually hatched. Then one of the men tells me there
is a litter of pigs, near the mouth of the bay. As for the hogs
and the poultry, the shell-fish and berries will keep them; but
there are fifteen hogsheads of sugar on the beach, besides thirty or forty more in the wreck, and all above water. There are
casks of beans and peas, the sea-stores of the French, besides
lots of other things. I can plant, and fish, and shoot, and make
a fence from the ropes of the wreck, and have a large garden,
and all that a man can want. Our own poultry, you know, has
long been out; but there is still a bushel of Indian-corn left,
that was intended for their feed. One quart of that, will make
me a rich man, in such a climate as this, and with soil like that
on the flat between the two groves. I own a chest of tools, and
am, ship-fashion, both a tolerable carpenter and blacksmith;
and I do not see that I shall want for anything. You must leave
half the things that are scattered about, and so far from being
a man to be pitied, I shall be a man to be envied. Thousands
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