" All safe now, Mildred ! cried the young man, as his hands caught 
 the lines which he immediately passed around his body." 
 
 The Tivo Admirals, page 24. 
 
THE 
 
 TWO ADMIRALS 
 
 H ITale of tbe Sea 
 
 BY 
 
 J. FENIMORE COOPER 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 LAST OF THE MOHICANS," "THE DKERSLAYER," "THE PATHFINDER, 
 THE PIONEERS," "THE PRAIRIE," "THE PILOT/ ETC., ETC. 
 
 
 CHICAGO AND NZW YORK: 
 
 BELFORD, CLARKE & COMPANY, 
 
 PUBLISHERS. 
 
TROW8 
 BOOKBINDING COMPANY, 
 
! 5 
 
 THE TWO ADMIRALS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Then, if he were my brother s, 
 
 My brother might not claim him ; nor your father, 
 Being none of his, refuse him : This concludes 
 My mother s son did get your father s heir ; 
 Your father s heir must have your father s land. King John. 
 
 THE events we are about to relate occurred near the 
 middle of the last century, previously even to that struggle 
 which it is the fashion of America to call "the old 
 French War." The opening scene of our tale, however, 
 must be sought in the other hemisphere, and on the -coast 
 of the mother country. In the middle of the eighteenth 
 century, the American colonies were models of loyalty ; 
 the very war, to which there has just been allusion, caus 
 ing the" great expenditure that induced the ministry to 
 have recourse to the system of taxation which terminated 
 in the Revolution. The family quarrel had not yet com 
 menced. Intensely occupied with the conflict, which 
 terminated not more gloriously for the British arms than 
 advantageously for the British American possessions, the 
 inhabitants of the provinces were perhaps never better dis 
 posed to the metropolitan state, than at the very period of 
 which we are about to write. All their early predilec 
 tions seemed to be gaining strength, instead of becoming 
 weaker ; and, as in nature, the calm is known to succeed 
 the tempest, the blind attachment of the colony to the 
 parent country was but a precursor of the alienation and 
 violent disunion that were so soon to follow. 
 
 Although the superiority of the English seaman was 
 well established, in the conflicts that took place between 
 the year 1740, and that of 1763, the naval warfare of the 
 
4 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 period by no means possessed the very decided character 
 with which it became stamped, a quarter of a century 
 later. In our own times, the British marine appears to 
 have improved in quality, as its enemies deteriorated. In 
 the year 1812, however/" Greek met Greek," when of a 
 verity came " the tug of war." The great change that 
 came over the other navies of Europe was merely a con 
 sequence of the revolutions, which drove experienced men 
 into exile, and, which, by rendering armies all-important 
 even, to the existence of the different states, threw nautical 
 enterprises into the shade, and gave an engrossing direc 
 tion to courage and talent in another quarter. While 
 France was struggling, first for independence, and next 
 for the mastery of the Continent, a marine was a second 
 ary object ; for Vienna, Berlin, and Moscow, were as easily 
 entered without, as with its aid. To these and other simi 
 lar causes, must be referred the explanation of the seem 
 ing invincibility of the English arms at sea, during the 
 late great conflicts of Europe ; an invincibility that was 
 more apparent than real, however, as many well-estab 
 lished defeats were, even then, intermingled with her 
 thousand victories. 
 
 From the time when her numbers could furnish succor of 
 this nature, down to the day of separation, America had 
 her full share in the exploits of the English marine. The 
 gentry of the colonies willingly placed their sons in the 
 royal navy, and many a bit of square bunting has been 
 flying at the royal mastheads of king s ships, in the nine 
 teenth century, as the distinguishing symbols of flag-offi 
 cers, who had to look for their birthplaces among our 
 selves. In the course of a checkered life, in which \ve.have 
 been brought in collision with as great a diversity of rank, 
 professions, and characters, as often falls to the lot of any 
 one individual, we have been thrown into contact with no 
 less than eight English admirals of American birth ; while 
 it has never yet been our good fortune to meet with a 
 countryman who has had this rank bestowed, on him by 
 his own government. On one occasion, an Englishman, 
 who had filled the highest civil office connected with the 
 marine of his nation, observed to us, that the only man he 
 then knew, in the British navy, in whom he should feel an 
 entire confidence in intrusting an important command, 
 was one of these translated admirals ; and the thought 
 unavoidably passed through our mind, that this favorite 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 5 
 
 commander had done well in adhering to the conventional, 
 instead of clinging to his natural allegiance, inasmuch as 
 he might have toiled for half a century, in the service of 
 his native land, and been rewarded with a rank that 
 would merely put him on a level with "a colonel in the 
 army! How much longer this short-sighted policy and 
 grievous injustice are to continue, no man can say ; but it 
 is safe to believe that it is to last until some legislator of 
 influence learns the simple truth, that the fancied reluc 
 tance of popular constituencies to do right oftener exists in 
 the apprehensions of their representatives, than in reality. 
 But to our tale. 
 
 England enjoys a wide-spread reputation for her fogs ; 
 but little do they know how much a fog may add to 
 natural scenery, who never witnessed its magical effects as 
 it has caused the beautiful landscape to coquette with the 
 eye, in playful and capricious changes. Our opening 
 scene is in one of these much derided fogs ; though, let it 
 always be remembered, it was a fog of June, and not of 
 November. On a high headland of the coast of Devonshire 
 stood a little station-house, which had been erected with a 
 view to communicate by signals with the shipping that 
 sometimes lay at anchor in an adjacent roadstead. A little 
 island is a village, or hamlet, that it suits our purpose to 
 call Wychecombe ; and at no great distance from the 
 village itself, surrounded by a small park, stood a house of 
 the age of Henry VII., which was the abode of Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe, a baronet of the creation of King 
 James L, and the possessor of an improvable estate of 
 some three or four thousand a year, which had been trans 
 mitted to him, through a line of ancestors that ascended 
 as far back as the time of the Plantagenets. Neither 
 Wychecombe, nor the headland, nor the anchorage, was a 
 place of note ; for much larger and more favored hamlets, 
 villages, and towns lay scattered about that fine portion of 
 England ; much better roadsteads and bays could generally 
 be used by the coming or the parting vessel ; and far more 
 important signal-stations were to be met with, all along 
 that coast. Nevertheless, the roadstead was entered when 
 calm or adverse winds rendered it expedient ; the hamlet 
 had its conveniences, and, like most English hamlets, its 
 beauties ; and the hall and park were not without their 
 claim to state and rural magnificence. A century since, 
 whatever the table of precedency or Blackstone may say, 
 
6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 an Engligh baronet, particularly one of the date of 1611, 
 was a much greater personage than he is to-day ; and an 
 estate of ^"4,000 a year, more especially if not rack-rented, 
 was of an extent, and necessarily of a local consequence, 
 equal to one of near, or quite three times the same amount, 
 in our own day. Sir Wycherley, however, enjoyed an ad 
 vantage that was of still greater importance, and which 
 was more common in 1745, than at the present moment. 
 He had no rival within fifteen miles of him, and the 
 nearest potentate was a nobleman of a rank and fortune 
 that put all competition out of the question ; one who dwelt 
 in courts, the favorite of kings ; leaving the Baronet, as it 
 might be, in undisturbed enjoyment of all the local 
 homage. Sir Wycherly had once been a member of Par 
 liament, and only once. In his youth, he had been a fox- 
 hunter ; and a small property in Yorkshire had long been 
 in the family, as a sort of foothold on such enjoyments ; 
 but having broken a leg, in one of his leaps, he had taken 
 refuge against ennui, by sitting a single session in the 
 House of Commons, as the member of a borough that lay 
 adjacent to his hunting-box. This session sufficed for his 
 whole life ; the good baronet having taken the matter so 
 literally, as to be present at all the sittings ; a sort of tax 
 on his time, which, as it came wholly unaccompanied by 
 profit, was very likely soon to tire out the patience of an 
 old fox-hunter. After resigning his seat, he retired alto 
 gether to Wychecombe, where he passed the last fifty 
 years, extolling England, and most especially that part of 
 it in which his own estate lay ; in abusing the French, 
 with occasional innuendoes against Spain and Holland ; 
 and in eating and drinking. He had never travelled ; for, 
 though Englishmen of his station often did visit the Con 
 tinent, a century ago, they oftener did not. It was the 
 courtly and the noble, who then chiefly took this means of 
 improving their minds and manners ; a class to which the 
 Baronet by no means necessarily belonged. 
 
 To conclude, Sir Wycherly was now eighty-four ; hale, 
 hearty, and a bachelor. He had been born the oldest of 
 five brothers ; the cadets taking refuge, as usual, in the 
 inns of court, the church, the army, and the navy ; and 
 precisely in the order named. The lawyer had actually 
 risen to be a judge, by the style and appellation of Baron 
 Wychecombe ; had three illegitimate children by his house 
 keeper, and died, leaving to the eldest thereof all his pro- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 7 
 
 fessional earnings, after buying commissions for the two 
 younger in the army. The divine broke his neck, while 
 yet a curate, in a fox-hunt ; dying unmarried, and, so far 
 as is generally known, childless. This was Sir Wycherly s 
 favorite brother ; who, he was accustomed to say, " lost his 
 life in setting an example of field-sports to his parish 
 ioners." The soldier was fairly killed in battle, before he 
 was twenty ; and the name of the sailor suddenly disap 
 peared from the list of his Majesty s lieutenants, about 
 half a century before the time when our tale opens, by 
 shipwreck. Between the sailor and the head of the family, 
 however, there had been no great sympathy ; in conse 
 quence, as it was rumored, of a certain beauty s preference 
 for the latter, though this preference produced no suites, 
 inasmuch as the lady died a maid. Mr. Gregory Wyche- 
 combe, the lieutenant in question, was what is termed 
 a "wild boy;" and it was the general impression, when 
 his parents sent him to sea, that the ocean would now 
 meet with its match. The hopes of the family centred 
 in the judge, after the death of the curate, and it was 
 a great cause of regret, to those who took an interest 
 in its perpetuity and renown, that this dignitary did not 
 marry ; since the premature death of all the other sons 
 had left the hall, park, and goodly farms, without any known 
 legal heir. In a w^ord, this branch of the family of Wye he- 
 combe would be extinct, when Sir Wycherly died, and the 
 entail become useless. Not a female inheritor, even, or a 
 male inheritor through females could be traced ; and 
 it had become imperative on Sir Wycherly to make a will, 
 lest the property should go off, the Lord knows where ; or, 
 what was worse, it should escheat. It is true, Tom Wyche- 
 combe, the Judge s eldest son, often gave dark hints about 
 a secret, and a timely marriage between his parents, a fact 
 that would have superseded the necessity for all devises, 
 as the property was strictly tied up, so far as the lineal de 
 scendants of a certain old Sir Wycherly were concerned ; 
 but the present Sir Wycherly had seen his brother, in his 
 last illness, on which occasion the following conversation 
 had taken place. 
 
 "And now, brother Thomas," said the Baronet, in a 
 friendly and consoling manner, "having, as one may say, 
 prepared your soul for heaven, by these prayers and ad 
 missions of your sins, a word may be prudently said con 
 
8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 cerning the affairs of this world. You know I am childless 
 that is to say 
 
 " I understand you, Wycherly," interrupted the dying 
 man, "you re a bachelor" 
 
 " That s it, Thomas ; and bachelors ought not to have 
 children. Had our poor brother James escaped that mis 
 hap, he might have been sitting at your bedside at this 
 moment, and he could have told us all about it. St. James 
 I used to call him ; and well did he deserve the name ! " 
 
 " St. James the Least, then it must have been, Wycherly." 
 
 "It s a dreadful thing to have no heir, Thomas! Did you 
 ever know a case in your practice, in which another estate 
 was left so completely without an heir, as this of ours?" 
 
 "It does not often happen, brother ; heirs are usually 
 more abundant than estates." 
 
 " So I thought. Will the king get the title as well as the 
 estate, brother, if it should escheat, as you call it ? " 
 
 " Being the fountain of honor, he will be rather indif 
 ferent about the Baronetcy." 
 
 " I should care less if it went to the next sovereign who 
 is English born. Wychecombe has always belonged to 
 Englishmen." 
 
 " That it has ; and ever will, I trust. You have only to 
 select an heir, when I am gone, and by making a will, with 
 proper devises, the property will be escheat. Be careful 
 to use the full terms of perpetuity." 
 
 " Every thing was comfortable, brother, while you were 
 in health," said Sir Wycherly, fidgeting; "you were my 
 natural heir " 
 
 " Heir of entail," interrupted the Judge. 
 
 " Well, well, heir, at all events ; and that was a prodig 
 ious comfort to a man like myself, who has a sort of relig 
 ious scruple about making a will. I have heard it whis 
 pered that you were actually married to Martha ; in which 
 case Tom might drop into our shoes so readily, without 
 any more signing and sealing." 
 
 "A filius nullius" returned the other, too conscientious 
 to lend himself to a deception of that nature. 
 
 " Why, brother, Tom often seems to me to favor such an 
 idea himself." 
 
 " No wonder, Wycherly, for the idea would greatly favor 
 him. Tom and his brothers are all filii nullorum God for 
 give me for that same wrong." 
 
 " I wonder neither Charles nor Gregory thought of mar- 
 
THE Tll O A DM IRA IS. 9 
 
 rying before they lost their lives for their king and coun 
 try," put in Sir Wyclierly, in an upbraiding tone, as if he 
 thought his penniless brethren had done him an injury in 
 neglecting to supply him with an heir, though he had been 
 so forgetful himself of the same duty. " I did think of 
 bringing in a bill for providing heirs for unmarried per 
 sons, without the trouble and responsibility of making 
 wills." 
 
 " That would have been a great improvement on the law 
 of descents ; I hope you wouldn t have overlooked the an 
 cestors." 
 
 " Not I ; everybody would have got his rights. They 
 tell me poor Charles never spoke after he was shot ; but I 
 dare say, did he know the truth, he regretted sincerely that 
 he never married." 
 
 "There, for once, Wycherly, I think you are likely to be 
 wrong. A femme sole without food, is rather a helpless 
 sort of person." 
 
 " Well, well, I wish he had married. What would it have 
 been to me, had he left a dozen widows ? " 
 
 " It might have raised some awkward questions as to 
 dowry ; and if each left a son, the title and estates would 
 have been worse off than they are at present, without wid 
 ows or legitimate children." 
 
 "Any thing would be better than having no heir. I be 
 lieve I m the first baronet of Wychecombe who has been 
 obliged to make a will ! " 
 
 "Quite likely," returned the brother, dryly ; " I remem 
 ber to have got nothing from the last one, in that way. 
 Charles and Gregory fared no better. Never mind, Wy 
 cherly, you behaved like a father to us all." 
 
 " I don t mind signing checks, in the least ; but wills 
 have an irreligious appearance, in my eyes. There are a 
 good many Wychecombes, in England ; I wonder some of 
 them are not of our family ! They tell me a hundredth 
 cousin is just as good an heir as a first-born son." 
 
 " Failing nearer of kin. But we have no hundredth 
 cousins of the whole blood." 
 
 " There are the Wychecombes of Surrey, brother, 
 Thomas " 
 
 " Descended from a bastard of the second baronet, and 
 out of the line of descent, altogether." 
 
 " But the Wychecombes of Hertfordshire I have always 
 heard were of our family, and legitimate." 
 
io THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " True, as regards matrimony rather too much of it, by 
 the way. They branched off in 1487, long before the crea 
 tion and have nothing to do with the entail ; the first of 
 their line coming from old Sir Michael Wychecombe, Kt, 
 and Sheriff of Devonshire, by his second wife, Margaret ; 
 while we are derived from the same male ancestor, through 
 Wycherly, the only son by Joan, the first wife. Wycherly, 
 and Michael, the son of Michael and Margery, were the 
 half-blood, as respects each other, and could not be heirs 
 of blood. What was true of the ancestors is true of the 
 descendants." 
 
 " But we came of the same ancestor, and the estate is 
 far older than 1487." 
 
 " Quite true, brother ; nevertheless, the half-blood can t 
 take ; so says the perfection of human reason." 
 
 " I never could understand these niceties of the law," 
 said Sir Wycherly, sighing ; " but I suppose they are all 
 right. There are so many Wychecombes scattered about 
 England, that I should think some one among them all 
 might be my heir ! " 
 
 " Every man of them bears a bar in his arms, or is of 
 the half-blood." 
 
 " You are quite sure, brother, that Tom is *.filius nullus?" 
 for the Baronet had forgotten most of the Latin he ever 
 knew, and translated this legal phrase into "no son." 
 
 " Filius nullius, Sir Wycherly, the son of nobody; your 
 reading would literally make Tom nobody ; whereas, he is 
 only the son of nobody." 
 
 " But, brother, he is your son, and as like you as two 
 hounds of the same litter." 
 
 " I am null-US, in the eye of the law, as regards poor Tom ; 
 who, until he marries, and has children of his own, is alto 
 gether without legal kindred. Nor do I know that legiti 
 macy would make Tom any better ; for he is presuming 
 and confident enough for the heir apparent to the throne, 
 as it is." 
 
 " Well, there s this young sailor, who has been so much 
 at the station lately, since he was left ashore for the cure 
 of his wounds. Tis a most gallant lad ; and the First 
 Lord has sent him a commission, as a reward for his good 
 conduct in cutting out the Frenchman. I look upon him 
 as a credit to the name ; and I make no question, he is, 
 some way or other, of our family." 
 
 "Does he claim to be so?" asked the judge, a little 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. n 
 
 quickly, for he distrusted men in general, and thought, 
 from all he had heard, that some attempt might have been 
 made to practise on his brother s simplicity. " I thought 
 you told me that he came from the American colonies ? " 
 
 " So he does ; he s a native of Virginia, as was his father 
 before him." 
 
 " A convict, perhaps ; or a servant, quite likely, who has 
 found the name of his former master more to his lining 
 than his own. Such things are common, they tell me, be 
 yond seas." 
 
 "Yes, if. he were any thing but an American, I might 
 wish he were my heir," returned Sir Wycherly, in a mel 
 ancholy tone ; " but it would be worse than to let the lands 
 escheat, as you call it, to place an American in possession 
 of Wychecombe. The manors have always had English 
 owners, down to the present moment, thank God ! " 
 
 " Should they have any other, it \vill be your own fault, 
 Wycherly. When I am dead, and that will happen ere 
 many weeks, the human being will not be living who can 
 take that property, after your demise, in any other man 
 ner than by escheat or by devise. There will then be 
 neither heir of entail, nor heir at law ; and you may make 
 whom you please master at Wychecombe, provided he be 
 not an alien." 
 
 " Not an American, I suppose, brother ; an American is 
 an alien, of course." 
 
 " Humph ! why, not in law, whatever he may be accord 
 ing to our English notions. Harkee, brother Wycherly; 
 I ve never asked you, or wished you to leave the estate to 
 Tom, or his younger brothers ; for one and all are filii 
 nollonifn as I term em, though my brother, Record will 
 have it, it ought to be filii niillius, as well as filius nullius. 
 Let that be as it may ; no bastard should lord it at Wyche 
 combe ; and rather than the king should get the lands, to 
 bestow on some favorite, I would give it to the half-blood." 
 
 " Can that be done without making a will, brother 
 
 T-l 1 
 
 1 ho mas ? 
 
 " It can not, Sir Wycherly ; nor with a will, so long as 
 an heir of entail can be found." 
 
 u Is there no way of making Tom a filius somebody, so 
 that he can succeed ?" 
 
 " Not under our laws. By the civil law, such a thing 
 might have been done, and by the Scotch law ; but not 
 under the perfection of reason." 
 
12 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " I wish you knew this young Virginian ! The lad bears 
 both of my names, Wycherly Wychecombe." 
 
 " He is not "A. filius Wycherly is he, Baronet ?" 
 
 " Fie upon thee, brother Thomas ! Do you think I have 
 less candor than thyself, that I would not acknowledge my 
 own flesh and blood ? I never saw the youngster, until 
 within the last six months, when he was landed from the 
 roadstead, and brought to Wychecombe, to be cured of his 
 wounds; nor ever heard of him before. When they told 
 me his name was Wycherly Wychecombe, I could do no 
 less than call and see him. The poor fellow lay at death s 
 door for a fortnight. And it was while we had little or no 
 hope of saving him, that I got the few family anecdotes 
 from him. Now, that would be good evidence in law, I 
 believe, Thomas." 
 
 " For certain things, had the lad really died. Surviving, 
 he must be heard on his voir dire, and under oath. But 
 what was his tale ? " 
 
 " A very short one. He told me his father was a 
 Wycherly Wychecombe, and that his grandfather had been 
 a Virginia planter. This was all he seemed to know of 
 his ancestry." 
 
 " And probably all there was of them. My Tom is not 
 the only filius nullius that has been among us, and this 
 grandfather, if he has not actually stolen the name, has 
 got it by these doubtful means. As for the Wycherly, it 
 should pass for nothing. Learning that there is a line of 
 baronets of his name, every pretender to the family would 
 be apt to call a son Wycherly." 
 
 " The line will shortly be ended, brother," returned Sir 
 Wycherly, sighing. " I wish you might be mistaken, and, 
 after all, Tom shouldn t prove to be that filius you call 
 him." 
 
 Mr. Baron Wychecombe, as much from esprit de corps as 
 from moral principle, was a man of strict integrity, in all 
 things that related to meum and tuum. He was particularly 
 rigid in his notions concerning the transmission of real 
 estate, and the rights of primogeniture. The world had 
 taken little interest in the private history of a lawyer, and 
 his sons having been born before his elevation to the 
 bench, he passed with the public for a widower, with a 
 family of promising boys. Not one in a hundred of his 
 acquaintances even suspected the fact ; and nothing would 
 have been easier for him than to have imposed on his 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 13 
 
 brother, by inducing him to make a will under some legal 
 mystification or other, and to have caused Tom Wyche 
 combe to succeed to the property in question by an indis 
 putable title. There would have been no great difficulty 
 even, in his son s assuming and maintaining his right to 
 the baronetcy, inasmuch as there would be no competi 
 tor, and the crown officers were not particularly rigid in 
 inquiring into the claims of those who assumed a title 
 that brought with it no political privileges. Still, he was 
 far from indulging in any such project. To him it ap 
 peared that the Wychecombe estate ought to go with the 
 principles that usually governed such matters ; and, al 
 though he submitted to the dictum of the common law, 
 as regarded the provision which excluded the half blood 
 from inheriting, with the deference of an English common- 
 law lawyer, he saw and felt that, failing the direct line, 
 Wychecombe ought to revert to the descendants of Sir 
 Michael by his second son, for the plain reason that they 
 were just as much derived from the person who had ac 
 quired the estate as his brother Wycherly and himself. 
 Had there been descendents of females even to interfere, 
 no such opinion would have existed ; but, as between an 
 escheat, or a devise in favor of a. f Hits milliits, or of the de 
 scendant of &fiUiis nulliiis, the half-blood possessed every 
 possible advantage. In his legal eyes, legitimacy was 
 every thing, although he had not hesitated to be the 
 means of bringing into the world seven illegitimate 
 children, that being the precise number Martha had the 
 credit of having borne him, though three only survived. 
 After reflecting a moment, therefore, he turned to the 
 Baronet, and addressed him more seriously than he had 
 yet done, in the present dialogue ; first taking a draught 
 of cordial to give him strength for the occasion. 
 
 " Listen to me, brother Wycherly," said the judge, with 
 a gravity that at once caught the attention of the other. 
 "You know something of the family history, and I need do 
 no more than allude to it. Our ancestors were the knightly 
 possessors of Wychecombe, centuries before King James 
 established the rank of baronet. When our great-grand 
 father, Sir Wycherly, accepted the patent of 1611, he 
 scarcely did himself honor ; for, by aspiring higher, he 
 might have got a peerage. However, a baronet he became, 
 and for the first time since Wychecombe was Wychecombe, 
 the estate was entailed, to do credit to the new rank. Now, 
 
I 4 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the first Sir Wycherly had three sons, and no daughter. 
 Each of these sons succeeded : the two eldest as bachelors, 
 and the youngest was our grandfather. Sir Thomas, the 
 fourth baronet, left an only child, Wycherly, our father. 
 Sir Wycherly, our father, had five sons : Wycherly, his 
 successor, yourself, and the sixth baronet ; myself ; James ; 
 Charles ; and Gregory. The two last lost their lives in the 
 king s service, unmarried ; and neither you nor I have 
 entered into the holy state of matrimony. I cannot sur 
 vive a month, and the hope of perpetuating the direct line 
 of the family rests with yourself. This accounts for all the 
 descendants of Sir Wycherly, the first baronet ; and it also 
 settles the question of heirs of entail, of whom there are 
 none after myself. To go back beyond the time of King 
 James I. : Twice did the elder lines of the Wychecombs 
 fail, between the reign of King Richard II. and King Henry 
 VII., when Sir Michael succeeded. Now, in each of these 
 cases, the law disposed of the succession : the youngest 
 branches of the family, in both instances, getting the es 
 tate. It follows, agreeably to legal decisions had at the 
 time, when the facts must have been known, that the 
 Wychecombes were reduced to these younger lines. Sir 
 Michael had two wives. From the first we are derived ; 
 from the last, the Wychecombes of Hertfordshire, since 
 known as baronets of that county, by the style and title of 
 Sir Reginald Wychecombe of Wychecombe-Regis, Herts." 
 
 " The present Sir Reginald can have no claim, being of 
 the half-blood," put in Sir Wycherly, with a brevity of 
 manner that denoted feeling. " The half blood is as bad as 
 a nulliits, as you call Tom." 
 
 " Not quite. A person of the half-blood may be as legit 
 imate as the king s majesty; whereas, a nullius is of no 
 blood. Now, suppose for a moment, Sir Wycherly, that 
 you had been a son by a first wife, and I had been a son by a 
 second would there have been no relationship between us?" 
 
 " What a question, Tom, to put to your brother ! " 
 
 " But I should not be your own brother, my good sir ; 
 only your half brother ; of the half, and not of the whole 
 blood." 
 
 " What of that what of that ? your father would have 
 been my father we would have had the same name the 
 same family history the same family feelings poll ! poh ! 
 we should have both been Wychecombes, exactly as we arc 
 to-day." 
 
.9. 15 
 
 ive been your heir, 
 
 nor you mine. The estate would esclTfe air to the king, 
 Hanoverian or Scotchman, before it came to me. Indeed, 
 to me it could never come. " 
 
 "Thomas, you are trifling with my ignorance, and mak 
 ing matters worse than they really are. Certainly, as long 
 as you lived, you would be my heir!" 
 
 "Very true, as to the ^20,000 in the funds, but not as 
 to the baronetcy, and Wychecombe. So far as the two last 
 are concerned, I am heir of blood, and of entail, of the 
 body of Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, the first baronet, and 
 the maker of the entail." 
 
 "Had there been no entail, and I had died a child, who 
 would have succeeded our father, supposing there had 
 been two mothers ? " 
 
 " I, as the next surviving son." 
 
 "There ! I knew it must be so ! " exclaimed Sir Wycher 
 ly, in triumph ; "and all this time you have been joking 
 with me ! " 
 
 "Not so fast, brother of mine not so fast. I should be 
 of the whole blood, as respected our father, and all the 
 Wychecombes that have gone before him ; but of the half- 
 blood, as respected you. From our father I might have 
 taken, as his heir-at-law ; but fromjjw/, never, having been 
 of the //tf/7-blood." 
 
 " I would have made a will, in that case, Thomas, and 
 left you every farthing," said Sir Wycherly, with feeling. 
 
 " That is just what I wish you to do with Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe. You must take him ; ^fillius nullius, in the 
 person of my son Tom ; a stranger ; or let the property 
 escheat ; for, we are so peculiarly placed as not to have a 
 known relative, by either the male or female lines ; the 
 maternal ancestors being just as barren of heirs as the pa 
 ternal. Our good mother was the natural daughter of the 
 third Earl of Prolific ; our grandmother was the last of 
 her race, so far as human ken can discover ; our great- 
 grandmother is said to have had semi-royal blood in her 
 veins, without the aid of the Church, and beyond that it 
 would be hopeless to attempt tracing consanguinity on that 
 side of the house. No, Wycherly ; it is Sir Reginald who 
 has the best right to the land ; Tom, or one of his brothers, 
 an utter stranger, or his Majesty, follow. Remember that 
 estates of ^4,000 a year don t often escheat, nowadays." 
 
 "If you ll draw up a will, brother, I ll leave it all to Tom," 
 
1 6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 cried the Baronet, with sudden energy. " Nothing need be 
 said about the nullius ; and when I m gone, he ll step qui 
 etly into my place." 
 
 Nature triumphed a moment in the bosom of the father ; 
 but habit, and the stern sense of right soon overcame the 
 feeling. Perhaps certain doubts, and a knowledge of his 
 son s real character, contributed their share toward the 
 reply. 
 
 " It ought not to be, Sir Wycherly," returned the judge, 
 musing ; " Torn has no right to Wychecombe, and Sir 
 Reginald has the best moral right possible, though the law 
 cuts him off. Had Sir Michael made the entail, instead of 
 our great-grandfather, he would ha,ve come in as a matter 
 of course." 
 
 " I never liked Sir Reginald Wychecombe," said the Bar 
 onet, stubbornly. 
 
 "What of that? He will not trouble you while living, 
 and when dead it will be all the same. Come, come I 
 will draw the will myself, leaving blanks for the name; 
 and when it is once done, you will sign it, cheerfully. It 
 is the last legal act I shall ever perform, and it will be a 
 suitable one, death being constantly before me." 
 
 This ended the dialogue. The will was drawn according 
 to promise ; Sir Wycherly took it to his room to read, care 
 fully inserted the name of Tom Wychecombe in all the 
 blank spaces, brought it back, duly executed the instru 
 ment in his brother s presence, and then gave the paper to 
 his nephew to preserve, with a strong injunction on him to 
 keep the secret, until the instrument should have force by 
 his own death. Mr. Baron Wychecombe died in six weeks, 
 and the Baronet returned to his residence, a sincere 
 mourner for the loss of an only brother. A more unfortu 
 nate selection of an heir could not have been made, as 
 Tom Wychecombe was, in reality, the son of a barrister in 
 the Temple ; the fancied likeness to the reputed father ex 
 isting only in the imagination of his credulous uncle. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 How fearful 
 
 And dizzy tis, to cast one s eyes so low ! 
 The crows, and choughs, that wing the midway air, 
 Show scarce so gross as beetles ! Half way down 
 Hangs one that gathers samphire ! dreadful trade ! King Lear. 
 
 THIS digression on the family of Wychecombe has led 
 us far from the signal-station, the headland, and the fog, 
 with which the tale opened. The little dwelling connected 
 with the station stood at a short distance from the staif, 
 sheltered, by the formation of the ground, from the bleak 
 winds of the channel, and fairly embowered in shrubs and 
 flowers. It was a humble cottage, that had been ornament 
 ed with more taste than was usual in England in that day. 
 Its whitened walls, thatched roof, picketed garden, and 
 trellised porch, bespoke care and a mental improvement 
 in the inmates, that were scarcely to be expected in persons 
 so humbly employed as the keeper of the signal staff^ and 
 his family. All near the house, too, was in the same ex 
 cellent condition : for while the headland itself lay in com 
 mon, this portion of it was inclosed in two or three pretty 
 little fields, that were grazed by a single horse, and a couple 
 of cows. There were no hedges, however, the thorn not 
 growing willingly in a situation so exposed ; but the fields 
 were divided by fences, neatly enough made of wood, that 
 declared its own origin, having in fact been part of the 
 timber and planks of a wreck. As the whole was white 
 washed, it had a rustic, and, in a climate where the sun is 
 seldom oppressive, by no means a disagreeable appearance. 
 
 The scene with which we desire to commence the tale 
 opens about seven o clock on a July morning. On a bench 
 at the foot of the signal staff was seated one of a frame 
 that was naturally large and robust, but which was sensibly 
 beginning to give way, either by age or disease. A glance 
 at the red, bloated face, would suffice to tell a medical man 
 that the habits had more to do with the growing failure of 
 the system than any natural derangement of the physical 
 organs. The face, too, was singularly manly, and had once 
 been handsome, even ; nay, it was not altogether without 
 claims to be so considered still : though intemperance was 
 making sad inroads on its comeliness. 
 
1 8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 This person was about fifty years old, and his air, as well 
 as his attire, denoted a mariner ; not a common seaman, 
 nor yet altogether an officer ; but one of those of a middle 
 station, who in navies used to form a class by themselves ; 
 being of a rank that entitled them to the honors of the 
 quarter deck, though out of the regular line of promotion. 
 In a word, he wore the unpretending uniform of a master. 
 A century ago, the dress of the English naval officer was 
 exceedingly simple, though more appropriate to the pro 
 fession, perhaps, than the more showy attire that has since 
 been introduced. Epaulets were not used by any, and the 
 anchor button, with the tint that is called navy blue, and 
 which is meant to represent the deep blue of the ocean, 
 with white facings, composed the principal peculiarities of 
 the dress. The person introduced to the reader, whose 
 name was Dutton, and who was simply the officer in charge 
 of the signal-station, had a certain neatness about his well- 
 worn uniform, his linen, and all of his attire, which showed 
 that some person more interested in such matters than one 
 of his habits was likely to be, had the care of his wardrobe. 
 In this respect, indeed, his appearance was unexceptionable; 
 and there was an air about the whole man which showed 
 that nature, if not education, had intended him for some 
 thing far better than the being he actually was. 
 
 Dutton was waiting, at that early hour, to ascertain, as 
 the veil of mist was raised from the face of the sea, whether 
 a sail might be in sight, that required of him the execu 
 tion of any of his simple functions. That some one was 
 near by, on the headland, too, was quite evident, by the 
 occasional interchange of speech ; though no person but 
 himself was visible. The direction of the sounds would 
 seem to indicate that a man was actually over the brow of 
 the cliff, perhaps a hundred feet removed from the seat 
 occupied by the master. 
 
 " Recollect the sailor s maxim, Mr. Wychccombe," called 
 out Mr. Dutton, in a warning voice ; " one hand for the 
 king, the other for self! Those cliffs are ticklish places ; 
 arid really it does seem a little unnatural that a seafaring 
 person like yourself should have so great a passion for 
 flowers, as to risk his neck in order to make a posy ! " 
 
 " Never fear for me, Mr. Dutton," answered a full, manly 
 voice, that one could have sworn had issued from the chest 
 of youth ; "never mind for me; we sailors are used to 
 hanging in the air." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 19 
 
 "Aye, with good three-stranded ropes to hold on by, 
 young gentleman. Now his Majesty s government has 
 just made you an officer, there is a sort of obligation to 
 take care of your life, in order that it may be used, and at 
 need, given away, in his service." % 
 
 "Quite true quite true, Mr. Button ; so true, I wonder 
 you think it necessary to remind me of it. I am very grate 
 ful to his Majesty s government, and " 
 
 While speaking, the voice seemed to descend, getting at 
 each instant less and less distinct, until, in the end, it be 
 came quite inaudible. Button looked uneasy, for at that 
 instant a noise was heard, and then it was quite clear some 
 heavy object was falling down the face of the cliff. Now 
 it was that the mariner felt the want of good nerves, and 
 experienced the sense of humiliation which accompanied 
 the consciousness of having destroyed them by his excesses. 
 He trembled in every limb, and, for the moment, was ac 
 tually unable to rise. A light step at his side, however, 
 drew a glance in that direction, and his eye fell on the 
 form of a lovely girl of nineteen, his own daughter, Mil 
 dred. 
 
 " I heard you calling to some one, father," said the latter, 
 looking wistfully, but distrustfully, at her parent, as if 
 wondering at his yielding to his infirmity so early in the 
 day ; " can I be of service to you ?" 
 
 " Poor Wychecombe ! " exclaimed Button. " He went 
 over the cliff in searcli of a nosegay to offer to yourself, 
 and and I fear greatly fear " 
 
 "What, father?" demanded Mildred, in a voice of hor 
 ror, the rich color disappearing from a face which it left 
 of the hue of death. " No no no he can not have 
 fallen ! " 
 
 Button bent his head down, drew a long breath, and 
 then seemed to gain more command of his nerves. He 
 was about to rise, when the sound of a horse s feet was 
 heard, and then Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, mounted on 
 a quiet pony, rode slowly up to the signal-staff. It was a 
 common thing for the Baronet to appear on the cliffs early 
 in the morning, but it was not usual for him to come un 
 attended. The instant her eyes fell on the fine form of the 
 venerable old man, Mildred, who seemed to know him well, 
 and to use the familiarity of one confident of being a fav 
 orite, exclaimed : 
 
 "O ! Sir Wycherly, how fortunate where is Richard?" 
 
20 THE 7 irO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Good morrow, my pretty Milly," answered the Baronet, 
 cheerfully, "fortunate or not, here I am, and not a bit 
 flattered that your first question should be after the groom, 
 instead of his master. Now my poor brother, the judge, 
 is dead and gone, I Ad Mr. Rotherham more and more 
 necessary to me." 
 
 " O ! dear Sir Wycherly Mr. Wychecombe Lieutenant 
 Wychecoinbe, I mean ; the young officer from Virginia 
 he who was so desperately wounded and in whose" recov 
 ery we all took so deep an interest 
 
 "Well what of him, child? You surely do not mean 
 to put him on a level with Mr. Rotherham, in the way of 
 religious consolation ; and, as for any thing else, there is 
 no consanguinity between the Wychecombes of Virginia 
 and my family. He may be a filius millius of the Wyche 
 combes of Wychecombe-Regis, Herts, but has no connec 
 tion with those of Wychecombe Hall, Devonshire. 
 
 "There there the cliff! the cliff!" added Mildred, 
 unable, for the moment, to be more explicit. 
 
 As the girl pointed toward the precipice, and looked the 
 very image of horror, the good-hearted old Baronet began 
 to get some glimpses of the truth ; and, by means of a few 
 words with Button, soon knew quite as much as his two 
 companions. Descending from his pony with surprising 
 activity for one of his years, Sir Wycherly was soon on his 
 feet, and a sort of confused consultation between the three 
 succeeded. Neither liked to approach the cliff, which was 
 nearly perpendicular at the extremity of the headland, and 
 was always a trial to the nerves of those who shrunk from 
 standing on the verge of precipices. They stood like per 
 sons paralyzed, until Dutton, ashamed of his weakness, and 
 recalling the thousand lessons in coolness and courage he 
 had received in his own manly profession, made a move 
 ment toward advancing to the edge of the cliff, in order to 
 ascertain the real state of the case. The blood returned 
 to the cheeks of Mildred, too, and she again found a por 
 tion of her natural spirit raising her courage. 
 
 "Stop, father," she said, hastily ; "you are infirm, and 
 are in a tremor at this moment. My head is steadier let 
 me go to the verge of the hill, and learn what has hap 
 pened." 
 
 This was uttered with a forced calmness that deceived 
 her auditors, both of whom, the one from age, and the 
 other from shattered nerves, were certainly in no condition 
 
TfTE 7*1 TO ADMIRALS. 21 
 
 to assume the same office. It required the All-seeing eye 
 which alone can scan the heart, to read all the agonized 
 suspense with which that young and beautiful creature ap 
 proached the spot where she might command a view of the 
 whole of the side of the fearful declivity, from its giddy 
 summit to the base, where it was washed by the sea. The 
 latter, indeed, could not literally be seen from above, the 
 waves having so far undermined the cliff, as to leave a 
 projection that concealed the point where the rocks and 
 the water came absolutely in contact ; the upper portion 
 of the weather-worn rocks falling a little inward, so as to 
 leave a ragged surface that was sufficiently broken to 
 contain patches of earth and verdure, sprinkled with the 
 flowers peculiar to such an exposure. The fog, also, in 
 tercepted the sight, giving to the descent the appearance 
 of a fathomless abyss. Had the life of the most indifferent 
 person been in jeopardy, under the circumstances named, 
 Mildred would have been filled with deep awe ; but a gush 
 of tender sensations, which had hitherto been pent up in 
 the sacred privacy of her virgin affections, struggled with 
 natural horror, as she trod lightly on the very verge of the 
 declivity, and cast a timid but eager glance beneath. 
 Then she recoiled a step, raised her hands in alarm, and 
 hid her face, as if to shut out some frightful spectacle. 
 
 By this time, Button s practical knowledge and recol 
 lection had returned. As is common with seamen, whose 
 minds contain vivid pictures of the intricate tracery of 
 their vessel s rigging in the darkest nights, his thoughts 
 had flashed athwart all the probable circumstances, and 
 presented a just image of the facts. 
 
 "The boy could not be seen had he absolutely fallen, 
 and were there no fog; for the cliff tumbles home, Sir 
 Wycherly," he said, eagerly, unconsciously using a familiar 
 nautical phrase to express his meaning. " He must be 
 clinging to the side of the precipice, and that, too, above 
 the swell of the rocks." 
 
 Stimulated by a common feeling, the two men now rd- 
 vanced hastily to the brow of the hill, and there, indeed, 
 as with Mildred herself, a single look sufficed to tell them 
 the whole truth. Young Wychecombe, in leaning forward 
 to pluck a flower, had pressed so hard upon the bit of rock 
 on which a foot rested, as to cause it to break, thereby 
 losing his balance. A presence of mind that amounted 
 ilmost to inspiration, and a high resolution, alone saved 
 
22 THE TirO ADMIRALS. 
 
 him from being dashed to pieces. Perceiving the rock to 
 give way, he threw himself forward, and alighted on a 
 narrow shelf, a few feet beneath the place where he had 
 just stood, and at least ten feet removed from it, laterally. 
 The shelf on which he alighted was ragged, and but two 
 or three feet wide. It would have afforded only a check 
 to his fall, had there not fortunately been some shrubs 
 among the rocks above it. By these shrubs the young 
 man caught, actually swinging off in the air, under the 
 impetus of his leap. 
 
 Happily the shrubs were too well rooted to give way ; 
 and, swinging himself round, with the address of a sailor, 
 the youthful lieutenant was immediately on his feet, in 
 comparative safety. The silence that succeeded was the 
 consequence of the shock he felt, in finding himself so 
 suddenly thrown into this perilous situation. The summit 
 of the cliff was now about six fathoms above his head, 
 and the shelf on which he stood impended over a portion 
 of the cliff that was absolutely perpendicular, and which 
 might be said to be out of the line of those projections 
 along which he had so lately been idly gathering flowers. 
 It was physically impossible for any human being to extri 
 cate himself from such a situation without assistance. 
 This Wychecombe understood at a glance, and he had 
 passed the few minutes that intervened between his fall 
 and the appearance of the party above him, in devising the 
 means necessary to his liberation. As it was, few men, 
 unaccustomed to the giddy elevations of the mast, could 
 have mustered a sufficient command of nerve to maintain 
 a position on the ledge where he stood. Even he could 
 not have continued there, without steadying his form by 
 the aid of the bushes. 
 
 As soon as the Baronet and Button got a glimpse of the 
 perilous position of young Wychecombe, each recoiled in 
 horror from the sight, as if fearful of being precipitated 
 on top of him. Both, then, actually lay down on the 
 grass, and approached the edge of the cliff again, in that 
 humble attitude, even trembling as they lay at length, 
 with their chins projecting over the rocks, staring down 
 ward at the victim. The young man could see nothing of 
 all this ; for, as he stood with his back against the cliff, he 
 had not room to turn, with safety, or even to look upward. 
 Mildred, however, seemed to lose all sense of self and of 
 danger, in view of the extremity in which the youth be- 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 23 
 
 neath was placed. She stood on the very verge of the 
 precipice, and looked down with a steadiness and impunity 
 that would have been utterly impossible for her to attain 
 under less exciting circumstances ; even allowing the 
 young man to catch a glimpse of her rich locks, as they 
 hung about her beautiful face. 
 
 "For God s sake, Mildred," shouted the youth, "keep 
 farther from the cliff ; I see you, and we can now hear 
 each other without so much risk." 
 
 " What can we do to rescue you, Wychecombe ? " eagerly 
 asked the girl. " Tell me, I entreat you ; for Sir Wycherly 
 and my father are both unnerved ! " 
 
 " Blessed creature ! and you are mindful of my danger ! 
 B it, be not uneasy, Mildred ; do as I tell you, and all will 
 yet be well. I hope you hear and understand what I say, 
 dearest girl ?" 
 
 " Perfectly," returned Mildred, nearly choked by the 
 effort to be calm. "I hear every syllable speak on." 
 
 "Go you then to the signal-halyards; let one end fly 
 loose, and pull upon the other, until the whole line has 
 come down ; when that is done, return here, and I will tell 
 you more but, for Heaven s sake, keep farther from the 
 cliff." 
 
 The thought that the rope, small and frail as it seemed, 
 might be of use, flashed on the brain of the girl ; and in a 
 moment she was at the staff. Time and again, when liquor 
 incapacitated her father to perform his duty, had Mildred 
 bent-on, and hoisted the signals for him ; and thus, happily, 
 she was expert in the use of the halyards. In a minute she 
 had unrove them, and the long line lay in a little pile at 
 her feet. 
 
 " Tis done, Wycherly," she said, again looking over the 
 cliff ; " shall I throw you down one end of the rope? but 
 alas ! I have not strengtli to raise you ; and Sir Wycherly 
 and father seem unable to assist me !" 
 
 " Do not hurry yourself, Mildred, and all will be well. 
 Go, and put one end of the line around the signal-staff, 
 then put the two ends together, tie them in a knot, and 
 drop them down over my head. Be careful not to come 
 too near the cliff, for " 
 
 The last injunction was useless, Mildred having flown to 
 execute her commission. Her quick mind readily com 
 prehended what was expected of her, and her nimble 
 fingers soon performed their task. Tying a knot in the 
 
2 4 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ends of the line, she did as desired, and the small rope was 
 soon dangling within reach of Wychecombe s arm. 
 
 It is not easy to make a landsman understand the con 
 fidence which a sailor feels in a rope. Place but a frail 
 and rotten piece of twisted hemp in his hand, and he will 
 risk his person in situations from which he would otherwise 
 recoil in dread. Accustomed to hang suspended in the 
 air, with ropes only for his foothold, or with ropes to grasp 
 with his hand, his eye gets an intuitive knowledge of what 
 will sustain him, and he unhesitatingly trusts his person to 
 a few seemingly slight strands, that, to one unpractised, 
 appear wholly unworthy of his confidence. Signal-hal 
 yards are ropes smaller than the little finger of a man of 
 any size ; but they are usually made with care, and every 
 rope-yarn tells. Wychecomb e, too, was aware that these 
 particular halyards were new, for he had assisted in reeving 
 them himself, only the week before. It was owing to this 
 circumstance that they were long enough to reach him ; a 
 large allowance for wear and tear having been made in 
 cutting them from the coil. As it was, the ends dropped 
 some twenty feet below the ledge on which he stood. 
 
 " All safe, now, Mildred!" cried the young man, in a 
 voice of exultation, the moment his hand caught the two 
 ends of the line, which he immediately passed around his 
 body, beneath the arms, as a precaution against accidents. 
 " All safe now, dearest girl ; have no further concern about 
 me." 
 
 Mildred drew back, for worlds could not have tempted 
 her to witness the desperate effort that she knew must 
 follow. By this time, Sir Wycherly, who had been an 
 interested witness of all that passed, found his voice, and 
 assumed the office of director. 
 
 "Stop, my young namesake," he eagerly cried, when he 
 found that the sailor was about to make an effort to drag 
 his own body up the cliff ; "stop ; that will never do ; let 
 Button and me do that much for you, at least. We have 
 seen all that has passed, and are now able to do something." 
 
 " No, no, Sir Wycherly on no account touch the hal 
 yards. By hauling them over the top of the rocks, you 
 will probably cut them, or part them, and then I m lost, 
 without hope ! " 
 
 "O! Sir Wycherly," said Mildred earnestly, clasping 
 her hands together, as if to enforce the request with prayer ; 
 "do not do not touch the line." 
 
THE TU O ADMIRALS. 25 
 
 "We had better let the lad manage the matter in his 
 own way," put in Button ; "he is active, resolute, and a 
 seaman, and will do better for himself than I fear we can 
 do for him. He has got a turn round his body, and is tol 
 erably safe against any slip or mishap." 
 
 As the words were uttered, the whole three drew back a 
 short distance and watched the result in intense anxiety. 
 Dutton, however, so far recollected himself as to take an 
 end of the old halyards, which were kept in a chest at the 
 foot of the staff, and to make an attempt to stopper to 
 gether the two parts of the little rope on which the youth 
 depended, for, should one of the parts of it break, without 
 this precaution, there was nothing to prevent the halyards 
 from running round the staff, and destroying the hold. 
 The size of the halyards rendered this expedient very diffi 
 cult of attainment, but enough w T as done to give the ar 
 rangement a little more of the air of security. All this 
 time young Wychecombe was making his own prepara 
 tions on the ledge, and quite out of view ; but the tension 
 on the halyards soon announced that his weight was now 
 pendent from them. Mildred s heart seemed ready to leap 
 from her mouth, as she noted each jerk on the lines ; and 
 her father watched every new pull, as if he expected the 
 next moment would produce the final catastrophe. It re 
 quired a prodigious effort in the young man to raise his 
 own weight for such a distance, by lines so small. Had 
 the rope been of any size, the achievement would have 
 been trifling for one of the frame and habits of the sailor, 
 more especially as he could slightly avail himself of his 
 feet, by pressing them against the rocks ; but, as it was, he 
 felt as if he were dragging the mountain up after him. At 
 length, his head appeared a few inches above the rocks, 
 but with his feet pressed against the cliff, and his body in 
 clining outward, at an angle of forty-five degrees. 
 
 "Help him help him, father!" exclaimed Mildred, 
 covering her face with her hands, to exclude the sight of 
 Wychecombe s desperate struggles. " If he fall now r , he 
 will be destroyed. Oh ! save him, save him, Sir Wycherly ! " 
 
 But neither of those to whom she appealed could be of 
 any use. The nervous trembling again came over the 
 father ; and as for the Baronet, age and inexperience ren 
 dered him helpless. 
 
 " Have you no rope, Mr. Dutton, to throw over my 
 shoulders ? " cried Wychecombe, suspending his exertions 
 
26 THE TU r O ADMIRALS. 
 
 in pure exhaustion, still keeping all he had gained, with 
 his face projecting outward, over the abyss beneath, and 
 his head turned toward heaven. "Throw a rope over my 
 shoulders and drag my body in to the cliff." 
 
 Dutton showed an eager desire to comply, but his nerves 
 had not yet been excited by the usual potation, and his 
 hand shook in a way to render it questionable whether he 
 could perform even this simple service. But for his daugh 
 ter, indeed, he would hardly have set about it intelligently. 
 Mildred, accustomed to using the signal-halyards, pro 
 cured the old line, and handed it to her father, who dis 
 covered some of his professional knowledge in his manner 
 of using it. Doubling the halyards twice, he threw the 
 bight over Wychecombc s shoulders, and, aided by Mil 
 dred, endeavored to draw the body of the young man up 
 ward and toward the cliff. But their united strength was 
 unequal to the task, and wearied with holding 1 on, and, in 
 deed, unable to support his own weight any longer by so 
 small a rope, Wychecombe felt compelled to suffer his feet 
 to drop beneath him, and slid down again upon the ledge. 
 Here, even his vigorous frame shook with its prodigious 
 exertions ; and he was compelled to seat himself, on the 
 shelf, and rest with his back against the cliff, to recover 
 his self-command and strength. Mildred uttered a faint 
 shriek as he disappeared, but was too much horror-stricken 
 to approach the verge of the precipice to ascertain his 
 fate. 
 
 " Be composed, Milly," said her father, "he is safe, as 
 you may see by the halyards ; and to say the truth, the 
 stuff holds on well. So long as the line proves true, the boy 
 can t fall ; he has taken a double turn with the end of it 
 round his body. Make your mind easy, girl, for I feel 
 better now, and see my way clear. Don t be uneasy, Sir 
 Wycherly ; we ll have the lad safe on terra finna again, in 
 ten minutes. I scarce know what has come over me, this 
 morning ; but I ve not had the command of my limbs as 
 in common. It cannot be fright, for I ve seen too many 
 men in danger to be disabled by that ; and I think, Milly, 
 it must be the rheumatism, of which I ve so often spoken, 
 and which I ve inherited from my poor mother, dear old 
 soul. Do you know, Sir Wycherly, that rheumatism can 
 be inherited like gout ?" 
 
 " I dare say it may I dare sny it may, Dutton ; but 
 never mind the disease now ; get my young namesake 
 
THI-: Tiro ADMIRALS. 27 
 
 back here on the grass, and I will hear all about it. I 
 would give the world that I had not sent Dick to Mr. 
 Rotherham s this morning. Can t we contrive to make 
 the pony pull the boy up ? " 
 
 "The traces are hardly strong enough for such work, 
 Sir Wycherly. Have a little patience, and I \vill manage 
 the whole thing, ship-shape, and Brister fashion, as we 
 say at sea. Halloo there, Master "Wychecombe answer 
 my hail, and I will soon get you into deep water." 
 
 " I m safe on the ledge," returned the voice of Wyche 
 combe, from below ; " I wish you would look to the sig 
 nal-halyards, and see they do not chafe against the rocks, 
 Mr. Button." 
 
 "All right, sir ; all right. Slack up, if you please, and 
 let me have all the line you can, without casting off from 
 your body. Keep fast the end for fear of accidents." 
 
 In an instant the halyards slackened, and Button, who 
 by this time had gained his self-command, though still 
 weak and unnerved by the habits of the last fifteen years, 
 forced the bight along the edge of the cliff, until he had 
 brought it over a projection of the rocks, where it fastened 
 itself. This arrangement caused the line to lead down 
 to the part of the cliffs from which the young man had 
 fallen, and where it was by no means difficult for a steady 
 head and active limbs to move about and pluck flowers. 
 It consequently remained for Wychecombe merely to re 
 gain a footing on that part of the hill-side, to ascend to 
 the summit without difficulty. 
 
 It is true he was now below the point from which he 
 had fallen, but by swinging himself off laterally, or even 
 by springing, aided by the line, it \vas not a difficult 
 achievement to reach it, and he no sooner understood the 
 nature of the change that had been made, than he set about 
 attempting it. The confident manner of Button encour 
 aged both the Baronet and Mildred, and they drew to the 
 cliff again, standing near the verge, though on the part 
 where the rocks might be descended, with less apprehen 
 sion of consequences. 
 
 As soon as Wychecombe had made all his preparations, 
 he stood on the end of the ledge, tightened the line, looked 
 carefully for a foothold on the other side of the chasm, 
 and made his leap. As a matter of course, the body of 
 the young man swung readily across the space, until the 
 line became perpendicular, and then he found a surface 
 
28 THE Tiro ADMIRALS, 
 
 so broken as to render his ascent by no means difficult, 
 aided as he was by the halyards. Scrambling upward, he 
 soon rejected the aid of the line, and sprang upon the 
 headland. At the same instant, Mildred fell senseless on 
 the grass. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 I want a hero an uncommon want, 
 
 When every year and month send forth a new one ; 
 
 Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant, 
 
 The age discovers he is not the true one. BYRON. 
 
 IN consequence of the unsteadiness of the father s nerves, 
 the duty of raising Mildred in his arms, and of carrying 
 her to the cottage, devolved on the young man. This 
 he did with a readiness and concern which proved how 
 deep an interest he took in her situation, and with a power 
 of arm which showed that his strength was increased rather 
 than lessened by the condition into which she had fallen. 
 So rapid was his movement, that no one saw the kiss he 
 impressed on the pallid cheek of the sweet girl, or the ten 
 der pressure with which he grasped the lifeless form. By 
 the time he reached the door, the motion and air had be 
 gun to revive her, and Wychecombe committed her to the 
 care of her alarmed mother, with a few hurried words of 
 explanation. He did not leave the house, however, for a 
 quarter of an hour, except to call out to Button that Mil 
 dred was reviving, and that he need be under no uneasi 
 ness on her account. Why he remained so long, we leave 
 the reader to imagine, for the girl had been immediately 
 taken to her o\vn little chamber, and he saw her no more 
 for several hours. 
 
 When our young sailor came out upon the headland 
 again, he found the party near the flag-staff increased to 
 four. Dick, the groom, had returned from his errand, and 
 Tom Wychecombe, the intended heir of the Baronet, was 
 also there, in mourning for his reputed father, the judge. 
 The young man had become a frequent visitor to the sta 
 tion, of late, affecting to imbibe his uncle s taste for sea 
 air, and a view of the ocean. 
 
 There had been several meetings between him and his 
 namesake, and each interview was becoming less amicable 
 than the preceding, for a reason that was sufficiently 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 29 
 
 known to the parties. When they met on the present oc 
 casion, therefore, the bows they exchanged were haughty 
 and distant, and the glances cast at each other might have 
 been termed hostile, were it not that a sinister irony was 
 blended with that of Tom Wychecombe. Still, the feel 
 ings that were uppermost did not prevent the latter from 
 speaking in an apparently friendly manner. 
 
 " They tell me, Mr. Wychecombe," observed the judge s 
 heir for this Tom Wychecombe might legally claim to be 
 "they tell me, Mr. Wychecombe, that you have been 
 taking a lesson in your trade this morning, by swinging 
 over the cliffs at the end of a rope ? Now, that is an exploit 
 more to the taste of an American than to that of an En 
 glishman, I should think. But, I dare say one is com 
 pelled to do many things in the colonies, that we never 
 dream of at home." 
 
 This was said with seeming indifference, though with 
 great art. Sir Wycherly s principal weakness was an over 
 weening and an ignorant admiration of his own country, 
 and all it contained. He was also strongly addicted to that 
 feeling of contempt for the dependencies of the empire, 
 which seems to be inseparable from the political connec 
 tion between the people of the metropolitan country and 
 their colonies. There must be entire equality, for perfect 
 respect, in any situation in life : and, as a rule, men always 
 appropriate to their own shares any admitted superiority 
 that may happen to exist on the part of the communities 
 to which they belong. It is on this principle that the 
 tenant of a cock-loft in Paris or London is so apt to feel a 
 high claim to superiority over the occupant of a comforta 
 ble abode in a village. As between England and her 
 North American colonies in particular, this feeling was 
 stronger than is the case usually, on account of the early 
 democratical tendencies of the latter ; not that these ten 
 dencies had already become the subject of political jeal 
 ousies, but that they left social impressions which were 
 singularly adapted to bring the colonists into contempt 
 among a people predominant for their own factitious 
 habits, and who are so strongly inclined to view everything, 
 even to principles, through the medium of arbitrary, con 
 ventional customs. It must be confessed that the Ameri 
 cans, in the middle of the eighteenth century, were an 
 exceedingly provincial, and in many particulars a narrow- 
 minded people, as well in their opinions as in their habits; 
 
3 
 
 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 nor is the reproach altogether removed at the present day ; 
 but the country from which they are derived had not then 
 made the vast strides in civilization, for which it has latter 
 ly become so distinguished. The indifference, too, with 
 which all Europe regarded the whole American continent, 
 and to which England herself, though she possessed so 
 large a stake on this side of the Atlantic, formed no mate 
 rial exception, constantly led that quarter of the world into 
 profound mistakes in all its reasoning that was connected 
 with this quarter of the world, and aided in producing the 
 state of feeling to which \ve have alluded. Sir Wycherly 
 felt and reasoned on the subject of America much as the 
 great bulk of his countrymen felt and reasoned in 1745 ; 
 the exceptions existing only among the enlightened, and 
 those whose particular duties rendered more correct knowl 
 edge necessary, and not always among them. It is said 
 that the English minister conceived the idea of taxing 
 America, from the circumstance of seeing a wealthy Vir 
 ginian lose a large sum at play, a sort of argumentiim ad 
 liomincm that brought with it a very dangerous conclusion 
 to apply to the sort of people with whom he had to deal. 
 Let this be as it might, there is no more question, that at 
 the period of our tale, the profoundest ignorance concern 
 ing America existed generally in the mother country, than 
 there is that the profoundest respect existed in America 
 for everything English. Truth compels us to add, that in 
 spite of all that has passed, the cis-atlantic portion of the 
 weakness has longest endured the assaults of time and of 
 an increased intercourse. 
 
 Young Wycherly, as is ever the case, was keenly alive to 
 any insinuations that might be supposed to reflect on the 
 portion of the empire of which he was a native. 
 
 He considered himself an Englishman, it is true ; was 
 thoroughly loyal ; and was every way disposed to sustain 
 the honor and interests of the seat of authority ; but when 
 questions were raised between Europe and America, he 
 was an American ; as, in America itself, he regarded him 
 self as purely a Virginian, in contradistinction to all other 
 colonies. He understood the intended sarcasm of Tom 
 Wychecombe, but smothered his resentment, out of respect 
 to the Baronet, and perhaps a little influenced by the feel 
 ings in which he had been so lately indulging. 
 
 "Those gentlemen who arc disposed to fancy such 
 things of the colonies, would do well to visit that part of 
 
THE TWO AOimsS. ;r 
 
 the world," he answered calmly, ""before they express 
 their opinions too loudly, lest they should say something 
 future observation might make them wish to recall." 
 
 " True, my young friend quite true," put in the 
 Baronet, with the kindest possible intentions. "True, as 
 gospel. We never know anything of matters about which 
 we do nothing ; that we old men must admit, Master 
 Button, and I should think Torn must see its force. It 
 would be unreasonable to expect to find everything as 
 comfortable in America as we have it here, in England ; nor 
 do I suppose the Americans in general would be as likely 
 to get over a cliff as an Englishman. However, there are 
 exceptions to all general rules, as my poor brother James 
 used to say, when he saw occasion to find fault with the 
 sermon of a prelate. I believe you did not know my 
 poor brother, Button ; he must have been killed about the 
 time you were born St. James, I used to call him, al 
 though my brother Thomas, the judge that was, Tom s 
 father, there said he was St. James the Less." 
 
 " I believe the Rev. Mr. Wychecombe was dead before 
 I was of an age to remember his virtues, Sir Wycherly," 
 said Button, respectfully ; " though I have often heard 
 my own father speak of all your honored family." 
 
 "Yes, your father, Button, was the attorney of the next 
 town, and we all knew him well. You have done quite 
 right to come back among us to spend the close of your 
 own days. A man is never as well off as when he is thriv 
 ing in his native soil ; more especially when the soil is old 
 England and Bevonshire. You are not one of us, young 
 gentleman, though your name happens to be Wyche 
 combe ; but then we are none of us accountable for our 
 own births, or birthplaces." 
 
 This truism, which is in the mouths of thousands while 
 it is in the hearts of scarcely any, was well meant by Sir 
 Wycherly, however plainly expressed. It merely drew 
 from the youth the simple answer that "he was born in 
 the colonies, and had colonists for parents ; " a fact that the 
 others had heard already some ten or a dozen times. 
 
 " It is a little singular, Mr. Wychecombe, that you should 
 bear both of my names, and yet be no relative," continued- 
 the Baronet. "Now, Wycherly came into our family from 
 old Sir Hildebrand Wycherly, who was slain at Bosworth 
 Field, and whose only daughter, my ancestor, and Tom s 
 ancestor, there, married. Since that day, Wycherly has been 
 
32 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 a favorite name among us. I do not think that the Wyche- 
 combes of Herts ever thought of calling a son Wycherly, 
 although, as my poor brother the judge used to say, they 
 were related, but of the half-blood only. I suppose your 
 father taught you what is meant by being of the half- 
 blood, Thomas ?" 
 
 Tom Wychecombe s face became the color of scarlet, 
 and he cast an uneasy glance at all present ; expecting in 
 particular to meet with a look of exultation in the eyes of 
 the Lieutenant. He was greatly relieved, however, at 
 finding that neither of the three meant or understood 
 more than was simply expressed. As for his uncle, he 
 had not the smallest intention of making any allusion to 
 the peculiarity of his nephew s birth ; and the other t\vo, 
 in common with the world, supposed the reputed heir to 
 be legitimate. Gathering courage from the looks of those 
 around him, Tom answered, with a steadiness that pre 
 vented his agitation from being detected 
 
 " Certainly my dear sir ; my excellent parent forgot 
 nothing that he thought might be useful to me, in main 
 taining my rights and the honor of the family, hereafter. 
 I very well understand that the Wychecombes of Hertford 
 shire have no claims on us ; nor, indeed, any Wychecombe 
 who is not descended from my respectable grandfather, 
 the late Sir Wycherly." 
 
 " He must have been an early instead of a late Sir 
 Wycherly, rather, Mr. Thomas," put in Button, laughing 
 at his own conceit; "for I can remember no other than 
 the honorable Baronet before us. in the last fifty years." 
 
 "Quite true, Button very true," rejoined the person 
 last alluded to. " As true as that Time and tide wait for 
 no man. We understand the meaning of such things on 
 the coast here. It was half a century last October, since I 
 succeeded my respected parent ; but it will not be another 
 half century before some one will succeed me ! " 
 
 Sir Wycherly was a hale, hearty man for his years, but 
 he had no unmanly dread of his end. Still he felt it could 
 not be very distant, having already numbered fourscore 
 and four years. Nevertheless, there were certain phrases 
 of usage, that Button did not see fit to forget on such an 
 occasion, and he answered accordingly, turning to look at 
 and admire the still ruddy countenance of the Baronet, by 
 way of giving emphasis to his words. 
 
 " You will yet sec half of us in our graves, Sir Wycherly," 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 33 
 
 said he, "and still remain an active man. Though I dare say 
 another half century will bring most of us up there. Even 
 Mr. Thomas, here, and your young namesake can hardly 
 hope to run out more line than that. Well, as for myself, 
 I only desire to live through this war, that I may again see 
 his Majesty s arms triumphant ; though they do tell me 
 that we are in for a good thirty years struggle. Wars hai-e 
 lasted as long as that, Sir Wycherly, and I don t see why 
 this may not, as well as another." 
 
 "Very true, Button ; it is not only possible, but prob 
 able ; and I trust both you and I may live to see our flower- 
 hunter, here, a post-captain, at least though it would be 
 wishing almost too much to expect to see him an admiral. 
 There has been one admiral of the name, and I confess I 
 should like to see another ! " 
 
 "Has not Mr. Thomas a brother in the service?" de 
 manded the master; "I had thought that my lord, the 
 judge, had given us one of his young gentlemen." 
 
 "He thought of it ; but the army got both of the boys, 
 as it turned out. Gregory was to be the midshipman ; my 
 poor brother intending him for a sailor from the first, and 
 so giving him the name that was once borne by the unfor 
 tunate relative we lost by shipwreck. I wished him to call 
 one of the lads James, after St. James ; but somehow, I 
 never could persuade Thomas to see all the excellence of 
 that pious young man." 
 
 Button was a little embarrassed, for St. James had left 
 any tiling but a goodly savor behind him ; and he was about 
 to fabricate a tolerably bold assertion to the contrary, 
 rather than incur the risk of offending the lord of the 
 manor, when, luckily, a change in the state of the fog af 
 forded him a favorable opportunity of bringing about an 
 apposite change in the subject. During the whole of the 
 morning the sea had been invisible from the headland, a 
 dense body of vapor resting on it, far as the eye could 
 reach ; veiling the whole expanse with a single white cloud. 
 The lighter portions of the vapor had at first floated around 
 the headland, which could not have been seen at any ma 
 terial distance ; but all had been gradually settling down 
 into a single mass, that now rose within twenty feet of the 
 summit of the cliffs. The hour was still quite early, but the 
 sun was gaining force, and it speedily drank up all the 
 lighter particles of the mist, leaving a clear, bright atmos 
 phere above the feathery bank, through which objects 
 
34 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 might be seen for miles. There was what seamen call a 
 " fanning breeze," or just wind enough to cause the light 
 sails of a ship to swell and collapse, under the double in 
 fluence of the air and the motion of the hull, imitating in 
 a slight degree the vibrations of that familiar appliance of 
 the female toilet. Button s eye had caught a glance of the 
 loftiest sail of a vessel, above the fog, going through this 
 very movement ; and it afforded him the release he de 
 sired, by enabling him to draw the attention of his com 
 panions to the same object. 
 
 " See, Sir Wycherly see, Mr. Wychecombe," he cried, 
 eagerly, pointing in the direction of the sail ; "yonder is 
 some of the king s canvas coming into our roadstead, or I 
 am no judge of the act of a man-of-war s royal. It is a 
 large bit of cloth, too, Mr. Lieutenant, for a sail so lofty." 
 
 " It is a two-decker s royal, Master Button," returned 
 the young sailor; "and now you see the fore and main, 
 separately, as the ship keeps away." 
 
 "Well," put in Sir Wycherly, in a resigned manner ; 
 " here have I lived fourscore years on this coast, and, for 
 the life of me, I have never been able to tell a fore-royal 
 from a back-royal ; or a mizzen head-stay from a head 
 mizzen-stay. They are the most puzzling things imagina 
 ble ; and now I cannot discover how you know that yon 
 der sail, which I see plain enough, is a royal, any more 
 than it is a jib !" 
 
 Button and the lieutenant smiled, but Sir Wycherly s 
 simplicity had a cast of truth and nature about it, that de 
 terred most people from wishing to ridicule him. Then 
 the rank, fortune, and local interest of the Baronet counted 
 for a good deal on all such occasions. 
 
 * Here is another fellow, farther east," cried Button, 
 still pointing with a finger ; and every inch as big as his 
 consort ! Ah! it does my eyes good to see our roadstead 
 come into notice, in this manner, after all I have said and 
 done in its behalf but, who have we here a brother chip, 
 by his appearance ; I dare say some idler, who has been 
 sent ashore with dispatches." 
 
 "There is another fellow farther east, and every inch as 
 big as his consort," said Wychecombe, as we shall call our 
 lieutenant, in order to distinguish him from Tom of the 
 same name, repeating the very words of Button, with an 
 application and readiness that almost amounted to wit, 
 pointing, in his turn, at two strangers who were ascending 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 35 
 
 to the station by a path that led from the beach. " Cer 
 tainly both these gentlemen are in his Majesty s service, 
 and they have probably just landed from the ships in the 
 offing." 
 
 The truth of this conjecture was apparent to Button at 
 a glance. As the strangers joined each other, the one last 
 seen proceeded in advance ; and there was something in 
 his years, the confident manner in which he approached, 
 and his general appearance, that induced both the sailors 
 to believe he might be the commander of one of the ships 
 that had just come in view. 
 
 " Good morrow, gentlemen," commenced this person, as 
 soon as near enough to salute the party at the foot of the 
 flag-staff ; "good-morrow to ye all. I m glad to meet you, 
 for it s but a Jacob s ladder, this path of yours, through 
 the ravine in the cliifs. Hey ! why, Atwood," looking 
 around him at the sea of vapor, in surprise, " what the 
 devil has become of the fleet ?" 
 
 " It is lost in the fog, sir ; we are above it, here ; when 
 more on a level with the ships we could see, or fancy we 
 saw, more of them than we do now." 
 
 " Here are the upper sails of two heavy ships, sir," ob 
 served Wychecombe, pointing in the direction of the ves 
 sels already seen ; "ay, and yonder are two more; noth 
 ing but the royals are visible." 
 
 "Two more! I left eleven two-deckers, three frigates, 
 a sloop, and a cutter in sight, when I got into the boat. 
 You might have covered em all with a pocket-handker 
 chief, hey, Atwood?" 
 
 "They were certainly in close order, sir, but I ll not 
 take it on myself to say quite as near together as that." 
 
 "Ay, you re a dissenter by trade, and never will believe 
 in a miracle. Sharp w r ork, gentlemen, to get up such a 
 hill as this, after fifty." 
 
 " It is, indeed, sir," answered Sir Wycherly, kindly. " Will 
 you do us the favor to take a seat among us, and rest your 
 self after so violent an exertion ? The cliff is hard enough 
 to ascend, even when one keeps the path ; though here is 
 a young gentleman who had a fancy just now to go down 
 it, without a path ; and that, too, merely that a pretty girl 
 might ha,ve a nosegay on her breakfast-table." 
 
 The stranger looked intently at Sir Wycherly for a mo 
 ment, then glanced his eye at the groom and the pony, af 
 ter which he took a survey of Tom Wychecombe, the lieu- 
 
36 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 tenant, and the master. He was a man accustomed to look 
 about him, and he understood, by that rapid glance, the 
 characters of all he surveyed, with perhaps the exception 
 of that of Tom Wychecombe ; and even of that he formed 
 a tolerably shrewd conjecture. Sir Wycherly he immedi 
 ately set down as the Squire of the adjacent estate ; But 
 ton s situation he hit exactly, conceiving him to be a worn- 
 out master, who was employed to keep the signal-station ; 
 while he understood Wychecombe, by his undress, and air, 
 to be a Sea-Lieutenant in the King s service. 
 
 Tom Wychecombe he thought it quite likely might be 
 the son and heir of the lord of the manor, both being in 
 mourning ; though he decided in his own mind that there 
 was not the smallest family likeness between them. Bow 
 ing with the courtesy of a man who knew how to acknowl 
 edge a civility, he took the proffered seat at Sir Wycherly s 
 side without farther ceremony. 
 
 " We must carry the young fellow to sea with us, sir," 
 rejoined the stranger, "and that will cure him of looking 
 for flowers in such ticklish places. His Majesty has need 
 of us all, in this war ; and I trust, young gentleman, you 
 nave not been long ashore, among the girls." 
 
 Only long enough to make a cure of a pretty smart 
 hurt, received in cutting out a lugger from the opposite 
 coast," answered Wychecombe, with sufficient modesty, 
 and yet with sufficient spirit. 
 
 " Lugger ! ha! what, Atwood ? You sureiy do not mean, 
 young gentleman, La Voltiguse ?" 
 
 " That was the name of the craft, sir we found her in 
 the roads of Groix." 
 
 " And then I ve the pleasure of seeing Mr. Wychecombe, 
 the young officer who led in the attack ? " 
 
 This w r as said in a most flattering warmth of manner, the 
 stranger even rising and removing his hat, as he uttered 
 the words with a heartiness that showed how much his 
 feelings were in unison with what he said. 
 
 " I am Mr. Wychecombe, sir," answered the other, blush 
 ing to the temples, and returning the salute ; "though I 
 had not the honor of leading ; one of the lieutenants of our 
 ship being in another boat." 
 
 "Yes I know all that ; but he was beaten off, while you 
 boarded and did the work. What have my lord commis 
 sioners done in the matter ? " 
 
 " All that is necessary, so far as I am concerned, sir, I 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 37 
 
 do assure you ; having sent me a commission the very next 
 week. I only wish they had been equally generous to Mr. 
 Walton, who received a severe wound also, and behaved as 
 well as a man could behave." 
 
 " That would not be so wise, Mr. Wychecombe, since it 
 would be rewarding a failure," returned the stranger coldly. 
 " Success is all in all, in war. Ah ! there the fellows begin 
 to show themselves, Atwood." 
 
 This remark drew all eyes, again, toward the sea, where 
 a sight now presented itself that was really worthy of a 
 passing notice. The vapor appeared to have become 
 packed into a mass of some eighty or a hundred feet in 
 height, leaving a perfectly clear atmosphere above it. In 
 the clear air were visible the upper spars and canvas of 
 the entire fleet mentioned by the stranger ; sixteen sail in 
 all. There were the eleven two-deckers, and the three 
 frigates, rising in pyramids of canvas, still fanning in to 
 ward the anchorage, which in that roadstead was within 
 pistol-shot of the shore ; while the royals and upper part 
 of the top-gallant sails of the sloop seemed to stand on 
 the surface of the fog, like a monument. After a mo 
 ment s pause, Wychecombe discovered even the head of 
 the cutter s royal-mast, with the pennant lazily fluttering 
 ahead of it, partly concealed in vapor. The fog seemed 
 to settle, instead of rising, though it evidently rolled along 
 the face of the waters, putting the whole scene in motion. 
 It was not long ere the tops of the ships of the line became 
 invisible, and then living beings were for the first time 
 seen in the moving masses. 
 
 " I suppose we offer just such a sight to the topmen of the 
 ships, as they offer to us," observed the stranger. "They 
 must see this headland and flag-staff, Mr. Wychecombe ; 
 and there can be no danger of their standing in too 
 far ? " 
 
 " I should think not, sir ; certainly the man aloft can see 
 the cliffs above the fog, as we see the vessels spars. Ha ! 
 Mr. Button, there is a rear-admiral s flag flying on board 
 the ship farthest to the eastward." 
 
 " So I see, sir ; and by looking at the third vessel on the 
 western side of the line, you will find a bit of square bunt 
 ing at the fore, which will tell you there is a vice-admiral 
 beneath it." 
 
 " Quite true !" exclaimed Wychecombe, who was ever 
 enthusiastic on matters relating to his profession ; " a vice- 
 
38 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 admiral of the red, too ; which is the next step to being a 
 full admiral. This must be the fleet of Sir Digby Downes !" 
 
 "No, young gentleman," returned the stranger, who 
 perceived by the glance of the other s eye that a question 
 was indirectly put to himself; "it is the southern squad 
 ron ; and the vice-admiral s flag, you see, belongs to Sir 
 Gervaise Cakes. Admiral Bluewater is on board the ship 
 that carries a flag at the mizzen." 
 
 "Those two officers always go together, Sir Wycherly," 
 added the young man. "Whenever we hear the name of 
 Sir Gervaise, that of Bluewater is sure to accompany it. 
 Such a union in service is delightful to witness." 
 
 "Well may they go in company, Mr. Wychecombe," 
 returned the stranger, betraying a little emotion. " Oakes 
 and Bluewater were reefers together, under old Bresthook, 
 in the Mermaid ; and when the first was made a lieutenant 
 into the Squid, the last followed as a mate. Oakes was 
 first of the Briton, in her action with the Spanish frigates, and 
 Bluewater third. For that affair Oakes got a sloop, and 
 his friend went with him as his first. The next year they 
 had the luck to capture a heavier ship than their own, 
 when, for the first time in their service, the two young men 
 were separated ; Oakes getting a frigate, and Bluewater 
 getting the Squid. Still they cruised in company, until 
 the senior was sent in command of a flying squadron, with 
 a broad pennant, when the junior, who by this time was 
 post, received his old messmate on board his own frigate. 
 In that manner they served together, down to the hour 
 when the first hoisted his flag. From that time, the two 
 old seamen have never been parted ; Bluewater acting as 
 the admiral s captain, until he got the square bunting him 
 self. The vice-admiral has never led the van of a fleet 
 that the rear-admiral did not lead the rear division ; and, 
 now that Sir Gervaise is a commander-in-chief, you see 
 his friend, Dick Bluewater, is cruising in his company." 
 
 While the stranger was giving this account of the Two 
 Admirals, in a half serious, half jocular manner, the eyes 
 of his companions were on him. He was a middle-sized, 
 red-faced man, with an aquiline nose, a light-blue animated 
 eye, and a mouth which denoted more of the habits and 
 care of refinement than either his dress or his ordinary 
 careless mien. A great deal is said about the aristocracy 
 of the ears, and the hands, and the feet ; but of all the 
 features, or other appliances of the human frame, the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 39 
 
 mouth and the nose have the greatest influence in produc 
 ing an impression of gentility. This was peculiarly the 
 case with the stranger, whose beak, like that of an ancient 
 galley, gave the promise of a stately movement, and whose 
 beautiful teeth and winning smile often relieved the ex 
 pression of a countenance that was not unfrequently stern. 
 As he ceased speaking, Button rose, in a studied manner, 
 raised his hat entirely from his head, bowed his head near 
 ly to a right angle, and said : 
 
 "Unless my memory is treacherous, I believe I have the 
 honor to see Rear-Admiral Bluewater, himself ; I was a 
 mate in the Medway, when he commanded the Chloe ; and, 
 unless five and twenty years have made more changes than 
 I think probable, he is now on the hill." 
 
 "Your memory is a bad one, Mr. Button, and your hill 
 has on it a much worse man, in all respects, than Admiral 
 Bluewater. They say that man and wife, from living to 
 gether, and thinking alike, having the same affections, 
 loving the same objects, or sometimes hating them, get in 
 time to look alike; hey, Atwood ? It may be that I am 
 growing like Bluewater, on the same principle ; but this is 
 the first time I ever heard the thing suggested. I am Sir 
 Gervaise Oake s, at your service, sir." 
 
 The bow of Button was now much lower than before, 
 while young Wychecombe uncovered himself, and Sir 
 Wycherly arose and paid his compliments cordially, intro 
 ducing himself, and offering the Admiral and all his offi 
 cers the hospitality of the Hall. 
 
 " Aye, this is straight-forward and hearty, and in the 
 good old English manner ! " exclaimed the Admiral, when 
 he had returned the salutes, and cordially thanked the Bar 
 onet. " One might land in Scotland, now, anywhere be 
 tween the Tweed and John o Groats house, and not be 
 asked so much as to eat an oaten cake ; hey, Atwood? al 
 ways excepting the mountain dew." 
 
 "You will have your fling at my poor countrymen, Sir 
 Gervaise, and so there is no more to be said on the sub 
 ject," returned the secretary, for such was the rank of the 
 Admiral s companion. "I might feel hurt at times, did I 
 not know that you get as many Scotsmen about you, in 
 your own ship, as you can ; and that a fleet is all the bet 
 ter in your judgment, for having every other captain from 
 the land o* cakes." 
 
 " Bid you ever hear the like of that, Sir Wycherly ? Be- 
 
40 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 cause I stick to a man I like, he accuses me of having a 
 predilection for his whole country. Here s Atwood, now ; 
 he was my clerk, when in a sloop ; and he has followed 
 me to the Plantagenet, and because I do not throw him 
 overboard, he wishes to make it appear half Scotland is in 
 her hold." 
 
 "Well, there are the surgeon, the purser, one of the mates, 
 one of the marine officers, and the fourth lieutenant, to 
 keep me company, Sir Gervaise," said the secretary, smil 
 ing like one accustomed to his superior s jokes, and who 
 cared very little about them. " When you send us all back 
 to Scotland, I m thinking there w r ill be many a good va 
 cancy to fill." 
 
 "The Scotch make themselves very useful, Sir Ger 
 vaise," put in Sir Wycherly, by way of smoothing the 
 matter over; "and now we have a Brunswick prince on 
 the throne, we Englishmen have less jealousy of them 
 than formerly. I am sure I should be happy to see all 
 the gentlemen mentioned by Mr. Atwood, at Wychecombe 
 Hall." 
 
 " There, you re all well berthed while the fleet lies in 
 these roads. Sir Wycherly, in the name of Scotland, I 
 thank you. But what an extr onary (for so admirals 
 pronounced the word a hundred years ago) scene this is, 
 hey, Atwood? Many a time I have seen the hulls of ships 
 when their spars were hid in the fog ; but I do not re 
 member ever to have seen before, sixteen sets of masts and 
 sails moving about on vapor, without a single hull to up 
 hold them. The tops of all the two-decked ships are as 
 plainly to be seen, as if the air were without a particle of 
 vapor, while all below the cat-harpings is hid in the cloud 
 as thick as the smoke of battle. I do not half like Blue- 
 water s standing in so far ; perhaps, Mr. Button, they can 
 not see the cliffs, for I assure you we did not, until quite 
 close under them. We went altogether by the lead, the 
 masters feeling their way like so many blind beggars !" 
 
 We always keep that nine-pounder loaded, Sir Ger 
 vaise/ returned the master, "in order to warn vessels 
 when they are getting near enough in ; and if Mr. Wyche 
 combe, who is younger than I, will run to the house and 
 light this match, I will prime, and we may give em warn 
 ing where they are, in less than a minute." 
 
 The Admiral gave a ready assent to this proposition, and 
 the respective parties immediately set about putting it in 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 41 
 
 execution. Wychecombe hastened to the house to light the 
 match, glad of an opportunity to inquire after Mildred ; 
 while Button produced a priming-horn from a sort of arm- 
 chest that stood near the gun, and put the latter in a condi 
 tion to be discharged. The young man was absent but a 
 minute, and when all was ready, he turned toward the 
 Admiral in order to get the signal to proceed. 
 
 "Let em have it, Mr. Wychecombe," cried Sir Gervaise, 
 smiling; "it will wake Bluewater up; perhaps he may 
 favor us with a broadside, by way of retort." 
 
 The match was applied, and the report of the gun suc 
 ceeded. Then followed a pause of more than a minute ; 
 when the fog lifted around the Caesar, the ship that wore 
 a rear-admiral s flag, a flash like lightning was seen glanc 
 ing in the midst, and then came the bellowing of a piece 
 of heavy ordnance. Almost at the same instant, three 
 little flags appeared at the mast head of the Caesar, for pre 
 viously to quitting his own ship, Sir Gervaise had sent a 
 message to his friend, requesting him to take care of the 
 fleet. This was the signal to anchor. The effect of all 
 this, as seen from the height, was exceedingly striking. 
 As yet, not a single hull had become visible, the fog re 
 maining packed upon the water, in a way to conceal even 
 the lower yards of the two-deckers. 
 
 All above was bright, distinct, and so near, as almost to 
 render it possible to distinguish persons. There every 
 thing was vivid, while a sort of supernatural mystery 
 veiled all beneath. Each ship had an officer aloft to look 
 out for signals, and no sooner had the Caesar opened her 
 three little flags, which had long been suspended in black 
 balls, in readiness for this service, than the answers were 
 seen floating at the masthead of each of the vessels. Then 
 commenced a spectacle still more curious than that which 
 those on the cliff had so long been regarding with interest. 
 Ropes began to move, and the sails were drawn up in fes 
 toons, apparently without the agency of hands. Cut off 
 from a seeming communication with the ocean, or the 
 hulls, the spars of the different ships appeared to be in 
 stinct with life ; each machine playing its own part inde 
 pendently of the others, but all having the same object in 
 view. In a very few minutes the canvas was hauled up, 
 and the whole fleet was swinging to the anchors. Pres 
 ently head after head was thrown out of the fog, the upper 
 yards were alive with men, and the sails were handed 
 
42 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Next came the squaring of the yards, though this was im 
 perfectly done, and a good deal by guess-work. The men 
 came down, and there lay a noble fleet at anchor, with 
 nothing visible to those on the cliffs, but their top-hamper 
 and upper spars. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes had been so much struck and amused 
 with a sight that to him happened to be entirely novel, 
 that he did not speak during the whole process of anchor 
 ing. Indeed, many a man might pass his life at sea, and 
 never witness such a scene ; but those who have, know 
 that it is one of the most beautiful and striking spectacles 
 connected with the wonders of the great deep. 
 
 By this time the sun had got so high as to begin to stir 
 the fog, and streams of vapor were shooting up from the 
 beach, like smoke rising from coalpits. The wind in 
 creased, too, and rolled the vapor before it, and in less 
 than ten minutes the veil was removed ; ship after ship 
 coming out in plain view, until the entire fleet was seen 
 ridrng in the roadstead, in its naked and distinct propor 
 tions. 
 
 " Now, Bluevvater is a happy fellow," exclaimed Sir 
 Gervaise. " He sees his great enemy, the land, and knows 
 how to deal with it." 
 
 " I thought the French were the great and natural ene 
 mies of every British sailor, observed Sir Wycherly, simp 
 ly, but quite to the point. 
 
 "Hum there s truth in that too. But the land is an 
 enemy to be feared, while the Frenchman is not hey, 
 Atwood ? " 
 
 It was indeed a goodly sight to view the fine fleet that 
 now lay anchored beneath the cliffs of Wychecombe. Sir 
 Gervaise Oakes was in that period considered a success 
 ful naval commander, and was a favorite, both at the ad 
 miralty and with the nation. His popularity extended to 
 the most distant colonies of England, in nearly all of which 
 he had served with zeal and credit. But we are not writ 
 ing of an age of nautical w r onders, like that which suc 
 ceeded at the close of the century. The French and Dutch, 
 and even the Spaniards, were then all formidable as naval 
 powers ; for revolutions and changes had not destroyed 
 their maritime corps, nor had the consequent naval as 
 cendency of England annihilated their navigation ; the 
 two great causes of the subsequent apparent invincibility 
 of the latter power. Battles at sea, in that day, were 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 43 
 
 warmly contested, and were frequently fruitless ; more es 
 pecially when fleets were brought in opposition. The sin 
 gle combats were usually more decisive, though the abso 
 lute success of the British flag was far from being as much 
 a matter of course as it subsequently became. In a word, 
 the science of naval warfare had not made those great 
 strides which marked the career of England in the end, 
 nor had it retrograded among her enemies, to the point 
 which appears to have rendered their defeat nearly certain. 
 Still Sir Gervaise was a successful officer ; having cap 
 tured several single ships in bloody encounters, and having 
 actually led fleets with credit, in four or five great battles 
 of the times ; besides being second and third in command, 
 on various similar occasions. His own ship was certain to 
 be engaged, let what would happen to the others. Equal 
 ly as captains and as flag officers, the nation had become 
 familiar with the names of Oakes and Bluewater as men 
 ever to be found sustaining each other in the thickest of 
 the fight. 
 
 It may be well to add here, that both these favorite sea 
 men were men of family, or at least what was considered 
 men of family among the mere gentry of England ; Sir 
 Gervaise being a baronet by inheritance, while his friend 
 actually belonged to one of those naval lines which fur 
 nishes admirals for generations ; his father having w r orn 
 a white flag at the main ; and his grandfather having been 
 actually ennobled for his services, dying vice-admiral of 
 England. These fortuitous circumstances perhaps ren 
 dered both so much the greater favorites at court. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 All with you ; except three 
 And duty, and our leader Israel, 
 Who is expected momently. Marino Falero. 
 
 As his fleet was safely anchored, and that, too, in beau 
 tiful order, in spite of the fog, Sir Gervaise Oakes showed 
 a disposition to pursue what are termed ulterior views. 
 
 "This has been a fine sight certainly a very fine sight ; 
 such as an old seaman loves ; but there must be an end to 
 it," he said. "You will excuse me, Sir Wycherly, but the 
 movements of a fleet always have interest in my eyes, and 
 
44 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 it is seldom that I get such a bird s-eye view of those of 
 my own ; no wonder it has made me a somewhat unre 
 flecting intruder." 
 
 " Make no apologies, Sir Gervaise, I beg of you ; for 
 none are needed, on any account. Though this headland 
 does belong to the Wychecombe property, it is fairly 
 leased to the crown, and none have a better right to 
 occupy it than his Majesty s servants. The Hall is a little 
 more private, it is true, but even that has no door that will 
 close up on our gallant naval defenders. It is but a short 
 walk, and nothing will make me happier than to show you 
 the way to my poor dwelling, and to see you as much at 
 home under its roof, as you could be in the cabin of the 
 Plantagenet." 
 
 " If anything could make me as much at home in a 
 house as in a ship, it would be so hearty a welcome ; and 
 I intend to accept your hospitality in the very spirit in 
 which it is offered. Atwood and I have landed to send off 
 some important dispatches to the First Lord, and we will 
 thank you for putting us in the way of doing it, in the 
 safest and most expeditious manner. Curiosity and sur 
 prise have already occasioned the loss of half an hour ; while 
 a soldier, or a sailor, should never lose half a minute." 
 
 " Is a courier who knows the country well, needed, Sir 
 Gervaise?" the Lieutenant demanded, modestly, though 
 with an interest that showed he was influenced only by 
 zeal for the service. 
 
 The Admiral looked at him intently, for a moment, and 
 seemed pleased with the hint implied in the question. 
 
 " Can you ride ?" asked Sir Gervaise, smiling. " I could 
 have brought half-a-dozen youngsters ashore with me ; but, 
 besides the doubts about getting a horse a chaise, I take 
 it, is out of the question here I was afraid the lads might 
 disgrace themselves on horseback." 
 
 " This must be said in pleasantry, Sir Gervaise," returned 
 Wychecombe ; " he would be a strange Virginian, at least, 
 who does not know how to ride!" 
 
 "And a strange Englishman, too, Bluewater would say ; 
 and yet I never see the fellow straddle a horse that I did 
 not wish it were a studding-sail-boom run out to leeward ! 
 We sailors fancy we ride, Mr. Wychecombe, but it is some 
 such fancy as a marine has for the fore-topmast-crosstrees. 
 Can a horse be had, to go as far as the nearest post-office 
 that sends off a daily mail ? " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 45 
 
 " That can it, Sir Gervaise," put in Sir Wycherly. " Here 
 is Dick mounted on as good a hunter as is to be found in 
 England ; and I ll answer for my young namesake s will 
 ingness to put the animal s mettle to the proof. Our 
 little mail has just left Wychecombe for the next twenty- 
 four hours, but by pushing the beast, there will be time to 
 reach the road in season for the great London mail, which 
 passed the nearest market-town at noon. It is but a gallop 
 of ten miles and back, and that I ll answer for Mr. Wyche- 
 combe s ability to do, and to join us at dinner by four." 
 
 Young Wychecombe expressing his readiness to perform 
 all this, and even more at need, the arrangement was soon 
 made. Dick was dismounted, the Lieutenant got his dis 
 patches and his instructions, took his leave, and had gal 
 loped out of sight, in the next five minutes. The Admiral 
 then declared himself at liberty for the day, accepting the 
 invitation of Sir Wycherly to breakfast and dine at the 
 Hall, in the same spirit of frankness as that in which it had 
 been given. Sir Wycherly was so spirited as to refuse the 
 aid of his pony, but insisted on walking through the vil 
 lage and park to his dwelling, though the distance was 
 more than a mile. Just as they were quitting the signal- 
 station, the old man took the Admiral aside, and in an 
 earnest, but respectful manner, disburdened his mind to 
 the following effect. 
 
 " Sir Gervaise," he said, " I am no sailor as you know, 
 and least of all do I bear his Majesty s commission in the 
 navy, though I am in the county commission as a justice 
 of the peace ; so, if I make any little mistake, you will 
 have the goodness to overlook it, for I know T that the 
 etiquette of the quarter-deck is a very serious matter, and 
 is not to be trifled with ; but here is Dutton, as good a 
 fellow in his way as lives his father was a sort of a gentle 
 man, too, having been the attorney of the neighborhood, 
 and the old man was accustomed to dine with me forty 
 years ago " 
 
 " I believe I understand you, Sir Wycherly," interrupted 
 the Admiral ; " and I thank you for the attention you wish 
 to pay my prejudices ; but you are the master of Wyche 
 combe, and I should feel myself a troublesome intruder, 
 indeed, did you not ask whom you please to dine at your 
 own table." 
 
 " That s not quite it, Sir Gervaise, though you have not 
 gone far wide of the mark. Dutton is only a master, you 
 
46 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 know ; and it seems that a master on board ship is a very 
 different thing from a master on shore ; so Dutton himself 
 has often told me." 
 
 " Aye, Dutton is right enough as regards a king s ship, 
 though the two officers are pretty much the same, when 
 other craft are alluded to. But, my dear Sir Wycherly, 
 an Admiral is not disgraced by keeping company with a 
 boatswain, if the latter is an honest man. It is true we 
 have our customs, and what we call our quarterdeck and 
 forward officers ; which is court end and city, on board 
 ship ; but a master belongs to the first, and the master of 
 the Plantagenet, Sandy McYarn, dines with me once a 
 month, as regularly as he enters a new word at the top of 
 his log-book. I beg, therefore, you will extend your hos 
 pitality to whom you please or " the Admiral hesitated, 
 as he cast a good-natured glance at the master, who stood 
 still uncovered, waiting for his superior to move away ; 
 " or, perhaps, Sir Wycherly, you would permit me to ask a 
 friend to make one of our party." 
 
 " That s just it, Sir Gervaise," returned the kind-hearted 
 Baronet ; " and Dutton will be one of the happiest fellows 
 in Devonshire. I wish we could have Mrs. Dutton and 
 Milly, and then the table would look what my poor brother 
 James St. James I used to call him what the Rev. James 
 Wychecombe was accustomed to term, mathematical. He 
 said a table should have all its sides and angles duly filled. 
 James was a most agreeable companion, Sir Gervaise, and, 
 in divinity, he would not have turned his back on one of 
 the apostles, I do verily believe ! " 
 
 The Admiral bowed, and turning to the master, he in 
 vited him to be of the party at the hall, in the manner 
 which one long accustomed to render his civilities agree 
 able by a sort of professional off-handed way, well knew 
 how to assume. 
 
 " Sir Wycherly has insisted that I shall consider his ta 
 ble as set in my own cabin," he continued ; " and I know 
 of no better manner of proving my gratitude, than by tak 
 ing him at his word, and filling it with guests that will be 
 agreeable to us both. I believe there is a Mrs. Dutton, 
 and a Miss a a a 
 
 "Milly," put in the Baronet, eagerly; "Miss Mildred 
 Dutton the daughter of our good friend Dutton, here, 
 and a young lady that would do credit to the gayest draw 
 ing-room in London." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 47 
 
 "You perceive, sir, that our kind host anticipates the 
 wishes of an old bachelor, as it might be by instinct, and 
 desires the company of the ladies also. Miss Mildred will, 
 at least, have two young men to do homage to her beauty 
 and three old ones to sigh in the distance hey, Atwood ?" 
 
 " Mildred, as Sir Wycherly knows, sir, has been a little 
 disturbed this morning," returned Button, putting on his 
 best manner for the occasion ; "but, I feel no doubt, will 
 be too grateful for this honor, not to exert herself to make 
 a suitable return. As for my wife, gentlemen " 
 
 u And what is to prevent Mrs. Button from being one of 
 the party ?" interrupted Sir Wycherly, as he observed the 
 husband to hesitate ; "she sometimes favors me with her 
 company." 
 
 " I rather think she will to-day, Sir Wycherly, if Mil 
 dred is well enough to go ; the good woman seldom lets 
 her daughter stray far from her apron-strings. She keeps 
 her, as I tell her, within the sweep of her own hawse, Sir 
 Gervaise." 
 
 " So much the wiser she, Master Button," returned the 
 Admiral, pointedly. "The best pilot for a young woman 
 is a good mother ; and now you have a fleet in your road 
 stead, I need not tell a seaman of your experience that 
 you are on pilot-ground hey, Atwood ? " 
 
 Here the parties separated, Button remaining uncovered 
 until his superior had turned the corner of his little cot 
 tage, and was fairly out of sight. Then the master en 
 tered his dwelling to prepare his wife and daughter for the 
 honors they had in perspective. Before he executed this 
 duty, however, the unfortunate man opened what he 
 called a locker what a housewife would term a cupboard 
 and fortified his nerves with a strong draught of pure 
 Nantes ; a liquor that no hostilities, custom-house duties, 
 or national antipathies, have ever been able to bring into 
 general disrepute in the British Islands. In the mean 
 time the party of the two Baronets pursued its way toward 
 the hall. 
 
 The village, or hamlet of Wychecombe, lay about half 
 way between the station and the residence of the lord of 
 the manor. It was an exceedingly rural and retired col 
 lection of mean houses, possessing neither physician, 
 apothecary, nor attorney to give it importance. A small 
 inn, two or three shops of the humblest kind, and some 
 twenty cottages of laborers and mechanics composed the 
 
48 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 place, which, at that early day, had not even a chapel, or a 
 conventicle ; dissent not having made much progress then 
 in England. The parisli church, one of the old edifices of 
 the time of the Henries, stood quite alone, in a field, more 
 than a mile from the place ; and the vicarage, a respect 
 able abode, was just on the edge of the park, fully half a 
 mile more distant. 
 
 In short, Wychecombe was one of those places which 
 was so far on the decline, that few or no traces of any lit 
 tle importance it may have once possessed were any longer 
 to be discovered ; and it had sunk entirely into a hamlet 
 that owed its allowed claims to be marked on the maps, 
 and to be noted in the gazetteers, altogether to its an 
 tiquity, and the name it had given to one of the oldest 
 knightly families in England. 
 
 No wonder, then, that the arrival of a fleet under the 
 head, produced a great excitement in the little village. 
 The anchorage was excellent, so far as the bottom was 
 concerned, but it could scarcely be called a roadstead in 
 any other point of view, since there was shelter against 
 no wind but that which blew directly off shore, which 
 happened to be a wind that did not prevail in that part of 
 the island. Occasionally, a small cruiser would come-to, 
 in the offing, and a few frigates had lain at single anchors 
 in the roads, for a tide or so, in waiting for a change of 
 weather ; but this was the first fleet that had been known 
 to moor under the cliffs within the memory of man. The 
 fog had prevented the honest villagers from ascertaining 
 the unexpected honor that had been done them, until the 
 reports of two guns reached their ears, when the impor 
 tant intelligence spread with due rapidity over the entire 
 adjacent country. 
 
 Although Wychecombe did not lie in actual view of the 
 sea, by the time the party of Sir Wycherly entered the 
 hamlet, its little street was already crowded with visitors 
 from the fleet ; every vessel having sent at least one boat 
 ashore, and many of them some three or four. Captain s 
 and gun-room stewards, midshipmen s foragers, loblolly 
 boys, and other similar harpies, were out in scores : for 
 this w r as a part of the world in which bumboats were un 
 known ; and if the mountain would not come to Mahomet, 
 Mahomet must fain go to the mountain. Half an hour 
 had sufficed to exhaust all the unsophisticated simplicity 
 of the hamlet ; and milk, eggs, fresh butter, soft-tomme, 
 
THE- TWO ADMIRALS. 49 
 
 vegetables, and such fruits as were ripe, had already risen 
 quite one hundred per cent, in the market. 
 
 Sir Gervaise had called his force the southern squadron, 
 from the circumstance of its having been cruising in the 
 Bay of Biscay, for the last six months. This was a wild 
 winter-station, the danger from the elements greatly sur 
 passing any that could well be anticipated from the enemy. 
 The duty, notwithstanding, had been well and closely per 
 formed ; several West India and one valuable East India 
 convoy had been effectually protected, as well as a few 
 straggling frigates of the enemy picked up ; but the ser 
 vice had been excessively laborious to all engaged in it, 
 and replete with privations. Most of those who now landed 
 had not trod terra firma for half a year, and it was not 
 wonderful that all the officers, whose duties did not con 
 fine them to the vessels, gladly seized the occasion to 
 feast their senses with the verdure and odors of their 
 native island. Quite a hundred guests of this character 
 were also pouring into the streets of Wychecombe, or 
 spreading themselves among the surrounding farm-houses ; 
 flirting with the awkward and blushing girls, and keeping 
 an eye at the same time to the main chance of the mess- 
 table. 
 
 " Our boys have already found out your village, Sir 
 Wycherly, in spite of the fog," the Vice-admiral remarked, 
 good-humoredly, as he cast his eyes around at the move 
 ment of the street; "and the locusts of Egypt will not 
 come nearer to breeding a famine. One would think 
 there was a great dinner in petto, in every cabin of the 
 fleet, by the number of the captain s stewards that are 
 ashore, hey, Atwood ? I have seen nine of the harpies 
 myself, and the other seven can t be far off." 
 
 " Here is Galleygo, Sir Gervaise," returned the secretary, 
 smiling; "though he can scarcely be called a captain s 
 steward, having the honor to serve a Vice-admiral and a 
 commander-in-chief." 
 
 "Aye, but we feed the whole fleet at times, and have 
 some excuse for being a little exacting ; harkee, Galleygo 
 get a horse-cart, and push off at once, four or five miles 
 farther into the country ; you might as well expect to 
 find real pearls in fishes eyes, as hope to pick up any 
 thing nice among so many gun-room and cock-pit boys. 
 I dine ashore to-day, but Captain Greenly is fond of mut 
 ton chops, you ll remember." 
 
50 THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 
 
 This was said kindly, and in the manner of a man accus 
 tomed to treat his domestics with the familiarity of humble 
 friends. Galleygo was as unpromising a looking butler as 
 any gentleman ashore would be at all likely to tolerate ; 
 but he had been with his present master, and in his present 
 capacity, ever since the latter had commanded a sloop of 
 war. All his youth had been passed as a top man, and he 
 was really a prime seaman ; but accident having tempo 
 rarily placed him in.his present station, Captain Oakes was 
 so much pleased with his attention to his duty, and par 
 ticularly with his order, that he ever afterward retained him 
 in his cabin, notwithstanding the strong desire the honest 
 fellow himself had felt to remain aloft. Time and famil 
 iarity at length reconciled the steward to his station, though 
 he did not formally accept it, until a clear agreement had 
 been made that he was not to be considered an idler on 
 any occasion that called for the services of the best rnen. 
 In this manner David, for such was his Christian name, had 
 become a sort of nondescript on board of a man-of-war ; 
 being foremost in all the cuttings out, a captain of a gun, 
 and was frequently seen on a yard in moments of difficulty, 
 just to keep his hand in, as he expressed it, while he de 
 scended to the duties of the cabin in peaceable times and 
 good weather. Nearly thirty years had he thus been half- 
 steward, half-seaman when afloat, while on land he was 
 rather a counsellor and minister of the closet than a servant ; 
 for out of a ship he was utterly useless, though he never 
 left his master for a week at a time, ashore or afloat. The 
 name of Galleygo was a sobriquet conferred by his brother 
 top men, but had been so generally used, that for the last 
 twenty years most of his shipmates believed it to be his 
 patronymic. When this compound of cabin and forecastle 
 received the order just related he touched the lock of hair 
 on his forehead, a ceremony he always used before he spoke 
 to Sir Gervaise, the hat being removed at some three or 
 four yards distance, and made his customary answer of 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir ; your honor has been a young gentleman 
 yourself, and knows what a young gentleman s stomach gets 
 to be a ter a six months fast in the Bay of Biscay ; and a 
 young gentleman s boy s stomach, too. I always thinks 
 there s but a small chance for us, sir, when I sees six or 
 eight of them light cruisers in my neighborhood. They re 
 som mat like the sloops and cutters of a fleet which picks 
 up all the pri/e.3." 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 51 
 
 " Quite true, Master Galleygo ; but if the light cruisers 
 get the prizes, you should recollect that the Admiral al 
 ways has his share of the prize-money." 
 
 " Yes, sir, I knows we has our share, but that s according 
 to law, and because the commanders of the light craft can t 
 help it. Let em once get the law on their side, and not a 
 ha pence would bless our pockets ! No, sir, what we gets 
 we gets by the law ; and as there is no law to fetch up young 
 gentlemen or their boys, that pays as they goes, we never 
 gets anything they or their boys puts hands on." 
 
 " I dare say you are right, David, as you always are. It 
 wouldn t be a bad thing to have an act of Parliament to 
 give an Admiral his twentieth in the reefers foragings. 
 The old fellows would sometimes get back some of their 
 own poultry and fruit in that way, hey, Atwood ? " 
 
 The secretary smiled his assent, and then Sir Gervaise 
 apologized to his host, repeated the order to the steward, 
 and the party proceeded. 
 
 " This fellow of mine, Sir Wycherly, is no respecter of 
 persons, beyond the etiquette of a man-of-war," the Admi 
 ral continued, by way of farther excuse. " I believe his 
 Majesty himself would be favored with an essay on some 
 part of the economy of the cabin, were Galleygo to get an 
 opportunity of speaking his mind to him. Nor is the fool 
 without his expectations of some day enjoying this privi 
 lege ; for the last time I went to court, I found honest 
 David rigged from stem to stern, in a full suit of claret and 
 steel, under the idea that he was to sail in company with 
 me, as he called it, * with or without signal ! 
 
 " There was nothing surprising in that, Sir Gervaise," 
 observed the secretary. " Galleygo has sailed in company 
 with you so long, and to so many strange lands ; has been 
 through so many dangers at your side, and has got so com 
 pletely to consider himself as part of the family, that it was 
 the most natural tiling in the world he should expect to 
 go to court with you." 
 
 " True enough. The fellow would face the devil, at my 
 sidj, and I don t see why he should hesitate to face the 
 King. I sometimes call him Lady Oakes, Sir Wycherly, 
 for he appears to think he has a right of dower, or to some 
 other lawyer-like claim on my estate ; and as for the fleet, 
 he always speaks of that, as if we commanded it in com 
 mon. I wonder how Bluewater tolerates such a black 
 guard ; for he never scruples to allude to him as under our 
 
52 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 orders ! If anything should befall me, Dick and David 
 would have a civil war for the succession, hey, Atwood ? " 
 
 " I think military subordination would bring Galleygo 
 to his senses, Sjf Gervaise, should such an unfortunate 
 accident occur which Heaven avert for many years to 
 come ! There is Admiral Bluewater coming up the street, 
 at this very moment, sir." 
 
 At this sudden announcement, the whole party turned 
 to look in the direction intimated by the secretary. It was 
 by this time at one end of the short street, and all saw a 
 man just entering the other, who, in his walk, air, attire, 
 and manner, formed a striking contrast to the active, merry, 
 bustling, youthful young sailors who thronged the hamlet. 
 In person, Admiral Biuewater was exceedingly tall and 
 exceedingly thin. Like most seamen who have that phy 
 sical formation, he stooped : a circumstance that gave his 
 years greater apparent command over his frame than they 
 possessed in reality. While this bend in his figure de 
 prived it, in a great measure, of the sturdy martial air that 
 his superior presented to the observer, it lent to his car 
 riage a quiet and dignity that it might otherwise have 
 wanted. Certainly, were this officer attired like an ordi 
 nary civilian, no one would have taken him for one of Eng 
 land s bravest and most efficient sea-captains ; he would 
 have passed rather as some thoughtful, well-educated, and 
 refined gentleman, of retired habits, diffident of himself, 
 and a stranger to ambition. He wore an undress, Rear- 
 admiral s uniform, as a matter of course ; but he wore it 
 carelessly, as if from a sense of duty only ; or conscious 
 that no arrangement could give him a military air. Still, 
 all about his person was faultlessly neat, and perfectly re 
 spectable. In a word, no one but a man accustomed to the 
 sea, were it not for his uniform, would suspect the Rear- 
 admiral of being a sailor ; and even the seaman himself 
 might be often puzzled to detect any other signs of tlfle 
 profession about him, than were to be found in a face, 
 which, fair, gentlemanly, handsome, and even courtly as it 
 was, in expression and outline, wore the tint that exposure 
 invariably stamps on the mariner s countenance. Here, 
 however, his unseamanlike character ceased. Admiral 
 Oakes had often declared that " Dick Bluewater knew 
 more about a ship than any man in England ;" and as for 
 a fleet, his mode of manoeuvring one had got to be standard 
 in the service. 
 
THE TWO AmprrK:4&. 53 
 
 As soon as Sir Gervaise recogmxed his friend, he ex 
 pressed a wish to wait for him, which was courteously 
 converted by Sir Wycherly into a proposition to return 
 and meet him. So abstracted was Admiral Bluewater, 
 however, that he did not see the party that was approach 
 ing him, until he was fairly accosted by Sir Gervaise, who 
 led the advance by a few yards. 
 
 "Good day to you, Bluewater," commenced the latter, 
 in his familiar, off-hand way ; " I m glad you have torn 
 yourself away from your ship ; though 1 must say the 
 manner in which you came-to in that fog was more like 
 instinct than anything human ! I determined to tell you 
 "as much, the moment we met ; for I don t think there is a 
 ship half her length out of mathematical order, notwith 
 standing the tide runs, here, like a race-horse." 
 
 "That is owing to your captains, Sir Gervaise," returned 
 the other, observing the respect of manner, that the inferi 
 or never loses w T ith his superior, on service, and in a navy ; 
 let their relative rank and intimacy be what they may on 
 all other occasions ; "good captains make handy ships. 
 Our gentlemen have now T been together so long, that they 
 understand each other s movements ; and every vessel in 
 the fleet has her character as w r ell as her commander ! " 
 
 " Very true, Admiral Bluewater, and yet there is not an 
 other officer in his Majesty s service that could have 
 brought a fleet to anchor, in so much order, and in such a 
 fog ; and I ask your leave, sir, most particularly to thank 
 you for the lesson you have given, not only to the captains, 
 but to the commander-in-chief. I presume I may admire 
 that which I cannot exactly imitate." 
 
 The Rear-admiral merely smiled and touched his hat in 
 acknowledgment of the compliment, but he made no di 
 rect answer in words. By this time Sir Wycherly and the 
 others had approached, and the customary introductions 
 took place. Sir Wycherly now pressed his new acquaint 
 ance to join his guests, with so much heartiness, that there 
 was no such thing as refusing. 
 
 " Since you and Sir Gervaise both insist on it so earn 
 estly, Sir Wycherly," returned the Rear-admiral, " I must 
 consent ; but as it is contrary to our practice, when on for* 
 eign service and I call this roadstead a foreign station, 
 as to any thing \ve know about it as it is contrary to our 
 practice" for both flag-officers to sleep out of the fleet, I 
 shall claim the privilege to be allowed to go oifto my ship 
 
54 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 before midnight. I think the weather looks settled, Sir 
 Gervaise, and we may trust that many hours, without ap 
 prehension." 
 
 " Pooh -pooh Bluewater, you are always fancying the 
 ships in a gale, and clawing off a lee-shore. Put your heart 
 at rest, and let us go and take a comfortable dinner with 
 Sir Wycherly, who has a London paper, I dare to say, that 
 may let us into some of the secrets of state. Are there any 
 tidings from our people in Flanders ?" 
 
 " Things remain pretty much as they have been," re 
 turned Sir Wycherly, "since that last terrible affair, in 
 which the Duke got the better of the French at I never 
 can remember an outlandish name ; but it sounds some 
 thing like a Christian baptism. If my poor brother, St. 
 James, were living, now, he could tell us all about it." 
 
 " Christian baptism ! That s an odd allusion for a field 
 of battle. The armies can t have got to Jerusalem ; hey, 
 Atwood ? " 
 
 " I rather think, Sir Gervaise," the secretary coolly re 
 marked, " that Sir Wycherly Wychecombe refers to the 
 battle that took place last spring ; it was fought at Font- 
 something ; and a font certainly has something to do with 
 Christian Baptism." 
 
 "That s it that s it," cried Sir Wycherly, with some 
 eagerness ; " Fontenoy was the name of the place, where 
 the Duke would have carried all before him, and brought 
 Marshal Saxe and all his frog-eaters prisoners to England, 
 had our Dutch and German allies behaved better than they 
 did. So it is with poor old England, gentlemen ; whatever 
 she gains, her allies always lose for her ; the Germans, or 
 the colonists, are constantly getting us into trouble ! " 
 
 Both Sir Gervaise and his friend were practical men, 
 and well knew that they never fought the Dutch or the 
 French, without meeting with something that was pretty 
 nearly their match. They had no faith in general national 
 superiority. The courts-martial that so often succeeded 
 general actions, had taught them that there were all de 
 grees of spirit, as well as all degrees of a want of spirit ; 
 and they knew too much to be the dupes of flourishes of 
 the pen, or of vapid declamation at dinner-speeches, and 
 in the House of Commons. Men, well led and command 
 ed, they had ascertained by experience, were worth twice 
 as much as the same men when ill led and ill commanded ; 
 and they were not to be told that the moral tone of an 
 
THE TU O ADMIRALS. 
 
 55 
 
 army or a fleet, from which all its success was derived, de 
 pended more on the conventional feeling that had been 
 got up through moral agencies, than on birthplace, origin, 
 or color. Each glanced his eyes significantly at the other, 
 and a sarcastic smile passed over the face of Sir Gervaise, 
 though his friend maintained the customary appearance 
 of gravity. 
 
 * I believe Le Grand Monarque and Marshal Saxe give 
 a different account of that matter, Sir Wycherly," dryly 
 observed the former; "and it may be well to remember that 
 there are two sides to every story. Whatever may be said 
 of Dettingen, I fancy history will set down Fontenoy as 
 anything but a feather in his Royal Highness cap." 
 
 "You surely do not consider it possible for the French 
 arms to overthrow a British army, Sir Gervaise Oakes ! " 
 exclaimed the simple-minded provincial for such was Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe, though he had sat in Parliament, 
 had four thousand a year, and was one of the oldest fami 
 lies in England ; " it sounds like treason to admit the pos 
 sibility of such a thing." 
 
 " God bless us, my dear sir, I am as far from supposing 
 any such thing as the Duke of Cumberland himself ; who, 
 by the way, has as much English blood in his veins, as the 
 Baltic may have of the water of the Mediterranean eh, 
 Atwood ? By the way, Sir Wycherly, I must ask a little 
 tenderness of you in behalf of my friend the secretary, 
 here, who lias a national weakness in favor of the Preten 
 der, and all of the clan Stuart." 
 
 " I hope not, I sincerely hope not, Sir Gervaise !" ex 
 claimed Sir Wycherly, with a warmth that was not entire 
 ly free from alarm ; his own loyalty to the new house be 
 ing altogether without reproach. " Mr. Atwood has the 
 air of a gentleman of too good principles not to see on 
 which side real religious and political liberty lie. I am 
 sure you are pleased to be jocular, Sir Gervaise ; the very 
 circumstance that he is in your company is a pledge of his 
 loyalty." 
 
 "Well, well, Sir Wycherly, I would not give you a 
 false idea of my friend Atwood, if possible ; and so I may 
 as well confess that, while his Scotch blood inclines him 
 to toryism, his English reason makes him a whig. If 
 Charles Stuart never gets the throne until Stephen At 
 wood helps him to a seat on it, he may take leave of am 
 bition forever." 
 
56 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " I thought as much, Sir Gervaise I thought your sec 
 retary could never lead to the doctrine of * passive obe 
 dience and non-resistance. That s a principle which would 
 hardly suit sailors, Admiral Bluewater." 
 
 Admiral Bluewater s fine, full, blue eye, lighted with an 
 expression approaching irony ; but he made no other an 
 swer than a slight inclination of the head. In point of 
 fact, he was a Jacobite ; though no one was acquainted 
 with the circumstance but his immediate commanding offi 
 cer. 
 
 As a seaman he was called on only to serve his country; 
 and as often happens to military men, lie was willing to 
 do this under any superior whom circumstance might 
 place over his head, let his private sentiments be what they 
 might. During the civil war of 1715, he was too young in 
 years, and too low in rank, to render his opinions of much 
 importance ; and, kept on foreign stations, his services 
 could only affect the general interests of the nation, with 
 out producing any influence on the contest at home. Since 
 that period, nothing had occurred to require one, whose 
 duty kept him on the ocean, to come to a very positive 
 decision between the two masters that claimed his alle 
 giance. Sir Gervaise had always been able to persuade 
 him that he was sustaining the honor and interests of his 
 country, and that ought to be sufficient to a patriot, let 
 who would rule. Notwithstanding this wide difference in 
 political feeling between the two Admirals Sir Gervaise 
 being as decided a whig as his friend was a tory their 
 personal harmony had been without a shade. As to con 
 fidence, the superior knew the inferior so well, that he be 
 lieved the surest way to prevent his taking sides openly 
 with the Jacobites, or of doing them secret service, was to 
 put it in his power to commit a great breach of trust. So 
 long as faith was put in his integrity, Sir Gervaise felt cer 
 tain his friend Bluewater might be relied on ; and he also 
 knew that, should the moment ever come when the other 
 really intended to abandon the service of the house of 
 Hanover, he would frankly throw up his employments, 
 and join the hostile standard, without profiting, in any 
 manner, by the trusts he had previously enjoyed. It is also 
 necessary that the reader should understand that Admiral 
 Bluewater had never communicated his political opinions 
 to any person but his friend ; the Pretender and his coun 
 sellors being as ignorant of them as George II. and his 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 57 
 
 ministers. The only practical effect, therefore, that they 
 had ever produced was to induce him to decline separate 
 commands, several of which had been offered to him ; one, 
 quite equal to that enjoyed by Sir Gervaise Oakes himself. 
 
 " No," the latter answered to Sir Wycherlv s remark ; 
 though the grave thoughtful expression of his face showed 
 how little his feelings chimed in at the moment with the 
 ironical language of his tongue. " No, Sir Wycherly, a 
 man-of-war s man, in particular, has not the slightest idea 
 of passive obedience and non-resistance ; that is a doc 
 trine which is intelligible only to papists and tories. Blue- 
 water is in a brown study ; thinking no doubt of the man 
 ner in which he intends to lead down on Monsieur de 
 Gravelin, should we ever have the luck to meet that 
 gentleman again ; so we will, if it s agreeable to all parties, 
 change the subject." 
 
 " With all my heart, Sir Gervaise," answered the Baronet, 
 cordially ; " and, after all, there is little use in discussing the 
 affair of the Pretender any longer, for he appears to be 
 quite out of men s minds, since that last failure of King 
 Louis XV." 
 
 "Yes, Norris rather crushed the young viper, in its shell, 
 and we may consider the thing at an end." 
 
 " So my late brother, Baron Wychecombe, always treated 
 it, Sir Gervaise. He once assured me that the twelve 
 judges were clearly against the claim, and that the Stuarts 
 had nothing to expect from them" 
 
 " Did he tell you, sir, on what ground these learned 
 gentlemen had come to this decision ? " quietly asked 
 Admiral Bkrewater. 
 
 " He did, indeed ; for he knew my strong desire to make 
 out a good case against the tories so well, that he had laid 
 all the law before me. I am a bad hand, however, to re 
 peat even what I hear ; though my poor brother, the late 
 Rev. James Wychecombe St. James as I used to call him 
 could go over a discourse half an hour long, and not 
 miss a word. Thomas and James appear to have run away 
 with the memories of the rest of the family. Nevertheless, 
 I recollect it all depended on an act of Parliament, which 
 is supreme ; and the house of Hanover reigning by an act 
 of Parliament, no court could set aside the claim." 
 
 "Very clearly explained, sir," continued Bluewater ; 
 " and you will permit me to say that there was no necessity 
 for an apology on account of the memory. Your brother, 
 
58 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 however, might not have exactly explained what an act of 
 Parliament is. Kings, Lords, and Commons are all nec 
 essary to an act of Parliament." 
 
 " Certainly ; we all know that, my dear Admiral ; we 
 poor fellows ashore here, as well as you mariners at sea. 
 The Hanoverian succession had all three to authorize it." 
 
 " Had it a king?" 
 
 " A king ! Out of dispute or what we bachelors ought 
 to consider as much better, it had a queen. Queen Anne 
 approved of the act, and that made it an act of Parliament. 
 I assure you, I learned a good deal of law in the Baron s 
 visits to Wychecombe ; and in the pleasant hours we used 
 to chat together in his chambers !" 
 
 "And who signed the act of Parliament that made Anne 
 a queen ? or did she ascend the throne by regular succes 
 sion ? Both Mary and Anne were sovereigns by act of 
 Parliament, and we must look back until we get the ap 
 proval of a prince who took the crown by legal descent." 
 
 " Come, come, Bluewater " put in Sir Gervaise, gravely ; 
 "we may persuade Sir Wycherly, in this manner, that he 
 has a couple of furious Jacobites in company. The 
 Stuarts were dethroned by a revolution, which is a law of 
 nature, and enacted by God, and which of course over 
 shadows all other laws when it gets into the ascendant, as it 
 clearly has done in this case. I take it, Sir Wycherley, 
 these are your park-gates, and that yonder is the hall." 
 
 This remark changed the discourse, and the whole party 
 proceeded toward the house, discussing the beauty of its 
 position, its history, and its advantages, until they reached 
 its door. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Monarch and ministers are awful names; 
 
 Whoever wear them, challenge our devoir. YOUNG. 
 
 OUR plan does not require an elaborate description of 
 the residence of Sir Wycherly. The house had been neither 
 priory, abbey, nor castle ; but it was erected as a dwelling 
 for himself and his posterity, by a Sir Michael Wychecombe, 
 two or three centuries before, and had been kept in good 
 serviceable condition ever since. It had the usual long, 
 narrow windows, a suitable hall, wainscoted rooms, battle- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 59 
 
 merited walls, and turreted angles. It was neither large, 
 nor small ; handsome, nor ugly ; grand, nor mean ; but it 
 was quaint, respectable in appearance, and comfortable as 
 an abode. 
 
 The Admirals were put each in possession of bedcham 
 bers and dressing-rooms, as soon as they arrived ; and 
 Atwood was berthed not far from his commanding-officer, 
 in readiness for service, if required. Sir Wycherly was 
 naturally hospitable ; but his retired situation had given 
 him a zest for company, that greatly increased the inborn 
 disposition. Sir Gervaise, it was understood, was to pass 
 the night with him, and he entertained strong hopes of in 
 cluding his friend in the same arrangement. Beds were 
 ordered, too, for Button, his wife, and daughter ; and his 
 namesake, the Lieutenant, was expected also to sleep un 
 der his roof that night. 
 
 The day passed in the customary manner ; the party 
 having breakfasted, and then separated to attend to their 
 several occupations, agreeably to the usages of all country 
 houses, in all parts of the world, and, we believe, in -all 
 time. Sir Gervaise, who had sent a messenger off to the 
 Plantagenet for certain papers, spent the morning in writ 
 ing; Admiral Bluewater walked in the park, by himself ; 
 Atwood was occupied with his superior ; Sir Wycherly 
 rode among his laborers ; and Tom Wychecornbe took a 
 rod, and pretended to go forth to fish, though he actually 
 held his way back to the headland, lingering in and around 
 the cottage until it was time to return home. At the 
 proper hour, Sir Wycherly sent his chariot for the ladies ; 
 and a few minutes before the appointed moment, the party 
 began to assemble in the drawing-room. 
 
 When Sir Wycherly appeared, he found the Buttons al 
 ready in possession, with Tom doing the honors of the 
 house. Of the sailing-master and his daughter, it is un 
 necessary to say more than that the former was in his best 
 uniform an exceedingly plain one, as was then the case 
 with the whole naval wardrobe and that the last had re 
 covered from her illness, as, was evident by the bloom that 
 the sensitive blushes constantly cast athwart her lovely 
 face. Her attire was exactly what it ought to have been : 
 neat, simple, and becoming. In honor of the host, she 
 Avore her best ; but this was what became her station, 
 though a little jewelry that rather surpassed what might 
 have been expected in a girl of her rank of life, threw 
 
60 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 around her person an air of modest elegance. Mrs. Button 
 was a plain matronly woman the daughter of a land-stew 
 ard of a nobleman in the same county with an air of great 
 mental suffering, from griefs she had never yet exposed to 
 the heartless sympathy of the world. 
 
 The Baronet was so much in the habit of seeing his hum 
 ble neighbors, that an intimacy had grown up between 
 them. Sir Wycherly, who was anything but an acute ob 
 server, felt an interest in the melancholy-looking and al 
 most heart-broken mother, without knowing why ; or 
 certainly without suspecting the real character of her 
 habitual sadness ; while Mildred s youth and beauty had 
 not failed of producing the customary effect of making a 
 friend of the old bachelor. He shook hands all around, 
 therefore, with great cordiality ; expressing his joy at 
 meeting Mrs. Dutton, and congratulating the daughter on 
 her complete recovery. 
 
 " I see Tom has been attentive to his duty," he added, 
 "while I ve been detained by a silly fellow about a com 
 plaint against a poacher. My namesake, young Wycherly, 
 has not got back yet, though it is quite two hours past his 
 time ; and Mr. Atwood tells me the Admiral is a little un 
 easy about his dispatches. I tell him Mr. Wycherly Wyche- 
 combe, though I have not the honor of ranking him among 
 my relatives, and he is only a Virginian by birth, is a young 
 man to be relied on ; and that the dispatches are safe, let 
 what may detain the courier." 
 
 " And why should not a Virginian be everyway as trust 
 worthy and prompt as an Englishman, Sir Wycherly?" 
 asked Mrs. Dutton. " He is an Englishman, merely sep 
 arated from us by the water." 
 
 This was said mildly, or in the manner of one accustomed 
 to speak under a rebuked feeling ; but it was said earnest 
 ly, and perhaps a little reproachfully, while the speaker s 
 eye glanced with natural interest toward the beautiful face 
 of her daughter. 
 
 " Why not, sure enough, my dear Mrs. Dutton ! " echo 
 the Baronet. " They are Englishmen, like ourselves, OK?/, 
 born out of the realm, as it might be, and no doubt a lit tie 
 different on that account. They are fellow-subjects, M rs. 
 Dutton, and that is a great deal. Then they are miracle* 
 of loyalty, there being scarcely a Jacobite, as they tell me, 
 in all the colonies." 
 
 " Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe is a very respectable 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 61 
 
 young gentleman," said Dutton ; "and I hear he is a 
 prime seaman for his years. He has not the honor of be 
 ing related to this distinguished family, like Mr. Thomas, 
 here, it is true ; but he is likely to make a name for him 
 self. Should he get a ship, and do as handsome things in 
 her, as he has done already, his Majesty would probably 
 knight him ; and then we should have two Sir Wycherly 
 Wychecombes ! " 
 
 "I hope not I hope not ! " exclaimed the Baronet ; "I 
 think there must be a law against that. As it is, I shall 
 be obliged to put Bart, after my name, as my worthy grand 
 father used to do, in order to prevent confusion ; but Eng 
 land can t bear two Sir Wycherlys, any more than the world 
 can bear two suns. Is not that your opinion, Miss Mildred?" 
 
 The Baronet had laughed at his own allusion, showing 
 that he spoke half jocularly ; but, as his question was put 
 in too direct a manner to escape general attention, the 
 confused girl was obliged to answer. 
 
 " I dare say Mr. Wychecombe will never reach a rank 
 high enough to cause any such difficulty," she said ; and 
 it was said in all sincerity ; for, unconsciously, perhaps, 
 she secretly hoped that no difference so wide might ever 
 be created between the youth and herself. " If he should, 
 I suppose his rights would be as good as another s, and 
 he must keep his name." 
 
 "In such a case, which is improbable enough, as Miss 
 Mildred has so well observed," put in Tom Wychecombe, 
 " we should have to submit to the knighthood, for that comes 
 from the king, who may knight a chimney-sweep, if he 
 see fit ; but a question might be raised as to the name. It 
 is bad enough as it is ; but if it really got to be two Sir 
 Wycherlys, I think my dear uncle would be wrong to sub 
 mit to such an invasion of what one might call his individ 
 uality, without making some inquiry as to the right of the 
 gentleman to one or both his names. The result might 
 show that the king had made a Sir Something Nobody." 
 
 The sneer and spite with which this was uttered were 
 too marked to escape notice ; and both Dutton and his 
 wife felt it would be unpleasant to mingle further in the 
 discourse. Still, the last, submissive, rebuked, and heart 
 broken as she was, felt a glow on her pale cheek, as she 
 saw the color mount in the face of Mildred, and she de 
 tected the strong impulses that urged the generous girl 
 herself to answer. 
 
62 THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "We have now known Mr. Wychecombe several months," 
 observed Mildred, fastening her full blue eyes calmly on 
 Tom s sinister-looking face ; "and we have never known 
 anything to cause us to think he would bear a name or 
 names that he does not at least think he has a right 
 to." 
 
 This was said gently, but so distinctly that every word 
 entered fairly into Tom Wychecombe s soul ; who threw a 
 quick, suspicious glance at the lovely speaker, as if to as 
 certain how far she intended any allusion to himself. Meet 
 ing with no other expression than that of generous interest, 
 he recovered his self-command, and made his reply with 
 sufficient coolness. 
 
 " Upon my word, Mrs. Dutton," he cried, laughing ; " we 
 young men will all of us have to get over the cliff and hang 
 dangling at the end of a rope, in order to awaken an in 
 terest in Miss Mildred, to defend us when our backs are 
 turned. So eloquent and most especially so lovely, so 
 charming an advocate, is almost certain of success ; and 
 my uncle and myself must admit the absent gentleman s 
 right to our name ; though, Heaven be praised, he has not 
 yet got either the title or the estate." 
 
 "I hope I have said nothing, Sir Wycherly, to displease 
 you" returned Mildred, with emphasis ; though her face 
 was a thousand times handsomer than ever, with the 
 blushes that suffused it. " Nothing would pain me more 
 than to suppose I had done so improper a thing. I merely 
 meant that we cannot believe Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe 
 would willingly take a name he had no right to." 
 
 "My little dear," said the Baronet, taking the hand of 
 the distressed girl, and kissing her cheek as he had often 
 done before, with fatherly tenderness ; " it is not an easy 
 matter tor you to offend me ; and I m sure the young fellow 
 is quite welcome to both my names, if you wish him to 
 have em." 
 
 "And I merely meant, Miss Mildred," resumed Tom, 
 who feared he might have gone too far, " that the young 
 gentleman quite without any fault of his own is proba 
 bly ignorant how he came by two names that have so long 
 pertained to the head of an ancient and honorable family. 
 There is many a young man born, who is worthy of being 
 an earl, but whom the law considers" here Tom paused 
 to choose terms suitable for his auditor, when the Baronet 
 added, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 63 
 
 "A filius nullius that s the phrase, Tom I had it from 
 your own father s mouth." 
 
 Tom Wychecombe started, and looked furtively around 
 him, as if to ascertain who suspected the truth. Then he 
 continued, anxious to regain the ground he feared he had 
 lost in Mildred s favor : 
 
 " Filius nullius means, Miss Mildred, exactly what I wish to 
 express ; a family without any legal origin. They tell me, 
 however, that in the colonies nothing is more common 
 than for people to take the names of the great families at 
 home, and after awhile they fancy themselves related." 
 
 " I never heard Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe say a word 
 to lead us to suppose that lie was, in any manner, connected 
 with this family, sir," returned Mildred, calmly, but quite 
 distinctly. 
 
 " Did you ever hear him say he was not, Miss Mildred ?" 
 
 " I cannot say I ever did, Mr. Wychecombe. It is a 
 subject that has seldom been introduced in my hearing." 
 
 " But it has often been introduced in his ! I declare, 
 Sir Wycherly, it has struck me as singular, that while you 
 and I have so very frequently stated, in the presence of 
 this gentlemen, that our families are in no way connected, 
 he has never, in any manner, not even by a nod or a look 
 of approbation, assented to what he must certainly know 
 to be the case. But I suppose, like a true colonist, he was 
 unwilling to give up his hold on the old stock." 
 
 Here the entrance of Sir Gervaise Oakes changed the 
 discourse. The Vice-admiral joined the party in good 
 spirits, as is apt to be the case with men who have been 
 much occupied with affairs of moment, and who meet 
 relaxation, with a consciousness of having done their 
 duty. 
 
 " If one could take with him to sea the comforts of such 
 a house as this, Sir Wycherly, and such handsome faces 
 as your own, young lady," cried Sir Gervaise, cheerfully, 
 after he had made his salutations, " there would be an end 
 of our exclusiveness, for every petit maitre of Paris and 
 London would turn sailor, as a matter of course. Six 
 months in the Bay of Biscay gives an old fellow T like my 
 self a keen relish for these enjoyments, as hunger makes 
 any meat palatable ; though I am far, very far indeed, from 
 putting this house or this company on a level with an in 
 different feast, even for an epicure." 
 
 "Such as it is, Sir Gervaise, the first is quite at your 
 
64 THE TirO ADMIRALS. 
 
 service, in all things," rejoined the host; "and the last 
 will do all in its power to make itself agreeable." 
 
 "Ah here comes Bluewater to echo all I have said and 
 feel. I am telling Sir Wycherly and the ladies, of the sat 
 isfaction we grampuses experience when we get berthed 
 under such a roof as this, with woman s sweet face to throw 
 a gleam of happiness around her." 
 
 Admiral Bluewater had already saluted the mother, but 
 when his eye fell on the face and person of Mildred, it was 
 riveted, for an instant, with an earnestness and intentness 
 of surprise and admiration that all noted, though no one 
 saw fit to comment on it. 
 
 " Sir Gervaise is so established an admirer of the sex," 
 said the Rear-admiral, recovering himself, after a pause, 
 "that I am never astonished at any of his raptures. Salt 
 water has the usual effect on him, however ; for I have 
 now known him longer than he might wish to be reminded 
 of, and yet the only mistress who can keep him true is his 
 ship." 
 
 " And to that I believe I may be said to be constant. I 
 don t know how it is with you, Sir Wycherly, but every 
 thing I am accustomed to I like. Now, here I have sailed 
 with both these gentlemen until I should as soon think of 
 going to sea without a binnacle, as to go to sea without 
 em both hey, Atwood ? Then, as to the ship, my flag 
 has been flying in the Plantagenet these ten years, and I 
 can t bear to give the old craft up, though Bluewater, here, 
 would have turned her over to an inferior after three years 
 service. I tell all the young men they don t stay long 
 enough in any one vessel to find out her good qualities. I 
 never was in a slow ship yet." 
 
 " For the simple reason that you never get into a fast 
 one, that you do not wear her fairly out, before you give 
 her up. The Plantagenet, Sir Wycherly, is the fastest t\vo- 
 decker in his Majesty s service, and the Vice-admiral 
 knows it too well to let any of us get foot in her, while 
 her timbers will hang together." 
 
 " Let it be so, if you will ; it only shows, Sir Wycherly, 
 that I do not choose my friends for their bad qualities. But 
 allow me to ask, young lady, if you happen to know a 
 certain Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe a namesake, but no 
 relative, I understand, of our respectable host and one 
 who holds a commission in his Majesty s service ?" 
 
 " Certainly, Sir Gervaise," answered Mildred, dropping 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 65 
 
 her eyes to the floor, and trembling, though she scarce 
 knew why ; "Mr. Wychecombe has been about here, now, 
 for some months, and \ve all know something about him." 
 
 " Then perhaps you can tell me whether he is generally 
 a loiterer on duty. I do not inquire whether he is a lag 
 gard in his duty to you, but whether, mounted on a good 
 hunter, he could get over twenty miles in eight or ten 
 hours, for instance ?" 
 
 " I think Sir Wycherly would tell you that he could, 
 sir." 
 
 " He may be a Wychecombe, Sir Wycherly, but he is no 
 Plantagenet, in the way of sailing. Surely the young man 
 ought to have returned some hours since !" 
 
 " It is quite surprising to me that he is not back before 
 this," returned the kind-hearted Baronet. " He is active, 
 and understands himself, and there is not a better horse 
 man in the county is there, Miss Mildred ?" 
 
 Mildred did not think it necessary to reply to this direct 
 appeal ; but in spite of the manner in which she had been 
 endeavoring to school her feelings, since the accident on the 
 cliff, she could not prevent the deadly paleness that dread 
 of some accident had produced, or the rush of color to her 
 cheeks that followed from the unexpected question of Sir 
 Wycherly. Turning to conceal her confusion, she met the 
 eye of Tom Wychecombe riveted on her face, with an ex 
 pression so sinister, that it caused her to tremble. Fortu 
 nately, at this moment, Sir Gervaise turned away, and 
 drawing near his friend, on the other side of the large 
 apartment, he said, in an undertone : 
 
 "Luckily, Atwood has brought ashore a duplicate of 
 my dispatches, Bluewater, and if this dilatory gentleman 
 does not return by the time we have dined, I will send off 
 a second courier. The intelligence is too important to be 
 trifled with ; and after having brought the fleet north, to 
 be in readiness to serve the state in this emergency, it 
 would be rare folly to leave the ministers in ignorance of 
 the reasons why I have done it." 
 
 " Nevertheless they would be almost as well informed as 
 I am myself," returned the Rear-admiral, with a little 
 point, but quite without any bitterness of manner. "The 
 only advantage I have over them is that I do know where 
 the fleet is, which is more than the First Lord can boast 
 of." 
 
 " True I had forgot, my friend but you must feel 
 
66 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 there is a subject on which I had better not consult you. 
 I have received some important intelligence, that my duty, 
 as a commander-in-chief, renders it necessary I should 
 keep to myself." 
 
 Sir Gervaise laughed as he concluded, though he seemed 
 vexed and embarrassed. Admiral Bluewater betrayed 
 neither chagrin nor disappointment ; but strong, nearly 
 ungovernable curiosity, a feeling from which he was sin 
 gularly exempt in general, glowed in his eyes and lighted 
 his whole countenance. Still, habitual submission to his 
 superior, and the self-command of discipline, enabled him 
 to wait for anything more that his friend might commu 
 nicate. At this moment, the door opened, and Wycherly 
 entered the room, in the state in which he had just dis 
 mounted. It was necessary to throw but a single glance 
 at his hurried manner, and general appearance, to know 
 that he had something of importance to communicate, and 
 Sir Gervaise made a sign for him not to speak. 
 
 "This is public service, Sir Wycherly," said the Vice- 
 admiral, " arid I hope you will excuse us for a few minutes. 
 I beg this good company will be seated at table, as soon as 
 dinner is served, and that you will treat us as old friends 
 as I should treat you, if we were on board the Plantagenet. 
 Admiral Bluewater, will you be of our conference ?" 
 
 Nothing more was said until the two Admirals and the 
 young Lieutenant were in the dressing-room of Sir Ger 
 vaise Oakes. Then the latter turned, and addressed Wy 
 cherly with the manner of a superior. 
 
 " I should have met you with reproof for this delay, 
 young gentleman," he commenced, "did I not suspect, 
 from your appearance, that something of moment has oc 
 curred to produce it. Had the mail passed the market- 
 town before you reached it, sir ?" 
 
 " It had not, Admiral Oakes ; and I have the satisfaction 
 of knowing that your dispatches are now several hours on 
 their way to London. I reached the office just in season 
 to see them mailed." 
 
 "Humph ! On board the Plantagenet, it is the custom 
 for an officer to report any important duty done, as soon 
 as it is in a condition to be thus laid before the superior ! " 
 
 "I presume that is the usage in all of his Majesty s 
 ships, Sir Gervaise Oakes ; but I have been taught that a 
 proper discretion, when it does not interfere with positive 
 orders, and sometimes when it does, is a surer sign of a 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 67 
 
 useful officer, than even the most slavish attention to 
 rules." 
 
 "That is a just distinction, young gentleman, though 
 safer in the hands of a captain, perhaps, than in those of a 
 lieutenant," returned the Vice-admiral, glancing at his 
 friend, though he secretly admired the youth s spirit 
 " Discretion is a comparative term; meaning different 
 things with different persons. May I presume to ask 
 what Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe calls discretion in the 
 present instance?" 
 
 "You have every right, sir, to know, and I only wanted 
 your permission to tell my whole story. While waiting to 
 see the London mail start with your dispatches, and to rest 
 my horse, a post-chaise arrived that was carrying a gentle 
 man who is suspected of being a Jacobite, to his country- 
 seat, some thirty miles farther west. This gentleman held 
 a secret conference with another person of the same way 
 of thinking as himself ; and there was so much running 
 and sending of messages that I could not avoid suspecting 
 something was in the wind. Going to the stable to look 
 after Sir Wycherly s hunter, for I knew how much he 
 values the animal, I found one of the stranger s servants 
 in discourse with the hostler. The latter told me, when 
 the chaise was gone, that great tidings had reached Exeter, 
 before the travellers quitted the town. These tidings he 
 described as news that Charley was no longer over the 
 water. It is useless, Sir Gervaise, to question one so 
 stupid ; and, at the inn, though all observed the manner of 
 the traveller and his visitor, no one could tell me anything 
 positive. Under the circumstances, therefore, I threw 
 myself into the return chaise, and went as far as Fowey, 
 where I met the important intelligence that Prince Charles 
 had actually landed, and is at this moment up, in Scot 
 land!" 
 
 "The Pretender is then really once more among us!" 
 exclaimed Sir Gervaise, like one who had half suspected 
 the truth. 
 
 " Not the Pretender, Sir Gervaise, as I understand the 
 news ; but his young son, Prince Charles Edward, one 
 much more likely to give the kingdom trouble. The fact 
 is certain, I believe, and as it struck me that it might be 
 important to the commander of so fine a fleet as this 
 which lies under Wychecombe Head, to know it, I lost no 
 time in getting back with the intelligence." 
 
68 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " You have done well, young gentleman, and have 
 proved that discretion is quite as useful and respectable in 
 a lieutenant, as it can possibly prove to be in a full admiral 
 of the white. Go, now, and make yourself fit to take a 
 seat by the side of one of the sweetest girls in England, 
 where I shall expect to see you in fifteen minutes. Well, 
 Bluewater," he continued, as soon as the door closed on 
 Wycherly ; "this is news, of a certainty !" 
 
 " It is, indeed ; and I take it to be the news, or connected 
 with the news, that you have sent to the First Lord, in the 
 late dispatches. It has not taken you altogether by sur 
 prise, if the truth were said?" 
 
 " It has not, I confess. You know what excellent intel 
 ligence we have had, the past season, from the Bordeaux 
 agent ; he sent me off such proofs of this intended expe 
 dition, that I thought it advisable to bring the fleet north 
 on the strength of it, that the ships might be used as the 
 exigency should require." 
 
 "Thank God, it is a long way to Scotland, and it is not 
 probable we can reach the coast of that country until all is 
 over ! I wish we had inquired of this young man with 
 what sort of, and how large a naval force the Prince was 
 accompanied. Shall I send for him, that \ve may put the 
 question ?" 
 
 " It is better that you remain passive, Admiral Blue- 
 water. I now promise you that you shall learn all I hear ; 
 and that, under the circumstances, I think ought to con 
 tent you." 
 
 The two Admirals now separated, though neither re 
 turned to the company for some little time. The intelli 
 gence they had just learned was too important to be lightly 
 received, and each of these veteran seamen paced his room, 
 for near a quarter of an hour, reflecting on what might be 
 the probable consequences to the country and to himself. 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes expected some event of this nature, 
 and was less taken by surprise than his friend ; still he 
 viewed the crisis as exceedingly serious, and as one likely 
 to destroy the prosperity of the nation, as well as the peace 
 of families. There was then in England, as there is to-day, 
 and as there probably will be throughout all time, two 
 parties ; one of which clung to the past with its hereditary 
 and exclusive privileges, while the other looked more 
 toward change for anticipated advantages, and created 
 honors. Religion, in that age, was made the stalking-horse 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 69 
 
 of politicians ; as is liberty on one side, and order on the 
 other, in our own times ; and men just as blindly, as vehe 
 mently, and as regardless of principle, submitted to party in 
 the middle of the eighteenth century, as we know they do 
 in the middle of the nineteenth. The mode of acting was 
 a little changed, and the watchwords and rallying points 
 were not exactly the same, it is true ; but, in all that re 
 lates to ignorant confidence, ferocious denunciation, and 
 selfishness but half concealed under the cloak of patriotism, 
 the England of the original whigs and tories, was the 
 England of conservatism and reform, and the America in 
 1776, the America of 1841. 
 
 Still thousands always act, in political struggles, with 
 the fairest intentions, though they act in bitter opposition 
 to each other. When prejudice becomes the stimulant of 
 ignorance, no other result may be hoped for ; and the ex 
 perience of the world, in the management of human affairs, 
 has left the upright and intelligent but one conclusion as 
 the reward of all the pains and penalties with which polit 
 ical revolutions have been effected the conviction that no 
 institutions can be invented which a short working does not 
 show will be perverted from their original intention, by 
 the ingenuity of those intrusted with power. 
 
 In a word, the physical constitution of man does not 
 more infallibly tend to decrepitude and imbecility, imper 
 iously requiring a new being and a new existence to fulfil 
 the objects of his creation, than the moral constitutions 
 which are the fruits of his wisdom, contain the seeds of 
 abuses and decay, that human selfishness will be as certain 
 to cultivate, as human indulgence is to aid the course of 
 nature, in hastening the approaches of death. Thus, while 
 on the one hand there exists the constant incentive of 
 abuses and hopes to induce us to wish for modifications of 
 the social structure, on the other there stands the experi 
 ence of ages to demonstrate their insufficiency to produce 
 the happiness we aim at. If the world advances in civili 
 zation and humanity, it is because knowledge will produce 
 its fruits in every soil, and under every condition of culti 
 vation and improvement. 
 
 Both Sir Gervaise Oakes and Admiral Blue-water believed 
 themselves to be purely governed by principles, in sub 
 mitting to the bias that each felt toward the conflicting 
 claims of the houses of Brunswick and Stuart. Perhaps 
 no two men in England were in fact less influenced by 
 
yo THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 motives that they ought to feel ashamed to own ; and yet, 
 as has been seen, while they thought so much alike on 
 most other things, on this they were diametrically opposed 
 to each other. During the many years of arduous and 
 delicate duties that they had served together, jealousy, 
 distrust, and discontent had been equally strangers to their 
 bosoms ; for each had ever felt the assurance that his own 
 honor, happiness, and interests were as much ruling mo 
 tives with his friend, as they could well be with himself. 
 Their lives had been constant scenes of mutual but unpre 
 tending kindnesses ; and this under circumstances that 
 naturally awakened all the most generous and manly sen 
 timents of their natures. When young men, their laughing 
 messmates had nicknamed them Py lades and Orestes ; and 
 later in life, on account of their cruising so much in com 
 pany, they were generally known in the navy as the " twin 
 captains." On several occasions had they fought enemies 
 frigates, and captured them ; on these occasions, as a 
 matter of course, the senior of the two became most known 
 to the nation ; but Sir Gervaise had made the most gene 
 rous efforts to give his junior a full share of the credit, 
 while Captain Bluewater never spoke of the affairs without 
 mentioning them as victories of the Commodore. In a 
 word, on all occasions, and under all circumstances, it 
 appeared to be the aim of these generous-minded and 
 gallant seamen, to serve each other, nor was this attempted 
 with any effort, or striving for effect : all that was said, 
 or done, coming naturally and spontaneously from the 
 heart. But, for the first time in their lives, events had 
 now occurred which threatened a jarring of the feelings 
 between them, if they did not lead to acts which must 
 inevitably place them in open and declared hostility to 
 each other. No wonder, then, that both looked at the 
 future with gloomy forebodings, and a distrust, which, if 
 it did not render them unhappy, at least produced uneasi 
 ness. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 The circle formed, we sit in silent state, 
 
 Like figures drawn upon a dial-plate ; 
 
 Yes ma am, and no ma am, uttered softly, show, 
 
 Every five minutes, how the minutes go. COWPER. 
 
 IT is scarcely necessary to tell the reader that England, 
 as regarded material civilization, was a very different 
 country a hundred years since, from what it is to-day. 
 We are writing of an age of heavy wagons, coaches and 
 six, post-chaises and four ; and not of an era of MacAdam- 
 roads, or of cars flying along by steam. A man may now 
 post down to a country-house, some sixty or eighty miles, 
 to dinner ; and this, too, by the aid of only a pair of horses ; 
 but, in 1745 such an engagement would have required at 
 least a start on the previous day ; and, in many parts of the 
 island, it would have been safer to have taken two days 
 grace. Scotland was then farther from Devonshire, in effect, 
 than Geneva is now; and news travelled slowly, and with the 
 usual exaggerations and uncertainties of delay. It was no 
 wonder, then, that a Jacobite who was posting off to his 
 country-house the focus of an English landlord s influ 
 ence and authority filled with intelligence that had 
 reached him through the activity of zealous political par 
 tisans, preceded the more regular tidings of the mail, by 
 several hours. The little that had escaped this individual, 
 or his servants rather, for the gentleman was tolerably 
 discreet himself, confiding in only one or two particular 
 friends at each relay, had not got out to the world, either 
 very fullv, or very clearly. Wycherly had used intelligence 
 in making his inquiries, and he had observed an officer s 
 prudence in keeping his news for the ears of his superior 
 alone. When Sir Gervaise joined the party in the drawing- 
 room, therefore, he saw that Sir Wycherly knew nothing 
 of what had occurred at the north ; and he intended the 
 glance which he directed at the Lieutenant to convey a 
 hearty approval of his discretion. This forbearance did 
 more to raise the young officer in the opinion of the prac 
 ticed and thoughtful Admiral, than the gallantry with 
 which the youth had so recently purchased his commission ; 
 for while many were brave, few had the self-command and 
 prudence, under circumstances like the present, that alone 
 
72 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 can make a man safe in the management of important 
 public interests. The approbation that Sir Gervaise felt, 
 and which he desired to manifest, for Wycherly s prudence, 
 was altogether a principle, however ; since there existed 
 no sufficient reason for keeping the secret from as con 
 firmed a whig as his host. On the contrary, the sooner 
 those opinions, which both of them would be apt to term 
 sound, were promulgated in the neighborhood, the better 
 it might prove for the good cause. The Vice-admiral, 
 therefore, determined to communicate, himself, as soon as 
 the party was seated at table, the very secret which he so 
 much commended the youth for keeping. Admiral Blue- 
 water joining the company at this instant, Sir Wychcrly 
 led Mrs. Button to the table. No alteration had taken 
 place among the guests, except that Sir Gervaise wore the 
 red ribbon ; a change in his dress that his friend considered 
 to be openly hoisting the standard of the house of Hanover. 
 
 " One would not think, Sir Wycherly," commenced the 
 Vice-admiral, glancing his eyes around him, as soon as 
 all were seated, "that this good company has taken its 
 place at your hospitable table in the midst of a threatened 
 civil war, if not of an actual revolution." 
 
 Every hand was arrested, and every eye turned toward 
 the speaker ; even Admiral Bluewater earnestly regarding 
 his friend, anxious to know what would come next. 
 
 " I believe my household is in due subjection," answered 
 Sir Wycherly, gazing to the right and left, as if he ex 
 pected to see his butler heading a revolt ; "and I fancy the 
 only change we shall see to-day, will be the removal of the 
 courses, and the appearance of their successors." 
 
 " Aye, so says the hearty, comfortable Devonshire bar 
 onet, while seated at his own board, favored by abundance 
 and warm friends. But it would seem the snake was only 
 scotched, not killed." 
 
 " Sir Gervaise Oakes has grown figurative ; with his 
 snakes and .sr<?/r//ings," observed the Rear-admiral, a little 
 dryly. 
 
 "It is Scotch-lug, as you say with so much emphasis, 
 Bluewater. I suppose Sir Wycherly I suppose, Mr. 
 Button, and you, my pretty young lady I presume all of 
 you have heard of such a person as the Pretender ; some of 
 you may possibly have seen him." 
 
 Sir Wycherly now dropped his knife and fork, and sat 
 gazing at the speaker in amazement. To him the Chris- 
 
777^ TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 73 
 
 tian religion, the liberties of the subject more especially 
 of the baronet and lord of the manor, who had four thou 
 sand a year and the Protestant succession, all seemed to 
 be in sudden danger. 
 
 "I always told my brother, the judge Mr. Baron 
 Wychecombe, who is dead and gone that what between 
 the French, that rogue the Pope, and the spurious off 
 spring of King James II., we should yet see troublesome 
 times in England ! And now T , sir, my predictions are 
 verified ! " 
 
 " Not as to England, yet, my good sir. Of Scotland I 
 have not quite so good news to tell you ; as your name 
 sake, here, brings us the tidings that the son of the Pre 
 tender has landed in that kingdom, and is rallying the 
 clans. He has come unattended by any Frenchmen it 
 would seem, and has thrown himself altogether on the mis 
 guided nobles and followers of his house." 
 
 " Tis at least a chivalrous and princely act ! " exclaimed 
 Admiral Bluewater. 
 
 " Yes inasmuch as it is a heedless and mad one. Eng 
 land is not to be conquered by a rabble of half-dressed 
 Scotchmen." 
 
 " True ; but England may be conquered by England, 
 notwithstanding." 
 
 Sir Gervaise now chose to remain silent, for never before 
 had Bluewater came so near betraying his political bias in 
 the presence of third persons. This pause enabled" Sir 
 Wycherly to find his voice. 
 
 "Let me see, Tom," said the baronet, "fifteen and ten 
 are twenty-five, and ten are thirty-five, and ten are forty- 
 five it is just thirty years since the Jacobites were up 
 before ! It would seem that half a human life is not suffi 
 cient to fill the cravings of a Scotchman s maw T for English 
 gold." 
 
 " Twice thirty years would hardly quell the promptings 
 of a noble spirit, when his notions of justice showed him 
 the w r ay to the English throne," observed Bluewater, 
 coolly. " For my part, I like the spirit of this young 
 prince, for he who nobly dares nobly deserves. What say 
 you, my beautiful neighbor ? " 
 
 " If you mean to address me, sir, by that compliment," 
 answered Mildred, modestly, but with the emphasis that 
 the gentlest of her sex are apt to use when they feel 
 strongly, " I must be suffered to say that I hope every 
 
74 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Englishman will dare as nobly, and deserve as well in de 
 fense of his liberties." 
 
 " Come, come, Bluewater," interrupted Sir Gervaise, 
 with a gravity that almost amounted to reproof, " I cannot 
 permit such innuendoes before one so young and unprac- 
 ticed. The young lady might really suppose that his 
 Majesty s fleet was intrusted to men unworthy his confi 
 dence by the cool way you carry on the joke. I propose, 
 now, Sir Wycherly, that we eat our dinner in peace, and 
 say no more about this mad expedition, until the cloth is 
 drawn, at least. It s a long road to Scotland, and there is 
 little danger that this adventurer will find his way to Dev 
 onshire before the nuts are placed before us." 
 
 " It would be nuts to us, if he did, Sir Gervaise," put in 
 Tom Wychecombe, laughing heartily at his own wit. " My 
 uncle would enjoy nothing more than to see the spurious 
 sovereign on his own estate, here, and in the hands of his 
 tenants. I think, sir, that Wychecombe and one or two of 
 the adjoining manors would dispose of him." 
 
 " That might depend on circumstances," the Admiral 
 answered, a little dryly, " These Scots have such a thing 
 as a claymore, and are desperate fellows, they tell me, at a 
 charge. The very fact of arming a soldier with a short 
 sword, shows a most bloody-minded disposition." 
 
 " You forget, Sir Gervaise, that we have our Cornish 
 hug, here in the west of England ; and I will put our fel 
 lows against any Scotch regiment that ever charged an 
 enemy." 
 
 Tom laughed again at his own allusion to a proverbial 
 mode of grappling, familiar to the adjoining county. 
 
 " This is all very well, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, so 
 long as Devonshire is in the west of England, and Scot 
 land lies north of the Tweed. SirWycherlv might as well 
 leave the matter in the hands of the Duke and his regulars, 
 if it were only in the way of letting every man follow his 
 own trade. 
 
 " It strikes me as so singularly insolent in a base-born boy 
 like this pretending to the English crown, that I can bare 
 ly speak of him with patience ! We all know that his 
 father was a changeling, and the son of a changeling can 
 have no more right than the father himself. I do not re 
 member what the law terms such pretenders ; but I dare 
 say it is something sufficiently odious." 
 
 "Films nullius, Thomas," said Sir Wycherly, with a little 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 75 
 
 eagerness, to show his learning. " That s the very phrase. 
 I have it from the first authority my late brother, Baron 
 Wychecombe, giving it to me with his own mouth, on an 
 occasion that called for an understanding of such matters. 
 The judge was a most accurate lawyer, particularly in ail 
 that related to names ; and I ll engage, if he were living 
 at this moment, he would tell you the legal appellation of 
 a changeling ought to be filius nullius." 
 
 In spite of his native impudence, and an innate deter 
 mination to make his way in the world, without much re 
 gard to truth, Tom Wychecombe felt his cheek burn so 
 much, at this innocent allusion of his reputed uncle, that 
 he was actually obliged to turn away his face, in order to 
 conceal his confusion. Had any moral delinquency of his 
 own been implicated in the remark, he might have found 
 means to steel himself against its consequences but, as is 
 only too often the case, he was far more ashamed of a 
 misfortune over which he had no possible control, than he 
 would have been of a crime for which he was strictly re 
 sponsible in morals. Sir Gervaise smiled at Sir Wycherly s 
 knowledge of law terms, not to say of Latin ; and turning 
 good-humoredly to his friend the Rear-admiral, anxious 
 to re-establish friendly relations with him, he said, with 
 well-concealed irony : 
 
 " Sir Wycherly must be right, Bluewater. A changeling 
 is nobody that is to say, he is not the body he pretends 
 to be, which is substantially being nobody and the son of 
 nobody is clearly a filim* nullius. And now having settled 
 what may be called the law of the case, I demand a truce, 
 until we get our nuts ; for as to Mr. Thomas Wychecombe s 
 having his nut to crack, at least to-day, I take it there are 
 too many loyal subjects in the north." 
 
 When men know each other as well as was the case with 
 our two admirals, there are a thousand secret means of an 
 noyance, as well as of establishing amity. Admiral Blue- 
 water was well aware that Sir Gervaise was greatly supe 
 rior to the vulgar whig notion of the day, which believed in 
 the fabricated tale of the Pretender s spurious birth and 
 the secret and ironical allusion he had made to his impres 
 sion on that subject, acted as oil to his own chafed spirit, 
 disposing him to moderation. This had been the intention 
 of the other ; and the smiles they exchanged, sufficiently 
 proved that their usual mental intercourse was temporarily 
 restored at last. 
 
76 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Deference to his guests made Sir Wycherly consent to 
 change the subject, though he was a little mystified with 
 the obvious reluctance of the t\vo admirals to speak of an 
 enterprise that ought to be uppermost, according to his 
 notion of the matter, in every Englishman s mind. Tom 
 had received a rebuke that kept him silent during the rest 
 of the dinner while the others were content to eat and 
 drink, as if nothing had happened. 
 
 It is seldom that a party takes its seat at table without 
 some secret manoeuvring, as to the neighborhood, when the 
 claims of rank and character do not interfere with personal 
 wishes. Sir Wycherly had placed Sir Gervaise on his 
 right, and Mrs. Button on his left. 
 
 But Admiral Bluewater had escaped from his control, 
 and taken his seat next to Mildred, who had been placed 
 by Tom Wychecombe close to himself, at the foot of the 
 table. Wycherly occupied the seat opposite, and this com 
 pelled Button, and Mr. Rotherham, the Vicar, to fill the 
 other two chairs. The good Baronet had made a wry face, 
 at seeing a rear-admiral so unworthily bestowed ; but Sir 
 Gervaise assuring him that his friend was never so happy 
 as when in the service of beauty, he was fain to submit to 
 the arrangement. 
 
 That Admiral Bluewater was struck with Mildred s 
 beauty, and pleased with her natural and feminine man 
 ner, one altogether superior to what might have been ex 
 pected from her station in life, was very apparent to all at 
 table ; though it was quite impossible to mistake his pa 
 rental and frank air for any other admiration than that 
 which was suitable to the difference in years, and in uni 
 son with their respective conditions and experience. Mrs. 
 Button, so far from taking the alarm at the Rear-admiral s 
 attentions, felt gratification in observing them ; and per 
 haps she experienced a secret pride in the consciousness 
 of their being so well merited. It has been said, already, 
 that she was, herself, the daughter of a land-steward of a 
 nobleman, in an adjoining county ; but it may be well to 
 add, here, that she had been so great a favorite with the 
 daughters of her father s employer, as to have been ad 
 mitted, in a measure, to their society ; and to have enjoyed 
 some of the advantages of their education. Lady Wilme- 
 ter, the mother of the young ladies, to whom she was ad 
 mitted as a sort of humble companion, had formed the 
 opinion it might be an advantage to the girl to educate 
 
THE TWO AD 
 
 her for a governess ; little conceiving, in Her own situation, 
 that she was preparing a course of life for Martha Ray, 
 for such was Mrs. Button s maiden name, that was perhaps 
 the least enviable of all the careers that a virtuous and in 
 telligent female can run. This was as education and gov 
 ernesses were appreciated a century ago ; the world, with 
 all its faults and sophisms, having unquestionably made a 
 vast stride toward real civilization, and moral truths, in a 
 thousand important interests, since that time. Neverthe 
 less, the education was received, together with a good many 
 tastes, and sentiments, and opinions, which it may well be 
 questioned, whether they contributed most to the happi 
 ness or unhappiness of the pupil, in her future life. Frank 
 Button, then a handsome, though far from polished young 
 sea-lieutenant, interfered with the arrangement, by making 
 Martha Ray his wife, when she was two-and-twenty. This 
 match was suitable, in all respects, with the important ex 
 ception of the educations and characters of the parties. 
 Still, as a woman may well be more refined, and in some 
 things, even more intelligent than her husband ; and as 
 sailors, in the commencement of the eighteenth century, 
 formed a class of society much more distinct than they do 
 to-day, there would have been nothing absolutely incom 
 patible with the future well-being of the young couple, 
 had each pursued his or her own career, in a manner suit 
 able to their respective duties. Young Button took away 
 his bride, with the two thousand pounds she had received 
 from her father, and for a long time he was seen no more 
 in his native county. After an absence of some twenty 
 years, however, he returned, broken in constitution, and 
 degraded in rank. Mrs. Button brought with her one 
 child, the beautiful girl introduced to the reader, and to 
 whom she was studiously imparting all she had herself ac 
 quired in the adventitious manner mentioned. Such were 
 the means by which Mildred, like her mother, had been 
 educated above her condition in life ; and it had been re 
 marked that, though Mrs. Button had probably no cause 
 to felicitate herself on the possession of manners and sen 
 timents that met with so little sympathy or appreciation, 
 in her actual situation, she assiduously cultivated the same 
 manners and opinions in her daughter ; frequently mani 
 festing a sort of sickly fastidiousness on the subject of 
 Mildred s deportment and tastes. It is probable the girl 
 owed her improvement in both, however, more to the 
 
78 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 circumstance of her being left so much alone with her 
 mother, than to any positive lessons she received ; the in 
 fluence of example, for years, producing its usual effects. 
 
 No one in Wychecombe positively knew the history of 
 Button s professional degradation. He had never risen 
 higher than to be a Lieutenant ; and from this station lie 
 had fallen by the sentence of a court-martial. His resto 
 ration to the service, in the humbler and almost hopeless 
 rank of a master, was believed to have been brought about 
 by Mrs. Button s influence with the present Lord Wilmeter, 
 who was the brother of her youthful companions. That 
 the husband had wasted his means, was as certain as that 
 his habits, on the score of temperance at least, were bad, 
 and that his wife, if not positively broken-hearted, was an 
 unhappy woman ; one to be pitied, and admired. Sir Wych- 
 erly was little .addicted to analysis, but he could not fail to 
 discover the superiority of the wife and daughter, over the 
 husband and father ; and it is due to his young namesake 
 to add, that his obvious admiration of Mildred was quite 
 as much owing to her mind, deportment, character, and 
 tastes, as to her exceeding personal charms. 
 
 This little digression may, perhaps, in the reader s eyes, 
 excuse the interest Admiral Bluewater took in our heroine. 
 With the indulgence of years and station, and the tact of a 
 man of the world, he succeeded in drawing Mildred out, 
 without alarming her timidity ; and he was surprised at 
 discovering the delicacy of her sentiments, and the accu 
 racy of her knowledge. He was too conversant with soci 
 ety and had too much good taste, to make any deliberate 
 parade of opinions ; but in the quiet manner that is so 
 easy to those who are accustomed to deal with truths and 
 tastes as familiar things, he succeeded in inducing her to 
 answer his own remarks, to sympathize with his feelings, 
 to laugh when he laughed, and to assume a look of disap 
 proval, when he felt that disapprobation was just. To all 
 this Wycherly was a delighted witness, and in some re 
 spects he participated in the conversation ; for there was 
 evidently no wish on the part of the Rear-admiral to 
 monopolize his beautiful companion to himself. Perhaps 
 the position of the young man, directly opposite to her, 
 aided in inducing Mildred to bestow so many grateful 
 looks and sweet smiles on the older officer ; for she could 
 not glance across the table, without meeting the admiring 
 gaze of Wycherly fastened on her own blushing face. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 79 
 
 It is certain, if our heroine did not, during this repast, 
 make a conquest of Admiral Bluewater, in the ordinary 
 meaning of the term, that she made him a friend. Sir 
 Gervaise, even, was struck with the singular and devoted 
 manner in which his old messmate gave all his attention to 
 the beautiful girl at his side ; and, once or twice, he caught 
 himself conjuring whether it were possible that one as 
 practised, as sensible, and as much accustomed to the 
 beauties of the court, as Bluewater, had actually been 
 caught by the pretty face of a country girl, when so well 
 turned of fifty, himself ! Then discarding the notion as 
 preposterous, he gave his attention to the discourse of Sir 
 Wychcrly ; a dissertation on rabbits and rabbit-warrens. 
 In this manner the dinner passed away. 
 
 Mrs. Button asked her host s permission to retire with 
 her daughter, at the earliest moment permitted by pro 
 priety. In quitting the room she cast an anxious glance 
 at the face of her husband, which was already becoming 
 flushed with his frequent applications of port ; and in spite 
 of an effort to look smiling and cheerful, her lip quivered, 
 and by the time she and Mildred reached the drawing- 
 room, tears were fast falling down her cheeks. No expla 
 nation was asked, or needed, by the daughter, who threw 
 herself into her mother s arms, and for several minutes they 
 wept together, in silence. Never had Mrs. Dutton spoken, 
 even to Mildred, of the besetting and degrading vice of 
 her husband ; but it had been impossible to conceal its 
 painful consequences from the world ; much less from one 
 who lived in the bosom of her family. On that failing, 
 which the wife treated so tenderly, the daughter of course 
 could not touch ; but the silent communion of tears had 
 got to be so sweet to both, that, within the last year, it was 
 of *ery frequent occurrence. 
 
 " Really, Mildred," said the mother, at length, after 
 having succeeded in suppressing her emotion, and in dry 
 ing her eyes, while she smiled fondly in the face of the 
 lovely and affectionate girl, "this Admiral Bluewater is 
 getting to be so particular, I hardly know how to treat the 
 matter." 
 
 " O ! mother, he is a delightful old gentleman ! and he 
 is so gentle, while he is so frank, that he wins your confi 
 dence almost before you know it. I wonder if he could 
 have been serious in what he said about the noble daring 
 and noble deserving of Prince Edward ? " 
 
8o THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " That must pass for trifling, of course ; the ministry 
 would scarcely employ any but a true whig, in command 
 of a fleet. I saw several of his family, when a girl, and 
 have always heard them spoken of with esteem and respect. 
 Lord Bluewater, this gentleman s cousin, was very inti 
 mate with the present Lord Wilmeter, and was often at the 
 castle. I remember to have heard that he had a disappoint 
 ment in love, when quite a young man, and that he has 
 ever since been considered a confirmed bachelor. So you 
 will take heed, my love." 
 
 "The warning was unnecessary, dear mother," returned 
 Mildred, laughing ; " I could dote on the Admiral as a 
 father, but must be excused from considering him young 
 enough for a nearer tie." 
 
 "And yet he has the much admired profession, Mil 
 dred," said the mother, smiling fondly, and yet a little 
 archly. " I have often heard you speak of your passion 
 for the sea." 
 
 " That was formerly, mother, when I spoke as a sailor s 
 daughter, and as girls are apt to speak, without much re 
 flection. I do not know that I think better, now, of a sea 
 man s profession than I do of any other. I fear there is 
 often much misery in store for soldiers and sailors 
 wives." 
 
 Mrs. Button s lip quivered again ; but hearing a foot at 
 the door, she made an effort to be composed, just as Admiral 
 Bluewater entered. 
 
 " I have run away from the bottle, Mrs. Button, to join 
 you and your fair daughter, as I would run from an enemy 
 of twice my force," he said, giving each lady a hand, in a 
 manner so friendly, as to render the act more than gra 
 cious ; for it was kind. " Oakes is bowsing out his jib 
 with his brother baronet, as we sailors say, and I have 
 hauled out of the line without a signal." 
 
 " I hope Sir Gervaise Oakes does not consider it neces 
 sary to drink more wine than is good for the mind and 
 body," observed Mrs. Button, with a haste that she im 
 mediately regretted. 
 
 " Not he. Gervaise Oakes is as discreet a man, in all 
 that relates to the table, as an anchorite ; and yet he has a 
 faculty of seeming to drink, that makes him a boon com 
 panion for a four bottle man. How the deuce he does it, 
 is more than I can tell you ; but he does it so well, that he 
 does not more thoroughly get the better of the king s 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 8r 
 
 enemies, on the high seas, than he floors his friends under 
 the table. Sir Wycherly has begun his libations in honor 
 of the house of Hanover, and they will be likely to make 
 a long sitting." 
 
 Mrs. Dutton sighed, and walked away to a window, to 
 conceal the paleness of her cheeks. Admiral Bluewater, 
 though perfectly abstemious himself, regarded license with 
 the bottle after dinner, like most men of that age, as a very 
 venial weakness, and he quietly took a seat by the side of 
 Mildred, and began to converse. 
 
 " I hope, young lady, as a sailor s child, you feel an 
 hereditary indulgence for a seaman s gossip," he said. 
 "We, who are so much shut up in our ships, have a 
 poverty of ideas on most subjects ; and as to always talk 
 ing of the winds and waves, that would fatigue even a 
 poet." 
 
 " As a sailor s daughter, I honor my father s calling, sir ; 
 and as an English girl, I venerate the brave defenders of 
 the island. Nor do I know that seamen have less to say 
 than other men." 
 
 " I am glad to hear you confess this, for shall I be 
 frank with you, and take the liberty that would better be 
 come a friend of a dozen years, than an acquaintance of 
 a day ? and yet, I know not why it is so, my dear child, 
 but I feel as if I had long known you, though I am certain 
 we never met before." 
 
 " Perhaps, sir, it is an omen that we are long to know 
 each other, in future," said Mildred, with the winning con 
 fidence of unsuspecting and innocent girlhood. "I hope 
 you will use no reserve." 
 
 " Well, then, at the risk of making a sad blunder, I will 
 just say, that my nephew Tom is anything but a pre 
 possessing youth ; and that I hope all eyes regard him 
 exactly as he appears to a sailor of fifty-five." 
 
 " I cannot answer for more than those of a girl of 
 nineteen, Admiral Bluewater," said Mildred, laughing ; 
 " but, for her, I think I may say that she does not look on 
 him as either an Adonis, or a Crichton." 
 
 " Upon my soul ! I am right glad to hear this, for the 
 fellow has accidental advantages enough to render him 
 formidable. He is the heir to the baronetcy, and this 
 estate, I believe ?" 
 
 lk I presume he is. Sir Wycherly has no other nephew 
 or at least this is the eldest of three brothers, I am told 
 6 
 
82 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and, being childless himself, it must be so. My father 
 tells me Sir Wycherly speaks of Mr. Thomas Wychecombe 
 as his future heir." 
 
 " Your father ! Aye, fathers look on these matters with 
 eyes very different from their daughters ! " 
 
 " There is one thing about seamen that renders them 
 at least safe acquaintances," said Mildred, smiling ; " I 
 mean their frankness." 
 
 "That is a failing of mine, as I have heard. But you 
 will pardon an indiscretion that arises in the interest I 
 feel in yourself. The eldest of three brothers is the Lieu 
 tenant, then, a younger son ?" 
 
 "He does not belong to the family at all, I believe," 
 Mildred answered, coloring slightly, in spite of a resolute 
 determination to appear unconcerned. " Mr. Wycherly 
 Wychecombe is no relation of our host, I hear ; though he 
 bears both of his names. He is from the colonies ; born 
 in Virginia." 
 
 "He is a noble, and a noble-looking fellow! Were I 
 the Baronet, I would break the entail, rather than the 
 acres should go to that sinister-looking nephew, and be 
 stow them on the namesake. From Virginia, and not even 
 a relative, at all ? " 
 
 " That is what Mr. Thomas Wychecombe says ; and 
 even Sir Wycherly confirms it. I have never heard Mr. 
 Wycherly Wychecombe speak on the subject, himself." 
 
 " A weakness of poor human nature! The lad finds an 
 honorable, ancient, and affluent family here, and has not 
 the courage to declare his want of affinity to it ; happening 
 to bear the same name." 
 
 Mildred hesitated about replying ; but a generous feel 
 ing got the better of her diffidence. " I have never seen 
 any thing in the conduct of Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe to 
 induce me to think that he feels any such weakness," she 
 said, earnestly. " He seems rather to take pride in, than 
 to feel ashamed of, his being a colonial ; and you know, 
 we, in England, hardly look on the people of the colonies 
 as our equals." 
 
 " And have you, young lady, any of that overweening 
 prejudice in favor of your own island ?" 
 
 " I hope not ; but I think most persons have. Mr. 
 Wycherly Wychecombe admits that Virginia is inferior to 
 England, in a thousand things ; and yet he seems to take 
 pride in his birthplace." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 83 
 
 " Every sentiment of this nature is to be traced to self. 
 We know that the fact is irretrievable, and struggle to be 
 proud of what we cannot help. The Turk will tell you 
 he has the honor to be a native of Stamboul ; the Parisian 
 will boast of his Faubourg, and the cockney exults in Wap- 
 ping. Personal conceit lies at the bottom of all ; for we 
 fancy that the places to which we belong, are not places to 
 be ashamed of." 
 
 " And yet I do not think Mr. Wycherly at all remarkable 
 for conceit. On the contrary, he is rather diffident and 
 unassuming." 
 
 This was said simply, but so sincerely, as to induce the 
 listener to fasten his penetrating blue eye on the speaker, 
 who now first took the alarm, and felt that she might have 
 said too much. At this moment the two young men en 
 tered, and a servant appeared to request that Admiral 
 Bluewater would do Sir Gervaise Oakes the favor to join 
 him in the dressing-room of the latter. 
 
 Tom Wychecombe reported the condition of the dinner- 
 table to be such as to render it desirable for all but three 
 and four bottle men to retire. Hanoverian toasts and sen 
 timents were in the ascendant, and there was every ap 
 pearance that those who remained intended to make a 
 night of it. This was sad intelligence for Mrs. Dutton, 
 who had come forward eagerly to hear the report, but who 
 now returned to the window, apparently irresolute as to 
 the course she ought to take. As both the young men re 
 mained near Mildred, she had sufficient opportunity to 
 come to her decision without interruption or hinderance. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Somewhat we will do. 
 
 And, look, when I am king, claim thou of me 
 The earldom of Hereford, and all the movables 
 Whereof the king my brother was possessed. Richard III. 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL Bluewater found Sir Gervaise Oakes pac 
 ing a large dressing-room, quarter-deck fashion, with as 
 much zeal as if just released from a long sitting, on official 
 duty in his own cabin. As the two officers were perfectly 
 familiar with each other s personal habits, neither devi 
 ated from his particular mode of indulging his ease ; but 
 
84 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the last comer quietly took his seat, in a large chair, dis 
 posing of his person in a way to show he intended to con 
 sult his comfort, let what would happen. 
 
 " Bluewater," commenced Sir Gervaisc, " this is a very 
 foolish affair of the Pretender s son, and can only lead to 
 his destruction. I look upon it as altogether unfortu 
 nate." 
 
 "That, as it may terminate. No man can tell what a 
 day, or an hour, may bring forth. I am sure such a rising 
 was one of the last things / have been anticipating, down 
 yonder, in the Bay of Biscay." 
 
 " I wish, with all my heart, we had never left it," mut 
 tered Sir Gervaise, so low that his companion did not hear 
 him. Then he added in a louder tone, " Our duty, how 
 ever, is very simple. We have only to obey orders ; and 
 it seems that the young man has no naval force to sustain 
 him. We shall probably be sent to watch Brest or L Ori- 
 ent, or some other port. Monsieur must be kept in, let 
 what will happen." 
 
 " I rather think it would be better to let him out, our 
 chances on the high seas being at least as good as his 
 own. I am no friend of blockades, which strike me as an 
 un-English mode of carrying on a war." 
 
 "You are right enough, Dick, in the main," returned 
 Sir Gervaise, laughing. 
 
 "Aye, and on the main, Cakes. I sincerely hope the 
 First Lord will not send a man like you, who are every 
 way so capable of giving an account of your enemy with 
 plenty of sea-room, on duty so scurvy as a blockade." 
 
 " A man like me! Why a man like me in particular ? I 
 trust I am to have the pleasure of Admiral Bluewater s 
 company, advice, and assistance ? " 
 
 " An inferior never can know, Sir Gervaise, where it may 
 suit the pleasure of his superiors to order him." 
 
 "That distinction of superior and inferior, Bluewater, 
 will one day lead you into a confounded scrape, I fear. If 
 you consider Charles Stuart your sovereign, it is not prob 
 able that orders issued by a servant of King George will 
 be much respected. I hope you will do nothing hastily, 
 or without consulting your oldest and truest friend." 
 
 "You know my sentiments, and there is little use in 
 dwelling on them now. So long as the quarrel was between 
 my own country and a foreign land, I have been content to 
 serve ; but when my lawful prince, or his son and heir, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 85 
 
 comes in this gallant and chivalrous manner, throwing 
 himself, as it might be, into the very arms of his subjects, 
 confiding all to their loyalty and spirit, it makes such an 
 appeal to every nobler feeling, that the heart finds it diffi 
 cult to repulse. I could have joined Norris, with right 
 good will, in dispersing and destroying the armament that 
 Louis XV. was sending against us, in this very cause ; but 
 here everything is English, and Englishmen have the 
 quarrel entirely to themselves. I do not see ho\v, as a 
 loyal subject of my hereditary prince, I can well refrain 
 from joining his standard." 
 
 "And would -you, Dick Bluewater, who, to my certain 
 knowledge, were sent on board ship at twelve years of age, 
 and who, for more than forty years, have been a man-of- 
 war s-man, body and soul ; would you now strip your old 
 hulk of the sea-blue that has so long covered and become 
 it, rig yourself out like a soldier, with a feather in your 
 hat aye, d e, and a camp-kettle on your arm, and fol 
 low a drummer, like one of your kinsmen, Lord Bluewa- 
 ter s fellows of the guards ? for of sailors, your lawful 
 prince, as you call him, hasn t enough to stopper his con 
 science, or to whip the tail of his coat, to keep it from 
 being torn to tatters by the heather of Scotland. If you 
 do follow the adventurer, it must be in some such charac 
 ter, since I question if he can muster a seaman to tell him 
 the bearings of London from Perth." 
 
 "When I join him he will be better off." 
 
 " And what could even you do alone among a parcel of 
 Scotchmen, running about their hills under bare poles ? 
 Your signals will not manoeuvre regiments, and as for ma 
 noeuvring in any other manner, you know nothing. No 
 no ; stay where you are, and help an old friend with knowl 
 edge that is useful to him. I should be afraid to do a 
 dashing thing, unless I felt the certainty of having you in 
 my van, to strike the first blow ; or in my rear, to bring me 
 off handsomely." 
 
 " You would be afraid of nothing, Gervaise Oakes, 
 whether I stood at your elbow, or were off in Scotland. 
 Fear is not your failing, though temerity may be." 
 
 " Then I want your presence to keep me \vithin the 
 bounds of reason," said Sir Gervaise, stopping short in his 
 walk, and looking his friend smilingly in the face. " In 
 some mode, or other, I always need your aid." 
 
 " I understand the meaning of your words, Sir Gervaise, 
 
86 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and appreciate the feeling that dictates them. You must 
 have a perfect conviction that I will do nothing hastily, 
 and that I will betray no trust. When I turn my back on 
 King George, it will be loyalty, in one sense, whatever he 
 may think of it in another ; and when I join Prince Charles 
 Edward, it will be with a conscience that he need not be 
 ashamed to probe. What names he bears ! They are the 
 designations of ancient English sovereigns, and ought of 
 themselves to awaken the sensibilities of Englishmen." 
 
 " Aye, Charles in particular," returned the Vice-ad 
 miral, with something like a sneer. " There s the second 
 Charles, for instance St. Charles, as our good host, Sir 
 Wycherly, might call him he is a pattern prince for 
 Englishmen to admire. Then his father was of the school 
 of the Star-Chamber martyrs ! " 
 
 " Both were lineal descendants of the Conqueror, and 
 of the Saxon princes ; and both united the double titles 
 to the throne, in their sacred persons. I have always con 
 sidered Charles II. as the victim of the rebellious conduct 
 of his subjects, rather than vicious. He was driven abroad 
 into a most corrupt state of society, and w r as perverted by 
 our wickedness. As to the father, he was the real St. 
 Charles, and a martyred saint he was ; dying for true reli 
 gion as well as for his legal rights. Then the Edwards 
 glorious fellows ! remember that they were all but one 
 Plantagenets ; a name, of itself, to rouse an Englishman s 
 fire!" 
 
 "And yet the only difference between the right of these 
 very Plantagenets to the throne, and that of the reigning 
 prince, is, that one produced a revolution by the strong 
 hand, and the other was produced by a revolution that 
 came from a nation. I do not know that your Planta 
 genets ever did anything for a navy, the only real source 
 
 of England s power and glory. D e, Dick, if I think 
 
 so much of your Plantagenets, after all ! " 
 
 "And yet the name of Oakes is to be met with among 
 their bravest knights, and most faithful followers." 
 
 "The Oakes, like the pines, have been timbers in every 
 ship that has floated," returned the Vice-admiral, half- 
 unconscious himself of the pun he was making. 
 
 For more than a minute Sir Gervaise continued his 
 walk, his head a little inclined forward, like a man who 
 pondered deeply on some matter of interest. Then, sud 
 denly stopping, he turned toward his friend, whom he 
 
THE TII O ADMIRALS. 87 
 
 regarded near another minute, ere he resumed his dis 
 course. 
 
 "I wish I could fairly get you to exercise your excel 
 lent reason on this matter, Dick," he said, after a pause; 
 " then I should be certain of having secured you on the 
 side of liberty." 
 
 Admiral Bluewater merely shook his head, but he con 
 tinued silent, as if he deemed discussion altogether super 
 erogatory. During this pause, a gentle tap at the door 
 announced a visitor ; and at the request to enter, Atwood 
 made his appearance. He held in his hand a large pack 
 age, which bore on the envelope the usual stamp that in 
 dicated it \vas sent on public service. 
 
 "I beg pardon, Sir Gervaise," commenced the secretary, 
 w r ho always proceeded at once to business when business 
 was to be done ; "but his Majesty s service will not admit 
 of delay. This packet has just come to hand, by the arrival 
 of an express, which left the admiralty yesterdaynoon." 
 
 "And how the devil did he know where to find me !" 
 exclaimed the Vice-admiral, holding out a hand to receive 
 the communication. 
 
 "It is all owing to this young lieutenant s forethought 
 in following up the Jacobite intelligence to a market-town. 
 The courier was bound to Falmouth, as fast as post-horses 
 could carry him, when he heard, luckily, that the fleet lay 
 at anchor under Wychecombe Head ; and quite as luckily, 
 lie is an officer who had the intelligence to know that you 
 would sooner get the dispatches if he turned aside and 
 came here by land, than if he went on to Falmouth, got 
 aboard the sloop that was to sail with him for the Bay of 
 Biscay, and came round here by water." 
 
 Sir Gervaise smiled at this sally, which was one in 
 keeping with all Atwood s feelings ; for the secretary had 
 matured a system of expresses which, to his great mortifi 
 cation, his patron laughed at, and the admiralty entirely 
 overlooked. No time was lost, however, in the way of 
 business ; the secretary having placed the candles on a 
 table, where Sir Gervaise took a chair, and had already 
 broken a seal. The process of reading, nevertheless, was 
 suddenly interrupted by the Vice-admiral s looking up, 
 and exclaiming : 
 
 "Why, you are not about to leave us, Bluewater ?" 
 
 "You may have private business with Mr. Atwood, Sir 
 Gervaise, and perhaps I had better retire." 
 
88 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Now, it so happened that while Sir Gervaise Oakes had 
 never by look or syllable, as he confidently believed, be 
 trayed the secret of his friend s Jacobite propensities, At- 
 \vood was perfectly aware of their existence. Nor had the 
 latter obtained his knowledge by any unworthy means. 
 
 He had been neither an eavesdropper, nor an inquirer 
 into private communications, as so often happens around 
 the persons of men in high trusts ; all his knowledge hav 
 ing been obtained through native sagacity and unavoid 
 able opportunities. On the present occasion, the secre 
 tary, with the tact of a man of experience, felt that his 
 presence might be dispensed with ; and he cut short the 
 discussion between the two Admirals by a very timely re 
 mark of his own. 
 
 " I have left the letters uncopied, Sir Gervaise," he said, 
 " and will go and finish them. A message by Locker "- 
 this was Sir Gervaise s body-servant " will bring me back 
 at a moment s notice, should you need me again to-night." 
 
 " That Atwood has a surprising instinct for a Scotch 
 man ! " exclaimed the Vice-admiral, as soon as the door was 
 closed on the secretary. " He not only knows when he is 
 wanted, but when he is not wanted. The last is an extra 
 ordinary attainment for one of his nation." 
 
 " And one that an Englishman may do well to emulate," 
 returned Bluewater. " It is possible my company may be 
 dispensed with, also, just at this important moment." 
 
 " You are not so much afraid of the Hanoverians, Dick, 
 as to run away from their handwriting, are ye ? Ha 
 what s this ? As I live, a packet for yourself, and directed 
 to Rear-admiral Sir Richard Bluewater, K. B. By the 
 Lord, my old boy, they ve given you the red ribbon at last ! 
 This is an honor well earned, and which may be fitly 
 worn." 
 
 " Tis rather unexpected, I must own. The letter, how 
 ever, cannot be addressed to me, as I am not a Knight of 
 the Bath." 
 
 " This is rank nonsense. Open the packet at once, or I 
 will do it for you. Are there two Dick Bluewaters in the 
 world, or another rear-admiral of the same name ?" 
 
 " I would rather not receive a letter that does not strictly 
 bear my address," returned the other coldly. 
 
 "As I ll be sworn, this does. But hand it to me, since 
 you are so scrupulous, and I will do that small service for 
 you." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 89 
 
 As this was said, Sir Gervaise tore aside the seals, and, 
 as he proceeded rather summarily, a red ribbon was soon 
 uncased and fell upon the carpet. The other usual insig 
 nia of the Bath made their appearance, and a letter was 
 found among them, to explain the meaning of all. Every 
 thing was in due form, and went to acquaint Rear-admiral 
 Bluewater that his Majesty had been graciously pleased to 
 confer on him one of the vacant red ribbons of the day, as 
 a reward for his eminent services on different occasions. 
 There was even a short communication from the premier, 
 expressing the great satisfaction of the ministry in thus 
 being able to second the royal good pleasure, with hearty 
 good-will. 
 
 "Well, what do you think of that, Richard Bluewater?" 
 asked Sir Gervaise, triumphantly. " Did I not always tell 
 you that, sooner or later, it must come?" 
 
 " It has come too late, then," coldly returned the other, 
 laying the ribbon, jewels, and letters, quietly on the table. 
 " This is an honor I can receive, now, only from my right 
 ful prince. None other can legally create a knight of the 
 Bath." 
 
 "And pray, Mr. Richard Bluewater, who made you a 
 captain, a commander, a rear-admiral ? Do you believe me 
 an impostor, because I wear this ribbon, on authority no 
 better than that of the house of Hanover ? Am I, or am I 
 not, in your judgment, a vice-admiral of the red?" 
 
 " I make a great distinction, Oakes, between rank in the 
 navy and mere personal dignity. In the one case, you 
 serve your country, and give quite as much as you receive; 
 whereas, in the other, it is a grace to confer consideration 
 on the person honored, without such an equivalent as can 
 find an apology for accepting a rank illegally conferred." 
 
 "The devil take your distinctions, which would unsettle 
 everything, and render the service a Babel. If I am a 
 vice-admiral of the red, I am a knight of the bath ; and if 
 you are rear-admiral of the white, you are also a knight of 
 that honorable order. All comes from the same source of 
 authority, and from the same fountain of honor." 
 
 " I do not view it thus. Our commissions are from the 
 admiralty, which represents the country ; but dignities 
 come from the prince who happens to reign, let his title 
 be what it may." 
 
 "Do you happen to think Richard III. a usurper, or a 
 lawful prince ? " 
 
90 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "A usurper, out of all question ; and a murderer to boot. 
 His name should be struck from the list of English kings. 
 I never hear it without execrating him and his deeds." 
 
 " Pooh, pooh, Dick, this is talking more like a poet than 
 a seaman. If only one-half of the sovereigns who deserve 
 to be execrated had their names erased, the list of even 
 our English kings would be rather short, and some coun 
 tries would be without any historical kings at all. How 
 ever much Richard III. may deserve cashiering in this 
 summary manner, his peers and laws are just as good as 
 any other prince s peers and laws. Witness the Duke of 
 Norfolk, for instance." 
 
 "Ay, that cannot be helped by me ; but it is in my 
 power to prevent Richard Bluewater s being made a 
 knight of the Bath by George II.; and the power shall be 
 used." 
 
 " It would seem not, as he is already created ; and I dare 
 say, gazetted." 
 
 "The oaths are not yet taken, and it is, at least, an 
 Englishman s birthright to decline an honor ; if, indeed, 
 this can be esteemed an honor, at all." 
 
 " Upon my word, Rear-admiral Sir Richard Bluewater, 
 you are disposed to be complimentary to-night ! The un 
 worthy knight present, and all the rest of the order, are 
 infinitely indebted to you ! " 
 
 "Your case and mine, Oakes, are essentially different," 
 returned the other, with some emotions in his voice and 
 manner. "Your ribbon was fairly won, fighting the bat 
 tles of England, and can be worn with credit to yourself 
 and to your country : but those baubles are sent to me, at 
 a moment when a rising was foreseen, and as a sop to keep 
 me in good humor, as well as to propitiate the whole 
 Bluewater interest." 
 
 "That is pure conjecture, and I dare say will prove to 
 be altogether a mistake. Here are the dispatches to speak 
 for themselves ; and as it is scarcely possible that the min 
 istry should have known of this rash movement of the 
 Pretender s son, more than a few days, my life on it, the 
 dates will show that your ribbon was bestowed before the 
 enterprise was even suspected." 
 
 As Sir Gervaise commenced, with his constitutional ar 
 dor, to turn over the letters, as soon as his mind was di 
 rected to this particular object, Admiral Bluewater resumed 
 his seat, awaiting the result, with not a little curiosity ; 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 91 
 
 though at the same time, with a smile of incredulity. The 
 examination disappointed Sir Gervaise Oakes. The dates 
 proved that the ministers were better informed than he 
 had supposed ; for it appeared they had been apprised 
 about the time he was himself of the intended movement. 
 His orders were to bring the fleet north, and in substance 
 to do the very thing his own sagacity had dictated. So far 
 everything was well ; and he could not entertain a doubt 
 about receiving the hearty approbation of his superiors, for 
 the course he had taken. But here his gratification ended ; 
 for, on looking at the dates of the different communica 
 tions, it was evident that the red ribbon was bestowed 
 after the intelligence of the Pretender s movement had 
 reached London. A private letter, from a friend at the 
 Board of Admiralty, too, spoke of his own probable pro 
 motion to the rank of admiral of the blue ; and mentioned 
 several other similar preferments, in a way to show that 
 the government was fortifying itself, in the present crisis, 
 as much as possible, by favors. This was a polite mode of 
 procedure with ordinary men, it is true ; but with offi 
 cers of the elevation of mind, and of the independence of 
 character of our two admirals, it was most likely to pro 
 duce disgust. 
 
 "D n em, Dick," cried Sir Gervaise, as he threw 
 
 down the last letter of the package with no little sign of 
 feeling ; "you might take St. Paul, or even Wychecombe s 
 dead brother, St. James, the Less, and put him at court, and 
 he would come out as thorough a blackguard, in a week ! " 
 
 "That is not the common opinion concerning a court 
 education," quietly replied the friend ; " most people fancy 
 that the place gives refinement of manners, if not of senti 
 ment." 
 
 " Pooh pooh you and I have no need of a dictionary to 
 understand each other. I call a man who never trusts to a 
 generous motive who thinks it always necessary to bribe 
 or cajole who has no idea of any thing s being done with 
 out its direct quid pro quo, a scurvy blackguard, though he 
 has the air and graces of Phil. Stanhope, or Chesterfield, 
 as he is now. What do you think those chaps at the 
 Board talk of doing, by way of clinching my loyalty, at 
 this blessed juncture ? " 
 
 " No doubt to get you raised to the peerage. I see 
 nothing so much out of the way in the thing. You are one 
 of the oldest families in England, and the sixth Baronet 
 
92 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 by inheritance, and have a noble landed estate, which is 
 none the worse for prize money. Sir Gervaise Oakes of 
 Bowldero would make a very suitable Lord Bowldero." 
 
 " If it were only that, I shouldn t mind it ; for nothing is 
 easier than to refuse a peerage. I ve done that twice al 
 ready, and can do it a third time, at need. But one can t 
 very well refuse promotion in his regular profession ; and 
 here, just as a true gentleman would depend upon the 
 principles of an officer, the hackneyed consciences of your 
 courtiers have suggested the expediency of making Ger 
 vaise Oakes an Admiral of the blue, by way of sop ! me, 
 who was made Vice-admiral of the red only six months 
 since, and who takes an honest pride in boasting that every 
 commission, from the lowest to the highest, has been fairly 
 earned in battle ! " 
 
 " They think it a more delicate service, perhaps, for a 
 gentleman to be true to the reigning house, when so loud 
 an appeal is made to his natural loyalty ; and, therefore, 
 class the self-conquest with a victory at sea! " 
 
 " They are so many court-lubbers ; and I should like to 
 have an opportunity of speaking my mind to them. I ll 
 not take the new commission ; for every one must see, 
 Dick, that it is a sop." 
 
 " Ay, that s just my notion, too, about the red ribbon, 
 and I ll not take that. You have had the ribbon these ten 
 years, have declined the peerage twice, and their only 
 chance is the promotion. Take it you ought, and must, 
 however, as it will be the means of pushing on some four 
 or five poor devils, who have been wedged up to honors in 
 this manner, ever since they were captains. I am glad 
 they do not talk of promoting me, for I should hardly 
 know how to refuse such a grace. There is great virtue in 
 parchment, with all of us military men." 
 
 " Still it must be parchment fairly won. I think you are 
 wrong, notwithstanding, Bluewater, in talking of refusing 
 the ribbon, which is so justly your due, for a dozen differ 
 ent acts. There is not a man in the service who has been 
 less rewarded for what he has done, than yourself." 
 
 " I am sorry to hear you give this as your opinion ; for 
 just at this moment, I would rather think that I have no 
 cause of complaint, in this way, against the reigning family, 
 or its ministers. I m sure I was posted when quite a young 
 man, and since that time, no one has been lifted over my 
 head." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 93 
 
 The Vice-admiral looked intently at his friend, for never 
 before had he detected a feeling which betrayed, as he 
 fancied, so settled a determination in him to quit the ser 
 vice of the powers that were. Acquainted from boyhood 
 with all the workings of the other s mind, he perceived that 
 the Rear-admiral had been endeavoring to persuade him 
 self that no selfish or unworthy motive could be assigned 
 to an act which he felt to proceed from disinterested 
 chivalry, just as he himself broke out with his expression 
 of an opinion that no officer had "been less liberally re 
 warded for his professional service than his friend. While 
 there is no greater mystery to a selfish manager than a 
 man of disinterested temperament, they who feel and sub 
 mit to generous impulses understand each other with an 
 instinctive facility. When any particular individual is 
 prone to believe that there is a predominance of good over 
 evil in the world he inhabits, it is a sign of inexperience, 
 or imbecility ; but when one acts and reasons as if all 
 honor and virtue are extinct, he furnishes the best possible 
 argument against his own tendencies and character. It 
 has often been remarked that stronger friendships are 
 made between those who have different personal peculiar 
 ities, than between those whose sameness of feeling and 
 impulses would be less likely to keep interest alive ; but, 
 in all cases of intimacies, there must be great identity of 
 principles, and even of tastes in matters at all connected 
 with motives, in order to insure respect among those whose 
 standard of opinion is higher than common, or sympathy 
 among those with whom it is lower. 
 
 Such was the fact, as respected Admiral Oakes and 
 Bluewater. No tw^o men could be less alike in tempera 
 ment, or character, physically, and in some senses, morally 
 considered ; but, when it came to principles, or all those 
 tastes or feelings that are allied to principles, there was a 
 strong native, as well as acquired affinity. This union of 
 sentiment was increased by common habits, and profes 
 sional careers so long and so closely united as to be almost 
 identical. Nothing was easier, consequently, than for Sir 
 Gervaise Oakes to comprehend the workings of Admiral 
 Bluewater s mind, as the latter endeavored to believe he 
 had been fairly treated by the existing government. Of 
 course, the reasoning which passed through the thoughts 
 of Sir Gervaise, on this occasion, required much less time 
 than we have taken to explain its nature ; and, after regard- 
 
94 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ing his friend intently, as already related, for a few seconds, 
 he answered as follows, a good deal influenced, unwit 
 tingly to himself with the wish to check the other s Jacobite 
 propensities. 
 
 " I am sorry not to be able to agree with you, Dick," he 
 said, with some warmth. "So far from thinking you w r ell 
 treated, by any ministry, these twenty years, I think you 
 have been very ill treated. Your rank you have, beyond 
 a question ; for of that no brave officer can well be de 
 prived in a regulated service ; but, have you had the com 
 mands to which you are entitled ? I was a commander-in- 
 chief when only a rear-admiral of the blue, and then 
 how long did I wear a broad pennant, before I got a flag 
 at all!" 
 
 " You forget how much I have been with you. When 
 two serve together, one must command and the other 
 must obey. So far from complaining of these Hanoverian 
 Boards, and First Lords, it seems to me that they have 
 always kept in view the hollowness of their claims to the 
 throne, and have felt a desire to purchase honest men by 
 their favors." 
 
 "You are the strangest fellow, Dick Bluewater, it has 
 
 ever been my lot to fall in with. D e me, if I believe 
 
 you know always when you are ill treated. There are a 
 dozen men in the service, who have had separate com 
 mands, and who are not half as well entitled to them as 
 you are yourself." 
 
 " Come, come, Oakes, this is getting to be puerile, for 
 two old fellows, turned of fifty. You very well know that 
 I was offered just as good a fleet as this of your own, 
 with a choice of the whole list of flag-officers below me to 
 pick a junior from ; and so we ll say no more about it. As 
 respects their red ribbon, however, it may go a-begging 
 for me." 
 
 Sir Gervaise was about to answer in his former vein, 
 when a tap at the door announced the presence of another 
 visitor. This time the door opened on the person of 
 Galleygo, who had been included in Sir Wycherly s hospit 
 able plan of entertaining every soul who immediately be 
 longed to the suite of Sir Gervaise. 
 
 " What the d 1 has brought you here !" exclaimed the 
 
 Vice-admiral, a little warmly ; for he did not relish an in 
 terruption just at that moment. " Recollect you re not on 
 board the Plantagenet, but in the dwelling of a gentle- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 95 
 
 man, where there are both butler and housekeeper, and 
 who have no occasion for your advice, or authority, to keep 
 things in order." 
 
 "Well, there, Sir Gervaise, I doesn t agree with you the 
 least bit ; for I thinks as a ship s steward I mean a cabin 
 steward, and a good un of the quality might do a great 
 deal of improvement in this very house. The cook and I 
 has had a partic lar dialogue on them matters, already ; 
 and I mentioned to her the names of seven different dishes, 
 every one of which she quite as good as admitted to me 
 was just the same as so much gospel to her." 
 
 " I shall have to quarantine this fellow, in the long run, 
 Biuewater ! I do believe if I were to take him to Lam 
 beth Palace, or even to St. James s, he d thrust his oar 
 into the archbishop s benedictions, or the queen s caudle 
 cup ! " 
 
 "Well, Sir Gervaise, where would be the great harm if 
 I did ? A man as knows the use of an oar can be trusted 
 with one, even in a church, or an abbey. When your 
 honor comes to hear what the dishes were, as Sir 
 Wycherly s cook had never heard on, you ll think it as 
 great a cur osity as I do myself. If I had just leave to 
 name em over, I think as both you gentlemen would look 
 at it as remarkable." 
 
 " What are they, Galleygo ? " inquired Biuewater, put 
 ting one of his long legs over the arm of an adjoining 
 chair, in order to indulge himself in a yarn with his 
 friend s steward, with greater freedom ; for he greatly de 
 lighted in Galleygo s peculiarities ; seeing just enough of 
 the fellow to find amusement, without annoyance in them. 
 " I ll answer for Sir Gervaise, who is always a little diffident 
 about boasting of the superiority of a ship, over a house." 
 
 "Yes, your honor, that he is that is just one of Sir 
 Jarvy s weak p ints, as a body might say. Now, I never 
 goes ashore, without trimming sharp up, and luffing 
 athwart every person s hawse I fall in with ; which is as 
 much as to tell em I belongs to a flag-ship, and a racer, 
 and a craft as hasn t her equal on salt water ; no disparage 
 ment to the bit of bunting at the mizzen-top-gallant-mast- 
 head of the Caesar, or to the ship that carries it. I hopes, 
 as we are so well acquainted, Admiral Biuewater, no offense 
 will be taken." 
 
 "When none is meant, none ought to be taken, my 
 friend. Now let us hear your bill-of-fare." 
 
96 7Y/ 77F<9 ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Well, sir, the very first dish I mentioned to Mrs. 
 Larder, Sir Wycherly s cook, was lobscouse ; and, would 
 you believe it, gentlemen, the poor woman had never heard 
 of it ! I began with a light hand, as it might be, just not 
 to overwhelm her with knowledge, at a blow, as Sir Jarvy 
 captivated the French frigate with the upper tier of guns, 
 that he might take her alive, like." 
 
 "And the lady knew nothing of a lobscouse neither of 
 its essence, or nature ?" 
 
 "There s no essences as is ever put in a lobscouse, be 
 sides potaties, Admiral Bluewater ; tho we make em in 
 tiie old Planter" nauticeior Plantagenet " in so liquorish 
 a fashion, you might well think they even had Jamaiky in 
 em. No, potaties is the essence of lobscouse ; and a very 
 good thing is a potatie, Sir Jarvy, when a ship s company 
 has been on salted oakum for a few months." 
 
 "Well, what was the next dish the good woman broke 
 down under?" asked the Rear-admiral, fearful the master 
 might order the servant to quit the room ; while he, himself, 
 was anxious to get rid of any farther political discussion. 
 
 "Well, sir, she knowed no more of a chowder, than if 
 the sea weren t in the neighborhood, and there weren t such 
 a thing as a fish in all England. When I talked to her of 
 a chowder, she gave in, like a Spaniard at the fourth or 
 fifth broadside." 
 
 " Such ignorance is disgraceful, and betokens a decline 
 in civilization ! But you hoisted out more knowledge for 
 her benefit, Galleygo snfall doses of learning are poor 
 things." 
 
 "Yes, your honor; just like weak grog burning the 
 priming, without starting the shot. To be sure I did, 
 Admiral Blue. I just named to her burgoo, and then I 
 mentioned duff (Anglice dough) to her, but she denied that 
 there was any such things in the cookery-book. Do you 
 know, Sir Jarvy, as these here shore craft get their dinners 
 as our master gets the sun ; all out of a book as it might, 
 be. Awful tidings, too, gentlemen, about the Pretender s 
 son ; and I s pose we shall have to take the fleet up into 
 Scotland, as I fancy them ere sogers will not make much 
 of a hand in settling law ?" 
 
 "And have you honored us with a visit, just to give us 
 an essay on dishes, and to tell us what you intend to do 
 with the fleet?" demanded Sir Gervaise, a little more 
 sternly than he was accustomed to speak to the steward. 
 
THE TWO ADAMWI&- 97 
 
 \/V 
 
 "Lord bless you, Sir Jarvy, I didn t dream of one or 
 t other! As for telling you or Admiral Blue (so the sea 
 men used to call the second in rank), here, anything about 
 lobscouse, or chowder, why, it would be carrying coals to 
 New Market I ve fed you both with all such articles, 
 when ye was nothing but young gentlemen ; and when you 
 was no longer young gentlemen, too, but a couple of 
 sprightly luffs, of nineteen. And as for moving the fleet, 
 I know well enough that will never happen, without our 
 talking it over in the old Planter s cabin ; which is a much 
 more nat ral place for such a discourse, than any house in 
 England ! " 
 
 " May I take the liberty of inquiring, then, what did 
 bring you here?" 
 
 " That you may, with all my heart, Sir Jarvy, for I likes 
 to answer your questions. My errand is not to your honor 
 this time, though you are my master. It s no great matter, 
 after all, being just to hartH this bit of a letter over to 
 Admiral Blue." 
 
 " And where did this letter come from, and how did it 
 fall into your hands ! " demanded Bluewater, looking at 
 the superscription, the writing of which he seemed to 
 recognize. 
 
 "It hails from Lun nun, I hear, and they tell me it s to 
 be a great secret that you ve got it, at all. The history of 
 the matter is just this. An officer got in to-night, with 
 orders for us, carrying sail as hard as his shay would bear. 
 It seems he fell in with Master Atwood, as he made his 
 land-fall, and being acquainted with that gentleman, he just 
 whipped out his orders, and sent em off to the right man. 
 Then he laid his course for the landing, wishing to get 
 aboard of the Dublin, to which he is ordered ; but falling 
 in with our barge, as I landed, he wanted to know the 
 where-away of Admiral Blue, here ; believing him to be 
 afloat. Some tin telling him as I was a friend and servant 
 of both admirals, as it might be, he turned himself over to 
 me for advice. So I promised to deliver the letter, as I 
 had a thousand afore, and knowed the way of doing 
 such things ; and he gives me the letter, under special 
 orders, like ; that is to say, it was to be handed to the Rear- 
 admiral as it might be under the lee of the mizzen-stay- 
 sail, or in a private fashion. Well, gentlemen, you both 
 knows I understand that, too, and so I undertook the 
 job." 
 
98 TffK 77F0 ADMIRALS. 
 
 " And I have got to be so insignificant a person that I 
 pass for no one, in your discriminating mind, Master 
 Galleygo ! " exclaimed the Vice-admiral, sharply. " I 
 have suspected as much, these five-and-twenty years." 
 
 " Lord bless you, Sir Jarvy, how flag-officers will make 
 mistakes sometimes ! They re mortal, I says to the people 
 of the galley, and have their appetites false, just like a 
 young gentlemen, when they get athwart-hawse of a 
 body, I says. Now, I count Admiral Blue and yourself 
 pretty much as one man, seeing that you keep few or no 
 secrets from each other. I know d ye both as young gentle 
 men, and then you loved one another like twins ; and 
 then I know d ye as luffs, when ye d walk the deck the 
 whole watcbj spinning yarns ; and then I know d ye as 
 Pillardees and Arrestee, though one pillow might have 
 answered for both ; and as for Arrest, I never know d 
 either of ye. to get into that scrape. As for telling a 
 secret to one, I ve always looked upon it as pretty much 
 tilling it to t other." 
 
 The two Admirals exchanged glances, and the look of 
 kindness that each met in the eyes of his friend removed 
 every shadow that had been cast athwart their feelings by 
 the previous discourse. 
 
 " That will do, Galleygo," returned Sir Gervaise, mildly. 
 " You re a good fellow in the main, though a villainously 
 rough one " 
 
 "A little of old Boreus, Sir Jarvy," interrupted the 
 steward, with a grim smile ; " but it blows harder at sea 
 than it does ashore. These chaps on land aren t battened 
 down, and caulked for such weather, as we sons of 
 Neptun is obligated to face." 
 
 " Quite true, and so good-night Admiral Bluewatcr 
 and myself wish to confer together for half an hour; all 
 that it is proper for you to know, shall be communicated 
 another time." 
 
 " Good-night, and God bless your honor. Good-night, 
 Admiral Blue : we three is the men as can keep any 
 secret as ever floated, let it draw as much water as it 
 pleases." 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes stopped in his walk, and gazed at 
 his friend with manifest interest, as he perceived that 
 Admiral Bluewater was running over his letter for the 
 third time. Being now without a witness, he did not hesi 
 tate to express his apprehensions. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 99 
 
 "Tis as I feared, Dick!" he cried. "That letter is 
 from some prominent partisan of Edward Stuart?" 
 
 The Rear-admiral turned his eyes on the face of his 
 friend, with an expression that was difficult to read ; and 
 then he ran over the contents of the epistle for the fourth 
 time. 
 
 " A set of precious rascals they are, Gervaise ! " at length 
 the Rear-admiral exclaimed. " If the whole court was 
 culled, I question if enough honesty could be found to 
 leaven one Puritan scoundrel. Tell me if you know 
 this hand, Oakes ? I question if you ever saw it before." 
 
 The superscription of the letter was held out to Sir 
 Gervaise, who, after a close examination, declared himself 
 unacquainted with the writing. 
 
 " I thought as much," resumed Bluewater, carefully 
 tearing the signature from the bottom of the page, and 
 burning it in a candle ; " let this portion of the secret die, 
 at least. The fellow who wrote this, has put confidential 
 at the head of his miserable scrawl ; and a most confident 
 fellow he is, for his pains. However, no man has a right 
 to thrust himself, in this rude manner, between me and 
 my eldest friend ; and least of all will I consent to keep this 
 piece of treachery from your knowledge. I do more than 
 the rascal merits in concealing his name ; nevertheless, I 
 shall not deny myself of the pleasure of sending him such 
 an answer as he deserves. Read that, Oakes, and then say 
 if keelhauling would be too good for the writer." 
 
 Sir Gervaise took the letter in silence, though not with 
 out great surprise, and began to peruse it. As he pro 
 ceeded, the color mounted to his temples, and once he 
 dropped his hand, to cast a look of wonder and indigna 
 tion toward his companion. That the reader may see how 
 much occasion there was for both these feelings, we shall 
 give the communication entire. It was couched in the 
 following words : 
 
 O 
 
 " DEAR ADMIRAL BLUEWATER : Our ancient friendship, 
 and, I am proud to add, affinity of blood, unite in induc 
 ing me to write a line, at this interesting moment. Of 
 the result of this rash experiment of the Pretender s son, 
 no prudent man can entertain a doubt. Still, the boy 
 may give us trouble, before he is disposed of altogether. 
 We look to our friends, therefore, for their most efficient 
 exertions, and most prudent co-operation. On you, every 
 
ioo THE 7 irO ADMIRALS. 
 
 reliance is placed ; and I wish I could say as much for 
 every flag-officer afloat. Some distrust unmerited, I sin 
 cerely hope exists in a very high quarter, touching the 
 loyalty of a certain commander-in-chief, who is so com 
 pletely under your observation, that it is felt enough is 
 done in hinting the fact to one of your political tendencies. 
 The king said, this morning, Veil, dere isht Bluevater ; 
 of him we are shure as of ter sun. You stand excellently 
 well there, to my great delight ; and I need only say, be 
 watchful and prompt. 
 
 "Yours with the most sincere faith and attachment, my 
 dear Bluewater, etc., etc. 
 
 " Rear -Admiral Bluewater. 
 
 "P. S. I have just heard that they have sent you the 
 red ribbon. The king himself was in this." 
 
 When Sir Gervaise had perused this precious epistle to 
 himself, he read it slowly, and in a steady, clear voice, 
 aloud. When he had ended, he dropped the paper, and 
 stood gazing at his friend. 
 
 " One would think the fellow some exquisite satirist," 
 said Bluewater, laughing, "/am to be vigilant, and see 
 that you do not mutiny, and run away with the fleet to 
 the Highlands, one of these foggy mornings ! Carry it 
 up into Scotland, as Galleygo has it ! Now, what is your 
 opinion of that letter ? " 
 
 " That all courtiers are knaves, and all princes ungrate 
 ful. I should think my loyalty to the good cause, if not 
 to the man, the last in England to be suspected." 
 
 " Nor is it -suspected, in the smallest degree. My life on 
 it, neither the reigning monarch, nor his confidential ser 
 vants, are such arrant dunces as to be guilty of so much 
 weakness. No, his masterly move is intended to secure 
 me, by creating a confidence that they think no generous- 
 minded man would betray. It is a hook, delicately baited 
 to catch a gudgeon, and not an order to watch a whale." 
 
 "Can the scoundrels be so mean nay, dare they be so 
 bold ! They must have known you would show me the 
 letter." 
 
 " Not they they have reasoned on my course, as they 
 would on their own. Nothing catches a weak man sooner 
 than a pretended confidence of this nature ; and I dare say 
 this blackguard rates me just high enough to fancy I may 
 be duped in this flimsy manner. Put your mind at rest; 
 
7Y//: 7 JJ O ADMIRALS. 101 
 
 King George knows he may confide in you, while I think 
 it probable I am distrusted." 
 
 " I hope, Dick, you do not suspect my discretion ! My 
 own secret would not be half so sacred to me." 
 
 " I know that full well. Of you, I entertain no distrust 
 either in heart or head ; of myself, I am not quite so 
 certain. When we feel, we do not always reason ; and 
 there is as much feeling as anything else, in this matter." 
 
 " Not a line is there, in all my dispatches, that goes to 
 betray the slightest distrust of me, or any one else. You 
 are spoken of, but it is in a manner to gratify you, rather 
 than to alarm. Take, and read them all ; I intended to 
 show them to you, as soon as we had got through with that 
 cursed discussion." 
 
 As Sir Gervaise concluded, he threw the whole package 
 of letters on the table, before his friend. 
 
 " It will be time enough, when you summon me regu 
 larly to a council of war," returned Bluewater, laying the 
 letters gently aside. " Perhaps we had better sleep on this 
 affair ; in the morning we shall meet with cooler heads, and 
 just as warm hearts." 
 
 " Good-night, Dick," said Sir Gervaise, holding out both 
 hands for the other to shake as he passed him, in quitting 
 the room. 
 
 " Good-night, Gervaise ; let this miserable devil go over 
 board, and think no more of him. I have half a mind to 
 ask you for a leave, to-morrow, just to run up to London, 
 and cut off his ears." 
 
 Sir Gervaise laughed and nodded his head, and the two 
 friends parted, with feelings as kind as ever had distin 
 guished their remarkable career. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WYCHECOMBE HALL had most of the peculiarities of a 
 bachelor s dwelling, in its internal government ; nor was it 
 in any manner behind, or, it might be better to say, before, 
 the age, in its modes and customs connected with jollifi 
 cations. When its master relaxed a little, the servants 
 quite uniformly imitated his example. Sir Wycherly kept 
 a plentiful table, and the servants hall fared nearly as well 
 as the dining-room ; the single article of wine excepted. In 
 
102 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 lieu of the latter, however, was an unlimited allowance of 
 double-brewed ale ; and the difference in the potations was 
 far more in the name than in the quality of the beverages. 
 The master drank port ; for, in the middle of the last cen 
 tury, few Englishmen had better wine and port, too, that 
 was by no means of a very remarkable delicacy, but which, 
 like those who used it, was rough, honest, and strong ; 
 while the servant had his malt liquor of the very highest 
 stamp and flavor. Between indifferent wine and excellent 
 ale, the distance is not interminable ; and Sir Wycherly s 
 household w r as well aware of the fact, having frequently in 
 stituted intelligent practical comparisons, by means of 
 which all but the butler and Mrs. Larder had come to the 
 conclusion to stand by the home-brewed. 
 
 On the present occasion, not a soul in the house was 
 ignorant of the reason why the Baronet was making a 
 night of it. Every man, woman, and child, in or about the 
 hall was a devoted partisan of the house of Hanover ; and 
 as soon as it was understood that this feeling was to be 
 manifested by drinking " Success to King George, and 
 GOD bless him," on the one side ; and "Confusion to the 
 Pretender, and his mad son," on the other ; all under the 
 roof entered in the duty, with a zeal that might have 
 seated a usurper on a throne, if potations could do it. 
 
 When Admiral Bluewater, therefore, left the chamber of 
 his friend, the signs of mirth and of a regular debauch 
 were so very obvious, that a little curiosity to watch the 
 result, and a disinclination to go off to his ship so soon, 
 united to induce him to descend into the rooms below, 
 with a view to get a more accurate knowledge of the con 
 dition of the household. In crossing the great hall, to enter 
 the drawing-room, he encountered Galleygo, when the fol 
 lowing discourse took place : 
 
 "I should think the master-at-arms has not done his 
 duty, and doused the glim below, Master Steward," said 
 the Rear-admiral, in his quiet way, as they met ; " the 
 laughing, and singing, and hiccupping are all upon a very 
 liberal scale for a respectable country-house." 
 
 Galleygo touched the lock of hair on his forehead, with 
 one hand, and gave his trousers a slue with the other, 
 before he answered ; which he soon did, however, though 
 with a voice a little thicker than \vas usual with him, on 
 account of his having added a draught or two to those he 
 had taken previously to visiting Sir Gervaise s dressing- 
 
77//- TU Q ADMIRALS. 103 
 
 room ; and whicli said additional draught or two had pro 
 duced some such effect on his system as the fresh drop 
 produces on the cup that is already full. 
 
 "That s just it, Admiral Blue," returned the steward, in 
 passing good-humor, though still sober enough to maintain 
 the decencies, after his own fashion ; " that s just it, your 
 honor. They ve passed the order below to let the lights 
 stand for farther orders, and have turned the hands 
 up for a frolic. Such ale as they has, stowed in the 
 lower hold of this house, like leaguers in the ground-tier, 
 it does a body s heart good to conter plate. All hands is 
 bowsing out their jibs on it, sir, and the old Hall will soon 
 be carrying as much sail as she can stagger under. It s 
 nothing but loose-away and sheet-home." 
 
 " Aye, aye, Galleygo, this may be well enough for the 
 people of the household, if Sir Wycherly allows it ; but it 
 ill becomes the servants of guests to fall into this disorder. 
 If I find Tom has done anything amiss, he will hear more 
 of it ; and as your own master is not here to admonish you, 
 I ll just take the liberty of doing it for him, since I know 
 it would mortify him exceedingly to learn that his steward 
 had done anything to disgrace himself." 
 
 Lord bless your dear soul, Admiral Blue, take just as 
 many liberties as you think fit, and I ll never pocket one 
 on em. I know d you, when you was only a young 
 gentleman, and now you re a rear. You re close on our 
 heels ; and by the time we are a full admiral, you ll be 
 something like a vice. I looks upon you as bone of our 
 bone, and flesh of our flesh Pillardees and Arrestees and 
 I no more minds a setting-down from your honor, than I 
 does from Sir Jarvy himself." 
 
 " I believe that is true enough, Galleygo ; but take my 
 advice, and knock off with the ale for to-night. Can you 
 tell me how the land lies, with the rest of the company ? " 
 
 " You couldn t have asked a better person, your honor, as 
 I ve just been passing through all the rooms, from a sort of 
 habit I has, sir ; for, d ye see, I thought I was in the old 
 Planter, and that it was my duty to overlook everything, as 
 usual. The last pull at the ale put that notion in my head ; 
 but it s gone now, and I see how matters is. Yes, sir, the 
 mainmast of a church isn t stiffer and more correct-like, than 
 my judgment is, at this blessed moment. Sir Wycherly guv 
 me a glass of his black-strap, as I ran through the dining- 
 room, and told me to drink Confusion to the Pretender, 
 
104 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 which I did, with hearty good-will ; but his liquor will no 
 more lay alongside of the ale they ve down on the orlop 
 than a Frenchman will compare with an Englishman. 
 What s your opinion, Admiral Blue, consarning this cruise 
 of the Pretender s son, up in the Highlands of Scotland ?" 
 
 Bluewater gave a quick, distrustful glance at the steward, 
 for he knew that the fellow was half his time in the outer 
 cabin and pantries of the Plantagenet, and he could not 
 tell how much of his many private dialogues with Sir Ger- 
 vaise might have been overheard. Meeting with nothing 
 but the unmeaning expression of one half-seas-over, his 
 uneasiness instantly subsided. 
 
 " I think it a gallant enterprise, Galleygo," he answered ; 
 too manly even to feign what he did riot believe ; " but I 
 fear as a cruise, it will not bring much prize-money. You 
 have forgotten you were about to tell me how the land lies. 
 Sir Wycherly, Mr. Button, Mr. Rotherham, are still at the 
 table, I fancy are these all ? What has become of the two 
 young gentlemen ?" 
 
 "There s none ashore, sir," said Galleygo, promptly, ac 
 customed to give that appellation only to midshipmen. 
 
 " I mean the two Mr. Wychecombes, one of whom, I had 
 forgot, is actually an officer." 
 
 " Yes, sir, and a most partic lar fine officer he is, as every 
 body says. Well, sir, he s with the ladies ; while his name 
 sake has gone back to the table, and has put luff upon luff, 
 to fetch up leeway," 
 
 " And the ladies what have they done with themselves 
 in this scene of noisy revelry ? " 
 
 " They se in yonder state-room, yer honor. As soon as 
 they found how the ship was heading, like all women-craft, 
 they both makes for the best harbor they could run into. 
 Yes, they se yonder." 
 
 As Galleygo pointed to the door of the room he meant, 
 Bluewater proceeded toward it, parting with the steward 
 after a few more words of customary, but very useless cau 
 tion. The tap of the Admiral was answered by Wycherly 
 in person, who opened the door, and made way for his su 
 perior to enter, with a respectful obeisance. There was 
 but a single candle in the little parlor, in which the two 
 females had taken refuge from the increasing noise of the 
 debauch ; and this was due to a pious expedient of Mil 
 dred s, in extinguishing the others with a view to conceal 
 the traces of tears that were still visible on her own and 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 105 
 
 her mother s cheeks. The Rear-admiral was at first struck 
 with this comparative obscurity ; but it soon appeared to 
 him appropriate to the feelings of the party assembled in 
 the room. Mrs. Dutton received him with the ease she had 
 acquired in her early life, and the meeting passed as a mat 
 ter of course, with persons temporarily residing under the 
 same roof. 
 
 " Our friends appear to be enjoying themselves," said 
 Bluewater, when a shout from the dining-room forced itself 
 on the ears of all present. " The loyalty of Sir Wycherly 
 seems to be of proof." 
 
 " O ! Admiral Bluewater," exclaimed the distressed wife, 
 feeling momentarily getting the better of discretion ; " do 
 you can you call such a desecration of God s image en 
 joyment ? " 
 
 "Not justly, perhaps, Mrs. Dutton ; and yet it is what 
 millions mistake for it. This mode of celebrating any 
 great event, and even of illustrating what \ve think our 
 principles, is, I fear, a vice not only of our age, but of our 
 country." 
 
 " And yet, neither you nor Sir Gervaise Oakes, I see, 
 find it necessary to give such a proof of your attachment to 
 the house of Hanover, or of your readiness to serve it with 
 your time and persons." 
 
 " You w r ill remember, my good lady, that both Oakes 
 and myself are flag-officers in command, and it would never 
 do for us to fall into a debauch in sight of our own ships, 
 I am glad to see, however, that Mr. Wychecombe, here, 
 prefers such society as I find him in, to the pleasure of the 
 table." 
 
 Wycherly bowed, and Mildred cast an expressive, not to 
 say grateful, glance toward the speaker ; but her mother 
 pursued the discourse, in which she found a little relief to 
 her suppressed emotion. 
 
 " God be thanked for that ! " she exclaimed, half uncon 
 scious of the interpretation that might be put on her 
 words ; "all that we have seen of Mr. Wychecombe would 
 lead us to believe that this is not an unusual, or an acciden 
 tal forbearance." 
 
 " So much the more fortunate for him. I congratulate 
 you, young sir, on this triumph of principle, or of temper 
 ament, or of both. We belong to a profession in which 
 the bottle is an enemy more to be feared than any that the 
 King can give us. A sailor can call in no ally as efficient 
 
io6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 in subduing this mortal foe, as an intelligent and cultivated 
 mind. The man who really thinks much, seldom drinks 
 much ; but there are hours nay, weeks and months of 
 idleness in a ship, in which the temptation to resort to un 
 natural excitement in quest of pleasure is too strong for 
 minds that are not well fortified, to resist. This is partic 
 ularly the case with commanders, who find themselves iso 
 lated by their rank, and oppressed with responsibility, in 
 the privacy of their own cabins, and get to make a com 
 panion of the bottle, by \vay of seeking relief from uncom 
 fortable thought, and of creating a society of their own. 
 I deem the critical period of a sailor s life to be the first 
 few years of solitary command." 
 
 " How T true ! how true ! " murmured Mrs. Button. "O, 
 that cutter that cruel cutter ! " 
 
 The truth flashed upon the recollection of Bluewater, at 
 this unguarded, and instantly regretted exclamation. Many 
 years before, when only a captain himself, he had been a 
 member of a court-martial which cashiered a lieutenant of 
 the name of Button, for grievous misconduct while in com 
 mand of a cutter ; the fruits of the bottle. From the first, 
 he thought the name familiar to him ; but so many similar 
 things had happened in the course of forty years service, 
 that this particular incident had been partially lost in the 
 obscurity of time. It was now completely recalled, how 
 ever ; and that, too, with all its attendant circumstances. 
 The recollection served to give the Rear-admiral renewed 
 interest in the unhappy wife and lovely daughter of the 
 miserable delinquent. He had been applied to, at the 
 time, for his interest in effecting the restoration of the 
 guilty officer, or even to procure for him the hopeless 
 station he now actually occupied ; but he had sternly re 
 fused to be a party in placing any man in authority, who 
 was the victim of a propensity that not only disgraced him 
 self, but which, in the peculiar position of a sailor, equally 
 jeoparded the honor of the country, and risked the lives of 
 all around him. He was aware that the last application 
 had been successful, by means of a court influence it was 
 very unusual to exert in cases so insignificant ; and then 
 he had, for years, lost sight of the criminal and his for 
 tunes. This unexpected revival of his old impressions, 
 caused him to feel like an ancient friend of the w T ife and 
 daughter ; for well could he recall a scene he had with 
 both, in which the struggle between his humanity and his 
 
77/A TIVO ADMIRALS. 10; 
 
 principles had been so violent as actually to reduce him to 
 tears. Mildred had forgotten the name of this particular 
 officer, having been merely a child ; but well did Mrs. 
 Button remember it, and with fear and trembling had she 
 come that day, to meet him at the Hall. The lirst look 
 satisfied her that she was forgotten, and she had struggled 
 herself, to bury in oblivion a scene which was one of the 
 most painful of all her life. The unguarded expression 
 mentioned, entirely changed the state of affairs. 
 
 " Mrs. Button," said Bluewater, kindly taking a hand 
 of the distressed wife ; " I believe we are old friends ; if, 
 after what has passed, you will allow me so to consider 
 myself." 
 
 "Ah! Admiral Bluewater, my memory needed no ad- 
 monisher to tell me that. Your sympathy and kindness 
 are as grateful to me now, as they were in that dreadful 
 moment, when we met before." 
 
 " And I had the pleasure of seeing this young lady, more 
 than once, on that unpleasant occasion. This accounts for 
 a fancy that has fairly haunted me throughout the day ; 
 for, from the instant my eye fell on Miss Mildred, it struck 
 me that the face, and, most of all, its expression, was famil 
 iar to me. Certainly it is not a countenance, once seen, 
 easily to be forgotten." 
 
 " Mildred was then but a child, sir, and your recollec 
 tion must have been a fancy indeed, as children of her age 
 seldom make any lasting impression on the mind, particu 
 larly in the way of features." 
 
 "It is not the features that I recognize, but the expres 
 sion ; and that, I need not tell the young lady s mother, is 
 an expression not so very easily forgotten. I dare say Mr. 
 Wychecombe is ready enough to vouch for the truth of 
 what I say." 
 
 " Hark ! " exclaimed Mrs. Button, who was sensitively 
 alive to any indication of the progress of the debauch. 
 u There is great confusion in the dining-room ! I hope the 
 gentlemen are of one mind as respects this rising in Scot 
 land!" 
 
 " If there is a Jacobite among them, he will have a 
 warm time of it, with Sir Wycherly, his nephew, and the 
 vicar all three of whom are raging lions, in the way of 
 loyalty. There does, indeed, seem something out of the 
 way, for those sounds, I should think, are the feet of ser 
 vants, running to and fro. If the servants -hall is in the 
 
io8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 condition I suspect, it will as much need the aid of the 
 parlor, as the parlor can possibly " 
 
 A rap at the door caused Bluewater to cease speaking ; 
 and as Wycherly threw open the entrance, Galleygo ap 
 peared on the threshold, by this time reduced to the neces 
 sity of holding on by the casings. 
 
 "Well, sir," said the Rear-admiral, sternly, for he was 
 no longer disposed to trifle with any of the crapulous set ; 
 "well, sir, what impertinence has brought you here ?" 
 
 " No impertinence at all, your honor ; we carries none 
 of that, in the old Planter. There being no young gen 
 tlemen, hereabouts, to report proceedings, I thought I d 
 just step in and do the duty with my tongue. We has so 
 many reports in our cabin, that there isn t an officer in the 
 fleet that can make em better, as myself, sir." 
 
 " There are a hundred who would spend fewer words on 
 any thing. What is your business ? " 
 
 "Why, sir, just to report one flag struck, and a com- 
 mander-in-chief on his beam-ends." 
 
 "Good God ! Nothing has happened to Sir Gervaise 
 speak, fellow, or I ll have you sent out of this Babel, and 
 off to the ship, though it were midnight." 
 
 " It be pretty much that, Admiral Blue ; or past six 
 bells ; as any one may see by the ship s clock on the great 
 companion ladder ; six bells, going well on to seven 
 
 " Your business, sir ! what has happened to Sir Ger 
 vaise ? " repeated Bluewater, shaking his long fore-finger 
 menacingly at the steward. 
 
 " We are as well, Admiral Blue, as the hour we came 
 over the Planter s side. Sir Jarvy will carry sail with the 
 best on em, I ll answer for it, whether the ship floats in 
 old Port Oporto, or in a brewer s vat. Let Sir Jarvy alone 
 for them tricks he wasn t a young gentleman for noth 
 ing." 
 
 " Have a moment s patience, sir," put in Wycherly, 
 "and I will go myself, and ascertain the truth." 
 
 " I shall make but another inquiry," continued Admiral 
 Bluewater, as Wycherly left the room. 
 
 " Why, d ye see, your honor, old Sir Wycherly, who is 
 commander-in-chief, along-shore here, has capsized in con 
 sequence of carrying sail too hard, in company with 
 younger craft ; and they re now warping him into dock to 
 be overhauled." 
 
 " Is this all ! that was a result to be expected in such a. 
 
THE TU T ADMIRALS. 109 
 
 debauch. You need not put on so ominous a face, for this, 
 Galleygo." 
 
 " No, sir, so I thought, myself ; and I only tried to look 
 as melancholy as a young gentleman who is sent below to 
 report a top-gallant-mast over the side, or a studding-sail- 
 boom gone in the iron. D ye remember the time, Admiral 
 Blue, when you thought to luff up on the old Planter s 
 weather-quarter, and get between her and the French 
 ninety on three decks, and how your stu n-sails went, one 
 a ter another, just like so many musher-rooms breaking in 
 peeling ? " 
 
 Galleygo, who was apt to draw his images from his two 
 trades, might have talked on an hour, without interrup 
 tion ; for while he was uttering the above sentence, Wych- 
 erly returned, and reported that their host was seriously, 
 even dangerously ill. While doing the honors of his table, 
 he had been seized with a fit, which the vicar, a noted 
 three-bottle man, feared was apoplexy. Mr. Rotherham 
 had bled the patient, who was already a little better, and 
 an express had been sent for a medical man. As a matter 
 of course, the convives had left the table, and alarm was 
 frightening the servants into sobriety. At Mrs. Button s 
 earnest request, Wycherly immediately left the room again, 
 forcing Galleygo out before him, with a view to get more 
 accurate information concerning the Baronet s real situa 
 tion ; both the mother and daughter feeling a real affection 
 for Sir Wycherly ; the kind old man having won their 
 hearts by his habitual benevolence, and a constant concern 
 for their welfare. 
 
 " Sic transit gloria mundi" muttered Admiral Bluewater, 
 as he threw his tall person, in his own careless manner, on 
 a chair, in a dark corner of the room. * This Baronet has 
 fallen from his throne, in a moment of seeming prosperity 
 and revelry ; why may not another do the same ? " 
 
 Mrs. Button heard the voice, without distinguishing the 
 words, and she felt distressed at the idea that one whom 
 she so much respected and loved might be judged of 
 harshly, by a man of the Rear-admiral s character. 
 
 " Sir Wycherly is one of the kindest-hearted men breath 
 ing," she said, a little hurriedly ; "and there is not a better 
 landlord in England. Then he is by no means addicted to 
 indulgence at table, more than is customary with gentle 
 men of his station. His loyalty has, no doubt, carried him 
 
no THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 this evening further than was prudent, or than we could 
 have wished." 
 
 " I have every disposition to think favorably of our poor 
 host, my dear Mrs. Button, and we seamen are not accus 
 tomed to judge a bon vivant too harshly." 
 
 " Ah ! Admiral Bluewater, you who have so wide-spread 
 a reputation for sobriety and correct deportment ! Well 
 do I remember how I trembled, when I heard your name 
 mentioned as one of the leading members of that dreadful 
 court ! " 
 
 " You let your recollections dwell too much on these 
 unpleasant subjects, Mrs. Button, and I should like to see 
 you setting an example of greater cheerfulness to your 
 sweet daughter. I could not befriend you, then, for my 
 oath and my duty were both against it ; but, now, there ex 
 ists no possible reason why I should not ; while there does 
 exist almost every possible disposition why I should. This 
 sweet child interests me in a way I can hardly describe." 
 
 Mrs. Button was silent and thoughtful. The years of 
 Admiral Bluewater did not absolutely forbid his regarding 
 Mildred s extreme beauty w r ith the eyes of ordinary ad 
 miration ; but his language, and most of all, his character, 
 ought to repel the intrusive suspicion. Still, Mildred was 
 surpassingly lovely, and men were surpassingly weak in 
 matters of love. Many a hero had passed a youth of self- 
 command and discretion, to consummate some act of ex 
 ceeding folly, of this very nature, in the decline of life : 
 and bitter experience had taught her to be distrustful. 
 Nevertheless, she could not, at once, bring herself to think 
 ill of one whose character she had so long respected, and, 
 with all the Rear-admiral s directness of manner, there was 
 so much real and feeling delicacy, blended with the breed 
 ing of a gentleman-like sailor, that it was not easy to sup 
 pose that he had any other motives than those he chose to 
 avow. Mildred had made many a friend, by a sweetness of 
 countenance that was even more winning than her general 
 beauty of face and form was attractive ; and why should 
 not this respectable old seaman be of the number ? 
 
 This train of thought was interrupted by the sudden and 
 unwelcome appearance of Button. He had just returned 
 from the bedside of Sir Wycherly, and now came to seek 
 his wife and daughter, to bid them prepare to enter the 
 chariot, which was in waiting to convey them home. 
 
 The miserable man was not intoxicated, in the sense that 
 
TUP: TWO ADMIRALS. in 
 
 deprives a man of the use of speech and limbs ; but he had 
 drunk quite enough to awaken the demon within him, and 
 to lay bare the secrets of his true character. If any thing, 
 his nerves were better strung than common ; but the wine 
 had stirred up all the energies of a being, whose resolu 
 tions seldom took the direction of correct feeling, or of 
 right doing. The darkness of the room, and a slight con 
 fusion which nevertheless existed in his brain, prevented 
 him from noticing the person of his superior, seated, as the 
 latter was, in the dark corner; and he believed himself once 
 more alone with those who were so completely dependent 
 on his mercy, and who had so long been the subjects of his 
 brutality and tyranny. 
 
 " I hope Sir Wycherly is better, Button," the wife com 
 menced, fearful that her husband might expose himself 
 and her, before he was aware of the presence in which he 
 stood. "Admiral Bluewater is as anxious as we ourselves, 
 to know his true state." 
 
 "Aye, you women are all pity and feeling for baronets 
 and rear-admirals," answered Button, throwing himself 
 rudely into a chair, with his back toward the stranger, in 
 an attitude completely to exclude the latter from his view; 
 "while a husband, or father, might die a hundred deaths, 
 and not draw a look of pity from your beautiful eyes, or a 
 kind word from your devilish tongues." 
 
 " Neither Mildred nor I merit this from you, Button ! " 
 
 " No, you re both perfection ; like mother, like child. 
 Haven t I been, fifty times, at death s door, with this very 
 complaint of Sir Wycherly s, and did either of you ever 
 send for an apothecary, even ? " 
 
 "You have been occasionally indisposed, Button, but 
 never apoplectic ; and we have always thought a little 
 sleep would restore you ; as, indeed, it always has." 
 
 "What business had you to think? Surgeons think, 
 and medical men, and it was your duty to send for the 
 nearest professional man, to look after one you re bound 
 both to honor and obey. You are your own mistress, 
 Martha, I do suppose, in a certain degree ; and what can t 
 be cured must be endured ; but Mildred is my child ; and 
 I ll have her respect and love, if I break both your hearts 
 in order to get at them." 
 
 " A pious daughter always respects her parent, Button," 
 said the wife, trembling from head to foot ; " but love must 
 come willingly, or it will not come at all." 
 
H2 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "We ll see as to that, Mrs. Martha Button ; we ll see as 
 to that. Come hither, Mildred ; I have a word to say to 
 you, which may as well be said at once." 
 
 Mildred, trembling like her mother, drew near ; but with 
 a feeling of filial piety, that no harshness could entirely 
 smother, she felt anxious to prevent the father from farther 
 exposing himself, in the presence of Admiral Bluewater. 
 With this view, then, and with this view only, she sum 
 moned firmness enough to speak. 
 
 " Father," she said, " had we not better defer our family 
 matters until we are alone ?" 
 
 Under ordinary circumstances, Bluewater would not 
 have waited for so palpable a hint, for he would have re 
 tired on the first appearance of anything so disagreeable 
 as a misunderstanding between man and wife. But an 
 ungovernable interest in the lovely girl, who stood trem 
 bling at her father s knee, caused him to forget his habitual 
 delicacy of feeling, rnd to overlook what might perhaps 
 be termed almost a law of society. Instead of moving, 
 therefore, as Mildred had both hoped and expected, he 
 remained motionless in his seat. Button s mind was too 
 obtuse to comprehend his daughter s allusions, in the ab 
 sence of ocular evidence of a stranger s presence, and his 
 wrath was too much excited to permit him to think much 
 of anything but his own causes of indignation. 
 
 " Stand more in front of me, Mildred," he answered, 
 angrily. "More before my face, as becomes one who 
 don t know her duty to her parent, and needs be taught 
 it." 
 
 " O ! Button," exclaimed the afflicted wife, " do not 
 do not accuse Mildred of being undutiful ? You know 
 not what you say know not her obliga you cannot 
 know her heart, or you would not use these cruel impu 
 tations ! " 
 
 " Silence, Mrs. Martha Button ! my business is not with 
 you, at present, but with this young lady, to whom, I hope, 
 I may presume to speak a little plainly, as she is my own 
 child. Silence, then, Mrs. Martha Button. If my memory 
 is not treacherous, you once stood up before God s altar 
 with me, and there vowed to love, honor, and obey. Yes, 
 that was the word ; obey, Mrs. Martha Button." 
 
 " And what did you promise, at the same time, Frank ? " 
 exclaimed the wife, from whose bruised spirit this implied 
 accusation was torn in an agony of mental suffering. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 113 
 
 " Nothing but what I have honestly and manfully per 
 formed. I promised to provide for you ; to give you fopd 
 and raiment ; to let you bear my name, and stand before 
 the world in the honorable character of honest Frank 
 Button s wife." 
 
 Honorable ! " murmured the wife, loud enough to be 
 heard by both the Admiral and Mildred, and yet in a tone 
 so smothered, as to elude the obtuse sense of hearing which 
 long excess had left her husband. When this expressive 
 word had broken out of her very heart, however, she suc 
 ceeded in suppressing her voice, and sinking into a chair, 
 concealed her face in her hands, in silence. 
 
 " Mildred, come hither," resumed the brutalized parent. 
 " You are my daughter, and whatever others have prom 
 ised at the altar, and forgotten, a law of nature teaches 
 you to obey me. You have two admirers, either of whom 
 you ought to be glad to secure, though there is great 
 preference between them " 
 
 "Father!" exclaimed Mildred, every feeling of her 
 sensitive nature revolting at this coarse allusion to a con 
 nection, and to sentiments, that she was accustomed to 
 view as among the most sacred and private of her moral 
 being. "Surely you cannot mean what you say." 
 
 " Like mother, like child ! Let but disobedience and 
 disrespect get possession of a wife, and they are certain to 
 run through a whole family, even though there were a 
 dozen children ! Harkee, Miss Mildred, it is you who 
 don t happen to know what you say, while I understand 
 myself as well as most parents. Your mother would never 
 acquaint you with what I feel it a duty to put plainly be 
 fore your judgment ; and, therefore, I expect you to listen 
 as becomes a dutiful and affectionate child. You can se 
 cure either of these young Wychecombes, and either of 
 them would be a good match for a poor, disgraced, sailing- 
 master s daughter." 
 
 " Father, I shall sink through the floor, if you say another 
 word, in this cruel manner ! " 
 
 " No, dear ; you ll neither sink nor swim, unless it be by 
 making a bad, or a good choice. Mr. Thomas Wychecombe 
 is Sir Wycherly s heir, and must be the next baronet, and 
 possessor of this estate. , Of course he is much the best 
 thing, and you ought to give him the preference." 
 
 " Button, can you, as a father and a Christian, give such 
 heartless counsel to your own child ! " exclaimed Mrs. 
 8 
 
H4 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Dutton, inexpressibly shocked at the want of principle, as 
 well as the want of feeling, discovered in her husband s 
 advice. 
 
 "Mrs. Martha Dutton, I can; and believe the counsel 
 to be anything but heartless, too. Do you wish your 
 daughter to be the wife of a miserable signal-station keeper, 
 when she may become Lady Wychecombe, with a little 
 prudent management, and the mistress of this capital old 
 house, and noble estate ? " 
 
 " Father father," interrupted Mildred, soothingly, 
 though ready to sink with shame at the idea of Admiral 
 Bluewater s being an auditor of such a conversation ; 
 "you forget yourself and overlook my wishes. There is 
 little probability of Mr. Thomas Wychecombe s ever think 
 ing of me as a wife or, indeed, of any one else s enter 
 taining such thoughts." 
 
 " That will turn out as you manage matters, Milly. Mr. 
 Thomas Wychecombe does not think of you as a wife, 
 quite likely, just at this moment ; but the largest whales 
 are taken by the means of very small lines, when the last 
 are properly handled. This young Lieutenant would have 
 you to-morrow ; though a more silly thing than for you 
 two to marry, could not well be hit upon. He is only a 
 lieutenant ; and though his name is so good a one, it does 
 not appear that he has any particular right to it." 
 
 " And yet, Dutton, you were only a lieutenant when you 
 married, and your name \vas nothing in the way of interest 
 or preferment," observed the mother, anxious to interpose 
 some new feeling between her daughter and the cruel in 
 ference left by the former part of her husband s speech. 
 44 We then thought all lay bright before us ? " 
 
 " And so all would lie to this hour, Mrs. Dutton, but for 
 that one silly act of mine. A man with the charges of a 
 family on him, little pay, and no fortune, is driven to a 
 thousand follies to hide his misery. You do not strengthen 
 your case by reminding me of that imprudence. But Mil 
 dred, I do not tell you to cut adrift this young Virgininn, 
 for he may be of use in more ways than one. In the first 
 place, you can play him off against Mr. Thomas Wyche 
 combe ; and, in the second place, a lieutenant is likely, 
 one day, to be a captain ; and the^wife of a captain in his 
 Majesty s navy, is no disreputable berth. I advise you, 
 girl, to use this youngster as a bait to catch the heir with : 
 and, failing a good bite, to take up with the lad himself." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 115 
 
 This was said dogmatically, but with a coarseness of 
 manner that fully corresponded with the looseness of the 
 principles, and the utter want of delicacy of feeling that 
 alone could prompt such advice. Mrs. Button fairly 
 groaned, as she listened to her husband, for never before 
 had he so completely thrown aside the mask of decency 
 that he ordinarily wore ; but Mildred, unable to control 
 the burst of wild emotion that came over her, broke away 
 from the place she occupied at her father s knee, and, as if 
 blindly seeking protection in any asylum that she fancied 
 safe, found herself sobbing, as if her heart would break, 
 in Admiral Bluewater s arms. 
 
 Button followed the ungovernable, impulsive movement, 
 with his eye, and for the first time he became aware in 
 whose presence he had been exposing his native baseness. 
 Wine had not so far the mastery of him, as to blind him to 
 all the consequences, though it did stimulate him to a point 
 that enabled him to face the momentary mortification of 
 his situation. 
 
 " I beg a thousand pardons, sir," he said, rising and bow 
 ing IOW T to his superior ; " I was totally ignorant that I had 
 the honor to-be in the company of Admiral Bluewater 
 Admiral Blue, I find Jack calls you, sir ; ha, ha, ha a 
 familiarity which is a true sign of love and respect. I never 
 knew a captain, or a flag-officer, that got a regular, expres 
 sive ship s name, that he wasn t the delight of the whole 
 service. Yes, sir ; I find the people call Sir Gervaise, Lit 
 tle Jarvy, and yourself Admiral Blue ha, ha, ha an infal 
 lible sign of merit in the superior, and of love in the men." 
 
 " I ought to apologize, Mr. Button, for making one, so 
 unexpectedly to myself, in a family council," returned the 
 Rear-admiral. "As for the men, they are no great philos 
 ophers, though tolerable judges of when they are well com 
 manded, and well treated. But the hour is late, and it was 
 my intention to sleep in my own ship, to-night. The coach 
 of Sir Wycherly has been ordered to carry me to the land 
 ing, and I hope to have the permission to see these ladies 
 home in it." 
 
 The answer of Button was given with perfect self-pos 
 session, and in a manner to show that he knew T how to ex 
 ercise the courtesies of 4ife, or to receive them, when in the 
 humor. 
 
 "It is an honor, sir, they will not think of declining, if 
 my wishes are consulted," he said. " Come, Milly, foolish 
 
Ii6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 firl, dry your tears, and smile on Admiral Bluewater for 
 is condescension. Young women, sir, hardly know how 
 to take a joke ; and our ship s humors are sometimes a 
 little strong for them. I tell my dear wife, sometimes 
 Wife, I say, his Majesty can t have stout-hearted and 
 stout-handed seamen, and women poets and die-away 
 swains, and all in the same individual, says I. Mrs. Button 
 understands me, sir ; and so does little Milly ; w T ho is an 
 excellent girl in the main ; though a little addicted to us 
 ing the eye-pumps, as we have it aboard ship, sir." 
 
 u And now, Mr. Button, it being understood that I am 
 to see the ladies home, will you do me the favor to inquire 
 after the condition of Sir Wycherly. One would not wish 
 to quit his hospitable roof, in uncertainty as to his actual 
 situation." 
 
 Button was duly sensible to an awkwardness in the pres 
 ence of his superior, and he gladly profited by this com 
 mission to quit the room ; walking more steadily than if 
 he had not been drinking. 
 
 All this time Mildred hung on Admiral Bluewater s 
 shoulder, weeping and unwilling to quit a place that seemed 
 to her, in her fearful agitation, a sort of sanctuary. 
 
 " Mrs. Button," said Bluewater, first kissing the cheek 
 of his lovely burden, in a manner so parental, that the most 
 sensitive delicacy could not have taken alarm ; "you will 
 succeed better than myself in quieting the feelings of this 
 little trembler. I need hardly say that if I have accident 
 ally overheard more than I ought, it is as much a secret 
 with me, as it would be with your own brother. The char 
 acters of all cannot be affected by the mistaken and excit 
 ed calculations of one ; and this occasion has served to 
 make me better acquainted with you and your admirable 
 daughter, than I might otherwise have been, by means of 
 years of ordinary intercourse." 
 
 " O ! Admiral Bluewater, do not judge him too harshly. 
 He has been too long at that fatal table, which I fear has 
 destroyed poor, dear Sir Wycherly, and knew not what he 
 said. Never before have I seen him in such a fearful hu 
 mor, or in the least disposed to trifle with, or to wound the 
 feelings of this sweet child ! " 
 
 " Her extreme agitation is a proof of this, my good 
 madam, and shows all you can wish to say. View me as 
 your sincere friend, and place every reliance on my discre 
 tion." 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 117 
 
 The wounded mother listened with gratitude, and Mil 
 dred withdrew from her extraordinary situation, wonder 
 ing by what species of infatuation she could have been led 
 to adopt it. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Ah, Montague, 
 
 If thou be there, sweet brother, take my hand, 
 And with thy lips keep in my soul awhile ! 
 Thou lov st me not ; for, brother, if thou didst, 
 Thy tears would wash this cold, congealed blood 
 That glues my lips, and will not let me speak. 
 Come, quickly, Montague, or I am dead. King Henry J 7. 
 
 SIR WYCHERLY had actually been seized with a fit of 
 apoplexy. It was the first serious disease he had experi 
 enced in a long life of health and prosperity ; and the sight 
 of their condescending, good-natured master, in a plight 
 so miserable, had a surprising effect on the heated brains 
 of all the household. Mr. Rotherham, a good three-bottle 
 man, on emergency, had learned to bleed, and fortunately 
 the vein he struck, as his patient still lay on the floor, where 
 he had fallen, sent out a stream that had the effect not only 
 to restore the Baronet to life, but, in a great measure, to 
 consciousness. Sir Wycherly was not a hard drinker, like 
 Dutton ; but he was a fair drinker, like Mr. Rotherham, 
 and most of the beneficed clergy of the day. Want of ex 
 ercise, as he grew older, had as much influence in produc 
 ing his attack as excess of wine ; and there were already 
 strong hopes of his surviving it, aided as he was by a good 
 constitution. The apothecary had reached the Hail, within 
 five minutes after the attack, having luckily been prescrib 
 ing to the gardener ; and the physician and surgeon of the 
 family were both expected in the course of the morning. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes had been acquainted with the state 
 of his host, by his own valet, as soon as it was known 
 in the servants hall, and being a man of action, he did not 
 hesitate to proceed at once to the chamber of the sick, to 
 offer his own aid, in the absence of that which might be 
 better. 
 
 At the door of the chamber, he met Atwood, who had 
 been summoned from his pen, and they entered together, 
 the Vice-admiral feeling for a lancet in his norket. for he. 
 
n8 7V//i TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 too, had acquired the art of the blood-letter. They now 
 learned the actual state of things. 
 
 "Where is Bluewater ? " demanded Sir Gervaise, after 
 regarding his host a moment with commiseration and con 
 cern. " I hope that he has not yet left the house." 
 
 " He is still here, Sir Gervaise, but I should think on 
 the point of quitting us. I heard him say, that, notwith 
 standing all Sir Wycherly s kind plans to detain him, he 
 intended to sleep in his own ship." 
 
 "That I ve never doubted, though I ve affected to be 
 lieve otherwise. Go to him, Atwood, and say I beg he 
 will pull within hail of the Plantagenet, as he goes off, and 
 desire Mr. Magrath to come ashore, as soon as possible. 
 There shall be a conveyance at the landing to bring him 
 here ; and he may order his own surgeon to come also, if 
 it be agreeable to himself." 
 
 With these instructions the secretary left the room ; 
 while Sir Gervaise turned to Tom Wychecombe, and said 
 a few of the words customary on such melancholy occa 
 sions. 
 
 "I think there is hope, sir," he added, "yes, sir, I think 
 there is hope ; though your honored relative is no longer 
 young still, this early bleeding has been a great thing ; 
 and if we can gain a little time for poor Sir Wycherly, our 
 efforts w T ill not be thrown away. Sudden death is awful, 
 sir, and few of us are prepared for it, either in mind or 
 affairs. We sailors have to hold our lives in our hands, it 
 is true, but then it is for king and country ; and we hope 
 for mercy on all who fall in the discharge of their duties. 
 For my part, I am never unprovided with a will, ancl that 
 disposes of all the interests of this world, while I humbly 
 trust in the Great Mediator for the hereafter. I hope Sir 
 Wycherly is equally provident as to his worldly affairs ? " 
 
 " No doubt my dear uncle could wish to leave certain 
 trifling memorials behind him to a few of his intimates, 1 
 returned Tom, with a dejected countenance ; "but he has 
 not been without a will. I believe, for some time ; and I 
 presume you will agree with me in thinking he is not in a 
 condition to make one, now, were he unprovided in that 
 way ? " 
 
 " Perhaps not exactly at this moment, though a rally 
 might afford an opportunity. The estate is entailed, I 
 think Mr. Dutton told me, at dinner." 
 
 "It is, Sir Gervaise, and I am the unworthv individual 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 119 
 
 who is to profit by it, according to the common notions of 
 men, though Heaven knows I shall consider it anything 
 but a gain ; still, I am the unworthy individual who is to 
 be benefited by my uncle s death." 
 
 " Your father was the Baronet s next brother ? " observed 
 Sir Gervaise, casually, a shade of distrust passing athwart 
 his mind, though coming from what source, or directed to 
 what point, he was himself totally unable to say. "Mr. 
 Baron Wychecombe, I believe, was your parent ?" 
 
 u He was, Sir Gervaise, and a most tender and indulgent 
 father I ever found him. He left me his earnings, some 
 seven hundred a year, and I am sure the death of Sir 
 Wycherly is as far from my necessities, as it is from my 
 wishes." 
 
 " Of course you will succeed to the baronetcy, as well 
 as to the estate ? " mechanically asked Sir Gervaise, led on 
 by the supererogatory expressions of Tom himself, rather 
 than by a vulgar curiosity, to ask questions that under 
 other circumstances, he might have thought improper. 
 
 " Of course, sir. My father was the only surviving 
 brother of Sir Wycherly ; the only one who ever married; 
 and I am his eldest child. Since this melancholy event 
 has occurred, it is quite fortunate that I lately obtained 
 this certificate of the marriage of my parents is it not, 
 sir?" 
 
 Here Tom drew from his pocket a soiled piece of paper, 
 which professed to be a certificate of the marriage of 
 Thomas Wychecombe, barrister, with Martha Dodd, spins 
 ter, etc., etc. The document was duly signed by the 
 rector of a parish church in Westminster, and bore a date 
 sufficiently old to establish the legitimacy of the person 
 who held it. This extraordinary precaution produced the 
 very natural effect of increasing the distrust of the Vice- 
 admiral, and, in a slight degree, of giving it a direction. 
 
 "You go well armed, sir," observed Sir Gervaise dryly. 
 " Is it your intention, when you succeed, to carry the 
 patent of the baronetcy, and the title-deeds, in your 
 pocket ? " 
 
 "Ah ! I perceive my having this document strikes you 
 as odd, Sir Gervaise, but it can be easily explained. There 
 was a wide difference in rank between my parents, and 
 some ill-disposed persons have presumed so far to reflect 
 on the character of my mother, as to assert that she was 
 not married nt nil." 
 
120 THE TIVO ADMIRALS, 
 
 " In which case, sir, you would do well to cutoff half-a- 
 dozen of their ears." 
 
 "The law is not to be appeased in that way, Sir Ger- 
 vaise. My dear parent used to inculcate on me the neces 
 sity of doing every thing according to law ; and I endeavor 
 to remember his precepts. He avowed his marriage on 
 his death-bed, made all due atonement to my respected 
 and injured mother, and informed me in whose hands I 
 should find this very certificate ; I only obtained it this 
 morning, which fact will account for its being in my 
 pocket, at this melancholy and unexpected crisis in my 
 beloved uncle s constitution." 
 
 The latter part of Tom s declaration was true enough ; 
 for, after having made all the necessary inquiries, and ob 
 tained the handwriting of a clergyman who was long since 
 dead, he had actually forged the certificate that day, on a 
 piece of soiled paper, that bore the watermark of 1720. 
 Ilis language, however, contributed to alienate the confi 
 dence of his listener ; Sir Gervaise being a man who was 
 so much accustomed to directness and fair-dealing him 
 self, as to feel disgust at anything that had the semblance 
 of cant or hypocrisy. Nevertheless, he had his own 
 motives for pursuing the subject ; the presence of another 
 at the bedside of the sufferer being just then necessary. 
 
 "And this Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe," he said; "he 
 who has so much distinguished himself of late ; your 
 uncle s namesake ; is it true that he is not allied to your 
 family ? " 
 
 "Not in the least, Sir Gervaise," answered Tom, with 
 one of his sinister smiles. "He is only a Virginian, you 
 know, sir, and cannot well belong to us. I have heard my 
 uncle say, often, that the young gentleman must be de 
 scended from an old servant of his father s who was trans 
 ported for stealing silver out of a shop on Ludgate Hill, 
 and who was arrested for passing himself off as one of the 
 Wychecombe family. They tell me, Sir Gervaise, thai the 
 colonies are pretty much made up of persons descended 
 from that sort of ancestors." 
 
 " I cannot say that I have found it so ; though, when I 
 commanded a frigate, I served several yer\rs on the North 
 American station. The larger portion* of the Americans, 
 like much the larger portion of thfc English, are humble 
 laborers, established in a remote colony, where civilization 
 is not far advanced, \vants are m any, aiid means few ; but, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 121 
 
 in the way of character, I am not certain that they are not 
 quite on a level with those they left behind them ; and, as 
 to the gentry of the colonies, I have seen many men of the 
 best blood of the mother country among them ; younger 
 sons, and their descendants, as a matter of course, but of 
 an honorable and respected ancestry." 
 
 "Well, sir, this surprises me ; and it is not the general 
 opinion, I am persuaded ! Certainly, it is not the fact as 
 respects the gentleman stranger, I might call him, for 
 stranger he is at Wychecombe who has not the least 
 right to pretend to belong to us." 
 
 " Did you ever kno\v him to lay claim to that honor, 
 sir?" 
 
 " Not directly, Sir Gervaise ; though I am told he has 
 made many hints to that effect, since he landed here to be 
 cured of his wound. It would have been better had he 
 presented his rights to the landlord, than to present them 
 to the tenants, I think you will allow, as a man of honor, 
 yourself, Sir Gervaise ?" 
 
 " I can approve of nothing clandestine in matters that 
 require open and fair dealing, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe. 
 But I ought to apologize for thus dwelling on your family 
 affairs, which concerns me only as I feel an interest in the 
 wishes and happiness of my new acquaintance, my excel 
 lent host." 
 
 " Sir Wycherly has property in the funds that is not en 
 tailed quite ^1,000 a year, beyond the estates and I 
 know he has left a will," continued Tom ; who, with the 
 short-sightedness of a rogue, flattered himself with having 
 made a favorable impression on his companion, and who 
 was desirous of making him useful to himself, in an emer 
 gency that he felt satisfied must terminate in the speedy 
 death of his uncle. " Yes, a good ^1,000 a year, in the 
 fives; money saved from his rents, in a long life. This 
 will probably has some provision in favor of my younger 
 brothers; and perhaps of this namesake of his" Tom 
 was well aware that it devised every shilling, real and per 
 sonal, to himself "for a kinder heart does not exist on 
 earth. In fact, this will my uncle put in my possession, as 
 heir-at-law, feeling it due to my pretensions, I suppose ; 
 but I have never presumed to look into it." 
 
 Here was another instance of excessive finesse, in wiiich 
 Tom awakened suspicion by his very efforts to allay it. 
 It seemed highly improbable to Sir Gervaise,, that a man 
 
122 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 like the nephew could long possess his uncle s will, and 
 feel no desire to ascertain its contents. The language of 
 the young man was an indirect admission that he might 
 have examined the will if he would ; and the Admiral felt 
 disposed to suspect that what he might thus readily have 
 done, he actually had done. The dialogue, however, ter 
 minated here ; Button just at that moment entering the 
 room on the errand on which he had been sent by Admiral 
 Bluewater, and Tom joining his old acquaintance as soon 
 as the latter made his appearance. Sir Gervaise Oakes 
 was too much concerned for the condition of his host, and 
 had too many cares of his own, to think deeply or long on 
 what had just passed between himself and Tom Wyche- 
 combe. Had they separated that night, what had been 
 said, and the unfavorable impressions it had made, would 
 have been soon forgotten ; but circumstances subsequently 
 conspired to recall the whole to his mind, of which the con 
 sequences will be related in the course of our narrative. 
 
 Dutton appeared to be a little shocked as he gazed upon 
 the pallid features of Sir Wycherly, and he was not sorry 
 when Tom led him aside, and began to speak confidentially 
 of the future, and of the probable speedy death of his 
 uncle. Had there been one present, gifted with the power 
 of reading the thoughts and motives of men, a deep dis 
 gust of human frailties must have come over him, as these 
 two impure spirits betrayed to him their cupidity and cun 
 ning. Outwardly, they were friends mourning over a mu 
 tual probable loss ; while inwardly, Dutton was endeavor 
 ing to obtain such a hold of his companion s confidence as 
 might pave the way to his own future preferment to the 
 high and unhoped-for station of a rich baronet s father-in- 
 law ; while Tom thought only of so far mystifying the 
 master, as to make use of him, on an emergency, as a wit 
 ness to establish his own claims. The manner in which he 
 endeavored to effect his object, however, must be left to 
 the imagination of the reader, as we have matters of greater 
 moment to record at this particular juncture. 
 
 From the time Sir Wycherly was laid on his bed, Mr. 
 Rotherham had been seated at the sick man s side, watch 
 ing the course of his attack, and ready to interpret any of 
 the patient s feebly and indistinctly expressed wishes. 
 We say indistinctly, because the Baronet s speech was 
 slightly affected with that species of paralysis which re 
 duces the facjiltv to the state that is vulgarly railed 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 123 
 
 tongued. Although a three-bottle man, Mr. Rotherham 
 was far from being without his devout feelings, on occa 
 sions, discharging all the clerical functions with as much 
 unction as the habits of the country, and the opinions of 
 the day, ordinarily exacted of divines. He had even vol 
 unteered to read the prayers for the sick, as soon as lie 
 perceived that the patient s recollection had returned ; 
 but this kind offer had been declined by Sir Wycherly, 
 under the clearer views of fitness, that the near approach 
 of death is apt to give, and which views left a certain con 
 sciousness that the party assembled was not in the best 
 possible condition for that sacred office. Sir Wycherly re 
 vived so much, at last, as to look about him with increasing 
 consciousness ; and at length his eyes passed slowly over 
 the room, scanning each person singly, and with marked 
 deliberation. 
 
 "I know you all now," said the kind-hearted Baronet, 
 though always speaking thick, and with a little difficulty ; 
 "am sorry to give much trouble. I have little time to 
 spare." 
 
 " I hope not, Sir Wycherly," put in the Vicar, in a con 
 solatory manner ; "you have had a sharp attack, but then 
 there is a good constitution to withstand it." 
 
 " My time short feel it here," rejoined the patient, 
 passing his hand over his forehead. 
 
 " Note that, Button," whispered Tom Wychecombe. " My 
 poor uncle intimates himself that his mind is a little shak 
 en. Under such circumstances, it would be cruel to let 
 him injure himself with business." 
 
 " It cannot be done legally; Mr. Thomas. I should think 
 Admiral Cakes would interfere to prevent it." 
 
 " Rotherham," continued the patient, " I will settle with 
 world ; then, give thoughts to God. Have we guests 
 the house ? Men of family character?" 
 
 "Certainly, Sir Wycherly; Admiral Cakes is in the 
 room, even ; and Admiral Bluewater is, I believe, still in 
 the house. You invited both to pass the night with you." 
 
 " I remember it now ; my mind still confused ; " here 
 Tom Wychecombe again nudged the master ; " Sir Gervaise 
 Cakes an Admiral ancient Baronet man of high honor. 
 Admiral Bluewater, too relative Lord Bluewater ; gen 
 tleman universal esteem. You, too, Rotherham ; with 
 my dear brother James St. James used to call him had 
 been living; you good neighbor Rotherham." 
 
124 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Can I do anything to prove it, my dear Sir Wycherly ? 
 Nothing would make me happier than to know, and to 
 comply with, all your wishes, at a moment so important!" 
 
 " Let all quit room but yourself head feels worse I 
 cannot delay " 
 
 " Tis cruel to distress my beloved uncle with business, 
 or conversation, in his present state," interposed Tom 
 Wychecombe, with emphasis, and in a slight degree with 
 authority. 
 
 All not only felt the truth of this, but all felt that the 
 speaker, by his consanguinity, had a clear right to inter 
 fere, in the manner he had. Still Sir Gervaise Oakes had 
 great reluctance in yielding to this remonstrance ; for, to 
 the distrust he had imbibed of Tom Wychecombe, was 
 added an impression that his host wished to reveal some 
 thing of interest, in connection with his new favorite, the 
 Lieutenant. He felt compelled, notwithstanding, to defer 
 to the acknowledged nephew s better claims, and he re 
 frained from interfering. Fortunately, Sir Wycherly was 
 yet in a state to enforce his own wishes. 
 
 " Let all quit room," he repeated, in a voice that was 
 startling by its unexpected firmness, and equally unex 
 pected distinctness. "All but Sir Gervaise Oakes Ad 
 miral Bluewater Mr. Rotherham. Gentlemen favor to 
 remain rest depart." 
 
 Accustomed to obey their master s orders, more espe 
 cially when given in a tone so decided, the domestics quit 
 ted the room, accompanied by Button ; but Tom Wyche 
 combe saw fit to remain, as if his presence were a matter 
 of course. 
 
 "Do me favor withdraw Mr. Wychecombe," resumed 
 the Baronet, after fixing his gaze on his nephew for some 
 time, as if expecting him to retire without this request. 
 
 " My beloved uncle, it is I Thomas, your own brother s 
 son, your next of kin waiting anxiously by your respected 
 bedside. Do not do not confound me with strangers. 
 Such a forgetfulness would break my heart !" 
 
 " Forgive me, nephew but I wish alone with these 
 
 gentle head getting confused " 
 
 " You see how it is, Sir Gervaise Oakes you see how it 
 is, Mr. Rotherham. Ah ! there goes the coach that is to 
 take Admiral Bluewater to his boat. My uncle wished for 
 three witnesses to something, and I can remain as one of 
 the three." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 125 
 
 " Is it your pleasure, Sir Wycherly, to wish to see us 
 alone?" asked Sir Gervaise, in a manner that showed 
 authority would be exercised to enforce his request, should 
 the uncle still desire the absence of his nephew. 
 
 A sign from the sick man indicated the affirmative, and 
 that in a manner too decided to admit of mistake. 
 
 "You perceive, Mr. Wychecombe, what are your uncle s 
 wishes," observed Sir Gervaise, very much in the way that 
 a well-bre d superior intimates to an inferior the compli 
 ance he expects ; " I trust his desire will not be disregard 
 ed at a moment like this." 
 
 " I am Sir Wycherly Wychecombe s next of kin," said 
 Tom, in a slightly bullying tone ; "and no one has the 
 same right as a relative, and, I may say, his heir, to be at 
 his bedside." 
 
 " That depends on the pleasure of Sir Wycherly Wyche 
 combe himself, sir. He is master here ; and, having done 
 me the honor to invite me under his roof as a guest, and, 
 now, having requested to see me alone, with others he has 
 expressly named one of whom you are not I shall con 
 ceive it my duty to see his wishes obeyed." 
 
 This was said in the firm, quiet way, that the habit of 
 command had imparted to Sir Gervaise s manner ; and 
 Tom began to see it might be dangerous to resist. It was 
 important, too, that one of the Vice-admiral s character 
 and station should have naught to say against him, in the 
 event of any future controversy; and, making a few profes 
 sions of respect, and of his desire to please his uncle, Tom 
 quitted the room. 
 
 A gleam of satisfaction shot over the sick man s counte 
 nance, as his nephew disappeared ; and then his eye turned 
 slowly toward the faces of those who remained. 
 
 " Bluewater," he said, the thickness of his speech, and 
 the general difficulty of utterance, seeming to increase ; 
 " the Rear-admiral I want all respectable witnesses in 
 the house." 
 
 " My friend has left us, I understand," returned Sir Ger 
 vaise, " insisting on his habit of never sleeping out of his 
 ship ; but Atwood must soon be back ; I hope he will an 
 swer ! " 
 
 A sign of assent was given ; and, then, there was the 
 pause of a minute or two, ere the secretary made his ap 
 pearance. As soon, however, as he had returned, the three 
 collected around the Baronet s bed, not without some of 
 
126 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the weakrtess which men are supposed to inherit from their 
 common mother Eve, in connection with the motive for 
 this singular proceeding of the Baronet. 
 
 " Sir Gervaise Rotherham Mr. Atwood," slowly re 
 peated the patient, his eye passing from the face of one to 
 that of another, as he uttered the name of each ; " three 
 witnesses that will do Thomas said must have three 
 three good names." 
 
 " What can we do to serve you, Sir Wycherly ? " inquired 
 the Admiral, with real interest. "You have only to name 
 your requests, to have them faithfully attended to." 
 
 " Old Sir Michael Wychecombe, Kt. two wives Mar 
 gery and Joan. Two wives two sons half-blood 
 Thomas, James, Charles, and Gregory, whole Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe, half. Understand hope gentlemen ? " 
 
 " This is not being very clear, certainly," whispered Sir 
 Gervaise ; "but, perhaps, by getting hold of the other end 
 of the rope, we may under-run it, as we sailors say, and 
 come at the meaning we will let the poor man proceed, 
 therefore. Quite plain, my dear sir, and what have you 
 next to tell us. You left off with saying only half about 
 Sir Reginald." 
 
 " Half-blood ; only half Tom and the rest, whole. Sir 
 Reginald, no nullius young Tom, a nullius" 
 
 "A nullius, Mr. Rotherham ! You understand Latin, sir ; 
 what can a nullius mean ? No such rope in the ship, hey, 
 Atwood ? " 
 
 " Nullius, or nullius, as it ought sometimes to be pro 
 nounced, is the genitive case, singular, of the pronoun nitl- 
 lus ; nullus, nulla, nullum; which means, no man, no 
 woman, no thing. Nullius means, of no man, of no 
 woman, of no thing. " 
 
 The Vicar gave this explanation, much in the way a ped 
 agogue would have explained the matter to a class. 
 
 "Aye, aye any school-boy could have told that which 
 is the first form learning. But what the devil can Nom. 
 nullus, nulla, nullum ; gen. nullius, nullius, nullius, have to do 
 with Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, the nephew and heir of the 
 present Baronet ? " 
 
 " That is more than I can inform you, Sir Gervaise," an 
 swered the Vicar, stiffly ; " but for the Latin, I will take 
 upon myself to answer, that it is good." 
 
 Sir Gervaise was too well-bred to laugh, but he found it 
 difficult to suppress a smile. 
 
THE TWO A 
 
 127 
 
 "Well, Sir Wycherly," resumed^jfe^fcc-admiral, "this 
 is quite plain Sir Reginald is only haK^\$hile your nephew 
 Tom, and the rest, are whole Margery and Joan, and all 
 that. Any thing more to tell us, my dear sir ? " 
 
 " Tom not whole nullus, I wish to say. Sir Reginald 
 half no null us" 
 
 " This is like being at sea a week, without getting a 
 sight of the sun ! I am all adrift, now, gentlemen." 
 
 " Sir Wycherly does not attend to his cases," put in At- 
 wood, dryly. " At one time, he is in the genitive, and then 
 he gets back to the nominative ; which is leaving us in the 
 vocative." 
 
 "Come, come, Atwood, none of your gunroom wit, on 
 an occasion so solemn as this. My dear Sir Wycherly, 
 have you anything more to tell us ? I believe we perfectly 
 understand you, now. Tom is not whole ; you wish to say 
 millus, and not to say nitllius. Sir Reginald is only half, 
 but he is not nullus" 
 
 " Yes, sir that is it," returned the old man, smiling. 
 " Half, but no nullus. Change my mind seen too much 
 of the other, lately Tom, my nephew want to make him 
 my heir." 
 
 "This is getting clearer, out of all question. You wish 
 to make your nephew, Tom, your heir. But the law does 
 that already, does it not, my dear sir ? Mr. Baron Wyche- 
 combe was the next brother of the baronet ; was he not, 
 Mr. Rotherham ? " 
 
 " So I have always understood, sir; and Mr. Thomas 
 Wychecombe must be the heir-at-law." 
 
 "No no; nullus nullus" repeated Sir Wycherly, with 
 so much eagerness as to make his voice nearly indistinct ; 
 "Sir Reginald Sir Reginald Sir Reginald." 
 
 "And pray, Mr. Rotherham, who may this Sir Reginald 
 be ? Some old baronet of the family, I presume." 
 
 " Not at all, sir ; it is Sir Reginald Wychecombe of Wy- 
 checombe-Regis, Herts ; a baronet of Queen Anne s time, 
 and a descendant from a cadet of this family, I am told." 
 
 "This is getting on soundings ; I had taken it into my 
 head this Sir Reginald was some old fellow of the reign of 
 one of the Plantagenets. Well, Sir Wycherly, do you wish 
 us to send an express into Hertfordshire, in quest of Sir 
 Reginald Wychecombe, who is quite likely your executor? 
 Do not give yourself the pain to speak ; a sign will an 
 swer." 
 
128 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Sir Wycherly seemed struck with the suggestion, which, 
 the reader will readily understand was far from being his 
 real meaning; and then he smiled, and nodded his head 
 in approbation. 
 
 Sir Gervaise, with the promptitude of a man of business, 
 turned to the table where the Vicar had written notes to 
 the medical men, and dictated a short letter to his secre 
 tary. This letter he signed, and in five minutes Atwood 
 left the room, to order it to be immediately forwarded by 
 express. When this was done, the Admiral rubbed his 
 hands, in satisfaction, like a man who felt he had got him 
 self cleverly out of a knotty difficulty. 
 
 " I don t see, after all, Mr. Rotherham," he observed to 
 the Vicar, as they stood together in a corner of the room, 
 waiting the return of the secretary ; " what he lugged in 
 that school-boy Latin for nullus, nulla, nullum ! Can you 
 possibly explain that ? " 
 
 " Not unless it was Sir Wycherly s desire to say that Sir 
 Reginald, being descended from a younger son, was no 
 body as yet, had no woman and I believe he is not 
 married and was poor, or had nothing. " 
 
 "And is Sir Wycherly such a desperate scholar, that he 
 would express himself in this hieroglyphical manner on 
 what I fear will prove his death-bed ? " 
 
 " Why, Sir Gervaise, Sir Wycherly was educated like all 
 other young gentlemen, but has forgotton most of his 
 classics, in the course of a long life of ease and affluence 
 Is it not probable, now, that his recollection has returned 
 to him suddenly, in consequence of this affection of the 
 head ? I think I have read of some curious instances of 
 these reviving memories on a death-bed, or after a fit of 
 sickness." 
 
 "Aye, that you may have done!" exclaimed Sir Ger 
 vaise, smiling; "and poor, good Sir Wycherly must have 
 begun afresh, at the very place where he left off. But 
 here is Atwood again." 
 
 After a short consultation, the three chosen witnesses 
 returned to the bedside, the Admiral being spokes 
 man. 
 
 "The express will be off in ten minutes, Sir Wycherly," 
 he said ; "and you may hope to see your relatives in the 
 course of the next two or three days." 
 
 " Too late too late," murmured the patient who had an 
 inward consciousness of his true situation; "too late 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 129 
 
 turn the will round Sir Reginald, Tom ; Tom, Sir Regi 
 nald. Turn the will round." 
 
 "Turn the will round ? this if very explicit, gentlemen, 
 to those who can understand it. Sir Reginald, Tom ; Tom, 
 Sir Reginald. At all events, it is clear that his mind is 
 dwelling on the disposition of his property, since he speaks 
 of wills. Atwood, make a note of these words, that there 
 need be no mistake, Wonder he has said nothing of our 
 brave young lieutenant, his namesake. There can be no 
 harm, Mr. Rotherham, in just mentioning that fine fellow 
 to him, in a moment like this ? " 
 
 " I see none, sir. It is our duty to remind the sick of 
 their duties." 
 
 "Do you not wish to see your young namesake Lieuten 
 ant Wycherly Wychecombe, Sir Wycherly ?" asked the ad 
 miral ; sufficiently emphasizing the Christian name. "He 
 must be in the house, and I dare say I would be happy to 
 obey your wishes." 
 
 "I hope he is well, sir fine young gentleman honor 
 to the name, sir." 
 
 "Quite true, Sir Wycherly ; and honor to the nation, too." 
 
 Didn t know Virginia was a nation so much the bet 
 ter fine young Virginian, sir." 
 
 " Of your family, no doubt, Sir Wycherly, as well as of 
 your name," added the admiral, who secretly suspected the 
 young sailor of being a son of the Baronet, notwithstand 
 ing all he had heard to the contrary. " An exceedingly 
 fine young man, and an honor to any house in England!" 
 
 " I suppose they have houses in Virginia bad climate ; 
 houses necessary. No relative, sir, probably a nullus. 
 Many Wychecombes, mdluses. Tom, a nullus this young 
 gentleman a nullus Wychecombes of Surrey, all nulluses 
 Sir Reginald, no nullus ; but a half Thomas, James, 
 Charles, and Gregory, all whole. My brother, Baron 
 Wychecombe, told me before he died." 
 
 "Whole what, Sir Wycherly?" asked the Admiral, a lit 
 tle vexed at the obscurity of the other s language. 
 
 " Blood whole blood, sir. Capital law. Sir Gervaise ; 
 had it from the Baron first hand." 
 
 Now, one of the peculiarities of England is, that, in the 
 division of labor, few know anything material about the 
 law, except the professional men. Even their knowledge 
 is divided and sub-divided, in a way that makes a very fair 
 division of profit. Thus the conveyancer is not a barrister ; 
 
1 30 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the barrister is not an attorney ; and the chancery practi 
 tioner would be an unsafe adviser for one of the purely 
 law courts. That particular division of the common law, 
 which Baron Wychecombe had mentioned to his brother, 
 as the rule of the half-blood, has been set aside, or modi 
 fied, by statute, within the last ten years ; but few English 
 laymen would be at all likely to know of such a law of de 
 scent even when it existed ; for while it did violence to 
 every natural sentiment of right, it lay hidden in the se 
 crets of the profession. Were a case stated to a thousand 
 intelligent Englishman, who had not read law, in which 
 it was laid down that brothers, by different mothers, 
 though equally sons of the founder of the estate, could 
 not take from each other, unless by devise or entail, the 
 probability is that quite nine in ten would deny the exist 
 ence of any rule so absurd ; and this, too, under the in 
 fluence of feelings that were creditable to their sense of 
 natural justice. 
 
 Nevertheless, such was one of the important provisions 
 of the " perfection of reason," until the recent reforms in 
 English law ; and it has struck us as surprising, that an in 
 genious writer of fiction, who has recently charmed his 
 readers with a tale, the interest of which turns principally 
 on the vicissitudes of practice, did not bethink him of this 
 peculiar feature of his country s laws ; inasmuch as it 
 would have supplied mystery sufficient for a dozen ordi 
 nary romances, and improbabilities enough for a hundred. 
 That Sir Gervaise and his companions should be ignorant 
 of the "law of the half-blood," is consequently very much 
 a matter of course ; and no one ought to be surprised that 
 the worthy Baronet s repeated allusions to the "whole," 
 and the "half," were absolutely enigmas, which neither 
 had the knowledge necessary to explain. 
 
 "What can the poor fellow mean ?" demanded the Ad 
 miral, more concerned than he remembered ever before to 
 have been, on any similar occasion. " One could wish to 
 serve him as much as possible, but all this about l nullits, 
 and whole-blood, and half, is so much gibberish to me 
 can you make anything of it hey, Atwood ?" 
 
 " Upon my word, Sir Gervaise, it seems a matter for a 
 judge, rather than for man-of-war s men, like ourselves." 
 
 " It certainly can have no connection with this rising of 
 the Jacobites ? That is an affair likely to trouble a loyal 
 subject, in his last moments, Mr. Rotherham ! " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 131 
 
 " Sir Wycherly s habits and age forbid the idea that he 
 knows more of that, sir, than is known to us all. His re 
 quest, however, to 4 turn the will round, I conceive to be 
 altogether explicit. Several capital treatises have appeared 
 lately on the human will, and I regret to say, my honored 
 friend and patron has not always been quite as orthodox 
 on that point as I could wish. I, therefore, consider his 
 words as evidence of a hearty repentance." 
 
 Sir Gervaise looked about him, as w^is his habit when 
 any droll idea crossed his mind ; but again suppressing the 
 inclination to smile, he answered w T ith suitable gravity : 
 
 " I understand you, sir ; you think all these inexplicable 
 terms are connected with Sir Wycherly s religious feelings. 
 You may certainly be right, for it exceeds my knowledge 
 to connect them with any thing else. I wish, notwith 
 standing, he had not disowned this noble young lieutenant 
 of ours ! Is it quite certain the young man is a Vir 
 ginian ?" 
 
 " So I have always understood it, sir. He has never 
 been known in this part of England, until he was landed 
 from a frigate in the roads, to be cured of a serious wound. 
 I think none of Sir Wycherly s allusions have the least 
 reference to ///;//." 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes now joined his hands behind his 
 back, and walked several times, quarter-deck fashion, to 
 and fro, in the room. At each turn his eyes glanced to 
 ward the bed, and he ever found the gaze of the sick man 
 anxiously fastened on himself. This satisfied him that re 
 ligion had nothing to do with his host s manifest desire to 
 make himself understood ; and his own trouble was greatly 
 increased. It seemed to him as if the dying man was 
 making incessant appeals to his aid, without its being in 
 his power to afford it. It was not possible for a generous 
 man, like Sir Gervaise, to submit to such a feeling with 
 out an effort ; and he soon went to the side of the bed, 
 again, determined to bring the affair to some intelligible 
 issue. 
 
 " Do you think, Sir Wycherly, you could write a few 
 lines, if we put pen, ink, and paper before you ? " he asked, 
 as a sort of desperate remedy. 
 
 " Impossible can hardly see ; have got no strength stop 
 will try if you please." 
 
 Sir Gervaise was delighted with this, and he immediately 
 directed his companions to lend their assistance. At wood 
 
132 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and the Vicar bolstered the old man up, and the Admiral 
 put the writing materials before him, substituting a large 
 quarto Bible for a desk. Sir Wycherly, after several ab 
 ortive attempts, finally got the pen in his hand, and with 
 great difficulty traced six or seven nearly illegible words, 
 running the line diagonally across the paper. By this time 
 his powers failed him altogether, and he sank back, drop 
 ping the pen, and closing his eyes in a partial insensibility. 
 At this critical instant, the surgeon entered, and at once 
 put an end to the interview, by taking charge of the patient, 
 and directing all but one or two necessary attendants to 
 quit the room. 
 
 The three chosen witnesses of what had just passed re 
 paired together to a parlor ; Atwood, by a sort of mechan 
 ical habit, taking with him the paper on which the Baronet 
 had scrawled the words just mentioned. This, by a sort of 
 mechanical use, also, he put into the hands of Sir Ger- 
 vaise, as soon as they entered the room ; much as he would 
 have laid before his superior an order to sign, or a copy of 
 a letter to the secretary of the Navy Board. 
 
 "This is as bad as the nullus! " exclaimed Sir Ger- 
 vaise, after endeavoring to decipher the scrawl in vain. 
 "What is this first word, Mr. Rotherham Irish, is it not 
 hey, Atwood ? " 
 
 " I believe it is no more than I-n, stretched over much 
 more paper than is necessary." 
 
 " You are right enough, Vicar ; and the next word is 
 * the, though it looks like a cJievaux de frise what follows ? 
 It looks like man-of-war, Atwood ? " 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Sir Gervaise ; this first letter is 
 what I should call an elongated n the next is certainly an 
 a the third looks like the waves of a river ah ! it is an ;// 
 and the last is an e n-a-m-e that makes name, gentle 
 men." 
 
 "Yes," eagerly added the Vicar, "and the two next 
 words are of God. " 
 
 " Then it is religion, after all, that was on the poor man s 
 mind ! " exclaimed Sir Gervaise in a slight degree disap 
 pointed, if the truth must be told. "What s this ? A-m-e-n 
 Amen why, its a sort of prayer." 
 
 " This is the form in which it is usual to commence wills, 
 I believe, Sir Gervaise," observed the secretary, who had 
 written many a one on board ship, in his day. " * In the 
 name of God, Amen. " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 33 
 
 " By George, you re right, Atwood ; and the poor man 
 was trying all the while, to let us know how he wished to 
 dispose of his property ! What could he mean by the 
 null us it is possible that the old gentleman has nothing to 
 leave ? " 
 
 " I ll answer for it, Sir Gervaise, that is not the true ex 
 planation," the Vicar replied. " Sir Wycherly s affairs are 
 in the best order ; and, besides the estate, he has a large 
 sum in the funds." 
 
 " Well, gentlemen, we can do no more to-night. A medi 
 cal man is already in the house, and Bluewater will send 
 ashore one or two others from the fleet. In the morning, 
 if Sir Wycherly is in a state to converse, this matter shall 
 be attended to." 
 
 The party now separated : a bed being provided for the 
 Vicar, and the Admiral and his secretary retiring to their 
 respective rooms. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Bid physicians talk our veins to temper, 
 And with an argument new-set a pulse ; 
 Then think, my lord, of reasoning into love. YOUNG. 
 
 WHILE the scene just related took place in the chamber 
 of a sick man, Admiral Bluewater, Mrs. Button, and Mil 
 dred left the house, in the old family-coach. The Rear- 
 admiral had pertinaciously determined to adhere to his 
 practice of sleeping in his ship ; and the manner in which 
 he had offered seats to his two fair companions for Mrs. 
 Button still deserved to be thus termed has already been 
 seen. The motive was simply to remove them from any 
 further brutal exhibitions of Button s cupidity, while he 
 continued in his present humor ; and, thus influenced, it is 
 not probable that the gallant old sailor would be likely to 
 dwell, more than was absolutely necessary, on the un 
 pleasant scene of which he had been a witness. In fact, 
 no allusion was made to it, during the quarter of an hour 
 the party was driving from the Hall to the station-house. 
 They all spoke, with regret Mildred with affectionate 
 tenderness, even of poor Sir Wycherly ; and several an 
 ecdotes, indicative of his goodness of heart, were eagerly 
 related to Bluewater, by the two females, as the carriage 
 moved heavily along. In the time mentioned, the vehicle 
 
I 3 4 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 drew up before the door of the cottage, and all three 
 alighted. 
 
 If the morning of that day had been veiled in mist, the 
 sun had set in as cloudless a sky as is often arched above 
 the island of Great Britain. The night was what in that 
 region is termed a clear moonlight. It was certainly not 
 the mimic day that is so often enjoyed in purer atmos 
 pheres, but the panorama of the headland was clothed in 
 a soft, magical sort of semi-distinctness, that rendered ob 
 jects sufficiently obvious, and exceedingly beautiful. The 
 rounded, shorn swells of the land hove upward to the eye, 
 verdant and smooth ; while the fine oaks of the park 
 formed a shadowy background to the picture, inland. Sea 
 ward, the ocean was glittering, like a reversed plane of the 
 firmament, far as eye could reach. If our own hemi 
 sphere, or rather this latitude, may boast of purer skies 
 than are enjoyed by the mother country, the latter has a 
 vast superiority in the tint of the water. While the whole 
 American coast is bounded by a dull-looking sheet of sea- 
 green, the deep blue of the wide ocean appears to be car 
 ried close home to the shores of Europe. This glorious tint, 
 from which the term "ultramarine " has been derived, is 
 most remarkable in the Mediterranean, that sea of de 
 lights, but is met with all along the rock-bound coasts of 
 the peninsula of Spain and Portugal, extending through 
 the British Channel, until it is in a measure lost on the 
 shoals of the North Sea, to be revived, however, in the pro 
 found depths of the ocean that laves the wild, romantic 
 coast of Norway. 
 
 " Tis a glorious night ! " exclaimed Bluewater, as he 
 handed Mildred, the last, from the carriage ; "and one can 
 hardly wish to enter a cot, let it swing ever so lazily." 
 
 " Sleep is out of the question," returned Mildred, sor 
 rowfully. " These are nights in which even the weary 
 are reluctant to lose their consciousness ; but who can 
 sleep while there is uncertainty about dear Sir Wycherly ?" 
 
 "I rejoice to hear you say this, Mildred" for so the 
 Admiral had unconsciously, and unrepelled, begun to call 
 his sweet companion " I rejoice to hear you say this, for 
 I am an inveterate star-gazer and moon-ite ; and I shall 
 hope to persuade you and Mrs. Button to waste yet an 
 other hour with me, in walking on this height. Ah ! yon 
 der is Sam Yoke, my coxswain, waiting to report the barge ; 
 I can send Sir Gervaise s message to the surgeons, by dep- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 135 
 
 uty, and there will be no occasion for my hastening from 
 this lovely spot, and pleasant company." 
 
 The orders were soon given to the coxswain. A dozen 
 boats, it would seem, were in waiting for officers ashore, 
 notwithstanding the lateness of the hour ; and directions 
 were sent for two of them to pull off and obtain the med 
 ical men. 
 
 The coach was sent round to receive the latter, and 
 then all was tranquil, again, on the height. Mrs. Button 
 entered the house, to attend to some of her domestic con 
 cerns, while the Rear-admiral took the arm of Mildred, 
 and they walked together to the verge of the cliffs. 
 
 A fairer moonlight picture seldom offered itself to a 
 seaman s eye than that which now lay before the sight of 
 Admiral Bluewater and Mildred. Beneath them rode the 
 fleet ; sixteen sail of different rigs, eleven of which, how 
 ever, were two-decked ships of the largest size then known 
 in naval warfare ; and all of which were in that perfect 
 order that an active and intelligent commander knows 
 how to procure, even from the dilatory and indifferent. 
 If Admiral Bluewater was conspicuous in manoeuvring a 
 fleet, and in rendering every vessel of a line that extended 
 a league efficient, and that, too, in her right place, Sir 
 Gervaise Oakes had the reputation of being one of the 
 best seamen, in the ordinary sense of the word, in Eng 
 land. No vessel under his command ever had a lubberly 
 look ; and no ship that had any sailing in her failed to 
 have it brought out of her. The Vice-admiral was familiar 
 with that all-important fact one that members equally of 
 Congress and of Parliament are so apt to forget, or rather 
 not to know at all that the efficiency of a whole fleet, as 
 a fleet, is necessarily brought down to the level of its worst 
 ships. Of little avail is it, that four or five vessels of a 
 squadron sail fast and work well, if the eight or ten that 
 remain behave badly, and are dull. A separation of the 
 vessels is the inevitable consequence, when the properties 
 of all are thoroughly tried ; and the division of a force is 
 the first step towards its defeat ; as its proper concentra 
 tion is a leading condition of victory. As the poorer ves 
 sels cannot imitate the better, the good are compelled to 
 regulate their movements by the bad ; which is at once es 
 sentially bringing down the best ships of a fleet to the 
 level of its worst ; the proposition with which we com 
 menced. 
 
136 THE TWO ADMJKALS. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes was so great a favorite that all he 
 asked was usually conceded to him. One of his condi 
 tions was, that his vessels should sail equally well ; " If 
 you give me fast ships," he said, u I can overtake the 
 enemy ; if dull, the enemy can overtake me ; and I leave 
 you to say which course will be most likely to bring on 
 an action. At any rate, give me consorts ; not one flyer 
 and one drag, but vessels that can keep within hail of 
 each other, without anchoring." The admiralty professed 
 every desire to oblige the gallant commander ; and, as he 
 was resolved never to quit the Plantagenet until she was 
 worn out, it was indispensably necessary to find as many 
 fast vessels as possible, to keep her company. The result 
 was literally a fleet of "horses," as Galleygo used to call 
 it ; and it was generally said in the service that " Oakes 
 had a squadron of flyers, if not a flying-squadron." 
 
 Vessels like these just mentioned are usually symmet 
 rical and graceful to the eye, as well as fast. This fact 
 was apparent to Mildred, accustomed as she was to the 
 sight of ships ; and she ventured to express as much, after 
 she and her companion had stood quite a minute on the 
 cliff, gazing at the grand spectacle beneath them. 
 
 " Your vessels look even handsomer than common, Ad 
 miral Bluewater," she said, "though a ship, to me, is al 
 ways an attractive sight." 
 
 " This is because they are handsomer than common, my 
 pretty critic. Vice-admiral Oakes is an officer who will 
 no more tolerate an ugly ship in his fleet, than a peer of 
 the realm will marry any woman but one who is hand 
 some ; unless, indeed, she happen to be surpassingly 
 rich." 
 
 " I have heard that men are accustomed to lose their 
 hearts under such an influence," said Mildred, laughing, 
 "but I did not know before, that they were ever frank 
 enough to avow it ! " 
 
 " The knowledge has been imparted by a prudent mother, 
 I suppose," returned the Rear-admiral, in a musing man 
 ner ; " I wish I stood sufficiently in the parental relation 
 to you, my young friend, to venture to give a little advice, 
 also. Never, before, did I feel so strong a wish to warn a 
 human being of a great danger that I fear is impending 
 over her, could I presume to take the liberty." 
 
 " It is not a liberty, but a duty, to warn any one of a 
 danger that is known to ourselves, and not to the person 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 137 
 
 who incurs the risk. At least so it appears in the eyes of 
 a very young girl." 
 
 " Yes, if the danger was of falling from these cliffs, or of 
 setting fire to a house, or of any other visible calamity. 
 The case is different, when young ladies, and setting fire 
 to the heart, are concerned." 
 
 " Certainly, I can perceive the distinction," answered 
 Mildred, after a short pause; "and can understand that 
 the same person who would not scruple to give the alarm 
 against any physical danger, would hesitate even at hint 
 ing at one of a moral character. Nevertheless, if Admiral 
 Bluewater thinks a simple girl, like me, of sufficient im 
 portance to take the trouble to interest himself in her wel 
 fare, I should hope he would not shrink from pointing out 
 this danger. It is a terrible word to sleep on ; and I con 
 fess, besides a little uneasiness, to a good deal of curiosity 
 to know more." 
 
 " This is said, Mildred, because you are unaccustomed 
 to the shocks which the tongue of rude man may give your 
 sensitive feelings." 
 
 " Unaccustomed !" said Mildred, trembling so that the 
 weakness was apparent to her companion. " Unaccus 
 tomed ! Alas ! Admiral Bluewater, can this be so, after 
 what you have seen and heard ! " 
 
 " Pardon me, dear child ; nothing was farther from my 
 thoughts, than to wish to revive those unpleasant recollec 
 tions. If I thought I should be forgiven, I might venture, 
 yet, to reveal my secret ; for never before though I can 
 not tell the reason of so sudden and so extraordinary an 
 interest in one who is almost a stranger " 
 
 " No, no not a stranger, dear sir. After all that has 
 passed to-day; after you have been admitted, though it 
 were by accident, to one most sacred secret ; after all that 
 was said in the carriage, and the terrible scenes my be 
 loved mother went through in your presence so many years 
 since, you can never be a stranger to us, whatever may be 
 your own desire to fancy yourself one." 
 
 " Girl, you do not fascinate you do not charm me, but 
 you bind me to you in a way I did not think it in the 
 power of any human being to subjugate my feelings ! " 
 
 This was said with so much energy, that Mildred dropped 
 the arm she held, and actually recoiled a step, if not in 
 alarm, at least in surprise. But, on looking up into the 
 face of her companion, and perceiving large tears actually 
 
138 THE TirO ADMJRALS. 
 
 glistening on his cheek, and seeing the hair that exposure 
 and mental cares had whitened more than time, all her 
 confidence returned, and she resumed the place she had 
 abandoned, of her own accord, and as naturally as a daugh 
 ter would have clung to the side of a father. 
 
 " I am sure, sir, my gratitude for this interest ought to 
 be quite equal to the honor it does me," Mildred said, 
 earnestly. " And, now, Admiral Bluewater, do not hesi 
 tate to speak to me with the frankness that a parent might 
 use. I will listen with the respect and deference of a 
 daughter." 
 
 " Then do listen to what I have to say, and make no 
 answer, if you find yourself wounded at the freedom I am 
 taking. It would seem that there was but one object on 
 which a man, old fellow or young fellow, can speak to a 
 lovely young girl, when he gets her alone, under the light 
 of a fine moon ; and that is love. Nay, start not again my 
 dear, for, if I am about to speak on so awkward a subject, 
 it is not in my own behalf. I hardly know whether you 
 will think it in behalf of any one ; as wh.it I have to say 
 is not an appeal to your affections, but a warning against 
 bestowing them." 
 
 " A warning, Admiral Bluewater ! Do you really think 
 that can be necessary ? " 
 
 " Nay, my child, that is best known to yourself. Of 
 one thing I am certain ; the young man I have in my eye 
 affects to admire you, whether he does or not ; and when 
 young women are led to believe they are loved, it is a 
 strong appeal to all their generous feelings to answer the 
 passion, if not with equal warmth, at least with something 
 very like it." 
 
 "Affects to admire, sir! And why should anyone be 
 at the pains of affecting feelings toward me, that they not 
 actually entertain ? I have neither rank, nor money, to 
 bribe any one to be guilty of an hypocrisy so mean, and 
 which, in my case, would be so motiveless." 
 
 "Yes, if it were motiveless to win the most beautiful 
 creature in England ! But, no matter. We will not stop 
 to analyze motives, when facts are what we aim at. I 
 should think there must be some passion in this youth s 
 suit, and that will only make it so much the more danger 
 ous to its object. At all events, I feel a deep conviction 
 that he is altogether unworthy of you. This is a bold ex 
 pression of opinion on an acquaintance of a day : but 
 
77 fK TITO ADM/KA/.S. 
 
 *39 
 
 there are such reasons for it, that a man of my time of life, 
 if unprejudiced, can scarcely be deceived." 
 
 "All this is very singular, sir, and I had almost used 
 your own word of alarming, " replied Mildred, slightly 
 agitated by curiosity, but more amused. " I shall be as 
 frank as yourself, and say that you judge the gentleman 
 harshly. Mr. Rotherham may not have all the qualities 
 that a clergyman ought to possess, but he is far from being 
 a bad man. Good or bad, however, it is not probable that 
 he will carry his transient partiality any farther than he 
 has gone already." 
 
 " Mr. Rotherham ! I have neither thought nor spoke of 
 the pious Yiear at all!" 
 
 Mildred was now sadly confused. Mr. Rotherham had 
 made his proposals for her, only the day before, and he 
 had been mildly but firmly refused. The recent occurrence 
 was naturally uppermost in her mind ; and the conjecture 
 that her rejected suitor, under the influence of wine, might 
 have communicated the state of his wishes, or what he 
 fancied to be state of his wishes, to her companion, was 
 so very easy, that she had fallen into the error, almost 
 without reflection. 
 
 " I beg pardon, sir ; I really imagined" the confused 
 girl answered " but, it was a natural mistake for me to 
 suppose you meant Mr. Rotherham. as he is the only one 
 who has ever spoken to my mother on the subject of any 
 thing like a preference for me." 
 
 " I should have less fear of those who spoke to your 
 mother, Mildred, than of those who spoke only to you. 
 As I hate ambiguity, however, I will say, at once, that my 
 allusion was to Mr. Wychecombe." 
 
 " Mr. Wychecombe, Admiral Bluewater ! " and the veter 
 an felt the arm that leaned on him tremble violently, a 
 sad confirmation of even more than he apprehended, or 
 he would not have been so abrupt. " Surely surely 
 the warning you mean cannot ought not to apply to a 
 gentleman of Mr. YVychecombe s standing and character! " 
 
 " Such is the world, Miss Button, and we old seamen, in 
 particular, get to know it, whether willingly or not. Ms- 
 sudden interest in you, the recollection of former, but pain 
 ful scenes, and the events of the day, have made me watch 
 ful, and, you may add, bold ; but I am resolved to speak, 
 even at the risk of disobliging you forever ; and, in speak 
 ing, I must say that I never met with a young man who has 
 
140 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 made so unfavorable an impression on me as this same 
 Mr. Wychecombe." 
 
 Mildred, unconsciously to herself, withdrew her arm, and 
 she felt astonished at her own levity, in so suddenly becom 
 ing sufficiently intimate with a stranger to permit him thus 
 to disparage a confirmed friend. 
 
 " I am sorry, sir, that you entertain so indifferent an 
 opinion of one who is, I believe, a general favorite, in this 
 part of the country," she answered, with a coldness that 
 rendered her manner very marked. 
 
 " I perceive I shall share the fate of all unwelcome coun 
 sellors, but can only blame my own presumption. Mildred, 
 we live in momentous times, and God knows what is to 
 happen to myself in the next few 7 months ; but, so strong 
 is the inexplicable interest that I feel in your welfare, that 
 I shall venture still to offend. I like not this Mr. Wyche 
 combe, who is so devout an admirer of yours real or af 
 fected and, as to the liking of dependents for the heir of 
 a considerable estate, it is so much a matter of course, that 
 I count it nothing." 
 
 " The heir of a considerable estate ! " repeated Mildred, 
 in a voice to which the natural sweetness returned, quietly 
 resuming the arm she had so unceremoniously dropped, 
 "surely, dear sir, you are not speaking of Mr. Thomas 
 Wychecombe, Sir Wycherly s nephew ? " 
 
 " Of whom else should I speak ? Has he not been your 
 shadow the whole day ? so marked in his attentions, as 
 scarce to deem it necessary to conceal his suit ? " 
 
 " Has it really struck you thus, sir ? I confess I did 
 not so consider it. We are so much at home at the Hall, 
 that we rather expect all of the family to be kind to us. 
 But whether you are right in your conjecture, or not, Mr. 
 Thomas Wychecombe can never be aught to me ; and as 
 a proof, Admiral Bluewater, that I take your warning, as 
 it is meant, in kindness and sincerity, I will add, that he is 
 not a very particular favorite." 
 
 " I rejoice to hear it ! Now there is his namesake, our 
 young Lieutenant, as gallant and as noble a fellow as ever 
 lived ; would to Heaven he was not so wrapped up in his 
 profession, as to be insensible to any beauties but those of 
 a ship ! Were you my own daughter, Mildred, I could 
 give you to that lad, with as much freedom as I would give 
 him my estate, were he my son." 
 
 Mildred smiled, and it was archly, though not without a 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 141 
 
 shade of sorrow, too ; but she had sufficient self-command 
 to keep her feelings to herself, and too much maiden re 
 serve not to shrink from betraying her weakness to one 
 who, after all, was little more than a stranger. 
 
 " I dare say, sir," she answered, with an equivocation 
 which was perhaps venial, "that your knowledge of the 
 world has judged both these gentlemen rightly. Mr. 
 Thomas Wychecombe, notwithstanding all you heard from 
 my poor father, is not likely to think seriously of me ; and 
 I will answer for my own feelings as regards him. I am, 
 in no manner, a proper person to become Lady Wyche 
 combe ; and, I trust, I should have the prudence to de 
 cline the honor, were it even offered me. Believe me, sir, 
 my father would have held a different language to-night, 
 had it not been for Sir Wycherly s wine, and the many 
 loyal toasts that were drunk. He must be conscious, in 
 his reflecting moments, that a child of his is unsuited to so 
 high a station. Our prospects in life were once better than 
 they are now, Admiral Bluewater ; but they have never 
 been such as to raise these high expectations in us." 
 
 "An officer s daughter may always claim to be a gentle 
 woman, my dear ; and, as such, you might become the wife 
 of a duke, did he love you. Since I find my w r arning un 
 necessary, however, we will change the discourse. Did not 
 something extraordinary occur at the cliff, this morning, 
 and in connection with this very Mr. Thomas Wychecombe ? 
 Sir Gervaise was my informant ; but he did not relate the 
 matter very clearly." 
 
 Mildred explained the mistake, and then gave a vivid 
 description of the danger in which the young Lieutenant 
 had been placed, as well as of the manner in which he had 
 extricated himself. She particularly dwelt on the extraor 
 dinary presence of mind and resolution by means of which 
 he had saved his life, when the stone first gave way be 
 neath his foot. 
 
 " All this is well, and what I should have expected from 
 so active and energetic a youth," returned the Rear-ad 
 miral, a little gravely: "but, I confess I would rather it 
 had not happened. Your inconsiderate and reckless young 
 men, who risk their necks idly, in places of this sort, sel 
 dom have much in them after all. Had there been a 
 motive, it would have altered the case." 
 
 " O ! but there was a motive, sir ; he was far from doing 
 so silly a thing for nothing ! " 
 
142 , THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "And what was the motive, pray? I can see no sufficient 
 reason why a man of sense should trust his person over a 
 cliff as menacing as this. One may approach it, by moon 
 light ; but in the day, I confess to you I should not fancy 
 standing as near it as we do at this moment." 
 
 Mildred was much embarrassed for an answer. Her own 
 heart told her Wycherly s motive, but that it would never 
 do to avow to her companion, great as was the happiness 
 she felt in avowing it to herself. Gladly would she have 
 changed the discourse ; but, as this could not be done, she 
 yielded to her native integrity of character, and told the 
 truth, as far as she told anything. 
 
 " The flowers that grow on the sunny side of these rocks, 
 Admiral Bluewater, are singularly fragrant and beautiful," 
 she said ; "and hearing my mother and myself speaking 
 of them, and how much the former delight in them, 
 though they were so seldom to be had, he just ven 
 tured over the cliff not here, where it is so very perpen 
 dicular, but yonder, where one may cling to it, very well, 
 with a little care ; and it was in venturing a little just a 
 very little too far, he told me himself, sir, to-day, after 
 dinner that the stone broke, and the accident occurred. I 
 do not think Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe in the least fool 
 hardy, and not at all disposed to seek a silly admiration by 
 a silly exploit." 
 
 " He has a most lovely and a most eloquent advocate," 
 returned the Admiral, smiling, though the expression of 
 his countenance was melancholy even to sadness ; " and he 
 is acquitted. I think few men of his years would hesitate 
 about risking their necks for flowers so fragrant and beau 
 tiful, and so much coveted by your mother. Mildred." 
 
 " And he a sailor, sir, who thinks so little of standing on 
 giddy places, and laughs at fears of this nature ? " 
 
 " Quite true ; though there are few cliffs on board ship. 
 Ropes are our source of courage." 
 
 " So I should think, by what passed to-day," returned 
 Mildred, laughing. "Mr. Wycherly called out for a rope, 
 and we just threw him one, to help him out of his diffi 
 culty. The moment he got his rope, though it was only 
 yonder small signal-halyards, he felt himself as secure as 
 if he stood up here, on the height, with acres of level 
 ground around him. I do not think he was frightened at 
 any time ; but when he got hold of that little rope he was 
 fairly valiant ! " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 143 
 
 Mildred endeavored to laugh at her own history, by way 
 of veiling her interest in the event ; but her companion 
 was too old, and too discerning, to be easily deceived. He 
 continued silent, as he led her away from the cliff ; and 
 when he entered the cottage, Mildred saw, by the nearer 
 light of the candles, that his countenance was still sad. 
 
 Admiral Bluewater remained half an hour longer in the 
 cottage, when he tore himself away from a society which, 
 for him, possessed a charm that he could not account for, 
 nor yet scarcely estimate. It was past one, when he bade 
 Mrs. Dutton and her daughter adieu ; promising, however, 
 to see them again before the fleet sailed. Late as it was, 
 the mother and Mildred felt no disposition to retire, after 
 the exciting scenes they had gone through ; but, feeling a 
 calm on their spirit, succeeding the rude interruption pro 
 duced by Button s brutality, they walked out on the cliff, 
 to enjoy the cool air, and the bland scenery of the head 
 land, at that witching hour. 
 
 " I should feel alarmed at this particularity of attention 
 from most men, my child," observed the prudent mother, 
 as they left the house ; " but the years, and especially the 
 character of Admiral Bluewater, are pledges that he medi 
 tates nothing foolish, nor wrong." 
 
 " His years would be sufficient, mother," cried Mildred, 
 laughing, for her laugh came easily, since the opinion she 
 had just before heard of Wycherley s merit, " leaving the 
 character out of the question." 
 
 " For you, perhaps, Mildred, but not for himself. Men 
 rarely seem to think themselves too old to win the young 
 of our sex ; and what they want in attraction, they gener 
 ally endeavor to supply by flattery and artifice. But, I 
 acquit our new friend of all that." 
 
 " Had he been my own father, dearest mother, his lan 
 guage, and the interest he took in me, could not have been 
 more paternal. I have found it truly delightful to listen 
 to such counsel from one of his sex ; for, in general, they 
 do not treat me in so sincere and fatherly a manner." 
 
 Mrs. Dutton s lip quivered, her eyelids trembled too, and 
 a couple of tears fell on her cheeks. 
 
 " It is new to you, Mildred, to listen to the language of 
 disinterested affection and wisdom from one of his years 
 and sex. I do not censure your listening with pleasure, 
 but merely tell you to remember the proper reserve of 
 
144 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 your years and character. Hist ! there are the sounds of 
 his barge s oars." 
 
 Mildred listened, and the measured but sudden jerk of 
 oars in the rullocks ascended on the still night air, as dis 
 tinctly as they might have been heard in the boat. 
 
 At the next instant an eight-oared barge moved swiftly 
 out from under the cliff, and glided steadily on toward a 
 ship, that had one lantern suspended from the end of her 
 gaff, another in her mizzen-top, and the small night-flag of 
 a Rear-admiral fluttering at her mizzen-royal-masthead. 
 The cutter lay nearest to the landing, and, as the barge ap 
 proached her, the ladies heard the loud hail of " Boat 
 ahoy ! " The answer was also audible, though given in the 
 mild gentleman-like voice of Bluewater himself. It was 
 simply " Rear-admiral s flag." A death-like stillness suc 
 ceeded this annunciation of the rank of the officer in the 
 passing boat, interrupted only by the measured jerk of the 
 oars. Once or twice, indeed, the keen hearing of Mildred 
 made her fancy she heard the common dip of the eight 
 oars, and the wash of the water, as they rose from the ele 
 ment, to gain a renewed purchase. As each vessel \vas 
 approached, however, the hail and the answer were re 
 newed, the quiet of midnight, in every instance, succeed 
 ing. At length the barge was seen shooting along on the 
 quarter of the Caesar, the Rear-admiral s own ship, and the 
 last hail was given. This time, there was a slight stir in 
 the vessel ; and, soon after the sound of the oars ceased, 
 the lanterns descended from the stations they had held 
 since nightfall. Two or three other lanterns were still dis 
 played at the gaffs of other vessels, the signs that their 
 captains were not on board ; though whether they were 
 ashore, or visiting in the fleet, were facts best known to 
 themselves. The Plantagenet, however, had no light ; it 
 being known that Sir Gervaise did not intend to come off 
 that night. 
 
 When all this was over, Mrs. Button and Mildred sought 
 their pillows, after an exciting day, and, to them, one far 
 more momentous than they were then aware of. 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 145 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 When I consider life, tis all a cheat ; 
 Yet fooled with hope, men favor the deceit ; 
 Trust on, and think to-morrow will repay ; 
 To-morrow s falser than the former day. Dry den. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Admiral Bluewater devoted the minimum of 
 time to sleep, he was not what the French term matinal. 
 There is a period in the morning, on board of a ship of 
 the war that of washing decks which can best be com 
 pared to the discomfort of the American purification, 
 ycleped "a house-cleaning." This occurs daily, about the 
 rising of the sun ; and no officer, whose rank raises him 
 above mingling with the duty thinks, except on extra 
 ordinary occasions that may require his presence for other 
 purposes, of intruding on its sacred mysteries, It is a 
 rabid hour in a ship, and the wisest course, for all idlers, 
 and all watch-officers who are not on duty, is to keep 
 themselves under hatches, if their convenience will possibly 
 allow it. He who wears a flag, however, is usually reposing 
 in his cot, at this critical moment ; or, if risen at all, he is 
 going through similar daily ablutions of his own person. 
 
 Admiral Bluewater was in the act of opening his eyes, 
 when the splash of the first bucket of water was heard on 
 the deck of the Caesar, and he lay in the species of enjoy 
 ment which is so peculiar to naval men, after they have 
 risen to the station of commander : a sort of semi-trance, 
 in which the mind summons all the ancient images, con 
 nected with squalls ; reefing topsails in the rain ; standing 
 on the quarter of a yard, shouting, " Haul out to leeward ;" 
 peering over the weather hammock-cloths to eye the 
 weather, with the sleet prickling the face like needles ; and 
 washing decks ! These dreamy images of the past, how 
 ever, are summoned merely to increase the sense of pres 
 ent enjoyment. They are so many well-contrived foils, to 
 give greater brilliancy to the diamonds of a comfortable 
 cot, and the entire consciousness of being no longer ex 
 posed to untimely summons on deck. 
 
 Our Rear-admiral, nevertheless, was not a vulgar 
 dreamer, on such occasions. He thought little of personal 
 comforts at any time, unless indeed when personal discom 
 forts obtruded themselves on his attention ; he knew little 
 10 
 
146 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 or nothing of the table, whereas his friend was a knowing 
 cook and in the days of probation had been a distinguished 
 caterer ; but he was addicted to a sort of dreaming of his 
 own, even when the sun stood in the zenith, and he was 
 walking the poop, in the midst of a circle of his officers. 
 Still, he could not refrain from glancing back at the past, 
 that morning, as plash after plash was heard, and recalling 
 the time when magna pars quorum FUIT. At this delectable 
 instant, the ruddy face of a " young gentleman " appeared 
 in his state-room door, and, first ascertaining that the 
 eyes of his superior were actually open, the youngster 
 said : 
 
 " A note from Sir Gervaise, Admiral Bluewater." 
 
 " Very well, sir," taking the note. " How s the wind, 
 Lord Geoffrey ? " 
 
 " An Irishman s hurricane, sir, right up and down. Our 
 first says, sir, he never knew finer channel weather." 
 
 " Our first is a great astrologer. Is the fleet riding 
 flood yet ? " 
 
 "No, sir; it s slack-water; or rather, the ebb is just 
 beginning to make." 
 
 "Go on deck, my lord, and see if the Dover has hove 
 in any upon her larboard bower, so as to bring her more 
 on our quarter." 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir," and this cadet of one of the most illustri 
 ous houses of England skipped up the ladder to ascertain 
 this fact. 
 
 In the meanwhile, Bluewater stretched out an arm, drew 
 a curtain from before his little window, fumbled for some 
 time among his clothes before he got his spectacles, and 
 then opened the note. This- early epistle was couched in 
 the following words : 
 
 DEAR BLUE : I write this in a bed big enough to wear a 
 ninety in. I ve been athvvartships half the night, without 
 knowing it. Galleygo has just been in to report * our fleet 
 all well, and the ships riding flood. It seems there is a 
 good lookout from the top of the house, where part of the 
 roads is visible. Magrath, and the rest of them, have been 
 at poor Sir Wycherly all night, I learn, but he remains 
 down by the head, yet, I am afraid that the good old man 
 will never be in trim again. I shall remain here until 
 something is decided ; and as we cannot expect our orders 
 until next day after to-morrow, at the soonest, one might 
 
THE TITO ADMIRALS. 147 
 
 as well be here, as on board. Come ashore and breakfast 
 with us ; when we can consult about the propriety of re 
 maining, or of abandoning the wreck. Adieu. 
 
 OAKES. 
 
 Rear- Admiral Bluewater. 
 
 P.S. There was a little occurrence last night, connected 
 with Sir Wycherly s will, that makes me particularly anx 
 ious to see you, as early as possible, this morning. O. 
 
 Sir Gervaise, like a woman, had written his mind in his 
 postscript. The scene of the previous night had forcibly 
 presented itself to his recollection on awakening and, call 
 ing for his writing-desk, he had sent off this note, at the 
 dawn of day, with the wish of having as many important 
 witnesses as he could well obtain, at the interview he in 
 tended to demand at the earliest practicable hour. 
 
 "What the deuce can Oakes have to do with Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe s will ? " thought the Rear-admiral. 
 " By the way, that puts me in mind of my own ; and of my 
 own recent determination. What are my poor ^30,000 
 to a man with the fortune of Lord Bluewater. Having 
 neither a wife nor child, brother nor sister of my own, I ll 
 do w r hat I please with my money. Oakes won t have it ; 
 besides, he s got enough of his own, and to spare. An es 
 tate of ^7,000 a year, besides heaps of prize-money funded. 
 I dare say he has a good ^12,000 a year, and nothing but 
 a nephew to inherit it all. I m determined to do as I please 
 with my money. I made every shilling of it, and I ll give 
 it to whom I please." 
 
 The whole time Admiral Bluewater lay with his eyes 
 shut, and with a tongue as motionless as if it couldn t stir. 
 With all his laisscz aller manner, however, he had the 
 promptitude of a sailor, when his mind was made up to do 
 a thing, though he always performed it in his own peculiar 
 mode. To rise, dress, and prepare to quit his state-room, 
 occupied him but a short time ; and he was seated before 
 his own writing-desk, in the after-cabin, within twenty 
 minutes after the thoughts just recorded had passed through 
 his mind. His first act was to take a folded paper from a 
 private drawer, and glance his eye carelessly over it. This 
 was the will in favor of Lord Bluewater. It was expressed 
 in very concise terms, filling only the first side of a page. 
 This will be copied, verbatim et literatim, leaving blanks for 
 the name of the legatee, and appointing Sir Gervaise 
 
148 THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Oakes his executor, as in the will already executed. When 
 finished in this manner, he set about filling up the blanks. 
 For a passing instant, he felt tempted to insert the name 
 of the Pretender ; but, smiling at his own folly, he wrote 
 that of " Mildred Button, daughter of Francis Button, a 
 master in his Majesty s navy," in all the places that it was 
 requisite so to do. Then he affixed the seal, and, folding 
 all the upper part of the sheet over, so as to conceal the 
 contents, he rang a little silver bell, which always stood 
 at his elbow. The outer cabin door was opened by the 
 sentry, who thrust his head in at the opening. 
 
 " I want one of the young gentlemen, sentry," said the 
 Rear-admiral. 
 
 The door closed, and, in an another minute, the smiling 
 face of Lord Geoffrey was at the entrance of the after- 
 cabin. 
 
 " Who s on deck, my Lord," demanded Bluewater, " be 
 side the watch ? " 
 
 " No one, sir. All the idlers keep as close as foxes, 
 when the decks are getting it ; and as for any of our 
 snorers showing their faces before six bells, it s quite out 
 of the question, sir." 
 
 " Some one must surely be stirring in the gun-room, by 
 this time ! Go and ask the Chaplain and the captain of 
 marines to do me the favor to step into the cabin or the 
 First Lieutenant ; or the master ; or any of the idlers." 
 
 The midshipman was gone two or three minutes, when 
 he returned with the purser and the chaplain. 
 
 "The First Lieutenant is in the fore-hold, sir; all the 
 marines have got their dead-lights still in, and the master 
 is working up his log, the gun-room steward says. I hope 
 these will do, sir ; they are the greatest idlers in the ship, 
 I believe." 
 
 Lord Geoffrey Cleveland was the second son of the third 
 Buke in the English Empire, and he knew it, as well as 
 any one on board. Admiral Bluewater had no slavish 
 respect for rank ; nevertheless, like all men educated un 
 der an aristocratic system, he was influenced by the feeling 
 to a degree of which he himself was far from being con 
 scious. This young scion of nobility was not in the least 
 favored in matters of duty, for this his own high spirit 
 would have resented ; but he dined in the cabin twice as 
 often as any other midshipman on board, and had obtained 
 for himself a sort of license for the tongue, that embol- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 149 
 
 dened him to utter what passed for smart things in the 
 cock pit and gun-room, and which, out of all doubt, were 
 pert things everywhere. Neither the Chaplain nor the 
 purser took offence at his liberties on the present occasion ; 
 and, as for the Rear-admiral, he had not attended to what 
 had been uttered. As soon, however, as he found others 
 in his cabin, he motioned to them to approach his desk, 
 and pointed to the paper, folded down, as mentioned. 
 
 "Every prudent man," he said, "and especially every 
 prudent sailor and soldier, in a time of war, ought to be 
 provided with a will. This is mine, just drawn up by my 
 self ; and that instrument is an old one, which I now de 
 stroy in your presence. I acknowledge this to be my hand 
 and seal," writing his name, and touching the seal with a 
 finger as he spoke ; " affixed to this my last will and testa 
 ment. Will you have the kindness to act as witnesses ? " 
 
 When the Chaplain and purser had affixed their names, 
 there still remained a, place for a third signature. This, 
 by a sign from his superior, the laughing midshipman 
 filled with his own signature. 
 
 " I hope you ve recollected, sir," cried the boy, with glee, 
 as he took his seat to obey, " that the Bluewaters and 
 Clevelands are related. I shall be grievously disappointed, 
 when this will is proved, if my name be not found some 
 where in it !" 
 
 " So shall I, too, my lord," dryly returned Bluewater ; 
 " for, I fully expect it will appear as a witness ; a charac 
 ter that is at once fatal to all claims as a legatee." 
 
 " Well, sir, I suppose flag-officers can do pretty much as 
 they please with their money, since they do pretty much 
 as they please with the ships, and all in them. I must 
 lean so much the harder on my two old aunts, as I appear 
 to have laid myself directly athwart-hawse of fortune in 
 this affair !" 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the Rear-admiral, with easy courtesy, 
 " I regret it is not in my power to have your company at 
 dinner, to-day, as I am summoned ashore by Sir Gervaise, 
 and it is uncertain when I can get off again ; but to-mor 
 row 1 shall hope to enjoy that pleasure." 
 
 The officers bowed, expressed their acknowledgment, 
 accepted the invitation, bowed once or twice more each, 
 and left the cabin, with the exception of the midshipman. 
 
 "Well, sir," exclaimed Bluewater, a little surprised at 
 finding he was not alone, after a minute of profound rev- 
 
150 THK 7 ITO ADMIRALS. 
 
 erie ; " to what request am I indebted still for the pleasure 
 of your presence ?" 
 
 " Why, sir, it s just forty miles to my father s house in 
 Cornwall, and I know the whole family is there ; so I just 
 fancied, that by bending on two extra horses, a chaise 
 might make the Park gates in about five hours ; and by 
 getting under way on the return passage, to-morrow about 
 this time, the old Caesar would never miss a crazy reefer, 
 more or less." 
 
 "Very ingeniously put, young gentleman, and quite 
 plausible. When I was of your age, I was four years once 
 without seeing either father or mother." 
 
 "Yes, sir, but that was such a long time ago! Boys 
 can t stand it half as well now, as they did then, as all old 
 people say." 
 
 The Rear-admiral s lips moved slightly as if a smile 
 struggled about his mouth ; then his face suddenly lost the 
 expression, in one approaching to sadness. 
 
 "You know, Geoffrey, I am not commander-in-chief. 
 Sir Gervaise alone can give a furlough." 
 
 " Very true, sir ; but whatever you ask of Sir Gervaise, 
 he always does ; more especially as concerns us of your 
 flag-ship." 
 
 "Perhaps that is true. But, my boy, we live in serious 
 times, and we may sail at an hour s notice. Are you igno 
 rant that Prince Charles Edward has landed in Scotland, 
 and that the Jacobites are up and doing ? If the French 
 back him, we may have our hands full, here in the chan 
 nel." 
 
 " Then my dear mother must go without a kiss for the 
 next twelvemonth ! " cried the gallant boy, dashing a hand 
 furtively across his eyes, in spite of his resolution. " The 
 throne of old England must be upheld, even though not a 
 mother nor a sister in the island see a midshipman in 
 years ! " 
 
 "Nobly said, Lord Geoffrey, and it shall be known at 
 headquarters. Your family is whig ; and you do well, at 
 your time of life, to stick to the family politics." 
 
 "A small run on the shore, sir, would be a great pleas 
 ure, after six months at sea." 
 
 "You must ask Captain Stowel s leave for that. You 
 know I never interfere with the duty of the ship." 
 
 "Yes, sir, but there are so many of us, and all have a 
 hankering after terra firma. Might I just say, that I have 
 
THE Tll T ADMIRALS. 151 
 
 your permission to ask Captain Stowel to let me have a 
 run on the cliffs ? " 
 
 " You may do that, my lord, if you wish it ; but Stowel 
 knows that he can do as he pleases." 
 
 " He would be a queer captain of a man-of-war if he 
 didn t, sir ! Thank you, Admiral Bluewater, I will write 
 to my mother, and I know she ll be satisfied with the rea 
 son I shall give her, for not coming to see her. Good 
 morning, sir." 
 
 " Good morning," then, when the boy s hand was on 
 the lock of the cabin-door " my lord ? " 
 
 " Did you wish to say any thing more, sir ?" 
 
 "When you write, remember me kindly to the Duchess. 
 We were intimate, when young people ; and, I might say, 
 loved each other." 
 
 The midshipman promised to do as desired ; then the 
 Rear-admiral was left alone. He walked the cabin for 
 half an hour, musing on what he had done in relation to 
 his property, and on what he ought to do in relation to 
 the Pretender ; when he suddenly summoned his cox 
 swain, gave few directions, and sent an order on deck 
 to have his barge manned. The customary reports went 
 their usual rounds, and reached the cabin in about three 
 minutes more ; Lord Geoffrey bringing them down again. 
 
 " The barge is manned, sir," said the lad, standing near 
 the cabin-door, rigged out in the neat, go ashore-clothes 
 of a midshipman. 
 
 "Have you seen Captain Stowel, my lord ?" demanded 
 the Rear-admiral. 
 
 " I have, sir ; and he has given me permission to drift 
 along-shore, until sunset ; to be off with the evening gun 
 of the Vice-admiral." 
 
 "Then do me the favor to take a seat in my barge, if 
 you are quite ready." 
 
 This offer was accepted, and in a few minutes all the 
 ceremonies of the deck had been observed, and the Rear- 
 admiral was seated in his barge. It was now so late that 
 etiquette had fair play, and no point was omitted on the 
 occasion. The Captain was on deck, in person, as well as 
 gun-room officers enough to represent their body ; the 
 guard was paraded, under its officers ; the drums rolled ; 
 the boatswain piped six side boys over, and Lord Geoffrey 
 skipped down first into the boat, remaining respectfully 
 standing, until his superior was seated. All these punctil- 
 
152 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ios observed, the boat was shoved off from the vessel s side, 
 the eight oars dropped, as one, and the party moved to 
 ward the shore. Every cutter, barge, yawl, or launch that 
 was met, and which did not contain an officer of rank it 
 self, tossed its oars, as this barge, with the Rear-admiral s 
 flag fluttering in its bow, passed, while the others lay on 
 theirs, the gentlemen saluting with their hats. In this 
 manner the barge passed the fleet, and approached the 
 shore. At the landing, a little quay formed by a low flat 
 rock, there was a general movement, as the Rear-admiral s 
 flag was seen to draw near ; and even the boats of captains 
 were shoved aside, to give the naval pas. As soon, how 
 ever, as the foot of Bluewater touched the rock, the little 
 flag was struck ; and, a minute later, a cutter, with only a 
 lieutenant in her, coming in, that officer ordered the barge 
 to make way for him, with an air of high and undisputed 
 authority. 
 
 Perhaps there was not a man in the British marine, to 
 whom the etiquette of the service gave less concern, than 
 to Bluewater. In this respect, he was the very reverse of 
 his friend ; for Sir Gervaise was a punctilious observer, and 
 a rigid enforcer of all the prescribed ceremonials. This 
 was by no means the only professional point on which 
 these two distinguished officers differed. It has already 
 been mentioned that the Rear-admiral was the best tacti 
 cian in England, while the Vice-admiral was merely re 
 spectable in that branch of his duty. On the other hand, 
 Sir Gervaise was deemed the best practical seaman afloat, 
 so far as a single ship was concerned, while Bluewater had 
 no particular reputation in that way. Then, as to disci 
 pline, the same distinction existed. The comrnander-in- 
 chief was a little martinet, exacting compliance with the 
 most minute regulations ; while his friend, even when a 
 captain, had thrown the police duty of his ship very much 
 on what is called the executive officer, or the first lieuten 
 ant ; leaving to that important functionary the duty of de 
 vising, as well as of executing, the system by which order 
 and cleanliness were maintained in the vessel. Neverthe 
 less, Bluewater had his merit even in this particular feat 
 ure of the profession. He had made the best captain of 
 the fleet to his friend, that had ever been met with. The 
 office, which, in some measure, corresponds to that of an 
 adjutant-general on shore, was suited to his generalizing 
 and philosophical turn of mind ; and he had brought all 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 153 
 
 its duties within the circle and control of clear and simple 
 principles, which rendered them pleasant and easy. 
 
 Then, too, whenever he commanded in chief, as fre 
 quently happened, for a week or two at a time, Sir 
 Gervaise being absent, it was remarked that the common 
 service of the fleet went on like clock-work ; his mind 
 seeming to embrace generals, when it refused to descend 
 to details. In consequence of these personal peculiari 
 ties, the captains often observed that Bluewater ought to 
 have been the senior, and Oakes the junior; and then, 
 their joint commands would have produced perfection ; 
 but these criticisms must be set down, in a great measure, 
 to the natural propensity to find fault, and an inherent 
 desire in men, even when things are perfectly well in 
 themselves, to prove their own superiority, by pointing 
 out modes and means by which they might be made much 
 better. Had the service been on land, this opinion might 
 possibly have had more practical truth in it ; but the 
 impetuosity and daring of Sir Gervaise were not bad 
 substitutes for tactics, in the straightforward combats of 
 ships. To resume the narrative. 
 
 When Bluewater landed, he returned the profound and 
 general salute of all on or near the rock, by a sweeping, 
 but courteous bow, which was nevertheless given in a 
 vacant, slovenly manner ; and immediately began to ascend 
 the ravine. He had actually reached the grassy acclivity 
 above, before he was at all aware of any person s being 
 near him. Turning, he perceived that the midshipman 
 was at his heels, respect alone preventing one of the latter s 
 active limbs and years from skipping past his superior 
 on the ascent. The Admiral recollected how little there 
 was to amuse one of the boy s habits in p, place like 
 Wychecombe, and he good-naturedly determined to take 
 him along with himself. 
 
 " You are little likely to find any diversion here, Lord 
 Geoffrey," he said ; "if you will accept of the society of 
 a dull old fellow, like myself, you shall see all I see, be 
 it more or less." 
 
 " I ve shipped for the cruise, sir, and am ready and 
 happy, too, to follow your motions, with or without 
 signals," returned the laughing youngster. " I suppose 
 Wychecombe is about as good as Portsmouth, or Plym 
 outh ; and I m sure these green fields are handsomer 
 than the streets of any dirty town I ever entered." 
 
154 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Aye, green fields are, indeed, pleasant to the eyes of 
 us sailors, who see nothing but water, for months at a 
 time. Turn to the right, if you please, my lord ; I wish 
 to call at yonder signal-station, on my way to the Hall." 
 
 The boy, as is not usual with lads of his age, inclined 
 in " the way he was told to go," and in a few minutes 
 both stood on the headland. As it would not have done 
 for the master to be absent from his staif during the day, 
 with a fleet in the roads, Button was already at his post, 
 cleanly dressed as usual, but trembling again with the 
 effect of last night s debauch on his nerves. He arose, 
 with great deference of manner, to receive the Rear- 
 admiral, and not without many misgivings of conscience ; 
 for, while memory furnished a tolerable outline of what 
 had occurred in the interview between himself and his 
 wife and daughter, wine had lost its influence, and no 
 longer helped to sustain his self-command. Fie was much 
 relieved, however, by the discreet manner in which he was 
 met by Bluewater. 
 
 " How is Sir Wycherly?" inquired the Admiral, salut 
 ing the master, as if nothing had happened ; " a note from 
 Sir Gervaise, written about daybreak, tells me he was not 
 then essentially better." 
 
 " I wish it were in my power to give you any good 
 news, sir. He must be conscious, notwithstanding ; for 
 Dick, his groom, has ridden over with a note from Mr. 
 Rotherham, to say that the excellent old Baronet particu 
 larly desires to see my wife and daughter ; and that the 
 coach will be here to take them over in a few minutes. If 
 you are bound to the Hall, this morning, sir, I m certain 
 the ladies would be delighted to give you a seat.* 
 
 "Then I will profit by their kindness," returned Blue- 
 water, seating himself on the bench at the foot of the 
 staff; "more especially, if you think they will excuse my 
 adding Lord Geoffrey Cleveland, one of Stovvel s midship 
 men, to the party. He has entered, to follow my motions, 
 with or without signals." 
 
 Button uncovered again, and bowed profoundly, at this 
 announcement of the lad s name and rank ; the boy him 
 self, taking the salute in an off-hand and indifferent way, 
 like one already wearied with vulgar adulation, while he 
 gazed about him, with some curiosity, at the headland and 
 flag-staff. 
 
 "This is a good look-out, sir," observed the midship- 
 
THE TWO ADMfj,^ 155 
 
 man; "and one that is somewhat loftier than our cross- 
 trees. A pair of sharp eyes might see everything that 
 passes within twenty miles ; and, as a proof of it, I shall be 
 the first to sing out, * Sail, ho ! " 
 
 " Where-away, my young lord ?" said Button, fidgeting, 
 as if he had neglected his duty, in the presence of a 
 superior; " I m sure your lordship can see nothing but the 
 fleet at anchor, and a few boats passing between the dif 
 ferent ships and the landing ! " 
 
 " Where-away, sure enough, youngster ? " added the Ad 
 miral. " I see some gulls glancing along the surface of 
 the water, a mile or two outside the ships, but nothing like 
 a sail." 
 
 The boy caught up Button s glass, which lay on the 
 seat, and in a minute he had it levelled at the expanse of 
 water. It was some little time, and not without much 
 sighting along the barrel of the instrument, that he got it 
 to suit himself. 
 
 " Well, Master Sharp-eyes," said Bluewater, dryly, " is 
 it a Frenchman, or a Spaniard ?" 
 
 " Hold on, a moment, sir, until I can get this awkward 
 glass to bear on it. Aye now I have her ; she s but a 
 speck, at the best royals and head of topgallant sails no, 
 sir, by George, it s our own cutter, the Active, with her 
 squaresail set, and the heads of her lower sails just rising. 
 I know her by the way she carries her gaff." 
 
 " The Active ! that betokens news," observed Bluewater, 
 thoughtfully ; for the march of events, at that moment, 
 must necessarily bring on a crisis in his own career. " Sir 
 Gervaise sent her to look into Cherbourg." 
 
 " Yes, sir, we all know that ; and there she comes to tell 
 us, I hope, that Monsieur de Vervillin has at last made up 
 his mind to come out and face us, like a man. Will you 
 look at the sail, sir ? " 
 
 Bluewater took the glass, and sweeping the horizon, he 
 soon caught a view of his object. A short survey sufficed, 
 for one so experienced, and he handed the glass back to 
 the boy. 
 
 "You have quick eyes, sir," he said, as he did so : " that 
 is a cutter, certainly, standing in for the roads, and I 
 believe you may be right in taking her for the Active." 
 
 " Tis a long way to know so small a craft!" observed 
 Button, who also took his look at the stranger. 
 
 " Very true, sir," answered the boy ; " but one ought to 
 
1 56 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 tell a friend as far as he can see him. The Active carries 
 a longer and a lower gaff than any other cutter in the 
 navy, which is the way we all tell her from the Gnat, the 
 cutter we have with us." 
 
 " I am glad to find your lordship is so close an observer," 
 returned the complaisant Dutton ; " a certain sign, my 
 lord, that your lordship will make a good sailor, in time." 
 
 " Geoffrey is a good sailor, already," observed the Ad 
 miral, who knew that the youngster was never better 
 pleased than when he dropped the distance of using his 
 title, and spoke to, or of him, as of a connection ; which, 
 in truth, he was. " He has now been with me four years, 
 having joined \vhen he w T as only twelve. Two more years 
 will make an officer of him." 
 
 "Yes, sir," said Dutton, bowing first to one, and then to 
 the other. " Yes, sir ; his lordship may well look forward 
 to that, with his particular merit, your esteemed favor, 
 and his own great name. Ah ! sir, they ve caught a sight 
 of the stranger in the fleet, and bunting is at work, 
 already." 
 
 In anchoring his ships, Admiral Bluewater had kept 
 them as close together as the fog rendered safe ; for one 
 of the great difficulties of a naval commander is to retain 
 his vessels in compact order, in thick or heavy weather. 
 Orders had been given, however, for a sloop and a frigate 
 to weigh, and stretch out into the offing a league or two. 
 as soon as the fog left them, the preceding day, in order 
 to sweep as wide a reach of the horizon as was conve 
 nient. 
 
 In order to maintain their ground in a light wind, and 
 with a strong tide running, these two cruisers had anchored ; 
 one, at a distance of a league from the fleet, and the other, 
 a mile or two farther outside, though more to the east 
 ward. The sloop lay nearest to the stranger, and signals 
 were flying at her main-royal-mast-head, which the frigate 
 was repeating, and transmitting to the flag-ship of the 
 commander-in-chief. Bluewater was so familiar with all 
 the ordinary signals, that it was seldom he had recourse 
 to his book for the explanations ; and, in the present in 
 stance, he saw at once that it was the Active s number that 
 was shown. Other signals, however, followed, which it 
 surpassed the Rear-admiral s knowledge to read, without 
 assistance ; from all which he was satisfied that the 
 stranger brought intelligence of importance, and which 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 157 
 
 could only be understood by referring to the private 
 signal-book. 
 
 While these facts were in the course of occurrence, the 
 coach arrived to convey Mrs. Button and Mildred to the 
 Hall. Bluewater now presented himself to the ladies, 
 and was received as kindly as they had separated from 
 him a few hours before ; nor were the latter displeased at 
 hearing he was to be their companion back to the dwelling 
 of Sir Wycherly. 
 
 "I fear this summons bodes evil tidings," said Mrs. 
 Button; "he would hardly think of desiring to see us, 
 unless something quite serious were on his mind ; and the 
 messenger said he was no better." 
 
 " We shall learn all, my dear lady, when we reach the 
 Hall," returned Bluewater; "and the sooner we reach it, 
 the sooner our doubts will be removed. Before we enter 
 the carriage, let me make you acquainted with my young 
 friend, Lord Geoffrey Cleveland, whom I have presumed 
 to invite to be of the party." 
 
 The handsome young midshipman was well received, 
 though Mrs. Button had been too much accustomed, in 
 early life, to see people of condition, to betray the same 
 deference as her husband for the boy s rank. The ladies 
 occupied, as usual, the hind seat of the coach, leaving that 
 in front to their male companions. The arrangement acci 
 dentally brought Mildred and the midshipman opposite 
 each other ; a circumstance that soon attracted the atten 
 tion of the Admiral, in a way that was a little odd, if not 
 remarkable. There is a charm in youth, that no other 
 period of life possesses ; infancy, with its helpless beauty, 
 scarcely seizing upon the imagination and senses with an 
 equal force. Both the young persons in question possessed 
 this advantage in a high degree ; and had there been no 
 other peculiarity, the sight might readily have proved 
 pleasing to one of Bluewater s benevolence and truth of 
 feeling. The boy was turned of sixteen ; an age in Eng 
 land when youth does not yet put on the appearance of 
 manhood ; and he retained all the evidences of a gay, gen 
 erous boyhood, rendered a little piquant by the dash of 
 archness, roguery, and fun, that a man-of-war is tolerably 
 certain to impart to a lad of spirit. Nevertheless, his 
 countenance retained an expression of ingenuousness and 
 of sensitive feeling that was singularly striking in one of 
 his sex, and which, in spite of her beauty of feature, hair, 
 
158 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and complexion, formed the strongest attraction in the 
 loveliness of Mildred ; that expression which had so much 
 struck and charmed Bluewater haunted him, we might 
 add since the previous day, by appearing so familiar, even 
 while so extraordinary, and for which he had been unable 
 to recollect a counterpart. As she now sat, face to face 
 with Lord Geoffrey, to his great surprise, the Rear-admiral 
 found much of the same character of this very expression 
 in the handsome boy, as in the lovely girl. It is true, the 
 look of ingenuousness and of sensitive feeling was far less 
 marked in young Cleveland, than in Mildred, and there 
 \vas little general resemblance of feature or countenance 
 between the two ; still, the first was to be found in both, 
 and so distinctly as to be easily traced, when placed in so 
 close contact. Geoffrey Cleveland had the reputation of 
 being like his mother ; and, furnished with this clue, the 
 fact suddenly flashed on Bluewater s mind, that the being 
 whom Mildred so nearly and strikingly resembled was a 
 deceased sister of the duchess, and a beloved cousin of his 
 own. Miss Hedworth, the young lady in question, had 
 long been dead ; but all who had known her retained the 
 most pleasing impressions equally of her charms of person 
 and of mind. 
 
 Between her and Bluewater there had existed a tender 
 friendship, in which, however, no shade of passion had 
 mingled ; a circumstance that was in part owing to the 
 difference in their years, Captain Bluewater having been 
 nearly twice his young relative s age ; and in part, proba 
 bly, to the invincible manner in which the latter seemed 
 wedded to his profession and his ship. Agnes Hedworth, 
 notwithstanding, had been very dear to our sailor from a 
 variety of causes far more so than her sister, the duchess, 
 though she was a favorite and the Rear-admiral, when 
 his mind glanced rapidly through the chain of association 
 that traced the accidental resemblance of Mildred to the 
 esteemed object, had a sincere delight in finding he had 
 thus been unconsciously attracted by one whose every look 
 and smile now forcibly reminded him of the countenance 
 of a being whom, in her day, he had thought so near per 
 fection. This delight, however, was blended with sadness, 
 on various accounts ; and the short excursion proved to 
 be so melancholy, that no one was sorry when it termi 
 nated. 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 159 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Nat. Truly, Master Holofernes, the epithets are sweetly varied, like a 
 scholar, at the least. But, sir, I assure ye, it was a buck of the first head. 
 IIoL Sir Nathaniel, hand credo. 
 Bull. Twas not a hand credo, twas a pricket. Lore s Labor s Lost. 
 
 EVERY appearance of the jolly negligence which had 
 been so characteristic of life at Wychecombe Flail had 
 vanished, when the old coach drew up in the court, to 
 permit the party it had brought from the station to alight. 
 As no one was expected but Mrs. Button and her daughter, 
 not even a footman appeared to open the door of the car 
 riage ; the vulgar-minded usually revenging their own 
 homage to the powerful, by manifesting as many slights 
 as possible to the weak. Galleygo let the new-comers out, 
 and, consequently, he was the first person of whom inqui 
 ries were made, as to the state of things in the house. 
 
 " Well," said Admiral Bluewater, looking earnestly at 
 the steward ; " how is Sir Wycherly, and what is the 
 news ? " 
 
 " Sir Wycherly is still on the Doctor s list, your honor ; 
 and I expects his case is set down as a hard un. We s as 
 well as can be expected, and altogether in good heart. 
 Sir Jarvy turned out with the sun, thof he didn t turn in 
 till the middle- watch Avas half gone or two bells as they 
 call em aboard this house four bells, as we should say in 
 the old Planter; and chickens, I hears, has riz, a shillin a 
 head, since our first boat landed." 
 
 "It s a melancholy business, Mrs. Dutton ; I fear there 
 can be little hope." 
 
 "Yes, it s all that, Admiral Blue," continued Galleygo, 
 following the party into the house, no one but himself 
 hearing a word he uttered ; "and twill be worse, afore it s 
 any better. They tell me potatoes has taken a start, too ; 
 and, all the b ys of all the young gentlemen in the fleet is 
 out, like so many wild locusts of Hegypt, I expects noth 
 ing better than as our mess will fare as bad as sogers on a 
 retreat." 
 
 In the hall, Tom Wychecombe, and his namesake, the 
 Lieutenant, met the party. From the formal despond 
 ency of the first, everything they apprehended was con- 
 
160 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 firmed. The last, however, was more cheerful, and not 
 altogether without hope ; as he did not hesitate openly to 
 avow. 
 
 " For myself, I confess I think Sir Wycherly much bet 
 ter," he said ; " although the opinion is not sanctioned by 
 that of the medical men. His desiring to see these ladies 
 is favorable ; and then cheering news for him has been 
 brought back, already, by the messenger sent only eight 
 hours since, for his kinsman, Sir Reginald Wychecombe. 
 He has sensibly revived since that report was brought in." 
 
 "Ah! my dear namesake," rejoined Tom, shaking his 
 head mournfully ; "you cannot know my beloved uncle s 
 constitution and feelings as well as I ! Rely on it, the 
 medical men are right ; and your hopes deceive you. The 
 sending for Mrs. Dutton and Miss Mildred, both of whom 
 my honored uncle respects and esteems, looks more like 
 leave-taking than anything else ; and, as to Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe though a relative, beyond a question I 
 think there has been some mistake in sending for him ; 
 since he is barely an acquaintance of the elder branch of 
 the family, and he is of the half-blood." 
 
 "Half what, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe?" demanded 
 the Vice-admiral so suddenly behind the speaker, as to 
 cause all to start ; Sir Gervaise having hastened to meet 
 the ladies and his friend, as soon as he knew of their ar 
 rival. " I ask pardon, sir, for my abrupt inquiry ; but, 
 as I was the means of sending for Sir Reginald Wyche 
 combe, I feel an interest in knowing his exact relationship 
 to my host ? " 
 
 Tom started, and even paled, at this sudden question ; 
 then the color rushed into his temples ; he became calmer, 
 and replied : 
 
 " Half-blood, Sir Gervaise," he said, steadily. " This is 
 an affinity that puts a person altogether out of the line of 
 succession; and, of course, removes any necessity, or wish, 
 to see Sir Reginald." 
 
 "Half-blood hey, Atwood?" muttered the Vice-ad 
 miral, turning away toward his secretary, who had followed 
 him down-stairs. " This may be the solution, after all ! 
 Do you happen to know what half-blood means ? It can 
 not signify that Sir Reginald comes from one of those who 
 have no father all their ancestry consisting only of a 
 mother ? " 
 
 " I should think not, Sir Gervaise ; in that case, Sir Reg- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 161 
 
 inald would scarcely be considered of so honorable a lin 
 eage as he appears to be. I have not the smallest idea, 
 sir, what half-blood means ; and, perhaps, it may not be 
 amiss to inquire of the medical gentlemen. Magrath is 
 up-stairs ; possibly he can tell us." 
 
 " I rather think it has something to do with the law. If 
 this out-of-the-way place, now, could furnish even a lub 
 berly attorney, we might learn ail about it. Harkee, At- 
 wood ; you must stand by to make Sir Wycheiiy s will, if 
 he says any more about it have you got the heading all 
 written out, as I desired." 
 
 " It is quite ready, Sir Gervaise ; beginning, as usual, 
 * In the name of God, Amen. I have even ventured so far 
 as to describe the testator s style and residence, etc., etc., 
 I, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, Bart., of Wychecombe 
 Hall, Devon, do make and declare this to be my last will 
 and testament, etc., etc. Nothing is wanting but the de 
 vises, as the lawyers call them. I can manage a will well 
 enough, Sir Gervaise, I believe. One of mine has been in 
 the courts, now, these five years, and they tell me it sticks 
 there as well as if it had been drawn in the Middle Tem 
 ple." 
 
 "Aye, I know your skill. Still, there can be no harm 
 in just asking Magrath ; though I think it must be law 
 after all ! Run up and ask him, Atwood, and bring me the 
 answer in the drawing-room, where I see Bluewater has 
 gone with his convoy ; and, harkee tell the surgeons to 
 let us know the instant the patient says anything about 
 his temporal affairs. The twenty thousand in the funds 
 are his, to do what he pleases with ; let the land be tied 
 up as it may." 
 
 While this " aside " was going on in the hall, Bluewater 
 and the rest of the party had entered a small parlor, that 
 was in constant use, still conversing of the state of Sir 
 Wycherly. As all of them but the two young men were 
 ignorant of the nature of the message to Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe, and of the intelligence in connection with 
 that gentleman, which had just been received, Mrs. Button 
 ventured to ask an explanation, which was given by Wych 
 erly, with a readiness that proved he felt no apprehensions 
 on the subject. 
 
 " Sir Wycherly desired to see his distant relative, Sir 
 Reginald," said the Lieutenant ; " and the messenger who 
 was sent to request his attendance fortunately learned 
 ii 
 
1 62 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 from a post-boy, that the Hertfordshire Baronet, in 
 mon with many other gentlemen, is travelling in the 
 just at this moment ; and that he slept, last night, at a 
 house only twenty miles distant. The express reached him 
 several hours since, and an answer has been received, in 
 forming us that we may expect to see him in an hour or 
 two." 
 
 Thus much was related by Wycherly ; but we may add, 
 that Sir Reginald Wychecombe was a Catholic, as it was 
 then usual to term the Romanists, and in secret, a Jacobite 
 and, in common with many of that religious persuasion, 
 he was down in the West, to see if a rising could not be 
 organized in that part of the kingdom, as a diversion to 
 any attempt to repel the young Pretender in the North. 
 As the utmost caution was used by the conspirators, this 
 fact was not even suspected by any who were not in the 
 secret of the whole proceeding. Understanding that his 
 relation was an inefficient old man, Sir Reginald, himself 
 an active and sagacious intriguer, had approached thus 
 near to the old paternal residence of his family, in order 
 to ascertain if his own name and descent might not aid 
 him in obtaining levies among the ancient tenantry of the 
 estate. That day he had actually intended to appear at 
 Wychecombe, disguised, and under an assumed name. He 
 proposed venturing on this step, because circumstances 
 put it in his power to give what he thought would be re 
 ceived as a sufficient excuse, should his conduct excite 
 comment. 
 
 Sir Reginald Wychecombe was a singular, but by no 
 means an unnatural compound of management and in 
 tegrity. His position as a Papist had disposed him to in 
 trigue, while his position as one proscribed by religious 
 hostility, had disposed him to be a Papist. Thousands are 
 made men of activity, and even of importance, by persecu 
 tion and proscription, who would pass through life quietly 
 and unnoticed, if the meddling hand of human forethought 
 did not force them into situations that awaken their hos 
 tility and quicken their powers. This gentleman was a 
 firm believer in all the traditions of his church, though his 
 learning extended little beyond his missal and he put the 
 most implicit reliance on the absurd, because improbable, 
 fiction of the Nag s Head consecration, without having 
 even deemed it necessary to look into a particle of that 
 testimony by which alone such a controversy could be de- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 163 
 
 cided. In a word, he was an instance of what religious 
 intolerance has ever done, and will probably forever con 
 tinue to do, with so wayward a being as rnan. 
 
 Apart from this weakness, Sir Reginald Wychecombe 
 had both a shrewd and an inquiring mind. His religion 
 he left very much to the priests but of his temporal af 
 fairs he assumed a careful and prudent supervision. He 
 was much richer than the head of the family ; but, while 
 he had no meannesses connected with money, he had no 
 objection to be the possessor of the old family estates. Of 
 his old relation to the head of this family, he was perfectly 
 aware, and the circumstance of the half-blood, with ail its 
 legal consequences, was no secret to him. Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe was not a man to be so situated, without 
 having recourse to all proper means, in order, as it has 
 become the fashion of the day to express it, "to define his 
 position." By means of a shrewd attorney, if not of his 
 own religious, at least of his own political opinions, he had 
 ascertained the fact, and this from the mouth of Martha 
 herself, that Baron Wychecombe had never married ; and 
 that, consequently, Tom and his brothers were no more 
 heirs -at-law r to the Wychecombe estate, than he w r as in his 
 own person. 
 
 He fully understood, too, that there was no heir-at-law ; 
 and that the lands must escheat, unless the present owner 
 made a will ; and to this last act, his precise information 
 told him that Sir Wycherly had an unconquerable reluc 
 tance. Under such circumstances, it is not at all surpris 
 ing, that when the Hertfordshire Baronet was thus unex 
 pectedly summoned to the bedside of his distant kinsman, 
 he inferred that his own claims were at length to be tardily 
 acknowledged, and that he was about to be put in posses 
 sion of the estates of his legitimate ancestors. It is still 
 less wonderful, that, believing this, he promptly promised 
 to lose no time in obeying the summons, determining mo 
 mentarily to forget his political, in order to look a little 
 after his personal interests. 
 
 The reader will understand, of course, that all these de 
 tails were unknown to the inmates of the Hall, beyond the 
 fact of the expected arrival of Sir Reginald Wychecombe, 
 and that of the circumstance of the half blood, which, in 
 its true bearing, w T as known alone to Tom. Their thoughts 
 were directed toward the situation of their host, and little 
 was said or done that had not his immediate condition for 
 
1 64 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the object It being understood, however, that the sur 
 geons kept the sick-chamber closed against all visitors, a 
 silent and melancholy breakfast was taken by the whole 
 party, in waiting for the moment when they might be 
 admitted. When this cheerless meal was ended, Sir Ger- 
 vaise desired Bluewaterto follow him to his room, whither 
 he led the way in person. 
 
 " It is possible, certainly, that Vervillin is out," com 
 menced the Vice-admiral, when they were alone ; " but we 
 shall know more about it when the cutter gets in and re 
 ports. You saw nothing but her number, I think you told 
 me ? " 
 
 "She was at work with private signals, when I left the 
 headland ; of course I was unable to read them without the 
 book." 
 
 " That Vervillin is a good fellow," returned SirGervaise, 
 rubbing his hands a way he had when much pleased 
 " and has stuff in him. He has thirteen two-decked ships, 
 Dick, and that will be one apiece for our captains, and a 
 spare one for each of our flags. I believe there is no 
 three-decker in that squadron ? " 
 
 " There you ve made a small mistake, Sir Gervaise, as 
 the Comte de Vervillin had his flag in the largest three- 
 decker in France ; Le Bourbon, 120. The rest of his ships 
 are like our own, though much fuller manned." 
 
 " Never mind, Blue never mind ; we ll put two on the 
 Bourbon, and try to make our frigates of use. Besides, 
 you have a knack at keeping the fleet so compact, that it 
 is nearly a single battery." 
 
 " May I venture to ask, then, if it is your intention to go 
 out, should the news by the Active prove to be what you 
 anticipate ?" 
 
 Sir Gervaise cast a quick, distrustful glance at the other, 
 anxious to read the motive for the question, at the same 
 time that he did not wish to betray his own feelings ; then 
 he appeared to meditate on the answer. 
 
 " It is not quite agreeable to lie here, chafing our cables, 
 with a French squadron roving the channel," he said ; 
 " but I rather think it s my duty to wait for orders from 
 the Admiralty, under present circumstances." 
 
 "Do you expect my lords will send you through the 
 Straits of Dover to blockade the Frith ?" 
 
 " If they do, Bluewater, I shall hope for your company. 
 I trust a night s rest has given you different views of 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 165 
 
 what ought to be a seaman s duty, when his country is at 
 open war with her ancient and most powerful enemies." 
 
 " It is the prerogative of the crown to declare war, 
 Cakes. No one but a lawful sovereign can make a lawful 
 war." 
 
 "Aye, here come your cursed distinctions about de jure 
 and de facto, again. By the way, Dick, you are something 
 of a scholar can you tell me what is understood by call 
 ing a man nullus ? " 
 
 Admiral Bluewater, who had taken his usual lolling at 
 titude in the most comfortable chair he could find, while 
 his more mercurial friend kept pacing the room, now 
 raised his head in surprise, following the quick motions of 
 the other with his eyes, as if he doubted whether he had 
 rightly heard the question. 
 
 *"" It s plain English, is it not ? or plain Latin, if you 
 will ; what is meant by calling a man a nullus?" repeated 
 Sir Gervaise, observing the other s manner. 
 
 " The Latin is plain enough, certainly," returned Blue- 
 water, smiling ; "you surely do not mean nullus, nulla,nul- 
 lum ? " 
 
 " Exactly that you ve hit it to a gender. Nullus, nulla, 
 niillum. No man, no woman, no thing. Masculine, femi 
 nine, neuter." 
 
 " I never heard the saying. If ever used, it must be 
 some silly ptay on sounds, and mean a numskull or, per 
 haps, a fling at a fellow s position, by saying he is a * no 
 body. Who the deuce has been calling another a nullus, 
 in the presence of the commander-in-chief of the southern 
 squadron ? " 
 
 "Sir Wycherly Wychecombe our unfortunate host, 
 here ; the poor man who is on his death-bed on this very 
 floor." 
 
 Again Bluewater raised his head, and once more his eye 
 sought the face of his friend. Sir Gervaise had now 
 stopped short, with his hands crossed behind his back, 
 looking intently at the other, in expectation of the answer. 
 
 " I thought it might be some difficulty from the fleet 
 some silly fellow complaining of another still more silly 
 for using such a word. Sir Wycherly ! The poor man s 
 mind must have failed him." 
 
 " I rather think not ; if it has, there is method in his 
 madness, for he persevered most surprisingly in the use 
 of the term. His nephew, Torn Wychecombe, the pre- 
 
1 66 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 sumptive heir, he insists on it, is a nullus ; while this Sir 
 Reginald, who is expected to arrive every instant, he says, 
 is only half or half-blood, as it has since been explained 
 to us." 
 
 " I am afraid this nephew will prove to be anything but 
 nullus, when he succeeds to the estate and title," answered 
 Bluewater, gravely. "A more sinister-looking scoundrel 
 I never laid eyes on." 
 
 " That is just my way of thinking ; and not in the least 
 like the family." 
 
 " This matter of likenesses is not easily explained, Oakes. 
 We see parents and children without any visible resem 
 blance to each other ; and then we find startling likenesses 
 between utter strangers." 
 
 " Bachelors children may be in that predicament, cer 
 tainly ; but I should think few others. I never yet studied 
 a child, that I did not find some resemblance to both par 
 ents ; covert and only transitory, perhaps ; but a likeness 
 so distinct as to establish the relationship. What an ac 
 cursed chance it is, that our noble yoiiLg Lieutenant 
 should have no claim on this old Baronet while this 
 
 d d nullus is both heir-at-law, and heir of entail ! I 
 
 never took half as much interest in any other man s estate, 
 as I take in the succession to this of our poor host ! " 
 
 " There you are mistaken, Oakes ; you took more in 
 mine ; for, when I made a will in your own favor, and 
 gave it to you to read, you tore it in two. and threw it 
 overboard, with your own hand." 
 
 " Aye, that was an act of lawful authority. As your 
 superior, I countermanded that will ! I hope you ve made 
 another, and given your money, as I told you, to your 
 cousin, the viscount." 
 
 " I did, but that will has shared the fate of the first. 
 It appearing to me that we are touching on serious times, 
 and Bluewater being rich already, I destroyed the devise 
 in his favor, and made a new one, this very morning. As 
 you are my executor, as usual, it may be well to let you 
 know it." 
 
 " Dick, you have not been mad enough to cut off the 
 head of your own family your own flesh and blood, as it 
 might be to leave the few thousands you own to this mad 
 adventurer in Scotland ! " 
 
 Bluewater smiled at this evidence of the familiarity of 
 his friend with his own way of thinking and feeling ; and, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 167 
 
 for a single instant, he regretted that he had not put his 
 first intention in force, in order that the conformity of 
 views might have been still more perfect ; but putting a 
 hand in his pocket he drew out the document itself, and 
 leaning forward, gave it carelessly to Sir Gervaise. 
 
 " There is the will ; and by looking it over, you will know 
 what I ve done," he said. " I wish yti would keep it ; for, 
 if Misery makes us acquainted with strange bed- fellows, 
 revolutions reduce us often to strange plights, and the paper 
 will be safer with you than with me. Of course you will 
 keep my secret until the proper time to reveal it shall ar 
 rive." 
 
 The Vice-admiral, who knew he had no interest in his 
 friend s disposition of his property, took the will, with a 
 good deal of curiosity to ascertain its provisions. So short 
 a testament was soon read ; and his eye rested intently on 
 the paper until it had taken in the last word. Then his 
 hand dropped, and he regarded Bluewater with a surprise 
 he neither affected, nor wished to conceal. He did not 
 doubt his friend s sanity, but he greatly questioned his 
 discretion. 
 
 "This is a very simple, but a very ingenious arrange 
 ment to disturb the order of society," he said; " and to 
 convert a very modest and unpretending, though lovely 
 girl, into a fonvard and airs-taking old woman ! What is 
 this Mildred Button to you, that you should bequeath to 
 her 
 
 " She is one of the meekest, most ingenuous, purest, and 
 loveliest of her meek, ingenuous, pure, and lovely sex, 
 crushed to the earth by the curse of a brutal, drunken 
 father ; and I am resolute to see that this world, for once, 
 affords some compensation for its own miseries." 
 
 " Never doubt that, Richard Bluewater ; never doubt 
 that. So certain is vice, or crime to bring its own punish 
 ment in this life, that any one may well question if any 
 other hell is needed. And^ depend on it, your meek, mod 
 est ingenuousness, in its turn, will not go unrewarded." 
 
 "Quite true, so far as the spirit is concerned; but I 
 mean to provide a little for the comfort of the body. You 
 remember Agnes Hedworth, I take it for granted." 
 
 "Remember her! out of all question. Had the war 
 left me leisure for making love, she was the only woman I 
 ever knew who could have brought me to her feet ; I mean 
 as a dog, Dick." 
 
168 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 tl Do you see any resemblance between her and this Mil 
 dred Button? It is in the expression rather than in the 
 features ; but it is the expression which alone denotes the 
 character." 
 
 " By George, you re right, Bluewater ; and this relieves 
 me from some embarrassment I ve felt about that very ex 
 pression of which you,speak. She is like poor Agnes, who 
 became a saint earlier than any of us could have wished. 
 Living or dead, Agnes Hedworth must be an angel ! You 
 were fonder of her than of any other woman, I believe. 
 At one time, I thought you might propose for her hand." 
 
 " It was not that sort of affection, and you could not have 
 known her private history, or you would not have fancied 
 this. I was so situated in the way of relatives, that Agnes, 
 though only the child of a cousin-german, was the nearest 
 youthful female relative I had on earth ; and I regarded 
 her more as a sister, than as a creature who could ever be 
 come my wife. She was sixteen years my junior ; and by 
 the time she was old enough to marry, I was accustomed 
 to think of her only as one destined to fill another station. 
 The same feeling existed as to her sister, the Duchess, 
 though in a greatly lessened degree." 
 
 " Poor, sweet Agnes ! and it is on account of this acci 
 dental resemblance, that you have determined to make the 
 daughter of a drunken sailing-master your heiress ? " 
 
 " Not altogether so ; the will was drawn before I was 
 conscious that the likeness existed. Still, it has probably, 
 unknown to myself, greatly disposed me to view her with 
 favor. But, Gervaise, Agnes herself was not fairer in per 
 son, or more lovely in mind, than this very Mildred 
 Dutton." 
 
 " Well, you have not been accustomed to regard her as 
 a sister ! and she has become marriageable, without there 
 having been any opportunity for your regarding her as so 
 peculiarly sacred, Dick!" returned Sir Gervaise, half 
 suppressing a smile as he threw a quiet glance at his 
 friend. 
 
 "You know this to be idle, Oakes. Some one must in 
 herit my money ; my brother is long since dead ; even 
 poor, poor Agnes is gone ; her sister don t need it ; Blue- 
 water is an over-rich bachelor, already ; you won t take it, 
 and what better can I do with it ? If you could have seen 
 the cruel manner in which the spirits of both mother and 
 daughter were crushed to the earth last night, by that 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 169 
 
 beast of a husband and father, you would have felt a desire 
 to relieve their misery, even though it had cost you -Bowl- 
 dero, and half your money in the funds." 
 
 " Umph ! Bowldero has been in my family five centuries, 
 and is likely to remain there, Master Bluewater, five more ; 
 unless, indeed, your dashing Pretender should succeed, and 
 take it away by confiscation." 
 
 " There, again, was another inducement. Should I 
 leave my cash to a rich person, and should chance put me 
 on the wrong side in this struggle, the king de facto would 
 get it all ; whereas, even a German would not have the 
 heart to rob a poor creature like Mildred of her support." 
 
 "The Scotch are notorious for bowels, in such matters! 
 Well, have it your own way, Dick. It s of no great 
 moment what you do with your prize-money ; though I 
 had supposed it would fall into the hands of this boy, 
 Geoffrey Cleveland, who is no discredit to your blood." 
 
 " He will have a hundred thousand pounds, at five-and- 
 twenty, that were left him by old Lady Greenfield, his 
 great-aunt, and that is more than he will know what to do 
 with. But, enough of this. Have you received further 
 tidings from the north, during the night?" 
 
 " Not a syllable. This is a retired part of the country ; 
 and half Scotland might be capsized in one of its lochs, 
 and w r e not know of it, for a week, down here in Devon 
 shire. Should I get no intelligence or orders, in the next 
 thirty-six hours, I think of posting up to London, leaving 
 you in command of the fleet." 
 
 "That may not be wise. You would scarcely confide so 
 important a trust, in such a crisis, to a man of my political 
 feelings I will not say opinions ; since you attribute all 
 to sentiment." 
 
 " I would confide my life and honor to you, Richard 
 Bluewater, with the utmost confidence in the security of 
 both, so long as it depended on your own acts or inclina 
 tions. We must first see, however, what news the Active 
 brings us ; for, if De Vervillin is really out, I shall assume 
 that the duty of an English sailor is to beat a Frenchman, 
 before all other considerations." 
 
 "If he can," dryly observed the other, raising his right 
 leg so high as to place the foot on the top of an old-fash 
 ioned chair ; an effort that nearly brought his back in a 
 horizontal line. 
 
 " I am far from regarding it as a matter of course, Ad- 
 
170 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 miral Bluewater ; but it has been done sufficiently often to 
 render it an event of no very violent possibility. Ah, here 
 is Magrath to tell us the condition of his patient." 
 
 The surgeon of the Plantagenet entering the room, at 
 that moment, the conversation was instantly changed. 
 
 "Well, Magrath," said Sir Gervaise, stopping suddenly 
 in his quarter-deck pace ; "what news of the poor man ?" 
 
 " He is reviving, Admiral Oakes," returned the phleg 
 matic surgeon ; " but it is like the gleaming of sunshine 
 that streams through clouds, as the great luminary sets be 
 hind the hill " 
 
 " O ! hang your poetry, doctor ; let us have nothing but 
 plain matter-of-fact, this morning." 
 
 "Well, then, Sir Gervaise, as commander-in-chief, you ll 
 be obeyed, I think. Sir Wycherly Wychecomb is suffering 
 under an attack of apoplexy or apoplexis, as the Greeks 
 had it. The diagnosis of the disease is not easily mistaken, 
 though it has its affinities as well as other maladies. The 
 application for gout, or arthritis, sometimes produce apo 
 plexy ; though one disease is seated in the head, while the 
 other usually takes refuge in the feet. Ye ll understand 
 this the more readily, gentlemen, when ye reflect that as a 
 thief is chased from one hiding-place, he commonly en 
 deavors to get into another. I much misgive the prudence 
 of the phlebotomy ye practised among ye, on the first 
 summons to the patient." 
 
 "What the d 1 does the man mean by phlebotomy ?" 
 
 exclaimed Sir Gervaise, who had an aversion to medicine, 
 and knew scarcely any of the commonest terms of practice, 
 though expert in bleeding. 
 
 "I m thinking it s what you and Admiral Bluewater so 
 freely administer to his Majesty s enemies, whenever ye 
 fall in with em at sea ; he, he, he," answered Magrath, 
 chuckling at his own humor ; which, as the quantity was 
 small, was all the better in quality. 
 
 " Surely he does not mean powder and shot ! We give 
 the French shot ; Sir Wycherly has not been shot ? " 
 
 " Varra true, Sir Gervaise, but ye ve lot him blood 
 amang ye ; a measure that has been somewhat precipi 
 tately practised, I ve my misgivings." 
 
 " Now, any old woman can tell us better than that, doc 
 tor. Blood-letting is the every-day remedy for attacks of 
 this sort." 
 
 " I do not dispute the dogmas of elderly persons of the 
 
THE Tiro ADMIRALS. 171 
 
 other sex, Sir Gervaise, or your e very-day remedia. If 
 *e very-day* doctors would save life and alleviate pain, di 
 plomas would be unnecessary ; and we might, all of us, 
 practice on the principle of the De el tak the hindmaist, 1 
 as ye did yoursel , Sir Gervaise, when ye cut and slashed 
 am ang the Dons, in boarding El Lirio. I was there, ye ll 
 both remember, gentlemen; and was obleeged to sew up 
 the gashes ye made with your own irreverent and ungodly 
 hands." 
 
 This speech referred to one of the most desperate hand-to- 
 hand struggles, in which the two flag officers had ever been 
 engaged ; and, as it afforded them the means of exhibiting 
 their personal gallantry, when quite young men, both usu 
 ally looked back upon the exploit with great self-compla 
 cency ; Sir Gervaise, in particular, his friend having often 
 declared since, that they ought to have been laid on the 
 shelf for life, as a punishment for risking their men in so 
 mad an enterprise, though it did prove to be brilliantly 
 successful. 
 
 "That was an affair in which one might engage at 
 twenty two, Magrath," observed Bluewater ; " but which 
 lie ought to hesitate about thinking of even, after thirty." 
 
 " I would do it again, this blessed day, if you would give 
 us a chance ! " exclaimed Sir Gervaise, striking the back 
 of one hand into the palm of the other, with a sudden en 
 ergy, that showed how much he was excited by the mere 
 recollection of the scene. 
 
 " That w ud ye ! that w ud ye ! " said Magrath, growing 
 more and more Scotch, as he warmed in the discourse ; 
 "ye d board a mackeral-hoy, rather than not have an en 
 gagement. Ya r a vara capital Vice-admiral of the red, 
 Sir Gervaise, but I m judging ye d mak a vara indeeferent 
 loblollyboy." 
 
 " Bluewater, I shall be compelled to change ships with 
 you, in order to get rid of the standbys of the Plantagenet ! 
 They stick to me like leeches ; and have got to be so fa 
 miliar, that they criticise all my orders and don t more 
 than half obey them, in the bargain." 
 
 " No one will criticise your nautical commands, Sir 
 Gervaise ; though, in the way of the healing airt science, 
 it should be called ye re no maire to be trusted than one 
 of the young gentlemen. I m told you drew your lancet 
 on this poor gentleman, as ye d draw ye r sword on an 
 enemv ! " 
 
172 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "I did, indeed, sir; though Mr. Rotherham had ren 
 dered the application of the instrument unnecessary. 
 Apoplexy is a rushing of the blood to the head ; and by 
 diminishing the quantity in the veins of the arms or tem 
 ples, you lessen the pressure on the brain." 
 
 "Just layman s practice, sir just layman s practice. 
 Will you tell me now if the patient s face was red or white ? 
 Everything depends on that ; which is the true diagnosis 
 of the malady." 
 
 " Red, I think; was it not, Bluewater? Red, like old 
 port, of which I fancy the poor man had more than his 
 share." 
 
 " Well, in that case, you were not so varra wrong ; but 
 they tell me his countenance was pallid and death-like ; in 
 which case ye came near to committing murder. There is 
 one principle that controls the diagnosis of all cases of 
 apoplexy among ye r true country gentleman, and that is, 
 that the system is reduced and enfeebled, by habitual de 
 votion to the decanter. In such attacks ye canna do 
 warse than to let blood. But I ll no be hard upon you, 
 Sir Gervaise; and so we ll drop the subject though, 
 truth to say, I do not admire your poaching on my manor. 
 Sir Wycherly is materially better, and expresses, as well 
 as a man who has not the use of his tongue, can express a 
 thing, his besetting desire to make his last will and testa 
 ment. In ordinary cases of apoplexia, it is a good practice 
 to oppose this craving ; though, as it is my firm opinion 
 that nothing can save the patient s life, I do not set myself 
 against the measure, in this particular case. Thar was a 
 curious discussion at Edinbro , in my youth, gentlemen, 
 on the question whether the considerations connected with 
 the disposition of the property, or the considerations con 
 nected with the patient s health, ought to preponderate in 
 the physician s mind, when it might be reasonably doubted 
 whether the act of making a will, would or would not 
 essentially affect the nervous system, or otherwise derange 
 the functions of the body. A very pretty argument, in 
 excellent Edinbro Latin, was made on each side of the 
 question. I think, on the whole, the physicos had the 
 best o it ; for they could show a plausible present evil as 
 opposed to a possible remote good." 
 
 " Has Sir Wycherly mentioned my name this morning ?" 
 asked the Vice-admiral, with interest. 
 
 " He has, indeed, Sir Gervaise ; and that in a way so 
 
THE TWO 
 
 manifestly connected with his 
 no be forgotten in the legacies, 
 was in his mouth also." 
 
 " In which case no time should be lost" r^forfScfer before 
 have I felt half the interest in the disposition of a stranger s 
 estate ! Hark ! Are not those wheels rattling in the court 
 yard ? " 
 
 "Ye r senses are most perfect, Sir Gervaise, and that 
 I ve always said was one reason why ye re so great an ad 
 miral," returned Magrath. " Mind, only one, Sir Gervaise ; 
 for many qualities united, are necessary to make a truly 
 great man. I see a middle-aged gentleman alighting, and 
 servants around him, who wear the same liveries as those 
 of this house. Some relative, no doubt, come to look after 
 the legacies also." 
 
 "This must be Sir Reginald Wychecombe ; it may not 
 be amiss if we go fonvard to receive him, Bluewater." 
 
 At this suggestion, the Rear-admiral drew in his legs, 
 which had not changed their position on account of the 
 presence of the surgeon, arose, and followed Sir Gervaise, 
 as the latter left the room. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Videsne quis venit ? 
 
 Video, et gaudeo. Love s labor s Lost. 
 
 TOM WYCHECOMBE had experienced an uneasiness that 
 it is unnecessary to explain, ever since he learned that his 
 reputed uncle had sent a messenger to bring the "half- 
 blood " to the Hall. From the moment he got a clew to 
 the fact, he took sufficient pains to ascertain what was in 
 the wind ; and when Sir Reginald Wychecombe entered 
 the house, the first person he met was this spurious sup 
 porter of the honors of his name. 
 
 " Sir Reginald Wychecombe, I presume, from the arms 
 and the liveries," said Tom, endeavoring to assume the 
 manner of a host " It is grateful to find that, though we 
 are separated by quite two centuries, all the usages and 
 the bearings of the family are equally preserved and re 
 spected, by both its branches." 
 
 " I am Sir Reginald Wychecombe, sir, and endeavor not 
 
174 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 to forget the honorable ancestry from which I am derived. 
 May I ask what kinsman I have the pleasure now to meet?" 
 
 " Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, sir, at your command; the 
 eldest son of Sir Wycherly s next brother, the late Mr. 
 Baron Wychecombe. I trust, Sir Reginald, you have not 
 considered us so far removed in blood, as to have entirely 
 overlooked our births, marriages, and deaths." 
 
 " I have not, sir," returned the Baronet, dryly, and with 
 an emphasis that disturbed his listener, though the cold, 
 Jesuitical smile that accompanied the words had the effect 
 to calm his vivid apprehensions. "All that relates to the 
 house of Wychecombe has interest in my eyes ; and I have 
 endeavored, successfully, I trust, to ascertain all that re 
 lates to its births, marriages, and deaths. I greatly regret 
 that the second time I enter this venerable dwelling, should 
 be on an occasion as melancholy as this, on which I am 
 now summoned. How is your respectable how is Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe, I wish to say ? " 
 
 There was sufficient in this answer, taken in connection 
 with the deliberate, guarded, and yet expressive manner 
 of the speaker, to make Tom extremely uncomfortable, 
 though there was also sufficient to leave him in doubt as 
 to -his namesake s true meaning. The words emphasized 
 by the latter were touched lightly, though distinctly ; and 
 the cold, artificial smile with which they were uttered, 
 completely baffled the sagacity of a rogue as common 
 place as the heir-expectant. Then the sudden change in 
 the construction of the last sentence, and the substitution 
 of the name of the person mentioned, for the degree of 
 affinity in which he was supposed to stand to Tom, might 
 be merely a rigid observance of the best tone of society, 
 or it might be equivocal. All these little distinctions 
 gleamed across the mind of Tom Wychecombe ; but that 
 was not the moment to pursue the investigation. Courte 
 sy required that he should make an immediate answer, 
 which he succeeded in doing steadily enough as to general 
 appearances, though his sagacious and practical question 
 er perceived that his words had not failed of producing 
 the impression he intended ; for he had looked to their 
 establishing a species of authority over the young man. 
 
 "My honored and beloved uncle has revived a little, 
 they tell me," said Tom ; " but I fear these appearances 
 are delusive. After eighty-four, death has a fearful hold 
 upon us, sir ! The worst of it is, that my poor, dear uncle s 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 1-5 
 
 mind is sensibly affected ; and it is quite impossible to get 
 at any of his little wishes, in the way of memorials and 
 messages 
 
 " How then, sir, came Sir Wycherly to honor me with a 
 request to visit him ? " demanded the other, with an ex 
 tremely awkward pertinency. 
 
 " I suppose, sir, he has succeeded in muttering your 
 name, and that a natural construction has been put on its 
 use, at such a moment. His will has been made some 
 time, I understand : though I am ignorant of even the 
 name of the executor, as it is closed in an envelope, and 
 sealed with Sir Wycherly s arms. It cannot be then, on 
 account &i a will, that he has wished to see you. I rather 
 think, as the next of the family, out of the direct line of 
 succession, he may have ventured to name you as his ex 
 ecutor of the will in existence, and has thought it proper to 
 notify you of the same." 
 
 " Yes, sir," returned Sir Reginald, in his usual cold, 
 wary manner ; "though it would have been more in con 
 formity with usage, had the notification taken the form of 
 a request to serve, previously to making the testament. 
 My letter was signed Gervaise Oakes, and, as they tell 
 me a fleet is in the neighborhood, I have supposed that the 
 celebrated Admiral of that name has done me the honor 
 to write it." 
 
 " You are not mistaken, sir ; Sir Gervaise Oakes is in the 
 house ah here he comes to receive you, accompanied 
 by Rear-admiral Bluewater, whom the sailors call his 
 mainmast." 
 
 The foregoing conversation had taken place in a little 
 parlor that led off from the great hall, whither Tom had 
 conducted his guest, and in which the two Admirals now 
 made their appearance. Introductions were scarcely nec 
 essary, the uniform and star for in that age officers usu 
 ally appeared in their robes the uniform and star of Sir 
 Gervaise at once proclaiming his rank and name ; while 
 between Sir Reginald and Bluewater there existed a slight 
 personal acquaintance, which had grown out of their covert, 
 but deep Jacobite sympathies. 
 
 " Sir Gervaise Oakes," and " Sir Reginald Wychecombe," 
 passed between the gentlemen, with a hearty shake of the 
 hand from the Admiral, which was met by a cold touch of 
 the fingers on the part of the other, that might very well 
 have passed for the great model of the sophisticated man- 
 
1 76 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ipulation of the modern salute, but which, in fact, was the 
 result of temperament rather than of fashion. As soon as 
 this ceremony was gone through, and a few brief expres 
 sions of courtesy were exchanged, the new comer turned to 
 Bluewater, with an air of greater freedom, and continued 
 
 "And you, too, Sir Richard Bluewater! I rejoice to 
 meet an acquaintance in this melancholy scene." 
 
 " I am happy to see you, Sir Reginald ; though you have 
 conferred on me a title to which I have no proper claim." 
 
 " No ! the papers tell us you have received one of the 
 lately vacant red ribbons?" 
 
 " I believe some such honor has been in contempla 
 tion 
 
 " Contemplation ! I do assure you, sir, your name is 
 fairly and distinctly gazetted as, by sending to my car 
 riage, it will be in my power to show you. I am, then the 
 first to call you Sir Richard." 
 
 " Excuse me, Sir Reginald, there is some little misap 
 prehension in this matter ; I prefer to remain plain Rear- 
 admiral Bluewater. In due season, all will be explained." 
 
 The parties exchanged looks, which, in times like those 
 in which they lived, were sufficiently intelligible to both ; 
 and the conversation was instantly changed. Before Sir 
 Reginald released the hand he held, however, he gave it 
 a cordial squeeze, an intimation that was returned by a 
 warm pressure from Bluewater. The party then began 
 to converse of Sir Wycherly, his actual condition, and his 
 probable motive in desiring to see his distant kinsman. 
 This motive Sir Gervaise, regardless of the presence of 
 Torn Wychecombe, declared to be a wish to make a will ; 
 and, as he believed, the intention of naming Sir Reginald 
 his executor, if not in some still more interesting capacity. 
 
 " I understand Sir Wycherly lias a considerable sum 
 entirely at his own disposal," continued the Vice-admiral : 
 "and I confess I like to see a man remember his friends 
 and servants, generously, in his last moments. The estate 
 is entailed, I hear ; and I suppose Mr. Thomas Wyche 
 combe here, will be none the worse for that precaution in 
 his ancestor, let the old gentleman do as he pleases with 
 his savings." 
 
 Sir Gervaise was so much accustomed to command, that 
 he did not feel the singularity of his own interference in 
 the affairs of a family of what might be called strangers, 
 though the circumstance struck Sir Reginald as a little 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 177 
 
 odd. Nevertheless, the last had sufficient penetration to 
 understand the Vice-admiral s character at a glance, and 
 the peculiarity made no lasting impression. When the 
 allusion was made to Tom s succession, as a matter of 
 course, however, he cast a cold, but withering look, at the 
 reputed heir, which almost chilled the marrow in the bones 
 of the jealous rogue. 
 
 " Might I say a word to you in your own room, Sir Ger-fc- 
 vaise ? " asked Sir Reginald, in an aside. ** These matters 
 ought not to be indecently hurried ; and I wish to under 
 stand the ground better, before I advance." 
 
 This question was overheard by Bluewater ; who, beg 
 ging the gentlemen to remain where they were, withdrew 
 himself, taking Tom Wychecombe with him. As soon as 
 they were alone, Sir Reginald drew from his companion, 
 by questions warily but ingeniously put, a history of all 
 that had occurred within the last twenty-four hours: a 
 knowledge of the really helpless state of Sir Wycherly, 
 and of the manner in which he himself had been sum 
 moned, included. When satisfied, he expressed a desire to 
 see the sick man. 
 
 " By the way, Sir Reginald," said the Vice-admiral, with 
 his hand on the lock of the door, arresting his own move 
 ment to put the question : " I see by your manner of 
 expressing yourself, that the law has not been entirely 
 overlooked in your education. Do you happen to know 
 what * half-blood means ? It is either a medical or a legal 
 term, and I understand few but nautical." 
 
 "You could not apply to any man in England, Sir Ger- 
 vaise, better qualified to tell you," answered the Hertford 
 shire Baronet, smiling expressively " I am a barrister of 
 the Middle Temple, having been educated as a younger 
 son, and having since succeeded an elder brother, at the 
 age of twenty-seven ; I stand in the unfortunate relation 
 of the < half-blood myself, to this very estate, on which 
 we are now conversing." 
 
 Sir Reginald then proceeded to explain the law to the 
 other, as we have already pointed out to the reader ; per 
 forming the duty succinctly, but quite clearly. 
 
 " Bless me ! bless me ! Sir Reginald," exclaimed the 
 direct-minded and just-minded sailor, "here must be some 
 mistake ! A fortieth cousin, or the king, take this estate 
 before yourself, though you are directly descended from 
 all the old Wychecombes of the times of the Plantagenets ! " 
 
 12 
 
178 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Such is the common law, Sir Gervnise. Were I Sir 
 Wycherly s half-brother, or a son by a second wife of our 
 common father, I could not take from him, although that 
 common father had earned the estate by Ins own hands, or 
 services." 
 
 "This is damnable, sir damnable ; and you ll pardon 
 me, but I can hardly believe we have such a monstrous 
 principle in the good, honest, well-meaning laws of good, 
 honest, well-meaning old England ! " 
 
 Sir Reginald was one of the few lawyers of his time who 
 did not recognize the virtue of this particular provision of 
 the common law ; a circumstance that probably arose 
 from his having so small an interest now in the mysteries 
 of the profession, and so large an interest in the family 
 estate of Wychecombe, destroyed by its dictum. He was 
 consequently, less surprised, and not at all hurt, at the evi 
 dent manner in which the sailor repudiated his statement, 
 as doing violence equally to reason, justice, and probability. 
 
 "Good, honest, well-meaning old England tolerates 
 many grievous things, notwithstanding, Sir Gervaise," he 
 answered ; " among others, it tolerates the law of the half- 
 blood. Much depends on the manner in which men view 
 these things ; that which seems gold to one, resembling 
 silver in the eyes of another. Now, I dare say," this was 
 said as a feeler, and with a smile that might pass for ironi 
 cal or confiding, as the listener pleased to take it "now, 
 I dare say, the clans would tell us that England tolerates 
 an usurper, while her lawful prince was in banishment ; 
 though you and I might not feel disposed to allow it." 
 
 Sir Gervaise started, and cast a quick, suspicious glance 
 at the speaker ; but there the latter stood, with as open 
 and guileless an expression on his handsome features, as 
 was ever seen in the countenance of confiding sixteen. 
 
 "Your supposititious case is no parallel," returned the 
 Vice-admiral, losing every shade of suspicion at this 
 appearance of careless frankness ; "since men often follow 
 their feelings in their allegiance, while the law is supposed 
 to be governed by reason and justice. But, now we are 
 on the subject, will you tell me, Sir Reginald, if you also 
 know what a nulhis is ? " 
 
 " I have no further knowledge of the subject, Sir Ger 
 vaise," returned the other, smiling, this time quite natur 
 ally, " than is to be found in the Latin dictionaries and 
 grammars." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 179 
 
 "Aye, you mean nullus, null a ^ mtlliim. Even we sailors 
 know that ; as we all go to school before we go to sea. 
 But, Sir Wycherly, in efforts to make himself understood, 
 called you a half-blood. " 
 
 " And quite correctly ; I admit such to be the fact ; and 
 that I have no more legal claim, whatever, on this estate, 
 than you have yourself. My moral right, however, may 
 be somewhat better." 
 
 " It is much to your credit that you so frankly admit it, 
 Sir Reginald ; for, hang me, if I think even the judges 
 would dream of raising such an objection to your succeed 
 ing, unless reminded of it." 
 
 "Therein you do them injustice, Sir Gervaise ; as it is 
 their duty to administer the laws, let them be what they 
 may." 
 
 " Perhaps you are right, sir. But the reason for my 
 asking what a nullus is, was the circumstance that Sir 
 Wycherly, in the course of his efforts to speak, repeatedly 
 called his nephew and heir, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, by 
 that epithet." 
 
 " Did he, indeed ? Was the epithet, as you well term it, 
 fill us null ins ? " 
 
 " I rather think it was nullus though I do believe the 
 \vordfflius was muttered, once or twice, also." 
 
 " Yes, sir, this has been the case ; and I am not sorry 
 Sir Wycherly is aware of the fact, as I hear that the young 
 man affects to consider himself in a different point of view. 
 A films nullius is the legal term for a bastard the son of 
 nobody, as you will at once understand. I am fully aware 
 that such is the unfortunate predicament of Mr. Thomas 
 Wychecombe, whose father, I possess complete evidence to 
 show, was never married to his mother." 
 
 "And yet, Sir Reginald, the impudent rascal carries in 
 his pocket even, a certificate, signed by some parish priest 
 in London, to prove the contrary." 
 
 The civil Baronet seemed surprised at this assertion of 
 his military brother ; but Sir Gervaise explaining what had 
 passed between himself and the young man, he could no 
 longer entertain any doubt of the fact. 
 
 " Since you have seen the document," resumed Sir Regi 
 nald, " it must, indeed, be so ; and this misguided boy is 
 prepared to take any desperate step in order to obtain the 
 title and the estate. All that he has said about a will must 
 be fabulous, as no man in his senses would risk his neck 
 
i8o THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 to obtain so hollow a distinction as a baronetcy we are 
 equally members of the class, and may speak frankly, Sir 
 Gervaise and the will would secure the estate, if there 
 were one. I cannot think, therefore, that there is a will 
 at all." 
 
 "If this will were not altogether to the fellow s liking, 
 would not the marriage, beside the hollow honor of which 
 you have spoken, put the whole of the landed property in 
 his possession, under the entail?" 
 
 " It would, indeed ; and I thank you for the suggestion. 
 If, however, Sir Wycherly is desirous, now, of making a 
 new will, and has strength and mind sufficient to execute 
 his purpose, the old one need give us no concern. This 
 is a most delicate affair for one in my situation to engage 
 in, sir ; and I greatly rejoice that I find such honorable 
 and distinguished witnesses in the house, to clear my repu 
 tation, should anything occur to require such exculpation. 
 On the one side, Sir Gervaise, there is the danger of an 
 ancient estate s falling into the hands of the crown, and 
 this, too, while one of no stain of blood, derived from the 
 same honorable ancestors as the last possessor, is in exist 
 ence ; or, on the other, of its becoming the prey of one of 
 base blood, and of but very doubtful character. The cir 
 cumstance that Sir Wycherly desired my presence, is a 
 great deal ; and I trust to you, and to those with you, to 
 vindicate the fairness of my course. If it s your pleasure, 
 sir, we will now go to the sick chamber." 
 
 " With all my heart. I think, however, Sir Reginald," 
 said the Vice-admiral, as he approached the door ; "that 
 even in the event of an escheat, you would find these 
 Brunswick princes sufficiently liberal to restore the prop 
 erty. I could not answer for those wandering Scotchmen, 
 who have so many breechless nobles to enrich ; but, I think, 
 with the Hanoverians you would be safe." 
 
 " The last have certainly one recommendation the most," 
 returned the other, smiling courteously, but in a way so 
 equivocal that even Sir Gervaise was momentarily struck 
 by it ; " they have fed so well, now, at the crib, that they 
 may not have the same voracity, as those who have been 
 long fasting. It would be, however, more pleasant to take 
 these lands from a Wychecombe a Wychecombe to a 
 Wychecombe than to receive them anew from even the 
 Plantagenet who made the first grant." 
 
 This terminated the private dialogue, as the colloquists 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 181 
 
 entered the hall, just as the last speaker concluded. Wych- 
 erly was conversing, earnestly, with Mrs. Button and 
 Mildred, at the far end of the hall, when the Baronets ap 
 peared ; but, catching the eye of the Admiral, he said a few 
 words hastily to his companions, and joined the two gen 
 tlemen, who w r ere now on their way to the sick man s 
 chamber. 
 
 " Here is a namesake, if not a relative, Sir Reginald," 
 observed Sir Gervaise, introducing the Lieutenant ; " and 
 one, I rejoice to say, of whom all of even your honorable 
 name have reason to be proud." 
 
 Sir Reginald s bow was courteous and bland, as the 
 Admiral proceeded to complete the introduction ; but 
 Wycherly felt that the keen, searching .look he bestowed 
 on himself, w T as disagreeable. 
 
 " I am not at all aware that I have the smallest claim to 
 the honor of being Sir Reginald Wychecombe s relative," 
 he said, with cold reserve. " Indeed, until last evening, I 
 was ignorant of the existence of the Hertfordshire branch 
 of this family ; and you will remember, Sir Gervaise, that 
 I am a Virginian." 
 
 " A Virginian ! " exclaimed his namesake, taken so much 
 by surprise as to lose a little of his self-command, "I did 
 not know, indeed, that any who bear the name had found 
 their way to the colonies." 
 
 " And if they had, sir, they would have met with a set of 
 fellows every way fit to be their associates, Sir Reginald. 
 We English are a little clannish I hate the word, too ; it 
 has such a narrow, Scotch sound but we are clannish, al 
 though generally provided with garments to our nether 
 limbs ; and we sometimes look down upon even a son, 
 whom the love of adventure has led into that part of the 
 world. In my view an Englishman is an Englishman, let 
 him come from what part of the empire he may. That is 
 what I call genuine liberality, Sir Reginald." 
 
 " Quite true, Sir Gervaise ; and a Scotchman is a Scotch 
 man, even though he come from the north of Tweed." 
 
 This was quietly said, but the Vice- Admiral felt the mer 
 ited rebuke it contained, and he had the good-nature and 
 the good sense to laugh at it, and to admit his own preju 
 dices. This little encounter brought the party to Sir 
 Wycherly s door, where all three remained until it was as 
 certained that they might enter. 
 
 The next quarter of an hour brought about a great 
 
1 82 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 change in the situation of all the principal inmates of 
 Wychecombe Hall. The interdict was taken off the rooms 
 of Sir Wycherly, and in them had collected all the gentle 
 men, Mrs. Button and her daughter, with three or four of 
 the upper servants of the establishment. Even Galleygo 
 contrived to thrust his ungainly person in, among the rest, 
 though he had the discretion to keep in the background 
 among his fellows. In a word, both dressing-room and 
 bedroom had their occupants, though the last was princi 
 pally filled by the medical men, and those whose rank gave 
 them claims to be near the person of the sick. 
 
 It was now past a question known that poor Sir Wych 
 erly was on his death-bed. His mind had sensibly im 
 proved, nor was his speech any worse ; but his physical 
 system generally had received a shock that rendered re 
 covery hopeless. It was the opinion of the physicians that 
 he might possibly survive several days ; or, that he might 
 be carried off in a moment, by a return of the paralytic 
 affection. 
 
 The Baronet, himself, appeared to be perfectly conscious 
 of his situation, as was apparent by the anxiety he ex 
 pressed to get his friends together, and more especially the 
 concern he felt to make a due disposition of his worldly 
 affairs. The medical men had long resisted both wishes, 
 until, convinced that the question was reduced to one of 
 a few hours more or less of life, and that denial was likely 
 to produce worse effects than compliance, they finally and 
 unanimously consented. 
 
 " It s no a great concession to mortal infirmity to let a dy 
 ing man have his way," whispered Magrath to the two Ad 
 mirals, as the latter entered the room. " Sir Wycherly is 
 a hopeless case, and we ll just consent to let him make a 
 few codicils, seeing that he so fairvently desires it ; and 
 then there may be fewer hopeless deevils left behind him, 
 when he s gathered to his forefathers." 
 
 "Here we are, my dear Sir Wycherly," said the Vice- 
 admiral, who never lost an occasion to effect his purpose, 
 by any unnecessary delay ; " here we all are, anxious to 
 comply with your wishes. Your kinsman, Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe, is also present, and desirous of doing your 
 pleasure." 
 
 It was a painful sight to see a man on his death-bed, so 
 anxious to discharge the forms of the world, as the master 
 of the Hall now appeared to be. There had been an un- 
 
THE TU O ADMIRALS. 183 
 
 necessary alienation between the heads of the two branches 
 of the family ; not arising from any quarrel, or positive 
 cause of disagreement, but from a silent conviction in both 
 parties, that each was unsuited to the other. They had 
 met a few times, and always parted without regret. The 
 case was now different ; the separation was, in one sense 
 at least, to be eternal; and all minor considerations, all 
 caprices of habits or despotism of tastes, faded before the 
 solemn impressions of the moment. Still, Sir Wycherly 
 could not forget that he was master of Wychecombe, and 
 that his namesake was esteemed a man of refinement, and 
 in his simple way of thinking, he would fain have arisen, 
 in order to do him honor. A little gentle violence, even, 
 was necessary to keep the patient quiet. 
 
 " Much honored, sir greatly pleased," muttered Sir 
 Wycherly, the words coming from him with difficulty. 
 Same ancestors same name Plantagenets old house, 
 sir head go, new one come none better than " 
 
 " Do not distress yourself to speak, unnecessarily, my 
 dear sir," interrupted Sir Reginald, with more tenderness 
 for the patient than consideration for his own interest, as 
 the next words promised to relate to the succession. " Sir 
 Gervaise Oakes tells me he understands your wishes, gen 
 erally, and that he is now prepared to gratify them. First 
 relieve your mind, in matters of business, and then I shall be 
 most happy to exchange with you the feelings of kindred." 
 
 "Yes, Sir Wycherly," put in Sir Gervaise on this hint ; 
 " I believe I have now found the clew to all you wish to 
 say. The few words written by you last night were the 
 commencement of a will, which it is your desire to make. 
 Do not speak, but raise your right hand, if I am not mis 
 taken." 
 
 The sick man actually stretched his right arm above the 
 bedclothes, and his dull eyes lighted with an expression of 
 pleasure, that proved how strongly his feelings were en 
 listed in the result. 
 
 " You see, gentlemen !" said Sir Gervaise, with emphasis, 
 " No one can mistake the meaning of this ! Come nearer, 
 doctor Mr. Rotherham all who have no probable inter 
 est in the affair I wish it to be seen that Sir Wycherly is 
 desirous of making his will." 
 
 The Vice-admiral now went through the ceremony of 
 repeating his request, and got the same significant answer. 
 
 " So I understood it, Sir Wycherly, and I believe now I 
 
184 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 also understand all about the half/ and the whole/ and 
 the nullus? You meant to tell us that your kinsman, Sir 
 Reginald Wychecombe was the half-blood as respects 
 yourself, and that Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, your nephew, 
 is what is termed in law however painful this may be, 
 gentlemen, at such solemn moments the truth must be 
 plainly spoken that Mr. Thomas Wychecombe is what the 
 law terms a filius nullius. If we have understood you in 
 this, also, have the goodness to give the company the same 
 sign of assent." 
 
 The last words were scarcely spoken, before Sir Wych 
 erly again raised his arm and nodded his head. 
 
 " Here there can be no mistake, and no one rejoices in 
 it more than I do myself ; for the unintelligible words gave 
 me a great deal of vexation. Well, my dear sir, under 
 standing your wishes, my secretary, Mr. Atwood has drawn 
 the commencement of a will, in the usual form, using your 
 own pious and proper language of In the name of God, 
 Amen/ as the commencement ; and he stands ready to 
 write down your bequests, as you may see fit to name them. 
 We will take them, first, on a separate piece of paper ; 
 then read them to you, for your approbation ; and, after 
 ward, transcribe them into the will. I believe, Sir Regi 
 nald, that mode would withstand the subtleties of all the 
 gentlemen of all the Inns of Court?" 
 
 " It is a very proper and prudent mode for executing a 
 will, sir, under the peculiar circumstances," returned he of 
 Hertfordshire. " But, Sir Gervaise, my situation here is a 
 little delicate, as may be that of Mr. Thomas Wychecombe 
 others of the name and family, if such there be. Would 
 it not be well to inquire if our presence is actually desired 
 by the intended testator ? " 
 
 " Is it your wish, Sir Wycherly, that your kinsmen and 
 namesakes remain in the room, or shall they retire until 
 the will is executed ? I will call over the names of the 
 company, and when you wish any one in particular to stay 
 in the room, you will nod your head." 
 
 "All all stay," muttered Sir Wycherly; " Sir Reginald 
 Tom Wycherly all " 
 
 " This seems explicit enough, gentlemen/ resumed the 
 Vice-admiral. " You are requested to stay ; and, if I 
 might venture an opinion, our poorfriend has named those 
 on whom he intends his bequests to fall and pretty much, 
 too, in the order in which they will come." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 185 
 
 " That will appear more unanswerably when SirWycherly 
 has expressed his intention in words," observed Sir Regi 
 nald, very desirous that there should not be the smallest 
 appearance of dictation or persuasion offered to his kins 
 man, at a moment so grave. " Let me entreat that no 
 leading questions be put." 
 
 "Sir Gervaise understands leading in battle much bet 
 ter than in cross-examination, Sir Reginald," Bluewater 
 observed, in a tone so low, that none heard him but the 
 person to whom the words were addressed. " I think we 
 shall sooner get at Sir Wycherly s wishes by allowing him 
 to take his own course." 
 
 The other bowed, and appeared disposed to acquiesce. 
 In the mean time preparations were making for a con 
 struction of the will. Atwood seated himself at a table 
 near the bed, and commenced nibbing his pens ; the medi 
 cal men administered a cordial ; Sir Gervaise caused all 
 the witnesses to range themselves around the room, in a 
 way that each might fairly see and be seen ; taking care, 
 however, so to dispose of Wycherly, as to leave no doubt 
 of his handsome person s coming into the sick man s view. 
 The Lieutenant s modesty might have rebelled at this 
 arrangement, had he not found himself immediately at the 
 side of Mildred. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Yet all is o er ! fear, doubt, suspense, are fled, 
 
 Let brighter thoughts be with the virtuous dead ! 
 
 The final ordeal of the soul is past, 
 
 And the pale brow it sealed to Heaven at last. MRS. HEMANS. 
 
 IT will be easily supposed that Tom Wychecombe wit 
 nessed the proceedings related in the preceding chapter 
 with dismay. The circumstance that he actually possessed 
 a bona fide will of his uncle, which left him heir of all the 
 latter ow r ned, real or personal, had made him audacious, 
 and first induced him to take the bold stand of asserting 
 his legitimacy, and of claiming all its consequences. He 
 had fully determined to assume the title on the demise of 
 Sir Wycherly ; plausibly enough supposing that, as there 
 was no heir to the baronetcy, the lands once in his quiet 
 possession, no one would take sufficient interest in the 
 matter to dispute his right to the rank. Here, however, 
 was a blow that menaced death to all his hopes. His ille- 
 
186 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 gitimacy seemed to be known to others, and there was every 
 prospect of a new will s supplanting the old one, in its 
 more important provisions, at least. He was at a loss to 
 imagine what had made this sudden change in his uncle s 
 intentions ; for he did not sufficiently understand himself, 
 to perceive that the few months of close communion which 
 had succeeded the death of his reputed father, had sufficed 
 to enlighten Sir Wycherly on the subject of his own true 
 character, and to awaken a disgust that had remained pas 
 sive, until suddenly aroused by the necessity of acting ; 
 and least of all could he understand how surprisingly the 
 moral vision of men is purified and enlarged, as respects 
 both the past and the future, by the near approach of 
 death. Although symptoms of strong dissatisfaction es 
 caped him, he quieted his feelings as much as possible, 
 cautiously waiting for any occurrence that might be used 
 in setting aside the contemplated instrument, hereafter : 
 or, what would be still better, to defeat its execution, now. 
 
 As soon as the necessary preparations were made, At 
 wood, his pen nibbed, ink at hand, and paper spread, was 
 ready to proceed ; and a breathless stillness existing in the 
 chamber, Sir Gervaise resumed the subject on which they 
 were convened. 
 
 " Atwood will read to you what he has already written, 
 Sir Wycherly," he said ; " should the phraseology be 
 agreeable to you, you will have the goodness to make a 
 sign to that effect. Well, if all is ready, you can now 
 commence hey, Atwood?" 
 
 " In the name of God, Amen, " commenced the me 
 thodical secretary ; " I, Wycherly Wychecombe, Bart., of 
 Wychecombe Hall, in the county of Devon, being of sound 
 mind, but of a feeble state of health, and having the view 
 of death before my eyes, revoking all other wills, codicils, 
 or testamentary devises, whatsoever, do make and declare 
 this instrument to be my said will and testament ; that is 
 to say, Imprimis, I do hereby constitute and appoint 
 
 of , the executor of this my said will, with all the 
 
 powers and authority that the law gives, or may hereafter 
 give to said executor. Secondly, I give and bequeath to 
 
 . This is all that is yet written, Sir Gervaise, blanks 
 being left for the name or names of the executor or ex 
 ecutors, as well as for the * s at the end of executor, 
 should the testator see fit to name more than one." 
 
 " There, Sir Reginald," said the Vice-admiral, not alto- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 187 
 
 gather without exultation : " this is the way we prepare 
 these things on board a man-of-war ! A flag-officer s secre 
 tary needs have himself qualified to do anything, short 
 of a knowledge of administering to the cure of souls !" 
 
 " And the cure of bodies, ye ll be permitting me to add, 
 Sir Gervaise," observed Magrath, taking an enormous 
 pinch of a strong yellow stuff. 
 
 " Our secretary would make but a lubberly fist at turn 
 ing off a delicate turtle-soup out of pig s head ; such as we 
 puts on our table at sea, so often," muttered Galleygo in 
 the ear of Mrs. Larder. 
 
 " I see nothing to object to Sir Gervaise, if the language 
 is agreeable to Sir Wycherly," answered the barrister by 
 profession, though not by practice. " It would be advis 
 able to get his approbation of even the language." 
 
 " That we intend to do, of course, sir. Sir Wycherly 
 do you find the terms of this will to your liking?" 
 
 Sir Wycherly smiled, and very clearly gave the sign 
 of assent. 
 
 " I thought as much for Atwood has made the wills of 
 two Admirals, and of three captains, to my knowledge ; 
 and my Lord Chief Justice said that one of the last would 
 have done credit to the best conveyancer in England, and 
 that it was a pity the testator had nothing to bequeath. 
 Now, Sir Wycherly, will you have one executor, or more ? 
 If one, hold up a single finger ; and a finger for each ad 
 ditional executor you wish us to insert in these blanks. 
 One, Atwood you perceive, gentlemen, that Sir Wycherly 
 raises but one finger ; and so you can give a flourish at 
 the end of the r, as the word will be in the singular hey, 
 Atwood ? " 
 
 The secretary did as directed, and then reported himself 
 ready to proceed. 
 
 " It will be necessary for you now to name your execu 
 tor, Sir Wycherly ; make as little effort as possible, as we 
 shall understand the name alone." 
 
 Sir Wycherly succeeded in uttering the name of "Sir 
 Reginald Wychecombe," quite audibly. 
 
 k< This is plain enough," resumed the Vice-admiral ; 
 " how does the sentence read now, Atwood ?" 
 
 u Imprimis, I do hereby constitute and appoint Sir 
 Reginald Wychecombe of Wychecombe-Regis, in the 
 county of Herts, Baronet, the executor of this my said 
 will, etc. " 
 
i88 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " If that clause is to your liking, Sir Wycherly, have the 
 goodness to give the sign agreed on." 
 
 The sick man smiled, nodded his head, raised his hand, 
 and looked anxiously at his kinsman. 
 
 " I consent to serve, Sir Wycherly, if such is your desire," 
 observed the nominee, who detected the meaning of his 
 kinsman s look. 
 
 " And now, sir," continued the Vice-admiral; "it is 
 necessary to ask you a few questions, in order that Atwood 
 may know what next to write. Is it your desire to be 
 queath any real estate?" Sir Wycherly assented. "Do 
 you wish to bequeath all your real estate ? " The same 
 sign of assent was given. " Do you wish to bequeath all 
 to one person ? " The sign of assent was given to this also. 
 " This makes plain sailing, and a short run hey, Atwood ? " 
 
 The secretary wrote as fast as possible, and in two or 
 three minutes he read aloud, as follows : 
 
 " Secondly, 1 make and declare the following bequests 
 
 or devises: that isj:o say, I give and bequeath to 
 
 of , all the real estate of which I may die seized, 
 
 together with all the houses, tenements, hereditaments, 
 and appurtenances thereunto belonging, and all my rights 
 to the same, whether in law or equity, to be possessed and 
 
 enjoyed by the said of in fee, by heirs, 
 
 executors, administrators, or assigns, forever. There are 
 blanks for the name and description, as well as for the sex 
 of the devisee," added the secretary. 
 
 " All very proper and legal, I believe, Sir Reginald ? I 
 am glad you think so, sir. Now, Sir Wycherly, we wait 
 for the name of the lucky person you mean thus to favor." 
 
 "Sir Reginald Wychecombe," the sick man uttered, 
 painfully ; " half-blood no nullus. Sir Michael s heir 
 my heir." 
 
 " This is plain English ? " cried Sir Gervaise, in the way 
 of a man who is not displeased ; " put in the name of Sir 
 Reginald Wychecombe of Wychecombe Regis, Herts, At 
 wood aye that just fills the blank handsomely ; you 
 want his heirs, executors, etc., in the other blank." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Sir Gervaise ; it should read by 
 himself, his heirs, etc. " 
 
 " Very true very true, Atwood. Now read it slowly, 
 and Sir Wycherly will assent, if he approve." 
 
 This was done, and Sir Wycherly not only approved, 
 but it was apparent to all. present, the abashed, and con- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 189 
 
 founded Tom himself not excepted, that he approved, 
 with a feeling akin to delight. 
 
 " That gives a black eye to all the land hey, Atwood ? " 
 said Sir Gervaise ; who, by this time, had entered into the 
 business in hand, with all the interest of a regular notary 
 or, rather, with that of one on whose shoulders rested the 
 responsibility of success or failure. " We come next to the 
 personals. Do you wish to bequeath your furniture, wines, 
 horses, carriages, and other things of that sort, to any par 
 ticular person, Sir Wycherly ?" 
 
 u All Sir Reginald -Wychecombe half blood old Sir 
 Michael s heir," answered the testator. 
 
 " Good ! clap that down, Atwood, for it is doing the 
 thing as I like to see family affairs settled. As soon as you 
 are ready, let us hear how it sounds in writing." 
 
 " I furthermore bequeath to the said Sir Reginald 
 Wychecombe of Wychecombe-Regis, as aforesaid, Baronet, 
 all my personal property, whatsoever, " read Atwood, as 
 soon as ready; " including furniture, wines, pictures, 
 books, horses and carriages, and all other goods and chattels 
 of which I may die possessed, excepting thereout and 
 therefrom, nevertheless, such sums in money, stocks, 
 bonds, notes, or other securities for debts, or such articles 
 as I may in this instrument especially devise to any other 
 person. We can now go to especial legacies, Sir Ger 
 vaise, and then another clause may make Sir Reginald 
 residuary legatee, if such be Sir Wycherly s pleasure." 
 
 "If you approve of that clause, my dear sir, make the 
 usual sign of assent." 
 
 Sir Wycherly both raised his hand and nodded his head, 
 evidently quite satisfied. 
 
 " Now, my good sir, we come to the pounds no 
 guineas ? You like that better ; well, I confess that it 
 sounds better on the ear, and is more in conformity with 
 the habits of gentlemen. Will you now bequeath guineas ? 
 Good ! first name the legatee is that right, Sir Reginald ?" 
 
 "Quite right, Sir Gervaise ; and Sir Wycherly will un 
 derstand that he now names the first person to whom he 
 wished to bequeath anything else." 
 
 " Milly," murmured the sick man. 
 
 " What ? Mills ! the mills go with the land, Sir Regi 
 nald?" 
 
 " He means Miss Mildred Button," eagerly interposed 
 Wycherly, though with sufficient modesty. 
 
IQO THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Yes right right," added the testator. " Little Milly 
 Milly Dutton good little Milly." 
 
 Sir Gervaise hesitated, and looked round at Bluewater, 
 as much as to say, " This is bringing coals to Newcastle ;" 
 but Atvvood took the idea, and wrote the bequest in the 
 usual form. 
 
 " I give and bequeath to Mildred Button, " he read 
 aloud, " daughter of Francis Dutton, of the Royal Navy, 
 the sum of - what sum shall 1 fill the blank with, Sir 
 Wycherly ? " 
 
 "Three three yes, three." 
 
 " Hundreds or thousands, my good sir?" asked Sir 
 Gervaise, a little surprised at the amount of the bequest. 
 
 " Guineas three thousand guineas five per cents." 
 
 " That s as plain as logarithms. Give the young lady 
 three thousand guineas in the fives, Atwood." 
 
 " I give and bequeath to Mildred Button, daughter of 
 Francis Button of the Royal Navy, the sum of three 
 thousand guineas in the five per cent, stocks of this king 
 dom. Will that do, Sir Wycherly ? " 
 
 The old man looked at Mildred and smiled benevolently ; 
 for, at that moment, he felt he w r as placing the pure and 
 lovely girl above the ordinary contingencies of her situa 
 tion, by rendering her independent. 
 
 "Whose name shall w r e next insert, Sir Wycherly?" 
 resumed the Vice-admiral. There must be many more 
 of the guineas left." 
 
 "Gregory and James children of my brother Thomas 
 Baron Wychecombe five thousand guineas each," added 
 the testator, making a great effort to express his meaning 
 as clearly as possible. 
 
 He \vas understood ; and after a short consultation with 
 the Vice-admiral, Atwood wrote out the devise at length. 
 
 " * I give and bequeath to my nephews, Gregory and 
 James Wychecombe, the reputed sons of my late brother, 
 Thomas Wychecombe, one of the Barons of his Majesty s 
 Exchequer, the sum of five thousand guineas, each, in the 
 five per cent, funded debt of this kingdom. " 
 
 " Bo you approve of the devise, Sir Wycherly ? if so, 
 make the usual sign of assent." 
 
 Sir Wycherly complied, as in all the previous cases, of 
 his approval. 
 
 " Whose name shall we next insert, in readiness for a 
 legacy, Sir Wycherly ? " asked the Admiral. 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 191 
 
 Here was a long pause, the Baronet evidently turning 
 over in his mind what he had done, and what yet remained 
 to do. 
 
 "Spread yourselves, my friends, in such a way as to 
 permit the testator to see you all," continued the Vice- 
 admiral, motioning with his hand to w r iden the circle around 
 the bed, which had been contracted a little by curiosity 
 and interest; "stand more this way, Lieutenant Wycherly 
 Wychecombe, that the ladies may see and be seen ; and you, 
 too, Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, come further in front, 
 where your uncle will observe you." 
 
 This speech pretty exactly reflected the workings of the 
 speaker s mind. The idea that Wycherly was a natural 
 child of the Baronet s, notwithstanding the Virginian story, 
 was uppermost in his thoughts ; and taking the supposed 
 fact in connection with the young man s merit, he earnestly 
 desired to obtain a legacy for him. As for Tom, he cared 
 little whether his name appeared in the will or not! Justice 
 was now substantially done, and the judge s property being 
 sufficient for his wants, the present situation of the lately 
 reputed heir excited but little sympathy. Nevertheless, 
 Sir Gervaise thought it would be generous, under the cir 
 cumstances, to remind the testator that such a being as 
 Tom Wychecombe existed. 
 
 " Here is your nephew, Mr. Thomas, Sir Wycherly," 
 he said ; " is it your wish to let his name appear in your 
 will?" 
 
 The sick man smiled coldly, but he moved his head, as 
 much as to imply assent. 
 
 " I give and bequeath to Thomas Wychecombe, the 
 eldest reputed son of my late brother, Thomas, one of the 
 Barons of his Majesty s Exchequer," read Atwood, when 
 
 1 ie clause was duly written, " * the sum of , in the 
 
 five per cent, stocks of this kingdom." 
 
 "What sum will you have inserted, Sir Wycherly?" 
 asked the Vice-admiral. 
 
 " Fifty fifty pounds" said the testator, in a voice clearer 
 and fuller than he had before used that day. 
 
 The necessary words were immediately inserted ; the 
 clause as completed, was read again, and the approval was 
 confirmed by a distinctly pronounced "Yes." Tom started, 
 but, as all the others maintained their self-command, the 
 business of the moment did not the less proceed. 
 
 " Do you wish any more names introduced into your 
 
192 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 will, Sir Wycherly ? " asked the Vice-admiral. " You have 
 bequeathed but a-a-a how much hey, Atwood ? aye, 
 ten and three are thirteen, and fifty pounds, make ^13,180 ; 
 and I hear you have ^20,000 funded, besides loose cash, 
 beyond a doubt. 
 
 "Ann Larder Samuel Cork Richard Bitts David 
 Brush Phoebe Keys," said Sir Wycherly, slowly, giving 
 time after each pause, for Atwood to write ; naming his 
 cook, butler, groom, valet or body-servant, and house 
 keeper, in the order they have been laid before the reader. 
 
 " How much to each, Sir Wycherly ? I see Atwood has 
 made short work, and put them all in the same clause 
 that will never do, unless the legacies are the same." 
 
 "Good good right," muttered the testator; "^200 
 each ji,ooo all money money." 
 
 This settled the point, and the clause was regularly 
 written, read, and approved. 
 
 " This raises the money bequests to ^14,180, Sir Wych 
 erly some ^6,000 or ^"7,000 more must remain to be dis 
 posed of. Stand a little further this way, if you please, 
 Mr. Wycherly Wychecombe, and allow the ladies more room. 
 Whose name shall we insert next, sir ?" 
 
 Sir Wycherly, thus directed by the eager desire of the 
 Admiral to serve the gallant Lieutenant, fastened his eyes 
 on the young man, regarding him quite a minute in silent 
 attention. 
 
 " Virginian same name American colonies good 
 lad brave lad ^1,000," muttered the sick man between 
 his teeth ; and yet so breathless was the quiet of the cham 
 ber, at that moment, every syllable was heard by all pres 
 ent. "Yes ^1,000 Wycherly Wychecombe royal 
 navy " 
 
 Atwood s pen was running rapidly over the paper, and 
 had just reached the name of the contemplated legatee, 
 when his hand was arrested by the voice of the young man 
 himself. 
 
 " Stop, Mr. Atwood do not insert any clause in my fa 
 vor !" cried Wycherly, his face the color of crimson, and 
 his chest heaving with the emotions he felt so difficult to 
 repress. " I decline the legacy it will be useless to write 
 it, as I will not receive a shilling." 
 
 "Young sir," said Gervaise, with a little of the severity 
 of a superior, when he rebukes an inferior, in his manner ; 
 "you speak hastily. It is not the office of an auditor or 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 193 
 
 of a spectator, to repel the kindness of a man about to 
 pass from the face of the earth, into the more immediate 
 presence of his God ! " 
 
 " I have every sentiment of respect for Sir Wycherly 
 Wychecombe, sir, every friendly wish for his speedy re 
 covery, and a long evening to his life ; but I will accept of 
 the money of no man who holds my country in such obvi 
 ous distaste, as it is apparent, the testator holds mine." 
 
 " You are an Englishman, I believe, Lieutenant Wyche 
 combe ; and a servant of King George II. ?" 
 
 " I am not an Englishman, Sir Gervaise Oakes but an 
 American, a Virginian, entitled to all the rights and privi 
 leges of a British subject. I am no more an Englishman, 
 than Dr. Magrath may lay claim to the same character." 
 
 "This is putting the case strongly hey, Atwood ? " 
 answered the Vice-admiral, smiling in spite of the occa 
 sion. "I am far from saying that you are an Englishman, 
 in all senses, sir ; but you are one in the sense that gives 
 you national character and national rights. You are a 
 subject of England." 
 
 " No, Sir Gervaise ; your pardon. I am the subject of 
 George II., but in no manner a subject of England. I am, 
 in one sense, perhaps, a subject of the British empire ; but 
 I am not the less a Virginian, and an American. Not a 
 shilling of any man s money will I ever touch, who ex 
 presses his contempt for either." 
 
 "You forget yourself, young man, and overlook the 
 future, The hundred or two of prize-money, bought at 
 the expense of your blood, in the late affair at Croix, will 
 not last forever." 
 
 " It is gone, already, sir, every shilling of it having been 
 sent to the widow of the boatswain who was killed at my 
 side. I am no beggar, Sir Gervaise Oakes, though only 
 an American. I am the owner of a plantation, which af 
 fords me a respectable independence already ; and I do 
 not serve from necessity, but from choice. Perhaps, if Sir 
 Wycherly knew this, he would consent to omit my name. 
 I honor and respect him ; would gladly relieve his distress, 
 either of body or mind ; but I cannot consent to accept 
 his money when offered on terms I consider humiliating." 
 
 This was said modestly, but with a warmth and sinceri 
 ty which left no doubt that the speaker was in earnest. 
 Sir Gervaise too much respected the feelings of the young 
 man to urge the matter any further, and he turned toward 
 
 13 
 
194 THE TITO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the bed, in expectation of what the sick man might next 
 say. Sir Wycherly heard and understood all that passed, 
 and it did not fail to produce an impression, even in the 
 state to which he was reduced. Kind-hearted, and indis 
 posed to injure even a fly, all the natural feelings of the 
 old man resumed their ascendancy, and he would gladly 
 have given every shilling of his funded property to be able 
 freely to express his compunction at having uttered a syl 
 lable that could offend sensibilities so noble and generous. 
 But this exceeded his powers, and he was fain to do the 
 best he could in the painful situation in which he was 
 placed. 
 
 "Noble fellow !" he stuttered out; "honor to name 
 come here Sir Gervaise bring here " 
 
 " I believe it is the wish of Sir Wycherly, that you would 
 draw near the bed, Mr. Wychecombe of Virginia" said the 
 Vice-admiral pithily, though he extended a hand to, and 
 smiled kindly on, the youth as the latter passed him in 
 compliance. 
 
 The sick man now succeeded, with a good deal of diffi 
 culty, in drawing a valuable signet-ring from a finger. 
 This ring bore the Wychecombe arms, engraved on it. It 
 was without the bloody hand, however ; for it was far older 
 than the order of baronets, having, as Wycherly well knew, 
 been given by one of the Plantagenet dukes to an ancestor 
 of the family, during the French wars of Henry VI., and 
 that, too, in commemoration of gallantry in the field. 
 
 " Wear this noble fellow honor to name," said Sir 
 Wycherly." " Must be descended all Wychecombe s de 
 scended him " 
 
 " I thank you Sir Wycherly, for this present, which I 
 prize as it ought to be prized," said Wycherly, every trace 
 of any other feeling than that of gratitude having vanished 
 from his countenance. " I may have no claims to your 
 honors or money ; but this ring I need not be ashamed to 
 wear, since it was bestowed on one who was as much my 
 ancestor, as he was the ancestor of any Wychecombe in 
 England." 
 
 " Legitimate ?" cried Tom, a fierce feeling of resentment 
 upsetting his caution and cunning. 
 
 " Yes, sir, legitimate," answered Wycherly, turning to his 
 interrogator with the calmness of one conscious of his own 
 truth, and with a glance of the eye that caused Tom to 
 shrink back again into the circle. " I need no bar to en- 
 
THE TWO ASUIIRALS. 195 
 
 able me to use this seal, which, you may perceive, Sir 
 Gervaise Oakes, is ^.fac-similc of the one- 1 ordinarily wear, 
 and which was transmitted to me from my direct ances 
 tors." 
 
 The Vice-admiral compared the seal on Wycherly s 
 watch-chain with that on the ring, and, the bearings being 
 principally griffins, he was enabled to see that one was the 
 exact counterpart of the other. Sir Reginald advanced a 
 step, and \vhen the Admiral had satisfied himself, he also 
 took the two seals and compared them. As all the known 
 branches of the Wychecombes of Wychecombe bore the 
 same arms, namely, griffins for Wychecombe, with three 
 battering-rams quartered, for Wycherly he saw, at once, 
 that the young man habitually carried about his person 
 this proof of a common origin. Sir Reginald knew very 
 well that arms were often assumed, as well as names, and 
 the greater the obscurity of the individual who took these 
 liberties, the greater was his impunity ; but the seal was a 
 very ancient one, and innovations on personal rights were 
 far less frequent a century since, than they are to-day. 
 Then the character and appearance of Wycherly put fraud 
 out of the question, so far as the young Lieutenant himself 
 was concerned. Although the elder branch of the family, 
 legitimately speaking, was reduced to the helpless old man 
 who w r as now stretched upon his death-bed, his own had 
 been extensive ; and it might be that some cadet of the 
 Wychecombes of Wychecombe-Regis had strayed into the 
 colonies and left descendants. Secretly resolving to look 
 more closely into these facts, he gravely returned the 
 seals, and intimated to Sir Gervaise that the more impor 
 tant business before them had better proceed. On this 
 hint, Atwood resumed the pen, and the Vice-admiral his 
 duties. 
 
 " There want yet some ^6,000 or ^7,000 to make up 
 ^20,000, Sir Wycherly, which I understand is the sum you 
 have in funds. Whose name or names will you have next 
 inserted ? " 
 
 " Rotherham Vicar poor St. James gone ; yes Mr. 
 Rotherham Vicar." 
 
 The clause was written, the sum of ^1,000 w^as inserted 
 and the whole was read and approved. 
 
 " This still leaves us some ^"5,000 more to deal with, my 
 dear sir." 
 
 A long pause succeeded, during which time Sir Wych- 
 
196 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 erly was deliberating what to do with the rest of his 
 ready money. At length his wandering eye rested on the 
 pale features of Mrs. Button, and, while he had a sort of 
 liking, that proceeded from habit, for her husband, he re 
 membered that she had many causes of sorrow. With a 
 feeling that was creditable to his own heart, he uttered her 
 name and the sum of ^2,000. The clause was written, 
 and accordingly read and approved. 
 
 "We have still ,3,000 certainly, if not ,4,000," added 
 Sir Gervaise. 
 
 "Milly dear little Milly pretty Milly," stammered out 
 the Baronet, affectionately. . 
 
 " This must go into a codicil, Sir Gervaise," interrupted 
 Atwood ; "there being already one legacy in the young 
 lady s favor. Shall it be one, two, three or four thousand 
 pounds, Sir Wycherly, in favor of Miss Mildred, to whom 
 you have already bequeathed ^"3,000." 
 
 The sick man muttered the words, "three thousand," 
 after a short pause, adding "codicil." 
 
 His wishes were complied with, and the whole was read 
 and approved. After this, Sir Gervaise inquired if the 
 testator wished to make any more devises. Sir Wycherly, 
 who had in effect bequeathed, within a few hundred 
 pounds, all he had to bestow, bethought himself, for a few 
 moments, of the state of his affairs, and then he signified 
 his satisfaction with what had been done. 
 
 "As it is possible, Sir Wycherly, that you may have 
 overlooked something," said Sir Gervaise, "and it is better 
 that nothing should escheat to the crown, I will suggest 
 the expediency of your making some one residuary legatee." 
 
 The poor old man smiled an assent, and then he succeeded 
 in muttering the name of "Sir Reginald Wychecombe." 
 
 This clause, like all the others, was written, read, and 
 approved. The will was now completed, and preparations 
 were made to read it carefully over to the intended 
 testator. In order that this might be done with sufficient 
 care for future objections, the tw r o Admirals and Atwood, 
 who were selected for the witnesses, each read the testa 
 ment himself, in order to say that nothing was laid before 
 the testator but that which was fairly contained in the in 
 strument, and that nothing was omitted. When all was 
 ready, the will was audibly and slow T ly read to Sir Wycherly, 
 by the secretary, from the beginning to the end. The old 
 man listened with great attention; smiled when Mildred s 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 197 
 
 name was mentioned ; and clearly expressed, by signs and 
 words, his entire satisfaction when all was ended. It re 
 mained only to place a pen in his hand, and give him such 
 assistance as would enable him to affix his name twice: 
 once to the body of the instrument ; and, when this was 
 duly witnessed, then again to the codicil. By this time, 
 Tom Wychecombe thought that the moment for interpos 
 ing had arrived. He had been on thorns during the whole 
 proceeding, forming desperate resolutions to sustain the 
 bold fraud of his legitimacy, and thus take all the lands 
 and heirlooms of the estate, under entail ; still he well 
 knew that a subordinate but important question might 
 arise, as between the validity of the two wills, in connec 
 tion with Sir Wycherly s competency to make the last. It 
 was material, therefore, in his view of the case, to enter a 
 protest. 
 
 " Gentlemen," he said, advancing to the foot of the bed; 
 " I call on you all to observe the nature of this whole 
 transaction. My poor, beloved, but misled uncle, no longer 
 ago than last night, was struck with a fit of apoplexy, or 
 something so very near it as to disqualify him to judge in 
 these matters ; and here he is urged to make a will " 
 
 "By whom, sir ?" demanded Sir Gervaise, with a severity 
 of tone that induced the speaker to fall back a step. 
 
 " Why, sir, in my judgment, by all in the room. If not 
 with their tongues, at least with their eyes." 
 
 " And why should all in the room do this ? Am I a leg 
 atee ? is Admiral Bluewater to be a gainer by this will ? 
 can witnesses to a will be legatees ? " 
 
 " I do not wish to dispute the matter with you, Sir Ger 
 vaise Oakes ; but I solemnly protest against this irregular 
 and most extraordinary manner of making a will. Let all 
 who hear me remember this, and be ready to testify to it 
 when called on in a court of justice." 
 
 Here Sir Wycherly struggled to rise in the bed, in evident 
 excitement, gesticulating strongly to express his disgust, 
 and his wish for his nephew to withdraw. But the phy 
 sician endeavored to pacify him, while Atwood, with the 
 paper spread on a portfolio, and a pen in readiness, coolly 
 proceeded to obtain the necessary signatures. 
 
 Sir Wycherly s hand trembled so much when it received 
 the pen, that for the moment writing was out of the ques 
 tion, and it became necessary to administer a restorative 
 in order to strengthen his nerves. 
 
198 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Away out of sight," muttered the excited Baronet, 
 leaving no doubt on all present, that the uppermost feel 
 ing of the moment was the strong desire to rid himself of 
 the presence of the offensive object. " Sir Reginald lit 
 tle Milly poor servants brothers all the rest, stay." 
 
 " Just be calming the mind, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe," 
 put in Magrath, " and ye ll be solacing the body by the 
 same effort. When the mind is in a state of exaltation, the 
 nervous system is apt to feel the influence of sympathy. 
 By bringing the two in harmonious co-operation, the tes 
 tamentary devises will have none the less validity, either in 
 reality or in appearances." 
 
 Sir Wycherly understood the surgeon, and he struggled 
 for self-command. He raised the pen and succeeded in 
 getting its point on the proper place. Then his dim eye 
 lighted, and shot a reproachful glance at Tom ; he smiled 
 in a ghastly manner, looked toward the paper, passed a 
 hand across his brow, closed his eyes, and fell back on the 
 pillow, utterly unconscious of all that belonged to life, its 
 interests, its duties, or its feelings. In ten minutes he ceased 
 to breathe. 
 
 Thus died Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, after a long life, 
 in which general qualities of a very negative nature had 
 been somewhat relieved by kindness of feeling, a passive 
 if not an active benevolence, and such a discharge of his 
 responsible duties as is apt to flow from an absence of any 
 qualities that are positively bad, as well as of many of ma 
 terial account, that are affirmatively good. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Come ye, who still the cumbrous load of life 
 Push hard up hill ; but at the farthest steep 
 
 You trust to gain, and put an end to strife, 
 
 Down thunders back the stone with mighty sweep, 
 And hurls your labors to the valley deep. THOMSON. 
 
 THE sudden, and, in some measure, unlooked-for event, 
 related in the close of the last chapter, produced a great 
 change in the condition of things at Wychecombe Hall. 
 The first step was to make sure that the Baronet was ac 
 tually dead ; a fact that Sir Gervaise Oakes, in particular, 
 was very unwilling to believe, in the actual state of his 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 199 
 
 feelings. Men often fainted, and apoplexy required three 
 blows to kill ; the sick man might still revive, and at least 
 be able to execute his so clearly expressed intentions. 
 
 " Ye ll never have act of any sort, testamentary or mat 
 rimonial, legal or illegal, in this life, from the late Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe, of Wychecombe Hall, Devon 
 shire," coolly observed Magrath, as he collected the 
 different medicines and instruments he had himself 
 brought forth for the occasion. " He s far beyond the 
 jurisdiction of my Lord High Chancellor of the college 
 of physicians and surgeons ; and therefore, ye ll be acting 
 prudently to consider him as deceased ; or, in the light in 
 which the human body is placed by the cessation of all the 
 animal functions." 
 
 This decided the matter, and the necessary orders were 
 given ; all but the proper attendants quitting the chamber 
 of death. It would be far from true to say that no one 
 lamented Sir Wycherly Wychecombe. Both Mrs. Button 
 and Mildred grieved for his sudden end, and wept sin 
 cerely for his loss ; though totally without a thought of 
 its consequences to themselves. 
 
 The daughter did not even once think how near she had 
 been to the possession of ^6,000, and how unfortunately 
 the cup of comparative affluence had been dashed from 
 her lips ; though truth compels us to avow that the 
 mother did once recall this circumstance, with a feeling 
 akin to regret. A similar recollection had its influence on 
 the manifestations of sorrow that flowed from others. The 
 domestics, in particular, were too much astounded to in 
 dulge in any very abstracted grief, and Sir Gervaise and 
 Atwood were both extremely vexed. In short, the feel 
 ings usual to such occasions were but little indulged in, 
 though there was a strict observance of decorum. 
 
 Sir Reginald Wychecombe noted these circumstances 
 attentively, and he took his measures accordingly. Seiz 
 ing a favorable moment to consult with the two Admirals, 
 his decision was soon made ; and, within an hour after his 
 kinsman s death, all the guests and most of the upper ser 
 vants were assembled in the room which it was the usage 
 of the house to call the library ; though the books were 
 few, and seldom read. Previously, there had been a con 
 sultation between Sir Reginald and the two Admirals, to 
 which Atwood had been admitted, ex officio. As every 
 thing, therefore, had been arranged in advance, there was 
 
200 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 no time lost unnecessarily, when the company was col 
 lected ; the Hertfordshire Baronet coming to the point at 
 once and that in the clearest manner. 
 
 "Gentlemen, and you, good people, domestics of the 
 late Sir Wycherly Wychecombe," he commenced; "you 
 are all acquainted with the unfortunate state of this house 
 hold. By the recent death of its master, it is left without 
 a head ; and the deceased departing this life a bachelor, 
 there is no child to assume his place, as the natural and 
 legal successor. In one sense, I might be deemed the 
 next to kin ; though, by a dictum of the common law I 
 have no claim to the succession. Nevertheless, you all 
 know it was the intention of our late friend to constitute 
 me his executor, and I conceive it proper that search be 
 made for a will, which, by being duly executed, must dis 
 pose of all in this house, and let us know who is entitled 
 to command at this solemn and important moment. It 
 strikes me, Sir Gervaise Oakes, that the circumstances are 
 so peculiar as to call for prompt proceedings." 
 
 "I fully agree \vith you, Sir Reginald," returned the 
 Vice-admiral; "but before we proceed any farther, I 
 would suggest the propriety of having as many of those 
 present as possible, who have an interest in the result. Mr. 
 Thomas Wychecombe, the reputed nephew of the de 
 ceased, I do not see among us." 
 
 On examination, this was found to be true, and the man 
 of Tom Wychecombe, who had been ordered by his master 
 to be present as a spy, was immediately sent to the latter, 
 with a request that he would attend. After a delay of 
 two or three minutes, the fellow returned with the answer. 
 
 " Sir Thomas Wychecombe s compliments, gentlemen," 
 he said, "and he desires to know the object of your re 
 quest. He is in his room, indulging in natural grief for 
 his recent loss ; and he prefers to be left alone with his 
 sorrows, just at this moment, if it be agreeable to you." 
 
 fljis was taking high ground in the commencement ; and, 
 as the n>an had his cue, and delivered his message with great 
 distinctness and steadiness, the effect on the dependents 
 of the household was very evident. Sir Reginald s face 
 flushed, while Sir Gervaise bit his lip ; Bluewater played 
 with the hilt of his sword, very indifferent to all that was 
 passing ; while Atwood and the surgeon shrugged their 
 shoulders and smiled. The first of tljese persons well 
 knew that Tom had no shadow of a clajin to. the title 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 201 
 
 he had been in so much haste to assume, however, and he 
 hoped that the feebleness of his rights in all particulars, 
 was represented by the mixed feebleness and impudence 
 connected w r ith this message. Determined not to be 
 bullied from his present purpose, therefore, he turned to 
 the servant and sent him back with a second message, that 
 did not fail of its object. The man was directed to in 
 form his master, that Sir Reginald Wychecombe was in 
 possession of facts that, in his opinion, justified the 
 course he was taking, and if " Mr. Thomas Wychecombe " 
 did not choose to appear, in order to look after his o\vn 
 interests, he should proceed without him. 
 
 This brought Tom into the room, his face pale with un 
 certainty rather than grief, and his mind agitated with 
 such apprehensions as are apt to beset even the most 
 wicked, when they take their first important step in evil. 
 He bowed, however, to the company with an air that he 
 intended to represent the manner of a well-bred man 
 acknowledging his duties to respected guests. 
 
 " If I appear remiss in any of the duties of a host, gentle 
 men," he said, "you will overlook it, I trust, in considera 
 tion of my present feelings. Sir Wycherly was my father s 
 elder brother, and was very dear, as he was very near to 
 me. By this melancholy death, Sir Reginald, I am sud 
 denly and unexpectedly elevated to be the head of our 
 ancient and honorable family ; but I know my own per 
 sonal unworthiness to occupy that distinguished place, and 
 feel how much better it would be filled by yourself. 
 Although the law has placed a wide and impassable 
 barrier between all of your branch of the family and our 
 selves, I shall ever be ready to acknowledge the affinity, 
 and to confess that it does us quite as much honor as it 
 bestows." 
 
 Sir Reginald, by a great effort, commanded himself so 
 far as to return the bow, and apparently to receive the con 
 descending admissions of the speech, with a proper degree 
 of respect. 
 
 "Sir, I thank you," he answered, with formal courtesy ; 
 " no affinity that can be properly and legally established, 
 will ever be disavowed by me. Under present circum 
 stances, however, summoned as I have been to the side of 
 his death-bed, by the late Sir Wycherly himself, and 
 named by him, as one might say, with his dying breath, as 
 his executor, I feel it a duty to inquire into the rights of 
 
202 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 all parties, and, if possible, to ascertain who is the suc 
 cessor, and consequently who has the best claim to com 
 mand here." 
 
 " You surely do not attach any validity, Sir Reginald, to 
 the pretended will that was so singularly drawn up in my 
 dear uncle s presence, an hour before he died ! Had that 
 most extraordinary instrument been duly signed and 
 sealed, I cannot think that the Doctor s Commons would 
 sustain it ; but unsigned and unsealed, it is no better than 
 so much waste paper." 
 
 "As respects real estate, sir, though so great a loser by 
 the delay of five minutes, I am willing to admit that you 
 are right. With regard to the personals, a question in 
 equity one of clearly-expressed intention might pos 
 sibly arise ; though even of that I am by no means cer 
 tain." 
 
 "No, sir; no," cried Tom, a glow -of triumph coloring 
 his cheek, in spite of every effort to appear calm, "no 
 English court would ever disturb the natural succession to 
 the personals ! I am the last man to wish to disturb some 
 of these legacies ; particularly that to Mr. Rotherham and 
 those to the poor, faithful domestics " Tom saw the pru 
 dence of conciliating allies, and at such a critical moment, 
 and his declaration had an instant and strong effect, as 
 was evident by the countenances of many of the listeners 
 "and I may say, that to Miss Mildred Button; all of 
 which will be duly paid, precisely as if my beloved uncle 
 had been in his right mind, and had actually made the be 
 quests ; for this mixture of reason and justice, with wild 
 and extraordinary conceits, is by no means uncommon 
 among men of great age, and in their last moments. How 
 ever, Sir Reginald, I beg you will proceed, and act as in 
 your judgment the extraordinary circumstances of what 
 may be called a very peculiar case, require." 
 
 " I conceive it to be our duty, sir, to search for a will. 
 If Sir Wycherly has actually died intestate, it will be time 
 enough to inquire into the question of the succession at 
 common law. I have here the keys of his private secre 
 tary ; and Mr. Furlong, the land-steward, who has just ar 
 rived, and whom you see in the room, tells me Sir Wycherly 
 was accustomed to keep all his valuable papers in this 
 piece of furniture. I shall now proceed to open it." 
 
 " Do so, Sir Reginald ; no one can have a stronger de- 
 sire than myself to ascertain my beloved uncle s pleasure. 
 
7777i TWO ADMIRALS. 203 
 
 Those to whom lie seemed to wish to give, even, shall not 
 be losers for the want of his name." 
 
 Tom was greatly raised in the opinions of half of the 
 room, by this artful declaration, which was effectually se 
 curing just so many friends, in the event of any occurrence 
 that might render such support necessary. 
 
 In the meantime, Sir Reginald, assisted by the steward, 
 opened the secretary, and found the deposit of papers. 
 The leases were all in order ; the title-deeds were properly 
 arranged ; the books and accounts appeared to be exactly 
 kept ; ordinary bills and receipts were filed with method ; 
 two or three bags of guineas proved that ready cash was 
 not wanting ; and, in short, everything showed that the 
 deceased had left his affairs in perfect order, and in a very 
 intelligible condition. Paper after paper, however, was 
 opened, and nothing like a will, rough draft or copied, was 
 to be found. Disappointment was strongly painted on the 
 faces of all the gentlemen present ; for they had ignorantly 
 imbibed the opinion, that the production of a will would, 
 in some unknown manner, defeat the hopes of the soi-disant 
 Sir Thomas Wychecombe. Nor was Tom, himself, alto 
 gether without concern ; for, since the recent change in 
 his uncle s feelings toward himself, he had a secret appre 
 hension that some paper might be found to defeat all his 
 hopes. Triumph, however, gradually assumed the place 
 of fear, in the expression of his countenance ; and when 
 Mr. Furlong, a perfectly honest man, declared that from 
 the late Baronet s habits, as well as from the result of this 
 search, he did not believe that any such instrument existed 
 his feeling overflowed in language. 
 
 "Not so fast, Master Furlong not so fast," he cried ; 
 here is something that possibly even your legal acumen 
 may be willing to term a will. You perceive, gentlemen, 
 I have it in my possession on good authority, as it is ad 
 dressed to me by name, and that, too, in Sir Wycherly s 
 own handwriting ; the envelope is sealed with his private 
 seal. You will pronounce this to be my dear uncle s hand, 
 Furlong," showing the superscription of the letter "and 
 this to be his seal ? " 
 
 "Both are genuine, gentlemen," returned the steward, 
 with a sigh. " Thus far, Mr. Thomas is in the right." 
 
 "Mr. Thomas, sirrah ! and why not Sir Thomas ? Are 
 baronets addressed as other men, in England? But, no 
 matter ! There is a time for all things. Sir Gervaise 
 
204 T H& TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Oakes, as you are perfectly indifferent in this affair, I ask 
 of you the favor to break the seal, and to inquire into the 
 contents of the paper." 
 
 The Vice-admiral was not slow in complying ; for, by 
 this time he began to feel an intense interest in the result. 
 The reader will readily understand that Tom had handed 
 to Sir Gervaise the will drawn up by his father, and which, 
 after inserting his reputed nephew s name, Sir Wycherly 
 had duly executed, and delivered to the person most ia- 
 terested. The envelope, address, and outer seal, Tom had 
 obtained the very day the will was signed, after assuring 
 himself of the contents of the latter, by six or eight care 
 ful perusals. The Vice-admiral read the instrument from 
 beginning to end, before he put it into the hands of Sir 
 Reginald to examine. The latter fully expected to meet 
 with a clumsy forgery ; but the instant his eyes fell on the 
 phraseology, he perceived that the will had been drawn by 
 one expert in the law. A second look satisfied him that 
 the hand was that of Mr. Baron Wychecombe. It has 
 already been said, that in this instrument, Sir Wycherly 
 bequeathed all he had on earth, to "his nephew, Thomas 
 Wychecombe, son, etc., etc.," making his heir, also, his 
 executor. 
 
 "This will appears to me to have been drawn up by a 
 very skilful lawyer ; the late Baron Wychecombe," ob 
 served the Baronet. 
 
 "It was, Sir Reginald," answered Tom, endeavoring to 
 appear unconcerned. " He did it to oblige my respected 
 uncle, leaving blanks for the name of the devisee, not 
 liking to make a will so very decidedly in favor of his own 
 son. The writing in the blanks is by Sir Wycherly him 
 self, leaving no doubts of his intentions." 
 
 " I do not see but you may claim to be the heir of Wyche 
 combe, sir, as well as of the personals ; though your claims 
 to the baronetcy shall certainly be contested and defeated." 
 
 "And why defeated?" demanded Wycherly, stepping 
 forward for the first time, and speaking with a curiosity he 
 found it difficult to control. "Is not Mr. Thomas Sir 
 Thomas, I ought rather to say the eldest son of the late 
 Sir Wycherly s next brother ; and, as a matter of course, 
 heir to the title, as well as to the estate ?" 
 
 " Not he, as I can answer from a careful examination of 
 proofs. Mr. Baron Wychecombe was never married, and 
 thus could have no heir-at-law." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 205 
 
 "Is this possible ! How have we all been deceived then, 
 in America ! " 
 
 "Why do you say this, young gentleman? Can you 
 have any legal claims here ? " 
 
 " I am Wycherly, the only son of Wycherly, who was 
 the eldest son of Gregory, the younger brother of the late 
 Baronet ; and if what you say be true, the next in succes 
 sion to the baronetcy, at least." 
 
 "This is" Tom s words stuck in his throat: for the 
 quiet, stern eye of the young sailor met his look and 
 warned him to be prudent. "This is a mistake," he re 
 sumed. " My uncle Gregory was lost at sea, and died a 
 bachelor. He can have left no lawful issue." 
 
 " I must say, young gentleman," added Sir Reginald, 
 gravely, " that such has always been the history of his 
 fate. I have had too near an interest in this family, to 
 neglect its annals." 
 
 " I know, sir, that such has been the opinion here for 
 more than half a century ; but it was founded in error. 
 The facts are simply these. My grandfather, a warm 
 hearted but impetuous young man, struck an older lieuten 
 ant, when ashore and on duty, in one of the West India 
 Islands. The penalty was death ; but neither the partv 
 injured, nor the commander of the vessel, wished to push 
 matters to extremity, and the offender was advised to ab 
 sent himself from the ship, at the moment of sailing. The 
 injured party was induced to take this course, as in a pre 
 vious quarrel my grandfather had received his fire, without 
 returning it ; frankly admitting his fault. The ship did 
 sail without Mr. Gregory Wychecombe, and was lost, every 
 soul on board perishing. My grandfather passed into 
 Virginia where he remained a twelve-month, suppressing 
 his story, lest its narration might lead to military punish 
 ment. Love next sealed his future fate. He married a 
 woman of fortune, and though his history was well known 
 in his own retired circle, it never spread beyond it. No 
 one supposed him near the succession, and there was no 
 motive for stating the fact, on account of his interests. 
 Once he wrote to Sir Wycherly, but he suppressed the 
 letter, as likely to give more pain than pleasure. That 
 letter I now have, and in his own handwriting. I have 
 also his commission, and all the other proofs of identity 
 that such a person would be apt to possess. They are as 
 complete as any court in Christendom would be likely to 
 
206 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 require, for he never felt a necessity for changing his 
 name. He has been dead but two years, and previously 
 to dying he saw that every document necessary to establish 
 my claim, should a moment for enforcing it ever arrive, 
 was put in such a legal form as to admit of no cavilling. 
 He outlived my own father, but none of us thought there 
 was any motive for presenting ourselves, as all believed 
 that the sons of Baron Wychecombe were legitimate. I 
 can only say, sir, that I have complete legal evidence that 
 I am heir-at-law of Gregory, the younger brother of the 
 late Sir Wycherly Wychecombe. Whether the fact will 
 give me any rights here, you best can say." 
 
 " It will make you heir of entail to this estate, master 
 of this house, and of most of what it contains, and the 
 present baronet. You have only to prove what you say, 
 to defeat every provision of this will, with the exception 
 of tnat which refers to the personal estate." 
 
 " Bravo ! " cried Sir Gervaise, fairly rubbing his hands 
 with delight. " Bravo, Dick ; if we were aboard the 
 Plantagenet, by the Lord, I d turn the hands up, and 
 have three cheers. So then, my brave young seaman, you 
 turn out to be Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, after all ! " 
 
 " Yes, that s the way we always does on board ship," 
 observed Galleygo, to the group of domestics : "whenever 
 any thing of a hallooing character turns up. Sometimes 
 we makes a signal to Admiral Blue and the rest on em, to 
 * Stand by to cheer, and all of us sets to, to cheer as if 
 our stomachs was full of hurrahs, and we wanted to get 
 rid on em. If Sir Jarvy would just pass the word now, 
 you d have a taste of that ere custom, that would do your 
 ears good for a twelvemonth. It s a cheering matter when 
 one of the trade falls heir to an estate." 
 
 "And would this be a proper mode of settling a ques 
 tion of a right of property, Sir Gervaise Oakes?" asked 
 Tom, with more of right and reason than he commonly 
 had of his side ; "and that, too, with my uncle lying dead 
 beneath this roof ? " 
 
 "I acknowledge the justice of the reproof, young sir, 
 and will say no more in the matter at least, nothing as 
 indiscreet as my last speech. Sir Reginald, you have the 
 affair in hand, and I recommend it to your serious atten 
 tion." 
 
 " Fear nothing, Sir Gervaise," answered he of Hertford 
 shire. "Justice shall be done in the premises, if justice 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 207 
 
 rule in England. Your story, young gentleman, is prob 
 able, and naturally told, and I see a family likeness be 
 tween you and the Wychecombes, generally ; a likeness 
 that is certainly not to be traced in the person of the other 
 claimant. Did the point depend on the legitimacy of Mr. 
 Thomas Wychecombe, it might be easily determined, as I 
 have his own mother s declaration to the fact of his illegit 
 imacy, as well as of one other material circumstance that 
 may possibly unsettle even the late Baron Wychecombe s 
 will. But this testamentary devise of Sir Wycherly appears 
 to be perfect, and nothing but the entail can defeat it. You 
 speak of your proofs ; where are they ? It is all-impor 
 tant to know which party is entitled to possession." 
 
 u Here they are, sir," answered Wycherly, removing a 
 belt from his body, and producing his papers ; " not in the 
 originals, certainly ; for most of them are matters of 
 official record, in Virginia; but in what the lawyers call 
 * exemplified copies, and which I am told are in a fit state 
 to be read as evidence in any court of England, that can 
 take cognizance of the matter." 
 
 Sir Reginald took the papers, and began to read them, 
 one by one, and with deep attention. The evidence of 
 the identity of the grandfather was full, and of the clearest 
 nature. He had been recognized as an old schoolfellow 
 by one of the governors of the colony, and it was at this 
 gentleman s suggestion that he had taken so much pains 
 to perpetuate the evidence of his identity. Both the mar 
 riages, one with Jane Beverly, and the other with Rebecca 
 Randolph, were fully substantiated, as were the two births. 
 The personal identity of the young man, and this too as 
 the only son of Wycherly, the eldest son of Gregory, was 
 well certified to, and in a way that could leave no doubt 
 as to the person meant. In a word, the proofs were such 
 as a careful and experienced lawyer would have prepared, 
 in a case that admitted of no doubt, and which was liable 
 to be contested in a court of law. Sir Reginald was quite 
 half an hour in looking over the papers ; and during this 
 time, every eye in the room was on him, watching the ex 
 pression of his countenance with the utmost solicitude. 
 At length he finished his task, when he again turned to 
 Wycherly. 
 
 " These papers have been prepared with great method, 
 and an acute knowledge of what might be required," he 
 said. " Why have they been so long suppressed, and why 
 
208 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 did you permit Sir Wycherly to die in ignorance of your 
 near affinity to him, and of your claims?" 
 
 " Of my claims I was ignorant myself, believing not only 
 Mr. Thomas Wychecombe, but his two brothers, to stand 
 before me. This was the opinion of my grandfather, even 
 when he caused these proofs to be perpetuated. They 
 were given to me, that I might claim affinity to the family 
 on my arrival in England ; and it was the injunction of 
 my grandfather that they should be worn on my person, 
 until the moment arrived when I could use them." 
 
 " This explains your not preferring the claim ; why not 
 prefer the relationship ?" 
 
 " What for, sir ? I found America and Americans 
 looked dow r n on, in England ; colonists spoken of as a race 
 of inferior beings of diminished stature, feebler intellects, 
 and a waning spirit, as compared to those from whom 
 they had so recently sprung ; and I was too proud to con 
 fess an affinity where I saw it was not desired. When 
 wounded, and expecting to die, I was landed here at my 
 own request, with an intention to state the facts ; but, fall 
 ing under the care of ministering angels " here Wycherly 
 glanced his eye at Mildred and her mother "I less felt 
 the want of relatives. Sir Wycherly I honored ; but he 
 too manifestly regarded us Americans as inferiors, to leave 
 any wish to tell him I was his great-nephew." 
 
 " I fear we are not altogether free from this reproach 
 Sir Gervaise," observed Sir Reginald, thoughtfully. " We 
 do appear to think that there is something in the air of this 
 part of the island, that renders us better than common. 
 Nay, if a claim come from over water, let it be what it may, 
 it strikes us as a foreign and inadmissible claim. The fate 
 from which even princes are not exempt, humbler men 
 must certainly submit to !" 
 
 " I can understand the feeling, and I think it honorable 
 to the young man. Admiral Bluew r ater, you and I have 
 had occasion often to rebuke this very spirit in our young 
 officers ; and you will agree with me when I say that this 
 gentleman has acted naturally in acting as he has." 
 
 " I must corroborate what you say, Sir Gervaise," an 
 swered Bluewater ; "and as one who has seen much of 
 the colonies, and who is getting to be an old man, I ven 
 ture to predict that this very feeling, sooner or later, will 
 draw down upon England its own consequences, in the 
 shape of condign punishment." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS, 209 
 
 "I don t go as far as that, Dick I don t go as far as that. 
 But it is unwise and unsound, and we, who know both 
 hemispheres, ought to set our faces against it. We have 
 already some gallant fellows from that quarter of the 
 world among us, and I hope to live to see more." 
 
 This, let it be remembered, was said before the Hal- 
 lowells, and Coffins, and Brentons of our own times were 
 enrolled in a service that has since become foreign to that 
 of the land of their birth ; but it was prophetic of their 
 appearance, and of that of many other high names from 
 the colonies, in the lists of the British marine. Wycherly 
 smiled proudly, but he made no answer. All this time Sir 
 Reginald had been musing on what had passed. 
 
 " It would seem, gentlemen," the latter now observed, 
 " that, contrary to our belief, there is an heir to the bar 
 onetcy, as well as to the estate of Wychecombe ; and 
 all our regrets that the late incumbent did not live to ex 
 ecute the will we had drawn at his request, have become 
 useless. Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, I congratulate you 
 on thus succeeding to the honors and estates of your 
 family ; and, as a member of the last, I may be permitted 
 to congratulate all of the name in being so worthily rep 
 resented. For one of that family I cheerfully recognize 
 you as its head and chief." 
 
 Wycherly bowed his acknowledgmnts, receiving also 
 the compliments of most of the others present. Tom 
 Wychecombe, however, formed an exception, and instead 
 of manifesting any disposition to submit to this summary 
 disposal of his claims, he was brooding over the means of 
 maintaining them. Detecting by the countenances of the 
 upper servants that they were effectually bribed by his 
 promise to pay the late Baronet s legacies, he felt toler 
 ably confident of support from that quarter. He well 
 knew that possession was nine points of the law, and his 
 thoughts naturally turned toward the means necessary to 
 securing this great advantage. As yet, the two claimants 
 were on a par in this respect ; for while the executed will 
 might seem to give him a superior claim, no authority that 
 was derived from an insufficient source would be deemed 
 available in law ; and Sir Wycherly had clearly no right 
 to devise Wychecombe, so long as there existed an heir of 
 entail. Both parties, too, were merely guests in the 
 house ; so that neither had any possession that would re 
 quire a legal process to eject him. Tom had been entered 
 
210 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 at the Temple, and had some knowledge of the law of the 
 land, more especially as related to real estate ; and he was 
 aware that there existed some quaint ceremony of taking 
 possession, as it existed under the feudal system ; but he 
 was ignorant of the precise forms, and had some reason 
 able doubts how far they would benefit him, under the 
 peculiar circumstances of this case. On the whole, therefore, 
 he was disposed to try the effect of timidation, by means of 
 the advantages he clearly possessed, and of such little rea 
 son as the facts connected with his claim allowed him to 
 offer. 
 
 " Sir Reginald Wychecombe," he said, gravely, and with 
 as much indifference as he could assume ; "you have be 
 trayed a facility of belief in this American history, that 
 has surprised me in one with so high a reputation for 
 prudence and caution. This sudden revival of the dead 
 may answer for the credulous lovers of marvels, but it 
 would hardly do for a jury of twelve sober-minded and 
 sworn men. Admitting the wliole of this gentleman s 
 statement to be true, however, you will not deny the late 
 Sir Wycherly s right to make a will, if he only devised his 
 old shoes ; and, having this right, that of naming his exec 
 utor necessarily accompanied it. Now, sir, I am clearly 
 that executor, and as such I demand leave to exercise 
 my functions in this house, as its temporary master, at 
 least." 
 
 " Not so fast not so fast, young sir. Wills must be 
 proved and executors qualified, before either has any 
 validity. Then, again, Sir Wycherly could only give au 
 thority over that which was his own. The instant he ceased 
 to breathe, his brother Gregory s grandson became the 
 life tenant of this estate, the house included ; and I advise 
 him to assert that right, trusting to the validity of his 
 claim, for his justification in law, should it become neces 
 sary. In these matters he who is right is safe ; while he 
 who is wrong must take the consequences of his own acts. 
 Mr. Furlong, your stewardship ceased with the life of your 
 principal ; if you have any keys or papers to deliver, I 
 advise your placing them in the hands of this gentleman, 
 whom, beyond all cavil, I take to be the rightful Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe." 
 
 Furlong was a cautious, clear-headed, honest man, and 
 with every desire to see Tom defeated, he was tenacious 
 of doing his duty. lie led Sir Reginald aside, therefore, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 211 
 
 and examined him, at some length, touching the nature of 
 the proofs that had been offered ; until, quite satisfied that 
 there could be no mistake, he declared his willingness to 
 comply with the request. 
 
 " Certainly, I hold the keys of the late Sir Wycherly s 
 papers those that have just been seen in the search for 
 the will," he said, " and have every wish to place them in 
 the hands of the proper owner. Here they are, Sir Wy- 
 cherly ; though I would advise you to remove the bags of 
 gold that are in the secretary, to some other place ; as 
 those your uncle had a right to bequeath to whom he saw 
 fit. Everything else in the secretary goes with the estate ; 
 as do the plate, furniture, and other heir-looms of the 
 Hall." 
 
 " I thank you, Mr. Furlong, and I will first use these 
 keys to follow your advice," answered the new Baronet, 
 " then I will return them to you with a request that you 
 will still retain the charge of all your former duties." 
 
 This was no sooner said than done : Wycherly placing 
 the bags of gold on the floor, until some other place of 
 security could be provided. 
 
 "All that I legally can. Sir Wycherly, will I cheerfully 
 do, in order to aid you in the assertion of your right ; 
 though I do not see how I can transfer more than I hold. 
 Qni facit per alium^ facit per se, is good law, Sir Reginald ; 
 but the principal must have power to act, before the dep 
 uty can exercise authority. It appears to me that this is 
 a case, in which each party stands on his own rights, at 
 his own peril. The possession of the farm is safe enough, 
 for the time being, with the tenants ; but as to the Hall 
 and Park, there would seem to be no one in the legal 
 occupancy. This makes a case in which title is immedi 
 ately available." 
 
 " Such is the law, Mr. Furlong, and I advise Sir Wy 
 cherly to take possession of the key of the outer door at 
 once, as master of the tenement." 
 
 No sooner was this opinion given, then Wycherly left 
 the room, followed by all present to the hall. Here he 
 proceeded alone to the vestibule, locked the great door of 
 the building, and put the key in his pocket. This act was 
 steadily performed, and in a way to counteract, in a great 
 degree, the effect on the domestics, of Tom s promises con 
 cerning the legacies. At the same moment, Furlong whis 
 pered something in the ear of Sir Reginald. 
 
212 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Now you are quietly in possession, Sir Wycherly," said 
 the latter, smiling, "there is no necessity of keeping us all 
 prisoners in order to maintain your claims. David, the 
 usual porter, Mr. Furlong tells me, is a faithful servant, 
 and if he will accept of the key as your agent, it may be 
 returned to him with perfect legal safety." 
 
 As David cheerfully assented to this proposition, the key 
 was put into his hands again, and the new Sir Wycherly 
 was generally thought to be in possession. Nor did Tom 
 dare to raise the contemplated question of his own legiti 
 macy before Sir Reginald, who, he had discovered, pos 
 sessed a clue to the facts ; and he consequently suppressed, 
 for the moment at least, the certificate of marriage he had 
 so recently forged. 
 
 Bowing round to the whole company, therefore, with a 
 sort of sarcastic compliance, he stalked off to his own room 
 with the air of an injured man. This left our young hero 
 in possession of the field ; but, as the condition of the 
 house was not one suitable to an unreasonable display of 
 triumph, the party soon separated ; some to consult con 
 cerning the future, some to discourse of the past, and all 
 to wonder, more or less, at the present. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Let winds be shrill, let waves roll high, 
 
 I fear not wave nor wind ; 
 Yet marvel not, Sir Childe, that I 
 
 Am sorrowful of mind. Childe Harold. 
 
 " WELL, Sir Jarvy," said Galleygo, following on the heels 
 of the two Admirals, as the latter entered the dressing- 
 room of the officer addressed ; " it has turned out just as 
 I thought ; and the County of Fair-villain has come out 
 of his hole, like a porpoise coming up to breathe, the mo 
 ment our backs is turned ! As soon as we gives the order 
 to squar-away for England, and I see the old Planter s 
 cabin windows turned upon France, I foreseed them con 
 sequences. Well, gentlemen, here s been a heap of prize- 
 money made in this house without much fighting. \V< 
 shall have to give the young Lieutenant a leave for a 
 months, in order that he may take his swing ashore, hen 
 among his brother squires ! " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 213 
 
 " Pray, sir, what may be your pleasure ?" demanded Sir 
 Gervaise ; "and what the devil has brought you at my 
 heels ? " 
 
 " Why, big ships always tows small craft, your honor," 
 returned Galleygo, simpering. " Howsever, I never comes 
 without an errand, as everybody knows. You see, Sir 
 Jarvv, you see, Admiral Blue, that our signal officer is 
 ashore, with a report for us ; and meeting me in the hall, 
 he made it to me first like, that I might bring it up to you 
 a terwards. His news is that the French county is gone to 
 sea, as I has just told you, gentlemen." 
 
 " Can it be possible that Bunting has brought any such 
 tidings here ! Harkee, Galleygo ; desire Mr. Bunting to 
 walk up ; and then see that you behave yourself as is de 
 cent in a house of mourning." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir. No fears of I, gentlemen. I can put 
 on as grevious a look as the best on em, and if they wishes 
 to see sorrow becomingly, and ship-shape, let them study 
 my conduct and countenance. We has all seen dead men 
 afore now, as we all knows. When we fou t Mounsheer 
 Graveland (Gravelin), we had forty-seven slain, besides 
 the hurt that lived to tell their own pain ; and when we 
 had the " 
 
 " Go to the devil, Master Galleygo, and desire Mr. Bun 
 ting to walk up-stairs," cried Sir Gervaise, impatiently. 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir. Which will your honor have done first ?" 
 
 "Let me see the signal-officer, first," answered the Vice- 
 admiral, laughing ; " then be certain of executing the 
 other order." 
 
 "Well," muttered Galleygo, as he descended the stairs ; 
 " if I was to do as he says, now, what would we do with the 
 fleet ? Ships wants orders to fight ; and flags wants food 
 to give orders ; and food wants stewards to be put upon 
 the table ; and stewards w T ants no devils to help em do 
 their duty. No, no, sir, Sir Jarvy ; I ll not pay that visit, 
 till we all goes in company, as is suitable for them that has 
 sailed so long together." 
 
 " This will be great news, Dick, if De Vervillin has really 
 come out ! " cried Sir Gervaise, rubbing his hands with de 
 light. " Hang me, if I wait for orders from London ; but 
 we ll sail with the first wind and tide. Let them settle the 
 quarrel at home, as best they can ; it is our business to 
 catch the Frenchman. How many ships do you really sup 
 pose the Count to have ? " 
 
214 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Twelve of two decks, besides one three-decker, and 
 beating us in frigates. Two or three, however, are short 
 vessels, and cannot be quite as heavy as our own. I see no 
 reason why we should not engage him." 
 
 " I rejoice to hear you say so ! How much more honor 
 able is it to seek the enemy, than to be intriguing about p. 
 court ! I hope you intend to let me announce that red rib 
 bon in general orders to-morrow, Dick ? " 
 
 " Never, with my consent, Sir Gervaise, so long as the 
 house of Hanover confers the boon. But what an extra 
 ordinary scene we have just had below ! This young Lieu 
 tenant is a noble fellow, and I hope, with all my heart, he 
 will be enabled to make good his claim." 
 
 " Of that Sir Reginald assures me there can be no man 
 ner of doubt. His papers are in perfect order, and his story 
 simple and probable. Do you not remember hearing, when 
 we were midshipmen in the West Indies, of a lieutenant of 
 the Sappho s striking a senior officer ashore ; and of his 
 having been probably saved from the sentence of death, by 
 the loss of the ship ? " 
 
 " As well as if it were yesterday, now you name the ves 
 sel. And this you suppose to have been the late Sir Wych- 
 erly s brother. Did he belong to the Sappho ? " 
 
 " So they tell me, below ; and it leaves no doubt on my 
 mind, of the truth of the whole story." 
 
 " It is a proof, too, how easy it is for one to return to 
 England, and maintain his rights, after an absence of more 
 than half a century. He in Scotland has a claim quite as 
 strong as that of this youth ! " 
 
 " Dick Bluewater, you seem determined to pull a house 
 down about your own ears ! What have you or I to do with 
 these Scotch adventurers, when a gallant enemy invites us 
 to come out and meet him ! But, mum here is Bunting." 
 
 At this instant the signal-lieutenant of the Plantagenet 
 was shown into the room, by Galleygo, in person. 
 
 " Well, Bunting; what tidings from the fleet?" demanded 
 Sir Gervaise. " Do the ships still ride to the flood?" 
 
 " It is slack-water, Sir Gervaise, and the vessels are look 
 ing all ways at once. Most of us are clearing hawse, for 
 there are more round turns in our cables, than I remember 
 ever to have seen in so short a time." 
 
 " That comes of there being no wind, and the uselessness 
 of the staysails and spankers. What has brought you 
 ashore ? Galleygo tells us something of a cutter s coming 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 215 
 
 in, with information that the French are out ; but his news 
 is usually galley-news." 
 
 Not always, Sir Gervaise ;" returned the Lieutenant, 
 casting a side-look at the steward, who often comforted him 
 with ship s delicacies in the Admiral s cabin ; " This time 
 he is right, at least. The Active is coming in slowly, and 
 has been signaling us all the morning. We make her out 
 to say that Monsieur Vervillin is at sea with his w r hole 
 force." 
 
 "Yes," muttered Galleygo to the Rear-admiral, in a sort 
 of aside ; " the County of Fairvillain has come out of his 
 hole, just as I told Sir Jarvy. Fair-weather-villains they 
 all is, and no bones broken." 
 
 " Silence! And you think, Bunting, you read the sig 
 nals clearly?" 
 
 " No doubt of it, Sir Gervaise. Captain Greenly is of 
 the same opinion, and has sent me ashore with the news. 
 He desired me to tell you that the ebb would make in half 
 an hour, and that we can then fetch past the rocks to the 
 westward, light as the wind is." 
 
 "Aye, that is Greenly, I can swear. He ll not sit down 
 until we are all aweigh, and standing out ? Does the cut 
 ter tell us which way the Count was looking?" 
 
 "To the westward, sir; on an easy bowline, and under 
 short canvas." 
 
 " The gentleman is in no hurry, it would seem. Has he 
 a convoy ? " 
 
 "Not a sail, sir. Nineteen sail, all cruisers, and only 
 twelve of the line. He has one two-decker, and two 
 frigates more than we can muster ; just a Frenchman s 
 odds, sir." 
 
 "The Count has certainly with him the seven new ships 
 that were built last season," quietly observed Bluewater, 
 leaning back in his easy-chair, until his body inclined at 
 an angle of forty-five degrees, and stretching a leg on an 
 empty stand, in his usual self-indulgent manner. " They 
 are a little heavier than their old vessels, and will give us 
 harder work." 
 
 "The tougher the job, the more creditable the work 
 manship. The tide is turning, you say, Bunting?" 
 
 "It is, Sir Gervaise; and we shall all tend ebb, in 
 twenty minutes. The frigates outside are riding down 
 channel already. The Chloe seems to think that we shall 
 be moving soon, as she has crossed top-gallant and royal- 
 
2i6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 yards. Even Captain Greenly was thinking of stretching 
 along the messenger. 
 
 "Ah! you re a set of uneasy fellows all round! You 
 tire of your native land in twenty-four hours, I find. Well, 
 Mr. Bunting ; you can go oft", and say that all is very well. 
 This house is in a sad state of confusion, as, I presume, 
 you know. Mention this to Captain Greenly." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir; is it your pleasure I should tell him 
 anything else, Sir Gervaise Oakes?" 
 
 " Why yes, Bunting," answered the Vice-admiral, smil 
 ing ; "You may as well give him a hint to get all his fresh 
 grub off, as fast as he can, and yes ; to let no more men 
 quit the ship on liberty." 
 
 "Anything more, Sir Gervaise?" added the pertinacious 
 officer. 
 
 " On the whole, you may as well run up a signal to be 
 ready to unmoor. The ships can very well ride at single 
 anchors, when the tide has once fairly made. What say 
 you, Blue water ? " 
 
 "A signal to unmoor, at once, would expedite matters. 
 You know very well you intend to go to sea, and why not 
 do the thing off-hand ? " 
 
 " I dare say, now, Bunting, you too would like to give 
 the commander-in-chief a nudge of some sort or other." 
 
 " If I could presume so far, Sir Gervaise. I can only 
 say, sir, that the sooner we are off, the sooner we shall nog 
 the French." 
 
 44 And Master Galleygo, what are your sentiments, on 
 this occasion ? It is a full council and all ought to speak, 
 freely." 
 
 ** You knows, Sir Jarvey, that I never speaks in these 
 matters, unless spoken to. Admiral Blue and your honor 
 are quite enough to take care of the fleet in most circum 
 stances, though there is some knowledge in the tops, as 
 well as in the cabin. My ideas is, gentlemen, that, by 
 casting to starboard on this ebb-tide, we shall have all our 
 heads off-shore, and we shall fetch into the offing as easily 
 as a country wench turns in a jig. What we shall do with 
 the fleet, when we gets out, will be shown in our ultra 
 movements." 
 
 By " ultra," David meant "ulterior," a word he had caught 
 up from hearing dispatches read, which he understood no 
 better than those who \vrote them at the Admiralty. 
 
 " Thanks to you all, my friends ! " cried Sir Gervaise, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 217 
 
 who was so delighted at the prospect of a general engage 
 ment, that he felt a boyish pleasure in this fooling ; " and 
 now to business, seriously. Mr. Bunting, I would have 
 the signal for sailing shown. Let each ship fire a recall- 
 gun for her boats. Half an hour later, showing the bunt 
 ing to unmoor ; and send my boat ashore as soon as you 
 begin to heave on the capstan. So, good morning, my fine 
 fellow, and show your activity." 
 
 " Mr. Bunting, as you pass the Caesar, do me the favor to 
 ask for my boat, also," said Bluew r ater, lazily, but half- 
 raising his body to look after the retiring Lieutenant. 
 " If we are to move, I suppose I shall have to go with the 
 rest of them. Of course we shall repeat all your signals." 
 
 Sir Gervaise waited until Bunting was out of the room, 
 when he turned to the steward, and said with some dryness 
 of manner : 
 
 "Mr. Galleygo, you have my permission to go on board, 
 bag and baggage." 
 
 " Yes, Sir Jarvey, I understand. We are about to get the 
 ships under way, and good men ought to be in their 
 places. Good-bye, Admiral Blue. We shall meet before 
 the face of the French, and then I expects every man on 
 us will set an example to himself of courage and devotion." 
 
 " That fellow grows worse and worse, each day, and I 
 shall have to send him forward, in order to check his im 
 pertinence," said Sir Gervaise, half-vexed and half-laugh 
 ing. " I wonder you stand his saucy familiarity as well 
 as you appear to do with his Admiral Blues ! " 
 
 " I shall take offense as soon as I find Sir Jarvey 
 really out of humor with him. The man is brave, honest, 
 and attached ; and these are virtues that would atone for 
 a hundred faults." 
 
 " Let the fellow go to the devil ! Do you not think I had 
 better go out, without waiting for dispatches from town ? " 
 
 " It is hard to say. Your orders may send us all down 
 into Scotland, to face Charles Stuart. Perhaps, too, they 
 may make you a duke, and me a baron, in order to secure 
 our fidelity!" 
 
 " The blackguards ! Well, say no more of that just now. 
 If M. de Vervillin is steering westward, he can hardly be 
 aiming at Edinburgh, and the movements in the north." 
 
 "That is by no means so certain. Your really politic 
 fellows usually look one way and row another." 
 
 " It is my opinion, that his object is to effect a diversion, 
 
218 THE TirO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and my wish is to give it to him to his heart s content. So 
 long as this force is kept near the chops of the channel, it 
 can do no harm in the north, and, in so much, must leave 
 the road to Germany open." 
 
 " For one, I think it a pity not to say a disgrace that 
 England cannot settle her own quarrels without calling in 
 the aid of either Frenchman or Dutchman." 
 
 " We must take the world as it is, Dick, and act like two 
 straightforward seamen, without stopping to talk politics. 
 I take it for granted, notwithstanding your Stuart fervor, 
 that you are willing enough to help me thrash Monsieur 
 de Vervillin." 
 
 " Beyond a question. Nothing but the conviction that 
 he was directly employed in serving my natural and legiti 
 mate prince could induce me to show him any favor. Still, 
 Cakes, it is possible he may have succors for the Scotch on 
 board, and be bound to the north by the way of the Irish 
 channel ! " 
 
 u Aye, pretty succors, truly, for an Englishman to stom 
 ach ! Mousquetaires and regiments de Croy, or de Dillon, or 
 some d d French name or other ; and, perhaps, beauti 
 ful muskets from the Bois de Vincennes ; or some other 
 infernal nest of Gallic inventions to put down the just 
 ascendency of old England ! No, no, Dick Biuewater, 
 your excellent, loyal, true-hearted English mother never 
 bore you to be a dupe of Bourbon perfidy and trick. I 
 dare say she sickened at the very name of Louis ! " 
 
 " I ll not answer for that, Sir Jarvey," returned the Rear- 
 admiral, with a vacant smile ; "for she passed some time 
 at the court of Le Grand Monarque. But all this is idle ; we 
 know each other s opinions, and, by this time, ought to know 
 each other s characters. Have you digested any plan for 
 your future operations ; and what part am I to play in it ? " 
 
 Sir Gervaise paced the room, with hands folded behind 
 his back, in an air of deep contemplation, for quite five 
 minutes before he answered. All this time, Biuewater 
 remained watching his countenance and movements, in 
 anticipation of what was to come. At length, the Vice- 
 admiral appeared to have made up his mind, and he deliv 
 ered himself of his decision as follows : 
 
 " I have reflected on them, Dick," he said, " even while 
 my thoughts have seemed to be occupied with the concerns 
 of others. If De Vervillin is out, he must still be to the 
 eastward of us ; for, running as the tides do on the French 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 219 
 
 coast, he can hardly have made much westing with this 
 light southwest wind. We are yet uncertain of his desti 
 nation, and it is all-important that we get immediate sight 
 of him, and keep him in view, until he can be brought to 
 action. Now, my plan is this. I will send out the ships 
 in succession, with orders to keep on an easy bowline, 
 until each reaches the chops of the channel, when she is 
 to go about and stand in toward the English coast. Each 
 succeeding vessel, however, will weigli as soon as her leader 
 is hull down, and keep within signal distance, in order to 
 send intelligence through the whole line. Nothing will be 
 easier than to keep in sight of each other, in such fine 
 weather ; and by these means we shall spread a wide clew 
 quite a hundred miles and command the whole of the 
 channel. As soon as Monsieur de Vervillin is made, the 
 fleet can close, when we will be governed by circumstances. 
 Should we see nothing of the French, by the time we make 
 their coast, we may be certain they have gone up channel ; 
 and then, a signal from the van can reverse the order of 
 sailing, and we will chase to the eastward, closing to a line 
 abreast as fast as possible." 
 
 " All this is very well, certainly ; and by means of the 
 frigates and smaller cruises we can easily sweep a hundred 
 and fifty miles of ocean ; nevertheless, the fleet will be 
 much scattered." 
 
 " You do not think there will be any danger of the 
 French s engaging the van, before the rear can close to aid 
 it ? " asked Sir Gervaise, with interest, for he had the pro- 
 foundest respect for his friend s professional opinions. " I 
 intended to lead out in the Plantagenet, myself, and to 
 have five or six of the fastest ships next to me, with a view 
 that we might keep off, until you could bring up the rear. 
 If they chase, you know we can retire." 
 
 " Beyond a doubt, if Sir Gervaise Oakes can make up 
 his mind to retire, before any Frenchman who was ever 
 born," returned Bluewater, laughing. "All this sounds 
 well ; but, in the event of a meeting, I should expect to 
 find you, with the whole van dismasted, fighting your 
 hulks like bull-dogs, and keeping the Count at bay, leav 
 ing the glory of covering your retreat to me." 
 
 " No, no, Dick ; I ll give you my honor I ll do nothing so 
 boyish and silly. I m a different man at fifty-five, from 
 what I was at twenty-five. You may be certain that I will 
 run, until I think myself strong enough to fight." 
 
220 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Will you allow me to make a suggestion, Admiral 
 Oakes ; and this with all the frankness that ought to 
 characterize our ancient friendship ? " 
 
 Sir Gervaise stopped short in his walk, looked Blue- 
 water steadily in the face, and nodded his head. 
 
 " I understand by the expression of your countenance," 
 continued the other, " that I am expected to speak. I had 
 no more to say, than to make the simple suggestion that 
 your plan would be most likely to be executed, were I to 
 lead the van, and were you to bring up the rear." 
 
 "The devil you do ! This comes as near mutiny or 
 scandalum magnatum as one can wish ! And why do you 
 suppose that the plan of the commander-in-chief will be 
 least in danger of failing, if Admiral Bluewater lead on 
 this occasion, instead of Admiral Oakes ? " 
 
 " Merely because I think Admiral Oakes, when an enemy 
 is pressing him, is more apt to take counsel of his heart 
 than of his head ; while Admiral Bluewater is not. You 
 do not know yourself, Sir Jarvey, if you think it so easy 
 a matter to run away." 
 
 " I ve spoiled you, Dick, by praising your foolish man 
 oeuvring so much before your face, and that s the whole 
 truth of the matter. No my mind is made up ; and I be 
 lieve you know me well enough to feel sure, when that is 
 the case, even a council of war could not move it. I lead 
 out in the first two-decked ship that lifts her anchor, and 
 you follow in the last. You understand my plan, and will 
 see it executed, as you see everything executed, in the 
 face of the enemy." 
 
 Admiral Bluewater smiled, and not altogether without 
 irony in his manner ; though he managed, at the same time, 
 to get the leg that had been lowest for the last five minutes, 
 raised by an ingenuity peculiar to himself, several inches 
 above its fellow. 
 
 " Nature never made you for a conspirator, Oakes," he 
 said, as soon as this change was effected to his mind ; "for 
 you carry atop-light in your breast that even the blind can 
 see ! " 
 
 " What crotchet is uppermost in your mind, now, Dick? 
 Aren t the orders plain enough to suit you ?" 
 
 " I confess it as well as the motive for giving them just 
 in this form." 
 
 " Let s have it, at once. I prefer a full broadside to 
 your minute guns. What is my motive ?" 
 
THE TWO 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 " Simply that you, Sir Jarvy^sgfto a, certain Sir Ger- 
 vaise Oakes, Bart., Vice-Admiral of the Red, and Member 
 for Bovvldero. in your own mind, Now, if I can just 
 leave that fellow, Dick Bluewater, behind me, with four or 
 five ships, he ll never desert me, when in front of the 
 enemy, whatever he might do to King George ; and so I ll 
 make sure of him by placing the question in such a light 
 that it shall be one of friendship, rather than one of loy 
 alty. " 
 
 Sir Gervaise colored to the temples, for the other had 
 penetrated into his most secret thoughts ; and yet, in spite 
 of his momentary vexation, he faced his accuser, and both 
 laughed in the heart-felt manner that the circumstance 
 would be likely to excite. 
 
 " Harkee, Dick," said the Vice-admiral, as soon as he 
 could command sufficient gravity to speak ; " they made a 
 mistake when they sent you to sea; you ought to have 
 been apprenticed to a conjurer. I care not what you think 
 about it ; my orders are given, and they must be obeyed. 
 Have you a clear perception of the plan ? " 
 
 " One quite as clear, I tell you, as I have of the motive." 
 
 "Enough of this, Bluewater; we have serious duties 
 before us." 
 
 Sir Gervaise now entered more at length into his 
 scheme ; explaining to his friend all his wishes and hopes, 
 and letting him know, with official minuteness, what was 
 expected at his hands. The Rear-admiral listened with 
 his accustomed respect, whenever anything grave was in 
 discussion between them ; and, had anyone entered while 
 they were thus engaged, he would have seen in the man 
 ner of one, nothing but the dignified frankness of a 
 friendly superior, and in the other, the deference which 
 the naval inferior usuallv pays to rank. As he concluded, 
 Sir Gervaise rang his bell, and desired the presence of Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe. 
 
 " I could have wished to remain and see this battle for 
 the succession fairly fought," he said ; " but a battle of a 
 different sort calls us in another quarter. Show him in," 
 he added, as his man intimated that the young Baronet 
 was in waiting. 
 
 " What between the duties of our professional stations, 
 and those of the guest to the host," said the Vice-admiral, 
 rising and bowing to the young man, " it is not easy to 
 settle the question of etiquette between us, Sir Wycherly ; 
 
222 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and I have from habit, thought more of the Admiral and 
 the Lieutenant, than of the lord of the manor and his 
 obliged guests. If I have erred, you will excuse me." 
 
 " My new situation is so very novel, that I still remain 
 all sailor, Sir Gervaise," answered the other smiling ; " as 
 such I hope you will ever consider me. Can I be of any 
 service here ? " 
 
 " One of our cutters has just come in with news that 
 will take the fleet to sea again, this morning ; or as soon 
 as the tide begins to run a strong ebb. The French are 
 out, and we must go and look for them. It was my inten 
 tion and my hope to be able to take you to sea with me 
 in the Plantagenet The date of your commission would 
 not put you very high among her lieutenants, but Bunt 
 ing deserves a first lieutenancy, and I meant to give it to 
 him this afternoon, in which case there would be a vacancy 
 in the situation of my own signal-officer, a duty you could 
 well perform. As it is, you ought not to quit this house, 
 and I must take my leave of you with regret it is so." 
 
 " Admiral Oakes, what is there that ought to keep one 
 of my station ashore, on the eve of a general battle ? I 
 sincerely hope and trust you will alter the last determina 
 tion, and return to the first." 
 
 "You forget your own important interests; remember 
 that possession is nine points of the law." 
 
 " We had heard the news below, and Sir Reginald, Mr. 
 Furlong, and myself, were discussing the matter when I 
 received your summons. These gentlemen tell me that 
 possession can be held by deputy, as well as in person. I 
 am satisfied we can dispose of this objection." 
 
 Your grandfather s brother, and the late head of your 
 family, lies dead in his house ; it is proper his successor 
 should be present at his funeral obsequies." 
 
 "We thought of that, also. Sir Reginald has kindly of 
 fered to appear in my place ; and then there is the chance 
 that the meeting with Monsieur de Vervillin will take 
 place within the next eight-and-forty hours ; whereas, my 
 uncle cannot be interred certainly for a week or ten days." 
 
 " I see you have well calculated all the chances, young 
 sir," said Sir Gervaise, smiling. " Bluewater, how does 
 this matter strike you ?" 
 
 " Leave it in my hands, and I will see to it. You will 
 sail near or quite twenty-four hours before me, and there 
 will be time for more reflection. Sir Wycherly can remain 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 223 
 
 with me in the Caesar, in the action ; or he can be thrown 
 aboard the Plantagenet when we meet" 
 
 After a little reflection, Sir Gervaise, who liked to give 
 every one a fair chance, consented to the arrangement, 
 and it was decided that Wycherly should come out in the 
 Caesar, if nothing occurred to render the step improper. 
 
 This arrangement completed, the Vice-admiral declared 
 he was ready to quit the Hall. Galleygo and the other 
 servants had already made the dispositions necessary for 
 embarking, and it only remained to take leave of the in 
 mates of the dwelling. The parting between the Baronets 
 was friendly ; for the common interest they felt in the suc 
 cess of Wycherly, had, in a degree, rendered them inti 
 mates, and much disposed Sir Reginald to overlook the 
 sailor s well-known whiggery. Button and the ladies took 
 their departure at the same time, and what passed between 
 them and Sir Gervaise on this occasion took place on the 
 road to the headland, whither all parties proceeded on foot. 
 
 A person so important as Sir Gervaise Oakes did not 
 leave the roof that had sheltered him, to embark on board 
 his own ship, without a due escort to the shore. Blue- 
 water accompanied him, in order to discuss any little point 
 of duty that might occur to the mind of either, at the last 
 moment ; and Wycherly was of the group, partly from 
 professional feeling, and more from a desire to be near 
 Mildred. Then there were Atwood, and the surgeons, Mr. 
 Rot her ham, and two or three of the cabin attendants. 
 Lord Geoffrey, too, strolled along with the rest, though it 
 was understood that his own ship would not sail that day. 
 
 Just as the party issued from the gate of the park into 
 the street of the hamlet, a heavy gun \vas fired from the 
 fleet. It was soon succeeded by others, and whiffs and 
 cornets were seen flying from the masthead that rose 
 above the opening in the cliffs, the signals of recall for all 
 boats. This set every one in motion, and never within 
 the memory of man had Wychecombe presented such a 
 scene of confusion and activity. Half-intoxicated seamen 
 were driven down to the boats, by youngsters with the 
 cloth diamond in their collars, like swine, who were re 
 luctant to go, arid yet afraid to stay. Quarters of beeves 
 were trundled along in carts or barrows, and were soon 
 seen swinging at different mainstays ; while the gathering 
 of eggs, butter, poultry, mutton, lamb, and veal, menaced 
 the surrounding country with a scarcity. 
 
224 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Through this throng of the living and the dead, our 
 party held its way, jostled by the eager countrymen and 
 respectfully avoided by all who belonged to the fleet, 
 until it reached the point where the roads to the cliffs 
 and the landing separated, when the Vice-admiral turned 
 to the only midshipman present, and courteously lifting 
 his hat, as if reluctant to impose such a duty on a "young 
 gentleman " on liberty, he said, 
 
 " Do me the favor, Lord Geoffrey, to step down to the 
 landing, and ascertain if my barge is there ? The officer 
 of the boat will find me at the signal-station." 
 
 The boy cheerfully complied ; and this son of an Eng 
 lish Duke, who, by the death of an elder brother, became 
 in time a Duke himself, went on a service, that among 
 gentlemen of the land would be deemed nearly menial, 
 with as much alacrity as if he felt honored by the request. 
 It was by a training like this, that England came in time 
 to possess a marine that has achieved so many memorable 
 deeds ; since it taught those who were destined to com 
 mand, the high and useful lesson how to obey. 
 
 While the midshipman was gone to look for the boat, 
 the two Admirals walked the cliff, side by side, discussing 
 their future movements ; and when all was ready, Sir 
 Gervaise descended to the shore, using the very path by 
 which he had ascended the previous day ; and, pushing 
 through the throng that crowded the landing, almost too 
 much engaged to heed even his approach, he entered his 
 barge. In another minute, the measured strokes of the 
 oars urged him swiftly toward the Plantagenet. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Twas not without some reason, for the wind 
 
 Increased at night, until it blew a gale ; 
 And though twas not much to a naval mind, 
 
 Some landsmen would have looked a little pale, 
 For sailors are, in fact, a different kind ; 
 
 At sunset they began to take in sail, 
 For the sky showed it would come on to blow, 
 
 And carry away, perhaps, a mast or so. BYRON. 
 
 As it was just past the turn of the day, Bluewater de 
 termined to linger on the cliffs for several hours, or until it 
 was time to think of his dinner. Abstracted as his thoughts 
 were habitually, his mind found occupation and pleasure 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 225 
 
 in witnessing the evolutions that succeeded among the 
 ships ; some of which evolutions it may be well now briefly 
 to relate. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes foot had not been on the deck of the 
 Plantagenet five minutes, before a signal for all com 
 manders was flying at that vessel s masthead. In ten min 
 utes more every captain of the fleet, with the exception of 
 those belonging to the vessels in the offing, were in the 
 flag-ship s cabin, listening to the intentions and instruc 
 tions of the Vice-admiral. 
 
 " My plan of sailing, gentlemen, is easily comprehended," 
 continued the Commander-in-chief, after he had explained 
 his general intentions to chase and engage ; " and every 
 one of you will implicitly follow it. We have the tide 
 strong at ebb, and a good six-knot breeze is coming up at 
 southwest. I shall weigh, with my yards square, and keep 
 them so, until the ship has drawn out of the fleet, and then 
 I shall luff up on a taut bowline and on the starboard tack, 
 bringing the ebb well under my lee-bow r . This will hawse 
 the ship over toward Morlaix, and bring us quite as far to 
 windward as is desirable. While the ebb lasts, and this 
 breeze stands, we shall have plain sailing ; the difficulty 
 will come on the flood, or with a shift of wind. The ships 
 that come out last must be careful to keep their seconds, 
 ahead and astern, in plain sight, and regulate their move 
 ments, as much as they can, by the leading vessels. The 
 object is to spread as wide a clew as possible, while we 
 hold the ships within signal distance of each other. To 
 ward sunset I shall shorten sail, and the line will close up 
 within a league from vessel to vessel, and I have told Blue- 
 water to use his discretion about coming out with the last 
 ships, though I have requested him to hold on as long 
 as he shall deem it prudent, in the hope of receiving 
 another express from the Admiralty. When the flood 
 makes, I do not intend to go about, but shall continue on 
 the starboard tack, and I wish you all to do the same. 
 This will bring the leading vessels considerably to wind 
 ward of those astern, and may possibly throw the fleet into 
 a bow and quarter line. Being in the van, it will fall to 
 my duty to look to this, and to watch for the consequences. 
 But I ask of you to keep an eye on the weather, and hold 
 your ships within signal distance of each other. If it come 
 on thick, or to blow very hard, we must close from van to 
 rear, and try our luck, in a search in compact order. Let 
 
226 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the man who first sees the enemy, make himself heard at 
 once, and send the news, with the bearings of the French, 
 both ahead and astern, as fast as possible. In that case, 
 you will all close on the point from which the intelligence 
 comes ; and, mark me, no cruising to get to windward, in 
 your own fashions, as if you sailed with roving commis 
 sions. You know I ll not stand that ! And now, gentle 
 men, it is probable that we shall all never meet again. God 
 bless you ! Come and shake hands with me, one by one, 
 and then to your boats, for the Lieutenant has just sent 
 Greenly word that we are up and down. Let him trip, 
 Greenly, and be off as soon as we can." 
 
 The leave-taking, a scene in which joyousness and sad 
 ness were strangely mingled, succeeded, and then the Cap 
 tains disappeared. From that moment every mind was 
 bent on sailing. 
 
 Although Bluewater did not witness the scene in the 
 Plantagenet s cabin, he pictured it, in his mind s eye, and 
 remained on the cliffs to watch the succeeding move 
 ments. As Wycherly disappeared in the house, and But 
 ton clung to his flag-staff, the Rear-admiral had no one 
 but Lord Geoffrey for a companion. The latter, perceiv 
 ing that his relation did not seem disposed to converse, 
 had the tact to be silent himself ; a task that was less diffi 
 cult than common, on account of the interest he felt in the 
 spectacle. 
 
 The boats of the different captains were still shoving off 
 from the starboard side of the Plantagenet, whither eti 
 quette had brought them together, in a little crowd, when 
 her three topsails fell, and their sheets steadily drew the 
 clews toward the ends of the lower yards. Even while this 
 was in progress, the yards began to ascend, and rose with 
 that steady but graduated movement which marks the 
 operation in a man-of-war. All three were fairly mast 
 headed in two minutes. As the wind struck the canvas 
 obliquely, the sails filled as they opened their folds, and, 
 by the time their surfaces were flattened by distention, the 
 Plantagenet steadily moved from her late berth, advancing 
 slowly against a strong tide, out of the group of ships 
 among which she had been anchored. This was a beauti 
 ful evolution, resembling that of a sea-fowl, which lazily 
 rises on its element, spreads its wings, emerges from 
 the water, and glides away to some distant and unseen 
 point. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 21 . 
 
 The movement of the flag-ship was stately, measured, 
 and grand. For five minutes she held her way nearly duo 
 east, with the wind on her starboard quarter, meeting the 
 tide in a direct line ; until, having drawn sufficiently ahead 
 of the fleet, she let fall her courses, sheeted home top-gaL 
 lant-sails and royals, set her spanker, jibs, and mainsails, 
 and braced up sharp on a wind, with her head at southx 
 southeast. This brought the tide under her lee-fore, 
 chains, and set her rapidly off the land and to windward. 
 As she trimmed her sails, and steadied her bowlines, she 
 fired a gun, made the numbers of the vessels in the effing 
 to weigh, and to pass within hail. And this did Bluewater 
 note, with the attention of an amateur, as well as the 
 critical analysis of a connoisseur. 
 
 "Very handsomely done, Master Geoffrey very hand 
 somely done, it must be allowed ! Never did a bird quit 
 a flock with less fuss, or more beautifully, than the Plan- 
 tagenet has drawn out of the fleet. It must be admitted 
 that Greenly knows how to handle his ship." 
 
 " I fancy Captain Stowel would have done quite as well 
 with the Caesar, sir," answered the boy, with a proper 
 esprit-de-s/iij>. " Don t you remember, Admiral Bluewater, 
 the time when he got under way off L Orient, with the 
 wind blowing a gale directly on shore ? Even Sir Gervaise 
 said, afterward, that we lost less ground than any ship in 
 the fleet, and yet the Plantagenet is the most weatherly 
 two-decker in the navy ; as every-body says." 
 
 " Every-body ! She is certainly a weatherly vessel, but 
 not more so than several others. Whom did you ever hear 
 give that character to this particular ship ?" 
 
 "Why, sir, her reefers are always bragging as much as 
 that ; and a great deal more, too." 
 
 " Her reefers ! Young gentlemen are particularly 
 struck with the charms of their first loves, both ashore and 
 afloat, my boy. Did you ever hear an old seaman say that 
 much for the Plantagenet?" 
 
 " I think I have, sir," returned Lord Geoffrey, blushing. 
 "Galleygo, Sir Gervaise s steward, is commonly repeating 
 some such stuff, or other. They are furious braggarts, the 
 Plantagenets, all round, sir." 
 
 "That comes honestly," answered Bluewater, smiling, 
 "her namesakes and predecessors of old having some such 
 characteristic, too. Look at that ship s yards, boy, and 
 
228 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 learn how to trim a vessel s sails on a wind. The pencil of 
 a painter could not draw lines more accurate ! " 
 
 " Captain Stowel tells us, sir, that the yards ought not 
 to be braced in exactly alike ; but that we ought to check 
 the weather-braces a little, as we go aloft, so that the top 
 sail yard should point a little less forward than the lower 
 yard, and the top-gallant than the topsail." 
 
 " You are quite right in taking Stowel s opinion in all 
 such matters, Geoffrey ; but has not Captain Greenly done 
 the same thing in the Plantagenet ? When I speak of 
 symmetry, I mean the symmetry of a seaman." 
 
 The boy was silenced, though exceedingly reluctant to 
 admit that any ship could equal his own. In the mean 
 time, there was every appearance of a change in the 
 weather. Just about the time the Plantagenet braced up, 
 the wind freshened, and in ten minutes it blew a stiff 
 breeze. Some time before the Admiral spoke the vessels 
 outside, he was compelled to take in all his light canvas ; 
 and when he filled again, after giving his orders to the 
 frigate and sloop, the topgallant sheets were let fly, a sin 
 gle reef was taken in the topsails, and the lighter sails were 
 set over them. This change in the weather, more espe 
 cially as the night threatened to be clouded, if not abso 
 lutely dark, would necessarily bring about a corresponding 
 change in the plan of sailing, reducing the intervals be 
 tween the departures of the vessels quite one-half. To 
 such vicissitudes are all maritime operations liable, and it 
 is fortunate when there is sufficient capacity in the leaders 
 to remedy them. 
 
 In less than an hour, the Plantagenet s hull began to 
 sink, to those on a level with it, when the Carnatic tripped 
 her anchor, opened her canvas, shot out of the fleet, hauled 
 by the wind, and followed in the Admiral s wake. So ac 
 curate was the course she steered, that, half an hour after 
 she had braced up, a hawse-bucket, which had been 
 dropped from the Plantagenet in hauling water, was picked 
 up. We may add, here, though it will be a little anticipat 
 ing events, that the Thunderer followed the Carnatic ; 
 the Blenheim the Thunderer ; the Achilles the Blenheim ; 
 the Warspite the Achilles ; the Dover the Warspite ; the 
 York the Dover ; the Elizabeth the York ; the Dublin the 
 Elizabeth ; and the Caesar the Dublin. But hours passed 
 before all these ships were in motion, and hours in which 
 we shall have some occurrences to relate that took place 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 229 
 
 on shore. Still it will aid the reader in better understand 
 ing the future incidents of our tale, if we describe, at once, 
 some of the circumstances under which all these ships got 
 in motion. 
 
 By the time the Plantagenet s topsails were beginning 
 to dip from the cliffs, the Carnatic, the Thunderer, the 
 Blenheim, the Achilles, and the Warspite were all stretch 
 ing out in line, with intervals of quite two leagues between 
 them, under as much canvas as they could now bear. The 
 Admiral had shortened sail the most, and was evidently 
 allowing the Carnatic to close, most probably on account 
 of the threatening look of the sky, to windward ; while he 
 was suffering the frigate and sloop, the Chloe and Driver, 
 to pass ahead of him, the one on his weather, and the other 
 on his lee bow. When the Dover weighed, the Admiral s 
 upper sail was not visible from her tops, though the War- 
 spite s hull had not yet disappeared from her deck. She 
 left the fleet, or the portions of it that still remained at 
 anchor, with her fore-course set, and hauled by the wind, 
 under double-reefed topsails, a single reef in her mainsail, 
 and with her maintop-gallant sail set over its proper sail. 
 With this reduced canvas, she started away on the track of 
 her consorts, the brine foaming under her bows, and with 
 a heel that denoted the heavy pressure that bore on her 
 sails. By this time, the York was aweight, the tide had 
 turned, and it became necessary to fill on the other tack 
 in order to clear the land to the eastward. This altered 
 the formation, but we will now revert to the events as they 
 transpired on the shore, with a view to relate them more 
 in their regular order. 
 
 It is scarcely necessary to say that Bluewater must have 
 remained on or about the cliffs several hours, in order to 
 witness the departure of so many of the vessels. Instead 
 of returning to the Hall at the dinner hour, agreeably to 
 promise, he profited by the appearance of Wycherly, who 
 left the cottage with a flushed, agitated manner, just as he 
 was thinking of the necessity of sending a message to Sir 
 Reginald, and begged the young man to be the bearer of 
 his excuses. He thought that the change in the weather 
 rendered it necessary for him to remain in sight of the sea. 
 Dutton overheard this message, and, after a private con 
 ference with his wife, he ventured to invite his superior to 
 appease his appetite under his own humble roof. To this 
 Bluewater cheerfully assented ; and when the summons 
 
Z 3 o THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 came to the table, to his great joy he found that his only 
 companion was to be Mildred, who, like himself, for some 
 reason known only to her own bosom, had let the ordina 
 ry dining hour pass without appearing at table, but whom 
 her mother had now directed to take some sustenance. 
 
 11 The late events at the Hall have agitated the poor 
 child, sir," said Mrs. Button, in the way of apology, "and 
 she has not tasted food since morning. I have told her 
 you would excuse the intrusion, and receive her carving 
 and attentions as an excuse for her company." 
 
 Bluewater looked at the pallid countenance of the girl, 
 and never before had he found the resemblance to Agnes 
 Hedworth so strong, as that moment. The last year or 
 two of his own sweet friend s life had been far from happy, 
 and the languid look and tearful eyes of Mildred revived 
 the recollection of the dead with painful distinctness. 
 
 " Good God ! " he murmured to himself ; " that two such 
 beings should exist only to suffer! my good Mrs. Button, 
 make no excuses ; but believe me when I say that you 
 could not have found in England another that would have 
 proved as welcome as my present little messmate." 
 
 Mildred struggled for a smile ; and she did succeed in 
 looking extremely grateful. Beyond this, however, it ex 
 ceeded her powers to go. Mrs. Button was gratified, and 
 soon left the two to partake of their neat, but simple meal, 
 by themselves ; household duties requiring her presence 
 elsewhere. 
 
 " Let me persuade you to take a glass of this really ex 
 cellent port, my child," said Bluewater. " If you had 
 cruised as long as I have done, on the coast of Portugal, 
 you would know how to value a liquor as pure as this. I 
 don t know of an admiral that lias as good !" 
 
 " It is probably our last, sir," answered Mildred, shak 
 ing a tear from each of her long dark lashes, by an invol 
 untary trembling motion, as she spoke. " It was a present 
 from dear, old Sir Wycherly, who never left my mother 
 wholly unsupplied with such plai?i delicacies as he fancied 
 poverty placed beyond our reach. The wine we can easily 
 forget ; not so easily the donor." 
 
 Bluewater felt as if he could draw a check for one-half 
 the fortune he had devised to his companion ; and yet, by 
 a caprice of feeling that is not uncommon to persons of the 
 liveliest susceptibility, he answered in a way to smother 
 his own emotion. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 231 
 
 "There will not soon be another old Sir Wycherly to 
 make his neighbors comfortable ; but there is a young 
 one, who is not likely to forget his uncle s good example. 
 I hope you all, here, rejoice at the sudden rise in fortune 
 that has so unexpectedly been placed within the reach of 
 our favorite Lieutenant ? " 
 
 A look of anguish passed over Mildred s face, and her 
 companion noted it ; though surprise and pity not. to say 
 resentment prevented his betraying his discovery. 
 
 "We endeavor to be glad, sir," answered Mildred, smil 
 ing in so suffering a manner, as to awaken all her compan 
 ion s sympathies ; "but it is not easy for us to rejoice at 
 any thing which is gained by the loss of our former valued 
 friend." 
 
 " I am aware that a young fellow, like the present Sir 
 Wycherly, can be no substitute for an old fellow like the 
 last Sir Wycherly, my dear ; but as one is a sailor, and the 
 other was only a landsman, my professional prejudices may 
 not consider the disparity as great as it may possibly ap 
 pear to be to your less partial judgment." 
 
 Bluewater thought the glance he received was imploring, 
 and he instantly regretted that he had taken such means 
 to divert his companion s sadness. Some consciousness of 
 this regret probably passed through Mildred s mind, for 
 she rallied her spirits and made a partially successful effort 
 to be a more agreeable companion. 
 
 "My father thinks, sir," she said, "that our late pleas 
 ant weather is about to desert us, and that it is likely to 
 blow heavily before six-and-thirty hours are over." 
 
 " I am afraid Mr. Button will prove to be too accurate 
 an almanac. The weather has a breeding look, and I ex 
 pect a dirty night. Good or bad, we seamen must face it, 
 and that, too, in the narrow seas, where gales of wind are 
 no gales of Araby." 
 
 " Ah, sir, it is a terrible life to lead ! By living on this 
 cliff, I have learned to pity the sailor." 
 
 " Perhaps, my child, you pity us when we are the most 
 happy. Nine seamen in ten prefer a respectable gale to a 
 flat calm. There are moments when the ocean is terrific ; 
 but, on the whole, it is capricious, rather than malignant. 
 The night that is before us promises to be just such a one 
 as Sir Gervaise Oakes delights in. He is never happier 
 than when he hears a gale howling through the cordage of 
 his ship." 
 
232 THE 7 Jt O ADMIRALS. 
 
 " I have heard him spoken of as a .very daring and self- 
 relying commander. But you cannot entertain such feel 
 ings, Admiral Bluewater ; for to me you seem better fitted 
 for a fireside, well filled with friends and relatives, than foi 
 the conflicts and hardships of the sea." 
 
 Mildred had no difficulty now in forcing a smile, for the 
 sweet one she bestowed on the veteran almost tempted him 
 to rise and fold her in his arms, as a parent would wrap a 
 beloved daughter to his heart. Discretion, however, pre 
 vented a betrayal of feelings that might have been misin 
 terpreted, and he answered in his original vein. 
 
 " I fear I am a wolf in sheep s clothing," he said ; "while 
 Oakes admits the happiness he feels in seeing his ship 
 plowing through a raging sea, in a dark night, he main 
 tains that my rapture is sought in a hurricane. I do not 
 plead guilty to the accusation, but I will allow there is a 
 sort of fierce delight in participating, as it might be, in a 
 wild strife of the elements. To me, my very nature seems 
 changed at such moments, and I forget all that is mild and 
 gentle. That comes of having lived so much estranged 
 from your sex, my dear ; desolate bachelor, as I am." 
 
 " Do you think sailors ought to marry ? " asked Mildred, 
 with a steadiness that surprised herself ; for, while she put 
 the question, consciousness brought the blood toher tem 
 ples. 
 
 " I should be sorry to condemn a whole profession, and 
 that one I so well love, to the hopeless misery of single 
 life. There are miseries peculiar to the wedded lives of 
 both soldiers and sailors ; but are there not miseries pecu 
 liar to those who never separate ? I have heard seamen 
 say men, too, who loved their wives and families that 
 they believed the extreme pleasure of meetings after long 
 separations, the delights of hope, and the zest of excited 
 feelings have rendered their years of active service more 
 replete with agreeable sensations, than the stagnant periods 
 of peace. Never having been married myself, I can only 
 speak on report." 
 
 " Ah ! this may be so with men ; but surely, surely wo 
 men never can feel thus !" 
 
 " I suppose, a sailor s daughter yourself, you know Jack s 
 account of his wife s domestic creed ! A good fire, a clean 
 hearth, the children abed, and the husband at sea, is sup 
 posed to be the climax of felicity." 
 
 " This may do for the sailor s jokes, Admiral Bluewater," 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 233 
 
 answered Mildred, smiling; "but it will hardly ease a 
 breaking heart. I fear from all I have heard this after 
 noon, and from the sudden sailing of the ships, that a great 
 battle is at hand." 
 
 "And why should you, a British officer s daughter, 
 dread that ? Have you so little faith in us as to suppose 
 a battle will necessarily bring defeat ! I have seen much of 
 my own profession, Miss Button, and trust 1 am in some 
 small degree above the rhodomontade of the braggarts ; 
 but it is not usual for us to meet the enemy, and to give 
 those on shore reason to be ashamed of the English flag. 
 It has never yet been my luck to meet a Frenchman who 
 did not manifest a manly desire to do his country credit ; 
 and I have always felt that we must fight hard for him 
 before we could get him ; nor has the result ever disap 
 pointed me. Still, fortune or skill, or right is commonly 
 on our side, and has given us the advantage in the 
 end." 
 
 " And to which, sir, do you ascribe a success at sea, so 
 very uniform ?" 
 
 "As a Protestant, I ought to say to our religion ; but this 
 my own knowledge of Protestant vices rejects. Then to say 
 fortune would be an exceeding self-abasement one, that 
 between us, is not needed and I believe I must impute it 
 to skill. As plain seamen, I do believe we are more ex 
 pert than most of our neighbors ; though I am far from 
 being positive we have any great advantage over them in 
 tactics. If any, the Dutch are our equals." 
 
 "Notwithstanding, you are quite certain of success. It 
 must be a great encouragement to enter into the fight with 
 a strong confidence in victory ! I suppose that is, it 
 seems to me it is a matter of course, sir that our new 
 Sir Wycherly will not be able to join in the battle, this 
 time ?" 
 
 Mildred spoke timidly, and she endeavored to seem un 
 concerned ; but Bluewater read her whole heart, and pitied 
 the pain which she had inflicted on herself, in asking the 
 question. It struck him, too, that a girl of his compan 
 ion s delicacy and sensibility would not thus advert to the 
 young man s movements at all, if the latter had done ought 
 justly to awaken censure : and this conviction greatly re 
 lieved his mind as to the effect of sudden elevation on the 
 handsome Lieutenant. As it was necessary to answer, 
 however, lest Mildred might detect his consciousness of 
 
234 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 her feelings, not a moment was lost before making a 
 reply. 
 
 " It is not an easy matter to prevent a young, dashing 
 sailor, like this Sir Wycherly Wychecombe from doing his 
 part in a general engagement, and that, too, of the char 
 acter of the one to which we are looking forward," he said. 
 "Oakes has left the matter in my hands ; I suppose I shall 
 have to grant the young man s request." 
 
 " He has then requested to be received in your ship?" 
 asked Mildred, her hand shaking as she used the spoon it 
 held. 
 
 " That of course. No one who wears the uniform could 
 or would do less. It seems a ticklish moment for him to 
 quit Wychecombe, too ; where I fancy he will have a battle 
 of his own to fight ere long ; but professional feeling will 
 overshadow all others, in young men. Among us seamen, 
 it is said to be even stronger than love." 
 
 Mildred made no answer ; but her pale cheek and quiv 
 ering lips, evidences of feeling that her artlessness did 
 not enable her to conceal, caused Bluewater again to regret 
 the remark. With a view to restore the poor girl to her 
 self-command, he changed the subject of conversation, 
 which did not again advert to Wycherly. 
 
 The remainder of the meal was consequently eaten in 
 peace, the Admiral manifesting to the last, however, the 
 sudden and generous interest he had taken in the character 
 and welfare of his companion. When they rose from 
 table, Mildred joined her mother, and Bluewater walked 
 out upon the cliffs again. 
 
 It was now evening, and the waste of water that lay 
 stretched before the eye, though the softness of summer 
 was shed upon it, had the wild and dreary aspect that the 
 winds and waves lend to a view, as the light of day is about 
 to abandon the ocean to the gloom of night. All this had 
 no effect on Bluewater, however, who knew that two- 
 decked ships, strongly manned, with their heavy canvas 
 reduced, would make light work of worrying through 
 hours of darkness that menaced no more than these. Still 
 the wind had freshened, and when he stood on the verge 
 of the cliff, sustained by the breeze which pressed him 
 back from the precipice, rendering his head more steady 
 and his footing sure, the Elizabeth was casting, under 
 close-reefed topsails, and two reefs in their courses, with a 
 heavy staysail or two, to raise her helm. He saw that the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 235 
 
 ponderous machine would stagger under even this short 
 canvas, and that her captain had made his dispositions for 
 a windy night. The lights that the Dover and the York 
 carried in their tops were just beginning to be visible in 
 the gathering gloom, the last about a league and a half 
 down channel, the ship standing in that direction to get to 
 windward, and the former more to the southward, the ves 
 sel having already tacked to follow the Admiral. A chain 
 of lights connected the whole of the long line, and placed 
 the means of communication in the power of the cap 
 tains. At this moment, the Plantagenet was fully fifty 
 miles at sea, plowing through a heavy southwest swell, 
 which the wind was driving into the chops of the channel, 
 from the direction of the Bay of Biscay, and the broad 
 .Atlantic. 
 
 Bluewater buttoned his coat and he felt his frame invig 
 orated by a gale that came over his person, loaded by the 
 peculiar flavor of the sea. But two of the heavy ships re 
 mained at their anchors, the Dublin and the Caesar ; and 
 his experienced eye could see that Stowel had everything 
 on board the latter ready to trip and be off, as soon as he, 
 himself, should give the order. At this moment, the mid 
 shipman, who had been absent for hours, returned and 
 stood again at his side. 
 
 " Our turn will soon come, sir," said the gallant boy, 
 "and for one I shall not be sorry to be in motion. Those 
 chaps on board the Plantagenet will swagger like so many 
 Dons, if they should happen to get a broadside at Monsieur 
 de Vervillin, while we are lying here, under the shore, 
 like a gentleman s yacht hauled into a bay, that the ladies 
 might eat without disturbing their stomachs." 
 
 " Little fear of that, Geoffrey. The Active is too light 
 of foot, especially in the weather we have had, to suffer 
 heavy ships to be so close on her heels. She must have 
 had some fifteen or twenty miles the start, and the French 
 have been compelled to double Cape la Hogue and Alder- 
 ney, before they could even look this way. If coming down 
 channel at all, they are fully fifty miles to the eastward ; 
 and should our van stretch far enough by morning to head 
 them off, it will bring us handsomely to the windward. 
 Sir Gervaise never set a better trap than he has done this 
 very day. The Elizabeth has her hands full, boy, and the 
 wind seems to be getting scant for her. If it knock her off 
 much more, it will bring the flood on her weather-bow, and 
 
236 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 compel her to tack. This will throw the rear of our line 
 into confusion ! " 
 
 "What should we do sir, in such a case? It would 
 never answer to leave poor Sir Jarvey out there, by him 
 self ! " 
 
 " We would try not to do that ! " returned Bluewater, 
 smiling at the affectionate solicitude of the lad, a solicitude 
 that caused him slightly to forget his habitual respect for 
 the commander in-chief, and to adopt the sobriquet of the 
 fleet. "In such a case, it would become my duty to col 
 lect as many ships as I could, and to make the best of our 
 way toward the place where we might hope to fall in with 
 the others, in the morning. There is little danger of losing 
 each other, for any length of time, in these narrow waters, 
 and I have few apprehensions of the French being far 
 enough west to fall in with our leading vessels before 
 morning. If they should, indeed, Geoffrey 
 
 "Ay, sir, if they should, I know well enough what would 
 come to pass ! " 
 
 "What, boy? On the supposition that Monsieur de 
 Vervillin did meet with Sir Gervaise by daybreak, what, 
 in your experienced eyes, seem most likely to be the con 
 sequences?" 
 
 " Why, sir, Sir Jarvey would go at em like a dolphin at a 
 flying fish ; and if he should really happen to catch one or 
 two of em, there d be no sailing in company with the 
 Plantagenets, for us Caesars ! When we had the last bout 
 with Monsieur de Gravelin, they were as saucy as pea 
 cocks, because we didn t close until their fore-yard and 
 mizzen-top-gallant-mast were gone, although the shift of 
 wind brought us dead to leeward, and after all, we had 
 eleven men the most hurt in the fight. You don t know 
 them Plantagenets, sir ; for they never dare say anything 
 before you ! " 
 
 " Not to the discredit of my young Caesars, I ll answer 
 for it. Yet, you ll remember Sir Gervaise gave us full 
 credit, in his dispatches." 
 
 " Yes, sir, all very true. Sir Gervaise knows better ; and 
 then he understands what the Caesar is, and \vhat she can 
 do and has done. But it s a very different matter with the 
 youngsters, who fancy because they carry a red flag at the 
 fore, they are so many Blakes and Howards themselves. 
 There s Jack Oldcastle, now ; he s always talking of our 
 reefers as if there was no seablood in our veins, and that 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 237 
 
 just because his own father happened to be a captain a 
 commodore, he says, because he happened once to have 
 three frigates under his orders." 
 
 " Well, that would make a commodore, for the time 
 being. But surely he does not claim privilege for the 
 Oldcastle blood, over that of the Clevelands ! " 
 
 " Xo, sir ; it isn t that sort of thing, at all," returned the 
 fine boy, blushing a little, in spite of his contempt for any 
 such womanly weakness ; " you know we never talk of that 
 nonsense in our squadron. With us it s all service, and 
 that sort of thing. Jack Oldcastle says the Clevelands are 
 all civilians, as he calls em ; or soldiers, which isn t much 
 better, as you know. Now, I tell him that there is an old 
 picture of one of them, with an anchor-button, and that 
 was long before Queen Anne s time Queen Elizabeth s, 
 perhaps, and then you know, sir, I fetch him up with a 
 yarn about the Hedworths ; for I am just as much Hed- 
 worth as Cleveland." 
 
 "And what does the impudent dog say to that, Geof 
 frey ? " 
 
 44 Why, sir, he says the name should be spelled Head- 
 work, and that they were all lawyers. But I gave him as 
 good as he sent for that saucy speech, I m certain." 
 
 And what did you give him in return for such a com 
 pliment ? Did vow tell him the Oldcastles were just so 
 much stone, and wood, and old iron, and that, too, in a 
 tumbledown condition ?" 
 
 "Xo, sir, not I," answered the boy, laughing; "I 
 didn t think of any answer half so clever ; and so I just 
 gave him a dig in the nose, and that, laid on with right 
 good will." 
 
 "And how did he receive that argument ? Was it con 
 clusive or did the debate continue ?" 
 
 "O, of course, sir, we fought it out. Twas on board 
 the Dover, and the first lieutenant saw fair play. Jack 
 carried too many guns for me, sir, for he s more than a 
 year older ; but l hulled him so often that he owned it was 
 harder work than being mastheaded. After that the Do 
 ver s chaps took my part, and they said the Hedworths 
 had no Head--awr/& at all, but they were regular sailors ; 
 admirals, captains, and youngsters, you know, sir, like the 
 rest of us. I told em my grandfather Hedworth was an 
 admiral, and a good one, too." 
 
 "In that you make a small mistake. Your mother s 
 
238 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 father was only a general ; but his father was a full admi 
 ral of the red for he lived before that grade was abolished 
 and as good an officer as ever trod a plank. He was my 
 mother s brother, and both Sir Gervaise and myself served 
 long under his orders. He was a sailor of whom you well 
 might boast." 
 
 " I don t think any of the Plantagenets will chase in that 
 quarter again, sir ; for we ve had an overhauling among 
 our chaps, and we find we can muster four admirals, two 
 commodores, and thirteen captains in our two messes; 
 that is, counting all sorts of relatives, you know, sir." 
 
 "Well, my dear boy, I hope you may live to reckon all 
 that and more, too, in your own persons, at some future 
 day. Yonder is Sir Reginald Wychecombe, coming this 
 way, to my surprise ; perhaps he wishes to see me alone. 
 Go down to the landing and ascertain if my barge is ashore, 
 and let me know it, as soon as is convenient. Remember, 
 Geoffrey, you will go off with me ; and hunt up Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe, who will lose his passage, un 
 less ready the instant he is wanted." 
 
 The boy touched his cap, and went bounding down the 
 hill to execute the order. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 So glozed the Tempter, and his poison tuned ; 
 Into the heart of Eve his words made way, 
 Though at the voice much marvelling. MILTON. 
 
 IT was, probably, a species of presentiment that induced 
 Bluewater to send away the midshipman, when he saw the 
 adherent of the dethroned house approaching. Enough 
 had passed between the parties to satisfy each of the se 
 cret bias of the other ; and, by that sort of freemasonry 
 which generally accompanies strong feelings of partisan 
 ship, the Admiral felt persuaded that the approaching in 
 terview was about to relate to the political troubles of the 
 day. 
 
 The season and the hour, and the spot, too, were all po 
 etically favorable to an interview between conspirators. It 
 was now nearly dark ; the headland was deserted, Button 
 having retired, first to his bottle, and then to his bed ; the 
 wind blew heavily athwart the bleak eminence, or was 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 239 
 
 heard scuffling in the caverns of the cliffs, while the por 
 tentous clouds that drove through the air now veiled en 
 tirely, and now partially and dimly revealed the light of 
 the moon, in a way to render the scene both exciting and 
 wild. No wonder, then, that Bluewater, his visitor draw 
 ing near, felt a stronger disposition than had ever yet come 
 over him to listen to the tale of the tempter, as, under all 
 the circumstances, it would scarcely exceed the bounds of 
 justice to call Sir Reginald. 
 
 " In seeking you at such a spot, and in the midst of this 
 wild landscape," said the latter, " I might have been 
 sured I should be certain of finding one who really loved 
 the sea and your noble profession. The Hall is a melan 
 choly house just at this moment ; and when I inquired for 
 you, no one could say whither you had strolled. In fol 
 lowing what I thought a seaman s instinct, it appears that 
 I did well. Do my eyes fail me or are there no more than 
 three vessels at anchor yonder ? " 
 
 "Your eyes are still good, Sir Reginald ; Admiral Oakes 
 sailed several hours since, and he has been followed by 
 all the fleet, with the exception of the two line-of-battle 
 ships, and the frigate you see ; leaving me to be the last to 
 quit the anchorage." 
 
 " Is it a secret of state, or are you permitted to say 
 whither so strong a force has so suddenly sailed ?" de 
 manded the Baronet, glancing his dark eye so expressively 
 toward the other as to give him, in the growing obscurity, 
 the appearance of an inquisitor. " I had been told the 
 fleet would wait for orders from London." 
 
 " Such was the first intention of the commander-in-chief ; 
 but intelligence of the sailing of the Comte de Vervillin 
 has induced Sir Gervaise to change his mind. An Eng 
 lish admiral seldom errs when he seeks and beats an ac 
 tive and dangerous enemy." 
 
 " Is this always true, Admiral Bluewater ?" returned Sir 
 Reginald, dropping in at the side of the other, and joining 
 in his walk, as he paced, to and fro, a short path that But 
 ton called his own quarter-deck ; " or is it merely an un 
 meaning generality that sometimes causes men to become 
 the dupes of their own imaginations ? Are those always 
 our enemies who may seem to be so ? or, are we so infalli 
 ble that every feeling or prejudice may be safely set down 
 as an impulse to which we ought to submit, without ques 
 tioning its authority ?" 
 
240 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Do you esteem it a prejudice to view France as the 
 natural enemy of England, Sir Reginald ? " 
 
 " By Heaven, I do, sir ! I can conceive that England 
 may be much more her own enemy than France has ever 
 proved to be. Then, conceding that ages of warfare have 
 contributed to awaken some such feeling as this you hint 
 at, is there not a question of right and wrong that lies be 
 hind all ? Reflect how often England has invaded the French 
 soil, and what serious injuries she has committed on the 
 territory of the latter, while France has so little wronged us, 
 \tl-the same way ; how even her throne has been occupied 
 by our princes, and her provinces possessed by our armies." 
 
 "I think you hardly allow for all the equity of the differ 
 ent cases. Parts of what is now France were the just inher 
 itance of those who have sat on the English throne, and the 
 quarrels were no more than the usual difficulties of neigh 
 borhood. When our claims were just in themselves, you 
 surely could not have wished to see them abandoned." 
 
 " Far from it ; but when claims were disputed, is it not 
 natural for the loser to view them as a hardship ? I believe 
 we should have had a much better neighborhood, as you 
 call it, with France, had not the modern difficulties con 
 nected with religious changes, occurred." 
 
 "I presume you know, Sir Reginald, that I and all my 
 family are Protestants." 
 
 "I do, Admiral Bluewater ; and I rejoice to find that a 
 difference of opinion on this great interest does not neces 
 sarily produce one on all others. From several little allu 
 sions that have passed between us to-day, I am encouraged 
 to believe that we think alike on certain temporal matters, 
 however wide the chasm between us on spiritual things." 
 
 " I confess I have fallen into the same conclusion, and I 
 should be sorry to be undeceived if wrong." 
 
 "What occasion, then, for farther ambiguity? Surely 
 two honorable men may safely trust each other with their 
 common sentiments, when the times call for decision and 
 frankness ! I am a Jacobite, Admiral Blue\vater ; if I risk 
 life and fortune by making the avowal, I place both, with 
 out reserve, at your mercy." 
 
 " They could not be in safer hands, sir ; and I know no 
 better mode of giving you every possible assurance that 
 the confidence will not be abused, than by telling you in 
 return, that I would cheerfully lay down my life could the 
 sacrifice restore the deposed family to the throne." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 241 
 
 " This is noble, and manly, and frank, as I had hoped 
 from a sailor ! " exclaimed Sir Reginald, more delighted 
 than he well knew how to express at the moment. " This 
 simple assurance from your lips, carries more weight than 
 all the oaths and pledges of vulgar conspiracy. We under 
 stand each other, and I should be truly sorry to inspire 
 less confidence than I feel." 
 
 " What better proof can I give you for the reliance 
 
 E laced on your faith, than the declaration you have heard, 
 ir Reginald ? My head would answer for your treachery 
 in a week ; but I have never felt it more securely on my 
 shoulders than at this moment." 
 
 The Baronet grasped the other s hand, and each gave 
 and received a pressure that was full of meaning. Then 
 both walked on, thoughtful- and relieved, for quite a min 
 ute, in profound silence. 
 
 " This sudden appearance of the Prince in Scotland has 
 taken us all a little by surprise," Sir Reginald resumed, 
 after the pause ; " though a few of us knew that his inten 
 tions led him this way. Perhaps he has done well to come 
 unattended by a foreign force, and to throw himself, as it 
 might be singly, into the arms of his subjects ; trusting 
 everything to their generosity, loyalty, and courage. Some 
 blame him ; but I do not. He will awaken interest, now, 
 in every generous heart in the nation " this was artfully 
 adapted to the character of the listener " whereas some 
 might feel disposed to be lukewarm under a less manly 
 appeal to their affections and loyalty. In Scotland, we 
 learn from all directions that his Royal Highness is doing 
 winders, while the friends of his house are full of activity 
 in England, though compelled, for a time, to be watchful 
 and prudent." 
 
 " I rejoice, from the bottom of my heart, to hear this ! " 
 said Bluewater, drawing a long breath, like one whose 
 mind was unexpectedly relieved from a heavy load. "From 
 the bottom of my heart do I rejoice ! I had my appre 
 hensions that the sudden appearance of the Prince might 
 find his well-wishers unprepared and timid." 
 
 "As far from that as possible, my dear sir; though 
 much still depends on the promptitude and resolutions of 
 the master spirits of the party. We are strong enough to 
 control the nation, if we can bring those forward who have 
 the strength to lead, and control ourselves. All we now 
 Want is some hundred or two of prominent men to step 
 16 
 
242 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 out of their diffidence, and show us the way to honorable 
 achievement and certain success." 
 
 " Can such men be wanting, at a moment like this ? " 
 
 " I think we are secure of most of the high nobility, 
 though their great risks render them all a little wary in the 
 outset. It is among the professional men the gallant 
 soldiers, and the bold, ardent seamen of the fleet, that \ve 
 must look for the first demonstrations of loyalty and true 
 patriotism. To be honest with you, sir, I tire of being 
 ruled by a German." 
 
 " Do you know of any intention to rally a force in this 
 part of England, Sir Reginald ? If so, say but the word 
 point out the spot where the standard is to be raised, and 
 I will rally under it, the instant circumstances will per 
 mit !" 
 
 "This is just what I expected, Mr. Bluewater," answered 
 the Baronet, more gratified than he thought it prudent to 
 express : " though it is not the form in which you can 
 best serve us at this precise moment. Cut off from the 
 north, as we are in this part of the island, by all the re 
 sources of the actual government, it would be the height 
 of imprudence in us to show our hands, until all the cards 
 are ready to be played. Active and confidential agents are 
 at work in the army ; London has its proper share of 
 business men, while others are in the counties, doing their 
 best to put things in shape for the consummation we so 
 anxiously look for. I have been with several of our friends 
 in this vicinity, to bring matters into a combined state ; 
 and it was my intention to visit this very estate, to see 
 what my own name might do with the tenantry, had not 
 the late Sir Wycherly summoned me as he did, to attend 
 his death-bed. Have you any clue to the feelings of this 
 new and young head of my family, the sea-lieutenant and 
 present Baronet ? " 
 
 "Not a very plain one, sir, though I doubt if they be 
 favorable to the House of Stuart." 
 
 " I feared as much ; this very evening I have had an 
 anonymous communication that I think must come from 
 his competitor, pretty plainly intimating that, by asserting 
 his rights, as they are called, the whole Wychecombe ten 
 antry and interest could be united, in the present strug 
 gle, on whichever side I might desire to see them." 
 
 "This is a bold and decided stroke, truly ! May I in 
 quire as to your answer, Sir Reginald ?" 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 243 
 
 " I shall give none. Under all circumstances I will ever 
 refuse to place a bastard in the seat of a legitimate de 
 scendant of my family. We contend for legal and natural 
 rights, my dear Admiral, and the means employed should 
 not be unworthy of the end. Besides, I know the scoun 
 drel to be unworthy of trust, and shall not have the weak 
 ness to put myself in his power. I could wish the other 
 boy to be of another mind ; but, by getting him off to sea, 
 whither he tells me he is bound, we shall at least send 
 him out of harm s way." 
 
 In all this Sir Reginald was perfectly sincere ; for, while 
 he did not always hesitate about the employment of means, 
 in matters of politics, he was rigidly honest in every thing 
 that related to private property ; a species of moral con 
 tradiction that is sometimes found among men who aim at 
 the management of human affairs : since those often yield 
 to a besetting weakness who are nearly irreproachable in 
 other matters. Bluewater was glad to hear this declara 
 tion ; his own simplicity of character inducing him to 
 fancy it was an indication to the general probity of his 
 companion. 
 
 "Yes," observed the latter, "in all cases, we must main 
 tain the laws of the land in an affair of private right. 
 This young man is not capable, perhaps, of forming a 
 just estimate of his political duties, in a crisis like this, 
 and it may be well, truly, to get him off to sea, lest by 
 taking the losing side, he endangers his estate before he 
 is fairly possessed of it. And having disposed of Sir 
 Wycherly, what can I do most to aid the righteous and 
 glorious cause ? " 
 
 " This is coming to the point manfully, Sir Richard I 
 beg pardon for thus styling you, but I happen to know 
 that your name has been before the prince, for some time, 
 as one of those who are to receive the ribbon from a sov 
 ereign really authorized to bestow it ; if I have spoken a 
 little prematurely, I again entreat your pardon but this 
 is at once coming manfully to the point ! Serve us you 
 can, of course, and that most effectually, and in an all- 
 important manner. I now greatly regret that my father 
 had not put me in the army, in my youth, that I might 
 serve my prince as I could wish in this perilous trial. But 
 we have many friends accustomed to arms, and among 
 them your own honorable name will appear conspicuous 
 as to the past; and encouraging as to the future." 
 
244 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " I have carried arms from boyhood, it is true, Sir Reg 
 inald, but it is in a service that will scarcely much avail 
 us in this warfare. Prince Edward has no ships, nor do I 
 know he will need any." 
 
 "True, my dear sir, but King George has ! As for the 
 necessity, permit me to say you are mistaken ; it will soon 
 be all-important to keep open the communication with the 
 Continent. No doubt Monsieur de Vervillin is out, with 
 some such object, already." 
 
 Bluewater started, and he recoiled from the firm grasp 
 which the other took of his arm, in the earnestness of 
 discourse, with some such instinctive aversion as a man 
 recoils from the touch of the reptile. The thought 
 of a treachery like that implied in the remark of his 
 companion had never occurred to him, and his honest 
 mind turned with a strong disrelish from even the implied 
 proposition of the other. Still, he was not quite certain 
 how far Sir Reginald wished to urge him, and he felt it 
 just to ascertain his real views before he answered them. 
 Plausible as this appeared, it was a dangerous delay for 
 one so simple-minded, when brought in contact with one 
 so practised as the Baronet ; Sir Reginald having the tact 
 to perceive that his new friend s feelings had already taken 
 the alarm, and at once determined to be more wary. 
 
 "What am I to understand by this, Sir Reginald Wyche- 
 combe ?" demanded the Rear-admiral. "In what manner 
 can I possibly be connected with the naval resources of 
 the House of Hanover, when it is my intention to throw 
 off its service ? King George s fleets will hardly aid the 
 Stuarts ; and they will, at least, obey the orders of their 
 own officers." 
 
 " Not the least doubt in the world of this, Admiral 
 Bluewater ! What a glorious privilege it was for Monk to 
 have it in his power to put his liege sovereign in his right 
 ful seat, and thus to save the empire by a coup de main, 
 from the pains and grievances of a civil contest! Of all 
 the glorious names in English history, I esteem that of 
 George Monk as the one most to be envied ! It is a great 
 thing to be a prince one born to be set apart as God s sub 
 stitute on earth, in all that relates to human justice and 
 human power ; yet it is greater, in my eyes, to be the sub 
 ject to restore the order of these almost divine successions, 
 when once deranged by lawless and presuming men." 
 
 * This is true enough, sir ; though I would rather have 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 245 
 
 joined Charles on the beach at Dover, armed only with a 
 untainted sword, than followed by an army at my heels ! " 
 
 " What, when the army followed cheerfully, and was 
 equally eager with yourself to serve their sovereign ! " 
 
 "That, indeed, might somewhat qualify the feeling. 
 But soldiers and sailors are usually influenced by the 
 opinions of those who have been placed over them by the 
 higher authorities." 
 
 " No doubt they are ; and that is as it should be. We 
 are encouraged to believe that some ten or fifteen captains 
 are already well-disposed toward us, and will cheerfully 
 take their respective ships to the points our wants require, 
 the moment they feel assured of being properly led, when 
 collected. By a little timely concert, we can command 
 the North Sea, and keep open important communications 
 with the Continent. It is known the ministry intend to 
 employ as many German troops as they can assemble, and 
 a naval force will be all-important in keeping these mus 
 tachioed foreigners at a distance. The quarrel is purely 
 English, sir, and ought to be decided by Englishmen 
 only." 
 
 " In that, indeed, I fully concur, Sir Reginald," answered 
 Bluewater, breathing more freely. "I would cruise a 
 whole winter in the North Sea to keep the Dutchmen at 
 home, and let the Englishmen decide who is to be Eng 
 land s king. To me, foreign interference, in such a mat 
 ter is the next evil to positive disloyalty to my rightful 
 prince." 
 
 "These are exactly my sentiments, dear sir, and I hope 
 to see you act on them. By the way, how happens it you 
 are left alone, and in what manner do you admirals divide 
 your authority when serving in company ? " 
 
 " I do not know I comprehend your question, Sir Regi 
 nald. I am left here to sail the last with the Caesar ; Sir 
 Gervaise leading out in the Plantagenet, with a view to 
 draw a line across the channel that shall effectually prevent 
 De Vervillin from getting to the westward." 
 
 " To the westward ! " repeated the other, smiling ironi 
 cally, though the darkness prevented the Admiral from 
 seeing the expression of his features. " Does Admiral 
 Oakes then think that the French ships are steering in 
 that direction ?" 
 
 "Such is our information ; have you any reason to sup 
 pose that the enemy intend differently?" 
 
246 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 The Baronet paused, and he appeared to ruminate. 
 Enough had already been said to satisfy him he had not 
 an ordinary mind in that of his companion to deal with, 
 and he was slightly at a loss how to answer. To bring the 
 other within his lures, he was fully resolved ; and the spirits 
 that aid the designing just at that moment suggested the 
 plan which, of all others, was most likely to be successful. 
 Bluewater had betrayed his aversion to the interference of 
 foreign troops in the quarrel, and on this subject he in 
 tended to strike a chord which he rightly fancied would 
 thrill on the Rear-admiral s feelings. 
 
 "We have our information, certainly," answered Sir 
 Reginald, like one who was reluctant to tell all he knew ; 
 " though good faith requires it should not actually be ex 
 posed. Nevertheless, anyone can reason on the probabil 
 ities. The Duke of Cumberland will collect his German 
 auxiliaries, and they must get into England the best way 
 that they can. Would an intelligent enemy with a well- 
 appointed fleet suffer this junction, if he could prevent it ? 
 We know he would not, and when we remember the pre 
 cise time of the sailing of the Comte, his probable igno 
 rance of the presence of this squadron of yours, in the 
 channel, and all the other circumstances of the case, who 
 can suppose otherwise than to believe his aim is to inter 
 cept the German regiments." 
 
 "This does seem plausible ; and yet the Active s signals 
 told us that the French were steering west ; and that, 
 too, with a light westerly wind." 
 
 " Do not fleets, like armies, frequently make false demon 
 strations ? Might not Monsieur de Vervillin, so long as 
 his vessels were in sight from the shore, have turned to 
 ward the west, with an intention, as soon as covered by the 
 darkness, to incline to the east, again, and sail up channel, 
 under English ensigns, perhaps ? Is it not possible for 
 him to pass the Straits of Dover, even, as an English 
 squadron your own, for instance and thus deceive the 
 Hanoverian cruisers until ready to seize or destroy any 
 transports that may be sent ? " 
 
 "Hardly, Sir Reginald," said Bluewater, smiling. "A 
 French ship can no more be mistaken for an English ship, 
 than a Frenchman can pass for a Briton. We sailors are 
 not as easily deceived as that would show. It is true, how 
 ever, that a fleet might well stand in one direction, until 
 far enough off the land or covered by night, when it might 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 247 
 
 change its course suddenly, in an opposite direction ; and it 
 is possible the Comte de Vervillin has adopted some such 
 stratagem. If he actually knew of the intention to throw 
 German troops into the island, it is even quite probable. 
 In that case, for one, I could actually wish him success ! " 
 
 " Well, my dear sir, and what is to prevent it ? " asked 
 Sir Reginald, with a triumph that was not feigned. " Noth 
 ing, you will say, unless he fall in with Sir Gervaise 
 Cakes. But you have not answered my inquiry, as to the 
 manner in which flag-officers divide their commands at sea?" 
 
 " As soldiers divide their commands ashore. The supe 
 rior orders and the inferior obeys." 
 
 "Aye, this is true ; but it does not meet my question. 
 Here are eleven large ships, and two admirals ; now what 
 portion of these ships are under your particular orders, 
 and what portion under those of Sir Gervaise Oakes ? " 
 
 " The Vice-admiral has assigned to himself a division of 
 six of the ships, and left me for the other five. Each of 
 us has his frigates and smaller vessels. But an order that 
 the commander-in-chief may choose to give any captain 
 must be obeyed by him, as the inferior submits,, as a rule, 
 to the last order." 
 
 "And you," resumed Sir Reginald, with quickness; 
 " how are you situated, as respects these captains ? " 
 
 " Should I give a direct order to any captain in the fleet, 
 it would certainly be his duty to obey it ; though circum 
 stances might occur which would render it obligatory on 
 him to let me know that he had different instructions from 
 our common superior. But why these questions, Sir Regi 
 nald ? " 
 
 " Your patience, my dear Admiral ; and what ships have 
 you specifically under your care ? " 
 
 "The Caesar, my own ; the Dublin, the Elizabeth, the 
 York, and the Dover. To these must be added the Druid 
 frigate, the sloop of war, and the Gnat. My division 
 numbers eight in all." 
 
 "What a magnificent force to possess at. a momentous 
 crisis as this ! But where are all these vessels ? I see but 
 four and a cutter, and only two of these seem to be large." 
 
 " The light you perceive there, along the land to the 
 westward, is on board the Elizabeth ; and that broad off 
 here, in the channel, is on board the York. The Dover s 
 lantern has disappeared farther to the southward. Ah ! 
 there the Dublin casts, and is off after the others ! " 
 
248 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 11 And you intend to follow, Admiral Bluewater ? " 
 
 " Within an hour, or I shall lose the division. As it is, 
 I have been deliberating on the propriety of calling back 
 the sternmost ships, and collecting them in close squadron ; 
 for this increase and hauling of the wind render it prob 
 able they will lose the Vice-admiral, and that daylight 
 will find the line scattered and in confusion. One mind 
 must control the movements of ships, as well as of battal 
 ions, Sir Reginald, if they are to act in concert." 
 
 " With what view would you collect the vessels you 
 have mentioned, and in the manner you have named, if 
 you do not deem my inquiry indiscreet ?" demanded the 
 Baronet, with quickness. 
 
 " Simply that they might be kept together, and brought 
 in subjection to my own particular signals. This is the 
 duty that more especially falls to my share, as head of 
 the division." 
 
 u Have you the means to effect this, here, on this hill, 
 and by yourself, sir?" 
 
 " It would be a great oversight to neglect so important 
 a provision. My signal-officer is lying under yonder 
 cover, wrapped in his cloak, and two quartermasters are 
 in readiness to make the very signal in question ; for its 
 necessity has been foreseen, and really would seem to be 
 approaching. If done at all, it must be done quickly, too. 
 The light of the York grows dim in the distance. It shall 
 be done, sir ; prudence requires it, and you shall see the 
 manner in which we hold our distant ships in command." 
 
 Bluewater could not have announced more agreeable 
 intelligence to his companion. Sir Reginald was afraid 
 to propose the open treason he meditated ; but he fancied, 
 if the Rear-admiral could fairly withdraw his own divis 
 ion from the fleet, it would at once weaken the Vice- 
 admiral so much as to render an engagement with the 
 French impossible, and might lead to such a separation 
 of the commands as to render the final defection of the 
 division in-shore easier of accomplishment. It is true, 
 Bluewater, himself, was actuated by motives directly con 
 trary to these wishes ; but, as the parties travelled the same 
 road to a certain point, the intriguing Baronet had his 
 expectations of being able to persuade his new friend to 
 continue on in his own route. 
 
 Promptitude is a military virtue, and, among seamen, 
 it is a maxim to do everything that is required to be done, 
 
THE TWO 
 
 with activity and vigor. These laws were not neglected 
 on the present occasion. No sooner had the Rear-admiral 
 determined on his course, than he summoned his agents 
 to put it in execution. Lord Geoffrey had returned to 
 the heights and was within call, and he carried the orders 
 to the Lieutenant and the quartermasters. The lanterns 
 only required lighting, and then they were run aloft on 
 Dutton s staff, as regularly as the same duty could have 
 been performed on the poop of the Caesar. Three rockets 
 were thrown up, immediately after, and the gun kept on 
 the cliffs for that purpose was fired, to draw attention to 
 the signal. It might have been a minute ere the heavy 
 ordnance of the Caesar repeated the summons, and the 
 same signal was shown at her masthead. The Dublin 
 was still so near that no time was lost, but according to 
 orders, she too repeated the signal ; for in the line that 
 night, it was understood that an order of this nature 
 was to be sent from ship to ship, 
 
 "Now for the Elizabeth!" cried Bluewater; "she 
 cannot fail to have heard our guns, and to see our sig 
 nals." 
 
 "The York is ahead of her, sir !" exclaimed the boy ; 
 " see she has the signal up already ! " 
 
 All this passed in a very few minutes, the last ship hav 
 ing sailed in the expectation of receiving some such re 
 call. The York preceded the ship next to her in the line, 
 in consequence of having gone about, and being actually 
 nearer to the Rear-admiral than her second astern. It 
 was but a minute, before the gun and the lanterns of the 
 Elizabeth, however, announced her knowledge of the 
 order, also. 
 
 The two ships last named were no longer visible from 
 the cliffs, though their positions were known by their 
 lights ; but no sign whatever indicated the part of the 
 ocean on which the Dover was struggling along through 
 the billows. After a pause of several minutes, Bluewater 
 spoke. 
 
 " I fear we shall collect no more," he said ; "one of my 
 ships must take her chance to find the commander-in-chief, 
 alone. Ha ! that means something ! " 
 
 At this instant a faint, distant flash was seen, for a sin 
 gle moment, in the gloom, and all heads were bent forward 
 to listen, in breathless attention. A little time had 
 clasped, when the dull smothered report of a gun pro- 
 
250 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 claimed that even the Dover had caught the rapidly trans 
 mitted order. 
 
 " What means that, sir ? " eagerly demanded Sir Reginald, 
 who had attended to everything with intense expectation. 
 
 " It means, sir, that all the divisions are still under my 
 command. No other ship would note the order. Their 
 directions, unless specifically pointed out by their num 
 bers, must come from the Vice-admiral. Is my barge 
 ashore, Lord Geoffrey Cleveland?" 
 
 " It is, sir, as well as the cutter for Mr. Cornet and the 
 quartermasters. " 
 
 " It is well. Gentlemen, we will go on board ; the 
 Caesar must weigh and join the other vessels in the offing. 
 I will follow you to the landing, but you will shove off, at 
 once, and desire Captain Stowel to weigh and cast to-port. 
 We will fill on the starboard tack, and haul directly off 
 the land." 
 
 The whole party immediately left the station, hurrying 
 down to the boats, leaving Bluewater and Sir Reginald to 
 follow more leisurely. It was a critical moment for the 
 Baronet, who had so nearly effected his purpose that his 
 disappointment would have been double, did he fail of his 
 object altogether. He determined, therefore, not to quit 
 the Admiral while there was the slightest hope of success. 
 The two consequently descended together to the shore, 
 walking, for the first minute or two, in profound silence. 
 
 "A great game is in your hands, Admiral Bluewater," 
 resumed the Baronet; " rightly played, it may secure the 
 triumph of the good cause. I think I may say I know 
 De Vervillin s object, and that his success will reseat 
 the Stuarts on the throne of their ancestors ! One who 
 loves them should ponder well before he does aught to 
 mar so glorious a result." 
 
 This speech was as bold as it was artful. In point of 
 fact, Sir Reginald Wychecombe knew no more of the 
 Comte de Vervillin s intended movements than his com 
 panion ; but he did not hesitate to assert what he now did 
 in order to obtain a great political advantage, in a mo 
 ment of so much importance. To commit Bluewater and 
 his captains openly on the side of the Stuarts would be a 
 great achievement in itself ; to frustrate the plans of Sir Ger- 
 vaise might safely be accounted another ; and then, there 
 were all the chances that the Frenchman was not at sea for 
 nothing, and that his operations might indeed cover the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 251 
 
 movements of the princes. The Baronet, upright as he was 
 in other matters, had no scruples of conscience on this 
 occasion ; having long since brought himself over to the be 
 lief that it was justifiable to attain ends as great as those 
 he had in view, by the sacrifice of any of the minor moral 
 considerations. 
 
 The effect on Bluewater was not trifling. The devil had 
 placed the bait before his eyes in a most tempting form ; 
 for he felt that he had only to hold his division in reserve, 
 to render an engagement morally improbable. Abandon 
 his friend to a superior force he could not and would not ; 
 but it is our painful duty to avow that his mind had 
 glimpses of the possibility of doing the adventurer in 
 Scotland a great good, without doing the Vice-admiral 
 and the van of the fleet any essential harm. Let us be 
 understood, however. The Rear-admiral did not even 
 contemplate treason, or serious defection of any sort ; but 
 through one of those avenues of frailty by which men are 
 environed, he had a glance at results that the master-spirit 
 of evil momentarily placed before his mental vision as 
 both great and glorious. 
 
 " I wish we were really certain of De Vervillin s object," 
 he said ; the only concession he made to this novel feel 
 ing, in words. " It might, indeed, throw a great light on 
 the course we ought to take ourselves. I do detest this 
 German alliance, and would abandon the service ere I 
 would convey or transport a ragamuffin of them all to 
 England." 
 
 Here Sir Reginald proved how truly expert he was in 
 the arts of management. A train of thought and feeling 
 had been lighted in the mind of his companion, which 
 he felt might lead to all he wished, while he was appre 
 hensive that farther persuasion would awaken opposition, 
 and renew old sentiments. He wisely determined, there 
 fore, to leave things as they were, trusting to the strong 
 and declared bias of the Admiral in favor of the revolu 
 tion, to work out its own consequences, with a visible and 
 all-important advantage so prominently placed before his 
 eyes. 
 
 "I know nothing of ships," he answered, modestly, "but 
 I do know that the Comte has our succor in view. It 
 would ill become me to advise one of your experience how 
 to lead a force like this, which is subject to your orders ; 
 but a friend of the good cause, who is now in the West, and 
 
252 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 who was lately in the presence itself, tells me that the 
 Prince manifested extreme satisfaction when he learned 
 how much it might be in your power to serve him." 
 
 " Do you then think my name has reached the royal ear, 
 and that the Prince has any knowledge of my real feelings! " 
 
 " Nothing but your extreme modesty could cause you to 
 doubt the first, sir ; as to the last, ask yourself how came I 
 to approach you to-night, with my heart in my hand, as it 
 might be, making you master of my life as well as of my 
 secret. Love and hatred are emotions that soon betray 
 themselves." 
 
 It is a matter of historical truth that men of the highest 
 principles and strongest minds have yielded to the flattery 
 of rank. Bluevvater s political feelings had rendered him 
 indifferent to the blandishments of the court at London, 
 while his imagination, that chivalrous deference to antiq 
 uity and political right, which lay at the root of his 
 Jacobitism, and his brooding sympathies, disposed him but 
 too well to become the dupe of language like this. Had 
 lie been more a man of facts, one less under the influence 
 of his own imagination ; had it been his good fortune to 
 live even in contact with those he now so devoutly wor 
 shipped, in a political sense at least, their influence over 
 a mind as just and clear-sighted as his own would soon 
 have ceased ; but, passing his time at sea, they had the 
 most powerful auxiliary possible, in the high faculty he 
 possessed of fancying things as he wished them to be. No 
 wonder, then, that he heard this false assertion of Sir 
 Reginald with a glow of pleasure ; with even a thrill at 
 the heart to which he had long been a stranger. For a 
 time, his better feelings were smothered in this new and 
 treacherous sensation. 
 
 The gentlemen, by this time, were at the landing, and it 
 became necessary to separate. The barge of the Rear- 
 admiral was with difficulty kept from leaping on the rock, 
 by means of oars and boat-hooks, and each instant ren 
 dered the embarkation more and more difficult. The 
 moments were precious on more accounts than one, and 
 the leave-taking was short. Sir Reginald said but little, 
 though he intended the pressure of the hand he gave his 
 companion to express everything. 
 
 "God be with you," he added ; " and as you prove true, 
 may you prove successful. Remember, A lawful prince, 
 and the claims of birthright. God be with you ! " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 253 
 
 " Adieu, Sir Reginald; when we next meet, the future 
 will probably be more apparent to us all. But who comes 
 hither, rushing like a madman toward the boat ? " 
 
 A form came leaping through the darkness ; nor was it 
 known, until it stood within two feet of Bluewater, it was 
 that of Wycherly. He had heard the guns and seen the 
 signals. Guessing at the reasons, he dashed from the 
 park, which he was pacing to cool his agitation, and which 
 now owned him for a master, and ran the whole distance 
 to the shore, in order not to be left. His arrival was 
 most opportune ; for, in another minute, the barge left the 
 rock. 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 O er the glad waters of the dark blue sea, 
 
 Our thoughts as boundless, and our souls as free, 
 
 Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam, 
 
 Survey our empire and behold our home. The Corsair. 
 
 ONE is never fully aware of the extent of the movement 
 that agitates the bosom of the ocean until fairly subject 
 to its action himself, when indeed we all feel its power 
 and reason closely on its dangers. The first pitch of his 
 boat told Bluewater that the night threatened to be 
 serious. As the lusty oarsmen bent to their stroke, the 
 barge rose on a swell, dividing the foam that glanced past 
 it like a marine aurora borealis, and then plunged into the 
 trough as if descending to the bottom. It required several 
 united and vigorous efforts to force the little craft from its 
 dangerous vicinity to the rocks, and to get it in perfect 
 command. This once done, however, the well-practised 
 crew urged the barge slowly but steadily ahead. 
 
 "A dirty night! a dirty night!" muttered Bluewater, 
 unconsciously, to himself; "we should have had a wild 
 berth, had we rode out this blow, at anchor. Oakes will 
 have a heavy time of it out yonder in the very chops of 
 the channel, with a westerly swell heaving in against this 
 ebb." 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered Wycherly; "the Vice-admiral 
 will be looking out for us all, anxiously enough, in the 
 morning." 
 
 Not another syllable did Bluewater utter until his boat 
 had touched the side of the Caesar. He reflected deeply 
 
254 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 on his situation, and those who know his feelings will 
 easily understand that his reflections were not altogether 
 free from pain. Such as they were, he kept them to him 
 self, however, and in a man-of-war s boat, when a flag- 
 officer chooses to be silent, it is a matter of course for his 
 inferiors to imitate his example. 
 
 The barge was about a quarter of a mile from the land 
 ing, when the heavy flap of the Caesar s main-topsail was 
 heard, as, close-reefed, it struggled for freedom, while her 
 crew drew its sheets down to the blocks on the lower yard- 
 arms. A minute later, the Gnat, under the head of her 
 fore-and-aft-mainsail, was seen standing slowly off from 
 the land, looking in the darkness like some half-equipped 
 shadow of herself. The sloop of war, too, was seen bend 
 ing low to the force of the wind, with her mere apology 
 of a topsail thrown aback, in waiting for the flag-ship to 
 cast. 
 
 The surface of the waters was a sheet of glancing foam, 
 while the air was filled with the blended sounds of the wash 
 of the element, and the roar of the winds. Still there was 
 nothing chilling or repulsive in the temperature of the air, 
 which was charged with the freshness of the sea, and was 
 bracing and animating, bringing with it the flavor that a 
 seaman loves. After fully fifteen minutes severe tugging 
 at the oars, the barge drew near enough to permit the 
 black mass of the Caesar to be seen. For some time, Lord 
 Geoffrey, who had seated himself at the tiller yoke-lines 
 were not used a century since steered by the top-light of 
 the Rear-admiral ; but now the maze of hamper was seen 
 waving slowly to and fro in the lurid heavens, and the 
 huge hull became visible, heaving and setting, as if the 
 ocean groaned with the labor of lifting such a pile of wood 
 and iron. A light gleamed from the cabin-windows, and 
 ever and anon one glanced athwart an open gun-room 
 port. In all other respects, the ship presented but one 
 hue of blackness. Nor was it an easy undertaking, even 
 after the barge was under the lee of the ship, for those in 
 it to quit its uneasy support and get a firm footing on the 
 cleats that lined the vessel s side like a ladder. This was 
 done, however, and all ascended to the deck but two of the 
 crew, who remained to hook-on the yard and stay-tackles. 
 This effected, the shrill whistle gave the word, and that 
 large boat, built to carry at need some twenty souls, was 
 raised from the raging water, as it were by some gigantic 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 255 
 
 effort of the ship herself, and safely deposited in her 
 bosom. 
 
 "We are none too soon, sir," said Stowel, the moment he 
 had received the Rear-admiral with the customary etiquette 
 of the hour. " It s a capful of wind already, and it prom 
 ises to blow harder before morning. We are catted and 
 fished sir, and the forecastlemen are passing the shank- 
 painter at this moment." 
 
 " Fill, sir, and stretch off, on an easy bowline," was the 
 answer ; "when a league in the offing, let me know it. 
 Mr. Cornet, I have need of you, in my cabin." 
 
 As this was said, Bluewater went below, followed by his 
 signal-officer. At the same instant the First Lieutenant 
 called out to man the main-braces, and to fill the topsail. 
 As soon as this command was obeyed, the Caesar started 
 ahead. Her movement was slow, but it had majesty in it, 
 that set at naught the turbulence of the elements. 
 
 Bluewater had paced to and fro in his cabin no less than 
 six times, with his head drooping, in a thoughtful attitude, 
 ere his attention was called to any external object. 
 
 4< Do you wish my presence, Admiral Bluewater ? " the 
 signal-officer at length inquired. 
 
 " I ask your pardon, Mr. Cornet ; I was really uncon 
 scious that you were in the cabin. Let me see aye our 
 last signal was, Division come within hail of Rear- 
 admiral. They must get close to us, to be able to do that 
 to-night, Cornet ! The winds" and waves have begun their 
 song in earnest." 
 
 " And yet, sir, I ll venture a month s pay that Captain 
 Drinkwater brings the Dover so near us, as to put the of 
 ficer of the watch and quartermaster at the wheel in a 
 fever. We once made that signal, in a gale of wind, and 
 he passed his jib-boom-end over our taifrail." 
 
 " He is certainly a most literal gentleman, that Captain 
 Drinkwater, but he knows how to take care of his ship. 
 Look for the number of * Follow the Rear-admiral s 
 motions. Tis 211, I think." 
 
 "No, sir; but 212. Blue, red, and white, with the 
 flags. With the lanterns, tis one of the simplest signals 
 we have." 
 
 " We will make it, at once. When that is done show 
 The Rear-admiral ; keep in his wake, in the general order 
 of sailing. That I am sure is 204." 
 
 " Yes, sir, you are quite right. Shall I show the second 
 
256 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 signal as soon as all the vessels have answered the first, 
 sir ?" 
 
 " That is my intention, Cornet. When all have answered, 
 let me know it." 
 
 Mr. Cornet now left the cabin, and Bluewater took a 
 seat in an arm-chair, in deep meditation. For quite half 
 an hour the former was busy on the poop, with his two 
 quartermasters, going through the slow and far from easy 
 duty of making night-signals, as they were then practised 
 at sea. It was some time before the most distant vessel, 
 the Dover, gave any evidence of comprehending the first 
 order, and then the same tardy operation had to be gone 
 through with for the second. At length the sentinel threw 
 open the cabin-door, and Cornet reappeared. During the 
 whole of his absence on deck, Bluewater had not stirred ; 
 scarce seemed to breathe. His thoughts were away from 
 his ships, and for the first time, in the ten years he had 
 worn a flag, he had forgotten the order he had given. 
 
 "The signals are made and answered, sir," said Cornet, 
 as soon as he had advanced to the edge of the table, on 
 which the Rear-admiral s elbow was leaning. "The Dub 
 lin is already in our wake, and the Elizabeth is bearing 
 down fast on our weather-quarter ; she will bring herself 
 into her station in ten minutes." 
 
 "What news of the York and Dover, Cornet?" asked 
 Bluewater, rousing himself from a fit of deep abstrac 
 tion. 
 
 " The York s light nears us, quite evidently ; though 
 that of the Dover is still a fixed star, sir," answered the 
 Lieutenant, chuckling a little at his own humor ; " it seems 
 no larger than it did when we first made it." 
 
 " It is something to have made it at all. I was not aware 
 it could be seen from deck." 
 
 " Nor can it, sir ; but by going up half-a-dozen ratlines 
 we get a look at it. Captain Drinkwater bowses up his 
 lights to the gaff-end, and I can see him always ten min 
 utes sooner than any other ship in the fleet under the same 
 circumstances." 
 
 " Drinkwater is a careful officer ; do the bearings of his 
 light alter enough to tell the course he is steering ?" 
 
 "I think they do, sir, though our standing out athwart 
 his line of sailing would make the change slow, of course. 
 Every foot we get to the southward, you know sir, would 
 throw his bearings farther west ; while every foot he comes 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 257 
 
 east would counteract that change, and throw his bearings 
 farther south." 
 
 " That s very clear ; but, as he must go three fathoms to 
 our one, running off with square yards before such a 
 breeze, I think we should be constantly altering his bear 
 ings to the southward." 
 
 "No doubt of it, in the world, sir ; and that is just what 
 we are doing. I think I can see a difference of half a point 
 already ; but when we get his light fairly in view from the 
 poop, we shall be able to tell with perfect accuracy." 
 
 " All very well, Cornet. Do me the favor to desire Cap 
 tain Stowel to step into the cabin ; and keep a bright 
 look-out for the ships of the division. Stay for a single 
 instant ; what particularly sharp-eyed youngster happens 
 to belong to the watch on deck ? " 
 
 " I know none keener in that way than Lord Geoffrey 
 Cleveland, sir ; he can see all the roguery that is going on 
 in the whole fleet, at any rate, and ought to see other things." 
 
 " He will do perfectly well ; send the young gentleman 
 to me, sir ; but first inform the officer of the watch that I 
 have need of him." 
 
 Bluewater was unusually fastidious in exercising his 
 authority over those who had temporary superiors on the 
 assigned duty of the ship ; and he never sent an order to 
 any of the watch, without causing it to pass through the 
 officer of that watch. He waited but a minute before the 
 boy appeared. 
 
 " Have you a good grip to-night, boy ? " asked the Rear- 
 admiral, smiling; "or will it be both hands for yourself 
 and none for the king ? I want you on the fore-top-gal 
 lant-yard, for eight or ten minutes." 
 
 "Well, sir, it s a plain road there, and one I ve often 
 travelled," returned the lad, cheerfully. 
 
 " That I well know ; you are certainly no skulk when 
 duty is to be done. Go aloft, then, and ascertain if the 
 lights of any of Sir Gervaise s squadron are to be seen. 
 You will remember that the Dover bears somewhat about 
 southwest of us, and that she is still a long way to seaward. 
 I should think all of Sir Gervaise s ships must be quite as 
 far to windward as that point would bring them, but much 
 farther off. By looking sharp a point or half a point to 
 windward of the Dover, you may possibly see the light of 
 the Warspite, and then we shall get a correct idea of the 
 bearings of all the rest of the division " 
 
 17 
 
25 8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir," interrupted the boy; "I think I under 
 stand exactly what you wish to know, Admiral Blue water." 
 
 " That is a natural gift at sixteen, my lord," returned 
 the Admiral, smiling ; but it may be improved a little, 
 perhaps, by the experience of fifty years. Now, it is pos 
 sible Sir Gervaise may have gone about as soon as the 
 flood made ; in which case he ought to bear nearly to the 
 west of us, and you will also look in that direction. On 
 the other hand, Sir Gervaise may have stretched so far 
 over toward the French coast before night shut in, as to 
 feel satisfied Monsieur de Vervillin is still to the eastward 
 of him ; in which case he would keep off a little, and may, 
 at this moment, be nearly ahead of us. So that, under all 
 circumstances, you will sweep the horizon, from the weath 
 er-beam to the lee-bow, ranging forward. Am I under 
 stood, now, my lord ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, I think you are," answered the boy, blushing 
 at his own impetuosity. "You will excuse my indiscre 
 tion, Admiral Bluewater ; but I thought I understood all 
 you desired, when I spoke so hastily." 
 
 "No doubt you did, Geoffrey, but you perceive you did 
 not. Nature has made you quick of apprehension, but 
 not quick enough to foresee all an old man s gossip. Come 
 nearer, now, and let us shake hands. So go aloft, and 
 hold on well, for it is a windy night, and I do not desire 
 to lose you overboard." 
 
 The boy did as told, squeezed Bluewater s hand, and 
 dashed out of the cabin to conceal his tears. As for the 
 Rear-admiral, he immediately relapsed into his fit of for- 
 getfulness, waiting for the arrival of Stowel. 
 
 A summons to a captain does not as immediately pro 
 duce a visit, on board a vessel of war, as a summons to a 
 midshipman. Captain Stowel was busy in looking at the 
 manner in which his boats were stowed, when Cornet told 
 him of the Rear-admiral s request ; and then he had to 
 give some orders to the First Lieutenant concerning the 
 fresh meat that had been got off, and one or two other 
 similar little things, before he was at leisure to comply. 
 
 " See me, do you say, Mr. Cornet ; in his own cabin, as 
 soon as it is convenient ? " he at length remarked, when all 
 these several offices had been duly performed. 
 
 The signal-officer repeated the request, word for word 
 as he had heard it, when he turned to take another look 
 at the light of the Dover. As for Stowel, he cared no 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 259 
 
 more for the Dover, windy and dark as the night promised 
 to be, than the burgher is apt to care for his neighbor s 
 house when the whole street is threatened with destruc 
 tion. To him the Caesar was the great centre of attraction, 
 and Cornet paid him off in kind ; for, of all the vessels in 
 the fleet, the Caesar was precisely the one to which he gave 
 the least attention ; and this for the simple reason that 
 she was the only ship to which he never gave, or from 
 which he never received a signal. 
 
 " Well, Mr. Bluff," said Stowel to the First Lieutenant ; 
 " one of us will have to be on deck most of the night, 
 and I ll take a slant below, for half an hour first, and see 
 what the Admiral wishes." 
 
 Thus saying, the Captain left the deck, in order to 
 ascertain his superior s pleasure. Captain Stowel was 
 several years the senior of Bluewater, having actually 
 been a lieutenant in one of the frigates in which the Rear- 
 admiral had served as a midshipman ; a circumstance to 
 which he occasionally alluded in their present intercourse. 
 The change in the relative positions w r as the result of the 
 family influence of the junior, who had passed his senior 
 in the grade of master and commander ; a rank that then 
 brought many an honest man up for life, in the English 
 marine. At the age of five-and-forty, that at which Blue- 
 water first hoisted his flag, Stowel was posted, and soon 
 after he was invited by his old shipmate, who had once 
 had him under him as his first lieutenant in a sloop of 
 war, to take the command of his flag-ship. From that day 
 down to the present moment, the two officers had sailed 
 together, whenever they sailed at all, perfectly good 
 friends ; though the Captain never appeared entirely to for 
 get the time when they were in the aforesaid frigate ; one 
 as-a gun-room officer, and the other only a "youngster." 
 
 Stowel must now have been about sixty-five ; a square, 
 hard-featured, red-faced seaman, who knew all about his 
 ship, from her truck to her limber-rope, but who troubled 
 himself very little about anything else. He married a 
 widow when he was posted, but was childless, and had 
 long since permitted his affections to wander back into 
 their former channels ; from the domestic hearth to his 
 ship. He seldom spoke of matrimony, but the little he 
 saw fit to say on the subject was comprehensive and to 
 the point. A perfectly sober man, he consumed large 
 quantities of wine and brandy, as well as of tobacco, and 
 
260 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 never seemed to be the worse for either. Loyal he was 
 by political faith, and he looked upon a revolution, let its 
 object be what it might, as he would have regarded a 
 mutiny in the Caesar. He was exceedingly pertinacious of 
 his rights as " captain of his own ship," both ashore and 
 afloat ; a disposition that produced less trouble with the 
 mild and gentlemanly Rear-admiral, than with Mrs. 
 Stovvel. If we add that this plain sailor never looked in 
 to a book, his proper scientific works excepted, we shall 
 have said all of him that his connection with our tale de 
 mands. "Good evening, Admiral Bluevvater," said this 
 true tar, saluting the Rear-admiral, as one neighbor would 
 greet another, on dropping in of an evening, for they 
 occupied different cabins. "Mr. Cornet told me you 
 would like to say a word to me before I turned in ; if, 
 indeed, turn in at all I do this blessed night." 
 
 " Take a seat, Stowel, and a glass of this sherry, in the 
 bargain," Blue water answered, kindly, showing how well 
 he understood his man, by the manner in which he shoved 
 both bottle and glass within reach of his hand. "How 
 goes the night ? and is this wind likely to stand ?" 
 
 " I m of opinion, sir we ll drink his Majesty, if you ve 
 no objection, Admiral Bluewater I m of opinion, we 
 shall stretch the threads of that new main topsail, before 
 we ve done with the breeze, sir. I believe I ve not told 
 you, yet, that I ve had the new sail bent, since we last 
 spoke together on the subject. It s a good fit, sir ; and, 
 close-reefed, the sail stands like the side of a house." 
 
 " I m glad to hear it, Stowel ; though I think all your 
 canvas usually appears to be in its place." 
 
 " Why, you know, Admiral Bluewater, that I ve been 
 long enough at it, to understand something about the mat 
 ter. It is now more than forty years since we were in the 
 Calypso together, and ever since that time I ve borne the 
 commission of an officer. You were then a youngster, 
 and thought more of your joke than of bending sails, or 
 of seeing how they would stand." 
 
 "There wasn t much of me, certainly, forty years ago, 
 Stowel ; but I well remember the knack you had of mak 
 ing every robin, sheet, bowline, and thread do its duty, 
 then, as you do to-day. By the way, can you tell me any 
 thing of the Dover, this evening?" 
 
 " Not I, sir ; she came out with the rest of us, I suppose, 
 and must be somewhere in the fleet ; though I dare say the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 261 
 
 log will have it all, if she has been anywhere near us, lately. 
 I am sorry we did not go into one of the watering-ports, in 
 stead of this open roadstead, for we must be at least twenty- 
 seven hundred gallons short of what we ought to have, by 
 my calculation ; and then we want a new set of light spars, 
 pretty much all round ; and the lower hold hasn t as many 
 barrels of provisions in it, by thirty-odd, as I could wish to 
 see there." 
 
 " I leave these things to you, entirely, Stowel ; you will 
 report in time to keep the ship efficient." 
 
 " No fear of the Caesar, sir ; for, between Mr. Bluff, the 
 master, and myself, w r e know pretty much all about her ; 
 though I dare say there are men in the fleet who can tell you 
 more about the Dublin, or the Dover, or the York. We will 
 drink theQueen, and all the royal family, if you please, sir." 
 
 As usual, Bluewater merely bowed, for his companion 
 required no farther acquiescence in his toasts. Just at that 
 moment, too, it would have needed a general order, at 
 least, to induce him to drink any of the family of the reign 
 ing house. 
 
 "Oakes must be well off, mid-channel, by this time, 
 Captain Stowel ? " 
 
 " I should think he might be, sir ; though I can t say I 
 took particular notice of the time he sailed. I dare say it s 
 all in the log. The Plantagenet is a fast ship, sir, and 
 Captain Greenly understands her trim, and what she can do 
 on all tacks ; and yet, I do think his Majesty has one ship 
 in this fleet that can find a Frenchman quite as soon, and 
 deal with him, w r hen found, quite as much to the purpose." 
 
 " Of course you mean the Caesar ; well, I m quite of your 
 way of thinking, though Sir Gervaise manages never to be 
 in a slow ship. I suppose you know, Stowel, that Mon 
 sieur de Vervillin is out, and that we may expect to see or 
 hear something of him, to-morrow ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir, there is some such conversation in the ship, I 
 know ; but the quantity of galley-news is so great in this 
 squadron, that I never attend much to w r hat is said. One 
 of the officers brought off a rumor, I believe, that there 
 was a sort of a row in Scotland. By the way, sir, there is 
 a supernumerary lieutenant onboard, and as he has joined 
 entirely without orders, I m at a loss how r to berth or to 
 provision him. We can treat the gentleman hospitably to 
 night ; but in the morning I shall be obliged to get him 
 regularly on paper." 
 
262 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "You mean Sir Wycherly Wychecombe ; he shall come 
 into my mess rather than give you any trouble." 
 
 " I shall not presume to meddle with any gentleman you 
 may please to invite into your cabin, sir," answered Stowel, 
 with a stiff bow, in the way of apology, "That s what I 
 always tell Mrs. Stowel, sir that my cabin is my own, and 
 even a wife has no right to shake a broom in it." 
 
 "Which is a great advantage to us seamen ; for it gives 
 us a citadel to retreat to, when the outworks are pressed. 
 You appear to take but little interest in this civil war, 
 Stowel ! " 
 
 "Then it s true, is it, sir? I didn t know but it might 
 turn out to be galley-news. Pray what is the rumpus all 
 about, Admiral Bluewater ? for I never could get that story 
 lidded properly, so as to set up the rigging, and have the 
 spar well stayed in its place." 
 
 " It is merely a \var to decide who shall be king of Eng 
 land ; nothing else, I do assure you, sir." 
 
 " They re an uneasy set ashore, sir, if the truth must be 
 said of them ! We ve got one king, already ; and on what 
 principle does any man wish for more ? Now, there was 
 Captain Blakely, from the Elizabeth, on board of me this 
 afternoon ; and we talked the matter over a little, and 
 both of us concluded that they got these things up much 
 as a matter of profit among the army contractors, and the 
 dealers in warlike stores." 
 
 Bluewater listened with intense interest, for here was 
 proof how completely two of his Captains, at least, would 
 be at his own command, and how little they would be 
 likelv, for a time, at least, to dispute any of his orders. 
 He thought of Sir Reginald, and of the rapture with which 
 he would have received this trait of nautical character. 
 
 "There are people who set their hearts on the result, 
 notwithstanding," carelessly observed the Rear-admiral ; 
 "and some who see their fortunes marred or promoted, 
 by the success or downfall of the party. They think De 
 Vervillin is out on some errand connected with this rising 
 in the north." 
 
 " Well, I don t see what he has got to do with the matter 
 at all ; for I don t suppose that King Louis is such a fool 
 as to expect to be the king of England as well as king 
 of France ! " 
 
 " The dignity would be too much for one pair of shoul 
 ders to bear. As well might one Admiral wish to command 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 263 
 
 all the divisions of his own fleet, though they were fifty 
 leagues asunder." 
 
 " Or one Captain two ships ; or what is more to the 
 purpose, sir, one ship to keep two Captains. We ll drink 
 to discipline, if you ve no objections, sir. Tis the soul of 
 order and quiet, ashore or afloat. For my part, I want no 
 co-equal I believe that s, the cant word they use on such 
 occasions but I want no co-equal, in the Caesar, and I 
 am unwilling to have one in the house at Greenwich ; 
 though Mrs. Stowel thinks differently. Here s my ship ; 
 she s in her place in the line ; it s my business to see she 
 is fit for any service that a first-class two-decker can un 
 dertake, and the duty I endeavor to perform ; and I 
 make no doubt it is all the better performed because 
 there s no wife or co-equal aboard here. Where the ship 
 is to go, and what she is to do, are other matters, which 
 I take from general orders, or signals. Let them act up 
 to this principle in London, and we should hear no more 
 of disturbances, north or south." 
 
 " Certainly, Stowel, your doctrine would make a quiet 
 nation, as well as a quiet ship. I hope you do me the jus 
 tice to think there is no co-equal in my commands ! " 
 
 "That there is not, sir and I have the honor to drink 
 your health that there is not. When we were in the 
 Calypso together, I had the advantage, and I must say 
 that I never had a youngster under me who ever did his 
 duty more cheerfully. Since that day we ve shifted places ; 
 end for end, as one might say ; and I endeavor to pay you 
 in your own coin. There is no man whose orders I obey 
 more willingly or more to my own advantage ; always 
 excepting those of Admiral Oakes, who, being commander- 
 in-chief, overlays us with all his anchor. We must dowse 
 our peaks to his signals, though we can maintain, with 
 out mutinying, that the Caesar is as good a boat on or off 
 a wind, as the Plantagenet, the best day Sir Jarveys ever 
 saw." 
 
 " There is no manner of doubt of that. You have all 
 the notions of a true sailor, I find, Stowel ; obey orders 
 before all other things. I am curious to know how our 
 captains, generally, stand affected to this claim which the 
 Pretender has set up to the throne." 
 
 "Can t tell you, on my soul, sir ; though I fancy few of 
 them give themselves any great anxiety in the matter. 
 When the wind is fair we can run off large, and when it is 
 
264 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 foul we must haul upon a bowline, let who will reign. I 
 was a youngster under Queen Anne, and she was a Stuart, 
 I believe ; and I have served under the German family 
 ever since ; and to be frank with you, Admiral Bluewater, 
 I see but little difference in the duty, the pay, or the ra 
 tions. My maxim is to obey orders, and then I know the 
 blame will fall on them that give them, if any thing goes 
 wrong." 
 
 "We have many Scotchmen in the fleet, Stowel," ob 
 served the Rear-admiral, in a musing manner, like one 
 who rather thought aloud than spoke. " Several of the 
 captains are from the North of Tweed." 
 
 " Aye, sir, one is pretty certain of meeting gentlemen 
 from that part of the island, in almost all situations in 
 life. I never have understood that Scotland had much of 
 a navy in ancient times, and yet the moment old Eng 
 land has to pay for it, the lairds are willing enough to 
 send their children to sea." 
 
 " Nevertheless it must be owned that they make gallant 
 and useful officers, Stowel." 
 
 "No doubt they do, sir ; but gallant and useful men are 
 not scarce anywhere. You and I are too old and too ex 
 perienced, Admiral Bluewater, to put any faith in the 
 notion that courage belongs to any particular part of the 
 world, or usefulness either. I never fought a Frenchman 
 yet that I thought a coward ; and, in my judgment, there 
 are brave men enough in England to command all her 
 ships, and to fight them too." 
 
 " Let this be so, Stowel, still we must take things as they 
 come. What do you think of the night ? " 
 
 " Dirty enough before morning, I should think, sir, 
 though it is a little out of rule, that it does not rain with 
 this wind, already. The next time we come-to, Admiral 
 Bluewater, I intend to anchor with a shorter scope of cable 
 than we have been doing lately ; for I begin to think there 
 is no use in wetting so many yarns in the summer 
 months. They tell me the York brings up always on forty 
 fathoms." 
 
 "That s a short range, I should think, for a heavy ship. 
 But here is a visitor." 
 
 The sentinel opened the cabin-door, and Lord Geoffrey, 
 with his cap fastened to his head by a pocket-handkerchief, 
 and his face red with exposure to the wind, entered the 
 cabin, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 265 
 
 "Well," said Bluewater, quietly; "what is the report 
 from aloft ? " 
 
 " The Dover is running down athwart our forefoot, and 
 and nearing us fast, sir," returned the midshipman. "The 
 York is close on our weather-beam, edging into her sta 
 tion ; but I can make out nothing ahead of us, though I 
 was on the yard twenty minutes." 
 
 " Did you look w r ell on the weather-beam, and thence 
 forward to the lee-bow ? " 
 
 " I did, sir ; if any light is in view, better eyes than mine 
 must find it." 
 
 Stowel looked from one to the other, as this short con 
 versation w r as held ; but as soon as there was a pause, he 
 put in a word in behalf of the ship. 
 
 "You ve been up forward, my lord ?" he said. 
 
 "Yes, I have, Captain Stowel." 
 
 " And you did not think of seeing how the heel of the 
 topgallant-mast stood it, in this sea ? Bluff tells me tis too 
 loose to be fit for very heavy weather." 
 
 " I did not, sir. I was sent aloft to look out for the ships 
 of the Commander-in-chief s division, and didn t think of 
 the heel of the topgallant-mast s being too loose, at all." 
 
 1 Aye, that s the way with all the youngsters, nowadays. 
 In my time, or even in yours, Admiral Bluewater, we never 
 put our feet on a ratline, but hands and eyes w r ere at work, 
 until we reached the halting place, even though it should 
 be the truck. That is the manner to know what a ship is 
 "Hi ad e of ! 
 
 " I kept my hands and eyes at work, too, Captain Stow 
 el, but it was to hold on well, and to look out well." 
 
 " That will never do that will never do, if you wish to 
 make yourself a sailor. Begin with your own ship first; 
 learn all about her, then, when you get to be an admiral, 
 as your father s son, my lord, will be certain to become, 
 it will be time enough to be inquiring about the rest of 
 the fleet. " 
 
 " You forget, Captain Stowel " 
 
 "That will do, Lord Geoffrey," Bluewater soothingly in 
 terposed, for he knew that the Captain preached no more 
 than he literally practised ; "if I am satisfied w r ith your 
 report, no one else has a right to complain. Desire Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe to meet me on deck, where w r e 
 will now go, Stowel, and take a look at the weather for 
 ourselves." 
 
266 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " With all my heart, Admiral Bluewater, though I ll 
 just drink the First Lord s health before we quit this excel 
 lent liquor. That youngster has stuff in him, in spite of 
 his nobility, and by fetching him up with round turns, 
 occasionally, I hope to make a man of him, yet." 
 
 "If he do not grow into that character, physically and 
 morally, within the next few years, sir, he will be the first 
 person of his family who has ever failed of it." 
 
 As Bluewater said this, he and the Captain left his 
 cabin and ascended to the quarter-deck. Here Stowel 
 stopped to hold a consultation with his first lieutenant, 
 while the Admiral went up the poop-ladder, and joined 
 Cornet. The last had nothing new to communicate, and 
 as he was permitted to go below, he was desired to send 
 Wycherly up to the poop, where the young man was 
 expected by the Rear-admiral. 
 
 Some little time elapsed before the Virginian could be 
 found ; no sooner was this effected, however, than he 
 joined Bluewater. They had a private conversation of 
 fully half an hour, pacing the poop the whole time, and 
 then Cornet was summoned back again to his usual sta 
 tion. The latter immediately received an order to acquaint 
 Captain Stowel the Rear-admiral desired that the Caesar 
 might be hove-to, and to make a signal for the Druid 36 
 to come under the flagship s lee and back her main top 
 sail. No sooner did this order reach the quarter-deck 
 than the watch was sent to the braces, and the main-yard 
 was rounded in, until the portion of sail that was still set 
 lay against the mast. This deadened the way of the huge 
 body, which rose and fell heavily in the seas, as they 
 washed under her, scarcely large enough to lift the burden 
 it imposed upon them. Just at this instant the signal 
 was made. 
 
 The sudden check to the movement of the Caesar 
 brought the Dublin looming up in the darkness, when 
 putting her helm up, that ship surged slowly past to lee 
 ward, resembling a black mountain moving by in the 
 gloom. She was hailed and directed to heave-to, also, as 
 soon as far enough ahead. The Elizabeth followed, clear 
 ing the flag-ship by merely twenty fathoms, and receiving a 
 similar order. The Druid had been on the Admiral s 
 weather-quarter, but she now came gliding down, with 
 the wind abeam, taking room to back her topsail under 
 the Caesar s lee-bow. By this time a cutter was in the 
 
\THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 267 
 
 water, rising six or eight feet up the black side of the 
 ship, and sinking as low apparently beneath her bottom. 
 Next, Wycherly reported himself ready to proceed. 
 
 "You will not forget, sir," said Bluewater, "any. part of 
 my commission ; but inform the Commander-in-chief of 
 the whole. It may be important that we understand 
 each other fully. You will also hand him this letter 
 which I have hastily written while the boat was getting 
 ready." 
 
 " I think I understand your wishes, sir at least, I hope 
 so ; and I will endeavor to execute them." 
 
 "God bless you, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe," added 
 Bluewater, with emotion. "We may never meet again, 
 we sailors carry uncertain lives ; and we may be said to 
 carry them in our hands." 
 
 Wycherly took his leave of the Admiral, and he ran 
 down the poop-ladder to descend into the boat. Twice he 
 paused on the quarter-deck, however, in the manner of 
 one who felt disposed to return and ask some explanation ; 
 but each time he moved on, decided to proceed. 
 
 It needed all the agility of our young sailor to get safely 
 into the boat. This done, the oars fell and the cutter was 
 driven swiftly away to leeward. In a few minutes, it shot 
 beneath the lee of the frigate, and discharged its freight. 
 Wycherly could not have been three minutes on the deck 
 of the Druid ere her yards were braced up, and her top 
 sail filled with a heavy flap. This caused her to draw 
 slowly ahead. 
 
 Five minutes later, however, a white cloud was seen 
 dimly fluttering over her hull, and the reefed mainsail was 
 distended to the wind. The effect was so instantaneous 
 that the frigate seemed to glide away from the flag-ship, 
 and in a quarter of an hour, under her three topsails 
 double-reefed, and her course, she was a mile distant on 
 her weather-bow. Those who watched her movements 
 without understanding them, observed that she lowered 
 her light and appeared to detach herself from the rest of 
 the division. 
 
 It was some time before the Caesar s boat was enabled 
 to pull up against the tide, wind, and sea. When this 
 hard task was successfully accomplished, the ship filled, 
 passed the Dublin and Elizabeth, and resumed her place 
 in the line. 
 
 Bluewater paced the poop an hour longer, having dis~ 
 
268 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 missed his signal-officer and the quarter-masters to their 
 hammocks. Even Stowel had turned in, nor did Mr. Bluff 
 deem it necessary to remain on deck any longer. At the 
 end of the hour, the Rear-admiral bethought him of retir 
 ing too. Before he quitted the poop, however, he stood 
 at the weather-ladder, holding on to the mizzen rigging, 
 and gazing at the scene. 
 
 The wind had increased, as had the sea, but it was not 
 yet a gale. The York had long before hauled up in her 
 station, a cable s length ahead of the Caesar, and was 
 standing on, under the same canvas as the flag-ship, look 
 ing stately and black. The Dover was just shooting 
 into her berth, under the standing sailing-orders, at the 
 same distance ahead of the York ; visible, but much less 
 distinct and imposing. The sloop and the cutter w y ere 
 running along, under the lee of the heavy ships, a quarter 
 of a mile distant, each vessel keeping her relative position, 
 by close attention to her canvas. Farther than this, noth 
 ing was in sight. The sea had that wild mixture of bright 
 ness and gloom, which belongs to the element when much 
 agitated in a dark night, while the heavens were murky 
 and threatening. 
 
 Within the ship, all was still. Here and there a lantern 
 threw its wavering light around, but the shadow s of the 
 masts and guns, and other objects, rendered this relief to 
 the night trifling. The Lieutenant of the watch paced the 
 weather side of the quarter-deck, silent but attentive. 
 Occasionally he hailed the lookouts, and admonished them 
 to be vigilant, also, and at each turn he glanced upward 
 to see how the topsail stood. Four orfive old and thought 
 ful seamen walked the waist and forecastle, but most of 
 the watch were stowed between the guns, or in the best 
 places they could find, under the lee of the bulwarks, catch 
 ing cat s naps. This was an indulgence denied the young 
 gentlemen, of whom one was on the forecastle, leaning 
 against the mast, dreaming of home, one in the waist, sup 
 porting the nettings, and one walking the lee side of the 
 quarter deck, his eyes shut, his thoughts confused, and his 
 footing uncertain. As Bluewater stepped on the quarter 
 deck ladder, to descend to his own cabin, the youngster 
 hit his foot against an eye-bolt, and fetched away plump 
 up against his superior. Bluewater caught the lad in his 
 arms, and saved him from a fall, setting him fairly on his 
 feet before he let him go. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 269 
 
 "Tis seven bells, Geoffrey," said the Admiral, in an 
 undertone. " Hold on for a half-hour longer, and then go 
 dream of your dear mother." 
 
 Before the boy could recover himself to thank his su 
 perior, the latter had disappeared. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Yet notwithstanding, being incensed, he s flint ; 
 
 As humorous as winter, and as sudden 
 
 As flaws congealed in the spring of day. 
 
 His temper, therefore, must be well observed. SHAKESPEARE. 
 
 THE reader will remember that the wind had not be 
 come fresh when Sir Gervaise Oakes got into his barge 
 with the intention of carrying his fleet to sea. A retro 
 spective glance at the state of the weather will become 
 necessary to the reader, therefore, in carrying his mind 
 back to that precise period whither it has now become 
 our duty to transport him in imagination. 
 
 The Vice-admiral governed a fleet on principles very 
 different from those of Bluewater. While the last left so 
 much to the commanders of the different vessels, his friend 
 looked into everything himself. The details of the service 
 he knew were indispensable to success on a larger scale, 
 and his active mind descended into all these minutiae, to 
 a degree sometimes that annoyed his captains. On the 
 whole, however, he was sufficiently observant of that for 
 midable barrier to excessive familiarity, and that great 
 promoter of heart-burnings in a squadron, naval etiquette, 
 to prevent anything like serious misunderstandings, and 
 the best feelings prevailed between him and the several 
 magnates under his orders. Perhaps the circumstance 
 that he was a fighting admiral contributed to this internal 
 tranquillity ; for it has been often remarked that armies 
 and fleets will both tolerate more in leaders that give them 
 plenty to do with the enemy, than in commanders who 
 leave them inactive and less exposed. The constant en 
 counters with the foe would seem to let out all the superflu 
 ous quarrelsome tendencies. Nelson, to a certain extent, 
 was an example of this influence in the English marine, 
 
270 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Suffren* in that of France, and Preble, to a much greater 
 degree than in either of the other cases, in our own. At all 
 events, while most of his captains sensibly felt themselves 
 less of commanders, while Sir Gervaise was on board or 
 around their ships, than when he was in the cabin of the 
 Plantagenet, the peace was rarely broken between them, 
 and he was generally beloved as well as obeyed. Blue- 
 water was a more invariable favorite, perhaps, though 
 scarcely as much respected ; and certainly not half as 
 much feared. 
 
 On the present occasion, the Vice-admiral did not pull 
 through the fleet, without discovering the peculiar pro 
 pensity to which we have alluded. In passing one of the 
 ships, he made a sign to his coxwain to cause the boat s crew 
 to lay on their oars, whea he hailed the vessel, and the 
 following dialogue occurred. 
 
 " Carnatic, ahoy ! " cried the Admiral. 
 
 " Sir," exclaimed the officer of the deck, jumping on a 
 quarter-deck gun, and raising his hat. 
 
 "Is Captain Parker on board, sir?" 
 
 " He is, Sir Gervaise ; will you see him, sir?" 
 
 A nod of the head sufficed to bring the said Captain 
 Parker on deck, and to the gangway, where he could con 
 verse with his superior, without inconvenience to either. 
 
 "How do you do, Captain Parker?" a certain sign Sir 
 Gervaise meant to rap the other over the knuckles, else 
 would it have been " Parker." " How do you do, Captain 
 Parker? I am sorry to see you have got your ship too 
 much down by the head, sir. She ll steer off the wind, 
 like a colt when he first feels the bridle ; now with his 
 head on one side, and now on the other. You know I like 
 a compact line, and straight wakes, sir." 
 
 " I am well aware of that, Sir Gervaise," returned Par 
 ker, a gray-headed, meek old man, who had fought his way 
 
 * Suffren, though one of the best sea-captains France ever possessed, 
 was a man of extreme severity and great roughness of manner. Still, he 
 must have been a man of family, as his title of Bailli de Suffren was de 
 rived from his being a Knight of Malta. It was a singular circumstance 
 connected with the death of this distinguished officer, which occurred not 
 long before the French revolution, that he disappeared in an extraordinary 
 manner, and is buried no one knows where. It is supposed that he was 
 killed by one of his own officers, in a renconter in the streets of Paris, at 
 night, and that the influence of the friends of the victor was sufficiently 
 great to suppress inquiry. The cause of the quarrel is attributed to harsh 
 treatment in service. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRJity 271 
 
 up from the forecastle to his present honor.tbte station, 
 and who, though brave as a lion before the enemy, had a 
 particular dread of. all his commanders; "but we have 
 have been obliged to use more water aft than we could 
 wish, on account of the tiers. We shall coil away the 
 cables anew, and come at some of the leaguers forward, 
 and bring all right again, in a week, I hope, sir." 
 
 "A week? the d 1, sir; that will never do, when I 
 
 expect to see De Vervillin to-morrow. Fill all your 
 empty casks aft with salt-water, immediately ; and if that 
 won t do, shift some of your shot forward. I know that 
 craft of yours well ; she is tender as a fellow with corns, 
 and the shoe mustn t pinch anywhere." 
 
 " Very well, Sir Gervaise ; the ship shall be brought in 
 trim, as soon as possible." 
 
 "Aye, aye, sir, that is what I expect from every vessel, 
 at all times ; and more especially when we are ready to 
 meet an enemy. And, I say, Parker," making a sign to 
 his boat s crew to stop rowing again "I say, Parker, I 
 know you love brawn ; I ll send you some that Galleygo 
 tells me he has picked up, along-shore here, as soon as I 
 get aboard. The fellow has been robbing all the hen 
 roosts in Devonshire, by his own account of the matter." 
 
 Sir Gervaise waved his hand, Parker smiled and bowed 
 his thanks, and the two parted with feelings of perfect 
 kindness, notwithstanding the little skirmish with which 
 the interview had commenced. 
 
 "Mr. Williamson," said Captain Parker to his first 
 lieutenant, on quitting the gangway, "you hear what the 
 commander-in-chief says ; and he must be obeyed. I don t 
 think that Carnatic would have sheered out of the line, 
 even if she is a little by the head ; but have the empty 
 casks filled, and bringing her down six inches more by the 
 stern." 
 
 "That s a good fellow, that old Parker," said Sir Ger 
 vaise to his purser, whom he was carrying off good- 
 naturedly to the ship, lest he might lose his passage ; " and 
 I wonder how he let his ship get her nose under water, in 
 that fashion. I like to have him for a second astern ; for 
 I feel sure he d follow if I stood into Cherbourg, bows on ! 
 Yes ; a good fellow is Parker ; and, Locker " to his own 
 man, who was also in the boat " mind you send him two 
 of the best pieces of that brawn hey ! hey ! hey ! what 
 the d 1 has Lord Morganic " a descendant from royalty 
 
272 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 by the left hand "been doing now! That ship is kept 
 like a tailor s lay figure, just to stuff jackets andgimcracks 
 on her Achilles, there ! " 
 
 A quartermaster ran to the edge of the poop, and then 
 turning, he spoke to his captain, who was walking the 
 deck, and informed him that the Commander-in-chief hailed 
 the ship. The Earl of Morganic, a young man of four- 
 and-twenty, who had succeeded to the title a few years 
 before by the death of an elder brother the usual process 
 by which an old peer is brought into the British navy, the 
 work being too discouraging for those who have fortune 
 before their eyes from the start now advanced to the 
 quarter of the ship, bowed with respectful ease, and spoke 
 with a self-possession that not one of the old commanders 
 of the fleet would have dared to use. In general, this no 
 bleman s intercourse with his superiors in naval rank, be 
 trayed the consciousness of his own superiority in civil 
 rank ; but Sir Gervaise being of an old family, and quite 
 as rich as he was himself, the Vice-admiral commanded 
 more of his homage than was customary. His ship was 
 full of "nobs," as they term it in the British navy, or the 
 sons and relatives of nobles ; and it was by no means an 
 uncommon thing for her messes to have their jokes at the 
 expense of even flag-officers, who were believed to be a 
 little ignorant of the peculiar sensibilities that are rightly 
 enough imagined to characterize social station. 
 
 " Good morning, Sir Gervaise," called out this noble 
 captain; " I m glad to see you looking so well, after our 
 long cruise in the bay ; I intended to have the honor to 
 inquire after your health in person, this morning, but they 
 told me you slept out of the ship. We shall have to hold 
 a court on you, sir, if you fall much into that habit !" 
 
 All within hearing smiled, even to the rough old tars, 
 who were astraddle of the yards ; and even Sir Gervaise s 
 lip curled a little, though he was not exactly in a joking 
 humor. 
 
 "Come, come, Morganic, do you let my habits alone, 
 and look out for your own fore-topmast. Why, in the 
 name of seamanship, is that spar stayed forward in such a 
 fashion, looking like a xebec s foremast?" 
 
 " Do you dislike it, Sir Gervaise ? Now to our fancies 
 aboard here, it gives the Achilles a knowing look, and we 
 hope to set a fashion. By carrying the head-sails well 
 forward, we help the ship round in a sea, you know, sir." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 273 
 
 "Indeed, I know no such thing, my lord. What you 
 gain after being taken aback, you lose in coming to the 
 wind. If I had a pair of scales suitable to such a purpose, 
 I would have all that hamper you have stayed away yon^ 
 der over your bows, on the end of such a long lever, 
 weighed, in order that you might learn what a beautiful 
 contrivance you ve invented, among you, to make a ship 
 
 pitch in a head sea. Why, d e, if I think you d lie-to, 
 
 at all, with so much stuff aloft to knock you off the lee 
 ward. Come up, everything, forward ; come up, every 
 thing, my lord, and bring the mast as near perpendicular 
 as possible. It s a hard matter, I find, to make one of 
 your new-fashioned captains keep things in their places." 
 
 " Well, now, Sir Gervaise, I think the Achilles makes as 
 good an appearance as most of the other ships ; and as to 
 travelling or working, I do not know that she is either dull 
 or clumsy ! " 
 
 " She s pretty well, Morganic, considering how many 
 Bond Street ideas you have got among you ; but she ll 
 never do in a head sea, with that fore-topmast threatening 
 your knight-heads. So get the mast up-and-down, again, 
 as soon as convenient, and come and dine with me, with 
 out farther invitation, the first fine day we have at sea. 
 I m going to send Parker some brawn ; but I ll feed you 
 on some of Galleygo s turtle-soup, made out of pigs 
 heads." 
 
 " Thank ee, Sir Gervaise ; we ll endeavor to straighten 
 the stick, since you will have it so ; though I confess I get 
 tired of seeing everything to-day just as we had it yes 
 terday." 
 
 " Yes, yes ; that s the way with the most of these St. 
 James cruisers," continued the Vice-admiral, as he rowed 
 away. " They want a fashionable tailor to rig a man-of- 
 war, as they are rigged themselves. There s my old friend 
 and neighbor, Lord Scupperton he s taken a fancy to 
 yachting, lately, and when his new brig was put into the 
 water, Lady Scupperton made him send for an upholsterer 
 from town to fit out the cabin ; and when the blackguard 
 had surveyed the unfortunate craft, as if it were a country 
 box, what does he do but give an opinion, that * This here 
 edifice, my lord, in my judgment, should be furnished in 
 cottage style, the vagabond ! " 
 
 This story, which was not particularly original, for Sir 
 Gervaise himself had told it at least a dozen times before, 
 18 
 
274 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 put the Admiral in a good humor, and he found no more 
 fault with his captains, until he reached the Planta- 
 genet 
 
 " Daly," said the Earl of Morganicto his first lieutenant, 
 an experienced old Irishman of fifty, who still sung a good 
 song and told a good story, and what was a little extraor 
 dinary for either of these accomplishments, knew how to 
 take good care of a ship " Daly, I suppose we must hu 
 mor the gentleman, or he ll be quarantining me, and that 
 I shouldn t particularly like on the eve of a general action ; 
 so we ll ease off forward, and set up the strings aft, again. 
 Hang me if I think he could find it out if we didn t, so long 
 as we kept dead in his wake ! " 
 
 " That wouldn t be a very safe desait for Sir Jarvey, my 
 lord, for he s a wonderful eye for a rope ! Were it Admiral 
 Blue, now, I d engage to cruise in his company for a week, 
 with my mizzen-mast stowed in the hold, and there should 
 be no bother about the novelty, at all ; quite likely he d be 
 hailing us, and ask, What brig s that ? But none of the 
 tricks will answer with t other, who misses the whipping 
 off the end of a gasket, as soon as any first luff of us all. 
 And so I ll just go about the business in earnest ; get the 
 carpenter up with his plumb-bob, and set everything as 
 straight up-and-down as the back of a grenadier." 
 
 Lord Morganic laughed, as was usual with him when his 
 lieutenant saw fit to be humorous ; and then his caprice in 
 changing the staying of his masts, as well as the order 
 which countermanded it, was forgotten. 
 
 The arrival of Sir Gervaise on board his own ship was 
 always an event in the fleet, even though his absence had 
 lasted no longer than twenty-four hours. The effect is like 
 that which is produced on a team of high-mettled cattle, 
 when they feel that the reins are in the hands of an ex 
 perienced and spirited coacliman. 
 
 "Good-morning, Greenly; good-morning to you all, 
 gentlemen," said the Vice-admiral, bowing to the quarter 
 deck in gross, in return for the "present-arms," and rat 
 tling of drums, and lowering of hats that greeted his 
 arrival ; "a fine day, and it is likely we shall have a fresh 
 breeze. Captain Greenly, your sprit-sail-yard wants squar 
 ing by the lifts ; and, Bunting, make the Thunderer s sig 
 nal to get her fore-yard in its place, as soon as possible. 
 She s had it down long enough to make a new one, instead 
 of merely fishing it. Are your boats all aboard, Greenly?" 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 275 
 
 "All but your own barge, Sir Gervaise, and that is 
 hooked on." 
 
 " In with it, sir; then trip, and we ll be off. Monsieur 
 de Vervillin has got some mischief in his head, gentlemen, 
 and we must go and take it out of him." 
 
 These orders were promptly obeyed ; but, as the manner 
 in which the Plantagenet passed out of the fleet, and led 
 the other ships to sea, has been already related, it is un 
 necessary to repeat it. There was the usual bustle, the 
 customary orderly confusion, the winding of calls, the 
 creaking of blocks, and the swinging of yards, ere the ves 
 sels were in motion. As the breeze freshened, sail was 
 reduced, as already related, until, by the time the leading 
 ship was ten leagues at sea, all were under short canvas, 
 and the appearance of a windy, if not a dirty night, had 
 set in. Of course, all means of communication between 
 the Plantagenet and the vessel still at anchor had ceased, 
 except by sending signals down the line ; but to those Sir 
 Gervaise had no recourse, since he was satisfied Bluewater 
 understood his plans, and he then entertained no manner 
 of doubt of his friends willingness to aid them. 
 
 Little heed was taken of anything astern, by those on 
 board the Plantagenet. Every one saw, it is true, that ship 
 followed ship in due succession, as long as the movement 
 of those in-shore could be perceived at all ; but the great 
 interest centred on the horizon to the southward and the 
 eastward. In that quarter of the channel the French were 
 expected to appear, for the cause of this sudden departure 
 was a secret from no one in the fleet. A dozen of the best 
 look-outs in the ship were kept aloft the whole afternoon, 
 and Captain Greenly, himself, sat in the forward crosstrees, 
 with a glass, for more than an hour, just as the sun was 
 setting, in order to sweep the horizon. Two or three sail 
 were made, it is true, but they all proved to be English 
 coasters ; Guernsey or Jerseymen, standing for ports in the 
 west of England, most probably laden with prohibited ar 
 ticles from the country of the enemy. Whatever may be 
 the dislike of an Englishman for a Frenchman, he has no 
 dislike to the labor of his hands ; and there probably has 
 not been a period since civilization has introduced the art 
 of smuggling among its other arts, when French brandies, 
 and laces, and silks, were not exchanged against English 
 tobacco and guineas, and that in a contraband way, let it 
 be in peace or let it be in war. One of the characteristics 
 
2j6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 of Sir Gervaise Oakes was to despise all petty means of 
 annoyance ; usually he disdained even to turn aside to 
 chase a smuggler. Fishermen he never molested at all ; 
 and, on the whole, he carried on a marine warfare, a cen 
 tury since, in a way that some of his successors might have 
 imitated to advantage in our own times. Like that high- 
 spirited Irishman, Caldwell,* who conducted a blockade 
 in the Chesapeake, at the commencement of the Revolu 
 tion, with so much liberality that his enemies actually sent 
 him an invitation to a public dinner. Sir Gervaise knew 
 how to distinguish between the combatant and the non- 
 combatant, and heartily disdained all the money-making 
 parts of his profession, though large sums had fallen into 
 his hands, in this way, as pure godsends. 
 
 No notice was taken, therefore, of anything that had 
 not a warlike look ; the noble old ship standing steadily 
 on toward the French coast, as the mastiff passes the cur, 
 on his way to encounter another animal, of a mould and 
 courage more worthy of his powers. 
 
 "Make nothing of em, hey, Greenly ?" said Sir Ger 
 vaise, as the captain came down from his perch, in conse 
 quence of the gathering obscurity of evening, followed by 
 half-a-dozen lieutenants and midshipmen, who had been 
 aloft as volunteers. " Well we know they cannot yet DC 
 to the westward of us, and by standing on shall be certain 
 of heading them off, before this time six months. How 
 beautifully all the ships behave, following each other as 
 accurately as if Bluewater himself were aboard each vessel 
 to con her ! " 
 
 Yes, sir, they do keep the line uncommonly well, con 
 sidering that the tides run in streaks in the channel. I do 
 think if we were to drop a hammock overboard, that the 
 Carnatic would pick it up, although she must be quite 
 four leagues astern of us." 
 
 " Let old Parker alone for that ! I ll warrant you, he is 
 never out of the way. Were it Lord Morganic, now, in 
 the Achilles, I should expect him to be away off here on 
 our weather-quarter, just to show us how his ship can eat 
 us out of the wind when he tries ; or away down yonder, 
 under our lee, that we might understand how she falls off, 
 when he don t try." 
 
 * The writer believes this noble-minded sailor to have been the late Ad 
 miral Sir Benjamin Caldwell. It is scarcely necessary to say that the invi 
 tation could not be accepted, though quite seriously given. 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 277 
 
 " My lord is a gallant officer, and no bad seaman, for his 
 years, notwithstanding, Sir Gervaise," observed Greenly, 
 who generally took the part of the absent, whenever his 
 superior felt disposed to berate them. 
 
 " I deny neither, Greenly, most particularly the first. I 
 know very well, were I to signal Morganic to run into 
 Brest, he d do it ; but whether he would go in ring-tail- 
 boom or jib-boom first, I couldn t tell till I saw it. Now 
 you are a youngish man yourself, Greenly " 
 
 " Every day of eight-and-thirty, Sir Gervaise, and a 
 few months to spare ; and I care not if the ladies know 
 it." 
 
 " Poh ! They like us old fellows, half the time, as well 
 as they do the boys. But you are of an age not to feel 
 time in your bones, and can see the folly of some of our 
 old-fashioned notions, perhaps ; though you are not quite 
 as likely to understand the fooleries that have come in, in 
 your own day. Nothing is more absurd than to be experi 
 menting on the settled principles of ships. They are 
 machines, Greenly, and have their laws, just the same as 
 the planets in the heavens. The idea comes from a fish 
 head, run, and helm ; and all we have to do is to study the 
 fishes in order to get the sort of craft we want. If there is 
 occasion for bulk, take the whale, and you get a round 
 bottom, full fore-body, and a clean run. When you want 
 speed, models are plenty take the dolphin, for instance 
 and there you find an entrance like a wedge, a lean fore- 
 body, and a run as clean as this ship s decks. But some of 
 our young captains would spoil a dolphin s sailing, if they 
 could breathe under water, so as to get at the poor devils. 
 Look at their fancies ! The First Lord shall give one of 
 his cousins a frigate, now, that is moulded after nature 
 itself, as one might say ; with a bottom that would put a 
 trout to shame. Well, one of the first things the lad does, 
 when he gets on board her, is to lengthen his gaff, perhaps, 
 put a cloth or two in his mizzen, and call it a spanker, 
 settle away the peak till it sticks out over his taff-rail like 
 a sign-post, and then away he goes upon a wind, with his 
 helm hard-up, bragging what a weatherly craft he has, and 
 how hard it is to make her even look to leeward." 
 
 "I have known such sailors, I must confess, Sir Ger 
 vaise ; but time cures them of that folly." 
 
 " That is to be hoped ; for what would a man think of a 
 fish to which nature had fitted a tail athwart-ships, and 
 
278 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 which was obliged to carry a fin, like a lee-board, under 
 its lee-jaw, to prevent falling off dead before the wind ! " 
 
 Here Sir Gervaise laughed heartily at the picture of the 
 awkward creature to which his own imagination had given 
 birth ; Greenly joining in the merriment, partly from the 
 oddity of the conceit, and partly from the docility with 
 which a commander-in-chiel s jokes are usually received. 
 The feeling of momentary indignation which had aroused 
 Sir Gervaise to such an expression of his disgust at 
 modern inventions, was appeased by this little success; 
 and, inviting his captain to supper with him a substitute 
 for a dinner he led the way below in high good-humor, 
 Galleygo having just announced that the table was ready. 
 
 The convives on this occasion were merely the Admiral 
 himself, Greenly, and Atwood. The fare was substantial, 
 rather than scientific ; but the service was rich ; Sir Ger 
 vaise uniformly eating off of plate. In addition to Galley- 
 go, no less than five domestics attended to the wants of 
 the party. As a ship of the Plantagenet s size was reason 
 ably steady at all times, a gale of wind excepted, when 
 the lamps and candles were lighted, and the group was 
 arranged, aided by the admixture of rich furniture with 
 frowning artillery and the other appliances of war, the 
 great cabin of the Plantagenet was not without a certain 
 air of rude magnificence. Sir Gervaise kept no less than 
 three servants in livery, as a part of his personal estab 
 lishment, tolerating Galleygo, and one or two more of the 
 same stamp, as a homage due to Neptune. 
 
 The situation not being novel to either of the party, 
 and the day s work having been severe, the first twenty 
 minutes were pretty studiously devoted to the duty of 
 "restoration," as it is termed by the great masters of the 
 science of the table. By the end of that time, however, 
 the glass began to circulate, though moderately, and with 
 it tongues to loosen. 
 
 "Your health, Captain Greenly Atwood, I remember 
 you," said the Vice-admiral, nodding his head familiarly 
 to his two guests, on the eve of tossing off a glass of 
 sherry. "These Spanish wines go directly to the heart, 
 and I only wonder why a people who can make them 
 don t make better sailors." 
 
 " In the days of Columbus, the Spaniards had some 
 thing to boast of in that way, too, Sir Gervaise," Atwood 
 remarked. 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 279 
 
 " Aye, but that was a long time ago, and they have got 
 bravely over it. I account lor the deficiencies of both the 
 French and Spanish marines something in this way, 
 Greenly. Columbus, and the discovery of America, 
 brought ships and sailors into fashion. But a ship with 
 out an officer fit to command her, is like a body without 
 a soul. Fashion, however, brought your young nobles into 
 their services, and men were given vessels because their 
 fathers were dukes and counts, and not because they knew 
 anything about them." 
 
 "Is your own service entirely free from this sort of 
 favoritism ? " quietly demanded the Captain. 
 
 " Far from it, Greenly ; else would not Morganic have 
 been made a Captain at twenty, and old Parker, for in 
 stance, one only at fifty. But, somehow, our classes slide 
 into each other, in a way that neutralizes, in a great de 
 gree, the effect of birth. Is it not so, Atwood?" 
 
 " Some of our classes, Sir Gervaise, manage to slide 
 into all the best places, if the truth must be said." 
 
 11 Well, that is pretty bold for a Scotchman !" rejoined 
 the Vice-admiral, good-lmmoredly. " Ever since the ac 
 cession of the house of Stuart, we ve built a bridge across 
 the Tweed that lets people pass in only one direction. I 
 make no doubt this Pretender s son will bring down half 
 Scotland at his heels, to fill all the berths they may fancy 
 suitable to their merits. It s an easy way of paying 
 bounty promises." 
 
 " This affair in the north, they tell me, seems a little seri 
 ous," said Greenly. " I believe this is Mr. Atwood s opinion?" 
 
 "You ll find it serious enough, if Sir Gervaise s notion 
 about bounty be true," answered the immovable secretary. 
 "Scotia is a small country, but it s well filled with braw 
 sperits/ if there s an opening for them to prove it." 
 
 " Well, well, this war between England and Scotland is 
 out of place, while we have the French and Spaniards on 
 our hands. Most extraordinary scenes have we had ashore, 
 yonder, Greenly, with an old Devonshire Baronet, who 
 slipped and is off for the other world, while we were in 
 his house." 
 
 " Magrath has told me something of it, sir ; and he tells 
 me the fill-us null-its hang me if I can make out his gib 
 berish, five minutes after it was told to me." 
 
 " Filius nullius, you mean; nobody s baby the son of 
 nobody have you forgotten your Latin, man ?" 
 
280 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Faith, Sir Gervaise, I never had any to forget. My 
 father was a captain of a man-of-war before me, and he 
 kept me afloat from the time I was five, down to the day 
 of his death ; Latin was no part of my spoon-meat." 
 
 "Aye, aye, my good fellow, I knew your father, and was 
 in the third ship Irom him, in the action in which he fell," 
 returnee^ the Vice-admiral, kindly. "Bluewater was just 
 ahead of him, and we all loved him, as we did an elder 
 brother. You were not promoted then ?" 
 
 "No, sir; I was only a midshipman, and didn t happen 
 to be in his own ship that day," answered Greenly, sensi 
 bly touched with this tribute to his parent s merit ; "but I 
 was old enough to remember how nobly you all behaved 
 on the occasion. Well," slyly brushing his eye with his 
 hand, "Latin may do a school-master good, but it is of 
 little use on board ship. I never had but one scholar 
 among all my cronies and intimates." 
 
 "And who was he, Greenly? You shouldn t despise 
 knowledge, because you don t understand it. I dare say 
 your intimate was none the worse for a little Latin ; 
 enough to go through nullus, null a, null urn, for instance. 
 Who was this intimate, Greenly?" 
 
 "John Bluewater ; handsofhe Jack, as he was called; 
 the younger brother of the Admiral. They sent him to 
 sea, to keep him out of harm s way in some love affair ; 
 and you may remember that while he was with the 
 Admiral or Captain Bluewater, as he was then, I was one 
 of the lieutenants. Although poor Jack was a soldier and 
 in the guards, and he was four or five years my senior, he 
 took a fancy to me, and we became intimate. He under 
 stood Latin better than he did his own interests." 
 
 " In what did he fail? Bluewater was never very com 
 municative to me about that brother." 
 
 "There was a private marriage and cross guardians, and 
 the usual difficulties. In the midst of it all, poor John 
 fell in battle, as you know, and his widow followed him to 
 the grave, within a month or two. Twas a sad story all 
 round, and I try to think of it as little as possible." 
 
 "A private marriage!" repeated Sir Gervaise, slowly. 
 "Are you quite sure of that? I don t think Bluewater is 
 aware of that circumstance ; at least, I never heard him 
 allude to it. Could there have been any issue ? " 
 
 "No one can know it better than myself, as I helped to 
 get the lady off, and was present at the ceremony. That 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 281 
 
 much I know. Of issue, I should think there was none ; 
 though the Colonel lived a year after the marriage. How 
 far the Admiral is familiar with all these circumstances I 
 cannot say, as one would not like to introduce the partic 
 ulars of a" private marriage of a deceased brother, to his 
 commanding officer." 
 
 " I am glad there was no issue, Greenly particular cir 
 cumstances make me glad of that. But we will change 
 the discourse, as these family disasters make one melan 
 choly ; and a melancholy dinner is like ingratitude to Him 
 who bestows it." 
 
 The conversation now grew general, and in due season, 
 in common with the feast, it ended. After sitting the 
 usual time, the guests retired. Sir Gervaise then went on 
 deck, and paced the poop for an hour, looking anxiously 
 ahead, in quest of the French signal ; and, failing of dis 
 covering them, he was fain to seek his berth out of sheer 
 fatigue. Before he did this, however, the necessary orders 
 were given ; and that to call him, should any thing out of 
 the common track occur was repeated no less than four 
 times. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 Roll on, thou deep and dark-blue ocean, roll ! 
 
 Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain ! 
 Man marks the earth with ruin his control 
 
 Stops with the shore ; upon the wat ry plain 
 The wrecks are all thy deed. Childe Harold. 
 
 IT was broad daylight when Sir Gervaise Oakes next 
 appeared on deck. As the scene then offered to his view, 
 as well as the impression it made on his mind, will suf 
 ficiently explain to the reader the state of affairs, some six 
 hours later than the time last included in our account, 
 we refer him to those for his own impressions. The wind 
 now blew a real gale, though the season of the year ren 
 dered it less unpleasant to the feelings than is usual in 
 wintry tempests. The air was even bland and still 
 charged with the moisture of the ocean ; though it came 
 sweeping athwart sheets of foam, with a fury, at moments, 
 which threatened to carry the entire summits of waves 
 miles from their beds in spray. Even the aquatic birds 
 seemed to be terrified, in the instants of the greatest power 
 
282 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 of the winds, actually wheeling suddenly on their wings 
 and plunging into the element beneath to seek protection 
 from the maddened efforts of that to which they more 
 properly belonged. 
 
 Still, Sir Gervaise saw that his ships bore up nobly 
 against the fierce strife. Each vessel showed the same 
 canvas, namely, a reefed foresail ; a similar sail over the 
 quarter-deck, between the mizzen and main masts, and a 
 closed-reefed main-topsail. Several times that morning, 
 Captain Greenly had thought he should be compelled to 
 substitute a lower surface to the wind than that of the sail 
 last mentioned. As it was an important auxiliary, how 
 ever, in steadying the ship, and in keeping her under the 
 command of her helm, on each occasion the order had 
 been delayed, until he now began to question whether the 
 canvas could be reduced, without too great a risk to the 
 men whom it would be necessary to send aloft. He had 
 decided to let it stand or blow away, as fortune might de 
 cide. Similar reasoning left nearly all the other vessels 
 under precisely the same canvas. 
 
 The ships of the Vice-admiral s division had closed in 
 the night, agreeably to an order given before quitting the 
 anchorage, which directed them to come within the usual 
 sailing distance, in the event of the weather s menacing a 
 separation. This command had been obeyed by the ships 
 astern carrying sail hard, long after the leading vessels 
 had been eased by reducing their canvas. The order of 
 sailing was : the Plantagenet in the van, and the Carnatic, 
 Achilles, Thunderer, Blenheim, and Warspite following, in 
 the order named ; some changes having been made in the 
 night, in order to bring the ships of the division into their 
 fighting-stations, in a line ahead, the Vice-admiral leading. 
 The superiority of the Plantagenet was a little apparent, 
 notwithstanding ; the Carnatic alone, and that only by 
 means of the most careful watching, being able to keep 
 literally in the Commander-in-chief s w r ake ; all the other 
 vessels gradually, but almost imperceptibly, setting to lee 
 ward of it. These several circumstances struck Sir Ger 
 vaise, the moment his foot touched the poop, where he 
 found Greenly keeping an anxious lookout on the state of 
 the weather and the condition of his own ship ; leaning at 
 the same time against the spanker-boom to steady himself 
 in the gusts of the gale. The Vice-admiral braced his own 
 well-knit and compact frame, by spreading his legs ; then 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 283 
 
 he turned his handsome but weather-beaten face toward 
 the line, scanning each ship in succession, as she lay 
 over to the wind, and came wallowing on, shoving aside 
 vast mounds of water with her bows, her masts describing 
 short arcs in the air, and her hull rolling to windward, 
 and lurching, as if boring her way through the ocean. 
 Galleygo, who never regarded himself as a steward in a 
 gale of wind, was the only other person on the poop, whither 
 he went at pleasure by a sort of imprescriptible right. 
 
 "Well done, old Planter!" cried Sir Gervaise heartily, 
 as soon as his eye had taken in the leading peculiarities of 
 the view. " You see, Greenly, she has everybody but old 
 Parker to leeward, and she would have him there, too, but 
 he would carry every stick he has, out of the Carnatic, 
 rather than not keep his berth. Look at Master Mor- 
 ganic ; he has his main course close-reefed on the Achilles, 
 to luff into his station, and I ll warrant you will get a good 
 six months wear out of that ship in this one gale ; loosen 
 ing her knees, and jerking her spars like so many whip- 
 handles ; and all for love of the new fashion of rigging an 
 English two-decker like an Algerine xebec ! Well, let him 
 tug his way up to windward, Bond Street fashion, if he 
 likes the fun. What has become of the Chloe, Greenly ? " 
 
 " Here she is, sir, quite a league on our lee-bow, look 
 ing out, according to orders." 
 
 " Aye, that is her work, and she ll do it effectually. But 
 I don t see the Driver ! " 
 
 " She s dead ahead, sir," answered Greenly smiling ; " her 
 orders being rather more difficult of execution. Her 
 station would be off yonder to windward, half a league 
 ahead of us ; but it s no easy matter to get into that posi 
 tion, Sir Gervaise, when the Plantagenet is really in earn 
 est." 
 
 Sir Gervaise laughed and rubbed his hands, then he 
 turned to look for the Active, the only other vessel of his 
 division. This little cutter was dancing over the seas, half 
 the time under water, notwithstanding, under the head of 
 her mainsail, broad off, on the Admiral s weather-beam ; 
 finding no difficulty in maintaining her station there, in 
 the absence of all top-hamper, and favored by the low^ness 
 of her hull. After this he glanced upward at the sails and 
 spars of the Plantagenet, which he studied closely. 
 
 " No signs of De Vervillin, hey, Greenly ? " the Admiral 
 asked, when his survey of the whole fleet had ended. " I 
 
384 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 was in hopes we might see something of him, when the 
 light returned this morning." 
 
 " Perhaps it is quite as well as it is, Sir Gervaise," return 
 ed the Captain. u We could do little besides look at each 
 other, in this gale, and Admiral Bluewater ought to join 
 before I should like even to do that." 
 
 " Think you so, Master Greenly ? There you are mis 
 taken, then ; for I d lie by him, were I alone in this ship, 
 that I might know where he was to be found as soon as 
 the weather would permit us to have something to say to 
 him." 
 
 These words were scarcely uttered, when the lookout in 
 the forward cross trees, shouted at the top of his voice, 
 " Sail ho !" At the next instant the Chloe fired a gun, the 
 report of which was just heard amid the roaring of the gale, 
 though the smoke was distinctly seen floating above the 
 mists of the ocean ; she also set a signal at her naked 
 mizzen-topgallant-masthead. 
 
 "Run below, young gentleman," said the Vice-admiral, 
 advancing to the break of the poop and speaking to a mid 
 shipman on the quarter-deck, " and desire Mr. Bunting to 
 make his appearance. The Chloe signals us tell him not 
 to look for his knee-buckles." 
 
 A century since, the last injunction, though still so 
 much in use on shipboard, was far more literal than it is 
 to-day, nearly all classes of men possessing the articles in 
 question, though not invariably wearing them when at sea. 
 The midshipman dove below, however, as soon as the 
 words were out of his superior s mouth ; and, in a very few 
 minutes, Bunting appeared, having actually stopped on 
 the main-deck ladder to assume his coat, lest he might too 
 unceremoniously invade the sacred precincts of the quar 
 ter-deck, in his shirt-sleeves. 
 
 "There it is, Bunting," said Gervaise, handing the 
 Lieutenant the glass ; " two hundred and twenty-seven 
 A large sail ahead, if I remember right." 
 
 " No, Sir Gervaise, sails ahead ; the number of them to 
 follow. Hoist the answering flag, quartermaster." 
 
 "So much the better! So much the better, Bunting! 
 The number to follow ? Well we ll follow- the number, let 
 it be greater or smaller. Come, sirrah, bear a hand up 
 with your answering flag." 
 
 The usual signal that the message was understood was 
 now run up between the masts and instantly hauled down 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 285 
 
 again, the flags seen in the Chloe descending at the same 
 moment. 
 
 " Now for the number of the sails ahead," said Sir Ger- 
 vaise, as he, Greenly, and Bunting, each levelled a glass at 
 the frigate, on board which the next signal was momen 
 tarily expected. " Eleven, by George ! " 
 
 "No, Sir Gervaise," exclaimed Greenly, "I know better 
 than that. Red above, and blue beneath, with the distin 
 guishing pennant beneath, make fourteen, in our books, 
 now ! " 
 
 "Well, sir, if they are forty, we ll go nearer and see of 
 what sort of stuff they are made. Show your answering 
 flag, Bunting, that we may know what else the Chloe lias 
 to tell us." 
 
 This was done, the frigate hauling down her signals in 
 haste, and showing a new set as soon as possible. 
 
 "What now, Bunting? what now T , Greenly?" demanded 
 Sir Gervaise, a sea having struck the side of the ship and 
 thrown so much spray into his face as to reduce him to the 
 necessity of using his pocket-handkerchief, at the very mo 
 ment he was anxious to be looking through his glass. 
 
 "What do you make of that, gentlemen ?" 
 
 " I make out the number to be 382," answered Greenly ; 
 "but what it means, I know not." 
 
 " Strange sails, enemies, " read Bunting from the book. 
 " Show the answer, quartermaster." 
 
 " We hardly wanted a signal for that, Greenly, since 
 there can be no friendly force, here-away ; and fourteen 
 sail on this coast, always means mischief. What says the 
 Chloe next !" 
 
 " Strange sails on the larboard tack, heading as fol 
 lows. " 
 
 " By George, crossing our course ! We shall soon see 
 them from deck. Do the ships astern notice the signals ? " 
 
 "Every one of them, Sir Gervaise," answered the Cap 
 tain ; " the Thunderer has just lowered her answering flag, 
 and the Active is repeating. I have never seen quarter 
 masters so nimble ! " 
 
 " So much the better so much the better down he 
 comes ; stand by for another." 
 
 After the necessary pause, the signal to denote the point 
 of the compass was shown from the Chloe. 
 
 " Heading how, Bunting ? " the Vice-admiral eagerly in 
 quired. " Heading, how, sir ?" 
 
286 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Northwest-and-by-north," or as Bunting pronounced 
 it, " nor-west-and-by-noathe, I believe, sir, no, I am mis 
 taken, Sir Gervaise ; it is nor-nor-west." 
 
 " Jammed up like ourselves hard on a wind ! This gale 
 comes directly from the broad Atlantic, and one party is 
 crossing over to the north and the other to the south 
 shore. We must meet, unless one of us run away hey, 
 Greenly?" 
 
 " True enough, Sir Gervaise ; though fourteen sail is 
 rather an awkward odds for seven." 
 
 " You forget the Driver and Active, sir; we ve nine; 
 nine hearty, substantial British cruisers." 
 
 " To wit ; six ships of the line, one frigate, a sloop, and 
 a cutter" laying heavy emphasis on the two last vessels. 
 
 "What does the Chloe say now, Bunting? That we re 
 enough for the French, although they are two to one ?" 
 
 " Not exactly that, I believe, Sir Gervaise. Five more 
 sail ahead. They increase fast, sir." 
 
 " Aye at that rate, they may indeed grow too strong for 
 us," answered Sir Gervaise, with more coolness of manner ; 
 " nineteen to nine are rather heavy odds. I wish we had 
 Bluewater here ! " 
 
 " That is what I was about to suggest, Sir Gervaise," 
 observed the Captain. " If we had the other division, as 
 some of the Frenchmen are probably frigates and cor 
 vettes, we might do better. Admiral Blue\vater cannot be 
 far from us ; somewhere down here, toward northeast or 
 nor-nor-east. By wearing round, I think we should make 
 his division in the course of a couple of hours." 
 
 " What, and leave to Monsieur de Vervillin the advan 
 tage of swearing he frightened us away ! No, no, Greenly ; 
 we will first pass him fairly and manfully, and that, too, 
 within reach of shot ; and then it will be time enough to 
 go round and look after our friends." 
 
 " Will not that be putting the French exactly between 
 our two divisions, Sir Gervaise, and give him the advan 
 tage of dividing our force ? If he stand far, on a nor-nor- 
 west course, I think he will infallibly get between us and 
 Admiral Bluewater." 
 
 " And what will he gain by that, Greenly ? What 
 according to your notions of matters and things, will be 
 the great advantage of having an English fleet on each 
 side of him ?" 
 
 "Not much, certainly, Sir Gervaise," answered Greenly, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 287 
 
 laughing ; " if these fleets were at all equal to his own. 
 But as they will be much inferior to him, the Comte may 
 manage to close with one division, while the other is so 
 far off as to be unable to assist ; and one hour of a hot fire 
 may dispose of the victory." 
 
 " All this is apparent enough, Greenly ; yet I could 
 hardly brook letting the enemy go scatheless. So long as 
 it blows as it does now, there will not be much fighting, 
 and there can be no harm in taking a near look at M. de 
 Vervillin. In half an hour, or an hour at most, we must 
 get a sight of him from off deck, even with this slow head 
 way of the two fleets. Let them heave the log, and 
 ascertain how fast we go, sir." 
 
 " Should we engage the French in such weather, Sir 
 Gervaise," answered Greenly, after giving the order just 
 mentioned, "it would be giving them the very advan 
 tage they like. They usually fire at the spars, and one 
 shot would do more mischief, with such a strain on the 
 masts, than half-a-dozen in a moderate blow." 
 
 "That will do Greenly that will do," said the Vice- 
 admiral, impatiently ; "if I didn t so well know you, and 
 hadn t seen you so often engaged, I should think you were 
 afraid of these nineteen sail. You have lectured long 
 enough to render me prudent, and we ll say no more." 
 
 Here Sir Gervaise turned on his heel, and began to pace 
 the poop, for he was slightly vexed, though not angered. 
 Such little dialogues often occurred between him and his 
 captain, the latter knowing that his commander s great 
 est professional failing was excess of daring, while he felt 
 that his own reputation was too well established to be 
 afraid to inculcate prudence. Next to the honor of the 
 flag, and his own, perhaps, Greenly felt the greatest in 
 terest in that of Sir Gervaise Oakes, under whom he had 
 served as midshipman, lieutenant, and captain ; and this 
 his superior knew, a circumstance that would have ex 
 cused far greater liberties. After moving swiftly to and 
 fro several times, the Vice-admiral began to cool, and he 
 forgot this passing ebullition of quick feelings. Greenly, 
 on the other hand, satisfied that the just mind of the Com 
 mander-in-chief would not fail to appreciate facts that had 
 been so plainly presented to it, was content to change the 
 subject. They conversed together in a most friendly 
 manner, Sir Gervaise being even unusually frank and 
 communicative, in order to prove he was not displeased, 
 
288 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the matter in discussion being the state of the ship and 
 the situation of the crew. 
 
 "You are always ready for battle, Greenly," the Vice- 
 admiral said, smiling, in conclusion, "when there is a 
 necessity ; and always just as ready to point out the inex 
 pediency of engaging where you fancy nothing is to be 
 gained by it. You would not have me run away from a 
 shadow, however ; or a signal ; and that is much the same 
 thing ; so we will stand on until we make the Frenchmen 
 fairly from off-deck, when it will be time enough to deter 
 mine what shall come next." 
 
 " Sail ho ! * shouted one of the lookouts from aloft, a 
 cry that immediately drew all eyes toward the mizzen- 
 topmast-cross-trees, whence the sound proceeded. 
 
 The wind blew too fresh to render conversation, even 
 by means of a trumpet, easy, and the man was ordered 
 down to give account of what he had seen. Of course he 
 first touched the poop-deck, where he was met by the 
 Admiral and Captain, the officer of the watch, to whom 
 he properly belonged, giving him up to the examination 
 of his two superiors, without a grimace. 
 
 " Where-away is the sail you ve seen, sir ? " demanded 
 Sir Gervaise a little sharply, for he suspected it was no 
 more than one of the ships ahead, already signalled. 
 " Down yonder to the southward and eastward hev, sir 
 rah?" 
 
 " No, Sir Jarvey," answered the topman, hitching his 
 trousers with one hand, and smoothing the hair on his 
 forehead with the other ; " but out here, to the nor ard 
 and w r est ard, on our weather-quarter. It s none o them 
 French chaps as is with the County of Fairvillain " for 
 so all the common men of the fleet believed their gallant 
 enemy to be rightly named " but is a square-rigged 
 craft by herself, jammed up on a wind, pretty much like 
 all on us." 
 
 " That alters the matter, Greenly ! How do you know 
 she is square-rigged, my man?" 
 
 "Why, Sir Jarvey, your honor, she s under her fore and 
 main-taw-sails, close-reefed, with a bit of the mainsail set, 
 as well as I can make it out, sir." 
 
 "The devil she is! It must be some fellow in a great 
 hurry, to carry that canvas in this blow ! Can it be pos 
 sible* Greenly, that the leading vessel of Bluewater is 
 heaving in sight ? " 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 289 
 
 " I rather think not, Sir Gervaise ; it would be too far to 
 windward for any of his two-deckers. It may turn out to 
 be a lookout ship of the French, got round on the other 
 tack to keep her station, and carrying sail hard, because 
 she dislikes our appearance." 
 
 " In that case she must claw well to windward to escape 
 us ! What s your name, my lad Tom Davis, if I m not 
 mistaken ? " 
 
 "No, Sir Jarvey, it s Jack Brown; which is much the 
 same, your honor. We s noways partic lar about names." 
 
 " Well, Jack, does it blow hard aloft ? So as to give 
 you any trouble in holding on ?" 
 
 "Nothing to speak on, Sir Jarvey. A ter cruising a 
 winter and spring in the Bay of Biscay, I looks on this as 
 no more nor a puff. Half a hand will keep a fellow in 
 his berth, aloft." 
 
 " Galleygo, take Jack Brown below to my cabin and 
 give him a fresh nip in his jigger ; he ll hold on all the 
 better for it." 
 
 This was Sir Gervaise s mode of atoning for the error 
 in doing the man injustice, by supposing he was mistaken 
 about the new sail, and Jack Brown went aloft devoted to 
 the commander-in-chief. It costs the great and powerful 
 so little to become popular, that one is sometimes so sur 
 prised to find that any are otherwise ; but when we re 
 member that it is also their duty to be just, astonishment 
 ceases ; justice being precisely the quality to which a large 
 portion of the human race are most averse. 
 
 Half an hour passed, and no further reports were re 
 ceived from aloft. In a few minutes, however, the War- 
 spite signalled the Admiral, to report the stranger on her 
 weather-quarter, and, not long after, the Active did thfe 
 same. Still neither told his character ; and the course 
 being substantially the same, the unknown ship approached 
 but slowly, notwithstanding the unusual quantity of sail 
 she had set. At the end of the period mentioned, the 
 vessels in the southeastern board began to be visible from 
 the deck. The ocean was so white with foam, that it was 
 not easy to distinguish a ship, under short canvas, at any 
 great distance ; but, by the aid of glasses, both Sir Ger 
 vaise and Greenly satisfied themselves that the number of 
 the enemy at the southward amounted to jusftwenty; one 
 more having hove in sight, and been signalled by the Chloe, 
 since her first report. Several of these vessels, however, 
 
290 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 were small, and the Vice-admiral, after a long and anxious 
 survey, lowered his glass and turned to his Captain in 
 order to compare opinions. 
 
 "Well, Greenly," he asked, "what do you make of them 
 now ? According to rny reckoning, there are thirteen of 
 the line, two frigates, four corvettes, and a lugger ; or 
 twenty sail in all." 
 
 " There can be no doubt of the twenty sail, Sir Gervaise, 
 though the vessels astern are still too distant to speak of 
 their size. I rather think it will turn out fourteen of the 
 line and only three frigates." 
 
 " That is rather too much for us, certainly, without 
 Bluewater. His five ships, now, and his westerly position, 
 would make a cheering prospect for us. We might stick 
 by Mr. de Vervillin until it moderated, and then pay our 
 respects to him. What do you say to that, Greenly ?" 
 
 " That is of no great moment, Sir Gervaise, so long as 
 the other division is not with us. But yonder are signals 
 flying on board the Active, the Warspite, and the Blen 
 heim." 
 
 " Aye, they ve something to tell us of the chap astern 
 and to windward. Come, Bunting, give us the news." 
 
 " Stranger in the northwest shows the Druid s num 
 ber ; " the signal-officer read mechanically from the book. 
 
 " The deuce he does ! Then Bluewater cannot be far 
 off. Let Dick alone for keeping in his proper place ; he 
 has an instinct for a line of battle, and I never knew him 
 fail to be in the very spot I could wish to have him, look 
 ing as much at home as if his ships had all been built 
 there ! The Druid s number! The Caesar and the rest of 
 them are in a line ahead, farther north, heading up well to 
 windward, even of our own wake. This puts the Comte 
 fairly under our lee." 
 
 But Greenly was far from being of a temperament as 
 sanguine as that of the Vice-admiral. He did not like the 
 circumstance of the Druid s being alone visible, and she, 
 too, under what in so heavy a gale, might be deemed a 
 press of canvas. There was no apparent reason for the 
 division s carrying sail so hard, while the frigate would be 
 obliged to do it, did she wish to overtake vessels like the 
 Plantagenet and her consorts. He suggested, therefore, 
 the probability that the ship was alone, and that her ob 
 ject might be to speak them. 
 
 "There is something in what you say, Greenly," an- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 291 
 
 swered Sir Gervaise, after a minute s reflection ; " and we 
 must look into it. If Denham doesn t give us any thing 
 new from the Count to change our plans, it may be 
 well to learn what the Druid is after." 
 
 Denham was the commander of the Chloe, which ship, 
 a neat six-and-thirty, was pitching into the heavy seas that 
 now came rolling in heavilv from the broad Atlantic, the 
 water streaming from her hawse-holes, as she rose from 
 each plunge, like the spouts of a whale. This vessel, it 
 has been stated, was fully a league ahead and to leeward 
 of the Plantagenet, and consequently so much nearer to 
 the French, who were approaching from that precise 
 quarter of the ocean, in a long single line, like that of the 
 English, a little relieved, however, by the lookout vessels, 
 all of which, in their case, were sailing along on the 
 weather-beam of their friends. The distance was still so 
 great as to render glasses necessary in getting any very 
 accurate notions of the force and the point of sailing of 
 Monsieur de Vervillin s fleet, the ships astern being yet so 
 remote as to require long practice to speak with any cer 
 tainty of their characters. In nothing, notwithstanding, 
 was the superior practical seamanship of the English more 
 apparent than in the manner in which these respective 
 lines were formed. That of Sir Gervaise Oakes was 
 compact, each ship being as near as might be a cable s 
 length distant from her seconds, ahead and astern. This 
 was a point on which the Vice-admiral prided himself ; 
 and by compelling his captains rigidly to respect their 
 line of sailing, and by keeping the same ships and officers 
 as much as possible under his orders, each captain of the 
 fleet had got to know his own vessel s rate of speed, and all 
 the other qualities that were necessary to maintain her 
 precise position. All the ships being weatherly, though 
 some, in a slight degree, were more so than others, it was 
 easy to keep the line in weather like the present, the wind 
 not blowing sufficiently hard to render a few T cloths more 
 or less of canvas of any very great moment. If there was a 
 vessel sensibly out of her place, in the entire line, it was 
 the Achilles ; Lord Morganic not having had time to get 
 all his forward spars as far aft as they should have been ; 
 a circumstance that had knocked him off a little more 
 than had happened to the other vessels. Nevertheless, 
 had an air-line been drawn at this moment, from the miz- 
 zen-top of the Plantagenet to that of the Warspite, it 
 
292 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 would have been found to pass through the spars of quite 
 half the intermediate vessels, and no one of them all would 
 have been a pistol-shot out of the way. As there were 
 six intervals between the vessels, and each interval as 
 near as could be guessed at was a cable s length, the extent 
 of the whole line a little exceeded three quarters of a mile. 
 
 On the other hand, the French, though they preserved 
 a very respectable degree of order, were much less com 
 pact, and by no means as methodical in their manner of 
 sailing. Some of their ships were a quarter of a mile to 
 leeward of the line, and the intervals were irregular and 
 ill-observed. These circumstances arose from several 
 causes, neither of which proceeded from any fault in the 
 commander-in-chief, who was both an experienced seaman 
 and a skilful tactician. But his captains were new to each 
 other, and some of them were recently appointed to their 
 ships ; it being just as much a matter of course that a sea 
 man should ascertain the qualities of his vessel, by famil 
 iarity, as that a man should learn the character of his wife, 
 in the intimacy of wedlock. 
 
 A.t the precise moment of which we are now writing, the 
 Chloe might have been about a league from the leading 
 vessel of the enemy, and her position to leeward of her 
 own fleet threatened to bring her, half an hour later, within 
 range of the Frenchman s guns. This fact was apparent 
 to all in the squadron ; still the frigate stood on, having 
 been placed in that station, and the whole being under 
 the immediate supervision of the commander-in-chief. 
 
 " Denham will have a warm berth of it, sir, should he 
 stand on much longer," said Greenly, when ten minutes 
 more had passed, during which the ships had gradually 
 drawn nearer. 
 
 " I was hoping he might get between the mostweatherly 
 French frigate and her line," answered Sir Gervaise : 
 "when I think, by edging rapidly away, .we could take her 
 alive, with the Plantagenet." 
 
 " In which case we might as well clear for action ; such 
 a manoeuvre being certain to bring on a general engage 
 ment." 
 
 " No, no, I m not quite mad enough for that, Master 
 Telemachus ; but we can wait a little longer for the chances. 
 How many flags can you make out among the enemy, 
 Bunting ? " 
 
 " I see but two, Sir Gervaise ; one at the fore, and the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 293 
 
 other at the mizzen, like our own. I can make out, now, 
 only twelve ships of the line, too ; neither of which is a 
 three-decker." 
 
 "So much for rumor ; as flagrant a liar as ever wagged 
 a tongue ! Twelve ships of two decks, and eight frigates, 
 sloops, and luggers. There can be no great mistake in this." 
 
 " I think not, Sir Gervaise ; their commander-in-chief is 
 in the fourth ship from the head of the line. His flag is 
 just discernible, by means of our best glass. Aye, there 
 goes a signal, this instant, at the end of his gaff ! " 
 
 " If one could only read French now, Greenly," said the 
 Vice-admiral, smiling ; " we might get into some of Mr. de 
 Vervillin s secrets. Perhaps it s an order to goto quarters 
 or to clear ; look out sharp, Bunting, for any signs of such 
 a movement. What do you make of it ?" 
 
 " It s to the frigates, Sir Gervaise ; all of which answer, 
 while the other vessels do not." 
 
 " We want no French to read that signal, sir," put in 
 Greenly ; " the frigates themselves telling us what it 
 means. Monsieur de Vervillin has no idea of letting the 
 Plantagenet take any thing he has, alive." 
 
 This was true enough. Just as the captain spoke, the 
 object of the order was made sufficiently apparent, by all 
 the light vessels to windward of tiie French fleet bearing 
 up together, until they brought the wind abaft their beams, 
 when away they glided to leeward, like floating objects 
 that have suddenly struck a swift current. Before this 
 change in their course, these frigates and corvettes had 
 been struggling along, the seas meeting them on their 
 weather-bows, at the rate of about two knots or rather 
 less ; whereas their speed was now quadrupled, and in a 
 few minutes the whole of them had sailed through the dif 
 ferent intervals in their main line, and had formed as before, 
 nearly half a league leeward of it. Here, in the event of 
 an action, their principal duties would have been to succor 
 crippled ships that might be forced out of their allotted 
 stations during the combat. All this Sir Gervaise viewed 
 with disgust. He had hoped that his enemy might have 
 presumed on the state of the elements, and suffered his 
 light vessels to maintain their original positions. 
 
 k It would be a great triumph to us, Greenly," he said, 
 " if Denham could pass without shifting his berth. There 
 would be something manly and seamanlike in an inferior 
 fleet s passing a superior, in such a style." 
 
294 THE T\VO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Yes, sir, though it might cost us a fine frigate. The 
 Count can have no difficulty in fighting his weather main- 
 deck guns, and a discharge from two or three of his lead 
 ing vessels might cut away some spar that Denham would 
 miss sadly, just at such a moment." 
 
 Sir Gervaise placed his hands behind his back, paced 
 the deck a minute, and then said decidedly : 
 
 " Bunting, make the Chloe s signal to wear tacking in 
 this sea, and under that short canvas, is out of the ques 
 tion." 
 
 Bunting had anticipated this order, and had even vent 
 ured clandestinely to direct the quartermasters to bend on 
 the necessary flags ; and Sir Gervaise had scarcely got the 
 words out of his mouth, before the signal was abroad. 
 The Chloe was equally on the alert ; for she too each mo 
 ment expected the command, and ere her answering flag 
 was seen, her helm was up, the mizzen-staysail down, and 
 her head falling off rapidly toward the enemy. This move 
 ment seemed to be expected all round and it certainly 
 had been delayed to the very last moment for the lead 
 ing French ship fell off three or four points, and as the 
 frigate \vas exactly end-on to her, let fly the contents of 
 all the guns on her forecastle, as well as of those on her 
 main-deck as far aft as they could be brought to bear. 
 One of the topsail-sheets of the frigate was shot away by 
 this rapid and unexpected fire, and some little damage was 
 done to the standing rigging ; but luckily, none of imme 
 diate moment. Captain Denham was active, and the in 
 stant he found his topsail flapping, he ordered it clewed 
 up and the mainsail loosed. The latter was set, close- 
 reefed, as the ship came to the wind on the larboard tack, 
 and by the time everything was braced up and hauled aft, 
 on that tack, the main-topsail was ready to be sheeted 
 home, anew r . During the few minutes that these evolu 
 tions required, Sir Gervaise kept his eye riveted on the 
 vessel; and when he saw her fairly round, and trimmed by 
 the wind again, with the mainsail dragging her ahead, to 
 own the truth, he felt mentally relieved. 
 
 " Not a minute too soon, Sir Gervaise," observed the 
 cautious Greenly, smiling. " I should not be surprised if 
 Denham hears more from that fellow at the head of the 
 French line. His weather chase-guns are exactly in a 
 range with the frigate, and the two upper ones might be 
 worked, well enough." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 295 
 
 "I think not, Greenly. The forecastle gun, possibly; 
 scarcely anything below it." 
 
 Sir Gervaise proved to be partly right and partly wrong. 
 The Frenchman did attempt a fire with his main-deck gun ; 
 but, at the first plunge of the ship, a sea slapped up against 
 her weather-bow, and sent a column of water through the 
 port, that drove half its crew into the lee-scuppers. In 
 the midst of this water-spout the gun exploded, the logger 
 head having been applied an instant before, giving a sort 
 of chaotic wildness to the scene inboard. This satisfied 
 the party below ; though that on the forecastle fared bet 
 ter. The last fired their gun several times, and always 
 without success. This failure proceeded from a cause 
 that is seldom sufficiently estimated by nautical gunners ; 
 the shot having swerved from the line of sight by the force 
 of the wind against which it flew, two or three hundred 
 feet, by the time it had gone the mile that lay between the 
 vessels. Sir Gervaise anxiously watched the effect of the 
 fire, and perceiving that all the shot fell to leeward of the 
 Chloe, he was no longer uneasy about that vessel, and he 
 began to turn his attention to other and more important 
 concerns. 
 
 As \ve are now approaching a moment when it is neces 
 sary that the reader should receive some tolerably distinct 
 impression of the relative positions of the two entire 
 fleets, we shall close the present chapter here ; reserving 
 the duty of explanation for the commencement of a new 
 one. 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 All were glad, 
 
 And laughed, and shouted, as she darted on, 
 And plunged amid the foam, and tossed it high, 
 Over the deck, as when a strong, curbed steed 
 Flings the froth from him in his eager race. PERCIVAL. 
 
 THE long twilight of a high latitude had now ended, and 
 the sun, though concealed behind clouds, had risen. The 
 additional light contributed to lessen the gloomy look 
 of the ocean, though the fury of the winds and waves still 
 lent to it a dark and menacing aspect. To windward there 
 were no signs of an abatement of the gale, while the 
 heavens continued to abstain from letting down their floods 
 
296 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 on the raging waters beneath. By this time, the fleet was 
 materially to the southward of Cape la Hogue, though far 
 to the westward, where the channel received the winds and 
 waves from the whole rake of the Atlantic, and the seas 
 were setting in, in the long, regular swells of the ocean, a 
 little disturbed by the influence of the tides. Ships as 
 heavy as the two-deckers moved along with groaning 
 efforts, their bulk-heads and timbers " complaining," to use 
 the language of the sea, as the huge masses, loaded with 
 their iron artillery, rose and sunk on the coming and re 
 ceding billows. But their movements were stately and 
 full of majesty ; whereas the cutter, sloop, and even the 
 frigates, seemed to be tossed like foam, very much at the 
 mercy of the elements. The Chloe was passing the Ad 
 miral on the opposite tack, quite a mile to leeward, and 
 yet, as she mounted to the summit of a wave, her cut 
 water was often visible nearly to the keel. These are trials 
 of a vessel s strength ; for, were a ship always water-borne 
 equally on all her lines, there would not be the necessity 
 which now exists to make her the well-knit mass of wood 
 and iron she is. 
 
 The progress of the two fleets was very much the same, 
 both squadrons struggling along through the billows, at 
 the rate of about a marine league in the hour. As no 
 lofty sail was carried, and the vessels were first made in 
 the haze of a clouded morning, the ships had not become 
 visible to each other until nearer than common ; and, by 
 the time at which we have now arrived in our tale, the 
 leading vessels were separated by a space that did not ex 
 ceed two miles, estimating the distance only on their re 
 spective lines of sailing ; though there would be about the 
 same space between them when abreast, the English being 
 so much to windward of their enemies. Any one in the 
 least familiar with nautical manoeuvres will understand that 
 these circumstances would bring the van of the French 
 and the rear of their foes much nearer together in passing, 
 both fleets being close-hauled. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes, as a matter of course, watched the 
 progress of the two lines with close and intelligent atten 
 tion. M. de Vervillin did the same from the poop of Le 
 Foudroyant, a noble eighty-guri ship in which the flag of 
 vice- amir al was flying, as it might be, in defiance. By the 
 side of the former stood Greenly, Bunting, and Bury, the 
 Plantagenet s first lieutenant ; by the side of the latter his 
 
TITR Tiro ADMIRALS. 297 
 
 captaine do vaisseau, a man as little like the caricatures of 
 such officers as a hostile feeling has laid before the readers 
 of English literature, as Washington was like the man held 
 up to odium in the London journals at the commence 
 ment of the great American war. M. de Vervillin him 
 self was a man of respectable birth, of a scientific educa 
 tion, and of great familiarity with ships, so far as a knowl 
 edge of their general powers and principles are concerned; 
 but here his professional excellence ceased, all that infinity 
 of detail which composes the distinctive merit of the prac 
 tical seaman being, in a great degree, unknown to him, 
 rendering it necessary for him to think in moments of 
 emergency ; periods when the really prime mariner seems 
 more to act by a sort of instinct than by any very intelli- 
 
 fible process of ratiocination. With his fleet drawn out 
 efore him, however, and with no unusual demands on his 
 resources, this gallant >officer was an exceedingly formid 
 able foe to contend with in squadron. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes lost all his constitutional and fever 
 ish impatience while the fleets drew nigher and nigher. 
 As is not unusual among brave men, who are naturally 
 excitable, as the crisis approached he grew calmer, and 
 obtained a more perfect command over himself ; seeing all 
 things in their true colors, and feeling more and more 
 equal to control them. He continued to walk the poop, 
 but it was with a slower step ; and, though his hands were 
 still closed behind his back, the fingers were passive, 
 while his countenance became grave and his eye thought 
 ful. Greenly knew that his interference would now be 
 hazardous ; for whenever the Vice-admiral assumed that 
 air, he literally became commander-in-chief ; and any at 
 tempt to control or influence him, unless sustained by the 
 communication of new facts, could only draw down resent 
 ment on his own head. Bunting, too, was aware that " the 
 Admiral was aboard," as the officers, among themselves, 
 used to describe this state of their superior s mind, and 
 was prepared to dischaage his own duty in the most silent 
 and rapid manner in his power. AH the others present 
 felt more or less of this same influence of an established 
 character. 
 
 " Mr. Bunting," said Sir Gervaise, when the distance 
 between the Plantagenet and Le Temeraire, the leading 
 French vessel, might have been about a league, allowing 
 for the distance in the respective lines of sailing " Mr. 
 
298 fITK TITO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Bunting, bend on . the signal for the ships to go to 
 quarters. We may as well be ready for any turn of the 
 dice." 
 
 No one dared to comment on this order : it was obeyed 
 in readiness and silence. 
 
 "Signal ready, Sir Gervaise," said Bunting, the instant 
 the last flag was in its place. 
 
 " Run it up at once, sir, and have a bright lookout 
 for the answers. Captain Greenly, go to quarters, and 
 see all clear on the main-deck, to use the batteries if 
 wanted. The people can stand fast below, as I think it 
 might be dangerous to open the ports." 
 
 Captain Greenly passed off the poop to the quarter 
 deck, and in a minute the drum and the fife struck up the 
 air which is known all over the civilized world as the 
 call to arms. In most services this summons is made by 
 the drum alone, which emits sounds to which the fancy 
 has attached peculiar words ; those of the soldiers of 
 France being " Prend ton sac prend ton sac prend ton sac" 
 no bad representatives of the meaning ; but in English 
 and American ships this appeal is usually made in com 
 pany with the notes of the "ear-piercing fife," which gives 
 it a melody that might otherwise be wanting. 
 
 "Signal answered throughout the fleet, Sir Gervaise," 
 said Bunting. 
 
 No answer was given to this report beyond a quiet in 
 clination of the head. After a moment s pause, how 
 ever, the Vice-admiral turned to his signal officer and 
 said : 
 
 " I should think, Bunting, no captain can need an order 
 to tell him not to open his lee-lower-deck ports in such a 
 sea as this ?" 
 
 " I rather fancy not, Sir Gervaise," answered Bunting, 
 looking drolly at. the boiling element that gushed up each 
 minute from beneath the bottom of the ship, in a way to 
 appear as high as the hammock-cloths. "The people 
 at the main-deck guns would have rather a wet time of 
 it." 
 
 " Bend on the signal, sir, for the ships astern to keep in 
 the Vice-admiral s wake. Young gentleman," to the mid 
 shipman who always acted as his aid in battle, " tell Cap 
 tain Greenly I desire to see him as soon as he has received 
 all the reports." 
 
 Down to the moment when the first tap of the drum 
 
THE TWO 
 
 was heard, the Plantagenet had 
 lar quiet and unconcern, 
 in which she was placed. A landsman could scarcely 
 credit that men could be so near their enemies, and dis 
 play so much indifference to their vicinity : but this 
 was the result of long habit, and a certain marine instinct 
 that tells the sailor when any thing serious is in the wind, 
 and when not. The difference in the force of the two 
 fleets, the heavy gale, and the vveatherly position of the 
 English, all conspired to assure the crew that nothing de 
 cisive could yet occur. 
 
 Here and there an officer or an old seaman might be 
 seen glancing through a port, to ascertain the force and 
 position of the French ; but, on the whole, their fleet 
 excited little more attention than if lying at an char in 
 Cherbourg. The breakfast hour was approaching, and 
 that important event monopolized the principal interest of 
 the moment. The officers boys, in particular, began to 
 make their appearance around the galley, provided, as 
 usual, with their pots and dishes, and, now and then, one 
 cast a glance through the nearest opening to see how the 
 strangers looked ; but, as to warfare, there was much 
 more the appearance of it between the protectors of the 
 rights of the different messes, than between the two great 
 belligerent navies themselves. 
 
 Nor was the state of things materially different in the 
 gun-room, or cock-pit, or on the orlops. Most of the 
 people of a two-decked ship are berthed on the lower gun 
 deck, and the order to "clear ship" is more necessary to 
 a vessel of that construction, before going to quarters 
 seriously, than to smaller craft ; though it is usual in all. 
 So long as the bags, mess-chests, and other similar appli 
 ances were left in their ordinary positions, Jack saw little 
 reason to derange himself ; and as reports were brought 
 below, from time to time, respecting the approach of the 
 enemy, and more especially of his being well to leeward, 
 few of those whose duty did not call them on deck troubled 
 themselves about the matter at all. This habit of consider 
 ing his fortune as attached to that of his ship, and as re 
 garding himself as a point on her mass, as we all look on 
 ourselves as particles of the orb we accompany in its revolu 
 tions, is sufficiently general among mariners ; but it was 
 particularly so as respects the sailors of a fleet, who were 
 kept so much at sea, and who had been so often, with all 
 
3 oo THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 sorts of results, in the presence of the enemy. The scene 
 that was passing in the gun-room at the precise moment 
 at which our tale has arrived, was so characteristic, in par 
 ticular, as to merit a brief description. 
 
 All the idlers by this time were out of their berths and 
 cots ; the signs of those who "slept in the country," as it 
 is termed, or who were obliged, for want of state-rooms, to 
 sling in the common apartment having disappeared. Ma- 
 grath was reading a treatise on medicine, in good Leyden 
 Latin, by a lamp. The purser was endeavoring to decipher 
 his steward s hieroglyphics, favored by the same light, and 
 the captain of marines was examining the lock of an aged 
 musket. The third and fourth lieutenants were helping 
 each other to untangle one of their Bay-of-Biscay reckon 
 ings, which had set both plane and spherical trigonometry 
 at defiance, by a lamp of their own ; and the Chaplain 
 was hurrying the steward and the boys along with the 
 breakfast his usual occupation at that " witching time " 
 in the morning. 
 
 While things were in this state, the First Lieutenant, 
 Mr. Bury, appeared in the gun-room. His arrival caused 
 one or two of the mess to glance upward at him, though 
 no one spoke but the junior lieutenant, who being an 
 honorable, was at his ease with every one on board, short 
 of the Captain. 
 
 "What s the news from deck, Bury ?" asked this officer, 
 a youth of twenty, his senior being a man ten years older. 
 " Is Mr. de Vervillin thinking of running away, yet ? " 
 
 " Not he, sir ; there s too much of the game-cock about 
 him for that." 
 
 " I ll warrant you he can crow ! But what is the news, 
 Bury?" 
 
 " The news is that the old Planter is as wet as a wash- 
 tub, forward, and I must have a dry jacket do you hear, 
 there, Tom ? Soundings," turning to the master, who 
 just then came in from forward, "have you taken a look 
 out of doors this morning ? " 
 
 "You know I seldom forget that, Mr. Bury. A pretty 
 pickle the ship would soon be in, if I forgot to look about 
 me !" 
 
 " He swallowed the deep-sea, down in the bay," cried the 
 honorable, laughing, " and goes every morning at daylight 
 to look for it out at the bridle-ports." 
 
 "Well, then, Soundings, what do you think of the third 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 301 
 
 ship in the French line?" continued Bury, disregarding 
 the levity of the youth : " did you ever see such topmasts, 
 as she carries, before ? " 
 
 " I scarce ever saw a Frenchman without them, Mr. 
 Bury. You d have just such sticks in this fleet, if Sir Jarvey 
 would stand them." 
 
 1 Aye, but Sir Jarvey won t stand them. The captain 
 who sent such a stick up in his ship, would have to throw 
 it overboard before night. I never saw such a pole in the 
 air in my life ! " 
 
 "What s the matter with the mast, Mr. Bury?" put in 
 Magrath, who kept up what he called constant scientific 
 skirmishes with the elder sea-officers ; the junior being too 
 inexperienced in his view, to be worthy of a contest. 
 " I ll engage the spar is moulded and fashioned agreeably to 
 the most approved pheelosophical principles ; for in that 
 the French certainly excel us." 
 
 "Who ever heard of moulding a spar?" interrupted 
 Soundings, laughing loudly; "we mould a ship s frame, 
 Doctor, but we lengthen and shorten, and scrape and fid 
 her masts." 
 
 "I m answered as usual, gentlemen, and voted down, I 
 suppose, by acclamation, as they call it in other learned 
 bodies. I would advise no creature that has a reason to 
 go to sea ; an instinct being all that is needed to make a 
 lord high admiral of twenty tails." 
 
 " I should like Sir Jarvey to hear that, my man of books," 
 cried the fourth, who had satisfied himself that a book was 
 not his own forte ; " I fancy your instinct, Doctor, will 
 prevent you from whispering this in the Vice-admiral s 
 ear ! " 
 
 |, Although Magrath had a profound respect for the Com 
 mander-in-chief, he was averse to giving in, in a gunroom 
 discussion. His answer, therefore, partook of the feeling 
 of the moment. 
 
 " Sir Gervaise " (he pronounced this word Jairvis), "Sir 
 Gervaise Oakes, honorable sir," he said, with a sneer, 
 " may be a good seaman, but he s no linguist. Now, there 
 he was ashore, among the dead and dying, just as ignorant 
 of the meaning of filins nullius, which is boy s Latin, as if 
 he had never seen a horn-book ! Nevertheless, gentlemen, 
 it is science, and not even the classics, that makes the 
 man ; as for a creature s getting the sciences by instinct, I 
 shall contend it is against the possibilities, whereas the at- 
 
3 02 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 tainment of what you call seamanship, is among the lesser 
 probabilities." 
 
 " This is the most marine-ish talk I ever heard from your 
 mouth, Doctor," interrupted Soundings. " How the devil 
 can a man tell how to wear ship by instinct, as you call it, 
 if one may ask the question?" 
 
 "Simply, Soundings, because the process of ratiocina 
 tion is dispensed with. Do you have to think in wearing 
 ship, now ? I ll put it to your own honor, for the answer." 
 
 " Think ! I should be a poor creature for a master, in 
 deed, if much thinking were wanting in so simple a matter 
 as tacking or veering. No, no ; your real sea-dog has no 
 occasion for much thinking, when he has his work before 
 him." 
 
 "That ll just be it, gentlemen ! that ll be just what I m 
 telling ye," cried the Doctor, exulting in the success of his 
 artifice. "Not only will Mr. Soundings not think, when 
 he has his ordinary duties to perform, but he holds the 
 process itself in merited contempt, ye ll obsairve ; and so 
 my theory is established, by evidence of a pairty concerned ; 
 which is more than a postulate logically requires." 
 
 Here Magrath dropped his book, and laughed with that 
 sort of hissing sound that seems peculiar to that genus of 
 which he formed a part. He was still indulging in his 
 triumph, when the first tap of the drum was heard. All 
 listened ; every ear pricking like that of a deer that hears 
 the hound, when there followed, " R-r-r-ap-tap r-r-rap-tap 
 r-r-r-ap-tap a-tap-tap rap-a-tap a-rap-a-tap-a-rap-a-tap 
 a-tap-tap." 
 
 " I nstinct or reason, Sir Jarvey is going to quarters ! " ex 
 claimed the honorable. "I d no notion we were near 
 enough to the monsieurs, for that !" 
 
 "Now," said Magrath, with a grinning sneer, as he rose 
 to descend to the cock-pit, "there ll maybe arise an 
 occasion for a little learning, when I ll promise ye all the 
 science that can be mustered in my unworthy knowledge. 
 Soundings, I may have to heave the lead in the depth of 
 your physical formation, in which case I ll just endeevor to 
 avoid the breakers of ignorance." 
 
 " Go to the devil, or to the cock-pit, whichever you 
 please, sir," answered the master ; " I ve served in six 
 general actions, already, and have never been obliged to one 
 of your kidney for so much as a bit of court-plaster or lint. 
 With me, oakum answers for one, and canvas for the other." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 303 
 
 While this was saying, all hands were in motion. The 
 sea and marine officers looking for their side arms, the 
 surgeon carefully collecting his books, and the Chaplain 
 seizing a dish of cold beef, that was hurriedly set upon a 
 table, carrying it down with him to his quarters, byway of 
 taking it out of harm s way. In a minute, the gunroom 
 was cleared of all who usually dwelt there, and their 
 places \vere supplied by the seamen who manned the three 
 or four thirty-twos that were mounted in the apartment, 
 together with their opposites. As the sea-officers, in par 
 ticular, appeared among the men their faces assumed an air 
 of authority, and their voices were heard calling out the 
 order to "Tumble up!" as they hastened themselves to 
 their several stations. 
 
 All this time Sir Gervaise Oakes paced the poop. 
 
 Bunting and the quartermaster were in readiness to 
 hoist the new signal, and Greenly merely waited for the 
 reports, to join the Commander-in-chief. In about five 
 minutes after the drum had given its first tap, these wiere 
 completed, and the Captain ascended to the poop. 
 
 "By standing on our present course, Captain Greenly," 
 observed Sir Gervaise, anxious to justify to himself the 
 evolution he contemplated, " the rear of our line and the 
 van of the French will be brought within fair range of 
 shot from each other, and by an accident, we might lose a 
 ship ; since any vessel that was crippled would necessarily 
 sag directly down upon the enemy. Now, I propose to 
 keep away %t the Plantagenet, and just brush past the 
 leading French ships, at about the distance the Warspite 
 will have to pass, and so alter the face of matters a little. 
 What do you think would be the consequence of such a 
 manoeuvre ? " 
 
 " That the van of our line and the van of the French will 
 be brought as near together, as you have just said must 
 happen to the rear, Sir Gervaise, in any case." 
 
 " It does not require a mathematician to tell that much, 
 sir. You will keep away as soon as Bunting shows the 
 signal, and bring the wind abeam. Never mind the braces ; 
 let them stand fast ; as soon as we have passed the French 
 Admiral, I shall luff again. This will cause us to lose a 
 little of our weatherly position, but about that I am very 
 indifferent. Give the order, sir Bunting, run up the 
 signal." 
 
 These commands were silently obeyed, and presently 
 
304 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the Plantagenet was running directly in the troughs of the 
 seas, with quite double her former velocity. The other 
 ships answered promptly, each keeping away as her sec 
 ond ahead came down to the proper line of sailing, and 
 all complying to the letter with an order that was very 
 easy of execution. The effect, besides giving every pros 
 pect of a distant engagement, was to straighten the line to 
 nearly mathematical precision. 
 
 "Is it your wish, Sir Gervaise, that we should endeavor 
 to open our lee lower ports ? " asked Greenly. Unless 
 we attempt something of the sort, we shall have nothing 
 heavier than the eighteens to depend on should Monsieur 
 de Vervillin see fit to begin." 
 
 "And will he be any better off ? It would be next to 
 madness to think of fighting the lower-deck guns in such 
 weather, and we will keep all fast. Should the French 
 commence the sport, we shall have the advantage of being 
 to windward ; and the loss of a few weather shrouds might 
 bring down the best mast in their fleet." 
 
 Greenly made no answer, though he perfectly under 
 stood that the loss of a mast would almost certainly insure 
 the loss of a ship, did one of his own heavier spars go. 
 But this w r as Sir Gervaise s greatest weakness as a com 
 mander, and he knew it would be useless to attempt per 
 suading him to suffer a single ship under his order to pass 
 the enemy nearer than he went himself in the Plantagenet. 
 This was what he called covering his ships ; though it 
 amounted to no more than putting all of them in the 
 jeopardy that happened to be unavoidable, as regarded 
 one or two. 
 
 The Count de Vervillin seemed at a loss to understand 
 this sudden and extraordinary movement in the van of his 
 enemy. His signals followed, and his crews went to their 
 guns ; but it was not an easy matter for ships that perse 
 vered in hugging the wind to make any material alterations 
 in their relative positions, in such a gale. The rate of 
 sailing of the English, however, now menaced a speedy 
 collision, if collision were intended, and it was time to be 
 stirring, in order to be ready for it. 
 
 On the other hand, all was quiet, and, seemingly, death 
 like, in the English ships. Their people were at their 
 quarters, already, and this is a moment of profound still 
 ness in a vessel of war. The lower ports being down, the 
 portions of the crews stationed on those decks were buried, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 305 
 
 as it might be, in obscurity, while even those above were 
 still partly concealed by the half-ports. There was virtu 
 ally nothing for the sail-trimmers to do, and every thing 
 was apparently left to the evolutions of the vast machines 
 themselves, in which they floated. Sir Gervaise, Greenly, 
 and the usual attendants still remained on the poop, their 
 eyes scarcely turning for an instant from the fleet of the 
 enemy. 
 
 By this time the Plantagenet and Le Temeraire were 
 little more than a mile apart, each minute lessening this 
 distance. The latter ship w r as struggling along, her bows 
 plunging into the seas to the hawse-holes, while the former 
 had a swift, easy motion through the troughs, and along 
 the summits of the waves, her flattened sails aiding in 
 steadying her in the heavy lurches that unavoidably accom 
 panied such a movement. Still a sea w T ould occasionally 
 break against her weather side, sending its crest upward 
 in a brilliant jet (Teciu, and leaving tons of water on the 
 decks. Sir Gervaise s manner had now lost every glim 
 mering of excitement. When he spoke it was in a gentle, 
 pleasant tone, such as a gentleman might use in the socie 
 ty of women. The truth was, all his energy had concen 
 trated in the determination to do a daring deed ; and, as 
 is not unusual with the most resolute men, the nearer he 
 approached to the consummation of his purpose, the more 
 he seemed to reject all the spurious aids of manner. 
 
 " The French do not open their lower ports, Greenly," 
 observed the Vice-admiral, dropping the glass after one of 
 his long looks at the enemy, " although they have the ad 
 vantage of being to leeward. I take that to be a sign they 
 intend nothing very serious." 
 
 "We shall know better five minutes hence, Sir Gervaise. 
 This ship slides along like a London coach." 
 
 "His line is lubberly, after all Greenly! Look at those 
 two ships astern : they are near half a mile to windward 
 of the rest of the fleet, and at least half a mile astern. 
 Hey, Greenly?" 
 
 The Captain turned toward the rear of the French, and 
 examined the positions of the two ships mentioned with 
 sufficient deliberation ; but Sir Gervaise dropped his head 
 in a musing manner, and began to pace the poop again. 
 Once or twice he stopped to look at the rear of the French 
 line, then distant from him quite a league, and as often did 
 he resume his walk. 
 
 20 
 
306 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Bunting," said the Vice-admiral, mildly, "come this 
 way a moment. Our last signal was to keep in the Com 
 mander-in-chief s wake, and to follow his motions ?" 
 
 "It was, Sir Gervaise. The old order to follow motions, 
 with or without signals, as one might say." 
 
 " Bend on the signals to close up in line, as near as safe, 
 and to carry sail by the flag-ship." 
 
 " Aye, aye, Sir Gervaise we ll have em both up in five 
 minutes, sir." 
 
 The Commander-in-chief now even seemed pleased. His 
 physical excitement returned a little, and a smile struggled 
 round his lip. His eye glanced at Greenly, to see if he 
 were suspected, and then all his calmness of exterior re 
 turned. In the mean time the signals were made and 
 answered. The latter circumstance was reported to Sir 
 Gervaise, who cast his eyes down the line astern, and saw 
 that the different ships were already bracing in, and easing 
 off their sheets, in order to diminish the spaces between 
 the different vessels. As soon as it was apparent that the 
 Carnatic was drawing ahead, Captain Greenly was told to 
 lay his main and fore yards nearly square, to light up all 
 his staysail sheets, and to keep away sufficiently to make 
 everything draw. Although these orders occasioned sur 
 prise, they were implicitly obeyed. 
 
 The moment of meeting had now come. In consequence 
 of having kept away so much, the Plantagenet could not 
 be quite three-fourths of a mile on the weather-bow of Le 
 Temeraire, coming up rapidly, and threatening a semi- 
 transverse fire. In order to prevent this the French ship 
 edged off a little, giving herself an easier and more rapid 
 movement through the water, and bringing her own broad 
 side more fairly to the shock. This evolution was fol 
 lowed by the two next ships, a little prematurely, perhaps; 
 but the admiral in Le Foudroyant, disdaining to edge off 
 from her enemy, kept her luff. The ships astern were 
 governed by the course of their superior. This change 
 produced a little disorder in the van of the French, men 
 acing still greater, unless one party or the other receded 
 from the course taken. But time pressed, and the two 
 fleets were closing so fast as to induce other thoughts. 
 
 "There s lubberly work for you, Greenly," said Sir Ger 
 vaise, smiling. "A commander-in-chief heading up with 
 bowlines dragged, and his second and third ahead not to 
 say fourth running off with the wind abeam ! Now, if 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 307 
 
 we can knock the Comte off a couple off points, in pass 
 ing, all his fellows astern will follow, and the Warspite 
 and Blenheim and Thunderer will slip by like girls in a 
 country-dance ! Send Bury down to the main-deck, with 
 orders to be ready with those eighteens." 
 
 Greenly obeyed, of course, and he began to think better 
 of audacity in naval warfare than he had done before 
 that day. This was the usual course of things with these 
 two officers ; one arguing and deciding according to the 
 dictates of a cool judgment, and the other following his 
 impulses quite as muclji as any thing else, until facts 
 supervened to prove that human things are as much 
 controlled by adventitious agencies, the results of remote 
 and unseen causes, as by any well-digested plans laid at the 
 moment. In their cooler hours, when they came to reason 
 on the past, the Vice-admiral generally consummated his 
 triumphs, by reminding his captain that if he had not 
 been in the way of luck, he never could have profited by 
 it ; no bad creed for a naval officer, who is otherwise pru 
 dent and vigilant. 
 
 The quartermasters of the fleet were just striking six 
 bells, or proclaiming that it was seven o clock in the 
 morning watch, as the Plantagenet and Le Temeraire 
 came abeam of each other. Both ships lurched heavily 
 in the troughs of the seas, and both rolled to windward in 
 stately majesty, and yet both slid through the brine with 
 a momentum that resembled the imperceptible motion of 
 a planet. The water rolled back from their black sides 
 and shining hammock-cloths, and all the other dark pan 
 oply that distinguishes a ship-of-war glistened with the 
 spray ; but no sign of hostility proceeded from either. 
 The French Admiral made no signal to engage, and Sir 
 Gervaise had reasons of his own for wishing to pass the 
 enemy s van, if possible, unnoticed. Minute passed after 
 minute, in breathless silence, on board the Plantagenet 
 and the Carnatic, the latter vessel being now but half a 
 cable s-length astern of the Admiral. Every eye that had 
 any outlet for such a purpose was riveted on the main-deck 
 ports of Le Temeraire in expectation of seeing the fire 
 issue from her guns. Each instant, however, lessened the 
 chances, as regarded that particular vessel, which was 
 soon out of the line of fire from the Plantagenet, when 
 the same scene was to follow, with the same result, in con 
 nection with Le Conquereur, the second ship of the French 
 
308 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 line. Sir Gervaise smiled as he passed the three first ships 
 seemingly unnoticed ; but as he drew nearer to the Ad 
 miral, he felt confident this impunity must cease. 
 
 "What they mean by it all, Greenly," he observed to 
 his companion, "is more than I can say; but we will go 
 nearer, and try to find out. Keep her away a little more, 
 sir ; keep her away half a point." Greenly was not dis 
 posed to remonstrate now, for his prudent temperament 
 was yielding to the excitement of the moment, just revers 
 ing the traits of Sir Gervaise s character ; the one losing 
 his extreme discretion in feeling, as the other gained by 
 the pressure of circumstances. The helm was eased a 
 little, and the ship sheered nearer to Le Foudroyant. 
 
 As is usual in all services, the French commander-in- 
 chief was in one of the best vessels of his fleet. Not only 
 was the Foudroyant a heavy ship, carrying French forty- 
 twos below, a circumstance that made her rate as an eighty, 
 but, like the Plantagenet, she was one of the fastest and 
 most weatherly vessels of her class known. By " hugging 
 the wind," this noble vessel had got, by this time, mate 
 rially to windward of her second and third ahead, and had 
 increased her distance essentially from her supports astern. 
 In a word, she was far from being in a position to be sus 
 tained as she ought to be, unless she edged off herself, a 
 movement that no one on board her seemed to contem 
 plate. 
 
 " He s a noble fellow, Greenly, that Comte de Vervillin ! " 
 murmured Sir Gervaise, in a tone of admiration, "and so 
 have I always found him, and so have I always reported, 
 him, too ! The fools about the Gazettes, and the knaves 
 about the offices, may splutter as they will ; Mr. de Ver 
 villin would give them plenty of occupation were they here. 
 I question if he mean to keep off in the least, but insists 
 on holding every inch he can gain !" 
 
 The next moment, however, satisfied Sir Gervaise that 
 he was mistaken in his last conjecture, the bow of the 
 Foudroyant gradually falling off, until the line of her lar 
 board guns bore, when she made a general discharge of 
 the whole of them, with the exception of those on the 
 lower deck. The Plantagenets waited until the ship rose 
 on a sea, and then they returned the compliment in the 
 same manner. The Carnatic s side showed a sheet of 
 flame immediately after ; and the Achilles, Lord Morga- 
 nic, luffing briskly to the wind, so as to bring her guns to 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 309 
 
 bear, followed up the game, like flashes of lightning. All 
 three of these ships had directed their fire at Le Foudroy- 
 ant, and the smoke had not yet driven from among her 
 spars, when Sir Gervaise perceived that all three of her 
 topmasts were hanging to leeward. At this sight, Greenly 
 fairly sprang from the deck, and gave three cheers. The 
 men below caught up the cry, even to those who were, in 
 a manner, buried on the lower deck, and presently, spite 
 of the gale, the Carnatics were heard following their ex 
 ample astern. At this instant the whole French and Eng 
 lish lines opened their fire from van to rear, as far as their 
 guns would bear, or the shot tell. 
 
 "Now, sir, now is our time to close with De Vervillin ! " 
 exclaimed Greenly, the instant he perceived the manner 
 in which his ship was crippled. " In our close order we 
 might hope to make a thorough wreck of him," 
 
 "Not so, Greenly," returned Sir Gervaise, calmly. 
 "You see he edges away already, and will be down among 
 his other ships in five minutes ; we should have a general 
 action with twice our force. What is done, is well done, 
 and we will let it stand. It is something to have dismasted 
 the enemy s commander-in-chief ; do you look to it that 
 the enemy don t do the same with ours. I heard shot 
 rattling aloft, and everything now bears a hard strain." 
 
 Greenly went to look after his duty, while Sir Gervaise 
 continued to pace the poop. The whole of Le Foudroy- 
 ant s fire had been directed at the Plantagenet, but so 
 rough was the ocean that not a shot touched the hull. A 
 little injury had been done aloft, but nothing that the 
 ready skill of the seamen was not able to repair even in 
 that rough weather. The fact is, most of the shot had 
 touched the waves, and had flown off from their varying 
 surfaces at every angle that offered. One of the secrets 
 that Sir Gervaise had taught his captains was to avoid hit 
 ting the surface of the sea, if possible unless that surface 
 was reasonably smooth, and the object intended to be 
 injured was near at hand. Then the French Admiral re 
 ceived the first fire always the most destructive of three 
 fresh vessels; and his injuries were in propotion. 
 
 The scene was now animated, and not without a wild 
 magnificence. The gale continued as heavy as ever, and 
 with the raging of the ocean, and the howling of the 
 winds, mingled the roar of artillery, and the smoky canopy 
 of battle. Still the destruction on neither side bore any 
 
3io THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 proportion to the grandeur of the accompaniments ; the 
 distance and the unsteadiness of the ships prevented 
 much accuracy of aim. In that day a large two-decked 
 ship never carried heavier metal than an eighteen above 
 her lower batteries ; and this gun, efficient as it is on most 
 occasions, does not bring with it the fearful destruction 
 that attends a more modern broadside. 
 
 There was a good deal of noise, notwithstanding, and 
 some blood shed in passing ; but on the whole, when the 
 Warspite, the last of the English ships, ceased her fire, on 
 account of the distance of the enemy abreast of her, it 
 would have been difficult to tell that any vessel but Le 
 Foudroyant had been doing more than saluting. At this 
 instant Greenly reappeared on the poop, his own ship hav 
 ing ceased to fire for several minutes. 
 
 Well, Greenly, the main-deck guns are at least scaled," 
 said Sir Gervaise, smiling, " and that is not to be done 
 over again for some time. You keep everything ready in 
 the batteries, I trust?" 
 
 " We are all ready, Sir Gervaise, but there is nothing to 
 be done. It w r ould be useless to waste our ammunition at 
 ships quite two miles under our lee." 
 
 "Very true very true, sir. But ail the Frenchmen are 
 not quite so far to leeward, Greenly, as you may see by 
 looking ahead. Yonder two, at least, are not absolutely 
 out of harm s \vay ! " 
 
 Greenly turned, gazed an instant in the direction in 
 which the Commander-in-chief pointed, and then the truth 
 of w r hat Sir Gervaise had really in view in keeping away, 
 flashed on his mind, as it might be, at a glance. Without 
 saying a word, he immediately quitted the poop, and de 
 scending even to the lower deck, passed through the whole 
 of his batteries, giving his orders, and examining their 
 condition. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 By Heaven ! it is a splendid sight to see 
 
 (For one who hath no friend, no brother there) 
 
 Their rival scarfs of mixed embroidery 
 
 Their various arms that glitter in the air. Childe Harold. 
 
 THE little conflict between the English ships and the 
 head of the French line, the evolution that had grown out 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 311 
 
 of it, the crippling of Le Foudroyant, and the continuance 
 of the gale, contributed to produce material changes in 
 the relative positions of the two fleets. All the English 
 vessels kept their stations with beautiful accuracy, still 
 running to the southward in a close line ahead, having the 
 wind a trifle abaft the beam, with their yards braced in. 
 Under the circumstances, it needed but some seven or 
 eight minutes for these ships to glide a mile through the 
 troubled ocean, and this was about the period the most 
 exposed of them all had been under the random and slow 
 fire that the state of the weather permitted. The trifling 
 damages sustained were already repaired, or in a way 
 soon to be so. On the other hand, considerable disorder 
 prevailed among the French. Their line had never been 
 perfect, extending quite a league ; a few of the leading 
 vessels, or those near the commander-in-chief, sustaining 
 each other as well as could be desired, while long intervals 
 existed between the ships astern. Among the latter, too, 
 as has been stated, some were much farther to windward 
 than the others ; an irregularity that proceeded from a 
 desire of the Comte to luff up as near as possible to the 
 enemy a desire which, practised on, necessarily threw the 
 least weatherly vessels to leeward. Thus the two ships in 
 the extreme rear, as has been hinted at already, being 
 jammed up unusually hard upon the wind, had weathered 
 materially on their consorts, while their way through the 
 water had been proportionately less. It was these com 
 bined circumstances which brought them so far astern and 
 to windward. 
 
 At the same time Sir Gervaise pointed out their positions 
 to Greenly, the two vessels just mentioned were quite 
 half a mile to the westward of their nearest consort, and 
 more than that distance to the southward. When it is re 
 membered that the wind was nearly due west, and that all 
 the French vessels, these two excepted, were steering 
 north, the relative positions of the latter will be under 
 stood. Le Foudroyant, too, had kept away, after the loss 
 of her topmasts, until fairly in the wake of the ships 
 ahead of her, in her own line, and, as the vessels had been 
 running off with the wind abeam, for several minutes, this 
 manoeuvre threw the French still farther to leeward. To 
 make the matter worse, just as the Warspite drew out of 
 the range of shot from the French, M. de Vervillin showed 
 a signal at the end o f his gaff, for his whole fleet to wear 
 
312 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 in succession ; an order which, while it certainly had a 
 gallant semblance, as it was bringing his vessels round on 
 the same tack as his enemy, and looked like a defiance, 
 was singularly adapted to restoring to the latter all the 
 advantage of the wind they had lost by keeping away. 
 As it was necessary to take room to execute this evolution, 
 in order to clear the ships that were now crowded in the 
 van, when Le Temeraire came to the wind again on the 
 starboard tack, she was fully half a mile to leeward of the 
 Admiral, who had just put his helm up. As a matter of 
 course, in order to form anew, with the heads of the ships 
 to the southward, each vessel had to get into her leader s 
 wake, which would be virtually throwing the whole French 
 line, again, two miles to leeward of the English. Never 
 theless, the stragglers in the rear of the French continued 
 to hug the wind, with a pertinacity that denoted a resolu 
 tion to have a brush with their enemies in passing. The 
 vessels were Le Scipion and La Victoire, each of seventy- 
 four guns. The first of these ships was commanded by a 
 young man of very little professional experience, but of 
 high court influence ; while the second had a captain who, 
 like old Parker, had worked his way up to his present 
 station through great difficulties, and by dint of hard 
 knocks and harder work. Unfortunately the first ranked, 
 and the humble capitaine de fregate, placed by accident in 
 command of a ship of the line, did not dare to desert a 
 capitaine de vaisseau, who had a due for an elder brother, and 
 called himself comte. There was perhaps a redeeming 
 gallantry in the spirit which determined the Comte de 
 Chelincourt to incur the risk of passing so near six vessels 
 with only two, that might throw a veil over the indiscre 
 tion ; more especially as his own fleet was near enough to 
 support him in the event of any disaster, and it was cer 
 tainly possible that the loss of a material spar on board 
 either of his foes, might induce the capture of the vessel. 
 At all events, thus reasoned M. de Chelincourt ; who con 
 tinued boldly on, with his larboard tacks aboard, always 
 hugging the wind, even after the Temeraire was round ; 
 and M. Comptant chose to follow him in La Victoire. 
 The Plantagenet, by this time, being not a mile distant 
 from the Scipio, coming on with steady velocity, these in 
 tentions and circumstances created every human proba 
 bility that she would soon be passing her weather beam, 
 within a quarter of a mile, and, consequently, that a can* 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 313 
 
 nonade, far more serious than had yet occurred, must 
 follow. The few intervening minutes gave Sir Gervaise 
 time to throw a glance around him, and to come to his 
 final decision. 
 
 The English fleet was never in better line than at that 
 precise moment. The ships were as close to each other 
 as comported with safety, and everything stood and drew 
 as in the trade winds. The leading French vessels were 
 wearing and increasing their distance to leeward, and it 
 would require an hour for them to get up near enough to 
 be at all dangerous in such weather, while all the rest were 
 following, regardless of the two that continued their luff. 
 The Chloe had already got round, and, hugging the wind, 
 was actually coming up to windward of her own line, 
 though under a press of canvass that nearly buried her. 
 The Active and Driver were in their stations, as usual ; 
 one on the weather beam, and the other "on the weather 
 bow ; while the Druid had got so near as to show her 
 hull, closing fast, with square yards. 
 
 "That is either a very bold, or a very obstinate fellow ; 
 he, who commands the two ships ahead of us," observed 
 Greenly, as he stood at the Vice-admiral s side, and just 
 as the latter terminated his survey. "What object can he 
 possibly have in braving three times his force in a gale 
 like this ?" 
 
 " If it were an Englishman, Greenly, we should call him 
 a hero ! By taking a mast out of one of us, he might 
 cause the loss of the ship, or compel us to engage double 
 our force. Do not blame him, but help me rather, to dis 
 appoint him. Now, listen, and see all done immediately." 
 
 Sir Gervaise then explained to the Captain what his in 
 tentions really were, first ordering, himself (a very unusual 
 course for one of his habits), the First Lieutenant to keep 
 the ship off as much as practicable, without seeming to 
 wish to do so ; but, as the orders will be explained inci 
 dentally, in the course of the narrative, it is not necessary 
 to give them here. Greenly then went below, leaving Sir 
 Gervaise, Bunting, and their auxiliaries, in possession of 
 the poop. A private signal had been bent on some little 
 time, and it-was now hoisted. In about five minutes it 
 was read, understood, and answered by all the ships of the 
 fleet. Sir Gervaise rubbed his hands like a man who was 
 delighted, and he beckoned to Bury, who had the trumpet 
 on the quarter-deck, to join him on the poop. 
 
314 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Did Captain Greenly let you into our plot, Bury?" 
 asked the Vice-admiral, in high good-humor, as soon as 
 obeyed. " I saw he spoke to you in going below." 
 
 " lie only told me, Sir Gervaise, to edge down upon the 
 Frenchmen as close as I could, and this we are doing, I 
 think, as fast as Mounsheer" Bury was an Anglo-Galli- 
 can "will at all like." 
 
 " Ah ! there old Parker sheers bravely to leeward ! Trust 
 to him to be in the right place. The Carnatic went fifty 
 fathoms out of line at that one twist. The Thunderer and 
 Warspite too ! Never was a signal more beautifully obeyed. 
 If the Frenchmen don t take the alarm, now, everything 
 will be to our minds." 
 
 By this time, Bury began to understand the manoeuvre. 
 Each alternate ship of the English was sheering fast to 
 leeward, forming a weather and a lee line, with increased 
 intervals between the vessels, while all of them were edging 
 rapidly away, so as greatly to near the enemy. It was ap 
 parent now, indeed, that the Plantagenet herself must pass 
 within a hundred fathoms of the Scipio, and that in less 
 than two minutes. The delay in issuing the orders for 
 this evolution was in favor of its success, inasmuch as it 
 did not give the enemy time for deliberation. The Comte 
 de Chelincourt, in fact, did not detect it ; or, at least, did 
 not foresee the consequences ; though both were quite ap 
 parent to the more experienced capitaine de fregate astern. 
 It was too late, or the latter would have signalled his su 
 perior to put him on his guard ; but, as things were, there 
 remained no alternative, apparently, but to run the gaunt 
 let, and trust all to the chances of battle. 
 
 In a moment like that we are describing, events occur 
 much more rapidly than they can be related. The Planta 
 genet was now within pistol-shot of Le Scipion, and on 
 her weather bow. At that precise instant, when the bow- 
 guns, on both sides, began to play, the Carnatic, then 
 nearly in a line with the enemy, made a rank sheer to lee 
 ward, and drove on, opening in the very act with her 
 weather-bow guns. The Thunderer and Warspite imitated 
 this manoeuvre, leaving the Frenchman the cheerless pros 
 pect of being attacked on both sides. It is riot to be con 
 cealed that M. de Chelincourt was considerably disturbed 
 by this sudden change in his situation. That which, an in 
 stant before, had the prospect of being a chivalrous, but 
 extremely hazardous, passage in front of a formidable ene- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 315 
 
 my, now began to assume the appearance of something 
 very like destruction. It was too late, however, to remedy 
 the evil, and the young Comte, as brave a man as existed, 
 determined to face it manfully. He had scarcely time to 
 litter a few cheering sentiments, in a dramatic manner, to 
 those on the quarter-deck, when the English flag-ship came 
 sweeping past in a cloud of smoke, and a blaze of fire. His 
 own broadside was nobly returned, or as much of it as the 
 weather permitted, but the smoke of both discharges was 
 still driving between the masts, when the dark hamper of 
 the Carnatic glided into the drifting canopy, which was 
 made to whirl back on the devoted Frenchman in another 
 torrent of flame. 
 
 Three times was this fearful assault renewed on the 
 Scipio, at intervals of about a minute, the iron hurricane 
 first coming from to windward, and then seeming to be 
 driven back from to leeward, as by its own rebound, leav 
 ing no breathing time to meet it. The effect was com 
 pletely to silence her own fire ; for what between the 
 power of the raging elements, and the destruction of the 
 shot, a species of wild and blood-fraught confusion took 
 the place of system and order. Her decks were covered 
 witli killed and wounded, among the latter of w r honi was 
 the Comte de Chelincourt, while orders were given and 
 countermanded in a way to render them useless if not inco 
 herent. From the time when the Plantagenet fired her first 
 gun, to that when the Warspite fired her last was just five 
 minutes by the watch. It seemed an hour to the French, 
 and but a moment to their enemies. One hundred and 
 eighty-t\vo men and boys were included in the casualties of 
 those teeming moments on board the Scipio alone ; and 
 when that ship issued slowly from the scene of havoc, more 
 by the velocity of her assailants in passing than by her 
 own. the foremast was all that stood, the remainder of her 
 spars dragging under her lee. To cut the last adrift, and 
 to run off nearly before the wind, in order to save the spars 
 forward, and to get w r ithin the cover of her own fleet, was 
 all that could now be done. It may as well be said here 
 that these two objects were effected. 
 
 The Plantagenet had received damage from the fire of 
 her opponent. Some ten or fifteen men were killed and 
 wounded ; her main-topsail was split by a shot, from clew 
 to earing ; one of the quartermasters was carried from the 
 poop, literally dragged overboard by the sinews that con- 
 
316 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 nected head and body ; and several of the spars, with a 
 good deal of rigging, required to be looked to, on account 
 of injuries. But no one thought of these things, except as 
 they were connected with present and pressing duties. Sir 
 Gervaise got a sight of La Victoire, some hundred and 
 twenty fathoms ahead, just as the roar of the Carnatic s 
 guns was rushing upon his ears. The French commander 
 saw and understood the extreme jeopardy of his consort, 
 and he had already put his helm hard up. 
 
 "Starboard starboard hard, Bury !" shouted Sir Ger 
 vaise from the poop. " Damn him, run him aboard if he 
 dare hold on long enough to meet us ! " 
 
 The Lieutenant signed with his hand that the order was 
 understood, and the helm being put up, the ship went 
 whirling off to leeward on the summit of a hill of foam. 
 A cheer was heard struggling in the tempest, and glancing 
 over his left shoulder, Sir Gervaise perceived the Carnatic 
 shooting out of the smoke, and imitating his own move 
 ment by making another and still ranker sheer to leeward. 
 At the same moment she set her mainsail close reefed, as 
 if determined to outstrip her antagonist and maintain her 
 station. None but a prime seaman could have done such 
 a thing so steadily and so well, in the midst of the wild 
 haste and confusion of such a scene. Sir Gervaise, now 
 not a hundred yards from the Carnatic, waved high his hat 
 in exultation and praise ; and old Parker, alone on his own 
 poop, bared his gray hairs in acknowledgment of the 
 compliment. All this time the two ships drove madly 
 ahead, while the crash and roar of the battle was heard 
 astern. 
 
 The remaining French ship was well and nimbly handled. 
 As she came round she unavoidably sheered toward her 
 enemies, and Sir Gervaise found it necessary to counter 
 mand his last order, and to come swiftly up to the wind, 
 both to avoid her raking broadside, and to prevent running 
 into his own consort. But the Carnatic, having a little 
 more room, first kept off, and then came to the wind again, 
 as soon as the Frenchman had fired, in a way to compel 
 him to haul up on the other tack, or to fall fairly aboard. 
 Almost at the same instant the Plantagenet closed on his 
 weather quarter and raked. Parker had got abeam and 
 pressing nearer, he compelled La Victoire to haul her 
 bow-lines, bringing her completely between two fires. 
 Spar went after spar, and being left with nothing standing 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 317 
 
 but the lower masts, the Plantagenet and Carnatic could 
 not prevent themselves from passing their victim, though 
 each shortened sail ; the first being already without a top 
 sail. 
 
 Their places, however, were immediately supplied by the 
 Achilles and the Thunderer, both ships having hauled 
 down their staysails to lessen their way. As the Blenheim 
 and Warspite were quite near astern, and an eighteen- 
 pound shot had closed the earthly career of the poor capi- 
 tain de fregate, his successor in command deemed it pru 
 dent to lower his ensign ; after a resistance that in its du 
 ration was unequal to the promise of its commencement. 
 Still the ship had suffered materially, and had fifty of her 
 crew among the casualties. His submission terminated 
 the combat. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes had now leisure and opportunity to 
 look about him. Most of the French ships had got round ; 
 but, besides being quite as far astern, when they should 
 get up abeam, supposing himself to remain where he was, 
 they would be at very long gunshot dead to leeward. To 
 remain where he was, however, formed no part of his plan, 
 for he was fully resolved to maintain all his advantages. 
 The great difficulty was to take possession of his prize, the 
 sea running so high as to render it questionable if a boat 
 would live. Lord Morganic, however, was just of an age 
 and a temperament to bring that question to a speedy 
 issue. Being on the weather-beam of La Victoire, as her 
 flag came down, he ordered his own first lieutenant into 
 the larger cutter, and putting half a dozen marines, with 
 the proper crew, into the boat, it \vas soon seen dangling 
 in the air over the caldron of the ocean ; the oars on-end. 
 To lower, let go, and unhook, were the acts of an instant ; 
 the oars fell, and the boat was swept away to leeward. A 
 commander s commission depended on his success, and 
 Daly made desperate efforts to obtain it. The prize offered 
 a lee, and the French, with a national benevolence, cour 
 tesy, and magnanimity that would scarcely have been im 
 itated had matters been reversed, threw ropes to their 
 conquerors, to help to rescue them from a very awkward 
 dilemma. The men did succeed in getting into the prize ; 
 but the boat, in the end, was stove and lost. 
 
 The appearance of the red flag of England, the symbol 
 of his own professional rank, and worn by most under his 
 own orders, over the white ensign of France, was the sign 
 
3 i8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 to Sir Gervaise that the prize-officer was in possession. 
 He immediately made the signal for the fleet to follow the 
 motions of the Commander-in-chief. By this time, his 
 own mainsail, close-reefed, had taken the place of the torn 
 topsail, and the Plantagenetled off to the southward again, 
 as if nothing unusual had occurred. Daly had a quarter 
 of an hour of extreme exertion on board the prize, before 
 he could get her fairly in motion as he desired ; but, by 
 dint of using the ax freely, he cut the wreck adrift, and 
 soon had La Victoire liberated from that incumbrance. 
 The foresail and fore and mizzen staysails were on the ship, 
 and the mainsail, close-reefed also, was about to be set, to 
 drag her from the mclce of her foes, when her ensign came 
 down. By getting the tack of the latter aboard, and the 
 sheet aft, he would have all the canvas set the gale would 
 allow, and to this all-essential point he directed his \vits. 
 To ride down the main-tack of a two-decked ship, in a gale 
 of wind, or what fell short of a real gale, was not to be 
 undertaken with twenty men, the extent of Daly s com 
 mand ; and he had recourse to the assistance of his ene 
 mies. A good-natured, facetious Irishman, himself, with 
 a smattering of French, he soon got forty or fifty of the 
 prisoners in a sufficient humor to lend their aid, and the 
 sail was set, though not without risk of its splitting. From 
 this moment, La Victoire was better off, as respected the 
 gale and keeping a weatherly position, than anv of the 
 English ships ; inasmuch as she could carry the canvas 
 the wind permitted, while she was relieved from the drift 
 inseparable from hamper aloft. The eifect, indeed, was 
 visible in the first hour, to Daly s great delight and exul 
 tation. At the end of that period, he found himself quite 
 .at cable s-length to windward of the line. But in relating 
 this last particular, events have been a little anticipated. 
 
 Greenly, who had gone below to attend to the batteries, 
 which were not worked without great difficulty in so heavy 
 a sea, and to be in readiness to open the lower ports should 
 occasion offer, reappeared on deck just as the Commander- 
 in-chief showed the signal for the ships to follow his own 
 motions. The line was soon formed, as mentioned, and 
 erqlong it became apparent that the prize could easily 
 keep in her station. As most of the day was still before 
 him, Sir Gervaise had little doubt of being able to secure 
 the latter, ere night should come to render it indispensable. 
 
 The Vice-admiral and his captain shook hands cordially 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 319 
 
 on the poop, and the former pointed out to the latter, with 
 honest exaultation, the result of his own bold manoeuvres. 
 
 "We ve clipped the wings of two of them," added Sir 
 Gervaise, " and have fairly bagged a third, my good 
 friend ; and God willing, when Bluewater joins, there will 
 not be much difficulty with the remainder. I cannot see 
 that any of our vessels have suffered much, and I set them 
 down as sound. There s been time for a signal of inability, 
 that curse to an admiral s evolutions, but no one seems 
 disposed to make it. If we really escape that nuisance, it 
 will be the first instance in my life ! " 
 
 " Half-a-dozen yards may be crippled, and no orre the 
 worse for it in this heavy weather. Were we under a press 
 of canvas, it would be a different matter ; but, now, so long 
 as the main sticks stand, we shall probably do well enough. 
 I can find no injury in my ow r n ship that may not be reme 
 died at sea." 
 
 " And she has had the worst of it. Twas a decided 
 thing, Greenly, to engage such an odds in a gale ; but we 
 owe our success, most probably, to the audacity of the at 
 tack. Had the enemy believed it possible, it is probable 
 he would have frustrated it. Well, Master Galleygo, I m 
 glad to see you unhurt ! What is your pleasure ? " 
 
 " Why, Sir Jarvey, I ve two opportunities, as a body might 
 say, on the poop, just now. One is to shake hands, as we 
 always does after a brush, you knows, sir, and to look a ter 
 each other s health ; and the other is to report a misfortin 
 that will bear hard on this day s dinner. You see, Sir Jarvey, 
 I had the dead poultry slung in a net over the live stock, 
 to be out of harm s way ; well, sir, a shot cut the Ian-yard 
 and let all the chickens down by the run, in among the 
 gunroom grunters; and as they never half feeds them 
 hanimals, there isn t as much left of the birds as would 
 make a meal for a sick young gentleman. To my notion, 
 no one ought to have live stock but the commanders-in- 
 chief." 
 
 " To the devil with you and the stock ! Give me a shake 
 of the hand, and back into your top how came you, sir, 
 to quit your quarters without leave ?" 
 
 " I didn t, Sir Jarvey. Seeing how things was agoing on, 
 among the pigs, for our top hoverlooks the awful scene, I 
 axed the young gentleman to let me come down to condole 
 with your honor ; and as they always let me do as I axes, 
 in such matters, why down I come. We has had one rat- 
 
3 20 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 tier in at our top, howsever, that came nigh to clear us all 
 out on it ! " 
 
 "Is any spar injured?" asked Sir Gervaise, quickly. 
 "This must be looked to hey, Greenly?" 
 
 " Not to signify, your honor ; not to signify. One of 
 them French eighteens aboard the prize just cocked its 
 nose up, as the ship lurched and let lly a round un and 
 a grist of grape, right into our faces. I see d it coming 
 and sung out Scaldings ! and twas well I did. We all 
 ducked in time, and the round un cleared everything, 
 but a handful of the marbles are planted in the head of the 
 mast, making the spar look like a plum-pudding, or a 
 .fellow with the small-pox." 
 
 " Enough of this. You are excused from returning to 
 the top ; and, Greenly, beat the retreat. Bunting, show 
 the signal for the retreat from quarters. Let the ships pipe 
 to breakfast, if they will." 
 
 This order affords a fair picture of the strange admixture 
 of feelings and employments that characterize the ordinary 
 life of a ship. At one moment, its inmates finds themselves 
 engaged in scenes of wild magnificence and fierce con 
 fusion, while at the next they revert to the most familiar 
 duties of humanity. The crews of the whole fleet now re 
 tired from the guns, and immediately after they were 
 seated around their kids, indulging ravenously in the food 
 for which the exercise of the morning had given keen 
 appetites. 
 
 Still there was something of the sternness of battle in 
 the merriment of this meal, and the few jokes that passed 
 were seasoned with a bitterness that is not usual among 
 the light-hearted followers of the sea. Here and there, 
 a messmate was missed, and the vacancy produced some 
 quaint and even pathetic allusion to his habits, or to the 
 manner in which he met his death ; seamen usually treat 
 ing the ravages of this great enemy of the race, after the 
 blow has been struck, with as much solemnity and even 
 tenderness, as they regard his approaches with levity. It 
 is when spared themselves, that they most regard the de 
 struction of battle. A man s standing in a ship, too, car 
 ries great weight with it, at such times ; the loss of the 
 quartermaster, in particular, being much regretted in the 
 Plantagenet. This man messed with a portion of the petty 
 officers, a set of men altogether more thoughtful and 
 grave than the body of the crew ; and who met, when they 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 321 
 
 assembled around their mess-chest, that morning, with a 
 sobriety and even sternness of mien, that showed how 
 much in the management of the vessel had depended on 
 their individual exertions. Several minutes elapsed in 
 the particular mess of the dead man, before a word was 
 spoken ; all eating with appetites that were of proof, but 
 no one breaking the silence. At length an old quarter- 
 gunner, named Tom Sponge, who generally led the dis 
 course, said in a sort of half-inquiring, half-regretting 
 way 
 
 " I suppose there s no great use in asking why Jack 
 Glass s spoon is idle this morning. They says, them fore 
 castle chaps, that they see d his body streaming out over 
 the starboard quarter, as if it had been the fly of one of his 
 own ensigns. How was it, Ned ? you was there-away, and 
 ought to know all about it." 
 
 " To be sure I does," said Ned, who was Bunting s re 
 maining assistant. "I was there, as you says, and see d as 
 much of it as a man can see of what passes between a poor 
 fellow and a shot, when they comes together, and that not 
 in a very loving manner. It happened just as we come 
 upon the weather beam of that first chap him as we 
 winged so hansomely among us. Well, Sir Jarvey had 
 clapped a stopper on the signals, seeing as we had got 
 fairly into the smoke, and Jack and I was looking about 
 for the muskets, not knowing but a chance might turn up 
 to chuck a little lead into some of the parly-woos, and so 
 says Jack, says he, Ned, you s got my musket as I had, 
 sure enough ; and says he, * Ned, you s got my musket ; 
 but no matter arter all, as they re much of a muchness. 
 So when he d said this, he lets fly ; but whether he hit any 
 body, is more than I can say. If he did, twas likely a 
 Frenchman, as he shot that-away. Now, says Jack, says 
 he, * Ned, as this is your musket, you can load it, and hand 
 
 over mine, and I ll sheet home another of the b s. 
 
 Well, at that moment the Frenchman lifted for ard, on a 
 heavy swell, and let drive at us, with all his forecastle guns, 
 fired as it might be with one priming " 
 
 "That was bad gunnery," growled Tom Sponge, "it 
 racks a ship woundily." 
 
 " Yes, they se no judgment in ships, in general. Well, 
 
 them French twelves are spiteful guns ; and a little afore 
 
 they fired, it seemed to me I heard something give Jack a 
 
 rap on the cheek, that sounded as if a fellow s ear was 
 
 21 
 
322 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 boxed with a clap of thunder. I looked up, and there was 
 Jack streaming out like the fly of the ensign, head fore 
 most, with the body towing after it by strings in the neck." 
 
 " I thought when a fellow s head was shot off," put in 
 another quartermaster, named Ben Barrel, "that the body 
 was left in the ship while only the truck \vent ! 
 
 " That comes of not seeing them things, Ben," rejoined 
 the eye-witness. "A fellow s head is stayed in its berth 
 just like a ship s mast. There s for ard and back stays, and 
 shrouds, all s one as aboard here ; the only difference is 
 that the lanyards are a little looser, so as to give a man 
 more play for his head, than it might be safe to give to a 
 mast. When a fellow makes a bow, why he only comes 
 up a little aft, and and bowses on the fore stay, and now 
 and then you falls in with a chap that is stayed altogether 
 too far for ard, or who s got a list perhaps from having the 
 shrouds set up too taut to port or to starboard." 
 
 "That sounds reasonable," put in the quarter-gunner, 
 gravely; "I ve seen such drogers myself." 
 
 "If you d been on the poop an hour or two ago, you d 
 ha seen more on it ! Now there s all our mariners, their 
 backstays have had a fresh pull since they were launched, 
 and as for their captain I ll warrant you, he had luff upon 
 luff!" 
 
 "I ve heard the carpenter overhauling them matters," 
 remarked Sam Wad, another quarter-gunner, "and he 
 chalked it all around with a square and compass. It seems 
 reasonable, too." 
 
 " If I d seen Jack s head dragging his body overboard, 
 just like the Frenchman dragging his wreck under his lee, 
 you d ha thought itreasonable. What s a fellows shoulders, 
 for, but to give a spread to his shrouds, which lead down 
 to the neck and are set up under the arms somewhere. 
 They says a great deal about the heart, and I reckon it s 
 likely everything is key d there." 
 
 " Harkee, Ned," observed a quartermaster, who knew a 
 little more than the mess generally ; "if what you say is 
 true, why don t these shrouds lead straight from the head 
 to the shoulders, instead of being all tucked up under a 
 skin in the neck ! Answer me that, now." 
 
 "Who the devil ever saw a ship s shrouds that wasn t 
 cat-harpened in!" exclaimed Ned, with some heat. "A 
 pretty hand a wife would make of it, in putting her arms 
 around a fellow s neck, if the rigging spread in the way 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 323 
 
 you mean ! Them things is all settled according to reason 
 when a chap s keel s laid." 
 
 This last argument seemed to dispose of the matter, the 
 discourse gradually turning on, and confining itself to the 
 merits of the deceased. 
 
 Sir Gervaise had directed Galleygo to prepare his break 
 fast as soon as the people were piped to their own ; but 
 he was still detained on deck in consequence of a move 
 ment in one of his vessels, to which it has now become 
 necessary more particularly to recur. 
 
 The appearance of the Druid to the northward, early in 
 the morning, will doubtless be remembered by the reader. 
 When near enough to have it made out, this frigate had 
 shown her number; after which she rested satisfied with 
 carrying sail much harder than any vessel in sight. When 
 the fleets engaged, she made an effort to set the foretop- 
 sail, close-reefed, but several of the critics in the other 
 ships, who occasionally noticed her movements, fancied 
 that some accident must have befallen her, as the canvas 
 was soon taken in, and she appeared disposed to remain 
 content with the sail carried when first seen. As this ship 
 was materially to windward of the line, and she was run 
 ning at the time a little free, her velocity was much greater 
 than that of the other vessels, and by this time she had 
 got so near that Sir Gervaise observed that she was fairly 
 abeam of the Plantagenet, and a little to the leeward of 
 the Active. Of course her hull, even to the bottom, as she 
 rose on a sea, was plainly visible, and such of her people 
 as were in the tops and rigging could be easily distin 
 guished by the naked eye. 
 
 "The Druid must have some communication for us 
 from the other division of the fleet," observed- the Vice- 
 admiral to his signal-officer, as they stood watching the 
 movements of the fleet ; " it is a little extraordinary Blewet 
 does not signal ! Look at the book, and find me a ques 
 tion to put that will ask his errand." 
 
 Bunting was in the act of turning over the leaves of his 
 little vocabulary of questions and answers, when three or 
 four dark balls, that Sir Gervaise, by the aid of the glass, 
 saw suspended between frigate s masts, opened into flags, 
 effectually proving that Blewet was not absolutely asleep. 
 
 "Four hundred and sixteen, ordinary communication," 
 observed the Vice-admiral, with his eye still at the glass. 
 " Look in that, Bunting, and let us know what it means." 
 
324 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " The Commander-in-chief wish to speak him ! " read 
 Bunting, in the customary formal manner in which he an 
 nounced the purport of a signal. 
 
 " Very well answer ; then make the Druid s number to 
 come within hail ! The fellow has cloth enough spread to 
 travel two feet to our one ; let him edge away and come 
 under our lee. Speaking will be rather close w r ork to 
 day." 
 
 " I doubt if a ship can come near enough to make her 
 self heard," returned the other, "though the second lieu 
 tenant of that ship never uses a trumpet in the heaviest 
 weather, they tell me, sir. Our gents say his father was a 
 town-crier, and that he has inherited the family estate." 
 
 " Aye, our gents are a set of saucy follows, as is usually 
 the case when there isn t work enough aboard." 
 
 "You should make a little allowance, Sir Gervaise, for 
 being in the ship of a successful commander-in-chief. 
 That makes us all carry weather-helms among the other 
 messes." 
 
 " Up with your signal, sir ; up with your signal. I shall 
 be obliged to order Greenly to put you upon watch-and- 
 watch for a month, in order to bring you down to the old 
 level of manners." 
 
 " Signal answered, already, Sir Gervaise. By the way, 
 sir, I ll thank you to request Captain Greenly to give me 
 another quartermaster. It s nimble work for us when 
 there is anything serious to do." 
 
 "You shall have him, Bunting," returned the Vice-ad 
 miral, a shade passing over his face for the moment. " I 
 had missed poor Jack Glass, and from seeing a spot of 
 blood on the poop, guessed his fate. I fancied, indeed, I 
 heard a shot strike something behind me." 
 
 " It struck the poor fellow s head, sir, and made a noise 
 as if a butcher were felling an ox." 
 
 "Well, well, let us try to forget it, until something can 
 be done for his son, who is one of the side boys. Ah ! 
 there s Blewet keeping away in earnest. How the deuce 
 he is to speak to us, however, is more than I can tell." 
 
 Sir Gervaise now sent a message to his captain to say 
 that he desired his presence. Greenly soon appeared, and 
 was made acquainted with the intention of the Druid, as 
 well as with the purport of the last signals. By this time, 
 the rent main-topsail was mended, and the Captain sug 
 gested it should be set again, close-reefed, as before, and 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 325 
 
 that the mainsail should be taken in. This would lessen 
 the Plantagenet s way, which ship was sensibly- drawing 
 ahead of her consorts. Sir Gervaise assenting, the change 
 was made, and the effects were soon apparent, not only in 
 the movement of the ship, but in her greater ease and 
 steadiness of motion. 
 
 It was not long before the Druid was within a hundred 
 fathoms of the flag-ship, on her weather-quarter, shoving 
 the brine before her in a way to denote a fearful momen 
 tum. It was evidently the intention of Captain Blewet to 
 cross the Plantagenet s stern, and to luff up under her lee- 
 quarter ; the safest point at which he could approach, in 
 so heavy a swell, provided it were done with discretion. 
 Captain Blewet had a reputation for handling his frigate 
 like a boat, and the occasion was one which would be 
 likely to awaken all his desire to sustain the character he 
 had already earned. Still no one could imagine how he 
 was to come near enough to make a communication of 
 any length. The stentorian lungs of the second lieutenant, 
 however, might effect it ; and, as the news of the expected 
 hail passed through the ship, many who had remained be 
 low, in apathy, while the enemy was close under their lee, 
 came on deck, curious to witness what was about to pass. 
 
 " Hey, Atwood ! " exclaimed Sir Gervaise, for the little 
 excitement had brought the secretary up from the Com 
 mander in-chief s cabin ; "what is Blewet at ? The fellow 
 cannot mean to set a studding-sail ! " 
 
 * He is running out a boom, nevertheless, Sir Gervaise, 
 or my thirty years experience of nautical things has been 
 thrown away." 
 
 " He is truly rigging out his weather fore-top-mast- 
 studding-sail-boom, sir ! " added Greenly, in a tone of 
 wonder. 
 
 "It is out," rejoined the Vice-admiral, as one would 
 give emphasis to the report of a calamity. " Hey ! what ? 
 Isn t that a man they re running up to the end of it, Bunt 
 ing ? Level your glass, and let us know at once." 
 
 " A glass is not necessary to make out that much, Sir 
 Gervaise. It is a man, beyond a doubt, and there he 
 hangs at the boom-end, as if sentenced by a general court- 
 martial." 
 
 Sir Gervaise now suppressed every expression of sur 
 prise, and his reserve was imitated, quite as a matter of 
 course, by the twenty officers, who, by this time, had 
 
326 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 assembled on the poop. The Druid, keeping away, 
 approached rapidly, and had soon crossed the flag-ship s 
 wake. 
 
 Here she came by the wind, and favored by the mo 
 mentum with which she had come down, and the addition 
 of the mainsail, drew heavily but steadily up on her lee- 
 quarter. Both vessels being close-hauled, it was not diffi 
 cult steering ; and by watching the helms closely, it would 
 have been possible, perhaps, notwithstanding the heavy 
 sea, to have brought the two hulls within ten yards of 
 each other, and no harm should come of it. This was 
 nearer, however, than it was necessary to approach ; the 
 studding-sail-boom, with the man suspended on the end of 
 it, projecting twice that distance, beyond the vessel s bows. 
 Still it was nice work and while yet some thirty or forty 
 feet from the perpendicular, the man on the boom-end 
 made a sign for attention, swung a coil of line he held, and 
 when he saw hands raised to catch it, he made a cast. A 
 lieutenant caught the rope, and instantly hauled in the 
 slack. As the object was now understood, a dozen others 
 laid hold of the line, and, at a common signal, when those 
 on board the Plantagenet hauled in strongly, the people 
 of the Druid lowered away. By this simple, but united 
 movement, the man descended obliquely, leaping out of 
 the bow line in which he had sat, and casting the whip 
 adrift. Shaking himself to gain his foot, he raised his cap 
 and bowed to Sir Gervaise, who now saw Wycherly 
 Wychecombe on his poop. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Yet weep not thou the struggle is not o er, 
 
 O victors of Philippi ! many a field 
 Hath yielded palms to us ; one effort more, 
 
 By one stem conflict must our fate be sealed. MRS. HEMANS. 
 
 As soon as the people of the Plantagenet, who had so 
 far trespassed on discipline, when they perceived a man 
 hanging at the end of the studding-sail-boom, as to appear 
 in the rigging, on the booms, and on the guns, to watch 
 the result, saw the stranger safely landed on the poop, 
 they lifted their hats and caps, and, as one voice, greeted 
 him with three cheers. The officers smiled at this out- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 327 
 
 break of feeling, and the violation of usage was forgotten; 
 the rigid discipline of a man-of-war even giving way 
 occasionally to the sudden impulses of natural feeling. 
 
 As the Druid approached the flag-ship, Captain Blewet 
 had appeared in her weather mizzen-rigging, conning his 
 vessel in person ; and the order to luff, or keep off, had 
 been given by his own voice, or by a gesture of his 
 own hand. As soon as he saw Wycherly s feet on the 
 poop of the Plantagenet, and his active form freed from 
 the double bow line, in which it had been seated, the 
 Captain made a w 7 ide sweep of the arm, to denote his de 
 sire to edge away ; the helm of the frigate was borne up 
 hard, and, as the two-decker surged ahead on the bosom 
 of a sea, the Druid s bows \vere knocked off to leeward, 
 leaving a space of about a hundred feet or more, between 
 the two ships, as it might be, in an instant. The same 
 causes continuing to operate, the Plantagenet drove still 
 farther ahead, while the frigate soon came to the wind 
 again, a cable s-length to leeward, and abreast of the space 
 between the Admiral and his second astern. Here, 
 Captain Blewet seemed disposed to wait for farther orders. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes was not accustomed to betray any 
 surprise he might feel at little events that occurred on 
 duty. He returned the bow of Wycherly, coolly, and 
 then, without question or play of feature, turned his eyes 
 on the further movements of the Druid. Satisfied that all 
 was right with the frigate, he directed the messenger to 
 follow him, and he \vent below r himself, leaving Wycherly 
 to obey as fast as the many inquiries he had to answer as 
 he descended the ladders would allow. Atwood, an in 
 terested observer of what had passed, noted that Captain 
 Greenly, of all present, was the only person who seemed 
 indifferent to the nature of the communication the stranger 
 might bring, though perhaps the only one entitled by rank 
 to put an interrogatory. 
 
 " You have come aboard of us in a novel and extraordi 
 nary mode, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe ! " observed the Vice- 
 admiral, a little severely, as soon as he found himself in 
 his own cabin, alone with the Lieutenant. 
 
 " It w r as the plan of Captain Blewet, sir, and was really 
 the only one that seemed likely to succeed, fora boat could 
 scarcely live. I trust the success of the experiment, and 
 the nature of the communications I may bring, will be 
 thought sufficient excuses for the want of ceremony." 
 
328 THE TJVO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "It is the first time, since the days of the Conqueror, I 
 fancy, that an English Vice-admiral s ship has been 
 boarded so cavalierly ; but, as you say, the circumstances 
 may justify the innovation. What is your errand, sir?" 
 
 " This letter, I presume, Sir Gervaise, will explain itself. 
 I have little to say in addition, except to report that the 
 Druid has sprung her foremast in carrying sail to close 
 with you, and that we have not lost a moment since 
 Admiral Bluewater ordered us to part company with him 
 self." 
 
 " You sailed on board the Caesar, then ? " asked Sir Ger 
 vaise, a great deal modified by the zeal for service in a 
 youth, situated ashore as he knew Wycherly to be. "You 
 left her with this letter ? " 
 
 "I did, Sir Gervaise, at Admiral Bluewater s command." 
 
 " Did you go aboard the Druid boom-fashion, or was 
 that peculiar style reserved for the Commander-in-chief?" 
 
 " I left the Caesar in a boat, Sir Gervaise ; and though 
 we were much nearer in with the coast, where the wind 
 has not the rake it has here, and the strength of the gale 
 had not then come, we were nearly swamped." 
 
 " If a true Virginian, you would not have drowned, 
 Wychecombe," answered the Vice-admiral, in better hu 
 mor. " You Americans swim like cork. Excuse me, while 
 I read what Admiral Bluewater has to say." 
 
 Sir Gervaise had received Wycherly in the great cabin, 
 standing at the table which was lashed in its centre. He 
 would have been puzzled himself, perhaps, to have given 
 the real reason why he motioned to the young man to take 
 a chair, while he went into what he called his " drawing- 
 room ; " or the beautiful little apartment between the two 
 state-rooms, aft, which was fitted with an elegance that 
 might have been admired in a more permanent dwelling, 
 and whither he always withdrew Avhen disposed to reflec 
 tion. It was probably connected, however, with a latent 
 apprehension of the Rear-admiral s political bins, for, 
 when by himself, he paused fully a minute before he 
 opened the letter. Condemning this hesitation as un 
 manly, he broke the seal, however, and read the contents 
 of a letter, which was couched in the following terms : 
 
 " MY DEAROAKES : Since we parted, my mind has under 
 gone some violent misgivings as to the course duty re 
 quires of me, in this great crisis. One hand one heart 
 
THE TWO ADMIRJ^ft. 329 
 
 one voice even, may decide the fate of En%fc$MJv^rn -such 
 circumstances, all should listen to the voice oTconsHeiice, 
 and endeavor to foresee the consequences of their own 
 acts. Confidential agents are in the west of England, and 
 one of them I have seen. By his communications I find 
 more depends on myself than I could have imagined, and 
 more on the movements of M. de Vervillin. Do not be too 
 sanguine take time for your own decisions, and grant me 
 time ; for I feel like a wretch whose fate must soon be 
 sealed. On no account engage, because you think this 
 division near enough to sustain you, but at least keep off 
 until you hear from me more positively, or we can meet. 
 I find it equally hard to strike a blow against my rightful 
 prince, or to desert my friend. For God s sake act pru 
 dently, and depend on seeing me in the course of the next 
 twenty-four hours. I shall keep well to the eastward, in 
 the hope of falling in with you, as I feel satisfied De Ver 
 villin has nothing to do very far west. I may send some 
 verbal message by the bearer, for my thoughts come slug 
 gishly, and with great reluctance. 
 
 " Ever yours, 
 
 " RICHARD BLUEWATER." 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes read this letter twice with great de 
 liberation ; then he crushed it in his hand, as one would 
 strangle a deadly serpent. Not satisfied with this mani 
 festation of distaste, he tore the letter into pieces so small 
 as to render it impossible to imagine its contents, opened a 
 cabin-window, and threw the fragments into the ocean. 
 When he fancied that every sign of his friend s weakness 
 had thus been destroyed, he began to pace the cabin in his 
 usual manner. Wyclierly heard his step, and wondered at 
 the delay ; but his duty compelled him to pass an uncom 
 fortable half-hour in silence, ere the door opened, and Sir 
 Gervaise appeared. The latter had suppressed the signs 
 of distress, though the Lieutenant could perceive he was 
 unusually anxious. 
 
 " Did the Rear-admiral send any message, SirWycherly?" 
 inquired Sir Gervaise ; " in his letter he would seem to re 
 fer me to some verbal explanations from yourself." 
 
 "I am ashamed to say, sir, none that I can render very 
 intelligible. Admiral Blue water, certainly, did make a 
 few communications that I was to repeat, but when we had 
 parted, by some extraordinary dulness of my own I fear, I 
 
330 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 find it is out of my power to give them any very great dis 
 tinctness or connection." 
 
 " Perhaps the fault is less your own, sir, than his. Blue- 
 water is addicted to fits of absence of mind, and then he 
 has no reason to complain that others do not understand 
 him, for he does not always understand himself." 
 
 Sir Gervaise said this with a little glee, delighted at find 
 ing his friend had not committed himself to his messenger. 
 The latter, however, was less disposed to excuse himself 
 by such a process, inasmuch as he felt certain that the 
 Rear-admiral s feelings were in the matter he communi 
 cated, let the manner have been what it might. 
 
 " I do not think we can attribute anything to Admiral 
 Bluewater s absence of mind, on this occasion, sir," an 
 swered Wycherly, with generous frankness. " His feelings 
 appeared to be strongly enlisted in what he said. It might 
 have been owing to the strength of these feelings that he 
 was a little obscure, but it could not have been owing to 
 indifference." 
 
 " I shall best understand the matter, then, by hearing 
 what he did say, sir." 
 
 Wycherly paused and endeavored to recall what had 
 passed, in a way to make it intelligible. 
 
 " I was frequently told to caution you not to engage the 
 French, sir, until the other division had closed, and was 
 ready to assist. But, really, whether this was owing to 
 some secret information that the Rear-admiral had ob 
 tained, or to a natural desire to have a share in the battle, 
 is more than I can say." 
 
 " Each may have had its influence. Was any allusion 
 made to secret intelligence, that you name it ? " 
 
 " I never felt more cause to be ashamed of my dulness, 
 than at this present moment, Sir Gervaise Oakes," ex 
 claimed Wycherly, who almost writhed under the awk 
 wardness of his situation ; for he really began to suspect 
 that his own personal grounds of unhappiness had induced 
 him to forget some material part of his message ; "recent 
 events ashore have perhaps disqualified me for this duty." 
 
 " It is natural it should be so, my young friend ; and as 
 I am acquainted with them all, you can rest satisfied with 
 my indulgence." 
 
 " All ! no Sir Gervaise, you know not half ; but, I for 
 get myself, sir, and beg your pardon." 
 
 " I have no wish to pry into your secrets, Sir Wycherly 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 331 
 
 Wychecombe, and we will drop the subject. You may say, 
 however, if the Rear-admiral was in "good spirits as an 
 English seaman is apt to be, with the prospect of a great 
 battle before him." 
 
 " I thought not, Sir Gervaise. Admiral Bluewater to 
 me seemed sad, if I may presume to mention it almost to 
 tears, I thought, sir, once or twice." 
 
 "Poor Dick!" mentally ejaculated the Vice-admiral; 
 " he never could have made up his mind to desert me 
 without great anguish of soul. Was there any thing said," 
 speaking aloud, "about the fleet of M. de Vervillin ?" 
 
 " Certainly, a good deal sir ; and yet I am ashamed to 
 say, I scarce know what ! Admiral Bluewater appeared 
 to think the Comte de Vervillin had no intention to strike 
 a blow at any of our colonies, and with this he seemed to 
 connect the idea that there would be less necessity for our 
 engaging him. At all events, I cannot be mistaken in his 
 wish that you would keep off, sir, until he could close." 
 
 "Aye, and you see how instinctively I have answered to 
 his wishes ! " said Sir Gervaise, smiling a little bitterly. 
 " Nevertheless, had the rear of the fleet been up this 
 morning, Sir Wycherly, it might have been a glorious day 
 for England ! " 
 
 " It has been a glorious day, as it is, sir. We, in the 
 Druid, saw it all ; and there was not one among us that 
 did not exult in the name of Englishman ! " 
 
 "What, even to the Virginian, Wychecombe ! " rejoined 
 Sir Gervaise, greatly gratified with the natural commenda 
 tion conveyed in the manner and words of the other, and 
 looking in a smiling, friendly manner at the young man. 
 "I was afraid the hits you got in Devonshire might have 
 induced you to separate your nationality from that of old 
 England." 
 
 " Even to the Virginian, Sir Gervaise. You have been 
 in the colonies, sir, and must know we do not merit all that 
 we sometimes receive, on this side of the Atlantic. The 
 King has no subjects more loyal than those of America." 
 
 " I am fully aware of it, my noble lad, and have told the 
 King as much with my own mouth. But think no more of 
 this. If your uncle did give you an occasional specimen 
 of true John Bullism, he has left you an honorable title 
 and a valuable estate. I shall see that Greenly finds a 
 berth for you, and you will consent to mess with me, I 
 hope. I trust sometime to see you at Bowldero. At pres- 
 
332 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ent we will go on deck ; and if anything that Admiral 
 Bluewater has said should recur to your mind more dis 
 tinctly, you will not forget to let me know it." 
 
 Wycherly now bowed and left the cabin, while Sir Ger- 
 vaise sat down and wrote a note to Greenly to request that 
 he would look a little after the comfort of the young man. 
 The latter then went on deck, in person. Although he 
 endeavored to shake off the painful doubts that beset him, 
 and to appear as cheerful as became an officer who had 
 just performed a brilliant exploit, the Vice-admiral found 
 it difficult to conceal the shock he had received from Blue- 
 water s communication. Certain as he felt of striking a 
 decisive blow at the enemy, could he be reinforced with 
 the five ships of the rear division, he would cheerfully 
 forego the triumph of such additional success, to be certain 
 his friend did not intend to carry his disaffection to overt 
 acts. He found it hard to believe that a man like Blue- 
 water could really contemplate carrying off with him the 
 ships he commanded ; yet he knew the authority his friend 
 wielded over his captains, and the possibility of such a 
 step would painfully obtrude itself on his mind, at mo 
 ments. " When a man can persuade himself ir.to all the 
 nonsense connected with the jus divinum" thought Sir 
 Gervaise, " it is doing no great violence to common sense 
 to persuade himself into all its usually admitted conse 
 quences." Then, again, would interpose his recollections 
 of Bluewater s integrity and simplicity of character, to 
 reassure him, and give him more cheering hopes for the 
 result. Finding himself thus vacillating between hope and 
 dread, the Commander-in-chief determined to drive the 
 matter temporarily from his mind, by bestowing his atten 
 tion on the part of the fleet he had witli him. Just as this 
 wise resolution was formed, both Greenly and Wycherly 
 appeared on the poop. 
 
 "I am glad to see you with a hungry look, Greenly," 
 cried Sir Gervaise, cheerfully ; " here has Galleygo just 
 been to report his breakfast, and, as I know your cabin 
 has been put in order since the people left the guns, I 
 hope for the pleasure of your company. Sir Wycherly, 
 my gallant young Virginian, here, will take the third chair, 
 I trust, and then our party will be complete." 
 
 The two gentlemen assenting, the Vice-admiral was 
 about to lead the way below, when suddenly arresting his 
 footsteps, on the poop-ladder, he said 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 333 
 
 " Did you not tell me, Wychecombe, that the Druid had 
 sprung her foremast ? " 
 
 " Badly, I believe, Sir Gervaise, in the hounds. Captain 
 Blewit carried on his ship fearfully, all night." 
 
 "Aye, he s a fearful fellow with spars, that Tom Blewit. 
 I never felt certain of finding all the sticks in their places, 
 on turning out of a morning, when he was with you as a 
 lieutenant, Greenly. How many jib-booms and topgallant 
 yards did he cost us, in that cruise off the Cape of Good 
 Hope ? By George, it must have been a dozen, at least ! " 
 
 " Not quite as bad as that, Sir Gervaise, though he did 
 expend two jib-booms and three topgallant yards, for me. 
 Captain Blewit has a fast ship, and he wishes people to 
 know it." 
 
 " And he has sprung his foremast, and he shall see / 
 know it ! Harkee, Bunting, make the Druid s number to 
 lie by the prize ; and when that s answered, tell him to 
 take charge of the Frenchman, and to wait for farther 
 orders. I ll send him to Plymouth to get a new foremast, 
 and to see the stranger in. By the way, does anybody 
 know the name of the Frenchman hey, Greenly?" 
 
 " I cannot tell you, Sir Gervaise, though some of our 
 gentlemen think it is the ship that was the Admiral s 
 second ahead, in our brush off Cape Finisterre. I am not 
 of the same opinion, however ; for that vessel had a billet- 
 head, and this has a woman figure-head, that looks a little 
 like a Minerva. The French have a La Minerve, I think." 
 
 " Not now, Greenly, if this be she, for she is ours." Here 
 Sir Gervaise laughed heartily at his own humor, and all 
 near him joined in, as a matter of course. " But La Mi- 
 nerve has been a frigate time out of mind. The Goddess of 
 Wisdom has never been fool enough to get into a line of 
 battle when she has had it in her power to prevent it." 
 
 "We thought the figure-head of the prize a Venus, as 
 we passed her \vith the Druid," Wycherly modestly ob 
 served. 
 
 " There is a way of knowing, and it shall be tried. When 
 you ve done with the Druid, Bunting, make the prize s 
 signal to repeat her name by telegraph. You know how 
 to make a prize s number, I suppose, when she has none ?" 
 
 "I confess I do not, Sir Gervaise," answered Bunting, 
 who had shown by his manner that he was at a loss. 
 " Having no number in our books, one would be at a stand 
 how to get at her, sir." 
 
334 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " How would you do it, young man ? " asked Sir Ger- 
 vaise, who all this time was hanging on to the man-rope 
 of the poop-ladder. "Let us see how well you ve been 
 taught, sir." 
 
 " I believe it may be done in different modes, Sir Ger- 
 vaise," Wycherly answered, without any appearance of 
 triumph at his superior readiness, "but the simplest I 
 know is to hoist the French flag under the English, by 
 way of saying for whom the signal is intended." 
 
 " Do it, Bunting," continued Sir Gervaise, nodding his 
 head as he descended the ladder, "and 1 warrant you, 
 Daly will answer. What sort of work he will make with 
 the Frenchman s flags, is another matter. I doubt, too, if 
 he had the wit to carry one of our books with him, in 
 which case he will be at a loss to read our signal. Try 
 him, however, Bunting ; an Irishman always has some 
 thing to say, though it be a bull." 
 
 This order given, Sir Gervaise descended to his cabin. 
 In half an hour the party was seated at table, as quietly as 
 if nothing unusual had occurred that day. 
 
 "The worst of these little brushes which lead to nothing 
 is, that they leave as strong a smell of gunpowder in your 
 cabin, Greenly, as if a whole fleet had been destroyed, 
 observed the Vice-admiral good-humoredly, as he began 
 to help his guests. " I hope the odor we have here will 
 not disturb your appetites, gentlemen." 
 
 "You do this day s success injustice, Sir Gervaise in 
 calling it only a brush," answered the Captain, who, to say 
 the truth, had fallen to as heartily upon the delicacies of 
 Galleygo, as if he had not eaten in twenty-four hours. 
 "At any rate, it has brushed the spars out of two of King 
 Louis ships, and one of them into our hands ; aye, and 
 in a certain sense into our pockets." 
 
 "Quite true Greenly quite true; but what would it 
 have been if 
 
 The sudden manner in which the Commander-in-chief 
 ceased speaking, induced his companions to think that he 
 had met with some accident in eating or drinking; both 
 looked earnestly at him as if to offer assistance. He was 
 pale in the face, but he smiled, and otherwise appeared at 
 his ease. 
 
 " It is over, gentlemen," said Sir Gervaise, gently, 
 " we ll think no more of it." 
 
 "I sincerely hope you ve not been hit, sir?" said 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 335 
 
 Greenly. "I ve known men hit, who did not discover 
 that they were hurt until some sudden weakness had be 
 trayed it." 
 
 " I believe the French have let me off this time, my 
 good friend ; yes, I think Magrath will be plugging no 
 shot-holes in my hull for this affair, Sir Wycherly, those 
 eggs are from your own estate, Galleygo having laid the 
 manor under contribution for all sorts of good things. 
 Try them, Greenly, as coming from our friend s property." 
 
 " Sir Wycherly is a lucky fellow in having an estate," 
 said the Captain. " Few officers of his rank can boast of 
 such an advantage ; though, now and then, an old one is 
 better off." 
 
 That is true enough hey, Greenly ? The army fetches 
 up most of the fortunes ; for your rich fellows like good 
 county quarters and county balls. I was a younger brother 
 when they sent me to sea, but I became a baronet, and a 
 pretty warm one too, while yet a reefer. Poor Joselin died 
 when I was only sixteen, and at seventeen they made me 
 an officer." 
 
 "Aye, and we like you all the better, Sir Gervaise, for 
 not giving us up when the money came. Now Lord Mor 
 gan ic was a captain when he succeeded, and we think much 
 less of that." 
 
 "Morganic remains in service to teach us how to stay 
 topmasts and paint figure-heads," observed Sir Gervaise, a 
 little dryly. " And yet the fellow handled the ship well to 
 day ; making much better weather of it than I feared he 
 would be able to do." 
 
 "I hear we are likely to get another duke in the navy, 
 sir ; it s not often we catch one of that rank." 
 
 Sir Gervaise cared much less for things of this sort than 
 Bluewater, but he naturally cast a glance at the speaker as 
 this was said, as much as to ask whom he meant. 
 
 "They tell me, sir, that Lord Montreser, the elder 
 brother of the boy in the Caesar, is in a bad way, and Lord 
 Geoffrey stands next to the succession. I think there is 
 too much stuff in him to quit us now he is almost fit to get 
 his commission." 
 
 "True, Bluewater has that boy of high hopes and prom 
 ises with him too," answered Sir Gervaise, in a musing 
 manner, unconscious of what he said. " God send he may 
 not forget that, among other things ! " 
 
 " I don t think rank makes any difference with Admiral 
 
336 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Bluewater, or Captain Stowel. The nobles are worked up 
 in their ship as well as the humblest reefer of them all. 
 Here is Bunting, sir, to tell us something." 
 
 Sir Gervaise started from a fit of abstraction, and, turn 
 ing, he saw his signal-officer ready to report. 
 
 "The Druid has ansxvered properly, Sir Gervaise, and 
 has already hauled up so close that I think she will luff 
 through the line, though it may be astern of the Car- 
 natic." 
 
 "And the prize, Bunting ? Have you signalled the prize, 
 as I told you to do ?" 
 
 " Yes, sir ; and she answered so properly that I make no 
 question the prize-officer took a book with him. The tele 
 graphic signal was answered like the other." 
 
 " Well, what does he say ? Have you found out the name 
 of the Frenchman ? " 
 
 " That s the difficulty, sir ; we are understood, but Mr. 
 Daly has shown something aboard the prize that the Quar 
 termaster swears is a paddy." 
 
 " A paddy ! What ! he hasn t had himself run up at a 
 yard-arm, or stun sail-boom end, has he hey, Wychecombe? 
 Daly s an Irishman, and has only to show himself to show 
 a paddy." 
 
 "But this is a sort of an image of some kind or other, 
 Sir Gervaise, and yet it isn t Mr. Daly. I rather think he 
 hasn t the flags necessary for our words, and has rigged 
 out a sort of a woman, to let us know the ship s name ; for 
 she has a woman figure-head, you know, sir." 
 
 " The devil he has ! Well, that will form an era in sig 
 nals. Galleygo, look out at the cabin windows and let me 
 know if you can see the prize from them well, sir, what s 
 the news ? " 
 
 "I sees her, Sir Jarvy," answered the steward, "and I 
 sees her where no French ship as sails in company with 
 British vessels has a right to be. If she s a fathom, your 
 honor, she s fifty to windward of our line? Quite out of 
 her place, as a body might say, and onreasonable." 
 
 " That s owing to our having felled the forests of her 
 masts, Mr. Galleygo; every spar that is left helping to put 
 her where she is. That prize must be a weatherly ship, 
 though, hey, Greenly ? She and her consort were well to 
 windward of their own line, or we could never have got 
 em as we did. These Frenchmen do turn off a weatherly 
 vessel now and then, that we must all admit." 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 337 
 
 " Yes, Sir Jarvey," put in Galleygo, who never let the 
 conversation Hag when he was invited to take a part in it; 
 " yes, Sir Jarvey, and when they ve turned em off the stocks 
 they turns em over to us, commonly, to sail em. Build 
 ing a craft is one piece of knowledge, and sailing her well 
 is another." 
 
 " Enough of your philosophy, sirrah ; look and ascertain 
 if there is anything unusual to be seen hanging in the 
 rigging of the prize. Unless you show more readiness, I ll 
 send one of the Bo\vlderos to help you." 
 
 These Bowlderos were the sen-ants that Sir Gervaise 
 brought with him from his house, having been born on 
 his estate, and educated as domestics in his own, or his 
 father s family ; and though long accustomed to a man-of- 
 war, as their ambition never rose above their ordinary 
 service, the steward held them exceedingly cheap. A 
 severer punishment could not be offered him than to 
 threaten to direct one of these common menials to do any 
 duty that in the least pertained to the profession. The 
 present menace had the desired effect, Galleygo losing no 
 time in critically examining the prize s rigging. 
 
 " I calls nothing extr or nary in a Frenchman s rigging, 
 Sir Jarvey," answered the steward, as soon as he felt sure 
 of his fact ; "their dock-men have idees of their own, as 
 to such things. Now there is sum mat hanging at the lee 
 fore-yard-arm of that chap, that looks as if it might be a 
 top-gal laut-stun sail made up to be sent aloft and set, but 
 which stopped when it got as high as it is, on finding out 
 that there s no hamper overhead to spread it to." 
 
 " That s it, sir," put in Bunting. " Mr. Daly has run his 
 woman up to the fore-yard-arm, like a pirate." 
 
 "Woman!" repeated Galleygo, "do you call that ere 
 thingummee a woman, Mr. Buntin ? I calls it a bundle of 
 flags, made up to set. if there was anything to set em to." 
 
 " It s nothing but an Irishwoman, Master Galleygo, as 
 you ll see for yourself, if you ll level this glass at it." 
 
 " I ll do that office myself," cried Sir Gervaise. " Have you 
 any curiosity, gentlemen, to read Mr. Daly s signal ? Gal 
 leygo, open that weather window, and clear away the 
 books and writing-desk, that we may have a look." 
 
 The orders were immediately obeyed, and the Vice-ad 
 miral was soon seated examining the odd figure that was 
 certainly hanging at the lee fore-yard-arm of the prize ; a 
 perfect nondescript as regarded all nautical experience. 
 
338 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Hang me, if I can make anything of it, Greenly," said 
 Sir Gervaise, after a long look. " Do you take this seat, 
 and try your hand at an observation. It resembles a sort 
 of woman, sure enough." 
 
 " Yes, sir," observed Bunting, with the earnestness of a 
 man who felt his reputation involved in the issue. " I was 
 certain that Mr. Daly has run up the figure to let us know 
 the name of the prize, and that for want of a telegraph- 
 book to signal the letters ; and so I made sure of what 
 I was about, before I took the liberty to come below and 
 report." 
 
 "And pray what do you make of it, Bunting? The 
 figure-head might tell us better, but that seems to be im 
 perfect." 
 
 "The figure-head has lost all its bust, and one arm, by a 
 shot," said Greenly, turning the glass to the object named ; 
 "and I can tell Mr. Daly that a part of the gammoning 
 of his bowsprit is gone, too! The ship requires looking 
 to, Sir Gervaise ; she ll have no foremast to-morrow morn 
 ing, if this wind stand ! Another shot has raked the lower 
 side of her fore-top, and carried away half the frame. Yes, 
 and there has been a fellow at work, too " 
 
 "Never mind the shot never mind the shot, Greenly," 
 interrupted the Vice-admiral. "A poor devil like him 
 couldn t have six of us at him, at once, and expect to go 
 shot free. Tell us something of the woman." 
 
 Well, Sir Gervaise, no doubt Daly has hoisted her as a 
 symbol. Aye, no doubt the ship is the Minerva, after all, 
 for there s something on the head like a helmet." 
 
 "It never can be the Minerva," said the Vice-admiral, 
 positively, " for she, I feel certain, is a frigate. Hand me 
 the little book with a red cover, Bunting ; that near your 
 hand ; it has a list of the enemy s navy. Here it is, La 
 Mi nerve, 32, le capital ne de fregate, Mondon. Built in 1733, 
 old and dull. That settles the Minerva, for this list is the 
 last sent us by the Admiralty." 
 
 Then it must be the Pallas," rejoined Greenly, " for 
 she wears a helmet, too, and I am certain there is not only 
 a cap to resemble a helmet, but a Guernsey frock on the 
 body to represent armor. Both Minerva and Pallas, if I 
 remember right, wore armor." 
 
 "This is coming nearer to the point hey, Greenly?" 
 the Vice-admiral innocently chimed in ; "let us look and 
 see if the Pallas is a two-decker or not. By George, there ? 
 
THE TIYO ADMIRALS. 339 
 
 no such name on the list. That s odd, now, that the French 
 should have one of these goddesses and not the other!" 
 
 "They never has anything right, Sir Jarvey," Galleygo 
 thrust in, by way of commentary on the Vice-admiral s 
 and the Captain s classical lore; "and it s surprising to 
 me that they should have any goddess at all, seeing that 
 they has so little respect for religion, in general." 
 
 Wycherly fidgeted, but respect for his superiors kept 
 him silent. As for Bunting, twas all the same to him, his 
 father having been a purser in the navy, and he himself 
 educated altogether on board ship, and this, too, a century 
 since. 
 
 " It might not be amiss, Sir Gervaise," observed the 
 Captain, "to work this rule backward, and just look over 
 the list until we find a two-decked ship that ought to have 
 a woman figure-head, which will greatly simplify the mat 
 ter. I ve known difficult problems solved in that mode." 
 
 The idea struck Sir Gervaise as a good one, and he set 
 about the execution of the project in good earnest. Just 
 as he came to L Hecate, 64, an exclamation from Greenly 
 caught his attention, and he inquired its cause. 
 
 " Look for yourself, Sir Gervaise ; unless my eyes are 
 good for nothing, Daly is running a kedge up alongside of 
 this woman." 
 
 " What, a kedge ? Aye, that is intended for an anchor, 
 and it means Hope. Everybody knows that Hope carries 
 an anchor hey, Wychecombe ? Upon my word, Daly 
 shows ingenuity. Look for the Hope, in that list, Bunting 
 you will find the English names printed first, in the end 
 of the book." 
 
 " The Hope, or LEsperance" read the signal-officer; 
 "36, lee capita ng dee frigate de Court raii" 
 
 "A single-decked ship after all! This affair is as bad 
 
 as the d d nullits, ashore there. I ll not be beaten in 
 
 learning, however, by any Frenchman who ever floated. 
 Go below, Locker, and desire Doctor Magrath to step up 
 here, if he is not occupied with the wounded. He knows 
 more Latin than any man in the ship." 
 
 "Yes, Sir Jarvey, but this is French you knows, your 
 honor, and isn t Latin, at all. I expects she ll turn out to 
 have some name as no modest person wishes to use, and 
 we shall have to halter it." 
 
 "Aye, he s catted his anchor, sure enough ; if the figure 
 be not Hope, it must be Faith, or Charity." 
 
340 THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " No fear of them, Sir Jarvey ; the French has no faith, 
 nor no chanty, no, nor no bowels, as any poor fellow 
 knows as has ever been wrecked on their coast, as once 
 happened to me, when a b y. I looks upon em as no 
 better than so many heatheners. and perhaps that s the 
 name of the ship. I ve seen heatheners, a hundred times, 
 Sir Jarvey, in that sort of toggery." 
 
 " What, man, did you ever see a heathen with an anchor ? 
 one that will weigh three hundred, if it \vill weigh a 
 pound ? " 
 
 " Perhaps not, your honor, with a downright hanchor, 
 but with sum mat like a killog. But that s no hanchor, 
 a ter all, but only a kedge, catted hanchor fashion, sir." 
 
 " Here comes Magrath, to help us out of the difficulty; 
 and we ll propound the matter to him." 
 
 The Vice-admiral now explained the whole affair to the 
 surgeon, frankly admitting that the classics of the cabin 
 were at fault, and throwing himself on the gun-room for 
 assistance. Magrath was not a little amused, as he listened, 
 for this was one of his triumphs, and he chuckled not a 
 little at the dilemma of his superiors. 
 
 "Well, Sir Jarvis," he answered,*" ye might do warse 
 than call a council o war on the matter ; but if it s the 
 name ye ll be wanting, I can help ye to that, without the 
 aid of symbols, and signs, and hieroglyphics of any sort. 
 As we crossed the vessel s wake, a couple of hours since, 
 I read it on her stern, in letters of gold. It s La Victoire, 
 or the Victory ; a most unfortunate cognomen for an un 
 lucky ship. She s a French victory, however, ye ll remem 
 ber, gentlemen ! " 
 
 " That must be a mistake, Magrath ; for Daly has 
 shown an anchor, yonder ; and Victory carries no anchor." 
 
 " It s hard to say, Veece-admiral, one man s victory be 
 ing another man s defeat. As for Mr. Daly s image, it s 
 just an Irish goddess ; and allowances must be made for 
 the country." 
 
 Sir Gervaise laughed, invited the gentlemen to help 
 demolish the breakfast, and sent orders on deck to hoist 
 the answering flag. At a later day, Daly, when called on 
 for an explanation, asserted that the armor and helmet 
 belonged to Victory, as a matter of course ; though he ad 
 mitted that he had at first forgotten the anchor. "But, 
 when I did run it up, they read it aboard the ould Planter, 
 as if it had been just so much primer." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 341 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 There s beauty in the deep : 
 
 The wave is bluer than the sky ; 
 
 And, though the light shines bright on high, 
 
 More softly do the sea gems glow 
 
 That sparkle in the depths, below ; 
 
 The rainbow s tints are only made 
 
 When on the water they are laid. 
 
 And sun and moon most sweetly shine 
 
 Upon the ocean s level brine. 
 
 There s beauty in the deep. BRAINARD. 
 
 As Daly was the recognized jester of the fleet, his extra 
 ordinary attempt to announce his vessel s name was re 
 ceived as a characteristic joke, and it served to laugh at 
 until something better offered. Under the actual circum 
 stances of the two squadrons, however, it was soon tem 
 porarily forgotten in grave things, for few believed the 
 collision that had already taken place was to satisfy a man 
 of the known temperament of the Commander-in-chief. 
 As the junction of the rear division was the only thing 
 wanting to bring on a general engagement, as soon as the 
 weather should moderate a little, every ship had careful 
 lookouts aloft, sweeping the horizon constantly with 
 glasses, more particularly toward the east and northeast. 
 The gale broke about noon, though the wind still con 
 tinued fresh from the same quarter as before. The sea 
 began to go down, however, and at eight bells material 
 changes had occurred in the situations of both fleets. 
 Some of these it may be necessary to mention. 
 
 The ship of the French Admiral, Le Foudroyant, and 
 Le Scipion, had been received, as it might be, in the arms 
 of their own fleet in the manner already mentioned ; and 
 from this moment, the movement of the whole force was, 
 in a measure, regulated by that of these two crippled ves 
 sels. The former ship, by means of her lower sails, might 
 have continued to keep her station in the line so long as 
 the gale lasted, but the latter unavoidably fell off, compel 
 ling her consorts to keep near, or abandon her to her fate. 
 M. de Vervillin preferred the latter course. The conse 
 quences were, that by the time the sun was in the zenith, 
 
342 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 his line, a good deal extended, still, and far from regular, 
 was quite three leagues to leeward of that of the Eng 
 lish. Nor was this all : at that important turn in the day, 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes was enabled to make sail on all his 
 ships, setting the fore and mizzen topsails close-reefed ; 
 while La Victoire, a fast vessel, was enabled to keep in 
 company by carrying whole courses. The French could 
 not imitate this, inasmuch as one of their crippled vessels 
 had nothing standing but a foremast. Sir Gervaise had 
 ascertained, before the distance became too great for 
 such observations, that the enemy was getting ready to 
 send up new topmasts, and the other necessary spars on 
 board the admiral, as well as jury lower-masts in Le Scipion; 
 though the sea would not yet permit any very positive 
 demonstrations to be made toward such an improvement. 
 He laid his own plans for the approaching night accord 
 ingly ; determining not to worry his people, or notify the 
 enemy of his intentions by attempting any similar im 
 provement in the immediate condition of his prize. 
 
 About noon, each ship s number was made in succession, 
 and the question was put if she had sustained any material 
 injury in the late conflict. The answers were satisfactory 
 in general, though one or two of the vessels made such 
 replies as induced the Commander-in-chief to resort to a 
 still more direct mode of ascertaining the real condition of 
 his fleet. In order to effect this important object, Sir 
 Gervaise waited two hours longer, for the double purpose 
 of letting all the messes get through with their dinners, 
 and to permit the wind to abate and the sea to fall, as both 
 were now fast doing. At the expiration of that time, how 
 ever, he appeared on the poop, summoning Bunting to 
 his customary duty. 
 
 At 2 p. M. it blew a whole topsail breeze, as it is called ; 
 but the sea being still high, and the ships close-hauled, 
 the Vice-admiral did not see fit to order any more sail. 
 
 Perhaps he was also influenced by a desire not to in 
 crease his distance from the enemy, it being a part of his 
 plan to keep M. de Vervillin in plain sight so long as the 
 day continued, in order that he might have a tolerable idea 
 of the position of his fleet, during the hours of darkness. 
 His present intention was to cause his vessels to pass be 
 fore him in review, as a general orders his battalions to 
 march past a station occupied by himself and staff, with a 
 view to judge by his own eye of their steadiness and ap 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 
 
 343 
 
 pearance. Vice-admiral Cakes was the only officer in the 
 British navy who ever resorted to this practice ; but he did 
 many things of which other men never dreamed, and, 
 among the rest, he did not hesitate to attack double his 
 force, when an occasion offered, as has just been seen. 
 The officers of the fleet called these characteristic reviews 
 " Sir Jarvey s field-days," finding a malicious pleasure in 
 comparing any thing out of the common nautical track, to 
 some usage of the soldiers. 
 
 Bunting got his orders, notwithstanding the jokes of the 
 fleet ; and the necessary signals were made and the an 
 swers given. Captain Greenly then received his verbal in 
 structions, when the Commander-in-chief went below, to 
 prepare himself for the approaching scene. When Sir 
 Gervaise reappeared on the poop, he was in full uniform, 
 wearing the star of the Bath, as was usual with him on 
 all solemn official occasions. Atwood and Bunting were 
 at his side, while the Bowlderos, in their rich shore-liver 
 ies, formed a group at hand. Captain Greenly and his 
 first lieutenant joined the party as soon as their duty with 
 the ship was over. On the opposite side of the poop the 
 whole of the marines off guard were drawn up in triple 
 lines, with their officers at their heads. The ship herself 
 had hauled up her mainsail, hauled down all the staysails, 
 and lay with her main-topsail braced sharp aback, with 
 orders to the quartermaster to keep her a little off the 
 wind ; the object being to leave a little way through the 
 water, in order to prolong the expected interviews. With 
 these preparations the Commander-in-chief awaited the 
 successive approach of his ships, the sun, for the first 
 time in twenty-four hours, making his appearance in a 
 flood of brilliant summer-light, as if purposely to grace 
 the ceremony. 
 
 The first ship that drew near the Plantagenet was the 
 Carnatic, as a matter of course she being the next in line. 
 This vessel, remarkable, as the Commander-in-chief had 
 observed, for never being out of the way, was not long in 
 closing, though as she luffed up on the Admirals weather 
 quarter, to pass to windward, she let go all her topsail 
 bow.-lines, so as to deaden her way making a sort of half- 
 board. This simple evolution, as she righted her helm, 
 brought her about fifty yards to windward of the Planta 
 genet, past which ship she surged slowly but steadily, the 
 weather now permitting a conversation to be held at that 
 
344 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 distance, and by means of trumpets, with little or no effort 
 of the voice. 
 
 Most of the officers of the Carnatic were on her poop 
 as she came sweeping up heavily, casting her shadow on 
 the Plantagenet s decks. Captain Parke himself was 
 standing near the ridge-ropes, his head uncovered, and the 
 gray hairs floating in the breeze. The countenance of 
 this simple-minded veteran was a little anxious, for, if he 
 had feared the enemy a tenth part as much as he stood in 
 awe of his commanding officer, he would have been totally 
 unfit for his station. Now he glanced upward at his sails, 
 to see that all was right ; then, as he drew nearer, fathom 
 by fathom as it might be, he anxiously endeavored to read 
 the expression of the Vice-admiral s face. 
 
 "How do you do, Captain Parker?" commenced Sir 
 Gervaise, with true trumpet formality, making the cus 
 tomary salutation. 
 
 " How is Sir Gervaise Oakes to-day ? I hope untouched 
 in the Jate affair with the enemy ?" 
 
 "Quite well, I thank you, sir. Has the Carnatic re 
 ceived any serious injury in the battle ?" 
 
 "None to mention, Sir Gervaise. A rough scrape of 
 the foremast ; but not enough to alarm us, now that the 
 weather has moderated ; a little rigging cut, and a couple 
 of raps in the hull." 
 
 "Have your people suffered, sir?" 
 
 "Two men killed and seven wounded, Sir Gervaise. 
 Good lads, most of em ; but enough like em remain." 
 
 " I understand, then, Captain Parker, that you report 
 the Carnatic fit for any service ?" 
 
 "As much so as my poor abilities enable me to make her, 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes," answered the other, a little alarmed 
 at the formality and precision of the question. " Meet her 
 with the helm meet her with the helm." 
 
 All this passed while the Carnatic was making her half- 
 board, and, the helm being righted, she now slowly and 
 majestically fell off with her broadside to the Admiral, 
 gathering way as her canvas began to draw again. At this 
 instant, when the yard-arms of the two ships were about a 
 hundred feet asunder, and just as the Carnatic drew up 
 fairly abeam, Sir Gervaise Oakes raised his hat, stepped 
 quickly to the side of the poop, w r aved his hand for silence, 
 and spoke with a distinctness that rendered his words au 
 dible to all in both vessels. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 345 
 
 "Captain Parker," he said, " I wish, publicly, to thank 
 you for your noble conduct this day. I have always said a 
 surer support could never follow a commander-in-chief 
 into battle ; you have more than proved my opinion to be 
 true. I wish, publicly, to thank you, sir." 
 
 " Sir Gervaise I cannot express God bless you, Sir 
 Gervaise ! " 
 
 " I have but one fault to find with you, sir, and that is 
 easily pardoned." 
 
 " I m sure I hope so, sir." 
 
 " You handled your ship so rapidly and so surely, 
 that we had hardly time to get out of the way of your 
 guns ! " 
 
 Old Parker could not now have answered had his life de 
 pended on it ; but he bowed, and dashed a hand across his 
 eyes. There was but a moment to say any more. 
 
 " If his Majesty s sword be not laid on your shoulder for 
 this day s w r ork, sir, it shall be no fault of mine," added Sir 
 Gervaise, waving his hat in adieu. 
 
 While this dialogue lasted, so profound w T as the stillness 
 in the two ships, that the wash of the water under the 
 bows of the Carnatic, was the only sound to interfere with 
 Sir Gervaise s clarion voice ; but the instant he ceased to 
 speak, the crews of both vessels rose as one man, and 
 cheered. The officers joined heartily, and to complete the 
 compliment, the Commander-in-chief ordered his own ma 
 rines to present arms to the passing vessel. Then it was 
 that, every sail drawing, again the Carnatic took a sudden 
 start, and shot nearly her length ahead, on the summit of a 
 sea. In half a minute more, she was ahead of the Planta- 
 genet s flying-jib-boom-end, steering a little free, so as not 
 to throw the Admiral to leeward. 
 
 The Carnatic was scarcely out of the way, before the 
 Achilles was ready to take her place. This ship, having 
 more room, had easily luffed to windward of the Planta- 
 genet, simply letting go her bowlines, as her bows doubled 
 on the Admiral s stern, in order to check her way. 
 
 " How do you do to-day, Sir Gervaise ?" called out Lord 
 Morganic, without waiting for the Commander-in-chief s 
 hail ; " allow me to congratulate you, sir, on the exploits 
 of this glorious day ! " 
 
 " I thank you, my lord, and wish to say I am satisfied 
 with the behavior of your ship. You ve all done well, and 
 I desire to thank you all. Is the Achilles injured ? " 
 
346 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Nothing to speak of, sir. A little rigging gone, and 
 here and there a stick." 
 
 " Have you lost any men, my lord ! I desire particularly 
 to know the condition of each ship." 
 
 " Some eight or ten poor fellows, I believe, Sir Ger r 
 vaise ; but we are ready to engage this instant." 
 
 " It is well, my lord ; steady your bowlines, and make 
 room for the Thunderer." 
 
 Morganic gave the order, but as his ship drew ahead he 
 called out in a pertinacious way, " I hope, Sir Gervaise, 
 you don t mean to give that other lame duck up. I ve put 
 my first lieutenant on board one of em, and confess to a 
 desire to put a second on board another." 
 
 "Aye, aye, Morganic, we /knock clown the birds, and you 
 bag em. I ll give you more sport in the same way, before 
 I ve done wid ye." 
 
 This little concession, even Sir Gervaise Oakes, a man 
 not accustomed to trifle in matters of duty, saw fit to make 
 to the other s rank ; and the Achilles withdrew from before 
 the flag-ship, as the curtain is drawn from before the 
 scene. 
 
 " I do believe, Greenleaf," observed Lord Morganic to 
 his surgeon, one of his indulged favorites ; " that Sir Jarvy 
 is a little jealous of us, because Daly got into the prize 
 before he could send one of his own boats aboard of her. 
 Twill tell well in the gazette, will it not ? The French 
 ship was taken possession of, and brought off, by the 
 Achilles, Captain the Earl of Morganic ! I hope the old 
 fellow will have the decency to give us our due. I rather 
 think it was our last broadside that brought the colors 
 down ? " 
 
 A suitable answer was returned, but as the ship is draw 
 ing ahead, we can not follow her to relate it. The vessel 
 that approached the third, was the Thunderer, Captain 
 Foley. This was one of the ships that had received the 
 fire of the three* leading French vessels, after they had 
 brought the wind abeam, and being the leading vessel of 
 the English rear, she had suffered more than any other of 
 the British squadron. The fact was apparent, as she ap 
 proached, by the manner in which her rigging was knotted, 
 and the attention that had been paid to her spars. Even 
 as she closed, the men were on the yard bending a new 
 main-course, the old one having been hit on the bolt-rope, 
 and torn nearly from the spar. There were also severaJ 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 347 
 
 plugs on her lee-side to mark the spots where the French 
 guns had told. 
 
 The usual greetings passed between the Vice-admiral and 
 the captain, and the former put his questions. 
 
 "We have not been quite exchanging salutes, Sir Ger- 
 vaise," answered Captain Foley ; " but the ship is ready 
 for service again. Should the wind moderate a little, I 
 think every thing would stand to carry sail hard." 
 
 "I m glad to hear it, sir rejoiced to hear it, sir. I 
 feared more for you, than for any other vessel. I hope 
 you ve not suffered materially in your crew?" 
 
 "Nine killed, Sir Gervaise ; and the surgeon tells me 
 sixteen wounded." 
 
 " That proves you ve been in port, Foley! Well, I dare 
 say, could the truth be known, it would be found that M. 
 de Vervillin s vessels bear your marks, in revenge. Adieu 
 adieu God bless you." 
 
 The Thunderer glided ahead, making room for the 
 Blenheim, Captain Sterling. This was one of your service 
 able ships, without any show or style about her ; but a 
 vessel that was always ready to give and take. Her com 
 mander was a regular sea-dog, a little addicted to hard and 
 outlandish oaths, a great consumer of tobacco and brandy ; 
 but who had the discrimination never to swear in the 
 presence of the Commander-in chief, although he had been 
 known to do so in a church ; or to drink more than he 
 could well carry, when he was in presence of an enemy or 
 in a gale of wind. He was too firm a man, and too good 
 a seaman, to use the bottle as a refuge ; it was the com 
 panion of his ease and pleasure, and to confess the truth, 
 he then treated it with an affectionate benevolence, that 
 rendered it exceedingly difficult for others not to entertain 
 some of his own partiality for it. In a word, Captain 
 Sterling was a sailor of the "old school ;" for there was an 
 "old school" in manners, habits, opinions, philosophy, 
 morals, and reason, a century since, precisely as there is 
 to-day, and probably will be, a century hence. 
 
 The Blenheim made a good report, not having sustained 
 any serious injury whatever; nor had she a man hurt. 
 The captain reported his ship as fit for service as she was 
 the hour she lifted her anchor. 
 
 " So much the better, Sterling so much the better. 
 You shall take the edge off the next affair, by way of giv- 
 
348 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ing you another chance. I rely on the Blenheim, and on 
 her captain." 
 
 "I thank you, sir," returned Sterling, as his ship moved 
 on ; "by the way, Sir Gervaise, would it not be fair-play 
 to rummage the prize s lockers before she gets into the 
 hands of the custom-house.? Out here on the high seas, 
 there can be no smuggling in that ; there must be good 
 claret aboard her." 
 
 "There would be * plunder of a prize, Sterling," said 
 the Vice-admiral, laughing, for he knew the question was 
 put more as a joke than a serious proposition ; " and that 
 is death without benefit of clergy. Move on ; here is 
 Goodfellow close upon your heels." 
 
 The last ship in the English line was the Warspite, Cap 
 tain Goodfellow, an officer remarkable in the service at 
 that day, for a " religious turn " as it was called. As is 
 usually the case with men of this stamp, Captain Good- 
 fellow was quiet, thoughtful, and attentive to his duty. 
 There was less of the real tar in him, perhaps, than in 
 some of his companions ; but his ship was in good order, 
 always did her duty, and was remarkably attentive to sig 
 nals ; a circumstance that rendered her commander a 
 marked favorite with the Vice-admiral. After the usual 
 questions were put and answered, Sir Gervaise informed 
 Goodfellow that he intended to change the order of sailing 
 so as to bring him near the van. 
 
 "We will give old Parker a breathing spell, Goodfel 
 low," added the Commander-in-chief, " and you will be my 
 second astern. I must go ahead of you all, or you ll be 
 running down on the Frenchman without orders ; pretend 
 ing you can t see the signals, in the smoke." 
 
 The Warspite drove ahead, and the Plantagenet was 
 now left to receive the prize and the Druid ; the Chloe, 
 Driver, and Active, not being included in the signal. Daly 
 had been gradually eating the other ships out of the wind, 
 as has been mentioned already, and when the order was 
 given to pass within hail, he grumbled not a little at the 
 necessity of losing so much of his vantage-ground. Never 
 theless, it would not do to joke with the Commander-in- 
 chief in a matter of this sort, and he was fain to haul up his 
 courses, and wait for the moment when he might close. 
 By the time the Warspite was out of the way, his ship had 
 drifted down so near the Admiral, tliat he had nothing to 
 do but to haul aboard his tacks again, and pass as near as 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 349 
 
 was at all desirable. When quite near, he hauled up his 
 mainsail, by order of the Vice-admiral. 
 
 " Are you much in want of any thing, Mr. Daly ?" de 
 manded Sir Gervaise, as soon as the Lieutenant appeared 
 forward to meet his hail. " The sea is going down so fast, 
 that we might now send you some boats." 
 
 " Many thanks, Sir Gervaise ; I want to get rid of a 
 hundred or two Frenchmen, and to have a hundred English 
 men in their places. We are but twenty-one of the king s 
 subjects here, all told." 
 
 " Captain Blewet is ordered to keep company with you, 
 sir ; and as soon as it is dark, I intend to send you into 
 Plymouth under the frigate s convoy. Is she a nice ship, 
 hey, Daly ? " 
 
 " Why, Sir Gervaise, she s like a piece of broken crock- 
 erv, just now, and one can t tell all her merits. She s not 
 a bad goer, and weatherly, I think, all will call her. But 
 she s thundering French inside." 
 
 " We ll make her English in due time, sir. How are the 
 leaks ? do the pumps work freely ? " 
 
 " Deuce the Take has she, Sir Gervaise, and the pumps 
 suck like a nine months babby. And if they didn t we re 
 scarce the boys to find out the contrary, being but nine 
 teen working hands." 
 
 " Very well, Daly ; you can haul aboard your main-tack, 
 now ; remember, you re to go into Plymouth, as soon as 
 it is dark. If you see any thing of Admiral Blue water, 
 tell him I rely on his support, and only wait for his appear 
 ance to finish Monsieur de Vervillin s job." 
 
 " I ll do all that, with hearty good will, sir. Pray, Sir 
 Gervaise," added Daly, grinning, on the poop of the prize, 
 whither he had got by this time, having walked aft as his 
 ship went ahead, " how do you like French signals ? For 
 want of a better, we were driven to the classics ! " 
 
 "Aye, you d be bothered to explain all your own flags, 
 I fancy. The name of the ship is the Victory, I am told ; 
 why did you put her in armor, and whip a kedge up 
 against the poor woman ? " 
 
 " It s according to the books, Sir Gervaise. Every word 
 of it out of Cicero, and Cordairy, arid Cornelius Nepos, 
 and those sort of fellows. O ! I went to school, sir, be 
 fore I went to sea, as you say yourself, sometimes, Sir 
 Gervaise ; and literature is the same in Ireland, as it is all 
 over the world. Victory needs armor, sir, in order to be 
 
350 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 victorious, and the anchor is to show that she doesn t be 
 long to the cut and run family. I am as sure that all is 
 right, as I ever was of my moods and tenses." 
 
 " Very well, Daly," answered Sir Gervaise, laughing, 
 " my lords shall know your merits in that way, and it may 
 get you named a professor keep your luff, or you ll be 
 down on our sprit-sail-yard ; remember and follow the 
 Druid." 
 
 Here the gentlemen waved their hands in adieu as usual, 
 and La Victoire, clipped as she was of her wings, drew 
 slowly past. The Druid succeeded, and Sir Gervaise simply 
 gave Blewet his orders to see the prize into port, and to 
 look after his own foremast. This ended the field-day ; 
 the frigate luffing up to windward of the line again, leav 
 ing the Plantagenet in its rear. A few minutes later, the 
 latter ship filled and stood after her consorts. 
 
 The Vice-admiral having now ascertained, in the most 
 direct manner, the actual condition of his fleet, had data 
 on which to form his plans for the future. But for the 
 letter from Bluewater, he would have been perfectly happy; 
 the success of the day having infused a spirit into the dif 
 ferent vessels, that, of itself, was a pledge of more impor 
 tant results. Still he determined to act as if that letter 
 had never been written, finding it impossible to believe 
 that one who had so long been true, could really fail him 
 in the hour of need. " I know his heart better than he 
 knows it himself," he caught himself mentally exclaiming, 
 "and before either of us is a day older, this will I prove 
 to him, to his confusion and my triumph." He had several 
 short and broken conversations with Wycherly in the 
 course of the afternoon, with a view to ascertain, if pos 
 sible, the real frame of mind in which his friend had written, 
 but without success, the young man frankly admitting 
 that, owing to a confusion of thought that he modestly 
 attributed to himself, but which Sir Gervaise well knew 
 ought in justice to be imputed to Bluew r ater, he had not 
 been able to bring away with him any very clear notions 
 of the Rear-admiral s intentions. 
 
 In the meamvhile, the elements were beginning to exhib 
 it another of their changeful humors. A gale in summer 
 is seldom of long duration and twenty-four hours would 
 seem to be the period which nature had assigned to this. 
 The weather had moderated materially by the time the 
 review had taken place, and five hours later, not only had 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 351 
 
 the sea subsided to a very reasonable swell, but the wind 
 had hauled several points ; coming out a fresh topgallant 
 breeze at northwest. The French fleet wore soon after, 
 standing about northeast-by-north, on an easy bowline. 
 They had been active in repairing damages, and the Ad 
 miral was all a-tanto again, with every thing set that the 
 other ships carried. The plight of Le Scipion was not so 
 easily remedied, though even she had two jury-masts 
 rigged, assistance having been sent from the other vessels 
 as soon as boats could safely pass. As the sun hung in 
 the western sky, wanting about an hour of disappearing 
 from one of the long summer days of that high latitude, 
 this ship set a mizzen-topsail in the place of a main, and 
 a fore-topgallant-sail in lieu of a mizzen-topsail. Thus 
 equipped, she was enabled to keep company with her 
 consorts, all of which were under easy canvas, waiting for 
 the night to cover their movements. 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes had made the signal for his fleet to 
 tack in succession, from the rear to the van, about an 
 hour before the Le Scipion obtained this additional sail. 
 The order was executed with great readiness, and, as the 
 ships had been looking up as high as west-southwest be 
 fore, when they got round, and headed north-northeast, 
 their line of sailing was still quite a league to the windward 
 of that of the enemy. As each vessel filled on the larboard 
 tack, she shortened sail to allow the ships astern to keep 
 away, and close to her station. It is scarcely necessary to 
 sav, that this change again brought the Plantagenet to the 
 head of the line, with the Warspite, however, instead of 
 the Carnatic, fcr her second astern ; the latter vessel being 
 quite in the rear. 
 
 It was a glorious afternoon, and there was every prom 
 ise of as fine a night. Still as there were but about six 
 hours of positive darkness at that season of the year, and 
 the moon would rise at midnight, the Vice-admiral knew 
 he had no time to lose, if he would effect anything under 
 the cover of obscurity. 
 
 Reefs were no longer used, though all the ships were 
 under short canvas, in order to accommodate their move 
 ments to those of the prize. The latter, however, was now 
 in tow of the Druid, and as this frigate carried her topgal 
 lant-sails, aided by her own courses, La Victoire \vas en 
 abled not only to keep up with the fleet, then under whole 
 topsails, but to maintain her weatherly position. Such 
 
352 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 was the state of things just as the sun dipped, the enemy 
 being on the lee bow, distant one and a half league, when 
 the Plantagenet showed a signal for the whole fleet to 
 heave to, with the main-topsails to the masts. This com 
 mand was scarcely executed, when the officers on deck 
 were surprised to hear a boatswain s mate piping away 
 the crew of the Vice-admiral s barge, or that of the boat 
 which was appropriated to the particular service of the 
 Commander-in-chief. 
 
 "Did I hear aright, Sir Gervaise ?" inquired Greenly, 
 with curiosity and interest; " is it your wish to have your 
 barge manned, sir?" 
 
 "You heard perfectly right, Greenly; and if disposed 
 for a row this evening, I shall ask the favor of your com 
 pany. Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, as you are an idler 
 here, I have a flag-officer s right to press you into my ser 
 vice. By the way, Greenly, I have made out and signed 
 an order to this gentleman to report himself to you, as at 
 tached to my family, as the soldiers call it ; as soon as 
 Atwood has copied it, it will be handed to him, whejj I 
 beg you will consider him as my first aid." 
 
 To this no one could object, and Wycherly made a bow 
 of acknowledgment. At this instant the barge was seen 
 swinging off over the ship s waist, and, at the next, the 
 yard tackles were heard overhauling themselves. The 
 splash of the boat in the water followed. The crew was 
 in her, with oars on end, and poised boat-hooks in another 
 minute. The guard presented, the boatswain piped over, 
 the drum rolled, and Wycherly jumped to the gangway 
 and was out of sight quick as thought. Greenly and Sir 
 Gervaise followed, when the boat shoved off. 
 
 Although the seas had greatly subsided, and their combs 
 were no longer dangerous, the Atlantic was far from being 
 as quiet as a lake in a summer eventide. At the very first 
 dash of the oars the barge rose on a long, heavy swell that 
 buoyed her up like a bubble, and as the water glided 
 from under her again, it seemed as if she was about to 
 sink into some cavern of the ocean. Few things give 
 more vivid impressions of helplessness than boats thus 
 tossed by the waters when not in their raging humors ; for 
 one is apt to expect better treatment than thus to be made 
 the plaything of the element. All, however, who have 
 ever floated on even the most quiet ocean, must have ex 
 perienced more or less of this helpless dependence, the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 353 
 
 stoutest boat, impelled by the lustiest crews, appearing 
 half the time like a feather floating in capricious currents 
 of the air. 
 
 The occupants of the barge, however, were too familiar 
 with their situation to think much of these matters ; and 
 as soon as Sir Gervaise assented to Wycherly s offer to 
 take the tiller, he glanced upward, with a critical eye, in 
 order to scan the Plantagenet s appearance. 
 
 " That fellow, Morganic, has got a better excuse for his 
 xebec-rig than I had supposed, Greenly," he said, after a 
 minute of observation. Your fore top-mast is at least 
 six inches too far forward, and I beg you will have it 
 stayed aft to-morrow morning, if the weather permit. 
 None of your Mediterranean craft for me, in the narrow 
 seas." 
 
 " Very well, Sir Gervaise ; the spar shall be righted in 
 the morning watch," quietly returned the Captain. 
 
 " Now, there s Goodfellow, half-parson as he is ; the man 
 contrives to keep his sticks more upright than any captain 
 in the fleet. You never see a spar half an inch out of its 
 place, on board the Warspite." 
 
 " That is because her captain trims every thing by his 
 own life, sir," rejoined Greenly, smiling. " Were we half 
 as good as he is, in other matters, we might be better than 
 we are in seamanship." 
 
 " I do not think religion hurts a sailor, Greenly no, not 
 in the least. That is to say, when he don t wedge his 
 masts too tight, but leaves play enough for all weathers. 
 There is no cant in Goodfellow." 
 
 " Not the least of it, sir, and that it is which makes him 
 so great a favorite. The Chaplain of the Warspite is of 
 some use ; but one might as well have a bowsprit rigged 
 out of a cabin-window, as have our chap." 
 
 " Why, we never bury a man, Greenly, without putting 
 him into the water as a Christian should be," returned Sir 
 Gervaise, with the simplicity of a true believer of the de 
 cency school. " I hate to see a seaman tossed into the 
 ocean like a bag of old clothes." 
 
 " We get along with that part of the duty pretty well ; 
 but before a man is dead, the parson is of opinion that he 
 belongs altogether to the Doctor." 
 
 "I d bet a hundred guineas, Magrath has had some in 
 fluence over him, in this matter give the Blenheim a 
 wider berth, Sir Wycherly, I wish to see how she looks 
 
 23 
 
354 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 aloft ; he s a d d fellow, that Magrath " no one swore 
 in Sir Gervaise s boat but himself, when the Vice-admiral s 
 flag was flying in her bows and he s just the sort of man 
 to put such a notion into the Chaplain s head." 
 
 "Why, there, I believe you re more than half right, Sir 
 Gervaise ; I overheard a conversation between them one 
 dark night, when they were propping the mizzen-mast 
 under the break of the poop, and the surgeon did maintain 
 a theory very like that you mention, sir." 
 
 "Ah ! he did, did he ? It s just like the Scotch rogue, 
 who wanted to persuade me that your poor uncle, Sir 
 Wycherly, ought not to have been blooded, in as clear a 
 case of apoplexy as ever was met with." 
 
 "Well, I didn t think he could have carried his impu 
 dence as far as that," observed Greenly, whose medical 
 knowledge was about on a par with that of Sir Gervaise. 
 " I didn t think even a doctor would dare to hold such a 
 doctrine ! As for the Chaplain, to him he laid down the 
 principle that religion and medicine never worked well to 
 gether. He said religion was an alterative, and would 
 neutralize a salt as quick as fire." 
 
 " He s a great vagabond, that Magrath, when he gets 
 hold of a young hand, sir ; and I wish with all my heart 
 the Pretender had him, with two or three pounds of his 
 favorite medicines with him I think, between the two, 
 England might reap some advantage, Greenly. Now, to 
 my notion, Wychecombe, the Blenheim would make better 
 weather, if her masts were shortened at least two feet." 
 
 " Perhaps, she might, Sir Gervaise ; but would she be 
 as certain a ship, in coming into action in light winds and 
 at critical moments?" 
 
 " Umph ! It s time for us old fellows to look about us, 
 Greenly, when the boys begin to reason on a line of battle ! 
 Don t blush, Wychecombe ; don t blush. Your remark 
 was sensible, and shows reflection. No country can ever 
 have a powerful marine, or one likely to produce much 
 influence in her wars, that does not pay rigid attention to 
 the tactics of fleets. Your frigate actions, and sailing of 
 single ships, are well enough as drill ; but the great prac 
 tice must be in squadron. Ten heavy ships, in good fleet 
 discipline, and kept at sea, will do more than a hundred 
 single cruisers, in establishing and maintaining discipline ; 
 and it is only by using vessels together, that we find out 
 what both ships and men can do. Now, we owe the sue- 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 355 
 
 cess of this day to our practice of sailing in close order, 
 and in knowing how to keep our stations else would six 
 ships never have been able to carry away the palm of vic 
 tory from twelve palm ! aye, that s the very word. Green 
 ly, I was trying to think of this morning. Daly s paddy 
 should have had a palm-branch in its hand, as an emblem 
 of victory." 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 He that has sailed upon the dark-blue sea, 
 
 Has viewed at times, I ween, a full fair sight ; 
 When the fresh breeze is fair as breeze may be, 
 
 The white soil set, the gallant frigate tight ; 
 
 Mast, spires, and strand retiring to the sight, 
 The glorious main expanding o er the bow, 
 
 The convoy spread like wild swans in their flight, 
 The dullest sailor wearing bravely now, 
 So gayly curl the weaves before each dashing prow. BYRON. 
 
 As Sir Gervaise Oakes s active mind was liable to such 
 sudden mutations of thought as that described in the close 
 of the last chapter, Greenl/ neither smiled, nor dwelt on 
 the subject at all ; he simply pointed out to his superior 
 the fact that they were now abreast of the Thunderer, and 
 desired to know whether it was his pleasure to proceed 
 any farther. 
 
 " To the Carnatic, Greenly, if Sir Wycherly will have 
 the goodness to shape his course thither. I have a word 
 to say to my friend Parker, before we sleep to-night. 
 Give us room, however, to look at Morganic s fancies, for 
 I never pass his ship without learning something new. 
 Lord Morganic s vessel is a good school for us old fellows 
 to attend hey, Greenly ? " 
 
 " The Achilles is certainly a model vessel in some re 
 spects, Sir Gervaise, though I flatter myself the Plantage- 
 nets have no great occasion to imitate her, in order to gain 
 a character." 
 
 " You imitate Morganic in order to know how to keep a 
 ship in order ! Poh ! let Morganic come to school to you. 
 Yet the fellow is not bashful i-n battle neither ; keeps his 
 station well, and makes himself both heard and felt. Ah ! 
 there he is, flourishing his hat on the poop, and wondering 
 what the deuce Sir Jarvey s after, now ! Sheer in, Wyche- 
 combe, and let us hear what he has to say." 
 
356 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 " Good evening, Sir Gervaise," called out the Earl, as 
 usual taking the initiative in the discourse ; " I was in 
 hopes when I saw your flag in the boat, that you were go 
 ing to do me a favor to open a bottle of claret, and to 
 taste some fruit I have still standing on the table." 
 
 "I thank you, my lord, but business before pleasure. 
 We have not been idle to-day, though to morrow shall be 
 still more busy. How does the Achilles steer, now her 
 foremast is in its place ? " 
 
 "Yaws like a fellow with his grog aboard, Sir Gervaise, 
 on my honor ! We shall never do any thing with her, un 
 til you let us consent to stay her spars, in our own fashion. 
 Do you intend to send me Daly back, or am I to play first 
 lieutenant myself, Admiral ? " 
 
 " Daly s shipped for the cruise, and you must do as well 
 as you can without him. If you find yourself without a 
 second astern, in the course of the night, do not fancy she 
 has gone to the bottom. Keep good lookouts, and pay at 
 tention to the signals." 
 
 As Sir Gervaise waved his hand, the young noble did 
 not venture to reply, much less to ask a question, though 
 there was not a little speculation on the poop of the Achil 
 les, concerning the meaning of his words. The boats 
 moved on, and five minutes later Sir Gervaise was on the 
 quarter-deck of the Carnatic. 
 
 Parker received the Commander-in-chief, hat in hand, 
 with a solicitude and anxiety that were constitutional, per 
 haps, and which no consciousness of deserving could en 
 tirely appease. Habit, however, had its share in it, since, 
 accustomed to defer to rank from boyhood, and the archi 
 tect of his own "little fortune," he had ever attached more 
 importance to the commendation of his superior than was 
 usual with those who had other props to lean on than their 
 own services. As soon as the honors of the quarter-deck 
 had been duly paid for these Sir Gervaise never neglected 
 himself, nor allowed others to neglect the Vice-admiral 
 intimated to Captain Parker a desire to see him in his 
 cabin, requesting Greenly and Wycherly to accompany 
 them below. 
 
 " Upon my word, Parker," commenced Sir Gervaise, 
 looking round him at the air of singular domestic comfort 
 that the after-cabin of the ship presented, "you have the 
 knack of taking a house to sea with you that no other cap 
 tain of the fleet possesses ! No finery, no Morganics, but 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 357 
 
 a plain, wholesome domestic look that might make a man 
 believe he was in his father s house. I would give a thou 
 sand pounds if my vagabonds could give the Plantagenet 
 such a Bowldero look, now ! " 
 
 " Less than a hundred, sir, have done the little you see 
 here. Mrs. Parker makes it a point to look to those mat 
 ters herself, and in that lies the whole secret, perhaps. A 
 good wife is a great blessing, Sir Gervaise, though you 
 have never been able to persuade yourself into the notion, 
 I believe." 
 
 " I hardly think, Parker, the wife can do it all. Now 
 there s Stowel, Bluewater s captain, he is married as 
 well as yourself nay, by George, I ve heard the old 
 fellow say he had as much wife as any man in his Majesty s 
 service but his cabin looks like a cobbler s barn, and his 
 state-room like a soldier s bunk ! When we were lieuten 
 ants together in the Eurydice, Parker, your state-room had 
 just the same air of comfort about it that this cabin has at 
 this instant. No, no it s in the grain, or it would never 
 show itself in all times and places." 
 
 " You forget, Sir Gervaise, that when I had the honor 
 to be your messmate in the Eurydice, I was a married 
 man." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, my old friend ; so you were, in 
 deed ! Why, that was a confounded long time ago, hey, 
 Parker ? " 
 
 "It was, truly, sir ; but I was poor, and could not afford 
 the extravagance of a single life. I married for the sake 
 of economy, Admiral Oakes." 
 
 "And love," answered Sir Gervaise, laughing. " I ll 
 warrant you, Greenly, that he persuaded Mrs. Parker into 
 that notion, whether true or not. I ll warrant you he 
 didn t tell her he married for so sneaking a thing as econ 
 omy? I should like to see your state-room now, Parker." 
 
 " Nothing easier, Sir Gervaise," answered the Captain, 
 rising and opening the door. " Here it is, sir, though 
 little worthy the attention of the owner of Bowldero." 
 
 "A notable place, truly! and with a housewife-look 
 about it that must certainly remind you of Mrs. Parker 
 unless, indeed, that picture at the foot of your cot puts 
 other notions into your head ! What young hussy have 
 you got there, my old Eurydice ? Hey, Parker ? " 
 
 " That is a picture of my faithful wife, Sir Gervaise ; a 
 proper companion, I hope, of my cruise." 
 
358 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 11 Hey ! What, that young thing your wife, Parker ! How 
 the d 1 came she to have you ? " 
 
 " Ah, Sir Gervaise, she is a young thing no longer, but 
 is well turned toward sixty. The picture was taken when 
 she was a bride, and is all the dearer to me, now that I 
 know the original has shared my fortunes so long. I never 
 look at it, without remembering, with gratitude, how much 
 she thinks of me in our cruises, and how often she prays 
 for our success. You are not forgotten, either, sir, in her 
 prayers." 
 
 " I ! " exclaimed the Vice-admiral, quite touched at the 
 earnest simplicity of the other. " D ye hear that, Greenly? 
 I ll engage now, this lady is a good woman a really ex 
 cellent creature just such another as my poor sainted 
 mother was, and a blessing to all around her ! Give me 
 your hand, Parker ; and when you write next to your wife, 
 tell her from me, God bless her ; and say all you think a 
 man ought to say on such an occasion. And now to busi 
 ness. Let us seat ourselves in this snug, domestic-looking 
 cabin of yours, and talk our matters over." 
 
 The two captains and Wycherly followed the Vice-ad 
 miral into the after-cabin, where the latter seated himself 
 on a small sofa, while the others took chairs, in respectful 
 attitudes near him, no familiarity or jocularity on the part 
 of a naval superior ever lessening the distance between him 
 and those who hold subordinate commissions a fact that 
 legislators would do well to remember, when graduating 
 rank in a service. As soon as all were placed, Sir Ger 
 vaise opened his mind. 
 
 " I have a delicate piece of duty, Captain Parker, " he 
 commenced, " which I wish intrusted to yourself. You 
 must know that we handled the ship which escaped us 
 this morning by running down into her own line, pretty 
 roughly, in every respect ; besides cutting two of her masts 
 out of her. This ship, as you may have seen, has got up 
 jury-masts, already ; but they are spars that can only be 
 intended to carry her into port. Monsieur de Vervillin is 
 not the man I take him to be, if he intends to leave the 
 quarrel between us where it is. Still, he cannot keep that 
 crippled ship in his fleet, any more than we can keep our 
 prize, and I make no doubt he will send her off to Cher 
 bourg as soon as it is dark ; most probably accompanied 
 by one of his corvettes ; or perhaps by a frigate." 
 
 "Yes, Sir Gervaise," returned Parker, thoughtfully, as 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 359 
 
 soon as his superior ceased to speak ; "what you predict, 
 is quite likely to happen." 
 
 " It must happen, Parker, the wind blowing directly for 
 his haven. Now, you may easily imagine what I want of 
 the Carnatic." 
 
 "I suppose I understand you, sir ; and yet, if I might 
 presume to express a wish " 
 
 " Speak out, old boy you re talking to a friend. I have 
 chosen you to serve you, both as one I like, and as the 
 oldest captain in the fleet. Whoever catches that ship will 
 hear more of it." 
 
 " Very true, sir ; but are we not likely to have more 
 work, here ? and would it be altogether prudent to send so 
 fine a ship as the Carnatic away, when the enemy will 
 count ten to six, even if she remain ?" 
 
 " All this has been thought of; and I suppose your own 
 feeling has been anticipated. You think it will be more 
 honorable to your vessel, to keep her place in the line, 
 than to take a ship already half beaten." 
 
 " That s it, indeed, Sir Gervaise. I do confess some 
 such thoughts were crossing my mind." 
 
 " Then see how easy it is to rowse them out of it. I can 
 not fight the French, in this moderate weather, without a 
 reinforcement. When the rear joins, we shall be just ten 
 to ten, without you, and with you, should be eleven to 
 ten. Now, I confess, I don t wish the least odds, and shall 
 send away somebody ; especially when I feel certain a 
 noble two-decked ship will be the reward. If a frigate 
 accompany the crippled fellow, you ll have your hands full, 
 and a very fair fight ; and should you get either, it will be 
 a handsome thing. What say you now, Parker?" 
 
 " I begin to think better of the plan, Sir Gervaise, and 
 am grateful for the selection. I wish, however, I knew 
 your own precise wishes I ve always found it safe to follow 
 them, sir." 
 
 " Here they are, then. Get four or five sets of the sharp 
 est eyes you have, and send them aloft to keep a steady 
 look on your chap, while there is light enough to be cer 
 tain of him. In a little while, they ll be able to recognize 
 him in the dark ; and by keeping your night-glasses well 
 levelled, he can scarcely slip off, without your missing him. 
 The moment he is gone, wear short and round, and make 
 the best of your way for Cape la Hogue, or Alderney ; you 
 will go three feet to his two, and, my life on it, by daylight 
 
360 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 you ll have him to windward of you, and then you ll be 
 certain of him. Wait for no signals from me, but be off, as 
 soon as it is dark. When your work is done, make the 
 best of your way to the nearest English port, and clap a 
 Scotchman on your shoulder to keep the king s sword 
 from chafing it. They thought me fit for knighthood at 
 three-and-twenty and the deuce is in it, Parker, if you are 
 not worthy of it at three-and-sixty ! " 
 
 " Ah ! Sir Gervaise, everything you undertook succeeded ! 
 You never yet failed in any expedition." 
 
 " That has come from attempting much. My plans have 
 often failed ; but as something good has generally followed 
 from them, I have the credit of designing to do exactly 
 what I ve done." 
 
 Then followed a long, detailed discourse, on the subject 
 before them, in which Greenly joined ; the latter making 
 several useful suggestions to the veteran commander of 
 the Carnatic. 
 
 After passing quite an hour in the cabin of Parker, Sir 
 Gervaise took his leave and re-entered his barge. It was 
 now so dark that small objects could not be distinguished 
 a hundred yards, and the piles of ships, as the boat glided 
 past them, resembled black hillocks, with clouds floating 
 among their tree-like and waving spars. No captain pre 
 sumed to hail the Commander-in-chief, as he rowed down 
 the line again, with the exception of the peer of the realm. 
 He indeed had always something to say ; and, as he had 
 been conjecturing what could induce the Vice-admiral to 
 pay so long a visit to the Carnatic, he could not refrain 
 from uttering so much aloud, when he heard the measured 
 strokes of the oars from the returning barge. 
 
 "We shall be* jealous of this compliment to Captain 
 Parker, Sir Gervaise," he called out, " unless your favors- 
 are occasionally extended to some of us less worthy ones." 
 
 " Aye, aye, Morganic, you ll be remembered in proper 
 time. In the meanwhile keep your people s eyes open, so 
 as not to lose sight of the French. We shall have some 
 thing to say to them in the morning." 
 
 "Spare us a night-action, if possible, Sir Gervaise! I 
 do detest fighting when I m sleepy ; and I like to see my 
 enemy, too. As much as you please in the daytime ; but 
 a quiet night, I do beseech you, sir." 
 
 " I ll warrant you, now, if the opera or Ranelagh, or a 
 drum, or a masquerade, were inviting you, Morganic, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 361 
 
 you d think but little of your pillow ! " answered Sir Ger- 
 vaise, dryly; "whatever you do yourself, my lord, don t 
 let the Achilles get asleep on duty ; I may have need of 
 her to-morrow. Give way, Wychecombe, give way, and 
 let us get home again." 
 
 In fifteen minutes from that instant, Sir Gervaise was 
 once more on the poop of the Plantagenet, and the barge 
 in its place on deck. Greenly was attending to the duties 
 of the ship, and Bunting stood in readiness to circulate 
 such orders as it might suit the Commander-in-chief to 
 give. 
 
 It was now nine o clock, and it was not easy to distin 
 guish objects on the ocean, even as large as a ship, at the 
 distance of half a league. By the aid of the glasses, how 
 ever, a vigilant lookout was kept on the French vessels, 
 which, by this time, were quite two leagues distant, draw 
 ing more ahead. It was necessary to fill away, in order to 
 close with them, and a night-signal was made to that effect. 
 The whole British line braced forward their main-yards, 
 as it might be, by a common impulse, and had there been 
 one there of sufficiently acute senses, he might have heard 
 all six of the main-topsails flapping at the same instant. 
 As a matter of course the vessels started ahead, and, the 
 order being to follow the Vice admiral in a close line 
 ahead, when the Plantagenet edged off, so as to bring the 
 wind abeam, each vessel did the same, in succession, or as 
 soon as in the Commander-in-chief s wake, as if guided by 
 instinct. About ten minutes later, the Carnatic, to the 
 surprise of those who witnessed the manoeuvre in the 
 Achilles, wore short round, and set studding-sails on the 
 starboard side, steering large. The darkest portion of the 
 horizon being that which lay to the eastward, or in the 
 direction of the continent, in twenty minutes the pyramid 
 of her shadowy outline was swallowed in the gloom. All 
 this time, La Victoire with the Druid leading and towing, 
 kept upon a bowline ; and an hour later, when Sir Ger 
 vaise found himself abeam of the French line again, and 
 half a league to windward of it, no traces were to be seen 
 of the three last ships mentioned. 
 
 " So far, all goes well, gentlemen," observed the Vice- 
 admiral to the group around him on the poop ; " and we 
 will now try to count the enemy, to make certain he, too, 
 has no stragglers out to pick up waifs. Greenly, try that 
 glass ; it is set for the night, and your eyes are the best 
 
362 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 we have. Be particular looking for the fellow under jury- 
 masts." 
 
 " I make out but ten ships in the line, Sir Gervaise," 
 answered the Captain, after a long examination; "of 
 course the crippled ship must have gone to leeward. Of 
 her, certainly I can find no traces." 
 
 " You will oblige me, Sir Wycherlv, by seeing what you 
 can make out, in the same way." 
 
 After a still longer examination than that of the captain, 
 Wycherly made the same report, adding that he thought 
 he also missed the frigate that had been nearest Le Fou- 
 droyant, repeating her signals throughout the day. This 
 circumstance gratified Sir Gervaise, as he was pleased to 
 find his prognostics come true, and he was not sorry to be 
 rid of one of the enemy s light cruisers ; a species of vessel 
 that often proved embarrassing, after a decided affair, even 
 to the conqueror. 
 
 "I think, Sir Gervaise," Wycherly modestly added, 
 " that the French have boarded their tacks, and are press 
 ing up to windward to near us. Did it not appear so to 
 you, Captain Greenly?" 
 
 " Not at all. If they carry courses, the sails have been 
 set within the last five minutes ha ! Sir Gervaise, that is 
 an indication of a busy night ! " 
 
 As he spoke, Greenly pointed to the place where the 
 French Admiral was known to be, where at that instant 
 appeared a double row of lights ; proving that the batter 
 ies had their lanterns lit, and showing a disposition to en 
 gage. In less than a minute the whole French line was to 
 be traced along the sea, by the double rows of illumina 
 tion, the light resembling that which is seen through the 
 window of a room that has a bright fire, rather than one in 
 which lamps or candles are actually visible. As this was just 
 the species of engagement in which the English had much 
 to risk, and little to gain, Sir Gervaise immediately gave 
 orders to brace forward the yards, to board fore-and-main 
 tacks, and to set topgallant-sails. As a matter of course, 
 the ships astern made saH in the same manner, and hauled 
 up on taut bowlines, following the Admiral. 
 
 "This is not our play," coolly remarked Sir Gervaise; 
 "a crippled ship would drop directly into their arms, and 
 as for any success at long shot, in a two-to-one fight, it is 
 not to be looked for. No, no, Monsieur de Vervillin, show 
 us your teeth if you will, and a pretty sight it is, but you 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 363 
 
 do not draw a shot from me. I hope the order to show no 
 lights is duly attended to." 
 
 " I do not think there is a light visible from any ship in 
 the fleet, Sir Gervaise," answered Bunting, "though we 
 are so near, there can be no great difficulty in telling where 
 we are." 
 
 " All but the Carnatic and the prize, Bunting. The more 
 fuss they make with us, the less will they think of them." 
 
 It is probable the French Admiral had been deceived by 
 the near approach of his enemy, for whose prowess he had 
 a profound respect. He had made his preparations in 
 expectation of an attack, but he did not open his fire, al 
 though heavy shot would certainly have told with effect. 
 Indisposed to the uncertainty of a night action, he declined 
 bringing it on, and the lights disappeared from his ports 
 an hour later ; at that time the English ships, by carrying 
 sail harder than was usual in so stiff a breeze, found them 
 selves out of gun-shot, on the weather bow of their 
 enemies. Then, and not till then, did Sir Gervaise reduce 
 his canvas, having, by means of his glasses, first ascertained 
 that the French had again hauled up their courses, and 
 were moving along at a very easy rate of sailing. 
 
 It was now near midnight, and Sir Gervaise prepared to 
 go below. Previously to quitting tb? deck, however, he 
 gave very explicit orders to Greenly, \vno transmitted them 
 to the First Lieutenant, that officer or tne Captain intend 
 ing to be on the lookout through the night ; the move 
 ments of the whole squadron being so dependent on those 
 of the flag ship. The Vice-admiral then retired, and went 
 coolly to bed. He was not a man to lose his rest, because 
 an enemy was just out of gun-shot. Accustomed to be 
 manoeuvring in front of hostile fleets, the situation had lost 
 its novelty, and he had so much confidence in the practice 
 of his captains, that he well knew nothing could occur so 
 long as his orders were obeyed ; to doubt the latter would 
 have been heresy in his eyes. In professional nonchalance, 
 no man exceeded our Vice-admiral. Blow high, or blow 
 low, it never disturbed the economy of his cabin-life, be 
 yond what unavoidably was connected with the comfort of 
 his ship ; nor did any prospect of battle cause a meal to 
 vary a minute in time or a particle in form, until the bulk- 
 heads\vere actually knocked down, and the batteries were 
 cleared for action. 
 
 Although excitable in trifles, and sometimes a little irri- 
 
364 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 table, Sir Gervaise, in the way of his profession, was a 
 great man on great occasions. His temperament was 
 sanguine, and his spirit both decided and bold ; and, in 
 common with all such men who see the truth at all, when 
 he did see it, he saw it so clearly as to throw all the doubts 
 that beset minds of a less masculine order, into the shade. 
 On the present occasion, he was sure nothing could well 
 occur to disturb his rest ; and he took it with the com 
 posure of one on terra firma and in the security of peace. 
 Unlike those who are unaccustomed to scenes of excite 
 ment, he quietly undressed himself, and his head was no 
 sooner on its pillow than he fell into a profound sleep. 
 
 It would have been a curious subject of observation to 
 an experienced person, to note the manner in which the 
 two fleets manoeuvred throughout the night. After several 
 hours of ineffectual efforts to bring their enemies fairly 
 within reach of their guns, after the moon had risen, the 
 French gave the matter up for a time, shortening sail while 
 most of their superior officers caught a little rest. 
 
 The sun was just rising as Galleygo laid his hand on the 
 shoulder of the Vice-admiral, agreeably to orders given 
 the previous night. The touch sufficed ; Sir Gervaise be 
 ing wide awake in an instant. " Well," he said, rising to 
 a sitting attitude, and putting the question which first oc 
 curs to a seaman, " how s the weather ? " 
 
 "A good topgallant breeze, Sir Jarvey, and just what s 
 this ship s play. If you d only let her out, and on them 
 Johnny Crapaud s, she d be down among em, in half an 
 hour, like a hawk upon a chicken. I ought to report to 
 your honor, that the last chicken will be dished for break 
 fast, unless we gives an order to the gunroom steward to 
 turn us over some of his birds as pay for what the pigs 
 eat ; which were real capons." 
 
 " Why, you pirate, you would not have me commit a 
 robbery on the high seas, would ye ? " 
 
 " What robbery would it be to order the gunroom to 
 sell us some poultry ? Lord ! Sir Jarvey, I m as far from 
 wishing to take a thing without an order, as the gunner s 
 yeoman ; but let Mr. Atwood put it in black and white." 
 
 " Tush ! " interrupted the master. " How did the French 
 bear from us, when you were last on deck ?" 
 
 "Why, there they is, Sir Jarvey," answered Galleygo, 
 drawing the curtain from before the state-room window, 
 and allowing the Vice-admiral to see the rear of the French 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 365 
 
 line for himself, by turning half round ; " and just where 
 we wants em. Their leading ship a little abaft our lee- 
 beam, distant one league. That s what I calls satisfactory, 
 now." 
 
 " Aye, that is a good position, Master Galleygo. Was 
 the prize in sight, or were you too chicken-headed to 
 look ? " 
 
 " I chicken-headed ! Well, Sir Jarvey, of all characters 
 and description of me that your honor has seen fit to put 
 abroad, this is the most unjustest ; chickens being a food 
 1 never thinks on, off soundings. Pig-headed you might 
 in reason call me, Sir Jarvey ; for I do look arter the pigs, 
 which is the only real stand-by in a ship ; but I never 
 dreams of a chicken, except for your happetite. When 
 they was eight on em " 
 
 "Was the prize in sight?" demanded Sir Gervaise, a 
 little sharply. 
 
 " No, Sir Jarvey ; she had disappeared, and the Druid 
 with her. But this isn t all, sir ; for they does say, some at 
 has befallen the Carnatic, she having gone out of her line, 
 like a binnacle-lamp, at eight bells." 
 
 " Aye, she is not visible either ?" 
 
 " Not so much as a hen-coop, Sir Jarvey ! We all won 
 ders what has become of Captain Parker ; no sign of him 
 or of his ship is to be found on the briny ocean. The 
 young gentlemen of the watch laugh, and say she must 
 have gone up in a waterspout, but they laughs so much at 
 misfortins, generally, that I never minds em." 
 
 " Have you had a good lookout at the ocean, this morn 
 ing, Master Galleygo ? " asked Sir Gervaise, drawing his 
 head out of a basin of water, for, by this time, he was half- 
 dressed, and making preparations for the razor. "-You 
 used to have an eye for a chase, when we were in a frigate, 
 and ought to be able to tell me if Bluewater is in sight." 
 
 " Admiral Blue ! Well, Sir Jarvey, it is remarkable, but 
 I had just rubbed his division out of my log, and forgotten 
 all about it. There was a handful of craft, or so, off here 
 to the nor ard, at daylight, but I never thought it was Ad 
 miral Blue, it being more nat ral to suppose him in his 
 place, as usual, in the rear of our own line. Let me see, 
 Sir Jarvey, how many ships has we absent under Admiral 
 Blue?" 
 
 "Why, the five two-deckers of his own division, to be 
 sure, besides the Ranger and the Gnat. Seven sail in all." 
 
366 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "Yes, that s just it! Well, your honor, there was fiv 
 sail to be seen out here to the nor ard, as I told you, and, 
 sure enough, it may have been Admiral Blue, with all his 
 craft." 
 
 By this time Sir Gervaise had his face covered with 
 lather, but he forgot the circumstance in a moment. As 
 the wind was at the northwest, and the Plantagenet was on 
 the larboard tack, looking in the direction of the Bill of 
 Portland, though much too far to the southward to allow 
 the land to be seen, his own larboard quarter-galley win 
 dow commanded a good view of the whole horizon to wind 
 ward. Crossing over from the starboard state-room, which 
 he occupied ex officio, he opened the window in question, 
 and took a look for himself. There, sure enough, was 
 visible a squadron of five ships, in close order, edging 
 leisurely down on the two lines, under their topsails, and 
 just near enough to allow it to be ascertained that their 
 courses were not set. This sight produced a sudden 
 change in the Vice-admiral s movements. The business of 
 the toilet was resumed in haste, and the beard was mowed 
 with a slashing hand, that might have been hazardous in 
 the motion of a ship, but for the long experience of a 
 sailor. This important part of the operation was scarcely 
 through, when Locker announced the presence of Captain 
 Greenly in the main cabin. 
 
 "What now, Greenly? What now?" called out the 
 Vice-admiral, puffing as he withdrew his head again from 
 the basin ; what now, Greenly ? Any news from Blue- 
 water ? " 
 
 " I am happy to tell you, Sir Gervaise, he has been in 
 sight more than an hour, and is closing with us, though 
 shyly and slowly. I would not let you be called, as all 
 \vas right, and I knew sleep was necessary to a clear head." 
 
 " You have done quite right, Greenly ; God willing, I 
 intend this to be a busy day ! The French must see our 
 rear division ? " 
 
 " Beyond a doubt, sir,but they show no signs of making 
 off. M. de Vervillin will fight, I feel certain ; though the 
 experience of yesterday may render him a little shy as to 
 the mode." 
 
 " And his crippled ship old Parker s friend I take it 
 she is not visible." 
 
 " You are quite right in your conjecture, Sir Gervaise ; 
 the crippled ship is off, as is one of the frigates, no doubt 
 
THE TWO ADMm^. 367 
 
 to see her in. Blewet, too, has go n^tetfl^to windward of 
 the French, though he can fetch into^fe^?i*chorage short 
 of Portsmouth, if this breeze stand." 
 
 "Any haven will do. Our little success will animate 
 the king s party, and give it more eclat, perhaps, than it 
 really merits. Let there be no delay with the breakfast 
 this morning, Greenly ; it will be a busy day." 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir," answered the Captain, in the sailor s 
 usual manner ; "that has been seen to already, as I have 
 expected as much. Admiral Bluewater keeps his ships in 
 most beautiful order, sir. I do not think the Caesar, which 
 leads, is two cables length from the Dublin, the sternmost 
 vessel. He is driving four-in-hand, with a tight rein, too, 
 depend on it, sir." 
 
 At this instant, Sir Gervaise came out of his state-room, 
 his coat in his hand, and with a countenance that was 
 thoughtful. He finished dressing with an abstracted air, 
 and would not have known the last garment was on, had 
 not Galleygo given a violent pull on its skirts, in order to 
 smooth the cloth about the shoulders. 
 
 " It is odd, that Bluewater should come down nearly be 
 fore the wind, in a line ahead, and not in a line abreast ! " 
 Sir Gervaise rejoined, as his steward did this office for 
 him. 
 
 "Let Admiral Blue alone, for doing what s right," put 
 in Galleygo, in his usual confident and self-possessed man 
 ner. " By keeping his ships astern of hisself, he can tell 
 where to find em, and we understands from experience, if 
 Admiral Blue knows where to find a ship, he knows how 
 to use her." 
 
 Instead of rebuking this interference, which went a little 
 farther than common, Greenly was surprised to see the 
 Vice-admiral look his steward intently in the face, as if 
 the man had expressed some shrewd and comprehensive 
 truth. Then turning to his captain, Sir Gervaise intimated 
 an intention of going on deck to survey the state of things 
 with his own eyes. 
 
368 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 Thou shouldst have died, O high-souled chief ! 
 
 In those bright days of glory fled, 
 When triumph so prevailed o er grief, 
 
 We scarce would mourn the dead MRS. HEMANS. 
 
 THE eventful day opened with most of the glories of a 
 summer s morning. The wind alone prevented it from 
 being one of the finest sun-risings in July. That continued 
 fresh, at northwest, and, consequently, cool, for the season. 
 The seas of the southwest gale had entirely subsided, and 
 were already succeeded by the regular but comparatively 
 trifling swell of the new breeze. For large ships, it might 
 be called smooth water ; though the Driver and Active 
 showed by their pitching and unsteadiness, and even the 
 two-deckers, by their waving masts, that the unquiet ocean 
 was yet in motion. The wind seemed likely to stand, and 
 was what seamen would be apt to call a good six-knot 
 breeze. 
 
 To leeward, still distant about a league, lay the French 
 vessels, drawn up in beautiful array, and in an order so 
 close, and a line so regular, as to induce the belief that M. 
 de Vervillin had made his dispositions to receive the ex 
 pected attack in his present position. All his main-top 
 sails lay flat aback ; the topgallant sails were flying loose, 
 but with buntlines and clew-lines hauled up ; the jibs were 
 fluttering to leeward of their booms, and the courses were 
 hanging in festoons about their yards. This was gallant 
 fighting canvas, and it excited the admiration of even his 
 enemies. To increase this feeling, just as Sir Gervaise s 
 foot reached the poop, the whole French line displayed 
 their ensigns, and Le Foudroyant fired a gun to windward. 
 
 " Hey, Greenly ? " exclaimed the English commander-in- 
 chief ; "this is a manly defiance, and coming from M. de 
 Vervillin, it means something ! He wishes to take the day 
 for it ; though, as I think, half that time will answer, we 
 will wash up the cups before we go at it. Make the 
 signals, Bunting, for the ships to heave to, and then get to 
 their breakfasts, as fast as possible. Steady breeze steady 
 breeze, Greenly, and all we want ! " 
 
 Five minutes later, while Sir Gervaise was running his 
 eye over the signal-book, the Plantagenet s calls were pip- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 369 
 
 ing the people to their morning meal, at least a:i hour 
 earlier than common ; the people repaired to their messes 
 with a sort of stern joy ; every man in the ship understand 
 ing the reason of a summons so unusual. The calls of the 
 vessels astern were heard soon after, and one of the officers 
 who was watching the enemy with a glass, reported that 
 he thought the French were breakfasting also. Orders 
 being given to the officers to employ the next half hour in 
 the same manner, nearly everybody was soon engaged in 
 eating ; few thinking that the meal might probably be their 
 last. Sir Gervaise felt a concern, which he succeeded in 
 concealing, however, at the circumstance that the ships to 
 windward made no more sail ; though he refrained from 
 signaling the Rear-admiral to that effect, from tenderness 
 to his friend, and a vague apprehension of what might be 
 the consequences. While the crews were eating, he stood 
 gazing, thoughtfully, at the noble spectacle the enemy 
 offered, to leeward, occasionally turning wistful glances at 
 the division that was constantly drawing nearer to wind 
 ward. At length Greenly, himself, reported that the Plan- 
 tagenets had " turned the hands to" again. At this intel 
 ligence Sir Gervaise started, as from a reverie, smiled, and 
 spoke. We will here remark that now, as on the previous 
 day, all the natural excitability of manner had disappeared 
 from the Commander-in-chief, and he was quiet, and ex 
 ceedingly gentle in his deportment. This, all who knew 
 him understood to denote a serious determination to en 
 gage. 
 
 * I have desired Galleygo to set my little table, half an 
 hour hence, in the after-cabin, Greenly, and you will share 
 the meal with me. Sir Wycherly will be of our party, 
 and I hope it will not be the last time we may meet at the 
 same board. It is necessary everything should be in fight 
 ing-order to-day ! " 
 
 " So I understand it, Sir Gervaise. We are ready to be 
 gin, as soon as the order shall be received." 
 
 " Wait one moment, until Bunting comes up from his 
 breakfast. Ah ! here he is, and w r e are quite ready for 
 him, having bent on the signal in his absence. Show the 
 order, Bunting ; for the day advances." 
 
 The little flags were fluttering at the main-top-gallant- 
 masthead of the Plantagenet in less than one minute, and 
 in another it was repeated by the Chloe, Driver, and Ac 
 tive, all of which were lying-to, a quarter of a mile to 
 
 24 
 
370 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 windward, charged in particular with this, among other 
 duties. So well was this signal known, that not a book in 
 the fleet was consulted, but all the ships answered, the in 
 stant the flags could be seen and understood. Then the 
 shrill whistles were heard along the line, calling, "All 
 hands " to " clear ship for action, ahoy ! " 
 
 No sooner was this order given in the Plantagenet, than 
 the ship became a scene of active but orderly exertion. 
 The topmen were on the yards, stoppering, swinging the 
 yards in chains, and lashing, in order to prevent shot from 
 doing more injury than was unavoidable : bulwarks were 
 knocked down ; mess-chests, bags, and all other domestic 
 appliances, disappeared below,* and the decks were cleared 
 of everything which could be removed, and which would 
 not be necessary in an engagement. Fully a quarter of an 
 hour was thus occupied, for there was no haste, and as it 
 \vas no moment of mere parade, it was necessary that the 
 work should be effectually done. The officers forbade 
 haste, and nothing important was reported as effected, that 
 some one in authority did not examine it with his own 
 eyes, to see that no proper care had been neglected. 
 
 Then Mr. Bury, the First Lieutenant, went on the main- 
 yard in person, to look at the manner in which it had been 
 slung, while he sent the boatswain up forward on the same 
 errand. These were unusual precautions, but the word 
 had passed through the ship " that Sir Jarvey was in 
 earnest ; " and whenever it was known that " Sir Jarvey " 
 was in such a humor, every one understood that the day s 
 work was to be hard, if not long. 
 
 " Our breakfast is ready, Sir Jarvey," reported Galleygo, 
 " and as the decks are all clear, the b ys can make a clean 
 run of it for the coppers. I only wants to know when to 
 serve it, your honor." 
 
 " Serve it now, my good fellow. Tell the Bowlderos to 
 be nimble, and expect us below. Come, Greenly come, 
 Wychecombe we are the last to eat ; let us not be the last 
 at our stations." 
 
 "Ship s clear, sir," reported Bury to his Captain as the 
 three reached the quarter-deck on their way to the cabin. 
 
 * In the action of the Nile, many of the French ships, under the impres 
 sion that the enemy must engage on the outside, put their lumber, bags, 
 etc., into the ports and between the guns, in the larboard, or inshore bat 
 teries ; and when the British anchored inshore of them, these batteries 
 could not be used. 
 
THE TITO ADMIRALS. 371 
 
 "Very well, Bury; when the fleet is signalled to go to 
 quarters, we will obey with the rest." 
 
 As this was said, Greenly looked at the Vice-admiral to 
 catch his wishes. But Sir Gervaise had no intention of 
 fatiguing his people unnecessarily. He had left his private 
 orders with Bunting, as he passed down without an answer 
 or a glance. The arrangements in the after-cabin were 
 as snug and as comfortable as if the breakfast-table had 
 been set in a private house, and the trio took their seats 
 and commenced operations with a hearty good-will. The 
 Vice-admiral ordered the doors thrown open, and as the 
 ports-lids were up, from the place where he sat he could 
 command glimpses both to leeward and to windward, that 
 included a view of the enemy, as well as one of his own 
 expected reinforcements. The Bow T lderos were in full 
 livery, and more active and attentive than usual even. 
 Their station in battle for no man on board a vessel of 
 war is an u idler " in the combat was on the poop, as 
 musketeers, near the person of the master, whose colors 
 they wore, under the ensign of the prince, like vassals of an 
 ancient baron. Notwithstanding the crisis of the morning, 
 however, these men performed their customary functions 
 with the precision and method of English menials, omitting 
 no luxury or usage of the table. On a sofa behind the table 
 was spread a full dress-coat of a Vice-admiral, then a neat 
 but plain uniform, without either lace or epaulets, but 
 decorated with a rich star in brilliants, the emblem of the 
 Order of the Bath. This coat Sir Gervaise always wore 
 in battle, unless the weather rendered a " storm-uniform," 
 as he used to term a plainer attire, necessary. 
 
 The breakfast passed off pleasantly, the gentlemen eat 
 ing as if no momentous events \vere near. Just at its close, 
 however, Sir Gervaise leaned forward, and looking through 
 one of the weather-ports of the main cabin, an expression 
 of pleasure illuminated his countenance as he said : 
 
 "Ah ! there goes Bluewater s signals, at last ! a certain 
 proof that he is about to put himself in communication 
 with us." 
 
 " I have been a good deal surprised, sir," observed 
 Greenly, a little dryly, though with great respect of man 
 ner, " that you have not ordered the Rear-admiral to make 
 more sail. He is jogging along like a heavy wagon, and 
 yet I hardly think he can mistake these five ships for 
 Frenchmen !" 
 
372 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 11 He is never in a hurry, and no doubt wishes to let his 
 crews breakfast before he closes. I ll warrant ye now, 
 gentlemen, that his ships are at this moment all as clear 
 as a church five minutes after the blessing has been pro 
 nounced." 
 
 " It will not be one of our Virginian Churches, then, 
 Sir Gervaise," observed Wycherly, smiling ; "they serve 
 for an exchange, to give and receive news in, after the 
 service is over." 
 
 "Aye, that s the old rule pray first, and then gossip. 
 Well, Bunting, what does the Rear-admiral say ? " 
 
 " Upon my word, Sir Gervaise, I can make nothing of 
 the signal, though it is easy enough to make out the flags," 
 answ r ered the puzzled signal-officer. "Will you have the 
 goodness to look at the book yourself, sir ? The number 
 is one hundred and forty." 
 
 " One hundred and forty ! Why, that must have some- 
 tiling to do with anchoring! aye, here it is. Anchor I 
 cannot, having lost my cables. Who the devil asked him 
 to anchor ? " 
 
 " That s just it, sir. The signal-officer on board the 
 Caesar must have made some mistake in his flags ; for, 
 though the distance is considerable, our glasses are good 
 enough to read them." 
 
 " Perhaps Admiral Bluewater has set the private, per 
 sonal telegraph at work, sir," quietly observed Greenly. 
 
 The Commander-in-chief actually changed color at this 
 suggestion. His face, at first, flushed to crimson ; then 
 it became pale, like the countenance of one who suffered 
 under acute bodily pain. Wycherly observed this, and re 
 spectfully inquired if Sir Gervaise were ill. 
 
 " I thank you, young sir," answ r ered the Vice-admiral, 
 smiling painfully ; "it is over. I believe I shall have to 
 go into dock, and let Mag rath look at some of my old hurts, 
 which are sometimes troublesome. Mr. Bunting, do me 
 the favor to go on deck, and ascertain, by a careful exam 
 ination, if a short red pennant be not set some ten or twelve 
 feet above the uppermost flag. Now, Greenly, we will 
 take the other cup of tea, for there is plenty of leisure." 
 
 Two or three brooding minutes followed. Then Bunt 
 ing returned to say the pennant was there, a fact he had 
 quite overlooked in his former observations, confounding 
 the narrow flag in question with the regular pennant of 
 the King. This short red pennant denoted that the com- 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 3-3 
 
 munication was verbal, according to a method invented by 
 Bluewater himself, and by means of which, using the or 
 dinary numbers, he was enabled to communicate with his 
 friend, without any of the captains, or, indeed, without Sir 
 Gervaise s own signal-officer knowing what was said. In 
 a word, without having recourse to any new Hags, but, by 
 simply giving new numbers to the old ones, and referring 
 to a prepared dictionary, it was possible to hold a conver 
 sation in sentences, that should be a secret to all but them 
 selves. Sir Gervaise took down the number of the signal 
 that was flying, and directed Bunting to show the answering 
 flag, with a similar pennant over it, and to continue this 
 operation so long as the Rear-admiral might make his sig 
 nals. The numbers were to be sent below as fast as re 
 ceived. As soon as Bunting disappeared, the Vice-admi 
 ral unlocked a secretary, the key of which was never out 
 of his own possession, took from it a small dictionary, and 
 laid it by his plate. All this time the breakfast proceeded, 
 signals of this nature frequently occurring between the 
 two admirals. In the course of the next ten minutes, a 
 quartermaster brought below a succession of numbers 
 written on small pieces of paper ; after which Bunting ap 
 peared himself to say that the Caesar had stopped signal 
 ling. 
 
 Sir Gervaise now looked out each word by its proper 
 number, and wrote it down with his pencil as he proceeded, 
 until the whole read God sake make no signal. En 
 gage not." No sooner was the communication understood 
 than the paper was torn into minute fragments, the book 
 replaced, and the Vice-admiral, turning with a calm, de 
 termined countenance to Greenly, ordered him to beat to 
 quarters as soon as Bunting could show a signal to the 
 fleet to the same effect. On this hint, all but the Vice- 
 admiral went on deck, and the Bowlderos instantly set 
 about removing the table and all the other appliances. 
 Finding himself annoyed by the movements of the servant, 
 Sir Gervaise walked out into the great cabin, which, re 
 gardless of its present condition, he began to pace as was his 
 wont when lost in thought. The bulkheads being down, 
 and the furniture removed, this was in truth walking in 
 sight of the crew. All who happened to be on the main- 
 deck could see what passed, though no one presumed to 
 enter a spot that was tabooed to vulgar feet, even when 
 thus exposed. The aspect and manner of ** Sir Jarvey," 
 
374 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 however, were not overlooked, and the men prognosticated 
 a serious time. 
 
 Such was the state of things, when the drums beat to 
 quarters, throughout the whole line. At the first tap, the 
 great cabin sunk to the level of an ordinary battery ; the 
 seamen of two guns, with the proper officers, entering 
 within the sacred limits, and coolly setting about clearing 
 their pieces, and making the other preparations necessary 
 for action. 
 
 All this time Sir Gervaise continued pacing what would 
 have been the centre of his own cabin had the bulk-heads 
 stood, the grim-looking sailors avoiding him with great 
 dexterity, and invariably touching their hats as they were 
 compelled to glide near his person, though everything 
 went on as if he were not present. Sir Gervaise might 
 have remained lost in thought much longer than he did, 
 had not the report of a gun recalled him to a conscious 
 ness of the scene that was enacting around him. 
 
 " What s that ? " suddenly demanded the Vice-admiral ; 
 " is Bluewater signaling again ?" 
 
 "No, Sir Gervaise," answered the fourth lieutenant, 
 looking out of a lee port ; " it is the French admiral giving 
 us another weather-gun ; as much as to ask why we don t 
 go down. This is the second compliment of the same sort 
 that he has paid us already to-day ! " 
 
 These words were not all spoken before the Vice-admi 
 ral was on the quarter-deck ; in half a minute more, he 
 was on the poop. Here he found Greenly, Wychecombe, 
 and Bunting, all looking with interest at the beautiful line 
 of the enemy. 
 
 "Monsieur de Vervillin is impatient to wipe off the dis 
 grace of yesterday," observed the first, "as is apparent by 
 the invitations he gives us to come down. I presume Ad 
 miral Bluewater will wake up at this last hint." 
 
 " By Heaven, he has hauled his wind, and is standing to 
 the northward and eastward ! " exclaimed Sir Gervaise, 
 surprise overcoming all his discretion. "Although an ex 
 traordinary movement, at such a time, it is wonderful in 
 what beautiful order Bluewater keeps his ships ! " 
 
 All that was said was true enough. The Rear-admiral s 
 division having suddenly hauled up, in a close line ahead, 
 each ship followed her leader as mechanically as if they 
 moved by a common impulse. As no one in the least 
 doubted the Rear-admiral s loyalty, and his courage was 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 375 
 
 of proof, it was the general opinion that this unusual 
 manoeuvre had some connection with the unintelligible 
 signals, and the young officers laughingly inquired among 
 themselves what " Sir Jarvey was likely to do next ?" 
 
 It would seem, however, that Monsieur de Vervillin sus 
 pected a repetition of some of the scenes of the preceding 
 * day ; for, no sooner did he perceive that the English rear 
 was hugging the wind, than five of his leading ships filled, 
 and drew ahead, as if to meet that division, manoeuvring 
 to double on the head of his line ; while the remaining 
 five, with the Foudroyant, still lay with their topsails to 
 the mast, waiting for their enemy to come down. Sir Ger- 
 vaise could not stand this long. He determined, if possi 
 ble, to bring Bluewater to terms, and he ordered the Plan- 
 tagenet to fill. Followed by his own division, he wore 
 immediately, and went off under easy sail, quartering, 
 toward Monsieur de Vervillin s rear, to avoid being 
 raked. 
 
 The quarter of an hour that succeeded was one of in 
 tense interest and of material changes, though not a shot 
 was fired. As soon as the Comte de Vervillin perceived 
 that the English were disposed to come nearer, he sig 
 naled his own division to bear up, and to run off dead be 
 fore the wind, under their topsails, commencing astern ; 
 which reversed his order of sailing, and brought Le Fou 
 droyant in the rear, or nearest to the enemy. This was no 
 sooner done, than he settled all his topsails on the caps. 
 There could be no mistaking thfs manoeuvre. It was a di 
 rect invitation to Sir Gervaise to come down, fairly along 
 side ; the bearing up at once removing all risk of being- 
 raked in so doing. The English Commander-in-chief was 
 not a man to neglect such a palpable challenge ; but, 
 making a few signals to direct the mode of attack he con 
 templated, he set foresail and main-topgallant sail, and 
 brought the wind directly over his own taffrail. The 
 vessels astern followed like clock-work, and no one now 
 doubted that the mode of attack was settled for that day. 
 
 As the French, with Monsieur de Vervillin, were still 
 half a mile to the southward and eastward of the approach 
 ing division of their enemy, the Comte collected all his 
 frigates and corvettes on his starboard hand, leaving a clear 
 approach to Sir Gervaise on his larboard beam. This 
 hint was understood, too, and the Plantagenet steered a 
 course that would bring her up on that side of Le Fou- 
 
376 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 droyant, and at the distance of about one hundred yards 
 from the muzzles of her guns. 
 
 This threatened to be close work, and unusual work in 
 fleets, at that day ; but it was the game our Commander- 
 in-chief was fond of playing, and it was one, also, that 
 promised soonest to bring matters to a result. 
 
 These preliminaries arranged, there was yet leisure for 
 the respective commanders to look about them. The 
 French were still fully a mile ahead of their enemies, and 
 as both fleets were going in the same direction, the ap 
 proach of the English was so slow as to leave some twenty 
 minutes of that solemn breathing-time which reigns in a 
 disciplined ship previous to the commencement of the 
 combat. The feelings of the two commanders-in-chief at 
 this pregnant instant were singularly in contradiction to 
 each other. The Comte de Vervillin saw that the rear 
 division of his force, under the Comte-Amiral le Vicomte 
 des Prez, was in the very position he desired it to be, hav 
 ing obtained the advantage of the wind by the English 
 division coming down, and by keeping its own luff. Be 
 tween the two French officers there was a perfect under 
 standing as to the course each was to take, and both 
 now felt sanguine hopes of being able to obliterate the 
 disgrace of the previous day, and that, too, by means very 
 similar to those by which it had been incurred. On the 
 other hand, Sir Gervaise was beset with doubts as to the 
 course Bluewater might pursue. He could not, however, 
 come to the conclusion th&t he would abandon him to the 
 joint efforts of the two hostile divisions ; and so long as 
 the French Rear-admiral was occupied by the English 
 force to windward, it left to himself a clear field and no 
 favor in the action with Monsieur de Vervillin. He knew 
 Bluewater s generous nature too well not to feel certain 
 his own compliance with the request not to signal his in 
 ferior would touch his heart, and give him a double chance 
 with all his better feelings. Nevertheless, Sir Gervaise 
 Oakes did not lead into this action without many and pain 
 ful misgivings. He had lived too long in the world not to 
 know that political prejudice w T as the most demoralizing 
 of all our weaknesses, veiling our private vices under the 
 plausible concealment of the public weal, and rendering 
 even the well-disposed insensible to the wrongs they com 
 mit to individuals, by means of the deceptive flattery of 
 serving the community. As doubt was more painful than 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 377 
 
 the certainty of his worst forebodings, however, and it was 
 not in his nature to refuse a combat so fairly offered, he 
 was resolved to close with the Comte at every hazard, 
 trusting the issue to God, and his own efforts. 
 
 The Plantagenet presented an eloquent picture of order 
 and preparation, as she drew near the French line, on this 
 memorable occasion. Her people were all at quarters, and, 
 as Greenly walked through her batteries, he found every 
 gun on the starboard side loose, levelled, and ready to be 
 fired ; while the opposite merely required a turn or two of 
 the tackles to be cast loose, the priming to be applied, and 
 the loggerhead to follow, in order to be discharged, also. 
 A death-like stillness reigned from the poop to the cock 
 pit, the older seamen occasionally glancing through their 
 ports in order to ascertain the relative positions of the two 
 fleets, that they might be ready for the collision. As the 
 English got within musket-shot, the French ran their top 
 sails to the mastheads, and their ships gathered fresher way 
 through the water. Still the former moved with the great 
 est velocity, carrying the most sail, and impelled by the 
 greater momentum. When near enough, however, Sir 
 Gervaise gave the order to reduce the canvas of his own 
 ship. The order was obeyed with machine-like prompti 
 tude, and in a few moments the Admiral turned again to 
 the Captain. 
 
 " That will do, Greenly," he said, in a mild, quiet tone. 
 " Let run the topgallant-halyards, and haul up the foresail. 
 The way you have, will bring you fairly alongside." 
 
 The Captain gave the necessary orders, and the master 
 shortened sail accordingly. Still the Plantagenet shot 
 ahead, and, in three or four minutes more, her bows 
 doubled so far on Le Foudroyant s quarter, as to permit a 
 gun to bear. This was the signal for both sides, each ship 
 opening at it might be in the same breath. The flash, the 
 roar, and the eddying smoke followed in quick succession, 
 and in a period of time that seemed nearly instantaneous. 
 The crash of shot, and the shrieks of wounded mingled 
 with the infernal din, for nature extorts painful conces 
 sions of human weakness, at such moments, and from the 
 bravest and firmest. 
 
 Bunting was in the act of reporting to Sir Gervaise that 
 no signal could be seen from the Caesar, in the midst 
 of this uproar, when a small round-shot discharged from 
 the Frenchman s poop, passed through his body, literally 
 
378 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 driving the heart before it, leaving him dead at his com. 
 mander s feet. 
 
 " I shall depend on you, Sir Wycherly, for the discharge 
 of poor Bunting s duty, the remainder of the cruise," 
 observed Sir Gervaise, with a smile in which courtesy and 
 regret struggled singularly for the mastery. "Quarter 
 masters, lay Mr. Bunting s body a little out of the way, and 
 cover it with those signals. They are a suitable pall for so 
 brave a man ! " 
 
 Just as this occurred, the Warspite came clear of the 
 Plantagenet, on her outside, according to orders, and she 
 opened with her forward guns, taking the second ship in 
 the French line for her target. In two minutes more these 
 vessels also were furiously engaged in the hot strife. In 
 this manner, ship after ship passed on the outside of the 
 Plantagenet, and sheered into her berth ahead of her who 
 had just been her own leader, until the Achilles, Lord 
 Morganic, the last of the five, lay fairly side by side with 
 Le Conquereur, the vessel now at the head of the French 
 line. That the reader may understand the incidents more 
 readily, we will give the opposing line in the precise form 
 in which they lay, namely : 
 
 Plantagenet, Le Foudroyant, 
 
 Warspite, Le Temeraire, 
 
 Blenheim, Le Dugay Trouin, 
 
 Thunderer, L Ajax, 
 
 Achilles, Le Conquereur. 
 
 The constantly recurring discharges of four hundred 
 pieces of heavy ordnance, within a space so small, had the 
 effect to repel the regular currents of air, and, almost im 
 mediately, to lessen a breeze of six or seven knots, to one 
 that would not propel a ship more than two or three. This 
 was the first observable phenomenon connected with the 
 action, but, as it had been expected, Sir Gervaise had used 
 the precaution to lay his ships as near as possible in the 
 positions in which he intended them to fight the battle. 
 The next great physical consequence, one equally expected 
 and natural, but which wrought a great change in the 
 aspect of the battle, was the cloud of smoke in which the 
 ten ships were suddenly enveloped. At the first broadside 
 between the two Admirals, volumes of light, fleecy vapor 
 rolled over the sea, meeting midway, and, rising thence in 
 curling wreaths, left nothing but the masts and sails of the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 379 
 
 adversary visible in the hostile ship. This, of itself, would 
 have soon hidden the combatants in the bosom of a nearly 
 impenetrable cloud ; but as vessels drove onward they 
 entered deeper beneath the sulphurous canopy, until it 
 spread on each side of them, shutting out the view of 
 ocean, skies, and horizon. The burning of the priming 
 below contributed to increase the smoke, until, not only 
 was respiration difficult, but those who fought only a few 
 yards apart frequently could not recognize each other s 
 faces. In the midst of this scene of obscurity, and a din 
 that might well have alarmed the caverns of the ocean, the 
 earnest and well-drilled seamen toiled at their ponderous 
 guns, and remedied with ready hands the injuries received 
 in the rigging, each man as intent on his own particular 
 duty as if he wrought in the occupations of an ordinary 
 gale. 
 
 " Sir Wycherly," observed the Vice-admiral, when the 
 cannonading had continued some twenty minutes, " there 
 is little for a flag-officer to do in such a cloud of smoke. I 
 would give much to know the exact position of the divis 
 ions of our two Rear-admirals." 
 
 "There is but one mode of ascertaining that, Sir Ger- 
 vaise if it be your pleasure, I will attempt it. By going 
 on the main-topgallant-yard, one might get a clear view, 
 perhaps." 
 
 Sir Gervaise smiled his approbation, and presently saw 
 the young man ascending the main-rigging, though half 
 concealed in smoke. Just at this instant Greenly ascended 
 to the poop, from making a tour of observation from 
 below. Without waiting for a question, the Captain made 
 his report. 
 
 " We are doing pretty well, now, Sir Gervaise, though 
 the first broadside of the Comte treated us roughly. I 
 think his fire slackens, and Burv says he is certain that his 
 foretopmast is already gone. At all events, our lads are in 
 good spirits, and yet all the sticks keep their places." 
 
 "I m glad of this, Greenly; particularly of the ladder, 
 just at this moment. I see you are looking at those signals 
 they cover the body of poor Bunting." 
 
 " And this train of blood to the ladder, sir I hope our 
 young baronet is not hurt ? " 
 
 " No, it is one of the Bowlderos, who has lost a leg. I 
 shall have to see that he wants for nothing hereafter." 
 
 There was a pause ; then both the gentlemen smiled, as 
 
380 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 they heard the crashing work made by a shot just beneath 
 them, which, by the sounds and the direction, they knew 
 had passed through Greenly s crockery. Still neither 
 spoke. After a few more minutes of silent observation, 
 Sir Gervaise remarked that he thought the flashes of the 
 French guns more distant than they had been at first, 
 though, at that instant, not a trace of their enemy was to 
 be discovered, except in the roar of the guns, and in these 
 very flashes, and their effect on the Plantagenet 
 
 <; If so, sir, the Comte begins to find his berth too hot for 
 him ; here is the wind still directly over our taffrail, such 
 as it is." 
 
 " No, no, we steer as we began ; I keep my eye on that 
 compass below, and am certain we hold a straight course. 
 Go forward, Greenly, and see that a sharp lookout is kept 
 ahead. It is time some of our own ships should be crippled ; 
 we must be careful not to run into them. Should such a 
 thing happen, sheer hard to starboard, and pass inside." 
 
 " Aye, aye, Sir Gervaise ; your wishes shall be attended 
 to." 
 
 As this was said, Greenly disappeared, and, at the next 
 instant, Wycherly stood in his place. 
 
 "Well, sir, I am glad to see you back safe. If Greenly 
 were here now, he would inquire about his masts, but I 
 wish to know the position of the ships." 
 
 " I am the bearer of bad news, sir. Nothing at all could 
 be seen from the top ; but in the cross-trees, I got a good 
 look through the smoke, and am sorry to say the French 
 Rear admiral is coming down fast on our larboard-quarter, 
 with all his force. We shall have him abeam in five 
 minutes." 
 
 And Bluewater ? " demanded Sir Gervaise, quick as 
 lightning. 
 
 "I could see nothing of Admiral Bluewater s ships; but 
 knowing the importance of this intelligence, I came down 
 immediately, and by the back-stay." 
 
 "You have done well, sir. Send a midshipman forward 
 for Captain Greenly; then pass below yourself, and let the 
 lieutenants in the batteries hear the news. They must 
 divide their people, and by all means give a prompt and 
 well-directed first broadside." 
 
 Wycherly waited for no more. He ran below with the 
 activity of his years. The message found Greenly between 
 the knight-heads, but he hurried aft to the poop to ascer- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 381 
 
 tain its object. It took Sir Gervaise but a moment to ex 
 plain it all to the captain. 
 
 "In the name of Heaven, what can the other division 
 be about," exclaimed Greenly, "that it lets the French 
 Rear-admiral come upon us, in a moment like this ! " 
 
 " Of that, sir, it is unnecessary to speak now," answered 
 the Commander-in-chief, solemnly. " Our present busi 
 ness is to get ready for this new enemy. Go into the 
 batteries again, and, as you prize victory, be careful not 
 to throw away the first discharge, in the smoke." 
 
 As time pressed, Greenly swallowed his discontent, and 
 departed. The five minutes that succeeded were bitter 
 minutes to Sir Gervaise Oakes. Besides himself there were 
 but five men on the poop, namely, the quartermaster who 
 tended the signals, and three of the Bowlderos. All of 
 these were using muskets as usual, though the Vice-admiral 
 never permitted marines to be stationed at a point which 
 he wished to be as clear of smoke, and as much removed 
 from bustle, as possible. He began to pace this compara 
 tively vacant little deck with a quick step, casting wistful 
 glances toward the larboard-quarter ; but though the 
 smoke occasionally cleared a little in that direction, the 
 firing having much slackened from exhaustion in the men, 
 as well as from injuries given and received, he was unable 
 to detect any signs of a ship. 
 
 Such was the state of things when Wycherly returned 
 and reported that his orders were delivered, and part of the 
 people were already in the larboard-batteries. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 
 And oh, the little warlike world within ! 
 
 The well-reeved guns, the netted canopy, 
 The hoarse command, the busy humming din, 
 
 When at a word, the tops are manned on high : 
 
 Hark to the boatswain s call, the cheering cry ! 
 While through the seaman s hand the tackle glides, 
 
 Or school-boy midshipman, that, standing by, 
 Strains his shrill pipe, as good or ill betides, 
 
 And well the docile crew that skilful urchin guides. BYRON. 
 
 "ARE you quite sure, Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, that 
 there is not some mistake about the approach of the rear 
 division of the French ? " inquired the Vice-admiral, en 
 deavoring to catch some glimpse of the water, through 
 
382 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the smoke on the larboard hand. " May not some crippled 
 ship of our own have sheered from the line, and been left 
 by us, unknowingly, on that side ? " 
 
 " No, Sir Gervaise, there is no mistake ; there can be 
 none, unless I may have been deceived a little in the dis 
 tance. I saw nothing but the sails and spars, not of a 
 single vessel, but three ships ; and one of them wore the 
 ilag of a French Rear-admiral at the mizzen. As a proof 
 that I was not mistaken, sir, there it is this minute ! " 
 
 The smoke on the off side of the Plantagenet, as a mat 
 ter of course, was much less dense than that on the side 
 engaged, and the wind beginning to blow in eddies, as ever 
 happens in a heavy cannonade, there were moments in 
 which he cast aside the " shroud of battle." At that in 
 stant an opening occurred through which a single mast 
 and a single sail were visible, in the precise spot where 
 Wycherly had stated the enemy might be looked for. It 
 was a mizzen-topsail, beyond a question, and above it was 
 fluttering the little square flag of the Rear-admiral. 
 
 Sir Gervaise decided on the character of the vessel, and 
 on his own course, in an instant. Stepping to the edge of 
 the poop, with his natural voice, without the aid of a 
 trumpet of any sort, he called out in tones that rose above 
 the roar of the contest, the ominous but familiar nautical 
 words of " Stand by ! " Perhaps a call from powerful lungs 
 (and the Vice-admiral s voice, when he chose to use it, was 
 like the blast of a clarion) is clearer and more impressive, 
 when unaided by instruments, than when it comes dis 
 guised and unnatural through a tube. At any rate, these 
 words were heard even on the lower deck, by those who 
 stood near the hatches. Taking them up, they were re 
 peated by a dozen voices, with such expressions as " Look 
 out, lads; Sir Jarvey s awake !" "Sight your guns!" "Wait 
 till she s square !" and other similar admonitions that it is 
 usual for the sea-officer to give, as he is about to com 
 mence the strife. At this critical moment, Sir Gervaise 
 again looked up, and caught another glimpse of the little 
 flag as it passed into a vast wreath of smoke ; lie saw that 
 the ship was fairly abeam, and, as if doubling all hispow T ers, 
 he shouted the word " Fire ! " Greenly was standing on 
 the lower-deck ladder, with his head just even with the 
 coamings of the hatch, as this order reached him, and he 
 repeated it in a voice scarcely less startling. The cloud on 
 the larboard side was driven in all directions, like dust 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 383 
 
 scattered by wind. The ship seemed on fire, and the 
 missiles of forty-one guns flew on their deadly errand, as 
 it might be at asingle flash. The old Plantagenet trembled 
 to her keel, and even bowed a little at the recoil^, but, like 
 one suddenly relieved from a burden, righted and went on 
 her way none the less active. That timely broadside saved 
 the English Commander-in-chief s ship from an early de 
 feat. It took the crew of Le Pluton, her new adversary, 
 by surprise ; for they had not been able to distinguish the 
 precise position of their enemy ; and, besides doing vast 
 injury to both hull and people, drew her fire at an unpro- 
 pitious moment. So uncertain and hasty, indeed, was the 
 discharge the French ship gave in return, that no small 
 portion of the contents of her guns passed ahead of the 
 Plantagenet, and went into the larboard quarter of Le 
 Temeraire, the French Admiral s second ahead. 
 
 "That was a timely salute," Sir Gervaise, smiling as 
 soon as the fire of his new enemy had been received with 
 out material injury. " The first blow is always half the 
 battle. We may now work on with some hopes of suc 
 cess. Ah ! here comes Greenly again, God be praised ! 
 unhurt ! " 
 
 The meeting of these two experienced seamen was cor 
 dial, but not without great seriousness. Both felt that the 
 situation of not only the ship, but of the whole fleet, was 
 extremely critical, the odds being much too great, and the 
 position of the enemy too favorable, not to render the re 
 sult, to say the least, exceedingly doubtful. Some advan 
 tage had certainly been obtained, thus far ; but there was 
 little hope of preserving it long. The circumstances called 
 for very decided and particularly bold measures. 
 
 " My mind is made up, Greenly," observed the Vice- 
 admiral. "We must go aboard of one of these ships, make 
 it a hand-to-hand affair. We will take the French Com 
 mander-in-chief ; he is evidently a good deal cut up, by the 
 manner in which his fire slackens, and if we can carry 
 him, or even force him out of the line, it will give us a 
 better chance with the rest. As for Bluewater, God only 
 knows what has become of him ! He is not here at any 
 rate, and we must help ourselves." 
 
 " You have only to order, Sir Gervaise, to be obeyed. I 
 will lead the boarders myself." 
 
 " It must be a general thing, Greenly ; I rather think we 
 shall all of us go aboard of Le Foudroyant. Go, give the 
 
384 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 necessary orders, and when everything is ready, round in 
 a little on the larboard braces, clap your helm a-port, and 
 give the ship a rank sheer to starboard. This will bring 
 matters to a crisis, at once. By letting the foresail fall, 
 and setting the spanker, you might shove the ship ahead a 
 little faster." 
 
 Greenly instantly left the poop on this new and impor 
 tant duty. He sent his orders into the batteries, bidding 
 the people remain at their guns, however, to the last mo 
 ment ; and particularly instructing the captain of marines 
 as to the manner in which he was to cover, and then fol 
 low the boarding party. This done, he gave orders to 
 brace forward the yards, as directed by Sir Gervaise. 
 
 The reader will not overlook the material circumstance 
 that all we have related occurred amid the din of battle. 
 Guns were exploding at each instant, the cloud of smoke 
 was both thickening and extending, fire was flashing in 
 the semi-obscurity of its volumes, shot were rending the 
 wood and cutting the rigging, and the piercing shrieks of 
 agony, only so much the more appalling by being extorted 
 from the stern and resolute, blended their thrilling accom 
 paniments. Men seemed to be converted into demons, 
 and yet there was a lofty and stubborn resolution to con 
 quer mingled with all, that ennobled the strife and ren 
 dered it heroic. The broadsides that were delivered in 
 succession down the line, as ship after ship of the rear 
 division reached her station, however, proclaimed that 
 Monsieur des Prez had imitated Sir Gervaise s mode of 
 closing, the only one by means of which the leading ves 
 sel could escape destruction, and that the English were 
 completely doubled on. At this moment, the sail trimmers 
 of the Plantagenet handled their braces. The first pull 
 was the last. No sooner were the ropes started than the 
 fore-topmast went over the bows, dragging after it the 
 main, with all its hamper, the mizzen snapping like a pipe- 
 stem at the cap. By this cruel accident, the result of 
 many injuries to shrouds, back stays, and spars, the situa 
 tion of the Plantagenet became worse than ever ; for not 
 only was the wreck to be partially cleared, at least, to 
 fight many of the larboard guns, but the command of the 
 ship was, in a great measure, lost, in the centre of one of 
 the most infernal mi-Ices that ever accompanied a combat 
 at sea. 
 
 At no time does the trained seaman ever appear so great 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 385 
 
 as when he meets sudden misfortunes with the steadiness 
 and quiet which it is a material part of the morale of disci 
 pline to inculcate. Greenly was full of ardor for the as 
 sault, and was thinking of the best mode of running foul 
 of his adversary, when this calamity occurred ; but the 
 masts were hardly down, when he changed all his thoughts 
 to a new current, and called out to the sail-trimmers to 
 " Lay over, and clear the wreck." 
 
 Sir Gervaise, too, met with a sudden and violent check 
 to the current of his feelings. He had collected his Bowld- 
 eros, and was giving his instructions as to the manner in 
 which they were to follow, and keep near his person, in 
 the expected hand-to-hand encounter, when the heavy 
 rushing of the air, and the swoop of the mass from above, 
 announced what had occurred. Turning to the men he 
 calmly ordered them to aid in getting rid of the incum- 
 brances, and was in the very act of directing Wycherly to 
 join in the same duty when the latter exclaimed : 
 
 "See, Sir Gervaise, here comes another of the French 
 men close upon our quarter. By heavens, they must 
 mean to board ! " 
 
 The Vice-admiral instinctively grasped his sword-hilt 
 tighter, and turned in the direction mentioned by his com 
 panion. There, indeed, came a fresh ship, shoving the 
 cloud aside, and by the clearer atmosphere that seemed to 
 accompany her, apparently bringing down a current of air 
 stronger than common. When first seen the jib-boom and 
 bowsprit were both enveloped in smoke, but his bellying 
 fore-topsail, and the canvas hanging in festoons, loomed 
 grandly in the vapors, the black yards seeming to embrace 
 the wreaths, merely to cast them aside. The proximity, 
 too, was fearful, her yard-arms promising to clear those of 
 the Plantagenet only by a few feet, as her dark bows 
 brushed along the Admiral s side. 
 
 "This will be fearful work indeed!" exclaimed Sir Ger 
 vaise. "A fresh broadside from a ship so near will sweep 
 all from the spars. Go, Wychecombe, tell Greenly to call 
 in Hold ! Tis an English ship ! No Frenchman s bow 
 sprit stands like that ! Almighty God be praised ! Tis 
 the Caesar ! there is the old Roman s figure-head just 
 shoving out of the smoke ! " 
 
 This was said with a yell, rather than a cry of delight, 
 and in a voice so loud that the words were heard below, 
 and flew through the ship like the hissing of an ascending 
 
 25 
 
386 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 rocket. To confirm the glorious tidings, the flash and 
 roar of guns on the offside of the stranger announced the 
 welcome tidings that Le Pluton had an enemy of her own 
 to contend with, thus enabling the Plantagenet s people to 
 throw all their strength on the starboard guns, and pursue 
 their other necessary work without further molestation 
 from the French Rear-admiral. 
 
 The gratitude of Sir Gervaise, as the rescuing ship thrust 
 herself in between him and his most formidable assailant 
 was too deep for language. He placed his hat mechani 
 cally before his face, and thanked God, with a fervor of 
 spirit that never before had attended his thanksgivings. 
 This brief act of devotion over, he found the bows of the 
 Caesar, which ship was advancing very slowly, in order 
 not to pass too far ahead, just abreast of the spot where he 
 stood, and so near that objects were pretty plainly visible. 
 Between her knight-heads stood Bluewater, conning the 
 ship by means of a line of officers, his hat in his hand, 
 waving in encouragement to his own people, while Geoff 
 rey Cleveland held the trumpet at his elbow. At that mo 
 ment three noble cheers were given by the crews of the 
 two friendly vessels, and mingled with the increasing roar 
 of the Caesar s artillery. Then the smoke rose in a cloud 
 over the forecastle of the latter ship, and persons could no 
 longer be distinguished. 
 
 Nevertheless, like all that thus approached, the reliev 
 ing ship passed slowly ahead, until nearly her whole 
 length protected the undefended side of her consort, de 
 livering her fire with fearful rapidity. The Plantagenets 
 seemed to imbibe new life from this arrival, and their star 
 board guns spoke out again, as if manned by giants. It 
 was five minutes, perhaps, after this seasonable arrival, 
 before the guns of the other ships of the English rear 
 announced their presence on the outside of Monsieur des 
 Prez s force ; thus bringing the whole of the two fleets 
 into four lines, all steering dead before the wind, and, as 
 it. were, interwoven with each other. By that time, the 
 poops of the Plantagenet and Caesar became visible from 
 one to the other, the smoke now driving principally off 
 from the vessels. There again were our two admirals 
 each anxiously watching to get a glimpse of his friend. 
 The instant the place was clear, Sir Gervaise applied the 
 trumpet to his mouth and called, out : 
 
 " God bless you, Dick ! may God forever bless you 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 387 
 
 your ship can do it clap your helm hard a-starboard, and 
 sheer into M. des Prez ; you ll have him in five minutes." 
 
 Bluewater smiled, waved his hand, gave an order, and 
 laid aside his trumpet. Two minutes later, the Caesar 
 sheered into the smoke on her larboard beam, and the 
 crash of the meeting vessels was heard. By this time, the 
 wreck of the Plantagenet was cut adrift, and she, too, 
 made a rank sheer, though in a direction opposite to that 
 of the Caesar s. As she went through the smoke, her guns 
 ceased, and when she emerged into the pure air, it was 
 found that Le Foudroyant had set course and topgallant- 
 sails, and was drawing so fast ahead as to render pursuit 
 under the little sail that could be set, unprofitable. Sig 
 nals were out of the question, but this movement of the 
 two admirals converted the whole battle scene into one of 
 inexplicable confusion. Ship after ship changed her posi 
 tion, and ceased her fire from uncertainty what that posi 
 tion was, until a general silence succeeded the roar of 
 the cannonade. It was indispensable to pause and let 
 the smoke blow away. 
 
 It did not require many minutes to raise the curtain on 
 two fleets. As soon as the firing stopped, the wind increased, 
 and the smoke was driven off to leeward in a vast, strag 
 gling cloud, that seemed to scatter and disperse in the air 
 spontaneously. Then a sight of the havoc and destruction 
 that had been done in this short conflict was first obtained. 
 
 The two squadrons were intermingled, and it required 
 some little time for Sir Gervaise to get a clear idea of the 
 state of his own ships. Generally, it might be said that 
 the vessels were scattering, the French sheering toward 
 their own coast, while the English were principally com 
 ing by the wind on the larboard track, or heading toward 
 England. The Caesar and Le Pluton were still foul of 
 each other, though a Rear-admiral s flag was flying at the 
 mizzen of the first, while that which had so lately fluttered 
 at the royal-masthead of the other had disappeared. 
 
 The Achilles, Lord M organic, was still among the French, 
 more to leeward than any other English ship, without a 
 single spar standing. Her ensigns were flying, notwith 
 standing, and the Thunderer and Dublin, both in tolerable 
 order, were edging away rapidly to cover their crippled 
 consort ; though the nearest French vessels seemed more 
 bent on getting out of the melee, and into their own line 
 again, than on securing any advantage already obtained. 
 
3 88 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Le Temeraire was in the same predicament as the Achilles 
 as to spars, though much more injured in her hull, besides 
 having thrice as many casualties. Her flag was down ; 
 the ship having fairly struck to the Warspite, whose boats 
 were already alongside of her. Le Foudroyant, with quite 
 one third of her crew, killed and wounded, was running 
 off to leeward, with signals flying for her consorts to rally 
 round her ; but, within less than ten minutes after she be 
 came visible, her main and mizzen-masts both went. The 
 Blenheim had lost all her top-masts, like the Plantagenet, 
 and neither the Elizabeth nor the York had a mizzen-mast 
 standing, although engaged but a very short time. Sev 
 eral lower yards were shot away, or so much injured as to 
 compel the ships to shorten sail ; this accident having oc 
 curred in both fleets. As for the damage done to the 
 standing and running rigging, and to the sails, it is only 
 necessary to say that shrouds, back and head stays, braces, 
 bowlines and lifts, were dangling in all directions, while 
 the canvas that was open exhibited all sorts of rents, from 
 that which had been torn like cloth in the shopman s 
 hands, to the little eyelet-holes of the canister and grape. 
 It appeared, by the subsequent reports of the two parties, 
 that, in this short but severe conflict, the slain and the 
 wounded of the English amounted to seven hundred and 
 sixty-three, including officers ; and that of the French, to 
 one thousand four hundred and twelve. The disparity in 
 this respect would probably have been greater against the 
 latter, had it not been for the manner in which M. des 
 Prez succeeded in doubling on his enemies. 
 
 Little need be said in explanation of the parts of this 
 battle that have not been distinctly related. M. des Prez 
 had manoeuvred in the manner he did, at the commence 
 ment of the affair, in the hope of drawing Sir-Gervaise 
 down upon the division of the Comte de Vervillin ; and 
 no sooner did he see the first fairly enveloped in smoke, 
 than he wore short round and joined in the affair, as has 
 been mentioned. At this sight, Bluewater s loyalty to the 
 Stuarts could resist no longer. Throwing out a general 
 signal to engage, he squared away, set everything that 
 would draw on the Caesar, and arrived in time to save his 
 friend. The other ships followed, engaging on the out 
 side, for want of room to imitate their leader. 
 
 Two more of the French ships, at least, in addition to 
 Le Temeraire and Le Pluton, might have been added to 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 389 
 
 the list of prizes, had the actual condition of their fleet 
 been known. But, at such moments, a combatant sees 
 and feels his own injuries, while he has to conjecture 
 many of those of his adversaries ; and the English were 
 too much occupied in making the provisions necessary to 
 save their remaining spars, to risk much in order to swell 
 an advantage that was already so considerable. Some 
 distant firing passed between the Thunderer and Dublin, 
 and L Ajax, Le Dugay Trouin, and L Hector, before the 
 two former succeeded in getting Lord M organic out of his 
 difficulties ; but it led to no material result ; merely in 
 flicting new injuries on certain spars that were sufficiently 
 damaged before, and killing and wounding some fifteen 
 or twenty men quite uselessly. As soon as the Vice-ad 
 miral saw what was likely to be the effect of this episode, 
 he called off Captain O Neil of the Dublin, by signal, he 
 being an officer of a " hot temper," as the soldier said of 
 himself at Waterloo. The compliance with this order may 
 be said to have terminated the battle. 
 
 The reader will remember that the wind, at the com 
 mencement of the engagement, was at northwest. It was 
 nearly " killed," as seamen express it, by the cannonade ; 
 then it revived a little, as the concussions of the guns 
 gradually diminished. But the combined effect of the ad 
 vance of the day, and the rushing of new currents of air to 
 fill the vacuums produced by the burning of so much 
 powder, was a sudden shift of wind ; a breeze coming out 
 strong, as it might be, in an instant, from the eastward. 
 
 This unexpected alteration in the direction and power of 
 the wind, cost the Thunderer her foremast, and did other 
 damage to different ships ; but, by dint of great activity 
 and careful handling, all the English vessels got their heads 
 round to the northward, while the French filled the other 
 way, and went off free, steering nearly southeast, making 
 the best of their way for Brest. The latter suffered still 
 more then their enemies, by the change just mentioned ; 
 and when they reached port as did all but one on the fol 
 lowing day, no less than three were towed in without a 
 spar standing, bowsprits excepted. 
 
 The exception was Le Caton, which ship M. de Vervil- 
 lin set fire to and blew up, on account of her damages, in 
 the course of the afternoon. Thus of twelve noble two- 
 decked ships with which this officer sailed from Cherbourg 
 only two days before, he reached Brest with but seven. 
 
390 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Nor were the English entirely without their embarrass* 
 ments. Although the Warspite had compelled Le Teme- 
 raire to strike she was kept afloat herself with a good deal 
 of difficulty, and that too, not without considerable assist 
 ance from the other vessels. The leaks, however, were 
 eventually stopped, and then the ship was given up to the 
 care of her own crew. Other vessels suffered, of course, 
 but no English ship was in as much jeopardy as this. 
 
 The first hour after the action ceased, was one of great 
 exertion and anxiety to our admiral. He called the Chloe 
 alongside by signal, and, attended by Wycherly and his 
 own quartermasters, Galleygo, who went without orders, 
 and the Bowlderos who were unhurt, he shifted his flag to 
 that frigate. Then he immediately commenced passing from 
 vessel to vessel, in order to ascertain the actual condition 
 of his command. The Achilles detained him some time, 
 and he was near her, or to leeward, when the wind shifted 
 which was bringing him to windward in the present state 
 of things. Of this advantage he availed himself, by urg 
 ing the different ships off as fast as possible ; and long 
 before the sun was in the meridian, all the English vessels 
 were making the best of their way toward the land, with 
 the intention of fetching into Plymouth if possible ; if not, 
 into the nearest and best anchorage to leeward. The prog 
 ress of the fleet was relatively slow, as a matter of course, 
 though it got along at the rate of some five knots, by mak 
 ing a free wind of it. 
 
 The master of the Chloe had just taken the sun, in order 
 to ascertain his latitude, when the Vice-admiral commanded 
 Denham to set topgallant sails, and go within hail of the 
 Caesar. That ship had got clear of Le Pluton half an 
 hour after the action ceased, and she was now leading the 
 fleet with her three topsails on the caps. Aloft she had suf 
 fered comparatively little ; but Sir Gervaise knew that there 
 must have been a serious loss of men in carrying, hand to 
 hand, a vessel like that of M. des Prez. He was anxious to 
 see his friend, and hear the manner in which his success 
 had been obtained, and, we might add, to remonstrate with 
 Bluewater on a course that had led the latter to the verge 
 of a most dangerous abyss. 
 
 The Chloe was half an hour running through the fleet, 
 which was a good deal extended, and was sailing without 
 any regard to a line. Sir Gervaise had many questions to 
 ask, too, of the different commanders in passing. At last 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 391 
 
 the frigate overtook Le Temeraire, which vessel was fol 
 lowing the Caesar under easy canvas. As the Chloe came 
 up abeam, Sir Gervaise appeared in the gangway of the 
 frigate, and, hat in hand, he asked with an accent that was 
 intelligible, though it might not have absolutely stood the 
 test of criticism 
 
 " Le Vice-admiral Oakes demande comment se porte-il, le con- 
 tre-amiral, le Vicomte des Prez ? " 
 
 A little elderly man, dressed with extreme care, with a 
 powdered head, but of a firm step and perfectly collected 
 expression of countenance, appeared on the verge of Le 
 Temeraire s poop, trumpet in hand, to reply. 
 
 "Le Vicomte des Prez remercie bien Monsieur le Chevalier 
 Oake, et desire vivement de savoir comment se porte Monsieur le 
 Vice-amir all" 
 
 Mutual waves of trumpets served as replies to the ques 
 tions, and then, after taking a moment to muster his 
 French, Sir Gervaise continued : 
 
 " J espere voir Monsieur le Contre-Amtral a diner a cinq 
 heures, precis" 
 
 The Vicomte smiled at this characteristic manifestation 
 of good will and courtesy ; and after pausing an instant to 
 choose an expression to soften his refusal, and to express 
 his own sense of the motive of the invitation, he called 
 out: 
 
 " Veuillez bien receivoir nos excuses pour aujourdhui, Mons. 
 le Chevalier. Nous riavons pas encore digere le repas si noble 
 recu a vos mains comme dejeuner." 
 
 The Chloe passing ahead, bows terminated the inter 
 view. Sir Gervaise s French was at fault, for what be 
 tween the rapid, neat pronunciation of the Frenchman, the 
 trumpet, and the turn of the expression, he did not com 
 prehend the meaning of the Contre-amiral. 
 
 "What does he say, Wychecombe ?" he asked eagerly 
 of the young man. "Will he come or not? " 
 
 " Upon my word, Sir Gervaise, French is a sealed lan 
 guage to me. Never having been a prisoner, no opportu 
 nity has offered for acquiring the language. As I under 
 stood, you intended to ask him to dinner ; I rather think, 
 from his countenance, he meant to say he was not in spirits 
 for the entertainment." 
 
 " Pooh ! we would have put him in spirits, and Blue- 
 water could have talked to him in his own tongue by the 
 fathom. We will close with the Caesar to leeward, Den- 
 
392 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ham ; never mind rank on an occasion like this. It s time 
 to let the topgallant-halyards run ; you ll have to settle 
 your topsails, too, or we shall shoot past her. Bluewater 
 may take it as a salute to his gallantry in carrying so fine 
 a ship in so handsome a manner." 
 
 Several minutes now passed in silence, during which the 
 fleet was less and less rapidly closing with the larger ves 
 sel, drawing ahead toward the last, as it might be, foot by 
 foot. Sir Gervaise got upon one of the quarter-deck guns, 
 and steadying himself against the hammock-cloths, he was 
 in readiness to exchange the greetings he was accustomed 
 to give and to receive from his friend, in the same heartfelt 
 manner as if nothing had occurred to disturb the harmony 
 of their feelings. The single glance of the eye, the wav 
 ing of the hat, and the noble manner in which Bluewater 
 interposed between him and his most dangerous enemy, 
 was still present to his mind, and disposed him even more 
 than common to the kindest feelings of his nature. Stow- 
 el was already on the poop of the Caesar, and, as the 
 Chloe came slowly on, he raised his hat in deference to 
 the Commander-in-chief. It was a point of delicacy with 
 Sir Gervaise never to interfere with any subordinate flag- 
 officer s vessel any more than duty rigidly required ; con 
 sequently his communications with the Captain of the 
 Caesar had usually been of a general nature, verbal orders 
 and criticisms being studiously avoided. The circum 
 stances rendered the Commander-in-chief even a greater 
 favorite than common with Stowel, who had all his own 
 way in his own ship, in consequence of the Rear-admiral s 
 indifference to such matters. 
 
 " How do you do, Stowel?" called out Sir Gervaise 
 cordially. " I am delighted to see you on your legs, and 
 hope the old Roman is not much the worse for this day s 
 treatment." 
 
 " I thank you, Sir Gervaise, we are both afloat yet, 
 though we have passed through warm times. The ship is 
 damaged, sir, as you may suppose ; and, though it stands 
 so bravely, and looks so upright, that foremast of ours is 
 as good as a condemned spar. One thirty-two through the 
 heart of it, about ten feet from the deck, an eighteen in 
 the hounds, and a double-header sticking in one of the 
 hoops ! A spar cannot be counted for much that has as 
 many holes in it as those, sir ?" 
 
 " Deal tenderly with it, my old friend, and spare the can- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 393 
 
 vas ; those chaps at Plymouth will set all to rights, again, 
 in a week. Hoops can be had for asking, and as for holes 
 in the heart, many a poor fellow has had them, and lived 
 through it all. You are a case in point ; Mrs. Stovvel not 
 having spared you in that way, I ll answer for it." 
 
 " Mrs. Stowel commands ashore, Sir Gervaise, and I com 
 mand afloat ; and in that way, we keep a quiet ship and a 
 quiet house, I thank you, sir; and I endeavor to think of 
 her, at sea, as little as possible." 
 
 " Aye, that s the way with you doting husbands, always 
 ashamed of your own lively sensibilities. But what has 
 become of Blue\vater ? Does he know that we are along 
 side ? " 
 
 Stowel looked round, cast his eyes up at the sails, and 
 played with the hilt of his sword. The rapid eye of the 
 Commander-in-chief detected this embarrassment, and 
 quick as thought he demanded what had happened. 
 
 "Why, Sir Gervaise, you know how it is with some ad 
 mirals, who like to be in everything. I told our respect 
 ed and beloved friend that he had nothing to do with 
 boarding ; that if either of us was to go, /was the proper 
 man ; but that we ought both to stick by the ship. He an 
 swered something about lost honor and duty, and you 
 know, sir, what legs he has, when he wishes to use them ! 
 One might as well think of stopping a deserter by halloo ; 
 away he went, with the first party, sword in hand, a sight 
 I never saw before, and never wish to see again ! Thus you 
 see how it w r as, sir." 
 
 The Commander-in-chief compressed his lips, until his 
 features, and indeed his whole form was a picture of des 
 perate resolution, though his face was as pale as death, 
 and the muscles of his mouth twitched, in spite of all his 
 physical self-command. 
 
 " I understand y.ou, sir," he said, in a voice that seemed 
 to issue from his chest ; " you wish to say that Admiral 
 Bluewater is killed." 
 
 "No, thank God ! Sir Gervaise, not quite as bad as that, 
 though sadly hurt ; yes, indeed, very sadly hurt !" 
 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes groaned, and for a few minutes he 
 leaned his head on the hammock-cloths, veiling his face 
 from the sight of men. Then he raised his person erect, 
 and said, steadily : 
 
 " Run your topsails to the masthead, Captain Stowel. 
 and round your ship to. I will come on board of you." 
 
394 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 An order was given to Denham to take room, when the 
 Chloe came to the wind on one tack and the Caesar on the 
 other. This was contrary to rule, as it increased the dis 
 tance between the ships ; but the Vice-admiral was im 
 patient to be in his barge. In ten minutes he was 
 mounting the Caesar s side, and in two more he was in 
 Bluewater s main-cabin. Geoffrey Cleveland was seated 
 by the table with his face buried in his arms. Touching 
 his shoulder, the boy raised his head, and showed a face 
 covered with tears. 
 
 " How is he, boy ? " demanded Sir Gervaise, hoarsely. 
 " Do the surgeons give any hopes ? " 
 
 The midshipman shook his head, and then, as if the 
 question renewed his grief, he again buried his face in his 
 arms. At this moment, the surgeon of the ship came from 
 the Rear-admiral s state-room, and following the Com 
 mander-in-chief into the after-cabin, they had a long con 
 ference together. 
 
 Minute after minute passed, and Caesar and Chloe still 
 lay with their main-topsails aback. At the end of half an 
 hour, Denham wore round and laid the head of his frigate 
 in the proper direction. Ship after ship came up, and 
 went on to the northward, fast as her crippled state would 
 allow, yet no sign of movement was seen in the Caesar. 
 Two sail had appeared in the southeastern board, and they, 
 too, approached and passed without bringing the Vice-ad 
 miral even on deck. These ships proved to be the Carnatic 
 and her prize, La Scipion, which latter ship had been inter 
 cepted and easily captured by the former. The steering of 
 M. de Vervillin to the southwest had left a clear passage to 
 the two ships, which were coming down with a free wind 
 at a handsome rate of sailing. This news was sent into 
 the Caesar s cabin, but it brought no person and no answer 
 out of it. At length, when every thing had gone ahead, 
 the barge returned to the Chloe. It merely took a note, 
 however, which was no sooner read by Wycherly, than he 
 summoned the Bowlderos and Galleygo, had all the Vice- 
 admiral s luggage passed into the boat, struck his flag, and 
 took his leave of Denham. As soon as the boat was clear 
 of the frigate, the latter made all sail after the fleet, to re 
 sume her ordinary duties of a lookout and a repeating- 
 ship. 
 
 As soon as Wycherly reached the Caesar, that ship hoisted 
 in the Vice-admiral s barge. A report was made to Sir Ger- 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 395 
 
 vaise of what had been done, and then an order came on 
 deck that occasioned all in the fleet to stare with surprise. 
 The red flag of Sir Gervaise Oakes was run up at the fore 
 royal-masthead of the Caesar, while the white flag of the 
 Rear-admiral was still flying at her mizzen. Such a thing 
 had never before been known to happen, if it has ever hap 
 pened since : and to the time when she was subsequently 
 lost, the Caesar was known as the double flag-ship. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 WE shall now ask permission of the reader to advance 
 the time just eight-and-forty hours; a liberty with the 
 unities which he will do us the justice to say, we have not 
 often taken. We must also transfer the scene to that al 
 ready described, at Wychecombe, including the Head, the 
 station, the roads, and the inland and seaward views. Sum 
 mer weather had returned, too, the pennants of the ships 
 at anchor scarce streaming from their masts far enough to 
 form curved lines. Most of the English fleet was among 
 those vessels, though the squadron had undergone some 
 changes. The Druid had gone into Portsmouth with La 
 Victoire ; the Driver and Active had made the best of their 
 way to the nearest ports, with dispatches for the Admi 
 ralty ; and the Achilles, in tow of the Dublin, with the Chloe 
 to take care of both, had gone to leeward, with square 
 yards, in the hope of making Falmouth. The rest of the 
 force was present, the crippled ships having been towed 
 into the roads that morning. The picture among the ship 
 ping was one of extreme activity and liveliness. Jury- 
 masts were going up in the Warspite ; lower and topsail- 
 yards were down to be fished, or new ones were rigging to 
 be sent aloft in their places ; the Plantagenet was all 
 a-tanto, again, in readiness for another action, with rigging 
 secured and masts fished, while none but an instructed eye 
 could have detected, at a short distance, that the Caesar, 
 Carnatic, Dover, York, Elizabeth, and one or two more, 
 had been in the action at all. 
 
 The landing was- crowded with boats as before, the gun 
 room servants and midshipmen s boys were foraging as 
 usual ; some with honest intent to find delicacies "for the 
 wounded, but more with the roguish design of contribut- 
 
396 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 ing to the comforts of the unhurt, by making appeals to 
 the sympathies of the women of the neighborhood, in be 
 half of the hurt. 
 
 The principal transformation that had been brought 
 about by this state of things, however, was apparent at the 
 station. This spot had the appearance of a place to which 
 the headquarters of an army had been transferred, in the 
 vicissitudes of the field ; warlike sailors, if not soldiers, 
 flocking to it as the centre of interest and intelligence. 
 Still there was a singularity observable in the manner in 
 which these heroes of the deck paid their court ; the cot 
 tage being seemingly tabooed, or, at most, approached by 
 very few, while the grass at the foot of the flag-staff was 
 already beginning to show proofs of the pressure of many 
 feet. This particular spot, indeed, was the centre of 
 attraction ; there, officers of all rank and ages were con 
 stantly arriving, and thence they were as often departing ; all 
 bearing countenances sobered by anxiety and apprehension. 
 Notwithstanding the constant mutations, there had been 
 no instant since the rising of the sun, when some ten or 
 twelve, at least, including captains, lieutenants, masters, 
 and idlers, had not been collected around the bench at the 
 foot of the signal-staff, and not unfrequently the company 
 reached even double that number. 
 
 A little retired from the crowd, and near the verge of 
 the cliff, a large tent had been pitched. A marine paced 
 in its front, as a sentinel. Another stood near the gate of 
 the little door-yard of the cottage, and all the persons who 
 approached either, with the exception of a few of the 
 privileged, were referred to the sergeant who commanded 
 the guard. The arms of the latter were stacked on the 
 grass, at hand, and the men off post were loitering near. 
 These were the usual military signs of the presence of 
 officers of rank, and may, in sooth, be taken as clew to the 
 actual state of tilings, on and around the Head. 
 
 Admiral Bluewater lay in the cottage, while Sir Gervaise 
 Oakes occupied the tent. The former had been transferred 
 to the place where he was about to breathe his last, at his 
 own urgent request, while his friend had refused to be 
 separated from him, so long as life remained. The two 
 flags were still flying at the mastheads of the Caesar, a sort 
 of melancholy memorial of the tie that had so long bound 
 their gallant owners in the strong sympathies of an endur 
 ing personal and professional friendshio. 
 
iva 
 
 THE TWO ADMIRhjZs.. 397 
 
 Persons of the education of Mrs. Dutton and her daugh 
 ter had not dwelt so long on that beautiful headland, with 
 out leaving on the spot some lasting impressions of their 
 tastes. Of the cottage, we have already spoken. The 
 little garden, too, then bright with flowers, had a grace and 
 refinement about it that we would hardly have expected to 
 meet in such a place ; and even the paths that led athwart 
 the verdant common which spread over so much of the up 
 land, had been directed with an eye to the picturesque and 
 agreeable. One of these paths, too, led to a rustic summer- 
 house a sort of small, rude, pavilion, constructed, like the 
 fences, of fragments of wrecks, and placed on a shelf of the 
 cliff, at a dizzy elevation, but in perfect security. So far 
 from there being any danger in erecting this summer- 
 house, indeed, Wycherly, during his six months residence 
 near the Head, had made a path that descended still 
 lower, to a point that was utterly concealed from all eyes 
 above, and had actually planted a seat on another shelf 
 with so much security, that both Mildred and her mother 
 often visited it in company. During the young man s re 
 cent absence, the poor girl, indeed, had passed much of 
 her time there, weeping and suffering in solitude. To this 
 seat, Dutton never ventured ; the descent, though well 
 protected with ropes, requiring greater steadiness of foot 
 and head than intemperance had left him. Once or twice, 
 Wycherly had induced Mildred to pass an hour with him 
 alone in this romantic place, and some of his sweetest 
 recollections of this just minded and intelligent girl were 
 connected with the frank communications that had there 
 occurred between them. On this bench he was seated at 
 the time of the opening of the present chapter. 
 
 The movement on the Head, and about the cottage, was 
 so great as to deprive him of every chance of seeing Mil 
 dred alone, and he had hoped that, led by some secret 
 sympathy, she, too, might seek this perfectly retired seat, 
 to obtain a moment of unobserved solitude, if not from 
 some dearer motive. He had not waited long, ere he 
 heard a heavy foot over his head, and a man entered the 
 summer-house. He was yet debating whether to abandon 
 all hopes of seeing Mildred, when his acute ear caught 
 her light and well-known footstep, as she reached the 
 summer-house, also. 
 
 " Father, I have come as you desired," said the poor 
 girl, in those tremulous tones which Wycherly too well 
 
398 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 understood, not to imagine the condition of Button. 
 
 Admiral Bluewater dozes, and mother has permitted me, 
 to steal away." 
 
 "Aye, Admiral Bluewater is a great man, though but 
 little better than a dead one ! " answered Button, as harshlv 
 in manner as the language was coarse. " You and your 
 mother are a"ll attention to him ; did I lie in his place, 
 which of you would be found hanging over my bed, with 
 pale cheeks and tearful eyes ? " 
 
 " Both of us, father! Bo not do not think so ill of 
 your wife and daughter, as to suppose it possible that 
 either of them could forget her duty." 
 
 " Yes, duty might do something, perhaps ; what has 
 duty to do w r ith this useless Rear-admiral ? I hate the 
 scoundrel he was one of the court that cashiered me ; 
 and one, too, that I am told, was the most obstinate in re 
 fusing to help me into this pitiful berth of a master." 
 
 Mildred was silent. She could not vindicate her friend 
 without criminating her father. As for Wycherly, he 
 would have given a year s income to be at sea ; yet he 
 shrank from wounding the poor daughter s feelings by 
 letting her know he overheard the dialogue. This inde 
 cision made him the unwilling auditor of a conversation 
 that he ought not to have heard an occurrence which, 
 had there been time for reflection, he would have taken 
 means to prevent. 
 
 "Sit you down here, Mildred," resumed Button, sternly, 
 " and listen to what I have to say. It is time that there 
 should no longer be any trifling between us. You have 
 the fortunes of your mother and myself in your hands ; 
 and, as one of the parties so deeply concerned, I am deter 
 mined mine shall be settled at once." 
 
 " I do not understand you, father," said Mildred, with a 
 tremor in her voice that almost induced the young man to 
 show himself, though we owe it to truth to say, that a 
 lively curiosity now mingled with his other sensations. 
 " How can I have the keeping of dear mother s fortunes 
 and yours ? 
 
 "Bear mother, truly ! Bear enough has she proved to 
 me ; but I intend the daughter shall pay for it. Hark 
 you, Mildred ; I ll have no more of this trifling but I 
 ask you in a father s name, if any man has offered you 
 his hand ? Speak plainly, and conceal nothing I will be 
 answered." 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 399 
 
 " I wish to conceal nothing, father, that ought to be 
 told ; but when a young woman declines the honor that 
 another does her in this way, ought she to reveal the 
 secret, even to her father ? " 
 
 " She ought ; and in your case, she shall. No more 
 hesitation ; name one of the offers you have had." 
 
 Mildred, after a brief pause, in a low, tremulous voice, 
 pronounced the name of " Mr. Rotherham." 
 
 " I suspected as much," growled Button ; " there was a 
 time when even he might have answered, but we can do 
 better than that now. Still he may be kept as a reserve ; 
 the thousand pounds Mr. Thomas says shall be paid, and 
 that and the living will make a comfortable port after a 
 stormy life. Well, who next, Mildred ? Has Mr. Thomas 
 Wychecombe ever come to the point ? " 
 
 "He has asked me to become his wife, within the last 
 twenty-four hours ; if that is what you mean." 
 
 " No affectations, Milly ; I can t bear them. You know 
 well enough what I mean. What was your answer ? " 
 
 " I do not love him in the least, father, and, of course, I 
 told him I could not marry him." 
 
 " That don t follow of course, by any means, girl ! The 
 marrying is done by the priest, and the love is a very dif 
 ferent thing. I hope you consider Mrs. Button as my 
 wife ? " 
 
 " What a question ! " murmured Mildred. 
 
 "Well, and do you suppose she loves me; can love me, 
 now I am a disgraced, impoverished man ?" 
 
 " Father ! " 
 
 " Come, come enough of this. Mr. Thomas Wyche 
 combe may not be legitimate I rather think he is not, by 
 the proofs Sir Reginald has produced within the last day 
 or two ; and I understand his own mother is dissatisfied 
 with, him, and that will knock his claim flat aback. Not 
 withstanding, Mildred, Tom Wychecombe has a good six 
 hundred a year already, and Sir Reginald himself admits 
 that he must take all the personal property the Baronet 
 could leave." 
 
 "You forget, father," said Mildred, conscious of the in- 
 efficacy of any other appeal, " that Mr. Thomas has prom 
 ised to pay the legacies that Sir Wycherly intended to leave." 
 
 " Bon t place any expectations on that, Mildred. I dare 
 say he would settle ten of the twenty thousand on you to 
 morrow, if you would consent to have him. But, how, as 
 
400 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 to this new Baronet, for it seems he is to have both title 
 and estate has he ever offered ? " 
 
 There was a long pause, during which Wycherly thought 
 he heard the hard but suppressed breathing of Mildred. 
 To remain quiet any longer, he felt was impossible, as in* 
 deed, his conscience told him it was dishonorable, and he 
 sprang along the path to ascend to the summer-house. At 
 the first sound of his footstep, a faint cry escaped Mildred ; 
 but when Wycherly entered the pavilion, he found her 
 face buried in her hands, and Button tottering forward, 
 equally in surprise and alarm. As the circumstances would 
 not admit of evasion, the young man threw aside all reserve, 
 and spoke plainly. 
 
 " I have been an unwilling listener to a part of your dis 
 course with Mildred, Mr. Button," he said, "and can an 
 swer your last question for myself. I have offered my 
 hand to your daughter, sir ; an offer that I now renew, and 
 the acceptance of which would make me the happiest man 
 in England. If your influence could aid me for she has 
 refused my hand " 
 
 " Refused ! " exclaimed Button, in a surprise that over 
 came the calculated amenity of manner he had assumed 
 the instant Wycherly appeared, " Refused, Sir Wycherly 
 Wychecombe ! but it was before your rights had been as 
 well established as they now are. Mildred, answer to this 
 how could you nay, how dare you refuse such an offer 
 as this ? " 
 
 Human nature could not well endure more. Mildred 
 suffered her hands to fall helplessly into her lap, and ex 
 posed a face that was lovely as that of an angel, though 
 pale nearly to the hue of death. Feeling extorted the an 
 swer she made, though the words had hardly escaped her, 
 ere she repented having uttered them, and had again 
 buried her face in her hands. 
 
 "Father," she said, " could I dare I to encourage Sir 
 Wycherly Wychecombe to unite himself to a family like 
 ours ! " , 
 
 Conscience smote Button with a force that nearly so 
 bered him, and what explanation might have followed it is 
 hard to say. Wycherlv, in an undertone, however, re 
 quested to be left alone with his daughter. Button had 
 sense enough to understand he was de trop, and shame 
 enough to wish to escape. In half a minute, he had hob 
 bled up to the summit of the cliff and disappeared. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 401 
 
 " Mildred ! Dearest Mildred ! " said Wycherly, tenderly, 
 gently endeavoring to draw her attention to himself, "we 
 are alone now ; surely surely you will not refuse to look 
 at me ! " 
 
 " Is he gone ?" asked Mildred, dropping her hands, and 
 looking wildly around. " Thank God ! It is over, for this 
 time, at least ! Now, let us go to the house ; Admiral Blue- 
 water may miss me." 
 
 "No, Mildred, not yet. You surely can spare me me, 
 who have suffered so much of late on your account nay, 
 by your means you can, in mercy, spare me a few short 
 minutes. Was this the reason the only reason, dearest 
 girl, why you so pertinaciously refused my hand ?" 
 
 "Was it not sufficient, Wycherly?" answered Mildred, 
 afraid the chartered air might hear her secret. " Remem 
 ber who you are, and what I am ! Could I suffer you to 
 become the husband of one to whom such cruel, cruel 
 propositions had been made by her own father ! " 
 
 " I shall not affect to conceal my horror of such prin 
 ciples, Mildred, but your virtues shine all the brighter by 
 having flourished in their company. Answer me but one 
 question frankly, and every other difficulty can be gotten 
 over. Do you love me well enough to be my wife, were 
 you an orphan ?" 
 
 Mildred s countenance was full of anguish, but this ques 
 tion changed its expression entirely. The moment was 
 extraordinary, as were the feelings it engendered, and, 
 almost unconsciously to herself, she raised the hand that 
 held her own to her lips, in a sort of reverence. In the 
 next instant she was encircled in the young man s arms, 
 and pressed with fervor to his heart. 
 
 " Let us go," said Mildred, extricating herself from an 
 embrace that was too involuntarily bestowed, and too 
 heartfelt to alarm her delicacy. " I feel certain that Ad 
 miral Bluewater will miss me ! " 
 
 "No, Mildred, we cannot part thus. Give me, at least, 
 the poor consolation of knowing, that if this difficulty did 
 not exist that if you were an orphan, for instance you 
 would be mine ! " 
 
 " Oh ! Wycherly, how gladly how gladly ! But, say no 
 more nay " 
 
 This time the embrace was longer, more fervent even 
 than before, and Wycherly was too much of a sailor to let 
 the sweet girl escape from his arms without imprinting on 
 26 
 
402 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 her lips a kiss. He had no sooner relinquished his hold of 
 the slight person of Mildred, than it vanished. With this 
 characteristic leave-taking, we change the scene to the 
 tent of Sir Gervaise Oakes. 
 
 "You have seen Admiral Bluewater?" demanded the 
 Commander-in-Chief, as soon as the form of Magrath 
 darkened the entrance, and speaking with the sudden 
 earnestness of a man determined to know the worst. " If 
 so, tell me at once what hopes there are for him ? " 
 
 "Of all the human passions, Sir Jairvis," answered 
 Magrath, looking aside, to avoid the keen glance of the 
 other, "hope is generally considered, by all rational men, 
 as the most treacherous and delusive ; I may add, of all 
 denominations or divisions of hope, that which decides on 
 life is the most unsartain. We all hope to live, I m think 
 ing, to a good old age, and yet how many of us live just 
 long enough to be disappointed ! " 
 
 Sir Gervaise did not move until the surgeon ceased 
 speaking ; then he began to pace the tent in mournful 
 silence. He understood Magrath s manner so well, that 
 the last faint hope he had felt from seeking his opinion 
 was gone ; he now knew that his friend must die. It re 
 quired all his fortitude to stand up against this blow ; for, 
 single, childless, and accustomed to each other from in 
 fancy, these two veteran sailors had got to regard them 
 selves as merely isolated parts of the same being. Magrath 
 was affected more than he chose to express, and he blew 
 his nose several times in a way that any observer would 
 have found suspicious. 
 
 "Will you confer on me the favor, Dr. Magrath," said 
 Sir Gervaise, in a gentle, subdued manner, "to ask Captain 
 Greenly to come hither, as you pass the flag-staff ?" 
 
 " Most willingly, Sir Jairvis ; and I know he ll be any 
 thing but backward in complying." 
 
 It was not long ere the Captain of the Plantagenet made 
 his appearance. Like all around him, the recent victory 
 appeared to bring no exultation. 
 
 " I suppose Magrath told you all ?" said the Vice-ad 
 miral, squeezing the other s hand. 
 
 " He gives no hopes, Sir Gervaise, I sincerely regret to 
 say." 
 
 " I knew as much ! I knew as much ! and yet he is easy, 
 Greenly nay, even seems happy. I did feel a little hope 
 that this absence from suffering might be a favorable omen." 
 
THE 7 WO ADMIRALS. 403 
 
 " I am glad to hear that much, sir ; for I have been 
 thinking that it is my duty to speak to the Rear-admiral 
 on the subject of his brother s marriage. From his own 
 silence on the subject, it is possible nay, from all circum 
 stances it is probable he never knew of it, and there may 
 be reasons \vhy he ought to be informed of the affair. As 
 you say he is so easy, would there be an impropriety in 
 mentioning it to him ?" 
 
 Greenly could not possibly have made a suggestion that 
 was a greater favor to Sir Gervaise. The necessity of 
 doing, his habits of decision, and having an object in view, 
 contributed to relieve his mind by diverting his thoughts 
 to some active duty ; and he seized his hat, beckoned to 
 Greenly to follow, and moved across the hill with a rapid 
 pace, taking the path to the cottage. It was necessary to 
 pass the flag-staff. As this was done, every countenance 
 itiet the Vice-admiral s glance with a look of sincere sym 
 pathy. The bows that were exchanged had more in them 
 than the naked courtesies of such salutations ; they were 
 eloquent of feeling on both sides. 
 
 Bluewater was awake, and retaining the hand of Mildred 
 affectionately in his own, when his friend entered. Re 
 linquishing his hold, however, he grasped the hand of the 
 Vice-admiral, and looked earnestly at him, as if he pitied 
 the sorrow that he knew the survivor must feel. 
 
 My dear Blue\vater," commenced Sir Gervaise, who 
 acted under a nervous excitement, as well as from consti 
 tutional decision, "here is Greenly with something to tell 
 you that we both think you ought to know, at a moment 
 like this." 
 
 The Rear-admiral regarded his friend intently, as if in 
 viting him to proceed. 
 
 " Why, it s about your brother Jack. I fancy you can 
 not have known that he was ever married, or I think I 
 should have heard you speak of it." 
 
 "Married!" repeated Bluewater, with great interest, 
 and speaking with very little difficulty. " I think that 
 must be an error. Inconsiderate and warm-hearted he 
 was, but there is only one woman he could, nay, would have 
 married. She is long since dead, but not as his w T ife ; for 
 that her uncle, a man of great wealth, but of unbending 
 will, would never have suffered. He survived her, though 
 my poor brother did not." 
 
404 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 This was said in a mild voice, for the wounded man spoke 
 equally without effort, and without pain. 
 
 "You hear, Greenly?" observed Sir Gervaise. "And 
 yet it is not probable that you should be mistaken." 
 
 " Certainly, I am not, gentlemen. I saw Colonel Blue- 
 water married, as did another officer who is at this moment 
 in this very fleet. Captain Blakely is the person I mean, 
 and I know that the priest who performed the ceremony 
 is still living, a beneficed clergyman." 
 
 "That is wonderful to me ! He fervently loved Agnes 
 Hedworth, but his poverty was an obstacle to the union ; 
 and both died so young, that there was little opportunity 
 of conciliating the uncle." 
 
 " That, sir, is your mistake. Agnes Hedworth was the 
 bride." 
 
 A noise in the room interrupted the dialogue, and the 
 three gentlemen saw Wycherly and Mildred stooping to 
 pick up the fragments of a bowl that Mrs. Button had let 
 fall. The latter, apparently in alarm at the little accident, 
 had sank back into a seat, pale and trembling. 
 
 "My dear Mrs. Button, take a glass of water," said Sir 
 Gervaise, kindly approaching her; "your nerves have 
 been sorely tried of late ; else would not such a trifle affect 
 you." 
 
 "It is not that!" exclaimed the matron, huskily. "It 
 is not that ! O ! the fearful moment has come at last ; and, 
 from my inmost spirit I thank Thee, my Lord and my 
 God, that it has come free from shame and disgrace ?" 
 
 The closing words were uttered on bended knees, and 
 with uplifted hands. 
 
 "Mother! dearest, dearest, mother," cried Mildred, fall 
 ing on her mother s neck. " What mean you ? Tell me, 
 what new misery has happened to-day ? " 
 
 " Mother ! Yes, sweet one, thou art, thou ever shalt be 
 my child ! This is the pang I have most dreaded ; but 
 what is an unknown tie of blood, to us, and affection, and 
 to a mother s care ? If I did not bear thee, Mildred, no 
 natural mother could have loved thee more, or would have 
 died for thee, as willingly ! " 
 
 " Bistress has disturbed her, gentlemen," said Mildred, 
 gently extricating herself from her mother s arms, and 
 helping her to rise. "A few moments of rest will restore 
 her." 
 
 " No, darling ; it must come now it ought to come now 
 
THE TU O ADMIRALS. 405 
 
 after what I have just heard, it would be unpardonable 
 not to tell it, now. Did I understand you to say, sir, that 
 you were present at the marriage of Agnes Hedworth, and 
 that, too, with the brother of Admiral Bluewater ? " 
 
 "Of that fact, there can be no question, madam. I and 
 others will testify to it. The marriage took place in Lon 
 don, in the Summer of 1725, while Blakely and myself were 
 up from Portsmouth, on leave. Colonel Bluewater asked 
 us both to be present, under a pledge of secrecy." 
 
 "And in the Summer of 1726 Agnes Hedworth died in 
 my house and my arms, an hour after giving birth to this 
 dear, this precious child Mildred Button, as she has ever 
 since been called Mildred Bluewater, as it would seem 
 her name should be." 
 
 It is unnecessary to dwell on the surprise with which all 
 present, or the delight with which Bluewater and Wycherly 
 heard this extraordinary announcement. A cry escaped 
 Mildred, who threw herself on Mrs. Button s neck, en 
 twining it with her arms, convulsively, as if refusing to 
 permit the tie that had so long bound them together, to be 
 thus rudely torn asunder. But half an hour of weeping, 
 and of the tenderest consolations, calmed the poor girl a 
 little, and she was able to listen to the explanations. These 
 were exceedingly simple, and so clear, as, in connection 
 with the other evidence, to put the facts out of all doubt. 
 
 Miss Hedworth had become known to Mrs. Button, 
 while the latter was an intimate in the house of her 
 patron. A year or two after the marriage of the Lieuten 
 ant, and while he was on a distant station, Agnes Hed 
 worth threw herself on the protection of his wife, asking 
 a refuge for a woman in the most critical circumstances. 
 Like all who knew Agnes Hedworth, Mrs. Button both 
 respected and loved her ; but the distance created between 
 them, by birth and station, was such as to prevent any 
 confidence. The former, for the few days passed with her 
 humble friend, had acted with the quiet dignity of a wom 
 an conscious of no wrong ; and no questions could be 
 asked that implied doubts. A succession of fainting fits 
 prevented all communications in the hour of death, and 
 Mrs. Button found herself left with a child on her hands, 
 and the dead body of her friend. Miss Hedworth had 
 come to her dwelling unattended, and under a false name. 
 These circumstances induced Mrs. Button to apprehend 
 the worst, and she proceeded to make her arrangements 
 
406 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 with great tenderness for the reputation of the deceased. 
 The body was removed to London, and letters were sent 
 to the uncle to inform him where it was to be found, 
 with a reference, should he choose to inquire into the 
 circumstances of his niece s death. Mrs. Button ascer 
 tained that the body was interred in the usual manner, 
 but no inquiry was ever made, concerning the particulars. 
 The young Duchess, Miss Hedworth s sister, was then 
 travelling in Italy, whence she did not return for more 
 than a year ; and we may add, though Mrs. Button was 
 unable to make the explanation, that her inquiries after 
 the fate of a beloved sister, were met by a simple state 
 ment that she had died suddenly, on a visit to a watering- 
 place, whither she had gone with a female friend for her 
 health. Whether Mr. Hedworth himself had any suspi 
 cions of his niece s condition, is uncertain ; but the prob 
 abilities were against it, for she had offended him by re 
 fusing a match in all respects equal to that made by her elder 
 sister, with the single exception that the latter had married 
 a man she loved, whereas he exacted of Agnes a very dif 
 ferent sacrifice. Owing to the alienation produced by 
 this affair, there was little communication between the 
 uncle and niece ; the latter passing her time in retirement 
 and professedly with friends that the former neither knew 
 nor cared to know. In short, such was the mode of life 
 of the respective parties, that nothing was easier than for 
 the unhappy young w r idow to conceal her state from her 
 uncle. The motive w r as the fortune of the expected child ; 
 this uncle having it in his power to alienate from it, by 
 will, if he saw fit, certain family property, that might 
 otherwise descend to the issue of the two sisters, as his co 
 heiresses. What might have happened in the end, or what 
 poor Agnes meditated doing, can never be known ; death 
 closing the secret with his irremovable seal. 
 
 Mrs. Button was the mother of a girl but three months 
 old, at the time this little stranger was left on her hands. 
 A few weeks later her own child died ; and having waited 
 several months in vain for tidings from the Hedworth 
 family, she had the surviving infant christened by the 
 same name as that borne by her own daughter, and soon 
 came to love it, as much, perhaps, as if she had borne it. 
 Three years passed in this manner, when the time grew 
 near for the return of her husband from the East Indies. 
 To be ready to meet him, she changed her abode to a naval 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 407 
 
 port, and, in so doing, changed her domestics. This left 
 her accidentally, but fortunately, as she afterward thought, 
 completely mistress of the secret of Mildred s birth; the 
 one or two others to whom it was known being in stations 
 to render it improbable they should ever communicate any 
 thing on the subject, unless it was asked of them. Her orig 
 inal intention, however, was to communicate the fact, with 
 out reserve, to her husband. But he came back an altered 
 man ; brutal in manners, cold in his affections, and the 
 victim of drunkenness. By this time, the wife was too much 
 attached to the child to think of exposing it to the way 
 ward caprices of such a being ; and Mildred was educated, 
 and grew in stature and beauty as the real offspring of 
 her reputed parents. 
 
 All this Mrs. Button related clearly and briefly, refrain 
 ing, of course, from making any allusion to the conduct 
 of her husband, and referring all her own benevolence to 
 attachment to the child. Bluewater had strength enough 
 to receive Mildred in his arms, and he kissed her pale 
 cheek, again and again, blessing her in the most fervent 
 and solemn manner. 
 
 "My feelings were not treacherous or unfaithful," he 
 said ; " I loved thee sweetest, from the first. Sir Gervaise 
 Oakes has my will, made in thy favor, before we sailed on 
 this last cruise, and every shilling I leave will be thine. 
 Mr. Atwood, procure that will, and add a codicil explain 
 ing this recent discovery, and confirming the legacy ; let 
 not the last be touched, for it is spontaneous and comes 
 from the heart." 
 
 "And now," answered Mrs. Button, " enough has passed 
 for once. The sick-bed should be more quiet. Give me 
 my child, again ; I cannot yet consent to part with her for 
 ever." 
 
 "Mother! mother!" exclaimed Mildred, throwing her 
 self on Mrs. Button s bosom, " I am yours, and yours 
 only." 
 
 " Not so, I fear, Mildred, if all I suspect be true, and 
 this is as proper a moment as another to place that mat 
 ter also before your honored uncle. Come forward, Sir 
 Wycherly ; I have understood you to say, this minute, in 
 my ear, that you hold the pledge of this wilful girl to be 
 come your wife, should she ever become an orphan. An 
 orphan she is, and has been since the first hour of her 
 birth." 
 
4o8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 "No no," murmured Mildred, burying her face still 
 deeper in her mother s bosom, "not while you live, can I 
 be an orphan. Not now another time ; this is unseason 
 able cruel ; nay, it is not what I said." 
 
 " Take her away, dearest Mrs. Dutton," said Bluewater, 
 tears of joy forcing themselves from his eyes. " Take her 
 away, lest too much happiness comes upon me at once. 
 My thoughts should be calmer at such a moment." 
 
 Wycherly removed Mildred from her mother s arms, 
 and gently led her from the room. When in Mrs. But 
 ton s apartment, he whispered something in the ear of the 
 agitated girl that caused her to turn on him a look of 
 happiness, though it came dimmed with tears ; then he had 
 his turn of holding her, for another precious instant, to 
 his heart. 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Dutton nay, my dear mother," he said, 
 " Mildred and myself have both need of parents. I am an 
 orphan like herself, and we can never consent to part with 
 you. Look forward, I entreat you, to making one of our 
 family in all things, for never can Mildred or myself cease 
 to consider you as a parent entitled to more than common 
 reverence and affection." 
 
 Wycherly had hardly uttered this proper speech, when 
 he received what he fancied a tenfold reward. Mildred, 
 in a burst of natural feeling, without affectation or reserve, 
 but yielding to her heart only, threw her arms around his 
 neck, murmured the word "Thanks" several times, and 
 wept freely on his bosom. When Mrs. Dutton received 
 the sobbing girl from him, Wycherly kissed the mother s 
 cheek, and he left the room. 
 
 Admiral Bluewater would not consent to seek his re 
 pose until he had a private conference with his friend and 
 Wycherly. The latter was frankness and liberality itself, 
 but the former would not wait for settlements. These he 
 trusted to the young man s honor. His own time was 
 short, and he should die perfectly happy could he leave 
 his niece in the care of one like our Virginian. He wished 
 the marriage to take place in his presence. On this, he 
 even insisted, and, of course, Wycherly made no objec 
 tions, but went to state the case to Mrs. Dutton and 
 Mildred. 
 
 " It is singular, Dick," said Sir Gervaise, wiping his 
 eyes, as he looked from a window that commanded a view 
 of the sea, " that I have left both our flags flying in the 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 409 
 
 Caesar ! I declare, the oddness of the circumstance never 
 struck me till this minute." 
 
 " Let them float thus a little longer, Gervaise. They 
 have faced many a gale and many a battle together, and 
 may endure each other s company a few hours longer." 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 Compound of weakness and of strength, 
 
 Mighty, yet ignorant of thy power ! 
 Loftier than earth, or air, or sea, 
 
 Yet meaner than the lowliest flower ! 
 
 MARGARET DAVIDSON. 
 
 NOT a syllable of explanation, reproach, or self-accusation 
 had passed between the Commander-in-chief and the Rear- 
 admiral, since the latter received his wound. Each party 
 appeared to blot out the events of the last few days, leav 
 ing the long vista of their past services and friendship un- 
 disfigured by a single unsightly or unpleasant object. Sir 
 Gervaise, while he retained an active superintendence of 
 his fleet, and issued the necessary orders right and left, 
 hovered around the bed of Bluewater with the assiduity 
 and almost with the tenderness of a woman ; still not the 
 slightest allusion was made to the recent battles, or to any 
 thing that had occurred in the short cruise. The speech 
 recorded at the close of the last chapter was the first 
 words he had uttered which might, in any manner, carry 
 the rnind of either back to events that both might wish 
 forgotten. The Rear-admiral felt this forbearance deeply, 
 and now that the subject was thus accidentally broached 
 between them, he had a desire to say something in contin 
 uation. Still he waited until the Baronet had left the win 
 dow and taken a seat by his bed. 
 
 " Gervaise," Bluewater then commenced, speaking low 
 from weakness, but speaking distinctly from feeling, " I 
 cannot die without asking your forgiveness. There were 
 several hours when I actually meditated treason I will 
 not say to my king ; on that point my opinions are un 
 changed but to you." 
 
 " Why speak of this, Dick ? You did not know yourself 
 when you believed it possible to desert me in the face of 
 the enemy. How much better I judged of your character, 
 is seen in the fact that I did not hesitate to engage double 
 
4 io THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 my force, well knowing that you could not fail to come to 
 my rescue." 
 
 Bluewater looked intently at his friend, and a smile of 
 serious satisfaction passed over his pallid countenance as 
 he listened to Sir Gervaise s words, which were uttered 
 with his usual warmth and sincerity of manner. 
 
 " I believe you know me better than I know myself," 
 he answered, after a thoughtful pause ; "yes, better than 
 I know myself. What a glorious close to our professional 
 career would it have been, Oakes, had I followed you into 
 battle, as was our old practice, and fallen in your wake, 
 imitating your own high example ! " 
 
 " It is better as it is, Dick if anything that has so sad a 
 termination can be well yes, it is better as it is ; you have 
 fallen at my side, as it were. We will think or talk no 
 more of this." 
 
 " We have been friends, and close friends too, for a long 
 period, Gervaise," returned Bluewater, stretching his arm 
 from the bed, with the long, thin fingers of the hand ex 
 tended to meet the other s grasp ; " yet, I cannot recall an 
 act of yours which I can justly lay to heart, as unkind, or 
 untrue." 
 
 " God forgive me, if you can I hope not, Dick ; most 
 sincerely do I hope not. It would give me great pain to 
 believe it." 
 
 " You have no cause for self-reproach. In no one act or 
 thought can you justly accuse yourself with injuring me. 
 I should die much happier if I could say the same of my 
 self, Oakes ! " 
 
 " Thought, Dick ? Thought ! You never meditated 
 aught against me in your whole life. The love you bear 
 me is the true reason why you lie there, at this blessed 
 moment." 
 
 " It is grateful to find that I have been understood. I 
 am deeply indebted to you, Oakes, for declining to signal 
 me and my division down, when I foolishly requested that 
 untimely forbearance. I was then suffering an anguish of 
 mind to which any pain of the body I may now endure, is 
 an elysium ; your self-denial gave time " 
 
 " For the heart to prompt you to that which your feel 
 ings yearned to do from the first, Bluewater," interrupted 
 Sir Gervaise. " And, now, as your commanding officer, I 
 enjoin silence on this subject for ever." 
 
 "I will endeavor to obey. It will not be long, Oakes, 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 411 
 
 that I shall remain under your orders," added the Rear- 
 admiral, with a painful smile. "There should be no charge 
 of mutiny against me in the last act of my life. You ought 
 to forgive the one sin of omission when you remember how 
 much and how completely my will has been subject to 
 yours, during the last five-and-thirty years how little my 
 mind has matured a professional thought that yours has 
 not originated !" 
 
 "Speak no more of forgive, I charge you, Dick. That 
 you have shown a girl-like docility in obeying my orders, 
 too, is a truth I will aver before God and man ; but when 
 it comes to mind, I am far from asserting that mine has 
 had the mastery. . I do believe, could the truth be ascer 
 tained, it would be found that I am, at this blessed moment 
 enjoying a professional reputation, which is more than half 
 due to you." 
 
 " It matters little now, Gervaise it matters little, now. 
 We were two light-hearted and gay lads, Oakes, when we 
 first met as boys, fresh from school, and merry as health 
 and spirits could make us." 
 
 "We were, indeed, Dick ! yes, we were ; thoughtless as 
 if this sad moment were never to arrive." 
 
 " There were George Anson and Peter Warren, little 
 Charley Saunders, Jack Byng, and a set of us that did, in 
 deed, live as if we were never to die ! We carried our lives, 
 as it might be, in our hands, Oakes !" 
 
 " There is much of that, Dick, in boyhood and youth. 
 But he is happiest, after all, who can meet this moment as 
 you do calmly and yet without any dependence on his 
 own merits." 
 
 " I had an excellent mother, Oakes ! Little do we think 
 in youth, how much we owe to the unextinguishable ten 
 derness, and far-seeing lessons of our mothers ! Ours both 
 died while we were young, yet I do think we were their 
 debtors for far more than we could ever repay." 
 
 Sir Gervaise simply assented, but making no immediate 
 answer, otherwise, a long pause succeeded, during which 
 the Vice-admiral fancied that his friend was beginning to 
 doze. He was mistaken. 
 
 " You will be made Viscount Bowldero, for these last af 
 fairs, Gervaise," the wounded man unexpectedly observed, 
 showing how much his thoughts were still engrossed with 
 the interests of his friend. " Nor do I see why you should 
 again refuse a peerage. Those who remain in this world 
 
412 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 may well yield to its usages and opinions, while they do 
 not interfere with higher obligations." 
 
 " I !" exclaimed Sir Gervaise, gloomily. "The thought 
 of so commemorating what has happened would be worse 
 than defeat to me ! No, I ask no change of name to remind 
 me constantly of my loss ! " 
 
 Bluewater looked grateful, rather than pleased ; but he 
 made no answer. Now, he fell into a light slumber, from 
 which he did not awake until the time he had himself set 
 for the marriage of Wycherly and Mildred. With one 
 uncle dead and still un buried, and another about to quit 
 the world forever, a rite that is usually deemed as joyous 
 as it is solemn, might seem unseasonable ; but the dying 
 man had made it a request that he might have the con 
 solation of knowing ere he expired, that he left his niece 
 under the legal protection of one as competent as he was 
 desirous of protecting her. The reader must imagine the 
 arguments that were used for the occasion, but they were 
 such as disposed all, in the end, to admit the propriety of 
 yielding their ordinary prejudices to the exigencies of the 
 moment. It may be well to add, also, to prevent useless 
 cavilling, that the laws of England were not as rigid on the 
 subject of the celebration of marriages in 1744, as they 
 subsequently became ; and that it was lawful then to per 
 form the ceremony in a private house without a license 
 and without the publishing of bans, even ; restrictions that 
 were imposed a few years later. The penalty for dispens 
 ing with the publication of bans, was a fine of ^100, im 
 posed on the clergyman ; and this fine Bluewater chose to 
 pay, rather than leave the only great object of life that now 
 remained before him unaccomplished. This penalty in no 
 degree impaired the validitv of the contract, though Mrs. 
 Button, as a woman, felt averse to parting with "her be 
 loved, without a rigid observance of all the customary 
 forms. The point had finally been disposed of, by recourse 
 to arguments addressed to the reason of this respectable 
 woman, and by urging the necessity of the case. Her con 
 sent, however, was not given without a proviso, that a 
 license should be subsequently procured, and a second 
 marriage be had at a fitting moment, should the ecclesias 
 tical authorities consent to the same ; a most improbable 
 thing in itself. 
 
 Mr. Rotherham availed himself of the statute inflicting 
 the penalty, as an excuse for not officiating. His real 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 413 
 
 motive, however, was understood, and the Chaplain of the 
 Plantagenet, a divine of character and piety, was substi 
 tuted in his place. Bluewater had requested that as many 
 of the captams of the fleet should be present as could be 
 collected, and it was the assembling of these warriors of 
 the deep, together with the arrival of the clergyman, 
 that first gave notice of the approach of the appointed 
 hour. 
 
 It is not our intention to dwell on the details in a cere 
 mony that had so much that was painful in its solemnities. 
 Neither Wycherly nor Mildred made any change in their 
 attire, and the lovely bride wept from the time the service 
 began, to the moment when she had left the arms of her 
 uncle, to be received in those of her husband, and was sup 
 ported from the room. All seemed sad, indeed, but Blue- 
 water ; to him the scene was exciting, but it brought great 
 relief to his mind. 
 
 "I am now ready to die, gentlemen," he said, as the 
 door closed on the ne\v-married couple. " My last worldly 
 care is disposed of, and it were better for me to turn all 
 my thoughts to another state of being. My niece, Lady 
 Wychecombe, will inherit the little I have to leave ; nor do 
 I know that it is of much importance to substantiate her 
 birth, as her uncle clearly bestowed what would have been 
 her mother s property, on her aunt, the duchess. If my 
 dying declaration can be of any use, however, you hear it, 
 and can testify to it. Now, come and take leave of me, one 
 by one, that I may bless you all, and thank you for much 
 undeserved, and, I fear, unrequited love." 
 
 The scene that followed was solemn and sad. One by 
 one, the captains drew near the bed, and to each the dying 
 man had something kind and affectionate to say. Even 
 the most cold-hearted looked grave, and O Neil, a man 
 remarkable for a gaite de c&ur that rendered the excitement 
 of battle some of the pleasantest moments of his life, liter 
 ally shed tears on the hand he kissed. 
 
 "Ah! my old friend," said the Rear-admiral, as Parker, 
 of the Carnatic, drew near in his customary meek and 
 subdued manner, "you perceive it is not years alone that 
 bring us to our graves ! They tell me you have behaved as 
 usual in these late affairs ; I trust that^ after a long life of 
 patient and arduous services, you are about to receive a 
 proper reward." 
 
 " I will acknowledge, Admiral Bluewater," returned 
 
414 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Parker, earnestly, " that it would be peculiarly grateful to 
 receive some mark of the approbation of my sovereign ; 
 principally on account of my dear wife and children. We 
 are not, like yourself, descended from a noble family ; but 
 must carve our rights to distinction, and they who have 
 never known honors of this nature, prize them highly." 
 
 "Aye, my good Parker," interrupted the Rear-admiral, 
 "and they who have ever known them, know their empti 
 ness ; most especially as they approach that verge of exist 
 ence whence the eye looks in a near and fearful glance 
 over the vast and unknown range of eternity." 
 
 " No doubt, sir ; nor am I so vain as to suppose that 
 hairs which have got to be gray as mine, can last forever. 
 But, what I was about to say is, that precious as honors 
 are to the humble, I would cheerfully yield every hope of 
 the sort I have, to see you on the poop of the Caesar again, 
 with Mr. Cornet at your elbow, leading the lieet, or fol 
 lowing the motions of the Vice-admiral." 
 
 "Thank you, my good Parker ; that can never be ; nor 
 can I say, now, that I wish it might. When we have cast 
 off from the world, there is less pleasure in looking back 
 than in looking ahead. God bless you, Parker, and keep 
 you, as you have ever been, an honest man." 
 
 Stowel was the last to approach the bed, nor did he do 
 it until all had left the room but Sir Gervaise and himself. 
 The indomitable good-nature, and the professional non 
 chalance of Bluewater, by leaving every subordinate un 
 disturbed in the enjoyment of his own personal caprices, 
 had rendered the Rear-admiral a greater favorite, in one 
 sense at least, than the Commander-in-chief. Stowel, by 
 his near connection with Bluewater, had profited more by 
 these peculiarities than any other officer under him, and 
 the effect on his feelings had been in a very just propor 
 tion to the benefits. He could not refrain, it is true, from 
 remembering the day when he himself had been a lieuten 
 ant in the ship in which the Rear-admiral had been a mid 
 shipman, but he no longer recollected the circumstance 
 with the bitterness that it sometimes drew after it. On 
 the contrary, it was now brought to his mind merely as 
 the most distant of the many landmarks in their long and 
 joint services. 
 
 "Well, Stowel," observed Bluewater, smiling sadly, 
 "even the old Caesar must be left behind. It is seldom a 
 flag-captain has not some heart-burnings on account of 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 415 
 
 his superior, and most sincerely I beg you to forget and 
 forgive any I may have occasioned yourself." 
 
 " Heaven help me, sir ! I was far, just then, from think 
 ing of any such thing ! I was fancying how little I should 
 have thought it probable, when we were together in the 
 Calypso, that I should ever be thus standing at your bed 
 side. Really, Admiral Bluewater, I would rejoice to share 
 with you the remnant of life that is left me." 
 
 " I do believe you would, Stowel ; but that can never be. 
 I have just performed my last act in this world, in giving 
 my niece to Sir Wycherly Wychecombe." 
 
 "Yes, sir yes, sir marriage is no doubt honorable, as 
 I often tell Mrs. Stowel, and therefore not to be despised ; 
 and yet it is singular that a gentleman who has lived a 
 bachelor himself should fancy to see a marriage ceremony 
 performed, and that, too, at the cost of ^"100, if any per 
 son choose to complain, just at the close of his own cruise ! 
 However, men are no more alike in such matters than 
 women in their domestic qualities ; and I sincerely hope 
 this young Sir Wycherly may find as much comfort in the 
 old house I understand he has a little inland here, as you 
 and I have had together, sir, in the old Caesar. I suppose 
 there ll be no co-equals in Wychecombe Hall?" 
 
 " I trust not, Stowel. But you must now receive my 
 last orders, as to the Caesar 
 
 " The Commander-in-chief has his own flag flying aboard 
 of us, sir!" interrupted the methodical Captain, in a sort 
 of admonitory way. 
 
 Never mind that, Stowel ; I ll answer for his acquies 
 cence. My body must be received on board and carried 
 round in the ship to Plymouth. Place it on the main- 
 deck, where the people can see the coffin ; I would pass 
 my last hours above ground, in their midst." 
 
 " It shall be done, sir yes, sir, to the letter, Sir Ger- 
 vaise not countermanding. And I ll write this evening to 
 Mrs. Stowel to say she needn t come down, as usual, as 
 soon as she hears the ship is in, but that she must wait 
 until your flag is fairly struck." 
 
 " I should be sorry, Stowel, to cause a moment s delay 
 in the meeting of husband and wife ! " 
 
 "Don t name it, Admiral Bluewater; Mrs. Stowel will 
 understand that it s duty ; and w y hen w r e married, I fully ex 
 plained to her that duty, w 7 ith a sailor, came before matri 
 mony." 
 
4 i6 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 A little pause succeeded, then Bluevvater took a final 
 and affectionate leave of his captain. Some twenty min 
 utes elapsed in profound silence, during which Sir Ger- 
 vaise did not stir, fancying that his friend again dozed. 
 But it was ordered that Bluewater was never to sleep 
 again, until he took the final rest of the dead. It was the 
 mind, which had always blazed above the duller lethargy 
 of his body, that buoyed him thus up, giving an unnatural 
 impulse to his physical powers ; an impulse, however, 
 that was but momentary, and which, by means of the re 
 action, contributed in the end to his more speedy dissolu 
 tion. Perceiving at length that his friend did not sleep, 
 Sir Gervaise drew near his bed. 
 
 " Richard," he said, gently, "there is one without, who 
 pines to be admitted. I have refused even his tears, un 
 der the impression that you felt disposed to sleep." 
 
 " Never less so. My mind appears to become brighter 
 and clearer, instead of fading ; 1 think I shall never sleep, 
 in the sense you mean. Whoever the person is, let him 
 be admitted." 
 
 Receiving this permission, Sir Gervaise opened the door, 
 and Geoffrey Cleveland entered. At the same moment, 
 Galleygo who came and went at pleasure, thrust in his 
 own ungainly form. The boy s face betrayed the nature 
 and the extent of his grief. In his mind, Admiral Blue- 
 water was associated with all the events of his own profes 
 sional life ; and, though the period had in truth been so 
 short, in his brief existence, the vista through which he 
 looked back seemed quite as long as that which marked 
 the friendship of the two Admirals themselves. Although 
 he struggled manfully for self-control, feelings got the 
 better of the lad, and he threw himself on his knees, at 
 the side of his bed, sobbing as if his heart would break. 
 Bluewater s eye glistened, and he laid a hand affectionately 
 on the head of his young relative. 
 
 " Gervaise, you will take charge of this boy, when I m 
 gone," he said ; " receive him in your own ship. I leave 
 him to you as a near and very dear professional legacy. 
 Cheer up cheer up, my brave boy ; look upon all this as 
 a sailor s fortune. Our lives are the 
 
 The word " king s," which should have succeeded, seemed 
 to choke the speaker. Casting a glance of meaning at his 
 friend, with a painful smile on his face, he continued 
 silent. 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 417 
 
 "Ah ! dear sir," answered the midshipman ingenuously ; 
 " I knew that we might all be killed, but it never occurred 
 to me that an Admiral could lose his life in battle. I m 
 sure I m sure you are the very first that has met with this 
 accident ! " 
 
 " Not by many, my poor Geoffrey. As there are but 
 few admirals, few fall ; but we are as much exposed as 
 others." 
 
 "If I had only run that Monsieur des Prez through the 
 body, when we closed with him," returned the boy, grating 
 his teeth, and looking all the vengeance for which, at the 
 passing instant, he felt the desire, " it would have been 
 something ! I might have done it, too, for he was quite 
 unguarded ! " 
 
 " It would have been a very bad thing, boy, to have in 
 jured a brave man, uselessly." 
 
 " Of what use was it to shoot you, sir ? We took their 
 ship, just the same as if you had not been hurt." 
 
 " I rather think, Geoffrey, their ship was virtually taken 
 before I was wounded," returned Bluewater, smiling. 
 " But I was shot by a French marine, who did no more 
 than his duty." 
 
 " Yes, sir," exclaimed the boy, impatiently ; " and he es 
 caped without a scratch. He, at least, ought to have been 
 massacred." 
 
 "Thou art bloody-minded, child; I scarce know thee. 
 Massacred is not a word for either a British nobleman or 
 a British sailor. I saved the life of that marine ; and, 
 when you come to lie, like me, on your death-bed, Geof 
 frey, you will learn how sweet a consolation can be derived 
 from the consciousness of such an act ; we all need mercy, 
 and none ought to expect it, for themselves, who do not 
 yield it to others." 
 
 The boy w r as rebuked, and his feelings took a better, 
 though scarcely a more natural direction. Bluewater now 
 spoke to him of his newly-discovered cousin, and had a 
 melancholy satisfaction in creating an interest in behalf of 
 Mildred, in the breast of the noble-hearted and ingenuous 
 boy. The latter listened with respectful attention, as had 
 been his wont, until, deceived by the tranquil and benev 
 olent manner of Bluewater, he permitted himself to fall 
 into the natural delusion of believing the wound of the 
 Rear-admiral less serious than he had supposed, and to 
 begin to entertain hopes that the wounded man might yet 
 27 
 
4i8 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 survive. Calmed by these feelings, he soon ceased to 
 weep ; and, promising discretion, was permitted by Sir 
 Gervaise to remain in the room, where he busied himself 
 in the offices of a nurse. 
 
 Another long pause succeeded this exciting little scene, 
 during which Bluewater lay quietly communing with him 
 self and his God. Sir Gervaise wrote orders, and read re 
 ports, though his eye w r as never off the countenance of his 
 friend more than a minute or two at a time. At length, 
 the Rear-admiral aroused himself again, and began to take 
 an interest once more in the persons and things around 
 him. 
 
 " Galleygo, my old fellow-cruiser," he said, "I leave 
 Sir Gervaise more particularly to your care. As we ad 
 vance in life, our friends decrease in numbers ; it is only 
 those that have been well tried that we can rely on." 
 
 " Yes, Admiral Blue, I know that, and so does Sir Jarvey. 
 Yes, old shipmates afore young uns, any day, and old 
 sailors, too, afore green hands. Sir Jarvey s Bowlderos 
 are good plate-holders, and the likes of that ; but when it 
 comes to heavy weather and a hard strain, I thinks but 
 little on em, all put together." 
 
 " By the way, Oakes," said Bluewater, with a sudden in 
 terest in such a subject that he never expected to feel 
 again, " I have heard nothing of the first day s work, in 
 which, through the little I have gleaned by listening to 
 those around me, I understand you took a two-decker, 
 besides dismasting the French Admiral ?" 
 
 " Pardon me, Dick ; you had better try and catch a little 
 sleep ; the subject of those days work is really painful to 
 me." 
 
 " Well, then, Sir Jarvey, if you have an aversion to telling 
 the story to Admiral Blue, I can do it, your honor," put 
 in Galleygo, who gloried in giving a graphic description of 
 a sea-fight. " I thinks, now, a history of that day will 
 comfort a flag-hofficer as has been so badly wounded him 
 self." 
 
 Bluewater offering no opposition, Galleygo proceeded 
 with his account of the evolutions of the ships, as we have 
 already described them, succeeding surprisingly well in 
 rendering the narrative interesting, and making himself 
 perfectly intelligible and clear, by his thorough knowledge 
 and ready use of the necessary nautical terms. 
 
 When he came to the moment, in which the English line 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 419 
 
 separated, part passing to windward, and part to leeward 
 of the two French ships, he related the incident in so clear 
 and spirited a manner, that the Commander-in-chief lu"m- 
 self dropped his pen and sat listening with pleasure. 
 
 "Who could imagine, Dick," Sir Gervaise observed, 
 " that those fellows in the tops watch us so closely, and 
 could give so accurate an account of what passes!" 
 
 " Ah ! Gervaise, and what is the vigilance of Galleygo 
 to that of the All-seeing eye ! It is a terrible thought, at 
 an hour like this, to remember that nothing can be for 
 gotten. I have somewhere read that not an oath is ut 
 tered that does not continue to vibrate through all time, 
 in the wide-spreading currents of sound not a prayer 
 lisped, that its record is not also to be found stamped on 
 the laws of nature by the indelible seal of the Almighty s 
 will ! " 
 
 There was little in common between the religious im 
 pressions of the two friends. They were both sailors, and 
 though the word does not necessarily imply that they were 
 sinners in an unusual degree, neither does it rigidly imply 
 that they were saints. Each had received the usual ele 
 mentary education, and then each had been turned adrift, as 
 it might be on the ocean of life, to suffer the seed to take 
 root, and the fruit to ripen as best they might. Few of those 
 " who go down to the great deep in ships," and who escape 
 the more brutalizing effects of lives so rude, are altogether 
 without religious impressions. Living so mucl^ as it were, 
 in the immediate presence of the power of Goa, the sailor 
 is mu:h disposed to reverence his omnipotence, even while 
 he transgresses his laws ; but in nearly all those instances 
 in which nature has implanted a temperament inclining to 
 deep feeling, as was the case with Bluewater, not even the 
 harsh examples, nor the loose or irresponsible lives of 
 men thus separated from the customary ties of society, can 
 wholly extinguish the reverence for God which is created 
 by constantly dwelling in the presence of his earthly mag 
 nificence. This sentiment in Bluewater had not been alto 
 gether without fruits, for he both read and reflected much. 
 Sometimes, though at isolated and distant intervals, he 
 even prayed ; and that fervently, and with a strong and full 
 sense of his own demerits. As a consequence of this gen 
 eral disposition, and of the passing convictions, his mind 
 was better attuned for the crisis before him, than would 
 have been the case with most his brethren in arms, who, 
 
420 THE TU O ADMIRALS. 
 
 when overtaken with the fate so common to the profession, 
 are usually left to sustain their last moments with the lin 
 gering enthusiasm of strife and victory. 
 
 On the other hand, Sir Gervaise was as simple as a child 
 in matters of this sort. He had a reverence for his Creator, 
 and such general notions of his goodness and love, as the 
 well-disposed are apt to feel ; but all the dogmas concern 
 ing the lost condition of the human race, the mediation, 
 and the power of faith, floated in his mind as opinions 
 not to be controverted, and yet as scarcely to be felt. In 
 short, the Commander-in-chief admitted the practical 
 heresy, which overshadows the faith of millions, while he 
 deemed himself to be a stout advocate of church and king. 
 Still, Sir Gervaise Oakes, on occasions, was more than 
 usually disposed to seriousness, and w r as even inclined to 
 be devout ; but it was without much regard to theories or 
 revelation. At such moments, while his opinions would 
 not properly admit him within the pale of any Christian 
 church, in particular, his feelings might have identified 
 him with all. In a word, we apprehend he was a tolerably 
 fair example of W 7 hat vague generalities, when acting on a 
 temperament not indisposed to moral impressions, render 
 the great majority of men ; who flit around the mysteries 
 of a future state, without alighting either on the conso 
 lations of faith, or discovering any of those logical con 
 clusions which, half the time unconsciously to themselves, 
 they seem.to expect. When Bluewater made his last 
 remark, therefore, the Vice-admiral looked anxiously at 
 his friend ; and religion, for the first time since the other 
 received his hurt, mingled with his reflections. He had 
 devoutly, though mentally, returned thanks to God for 
 his victory, but it had never occurred to him that Blue- 
 water might need some preparation for death. 
 
 "Would you like to see the Plantagenet s chaplain 
 again, Dick ? " he said, tenderly; " you are no Papist ; of 
 that I am certain." 
 
 "In that you are quite right, Gervaise. I consider all 
 churches the one holy Catholic church, if you will as 
 but a means furnished by divine benevolence to aid weak 
 men in their pilgrimage ; but I also believe that there is 
 even a shorter way to his forgiveness than through these 
 common avenues. How far I am right," he added, smiling, 
 " none will probably know better than myself a few hours 
 hence." 
 
7 IIP: Tll O ADMIRALS. 421 
 
 " Friends must meet again, hereafter, Bluewater ; it is 
 irrational to suppose that they who have loved each other 
 so well in this state of being, are to be forever separated 
 in the other." 
 
 " We will hope so, Oakes," taking the Vice-admiral s 
 hand ; " we will hope so. Still, there will be no ships for 
 us no cruises no victories no triumphs ! It is only at 
 moments like this, at which I have arrived, that we come 
 to view these things in their proper light. Of all the past, 
 your constant, unwavering friendship gives me the most 
 pleasure ! " 
 
 The Vice-admiral could resist no longer. He turned 
 aside and wept. This tribute to nature, in one so manly, 
 was imposing, even to the dying man, and Galleygo re 
 garded it with a we. Familiar as the latter had become 
 with his master, by use and indulgence, no living being, 
 in his estimation, was as authoritative or as formidable as 
 the Commander-in-chief ; and the effect of the present 
 spectacle was to induce him to hide his own face in self- 
 abasement. Bluewater saw it all, but he neither spoke nor 
 gave any token of his observation. He merely prayed, 
 and that right fervently, not only for his friend, but for 
 his humble and uncouth follower. 
 
 A reaction took place in the system of the wounded 
 man, about nine o clock that night. At this time he be 
 lieved himself near his end, and he sent forWycherly and 
 his niece, to take his leave of them. Mrs. Button was also 
 present, as was Magrath, who remained on shore, in atten 
 dance. Mildred lay for half an hour, bathing her uncle s 
 pillow with her tears, until she was removed at the sur 
 geon s suggestion. 
 
 " Ye ll see, Sir Gervaise," he whispered or "Sir Jairvis," 
 as he always pronounced the name "ye ll see, Sir Jairvis, 
 that it s the duty of the faculty to prolong life, even when 
 there s no hope of saving it; and if ye ll be regairding the 
 judgment of a professional man, Lady Wychecombe had 
 better withdraw. It would really be a matter of honest 
 exultation for us Plantagenets to get the Rear-admiral 
 through the night, seeing that the surgeon of the Caesar 
 said he could not survive the setting sun." 
 
 At the moment of final separation Bluewater had little 
 to say to his niece. He kissed and blessed her again and 
 again, and then signed that she should be taken away. 
 Mrs. Dutton also came in for a full share of his notice, he 
 
422 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 having desired her to remain after Wycherly and Mildred 
 had quitted the room. 
 
 " To your care and affection, excellent woman," he said, 
 in a voice that had now sunk nearly to a whisper, " we owe 
 it that Mildred is not unfit for her station. Her recovery 
 would have been even more painful than her loss, had she 
 been restored to her proper family, uneducated, vulgar, 
 and coarse." 
 
 "That could hardly have happened to Mildred, sir, in 
 any circumstance," answered the weeping woman. " Na 
 ture has done too much for the dear child, to render her 
 anything but delicate and lovely under any tolerable cir 
 cumstances of depression." 
 
 " She is better as she is, and God be thanked that he 
 raised up such a protector for her childhood. You have 
 been all in all to her in her infancy, and she will strive to 
 repay it to your age." 
 
 Of this Mrs. Button felt too confident to need assurances ; 
 and receiving the dying man s blessing, she knelt at his 
 bedside, prayed fervently for a few minutes, and withdrew. 
 After this, nothing out of the ordinary track occurred un 
 til past midnight, and Magrath, more than once, whispered 
 his joyful anticipations that the Rear-admiral wquld sur 
 vive until morning. 
 
 An hour before day, however, the wounded man revived, 
 in a way that the surgeon distrusted. He knew that no 
 physical change of this sort could well happen that did not 
 arise from the momentary ascendency of mind over mat 
 ter, as the spirit is on the point of finally abandoning its 
 earthly tenement ; a circumstance of no unusual oc 
 currence in patients of strong and active intellectual prop 
 erties, whose faculties often brighten for an instant, in 
 their last moments, as the lamp flashes and glares as it is 
 about to become extinct. Going to the bed, he examined 
 his patient attentively, and was satisfied that the final mo 
 ment was near. 
 
 "You re a man and a soldier, Sir Jairvis," he said, in a 
 low voice, "and it ll no be doing good to attempt mislead 
 ing your judgment in a case of this sort. Our respectable 
 friend, the Rear-admiral, is articulo mortis, as one might al 
 most say ; he cannot jDossibly survive half an hour." 
 
 Sir Gervaise started. He looked around him a little 
 wistfully ; for, at that moment, he would have given much 
 to be alone with his dying friend. But he hesitated to 
 
THE Tll O ADMIRALS. 423 
 
 make a request, which, it struck him, might seem im 
 proper. From this embarrassment, however, he was re 
 lieved by Bluewater, himself, who had the same desire, 
 without the same scruples about confessing it. He drew 
 the surgeon to his side, and whispered a wish to be left 
 alone with the Commander-in-chief. 
 
 "Well, there will be no trespass on the rules of practice 
 in indulging the poor man in his desire," muttered Mag- 
 rath, as he looked about him to gather the last of his pro 
 fessional instruments, like the workman who is about to 
 quit one place of toil to repair to another ; ; and I ll just 
 be indulging him." 
 
 So saying, he pushed Galleygo and Geoffrey from the 
 room, before him, left it himself, and closed the door. 
 
 Finding himself alone, Sir Gervaise knelt at the side of 
 the bed and prayed, holding the hand of his friend in both 
 of his own. The example of Mrs. Button, and the yearn 
 ings of Ms own heart, exacted this sacrifice ; when it was 
 over he felt a great relief from sensations that nearly 
 choked him. 
 
 " Do you forgive me, Gervaise ? " whispered Bluewater. 
 
 " Name it not name it not, my best friend. We all 
 have our moments of weakness, and our need of pardon. 
 May God forget all my sins as freely as I forget your 
 errors ! " 
 
 " God bless you, Oakes, and keep you the same simple- 
 minded, true-hearted man you have ever been." 
 
 Sir Gervaise buried his face in the bed-clothes, and 
 groaned. 
 
 "Kiss me, Oakes," murmured the Rear-admiral. 
 
 In order to do this, the Commander-in-chief rose from 
 his knees and bent over the body of his friend. As he 
 raised himself from the cheek he had saluted, a benignant 
 smile gleamed on the face of the dying man, and he ceased 
 to breathe. Near half a minute followed, however, before 
 the last and most significant breath that is ever drawn from 
 man, was given. The remainder of that night Sir Gervaise 
 Oakes passed in the chamber alone, pacing the floor, re 
 calling the many scenes of pleasure, danger, pain, and tri 
 umph, through which he and the dead had passed in com 
 pany. With the return of light, he summoned the attend 
 ants, and retired to his tent. 
 
424 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 And they came for the buried king that lay 
 
 At rest in that ancient fane ; 
 For he must be armed on the battle day, 
 
 With them to deliver Spain ! 
 Then the march went sounding on, 
 And the Moors by noontide sun, 
 
 Were dust on Tolosa s plains. MRS. HEMANS. 
 
 IT remains only to give a rapid sketch of the fortunes of 
 our principal characters, and of the few incidents, that are 
 more immediately connected with what has gone before. 
 The death of Bluewater was announced to the fleet, at sun 
 rise, by hauling down his flag from the mizzen of the 
 Caesar. The Vice-admiral s flag came down with it, and 
 re-appeared at the next minute at the fore of the Planta- 
 genet. But the little white emblem of rank never went 
 aloft again in honor of the deceased. At noon, it was 
 spread over his coffin, on the main deck of the ship, agree 
 ably to his own request ; and more than once that day 
 did some rough old tar use it, to wipe the tear from his 
 eyes. 
 
 In the afternoon of the day after the death of one of 
 our heroes, the wind came round to the westward, and all 
 the vessels lifted their anchors and proceeded to Plymouth. 
 The crippled ships, by this time, were in a state to carry 
 more or less sail, and a stranger who had seen the melan 
 choly-looking line, as it rounded the Start, would have fan 
 cied it a beaten fleet on its return to port. The only sign 
 of exultation that appeared were the jacks that were flying 
 over the white flags of the prizes; and even when all had 
 anchored, the same air of sadness reigned among these 
 victorious mariners. The body was landed.with the usual 
 forms ; but the procession of warriors of the deep that fol 
 lowed it, was distinguished by the gravity that exceeded 
 the ordinary aspects of mere form. Many of the captains, 
 and Greenly in particular, had viewed the manoeuvring 
 of Hluewater with surprise, apd the latter not altogether 
 without displeasure ; but his subsequent conduct com 
 pletely erased these impressions, leaving no other recol 
 lection connected with his conduct that morning than the 
 brilliant courage and admirable handling of his vessels, by 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 425 
 
 which the fortunes of a nearly desperate day were retrieved. 
 Those who did reflect any longer on the subject, attrib 
 uted the singularity of the course pursued by the Rear- 
 admiral to some private orders communicated in the tele 
 graphic signal, as already mentioned. 
 
 It is unnecessary for us to dwell on the particular move 
 ments of the licet after it reached Plymouth. The ships 
 were repaired, the prizes received into the service, and, in 
 due time, all took the sea again, ready and anxious to en 
 counter their country s enemies. They ran the careers 
 usual to English heavy cruisers in that age ; and, as ships 
 form character in this work, perhaps it may not be amiss 
 to take a general glance at their several fortunes, together 
 with those of their respective commanders. Sir Gervaise 
 fairly wore out the Plantagenet, which vessel was broken 
 up three years later, though not until she had carried a 
 blue flag at her main, more than two years. Greenly lived 
 to be a Rear-admiral of the red, and died of yellow fever in 
 the island of B. vrbadoes. The Caesar, with Stowel still in 
 command of her, foundered at sea in a winter s cruise in 
 the Baltic, every soul perishing. This calamity occurred 
 the winter succeeding the summer of our legend, and the 
 only relieving circumstances connected with the disaster, 
 was the fact that her commander got rid of Mrs. Stowel 
 altogether from that day forward. The Thunderer had 
 her share in many a subsequent battle, and Foley, her 
 Captain, died Rear-admiral of England, and Vice-admiral 
 of the red, thirty years later. The Carnatic was com 
 manded by Parker, until the latter got a right to hoist a 
 blue flag at the rnizzen ; which was done for just one day 
 to comply with form, when both ship and admiral were 
 laid aside as too old for further use. It should be added, 
 however, that Parker was knighted by the king on board 
 his own ship ; a circumstance that cast a halo of sunshine 
 over the close of the life of one, who had commenced his 
 career so humbly as to render this happy close more than 
 equal to his expectations. 
 
 In direct opposition to this, it may be said here, that Sir 
 Gervaise refused, for the third time, to be made Viscount 
 Bowldero, with a feeling just the reverse of Parker s ; for, 
 secure of his social position, and careless of politics, he 
 viewed the elevation with an indifference that was a natural 
 consequence enough of his own birth, fortune, and high 
 character. On this occasion it was after another victory 
 
426 ... %7*fIE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 George II. personally alluded to the subject, remarking 
 that the success we have recorded had never met with its 
 reward ; when the old seaman let out the true secret of his 
 pertinaciously declining an honor, about which he might 
 otherwise have been supposed to be as indifferent to the 
 acceptance, as to the refusal. " Sire," he answered to the 
 remark of the king, "I am duly sensible of your Majesty s 
 favor ; but, I can never consent to receive a patent of 
 nobility that, in my eyes, will always seem to be sealed 
 with the blood of my closest and best friend." This reply 
 was remembered, and the subject was never adverted to 
 again. 
 
 The fate of the Blenheim was one of those impressive 
 blanks that dot the pages of nautical history. She sailed 
 for the Mediterranean alone, and after she had discharged 
 her pilot, was never heard of again. This did not occur, 
 however, until Captain Sterling had been killed on her 
 decks, in one of Sir Gervaise s subsequent actions. The 
 Achilles was suffered to drift in too near to some heavy 
 French batteries, before the treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle was 
 signed ; and after every stick had b<jen again cut out of 
 her, she was compelled to lower her flag. His earldom 
 and his courage saved Lord Morganic from censure ; 
 but, being permitted to go up to Paris, previously to his 
 exchange, he contracted a matrimonial engagement with 
 a celebrated danseuse y a craft that gave him so much 
 future employment, that he virtually abandoned his profes 
 sion. Nevertheless, his name was on the list of vice- 
 admirals of the blue, when he departed this life. The 
 Warspite and Captain Goodfellow both died natural 
 deaths ; one as a receiving-ship, and the other as a Rear- 
 admiral of the white. The Dover, Captain Drinkwater, 
 was lost in attempting to weather Sicily in a gale, when 
 her commander, and quite half of her crew, were drowned. 
 The York did many a hard day s duty before her time 
 arrived ; but, in the end, she was so much injured in a 
 general action as to be abandoned and set fire to, at sea. 
 Her commander was lost overboard, in the very first cruise 
 she took, after that related in this work. The Elizabeth 
 rotted as a guard-ship, in the Medway ; and Captain 
 Blakely retired from the service with one arm, a yellow- 
 admiral. The Dublin laid her bones in the cove of Cork, 
 having been condemned after a severe winter on the north 
 coast. Captain O Neil was killed in a duel with a French 
 
THE TWO ADMIR^mg^ 427 
 
 \s> 
 
 officer, after the peace ; the latter having^gWd that his ship 
 had run away from two frigates commanobd by the Cheva 
 lier. The Chloe was taken by an enemy s fleet, in the next 
 ivar ; but Captain Denham worked his way up to a white 
 flag at the main, and a peerage. The Druid was wrecked 
 that very summer, chasing inshore, near Bordeaux ; and 
 Blewet, in a professional point of view, never regained the 
 ground he lost, on this occasion. As for the sloops and 
 cutters, they went the way of all small cruisers, while their 
 nameless commanders shared the usual fate of mariners. 
 
 Wycherly remained at Wychecombe until the interment 
 of his uncle took place ; at which, aided by Sir Reginald s 
 influence and knowledge, and, in spite of Tom s intrigues, 
 he appeared as chief mourner. The affair of the succes 
 sion was also so managed as to give him very little trouble. 
 Tom, discovering that his own illegitimacy was known, and 
 seeing the hopelessness of the contest against such an an 
 tagonist as Sir Reginald, who knew quite as much of the 
 facts as he did of the law of the case, was fain to retire 
 from the field. From that moment, no one heard any 
 thing more of the legacies. In the end he received the 
 ^20,000 in five per cents, and the few r chattels Sir Wych- 
 erley had a right to give away ; but his enjoyment of them 
 was short, as he contracted a severe cold that very autumn, 
 and died of a malignant fever, in a few r weeks. 
 
 Leaving no will, his property escheated ; but it w r as all 
 restored to his two uterine brothers by the liberality of the 
 ministry, and out of respect to the long services of the 
 baron, which two brothers, it will be remembered, alone 
 had any of the blood of Wychecombe in their veins to 
 boast of. This was disposing of the savings of both the 
 Baronet and the judge, with a very suitable regard to 
 moral justice. 
 
 Wycherly also appeared, though it was in company with 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes, as one of the prinipal mourners at. the 
 funeral obsequies of Admiral Bluewater. These were of 
 a public character, and took place in Westminster Abbey. 
 The carriages of that portion of the royal personages who 
 were not restrained by the laws of court etiquette, appeared 
 in the procession ; and several members of that very family 
 that the deceased regarded as intruders, were present incog, 
 at his last rites. This, however, was but one of the many 
 illusions that the great masquerade of life is constantly 
 offering to the public gaze. 
 
428 77//i TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 There was little difficulty in establishing the claims of 
 Mildred, to be considered the daughter of Colonel Blue- 
 water and Agnes Hedvvorth. Lord Bluewater was soon 
 satisfied ; and, as he was quite indifferent to the possession 
 of his kinsman s money, an acquisition he neither wished 
 nor expected, the most perfect good-will existed between 
 the parties. There was more difficulty with the Duchess of 
 Glamorgan, who had acquired too many of the notions of 
 very high rank, to look with complacency on a niece that 
 had been educated as the daughter of a sailing-master in 
 the navy. She raised many objections, while she admitted 
 that she had been the confidant of her sister s attachment 
 to John Bluewater. Her second son, Geoffrey, did more 
 to remove her scruples than all the rest united ; and when 
 Sir Gervaise Oakes, in person condescended to make a 
 journey to the Park, to persuade her to examine the proofs, 
 she could not well decline. As soon as one of her really 
 candid mind entered into the inquiry, the evidence was 
 found to be irresistible, and she at once yielded to the feel 
 ings of nature. Wycherly had been indefatigable in es 
 tablishing this wife s claims more so, indeed, than in 
 establishing his own ; and, at the suggestion of the Vice- 
 admiral or admiral of the white, as he had become by a 
 recent general promotion he consented to accompany the 
 latter in this visit, waiting at the nearest town, however, 
 for a summons to the Park, as soon as it could be ascer 
 tained that his presence would be agreeable to its mist 
 ress. 
 
 " If my niece proves but half as acceptable in appear 
 ance as my nephew, Sir Gervaise," observed the Duchess, 
 when the young Virginian was introduced to her, and lay 
 ing stress on the word we have italicized, "nothing can be 
 wanting to the agreeables of this new connection. I am 
 impatient, now, to see my niece ; Sir Wycherly Wyche- 
 combe has prepared me to expect a young woman of more 
 than common merit." 
 
 "My life on it, Duchess, he has not raised your expec 
 tations too high. The poor girl is still dwelling in her 
 cottage, the companion of her reputed mother ; but it is 
 time, Wychecombe, that you had claimed your bride." 
 
 "I expect to find her and Mrs. Dutton at the Hall, on 
 my return Sir Gervaise ; it having been thus arranged be 
 tween us. The sad ceremonies through which we have 
 lately been, were unsuited to the introduction of the new 
 
THE Tiro ADMIRALS. 429 
 
 mistress to her abode, and the last had been deferred to a 
 more fitting occasion." 
 
 "Let the first visit that Lady Wychecombe pays, be to 
 this place," said the Duchess. " I do not command it, Sir 
 Wycherly, as one who has some slight claims to her duty ; 
 but I solicit it, as one who wishes to possess every hold 
 upon her love. Her mother was an only sister ; and an 
 only sister s child must be very dear to one." 
 
 It would have been impossible for the Duchess of 
 Glamorgan to have said as much as this before she saw 
 the young Virginian ; but, now he had turned out a per 
 son so very different from what she expected, she had lively 
 hopes in behalf of her niece. 
 
 Wycherly returned to Wychecombe, after this short visit 
 to Mildred s aunt, and found his lovely bride in quiet pos 
 session, accompanied by her mother. Dutton still remained 
 at the station, for he had the sagacity to see that he might 
 not be welcome, and modesty enough to act with a cau 
 tious reserve. 
 
 But Wycherly respected his excellent wife too profound 
 ly not to have a due regard to her feelings, in all things ; 
 and the master was invited to join the party. Brutality 
 and meanness united, like those which belonged to the 
 character of Dutton, are not easily abashed, and he ac 
 cepted the invitation, in the hope, that, after all, he was to 
 reap as many advantages by the marriage of Mildred with 
 the affluent Baronet, as if she had actually been his 
 daughter. 
 
 After passing a few weeks in sober happiness at home, 
 Wycherly felt it due to all parties to carry his wife to the 
 Park, in order that she might make the acquaintance of 
 the near relatives who dwelt there. Mrs. Dutton, by invita 
 tion, was one of the party ; but Dutton was left behind, 
 having no necessary connection with the scenes and feel 
 ings that were likely to occur. It would be painting the 
 Duchess too much en beau, w T ere we to say that she met 
 Mildred without certain misgivings and fears. But the 
 first glimpse of her lovely niece completely put natural 
 feelings in the ascendency. The resemblance to her sister 
 was so strong as to cause a piercing cry to escape her, and, 
 bursting into tears, she folded the trembling young woman 
 to her heart, with a fervor and sincerity that set at naught 
 all conventional manners. This was the commencement 
 
430 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 of a close intimacy ; which lasted but a short time, how 
 ever, the Duchess dying two years later. 
 
 Wycherly continued in the service until the peace of 
 Aix-la-Chapelle, when he finally quitted the sea. His 
 strong native attachments led him back to Virginia, where 
 all his own nearest relatives belonged, and where his 
 whole heart might be said to be when he saw Mildred and 
 his children at his side. With him, early associations and 
 habits had more strength than traditions and memorials 
 of the past. He erected a spacious dwelling on the estate 
 inherited from his father, where he passed most of his 
 time ; consigning Wychecombe to the care of a careful 
 steward. With the additions and improvements that he 
 was now enabled to make, his Virginian estate produced 
 even a larger income than the English, and his interests 
 really pointed to the choice he had made. But no pecu 
 niary considerations lay at the bottom of his selection. 
 He really preferred the graceful and courteous ease of the 
 intercourse which characterized the manners of the James 
 River. In that age, they were equally removed from the 
 coarse and boisterous jollity of the English country-squire, 
 and the heartless conventionalities of high life. In addi 
 tion to this, his sensitive feelings rightly enough detected 
 that he was regarded in the mother-country as a sort of 
 intruder. He was spoken of, alluded to in the journals, 
 and viewed even by his tenants as the American landlord : 
 and he never felt truly at home in the country for which 
 he had fought and bled. In England his rank as a Baro 
 net was not sufficient to look down these little peculiari 
 ties ; whereas, in Virginia, it gave him a certain eclat, that 
 was grateful to one of the main weaknesses of human 
 nature. " At home," as the mother-country was then af 
 fectionately termed, he had no hope of becoming a privy 
 councillor ; while, in his native colony, his rank and for 
 tune, almost as a matter of course, placed him in the coun 
 cil of the Governor. In a word, while Wycherly found 
 most of those worldly considerations which influence men 
 in the choice of their place of residence in favor of the 
 region in which he happened to be born, his election was 
 made more from feeling and taste than from anything 
 else. His mind had taken an early bias in favor of the 
 usages and opinions of the people among whom he had 
 received his first impressions, and this bias he retained to 
 the hour of his death. 
 
THE TIVO ADMIRALS. 431 
 
 Like a true woman, Mildred found her happiness with 
 her husband and children. Of the latter she had but phree ; 
 a boy and two girls. The care of the last was early com 
 mitted to Mrs. Button. This excellent woman had re 
 mained at Wychecombe with her husband, until death put 
 an end to his vices, though the close of his career was ex 
 empt from those scenes of brutal dictation and interference 
 that had rendered the earlier part of her life so miserable. 
 Apprehension of what might be the consequences to him 
 self, acted as a check, and he had sagacity enough to see 
 that the physical comforts he now possessed were all owing 
 to the influence of his wife. He lived but four years, how 
 ever. On his death, his widow immediately took her 
 departure for America. 
 
 It would be substituting pure images of the fancy for a 
 picture of sober realities, were we to say that Lady Wyche 
 combe and her adopted mother never regretted the land of 
 their birth. This negation of feeling, habits, and prejudices 
 is not to be expected even in an Esquimaux. They both 
 had occasional strictures to make on the climate (and this 
 to Wycherly s great surprise, for he conscientiously believed 
 that of England to be just the worst in the world), on the 
 fruits, the servants, the roads, and the difficulty of procur 
 ing various little comforts. But, as this was said good- 
 naturedly and in pleasantry, rather than in the way of com 
 plaint, it led to no unpleasant scenes or feelings. As all 
 three made occasional voyages to England, where his estates 
 and more particularly settlements with his factor, com 
 pelled the Baronet to go once in about a lustrum, the fruits 
 and the climate were finally given up by the ladies. After 
 many years, even the slip-shod, careless, but hearty attend 
 ance of the negroes came to be preferred to the dogged 
 mannerism of the English domestics, perfect as were the 
 latter in their parts ; and the whole subject got to be one 
 of amusement instead of one of complaint. There is no 
 greater mistake than to suppose that the traveller who passes 
 once through a country, with his home-bred, and quite 
 likely provincial notions thick upon him, is competent to 
 describe, with due discrimination, even the usages of which 
 he is actually a witness. This truth all the family came in time 
 to discover ; and while it rendered them more strictly criti 
 cal in their remarks, it also rendered them more tolerant. 
 As it was, few happier families were to be found in the 
 British empire than that of Sir Wycherly Wychecombe ; 
 
432 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 its head retaining his manly and protecting affection for 
 all dependent on him, while his wife, beautiful as a matron, 
 as she had been lovely as a girl, clung to him with the 
 tenacity of the vine to its own oak. 
 
 Of the result of the rising in the North it is unnecessary 
 to say much. The history of the Chevalier s successes in 
 the first year, and of his final overthrow at Culloden, is 
 well known. Sir Reginald Wychecombe, like hundreds of 
 others, played his cards so skilfully that he avoided com 
 mitting himself; and, although he lived and eventually 
 died a suspected man, he escaped forfeitures and attainder. 
 With Sir Wycherly, as the head of his house, he maintained 
 a friendly correspondence to the last, even taking charge 
 of the paternal estate in its owner s absence ; manifesting 
 to the hour of his death, a scrupulous probity in matters 
 of money, mingled with an inherent love of management 
 and intrigue, in things that related to politics and the suc 
 cession. Sir Reginald lived long enough to see the hopes 
 of the Jacobites completely extinguished, and the throne 
 filled by a native Englishman. 
 
 Many long years after the events which rendered the 
 week of its opening incidents so memorable among its 
 actors, must now be imagined. Time had advanced with 
 its usual unfaltering tread, and the greater part of a gen 
 eration had been gathered to their fathers. George III. 
 had been on the throne not less than three lustrums, and 
 most of the important actors of the period of 45, were 
 dead many of them, in a degree, forgotten. But each 
 age has its own events and its own changes. Those col 
 onies, which in 1745 were so loyal, so devoted to the house 
 of Hanover, in the belief that political and religious lib 
 erty depended on the issue, had revolted against the su 
 premacy of the Parliament of the empire. America was 
 already in arms against the mother country, and the very 
 day before the occurrence of the little scene we are about 
 to relate, the intelligence of the battle of Bunker Hill had 
 reached London. Although the gazette and national pride 
 had, in a degree, lessened the characteristics of this most 
 remarkable of all similar combats, by exaggerating the num 
 bers of the colonists engaged, and lessening the loss of the 
 royal troops, the impression produced by the news is said 
 to have been greater than any known to that age. It had 
 been the prevalent opinion of England an opinion that 
 was then general in Europe, and which descended even to 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 433 
 
 our own times that the animals of the new continent, 
 man included, had less courage and physical force than 
 those of the old ; and astonishment mingled with the fore 
 bodings of the intelligent, when it was found that a body 
 of ill-armed countrymen had dared to meet, in a singularly 
 bloody combat, twice their number of regular troops, and 
 that, too, under the guns of the king s shipping and bat 
 teries. Rumors, for the moment, were rife in London, and 
 the political world was filled with gloomy anticipations 
 of the future. 
 
 In the morning of the day alluded to, Westminster Ab 
 bey, as usual, was open to the inspection of the curious 
 and interested. Several parties were scattered among its 
 aisles and chapels, some reading the inscriptions on the 
 simple tablets of the dead which illustrate a nation in 
 illustrating themselves ; others listening to the names of 
 princes who derived their consequence from their thrones 
 and alliances ; and still other sets, who were wandering 
 among the more elaborate memorials that have been raised 
 equally to illustrate insignificance, and to mark the final 
 resting places of more modern heroes and statesmen. The 
 beauty of the weather had brought out more visitors than 
 common, and not less than half a dozen equipages were in 
 waiting, in and about Palace Yard. Among others, one 
 had a ducal coronet. This carriage did not fail to attract 
 the attention that is more than usually bestowed on rank, 
 in England. All were empty, however, and more than one 
 party of pedestrians entered the venerable edifice, rejoic 
 ing that the view of a duke or a duchess was to be thrown 
 in, among the other sights, gratuitously. All who passed 
 on foot, however, were not influenced by this vulgar feel 
 ing ; for one group went by, that did not even cast a glance 
 at the collection of carriages ; the seniors of the party be 
 ing too much accustomed to such things to lend them a 
 thought, and the juniors too full of anticipations of what 
 they were about to see, to think of other matters. This 
 party consisted of a handsome man of fifty-odd, and a lady 
 some three or four years his junior, well preserved and still 
 exceedingly attractive ; a young man of twenty-six, and 
 two lovely girls, that looked like twins, though one was 
 really twenty-one, and the other but nineteen. These were 
 Sir Wycherly and Lady Wychecombe, Wycherly, their only 
 son, then just returned from a five years peregrination on 
 the continent of Europe, and Mildred and Agnes, thei* 
 
 23 
 
434 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 daughters. The rest of the family had arrived in England 
 about a fortnight before, to greet their heir on his return 
 from the grand tour, as it was then termed. The meeting had 
 been one of love, though Lady Wychecombe had to reprove 
 a few innocent foreign affectations, as she fancied them to 
 be, in her son ; and the Baronet, himself, laughed at the 
 scraps of French, Italian, and German, that quite naturally 
 mingled in the young man s discourse. All this, however, 
 cast no cloud over the party, for it had ever been a family 
 of entire confidence and unbroken love. 
 
 " This is a most solemn place to me," observed Sir 
 Wycherly, as they entered the Poets Corner, "and one 
 in which a common man unavoidably feels his own insig 
 nificance. But we will first make our pilgrimage, and look 
 at these remarkable inscriptions as we come out. The 
 tomb we seek is in a chapel on the other side of the church, 
 near to the great doors. When I last saw it, it was quite 
 alone." 
 
 On hearing this, the whole party moved on ; though the 
 two lovely young Virginians cast wistful and curious eyes 
 behind them, at the wonders by which they were sur 
 rounded. 
 
 " Is not this an extraordinary edifice, Wycherly?" half 
 whispered Agnes, the youngest of the sisters, as she clung 
 to one arm of her brother, Mildred occupying the other. 
 " Can the whole world furnish such another ?" 
 
 " So much for hominy and James River?" answered the 
 young man, laughing ; " now could you but see the pile 
 at Rouen, or that at Rheims, or that at Antwerp, or even 
 that at York, in this good kingdom, old Westminster would 
 have to fall back upon its little tablets and big names. But 
 Sir Wycherly stops ; he must see what he calls his land 
 fall." 
 
 Sir Wycherly had indeed stopped. It was in conse 
 quence of having reached the head of the chceur, whence 
 he could see the interior of the recess, or chapel, toward 
 which he had been moving. It still contained but a single 
 monument, and that was adorned with an anchor and 
 other nautical emblems. 
 
 Even at that distance, the words, " RICHARD BLUEWATER, 
 REAR-ADMIRAL OF THE WHITE," might be read. But the 
 Baronet had come to a sudden halt, in consequence of 
 seeing a party of three enter the chapel, in which he wished 
 to be alone with his own family. The party consisted of 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 435 
 
 an old man, who walked with tottering steps, and this so 
 much the more from the circumstance that he leaned on a 
 domestic nearly as old as himself, though of a somewhat 
 sturdier frame, and of a tall imposing-looking person of 
 middle age, who followed the two with patient steps. 
 Several attendants of the cathedral watched this party from 
 a distance with an air of curiosity and respect ; but they 
 had been requested not to accompany it to the chapel. 
 
 " They must be some old brother officers of my poor 
 uncle, visiting his tomb ! " whispered Lady Wychecombe. 
 " The very venerable gentleman has naval emblems about 
 his attire." 
 
 " Do you can you forget him, love ? Tis Sir Gervaise 
 Oakes, the pride of England ! yet how r changed ! It is 
 now five-and-twenty years since we last met ; still I knew 
 him at a glance. The servant is old Galleygo, his steward ; 
 but the gentleman with him is a stranger. Let us ad 
 vance ; we cannot be intruders in such a place." 
 
 Sir Gervaise paid no attention to the entrance of the 
 Wychecombes. If was evident by the vacant look of his 
 countenance, that time and hard service had impaired his 
 faculties, though his body remained entire ; an unusual 
 thing for one who had been so often engaged. Still there 
 were, glimmerings of lively recollections, and even of 
 strong sensibilities about his eyes, as sudden fancies crossed 
 his mind. Once a year, the anniversary of his friend s 
 interment, he visited that chapel ; and he had now been 
 brought here as much from habit, as by his own desire. A 
 chair was provided for him, and he sat facing the tomb, 
 with the large letters before his eyes. He regarded neither, 
 though he bowed courteously to the salute of the strangers. 
 His companion at first seemed a little surprised, if not 
 offended at the intrusion ; but when Wycherly mentioned 
 that they were relatives of the deceased, he also bowed 
 complacently, and made way for the ladies. 
 
 "This it is as what you wants to see, Sir Jarvey," ob 
 served Galleygo, jogging his master s shoulder by way of 
 jogging his memory. " Them ere cables and hanchors, 
 and that ere mizzen-mast, with a Rear-admiral s flag a- 
 flying, is rigged in this old church, in honor of our friend 
 Admiral Blue, as was ; but as is now dead and gone this 
 many a long year." 
 
 Admiral of the blue!" repeated Sir Gervaise coldly. 
 " You re mistaken, Galleygo ; I m an Admiral of the white, 
 
436 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 and Admiral of the fleet in the bargain. I know my own 
 rank, sir." 
 
 ~" I know that as well as you does yourself, Sir Jarvey," 
 answered Galleygo, whose grammar had rather become 
 confirmed than improved, by time, " or as well as the First 
 Lord himself. But Admiral Blue was once your best 
 friend, and I doesn t at all admire at your forgetting him 
 one of these long nights you ll be forgetting me." 
 
 " I beg your pardon, Galleygo ; I rather think not. I re 
 member jy<?# when a very young man." 
 
 " Well, and so you mought remember Admiral Blue, if 
 you d just try. I knowed ye both when young luffs, my 
 self." 
 
 " This is a painful scene," observed the stranger to Sir 
 Wycherly, with a melancholy smile. " This gentleman is 
 now at the tomb of his dearest friend ; and yet, as you see, 
 he appears to have lost all recollection that such a person 
 ever existed. For what do we live, if a few brief years are 
 to render our memories such vacant spots ! " 
 
 "Has he been long this way? "asked Lady Wyche- 
 combe, with interest. 
 
 The stranger started at the sound of her voice. He 
 looked intently into the face of the still, fair speaker, be 
 fore he answered ; then he bowed, and replied : 
 
 "He has been failing these five years, though his last 
 visit here was much less painful than this. But are our 
 own memories perfect ? Surely, I have seen that face be 
 fore! These young ladies, too 
 
 "Geoffrey dear Cousin Geoffrey!" exclaimed Lady 
 Wychecombe, holding out both hands. "It is it must be 
 the Duke of Glamorgan, Wycherly !" 
 
 No further explanations were needed. All the parties 
 recognized each other in an instant. They had not met 
 for many, many years, and each had passed the period of 
 life when the greatest change occurs in the physical ap 
 pearance ; but, now that the ice was broken, a flood of rec 
 ollections poured in. The Duke, or Geoffrey Cleveland, 
 as we prefer to call him, kissed his cousin and her daugh 
 ters with frank affection, for no change of condition had 
 altered his simple sea-habits, and he shook hands with the 
 gentlemen, with a cordiality like that of old times. All 
 this, however, was unheeded by Sir Gervaise, who sat 
 looking at the monument, in a dull apathy. 
 
 "Galleygo," he said; but Galleygo had placed himself 
 
THE TirO ADMIRALS. 437 
 
 before Sir Wycherly, and thrust out a hand that looked 
 like a bunch of knuckles. 
 
 " I knows ye ! " exclaimed the steward with a grin. " I 
 knowed ye in the offing yonder, but I couldn t make out 
 the number. Lord, sir, if this doesn t brighten Sir Jarvey 
 up again, and put him in mind of old times, I shall be 
 gin to think we have run out cable to the better end." 
 
 " I will speak to him Duke, if you think it advisable ?" 
 said Sir Wycherly, in an inquiring manner. 
 
 " Galleygo," put in Sir Gervaise, "what lubber fitted 
 that cable? He has turned in the clench the wrong way." 
 
 " Aye, aye, sir, they is great lubbers, them stone-cutters, 
 Sir Jarvey ; and they knows about as much of ships, as 
 ships knows of them. But here is young Sir Wycherly 
 Wychecombe come to see you the old un s nevy." 
 
 " Sir Wycherly, you are a very welcome guest. Bowldero 
 is a poor place for a gentleman of your merit ; but such 
 as it is, it is entirely at your service. What did you say 
 the gentleman s name was, Galleygo ?" 
 
 " Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, the young un the old 
 un clipped the night as we moored in his house." 
 
 " I hope, Sir Gervaise, I have not entirely passed from 
 your recollection ; it would grieve me sadly to think so. 
 And my poor uncle, too ; he who died of apoplexy in your 
 presence." 
 
 " Nullus, nulla, niillum. That s good Latin, hey, Duke? 
 Nullius, nullius, nullius. My memory is excellent, gentle 
 men ; nominative /<?/>/#, genitive pennce, and so on." 
 
 "Now, Sir Jarvey, since you re veering out your Latin, I 
 should like to know if you can tell a clove-hitch from a 
 1 carrick-bend ? 
 
 " That is an extraordinary question, Galleygo, to put an 
 old seaman." 
 
 " Well, if you remembers that, why can t you just as 
 reasonably remember your old friend, Admiral Blue ? " 
 
 44 Admiral of the blue! I do recollect many Admirals 
 of the blue. They ought to make me an admiral of the 
 blue, Duke ; I ve been a Rear-admiral long enough." 
 
 " You ve been an admiral of the blue once ; and that s 
 enough for any man," interrupted Galleygo, again in his 
 positive manner ; " and it isn t five minutes since you 
 knowed your own rank as well as the Secretary of the Ad 
 miralty himself. He veers and hauls, in this fashion, on 
 
438 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 the idee, gentlemen, until he doesn t know one end of it 
 from t other." 
 
 " This is not uncommon with men of great age," ob 
 served the Duke. " They sometimes remember the things 
 of their youth, while the whole of later life is a blank. 
 I have remarked this with our venerable friend, in whose 
 mind I think it will not be difficult, however, to revive the 
 recollection of Admiral Bluewater, and even of yourself, 
 Sir Wycherly. Let me make the effort, Galleygo." 
 
 "Yes, Lord Geoffrey," for so the steward always called 
 the quondam reefer, " you does handle him more like 
 quick-working boat than any of us ; and so I ll take an 
 hopportunity of just overhauling our old Lieutenant s 
 young uns, and of seeing what sort of craft he has set 
 afloat for the next generation." 
 
 " Sir Gervaise," said the Duke, leaning over the chair, 
 " here is Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, who once served a 
 short time with us as lieutenant ; it was w T hen you were in 
 the Plantagenet. I trust you remember him, my dear sir?" 
 
 "The Plantagenets ? Certainly, Duke: I read them 
 
 when a boy. Edwards, and Henrys, and Richards " at 
 
 the last name he stopped ; the muscles of his face twitched: 
 memory had touched a sensitive chord. But it was too 
 faintly to produce more than a pause. 
 
 " There, now," growled Galleygo, in Agnes s face, he 
 being just then employed in surveying her through a pair 
 of silver spectacles that were a present from his master, 
 "you see, he has forgotten the old Planter ; and the next 
 thing, he ll forget to eat his dinner. It s wicked, Sir 
 Jarvey, to forget such a ship." 
 
 " I trust, at least, you have not forgotten Richard Blue- 
 water ?" continued the Duke, " he who fell in our last ac 
 tion with the Comte de Vervillin ?" 
 
 A gleam of intelligence shot into the rigid and wrinkled 
 face ; the eye lighted, and a painful smile struggled around 
 the lips. 
 
 " What, Dick ! " he exclaimed, in a voice stronger than 
 that in which he had previously spoken. " Dick ! hey, 
 Duke ! good, excellent Dick ! We were midshipmen to 
 gether, my Lord Duke ; and I loved him like a brother ! " 
 
 " I knew you did ! and I dare say now you can recollect 
 the melancholy occasion of his death ?" 
 
 " Is Dick dead ? " asked the Admiral, with a vacant gaze. 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 439 
 
 " Lord, Lord, Sir Jarvey, you know he is, and that ere 
 marvel constructure is his monerment ; now you must re 
 member the old Planter, and the County of Fairvillain; 
 and the threshing we guv d him ?" 
 
 " Pardon me, Galleygo ; there is no occasion for warmth. 
 When I was a midshipman, warmth of expression was dis 
 approved of by all the elder officers." 
 
 " You cause me to lose ground," said the Duke, looking 
 at the steward by the way of bidding him be silent ; " is it 
 not extraordinary, Sir Wycherly, how his mind reverts to 
 his youth, overlooking the scenes of later life ? Yes, Dick 
 is dead, Sir Gervaise. He fell in that battle in which you 
 were doubled on by the French when you had Le Fou- 
 droyant on one side of you and Le Pluton on the other " 
 
 "/ remember it!" interrupted Sir Gervaise, in a clear, 
 strong voice, his eye flashing with something like the fire 
 of youth ; " I remember it ! Le Foudroyant was on our 
 starboard beam ; Le Pluton a little on our larboard bow 
 Bunting had gone aloft to look out for Bluewater no 
 poor Bunting was killed 
 
 " Sir Wycherly Wychecombe, who afterward married 
 Mildred Bluewater, Dick s niece," put in the Baronet him 
 self, almost as eager as the Admiral had now become ; 
 " Sir Wycherly Wychecombe had been aloft, but was re 
 turned to report the Pluton coming down." 
 
 " So he did ! God bless him ! A clever youth, and he 
 did marry Dick s niece. God bless them both. Well, sir, 
 you re a stranger, but the story will interest you. There 
 we lay, almost smothered in the smoke, with one two- 
 decker at work on our starboard beam, and another ham 
 mering away on the larboard bow, with our topmasts over 
 the side, and the guns firing through the wreck." 
 
 44 Aye, now you re getting it like a book!" exclaimed 
 Galleygo, exultingly, flourishing his stick, and strutting 
 about the little chapel ; "that s just the way things was, 
 as I knows from seeing em." 
 
 "I m quite certain I m right, Galleygo!" 
 
 " Right ! your honor s righter than any log-book in the 
 fleet. Give it to em, Sir Jarvey, larboard and starboard !" 
 
 "That we did that we did!" continued the old man 
 earnestly, becoming even grand in aspect, as he rose, al 
 ways gentleman-like and graceful, but filled with native 
 fire, "that did we! De Vervillin was on our right, and 
 
440 THE TWO ADMIRALS. 
 
 Des Prez on our left the smoke was choking us all ; 
 Bunting no young Wychecombe was at my side ; he said 
 a fresh Frenchman was shoving in between us and Le 
 Pluton, sir God forbid ! I thought ; for we had enough 
 of them, as it was. There she comes ! See, here is her fly 
 ing-jib-boom-end and there hey, Wychecombe? That s 
 the old Roman, shoving through the smoke! Caesar him 
 self ! and there stands Dick and young Geoffrey Cleveland 
 he was of your family, Duke there stands Dick Blue- 
 water, between the knight-heads, waving his hat HUR 
 RAH ! He s true, at last ! He s true, at last ! HUR 
 RAH I--HURR AH !" 
 
 The clarion tones rose like a trumpet s blast, and the 
 cheering of the old sailor rang in the arches of the Abbey 
 Church, causing all within to start, as if a voice spoke 
 from the tombs. Sir Gervaise himself seemed surprised ; 
 he looked up at the vaulted roof, with a gaze half-be 
 wildered, half-delighted. "Is this Bovvldero, or Glamorgan 
 House, my Lord Duke ? " he asked in a whisper. 
 
 "It is neither, Admiral Oakes, but Westminster Abbey, 
 and this is the tomb of your friend, Rear-admiral Richard 
 Bluewater." 
 
 " Galleygo, help me to kneel," the old man added in the 
 manner of a corrected school-boy. " The stoutest of us 
 all should kneel to God, in his own temple. I beg pardon, 
 gentlemen ; I wish to pray." 
 
 The Duke of Glamorgan and Sir Wycherly Wychecombe 
 helped the Admiral to his knees, and Galleygo, as was his 
 practice, knelt beside his master, who bowed his head on 
 his man s shoulders. This touching spectacle brought all 
 the others into the same humble attitude. Wycherly, 
 Mildred, and their children, with the noble, kneeling and 
 praying in company. One by one, the latter arose ; still 
 Galleygo and his master continued on the pavement. At 
 length, Geoffrey Cleveland stepped forward, and raised 
 the old man, placing him, with Wycherly s assistance, in 
 the chair. Here he sat, with a calm smile on his aged 
 features, his open eyes riveted seemingly on the name of 
 his friend, perfectly dead. There had been a reaction, 
 which suddenly stopped the current of life, at the heart. 
 
 Thus expired Sir Gervaise Oakes, full of years, and of 
 honors ; one of the bravest and most successful of Eng 
 land s sea captains. He had lived his time, and supplied 
 
THE TWO ADMIRALS. 441 
 
 an instance of the insufficiency of worldly success to com 
 plete the destiny of man ; having, in a degree, survived 
 his faculties, and the consciousness of all he had done, and 
 all he merited. As a small offset to this failing of nature, 
 he had regained a glimmering view of one of the most 
 striking scenes, and of much the most enduring sentiment, 
 of a long life, which God, in mercy, permitted to be 
 terminated in the act of humble submission to his own 
 greatness and glory. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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