r-NRLF 
 


 GIFT F 
 W. H. s rnyth 
 
 
THE PILOT 
 
 1 Ccle nf iljE 
 
 BY J. FENIMORE COOPER 
 
 " List ! ye Landsmen, all to me." 
 
 IN TWO VOLUMES 
 VOL. I. 
 
 NEW EDITION. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 STRINGER AND TOWNSEND 
 
 1852. 
 
(J 
 
 Southern District of New-Yvrk ss. 
 
 BE it remembered, that on tho twenty-ninth day of December, in the forty. 
 eighth year of the Independence of the United States of America, Charles 
 Wiley, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, 
 tho right whereof he claims as proprietor; in the words following, to wit : 
 
 11 The Filot ; a Tale of the Sea. By the Auinor uf the Pioneers, &c. && 
 List I ye Landsmen, all to me. In Two Volumes. Vol. I." 
 
 In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled, " An Acl 
 for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, 
 and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the tima 
 therein mentioned;" and also to an Act, entitled, " An Act, supplementary to 
 an Act, entitled An Act for the enconrageraoar, of learning, by securing the 
 copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such 
 copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof 
 to the arts of leaigninz, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." 
 
 JAMES DILL, 
 Clerk of the Southern District sf Now- York 
 
f\ 
 
 * TO * 
 
 Mft 
 
 1 > 
 
 WILLIAM BRANFORD SHUBRICK, 
 ESQUIRE, 
 
 MASTER COM. U. S. NAVf. 
 
 MY DEAR SHUBRICK, 
 
 Each year causes some new and melan 
 choly chasm in what is now the brief list of 
 my naval friends and former associates. 
 War, disease, and the casualties of a ha 
 zardous profession, have made fearful in* 
 roads in the limited number ; while the 
 places of the dead are supplied by names 
 that to me are strangers. With the conse 
 quences of these sad changes before me, 1 
 cherish the recollection of those with whom 
 
 if ^ 
 
 y 
 
4 DEDICATION. 
 
 t once lived in close familiarity with pecu 
 liar interest, and feel a triumph in their 
 growing reputations, that is but little short 
 of their own honest pride. 
 
 But neither time nor separation have 
 shaken our intimacy : and I know that in 
 dedicating to you these volumes, I tell you 
 nothing new, when I add, that it is a tribute 
 paid to an enduring friendship, by 
 Your old messmate, 
 
 THE AUTHOR 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The privileges of the Historian and of the wri 
 ter of Romances are very different, and it be 
 hooves them equally to respect each other s rights. 
 The latter is permitted to garnish a probable fic 
 tion, while he is sternly prohibited from dwelling 
 on improbable truths ; but it is the duty of the for 
 mer to record facts as they have occurred, with 
 out a reference to consequences, resting his repu 
 tation on a firm foundation of realities, and vindi 
 cating his integrity by his authorities. How far 
 and how well the Author has adhered to this dis 
 tinction between the prerogatives of truth and fic 
 tion, his readers must decide ; but he cannot for 
 bear desiring the curious inquirers into our annals 
 to persevere, until they shall find good poetical 
 authority for every material incident in this veri 
 table legend. 
 
 As to the Critics, he has the advantage of in 
 cluding them all in that extensive class, which is 
 known by the sweeping appellation of " Lubbers." 
 If they have common discretion, they will beware 
 of exposing their ignorance. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 If, however, some old seaman should h ppen to 
 detect any trifling anachronisms in marine usages, 
 or mechanical improvements, the Author begs 
 leave to say to him, with a proper deference for 
 his experience, that it was not so much his inten 
 tion to describe the customs of a particular age, as 
 to paint those scenes which belong only to the 
 ocean, and to exhibit, in his imperfect manner, a 
 few traits of a people, who, from the nature of 
 things, can never be much known. 
 
 He will probably be told, that Smollet has 
 done all this before him, and in a much better man 
 ner. It will be seen, however, that, though he 
 has navigated the same sea as Smollet, he has 
 steered a different course ; cr, in other words, 
 that he has considered what Smollet has paint 
 ed as a picture which is finished, and which is 
 not to be daubed over by every one who may 
 choose to handle a pencil on marine subjects. 
 
 The Author wishes to express his regret, that 
 the daring and useful services of a great portion 
 of our marine in the old war should be suffered to 
 remain in the obscurity under which it is now bu 
 ried. Every one has heard of the victory of the 
 Bon-Homme Richard, but how little is known of 
 the rest of the life, and of the important services 
 of the remarkable man who commanded in our 
 behalf, in that memorable combat. How little is 
 known of his actions with the Milford and the 
 Solebay ; of his captures of the Drake and Tri 
 
PREFACE. 7 
 
 umph ; and of his repeated and desperate projects 
 to carry the war into the island home of our 
 powerful enemy. Very many of the officers who 
 served in that contest were to be found, after 
 wards, in the navy of the confederation ; and it is 
 fair to presume that it owes no small part of its 
 present^eharacter to the spirit that descended from 
 the heroes of the revolution. 
 
 One of the last officers reared in that school 
 died, not long since, at the head of his profession ; 
 and now, that nothing but the recollection of theii 
 deeds remains, we should become more tenacious 
 of their glory. 
 
 If his book has the least tendency to excite 
 some attention to this interesting portion of our 
 history, one of the objects of the writer will be 
 accomplished. 
 
 The Author now takes his leave of his readers, 
 wishing them all happiness. 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 w Sullen waves, incessant rolling 
 Rudely dash against her sides. 1 
 
 A SINGLE glance at the map will make the read 
 er acquainted with the position of the eastern coast 
 of the Island of Great I ritain, as connected with 
 the shores of the opposite continent. Together 
 they form the boundaries of the small sea that has 
 for ages been known to the world as the scene of 
 maritime exploits, and as the great avenue through 
 which commerce and war have conducted the 
 fleets of the northern nations of Europe. Over 
 this sea the islanders long asserted a jurisdiction, 
 exceeding that which reason concedes to any pow 
 er on the highway of nations, and which frequent 
 ly led to conflicts that caused an expenditure of 
 blood and treasure, utterly disproportioned to the 
 advantages that can ever arise from the mainte 
 nance of a useless and abstract right. It is across 
 the waters of this disputed ocean that we shall at 
 tempt to conduct our readers, selecting a period 
 for our incidents that has peculiar interests for 
 every American, not only because it was the birth- 
 
10 THE PILOT. 
 
 day of hs uati.on, but because it was also the era 
 ^ when reason and common sense began to take 
 > place of custom and feudal practices in the ma- 
 I nageraent of the affairs of nations. 
 
 Soon aftei the events of the revolution had in 
 volved the kingdoms of France and Spain, and the 
 republics of Holland, in our quarrel, a group of la 
 bourers was collected in a field that lay exposed 
 to the winds of the ocean, on the north-eastern 
 coast of England. These men were lightening 
 their toil, and cheering the gloom of a day in De 
 cember, by uttering their crude opinions on the 
 political aspects of the times. The fact that Eng 
 land was engaged in a war with some of her de 
 pendencies on the other side of the Atlantic, bad 
 long been known to them, after the manner that 
 faint rumours of distant and uninteresting events 
 gain on the ear ; but now that nations, with whom 
 she had been used to battle, were armed against 
 her in the quarrel, the din of war had disturbed 
 the quiet even of these secluded and illiterate rus- 
 v tics. The principal speakers, on the occasion, 
 c were a Scotch drover, who was waitiag the lei 
 sure of the occupant of the fields, and an Irish la 
 bourer, who had found his way across the channel, 
 < and thus far over the island, in quest of employ 
 ment. 
 
 " The Nagurs would nt have been a job at all 
 for ould England, letting alone Ireland," said the 
 latter, " if these French and Spanishers hadn t 
 been troubling themselves in the matter. Pm 
 surf it s but little reason I have for thanking them, 
 if a man is to kape as sober as a praist at mass, for 
 fear he should find himself a souldier, and he know 
 ing nothing about the same. 
 
 " Hoot ! mon ! ye ken but little of raising an 
 airmy in Ireland, if ye mak a drum o a whiskey 
 
THE PILOT. 11 
 
 keg," said the drover, winking to the listeners. 
 " Noo, in the north, they ca a gathering of the 
 folk, and follow the pipes as graciously as ye wad 
 journey kirkward o a Sabbath morn, I ve seen 
 a the names o a Heeland raj ment on a sma bit 
 paper, that ye might cover wi a leddy s hand. 
 They war a Camerons and M Donaids, though 
 (hey paraded sax hundred men ! But what ha ye 
 gotten here ! That chield has an ow r liking to the 
 land for a seafaring body ; an if the bottom o the 
 sea be ony thing like the top o t, he s in gr at dan 
 ger o a shipwrack !" 
 
 This unexpected change in the discourse drew 
 all eyes on the object towards which the staff of 
 the observant drover was pointed. To the utter 
 amazement of every individual present, a small 
 vessel was seen moving slowly round a point of 
 ^ land that formed one of the sides of the little bay, 
 to which the field the labourers were in composed 
 the other. There was something very peculiar in 
 the externals of this unusual visiter, which added 
 in no small degree to the surprise created by her 
 appearance in that retired place. None but the 
 smallest vessels, and those rarely, or, at long inter 
 vals, a desperate smuggler, were ever known to 
 venture so close to the land, amid the sand-bars 
 and sunken rocks with which that immediate coast 
 abounded. The adventurous mariners who now 
 attempted this dangerous navigation in so wanton, 
 and, apparently, so heedless a manner, were in a 
 low, black schooner, whose hull seemed utterly 
 disproportioned to the raking masts it upheld, 
 which, in their turn, supported a lighter set of 
 spars, that tapered away until their upper extremi 
 ties appeared no larger than the lazy pennant, that 
 \n vain endeavoured to display its length in the 
 tight breeze. 
 
12 THE PILOT. 
 
 The short day of that high northern latitude 
 was already drawing to a close, and the sun was 
 throwing his parting rays obliquely across the 
 waters, touching the gloomy waves here and there 
 with streaks of pale light. The stormy winds of 
 the German ocean were apparently lulled to rest; 
 and, though the incessant rolling of the surge on 
 the shore, heightened the gloomy character of the 
 hour and the view, the light ripple that ruffled the 
 sleeping billows was produced by a gentle air, that 
 blew directly from the land. Notwithstanding 
 this favourable circumstance, there was something 
 threatening in the aspect of the ocean, which was 
 speaking in hollow, but deep murmurs, like a vol 
 cano on the eve of an eruption, that greatly height 
 ened the feelings of amazement and dread with 
 which the peasants beheld this extraordinary in 
 terruption to the quiet of their little bay. With 
 no other sails spread to the action of the air, than 
 her heavy mainsail, and one of those light jibs that 
 projected far beyond her bows, the vessel glided 
 over the water with a grace and facility that seem 
 ed magical to the beholders, who turned their 
 wondering looks from the schooner to each other, 
 in silent amazement. At length the drover spoke 
 in a low, solemn voice 
 
 " He s a bold chield that steers her ! and if 
 that bit craft has wood in her bottom, like the bri- 
 gantines that ply between Lon on and the Frith 
 at Leith, he s in muir danger than a prudent mon 
 could wish. Ay ! he s by the big rock that shows 
 his head w r hen the tide runs low, but it s no mor 
 tal man who can steer long in the road he s jour 
 neying, and not speedily find land wi water a top 
 o t." 
 
 The little schooner, however, still held her way 
 among the rocks and sand-pits, making such sligl^i 
 
THE PILOT. 13 
 
 deviations in her course, as proved her to be un 
 der the direction of one who knew his danger, 
 until she had entered as far into the bay as pru 
 dence eould at all justify, when her canvass wag 
 gathered into folds, seemingly without the agency 
 of hands, and the vessel, after rolling for a few 
 minutes on the long billows that hove in from the 
 ocean, swung round in the currents of the tide, 
 and was held by her anchor. 
 
 The peasants now began to make their con 
 jectures more freely concerning the character and 
 object of their visiter ; some intimating that she 
 was engaged in contraband trade, and others that 
 her views were hostile, and her business war. A 
 few dark hints were hazarded on the materiality 
 of her construction, for nothing of artificial forma 
 tion, it was urged, would be ventured by men in 
 such a dangerous place, at a time when even the 
 most inexperienced landsman was enabled to fore 
 tell the certain gale. The Scotchman, who, to all 
 the sagacity of his countrymen, added no small por 
 tion of their superstition, leaned greatly to the lat 
 ter conclusion, and had begun to express this sen 
 timent warily and with reverence, when the child 
 of Erin, who appeared not to possess any very 
 definite ideas on the subject, interrupted him, by 
 exclaiming 
 
 " Faith ! there s two of them ! a big and a lit 
 tle ! sure the bogles of the saa likes good company 
 the same as any other Christians ! 
 
 " Twa !" echoed the drover ; " twa ! ill luck 
 bides o some o ye. Twa craft a sailing without 
 hand to guide them, in sic a place as this, whar 
 eyesight is na guid enough to show the dangers, 
 bodes evil to a that luik thereon. Hoot ! she s 
 na yearling the tither ! Luik, mon ! luik ! she s 
 a gallant boat, and a gi at :" he paused, raised his 
 
 VOL. i. 2 
 
14 THE PILOT. 
 
 pack from the ground, and first giving one search* 
 ing look at the objects of his suspicions, he nod 
 ded with great sagacity to the listeners, and con- 
 tinuedj as he moved slowly towards the interior of 
 the country, " I should na wonder if she carried 
 King George s commission aboot her ; weel, : weel, 
 C I wull journey upwarc to the town, and ha a crack 
 wi the good mon, for they craft have a suspeecious 
 aspect, and the sma bit thing wu ld nab a mon 
 quite easy, and the big ane wu ld hold us a and 
 no feel we war in her." 
 
 This sagacious warning caused a general move 
 ment in the party, for the intelligence of a hot 
 press was among the rumours of the times. The 
 husbandmen collected their implements of labour, 
 and retired homewards ; and though many a cu 
 rious eye was bent on the movements of the ves 
 sels from the distant hills, but very few of those 
 not immediately interested in the mysterious visi- 
 ters ventured to approach the little rocky cliffs 
 that lined the bay. 
 
 The vessel that occasioned these cautious move 
 ments was a gallant ship, whose huge hull, lofty 
 masts, and square yards, loomed in the evening s 
 haze, above the sea, like a distant mountain rising 
 from the deep. She carried but little sail, and 
 though she warily avoided the near approach to 
 the land that the schooner had attempted, the si 
 milarity of their movements was sufficiently appa 
 rent to warrant the conjecture that they were em 
 ployed on the same duty. The frigate, for the 
 ship belonged to this class of vessels, floated across 
 the entrance of the little bay, majestically in the 
 tide, with barely enough motion through the watei 
 to govern her movements, until stie arrived oppo 
 site to the place where her consort lay, when she 
 hove up heavily into the wind, squared the enor 
 
THE PILOT. 15 
 
 mous yards on her mainmast, and attempted, in 
 counteracting the power of her sails by each other, 
 to remain stationary ; but the light air that had at 
 no time swelled her heavy canvass to the utmost, 
 began to fail, and the long waves that rolled in 
 from the ocean, ceased to be ruffled with the breeze 
 from the land. The currents and the billows 
 were fast sweeping the frigate towards one of the 
 points of the estuary, where the black heads of the 
 rocks could be seen running far into the sea, and, 
 in their turn, the mariners of the ship dropped an 
 anchor to the bottom, and drew her sails in fes 
 toons to the yards. As the vessel swung round to 
 the tide, a heavy ensign was raised to her peak, 
 and a current of air opening, for a moment, its 
 folds, the white field and red cross, that distinguish 
 the flag of England, were displayed to view. So 
 much, even the wary drover had loitered at a dis 
 tance to behold ; but when a boat was launched 
 from either vessel, he quickened his steps, obser 
 ving to his wondering and amused companions, that 
 " they craft were a thegither mair bonny to luik 
 on than to abide wiV 
 
 A numerous crew r manned the barge that was 
 lowered from the frigate, which, after receiving an 
 officer, with an attendant youth, left the ship, and 
 moved with a measured stroke of its oars, directly 
 towards the head of the bay. As it passed at a 
 short distance from the schooner, a light whale- 
 boat, pulled by four athletic men, shot from her 
 side, and rather dancing over than cutting through 
 the waves, crossed her course with a wonderful 
 velocity. As the boats approached each other, 
 the men, in obedience to signals from their officers, 
 suspended their efforts, and for a few minutes they 
 floated at rest, during which time there was the 
 following dialogue : 
 
16 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Is the old man mad !" exclaimed the young 
 officer in the whale-boat, when his men had ceased 
 rowing ; " does he think that the bottom of the 
 Ariel is made of iron, and that a rock can t knock 
 a hole in it ! or does he think she is manned with 
 alligators, who can t be drowned ! J 
 \ A languid smile played for a moment round the 
 handsome features of the young man, who was ra 
 ther reclining than sitting in the stern-sheets of 
 the barge, as he replied, 
 
 " He knows your prudence too well, Captain 
 Barnstable, to fear either the wreck of your ves 
 sel, or the drowning of her crew. How near the 
 bottom does your keel lie ?" 
 
 " I am afraid to sound," returned Barnstable. 
 :c I have never the heart to touch a lead-line when 
 I see the jocks coming up to breathe like so many 
 porpoises." 
 
 " You are afloat !" exclaimed the other, with a 
 vehemence that denoted an abundance of latent 
 fire. 
 
 " Afloat !" echoed his friend ; " ay ! the little 
 Ariel would float in air !" As he spoke, he rose 
 in the boat, and lifting his leathern sea-cap from 
 his head, stroked back the Chick clusters of black 
 jocks which shadowed his sun-burnt countenance, 
 while he viewed his little vessel with the compla 
 cency of a seaman who was proud of her qualities. 
 44 But it s close work, Mr. Griffith, when a man 
 rides to a single anchor in a place like this, and at 
 such a nightfall. What are the orders ?" 
 
 " I shall pull into the surf and let go a grap 
 nel ; you will take Mr. Merry into your whale- 
 ooat, and try to drive her through the breakers on 
 ne beach." 
 
 " Beach !" retorted Barnstable ; do you call 
 
THE PILOT. 17 
 
 a perpendicular rock of a hundred feet in height 
 a beach !" 
 
 " We shall not dispute about terms," said Grif 
 fith, smiling ; " but you must manage to get on the 
 shore ; we have seen the signal from the land, and 
 know that the pilot, whom we have so long ex 
 pected, is ready to come off." 
 
 Barnstable shook his head with a grave air, 
 as he muttered to himself, " this is droll naviga 
 tion ; first we run into an unfrequented bay that 
 is full of rocks, and sand-pits, and shoals, and 
 then we get oft our pilot. But how am I to know 
 
 1 Ml 
 
 him ?" 
 
 " Merry will give you the pass-word, and tell 
 you where to look for him. I would land myself, 
 but my orders forbid it. If you meet with difficul 
 ties, show three oar-blades in a row, and I will 
 pull in to your assistance. Three oars on end, and 
 a pistol, will bring the fire of my muskets, and the 
 signal repeated from the barge will draw a shot 
 from the ship." 
 
 " I thank you, I thank you," said Barnstable, 
 carelessly ; " I believe I can fight my own battles 
 against all the enemies we are likely to fall in with 
 on this coast. But the old man is surely mad. I 
 would " 
 
 " You would obey his orders if he were here, 
 and you will now please to obey mine," said Grif 
 fith, in a tone that the friendly expression of his 
 eye contradicted. " Pull in, and keep a look out 
 ; for a small man in a drab pee-jacket ; Merry will 
 ; give you the word ; if he answer it, bring him off 
 to the barge." 
 
 The young men now nodded familiarly and 
 
 kindly to each other, and the boy, who was called 
 
 Mr. Merry, having changed his place from the 
 
 barge to the whale-boat, Bavnstable threw himseli 
 
 2* 
 
18 THE PILOT, 
 
 into his seat, and making a signal with his hand, 
 his men again bent to their oars. The light ves 
 sel shot away from her companion, and dashed in 
 boldly towards the rocks ; after skirting the shore 
 for some distance in quest of a favourable place, 
 she was suddenly turned, and, dashing over the 
 broken waves, was run upon a spot where a land 
 ing could be effected in safety. 
 
 In the mean time the barge followed these 
 movements, at some distance, with a more mea 
 sured progress, and when the whale-boat was ob 
 served to be drawn up along side of a rock, the 
 promised grapnel was cast into the water, and her 
 crew deliberately proceeded to get their firearms 
 in a state for immediate service. Every thing ap 
 peared to be done in obedience to strict orders 
 that must have been previously communicated ; 
 for the young man, who has been introduced to 
 .he reader by the name of Griffith, seldom spoke, 
 and then only in the pithy expressions that are 
 apt to fall from those who are sure of obedience. 
 When the boat had brought up to her grapnel, he 
 sunk back at his length on the cushioned seats of 
 the barge, and drawing his hat over his eyes in a 
 listless manner, he continued for many minutes ap 
 parently absorbed in thoughts altogether foreign 
 to his present situation. Occasionally he rose, and 
 would first bend his looks in quest of his compa 
 nions on the shore, and then, turning his expres 
 sive eyes towards the ocean, the abstracted and 
 vacant air that so often usurped the place of ani 
 mation and intelligence in his countenance, would 
 give place to the anxious and intelligent look of 
 a seaman gifted with an experience beyond his 
 years. His weather-beaten and hardy crew, hav 
 ing made their dispositions for offence, sat in pro 
 found silence, with their hands thrust into the bo- 
 
THE PILOT. 19 
 
 soms of their jackets, but with their eyes earnestly 
 regarding every cloud that was gathering in the 
 threatening atmosphere, and exchanging looks of 
 deep care, whenever the boat rose higher than 
 usual on one of those long, heavy ground-swells, 
 that were heaving in from the ocean with increas 
 ing rapidity ; nd magnitude. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 A horseman s coat shall hide 
 
 Thy taper shape and comeliness of sido } 
 And with a bolder stride and looser air, 
 Mingled with men, a man thou must appear." 
 
 Prior 
 
 WHEN the whale-boat obtained the position we 
 have described, the young lieutenant, who, in 
 consequence of commanding a schooner, was 
 usually addressed by the title of captain, stepped 
 on the rocks, followed by the youthful midship 
 man, who had quitted the barge, to aid in the ha 
 zardous duty of their expedition. 
 
 " This is, at best, but a Jacob s ladder we have 
 to climb," said Barnstable, casting his eyes up 
 wards at the difficult ascent, " and it s by no means 
 certain that we shall be well received, when we 
 get up, though we should even reach the top." 
 
 " We are under the guns of the frigate," re 
 turned the boy ; " and you remember, sir, three 
 oar blades and a pistol, repeated from the barge, 
 will draw her fire." 
 
 " Yes, on our own heads. Boy, never be so 
 foolish as to trust a long shot. It makes a great 
 smoke and some noise, but it s a terrible uncertain 
 manner of throwing old iron about. In such a bu 
 siness as this, I would sooner trust Tom Coffin 
 and his harpoon to back me, than the best broad- 
 
THE PILOT. 2J 
 
 side that ever rattled out of the three decks of a 
 ninety gun ship. Come, gather your limbs to 
 gether, and try if you can walk on terra firma, 
 Master Coffin/ 7 
 
 The seaman who was addressed by this dire 
 j appellation, arose slowly from the place where he 
 v was stationed as cockswain of the boat, and seem 
 ed to ascend high in air by the gradual evolution 
 of numberless folds in his body. When erect, he 
 stood nearly six feet and as many inches in his 
 shoes, though, when elevated in his most perpen 
 dicular attitude, there was a forward inclination 
 about his head and shoulders, that appeared to be 
 the consequence of habitual confinement in limited 
 lodgings. His whole frame was destitute of the 
 rounded outlines of a well-formed man, though his 
 enormous hands furnished a display of bones and 
 sinews which gave indications of gigantic strength. 
 On his head he wore a little, low, brown hat of 
 wool, with an arched top, that threw an expres 
 sion of peculiar solemnity and hardness over his 
 harsh visage, the sharp prominent features of which 
 were completely encircled by a set of black whis 
 kers, that began to be grizzled a little with age. 
 One of his hands grasped, with a sort of instinct, 
 the staff of a bright harpoon, the lower end of 
 which he placed firmly on the rock, as, in obe 
 dience to the order of his commander, he left the 
 place, where, considering his vast dimensions, he 
 had been established in an incredibly small space. 
 As soon as Captain Barnstable received this 
 addition to his strength, he gave a few pre 
 cautionary orders to the men in the boat, and 
 proceeded to the difficult task of ascending the 
 rocks. Notwithstanding the great daring and 
 personal agility of Barnstable, he would have 
 been completely baffled in this attempt, but for the 
 
22 THE PILOT. 
 
 assistance he occasionally received from his cock* 
 swain, whose prodigious strength, and great length 
 of limbs, enabled him to make exertions which it 
 would have been useless for most men to attempt* 
 When within a few feet of the summit, they availed 
 themselves of a projecting rock, to pause for con 
 sultation and breath ; both of which seemed ne 
 cessary for their further movements. 
 
 " This will be but a bad place for a retreat, if 
 we should happen to fall in with enemies," said 
 Barnstable. " Where are we to look for this pi 
 lot, Mr. Merry, or how are we to know him ; and 
 what certainty have you that he will not betray 
 us ?" 
 
 " The question you are to put to him is written 
 on this bit of paper," returned the boy, as he 
 handed the other the word of recognition ; " we 
 made the signal on the point of the rock at yon 
 headland, but as he must have seen our boat, he 
 will follow us to this place. As to his betraying 
 us, he" seems to have the confidence of Captain 
 Munson, who has kept a bright look-out for him 
 ever since we made the land." 
 
 " Ay," muttered the lieutenant, " and I shall 
 have a bright look-out kept on him, now we are 
 on the land. I like not this business of hugging 
 the shore so closely, nor have I much faith in any 
 traitor. What think you of it, Master Coffin ?" 
 
 The hardy old seaman, thus addressed, turned 
 his grave visage on his commander, and replied 
 with a becoming gravity 
 
 " Give me a plenty of sea-room, and good can 
 vass, where there is no occasion for pilots at all, 
 sir. For my part, I was born on board a chebac- 
 co-man, and never could see the use of more land 
 than now and then a small island, to raise a few 
 vegetables, and to dry your fish I m sure the* 
 
THE PILOT 23 
 
 sight of it always makes me feel uncomfortable, 
 unless we have the wind dead off shore." 
 
 " Ah ! Tom, you are a sensible fellow," said 
 Barnstable, with an air half comic, half serious. 
 " But we must be moving ; the sun is just touch 
 ing those clouds to sea-ward, and God keep us 
 from riding out this night at anchor in such a place 
 as this.," 
 
 Laying his hand on a projection of the rock 
 above him, Barnstable swung himself forward, and 
 following this movement with a desperate leap or 
 two, he stood at once on the brow of the cliff. His 
 cockswain very deliberately raised the midship 
 man after his officer, and proceeding with more 
 caution, but less exertion, he soon placed himself 
 by his side. 
 
 When they reached the level land, that lay 
 above the cliffs, and began to inquire, with curious 
 and wary eyes, into the surrounding scenery, the 
 adventurers discovered a cultivated country, di 
 vided, in the usual manner, by hedges and walls. 
 Only one habitation for man, however, and that 
 a small dilapidated cottage, stood within a mile of 
 them, most of the dwellings being placed as far as 
 convenience would permit, from the fogs and damps 
 of the ocean. 
 
 " Here seems to be neither any thing to appre 
 hend, nor the object of our search," said Barnsta 
 ble, when he had taken the whole view in his sur 
 vey ; " I fear we have landed to no purpose, Mr. 
 Merry. What say you, long Tom ; see you what 
 we want ?" 
 
 u I see no pilot, sir," returned the cockswain ; 
 " but it s an ill wind that blows luck to nobody ; 
 there is a mouthful of fresh meat stowed away 
 under that row of bushes, that would make a 
 double ration to all hands in the Ariel." 
 
24 THE PILOT. 
 
 The midshipman laughed, as he pointed out to 
 Barn stable the object of the cockswain s solicitude, 
 which proved to be a fat ox, quietly ruminating 
 under a hedge near them. 
 
 " There s many a hungry fellow aboard of us," 
 said the boy merrily, " who \vould be glad to se 
 cond long Tom s motion, if the time and business 
 would permit us to slay the animal." 
 
 " It is but a lubber s blow, Mr. Merry," return 
 ed the cockswain, without a muscle of his hard 
 face yielding, as he struck the end of his harpoon 
 violently against the earth, and then made a mo 
 tion towards poising the weapon ; " let Captain 
 \Barnstable but say the word, and I ll drive the iron 
 5 through him to the quick ; I ve sent it to the 
 /seizing in many a whale, that hadn t a jacket of 
 _ .^such blubber as that fellow wears." 
 
 " Pshaw ! you are not on a whaling voyage, 
 where every thing that offers is game," said Barn- 
 stable, turning himself pettishly away from the 
 beast, as if he distrusted his own forbearance ; 
 " but stand fast ! I see some one approaching be 
 hind the hedge. Look to your arms, Mr. Merry 
 the first thing we hear may be a shot." 
 
 " Not from that cruiser," cried the thoughtless 
 lad ; " he is a younker, like myself, and would 
 hardly dare run down upon such a formidable force 
 as we muster." 
 
 " You say true, boy," returned Barnstable, re 
 linquishing the grasp he held on his pistol. " He 
 comes on with caution, as if afraid. He is small, 
 and is in drab, though I should hardly call it a pee- 
 jacket and yet he may be our man. Stand you 
 both here, while I go and hail him." 
 
 As Barnstable walked rapidly towards the hedge, 
 that in part concealed the stranger, the latter 
 stopped suddenly, and seemed to be in doub 
 
THE PILOT. 25 
 
 whether to advance or to retreat. Before he had 
 decided on either, the active sailor was within a 
 lew feet of him. 
 
 " Pray, sir," said Barnstable, " what water 
 have we in this bay ?" 
 
 The slight form of the stranger started, with 
 an extraordinary emotion, at this question, and he 
 shrunk aside involuntarily, as if to conceal his fea 
 tures, before he answered, in a voice that was 
 barely audible 
 
 " I should think it would be the water of the 
 German ocean." 
 
 " Indeed ! you must have passed no small part 
 of your short life in the study of geography, to be 
 so well informed," returned the lieutenant ; " per 
 haps, sir, your cunning is also equal to telling me 
 how long we shall sojourn together, if I make you 
 a prisoner, in order to enjoy the benefit of your 
 wit ?" 
 
 To this alarming intimation, the youth w r ho was 
 addressed made no reply ; but, as he averted his 
 face, and concealed it with both his hands, the of 
 fended seaman, believing that a salutary impres 
 sion had been made upon the fears of his auditor, 
 was about to proceed with his interrogatories. 
 The singular agitation of the stranger s frame, 
 however, caused the lieutenant to continue silent 
 a few moments longer, when, to his utter amaze- 
 
 ment, he discovered that what he had mistaken 
 for alarm, was produced by an endeavour, on th<5 
 
 I part of the youth, to suppress a violent fit of laugh- 
 
 1 tor. 
 
26 THE PILOT. 
 
 ing befo;e my eyes, without landing to oe laughed 
 at, by a stripling who has not strength to arry a 
 beard if he had one, when I ought to be getting 
 an offing for the safety of both body and soul. But 
 I ll know more of you and your jokes, if I take 
 you into my own mess, and am giggled out of iny 
 sleep for the rest of the cruise." 
 
 As the commander of the schooner concluded, 
 he approached the stranger, with an air of offering 
 some violence, but the other shrunk back from his 
 extended arm, and exclaimed, with a voice in 
 which real terror had gotten the better of mirth 
 
 " Barnstable ! dear Barnstable ! would you 
 harm me !" 
 
 The sailor recoiled several feet, at this unex 
 pected appeal, and rubbing his eyes, he threw the 
 cap from his head, before he cried 
 
 " What do I hear ! and what do I see ! There 
 lies the Ariel and yonder is the frigate. Can 
 this be Katherine Plowden !" 
 
 His doubts, if any doubts remained, were soon 
 removed, for the stranger sunk on the bank at her 
 side, in an attitude in which female bashfulness 
 was beautifully contrasted to her attire, and gave 
 vent to her mirth in an uncontrollable burst of mer 
 riment. 
 
 From that moment, all thoughts of his duty, and 
 the pilot, or even of the Ariel, appeared to be ba 
 nished from the mind of the seaman, who sprang to 
 her side, and joined in her mirth, though he hard 
 ly knew why or wherefore. 
 
 When the diverted girl had in some degree re 
 covered her composure, she turned to her compa 
 nion, who had sat good-naturedly by her side, con 
 tent to be laughed at, and said 
 
 " But this is not only silly, but cruel to others. 
 
THE PILOT. 27 
 
 1 owe you an explanation of my unexpected ap 
 pearance, and perhaps, also, of my extraordinary 
 attire." 
 
 " I can anticipate every thing," cried Barnsta- 
 ble ; " you heard that we were on the coast, and 
 have flown to redeem the promises you made me 
 in America. But I ask no more ; the chaplain of 
 the frigate" 
 
 " May preach as usual, and to as little purpose," 
 interrupted the disguised female ; " but no nuptial 
 benediction shall be pronounced over me, until I 
 lave effected the object of this hazardous experi 
 ment. You are not usually selfish, Barnstable ; 
 would you have me forgetful of the happiness of 
 others ?" 
 
 u Of whom do you speak ?" 
 
 " My poor, my devoted cousin. I heard that 
 two vessels answerin v the description of the fri 
 gate and the Ariel, were seen hovering on the 
 coast, and I determined at once to have a commu 
 nication with you. I have followed your move 
 ments for a week, in this dress, but have been un 
 successful till now. To-day I observed you to 
 approach nearer to the shore than usual, and hap 
 pily, by being adventurous, I have been success 
 ful." 
 
 " Ay, God knows we are near enough to the 
 land ! But does Captain Munson know of your 
 wish to get on board his ship ?" 
 
 " Certainly not none know of it but yourselt 
 I thought that if Griffith and you could learn our 
 situation, you might be tempted to hazard a little 
 to redeem us from our thraldom. In this paper I 
 have prepared such an account as will, I trust, ex 
 cite all your chivalry, and by which you may go- 
 *^rn your movements." 
 
28 THE PILOT 
 
 <c Our movements !" interrupted Barnstable, 
 16 you will pilot us in person." 
 
 " Then there s two of them !" said a hoarsa 
 voice near them. 
 
 The alarmed female shrieked as she recovered 
 her feet, but she still adhered, with instinctive de 
 pendence, to the side of her lover. Barnstable, 
 who recognised the tones of his cockswain, bent an 
 angry brow on the sober visage that was peering 
 at them above the hedge, and demanded the mean 
 ing of the interruption. 
 
 " Seeing you \vere hull-down, sir, and not 
 knowing but the chase might lead you ashore, Mr. 
 Merry thought it best to have a look-oat kept. I 
 told him that you were overhauling the mail bags 
 of the messenger for the news, but as he was an 
 officer, sir, and I nothing but a common hand, I 
 did as he ordered." vb 
 
 " Return, sir, where I commanded you to re 
 main," said Barnstable, " and desire Mr. Merry to 
 wait my pleasure." 
 
 The cockswain gave the usual reply of an obe 
 dient seaman, but before he left the hedge, he 
 stretched out one of his brawny arms towards the 
 ocean, and said, in tones of solemnity suited to his 
 apprehensions and character 
 
 u I showed you how to knot a reef-point, and 
 >pass a gasket, Captain Barnstable, nor do I believe 
 you could even take two half-hitches when you 
 ) first came aboard of the Spalmacitty. These be 
 ) things that a man is soon expart in, but it takes the 
 time of his nat ral life to larn to know the weather 
 There be streaked wind-galls in the offing, that 
 speak as plainly, to all that see them, and know 
 GooVs language in_the clouds, as ever you spoke 
 througE a IrumpetTTo" shorten sail ; besides, sir, 
 
THE PILOT. 29 
 
 don t you hear the sea moaning, as if it knew the 
 hour was at hand when it was to wake up from its 
 sleep !" 
 
 u Ay, Tom," returned his officer, walking to 
 the edge of the cliffs, and throwing a seaman s 
 glance at the gloomy ocean, " tis a threatening 
 night indeed ; but this pilot must be had and " 
 
 " Is that the man ?" interrupted the cockswain, 
 pointing towards a man who was standing not far 
 from them, an attentive observer of their proceed 
 ings, at the same time that he was narrowly watch 
 ed himself by the young midshipman. " God send 
 that he knows his trade well, for the bottom of a 
 ship will need eyes to find its road out of this wild 
 anchorage." 
 
 " That must indeed be the nicn !" exclaimed 
 Barnstable, at once recalled to his duty. He then 
 held a short dialogue with his female companion, 
 whom he left concealed by the hedge, and pro 
 ceeded to address the stranger. When near enough 
 to be heard, the commander of the schooner de 
 manded 
 
 " What water have you in this bay ?" 
 
 The stranger, who seemed to expect this ques- 
 5 tion, answered without the least hesitation 
 
 " Enough to take all out in safety, who have 
 .entered with confidence." 
 
 " You are the man I seek," cried Barnstable j 
 { " are you ready to go off?" 
 
 } " Both ready and willing," returned the pilot, 
 "and there is need of haste. I would give the 
 best hundred guineas that ever were coined, for 
 two hours more use of that sun which has left us, 
 or for even half the time of this fading twilight " 
 
 " Think you our situation so bad !" said the 
 lieutenant. " Follow this gentleman to the boat 
 then ; I will join you by the time you can descend 
 3* 
 
30 THE PILOT 
 
 the cliffs. I believe I can prevail oil another hand 
 to go off with us." 
 
 " Time is more precious now than any numbei 
 of hands," said the pilot, throwing a glance of im 
 patience from under his lowering brows. u and the 
 consequences of delay must be visited on those 
 who occasion it." 
 
 " And, sir, I will meet the consequences with 
 those who have a right to inquire into my conduct," 
 said Barnstable, haughtily. 
 
 With this warning and retort, they separated ; 
 the young officer retracing his steps impatiently 
 towards his mistress, muttering his indignation in 
 suppressed execrations, and the pilot, drawing the 
 leathern belt of his pee-jacket mechanically around 
 his body, as he followed the midshipman and cock 
 swain to their boat, in moody silence. 
 
 Barnstable found the disguised female who had 
 announced herself as Katherine Plowden, awaiting 
 his return, with intense anxiety depicted on every 
 feature of her intelligent countenance. As he felt 
 all the responsibility of his situation, notwithstand 
 ing his cool reply to the pilot, the young man has 
 tily drew an arm of the apparent boy, forgetful of 
 her disguise, through his own, and led her for 
 ward. 
 
 " Come, Katherine," he said, " the time urges 
 to be prompt." 
 
 " What pressing necessity is there for immedi 
 ate departure ?" she inquired, checking his move 
 ments by withdrawing herself from his side. 
 
 " You heard the ominous prognostic of my 
 cockswain on the weather, and I am forced to add 
 my own testimony to his opinion. Tis a crazy 
 night that threatens us, though I cannot repent oJ 
 coming into the bay, since it has led to this inter 
 view." 
 
THE PILOT. 31 
 
 " God forbid that we should either of us have 
 cause to repent of it," said Katherine, the paleness 
 of anxiety chasing away the rich bloom that had 
 mantled the animated face of the brunette. "But 
 you have the paper follow its directions, and 
 come to our rescue ; you will find us willing cap 
 tives, if Griffith and yourself are our conquerors." 
 
 " What mean you, Katherine !" exclaimed hei 
 lover ; " you at least are now in safety twould 
 be madness to tempt your fate again. My vessel 
 can and shall protect you, until your cousin is re 
 deemed ; and then, remember, I have a claim on 
 you for life." 
 
 " And how would you dispose of me in the in 
 terval," said the young maiden, retreating slowly 
 from his advances. 
 
 " In the Ariel by heaven, you shall be her 
 commander ; I will bear that rank only in name." 
 
 " I thank you, thank you, Barnstable, but dis 
 trust my abilities to fill such a station," she said, 
 laughing, though the colour that again crossed 
 her youthful features was like the glow of a sum 
 mer s sunset, and even her mirthful eyes seemed 
 to reflect their tints. " Do not mistake me, saucy 
 one. If I have done more than my sex will war 
 rant, remember it was through a holy motive, and 
 if I have more than a woman s enterprise, it must 
 be" 
 
 " To lift you above the weakness ot your sex," 
 he cried, " and to enable you to show your noble 
 confidence in me." 
 
 " To fit me for, and to keep me worthy of be 
 ing one day your wife." As she uttered these 
 words, she turned, and disappeared, with a rapidi 
 ty that eluded his attempt to detain her, behind 
 an angle of the hedge, that was near them. For 
 a moment, Barnstable remained motionless through 
 
33 THE PILOT. 
 
 surprise, and when he sprang forward in pursuit, 
 he was able only to catch a glimspe of her light 
 form, in the gloom of the evening, as she again 
 vanished in a little thicket at some distance. 
 
 Barnstable was about to pursue, when the air 
 lighted with a sudden flash, and the bellowing re 
 port of a cannon rolled along the cliffs, and was 
 echoed among the hills far inland. 
 
 " Ay, grumble away, old dotard !" the disap 
 pointed young sailor muttered to himself, while 
 he reluctantly obeyed the signal ; " you are in as 
 great a hurry to get out of your danger as you were 
 to run into it." 
 
 The quick reports of three muskets from the 
 barge beneath where he stood, urged him to quick 
 en his pace, and as he threw himself carelessly 
 down the rugged and dangerous passes of the cliffs, 
 his experienced eye beheld the well known lights 
 displayed from the frigate, which commanded " the 
 recall of all her boats." 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 In such a Lime as this it is not meet, 
 That every nice offence should bear its comment. 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 THE cliffs threw their dark shadows wide on the 
 waters, and the gloom of the evening had so far 
 advanced, as to conceal the discontent that brood 
 ed over the ordinarily open brow of Barnstable, as 
 he sprang from the rocks into the boat, and took 
 his seat by the side of the silent pilot. 
 
 " Shove off," cried the lieutenant, in tones that 
 his men knew must be obeyed. " A seaman s 
 curse light on the folly that exposes planks and 
 lives to such navigation ; and all to burn some old 
 timber-man, or catch a Norway trader asleep ! give 
 way, men, give way." 
 
 Notwithstanding the heavy and dangerous surf 
 that was beginning to tumble in upon the rocks, ir 
 an alarming manner, the startled seamen succeed 
 ed in urging their light boat over the waves, and 
 in a few seconds were without the point where 
 danger was most to be apprehended. Barnstable 
 had seemingly disregarded the breakers as they 
 passed, but sat sternly eyeing the foam that rolled 
 by them in successive surges, until the boat rose 
 regularly on the long seas, when he turned his 
 ooks around the bay in quest of the barge. 
 
S4 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Ay, Griffith has tired of rocking in his pillow 
 ed cradle," he muttered, " and will give us a pull 
 to the frigate, when we ought to be getting the 
 schooner out of this hard-featured landscape. This 
 is just such a place as one of your sighing lovers 
 would doat on; a little land, a little. water, and a 
 good deal of rock. Damme, long Tom, but I am 
 more than half of your mind, that an island now 
 and then is all the terra firma that a seaman 
 needs." 
 
 " It s reason and philosophy, sir," returned the 
 sedate cockswain ; " and what land there is, should 
 always be a soft mud, or a sandy ooze, in ordei 
 that an anchor might hold, and to make soundiags 
 sartin. I have lost many a deep-sea, besides hand 
 leads, by the dozens, on rocky bottoms ; but give 
 me the roadstead where a lead comes up light, and 
 an anchor heavy. There s a boat pulling athwart 
 our fore-foot, Captain Barnstable ; shall 1 run her 
 aboard, or give her a birth, sir ?" 
 
 " Tis the barge !" cried the officer ; " Ned has 
 not deserted me after all !" 
 
 A loud hail from the approaching boat confirm 
 ed this opinion, and, in a few seconds, the barge 
 and whale-boat were again rolling by each other s 
 side. Griffith was no longer reclining on the cush 
 ions of his seats, but spoke earnestly, and with a 
 slight tone of reproach in his manner. 
 
 " Why have you wasted so many precious mo 
 ments, when every minute threatens us with new 
 dangers ? I was obeying the signal, but I heard 
 your oars, and pulled back to take out the pilot. 
 Have you been successful ?" 
 
 " There he is ; and if he finds his way out 
 through the shoals, he will earn a right to his 
 name. This bids fair to be a night when a man 
 will need a spy-glass to find the moon. Bui when 
 
THE PILOT. 3-5 
 
 you hear what I have seen on those rascally cliffs, 
 you will be more ready to excuse my delay, Mr. 
 Griffith." 
 
 " You have seen the true man, I trust, or we 
 incur this hazard to an evil purpose." 
 
 " Ay, I have seen him that is a true man, and 
 him that is not," replied Barnstable, bitterly ; 
 " You have the boy with you, Griffith ask him 
 what his young eyes have seen." 
 
 " Shall I !" cried the young midshipman, laugh 
 ing ; " then I have seen a little clipper, in disguise, 
 outsail an old man-of-war s-man in a hard chase, 
 and I have seen a straggling rover in long-togs as 
 much like my cousin " 
 
 " Peace, gabbler !" exclaimed Barnstable, in a 
 voice of thunder ; " would you detain the boats 
 with your silly nonsense, at a time like this? 
 Away into the barge, sir, and if you find him will 
 ing to hear, tell Mr. Griffith what your foolish 
 conjectures amount to, at your leisure." 
 
 The boy stepped lightly from the whale-boat to 
 the barge, whither the pilot had already preceded 
 him, and, as he sunk, with a mortified air, by the 
 side of Griffith, he said, in a low voice 
 
 " And that won t be long, I know, if Mr. Grif 
 fith thinks and feels on the coast of England as he 
 thought and felt at home." 
 
 A silent pressure of his hand was the only reply 
 that the young lieutenant made, before he paid the 
 parting compliments to Barnstable, and directed 
 his men to pull for their ship. 
 
 The boats were separating, and the plash of the 
 oars was already heard, when the voice of the pi 
 lot was for the first time raised in earnest. 
 
 " Hold !" he cried ; " hold water, I bid ye !" 
 
 The men ceased their efforts, at the command- 
 
36 THE PILOT. 
 
 ing tones of his voice, and turning towards th 
 whale-boat, he continued 
 
 " You will get your schooner under-way imme 
 diately, Captain Barnstable, and sweep into the 
 offing, with as little delay as possible. Keep the 
 ship well open from the northern headland, and as 
 you pass us, come within hail." 
 
 " This is a clean chart and piair. sailing, Mr Pi 
 lot," returned Barnstable ; " but who is to justify 
 my moving without orders, to Captain Munson ? 
 
 I have it in black and white, to run the Ariel in 
 to this feather-bed sort of a place, and I must at least 
 have it by signal or word of mouth from my bet 
 ters, before my cut-water curls another wave. 
 The road may be as hard to find going out as it was 
 coming in and then I had daylight as well as your 
 written directions to steer by." 
 
 " Would you lie there to perish on such a night !" 
 said the pilot, sternly. " Two hours hence, this 
 heavy swell will break where your vessel now 
 rides so quietly." 
 
 " There we think exactly alike ; but if I get 
 drowned now, I am drowned according to or 
 ders ; whereas, if I knock a plank out of the 
 schooner s bottom, by following your directions, 
 twill be a hole to let in mutiny, as well as sea-wa 
 ter. How do I know but the old man wants an 
 other pilot or two ?" 
 
 " That s philosophy," muttered the cockswain 
 of the whale-boat, in a voice that was audible : 
 
 II but it s a hard strain on a man s conscience to 
 hold on in such an anchorage !" 
 
 " Then keep your anchor down, and follow it 
 to the bottom," said the pilot to himself; "it s 
 worse to contend with a fool than a gale of wind , 
 but if--" 
 
THE PILOT. 37 
 
 " No. no, sir no fool neither," interrupted 
 Griffith, " Barnstable does not deserve that epi 
 thet, though he certainly carries the point of duty 
 to the extreme. Heave up at once, Mr. Barnsta 
 ble, and get out of this bay as fast as possible. " 
 
 " Ah, you don t give the order with half the 
 pleasure with which I shall execute it ; pull away 
 boys the Ariel shall never lay her bones in such 
 a hard bed, if I can help it." 
 
 As the commander of the schooner uttered these 
 words with a cheering voice, his men spontaneous 
 ly shouted, and the whale-boat darted away fiom 
 her companion, and was soon lost in the gloomy 
 shadows cast from the cliffs. 
 
 In the mean time, the oarsmen of the barge were 
 not idle, but by strenuous efforts they forced the 
 heavy boat rapidly through the water, and in a few 
 minutes she ran alongside of the frigate. During 
 this period the pilot, in a voice which had lost ail 
 the startling fierceness and authority it had mani 
 fested in his short dialogue with Barnstable, re 
 quested Griffith to repeat to him, slowly, the names 
 of the officers that belonged to his ship. When 
 the young lieutenant had complied with this re 
 quest, he observed to his companion 
 
 " All good men and true, Mr. Pilot ; and though 
 this business in which you are just now engaged 
 may be hazardous to an Englishman, there are 
 none with us who will betray you. We need your 
 services, and as we expect good faith from you, so 
 shall we offer it to you in exchange." 
 
 " And how know you that I need its exercise ?" 
 asked the pilot, in a manner that denoted a cold 
 indifference to the subject. 
 
 " Why, though you talk pretty good English, 
 for a native," returned Griffith, " yet you have i 
 small bur-r-r in your mouth that would prick *h 
 
 VOL. i. 4 
 
38 THE PILOT. 
 
 tongue of a man who was born on the other side 
 of the Atlantic." 
 
 ; ~ " It is but of little **oment where a man is born, 
 or how he speaks," returned the pilot, coldly, " so 
 i that he does his duty bravely, and in good faith." 
 
 It was perhaps fortunate for the harmony of this 
 dialogue, that the gloom, which had now increased 
 to positive darkness, completely concealed the look 
 of scornful irony that crossed the handsome features 
 of the young sailor, as he replied 
 
 " True, true, so that he does his duty, as you 
 say, in good faith. But, as Barnstable observed, 
 you must know your road well to travel among 
 these shoals on such a night as this. Know you 
 what water we draw ?" 
 
 " Tis a frigate s draught, and I shall endeavour 
 to keep you in four fathoms ; less than that would 
 be dangerous." 
 
 " She s a sweet boat !" said Griffith ; " and minds 
 her helm as a marine watches the eye of his ser 
 geant at a drill ; but you must give her room in 
 stays, for she fore-reaches, as if she would put out 
 the wind s eye." 
 
 The pilot attended, with a practised ear, to this 
 description of the qualities of the ship that he was 
 about to attempt extricating from an extremely 
 dangerous situation. Not a syllable was lost on 
 him ; and when Griffith had ended, he remarked, 
 with the singular coldness that pervaded his man 
 ner 
 
 " That is both a good and a bad quality in a nar 
 row channel. I fear it will be the latter, to-night, 
 when we shall require to have the ship in leading 
 strings." 
 
 " I suppose we must feel our way with the 
 lead ?" said Griffith. 
 
 " rVe shall need both eyes and leads," returned 
 
THE PILOT. 39 
 
 the pilot, iecurring insensibly to his soliloquizing 
 tone of voice. " I have been both in and out in 
 darker nights than this, though never with a heavi 
 er draught than a half-two." 
 
 " Then, by heaven, you are not fit to handle that 
 ship among these rocks and breakers !" exclaimed 
 Griffith ; " your men of a light draught never know 
 their water ; tis the deep keel only, that finds a 
 channel pilot ! pilot ! beware how you trifle with 
 us ignorantly ; for tis a dangerous experiment to 
 play at hazards with an enemy." 
 
 " Young man, you know not what you threaten, 
 
 f nor whom," said the pilot, sternly, though his 
 
 quiet manner still remained undisturbed ; " you 
 
 forget that you have a superior here, and that I 
 
 have none." 
 
 " That shall be as you discharge your duty," 
 cried Griffith ; " for if" 
 
 " Peace !" interrupted the pilot, " we approach 
 the ship ; let us enter in harmony." 
 
 He threw himself back on the cushions, when 
 he had said this, and Griffith, though filled with 
 the apprehensions of suffering, either by great ig 
 norance, or treachery, on the part of his companion, 
 smothered his feelings so far as to be silent, and 
 they ascended the side of the vessel in apparent 
 cordiality. 
 
 The frigate was already riding on lengthened 
 seas, that rolled in from the ocean, at each succes 
 sive moment, with increasing violence, though her 
 topsails still hung supinely from her yards ; the 
 air, which continued to breathe, occasionally, from 
 the land, being unable to shake the heavy canvass 
 of which they were composed. 
 
 The only sounds that were audible, when Grif 
 fith and the pilot had ascended to the gangway 
 
40 THE PILOT. 
 
 of the frigate, were produced by the sullen dash 
 ing of the sea against the massive bows of the 
 ship, and the shrill whistle of the boatswain s 
 mate, as he recalled the side-boys, who were 
 placed on either side of the gangway, to do ho 
 nour to the entrance of the first lieutenant and his 
 companion. 
 
 But though such a profound silence reigned 
 among the hundreds who inhabited the huge fa 
 bric, the light produced by a dozen battle lanterns, 
 that were arranged in different parts of the decks, 
 served not only to exhibit, faintly, the persons of 
 the crw, but the mingled feeling of curiosity and 
 care that dwelt on most of their Countenances. 
 
 Large groups of men w r ere collected in the gang 
 ways, around the mainmast, and on the booms of 
 the vessel, whose faces \vcre distinctly visible, 
 while numerous figures, lying along the lower 
 yards, or bending out of the tops, might be dimly 
 traced in the back ground, all of whom expressed, 
 by their attitudes, the interest they took in the ar 
 rival of the boat. 
 
 Though such crowds were collected in other 
 parts of the vessel, the quarter-deck was occupied 
 only by the officers, who were disposed according 
 to their several ranks, and were equally silent and 
 attentive as the remainder of the crew. In front 
 stood a small collection of young men, who, by 
 their similarity of dress, were the equals and com 
 panions of Griffith, though his juniors in rank. On 
 the opposite side of the vessel was a larger assem 
 blage of youths, who claimed Mr. Merry as their 
 fellow. Around the capstan, three or four figures 
 were standing, one of whom wore a coat of blue, 
 with the scarlet facings of a soldier, and anothei 
 the black vestments of the ship s chaplain. Be 
 
THE PILOT. 41 
 
 hind these, and nearer the passage to the cabin, 
 from which he had just ascended, stood the tall, 
 erect form of the commander of the vessel. 
 
 After a brief salutation between Griffith and the 
 junior officers, the former advanced, followed slow 
 ly by the pilot, to the place where he was expect 
 ed by his veteran commander. The young man re 
 moved his hat entirely, as he bowed with a little 
 more than his usual ceremony, and said 
 
 u We have succeeded, sir, though not without 
 more difficulty and delay than were anticipated." 
 
 " But you have not brought off the pilot," said 
 the captain, " and without him, all our ris-k and 
 trouble have been in vain." 
 
 " He is here," said Griffith, stepping aside, and 
 extending his arm towards the man that stood be 
 hind him, wrapped to the chin in his coarse pee- 
 jacket, and his face shadowed by the falling rims 
 of a large hat, that had seen much and hard ser- 
 
 " This !" exclaimed the captain ; " then there 
 is a sad mistake this is not the man I would have 
 seen, nor can another supply his place." 
 
 " I know not whom you expected, Captain Mun- 
 son," said the stranger, in a low, quiet voice ; " but 
 if you have not forgotten the day when a very dif- 
 ferent flag from that emblem of tyranny that now 
 hangs over yon tafferel was first spread to the 
 wind, you may remember the hand that raised it." 
 
 " Bring here the light !" exclaimed the com 
 mander, hastily. 
 
 When the lantern was extended towards the pi 
 lot, and the glare fell strong on his features, Cap 
 tain Munson started, as he beheld the cairn blue 
 eye that met his gaze, and the composed but pal 
 lid countenance of the other. Involuntarily raising 
 4* 
 
42 THE PILOT. 
 
 his hat, and baring his silver locks, the veteran 
 cried - 
 
 " It is he ! though so changed " 
 
 " That his enemies did not know him," inter 
 rupted the pilot, quickly ; then touching the other 
 by the arm as he led him aside, he continued, in a 
 lower tone, " neither must his friends, until the 
 proper hour shall arrive." 
 
 Griffith had fallen back, to answer the eager 
 questions of his messmates, and no part of this 
 short dialogue was overheard by the officers, 
 though it was soon perceived that their command 
 er had discovered his error, and was satisfied that 
 the proper man had been brought on board his ves 
 sel. For many minutes the two continued to pace 
 a part of the quarter-deck, by themselves, engaged 
 in deep and earnest discourse. 
 
 As Griffith had but little to communicate, the 
 curiosity of his listeners was soon appeased, and 
 all eyes were directed towards that mysterious 
 
 > guide, who was to conduct them from a situatior 
 already surrounded by perils, which each moment 
 
 > not only magnified in appearance, but increased 
 in reality. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 - " Behold the threaden sails, 
 
 Borne with the invisible and creeping winds, 
 Draw the huge bottoms through the furrowed sea, 
 Breasting the lofty surge." 
 
 Shakspeare. 
 
 IT has been already explained to the reader 
 that there were threatening symptoms in the ap 
 pearance of the weather to create serious fore 
 oodings of evil in the breast of a seaman. When 
 removed from the shadows of the cliffs, the night 
 was not so dark but objects could be discerned at 
 some little distance, and in the eastern horizon 
 there was a streak of fearful light impending over 
 the gloomy waters, in which the swelling outline 
 formed by the rising waves w r as becoming each 
 moment more distinct, and, consequently, more 
 alarming. Several dark clouds overhung the ves 
 sel, whose towering masts apparently propped the 
 black vapour, while a few stars were seen twin 
 kling, with a sickly flame, in the streak of clear 
 sky that skirted the ocean. Still, light currents 
 of air, occasionally, swept across the bay, bringing 
 with them the fresh odour from the shore, but 
 their flitting irregularity too surely foretold them 
 to be the expiring breath of the land breeze. The 
 roaring of the surf, as it rolled on the margin of 
 tb bay, produced a dull, monotonous sound, that 
 
44 THE PILOT. 
 
 was only interrupted, at times, by a hollow bellow 
 ing, as a larger wave than usual broke violently 
 against some cavity in the rocks. Every thing, in 
 short, united to render the scene gloomy and por 
 tentous, without creating instant terror, for the 
 ship rose easily on the long billows, without even 
 straightening the heavy cable that held her to her 
 anchor. 
 
 The higher officers were collected around the 
 capstan, engaged in earnest discourse about their 
 situation and prospects, while some of the oldest 
 and most favoured seamen would extend their 
 short walk to the hallowed precincts of the quar 
 ter-deck, Jo catch, with greedy ears, the opinions 
 that fell from their superiors. Numberless were 
 the uneasy glances that were thrown from both of 
 ficers and men at their commander and the pilot, 
 who still continued their secret communion in a 
 distant part of the vessel. Once, an ungovernable 
 curiosity, or the heedlessness of his years, led one 
 of the youthful midshipmen near them, but a stern 
 rebuke from his captain sent the boy, abashed and 
 cowering, to hide his mortification among his fel 
 lows. This reprimand was received by the elder 
 officers as an intimation that the consultation which 
 they beheld was to be strictly inviolate ; and, 
 though it by no means suppressed the repeated ex 
 pressions of their impatience, it effectually pre 
 vented an interruption to the communications, 
 which all, however, thought were unreasonably 
 protracted for the occasion. 
 
 " This is no time to be talking over bearings 
 
 and distances," observed the officer next in rank 
 
 to Griffith ; " but we should call the hands up, and 
 
 try to kedge her off while the sea will suffer a boat 
 
 o live." 
 
 " Twould bo a tedious and bootless job to at* 
 
THE PILOT. 45 
 
 tempt warping a ship for miles against a head-beat 
 ing sea," returned the first lieutenant ; " but the 
 land-breeze yet flutters aloft, and if our light sails 
 ttould draw, with the aid of this ebb tide we might 
 be able to shove her from the shore." 
 
 " Hail the tops, Griffith," said the other, and 
 ask if they feel the air above ; twill be a hint-at 
 least to set the old man and that lubberly pilot in 
 motion." 
 
 Griffith laughed, as he complied with the re 
 quest, and when he received the customary reply 
 to his call, he demanded, in a loud voice 
 
 " Which way have you the wind, aloft ?" 
 
 " We feel a light cat s-paw, now and then, from 
 the land, sir," returned the sturdy captain of the 
 top ; " but our topsail hangs in the clewlines, sir, 
 without winking." 
 
 Captain Munson and his companion suspended 
 their discourse, while this question and answer 
 were exchanged, and then resumed their dialogue 
 as earnestly as if it had received no interruption. 
 
 " If it did wink, the hint w r ould be lost on our 
 - betters," said the officer of the marines, whose ig 
 norance of seamanship added greatly to his percep- 
 \ tion of the danger, but who, from pure idleness, 
 \made more jokes than any other man in the ship. 
 > u That pilot will not receive a delicate intimation 
 \ through his ears, Mr. Griffith ; suppose you try 
 him by the nose." 
 
 " Faith, there was a flash of gunpowder between 
 us in the barge," returned the first lieutenant, 
 u and he does not seem a man to stomach such 
 hints as you advise. Although he looks so meek 
 and quiet, I doubt whether he has paid much at- 
 i tendon to the book of Job." 
 
 " Why should he," exclaimed the chaplain, 
 whose apprehensions at least equalled those of the 
 
46 THE PILOT. 
 
 marine, and with a much more disheartening effect , 
 " I m sure it would have been a great waste oi 
 time ; there are so many charts of the coast, and 
 books on the navigation of these seas, for him to 
 study, that I sincerely hope he has been much bet 
 ter employed." 
 
 A loud laugh was created at this speech, among 
 the listeners, and it apparently produced the ef 
 fect that was so long anxiously desired, by putting 
 an end to the mysterious conference between their 
 captain and the pilot. As the former came for 
 ward towards his expecting crew, he said, in the 
 composed, steady manner, that formed the princi 
 pal trait in his character 
 
 " Get the anchor, Mr. Griffith, and make sail on 
 the ship ; the hour has arrived when we must be 
 moving." 
 
 The cheerful " ay ! ay ! sir !" of the young 
 lieutenant was hardly uttered, before the cries of 
 half a dozen midshipmen >vere heard summoning 
 the boatswain and his mates to their duty. 
 
 There was a general movement in the living 
 masses that clustered around the mainmast, on the 
 booms, and in the gangways, though their habits 
 of discipline held the crew a moment longer in 
 suspense. The silence was first broken by the 
 sound of the boatswain s whistle, followed by the 
 hoarse cry of " all hands, up anchor, ahoy !" the 
 former rising on the night air, from its first low, 
 mellow notes, to a piercing shrillness, that gradu 
 ally died away on the waters ; and the latter bel 
 lowing through every cranny of the ship, like the 
 hollow murmurs of distant thunder. 
 
 The change produced by the customary sum 
 mons was magical. Human beings sprang out from 
 between the guns, rushed up the hatches, threw 
 themselves with careless activity from the booms, 
 
THE PILOT. 47 
 
 and gathered from every quarter so rapidly, that, 
 in an instant, the deck of the frigate was alive with 
 men. The profound silence, that had hitherto 
 been only interrupted by the low dialogue of the 
 officers, was now exchanged for the stern orders 
 of the lieutenants, mingled with the shriller cries 
 of the midshipmen, and the hoarse bawling of the 
 boatswain s crew, rising above the tumult of pre 
 paration and general bustle. 
 
 The captain and the pilot alone remained pas 
 sive, in this scene of general exertion ; for appre 
 hension had even stimulated that class of officers 
 which is called " idlers," to unusual activity, though 
 frequently reminded by their more experienced 
 messmates, that instead of aiding, they retarded, 
 the duty of the vessel. The bustle, however, 
 gradually ceased, and, in a few minutes, the same 
 silence pervaded the ship as before. 
 
 " We are brought-to, sir," said Griffith, who 
 stood overlooking the scene, holding in one hand 
 a short speaking trumpet, and grasping, with the 
 other, one of the shrouds of the ship, to steady 
 himself in the position he had taken on a gun. 
 
 " Heave round, sir," was the calm reply. 
 
 " Heave round !" repeated Griffith, aloud. 
 
 " Heave round !" echoed a dozen eager voices 
 at once, and the lively strains of a fife struck up a 
 orisk air, to enliven the labour. The capstan was 
 instantly set in motion, and the measured tread of 
 the seamen was heard, as they stamped the deck 
 in the circle of their march. For a few minutes, 
 no other sounds were heard, if we except the voice 
 of an officer, occasionally, cheering the sailors, 
 when it was announced, that they " were short ;" 
 or, in other words, that the ship was learly over 
 her anchor. 
 
 " Heave and pall," cried Griffith ; when the 
 
48 THE PILOT. 
 
 quivering notes of the whistle were again succeed 
 ed by a general stillness in the vessel. 
 
 " What is to be done now, sir ?" continued the 
 lieutenant ; " shall we trip the anchor ? There 
 seems not a breath of air, and as the tide runs 
 slack, I doubt whether the sea do not heave the 
 ship ashore." 
 
 There was so much obvious truth in this con 
 jecture, that all eyes turned from the light and 
 animation afforded by the decks of the frigate, to 
 look abroad on the waters, in a vain desire to 
 pierce the darkness, as if to read the fate of their 
 apparently devoted ship, from the aspect of na 
 ture. 
 
 " I leave all to the pilot," said the captain, after 
 he had stood a short time by the side of Griffith, 
 .anxiously studying ...thfi hfi^y ens and the ocean. 
 /*< What say youjfMn Gray ?") 
 
 The man who waiJTOcnj^lirst addressed by name, 
 was leaning over the bulwarks, with his eyes bent 
 in the same direction as the others ; but as he an 
 swered, he turned his face towards the speaker, 
 and the light from the deck fell full upon his quiet 
 features, which exhibited a calmness bordering on 
 the supernatural, considering his station and re 
 sponsibility. 
 
 " There is much to fear from this heavy ground- 
 swell," he said, in the same unmoved tones as be 
 fore ; " but there is certain destruction to us, if the 
 gale that is brewing in the east finds us waiting its 
 fury in this wild anchorage. All the hemp that 
 was ever spun into cordage would not hold a ship 
 in hour, chafing on these rocks, with a north-caster 
 pouring its fury on her. If the powers of man can 
 compass it, gentlemen, we must get an offing, and 
 that speedily." 
 
 " You say no more, sir, than the youngest bov 
 
THE PILOT. 49 
 
 in the ship can see for himself," said Griffith " ha ! 
 here comes the schooner !" 
 
 The dashing of the long sweeps in the water 
 was now plainly audible, and the little Ariel was 
 seen through the gloom, moving heavily under 
 their feeble impulse. As she passed slowly under 
 the stern of the frigate, the cheerful voice of Barn- 
 stable was first heard, opening the communications 
 between them. 
 
 . " Here s a night for spectacles, Captain Mun- 
 son !" he cried ; " but I thought I heard your fife, 
 sir ; I trust in God, you do not mean to ride it out 
 here till morning ?" 
 
 " I like the birth as little as yourself, Mr. Barn- 
 stable," returned the veteran seaman, in his calm 
 manner, in which anxiety was, however, begin 
 ning to grow evident. " We are short ; but are 
 afraid to let go our hold of the bottom, lest the sea 
 cast us ashore. How make you out the wind ?" 
 
 " Wind !" echoed the other ; " there is not 
 enough to blow a lady s cuil aside. If you wait, 
 sir, till the land breeze fills your sails, you will 
 wait another moon, I believe. I ve got my egg 
 shell out of that nest of gray-caps, but how it has 
 been done in the dark, a better man than myself 
 must explain." 
 
 " Take your directions from the pilot, Mr. Barn- 
 stable," returned his commanding officer, " and 
 follow them strictly and to the letter." 
 
 A death-like silence, in both vessels, succeeded 
 this order, for all seemed to listen eagerly to catch 
 the words that fell from the man, on whom, even 
 the boys now felt, depended their only hopes for 
 safety. A short time was suffered to elapse, be 
 fore his voice was heard, in the same low but dis 
 tinct tones as before 
 
 " Your sweeps will soon be of no service to 
 
 VOL. I. 5 
 
50 THE PILOT. 
 
 you." he said, " against the sea that begins to 
 heave in ; but your light sails will help them to 
 get you out. So long as you can head east-and- 
 by-north, you are doing well, and you can stand 
 on till you open the light from that northern 
 headland, when you can heave to, and fire a 
 gun ; but if, as I dread, you are struck aback, 
 before you open the light, you may trust to your 
 lead on the larboard tack ; but beware, with your 
 head to the southward, for no lead will serve you 
 there." 
 
 " I can walk over the same ground on one tack 
 as on the other," said Barnstable, " and make both 
 legs of a length." 
 
 " It will not do," returned the pilot. " If you 
 fall off a point to starboard from east-and-by-north. 
 in going large, you will find both rocks and points 
 of shoals to bring you up ; and beware, as I tell 
 you, of the starboard tack." 
 
 " And how shall I find my way ? you will let 
 me trust to neither time, lead, nor log." 
 
 " You must trust to a quick eye and a ready 
 hand. The breakers only will show you the dan 
 gers, when you are not able to make out the bear 
 ings of the land. Tack in season, sir, and don t 
 spare the lead, when you head to-port." 
 
 " Ay, ay," returned Barnstable, in a low mut- 
 
 * tering voice. " This is a sort of blind navigation 
 
 \ with a vengeance, and all for no purpose that I can 
 
 i see see ! damme, eyesight is of about as much 
 
 use now, as a man s nose would be in reading the 
 
 Bible." 
 
 " Softly, softly, Mr. Barnstable," interrupted his 
 commander, for such was the anxious stillness in 
 both vessels, that even the rattling of the schoon 
 ers rigging was heard, as she rolled in the trough 
 of the sea " the duty on which Congress has 
 
THE PILOT. 51 
 
 sent us must be performed at the hazard of oui 
 lives." 
 
 """^Hf don t mind nay life, Captain Munson," said 
 Barnstable ; " but there is a great want of con 
 science in trusting a vessel in such a place as this. 
 However, it is a time to do, and not to talk. But 
 if there be such danger to an easy draught of 
 water, what will become of the frigate ? had I 
 not better play jackall, and try and feel the way 
 for you ?" 
 
 " I thank you," said the pilot ; " the offer is 
 generous, but would avail us nothing. I have the 
 advantage of knowing the ground well, and musl 
 trust to my memory and God s good favour. Make 
 sail, make sail, sir, and if you succeed, we will ven 
 ture to break ground." 
 
 The order was promptly obeyed, and in a very 
 short time, the Ariel was covered with canvass 
 Though no air was perceptible on the decks of 
 the frigate, the little schooner was so light, that 
 she succeeded in stemming her way over the ris 
 ing waves, aided a little by the tide, and in a few 
 minutes, her low hull was just discernible in the 
 streak of light along the horizon, with the dark 
 outline of her sails rising above the sea, until 
 their fanciful summits were lost in the shadows of 
 the clouds. 
 
 Griffith had listened to the foregoing dialogue, 
 like the rest of the junior officers, in profound si 
 lence ; but when the Ariel began to grow indis 
 tinct to the eye, he jumped lightly from the gun 
 to the deck, and cried - 
 
 " She slips off, like a vessel from the stocks f 
 shall I trip the anchor, sir, and follow ?" 
 
 " We have no choice," replied his captain 
 * You hear the question, Mr, Gray ? shall we let 
 go the bottom ?" 
 
52 "fHE PILOT. 
 
 cc It must be done. Captain Munson ; we may 
 want more drift than the rest of this tide to get ug 
 to a place of safety," said the pilot ; " I would give 
 five years from a life, that I know will be short, if 
 the ship lay one mile further seaward." 
 
 This remark was unheard by all, excepting the 
 commander of the frigate, who again walked aside 
 with the pilot, where they resumed their mysteri 
 ous communications. The words of assent were 
 no sooner uttered, however, than Griffith gave 
 forth from his trumpet the command to "heave 
 away !" Again the strains of the fife were followed 
 by the tread of the men at the capstan. At the 
 same time that the anchor was heaving up, the sails 
 were loosened from the yards, and opened to invite 
 the breeze. In effecting this duty, orders were 
 thundered through the trumpet of the first lieute 
 nant, and executed with the rapidity of thought. 
 Men were to be seen, like spots in the dim light 
 from 4he heavens, lying on every yard, or hanging 
 as in air, while strange cries were heard issuing 
 from every part of the rigging, and each spar of 
 the vessel. " Ready the fore-royal," cried a shrill 
 voice, as if from the clouds ; " ready the fore yard," 
 uttered the hoarser tones of a seaman beneath him , 
 " all ready aft, sir," cried a third, from another 
 quarter ; and in a few moments, the order was 
 given to " let fall." 
 
 The little light which fell from the sky was now 
 excluded by the falling canvass, and a deeper gloom 
 was cast athwart the decks of the ship, that served 
 to render the brilliancy of the lanterns even vivid, 
 while it gave to objects out-board a more appalling 
 and dreary appearance than before. 
 
 Every individual, excepting the commander and 
 his associate, was now earnestly engaged in get 
 ting the ship under way. The sounds of " we re 
 
THE PILOT. 53 
 
 away," were repeated by a burst from fifty voices, 
 and the rapid evolutions of the capstan announced 
 that nothing but the weight of the anchor was to be 
 lifted. The hauling of cordage, the rattling of 
 blocks, blended with the shrill calls of the boat 
 swain and his mates, succeeded ; and though to a 
 landsman all would have appeared confusion and 
 hurry, long practice and strict discipline enabled 
 the crew to exhibit their ship under a cloud of can 
 vass, from her deck to the trucks, in less time than 
 we have consumed in relating it. 
 
 For a few minutes, the officers were not disap 
 pointed by the result, for though the heavy sails 
 flapped lazily against the masts, the light duck on 
 the loftier spars swelled outv ~rdly, and the ship 
 began sensibly to yield to their influence. 
 
 " She travels ! she travels !" exclaimed Grif 
 fith, joyously ; " ah ! the hussy ! she has as much 
 antipathy to the land as any fish that swims : it blows 
 a little gale aloft, yet !" 
 
 " We feel its dying breath," said the pilot, in 
 low, soothing tones, but in a manner so sudden as 
 to startle Griffith, at whose elbow they were un 
 expectedly uttered. " Let us forget, young man, 
 every thing but the number of lives that depend, 
 this night, on your exertions and my knowledge." 
 
 " If you be but half as able to exhibit the one, 
 
 j as I am willing to make the other, we shall do 
 
 j well," returned the lieutenant, in the same tone. 
 
 * c Remember, whatever may be your feelings, that 
 
 we are on an enemy s coast, and love it not enough 
 
 to wish to lay our bones there." 
 
 With this brief explanation they separated, the 
 vessel requiring the constant and close attention 
 of the officer to her movements. 
 
 The exultation produced in the crew 7 by the 
 progress of their ship through the water was of 
 
54 THE PILOT. 
 
 short duration ; for the breeze that had seemed to 
 await their motions, after forcing the vessel for a 
 quarter of a mile, fluttered for a few minutes amid 
 their light canvass, and then left them entirely. 
 The quarter-master, whose duty it was to super 
 intend the helm, soon announced that he was losing 
 the command of the vessel, as she was no longer 
 obedient to her rudder. This ungrateful intelli 
 gence was promptly communicated to his com 
 mander by Griffith, who suggested the propriety 
 of again dropping an anchor. 
 
 " I refer you to Mr. Gray," returned the cap 
 tain ; " he is the pilot, sir, and with him rests the 
 safety of the vessel." 
 
 " Pilots sometimes lose ships, as well as save 
 them," said Griffith ; " know you the man well, 
 Captain Munson, who holds all our lives in his 
 keeping, and so coolly as if he cared but little for 
 the venture ?" 
 
 " Mr. Griffith, I do know him ; he is, in my 
 ? opinion, both competent and faithful. Thus much 
 I tell you, to relieve your anxiety ; more you must 
 not ask ; but is there not a shift of wind ?" 
 
 " God forbid !" exclaimed his lieutenant ; " if 
 that north-easter catches us within the shoals, our 
 case will be desperate indeed !" 
 
 The heavy rolling of the vessel caused an occa 
 sional expansion, and a-s sudden a re-action, in their 
 sails, which left the oldest seamen in the ship in 
 doubt which way the currents of air were passing, 
 or whether there existed any that were not created 
 oy the flapping of their own canvass. The head of the 
 ship, however, began to fall off from the sea, and not 
 withstanding the darkness, it soon became apparent 
 that she was driving in, bodily, towards the shore. 
 
 During these few minutes of gloomy doubt 
 Griffith, by one of those sudden revulsions of the 
 
THE PILOT. 55 
 
 mind, that connect the opposite extremes of feel- 
 /ng, lost his animated anxiety, and relapsed into 
 the listless apathy that so often came over him, 
 even in the most critical moments of trial and dan 
 ger. He was standing, with one elbow resting or 
 the capstan, shading his eyes from the light of the 
 battle-lantern that stood near him, with one hand, 
 when he felt a gentle pressure of the other, that 
 recalled his recollection. Looking affectionately, 
 though still recklessly, at the boy who stood at 
 his side, he said 
 
 " Dull music, Mr. Merry." 
 
 " So dull, sir, that I can t dance to it," return 
 ed the midshipman. " Nor do I believe there is 
 a man in the ship who would not rather hear c The 
 girl I left behind me, than those execrable sounds." 
 
 " What sounds, boy ! The ship is as quiet as 
 the quaker meeting in the Jerseys, before your 
 good old grandfather used to break the charm of 
 silence with his sonorous voice." 
 
 " Ah ! laugh at my peaceable blood, if thou 
 wilt, Mr. Griffith," said the arch youngster ; " but 
 remember, there is a mixture of it in all sorts of 
 veins. I wish I could hear one of the old gentle 
 man s chants now, sir; I could always sleep to 
 them, like a gull in a surf. But he that sleeps to 
 night, with that lullaby, will make a nap of it." 
 
 " Sounds ! I hear no sounds, boy, but the flap 
 ping aloft ; even that pilot, who struts the quarte* 
 deck like an admiral, has nothing to say." 
 
 " Is not that a sound to open a seaman s ear ?" 
 
 " It is in truth a heavy roll of the surf, lad, but 
 the night air carries it heavily to our ears. Know 
 you not the sounds of the surf yet, younker?" 
 
 " I know it too well, Mr. Griffith, and do not 
 wish to know it better. How fast are we tum- 
 oling in towards that surf, sir ?" 
 
56 THE PILOT. 
 
 " I think we hold our own," said Griffith, rous* 
 ing again ; " though we had better anchor. Luff, 
 fellow, luff, you are broadside to the sea !" 
 
 The man at the wheel repeated his former in 
 telligence, adding a suggestion, that he thought the 
 ship "was gathering stern-way." 
 
 " Haul up your courses, Mr. Griffith," said Cap 
 tain Munson, " arid let us feel the wind." 
 
 The rattling of the blocks was soon heard, and 
 the enormous sheets of canvass that hung from 
 the lower yards were instantly suspended " in the 
 brails." When this change was effected, all on 
 board stood silent and breathless, as if expecting 
 to learn their fate by the result. Several contra 
 dictory opinions were, at length, hazarded among 
 the officers, when Griffith seized the candle from 
 the lantern, and, springing on one of the guns, 
 held it on high, exposed to the action of the air. 
 The little flame waved, with uncertain glimmer 
 ing, for a moment, and then burned steadily, in a 
 line with the masts. Griffith was about to lower 
 his extended arm, when, feeling a slight sensation 
 of coolness on his hand, he paused, and the light 
 turned slowly towards the land, flared, flickered, 
 and finally deserted the wick. 
 
 " Lose not a moment, Mr. Griffith," cried the 
 s pilot aloud ; "clew up and furl every thing but 
 i your three top-sails, and let them be double-reefed, 
 j Now is the time to fulfil your promise." 
 
 The young man paused one moment, in astonish 
 ment, as the clear distinct tones of the stranger 
 struck his ears so unexpectedly ; but turning his 
 eyes to seaward, he sprang on the deck, and pro 
 ceeded to obey the order, as if life and death de 
 pended on his despatch. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 1 Sh* rij w ,M rights, boyg ! wear offshore !" 
 
 Son* 
 
 THE extncrchnary activity of Griffith, which 
 eommunic3>pd itself with promptitude to the crew, 
 svas produced by a sudden alteration in ihn wea 
 ther. Ir* place of the well-defined streak along 
 the horizon, that has been already described, an 
 immense body of misty light appeared to be mov 
 ing in., with rapidity, from the ocean, while a dis 
 tinct but distant roaring announced the sure ap~ 
 proA^h of the tempest, that had so long troubled 
 the waters. Even Griffith, while thundering his 
 orders through the trumpet, and urging the men, 
 by his cries, to expedition, would pause, for in 
 stants, to cast anxious glances in the direction of 
 the coming storm ; and the faces of the sailors who 
 lay on the yards were turned, instinctively, to 
 wards the same quarter of the heavens, while they 
 knotted the reef-points, or passed the gaskets, that 
 were to confine the unruly canvass to the pre 
 scribed limits. 
 
 The pilot alone, in that confused and busy 
 throng, where voice rose above voice, and rr** 
 echoed cry, in quick succession, appeared as if he 
 
ES THE PILOT. 
 
 held no interest in the important stake. With his 
 eyes steadily fixed on the approaching mist, and 
 his arms folded together in composure, he stood 
 calmly waiting the result. 
 
 The ship had fallen off, with her broadside to 
 the sea, and was become unmanageable, and the 
 sails were already brought into the folds necessary 
 to her security, when the quick and heavy flutter 
 ing of canvass was thrown across the water, with 
 all the gloomy and chilling sensations that such 
 sounds produce, where darkness and danger unite 
 to appal the seaman. 
 
 " The schooner has it !" cried Griffith ; " Barn- 
 stable has held on, like himself, to the last moment 
 God send that the squall leave him cloth enough 
 to keep him from the shore !" 
 
 " His sails are easily handled," the commander 
 observed, " and she must be over the principal 
 canger. We are falling off before it, Mr. Gray ; 
 Miall we try a cast of the lead ?" 
 
 The pilot turned from his contemplative pos- 
 tuvo, and moved sknvly across the deck before he 
 returned any reply to this question like a man 
 who not only felt that every thing depended on 
 himself, but that he was equal to the emergency. 
 
 " Tis unnecessary," he at length said ; " twould 
 be certain destruction to be taken aback, and it is 
 difficult to say, within several points, how the wind 
 may strike us." 
 
 " Tis difficult no longer," cried Griffith ; " for 
 here it comes, and in right earnest !" 
 
 The rushing sounds of the wind were now, in 
 deed, heard at hand, and the words were hardly 
 past the lips of the young lieutenant, before the 
 vessel bowed down heavily to one side, and then, 
 as she began to move through the water, rose again 
 majesticaliy to her upright position, as if saluting, 
 
THE PILOT. 59 
 
 like a courteous champion, the powerful antagonist 
 with which she was about to contend. Not ano 
 ther minute elapsed, before the ship was throwing 
 the waters aside, with a lively progress, and, obe 
 dient to her helm, was brought as near to the de 
 sired course as the direction of the wind would al 
 low. The hurry and bustle on the yards gradual 
 ly subsided, and the men slowly descended to the 
 deck, all straining their eyes to pierce the gloom 
 in which they were enveloped, and some shaking 
 their heads, in melancholy deubt, afraid to express 
 the apprehensions they really entertained. All on 
 board anxiously waited for the fury of the gale ; 
 for there were none so ignorant or inexperienced 
 in that gallant frigate, as not to know, that as yet, 
 they only felt the infant efforts of the wind. Each 
 moment, however, it increased in power, though 
 so gradual was the alteration, that the relieved 
 manners began to believe that all their gloomy 
 forebodings were not to be realized. During this 
 short interval of uncertainty, no other sounds were 
 heard than the whistling of the breeze, as it pass 
 ed quickly through the mass of rigging that be 
 longed to the vessel, and the dashing of the spray, 
 that began to fly from her bows, like the foam of 
 a cataract. 
 
 " It blows fresh," cried Griffith, who was the 
 first to speak in that moment of doubt and anxie 
 ty ; " but it is no more than a cap-full of wind, 
 after all. Give us elbow-room, and the right can 
 vass, Mr. Pilot, and I ll handle the ship like a gen 
 tleman s yacht, in this breeze." 
 "$ " Will she stay, think ye, under this sail ?" said 
 > the low voice of the stranger. 
 
 " She will do all that man, in reason, can ask 
 of wood and iron," returned the lieutenant ; " but 
 the vessel don t float the ocean that will tack un 
 
CO THE PILOT. 
 
 der double-reefed topsails alone, against a hea f 
 sea. Help her with the courses, pilot, and j >u 
 shall see her come round like a dancing-master > 
 
 " Let us feel the strength of the gale first, re 
 turned the man who was called Mr. Gray, mr ing 
 from the side of Griffith to the weather gangway 
 of the vessel, where he stood in silence, locking 
 ahead of the ship, with an air of singular cpulness 
 and abstraction. 
 
 All the lanterns had been extinguished on the 
 deck of the frigate, when her anchor was oecured, 
 and as the first mist of the gale had passed over, 
 it was succeeded by a faint light that was a good 
 deal aided by the glittering foam of the waters, 
 which now broke in white curls around the vessel, 
 in every direction. The land could be faintly dis 
 cerned, rising like a heavy bank of black fog, above 
 the margin of the waters, and was only distinguish 
 able from the heavens by its deeper gloom and ob 
 scurity. The last rope was coiled, and deposited 
 in its proper place, by the seamen, and for several 
 minutes the stillness of death pervaded the crowd 
 ed decks. It was evident to every one, that their 
 ship \vas dashing at a prodigious rate through the 
 waves ; and as she was approaching, with such ve 
 locity, the quarter of the bay where the shoals and 
 dangers were known to be situated, nothing but 
 the habits of the most exact discipline could sup 
 press the uneasiness of the officers and men with 
 in their own bosoms. At length the voice of Cap 
 tain Munson was heard, calling to the pilot. 
 
 " Shall I send a hand into the chains, Mr. Gray," 
 he said, " and try our water ?" 
 
 Although this question was asked aloud, and 
 the interest it excited drew many of the officers 
 and men around him, in eager impatience for his 
 answer, it was unheeded by the man to whom it 
 
THE PILOT Gl 
 
 was addressed. His head rested on his hand, as 
 he leaned over the hammock-cloths of the vessel, 
 and his whole air was that of one whose thoughts 
 Wandered from the pressing necessity of their si 
 tuation. Griffith was among those who had ap 
 proached the pilot, and after waiting a moment, 
 from respect, to hear the answer to his command 
 er s question, he presumed on his own rank, and 
 leaving the circle that stood at a little distance, 
 stepped to the side of the mysterious guardian of 
 their lives. 
 
 " Captain Munson desires to know whether you 
 wish a cast of the lead ?" said the young officer, 
 with a little impatience of manner. No imme 
 diate answer was made to this repetition of the 
 question, and Griffith laid his hand unceremoni 
 ously on the shoulder of the other, with an intent 
 to rouse him, before he made another application 
 for a reply, but the convulsive start of the pilot 
 held him silent in amazement. 
 
 " Fall back there," said the lieutenant, sternly, 
 to the men, who were closing around them in a 
 compact circle ; " away with you to your stations, 
 and see a-11 clear for stays." The dense mass of 
 heads dissolved, at this order, like the water of 
 one of the waves commingling with the ocean, and 
 the lieutenant and his companions were left by 
 themselves. 
 
 " This is not a time for musing, Mr. Gray, - 
 continued Griffith, " remember our compact, and 
 look to your charge is it not time to put the ves 
 sel in stays? of what are you dreaming ?" 
 
 The pilot laid his hand on the extended arm of 
 the lieutenant, and grasped it with a convulsive 
 pressure, as he answered 
 
 " Tis a dream of reality. You are young, Mr. 
 Griffith, nor am I past the noon of life ; but should 
 
 VOL. i. 6 
 
THE PILOT, 
 
 ~ ~ you live fifty years longer, you never can see and 
 experience what I have encountered in my little 
 j period of three-and-thirty years !" 
 
 A good deal astonished at this burst of feeling, 
 so singular at such a moment, the young sailor was 
 at a loss for a reply ; but as his duty was upper 
 most in his thoughts, he still dwelt on the theme 
 that most interested him. 
 
 " I hope much of your experience has been on 
 this coast, for the ship travels lively," he said, 
 " and the daylight showed us so much to dread that 
 we do not feel over- valiant in the dark. How much 
 longer shall we stand on, upon this tack ?" 
 
 The pilot turned slowly from the side of the 
 vessel, and walked towards the commander of the 
 frigate, as he replied, in a tone that seemed deep 
 ly agitated by his melancholy reflections 
 
 " You have your wish, then ; much, very much 
 of my early life was passed on this dreaded coast. 
 What to you is all darkness and gloom, to me is 
 AS light as if a noon-day sun shone upon it. But 
 tack your ship, sir, tack your ship ; I would see 
 how she works before we reach the point where 
 she must behave well, or we perish." 
 
 Griffith gazed after him in wonder, while the pi 
 lot slowly paced the quarter-deck, and then, rous 
 ing from his trance, gave forth the cheering order 
 that called each man to his station, to perform the 
 desired evolution. The confident assurances 
 whidi the young officer had given to the pilot re 
 specting the qualities of his vessel, and his own 
 ability to manage her, were fully realized by the 
 result. The helm was no sooner put a-lee, than 
 the huge ship bore up gallantly against the wind, 
 and dashing directly through the waves, threw the 
 foam high into the air, as she looked boldly into 
 the very eye of the wind, and then, yielding grace- 
 
THE PILOT. 63 
 
 fully to its power, she fell off on the other tack, 
 with her head pointed from those dangerous shoals 
 that she had so recently approached with such ter 
 rifying velocity. The heavy yards swung round, 
 as if they had been vanes to indicate the currents 
 of the air, and in a few moments the frigate again 
 moved, with stately progress, through the water, 
 leaving the rocks and shoals behind her on one 
 side of the bay, but advancing towards those that 
 oftered equal danger on the other. 
 
 During this time the sea was becoming more 
 agitated, and the violence of the wind was gradually 
 increasing. The latter no longer whistled amid 
 the cordage of the vessel, but it seemed to howl, 
 surlily, as it passed the complicated machinery thai 
 the frigate obtruded on its path. An endless succes 
 sion of white surges rose above the heavy billows, 
 and the very air was glittering with the light that 
 was disengaged from the ocean. The ship yield 
 ed, each moment, more and more before the 
 storm, and in less than half an hour from the time 
 that she had lifted her anchor, she was driven 
 along with tremendous fury by the full power of a 
 gale of wind. Still, the hardy and experienced 
 mariners who directed her movements, held her 
 to the course that was necessary to their preserva 
 tion, and still Griffith gave forth, when directed by 
 their unknown pilot, those orders that turned her 
 in the narrow channel where safety was alone to 
 be found. 
 
 So far, the performance of his duty appeared 
 easy to the stranger, and he gave the required di 
 rections in those still, calm tones, that formed so 
 remarkable a contrast to the responsibility of his 
 situation. But when the land was becoming dim, 
 in distance as well as darkness, and the agitated 
 sea alone was to be discovered as it swept by ihem 
 
64: THE PILOT. 
 
 in foam, he broke in upon the monotonous roaring 
 of the tempest with the sounds of his voice, seem 
 ing to shake off his apathy, and rouse himself to 
 the occasion. 
 
 " Now is the time to watch her closely, Mr. 
 Griffith," he cried ; " here we get the true tide 
 and the real danger. Place the best quartermaster 
 of your ship in those chains, and let an officer 
 stand by him and see that he gives us the right 
 water." 
 
 " I will take that office on myself," said the 
 captain ; " pass a light into the weather main- 
 chains." 
 
 " Stand by your braces !" exclaimed the pilot, 
 with startling quickness. " Heave away that 
 lead!" 
 
 These .preparations taught the crew to expect 
 the crisis, and every officer and man stood in fear 
 ful silence, at his assigned station, awaiting the is 
 sue of the trial. Even the quarter-master at the 
 cun gave out his orders to the men at the wheel, 
 in deeper and hoarser tones than usual, as if anx 
 ious not to disturb the quiet and order of the ves 
 sel. 
 
 While this deep expectation pervaded the fri 
 gate, the piercing cry of the leadsman, as he call 
 ed " by the mark seven," rose above the tempest, 
 crossed over the decks, and appeared to pass away 
 to leeward, borne on the blast like the warnings 
 of some water spirit. 
 
 " Tis well," returned the pilot, calmly ; " try 
 it again." 
 
 The short pause was succeeded by another cry, 
 " and a half-five !" 
 
 " She shoals ! she shoals !" exclaimed Griffith ; 
 <c keep her a good full." 
 
 " Ay ! you must hold the vessel in command, 
 
THE PILOT. 65 
 
 now," said the pilot, with those cool tones that 
 are most appalling in critical moments, because 
 they seem to denote most preparation and care. 
 
 The third call of " by the deep four !" was fol 
 lowed by a prompt direction from the stranger to 
 tack. 
 
 Griffith seemed to emulate the coolness of the 
 pilot, in issuing the necessary orders to execute this 
 manoeuvre. 
 
 The vessel rose slowly from the inclined posi 
 tion into which she had been forced by the tem 
 pest, and the sails were shaking violently, as if to 
 release themselves from their confinement, while 
 the ship stemmed the billows, when the well-known 
 voice of the sailing-master was heard shouting from 
 the forecastle 
 
 " Breakers ! breakers, dead ahead !" 
 
 This appalling sound seemed yet to be lingering 
 about the ship, when a second voice cried 
 
 " Breakers on our lee-bow !" 
 
 " We are in a bite of the shoals, Mr. Gray," 
 cried the commander. " She loses her way ; per 
 haps an anchor might hold her." 
 
 " Clear away that best bower," shouted Grif 
 fith through his trumpet. 
 
 " Hold on !" cried the pilot, in a voice that 
 reached the very hearts of all who heard him ; 
 " hold on every thing." 
 
 The young man turned fiercely to the daring 
 stranger, who thus defied the discipline of his ves- 
 sel, and at once demanded 
 
 " Who is it that dares to countermand my or- 
 \ ders ? is it not enough that you run the ship into 
 danger, but you must interfere to keep her there ! 
 I If another word " 
 
 " Peace, Mr. Griffith," inteirupted the captain, 
 bending from the rigging, his gray locks blowing 
 6* 
 
G6 THE PILOT 
 
 about in the wind, and adding a look of wildnes^ 
 to the haggard care that he exhibited by the light 
 of his lantern ; " yield the trumpet to Mr. Gray ; 
 he alone can save us." 
 
 Griffith threw his speaking trumpet on the deck, 
 and as he walked proudly away, muttered, in bit 
 terness of feeling 
 
 "I " Then all is lost, indeed, and among the rest, 
 f the foolish hopes with which I visited this coast/ 7 
 
 There was, however, no time for reply ; the 
 ship had been rapidly running into the wind, and 
 as the efforts of the crew were paralyzed by the 
 contradictory orders they had heard, she gradually 
 lost her way, and in a fe\v seconds all her sails 
 were taken aback. 
 
 Before the crew understood their situation, the 
 pilot had applied the trumpet to his mouth, and 
 in a voice that rose above the tempest, he thun 
 dered forth his orders. Each command was 
 given distinctly, and with a precision that showed 
 him to be master of his profession. The helm 
 was kept fast, the head yards swung up heavily 
 against the wind, and the vessel was soon whirl 
 ing round on her heel, w r ith a retrograde move 
 ment. 
 
 Griffith was too much of a seaman not to per 
 ceive that the pilot had seized, with a perception 
 almost intuitive, the only method that promised to 
 ^ extricate the vessel from her situation. He was 
 > young, impetuous, and proud but he was also 
 j generous. Forgetting his resentment and his mor 
 tification, he rushed forward among the men, and, 
 by his presence and example, added certainty to 
 the experiment. The ship fell off slowly before 
 the gale, and bowed her yards nearly to the wa 
 ter, as she felt the blast pouring its fury on her 
 broadside, while the surly waves beat violently 
 
THE PILOT. 67 
 
 against her stern, as if in reproach at departing 
 from her usual manner of moving. 
 
 The voice of the pilot, however, was still heard, 
 steady and calm, and yet so clear and high as to 
 reach every ear ; and the obedient seamen whirled 
 the yards at his bidding, in despite of the tempest, 
 as if they handled the toys of their childhood. 
 When the ship had fallen off dead before the wind, 
 her head sails were shaken, her after yards trim 
 med, and her helm shifted, before she had time to 
 run upon the danger that had threatened, as well 
 to leeward as to windward. The beautiful fabric, 
 obedient to her government, threw her bows up 
 gracefully towards the wind again, and as her sails 
 were trimmed, moved out from amongst the dan 
 gerous shoals, in which she had been embayed, as 
 steadily and swiftly as she had approached them. 
 
 A moment of breathless astonishment succeeded 
 the accomplishment of this nice manoeuvre, but 
 there was no time for the usual expressions of sur 
 prise. The stranger still held the trumpet, and 
 continued to lift his voice amid the bowlings of the 
 blast, whenever prudence or skill directed any 
 change in the management of the ship. For an 
 hour longer, there was a fearful struggle for*their 
 preservation, the channel becoming, at each step, 
 more complicated, and the shoals thickening around 
 the mariners on every side. The lead was cast 
 rapidly, and the quick eye of the pilot seemed to 
 pierce the darkness, with a keenness of vision that 
 exceeded human power. It was apparent to all in 
 the vessel, that they were under the guidance of 
 one who understood the navigation thoroughly, and 
 their exertions kept pace with their reviving con 
 fidence. Again and again, the frigate appeared to 
 be rushing blindly on shoals, where the sea was 
 covered with foam, and where destruction would 
 
68 THE PILOT. 
 
 have been as sudden as it was certain, when the 
 clear voice of the stranger was heard warning them 
 of the danger, and inciting them to their duty. The 
 vessel was implicitly yielded to his government, 
 and during those anxious moments when she was 
 dashing the waters aside, throwing the spray qvei 
 her enormous yards, each ear would listen eagerly 
 for those sounds that had obtained a command ovei 
 the crew, that can only be acquired, under such 
 circumstances, by great steadiness and consummate 
 skill. The ship was recovering from the inaction 
 of changing her course, in one of those critical 
 tacks that she had made so often, when the pilot, 
 for the first time, addressed the commander of the 
 frigate, who still continued to superintend the all- 
 important duty of the leadsman. 
 
 "Now is the pinch," he said, "and if the ship 
 behaves well, we are safe but if otherwise, all we 
 have yet done will be useless." 
 
 The veteran seaman whom he addressed left the 
 chains, at this portentous notice, and calling to his 
 first lieutenant, required of the stranger an explana 
 tion of his warning. 
 
 " See you yon light on the southern headland?" 
 returned the pilot; "you may know it from the 
 star near it by its sinking, at times, in the ocean. 
 Now observe the hom-moc, a little north of it, 
 looking like a shadow in the horizon tis a hill 
 far inland. If we keep that light open from the 
 hill, we shall do well but if not, we surely go to 
 pieces." 
 
 "Let us tack again!" exclaimed the lieutenant. 
 
 The pilot shook his head, as he replied 
 
 * There is no more tacking or box-hauling to be 
 done to-night. We have barely room to pass out 
 of the shoals on this course, and if we can weather 
 the Devil s-Grip, we clear their outermost point 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 - -hut if not, as I said before, there is out an alter 
 native." 
 
 " If we had beaten out the way we entered !" 
 exclaimed Griffith, " we should have done well." 
 
 " Say also, if the tide would have let us do so," 
 returned the pilot, calmly. " Gentlemen, we must 
 be prompt ; we have but a mile to go, and the 
 ship appears to fly. That topsail is not enough to 
 Keep her up to the wind ; we want both jib and 
 mainsail." 
 
 " Tis a perilous thing to loosen canvass in such 
 a tempest !" observed the doubtful captain. 
 
 " It must be done," returned the collected 
 stranger ; " we perish without it see ! the light 
 already touches the edge of the hom-moc ; the sea 
 casts us to leeward !" 
 
 u It shall be done !" cried Griffith, seizing the 
 trumpet from the hand of the pilot. 
 
 The orders of the lieutenant were executed al 
 most as soon as issued, and every thing being ready, 
 the enormous folds of the mainsail were trusted, 
 loose, to the blast. There was an instant when 
 the result was doubtful ; the tremendous thresh 
 ing of the heavy sail seeming to bid defiance to 
 all restraint, shaking the ship to her centre ; but 
 art and strength prevailed, and gradually the can 
 vass was distended, and bellying as it filled, was 
 drawn down to its usual place by the power of a 
 hundred men. The vessel yielded to this immense 
 addition of force, and bowed before it, like a reed 
 bending to a breeze. But the success of the mea 
 sure was announced by a joyful cry from the 
 stranger, that reined to burst from his inmost soul. 
 
 " She feeis it ! she springs her luff observed, 
 he said, ^ the light opens from the hom-moc al 
 ready ; if she will only bear her canvass, we shall 
 go clear " 
 
70 
 
 THE PILOT, 
 
 A report, like that of a cannon, interrupted his 
 exclamation, and something resembling a white 
 cloud was seen drifting before the wind from th 
 head of the ship, till it was driven into the gloom- 
 far to leeward. 
 
 " >Tis the jib, blown from the bolt-ropes," said 
 the commander of the frigate. " This is no tim 
 to spread light duck but the mainsail may stand 
 it vet." 
 
 " The sail would laugh at a tornado," returned 
 the lieutenant ; " but the mast springs like a piece 
 of steel." 
 
 " Silence all !" cried the pilot. " Now, gentle 
 men, we shall soon know our fate. Let her luff 
 luff you can !" 
 
 This warning effectually closed all discourse, 
 and the hardy mariners, knowing that they had 
 already done all in the power of man to ensure 
 their safety, stood in breathless anxiety, awaiting 
 the result. At a short distance ahead of them 
 the whole ocean was white with foam, and the 
 waves, instead of rolling on, in regular succession, 
 appeared to be tossing about in mad gambols. A 
 single streak of dark billows, not half a cable s 
 length in width, could be discerned running into 
 this chaos of water ; but it was soon lost to the 
 eye amid the confusion of the disturbed element. 
 Along this narrow path the vessel moved more hea 
 vily than before, being brought so near the wind as 
 tc keep her sails touching. The pilot silently pro 
 ceeded to the wheel, and, with his own hands, he un 
 dertook the steerage of the ship. No noise proceed* 
 ed from the frigate to interrupt the horrid tumuii 
 of the ocean, and she entered the channel among; 
 the breakers, with the silence of a desperate calm 
 ness. Twenty times, as the foam rolled away to 
 leoward the eve of uttering 
 
THE: PIL^T, 71 
 
 their joy as they supposed she vessel past the 
 Janger ; but breaker after breaker would still 
 heave up before them, following each other into 
 the general mass, to check their exultation. Oc 
 casionally, the fluttering of the sails would be 
 heard ; and when the looks of the startled seamen 
 were turned to the wheel, they beheld the stran 
 ger grasping its spokes, witb his quick eye glanc 
 ing from the water to the canvass. At length the 
 ship reached a point, where she appeared to be 
 rushing directly into the jaws of destruction, when, 
 suddenly, her course was changed, and her head 
 receded rapidly from the wind. At the same in 
 stant the voice of the pilot was heard, shouting 
 
 " Square away the yards ! in mainsail !" 
 
 A general burst from the crew echoed, " square 
 away the yards !" and, quick as thought, the fri 
 gate was seen gliding along the channel before the 
 wind. The eye had hardly time to dwell on the 
 foam, which seemed like clouds driving in the hea 
 vens, and directly the gallant vessel issued from 
 her perils, and rose and fell on the heavy waves 
 of the open sea. 
 
 The seamen were yet drawing long breaths, and 
 gazing about them like men recovered from a 
 trance, when Griffith approached the man who had 
 so successfully conducted them through their perils. 
 The young lieutenant grasped the hand of the oth 
 er, as he said 
 
 " You have this night proved yourself a faith 
 ful pilot, and such a seaman as the world cannot 
 equal." 
 
 The pressure of the hand was warmly returned 
 by the unknown mariner, who replied 
 
 " I am no stranger to the seas, and I may yet 
 find my grave in them. But you, too, have de~ 
 
72 THE PILOT. 
 
 ceivcd me ; you have acted nobly, young man, 
 and Congress " 
 
 " What of Congress?" asked Griffith, observing 
 him to pause. 
 
 " Why, Congress is fortunate if it has many 
 such ships as this," said the stranger, coldly, walk 
 ing away toward the commander. 
 
 Griffith gazed after him, a moment, in surprise ; 
 but as his duty required his attention, othei 
 thoughts soon engaged his mind. 
 
 The vessel was pronounced to be in safety. Thf 
 gale was heavy, and increasing, but there was a 
 clear sea before them, and, as she slowly stretche6 
 out into the bosom of the ocean, preparations wer* 
 made for her security during its continuance. Be 
 fore midnight every thing was in order. A gui 
 from the Ariel soon announced the safety of the 
 schooner also, which had gone out by another and 
 an easier channel, that the frigate had not dared to 
 attempt ; when the commander directed the usual 
 watch to be set, and the remainder of the crew to 
 seek their necessary repose. 
 
 The captain withdrew with the mysterious pilot 
 
 to his own cabin. Griffith gave his last order, and 
 
 renewing his charge to the officer entrusted with 
 
 the care of the vessel, he wished him a pleasant 
 
 watch, ana sought the refreshment of his own cot. 
 
 For an hour, the young lieutenant lay musing on 
 
 the events of the day. The remark of Barnstable 
 
 would occur to him, in connexion with the singu- 
 
 m iar comment of the boy; and then his thoughts 
 
 if would recur to the pilot, who, taken from the hos- 
 
 < tile shores of Britain, and with her accent on his 
 
 tongue, had served them so faithfully and so well, 
 
 I He remembered the anxiety of Captain Munson to 
 
 I procure this stranger, at the very hazard from 
 
THE PILOT. 75 
 
 which they had just been relieved, and puzzled 
 himself with conjecturing why a pilot was to be 
 sought at such a risk. His more private feelings 
 would then resume their sway, and the recollection i 
 cf America, his mistress, and his home, mingled ( 
 with the confused images of the drowsy youth. 
 The dashing of the billows against the side of the 
 ship, the creaking of guns, and bulk-heads, with the 
 roaring of the tempest, however, became gradually 
 less and less distinct, until nature yielded to neces 
 sity, and the young man forgot even the romantic 
 images of his *ove, in the deep sleep of a seaman. 
 
 VOL. I. 7 
 
CHAPTER V! 
 
 " The letter ! ay I the letter 
 Ti there a woman loves to speak her wiihea 
 It spares the blushes of the love-sick maiden, 
 And every word s a smile, each line a tongue." 
 
 Dus 
 
 THE slumbers of Griffith continued till late on 
 the following morning, when he was awakened by 
 the report of a cannon, issuing from the deck above 
 him. He threw himself, listlessly, from his cot, 
 and perceiving the officer of marines near him, 
 as his servant opened the door of his state-room, 
 he inquired, with some little interest in his man 
 ner, if " the ship was in chase of any thing, that a 
 gun was fired ?" 
 
 " Tis no more than a hint to the Ariel," the 
 soldier replied, " that there is bunting abroad for 
 them to read. It seems as if all hands were asleep 
 on board her, for we have shown her signal, these 
 ten minutes, and she takes us for a collier, I believe, 
 by the respect she pays it." 
 
 " Say, rather, that she takes us for an enemy, 
 and is wary," returned Griffith. " Brown Dick 
 has played the English so many tricks himself, 
 that he is tender of his faith." 
 
 " Why, they have shown him a yellow flag over 
 a blue one, with a cornet, and that spells Ariel, 
 
THE PILOT. 75 
 
 iti every signal-book we have ; surely he can t 
 suspect the English of knowing how to read Yan 
 kee." 
 
 " I have known Yankees read more difficult 
 English," said Griffith, smiling ; " but, in truth, 
 I suppose that Barnstable has been, like myself, 
 keeping a dead reckoning of his time, and his men 
 have profited by the occasion. She is lying too, 1 
 trust." 
 
 " Ay ! like a cork in a mill-pond, and I dare say 
 you are right. Give Barnstable plenty of sea- 
 room, a heavy wind, and but little sail, and he will 
 send his men below, put that fellow he calls long 
 Tom at the tiller, and follow himself, and sleep as 
 quietly as I ever could at church." 
 
 " Ah ! yours is a somniferous orthodoxy, Cap 
 tain Manual," said the young sailor, laughing, while 
 he slipped his arms into the sleeves of a morning 
 round-about, covered with the gilded trappings of 
 his profession ; " sleep appears to come most natu 
 rally to all you idlers. But give me a passage, 
 and I will go up, and call the schooner down to us 
 in the turning of an hourglass." 
 
 The indolent soldier raised himself from the 
 leaning posture he had taken against the door of 
 the state-room, and Griffith proceeded through the 
 dark ward-room, up the narrow stairs that led him 
 to the principal battery of the ship, and thence, by 
 another and broader flight of steps, to the open 
 deck. 
 
 The gale still blew strong, but steadily; the 
 blue water of the ocean was rising in mimic 
 mountains, that were crowned with white foam, 
 which the wind, at times, lifted from its kindred 
 element, to propel in mist, through the air, from 
 summit to stfmmit. But the ship rode on these agi 
 tated billows with an easy and regular movement. 
 
78 THE PILOT. 
 
 that denoted the skill with which her mechanical 
 powers were directed. The day was bright and 
 clear, and the lazy sun, who seemed unwilling to 
 meet the toil of ascending to the meridian, was 
 crossing the heavens with a southern inclination, 
 hat hardly allowed him to temper the moist air 
 of the ocean with his genial heat. At the distance 
 of a mile, directly in the wind s eye, the Ariel was 
 seen, obeying the signal which had caused the di 
 alogue we have related. Her low, black hull was 
 oarely discernible, at moments, when she rose to 
 the crest of a larger wave than common ; but the 
 spot of canvass that she exposed to the wind, wa? 
 to be seen, seeming to touch the water on either 
 hand, as the little vessel rolled amid the seas. At 
 times she was entirely hid from view, when the 
 faint lines of her raking masts would be again dis 
 covered, issuing, as it were, from the ocean, and 
 continuing to ascend, until the hull itself would ap 
 pear, thrusting its bows into the air, surrounded 
 by foam, and apparently i eady to take its flight into 
 another element. 
 
 After dwelling a moment on the beautiful sight 
 we have attempted to describe, Griffith cast his 
 eyes upward, to examine, with the keenness of a 
 seaman, the disposition of things aloft, and then 
 turned his attention to those who were on the deck 
 of the frigate. . 
 
 His commander stood, in his composed manner, 
 patiently awaiting the execution of his order by 
 the Ariel, and at his side was placed the stranger 
 who had so recently acted such a conspicuous part 
 in the management of the ship. Griffith availed 
 himself of daylight and his situation, to examine 
 the appearance of this singular being more closely 
 than the darkness and confusion of the preceding 
 night had allowed. He was a trifle below the 
 
THE PILOT. 77 
 
 middle size in stature, but his form was muscular 
 and athletic, exhibiting the finest proportions of 
 manly beauty. His face appeared rather charac 
 terized by melancholy and thought, than by that 
 determined decision which he had so powerfully 
 displayed in the moments of their most extreme 
 danger ; but Griffith well knew, that it could also 
 exhibit looks of the fiercest impatience. At pre 
 sent, it appeared, to the curious youth, when com 
 pared to the glimpses he had caught by the lights 
 of their lanterns, like the ocean at rest, contrasted 
 with the waters around him. The eyes of the pi 
 lot rested on the deck, or when they did wander 
 it was with uneasy and rapid glances. The large 
 pee-jacket, that concealed most of his other attire, 
 was as roughly made, and of materials as coarse, 
 as that worn by the meanest seaman in the vessel , 
 and yet, it did not escape the inquisitive gaze of 
 the young lieutenant, that it was worn with an ail 
 of neatness and care that was altogether unusual ir 
 men of his profession. The examination of Grif 
 fith ended here, for the near approach of the Arie* 
 attracted the attention of all on the deck of the 
 frigate, to the conversation that was about to pass 
 between their respective commanders. 
 
 As the little schooner rolled along under theii 
 stern, Captain Munson directed his subordinate to 
 leave his vessel, and repair on board the ship. As 
 soon as the order was received, the Ariel rounded- 
 to, and drawing ahead into the smooth water occa 
 sioned by the huge fabric that protected her from 
 the gale, the whale-boat was again launched from 
 her decks, and manned by the same crew that had 
 landed on those shores which- were now faintly 
 discerned far to leeward, looking like blue clouds 
 on the skirts of the ocean. 
 
 When Barnstable had entered his boat, a few 
 7* 
 
78 THE PILOT. 
 
 strokes of the oars sent it, dancing over the waves f 
 to the side of the ship. The little vessel was then 
 veered off, to a distance, where it rode irusafety, 
 under the care of a boat-keeper, and the officer 
 and his men ascended the side of the lofty frigate. 
 
 The usual ceremonials of reception were rigidly 
 observed by Griffith and his juniors, when Barn- 
 stable touched the deck ; and though every hand 
 was ready to be extended towards the reckless 
 seaman, none presumed to exceed the salutations 
 of official decorum, until a short and private dia 
 logue had taken place between him and their cap 
 tain. 
 
 In the mean time, the crew of the whale-boat 
 passed forward, and mingled with the seamen of 
 the frigate, with the exception of the cockswain, 
 who established himself in one of the gangways, 
 where he stood in the utmost composure, fixing 
 his eyes aloft, and shaking his head, in evident dis 
 satisfaction, as he studied the complicated mass of 
 rigging above him. This spectacle soon attracted 
 to his side some half-dozen youths, with Mr. Mer 
 ry at their head, who endeavoured to entertain 
 their guest in a manner that should most conduce 
 to the indulgence of their own waggish propensi 
 ties. 
 
 The conversation between Barnstable and his 
 superior soon ended ; when the former, beckoning 
 to Griffith, passed the wondering group who had 
 collected around the capstern, awaiting his leisure 
 to greet him more cordially, and led the way to 
 the ward-room, with the freedom of one who felt 
 himself no stranger. As this unsocial mannei 
 formed no part of the natural temper or ordinary 
 deportment of the man, the remainder of the offi 
 cers suffered their first lieutenant to follow him 
 alone, believing that duty required that their in 
 
THE PILOT. 79 
 
 terview should be private. Barnstable was de 
 termined that it should be so, at all events; for he 
 seized the lamp from the mess-table, and entered 
 the state-room of his friend, closing the door be 
 hind them, and turning the key. When they were 
 both within its narrow limits pointing to the only 
 chair the little apartment contained, with a sort of 
 instinctive deference to his companion s rank the 
 commander of the schooner threw himself careless 
 ly on a sea-chest, and, placing the lamp on the ta 
 ble, he opened the discourse as follows : 
 
 " What a night we had of it ! twenty times I 
 thought I could see the sea breaking over you, and 
 I had given you over as drowned men, or, what is 
 worse, as men driven ashore, to be led to the 
 prison-ships of these islanders, when I saw your 
 lights in answer to my gun. Had you hoisted the 
 conscience out of a murderer, you wouldn t have 
 relieved him more than you did me, by showing 
 that bit of tallow and cotton, tip d with flint and 
 steel. But, Griffith, I have a tale to tell of a dif 
 ferent kind " 
 
 " Of how you slept, when you found yourself in 
 deep water, and how your crew strove to outdo 
 rheir commander, and how all succeeded so well, 
 that there was a gray-head on board here, that be 
 gan to shake with displeasure," interrupted Grif 
 fith ; " truly, Dick, you will get into lubberly ha 
 bits on board that bubble in which you float about, 
 where all hands go to sleep as regularly as the in 
 habitants of a poultry ) ard go to roost." 
 
 " Not so bad, not half so bad, Ned," returned 
 the other laughing ; " I keep as sharp a discipline 
 as if we wore a flag. To be sure, forty men can t 
 make as much parade as three or four hundred , 
 out as for making or taking in sail, I ain your bet 
 ter any day." 
 
80 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Ay, because a pocket handkerchief is sooner 
 opened and shut than a table-cloth. But I hold 
 it to be unseamanlike, to leave any vessel without 
 human eyes, and those open, to watch whether she 
 goes east or west, north or south." 
 
 " And who is guilty of such a dead-man s 
 watch ?" 
 
 " Why, they say on board here, that when it 
 blows hard, you seat the man you call long Tom 
 by the side of the tiller, tell him to keep her head- 
 to-sea, and then pipe all hands to their night-caps, 
 where you all remain, comfortably stowed in your 
 hammocks, until you are awakened by the snoring 
 of your helmsman." 
 
 " Tis a damned scandalous insinuation," cried 
 Barnstable, with an indignation that he in vain at 
 tempted to conceal. " Who gives currency to 
 such a libel, Mr. Griffith ?" 
 
 " I had it of the marine," said his friend, losing 
 the archness that had instigated him to worry his 
 companion, in the vacant air of one who was care 
 less of every thing ; " but I don t believe half of 
 it myself I have no doubt you all had your eyes 
 open last night, whatever you might have been 
 about this morning." 
 
 " Ah ! this morning ! there was an oversight, 
 indeed ! But I was studying a new signal-book, 
 Griffith, that has a thousand times more interest 
 for me than all the bunting you can show, from the 
 head to the heel of your masts." 
 
 " What ! have you found out the Englishman s 
 private talk ?" 
 
 " No, no," said the other, stretching forth his 
 hand, and grasping the arm of his friend. " I met, 
 last night, one, on those cliffs, who has proved her 
 self w 7 hat I always believed her to be and loved het 
 for, a girl of quick thought and bold spirit." 
 
THE PILOT 81 
 
 " Of whom do you speak ?" 
 " Of Katherine " 
 
 Griffith started from his chair involuntarily, at 
 the sound of this name, and the blood passed quick 
 ly through the shades of his countenance, leaving 
 it now pale as death, and then burning as if op 
 pressed by a torrent from his heart. Struggling to 
 overcome an emotion, which he appeared ashamed 
 to betray even to the friend he most loved, the 
 . young man soon recovered himself so far as to re- 
 - sume his seat, when he asked, gloomily 
 " Was she alone ? 
 
 1" She was ; but she left with me this paper, and 
 this invaluable book, which is worth a library of 
 all other works." 
 
 The eye of Griffith rested vacantly on the trea 
 sure that the other valued so highly, but his hand 
 seized, eagerly, the open letter which was laid on 
 the table for his perusal. The reader will at once 
 understand, that it was in the hand-writing of a fe 
 male, and that it was the communication Barnsta- 
 ble had received from his betrothed, on the cliffs. 
 Its contents were as follows : 
 
 " Believing that Providence may conduct me 
 where we shall meet, or whence I may be able to 
 transmit to you this account, I have prepared a 
 short statement of the situation of Cecilia Howard 
 and myself; not, however, to urge you and Grif 
 fith to any rash or foolish hazards, but that you 
 may both sit down, and, after due consultation, de 
 termine on what is proper for our relief. 
 > " By this time, you must understand the cha- 
 ( racter of Colonel Howard too well to expect he 
 I will ever consent to give his niece to a rebel. He 
 chas already sacrificed to his loyalty, as he calls it. 
 < (but I whisper to Cecilia, tis his treason,) not on- 
 Uy his native country, but no small part of his for- 
 
82 THE PILOT. 
 
 tune also. In the frankness of my disposition, (you 
 know my frankness, Barnstable, but too well ! ) I 
 confessed to him, after the defeat of the mad at 
 tempt Griffith made to carry off Cecilia, in Caroli 
 na, that I had been foolish enough to enter into 
 some weak promise to the brother officer who had 
 accompanied the young sailor in his traitorous vi 
 sits to the plantation. Heigho ! I sometimes think 
 it would have been better for us all, if your ship had 
 never been chased into the river, or after she was 
 there, if Griffith had made no attempt to renew his 
 acquaintance with my cousin. The colonel re 
 ceived the intelligence as such a guardian would 
 hear that his ward was about to throw away thirty 
 thousand dollars and herself on a traitor to his king 
 5 and country. I defended you stoutly : said that 
 | you had no king, as the tie was dissolved ; that 
 ) America was your country, and that your profes- 
 I sion was honourable ; but it would not all do. 
 He called you rebel; that I was used to. He 
 said you were a traitor; that, in his vocabula 
 ry, amounts to the same thing. He even hinted 
 that you were a coward ; and that I knew to be 
 false, and did not hesitate to tell him so. He used 
 fifty opprobrious terms that I cannot remember, 
 but among others were the beautiful epithets of 
 disorganize!-, e leveller, c democrat, c ,and iaco- 
 bite. (I hope he did not mean a monk !) In short, 
 he acted Colonel Howard in a rage. But as his 
 dominion does not, like that of his favourite kings, 
 continue from generation to generation, and one 
 short year will release me from his power, and 
 leave rne mistress of my own actions, that is, if 
 your fine promises are to be believed, I bore it 
 J"all very well, being resolved to suffer any thing 
 (but martyrdom, rather than abandon Cecilia. She, 
 dear girl, has much more to distress her than I can 
 
TH PILOT. 83 
 
 have ; she is riot only the ward of Colonel How- 
 ard, but his niece, and his sole heir. I am per 
 suaded this latter circumstance makes no differ 
 ence in either her conduct or her feelings, but he 
 appears to think it gives him a right to tyrannize 
 over her on all occasions. After, .alia Colonel How 
 ard is a gentleman when you do not put him in a 
 passion, and, I believe, a thoroughly honest man, 
 and Cecilia even loves him. But a man who is 
 driven Trom liis country, in his sixtieth year, with 
 the loss of near half his fortune, is not apt to ca 
 nonize those who compel the change. 
 
 " It seems that when the Howards lived on this 
 island, a hundred years ago, they dwelt in the 
 county of Northumberland. Hither, then, he 
 brought us, when political events, and his dread of 
 becoming the uncle to a rebel, induced him to 
 abandon America, as he says, for ever. We have 
 *>een here now three months, and for two thirds 
 of that time we lived in tolerable comfort ; but lat 
 terly, the papers have announced the arrival of the 
 ship and your schooner in France, and from that 
 moment as strict a watch has been kept over us, 
 as if we had meditated a renewal of the Carolina 
 flight. The colonel, on his arrival here, hired an 
 old building, that is part house, rjart abbey, part 
 castle, and all prison, because it is said to have 
 once belonged to an ancestor of his. In this de 
 lightful dwelling there are many cages, that will 
 secure more uneasy birds than we are. About 
 a fortnight ago an alarm was given in a neighbour 
 ing village which is situated on the shore^, that two 
 American vessels, answering your description, had 
 been seen hovering along the coast ; and, as the 
 people in this quarter dream of nothing but that 
 terrible fellow Paul Jones, it was said that he was 
 DiTBoard one of them. But I belicvo that Colone 
 
84 THE PILOT. 
 
 Howard suspects who you really are. He was ve 
 ry minute in his inquiries, I hear; and since then, 
 has established a sort of gariison in the house, un 
 der the pretence of defending it against marauders, 
 like those who are said to have laid my Lady Sel 
 kirk under contribution. 
 
 " Now, understand me, Barnstable ; On no ac 
 count would I have you risk yourself on shore ; 
 neither must there be blood spilt, if you love me ; 
 but that you may know what sort of a place we 
 are confined in, and by whom surrounded, I will 
 describe both our prison and the garrison. The 
 whole building is of stone, and not to be attempt- 
 d with slight means. It has windings and turn 
 ings, both internally and externally, that w r ould re 
 quire more skill than I possess to make intelligi 
 ble ; but the rooms we inhabit are in the upper or 
 third floor of a wing, that you may call a tower, if 
 you are in a romantic mood, but which, in truth, is 
 nothing but a wing. Would to God I could fly 
 ^ with it ! If any accident should bring you in sight 
 <* of the dwelling, you will know our rooms by the 
 * three smoky vanes that whiffle about its pointed 
 roof, and also, by the windows in that story being 
 occasionally open. Opposite to our windows, at 
 the distance of half a mile, is a retired, unfrequent 
 ed ruin, concealed, in a great measure, from ob 
 servation by a wood, and affording none of the best 
 accommodations, it is true, but shelter in some of 
 its vaults or apartments. I have prepared, accord 
 ing to the explanations you once gave me on this 
 subject, a set of small signals, of differently colour 
 ed silks, and a little dictionary of all the phrases 
 that I could imagine as useful to refer to, properly 
 numbered to correspond with the key and the 
 flags, ull of which I shall send you with this letter. 
 You uiust prepare your own flags, and of course I 
 
THE PILOT. 85 
 
 retain mine, as well as a copy of the key arid book. 
 If opportunity should ever offer, we can have, at 
 least, a pleasant discourse together; you from the 
 top of the old tower in the ruins, and I from the 
 east window of my dressing-room ! But now for 
 the garrison. In addition to the commandant, Co 
 lonel Howard, who retains all the fierceness of his 
 former military profession, there is, as his second 
 in. authority, that bane of Cecilia s happiness, Kit 
 Dillon, with his long Savannah face, scornful eyes 
 of black, and skin of the same colour. This gen 
 tleman, you know, is a distant relative of the How 
 ards, and wishes to be more nearly allied. He is 
 poor, it is true, but then, as the colonel daily re 
 marks, he is a good and loyal subject, and no re 
 bel. When I asked why he was not in arms in 
 these stirring times, contending for the prince he 
 loves so much, the colonel answers that it is not 
 his profession, that he has been educated for the 
 law, and was destined to fill one of the highest ju 
 dicial stations in the colonies, and that he hoped 
 he should yet live to see him sentence certain 
 nameless gentlemen to condign punishment. This 
 was consoling, to be sure, but I bore it. How 
 ever, he left Carolina with us, and here he is, and 
 here he is likely to continue, unless you can catch 
 him, and anticipate his judgment on himself. This 
 gentleman the colonel has long desired to see the 
 husband of Cecilia, and since the news of your be- 
 on the coast, the siege has nearly amounted to 
 
 storm. The consequences are, that my cousin 
 at first kept her room, and then the colonel kept 
 her there, and even now she is precluded from 
 leaving the wing we inhabit. In addition to these 
 two principal gaolers, we have four men servants., 
 two black and two white ; and an officer and twen 
 ty soldiers from the neighbouring town are billeted 
 
 VOL. i. 8 
 
86 THE PILOT. 
 
 *on us, by particular desire, until the coast is de 
 clared free from pirates ! yes, that is the musical 
 >name they give you and when their own people 
 land, and plunder, and rob, and murder the men 
 and insult the women, they are called heroes ! It s 
 a fine thing to be able to invent names and make 
 dictionaries and it must be your fault, if mine 
 has been framed for no purpose. I declare, when 
 I recollect all the insulting and cruel things I hear 
 in this country of my own and her people, it makes 
 nie lose my temper, and forget my sex ; but do not 
 let my ill humour urge you to any thing rash ; re 
 member your life, remember their prisons, re 
 member your reputation, but do not, do not forget 
 your KATHERINE PLOWDEN." 
 
 " P. S. I had almost forgotten to tell you, that 
 in the signal-book you will find a more particulai 
 description of our prison, where it stands, and a 
 drawing of the grounds, &c." 
 
 When Griffith concluded this epistle, he return 
 ed it to the man to whom it was addressed, and 
 fell back in his chair, in an attitude that denoted 
 deep reflection. 
 
 " I knew she was here, or I should have ac 
 cepted the command offered to me by our com 
 missioners in Paris," he at length uttered ; " and 
 I thought that some lucky chance might throw her 
 in my way ; but this is bringing us close, indeed ! 
 This intelligence must be acted on, and that 
 promptly. Poor girl, what does she not suffer in 
 such a situation !" 
 
 " What a beautiful hand she writes !" exclaimed 
 Barnstable ; " tis as clear, and as pretty, and as 
 small, as her own delicate fingers. Griff, what a 
 log-book she would keep !" 
 
 " Cecilia Howard touch the coarse leaves of a 
 
THE PILOT. 87 
 
 log-book !" cried the other in amazement ; but 
 perceiving Barnstable to be poring over the con 
 tents of his mistress s letter, he smiled at their 
 mutual folly, and continued silent. After a short 
 time spent in cool reflection, Griffith required of 
 his friend the nature and circumstances of his in 
 terview with Katherme Plowden. Barnstable re 
 lated it, briefly, as it occurred, in the manner al 
 ready known to the reader. 
 
 " Then," said Griffith, " Merry is the only one, 
 besides ourselves, who knows of this meeting, and 
 he will be too chary of the reputation of his kins 
 woman to mention it." 
 
 " Her reputation needs no shield, Mr. Griffith," 
 cried her lover ; " tis as spotless as the canvass 
 above your head, and " 
 
 " Peace, dear Richard ; I entreat your pardon ; 
 my words may have conveyed more than I in 
 tended ; but it is important that our measures 
 should be secret, as well as prudently concerted." 
 
 " We must get them both off," returned Barn 
 stable, forgetting his displeasure the moment it 
 was exhibited, " and that too before the old man 
 takes it into his wise head to leave the coast. Did 
 you ever get a sight of his instructions, or does he 
 keep silent ?" 
 
 " As the grave. This is the first time we have 
 left port, that he has not conversed freely with me 
 on the nature of the cruise ; but not a syllable has 
 been exchanged between us on the subject, since 
 we sailed from Brest." 
 
 " Ah ! that is your Jersey bashfulness," said 
 fiarnstable ; " wait till I come alongside him, 
 with my eastern curiosity, and I pledge myself to 
 get it out of him in an hour." 
 
 " Twill be diamond cut diamond, I doubt," said 
 Griffith, laughing ; " you will find him as acute at 
 
88 THE PILOT. 
 
 evasion, as you can possibly be at a cross-examina 
 tion." 
 
 " At any rate, he gives me a chance to-day , 
 you know, I suppose, that he sent for me to at 
 tend a consultation of his officers on important 
 matters.? 
 
 " I did not," returned Griffith, fixing his eyes 
 intently on the speaker ; " what has he to offer ?" 
 
 *^>Nay, that you must ask your pilot ; for while 
 talking to me, the old man would turn and look at 
 the stranger, every minute, as if watching for sig 
 nals how to steer. " 
 
 u There is a mvjstesry about that man, and oui 
 connexion with him, that I cannot fathom," said 
 Griffith. " But I hear the voice of Manual call 
 ing for me ; we are wanted in the cabin. Remem 
 ber, you do not leave the ship without seeing me 
 again." 
 
 " No, no, my dear fellow, from the public we 
 must retire to another private consultation." 
 
 The young men arose, and Griffith, throwing 
 off the round-about in which he had appeared on 
 deck, drew on a coat of more formal appearance, 
 and taking a sword carelessly in his hand, they 
 proceeded together along the passage already de 
 scribed, to the gun-deck, where they entered, with 
 the proper ceremonials, into the principal cabin of 
 the frigate. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " Sempronius, speak." 
 
 Cato 
 
 THE arrangements for the consultation were 
 brief and simple. The veteran commander of the 
 frigate received his orders with punctilious respect, 
 and pointing to the chairs that were placed around 
 the table, which was a fixture in the centre of his 
 cabin, he silently seated himself, and his example 
 was followed by all, without further ceremony. 
 In taking their stations, however, a quiet, but rigid 
 observance was paid to the rights of seniority and 
 rank. On the right of the Captain was placed 
 Griffith, as next in authority ; and opposite to him 
 was seated the commander of the schooner. The 
 officer of marines, who was included in the num 
 ber, held the next situation in point of precedence, 
 the same order being observed to the bottom of 
 the table, which was occupied by a hard-featured, 
 square-built, athletic man, who held the office of 
 sailing-master. When order was restored, after 
 the short interruption of taking their places, the 
 officer who had required the advice of his inferiors 
 opened the business on which he demanded their 
 opinions. 
 
 My instructions direct me, gentlemen," he 
 8* 
 
90 THE PILOT. 
 
 said, " after making the coast of England, to run 
 the land down " 
 
 The hand of Griffith was elevated respectfully 
 for silence, and the veteran paused, with a look 
 that inquired the reason of his interruption. 
 
 " We are not alone," said the lieutenant, glanc 
 ing his eye towards the part of the cabin where 
 the pilot stood, leaning on one of the guns, in an 
 attitude of easy indulgence. 
 
 The stranger moved not at this direct hint ; nei 
 ther did his eye change from its close survey of a 
 chart that lay near him on the deck. The captain 
 dropped his voice to tones of cautious respect, as 
 he replied 
 
 " Tis only Mr. Gray. His services will be ne 
 cessary on the occasion, and therefore nothing need 
 oe concealed from him." 
 
 Glances of surprise were exchanged among the 
 young men, but Griffith bowing his silent acqui 
 escence in the decision of his superior, the latter 
 proceeded 
 
 " I was ordered to watch for certain signals from 
 the headlands that we made, and was furnished 
 with the best of charts, and such directions as ena 
 bled us to stand into the bay we entered last night. 
 We have now obtained a pilot, and one who has 
 proved himself a skilful man ; such a one, gentle 
 men, as no officer need hesitate to rely on, in any 
 emergency, cither on account of his integrity or his 
 knowledge." 
 
 The veteran paused, and turned his looks on the 
 countenances of the listeners, as if to collect their 
 sentiments on this important point. Receiving no 
 other reply than the one conveyed by the silent 
 inclinations of the heads of his hearers, the com 
 mander resumed his explanations, referring to an 
 open paper in his hand 
 
THE PILOT. 91 
 
 " It is known to you all, gentlemen, that the 
 unfortunate question of retaliation has been much 
 agitated between the two governments, our own 
 and that of the enemy. For this reason, and for 
 ^ certain political purposes, it has become an object 
 ; ;"; of solicitude with our commissioners in Paris, to 
 j obtain a few individuals of character from the ene- 
 / my, who may be held as a check on their proceed 
 i ings, at the same time it brings the evils of war, 
 ) from our own shores, home to those who have 
 caused it. An opportunity now offers to put this 
 plan in execution, and I have collected you, in or 
 der to consult on the means." 
 
 A profound silence succeeded this unexpected 
 communication of the object of their cruise. After 
 a short pause, their captain added, addressing him 
 self to the sailing-master 
 
 " What course would you advise me to pursue, 
 Mr. Boltrope ?" 
 
 The weather-beaten seaman who was thus called 
 on to break through the difficulties of a knotty 
 point, with his opinion, laid one of his short, bony 
 hands on the table, and began to twirl an inkstand 
 with great industry, while with the other he con 
 veyed a pen to his mouth, which was apparently 
 masticated with all the relish that he could possi 
 bly have felt had it been a leaf from the famous 
 Virginian weed. But perceiving that he was ex 
 pected to answer, after looking first to his right 
 hand, and then to his left, he spoke as follows, in a 
 hoarse, thick voice, in which the fogs of the ocean 
 seemed to have united with sea-damps and colds, 
 to destroy every thing like melody 
 
 " If this matter is ordered, it is to be done, 1 
 suppose," he said ; " for the old rule runs, c obey 
 orders, if you break owners ; though the maxim, 
 which says, l one hand for the owner, and t other 
 
92 THE PILOT. 
 
 for yourself, is quite as good, and has saved many 
 a hearty fellow from a fall that would have ba 
 lanced the purser s books. Not that I mean a pur 
 ser s books are not as good as any other man s, 
 but that when a man is dead, his account must be 
 closed, or there will be a false muster. Well, if 
 the thing is to be done, the next question is, how 
 is it to be done ? There is many a man that knows 
 there is too much canvass on a ship, who can t tell 
 how to shorten sail. Well, then, if the thing is re 
 ally to be done, we must either land a gang to seize 
 them, or we must show false lights, and sham co 
 lours, to lead them off to the ship. As for land 
 ing, Captain Munson, I can only speak for one 
 man, and that is myself, which is to say, that if 
 y you run the ship with her jib-boom into the king 
 \> of England s parlour windows, why, I m consent- 
 >ing, nor do I care how much of his crockery is 
 ) cracked in so doing ; but as to putting the print of 
 / my foot on one of his sandy beaches, if I do, that 
 \is always speaking for only one man, and saving 
 
 (your presence, may I hope to be d d." 
 
 The young men smiled as the tough old seaman 
 uttered his sentiments so frankly, rising with his 
 subject, to that which with him was the climax of 
 all discussion ; but his commander, w r ho was but a 
 more improved scholar from the same rough school, 
 appeared to understand his arguments entirely, and 
 without altering a muscle of his rigid countenance, 
 he required the opinion of the junior lieutenant. 
 
 The young man spoke firmly, but modestly, 
 though the amount of what he said was not much 
 more distinct than that uttered by the master, and 
 was very much to the same purpose, with the ex 
 ception, that he appeared to entertain no personal 
 reluctance to trusting himself on dry ground. 
 The opinions of the others grew gradually more 
 
THE PILOT. 93 
 
 explicit and clear, as they ascended in the scale of 
 rank, until it came to the turn of the captain of 
 marines to speak. There was a trifling exhibition 
 of professional pride about the soldier, in delivering 
 his sentiments on a subject that embraced a good 
 deal more of his peculiar sort of duty than ordina 
 rily occurred in the usual operations of the frigate. 
 
 " It appears to me, sir, that the success of this 
 expedition depends altogether upon the manner in 
 which it is conducted." After this lucid opening, 
 the soldier hesitated a moment, as if to collect his 
 ideas for a charge that should look down all oppo 
 sition, and proceeded. " The landing, of course, 
 will be effected on a fair beach, under cover of the 
 frigate s guns, and could it be possibly done, the 
 schooner should be anchored in such a manner as 
 to throw in a flanking fire on the point of debark 
 ation. The arrangements for the order of inarch 
 must a good deal depend on the distance to go 
 over ; though I should think, sir, an advanced party 
 of seamen, to act as pioneers for the column of 
 marines, should be pushed a short distance in front, 
 while the baggage and baggage-guard might rest 
 upon the frigate, until the enemy was driven into 
 the interior, when it could advance without dan 
 ger. There should be flank-guards, under the or 
 ders of two of the oldest midshipmen ; and a light 
 corps might be formed of the top-men, to co-ope 
 rate with the marines. Of course, sir, Mr. Griffith 
 will lead, in person, the musket-men and boarders, 
 armed with their long pikes, whom I presume he 
 will hold in reserve, as I trust my military claims 
 and experience entitle me to the command of the 
 main body." 
 
 " Well done, field marshal !" cried Barnstable, 
 with a glee that seldom regarded time 01 place ; 
 {C you should never let salt-water mould your but- 
 
94 THE PILOT. 
 
 tons, but in Washington s camp, ay ! and in Wash- 
 ington s tent, you should swing your hammock in 
 future. Why, sir, do you think we are about to 
 i invade England ?" 
 
 " I know that every military movement should 
 oe executed with precision, Captain Barnstable," 
 returned the marine. " I am too much accus 
 tomed to hear the sneers of the sea-officers, to re 
 gard what I know proceeds from ignorance. If 
 Captain Munson is disposed to employ me and my 
 command in this expedition, I trust he will disco 
 ver that marines are good for something more than 
 to mount guard or pay salutes." Then, turning 
 haughtily from his antagonist, he continued to ad 
 dress himself to their common superior, as if dis 
 daining further intercourse w r ith one who, from the 
 nature of the case, must be unable to comprehend 
 the force of what he said. " It will be prudent, 
 Captain Munson, to send out a party to recon 
 noitre, before we march ; and as it may be neces 
 sary to defend ourselves in case of a repulse, I 
 would beg leave to recommend that a corps be pro 
 vided with entrenching tools, to accompany the 
 expedition. They would be extremely useful, sir, 
 in assisting to throw up field-works ; though, I 
 doubt not, tools might be found in abundance in 
 this country, and labourers impressed for the ser 
 vice, on an emergency. " 
 
 This was too much for the risibility of Barnsta- 
 ble, who broke forth in a burst of scornful laugh 
 ter, which no one saw proper to interrupt ; though 
 Griffith, on turning his head, to conceal the smile 
 that was gathering on his own face, perceived the 
 5 fierce glance which the pilot threw at the merry 
 ^ seaman, and wondered at its significance and impa- 
 / tience. When Captain Munson thought that the 
 mirth of the lieutenant was concluded, he mildly 
 
THE PILOT. 95 
 
 desired his reasons for amusing himself so exceed 
 ingly with the plans of the marine. 
 
 " J Tis a chart for a campaign !" cried Barnsta 
 ble, " and should be sent off express to Congress, 
 before the Frenchmen are brought into the field !" 
 
 " Have you any better plan to propose, Mr. 
 Bai nstable ?" inquired the patient commander. 
 
 " Better ! ay, one that will take no time, and 
 cause no trouble, to execute it," cried the other ; 
 " tis a seaman s job, sir, and must be done with a 
 seaman s means." 
 
 " Pardon me, Captain Barnstable," interrupted 
 the marine, whose jocular vein was entirely ab 
 sorbed in his military pride ; " if there be service 
 to be done on shore, I claim it as my right to be 
 employed." 
 
 " Claim what you will, soldier, but how will you 
 carry on the war with a parcel of fellows who 
 don t know one end of a boat from the other," 
 returned the reckless sailor. " Do you think, that 
 a barge or a cutter is to be beached in the same 
 manner you ground firelock, by word of command ? 
 No, no, Captain Manual I honour your courage, 
 for 1 have seen it tried, but d e if " 
 
 " You forget, we wait for your project, Mr. 
 Barnstable," said the veteran. 
 
 " I crave your patience, sir ; but no project is 
 
 necessary. Point out the bearings and distance of 
 
 the place where the men you want are to be found, 
 
 and I will take the heel of the gale, and run into the 
 
 ; land, always speaking for good water and no rocks, 
 
 ( Mr. Pilot, you will accompany me, for you carry 
 
 \ as true a map of the bottom of these seas in youi 
 
 head as ever was made of dry ground. I will look 
 
 out for good anchorage, or if the wind should blow 
 
 offshore, let the schooner stand off and on, till we 
 
 should be ready to take the broad sea again. I 
 
96 THE PILOT. 
 
 would land, out of my -whale-boat, with long Tom 
 and a boat s crew, and finding out the place you 
 will describe, we shall go up, and take the men 
 you want, and bring them aboard. It s all plain- 
 sailing ; though, as it is a well-peopled country, 
 it may be necessary to do our shore work in the 
 dark." 
 
 " Mr. Griffith, we only wait for your senti 
 ments," proceeded the captain, " when, by com 
 paring opinions, we may decide on the most pru 
 dent course." 
 
 The first lieutenant had been much absorbed 
 in thought, during the discussion of the subject, 
 and might have been, on that account, better pre 
 pared to give his opinion with effect. Pointing 
 to the man who yet stood behind him, leaning on 
 a gun, he commenced by asking 
 
 " Is it your intention that man shall accompany 
 the party ?" 
 
 " It is." 
 
 " And from him you expect the necessary in 
 formation, sir, to guide our movements ?" 
 
 " You are altogether right." 
 
 " If, sir, he has but a moiety of the skill on the 
 land that he possesses on the water, I will answer 
 for his success," returned the lieutenant, bowing 
 slightly to the stranger, who received the compli 
 ment by a cold inclination of his head. " I must 
 desire the indulgence of both Mr. Barnstable and 
 Captain Manual," he continued, " and claim the 
 command as of right belonging to my rank." 
 
 " It belongs naturally to the schooner," exclaim 
 ed the impatient Barnstable. 
 
 " There may be enough for us all to do," said 
 Griffith, elevating a finger to the other, in a man 
 ner, and with an impressive look, that was in 
 stantly comprehended. " I neither agree wholh 
 
 
THE PILOT. 97 
 
 with the one nor the other of these gentlemen 
 Tis said, that since our appearance on- the coast, 
 the dwellings of many of the gentry are guarded 
 oy small detachments of soldiers from the neigh 
 bouring towns." 
 
 " Who says it ?" asked the pilot, advancing 
 among them with a suddenness that caused a ge 
 neral silence. 
 
 " I say it, sir," returned the lieutenant, whon 
 the momentary surprise had passed away. 
 
 " Can you vouch for it ?" 
 
 " I can." 
 
 " Name a house, or an individual, that is thus 
 protected." 
 
 Griffith gazed at the man who thus forgot him 
 self in the midst of a consultation like the present, 
 and yielding to his native pride, hesitated to re 
 ply. But mindful of the declarations of his cap 
 tain, and the recent services of the pilot, he at 
 length said, with a little embarrassment of man 
 ner 
 
 " I know it to be the fact, in the dwelling of a 
 Colonel Howard, who resides but a few leagues to 
 the north of us." 
 
 The stranger started at the name, and then 
 raising his eye keenly to the face of the young 
 man, appeared to study his thoughts in his varying 
 countenance. But the action, and the pause that 
 followed, were of short continuance. His lip 
 slightly curled, whether in scorn or with a con 
 cealed smile, would have been difficult to say, ao 
 closely clid it resemble both, and as he dropped 
 quietly back to his place at the gun, he said 
 
 " Tis more than probable you are right, sir ; 
 and if I might presume to advise Captain Mun- 
 son, it would be to lay great weight on your 
 opinion." 
 
 VOL. i. 9 
 
98 THE PILOT. 
 
 Griffith turned, to see if he could comprehend 
 more meaning in the manner of the stranger than 
 his words expressed, but his face was again shaded 
 by his hand, and his eyes were once more fixed 
 on the chart with the same vacant abstraction as 
 before. 
 
 " I have said, sir, that I agree wholly neither 
 with Mr. Barnstable nor Captain Manual," con 
 tinued the lieutenant, after a short pause. " The 
 command of this party is mine, as the senior offi 
 cer, and I must beg leave to claim it. I certainly 
 do not think the preparation that Captain Manual 
 advises necessary ; neither would I undertake the 
 duty with as little caution as Mr. Barnstable pro 
 poses. If there are soldiers to be encountered, 
 we should have soldiers to oppose to them ; but 
 as it must be sudden boat-work, and regular evo 
 lutions must give place to a seaman s bustle, a sea- 
 officer should command. Is my request granted, 
 Captain Munson ?" 
 
 The veteran replied, without hesitation 
 
 " It is, sir ; it was my intention to offer you 
 the service, and I rejoice to see you accept it so 
 cheerfully." 
 
 Griffith with difficulty concealed the satisfaction 
 with which he listened to his commander, and a 
 radiant smile illumined his pale features, when he 
 observed 
 
 " With me then, sir, let the responsibility rest. 
 I request that Captain Manual, with twenty men, 
 may be put under my orders, if that gentleman 
 does not dislike the duty." The marine bowed, 
 and cast a glance of triumph at Barnstable. " I 
 will take my own cutter, with her tried crew, go 
 on board the schooner, and when the wind lulls, 
 we will run in to the land, and then be governed 
 by circumstances." 
 
THE TILOT. 99 
 
 The commander of the schooner threw back the 
 triumphant look of the marine, and exclaimed, in 
 his joyous manner 
 
 " Tis a good plan, and done like a seaman, Mr. 
 Griffith. Ay, ay, let the schooner be employed, 
 and if it be necessary, you shall see her anchored 
 in one of their duck-ponds, with her broadside to 
 bear on the parlour-windows of the best house in 
 the island ! But twenty marines ! they will cause 
 a jam in my little craft." 
 
 " Not a man less than twenty would be pru 
 dent," returned Griffith. " More service may of 
 fer than that we seek." 
 
 Barnstable well understood his allusion, but still 
 he replied 
 
 " Make it seamen, and I will give you room for 
 thirty. But these soldiers never know how to 
 stow away their arms and legs, unless at a drill. 
 One will take the room of two sailors ; they swing 
 their hammocks athwart-ships, heads to leeward, 
 and then turn-out wrong end uppermost at the call. 
 Why, damn it, sir, the chalk and rotten-stone of 
 twenty soldiers will chock my hatches !" 
 
 " Give me the launch, Captain Munson !" ex 
 claimed the indignant marine, " and we w r ill follow 
 Mr. Griffith in an open boat, rather than put Cap 
 tain Barnstable to so much inconvenience." 
 
 " No, no, Manual," cried the other, extending 
 his muscular arm across the table, with an open 
 palm, to the soldier ; " you would all become so 
 many Jonahs in uniform, and I doubt whether the 
 fish could digest your cartridge-boxes and bayonet- 
 belts. You shall go with me, and learn, with your 
 own eyes, whether we keep the cat s-watch aboard 
 the Ariel that you joke about." 
 
 The laugh was general, at the expense of the 
 soldier, if we except the pilot and the commander 
 
100 THE PILOT. 
 
 of the frigate. The former was a silent, and ap 
 parently an abstracted, but in reality a deeply in 
 terested listener to the discourse ; and there were 
 moments when he bent his looks on the speakers, 
 is if he sought more in their characters than wag 
 exhibited by the gay trifling of the moment. Cap 
 tain Munson seldom allowed a muscle of his wrin 
 kled features to disturb their repose ; and if he 
 had not the real dignity to repress the untimely 
 mirth of his officers, he had too much good nature 
 to wish to disturb their harmless enjoyments. He 
 expressed himself satisfied with the proposed ar 
 rangements, and beckoned to his steward to place 
 before them the usual beverage, with which all 
 their consultations concluded. 
 
 The sailing-master appeared to think that the 
 same order was to be observed in their potations 
 as in council, and helping himself to an allow 
 ance which retained its hue even in its diluted 
 state, he first raised it to the light, and then ob 
 served 
 
 " This ship s-water is nearly the colour of rum 
 of itself ; if it only had its flavour, what a set of 
 hearty dogs we should be. Mr. Griffith, I find 
 you are willing to haul your land-tacks aboard. 
 Well, it s natural for youth to love the earth ; but 
 there is one man, and he is sailing-master of this 
 ship, who saw land enough, last night, to last him 
 a twelvemonth. But if you will go, here s a good 
 land-fall, and a better offing to you. Captain 
 Munson, my respects to you. I say, sir, if we 
 should keep the ship more to the south ard, it s 
 my opinion, and that s but one man s, we should 
 fall in with some of the enemy s homeward-bound 
 West-Indiamen, and find wherewithal to keep the 
 life in us when we see fit to go ashore ourselves." 
 
 As the tough old sailor made frequent applica- 
 
THE PILOT. 101 
 
 lion of the glass to his mouth with the one hand, 
 and kept a firm hold of the decanter with the 
 other, during this speech, his companions were 
 compelled to listen to his eloquence, or depart with 
 their thirst unassuaged. Barnstable, however, 
 quite coolly dispossessed the tar of the bottle, and 
 mixing for himself a more equal potation, observed, 
 in the act 
 
 " That is the most remarkable glass of grog you 
 have, Boltrope, that I ever sailed with ; it draws 
 as little water as the Ariel, and is as hard to find 
 the bottom. If your spirit room enjoys the same 
 sort of engine to replenish it, as you pump out 
 your rum, Congress will sail this frigate cheaply." 
 The other officers helped themselves with still 
 greater moderation, Griffith barely moistening his 
 lips, and the pilot rejecting the offered glass alto 
 gether. Captain Munson continued standing, and 
 his officers, perceiving that their presence was no 
 longer necessary, bowed, and took their leave. 
 As Griffith was retiring last, he felt a hand laid 
 lightly on his shoulder, and turning, perceived that 
 he was detained by the pilot. 
 
 " Mr. Griffith," he said, when they were quite 
 alone with the commander of the frigate, " the 
 occurrences of the last night should teach us con 
 fidence in each other ; without it, we go on a dan 
 gerous and fruitless errand." 
 
 " Is the hazard equal?" returned the youth 
 ? " I am known to all to be the man I seem am in 
 < the service of my country belong to a family, and 
 ] enjoy a name, that is a pledge for my loyalty to 
 \ the cause of America and yet I trust myself on 
 j hostile ground, in the midst of enemies, with a 
 weak arm, and under circumstances where trea 
 chery would prove my ruin. Who and what is 
 the man who fchus enjoys your confidence, Captain 
 9* 
 
102 THE PILOT. 
 
 Munson ? I ask the question less for myself than 
 for the gallant men who will fearlessly follow 
 wherever I lead." 
 
 A shade of dark displeasure crossed the features 
 of the stranger, at one part of this speech, and at its 
 close he sunk into deep thought. The commander s 
 however, replied 
 
 " There is a show of reason in your question, 
 Mr. Griffith and yet you are not the man to be 
 told that implicit obedience is what I have a right 
 to expect. I have not your pretensions, sir, by 
 \birth or education, and yet Congress have not seen 
 proper to overlook my years and services. I com 
 mand this frigate " 
 
 % " Say no more," interrupted the pilot. " There 
 
 is reason in his doubts, and they shall be appeased. 
 
 \ I like the proud and fearless eye of the young man, 
 
 j and while he dreads a gibbet from my hands, I 
 
 will show him how to repose a noble confidence. 
 
 Read this, sir, and tell me if you distrust me 
 
 now ?" 
 
 While the stranger epoke, he thrust his hand 
 into the bosom of his dress, and drew forth a parch 
 ment, decorated with ribands, and bearing a mas 
 sive seal, which he opened, and laid on the table 
 before the youth. As he pointed with his finger 
 impressively, to different parts of the writing, his 
 eye kindled with a look of unusual fire, and there 
 was a faint tinge discernible on his pallid features 
 when he spoke. 
 
 ^ " See !" he said, " royalty itself does not hesi- 
 1 tate to bear witness in my favour, and that is not a 
 / name to occasion dread to an American." 
 
 Griffith gazed with wonder at the fair signature 
 
 T of th^uyifodJinate^Lpuis, which graced the bottom 
 
 ; of the parchmentpbuT wKen his eye obeyed the 
 
 signal of the stranger, and rested on the body of 
 
THE PILOT. 103 
 
 the instrument, he started back from the table, ana 
 fixing his animated eyes on the pilot, he cried, 
 while a glow of fiery courage flitted across his 
 <^ countenance 
 
 " Lead on ! I ll follow you to death ! 
 A smile of gratified exultation struggled around 
 the lips of the stranger, who took the arm of the 
 young man, and led him into a state-room, leaving 
 the commander of the frigate, standing in his un 
 moved and quiet manner, a spectator of, but hard 
 ly an actor in the scene. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 " Fierce bounding, forward sprung the nhip 
 " Like grayhound starting from the slip, 
 " To seize his flying prey." 
 
 Lord of the Isles 
 
 ALTHOUGH the subject of the consultation re 
 mained a secret with those whose opinions were re 
 quired, yet enough of the result leaked out among 
 the subordinate officers, to throw the whole crew 
 into a state of eager excitement. The rumour 
 spread itself along the decks of the frigate, with 
 the rapidity of an alarm, that an expedition was to 
 attempt the shore on some hidden service, dictated 
 by the Congress itself; and conjectures were made 
 respecting its force and destination, with all that 
 interest which might be imagined would exist 
 among the men whose lives or liberties were to 
 abide the issue. A gallant and reckless daring, 
 mingled with the desire of novelty, however, was 
 the prevailing sentiment among the crew, who 
 would have received with cheers the intelligence 
 that their vessel was commanded to force the pas 
 sage of the united British fleet. A few of the old 
 er and more prudent of the sailors were excep 
 tions to this thoughtless hardihood, and one or two, 
 among whom the cockswain of the whaleboat was 
 the most conspicuous, ventured to speak doubting; 
 ly of all sorts of land service, as being of a nature 
 never to be attempted by seamen- 
 
THE PILOT. 105 
 
 Captain Manual had his men paraded in the 
 weather-gangway, and after a short address, calcu 
 lated to inflame their military ardour and patriot 
 ism, acquainted them that he required twenty 
 volunteers, which was in truth half their number, 
 for a dangerous service. After a short pause, the 
 company stepped forward, like one man, and an 
 nounced themselves as ready to follow him to the 
 end of the world. The marine cast a look over 
 his shoulder, at this gratifying declaration, in quest 
 of Barnstable ; but observing that the sailor was 
 occupied with some papers, on a distant part of the 
 quarter-deck, he proceeded to make a most im 
 partial division among the candidates for glory ; 
 taking care at the same time, to cull his company 
 in such a manner as to give himself the flower of 
 his men, and, consequently, to leave the ship the 
 refuse. 
 
 While this arrangement was taking place, and 
 the crew of the frigate was in this state of excite 
 ment, Griffith ascended to the deck, his counte 
 nance flushed with unusual enthusiasm, and his 
 eyes beaming ~ v \th a look of animation and gayety, 
 that had long been strangers to the face of the 
 young man. He was giving forth the few neces 
 sary orders to the seamen he was to take with him 
 from the ship, when Barnstable again motioned 
 him to follow, and led the way once more to the 
 state-room. 
 
 " Let the wind blow its pipe out," said the 
 commander of the Ariel, when they were seated ; 
 " there will be no landing on the eastern coast of 
 England till the sea goes down. But this Kate 
 was made for a sailor s wife ! See Griffith, what 
 a set of signals she has formed, out of her own 
 cunning head." 
 
 u I hop your opinion may prove true, and that 
 
106 THE riLoi 
 
 yo:* may be the happy sailor who is to wed her, 5; 
 returned the other. " The girl has indeed dis 
 covered surprising art in this business ! where could 
 she have learnt the method and system so well ?" 
 
 " Where ! why, where she learnt better things ; 
 how to prize a whole-hearted seaman, for instance 
 Do you think that my tongue was jammed in my 
 mouth, all the time we used to sit by the side of 
 the river in Carolina, and that we found nothing 
 to talk about !" 
 
 " Did you amuse your mistress with treatises 
 on the art of navigation, and the science of sig- 
 ,nals ?" said Griffith, smiling. 
 
 " I answered her questions, Mr. Griffith, as any 
 civil man would to a woman he loved. The girl 
 has as much curiosity as one of my own towns- 
 women who has weathered cape forty without a 
 husband, and her tongue goes like a dogvane in a 
 calm, first one way and then another. But here 
 is her dictionary. Now own, GrifF., in spite of 
 your college learning and sentimentals, that a wo 
 man of ingenuity and cleverness is a very good sort 
 of a helpmate." 
 
 " I never doubted the merits of Miss Plowden," 
 said the other, w T ith a droll gravity that often min 
 gled with his deeper feelings, the result of a sai 
 lor s habits, blended with native character. " But 
 this indeed surpasses all my expectations ! Why, 
 she has, in truth, made a most judicious selection 
 of phrases. c No. 168. **** indelible ; c 169.**** 
 end only with life ; i 170. **** I fear yours mis 
 leads me; 171. " 
 
 " Pshaw !" exclaimed Barnstable, snatching the 
 book from before the laughing eyes of Griffith ; 
 u what folly, to throw away our time now on such 
 nonsense. What think you of this expedition in 
 the land ? 
 
THE PILOT. 107 
 
 " That it may be the means of rescuing the la 
 dies, though it fail in making the prisoners we an- 
 ticipate." 
 
 " But this pilot ! you remember that he holds 
 us by our necks, and can run us all up to the yard- 
 arm of some English ship, whenever he chooses to 
 open his throat at their threats or bribes." 
 
 " It would have been better that he should have 
 cast the ship ashore, when he had her entangled in 
 the shoals ; it would have been our last thought to 
 suspect him of treachery then," returned Griffith. 
 " I follow him with confidence, and must believe 
 that we are safer with him than we should be with 
 out him." 
 
 " Let him lead to the dwelling of his fox-hunt 
 ing ministers of state," cried Barnstable, thrusting 
 his book of signals into his bosom ; " but here is a 
 chart that will show us the way to the port we 
 wish to find. Let my foot once more touch terra 
 firma, and you may write craven against my name, 
 if that laughing vixen slips her cable before my 
 eyes, and shoots into the wind s eye again like a 
 flying-fish chased by a dolphin. Mr. Griffith, we 
 must have the chaplain with us to the shore." 
 
 " The madness of love is driving you into the 
 errors of the soldier. Would you lie-by to hear 
 sermons, with a flying party like ours ?" 
 
 " Nay, nay, we must lay-to for nothing that is 
 not unavoidable ; but there are so many tacks in 
 such a chase, when on has time to breathe, that we 
 might as well spend our leisure in getting that fel 
 low to splice us together. He has a handy way 
 with a prayer-book, and could do the job as well 
 as a bishop, and I should like to be able to say, 
 that this is the last time these two saucy names, 
 which are written at the bottom of this letter, should 
 ever be seen sailing in the company of each other." 
 
r 
 
 108 THE PILOT. 
 
 " It will not do," said his friend, shaking his 
 head, and endeavouring to force a smile which his 
 ^feelings suppressed ; " it will not do, Richard ; we 
 must yield our own inclinations to the service of 
 > our country ; nor is this pilot a man who will con- 
 f sent to be led from his purpose." 
 
 " Then let him follow his purpose alone," cried 
 Barnstable. " There is no human power, always 
 saving my superior officer, that shall keep me from 
 throwing abroad these tiny signals, and having a 
 private talk with my dark-eyed Kate. But for a 
 paltry pilot ! he may luff and bear away as he 
 pleases, while I shall steer as true as a magnet for 
 that old ruin, where I can bring my eyes to bear 
 on that romantic wing and three smoky vanes. Not 
 that I ll forget my duty ; no, I ll help you catch 
 the Englishmen ; but when that is done, hey ! for 
 Katherine Plowden and my true love !" 
 
 " Hush, madcap ! the ward-room holds long 
 ears, and our bulkheads grow thin by wear. I 
 must keep you and myself to our duty. This is 
 no children s game that we play ; it seems the 
 commissioners at Paris have thought proper to em 
 ploy a frigate in the sport." 
 
 Barnstable s gayety was a little repressed by the 
 grave manner of his companion ; but after reflect 
 ing a moment, he started on his feet, and made the 
 usual movements for departure. 
 
 " Whither ?" asked Griffith, gently detaining his 
 impatient friend. 
 
 " To old Moderate ; I have a proposal to make 
 that may remove every difficulty." 
 
 " Name it to me, then ; I am in his council, and 
 may save you the trouble and mortification of a 
 refusal." 
 
 " How many of those gentry does he wish to 
 line his cabin with ?" 
 
THE PILOT. 109 
 
 " The pilot has named no less than six, all men 
 of rank and consideration with the enemy. Two 
 of them are peers, two more belong to the com 
 mons house of parliament, one is a general, and 
 the sixth, like ourselves, is a sailor, and holds tho 
 rank of captain. They muster at a hunting seat 
 neai the coast, and believe me the scheme is not 
 without its plausibility." 
 
 " Well, then, there are two a-piece for us. You 
 follow the pilot, if you will ; but let me sheer off 
 for this dwelling of Colonel Howard, with my 
 cockswain and boat s-crew. I will surprise his 
 house, release the ladies, and on my way back ? 
 lay my hands on two of the first lords I fall in with 
 I suppose, for our business, one is as good as an 
 other." 
 
 Griffith could not repress a faint laugh, while he 
 replied 
 
 " Though they are said to be each other s 
 peers, there is, I believe, some difference even in 
 the quality of lords. England might thank us for 
 ridding her of some among them. Neither are 
 they to be found, like beggars, under every hedge. 
 No, no, the men we seek, must have something 
 better than their nobility to recommend them to 
 our favour. But let us examine more closely into 
 this plan and map of Miss Plowden ; something 
 may occur, that shall yet bring the place within 
 our circuit, like a contingent duty of the cruise." 
 
 Barn stable reluctantly relinquished his own 
 wild plan, to the more sober judgment of his friend, 
 and they passed an hour together, inquiring into 
 the practicability, and consulting on the means, of 
 making their public duty subserve the purposes 
 of their private feelings. 
 
 The gale continued to blow heavily, during the 
 
 VOL. i. 10 
 
10 THE PILOT. 
 
 whole of that morning ; but towards noon, the 
 usual indications of better weather became ap 
 parent. During these few hours of inaction ii\ 
 the frigate, the marines, who were drafted for ser 
 vice on the land, moved through the vessel with a 
 busy and stirring air, as if they were about to par 
 ticipate in the glory and danger of the campaign 
 their officer had planned, while the few seamen 
 who were to accompany the expedition steadily 
 paced the deck, with their hands thrust into the 
 bosoms of their neat blue jackets, or, occasionally, 
 stretched towards the horizon, as their fingers 
 traced, for their less experienced shipmates, the 
 signs of an abatement in the gale among the driv 
 ing clouds. The last lagger among the soldiers had 
 appeared w r ith his knapsack on his back in the lee- 
 gangway, where his comrades were collected, arm 
 ed and accoutred for the strife, when Captain 
 Munson ascended to the quarter-deck, accompa 
 nied by the stranger and his first lieutenant. A 
 word was spoken by the latter in a low voice to a 
 midshipman who skipped gayly along the deck, 
 and presently the shrill call of the boatswain was 
 heard, preceding the hoarse cry of 
 " Away there, you. Tigers, > away !" 
 A smart roll of the drum followed, and the ma 
 rines paraded, while the six seamen who belonged 
 to the cutter that owned so fierce a name, made 
 their preparations for lowering their little bark 
 from the quarter of the frigate into the troubled 
 sea. Every thing was conducted in the most ex 
 act order, and with a coolness and skill that bid 
 defiance to the turbulence of the angry elements. 
 The marines were safely transported from the ship 
 to the schooner, under the favouring shelter of the 
 former, though the boat appeared, at times, to be 
 
THE PILOT. Ill 
 
 seeking the cavities of the ocean, and again, to be 
 ri ding in the clouds, as she passed from one vessel 
 to the other. 
 
 At length it was announced that the cutter was 
 ready to receive the officers of the party. The 
 pilot walked aside, and held private discourse, for 
 a few moments, with the commander, who listen 
 ed to his sentences with marked and singular at 
 tention. When their conference was ended, the 
 veteran bared his grey head to the blasts, and of 
 fered his hand to the other, with a seaman s frank 
 ness, mingled with the deference of an inferior. 
 The compliment was courteously returned by the 
 stranger, who turned quickly on his heel, and di 
 rected the attention of those who awaited his 
 movements, by a significant gesture, to the gang 
 way. 
 
 " Come, gentlemen, let us go," said Griffith, 
 starting from a reverie, and bowing his hasty com 
 pliments to his brethren in arms. 
 
 When it appeared that his superiors were ready 
 to enter the boat, the boy, who, by nautical cour 
 tesy, was styled Mr. Merry, and who had been 
 ordered to be in readiness, sprang over the side 
 of the frigate, and glided into the cutter, with the 
 activity of a squirrel. But the captain of marines 
 paused, and cast a meaning glance at the pilot, 
 whose place it was to precede him. The stranger, 
 as he lingered on the deck, was examining the 
 aspect of the heavens, and seemed unconscious of 
 the expectations of the soldier, who gave vent to 
 his impatience, after a moment s detention, by say 
 ing 
 
 " We wait for you, Mr. Gray." 
 
 Aroused by the sound of his name, the pilot 
 glanced his quick eye on the speaker, but instead 
 of advancing, he gently bent his body, as he again 
 
112 THE PILOT. 
 
 signed towards the gangway with his hand. To 
 the astonishment not only of the soldiei , but of all 
 who witnessed this breach of naval etiquette, Grif 
 fith bowed low, and entered the boat with the same 
 promptitude as if he were preceding an admiral, 
 Whether the stranger became conscious of his 
 want of courtesy, or was too indifferent to sur 
 rounding objects to note occurrences, he immedi 
 ately followed himself, leaving to the marine the 
 jjost of honour. The latter, who was distinguish 
 ed for his skill in all matters of naval or military 
 etiquette, thought proper to apologize, at a fitting 
 time, to the first lieutenant, for suffering his senior 
 officer to precede him into a boat, but never failed 
 to show a becoming exultation, when he recounted 
 the circumstance, by dwelling on the manner in 
 which he had brought down the pride of the 
 haughty pilot. 
 
 Barnstable had been several hours on board his 
 little vessel, which was every way prepared for 
 their reception ; and as soon as the heavy cuttei 
 of the frigate was hoisted on her deck, he an 
 nounced that the schooner was ready to proceed 
 It has been already intimated, that thj^A.ielJ>e- 
 ionged to the smallest class of sea-vessels, and as 
 the symmetry of her construction reduced even 
 that size in appearance, she was peculiarly well 
 adapted to the sort of service in which she was 
 about to be employed. Notwithstanding her light 
 ness rendered her nearly as buoyant as a cork, and 
 at times she actually seemed to ride on the foam, 
 her low decks were perpetually washed by the 
 heavy seas that dashed against her frail sides, and 
 she tossed and rolled in the hollows of the waves, 
 in a manner that compelled even the practised sea 
 men who trod her decks to move with guarded 
 steps. Still she was trimmed and cleared with ao 
 
THE PILOT. 113 
 
 air of nautical neatness and attention that afforded 
 the utmost possible room for her dimensions ; and 
 though in miniature, she wore the trappings of war 
 as proudly as if the metal she bore was of a more 
 fatal and dangerous character. The murderous 
 gun, which, since the period of which we are writ 
 ing, has been universally adopted in all vessels of 
 inferior size, was then in the infancy of its inven 
 tion, and was known to the American mariner only 
 by reputation, under the appalling name of a 
 " smasher." Of a vast caliber, though short, and 
 easily managed, its advantages were even in that 
 early day beginning to be appreciated, and the larg 
 est ships w r ere thought to be unusually well pro 
 vided with the means of offence, when they car 
 ried two or three cannon of this formidable inven 
 tion among their armament. At a later day this 
 weapon has been improved and altered, until its 
 use has become general in vessels of a certain size, 
 taking its appellation from the Carron, on the banks 
 of which river it was first moulded. In place ot 
 these carronades, six light brass cannon were firmly 
 lashed to the bulwarks of the Ariel, their brazen 
 throats blackened by the sea-water, which so often 
 broke harmlessly over these engines of destruction. 
 In the centre of the vessel, between her two masts, 
 a gun of the same metal, but of nearly twice the 
 length of the others, was mounted on a carriage of 
 a new and singular construction, which admitted 
 of its being turned in any direction, so as to be of 
 service in most of the emergencies that occur in 
 naval warfare. 
 
 The eye of the pilot examined this armament 
 closely, and then turned to the well-ordered decks, 
 the neat and compact rigging, and the hardy faces 
 of the fine young crew, with manifest satisfaction. 
 Contrary to what had been his practice during the 
 10* 
 
114 THE PILOT. 
 
 short time he had been with them, he uttered his 
 gratification freely and aloud. 
 
 " You have a tight boat, Mr. Barnstable," he 
 said, " and a gallant looking crew. You promise 
 good service, sir, in time of need, and that hour 
 may not be far distant." 
 
 " The sooner the better," returned the reckless 
 sailor ; " I have not had an opportunity of scaling 
 my guns since we quitted Brest, though we passed 
 several of the enemy s cutters coming up channel, 
 with whom our bull-dogs longed for a conversa 
 tion. Mr. Griffith will tell you*, pilot, that my lit 
 tle sixes can speak, on occasion, with a voice nearly 
 as loud as the frigate s eighteens." 
 
 " But not to as much purpose," observed Grif 
 fith ; " l vox et preterea nihil, as we said at the 
 school." 
 
 " I know nothing of your Greek or Latin, Mr. 
 Griffith," retorted the commander of the Ariel ; 
 " but if you mean that those seven brass play 
 things won t throw a round shot as far as any gun 
 ol their size and height above the water, or won t 
 scatter grape and canister with any blunderbuss 
 in your ship, you may possibly find an opportunity 
 that will convince you to the contrary, before we 
 part company." 
 
 " They promise well," said the pilot, who was 
 evidently ignorant of the good understanding that 
 existed between the two officers, and wished to 
 conciliate all under his directions, " and I doubt 
 not they will argue the leading points of a combat 
 with good discretion. I see that you have chris 
 tened them I suppose for their respective merits. 
 They are indeed expressive names !" 
 
 " Tis the freak of an idle moment," said Barn* 
 stable, laughing, as he glanced his eyes to the can 
 non, above which were painted the several quain 
 
THE PILOT. 1 1 5 
 
 names of " boxer," " plumper," " grinder," u scat 
 terer," " exterminator," and " nail-driver." 
 
 " Why have you thrown the midship-gun with 
 out the pale of your baptism ?" asked the pilot ; 
 " or do you know it by the usual title of the l old 
 woman ? " 
 
 "No, no, I have no such petticoat terms on 
 board me," cried the other ; " but move more to 
 starboard, and you will see its style painted on the 
 cheeks of the carriage ; it s a name that need not 
 cause them to blush either." 
 
 " Tis a singular epithet, though not without 
 some meaning !" 
 
 " It has more than you, perhaps, dream of, sir. 
 That worthy seaman, whom you see leaning 
 against the foremast, and who would serve, on oc 
 casion, for a spare spar himself, is the captain o 
 that gun, and more than once has decided some 
 warm disputes with John Bull, by the manner in 
 which he has wielded it. No marine can trail 
 his musket more easily than my cockswain can 
 train his nine-pounder on an object ; and thus from 
 their connexion, and some resemblance there is be 
 tween them in length, it has got the name which 
 you perceive it carries ; that of long Tom. 
 
 The pilot smiled as he listened, but turning 
 away from the speaker, the deep reflection t*hat 
 crossed his brow but too plainly showed that he 
 trifled only from momentary indulgence ; and Grif 
 fith intimated to Barnstable, that as the gale was 
 sensibly abating, they would pursue the object of 
 their destination. 
 
 Thus recalled to his duty, the commander of the 
 schooner forgot the delightful theme of expatiating 
 on the merits of his vessel, and issued the neces 
 sary orders to direct their movements. The little 
 schooner slowly obeyed the impulse of her helm. 
 
116 THE PILOT. 
 
 *nd fell off before the wind, when the folds of hei 
 squaresail, though limited by a prudent reef, were 
 opened to the blasts, and she shot away from her 
 consort, like a meteor dancing across the waves. 
 The black mass of the frigate s hull soon sunk in 
 distance, and long before the sun had fallen below 
 the hills of England, her tall masts were barely 
 distinguishable by the small cloud of sail that held 
 the vessel to her station. As the ship disappear 
 ed, the land seemed to issue out of the bosom of 
 the deep, and so rapid was their progress, that the 
 dwellings of the gentry, the humbler cottages, and 
 even the dim lines of the hedges, became gradual 
 ly more distinct to the eyes of the bold manners, 
 until they were beset with the gloom of evening, 
 when the whole scene faded from their view in 
 the darkness of the hour, leaving only the faint 
 outline of the land visible in the tract before them, 
 and the sullen billows of the ocean raging with ap 
 palling violence in their rear. 
 
 Still the little Ariel held on her way, skimming 
 the ocean like a water-fowl seeking its place of 
 nightly rest, and shooting in towards the land as 
 fearlessly as if the dangers of the preceding night 
 were already forgotten. No shoals or rocks ap 
 peared to arrest her course, and we must leave 
 her* gliding into the dark streak that was thrown 
 from the high and rocky cliffs, that lined a basin oi 
 oold entrance, where the mariners often sought 
 and found a refuge from the dangers of the Ger 
 man Ocfian. 
 
CHAPTER IX, 
 
 Sirrah ! how dare you leave your barley broth, 
 To come in armour thus, against your king !" 
 
 Drama 
 
 THE large, irregular building, inhabited by Co 
 nel Howard, well deserved the description it had 
 received from the pen of Katherine Plowden. 
 notwithstanding the confusion in its orders, owing 
 lw the different ages in which its several parts had 
 ueen erected, the interior was not wanting in that 
 appearance of comfort which forms the great cha 
 racteristic of English domestic life. Its dark and 
 intricate mazes of halls, galleries, and apartments, 
 ivere all well provided with good and substantial 
 fjr?Hture, and whatever might have^been the pur- 
 coses of their original construction, they were now 
 peacefully appropriated to the service of a quiet and 
 TV ell ordered family. 
 
 There were divers portentous traditions, of cru 
 el separations and blighted loves, which always 
 unger, like cobwebs, around the walls of old 
 houses, to be heard here also, and which doubt 
 less, in abler hands, might easily have been 
 wrought up into scenes of high interest and delec 
 table pathos. But our humbler efforts must be 
 limited by an attempt to describe man as God has 
 made him, vulgar and unseemly as he may appear 
 
118 HIE PILOT. 
 
 10 sublimated faculties, to the possessors of which 
 enviable qualifications we desire to say, at once, 
 that we are determined to eschew all things super- 
 naturally refined, as we would the devil. 1 o all 
 those, then, who are tired of the company of their 
 species, we would bluntly insinuate, that the sooner 
 they throw aside our pages, and seize upon those 
 of some more highly gifted bard, the sooner will 
 they be in the way of quitting earth, if not of at 
 taining heaven. Our business is solely to treat of 
 man, and this fair scene on which he acts, and that 
 not in his subtleties and metaphysical contradic 
 tions, but in his palpable nature, that all may un 
 derstand our meaning as well as ourselves where 
 by we manifestly reject the prodigious advantage 
 of being thought a genius, by perhaps foolishly re 
 fusing the mighty aid of incomprehensibility to es 
 tablish such a character. 
 
 Leaving the gloomy shadows of the cliffs, under 
 which the little Ariel has been seen to steer, and 
 the sullen roaring of the surf along the margin of 
 the ocean, we shall endeavour to transport the 
 reader to the dining-parlour of St. Ruth s Abbey, 
 taking the evening of the same day as the time for 
 introducing another collection of those personages, 
 whose acts and characters it has become our duty 
 to describe. 
 
 The room was not of very large dimensions, 
 and every part was glittering with the collected 
 light of half a dozen candles, aided by the fierce 
 rays that glanced from the grate, which held a most 
 cheerful fire of sea-coal. The mouldings of the 
 dark oak wainscoting threw back upon the mas 
 sive table of mahogany, streaks of strong light, 
 which played among the rich fluids that were 
 sparkling on the board, in mimic haloes. The 
 outline of this picture of comfort was formed by 
 
THE PILOT. 110 
 
 damask curtains of a deep red, enormous oak 
 chairs with leathern backs and cushioned seats, as 
 if the apartment were hermetically sealed against 
 the world and its chilling cares. 
 
 Around the table, which still stood in the centre 
 of the floor, were seated three gentlemen, in the 
 easy enjoyment of their daily repast. The cloth 
 had been drawn, and the bottle was slowly passing 
 among them, as if those who partook of its bounty 
 well knew that neither the time nor the opportu 
 nity would be wanting for their deliberate indul 
 gence in its pleasures. 
 
 At one end of the table an elderly man was seat 
 ed, who performed whatever little acts of courtesy 
 ^he duties of a host would appear to render neces- 
 / sary, in a company where all seemed to be equally 
 at their ease and at home. This gentleman was 
 in the decline of life, though his erect carriage 
 quick movements, and steady hand, equally de 
 noted that it was an old age free from the usual in 
 firmities. In his dress, he belonged to that class 
 whose members always follow the fashions of the 
 age anterior to the one in which they live, whe 
 ther from disinclination to sudden changes of any 
 kind, or from the recollections of a period which, 
 with them, has been hallowed by scenes and feel 
 ings that the chilling evening of life can neither re 
 vive nor equal. Age might possibly have thrown 
 its blighting frosts on his thin locks, but art had 
 laboured to conceal the ravages with the nicest 
 care. An accurate outline of powder covered not 
 only the parts where the hair actually remained, 
 but wherever nature had prescribed that hair 
 should grow. His countenance was strongly mark 
 ed in features, if not in expression, exhibiting, on 
 the whole, a look of noble integrity and high 10 
 
120 THE PILOT. 
 
 nour, which was a good deal aided in its effect by 
 the lofty receding forehead, that rose like a monu 
 ment, above the whole, to record the character of 
 the aged veteran. A few streaks of branching red 
 mingled witn a swarthiness of complexion that was 
 rendered more conspicuous oy the outline of un 
 sullied white which nearly surrounded his promi 
 nent leatures. 
 
 OpDosite to the host, who it will at once be un 
 derstood w.s Colonel Howard, was the thin, 
 visage of Mr. Christopher Dillon, that bane 
 to the hapmness of her cousin, already mentioned 
 by Miss Fiowaen. 
 
 Between rnese two gentlemen was a middle- 
 aged, hard-featured man, attired in the livery of 
 King George, whose countenance emulated the 
 scarlet of nis coat, and whose principal employ 
 ment, at the moment, appeared to consist in doing 
 honour to the cheer of his entertainer. 
 
 Occasional v, a serran; entered or left the room, 
 in silence, giving admission, however, through the 
 opened aoor. to the rushii^ sounds of the gale, as 
 the wina murmut ed amid the angles and high chim 
 neys of the edifice. 
 
 A man, in the dress of a rustic, was standing 
 near the chair of Colonel Howard, between whom 
 and the master of the mansion a dialogue had been 
 maintained, which closed as follows. The colonel 
 was the first to speak, after the curtain is drawn 
 from between the eyes of the reader and the scene. 
 
 " Said you, farmer, that the Scotchman beheld 
 the vessels \vith his own eyes ?" 
 
 The answer was a simple negative. 
 
 " Well, well," continued the colonel, " you can 
 withdraw." 
 
 The man made a rude attempt at a bow, which 
 
THE PILOT. 121 
 
 being returned by the old soldier with formal grace, 
 he left the room. The host, turning to his com 
 panions, resumed the subject. 
 
 " If those rash boys have really persuaded the 
 
 silly dotard who commands the frigate, to trust 
 
 himself within the shoals, on the eve of such a gale 
 
 as this, their case must have been hopeless in- 
 
 ^ deed ! Thus may rebellion and disaffection ever 
 
 meet with the just indignation of Providence ! It 
 
 > would not surprise me, gentlemen, to hear that my 
 
 native land has been engulphed by earthquakes, or 
 
 : ^ swallowed by the ocean, so awful and inexcusable 
 
 has been the weight of her transgressions ! And 
 
 yet it was a proud and daring boy who held the 
 
 second station in that ship ! I knew his father 
 
 well, and a gallant gentleman he was, who, like 
 
 my own brother, the parent of Cecilia, preferred 
 
 to serve his master on the ocean rather than on 
 
 the land. His son inherited the bravery of his 
 
 ^ high spirit, without its loyalty. One would not 
 
 wish to have such a youth drowned, either." 
 
 This speech, which partook much of the nature 
 of a soliloquy, especially towards its close, called 
 for no immediate reply ; but the soldier, having 
 held his glass to the candle, to admire the rosy 
 hue of its contents, and then sipped of the fluid so 
 often that nothing but a clear light remained to 
 gaze at, quietly replaced the empty vessel on the 
 table, and, as he extended an arm towards the 
 blushing bottle, he spoke, in the careless tones ot 
 one whose thoughts were dwelling on another 
 theme 
 
 " Ay, true enough, sir ; good men are scarce, 
 and, as you say, one cannot but mourn his fate, 
 though his death be glorious ; quite a loss to his 
 majesty s service, I dare say, it will prove." 
 
 " A loss to the service of his majestv !" eehoec- 
 
 VOL. I. 11 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 the host " his death glorious I no, captain Bor- 
 roughcliffe, the death of no rebel can be glorious ; 
 and how he can be a loss to his majesty s service, 
 1 am myself quite at a loss to understand." 
 
 The soldier, whose ideas were in that happy 
 state of confusion that renders it difficult to com 
 mand the one most needed, but who still, from 
 long discipline, had them under a wonderful con 
 trol for the disorder of his brain, answered, with 
 great promptitude 
 
 " I mean the loss of his example, sir. It would 
 have been so appalling to others, to have seen the 
 young man executed instead of shot in battle." 
 
 " He is drowned, sir." 
 
 " Ah ! that to the next thing to being hanged ; 
 that circumstance had escaped me." 
 
 " It is by no means certain, sir, that the ship and 
 schooner that the drover saw are the vessels you 
 take them to have been," said Mr. Dillon, in a 
 harsh, drawling tone of voice. " I should doubt 
 their daring to venture so openly on the coast, and 
 in the direct track of our vessels of war." 
 
 " These people are our countrymen, Christo 
 pher, though they are rebels," exclaimed the co 
 lonel. " They are a hardy and brave nation. 
 When I had the honour to serve his majesty, some 
 twenty years since, it was my fortune to face the 
 enemies of my king in a few small affairs, Captain 
 Borroughcliife ; such as the siege of Quebec, and 
 the battle before its gates, a trifling occasion at 
 Ticonderoga, and that unfortunate catastrophe of 
 General Braddock with a few others. I must 
 say, sir, in favour of the colonists, that they played 
 a manful game on the latter day ; and this gentle 
 man who now heads the rebels sustained a gallant 
 nap?o among us for his conduct in that disastrous 
 bur\^- x ss. He was a discreet, well-behaved young 
 
THE PILOT. 123 
 
 man, and quite a gentleman. I have never denied 
 that Mr. Washington was very much of a gentle- 
 man." 
 
 " Yes," said the soldier, yawning, " he was edu 
 cated among his majesty s troops, and he could 
 hardly be otherwise. But I am quite melancholy 
 about this unfortunate drowning, Colonel Howard. 
 Here will be an end of my vocation, I suppose, ana 
 I am far from denying that your hospitality has 
 made these quarters most agreeable to me." 
 
 " Then, sir, the obligation is only mutual," re 
 turned the host, with a polite inclination of hi-s 
 head : " but gentlemen, who, like ourselves, have 
 been mad free of the camp, need not bandy idle 
 compliments about such trifles. If it were my 
 kinsman, Dillon, now, whose thoughts run more 
 on Coke upon Littleton than on the gayeties of a 
 mess-table, and a soldier s life, he might think such 
 formalities as necessary as his hard w r ords are to a 
 deed. Come, Borroughcliife, my dear fellow, I 
 believe we have given an honest glass to each of 
 the royal family, (God bless them all!) let us 
 swallow a bumper to the memory of the immortal 
 Wolfe." 
 
 " An honest proposal, my gallant host, and such 
 a one as a soldier will never decline," returned 
 the captain, who roused himself with the occasion. 
 " God bless them all, say I, in echo, and if this 
 gracious queen of ours ends as famously as she has 
 begun, twill be such a family of princes as no other 
 army in Europe can brag of around a mess-table." 
 
 " Ay, ay, there is some consolation in that 
 thought, in the midst of this dire rebellion of my 
 countrymen. But I ll vex myself no more with 
 the unpleasant recollections ; the arms of my 
 sovereign will soon purge that wicked land of the 
 foul stain." 
 
124 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Of that there can be no doubt/ said Bonmigh. 
 cliflfe, whose thoughts still continued a little ob 
 scured by the sparkling Madeira that had long lain 
 ripening under a Carolinian sun ; " these Yankees 
 fly before his majesty s regulars, like so many 
 dirty clowns in a London mob before a charge of 
 the horse-guards." 
 
 " Pardon me, Captain Borroughcliffe," said his 
 host, elevating his person to more than its usually 
 erect attitude ; " they may be misguided, deluded, 
 and betrayed, but the comparison is unjust. Give 
 them arms and give them discipline, and he who 
 gets an inch of their land from them, plentiful as 
 it is, will find a bloody day on which to take pos 
 session." 
 
 " The veriest coward in Christendom would fight 
 in a country where wine brews itself into such a 
 cordial as this," returned the cool soldier; " I am 
 a living; proof that you mistookjn^jm^ajnjin^: for 
 had not those loose-flapped gentlemen lhey"*call 
 Vermohtese and Hampshire-grangers ( God grant 
 them his blessing for the deed ! ) finished two 
 thirds of my company, I should not have been at 
 this day under your roof, a recruiting instead of a 
 marching officer ; neither should I have been bound 
 up in a covenant, like the law of Moses, could Bur- 
 goyne have made head against their long-legged 
 marchings and counter-marchings. Sir, I drink 
 their healths, with all my heart ; and, with such a 
 bottle of golden sunshine before me, rather than 
 displease so good a friend, I will go through Gates s 
 whole army, regiment by regiment, company by 
 company, or, if you insist on the same, even man 
 by man, in a bumper." 
 
 <c On no account would I tax your politeness so 
 far," returned the colonel, abundantly mollified by 
 this ample concession ; " I stand too much your 
 
THE PILOT. 125 
 
 debtor, Captain Borroughcliffe, for so freely volun 
 teering to defend my house against the attacks of 
 my piratical, rebellious, and misguided cour try- 
 men, to think of requiring such a concession." 
 
 " Harder duty might be performed, and no fa 
 vours asked, my respectable host," returned the 
 soldier. " Country quarters are apt to be dull, and 
 the liquor is commonly execrable ; but in such a 
 dwelling as this a man can rock himself in the very 
 cradle of contentment. Arid yet there is one 
 subject of complaint, that I should disgrace my re 
 giment did I not speak of, for it is incumbent on 
 me, both as a man and a soldier, to be no longer 
 silent." 
 
 " Name it, sir, freely, and its cause shall be as 
 freely redressed," said the host, in some amaze 
 ment. 
 
 " Here we three sit, from morning to night," 
 continued the soldier, " bachelors all, well provi 
 sioned and better liquored, I grant you, but like 
 so many well fed anchorites, while two of the v 
 loveliest damsels in the island pine in solitude ; 
 within a hundred feet of us, without tasting the 
 homage of our sighs. This, I will maintain, is a \ 
 reproach both to your character, Colonel Howard,/ 
 as an old soldier, and to mine as a young one. As^ 
 to our friend Coke on top of Littleton here, If 
 leave him to the quiddities of the law to plead hi?) 
 own cause." 
 
 The brow of the host contracted for a moment, 
 and the sallow cheek of Dillon, who had sat dur 
 ing the dialogue in a sullen silence, appeared to 
 grow even livid ; but gradually the open brow o-f 
 the veteran resumed its frank expression, and the 
 lips of the other relaxed into a Jesuitical sort of a 
 smile, that was totally disregarded by the captain, 
 who amused himself with sipping his wine while 
 11* 
 
126 THE PILOT. 
 
 he waited for an answer, as if he analyzed each 
 drop that crossed his palate. 
 
 After an embarrassing pause of a moment. Co 
 lonel Howard broke the silence. 
 
 " There is reason in Borroughcliffe s hint, for 
 such I take it to be " 
 
 " I meant it for a plain, matter-of-fact com 
 plaint," interrupted the soldier. 
 
 " And you have cause for it," continued the 
 colonel. " It is unreasonable, Christopher, that 
 the ladies should allow their dread of these pirati 
 cal countrymen of ours to exclude us from their 
 society, though prudence may require that they 
 remain secluded in their apartments. We owe 
 the respect to Captain Borroughcliffe, that at least 
 we admit him to the sight of the coffee-urn in an 
 evening." 
 
 " That is precisely my meaning," said the cap 
 tain ; " as for dining with them, why, I am well 
 provided for here, but there is no one knows how 
 to set hot water a hissing in so professional a man 
 ner as a woman. So forward, my dear and ho 
 noured colonel, and lay your injunctions on them, 
 that they command your humble servant and 
 Mr. Coke unto Littleton to advance and give the 
 countersign of gallantry." 
 
 Dillon contracted his disagreeable features into 
 something that was intended for a satirical smilo, 
 before he spoke as follows : 
 
 " Both the veteran Colonel Howard and the 
 gallant Captain Borroughcliffe may find it easier 
 to overcome the enemies of his majesty in the field 
 than to shake a woman s caprice. Not a day has 
 passed, these three weeks, that I have not sent 
 my inquiries to the door of Miss Howard, as be 
 came her father s kinsman, with a wish to appease 
 ber apprehensions of the pirates ; but little has she 
 
THE PILOT. 127 
 
 deigned me in reply, more than such thanks as hei 
 sex and breeding could not well dispense with." 
 
 " Well, you have been as fortunate as myself, 
 and why you should be more so, I see no reason," 
 cried the soldier, throwing a glance of cool con 
 tempt at the other ; " fear whitens the cheek, and 
 ladies best love to be seen when the roses flourish 
 rather than the lilies." 
 
 a A woman is never so interesting, Captain 
 Borroughcliffe," said the gallant host, " as when 
 she appears to lean on man for support ; and he 
 who does not feel himself honoured by the trust ; 
 is a disgrace to his species." 
 
 " Bravo ! my honoured sir, a worthy sentiment, 
 and spoken like a true soldier ; but I have heard 
 much of the loveliness of the ladies of the Abbey 
 since I have been in my present quarters, and I 
 feel a strong desire to witness beauty encircled by 
 such loyalty as could induce them to flee their na 
 tive country, rather than to devote their charms to 
 the rude keeping of the rebels." 
 
 The colonel looked grave, and for a moment 
 fierce ; but the expression of his displeasure soon 
 passed away in a smile of forced gayety, and, as 
 he cheerfully rose from his seat, he cried 
 
 " You shall be admitted this very night, and this 
 instant, Captain Borroughcliffe. We owe it, sir, 
 to your services here, as well as in the field, and 
 those froward girls shall be humoured no longer. 
 Nay, it is nearly two weeks since I have seen my 
 ward myself, nor have I laid my eyes on my niece 
 but twice in all that time. Christopher, I leave 
 ihe captain under your good care, while I go seek 
 Admission into the cloisters ; we call that part of 
 the building the cloisters, because it holds our nuns, 
 sii ! You wilt pardon my early absence from the 
 table, Captain Borroughcliffe." 
 
 
 
128 THE PILOT. 
 
 " I beg it may not be mentioned ; you leave an 
 excellent representative behind you, sir," cried 
 the soldier, taking in the lank figure of Mr. Dil 
 lon in a sweeping glance, that terminated with a 
 settled gaze on his decanter. " Make my devoirs 
 to the recluses, my dear colonel, and say all that 
 your own excellent wit shall suggest as an apology 
 for my impatience. Mr. Dillon, I meet you in a 
 bumper to their healths and in their honour." 
 
 The challenge was coldly accepted, and while 
 these gentlemen still held their glasses to their 
 lips, Colonel Howard left the apartment, bowing 
 low, and uttering a thousand excuses to his guest, 
 as he proceeded, and even offering a very unne 
 cessary apology of the same effect to his habitual 
 inmate, Mr. Dillon. 
 
 Is fear so very powerful within these old 
 ?" said the soldier, when the door closed be 
 hind their host, " that your ladies deem it nec.es- 
 sary to conceal themselves before even an enemy 
 is known to have landed ?" 
 
 Dillon coldly replied 
 
 " The name of Paul Jones is terrific to all on 
 this coast, I believe, nor are the ladies of St. Ruth 
 singular in their apprehensions." 
 
 " Ah ! the pirate has bought himself a desperate 
 name, since the affair of Flamborough Head. But 
 let him look to t, if lie trusts himself in ano 
 ther Whitehaven expedition, while there is a de 
 tachment of the th in the neighbourhood, 
 
 though tfte men should be nothing better than re 
 cruits." 
 
 " Our last accounts leave him safe in the court 
 of Louis," returned his companion ; " but there 
 are men as desperate as himself, who sail the ocean 
 under the rebel flag, and from one or two of them we 
 have had much reason to apprehend the vengeance 
 
THE PILOT. 129 
 
 of disappointed men. It is they that we hope are 
 lost in this gale." 
 
 " Hum ! I hope they were dastards, or your 
 hopes are a little unchristian, and 
 
 He would have proceeded, but the door opened, 
 and his orderly entered, and announced, that a 
 sentinel had detained three men, who were pass 
 ing along the highway, near the abbey, and who, 
 by their dress, appeared to be seamen. 
 
 " Well, let them pass," cried the captain ; 
 " what, have we nothing to do better than to stop 
 passengers, like footpads, on the king s highway ! 
 give them of your canteens, and let the rascals 
 pass. Your orders were to give the alarm, if any 
 hostile party landed on the coast, not to detain 
 peaceable subjects on their lawful business." 
 
 " I beg your honour s pardon," returned the 
 sergeant ; " but these men seemed lurking about 
 the grounds for no good, and as they kept care 
 fully aloof from the place where our sentinel was 
 posted, until to-night, Downing thought it looked 
 suspiciously, and detained them." 
 
 " Downing is a fool, and it may go hard with 
 him for his officiousness. What have you done 
 with the men ?" 
 
 " I took them to the guard-room in the east 
 Wing, your honour." 
 
 u Then feed them ; and harkye, sirrah ! liquor 
 them well, that we hear no complaints, and let 
 them go." 
 
 " Yes, sir, yes, your honour shall be obeyed ; 
 but there is a straight, soldierly looking fellow 
 among them, that I think might be persuaded to 
 enlist, if he were detained till morning. I doubt, 
 sir, by his walk, but he has served already." 
 
 " Ha ! what say you !" cried the captain, prick 
 
130 THE PILOT. 
 
 ing up his ears, like a hound who hears a well- 
 known cry, " served, think ye, already ?" 
 
 " There are signs about him, your honour, to 
 that effect. An old soldier is seldom deceived in 
 Such a thing, and considering his disguise, lor it 
 can be no other, and the place where we took him, 
 there is no danger of a have-us corpses, until he 
 is tied to us by the laws of the kingdom." 
 
 " Peace, you knave !" said Borroughcliffe, ris 
 ing, and making a devious route towards the door ; 
 " you speak in the presence of my lord chief jus 
 tice that is to be, and should not talk lightly of the 
 laws. But still you say reason ; give me your 
 arm, sergeant, and lead the way to the east wing ; 
 my eyesight is good for nothing in such a dark 
 night. A soldier should always visit his guard be 
 fore the tattoo beats." 
 
 After emulating the courtesy of their host, Cap 
 tain Borroughcliffe retired on this patriotic errand, 
 leaning on bfs subordinate in a style of most fami 
 liar condescension. Dillon continued at the table, 
 endeavouring to express the rancorous feelings of 
 his breast by a satirical smile of contempt, that was 
 necessarily lost on all but himself, as a large mirror 
 threw back the image of his morose and unpleasant 
 features. 
 
 But we must precede the veteran colonel in his 
 visit to the " cloisters." 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 And kindness like their own 
 
 w Inspired those eyes, affectionate and glad, 
 
 " That seemed to love whate er they looked upon , 
 
 11 Whether with Hebe s mirth her features shone, 
 
 " Or if a shade more pleasing them o ercast 
 
 " Yet so becomingly th 1 expression past, 
 
 44 That each succeeding look was lovelier than the last." 
 
 Qcrtrude of Wyoming 
 
 THE western wing of St. Ruth house, or abbey 
 as the building was indiscriminately called, retain 
 ed but few vestiges of the uses to which it had 
 been originally devoted. The upper apartments 
 were small and numerous, extending on eithei 
 side of a long, low, and dark gallery, and might 
 have been the dormitories of the sisterhood w r ho 
 were said to have once inhabited that portion of 
 the edifice ; but the ground-floor had been modern 
 ized, as it was then called, about a century before, 
 and retained just enough of its ancient character to 
 blend the venerable with what was thought com 
 fortable in the commencement of the reign of the 
 third George. As this wing had been appropriated 
 to the mistress of the mansion, ever since the build 
 ing had changed its spiritual character for one of a 
 more carnal nature, Colonel Howard continued the 
 arrangement, when he became the temporary pos 
 sessor of St. Ruth, until, in the course of eventb, 
 the apartments which had been appropriated for 
 the accommodation and convenience of his niece, 
 
132 THE PILOT. 
 
 were eventually converted into her prison. But 
 as the severity of the old veteran was as often 
 marked by an exhibition of his virtues as of his 
 foibles, the confinement and his displeasure consti 
 tuted the sole subjects of complaint that were 
 given to the young lady. That our readers may 
 he better qualified to judge of the natuie of their 
 imprisonment, we shall transport them, without 
 further circumlocution, into the presence of the 
 two females, whom they must be already prepared 
 to receive. 
 
 The withdrawing-room of St. Ruth s was an 
 apartment which, tradition said, had formerly been 
 the refectory of the little bevy of fair sinners who 
 sought a refuge within its w r ails from the tempta 
 tions of the world. Their number was not large, 
 nor their entertainments very splendid, or this 
 limited space could not have contained them. The 
 room, however, was of fair dimensions, and an air 
 of peculiar comfort, mingled with chastened luxu 
 ry, was thrown around it, by the voluminous folds 
 of the blue damask curtains that nearly concealed 
 the sides where the deep windows were placed, 
 and by the dark leathern hangings, richly stamped 
 with cunning devices in gold, that ornamented the 
 two others. Massive couches in carved mahoga 
 ny, with chairs of a similar material and fashion, 
 *11 covered by the same rich fabric that composed 
 {he curtains, together with a Turkey carpet over, 
 the shaggy surface of which all the colours of the 
 rainbow were scattered in bright confusion, united 
 to relieve the gloomy splendour of the enormous 
 mantle, deep, heavy cornices, and the complicated 
 carvings of. the massive wood-work which cum 
 bered the walls. A brisk fire of wood was burn 
 ing on the hearth, in compliment to the wilful 
 piejudice of Miss Plowden who had maintained 
 
THE PILOT. 133 
 
 in her most vivacious manner, that seacoal was 
 " only tolerable for blacksmiths and Englishmen." 
 In addition to the cheerful blaze from the hearth, 
 two waxen lights, in candlesticks of massive silver, 
 were lending their aid to enliven the apartment. 
 One of these was casting its rays brightly along 
 the confused colours of the carpet on which it 
 stood, flickering before the active movements of 
 the form that played around it with light and ani 
 mated inflexions. The posture of this young lady 
 was infantile in grace, and, with one ignorant of 
 her motives, her employment would have been 
 obnoxious to the same construction. Divers small, 
 square pieces of silk, strongly contrasted to each 
 other in colour, lay on every side of her, and 
 were changed, as she kneeled on the floor, by her 
 nimble hands, into as many different combinations 
 as if she were humouring the fancies of her sex, 
 or consulting the shades of her own dark but rich 
 complexion in the shop of a mercer. The close 
 satin dress of this young female served to display 
 her small figure in its true proportions, while 
 her dancing eyes of jet-black shamed the dies of 
 the Italian manufacturer by their superior radi 
 ancy. A few ribands of pink, disposed about her 
 person with an air partly studied, and yet careless 
 ly coquettish, seemed rather to reflect than lend 
 the ric-h bloom that mantled around her laughing 
 countenance, leaving to the eye no cause to regret 
 that she was not fairer. 
 
 Another female figure, clad in virgin white, was 
 reclining on the end of a distant couch. The se 
 clusion in which they lived might have rendered 
 this female a little careless of her appearance, or, 
 what was more probable, the comb had been found 
 unequal to its burthen, for her tresses, which ri- 
 
 VOL. i. 12 
 
134 THE PILOT. 
 
 railed the hue and gloss of the raven, had burst 
 from their confinement, and, dropping over her 
 shoulders, fell along her dress in rich profusion, 
 finally resting on the damask of the couch, in dark 
 folds, like glittering silk. A small hand, which 
 seemed to blush at its own naked beauties, sup 
 ported her head, imbedded in the volumes of her 
 hair, like the fairest alabaster set in the deepest 
 ebony. Beneath the dark profusion of her curls, 
 which, notwithstanding the sweeping train that fell 
 about her person, covered the summit of her head, 
 lay a low, spotless forehead of dazzling whiteness, 
 that was relieved by two arches so slightly and 
 truly drawn that they appeared to have been pro 
 duced by the nicest touches of art. The fallen lids 
 and long silken lashes concealed the eyes, that 
 rested on the floor, as if their mistress mused in 
 melancholy. The remainder of the features of 
 this maiden were of a kind that is most difficult to 
 describe, being neither regular nor perfect in their 
 several parts, yet harmonizing and composing a 
 whole, that formed an exquisite picture of female 
 delicacy and loveliness. There might or there 
 might not have been a tinge of slight red in her 
 cheeks, but it varied with each emotion of her bo 
 som, even as she mused in quiet, now seeming to 
 steal insidiously over her glowing temples, and 
 then leaving on her face an almost startling pale 
 ness. Her stature, as she reclined, seemed above 
 the medium height of womanhood, and her figure 
 was rather delicate than full, though the little foot 
 that rested on the damask cushion before her, dis- 
 played a rounded outline that any of her sex might 
 envy. 
 
 " Oh ! I m as expert as if I were signal officer 
 to the Lord high admiral of this realm !" exclaim- 
 
THE PILOT. 135 
 
 ed the laughing female on the floor, clapping her 
 hands together in girlish exultation. " I do long, 
 Cecilia, for an opportunity to exhibit my skill." 
 
 While her cousin was speaking, Miss Howard 
 raised her head, with a faint smile, and as she turn 
 ed her eyes towards the other, a spectator might 
 have been disappointed, but could not have been 
 displeased, by the unexpected change the action 
 produced in the expression of her countenance. 
 Instead of the piercing black eyes that the deep 
 colour of her tresses would lead him to expect, he 
 would have beheld two large, mild, blue orbs, that 
 seemed to float in a liquid so pure as to be nearly 
 invisible, and which were more remarkable for 
 their tenderness and persuasion, than for the vivid 
 flashes that darted from the quick glances of her 
 companion. 
 
 " The success of your mad excursion to the sea 
 side, my cousin, has bewildered your brain," re 
 turned Cecilia ; " but I know not how to conquer 
 your disease, unless we prescribe salt-water for 
 the remedy, as in some other case s of madness." 
 
 " Ah ! I am afraid your nostrum would be use 
 less," cried Katherine ; " it has failed to wash out 
 the disorder from the sedate Mr. Richard Barn- 
 stable, who has had the regimen administered to 
 him through many a hard gale, but who continues 
 as fair a candidate for bedlam as ever. Would 
 you think it, Cicely, the crazy-one urged me, in 
 the ten minutes conversation we held together on 
 the cliffs, to accept of his schooner as a shower- 
 bath ! 
 
 " I can think that your hardihood might encou 
 rage him to expect much, but surely he could not 
 have been serious in such a proposal !" 
 
 " Oh ! to do the wretch justice, he did say 
 oomething of a chaplain to consecrate the mea- 
 
136 THE PILOT. 
 
 sure, but there was boundless impudence in the 
 thought. I have not, nor shall I- forget it, or for 
 give him for it, these six-and-twenty years. What 
 a fine time he must have had of it, in his little 
 Ariel, among the monstrous waves we saw tum 
 bling in upon the shore to-day, coz ! I hope they 
 will wash his impudence out of him ! I do think 
 the man cannot have had a dry thread about him, 
 from sun to sun. I must believe it is a punishment 
 for his boldness, and, be certain, I shall tell him of 
 it. I will form half a dozen signals, this instant, 
 to joke at his moist condition, in very revenge." 
 
 Pleased with her own thoughts, and buoyant 
 with the secret hope that her adventurous under 
 taking would be finally crowned with complete 
 success, the gay girl shook her black locks, in in 
 finite mirth, and tossed the mimic flags gayly 
 around her person, as she was busied in forming 
 new combinations, in order to amuse herself with 
 her lover s disastrous situation. But the features 
 of her cousin clouded with the thoughts that were 
 excited by her remarks, and she replied, in a tone 
 that bore some little of the accents of reproach 
 
 " Katherine ! Katherine ! can you jest when 
 
 . there is so much to apprehend ! Forget you what 
 
 Alice Dunscombe told us of the gale, this morning ! 
 
 S and that she spoke of two vessels, a ship and a 
 
 schooner, that had been seen venturing with fear- 
 
 i ful temerity within the shoals, only six miles from 
 
 ^the Abbey, and that unless God in his gracious 
 
 /providence had been kind to them, there was but 
 
 } little doubt that their fate would be a sad one ! 
 
 \ Can you, that know so well who and what these 
 
 daring mariners are, be merry about the selfsame 
 
 winds that cause their danger ?" 
 
 The thoughtless, laughing girl was recalled to 
 her recollection by this remonstrance, and every 
 
THE PILOT. 137 
 
 trace of mirth vanished from her countenance, 
 leaving a momentary death-like paleness crossing 
 her face, as she clasped her hands before her, and 
 fastened her keen eyes vacantly on the splendid 
 pieces of silk that now lay unheeded around her. 
 At this critical moment the door of the room slow 
 ly opened, and Colonel Howard entered the apart 
 ment with an air that displayed a droll mixture of 
 stern indignation, with a chivalric and habitual re 
 spect to the sex. 
 
 " I solicit your pardon, young ladies, for the in 
 terruption," he said ; " I trust, however, that an 
 old man s presence can never be entirely unex 
 pected in the drawing-room of his wards." 
 
 As he bowed, the colonel seated himself on the 
 end of the couch, opposite to the place where his 
 niece had been reclining, for Miss Howard had 
 risen at his entrance, and continued standing until 
 her uncle had comfortably disposed of himself. 
 Throwing a glance, which was not entirely free 
 from self-commendation around the comfortable 
 apartment, the veteran proceeded, in the same tone 
 as before 
 
 " You are not without the means of making any 
 guest welcome, nor do I see the necessity of such 
 constant seclusion from the eyes of the world as 
 you thus rigidly practise." 
 
 Cecilia looked timidly at her uncle, with sur 
 prise, before she returned an answer to his re 
 mark. 
 
 " We certainly owe mtfch to your kind atten 
 tion, dear sir," she at length uttered ; " but is our 
 retirement altogether voluntary ?" 
 
 " How can it be otherwise ! are you not mis 
 tress of this mansion, madam ! In selecting the 
 residence where your and, permit me to add, my 
 ancestors, so long dwelt, in credit and honour, I 
 12* 
 
138 THE PILOT. 
 
 have surely been less governed by any natural 
 pride that I might well have entertained on such a 
 suoject, than by a desire to consult your comfort 
 and happiness. Every thing appears to my aged 
 eyes as if we ought not to be ashamed to receive 
 our friends within these walls. The cloisters of 
 St. Ruth, Miss Howard, are not entirely bare, 
 neither are their tenants wholly unworthy to be 
 seen." 
 
 <c Open, then, the portals of the Abbey, sir, and 
 your niece will endeavour to do proper credit to 
 the hospitality of its master." 
 
 u That was spoken like Harry Howard s daugh 
 ter, frankly and generously !" cried the old sol 
 dier, insensibly edging himself nearer to his niece. 
 " If my brother had devoted himself to the camp, 
 instead of the sea, Cecilia, he would have made 
 one of the bravest and ablest generals in his ma 
 jesty s service poor Harry ! he might have been 
 living at this very day, and at this moment leading 
 the victorious troops of his sovereign through the 
 revolted colonies in triumph. But he is gone, 
 Cicely, and has left you behind him, as his deai 
 representative, to perpetuate our family, and to 
 possess what little has been left to us from the ra 
 vages of the times." 
 
 " Surely, dear sir," said Cecilia, taking his 
 hand, which had unconsciously approached her 
 person, and pressing it to her lips, " we have no 
 cause to complain of our lot in respect to fortune 
 though it may cause us bitter regret that so few of 
 us are left to enjoy it." 
 
 " No, no, no," said Katherine, in a low, hurried 
 voice ; " Alice Dunscombe is and must be wrong ; 
 providence would never abandon brave men to so 
 cruel a fate !" 
 
 " Alice Dunscombe is here to atone for her er 
 
THE PILOT. 130 
 
 oi , if she has fallen into one," said a quiet, sub- 
 Jued voice, in which the accents of a provincial 
 dialect, however, were slightly perceptible, and 
 ivhich, in its low tones, \vanted that silvery clear- 
 icss that gave so much feminine sweetness to the 
 ivords of Miss Howard, and which even rung me- 
 odiously in the ordinarily vivacious strains of her 
 cousin. 
 
 The surprise created by these sudden interrup 
 tions caused a total suspension of the discourse. 
 {Catherine Plowden, w r ho had continued kneeling, 
 in the attitude before described, arose, and as she 
 looked about her in momentary confusion, the 
 blood again mantled her face with the fresh and 
 joyous springs of life. The other speaker advanced 
 steadily into the middle of the room, and after re 
 turning, with studied civility, the low bow of Co 
 lonel Howard, seated herself in silence on the op 
 posite couch. The manner of her entrance, her 
 reception, and her attire, sufficiently denoted that 
 the presence of this female was neither unusual nor 
 unwelcome. She was dressed with marked sim 
 plicity, though with a studied neatness, that more 
 than compensated for the absence of ornaments. 
 Her age might not have much exceeded thirty, but 
 there was an adoption of customs in her attire that 
 indicated she was not unwilling to be thought old 
 er. Her fair flaxen hair was closely confined by 
 a dark bandeau, such as was worn in a nation far 
 ther nonh bv virgins only, over which a few curls 
 strayed, in a manner that showed the will of their 
 mistress alone restrained their luxuriance. Her 
 lisnt complexion had lost much of its brilliancy, but 
 enough stiff remained to assert its original beauty 
 clearness. To this description might be add- 
 in>* mellow blue eyes, beautifully white, 
 
 < *j? M-.rge teeth, a regular set of features, and 
 
140 THE PILOT. 
 
 a person that was clad in a dark lead-coloured silk, 
 which fitted her full, but gracefully moulded form, 
 with the closest exactness. 
 
 Colonel Howard paused a moment, after this 
 lady was seated, and then turning himself to Ka- 
 therine with an air that became stiff and con 
 strained by attempting to seem extremely easy, he 
 said 
 
 " You no sooner summon Miss Alice, but she 
 appears, Miss Plowden ready and ( I am bold to 
 say, Miss Alice) able to defend herself against all 
 charges that her worst enemies can allege against 
 her." 
 
 " I have no charges to make against Miss Duns 
 combe," said Katherine, pettishly, " nor do I wish 
 to have dissensions created between me and my 
 friends, even by Colonel Howard." 
 
 " Colonel Howard will studiously avoid such 
 offences in future," said the veteran, bowing ; and 
 turning stiffly to the others, he continued u 1 was 
 just conversing with my niece, as you entered, 
 Miss Alice, on the subject of her immuring herself 
 like one of the veriest nuns who ever inhabited 
 these cloisters. I tell her, madam, that neither hex- 
 years, nor my fortune, nor, indeed, her own, for 
 the child of Harry Howard was not left pennyless, 
 require that we should live as if the doors of the 
 world were closed against us, or there was no other 
 entrance to St. Ruth s but through those antiqua 
 ted windows. Miss Plowden, I feel it to be my 
 duty to inquire why those pieces of silk are pro 
 vided in such an unusual abundance, and in so ex 
 traordinary a shape ?" 
 
 cc To make a gala dress for the ball you are 
 about to give, sir," said Katherine, with a saucy 
 smile, that was only checked by the reproachful 
 sjlance of her cousin. " You have taste in a lady s 
 
THE PILOT. 141 
 
 attire, Colonel Howard ; will not this bright yel 
 low form a charming relief to my biown face, while 
 this white and black relieve one another, and this 
 pink contrasts so sweetly with black eyes. Will 
 not the whole form a turban fit for an empress to 
 wear ?" 
 
 As the arch maiden prattled on in this unmean 
 ing manner, her rapid fingers entwined the flags in 
 a confused maze, which she threw over her head 
 in a form not unlike the ornament for which she 
 intimated it was intended. The veteran was by 
 far too polite to dispute a lady s taste, and he re 
 newed the dialogue, with his slightly awakened 
 suspicions completely quieted by her dexterity 
 and artifice. But although it was not difficult to 
 ^deceive Colonel Howard in matters of female 
 t- dress, the case was very different with Alice Duns- 
 combe. This lady gazed, with a steady eye and 
 reproving countenance on the fantastical turban, 
 until Katherine threw herself by her side, and en 
 deavoured to lead her attention to other subjects, 
 by her playful motions and whispered questions. 
 
 " I was observing, Miss Alice," continued the 
 colonel, " that although the times had certainly 
 inflicted some loss on my estate, yet we were not 
 so much reduced, as to be unable to receive our 
 friends in a manner that would not disgrace the 
 descendants of the ancient possessors of St. Ruth. 
 Cecilia, here, my brother Harry s daughter, is a 
 young lady that any uncle might be proud to ex 
 hibit, and I would have her, madam, show your 
 English dames, -that we rear no unworthy speci 
 mens of the parent stock on the other side of the 
 Atlantic." 
 
 " You have only to declare your pleasure, my 
 good uncle," said Miss Howard, " and it shall be 
 executed." 
 
142 THE PILCT. 
 
 " Tell us how we can oblige you, sir," conti 
 mied Katherine, " and if it be in any manner tha 
 will relieve the tedium of this dull residence, I 
 promise you at least one cheerful assistant to youi 
 scheme." 
 
 " You speak fair," cried the colonel, " and like 
 two discreet and worthy girls ! Well, then, our 
 first step shall be to send a message to Dillon and 
 the captain, and invite them to attend your coffee. 
 I see the hour approaches." 
 
 Cecilia made no reply, but looked distressed, 
 and dropped her mild eyes to the carpet ; but Miss 
 Plowden took it upon herself to answer. 
 
 " Nay, sir, that would be for them to proceed 
 in the matter ; as your proposal was that the first 
 step should be ours, suppose we all adjourn to your 
 part of the house, and do the honours of the tea- 
 table in your drawing-room, instead of our own. 
 I understand, sir, that you have had an apartment 
 fitted up for that purpose in some style ; a woman * 
 taste might aid your designs, however." 
 
 " Miss Plowden, I believe I intimated to you 
 some time since," said the displeased colonel, 
 " that so long as certain suspicious vessels were 
 known to hover on this coast, I should desire that 
 you and Miss Howard would confine yourselves to 
 this wing." 
 
 " Do not say that we confine ourselves," said 
 Katherine, " but let it be spoken in plain English, 
 that you cor.fir.e us here." 
 
 " Am I a gaoler, madam, that you apply such 
 epithets to mv conduct ! Miss Alice must form 
 strange conclusions of our manners, if she receive 
 her impressions from your very singular remarks 
 
 " All measures adopted from a dread of the ship 
 and schooner that ran within the Devil s Grip, yes- 
 
THE PILOT. 143 
 
 ter-eve, may be dispensed with now, 5 interrupted 
 Miss Dunscornbe, in a melancholy, reflecting tone, 
 " There are few living, who know the dangerous 
 paths that can conduct even the smallest craft in 
 safety from the land, with daylight and fair winds ; 
 but when darkness and adverse gales oppose 
 them, the chance for safety lies wholly in God s 
 kindness." 
 
 " There is truly much reason to believe they 
 are lost," returned the veteran, in a voice in which 
 no exultation was apparent. 
 
 " They are not lost !" exclaimed Katherine, 
 with startling energy, leaving her seat, and walk 
 ing across the room to join Cecilia, with an air that 
 seemed to elevate her little figure to the height of 
 ier cousin. " They are skilful and they are brave, 
 and what gallant sailors can do, will they do, and 
 successfully ; besides, in whose behalf would a just ,> 
 Providence sooner exercise its merciful power, V 
 than to protect the daring children of an oppressed \ 
 country, while contending against tyranny andj 
 countless wrongs ?" 
 
 The conciliating disposition of the colonel de 
 serted him, as he listened. His own black eyes 
 sparkled with a vividness unusual for his years, 
 and his courtesy barely permitted the lady to con 
 clude, ere he broke forth. 
 
 " What sin, madam, what damning crime, wo aid 
 sooner call down the just wrath of Heaven on the 
 transgressors, than the act of foul rebellion? ]i 
 was this crime, madam, that deluged England in 
 blood in the reign of the first Charles ; it is this 
 crime that has dyed more fields red than all the 
 i est of man s offenees united ; it has been visited 
 on our race as a condign punishment, from the 
 days of the deservedly devoted Absalom, down to 
 the present time ; in short, it lost heaven for ever 
 
144 THE PILOT. 
 
 t- some of the most glorious of its angels, and 
 there is much reason to believe that it is the one 
 unpardonable sin named in the holy gospels." 
 
 " I know not that you have authority for believ 
 ing it to be the heavy enormity that you mention, 
 Colonel Howard," said Miss Dunscombe, antici 
 pating the spirited reply of Katherine, and willing 
 to avert it ; she hesitated an instant, and then draw 
 ing a heavy, shivering sigh, she continued, in a 
 voice that grew softer as she spoke " tis indeed 
 a crime of magnitude, and one that throws the 
 common backslidings of our lives, speaking by com 
 parison, into the sunshine of his favour. Many 
 there are, who sever the dearest ties of this life, 
 by madly rushing into its sinful vortex ; for I fain 
 think the heart grows hard with the sight of hu 
 man calamity, and becomes callous to the miseries 
 its owner inflicts ; especially where we act the 
 wrongs on our own kith and kin, regardless who 
 or how many that are dear to us suffer by our evil 
 deeds. It is, besides, Colonel Howard, a dan- 
 <.gerous temptation, to one little practised in the 
 T great world, to find himself suddenly elevated into 
 / the seat of power ; and if it do not lead to the 
 \commission of great crimes, it surely prepares the 
 * way to it, by hardening the heart." 
 
 " I hear you patiently, Miss Alice," said Kathe 
 rine, dancing her little foot, in affected coolness, 
 u for you neither know of whom nor to whom you 
 speak. But Colonel Howard has not that apology. 
 Peace, Cecilia, for I must speak! Believe them 
 not, dear girl ; there is not a wet hair on their 
 heads. For you, Colonel Howard, who must re 
 collect that the sister s son of the mothers of both 
 your niece and myself is on board that frigate, 
 there is an appearance of cruelty in using such Ian 
 guage." 
 
THE PILOT. 145 
 
 u I pity the boy ! from my soul 1 pity him !" ex 
 claimed the veteran ; " he is a child, and has fol 
 lowed the current that is sweeping out unhappy 
 colonies down the tide of destruction. But there 
 are others in that vessel, who have no excuse of 
 ignorance to offer. There is a son of my old ac 
 quaintance, and the hosom friend of my brother 
 Harry, Cecilia s father, dashing Hugh Griffith, as 
 we called him. The urchins left home together, 
 and were rated on board one of his majesty s ves 
 sels on the same day. Poor Harry lived to carry 
 u broad pennant in the service, and Hugh died in 
 command of a frigate. This boy, too ! he was nur 
 tured on board his father s vessel, and learned, 
 from his majesty s discipline, how to turn his arms 
 against his king. There is something shockingly : 
 unnatural in that circumstance, Miss Alice ; tis like $ 
 the child inflicting a blow on the parent. Tis such ( 
 men as these, with Washington at their head, who \ 
 maintain the bold iVert this rebellion wears." 
 
 " There are men, who have never worn the ser 
 vile livery of Britain, sir, whose names are as fond 
 ly cherished in America as any that she boasts 
 of," said Katherine, proudly ; " ay, sir, and those 
 who would gladly oppose the bravest officers in 
 the British fleet." 
 
 " I contend not against your misguided reason," 
 said Colonel Howard, rising with cool respect. 
 " A young lady who ventures to compare rebels 
 with gallant gentlemen engaged in their duty to 
 their prince, cannot escape the imputation of pos 
 sessing a misguided reason. No man I speak not 
 of women, who cannot be supposed so well versed 
 in human nature but no man, who has reached 
 the time of life that entitles him to be called by 
 that name, can consort with these disorganizers, 
 who would destroy every thing that is sacred 
 
 VOL. i 13 
 
146 THE PILOT. 
 
 < these levellers, who would pull down the great, to 
 ; exalt the little these Jacobites, who who " 
 
 " Nay, sir, if you are at a loss for opprobrious 
 epithets," said Katherine, with provoking coolness, 
 " call on Mr. Christopher Dillon for assistance ; he 
 waits your pleasure at the door." 
 
 Colonel Howard turned in amazement, forget 
 ting his angry declamations at this unexpected in 
 telligence, and beheld, in reality, the sombre vi 
 sage of his kinsman, who stood holding the dooi 
 in his hand, apparently as much surprised at find 
 ing himself in the presence of the ladies, as thcjr 
 themselves could be at his unusual 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 u IVitbee, Kale, let s stand aside, and see the end of this centre wtsy ," 
 
 Shakepears, 
 
 DURING the warm discussions of the preceding 
 chapter, Miss Howard had bowed her pale face to 
 the arm of the couch, and sate an unwilling and 
 distressed listener to the controversy ; but now 
 that another, and one whom she thought an unau* 
 thorized intruder on her privacy, was announced, 
 she asserted the dignity of her sex as proudly, 
 though with something more of discretion, than 
 her cousin could possibly have done. Rising from 
 her seat, she inquired 
 
 " To what are we indebted for so unexpected a 
 visit from Mr. Dillon ? Surely he must know that / 
 W T e are prohibited going to the part of the dwell- v 
 ing where he resides, and I trust Colonel Howard 
 will tell him that common justice requires we 
 should be permitted to be private." 
 
 The gentleman replied, in a manner in which 
 malignant anger was sufficiently mingled with cal 
 culating humility 
 
 . " Miss Howard will think better of my intru 
 sion, when she knows that I come on business of 
 importance to her uncle." 
 
 " Ah ! that may alter the case, Kit ; but the 
 ladies must have the respect that is due to their 
 
148 THE PILOT. 
 
 sex. I forgot, somehow, to have myself announced , 
 but that Borroughcliffe leads me deeper into my 
 Madeira than I have been accustomed to go, since 
 the time when my poor brother Harry, with hia 
 worthy friend, Hugh Griffith the devil seize 
 Hugh Griffith, and all his race your pardon, Miss 
 Alice -what is your business with me, Mr. Dil 
 lon ?" 
 
 " I bear a message from Captain Borroughcliffe 
 You may remember that, according to your sug 
 gestions, the sentinels were to be changed every 
 night, sir." 
 
 " Ay ! ay ! we practised that in our campaign 
 against Montcalm ; twas necessary to avoid the 
 murders of their Indians, who were sure, Miss 
 Alice, to shoot down a man at his post, if he were 
 placed two nights running in the same place." 
 
 " Well, sir, your prudent precautions have not 
 been thrown away," continued Dillon, moving 
 farther into the apartment, as if he felt himself be 
 coming a more welcome guest as he proceeded ; 
 " the consequences are, that we have already made 
 three prisoners." 
 
 " Truly it has been a most politic scheme !" ex 
 claimed Katherine Plowden, with infinite contempt. 
 " I suppose, as Mr. Christopher Dillon applauds it 
 so highly, that it has some communion with the 
 law ! and that the redoubtable garrison of St. Ruth 
 are about to reap the high glory of being most sue 
 cessful thief-takers !" 
 
 The sallow face of Dillon actually became livid 
 as he replied, and his whole frame shook with the 
 rage that he vainly endeavoured to suppress. 
 
 " There may be a closer communion with the 
 law, and its ministers, perhaps, than Miss Plowden 
 can desire," he said ; " for rebellion seldom finds 
 favour in any Christian code." 
 
THE PILOT. 149 
 
 " Rebellion !" exclaimed the colonel ; " and 
 what has this detention of three vagabonds to do 
 with rebellion, Kit ? Has the damnable poison 
 found its way across the Atlantic? your pardon, 
 Miss Alice but this is a subject on which you can 
 feel with me ; I know your sentiments on the al 
 legiance that is due to our anointed sovereign. 
 Speak, Mr. Dillon, are we surrounded by another 
 set of Demons ! if so, we must give ourselves to 
 the work, and rally round our prince ; for this 
 island is the main pillar of his throne." 
 
 " I cannot say that there is any appearance, at 
 present, of an intention to rise in this island," said 
 Dillon, with demure gravity ; " though the riots 
 in London warrant any precautionary measures on 
 the part of his majesty s ministers, even to a sus 
 pension of the habeas corpus. But you have had 
 your suspicions concerning two certain vessels that 
 have been threatening the coast, for several days 
 past, in a most piratical manner ?" 
 
 The little foot of Katherine played rapidly on 
 the splendid carpet, but she contented herself with 
 bestowing a glance of the most sovereign contempt 
 on the speaker, as if she disdained any further re 
 ply. With the colonel, however, this was touch 
 ing a theme that lay nearest his heart, and he an 
 swered, in a manner worthy of the importance of 
 the subject 
 
 " You speak like a sensible man ; and a loyal 
 subject, Mr. Dillon. The habeas corpus, Miss 
 Alice, was obtained in the reign of King John, 
 along with magna charta, for the security of the 
 throne, by his majesty s barons ; some of my own 
 blood were of the number, which alone would be 
 a pledge that the dignity of the crown was properly 
 consulted. As to our piratical countrymen, Chris 
 topher, there is much reason to think that the ven- 
 13* 
 
150 THE PILOT. 
 
 geance of an offended Providence has already 
 reached them. Those who know the coast well, 
 tell me that without a better pilot than an enemy 
 would be likely to procure, it would be impossible 
 for any vessel to escape the shoals among which 
 they entered, on a dark night, and with an adverse 
 gale ; the morning has arrived, and they are not 
 to be seen !" 
 
 " But be they friends or be they enemies, sir," 
 continued Dillon, respectfully, " there is much 
 reason to think that we have now in the Abbey 
 those who can tell us something of their true cha 
 racter ; for the men we have detained carry with 
 them the appearance of having just landed, and 
 wear not only the dress but the air of seamen." 
 
 " Of seamen !" echoed Katherine, a deadly 
 paleness chasing from her cheeks the bloom which 
 indignation had heightened. 
 
 " Of seamen, Miss Plowden," repeated Dillon, 
 with malignant satisfaction, but concealing it un 
 der an air of submissive respect. 
 
 " I thank you, sir, for so gentle a term," re 
 plied the young lady, recollecting herself, and re 
 covering her presence of mind in the same in 
 stant ; " the imagination of Mr. Dillon is so apt to 
 conjure the worst, that he is entitled to our praise 
 for so far humouring our weakness, as not to 
 alarm us with the apprehensions of their being pi 
 rates." 
 
 " Nay, madam, they may yet deserve tha 
 name," returned the other, coolly ; " but my edu 
 cation has instructed me to hear the testimony be 
 fore I pronounce sentence." 
 
 " Ah ! that the boy has found in his Coke upor 
 Littleton," cried the colonel ; " the law is a salu 
 tary corrective to human infirmities, Miss Alice, 
 and among othei things, it teaches patience to a 
 
THE PILOT. 151 
 
 aasty temperament. But for this cursed, unnatu 
 ral rebellion, madam, the young man would, at this 
 moment, have been diffusing its blessings from a 
 judicial chair, in one of the colonies ay ! and I 
 pledge myself, to all alike, black and white, red 
 and yeflow, with such proper dictinctions as na 
 ture has made between the officer and the private. 
 Keep a good heart, kinsman ; we shall yet find a 
 time ! the royal arms have many hands, and things 
 look better at the last advices. But come, we will 
 proceed to the guard-room, and put these strag 
 glers to the question ; runaways, I ll venture to 
 predict, from one of his majesty s cruisers, or, per 
 haps, honest subjects engaged in supplying the ser 
 vice with men. Come, Kit, come, let us go, and 
 
 " Are we then to lose the company of Colonel 
 Howard so soon ?" said Katherine, advancing to 
 her guardian, with an air of blandishment and plea 
 santry. " I know that he too soon forgets the 
 hasty language of our little disputes, to part in an 
 ger, if, indeed, he will even quit us till he has 
 tasted of our coffee." 
 
 The veteran turned to the speaker of this unex 
 pected address, and listened with profound atten 
 tion. When she had done, he replied, with a good 
 deal of softness in his tones 
 
 " Ah ! provoking one ! you know me too well, 
 to doubt my forgiveness ; but duty must be at 
 tended to, though even a young lady s smiles tempt 
 me to remain. Yes, yes, child, you, too, are the 
 daughter of a very brave and worthy seaman ; but 
 you carry your attachment to that profession too 
 far, Miss Plowden you do, indeed you do." 
 
 Katherine might have faintly blushed, but the 
 slight smile, which mingled with the expression of 
 her shame, gave to her countenance a look of ad 
 ditional archness, and she laid her hand lightly on 
 
152 THE PILOT. 
 
 the sleeve of her guardian, to detain him, as sh 
 replied 
 
 " Yet why leave us, Colonel Howard ? It is 
 long since we have seen you in the cloisters, and 
 you know you come as a father ; tarry, and you 
 may yet add confessof to the title." 
 
 " I know thy sins already, girl," said the worthy 
 colonel, unconsciously yielding to her gentle efforts 
 to lead him back to his seat ; " they are, deadly 
 rebellion in your heart to your prince, a most in 
 veterate propensity to salt-water, and a great dis 
 respect to the advice and wishes of an old fellow 
 whom your father s will and the laws of the realm 
 have made the guardian of your person and for 
 tune." 
 
 " Nay, say not the last, dear sir," cried Kathe- 
 rine ; " for there is not a syllable you have ever 
 said to me, on that foolish subject, that I have for 
 gotten. Will you resume your seat again ? Ceci* 
 lia, Colonel Howard consents to take his coffee 
 with us." 
 
 " But you forget the three men, honest Kit, 
 there, and our respectable guest, Captain Bor- 
 roughcliffe." 
 
 " Let honest Kit stay there, if he please; you 
 may send a request to Captain Borroughcliffe 
 to join our party ; I have a woman s curiosity to 
 see the soldier ; and as for the three men " she 
 paused, and affected to muse a moment, when she 
 continued, as if struck by an obvious thought 
 " Yes, and the men can be brought in and ex 
 amined here ; who knows but they may have been 
 wrecked in the gale, and need our pity and assist 
 ance, rather than deserve your suspicions." 
 
 " There is a solemn warning in Miss Plowden a 
 conjecture, that should come home to the breasts 
 of all who live on this wild coast," said Alice Duns- 
 
THE PILOT. 153 
 
 combe ; u I have known many a sad wreck among 
 the hidden shoals, and when the wind has blown 
 but a gentle gale, compared to last night s tempest. 
 The wars, and the uncertainties of the times, to 
 gether with man s own wicked passions, have made 
 great havoc with those who knew well the wind 
 ings of the channels among the " Ripples." Some 
 there were who could pass, as I have often heard, 
 within a fearful distance of the " Devil s Grip," 
 the darkest night that ever shadowed England ; 
 but all are now gone of that daring set, either by 
 the hand of death, or, what is even as mournful, 
 by unnatuFal banishment from the land of their fa 
 thers." 
 
 " This war has then probably drawn off most of 
 them, for your recollections must be quite recent, 
 Miss Alice," said the veteran ; " as many of them 
 were engaged in the business of robbing his majes 
 ty s revenue, the country is in some measure re 
 quited for (heir former depredations, by their pre 
 sent services, and at the same time it is happily 
 rid of their presence. Ah ! madam, ours is a glo 
 rious constitution, where things are so nicely ba 
 lanced, that, as in the physical organization of a 
 healthy, vigorous man, the baser parts are purified 
 in the course of things, by its own wholesome 
 struggles." 
 
 The pale features of Alice Dunscombe became 
 slightly tinged with red, as the colonel proceeded, 
 nor did the faint glow entirely leave her pallid 
 face, until she had said 
 
 " There might have been some who knew not 
 how to respect the laws of the land, for such are 
 never wanting ; but there were others, who, how 
 ever guilty they might be in many respects, need 
 not charge themselves with that mean crime, and 
 yet who could find the passages that lie hid from 
 
154 THE PILOT. 
 
 common eyes, beneath the rude waves, as well as 
 you could find the way through the halls and gal* 
 leries of the Abbey, with a noonday sun shining 
 upon its vanes and high chimneys." 
 
 " Is it your pleasure, Colonel Howard, that we 
 examine the three men, and ascertain whether they 
 belong to the number of these gifted pilots ?" said 
 Christopher Dillon, who was growing uneasy at 
 his awkward situation, and who hardly deemed it 
 necessary to conceal the look of contempt which 
 he cast at the mild Alice, while he spoke ; " per 
 haps we may gather information enough from them, 
 to draw a chart of the coast that may gain us cre 
 dit with my lords of the Admiralty." 
 
 This unprovoked attack on their unresisting and 
 unoffending guest, brought the rich blood to the 
 very temples of Miss Howard, who rose, and ad 
 dressed herself to her kinsman, with a manner that 
 could not easily be mistaken, any more than it 
 could be condemned - 
 
 " If Mr. Dillon will comply with the wishes of 
 Colonel Howard, as my cousin has expressed them, 
 we shall not, at least, have to accuse ourselves of 
 unnecessarily detaining men who probably are 
 more unfortunate than guilty." 
 
 When she concluded, Cecilia walked across the 
 apartment, and took a seat by the side of Alice 
 Dunscombe, with whom she began to converse, in 
 a low, soothing tone of voice. Mr. Dillon bowed 
 with a deprecating humility, and having ascertained 
 that Colonel Howard chose to give an audience, 
 where he sate, to the prisoners, he withdrew to 
 execute his mission, secretly exulting at any change 
 that promised to lead to a renewal of an intercourse 
 that might terminate more to his advantage, than 
 the lofty beauty whose favour he courted was, at 
 present, disposed to concede. 
 
THE PILOT, 155 
 
 " Christopher is a worthy, serviceable, good 
 ellow," said the colonel, when the door closed, 
 and I hope to live, yet, to see him clad in er 
 mine ; I would not be understood literally, but 
 figuratively, for furs would but ill comport with 
 the climate of the Carolinas. I trust I am to be 
 consulted by his majesty s ministers when the new 
 appointments shall be made for the subdued colo 
 nies, and he may safely rely on my good word be 
 ing spoken in his favour. Would he not make an 
 excellent and independent ornament of the bench, 
 Miss Plowden ?" 
 
 Katherine compressed her lips a little, as she 
 replied 
 
 " I must profit by his own discreet rules, and 
 see testimony to that effect, before I decide, sir. 
 But listen !" The young lady s colour changed 
 rapidly, and her eyes became fixed in a sort of 
 feverish gaze on the door. " He has at least been 
 active ; I hear the heavy tread of men already ap 
 proaching." 
 
 " Ah ! it is he certainly ; justice ought always 
 to be prompt as well as certain, to make it perfect ; 
 like a drum-head court-martial, which, by the way, 
 is as summary a sort of government as heart could 
 wish to live under. If his majesty s ministers 
 could be persuaded to introduce into the revolted 
 colonies " 
 
 " Listen !" interrupted Katherine, in a voice 
 which bespoke her deep anxiety ; " they draw 
 near !" 
 
 The sound of footsteps w r as in fact now so audi 
 ble as to induce the colonel to suspend the delive 
 ry of his plan for governing the recovered pro 
 vinces. The long, low gallery, which was paved 
 with a stone flagging, soon brought the footsteps 
 of the approaching party more distinctly to theii 
 
150 THE PILOT. 
 
 ears, and presently a low tap at the door announced 
 their arrival. Colonel Howard arose, with the air 
 of one who was to sustain the principal character 
 ; n the ensuing interview, and bade them enter. 
 Cecilia and Alice Dunscombe merely cast careless 
 looks at the opening door, indifferent to the scene ; 
 but the quick eye of Katherine embraced, at a 
 glance, every figure in the group. Drawing a 
 long, quivering breath, she fell back on the couch, 
 and her eyes again lighted with their playful ex 
 pression, as she hummed a low, rapid air, with a 
 voice in which even the suppressed tones were li 
 quid melody. 
 
 Dillon entered, preceding the soldier, whose 
 gait had become more steady, and in whose rigid 
 eye a thoughtful expression had taken the place 
 of its former vacant gaze. In short, something 
 had manifestly restored to him a more complete 
 command of his mental powers, although he might 
 not have been absolutely sobered. The rest of 
 the party continued in the gallery, while Mr. Dil 
 lon presented the renovated captain to the colonel, 
 when the latter did him the same kind office with 
 the ladies. 
 
 " Miss Plowden,"said the veteran, for she offered 
 first in the ci/cle, " this is my friend, Captain 
 Borroughcliffe ; he has long been ambitious of this 
 honour, and I have no doubt his reception will be 
 such as to leave him no cause to repent he has 
 been at last successful." 
 
 Katherine smiled, and answered, with ambigu 
 ous emphasis 
 
 " I know not how to thank him sufficiently for 
 the care he has bestowed on our poor persons." 
 
 The soldier looked steadily at her, for a moment, 
 with an eye that seemed to threaten a retaliation 
 in kind, ere he replied 
 
THE PILOT. 15? 
 
 " One of those smiles, madam, would be an am 
 ple compensation for services that are more real 
 than such as exist only in intention." 
 
 Katherine bowed with more complacency than 
 she usually bestowed on those who wore the Bri 
 tish uniform, and they proceeded to the next. 
 
 " This is Miss Alice Dunscombe, Captain Bor- 
 roughcliffe, daughter of a very worthy clergyman 
 who was formerly the curate of this parish, and a 
 lady who does us the pleasure of giving us a good 
 deal of her society, though far less than we all wish 
 for." 
 
 The captain returned the civil inclination of 
 Alice, and the colonel proceeded. 
 
 " Miss Howard, allow me to present Captain 
 Borroughcliffe, a gentleman who, having volun 
 teered to defend St. Ruth in these critical times, 
 merits all the favour of its mistress." 
 
 Cecilia gracefully rose, and received her guest 
 with sweet complacency. The soldier made no re 
 ply to the customary compliments that she uttered, 
 but stood an instant gazing at her speaking coun 
 tenance, and then, laying his hand involuntarily on 
 his breast, bowed nearly to his sword-hilt. 
 
 These formalities duly observed, the colonel de 
 clared his readiness to receive the prisoners. As 
 the door was opened by Dillon, Katherine cast a 
 cool and steady look at the strangers, and beheld 
 the light glancing along the arms of the soldiers 
 who guarded them. But the seamen entered 
 alone; while the rattling of arms, and the heavy 
 dash of the muskets on the stone pavement, an 
 nounced that it was thought prudent to retain a 
 force at hand, to watch these secret intruders on 
 the grounds of the abbey. 
 
 VOL. I. 14 
 
CHAPTER Xll. 
 
 Food for powder ; they ll fill a pit aa roll as better." 
 
 Falsiaff, 
 
 THE three men, who now entered the apart 
 ment, appeared to be nothing daunted by the pre 
 sence into which they were ushered, though clad 
 in the coarse and weather-beaten vestments of 
 seamen who had been exposed to recent and se 
 vere duty. They silently obeyed the direction of 
 the soldier s finger, and took their stations in a 
 distant corner of the room, like men who knew 
 the deference due to rank, at the same time that 
 the habits of their lives had long accustomed them 
 to encounter the vicissitudes of the world. With 
 this slight preparation, Colonel Howard began the 
 business of examination. 
 
 " I trust ye are all good and loyal subjects," the 
 veteran commenced, with a considerate respect 
 for innocence, " but the times are such that even 
 the most worthy characters become liable to sus 
 picion ; and, consequently, if our apprehensions 
 should prove erroneous, you must overlook the 
 mistake, and attribute it to tlie awful condition in 
 to which rebellion has plunged this empire. We 
 have much reason to fear that some project is 
 about to be undertaken on the coast by the enemy, 
 
THE PIL01 159 
 
 who has appeared, we know, with a frigate and 
 schooner ; and the audacity of the rebels is only 
 equalled by their shameless and wicked disrespect 
 for the rights of the sovereign." 
 
 While Colonel Howard was uttering his apolo 
 getic preamble, the prisoners fastened their eyes 
 on him with much interest ; but when he alluded 
 to the apprehended attack, the gaze of two of 
 them became more keenly attentive, and, before 
 he concluded, they exchanged furtive glances of 
 deep meaning. No reply was made, however, and 
 after a short pause, as if to allow time for his words 
 to make a proper impression, the veteran con 
 tinued 
 
 " We have no evidence, I understand, that you 
 are in the smallest degree connected with the ene 
 mies of this country ; but as you have been found 
 out of the king s highway, or, rather, on a by-path, 
 which I must confess is frequently used by the 
 people of the neighbourhood, but which is never* 
 theless nothing but a by-path, it becomes no more 
 than what self-preservation requires of us, to ask 
 you a few such questions as I trust will be satis 
 factorily answered. To use your own nautical 
 phrases, from whence came ye, pray ? and whi 
 ther are ye bound ? 
 
 A low, deep voice replied 
 
 " From Sunderland, last, and bound, over land, 
 to Whitehaven." 
 
 This simple and direct answer was hardly given, 
 before the attention of the listeners was called to 
 Alice Dunscombe, who uttered a faint shriek, and 
 rose from her seat involuntarily, while her eyes 
 seemed to roll fearfully, and perhaps a little wild 
 ly, round the room* 
 
 " Are you ill, Miss Alice ?" said the sweet, 
 soothing tones of Cecilia Howard ; " you are, in 
 
. 60 THE PILOT. 
 
 deed you are ; lean on me, that I may lead you to 
 your apartment." 
 
 " Did you hear it, or was it only fancy !" she 
 answered, her cheek blanched to the whiteness of 
 death, and her whole frame shuddering as if in 
 convulsions ; " say, did you hear it too ?" 
 
 " I have heard nothing but the voice of my un 
 cle, who is standing near you, anxious, as we all 
 are, for your recovery from this dreadful agitation ," 
 
 Alice still gazed wildly from face to face. Her 
 eye did not rest satisfied with dwelling on those 
 who surrounded her, but surveyed, with a sort of 
 frantic eagerness, the figures and appearance of 
 the three men, who stood in humble patience, the 
 silent and unmoved witnesses of this extraordinary 
 scene. At length she veiled her eyes with both 
 her hands, as if to shut out some horrid vision, and 
 then removing them, she smiled languidly, as she 
 signed for Cecilia to assist her from the room. To 
 the polite and assiduous offers of the gentlemen, 
 she returned no other thanks than those conveyed 
 in her looks and gestures ; but when the sentinels 
 who paced the gallery were passed, and the ladies 
 were alone, she breathed a long, shivering sigh, 
 and found an utterance. 
 
 " Twas like a voice from the silent grave !" 
 she said, " but it could be no more than mockery- 
 No, no, tis a just punishment for letting the image 
 of the creature fill the place that should be occu 
 pied only with the Creator. Ah ! Miss Howard. 
 Miss Plowden, ye are both young in the pride 
 of your beauty and loveliness but little do ye 
 know, and less do ye dread, the temptations and 
 errors of a sinful world." 
 
 " Her thoughts wander!" whispered Katherme, 
 with anxious tenderness ; " some awful calamity 
 has affected her intellects " 
 
THE PILOT. 161 
 
 " Yes, it must be ; my sinful thoughts have 
 Wandered, and conjured sounds that it would have 
 been dreadful to have heard in truth, and within 
 these walls," said Alice, more composedly, smiling 
 with a ghastly expression, as she gazed on the two 
 beautiful solicitous maidens who supported her 
 yielding person. " But the moment of weakness is 
 passed, and 1 am better ; aid me to my room, and 
 return, that you may not interrupt the reviving 
 harmony between yourselves and Colonel How 
 ard. I am now better, nay, I am quite restored." 
 
 " Say not so, dear Miss Alice," returned Ce 
 cilia ; " your face denies what your kindness to us 
 induces you to utter ; ill, very ill, you are, nor 
 shall even your own commands induce me to leave 
 you." 
 
 " Remain, then," said Miss Dunscombe, be 
 stowing a look of grateful affection on her lovely 
 supporter ; " and while our Katherine returns to 
 the drawing-room, to give the gentlemen their 
 coffee, you shall continue with me, as my gentle 
 nurse." 
 
 By this time they had gained the apartment, 
 and Katherine, after assisting her cousin to place 
 Alice on her bed, returned to do the honours of 
 the drawing-room. 
 
 Colonel Howard ceased his examination of the 
 prisoners at her entrance, to inquire, with courtly 
 solicitude, after the invalid ; and, when his ques 
 tions were answered, he again proceeded, as fol 
 lows 
 
 " This is what the lads would call plain-sailing, 
 Borroughcliffe ; they are out of employment in 
 Sunderland, and have acquaintances and relatives 
 in Whitehaven, to whom they are going for assist 
 ance and laboui . All very probable, and perfectly 
 harmless." 
 
 14* 
 
162 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Nothing more so, my respectable host, 1 re 
 turned the jocund soldier ; " but it seemeth a 
 grievous misfortune that a trio of such flesh and 
 blood should need work wherewithal to exercise 
 their thews and sinews, while so many of the ves 
 sels of his majesty s fleet navigate the ocean in 
 quest of the enemies of old England." 
 
 " There is truth in that ; much truth in your 
 remark," cried the colonel. " What say you, my 
 lads, will you fight the Frenchman and the Don, 
 ay ! and even my own rebellious and infatuated 
 countrymen ? Nay, by heaven, it is not a trifle 
 that shall prevent his majesty from possessing the 
 services of three such heroes. Here are five 
 guineas a-piece for you the moment that you put 
 foot on board the Alacrity cutter ; and that can 
 easily be done, as she lies at anchor this very night, 
 only two short leagues to the south of this, in a 
 small port, where she is riding out the gale as 
 snugly as if she were in a corner of this room." 
 
 One of the men affected to gaze at the money 
 with longing eyes, while he Basked, as if weighing 
 the terms of the engagement 
 
 " Whether the Alacrity was called a good sea- 
 boat, and was thought to give a comfortable birth 
 to her crew ?" 
 
 " Comfortable !" echoed Borroughcliffe ; " for 
 that matter, she is called the bravest cutter in the 
 navy. You have seen much of the world, I dare 
 say ; did you ever see such a place as the marine 
 arsenal at Carthagena, in old Spain ?" 
 
 " Indeed I have, sir," returned the seaman, in a 
 cool, collected tone. 
 
 " Ah ! you have ! well, did you ever meet with 
 a house in Paris that they call the Tuileries 
 because it s a dog-kennel to the Alacrity." 
 
 " I have even fallen in with the place you men- 
 
THE PILOT. 163 
 
 tion, sir," returned the sailor ; " and must own 
 the birth quite good enough for such as I am, if it 
 tallies with your description." 
 
 " The deuce take these blue-jackets," muttered 
 Borroughcliffe, addressing himself unconsciously 
 to Miss Plowden, near whom he happened to be 
 at the time ; " they run their tarry countenances 
 into all the corners of the earth, and abridge a 
 man most lamentably in his comparisons. Now, 
 who the devil would have thought that fellow had 
 ever put his sea-green eyes on the palace of King 
 Louis !" 
 
 Katherine heeded not his speech, but sat eye 
 ing the prisoners with a confused and wavering ex- 
 preesion of countenance, while Colonel Howard 
 renewed the discourse, by exclaiming 
 
 " Come, come, Borroughcliffe, let us give the 
 lads no tales for a recruit, but good, plain, honest 
 English God bless the language, and the land foi 
 which it was first made, too. There is no necessi 
 ty to tell these men, if they are, what they seem 
 to be, practical seamen, that a cutter of ten guns 
 contains all the room and accommodation of a pa 
 lace." 
 
 " Do you allow nothing for English oak and 
 English comfort, mine host," said the immoveable 
 captain ; " do you think, good sir, that I measure 
 fitness and propriety by square and compass, as if 
 I were planning Solomon s temple anew ! All I 
 mean to say is, that the Alacrity is a vessel of sin 
 gular compactness and magical arrangement of 
 room. Like the tent of that handsome brother of 
 the fairy, in the Arabian Nights, she is big or she 
 is little, as occasion needeth ; and now, hang me. 
 if I don t think I have uttered more in her favour 
 than her commander would say to help me to a re 
 cruit, though no lad in the three kingdoms should 
 
164 THE PILOT. 
 
 appear willing to try how a scarlet coat would suit 
 his boorish figure." 
 
 " That time has not yet arrived, and God forbid 
 that it ever should, W 7 hile the monarch needs a sol 
 dier in the field to protect his rights. But what 
 say ye, my men ? you have heard the recommenda 
 tion that Captain Borroughcliffe has given of the 
 Alacrity, which is altogether true after making 
 some allowances for language. Will ye serve ? 
 shall I order you a cheering glass a man, and 
 lay by the gold, till I hear from the cutter that 
 you are enrolled under the banners of the best of 
 kings r" 
 
 Katherine Plowden, who hardly seemed to 
 breathe, so close and intent was the interest with 
 which she regarded the seamen, fancied she ob 
 served lurking smiles on their faces ; but if her 
 conjectures were true, their disposition to be mer 
 ry went no farther, and the one who had spoken 
 hitherto, replied, in the same calm manner as be 
 fore 
 
 " You will excuse us, if we decline shipping in 
 the cutter, sir ; we are used to distant voyages and 
 large vessels, whereas the Alacrity is kept at coast 
 duty, and is not of a size to lay herself alongside 
 of a Don or a Frenchman with a double row of 
 teeth." 
 
 " If you prefer that sort of sport, you must to 
 the right-about for Yarmouth ; there you will find 
 ships that will meet any thing that swims," said 
 the colonel. 
 
 " Perhaps the gentlemen would prefer abandon 
 ing the cares and dangers of the ocean for a life of 
 ease and gayety," said the captain. " The hand 
 that has long dallied with a marlinspike may be ea 
 sily made to feel a trigger, as gracefully as a lady 
 touches the keys of her piano. In short, there is 
 
THE PILOT. 165 
 
 and there is not a great resemblance between the 
 life of a sailor, and that of a soldier. There are 
 no gales of wind, nor short-allowances, nor reefing 
 topsails, nor shipwrecks, among soldiers and at 
 the same time, there is just as much, or even more 
 grog-drinking, jollifying, care-killing fun around a 
 canteen and an open knapsack, than there is on 
 the end of a mess-chest, with a full can and a Sa 
 turday night s breeze. I have crossed the ocean 
 several times, and I must own that a ship, in good 
 weather, is very much the same as a camp or com 
 fortable barracks ; mind, I say only in very good 
 weather." 
 
 " We have no doubt that all you say is true, 
 sir," observed the spokesman of the three, " but 
 what to you may seem a hardship, to us is plea 
 sure. We have faced too many a gale to mind a 
 cap-full of wind, and should think ourselves always 
 in the calm latitudes, in one of your barracks, 
 where there is nothing to do but to eat our grub, 
 and to march a little fore and aft a small piece of 
 green earth. We hardly know one end of a mus 
 ket from the other." 
 
 " No !" said Borroughcliffe, musing ; and then 
 advancing with a quick step towards them, he 
 cried, in a spirited manner " attention ! right, 
 dress !" 
 
 The speaker, and the seaman next him, gazed 
 at the captain in silent wonder ; but the third in 
 dividual of the party, who had drawn himself a lit 
 tle aside, as if willing to be unnoticed, or perhaps 
 pondering on his condition, involuntarily started at 
 this unexpected order, and erecting himself, threw 
 his head to the right as promptly as if he had been 
 on a parade ground. 
 
 u Oho ! ye are apt scholars, gentlemen, and ye 
 can learn, I see," continued Borroughcliffe. " 1 
 
166 l-HE PILOT, 
 
 feel it to be proper that I detain these men till to 
 morrow morning, Colonel Howard, and yet I 
 would give them better quarters than the hard 
 benches of the guard-room." 
 
 ;; Act your pleasure, Captain Borroughcliffe," 
 returned the host, " so you do but your duty to 
 our royal master. They shall not want for cheer, 
 and they can have a room over the servants of* 
 fices in the south side of the Abbey." 
 
 " Three rooms, my colonel, three rooms must 
 be provided, though I give up my own." 
 
 " There are several small empty apartments 
 there, where blankets might be taken, and the 
 men p ] aced for safe keeping, if you deem it neces 
 sary ; hough, to me, they seem like good, loyal 
 tars, whose greatest glory it would be to serve 
 their prince, and whose principal pleasure would 
 consist in getting dongside of a Don or a Mon 
 sieur." 
 
 " We shall discuss these matters anon," said 
 Borroughcliffe, dryly. " I see Miss Plowden be 
 gins to look grave at our abusing her patience so 
 long, and I know that cold coffee is, like withered 
 love, but a tasteless sort of a beverage. Come, 
 gentlemen, en avant ! you have seen the Tuileries, 
 and must have heard a little French. Mr. Chris 
 topher Dillon, know you where these three small 
 apartments are situate, lying, and being, as your 
 parchments read ?" 
 
 " I do, sir," said the complying lawyer, " and 
 shall take much pleasure in guiding you to them. 
 I think your decision that of a prudent and saga 
 cious officer, and much doubt whether Durham 
 Castle, or some other fortress, will be thought too 
 big to hold them, ere long." 
 
 As this speech was uttered while the men were 
 passing from the room, its effect on them was un- 
 
THE PILOT, 107 
 
 
 noticed ; but Katherine Plowden, who was left for 
 a few moments by herself, sat and pondered ovei 
 what she had seen and heard, with a thoughtful- 
 ness of manner that was not usual to her gay and 
 buoyant spirits. The sounds of the retiring foot 
 steps, however, gradually grew fainter, and the re 
 turn of her guardian alone recalled the recollection 
 of the young lady to the duties of her situation. 
 
 While engaged in the little offices of the tea- 
 table, Katherine threw many furtive glances at the 
 veteran ; but, although he seemed to be musing, 
 there was nothing austere or suspicious in his frank, 
 open countenance. 
 
 " There is much useless trouble taken with 
 these wandering seamen, sir," said Katherine, at 
 length ; " it seems to be the particular province of 
 Mr. Christopher Dillon, to make all that come in 
 contact with him excessively uncomfortable." 
 
 " And what has Kit to do with the detention of 
 the men ?" 
 
 " What ! why, has he not undertaken to stand 
 godfather to their prisons ? by a woman s pa 
 tience, I think, Colonel Howard, this business 
 will gain a pretty addition to the names of St 
 Ruth, It is already called a house, an abbey, a 
 place, and by some a castle ; let Mr. Dillon have 
 his way for a month, and it will add gaol to the 
 number." 
 
 " Kit is not so happy as to possess the favou 
 of Miss Plowden ; but still Kit is a worthy fellow, 
 and a good fellow, and a sensible fellow, ay ! and 
 what is of more value than all these put together, 
 Miss Katherine, Mr. Christopher Dillon is a faith 
 ful and loyal subject to his prince. His mother 
 was my cousin-german, madam, and I cannot saj 
 how soon I may call him my nephew. The Dii 
 Ions are of good Irish extraction, and I believe that 
 
68 THE PILOT. 
 
 even Miss Plowden will admit that the Howards 
 have some pretensions to a name." 
 
 " Ah ! it is those very things called names that 
 I most allude to," said Katherine, quickly. " But 
 an hour since, you were indignant, my dear guar 
 dian, because you suspected that I insinuated you 
 ought to write gaoler behind the name of Howard, 
 and even now you submit to have the office palmed 
 upon you." 
 
 " You forget, Miss Katherine Plowden, that it 
 is the pleasure of one of his majesty s officers to 
 detain these men." 
 
 "But I thought that the glorious British con 
 stitution, which you so often mention," interrupted 
 the young lady, spiritedly, " gives liberty to all 
 who touch these blessed shores ; you know, sir, 
 that out of twenty blacks that you brought with 
 you, how few remain ; the rest having fled on the 
 wings of the spirit of British liberty !" 
 
 This was touching a festering sore in the colo 
 nei s feelings, and his provoking ward well knew 
 the effects her observation was likely to produce. 
 Her guardian did not break forth in a violent burst 
 of rage, or furnish those manifestations of his ire 
 that he was wont to do on less important subjects, 
 but he arose, with all his dignity concentred in a 
 look, and, after making a violent effort to restrain 
 his feelings within the bounds necessary to pre- 
 erve the decorum of his exit, he ventured a reply. 
 
 " That the British constitution is glorious, ma 
 dam, is most true. That this island is the sole re 
 fuge where liberty has been able to find a home, 
 is also true. The tyranny and oppression of the 
 Congress, which are grinding down the colonies 
 to the powder of desolation and poverty, are not 
 worthy of the sacred name. Rebellion pollutes 
 all that it touches^ madam. Although if. often 
 
THE PILOT. 169 
 
 commences under the sanction of holy liberty, it 
 ever terminates in despotism. The annals of the 
 world, from the time of the Greeks and Romans 
 down to the present day, abundantly prove it. 
 There was that Julius Caesar he was one of your 
 people s men, and he ended a tyrant. Oliver 
 Cromwell was another a rebel, a demagogue, and 
 a tyrant. The gradations, madam, are as inevita 
 ble as from childhood to youth, and from youth to 
 age. As for the little affair that you have been 
 pleased to mention, of the of the of my private 
 concerns, I can only say that the affairs of nations 
 are not to be judged of by domestic incidents, any 
 more than domestic occurrences are to be judged 
 of by national politics." The colonel, like many 
 a better logician, mistook his antithesis for argu 
 ment, and paused a moment to admire his own elo 
 quence ; but the current of his thoughts, which al 
 ways flowed in torrents on this subject, swept him 
 along in its course, and he continued " Yes, ma 
 dam, here, and here alone is true liberty to be 
 found. With this solemn asseveration, which is not 
 lightly made, but which is the result of sixty 
 years experience, I leave you, Miss Plowden ; 
 let it be a subject of deep reflection with you, for f 
 I too well understand your treacherous feelings not 
 to know that your political errors encourage your 
 personal foibles ; reflect, for your own sake, if you 
 love not only your own happiness, but youi re 
 spectability and standing in the world. As for the 
 black hounds that you spoke of, they are a set of 
 rebellious, mutinous, ungrateful rascals ; and if ever 
 I meet one of the damned " 
 
 The colonel had so far controlled his feelings, 
 as to leave the presence of the lady before he 
 broke out into the bitter invectives we have re 
 corded, and Katherine stood a minute, pressing 
 
 VOL. I. 15 
 
170 THE PILOT. 
 
 her forefinger on her lips, listening to his voice as 
 it grumbled along the gallery, until the sounds were 
 finally excluded by the closing of a distant door. 
 The wilful girl then shook her dark locks, and a 
 smile of arch mischief, blended with an expression 
 of regret, in her countenance, as she spoke to her 
 self, while with hurried hands she threw her tea- 
 equipage aside in a confused pile 
 
 " It was perhaps a cruel experiment, but it has 
 succeeded. Though prisoners ourselves, we are 
 at least left free for the remainder of this night. 
 These mysterious sailors must be examined more 
 closely. If the proud eye of Edward Griffith was 
 not glaring under the black wig of one of them, I 
 am no judge of features ; and where has Master 
 I Barnstable concealed his charming visage ! for nei 
 ther of the others could be he. But now for Ce 
 cilia." 
 
 Her light form glided from the room, while she 
 was yet speaking, and flitting along the dimly- 
 lighted passages, it disappeared in one of those 
 turnings that led to the more secret apartments of 
 the abbey. 
 
CHAPTER XIII 
 
 * How ! Lucia, ivould st thou have tne sin 
 
 M In pleasing dreams, and lose myself in love" 
 
 Cat<>. 
 
 THE reader must not imagine that the world 
 Stood still during the occurrence of the scenes we 
 have related, By the time the three seamen were 
 placed in as many different rooms, and a sentinel 
 Was stationed in the gallery common to them all, 
 in such a manner as to keep an eye on his whole 
 charge at once, the hour had run deep into the 
 night. Captain Borrougheliffe obeyed a summons 
 from the colonel, who made him an evasive apolo 
 gy for the change in their evening s amusement, 
 and challenged his guest to a renewal of the attack 
 on the Madeira. This was too grateful a theme 
 to be lightly discussed by the captain, and the ab 
 bey clock had given forth as many of its mournful 
 remonstrances as the division of the hours would 
 permit, before they separated, In the mean timCj 
 Mr. Dillon became invisible ; though a servant, 
 when questioned by the host on the subject, an 
 nounced, that " he believed Mr. Christopher had 
 chosen to ride over to , to be in readiness 
 to join the hunt, on the morning, with the dawn. 5 
 While the gentlemen were thus indulging them- 
 eelves in the dining parlour, and laughing over 
 
172 THE PILOT 
 
 the tales of other times and hard campaigns, two 
 very different scenes occurred in other parts of the 
 building. 
 
 When the quiet of the abbey was only inter 
 rupted by the howling of the wind, or by the 
 loud and prolonged laughs which echoed through 
 the passages from the joyous pair, who were thus 
 comfortably established by the side of the bottle, 
 a door was gently opened on one of the galleries 
 of the " cloisters," and Katherine Plowden issued 
 from it, wrapped in a close mantle, and holding in 
 her hand a chamber lamp, which threw its dim 
 light faintly along the gloomy walls in front, leav 
 ing all behind her obscured in darkness. She was, 
 however, soon followed by two other female 
 figures, clad in the same manner, and provided 
 with similar lights. When all were in the gallery, 
 Katherine drew the door softly to, and proceeded 
 in front to lead the way. 
 
 " Hist !" said the low, tremulous voice of Ceci 
 lia, " they are yet up in the other parts of the 
 house ; and if it be as you suspect, our visit would 
 betray them, and prove the means of their cer 
 tain destruction." 
 
 " Is the laugh of Colonel Howard in his cups so 
 singular and unknown to your ear, Cecilia, that 
 you know it not?" said Katherine with a little 
 spirit ; " or do you forget that on such occasions 
 he seldom leaves himself ears to hear, or eyes to 
 see with. But follow me ; it is as I suspect it must 
 be as I suspect ; and unless we do something to 
 rescue them, they are lost, without they have laid 
 a deeper scheme than is apparent." 
 
 " It is a dangerous road ye both journey," add 
 ed the placid tones of Alice Dunscombe ; " but 
 ye are young, and ye are credulous." 
 
THE PILOT. 173 
 
 <c If you disapprove of our visit," said Cecilia ; 
 it cannot be right, and we had better return." 
 
 " No, no, I have said naught to disapprove of 
 your present errand. If God has put the lives of 
 those in your custody whom ye have taught your 
 selves to lo&k up to with love and reverence, such 
 as woman is bound to yield to one man, he has 
 done it for no idle purpose. Lead us to their 
 doors, Katherine ; let us relieve our doubts, at 
 least." 
 
 The ardent girl did not wait for a second bid 
 ding, but she led them, with light and quick steps, 
 along the gallery, until they reached its termina 
 tion, where they descended to the basement floor 
 by a flight of narrow steps, and carefully opening 
 a small door, emerged into the open air. They 
 now stood on a small plat of grass, which lay be 
 tween the building and the ornamental garden, 
 across which they moved rapidly, concealing theii 
 lights, and bending their shrinking forms before 
 the shivering blasts that poured their fury upon 
 them from the ocean. They soon reached a large 
 but rough addition to the buildings, that concealed 
 its plain architecture behind the more laboured 
 and highly finished parts of the edifice, into which 
 they entered through a massive door that stood 
 ajar, as if to admit them. 
 
 " Chloe has been true to my orders," whisper 
 ed Katherine, as they passed out of the chilling 
 air ; " now, if all the servants are asleep, our 
 chance to escape unnoticed amounts to certainty." 
 
 It became necessary to go through the servant s 
 hall, which they effected unobserved, as it had but 
 one occupant, an aged black man, who, being post 
 ed with his ear within two feet of a bell, in this at 
 titude had committed himself to a deep sleep. 
 Gliding through this hall, they entered divers long 
 15* 
 
174 THE PILOT. 
 
 and intricate passages, all of which seemed as fa 
 miliar to Katherine as they were unknown to her 
 companions, until they reached another flight of 
 steps, which they ascended. They \vere now near 
 their goal, and stopped to examine whether any or 
 what difficulties were likely to be opposed to their 
 further progress. 
 
 " Now, indeed, our case seems hopeless," whis 
 pered Katherine, as they stood, concealed by the 
 darkness, in one end of an extremely long, nar 
 row passage ; " here is the sentinel in the build 
 ing, instead of being as I had supposed, under the 
 windows ; what is to be done now ?" 
 
 " Let us return," said Cecilia, in the same man 
 ner ; " my influence with my uncle is great, even 
 though he seems unkind to us at times. In the 
 morning I will use it to persuade him to free them, 
 on receiving their promise to abandon all such at 
 tempts in future." 
 
 " In the morning it will be too late," returned 
 Katherine ; " I saw that demon, Kit Dillon, mount 
 his horse, under the pretence of riding to the great 
 hunt of to-morrow, but I know his malicious eye 
 too well to be deceived in his errand. He is silent 
 that he may be sure, and if to-:morrow T comes, and 
 finds Griffith within these walls, he will be con 
 demned to a scaffold." 
 
 " Say no more," said Alice Dunscombe, with 
 singular emotion ; cc some lucky circumstance may 
 aid us with this sentinel." 
 
 As she spoke, she advanced ; they had not pro. 
 ceeded far, before the stern voice of the soldier 
 challenged the party. 
 
 " Tis no time to hesitate," whispered Kathe 
 rine ; " we are the ladies of the abbey, looking 
 to our domestic affairs," she continued, aloud, "and 
 think it a little remarkable that we are to encoun- 
 
THE PILOT. 175 
 
 er armed men, while going through our own 
 dwelling." 
 
 The soldier respectfully presented his musket, 
 and replied 
 
 " My orders are to guaix! the doors of these 
 three rooms, ladies ; we have prisoners in them, 
 and as for any thing else my duty will be to serve 
 you all in my power. 7 
 
 " Prisoners !" exclaimed Katherine, in affected 
 surprise ; " does Captain Borroughcliffe make St. 
 Ruth s Abbey a gaol ! Of what offences are the 
 poor men guilty ?" 
 
 " I know not, my lady ; but as they are sailors, 
 I suppose they have run from his majesty s ser 
 vice." 
 
 " This is singular, truly ! and why are they not 
 sent to the county prison ?" 
 
 " This must be examined into," said Cecilia, 
 dropping the mantle from before her face. " As 
 mistress of this house, I claim a right to know 
 whom its walls contain ; you will oblige me by 
 opening the doors, for I see you have the keys sus 
 pended from your belt." 
 
 The sentinel hesitated. He was greatly awed 
 by the presence and beauty of the speakers, but 
 a still voice reminded him of his duty. A lucky 
 thought, however, interposed to relieve him from 
 his dilemma, and at the same time to comply with 
 the request, or, rather, order of the lady. As he 
 handed her the keys, he said 
 
 " Here they are, my lady ; my orders are to 
 keep the prisoners in, not to keep any one out. 
 When you are done with them, you will please to 
 return them to me, if it be only to save a poor fel 
 low s eyes, for unless the door is kept locked, I 
 shall not dare to look about me for a moment." 
 
 Cecilia promised to return the keys, and she 
 
r 
 
 176 THE PILOT. 
 
 had applied one of them to a lock with a trembling 
 hand, when Alice Dunscombe arrested her arm, 
 and addressed the soldier. 
 
 " Say you there are three ? are they men in 
 years ?" 
 
 " No, my lady, all good, serviceable lads, who 
 couldn t do better than to serve his majesty, or, 
 as it may prove, worse than to run from their co 
 lours." 
 
 u But are their years and appearance similar ? 
 I ask, for I have a friend who has been guilty of 
 some boyish tricks, and has tried the seas, I hear, 
 among other foolish hazards." 
 
 " There is no boy here. In the far room on 
 the left is a smart, soldier-looking chap, of about 
 thirty, who the captain thinks has carried a mus 
 ket before now ; on him I am charged to keep a 
 particular eye. Next to him is as pretty a look 
 ing youth as eyes could wish to see, and it makes 
 one feel mournful to think what he must come to, 
 if he has really deserted his ship. In the room 
 near you, is a smaller, quiet little body, who 
 might make a better preacher than a sailor or a 
 soldier either, he has such a gentle way with 
 
 i . * . *f 
 
 him." 
 
 Alice covered her eyes with her hand a moment, 
 and then recovering herself, proceeded 
 
 " Gentleness may do more with the unfortunate 
 men than fear ; here is a guinea ; withdraw to the 
 far end of the passage, where you can watch them 
 as well as here, while we enter, and endeavour 
 to make them confess who and what they really 
 are." 
 
 The soldier took the money, and after looking 
 about him in a little uncertainty, he at length com 
 plied, as it was obviously true they could only 
 escape by passing him, near the flight of stepp, 
 
THE PILOT. 177 
 
 When he was beyond hearing, Alice Dunscoinbe 
 turned to her companions, and a slight glow ap 
 peared in feverish spots on her cheeks, as she ad 
 dressed them. 
 
 " It would be idle to attempt to hide from you, 
 that I expect to meet the individual whose voice 
 I must have heard in reality to-night, instead oi 
 only imaginary sounds, as I vainly, if not wickedly 
 supposed. I have many reasons for changing my 
 opinion, the chief of which is that he is leagued 
 with the rebellious Americans in this unnatural 
 war. Nay, chide me not, Miss Plowden ; you will 
 remember that I found my being on this island. I 
 come here on no vain or weak errand, Miss How 
 ard, but to spare human blood." She paused, as 
 if struggling to speak calmly. " But no one can 
 witness the interview except our God." 
 
 " Go, then," said Katherine, secretly rejoicing 
 at her determination, " while we inquire into the 
 characters of the others." 
 
 Alice Dunscombe turned the key, and gently 
 opening the door, she desired her companions to 
 tap for her, as they returned, and then instantly 
 disappeared in the apartment. 
 
 Cecilia and her cousin proceeded to the next 
 door, which they opened in silence, and entered 
 cautiously into the room. 
 
 Katherine Plowden had so far examined in 
 the arrangements of Colonel Howard, as to know 
 that at the same time he liad ordered blankets to 
 be provided for the prisoners, he had not though i 
 it necessary to administer any further to the ac 
 commodations of men who had apparently made 
 their beds and pillows of planks for the greater 
 part of their lives. 
 
 The ladies accordingly found the youthful sailor 
 whom the} sought, with his body rolled in the 
 
178 THE PILOT. 
 
 shaggy covering, extended at his length along the 
 naked boards, and buried in a deep sleep. So 
 timed were the steps of his visiters, and so noise 
 less was their entrance, that they approached ever, 
 to his side, without disturbing his slumbers. The 
 head of the prisoner lay rudely pillowed on a bil 
 let of wood, one hand protecting his face from its 
 rough surface, and the other thrust into his bosom, 
 where it rested, with a relaxed grasp, on the han 
 dle of a dirk. Although he slept, and that heavily, 
 yet his rest was unnatural and perturbed. His 
 breathing was hard and quick, and something like 
 the low, rapid murmurings of a confused utterance 
 mingled with his respiration. The moment had 
 now arrived when the character of Cecilia Howard 
 appeared to undergo an entire change. Hitherto 
 she had been led by her cousin, whose activity and 
 enterprise seemed to qualify her so well for the 
 office of guide ; but now she advanced before Ka- 
 therine, and, extending her lamp in such a man 
 ner as to throw the light across the face of the 
 sleeper, she bent to examine his countenance, with 
 keen and anxious eyes. 
 
 " Am I right ?" whispered her cousin. 
 
 " May God, in his infinite compassion, pity and 
 protect him !" murmured Cecilia, her whole frame 
 .-voluntarily shuddering, as the conviction that she 
 ;eheld Griffith flashed across her mind. " Yes, 
 Catherine, it is he, and presumptuous madness has 
 driven him here. But time presses ; lie must be 
 wakened, and his escape effected at every ha 
 zard." 
 
 " Nay, then, delay no longer, but rouse him 
 from his sleep." 
 
 " Griffith ! Edward Griffith !" said the soft tones 
 uf Cecilia, " Griffith, awake !" 
 
 " Your call is useless, for they sleep nightly 
 
THE PILOT. 179 
 
 j 
 
 among tempests and boisterous sounds," said Ka- 
 therine ; " but I have heard it said that the small 
 est touch will generally cause one of them to stir." 
 
 " Griffith !" repeated Cecilia, laying her fair 
 hand timidly on his own. 
 
 The flash of the lightning is not more nimble 
 than the leap that the young man made to his feet, 
 which he no sooner gained, than his dirk gleamed 
 in the light of the lamps, as he brandished it fierce 
 ly with one hand, while with the other he extended 
 a pistol, in a menacing attitude, towards his dis 
 turbers. 
 
 " Stand back !" he exclaimed ; " I am your 
 prisoner only as a corpse !" 
 
 The fierceness of his front, and the glaring eye 
 balls, that rolled wildly around him, appalled Ce 
 cilia, who shrunk back in fear, dropping her man 
 tle from her person, but still keeping her mild eyes 
 fastened on his countenance with a confiding gaze, 
 that contradicted her shrinking attitude, as she re 
 plied 
 
 " Edward, it is I ; Cecilia Howard, come to 
 save you from destruction ; you are known even 
 through your ingenious disguise." 
 
 The pistol and the dirk fell together on the 
 blanket of the young sailor, whose looks instantly 
 lost their disturbed expression in a glow of pleasure. 
 
 " Fortune at length favours me !" he cried. 
 " This is kind, Cecilia ; more than I deserve, and 
 much more than I expected. But you are net 
 alone." 
 
 " Tis my cousin Kate ; to her piercing eyes 
 you owe your detection, and she has kindly con 
 sented to accompany me, that we might urge you 
 ,o nay, that we might, if necessary, assist you 
 to fly. For tis cruel folly, Griffith, thus to tempt 
 >our fate." 
 
180 THE PILOT, 
 
 " Have I tempted it, then, in vain ! Miss Plow 
 den, to you I must appeal for an answer and a jus 
 tification." 
 
 Katherine looked displeased, but after a mo 
 ment s hesitation, she replied 
 
 " Your servant, Mr. Griffith ; I perceive that 
 the erudite Captain Barnstable has not only suc 
 ceeded in spelling through my scrawl, but he has 
 also given it to all hands for perusal." 
 
 " Now you do both him and me injustice," said 
 Griffith ; " it surely was not treachery to show me 
 a plan, in which I was to be a principal actor." 
 
 " Ah ! doubtless your excuses are as obedient 
 to your calls, as your men," returned the young 
 lady ; " but how comes it that the hero of the 
 Ariel sends a deputy to perform a duty that is so 
 peculiarly his own ? is he wont to be second in 
 rescues ?" 
 
 " Heaven forbid that you should think so mean 
 ly of him, for a moment ! We owe you much, 
 Miss Plowden, but we may have other duties. 
 You know that we serve our common country, 
 and have a superior with us, whose beck is our 
 law." 
 
 " Return, then, Mr. Griffith, while you may, 
 to the service of our bleeding country," said Ce 
 cilia, " and, after the joint efforts of her brave 
 children have expelled the intruders from her 
 soil, let us hope there shall come a time when 
 Katherine and myself may be restored to our na 
 tive homes." 
 
 " Think you, Miss Howard, to how long a pe 
 nod the mighty arm of the British king may ex 
 tend that time ? We shall prevail ; a nation fight 
 ing for its dearest rights must ever prevail ; but 
 tis not the work of a day, for a people, poor, scat 
 C tered, and impoverished as we have been, to beat 
 
 \ 
 

 THE PILOT. 181 
 
 down a power like that of England ; surely you 
 brget that in bidding me to leave you with such 
 sxpectations, Miss Howard, you doom me to an 
 almost hopeless banishment !" 
 
 We must trust to the will of God," said Ceci 
 lia ; " if he ordain that America is to be free only 
 after protracted sufferings, I can aid her but with 
 my prayers ; but you have an arm and an expe 
 rience, Griffith, that might do her better service ; 
 waste not your usefulness, then, in visionary 
 s chemes for private happiness, but seize the mo 
 ments as they offer, and return to your ship, if in 
 deed it is yet in safety, and endeavour to forget 
 this mad undertaking, and, for a time, the being 
 who has led you to the adventure." 
 
 " This is a reception that I had not anticipated," 
 returned Griffith ; a for though accident, and not 
 intention, has thrown me into your presence this 
 evening, I did hope that when I again saw the fri 
 gate, it would be in your company, Cecilia." 
 
 " You cannot justly reproach me, Mr. Griffith, 
 with your disappointment, for I have not uttered 
 or authorized a syllable that could induce you or 
 any one to believe that I would consent to quit my 
 uncle." 
 
 " Miss Howard will not think me presumptuous, 
 if I remind her that there was a time when she did 
 not think me unworthy to be intrusted with her 
 person and happiness." 
 
 A rich bloom mantled on the face of Cecilia, as 
 she replied 
 
 " Nor do I now, Mr. Griffith ; but you do well 
 to remind me of my former weakness, for the re 
 collection of its folly and imprudence, only adds to 
 my present strength." 
 
 " Nay," interrupted her eager lover, " if I intend 
 ed a reproach, or harboured a boastful thought 
 
 VOL. i. 16 
 
182 THE PILOT. 
 
 spurn me from you for ever, as unworthy of yoxli 
 favour." 
 
 " I acquit you of both much easier than I can 
 acquit myself of the charge of weakness and folly," 
 continued Cecilia ; " but there are many things 
 that have occurred, since we last met, to prevent 
 a repetition of such inconsiderate rashness on my 
 part. One of them is," she added, smiling sweetly, 
 u that I have numbered twelve additional months 
 to my age, and a hundred to my experience. An 
 other, and perhaps a more important one, is, that 
 my uncle then continued among the friends of his 
 youth, surrounded by those w T hose blood mingles 
 with his own ; but here he lire s a stranger^ and, 
 though he finds some consolation In dwelljngjn a 
 building where his ancestors ha\ e (hvelt before 
 him, yet he walks as an alien through its gloomy 
 passages, and would find the empty honour but a mi 
 serable compensation for the kindness and affection 
 of one whom he has loved and cherished from hei 
 infancy." 
 
 " And yet he is opposed to you in your private 
 wishes, Cecilia, unless my besotted vanity has led 
 me to believe what it would now be madness to learn 
 was false ; and in your opinions of public things, 
 you are quite as widely separated. I should think 
 there could be but little happiness dependant on a 
 connexion where there is no one feeling entertain 
 ed in common." 
 
 " There is, and an all-important one," said Miss 
 Howard ; " tis our love. He is my kind, my af 
 fectionate, and, unless thwarted by some evil cause, 
 my indulgent uncle and guardian and I am his 
 brother Harry s child. This tie is not easily to be 
 severed, Mr. Griffith, though, as I do not wish to 
 see you crazed, I shall not add that your besotted 
 vanity has played you false ; but, surely, Edward, 
 
THE PILOT. 183 
 
 it is possible to feel a double tie, and so to act as 
 to discharge our duties to both. I never, never 
 can or will consent to desert my uncle, a stranger 
 as he is in the land whose rule he upholds so blind 
 ly. You know not this England, (Lriffith ; she re 
 ceives her children from the colonies with cold 
 haughty distrust, like a jealous step-mother, 
 who is wary of the favours that she bestows on her 
 fictitious offspring." 
 
 " I know her in peace, and I know her in war," 
 said the young sailor, proudly, " and can add, that 
 she is a haughty friend, and a stubborn foe ; but 
 she grapples now with those who ask no more of 
 her than an open sea, and an enemy s favours. But 
 this determination will be melancholy tidings for 
 me to convey to Barnstable." 
 
 " Nay," said Cecilia, smiling, " I cannot vouch 
 for others, who have no uncles, and who have an 
 quantity of ill humour and spleen against 
 this country, its people, and its laws, although pro 
 foundly ignorant of them all." 
 
 " Is Miss Howard tired of seeing me under the 
 tiles of St. Ruth ?" asked Katherine. " But hark ! 
 are there not footsteps approaching along the gal 
 lery?" 
 
 They listened, in breathless silence, and soon 
 heard distinctly the approaching tread of more 
 than one person. Voices were quite audible, and 
 before they had time to consult on what was best 
 to be done, the words of the speakers were dis 
 tinctly heard at the door of their own apartment. 
 
 c - Ay ! he has a military air about him, Peters ; 
 that will make him a prize ; come, open the door." 
 
 " This is not his room, your honour," said the 
 alarmed soldier ; " he quarters in the last room in 
 the gallery." 
 
 " How know you that, fellow ? come, produce 
 
184 THE PILOT. 
 
 the key, and open the way for me ; I care not who 
 sleeps here ; there is no saying but I may enlist 
 them all three." 
 
 A single moment of dreadful incertitude suc 
 ceeded, when the sentinel was heard saying, in 
 reply to this peremptory order 
 
 " I thought your honour wanted to see the one 
 with the black stock, and so left the rest of the 
 keys at the other end of the passage ; but " 
 
 " But nothing, you loon ; a sentinel should al 
 ways carry his keys about him, like a gaoler ; fol 
 low, then, and let me see the lad who dresses so 
 well to the right." 
 
 As the heart of Katherine began to beat less ve 
 hemently, she said 
 
 " Tis Borroughcliffe, and too drunk to see that 
 we have left the key in the door ; but what is to 
 be done ? we have but a moment for consultation." 
 
 " As the day dawns," said Cecilia, quickly, " I 
 shall send here, under the pretence of conveying 
 you food, my own woman " 
 
 " There is no need of risking any thing for my 
 safety," interrupted Griffith ; " I hardly think we 
 shall be detained, and if we are, Barnstable is at 
 hand with a force that would scatter these recruits 
 to the four winds of heaven." 
 
 " Ah ! that would lead to bloodshed, and scenes 
 of horror !" exclaimed Cecilia. 
 
 " Listen !" cried Katherine, " they approach 
 again !" 
 
 A man now stopped, once more, at their door, 
 which was opened softly, and the face of the senti 
 nel was thrust into the apartment. 
 
 " Captain Borroughcliffe is on his rounds, and 
 for fifty of your guineas I would not leave you 
 here another minute." 
 
 " But one word more," said Cecilia 
 
THE PILOT. 185 
 
 " Not a syllable, my lady, for my life," return 
 ed the man ; " the lady from the next room waits 
 for you, and in mercy to a poor fellow, go back 
 where you came from." 
 
 The appeal was unanswerable, and they com 
 plied, Cecilia saying, as they left the room 
 
 " I shall send you food in the morning, young 
 man, and directions how to take the remedy ne 
 cessary to your safety. 5 
 
 In the passage they found Alice Dunscombe, 
 
 with her face concealed in her mantle, and, it 
 
 V would seem, by the heavy sighs that escaped from 
 
 her, deeply agitated by the interview which she 
 
 had just encountered. 
 
 But as the reader may have some curiosity to 
 know what occurred to distress this unoffending 
 lady so sensibly, we shall detain the narrative, to 
 relate the substance of that which passed between 
 her and the individual whom she sought. 
 16* 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " As when a lion in his den 
 " Hath heard the hunters cries, 
 * And rushes forth to meet his foes, 
 u So did the Douglass rise " 
 
 Percy 
 
 ALICE DUNSCOMBE did not find the second of 
 the prisoners buried, like Griffith, in sleep, but he 
 was seated on one of the old chairs that were in 
 the apartment, with his back to the door, and ap 
 parently looking through the small window, on 
 the dark and dreary scenery over which the tem 
 pest was yet sweeping in its fury. Her approach 
 was unheeded, until the light from her lamp glared 
 across his eyes, when he started Horn his musing 
 posture, and advanced to meet her. He was the 
 first to speak. 
 
 " I expected this visit," he said, "when I found 
 that you recognised my voice, and I felt a deep 
 assurance in my breast, that Alice Dunscombe 
 would never betray me." 
 
 His listener, though expecting this confirmation 
 of her conjectures, was unable to make an imme 
 diate reply, but she sunk into the seat he had aban 
 doned, and waited a few moments, as if to recover 
 her powers. 
 
 " It was, then, no mysterious warning ! no airy 
 voice that mocked my ear ; but a dread reality !" 
 she at length said. u Why have you thus braved 
 
THE PILOT. 187 
 
 the indignation of the laws of your country ? on 
 what errand of fell mischief has your ruthless tem 
 per again urged you to embark ?" 
 
 u This is strong and cruel language, coming 
 from you to me, Alice Dunscombe," returned the 
 stranger, with cool asperity ; * and the time has 
 been, when I should have been greeted, after a 
 shorter absence, with milder terms." 
 
 " I deny it not ; I cannot, if I would, conceal 
 my infirmity from myself or you ; I hardly wish 
 it to continue unknown to the world. If I have 
 once esteemed you if I have plighted to you my 
 troth, and, in my confiding folly, forgot my higher 
 duties, God has amply punished me for the weak 
 ness, in your own evil deeds." 
 
 " Nay, let not our meeting be embittered with 
 useless and provoking recriminations," said the 
 other ; cc for we have much to say before you com 
 municate the errand of mercy on which you have 
 come hither. I know you too well, Alice, not to 
 see that you perceive the peril in which I am 
 placed, and am willing to venture something for my 
 safety. Your mother does she yet live ?" 
 
 " She is gone in quest of my blessed father, 
 said Alice, covering her pale face with her hands ; 
 " they have left me alone, truly, for he who was 
 to have beea all to me, was first false to his faith, 
 and has since become unworthy of my confidence." 
 
 The stranger became singularly agitated, his 
 usually quiet eye glancing hastily from the floor 
 to the countenance of his companion, as he paced 
 the room with hurried steps ; at length he re 
 plied 
 
 " There is much, perhaps, to be said in expla 
 nation, that you do not know. I left the country, 
 because I found in it nothing but oppression and 
 injustice, and I could not invite you to become the 
 
188 THE PILOT. 
 
 bride of a wanderer, without either name or for 
 tune. But- 1 have now the opportunity of proving 
 my truth. You say you are alone ; be so no 
 longer, and try how far you were mistaken in be 
 lieving that I should one day supply the place to 
 you of both father and mother." 
 
 There is something soothing to a female ear in 
 the offer of even protracted justice, and Alice 
 spoke with less of acrimony in her tones, during 
 the remainder of their conference, if not with less 
 of seventy in her language. 
 
 " You talk not like a man whose very life hangs 
 but on a thread that the next minute may snap 
 asunder. Whither would you lead me ? is it to 
 the tower at London ?" 
 
 " Think not I have weakly e Kposed my person 
 without a sufficient protection," returned the stran 
 ger, with cool indifference ; " there are many gal 
 lant men who only wait my signal, to crush the 
 paltry force of this officer like a worm beneath my 
 feet." 
 
 " Then has the conjecture of Colonel Howard 
 
 jen true ! and the manner in which the enemy s 
 vessels have passed the shoals is no longer a mys 
 tery ! you have been their pilot !" 
 
 " 1 have." 
 
 " What ! would ye pervert the knowledge 
 gained in the spring-time of your guileless youth 
 to the foul purpose of bringing desolation to the 
 doors of those you once knew and respected ! 
 John ! John ! is the image of the maiden whom 
 in her morning of beauty and simplicity I believe 
 you did love, so faintly impressed, that it cannot 
 soften your hard heart to the misery of those among 
 whom she has been born, and who compose her 
 little world ? 
 
 " Not a hair of theirs shall be touched, not a 
 
THE PILOT, 189 
 
 thatch shall blaze, nor shall a sleepless night befall 
 the vilest among them and all for your sake. 
 Alice ! England comes to this contest with a 
 seared conscience, and bloody hands, but all shall 
 be forgotten for the present, when both opportu 
 nity and power offer to make her feel our ven 
 geance, even in her vitals. I came on no such er 
 rand." 
 
 " What, then, has led you blindly into snares, 
 where all your boasted aid would avail you no 
 thing ; for, should I call aloud your name, even 
 here, in the dark and dreary passages of this ob 
 scure edifice, the cry would echo through the 
 country ere the morning, and a whole people 
 would be found in arms to punish your audacity." 
 
 " My name has been sounded, and that in no 
 gentle strains," returned the pilot, scornfully, 
 " when a whole people have quailed at it ; the 
 craven, cowardly wretches, flying before the man 
 they had wronged. I have lived to bear the ^. 
 ners of the new republic, proudly, in sight of the 
 three kingdoms, when practised skill and equal 
 arms have in vain struggled to pluck it down. 
 Ay ! Alice, the echoes of my guns are still roar 
 ing among your eastern hills, and would render 
 my name more appalling than inviting to your 
 sleeping yeomen." 
 
 " Boast not of the momentary success that the 
 arm of God has yielded to your unhallowed ef 
 forts," said Alice ; " for a day of severe and heavy 
 retribution must follow; nor flatter yourself with 
 the idle hope, that your name, terrible as ye have 
 rendered it to the virtuous, is sufficient, of itself. 
 to drive the thoughts of home, and country, and 
 kin, from all who hear it. Nay, I know not that 
 even now, in listening to you, I am not forgetting 
 a solemn duty, which would teach me to proclaim 
 
190 THE PILOT, 
 
 your presence, that the land might know that hei 
 unnatural son is a dangerous burthen in her bo* 
 som," 
 
 The Pilot turned quickly in his short walk ; 
 and, after reading her countenance, with the ex 
 pression of one who felt his security, he said, in 
 gentler tones 
 
 " Would that be Alice Dunscombe ! would that 
 be like the mild, generous girl whom I knew in 
 my youth ? But I repeat, the threat would fail 
 to intimidate, even if you were capable of exe 
 cuting it. I have said that it is only to make the 
 signal, to draw around me a force sufficient to 
 scatter these dogs of soldierb to the four winds of 
 Heaven." 
 
 " Have you calculated your power justly) 
 John ?" said Alice, unconsciously betraying her 
 deep interest in his safety. " Have you reckoned 
 the probability of Mr. Dillon s arriving, accompa 
 nied by an armed band of horsemen, with the 
 morning s sun ? for it s no secret in the Abbey, 
 that he is gone in quest of such assistance." 
 
 " Dillon !" exclaimed the Pilot, starting ; " who 
 is he ! and on what suspicion does he seek this 
 addition to your guard ?" 
 
 " Nay, John, look not at me, as if you would 
 know the secrets of my heart. It was not I who 
 prompted him to such a step ; you cannot for a 
 moment think that I would betray you ! But too 
 surely he has gone, and, as the night wears rapidly 
 away, you should be using the hour of grace to 
 effect your own security." 
 
 " Fear not for me, Alice," returned the Pilot 
 proudly, while a faint smile struggled around his 
 compressed lip : " and yet I like not this move 
 ment, either. How call you his name ? Dillon 
 is he a minion of king George ?" 
 
THE PILOT. 191 
 
 " 4 He is, John, what you are not, a loyal subject 
 
 01 his sovereign lord the King, and, though a na- 
 
 I tive of the revolted colonies, he has preserved his 
 
 virtue uncontaminated amid the corruptions and 
 
 temptations of the times. 3 
 
 " An American ! and disloyal to the liberties e_* 
 the human race ! By Heaven, he had better not 
 cross me ; for if my arm reach him, it shall hold 
 him forth as a spectacle of treason to the world." 
 
 " And has not the world enough of such a spec 
 tacle in yourself? Are ye not, even now, breath 
 ing your native air, though lurking through the 
 mists of the island, with desperate intent against 
 its peace and happiness ?" 
 
 A dark and fierce expression of angry resent 
 ment flashed from the eyes of the Pilot, and even 
 his iron frame seemed to shake with emotion, as 
 he answered 
 
 " Call you his dastardly and selfish treason, 
 aiming, as it does, to aggrandize a few, at the ex 
 pense of millions, a parallel case to the generous 
 ardour that impels a man to fight in the defence of 
 sacred liberty ? I might tell you that I am armed 
 in the common cause of my fellow subjects and 
 countrymen ; that though an ocean divided us in 
 distance, yet are we a people of the same blood, 
 and children of the same parents, and that the hand 
 which oppresses one, inflicts an injury on the other. 
 But I disdain all such narrow apologies. I was 
 born on this orb, and I claim to be a citizen of it. 
 A man with a soul, not to be limited by the arbi 
 trary boundaries of tyrants and hirelings, but one 
 who has the right as well as the inclination to grap 
 ple with oppression, in whose name soever it is 
 exercised, or in whatever hollow and specious 
 shape it founds its claim to abuse our race." 
 
 " Ah ! John, John, though this may sound likf 
 
192 THE PILC T. 
 
 reason to rebellious ears, to mine it seemeth only 
 as the ravings of insanity. It is in vain ye build 
 up your new and disorganizing systems of rule, or 
 rather misrule, which are opposed to all that the 
 world has ever yet done, or will ever see done in 
 eace and happiness. What avail your subtleties 
 and false reasonings against the heart ? It is the 
 heart which tells us where our home is, and now 
 to love it." 
 
 " You talk like a weak and prejudiced woman, 
 Alice," said the Pilot, more composedly ; " and 
 one who would shackle nations with the ties that 
 "bind the young and feeble of your own sex to 
 gether." 
 
 <c And by what holier or better bond can they 
 be united ?" said Alice. " Are not the relations 
 of domestic life of God s establishing, and have 
 not nations grown from families, as branches spread 
 from the stem, till the tree overshadows the land ! 
 J Tis an ancient and sacred tie that binds man to his 
 nation, neither can it be severed without infamy." 
 
 The Pilot smiled disdainfully, and throwing open 
 the rough exterior of his dress, he drew forth, in 
 succession, several articles, while a glowing pride 
 lighted his countenance, as he offered them singly 
 to her notice. 
 
 u See, Alice !" he said, " call you this infamy ! 
 This broad sheet of parchment is stamped with a 
 seal of no mean importance, and it bears the royal 
 name of the princely Louis also ! And view this 
 cross ! decorated as it is with jewels, the gift of 
 the same illustrious hand ; it is not apt to be given 
 to the children of infamy, neither is it wise or de 
 corous to stigmatize a man who has not been 
 Jiought unworthy to consort with princes and no 
 bles by the opprobrious name of the Scotch Pi 
 rate. " 
 
THE PILOT. 193 
 
 "And have ye not earned the title, John, by 
 ruthless deeds and bitter animosity ? I could kiss 
 the baubles ye show me, if they were a thousand 
 times less splendid, had they been laid upon your 
 breast by the hands of your lawful prince ; but now 
 they appear to my eyes only as indelible blots upon 
 your attainted name. As for your associates, I 
 have heard of them ! and it seemeth that a queen 
 might be better employed than encouraging by 
 her smiles the disloyal subjects of other monarchs, 
 though even her enemies. God only knows when 
 his pleasure may suffer a spirit of disaffection to 
 rise up among the people of her own nation, and 
 then the thought that she has encouraged rebel 
 lion may prove both bitter and unwelcome." 
 
 "That the royal , and lovely Antoinette has 
 deigned to repay my services with a small portion 
 of her gracious approbation, is not among the least 
 of my boasts," returned the Pilot, in affected hu 
 mility, while secret pride was manifested even in 
 his lofty attitude. " But venture not a syllable in 
 her dispraise, for you know not whom you censure 
 She is less distinguished by her illustrious birth 
 and elevated station, than by her virtues and love 
 liness. She lives the first of her sex in Europe 
 the daughter of an emperor, the consort of the 
 most powerful king, and the smiling and beloved 
 patroness of a nation who worship at her feet. Her 
 life is above all reproach, as it is above all earthly 
 punishment, were she so lost as to merit it ; and 
 it has been the will of Providence to place her far 
 beyond the reach of all human misfortunes." 
 
 " Has it placed her above human errors, John ! 
 punishment is the natural and inevitable conse 
 quence of sin, and unless she can say more than 
 has ever fallen to the lot of humanitv to say truly, 
 
 VOL. i, 17 
 
194 THE PILOT. 
 
 she may yet be made to feel the chastening arm 
 of One, to whose eyes all her pageantry and pow 
 er are as vacant as the air she breathes so insig 
 nificant must it seem when compared to his own 
 just rule ! But if you vaunt that you have been 
 permitted to kiss the hem of the robes of the 
 ; French queen, and have been the companion of 
 high-born and flaunting ladies, clad in their richest 
 array, can ye yet say to yourself, that amid them 
 all ye have found one whose tongue has been bold 
 to tell you the truth, or whose heart has sincerely 
 joined in her false professions !" 
 
 " Certainly none have met me with the reproach 
 es that I have this night received from Alice Duns- 
 combe, after a separation of six long years," re 
 turned the Pilot. 
 
 " If I have spoken to you the words of holy 
 truth, John, let them not be the less \velcome, be 
 cause they are strangers to your ears. Oh ! think 
 that she who has thus dared to use the language 
 of reproach to one whose name is terrible to all 
 who live on the border of this island, is led to the 
 rash act by no other motive than interest in your 
 eternal welfare." 
 
 " Alice ! Alice, you madden me with these fool 
 ish speeches ! Am I a monster to frighten unpro 
 tected women and helpless children ? What mean 
 these epithets, as coupled with my fame ? Have 
 you too lent a credulous ear to the vile calumnies 
 with which the policy of your rulers have ever at 
 tempted to destroy the fair fame of those who op 
 pose them, and those chiefly who oppose them 
 with success. My name may be terrible to the 
 officers of the royal fleet, but where and bow have 
 I earned a claim to be considered formidable to the 
 helpless and unoffending ?" 
 
THE PILOT. 195 
 
 Alice Dunscombe cast a furtive and timid glance 
 at the Pilot, which spoke even stronger than her 
 words, as she replied 
 
 " I know not that all which is said of you and 
 your deeds is true. I have often prayed, in bit 
 terness and sorrow, that a tenth part of that which 
 is laid to your charge may not be heaped on your 
 devoted head at the great and filial account. But, 
 John, I have known you long and well, and Heaven 
 forbid, that on this solemn occasion, which may be 
 the last of our earthly interviews, I should be 
 found wanting in Christian duty, through a wo 
 man s weakness. I have often thought, when I 
 have heard the gall of bitter reproach and enve 
 nomed language hurled against your name, that 
 they who spoke so rashly, little understood the 
 man they vituperated. But, though ye are at 
 times, and I may say almost always, as mild and 
 even as the smoothest sea over which ye have 
 ever sailed, yet God has mingled in your nature a 
 fearful mixture of fierce passions, which, roused, 
 are more like the southern waters when troubled 
 with the tornado. It is difficult for me to say how 
 far this evil spirit may lead a man, who has been 
 goaded by fancied wrongs, to forget his country 
 and home, and who is suddenly clothed with pow 
 er to show his resentments." 
 
 The Pilot listened with rooted attention, and 
 his piercing eye seemed to reach the seat of those 
 thoughts which she but half expressed ; still he 
 retained the entire command of himself, and an 
 swered, more in sorrow than in anger 
 
 " If any thing could convert me to your own 
 peaceful and unresisting opinions, Alice, it would 
 be the reflections that offer themselves at this con 
 viction, that even you have been led by the base 
 tongues of my dastardly enemies, to doubt my 
 
196 THE PILOT. 
 
 honour and conduct. What is fame, when a mail 
 can he thus traduced to his nearest friends ! But 
 no moi;e of these childish reflections ! They are 
 unworthy of myself, my office, and the sacred cause 
 in which I have enlisted !" 
 
 " Nay, John, shake them not off," said Alice, 
 unconsciously laying her hand on his arm ; " they 
 are as the dew to the parched herbage, and may 
 freshen the feelings of your youth, and soften the 
 heart that has grown hard, if hard it be, more by 
 unnatural indulgence, than its own base inclina 
 tions." 
 
 " Alice Dunscombe," said the Pilot, approach 
 ing her with solemn earnestness, " I have learnt 
 much this night, though I came not in quest of such 
 knowledge. You have taught me how powerful is 
 the breath of the slanderer, and how frail is the 
 tenure by which we hold our good names. Full 
 twenty times have I met the hirelings of your 
 prince in open battle, fighting ever manfully under 
 that flag w r hich was first raised to the breeze by 
 my own hands, and which, I thank my God, I have 
 never yet seen lowered an inch ; but with no one 
 act of cowardice or private wrong in all that ser 
 vice, can I reproach myself; and yet, how am I 
 rewarded ! The tongue of the vile calumniator is 
 keener than the sword of the warrior, and leaves 
 a more indelible scar !" 
 
 " Never have ye uttered a truer sentiment, 
 John, and God send that ye may encourage such 
 thoughts to your own eternal advantage," said 
 Alice, with engaging interest. " You say that you 
 have risked your precious life in twenty combats, 
 and observe how little of Heaven s favour is be 
 stowed on the abettors of rebellion ! They tel! 
 me that the world has never witnessed a more des 
 perate and bloody struggle, than this last, fo: which 
 
THE PILOT. 197 
 
 name has been made to sound to the further 
 most ends of the isle." 
 
 " Twill be known wherever naval combats aie 
 spoken of!" interrupted the Pilot, the melancholy 
 which had begun to lower in his countenance 
 giving place to a look of proud exultation. 
 
 " And yet its fancied glory cannot shield your 
 name from wrong, nor are the rewards of the vic 
 tor equal, in a temporal sense, to those which the 
 vanquished has received. Know you that oui 
 gracious monarch, deeming your adversary s cause 
 so sacred, has extended to him his royal favour ?" 
 
 " Ay ! he has dubbed him knight !" exclaimed 
 the Pilot, with a scornful and bitter laugh : " let 
 him be again furnished with a ship, and me with 
 another opportunity, and I promise him an earl 
 dom, if being again vanquished can constitute a 
 claim !" 
 
 " Speak not so rashly, nor vaunt yourself of 
 possessing a protecting power, that may desert you, 
 John, when you most need it, and least expect the 
 change," returned his companion ; " the battle is 
 not always to the strong, neither is the race to the 
 swift." 
 
 " Forget you, my good Alice, that your words 
 will admit of a double meaning ? Has the battle 
 been to the string ! Though you say not well in 
 denying the race to the swift. Yes, yes, often and 
 again have the dastards escaped me by their pru 
 dent speed Alice Dunscombe, you know not a 
 thousandth part of the torture that I have been 
 made to feel, by high born miscreants, who envy 
 the merit they cannot equal, and detract from the 
 glory of deeds that they dare not attempt to emu 
 late. How have I been cast upon the ocean like 
 some unworthy vessel that is commissioned to do 
 a desperate deed, and then to bury itself in the 
 17* 
 
198 THE PILOT. 
 
 ruin it has made ! How many malignant hearti 
 have triumphed, as they beheld my canvass open 
 thinking that it was spread to hasten me to a gib 
 bet, or to a tomb in the bosom of the ocean ; but J 
 have disappointed them !" 
 
 The eyes of the Pilot no longer gazed with their 
 piercing and settled meaning, but they flashed with 
 a fierce and wild pleasure, as he continued, in a 
 louder voice 
 
 " Yes, bitterly have I disappointed them ! Oh ! 
 the triumph over my fallen enemies has been tame 
 to this heartfelt exultation which places me im 
 measurably above those false and craven hypo 
 crites ! I begged, I implored the Frenchmen, for 
 the meanest of their craft, which possessed but the 
 common qualities of a ship of war : I urged the 
 policy and necessity of giving me such a force, for 
 even then I promised to be found in harm s way ; 
 but envy and jealousy robbed me of my just dues, 
 and of more than half my glory. They call me 
 pirate ! If I have a claim to the name, it was fur 
 nished more by the paltry outfit of my friends than 
 by any act towards my enemies !" 
 
 " And do not these recollections prompt you to 
 return to your allegiance to your prince and native 
 land, John ?" said Alice, in a subdued voice. 
 
 " Away with the silly thought !" interrupted 
 the Pilot, recalled to himself as if by a sudden con 
 viction of the weakness he had betrayed ; " it is 
 ever thus where men are made conspicuous by 
 their works but to your visit I have the power 
 to rescue myself and companions from this paltry 
 confinement, and yet I would not have it done with 
 violence for your sake. Bring you the means of 
 doing it in quiet ?" 
 
 u When the morning arrives, you will be al. 
 eonducted to the apartment where we first met. 
 
THE PILOT. 199 
 
 This will be done at the solicitation of Miss How - 
 ard, under the plea of compassion and justice, and 
 with the professed object of inquiring into your 
 situations. Her request will not be refused, and 
 while your guard is stationed at the door, you will 
 be shown by another entrance through the private 
 apartments of the wing, to a window whence you 
 can easily leap to the ground, where a thicket is 
 at hand ; afterwards we shall trust your safety to 
 your own discretion." 
 
 " An-d if this Dillon, of whom you have spoken, 
 should suspect the truth, how will you answer to 
 the law for aiding our escape ?" 
 
 " I believe he little dreams who is among the 
 prisoners," said Alice, musing, " though he may 
 have detected the character of one of your com 
 panions. But it is private feeling, rather than 
 public spirit, that urges him on." 
 
 " I have suspected something of this," returned 
 the Pilot, with a smile, that crossed those features 
 where ungovernable passions had so lately been 
 exhibited, with an effect that might be likened to 
 the last glimmering of an expiring conflagration, 
 serving to render the surrounding ruin more ob 
 vious. " This young Griffith has led me from my 
 direct path, with his idle imprudence, and it is 
 right that his mistress should incur some risk. But 
 with you, Alice, the case is different ; here you are 
 only a guest, and it is unnecessary that you should 
 be known in the unfortunate affair. Should my 
 name get abroad, this recreant American, this Col. 
 Howard, will find all the favour he has purchased 
 oy advocating the cause of tyranny necessary to 
 protect him from the displeasure of the minis- 
 try." 
 
 " [ fear to trust so delicate a measure to the 
 
200 THE PILOT. 
 
 young discretion of my amiable friend," said AIlce x 
 shaking her head. 
 
 " Remember, that she has her attachment to 
 plead in her excuse ; but dare you say to the 
 world that you still remember, with gentle feel 
 ings, the man whom you stigmatize with such op 
 probrious epithets ?" 
 
 A slight colour gleamed over the pallid brow of 
 Alice Dunscombe, as she uttered, in a voice that 
 was barely audible 
 
 " There is no longer a reason why the world 
 should know of such a weakness, though it did 
 exist." And, as the faint glow passed away, leav 
 ing her face pale, nearly as the hue of death, her 
 eyes kindled with unusual fire, and she added, 
 " They can but take my life, John, and that I am 
 ready to lay down in your service !" 
 
 " Alice !" exclaimed the softened Pilot, " my 
 kind, my gentle Alice ! " 
 
 The knock of the sentinel at the door was heard 
 at this critical moment. Without waiting for a re 
 ply to his summons, the man entered the apart 
 ment, and, in hurried language, declared the ur 
 gent necessity that existed for the lady to retire. 
 A few brief remonstrances were uttered by both 
 Alice and the Pilot, who wished to comprehend 
 more clearly each other s intentions relative to the 
 intended escape ; but the fear of personal punish 
 ment rendered the soldier obdurate, a^d a dreaa 
 of exposure at length induced the lady to comply. 
 She arose, and was leaving the apartment with 
 lingering steps, when the Pilot, torching her hand, 
 whispered to her impressively 
 
 " Alice, we meet again before I lea^e this island 
 for ever." 
 
 " We meet m the morning, John," sb*. return 
 
THE PILOT. 201 
 
 ed, in the same tone of voice, " in the apartments 
 of Miss Howard." 
 
 He dropped her hand, and she glided from the 
 room, when the impatient sentinel closed the door, 
 and silently turned the key on his prisoner. The 
 Pilot remained in a listening attitude, until the 
 light footsteps of the retiring pair were no longer 
 audible, when he paced his confined apartment 
 with perturbed steps, occasionally pausing to look 
 out at the driving clouds, and the groaning oaks 
 that were trembling and rocking their broad arms 
 in the fitful gusts of the gale. In a few minutes 
 the tempest in his own passions had gradually sub 
 sided to the desperate and still calmness that made 
 him the man he was ; when he again seated him 
 self where Alice had found him, and began to muse 
 on the events of the times, from which, the transi 
 tion to projecting schemes of daring enterprise and 
 nighty consequences, was but the usual employ 
 ment of his active and restless mind. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 nd. I have no exquisite reason for t, but I ve reason good enough." 
 
 Twelfth Wight 
 
 T*e countenance of Captain Borroughcliffe, 
 when the sentinel admitted him to the apartment 
 tbat he had selected, was i n that state of doubtful 
 illumination, when looks of peculiar cunning blend 
 so nicely with the stare of vacancy, that the hu 
 man face is rendered not unlike an April day, now 
 smiling and inviting, and at the next moment cloud 
 ed and dreary. It was quite apparent that the 
 soldier had an object for his unexpected visit, by 
 the importance of his air, and the solemnity of the 
 manner with which he entered on the business. 
 He waved his hand for the sentinel to retire, with 
 lofty dignity, and continued balancing his body, 
 during the closing of the door, and while a sound 
 continued audible to his confused faculties, with 
 his eyes fixed in the direction of the noise, with 
 that certain sort of wise look, that in many men 
 supplies the place of something better. When the 
 captain felt himself secure from interruption, he 
 moved round with quick military precision, in or 
 der to face the man of whom he was in quest. 
 Griffith had been sleeping, though uneasily, and 
 with watchfulness ; and the Pilot had been calmly 
 
THE PILOT. 203 
 
 wjting the visit which it seemed he had antici 
 pated ; but their associate, who was no other than 
 Captain Manual, of the marines, was discovered in 
 a very different condition from either. Though 
 the weather was cool, and the night tempestuous, 
 he had thrown aside his pee-jacket, with most of 
 his disguise, and was sitting ruefully on his blan 
 ket, wiping, with one hand, the large drops of 
 sweat from his forehead, and occasionally grasping 
 his throat with the other, with a kind of convulsed, 
 mechanical movement. He stared wildly at his 
 visiter, though his entrance produced no other al 
 teration in these pursu ts, than a more diligent ap 
 plication of his handkerchief, and a more frequent 
 grasping of his naked neck, as if he were willing 
 to ascertain, by actual experiment, what degree of 
 pressure the part was able to sustain, without ex 
 ceeding a given quantity of inconvenience. 
 
 " Comrade, I greet ye !" said Borroughclifte, 
 staggering to the side of his prisoner, where he 
 seated himself with an entire absence of ceremo 
 ny ; " Comrade, I greet ye ! Is the kingdom in 
 danger, that gentlemen traverse the island in the 
 uniform of the regiment of incognitas, incognitii, 
 torum dammee, how I forget my Latin ! Say, 
 my fine fellow, are you one of these torums ?" 
 
 Manual breathed a little hard, which, consider 
 ing the manner he had been using his throat, was 
 a thing to be expected ; but, swallowing his appre 
 hensions, he answered with more spirit than his 
 situation rendered prudent, or the occasion de 
 manded. 
 
 " Say what you will of me, and treat me as 
 you please, I defy any man to call me tory with 
 (ruth." 
 
 " You are no torum ! Well, then, the war-office 
 has got up a new dress ! Your regiment must have 
 
204 THE PIL01. 
 
 earned their facings in storming some wate* b * 
 tery, or perhaps it has done duty as marines. A-. 
 1 right ?" 
 
 " I ll not deny it," said Manual, more stoutly ; 
 " I have served as a marine for two years, though 
 taken from the line of " 
 
 " The army," said Borroughcliffe, interrupting 
 a most damning confession of which " state line" 
 the other had belonged to. " I kept a dog-watch 
 myself, once, on board the fleet of my Lord Howe ; 
 but it is a service that I do not envy any man. 
 Our afternoon parades were dreadfully unsteady, 
 for it s a time, you know, when a man wants solid 
 ground to stand on. However, I purchased my 
 company with some prize money that fell in my 
 way, and I always remember the marine service 
 sith gratitude. But this is dry work. I have put 
 a bottle of sparkling Madeira in my pocket, with 
 a couple of glasses, which we will discuss, while 
 we talk over more important matters. Thrust 
 /our hand into my right pocket ; I have been used 
 *o dress to the front so long, that it comes mighty 
 awkward to me to make this backward motion, as 
 if it were into a cartridge box." 
 
 Manual, who had been at a loss how to construe 
 the manner of the other, perceived at once a good 
 deal of plain English in this request, and he dis 
 lodged one of Col. Howard s dusty bottles, with a 
 dexterity that denoted the earnestness of his pur 
 pose. Borroughcliffe had made a suitable provi 
 sion of glasses, and extracting the cork in a certain 
 scientific manner, he tendered to his companion a 
 bumper of the liquor, before another syllable was 
 uttered by either of the expectants. The gentle 
 men concluded their draughts with a couple of 
 smacks, that sounded not unlike the pistols of two 
 practised duellists, though certainly a much lesi 
 
THE PILOT. 205 
 
 alarming noise ; when the entertainer renewed the 
 discourse. 
 
 I like one of your musty looking bottles, that 
 is covered with dust and cobwf bs, with a good 
 southern tan on it," he said. " Such liquor does 
 not abide in the stomach, but it gets into the heart 
 at once, and becomes blood in the beating of a 
 pulse. But how soon I knew you ! That sort of 
 knowledge is the freemasonry of our craft. I knew 
 you to be the man you are, the moment I laid eyes 
 on you in what we call our guard-room ; but I 
 thought I would humour the old soldier who lives 
 here, by letting him have the formula of an exa 
 mination, as a sort of deference to his age and for 
 mer rank. But I knew you the instant I saw you. 
 I have seen you before !" 
 
 The theory of Borroughcliffe, in relation to the 
 incorporation of wine with the blood, might have 
 been true in the case of the marine, whose whole 
 frame appeared to undergo a kind of magical change 
 by the experiment of drinking, which, the reader 
 will understand, was diligently persevered in, while 
 a drop remained in the bottle. The perspiration 
 no longer rolled from his brow, neither did his 
 throat manifest that uneasiness which had rendered 
 such constant external applications necessary ; but 
 he settled down into an air of cool, but curious in 
 terest, which, in some measure, was the necessary 
 concomitant of his situation. 
 
 " We may have met before, as I have been 
 much in service, and yet I know not where you 
 could have seen me/ said Manual. " Were you 
 ever a prisoner of war ?" 
 
 " Hum ! not exactly such an unfortunate devil ; 
 but a sort of conventional non-combatant. I shared 
 the hardships, the glory, the equivocal victories, 
 ( where we killed and drove countless numbers of 
 
 VOL. i. 18 
 
206 ^H^ PILOT. 
 
 rebels who were not,) and, wo is me! the ca 
 pitulation of Burgoyne. But let that pass which 
 was more than the Yankees would allow us to 
 do. You know not where I could have seen 
 you ? I have seen you on parade, in the field, in 
 battle and out of battle, in camp, in barracks, in 
 short, every where but in a drawing-room. No, 
 no ; I have never seen you before this night in a 
 drawing-room !" 
 
 Manual stared in a good deal of wonder, and 
 some uneasiness, at these confident assertions, which 
 promised to put his life in no little jeopardy ; and 
 it is to be supposed that the peculiar sensation about 
 the throat was revived, as he made a heavy draught 
 before he said 
 
 " You will swear to this Can you call me by 
 name ?" 
 
 " I will swear to it in any court in Christen 
 dom," said the dogmatical soldier ; " and your name 
 is is Fugleman !" 
 
 " If it is, I ll be damn d!" exclaimed the other 
 wi f .h exulting precipitation. 
 
 " Swear not !" said Borroughcliffe, with a so 
 lemn air ; " for what mattereth an empty name ! 
 Call thyself by what appellation thou wilt, I know 
 thee. Soldier is written on thy martial front ; 
 thy knee bendeth not ; nay, I even doubt if the re 
 bellious member bow in prayer." 
 
 " Come, sir," interrupted Manual, a little stern 
 ly ; "no more of this trifling, but declare your will 
 at once. Rebellious member, indeed ! These fel 
 lows will call the skies of America rebellious hea 
 vens shortly !" 
 
 " I like thy spirit, lad," returned the undis 
 curbed Borroughcliffe ; " it sits as gracefully on a 
 soldier, as his sash and gorget ; but it is lost on an 
 old campaigner. I marvel, however, that thou 
 
THE PILOT. 207 
 
 takest such umbrage at my slight attack on thy 
 orthodoxy. I fear the fortress must be weak, 
 where the outworks are defended with such a 
 waste of unnecessary courage." 
 
 " I know not why or w T herefore you have paid 
 me this visit, Captain Borroughcliife," said Ma 
 nual, with a laudable discretion, which prompted 
 him to reconnoitre the other s views a little, be 
 fore he laid himself more open ; " if captain be 
 your rank, and Borroughclifle be your name. But 
 this I do know, that if it be only to mock me in 
 my present situation, it is neither soldier-like nor 
 manly ; and it is what, in other circumstances, 
 might be attended by some hazard." 
 
 " Hum !" said the other, with his immovable 
 coolness ; " I see you set the wine down as no 
 thing, though the king drinks not as good ; for the 
 plain reason that the sun of England cannot find 
 its way through the walls of Windsor Castle, as 
 easily as the sun of Carolina can warm a garret 
 covered with cedar shingles. But I like your 
 spirit more and more. So draw yourself up in 
 battle array, and let us have another charge at this 
 black bottle, when I shall lay before your military 
 eyes a plan of the whole campaign." 
 
 Manual first bestowed an inquiring glance at his 
 companion, when, discovering no other expression 
 than foolish cunning, which was fast yielding be 
 fore the encroaching footsteps of stupid inebriety, 
 he quietly placed himself in the desired position. 
 The wine was drunk, when Borroughcliffe pro 
 ceeded to open his communications more unre 
 servedly. 
 
 " You are a soldier, and I am a soldier. That 
 you are a soldier, my orderly could tell ; for the 
 dog has both seen a campaign, and smelt villanous 
 salt-petre, when compounded according to a wick- 
 
203 THE PILOT. 
 
 ed invention ; but it required the officer to detect 
 the officer. Privates do not wear such linen as 
 this, which setmeth to me an unreasonably cool 
 attire for the season ; nor velvet stocks, with sil 
 ver buckles ; nor is there often the odorous flavour 
 of sweet-scented pomatum to be discovered around 
 their greasy locks. In short, thou art both soldier 
 and officer." 
 
 " I confess it," said Manual ; " I hold the rank 
 of captain, and shall expect the treatment of one." 
 
 " I think I have furnished you with wine fit for 
 a general," returned Borroughcliffe ; " but have 
 your own way. Now, it would be apparent to 
 men, whose faculties had not been rendered clear 
 by such cordials as this dwelling aboundeth with, 
 that when you officers journey through the island, 
 clad in the uniform incognitorum, which, in your 
 ,ase, means the marine corps, that something is in 
 the wind of more than usual moment. Soldiers 
 owe their allegiance to their prince, and next to 
 him, to war, women, and wine. Of war, there is 
 none in the realm ; of women, plenty ; but wine, 
 I regret to say, that is, good wine, grows both 
 scarce and dear. Do I speak to the purpose, com 
 rade ?" 
 
 " Proceed," said Manual, whose eyes were not 
 less attentive than his ears, in a hope to discover 
 whether his true character were understood. 
 
 " En avant ! in plain English, forward march 
 Well, then, the difficulty lies between women and 
 wine ; which, when the former are pretty, and tht 
 latter rich, is a very agreeable sort of an alterna 
 tive. That it is not wine of which you are in 
 quest, I must believe, my comrade captain, or you 
 would not go on the adventure in such shabby at 
 tire. You will excuse me, but who would think 
 of putting any thing better than their Port before a 
 

 THE PILOT. 209 
 
 man in a pair of tarred trowsers ? No ! no ! Hol 
 lands, green-and-yellow Hollands, is a potation 
 good enough to set before one of the present bear- 
 ing." 
 
 " And yet I have met with him who has treated 
 me to the choicest of the south-side Madeira !" 
 
 " Know you the very side from which the pre 
 cious fluid comes ! That looks more in favour of 
 the wine But, after all, woman, dear, capricious 
 woman, who one moment fancies she sees a hero 
 in regimentals, and the next a saint in a cassock ; 
 and who always sees something admirable in a 
 suitor, whether he be clad in tow or velvet wo 
 man is at the bottom of this mysterious masquera 
 ding. Am I right, comrade ?" 
 
 By this time, Manual had discovered that he 
 was safe, ana he returned to the conversation with 
 a revival of all his ready wits, which had been 
 strangely paralyzed by his previous disorder in the 
 region of the throat. First bestowing a wicked 
 wink on his companion, and a look that would have 
 outdone the wisest aspect of Solomon, he re 
 plied 
 
 " Ah ! woman has much to answer for !" 
 
 " I knew it," exclaimed Borroughcliffe ; " and 
 this confession only confirms me in the good opinion 
 I have always entertained of myself. If his ma 
 jesty has any particular wish to close this Ameri 
 can business, let him have a certain convention 
 burnt, and a nameless person promoted, and we 
 shall see ! But, answer as you love truth ; is it a 
 business of holy matrimony, or a mere dalliance 
 with the sweets of Cupid ?" 
 
 " Of honest wedlock," said Manual, with an 
 air as serious as if Hymen already held him in his 
 fetters. 
 
 " Tis honest ! Is there money ?" 
 18* 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 " Is there money ?" repeated Manual, with a 
 sort of contemptuous echo. " Would a soldier 
 part with his liberty, but with his life, unless the 
 chains were made of gold ?" 
 
 " That s the true military doctrine !" cried 
 the other ; " faith, you have some discretion in 
 your amphibious corps, I find ! But why this 
 disguise, are the seniors grave, as well as po 
 tent and reverend ? Why this disguise, I ae;ain 
 ask ? 
 
 " Why this disguise !" repeated Manual, cool 
 ly ; " Is there any such thing as love in your re 
 giment without disguise f With us it is a regular 
 symptom of the disease." 
 
 " A most just and discreet description of the 
 passion, my amphibious comrade !" said the English 
 officer ; " and yet the symptoms in your case are 
 attended by some very malignant tokens. Does 
 your mistress love tar ?" 
 
 " No ; but sheloveth me ; and, of course, what 
 ever attire I choose to appear in." 
 
 . " Still discreet and sagacious ! and yet only a 
 most palpable feint to avoid my direct attack. You 
 have heard of such a place as Gretna Green, a lit 
 tle to the north of this, I dare say, my aquatic 
 comrade. Am I right ?" 
 
 " Gretna Green !" said Manual, a little embar 
 rassed by his ignorance ; " some parade ground, I 
 suppose r" 
 
 " Ay, for those who suffer under the fire oj 
 Master Cupid. A parade ground ! well, there is 
 some artful simplicity in that ! But all will not do 
 with an old campaigner. It is a difficult thing to 
 impose on an old soldier, my water battery. Now 
 listen and answer ; and you shall see what it is to 
 possess a discernment therefore deny nothing. 
 You are in lo-v e ? : 
 
THE PILOT. 211 
 
 " I deny nothing," said Manual, comprehending 
 at once that this was his safest course. 
 
 " Your mistress is willing, and the money is 
 ready, but the old people say halt !" 
 
 " I am still mute." 
 
 " Tis prudent. You say march Gretna Green 
 is the object ; and your flight is to be by water ?" 
 
 " Unless I can make my escape by water, I 
 shall never make it," said Manual, with ano 
 ther sympathetic movement with his hand to his 
 throat. 
 
 " Keep mute ; yon need tell me nothing. I 
 can see into a mystery that is as deep as a well, 
 to-night. Your companions are hirelings ; per 
 haps your shipmates ; or men to pilot you on this 
 expedition ?" 
 
 " One is my shipmate, and the other is our pi 
 lot," said Manual, with more truth than usual. 
 
 " You are well provided. One thing more, and 
 I shall become mute in my turn. Does she whom 
 you seek lie in this house ?" 
 
 " She does not ; she lies but a short distance 
 from this place ; and I should be a happy fellow, 
 could I but once more put foot " 
 
 " Eyes on her. Now listen, and you shall have 
 your wish. You possess the ability to march yet, 
 which, considering the lateness of the hour, is no 
 trifling privilege ; open that window is it possi 
 ble to descend from it ?" 
 
 Manual eagerly complied, but he turned from 
 the place in disappointment. 
 
 " It would be certain death to attempt the leap. 
 The devil only could escape from it." 
 
 " So I should think," returned Borroughcliffe 
 dryly. " You must be content to pass for that 
 respectable gentleman for the rest of your days, 
 in St. Ruth s Abbey. For through that identical 
 
212 THE PILOT. 
 
 hole must you wing your flight on the pinions of 
 love." 
 
 " But how ! The thing is impossible. 
 
 " In imagination only. There is some stir ; a 
 good deal of foolish apprehension ; and a great ex 
 cess of idle curiosity, among certain of the tenants 
 of this house on your account. They fear the re 
 bels, who, we all know, have not soldiers enough 
 to do their work neatly at home, and who of course 
 would never think of sending any here. You wish 
 to be snug I wish to serve a brother in distress. 
 Through that window you must be supposed to 
 fly no matter how ; while by following me you 
 can pass the sentinel, and retire peaceably, like any 
 other mortal, on your own two stout legs." 
 
 This was a result that exceeded all that Manual 
 had anticipated from their amicable but droll dia 
 logue ; and the hint w r as hardly given, before he 
 threw on the garments that agitation had before 
 rendered such encumbrances, and in less time than 
 we have taken to relate it, the marine was com 
 pletely equipped for his departure. In the mean 
 time, Captain Borroughcliffe raised himself to an 
 extremely erect posture, which he maintained, 
 with the inflexibility of a rigid martinet. When 
 he found himself established on his feet, the soldier 
 intimated to his prisoner that he was ready to pro 
 ceed. The door was instantly opened by Manual, 
 and together they entered the gallery. 
 
 " Who comes there ?" cried the sentinel, with 
 a vigilance and vigour that he intended should 
 compensate for his previous neglect of duty. 
 
 " Walk straight, that he may see you," said 
 Borroughcliffe, with much philosophy. 
 
 " Who goes there f" repeated the sentinel, 
 throwing his musket to a poise, with a rattling 
 sound that echoed along the naked walls. 
 
THE PILOT. 213 
 
 Walk crooked," added Borroughcliffe. " that 
 f he fire he may miss." 
 
 "We shall be shot at, with this folly, 1 mut 
 tered Manual. " We are friends, and your officer 
 is one of us." 
 
 " Stand, friends advance officer and give the 
 countersign," cried the sentinel. 
 
 " That is much easier said tha.; done," returned 
 his captain ; " forward, Mr. Ar phibious, you can 
 walk like a postman move to the front, and pro 
 claim the magical word, loyalty ; tis a standing 
 countersign, ready furnished to my hands by mine 
 host, the colonel ; your road is then clear before 
 you but hark" 
 
 Manual made an eager step forward, when, re 
 collecting himself, he turned, and added 
 
 " My assistants, the seamen ! I can do nothing 
 without them." 
 
 " Lo ! the keys are in the doors, ready for my 
 admission," said the Englishman ; " turn them and 
 bring out your forces." 
 
 Quick as thought, Manual was in the room of 
 Griffith, to whom he briefly communicated the 
 situation of things, when he re-appeared in the 
 passage, and then proceeded on a siipilar errand to 
 the room of the Pilot. 
 
 " Follow, and behave as usual," he whispered 
 " say not a word, but trust all to me." 
 
 The Pilot arose, and obeyed these instructions 
 without asking a question, with the most admira 
 ble coolness. 
 
 " I am now ready to proceed," said Manual, 
 when they had joined Borroughcliffe. 
 
 During the short time occupied in these arrange 
 ments, the sentinel and his captain had stood look 
 ing at each other, with great military exactitude. 
 The former, ambitious of manifesting his watchful- 
 
14 THE PILOT. 
 
 neus ; the latter awaiting the return of the marine 
 The captain now beckoned to Manual to advance 
 and give the countersign. 
 
 " Loyalty," whispered Mtnual, when he ap 
 proached the sentinel, But the soldier had been 
 allowed time to reflect ; and as he well understood 
 the situation of his officer, he hesitated to allow 
 the prisoner to pass. After a moment s pause, he 
 said 
 
 " Advance, friends." At this summons, the 
 whole party moved to the point of his bayonet ; 
 when the man continued, " The prisoners have the 
 countersign, Captain Borroughcliffe, but I dare not 
 let them pass." 
 
 " Wh/ not ?" asked the captain ; " am I not 
 here, sirrah ; do you not know me ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I know your honour, and respect 
 your honour ; but I was posted here by my sei- 
 geant, and ordered not to let these men pass out 
 on any account." 
 
 " That s what I call good discipline," said 
 Borroughcliffe, with an exulting laugh ; " I knew 
 the lad would riot mind me any more than that he 
 would obey the orders of that lamp. Here are 
 no slaves of the lamp, my amphibious comrade ; 
 drill ye your marines in this consummate style to 
 niceties ?" 
 
 " What means this trifling ?" said the Pilot, 
 sternly. 
 
 " Ah ! I thought I should turn the laugh on 
 you," cried Manual, affecting to join in the mirth ; 
 u we know all these things well, and we practise 
 them in our corps ; but though the sentinel can 
 not know you, the sergeant will; so let him be 
 railed, and orders be given through him to the man 
 on post, that we may pass out." 
 
 " Your throat grows uneasy, I see," said Bor- 
 
THE PILOT. 215 
 
 roughcliffe ; " you crave another bottle of the 
 generous fluid. Well, it shall be done. Sentinel, 
 you can throw up yon window, and give a call to 
 the sergeant. 7 
 
 " The outcry will ruin us," said the Pilot, in a 
 whisper to Griilith. 
 
 " Follow me," said the young sailor. The sen 
 tinel was turning to execute the orders of his cap 
 tain, as Griffith spoke ; when springing forward, 
 in an instant he wrenched the musket from his 
 hands ; a heavy blow with its butt felled the as 
 tonished soldier to the floor; then, poising his 
 weapon, Griffith exclaimed 
 
 " Forward ! we can clear our own way now !" 
 
 " On !" said the Pilot, leaping lightly over the 
 prostrate soldier, a dagger gleaming in one hand, 
 and a pistol presented in the other. 
 
 Manual was by his side in an instant, armed in a 
 similar manner ; and the three rushed together 
 from the building, without meeting any one to op 
 pose their flight. 
 
 Borroughcliffe was utterly unable to follow ; and 
 so astounded was he by this sudden violence, that 
 several minutes passed before he was restored to 
 the use of his speech, a faculty which seldom de 
 serted him. The man had recovered his senses 
 and his feet, however ; and the two stood gazing 
 at each other in mute condolence. At length the 
 sentinel broke the silence 
 
 " Shall I give the alarm, your honour ?" 
 
 " I rather think not, Peters. I wonder if there 
 be any such thing as gratitude or good breeding in 
 the marine corps !" 
 
 " I hope your honour will remember that I did 
 my duty, and that I was disarmed while executing 
 *our orders." 
 
 " I can remember nothing about it, Peters, ex- 
 
Sit THE PILOT. 
 
 cept that it cr.dly treatment, and such as I shall 
 yet make ihie amphibious, aquatic gentle?nan an 
 swer for. Bui, lock the door look as if nothing 
 had happened, and " 
 
 " Ah ! your honour, that is not so easily done 
 
 as your honour may please to think. I have not 
 
 any doubt but there is the print of the breech of 
 
 t a musket stamped on my back and shoulders, as 
 
 / plainly to be seen as that light." 
 
 N " Then look as you please ; but hold your peace , 
 
 / sirrah. Here is a crrwn to buy a plaster. I heaid 
 
 i the dog throw away your musket on the stairs 
 
 go seek it, and return to your post ; and when you 
 
 are relieved, act as if nothing had happened. I 
 
 take the responsibility on myself." 
 
 The man obeyed, and when he was once more 
 armed, Borrougholiffe, a good deal sobered by the 
 surprise, made the best of his way to his own 
 apartment, muttering threats and execrations against 
 the "corps of marines, and the w r hole race," as he 
 called them, " of aquatic ampbibii." 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 * Away ! away ! the covey s fled the cores 
 
 doi 
 
 Pnt forth the doss, and let the falcon dy 
 
 I ll 8. ~ 
 
 Nor 
 
 I ll spend some leisure in the keen pursuit, 
 longer waste my hours in sluggish quiet. 
 
 THE soldier passed the remainder of the night 
 in the heavy sleep of a bacchanalian, and awoke 
 late on the following morning, only when aroused 
 by the entrance of his servant. When the cus 
 tomary summons had induced the captain to un 
 close his eyelids, he arose in his bed, and after 
 performing the usual operation of a diligent fric 
 tion on his organs of vision, he turned sternly to 
 his man, and remarked, with an ill-humour that 
 seemed to implicate the innocent servant in the 
 fault which his master condemned 
 
 " I thought, sirrah, that I ordered Sergeant 
 Drill not to let a drum-stick touch a sheep-skin 
 while we quartered in the dwelling of this hospi 
 table old colonel ! Does the fellow despise my 
 commands ; or does he think the roll of a drum, 
 echoing through the crooked passages of St. Ruth, 
 a melody that is fit to disturb the slumbers of its 
 inmates !" 
 
 " I believe, sir," returned the man, " it was the 
 wish of Col. Howard himself, that on this occasion 
 the sergeant should turn out the guard by the roll 
 of the drum." 
 
 VOL, i. 19 
 
218 THE PILOT, 
 
 y 
 
 " The devil it was ! I see the old fellow loves 
 to tickle the drum of his own ear now and then, 
 with familiar sounds ; but have you had a muster 
 of the cattle from the farm-yard too, as well as a 
 parade of the guard ? I hear the trampling of feet, 
 as if the old Abbey were a second ark, and all 
 the beasts of the field were coming aboard of us !" 
 
 " Tis nothing but the party of dragoons from 
 
 , who are wheeling into the court-yard, sir. 
 
 where the colonel has gone out to receive them." 
 
 " Court-yard ! light dragoons !" repeated Bor- 
 roughciiffe, in amazement ; " and has it come to 
 this, that twenty stout fellows of the th are not 
 enough to guard such a rookery as this old Abbey, 
 against the ghosts and north-east storms, but we 
 must have horse to reinforce us. Hum ! I sup 
 pose some of these booted gentlemen have heard 
 of this South-Carolina Madeira." 
 
 " Oh, no, sir !" cried his man, " it is only the 
 party that Mr. Dillon went to seek last evening, 
 after you saw fit, sir, to put the three pirates in 
 irons." 
 
 " Pirates in irons !" said Borroughcliffe, again 
 passing his hands over his eyes, though in a more 
 reflecting manner than before ; " ha ! oh ! I re 
 member to have put three suspicious looking ras 
 cals in the black-hole, or some such place ; but 
 what can Mr. Dillon, or the light dragoons, have 
 to do with these fellows ?" 
 
 " That we do not know, sir ; but it is said be- 
 low, sir, as some suspicions had fallen on their be 
 ing conspirators and rebels from the colonies, and 
 ] that they were great officers and tories in disguise ; 
 j some said that one was General Washington, and 
 \ others, that it was only three members of the 
 Yankee parliament, come over to get our good old 
 English fashions to set themselves up with." 
 
THE PILOT. 2\9 
 
 " Washington ! Members of Congress ! Go 
 go, simpleton, and learn how many these troopers 
 muster, and what halt they make ; but stay, place 
 my clothes near me. Now, do as I bid you ; and 
 if the dragoon officer inquire for me, make my re 
 spects, and tell him I shall be with him soon. Go, 
 fellow; go." 
 
 When the man left the room, the captain, while 
 he proceeded with the business of the toilet, oc 
 casionally gave utterance to the thoughts that 
 crowded on his recollection, after the manner of a 
 soliloquy. 
 
 " Ay ! my commission to a half-pay ensigncy, 
 that some of these lazy fellows, who must have a 
 four-legged beast to carry them to the wars, have 
 heard of the c south side. South side ! I believe 
 I must put an advertisement in the London Ga 
 zette, calling that amphibious soldier to an ac 
 count. If he be a true man, he will not hide himself 
 under his incognito, but will give me a meeting. If 
 that should fail, damme, I ll ride across to Yar 
 mouth, and call out the first of the mongrel breed 
 that I fall in with. Sdeath ! was ever such an in 
 sult practised on a gentleman, and a soldier, be 
 fore ! Would that I only knew his name ! Why, 
 if the tale should get abroad, I shall be the stand 
 ing joke of the mess-table, until some greater fool 
 than myself can be found. It would cost me at 
 least six duels to get rid of it. No, no ; not a trig 
 ger will 1 pull in my own regiment about the silly 
 affair ; but I ll have a crack at some marine in very 
 revenge ; for that is no more than reasonable. 
 That Peters ! if the scoundrel should dare whisper 
 any thing of the manner in which he was stamped 
 with the breech of the musket ! I can t flog him 
 for it, but if I don t make it up to him, the first 
 
220 THE PILOT. 
 
 time he gives me a chance, I am ignorant of the 
 true art of balancing regimental accounts." 
 
 By the time the recruiting officer had concluded 
 this soliloquy, which affords a very fair exposition 
 of the current of his thoughts, he was prepared to 
 meet the new comers, and he accordingly descend 
 ed to the court-yard, as in duty bound, to receive 
 them in his proper person. Borroughcliffe en 
 countered his host, in earnest conversation with a 
 young man in a cavalry uniform, in the principal 
 entrance of the Abbey, and was greeted by the 
 former \vith 
 
 " A good morning to you, my worthy guard 
 and protector ! here is rare news for your loyal 
 ears. It seems that our prisoners are enemies to 
 the king, in disguise ; and Cornet Fitzgerald- 
 Captain Borroughcliffe, of the th, permit me 
 
 to make you acquainted with Mr. Fitzgerald, of the 
 th Light Dragoons." While the soldiers ex 
 changed their salutations, the old man cbntinued - 
 " The cornet has been kind enough to lead down a 
 detachment of his troop, to escort the rogues up to 
 London, or some other place, where they will find 
 enough good and loyal officers to form a court mar 
 tial, that can authorize their execution as spies. 
 Christopher Dillon, my worthy kinsman, Kit, saw 
 into their real characters, at a glance, while you 
 and I, like two unsuspecting boys, thought the ras 
 cals would have made fit men to serve the king. 
 But Kit has an eye and a head that few enjoy like 
 him, and I would that he might receive his dues at 
 the English bar." 
 
 " It is to be desired, sir," said Borroughcliffe, 
 with a grave aspect, that was produced chiefly by 
 his effort to give effect to his sarcasm, but a little, 
 also, by the recollection of the occurrences that 
 were yet to be explained ; cc but what reason has 
 
THE PILOT. 221 
 
 4! 
 
 Mr. Christopher Dillon to believe that the three 
 seamen are more or less than they seem ?" 
 
 " I know not what ; but a good and sufficient 
 reason, I will venture my life," cried the colonel ; 
 " Kit is a lad for reasons, which you know is the 
 foundation of his profession, and knows how to de 
 liver them manfully in the proper place ; but you 
 know, gentlemen, that the members of the bar 
 cannot assume the open and bold front that be 
 comes a soldier, without often endangering the 
 cause in which they are concerned. No, no ; trust 
 me, Kit has his reasons, and in good time will ne 
 deliver them." 
 
 " I hope, then," said the captain, carelessly, 
 " that it may be found that we have had a proper 
 watch on our charge, Col. Howaid; I think you 
 told me the windows were too high for an escape 
 in that direction, for I had no sentinel outside of 
 the building." 
 
 " Fear nothing, my worthy friend," cried his 
 host ; " unless your men have slept, instead of 
 watching, we have them safe ; but, as it will be 
 necessary to convey them away before any of the 
 civil authority can lay hands on them, let us pro 
 ceed to the rear, and unkennel the dogs. A party 
 
 of the horse might proceed with them to , 
 
 while we are breaking our fasts. It would be no 
 wise thing to let the civilians deal with them, for 
 they seldom have a true idea of the nat ire of the 
 crime." 
 
 " Pardon me, sir," said the young officer of 
 horse ; " I was led to believe, by Mr. Dillon, that 
 we might meet with a party of the enemy in somo 
 little force, and that I should find a pleasanterduty 
 than that of a constable ; besides, sir, the laws of 
 the realm guaranty to the subject a trial by his 
 peers, and it is more than I dare do to carry the 
 19* 
 
222 THE PILOT. 
 
 men to the barracks, without first taking them be 
 fore a magistrate." 
 
 " Ay ! you speak of loyal and dutiful subjects," 
 said the colonel ; " and, as respects them, doubt 
 less, you are right ; but such privileges are with 
 held from enemies and traitors." 
 
 " It must be first proved that they are such, be 
 fore they can receive the treatment or the punish 
 ment that they merit," returned the young man, a 
 little positively, who felt the more confidence, be 
 cause he had only left the Temple the year be 
 fore. " If I take charge of the men at all, it will 
 be only to transfer them safely to the civil autho 
 rity." 
 
 " Let us go and see the prisoners," cried Bor- 
 rougheliffe, with a view to terminate a discussion 
 that was likely to wax warm, and which he knew 
 to be useless ; " perhaps they may quietly enrol 
 themselves under the banners of our sovereigns 
 when all other interference, save that of whole 
 some discipline, will become unnecessary." 
 
 " Nay, if they are of a rank in life to render 
 such a step probable," returned the cornet, " I am 
 well content that the matter should be thus set 
 tled. I trust, however, that Captain Currough- 
 
 cliffe will consider that the th light dragoons 
 
 has some merit in this affair, and that we are far 
 short of our numbers in the second squadron." 
 
 " We shall not be difficult at a compromise," 
 returned the captain ; " there is one a-piece for 
 us, and a toss of a guinea shall determine who has 
 the third man. Sergeant ! follow, to deliver over 
 your prisoners, and relieve your sentry." 
 
 As they proceeded, in compliance with this ar 
 rangement, to the building in the rear, Colonel 
 Howard, who made one of the party, observed 
 
 u I dispute not the penetration of Captain Bon* 
 
THE PILOT. 223 
 
 t ughcliffe, but I understand Mr. Christopher Dil 
 lon that there is reason to believe one of these 
 men, at least, to be of a class altogether above that 
 of a common soldier, in which case your plans may 
 fall to the ground." 
 
 " And who does he deem the gentleman to be ?" 
 asked Borroughcliffe " A Bourbon in disguise, 
 or a secret representative of the rebel congress ?" 
 
 " Nay, nay ; he said nothing more ; my kins 
 man Kit keeps a close mouth, whenever Dame 
 Justice is about t-o balance her scales. There are 
 men who may be said to have been born to be sol 
 diers ; of which number I should call the Earl 
 Cornwallis, who makes such head against the re 
 bels in the two Carolinas ; others seem to be in 
 tended by nature for divines, and saints on earth, 
 such as their Graces of York and Canterbury ; 
 while another class appear as if it were impossible 
 for them to behold things, unless with discriminat 
 ing, impartial, and disinterested eyes ; to which, I 
 should say, belong my Lord Chief Justice Mans 
 field, and my kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon. I 
 trust, gentlemen, that when the royal arms have 
 crushed this rebellion, that his majesty s ministers 
 will see the propriety of extending the dignity of 
 the peerage to the colonies, as a means of reward 
 to the loyal, and a measure of policy, to prevent 
 future disaffection ; in which case, I hope to see 
 my kinsman decorated with the ermine of justice, 
 bordering the mantle of a peer." 
 
 " Your expectations, my excellent sir, are right 
 reasonable, as I doubt not your kinsman will be 
 come, at some future day, that which he is not at 
 present, unhappily for his deserts, right honoura 
 ble," said Borroughclifte. " But be of good heart, 
 sir ; from what I have seen of his merits, I doubt 
 not that the law will yet have its revenge in due 
 
2 2-i THE PILOT. 
 
 season, and that we shall be properly edified and 
 instructed how to attain elevation in life, by the 
 future exaltation of Mr. Christopher Dillon ; though 
 by what title he is to be then known, I am at a loss 
 to say." 
 
 Colonel Howard was too much occupied with 
 his own ex parte views of the war and things in 
 general, to observe the shrewd looks that were 
 exchanged between the soldiers ; but he answered 
 with perfect simplicity 
 
 " I have reflected much on that point, and have 
 come to the opinion, that as he has a small estate 
 on that river, he should cause his first barony to 
 be known by the title of c Pedee. " 
 
 " Barony !" echoed Borroughcliffe ; " I trust 
 the new nobles of a new world will disdain the 
 old worn out distinctions of a hackneyed universe 
 eschew ail baronies, mine host, and cast earl 
 doms and dukedoms to the shades. The immor 
 tal Locke has unlocked his fertile mind to furnish 
 you with appellations suited to the originality of 
 your condition, and the nature of your country. 
 Ah ! here comes the Cacique of Pedee, in his pro 
 per person !" 
 
 As Borroughcliffe spoke, they were ascending 
 the flight of stone steps which led to the upper 
 apartments, where the prisoners were still sup 
 posed to be confined ; and, at the same moment, 
 the sullen, gloomy features of Dillon were seen as 
 he advanced along the lower passage, with an ex 
 pression of malicious exultation hovering above his 
 dark brow, that denoted his secret satisfaction. 
 As the hours had passed away, the period had 
 come round when the man who had been present 
 at the escape of Griffith and his friends, was again 
 posted to perform the duty of sentinel. As this 
 soldier well knew the situation of his trust, he was 
 
THE PILOT. 225 
 
 very coolly adjusted, with his back against the 
 wall, endeavouring to compensate himself for his 
 disturbed slumbers during the night, when the 
 sounds of the approaching footsteps warned him to 
 assume the appearance of watchfulness. 
 
 " How now, fellow !" cried Borroughcliffe ; 
 " what have you to say to your charge ?" 
 
 " I believe the men sleep, your honour ; for I 
 have heard no noises from the rooms since I re- 
 ieved the last sentinel." 
 
 " The lads are weary, and are right to catch 
 what sleep they can in their comfortable quarters," 
 returned the captain. " Stand to your arms, sir 
 rah ! and throw back your shoulders ; and do not 
 move like a crab, or a train-band corporal ; do you 
 not see an officer of horse coming up ? Would 
 you disgrace your regiment !" 
 
 " Ah ! your honour, heaven only knows whe 
 (her I shall ever get my shoulders even again." 
 
 " Buy another plaster," said Borroughcliffe, 
 slipping a shilling into his hand ; " observe, yt>u 
 know nothing but your duty." 
 
 " Which is, your honour " 
 
 " To mind me and be silent. But here comes 
 the sergeant with his guard, he will relieve you." 
 
 The rest of the party had stopped at the other 
 end of the gallery, to allow the few files of sol 
 diers, who were led by the orderly, to pass them, 
 when they all moved toward the prisons in a body. 
 The sentinel was relieved in due military style ; 
 when Dillon placed his hand on one of the doors, 
 and said, with a malicious sneer, 
 
 " Open here first, Mr. Sergeant ; this cage holds 
 the man we most want." 
 
 " Softly, softly, my Lord Chief Justice, and 
 most puissant Cacique," said the captain ; " the 
 hoiu has not yet come to empannel a jury of fat 
 
226 THE PILOT. 
 
 yeomen, and no man must interfere with my boys 
 but myself." 
 
 " The rebuke is harsh, I must observe, Captain 
 Borroughcliffe," said the colonel ; " but 1 pardon 
 it because it is military. No, no, Kit ; these nice 
 points must be left to martial usages. Be not im 
 patient, my cousin ; I doubt not the hour will come, 
 when you shall hold the scales of justice, and sa 
 tisfy your loyal longings on many a traitor. Zounds ! 
 I could almost turn executioner myself in such a 
 cause !" 
 
 " I can curb my impatience, sir," returned Dil 
 lon, with hypocritical meekness, and great self- 
 command, though his eyes were gleaming with 
 savage exultation. " I beg pardon of Captain 
 Borroughcliffe, if, in my desire to render the civil 
 authority superior to the military, I have tres 
 passed on your customs." 
 
 " You see, Borroughcliffe !" exclaimed the co 
 lonel, exultingly, " the lad is ruled by an instinct 
 in all matters of law and justice. I hold it to be 
 impossible that a man thus endowed can ever be 
 come a disloyal subject. But our breakfast waits, 
 and Mr. Fitzgerald has breathed his horse this 
 cool morning ; let us proceed at once to the exa 
 mination." 
 
 Borroughcliffe motioned to the sergeant to open 
 the door, when the whole party entered the va 
 cant room. 
 
 " Your prisoner has escaped !" cried the cor 
 net, after a single moment employed in making 
 sure of the fact. 
 
 " Never ! it must not, shall not be," cried Dil 
 lon, quivering with rage, as he glanced his eyes 
 furiously around the apartment ; " here has been 
 treachery ! and foul treason to the king !" 
 
 " By whom committed, Mr. Christopher Dil- 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 Ion ?" said Borroughcliffe, knitting his brow, and 
 speaking in a suppressed tone : " dare you, or any 
 man living, charge treason to the th !" 
 
 A very different feeling from rage appeared no\v 
 to increase the shivering propensities of the future 
 judge, who at once perceived it was necessary to 
 moderate his passion, and he returned, as it were 
 by magic, to his former plausible and insinuating 
 manner, as he replied 
 
 " Colonel Howard will understand the cause of 
 my warm feelings, when I tell him that this very 
 room contained, last night, that disgrace to his 
 name and country, as well as traitor to his king, 
 Edward Griffith, of the rebel navy." 
 
 " What !" exclaimed the colonel, starting, " has 
 that recreant youth dared to pollute the threshold 
 of St. Ruth with his footstep ! but you dream, 
 Kit ; there would be too much hardihood in the act." 
 
 " It appears not, sir," returned the other ; " for 
 though in this very apartment he most certainly 
 was, he is here no longer. And yet from this 
 window, though open, escape would seem to be 
 impossible, even with much assistance." 
 
 " If I thought that the contumelious boy had 
 dared to be guilty of such an act of gross impu 
 dence," cried the colonel, " I should be tempted 
 to resume my arms, in my old age, to punish his 
 effrontery. What ! it is not enough that he en 
 tered my dwelling in the colony, availing himself 
 of the distraction of the times, with an intent to 
 rob me of my choicest jewel, ay ! gentlemen, even 
 of my brother Harry s daughter but that he must 
 also invade this hallowed island, with a like pur 
 pose, thus thrusting his treason, as it were, into 
 the presence of his abused prince ! No, no, Kit, 
 thy loyalty misleads thee ; he has never dared to 
 do the deed !" 
 
228 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Listen, sir, and you shall be convinced," re 
 turned the pliant Christopher. " I do not wonder 
 at your unbelief; but as good testimony is the 
 soul of justice, I cannot resist its influence. You 
 know, that two vessels, corresponding in appear 
 ance to the two rebel cruisers that annoyed us so 
 much in the Carolinas, have been seen on the coast 
 for several days, which induced us to beg the pro 
 tection of Captain Borroughcliffe. Three men are 
 found, the day succeeding that on which we hear 
 that these vessels came within the shoals, stealing 
 through the grounds of St. Ruth, in sailors attire. 
 They are arrested, and in the voice of one of them, 
 sir, I immediately detected that of the traitor Grif 
 fith. He \vas disguised, it is true, and cunningly 
 -so ; but when a man has devoted his whole life to 
 the business of investigating truth," he added, with 
 an air of much modesty, " it is difficult to palm 
 any disguise on his senses." 
 
 Col. Howard was strongly impressed with the 
 probability of these conjectures, and the closing 
 appeal confirmed him immediately in his kinsman s 
 opinion, while Borroughcliffe listened, with deep 
 interest, to the speakers, and more than once bit 
 his lip with vexation. When Dillon concluded the 
 soldier exclaimed 
 
 " I ll swear there was a man among them, who 
 has been used to the drill." 
 
 " Nothing more probable, my worthy friend," 
 said Dillon ; <c for as the landing was never made 
 without some evil purpose, rely on it, he came not 
 unguarded or unprotected. I dare say, the three 
 were all officers, and one of them might have been 
 of the marines. That they had assistance is cer 
 tain, and it was because I felt assured they had a 
 force secreted at hand, that I went in quest of the 
 reinforcement." 
 
THE PILOT. 229 
 
 There was so much plausibility, and, in fact, so 
 much truth in all this, that conviction was unwil 
 lingly admitted by Borroughcliffe, who walked 
 aside, a moment, to conceal the confusion which, 
 in spite of his ordinary inflexibility of countenance, 
 he felt was manifesting itself in his rubric visage, 
 while he muttered 
 
 " The amphibious dog ! he was a soldier, but a 
 traitor and an ener^. No doubt he will have a 
 marvellous satisfaction in delighting the rebellious 
 ears of his messmates, by rehearsing the manner 
 in which he poured cold water down the back of 
 
 one Borroughcliffe, of the th, who was amusing 
 
 him, at the same time, by pouring good, rich, south- 
 side Madeira down his own rebellious throat. I 
 have a good mind to exchange my scarlet coat for 
 a blue jacket, on purpose to meet the sly rascal on 
 the other element, where we can discuss the mat 
 ter over again. Well, sergeant, do you find the 
 other two ?" 
 
 " They are gone together, your honour," re 
 turned the orderly, who just then re-entered from 
 an examination of the other apartments ; " and 
 unless the evil one helped them off, it s a myste 
 rious business to me." 
 
 " Colonel Howard," said Borroughcliffe, grave 
 ly, " your precious south-side cordial must be ba 
 nished from the board, regularly with the cloth, un 
 til I have my revenge ; for satisfaction of this in 
 sult is mine to claim, and I seek it this instant. 
 Co, Drill ; detail a guard for the protection of the 
 house, and feed the rest of your command, then 
 beat the general, and we will take the field. Ay ! 
 my worthy veteran host, for the first time since the 
 days of the unlucky Charles Stuart, there shall b* 
 a campaign in the heart of England." 
 
 " Ah ! rebellion, rebellion ! accursed, unnatural, 
 
 VOL. i. 20 
 
230 THE PILOT 
 
 unholy rebellion, caused the calamity then and 
 now !" exclaimed the colonel. 
 
 " Had I not better take a hasty refreshment for 
 my men and their horses ?" asked the cornet ; 
 " and then make a sweep for a few miles along the 
 coast ? It may be my luck to encounter the fugi 
 tives, or some part of their force." 
 
 " You have anticipated my very thoughts," re 
 turned Borroughcliffe. " The Cacique of Pedee 
 may close the gates of St. Ruth, and, by barring 
 the windows, and arming the servants, he can 
 make a very good defence against an attack, should 
 they think proper to assail our fortress ; after he 
 has repulsed them, leave it to me to cut off theii 
 retreat." 
 
 Dillon but little relished this proposal ; for he 
 thought an attempt to storm the Abbey would be 
 the most probable course adopted by Griffith, in 
 order to rescue his mistress ; and the jurist had 
 none of the spirit of a soldier in his composition, 
 In truth, it was this deficiency that had induced 
 him to depart in person, the preceding light, in 
 quest of the reinforcement, instead of sending an 
 express on the errand. But the necessity of de 
 vising an excuse for a change in this dangerous 
 arrangement, was obviated by Colonel Howard, 
 who exclaimed, as soon as Borroughcliffe con 
 cluded his plan 
 
 " To me, Captain Borroughcliffe, belongs, of 
 right, the duty of defending St. Ruth, and it shall 
 be no boy s play to force my works ; but Kit would 
 rather try his chance in the open field, I know 
 Come, let us to our breakfast, and then he shall 
 mount, and act as a guide to the horse, along the 
 difficult passes of the seashore." 
 
 " To breakfast then let it be," cried the captain - 
 ;i I distrust not my new commander of the fortress ; 
 
THE PILOT. 23] 
 
 and in the field the Cacique for ever ! We follow 
 you, my worthy host." 
 
 This arrangement was hastily executed in all its 
 parts. The gentlemen swallowed their meal in 
 the manner of men who ate only to sustain nature, 
 and as a duty ; after which the whole house be 
 came a scene of bustling activity. The troops 
 were mustered and paraded ; Borroughcliffe, set 
 ting apart a guard for the building, placed himself 
 at the head of the remainder of his little party, and 
 they moved out of the court-yard in open order, 
 and at quick time. Dillon joyfully beheld himself 
 mounted on one of the best of Colonel Howard s 
 hunters, where he knew that he had the control, 
 in a great measure, of his own destiny ; his bosom 
 hrobbing with a powerful desire to destroy Grif 
 fith, while he entertained a lively wish to effect 
 his object without incurring any personal risk. At 
 his side was the young cornet, seated with prac 
 tised grace in his saddle, who, after giving time for 
 the party of foot soldiers to clear the premises, 
 glanced his eye along the few files he led, and 
 then gave the word to move. The little division 
 of horse wheeled briskly into open column, and, 
 the officer touching his cap to Colonel Howard, 
 they dashed through the gateway together, and 
 pursued their route towards the seaside, at a hand 
 gallop. 
 
 The veteran lingered a few minutes, while the 
 clattering of hoofs was to be heard, or the gleam 
 of arms was visible, to hear and gaze at sounds and 
 sights that he still loved ; after which, he proceed 
 ed, in person, and not without a secret enjoyment 
 of the excitement, to barricade the doors and win 
 dows, with an undaunted determination of making, 
 in case of need, a stout defence. 
 
 St. Ruth lay but a short two miles from the 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 ocean ; to which numerous roads led, through th$ 
 grounds of the Abbey, which extended to the 
 shore. Along one of these paths Dillon con 
 ducted his party, until, after a few minutes of hard 
 riding, they approached the cliffs, when, post 
 ing his troopers under cover of a little copse, 
 the cornet rode in advance, with his guide, to 
 the verge of the perpendicular rocks, whose 
 bases were washed by the foam that still whiten 
 ed the waters from the surges of the subsiding 
 sea. 
 
 The gale had broken, before the escape of the 
 prisoners, and as the power of the eastern tem 
 pest had gradually diminished, a light current 
 from the south, that blew directly along the land, 
 prevailed ; and, though the ocean still rolled in 
 fearful billows, their surfaces were smooth, and 
 they were becoming, at each moment, less preci 
 pitous, and more regular. The eyes of the horse 
 men were cast in vain over the immense expanse 
 of water, that was glistening brightly under the 
 rays of the sun, which had just risen from its bo 
 som, in quest of some object, or distant sail, that 
 might confirm their suspicions, or relieve their 
 doubts. But every thing of that description ap 
 peared to have avoided the dangerous navigation, 
 during the violence of the late tempest, and Dil 
 lon was withdrawing his eyes in disappointment, 
 from the vacant view, when, as they fell towards 
 the shore, he beheld that which caused him to ex 
 claim 
 
 " There they go ! and, by heaven, they will 
 escape ! ? 
 
 The cornet looked in the direction of the 
 other s finger, when he beheld, at a short distance 
 from the land, and apparently immediately under 
 his feet, a little boat that looked like a dark shell 
 
THE PILOT. 233 
 
 upon the water, rising and sinking amid the waves, 
 as if the men it obviously contained were resting 
 on their oars in idle expectation. 
 
 " Tis they !" continued Dillon ; " or, what is 
 more probable, it is their boat waiting to convey 
 them to their vessel ; no common business would 
 induce seamen to lie in this careless manner, with 
 in such a narrow distance of the surf." 
 
 " And what is to be done ? They cannot be 
 made to feel horse where they are ; nor would 
 the muskets of the foot be of any use. A light 
 three pounder would do its work handsomely on 
 them !" 
 
 The strong desire which Dillon entertained to 
 intercept, or rather to destroy the party, rendered 
 him prompt at expedients. After a moment of 
 musing, he replied 
 
 " The runaways must yet be on the land ; and 
 by scouring the coast, and posting men at proper 
 intervals, their retreat can easily be prevented ; in 
 
 the mean time I will ride under the spur to 
 
 bay, where one of his majesty s cutters now lies 
 at anchor It is but half an hour of hard riding, 
 and I can be on board of her. The wind blows 
 directly in her favour, and if we can once bring 
 her down behind that headland, we shall infallibly 
 \ cut off or sink these midnight depredators." 
 
 " Off, then !" cried the cornet, whose young 
 Jblood was boiling for a skirmish; "you will at 
 / least drive them to the shore, where I can deal 
 with them." 
 
 The words were hardly uttered, before Dillon, 
 after galloping furiously along the cliffs, and turn 
 ing short into a thick wood, that lay in his route, 
 was out of sight. The loyalty of this gentle 
 man was altogether of a calculating nature, and 
 was intimately connected with what he considered 
 20* 
 
234 THE PILOT 
 
 his fealty to himself. He believed that the pos 
 session of Miss Howard s person and fortune 
 were advantages that would much more than 
 counterbalance any elevation that he was likely 
 to obtain by the revolution of affairs in his native 
 colony. He considered Griffith as the only na 
 tural obstacle to his success, and he urged his 
 horse forward with a desperate determination to 
 work the ruin of the young sailor, before another 
 sun had set. When a man labours in an evil 
 cause, with such feelings, and with such incen 
 tives, he seldom slights or neglects his work ; and 
 Mr. Dillon, accordingly, w<as on board the Alacri 
 ty, several minutes short of the time in which he 
 had promised to perform the distance. 
 
 The plain old seaman, who commanded the 
 cutter, listened to his tale with cautious ears ; and 
 examined into the state of the weather, and other 
 matters connected with his duty, with the slow and 
 deliberate decision of one who had never done 
 much to acquire a confidence in himself, and who 
 had been but niggardly rewarded for the little he 
 had actually performed. 
 
 As Dillon was urgent, however, and the day 
 seemed propitious, he at length decided to act as 
 he was desired, and the cutter was accordingly 
 gotten under way. 
 
 A crew of something less than fifty men moved 
 with no little of their commander s deliberation ; 
 but as the little Vessel rounded the point behind 
 which she had been anchored, her guns were 
 cleared, and the usual preparations \vere com 
 pleted for immediate and actual service. 
 
 Dillon, sorely against his will, w^as compelled 
 to continue on board, in order to point out the 
 place where the unsuspecting boatmen were ex 
 pected to be entrapped. Every thing being 
 
THE PILOT. 235 
 
 ready, when they had gained a safe distance from 
 the land, the Alacrity was kept away before the 
 wind, and gfi3ed"along the shore, with a swift and 
 easy progress, that promised a speedy execution 
 of the business in which her commander had em 
 barked. 
 
CHAPTER XVII, 
 
 Pol. Very liko a wbale. 
 
 Shakspear* 
 
 NOTWITHSTANDING the object of their expedi 
 tion was of a public nature, the feelings which 
 had induced both Griffith and Barnstable to ac 
 company the Pilot with so much willingness, it 
 will easily be seen, were entirely personal. The 
 short intercourse that he had maintained with his 
 associates enabled the mysterious leader of theii 
 party to understand the characters of his two prin 
 cipal officers so thoroughly, as to induce him, when 
 he landed, with the purpose of reconnoitring to 
 ascertain whether the objects of his pursuit still 
 held their determination to assemble at the ap 
 pointed hour, to choose Griffith and Manual as his 
 only associates, leaving Barnstable in command of 
 his own vessel, to await their return, and to cover 
 their retreat. A good deal of argument, and some 
 little of the authority of his superior officer, was 
 necessary to make Barnstable quietly acquiesce in 
 this arrangement ; but as his good sense told him 
 that nothing should be unnecessarily hazarded, 
 until the moment to strike the final blow had ar- 
 lived, he became gradually more n. signed, taking 
 care, however, to caution Griilitli to reconnoitre 
 
THE PILOT. 237 
 
 the Abbey while his companion was reconnoi 
 tring house. It was the strong desire of Grif 
 fith to comply with this injunction, which carried 
 them a little out of their proper path, and led to the 
 consequences that we have partly related. The 
 evening of that day was the time \vhen the Pilot 
 intended to complete his enterprise, thinking tc* 
 entrap his game while enjoying the festivities 
 that usually succeeded their sports, and an early 
 hour in the morning \ras appointed when Barn- 
 stable should appear at the nearest point to the Ab 
 bey, to take off his countrymen, in order that they 
 might be as little as possible subjected to the gaze 
 of their enemies by day-light. If they failed to ar 
 rive at the appointed time, his instructions were 
 to return to his schooner, which lay snugly em 
 bayed in a secret and retired haven, that but few 
 ever approached, either by land or water. 
 
 While the young cornet still continued gazing 
 at the whale-boat, (for it was the party from the 
 schooner that he saw, ) the hour expired for the ap 
 pearance of Griffith and his companions, and Barn- 
 stable, reluctantly determined to comply with the 
 letter of his instructions, and leave them to theit 
 own sagacity and skill to regain the Ariel. The 
 boat had been suffered to ride in the edge of the 
 surf, since the appearance of the sun, and the eyes 
 of her crew were kept anxiously fixed on the cliffs, 
 though in vain, to discover the signal that was to 
 call them to the place of landing. After looking at 
 his watch for the twentieth time, and as often cast 
 ing glances of uneasy dissatisfaction towards the 
 shore, the lieutenant exclaimed 
 
 " A charming prospect, this, Master Coffin, 
 but rather too much poetry in it for your taste ; I 
 believe you relish no land that is of a harder con 
 sistency than mud !" 
 
238 THE PILOT. 
 
 " I was born on the waters, sir," returned the 
 cockswain, from his snug abode, where he was dis 
 posed with his usual economy of room, " and it s 
 according to all things for a man to love his natyve 
 soil. I ll not deny, Captain Barnstable, but I would 
 rather drop my anchor on a bottom that w r on t 
 broom a keel, though, at the same time, I harbour 
 no great malice against dry land." 
 
 " I shall never forgive it, myself, if any acci 
 dent has befallen Griffith, in this excursion," re 
 joined the lieutenant ; " his Pilot may be a bet 
 ter man on the water than on terra firma, long 
 Tom." 
 
 The cockswain turned his solemn visage, with 
 an extraordinary meaning, towards his commander, 
 before he replied 
 
 " For as long a time as I have followed the wa 
 ters, sir, and that has been ever since I ve drawn 
 my rations, seeing that I was born while the boat 
 was crossing Nantucket shoals, I ve never known 
 a Pilot come oft in greater need, than the one we 
 fell in with, when we made that stretch or two on 
 the land, in the dog-watch of yesterday." 
 
 " Ay ! the fellow has played his part like a man , 
 the occasion was great, and it seems that he was 
 quite equal to his work." 
 
 " The frigate s people tell me, sir, that he han 
 dled the ship like a top," continued the cockswain ; 
 " but she is a ship that is a nateral inimy of the 
 bottom !" 
 
 " Can you say as much for this boat, Master 
 Coffin ?" cried Barnstable ; " keep her out of the 
 surf, or you ll have us rolling in upon the beach, 
 presently, like an empty water-cask ; you must 
 remember that we cannot all wade, like yourself, 
 in two-fathom water." 
 
 The cockswain cast a cool glance at the crests 
 
THE PILOT. 239 
 
 of foam that were breaking over the tops of the 
 billows, within a few yards of where their boat 
 ivas riding, and called aloud to his men 
 
 " Pull a stroke or two ; away with her into dark 
 water." 
 
 The drop of the oars resembled the movement? 
 of a nice machine, and the light boat skimmed along 
 the water like a duck, that approaches to the very 
 brink of some imminent danger, and then avoids it, 
 at the most critical moment, apparently without an 
 effort. While this necessary movement was mak 
 ing, Barnstable arose, and surveyed the cliffs, with 
 keen eyes, and then turning once more in disap 
 pointment from his search, he said 
 
 " Pull more from the land, and let her rundown, 
 at an easy stroke, to the schooner. Keep a look 
 out at the cliffs, boys ; it is possible that they are 
 stowed in some of the holes in the rocks, for it s 
 no daylight business they are on." 
 
 The order was promptly obeyed, and they had 
 glided along for near a mile, in this manner, in the 
 most profound silence, when suddenly the stillness 
 was broken by a heavy rush of air, and a dash of 
 the water, seemingly at no great distance from 
 them. 
 
 " By heaven, Tom," cried Barnstable, starting, 
 " there is the blow of a whale." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," returned the cockswain with un- 
 disturbed composure ; " here is his spout, not half 
 a mile to seaward ; the easterly gale has driven the 
 creater to leeward, and he begins to find himself 
 in shoal water. He s been sleeping, while he 
 should have been working to windward !" 
 
 " The fellow takes it coolly, too ! he s in no 
 hurry to get an offing !" 
 
 " I rather conclude, sir," said the cockswain, 
 rolling over his tobacco in his mouth, very com- 
 
240 THE PILOT. 
 
 posedly, while his little sunken eyes began ta 
 twinkle with pleasure at the sight, " the gentle 
 man has lost his reckoning, and don t know which 
 way to head, to take himself back into blue wa 
 ter." 
 
 " Tis a fin-back !" exclaimed the lieutenant ; 
 " he will soon make head-way, and be off." 
 
 " No, sir, tis a right whale," answered Tom ; 
 " I saw his spout ; he threw up a pair of as pretty 
 rainbows as a Christian would wish to look at. 
 He s a raal oil-butt, that fellow !" 
 
 Barnstable laughed, turned himself away from 
 the tempting sight, and tried to look at the cliffs ; 
 and then unconsciously bent his longing eyes again 
 on the sluggish animal, who was throwing his huge 
 carcass, at times, for many feet from the water, in 
 idle gambols. The temptation for sport, and the 
 recollection of his early habits, at length prevailed 
 over his anxiety in behalf of his friends, and the 
 young officer inquired of his cockswain 
 
 " Is there any whale-line in the boat, to make 
 fast to that harpoon which you bear about with you 
 in fair weather or foul ?" 
 
 " I never trust the boat from the schoonei 
 without part of a shot, sir," returned the cock 
 swain ; " there is something nateral in the sight 
 of a tub to my old eyes." 
 
 Barnstable looked at his watch, and again at the 
 cliffs, when he exclaimed, in joyous tones 
 
 " Give strong way, my hearties ! There seems 
 nothing better to be done ; let us have a stroke of 
 a harpoon at that impudent rascal." 
 
 The men shouted spontaneously, and the old 
 cockswain suffered his solemn visage to relax into 
 a small laugh, while the whale-boat sprung for 
 ward like a courser for the gaol. During the few 
 minutes they were pulling towards their game, 
 
THE PILOT. 241 
 
 long Tom arose from his crouching attitude in the 
 stern sheets, and transferred his huge form to the 
 bows of the boat, where he made such prepara 
 tions to strike the whale as the occasion required. 
 The tub, containing about half of a whale-line, was 
 placed at the feet of Barnstable, who had been pre 
 paring an oar to steer with, in place of the rudder, 
 which was unshipped, in order that, if necessary, 
 the boat might be whirled round, when not ad 
 vancing. 
 
 Their approach was utterly unnoticed by the 
 monster of the deep, who continued to amuse him 
 self with throwing the water, in two circular spouts, 
 high into the air, occasionally flourishing the broad 
 flukes of his tail with a graceful but terrific force, 
 until the hardy seamen were within a few hundred 
 feet of him, when he suddenly cast his head down 
 ward, and, without an apparent effort, reared his 
 immense body for many feet above the water, 
 waving his tail violently, and producing a whizzing 
 noise, that sounded like the rushing of winds 
 
 The cockswain stood erect, poising his harpo*. n, 
 ready for the blow ; but when he beheld the crea 
 ture assume this formidable attitude, he waved his 
 hand to his commander, who instantly signed to 
 his men to cease rowing. In this situation the 
 sportsmen rested a few moments, while the whale 
 struck several blows on the water, in rapid succes 
 sion, the noise of which re-echoed along the cliffs, 
 like the hollow reports of so many cannon. After 
 this wanton exhibition of his terrible strength, the 
 monster sunk again into his native element, and 
 slowly disappeared from the eyes of his pursuers. 
 
 " Which way did he head, Tom ?" cried Barn- 
 stable, the moment the whale was out of sight. 
 
 " Pretty much up and down, sir," returned the 
 cockswain, whose eye was gradually brightening 
 
 VOL. I. 21 
 
242 THE PILOT. 
 
 with the excitement of the sport ; " he ll soon run 
 his nose against the bottom, if he stands long on 
 that course, and will be glad to get another snuff 
 of pure air ; send her a few fathoms to starboard, 
 sir, and I promise we shall not be out of his 
 track." 
 
 The conjecture of the experienced old seaman 
 proved true, for in a few minutes the water broke 
 near them, and another spout was cast into the 
 air, when the huge animal rushed, for half his 
 length, in the same direction, and fell on the sea, 
 with a turbulence and foam equal to that which is 
 produced by the launching of a vessel, for the first 
 time, into its proper element. After this evolu 
 tion, the whale rolled heavily, and seemed to rest 
 from further efforts. 
 
 His slightest movements were closely watched by 
 Barnstable and his cockswain, and when he was in 
 a state of comparative rest, the former gave a sig 
 nal to his crew, to ply their oars once more. A 
 few long and vigorous strokes sent the boat directly 
 up to the broadside of the whale, with its bows 
 pointing towards one of the fins, which was, at 
 times, as the animal yielded sluggishly to the ac 
 tion of the waves, exposed to view. The cock 
 swain poised his harpoon with much precision, and 
 then darted it from him with a violence that bu 
 ried the iron in the blubber of their foe. The 
 instant the blow was made, long Tom shouted, 
 with singular earnestness 
 
 " Starn all !" 
 
 " Stern all !" echoed Barnstable ; when the 
 obedient seamen, by united efforts, forced the boat 
 in a backward direction, beyond the reach of any 
 blow from their formidable antagonist. The 
 alarmed animal, however, meditated no such re 
 sistance ; ignorant of his own power, and of the 3 
 
THE PILOT. 243 
 
 insignificance of his enemies, he sought refuge in 
 flight. One moment of stupid surprise succeeded 
 the entrance of the iron, when he cast his huge 
 tail into the air, with a violence that threw the sea 
 around him into increased commotion, and then 
 disappeared with the quickness of lightning, amid 
 a cloud of foam. 
 
 " Snub him !" shouted Barnstable ; " hold on, 
 Tom ; he rises already." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," replied the composed cockswain, 
 seizing the line, which was running out of the boat 
 with a velocity that rendered such a mar>jeuvre 
 rather hazardous, and causing it to yieM more 
 gradually round the large loggerhead that was 
 placed in the bows of the boat for that purpose. 
 Presently the line stretched forward, and rising to 
 the surface, with tremulous vibrations, it indicated 
 the direction in which the animal might be expect 
 ed to re-appear. Barnstable had cast the bows 
 of the boat towards that point, before the terrified 
 and wounded victim rose once more to the surface, 
 whose time was, however, no longer wasted in 
 his sports, but who cast the waters aside, as he 
 forced his way, with prodigious velocity, along 
 their surface. The boat was dragged violently in 
 his wake, and cut through the billows with a ter 
 rific rapidity, that at moments, appeared to bury 
 the slight fabric in the ocean. When long Tom 
 beheld his victim throwing his spouts on high 
 again, he pointed with exultation to the jetting 
 fluid, which was streaked with the deep red of 
 olood, and cried - 
 
 " Ay ! I ve touched the fellow s life ! it must be 
 more than two foot of blubber that stops my iron 
 from reaching the life of any whale that ever 
 sculled the ocean !" 
 
 " I believe you have saved yourself the trou- 
 
244 THE PILOT. 
 
 ble of using the bayonet you have rigged for a 
 lance," said his commander, who entered into the 
 sport with all the ardour of one whose youth had 
 been chiefly passed in such pursuits : " feel your 
 line, Master Coffin ; can we haul alongside of our 
 enemy ? I like not the course he is steering, as 
 he tows us from the schooner." 
 
 " Tis the creater s way, sir," said the cock- 
 swdn ; " you know they need the air in their nos 
 trils, when they run, the same as a man ; but lay 
 hold, v>oys, and let us haul up to him." 
 
 The seamen now seized the whale-line, and 
 slowly di.^w their boat to within a few feet of the 
 tail of the fish, whose progress became sensibly 
 less rapid, as he grew weak with the loss of blood. 
 In a few minutes he stopped running, and appeared 
 to roll uneasily on the water, as if suffering the 
 agony of death. 
 
 " Shall we pull in, and finish him, Tom ?" cried 
 Barnstable ; " a few sets from your bayonet would 
 do it." 
 
 The cockswain stood examining his game, with 
 
 cool discretion, and replied to this interrogatory 
 
 3. " No, .sir, no he s going into his flurry ; there s 
 
 h no occasion for disgracing ourselves by using a 
 
 fsoldier s weapon in taking a whale. Starn off, sir, 
 
 starn off ! the creater s in his flurry !" 
 
 The warning of the prudent cockswain was 
 promptly obeyed, and the boat cautiously drew off 
 to a distance, leaving to the animal a clear space, 
 while under its dying agonies. From a state of 
 perfect rest, the terrible monster threw its tail on 
 high, as when in sport, but its blows were trebled 
 in rapidity and violence, till all was hid from view 
 by a pyramid of foam, that was deeply dyed with 
 blood. The roarings of the fish were like the bel- 
 lowings of a herd of bulls, and to one who was ig- 
 
THE PILOT. 245 
 
 norant of the fact, it would have appeared as if a 
 thousand monsters were engaged in deadly com 
 bat, behind the bloody mist that obstructed the 
 view. Gradually, these effects subsided, and when 
 the discoloured water again settled down to the 
 long and regular swell of the ocean, the fish was 
 seen, exhausted, and yielding passively to its fate. 
 As life departed, the enormous black mass rolled 
 to one side, and when the white and glistening 
 skin of the belly became apparent, the seamen well 
 knew that their victory was achieved. 
 
 " What s to be done now ?" said Barnstable, as 
 he stood and gazed with a diminished excitement 
 at their victim ; " he will yield no food, and his 
 carcass will probably drift to land, and furnish our 
 enemies with the oil." 
 
 " If I had but that creater in Boston Bay," said 
 the cockswain, " it would prove the making of me ; 
 but such is my luck for ever ! Pull up, at any 
 rate, and let me get my harpoon and line the 
 English shall never get them while old Tom Cof 
 fin can blow." 
 
 " Don t speak too fast," said the strokesman of 
 the boat ; " whether he get your iron or not, here 
 he monies in chase !" 
 
 " What mean you, fellow ?" cried Barnstable. 
 
 " Captain Barnstable can look for himself," re 
 turned the seaman, " and tell whether I speak 
 truth." 
 
 The young sailor turned, and saw the Alacrity, 
 bearing down before the wind, with all her sails 
 set, as she rounded a headland, but a short half 
 league to windward of the place where the boat 
 lay. 
 
 " Pass that glass to me," said the captain with 
 steady composure. " This promises us work in 
 one of two ways ; if si e be armed, it has become 
 21* 
 
246 THE PILOT. 
 
 our turn to run ; if not, we are strong enough to 
 carry her." 
 
 A very brief survey made the experienced offi< 
 cer acquainted with the true character of the ves 
 sel in sight ; and, replacing the glass with muc. 4 
 coolness, he said, 
 
 " That fellow shows long arms, and ten teeth, 
 beside King George s pennant from his top-mast 
 head. Now, my lads, you are to pull for your 
 lives ; for whatever may be the notions of Master 
 Coffin on the subject of his harpoon, I have no in 
 clination to have my arms pinioned by John Bull, 
 though his majesty himself put on the irons." 
 
 The men weH understood the manner and mean 
 ing of their commander ; and, throwing aside their 
 coats, they applied themselves in earnest to their 
 task. For half an hour a profound silence reigned 
 in the boat, which made an amazing progress. But 
 many circumstances conspired to aid the cutter ; 
 she had a fine breeze, with smooth water, and a 
 strong tide in her favour ; and, at the expiration 
 of the time we have mentioned, it was but too ap 
 parent that the distance between the pursued and 
 pursuers was lessened nearly half. Barnstable 
 preserved his steady countenance, but there was 
 an expression of care gathering around his dark 
 brow, which indicated that he saw the increasing 
 danger of their situation. 
 
 ""That fellow has long legs, Master Coffin," he 
 said, in a cheerful tone ; " your whale-line must 
 go overboard, and the fifth oar must 6e handled by 
 your delicate hands." 
 
 Tom arose from his seat, and proceeding for 
 ward, he cast the tub and its contents together into 
 the sea, when he seated himself at the bow oar, 
 and bent his athletic frame with amazing vigour to 
 the task. 
 
THE PILOT. 247 
 
 " Ah ! there is much of your philosophy in that 
 stroke, long Tom," cried his commander; "keep 
 it up boys, and if we gain nothing else, we shall at 
 least gain time for deliberation. Come, Master 
 Coffin, what think you ; we have three resources 
 before us, let us hear which is your choice : first, 
 we can turn and fight and be sunk ; secondly, we 
 can pull to the land, and endeavour to make good 
 our retreat to the schooner in that manner ; and, 
 thirdly, we can head to the shore, and possibly by 
 running under the guns of that fellow, get the wind 
 of him, and keep the air in our nostrils, after the 
 manner of the whale. Damn the whale ! but for 
 the tow the black rascal gave us, we should have 
 been out of sight of this rover !" 
 
 " If we fight," said Tom, with quite as much 
 composure as his commander manifested, " we 
 shall be taken or sunk ; if we land, sir, I shall be 
 taken for one man, as I never could make any head 
 way on dry ground ; and if we try to get the wind 
 of him by pulling under the cliffs, we shall be cut 
 off by a parcel of lubbers that I can see running 
 along their edges, hoping, I dare say, that they 
 shall be able to get a skulking shot at a boat s crew 
 of honest seafaring men." 
 
 " You speak with as much truth as philosophy, 
 Tom," said Barnstable, who saw his slender hopes 
 of success curtailed, by the open appearance of the 
 horse and foot on the cliffs. " These Englishmen 
 have not slept the last night, and I fear Griffith 
 and Manual will fare but badly. That fellow 
 brings a cap full of wind down with him tis just 
 his play, and he walks like a race-horse. Ha ! ho 
 begins to be in earnest !" 
 
 While Barnstable was speaking, a column of 
 ^hite smoke was seen issuing from the bows of 
 M e cutter, and as the report of a cannon wag 
 
248 THE PILOT. 
 
 wafted to their ears, the shot was seen skipping 
 from wave to wave, tossing the water in spray, 
 and flying to a considerable distance beyond them. 
 The seamen cast cursory glances in the direction 
 of the passing ball, but it produced no manifest ef 
 fect in either their conduct or appearance. The 
 cockswain, who scanned its range with an eye of 
 more practice than the rest, observed, " That s 
 a lively piece for its metal, and it speaks with a 
 good clear voice ; but if they hear it aboard the 
 Ariel, the man who fired it will be sorry it wasn t 
 born dumb." 
 
 " You are the prince of philosophers, Master 
 Coffin !" cried Barnstable ; " there is some hope 
 in that ; let the Englishman talk -away, and my 
 life on it, the Ariels don t believe it is thunder ; 
 hand me a musket I ll draw another shot." 
 
 The piece was given to Barnstable, who dis 
 charged it several times, as if to taunt their ene 
 mies, and the scheme was completely successful. 
 Goaded by the insults, the cutter discharged gun 
 after gun at the little boat, throwing the shot fre 
 quently so near as to wet her crew with the spray, 
 but without injuring them in the least. The fail 
 ure ^f these attempts to injure them, excited the 
 mirth ctf the reckless seamen, instead of creating 
 any alarm ; and whenever a shot came nearer than 
 common, the cockswain would utter some such ex 
 pression as 
 
 " A ground swell, a long shot, and a small ob- 
 ject, make a clean target;" or, "A man must 
 squint straight to hit a boat." 
 
 As, notwithstanding their unsuccessful gunnery, 
 the cutter was constantly gaining on the whale- 
 boat, there was a prospect of a speedy termination 
 of the chase, when the report of a canndn was 
 thrown back like an echo from one of the English- 
 
THE PILOT. 2-19 
 
 man s discharges, and Barnstable and his compa 
 nions had the pleasure of seeing the Ariel stretch 
 ing slowly out of the little bay where she had 
 passed the night, with the smoke of the gun of de 
 fiance curling above her taper masts. 
 
 A loud and simultaneous shout of rapture was 
 given by the lieutenant and all his boat s-erew, 
 at this cheering sight, while the cutter took in all 
 her light sails, and, as she hauled up on a wind, 
 sne fired a whole broadside at the successful fugi 
 tives. Many stands of grape, with several round 
 shot, flew by the boat, and fell upon the water, 
 near them, raising a cloud of foam, but without 
 doing any injury. 
 
 " She dies in a flurry," said Tom, casting his 
 eyes at the little vortex into which the boat was 
 then entering. 
 
 " If her commander be a true man," cried Barn- 
 stable, " he ll not leave us on so short an acquaint 
 ance. Give way, my souls ! give way ! I would 
 see moie of this loquacious cruiser." 
 
 The temptation for exertion was great, and it 
 was not disregarded by the men ; in a few minutes 
 the whale-boat reached the schooner, when the 
 crew of the latter received their commander and 
 his companions with shouts and cheers that rung 
 across the waters, and reached the ears of the dis 
 appointed spectators on the verge of the cliffs. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 " Thua guided, on their course they bore, 
 (Jntil they near d the mainland shore j 
 When frequent on the hollow blast, 
 Wild shouts of merriment were cast." 
 
 Lord cf the Islet 
 
 THE joyful shouts and hearty cheers of the 
 Ariel s crew continued for some time after her 
 commander had reached her deck. Barnstable 
 answered the congratulations of his officers by cor 
 dial shakes of the hand, and after waiting for the 
 ebullition of delight among the seamen to subside 
 a little, he beckoned with an air of authority for 
 silence. 
 
 " I thank you, my lads, for your good wih," 
 he said, when all were gathered around him in 
 deep attention : " they have given us a tough chase, 
 and if you had left us another mile to go, we had 
 been lost. That fellow is a King s cutter, and 
 though his disposition to run to leeward is a good 
 deal mollified, yet he shows signs of fight. At any 
 rate, he is stripping off some of his clothes, which 
 looks as if he were game. Luckily for us, Cap 
 tain Manual has taken all his marines ashore 
 with him, (though what he has done with them or 
 himself, is a mystery, ) or we should have had our 
 decks lumbered with live cattle ; but, as it is we 
 have a good working breeze, tolerably smooth v> i- 
 ter, and a dead match ! There is a sort of nationa, 
 
THE PILOT. 251 
 
 obligation on us to whip that fellow, and, therefore 
 without more words about the matter, let us turn 
 to and do it, that we may get our breakfasts." 
 
 To this specimen of marine eloquence, the crew 
 cheered as usual ; the young men burning for the 
 combat, and the few old sailors who belonged to 
 the schooner, shaking their heads with infinite sa 
 tisfaction, and swearing by sundry strange oaths, 
 that their captain " could talk, when there was 
 need of such thing, like the best Dictionary that 
 ever was launched." 
 
 During this short harangue, and the subsequent 
 comments, the Ariel had been kept, under a cloud 
 of canvass, as near to the wind as she could lie, 
 ,ind as this was her best sailing, she had stretched 
 swiftly out from the land, to a distance whence the 
 cliffs and the soldiers who were spread along their 
 summits, became plainly visible. Barnstable turned 
 his glass repeatedly, from the cutter to the shore, 
 as different feelings predominated in his breast, be 
 fore he again spoke. 
 
 " If Mr. Griffith is stowed away among those 
 rocks," he at length said, " he shall see as pretty 
 an argument discussed, in as few words, as he 
 ever listened to, provided the gentlemen in yon 
 der cutter have not changed their minds as to the 
 road they intend to journey what think you, Mr. 
 Merry ?" 
 
 " I wish with all my heart and soul, sir," re 
 turned the fearless boy, " that Mr. Griffith was safe 
 aboard us ; it seems the country is alarmed, and 
 God knows what will happen if he is taken ! as to 
 the fellow to windward, he ll find it easier to deal 
 with the Ariel s boat, than with her mother ; but 
 he carries a broad sail ; I question if he means to 
 show play." 
 
 " Never doubt him, boy," said Barnstable, u he 
 
252 THE PILOT. 
 
 is working off the shore, like a man of sense, and 
 besides, he has his spectacles on, trying to make 
 out what tribe of Yankee Indians we belong to, 
 You ll see him come to the wind presently, and 
 send a few pieces of iron down this way, by the 
 \v T ay of letting us know where to find him. Much 
 as I like your first lieutenant, Mr. Merry, I would 
 rather leave him on the land this day, than see 
 him on my decks. I want no fighting captain to 
 work this boat for me ! but tell the drummer, sir, 
 to beat to quarters." 
 
 The boy, who was staggering under the weight 
 of his melodious instrument, had been expecting 
 this command, and, without waiting for the mid 
 shipman to communicate the order, he commenced 
 that short rub-a-dub air, that will at any time rouse 
 a thousand men from the deepest sleep, and cause 
 them to fly to their means of offence, with a com 
 mon soul. The crew of the Ariel had been col 
 lected in groups, studying the appearance of the 
 enemy, cracking their jokes, and waiting only for 
 this usual order to repair to the guns ; and at the 
 first tap of the drum, they spread with steadiness 
 to the different parts of the little vessel, where 
 their various duties called them. The cannon were 
 surrounded by small parties of vigorous and athle 
 tic young men ; the few marines were drawn up 
 in array with muskets ; the officers appeared in 
 their boarding caps, with pistols stuck in their 
 belts, and naked sabres in their hands. Barnstable 
 paced his little quarter-deck with a firm tread, 
 dangling a speaking trumpet, by its lanyard, on his 
 fore-finger, or occasionally applying the glass to his 
 eye, which, when not in use, was placed under one 
 arm, while his sword was resting against the foot 
 jf the mainmast ; a pair of heavy ship s pistols were 
 thrust in his belt also : and piles of muskets, board- 
 
THE PILOT. 253 
 
 ing-pikes, and naked sabres, were placed on dif 
 feient parts of the deck. The laugh of the sea 
 men was heard no longer; and those who spoke 
 uttered their thoughts only in low and indistinct 
 whispers. 
 
 The English cutter held her way from the land, 
 until she got rm offing of more than two miles, 
 when she reduced her sails to a yet smaller num- 
 Der, and heaving into the wind, she fired a gun in 
 a direction opposite to that which pointed to the 
 Ariel. 
 
 " Now I would wager a quintal of codfish, Mas 
 ter Coffin," said Barnstable, " against the best 
 cask of porter that was ever brewed in England, 
 that fellow believes a Yankee schooner can fly in 
 the wind s eye ! If he wishes to speak to us, why 
 don t he give his cutter a little sheet, and come 
 down ?" 
 
 The cockswain had made his arrangements for 
 the combat, with much more method and philoso 
 phy than any other man in the vessel. When the 
 drum beat to quarters, he threw aside his jacket, 
 vest, and shirt, with as little hesitation as if he 
 stood under an American sun, and with all the dis 
 cretion of a man who had engaged in an under 
 taking that required the free use of his utmost 
 powers. As he was known to be a privileged in 
 dividual in the Ariel, and one whose opinions, in 
 all matters of seamanship, were regarded as ora 
 cles by the crew, and were listened to by his com 
 mander with no little demonstration of respect, the 
 question excited no surprise. He was standing at 
 the breech of his long gun, with his brawny arms 
 folded on a breast that had been turned to the co 
 lour of blood by long exposure, his grizzled locks 
 fluttering in the breeze, and his tall form towering 
 far above the heads of all near him. 
 
 VOL. T. 22 
 
254 THE PILOT. 
 
 " He hugs the wind, sir, as if it was his sweet 
 heart," was his answer ; " but he ll let go his hold, 
 soon ; and if he don t, we can find a way to make 
 him fall to leeward." 
 
 " Keep a good full !" cried the commander, in 
 a stern voice, " and let the vessel go through the 
 water. That fellow walks well, long Tom ; but 
 we aie too much for him on a bowling ; though, if 
 he continue to draw ahead in this manner, it will 
 be night before we can get alongside him." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," returned the cockswain ; " their 
 cutters carries a press of canvass when they seem 
 to have but little ; their gafts are all the same as 
 young booms, and spread a broad head to their 
 mainsails. But it s no hard matter to knock a few 
 cloths out of their bolt-ropes, when she will both 
 drop astarn and to leeward." 
 
 " I believe there is good sense in your scheme, 
 this time," said Barnstable ; " for I am anxious 
 about the frigate s people though I hate a noisy 
 chase ; speak to him, Tom, and let us see if he 
 will answer." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," cried the cockswain, sinking his 
 body in such a manner as to let his head fall to a 
 level with the cannon that he controlled, when, 
 after diverse orders, and sundry movements, to 
 govern the direction of the piece, he applied a 
 match, with a rapid motion, to the priming. An 
 immense body of white smoke rushed from the 
 muzzle of the cannon, followed by a sheet of vivid 
 fire, until, losing its power, it yielded to the wind, 
 and, as it rose from the water, spread like a cloud, 
 and, passing through the masts of the schooner, 
 was driver far to leeward, and soon blended in the 
 mists which were swiftly scudding before the fresh 
 breezes of the ocean. 
 
 Although many curious eyes were watching this 
 
THE PILOT. 255 
 
 oeautiful slight from the cliffs, there was too little 
 of novelty in the exhibition to attract a single look 
 of the crew of the schooner, from the more im 
 portant examination of the eifect of the shot on 
 their enemy. Barnstable sprang lightly on a gun, 
 and watched the instant when the ball would strike, 
 with keen interest, while long Tom threw him 
 self aside from the line of the smoke with a simi 
 lar intention ; holding one of his long arms extend 
 ed towards his namesake, with a finger on the vent, 
 and supporting his frame by placing the hand of 
 the other on the deck, as his eyes glanced through 
 an opposite port-hole, in an attitude that most men 
 might have despaired of imitating with success. 
 
 " There go the chips !" cried Barnstable. " Bra 
 vo ! Master Coffin, you never planted iron in the 
 ribs of an Englishman with more judgment ; let 
 him have another piece of it, and if he like the 
 sport, we ll play a game of long bowls with him !" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," returned the cockswain, who, the 
 instant he witnessed the effects of his shot, had re 
 turned to superintend the reloading of his gun ; 
 " if he holds on half an hour longer, I ll dub him 
 down to our own size, when we can close, and 
 make an even fight of it." 
 
 The drum of the Englishman was now, for the 
 first time, heard, rattling across the waters, and 
 echoing the call to quarters, that had already pro 
 ceeded from the Ariel. 
 
 " Ah ! you have sent him to his guns !" said 
 Barnstable ; " we shall now hear more of it ; 
 wake him up, Tom wake him up." 
 
 " We shall start him an end, or put him to sleep 
 altogether, shortly," said the deliberate cockswain, 
 who never allowed himself to be at all hurried, 
 even by his commander. " My shot are pretty 
 much like a shoal of porpoises, and commonly sail 
 
256 THE PILOT. 
 
 in each other s wake. Stand by heave her 
 breech forward so ; get out of that, you damned 
 young reprobate, and let my harpoon alone." 
 
 " What are you at, there, Master Coffin ?" cried 
 Barnstable ; " are you tongue-tied ?" 
 
 " Here s one of the boys skylarking with my 
 harpoon in the lee scuppers, and by-and-by, when 
 I shall want it most, there ll be a no-man s-land 
 to hunt for it in." 
 
 " Never mind the boy, Tom ; send him aft here, 
 to me, and I ll polish his behaviour ; give the Eng 
 lishman some more iron." 
 
 " I want the little villain to pass up my car 
 tridges," returned the angry old seaman ; " but if 
 you ll be so good, sir, as to hit him a crack or two, 
 now and then, as he goes by you to the magazine, 
 the monkey will learn his manners, and the schoo 
 ner s work will be all the better done for it. A 
 young herring-faced monkey ! to meddle with a 
 tool ye don t know the use of. If your parents 
 had spent more of their money on your edication, 
 and less on your outfit, you d ha been a gentle 
 man to what ye are now." 
 
 " Hurrah ! Tom, hurrah !" cried Barnstable, a 
 little impatiently ; " is your namesake never to 
 open his throat again !" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir ; all ready," grumbled the cock 
 swain, " depress a little ; so so ; a damn d young 
 baboon-behaved curmudgeon ; overhaul that for 
 ward fall more ; stand by with your match but 
 I ll pay him ! fire." This was the actual com 
 mencement of the fight ; for as the shot of Tom 
 Coffin travelled, as he had intimated, very much 
 in the same direction, their enemy found the sport 
 becoming too hot to be endured in silence, and the 
 report of the second gun from the Ariel was in 
 stantly followed by that of the whole broadside of 
 
THE PILOT 257 
 
 the Alacrity. The shot of the cutter flew in a ve 
 ry good direction, but her guns were too light to 
 give them efficiency at that distance, and as one 
 or two were heard to strike against the bends of 
 the schooner, and fall back, innocuously, into the 
 water, the cockswain, whose good humour became 
 gradually restored, as the combat thickened, re 
 marked with his customary apathy 
 
 " Them count for no more than love taps does 
 the, ^Englishman think that we are firing salutes !" 
 
 " Stir him up, Tom ! every blow you give him 
 will help to open his eyes," cried Barnstable, rub 
 bing his hands with glee, as he witnessed the suc 
 cess of his efforts to close. 
 
 Thus far the cockswain and his crew had the 
 fight, on the part of the Ariel, altogether to them 
 selves, the men who \vere stationed at the smallei 
 and shorter guns, standing in perfect idleness by 
 their sides ; but in ten or fifteen minutes the com 
 mander of the Alacrity, who had been staggered 
 by the w r eight of the shot that had struck him, 
 found that it was no longer in his power to retreat, 
 if he wished it ; when he decided on the only 
 course that was left for a brave man to pursue, and 
 steered boldly in such a direction as would soonest 
 bring him in contact with his enemy, without ex 
 posing his vessel to be raked by his fire. Barn- 
 stable watched each movement of his foe with ea 
 gle eyes, and when the vessel had got within a les 
 sened distance, he gave the order for a general fire 
 to be opened. The action now grew warm and 
 spirited on both sides. The power of the wind 
 was counteracted by the constant explosion of the 
 cannon ; and instead of driving rapidly to leeward, 
 a white canopy of curling smoke hung above the 
 Ariel, or rested on the water, lingering in her 
 wake, so as to mark the path by which she was 
 22* 
 
258 THE PILOT. 
 
 approaching to a closer and still deadlier struggle 
 The shouts of the young sailors, as they handle* 
 their instruments of death, became more animatec 
 and fierce, while the cockswain pursued his occu 
 pation with the silence and skill of one who la 
 boured in a regular vocation. Barnstable was un 
 usually composed and quiet, maintaining the grave 
 deportment of a commander on whom rested the 
 fortunes of the contest, at the same time that his 
 dark eyes were dancing with the fire of suppress 
 ed animation. 
 
 " Give it them !" he occasionally cried, in a 
 voice that might be heard amid the bellowing of 
 the cannon ; " never mind their cordage, my lads ; 
 drive home their bolts, and make your marks be 
 low their ridge-ropes." 
 
 In the mean time the Englishman played a man 
 ful game. He had suffered a heavy loss by the 
 distant cannonade, which no metal he possessed 
 could retort upon his enemy ; but he struggled no 
 bly to repair the error in judgment with which he 
 had begun the contest. The two vessels gradual 
 ly drew nigher to each other, until they both en 
 tered into the common cloud, created by their fire, 
 which thickened and spread around them in such 
 a manner as to conceal their dark hulls from the 
 gaze of the curious and interested spectators on 
 the cliffs. The heavy reports of the cannon were 
 new mingled with the rattling of muskets and 
 pistols, and streaks of fire might be seen glanc 
 ing like flashes of lightning through the white 
 cloud which enshrouded the combatants, and 
 many minutes of painful uncertainty followed, 
 before the deeply interested soldiers, who were 
 gazing at the scene, discovered on whose banners 
 victory had alighted. 
 
 We shall follow the combatants into their misty 
 
THE PILOT. 259 
 
 w*vv.n, and display to the reader the events as 
 thoy occurred. 
 
 l N hi fire of the Ariel was much the most quick 
 and deadly, both because she had suffered less, and 
 her men were less exhausted ; and the cutter stood 
 desperately on to decide the combat, after grap 
 pling, hand to hand. Barnstable anticipated her 
 intention, and well understood her commander s 
 reason for adopting this course, but he was not a 
 man to calculate coolly his advantages, when pride 
 and daring invited him to a more severe trial. Ac 
 cordingly, he met the enemy half-way, and as the 
 vessels rushed together, the stern of the schooner 
 was secured to the bows of the cutter, by the joint 
 efforts of both parties. The voice of the English 
 commander was now plainly to be heard, in the 
 uproar, calling to his men to follow him. 
 
 " Away there, boarders ! repel boarders on the 
 starboard quarter!" scouted Barnstable through 
 his trumpet. 
 
 This was the last order that the gallant young 
 sailor gave with this instrument, for, as he spoke, he 
 cast it from him, and seizing his sabre, flew to the 
 spot where the enemy was about to make his most 
 desperate effort. The shouts, execrations, and 
 tauntings of the combatants, now succeeded to the" 
 roar of the cannon, which could be used no longer 
 with effect, though the fight was still maintained 
 with spirited discharges of the small arms. 
 
 " Sweep him from his decks !" cried the English 
 commander, as he appeared on his ow r n bulwarks, 
 surrounded by a dozen of his bravest men ; " drive 
 the rebellious dogs into the sea !" 
 
 " Away there, marines !" retorted Barnstable, 
 firing his pistol at the advancing enemy ; " leave 
 net a man of them to sup his grog again." 
 
260 THE PILOT. 
 
 The tremendous and close volley that succeeded 
 this order nearly accomplished the command of 
 Barnstable to the letter, and the commander of the 
 Alacrity, perceiving that he stood alone, reluctant!) 
 fell back on the deck of his own vessel, in order 
 *,o bring on his men once more. 
 
 " Board her ! gray beards and boys, idlers and 
 all !" shouted Barnstable, springing in advance of 
 his crew a powerful arm arrested the movement 
 of the dauntless seaman, and before he had time to 
 recover himself, he was drawn violently back to 
 his own vessel, by the irresistible grasp of his 
 cockswain. 
 
 " The fellow s in his flurry," said Tom, " and 
 it wouldn t be wise to go within reach of his flukes ; 
 but I ll just step ahead and give him a set with my 
 harpoon." 
 
 Without waiting for a reply, the cockswain reared 
 his tall frame on the bulwarks, and was in the at 
 titude of stepping on board of his enemy, when a 
 sea separated the vessels, and he fell with a heavy 
 dash of the waters into the ocean. As twenty 
 ) muskets and pistols were discharged at the instant 
 
 / he appeared, the crew of the Ariel supposed his 
 
 S fall to be occasioned by his wounds, and were ren- 
 
 / dered doubly fierce by the sight, and the cry oi 
 
 I their commander to 
 
 ) " Revenge long Tom ! board her ; long Tom 01 
 
 I death !" 
 
 They threw themselves forward in irresistible 
 
 \numbers, and forced a passage, with much blood- 
 (shed, to the forecastle of the Alacrity. The En 
 glishman was overpowered, but still remained un 
 daunted he rallied his crew, and bore up most 
 gallantly to the fray. Thrusts of pikes, and blows 
 of sabres were becoming close and deadly, while 
 
THE PILOT. 261 
 
 itiuskets and pistols were constantly discharged by 
 those who were kept at a distance by the pressure 
 of the throng of closer combatants. 
 
 Barnstable led his men, in advance, and became 
 a mark of peculiar vengeance to his enemies, as 
 they slowly yielded before his vigorous assaults. 
 Chance had placed the two commanders on oppo 
 site sides of the cutter s deck , and the victory 
 seemed to incline towards either party, wherever 
 these daring officers directed the struggle in per 
 son. But the Englishman, perceiving that the 
 ground he maintained in person was lost elsewhere, 
 made an effort to restore the battle, by changing 
 his position, followed by one or two of his best 
 men. A marine, who preceded him, levelled his 
 musket within a few feet of the head of the Ame 
 rican commander, and was about to fire, when 
 Merry glided among the combatants, and passed 
 his dirk into the body of the man, who fell at the 
 blow ; shaking his piece, with horrid imprecations, 
 the wounded soldier prepared to deal his vengeance 
 on his youthful assailant, when the fearless boy 
 leaped within its muzzle, and buried his own keen 
 weapon in his heart. 
 
 " Hurrah !" shouted the unconscious Barnsta- 
 ble, from the edge of the quarter-deck, where, at 
 tended by a few men, he was driving all before 
 him. " Revenge long Tom and victory !" 
 
 " We have them !" exclaimed the Englishman ; 
 " handle your pikes ! we have .them between two 
 fires." 
 
 The battle would probably have terminated very 
 differently from what previous circumstances had 
 indicated, had not a wild-looking figure appeared 
 in the cutter s channels at that moment, issuing 
 from the sea, and gaining the deck at the same in 
 stant. It was long Tom, with his iron visage ren- 
 
THE PILOT 
 
 dered fierce by his previous discomfiture, and hi? 
 
 grizzled locks drenched with the briny element, 
 
 > from which he had risen, looking like Neptune with 
 
 S his trident. Without speaking, he poioed his har- 
 
 f poon, and with a powerful effort, pinned the unfor* 
 
 / tunate Englishman to the mast of his own vessel. 
 
 " Starn all !" cried Tom, by a sort of instinct^ 
 / when the blow was struck ; and catching up the 
 * musket of the fallen marine, he dealt out terrible 
 and fatal blows with its butt, on all who approach 
 ed him, utterly disregarding the use of the bayonet 
 on its muzzle. The unfortunate commander of 
 the Alacrity brandished his sword with frantic ges 
 tures, while his eyes rolled in horrid wildness 
 when he writhed for an instant in his passing ago 
 nies, and then, as his head dropped lifeless upon 
 his gored breast, he hung against the spar, a spec 
 tacle of dismay to his crew. A few of the Eng 
 lishmen stood chained to the spot in silent horror 
 at the sight, but most of them fled to their lower 
 deck, or hastened to conceal themselves in the se 
 cret parts of the vessel, leaving to the Americans 
 the undisputed possession of the Alacrity. 
 
 Two thirds of the cutter s crew suffered either 
 in life or limbs, by this short struggle ; nor was 
 the victory obtained by Barnstable without paying 
 the price of several valuable lives. The first burst 
 of conquest was not, ho\vever, the moment to ap 
 preciate the sacrifice, and loud and reiterated 
 shouts proclaimed the exultation of the conquer 
 ors. As the flush of victory subsided, however, 
 recollection returned, and Barnstable issued such 
 orders as humanity and his duty rendered neces 
 sary. While the vessels were separating, and the 
 bodies of the dead and wounded were removing, 
 the conqueror paced the deck of his prize, as if 
 lost in deep reflection. He passed his hand, fre 
 
 ; 
 
THE PILOT. 263 
 
 quently, across his blackened and bloodstained 
 orow, while his eyes would rise to examine the 
 vast canopy of smoke that was hovering above the 
 vessels, like a dense fog exhaling from the ocean. 
 The result of his deliberations was soon announced 
 to his crew. 
 
 " Haul down all your flags," he cried ; " set the 
 Englishman s colours again, and show the enemy s 
 jack above our ensign in the Ariel." 
 
 The appearance of the whole channel-fleet with 
 in half gun shot, would not have occasioned more 
 astonishment among the victors, than this extra 
 ordinary mandate. The wondering seamen sus 
 pended their several employments, to gaze at the 
 singular change that was making in the flags, those 
 symbols that were viewed with a sort of reverence, 
 but none presumed to comment openly on the pro 
 cedure except long Tom, who stood on the quar 
 ter-deck of the prize, straightening the pliable iron 
 of the harpoon which he had recovered, with as 
 much care and diligence as if it were necessary to 
 the maintenance of their conquest. Like the others, 
 however, he suspended his employment, when he 
 heard this order, and manifested no reluctance to 
 express his dissatisfaction at t/ie measure. 
 
 14 If the Englishmen grumble at the fight, and 
 think it not fair play," muttered the old cockswain, 
 " let us try it over again, sir ; as they are some 
 what short of hands, they can send a boat to the 
 land, and get off a gang of them lazy riptyles, the 
 soldiers, who stand looking at us, like so many 
 red lizards crawling on a beach, and we ll give 
 them another chance ; but damme, if I see the use 
 of whipping them, if this is to be the better end of 
 the matter." 
 
 " What s that you re grumbling there, like a 
 
264 I HE PILOT. 
 
 dead north-easter, you horse mackerel !" said 
 Barnstable ; " where are our friends and country 
 men who are on the land ! are we to leave them 
 to swing on gibbets or rot in dungeons !" 
 
 The cockswain listened with great earnestness, 
 and when his commander had spoken, he struck 
 the palm of his broad hand against his brawny 
 thigh, with a report like a pistol, and answered, 
 
 tc I see how it is, sir ; you reckon the red eoata 
 have Mr. Griffith in tow. Just run the schooner 
 into shoal water, Captain Barnstable, and drop an 
 anchor, where we can get the long gun to bear on 
 them, and give me the whale-boat and five or six 
 men to back me they must have long legs if they 
 get an offing before I run them aboard !" 
 
 " Fool I do you thirk a boat s crew could con 
 tend with fifty armed soldiers !" 
 
 " Soldiers !" echoed Tom, whose spirits had 
 been strongly excited by the conflict, snapping his 
 fingers with ineffable disdain, " that for all the sol 
 diers that were ever rigged : one whale could kill 
 a thousand of them ! and here stands the man that 
 has killed his round hundred of whales !" 
 
 " Pshaw, you grampus, do you turn braggart in 
 your old age." 
 
 " It s no bragging, sir, to speak a log-book 
 truth ! but if Captain Barnstable thinks that old 
 Tom Coffin carries a speaking trumpet for a 
 figure head, let him pass the word forrard to man 
 the boats." 
 
 " No, no, my old master at the marlingspike," 
 said Barnstable, kindly, " I know thee too well, 
 thou brother of Neptune ! but, shall we not throw 
 the bread-room dust in those Englishmen s eyes, 
 by wearing their bunting awhile, till something 
 may offer to help our captured countrymen." 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 The cockswain shook his head, and cogitated a 
 moment, as if struck with sundry new ideas, when 
 he answered 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir : that s blue- water philosophy : as 
 deep as the sea ! Let the riptyles clew up the 
 corners of their mouths to their eye-brows, now ! 
 when they come to hear the ra al yankec truth of 
 the matter, they will sheet them down to their 
 leather neckcloths !" 
 
 With this reflection the cockswain was much 
 consoled, and the business of repairing damages and 
 securing the prize, proceeded without further in 
 terruption on his part. The few prisoners who 
 were unhurt, were rapidly transferred to the Ariel. 
 While Barnstable was attending to this duty, an 
 unusual bustle drew his eyes to one of the hatch 
 ways, where he beheld a couple of his marines 
 dragging forward a gentleman, whose demeanour 
 and appearance indicated the most abject terror, 
 After examining the extraordinary appearance of 
 this individual, for a moment, in silent amazement, 
 the lieutenant exclaimed 
 
 " Who have we here ! some amateur in fights 
 an inquisitive, wonder-seeking non-combatant, wh 
 has volunteered to serve his king, and perhaps 
 draw a picture, or write a book, to serve himself! 
 Pray, sir, in what capacity did you serve in this 
 vessel ?" 
 
 The captive ventured a sidelong glance at his 
 interrogator, in whom he expected to encounter 
 Griffith, but perceiving that it was a face he did 
 not know, he felt a revival of confidence that ena 
 bled him to reply 
 
 " I came here by accident ; being on board the 
 cutter at the time her late commander determined 
 to engage you. It was not in his power to land 
 
 VOL. i. 23 
 
200 THE PILOT. 
 
 me, as I trust you will not hesitate to do ; your 
 conjecture of my being a non-combatant " 
 
 " Is perfectly true," interrupted Barnstable, 
 " it requires no spy-glass to read that name writ 
 ten on you from stem to stern ; but for certain 
 weighty reasons " 
 
 He paused to turn at a signal given him by 
 young Merry, who whispered eagerly in his ear 
 
 " Tis Mr. Dillon, kinsman of Colonel Howard ; 
 I ve seen him often, sailing in the wake of my 
 cousin Cicily." 
 
 " Dillon !" exclaimed Barnstable, rubbing his 
 hands with pleasure ; " what, Kit of that name ! 
 he with c the Savannah face, eyes of black, and 
 skin of the same colour ; he s grown a little whiter 
 with fear ; but he s a prize, at this moment, worth 
 twenty Alacritys !" 
 
 These exclamations were made in a low voice, 
 and at some little distance from the prisoner, whom 
 he now approached and addressed 
 
 " Policy, and consequently duty, require that I 
 should detain you for a short time, sir ; but you 
 shall have a sailor s welcome to whatever we pos 
 sess, to lessen the weight of captivity." 
 
 Barnstable precluded any reply, by bowing to 
 his captive, and turning away, to superintend the 
 management of his vessels. In a short time it was 
 announced that they were ready to make sail, 
 when the Ariel and her prize were brought close 
 to the wind, and commenced beating slowly along 
 the land, as if intending to return to the bay whence 
 the latter had sailed that morning. As they stretch 
 ed into the shore, on the first tack, the soldiers on 
 the cliffs rent the air with their shouts and accla 
 mations, to which Barnstable, pointing to the as 
 sumed symbols that were fluttering in the breeze 
 from his musts, directed his crew to respond in the 
 
THE PILOT. 207 
 
 most cordial manner As the distance, and the 
 want of hoats, prevented any further communica 
 tion, the soldiers, after gazing at the receding ves 
 sels for a time, disappeared from the cliffs, and 
 we~e soon lost from the sight of the adventurous 
 mariners. Hour after hour was consumed in the 
 tedious navigation, against an adverse tide, and the 
 short day was drawing to a close, before they ap 
 proached the mouth of their destined haven. While 
 making one of their numerous stretches, to and 
 from the land, the cutter, in which Barnstable con 
 tinued, passed the victim of their morning s sport, 
 riding on the water, the waves curling over his 
 huge carcass as on some rounded rock, and already 
 ! surrounded by the sharks, who were preying on 
 his defenceless body. 
 
 " See ! Master Coffin," cried the lieutenant, 
 pointing out the object to his cockswain as they 
 glided by it, " the shovel-nosed gentlemen ar,e re 
 galing daintily ; you have neglected the Christian s 
 duty of burying your dead." 
 
 The old seaman cast a melancholy look at the 
 dead whale, and replied, 
 
 " If I had the creatur in Boston Bay, or on the 
 Sandy Point of Munny-Moy, twould be the making 
 of me ! But riches and honour are for the great 
 and the larned, and there s nothing left for poor 
 Tom Coffin to do, but to veer and haul on his own 
 rolling-tackle, that he may ride out the rest of tho 
 gale of life, without springing any of his old spars." 
 
 " How now, long Tom !" cried his officer, 
 :; these rocks and cliffs will shipwreck you on the 
 shoals of poetry yet ; you grow sentimental !" 
 
 " Them rocks might wrack any vessel that 
 struck them," said the literal cockswain ; " and as 
 for poetry, I wants none better than the good old 
 song of Captain Kid ; but it s enough to raise so- 
 
268 THE i lLOT. 
 
 lemn thoughts in a Cape Poge Indian, to see an 
 eighty barrel whale devoured by shirks tis an 
 awful waste of property ! I ve seen the death of 
 two hundred of the creators, though it seems to 
 keep the rations of poor old long Tom as short as 
 vei." 
 
 The cockswain walked aft, while the vessel was 
 passing the whale, and seating himself on the taf- 
 frail, with his face resting gloomily on his bony 
 hand, he fastened his eyes on the object of his so 
 licitude, and continued to gaze at it with melan 
 choly regret, while it was to be seen glistening in 
 the sunbeams, as it rolled its glittering side of white 
 into the air, or the rays fell unreflected on the 
 black and rougher coat of the back of the monster. 
 In the mean time, the navigators diligently pur- 
 sued their way for the haven we have mentioned, 
 into which they steered with every appearance of 
 the fearlessness of friends, and the exultation of 
 conquerors. 
 
 A few eager and gratified spectators lined the 
 edges of the small bay, and Barnstable concluded 
 nis arrangement for deceiving the enemy, by ad 
 monishing his crew,, that they were now about to 
 enter on a service that would require their utmost 
 intrepidity and sagacity 
 
 EffD OF VOL. I. 
 
THE PILOT: 
 
 1 Calf of tjp | 
 
 BY J . FENIMORE COOPER. 
 
 *Lfat! ye Landsmen, all to me." 
 
 IN TWO VOL0M E.S. 
 VOL. II. 
 
 NEW EDITION, 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 STRINGER AND TOWNSEND, 
 
 1852. 
 
Southern District of Nero-York ss. 
 
 BE it remembered, that on tho twenty-ninth day of Decemoer, in the forty- 
 eighth year of the Independence of the United States of America. Charles 
 Wiley, of the said district, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, 
 tho right whereof he claims as proprietor in the words following, to wit : 
 
 " The Filot ; a Tale of the Sea. By the Autnor uf the Pioneers, &c. &c. 
 List ! ye Landsmen, all to me. In Two Volumes. Vol. I." 
 
 In conformity to the Act of Congress of the United States, entitled, " An Acf 
 for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of maps, charts, 
 and books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the tiroo 
 therein mentioned ;" and also to an Act. entitled, " An Act, suppiementary to 
 an Act, entitled. An Act for the encouragement of learning, by securing tho 
 Copies of maps, charts, and books, to the authors and proprietors of such 
 copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof 
 to tho arts of lesiening, engraving, and etching historical and other prints." 
 
 JAMES DILL, 
 eierk 9f the Southern District ef New- Yor* 
 
THE 1MLOT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 14 Our trumpet called you to this gentlo pArle." 
 
 King John, 
 
 As Griffith and his companions rushed trotn 
 the offices of St. Ruth, into the open air, they 
 encountered no one to intercept their flight, or 
 communicate the alarm. Warned by the expe 
 rience of the earlier part of the same night, they 
 avoided the points where they knew the sentinels 
 were posted, though fully prepared to bear down 
 all resistance, and were soon beyond the proba 
 bility of immediate detection. They proceeded, 
 for the distance of half a mile, with rapid strides, 
 and with the stern and sullen silence of men who 
 expected to encounter immediate danger, resol 
 ved to breast it with desperate resolution ; but, as 
 they plunged into a copse, that clustered around 
 the ruin which has been already mentioned, they 
 lessened their exertions to a more deliberate pace, 
 and a short but guarded dialogue ensued. 
 
 " We have had a timely escape," said Grif 
 fith ; " I would much rather have endured cap 
 tivity than have been the cause of introducing 
 
4 THE PILOT. 
 
 confusion and bloodshed into the peaceful resi 
 dence of Colonel Howard." 
 
 " I would, sir, that you had been of this 
 opinion some hours earlier," returned the pilot, 
 with a severity in his tones that even conveyed 
 more meaning than his words. 
 
 " I may have forgotten my duty, sir, in my 
 anxiety to inquire into the condition of a family 
 in whom I feel a particular interest," returned 
 Griffith, in a manner in which pride evidently 
 struggled with respect ; " but this is not a time 
 for regrets ; I apprehend that we follow you on an 
 errand of some moment, where actions would be 
 more acceptable than any words of apology. What 
 is your pleasure now ?" 
 
 " I much fear that our project will be defeated," 
 said the pilot, gloomily ; " the alarm will spread 
 with the morning fogs, and there will be muster- 
 ings of the yeomen, and consultations of the gen 
 try, that will drive all thoughts of amusement from 
 their minds. The rumour of a descent will, at 
 any time, force sleep from the shores of this island, 
 to at least ten leagues inland." 
 
 " Ay, you have probably passed some pleasant 
 nights, with your eyes open, among them, your 
 self, Master Pilot," said Manual ; " they may 
 thank the Frenchman, Thurot, in the old business 
 of J 56, and our own dare-devil, the bloody Scotch 
 man, as the causes of their quarters being so often 
 beaten up. After all, Thurot, with his fleet, did 
 nc more than bully them a little, and the poor fel 
 low was finally extinguished by a few small crui 
 sers, like a drummer s boy under a grenadier s 
 cap ; but honest Paul sung a different tune for his 
 countrymen to dance to, and " 
 
 " 1 believe you will shortly dance yourself, Ma 
 nual," interrupted Griffith, quickly, " and in very 
 
THE PILOT. 5 
 
 pleasure that you have escaped an English pri 
 son." 
 
 " Say, rather, an English gibbet," continued the 
 elated marine ; " for had a court-martial or a 
 court-civil discussed the manner of our entrance 
 into this island, 1 doubt whether we should have 
 fared better than the dare-devil himself, honest " 
 
 " Pshaw !" exclaimed the impatient Griffith, 
 " enough of this nonsense, Capt. Manual : we have 
 other matters to discuss now ; what course have 
 you determined to pursue, Mr. Gray ?" 
 
 The pilot started, like a man aroused from a 
 deep musing at this question, and after a pause of 
 a moment, he spoke in a low tone of voice, as if 
 still under the influence of deep and melancholy 
 feeling 
 
 " The night has already run into the morning 
 watch, but the sun is backward to show himself in 
 this latitude in the heart of winter I must depart, 
 my friends, to rejoin you some ten hours hence ; it 
 will be necessary to look deeper into our scheme 
 before we hazard any thing, and no one can do 
 the service but myself where shall we meet 
 again ?" 
 
 " I have reason to think that there is an unfre 
 quented ruin, at no great distance from us," said 
 Griffith ; cc perhaps we might find both shelter and 
 privacy among its deserted walls." 
 
 " The thought is good," returned the pilot, " and 
 twill answer a double purpose. Could you find 
 the place where you put the marines in ambush 
 Captain Manual ?" 
 
 " Has a dog a nose ! and can he follow a clean 
 
 scent !" exclaimed the marine ; " do you think 
 
 ?Signior Pilota, that a general ever puts his forces 
 
 | in an ambuscade where he can t find them him- 
 
 self? Fore God ! I knew well enough where the 
 
 1* 
 
O THE PILOT. 
 
 rascals lay snoring on their knapsacks, some half- 
 an-hour ago, and I would have given the oldest 
 majority in Washington s army to have had them 
 where a small intimation from myself could have 
 brought them in line ready dressed for a charge. I 
 know not how you fared, gentlemen, but with me, 
 the sight of twenty such vagabonds would have 
 been a joyous spectacle ; we would have tossed 
 that Captain Borroughcliffe and his recruits on the 
 point of our bayonets, as the devil would pitch " 
 
 " Come, come, Manual," said Griffith, a little 
 angrily, "you constantly forget our situation and 
 our errand ; can you lead your men hither without 
 discovery, before the day dawns ?" 
 
 " I want but the shortest half-hour that a bad 
 watch ever travelled over to do it in. 
 
 " Then follow, and I will appoint a place of 
 secret rendezvous," rejoined Griffith ; Mr. Gray 
 can learn our situation at the same time." 
 
 The pilot was seen to beckon, through the 
 gloom of the night, for his companions to move 
 forward, when they proceeded, with cautious steps, 
 in quest of the desired shelter. A short search 
 brought them in contact with a part of the ruinous 
 walls which spread over a large surface, and which, 
 in places, reared their black fragments against the 
 sky, casting a deeper obscurity across the secret 
 recesses of the wood. 
 
 " This will do," said Griffith, when they had 
 skirted for some distance the outline of the crum 
 bling fabric ; " bring up your men to this point, 
 where I will meet you, and conduct them to some 
 moic secret place, for which I shall search during 
 your absence. 
 
 "A perfect paradise, after the cable-tiers of the 
 Ariel!" exclaimed Manual; " I doubt not but a 
 good spot might be selected among these trees for 
 
THE PILOT. 7 
 
 a steady drill ; a thing my soul has pined after for 
 six long months." 
 
 " Away, away !" cried Griffith ; " here is no place 
 for idle parades ; if we find shelter from discove 
 ry and capture until you shall be needed in a dead 
 ly struggle, twill be well." 
 
 Manual was slowly retracing liis steps to the 
 skirts of the wood, when he suddenly turned, and 
 asked 
 
 " Shall I post a small picket, a mere corporal s 
 guard, in the open ground in front, and make a 
 chain of sentinels to our works ?" 
 
 " We have no works we want no sentinels," 
 returned his impatient commander ; " our securi 
 ty is only to be found in secrecy. Lead up yoiu 
 men under the cover of the trees, and let those 
 three bright stars be your landmarks bring them 
 in a range with the northern corner of the wood " 
 
 "Enough, Mr. Griffith," interrupted Manual; 
 
 u a column of troops is not to be steered like a 
 
 ship, by compass, and bearings and distances ; 
 
 ) trust me, sir, the march shall be conducted with 
 
 \, proper discretion, though in a military manner." 
 
 Any reply or expostulation was prevented by 
 the sudden disappearance of the marine, whose 
 retreating footsteps were heard for several mo 
 ments, as he moved at a deliberate pace through 
 the underwood. During this short interval, the 
 pilot stood reclining against a corner of the ruins in 
 profound silence, but when the sounds of Manual s 
 march were no longer audible, he advanced from 
 under the deeper shadows of the wall, and ap 
 proached his youthful companion. 
 
 <c We are indebted to the marine for our es 
 cape," he said ; " I hope we are not to suiler by his 
 folly." 
 
 " He is what Barnstable calls a rectangular 
 
8 THE PILOT. 
 
 man," returned Griffith, " and will have his way 
 .in matters of his profession, though a daring com 
 panion in a hazardous expedition. If we can keep 
 him from exposing us by his silly parade, we shall 
 find him a man who will do his work like a soldier, 
 sir, when need happens. * 
 
 " Tis all I ask ; until the last moment he and 
 his command must be torpid ; for if we are dis 
 covered, any attempt of ours, with some twenty 
 bayonets and a half-pike or two, would be useless 
 against the force that would be brought to crush 
 us." 
 
 (f The truth of your opinion is too obvious," 
 returned Griffith ; " these fellows will sleep a 
 week at a time in a gale at sea, but the smell of 
 the land wakes them up, and I fear twill be hard 
 to keep them close during the day." 
 
 " It must be done, sir, by the strong hand of 
 force," said the pilot, sternly, " if it cannot be done 
 by admonition ; if we had no more than the re 
 cruits of that drunken martinet to cope with, it 
 would be no hard task to drive them into the sea; 
 but I learned in my prison that horse are expected 
 on the shore with the dawn ; there is one they 
 call Dillon who is on the alert to do us mischief." 
 
 " The -miscreant !" muttered Griffith ; " then 
 you also have had communion, sir, with some of 
 ihe inmates of St. Ruth ?" 
 
 " It behooves a man who is embarked in a pe 
 rilous enterprise to seize all opportunities to learn 
 his hazard," said the pilot, evasively ; " if the re 
 port be true, I fear we have but little hopes of suc 
 ceeding in onr plans." 
 
 " Nay, then, let us take the advantage of the 
 darkness to regain the schooner ; the coasts of 
 England swarm with hostile cruisers, and a rich 
 trade is flowing into the bosom of this island 
 
THE PILOT. 9 
 
 from the four quarters of the world ; we shall 
 not seek long for a foe worthy to contend with, 
 nor for the opportunities to cut up the Englishman 
 in his sinews of war his wealth." 
 
 " Griffith," returned the pilot in his still, low 
 " tones, that seemed to belong to N a man who never 
 \ knew ambition, nor felt human passion, " I grow 
 sick of this struggle between merit and privileged 
 rank. It is in vain that I scour the waters which 
 the King of England boastingly calls his own, 
 and capture his vessels in the very mouths of his 
 ^harbours, if my reward is to consist only of vio 
 lated promises, and hollow professions : but your 
 proposition is useless to me ; I have at length ob 
 tained a ship of a size sufficient to convey my 
 person to the shores of honest, plain-dealing Ame- 
 <rica, and I would enter the hall of congress, on 
 f my return, attended by a few of the legislators of 
 this learned isle, who think they possess the ex 
 clusive privilege to be wise, and virtuous, and 
 1 great." 
 
 " Such a retinue might doubtless be grateful 
 both to your own feelings and those who would 
 receive you," said Griffith, modestly ; " but would 
 it affect the great purposes of our struggle, or is it 
 an exploit, when achieved, worth the hazard you 
 incur ? 
 
 Griffith felt the hand of the pilot on his own, 
 pressing it with a convulsive grasp, as he replied, 
 in a voice, if possible, even more desperately calm 
 than his former tones 
 
 ^ " There is glory in it, young man ; if it be 
 
 ^ purchased with danger, it shall be rewarded by 
 
 \ fame ! It is true, I wear your republican livery, 
 
 I and call the Americans my brothers, but it is be- 
 
 i cause you combat in behalf of human nature. 
 
 Were your cause less holy, I would not shed the 
 
r 
 
 10 THE PILOT. 
 
 meanest drop that flows in English veins to serve 
 
 it ; but now, it hallows every exploit that is under- 
 
 ";> taken in its favour, and the names of all who con- 
 
 / tend for it shall belong to posterity. Is there no 
 
 I merit in teaching these proud islanders that the 
 
 1 arm of liberty can pluck them from the very em- 
 
 \ pire of their corruption and oppression ?" 
 
 " Then let me go and ascertain w r hat we most 
 wish to know ; you have been seen there, and 
 might attract " 
 
 " You little know me," interrupted the pilot ; 
 " the deed is my own. If I succeed, I shall claim 
 the honour, and it is proper that I incur the ha 
 zard ; if I fail, it will be buried in oblivion, like 
 fifty others of my schemes, which, had I power 
 to back me, would have thrown this kingdom 
 in consternation, from the look-outs on the bold 
 est of its headlands, to those on the turrets of 
 Windsor-Castle. But I \vas born without the no- 
 bility of twenty generations to corrupt my blood 
 I and deaden my soul, and am not trusted by the 
 | degenerate wretches who rule the Drench ma 
 rine." 
 
 c "Tis said that ships of two decks are building 
 from our vvn oak/ said Griffith ; " and you have 
 only to present yourself in America, to be employ 
 ed, most honourably." 
 
 a Ay ! the republics cannot doubt the man 
 who has supported their flag, without lowering it 
 Jin inch, in so many bloody conflicts ! I do go 
 there, Griffith, but my way lies on this path; my 
 pretended friends have bound my hands often, 
 but my enemies, never neither shall they now. 
 Ten hours will determine all I wish to know, and 
 with you I trust the safety of the party till my re* 
 turn ; be vigilant, but be prudent." 
 
 " If you should not appear at the appointed 
 
THE PILOT. 11 
 
 hour," exclaimed Griffith, as he held the pilot 
 turning to depart, " where am I to seek, and how 
 serve you ?" 
 
 " Seek me not, but return to your vessel ; my 
 earliest years were passed on this coast, and I 
 can leave the island, should it be necessary, as I 
 entered it, aided by this disguise and my own 
 knowledge ; in such an event, look to your charge, 
 and forget me entirely." 
 
 Griffith could distinguish the silent wave of his 
 hand when the pilot concluded, and the next in 
 stant he was left alone. For several minutes the 
 young man continued where he had been stand 
 ing, musing on the singular endowments and 
 restless enterprise of the being with whom chance 
 had thus unexpectedly brought him in contact, 
 and with whose fate and fortune his own prospects 
 had, by the intervention of unlooked-for circum 
 stances, become intimately connected. When the 
 reflections excited by recent occurrences had pass 
 ed away, he entered within the sweeping circle of 
 the ruinous walls, and after a very cursory sur 
 vey of the state of the dilapidated building, he 
 was satisfied that it contained enough secret 
 places to conceal his men, until the return of 
 the pilot should warn them that the hour had 
 come when they must attempt the seizure of the 
 devoted sportsmen, or darkness should again fa 
 cilitate their return to the Ariel. It was now 
 about the commencement of that period of deep 
 night, which seamen distinguish as the morning 
 watch, and Griffith ventured to the edge of the 
 little wood, to listen if any sounds or tumult in 
 dicated that they were pursued. On reaching a 
 point where his eye could faintly distinguish dis 
 tant objects, the young man paused, and bestowed 
 
12 THE PILOT. 
 
 a close and wary investigation on the surrounding 
 scene. 
 
 The fury of the gale had sensibly abated, but 
 a steady current of sea air was rushing through 
 the naked branches of the oaks, lending a dreary 
 and mournful sound to the gloom of the dim pros 
 pect. At the distance of a short half mile, the 
 confused outline of the pile of St. Ruth rose 
 proudly against the streak of light which was gra 
 dually increasing above the ocean, and there were 
 moments when the young seaman even fancied he 
 could discern the bright caps that topped the 
 waves of his own disturbed element. The long, 
 dull roar of the surf, as it tumbled heavily on the 
 beach, or dashed \vith unbroken violence against 
 the hard boundary of rocks, was borne along by 
 the blasts distinctly to his ears. It was a time 
 and a situation to cause the young seaman to 
 ponder deeply on the changes and chances of his 
 hazardous profession. Only a few short hours 
 had passed since he was striving with his utmost 
 skill, and with all his collected energy, to guide 
 the enormous fabric, in which so many of his 
 comrades were now quietly sleeping on the broad 
 ocean, from that very shore on which he now stood 
 in cool indifference to the danger. The re 
 collection of home, America, his youthful and 
 enduring passion, and the character and charms 
 of his mistress, blended in a sort of wild and fe 
 verish confusion, which w 7 as not, however, without 
 its pleasures, in the ardent fancy of the young 
 man, and he was slowly approaching, step by 
 step, towards the abbey, when the sound of foot- 
 ateps, proceeding evidently from the measured 
 tread of disciplined men, reached his ears. Ho 
 was instantly recalled to his recollection by this 
 
THE PILOT. 13 
 
 noise, which increased as the party deliberately 
 approached, and in a few moments he was able 
 to distinguish a line of men, marching in order to 
 wards the edge of the wood, from which he had 
 himself so recently issued. Retiring rapidly under 
 the deeper shadow of the trees, he waited until it 
 was apparent the party intended to enter under its 
 cover also, when he ventured to speak- - 
 
 " Who comes, and on what errand ?" he cried. 
 
 " A skulker, and to burrow like a rabbit, or 
 jump from hole to hole, like a wharf-rat !" said 
 Manual, sulkily ; " here have I been marching, 
 within half-musket shot of the enemy, without 
 daring to pull a trigger even on their out-posts, 
 ^because our muzzles are plugged with that uni- 
 Versal extinguisher of gunpowder, called prudence. 
 YFore God ! Mr. Griffith, I hope you may never 
 /eel the temptation to do an evil deed, which I felt 
 just now to throw a volley of small shot into that 
 dog-kennel of a place, if it were only to break its 
 windows and let in the night air upon the sleeping 
 sot, who is dozing away the fumes of some as good, 
 old, south-side harkye, Mr. Griffith, one word in 
 your ear." 
 
 A short conference took place between the two 
 officers, apart from the men, at the close of which, 
 as they rejoined the party, Manual might be heard 
 urging his plans on the reluctant ears of Griffith, 
 in the following words : 
 
 " I could carry the old dungeon without waking 
 one of the snorers ; and consider, sir, we might get 
 a stock of as rich cordial from its cellars as ever 
 oiled the throat of a gentleman !" 
 
 " Tis idle, tis idle," said Griffith, impatiently ; 
 " we are not robbers of hen-roosts, nor wine-gau- 
 gers, to be prying into the vaults of the English 
 gentry, Captain Manual, but honourable men, 
 
 VOL. IT. 2 
 
14 THE PILOT. 
 
 employed in the sacred cause of liberty and our 
 country. Lead your party into the ruin , and lei 
 them seek their rest ; we may have work for them 
 with the dawn." 
 
 " Evil was the hour when I quitted the line of 
 the army, to place a soldier under the orders of 
 an awkward squad of tarry jackets !" muttered 
 Manual, as he proceeded to execute an order that 
 was delivered with an air of authority that he knew 
 must be obeyed. " As pretty an opportunity for 
 a surprise and a forage thrown away, as ever 
 crossed the path of a partisan ! but, by all the 
 rights of man ! I ll have an encampment in some 
 order. Here, you serjeant, detail a corporal and 
 three men for a picket, and station them in the 
 skirts of this wood. We shall have a sentinel in 
 advance of our position, and things shall be con 
 ducted with some air of discipline." 
 
 Griffith heard this order with great inward dis 
 gust ; but as he anticipated the return of the pilot 
 before the light could arrive to render this weak 
 exposure of their situation apparent, he forbore 
 exercising his power to alter the arrangement. 
 Manual had, therefore, the satisfaction of seeing 
 his little party quartered as he thought in a mili 
 tary manne-r, before he retired with Griffith and 
 his men into one of the vaulted apartments of the 
 ruin, which, by its open and broken doors, invited 
 their entrance. Here the marines disposed them 
 selves to rest, while the two officers succeeded in 
 passing the tedious hours, without losing their 
 characters for watchfulness, by conversing with 
 each other, or, at whiles, suffering their thoughts 
 to roam in the very different fields which fancy 
 would exhibit to men of such differing characters. 
 In this manner, hour after hour passed, in listless 
 quiet, or sullen expectation, until the day had gra- 
 
THE PILOT. 15 
 
 dually advanced, and it became dangerous to 
 keep the sentinels and picket in a situation, where 
 they were liable to be seen by any straggler 
 who might be passing near the wood. Manual 
 remonstrated against any alteration, as being en 
 tirely unmilitary, for he was apt to carry his no 
 tions of tactics to extremes whenever he came in 
 collision with a sea-officer; but in this instance 
 his superior was firm, and the only concession 
 the captain could obtain was the permission to 
 place a solitary sentinel within a few feet of the 
 vault, though under the cover of the crumbling 
 walls of the building itself. With this slight devia 
 tion in their arrangements, the uneasy party re 
 mained for several hours longer, impatiently await 
 ing the period when they should be required to 
 move. 
 
 The guns first fired from the Alacrity had been 
 distinctly audible, and were pronounced by Grif 
 fith, whose practised ear detected the metal of the 
 piece that was used, as not proceeding from the 
 schooner. When the rapid though distant rumbling 
 of the spirited cannonade became audible, it was 
 with difficulty that Griffith could restrain either his 
 own feelings or the conduct of his companions within 
 those bounds that prudence and their situation re 
 quired. The last gun was, however, fired, and not 
 a man had left the vault, and conjectures as to the 
 result of the fight, succeeded to those which had 
 been made on the character of the combatants dur 
 ing the action. Some of the marines would raise 
 their heads from the fragments which served them 
 as the pillows on which they were seeking dis 
 turbed and stolen slumbers, and after listening 
 to the cannon, would again compose themselves 
 to sleep, like men who felt no concern in a contest 
 in which they did not participate. Others, more 
 
16 THE PILOT 
 
 alive to events, and less drowsy, lavishly expended 
 their rude jokes on those who were engaged in the 
 struggle, or listened with a curious interest to 
 mark the progress of the battle, by the uncertain 
 index of its noise. When the fight had been some 
 time concluded, Manual indulged his ill-humour 
 more at length 
 
 " There has been a party of pleasure, within a 
 league of us, Mr. Griffith," he said, " at which, but 
 for our present subterraneous quarters, we might 
 have been guests, and thus laid some claim to the 
 honour of sharing in the victory. But it is not too 
 late to push the party on as far as the cliffs, where 
 we shall be in sight of the vessels, and we may 
 possibly establish a claim to our share of the prize- 
 money." 
 
 " There is but little wealth to be gleaned from 
 the capture of a king s cutter," returned Griffith, 
 " and there would be less honour were Barnstable 
 encumbered with our additional and useless num 
 bers." 
 
 " Useless !" repeated Manual ; " there is much 
 good service to be got out of twenty-three well- 
 drilled and well-chosen marines ; look at those 
 fellows, Mr. Griffith, and then tell me if you 
 would think them an encumbrance in the hour of 
 need ?" 
 
 Griffith smiled and glanced his eye over the sleep 
 ing group, for when the firing had ceased the whole 
 party had again sought their repose, and he could 
 not help admiring the athletic and sinewy limbs that 
 lay scattered around the gloomy vault, in every 
 posture that ease or whim dictated. From the 
 stout frames of the men, his glance was directed 
 to the stack of fire-arms, from whose glittering 
 tubes and polished bayonets, strong rays of light 
 were reflected, even in that dark apartment. Ma- 
 
THE PILOT. 11 
 
 nual followed the direction of his eyes, and 
 watched the expression of his countenance, with 
 inward exultation, but he had the forbearance to 
 await his reply before he manifested his feelings 
 more openly 
 
 " I know them to be true men," said Griffith, 
 " when needed, but hark ! what says he r" 
 
 " Who goes there ? what noise is that ?" re 
 peated the sentinel who was placed at the entrance 
 of the vault. 
 
 Manual and Griffith sprang at the same instant 
 from their places of rest, and stood, unwilling to 
 create the slightest sounds, listening with the most 
 intense anxiety to catch the next indications of the 
 cause of their guardian s alarm. A short still 
 ness, like that of death, succeeded, during which 
 Griffith whispered 
 
 " Tis the pilot ; his hour has been long passed." 
 
 The words were hardly spoken, when the clash 
 ing of steel in fierce and sudden contact was 
 heard, and at the next instant the body of the sen 
 tinel fell heavily along the stone steps that led to 
 the open air, and rolled lifelessly to their feet, with 
 the bayonet that had caused his death, projecting 
 from a deep wound in his breast. 
 
 " Away, away ! sleepers away !" shouted Grif 
 fith. 
 
 " To arms !" cried Manual, in a voice of thun 
 der. 
 
 The alarmed marines, suddenly aroused from 
 their slumbers at these thrilling cries, sprang on 
 their feet in a confused cluster, and at that fatal 
 moment a body of living fire darted into the vault, 
 which re-echoed with the reports of twenty mus 
 kets. The uproar, the smoke, and the groans 
 which escaped from many of his party, could 
 not restrain Griffith another instant ; his pistol 
 2* 
 
IS THE PILOT. 
 
 was fired through the cloud which concealed the 
 entrance of the vault, and he followed the leaden 
 messenger, trailing a half-pike, and shouting to his 
 men 
 
 " Come on ! follow, my lads ; they are nothing 
 but soldiers." 
 
 Even while he spoke, the ardent young seaman 
 W 7 as rushing up the narrow passage ; but as he 
 gained the open space, his foot struck the writhing 
 body of the victim of his shot, and he was precipi 
 tated headlong into a group of armed men. 
 
 " Fire ! Manual, fire ! shouted the infuriated 
 prisoner ; " fire, while you have them in a clus 
 ter." 
 
 "Ay, fire, Mr. Manual," said Borroughcliffe, 
 with great coolness, " and shoot your own officer ; 
 hold him up, boys ! hold him up In front ; the saf 
 est place is nighest to him." 
 
 " Fire !" repeated Griffith, making desperate 
 efforts to release himself from the grasp of five or 
 six men ; " fire, and disregard me." 
 
 " If he do, he deserves to be hung," said Bor 
 roughcliffe ; " such fine fellows are not sufficiently 
 plenty to be shot at like wild beasts in chains. 
 Take him from before the mouth of the vault, 
 boys, and spread yourselves to your duty." 
 
 At the time Griffith issued from the cover, Ma 
 nual was mechanically employed in placing his 
 men in order, and the marines, accustomed to do 
 every thing in concert and array, lost the moment 
 to advance. The soldiers of Borroughcliffe re 
 loaded their muskets, and fell back behind differ 
 ent portions of the wall, where they could com 
 mand *he entrance to the vault with their fire, 
 without much exposure to themselves. This 
 disposition was very coolly reconnoitred by Ma 
 nual in person, through some of the crevices in 
 
THE PILOT. 19 
 
 the \vall, and he hesitated to advance against 
 the force he beheld, while so advantageously 
 posted. In this situation several shot were fired 
 by either party, without effect, until Borrough 
 cliffe, perceiving the inefficacy of that mode of 
 attack, summoned the garrison of the vault to a 
 parley. 
 
 " Surrender to the forces of his Majesty, King 
 George the Third," he cried, " and I promise you 
 quarter." 
 
 " Will you release your prisoner, and give us 
 free passage to our vessels ?" asked Manual ; " the 
 garrison to march out with all the honours of war, 
 and officers to retain their side-arms ?" 
 
 " Inadmissible," returned Borroughcliffe, with 
 great gravity ; " the honour of his majesty s arms, 
 and the welfare of the realm, forbid such a trea 
 ty ; but I offer you safe quarter, and honourable 
 treatment." 
 
 " Officers to retain their side-arms, your pri 
 soner to be released, and the whole party to re 
 turn to America, on parole, not to serve until ex 
 changed ?" 
 
 u Not granted," said Borroughcliffe. " The 
 most that I can yield, is a good potation of the 
 generous south-side ; and if you are the man I 
 take you for, you will know how to prize such an 
 offer." 
 
 " In what capacity do you summon us to yield ? 
 as men entitled to the benefit of the laws of arms, 
 or as rebels to your king ?" 
 
 " Ye are rebels all, gentlemen," returned the 
 deliberate Borroughcliffe, " and as such ye must 
 yield ; though so far as good treatment and good 
 fare goes, you are sure of it while in my power; 
 in all other respects you lie at the mercy of his 
 most gracious majesty" 
 
20 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Then let his majesty show his gracious face, 
 and come and take us, for I ll be " 
 
 The asseveration of the marine was interrupted 
 by Griffith, whose blood had sensibly cooled, and 
 whose generous feelings were awakened in behalf 
 of his comrades, now that his own fate seemed de 
 cided. 
 
 " Hold, Manual," he cried, " make no rash 
 oaths ; Captain Borroughcliffe, I am Edward Grif 
 fith, a lieutenant in the navy of the United Ame 
 rican States, and I pledge you my honour, to a 
 parole " 
 
 " Release him," said Borroughcliffe. 
 
 Griffith advanced between the two parties, and 
 spoke so as to be heard by both 
 
 " I propose to descend to the vault and ascer 
 tain the loss and present strength of Captain Ma 
 nual s party ; if the latter be not greater than I 
 apprehend, I shall advise him to a surrender on 
 the usual conditions of civilized nations." 
 
 " Go," said the soldier ; " but stay ; is he a 
 half-and-half an amphibious pshaw ! I mean a 
 marine ?" 
 
 rt He is, sir, a captain in that corps " 
 
 " The very man," interrupted Borroughcliffe ; 
 a I thought I recollected the liquid sounds of his 
 voice. It will be well to speak to him of the good 
 fare of St. Ruth ; and you may add, that I know 
 my man ; I shall besiege instead of storming him, 
 with the certainty of a surrender when his can 
 teen is empty. The vault he is in holds no such 
 beverage as the cellars of the abbey." 
 
 Griffith smiled, in spite of the occasion and his 
 vexation, and making a slight inclination of his 
 head, he passed into the vault, giving notice to his 
 friends, by his voice, in order to apprise them who 
 approached. 
 
THE PILOT. 21 
 
 He found six of the marines, including the 
 sentinel, lying dead on the ragged pavement, and 
 four others wounded, but stifling their groans, by 
 the order of their commander, that they might not 
 inform the enemy of his weakness. With the re 
 mainder of his command Manual had intrenched 
 himself behind the fragment of a wall that inter 
 sected the vault, and regardless of the dismaying 
 objects before him, maintained as bold a front, 
 and as momentous an air, as if the fate of a 
 walled town depended on his resolution and inge 
 nuity. 
 
 "You see, Mr. Griflith," he cried, when the 
 young sailor approached this gloomy but really 
 formidable arrangement, "that nothing short of 
 artillery can dislodge me ; as for that drinking 
 Englishman above, let him send down his men by 
 platoons of eight or ten, and I ll pile them up on 
 those steps, four and five deep." 
 
 " But artillery can and will be brought, if it 
 should be necessary," said Griffith, " and there 
 is not the least chance of your eventual escape : 
 it may be possible for you to destroy a few of the 
 enemy, but you are too humane to wish to do it 
 unnecessarily." 
 
 " No doubt," returned Manual with a grim 
 smile ; " and yet methinks I could find present 
 pleasure in shooting seven of them yes, just 
 seven, which is one more than they have struck 
 off my roster." 
 
 " Remember your own wounded," added Grif 
 fith ; " they suffer for want of aid, while you pro 
 tract a useless defence." 
 
 A few smothered groans, from the sufferers, se 
 conded this appeal, and Manual yielded, though 
 with a very ill grace, to the necessity of the case. 
 
 " Go, then, and tell him that we will surrender 
 
22 THE PILOT, 
 
 as prisoners of war," he said, " on the conditions 
 that he grants me my side-arms, and that suitable 
 care shall be taken of the sick be particular to 
 call them sick for some lucky accident may yet 
 occur before the compact is ratified, and I would 
 not have him learn our loss." 
 
 Griffith, without waiting for a second bidding, 
 hastened to Borroughcliffe with his intelligence. 
 
 " His side-arms !" repeated the soldier, when 
 the other had done ; " what are they, I pray thee, 
 a marlingspike ! for if his equipments be no bettei 
 than thine own, my worthy prisoner, there is little 
 need to quarrel about their ownership." 
 
 " Had I but ten of my meanest men, armed 
 with such half-pikes, and Captain Borroughcliffe 
 with his party were put at deadly strife with us," 
 retorted Griffith, " he might find occasion to value 
 our weapons more highly." 
 
 " Four such fiery gentlemen as yourself would 
 have routed my command," returned Borrough 
 cliffe, with undisturbed composure. " I trembled 
 for my ranks when I saw you coining out of the 
 smoke like a blazing comet from behind a cloud ! 
 and I shall never think of somersets without re 
 turning inward thanks to their inventor. But our 
 treaty is made ; let your comrades come forth and 
 pile their arms." 
 
 Griffith communicated the result to the captain 
 of marines, when the latter led the remnant of his 
 party out of his sunken fortress into the open air. 
 
 The men, who had manifested throughout the 
 whole business that cool subordination and un 
 yielding front, mixed with the dauntless spirit that 
 to this day distinguishes the corps of which they 
 were members, followed their commander in sullen 
 silence, and stacked their arms, with as much re 
 gularity and precision as if they had been ordered 
 
THE PILOT. 23 
 
 to relieve themselves after a march. When this 
 necessary preliminary had been observed, Bor- 
 roughcliffe unmasked his forces, and our adventu 
 rers found themselves once more in the power of 
 the enemy, and under circumstances which ren 
 dered the prospects of a speedy release from their 
 captivity nearly hopeless," 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 * If your Father will do me any honour, so ; 
 If not, let him kill the next Percy himself j 
 I look to be either Earl or Duke, 1 can assure you." 
 
 Falatqff. 
 
 MANUAL cast sundry discontented and sullen 
 looks from his captors to the remnant of his own 
 command, while the process of pinioning the lat 
 ter was conducted, with much discretion, under 
 the directions of Sergeant Drill, when meeting, in 
 one of his dissatisfied glances, with the pale and 
 disturbed features of Griffith, he gave vent to his 
 ill-humour, by saying 
 
 " This results from neglecting the precautions 
 of military discipline. Had the command been 
 with me, who, I may say, without boasting, have 
 been accustomed to the duties of the field, proper 
 pickets would have been posted, and instead of 
 being caught like so many rabbits in a burrow, to 
 be smoked out with brimstone, we should have had 
 an open field for the struggle, or we might have 
 possessed ourselves of these walls, which I could 
 have made good for two hours at least, against 
 the best regiment that ever wore King George s 
 facings." 
 
 " Defend the outworks before retreating to the 
 citadel !" cried Borroughcliffe ; " His the game of 
 war, and shows science ; but had you kept closer 
 to your burrow, the rabbits might now have all 
 
r 
 
 THE PILOT. 25 
 
 been frisking about in that pleasant abode. The 
 eyes of a timid hind were greeted this morning, 
 while journeying near this wood, with a passing 
 sight of armed men, in strange attire ; and as he 
 fled, with an intent of casting himself into the sea, 
 as fear will sometimes urge one of his kind to do, 
 he luckily encountered me on the cliffs, who hu 
 manely saved his life, by compelling him to con 
 duct us hither. There is often wisdom in science, 
 my worthy contemporary in arms, but there is 
 sometimes safety in ignorance." 
 
 " You have succeeded, sir, and have a right 
 to be pleasant," said Manual, seating himself 
 gloomily on a fragment of the ruin, and fastening 
 his looks on the melancholy spectacle of the life 
 less bodies, as they were successively brought 
 from the vault and placed at his feet ; " but these 
 men have been my own children, and you will 
 excuse me if I cannot retort your pleasantries 
 Ah ! Captain Borroughclrffe, you are a soldier, 
 and know how to value merit. J took those very 
 fellows, who sleep on these stones so quietly, from 
 the hands of nature, and made them the pride of 
 
 r art. They were no longer men, but brave 
 lads, who ate and drank, wheeled and marched, 
 loaded and fired, laughed or were sorrowful, 
 spoke or were silent, only at my will. As for 
 , soul, there was but one among them all, and that 
 was in my keeping! Groan, my children, groan 
 freely now ; there is no longer a reason to be si 
 lent. I have known a single musket-bullet cut 
 the buttons from the coats of five of them in a 
 row, without raising the skin of a man ! I could 
 ever calculate, with certainty, how many it would 
 be necessary to expend in all regular service, but 
 this accursed banditti business has robbed me of 
 the choicest of my treasures. You stand at ease 
 
 voTv. ir. 3 
 
26 THE PILOT. 
 
 now, my children ; groan, it will soften your an 
 guish." 
 
 Borroughcliffe appeared to participate, in some 
 degree, in the feelings of his captive, and he 
 made a few appropriate remarks in the way of 
 condolence, while he watched the preparations 
 that were making by his own men to move. At 
 length his orderly announced that substitutes for 
 barrows were provided to sustain the wounded, 
 and inquired if it were his pleasure to return to 
 their quarters. 
 
 " Who has seen the horse . ? " demanded the cap 
 tain ; " which way did they march ? Have they 
 gained any tidings of the discovery of this party of 
 the enemy r" 
 
 " Not from us, your honour," returned the ser 
 geant ; " they had ridden along the coast before 
 we left the cliffs, and it was said their officer in 
 tended to scour the shore for several miles, and 
 spread the alarm." 
 
 " Let him ; it is all such gay gallants are good 
 for. Drill, honour is almost as scarce an article 
 with our arms just now, as promotion. We seem 
 but the degenerate children of the heroes of Poic- 
 tiers ; you understand me, sergeant ?" 
 
 " Some battle fou t by his majesty s troops 
 against the French, your honour," returned the 
 orderly, a little at a loss to comprehend the ex 
 pression of his officer s eye. 
 
 " Fellow, you grow dull on victory," exclaimed 
 Borroughcliffe : " come hither, I would give you 
 orders. Do you think, Mister Drill, there is more 
 honour, or likely to be more profit, in this little 
 morning s amusement than you and I can stand un 
 der?" 
 
 " I should not your honour : we have both 
 pretty broad shoulders " 
 
THE PILOT. 2 
 
 " "f hat are not weakened by undue burthens 
 of this nature," interrupted his captain, signifi 
 cantly ; " if we let the news of this affair reach 
 the ears of those hungry dragoons, they would 
 charge upon us open mouthed, like a pack of 
 famished beagles, and claim at least half the credit, 
 and certainly all the profit." 
 
 " But, your honour, there was not a man of 
 them even " 
 
 " No matter, Drill ; I ve known troops that 
 have been engaged, and have suffered, cheated 
 out of their share of victory, by a well-worded 
 despatch. You know, fellow, that in the smoke 
 and confusion of a battle, a man can only see 
 what passes near him, and common prudence re 
 quires that he only mention in his official letters 
 what he knows can t be easily contradicted, Thug 
 your Indians, and indeed, all allies, are not enti 
 tled to the right of a general order, any more than 
 < to the right of a parade. Now, I dare say, yon 
 <? have heard of a certain battle of Blenheim ?" " 
 
 " Lord ! your honour, tis the pride of the 
 
 j British army, that and the Culioden ! Twas when 
 
 the great Corporal John beat the French king, 
 
 and all his lords and nobility, with half his nation 
 
 in arms to back him." 
 
 " Ay ! there is a little of the barrack readings 
 in the account, but it is substantially true ; know 
 you how many Fre-nch were in the field, that day, 
 Mister Drill?" 
 
 " I have never seen the totals of their muster, 
 sir, in print, but judging by the difference betwixt 
 the nations, I should suppose some hundreds of 
 thousands." 
 
 " And yet, to oppose this vast army, the duke 
 had only some ten or twelve thousand well-fed 
 Englishmen ! You look astounded, sergeant!" 
 
28 THE PILOT. 
 
 u Why, your honour, that does seem rather an 
 over-match for an old soldier to swallow ; the ran 
 dom shot would sweep away so small a force." 
 * " And yet the battle was fought, and the victory 
 
 I won ! but the Duke of Marlborough had a certain 
 Mr. Eugene, with some fifty or sixty thousand 
 High-Dutchers, to back him. You never heard 
 of Mr. Eugene ?" 
 
 " Not a syllable, your honour ; I always thought 
 that Corporal John " 
 
 " Was a gallant and great general ; you thought 
 right, Mister Drill. So would a certain nameless 
 gentleman be also, if his majesty would sign a 
 commission to that effect.. However, a majority 
 is on the high road to a regiment, and with even 
 a regiment a man is comfortable ! In plain Eng 
 lish, Mister Drill, we must get our prisoners 
 into the abbey with as little noise as possible, 
 in order that the horse may continue their gam 
 bols along the coast, without coming to devour our 
 meal. All the fuss must be made at the war- 
 office. For that trifle you may trust me; I think 
 I know who holds a quill that is as good in its 
 way as the sword he wears. Drill is a short 
 name, and can easily be written within the folds of 
 a letter." 
 
 " Lord, your honour !" said the gratified halber 
 dier, " I m sure such an honour is more but your 
 honour can ever command me !" 
 
 "I do ; and it is to be close, and to make your 
 men keep close, until it shall be time to speak, 
 when I pledge myself there shall be noise 
 enough." Borroughciiffe shook his head, with a 
 grave air, as he continued " It has been a devil 
 of a bloody fight, sergeant ! look at the dead and 
 wounded ; a wood on each flank supported by a 
 
THE PILOT. 29 
 
 ruin in the centre. Oh ! ink ! ink ! can be spilt 
 on the details with great effect. Go, fellow, and 
 prepare to march." 
 
 Thus enlightened on the subject of his com 
 mander s ulterior views, the non-commissioned 
 agent of the captain s wishes proceeded to give 
 suitable instructions to the rest of the party, and 
 to make the more immediate preparations for a 
 march. The arrangements were soon completed. 
 The bodies of the slain were left unsheltered, the 
 seclusion of the ruin being deemed a sufficient 
 security against the danger of any discovery, 
 until darkness should favour their removal, in 
 conformity with Borroughcliffe s plan to monopo 
 lize the glory. The w r ounded were placed on 
 rude litters, composed of the muskets and blankets 
 of the prisoners, when the conquerors and van 
 quished moved together in a compact body from 
 the ruin, in such a manner as to make the former 
 serve as a mask to conceal the latter from the 
 curious gaze of any casual passenger. There was 
 but little, indeed, to apprehend on this head, for 
 the alarm and the terror, consequent on the exag 
 gerated reports that flew through the country, ef 
 fectually prevented any intruders on the usually 
 quiet and retired domains of St. Ruth. 
 
 The party was emerging from the wood, when 
 the cracking of branches, and rustling of dried 
 leaves, announced, how r ever, that an interruption 
 of some sort was about to occur. 
 
 " If it should be one of their rascally patroles !" 
 exclaimed Borroughcliffe, with very obvious dis 
 pleasure ; " they trample like a regiment of ca 
 valry ! but, gentlemen, you will acknowledge 
 yourselves, that we were retiring from the field of 
 battle when we met the reinforcement, if it should 
 
 prove to be such." 
 
 o 
 
30 THE PILOT. 
 
 " We are not disposed, sir, to deny you the glory 
 of having achieved your victory single handed," 
 said Griffith, glancing his eyes uneasily in the 
 direction of the approaching sounds, expecting 
 to see the pilot issue from the thicket in which he 
 seemed to be entangled, instead of any detachment 
 of his enemies. 
 
 " Clear the way, Caesar !" cried a voice at no 
 great distance from them ; tc break through the 
 accursed vines, on my right, Pompey ! press for 
 ward, my fine fellows, or \ve may be too late to 
 smell even the smoke of the fight." 
 
 " Hum !" ejaculated the captain with his phi 
 losophic indifference of manner entirely re-esta 
 blished, " this must be a Roman legion just 
 awoke from a trance of some seventeen centuries, 
 and that the voice of a Centurion. We will halt, 
 Mister Drill, and view the manner of an ancient 
 march !" 
 
 While the captain was yet speaking, a violent 
 effort disengaged the advancing party from the 
 thicket of brambles iii which they had been en 
 tangled, when two blacks, each bending under a 
 load of fire-arms, preceded Colonel Howard 
 into the clear space where Borroughcliffe had 
 halted his detachment. Some little time was ne 
 cessary to enable the veteran to arrange his dis 
 ordered dress, and to remove the perspiring effects 
 of the unusual toil from his features, before he 
 could observe the addition to the captain s num 
 bers. 
 
 " We heard you fire," cried the old soldier, 
 making, at the same time, the most diligent appli 
 cation of his bandanna, " and I determined to aid 
 you with a sortie, which, when judiciously timed, 
 has been the means of raising many a sieg,e ,* 
 though, had Montcalm rested quietly within his 
 
THE PILOT. 31 
 
 walls, the plains of Abr am might never have drunk 
 his blood." 
 
 " Oh ! his decision was soldierly, and according 
 to all rules of war," exclaimed Manual ; " and had I 
 followed his example, this day might have pro 
 duced a different tale !" 
 
 " Why. who have we here !" cried the colonel 
 in astonishment ; " who is it that pretends to criti 
 cise battles and sieges, dressed in such a garb ?" 
 
 " Tis a dux incognitorum, my wo Ay host," 
 said Borroughcliffe, cc which means, in our English 
 language, a captain of marines in the service of the 
 American Congress." 
 
 " What ! have you then met the enemy ! ay ! 
 and by the fame of the immortal Wolfe you have 
 captured them !" cried the delighted veteran. " I 
 was pressing on ^ith a part of my garrison to your 
 assistance, for I had seen that you were marching 
 in this direction, and even the report of a few mus 
 kets were heard." 
 
 " A few !" interrupted the conqueror ; " I know 
 not what you call a few, my gallant and ancient 
 friend ; you may possibly have shot at each other 
 by the week in the days of Wolfe, and Abercrom- 
 bie, and Braddock, but I too have seen smart 
 firing, and can hazard an opinion- in such mat 
 ters. There was as pretty a roll made by fire 
 arms at the battles on the Hudson, as ever rattled 
 from a drum ; it is all over, and many live to 
 talk of it ; but this has been the most desperate 
 affair, for the numbers, I ever was engaged in ! 
 I speak always with a reference to the numbers. 
 The wood is pretty well sprinkled with dead, and 
 we have contrived to bring off a few of the despe 
 rately wounded with us, as you may perceive." 
 
 "Bless me!" exclaimed the surprised veteran, 
 " that such an engagement should happen within 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 musket shot of the Abbey, and I know so little of 
 it ! My faculties are on the wane, I fear, for the 
 time has been when a single discharge would 
 rouse me from the deepest sleep." 
 
 " The bayonet is a silent weapon," returned 
 the composed captain, with a significant wave of 
 his hand ; " tis the Englishman s pride, and every 
 experienced officer knows, that one thrust from it 
 is worth the fire of a whole platoon." 
 
 " What, did you come to the charge !" cried the 
 Colonel; "by the Lord, Bonoughcliffe, my gal 
 lant young friend, I would have given twenty 
 tierces of rice, and two able-bodied negroes, to 
 have seen the fray !" 
 
 " It would have been a pleasant spectacle to 
 witness, sans disputation," returned the captain ; 
 " but victory is ours without the presence of 
 Achilles, this time. I have them, all that survive 
 the affair ; at least, all that have put foot on Eng 
 lish soil." 
 
 " Ay ! and the king s cutter has brought in the 
 schooner !" added Colonel Howard. " Thus pe 
 rish all rebellion for evermore ! Where s Kit ? my 
 kinsman Mr. Christopher Dillon ? I would ask 
 him what the laws of the realm next prescribe to 
 loyal subjects. Here will be work for the jurors 
 of Middlesex, Captain Borroughcliffe, if not for 
 a secretary of state s warrant, Where is Kit, 
 my kinsman ; the ductile, the sagacious, the loyal 
 Christopher ?" 
 
 " The Cacique no:\ est, as more than one 
 bailiff has said of sundry clever fellows in our re 
 giment, when there has been a pressing occasion 
 for their appearance," said the soldier ; " but the 
 cornet of horse has given me reason to believe that 
 his provincial lordship, who repaired on board the 
 rutter to ^ivo intelligence of the position of the 
 
THE riLOT. 33 
 
 enemy, continued there to share the dangers and 
 honours of the naval combat." 
 
 " Ay, tis like him !" cried the colonel, rubbing 
 his hands with glee ; " tis like him ! he has for 
 gotten the law and his peaceful occupations, at 
 the sounds of military preparation, and has carried 
 the head of a statesman into the fight, with the ar 
 dour and thoughtlessness of a boy." 
 
 " The Cacique is a man of discretion," ob 
 served the captain, with all his usual dry ness of 
 manner, " and will doubtless recollect his obliga 
 tions to posterity and himself, though he be found 
 entangled in the mazes of a combat. But I mar 
 vel that he does not. return, for some time has now 
 elapsed since the schooner struck her flag, as my 
 own eyes have witnessed." 
 
 " You will pardon me, gentlemen," said Grif 
 fith, advancing towards them with uncontrollable 
 interest ; " but I have unavoidably heard part of 
 your discourse, and cannot think you will find it 
 necessary to withhold the whole truth from a dis 
 armed captive ; say you that a schooner has been 
 captured this morning ?" 
 
 " It is assuredly true," said Borroughcliffe, 
 with a display of nature and delicacy in his man 
 ner that did his heart infinite credit ; " but I for 
 bore to tell you, because I thought your own 
 misfortunes would be enough for one time. Mr. 
 Griffith, this gentleman is Colonel Howard, to 
 whose hospitality you will be indebted for some 
 favours before we separate." 
 
 " Griffith !" echoed the colonel, in quick reply, 
 " Griffith ! what a sight for my old eyes to wit 
 ness ! the child of worthy, gallant, loyal Hugh 
 Griffith a captive, and taken in arms against his 
 prince ! Young man, young man, what would 
 thy honest father, viiat would his bosom friend, 
 
34 
 
 THE PILOT. 
 
 my own poor brother Harry, have said, had it 
 pleased God that they had survived to witness 
 this burning shame and lasting stigma on thy re 
 spectable name ?" 
 
 u Had my father lived, he would now have been 
 
 . upholding the independence of his native land," 
 
 > said the young man, proudly. " I wish to respect 
 
 f even the prejudices of Colonel Howard, and beg 
 
 he will forbear urging a subject on which I fear 
 
 we never shall agree." 
 
 "Never, while thou art to be found in the 
 ranks of rebellion !" cried the colonel. " Oh ! 
 boy, boy ! how I could have loved and cherished 
 thee, if the skill and knowledge obtained in the 
 service of thy prince, were now devoted to the 
 maintenance of his unalienabie rights ! I loved 
 thy father, worthy Hugh, even as I loved my own 
 brother Harry." 
 
 " And his son should still be dear to you ? " in 
 terrupted Griffith, taking the reluctant hand of the 
 Colonel into both his own. 
 
 " Ah, Eaward, Edward !" continued the soften^ 
 ed veteran, " how many of my day-dreams have 
 been destroyed by thy perversity ! nay, I know 
 not that Kit, discreet and loyal as he is, could 
 have found such favour in my eyes as thyself; 
 there is a cast of thy father in that face and smile, 
 Ned, that might have won me to any thing short 
 of treason and then Cicily, provoking, tender, 
 mutinous, kind, affectionate, good Cicily, would 
 have been a link to unite us for ever." 
 
 The youth cast a hasty glance at the deliberate 
 Borroughcliffe, who, if he had obeyed the impa 
 tient expression of his eye, would have followed 
 the party that was slowly bearing the wounded 
 towards the Abbey, before he yielded to his feel 
 ings, and answered 
 
THE PILOT. 35 
 
 * c Nay, sir ; let this then be the termination of 
 our misunderstanding your lovely niece shall be 
 that link, and you shall be to me as your friend 
 Hugh would have been had he lived, and to Ce 
 cilia twice a parent." 
 
 " Boy, boy," said the veteran, averting his face 
 to conceal the working of his muscles, " you talk 
 idly ; my word is now plighted to my kinsman. 
 Kit, and thy scheme is impracticable." 
 
 " Nothing is impracticable, sir, to youth and 
 enterprise, when aided by age and experience 
 like yours," returned Griffith ; " this war must 
 soon terminate." 
 
 " This war !" echoed the Colonel, shaking 
 loose the grasp which Griffith held on his arm ; 
 " ay ! what of this war, young man ? Is it not 
 an accursed attempt to deny the rights of our 
 gracious sovereign, and to place tyrants, reared 
 in kennels, on the throne of princes ! a scheme 
 to elevate the wicked at the expense of the good ! 
 a project to aid unrighteous ambition, under the 
 mask of sacred liberty and the popular cry of 
 equality ! as if there could be liberty without or 
 der ! or equality of rights, where the privileges of 
 the sovereign are not as sacred as those of the 
 people !" 
 
 " You judge us harshly, Colonel Howard," 
 said Griffith 
 
 " I judge you !" interrupted the old soldier, 
 
 who, by this time, thought the youth resembled 
 
 any one rather than his friend Hugh ; " it is not 
 
 my province to judge you at all ; if it were ! but 
 
 the time will come, the time will come. I am a 
 
 A patient man, and can wait the course of things ; 
 
 lyes, yes, age cool.-s the blood, and we learn to 
 
 1 suppress the passions and impatience of youth ; 
 
 but if the ministry would issue a commission of 
 
38 THE PILOT. 
 
 justice for the colonies, and put the name of old 
 George Howard in it, I am a dog, if there should 
 be a rebel alive in twelve months. Sir, turning 
 sternly to Borroughcliffe, u in such a cause, I 
 could prove a Roman, and hang hang yes, I 
 do think, sir, I could hang my kinsman, Mr. Chris 
 topher Dillon !" 
 
 " Spare the Cacique such an unnatural eleva 
 tion, before his time," returned the captain, with 
 a grave wave of the hand : <c behold," pointing 
 towards the wood, " there is a more befitting sub 
 ject for the gallows ! Mr. Griffith, yonder man 
 calls himself your comrade ?" 
 
 The eyes of Colonel Howard and Griffith fol 
 lowed the direction of his finger, and the latter in 
 stantly recognised the Pilot, standing in the skirts 
 of the wood, with his arms folded, apparently sur 
 veying the condition of his friends. 
 
 "That man," said Griffith, in confusion, and 
 hesitating to utter even the equivocal truth that 
 suggested itself, cc that man does not belong to our 
 ship s company." 
 
 " And yet he has been seen in your company," 
 returned the incredulous Borroughcliife ; " he was 
 the spokesman in last night s examination, Colonel 
 Howard, and, doubtless, commands the rear guard 
 of the rebels." 
 
 " You say true," cried the veteran ; " Pompey f 
 Csesar ! present ! fire !" 
 
 The blacks started at the sudden orders of their 
 master, of whom they stood in the deepest awe, 
 and, presenting their muskets, they averted then 
 faces, and shutting their eyes, obeyed the bloody 
 mandate. 
 
 " Charge !" shouted the Colonel, flourishing the 
 ancient sword with which he had armed himself, 
 arid pressing forward with all the activity that a 
 
THE PILOT. 37 
 
 recent fit of the gout would allow ; " charge, and 
 exterminate the dogs with the bayonet ! push on, 
 Pompey dress, boys, dress." 
 
 " If your friend stand this charge," said Bor- 
 roughclifTe to Griffith, with unmoved composure, 
 "his nerves are made of iron; such a charge 
 would break the Coldstreams ; with Pompey in 
 the ranks !" 
 
 " I trust in God," cried Griffith, " he will have 
 forbearance enough to respect the weakness of 
 Colonel Howard ! he presents a pistol !" 
 
 "But he will not fire; the Romans deem it 
 prudent to halt; nay, by heaven, they counter 
 march to the rear. Holla ! Colonel Howard, my 
 worthy host, fall back on your reinforcements; 
 the wood is full of armed men; they cannot 
 escape us ; I only wait for the horse to cut off the 
 retreat." 
 
 The veteran, who had advanced within a short 
 I distance of the single man, who thus deliberately 
 : awaited the attack, halted at this summons, and, 
 by a glance of his eye, ascertained that he stood 
 alone. Believing the words of Borroughcliffe to 
 be true, he slowly retired, keeping his face man 
 fully towards his enemy, until he gained the sup 
 port of the captain. 
 
 " Recall the troops, Borroughcliffe !" he cried, 
 ;c and let us charge into the wood ; they will fly 
 before his majesty s arms like guilty scoundrels, 
 as they are. As for the negroes, I ll teach the 
 black rascals to desert their master at such a mo 
 ment. They say Fear is pale, but, d e, Bor 
 roughcliffe, if I do not believe his skin is black." 
 
 " I have seen him of all colours ; blue, white, 
 
 black, and party-coloured," said the captain. " I 
 
 must take the command of matters on myself, 
 
 however, my excellent host ; let us retire into the 
 
 4 
 
38 THE PILOT. 
 
 Abbey, and trust me to cut off the remainder of 
 the rebels." 
 
 In this arrangement, the colonel reluctantly 
 acquiesced, and the three followed the soldier to 
 the dwelling, at a pace that was adapted to the 
 infirmities of its master. The excitement of the 
 onset, and the current of his ideas, had uni 
 ted, however, to banish every amicable thought 
 from the breast of the colonel, and he entered 
 the Abbey with a resolute determination of seeing 
 justice dealt to Griffith and his companions, even 
 though it should push them to the foot of the 
 gallows. 
 
 As the gentlemen disappeared from his view, 
 
 <* among the shrubbery of the grounds, the Pilot 
 
 r replaced the weapon that was hanging from his 
 
 1 hand, in his bosom, and, turning with a saddened 
 
 J and thoughtful brow, he slowly re-entered the 
 
 wood. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 <! When these prodigias 
 
 Do so conjointly meet, let not men say, 
 These are their reasons, They are natural : 
 For, I believe they are portentous things 
 Unto the climate that they point upon. 
 
 Ccsca 
 
 THE reader will discover, by referring to the 
 time consumed in the foregoing events, that the 
 Ariel, with her prize, did not anchor in the bay, 
 already mentioned, until Griffith and his party 
 had been for several hours in the* custody of their 
 enemies. The supposed capture of the rebel 
 schooner was an incident that excited but little 
 interest, and no surprise, among a people who 
 were accustomed to consider their seamen as in 
 vincible ; and Barnstable had not found it a diffi 
 cult task to practise his deception on the few 
 rustics whom curiosity induced to venture along 
 side the vessels during the short continuance of 
 daylight. When, however, the fogs of evening 
 began to rise along the narrow basin, and the 
 curvatures of its margin were lost in the single 
 outline of its dark and gloomy border, the young 
 seaman thought it time to apply himself in earnest 
 to his duty. The Alacrity, containing all his 
 own crew, together with the Ariel s wounded, 
 was gotten silently under way, and driving easily 
 before the heavy air that swept from the land, she 
 drifted from the harbour, until the open sea lay 
 before her, when her sails were spread, and she 
 continued to make the best of her way in quest 
 
40 THE PILOT. 
 
 of the frigate. Barnstable had watched this move 
 ment with breathless anxiety ; for on an eminence 
 that completely commanded the waters to pome 
 distance, a small but rude battery had been erected 
 for the purpose of protecting the harbour against 
 the depredations and insults of the smaller ves 
 sels of the enemy ; and a guard of sufficient force 
 to manage the two heavy guns it contained, was 
 maintained in the work at all times. He was ig 
 norant how far his stratagem had been successful, 
 and it was only when he heard the fluttering of the 
 Alacrity s canvass, as she opened it to the breeze, 
 he felt that he was yet secure. 
 
 " Twill reach the Englishmen s ears," said 
 the boy Merry, who stood on the forecastle of 
 the schooner, by the side of his commander, 
 listening with breathless interest to the sounds ; 
 " they set a sentinel on the point, as the sun went 
 down, and if he is a trifle better than a dead man, 
 or a marine asleep, he will suspect something is 
 wrong." 
 
 " Never !" returned Barnstable, with a long 
 breath, that announced all his apprehensions were 
 removed ; ." he will be more likely to believe it a 
 mermaid fanning herself this cool evening, than 
 to suspect the real fact. What say you, Master 
 Coffin ? will the soldier smell the truth ?" 
 
 " They re a dumb race, " said the cockswain, 
 casting his eyes over his shoulders, to ascertain 
 that none of their own marine guard was near 
 him ; " now, there was our sargeant, who ought to 
 know something, seeing that he has been afloat 
 these four years, maintained, dead in the face and 
 eyes of what every man, who has ever doubled 
 Good Hope, knows to be true, that there was no 
 such vessel to be fallen in with in them SPAS, n? 
 the Flying Dutchman ! and then, again, when I 
 
THE PILOT. 41 
 
 told him that he was a * knaw-nothing, and asked 
 him if the Dutchman was a more unlikely thing 
 than that there should be places where the inhabi 
 tants split the year into two watches, and had day 
 for six months, and night the rest of the time, the 
 green-horn laughed in my face, and I do believe 
 he would have told me I lied, but for one thing." 
 
 " And what might that be f" asked Barnstable, 
 gravely. 
 
 u Why, sir," returned Tom, stretching his bony 
 fingers, as he surveyed his broad palm, by the little 
 light that remained, u though I am a peaceable 
 man, I can be roused." 
 
 " And you have seen the Flying Dutchman ?" 
 
 <c I never doubled the east cape ; though I can 
 find my way through Le Maire in the darkest 
 night that ever fell from the heavens ; but I have 
 seen them that have seen her, and spoken her 
 too." 
 
 " Well, be it so ; you must turn flying Yankee, 
 yourself, to-night, Master Coffin. Man your boat 
 at once, sir, and arm your crew." 
 
 The cockswain paused a moment, before he 
 proceeded to obey this unexpected order, and, 
 pointing towards the battery, he inquired with in 
 finite phlegm 
 
 " For shore- work, sir ? Shall we take the cut- 
 lashes and pistols ? or shall we want the pikes ?" 
 
 " There may be soldiers in our way, with their 
 bayonets," said Barnstable musing ; " arm as 
 usual, but throw a few long pikes into the boat ; 
 and harkye, Master Coffin, out with your tub and 
 whale-line : for I see you have rigged yourself anew 
 in that way." 
 
 The cockswain, who was moving from the 
 forecastle, turned short at this new mandate, and 
 with an air of remonstrance, ventured to say - 
 4 * 
 
 i 
 
42 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Trust an old whaler, Captain Barnstable, who 
 has been used to these craft all his life. A whale- 
 boat is made to pull with a tub and line in it, as 
 naturally as a ship is made to sail with ballast, 
 and" 
 
 " Out with it, out with it," interrupted the 
 other, with an impatient gesture, that his cockswain 
 knew signified a positive determination. Heaving 
 a sigh at what he deemed his commander s preju 
 dice, Tom applied himself, without farther delay, 
 to the execution of the orders. Barnstable laid 
 his hand familiarly on the shoulder of the boy, 
 and led him to the stern of his little vessel, in pro 
 found silence. The canvass hood that covered 
 the entrance to the cabin was thrown partly aside, 
 and by the light of the lamp that was burning in 
 the small apartment, it was easy to overlook, from 
 the deck, what was passing beneath them. Dillon 
 sat supporting his head with his two hands, in a 
 manner that shaded his face, but in an attitude that 
 denoted deep and abstracted musing. 
 
 " I would that I could see the face of my pri 
 soner," said Barnstable, in an under tone, that was 
 audible only to his companion. " The eye of a 
 man is a sort of light-house, to tell one how to 
 steer into the haven of his confidence, boy." 
 
 " And sometimes a beacon, sir, to warn you, 
 there is no safe anchorage near him," returned the 
 ready boy. 
 
 " Rogue !" muttered Barnstable, " your cousin 
 Kate spoke there." 
 
 " If my cousin Plow T den were here, Mr. Barn 
 stable, I know that her opinion of yon gentleman 
 would not be at all more favourable." 
 
 "And yet, I have determined to trust him! 
 Listen, boy, and tell me if 1 am wrong ; you 
 have a quick wit, like some others of your family, 
 
TPIE PILOT. 43 
 
 and may suggest something advantageous." The 
 gratified midshipman swelled with the conscious 
 pleasure of possessing his commander s confidence, 
 and followed to the taffrail, over which Barnstable 
 leaned, while he delivered the remainder of his 
 communication. " I have gathered from the long 
 shore-men who have come off, this evening, to 
 stare at the vessel which the rebels have been able 
 to build, that a party of seamen and marines have 
 been captured in an old ruin near the Abbey of St. 
 Ruth, this very day." 
 
 " Tis Mr. Griffith !" exclaimed the boy. 
 
 " Ay ! the wit of your coiisin Katherine was not 
 necessary to discover that. Now, I have proposed 
 to this gentleman with the Savannah face, that he 
 should go into the Abbey, and negotiate an exchange, 
 I will give him for Griffith, and the crew of the 
 Alacrity for Manual s command and the Tigers." 
 
 " The Tigers !" cried the lad, with emotion , 
 u have they got my Tigers, too ! would to God 
 that Mr. Griffith had permitted me to land !" 
 
 " It was no boy s work they were about, and 
 room was scarcer in their boat than live-lumber. 
 But this Mr. Dillon has accepted my proposition, 
 and has pledged himself that Griffith shall return 
 within an hour after he is permitted to enter the Ab 
 bey : will he redeem his honour from the pledge?" 
 
 " He may," said Merry, musing a moment, 
 <; for I believe he thinks the presence of Mr. 
 Griffith under the same roof with Miss Howard, a 
 thing to be prevented, if possible ; he may be true 
 in this instance, though he has a hollow look." 
 
 " He has bad-looking light-houses, I will own," 
 said Barnstable ; " and yet he is a gentleman, and 
 promises fair ; tis unmanly to suspect him in such 
 a matter, and I will have faith ! Now listen, sir. 
 The absence of older heads must throw great re- 
 
44 THE PILOT. 
 
 sponsibility .on your yoi.ng shoulders ; watch that 
 battery as closely as if you were at the mast-head 
 of your frigate, on the look-out for an enemy ; the 
 instant you see lights moving in it, cut, and run 
 into the offing; you will find me somewhere under 
 the cliffs, and you will stand off and on, keeping the 
 Abbey in sight, until you fall in with us." 
 
 Merry gave an attentive ear to these and divers 
 other solemn injunctions that he received from his 
 commander, who, having sent the officer next to 
 himself in authority in charge of the prize, (the 
 third in command being included in the list of the 
 wounded,) was compelled to intrust his beloved 
 schooner to the vigilance of a lad whose years 
 gave no promise of the experience and skill that he 
 actually possessed. 
 
 When his admonitory instructions were ended, 
 Barnstable stepped again to the opening in the 
 cabin-hood, and for a single moment before he 
 spoke, once more examined the countenance of his 
 prisoner, with a keen eye. Dillon had removed 
 his hands from before his sallow features, and, as 
 if conscious of the scrutiny his looks were to un 
 dergo, had concentrated the whole expression of 
 his forbidding aspect in a settled gaze of hopeless 
 submission to his fate. At least, so thought his 
 captor, and the idea touched some of the finer 
 feelings in the bosom of the generous young 
 seaman. Discarding, instantly, every suspicion 
 of his prisoner s honour, as alike unworthy of 
 them both, Barnstable summoned him, in a 
 cheerful voice, to the boat. There was a flashing 
 of the features of Dillon, at this call, which 
 gave an indefinable expression to his countenance, 
 that again startled the sailor ; but it was so very 
 transient, and could so easily be mistaken for a 
 
THE PILOT. 45 
 
 j 
 
 smile of pleasure at his promised liberation, that 
 the doubts it engendered passed away almost as 
 speedily as the equivocal expression itself. Barn- 
 stable was in the act of following his companion 
 into the boat, when he felt himself detained by a 
 slight hold of his arm. 
 
 u What would you have ?" he asked of the mid 
 shipman, who had given him the signal. 
 
 " Do not trust too much to that Dillon, sir," 
 returned the anxious boy, in a whisper ; " if you 
 had seen his face, as I did, when the binnacle 
 light fell upon it, as he came up the cabin ladder, 
 you would put no faith in him." 
 
 " I should have seen no beauty," said the gene 
 rous lieutenant, laughing ; " but, there is long 
 Tom, as hard-featured a youth of two score and 
 ten as ever washed in brine, who has a heart as 
 big, ay, bigger than that of a kraaken. A bright 
 watch to you, boy, and remember, a keen eye 
 on the battery." As he was yet speaking, Barn- 
 stable crossed the gunwale of his little vessel, 
 and it was not until he was seated by the side of 
 his prisoner, that he continued, aloud " Cast the 
 stops off your sails, Mr. Merry, and see all clear, 
 to make a run of every thing ; recollect, you are 
 short-handed, sir. God bless ye! and d ye hearr 
 if there is a man among you who shuts more than 
 one eye at a time, I ll make him, when I get back, 
 open both wider than if Tom Coffin s friend, the 
 Flying Dutchman, was booming down upon him. 
 God bless ye, Merry, my boy ; give em the 
 square-sail, if this breeze off-shore holds on till 
 morning : shove off." 
 
 As Barnstable gave the last order, he fell back 
 on his seat, and, drawing his boat-cloak around 
 him, maintained a profound silence, until they had 
 
46 THE PILOT. 
 
 passed the two small headlands that formed the 
 mouth of the harbour. The men pulled, with 
 muffled oars, their long, vigorous strokes, and the 
 boat glided, with amazing rapidity, by the objects 
 that could be yet indistinctly seen along the dim 
 shore. When, however, they had gained the 
 open ocean, and the direction of their little bark 
 was changed to one that led them in a line with 
 the coast, and within the shadows of the cliffs, 
 the cockswain, deeming that the silence was no 
 longer necessary to their safety, ventured to break 
 it, as follows 
 
 " A square-sail is a good sail to carry on a 
 craft, dead afore it, and in a heavy sea; but if 
 fifty years can teach a man to know the weather, 
 it s my judgment that should the Ariel break ground 
 after the night turns at eight bells, she ll need her 
 main-sail to hold her up to her course." 
 
 The lieutenant started at this sudden interrup 
 tion, and casting his cloak from his shoulders, he 
 looked abroad on the waters, as if seeking those 
 portentous omens which disturbed the imagination 
 of his cockswain. 
 
 " How now, Tom," he said, sharply, " have ye 
 turned croaker in your old age ? what see you, to 
 cause such an old woman s ditty !" 
 
 " Tis no song of an old woman," returned 
 the cockswain, with solemn earnestness, cc but the 
 warning of an old man ; and one who has spent 
 his days where there were no hills to prevent the 
 winds of heaven from blowing on him, unless they 
 were hills of salt water and foam. I judge, sir, 
 there ll be a heavy north-easter setting in upon us 
 afore the morning watch is called." 
 
 Barnstable knew the experience of his old mess 
 mate too well, to feel no uneasiness at such an opi- 
 
THE PILOT. 4? 
 
 nion, delivered in so portentous a manner; but after 
 again surveying the horizon, the heavens, and the 
 ocean, he said, with a continued severity of man 
 ner 
 
 " Your prophecy is idle, this time, Master 
 Coffin ; every thing looks like a dead calm. This 
 swell is what is left from the last blow ; the mist 
 over-head is nothing but the nightly fog, and 
 you can see, with your own eyes, that it is driving 
 seaward ; even this land breeze is nothing but the 
 air of the ground mixing with that of the ocean ; 
 it is heavy with dew and fog, but it s as sluggish 
 as a Dutch galliot." 
 
 " Ay, sir, it is damp, and there is little of it, 
 rejoined Tom ; " but as it comes only from the 
 shore, so it never goes far on the water. It is hard 
 to learn the true signs of the weather, Captain 
 Barnstable, and none get to know them well, but 
 such as study little else, or feel but little else, 
 There is only One who can see the winds of hea 
 ven, or who can tell when a hurricane is to begin, 
 or where it will end. Still, a man isn t like a 
 whale or a porpoise, that takes the air in his nos 
 trils, but never knows whether it is a south-easter 
 or a north-wester that he feeds upon. Look, 
 broad-off to leeward, sir ; see the streak of clear 
 sky shining under the mists ; take an old seafaring 
 man s word for it, Captain Barnstable, that when 
 ever the light shines out of the heavens in that 
 fashion, tis never done for nothing ; besides, the 
 sun set in a dark bank of clouds, and the little 
 moon we had was dry and windy." 
 
 Barnstable listened attentively, and with in 
 creasing concern, for he well knew that his cock 
 swain possessed a quick and almost unerring judg 
 ment of the weather, notwithstanding the confused 
 
48 THE PILOT. 
 
 medley of superstitious omens and signs with 
 which it was blended ; but, again throwing himself 
 back in his boat, he muttered 
 
 " Then let it blow ; Griffith is worth a heavier 
 risk, and if the battery can t be cheated, it can be 
 carried." 
 
 Nothing further passed on the state of the wea 
 ther. Dillon had not ventured a single remark 
 since he entered the boat, and the cockswain had 
 the discretion to understand that his officer was 
 willing to be left to his own thoughts. For neai 
 an hour they pursued their way with diligence ; 
 the sinewy seamen, who wielded the oars, urging 
 their light boat along the edge of the surf with 
 unabated velocity, and, apparently, with untired 
 exertions. Occasionally, Barn stable would cast 
 an inquiring glance at the little inlets that they 
 passed, or would note, with a seaman s eye, the 
 small portions of sandy beach that were scattered 
 here and there along the rocky boundaries of the 
 coast. One, in particular, a deeper inlet than 
 common, where a run of fresh water was heard 
 gurgling as it met the tide, he pointed out to his 
 cockswain, by significant, but silent gestures, as a 
 place to be especially noted. Tom, who under 
 stood the signal as intended for his own eye alone, 
 made his observations on the spot, with equal 
 taciturnity, but with all the minuteness that would 
 distinguish one long accustomed to find his way, 
 whether by land or water, by land-marks, ami 
 the bearings of different objects. Soon after this 
 silent communication between the lieutenant and 
 his cockswain, the boat was suddenly turned, and 
 was in the act of dashing upon the spit of sand 
 before it, when Barnstable checked the movement 
 by his voice 
 
THE PILOT. 49 
 
 " Hold water!" he said; " tis the sound of 
 oars ! 
 
 The seamen held their boat at rest, while a deep 
 attention was given to the noise that had alarmed 
 the ears of their commander. 
 
 " See, sir," said the cockswain, pointing to 
 wards the eastern horizon ; " it is just rising into 
 the streak of light to seaward of us now it settles 
 in the trough ah ! here you have it again !" 
 
 " By heavens !" cried Barnstable, " tis a man- 
 of-war s stroke it pulls ; I saw the oar-blades 
 as they fell ! and, listen to the sound ! neither 
 your fisherman nor your smuggler pulls such a re 
 gular oar." 
 
 Tom had bowed his head nearly to the water, 
 in the act of listening, and now, raising himself, he 
 spoke with confidence 
 
 " That is the Tiger ; I know the stroke of her 
 crew as well as I do of my own. Mr. Merry 
 has made them learn the new-fashioned jerk, as 
 they dip their blades, and they feather with such 
 a roll in their rullocks ! I could swear to the 
 stroke." 
 
 " Hand me the night-glass," said his comman 
 der, impatiently! " I can catch them, as they are 
 lifted into the streak. You are right, by every 
 star in our flag, Tom ! but there is only one 
 man in her stern-sheets. By my good yes, I 
 believe it is that accursed Pilot, sneaking from 
 the land, and leaving Griffith and Manual to die 
 in English prisons. To shore with you beach 
 her at once," 
 
 The order was no sooner given, than it was 
 obeyed, and in less than two minutes, the impa 
 tient Barnstable, Dillon, and the cockswain, were 
 standing together on the sands. 
 
 VOL. IT. 5 
 
50 THE PILOT. 
 
 The impression heliad received, that his friends 
 were abandoned to their fate by the pilot, urged 
 the generous young seaman to hasten the depar 
 ture of his prisoner, as he was fearful every mo 
 ment might interpose some new obstacle to the 
 success of his plans. 
 
 " Mr. Dillon," he said, the instant they were 
 landed, " I exact no new promise your honour is 
 already plighted" 
 
 " If oaths can make it stronger," interrupted 
 Dillon, " I will take them." 
 
 " Oaths cannot the honour of a gentleman 
 is, at all times, enough. I shall send my cock 
 swain with you to the Abbey, and you will either 
 return with him, in person, within two hours, or 
 give Mr. Griffith and Captain Manual to his 
 [guidance. Proceed, sir, you are conditionally 
 free ; there is an easy opening by which to ascend 
 the cliffs." 
 
 Dillon once more thanked his generous captor, 
 and then proceeded to force his way up the rough 
 eminence. 
 
 " Follow, and obey his instructions," said Barn- 
 stable to his cockswain, aloud. 
 
 Tom, long accustomed to implicit obedience, 
 handled his harpoon, and was quietly following in 
 the footsteps of his new leader, when he felt the 
 hand of the lieutenant on his shoulder. 
 
 " You saw where the brook emptied over the 
 hillock of sand ?" said Barnstable, in an under 
 tone. 
 
 Tom nodded assent. 
 
 " You will find us there riding without the surf 
 twill not do to trust too much to an enemy." 
 
 The cockswain made a gesture of great signi- 
 ficanc3 with his weapon, that was intended to 
 
THE 
 
 indicate the danger their prisonei would ij 
 should he prove false ; when, applying the wooden 
 end of the harpoon to the rocks, he ascended the 
 ravine at a rate that soon brought him to the side 
 of his companion, 
 

 CHAPTER 
 
 tt Ay, marry, let me have htm to sit under j 
 He s like to be a cold soldier." 
 
 Falstatf. 
 
 BARNSTABLE lingered on the sands for a few mi 
 ) until the footsteps of Dillon and the cock> 
 swain were no longer audible, when he ordered 
 his men to launch their boat once more into the 
 surf. While the seamen pulled leisurely towards 
 the place he had designated, as the point where he 
 would await the return of Tom, the lieutenant 
 first began to entertain serious apprehensions 
 concerning the good faith of his prisoner. Now 
 that Dillon was beyond his control, his imagina 
 tion presented, in very vivid colours, several 
 little circumstances in the other s conduct, which 
 might readily excuse some doubts of his good 
 faith, and, by the time they had reached the place 
 of rendezvous, and had cast a light grapnel into 
 the sea, his fears had rendered him excessively 
 uncomfortable. Leaving the lieutenant to his re 
 flections on this unpleasant subject, we shall fol 
 low Dillon and his fearless and unsuspecting com 
 panion in their progress towards St. Ruth. 
 
 The mists to which Tom had alluded, in his 
 discussion with his commander, on the state of 
 the weather, appeared to be settling nearer to the 
 earth, and assuming more decidedly the ap 
 pearance of a fog, hanging above them in sluggish 
 
THE PILOT. 53 
 
 volumes, but little agitated by the air. The con 
 sequent obscurity added deeply to the gloom of 
 the night, and it would have been difficult for one 
 less acquainted than Dillon with the surrounding 
 localities, to have found the path which led to the 
 dwelling of Colonel Howard. After some little 
 search, this desirable object was effected, and the 
 civilian led the way, with rapid strides, towards 
 the Abbey. 
 
 " Ay, ay !" said Tom, who followed his steps, 
 and equalled his paces, without any apparent ef 
 fort, " you shore-people have an easy way to find 
 your course and distance, when you get into the 
 track. I was once left by the craft I belonged to, 
 in Boston, to find my way to Plymouth, which is 
 a matter of fifteen leagues, or thereaway ; and, 
 so finding nothing was bound up the bay, after 
 lying-by for a week, J concluded to haul aboard 
 my land-tacks. I spent the better part of ano 
 ther week in a search for some hooker, on board 
 which I might work my passage across the coun 
 try, for money was as scarce then with old Tom 
 Coffin as it is now, and is likely to be, unless the 
 fisheries get a good luff soon ; but it seems that 
 nothing but your horse-flesh, and horned cattle, 
 and jack-asses, are privileged to do the pulling 
 and hauling in your shore-hookers ; and I was 
 forced to pay a week s wages for a birth, besides 
 keeping a banyan on a mouthful of bread and 
 cheese, from the time we hove-up in Boston, till 
 we came-to in Plymouth town." 
 
 " It was certainly an unreasonable exaction, on 
 the part of the waggoners, fi;om a man in your si 
 tuation," said Dillon, in a friendly, soothing tone 
 of voice, that denoted a willingness to pursue the 
 conversation. 
 
 " My situation was that of a cabin passenger," 
 o 
 
54 THE PILOT. 
 
 returned the cockswain ; " for there was but one 
 hand forward, beside the cattle I mentioned thai 
 was he who steered and an easy birth he had of 
 it ; for there his course lay a-tween walls of stone, 
 and fences ; and, as for his reckoning, why, they 
 had stuck up bits of stone on end, with his day s 
 woik footed up, ready to his hand, every half 
 league or so. Besides, the land-marks were so 
 plenty, that a man, with half-an-eye, might steer 
 her, and no fear of getting to leeward." 
 
 " You must have found yourself, as it were in a 
 new world," observed Dillon. 
 
 " Why, to me, it was pretty much the same as 
 if I had been set afloat in a strange country, 
 though I may be said to be a native of those 
 parts, being born on the coast. I had often heard 
 shore-men say, that there was as much arth 
 as water in the world, which I always set down 
 as a rank lie, for I ve sailed with a flowing sheet 
 months an-end, without falling in with as much 
 land or rock as would answer a gull to lay its eggs 
 on ; but I will own, that a-tween Boston arid Ply 
 mouth, we were out-of-sight of water for as much 
 as two full watches !" 
 
 Dillon pursued this interesting subject with 
 great diligence ; and by the time they reached the 
 wall, which enclosed the large paddock that sur 
 rounded the Abbey, the cockswain was deeply 
 involved in a discussion of the comparative mag 
 nitude of the Atlantic Ocean and the Continent of 
 America. 
 
 Avoiding the principal entrance to the building, 
 through the great gates which communicated 
 with the court in front, Dillon followed the wind 
 ings of the wall until it led them to a w 7 icket. 
 which he knew was seldom closed for the night, 
 unjil the hour for general rest had arrived. Their 
 
THE PILOT. 55 
 
 way now lay in the rear of the principal edifice, 
 and soon conducted them to the confused pile 
 which contained the offices. The cockswain fol 
 lowed his companion with a confiding reliance on 
 his knowledge and good faith, that was a good 
 deal increased by the freedom of communication 
 that had been maintained during their walk from 
 the cliffs. He did not perceive any thing ex 
 traordinary in the other s stopping at the room, 
 which had been provided as a sort of barracks 
 for the soldiers of Captain Borroughcliife. A 
 conference which took place between Dillon and 
 the sergeant was soon ended, when the former 
 beckoned to the cockswain to follow, and, taking 
 a circuit round the whole of the offices, they en 
 tered the Abbey together, by the door through 
 which the ladies had issued, w T hen in quest of the 
 three prisoners, as has been already related. 
 After a turn or two among the narrow passages 
 of that part of the edifice, Tom, whose faith in 
 the facilities of land navigation began to be a 
 little shaken, found himself following his guide 
 through a long, dark gallery, that was terminated 
 at the end toward which they were approaching^ 
 by a half-open door, that admitted a glimpse into a 
 well-lighted and comfortable apartment, To this 
 door Dillon hastily advanced, and, throwing it 
 open, the cockswain enjoyed a full view of the 
 very scene that w r e described, in introducing Col. 
 Howard to the acquaintance of the reader, and 
 under circumstances of great similitude. The 
 cheerful fire of coal, the strong and glaring lights^ 
 the tables of polished mahogany, and the blushing 
 fluids, were still the same in appearance, while 
 the only perceptible change was in the number of 
 those who partook of the cheer. The master of 
 i.ho mansion, and Borroughcliffe, were seated op- 
 
56 THE PILOT. 
 
 posite to each other, employed in discussing the 
 events of the day, and diligently pushing to and 
 fro the glittering vessel, that contained a portion 
 of the generous liquor they both loved so well ; a 
 task which each moment rendered lighter. 
 
 " If Kit would but return," exclaimed the vete 
 ran, whose back was to the opening door, " bringing 
 with him his honest brows encircled, as they will 
 be, or ought to be, with laurel, I should be the 
 happiest old fool, Borroughdiffe, in his majesty s 
 realm of Great Britain !" 
 
 The captain, who felt the necessity for the un 
 natural restraint he had imposed on his thirst, to 
 be removed by the capture of his enemies, pointed 
 towards the door with one hand, while he grasped 
 the sparkling reservoir of the " south side" with 
 the other, and answered 
 
 "Lo! the Cacique himself! his brow inviting 
 the diadem ha ! who have we in his highness s 
 train ? By the Lord, sir Cacique, if you travel 
 with a body guard of such grenadiers, old Frede 
 ric of Prussia himself will have occasion to envy 
 you the corps ! a clear six-footer in nature s stock 
 ings ! and the arms as unique as the armed !" 
 
 The colonel did not, however, attend to half of 
 his companion s exclamations, but turning, he be 
 held the individual he had so much desired, and 
 received him with a delight proportioned to the 
 unexpectedness of the pleasure. For several 
 minutes, Dillon was compelled to listen to the 
 rapid questions of his venerable relative, to all of 
 which he answered with a prudent reserve, that 
 might, in some measure, have been governed by 
 the presence of the cockswain. Tom stood with 
 infinite composure, leaning on his harpoon, and 
 surveying, with a countenance where wonder was 
 singularly blended with contempt, the furniture 
 
THE PILOT. 57 
 
 and arrangements of an apartment that was far 
 more splendid than any he had before seen. In 
 the mean time, Borroughcliffe entirely disregard 
 ed the private communications that passed be 
 tween his host and Dillon, which gradually be 
 came more deeply interesting, and finally drew 
 them to a distant corner of the apartment, but 
 taking a most undue advantage of the absence of 
 the gentleman, who had so lately been his boon 
 companion, he swallowed one potation after an 
 other, as if a double duty had devolved on him, 
 in consequence of the desertion of the veteran. 
 Whenever his eye did wander from the ruby tints 
 of his glass, it was to survey, with unrepressed 
 admiration, the inches of the cockswain, about 
 whose stature and frame there were numberless 
 excellent points to attract the gaze of a recruiting 
 officer. From this double pleasure, the captain 
 was, however, at. last summoned, to participate in 
 the councils of his friends. 
 
 Dillon was spared the disagreeable duty of re 
 peating the artful tale he had found it necessary 
 to palm on the colonel, by the ardour of the vete 
 ran himself, who executed the task in a manner 
 that gave to the treachery of his kinsman every 
 appearance of a justifiable artifice and of unshaken 
 :r zeal in the cause of his prince. In substance, 
 J Tom w r as to be detained as a prisoner, and the 
 I party of Barnstable were to be entrapped, and of 
 I course to share a similar fate. The sunken eye 
 I of Dillon cowered before the steady gaze which 
 Borroughcliffe fastened on him, as the latter lis 
 tened to the plaudits the colonel lavished on his 
 cousin s ingenuity ; but the hesitation that lingered 
 in the soldier s manner vanished, when he turned 
 to examine their unsuspecting prisoner, who was 
 continuing his survey of the apartment, while he 
 
58 THE PILOT. 
 
 innocently imagined the consultations he witnessed 
 were merely the proper and preparatory steps to 
 his admission into the presence of Mr. Griffith. 
 
 " Drill," said Borroughcliffe, aloud, " advance 
 and receive your orders. The cockswain turned 
 quickly, at this sudden mandate, and for the first 
 time, perceived that he had heen followed into the 
 gallery, by the orderly, and two files of the re 
 cruits, armed. " Take this man to the guard 
 room, and feed him ; and see that he dies not of 
 thirst." 
 
 There was nothing alarming in this order ; and 
 Tom was following the soldiers, in obedience to a 
 gesture from their captain, when their steps were 
 arrested in the gallery, by the cry of " Halt." 
 
 " On recollection, Drill," said Borroughcliffe, 
 in a tone from which all dictatorial sounds were 
 banished, " show the gentleman into my own 
 room, and see him properly supplied." 
 
 The orderly gave such an intimation of his 
 comprehending the meaning of his officer, as the 
 latter was accustomed to receive, when Borrough 
 cliffe returned to his bottle, and the cockswain 
 followed his guide, with an alacrity and good will 
 that were not a little increased by the repeated 
 mention of the cheer that awaited him. 
 
 Luckily for the impatience of Tom, the quar 
 ters of the captain were at hand, and the promised 
 entertainment by no means slow in making its 
 appearance. The former was an apartment that 
 opened from a lesser gallery, w T hich communicated 
 with the principal passage already mentioned ; and 
 the latter was a bountiful but ungarnished supply 
 of that staple of the British isles, called roast 
 beef: of which the kitchen of Colonel Howard 
 was never without a due and loyal provision. 
 The sergeant, who certainly understood one of the 
 
THE PILOT. 59 
 
 signs of his captain to imply an attack on the cita 
 del of the cockswain s brain, mingled, with his 
 own hands, a potation, that he styled a rummer of 
 grog, and which he thought would have felled 
 the animal itself that Tom was so diligently mas 
 ticating, had it been alive, and in its vigour. 
 Every calculation that was made on the infirmity 
 of the cockswain s intellect, under the stimulus 
 of Jamaica, was, however, futile. He swallowed 
 glass after glass, with prodigious relish, but, at 
 the same time, with immoveable steadiness ; and 
 the eyes of the sergeant, who felt it incumbent 
 to do honour to his own cheer, were already 
 glistening in his head, when, happily for the credit 
 of his heart, a tap at the door announced the pre 
 sence of his captain, and relieved him from the 
 impending disgrace of being drunk blind by a 
 recruit. 
 
 As Borroughcliife entered the apartment, he 
 commanded his orderly to retire, adding 
 
 " Mr. Dillon will give you instructions, which 
 you are implicitly to obey." 
 
 Drill, who had sense enough remaining to 
 apprehend the displeasure of his officer, should 
 the latter discover his condition, quickened his 
 departure, and the cockswain soon found himself 
 alone with the captain. The vigour of Tom s 
 attacks on the remnants of the sirloin was now 
 much abated, leaving in its place that placid quiet 
 which is apt to linger about the palate, long after 
 the cravings of the appetite ho.ve been appeased. 
 He had seated himself on one of the trunks of Bor- 
 ^ roughcliffe, utterly disdaining the use of P. chair, 
 / and, with the trencher in his lap, was using his own 
 I jack-knife on the dilapidated fragment of the ox, 
 1 with something of that nicety with which the fe 
 male goule, of the Arabian Tales, might be supposed 
 
60 THS PILOT. 
 
 to pick her rice with the point of her bodkin. 
 The captain drew a seat nigh the cockswain, 
 and, with a familiarity and kindness infinitely con 
 descending, when the difference in their several 
 conditions is considered, he commenced the fol 
 lowing dialogue : 
 
 " I hope you have found your entertainment to 
 your liking, Mr. a a I must own my ignorance 
 of your name." 
 
 " Tom," said the cockswain, keeping his eyes 
 roaming over the contents of the trencher ; " com 
 monly called long Tom by my shipmates." 
 
 " You have sailed with discreet men, and able 
 navigators, it will seem, as they understand longi 
 tude so well," rejoined the captain ; " but you have 
 a patronymick 1 would say, another name ?" 
 
 " Coffin," returned the cockswain ; " I m called 
 Tom, when there is any hurry, such as letting go 
 the haulyards, or a sheet ; long Tom, when they 
 want to get to windward of an old seaman, by 
 fair weather ; and long Tom Coffin, when they 
 wish to hail me, so that none of my cousins of 
 the same name, about the islands, shall answer ; 
 for I believe the best man among them can t mea 
 sure much over a kthom, taking him from his 
 head-works to his heel." 
 
 " You are a most deserving fellow," fried Bor- 
 roughcliffe, " and it is painful to think to what a fate 
 the treachery of Mr. Dillon has consigned you." 
 
 The suspicions of Tom, if he ever entertained 
 any, were lulled to rest too effectually by the 
 kindness he had received, to be awakened by this 
 equivocal lament ; he, therefore, after renewing 
 his intimacy with the rummer, contented himself 
 by saying, with a satisfied simplicity 
 
 " I am consigned to no one, carrying no cargo 
 but this Mr. Dillon ; who is to give me Mr. Grif- 
 
THE PILOT. 61 
 
 fith in exchange, or go back to the Ariel himself, 
 as my prisoner." 
 
 "Ah ! my good friend, I fear you will find, when 
 the time comes to make this exchange, that he 
 will refuse to do either." 
 
 "But, I ll be d d if he don t do one of 
 
 them ! my orders are to see it done, and back he 
 goes ; or Mr. Griffith, who is as good a seaman, 
 for his years, as ever trod a deck, slips his cable 
 from this here anchorage." 
 
 Borroughcliffe affected to eye his companion 
 with great commiseration ; an exhibition of com 
 passion that was, however, completely lost on the 
 cockswain, w r hose nerves were strung to their hap 
 piest tension, by his repeated libations, while his 
 wit was, if any thing, quickened by the same 
 cause, though his own want of guile rendered him 
 slow to comprehend its existence in others. Per 
 ceiving it necessary to speak plainly, the captain 
 renewed the attack in a more direct manner 
 
 " I am sorry to say that you will not be per 
 mitted to return to the Ariel, and that your com 
 mander, Mr. Barnstable, will be a prisoner within 
 the hour ; and in fact, that your schooner will be 
 taken, before the morning breaks." 
 
 " Who ll take her ?" asked the cockswain, with 
 a grim smile, on whose feelings, however, this 
 combination of threatened calamities was beginning 
 to make some impression. 
 
 " You must remember, that she lies immediate 
 ly under the heavy guns of a batteiy that can 
 sink her in a few minutes ; an express has already 
 been sent to acquaint the commander of the work 
 with the Ariel s true character ; and as the wind 
 has already begun to blow from the ocean, hei 
 escape is impossible." 
 
 The tiuth, together with its portentous conse- 
 
 VOL. it, 6 
 
62 THE PILOT. 
 
 quences, now began to glare across the faculties of 
 the cockswain. He remembered his own prognos 
 tics on the weather, and the helpless situation of 
 the schooner, deprived of more than half her crew, 
 and left to the keeping of a boy, while her com 
 mander himself was on the eve of captivity. The 
 trencher fell from his lap to the floor, his head 
 sunk on his knees, his face was concealed between 
 his broad palms, and in spite of every effort the 
 old seaman could make to conceal his emotion, he 
 fairly groaned aloud. 
 
 For a moment, the better feelings of Bor- 
 roughcliffe prevailed, and he paused, as he wit 
 nessed this exhibition of suffering in one whose 
 head was already sprinkled with the marks of time ; 
 but his habits, and the impressions left by many 
 years passed in collecting victims for the wars, soon 
 resumed their ascendency, and the recruiting 
 officer diligently addressed himself to an improve 
 ment of his advantage. 
 
 " I pity, from my heart, the poor lads whom 
 artifice or mistaken notions of duty may have 
 led astray, and who will thus be taken in arms 
 against their sovereign ; but as they are found m 
 the very island of Britain, they must be made ex- 
 amples to deter others. I fear, that unless they 
 can make their peace with government, they will 
 all be condemned to death." 
 
 " Let them make their peace with God, then ; 
 your government can do but little to clear the log, 
 account of a man whose watch is up for this world. 
 
 " But, by making their peace with those who 
 have the power, their lives may be spared," said 
 the captain, watching, with keen eyes, the effect 
 his words produced on the cockswain. 
 
 " It matters but little when a man hears the 
 pipe his hammock down for the last 
 
THE PILOT. 63 
 
 time ; he keeps his watch in another world, though 
 he goes below in this. But to see wood and iron, 
 that has been put together after such moulds as 
 the Ariel s, go into strange hands, is a blow that a 
 man may remember long after the purser s books 
 have been squared against his name for ever ! I 
 would rather that twenty shot should strike my 
 old carcass, than one should hull the schooner 
 that didn t pass out above her water-line." 
 
 Borroughcliffe replied, somewhat carelessly, 
 " I may be mistaken, after all ; and, instead of 
 putting any of you to death, they may place you 
 all on board the prison-ships, where you may 
 yet have a merry time of it, these ten or fifteen 
 years to come." 
 
 " How s that, shipmate !" cried the cockswain, 
 with a start ; " a prison-ship, d ye say ? you may 
 tell them they can save the expense of one man s 
 rations, by hanging him, if they please, and that is 
 old Tom Coffin." 
 
 " There is no answering for their caprice : to 
 day, they may order a dozen of you to be shot for 
 rebels ; to-morrow they may choose to consider you 
 as prisoners of war, and send you to the hulks for 
 a dozen years." 
 
 " Tell them, brother, that I m a rebel, will ye ? 
 and ye ll tell em no lie one that has fou t them 
 since Manly s time, in Boston bay, to this hour. 
 I hope the boy will blow her up ! it would be the 
 death of poor Richard Barnstable, to see her in 
 the hands of the English !" 
 
 " I know of one way," said Borrougiicliffe, 
 affecting to muse, " and but one, that will certainly 
 avert the prison-ship ; for, on second thoughts, 
 they will hardly put you to death." 
 
 " Name it, friend," cried the cockswain, rising 
 
64 THE PILOT. 
 
 from his seat in evident perturbation, " and if it 
 lies in the power of man, it shall be done." 
 
 " Nay," said the captain, dropping his hand fa 
 miliarly on the shoulder of the other-, who listened 
 with the most eager attention, " tis easily done, 
 and no dreadful thing in itself; you are used to 
 gunpowder, and know its smell from otto of roses?" 
 
 " Ay, ay," cried the impatient old seaman ; " I 
 have had it flashing under my nose by the hour ; 
 what then ?" 
 
 " Why, then, what I have to propose will be 
 nothing to a man like you you found the beef 
 wholesome, and the grog mellow ?" 
 
 " Ay, ay, all well enough ; but what is that to 
 an old sailor ?" asked the cockswain, unconsciously 
 grasping the collar of Borroughcliffe s coat, in his 
 agitation ; " what then ?" 
 
 The captain manifested no displeasure at this 
 unexpected familiarity, but smiled, with suavity, 
 as he unmasked the battery, from behind which he 
 had hitherto carried on his attacks. 
 
 " Why, then, you have only to serve your 
 King, as you have before served the Congress 
 and let me be the man to show you your colours." 
 
 The cockswain stared at the speaker intently, 
 but it was evident he did not clearly comprehend 
 the nature of the proposition, and the captain pur 
 sued the subject 
 
 " In plain English, enlist in my company, my 
 fine fellow, and your life and liberty are both eafe." 
 
 Tom did not laugh aloud, for that was a burst 
 of feeling in which he was seldom known to in 
 dulge, but every feature of his weather-beaten 
 visage contracted into an expression of bitter, 
 ironical contempt. Borroughcliffe felt the iron 
 fingers, that still grasped his collar, gradually 
 
THE PILOT. 65 
 
 tightening about his throat, like a vice, and, as the 
 arm slowly contracted, his body was drawn, by a 
 power that it was in vain to resist, close to that of 
 the cockswain, who, when their faces were within 
 a foot of each other, gave vent to his emotions in 
 words : 
 
 " A messmate, before a shipmate ; a shipmate, 
 before a stranger ; a stranger, before a dog but 
 a dog before a soldier !" 
 
 As Tom concluded, his nervous arm was sud 
 denly extended to the utmost, the fingers relin 
 quishing their grasp at the same time, and, when 
 Borroughcliffe recovered his disordered faculties, 
 he found himself in a distant corner of the apart 
 ment, prostrate among a conf :sed pile of chairs, 
 tables, and wearing apparel. In endeavouring 
 to rise from this humble posture, the hand of the 
 captain fell on the hilt of his sword, which had 
 been included in the confused assemblage of arti 
 cles produced by his overthrow. 
 
 " How now, scoundrel !" he cried, baring the 
 glittering weapon, and springing on his feet ; "you 
 must be taught your distance, I perceive." 
 
 The cockswain seized the harpoon which lean 
 ed against the wall, and dropped its barbed ex 
 tremity within a foot of the breast of his assail 
 ant, with an expression of the eye that denoted 
 the danger of a nearer approach. The captain, 
 however, wanted not for courage, and, stung to 
 the quick by the insult he had received, he made 
 a desperate parry, and attempted to pass within 
 the point of the novel weapon of his adversary. 
 The slight shock was followed by a sweeping 
 whirl of the harpoon, and Borroughcliffe found 
 himself without arms, completely at the mercy of 
 his foe. The bloody intentions of Tom vanish 
 ed with his success; for, laying aside his wea- 
 6* 
 
66 THE PILOT. 
 
 pon, he advanced upon his antagonist, and seized 
 him with an open palm. One more struggle, in 
 which the captain discovered his incompetency 
 to make any defence against the strength of a 
 man who managed him as if he had been a child, 
 decided the matter. When the captain was passive 
 in the hands of his foe, the cockswain produced 
 sundry pieces of sennit, marline, and ratlin-stuff, 
 from his pockets, which appeared to contain as 
 great a variety of small cordage as a boatswain s 
 store-room, and proceeded to lash the arms of the 
 conquered soldier to the posts of his bed, with a 
 coolness that had not been disturbed since the com 
 mencement of hostilities, a silence that seemed in 
 flexible, and a dexterity that none but a seaman 
 could equal. When this part of his plan was ex 
 ecuted, Tom paused a moment, and gazed around 
 him as if in quest of something. The naked 
 sword caught his eye, and, with this weapon in his 
 hand, he deliberately approached his captive, 
 whose alarm prevented his observing, that the 
 cockswain had snapped the blade asunder from 
 the handle, and that he had already encircled the 
 latter with marline. 
 
 " For God s sake," exclaimed Borroughclifle, 
 u murder me not in cold blood !" 
 
 The silver hilt entered his mouth as the words 
 issued from it, and the captain found, while the line 
 was passed and repassed, in repeated involutions 
 across the back of his neck, that he was in a con 
 dition to which he often subjected his own men, 
 when unruly, and which is universally called be 
 ing " gagged." The cockswain now appeared to 
 think himself entitled to all the privileges of a 
 conqueror ; for, taking the light in his hand, he 
 commenced a scrutiny into the nature and quality 
 of the worldly effects that lay at his mercy 
 
THE PILOT. 67 
 
 Sundry articles, that belonged to the equipments 
 of a soldier, were examined, and cast aside with 
 great contempt, and divers garments of plainer 
 exterior were rejected as unsuited to the frame of 
 the victor. He, however, soon encountered two 
 articles, of a metal that is universally under 
 stood. But uncertainty as to their use appeared 
 greatly to embarrass him. The circular prongs 
 of these curiosities were applied to either hand, 
 to the wrists, and even to the nose, and the little 
 wheels, at their opposite extremity, were turned 
 and examined with as much curiosity and care, 
 as a savage would expend on a watch, until the 
 idea seemed to cross the mind of the honest sea 
 man, that they formed part of the useless trap 
 pings of a military man, and he cast them aside, 
 also, as utterly worthless. BoiTOiighcliffe, who 
 "? watched every movement of his conqueror, with 
 * a good humour that would have restored perfect 
 harmony between them, could he but have ex 
 pressed half what he felt, witnessed the safety of a 
 favourite pair of spurs with much pleasure, though 
 nearly suffocated by the mirth that was unnaturally 
 repressed. At length, the cockswain found a pair 
 of handsomely mounted pistols, a sort of weapon 
 with which he seemed quite familiar. They were 
 loaded, and the knowledge of that fact appeared 
 to remind Tom of the necessity of departing, 
 by bringing to his recollection the danger of his 
 commander and the Ariel. He thrust the wea 
 pons into the canvass belt that encircled his body, 
 and, grasping his harpoon, approached the bed, 
 where Borroughcliffe was seated in duresse. 
 
 " Harkye, friend," said the cockswain, a may 
 the Lord forgive you, as I do, for wishing to 
 make a soldier of a sea-faring man, and one who 
 has followed the waters since he w r as an hour old. 
 
63 THE PILOT. 
 
 and one who hopes to die off soundings, and to be 
 buried in brine. I wish you no harm, friend; but 
 you ll have to keep a stopper on your conver 
 sation till such time as some of your messmates 
 call in this way, which I hope will be as soon after 
 I get an offing as may be." 
 
 With these amicable wishes, the cockswain de 
 parted, leaving Borroughcliffe the light, and the 
 undisturbed possession of his apartment, though 
 not in the most easy or the most enviable situa 
 tion imaginable. The captain heard the bolt of 
 his lock turn, and the key rattle as the cock 
 swain withdrew it from the door two precau 
 tionary steps, which clearly indicated that the van 
 quisher deemed it prudent to secure his retreat, 
 by insuring the detention of the vanquished, for 
 at least a time. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 Whilst Vengeance, in the lurid air, 
 Lifts her red arm, expos d and bare ; * 
 Who, Fear, this ghastly train can see, 
 And look not madly wild, like theo ?" 
 
 Collins. 
 
 IT is certain that Tom Coffin had devised no 
 settled plan of operations, when he issued from 
 the apartment of Borrougncliffe, if we except a 
 most resolute determination to make the best of 
 his way to the Ariel, and to share her fate, let it 
 be either to sink or swim. But this was a resolu 
 tion much easier formed by the honest seaman 
 than executed, in his present situation. He. would 
 have found it less difficult to extricate a vessel 
 from the dangerous shoals of the " Devil s Grip," 
 than to thread the mazes of the labyrinth of 
 passages, galleries, and apartments, in which he 
 found himself involved. He remembered, as he 
 expressed it to himself, in a low soliloquy, "to 
 have run into a narrow passage from the main 
 channel, but whether he had sheered to the star 
 board or larboard hand," was a material fact, 
 that had entirely escaped his memory. Tom was 
 in that part of the building that Colonel Howard 
 had designated as the " cloisters," and in which, 
 luckily for him, he was but little liable to encounter 
 any foe ; the room occupied by Borroughcliffe 
 being the only one in the entire wing that was 
 
70 THE PILOT. 
 
 not exclusively devoted to the service of the 
 ladies. The circumstance of the soldier s being 
 permitted to invade this sanctuary, was owing to 
 the necessity, on the part of Colonel Howard, of 
 placing either Griffith, Manual, or the recruiting 
 officer, in the vicinity of his wards, or of subjecting 
 his prisoners to a treatment that the veteran would 
 have thought unworthy of his name and character* 
 This recent change in the quarters of Borrough- 
 cliffe operated doubly to the advantage of Tonij 
 by lessening the chance of the speedy release of 
 his uneasy captive, as well as by diminishing his 
 own danger. Of the former circumstance he was$ 
 however, not aware ; and the consideration of the 
 latter was a sort of reflection to which the cock 
 swain was, in no degree, addicted. 
 
 Following, necessarily, the line of the wall, he 
 soon emerged from the dark and narrow passage 
 hi which he had first found himself, and entered 
 the principal gallery, that communicated with all 
 the lower apartments of that wing, as well as 
 with the main body of the edifice. An open 
 door, through which a strong light was glaring, 
 at a distant end of this gallery, instantly caught 
 his eye. and the old seaman had not advanced 
 many steps towards it, before he discovered that 
 he was approaching the very room which had so 
 much excited his curiosity, and by the identical 
 passage through which he had entered the Abbey. 
 t To turn, and retrace his steps, was the most ob 
 vious course for any man to take, who felt anx 
 ious to escape ; but the sounds of high convivia 
 lity, bursting from the cheerful apartment, among 
 which the cockswain thought he distinguished 
 the name of Griffith, determined Tom to advance 
 and reconnoitre the scene more closely. The 
 reader will anticipate that when he paused in the 
 
THE PILOT. 71 
 
 I 
 
 shadow, the doubting old seaman stood once more 
 near the threshold which he had so lately crossed, 
 when conducted to the room of BorroughclifFe. 
 The seat of that gentleman was now occupied hy 
 Dillon, and Col. Howard had resumed his wonted 
 station at the foot of the table. The noise was 
 chiefly made by the latter, who had evidently been 
 enjoying a more minute relation of the means by 
 which his kinsman had entrapped his unwary 
 enemy. 
 
 " A noble ruse !" cried the veteran, as Tom 
 assumed his post, in ambush ; " a most noble and 
 ingenious ruse, and such a one as would have 
 baffled Ca3sar ! He must have been a cunning 
 dog, that Ccesar; but I do think, Kit, you would 
 have been too much for him ; hang me, if I don t 
 think you would have puzzled Wolfe himself, had 
 you held Quebec, instead of Montcalm ! Ah, 
 boy, we want you in the colonies, with the ermine 
 over your shoulders ; such men as you, cousin 
 Christopher, are sadly, sadly wanted there to de 
 fend his majesty s rights." 
 
 " Indeed, dear sir, your partiality gives me 
 credit for qualities I do not possess," said Dillon, 
 dropping his eyes, perhaps with a feeling of con 
 scious unworthiness, but with an air of much hu 
 mility ; " the little justifiable artifice " 
 
 " Ay ! there lies the beauty of fehe transaction, 
 
 interrupted the colonel, shoving the bottle from 
 
 him, with the free, open air of a man who never 
 
 ^harboured disguise; "you told no lie; no mean 
 
 / deception, that any dog, however base and un~ 
 
 j worthy, might invent ; but you practised a neat 3 
 
 I a military, a a yes, a classical deception on 
 
 [ your enemy, a classical deception, that is the 
 
 very term for it! such a deception as Pompey, 
 
 or Mark Antony, or or you know those old 
 
f- 
 
 72 THE PILOT. 
 
 fellows names better than I do, Kit; but name 
 the cleverest fellow that ever lived in Greece or 
 Rome, and I shall say he is a dunce, compared to 
 you. Twas a real Spartan trick, both simple and 
 honest." 
 
 It was extremely fortunate for Dillon, that the 
 animation of his aged kinsman kept his head and 
 body in such constant motion, during this apos 
 trophe, as to intercept the aim that the cock 
 swain was deliberately taking at his head with 
 one of Borrougheliffe s pistols; and perhaps the 
 sense of shame which induced him to sink his face 
 on his hands, was another means of saving his life^ 
 by giving the indignant old seaman time for re 
 flection. 
 
 " But you have not spoken of the ladies," said 
 Dillon, after a moment s pause ; " I should hope, 
 they have borne the alarm of the day like kins 
 women of the family of Howard." 
 
 The colonel glanced his eyes around him, as if to 
 assure himself they were alone, and dropped his 
 voice, as he answered 
 
 " Ah, Kit ! they have come to, since this rebel 
 scoundrel, Griffith, has been brought into the 
 Abbey ; we were favoured with the company of 
 even Miss Howard, in the dining-room, to-day. 
 There was a good deal of c dear uncleing, and 
 4 fears that my life might be exposed by the quar 
 rels and skirmishes of these desperadoes who 
 have landed ; as if an old fellow, who served 
 through the whole war, from 56 to 63, was afraid 
 to let his nose smell gunpowder any more than if 
 it were snuff? But it will be a hard matter to 
 wheedle an old soldier out of his allegiance ! This 
 Griffith goes to the Tower, at least, Mr. Dillon." 
 
 " It would be advisable to commit his person to 
 the civil authority, without delay." 
 
THE PILOT. 73 
 
 u To the constable of the Tower, the Earl Corn- 
 wallis, a good and loyal nobleman, who is, at 
 this moment, fighting the rebels in my own native 
 province, Christopher," interrupted the colonel; 
 " that will be what I call retributive justice ; 
 but," continued the veteran, rising with an air of 
 gentlemanly dignity, " it will not do to permit 
 even the constable of the Tower of London to 
 surpass the master of St. Ruth in hospitality and 
 kindness to his prisoners. I have ordered suitable 
 refreshments to their apartments, and it is incum 
 bent on me to see that my commands have been 
 properly obeyed. Arrangements must also be 
 made for the reception of this Captain Barnstable, 
 whr will, doubtless, soon be here." 
 
 " Witl> n the hour, at farthest," said Dillon, 
 looking uneasily at his watch. 
 
 " We must be stirring, boy," continued the 
 colonel, moving towards the door that led to the 
 apartments of his prisoners ; " but there is a 
 courtesy due to the ladies, as well as to those un 
 fortunate violators of the laws go, Christopher, 
 convey my kindest wishes to Cecilia; she don t 
 deserve them, the obstinate vixen, but then she is 
 my brother Harry s child ! and while there, you 
 arch dog, plead your own cause. Mark Antony 
 was a fool to you at a c ruse, and yet Mark was 
 one of your successful suitors, too ; there was that 
 Queen of the Pyramids " 
 
 The door closed on the excited veteran, at these 
 words, and Dillon was left standing by himself, 
 at the side of the table, musing, as if in doubt, 
 whether to venture on the step that his kinsman 
 had proposed, or not. 
 
 The greater part of the preceding discourse was 
 unintelligible to the cockswain, who had waited its 
 termination with extraordinary patience., in hopes 
 
 vor,. n. 7 
 
74 THE PILOT. 
 
 he might obtain some information that he could 
 render of service to the captives. Before he had 
 time to decide on what was now best for him to 
 do, Dillon suddenly determined to venture him 
 self in the cloisters ; and, swallowing a couple of 
 glasses of wine in a breath, he passed the hesi 
 tating cockswain, who was concealed by the open 
 ing door, so closely as to brush his person, and 
 moved down the gallery with those rapid strides, 
 w r hich men, who act under the impulse of forced 
 resolutions, are very apt to assume, as if to con 
 ceal their weakness from themselves. Tom hesi 
 tated no longer, but aiding the impulse given to 
 the door by Dillon, as he passed, so as to darken 
 the passage, he followed the sounds of the other s 
 footsteps, while he trod, in the manner already 
 described, the stone pavement of the gallery. 
 Dillon paused an instant at the turning that led to 
 the room of Borroughcliffe, but whether irresolute 
 which way to urge his steps, or listening to the 
 incautious and heavy tread of the cockswain, is 
 not known ; if the latter, he mistook them for the 
 echoes of his own footsteps, and moved forward 
 again without making any discovery. 
 
 The light tap which Dillon gave on the door 
 of the withdrawing-room of the cloisters, was 
 answered by the soft voice of Cecilia Howard 
 herself, who bid the applicant enter. There was 
 a slight confusion evident in the manner of the 
 gentleman as he complied with the bidding, and in 
 its hesitancy, the door was, for an instant, neglect 
 ed. 
 
 " I come, Miss Howard," said Dillon, " by the 
 commands of your uncle, and, permit me to add, 
 by my own 
 
 " May Heaven shield us !" exclaimed Cecilia, 
 clasping her hands in affright, and rising involun 
 
THE PILOT. 75 
 
 fcarily from her couch ; " are we, too, to be impri 
 soned and murdered ?" 
 
 " Surely Miss Howard will not impute to me" 
 Dillon paused, observing that the wild Jooks- 
 not only of Cecilia, but of Katherine and Alice 
 Dunscombe, also, were directed at some other ob 
 ject, and turning, to his manifest terror he beheld 
 the gigantic frame of the cockswain, surmounted 
 by an iron visage fixed in settled hostility, in pos 
 session of the only passage from the apartment. 
 
 " If there s murder to be done," said Torn, af 
 ter surveying the astonished group with a stern 
 eye, " it s as likely this here liar will be the one 
 to do it, as another ; but you have nothing to fear 
 from a man who has followed the seas too long, 
 and has grappled with too many monsters, both 
 fish and flesh, not to know how to treat a help 
 less woman. None, who know him, will say that, 
 Thomas Coffin ever used uncivil language, or un- 
 seaman-like conduct, to any of his mother s kind." 
 " Coffin !" exclaimed Katherine, advancing with 
 a more confident air, from the corner, into which 
 terror had driven her with her companions. 
 
 " Ay, Coffin," continued the old sailor, his 
 
 grim features gradually relaxing, as he gazed on 
 
 her bright looks;." tis a solemn word, but it s a 
 
 name that passes over the shoals, among the islands, 
 
 and along the cape, oftener than any other. My 
 
 father was a Coffin, and my mother was a Joy ; 
 
 and the two names can count moKe flukes than 
 
 *> all the rest in the island together ; though the 
 
 <J Worths, arid the Gar ners, and the Swaines, dart 
 
 ) better harpoons, and set truer lances, than any men 
 
 ^ who come from the weather-side of the Atlantic." 
 
 Katherine listened to this digression in honour 
 
 \ of the whalers of Nantucket, with marked com- 
 
76 THE PILOT. 
 
 placency, and, when he concluded, she repeated, 
 slowly 
 
 " Coffin ! this, then, is long Tom !" 
 
 " Ay. ay, long Tom, and no sham in the name 
 cither, " returned the cockswain, suffering the 
 stern indignation that had lowered around his 
 hard visage, to relax into a low laugh, as he gazed 
 on her animated features ; " the Lord bless your 
 smiling face and bright black eyes, young madam ! 
 you have heard of old long Tom, then ? most 
 likely, twas something about the blow he strikes 
 at the fish ah ! I m old and I m stiff, now, young 
 madam, but, afore I was nineteen, I stood at the 
 head of the dance, at a ball on the cape, and that 
 with a partner almost as handsome as yourself 
 ay! and this was after I had three broad flukes 
 losjgM against my name." 
 
 " No," said Katherine, advancing in her eager 
 ness a step or two nigher to the old tar, her cheeks 
 flushing while she spoke, u I had heard of you as 
 an instructer in a seaman s duty, as the faithful 
 cockswain, nay, I may say, as the devoted com 
 panion and friend of Mr. Richard Barristable but, 
 perhaps, you come now as the bearer of some mes 
 sage or letter from that gentleman." 
 
 The sound of his commander s name sudden 
 ly revived the recollection of Coffin, and with it, 
 all the fierce sternness of his manner returned. 
 Bending his eyes keenly on the cowering form of 
 Dillon, he said, in those deep, harsh tones, that 
 seem peculiar to men, who have braved the ele 
 ments, until they appear to have imbibed some of 
 their roughest qualities 
 
 " Liar ! how now ? what brought old Tom 
 Coffin into these shoals and narrow channels ? 
 was it a letter ? ha ! but by the Lord that maketh 
 
THE PILOT. 77 
 
 the winds to blow, and teacheth the lost mariner 
 how to steer over the wide waters, you shall 
 sleep this night, villain, on the planks of the 
 Ariel ; and if it be the will of God, that beautiful 
 piece of handicraft is to sink at her moorings, 
 like a worthless hulk, ye shall still sleep in her; 
 ay, and a sleep that shall not end. till they call 
 all hands, to foot up the day s-work of this Hie, at 
 the close of man s longest voyage." 
 
 The extraordinary vehemence, the language, 
 the attitude of the old seaman, commanding in its 
 energy, and the honest indignation that shone 
 in every look of his keen eyes, together with the 
 nature of the address, and its paralyzing effect on 
 Dillon, who quailed before it like the stricken 
 deer, united to keep the female listeners, for many 
 moments, silent through amazement. During 
 this brief period, Tom advanced upon his nerve 
 less victim, and lashing his arms together behind 
 his back, he fastened him, by a strong cord, to 
 the broad canvass belt that he constantly wore 
 around his own body, leaving to himself by this 
 arrangement, the free use of his arms and weapons 
 of offence, while he secured his captive. 
 
 " Surely," said Cecilia, recovering her recol 
 lection the first of the astonished group, "Mr. 
 Barnstable has not commissioned you to offer 
 this violence to my uncle s kinsman, under the 
 roof of Colonel Howard ? Miss Plowden, your 
 friend has strangely forgotten himself in this trans 
 action, if this man acts in obedience to his order !" 
 " My friend, my cousin Howard," returned 
 Katherine, " would nf ver commission his cock 
 swain, or any one, to do an unworthy deed. 
 Speak, honest sailor; why do you commit this 
 outrage on the worthy Mr. Dillon, Colonel How- 
 7* 
 
78 THE PILOT. 
 
 ard s kinsman, and a cupboard cousin of St. Ruth s 
 Abbey ?" 
 
 " Nay, Katherine " 
 
 " Nay, Cecilia, be patient, and let the stranger 
 have utterance ; he may solve the difficulty alto 
 gether." 
 
 The cockswain, understanding that an expla 
 nation was expected from his lips, addressed him 
 self to the task with an energy suitable both to 
 the subject and to his own feelings. In a very 
 few words, though a little obscured by his pecu 
 liar diction, he made his listeners understand the 
 confidence that Barnstable had reposed in Dillon, 
 and the treachery of the latter. They heard him 
 with increased astonishment, and Cecilia hardly al 
 lowed him time to conclude, before she exclaimed 
 
 u And did Colonel Howard, could Colonel How 
 ard listen to this treacherous project !" 
 
 " Ay, they spliced it together among them," re 
 turned Tom ; " though one part of this cruise will 
 turn out but badly." 
 
 " Even Borroughcliffe, cold and hardened as he 
 appears to be by habit, would spurn at such dis 
 honour," added Miss Howard. 
 
 " But, Mr. Barnstable ?" at length Katherine 
 succeeded in saying, when her feelings permitted 
 her utterance, " said you not, that soldiers were in 
 quest of him ? 5> 
 
 " Ay, ay, young madam," the cockswain repli 
 ed, smiling with grim ferocity, " they are in 
 chase, but he has shifted his anchorage ; and even 
 if they should find him, his long pikes would 
 make short work of a dozen red-coats. The 
 Lord of tempests and calms have mercy, though, 
 on the schooner! Ah, young madam, she is as 
 lovely to the eyes of an old seafaring man, as any 
 of your kind can be to human nature !" 
 
THE PILOT. 79 
 
 a But why this delay ? away then, honest Tom, 
 and reveal the treachery to your commander; you 
 may not yet be too late why delay a moment ?" 
 
 " The ship tarries for want of a pilot I could 
 carry three fathom over the shoals of Nantucket, 
 the darkest night that ever shut the windows of 
 heaven, but I should be likely to run upon break 
 ers in this navigation. As & was, I was near get 
 ting into company that I should have had to fight 
 my way out of." 
 
 " If that be all, follow me," cried the ardent 
 Katherine ; " I will conduct you to a path that 
 leads to the ocean, without approaching the sen 
 tinels." 
 
 Until this moment, Dillon had entertained a 
 secret expectation of a rescue, but when he heard 
 this proposal, he felt his blood retreating to his 
 heart, from every part of his agitated frame, and 
 his last hope seemed wrested from him. Raising 
 himself from the abject, shrinking attitude, in 
 which both shame and dread had conspired to keep 
 him as though he had been fettered to the spot, he 
 approached Cecilia, and cried, in tones of horror 
 
 " Do not, do not consent, Miss Howard, to 
 abandon rne to the fury of this man ! Your uncle, 
 your honourable uncle, even now, applauded and 
 united with me in my enterprise, which is no more 
 than a common artifice in war." 
 
 " My uncle would unite, Mr. Dillon, in no pro 
 ject of deliberate treachery, like this," said Ce 
 cilia, coldly. 
 
 " He did, I swear by " 
 
 " Liar !" interrupted the deep tones of the 
 cockswain. 
 
 Dillon shivered with agony and terror, while 
 the sounds of this appalling voice sunk into his in 
 most soul ; but as the gloom of the night, the 
 
80 THE PILOT. 
 
 secret ravines of the cliffs, and the turbulence of 
 the ocean, flashed across his imagination, he again 
 yielded to a dread of the horrors to which he 
 should be exposed, in encountering them at the 
 mercy of his powerful enemy, and he continued 
 his solicitations 
 
 " Hear me, once more hear me Miss Howard, 
 I beseech you, hear me ! Am I not of your own 
 blood and country ? will you see me abandoned 
 to the wild, merciless, malignant fury of this man, 
 who will transfix me w^ith that oh, God ! if you 
 had but seen the sight I beheld HI the Alacrity ! 
 hear me, Miss Howard, for the love you bear 
 your Maker, intercede for me ! Mr. Griffith shall 
 be released " 
 
 " Liar !" again interrupted the cockswain. 
 
 " What promises he ?" asked Cecilia, turning her 
 averted face once more at the miserable captive. 
 
 " Nothing that will be fulfilled," said Katherine ; 
 " follow, honest Tom, and I, at least, will conduct 
 you in good faith." 
 
 " Cruel, obdurate Miss Plowden ; gentle, kind 
 Miss Alice, you will not refuse to raise your voice 
 in my favour ; your heart is not hardened by any 
 imaginary dangers to those you love." 
 
 " Nay, address not me," said Alice, bending 
 her meek eyes to the floor ; " I trust your life is 
 in no danger, and I pray that he who has the power, 
 will have the mercy, to see you unharmed." 
 
 " Away," said Tom, grasping the collar of the 
 helpless Dillon, and rather carrying than leading 
 him into the gallery : " if a soun- 1, one quarter 
 as loud as a young porpoise makes, when he 
 draws his first breath, comes from you, villain, 
 you shall see the sight of the Alacrity over again. 
 My harpoon keeps its edge well, and the old arm 
 can yet drive it to the seizing." 
 
THE PILOT. 81 
 
 This menace effectually silenced even the hard, 
 perturbed breathings of the captive, who, with 
 his conductor, followed the light steps of Kathe- 
 rine through some of the secret mazes of the 
 building, until, in a few minutes, they issued 
 through a smaM door, into the open air. Without 
 pausing to deliberate, Miss Plowden led the 
 cockswain through the grounds, to a different 
 wicket from the one by which he had entered the 
 paddock, and pointing to the path, which might 
 be dimly traced along the faded herbage, she bad 
 God bless him, in a voice that discovered her in 
 terest in his safety, and vanished from his sight, 
 like an aerial being. 
 
 Tom needed no incentive to his speed, now 
 that his course lay so plainly before him, but, 
 loosening his pistols in his belt, and poising his 
 harpoon, he crossed the fields at a gait that com 
 pelled his companion to exert his utmost powers, 
 in the way of walking, to equal. Once or twice, 
 Dillon ventured to utter a word or two, but a 
 stern " silence" from the cockswain, warned him 
 to cease, until, perceiving that they were ap 
 proaching the cliffs, he made a final effort to ob 
 tain his liberty, by hurriedly promising a large 
 bribe. The cockswain made no reply, and the 
 captive was secretly hoping that his scheme was 
 producing its wonted effects, when he unexpectedly 
 felt the keen cold edge of the barbed iron of the 
 harpoon pressing against his breast, through the 
 opening of his ruffles, and even raising the skin. 
 
 " Liar," said Tom, " another word, and I ll 
 drive it through your heart !" 
 
 From that moment, Dillon was as silent as the 
 grave. They reached the edge of the cliffs, with 
 out encountering the party that had been sent in 
 quest of Barn stable, and at a point near where 
 
82 THE PILOT. 
 
 they bid landed. The old seaman paused an 
 instant on the verge of the precipice, and cast his 
 experienced eyes along the wide expanse of water 
 that lay before him. The sea was no longer sleep 
 ing, but already in heavy motion, and rolling 
 its surly waves against the base of the rocks 
 on which he stood, scattering their white crests 
 high in foam. The cockswain, after bending 
 his looks along the whole line of the eastern ho 
 rizon, gave utterance to a low and stifled groan, 
 and then striking the staff of his harpoon vio 
 lently against the earth, he pursued his way along 
 the very edge of the cliffs, muttering certain 
 dreadful denunciations, which the conscience of 
 his appalled listener did not fail to apply to him 
 self. It appeared to the latter, that his angry 
 and excited leader sought the giddy verge of the pre 
 cipice with a sort of wanton recklessness, so dai- 
 ing were the steps that he took along its brow, not 
 withstanding the darkness of the hour, and the vio 
 lence of the blasts that occasionally rushed by them, 
 leaving behind a kind of reaction, that more than 
 once brought the life of the manacled captive in 
 imminent jeopardy. But it would seem, the wary 
 cockswain had a motive for this, apparently, incon 
 siderate desperation. When they had made good 
 quite half the distance between the point where 
 Barnstable had landed, and that where he had 
 appointed to meet his cockswain, the sounds of 
 voices were brought indistinctly to their ears, in 
 one of the momentary pauses of the rushing winds, 
 and caused the cockswain to make a dead stand 
 in his progress. He listened intently for a single 
 minute, when his resolution appeared to be taken. 
 He turned to Dillon, and spoke ; but though his 
 voice was suppressed and low, it was deep and 
 resolute. 
 
THE PILOT. 83 
 
 " One word, and you die ; over the cliffs You 
 must take a seaman s ladder ; there is footing on 
 the rocks, and crags for your hands. Over the 
 cliff, I bid ye, or I ll cast ye into the sea, as I would 
 a dead enemy !" 
 
 " Mercy, mercy !" implored Dillon ; " I could 
 not do it in the day; by this light I shall surely 
 perish." 
 
 " Over with ye !" said Tom, " or" 
 
 Dillon waited for no more, but descended, with 
 trembling steps, the dangerous precipice which lay 
 before him. He was followed by the cockswain, 
 with a haste that unavoidably dislodged his cap 
 tive from the trembling stand he had taken on the 
 shelf of a rock, who, to his increased horror, found 
 himself dangling in the air, his body impending 
 over the suRen surf, that was tumbling in, with 
 violence, upon the rocks beneath him. An invo 
 luntary shriek burst from Dillon, as he felt his 
 person thrust from the narrow shelf, and his cry 
 sounded amidst the tempest, like the screechings 
 of the spirit of the storm. 
 
 " Another such call, and I cut your tow-line, 
 villain," said the determined seaman, " when no 
 thing short of eternity will bring you up." 
 
 The sounds of footsteps and voices w r ere now 
 distinctly audible, and presently a party of armed 
 men appeared on the edges of the rocks, directly 
 above them. 
 
 " It was a human voice," said one of them, " and 
 like a man in distress." 
 
 " It cannot be the men we are sent in search of," 
 returned Sergeant Drill ; " for no watchword that 
 I ever heard sounded like that cry." 
 
 " They say, that such cries are often heard, in 
 storms, along this coast," said a voice^ that was 
 uttered with less of military confidence than the 
 
84 THE PILOT. 
 
 two others; " and they are thought to come from 
 drowned seamen." 
 
 A feeble laugh arose among the listeners, and 
 one or two forced jokes were made, at the ex 
 pense of their superstitious comrade ; but the 
 scene did not fail to produce its effect on even 
 the most sturdy among the unbelievers in the 
 marvellous ; for, after a few more similar remarks, 
 the whole party retired from the cliffs, at a pace 
 that might have been accelerated by the nature of 
 their discourse. The cockswain, who had stood, 
 all this time, firm as the rock which supported 
 him, bearing up not only his own weight, but tke 
 person of Dillon also, raised his head above the 
 brow of the precipice, as they withdrew to recon 
 noitre, and then drawing up the nearly insensible 
 captive, and placing him in safety on the bank, he 
 followed himself. Not a moment w r as wasted in 
 unnecessary explanations, but Dillon found himself 
 again urged forward, with the same velocity as 
 before. In a few minutes they gained the desired 
 ravine, down which Tom plunged, with a seaman s 
 nerve, dragging his prisoner after him, and direct 
 ly they stood where the waves rose to their feet, as 
 they flowed far and foaming across the sands. 
 The cockswain stooped so low as to bring the 
 crests of the billows in a line with the horizon, 
 when he discovered the dark boat playing in the 
 outer edge of the surf. 
 
 " What hoa ! Ariels there !" shouted Tom, in 
 a voice that the growing tempest carried to the 
 ears of the retreating soldiers, who quickened 
 their footsteps, as they listened to sounds which 
 their fears taught them to believe unnatural. 
 
 u Who hails ?" cried the well-known voice of 
 Barnstable. 
 
 " Once your master, now your servant," an- 
 
THE PILOT. 85 
 
 swered the cockswain, with a watch-word of his 
 own invention. 
 
 " J Tis he," returned the lieutenant ; " veer 
 away, boys, veer away. You must wade into the 
 surf." 
 
 Tom caught Dillon in his arms, and throwing 
 him, like a cork, across his shoulder, he dashed 
 into the streak of foam that was bearing the boat 
 on its crest, and before his companion had time 
 for remonstrance or entreaty, he found himself 
 once more by the side of Barnstable. 
 
 " Who have we here ?" asked the lieutenant ; 
 " this is not Griffith !" 
 
 " Haul out and weigh your grapnel," said the 
 excited cockswain ; " and then, boys, if you love 
 the Ariel, pull while the life and the will is left in 
 you." 
 
 Barnstable knew his man, and not another 
 question was asked, until the boat was without the 
 breakers, now skimming the rounded summits of 
 the waves, or settling into the hollows of the seas, 
 but always cutting the waters asunder, as she 
 urged her course, with amazing velocity, towards 
 the haven where the schooner had been left at 
 anchor. Then, in a feV, but bitter sentences, 
 the cockswain explained to his commander the 
 treachery of Dillon, and the danger of the schoon 
 er. 
 
 C The soldiers are slow at a night muster," 
 Tom concluded, " and from what I overheard, 
 the express will have to make a crooked course, 
 to double the head of the bay, so that but for 
 this north-easter, we might weather upon them 
 yet ; but it s a matter that lies altogether in the 
 will of Providence. Pull, my hearties, pull - 
 every thing depends on your oars to-night." 
 
 Barnstable listened in deep silence to this unex- 
 
 VOL. II. 8 
 
86 THE PILOT. 
 
 pected narration, which sounded in the ears of 
 Dillon like his funeral knell. At length, the sup 
 pressed voice of the lieutenant was heard, also, ut 
 tering 
 
 " Wretch ! if I should cast you into the sea, as 
 food for the fishes, who could blame me ? But if 
 my schooner goes to the bottom, she shall prove 
 you coffin !" 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 " Had I been any god of power, I would 
 Have sunk the sea within the earth, ere 
 It should the good ship so have swallowed." 
 
 Tempest. 
 
 THE arms of Dillon were released from their 
 confinement by the cockswain, as a measure of 
 humane caution against accidents, when they en 
 tered the surf; and the captive now availed him 
 self of the circumstance to bury his features in 
 the folds of his attire, when he brooded over the 
 events of the last few hours with that mixture of 
 malignant passion and pusillanimous dread of the 
 future, that formed the chief ingredients in his 
 character. From this state of apparent quie 
 tude, neither Barnstable nor Tom seemed dispos 
 ed to rouse him by their remarks, for both were 
 too much engaged with their own gloomy forebo 
 dings, to indulge in any unnecessary words. An 
 occasional ejaculation from the former, as if to 
 propitiate the spirit of the storm, as he gazed on 
 the troubled appearance of the elements, or a 
 cheering cry from the latter, to animate his crew, 
 were alone heard amid the sullen roaring of the 
 waters, and the mournful whistling of the winds, 
 that swept heavily across the broad waste of the 
 German Ocean. There might have bren an hour 
 consumed thus, in a vigorous struggle Detween 
 the seamen and the growing billows, when the boat 
 doubled the northern headland of the desired 
 
&8 THE PILOT. 
 
 haven, and shot, at once, from its boisterous pas 
 sage along the margin of the breakers, into the 
 placid waters of the sequestered bay. The pass 
 ing blasts were still heard rushing above the high 
 lands that surrounded, and, in fact, formed the 
 estuary, but the profound stillness of deep night 
 pervaded the secret recesses, along the unruffled 
 surface of its waters. The shadows of the hills 
 seemed to have accumulated, like a mass of 
 gloom, in the centre of the basin, and though 
 every eye involuntarily turned to search, it was 
 in vain that the anxious seamen endeavoured to 
 discover their little vessel through its density. 
 While the boat glided into this quiet scene, Barn- 
 stable anxiously observed 
 
 " Every thing is as still as death." 
 " God send it is not the stillness of death !" 
 ejaculated the cockswain. " Here, here," he con 
 tinued, speaking in a lower tone, as if fearful of 
 being overheard, "here she lies, sir, more to- 
 port ; look into the streak of clear sky above the 
 marsh, on the starboard hand of the wood, there ; 
 that long black line is her main-top-mast ; 1 
 know it by the rake ; and there is her night-pen 
 nant fluttering about that bright star ; ay, ay, 
 sir, there go our ow r n stars aloft yet, dancing 
 among the stars in the heavens ! God bless her ! 
 God bless her ! she rides as easy and as quiet as a 
 gull asleep !" 
 
 " I believe all in her sleep too," returned his 
 commander. " Ha ! by heaven, we have arrived 
 in good time : the soldiers are moving !" 
 
 The quick eye of Barnstable had detected the 
 glimmering of passing lanterns, as they flitted 
 across the embrasures of the battery, and at the 
 next moment, the guarded but distinct sounds of 
 an active bustle, on the decks of the schooner, 
 
THE PILOT. . 89 
 
 were plainly audible. The lieutenant was rubbing 
 his hands together, with a sort of ecstasy, that 
 probably will not be understood by the great ma 
 jority ot our readers, while long Tom w.is actually 
 indulging in a paroxysm of his low spiritless 
 laughter. *s these certain intimations of the safety 
 of the Ariel, and of the vigilance of her crew, were 
 conveyed to their ears ; when the whole hull and 
 taper spars of their floating home became unex 
 pectedly visible, and the sky, the placid basin, and 
 the adjacent hills, were illuminated by a flash as 
 sudden and as vivid as the keenest lightning. 
 Both Barnstable and his cockswain seemed in 
 stinctively to strain their eyes towards the schoon 
 er, with an effort to surpass human vision ; but 
 ere the rolling reverberations of the report of a 
 heavy piece of ordnance, from the heights, had 
 commenced, the dull, whistling rush of the shot 
 swept over their heads, like the moaning of a 
 hurricane, and was succeeded by the plash of the 
 waters, which was followed, in a breath, by the 
 rattling of the mass of iron, as it bounded with vio 
 lent fury from rock to rock, shivering and tearing 
 the fragments that lined the margin of the bay. 
 
 " A bad aim with the first gun generally leaves 
 your enemy clean checks," said the cockswain, with 
 his deliberate sort of philosophy ; " smoke makes 
 but dim spectacles ; besides, the night always 
 grows darkest, as you call off the morning watch." 
 
 " That boy is a miracle for his years !" rejoin 
 ed the delighted lieutenant. " See, Tom, the 
 younker hap shifted his birth, in the dark, and the 
 Englishmen have fired by the day-range they 
 must have taken, for we left him in a direct line 
 between the battery and yon hommoc ! What 
 would have become of us, if that heavy fello\v 
 
90 THE PILOT. 
 
 had plunged upon our decks, and gone out below 
 the water-line !" 
 
 " We should have sunk into English mud, for 
 eternity, as sure as our metal and kentledge 
 would have taken us down," responded Tom ; 
 " such a point-blanker would have torn off a 
 streak of our wales, outboard, and not even left 
 the marines time to say a prayer ! tend bow 
 there !" 
 
 It is not to be supposed that the crew of the 
 whale-boat continued idle, during this interchange 
 of opinions between the lieutenant and his cock 
 swain ; on the contrary, the sight of their vessel 
 acted on them like a charm, and, believing that 
 all necessity for caution was now over, they had 
 expended their utmost strength in efforts, that had 
 already brought them, as the last words of Tom 
 indicated, to the side of the Ariel. Though every 
 nerve of Barnstable was thrilling with the ex 
 citement produced by his feelings passing from 
 a state of the most doubtful apprehension to 
 that of a revived and almost confident hope of 
 effecting his escape, he assumed the command of 
 his vessel with all that stern but calm authority, 
 that seamen find it most necessary to exert in the 
 moments of extremest danger. Any one of 
 the heavy shot that their enemies continued to 
 hurl from their heights into the darkness of the 
 haven, he well knew must prove fatal to them, 
 as it would, unavoidably, pass through the slight 
 fabric of the Ariel, and open a passage to the wa 
 ter, that no means he possessed could remedy. 
 His mandates, were, therefore, issued, with a full 
 perception of the critical nature of the emergen 
 cy, but with that collectedness of manner, and 
 intonation of voice, that were best adapted to en- 
 
THE PILOT. 91 
 
 force a ready and animated obedience. Under 
 this impulse, the crew of the schooner soon got 
 their anchor freed from the bottom, and, seizing 
 their sweeps, they forced her, by their united ef 
 forts, directly in the face of the battery, under 
 that shore, whose summit was now cro\vned with 
 a canopy of smoke, that every discharge of the 
 ordnance tinged with dim colours, like the faintest 
 tints that are reflected from the clouds toward a 
 setting sun. So long as the seamen were enabled 
 to keep their little bark under the cover of the 
 hill, they were, of course, safe ; but Barnstable 
 perceived, as they emerged from its shadow, and 
 were drawing nigh the passage which led into 
 the ocean, that the action of his sweeps would 
 no longer avail them against the currents of air 
 they encountered, neither would the darkness 
 conceal their movements from his enemy, who 
 had already employed men on the shore to dis 
 cern the position of the schooner. Throwing off 
 at once, therefore, all appearance of disguise, he 
 gave forth the \vord to spread the canvass of his 
 vessel, in his ordinary cheerful manner. 
 
 " Let them do their worst now, Merry," he 
 added ; " we have brought them to a distance that 
 I think will keep their iron above water, and we 
 have no dodge about us, younker !" 
 
 " It must be keener marksmen than the militia, 
 or volunteers, or fencibles, or whatever they call 
 themselves, behind yon grass-bank, to frighten 
 the saucy Ariel from the wind," returned the reck 
 less boy ; " but why have you brought Jonah 
 aboard us again, sir ? Look at him by the light of 
 the cabin lamp ; he winks at every gun as if he 
 expected the shot would hull his own ugly, yellow 
 physiognomy. And what tidings have we, sir, 
 from Mr Griffith, and the marine f " 
 
92 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Name him not," said Barnstable, pressing the 
 shoulder on which he lightly leaned, with a con 
 vulsive grasp, that caused the boy to yield with 
 pain ; " name him not, Merry ; I want my temper 
 and my faculties at this moment undisturbed, and 
 thinking of the wretch unfits me for my duty. But, 
 there will come a time ! go forward, sir ; we feel 
 the wind, and have a narrow passage to work 
 through." 
 
 The boy obeyed a mandate which was given 
 in the usual prompt manner of their profession, 
 and which, he well understood, was intended to 
 intimate, that the distance which years and rank 
 had created between them, but which Barnstable 
 often chose to forget while communing with 
 Merry, was now to be resumed. The sails had 
 been loosened and set ; and, as the vessel approach 
 ed the throat of the passage, the gale, which was 
 blowing with increasing violence, began to make 
 a very sensible impression on the light bark. The 
 cockswain, who, in the absence of most of the in 
 ferior officers, had been acting, on the forecastle, 
 the part of one who felt, from his years and expe 
 rience, that he had some right to advise, if not to 
 command, at such a juncture, now walked to the 
 station which his commander had taken, near the 
 helmsman, as if willing to place himself in the way 
 of being seen. 
 
 " Well, Master Coffin," said Barnstable, who 
 well understood the propensity his old shipmate 
 had to commune with him, on all important oc 
 casions, " what think you of the cruise now r 
 Those gentlemen on the hill make a great noise, 
 but I have lost even the whistling of their shot ; 
 one would think they could see our sails against 
 the broad band of light which is opening to sea 
 ward." 
 
THE PILOT. 93 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir, they see us, and mean to hit us, 
 too, but we are running across their fire, and that 
 with a ten-knot breeze ; but, when we heave in 
 stays, and get in a line with their guns, we shall 
 see, and it may be, feel, more of their work than 
 we do now ; a thirty-two an t trained as easily as 
 a fowling-piece or a ducking gun." 
 
 Barnstable was struck with the truth of this ob 
 servation, but as there existed an immediate neces 
 sity for placing the schooner in the very situation 
 to which the other alluded, he gave his orders at 
 once, and the vessel came about, and ran with her 
 head pointing towards the sea, in as short a time as 
 we have taken to record it. 
 
 " There, they have us now, or never," cried the 
 lieutenant, when the evolution was completed. " If 
 \ve fetch to windward of the northern point, we 
 shall lay out into the offing, and in ten minutes we 
 might laugh at Queen Anne s pocket-piece, which, 
 you know, old boy, sent a ball from Dover to Ca 
 lais." 
 
 u Ay, sir, Pve heard of the gun," returned the 
 
 grave seaman, " and a lively piece it must have 
 
 been, if the streights were always of the same 
 
 width they are now. But I see that, Captain 
 
 -^, Barnstable, which is more dangerous than a 
 
 S-dozen of the heaviest cannon that were ever cast 
 
 /can be at half a league s distance. The water 
 
 j is bubbling through our lee-scuppers, already, 
 
 I sir." 
 
 u And whnt of that ? haven t I buried her guns 
 often, and yet kept every spar in her without 
 crack or splinter ?" 
 
 " A;-, ay, sir, you have done it, and can do it 
 again, where there is sea-room, which is all that a 
 man wants for comfort in this life. But when we 
 
94 THE PILOT. 
 
 are out of these chops, we shall be embayed, with 
 a heavy north-easter setting dead into the bight ; 
 it is that which I fear, Captain Barnstable, more 
 than all the powder and ball in the whole island." 
 
 " And yet, Tom, the balls are not to be despised, 
 either ; those fellows have found out their range, 
 and send their iron within hail, again : we walk 
 pretty fast, Mr. Coffin, but a thirty-two can out- 
 travel us, with the best wind that ever blew." 
 
 Tom threw a cursory glance towards the bat 
 tery, which had renewed its fire with a spirit that 
 denoted they saw their object, as he answered 
 
 " It is never worth a man s while to strive to 
 dodge a shot, for they are all commissioned to do 
 their work, the same as a ship is commissioned to 
 cruise in certain latitudes; but for the winds and 
 the weather, they are given for a seafaring man 
 to guard against, by making or shortening sail, 
 as the case may be. Now, the headland to the 
 southward stretches full three leagues to wind 
 ward, and the shoals lie to the north ; among which 
 God keep us from ever running this craft again !" 
 
 " We will beat her out of the bight, old fellow," 
 cried the lieutenant ; cc we shall have a leg of three 
 leagues in length to do it in." 
 
 " I have known longer legs too short," returned 
 the cockswain, shaking his head ; " a tumbling 
 sea, with a lee-tide, on a lee-shore, makes a sad 
 lee-way." 
 
 The lieutenant was in the act of replying to 
 this saying, with a cheerful laugh, when the 
 whistling of a passing shot was instantly suc 
 ceeded by the crash of splintered wood, and at 
 the next moment the head of the main-mast, after 
 tottering for an instant in the gale, fell toward 
 the deck, bringing with it the main-sail, and the 
 
THE PILOT. 95 
 
 long line of top-mast, that had oeen bearing the 
 emblems of America, as the cockswain had ex 
 pressed it, among the stars of the heavens. 
 
 " That was a most unlucky hit i" Barnstable 
 suffered to escape him, in the concern of the mo 
 ment ; but, instantly resuming all his collect- 
 edness of manner and voice, he gave his orders 
 to clear the wreck, and secure the fluttering can 
 vass. 
 
 The mournful forebodings of Tom seemed to 
 vanish with the appearance of a necessity for his 
 exertions, and he was foremost among the crew 
 in executing the orders of their commander. 
 The loss of all the sail on the main-mast forced 
 the Ariel so much from her course, as to render 
 it difficult to weather the point, that jutted, under 
 her lee, for some distance into the ocean. This 
 desirable object was, however, effected, by the 
 skill of Barnstable, aided by the excellent pro 
 perties of his vessel ; and the schooner, borne 
 down by the power of the gale, from whose fury 
 she had now no protection, passed heavily along 
 the land, heading, as far as possible, from the 
 breakers, while the seamen were engaged in 
 making their preparations to display as much of 
 their main-sail, as the stump of the mast would 
 allow them to spread. The firing from the bat 
 tery ceased, as the Ariel rounded the little pro 
 montory ; but Barnstable, whose gaze was now 
 bent intently on the ocean, soon perceived that, as 
 his cockswain had predicted, he had a much more 
 threatening danger to encounter, in the elements. 
 When their damages were repaired, so far as 
 circumstances would permit, the cockswain re 
 turned to his wonted station near the lieutenant, 
 and after a momentary pause, during which his 
 
95 THE PILOT. 
 
 eyes roved over the rigging, with a seaman s 
 scrutiny, he resumed the discourse. 
 
 " It would have been better for us that the best 
 man in the schooner should have been dubb d of a 
 limb, by that shot, than that the Ariel h*ould 
 have lost her best leg; a main-sail close-ieefed, 
 may be prudent canvass, as the wind blows, but it 
 holds a poor luff to keep a craft to windward." 
 
 " What would you have, Tom Coffin !" re 
 torted his commander. " You see she draws 
 ahead, and off-shore ; do you expect a vessel to 
 fly in the very teeth of the gale, or would you 
 have me wear and beach her, at once ?" 
 
 u 1 would have nothing, nothing, Captain 
 Barnstable," returned the old seaman, sensibly 
 touched at his commander s displeasure : " you 
 are as able as any man who ever trod a plank to 
 work her into an offing ; but, sir, when that sol 
 dier-officer told me of the scheme to sink the 
 Ariel at her anchor, there were such feelings 
 come athwart my philosophy as never crossed it 
 afore. I thought I saw her a wrack, as plainly, 
 ay, as plainly as you may see the stump of that 
 mast ; and, I will own it, for it s as natural to love 
 the craft you sail in as it is to love one s self, I will 
 own that my manhood fetched a heavy lee-lurch at 
 the sight." 
 
 " Aw:iy with ye, ye old sea-croaker ! forward 
 with ye, and see that the head-sheets are trimmed 
 flat. But hold ! come hither, Tom ; if you have 
 sights of wrecks, and sharks, and other beautiful 
 objects, keep them stowed in your own silly brain ; 
 don t make a ghost-parlour of my forecastle. The 
 lads oegin to look to leeward, now, oftener than 1 
 would have them. Go, sirrah, go, and take ex 
 ample from Mr. Merry, who is seated on your 
 
THE PILOT. 97 
 
 namesake there, and is singing as if he were a 
 chorister in his father s church." 
 
 " Ah, Captain Barnstable, Mr. Merry is a boy, 
 and knows nothing, so fears nothing. But I shall 
 obey your orders, sir ; and if the men fall astern, 
 this gale, it shan t be for any thing they ll hear 
 from old Tom Coffin." 
 
 The cockswain lingered a moment, notwith 
 standing his promised obedience, and then ven 
 tured to request, that 
 
 " Captain Barnstable would please to call Mr. 
 Merry from the gun; for I know, from having 
 followed the seas my natural life, that singing 
 in a gale is sure to bring the wind down upon a 
 vessel the heavier ; for He who rules the tempe-sts 
 is displeased that man s voice shall be heard, 
 when He chooses to send His own breath on the 
 water." 
 
 Barnstable was at a loss, whether to laugh at 
 his cockswain s infirmity, or to yield to the im 
 pression which his earnest and solemn manner 
 had a powerful tendency to produce, amid such a 
 scene. But, making an effort to shake off the 
 superstitious awe that he felt creeping around 
 his own heart, the lieutenant relieved the mind 
 of the worthy seaman so far as to call the care 
 less boy from his perch, to his own side ; where 
 respect for the sacied character of the quarter 
 deck instantly put an end to the lively air he had 
 been humming. Tom walked slowly forward, 
 apparently much relieved by the reflection that he 
 had effected so important an object. 
 
 The Ariel continued to struggle against the 
 winds and ocean for several hours longer, before 
 the day broke on the tempestuous scene, and the 
 anxious mariners were enabled to form a more 
 accurate estimate of their real danger. As the 
 
 VOL, n, 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 violence of the gale increased, the canvass of the 
 schooner had been gradually reduced, until she 
 was unable to show more than was absolutely 
 necessary to prevent her driving helplessly on the 
 land. Barnstable watched the appearance of the 
 weather, as the light slowly opened upon them, 
 with an intense anxiety, which denoted that 
 the presentiments of the cockswain were no lon 
 ger deemed idle. On looking to windward, he 
 beheld the green masses of water that were roll 
 ing in towards the land, with a violence that 
 seemed irresistible, crowned with ridges of foam ; 
 and there were moments when the air appeared 
 filled with sparkling gems, as the rays of the 
 rising sun fell upon the spray that was swept 
 from wave to wave. Toward the land, the view 
 was still more appalling. The cliffs, but a short 
 half-league under the lee of the schooner, were, 
 at times, nearly hid from the eye by the pyramids 
 of water, which the furious element, so suddenly 
 restrained in its violence, cast high into the air, 
 as if seeking to overleap the boundaries that na 
 ture had affixed to its dominion. The whole 
 coast, from the distant headland at the south, to 
 the well-known shoals that stretched far beyond 
 their course, in the opposite direction, displayed 
 a broad belt of foam, into which it would have 
 been certain destruction, for the proudest ship 
 that swam, to have entered. Still the Ariel 
 floated on the billows, lightly and in safety, 
 though yielding to the impulses of the waters, 
 and, at times, appearing to be engulphed in the 
 yawning chasms, which, apparently, opened be 
 neath her to receive the little fabric. The low 
 rumour of acknowledged danger had found its 
 way through the schooner, and the seamen, after 
 fastening their hopeless looks on the small spot of 
 
THE PILOT* 99 
 
 canvass that they were still able to show to the 
 tempest, would turn to view the dreary line of 
 coast, that seemed to offer so gloomy an alterna 
 tive. Even Dillon, to whom the report of their 
 danger had found its way, crept from his place of 
 concealment in the cabin, and moved about the 
 decks, unheeded, devouring, with greedy ears, 
 such opinions as fell from the lips of the sullen 
 mariners. 
 
 At this moment of appalling apprehension, 
 the cockswain exhibited the calmest resignation, 
 e knew all had been done, that lay in the 
 power of man, to urge their little vessel from 
 the land, and it was now too evident to his 
 experienced eyes, that it had been done in vain ; 
 butj considering himself as a sort of fixture in 
 the schooner, he was quite prepared to abide her 
 fate, be it for better or for worse. The settled 
 look of gloom that gathered around the frank 
 brow of Barnstable, was in no degree connected 
 with any considerations of himself, but, proceed 
 ed from that sort of parental responsibility, from 
 which the sea-commander is never exempt. The 
 discipline of the crew, however, still continued 
 perfect and unyielding. There had, it is true, 
 been a slight movement made by one or two of 
 the older seamen, which indicated an intention 
 to drown the apprehensions of death in ebriety ; 
 but Barnstable had called for his pistols, in a 
 tone that checked the procedure instantly, and, 
 although the fatal weapons were, untouched 
 by him, left to lie exposed on the capstan, 
 where they had been placed by his servant, not 
 another symptom of insubordination appeared 
 among the devoted crew. There was even, what 
 to a landsman might seem an appalling affectation 
 of attention to the most trifling duties of the ves- 
 
100 THE PILOT. 
 
 sel ; and the men, who, it should seem, ought to 
 be devoting the brief moments of their existence 
 to the mighty business of the hour, were con 
 stantly called to attend to the most trivial details 
 of their profession. Ropes were coiled, and the 
 slightest damages occasioned by the waves, which, 
 at short intervals, swept across the low decks of 
 the Ariel, w r ere repaired, with the same precision 
 and order, as if she yet lay embayed in the haven 
 from which she had just been driven. In this 
 manner the arm of authority was kept extended 
 over the silent crew, not with the vain desire to 
 preserve a lingering though useless exercise of 
 power, but with a view to maintain that unity of 
 action, that now could alone afford them even a 
 ray of hope. 
 
 " She can make no head against this sea, un 
 der that rag of canvass," said Barnstable, gloom* 
 ily ; addressing the cockswain, who, with folded 
 arms, and an air of cool resignation, was balanc 
 ing his body on the verge of the quarter-deck, 
 while the schooner was plunging madly into 
 waves that nearly buried her in their bosom : 
 " the poor little thing trembles like a frightened 
 child, as she meets the water." 
 
 Tom sighed heavily, and shook his head, before 
 he answered 
 
 u If we could have kept the head of the main 
 mast an hour longer, we might have got an offing, 
 and fetched to windward of the shoals ; but as it 
 is, sir, mortal man can t drive a craft to wind 
 ward she sets bodily in to land, and will be in 
 the breakers in less than an hour, unless God wills 
 that the wind shall cease to blow." 
 
 " We have no hope left us, but to anchor ; out 
 ground tackle may yet bring her up." 
 
 Tom turned to his commander, and replied, so- 
 
THE PILOT. 101 
 
 lemnly, and with that assurance of manner, that 
 long experience only can give a man in moments 
 of great danger 
 
 " If our sheet-cable was bent to our heaviest 
 anchor, this sea would bring it home, though no 
 thing but her launch was riding by it. A north 
 easter in the German Ocean must and will blow 
 itself out ; nor shall we get the crown of the gale 
 until the sun falls over the land. Then, indeed, 
 it may lull ; for the winds do often seem to reve 
 rence the glory of the Heavens, too much to blow 
 their might in its very face !" 
 
 " We must do our duty to ourselves and the 
 country," returned Barnstable. " Go, get the two 
 bowers spliced, and have a kedge bent to a haw 
 ser : we ll back our two anchors together, and 
 veer to the better end of two hundred and forty 
 fathoms ; it may yet bring her up. See all clear 
 there for anchoring, and cutting away the mast! 
 we ll leave the wind nothing but a naked hull to 
 whistle over." 
 
 " Ay, if there was nothing but the wind, we 
 might yet live to see the sun sink behind them 
 hills," said the cockswain ; " but what hemp can 
 stand the strain of a craft that is buried, half the 
 time, to her foremast in the water ?" 
 
 The order was, however, executed by the crew, 
 with a sort of desperate submission to the will of 
 their commander ; and when the preparations 
 were completed, the anchors and kedge were 
 dropped to the bottom, and the instant that the 
 Ariel tended to the wind, the axe was applied to 
 the little that was left of her long, raking masts. 
 The crash of the falling spars, as they came, 
 in succession, across the decks of the vessel, 
 appeared to produce no sensation amid that 
 scene of complicated danger, but the seamen 
 9* 
 
102 THE PILOT. 
 
 proceeded in silence to their hopeless duty of 
 clearing the wrecks. Every eye followed the 
 floating timbers, as the waves swept them away 
 from the vessel, with a sort of feverish curiosity, 
 to witness the effect produced by their collision 
 with those rocks that lay so fearfully near them; 
 but long before the spars entered the wide border 
 of foam, they were hid from view by the furious 
 element in which they floated. It was, now, felt 
 by the whole crew of the Ariel, that their last 
 means of safety had been adopted, and, at each 
 desperate and headlong plunge the vessel took, 
 into the bosom of the seas that rolled upon her 
 forecastle, the anxious seamen thought they could 
 perceive the yielding of the iron that yet clung 
 to the bottom, or could hear the violent surge of 
 the parting strands of the cable, that still held 
 them to their anchors. While the minds of the 
 sailors were agitated with the faint hopes that 
 had been excited by the movements of their 
 schooner, Dillon had been permitted to wander 
 about the vessel unnoticed : his rolling eyes, hard 
 breathing, and clenched hands, excited no obser 
 vation among the men, whose thoughts were yet 
 dwelling on the means of safety. But now, when 
 with a sort of frenzied desperation, he would fol 
 low the retiring waters along the decks, and ven 
 ture his person nigh the group that had collected 
 around and on the gun of the cockswain, glances 
 of fierce or of sullen vengeance were cast at him, 
 that conveyed threats of a nature that he was too 
 much agitated to understand. 
 
 " If ye are tired of this world, though your 
 time, like my own, is probably but short in it," 
 said Tom to him, as he passed the cockswain in 
 one of his turns, " you can go forward among 
 the men ; but if ye have need of the moments tc 
 
THE PILOT. 103 
 
 foot up the reck ning of your doings among men, 
 afore ye re brought to face your Maker, and 
 hear the log-book of Heaven, I would advise you 
 to keep as nigh as possible to Captain Barnstable 
 or myself." 
 
 " Will you promise to save me if the vessel is 
 wrecked ?" exclaimed Dillon, catching at the first 
 sounds of friendly interest that had reached his 
 ears, since he had been recaptured ; " O ! if you 
 will, I can secure you future ease ; yes, wealth, 
 for the remainder of your days !" 
 
 " Your promises have been too ill kept afore this, 
 for the peace of your soul," returned the cock 
 swain, without bitterness, though sternly ; " but 
 it is not in me to strike even a whale that is already 
 spouting blood." 
 
 The intercessions of Dillon were interrupted 
 by a dreadful cry, that arose among the men for 
 ward, and which sounded with increased horror, 
 amid the roarings of the tempest. The schooner 
 rose on the breast of a wave at the same instant, 
 and, falling off with her broadside to the sea, she 
 drove in towards the cliffs, like a bubble on the 
 rapids of a cataract. 
 
 " Our ground tackle has parted," said Tom, 
 with his resigned patience of manner undisturbed ; 
 " she shall die as easy as man can make her !" 
 While he yet spoke, he seized the tiller, and gave 
 to the vessel such a direction as would be most 
 likely to cause her to strike the rocks with her 
 bows foremost. 
 
 There was, for one moment, an expression of 
 exquisite anguish betrayed in the dark counte 
 nance of Barnstable ; but, at the next, it passed 
 away, and he spoke cheerfully to his men 
 
 " Be steady, my lads, be calm ; there is yet a 
 hope of life for you our light draught will let us 
 
104 THE PILOT. 
 
 run in close to the cliffs, and it is still falling water 
 see your boats clear, and be steady." 
 
 The crew of the whale-boat, aroused by this 
 speech from a sort of stupor, sprang into their 
 light vessel, which was quickly lowered into the 
 sea, and kept riding on the foam, free from the 
 sides of the schooner, by the powerful exertions of 
 the men. The cry for the cockswain was earnest 
 and repeated, but Tom shook his head, without 
 replying, still grasping the tiller, and keeping 
 his eyes steadily bent on the chaos of waters, into 
 which they were driving. The launch, the lar 
 gest boat of the two, was cut loose from the 
 a gripes," and the bustle and exertion of the 
 moment rendered the crew insensible to the hor 
 ror of the scene that surrounded them. But the 
 loud, hoarse call of the cockswain, to " look 
 out secure yourselves !" suspended even their 
 efforts, and at that instant the Ariel settled on a 
 wave, that melted from under her, heavily on the 
 rocks. The shock was so violent, as to throw all 
 who disregarded the warning cry from their feet, 
 and the universal quiver that pervaded the 
 vessel was like the last shudder of animated na 
 ture. For a time long enough to breathe, the 
 least experienced among the men supposed the 
 danger to be past ; but a -wave of great height 
 followed the one that had deserted them, and 
 raising the vessel again, threw her roughly 
 siill further on the bed of rocks, and at the 
 same time its crest broke over her quarter, sweep 
 ing the length of her decks, with a fury that 
 was almost resistless. The shuddering seamen 
 beheld their loosened boat driven from their 
 grasp, and dashed against the base of the cliffs, 
 where no fragment of her wreck could be traced, 
 at the receding of the waters. But the passing 
 
THE PILOT. 105 
 
 billow had thrown the vessel into a position which, 
 in some measure, protected her decks from the 
 violence of those that succeeded it. 
 
 " Go, my boys, go," said Barnstable, as the 
 moment of dreadful uncertainty passed ; " you 
 have still the whale-boat, and she, at least, will 
 take you nigh the shore. Go into her, my boys. 
 God bless you, God bless you all ! you have 
 been faithful and honest fellows, and I believe 
 he will not yet desert you ; go, my friends, while 
 there is a lull." 
 
 The seamen threw themselves, in a mass, into 
 the light vessel, which nearly sunk under the 
 unusual burthen ; but when they looked around 
 them, Barnstable and Merry, Dillon and the 
 cockswain, were yet to be seen on the decks of 
 the Ariel. The former was pacing, in deep, and 
 perhaps bitter melancholy, the wet planks of the 
 schooner, while the boy hung, unheeded, on his 
 arm, uttering disregarded petitions to his com 
 mander, to desert the wreck. Dillon approached 
 the side where the boat lay, again and again, but 
 the threatening countenances of the seamen as 
 often drove him back in despair. Tom had seated 
 himself on the heel of the bowsprit, where he 
 continued, in an attitude of quiet resignation, 
 returning no other answers to the loud and re 
 peated calls of his shipmates, than by waving his 
 hand toward the shore. 
 
 " Now hear me," said the boy, urging his re 
 quest, to tears; " if not for my sake, or for your 
 own sake, Mr. Barnstable, or for the hopes of 
 God s mercy, go into the boat, for the love of my 
 cousin Katherine." 
 
 The young lieutenant paused in his troubled 
 walk, and for a moment he cast a glance of hesi- 
 tatitfn at the cliffs; but, at the next instant, his 
 
108 THE PLLOT. 
 
 eyes fell on the ruin of his vessel, and he answer 
 ed 
 
 "Never, boy, never; if my hour has come, 1 
 will not shrink from my fate." 
 
 " Listen to the men, dear sir ; the boat will be 
 swamped alongside the wreck, and their cry is, 
 that without you they will not let her go." 
 
 Barnstable motioned to the boat, to bid the boy 
 enter it, and turned away in silence. 
 
 "Well," said Merry, with firmness, " if it be 
 right that a lieutenant shall stay by the wreck, it 
 must also be right for a midshipman ; shove off, 
 neither Mr. Barnstable nor myself will quit the 
 vessel." 
 
 " Boy, your life has been intrusted to my keep 
 ing, and at my hands will it be required," said 
 his commander, lifting the struggling youth, and 
 tossing him into the arms of the seamen. " Away 
 with ye, and God be with you ; there is more 
 weight in you, now, than can go safe to land." 
 
 Still the seamen hesitated, for they perceived 
 the cockswain, moving, with a steady tread, along 
 the deck, and they hoped he had relented, and 
 would yet persuade the lieutenant to join his 
 crew r . But Tom, imitating the example of his 
 commander, seized the latter, suddenly, in his 
 powerful grasp, and threw him over the bulwarks, 
 with an irresistible force. At the same moment, 
 he cast the fast of the boat from the pin that held 
 it, and, lifting his broad hands high into the air, 
 his voice was heard in the tempest. 
 
 " God s will be done with me," he cried. " I 
 saw the first timber of the Ariel laid, and shall 
 live just long enough to see it turn out of her 
 bottom ; after which I wish to live no longer." 
 
 But his shipmates were swept far beyond the 
 sounds ol his voice, before half these words were 
 
THE PILOT. 107 
 
 utteied. All command of the boat was ren 
 dered impossible, by the numbers it contained, as 
 well as the raging of the surf; and, as it rose on 
 the white crest of a wave, Tom saw his beloved 
 little craft for the last time. It fell into a trough 
 of the sea, and in a few moments more its frag 
 ments were ground into splinters on the adjacent 
 rocks. The cockswain still remained where he 
 had cast off the rope, and beheld the numerous 
 heads and arms that appeared rising, at short in 
 tervals, on the waves ; some making powerful and 
 well-directed efforts to gain the sands, that were 
 becoming visible as the tide fell, and others 
 wildly tossed, in the frantic movements of helpless 
 despair. The honest old seaman gave a cry of 
 joy, as he saw Barnstable issue from the surf, 
 bearing the form of Merry in safety to the sands, 
 where, one by one, several seamen soon appeared 
 also, dripping and exhausted. Many others of 
 the crew r were carried, in a similar manner, to 
 places of safety ; though, as Tom returned to his 
 seat on the bowsprit, he could not conceal, from 
 his reluctant eyes, the lifeless forms that were, 
 in other spots, driven against the rocks with a 
 fury that soon left them but few of the outward 
 vestiges of humanity. 
 
 ^ Dillon and the cockswain were now the sole 
 \ occupants of their dreadful station. The for- 
 ( mer stood, in a kind of stupid despair, a witness 
 of the scene we have related; but as his cur 
 dled blood began again to flow more warmly 
 through his heart, he crept close to the side of 
 Tom, with that sort of selfish feeling that makes 
 even hopeless misery more tolerable, when endur 
 ed in participation with another. 
 
 " When the tide falls," he said in a voice that 
 
108 THE PILOT. 
 
 betrayed the agony of fear, though his words ex 
 pressed the renewal of hope, " we shall be able to 
 walk to land." 
 
 u There was One, and only One, to whose 
 feet the waters were the same as a dry deck," 
 returned the cockswain ; " and none but such 
 as have his power will ever be able to walk 
 from these rocks to the sands." The old sea 
 man paused, and turning his eyes, which exhibit 
 ed a mingled expression of disgust and com 
 passion, on his companion, he added, with reve- 
 .ie1nce " Had you thought more of him in fair 
 weather, your case would be less to be pitied in 
 this tempest." 
 
 "Do you still think there is much danger f" 
 asked Dillon. 
 
 " To, them that have reason to fear death. 
 Listen ! do you hear that hollow noise beneath 
 ye f " 
 
 " Tis the wind, driving by the vessel !" 
 
 " Tis the poor thing herself," said the affected 
 cockswain, cc giving her last groans. The water 
 is breaking up her decks, and in a few minutes 
 more, the handsomest model that ever cut a 
 wave, will be like the chips that fell from her tim 
 bers in framing !" 
 
 " Why, then, did you remain here !" cried Dil 
 lon, wildly. 
 
 " To die in my coffin, if it should be the will 
 of x God," returned Tom. " These waves, to me, 
 what the land is to you ; I was born on them, 
 and I have always meant that they should be my 
 grave." 
 
 cc But I I," shrieked Dillon, " I am not ready 
 to -die ! I cannot die ! I will not die !" 
 
 " Poor wretch !" muttered his companion ; 
 
THE PILOT. 109 
 
 " you must go, like the rest of us ; when the 
 death-watch is called, none can skulk from the 
 muster." 
 
 " I can swim," Dillon continued, rushing, with 
 frantic eagerness, to the side of the wreck. " Is 
 there no billet of wood, no rope, that I can take 
 with me ?" 
 
 " None ; every thing has been cut away, or 
 carried oif by the sea. If ye are about to strive 
 for your life, take with ye a stout heart and a 
 clean conscience, and trust the rest to God !" 
 
 " God !" echoed Dillon in the madness of his 
 frenzy ; " I know no God ! there is no God that 
 knows me !" 
 
 " Peace !" said the deep tones of the cock 
 swain, in a voice that seemed to speak in the ele 
 ments ; " blasphemer, peace !" 
 
 The heavy groaning, produced by the water 
 in the timbers of the Ariel, at that moment added 
 its impulse to the raging feelings of Dillon, and he 
 cast himself headlong into the sea. 
 
 The water, thrown by the rolling of the surf 
 on the beach, was necessarily returned to the 
 ocean, in eddies, in different places favourable to 
 such an action of the element. Into the edge of 
 one of these counter-currents, that was produced 
 by the very rocks on which the schooner lay, and 
 which the watermen call the " under-tow," Dil 
 lon had, unknowingly, thrown his person, and 
 when the waves had driven him a short distance 
 from the wreck, he was met by a stream that his 
 most desperate efforts could not overcome. He 
 was a light and powerful swimmer, and the strug 
 gle was hard and protracted. With the shore 
 immediately before his eyes, and at no great dis 
 tance, he was led, as by a false phantom, to con 
 tinue his efforts, although they did not advance 
 
 VOL. II. 10 
 
110 THE PILOT. 
 
 him a foot. The old seaman, who, at first, had 
 watched his motions with careless indifference, 
 understood the danger of his situation at a 
 glance, and, forgetful of his own fate, he shout 
 ed aloud, in a voice that was driven over the 
 struggling victim to the ears of his shipmates on 
 the sands 
 
 " Sheer to-port, and clear the under-tow ! sheer 
 to the southward !" 
 
 Dillon heard the sounds, but his faculties 
 were too much obscured by terror, to distin 
 guish their object ; he, however, blindly yielded 
 to the call, and gradually changed his direc 
 tion, until his face was once more turned towards 
 the vessel. The current swept him diagonally by 
 the rocks, and he was forced into an eddy, where 
 he had nothing to contend against but the waves, 
 whose violence was much broken by the wreck. 
 In this state, he continued still to struggle, but 
 with a force that was too much weakened, to 
 overcome the resistance he met. Tom looked 
 around him for a rope, but all had gone over with 
 the spars, or been swept aw r ay by the waves. At 
 this moment of disappointment, his eyes met 
 those of the desperate Dillon. Calm, and inured 
 to horrors, as was the veteran seaman, he invo 
 luntarily passed his hand before his brow, to 
 exclude the look of despair he encountered ; and 
 when, a moment afterwards, he removed the rigid 
 member, he beheld the sinking form of the victim, 
 as it gradually settled in the ocean, still struggling, 
 with regular but impotent strokes of the arms and 
 ifeet, to gain the wreck, and to preserve an exis- 
 tence that had been so much abused in its hour 
 of allotted probation. 
 
 " He will soon knowjhisjjod, and learn that his 
 God knows him !" murmure6!~tfie^ cockswain to 
 
THE PILOT. HI 
 
 himself. As he yet spoke, the wreck of the Ariel 
 yielded to an overwhelming sea, and, after a uni 
 versal shudder, her timbers and planks gave way, 
 ?and were swept towards the cliffs, bearing the 
 body of the simple-hearted cockswain among the 
 
 rums. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 " Let us think of them that sleep 
 Full many a fathom deep, 
 By the wild and stormy steep, 
 Elsinore !" 
 
 Campbell. 
 
 LONG and dreary did the hours appear to 
 Barnstable, before the falling tide had so far re 
 ceded, as to leave the sands entirely exposed to 
 his search for the bodies of his lost shipmates. 
 Several had been rescued from the wild fury of 
 the waves themselves, and one by one, as the me 
 lancholy conviction that life had ceased was forced 
 on the survivors, they had been decently inter 
 red in graves dug on the very margin of that ele 
 ment on which they had passed their lives. But 
 still the form longest known and most beloved was 
 missing, and the lieutenant paced the broad space 
 that was now left between the foot of the cliffs and 
 the raging ocean, with hurried strides and a fever 
 ish eye, watching and following those fragments 
 of the wreck that the sea still continued to cast on 
 the beach. Living and dead, he now found, that 
 of those who had lately been in the Ariel, only 
 two were missing. Of the former he could mus 
 ter but twelve, besides Merry and himself, and his 
 men had already interred more than half that num 
 ber of the latter, which, together, embiaced all 
 
113 
 
 who had trusted their lives to the frail keeping of 
 the whale-boat. 
 
 " Tell me not, boy, of the impossibility of his 
 being safe/ said Barnstable, in deep agitation, 
 which he in vain struggled to conceal from the 
 anxious youth, who thought it unnecessary to fol 
 low the uneasy motions of his commander, as he 
 strode along the sands. " How often have men 
 been found floating on pieces of wreck, days after 
 the loss of their vessel? and you can see, with 
 your own eyes, that the falling water has swept 
 the planks this distance ; ay, a good half league 
 from where she struck. Does the look-out, from 
 the top of the cliffs, make no signal of seeing him 
 yet?" 
 
 " None, sir, none ; we shall never see him 
 again. The men say, that he always thought it 
 sinful to desert a wreck, and that he did not even 
 strike-out once for his life, though he has been 
 known to swim an hour, when a whale has stove 
 his boat. God knows, sir," added the boy, hastily 
 dashing a tear from his eye, by a stolen movement 
 of his hand, " I loved Tom Coffin better than any 
 foremast-man in either vessel. You seldom came 
 aboard the frigate but we had him in the steerage 
 among us reefers, to hear his long-yarns, and share 
 our cheer. We all loved him, Mr. Barnstable, but 
 love cannot bring the dead to life again." 
 
 " I know it, I know it," said Barnstable, ^ with 
 a huskiness in his voice, that betrayed the depth 
 of his emotion. " I am not so foolish as to be 
 lieve in impossibilities ; but while there is a hope 
 of his living, I will never abandon poor Tom 
 Coffin to such a dreadful fate. Think, boy, he 
 may, at this moment, be looking at us, and pray 
 ing to his Maker that he would turn our eyes upon 
 him ; ay, praying to his God, for Tom often pray 
 
] 14 THE PILOT. 
 
 e.d, though he did it in his watch, standing, and in 
 silence." 
 
 " If he had clung to life so strongly," returned 
 the midshipman, " he would have struggled harder 
 to preserve it." 
 
 Barnstable stopped short in his hurried walk, 
 and fastened a look of opening conviction on his 
 companion ; but, as he was about to speak in re 
 ply, the shouts of the seamen reached his ears, and, 
 turning, they saw the whole party running along 
 the beach, and motioning, with violent gestures, to 
 an intermediate point in the ocean.- The lieutenant 
 and Merry hurried back, and, as they approached 
 the men, they distinctly observed a human figure, 
 borne along by the waves, at moments, seeming 
 to rise above them, and already floating in the last 
 of the breakers. They had hardly ascertained so 
 much, when a heavy swell carried the inanimate 
 body far upon the sands, where it was left by the 
 retiring waters. 
 
 " Tis my cockswain !" cried Barnstable, rush 
 ing to the spot. He stopped suddenly, however, 
 as he came within view of the features, and it was 
 some little time before he appeared to have col 
 lected his faculties sufficiently to add, in tones of 
 deep horror " what wretch is this, boy ! his form 
 is immutilated, and yet observe the eyes ! they 
 seem as if the sockets would not contain them, and 
 they gaze as wildly as if their owner yet had life 
 
 , the hands are open and spread, as though they 
 
 i would still buffet the waves ?" 
 
 " The Jonah ! the Jonah !" shouted the seamen, 
 with savage exultation, as they successively ap- 
 
 i preached the corpse ; " away with his carrion 
 
 into the sea again ! give him to the sharks ! let 
 him tell his lies in the claws of the lobsters !" 
 Bainstable had turned away from the revolting 
 
THE PILOT. 115 
 
 sight, in disgust ; but when he discos ered these 
 indications of impotent revenge, in the remnant 
 of his crew, he said, in that voice, which all re 
 spected, and still obeyed 
 
 " Stand back ! back with ye, fellows ! would 
 you disgrace your manhood and seamanship, by 
 wreaking your vengeance on him whom God 
 has already in judgment!" A silent, but signifi 
 cant gesture towards the earth, succeeded his 
 words, and he walked slowly away. 
 
 " Bury him in the sands, boys," said Merry, 
 when his commander was at some little distance ; 
 " the next tide will unearth him." 
 
 The seamen obeyed his orders, while the mid 
 shipman rejoined his commander, who continued 
 to pace along the beach, occasionally halting, to 
 throw his uneasy glances over the water, and 
 then hurrying onward, at a rate that caused his 
 youthful companion to exert his greatest power 
 to maintain the post he had taken at his side. 
 Every effort to discover the lost cockswain was, 
 however, after two hours more search, abandon 
 ed as fruitless ; and with re-ason, for the sea w r as 
 never known to give up the body of the man who 
 might be emphatically called its own dead. 
 
 " There goes the sun, already dropping behind 
 the cliffs," said the lieutenant, throwing himself 
 on a rock ; u and the hour will soon arrive to 
 set the dog-watches ; but we have nothing left to 
 watch over, boy ; the surf and rocks have not 
 even left us a whole plank, that we may lay our 
 heads on for the night." 
 
 " The men have gathered many articles on 
 yon beach, sir," returned the lad ; " they have 
 found arms to defend ourselves with, and food to 
 give us strength to use them." 
 
 " And who shall be our enemy ? asked Barn- 
 
11G THE PILOT. 
 
 stable, bitterly ; " shall we shoulder our dozen 
 pikes, and carry England by boarding ?" 
 
 " We may not lay the whole island under con 
 tribution," continued the boy, anxiously watching 
 the expression of his commander s eye ; " but 
 we may still keep ourselves in work, until the 
 cutter returns from the frigate. I hope, sir, you 
 do not think our case so desperate, as to intend 
 yielding as prisoners." 
 
 " Prisoners !" exclaimed the lieutenant ; " no, 
 no, lad, it has not got to that, yet ! England has 
 been able to wreck my craft, I must concede, but 
 she has, as yet, obtained no other advantage 
 over us. She was a precious model, Merry ! the 
 cleanest run, and the neatest entrance, that art 
 ever united on the stem and stern of the same 
 vessel ! Do you remember the time, younker, 
 when I gave the frigate my topsails, in beating 
 out of the Chesapeake ? I could always do it, in 
 smooth water, with a whole-sail-breeze. But she 
 was a frail thing ! a frail thing, boy, and could 
 bear but little." 
 
 " A mortar ketch would have thumped to pieces 
 where she lay," returned the midshipman. 
 
 " Ay, it was asking too much of her, to expect 
 she could hold together on a bed of rocks. Merry, 
 I loved her ; dearly did I love her ; she was my 
 first command, and I knew and loved every timber 
 and bolt in her beautiful frame !" 
 
 " I believe it is as natural, sir, for a seaman to 
 love the wood and iron in which he has floated 
 over the depths of the ocean, for so many days 
 and nights," rejoined the boy, " as it is for a 
 father to love the members of his own family." 
 
 " Quite, quite, ay, more so," said Barnstable, 
 speaking as if he were choked by emotion. 
 Merry felt the heavy grasp of the lieutenant en 
 
THE PILOT. 117 
 
 his slight arm, while his commander continued, 
 in a voice that gradually increased in power, aa 
 his feelings predominated ; " and yet, boy, a hu 
 man being cannot love the creature of his own 
 formation as he does the works of God. A man 
 <can never regard his ship as he does his ship 
 mates. I sailed with him, boy, when every thing 
 seemed bright and happy, as at. your age ; when, 
 as he often expressed it, I knew nothing and fear 
 ed nothing. I was then a truant from an old fa 
 ther and a kind mother, and he did that for me, 
 which no parents could have done in my situa 
 tion he was my father and mother on the deep ! - 
 hours, days, even months, has he passed in teach 
 ing me the art of our profession ; and now, in my 
 manhood, he has followed me from ship to ship, 
 from sea to sea, and has only quitted me to die, 
 where I should have died as if he felt the dis 
 grace of abandoning the poor Ariel to her fate, by 
 herself!" , : >, 
 
 " No -no no twas ]ii superstitious pride ! * 
 interrupted Merry ; blTT^erceivingtEar meTiead 
 of Barnstable had sunk between his hands, as if 
 he would conceal his emotion, the boy added no 
 more ; but he sat respectfully watching the display 
 of feeling that his officer, in vain, endeavoured to 
 suppress. Merry felt his own form quiver with | 
 sympathy at the shuddering which passed through 
 Barnstable s frame ; and the relief experienced by 
 the lieutenant himself was not greater than that 
 which the midshipman felt, as the latter beheld 
 large tears forcing their way through the other s 
 fingers, and falling on the sands at his feet. They 
 were followed by a violent burst of emotion, such 
 as is seldom exhibited in the meridian of life, but 
 which, when it conquers the nature of one who has 
 buffeted the chances of the world with the loftiness 
 
118 THE PILOT. 
 
 of his sex and character, breaks down every bar 
 rier, and seems to sweep before it, like a rushing 
 torrent, all the factitious defences which habit and 
 education have created to protect the pride of man 
 hood. Merry had often beheld the commanding 
 severity of the lieutenant s manner, in moments of 
 danger, with deep respect ; he had been drawn to 
 wards him by kindness and affection, in times 
 of gaiety and recklessness ; but he now sate for 
 many minutes, profoundly silent, regarding his of 
 ficer with sensations that were nearly allied to awe. 
 The struggle with himself was long and severe 
 in the bosom of Barnstable ; but, at length, the 
 calm of relieved passions succeeded to his emo 
 tion. When he arose from the rock, and remov 
 ed his hands from his features, his eye was hard 
 and proud, his brow slightly contracted, and he 
 spoke in a voice so harsh, that it startled his com 
 panion 
 
 " Come, sir ; why are we here and idle ! are 
 not yon poor fellows looking up to us for advice 
 and orders how to proceed in this exigency ? 
 Away, away, Mr. Merry ; it is not a time to be 
 drawing figures in the sand with your dirk ; the 
 flood-tide will soon be in, and we may be glad to 
 hide our heads in some cavern among these rocks 
 Let us be stirring, sir, while we have the sun, and 
 muster enough food and arms to keep life in us, 
 and our enemies off us, until we can once more get 
 afloat." 
 
 The wondering boy, whose experience had not 
 yet taught him to appreciate the reaction of the 
 passions, started at this unexpected summons 
 to his duty, and followed Barnstable towards the 
 group of distant seamen. The lieutenant, who was 
 instantly conscious how far pride had rendered 
 him unjust, soon moderated his long strides, and 
 
THE PILOT- 119 
 
 continued in milder tones, which were quickly con 
 verted into his usual frank communications, though 
 they still remained tinged with a melancholy > that 
 time only could entirely remove 
 
 " We have been unlucky, Mr. Merry, but we 
 need not despair these lads have gotten together 
 abundance of supplies, I see ; and, with our arms., 
 we can easily make ourselves masters of some of 
 the enemy s smaller craft, and find our way back 
 to the frigate, when this gale has blown itself out, 
 We must keep ourselves close, though, or we shall 
 have the red-coats coming down upon us, like so 
 many sharks around a wreck. Ah ! God bless 
 her, Merry ! there is not such a sight to be seen on 
 the whole beach as two of her planks holding to 
 gether." 
 
 The midshipman, without adverting to this sud 
 den allusion to their vessel, prudently pursued the 
 train of ideas, in which his commander had start 
 ed. 
 
 " There is an opening into the country, but a 
 short distance south of us, where a brook empties 
 into the sea," he said. " We might find a cover 
 in it, or in the wood above, into which it leads, un 
 til we can have a survey of the coast, or can seize 
 some vessel to carry us off." 
 
 " There would be a satisfaction in waiting till 
 the morning w r atch, and then carrying that ac 
 cursed battery, which took off the better leg of 
 the poor Ariel!" said the lieutenant " the thing 
 might be done, boy ; and we could hold the work 
 too, until the Alacrity and the frigate draw in to 
 land." 
 
 " If you prefer storming works to boarding ves 
 sels, there is a fortress of stone, Mr. Barnstable, 
 which lies directly on our beam. I could see it 
 
120 THE PILOT. 
 
 through the haze, when I was on the cliffs, station 
 ing the look-out and " 
 
 " And what, boy ? speak without a fear ; this is 
 a time for free consultation." 
 
 " Why, sir, the garrison might not all be hos 
 tile we should liberate Mr. Griffith and the ma 
 rine ; besides " 
 
 " Besides what, sir ?" 
 
 " I should have an opportunity, perhaps, of see 
 ing my cousin Cecilia, and my cousin Katherine." 
 
 The countenance of Barnstable grew animated 
 as he listened, and he answered with something of 
 his usual cheerful manner 
 
 " Ay, that, indeed, would be a work worth car 
 rying ! and the rescuing of our shipmates, and the 
 marines, would read like a thing of military discre 
 tion ha ! hoy ! all the rest would be incidental, 
 younker ; like the capture of the fleet, after you 
 have whipped the convoy." 
 
 " I do suppose, sir, that if the Abbey be taken, 
 Colonel Howard will own himself a prisoner of 
 war." 
 
 " And Colonel Howard s wards ! now there is 
 good sense in this scheme of thine, Master Merry, 
 and I will give it proper reflection. But here are 
 our poor fellows ; speak cheeringly to them, sir, 
 that we may hold them in temper for our enter 
 prise." 
 
 Barnstable and the midshipman joined their 
 shipwrecked companions, with that air of autho 
 rity which is seldom wanting between the superior 
 and the inferior, in nautical intercourse, but at 
 the same time, with a kindness of speech and 
 looks, that might have been a little increased by 
 their ciitical situation. After partaking of the 
 food which had been selected from among thfi 
 
THE PILOT. 121 
 
 fragments that still lay scattered, for more than 
 a mile, along the beach, the lieutenant diiected 
 the seamen to arm themselves with such wea 
 pons as offered, and, also, to make sufficient pro 
 vision, from the schooner s stores, to last them for 
 four-and-twenty hours longer. These orders were 
 soon executed ; and the whole party, led by 
 Barnstable and Merry, proceeded along the foot 
 of the cliffs, in quest of the opening in the rocks, 
 through which the little rivulet found a passage 
 to the ocean. The weather contributed, as much 
 as the seclusion of the spot, to prevent any dis 
 covery of the small party, which pursued its ob 
 ject with a disregard of caution that might, 
 under other circumstances, have proved fatal 
 to its safety. Barnstable paused in his march 
 when they had all entered the deep ravine, and 
 ascended nearly to the biow of the precipice, that 
 formed one of its sides, to take a last and more 
 scrutinizing survey of the sea. His countenance 
 exhibited the abandonment of all hope, as his eye 
 moved slowly from the northern to the southern 
 boundary of the horizon, and he prepared to pur 
 sue his march, by moving, reluctantly, up the 
 stream, when the boy, who still clung to his side, 
 exclaimed joyously 
 
 " Sail ho ! It must be the frigate in the of 
 fing ! 
 
 " A sail !" repeated his commander ; " where- 
 away do you see a sail in this tempest ? Can there 
 be another as hardy and unfortunate as our 
 selves !" 
 
 " Look to the starboard hand of the point of 
 rock to windward !" cried the boy ; " now you 
 lose it ah ! now the sun falls upon it ! tis a sail, 
 sir, as sure as canvass can be spread in such a 
 gale !" 
 
 VOL. If. 11 
 
THE PILOT 
 
 u I see what you mean, 5 returned the other, 
 " hut it seems a gull, skimming the sea ! nay, now 
 it rises, indeed, and shows itself like a bellying 
 topsail : pass up that glass, lads ; here is a fellow 
 in the offing who may prove a friend." 
 
 Merry waited the result of the lieutenant s ex 
 amination with youthful impatience, and did not 
 fail to ask, immediately 
 
 "Can you make it out, sir ? is it the ship or the 
 cutter ?" 
 
 " Come, there seemeth yet some hope left for us, 
 boy," returned Barnstable, closing the glass ; " tis a 
 ship lying-to under her main-topsail. If one might 
 but dare to show himself on these heights, he would 
 raise her hull, and make sure of her character! 
 But I think I know her spars, though even her top 
 sail dips, at times, when there is nothing to be seen 
 but her bare poles ; and they shortened by her top 
 gallant-masts." 
 
 " One would swear," said Merry, laughing, as 
 much through* the excitement produced by this in 
 telligence, as at his conceit, " that Captain Mun- 
 son would never carry wood aloft, when he can t 
 carry canvass. I remember, one night, Mr. Grif 
 fith was a little vexed, and said, around the cap 
 stan, he believed the next order would be, to rig 
 in the bowsprit, and house lower-masts !" 
 
 " Ay, ay, Griffith is a lazy dog, and some 
 times gets lost in the fogs of his own thoughts, 
 said Barnstable ; "and I suppose old Moderate 
 was in a breeze. However, this looks as if he 
 were in earnest ; he must have kept the ship 
 away, or she would never have been where she is ; 
 I do verily believe the old gentleman remembers 
 that he has a few of his officers and men on this 
 accursed island. This is well. Merry, for should 
 
THE PILOT. 123 
 
 we take the Abbey, we have a place at hand in 
 which to put our prisoners." 
 
 " We must have patience till the morning," 
 added the boy, " for no boat would attempt to 
 land in such a sea." 
 
 " No boat could land ! The best boat that ever 
 floated, boy, has sunk in these breakers ! But the 
 wind lessens, and before morning the sea will fall. 
 Let us on, and find a birth for our poor lads, where 
 they can be made more comfortable." 
 
 The two officers now descended from their 
 elevation, and led the way still further up the 
 deep and narrow dell, until, as the ground rose 
 gradually before them, they found themselves 
 in a dense wood, on a level with the adjacent 
 country. 
 
 " Here should be a ruin at hand, if I have kept 
 a true reckoning, and know my courses and dis 
 tances," said Barnstable ; " I have a chart about 
 me, that speaks of such a land-mark." 
 
 The lieutenant turned away from the laughing 
 expression of the boy s eye, as the latter archly 
 inquired 
 
 " Was it made by one who knows the coast 
 well, sir ? or was it done by some school-boy, to 
 learn his maps, as the girls work samplers ?" 
 
 " Come, younker, no sampler of your impu 
 dence. But look ahead ; can you see any habita 
 tion that has been deserted ?" 
 
 " Ay, sir, here is a pile of stones before us, 
 that looks as dirty and ragged, as if it was a 
 soldier s barrack ; can this be what you seek ?" 
 
 " Faith, this has been a whole town in its day ! 
 
 we should call it a city in America, and furnish 
 
 it with a Mayor, Aldermen, and Recorder you 
 
 might stow old Faneuii-Hall in one of its lockers." 
 
 With this sort of careless dialogue, which 
 
r ... ~~ *, 
 
 124 THE PILOT. 
 
 Barn stable engaged in, that his men might dis 
 cover no alteration in his manner, they approach 
 ed the mouldering walls that had proved so frail a 
 protection to the party under Griffith. 
 
 A short time was passed in examining the pre 
 mises, when the wearied seamen took possession 
 of one of the dilapidated apartments, and dispos 
 ed themselves to seek that rest of which they had 
 been deprived by the momentous occurrences of 
 the past night. 
 
 Barnstable waited until the loud breathing of 
 the seamen assured him that they slept, when he 
 aroused the drowsy boy, who was fast losing his 
 senses in the same sort of oblivion, and motioned 
 to him to follow. Merry arose, and they stole 
 together from the apartment, with guarded steps, 
 and penetrated more deeply into the gloomy re 
 cesses of the place. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Mercury" I permit thce to be Sowa again. 
 
 Dryden. 
 
 WE must leave the two adventurers winding 
 their way among the broken piles, and venturing 
 boldly beneath the tottering arches of the ruin, to 
 accompany the reader, at the same hour, within the 
 more comfortable walls of the Abbey ; where, it 
 will be remembered, Borroughcliffe was left, in a 
 condition of very equivocal ease. As the earth 
 had, however, in the interval, nearly run its daily 
 round, circumstances had intervened to release 
 the soldier from his confinement and no one, 
 ignorant of the fact, would suppose, that the gen 
 tleman who was now seated at the hospitable 
 board of Colonel Howard, directing with so 
 much discretion, the energies of his masticators 
 to the delicacies of the feast, could read, in his 
 careless air and smiling visage, that those fora- 
 gars of nature had been so recently condemned, 
 for four long hours, to the mortification oi dis 
 cussing the barren subject of his own sword-hilt. 
 Borroughcliffe, however, maintained not only his 
 usual post, but his well-earned reputativm at the 
 table, .with his ordinary coolness of demeanour ; 
 though, at times there were fleeting smiles, tha 
 11* 
 
126 THE PILOT. 
 
 crossed his military aspect, which sufficiently in 
 dicated, that he considered the matter of his re 
 flection to he of a particularly ludicrous character. 
 In the young man, who sat by his side, dressed 
 in the deep blue jacket of a seaman, with the fine, 
 white linen of his collar contrasting strongly 
 with the black silk handkerchief, that was tied, 
 with studied negligence, around his neck, and 
 whose easy air and manner contrasted still more 
 strongly with this attire, the reader will discover 
 Griffith. The captive paid much less devotion 
 to the viands than his neighbour, though he af 
 fected more attention to the business of the table 
 than he actually bestowed, with a sort of con 
 sciousness that it would relieve the blushing maid 
 en who presided. The laughing eyes of Ka- 
 therine Plowden were glittering by the side of the 
 mild countenance of Alice Dunscombe, and, at 
 times, were fastened, in droll interest, on the rigid 
 and upright exterior that Captain Manual main 
 tained, directly opposite to where she was seated. 
 A chair had, also, been placed for Dillon of 
 course, it was vacant. 
 
 " And so, Borroughcliffe," cried Colonel How 
 ard, with a freedom of voice, and a vivacity in his 
 air, that announced the increasing harmony of the 
 repast, " the sea-dog left you nothing to chew but 
 the cud of your resentment !" 
 
 " That and my sword-hilt !" returned the im- 
 
 "> moveable recruiting officer. " Gentlemen, I know 
 
 ^ not how your Congress rewards military achieve- 
 
 / ments ; but if that worthy fellow were in my coni 
 
 \ pany, he should have a halberd within a week 
 
 I spurs I would not offer him, for he affects to spurn 
 
 their use." 
 
 Griffith smiled, and bowed in silence to the 
 
THE PILOT. 127 
 
 liberal compliment of Borroughclifte ; out Manual 
 took on himself the task of replying 
 
 u Considering the drilling the man has received, 
 nis conduct has been well enough, sir ; though a 
 well-trained soldier would not only have made pri 
 soners, but he would have secured them." 
 
 " I perceive, my good comrade, that your 
 thoughts are running on the exchange," said Bor- 
 roughcliffe, good humouredly ; " we will fill, sir, 
 and, by permission of the ladies, drink to a speedy 
 restoration of rights to both parties the statu quo 
 ante bellum." 
 
 " With all my heart," cried the colonel ; " and 
 Cicily and Miss Katherine will pledge the senti 
 ment in a woman s sip ; will ye not, my fair 
 wards ? Mr. Griffith, 1 honour this proposition 
 of yours, which will not only liberate yourself, but 
 restore to us my kinsmen, Mr. Christopher Dil 
 lon. Kit had imagined the thing well, ha ! Bor- 
 rougheliffe ! twas ingeniously contrived, but the 
 fortune of war interposed itself to his success ; and 
 yet, it is a deep and inexplicable mystery to me, how 
 Kit should have been conveyed from the Abbey 
 with so little noise, and without raising the alarm." 
 
 " Christopher is a man who understands the 
 philosophy of silence, as well as that of rheto 
 ric," returned Borroughcliffe, cc and must have 
 Learned, in his legal studies, that it is sometimes 
 necessary to conduct matters sub silentio. You 
 smile at my Latin, Miss Plowden ; but, really, 
 s,.nce I have become an inhabitant of this Monk 
 ish abode, my little learning is stimulated to un 
 wonted efforts nay, you are pleased to be yet more 
 merry ! I used the language, because silence is a 
 theme in which you ladies take but little pleasure." 
 Katherine, however, disregarded the slight 
 pique that was apparent in the soldier s manner ; 
 
128 THE PILOT 
 
 but, after following the train of her own thoughts 
 in silent enjoyment for a moment longer, she seem 
 ed to yield to their drollery, and laughed, until her 
 dark eyes flashed with merriment. Cecilia did not 
 assume the severe gravity with which she some 
 times endeavoured to repress, what she thought, 
 the unseasonable mirth of her cousin, and the won 
 dering Griffith fancied, as he glanced his eye from 
 one to the other, that he could discern a suppressed 
 smile playing among the composed features of Alice 
 Dunscombe. Katherine, however, soon succeeded 
 in repressing the paroxysm, and, with an air of in 
 finitely comic gravity, she replied to the remark of 
 the soldier 
 
 " I think I have heard of such a process in nau 
 tical affairs as towing ; but I must appeal to Mr. 
 Griffith, for the correctness of tke term ?" 
 
 " You could not speak with more accuracy, 1 " re 
 turned the young sailor, with a look that sent the 
 conscious blood to the temples of the lady, " though 
 you had made marine terms your study." 
 
 " The profession requires less thought, perhaps, 
 than you imagine, sir ; but is this towing often 
 done, as Captain Borroughcliffe I beg his pardon 
 as the Monks have it, sub silentio ?" 
 
 " Spare me, fair lady," cried the captain, " and 
 we will establish a compact of mutual grace ; you 
 to forgive my learning, and I to suppress my sus 
 picions." 
 
 " Suspicions, sir, is a word that a lady must . 
 defy." 
 
 " And defiance a challenge that a soldier can 
 never receive ; so, I must submit to talk English, 
 though the fathers of the church were my compa 
 nions. I suspect that Miss Plowden has it in her 
 power to explain the manner of Mr. Christopher 
 Dillon s departure." 
 
THE PILOT. 129 
 
 The lady did not reply, but a second burst of 
 merriment succeeded, of a liveliness and duration 
 quite equal to the former. 
 
 " How s this !" exclaimed the colonel ; " per 
 mit me to say, Miss Plowden, your mirth is very 
 extraordinary ! 1 trust no disrespect has been offer 
 ed to my kinsman ? Mr. Griffith, our terms are, 
 that the exchange shall only be made on condition 
 that equally good treatment has been extended to 
 the parties !" 
 
 " If Mr. Dillon can complain of no greater evil 
 than that of being laughed at by Miss Plowden, sir, 
 he has reason to call himself a happy fellow." . 
 
 " I know not, sir ; God forbid that I should for 
 get what is due to my guests, gentlemen but ye 
 have entered my dwelling as foes to my prince." 
 
 " But not to Colonel Howard, sir." 
 
 " I know no difference, Mr. Griffith. King 
 George or Colonel Howard Colonel Howard or 
 King George. Our feelings, our fortunes, and 
 our fate, is as one ; with the mighty odds that Pro 
 vidence has established between the prince and his 
 people ! I wish no other fortune, than to share, at 
 an humble distance, the weal or wo of my sove 
 reign !" 
 
 " You are not called upon, dear sir, to do either, 
 by the thoughtlessness of us ladies," said Cecilia, 
 rising ; " but here comes one who should turn our 
 thoughts to a more important subject our dress." 
 
 Politeness induced Colonel Howard, who both 
 loved and respected his niece, to defer his re 
 marks to another time ; and Katharine, springing 
 from her chair, with childish eagerness, flew to 
 the side of her cousin, who was directing a 
 servant that had announced the arrival of one 
 of those erratic venders of small articles, who 
 supply, in remote districts of the country, the pla- 
 
130 THE PILOT. 
 
 ces of more regular traders, to show the lad into 
 the dining-parlour. The repast was so far ended, 
 as to render this interruption less objectionable, 
 and as all felt the object of Cecilia to be the res 
 toration of harmony, the boy was ushered into 
 the room, without further delay. The contents 
 of his small basket, consisting chiefly of essen 
 ces, and the smaller articles of female economy, 
 were playfully displayed on the table, by Katherine, 
 who declared herself the patroness of the itine 
 rant youth, and who laughingly appealed to the 
 liberality of the gentlemen in behalf of her pro 
 tegee. 
 
 " You perceive, my dear guardian, that the boy 
 must be loyal ; for he offers, here, perfume, that is 
 patronised by no less than two royal dukes? do 
 suffer me to place a box aside, for your especial 
 use ? you consent ; I see it in your eye. And, 
 Captain Borroughcliffe, as you appear to be for 
 getting the use of your own language, here is even 
 a horn-book for you ! How admirably provided 
 he seems to be ! You must have had St. Ruth in 
 view, when you laid in your stock, child ?" 
 
 " Yes, my lady," the boy replied, with a bow 
 that was studiously awkward ; " I have often heard 
 of the grand ladies that dwell in the old Abbey, 
 and I have journeyed a few miles beyond my rounds, 
 to gain their custom." 
 
 " And surely they cannot disappoint you. Miss 
 Howard, that is a palpable hint to your purse ; and 
 I know not that even Miss Alice can escape con 
 tribution, in these troublesome times. Come, aid 
 me, child ; what have you to recommend, in parti 
 cular, to the favour of these ladies ?" 
 
 The lad approached the basket, and rummaged 
 its contents, for a moment, with the appearance 
 of deep, mercenary interest; and then, without 
 
THE PILOT. 131 
 
 lifting his hand from the confusion he had caused, 
 he said, while he exhibited something within the 
 basket to the view of his smiling observer 
 
 " This, my lady." 
 
 Katherine started, and glanced her eye, with a 
 piercing look, at the countenance of the boy, and 
 then turned them, uneasily, from face to face, 
 with conscious timidity. Cecilia had effected 
 her object, and had resumed her seat, in silent 
 abstraction Alice was listening to the remarks 
 of Captain Manual and the host, as they dis 
 cussed the propriety of certain military usages 
 Griffith seemed to hold communion with his 
 mistress, by imitating her silence ; but Katherine, 
 in her stolen glances, met the keen look of Bor- 
 roughcliffe, fastened on her face, in a manner that 
 did not fail instantly to suspend the scrutiny. 
 
 " Come, Cecilia," she cried, after a pause of 
 
 ^a moment, "we trespass too long on the patience 
 
 \ of the gentlemen : not only to keep possession of 
 
 / our seats, ten minutes after the cloth has been 
 
 I drawn ! but even to introduce our essences, and 
 
 I tapes, and needles, among the Madeira, and shall 
 
 I add, segars, colonel ?" 
 
 " Not while we are favoured w r ith the company 
 of Miss Plowden, certainly." 
 
 u Come, my coz ; I perceive the colonel is 
 growing particularly polite, which is a neverfailing 
 sign that he tires of our presence." 
 
 Cecilia rose, and was leading the way to the 
 door, when Katherine turned to the lad, and 
 added-- 
 
 " You can follow us to the drawing-room, child, 
 where we can make our purchases, without expos 
 ing the mystery of our toilets." 
 
 " Miss Plowden has forgotten my horn-book, 
 I believe," said Borroughcliffe, advancing from 
 
132 , THE PILOT. 
 
 the standing group who surrounded the table ; 
 " possibly I can find some work in the basket 
 of the boy, better fitted for the improvement of 
 a grown-up young gentleman than this elementary 
 treatise." 
 
 Cecilia, observing him to take the basket from 
 the lad, resumed her seat, and her example was 
 necessarily followed by Katherine ; though not 
 without some manifest indications of vexation. 
 
 " Come hither, boy, and explain the uses of 
 your wares. This is soap, and this a penknife, I 
 know ; but what name do you affix to this ?" 
 
 u That ? that is tape," returned the lad, with 
 an impatience that might very naturally be attri 
 buted to the interruption that was thus given to his 
 trade. 
 
 " And this ?" 
 
 " That ?" repeated the stripling, pausing, with a 
 hesitation between sulkiness and doubt ; " that ? " 
 
 " Come, this is a little ungallant !" cried Kathe 
 rine ; " to keep three ladies dying with impa 
 tience to possess themselves of their finery, while 
 you detain the boy, to ask the name of a tambour- 
 ing-needle !" 
 
 " I should apologize for asking questions that 
 are so easily answered ; but perhaps he will find 
 the next more difficult to solve," returned Bor- 
 roughclifie, placing the subject of his inquiries 
 in the palm of his hand, in such a manner as to 
 conceal it from all but the boy and himself. " This 
 has a name, too ; what is it f " 
 
 " That ? that is sometimes called white- 
 line." 
 
 * c Perhaps you mean a white lie ?" 
 
 " How, sir !" exclaimed the lad, a little fiercely, 
 < a lie ! 
 
" _ 1 
 
 i 
 
 THE PILOT. 133 
 
 " Only a white one," returned the captain. 
 What do you call this, Miss Dunscombe ?" 
 
 " We call it bobbin, sir, generally, in the 
 north,- said the placid Alice. 
 
 " Ay, bobbin, or white-line ; they are the same 
 thing," added the young trader. 
 
 " They are ! I think, now, for a professional 
 man, you know but little of the terms of your 
 art," observed Borroughcliffe, with an affectation 
 of irony ; " I never have seen a youth of your 
 years who knew less. What names, now, would 
 you affix to this, and this, and this ?" 
 
 While the captain was speaking, he drew from 
 his pockets the several instruments that the cock 
 swain had made use of the preceding night to se 
 cure his prisoner. 
 
 " That," exclaimed the lad, with the eagerness 
 of one who would vindicate his reputation, " is rat 
 lin-stuff; and this is marline ; and that is sennit." 
 
 " Enough, enough," said Borroughcliffe; "you 
 have exhibited sufficient knowledge, to convince 
 me that you do know something of your trade, and 
 nothing of these articles. Mr. Griffith, do you 
 claim this boy ?" 
 
 cc I believe I must, sir," said the young sea-*? 
 officer, who had been intently listening to the/ 
 examination. C On whatever errand you have I 
 ventured here, *Mr. Merry, it is useless to affect J 
 further concealment." 
 
 " Merry!" exclaimed Cecilia Howard; "is \tr 
 you, then, my cousin ? are you, too, fallen into I 
 the power of your enemies ! was it not enough 
 that" 
 
 The young Lady recovered her recollection in 
 time to suppress the remainder of the sentence, 
 though the grateful expression of Griffith s eye 
 
 VOL. II. 12 
 
134 THE PILOT. 
 
 sufficiently indicated that he had, in his thoughts, 
 filled the sentence with expressions abundantly 
 flattering to his own feelings. 
 
 " How s this, again !" cried the colonel ; c - my 
 two wards embracing and fondling a vagrant, 
 vagabond pedler, before my eyes ; is this treason, 
 Mr. Griffith ? or what means the extraordinary 
 visit of this young gentleman ? 
 
 " Is it extraordinary, sir," said Merry himself, 
 losing his assumed awkwardness, in the ease and 
 confidence of one whose faculties had been early 
 exercised, " that a boy, like myself, destitute of 
 mother and sisters, should take a like risk on him. 
 self, to visit the only two female relatives he has in 
 the world ? 
 
 " Why this disguise, then ? surely, young gen 
 tleman, it was unnecessary to enter the dwelling 
 of old George Howard, on such an errand, clan 
 destinely, even though your tender years have 
 been practised on, to lead you astray from your 
 allegiance. Mr. Griffith and Captain Manual 
 must pardon me, if I express sentiments, at my 
 own table, that they may find unpleasant ; but this 
 business requires us to be explicit." 
 
 " The hospitality of Colonel Howard is un 
 questionable," returned the boy ; " but he has a 
 great reputation for his loyalty to the crown." 
 
 " Ay, young gentleman ; and, I trust, with 
 some justice." 
 
 " Would it, then, be safe, to intrust my person 
 in the hands of one who might think it his duty to 
 detain me ?" 
 
 " This is plausible enough, Captain Borrough- 
 cliffe, and I doubt not the boy speaks with can 
 dour. I would, now, that my kinsman, Mr. 
 Christopher Dillon, were here, that I might learn 
 
THE PILOT 135 
 
 if it would be misprision of treason, to permit 
 this youth to depart, unmolested, and without ex 
 change ?" 
 
 " Inquire of the young gentleman, after the 
 Cacique," returned the recruiting officer, who, 
 apparently satisfied in producing the exposure of 
 Merry, had resumed his seat at the table ; " per 
 haps he is, in verity, an ambassador, empowered 
 to treat on behalf of his highness." 
 
 " How say you," demanded the colonel ; " do 
 you know any thing of my kinsman ?" 
 
 The anxious eyes of the whole party were fas 
 tened on the boy, for many moments, witnessing 
 the sudden change from careless freedom to deep 
 horror, expressed in his countenance. At length 
 he uttered, in an under tone, the secret of Dillon s 
 fate. 
 
 " He is dead." 
 
 " Dead !" repeated every voice in the room. 
 
 " Yes, dead," said the boy, gazing at the pallid 
 faces of those who surrounded him. 
 
 A long and fearful silence succeeded the an 
 nouncement of this intelligence, which was only 
 interrupted by Griffith, who said 
 
 " Explain the manner of his death, sir, and 
 where his body lies." 
 
 " His body lies interred in the sands," returned 
 Merry, with a deliberation that proceeded from an 
 opening perception, that if he uttered too much, 
 he might betray the loss of the Ariel, and, conse 
 quently, endanger the liberty of Burnstable. 
 
 " In the sands !" was echoed from every part of 
 the room. 
 
 " Ay, in the sands ; but how he died, I cannot 
 explain." 
 
 " He has been murdered !" exclaimed Colonel 
 Howard, whose command of utterance was now 
 
136 THE PILOT. 
 
 amply restored to him ; " he has been treacherous 
 ly, and dastardly, and basely murdered !" 
 
 " He has not been murdered," said the boy, 
 firmly ; u nor did he meet his death among those 
 who deserve the name either of traitors or of das 
 tards." 
 
 " Said you not that he was dead ? that my 
 kinsman was buried in the sands of the sea 
 shore ?" 
 
 " Both are true, sir " 
 
 " And you refuse to explain how he met his 
 death, and why he has been thus ignominiously in 
 terred ?" 
 
 "He received his interment by my orders, sir; 
 and if there be ignominy about his grave, his own 
 acts have heaped it on him. As to the manner of 
 his death, I cannot, and will not speak." 
 
 " Be calm, my cousin," said Cecilia, in an im 
 ploring voice ; " respect the age of my uncle, and 
 remember his strong attachment to Mr. Dillon." 
 
 The veteran had, however, so far mastered his 
 feelings, as to continue the dialogue with more re 
 collection. 
 
 " Mr. Griffith," he said, I shall not act hasti 
 ly you and your companion will be pleased to 
 retire to your several apartments. I will so far re 
 spect the son of my brother Harry s friend as to 
 believe your parole will be sacred. Go, gentle 
 men ; you are unguarded." 
 
 The two prisoners bowed low to the ladies and 
 their host, and retired. Griffith, however, linger 
 ed a moment on the threshold, to say 
 
 " Colonel Howard, I leave the boy to your kind 
 ness and consideration. I know you will not for 
 get that his blood mingles with that of one who is 
 most dear to you." 
 
 " Enough, enough, sir," said the veteran, waving 
 
THE PILOT. 137 
 
 his hand to him to retire : " and you, ladies ; this 
 is not a place for you, either." 
 
 " Never will I quit this child," said Kathcrine, 
 " while such a horrid imputation lies on him. 
 Colonel Howard, act your pleasure on us both, for 
 I suppose you have the power ; but his fate shall 
 be my fate." 
 
 " There is, I trust, some misconception in this 
 melancholy affair," said Borroughcliffe, advanc 
 ing into the centre of the agitated group ; " and 
 I should hope, by calmness and moderation, all 
 may yet be explained young gentleman, you 
 have borne arms, and must know, notwithstanding 
 your youth, what it is to be in the power of your 
 enemies ?" 
 
 " Never !" returned the proud boy ; " I am a 
 captive for the first time." 
 
 " I speak, sir, in reference to our power." 
 
 " You may order me to a dungeon ; or, as 1 
 have entered the Abbey in disguise, possibly to a 
 gibbet." 
 
 " And is that a fate to be met so calmly by one 
 so young !" 
 
 " You dare not do it, Captain Borroughcliffe," 
 cried Katherine, involuntarily throwing an arm 
 around the boy, as if to shield him from harm ; 
 u you would blush to think of such a cold-blooded 
 act of vengeance, Colonel Howard." 
 
 " If we could examine the young man, where 
 the warmth of feeling, which these ladies exhibit, 
 might not be excited," said the captain, apart to 
 his host, " we should gain important intelligence." 
 
 " Miss Howard, and you, Miss Plowden," said 
 the veteran, in a manner that long habit had taught 
 his wards to respect, " your young kinsman is not 
 in the keeping of savages, and you can safely con 
 fide him to my custody. I am sorry that we have 
 12* 
 
138 THE PILOT. 
 
 so long kept Miss Alice standing, but she will find 
 relief on the couches of your drawing-room, Ce 
 cilia." 
 
 Cecilia and Katherine permitted themselves to 
 be conducted to the door, by their polite, but de 
 termined guardian, where he bowed to their retir 
 ing persons, with the exceeding courtesy that he 
 never failed to use, when in the least excited. 
 
 " You appear to know your danger, Mr. Merry," 
 said Borroughcliffe, after the door was closed ; 
 " I trust you also know what duty would dictate 
 to one in my situation." 
 
 "Do it, sir," returned the boy; "you have a 
 king to render an account to, and I have a coun 
 try." 
 
 " I may have a country, also," said Borrough 
 cliffe, with a calmness that was not in the least 
 disturbed by the taunting air with which the 
 youth delivered himself. " It is possible for me, 
 however, to be lenient, even merciful, when the 
 interests of that prince, to whom you allude, are 
 served you came not on this enterprise alone, 
 sir ?" 
 
 " Had I come better attended, Captain Bor 
 roughcliffe might have heard these questions, in 
 stead of putting them." 
 
 " I am happy, sir, that your retinue has been so 
 small : and yet, even the rebel schooner called the 
 Ariel might have furnished you with a more be 
 coming attendance. I cannot but think, that you 
 are not far distant from your friends." 
 
 " He is near his enemies, your honour," said 
 Sergeant Drill, who had entered the room, unob 
 served ; " for here is a boy who says he has been 
 seized in the old ruin, and robbed of his goods and 
 clothes ; and, by his description, this lad should 
 be the thief." 
 
THE PILOT. 139 
 
 Borroughcliffe signed to the boy, who stood in 
 the back ground, to advance, and he was instantly 
 obeyed, with all that eagerness which a sense of 
 injury on the part of the sufferer could excite. 
 The tale of this unexpected intruder was soon told, 
 and was briefly this : 
 
 He had been assaulted by a man and a boy, 
 ( the latter was in presence, ) while arranging his 
 effects, in the ruin, preparatory to exhibiting them 
 to the ladies of the Abbey, and had been robbed 
 of such part of his attire as the boy had found 
 necessary for his disguise, together with his bas 
 ket of valuables. He had been put into an 
 apartment of an old tower, by the man, for safe 
 keeping ; but as the latter frequently ascended to 
 its turret, to survey the country, he had availed 
 himself of this remissness, to escape : and, to con 
 clude, he demanded a restoration of his property, 
 and vengeance for his wrongs. 
 
 Merry heard his loud and angry details with 
 scornful composure, and before the offended ped- 
 ler was through his narrative, had divested him 
 self of the borrowed garments, which he threw to 
 the other with singular disdain. 
 
 We are beleaguered, mine host ! beset ! be 
 sieged !" cried Borroughcliffe, when the other 
 had ended. " Here is a rare plan to rob us of 
 our laurels ! ay, and of our rewards ! but, hark ye, 
 Drill ! they have old soldiers to deal with, and we 
 shall look into the matter. One would wish to 
 triumph on foot ; you understand me ? there 
 was no horse in the battle. Go, fellow, I see 
 you grow wiser ; take this young gentleman and 
 remember he is a young gentleman put him in 
 safe keeping, but see him supplied with all he 
 wants." 
 
 Borroughcliffe bowed politely to the haughty 
 
140 THE PILOT. 
 
 bend of the body with which Merry, who now 
 began to think himself a martyr to his country, 
 followed the orderly from the room. 
 
 " There is metal in the lad !" exclaimed the 
 captain ; " and if he live to get a beard, twill be 
 a hardy dog who ventures to pluck it. I- am 
 glad, mine host, that this wandering jew has 
 arrived, to save the poor fellow s feelings, for I 
 detest tampering with such a noble spirit. I saw, 
 by his eye, that he had squinted oftener over a 
 gun, than through a needle !" 
 
 " But they have murdered my kinsman ! the 
 loyal, the learned, the ingenious Mr. Christopher 
 Dillon !" 
 
 " If they have done so, they shall be made to 
 answer it," said Borroughciiffe, re-seating him 
 self at the table, with a coolness that furnished an 
 ample pledge of the impartiality of his judgment ; 
 " but let us learn the facts, before we do aught 
 hastily." 
 
 Colonel Howard was fain to comply with so 
 reasonable a proposition, and he resumed his 
 chair, while his companion proceeded to institute 
 a close examination of the pedler boy. 
 
 We shall defer, until the proper time may ar 
 rive, recording the result of his inquiries ; but 
 shall so far satisfy the curiosity of our readers, as 
 to tell them, that the captain learned sufficient to 
 convince him a very serious attempt was medi 
 tated on the Abbey ; and, as he thought, enough, 
 also, to enable him to avert the danger. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 " I have not seen 
 So likely an ambassador of lore." 
 
 Merchant of Vonitt. 
 
 CECILIA and Katherine separated from Alice 
 Dunscombe in the lower gallery of the cloisters ; 
 and the cousins ascended to the apartment which 
 was assigned them as a dressing-room. The in 
 tensity of feeling that was gradually accumulat 
 ing in the breasts of the ladies, as circumstances 
 brought those in whom their deepest interests 
 were centered, into situations of extreme delica 
 cy, if not of actual danger, perhaps, in some 
 measure, prevented them from experiencing all 
 that concern which the detection and arrest of 
 might be supposed to excite. The boy, 
 like themselves, was an only child of one of those 
 three sisters, \\\Q caused the close connexion be 
 tween so many of our characters ; and his tender 
 years had led his cousins to regard him with an 
 affection that exceeded the ordinary interest of 
 such an affinity; but they knew, that in the 
 hands of Colonel Howard his person was safe, 
 though his liberty might be endangered. When 
 the first emotions, therefore, which weie created 
 
142 THE PILOT. 
 
 by his sudden appearance, after so long an absence, 
 had subsided, their thoughts were rather occupied 
 by the consideration of what consequences, to 
 others, might proceed from his arrest, than by any 
 reflections on the midshipman s actual condition. 
 Secluded from the observations of any strange 
 eyes, the two maidens indulged their feelings, 
 without restraint, according to their several tem 
 peraments. Katherine moved to and fro, in the 
 apartment, with feverish anxiety, while Misa 
 Howard, by concealing her countenance under the 
 ringlets of her luxuriant, dark hair, and shading her 
 eyes with a fair hand, seemed to be willing to com 
 mune with her thoughts more quietly. 
 
 " Barnstable cannot be far distant," said the 
 former, after a few minutes had passed ; " for he 
 never would have sent that child on such an er 
 rand, by himself!" 
 
 Cecilia raised her mild, blue eyes to the counte 
 nance of her cousin, as she answered 
 
 " All thoughts of an exchange must now be 
 abandoned ; and perhaps the persons of the prison 
 ers will be held as pledges, to answer for the life 
 of Dillon." 
 
 " Can the wretch be dead ? or is it merely a 
 threat, or some device of that urchin ? he is a for 
 ward child, and would not hesitate to speak and 
 act boldly, on emergency." 
 
 " He is dead !" returned Cecilia, veiling her 
 face again, in horror ; " the eyes of the boy, his 
 whole countenance, confirmed his words ! I fear, 
 Katherine, that Mr. Barnstable has suffered his re 
 sentment to overcome his discretion, when he 
 learned the treachery of Dillon; surely, surely, 
 though the hard usages of war may justify so 
 dreadful a revenge on an enemy, it was unkind to 
 forget the condition of his own friends !" 
 
THE PILOT. 143 
 
 " Mr. Barnstable has done neither, Miss How 
 ard," said Katherine, checking her uneasy foot 
 steps, her light form swelling with pride ; " Mr. 
 Barnstable is equally incapable of murdering an 
 enemy, or of deserting a friend!" 
 
 " But retaliation is neither deemed nor called 
 murder, by men in arms." 
 
 " Think it what you will, call it what you will, 
 Cecilia Howard, I will pledge my life, that Rich 
 ard Barnstable lias to answ r er for the blood of none 
 but the open enemies of his country." 
 
 " The miserable man may have fallen a sacri 
 fice to the anger of that terrific seaman, who led 
 him hence as a captive !" 
 
 " That terrific seaman, Miss Howard, has a 
 heart as tender as your own. He is " 
 
 u Nay, Katherine," interrupted Cecilia, " you 
 chide me unkindly ; let us not add to our unavoid 
 ably misery, by such harsh contention." 
 
 " I do not contend with you, Cecilia ! I merely 
 defend the absent and the innocent from your un 
 kind suspicions, my cousin." 
 
 " Say, rather your sister," returned Miss How 
 ard, as their hands involuntarily closed upon each 
 other, "for we are surely sisters ! But let us strive 
 to think of something less horrible. Poor, poor 
 Dillon ! now that he has met a fate so terrible, I 
 can even fancy him less artful and more upright 
 than we had thought him ! You agree with me, 
 Katherine, I see by your countenance, and we will 
 dwell no longer on the subject. Katherine ! my 
 cousin Kate, what see you ?" 
 
 Miss Plowden, as she relinquished her pres 
 sure of the hand of Cecilia, had renewed her walk 
 with a more regulated step ; but she w r as yet mak 
 ing her first turn across the room, when her eyes 
 became keenly set on the opposite window, and her 
 
144 THE PILOT. 
 
 whole frame was held in an attitude of absorbed 
 attention. The rays of the setting sun fell bright 
 upon her dark glances, which seemed fastened on 
 some distant object, and gave an additional glow 
 to the mantling colour that was slowly stealing, 
 across her cheeks, to her temples. Such a sudden 
 alteration in the manner and appearance of her 
 companion had not failed to catch the attention of 
 Cecilia, who, in consequence, interrupted herself 
 by the agitated question we have related. Kathe- 
 rine slowly beckoned her companion to her side, 
 and, pointing in the direction of the wood that lay 
 in view, she said 
 
 " See yon tower, in the ruin ! Do you observe 
 those small spots of pink and yellow that are flut 
 tering above its walls ?" 
 
 " I do. They are the lingering remnants of the 
 foliage of some tree ; but they want the vivid tints 
 which grace the autumn of our own dear America !" 
 
 " One is the work of God, and the other has 
 been produced by the art of man. Cecilia, those 
 are no leaves, but they are my own childish sig 
 nals, and without doubt Barnstable himself is on 
 that ruined tower. Merry cannot, will not, betray 
 him !" 
 
 " My life should be a pledge for the honour of 
 our little cousin," said Cecilia. " But you have the 
 telescope of my uncle at hand, ready for such an 
 event ! one look through it will ascertain the 
 truth" 
 
 Katherine sprang to the spot where the instru 
 ment stood, and with eager hands she prepared it 
 for the necessary observation. 
 
 "It is he !" she cried the instant her eye was put 
 to the glass. " I even see his head above the stones. 
 How unthinking to expose himself so unnecessai i- 
 ly!" 
 
 
T 
 
 THE PILOT. 145 
 
 u But what says he, Katherine ?" exclaimed Ce 
 cilia ; " you alone can interpret his meaning." 
 
 The little book which contained the explana 
 tions of Miss Plowden s signals was now hastily 
 produced, and its leaves rapidly run over in quest 
 of the necessary number. 
 
 " Tis only a question to gain my attention. I 
 must let him know he is observed." 
 
 When Katherine, as much to indulge her secret 
 propensities, as with any hope of its usefulness, 
 had devised this plan for communicating with 
 Barnstable, she had, luckily, not forgotten to ar 
 range the necessary means to reply to his inter 
 rogatories. A very simple arrangement of some 
 of the ornamental cords of the window-curtains 
 enabled her to eifect this purpose ; and her nimble 
 fingers soon fastened the pieces of silk to the lines, 
 which, were now thrown into the air, when these 
 signals in miniature were instantly displayed in 
 the breeze. 
 
 " He sees them !" cried Cecilia, " and is pre 
 paring to change his flags," 
 
 "Keep then your eye on him, my cousin, and 
 tell me the colours that he shows, with their order, 
 and 1 will endeavour to read his meaning." 
 
 " He is as expert as yourself ! There are two 
 more of them fluttering above the stones again : 
 the upper is white, and the lower black." 
 
 " White over black," repeated Katherine, rapid 
 ly, to herself, as she turned the leaves of her 
 book. " l My messenger : has he been seen T 
 To that we must answer the unhappy truth. Here 
 it is yellow, white, and red c he is a prisoner. 
 How fortunate that I should have prepared such a 
 question and answer. What says he, Cecilia, to 
 this news ?" 
 
 " He is busy making his changes^ dear. Nay, 
 
 VOL. II, 13 
 
146 THE PILOT. 
 
 Katherine, you shake so violently as to move the 
 glass ! Now he is done ; tis yellow over black, 
 this time." 
 
 " Griffith, or who V He does not understand 
 us ; but I had thought of the poor boy, in making 
 out the numbers ah ! here it is ; yellow, green, 
 and red my cousin Merry? He cannot fail to 
 understand us now." 
 
 " He has already taken in his flags. The news 
 seems to alarm him, for he is less expert than be 
 fore. He shows them now they are green, red, 
 and yellow." 
 
 "The question is, c Am I safe? 9 Tis that 
 which made him tardy, Miss Howard," continued 
 Katherine. " Barnstable is ever slow to consult 
 his safety. But how shall I answer him ? should 
 we mislead him now, how could we ever forgive 
 ourselves !" 
 
 " Of Andrew Merry there is no fear," returned 
 Cecilia, " and I think if Captain Borroughcliffe 
 had any intimation of the proximity of his enemies, 
 he would not continue at the table." 
 
 " He will stay there while wine will sparkle, and 
 man can swallow," said Katherine ; " but we know, 
 by sad experience, that he is a soldier on an emer 
 gency ; and yet, I ll trust to his ignorance this 
 time here, I have an answer : you are yet safe,, 
 but be wary? " 
 
 " He reads your meaning with a quick eye, 
 Katherine ; and he is ready with his answer too : 
 he shows green over white this time. Well ! do 
 you not hear me ? tis green over white. Why, 
 you are dumb what says he, dear ?" 
 
 Still Katherine answered not, and her cousin 
 raised her eyes from the glass, and beheld her 
 companion gazing earnestly at the open page, 
 while the glow which excitement had before 
 
THE PILOT. 147 
 
 brought to her check, was increased to a still 
 deeper bloom. 
 
 " I hope your blushes and his signals are not 
 ominous, Kate," added Cecilia ; " can green imply 
 his jealousy, as white does your purity ? what 
 says he, coz ?" 
 
 " He talks, like yourself, much nonsense," said 
 Katherine, turning to her flags, with a pettish air, 
 that was singularly contradicted by her gratified 
 countenance ; " but the situation of things requires 
 that I should talk to Barnstable more freely." 
 
 " I can retire," said Cecilia, rising from her 
 chair with a grave manner. 
 
 " Nay, Cecilia, I do not deserve these looks 
 tis you who exhibit levity now ! But you can per 
 ceive for yourself, that evening is closing in, and 
 that some other medium for conversation, besides 
 the eyes, may be adopted. Here is a signal, 
 which will answer : IVhen the Abbey dock strikes 
 nine, come with care to the wicket^ which opens, at 
 the east side of the Paddock^ on the road : until 
 then, keep secret. I had prepared this very signal, 
 in case an interview should be necessary." 
 
 " Well, he sees it," returned Cecilia, who had 
 resumed her place by the telescope, " and seems 
 disposed to obey you, for I no longer discern his 
 flags or his person." 
 
 Miss Howard now arose from before the glass, 
 her observations being ended ; but Katherine did 
 not return the instrument to its corner, without fas 
 tening one long and anxious look through it, on 
 what now appeared to be the deserted tower. The 
 interest and anxiety produced by this short and 
 imperfect communication between Miss Plowden 
 and her lover, did not fail to excite reflections in 
 both the ladies, that furnished materials to hold 
 them in earnest discourse, until the entrance of 
 
148 THE PILOT, 
 
 Alice Dunseombe announced that their presence 
 was expected below. Even the unsuspecting Alice^ 
 on entering, observed a change in the countenances 
 and demeanour of the two cousins, which betrayed 
 that their secret conference had not been entirely 
 without contention. The features of Cecilia were 
 disturbed and anxious, and their expression not 
 unlike melancholy; while the dark flashing eye, 
 flushed temples, and proud, determined step of 
 Katherine exhibited in an equal, if not a greater 
 degree, a very different emotion. As no reference 
 to the subject of their conversation was, however, 
 made by either of the young ladies, alter the en 
 trance of Alice, she led the way. in silence, to the 
 drawing room. 
 
 The ladies were received, by Col. Howard and 
 Borrougheliflfe, with marked attention. In the 
 former there were moments when a deep gloom 
 would, in spite of his very obvious exeitions to the 
 contrary, steal over his open, generous counte 
 nance ; but the recruiting officer maintained an air 
 of immoveable coolness and composure. Twenty 
 times did he detect the piercing looks of Kathe- 
 rine fastened on him, with an intentnessj that a 
 less deliberative man might have had the vanity 
 to misinterpret ; but even this flattering testi 
 monial of his power to attract, failed to disturb 
 his self-possession. It was in vain that Kathe- 
 rine endeavoured to read his countenance, where 
 every thing was fixed in military rigidity, though 
 his deportment appeared more than usually easy 
 and natural. Tired at length w r ith her fruit 
 less scrutiny, the excited girl turned her gaze 
 upon the clock : to her amazement, she discovered 
 that it was on the stroke of nine, and, disregarding 
 a deprecating glance from her cousin, she arose 
 and quitted the apartment. Borroughcliffe open- 
 
THE PILOT. 149 
 
 ed the door for her exit, and, while the lady civilly 
 bowed her head in acknowledgment of his attention, 
 their eyes once more met ; but she glided quickly 
 by him, and found herself alone in the gallery. Ka- 
 therine hesitated, more than a minute, to proceed, 
 for she thought she had detected in that glance a 
 lurking expression, that manifested conscious se 
 curity mingled with secret design. It was not her 
 nature, however, to hesitate, when circumstances 
 required that she should be both prompt and alert ; 
 and, throwing over her slight person a large cloak, 
 that was in readiness for the occasion, she stole 
 warily from the building. 
 
 Although Katherine suspected most painfully, 
 that Borroughcliffe had received intelligence that 
 imght prove dangerous to her lover, she look 
 ed around her in vain, on gaining the open air, 
 to discover any alteration in the arrangements for 
 the defence of the Abbey, which might confirm 
 her suspicions, or the knowledge of which might 
 enable her to instruct Barnstable how to avoid 
 the secret danger. Every disposition remained as 
 it had been since the capture of Griffith and 
 his companion. She heard the heavy, quick 
 steps of the sentinel, who was posted beneath their 
 windows, endeavouring to warm himself on his 
 confined post ; and as she paused to listen, she 
 also detected the rattling of arms from the soldier, 
 who, as usual, guarded the approach of that part 
 of the building where his comrades were quartered. 
 The night had set in cloudy and dark, although 
 the gale had greatly subsided towards the close of 
 the day ; still the wind swept heavily, and, at mo 
 ments, with a rushing noise, among the irregular 
 walls of the edifice ; and it required the utmost 
 nicety of ear to distinguish even these well-known 
 sounds, among such accompaniments. When 
 
150 THE PILOT. 
 
 Katherine, however, was satisfied that her organs 
 had not deceived her, she turned an anxious eye 
 in the direction of what Borroughcliffe called his 
 " barracks." Every thing in that direction ap 
 peared so dark and still, as to create a sensation 
 of uneasiness, by its very quiet. It might be 
 the silence of sleep that now pervaded the or 
 dinarily gay and mirthful apartment ! or it might 
 be the stillness of a fearful preparation ! There 
 was no time, however, for further hesitation, and 
 Katherine drew her cloak more closely about her 
 form, and proceeded, with light and guarded steps, 
 to the appointed spot. As she approached the wick 
 et the clock struck the hour, and she again paused, 
 while the mournful sounds were borne by her 
 on the wind, as if expecting that each stroke on 
 the bell wo-uld prove a signal to unmask some 
 secret design of Borroughcliffe. As the last vi 
 bration melted away, she opened the little gate, and 
 issued on the highway. The figure of a man 
 sprang forward from behind an angle of the wall, 
 as she appeared ; and while her heart was still 
 throbbing with the suddenness of the alarm, she 
 found herself in the arms of Barnstable. After 
 the first few words of recognition and pleasure 
 which the young sailor uttered, he acquainted his 
 mistress with the loss of his schooner, and the 
 situation of the survivors. 
 
 "And now, Katherine," he concluded, "you 
 have come, I trust, never to quit me ; or, at most, 
 to return no more to that old Abbey, unless it be 
 to aid in liberating Griffith, and then to join me 
 again for ever." 
 
 " Why, truly, there is so much to tempt a young 
 woman to renounce her home and friends, in the 
 description you have just given of your condition, 
 that I hardly know how to refuse your request, 
 
THE PILOT. 151 
 
 Barnstable. You are very tolerably provided with 
 a dwelling in the ruin ; and I suppose certain pre 
 datory schemes are to be adopted to make it ha 
 bitable ! St. Ruth is certainly well supplied with 
 the necessary articles, but whether we should not 
 be shortly removed to the Castle at York, or tlie 
 gaol at Newcastle, is a question that I put to your 
 discretion." 
 
 " Why yield your thoughts to such silly sub 
 jects, lovely trifler !" said Barnstable, " when 
 the time and the occasion both urge us to be in 
 earnest ?" 
 
 " It is a woman s province to be thrifty, and to 
 look after the comforts of domestic life," returned 
 his mistress ; " and I would discharge my func 
 tions with credit. But I feel you are vexed, for, to 
 see your dark countenance is out of the question, 
 on such a night. When do you propose to com 
 mence housekeeping, if I should yield to your 
 proposals ?" 
 
 " I have not concluded relating my plans, and 
 your provoking wit annoys me ! The vessel I have 
 taken, will, unquestionably, come into the land, as 
 the gale dies ; and I intend making my escape in 
 her, after beating this Englishman, and securing 
 the liberty of Miss Howard and yourself. I could 
 see the frigate in the offing, even before we left 
 the cliffs." 
 
 " This certainly sounds better !" rejoined Kathe- 
 rine, in a manner that indicated she was musing 
 on their prospects ; " and yet there may exist some 
 difficulties in the way that you little suspect." 
 
 " Difficulties there are none there can be 
 none." 
 
 " Speak not irreverently of the mazes of love, 
 Mr. Barnstable. When was it ever known to exist 
 unfettered or unembarrassed ? even I have an ex- 
 
152 THE PILOT. 
 
 planation to ask of you, that 1 would much rather 
 let alone." 
 
 " Of mtj ! ask what you will, or how you will; 
 I am a cai eless, unthinking fellow, Miss Plowden ; 
 but to you I have little to answer for unless a 
 foolish sort of adoration be an offence against your 
 merits." 
 
 Barnstable felt the little hand that was sup 
 ported on his arm, pressing the limb, as Kathe- 
 rine replied, in a tone so changed from its former 
 forced levity, that he started as the first sounds 
 reached his ears. cc Merry has brought in a horrid 
 report !" she said ; " I would I could believe it 
 untrue ! but the looks of the boy, and the absence 
 of Dillon, both confirm it." 
 
 " Poor Merry ! he too has fallen into the trap 
 but they shall yet find one who is too cunning for 
 them. Is it to the fate of that wretched Dillon 
 that you allude ?" 
 
 " He was a wretch," continued Katherine, in the 
 same voice, " and he deserved much punishment at 
 your hands, Barnstable ; but life is the gift of God, 
 and is not to be taken whenever human vengeance 
 would appear to require a victim." 
 
 " His life was taken by him who bestowed it," 
 said the sailor. " Is it Katherine Plowden who 
 would suspect me of the deed of a dastard !" 
 
 " I do not suspect you I did not suspect you," 
 cried Katherine ; " I will never suspect any evil of 
 you again. You are not, you cannot be angry 
 with me, Barnstable ? had you heard the cruel 
 suspicions of my cousin Cecilia, and had your 
 imagination been busy in portraying your wrongs 
 and the temptations to forget mercy, like mine, even 
 while my tongue denied your agency in the sus 
 pected deed, you would you would at least have 
 learned how much easier it is to defend those we 
 
3 
 
 THE PILOT. 15 
 
 love against the open attacks of others, than 
 against our own jealous feelings." 
 
 " Those words, love and jealousy, will obtain 
 your acquittal," cried Barnstable, in his natural 
 voice ; and, after uttering a few more consoling as 
 surances to Katherine, whose excited feelings 
 found vent in tears, he briefly related the manner 
 of Dillon s death. 
 
 " I had hoped I stood higher in the estimation 
 of Miss Howard, than to be subjected to even her 
 suspicions," he said, when he had ended his expla 
 nation. " Griffith has been but a sorry representa 
 tive of our trade, if he has left such an opinion of 
 its pursuits." 
 
 " I do not know that Mr. Griffith would alto 
 gether have escaped my conjectures, had he been 
 the disappointed commander, and you the prison 
 er," returned Katherine ; " you know not how 
 much we have both studied the usages of war, and 
 with what dreadful pictures of hostages, retalia 
 tions, and military executions, our minds are stored ! 
 but a mountain is raised off my spirits, and I could 
 almost say, that I am now ready to descend the 
 valley of life in your company." 
 
 " It is a discreet determination, my good Kathe 
 rine, and God bless you for it; the companion 
 may not be so good as you deserve, but you will 
 find him ambitious of your praise. Now let us de 
 vise means to effect our object." 
 
 " Therein lies another of my difficulties. Griffith, 
 I much fear, will not urge Cecilia to another flight, 
 against her her what shall I call it, Barnsta 
 ble her caprice, or her judgment ? Cecilia will 
 never consent to desert her uncle, and I cannot 
 V.^mtister the courage to abandon my poor cousin, in 
 the face of the world, in order to take shelter with 
 even Mr. Richard Barnstable !" 
 
154 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Speak you from the heart now, Katherine ?" 
 " Very nearly if not exactly." 
 ^ " Then have I been cruelly deceived ! It is ea- 
 I Bier to find a path in the trackless ocean, without 
 | chart or compass, than to know the windings of a 
 1 Woman s heart !" 
 
 " Nay, nay, foolish man ; you forget that I am 
 but small, and how very near my head is to my 
 heart ; too nigh, I fear, for the discretion of their 
 mistress ! but is there no method of forcing Grif 
 fith and Cecilia to their own good, without undue 
 violence ?" 
 
 " It cannot be done ; he is my senior in rank, 
 and the instant I release him he will claim the com 
 mand. A question might be raised, at a leisure 
 moment, on the merits of such a claim but even 
 my own men are, as you know, nothing but a draft 
 from the frigate, and they would not hesitate to 
 obey the orders of the first lieutenant, who is not a 
 man to trifle on matters of duty." 
 
 " Tis vexatious, truly," said Katherine, " that 
 all my well concerted schemes in behalf of this 
 wayward pair, should be frustrated by their own 
 wilful conduct ! But after all, have you justly es 
 timated your strength, Barnstable ? are you cer 
 tain that you would be successful, and that without 
 hazard, too, if you should make the attempt?" 
 
 " Morally, and what is better, physically cer 
 tain. My men are closely hid, where no one sus 
 pects an enemy to lie ; they are anxious for the en 
 terprise, and the suddenness of the attack will not 
 ^ only make the victory sure, but it will be rendered 
 T bloodless. You will aid us in our entrance, Kathe- 
 \rine: I shall first secure this recruiting officer, 
 land his command will then surrender without stri- 
 j king a blow. Perhaps, after all, Griffith will hear 
 
THE PILOT. 155 
 
 reason ; if he do not, I will not yield my authority 
 to a released captive, without a struggle." 
 
 " God send that there shall be no fighting !" mur 
 mured his companion, a little appalled at the im 
 ages his language had raised before her imagina 
 tion ; " and, Barnstable, I enjoin you, most solemn 
 ly, by all your affection for me, and by every thing 
 you deem most sacred, to protect the person of Col. 
 Howard at every hazard. There must be no ex 
 cuse, no pretence, for even an insult to my passion 
 ate, good, obstinate, but kind old guardian. I be 
 lieve I have given him already more trouble than 
 I am entitled to give any one, and Heaven forbid 
 that I should cause him any serious misfortune !" 
 
 " He shall be safe, and not only he, but all that 
 are with him, as you will perceive, Katherine, 
 when you hear my plan. Three hours shall not 
 pass over my head before you will see me master 
 of that old Abbey. Griffith, ay, Griffith, must be 
 \ content to be my inferior, until we get afloat 
 again." 
 
 " Attempt nothing unless you feel certain of be 
 ing able to maintain your advantage, not only 
 against your enemies, but also against your 
 friends," said the anxious Katherine. u Rely on it. 
 both Cecilia and Griffith are refining so much on 
 their feelings, that neither will be your ally." 
 
 " This comes of passing the four best years of 
 his life within walls of brick, poring over Latin 
 Grammars and Syntaxes, and such other nonsense, 
 when he should have been rolling them away in a 
 good box of live oak, and studying, at the most, 
 how to sum up his day s work, and tell where his 
 ship lies after a blow. Your college learning may 
 answer well enough for a man who has to live by 
 his wits, but it can be of little use to one who is 
 never afraid to read human nature, by looking his 
 
156 THE PILOT. 
 
 fellow-creatures full in the face, and whose hand 
 
 ?is as ready as his tongue. I have generally found 
 the eye that was good at Latin was dull at a coin- 
 pass, or in a night squall : and yet, Grif is a sea- 
 man ; though 1 have heard him even read the tes 
 tament in Greek ! Thank God, I had the wisdom 
 to run away from school the second day they un 
 dertook to teach me a strange tongue, and I believe 
 1 am the more honest man, and the better seaman, 
 for my ignorance !" 
 
 " There is no telling what you might have been, 
 Barnstable, under other circumstances," retorted 
 his mistress, with a playfulness of manner that she 
 could not always repress, though it was indulged 
 at the expense of him she most loved ; " I doubt 
 not but, under proper training, you would have 
 made a reasonably good priest." 
 
 " If you talk of priests, Katherine, I shall re 
 mind you that we carry one in the ship. But 
 listen to my plan, we may talk further of priest 
 craft when an opportunity may offer." 
 
 Barnstable then proceeded to lay before his mis 
 tress a project he had formed for surprising the 
 Abbey that night, which was so feasible, that Ka 
 therine, notwithstanding her recent suspicions of 
 BorroughclinVs designs, came gradually to be 
 lieve it would succeed. The young seaman an 
 swered her objections with the readiness of an ar 
 dent mind, bent on executing its purposes, and 
 with a fertility of resources that proved he was no 
 contemptible enemy, in matters that required 
 spirited action. Of Merry s remaining firm and 
 faithful he had no doubt ; and although he ac 
 knowledged the escape of the pedier boy, he 
 urged that the lad had seen no other of his party 
 besides himself, whom he mistook for a common 
 marauder. 
 
THE PILOT. 157 
 
 As the disclosure of these plans was frequently 
 interrupted by little digressions, connected with the 
 peculiar emotions of the lovers, more than an hour 
 flew by, before they separated. But Katherine at 
 length reminded him how swiftly the time was 
 passing, and how much remained to be done, when 
 he reluctantly consented to see her once more en 
 ter the wicket, where they parted. 
 
 Miss Plowden adopted the same precaution in 
 
 returning to the house she had used on leaving it*, 
 
 and she was congratulating herself on its success, 
 
 when her eye caught a glimpse of the figure of a 
 
 ^man, who was apparently following at some little 
 
 ? distance, in her footsteps, and dogging her motions. 
 
 1 As the obscure form, however, paused also when 
 
 ] she stopped to give it an alarmed, though inquiring 
 
 / look, and then slowly re-tired towards the bounda- 
 
 / ry of the paddock, Katherine believing it to be 
 
 Barnstable watching over her safety, entered the 
 
 Abbey, with every idea of alarm entirely lost in 
 
 the pleasing reflection of her lover s solicitude. 
 
 VOL. II. 14 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 * He looks abroad and soon appears, 
 O er Horncliffe-hill, a plump of spears, 
 Beneath a pennon gay." 
 
 Marmion, 
 
 THE sharp sounds of the supper-bell were ring 
 ing along the gallery, as Miss Plowden gained the 
 gloomy passage ; and she quickened her steps to 
 join the ladies, in order that no further suspicions 
 might be excited by her absence. Alice Duns- 
 combe was already proceeding to the dining par 
 lour, as Katherine passed through the door of the 
 drawing room, but Miss Howard had loitered be 
 hind, and was met by her cousin alone. 
 
 " You have then been so daring as to venture, 
 Katherine !" exclaimed Cecilia. 
 
 " I have," returned the other, throwing herself 
 into a chair, to recover her agitation " I have, 
 Cecilia ; and I have met Barnstable, who will soon 
 be in the Abbey, and its master." 
 
 The blood which had rushed to the face of Ce 
 cilia on first seeing her cousin, now retreated to her 
 heart, leaving every part of her fine countenance of 
 the whiteness of her polished temples, as she said 
 
 " And we are to have a night of blood !" 
 
THE PILOT. 159 
 
 44 We are to have a night of freedom, Miss How. 
 ard ; freedom to you, and to me ; to Andrew Mer- 
 f r r r J> to Griffith, and to his companion !" 
 
 u What freedom more than we now enjoy, Ka- 
 , therinc, is needed by two young women ? Think 
 you I can remain silent, and see my uncle betrayed 
 before my eyes ? his life perhaps endangered !" 
 
 " Your own life and person will not be held 
 more sacred, Cecilia Howard, than that of your 
 uncle. If you will condemn Griffith to a prison, 
 and perhaps to a gibbet, betray Barnstable, as you 
 have threatened an opportunity will not be want 
 ing at the supper table, whither I shall lead the 
 way, since the mistress of the house appears to for 
 get her duty." 
 
 Katherine arose, and with a firm step and proud 
 eye, she moved along the gallery to the room 
 where their presence was expected by the rest of 
 the family. Cecilia followed in silence, and the 
 whole party immediately took their several places 
 at the board. 
 
 The first few minutes were passed in the usual 
 attentions of the gentlemen to the ladies, and the 
 ordinary civilities of the table ; during which, Ka 
 therine had so far regained the equanimity of her 
 feelings, as to commence a watchful scrutiny of the 
 manners and looks of her guardian and Borrough- 
 cliffe, in which she determined to persevere until 
 the eventful hour when she was to expect Barn- 
 stable should arrive. Colonel Howard had, how 
 ever, so far got the command of himself, as no 
 longer to betray his former abstraction. In its 
 place Katherine fancied, at moments, that she 
 could discover a settled look of conscious securi 
 ty, mingled a little with an expression of severe 
 determination ; such as, in her earlier days, she 
 had learned to dread as sure indications of the in- 
 
160 THE PILOT. 
 
 dignant, but upright justice of an honourable mind. 
 BorroughclifFe, on the other hand, was cool, polite, 
 and as attentive to the viands as usual, with the 
 alarming exception of discovering much less devo 
 tion to the Pride of the Vineyards, than he com 
 monly manifested on such occasions. In this man 
 ner the meal passed by, and the cloth was re 
 moved, though the ladies appeared willing to re 
 tain their places longer than was customary. Co 
 lonel Howard, rilling up the glasses of Alice Duns- 
 combe and himself, passed the bottle to the re 
 cruiting officer, and, with a sort of effort that was 
 intended to rouse the dormant cheerfulness of his 
 guests, cried 
 
 " Come, Borroughcliffe, the ruby lips of youi 
 neighbours would be still more beautiful, were 
 they moistened with this rich cordial, and that, too, 
 accompanied by some loyal sentiment. Miss Alice 
 is ever ready to express her fealty to her Sove 
 reign ; in her name, I can give the health of His 
 Most Sacred Majesty, with defeat and death to all 
 traitors !" 
 
 " If the prayers of an humble subject, and one 
 of a sx that has but little need to mingle in the 
 turmoil of the world, and that has less right to pre 
 tend to understand the subtilties of statesmen, can 
 much avail a High and Mighty Prince like him who 
 sits on the throne, then will he never know tem 
 poral evil," returned Alice, meekly; " but I can 
 not wish death to any one, not even to my enemies, 
 if any I have, and much less to a people who are 
 the children of the same family with myself." 
 
 " Children of the same family !" the colonel re 
 peated, slowly, and with a bitterness of manner 
 that did not fail to attract the painful interest of 
 Katherine : " children of the same family ! Ay ! 
 even as Absalom was the child of David, or as 
 
THE PILOT. 161 
 
 Judas was of the family of the holy Apostles ! But 
 let it pass unpledged let it pass. The accursed 
 spirit of rebellion has invaded my dwelling, and 1 
 no longer know where to find one of my house 
 hold, that has not been assailed by its malign in 
 fluence !" 
 
 " Assailed I may have been, among others," re 
 turned Alice ; " but not corrupted, if purity, in 
 this instance, consists in loyalty " 
 
 " What sound is that ?" interrupted the colonel, 
 with startling suddenness. " Was it not the crash 
 of some violence, Borroughcliffe ?" 
 
 u It may have been one of my rascals who has 
 met with a downfall in passing from the festive 
 board, where you know I regale them to-night, in 
 honour of our success to his blanket," returned 
 the captain, with admirable indifference ; " or it 
 may be the very spirit of whom you have spoken 
 so freely, my host, that has taken umbrage at your 
 remarks, and is passing from the hospitable walls 
 of St. Ruth into the open air, without submitting to 
 the small trouble of ascertaining the position of 
 doors. Jn the latter case there may be some do 
 zen perches or so of wall to replace in the morn- 
 ing." 
 
 The colonel, who had risen, glanced his eyes, 
 uneasily from the speaker to the door, and was 
 evidently but little disposed to enter into the plea 
 santry of his guest. 
 
 " There are unusual noises, Captain Borrough 
 cliffe, in the grounds of the Abbey, if not in the 
 building itself," he said, advancing with a fine mi 
 litary air, from the table to the centre of the room, 
 " and, as master of the mansion, I will inquire who 
 it is that thus unseasonably disturbs these domains. 
 If as friends, they shall have welcome, though 
 their visit be unexpected; and if enemies, they 
 14* 
 
162 THE PILOT. 
 
 shall also meet with such a reception as will be 
 come an old soldier !" 
 
 " No, no," cried Cecilia, entirely thrown off her 
 guard by the manner and language of the veteran, 
 and rushing into his arms. " Go not out, my un 
 cle, go not into the terrible fray, my kind, my good 
 uncle ! you are old, you have already done more 
 than your duty ; why should you be exposed to 
 danger ?" 
 
 " The girl is mad with terror, Borroughcliffe," 
 cried the colonel, bending his glistening eyes fondly 
 on his niece, " and you will have to furnish my 
 good-for-nothing, gouty old person with a corpo 
 ral s guard, to watch my night-cap, or the silly 
 child will have an uneasy pillow, till the sun rises 
 once more. But you do not stir, sir?" 
 
 " Why should I ?" cried the captain ; " Miss 
 Plowden yet deigns to keep me company, and it is 
 
 not in the nature of one of the th, to desert 
 
 his bottle and his standard at the same moment. 
 For, to a true soldier, the smiles of a lady are as 
 imposing in the parlour, as the presence of his co 
 lours in the field." 
 
 cc I continue undisturbed, Captain Borrough- 
 cliffe," said Katherine, " because I have not been 
 an inhabitant, for so many months, of St. Ruth, and 
 not learned to know the tunes which the wind can 
 play among its chimneys and pointed roofs. The 
 noise which has taken Colonel Howard from his 
 seat, and which has so unnecessarily alarmed my 
 cousin Cicily, is nothing but the ^Eolian harp of 
 the Abbey sounding a double bass." 
 
 The captain fastened on her composed counte 
 nance, while she was speaking, a look of open ad 
 miration, that brought, though tardily the colour 
 more deeply to her cheeks: and he answered with 
 
THE PILOT. 163 
 
 something extremely equivocal, both in his empha 
 sis and his air 
 
 " I have avowed my allegiance, and I will abide 
 by it. So long as Miss Plowden will deign to be 
 stow her company, so long will she find me among 
 her most faithful and persevering attendants, come 
 who may, or what w r ill." 
 
 u You compel me to retire," returned Kathe- 
 rine rising, " whatever may have been my gra 
 cious intentions in the matter; for even female 
 vanity must crimson, at an adoration so profound 
 as that which can chain Captain Borroughcliffe to 
 a supper table ! As your alarm has now dissipated, 
 my cousin, will you lead the way ? Miss Alice and 
 myself attend you." 
 
 " But not into the paddock, surely, Miss Plow- 
 den," said the captain; " the door, the key of 
 which you have just turned, communicates with 
 the vestibule. This is the passage to the drawing 
 room." 
 
 The lady faintly laughed, as if in derision of her 
 own forgetfulness, while she bowed her acknow 
 ledgment, and moved towards the proper passage ; 
 she observed 
 
 " The madness of fear has assailed some, I be 
 lieve, who have been able to affect a better dis 
 guise than Miss Howard." 
 
 " Is it the fear of present danger, or of that 
 which is in reserve ?" asked the captain ; " but, 
 as you have stipulated so generously in behalf of 
 my worthy host here, and of one, also, who shall 
 be nameless, because he has not deserved such a 
 favour at your hands, your safety shall be one of 
 my especial duties in these times of peril." 
 
 " There is peril, then !" exclaimed Cecilia ; 
 " your looks announce it, Capt. Borroughcliffe ! 
 
164 THE PILOT, 
 
 The changing countenance of my cousin tells me 
 that my fears are too true !" 
 
 The soldier had now risen also, and, casting 
 aside the air of badinage, which he so much de 
 lighted in, he came forward into the centre of the 
 apartment, with the manner of one who felt it was 
 time to be serious. 
 
 " A soldier is ever in peril, when the enemies of 
 his king are at hand, Miss Howard," he answered : 
 " and that such is now the case, Miss Plowden 
 can testify, if she will. But you are the allies of 
 both parties retire, then, to your own apartments, 
 and await the result of the struggle which is at 
 hand." 
 
 " You speak of danger and hidden perils," said 
 Alice Dunscombe ; " know ye aught that justifies 
 your fears ?" 
 
 " I know all," Borroughcliffe coolly replied. 
 
 " All !" exclaimed Katherine. 
 
 " All ?" echoed Alice, in tones of horror. " If, 
 then, you know all, you must know his desperate 
 courage, and powerful hand, when opposed yield 
 in quiet, and he will not harm ye. Believe me, 
 believe one who knows his very nature, that no 
 lamb can be more gentle than he would be, with 
 unresisting women ; nor any lion more fierce, with 
 his enemies !" 
 
 " As we happen not to be of the feminine gen 
 der," returned Borroughcliffe, with an air some 
 what splenetic, " we must abide the fury of the 
 king of beasts. His paw is, even now, at the outer 
 door ; and, if my orders have been obeyed, his en 
 trance will be yet easier, than that of the wolf to 
 the respectable female ancestor of the little red- 
 riding-hood." 
 
 " Stay your hand for one single moment !" said 
 
THE PILOT. 165 
 
 Katherine, breathless with interest ; 4 you are the 
 master of my secret, Captain Borroughcliffe, and 
 bloodshed may be the consequence. 1 can yet go 
 forward, and, perhaps, save many inestimable lives, 
 Pledge to me your honour, that they who come hi 
 ther as your enemies, this night, shall depart in 
 peace, and I will pledge to you my life for the 
 safety of the Abbey." 
 
 " Oh ! hear her, and shed not human blood !" 
 cried Cecilia. 
 
 A loud crash interrupted further speech, and the 
 sounds of heavy footsteps were heard in the ad 
 joining room, as if many men were alighting on its 
 floor, in quick succession. Borroughcliffe drew 
 back, with great coolness, to the opposite side of 
 the large apartment, and took a sheathed sword 
 from the table where it had been placed ; at the 
 same moment the door was burst open, and Barn- 
 stable entered alone, but heavily armed. 
 
 " You are my prisoners, gentlemen," said the 
 sailor, as he advanced ; " resistance is useless, and 
 without it you shall receive favour. Ha, Miss Plow- 
 den ! my advice was, that you should not be pre 
 sent at this scene. 9 
 
 " Barnstable, we are betrayed !" cried the agi 
 tated Katherine. " But it is not yet too late. 
 Blood has not yet been spilt, and you can retire, 
 without that dreadful alternative, with honour. 
 Go, then, delay not another moment ; for, should 
 the soldiers of Captain Borroughcliffe come to the 
 rescue of their commander, the Abbey would be a 
 scene of horror !" 
 
 " Go you away ; go, Katherine, said her lover, 
 with impatience ; " this is no place for such as 
 you. But, Captain Borroughcliffe, if such be your 
 name, you must perceive that resistance is in vain. 
 I have ten good pikes in this outer room, in iwen- 
 
166 THE PILOT. 
 
 ty better hands, and it will be madness to fight 
 against such odds." 
 
 " Show me your strength," said the captain, 
 " that I may take counsel with mine honour." 
 
 " Your honour shall be appeased, my brave 
 soldier, for such is your bearing, though your 
 livery is my aversion, and your cause most un 
 holy ! Heave ahead, boys ! but hold your hands 
 for orders." 
 
 The party of fierce-looking sailors whom Barn- 
 stable led, on receiving this order, rushed into the 
 room in a medley ; but, notwithstanding the surly 
 glances, and savage characters of their dress and 
 equipments, they struck no blow, nor committed 
 any act of hostility. The ladies shrunk back ap 
 palled, as this terrific little band took possession 
 of the hall ; and even Borroughcliffe was seen to 
 fall back towards a door, which, in some measure, 
 covered his retreat. The confusion of this sudden 
 movement had not yet subsided, when sounds of 
 strife were heard rapidly approaching from a dis 
 tant part of the building, and presently one of the 
 numerous doors of the apartment was violently 
 opened, when two of the garrison of the Abbey 
 rushed into the hall, vigorously pressed by twice 
 their number of seamen, seconded by Griffith, 
 Manual, and Merry, who were armed with such 
 weapons of offence as had presented themselves to 
 their hands, at their unexpected liberation. There 
 was a movement on the part of the seamen, who 
 already were in possession of the room, that 
 threatened instant death to the fugitives ; but 
 Barnstable beat down their pikes with his sword, 
 and sternly ordered them to fall back. Surprise 
 produced the same pacific result among the com 
 batants ; and as the soldiers hastily sought a refuge 
 behind their own officers, and the released cap- 
 
THE PILOT. 167 
 
 tives, with their liberators, joined the body of their 
 friends, the quiet of the hall, which had been so 
 rudely interrupted, was soon restored. 
 
 " You see, sir," said Barnstable, after grasping 
 the hands of Griffith and Manual, in a warm and 
 cordial pressure, " that all my plans have succeed 
 ed. Your sleeping guard are closely w r atched in 
 their barracks, by one party, our officers are re 
 leased, and your sentinels cut off by another, 
 while, with a third, I hold the centre of the Abbey, 
 and am, substantially, in possession of your own 
 person. In consideration, therefore, of what is 
 due to humanity, and to the presence of these la 
 dies, let there be no struggle ! I shall impose no 
 difficult terms, nor any long imprisonment." 
 
 The recruiting officer manifested a composure 
 throughout the whole scene, that would have ex 
 cited some uneasiness in his invaders had there 
 been opportunity for more minute observation ;but 
 his countenance now gradually assumed an appear 
 ance of anxiety, and his head was frequently turn 
 ed, as if listening for further, and more important 
 interruptions. He answered, however, to this ap 
 peal with his ordinary deliberation. 
 
 " You speak of conquests, sir, before they are 
 achieved. My venerable host and myself are not 
 so defenceless as you may choose to imagine." 
 While speaking he threw aside the cloth of a side 
 table, from beneath which, the colonel and himself 
 were instantly armed with a brace of pistols each. 
 " Here are the death warrants of four of your 
 party, and these brave fellows at my back can ac- 
 count for two more. I believe, my transatlantic 
 Warrior, that we are now something in the condi 
 tion of Cortes and the Mexicans, when the former 
 overran part of your continent I being Cortes, 
 armed with artificial thunder and lightning, and 
 
168 
 
 THE PILOT. 
 
 you the Indians, with nothing but your pikes and 
 slings, and such other antediluvian inventions. 
 Shipwrecks and sea-water are fatal dampers of 
 gunpowder !" 
 
 " That we are unprovided with fire arms, I will 
 not deny," said Barnstable ; " but we are men who 
 are used, from infancy, to depend on our good right 
 arms for life and safety, and we know how to use 
 them, though we should even grapple with death ! 
 As for the trifles in your hands, gentlemen, you 
 are not to suppose that men who are trained to 
 look in at one end of a thirty-two pounder, loaded 
 with grape, while the match is put to the other, 
 will so much as wink at their report, though you 
 fired them by fifties. What say you, boys ! is a 
 pistol a weapon to repel boarders ?" 
 
 The discordant and disdainful laughs that burst 
 from the restrained seamen, were a sufficient pledge 
 of their indifference to so trifling a danger. Bor- 
 roughcliffe noted their hardened boldness, and tak 
 ing the supper bell, which was lying near him, he 
 rang it, for a minute, with great violence. The 
 heavy tread of trained footsteps soon followed this 
 extraordinary summons ; and presently, the seve 
 ral doors of the apartment were opened, and filled 
 with armed soldiers, wearing the livery of the 
 English crown. 
 
 " If you hold these smaller weapons in such 
 vast contempt," said the recruiting officer, when 
 he perceived that his men had possessed them 
 selves of all the avenues, " it is in my power to 
 try the virtue of some more formidable. After 
 this exhibition of my strength, gentlemen, I pre 
 sume you cannot hesitate to submit as prisoners of 
 (war." 
 
 The seamen had been formed in something like 
 i military array, by the assiduity of Manual, during 
 
THE PILOT. 169 
 
 (he preceding dialogue ; and as the different doors 
 had discovered fresh accessions to the strength of 
 the enemy, the marine industriously offered new 
 fronts, until the small party was completely ar 
 ranged in a hollow square, that might have proved 
 formidable in a charge, bristled as it was with the 
 deadly pikes of the Ariel. 
 
 " Here has been some mistake," said Griffith, 
 after glancing his eye at the formidable array of the 
 soldiers ; " I take precedence of "Mr. Barnstable, 
 and I shall propose to you, Captain Borrough- 
 cliffe, terms that may remove this scene of strife 
 from the dwelling of Colonel Howard." 
 
 " The dwelling of Colonel Howard," cried the 
 veteran, " is the dwelling of his king, or of the 
 meanest servant of the crown ! so, Borroughcliffe, 
 spare not the traitors on my behalf; accept no 
 other terms than such unconditional submission as 
 is meet to exact from the rebellious subjects of the 
 Anointed of the Lord." 
 
 While Griffith spoke, Barnstable folded his arms, 
 in affected composure, and glanced his eyes ex 
 pressively at the shivering Katherine, who, with 
 her companions, still continued agitated spectators 
 of all that passed, chained to the spot by their ap 
 prehensions ; but to this formidable denunciation 
 of the master of the Abbey he deemed proper to 
 reply 
 
 " Now, by every hope I have of sleeping again 
 on salt water, old gentleman, if it were not for the 
 presence of these three trembling females, but I 
 should feel tempted to dispute, at once, the title 
 of his majesty you may make such a covenant as 
 YOU will with Mr. Griffith, but if it contain one syl- ^ 
 lable about submission to your king, or of any other [ 
 allegiance, than that which I owe to the Continental ] 
 Congress, and the state of Massachusetts, you may 
 
 VOL. II. 15 
 
170 THE PILOT. 
 
 as well consider the terms violated at once , for 
 not an article of such an agreement will I consider 
 as binding on me, or on any that shall choose to 
 follow me as leader." 
 
 " Here are but two leaders, Mr. Barnstable," 
 interrupted the haughty Griffith ; " the one of the 
 enemy, and the other, of the arms of America. 
 Captain Borrougheliffe, to you, as the former, I ad 
 dress myself. The great^objects of the contest, 
 which now unhappily divides England from her 
 ancient colonies, can be, in no degree, affected by 
 the events of this night ; while, on the other hand, 
 by a rigid adherence to military notions, much 
 private evil and deep domestic calamity must fol 
 low any struggle in such a place. We have but 
 to speak, sir, and these rude men, who already 
 stand impatiently handling their instruments of 
 death, will aim them at each other s lives ; and who 
 can say that he shall be able to stay their hands 
 when and where he will! I know you to be a 
 soldier, and that you are not yet to learn how 
 much easier it is to stimulate to blood, than to glut 
 vengeance." 
 
 Borrougheliffe, unused to the admission of vio 
 lent emotions, and secure in the superiority of his 
 own party, both in numbers and equipments, heard 
 him with the coolest composure to the end, and 
 then answered in his customary manner 
 
 " I honour your logic, sir. Your premises arc 
 indisputable, and the conclusion most obvious. 
 Commit, then, those worthy tars to the good keep 
 ing of honest Drill, who will see their famished na 
 tures revived by divers eatables, and a due pro 
 portion of suitable fluids ; while we can discuss the 
 manner in which you are to return to the colonies, 
 around a bottle of liquor, which my friend Manual 
 there, assures me has come from the sunny bide 
 
THE PILOT. 171 
 
 cf the island of Madeira, to be drunk in a bleak 
 corner of that of Britain. By my palate ! but the 
 rascals brighten at the thought. They know by 
 instinct, sir, that a shipwrecked mariner is a fitter 
 companion to a ration of beef and a pot of porter, 
 that to such unsightly things as bayonets and 
 boarding-pikes !" 
 
 " Trifle not unseasonably !" exclaimed the im 
 patient young sailor. " You have the odds in num 
 bers, but whether it will avail you much in a dead 
 ly struggle of hand to hand, is a question you must 
 put to your prudence : we stand not here to ask 
 terms, but to grant them, You must be brief, sir, 
 for the time is wasting while we delay." 
 
 " I have offered to you the means of obtaining 
 m perfection the enjoyment of the three most an 
 cient of the numerous family of the arts -eating^ 
 drinking, and sleeping ! What more do you re 
 quire ?" 
 
 " That you order these men, who fill the pass to 
 the outer door, to fall back and give us room. 1 
 would take, in peace, these armed men from before 
 the eyes of those who are unused to such sights. 
 Before you oppose this demand, think how easily 
 these hardy fellows could make a way for them 
 selves, against your divided force." 
 
 " Your companion, the experienced Captain Ma 
 nual, will tell you that such a manoeuvre would be 
 very unmilitary with a superior body in your 
 rear !" 
 
 " I have not leisure, sir, for this folly," cried 
 the indignant Griffith. " Do you refuse us an un 
 molested retreat from the Abbey ?" 
 
 " I do." 
 
 Griffith turned, with a look of extreme emotion* 
 to the ladies, and beckoned to them to retire, una 
 ble to give utterance to his wishes in words. Af- 
 
172 THE PILOT. 
 
 1 
 
 ter a moment of, deep silence, however, he once 
 more addressed Borroughcliffe in the tones of con 
 ciliation. 
 
 " If Manual and myself will return to our pri 
 sons, and submit to the will of your government," 
 he said, " can the rest of the party return to the 
 frigate unmolested ?" 
 
 " They cannot," replied the soldier, who, per 
 ceiving that the crisis approached, was gradually 
 losing his artificial deportment in the interest of the 
 moment. " You, and all others, who willingly in 
 vade the peace of these realms, must abide the is 
 sue." 
 
 " Then God protect the innocent and defend the 
 right !" 
 
 " Amen." 
 
 " Give way, villains !" cried Griffith, facing the 
 party that held the outer door ; " give way, or you 
 shall be riddled with our pikes !" 
 
 " Show them your muzzles, men !" shouted 
 Borroughcliffe ; " but pull no trigger till they ad 
 vance." 
 
 There was an instant of bustle and preparation, 
 
 in which the rattling of fire arms, blended with the 
 
 suppressed execrations and threats of the intended 
 
 combatants ; and Cecilia and Katherine had both 
 
 covered their faces to veil the horrid sight that was 
 
 momentarily expected, when Alice Dunscombe ad* 
 
 ^vanced, boldly, between the points of the threat* 
 
 ^ening weapons, and spoke in a voice that stayed 
 
 / the hands that were already uplifted. 
 
 " Hear me, men ! if men ye be, and not demons, 
 ) thirsting for each other s blood ; though ye walk 
 aoroad in the semblance of him who died that ye 
 might be elevated to the rank of angels ! call ye 
 this war? Is this the glory that is made to warm 
 the hearts of even silly and confiding women ? Is 
 
THE PILOT. 173 
 
 the peace of families to be destroyed to gratify 
 your wicked lust for conquest ; and is life to be 
 taken in vain, in order that ye may boast of the 
 foul deed in your wicked revels ! Fall back, then, 
 ye British soldiers ! if ye be worthy of that name, 
 and give passage to a woman ; and remember that 
 the first shot that is fired will be buried in her bo 
 som !" 
 
 The men, thus enjoined, shrunk before her com 
 manding mien, and a way was made for her exit 
 through that very door which Griffith had, in vain, 
 solicited might be cleared for himself and party. 
 But Alice, instead of advancing, appeared to have 
 suddenly lost the use of those faculties which had 
 already effected so much. Her figure seemed root 
 ed to the spot where she had spoken, and her eyes 
 were fixed in a settled gaze as if dwelling on some 
 horrid object. While she yet stood in this attitude, 
 of unconscious helplessness, the door-way became 
 again darkened, and the figure of the Pilot was 
 seen on its threshold, clad, as usual, in the humble 
 vestments of his profession, but heavily armed 
 with the weapons of naval war. For an instant, he 
 stood a silent spectator of the scene ; and then ad 
 vanced calmly, but with searching eyes, into the 
 centre of the apartment. 
 15* 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Don Pcdrc. Welcome Seignior: you are almost come to part, almost a fraj 
 
 Muck ado about nothing. 
 
 " DOWN with your arms, you Englishmen !" said 
 the daring intruder ; " and you, who fight in the 
 cause of sacred liberty, stay your hands, that no 
 unnecessary blood may flow. Yield yourself, proud 
 Briton, to the power of the Thirteen Republics !" 
 
 " Ha !" exclaimed Borroughcliffe, grasping a 
 pistol, with an air of great resolution, " the work 
 thickens I had not included this man in my esti 
 mate of their numbers. Is he a Samson, that his 
 single arm can change the face of things so sudden 
 ly ! Down with your own weapon, you masque- 
 rader, or at the report of this pistol, your body 
 shall become a target for twenty bullets." 
 
 " And thine for a hundred !" returned the pilot 
 " without there ! wind your call, fellow, and 
 bring in our numbers. We will let this confident 
 gentleman feel his weakness." 
 
 He had not done speaking, before the shrill 
 whistle of a boatswain rose gradually on the ears 
 of the listeners, until the sense of hearing became 
 painfully oppressed, by the piercing sounds that 
 rung under the arched roof of the hall, and pene 
 trated even to the most distant recesses of the Ab- 
 
THE PILOT. 175 
 
 bey. A tremendous rush of men followed, who 
 drove in before them the terrified fragment of Bor- 
 roughcliffe s command, that had held the vestibule \ 
 and the outer room became filled with a dark mass 
 of human bodies. 
 
 <c Let them hear ye, lads !" cried their leader ; 
 " the Abbey is your own !" 
 
 The roaring of a tempest was not louder than 
 the shout that burst from his followers, who con 
 tinued their cheers, peal on peal, until the very 
 roof of the edifice appeared to tremble with their 
 vibrations. Numerous dark and shaggy heads 
 were seen moving around the passage ; some cased 
 in the iron-bound caps of the frigate s boarders, 
 and others glittering with the brazen ornaments 
 of her marine guard. The sight of the latter did 
 not fail to attract the eye of Manual, who rushed 
 among the throng, and soon re-appeared, followed 
 by a trusty band of his own "men, who took pos 
 session of the post held by the soldiers of Bor- 
 roughciiffe, while the dialogue was continued be 
 tween the leaders of the adverse parties. 
 
 Thus far Colonel Howard had yielded to his 
 guest, with a deep reverence for the principles of 
 military subordination, the functions of a com 
 mander, but, now that affairs appeared to change 
 so materially, he took on himself the right to ques 
 tion these intruders into his dwelling. 
 
 " By what authority, sir," the Colonel demand 
 ed, " is it that you dare thus to invade the castle 
 of a subject of this realm ? Do you come backed 
 by the commission of the lord lieutenant of the 
 county, or has your warrant the signature of His 
 Majesty s Secretary for the Home Department?" 
 
 " I bear no commission from any quarter," re 
 turned the Pilot ; " 1 rank only an humble fol 
 lower of the friends of America ; and having led 
 
176 THE PILOT. 
 
 these gentlemen into danger, I have thought it my 
 duty to see them extricated. They are no\v safe ; 
 and the right to command all that hear me, rests 
 with Mr. Griffith, who is commissioned hy the 
 Continental Congress for such service." 
 
 When he had spoken he fell back from the po 
 sition he occupied, in the centre of the room, to 
 one of its sides, where, leaning his hody against 
 the wainscot, he stood a silent observer of what 
 followed 
 
 " It appears, then, that it is to you, degenerate 
 son of a most worthy father, that I must repeat my 
 demand," continued the veteran. " By what right 
 is my dwelling thus rudely assailed ? and why is 
 my quiet, and the peace of those I protect, so dar 
 ingly violated ?" 
 
 " I might answer you, Col. Howard, by saying 
 that it is according to the laws of arms, or rather 
 in retaliation for the thousand evils that your. Eng 
 lish troops have inflicted, between Maine and 
 Georgia ; but I wish not to increase the unplea 
 sant character of this scene, and will tell you, that 
 our advantage shall be used with moderation. 
 The instant that our men can be collected, and 
 our prisoners properly secured, your dwelling shall 
 be restored to your authority. We are no free 
 booters, sir, and you will find it so after our de 
 parture. Captain Manual, draw off your guard 
 into the grounds, and make your dispositions for a 
 return march to our boats let the boarders fall 
 back, there ! out with ye ! out with ye tumble 
 out, you boarders !" 
 
 The amicable order of the young lieutenant, 
 which was delivered after the stern, quick fashion 
 of his profession, operated on the cluster of dark 
 figures, that were grouped around the door, like a 
 charm ; and as the men whom Barnstable had led, 
 
THE PILOT. 177 
 
 followed their shipmates into the court-yard, the 
 room was now left to such only, as might be termed 
 the gentlemen of the invading party, and the la- 
 mily of Colonel Howard. 
 
 Barnstable had continued silent since his senior 
 officer had assumed the command, listening most 
 attentively to each syllable that fell from either 
 side ; but now that so few remained, and the time 
 pressed, he spoke again 
 
 " If we are to take boat so soon, Mr. Griffith, it 
 would be seemly that due preparations should be 
 made to receive the ladies, who are to honour us 
 with their presence ; shall I take that duty on my 
 self?" 
 
 The abrupt proposal produced a universal sur 
 prise in his hearers ; though the abashed and con 
 scious expression of Katherine Plowden s features 
 sufficiently indicated, that to her, at least, it was 
 not altogether unexpected. The long silence that 
 succeeded the question was interrupted by Colo 
 nel Howard. 
 
 " Ye are masters, gentlemen ; help yourselves 
 to whatever best suits your inclinations. My 
 dwelling, my goods, and my wards, are alike at 
 your disposal or, perhaps Miss Alice, here, good \/ 
 and kind Miss Alice Dunscombe, may suit the taste 
 of some among ye ! Ah ! Edward Griffith ! Ed 
 ward Griffith flittle did I ever " 
 
 " Breathe not that name in levity again, thou 
 scoffer, or even your years may prove a feeble pro 
 tection !" said a stern, startling voice from behind. 
 All eyes turned involuntarily at the unexpected 
 sounds, and the muscular form of the Pilot was 
 seen resuming its attitude of repose against the 
 wall, though every fibre of his frame was working 
 with suppressed passion. 
 
 When the astonished looks of Griffith ceased to 
 
178 THE PILOT. 
 
 dwell on this extraordinary exhibition of interest 
 in his companion, they were turned imploringly 
 towards the fair cousins, who still occupied the dis 
 tant corner, whither fear had impelled them. 
 
 " I have said, that we are not midnight marau 
 ders, Colonel Howard," he replied : " but if any 
 there be here, who will deign to commit them 
 selves to our keeping, I trust it will not be neces 
 sary to say, at this hour, what will be their recep 
 tion." 
 
 " We have not time for unnecessary compli 
 ments," cried the impatient Barnstable ; " here is 
 Merry, who, by years and blood, is a suitable as 
 sistant for them, in arranging their little baggage 
 what say you, urchin, can you play the lady s maid 
 on emergency ?" 
 
 " Ay, sir, and better than I acted the pedler- 
 boy," cried the gay youngster ; " to have my mer 
 ry cousin Kate and my good cousin Cicily for 
 shipmates I could play our common grandmother ! 
 Come, coz, let us be moving ; you will have to al 
 low a Httle lee-way in time, for my awkward 
 ness." 
 
 " Stand back, young man," said Miss Howard, 
 repulsing his familiar attempt to take her arm ; 
 and then advancing, with a maidenly dignity, nigh- 
 er to her guardian, she continued, " I cannot know 
 what stipulations have been made by my cousin 
 Plowden, in the secret treaty she has made this 
 night with Mr. Barnstable ; this for myself, Colo 
 nel Howard, I would have you credit your bro 
 ther s child when she says, that, to her, the events 
 of the hour have not been more unexpected than 
 to yourself." 
 
 The veteran gazed at her, for a moment, with 
 an expression of his eye that denoted reviving ten 
 derness ; but gloomy doubts appeared to cross his 
 
THE PILOT. 179 
 
 mind again, and he shook his head, as he walked 
 proudly away. 
 
 " Nay, then," added Cecilia, her head diopping 
 meekly on her bosom, " I may be discredited by 
 my uncle, but I cannot be disgraced without some 
 act of my own." 
 
 She slowly raised her mild countenance again, 
 and bending her eyes on her lover, she continued, 
 while a rich rush of blood passed over her fine 
 features 
 
 " Edward Griffith, I will not, I cannot say how 
 
 f humiliating it is to think that you can, for an in 
 stant, believe I would again forget myself so much 
 as to wish to desert him whom God has given me 
 for a protector, for one chosen by my own erring 
 passions. And you, Andrew Merry ! learn to re 
 spect the child of your mother s sister, if not for 
 her own sake, at least for that of her who watched 
 your cradle !" 
 
 " Here appears to be some mistake," said Barn- 
 stable, who participated, however, in no trifling 
 degree, in the embarrassment of the abashed boy ; 
 " but, like all other mistakes on such subjects, it 
 can be explained away, I suppose. Mr. Griffith, 
 it remains for you to speak : damn it, man," he 
 whispered, " you are as dumb as a cod-fish I am 
 sure so fine a woman is worth a little fair weather 
 talk : you are muter than a four-footed beast 
 even an ass can bray " 
 
 " We will hasten our departure, Mr. Barnsta- 
 ble," said Griffith, sighing heavily, and rousing 
 himself, as if from a trance. " These rude sights 
 cannot but appal the ladies. You will please, sir. 
 to direct the order of our march to the shore. 
 Captain Manual has charge of our prisoners, who 
 must all be secured, to answer for an equal num 
 ber of our OWQ countrymen." 
 
180 THE PILOT. 
 
 " And our countrywomen !" said Barnstablc- 
 u are they to be forgotten, in the selfish recollec 
 tion of our own security ?" 
 
 " With them we have no right to interfere, un 
 less at their request." 
 
 " By Heaven ! Mr. Griffith, this may smack of 
 learning," cried the other, " and it may plead book 
 ish authority as its precedent ; but let me tell you, 
 sir, it savours but a little of sailor s love." 
 
 " Is it unworthy of a seaman, and a gentleman, 
 to permit the woman he calls his mistress to be so, 
 other than in name ?" 
 
 " Well, then, Griff, I pity you, from my soul. 
 I would rather have had a sharp struggle for the 
 happiness that I shall now obtain so easily, than that 
 you should be thus cruelly disappointed. But you 
 cannot blame me, my friend, that I avail myself of 
 fortune s favour. Miss Plowden, your fair hand. 
 Colonel Howard, I return you a thousand thanks 
 for the care you have taken, hitherto, of this pre 
 cious charge ; and believe me, sir, that I speak 
 frankly, when I say, that next to myself, I should 
 choose to intrust her with you in preference to any 
 man on earth." 
 
 The Colonel turned to the speaker, and bowed 
 low, while he answered with grave courtesy 
 
 " Sir, you repay my slight services with too 
 much gratitude, [f Miss Katherine Plowden has 
 not become under my guardianship all that her 
 good father, Captain John Plowden, of the Royal 
 Navy, could have wished a daughter of his to be, 
 the fault, unquestionably, is to be attributed to my 
 inability to instruct, and to no inherent quality in 
 the young lady herself. I will not say, take her, 
 sir, since you have her in your possession already, 
 and it would be out of my power to alter the ar 
 rangement ; therefore, I can only wish that you 
 
THE PILOT. 181 
 
 may find her as dutiful, as a wife, as she has been, 
 hitherto, as a ward and a subject." 
 
 Katherine had yielded her hand, passively, to 
 her lover, and suffered him to lead her more into 
 the circle than she had before been ; but now she 
 threw off his arm, and shaking aside the dark curls 
 which she had rather invited to fall in disorder 
 around her brow, she raised her face and looked 
 proudly up, with an eye that sparkled with the 
 spirit of its mistress, and a face that grew pale with 
 emotion at each moment, as she proceeded 
 
 " Gentlemen, the one may be as ready to re 
 ceive as the other is to reject ; but has the daugh 
 ter of John Plowden no voice in this cool disposal 
 of her person ? If her guardian tires of her pre 
 sence, other habitations may be found, without in 
 flicting so severe a penalty on this gentleman, as 
 to compel him to provide for her accommodation 
 in a vessel which must be already straitened for 
 room !" 
 
 She turned, and rejoined her cousin with such 
 an air of maidenly resentment, as a young woman 
 would be apt to discover, who found herself the 
 subject of matrimonial arrangement, without her 
 own feelings being at all consulted. Barnstable, 
 who knew but little of the windings of the female 
 heart, or how necessary to his mistress, notwith 
 standing her previous declarations, the counte 
 nance of Cecilia was, to any decided and open act 
 in his favour, stood in stupid wonder at her decla 
 ration. He could not conceive that a woman who 
 had already ventured so much in secret in his be 
 half, and who had so often avowed her weakness, 
 should shrink to declare it again, at such a crisis, 
 though the eyes of a universe were on her ! He 
 looked from one of the party to the other, and met 
 in every face an expression of delicate reserve, ex- 
 
 VOL. n. 16 
 
182 THE PILOT. 
 
 cept in those of the guardian of his mistress, and 
 of Borroughcliffe. 
 
 The Colonel had given a glance of returning 
 favour at her, whom, he now conceived, to be his 
 repentant ward, while the countenance of the en 
 trapped Captain exhibited a look of droll surprise, 
 blended with the expression of bitter ferocity it 
 had manifested since the discovery of his own 
 mishap. 
 
 " Perhaps, sir," said Barnstable, addressing the 
 latter, fiercely, " you see something amusing about 
 the person of this lady, to divert you thus unsea 
 sonably. We tolerate no such treatment of oui 
 women in America !" 
 
 " Nor do we quarrel before ours in England," 
 returned the soldier, throwing back the fierce 
 glance of the sailor with interest ; " but I was 
 thinking of the revolutions that time can produce ! 
 nothing more I do assure you. It is not half an 
 hour since I thought myself a most happy fellow ; 
 secure in my plans for overreaching the scheme 
 you had laid to surprise me ; and now I am as mi 
 serable a dog as wears a single epaulette, and has 
 no hope of seeing its fellow !" 
 
 " And in what manner, sir, can this sudden 
 change apply to me ?" asked Katherine, with all 
 her spirit. 
 
 " Certainly not to your perseverance in the pro 
 ject to assist my enemies, madam," returned the 
 soldier with affected humility ; " nor to your zeal 
 for their success, or your consummate coolness at 
 the supper table ! But I find it is time that I 
 should be superannuated I can no longer serve 
 my king with credit, and should take to serving 
 my God, like all other worn-out men of the world ! 
 My hearing is surely defective, or a paddock wall 
 has a most magical effect in determining sounds ! 
 
THE PILOT. 183 
 
 Katherine waited not to hear the close of this 
 sentence, but walked to a distant part of the 
 room, to conceal the burning blushes that covered 
 her countenance. The manner in which the plans 
 of Borroughcliffe had become known to his foe, was 
 no longer a mystery. Her conscience also re 
 proached her a little, with some unnecessary co 
 quetry as she remembered, that quite one half of 
 the dialogue between her lover and herself, under 
 the shadow of that very wall to which Borrough 
 cliffe alluded, had been on a subject altogether fo 
 reign to contention and tumults. As the feelings 
 of Barnstable were by no means so sensitive as 
 those of his mistress, and his thoughts much occu 
 pied with the means of attaining his object, he did 
 not so readily comprehend the indirect allusion of 
 the soldier, but turned abruptly away to Griffith, 
 and observed, with a serious air 
 
 " I feel it my duty, Mr. Griffith, to suggest, 
 that we have standing instructions to secure all the 
 enemies of America, wherever they may be found,; 
 and to remind you, that the States have not hesi-< 
 tated to make prisoners of females, in many in 
 stances." 
 
 " Bravo !" cried Borroughcliffe ; " if the ladies 
 will not go as your mistresses, take them as your 
 captives !" 
 
 " Tis well for you, sir, that you are a captive 
 yourself, or you should be made to answer for this 
 speech," retorted the irritated Barnstable. " It is 
 a responsible command, Mr. Griffith, and must not 
 be disregarded." 
 
 " To your duty, Mr. Barnstable," said Griffith, 
 again arousing from deep abstraction ; " you have 
 your orders, sir ; let them be executed promptly." 
 
 " I have also the orders of our common supe 
 rior, Capt. Munson, Mr. Griffith j and I do assure 
 
181 THE PILOT. 
 
 vou, sir, that in making out my instructions for the 
 Ariel poor thing ! there are no two of her tim 
 bers iiansins together but my instructions were 
 decidedly particular on that head." 
 
 " And my orders now supersede them."" 
 
 " But am I justifiable in obeying a verbal order 
 from an inferior, in direct opposition to a written 
 instruction ?" 
 
 Griffith had hitherto manifested in his deport 
 ment nothing more than a cold determination to 
 act, but the blood now flew to every vessel in his 
 cheeks and forehead, and his dark eyes flashed 
 fire, as he cried authoritatively 
 
 " How, sir ! do you hesitate to obey ?" 
 
 <c By heaven, sir, I would dispute the command 
 of the Continental Congress itself, should they bid 
 me so far to forget my duty to to " 
 
 " Add yourself, sir ! Mr. Barnstable, let this be 
 the last of it. To your duty, sir." 
 
 " My duty calls me here, Mr. Griffith." 
 
 " I must act, then, or be bearded by my own 
 officers. Mr. Merry, direct Captain Manual to 
 send in a serjeant and a file of marines." 
 
 " Bid him come on himself!" cried Barnstable, 
 maddened to desperation by his disappointment ; 
 " tis not his whole corps that can disarm me let 
 them come on ! Hear, there, you Ariels ! rally 
 around your captain." 
 
 " The man among them who dares to cross that 
 threshold without my order, dies," cried Griffith, 
 menacing with a naked hanger the seamen who 
 had promptly advanced at the call of their old com 
 mander. " Yield your sword, Mr. Barnstable, and 
 spare yourself the disgrace of having it forced from 
 you by a common soldier." 
 
 " Let me see the dog who dare attempt it !" 
 exclaimed Barnstable, flourishing his weapon in 
 
THE PILOT. 185 
 
 fieice anger. Griffith had extended his own arm, 
 in the earnestness of his feelings, and their hangers 
 crossed each other. The clashing of the steel 
 operated on both like the sound of the clarion on a 
 war-horse, and there were sudden and rapid blows, 
 and as rapid parries, exchanged between the flash 
 ing weapons. 
 
 "" Barnstable ! Barnstable !" cried Katherine, 
 rushing into his arms, " I will go with you to the 
 ends of the earth !" 
 
 Cecilia Howard did not speak ; but when Grif 
 fith recovered his coolness, he beheld her beauti 
 ful form kneeling at his feet, with her pale face 
 bent imploringly on his own disturbed countenance, 
 The cry of Miss Plowden had separated the com 
 batants, before an opportunity for shedding blood 
 had been afforded ; but the young men exchanged 
 looks of keen resentment, notwithstanding the 
 interference of their mistresses. At this moment 
 Col. Howard advanced, and raising his niece from 
 her humble posture, said 
 
 " This is not a situation for a child of Harry 
 Howard, though he knelt in the presence, and be 
 fore the throne of her Sovereign. Behold, my 
 dear Cecilia, the natural consequences of this re 
 bellion ! It scatters discord in their ranks ; and, 
 by its damnable levelling principles, destroys all 
 distinction of rank among themselves; even these 
 rash boys know not where obedience is due !" 
 
 "It is due to me," said the Pilot, who now 
 stepped forward among the agitated group, " and 
 it is time that I enforce it. Mr. Griffith, sheath 
 your sword. And you, sir, who have defied the 
 authority of your senior officer, and have forgot 
 ten the obligation of your oath, submit, and return 
 to your duty." 
 
 Griffith started at the sounds of his calm voice 
 16* 
 
186 THE PILOT. 
 
 as if with sudden recollection ; and then bowing 
 low, he returned the weapon to its scabbard. But 
 Barnstable still encircled the waist of his mistress 
 with one arm, while with the other he brandished 
 his hanger, and laughed with scorn at this extraor 
 dinary assumption of authority. 
 
 " And who is this !" he cried, " who dare give 
 such an order to me !" 
 
 The eyes of the Pilot flashed with a terrible fire, 
 while a fierce glow seemed to be creeping over his 
 whole frame, which actually quivered with pas 
 sion. But, suppressing this exhibition of his feel- 
 ^ ings, by a sudden and powerful effort, he answered, 
 ? in an emphatic manner 
 
 " One who has a right to order, and who will be 
 I obeyed !" 
 
 The extraordinary manner of the speaker con 
 tributed as much as his singular assertion to in 
 duce Barnstable, in his surprise, to lower the point 
 of his weapon, with an air that might easily have 
 been mistaken for submission. The Pilot fastened 
 his glowing eyes on him, for an instant, and then 
 turning to the rest of the listeners, he continued, 
 more mildly 
 
 " It is true that we came not here as marauders, 
 and that our wish is, to do no unnecessary acts of 
 severity to the aged and the helpless. But this 
 officer of the Crown, and this truant American in 
 particular, are fairly our prisoners ; as such, they 
 must be conducted on board our ship." 
 
 " But the main object of our expedition ?" said 
 Griffith. 
 
 " Tis lost," returned the Pilot, hastily" tis 
 ~7 sacrificed to more private feelings ; tis like a hun- 
 / dred others, ended in disappointment, and is for- 
 I gotten, sir, for ever. But the interests of the Re- 
 | publics must not be neglected, Mr. Griffith. 
 
THE PILOT. 187 
 
 Though we are not madly to endanger the lives 
 of those gallant fellows, to gain a love-smile from 
 one young beauty, neither are we to forget the 
 advantages they may have obtained for us, in or 
 der to procure one of approbation from another. 
 This Colonel Howard will answer well in a bar 
 gain with the minions of the Crown, and may pur 
 chase the freedom of some worthy patriot who is 
 deserving of his liberty. Nay, nay, suppress that 
 haughty look, and turn that proud eye on any, ra 
 ther than me ! he goes to the frigate, sir, and that 
 immediately." 
 
 " Then," said Cecilia Howard, timidly approach 
 ing the spot where her uncle stood, a disdainful 
 witness of the dissensions amongst his captors ; 
 " then, will I go with him ! He shall never be a 
 resident among his enemies alone !" 
 
 " It would be more ingenuous, and more wor 
 thy of my brother s daughter," said her uncle, 
 coldly, " if she ascribed her willingness to depart 
 to its proper motive." Disregarding the look of 
 deep distress with which Cecilia received this 
 mortifying rejection of her tender attention, the 
 old man walked towards Borroughcliffe, who was 
 gnawing the hilt of his sword, in very vexation at 
 the downfall of his high-raised hopes, and placing 
 himself by his side, with an air of infinitely digni 
 fied submission, he continued, " act your pleasure 
 on us, gentlemen : you are the conquerors, and 
 we must even submit. A brave man knows as 
 well how to yield with decorum, as to defend him 
 self stoutly, when he is not surprised, as we have 
 been. But if an opportunity should ever offer ! 
 Act your pleasures, gentlemen ; no two lambs 
 were ever half so meek as Captain Borroughcliffe 
 and myself." 
 
 The smile of affected, but bitter resignation, that 
 
188 THE PILOT. 
 
 the colonel bestowed on his fellow-prisoner, was 
 returned by that officer with an attempt at risibi 
 lity that abundantly betokened the disturbed state 
 of his feelings. The two, however, succeeded in 
 so far maintaining appearances, as to contemplate 
 the succeeding movements of the conquerors with 
 a sufficient degree of composuie. 
 
 The colonel steadily and coldly rejected the ad 
 vances of his niece, who bowed meekly to his will, 
 and relinquished, for the present, the hope of 
 bringing him to a sense of his injustice. She, 
 however, employed herself in earnest, to give such 
 directions as were necessary to enforce the reso 
 lution she had avowed, and in this unexpected 
 employment she found both a ready and a willing 
 assistant in her cousin. The latter, unknown to 
 Miss Howard, had, in anticipation of some such 
 event as the present, long since made, in secret, 
 all those preparations which might become neces 
 sary to a sudden flight from the Abbey. In con 
 junction with her lover then, who, perceiving that 
 the plan of the Pilot was furthering his own views, 
 deemed it most wise to forget his quarrel with that 
 mysterious individual, she flew to point out the 
 means of securing those articles which were al 
 ready in preparation. Barnstable and Merry ac 
 companied her light steps among the narrow, dark 
 passages of the Abbey, with the utmost delight ; 
 the former repeatedly apostrophizing her wit and 
 beauty, and, indeed, all of her various merits, and 
 the latter, laughing, and indulging those buoyant 
 spirits, that a boy of his years and reflection might 
 be supposed to feel, in such a horrid scene. It 
 was fortunate for her cousin, that Katherine had 
 possessed so much forethought, for the attention 
 of Cecilia Howard was directed much more to the 
 comforts of her uncle, than to those which were 
 
THE PILOT. 189 
 
 necessary for herself. Attended by Alice Duns- 
 combe, the young mistress of St. Ruth moved 
 through the solitary apartments of the building, 
 listening to the mild, religious consolation of her 
 companion, in silence, at times yielding to those 
 bursts of mortified feeling, that she could not re 
 press, or again as calmly giving her orders to her 
 maids, as if the intended movement was one of but 
 ordinary interest. All this time the party in the 
 dining hall remained stationary. The Pilot, as if 
 satisfied with what he had already done, sunk back 
 to his reclining attitude against the wall, though 
 his eyes keenly watcheif every movement of 
 the preparations, in a manner which denoted that 
 his was the master spirit that directed the whole. 
 Griffith had, however, resumed, in appearance, the 
 command, and the busy seamen addressed them, 
 selves for orders to him alone. In this manner an 
 hour was consumed, when Cecilia and Katherme 
 appearing in succession attired in a suitable man 
 ner for their departure, and the baggage of the 
 whole party having been already entrusted to a 
 petty officer and a party of his men, Griffith gave 
 forth the customary order to put the whole in mo 
 tion. The shrill, piercing whistle of the boatswain 
 once more rung among the galleries and ceilings 
 of the Abbey, and was followed by the deep, 
 hoarse cry of 
 
 " Away, there ! you shore-draft ! away, there, 
 you boarders ! ahead, heave ahead, sea-dogs v 
 
 This extraordinary summons was succeeded by 
 the roll of a drum, and the strains of a fife, from 
 without, when the whole party moved from the 
 building in the order that had been previously 
 prescribed by Captain Manual, who acted as the 
 marshal of the forces on the occasion. 
 
 The Pilot had conducted his surprise with so 
 
ISO --:- ?:::? 
 
 and secrecy as to hare secured every 
 about the Abbey, whether male or fe- 
 ; and as it aught he dan- 
 bebind wbo could convey in* 
 r, Griffith had ordered 
 ibond in the building, 
 cli5s : to be held in du- 
 rance, at lea^ nntfl tbe departure of the last boat 
 
 rmed, lay dose in 
 
 to tbe land, awaiting their 11 laaViii >tion. The 
 hany of the departure had caused many lights to 
 be kindled in the Abbey, and tbe contrast between 
 the gbre within, and tbe dbaai without, attracted 
 ::.r \~ IT:.- j .::.- :: :.. 7 : ;-/ ^ :- -.--; :.-- 
 sued into the jiiiifk One of those indeni^kble, 
 and nmaceonmtable feelings, which so often cross 
 ~ TTiTndl indnced Oeciba to pause at the 
 great gate of tbe grounds, and lank hack at the 
 Abbey, with a presentiaMa*, that she was to be- 
 hold it for the last time. The dark and ragged 
 ontfine of tbe edifice was clearly delineated against 
 the northern akjr, while the open windows, and 
 argfrjiteJ doors, permitted a riew of the solitude 
 within. TnmMjr tapers were shedding their use- 
 less Eg^ft in the empty apartments, as if in mock 
 ery of the deserted walls, and Cecilia turned, 
 naaiii iin b , from the sight, to press nigher to the 
 
 ancle, with a secret im 
 lcwwu uu-i. act jmaKacc wudid soon be more ne 
 
 Tbe low bom of Toices in front, with the occa 
 sional atinlni of tbe fbe^and tbe stern mantes of 
 Ac sea-oftcen, soon recalled her. howerer, from 
 tbesc. Tisionarj Ibongjlili to tbe surrounding reali 
 ties, wide tbe whole party pursued their way with 
 - -. :,e margin of tbe 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 7 -v 3 
 
 thousands of stars were DOW shining ihuim> a 
 chifl atmosphere. As the eye, therefore, became 
 accustomed to ifcg change of fafri,it obtained a 
 more distinct riew of surrounding objects. At 
 the head of the line, that was stretched along the 
 Barrow pathway, marched a pia&oon of the manses, 
 who maintained the ugmW and steady front of 
 trained waiiiois. They were followed, aft some 
 little distance, hy a large and coorased body of sea 
 men, heaTfly aimed, whose i1ii|iinilirn to <feor- 
 :- : :.:;: :. .;^ n-f rri.ir:.:. v :.: - :r-.^..r i: : -. -.: 
 lent irom their treading on solid groond, was with 
 difficulty niitiauH il by the presence and severe 
 rebokes of their own officers. In Ac eeatre of 
 this contosed mass, the whole of the common pn- 
 soners were placed, bet were no umwiwi r r ar- 
 tended to by then- nautical guard, than as they fiir- 
 nished the subjects of im and nombeifas ^paint 
 jokes. At some distance m rJhek rear, mHfiPii 
 Col Howard and 
 
192 THE PILOT. 
 
 both maintaining the most rigid and dignified si 
 ience, though under the influence of very bitter 
 feelings. Behind these again, and pressing as nigh 
 as possible to her uncle, was Miss Howard, lean 
 ing on the arm of Alice Dunscombe, and surround 
 ed by the female domestics of the establishment 
 of St. Ruth. Katherine Plowden moved lightly 
 by herself, in the shadow of this group, with elas 
 tic steps, but with a maiden coyness, that taught 
 her to veil her satisfaction with the semblance of 
 captivity. Barnstable watched her movements 
 with delight, within six feet of her, but submitted 
 to the air of caprice in his mistress, which seemed 
 to require that he should approach no nearer 
 Griffith, avoiding the direct line of the party, walk 
 ed on its skirts in such a situation that his eye 
 could command its whole extent, in order, if ne 
 cessary, to direct the movements. Another body 
 of the marines marched at the close of the proces 
 sion, and Manual, in person, brought up the rear 
 The music had ceased by command, and nothing 
 was now audible, but the regular tread of the sol 
 diers, with the sighs of the dying gale, interrupted 
 occasionally by the voice of an officer, or the hum 
 of low dialogue. 
 
 " This has been a Scotch prize that we ve ta 
 ken," muttered a surly old seaman ; "a ship with 
 out head-money or cargo! There was kitchen 
 timber enough in the old jug of a place, to have 
 given an outfit in crockery and knee-buckles to 
 every lad in the ship ; but, no ! let a man s mouth 
 water ever so much for food and raiment, damme, 
 if the officers would give him leave to steal even 
 so good a thing as a spare Bible." 
 
 " You may say all that, and then make but a 
 short yarn of the truth," returned the messmate, 
 who walked by his side ; " if there had been such 
 
THE PILOT. 193 
 
 a thing as a ready made prayer handy, they would 
 have choused a poor fellow out of the use of it. 
 I say, Ben, I ll tell ye what ; it s my opinion, that 
 if a chap is to turn soldier, and carry a musket, he 
 should have soldiers play, and leave to plunder a 
 little now the devil a thing have I laid my hands 
 on to-night, except this firelock, and my cutlash 
 unles you can call this bit of a table-cloth some 
 thing of a windfall." 
 
 " Ay ! you have fallen in there with a fresh bolt 
 of duck, I see !" said the other, in manifest admi 
 ration of the texture of his companion s prize 
 " why, it would spread as broad a clue as our mi- 
 zen-royal, if it was loosened ! well, your luck 
 hasn t been every man s luck for my part, I think 
 this here hat was made for some fellow s great 
 toe : I ve rigged it on my head both fore-and-aft, 
 and athwart ships ; but curse the inch can I drive 
 it down I say, Sam ! you ll give us a shirt off that 
 table-cloth ?" 
 
 " Ay, ay, you can have one corner of it ; or for 
 that matter, ye can take the full half, Nick ; but I 
 don t see that we go off to the ship any richer than 
 we landed, unless you may muster . she-cattle 
 among your prize-money." 
 
 " No richer !" interrupted a waggish young 
 sailor, who had been hitherto a silent listener to 
 the conversation between his older and more cal 
 culating shipmates ; " I think we are set up for a 
 cruise in them seas where the day watches last six 
 months ; don t you see we have caught a double 
 allowance of midnight !" 
 
 Wbile speaking, he laid his hands on the bare 
 and woolly heads of Colonel Howard s two black 
 slaves, who were moving near him, both occupied 
 in mournful forebodings on the results that were to 
 flow from this unexpected loss of their liberty." 
 
 VOL. II, 17 
 
104 THE PILOT. 
 
 * Slue your faces this way, gentlemen," he add 
 ed ; " there ; don t you think that a sight to put 
 out the binnacle lamps 1 there s darkness visible 
 for ye !" 
 
 " Let the niggars alone," grumbled one of the 
 more aged speakers ; " what are ye sky-larking 
 with the like of them for ? the next thing they ll 
 sing out, and then you ll hear one of the officers 
 in your wake. For my part, Nick, I can t see 
 why it is that we keep dodging along shore here, 
 with less than ten fathoms under us, when, by 
 stretching into the broad Atlantic, we might fall in 
 with a Jamaica-man every day or two, and have 
 sugar hogsheads, and rum puncheons as plenty 
 aboard us as hard fare is now." 
 
 " It is all owing to that Pilot," returned the 
 
 1 other ; " for d ye see, if there was no bottom, there 
 would be no Pilots. This is a dangerous cruising 
 ground, where we stretch into five fathoms, and 
 then drop our lead on a sand-spit, or a rock ! Be 
 sides, they make night- work of it too ! If we had 
 daylight for fourteen hours instead of seven, a man 
 might trust to feeling his way for the other ten." 
 
 " Now, a n t ye a couple of old horse marines !" 
 again interrupted the young sailor ; " don t you 
 see that Congress wants us to cut up Johnny Bull s 
 coasters, and that old Blow-Hard has found the 
 days too short for his business, and so he has land 
 ed a party to get hold of night. Here we have 
 him ! and when we get off to the ship, we shall 
 put him under hatches, and then you ll see the 
 face of the sun again ! Come, my lilies ! let these 
 two gentlemen look into your cabin windows 
 what ? you won t ! Then I must squeeze your 
 woollen night-caps for ye !" 
 
 The negroes, who had been submitting to his 
 humours with the abject humility of slavery, now 
 
THE PILOT. 195 
 
 gave certain low intimations that they were suffer-i 
 ing pain, under the rough manipulation of their! 
 tormentor. 
 
 " What s that !" cried a stern voice, whose 
 boyish tones seemed to mock the air of authority 
 that was assumed by the speaker " who s that, I 
 say, raising that cry among ye ?" 
 
 The wilful young man slowly removed his two 
 hands from the woolly polls of the slaves, but as he 
 Buffered them to fall reluctantly along their sable 
 temples, he gave the ear of one of the blacks a 
 tweak that caused him to give vent to another cry, 
 that was uttered with a much greater confidence 
 of sympathy than before. 
 
 " Do ye hear, there i" repeated Merry cc who s 
 sky-larking with those negroes ?" 
 
 " Tis no one, sir," the sailor answered with af 
 fected gravity ; " one of the pale faces has hit his 
 shin against a cob-web, and it has made his ear 
 ache !" 
 
 " Harkye, you Mr. Jack Joker ! how came you 
 in the midst of the prisoners ? did not I onjer you 
 to handle your pike, sir, and to keep in the outer 
 line ?" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir, you did ; and I obeyed orders as 
 Ions as I could ; but these niggars have made the 
 night so dark, that I lost my way !" 
 
 A low laugh passed through the confused crowd 
 of seamen, and even the midshipman might have 
 been indulging himself in a similar manner at this 
 specimen of quaint humour from the fellow, who 
 was one of those licensed men that are to be found 
 in every ship. At length 
 
 " Well, sir," he said^ " you have found out your 
 false reckoning now ; so get you back to the place 
 where I bid you stay." 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir, I m going. By all the blunders 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 in {ho purser s book, Mr. Merry, but that cobweb 
 
 s made one of these niggars shed tears ! Dp 
 let me stay to catch a little ink, sir, to write a 
 letter with to my poor old mother devil the line 
 has she had from me since we sailed from the 
 Chesapeake !" 
 
 " If ye don t mind me at once, Mr. Jack Joker, 
 I ll lay my cutlass over your head," returned Mer 
 ry, his voice now betraying a much greater sym-^ 
 pathy in the sufferings of that abject race, who arel 
 still in some measure, but who formerly were much i 
 more, the butts of the unthinking and licentious \ 
 among our low countrymen ; " then ye can write \ 
 your letter in red ink if ye will !" 
 
 " I wouldn t do it for the world," said Joker, 
 sneaking; away, towards his proper station " the 
 old lady wouldn t forget the hand, and swear it was 
 a forgery -I wonder, though, if the breakers on 
 the coast of Guinea be black ! as I ve heard old 
 seamen say who have cruised in them latitudes." 
 
 His idle levity was suddenly interrupted by a 
 voice that spoke above the low hum of the march, 
 with an air of authority, and a severity of tone, that 
 could always quell, by a single word, the most vi 
 olent ebullition of merriment in the crew. 
 
 The low buzzing sounds of " Ay, there goes Mr. 
 Griffith !" and of " Jack has woke up ^the first 
 lieutenant, he had better now go to sleep himself;" 
 were heard passing among the men. But these 
 suppressed communications soon ceased, and even 
 Jack Joker himself pursued his way with dili 
 gence, on the skirts of the party, as mutely as if 
 the power of speech did not belong to his organi 
 zation 
 
 The reader has too often accompanied us over 
 the ground between the Abbey and the ocean, to 
 require any description of the route pursued by 
 
THE PILOT. 197 
 
 the seamen during the preceding characteristic 
 flialogue ; and we shall at once pass to the inci 
 dents which occurred on the arrival of the party 
 at the cliffs. As the man who had so unexpect 
 edly assumed a momentary authority within St. 
 Ruth had unaccountably disappeared from among 
 them, Griffith continued to exercise the right of 
 command, without referring to any other for con 
 sultation. He never addressed himself to Barn- 
 stable, and it was apparent that both the haughty 
 young men felt that the tie which had hitherto 
 united them in such close intimacy, was, for the 
 present at least, entirely severed. Indeed, Grif 
 fith was only restrained by the presence of Ce 
 cilia and Katharine, from arresting his refractory 
 inferior on the spot ; and Barnstable, who felt all 
 the consciousness of error, without its proper hu 
 mility, with difficulty so far repressed his feelings, 
 as to forbear exhibiting in the presence of his mis 
 tress, such a manifestation of his spirit as his 
 wounded vanity induced him to imagine was ne 
 cessary to his honour. The two, however, acted 
 in harmony on one subject, though it was without 
 concert or communication. The first object with 
 both the young men was to secure the embarka 
 tion of the fair cousins ; and Barnstable proceeded 
 instantly to the boats, in order to hasten the pre 
 parations that were necessary before they could 
 receive these unexpected captives : the descent 
 of the Pilot having been made in such force as to 
 require the use of all the frigate s boats, which 
 were left riding in the outer edge of the surf, 
 awaiiing the return of the expedition. A loud call 
 from Barnstable gave notice to the officer in com 
 mand, and in a few moments the beach was crowd 
 ed with the busy and active crews of the c cutters, 
 c launches, barges, c jolly-boats, c pinnaces, or 
 17* 
 
198 THE PILOT. 
 
 by whatever names the custom of the times at 
 tached to the different attendants of vessels of war. 
 Had the fears of the ladies themselves been con 
 sulted, the frigate s launch would have been se 
 lected for their use, on account of its size ; but 
 Barnstable, who would have thought such a choice 
 on his part humiliating to his guests, ordered the 
 long, low barge of Captain Munson to be drawn 
 upon the sand, it being peculiarly the boat of ho 
 nour. The hands of fifty men were applied to ths 
 task, and it was soon announced to Colonel How 
 ard and his wards, that the little vessel was ready 
 for their reception. Manual had halted on the 
 summit of the cliifs with the whole body of the 
 marines, where he was busily employed in posting 
 pickets and sentinels, and giving the necessary in 
 structions to his men to cover the embarkation of 
 the seamen, in a style that he conceived to be alto 
 gether military. The mass of the^cfornmon prison 
 ers, including the inferior domestics of the Abbey, 
 and the men of Borroughclifle, were also held in 
 the same place, under a suitable guard ; but Colo 
 nel Howard and his companion, attended by the 
 ladies and their own maids, had descended the 
 rugged path to the beach, and were standing pas 
 sively on the sands, when the intelligence that the 
 boat waited for them was announced. 
 
 " Where is he ?" asked Alice Dunscombe, turn 
 ing her head, as if anxiously searching for some 
 other than those around her. 
 
 " Where is who ?" inquired Barnstable ; " we 
 /are all here, and the boat waits." 
 ^J " And will he tear me even. me, from the home 
 of my infancy ! the land of my birth and my af 
 fections !" 
 
 " I know not of whom you speak, madam, but 
 
THE PILOT. 199 
 
 if it be of Mr. Griffith, he stands there, just with 
 out that cluster of seamen." 
 
 Griffith, hearing himself thus named, approached 
 the ladies, and, for the first time since leaving the 
 Abbey, addressed them : " I hope I am already 
 understood," he said, " and that it is unnecessary 
 for me to say, that no female here is a prisoner ; 
 though should any choose to trust themselves on 
 board our ship, I pledge to them the honour of an 
 officer, that they shail find themselves protected, 
 and safe." 
 
 " Then will I not go," said Alice. 
 
 " It is not expected of you," said Cecilia ; 
 " you have no ties to bind you to any here." 
 ( The eyes of Alice were still wandering over the 
 listeners.) "Go, then, Miss Alice, and be the 
 mistress of St. Ruth, until my return; or," she 
 added, timidly, " until Colonel Howard may de 
 clare his pleasure." 
 
 " I obey you, dear child ; but the agent of Co 
 lonel Howard, at B , will undoubtedly be au 
 thorized to take charge of his effects." 
 
 While no one but his niece alluded to his will, 
 the master of the Abbey had found, in his resent 
 ment, a sufficient apology for his rigid demeanour ; 
 but he was far too well bred to bear, in silence, 
 such a modest appeal to his wishes, from so fair, 
 and so loyal a subject as Alice Dunscombe. 
 
 " To relieve you, madam, and for no other rea 
 son, will I speak on this subject," he said ; " other 
 wise, I should leave the doors and windows of St . 
 Ruth open, as a melancholy monument of rebel 
 lion, and seek my future compensation from the 
 Crown, when the confiscated estates of the lead 
 ers of this accursed innovation on the rights of 
 princes shall come to the hammer But you, 
 
 J 
 
200 THE PILOT. 
 
 Miss Alice, are entitled to every consideration 
 that a lady can expect from a gentleman. Be 
 pleased, therefore, to write to my agent, and re 
 quest him to seal up my papers, and transmit them 
 to the office of his Majesty s Secretary of State. 
 They breathe no treason, madam, and are entitled 
 to official protection. The house, and most of the 
 furniture, as you know, are the property of my 
 landlord, who, in due time, will doubtless take 
 charge of his own interest. I kiss your hand, Miss 
 Alice, and I hope we shall yet meet at St. James s 
 depend on it, madam, that the Royal Charlotte 
 shall yet honour your merits ; I know she cannot 
 but estimate your loyalty." 
 
 " Here I was born, in humble obscurity here 
 1 have lived, and here I hope to die in quiet," re 
 turned the meek Alice ; " if I have known any 
 pleasure, in late years, beyond that which every 
 Christian can find in our daily duties, it has been, 
 my sweet friends, m your accidental society. 
 Such companions, in this remote corner of the 
 kingdom, has been a boon too precious to be en 
 joyed without alloy, it seems, and I have now to 
 exchange the past pleasure for present pain. Adieu ! 
 my young friends ; let your trust be in Him, to 
 whose eyes both prince and peasant, the European 
 and the American, are alike, and we shall meet 
 again, though it be neither in the island of Britain, 
 nor on your own wide continent." 
 
 " That," said Colonel Howard, advancing and 
 taking her hand with kindness, " that is the only 
 disloyal sentiment I have ever heard fall from the 
 lips of Miss Alice Dunscombe ! Is it to be sup 
 posed that Heaven has established orders among 
 men, and that it does not respect the works of its 
 own formation ! But adieu ; no doubt if time was 
 
THE PILOT. 201 
 
 allowed us for suitable explanations, we should 
 find but little or no difference of opinion on this 
 subject." 
 
 Alice did not appear to consider the mattei as 
 worthy of further discussion at such a moment, for 
 she gently returned the colonel s leave-taking, and 
 then gave her undivided attention to her female 
 friends. Cecilia wept bitterly on the shoulder of 
 her respected companion, giving vent to her re 
 gret at parting, and her excited feelings, at the 
 same moment ; and Katherine pressed to the side 
 of Alice, with the kindliness prompted by her 
 warm, but truant heart. Their embraces were 
 given and received in silence, and each of the 
 young ladies moved towards the boat, as she with 
 drew herself from the arms of Miss Dunscombe. 
 Col. Howard would not precede his wards, neither 
 would he assist them into the barge. That atten 
 tion they received from Barnstable, who, after see 
 ing the ladies and their attendants seated, turned 
 to the gentlemen, and observed 
 
 "The boat waits." 
 
 te Well, Miss Alice," said Borroughcliffe, in bit 
 ter irony, " you are intrusted, by our excellent 
 host, with a message to his agent ; will you do a si 
 milar service to me, and write a report to the com 
 mander of the district, and just tell him what a dolt 
 ay, use the plainest terms, and say what an ass, 
 one Captain Borroughcliffe has proved himself in 
 this affair. You may throw in, by way of episode, 
 that he has been playing bo-peep with a rebellious 
 young lady from the Colonies, and, like a great 
 boy, has had his head broken for his pains ! Come, 
 my worthy host, or rather fellow-prisoner, 1 fol 
 low you, as in duty bound." 
 
 " Stay," cried Griffith ; " Capt. Borroughcliffe 
 does not embr.rk in that boat." 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 " Ha ! sii ; am I to be herded with the com 
 mon men ? Forget you that I have the honour to 
 bear the commission of his Britannic Majesty, and 
 that" 
 
 " I forget nothing that a gentleman is bound to 
 remember, Captain Borroughcliffe ; among other 
 things, I recollect the liberality of your treatment 
 to myself, when a prisoner. The instant the safe 
 ty of my command will justify such a step, not 
 only you, but your men, shall be set at liberty." 
 
 Borroughcliffe started in surprise ; but his feel 
 ings were too much soured by the destruction of 
 those visions of glory, in which he had been luxu 
 riously indulging for the last day or two, to ad 
 mit of his answering as became a man. He swal 
 lowed his emotions, therefore, by a violent effort, 
 and walked along the beach, affecting to whistle a 
 low, but lively air. 
 
 " Well, then," cried Barnstable " all our cap 
 tives are seated. The boat waits only for its 
 officers !" 
 
 In his turn, Griffith walked away, in haughty si 
 lence, as if disdaining to hold communion with his 
 former friend. Barnstable paused a moment, from 
 a deference that long habit had created for his su 
 perior officer, and which was not to be shaken off 
 by every burst of angry passion ; but perceiving 
 that the other had no intention to return, he or 
 dered the seamen to raise the boat from the sand 
 and bear it bodily into the water. The command 
 w r as instantly obeyed ; and by the time the young 
 lieutenant was in his seat, the barge was floating 
 in the still heavy, though no longer dangerous surf, 
 and the crew sprang into their places. 
 
 " Bear her off, boys !" he cried ; " never mind 
 a wet jacket. I ve seen many a worthy fellow tum 
 bling on this beach in a worse time than this ! 
 
THE PILOT. 203 
 
 Now you have her head to sea ; give way, my 
 souls, give way." 
 
 The seamen rose simultaneously at their oars, 
 and by an united effort obtained the command of 
 their boat ; which, after making a few sudden 
 ascents and as many heavy pitches in the break 
 ers, gained the smoother seas of the swelling 
 ocean, and stemmed the waters in a direction for 
 the place where the Alacrity was supposed to be 
 in waiting. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 His only plot was this that much provoked, 
 He raised his vengeful arm against his country. 
 
 Thomson. 
 
 ALICE DUNSCOMEE remained on the sands, 
 watching the dark spot that was soon hid amid the 
 waves in the obscurity of night, and listening, 
 with melancholy interest, to the regulated sounds 
 of the oars, which were audible long after the boat 
 had been blended with the gloomy outline of the 
 eastern horizon. When all traces of her departed 
 friends were to be found only in her own recollec 
 tions, she slowly turned from the sea, and hasten 
 ing to quit the bustling throng that were preparing 
 for the embarcation of the rest of the party, she 
 ascended the path that conducted her once more 
 to the summit of those cliffs, along which she had 
 so often roved, gazing at the boundless element 
 that washed their base with sensations that might 
 have been peculiar to her own situation. 
 
 The soldiers of Borroughcliffe, who were sta 
 tioned at the head of the pass, respectfully made 
 way ; nor did any of the sentinels of Manual heed 
 her retiring figure, until she approached the rear 
 guard of the marines, who were commanded by 
 their vigilant captain in person. 
 
THE PILOT. 205 
 
 " Who goes there !" cried Manual, advancing 
 without the dusky group of soldiers, as she ap 
 proached them. 
 
 " One who possesses neither the power nor the 
 inclination to do ye harm," answered the solitary 
 female ; " tis Alice Dunscombe, returning, by per 
 mission of your leader, to the place of her birth." 
 
 " Ay," muttered Manual, " this is one of Grif 
 fith s unmilitary exhibitions of his politeness ! does 
 the man think that there was ever a woman who 
 had no tongue ! Have you the countersign, ma 
 dam, that I may know you bear a sufficient war 
 rant to pass ?" 
 
 " I have no other warrant besides my sex and 
 weakness, unless Mr. Griffith s knowledge that I 
 have left him can be so considered." 
 
 " The two former are enough," said a voice, 
 that proceeded from a figure which had hitherto 
 stood unseen, shaded by "the trunk of an oak, that 
 spread its wide, but naked arms above the spot 
 where the guard was paraded. 
 
 " Who have we here !" Manual again cried ; 
 " come in ; yield or you will be fired at." 
 
 " What, will the gallant Captain Manual fire on 
 his own rescuer !" * said the Pilot, with cool disdain, 
 as he advanced from the shadow of the" tree. 
 a He had better reserve his bullets for his ene 
 mies, than waste them on his friends." 
 
 " You have done a dangerous deed, sir, in ap 
 proaching, clandestinely, a guard of marines ! I 
 wonder that a man who has already discovered, 
 to-night, that he has some knowledge of tactics, 
 by so ably conducting a surprise, should betray so 
 much ignorance in the forms of approaching a 
 picket !" 
 
 " Tis now of no moment," returned the Pi 
 lot ; " my knowledge and my ignorance are alike 
 
 VOL. II. 18 
 
206 THE PILOT. 
 
 immaterial, as the command of the party is surren 
 dered to other, and perhaps more proper hands. 
 But I would talk to this lady alone, sir ; she is an 
 acquaintance of my youth, and I will see her on 
 her way to the Abbey." 
 
 " The step would be unmilitary, Mr. Pilot, and 
 you will excuse me if I do not consent to any of 
 our expedition straggling without the sentries. If 
 you choose to remain here to hold your discourse, 
 I will march the picket out of hearing ; though I 
 must acknowledge I see no ground so favourable 
 as this we are on, to keep you within the range of 
 our eyes. You perceive that I have a ravine to 
 retreat into, in case of surprise, with this line of 
 wall on my left flank, and the trunk of that tree 
 to cover my right. A very pretty stand might be 
 made here, on emergency ; for even the oldest 
 troops fight the best when their flanks are properly 
 covered, and a way to make a regular retreat is 
 open in their rear." 
 
 " Say no more, sir ; I would not break up such 
 a position on any account," returned the Pilot; 
 " the lady w r ill consent to retrace her path for a 
 short distance." 
 
 Alice followed his steps, in compliance with this 
 request, until he had led her to a place, at some 
 little distance from the marines, where a tree had 
 been prostrated by the late gale. She seated her 
 self quietly on its trunk, and appeared to await 
 with patience his own time for the explanation of 
 his motives, in seeking the interview. The Pilot 
 paced for several minutes, back and forth, in front 
 of the place where she was seated, in profound si 
 lence, as if communing with himself, when sud 
 denly throwing off his air of absence, he came to 
 her side, and assumed a position similar to the one 
 which she herself had taken. 
 
THE PILOT. 207 
 
 " The hour is at hand, Alice, when we must 
 part," he at length commenced ; " it rests with 
 yourself whether it shall be for ever." 
 
 " Let it then be for ever, John," she returned, 
 with a slight tremour in her voice. 
 
 " That word would have been less appalling, 
 had this accidental meeting never occurred. And 
 yet your choice may have been determined by 
 prudence for what is there in my fate that can 
 tempt a woman to wish that she might share it !" 
 
 " If ye mean your lot is that of one who can 
 find but few, or even none, to partake of his joys, 
 or to share in his sorrows, whose life is a continual 
 scene of dangers and calamities, of disappointments 
 and mishaps, then do ye know but little of the 
 heart of woman, if ye doubt of either her ability 01 
 her willingness, to meet them with the man of her 
 choice." 
 
 " Say you thus, Alice ! then have I misunder 
 stood your meaning, or misinterpreted your acts. 
 My lot is not altogether that of a neglected man, 
 unless the favour of princes, and the smiles of 
 queens, can be thus termed ! My life is, however, 
 one of many and fearful dangers ; and yet it is not 
 filled altogether with calamities and mishaps ; is 
 it, Alice ?" He paused a moment, but in vain, for 
 her answer. " Nay, then, I have been deceived 
 in the estimation that the world has affixed to my 
 combats and enterprises ! I am not, Alice, the 
 man I would be, or even the man I had deemed 
 myself." 
 
 " You have gained a name, John, among the 
 warriors of the age," she answered, in a subdued 
 voice : " and it is a name that may be said to be 
 written in blood !" 
 
 " The blood of my enemies, Alice !" 
 
 " The blood of the subjects of your natural 
 
 I 
 
208 THE PILOT 
 
 prince ! The blood of those who breathe the air 
 you first breathed, and who were taught the same 
 holy lessons of instruction that you were first 
 taught ; but which, I fear, you have too soon for 
 gotten !" 
 
 " The blood of the slaves of despotism !" he 
 sternly interrupted her ; " the blood of the ene 
 mies of freedom ! you have dwelt so long in this 
 dull retirement, and you have cherished so blindly 
 the prejudices of your youth, that the promise of 
 those noble sentiments I once thought I could see 
 budding in Alice Dunscombe, has not been ful 
 filled." 
 
 " I have lived and thought only as a woman, as 
 become my sex and station," Alice meekly replied ; 
 " and when it shall be necessary for me to live and 
 think otherwise, I should wish to die." 
 
 " Ay, there lie the first seeds of slavery ! A 
 dependent woman is sure to make the mother of 
 craven and abject wretches, who dishonour the 
 name of man !" 
 
 " I shall never be the mother of children, good 
 or bad" said Alice, with that resignation iu her 
 tones that showed she had abandoned the natural 
 hopes of her sex. u Singly and unsupported have 
 I lived ; alone and unlamented must I be carried 
 to my grave." 
 
 The exquisite pathos of her voice, as she utter 
 ed this placid speech, blended as it was with the 
 sweet and calm dignity of virgin pride, touched 
 the heart of her listener, and he continued silent 
 many moments, as if in reverence of her deter 
 mination. Her sentiments awakened in his own 
 breast those feelings of generosity and disinterest- 
 edness, which had nearly been smothered in rest 
 less ambition and the pride of success. He re 
 sumed the discourse, therefore, more mildly, and 
 
THE PILOT. 209 
 
 with a much greater exhibition of deep feeling, and 
 less of passion, in his manner. 
 
 u I know not, Alice, that I ought, situated as I 
 am, and contented, if not happy, as you are, even 
 to attempt to revive in your bosom those senti 
 ments which I was once led to think existed there. 
 It cannot, after all, be a desirable fate, to share the 
 lot of a rover like myself; one who may be term 
 ed a Quixote in the behalf of liberal principles, and 
 who may be hourly called to seal the truth of those 
 principles with his life." 
 
 " There never existed any sentiment in my 
 breast, in which you are concerned, that does not? 
 exist there still, and unchanged," returned Alice, j 
 with her single-hearted sincerity. 
 
 " Do I hear you aright ! or have I misconceived j 
 your resolution to abide in England ! or have J not 
 rather mistaken your early feelings ?" 
 
 " You have fallen into no error now nor then. 
 The weakness may still exist, John, but the strength 
 to struggle with it, has, by the goodness of God, 
 grown with my years. It is not, however, of my 
 self, but of you, that I would speak. I have lived 
 like one of our simple daisies, which in the bud 
 ding may have caught your eye ; and I shall also 
 wilt like the humble flower, when the winter of 
 my time arrives, without being missed from the 
 fields that have known me for a season. But your 
 fall, John, will be like that of the oak that now 
 supports us, and men shall pronounce on the beau 
 ty and grandeur of the noble stem while standing, \/ 
 as well as of its usefulness when felled." 
 
 " Let them pronounce as they will !" returned 
 the proud stranger. " The truth must be finally 
 known, and when that hour shall come, they will 
 say, he was a faithful and gallant warrior in his 
 day ; and a worthy lesson for all who are born in 
 18* 
 
210 THE PILOT. 
 
 slavery, but would live in freedom, shall be found 
 in his example." 
 
 " Such may be the language of that distant 
 people, whom ye have adopted in the place of those 
 that once formed home and kin to ye," said Alice, 
 glancing her eye timidly at his countenance, as if 
 to discern how far she might venture, without 
 awakening his resentment ; " but what will the 
 men of the land of your birth transmit to their 
 children, who will be the children of those that are 
 of your own blood ?" 
 
 " They will say, Alice, whatever their crooked 
 policy may suggest, or their disappointed vanity 
 can urge. But the picture must be drawn by the 
 friends of the hero as well as by his enemies ! 
 Think you that there are not pens as well as 
 swords in America ?" 
 
 " I have heard that America called a land, John, 
 where God has lavished his favours with an un 
 sparing hand ; where he has bestowed many 
 climes with their several fruits, and where his 
 power is exhibited no less than his mercy. It is 
 said her rivers are without any known end, and 
 that lakes are found in her bosom, which would 
 put our German Ocean to shame ! The plains, 
 teeming with verdure, are spread over wide de 
 grees, and yet those sweet valleys, which a single 
 heart can hold, are not wanting. In short, John, 
 1 hear it is a broad land, that can furnish food for 
 each passion, and contain objects for every affec 
 tion." 
 
 " Ay, you have found those, Alice, in your soli 
 tude, who have been willing to do her justice ! It 
 is a country that can form a world of itself; and 
 why should they who inherit it look to other na 
 tions for their laws ?" 
 
 " I pretend not to reason on the right of the 
 
THE PILOT. 211 
 
 children of that soil, to do whatever they may 
 deem most meet for their own welfare," returned 
 Alice u but can men be born in such a land, and 
 not know the feelings "which bind a human being 
 to the place of his birth ?" 
 
 " Can you doubt that they should be patriotic ?" 
 exclaimed the Pilot, in surprise. " Do not their 
 efforts in this sacred cause their patient suffer 
 ings their long privations, speak loudly in their 
 behalf?" 
 
 " And will they, who know so well how to love 
 home, sing the praises of him, who has turned his 
 ruthless hand against the land of his fathers ?" 
 
 " For ever harping on that word, home !" said 
 the Pilot, who now detected the timid approach 
 es of Alice to her hidden meaning. " Is man a 
 stick or a stone, that he must be cast into the fire, 
 or buried in a wall, wherever his fate may have 
 doomed him to appear on the earth ? The sound 
 of home is said to feed tha vanity of an English 
 man, let him go where he will ; but it would seem 
 to have a still more powerful charm with English 
 women !" 
 
 " It is the dearest of all terms to every woman, 
 John, for it embraces the dearest of all ties ! If 
 your dames of America are ignorant of its charm, 
 all the favours which God has lavished on their 
 land will avail their happiness but little." 
 
 " Alice," said the Pilot, rising in his agitation, 
 " I see but too well the object of your allusions. 
 But on this subject we can never agree ; for not 
 even your power can draw me from the path of 
 glory in which I am now treading. Our time is 
 growing brief; let us then talk of other things. 
 This may be the last time that I shall ever put foot 
 on the island of Britain." 
 
 Alice paused to struggle with the feelings exci- 
 
212 THE PILOT. 
 
 ted by this remark, before she pursued the dis 
 course. But soon shaking off the weakness, she 
 added, with a rigid adherence to that course which 
 she believed to be her duty 
 
 " And now, John, that you have landed, is the 
 breaking up of a peaceful family, and the violence 
 ye have shown towards an aged man, a fit exploit 
 for one whose object is the glory of which ye have 
 spoken ?" 
 
 " Think you that I have landed, and placed my 
 life in the hands of my enemies, for so unworthy 
 an object ! No, Alice, my motive for this under 
 taking has been disappointed, and therefore will 
 ever remain a secret from the world. But duty 
 to my cause has prompted the step which you so 
 unthinkingly condemn. This Colonel Howard 
 has some consideration with those in power, and 
 will answer to exchange for a better man. As for 
 his wards, you forget their home, their magical 
 home, is in America : unless, indeed, they find 
 them nearer at hand, under the proud flag of a 
 frigate, that is now waiting for them in the offing." 
 
 " You talk of a frigate !" said Alice, with sud 
 den interest in the subject " Is she your only 
 means of escaping from your enemies ?" 
 
 " Alice Dunscombe has taken but little heed of 
 passing events, to ask such a question of me !" re 
 turned the haughty Pilot. " The question would 
 have sounded more discreetly, had it been, is she 
 the only vessel with you that your enemies w T ill 
 have to escape from ? " 
 
 " Nay, I cannot measure my language at such a 
 moment," continued Alice, with a still stronger 
 exhibition of anxiety. " It was my fortune to 
 overhear a part of a plan that was intended to 
 destroy, by sudden means, those vessels of Ame 
 rica that were in our seas." 
 
THE PILOT. 213 
 
 ** That might be a plan more suddenly adopted 
 than easily executed, my good Alice. And who 
 were those redoubtable schemers ?" 
 
 " I know not but my duty to the king should 
 cause me to suppress this information," said Alice, 
 hesitating. 
 
 " Well, be it so," returned the Pilot coolly ; 
 " it may prove the means of saving the persons of 
 some of the royal officers from death or captivity. 
 I have already said, this may be the last of my vi 
 sits to this island, and consequently, Alice, the last 
 of our interviews " 
 
 " And yet," said Alice, still pursuing the train 
 of her own thoughts, " there can be but little 
 harm in sparing human blood ; and least of all in 
 serving those whom we have long known and re 
 garded !" 
 
 " Ay, that is a simple doctrine, and one that is 
 easily maintained," he added, with much apparent 
 indifference ; " and yet king George might well 
 spare some of his servants the list of his abject 
 minions is so long !" 
 
 " There was a man named Dillon, who lately 
 dwelt in the Abbey, but who has mysteriously dis 
 appeared," continued Alice ; " or rather who was 
 captured by your companions ; know you aught of 
 him, John ?" 
 
 " I have heard there was a miscreant of that 
 name, but we have never met. Alice, if it please 
 Heaven that this shall be the last" 
 
 " He was a captive in the schooner called the 
 Ariel," she added, still unheeding his affected i 
 difference to her communication, " and when per 
 mitted to return to St. Ruth, he lost sight of his 
 solemn promise, and of his plighted honour, to 
 wreak his malice. Instead of effecting the ex 
 change that he had conditioned to see made, he 
 
214 THE PILOT. 
 
 plotted treason against his captors. Yes ! it was 
 most foul treason ! for his treatment was generous 
 and kind, and his liberation certain." 
 
 " He was a most unworthy scoundrel ! But, 
 Alice" 
 
 " Nay, listen, John," she continued, urged to 
 even a keener interest in his behalf by his apparent 
 inattention ; " and yet I should speak tenderly of 
 his failings, for he is already numbered with the 
 dead ! One part of his scheme must have been 
 frustrated, for he intended to destroy that schooner 
 which you call the Ariel, and to have taken the 
 person of the young Barnstable." 
 
 " In both of which he has failed ! The person 
 of Barnstable I have rescued, and the Ariel has 
 been stricken by a hand far mightier than any of 
 this world ! she is wrecked." 
 
 " Then is the frigate your only means of escape ! 
 Hasten, John, and seem not so proud and heed 
 less, for the hour may come when all your daring 
 will not profit ye against the machinations of se 
 cret enemies. This Dillon had also planned that 
 expresses should journey to a sea-port at the south 
 with the intelligence that your vessels were in 
 these seas, in order that ships might be despatched 
 to intercept your retreat." 
 
 The Pilot lost his affected indifference as she 
 proceeded, and before she ceased speaking, his 
 eye was endeavouring to anticipate her words, by 
 reading her countenance through the dusky me 
 dium of the star-light. 
 
 " How know you this, Alice ?" he asked quick 
 ly " and what vessel did he name ?" 
 
 " Chance made me an unseen listener to their 
 plan, and I know not but I forget my duty to my 
 prince ! but, John, tis asking too much of weak 
 woman to require that she shall see the man whom 
 
THE PILOT. 215 
 
 she once viewed with eyes of favour, sacrificed, 
 when a word of caution, given in season, might 
 enable him to avoid the danger !" 
 
 " Once viewed with an eye of favour ! Is it then 
 so ?" said the Pilot, speaking in a vacant manner. 
 " But, Alice, heard ye the force of the ships, or 
 their names . p Give me their names, and the first 
 lord of your British admiralty shall not give so 
 true an account of their force, as I will furnish from 
 this list of my own." 
 
 " Their names were certainly mentioned," said 
 Alice, with tender melancholy ; " but the name of 
 one far nearer to me was ringing in my ears, and 
 has driven them from my mind." 
 
 " You are the same good Alice I once knew ! 
 And my name was mentioned ? What said they 
 of the Pirate ? Had his arm stricken a blow that 
 made them tremble in their Abbey ? Did they 
 call him coward, girl.?" 
 
 " It was mentioned in terms that pained my 
 heart as I listened. For, it is ever too easy a task 
 to forget the lapse of years, nor are the feelings of 
 youth to be easily eradicated." 
 
 " Ay, there is luxury in knowing, that with 
 all their affected abuse, the slaves dread me in 
 (heir secret holds !" exclaimed the Pilot, pacing in 
 front of his listener, with quick steps. " This it is 
 to be marked, among men, above all others in 
 your calling ! I hope yet to see the day when the 
 third George shall start at the sound of that name, 
 even within the walls of his palace." 
 
 Alice Dunscombe heard him in deep and morti 
 fied silence. It was too evident that a link in the 
 chain of their sympathies w r as broken, and that the 
 weakness in which she had been unconsciously in 
 dulging, was met by no correspondent emotions in 
 him. After sinking her head for a moment on her 
 
216 THE PILOT. 
 
 bosom, she arose with a little more than her 
 usual air of meekness, and recalled the Pilot to a 
 sense of her presence, by saying, in a yet milder 
 voice 
 
 " I have now Communicated all that it can profit 
 you to know, and it is meet that we separate." 
 
 " What, thus soon ?" he cried, starting and tak 
 ing her hand. " This is but a short interview, 
 Alice, to precede so long a separation." 
 
 " Be it short, or be it long, it must now end," 
 she replied. " Your companions are on the eve 
 of departure, and I trust you would be one of the 
 last who would wish to be deserted. If ye do visit 
 
 jland again, I hope it may be with altered sen 
 timents, so far as regards her interests. I wish ye 
 peace, John, and the blessings of God, as ye may 
 be found to deserve them." 
 
 " I ask no farther, unless it may be the aid of 
 your gentle prayers ! But the night is gloomy, 
 and I will see you in safety to the Abbey." 
 
 cc It is unnecessary," she returned, with woman 
 ly reserve. " The innocent can be as fearless on 
 occasion, as the most valiant among you warriors. 
 But here is no cause for fear. I shall take a path 
 that will conduct me in a different way from that 
 which is occupied by your soldiers, and where I 
 shall find none but him who is ever present to 
 protect the helpless. Once more, John, I bid ye 
 adieu." Her voice faltered as she continued 
 " Ye w~ill share the lot of humanity, and have your 
 hours of care and weakness ; at such moments ye 
 can remember those ye leave on this despised 
 island, and perhaps among them ye may think of 
 some whose interest in your welfare has been far 
 removed from selfishness." 
 
 u God be with you, Alice !" he said, touched 
 with her emotion, and losing all vain images in 
 
THE PILOT. 217 
 
 more woithy feelings "but I cannot permit you 
 to go alone." 
 
 " Here we part, John," she said firmly, " and 
 for ever !" 7 Tis for the happiness of both, for I 
 fear we have but little in common." She gently 
 wrested her hand from his grasp, and once more 
 bidding him adieu, in a voice that was nearly in 
 audible, she turned and slowly disappeared, mov 
 ing, with lingering steps, in the direction of the 
 Abbey. 
 
 The first impulse of the Pilot was, certainly, to 
 follow, and insist on seeing her on the way ; but 
 the music of the guard on the cliffs at that moment 
 sent forth its martial strains, and the whistle of the 
 boatswain was heard winding its shrill call among 
 the rocks, in those notes that his practised ear 
 well understood to be the last signal for embark 
 ing. 
 
 Obedient to the summons, this singular man, in 
 whose breast the natural feelings, that were now 
 on the eve of a violent eruption, had so long been 
 smothered by the visionary expectations of a wild 
 ambition, and perhaps of fierce resentments, pur 
 sued his course, in deep abstraction, towards the 
 boats. He was soon met by the soldiers of Bor- 
 roughcliffe, deprived of their arms, it is true, 
 but unguarded, and returning peacefully to their 
 quarters. The mind of the Pilot, happily for the 
 liberty of these men, was too much absorbed in 
 his peculiar reflections, to note this act of Grif 
 fith s generosity, nor did he arouse from his mu 
 sing until his steps were arrested by suddenly en 
 countering a human figure in the path-way. A 
 light tap on his shoulder was the first mark of re 
 cognition he received, when Borroughcliffe, who 
 stood before him, said 
 
 " It is evident, sir, from what has passed this 
 
 VOL. II. 19 
 
218 THE PILOT* 
 
 evening, that you are not what you seem. You 
 may be some rebel admiral or general, for aught 
 that I know, the right to command having been 
 strangely contested among ye this night. But let 
 who will own the chief authority, I take the liber 
 ty of whispering in your ear that I have been scur- 
 vily treated by you I repeat, most scurvily treat 
 ed by you all, generally, and by you in particu 
 lar." 
 
 The Pilot started at this strange address, which 
 was uttered with all the bitterness that could be 
 imparted to it by a disappointed man ; but he mo 
 tioned with his hand for the captain to depart, and 
 turned aside to pursue his own way. 
 
 " Perhaps I am not properly understood," con 
 tinued the obstinate soldier ; " I say, sir, you have 
 treated me scurvily ; and I would not be thought 
 to say this to any gentleman, without wishing to 
 give him an opportunity to vent his anger," 
 
 The eye of the Pilot, as he moved forward, 
 glanced at the pistols which Borroughcliffe held in 
 iiis hands, the one by the handle, and the other 
 by its barrel, and the soldier even fancied that his 
 footsteps were quickened by the sight. After 
 gazing at him until his form was lost in the dark 
 ness, the captain muttered to himself 
 
 " He is no more than a common Pilot after all ! 
 No true gentleman would have received so palpa 
 ble a hint with such a start. Ah ! here comes the 
 party of my worthy friend whose palate knows a 
 grape of the north side of Madeira from one of the 
 south. The dog has the throat of a gentleman ! 
 we will see how he can swallow a delicate allusion 
 to his faults !" 
 
 Borroughcliffe stepped aside to allow the ma 
 rines, who were also in motion for the boats, to 
 pass, and watched with keen looks for the person 
 
THE PILOT. 219 
 
 of the commander. Manual, who had been pre 
 viously apprised of the intention of Griffith to 
 release the prisoners, had halted to see that none 
 but those who had been liberated by authority, 
 were inarching into the country. This accidental 
 circumstance gave Borroughcliffe an opportunity 
 of meeting the other at some little distance from 
 either of their respective parties. 
 
 " I greet you, sir," said Borroughcliife, " with 
 all affection. This has been a pleasant forage for 
 you, Captain Manual." 
 
 The marine was far from being disposed to 
 wrangle, but there was that in the voice of the 
 other which caused him to answer 
 
 " It would have been far pleasanter, sir, if I had 
 met an opportunity of returning to Captain Bor 
 roughcliffe some of the favours that I have received 
 at his hands." 
 
 " Nay, then, dear sir, you weigh my modesty to 
 the earth ! Surely you forget the manner in 
 which my hospitality has already been requited 
 by some two hours mouthing of my sword hilt ; 
 with a very unceremonious ricochet into a corner ; 
 together with a love-tap, received over the shoul 
 ders of one of my men, by so gentle an instrument 
 as the butt of a musket ! Damme, sir, but I think 
 an ungrateful man only a better sort of beast !" 
 
 u Had the love-tap been given to the officer in 
 stead of the man," returned Manual, with all com 
 mendable coolness, " it would have been better 
 justice ; and the ramrod might have answered as 
 well as the butt, to floor a gentleman who carried 
 the allowance of four thirsty fiddlers under one 
 man s jacket." 
 
 " Now, that is rank ingratitude to your own 
 cordial of the south side, and a most biting insult ! 
 I really see but one way of terminating this wordy 
 
220 
 
 THE PILOT. 
 
 war, which, if not discreetly ended, may lead us 
 far into the morning." 
 
 " Elect your own manner of determining the 
 dispute, sir ; I hope, however, it will not be by 
 your innate knowledge of mankind, which has al 
 ready mistaken a captain of marines in the service 
 of Congress, for a runaway lover, bound to some 
 green place or other." 
 
 " You might just as well tweak my nose, sir !" 
 said Borroughcliffe. " Indeed, I think it would 
 be the milder reproach of the two ! will you make 
 your selection of these, sir ? They were loaded 
 for a very different sort of service, but I doubt not 
 will answer on occasion." 
 
 " I am provided with a pair, that are charged 
 for any service," returned Manual, drawing a pis 
 tol from his own belt, and stepping backward a few 
 paces. 
 
 " You are destined tor America, I know," said 
 Borroughcliffe, who stood his ground with con 
 summate coolness ; " but it would be more con 
 venient for me, sir, if you could delay your march 
 for a single moment." 
 
 " Fire and defend yourself!" exclaimed Ma 
 nual furiously, retracing his steps towards his 
 enemy. 
 
 The sounds of the two pistols were blended in 
 one report, and the soldiers of Borroughcliffe and 
 the marines all rushed to the place, on the sudden 
 alarm. Had the former been provided with arms, 
 it is probable a bloody fray would have been the 
 consequence of the sight that both parties beheld 
 on arriving at the spot, which they did simultane 
 ously. Manual lay on his back, without any signs 
 of life, and Borroughcliffe had changed his cool, 
 haughty, upright attitude, for a recumbent posture, 
 which was somewhat between lying and sitting. 
 
THE PILOT. 221 
 
 " Is the poor fellow actually expended ?" said 
 the Englishman, in something like the tones of re 
 gret ; " well, he had a soldier s metal in him, and 
 was nearly as great a fool as myself !" 
 
 The marines had, luckily for the soldiers and 
 their captain, hy this time discovered the signs of 
 life in their own commander, who had been only 
 slightly stunned by the bullet which had grazed his 
 crown, and who being assisted on his feet, stood a 
 minute or two rubbing his head, as if awaking from 
 a dream. As Manual came gradually to his senses 
 he recollected the business in which he had just 
 been engaged, and, in his turn, inquired after the 
 fate of his antagonist. 
 
 " I am here, my worthy incognito," cried the 
 other, with the voice of perfect good nature ; " ly 
 ing in the lap of mother Earth, and all the better 
 for opening a vein or two in my right leg ; though 
 1 do think that the same effect might have been 
 produced without treating the bone so roughly ! 
 ]3ut I opine that I saw you also reclining on the 
 bosom of our common ancestor." 
 
 " I was down for a few minutes, I do believe," 
 returned Manual ; " there is the path of a bullet 
 across my scalp !" 
 
 " Humph ! on the head !" said Borroughcliffe, 
 dryly ; " the hurt is not likely to be mortal, I see. 
 Well, I shall offer to raffle with the first poor 
 devil 1 can find that has but one good leg, for who 
 shall have both ; and that will just set up a beggar 
 and a gentleman ! Manual, give me your hand ; 
 we have drank together, and we have fought ; 
 surely there is nothing now to prevent our being 
 sworn friends !" 
 
 " Why," returned Manual, continuing to rub his 
 head, " I see no irremoveable objections but you 
 will want a surgeon ? can I order any thing to be 
 " 
 
222 THE PILOT. 
 
 dope ? There go the signals again to embark 
 march the fellows down at quick time, sergeant ; 
 my own man may remain with me, or, I can do al 
 together without assistance." 
 
 a Ah ! you are what I call a well made man, 
 
 f" my dear friend !" exclaimed Borroughcliffe ; " no 
 
 | weak points about your fortress ! such a man is 
 
 [ worthy to be the head of a whole corps, instead of 
 
 a solitary company. Gently, Drill, gently ; handle 
 
 me as if ] were made of potter s clay. I will not 
 
 detain you longer, my friend Manual, for I hear 
 
 signal after signal ; they must be in want of some 
 
 of your astonishing reasoning faculties to set them 
 
 afloat." 
 
 Manual might have been offended at the palpa 
 ble allusions that his new friend made to the firm 
 ness of his occiput, had not his perception of things 
 been a little confused, by a humming sound that 
 seemed to abide near the region of thought. As it 
 was, he reciprocated the good wishes of the other, 
 whom he shook most cordially by the hand, and 
 once more renewed his oifers of service, after ex 
 changing sundry friendly speeches. 
 
 " I thank you quite as much as if I were not at 
 all indebted to you for letting blood, thereby sav 
 ing me a fit of apoplexy ; but Drill has already 
 
 despatched a messenger to B for a leech, and 
 
 the lad may bring the whole depot down upon 
 you. Adieu, once more, and remember, that if 
 you ever visit England again as a friend, you are 
 to let me see you." 
 
 " I shall do it without fail ; and I shall keep you 
 to your promise if you once more put foot in 
 America." 
 
 " Trust me for that : I shall stand in need of 
 your excellent head to guide me safely among 
 
THIS PILOT, 
 
 223 
 
 those rude foresters! Adieu; cease not to bear 
 me in your thoughts." 
 
 " I shall never cease to remember you, my good 
 friend," returned Manual, again scratching the 
 member which was snapping in a manner that 
 caused him to fancy he heard it. Once more these 
 worthies shook each other by the hand, and again 
 they renewed their promises of future intercourse ; 
 after which they separated like two reluctant 
 lovers parting in a manner that would have put 
 to shame the friendship of Orestes and Pylades ! 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 " Ne y, answer me : stand and unfold yoorself." 
 
 Hamlet 
 
 DURING the time occupied by the incidents that 
 occurred after the Pilot had made his descent on 
 the land, the Alacrity, now under the orders of Mr. 
 Boltrope, the master of the frigate, lay off and on, 
 ii^ readiness to receive the successful mariners. 
 The direction of the wind had been gradually 
 changing from the north-east to the south, during 
 the close of the day ; and long before the middle 
 watches of the night, the wary old seaman, who, 
 it maybe remembered, had expressed, in the coun 
 cil of war, such a determined reluctance to trust 
 his person within the realm of Britain, ordered the 
 man who steered the cutter to stand in boldly for 
 the land. Whenever the lead told them that it was 
 prudent to tack, the course of the vessel was chang 
 ed ; and in this manner the seamen continued to 
 employ the hours in patient attendance on the ad 
 venturers. The sailing-master, who had spent 
 the early years of his life as the commander of 
 divers vessels employed in trading, was apt, like 
 many men of his vocation and origin, to mistake 
 the absence of refinement for the surest evidence 
 
. THE PILOT. 225 
 
 of seamanship ; and, consequently, he held the lit 
 tle courtesies and punctilios of a man-of-war in 
 high disdain. His peculiar duties of superintend 
 ing the expenditure of the ship s stores, in their 
 several departments ; of keeping the frigate s log 
 book ; and of making his daily examinations into 
 the state of her sails and rigging, brought him so 
 little in collision with the gay, laughing, reckless 
 young lieutenants, who superintended the ordinary 
 management of the vessel, that he might be said to 
 have formed a distinct species of the animal, 
 though certainly of the same genus with his more 
 polished messmates. Whenever circumstances, 
 however, required that he should depart from the 
 dull routine of his duty, he made it a rule, as far 
 as possible, to associate himself with such of the 
 crew as possessed habits and opinions the least at 
 variance with his own. 
 
 By a singular fatality, the chaplain of the fri 
 gate was, as respects associates, in a condition, 
 nearly assimilated to that of this veteran tar. 
 
 An earnest desire to ameliorate the situation of 
 those who were doomed to meet death on the 
 great deep, had induced an experienced and sim 
 ple-hearted divine to accept this station, in the 
 fond hope that he might be made the favoured in 
 strument of salvation to many, who were then ex 
 isting in a state of the most abandoned self-for- 
 getfulness. Neither our limits, nor our present 
 object, will permit the relation of the many causes 
 that led, not only to an entire frustration of all his 
 visionary expectations, but to an issue which ren 
 dered the struggle of the good divine with himself 
 both arduous and ominous, in order to maintain 
 his own claims to the merited distinctions of his 
 sacred office. The consciousness of his backsliding 
 had so far lessened the earthly, if not the spiritual 
 
pride of the chaplain, as to induce him to relish 
 the society of the rude master, whose years had 
 brought him, at times, to take certain views of fu 
 turity, that were singularly affected by the pecu 
 liar character of the individual. It might have 
 been that both found themselves out of their places 
 but it was owing to some such secret sympathy, 
 let its origin be what it would, that the two came 
 to be fond of each other s company. On the night 
 in question, Mr. Boltrope had invited the chaplain 
 to accompany him in the Alacrity ; adding, in his 
 broad, rough language, that as there was to be 
 fighting on shore, " his hand might come in play 
 with some poor fellow or other." This singular in 
 vitation had been accepted, as well from a desire 
 to relieve the monotony of a sea life by any change, 
 as perhaps with a secret yearning in the breast of 
 the troubled divine, to get as nigh to terra firma as 
 possible. Accordingly, after the Pilot had landed 
 with his boisterous party, the sailing-master and 
 the chaplain, together with a boatswain s-mate and 
 some ten or twelve seamen, were left in quiet 
 possession of the cutter. The first few hours of 
 this peaceable intercourse had been spent by the 
 worthy messmates, in the little cabin of the vessel, 
 over a can of grog ; the savoury relish of which 
 was much increased by a characteristic disquisition 
 on polemical subjects, which our readers have 
 great reason to regret it is not our present humour 
 to record. When, however, the winds invited the 
 nearer approach to the hostile shores already men 
 tioned, the prudent sailing-master adjourned the 
 discussion to another and more suitable time, re 
 moving himself and the can, by the same opera 
 tion, to the quarter-deck. 
 
 " There," cried the honest tar, placing the wood 
 en vessel, with great self-contentment, by his side 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 on the deck, " this is ship s comfort ! There is a 
 good deal of what I call a lubber s fuss, parson, 
 kept up on board a ship that shall be nameless, but 
 which bears, about three leagues distant, broad 
 oif in the ocean, and which is lying-to under a 
 close-reefed maintopsail, a foretopmast-staysail 
 and foresail I call my hand a true one in mixing 
 a can : take another pull at the halyards ! twill 
 make your eye twinkle like a light-house, this 
 dark morning ! You won t ? well, we must give 
 no offence to the Englishman s rum." After a po 
 tent draught had succeeded this considerate de 
 claration, he added " You are a little like our 
 first lieutenant, parson, who drinks, as I call it, no 
 thing but the elements which is, water stiffened 
 with air!" 
 
 " Mr. Griffith may indeed be said to set a 
 wholesome example to the crew," returned the 
 chaplain, perhaps with a slight consciousness that it 
 had not altogether possessed its due weight with 
 himself. 
 
 " Wholesome !" cried Boltrope ; " let me tell 
 you, my worthy leaf-turner, that if you call such 
 a light diet wholesome, you know but little of salt 
 water and sea-fogs ! However, Mr. Griffith is a 
 seaman ; and if he gave his mind less to trifles and 
 gimcracks, he would be, by the time he got to 
 about our years, a very rational sort of a compa 
 nion. But you see, parson, just now, he thinks 
 too much of small follies ; such as man-of-war dis- 
 ciplyne. Now there is rationality in giving a fresh 
 nip to a rope, or in looking well at your mats, or 
 even in crowning a cable ; but damme, priest, if I 
 see the use luff, luff, you lubber ; don t ye see, 
 sir, you are steering for Garmany ! If I see the 
 use, as 1 was saying, of making a rumpus about the 
 time when a man changes his shirt ; whether it bo 
 
238 THE PILOT. 
 
 this week, or next week, or, for that matter, the 
 week after, provided it be bad weather. I some 
 times am mawkish about attending muster, (and I 
 believe I have as little to fear on the score of be 
 haviour as any man,) lest it should be found I car 
 ried my tobacco in the wrong cheek !" 
 
 " I have indeed thought it somewhat trouble 
 some to myself, at times ; and it is in a striking 
 degree vexatious to the spirit, especially when the 
 body has been suffering under sea-sickness." 
 
 " Why, yes, you were a little apt to bend your 
 duds wrong for the first month, or so," said the 
 master ; " I remember you got the marine s scra 
 per on your head, once, in your hurry to bury a 
 dead man ! Then you never looked as if you be 
 longed to the ship, so long as those cursed black 
 knee-breeches lasted ! For my part, I never saw 
 you come up the quarter-deck ladder, but I ex 
 pected to see your shins give way across the 
 combing of the hatch a man does look like the 
 devil, priest, scudding about a ship s decks in that 
 fashion, under bare poles ! But now the tailor has 
 found out the articles ar n t sea-worthy, and we 
 have got your lower stanchions cased in a pair of 
 purser s slops, I am puzzled often to tell your heels 
 from those of a maintop-man !" 
 
 " I have good reason to be thankful for the 
 change," said the humbled priest, " if the resem 
 blance you mention existed, while I was clad in 
 the usual garb of one of my calling." 
 
 " What signifies a calling; 5 " returned Boltrope, 
 catching his breath after a most persevering 
 draught ; " a man s shin? are his shins, let his up 
 per works belong to what sarvice they may. I 
 took an early prejudyce against knee-breeches, 
 perhaps from a trick I ve always had of figuring 
 the devil as wearing them. You know, parson, 
 
THE PILOT. 229 
 
 we seldom hear much said of a man, without form- - 
 ing some sort of an idea concerning his rigging and j 
 fashion-pieces and so as I had no particular rea- I 
 son to believe that Satan went naked keep full, 1 
 ye lubber ; now you are running into the wind s 
 
 eye, and be d d to ye ! but as I was saying, 
 
 I always took a conceit that the devil wore knee- 
 breeches and a cock d hat. There s some of our 
 young lieutenants, who come to muster on Sun 
 days in cock d hats, just like soldier-officers ; but, 
 d ye^see, I would sooner show my nose under a 
 night-cap, than under a scraper !" 
 
 " I hear the sound of oars !" exclaimed the 
 chaplain, who, finding this image more distinct 
 than even his own vivid conceptions of the great 
 father of evil, was quite willing to conceal his in 
 feriority by changing the discourse " Is not one 
 of our boats returning ?" 
 
 " Ay, ay, tis likely ; if it had been me, I should 
 have been land-sick before this wear round, 
 boys, and stand by to heave-to on the other 
 tack." 
 
 The cutter, obedient to her helm, fell off before 
 the wind, and rolling an instant in the trough of 
 the sea, came up again easily to her oblique posi 
 tion, with her head towards the cliffs, and gradu 
 ally losing her way, as her sails were brought to 
 counteract each other, finally became stationary. 
 During the performance of this evolution, a boat 
 had hove up out of the gloom, in the direction of 
 the land, and by the time the Alacrity was in a 
 state of rest, it had approached so nigh as to ad 
 mit of hailing. 
 
 " Boat, ahoy !" murmured Boltrope, through a 
 trumpet, which, aided by his lungs, produced 
 sounds not unlike the roaring of a bull. 
 
 " Ay, ay," was thrown back from a clear voice, 
 
 VOL. II. 20 
 
230 THE PILOT. 
 
 that swept across the water with a fulness that 
 needed no factitious aid to render it audible. 
 
 " Ay, there comes one of the lieutenants, with 
 his ay, ay," said Boltrope " pipe the side, there, 
 you boatswain s-mate ! But here s another fellow 
 more on our quarter ! boat a-hoy !" 
 
 " Alacrity" returned another voice, in a di 
 rection different from the other 
 
 u Alacrity ! There goes my commission of Cap 
 tain of this craft, in a whiff," returned the sailing- 
 master. " That is as much as to say, here comes 
 one who will command when he gets on board. 
 Well, well, it is Mr. Griffith, and I can t say, not 
 withstanding his love of knee-buckles, and small 
 wares, but I m glad he is out of the hands of the 
 English ! Ay, here they all come upon us at once ! 
 here is another fellow, that pulls like the jolly- 
 hoat, coming up on our lee-beam, \vithin hail let 
 us see if he is asleep boat a-hoy !" 
 
 " Flag," answered a third voice from a small, 
 light-rowing boat which had approached very near 
 the cutter, in a direct line from the cliffs, without 
 being observed. 
 
 " Flag !" echoed Boltrope, dropping his trumpet 
 in amazement " that s a big word to come out of 
 a jolly-boat ! Jack Manly himself could not have 
 spoke it with a fuller mouth but I ll know who it 
 is that carries such a weather helm, with a Yankee 
 man-of-war s prize ! Boat a-hoy ! I say." 
 
 This last call was uttered in those short mena 
 cing tones, that are intended to be understood as 
 intimating that the party hailing is in earnest ; and 
 it caused the men who were rowing, and who 
 were now quite close to the cutter, to suspend 
 their strokes, simultaneously, as if they dreaded 
 that the cry would be instantly succeeded by some 
 more efficient means of ascertaining their charac- 
 
THE PILOT. 231 
 
 ter. The figure that was seated by itself in the 
 stern of the boat, started at this second summons, 
 and then, as if with sudden recollection, a quiet 
 voice replied 
 
 " No no." 
 
 " No no, and c flag, are very different an 
 swers," grumbled Boltrope ; " what know-nothing 
 have we here ?" 
 
 He was yet muttering his dissatisfaction at the 
 ignorance of the individual that was approaching, 
 whoever it might be, when the jolly-boat came 
 slowly to their side, and the Pilot stepped from 
 her stern-sheets on the decks of the prize. 
 
 " Is it you, Mr. Pilot ?" exclaimed the sailing- 
 master, raising a battle-lantern within a foot of the 
 other s face, and looking with a sort of stupid won 
 der at the proud and angry eye he encountered 
 " is it you ! well, I should have rated you for a 
 man of more experience than to come booming 
 down upon a man-of-war in the dark, with such a 
 big word in your mouth, when every boy in the 
 two vessels knows that we carry no swallow-tailed 
 bunting abroad ! Flag ! why you might have got 
 a shot, had there been soldiers." 
 
 The Pilot threw him a still fiercer glance, and 
 turning away with a look of disgust, he walked 
 along the quarter-deck towards the stern of the 
 vessel, with an air of haughty silence, as if dis 
 daining to answer. Boltrope kept his eyes fas 
 tened on him for a moment longer, with some ap 
 pearance of scorn ; but the arrival of the boat first 
 hailed, which proved to be the barge, immediately 
 drew his attention to other matters. Barnstable 
 had been rowing about in the ocean for a long 
 time, unable to find the cutter, and as he had been 
 compelled to suit his own demeanour to those with 
 whom he was associated, he reached the Alacrity 
 
232 THE PILOT. 
 
 in no very good-humoured mood. Colonel How 
 ard and his niece had maintained during the whole 
 period, the most rigid silence, the former from 
 pride, and the latter touched with her uncle s evi 
 dent displeasure ; and Katherine, though secretly 
 elated with the success of all her projects, v/as 
 content to emulate their demeanour for a short 
 time in order to save appearances. Barnstabie 
 had several times addressed himself to the latter, 
 without receiving any other answer than such as 
 was absolutely necessary to prevent the lover from 
 taking direct offence, at the same time that she 
 intimated by her manner her willingness to re 
 main silent. Accordingly, the lieutenant, after 
 aiding the ladies to enter the cutter, and offering 
 to perform the same service to Colonel Howard, 
 which was coldly declined, turned, with that sort 
 of irritation that is by no means less rare in ves 
 sels of war than with poor human nature gene 
 rally, and gave vent to his spleen where he 
 dared. 
 
 " How s this ! Mr. Boltrope !" he cried, " here 
 are boats coming alongside with ladies in them, 
 and you keep your gaft swayed up till the leach of 
 the sail is stretched like a fiddle-string settle away 
 your peak-halyards, sir, settle away !" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," grumbled the master ; " settle 
 away that peak there ; though the craft wouldn t 
 forge ahead a knot in a month, with all her gibs 
 hauled over !" He walked sulkily forward among 
 the men, followed by the meek divine ; and added, 
 " I should as soon have expected to see Mr v Barn- 
 stable come off with a live ox in his boat as a pet 
 ticoat ! The Lord only knows what the ship is 
 coming to next, parson ! what between cocked hats 
 and epaulettes, and other knee-buckle matters, she 
 was a sort of no-man s land before, and now, what 
 
THE PILOT. 233 
 
 with the women, and their ban-boxes, they ll make 
 another Noah s Ark of her. I wonder they didn t 
 all come aboard in a coach and six, or a one horse 
 shay !" 
 
 It was a surprising relief to Barnstable to be 
 able to give utterance to his humour, for a few 
 moments, by ordering the men to make sundry 
 alterations in every department of the vessel, in a 
 quick, hurried voice, that abundantly denoted, not 
 only the importance of his improvements, but the 
 temper in which they were dictated. In his turn, 
 however, he was soon compelled to give way by 
 the arrival of Griffith, in the heavily-rowing launch 
 of the frigate, which was crowded with a larger 
 body of the seamen who had been employed in 
 the expedition. In this manner, boat after boat 
 speedily arrived, and the whole party were once 
 more happily embarked in safety, under their na 
 tional flag. 
 
 The small cabin of the Alacrity was relinquished 
 to Colonel Howard and his wards, with their at 
 tendants. The boats were dropped astern, each 
 protected by its own keeper ; and Griffith gave 
 forth the mandate, to fill the sails and steer broad 
 off into the ocean. For more than an hour the 
 cutter held her course in this direction, gliding 
 gracefully through the glittering waters, rising and 
 settling heavily on the long, smooth billows, as if 
 conscious of the unusual burden that she was 
 doomed to carry ; but at the end of that period, 
 her head was once more brought near the wind, 
 and she was again held at rest, awaiting the ap 
 pearance of the dawn, in order to discover the po 
 sition of the prouder vessel, on which she was per 
 forming the humble duty of a tender. More than 
 a hundred and fifty living men were crowded with 
 in her narrow limits ; and her decks presented, in 
 20* 
 
234 THE PILOT. 
 
 the gloom, as she moved along, the picture of a 
 mass of human heads. 
 
 As the freedom of a successful expedition was 
 unavoidably permitted, loud jokes, and louder 
 merriment, broke on the silent waters, from the 
 reckless seamen, while the exhilarating can passed 
 from hand to hand, strange oaths, and dreadful 
 denunciations breaking forth at times, from some 
 of the excited crew against their enemy. At 
 length the bustle of re-embarking gradually sub 
 sided, and many of the crew descended to the hold 
 of the cutter, in quest of room to stretch their 
 limbs, when a clear manly voice was heard rising 
 above the deep in those 9 strains that a seaman 
 most loves to hear. Air succeeded air, from dif 
 ferent voices, until even the spirit of harmony 
 grew dull with fatigue, and verses began to be 
 heard where songs were expected, and fleeting 
 lines succeeded stanzas. The decks were soon 
 covered with prostrate men, seeking their natural 
 rest, under the open heavens, and perhaps dream 
 ing, as they yielded heavily to the rolling of the 
 vessel, of scenes of other times in their own hemi 
 sphere. The dark glances of Katherine w^ere 
 concealed beneath her falling lids ; and even Ce 
 cilia, with her head bowed on the shoulder of her 
 cousin, slept sweetly in innocence and peace. 
 Boltrope groped his way into the hold among the 
 seamen, where, kicking one of the most fortunate 
 of the men from his birth, he established himself 
 in his place, with all that cool indifference to the 
 other s comfort, that had grown with his expe 
 rience, from the time when he was treated thus ca 
 valierly in his own person, to the present moment. 
 In this manner, head was dropped after head, on 
 the planks, the guns, or on whatever first offered 
 for a pillow, until Griffith and Barnstable, alone, 
 
THE PILOT. 235 
 
 were left pacing the different sides of the quarter 
 deck, in haughty silence. 
 
 Never did a morning watch appear so long to 
 the two young sailors, who were thus deprived, by 
 resentment and pride, of that frank and friendly 
 communion, that had for so many years sweetened 
 the tedious hours of their long, and at times, 
 dreary service. To increase the embarrassment of 
 their situation, Cecilia and Katherine, suffering 
 from the confinement of the small and crowded 
 cabin, sought the purer air of the deck, about the 
 time when the deepest sleep had settled on the 
 senses of the wearied mariners. They stood, lean 
 ing against the taffrail, discoursing with each 
 other in low and broken sentences ; but a sort of 
 instinctive knowledge of the embarrassment which 
 existed between their lovers, caused a guarded 
 control over every look or gesture which might 
 be construed into an encouragement for one of the 
 young men to advance at the expense of the other. 
 Twenty times, however, did the impatient Barn- 
 etable feel tempted to throw off the awkward re 
 straint, and approach his mistress; but in each 
 instance was he checked by the secret conscious 
 ness of error, as well as by that habitual respect 
 for superior rank that forms a part of the nature of 
 a sea-officer. On the other hand, Griffith mani 
 fested no intention to profit by this silent con 
 cession in his favour, but continued to pace the 
 short quarter-deck, with strides more hurried than 
 ever ; and was seen to throw many an impatient 
 glance towards that quarter of the heavens, where 
 the first signs of the lingering day might be ex 
 pected to appear. At length Katherine, with a 
 ready ingenuity, and perhaps with some secret 
 coquetry, removed the embarrassment, by speak- 
 
236 THE PILOT. 
 
 ing first, taking care to address the lover of her 
 cousin 
 
 " How long are we condemned to these limited 
 lodgings, Mr. Griffith ?" she asked ; " truly, there 
 is a freedom in your nautical customs, which, to 
 say the least, is novel to us females, who have been 
 accustomed to the division of space !" 
 
 " The instant that there is light to discover the 
 frigate, Miss Plowden," he answered, " you 
 shall be transferred from a vessel of an hundred, 
 to one of twelve hundred tons. If your situation 
 there be less comfortable, than when within the 
 walls of St. Ruth, you will not forget that they 
 who live on the ocean claim it as a merit to de 
 spise the luxuries of the land." 
 
 " At least, sir," returned Katherine, with a 
 sweet grace, which she well knew how to assume 
 on occasion, cc what we shall enjoy will be sweet 
 ened by liberty and embellished by a sailor s hos 
 pitality. To me, Cicily, the air of this open sea 
 is as fresh and invigorating, as if it were wafted 
 from our own distant America !" 
 
 " If you have not the arm of a patriot, you at 
 least possess a most loyal imagination, Miss Plow- 
 den," said Griffith, laughing ; " this soft breeze 
 blows in the direction of the fens of Holland, in 
 stead of the broad plains of America. Thank God, 
 there come the signs of day, at last ! unless the 
 currents have swept the ship far to the north, we 
 shall surely see her with the light." 
 
 This cheering intelligence drew the eyes of the 
 fair cousins towards the east, where their delighted 
 looks were long fastened, while they watched the 
 glories of the sun rising over the water. As the 
 morning had advanced, a deeper gloom was spread 
 across the ocean, and the stars were gleaming in 
 
THE PILOT. 237 
 
 the heavens, like balls of twinkling fire. But now, 
 a -streak of pale light showed itself along the 
 horizon, growing brighter, and widening at each 
 moment, until long fleecy clouds became visible, 
 where nothing had been seen before but the dim 
 base of the arch that overhung the dark waters. 
 This expanding light, which, in appearance, might 
 be compared to a silvery opening in the heavens, 
 was soon tinged with a pale flush, which quick 
 ened with sudden transitions, into glows yet 
 deeper, until a belt of broad flame bounded the 
 water, diffusing itself more faintly to\vards the 
 zenith, where it melted into the pearl-coloured 
 sky, or played on the fantastic volumes of a few 
 light clouds with inconstant glimmering. While 
 these beautiful transitions were still before the 
 eyes of the youthful admirers of their beauties, a 
 voice was heard above them, crying as if from the 
 heavens 
 
 " Sail ho ! The frigate lies broad off to sea 
 ward, sir !" 
 
 " Ay, ay ; you have been watching with one 
 eye asleep, fellow," returned Griffith, " or we 
 should have heard you before ! Look a little north 
 of the place where the glare of the sun is coming, 
 Miss Plowden, and you will be able to see our 
 gallant vessel." 
 
 An involuntary cry of pleasure burst from the 
 lips of Katherine, as she followed his directions, 
 and first beheld the frigate through the medium of 
 the fluctuating colours of the morning. The un 
 dulating outline of the lazy ocean, which rose and 
 fell heavily against the bright boundary of the 
 heavens, was without any relief to distract the 
 eye, as it fed eagerly on the beauties of the solita 
 ry ship. She was riding sluggishly on the long 
 seas, with only two of her lower and smaller sails 
 
238 THE PILOT. 
 
 spread, to hold her in command : but her tall masts 
 and heavy yards were painted against the fiery 
 sky, in strong lines of deep black, while even the 
 smallest cord in the mazes of her rigging might be 
 distinctly traced, stretching from spar to spar, with 
 the beautiful accuracy of a picture. At moments, 
 when her huge hull rose on a billow, and was lift 
 ed against the back ground of sky, its shape and 
 dimensions w T ere brought into view ; but these 
 transient glimpses were soon lost, as it settled into 
 the trough, leaving the waving spars bowing grace 
 fully towards the waters, as if about to follow the 
 vessel into the bosom of the deep. As a clearer 
 light gradually stole on the senses, the delusion of 
 colours and distance vanished together, and when 
 a flood of day preceded the immediate appearance 
 of the sun, the ship became plainly visible, within 
 a mile of the cutter, her black hull checkered with 
 ports, and her high tapering masts exhibiting their 
 proper proportions and hues. 
 
 At the first cry of " a sail," the crew of the 
 Alacrity had been aroused from their slumbers by 
 the shrill whistle of the boatswain, and long before 
 the admiring looks of the two cousins had ceased 
 to dwell on the fascinating sight of morning chas 
 ing night from the hemisphere, the cutter was 
 again in motion to join her consoit. It seemed 
 but a moment before theii little vessel was in, what 
 the timid females thought, a dangerous proximity 
 to the frigate, under whose lee she slowly passed, 
 in order to admit of the following dialogue between 
 Griffith and his aged commander : 
 
 " I rejoice to see you, Mr. Griffith !" cried the 
 captain, who stood in the channel of his ship, 
 waving his hat, in the way of cordial greeting. 
 " You are welcome back, Captain Manual ; wel 
 come, welcome, all of you, my boys ! as welcome 
 
THE PILOT. 239 
 
 as a breeze in the calm latitudes." As his eye, 
 however, passed along the deck of the Alacrity, it 
 encountered the shrinking figures of Cecilia and 
 Katherine, and a dark shade of displeasure crossed 
 his decent features, while he added " How s this, "1 
 gentlemen ! The frigate of Congress is neither a \ 
 ball-room, nor a church, that is to be thronged 
 with women !" 
 
 " Ay, ay," muttered Boltrope to his friend the 
 chaplain, " now the old man has hauled out his 
 raizzen, you ll see him carry a weather helm ! He 
 wakes up about as often as the trades shift their 
 points, and that s once in six months. But when 
 there has been a neap-tide in his temper for any 
 time, you re sure to find it followed by a flood with 
 a vengeance. Let us hear what the first lieute 
 nant can say in favour of his petticoat quality !" 
 
 The blushing sky had not exhibited a more 
 fiery glow, than gleamed in the fine face of Griffith 
 for a moment ; but struggling with his disgust, he 
 answered with bitter emphasis 
 
 " Twas the pleasure of Mr. Gray, sir, to bring 
 off the prisoners. 5 
 
 " Of Mr. Gray !" repeated the captain, instantly 
 losing every trace of displeasure, in an air of ac 
 quiescence. " Come-to, sir, on the same tack with 
 the ship, and I will hasten to order the accommo 
 dation ladder rigged, to receive our guests !" 
 
 Boltrope listened to this sudden alteration in the 
 language of his commander, with sufficient won 
 der ; nor was it until he had shaken his head re 
 peatedly, with the manner of one who saw deeper 
 than his neighbours into a mystery, that he found 
 leisure to observe 
 
 " Now, parson, I suppose if you held an alma 
 nack in your fist, you d think you could tell which 
 way we shall have the wind to-morrow ! but damn 
 
240 THE PILOT. 
 
 me, priest, if better calculators than yoju havn t 
 failed ! Because a lubberly no, he s a thorough 
 seaman, I ll say that for the fellow ! because a 
 pilot chooses to say, c bring me off these here wo 
 men, the ship is to be so cluttered with she-cattle, 
 / that a man will be obligated to spend half his time 
 in making his manners ! Now mind what I tell 
 you, priest, this very frolic will cost Congress the 
 price of a year s wages for an able bodied seaman, 
 in bunting and canvass for screens ; besides the 
 Wear and tear of running-gear in shortening sail, 
 in order that the women need not be stericky in 
 squalls !" 
 
 The presence of Mr. Boltrope being required, 
 to take charge of the cutter, the divine was denied 
 an opportunity of dissenting from the opinions of 
 his rough companion ; for the loveliness of their 
 novel shipmates had not failed to plead loudly in 
 their favour, with every man in the cutter whose 
 habits and ideas had not become rigidly set in ob 
 stinacy. 
 
 By the time the Alacrity was hove-to, w r ith her 
 head towards the frigate, the long line of boats 
 that she had been towing during the latter part of 
 the night, were brought to her side, and filled 
 with men. A wild scene of unbridled merriment 
 and gayety succeeded, while the seamen were 
 exchanging the confinement of the prize for their 
 accustomed lodgings in the ship, during which the 
 reins of discipline were slightly relaxed. Loud 
 laughter was echoed from boat to boat, as they 
 glided by each other ; and rude jests, interlarded 
 with quaint humours and strange oaths, were free 
 ly bandied from mouth to mouth. The noise, 
 however, soon ceased, and the passage of Colonel 
 Howard and his wards was then effected, with less 
 precipitancy, and due decorum. Captain Munson, 
 
THE PILOT 24 J 
 
 who had been holding a secret dialogue with Gr 
 fith and the Pilot, received his unexpected guests 
 with plain hospitality, but with an evident desire 
 to he civil. He politely yielded to their service 
 his two convenient state-rooms, and invited them 
 to partake, in common with himself, of the comforts 
 of the great cabin. 
 
CHAPTER XV, 
 
 ** Furious press the hostile squadros. 
 Furious ho rep? j their rage, 
 Loss of Hood at length enfeebles ; 
 Who can war with thousands wage ? n 
 
 Spanish War Song 
 
 WE cannot detain the narrative, to detail the 
 scenes which busy wonder, aided by the i elation 
 *>f divers marvellous feats, produced among the 
 curious seamen who remained in the ship, and 
 iheir more fortunate fellows, who had returned in 
 glory from an expedition to the land. For nearly 
 an hour the turbulence of a general movement 
 was heard, issuing from the deep recesses of the 
 frigate, and the boisterous sounds of hoarse mer 
 riment were listened to by the officers in indulgent 
 silence ; but all these symptoms of unbridled hu 
 mour ceased by the time the morning repasf 
 was nded, when the regular sea-watch was set, 
 and the greater portion of those whose duty did 
 not require their presence on the vessel s deck, 
 availed themselves of the opportunity to repair the 
 loss of sleep sustained in the preceding night. 
 Still no preparations \vere made to put the ship in 
 motion, though long and earnest consultations, 
 which were supposed to relate to their future des 
 
THE PILOT. 243 
 
 iny, were observed by the younger officers, to be 
 held between their captain, the first lieutenant, and 
 the mysterious Pilot. The latter threw many an 
 anxious glance along the eastern horizon, search 
 ing it minutely with his glass, and then would turn 
 his impatient looks at the low, dense bank of fog, 
 which, stretching across the ocean like a barrier 
 of cloud, entirely intercepted the view towards 
 the south. To the north and along the land, the 
 air was clear, and the sea without a spot of any 
 kind ; but in the east a small white sail had been 
 discovered since the opening of day, which was 
 gradually rising above the water, and assuming the 
 appearance, of a vessel of some size. F.very offi 
 cer on the quarter-deck in his turn had examined 
 this distant sail, and had ventured an opinion on 
 its destination and character ; and even Katherine, 
 who with her cousin was enjoying, in the open air, 
 the novel beauties of the ocean, had been tempted 
 to place her sparkling eye to a glass, to gaze at the 
 tranger. 
 
 " It is a collier," Griffith said, " who has hauled 
 from the land in the late gale, and who is luffing 
 up to his course again. If the wind holds here in 
 the south, and he does not get into that fog bank, 
 we can stand off for him and get a supply of fuel 
 oefore eight bells are strmk." 
 
 " I think his head is to the northward, and that 
 he is steering off the wind," returned the Pilot, in 
 a musing manner. " If that Dfilon succeeded in 
 getting his express far enough along the coast, the 
 alarm has been spread, and we must be wary. 
 The convoy of the Baltic trade is in the North 
 Sea, and news of our presence could easily have 
 been taken off to it by some of the cutters that line 
 the coast 1 could wish to get the ship as far south 
 as the Helder ! . 
 
244 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Then we lose this weather tide !" exclaimed 
 the impatient Griffith ; " surely we have the cut 
 ter as a look-out ! besides, by beating into the fog^ 
 we shall lose the enemy, if enemy it be, and it is 
 thought meet for an American frigate to skulk from 
 her foes !" 
 
 The scornful expression that kindled the eye of 
 the Pilot, like a gleam of sunshine lighting for an 
 instant some dark dell and laying bare its secrets, 
 was soon lost in the usually quiet look of his 
 glance, though he hesitated like one who was 
 struggling with his passions, before he answered 
 
 " If prudence and the service of the States re 
 quire it, even this proud frigate must retreat and 
 hide from the meanest of her enemies. My ad 
 vice, Captain Munson, is, that you make sail, and 
 beat the ship to windward, as Mr. Griffith has sug 
 gested, and that you order the cutter to precede 
 us, keeping more in with the land." 
 
 The aged seaman, who evidently suspended his 
 orders, only to receive an intimation of the other s 
 pleasure, immediately commanded his youthful as 
 sistant to issue the necessary mandates to put these 
 measures in force. Accordingly the Alacrity, 
 which vessel had been left under the command of 
 the junior lieutenant of the frigate, was quickly 
 under way ; and making short stretches to wind 
 ward, she soon entered the bank of fog, and was 
 lost to the eye. In the mean time the canvass of 
 the ship was loosened, and spread leisurely, in or 
 der not to disturb the portion of the crew who 
 were sleeping, and following her little consort, she 
 moved heavily through the water, bearing up against 
 .ne dull breeze. 
 
 The quiet of regular duty had succeeded to the 
 bustle of making sail, and as the rays of the sun 
 fell less obliquely on the distant land, Katherine 
 
THE PILOT. 245 
 
 and Cecilia were amusing Griffith by vain attempts 
 to point out the rounded eminences which they 
 fancied lay in the vicinity of the deserted mansion 
 of St. Ruth. Barnstable, who had resumed his 
 former station in the frigate, as her second li-eute- 
 nant, was pacing the opposite side of the quarter 
 deck, holding under his arm the speaking trumpet, 
 which denoted that he held the temporary control 
 of the motions of the ship, and inwardly cursing 
 the restraint that kept him from the side of his 
 mistress. At this moment of universal quiet, when 
 nothing above low dialogues interrupted the dash 
 ing of the waves as they were thrown lazily aside 
 by the bows of the vessel, the report of a light 
 cannon burst out of the barrier of fog, and rolled 
 by them on the breeze, apparently vibrating with 
 the rising and sinking of the waters. 
 
 " There goes the cutter !" exclaimed Griffith, 
 the instant the sound was heard. 
 
 " Surely," said the captain, " Somers is not so 
 indiscreet as to scale his guns, after the caution he 
 has received !" 
 
 " No idle scaling of guns is intended there," 
 said *he Pilot, straining his eyes to pierce the fog, 
 but soon turning away in disappointment at his in 
 ability to succeed " that gun is shotted, and has 
 been fired in the hurry of a sudden signal ! can 
 your look-outs see nothing, Mr. Barnstable ?" 
 
 The lieutenant of the watch hailed the man 
 aloft, and demanded if any thing were visible in 
 the direction of the wind, and received for answer, 
 that the fog intercepted the view in that quarter 
 of the heavens, but that the sail in the east was a 
 ship, running large or before the wind. The Pi 
 lot shook his head doubtingly at this information, 
 but still he manifested a strong reluctance to re* 
 linquish the attempt of getting more to the south 
 21* 
 
246 THE PILOT. 
 
 ward. Again he communed with the commander 
 of the frigate, apart from all other ears, and while 
 they yet deliberated, a second report was heard, 
 leaving no doubt but the Alacrity was firing signal 
 guns for their particular attention. 
 
 " Perhaps," said Griffith, " he wishes to point 
 out his position, or to ascertain ours ; believing 
 that we are lost like himself in the mist." 
 
 " We have our compasses !" returned the doubt 
 ing captain ; " Somers has a meaning in what he 
 says !" 
 
 " See !" cried Katherine, with girlish delight, 
 " see, my cousin! see, Barnstable ! how beautiful 
 ly that vapour is wreathing itself in clouds above 
 the smoky line of fog ! It stretches already into 
 the very heavens like a lofty pyramid !" 
 
 Barnstable sprang lightly on a gun, as he le- 
 peated her words 
 
 " Pyramids of fog ! and wreathing clouds ! By 
 heaven !" he shouted, " tis a tall ship ! Royals, 
 skysails, and studding sails all abroad ! She is 
 within a mile of us, and comes down like a race 
 horse, with a spanking breeze, dead before it ! 
 Now know we why Somers is speaking in the 
 mist !" 
 
 " Ay," cried Griffith, u and there goes the 
 Alacrity, just breaking out of the fog, hovering- in 
 for the land !" 
 
 " There is a mighty hull under ail that cloud 
 of Canvass, Captain Munson," said the observant 
 but calm Pilot " it is time, gentlemen, to edge 
 away to leeward." 
 
 / " What, before we know from whom we run !" 
 cried Griffith ; " my life on it, there is no single 
 ship king George owns, but would tire of the 
 sport before she had played a full game of bowls 
 with" 
 
THE PILOT. 217 
 
 The haughty air of the young man was daunted 
 by the severe look he encountered in the eye of 
 the Pilot, and he suddenly ceased, though in 
 wardly chafing with impatient pride. 
 
 " The same eye that detected the canvass above 
 the fog, might have seen the flag of a vice-admiral 
 fluttering still nearer the heavens," returned the 
 collected stranger ; " and England, faulty as she 
 may be, is yet too generous to place a flag-officer 
 in time of war, in command of a frigate, or a cap 
 tain in command of a fleet. She knows the value 
 of those who shed their blood in her behalf, and 
 it is thus that she is so well served ! Believe me, 
 Capt. Munson, there is nothing short of a ship of 
 the line -under that symbol of rank, and that broad 
 show of canvass !" 
 
 " We shall see, sir, we shall see," returned the 
 old officer, whose manner grew decided, as the 
 danger appeared to thicken ; " beat to quarters, 
 Mr. Griffith, for we have none but enemies to ex 
 pect on this coast." 
 
 The order was instantly issued, when Griffith 
 remarked, with a more temperate zeal 
 
 " If Mr. Gray be right, we shall have reason to 
 thank God that we are so light of heel !" 
 
 The cry of " a strange vessel close aboard the 
 frigate," having already flown down the hatches, 
 the ship was in an uproar at the first tap of the 
 drum. The seamen threw themselves from their 
 hammocks, and lashing them rapidly into long, 
 hard bundles, they rushed to the decks, where they 
 were dexterously stowed in the netting, to aid the 
 defences of the upper part of the vessel. While 
 this tumultuous scene was exhibiting, Griffith gave 
 a secret order to Merry, who disappeared, leading 
 his trembling cousins to a place of safety in the in 
 most depths of the ship. 
 
248 THE PILOT 
 
 The guns were cleared of their lumber, and 
 loosened. The bulk-heads were knocked down, 
 and the cabin relieved of its furniture, and the 
 gun-deck exhibited one unbroken line of formidable 
 cannon, arranged in all the order of a naval battery 
 ready to engage. Arm chests were thrown open, 
 and the decks strewed with pikes, cutlasses, pis 
 tols, and all the various weapons for boarding 
 In short, the yards were slung, and every other 
 arrangement was made with a readiness and dex 
 terity that were actually wonderful, though all was 
 performed amid an appearance of disorder and 
 confusion that rendered the ship another Babel 
 during the continuance of the preparations. In a 
 very few minutes every thing was completed, and 
 even the voices of the men ceased to be heard an 
 swering to their names, as they were mustered at 
 their stations, by their respective officers. Gra 
 dually the ship became as quiet as the grave, and 
 when even Griffith or his commander found it 
 necessary to speak, their voices were calmer, and 
 their tones more mild than usual. The course of 
 the vessel was changed to an oblique line from 
 that in which their enemy was approaching, 
 though the appearance of flight was to be studi 
 ously avoided to the last moment. When nothing 
 further remained to be done, every eye became 
 fixed on the enormous pile of swelling canvass 
 that was rising, in cloud over cloud, far above the 
 fog, and which was manifestly moving, like driv 
 ing vapour, swiftly to the north. Presently the 
 dull, smoky boundary of the mist which rested on 
 the water, was pushed aside in vast volumes, and 
 the long taper spars that projected from the bow 
 sprit of the strange ship, issued from the obscu 
 rity, and were quickly followed by the whole of 
 the enormous fabric, to which they were mere- 
 
THE PILOT. 249 
 
 ly light appendages. For a moment, streaks of 
 reluctant vapour clung to the huge, floating pile, 
 but they weie soon shaken off by the rapid vessel, 
 and the whole of her black hull became distinct to 
 the eye. 
 
 " One, two, three rows of teeth !" said Bolt- 
 rope, deliberately counting the tiers of guns that 
 bristled along the sides of the enemy ; " a three- 
 decker ! Jack Manly would show his stern to 
 such a fellow ! and even the bloody Scotchman 
 would run !" 
 
 " Hard up with your helm, quarter-master !" 
 cried Captain Munson ; " there is indeed no time 
 to hesitate, with such an enemy within a quarter 
 of a mile ! Turn the hands up, Mr. Griffith, and 
 pack on the ship from her trucks to her lower stud 
 ding-sail booms. Be stirring, sir, be stirring ! Hard 
 up with your helm ! Hard up, and be damn d to 
 you !" 
 
 The unusual earnestness of their aged com 
 mander acted on the startled crew like a voice 
 from the deep, and they waited not for the usual 
 signals of the boatswain and drummer to be given, 
 before they broke away from their guns, and 
 rushed tumultuously to aid in spreading the de 
 sired canvass. There was one minute of ominous 
 confusion, that, to an inexperienced eye would 
 have foreboded the destruction of all order in the 
 vessel, during which every hand, and each tongue, 
 seemed in motion ; but it ended with opening the 
 immense folds of light duck which were displayed 
 along the whole line of the masts, far beyond the 
 ordinary sails, overshadowing the waters for a 
 great distance, on either side of the vessel. Du 
 ring the moment of inaction that succeeded this 
 sudden exertion, the breeze, which had brought 
 up the three-decker, fell fresher on the sails of the 
 
250 THE PILOT. 
 
 frigate, and she started away from her dangerous 
 enemy with a very perceptible advantage in point 
 of sailing. 
 
 " The fog rises " cried Griffith ; " give ur but 
 the wind for an hour, and we shall run her out of 
 gun-shot !" 
 
 " These Ninety s are very fast off the wind ;" 
 returned the captain, in a low tone, that was in 
 tended only for the ear of his first lieutenant 
 and the Pilot, " and we shall have a struggle for 
 it." 
 
 The quick eye of the stranger was glancing 
 over the movements of his enemy, while he an 
 swered 
 
 " He finds we have the heels of him already * 
 he is making ready, and we shall be fortunate to 
 escape a broadside ! Let her yaw a little, Mr. 
 Griffith ; touch her lightly with the helm ; if we 
 are raked, sir, we are lost !" 
 
 The captain sprang on the tafFrail of his ship 
 with the activity of a younger man, and in an rn- 
 stant he perceived the truth of the other s conjec 
 ture. 
 
 Both vessels now ran for a few minutes, keenly 
 watching each other s motions like two skilful 
 combatants ; the English ship making slight devia 
 tions from the line of her course, and then, as her 
 movements were anticipated by the other, turn 
 ing as cautiously in the opposite direction, until a 
 sudden and wide sweep of her huge bows, told the 
 Americans plainly on which tack to expect her, 
 Captain Munson made a silent, but impressive 
 gesture with his arm, as if the crisis were too im 
 portant for speech, which indicated to the watch 
 ful Griffith, the way he wished the frigate sheered, 
 to avoid the weight of the impending danger. Both 
 vessels whirled swiftly up to the wind, with theii 
 
THE PILOT. ^51 
 
 heads towards the land, and as the huge black 
 side of the three-decke**, checkered with its triple 
 batteries, frowned full upon her foe, it belched 
 rorth a flood of fire and smoke, accompanied by u 
 bellowing roar that mocked the surly moanings of 
 the sleeping ocean. The nerves of the bravest 
 man in the frigate contracted their fibres, as the 
 hurricane of iron hurtled by them, and each eye 
 appeared to gaze in stupid wonder, as if tracing the 
 flight of the swift engines of destruction. But the 
 voice of Captain Munson was heard in the din, 
 shouting while he waved his hat earnestly in the 
 required direction 
 
 " Meet her ! meet her with the helm, boy ! meet 
 ner, Mr. Griffith, meet her !" 
 
 Griffith had so far anticipated this movement, as 
 to have already ordered the head of the frigate 
 turned in its former course, when struck by the y 
 unearthly cry of the last tones uttered by his com 
 mander, he bent his head, and beheld the venera 
 ble seaman driven through the air, his hat still 
 waving, his gray hair floating in the wind, and his 
 eye set in the wild look of death. 
 
 " Great God !" exclaimed the young man, 
 rushing to the side of the ship, where he was just 
 in time to see the lifeless body disappear in the 
 waters that were dyed in its blood ; " he has 
 been struck by a shot ! Lower-away the boat, 
 lower-away the jolly-boat, the barge, the tiger, 
 the " 
 
 " Tis useless," interrupted the calm deep voice 
 of the Pilot ; " he has met a warrior s end, and he 
 sleeps in a sailor s grave ! The ship is getting be 
 fore the wind again, and the enemy is keeping hia 
 vessel away." 
 
 The youthful lieutenant was recalled by theso 
 
252 THE PILOT. 
 
 words to his duty, and reluctantly turned his eyes 
 away from the bloody spot on the dark witters, 
 which the busy frigate had already passed, to re 
 sume the command of the vessel with a forced 
 composure. 
 
 " He has cut some of our running gear," said 
 the master, whose eye had never ceased to dwell 
 on the spars and rigging of the ship, cc and there s 
 a splinter out of the main-top-mast, that is big 
 enough for a fid ! He has let day-light through some 
 of our canvass too, but taking it by-and-large, the 
 squall has gone over and little harm done. 
 Didn t I hear something said of Capt. Munson 
 getting jamm d by a shot ?" 
 
 " He is killed !" said Griffith, speaking in 
 voice that was yet husky with horror " he is 
 dead, sir, and carried overboard ; there is more 
 need that we forget not ourselves, in this crisis." 
 
 " Dead !" said Boltrope, suspending the opera 
 tion of his active jaws for a moment, in surprise ; 
 " and buried in a wet jacket ! well, it is lucky tis 
 no worse, for, damme if I did not think every 
 stick in the sliio would have been cut out of 
 her !" 
 
 With this consolatory remark on his lips, the 
 master walked slowly forward, continuing his or 
 ders to repair the damages with a singleness of 
 purpose that rendered him, however uncouth as a 
 friend, an invaluable man in his station. 
 
 Griffith had not yet brought his mind to the 
 calmness that was so essential to discharge the 
 duties which had thus suddenly and awfully de 
 volved on him, when his elbow was lightly touch 
 ed by the Pilot, who had drawn closer to his 
 side 
 
 " The enemy appear satisfied with the experi- 
 
THE PILOT. 253 
 
 ment," said the stranger, " and as we work the 
 quicker of the two, he loses too much ground to 
 repeat it, if he be a true seaman." 
 
 " And yet as he finds we leave him so fast," 
 returned Griffith, " he must see that all his hopes 
 rest in cutting us up aloft. I dread that he will 
 come by the wind again, and lay us under his 
 broadside ; we should need a quarter of an hour to 
 run without his range, if he were anchored !" 
 
 " He plays a surer game see you not that the 
 \essel we made in the eastern board shows the 
 hull of a frigate ? Tis past a doubt that they are 
 of one squadron, and that the expresses have sent 
 them in our wake. The English admiral has 
 spread a broad clew, Mr. Griffith, and as he ga 
 thers in his ships, he sees that his game has been 
 successful." 
 
 The faculties of Griffith had been too much oc 
 cupied with the hurry of the chase to look at the 
 ocean ; but startled at the information of the Pi 
 lot, who spoke coolly, though like a man sensible 
 of the existence of approaching danger, he took 
 the glass from the other, and with his own eye ex 
 amined the different vessels in sight. It is certain 
 that the experienced officer, whose flag was flying 
 above the light sails of the three-decker, saw the 
 critical situation of his chase, and reasoned much 
 in the same manner as the Pilot, or the fearful 
 expedient apprehended by Griffith would have 
 been adopted. Prudence, however, dictated that 
 he should prevent his enemy from escaping by 
 pressing so closely on his rear, as to render it im 
 possible for the American to haul across his bows 
 and run into the open sea between his own vessel 
 and the nearest frigate of his squadron. The 
 unpractised reader will be able to comprehend 
 i-.ht case better by accompanying the understand 
 
 VOL. ii. 22 
 
254 THE PILOT. 
 
 ing eye of Griffith as it glanced from point to 
 point, following the whole horizon. To the west 
 lay the land, along which the Alacrity was urging 
 her way industriously, with the double purpose 
 of keeping her consort abeam, and of avoiding 
 a dangerous proximity to their powerful ene 
 my To the east, bearing off* the starboard bow 
 of the American frigate, was the vessel first seen 
 and which now began to exhibit the hostile ap 
 pearance of a ship of war, steering in a line con 
 verging towards themselves, and rapidly drawing 
 nigher ; while far in the north-east, was a vessel 
 as yet faintly discerned, whose evolutions could 
 not be mistaken by one who understood the move 
 ments of nautical warfare. 
 
 " We are hemmed in effectually," said Griffith, 
 dropping the glass from his eye ; " and I know not 
 but our wisest course would be to haul in to the 
 land, and cutting every thing light adrift, endea 
 vour to pass the broadside of the flag-ship ?" 
 
 " Provided she left a rag of canvass to do it 
 with !" returned the Pilot. " Sir, tis an idle 
 hope ! She would strip your ship in ten minutes, 
 to her plank shears. Had it not been for a lucky 
 wave on which so many of her shot struck and 
 glanced upward, we should have had nothing to 
 boast of left from the fire she has already given ; 
 we must stand on, and drop the three-decker as 
 far as possible." 
 
 " But the frigates ?" said Griffith, " what are we 
 to do with the frigates ?" 
 
 Fight them !" returned the Pilot, in a low 
 rmined voice, " fight them ! Young man, I have 
 borne the stars and stripes aloft in greater straits 
 than this, and even with honour ! Think not tha< 
 my fortune will desert me now !" 
 
 u We shall have an hour of desperate battle ! " 
 
THE PILOT. 255 
 
 " On that we may calculate ; but I have lived 
 Jhrough whole days of bloodshed ! you seem not 
 one to quail at the sight of an enemy." 
 
 " Let me proclaim your name to the men !" . 
 said Griffith ; " twill quicken their blood, and at ** 
 such a moment, be a host in itself." 
 
 " They want it not," returned the Pilot, check 
 ing the hasty zeal of the other with his hand. " I 
 would be unnoticed, unless I am known as becomes 
 me. I will share your danger, but would not rob 
 you of a tittle of your glory. Should we come to 
 a grapple," he continued, while a smile of con 
 scious pride gleamed across his face, ** I will give 
 forth the word as a war-cry, and, believe me, these 
 English will quail before it !" 
 
 Griffith submitted to the stranger s will, and 
 after they had deliberated further on the nature of 
 their evolutions, he gave his attention again to the 
 management of the vessel. The first object which 
 met his eye on turning from the Pilot was Colonel 
 Howard, pacing the quarter-deck with a deter 
 mined brow and a haughty mien, as if already in 
 the enjoyment of that triumph which now seemed 
 certain. 
 
 " I fear, sir," said the young man, approaching 
 him with respect, " that you will soon find the 
 deck unpleasant and dangerous : your wards 
 are" 
 
 " Mention not the unworthy term !" interrupted 
 the colonel. " What greater pleasure can thc<? oe 
 than to inhale the odour of loyalty !l,*t is wafted 
 from yonder floating tower of the king ! And dan 
 ger ! you know but little of old George Howard, 
 young man, if you think he would for thousands 
 miss seeing that symbol of rebellion levelled be 
 fore the flag of his Majesty." 
 
 " If that be your wish, Colonel Howard," re- 
 
256 THE PILOT. 
 
 turned Griffith, biting his lip as he looked around 
 at the wondering seamen who were listeners, 
 " you will wait in vain but I pledge you my 
 word, that when that time arrives, you shall be ad 
 vised, and that your own hands shall do the igno 
 ble deed." 
 
 " Edward Griffith, why not this moment ? This 
 is your moment of probation submit to the cle 
 mency of the crown, and yield your crew to the 
 loyal mercy ! In such a case I would remember the 
 child of my brother Harry s friend ; and believe 
 me, my name is known to the ministry. And you, 
 misguided and ignorant abettors of rebellion ! cast 
 aside your useless weapons, or prepare to meet 
 the vengeance of yonder powerful and victorious 
 servant of your prince." 
 
 " Fall back ! back with ye, fellows !" cried Grif 
 fith, fiercely, to the men who were gathering around 
 the colonel, with looks of sullen vengeance. " If 
 a man of you dare approach him, he shall be cast 
 into the sea." 
 
 The sailors retreated at the order of their com 
 mander ; but the elated veteran had continued to 
 pace the deck for many minutes before stronger in 
 terests diverted the angry glances of the seamen 
 to other objects. 
 
 Notwithstanding the ship of the line was slowly 
 sinking beneath the distant waves, and in less than 
 an hour from the time she had fired the broadside, 
 no more than one of her three tiers of guns was 
 visible from the deck of the frigate, she yet pre 
 sented an irresistible obstacle against retreat to the 
 south. On the other hand the ship first seen, 
 drew so nigh as to render the glass no longer ne 
 cessary in watching her movements. She proved 
 to be a frigate, though one so materially lighter 
 than the American, as to have rendered her con 
 
THE PILOT. 257 
 
 quest easy, bad not her two consorts continued t 
 press on for the scene of battle with such rapidity. 
 During the chase the scene had shifted from the 
 point opposite to St. Ruth, to the verge of those 
 shoals where our tale commenced. As they ap 
 proached the latter, the smallest of the English 
 ships drew so nigh as to render the combat una 
 voidable. Griffith and his crew had not been idle 
 in the intermediate time, but all the usual prepara 
 tions against the casualties of a sea-fight had beer 
 duly made, when the drum once more called the 
 men to their quarters, and the ship was deliberate 
 ly stripped of her unnecessary sails, like a prize 
 fighter about to enter the arena, casting aside the 
 incumbrances of dress. At the instant she gave 
 his intimation of her intention to abandon flight, 
 and trust the issue to the combat, the nearest Eng 
 lish frigate also took in her light canvass in token 
 of her acceptance of the challenge. 
 
 " He is but a little fellow," said Griffith to the 
 Pilot, who hovered at his elbow with a sort of fa 
 therly interest in the other s conduct of the battle, 
 " though he carries a stout heart." 
 
 " We must crush him at a blow," returned the 
 stranger ; " not a shot must be delivered until our 
 yards are locking." 
 
 " I see him training his twelves upon us already 
 we may soon expect his fire." 
 
 " After standing the brunt of a Ninety-gun- 
 ship," observed the collected Pilot, " we shall not 
 shrink from the broadside of a Two-and-thirty." 
 
 " Stand to your guns, men !" cried Griffith, 
 through his trumpet " not a shot is to be fired 
 without the order." 
 
 This caution, so necessary to check the ardour 
 of the seamen, was hardly uttered, before their 
 enemy became wrapped in sheets of fire and vo 
 22 * 
 
258 THE PILOT. 
 
 lumes of smoke, as gun after gun hurled its iron 
 missiles at their vessel in quick succession. Ten 
 minutes might have passed, the two vessels sheer 
 ing closer to each other every foot they advanced, 
 during which time the crew of the American were 
 compelled, by their commander, to suffer the fire 
 of their adversary, without returning a shot. This 
 short period, which seemed an age to the seamen, 
 was distinguished in their vessel by deep silence. 
 Even the wounded and dying, who fell in every 
 part of the ship, stifled their groans, under the in 
 fluence of the severe discipline, which gave a cha 
 racter to every man and each movement of the 
 vessel, and those officers who were required to 
 speak, were heard only in the lowest tones of re 
 solute preparation. At length the ship slowly en 
 tered the skirts of the smoke that enveloped their 
 enemy ; and Griffith heard the man who stood at 
 his side whisper the word " now." 
 
 " Let them have it !" cried Griffith, in a voice 
 that was heard in the remotest parts of the 
 ship. 
 
 The shout that burst from the seamen, appeared 
 to lift the decks of the vessel, and the affrighted 
 frigate trembled like an aspen, with the recoil of 
 her own massive artillery, that shot forth a single 
 sheet of flame, the sailors having disregarded, in 
 their impatience, the usual order of firing. The 
 effect of the broadside on the enemy \vas still more 
 dreadful, for a death-like silence succeeded to the 
 roar of the guns, which was only broken by the 
 shrieks and execrations that burst from her, like 
 the meanings of the damned. During the few mo 
 ments in which the Americans were again loading 
 their cannon, and the English were recovering from 
 their confusion, the vessel of the former moved 
 slowly past her antagonist, and was already dou 
 
THE PILOT. 259 
 
 oling across her bows, when the latter was sud 
 denly, and, considering the inequality of their 
 forces, it may be added desperately, headed into 
 her enemy. The two frigates grappled. The 
 sudden and furious charge made by the English 
 man, as he threw his masses of daring seamen 
 along his bowsprit, and out of his channels, had 
 nearly taken Griffith by surprise ; but Manual, who 
 had delivered his first fire with the broadside, now 
 did good service, by ordering his men to beat back 
 the intruders, by a steady an(l continued discharge. 
 Even the wary Pilot lost sight of their other foes, 
 in the high daring of that moment, and smiles of 
 stern pleasure were exchanged between him and 
 Griffith, as both comprehended at a glance their 
 advantages. 
 
 " Lash his bowsprit to our mizzen-mast," shout 
 ed the lieutenant, " and we will sweep his decks 
 as he lies !" 
 
 Twenty men sprang eagerly forward to execute 
 the order, among the foremost of whom were Bolt- 
 rope and the stranger. 
 
 " Ay, now he s our own !" cried the busy mas 
 ter, " and we will take an owner s liberties with, 
 him, and break him up for by the eternal " 
 
 " Peace, rude man," said the Pilot, in a voice 
 of solemn remonstrance ; " at the next instant 
 you may face your God ; mock not his awful 
 name !" 
 
 The master found time, before he threw him 
 self from the spar on the deck of the frigate again, 
 to cast a look of amazement at his companion, who, 
 with a steady mien, but with an eye that lighted 
 with a warrior s ardour, viewed the battle that 
 raged around him, like one who marked its pro 
 gress to control the result. 
 
 The sight of the Englishmen, rushing onward 
 
260 THE PILOT. 
 
 with shouts, and buter menaces, warmed the blooa 
 of Colonel Howard, who pressed to the side of the 
 frigate, and encouraged his friends, by his gestures 
 and voice, to come on. 
 
 " Away with ye, old croaker !" cried the mas 
 ter, seizing him by the collar j " away with ye tc 
 the hold, or I ll order you fired from a gun." 
 
 " Down with your arms, rebellious dog !" shout 
 ed the colonel, carried beyond himself by the ar 
 dour of the fray ; " down to the dust, and implore 
 the mercy of your injured prince !" 
 
 Invigorated by a momentary glow, the veteran 
 grappled with his brawny antagonist, but the issue 
 of the short struggle was yet suspended, when the 
 English, driven back by the fire of the marines, 
 and the menacing front that Griffith with his board 
 ers presented, retreated to the forecastle of their 
 own ship, and attempted to return the deadly 
 blows they were receiving, in their hull, from the 
 cannon that Barnstable directed. A solitary gun 
 was all they could bring to bear or the Ameri 
 cans ; but this, loaded with cannister, was fired so 
 near as to send its glaring flame into the very faces 
 of their enemies. The struggling colonel, who 
 was already sinking beneath the arm of his foe, 
 felt the rough grasp loosen from his throat, at the 
 flash, and the t\vo combatants sunk powerless on 
 their knees, facing each other. 
 
 " How now, brother !" exclaimed Boltrope ? 
 with a smile of grim fierceness ; cc some of that 
 grist has gone to your mill, ha !" 
 
 No answer could, however, be given before the 
 yielding forms of both fell to the deck, where they 
 lay helpless, amid the din of the battle and the 
 wild confusion of the eager combatants. 
 
 Notwithstanding the furious struggle they wit 
 nessed, the elements did not cease their functions 
 
THE PILOT. 261 
 
 ind urged by the breeze, and lifted irresistibly on 
 & wave, the American ship was forced through the 
 water still further across the bows of her enemy. 
 The idle fastenings of hemp and iron were snap 
 ped asunder, like strings of tow, and Griffith saw 
 his own ship borne away from the Englishman at 
 the instant that the bowsprit of the latter was torn 
 from its lashings, and tumbled into the sea, fol 
 lowed by spar after spar, until nothing of all her 
 proud tackling was remaining, but the few parted 
 and useless ropes that were left dangling along the 
 stumps of her lower masts. As his own stately 
 vessel moved from the confusion she had caused^ 
 and left the dense cloud of smoke in which hei 
 helpless antagonist lay, the eye of the young man 
 glanced anxiously towards the horizon, where 
 he now remembered he had more foes to contend 
 against. 
 
 " We have shaken off the Thirty-two most hap 
 pily !" he said to the Pilot, who followed his mo 
 tions with singular interest ; " but here is another 
 fellow sheering in for us, who shows as many ports 
 as ourselves, and who appears inclined for a closer 
 interview ; besides the hull of the Ninety is rising 
 again, and I fear she will be down but too soon !" 
 
 " We must keep the use of our braces and sails," 
 returned the Pilot, " and on no account close with 
 the other frigate we must play a double game, 
 sir, and fight this new adversary with our heels as 
 well as with our guns." 
 
 " Tis time then that we were busy, for he is 
 shortening sail, and as he nears so fast we may ex 
 pect to hear from him every minute ; what do you 
 propose, sir ?" 
 
 " Let him gather in his canvass," returned the 
 Pilot, " and when he thinks himself snug, we can 
 throw out a hundred men at once upon our yards 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 and spread every thing alow and aloft ; we may 
 then draw ahead of him by surprise ; if we can 
 once get him in our wake I have no fears of drop 
 ping them all." 
 
 " A stern chase is a long chase," cried Griffith, 
 " and the thing may do ! Clear up the decks, 
 here, and carry down the wounded ; and as we 
 have our hands full, the poor fellows who have 
 done with us, must go overboard at once." 
 
 This melancholy duty was instantly attended to, 
 while the young seaman who commanded the fri 
 gate returned to his duty, with the absorbed air 
 of one who felt its high responsibility. These oc 
 cupations, however, did not prevent his hearing 
 the sounds of Barnstable s voice calling eagerly to 
 young Merry. Bending his head towards the 
 sound, Griffith beheld his friend, looking anxiously 
 up the main hatch, with a face grimed with smoke, 
 his coat off, and his shirt bespattered with human 
 blood Tell me, boy," he said, " is Mr. Griffith 
 untouched ? They say that a shot came in upon 
 the quarter-deck that tripped up the heels of half 
 a dozen." 
 
 Before Merry could answer, the eyes of Barn- 
 stable, which even while he spoko were scanning 
 the state of the vessel s rigging, encountered the 
 kind looks of Griffith, and from that moment per 
 fect harmony was restored between the friends. 
 
 " Ah ! you are there, Griff, and with a whole 
 skin, I see," cried Barnstable, smiling with plea 
 sure ; " they have passed poor Boltrope down into 
 one of his own store-rooms ! If that fellow s bow 
 sprit had held on ten minutes longer, what a mark 
 I should have made on his face and eyes !" 
 
 " >Tis perhaps best as it is," returned Griffith , 
 " but what have you done with those whom wf 
 are jnost bound to protect ?" 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 Barnstable made a significant gesture towards 
 the depths of the vessel as he answered 
 
 " On the cables ; safe as wood, iron, and water 
 can keep them though Katherine has had her 
 head up three times to " 
 
 A summons from the Pilot drew Griffith away, 
 and the young officers were compelled to forget 
 their individual feelings, in the pressing duties of 
 their stations. 
 
 The ship which the American frigate had now 
 to oppose, was a vessel of near her own size and 
 equipage, and when Griffith looked at her again, 
 he perceived that she had made her preparations 
 to assert her equality in manful fight. 
 
 Her sails had been gradually reduced to the 
 usual quantity, and, by certain movements on her 
 decks, the lieutenant and his constant attendant 
 the Pilot, well understood that she only wanted to 
 lessen her distance a few hundred yards to begin 
 the action. 
 
 " Now spread every thing," whispered the 
 stranger. 
 
 Griffith applied the trumpet to his mouth, and 
 shouted in a voice that was carried even to his 
 enemy " Let fall out with your booms sheet 
 home hoist away of every thing !" 
 
 The inspiriting cry was answered by a univer 
 sal bustle ; fifty men flew out on the dizzy heights 
 of the different spars, while broad sheets of can 
 vass rose as suddenly along the masts, as if some 
 mighty bird were spreading its wings. The Eng 
 lishman instantly perceived his mistake, and he 
 answered the artifice by a roar of artillery. Grif 
 fith watched the effects of the broadside with an 
 absorbing interest as the shot whistled above his 
 Tiead, uut when he perceived his masts untouched 
 
264 THE PILOT. 
 
 and the few unimportant ropes only that were cut, 
 he replied to the uproar with a burst of pleasure, 
 A few men were however seen clinging with wild 
 frenzy to the cordage, dropping from rope to rope 
 like wounded birds fluttering through a tree, until 
 they fell heavily into the ocean, the sullen ship 
 sweeping by them, in cold indifference. At the 
 next instant the spars and masts of their enemy 
 exhibited a display of men similar to their own, 
 when Griffith again placed the trumpet to his 
 mouth, and shouted aloud : 
 
 " Give it to them ; drive them from their yards, 
 boys ; scatter them with your grape unreeve 
 their rigging !" 
 
 The crew of the American wanted but little en 
 couragement to enter on this experiment with 
 hearty good will, and the close of his cheering 
 words were uttered amid the deafening roar of his 
 own cannon. The Pilot had, however, mistaken 
 the skill and readiness of their foe, for notwith 
 standing the disadvantageous circumstances under 
 which the Englishman increased his sail, the duty 
 was steadily and dexterously performed. 
 
 The two ships were now running rapidly on 
 parallel lines, hurling at each other their instru 
 ments of destruction, with furious industry, and 
 with severe and certain loss to both, though with 
 no manifest advantage in favour of either. Both 
 Griffith and the Pilot witnessed with deep con 
 cern this unexpected defeat of their hopes, for they 
 could not conceal from themselves, that each mo 
 ment lessened their velocity through the water 
 as the shot of their enemy stripped the canvas* 
 from the yards, or dashed aside the lighter spars 
 in their terrible progress. 
 
 " We find our equal here !" said Griffith to the 
 
THE PILOT. 265 
 
 stranger. " The Ninety is heaving up again like 
 a mountain, and if we continue to shorten sail at 
 this rate, she will soon be down upon us !" 
 
 " You say true, sir," returned the Pilot, mus 
 ing ; " the man shows judgment as well as spirit , 
 but " 
 
 He was interrupted by Merry, who rushed from 
 the forward part of the vessel, his whole face be 
 tokening the eagerness of his spirit, and the im 
 portance of his intelligence 
 
 " The breakers !" he cried, when nigh enough 
 to be heard amid the din ; " we are running dead 
 on a ripple, and the sea is white not two hundred 
 yards ahead ?" 
 
 The Pilot jumped on a gun, and bending to 
 catch a glimpse through the smoke, he shouted, 
 in those clear, piercing tones, that could be even 
 heard among the roaring of the cannon, " Port, 
 port your helm ! we are on the Devil s Grip ! pass 
 up the trumpet, sir; port your helm, fellow; give 
 it them, boys give it to the proud English dogs !" 
 Griffith unhesitatingly relinquished the symbol of 
 his rank, fastening his own firm look on the calm 
 but quick eye of the Pilot, and gathering assurance 
 from the high confidence he read in the counte 
 nance of the stranger. The seamen were too busy 
 with their cannon and their rigging to regard the 
 new danger, and the frigate entered one of the 
 dangerous passes of the shoals, in the heat of a se 
 verely contested battle. The wondering looks 
 of a few of the older sailors glanced at the sheets 
 of foam that flew by them, in doubt whether the 
 wild gambols of the waves were occasioned by the 
 shot of the enemy, when suddenly the noise of 
 cannon was succeeded by the sullen wash of the 
 disturbed element, and presently the vessel glided 
 out of her smoky shroud, and was boldly steering 
 
 TOL. IT. 23 
 
268 THE PILOT. 
 
 in the centre of the narrow passages. For ten 
 breathless minutes longer the Pilot continued to 
 hold an uninterrupted sway, during which the ves 
 sel ran swiftly by ripples and breakers, by streaks 
 of foam and darker passages of deep water, when 
 he threw down his trumpet and exclaimed 
 
 " What threatened to be our destruetion has 
 proved our salvation ! keep yonder hill crowned 
 with wood, one point open from the church tower 
 at its base, and steer east and by north ; you will 
 run through these shoals on that course in an hour 
 and by so doing, you will gain five leagues of youi 
 enemy, who will have to double their tail." 
 
 The moment he stepped from the gun, the Pilo* 
 lost the air of authority that had so singularly dis 
 tinguished his animated form, and even the close 
 interest he had manifested in the incidents of the 
 day became lost in the cold, settled reserve he 
 had affected during his intercourse with his pre 
 sent associates. Every officer in the ship, after 
 the breathless suspense of uncertainty had passed, 
 rushed to those places where a view might be 
 taken of their enemies. The Ninety was still 
 steering boldly onward, and had already ap 
 proached the Two-and-thirty, which lay a help 
 less wreck, rolling on the unruly seas that were 
 rudely tossing her on their wanton billows. The 
 frigate last engaged was running along the edge of 
 the ripple, with her torn sails flying loosely in the 
 air, her ragged spars tottering in the breeze, and 
 every thing above her hull exhibiting the confu 
 sion of a sudden and unlooked-for check to her 
 progress. The exulting taunts and mirthful con 
 gratulations of the seamen, as they gazed at the 
 English ships, were, however, soon forgotten in the 
 ttention that was required to their own vessel. 
 The drums beat the retreat, the guns were lashed, 
 
THE PILOT. 26? 
 
 frie wounded again removed, and every individual 
 able to keep the deck was required to lend h s as 
 sistance in repairing the damages of the frigate and 
 securing her masts. 
 
 The promised hour carried the ship safely 
 through all the dangers, which were much lessen 
 ed by day-light, and by the time the sun had begun 
 to fall over the land, Griffith, who had not quitted 
 the deck during the day, beheld his vessel once 
 more cleared of the confusion of the chase and bat 
 tle, and ready to meet another foe. At this period 
 he was summoned to the cabin, at the request of 
 the ship s chaplain. Delivering the charge of the 
 frigate to Barnstable, who had been his active as 
 sistant, no less in their subsequent labours than in 
 the combat, he hastily divested himself of the ves 
 tiges of the fight, and precepted to obey the re 
 peated and earnest call 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Whither, mldat falling dew, 
 
 While glows the heavens with the last steps of dif, 
 Far, through their rosy depths dost thou pursua 
 
 Thy solitary way 
 
 Bryant 
 
 WREN the young seaman, who now commanded 
 ihe frigate, descended from the quarter-deck in 
 compliance with the often repeated summons, he 
 found the vessel restored to the same neatness as 
 if nothing had occurred to disturb its order. The 
 gun-deck had been cleansed of its horrid stains, 
 and the smoke of the light had long since ascended 
 through the hatches, and mingled with the clouds 
 that flitted above the ship. As he walked along the 
 silent batteries, even the urgency of his visit 
 could not prevent him from glancing his eyes to 
 wards the splintered sides, those terrible vestiges, 
 by which the paths of the shot of their enemy 
 might be traced ; and by the time he tapped light 
 ly at the door of the cabin, his quick look had em 
 braced every material injury the vessel had sus 
 tained in her principal points of defence. The doot 
 was opened by the surgeon of the frigate, who, as 
 he stepped aside to permit Griffith to enter, shook 
 his head with that air of meaning, which, in one of 
 his profession, is understood to imply the abandon* 
 ment of all hopes, and then immediately quitted 
 
THE PILOT. 269 
 
 the apartment, in order to attend to those who 
 might profit by his services. 
 
 The reader is not to imagine that Griffith had 
 lost sight of Cecilia and her cousin during the oc 
 currences of that eventful day ; on the contrary, 
 his troubled fancy had presented her terror and 
 .distress, even in the hottest moments of the fight, 
 and the instant that the crew were called from 
 their guns, he had issued an order to replace the 
 bulk-heads of the cabin, and to arrange its furni 
 ture for their accommodation, though the higher 
 and imperious duties of his station had precluded 
 his attending to their comfort in person. He ex 
 pected, therefore, to find the order of the rooms 
 restored, but he was by no means prepared to en 
 counter the scene he was now to witness. 
 
 Between two of the sullen cannon, which gave 
 such an air of singular wildness to the real com 
 fort of the cabin, was placed a large couch, on 
 which the Colonel was lying, evidently near his 
 \ , end. Cecilia was weeping by his side, her dark 
 ringlets falling in unheeded confusion around her 
 pale features, and sweeping in their rich exube 
 rance the deck on which she kneeled. Katherine 
 leaned tenderly over the form of the dying vete 
 ran, while her dark, tearful eyes seemed to ex 
 press self-accusation blended with deep commise 
 ration. A few attendants of both sexes surround 
 ed the solemn scene, all of whom appeared to be 
 under the influence of the hopeless intelligence 
 wnich the medical officer had but that moment 
 communicated. The servants of the ship had re 
 placed the furniture with a care that mocked the 
 dreadful struggle that so recently disfigured the 
 warlike apartment, and the stout, square frame of 
 Boltrope occupied the opposite settee, his head 
 resting on the lap of the Captain s Steward, and 
 23* 
 
70 THE PILOT. 
 
 his hand gently held in the grasp of his friend the 
 Chaplain. Griffith had heard of the wound of the 
 master, but his own eyes now conveyed the first 
 intelligence of the situation of Colonel Howard. 
 When the shock of this sudden discovery had a 
 little subsided, the young man approached the 
 couch of the latter, and attempted to express his 
 regret and pity, in a voice that afforded an assu 
 rance of his sincerity. . 
 
 " Say no more, Edward Griffith," interrupted 
 the colonel, waving his hand feebly for silence ; 
 " it seemeth to be the will of God that this rebel 
 lion should triumph, and it is not for vain man to 
 impeach the acts of Omnipotence ! To my erring 
 faculties, it wears an appearance of mystery, but 
 doubtless it is to answer the purpose of his own 
 inscrutable providence ! I have sent for you, Ed 
 ward, on a business that I would fain see accom 
 plished before I die, that it may not be said old 
 George Howard neglected his duty, even in his 
 last moments. You see this weeping child at my 
 side ; tell me, young man, do you love the maid 
 en ? 
 
 " Am I to be asked such a question !" exclaim 
 ed Griffith. 
 
 " And will you cherish her will you supply to 
 her the places of father and mother, will you be 
 come the fond guardian of her innocence and 
 
 O 
 
 weakness ?" 
 
 Griffith could give no ether answer than a fer 
 vent pressure of the hand he had clasped. 
 
 " I believe you," continued the dying man ; 
 " for however he may have forgotten to inculcate 
 his own loyalty, worthy Hugh Griffith could ne 
 ver neglect to make his son a man of honour. I 
 had weak, and perhaps evil wishes in behalf of my 
 late unfortunate kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon , 
 
THE PILOT. 271 
 
 Dut they have told me that he was false to his 
 faith. If this be true, 1 would refuse him the hand 
 of the girl, though he claimed the fealty of th 
 British realms ! But he has passed away, and I am 
 about to follow him into a world where we shall 
 find but one Lord to serve, and it may have been 
 better for us both had we more remembered our 
 duty to Him, while serving the. Princes of the 
 earth. One thing further know you this officer 
 of your congress well; tfyis Mr. Barnstable ?" 
 
 " I have sailed with him for years," returned 
 Griffith, " and can answer for him as myself." 
 
 The veteran made an effort to rise, which in 
 part succeeded, and he fastened on the youth a 
 look of keen scrutiny, that gave to his pallid fea 
 tures an expression of solemn meaning, as he con- 
 tinued 
 
 " Speak nol now, sir, as the companion of his 
 idle pleasures, and as the unthinking associate 
 commends his fellow, but remember that your opi 
 nion is given to a dying man who leans on your 
 judgment for advice. The daughter of John Plow- 
 den is a trust not to be neglected, nor will my 
 death prove easy, if a doubt of her being worthily 
 bestowed shall remain !" 
 
 " He is a gentleman," returned Griffith, " and 
 one whose heart is not less kind than gallant he 
 loves your ward, and great as may be her merit, 
 he is deserving of it all like myself, he has also 
 loved the land that gave him birth, before the land 
 of his ancestors, but " 
 
 " That is now forgotten," interrupted the colo 
 nel ; " after what I have this day witnessed I am 
 forced to believe that it is the pleasure of Heaven 
 that you are to prevail ! But, sir, a disobedient in 
 ferior will be apt to make an unreasonable com 
 mander. The recent contention between you " 
 
272 THE PILOT. 
 
 " Remember it not, dear sir," exclaimed Grif 
 fith with generous zeal u twas unkindly pro 
 yoked, and it is already forgotten and pardoned. 
 He has sustained me nobly throughout the day 
 and my life on it, that he knows how to treat a 
 woman as a brave man should !" 
 
 " Then am I content !" said the veteran, sinking 
 back on his couch ; " let him be summoned." 
 
 The whispered message, which Griffith gave re 
 questing Mr. Barnstable to enter the cabin, was 
 quickly conveyed, and he had appeared before his 
 friend deemed it discreet to disturb the reflections 
 of the veteran by again addressing him. When 
 the entrance of the young sailor was announced, 
 the colonel again roused himself, and addressed 
 his wondering listener, though in a manner much 
 less confiding and familiar than that which he had 
 adopted towards Griffith. 
 
 " The declarations you made last night relative 
 to my ward, the daughter of the late Captain John 
 Plowden, sir, have left me nothing to learn on the 
 subject of your wishes. Here, then, gentlemen, 
 you both obtain the reward of your attentions ! 
 Let that reverend divine hear you pronounce the 
 marriage vows, while I have strength to listen, 
 that I may be a witness against ye, in heaven, 
 should ye forget their tenor !" 
 
 "Not now, not now," murmured Cecilia ; " Oh 
 ask it not now, my uncle !" 
 
 Katherine spoke not, but deeply touched by the 
 tender interest her guardian manifested in her 
 welfare, she bowed her face to her bosom, in sub 
 dued feeling, and suffered the tears that had been 
 suffusing her eyes to roll down her cheeks in 
 large drops, till they bathed the deck. 
 
 " Yes, now, my love," continued the colonel, 
 " or I fail in my duty. I go shortly to stand face 
 
.._..- -., 
 THE PILOT. 273 
 
 to face with your parents, my children ; for the 
 man, who dying, expects not to meet worthy 
 Hugh Griffith and honest Jack Plowden in heaven, 
 can have no clear view of the rewards that belong 
 to lives of faithful service to the country, or of gal 
 lant loyalty to the King ! I trust no one can just 
 ly say, that I ever forgot the delicacy due to your 
 gentle sex ; but it is no moment for idle ceremony 
 when time is shortening into minutes, and heavy 
 duties remain to be discharged. I could not die 
 in peace, children, were I to leave you here in the 
 wide ocean, I had almost said in the wide world, 
 without that protection which becomes your ten 
 der years, and still more tender characters. If it 
 has pleased God to remove your guardian, let his 
 place be supplied by those he wills to succeed 
 him !" 
 
 Cecilia no longer hesitated, but she arose slow 
 ly from her knees, and offered her hand to Griffith 
 with an air of forced resignation. Katherine Sub 
 mitted to be led by Barnstable to her side, and 
 the chaplain who had been an affected listener to 
 the dialogue, in obedience to an expressive signal 
 from the eye of Griffith, opened the prayer book 
 from which he had been gleaning consolation for 
 the dying master, and commenced reading, in trem 
 bling tones, the marriage service. The vows 
 were pronounced by the weeping brides in voices 
 more distinct and audible than if they had been 
 uttered amid the gay crowds that usually throng a 
 bridal ; for though they were the irreclaimable 
 words that bound them for ever to the men, whose 
 power over their feelings they thus proclaimed to 
 the world, the reserve of maiden diffidence was 
 lost in one engrossing emotion of solemnity, cre 
 ated by the awful presence in which they stood. 
 When the benediction was pronounced, the head 
 
274 THE PIL01 
 
 of Cecilia dropped on the shoulder of her husband, 
 where she wept violently, for a moment, and then 
 resuming her place at the couch, she once more 
 knelt at the side of her uncle. Katherine received 
 the warm kiss of Barnstable, passively, and re 
 turned slowly to the spot; whence she had been 
 led. 
 
 Colonel Howard succeeded in raising his per 
 son to witness the ceremony, and had answered 
 to each prayer with a fervent c amen. He fell 
 back with the last words, and a look of satisfaction 
 shone in his aged and pallid features, that declared 
 the interest he had taken in the scene. 
 
 " I thank you, my children," he at length ut 
 tered, " I thank you, for 1 know how much you 
 have sacrificed to my wishes. You will find all 
 my papers relative to the estates of my wards, 
 gentlemen, in the hands of my banker in London, 
 and you will also find there my will, Edward, by 
 which you will learn that Cicely has not come to 
 your arms an unportioned bride. What my wards 
 are in persons and manners your eyes can witness, 
 and I trust the vouchers in London will show that 
 I have not been an unfaithful steward to their pe 
 cuniary affairs " 
 
 " Name it not say no more, or you will break 
 my heart," cried Katherine, sobbing aloud, in the 
 violence of her remorse at having ever pained so 
 true a friend. " Oh ! talk of yourself, think of 
 yourself; we are unworthy at least I am unwor 
 thy of another thought !" 
 
 The dying man extended a hand to her in kind 
 ness, and continued, though his voice grew feebler 
 as he spoke 
 
 " Then to return o myself I would wish tc 
 ie, like my ancestors in the bosom of the earth 
 and in consecrated ground " 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 " It shall be done," whispered Griffith ; " 1 will 
 see it done myself." 
 
 " I thank thee, my son," said the veteran ; " for 
 such thou art to me in being the husband of Cicely 
 you will find in my will, that I have liberated 
 and provided for all my slaves -except those un 
 grateful scoundrels who deserted their master 
 they have seized their own freedom, and they 
 need not be indebted to me for the same. There 
 is, Edward, also an unworthy legacy to the King : 
 his Majesty will deign to receive it from an old 
 and faithful servant, and you will not miss the tri 
 fling gift." A long pause followed, as if he had 
 been summing up the account of his earthly duties, 
 and found them duly balanced, when he added, 
 " kiss me, Cicely and you, Katherine I find you 
 nave the genuine feelings of honest Jack, your fa 
 ther. My eyes grow dim which is the hand of 
 Griffith ? Young gentleman, I have given you all 
 that a fond old man had to bestow deal tenderly 
 with the precious child we have not properly un 
 derstood each other I had mistaken both you and 
 Mr. Christopher Dillon, I believe ; perhaps I may 
 have also mistaken my duty to America but I was 
 too old to change my politics or my religion I 1 
 I loved the King God bless him " 
 
 His words became fainter and fainter as he pro 
 ceeded, and the breath deserted his body with this 
 benediction on his livid lips, which the proudest 
 monarch might covet from so honest a man. 
 
 The body was instantly borne into a state-room 
 by the attendants, and Griffith and Barnstable sup 
 ported their brides into the after-cabin, where they 
 left them seated on the sofa that lined the stern of 
 the ship, weeping bitterly, in each other s arms. 
 
 No part of the preceding scene had been unob 
 served by Boltrope, whose small, hard eyes, were 
 
276 THE PILOT. 
 
 observed by the young men to twinkle, when 
 they returned into the state apartment, and they 
 approached their wounded .comrade to apologize 
 for the seeming neglect that their conduct had dis 
 played. 
 
 Ci I heard you were hurt, Boitrope," said Grif 
 fith, taking him kindly by the hand ; " but as I 
 know you are not unused to being marked by shot, 
 I trust we shall soon see you again on deck. 
 
 " Ay, ay," returned the master, " you ll want 
 no spy-glasses to see the old hulk as you launch it 
 into the sea. I have had shot, as you say, before 
 now to tear my running gear, and even to knock a 
 splinter out of some of my timbers, but this fellow 
 has found his way into my bread-room ; and the 
 cruise of life is up !" 
 
 " Surely the case is not so bad, honest David, 7 
 said Barnstable ; " you have kept afloat, to my 
 knowledge, with a bigger hole in your skin than 
 this unlucky hit hag* made !" 
 
 " Ay, ay," returned the master, " that was in 
 my upper works, where the doctor could get at it 
 with a plug ; but this chap has knocked away the 
 shifting-boards, and I feel as if the whole cargo 
 was broken up. You may say, that Tourniquet 
 rates me all the same as a dead man, for after 
 looking at the shot-hole, he has turned me over to 
 the parson here, like a piece of old junk which is 
 only fit to be worked up into something new. 
 Captain Munson had a lucky time of it ! I think 
 you said, Mr. Griffith, that the old gentleman was 
 launched overboard with every thing standing, and 
 that Death made but one rap at his door, before 
 he took his leave !" 
 
 " His end was /ndeed sudden !" returned Grif 
 fith ; " but it is what we seamen must expect." 
 
 And for which there is so much the morn 
 
THE PILOT. 27? 
 
 occasion to be prepared," the chaplain ventured to 
 add, in a low, humble, arid, perhaps, timid voice. 
 
 The sailing-master looked keenly from one to 
 the other as they spoke, and, after a short pause, 
 he continued with an air of great submission 
 
 " Twas his luck ; and I suppose it is sinful to 
 begrudge a man his lawful luck. As for being pre 
 pared, parson, that is your business and not mine ; 
 therefore, as there is but little time to spare, why, 
 the sooner you set about it the better ; and to save 
 unnecessary trouble, I may as well tell you not to 
 strive to make too much of me, for, I must own it 
 to my shame, I never took learning kindly. If you 
 can fit me for some middling birth in the other 
 world, like the one I hold in this ship, it will suit 
 me as well, and, perhaps, be easier to all hands of 
 us." 
 
 If there was a shade of displeasure, blended with 
 the surprise, that crossed the features of the di 
 vine at this extraordinary limitation of his duties, 
 it entirely disappeared when he considered, more 
 closely, the perfect expression of simplicity with 
 which the dying master uttered his wishes. After 
 a long and melancholy pause, which neither Grif 
 fith nor his friend felt any inclination to interrupt, 
 the chaplain replied 
 
 " It is not the province of man to determine on 
 the degrees of the merciful dispensations of the 
 Deity, and nothing that I can do, Mr. Boltropc, 
 will have any weight in making up the mighty and 
 irrevocable decree. What I said to you last night, 
 in our conversation on this very subject, must still 
 be fresh in your memory, and there is no good 
 reason why I should hold a different language to 
 you now." 
 
 " I can t say that I log d all that pass d," re 
 turned the master, " and that which I do recollect 
 
 VOL. ii. 24 
 
278 THE PILOT 
 
 chiefly fell from myself, for the plain reason that a 
 man remembers his own, better than his neigh 
 hour s ideas. And this puts me in mind, Mr. Guf 
 thh, to tell you, that one of the forty-two s from the 
 three-decker, travelled across the forecastle, and 
 cat the best bower within a fathom of the clinch, 
 as handily as an old woman would clip her rotten 
 yarn with a pair of tailor s shears ! If you will be 
 io good as to order one of my mates to shift the 
 ?able end-for-end, and make a new bend of it, I ll 
 do as much for you another time." 
 
 " Mention it not," said Griffith ; " rest assured 
 that every thing shall be done for the security of 
 the ship in your department I will superintend 
 the whole duty in person ; and I would have you 
 release your mind from all anxiety on the subject, 
 to attend to your more important interests else 
 where." 
 
 " Why," returned Boltrope, with a little show 
 of pertinacity, " I have an opinion, that the clean- 
 ^er a man takes his hands into the other world, of 
 < the matters of duty in this, the better he will be 
 fitted to handle any thing new. Now the parson, 
 here, undertook to lay down the doctrine last 
 night, that it was no matter how well or how ill a 
 man behaved himself, so that he squared his con 
 science by the lifts and braces of faith, which I take 
 to be a doctrine that is not to be preach d on ship 
 board, for it would play the devil with the best 
 ship s company that was ever mustered." 
 
 " Oh ! no no dear Mr. B ^Itrope, you mis 
 took me and my doctrine altogether !" exclaimed 
 the chaplain ; " at least you mistook " 
 
 " Perhaps, sir," interrupted Griffith, gently, 
 " our honest friend will not be more fortunate 
 now. Is there nothing earthly that hangs upon 
 your mind, Boltrope ? no wish to be remembered 
 
THE PILOT. 279 
 
 to any one, nor any bequest to make 3f your pro 
 perty ?" 
 
 " He has a mother, I know," said Barnstable 
 in a low voice ; " he often spoke of her to me in 
 the night watches ; I think she must still be living." 
 
 The master, who distinctly heard his young 
 shipmates, continued for more than a minute roll 
 ing the tobacco, which he still retained, from one 
 side of his mouth to the other, with an industry 
 that denoted singular agitation for the man, and 
 raising one of his broad hands, with the other 
 he picked the worn skin from fingers which were 
 already losing their brownish yellow hue in the 
 fading colour of death, before he answered 
 
 " Why, yes, the old woman still keeps her grip 
 upon life, which is more than can be said of her 
 son David. The old man was lost the time the 
 Susan and Dorothy was wrecked on the back of 
 Cape Cod ; you remember it, Mr. Barnstable ? you 
 were then a lad, sailing on whaling voyages from 
 the island ! well, ever since that gale, I ve endea 
 voured to make smooth water for the old woman 
 myself, though she has had but a rough passage 
 of it, at the best ; the voyage of life, wit h her, hav 
 ing been pretty much crossed by rugged weather 
 and short stores." 
 
 " And you would have us carry some message 
 to her?" said Griffith, kindly. 
 
 " Why, as to messages," continued the master, 
 whose voice was rapidly growing more husky and 
 Droken, " there never has been many compliments 
 passed between us, for the reason that she is 
 not more used to receive them than I am to make 
 them. But if any one of you will overhaul the 
 purser s books, and see what there is standing there 
 to my side of the leaf and take a little pains to 
 get i to the old woman you will find her moor d in 
 
Lbl) THE PILOT. 
 
 the lee side of a house ay, here it is, No. 10 
 Cornhill, Boston. I took care to get her a good 
 warm birth, seeing that a woman of eighty wants 
 a snug anchorage at her time of life, if ever." 
 
 " I will do it myself, David," cried Barnstable, 
 struggling to conceal his emotion ; " I will call on 
 her the instant we let go our anchor in Boston 
 harbour, and as your credit can t be large, I will di 
 vide my own purse with her !" 
 
 The sailing-master was powerfully affected by 
 this kind offer, the muscles of his hard weather- 
 beaten face working convulsively, and it was a 
 moment before he could trust his voice in reply. 
 
 " I know you would, Dickey, I know you 
 would," he at length uttered, grasping the hand of 
 Barnstable with a portion of his former strength t 
 " I know you would give the old woman one of 
 your own limbs, if it would do a service to the 
 mother of a messmate which it would not see 
 ing that I am not the son of a cannibal ; but you 
 are out of your own father s books, and it s too of 
 ten shoal water in your pockets to help any one 
 more especially since you have just been spliced 
 to a pretty young body that will want all your 
 spare coppers." 
 
 " But I am master of my own fortune," said 
 Griffith, " and am rich." 
 
 " Ay, ay, I have heard it said you could build 
 a frigate and set her afloat all a-taunt-o without, 
 thrusting your hand into any man s purse but 
 your own !" 
 
 "And I pledge you the honour of a naval officer," 
 continued the young sailoi, " that she shall want 
 for nothing ; not even the care and tenderness of 
 a dutiful son." 
 
 Boltrope appeared to be choking; he made ar 
 attempt to raise his exhausted frame on the couch ; 
 
THE PILOT. 281 
 
 but fell back exhausted and dying, perhaps a little 
 prematurely, through the powerful and unusual 
 emotions that were struggling for utterance. " God 
 forgive me my misdeeds !" he at length said, " and 
 chiefly for ever speaking a word against your 
 disciplyne ; remember the best bower and look 
 to the slings of the lower yards and and he ll 
 do it Dicky, he ll do it ! Pm casting off the fasts 
 of life and so God bless ye all and give ye 
 good weather going large or on a bowline !" 
 
 The tongue of the master failed him, but a look 
 of heart-felt satisfaction gleamed across his rough 
 visage, as its muscles suddenly contracted, when 
 the faded lineaments slowly settled into the ap 
 palling stiffness of death. 
 
 Griffith directed the body to be removed to the 
 apartment of the Master, and proceeded with a 
 heavy heart to the upper deck. The Alacrity had 
 been unnoticed during the arduous chase of the 
 frigate, and favoured by day-light, and her light 
 draught of water, she had easily effected her es 
 cape also among the mazes of the shoals. She was 
 called down to her consort by signal, and received 
 the necessary instructions how to steer during 
 the approaching night. The British ships were 
 now only to be faintly discovered, like small white 
 specks on the dark sea, and as it was known that 
 a broad barrier of shallow water lay between them 
 the ^Americans no longer regarded their presence 
 as at all dangerous. 
 
 When the necessary orders had been given, ami 
 the vessels were fully prepared, they were once 
 more brought up to the wind, and their heads point 
 ed in the direction of the coast of Holland. The 
 wind which freshened towards the decline of day 
 hauled round with the sun, and when that luminary 
 retreated from the eye, so rapid had been the pro- 
 24* 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 gress of the mariners, it seemed to sink in the bo 
 so m of the ocean, the land having long before set- 
 tied into its watery bed. All night the frigate con 
 tinued to dash through the seas with a sort of sul 
 len silence, that was soothing to the melancholy 
 of Cecilia and Katherine, neither of whom closed 
 an eye during that gloomy period. In addition to 
 the scene they had witnessed, their feelings were 
 harrowed by the knowledge that, in conformity to 
 the necessary plans of Griffith, and in compliance 
 with the new duties he had assumed, they were 
 to separate in the morning for an indefinite period, 
 and possibly for ever. 
 
 With the appearance of light, the boatswain sent 
 his rough summons through the vessel, and the 
 crew were collected in solemn silence in her gang 
 ways, to bury the dead. The bodies of Bolt- 
 rope, of one or two of her inferior officers, and ot 
 several common men who had died of their wounds 
 in the night, were, with the usual formalities, com 
 mitted to the deep ; when the yards of the ship 
 were again braced by the wind, and she glided 
 along the trackless waste, leaving no memorial in 
 fhe midst of the ever-rolling waters, to mark the 
 place of their sepulture. 
 
 When the sun had gained the meridian the ves- 
 sels were once more hove-to, and the prepara 
 tions were made for a final separation. The body 
 of Colonel Howard was transferred to the Alacri 
 ty, whither it was followed by Griffith and his 
 cheerless bride, while Katherine hung fondly from 
 a window of the ship, suffering her own scalding 
 tears to mingle with the brine of the ocean. Aftei 
 every thing was arranged, Griffith waved his hand 
 to Barnstable, who had now succeeded to the com 
 mand of the frigate, and the yards of the lattei 
 w re braced sharp to the wind, when she proceed 
 
THE PILOT. 283 
 
 ed to the dangerous experiment of forcing her way 
 to the shores of America, by attempting the pass 
 of the streights of Dover, and running the gaunt 
 let through the English ships that crowded their 
 own channel ; an undertaking, however, for which 
 she had the successful example of the Alliance fri 
 gate, which had borne the stars of America along the 
 same hazardous path but a few months previously. 
 
 In the meanwhile the Alacrity, steering more to 
 the west, drew in swiftly towards the shores of 
 Holland, and about an hour before the setting of 
 the sun, had approached so nigh as to be once more 
 hove into the wind, in obedience to the mandate 
 of Griffith. A small light boat was lowered into 
 the sea, when the young sailor, and the pilot, who 
 had found his way into the cutter unheeded, and 
 almost unseen, ascended from the small cabin to 
 gether. The stranger glanced his eyes along the 
 range of coast, as if he would ascertain the exact 
 position of the vessel, and then turned them on the 
 sea and the western horizon to scan the weather. 
 Finding nothing in the appearance of the latter to 
 induce him to change his determination, he offered 
 his hand frankly to Griffith, and said 
 
 " Here we part. As our acquaintance has not 
 led to all we wished, let it be your task, sir, to for 
 get we ever met." 
 
 Griffith bowed respectfully, but in silence, when 
 the other continued, shaking his hand contemptu 
 ously towards the land 
 
 " Had I but a moiety of the navy of that dege 
 nerate republic, the proudest among those haughty 
 islanders should tremble in his castle, and be made 
 to feel there is no security against a foe that trusts 
 his own strength and knows the weakness of his 
 enemy ! But," he muttered in a lower and more 
 hurried voice, " this has been like Liverpool, and 
 
284 THE PILOT. 
 
 Whitehaven and Edinburgh, and fifty more 
 it is past, sir ; let it be forgotten." 
 
 Without heeding the wondering crew, who were 
 collected as curious spectators of his departure, the 
 stranger bowed hastily to Griffith, and springing in 
 to the boat, he spread her light sail wi th the rea 
 diness of one who had nothing to learn even in 
 the smallest matters of his daring profession. Once 
 more, as the boat moved briskly away from the 
 cutter, he waved his hand in adieu, and Griffith 
 fancied, that even through the distance he could 
 trace a smile of bitter resignation, lighting his calm 
 features with a momentary gleam. Fora long time 
 the young man stood an abstracted gazer at his so 
 litary progress, watching the small boat as it glided 
 towards the open ocean, nor did he remember to 
 order the head sheets of the Alacrity drawn, in or 
 der to put the vessel again in motion, until the 
 dark speck was lost in the strong glare that fell 
 obliquely across the water from the setting sun. 
 
 Many wild and extraordinary conjectures were 
 uttered among the crew of the cutter, as she slow 
 ly drew in towards her friendly haven, on the ap 
 pearance of the mysterious pilot, during their late 
 hazardous visit to the coast of Britain, and on his 
 still more extraordinary disappearance, as it were, 
 amid the stormy wastes of the North sea. Griffith 
 himself was not observed to smile, nor to manifest 
 any other evidence of his being a listener to their 
 rude discourse, until it was loudly announced that 
 a small boat was seen pressing for their own har 
 bour, across the fore foot of the cutter, under a sin 
 gle lug-sail. Then, indeed, the sudden and cheer 
 ful lighting of his troubled eye might have be 
 trayed, to more accurate observers, the vast relief 
 that was imparted to his feelings by the interesting 
 discovery. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Come all you kindred Chieftains of the deep I 
 In mighty phalanx round your brother bend ) 
 Hugh evcfy murmnr that invades his sleep 
 And guard the laurels that o ershade your friend 
 Lines on Tripp 
 
 HERE, perhaps, it would be wise to suffer the 
 curtain of our imperfect drama to fall before the 
 reader, trusting that the imagination of every indi 
 vidual can readily supply the due proportions <. 
 health, wealth, and happiness, that the rigid rules 
 of uoetic justice would award to the different 
 characters of the legend. But as \ve are not dis 
 posed to part so coldly from those with whom we 
 have long held amicable intercourse, and as there 
 is no portion of that in reservation which is not 
 quite as true as all that has been already related, 
 we see no unanswerable reason for dismissing the 
 dramatis personse so abruptly. We shall therefore 
 proceed to state briefly, the outlines of that which 
 befel them in after life, regretting, at the same 
 time, that the legitimate limits of a modern tale 
 will not admit of such a dilatation of many a merry 
 or striking scene, as might create the pleasing hope 
 of beholding hereafter some more of our rude 
 sketches quickened into life by the spirited pencil 
 of Dunlap. 
 
 Following the course of the frigate, then, to- 
 
THE PILOT. 
 
 wards those shores, from which, perhaps, \ve should 
 ne\ er have suffered our truant pen to have wander 
 ed, we shall commence the brief task with Barn- 
 stable, and his laughing, weeping, gay, but affec 
 tionate, bride the black-eyed Katherine. The 
 ship fought her way, gallantly, through swarms of 
 the enemy s cruisers, to the port of Boston, where 
 Barnstable was rewarded for his services by pro~ 
 motion, and a more regular authority to command 
 his vessel. 
 
 During the remainder of the war, he continued 
 to fill that station with ability and zeal, nor did he 
 return to the dwelling of his fathers, which he soon 
 inherited, by regular descent, until after peace 
 had established not only the independence of his 
 country, but his own reputation, as a brave and 
 successful sea-officer. When the Federal Govern 
 ment laid the foundation of its present navy, Cap 
 tain Barnstable was once more tempted by the 
 offer of a new commission to desert his home ; and 
 for many years he was employed among that band 
 of gallant seamen who served their country so 
 faithfully in times of trial and high daring, Hap- 
 pily, however, he w r as enabled to accomplish a 
 1 } great deal of the more peaceful part of his service 
 /accompanied by leathering, who, having no chii- 
 dr-en, eagerly profited by his consent to share his 
 privations and hardships on the ocean. In this 
 manner they passed merrily, and we trust happily, 
 down the vale of life together, Katherine entirely 
 discrediting the ironical prediction of her former 
 guardian, by making, every thing considered, a 
 very obedient, and certainly, so far as attachment 
 was concerned, a most devoted wife. 
 
 The boy Merry, who in due time became a 
 man, clung to Barnstable and Katherine, so long 
 as it was necessary to hold him in leading strings 5 
 
THE PILOT. 287 
 
 and when he received his regular promotion, his 
 first command was under the shadow of his kins 
 man s broad pendant. He proved to be in his 
 meridian, what his youth had so strongly indicated, 
 a fearless, active, and reckless sailor, and his years 
 might have extended to this hour, had he not 
 fallen untimely in a duel with a foreign officer. 
 
 The first act of Captain Manual, after landing 
 once more on his native soil, was to make interest 
 to be again restored to *.o line of the army. He 
 encountered but little difficulty in this attempt, 
 and was soon in possession of the complete enjoy 
 ment of that which his soul had so long pined after, 
 " a steady drill." He was in time to share in all 
 the splendid successes which terminated the war, 
 and also to participate in his due proportion of the 
 misery of the army. His merits were not forgot 
 ten, however, in the reorganization of the forces, 
 and he followed both St. Clair and his more fortu 
 nate successor, Wayne, in the western campaigns 
 About the close of the century, when the British 
 made their tardy relinquishment of the line of posts 
 along the frontiers, Captain Manual was ordered 
 to take charge, with his company, of a small stock 
 ade on our side of one of those mighty rivers that 
 sets bounds to the territories of the Republic in the 
 north. The British flag was waving over the 
 ramparts of a more regular fortress, that had been 
 recently built, directly opposite, within the new 
 lines of the Canadas. Manual was not a man to 
 neglect the observances of military etiquette, and 
 understanding that the neighbouring fort was com 
 manded by a field officer, he did not fail to wait on 
 that gentleman, in proper time, with a view to 
 cultivate the sort of acquaintance that their mu 
 tual situations would render not only agreeable, 
 out highly convenient. The American martinet 
 
288 THE PILOT. 
 
 in ascertaining the rank of the other, had no* 
 deemed it at all necessary to ask his name, bu 
 when the red-faced, comical-looking officer with 
 one leg, who met him, was introduced as Major 
 Borroughcliffe, he had not the least difficulty in 
 recalling to recollection his quondam acquaintance 
 of St. Ruth. The intercourse between these wor 
 thies was renewed with remarkable gusto, and at 
 length arrived to so regular a pass, that a log cabin 
 was erected on one of the islands in the river, as a 
 sort of neutral territory, where their feastings and 
 revels might be held without any scandal to the 
 discipline of their respective garrisons. Here the 
 qualities of many a saddle of savory venison were 
 discussed, together with those of sundry pleasant 
 fowls, as well as of divers strange beasts that in 
 habit those western wilds, while, at the same time, 
 the secret places of the broad river were vexed, 
 that nothing might be wanting that could contribute 
 to the pleasures of their banquets. A most equita 
 ble levy was regularly made on their respective 
 pockets, to sustain the foreign expenses of this ami 
 cable warfare, and a suitable division of labour was 
 also imposed on the two Commandants, in order 
 to procure sr.ch articles of comfort as were only to 
 be obtained from those portions of the globe where 
 the art of man had made a nearer approach to the 
 bo jnties of nature than in the vicinity of their 
 fortifications. All liquids in which malt formed an 
 ingredient, as well as the deep-coloured wines of 
 Oporto, were suffered to enter the Gulf of St. Law 
 rence, and were made to find their way, under the 
 superintendence of Borroughcliffe, to their destined 
 goal ; but Manual was, solely, entrusted with the 
 more important duty of providing the generous li 
 quor of Madeira, without any other restriction en 
 his judgment, than an occasional injunction from 
 
THE PILOT. 289 
 
 his coadjutor, that it should not fail to be the pro 
 duct of the " South-side !" 
 
 It was not unusual for the younger officers of the 
 two garrisons to allude to the battle in which Ma 
 jor Borroughcliffe had lost his limb the English 
 
 flsign invariably whispering to the American on 
 -such occasions, that it occurred during the late 
 contest, in a desperate affair on the North Eastern 
 
 oast of their island, in which the major command- 
 i behalf of his country, with great credit and 
 
 Knal success ; and for which service he obtained 
 
 is. present rank " without purchase !" A sort of 
 fional courtesy prevented the two veterans, for 
 by this time both had earned that honourable title, 
 from participating at all in these delicate allusions ; 
 bough whenever, by any accident, they occurred 
 jt?ar the termination of the revels, Borroughcliffe 
 would so far betray his consciousness of what was 
 passing, as to favour his American friend with a 
 leer of singular significance, which generally pro 
 duced in the other that sort of dull recollection, 
 which all actors and painters endeavour to repre 
 sent by scratching the head. In this manner year 
 after year rolled by, the most perfect harmony ex- 
 isting between the two posts, notwithstanding the 
 angry passions that disturbed their respective 
 countries, when an end was suddenly put to the 
 intercourse by the unfortunate death of Manual. 
 This rigid observer of discipline never trusted his 
 person on the neutral island without being accom 
 panied by a party of his warriors, who were post 
 ed as a regular picket, sustaining a suitable line of 
 sentries ; a practice which he also recommended 
 to his friend, as being highly conducive to disci 
 pline, as well as a salutary caution against a sur 
 prise on the part of either garrison. The major, 
 however, dispensed with the formality in his own 
 
 TOL. II. 25 
 
290 1 TIII: TILOT. 
 
 behalf, but was sufficiently good-natured to wink 
 at the want of confidence it betrayed in his boon 
 companion. On one unhappy occasion, when the 
 discussions of a new importation had made a heavy 
 / inroad on the morning, Manual left the hut to make 
 his way towards his picket, in such a state of utter 
 mental aberration, as to forget the countersign 
 when challenged by a sentinel, when, unhappily, 
 he met his death by a shot from a soldier, whom 
 he drilled to such an exquisite state of insensibi 
 lity, that the man cared but little whether he kill 
 ed friend or enemy, so long as he kept within 
 military usage, and the hallowed limits established 
 by the articles of war. He lived long enough, 
 however, to commend the fellow for the deed, and 
 died while delivering an eulogium to Borrough- 
 cliffe on the high state of perfection to which he 
 had brought his command ! 
 
 About a year before this melancholy event, a 
 quarter cask of wine had been duly ordered fioip 
 the South side of the island of Madeira, which 
 was. at the death of Manual, tailing its weary way 
 up the rapids of the Mississippi and the Ohio ; 
 having been made to enter by the port of New- 
 Orleans, with the intention of keeping it as long 
 as possible under a genial sun ! The untimely 
 fate of his friend imposed on Borroughcliffe the 
 necessity of attending to this precious relick of 
 their mutual tastes ; and he procured a leave 
 rf absence from his superior, with the laudable 
 5 iesire to proceed down the streams and superin- 
 | end its farther advance in person. The result 
 I of his zeal was a high fever, that set in the day 
 / after he reached his treasure, and as the doctos 
 / and the major espoused different theories, is 
 I treating a disorder so dangerous in that climate , 
 the one advising abstemiousness, and the other ad 
 
THE PILOT. 23$ 
 
 ministering repeated draughts of the cordial thot 
 had drawn him so far from home, the disease was 
 left to act its pleasure. -Borroughcliffe died in 
 three days ; and was carried Sack and interred by 
 the side of his friend, in the very hut which had 
 so often resounded with their humours and festi 
 vities ! We have been thus particular in relating 
 the sequel of the lives of these rival chieftains, be^ 
 cause, from their want of connexion with any kind 
 heart of the other sex, no widows and orphans 
 were left to lament their several ends, and further 
 more, as they were both mortal, and might be ex 
 pected to die at a suitable period, and yet did not 
 terminate their career until each had attained the 
 mature age of three-score, the reader can find no 
 just grounds of dissatisfaction at being allowed this 
 deep glance into the womb of fate. 
 
 The chaplain abandoned the seas in time to re 
 trieve his character, a circumstance which gave no 
 little satisfaction to Katherine, who occasionally 
 annoyed her worthy husband on the subject of th 
 informality of their marriage. 
 
 Griffith and his mourning bride conveyed tli 
 body of Colonel Howard in safety to one of tr 
 principal towns in Holland, where it was respect 
 fully and sorrowfully interred; after which the 
 young man removed to Paris, with a view of erasing 
 the sad images, which the hurried and melancholy 
 events of the few preceding days had left on the 
 mind of his lovely companion. From this place 
 Cecilia held communion, by letter, with her friend 
 Alice Dunscombe, and such suitable provision was 
 made in the affairs of her late uncle as the times 
 would permit. Afterwards, when Griffith obtained 
 the command which had been offered him, before 
 sailing on the cruise in the North Sea, they re- 
 
 
-292 THE PILOT. 
 
 turned together to America. The young man con 
 tinued a sailor until the close of the war, when he 
 entirely withdrew from the ocean, and devoted 
 the remainder of his life to the conjoint duties of a 
 husband and a good citizen. 
 
 As it was easy to reclaim the estates of Colonel 
 Howard, which, in fact, had been abandoned more 
 from pride than necessity, and which had never 
 oeen confiscated, their joint inheritances made the 
 young couple extremely affluent, and we shall here 
 take occasion to say, that Griffith remembered his 
 promise to the dying master, and saw such a pro 
 vision made for the childless mother, as her situa 
 tion and his character required. 
 
 It might have been some twelve years after the 
 short cruise, which it has been our task to record 
 in these volumes, that Griffith, who was running 
 his eyes carelessly over a file of newspapers, was 
 observed by his wife to drop the bundle from be 
 fore his face, and pass his hand slowly across his 
 brow, like a man who had been suddenly struck 
 ith renewed impressions of some former event, 
 .,r who was endeavouring to recall to his mind 
 images that had long since faded. 
 
 " See you any thing in that paper to disturb 
 you, Griffith ?" said the still lovely Cecilia. " I 
 hope that now we have our confederate govern 
 ment, the States will soon recover from their loss 
 es but it is one of those plans to create a new 
 navy, that has met your eye ! Ah ! truant ! you 
 sigh to become a wanderer again, and pine aftei 
 your beloved ocean !" 
 
 " I have ceased sighing and pining since you 
 have begun to smile," he returned, with a vacani 
 manner, and without removing his hand from his 
 brow. 
 
 .J 
 
THE PILOT. 293 
 
 4 Is not the new order of things, then, likely to 
 succeed ? Does the Congress enter into contention 
 with the President ?" 
 
 " The wisdom and name of Washington will 
 smooth the way for the experiment, until time 
 shall mature the system. Cecilia, do you remem 
 ber the man who accompanied Manual and myself 
 to St. Ruth, the night we became your uncle s pri 
 soners, and who afterwards led the party which 
 liberated us, and rescued Barnstable ?" 
 
 " Surely I do ; he was the pilot of your ship, it 
 was then said ; and I remember the shrewd sol 
 dier we entertained even suspected that he was 
 one greater than he seemed." 
 
 " The soldier surmised the truth : but you saw 
 him not on that fearful night, when he carried us 
 through the shoals ! and you could not witness the 
 calm courage with which he guided the ship into 
 those very channels again, while the confusion of 
 battle was among us !" 
 
 " I heard the dreadful din ! And I can easily 
 imagine the horrid scene," returned his wife, her 
 recollections chasing the colour from her cheeks 
 even at that distance of time ; " but what of him ? 
 is his name mentioned in those papers ? Ah ! they 
 are English prints ! you called his name Gray, if 
 I remember ?" 
 
 " That was the name he bore with us ! he was 
 a man who had formed romantic notions of glory, 
 and wished every thing concealed in which he act 
 ed a part that he thought would not contribute to 
 his renown. It has been, therefore, in compliance 
 with a solemn promise made at the time, that I 
 have ever avoided mentioning his name he is 
 now dead !" 
 
 " Can there have been any* connexion between 
 him and Alice Dunscombe ?" said Cecilia, drop 
 25* 
 
2Q4 THE PILOT. 
 
 ping her work in her lap, in a thoughtful manner. 
 " She met him alone, at her own urgent request, 
 the night Katherine and myself saw you in your 
 confinement, and even then my cousin whispered 
 that they were acquainted ! The letter I received 
 yesterday, from Alice, was sealed with black, and 
 I was pained with the melancholy, though gentle 
 manner, in which she wrote of passing from this 
 world into another !" 
 
 Griffith glanced his eye at his wife, with a look 
 of sudden intelligence, and then answered like one 
 vrho began to see with the advantages of a clearer 
 atmosphere. 
 
 " Cecilia, your conjecture is surely true ! Fifty 
 things rush to my mind at that one surmise his 
 acquaintance with that particular spot his early 
 life- -his expedition his knowledge of the abbey, 
 all confirm it ! He, altogether, was indeed a man 
 of marked character !" 
 
 " Why has he not been among us," asked Ce 
 cilia ; " he appeared devoted to our cause ?" 
 
 " His devotion to America proceeded from de 
 sire of distinction, his ruling passion, and perhaps 
 a little also from resentment at some injustice 
 which he claimed to have suffered from his own 
 countrymen. He was a man, and not therefore 
 without foibles among which may have been 
 Beckoned the estimation of his own acts ; but they 
 vere most daring, and deserving of prafce ! nei 
 ther did he at all merit the obloquy that he re 
 ceived from his enemies. His love of liberty may 
 be more questionable ; for if he commenced hi? 
 deeds in the cause of these free States, they ter 
 minated in the service of a despot ! He is now 
 dead but had he lived in times and under circum 
 stances, when his consummate knowledge of his 
 profession, his cool, deliberate, and even desperate 
 
THE PILOT. 295 
 
 courage could have been exercised in a regular, 
 and well-supported Navy, and had the habits of his 
 youth better qualified him to have borne, meekly, 
 the honours he acquired in his age, he would have 
 left behind him no name in its lists that would 
 have descended to the latest posterity of his adopt 
 ed countrymen with greater renown !" 
 
 " Why, Griffith," exclaimed Cecilia, in a little 
 surprise, " you are zealous in hie cause ! Who 
 was he ?" 
 
 " A man who held a promise of secrecy while 
 living, which is not at all released by his death, 
 It is enough to know, that he was greatly instru 
 mental in procuring our sudden union, and that 
 our happiness might have been wrecked in the 
 voyage of life had we not met the unknown pilot 
 of the German Ocean." 
 
 Perceiving her husband to rise, and carefully 
 collect the papers in a bundle, before he left the 
 room, Cecilia made no further remark at the time, 
 nor was the subject ever revived between them. 
 
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 General Library 
 
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GENERAL LIBRARY -U.C. BERKELEY 
 
 P.102670 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
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