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THE TWO ADMIRALS
Jack Oldcastle says the Clevelands are all civilians, as he calls
‘em; or soldiers, which isn’t much better, as you know, sir. Now,
I tell him that there is an old picture of one of ‘em, with an anchor-button, and that was long before Queen Anne’s time –
Queen Elizabeth’s, perhaps, – and then you know, sir, I fetch
him up with a yarn about the Hedworths; for I am just as much
Hedworth as Cleveland.”
“And what does the impudent dog say to that, Geoffrey?”
“Why, sir, he says the name should be spelt Headwork, and
that they were all lawyers. But I gave him as good as he sent for
that saucy speech, I’m certain!”
“And what did you give him, in return for such a compliment? Did you tell him the Oldcastles were just so much stone,
and wood, and old iron; and that, too, in a tumbledown condition?”
“No, sir, not I,” answered the boy, laughing; “I didn’t think
of any answer half so clever; and so I just gave him a dig in the
nose, and that, laid on with right good will.”
“And how did he receive that argument? Was it conclusive; – or did the debate continue?”
“Oh, of course, sir, we fought it out. ‘Twas on board the
Dover, and the first lieutenant saw fair play. Jack carried too
many guns for me, sir, for he’s more than a year older; but I
hulled him so often that he owned it was harder work than
being mast-headed. After that the Dover’s chaps took my part,
and they said the Hedworths had no Headwork at all, but they
were regular sailors; admirals, and captains, and youngsters,
you know, sir, like all the rest of us. I told ‘em my grandfather
Hedworth was an admiral, and a good one, too.”
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
“In that you made a small mistake. Your mother’s father
was only a general; but his father was a full admiral of the red, –
for he lived before that grade was abolished – and as good an
officer as ever trod a plank. He was my mother’s brother, and
both Sir Gervaise and myself served long under his orders. He
was a sailor of whom you well might boast.”
“I don’t think any of the Plantagenets will chase in that
quarter again, sir; for we’ve had an overhauling among our
chaps, and we find we can muster four admirals, two commodores, and thirteen captains in our two messes; that is, counting all sorts of relatives, you know, sir.”
“Well, my dear boy, I hope you may live to reckon all that
and more too, in your own persons, at some future day. Yonder
is Sir Reginald Wychecombe, coming this way, to my surprise;
perhaps he wishes to see me alone. Go down to the landing
and ascertain if my barge is ashore, and let me know it, as soon
as is convenient. Remember, Geoffrey, you will go off with me;
and hunt up Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, who will lose his passage, unless ready the instant he is wanted.”
The boy touched his cap, and went bounding down the hill
to execute the order.
352
CHAPTER XVIII
“So glozed the Tempter, and his poison tuned;
Into the heart of Eve his words made way,
Though at the voice much marvelling.”
Milton.
It was, probably, a species of presentiment, that induced
Bluewater to send away the midshipman, when he saw the
adherent of the dethroned house approaching. Enough had
passed between the parties to satisfy each of the secret bias of
the other; and, by that sort of free-masonry which generally
accompanies strong feelings of partisanship, the admiral felt
persuaded that the approaching interview was about to relate
to the political troubles of the day.
The season and the hour, and the spot, too, were all poetically favourable to an interview between conspirators. It was
now nearly dark; the head-land was deserted, Dutton having
retired, first to his bottle, and then to his bed; the wind blew
heavily athwart the bleak eminence, or was heard scuffling
in the caverns of the cliffs, while the portentous clouds that
drove through the air, now veiled entirely, and now partially
and dimly revealed the light of the moon, in a way to render
the scene both exciting and wild. No wonder, then, that Bluewater, his visiter drawing near, felt a stronger disposition than
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
had ever yet come over him to listen to the tale of the tempter,
as, under all the circumstances, it would scarcely exceed the
bounds of justice to call Sir Reginald.
“In seeking you at such a spot, and in the midst of this wild
landscape,” said the latter, “I might have been assured I should
be certain of finding one who really loved the sea and your
noble profession. The Hall is a melancholy house, just at this
moment; and when I inquired for you, no one could say whither you had strolled. In following what I thought a seaman’s
instinct, it appears that I did well. – Do my eyes fail me, or are
there no more than three vessels at anchor yonder?”
“Your eyes are still good, Sir Reginald; Admiral Oakes sailed
several hours since, and he has been followed by all the fleet,
with the exception of the two line-of-battle ships, and the frigate you see; leaving me to be the last to quit the anchorage.”
“Is it a secret of state, or are you permitted to say whither so
strong a force has so suddenly sailed?” demanded the baronet,
glancing his dark eye so expressively towards the other as to
give him, in the growing obscurity, the appearance of an inquisitor. “I had been told the fleet would wait for orders from
London?”
“Such was the first intention of the commander-in-chief;
but intelligence of the sailing of the Comte de Vervillin has
induced Sir Gervaise to change his mind. An English admiral
seldom errs when he seeks and beats an active and dangerous
enemy.”
“Is this always true, Admiral Bluewater?” returned Sir Reginald, dropping in at the side of the other, and joining in his
walk, as he paced, to and fro, a short path that Dutton called
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THE TWO ADMIRALS
his own quarter-deck; “or is it merely an unmeaning generality
that sometimes causes men to become the dupes of their own
imaginations. Are those always our enemies who may seem to
be so? or, are we so infallible that every feeling or prejudice
may be safely set down as an impulse to which we ought to
submit, without questioning its authority?”
“Do you esteem it a prejudice to view France as the natural
enemy of England, Sir Reginald?”
“By heaven, I do, sir! I can conceive that England may be
much more her own enemy than France has ever proved to
be. Then, conceding that ages of warfare have contributed to
awaken some such feeling as this you hint at, is there not a
question of right and wrong that lies behind all? Reflect how
often England has invaded the French soil, and what serious
injuries she has committed on the territory of the latter, while
France has so little wronged us, in the same way; how, even her
throne has been occupied by our princes, and her provinces
possessed by our armies.”
“I think you hardly allow for all the equity of the different
cases. Parts of what is now France, were the just inheritance
of those who have sat on the English throne, and the quarrels
were no more than the usual difficulties of neighbourhood.
When our claims were just in themselves, you surely could not
have wished to see them abandoned.”
“Far from it; but when claims were disputed, is it not natural for the loser to view them as a hardship? I believe we
should have had a much better neighbourhood, as you call it,
with France, had not the modern difficulties connected with
religious changes, occurred.”
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
“I presume you know. Sir Reginald, that I, and all my family
are Protestants.”
“I do, Admiral Bluewater; and I rejoice to find that a difference of opinion on this great interest, does not necessarily
produce one on all others. From several little allusions that
have passed between us to-day, I am encouraged to believe
that we think alike on certain temporal matters, however wide
the chasm between us on spiritual things.”
“I confess I have fallen into the same conclusion; and I
should be sorry to be undeceived if wrong.”
“What occasion, then, for farther ambiguity? Surely two
honourable men may safely trust each other with their common sentiments, when the times call for decision and frankness! I am a Jacobite, Admiral Bluewater; if I risk life or fortune
by making the avowal, I place both, without reserve at your
mercy.”
“They could not be in safer hands, sir; and I know no better
mode of giving you every possible assurance that the confidence will not be abused, than by telling you in return, that I
would cheerfully lay down my life could the sacrifice restore
the deposed family to the throne.”
“This is noble, and manly, and frank, as I had hoped from
a sailor!” exclaimed Sir Reginald, more delighted than he well
knew how to express at the moment. “This simple assurance
from your lips, carries more weight than all the oaths and
pledges of vulgar conspiracy. We understand each other, and I
should be truly sorry to inspire less confidence than I feel.”
“What better proof can I give you of the reliance placed on
your faith, than the declaration you have heard, Sir Reginald?
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THE TWO ADMIRALS
My head would answer for your treachery in a week; but I have
never felt it more securely on my shoulders than at this moment.”
The baronet grasped the other’s hand, and each gave and
received a pressure that was full of meaning. Then both walked
on, thoughtful and relieved, for quite a minute, in profound
silence.
“This sudden appearance of the prince in Scotland has
taken us all a little by surprise,” Sir Reginald resumed, after
the pause; “though a few of us knew that his intentions led
him this way. Perhaps he has done well to come unattended
by a foreign force, and to throw himself, as it might be singly,
into the arms of his subjects; trusting every thing to their generosity, loyalty, and courage. Some blame him; but I do not.
He will awaken interest, now, in every generous heart in the
nation,” – this was artfully adapted to the character of the listener; – “whereas some might feel disposed to be lukewarm
under a less manly appeal to their affections and loyalty. In
Scotland, we learn from all directions that His Royal Highness
is doing wonders, while the friends of his house are full of activity in England, though compelled, for a time, to be watchful
and prudent.”
“I rejoice, from the bottom of my heart, to hear this!” said
Bluewater, drawing a long breath, like one whose mind was
unexpectedly relieved from a heavy load. “From the bottom of
my heart, do I rejoice! I had my apprehensions that the sudden
appearance of the prince might find his well-wishers unprepared and timid.”
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
“As far from that as possible, my dear sir; though much still
depends on the promptitude and resolution of the master spirits of the party. We are strong enough to control the nation, if
we can bring those forward who have the strength to lead and
control ourselves. All we now want are some hundred or two
of prominent men to step out of their diffidence, and show us
the way to honourable achievement and certain success.”
“Can such men be wanting, at a moment like this?”
“I think we are secure of most of the high nobility, though
their great risks render them all a little wary in the outset. It
is among the professional men – the gallant soldiers, and the
bold, ardent seamen of the fleet, that we must look for the first
demonstrations of loyalty and true patriotism. To be honest
with you, sir, I tire of being ruled by a German.”
“Do you know of any intention to rally a force in this part
of England, Sir Reginald? If so, say but the word – point out
the spot where the standard is to be raised, and I will rally under it, the instant circumstances will permit!”
“This is just what I expected, Mr. Bluewater,” answered the
baronet, more gratified than he thought it prudent to express;
“though it is not exactly the form in which you can best serve
us at this precise moment. Cut off from the north, as we are in
this part of the island, by all the resources of the actual government, it would be the height of imprudence in us to show
our hands, until all the cards are ready to be played. Active and
confidential agents are at work in the army; London has its
proper share of business men, while others are in the counties,
doing their best to put things in a shape for the consummation we so anxiously look for. I have been with several of our
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THE TWO ADMIRALS
friends in this vicinity, to bring matters into a combined state;
and it was my intention to visit this very estate, to see what
my own name might do with the tenantry, had not the late Sir
Wycherly summoned me as he did, to attend his death-bed.
Have you any clue to the feelings of this new and young head
of my family, the sea-lieutenant and present baronet?”
“Not a very plain one, sir, though I doubt if they be favourable to the House of Stuart.”
“I feared as much; this very evening I have had an anonymous communication that I think must come from his competitor, pretty plainly intimating that, by asserting his rights,
as they are called, the whole Wychecombe tenantry and interest could be united, in the present struggle, on whichever side
I might desire to see them.”
“This is a bold and decided stroke, truly! May I inquire as to
your answer, Sir Reginald?”
“I shall give none. Under all circumstances I will ever refuse to place a bastard in the seat of a legitimate descendant of
my family. We contend for legal and natural rights, my dear
admiral, and the means employed should not be unworthy of
the end. Besides, I know the scoundrel to be unworthy of trust,
and shall not have the weakness to put myself in his power. I
could wish the other boy to be of another mind; but, by getting
him off to sea, whither he tells me he is bound, we shall at least
send him out of harm’s way.”
In all this Sir Reginald was perfectly sincere; for, while he
did not always hesitate about the employment of means, in
matters of politics, he was rigidly honest in every thing that
related to private properly; a species of moral contradiction
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JAMES FENIMORE COOPER
that is sometimes found among men who aim at the management of human affairs; since those often yield to a besetting
weakness who are nearly irreproachable in other matters.
Bluewater was glad to hear this declaration; his own simplicity
of character inducing him to fancy it was an indication to the
general probity of his companion.
“Yes,” observed the latter, “in all eases, we must maintain
the laws of the land, in an affair of private right. This young
man is not capable, perhaps, of forming a just estimate of his
political duties, in a crisis like this, and it may be well, truly, to
get him off to sea, lest by taking the losing side, he endangers
his estate before he is fairly possessed of it. And having now
disposed of Sir Wycherly, what can I do most to aid the righteous and glorious cause?”
“This is coming to the point manfully, Sir Richard – I beg
pardon for thus styling you, but I happen to know that your
name has been before the prince, for some time, as one of those
who are to receive the riband from a sovereign really autho-
rized to bestow it; if I have spoken a little prematurely, I again
entreat your pardon; – but, this is at once coming manfully
to the point! Serve us you can, of course, and that most effectually, and in an all-important manner. I now greatly regret
that my father had not put me in the army, in my youth, that I
might serve my prince as I could wish, in this perilous trial. But
we have many friends accustomed to arms, and among them
your own honourable name will appear conspicuous as to the
past, and encouraging as to the future.”
“I have carried arms from boyhood, it is true, Sir Reginald,
but it is in a service that will scarcely much avail us in this
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