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 TREASURE ISLAND, 
 
 PRINCE OTTO 
 
 By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, 
 
 Author of "The Master of Ballantrae,'" etc. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 A. L. BUKT, PUBLISHER.
 
 1 ^"^^0^ 
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 PART 1. 
 THE OLD BUGCANEEB. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE OLD SEA-DOG AT THE ADMIKAL BENBOW. 
 
 Squire Trelawney, Dr. Livesey and the rest of these gentlemen 
 having asked me to write down the whole particulars about Treas- 
 ure Island, from the beginning to the end, keeping nothing back 
 but the bearings of the island, and that only because there is still 
 treasure not yet lifted, I take up my pen in the year of grace 17 — , 
 and go back to the time when my father kept tlie Admiral Benbow 
 Inn, and the brown old seaman, with the saber cut, tirst took up 
 his lodging under our roof. 
 
 I remember him as if it were yesterday, as he came plodding to 
 the inn door, his sea-chest following behind him in a hand-barrow; 
 a tall, strong, heavy, nut-brown man; his tarry pig-tail falling over 
 the shoulders of his soiled blue coat; his hands ragged and scarred, 
 with black, broken nails, and the saber cut across one cheek, a 
 dirty, livid white, I remember him looking round the cove and 
 whistling to himself as he did so, and then breaking out in that old 
 sea-song that he sung so often afterward : 
 
 " Fifteen men on the dead man's chest — 
 Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of ruml" 
 
 in the high, old tottering voice that seemed to have been tuned and 
 broken at the capstan bars. Then he rapped on the door with a bit 
 of stick like a handspike that he carried, and when my father ap- 
 peared, called roughly for a glass of rum. This, when it was 
 brought to him, he drank slowly, like a connoisseur, lingering on
 
 6 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 the taste, and still looking about him at the cliffs and up at our sign- 
 
 board. 
 
 "This is a handy cove," says he, at length; "and a pleasant 
 sittyated grog-shop. Much company, mate?" 
 
 My father told him no, very little company, the more was the 
 pity. 
 
 " Well, then," said he, " this is the berth for me. Here you, 
 matey," he cried to the man who trundled the barrow; " bring up 
 alongside and help up my chest. I'll s;:ay here a bit," he continued. 
 "I'm a plain man; rum and bacon and eggs is what I want, and 
 that head up there for to watch ships off. What you mought 
 call me? You mought call me captain. Oh, I see what you're at 
 —there;" and he threw down three or four gold pieces on the 
 threshold. " You can tell me when I've worked through that," 
 says he, looking as fierce as a commander. 
 
 And, indeed, bad as his clothes were, and coarsely as he spoke, 
 he had none of the appearance of a man who sailed before the mast; 
 but seemed like a mate or skipper, accustomed to be obeyed or to 
 strike. The man who came with the barrow told us the mail had 
 set him down the morning before at the Royal George; that he had 
 inquired what inns there were along the coast, and hearing ours well 
 spoken of, I suppose, and described as lonely, had chosen it from 
 the others for his place of residence. And that was all we could 
 learn of our guest. 
 
 He was a very silent man by custom. All day he hung round the 
 cove, or upon the cliffs, with a brass telescope; all evening he sat in 
 a corner of the parlor next the fire, and drank rum and water very 
 strong. Mostly he would not speak when spoken to; only look up 
 sudden and fierce, and blow through his nose .like a fog-horn; and 
 we and the people who came about our house soon learned to let 
 him be. Every day, when he came back from his stroll, he would 
 ask if any seafaring men had gone by along the road? At first we 
 thought it was the want of company of his own kind that made him 
 ask this question; but at last we began to see he was desirous to 
 avoid them. When a seaman put up at the Admiral Benbow (as 
 now and then some did, making by the coast road for Bristol), he 
 would look in at him through the curtained door before he entered 
 the parlor; and he was always sure to be as silent as a mouse when 
 any such was present. For me, at least, there was no secret about 
 the matter; for I was, in a way, a sharer in his alarms. 
 
 He had taken me aside one day, and promised me a silver four- 
 penny on the first of every month if I would only keep my ' ' weather-
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 7 
 
 eye open for a seafaring man with one leg," and let him know the 
 moment he appeared. Often enough, when the first of the month 
 came round, and I applied to him for my wage, he would only 
 blow through his nose at me, and stare me down, but before the 
 week was out he was sure to think better of it, bring me my four- 
 penny piece, and repeat his orders to look out for " the seafaring 
 man with one leg." 
 
 How that personage haunted my dreams, I need scarcely tell you. 
 On stormy nights, when the wind shook the four corners of the 
 house, and the surf roared along the cove and up the cliffs, I would 
 see him in a thousand forms, and with a thousand diabolical ex- 
 pressions. Now the leg would be cut off at the knee, now at the 
 hip; now he was a monstrous kind of a creature who had never had 
 but the one leg, and that in the middle of his body. To see him 
 leap and run and pursue me over hedge and ditch, was the worst of 
 nightmares. And altogether I paid pretty dear for my monthly 
 fourpenny piece in the shape of these abominable fancies. 
 
 But though I was so terrified by the idea of the seafaring man 
 with one leg, I was far less afraid of the captain himself than any- 
 body else who knew him. There were nights when he took a deal 
 more rum and water than his head would carry; and then he would 
 sometimes sit and sing his wicked, old, wild sea-songs, minding no- 
 body; but sometimes he would call for glasses round, and force all 
 the trembling company to listen to his stories or bear a chorus to 
 his singing. Often I have heard the house shaking with " Yo-ho- 
 ho, and a bottle of rum;" all the neighbors joining in for dear life, 
 with the fear of death upon them, and each singing louder than the 
 other, to avoid remark. For in these fits he was the most over- 
 riding companion ever known; he would slap his hand on the table 
 for silence all round; he would fly up in a passion of anger at a 
 question, or sometimes because none was put, and so he judged the 
 company was not following his story. Nor would he allow any one 
 to leave the inn till he had drunk himself sleepy and reeled off 1o 
 bed. 
 
 His stories were what frightened people worst of all. Dreadful 
 stories they were; about hanging, and walking the plank, and 
 storms at sea, and the Dry Tortugas, and wild deeds and places on 
 the Spanish Main. By his own account, he must have lived his life 
 among some of the wickedest men that God ever allowed upon the 
 sea; and the language in which he told these stories shocked our 
 plain countr}^ people almost as much as the crimes that he described. 
 My father was always saying the iun would be ruined, for people
 
 8 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 would soon cease coming there to be tyrannized over and put down, 
 and sent shivering to their beds; but I really believe his presence 
 did us good. People were frightened at the time, but on looking 
 back they rather liked it; it was a fine excitement in a quiet country 
 life; and there was even a party of the younger men who pretended 
 to admire him, culling him a " true sea-dog," and a " real old salt," 
 and such like names, and saying there was the sort of man that 
 made England terrible at sea. 
 
 In one way, indeed, he bade fair to ruin us; for he kept on stay- 
 ing week after week, and at last month after month, so that all the 
 money had been long exhausted, and still my father never plucked 
 up the heart to insist on having more. If ever he mentioned it, the 
 captain blew through his nose so loudly, that you might say he 
 roared, and stared mj' poor father out of the room. I have seen him 
 wringing his hands after such a rebuff, and I am sure the annoy- 
 ance and the terror he lived in must have greatly hastened his early 
 and unhappy death. 
 
 All the time he lived with us the captain made no change what- 
 ever in his dress but to buy some stockings from a hawker. One 
 of the cocks of his hat having fallen down, he let it hang from that 
 day forth, though it was a great annoyance when it blew. I remem- 
 ber the appearance of his coat, which he patched himself upstairs in 
 his room, and which, before the end, was nothing but patches. lie 
 never wrote or received a letter, and he never spoke with any but 
 the neighbors, and with these, for the most part, only when drunk 
 on rum. The great sea-chest none of us had ever seen open. 
 
 He was only once crossed, and that was toward the end, when 
 my poor father was far gone in a decline that took him off. Dr. 
 Livesej'^ came late one afternoon to see the patient, took a bit of 
 dinner from my mother, and went into the parlor to smoke a pipe 
 until his horse should come down from the hamlet, for we had no 
 stabling at the old Benbow. I followed him in, and I remember 
 observing the contrast the neat, bright doctor, with his powder as 
 white as snow, and his bright, black eyes and pleasant manners, 
 made with the coltish country folk, and above all, with that filthy, 
 heavy, bleared scarecrow of a pirate of ours, sitting far gone in rum, 
 with his arms on the table. Suddenly he— the captain, that is— 
 began to pipe up his eternal song: 
 
 " Fifteen men on the dead man's chest— 
 Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum 1 
 Drink and tlie devil had done for the rest— 
 Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum I"
 
 TREAStJEE ISLAND. 9 
 
 At first I had supposed " the dead man's chest " to be that identical 
 big box of his upstairs in the front room, and the thought had been 
 mingled in my nightmares with that of the one-legged seafaring 
 man. But by this time we had all long ceased to pay any particu- 
 lar notice to the song; it was new, that night, to nobody but Dr. 
 Livesey, and on him I observed it did not produce an agreeable 
 effect, for he looked up for a moment quite angrily before he went 
 on with his talk to old Taylor, the gardener, on a new cure for 
 riieumatics. In the meantime, the captain gradually brightened up 
 at his own music, and at last flapped his hand upon Ihe table before 
 him in a way we all knew to mean — silence. The voices stopped at 
 once, all but Dr. Livesey 's; he went on as before, speaking clear 
 and kind, and drawing briskly at his pipe between every word or 
 two. The captain glared at him for awhile, flapped his hand again, 
 glared still harder, and a1 last broke out with a villainous, low 
 oath: " Silence, there, between decks!" 
 
 " Were you addressing me, sir?" says the doctor; and when the 
 rulEan had told him, with another oath, that this was so, "I have 
 only one thing to say to you, sir," replies the doctor, " that if you 
 keep on drinking rum, the world will soon be quit of a very dirty 
 scoundrel!" 
 
 The old fellow's fury was awful. He sprung to his feet, drew 
 and opened a sailor's clasp-knife, and, balancing it open on the 
 palm of his hand, threatened to pin the doctor to the wall. 
 
 The doctor never so much as moved. He spoke to him, as before, 
 over his shoulder, and in the same tone of voice; rather high, so 
 that all the room might hear, but perfectly calm and steady : 
 
 "If you do not put that knife this instant into your pocket, I 
 promise, upon my honor, you shall hang at next assizes." 
 
 Then followed a battle of looks between them; but the captain 
 soon knuckled under, put up his weapon, and resumed his seat, 
 grumbling like a beaten dog. 
 
 "And now, sir," continued the doctor, "since I now know 
 there's such a fellow in my district, you may count I'll have an eye 
 upon you day and night. I'm not a doctor only; I'm a magistrate; 
 and if I catch a breath of complaint against you, if it's only for a 
 piece of incivility like to-night's, I'll take effectual means to have 
 you hunted down and routed out of this. Let that suffice." 
 
 Soon after Dr. Livesey's horse came to the door, and he rode 
 away; but the captain held his peace that evening, and for many 
 evenings to come.
 
 10 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 BLACK DOG APPEARS AND DISAPPEAES. 
 
 It was not very long after this that there occurred the first of the 
 mysterious events that rid us at last of the captain, though not, as 
 you will see, of his affairs. It was a bitter cold winter, with long, 
 hard frosts and heavy gales; and it was plain from the first that my 
 poor father was little likely to see the spring. He sunk daily, and 
 my mother and I had all the inn upon our hands; and were kept 
 busy enough without paying much regard to our unpleasant guest. 
 
 It was one January morning, very early — a pinching, frosty morn- 
 ing — the cove all gray with hoar-frost, the ripple lapping softly on 
 the stones, the sun still low, and only touching the hill-tops and 
 shining far to seaward. The captain had risen earlier than usual, 
 and set out down the beach, his cutlass swinging under the broad 
 skirts of tbe old blue coat, his brass telescope under his arm, his hat 
 tilted back upon his head. I remember his breath hanging lilie 
 smoke in his wake as he strode off, and the last sound I heard of 
 him, as he turned the big rock, was a loud snort of indignation, as 
 though his mind was still running upon Dr. Livesey. 
 
 Well, mother was upstairs with father; and I was laying the 
 breakfast table against the captain's return, when the parlor door 
 opened, and a man stepped in on whom I had never set my eyes be- 
 fore. He was a pale, tallowy creature, wanting two fingers of the 
 left hand; and, though he wore a cutlass, he did not look much like 
 a fighter. I had always my eye open for seafaring men, with one 
 leg or two, and I remember this one puzzled me. He was not 
 sailorly, and yet he had a smack of the sea about him too. 
 
 I asked him what was for his service, and he said he would take 
 rum; but as I was going out of the room to fetch it he sat down 
 upon a table, and motioned to me to draw near. I paused where 1 
 was with my napkin in my hand. 
 
 " Come here, sonny," says he. " Come nearer here." 
 
 I took a step nearer. 
 
 " Is this here table for my mate, Bill?" he asked, with a kind of 
 leer. 
 
 I told him I did not know his mate, Bill ; and this was for a per- 
 son who stayed in our house, whom we called the captain. 
 
 " WeU," said he, "my mate Bill would be called the captain, as
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. Jl 
 
 like as not. He has a cut on one cheek, and a mighty pleasant way 
 with him, particularly in drink, has my mate, Bill. We'll put it, 
 for argument like, that your captain has a cut on one cheek — and 
 we'll put it, if you like, that that cheek's the right one. Ah, well! 
 1 told you. Now, is my mate Bill in this here house?" 
 I told him he was out walking. 
 " Which way, sonny? Which way is he gone?" 
 And when I had pointed out the rock and told him how the cap- 
 tain was likely to return, and how soon, and answered a few other 
 questions, " Ah," said he, " this'll be as good as drink to my mate. 
 Bill." 
 
 The expression of his face as he said these words was not at all 
 pleasant, and I had my own reasons for thinking that the stranger 
 was mistaken, even supposing he meant what he said. But it was 
 no affiiir of mine, I thought; and, besides, it was difficult to know 
 what to do. The stranger kept hanging about just inside the inn 
 door, peering round the corner like a cat waiting for a mouse. Once 
 I stepped out myself into the road, but he immediately called me 
 back, and, as I did not obey quick enough for his fancy, a most 
 horrible change came over his tallowy face, and he ordered me in, 
 with an oath that made me jump. 
 
 As soon as I was back again he returned to his former manner, 
 half fawning, half sneering, patted me on the shoulder, told me I 
 was a good boy, and he had taken quite a fancy to me. " I have a 
 son of my cwn," said he, " as like you as two blocks, and he's all 
 the pride of my 'art. But the great thing for boys is discipline, 
 sonny — discipline. Now, if you had sailed along of Bill, you 
 wouldn't have stood there to be spoke to twice — not you. That was 
 never Bill's way, nor the way of sich as sailed with him. And 
 here, sure enough, is my mate. Bill, with a spy-glass under his arm, 
 bless his old 'art, to be sure. You and me'll just go back into the 
 parlor, sonny, and get behind the door, and we'll give Bill a little 
 surprise — bless his 'art, I say again." 
 
 So saying, the stranger backed along with me into the parlor, and 
 put me behind him in the corner, so that we were both hidden by 
 the open door. I was very uneasy and alarmed, as you may fancy, 
 and it rather added to my fears to observe that the stranger was 
 certainly frightened himself. He cleared the hilt of his cutlass and 
 loosened the blade in the sheath; and all the time we were waiting 
 there he kept swallowing as if he felt what we used to call a lump 
 in the throat. 
 At las* in strode the captain, slammed the door behind him, with-
 
 1^ tRfiASURE ISLAND. 
 
 out looking to the right or left, and marched straight across the 
 room to where his breakfast awaited him, 
 
 " Bill," said the stranger, in a voice that I thought he had tried 
 to make bold and big. 
 
 The captain spun round on his heel and fronted us; all the brown 
 had gone out of his face, and even his nose was blue; he had the 
 look of a man who sees a ghost, or the Evil One, or something worse, 
 if anything can be; and, upon my word, I felt sorry to see him, all 
 in a moment, turn so old and sick. 
 
 " Come, Bill, you know me; you know an old shipmate. Bill, 
 surely," said the stranger. 
 
 The captain made a sort of gasp. 
 
 " Black Dog!" said he. 
 
 " And who else?" returned the other, getting more at his ease. 
 " Black Dog as ever was, come for to see his old shipmate, Billy, at 
 the Admiral Benbow Inn. Ah, Bill, Bill, we have seen a sight of 
 times, us two, since I lost them two talons," holding up his muti- 
 lated hand. 
 
 " Now, look here," said the captain; " you've run me down; here 
 I am; well, then, speak up; what is it?" 
 
 " That's you, Bill," returned Black Dog, " you're in the right of 
 it, Billy. I'll have a glass of rum from this dear child here, as I've 
 took such a liking to; and we'll sit down, if you please, and talk 
 square, like old shipmates." 
 
 When I returned with the rum, they were already seated on either 
 side of the captain's breakfast-table — Black Dog next to the door, 
 and sitting sideways, so as to have one eye on his old shipmate, and 
 one, as I thought, on his retreat. 
 
 He bade me go, and leave the door wide open. " None of your 
 key-holes for me, sonny," he said; and I left them together, and re- 
 tired into the bar. 
 
 For a long time, though I certainly did my best to listen, I could 
 hear nothing but a low gabbling; but at last the voices began to 
 grow higher, and I could pick up a word or two, mostly oaths, from 
 the captain. 
 
 " No, no, no, no; and an end of iti" he cried once. And again, 
 it comes to swinging, swing all, say I." 
 
 len all of a sudden there was a tremendous explosion of oaths 
 and other noises -the chair and table went over in a lump, a clash 
 of steel followed, and then a cry of pain, and the next instant I saw 
 Black Dog in full flight, and the captain hotly pursuing, both with 
 drawn cutlasses, and the former streaming blood from the left
 
 TKEASURE ISLAND. 13 
 
 shoulder. Just at the door, the captain aimed at the fugitive one 
 Jast tremendous cut, which would certainly have split him to the 
 chine had it not been intercepted by our big signboard of Admiral 
 Benbow. You may see the notch on the lower side of the frame to 
 this day. 
 
 That blow was the last of the battle. Once out upon the road. 
 Black Dog, in spite of his wound, showed a wonderful clean pair 
 of heels, and disappeared over the edge of the hill in half a minute. 
 The captain, for his part, stood staring at the signboard like a be- 
 wildered man. Then he passed his hand over his eyes several times, 
 and at last turned back into the house. 
 
 "Jim," says he, " rum;" and, as he spoke, he reeled a little, 
 and caught himself with one hand against the wall. 
 " Are you hurt?" cried I. 
 
 "Rum," he repeated, "I must get away from here. Ruml 
 rum!" 
 
 I ran to fetch it; but I was quite unsteadied by all that had fallen 
 out, and I broke one glass and fouled the tap, and while I was still 
 getting in my own way, I heard a loud fall in tlie parlor, and, run- 
 ning in, beheld the captain lying full length upon the floor. At the 
 same instant my mother, alarmed by the crits and fighting, came 
 running down-stairs to help me. Between us we raised his head. 
 He was breathing very loud and hard; but his eyes were closed, 
 and his face a horrible color. 
 
 " Dear, deary me," cried my mother, " what a disgrace upon the 
 house! And your poor father sick!" 
 
 In the meantime, we had no idea what to do to help the captain, 
 nor any other thought but that he had got his death-hurt in the 
 scufiie with the stranger. I got the rum, to be sure, and tried to 
 put it down his throat; but his teeth were tightly shut, and his jaws 
 as strong as iron. It was a happy relief for us when the door opened 
 and Dr. Livesey came in, on his visit to my father. 
 
 " Oh, doctor," we cried, *' what shall we do? Where is he 
 wounded?" 
 
 " Wounded? A fiddle-stick's end!" said the doctor. " No more 
 wounded than you or I. The man has had a stroke, as I warned 
 him. Now, INIrs. Hawkins, just you run upstairs to your husband, 
 and tell him, if possible, nothing about it. For my part, I must do 
 my best to save this fellow's trebly worthless life; and Jirn here will 
 get me a basin." 
 
 When I got back with the basin, the doctor had already ripped 
 up the captain's sleeve, and exposed his great sinewy arm. It was
 
 14 TEEASURE ISLAND. 
 
 tattooed ia several places. "Here's luck," " A fair wind," and 
 " Billy Bones his fancy," were very neatly and clearly executed on 
 the forearm; and up near the shoulder there was a sketch of a gal- 
 lows and a man hauging from it— done, as I thought, with great 
 spirit. 
 
 " Prophetic," said the doctor, touching this picture with his 
 finger. " And now. Master Billy Bones, if that be your name, we'll 
 have a look at the color of your blood. Jim," he said, "are you 
 afraid of blood?" 
 
 " No, sir," said I. 
 
 " Well, then," said he, '* you hold the basin;" and with that he 
 took his lancet and opened a vein. 
 
 A great deal of blood was taken before the captain opened his 
 eyes and looked mistily about him. First he recognized the doctor 
 with an unmistakable frown; then his glance fell upon me, and ho 
 looked relieved. But suddenly his color changed, and he tried to 
 raise himself, crying: 
 
 " Where's Black Dog?" 
 
 "There is no Black Dog here," said the doctor, " except what 
 you have on your own back. You have been drinking rum; you 
 have had a stroke, precisely as I told you; and 1 have just, very 
 much against my own will, dragged you headforemost out of the 
 grave. Now, Mr. Bones — " 
 
 " That's not my name," he interrupted. 
 
 " Much I care," returned the doctor. " It's the name of a buc- 
 caneer of my acquaintance; and I call you by it for the sake of 
 shortness, and what I have to say to you is this : one glass of rum 
 won't kill you, but if you take one you'll take another and another, 
 and I stake my wig if you don't break off short, you'll die — do 
 you understand that? — die, and go to your own place, like the man 
 in the Bible. Come, now, make an effort. I'll help you to your 
 bed for once." 
 
 Between us, with much trouble, we managed to hoist him up- 
 stairs, and laid him on his bed, where his head fell back on the pil- 
 low, as if he were almost fainting. 
 
 " Now, mind you," said the doctor, ' .- clear my conscience — the 
 name of rum for you is death." 
 
 And with that he went off to see Jey taiLei, taking me with him 
 by the arm. 
 
 "This is nothing," he said, as so(M2 SS 5ie bfiC dosed the door, 
 " I have drawn blood enough tc keep lu^ oiisse*- ■^wiifle; he should
 
 TEEASURE ISLAND. IS 
 
 iie for a week where he is — that is the best thing for him and you; 
 but another stroke would settle him." 
 
 CHAPTER IIL 
 
 THE BLACK SPOT. 
 
 About noon I stopped at the captain's door with some cooling 
 
 drinks and medicines. He was lying very much as we had left him, 
 only a little higher, and he seemed both weak and excited. 
 
 "Jim," he said, "you're the only one here that's worth any- 
 thing; and you know I've been always good to you. Never a 
 month but I've given you a silver fourpenny for yourself. And 
 now you see, mate, I'm pretty low, and deserted by all; and Jim, 
 you'll bring me one noggin of rum, now won't you, matey?" 
 " The doctor — " I began. 
 
 But he broke in cursing the doctor, in a feeble voice, but heartily. 
 "Doctors is all swabs," he said; "and that doctor there, why, 
 what do he know about seafaring men? I been in places hot as 
 pitch, and mates dropping round with Yellow Jack, and the blessed 
 land a-heaving like the sea with earthquakes — what do the doctor 
 know of lands like that? — and I lived on rum, I tell you. It's been 
 meat and drink, and man and wife, to me; and if I'm not to have 
 my rum now I'm a poor old hulk on a lee shore, mj"- blood '11 be 
 on you, Jim, and that doctor swab;" and he ran on again for awhile 
 with curses. " Look, Jim, how my fingers fldges," he continued, 
 in the pleading tone. " I can't keep 'em still, not I. I haven't had 
 a drop this blessed day. That doctor's a fool, I tell you. If I don't 
 have a drain o' rum, Jim, I'll have the horrors; I seen some on 'em 
 already. I seen old Flint in the corner there, behind you; as plain 
 as print, I seen him; and if I get the horrors, I'm a man that has 
 lived rough, and I'll raise Cain. Your doctor hisself said one glass ^ 
 wouldn't hurt me. I'll give you a golden guinea for a noggin, 
 Jim." 
 
 He was growing more and more excited, and this alarmed me for 
 my father, who was very low that day, and needed quiet; besides, 
 I was reassured by the doctor's words, now quoted to me, and rather 
 offended by the offer of a bribe. 
 
 *' I want none of your money," said I, " but what you owe my 
 father. I'll get you one glass, and no more." 
 
 When I brought it to him, he seized it greedily, and drank it out. 
 
 " Ay, ay," said he, " that's some better, sure enough. And now,-
 
 Ig TBEASURE ISLAIH). 
 
 matey, did that doctor say how long I was to lie hero in this old 
 
 bertk r 
 
 " A week at least," said L 
 
 " Thunder 1" he cried. " A week! I can't do that: they'd have 
 a black spot on me by then. The lubbers is going about to get the 
 wind of me this blessed moment; lubbers as couldn't keep what 
 they got, and want to nail what is another's. Is that seamanly be- 
 havior, now, I want to know? But I'm a saving soul. I ncvei 
 wasted good money of mine, nor lost it neither; and I'll trick 'em 
 again. I'm not afraid on 'era. I'll shake out another reef, matey, 
 and daddle 'em again." 
 
 As he was thus speaking, he had risen from bed with great diffi- 
 culty, holding to my shoulder with a grip that almost made me cry 
 out, and moving his legs like so much dead weight. His words, 
 spirited as they were in meaning, contrasted sadly with the weak- 
 ness of the voice ia which they were uttered. He paused when he 
 had got into a sitting position on the edge. 
 
 " That doctor's done me," he murmured. " My ears is singing. 
 Lay me back," 
 
 Before I could do much to help him he had fallen back again to 
 his former place, where he lay for awhile silent, 
 
 " Jim," he said, at length, " you saw that seafaring man to-day?" 
 
 "Black Dog?" I asked. 
 
 " Ahl Black Dog," says he. " Se's a bad 'un; but there's worse 
 that put him on. Now, if I can't get away nohow, and tliey tip 
 me the black spot, mind you, it's my old sea-chest they're after: 
 you get on a horse— you can, can't you? Well, then you get on s. 
 horse, and go to — well, yes, I will!— to that eternal doct(ir swab, 
 and tell him to pipe all hands — magistrates and sich — and he'll lay 
 'em aboard at the Admiral Benbow — all old Flint's crew, man and 
 boy, all on 'em that's left. I was first mate, I was, old Flint's first 
 mate, and I'm the on'y one as knows the place. He gave it me to 
 Savannah, when he lay a-dying, like as if I was to now, you see. 
 But you won't peach unless they get the black spot on me, or un- 
 less you see that Black Dog again, or a seafaring man with one leg 
 Jim — him above all." 
 
 " But what is the black spot, captain?" I asked. 
 
 " That's a summons, mate, I'll tell you if they get that. But 
 you keep your weather-eye open, Jim, and I'll share with you 
 equals, upon my honor." 
 
 He wandered a little longer, his voice gi'owing weaker; but soon 
 after I had given him his medicine, which he took like a child,
 
 TEEASURE ISLAIfD. 17 
 
 with the remark, " if ever a seaman wanted drugs, it's me," lie fell 
 at last into a heavy, swoon like sleep, in which I left him. What I 
 should have done had all gone well I do not know. Probably I 
 should have told the whole story to the doctor; for I was in mortal 
 fear lest the captain should repent of his confessions and make an 
 end of me. But as things fell out, my poor father died quite sud- 
 denly that evening, which put all other matters on one side. Our 
 natural distress, the visits of the neighbors, the arranging of the 
 funeral, and all the work of the inn to be carried on in the mean- 
 while, kept me so busy that I had scarcely time to think of the cap- 
 tain, far less to be afraid of him. 
 
 He got down-stairs next morning, to be sure, and had his meals 
 as usual, though he eat little, and had more, I am afraid, than his 
 usual supply of rum, for he helped himself out of the bar, scowling 
 and blowing through his nose, and no one dared to cross him. On 
 the night before the funeral he was as drunk as ever; and it was 
 shocking, in that house of mourning, to hear him singing away his 
 ugly old sea-song; but, weak as he was, we were all in fear of death 
 for him, and the doctor was suddenly taken up with a case many 
 miles away, and was never near the house after my father's death. 
 I have said the captain was weak; and indeed he seemed rather to 
 grow weaker than regain his strength. He clambered up and down- 
 stairs, and went from the parlor to the bar and back again, and 
 sometimes put his nose out of-doors to smell the sea, holding on to 
 the walls as he went for support, and breathing hard and fast like a 
 man on a steep mountain. He never particularly addressed me, and 
 it is my belief he had as good as forgotten his confidences; but his 
 temper was more flighty, and, allowing for his bodily weakness, 
 more violent than ever. He had an alarming way now when he 
 was drunk of drawing his cutlass and laying it bare before him on 
 the table. But, with all that, he minded people less, and seemed 
 shut up in his own thoughts and rather wandering. Once, for in- 
 stance, to our extreme wonder, he piped up to a different air, a kind 
 of country love-song, that he must have learned in his youth before 
 he had begun to follow the sea. 
 
 So things passed until, the day after the funerel, and about three 
 o'clock of a bitter, foggy, frosty afternoon, I was standing at the 
 door for a moment, full of sad thoughts about my father, when 1 
 saw some one drawing slowly near along the road. He was plainly 
 blind, for he tapped before him with a stick, and wore a great green 
 shade over his eyes and nose; and he was hunched, as if with age 
 or weakness, and wore a huge old tattered sea-cloak with a hood
 
 18 TREASURE ISLAKI). 
 
 that made him appear positively deformed. I never saw in my life 
 a more dreadful-looking figure. He stopped a Utile from the inn, 
 and raising his voice in an odd sing-song, addressed the air in front 
 of him: 
 
 " Will any kind friend inform a poor blind man, who has Jost the 
 precijus sight of his eyes in the gracious defense of his native coun- 
 try, England, and God bless King George! — where or in what part 
 of this country he may now be?" 
 
 " You are at the Admiral Benbow, Black Hill Cove, my good 
 man," said I. 
 
 " I hear a voice," said he, "a young voice. Will you give mo 
 your hand, my kind young friend, and lead me in?" 
 
 I held out my hand, and the horrible, soft-spoken, eyeless creature 
 gripped it in a moment like a vise. I was so much startled that I 
 struggled to withdraw; but the blind man pulled me close up to him 
 with a single action of his arm. 
 
 " Now, boy," he said, " take me in to the captain." 
 
 " Sir," said I, " upon my word I dare not." 
 
 " Oh," he sneered, " that's itl Take me in straight, or I'll break 
 your arm." 
 
 He gave it, as he spoke, a wrench that made me cry out. 
 
 " Sir," said I, "it is for j^ourself I mean. The captain is not 
 what he used to he. He sits with a drawn cutlass. Another gen- 
 tleman — " 
 
 " Come, now, march," interrupted he; and I never heard a voice 
 so cruel, and cold, and ugly as that blind man's. It cowed me 
 more than the pain: and I began to obey him at once, walking 
 straight in at the door and toward the parlor, where the sick old 
 buccaneer was sitting, dazed with rum. The blind man clung close 
 to me, holding me in one iron fist, and leaning almost more of his 
 weight on me than I could carry. " Lead me straight up to him, 
 and when I'm in view, cry out, ' Here's a friend for you. Bill.' If 
 you don't, I'll do this;" and with that he gave me a twitch that I 
 thought would have made me faint. Between this and that, I was so 
 utterly terrified by the blind beggar that I forgot my terror of the 
 captain, and as I opened the parlor door, cried out the words he had 
 ordered in a trembling voice. 
 
 The poor captain raised his eyes, and at one look the rum went 
 out of him, and left him staring sober. The expression of his face 
 was not so much of terror as of mortal sickness. He made a move- 
 ment to rise^ but I do not believe he had enough force left in his 
 body.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 19 
 
 '• Now, Bill, sit where you are," said the beggar. "If I can't 
 see, I can hear a finger stirring. Business is business. Hold out 
 j-our left hand. Boy, take his left hand by the wrist, and bring it 
 near to my right. ' ' 
 
 We both obeyed him to the letter, and I saw him pass something 
 from the hollow of the hand that held his sticis into the palm of the 
 captain's, which closed upon it instantly. 
 
 *' And now that's done," said the blind man; and at the words 
 he suddenly left hold of me, and, with incredible accuracy and 
 nimbleness, skipped out of the parlor and into the road, where, as 
 I stood motionless, I could hear his stick go tap- tap- tapping into 
 the distance. 
 
 It was some time before either I or the captain seemed to gather 
 our senses; but at length, and about the same moment, I released 
 his wrist, which I was still holding, and he drew in his hand, and 
 looked sharply into the palm. 
 
 "Ten o'clock!" he cried. "Six hours. We'll do them yet;" 
 and he sprung lo his feet. 
 
 Even as he did so, he reeled, put his hand to his throat, stood 
 swaying for a moment, and then, with a peculiar sound, fell from 
 his whole height face foremost to the floor. 
 
 I ran to him at once, calling to my mother. But haste was all in 
 vain. The captain had been struck dead by thundering apoplexy. 
 It is a curious thing to understand, for I had certainly never liked 
 the man, though of late I had begun to pity him, but as soon as I 
 saw that he was dead, I burst into a flood of tears. It was the sec- 
 ond death I had known, and the sorrow of the first was still fresh 
 in my heart. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE SEA CHEST. 
 
 I LOST no time, of course, in telling my mother all that I knew, 
 and perhaps should have told her long before, and we saw ourselves 
 at once in a difficult and dangerous position. Some of the man's 
 money — if he had an}' — was certainly due to us; but it was not like- 
 ly that our captain's shipmates, above all the two specimens seen by 
 me, Black Dog and the blind beggar, would be inclined to give up 
 their booty In payment of the dead man's debts. The captain's 
 order to mount at once and ride for Dr. Livesey would have left my 
 another alone and unprotected, which was not to be thought of
 
 20 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 Indeed, it seemed impossible for either of us to remain much longer 
 in the house; the fall of coals in the kitchen grate, the very ticking 
 of the clock, filled us with alarms. 
 
 The neighborhood, to our ears, seemed haunted by approaching 
 footsteps; and what between the dead body of the captain on the 
 parlor floor, and the thought of that detestable blind beggar hover- 
 ing near at hand and ready to return, there were moments when, as 
 the saying goes, I jumped in my skin for terror. Something must 
 speedily be resolved upon; and it occurred to us at last to go forth 
 together and seek help in the neighboring hamlet. No sooner said 
 than done. Bare-headed as we were, we ran out at once in the 
 gathering evening and the frosty fog. 
 
 The hamlet lay not many hundred yards away though out of 
 view, on the other side of the next cove; and what greatly encour- 
 aged me, it was in an opposite direction from that whence the blind 
 man had made his appearance, and whither he had presumably re- 
 turned. We were not many minutes on the road, though we some- 
 times stopped to lay hold of each other and hearken. But there was 
 no unusual sound — nothing but the low wash of the ripple and the 
 croaking of the crows in the wood. 
 
 It was already candle-light when we reached the hamlet, and I 
 shall never forget how much I was cheered to see the yellow shine 
 in doors and windows; but that, as it proved, was the best of the 
 help we were likely to get in that quarter. For — you would have 
 thought men would have been ashamed of themselves — no soul 
 would consent to return with us to the Admiral Benbow. The 
 more we told of our troubles, the more — man, woman, and child — 
 they clung to the shelter of their houses. The name of Captain 
 Flint, though it was strange to me, was well enough known to some 
 there, and carried a great weight of terror. Some of the men who 
 had been to field-work on the far side of the Admiral Benbow re- 
 membered, besides, to have seen several strangers on the road, and, 
 taking them to be smugglers, to have bolted away; and one at least 
 had seen a little lugger in what we called Kitt's Hole, For that 
 matter, any one who was a comrade of the captain's was enough to 
 frighten them to death. And the short and the long of the matter 
 was, that while we could get several who were willing enough to 
 ride to Dr. Livesey's which lay in another direction, not one would 
 help us to defend the inn. 
 
 They say cowardice is infectious; but then argument is, on the 
 other hand, a great emboldener; and so when each had his say, my 
 mother made them a speech. She would not, she aeclared, lose
 
 TREASURE ISLAKD. 21 
 
 money that belonged to her fatherless boy; " if none of the rest of 
 ■ you dare," she said, " Jim and I dare. Back we will go, the way 
 we came, and small thanks to you big, hulking, chicken-hearted 
 men. We'll have that chest open, if we die for it. And I'll thank 
 you for that bag, Mrs. Crossley, to bring back our lawful money 
 in." 
 
 Of course, I said I would go with ray mother; and of course they 
 all cried out at our foolhardiness; but even then not a man would 
 go along with us. All they would do was to give me a loaded pis- 
 tol, lest we were attacked; and to promise to have horses ready sad- 
 dled, in case we were pursued on our return; while one lad was to 
 ride forward to the doctor's in search of armed assistance. 
 
 My heart was beating fiercely when we two set forth in the cold 
 night upon this dangerous venture. A full moon was beginning to 
 rise and peered redly through the upper edges of the fog, and this 
 increased our haste, for it was plain, before we came forth again, 
 that all would be bright as day, and our departure exposed to the 
 eyes of any watchers. We slipped along the hedges, noiseless and 
 swift, nor did we see or hear anything to increase our terrors, till, 
 to our huge relief, the door of the Admiral Benbow had closed be- 
 hind us. 
 
 I slipped the bolt at once, and we stood and panted for a moment 
 in the dark, alone in the house with the dead captain's body. Then 
 my mother got a candle in the bar, and, holding each other's hands, 
 we advanced into the parlor. He lay as we had left him, on his 
 back, with his eyes open, and one arm stretched out. 
 
 "Draw down the blind, Jim," whispered my mother; "they 
 might come and watch outside. And now," said she, when I had 
 done so, " we have to get the key off that ; and who's to touch it, I 
 should like to know?" and she gave a kind of sob as she said the 
 words 
 
 I went down on my knees at once. On the floor close to his hand 
 there was a little round of paper, blackened on the one side. I 
 could not doubt that this was the black spot ; and, taking it up, I 
 found written on the other side, in a very good, clear hand, this 
 short message, " You havd till ten to-night." 
 
 " He had till ten, mother," said I; and, just as I said it, our old 
 clock began striking. This sudden noise staitled us shockingly; 
 but the news was good, for it was only six. 
 " Now, Jim," she said, " that key." 
 
 I felt in his pockets, one after another. A few small coins, % 
 thimble, and some thread and big needles, a piece of pigtail tobacco
 
 22 TREASUlli: ISLAND. 
 
 bSUeu away at the end, his gully wilh the crooked LaQdle, a pocket 
 compass and a linder-box, were all that thty coutaiued, and I begau 
 to despair. 
 
 " Perhai)s it's round his neck," suggested my mother. 
 
 Overcoming a strong repugnance, 1 tore open liis shirt at the 
 neck, and there, sure enough, hanging to a bit of tarry string, 
 whii li I cut with his own gully, we found tlie key. At this Iri- 
 umi)h we were tilled with hope, and hurried upstairs, without delay, 
 to the little room where he had slept so long, and where his box had 
 stood since the day of his arrival. 
 
 It was like any other seaman's chest on the outside, the initial 
 **B." burned on the top of it with a hot iron, and the corners 
 somewhat smashed and broken as by long, rough usjige. 
 
 " Give me the key," .said my mother; and though the lock was 
 very stiff, she had turned il and thrown back the lid in a twiukiiug. 
 
 A strong smell of tobacco and tar rose from the interior, but noth- 
 ing was to be seen on the top except a suit of very good clothes, 
 carefully brushed and folded. They had never been worn, my 
 mother said Under that, the miscellany began— a cpiadrant, a tin 
 cauikin, several sticlis of tobacco, two brace of very handsome pis- 
 tols, a piece of bar silver, an old Spanish watch and some other 
 trinkets of little value and mostly of foreign make, a pair of com- 
 passes mounted with br-i-es, and five or fix curious West Indian 
 shells. Il has often set ii\e thinking since that he should have car- 
 ried about these shells with him in his wandering, guilty, hunted 
 life. 
 
 In the meantime, we hatl found nothing of any value but the sil- 
 ver and the trinkets, and neither of these were in our way. Under- 
 neath there wjxs an old boat-cloak, whitened with sea salt on many 
 a harbor-bar. 'My mother pulled it up with impatience, and there 
 lay l)cfore us, the last things in the chest, a bundle tied up in oil- 
 cloth, an<l looking like papers, and a canvjis bug, that gave forth, at 
 a touch, the jingle of gold. 
 
 "I'll show those rogues that I'm an honest woman," said my 
 mother. " I'll have my dues, and not a farthing over. Hold Mrs. 
 Cro.ssley's bag." And she began to count over the amount of the 
 captain's score from the sailor's bag into the one tliat I Wiis holding. 
 
 It Wiis a long, dillieult business, for the coins were of all countries 
 and sizes— doubloons, and louis-d'ors, ami guineas, and pieces of 
 eight, and I know not what besides, all shaken together at random 
 The guineas, too, were about the scarcest, and it waii witL theso 
 ouiy that my mother knew how to make her count.
 
 TREA8URK ISLAND. 23 
 
 When we were about Imlf-way through, I suddenly put my hand 
 upon Jicr arm; for I had heard in the silent, frosty air, a Bound tliat 
 hr()iif,^lil my licart into my moiilli — the tap-tapping of tlie blind 
 man'H Htick u[)on the frozen road. It drew nearer and nearer, while 
 we 8at lioiding our l>r(;ath. Then it Htriiek sharji on the inn door, 
 *nd then we eonld hear tlie handle being tiirnefl, and the bolt rat- 
 tling as the wretehed being tried to enter; and then theiewasa 
 long time of Hilcnee botli williin and witliout. At last tlie tapping 
 rceommeneed, and to our indeseribable joy and gratitude, died 
 slowly away again until it ceased to be heard. 
 
 " Mother," said I, " take the whole and let's be going;" for I 
 was sure the bolted door must have seemed susi>iciou3, and would 
 bring the whole hornet's nest nbrjut our ears; though how thankful 
 I was that I had bol'ed it, none could tell who had never met that 
 terrible blind man. 
 
 I'ut my motlier, frightened as she was, would not consent to take 
 a fraction more than was due to her, and was obstinately unwilling 
 to be content with less. It was not yet seven, she said, by a long 
 way; she knew her rights and she would have them; and she was 
 still arguing with me, when a little low wljistle sounded a good 
 way oir upf)n the hill. That was enough, and more than enough, 
 for both of us. 
 
 " I'll take what I have," she said, jumi)ing to her feet. 
 
 " And I'll take this to square the count," said I, picking up the 
 oilskin packet. 
 
 Next moment we were both groping down-stairs, leaving the 
 candle by the empty chest; and the next we had opened the door 
 and were in full retreat. We had not started a moment too soon. 
 The fog was rapidly dispersing; already the moon shone quite clear 
 on the high ground on either side; and it was only in the exact bot- 
 tom of the dell and round the tavern door that a thin veil still hung 
 urd)roken to conceal the first steps of our escape. Far less than 
 half-way to the haiidet, very little beyond the bottom of the hill, 
 wc nuist conie forth into the moonlight. Nor was this all; for the 
 sound of several footsteps running came already to our ears, and as 
 wc looked back in their direction, a light tossing to and fro, and still 
 rai)idly advancing, showed that one of the new-comers carried a 
 lantern. 
 
 " My deai; " said my mother suddenly, " take the money and run 
 on. I am going to faint." 
 
 This was certainly the end for both of us, I thought. IIow I 
 eunBod the covrardice of the neighbors; how I blamed my poor
 
 H TREASURE ISLAND* 
 
 mother for her honesty and her greed, for her past foolhardiness 
 tad present weakness! We were just at the little bridge, hy good 
 fortune; and I helped her, tottering as she was, to the edge of the 
 bank; where, sure enough, she gave a sigh and fell on my shoulder. 
 I do not know how I found the strength to do it at all, and I am 
 afraid it was roughly done; but I managed to drag her down the 
 bank and a little way under the arch. Further I could not move 
 her, for the bridge was too low to let me do more than crawl below 
 it. So there we had to stay — my mother almost entirely exposed, 
 and both of us within ear -shot of the inu. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 THE LAST OF THE BLIND MAN. 
 
 My curiosity, ui a sense, was stronger than my fear; for I could 
 not remain where I was, but crept back to the bank again, whence, 
 sheltering my head behind a bush of broom, I might command the 
 road before our door. I was scarcely in position ere my enemies 
 began to arrive, seven or eight of them, running hard, their feet 
 beating out of time along the road, and the man with the lantern 
 some paces in front. Three men ran together, hand in hand; and 
 I made out, even through the mist, that the middle man of this trio 
 was the blind beggar. The next moment his voice showed me that 
 I was right. 
 
 " Down with the doorl" he cried. 
 
 *• Ay, ay, sirl" answered two or three; and a rush was made 
 upon the Admiral Benbow, the lantern-bearer following; and then I 
 could see them pause, and hear speeches passed in a lower key, as 
 if they were surprised to find the door open. But the pause was 
 brief, for the blind man again issued his commands. His voice 
 sounded louder and higher, as if he were afire with eagerness and 
 rage. 
 
 " In, in, inl" he shouted, and cursed them for their delay. 
 
 Four or five of them obeyed at once, two remaining on the road 
 with the formidable beggar. There was a pause, then a cry of sur- 
 prise, and then a voice shouting from the house : 
 
 "Bill's dead." 
 
 But the blind man swore at them again for their delay. 
 
 " Search him, some of you shirking lubbers, and the rest of you 
 aloft and get the chest," he cried. 
 
 I could hear their feet rattling up our old stairs, so that the house 
 must have shook with it. Promptly afterward, fresh sounds oX
 
 TREASUEE ISLAND. JiO 
 
 astonisliment arose; the window of the captain's room was thrown 
 open with a slam and a jingle of broken glass; and a man leaned 
 out into the moonlight, head and shoulders, and addressed the blind 
 beggar on the road below him. 
 
 " Pew," he cried, " they've been before us. Some one's turned 
 the chest out alow and aloft." 
 
 " Is it there V" roared Pew. 
 
 " The money's there." 
 
 The blind man cursed the money. 
 
 *' Flint's fist, I mean," he cried, 
 
 " We don't see it here nohow," returned the man. 
 
 *' Here, you below here, is it on Bill," cried the blind man again. 
 
 At that another fellow, probably him who had remained below to 
 search the captain's body, came to the door of the inn. " Bill's 
 been overhauled a'ready," said he, " nothin' left." 
 
 "It's these people of the inn — it's that boy. I wish I had put his 
 eyes out!" cried the blind man. Pew. They were here no time ago 
 — they had the door bolted when I tried it. Scatter, lads, and find 
 *em." 
 
 "Sure enough, they left their glim here, " said the fellow from 
 the window. 
 
 ^ "Scatter and find 'emi Rout the house out!" reiterated Pew, 
 striking with his stick upon the road. 
 
 Then there followed a great to-do through all our old inn, heavy 
 feet pounding to and fro, furniture all thrown over, doors kicked 
 in, until the very rocks re-echoed, and the men came out again, 
 one after another, on the road, and declared that we were nowhere 
 to be found. And just then the same whistle that had alarmed my 
 mother and myself over the dead captain's money was once more 
 clearly audible through the night, but this time twice repeated. I 
 had thought it (o be the blind man's trumpet, so to speak, summon- 
 ing his crew to the assault; but I now found that it was a signal 
 from the hill-side toward the hamlet, and from its eflfect upon the 
 buccaneers, a signal to warn them of approaching danger. 
 
 " There's Dirk again," said one. " Twice! "We'll have to 
 budge, mates." 
 
 " Budge, you skulk!" cried Pew. " Dirk was a fool and a cow- 
 ard from the first — you wouldn't mind him. They must be close 
 by; they can't be far; you have your hands on it. Scatter and look 
 for them, dogs'. Oh, shiver my soul," he cried, " if I had eyes!" 
 
 This appeal seemed to produce some effect, for two of the fellows 
 began to look here and there among the lumber, but half heartedly,
 
 26 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 I thought, and with half an eye to their own danger all the time, 
 while th? rest stood irresolute ou the road. 
 
 " You have your hands on thousands, you fools, and you haug a 
 legl You'd be as rich as kings if you could find it, and you know 
 it's here, and you stand there malingering. There wasn't one of 
 you dared face Bill, and I did it — a blind man! And I'm to lose 
 my chance for youl I'm to be a poor, crawling beggar, spougiug 
 for rum, when I miglit be rolling in a coach! If you had the pluck 
 of a weevil in a biscuit, you woulc] catch them still." 
 
 " Hang it. Pew, we've got the doubloonsi" grumbled one. 
 
 '* They might have hid the blessed thing," said another. " Take 
 the Georges, Pew, and don't stand here squalling." 
 
 Squalling was the word for it, Pew's anger rose so high at these 
 objections; till at last, his passion complete!}^ taking the upper hand, 
 he struck at them right and left in his blindness, and his stick 
 sounded heavily on more than one. 
 
 These, in their turn, cursed back at the blind miscreant, threat- 
 2ned him in horrid terms, and tried in vain to catch the stick and 
 wrest it from his grasp. 
 
 This quarrel was the saving of us; for while it was still raging, 
 another sound came from the top of tbe hill on the side of the ham- 
 let— the tramp of horses galloping. Almost at the same time a pis- 
 tol-shot, flash and report, came from the hedge side. And that 
 was plainly the last signal of danger; for the buccaneers turned at 
 once and ran, separating in every direction, one seaward along the 
 cove, one slant across the hill, and so on, so that in half a minute 
 not a sign of them remained but Pew. Him they had deserted, 
 whether in sheer panic or out of revenge for his ill words and blows, 
 I know not; but there he remained behind, tapping up and down 
 the road in a frenzy, and groping and calling for Lis comrades. 
 Finally he took the wrong turn, and ran a few steps p^ist me, to- 
 ward tht hamlet, crying: 
 
 " Johnny, Black Dog, Dirk,'' and other names, " you won't leave 
 old Pew, mates — not old Pewl" 
 
 Just then the noise of horses topped the rise, and four or five 
 riders came in sight in the moonlight, and swept at full gallop down 
 the slope. 
 
 At this Pew saw his error, turned with a scream, and ran straight 
 for the ditch, into which he rolled. But he was on his feet again 
 in a second, and made another dash, now utterly bewildered, right 
 under the nearest of the coming horses. 
 
 The rider tried to save him, but in vain. Down went Pew with
 
 TEEASUEE ISLA2?D. 27 
 
 a cry that rang high into the night; and the four hoofs trampled 
 and spurned him and passed by. He fell on his side, then gently 
 collapsed upon his face, and moved no more. 
 
 I leaped to my feet and hailed the riders. They were pulling up, 
 at any rate horrified at the accident; and I soon saw what they 
 were. One, tailing out behind the rest, was a lad that had gone 
 from the hamlet to Dr. Livesey's; the rest were revenue officers, 
 whom he had met by the way, and with whom he had had the in- 
 telligence to return at once. Some news of the lugger in Kitt's 
 Hole had found its way to Supervisor Dance, and sent him forth 
 that night in our direction, and to that circumstance my mother and 
 I owed our preservation from death. 
 
 Pew was dead, stone dead. As for my mother, when we had 
 carried her up to the hamlet, a little cold water and salts very soon 
 brought her back again, and she was none the worse for her terror, 
 though she still continued to deplore the balance of the money. 
 
 In the meantime the supervisor rode on, as fast as he could, to 
 Kitt's Hole; but his men had to dismount and grope down the din- 
 gle, leading, and sometimes supporting, their horses, and in con- 
 tinual fear of ambushes; so it was no great matter for surprise that 
 ■when we got down to the Hole the lugger was already under way, 
 though still close in. He hailed her. A voice replied, telling him 
 to keep out of the moonlight, or he would get some lead in him, and 
 at the same time a bullet whistled close by his arm. Soon after, 
 the lugger doubled the point and disappeared. ]Mr. Dance stood 
 there, as he said, " like a fish out of water," and all he could do 
 
 was to dispatch a man to B to warn the cutter. " And that," 
 
 said he, " is just about as good as nothing. They've got off clean, 
 and there's an end. Only," he added, " I'm glad I trod on Master 
 Pew's corns;" for by this time he had beard my story. 
 
 1 went back with him to the Admiral Benbow, and you can not 
 imagine a house in such a state of smash; the very clock had been 
 thrown down by these fellows in their furious hunt after my mother 
 and myself; and though nothing had actually been taken away ex- 
 cept the captain's money-bag and a little silver from the till, I could 
 see at once that we were ruined. Mr. Dance could make nothing 
 of the scene. 
 
 " They got the money, you say? "Well, then, Hawkins, what in 
 fortime wore they after. More money, I suppose?" 
 
 "Ko, sir; not money, I think," replied I. " In fact, sir, I be- 
 Keve I have the tiling in my breast-pocket; and, to tell you the 
 truth, I should like to get it p^t in safety."
 
 28 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 "To be sure, boy; quite right," said he. " I'il take it, if you 
 like." 
 
 " I thought, perhaps. Dr. Livesey — " I began. 
 
 •• Perfectly right," he interrupted, very cheerily, " perfectly right 
 —a gentleman and a magistrate. And, now I come to think of it, I 
 might as well ride round there myself and report to him or squire. 
 Master Pew's dead, when all's done; not that I regret it, but he's 
 dead, you see, and people will make it out against an officer of his 
 majesty's revenue, if make it out they can. Now, I'll tell you, 
 Hawkins, if you like, I'll take you along." 
 
 I thanked him heartily for the offer, and we walked back to the 
 hamlet where the horses were. By the time I had told mother of 
 my purpose they were all in the saddle. 
 
 " Dogger," said Mr. Dance, "'you have a good horse; take up 
 this lad behind you." 
 
 As soon as I was mounted, holding on to Dogger's belt, the 
 supervisor gave the word, and the party struck out at a bouncing 
 trot on the road to Dr. Livesey's house. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE captain's PAPERS, 
 
 We rode hard all the way, till we drew up before Dr. Livesey's 
 door. The house was all dark in front. 
 
 Mr. Dance told me to jump down and knock, and Dogger gave 
 me a stirrup to descend by. The door was opened almost at once 
 by the maid. 
 
 ** Is Dr. Livesey in?" I asked. 
 
 No, she said; he had come home in the afternoon, but had gone 
 up to the Hall to dine and pass the evening with the squire. 
 
 '* So there we go, boys," said Mr. Dance. 
 
 This time, as the distance was short, I did not mount, but ran 
 with Dogger's stirrup-leather to the lodge gates, and up the long, 
 leafless, moonlit avenue to where the white line of the Hall build- 
 ings looked on either hand on great old gardens. Here Mr. Dance 
 dismounted, and, taking me along with him, was admitted at a word 
 into the house. 
 
 The servant led us down a matted passage, and showed us at the 
 end into a great library, all lined with book-cases and busts upon 
 the top of them, where the squire and Dr, Livesey sat, pipe in hand, 
 on either side of the bright fire. 
 
 I had never seen the squire so near at Iiand. He was a tall man,
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 29 
 
 over six feet high, and broad ia proportion, and he had a bluff, 
 rough-and-ready face, all roughened and reddened and lined in his 
 long travels. His eyebrows were very black, and moved readily, 
 and this gave him a look of some temper, not bad, you would say, 
 but quick and high. 
 
 " Come in, Mr. Dance," says he, very stately and condescending, 
 " Good-evening, Dance," says the doctor, with a nod. " And 
 good evening to you, friend Jim. What good wind brings you 
 here?" 
 
 The supervisor stood up straight and stiff, and told his story like 
 a lesson; and you should have seen how the two gentlemen leaned 
 forward and looked at eacli other, and forgot to smoke in their sur- 
 prise and iuterest. When they heard how my mother went back to 
 the inn, Dr. Livesey fairly slapped his thigh, and the squire cried 
 " Bravo!" and broke his long pipe against the grate. Long before 
 it was done, Mr. Trelawney (that, you will remember, was the 
 squire's name) had got up from his seat, and was striding about the 
 room, and the doctor, as if to liear the better, had taken off his pow- 
 dered wig, and sat there, looking very strange indeed with his own 
 close-cropped, black poll. 
 
 At last i\Ir. Dance finished the story. 
 
 "Mr. Dance," said the squire, "you are a very noble fellow. 
 And as for riding down that black, atrocious miscreant, I regard it 
 as an act of virtue, sir, like stamping on a cockroach. This lad 
 Hawkins is a trump, I perceive. Hawkins, will you ring that bell? 
 Mr. Dance must have some ale." 
 
 " And so, Jim," said the doctor, " you have the thing that they 
 were after, have you?" 
 
 " Here it is, sir," said I, and gave him the oilskin packet. 
 
 The doctor looked it all over, as if his fingers were itching to open 
 it; but, instead of doing that, he put it quietly in the pocket of his 
 coat. 
 
 " Squire," said he, "■ when Dance has had his ale he must, of 
 course, be off on his majesty's service; but I mean to keep Jim 
 Hawkins here to sleep at my bouse, and, with your permission, I 
 propose we should have up the cold pie, and let him sup." 
 
 '" As you will, Livesey," said the squire; " Hawkins has earned 
 better fnan cold pie." 
 
 So a big pigeon pie was brought in and put on a side-table, and I 
 made a hearty supper, for I was as hungry as a hawk, while Mr 
 Dance was further complimented, and at last dismissed. 
 
 *' And now, squire," said the doctor.
 
 30 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 " And now Livesey," said the squire, in the same breath. 
 
 ** One at a time, one at a time," laughed Dr. Livesey. " You 
 have heard of this Flint, I suppose?" 
 
 " Heard of himl" cried the squire. " Heard of him, you sayl 
 He was the blood- thirstiest buccaneer that sailed. Blackbeard was a 
 child to Flint. The Spaniards were so prodigiously afraid of him, 
 that, I tell you, sir, I was sometimes proud he was an Englishman. 
 I've seen his topsails with these eyes, off Trinidad, and the cowardly 
 sou of a rum-puncheon that I sailed with put back— put back, sir, 
 into Port of Spain." 
 
 " Well, I've heard of him myself, in England," said the doctor. 
 " But the point is, had he money?" 
 
 *' Money!" cried the squire. " Have you heard the story? What 
 were these villains after but money? What do they care for but 
 money? For what would they risk their rascal carcasses but 
 money?" 
 
 " That we shall soon know," replied the doctor. " But you are 
 so confoundedly hotheaded and exclamatory that I can not get a 
 word in. What I want to know is this; Supposing that I have here 
 in my pocket some clew to where Flint buried his treasure, will 
 that treasure amount to much?" 
 
 " Amount, sir!" cried the squire. " It will amount to this; if we 
 have the clew you talk about, I fit out a ship in Bristol dock, and take 
 you and Hawkins here along, and I'll have that treasure if I search 
 a year." 
 
 *' Very well," said the doctor, " Now, then, if Jim is agreeable, 
 we'll open the packet;" and he laid it before him on the table. 
 
 The bundle was sewn together, and the doctor had to get out his 
 instrument-case, and cut the stitches with his medical scissors. It 
 contained two things — a book and a sealed paper. 
 
 " First of all we'll try the book," observed the doctor. 
 
 The squire and I were both peering over his shoulder as he 
 opened it, for Dr. Livesey had kindly motioned me to come round 
 from the side-table, where I had been eating, to enjoy the sport of 
 the search. On the first page there were only some scraps of writ- 
 ing, such as a man with a pen in his hand might make for idleness 
 or practice. One was the same as tha tattoo mark, " Billy Bones 
 his fancy;" then there was '" Mr. W, Bones, mate." " No more 
 rum." "Off Palm Key he got itt;" and some other snatches, 
 mostly single words and unintelligible. I couJd not help wonder- 
 ing who it was that had " got itt," and what " itt " was that he got 
 A knife in his back as like as not.
 
 TREASUKE ISLAND. 31 
 
 "Not much instruction there," said Dr. Livesey, as he passed 
 on. 
 
 The next ten or twelve pages were filled with a curious series of 
 entries. There was a date at one end of the line and at the other a 
 sam of monej; as in common account-books; but instead of ex- 
 planatory writing, only a varying number of crosses between the 
 two. On the 12th of June, 1745, for instance, a sum of seventy 
 pounds had plainly become due to some one, and there was nothing 
 but six crosses to explain the cause. In a few cases, to be sure, the 
 name of a place would be added, as " OfEe Caraccas;" or a mere 
 entry of latitude and longitude, as " 63 deg. 17 min. 20 sec, 19 deg. 
 2 min. 40 sec." 
 
 The record lasted over nearly twenty years, the amount of the 
 separate entries growing larger as time went on, and at the end u 
 grand total had been made out after five or six wrong additions, 
 and these words appended, " Bones his pile." 
 
 " I can't make head or tail of this," said Dr. Livesey. 
 
 •' The thing is as clear as noonday," cried the squire. " This is 
 the black-hearted hound's account- book. These crosses stand for 
 the names of ships or towns that they sunk or plundered. The 
 sums are the scoundrel's share, and where he feared an ambiguity, 
 you see he added something clearer. ' Offe Caraccas,' now; you 
 see, here was some unhappy vessel boarded off that coast. God help 
 the poor souls that manned her — coral long ago." 
 
 " Right!" said the doctor. " See what it is to be a traveler. 
 Right! And the amounts increase, you see, as he rose in rank." 
 
 There was little else in the volume but a few bearings of places 
 noted in the blank leaves toward the end, and a table for reducing 
 French, English, and Spanish nioneys to a common value. 
 
 " Thrifty manl" cried the doctor. " He wasn't the one to be 
 cheated." 
 
 *' And now," said the squire, " for the other." 
 
 The paper had been sealed in several places with a thimble by 
 way of seal; the very thimble, perhaps, that I had found in the 
 captain's pocket. The doctor opened the seals with great care, and 
 there fell out the map of an island, with latitude and longitude, 
 soundings, names of hills and bays and inlets, and every particular 
 that would be needed to bring a ship to a safe anchorage upon its 
 shores. It was about nine miles long, and five across, shaped, you 
 might say, like a fat dragon standing up, and had two tine land- 
 locked harbors, and a hill in the center part marked " The Spy- 
 glass." There were several additions of a later date; but, above all.
 
 33 TREASURE ISLAKD. 
 
 three crosses of red ink — two on the north part of the island, one 
 in the southwest, and, beside this last, in the same red ink, and in 
 a small, neat hand, very different from the captain's tottery char- 
 acters, these words: " Bulk of treasure here." 
 
 Over on the back the same hand had written this further informa- 
 tion: 
 
 " Tall tree. Spy -glass shoulder, bearing a point to the N. of 
 N. N. E. 
 
 " Skeleton Island E. S. E. and by E. 
 
 " Ten feet. 
 
 " The bar silver is in the north cache; you can find it by the 
 trend of the east hummock, ten fathoms south of the black crag 
 with the face on it. 
 
 " The arms are easy found, in the sand-hill, N. point of north 
 inlet cape, bearing E. and a quarter N. 
 
 "J. F." 
 
 That was all; but brief as it was, and, to me, incomprehensible, 
 it filled the squire and Dr. Livesey with delight. 
 
 "Livesey," said the squire, "you will give up this wretched 
 practice at once. To-morrow I start for Bristol. In three weeks' 
 time — three weeks' — two weeks — ten days — we'll have the best ship, 
 sir, and the choicest crew in England. Hawkins shall come as 
 cabin-boy. You'll make a famous cabin-boy, Hawkins. You, 
 Livesey, are ship's doctor; I am admiral. We'll take Redruth, 
 Joyce, and Hunter. We'll have favorable winds, and a quick 
 passage, and not the least difficulty in finding the spot, and money 
 lo eat — to roll in — to play duck and drake with ever after." 
 
 " Trclawney," said the doctor, " I'll go with you; and I'll go bail 
 for it, so vvill Jim, and be a credit to the undertaking. There's only 
 one man I'm afraid of." 
 
 " And who is that?" cried the squire. " Name the dog, sirl" 
 
 " You," replied the doctor: " for you can not hold your tongue?. 
 We are not the only men who know of this paper. These fellows 
 who attacked the inn tonight — bold, desperate blades, for sure — 
 and the rest who stayed abourd that lugger, and more, I dare say, 
 not far off, are, one and all, tlirough thick and thin, bound that 
 they'll get that money. We must none of us go alone till we get to 
 sea. Jim and I shall stick together iu the meanwhile: you'll take 
 Joyce and Hunter when you ride to Bristol, and, from first to last, 
 not one of us must breathe a word of what we've found," 
 
 " Livesey," returned the squire, " you are always in the right of 
 it. I'll be as silent as the grave."
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 83 
 
 PART 11. 
 
 THE SEA COOK. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 I GO TO BRISTOL. 
 
 It was longer than the squire imagined ere we were ready for the 
 >ea, and none of our first plans — not even Dr. Livesey's, of keeping 
 me beside him — could be carried out as we intended. The doctor 
 had to go to London for a physician to take charge of his practice; 
 the squire was hard at svork at Bristol; and I lived on at the Hall 
 under the charge of old Redruth, the gamekeeper, almost a prisoner 
 but full of sea dreams and the most charming anticipations of 
 strange islands and adventures. I brooded by the hour together 
 over the map, all the details of which I well remembered. Sitting 
 by the fire in the housekeeper's room, I approached that island in 
 my fancy, from every possible direction; I explored every acre of 
 its surface; I climbed a thousand times to that tall hill they call the 
 Spy-glass, and from the top enjoyed the most wonderful and chang- 
 ing prospects. Sometimes the isle was thick with savages, with 
 whom we fought; sometimes full of dangerous animals that hunted 
 us; but in all my fancies nothing occurred to me so strange and 
 tragic as our actual adventures. 
 
 So the weeks passed on, till one fine day there came a letter ad- 
 dressed to Di. Livesey, with this addition, "To be opened in the 
 case of his absence, by Tom Redruth, or young Hawkins." 
 Obeying this order, we found, or rather, I found — for the game- 
 keeper was a poor hand at reading anything but print — the follow- 
 ing important news: 
 
 '• Old Anclior Inn, Bristol, March 1, 17—. 
 
 "Dear Livesey, — As I do not know whether you are at the 
 Hall or still in London, I send this in double to both places. 
 
 " The ship is bought and fitted. She lies at anchor, ready fov 
 sea. You never imagined a sweeter schooner — a child might sail 
 her — two hundred tons; name, ' Hispaniola.' 
 
 " I got her through my old friend. Blandly, who has proved 
 himself throughout the most surprising trump. The admirable
 
 34 TEEASURE ISLAND. 
 
 fellow literally slaved in my intei-est, and so, I may say, did every 
 one in Bristol, as soon as they got wind of the port we sailed for — 
 treasure, I mean." 
 
 " Redruth," said I, interrupting the letter, " Dr. Livesey will not 
 like that. The squire has been talking, after all." 
 
 'Well, who's got a better right?" growled the gamekeeper. 
 " A pretty rum go if squire ain't to talk for Dr. Livesey, I should 
 think." 
 
 At that I gave up all attempt at commentary, and read straight 
 on: 
 
 " Blandly himself found the ' Hispaniola,' and by the most ad- 
 mirable management got her for the merest trifle. There is a class 
 of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blaudlj'. They 
 go the length of declaring that this honest creature would do any- 
 thing for money, that the ' Hispaniola ' belonged to him and that he 
 sold it me absurdly high — the most transparent calumnies. None 
 of them dare, however, to deny the merits of the ship. 
 
 " So far there was not a hitch. The workpeople to be sure — rig- 
 gers and what not — were most annoyingly slow; but time cured 
 that. It was the crew that troubled me. 
 
 " I wished a round score of men — in case of natives, buccaneers, 
 or the odious French — and I had the worry of the deuce itself to 
 find so much as half a dozen, till the most remarkable stroke of 
 fortune brought me the very man that I required. 
 
 " I was standing on the dock, when, by the merest accident, I fell 
 in talk with him. I found he was an old sailor, kept a public- 
 house, knew all the seafaring men in Bristol, had lost his health 
 ashore, and wanted a good berth as cook to get to sea again. He 
 had hobbled down there that morning, he said, to get a smell of the 
 salt. 
 
 '* I was monstrously touched — so would you have been — and, out 
 of pure pity, I engaged him on the spot to be ship's cook. Long- 
 John Silver, he is called, and has lost a leg; but that I regarded as 
 a recommendation, since he lost it in his country's service, under 
 the immortal Hawke. He has no pension, Livesey. Imagine the 
 abominable age we live inl 
 
 " "Well, sir, I thought I had only found a cook, but it was a crew 
 I had discovered. Between Silver and myself we got together in a 
 few days a company of the toughest old salts imaginable — not pretty 
 to look at, but fellows, by their faces, of the most indomitable spirit. 
 I declare we could fight a frigate. 
 
 "Long John even got rid of two out of the six or seven I had 
 already engaged. He showed me in a moment that they were just 
 the sort of fresh- water swabs we had to fear in an adventure of im- 
 portance. 
 
 "I am in the most magnificent health and spirits, eating like a 
 bull, sleeping like a tree, yet I shall not enjoy a moment till I hear 
 my old tarpaulins tramping round the capstan. Seaward ho! Hang 
 the treasure! It's the glory of the sea that has turned my head. So 
 now, Livesey, come post; do not lose an hour, if you respect me.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 35 
 
 " Let young Hawkins go at once to see his mother, with Redruth 
 for a guard; and then both come full speed to Bristol. 
 
 "John Trelawney. 
 
 " P.S.— r did not tell you that Blandly, who, by the way, is to 
 send a consort after us if we don't turn up by the end of August, 
 had found an admirable fellow for sailing-master— a stiff man, 
 which I regret, but, in all other respects, a treasure. Long John 
 Silver unearthed a very competent man for a mate, a man named 
 Arrow. 1 have a boatswain who pipes, Livesey; so things shall go 
 man-o'-war fashion on board the good ship ' Hispaniola. ' 
 
 " I forgot to tell you that Silver is a man of substance; I know of 
 my own knowledge that he has a bnnker's account, which has never 
 been overdrawn. He leaves his wife to manage the inn; and as she 
 is a woman of color, a pair of old bachelors like you and I may be 
 excused for guessing that it is the wife, quite as much as the health, 
 that sends him back to roving. 
 
 " J. T. 
 
 " P.P.S. — Hawkins may stay one night with his mother. 
 
 You can fancy the excitement into which that letter put me. I 
 was half beside myself with glee; and if ever I despised a man, it 
 was old Tom Redruth, who could do nothing but grumble and 
 lament. Any of the under-gamekeepers would gladly have changed 
 places with him; but such was not the squire's pleasure, and the 
 squire's pleasure was like law among them all. Nobody but old 
 Redruth would have dared so much as even to grumble. 
 
 The next morning he and 1 set out on foot for the Admiral Ben- 
 bow, and there I found my mother in good health and spirits. The 
 captain, who had so long been a cause of so much discomfort, was 
 gone where the wicked cease from troubling. The squire had had 
 everything repaired, and the public rooms and the sign repainted, 
 and had added some furniture — above all a beautiful arm-chair for 
 mother in the bar. He had found her a boy as an apprentice also, 
 so that she should not want help while I was gone. 
 
 It was on seeing that boy that I understood, for the first time, mj 
 situation. I had thought up to that moment of the adventures be- 
 fore me, not at all of the home that I was leaving; and now at sight 
 of this clumsy stranger, who was to stay here in my place beside 
 my mother, I had my first attack of tears. I am afraid I led that 
 boy a dog's life; for as he was new to the work, I had a hundred 
 opportunities of setting him right and putting him down, and 1 was 
 not slow to profit by them. 
 
 The night passed, and the next day, after dinner, Redruth and I 
 were afoot again and on the road. I said good-bye to mother and
 
 36 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 the cove where I had lived since I was born, and the dear old Ad- 
 miral Benbow— since he was repainted, no longer quite so dear. 
 One of my last thoughts was of the captain, who had so often strode 
 along the beach with his cocked hat, his saber-cut cheek, and his 
 old brass telescope. Next moment we had turned the corner, and 
 my home was out of sight. 
 
 The mail picked us up about dusk at the Royal George on the 
 heath. I was wedged in betwcpn Redruth and a stout old gentle- 
 man, and in spite of the swift motion and the cold night air, 1 
 must have dozed a great deal from the very first, and then slept like 
 a log uphill and down dale through stage after stage; for when I 
 was awakened, at last, it was by a punch in the ribs, and I opened 
 my eyes, to find that we were standing still before a large building 
 in a city street, and that the day had already broken a long time. 
 
 " "Where are we?" I asked. 
 
 " Bristol," said Tom. " Get down." 
 
 Mr. Trelawney had taken up his residence at an inn far down the 
 docks, to superintend the work upon the schooner. Thither we 
 had now to walk, and our way, to my great delight, lay along the 
 quays and beside the great multitude of ships of all sizes and rigs 
 and nations. In one, sailors were singing at their work; in an- 
 other, there were men aloft, high over my head, hanging to threads 
 that seemed no thicker than a spider's. Though I had lived bj^ the 
 shore all mj^ life, I seemed never to have been near the sea till then. 
 The smell of tar and salt was something new. I saw the most 
 wonderful figure-heads, that had all been far over the ocean. I 
 saw, besides, many old sailors, with rings in their ears, and whiskers 
 curled in ringlets, and tarry pig-tails, and their swaggering, clumsy 
 sea-walk; and if I had seen as many kings or archbishops I could 
 not have been more delighted. 
 
 And I was going to sea myself; to sea in a schooner, with a pip- 
 ing boatswain, and pig tailed singing seamen; to sea, bound for an 
 unknown island, and to seek for buried treasure. 
 
 While I was still in this delightful dream, we came suddenly in 
 front of a large inn, and met Squire Trelawney, all dressed out like 
 a sea officer, in stout blue cloth, coming out of the door with a 
 smile on his face, and a capital imitation of a sailor's walk. 
 
 " Here you are," he cried, " and the doctor came last night from 
 London. Bravo— the ship's company completel" 
 
 " Oh, sir," cried I, " when do we sail?" 
 
 " Sail! " says he. " We sail to-morrow. "
 
 TKEASURE ISLANT). 37 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 
 AT THE SIGN OP THE SPY-GLASS. 
 
 When I had done breakfasting, the squire gave me a note ad- 
 dressed to John Silver, at the sign of the Spy-glass, and told me 1 
 should easily find the place by following the line of the docks, and 
 keeping a bright look out for a little tavern with a large brass tele- 
 scope for a sign. 1 set off, overjoyed at this opportunity to see 
 some more of the ships and seamen, and picked my way among a 
 great crowd of people and carts and bales, for the dock was now at 
 its busiest, until I found the tavern in question. 
 
 It was a bright enough little place of entertainment. The sign 
 was newly painted; the windows had neat red curtains; the floor 
 was cleanly sanded. There was a street on either side, and an open 
 door on both, which made the large, low room pretty clear to see 
 in, in spite of clouds of tobacco smoke. 
 
 The customers were mostly seafaring men; and they talked so 
 loudly that I hung at the door, almost afraid to enter. 
 
 As I was waiting, a man came out of a side room, and at a glance, 
 I was sure he must be Long John. His left leg was cut off close by 
 the hip, and under the left shoulder he carried a crutch, w^hich he 
 managed with wonderful dexteritj% hopping about upon it like a 
 bird. He was very tall and strong, with a face as big as a ham — 
 plain and pale, but intelligent and smiling. Indeed, he seemed in 
 the most cheerful spirits, whistling as he moved about among the 
 tables, with a merry word or a slap on the shoulder for the more 
 favored of his guests. 
 
 Now, to tell you the truth, from the very first mention of Long John 
 in Squire Trelawney's letter, I had taken a fear in my mind that he 
 might prove to be the very one-legged sailor whom I had watched 
 for so long at the old Benbow. But one look at the man before me 
 was enough. I had seen the captain, and Black Dog and the blind 
 man Pew, and I thought I knew what a buccaneer was like — a very 
 different creature, according to me, from this clean and pleasant- 
 tempered landlord. 
 
 I plucked up courage at once, crossed the threshold, and walked 
 right up to the man where he stood, ^jropped on his crutch, talking 
 to a customer. 
 
 " Mr. Silver, sir?" I asked, holding out the note.
 
 3S TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 " Yes, my lad," said he; " such is my name, to be sure. And 
 who may you be?" And when he saw the squire's letter, he seemed 
 to me to give something almost lilie a start. 
 
 " Oh:" said he, quite aloud, and offering his hand, " I see. You 
 are our new cabin-boy; pleased I am to see j'^ou." 
 
 And he took my hand iu his large firm grasp. 
 
 Just then one of the customers at the far side rose suddenly and 
 made for the door. It was clot,e by him, and he was out iu ihe 
 street in a moment. But his hurry had attracted my notice, and I 
 recognized him at a glance. It was the tallow-faced man, wanting 
 two fingers, who had come first to the Admiral Benbow. 
 
 " Oh," I cried, " stop him! it's Black Dog!" 
 
 "I don't care two coppers who he is, " cried Silver. " But he 
 hasn't paid his score. Harry, run and catch him." 
 
 One of the others who was nearest the door leaped up and started 
 in pursuit. 
 
 " If he were Admiral Ha wke he shall pay his score," cried Silver; 
 and then, relinquishing my hand, " who did you say he was?" he 
 asked. " Black what?" 
 
 " Dog, sir," said I. " Has Mr. Trelawney not told you of the 
 buccaneers? He was one of them." 
 
 " So?" cried Silver. " In my house! Ben, run and help Harry. 
 One of those swabs, was he? Was that you drinking with him, 
 Morgan? Step up here." 
 
 The man whom he called Morgan — an old, gray liaired, mahogany- 
 faced sailoi — came forward pretty sheepishly, rolling his quid. 
 
 "Now, Morgan," said Long John, very sternly; "you never 
 clapped your eyes on that Black —Black Dog before, did you, now?" 
 
 " Not I, sir," said Morgan, with a salute. 
 
 " You didn't know his name, did you?" 
 
 " No, sir." 
 
 " By the powers, Tom Morgan, it's as good for you'" exclaimed 
 the landlord. " If you had been mixed up with the like of tliat, 
 you would never have put another foot in my house, you may lay 
 to that. And what was he saying to you?" 
 
 " I don't rightly know, sir," answered Morgan. 
 
 " Do you call that a head on your shoulders, or a blessed dead- 
 eye?" cried Long John. "Don't rightly know, don't you? Per- 
 haps you don't happen to rightly know who you was speaking to, 
 perhaps? Come now, what was he jawing — v'yages, cap'ns, ships? 
 Pipe up? What was it?" 
 
 " We was a-talkin' of keel-hauliug, " answered Morgan.
 
 TREASURE ISLAKD. 39 
 
 " Keel hauling, was you? and a mighty suitable thing, too, and 
 you may lay to that. Get bade to your place for a lubber, Tom." 
 
 And then, as Morgan rolled back to his seat, Silver added to me 
 in a confidential whisper, that was very flattering, as I thought:" 
 
 " He's quite an honest man, Tom Morgan, on'y stupid. And 
 now," he ran on again, aloud, " let's see — Black Dog? No, I don't 
 know the name, not I. Yet I kind of think I've— yes, I've seen 
 the swab. He used to come here with a blind beggar, he used." 
 
 " That he did, you may be sure," said I. "I knew that blind 
 man, too. His name was Pew." 
 
 " It was!" cried Silver, now quite excited. " Pew! That were 
 his name for certain. Ah, he looked a shark, he did! If we run 
 down this Black Dog, now, there'll be news for Cap'n Trelawneyl 
 Ben's a good runner; few seamen run better than Ben. He should 
 run him down, hand over hand, by the powers! He talked o' keel- 
 hauling, did he? I'll keel-haul him!" 
 
 All the time he was jerking out these phrases he was stumping 
 up and down the tavern on his crutch, slapping tables with his 
 hand, and giving such a show of excitement as would have con- 
 A^inced an Old Bailey judge or a Bow Street runner. My suspicions 
 had been thoroughly reawakened on finding Black Dog at the Spy- 
 glass, and I watched the cook narrowly. But he was too deep, and 
 too ready, and loo clever for me, and by the time the two men had 
 come back out of breath, and confessed that they had lost the track 
 in a crowd, and been scolded like thieves, I would have gone bail 
 for the innocence of Long John Silver. 
 
 "See here, now, Hawkins," said he, "here's a blessed hard 
 thing on a man like me now, ain't it? There's Cap'n Trelawney — 
 what's he to think? Here I have this confounded son of a Dutch- 
 man sitting in my own house, drinking of my own rum! Here you 
 comes and tells me of it plain; and here I let him give us all the slip 
 before my blessed dead-lights! Now, Hawkins, you do me justice 
 with the cap'n. You're a lad, you are, but you're as smart as 
 paint. I see that when you first came in. Now, here it is: What 
 could I do, with this old timber I hobble on? When I was an A B 
 master mariner I'd have come up alongside of him, hand over hand, 
 and broached him to in a brace of old shakes, I would; and now — " 
 
 And then, all of a sudden, he stopped, and his jaw dropped as 
 though he had remembered something. 
 
 " The score!" he burst out. " Three goes o' rum! Why, shiver 
 my timbers, if I hadn't forgotten my score!" 
 
 And, falling on a bench, he laughed until the tears ran down his
 
 40 TREASURE ISLAKD. 
 
 cheeks. I could not help joining; and we laughed together, peal 
 after peal, until the tavern rang again. 
 
 " "Why, what a precious old sea-calf I am!" he said, at last, wip- 
 ing his cheeks. " You and me should get on well. Hawkins, for 
 I'll take my davy I should be rated ships boy. But, come, now. 
 stand by to go about. This won't do. Dooty is dooty, messmates. 
 I'll put on my old cocked hat, and step along of you to Cap'n Tre- 
 lawney, and report this liere affai-. For, niiad you, it's serious, 
 young Hawkins; and neither you nor me's come out of it with what 
 I should make so bold as to call credit. Nor you neither, says 
 you; not smart — none of the pair of us smart. But dash my but- 
 tons! that was a good 'un about my score." 
 
 And he began to laugh again, and that so lieartilj^ that though I 
 did not see the joke as he did, I was again obliged to join him in 
 his mirth. 
 
 On our little walk along the quays, he made himself the most 
 interesting companion, telling me about the different ships that we 
 passed by, their rig, tonnage, and nationality, explaining the work 
 that was goiug forward — how one was discharging, another taking 
 in cargo, and a third making ready for sea; and every now and 
 then telling me some little anecdote of ships or seamen, or repeating 
 a nautical phrase till I had learned it perfectl^^ I began to see that 
 here was one of the best of possible shipmates. 
 
 When we got to the inn, the squire and Dr. Livesey were seated 
 together, finishiug a quart of ale with a toast in it, before they 
 should go aboard the schooner on a visit of inspection. 
 
 Long John told the story from first to last, with a great deal of 
 spirit and the most perfect truth. " That was how it were, now, 
 weren't it, Hawkins?" he would say, now and again, and I could 
 always bear him entirely out. 
 
 The two gentlemen regretted that Black Dog had got away; but 
 we all agreed there was nothing to be done, and after he had been 
 complimented. Long John took up his crutch and departed, 
 
 " All hands aboard by four this afternoon, ' shouted the squire 
 after him. 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir," cried the cook, ia the passage. 
 
 " Well, squire," said Dr. Livesey, " I don't put much faith in 
 your discoveries, as a general thing; but I will say this — John Sil- 
 ver suits me." 
 
 " That man's a perfect trump," declared the squire. 
 
 " And now," added the doctor, " Jim may come on board with 
 us, may he not?" 
 
 t
 
 TREAStJRE ISLAND. 41 
 
 " To be sure he may," says the squire. " Take your hat, Haw- 
 kins, and we'll see the ship." 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 POWDER AND ARMS. 
 
 The " Hispanlola " lay some way out, and we went under the 
 figureheads and round the sterns of many other ships, and their 
 cables sometimes grated beneath our keel, and sometimes swung 
 above us. At last, however, we swung alongside, and were met 
 and saluted as we stepped aboard by the mate, Mr. Arrow, a brown 
 old sailor, with ear-rings in his ears and a squint. He and the 
 squire were very thick and friendly, but I soon observed that things 
 were not the same between Mr. Trelawney and the captain. 
 
 This last was a sharp-looking man, who seemed angry with every- 
 thing on board, and was soon to tell us why, for we had hardly got 
 down into the cabin when a sailor followed us. 
 
 " Captain Smollett, sir, axing to speak with you," said he. 
 " I am always at the captain's orders. Show him in," said the 
 squire. 
 
 The captain, who was close behind his messenger, entered at once, 
 and shut the door behind him. 
 
 " Well, sir," said the captain, " better speak plain, I believe, at 
 the risk of offense. I don't like I his cruise; I don't like the men; 
 and I don't like my officer. That's short and sweet." 
 
 "Perhaps, sir, j'ou don't like the ship?" inquired the squire, 
 very angry, as 1 could see. 
 
 " I can't speak as to that, sir, not having seen her tried," said the 
 captain. " She seems a clever craft; more I can't say." 
 
 "Possibly, sir, you may not like your employer, either?" says 
 the squire. 
 But here Dr. Livesey cut in. 
 
 " Stay a bit," said he, " stay a bit. No use of such questions as 
 that but to produce ill-feeling. The caplain has said too much or 
 he has said too little, and I'm bound to say that I require an ex- 
 planation of his words. You don't, you say, like this cruise. 
 Now, why?" 
 
 " 1 was engaged, sir, on what we call scaled orders, to sail this 
 ship for that gentleman where he should bid me," «aid the captain. 
 " So far so good. But now I find that every man before the mast 
 knows more than I do. I don't call that fair, now, do you?" 
 " No," said Dr. Livesey, " I don't."
 
 42 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 " Next," said the captain, " I learn we are going after treasure — 
 hear it from my own hands, mind you. Now, treasure is ticklish 
 work; I don't like treasure voyages on any account; and I don't 
 like them, above all, when they are secret, and when (begging your 
 pardon, Mr. Trelawney) the secret has been told to the parrot." 
 
 " Silver's parrot?" asked the squire. 
 
 " It's a way of speaking," said the captain. " Blabbed, I mean. 
 It's my belief neither of you gentlemen know what you are about; 
 but I'll tell you my way of it — lite or death, and a close run." 
 
 "That is all clear, and, I dare say, true enough," replied Dr. 
 Livesey. " We take the risk; but we are not so ignorant as you be- 
 lieve us. Next, you say you don't like the crew. Are they not 
 good seamen?" 
 
 "I don't like them, sir," returned Captain Smollett. "And I 
 think I should have had the choosing of my own hands, if you go 
 to that." 
 
 " Perhaps you should," replied the doctor. " My friend should, 
 perhaps, have taken you along with him; but the slight, if there be 
 one, was unintentional. And you don't like Mr. Arrow?" 
 
 "I don't, sir. I believe he's a good seaman; but he's too free 
 with the crew to be a good officer. A mate should keep himself to 
 himself— shouldn't drink with the men before the mast!" 
 
 " Do you mean he drinks?" cried the squire. 
 
 " No, sir," replied the captain; " only that he's too familiar." 
 
 "Well, now, and the short and long of it, captain?" asked the 
 doctor. " Tell us what you wanl." 
 
 " Well, gentlemen, are you determined to go on this cruise?" 
 
 " Like iron," answered the squire. 
 
 "Very good," said the captain. "Then, as you've heard me 
 very patiently, saying things that I could not prove, hear me a few 
 words more. They are putting the powder and the arms in the fore- 
 hold. Now, you have a good place under the cabin; why not put 
 them there?— first point. Then you are bringing four of your own 
 people with you, and they tell me some of them are to be berthed 
 forward. Why not give them the berths here beside the cabin- 
 second point." 
 
 " Any more?" asked Mr. Trelawney. 
 
 " One more, " said the captain. "There's been too much blab- 
 bing already." 
 
 " Far too much," agreed the doctor. 
 
 " I'll tell you what I've heard myself," continued Captain Smol- 
 lett: " that you have a map of an island; that there's crosses on the
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 43 
 
 map to show where treasure is; and that the island lies — " And 
 then he named the latitude and longitude exactly. 
 " I never told that," cried the squire, " to a soul!" 
 " The hands know it, sir," returned the captain. 
 ' ' Livesey, that must have been you or Hawkins, ' ' cried the squire. 
 " It doesn't much matter who it was," replied the doctor. And I 
 could see that neither he nor the captain paid much regard to Mr. 
 Trelawnej'^'s protestations. Neither did I, to be sure, he was so 
 loose a talker; yet in this case I believe he was really right, and 
 that nobody had told the situation of the island. 
 
 " Well, gentlemen," continued the captain, " I don't know who 
 has this map; but I make it a point, it shall be kept secret even from 
 me and Mr. Arrow. Otherwise I would ask j^ou to let me resign." 
 
 " 1 see," said the doctor. " You wish to keep this matter dark, 
 and to make a garrison of the stern part of the ship, manned with 
 my friend's own people, and provided with all the arms and pow- 
 der on board. In other words, you fear a mutiny." 
 
 " Sir," said Captain Smollett, " with no intention to take offense, 
 I deny your right to put words into my mouth. No captain, sir, 
 would be justified in going to sea at all if he had ground enough 
 for that. As for Mr. Arrow, I believe him thoroughly honest; some 
 of the men are the same; all may be for what I know. But I am 
 responsible for the ship's safety and the life of every man Jack 
 aboard of her. I see things going, as I think, not quite right. 
 And I ask you to take certain precautions, or let me resign my 
 berth. And that's all." 
 
 " Captain Smollett," began the doctor, with a smile, " did ever 
 you hear the fable of the mountain and the mouse? You'll excuse 
 me, I dare say, but you remind me of that fable. When you came 
 in here I'll stake my wig you meant more than this." 
 
 " Doctor," said the captain, ' you are smart. When I came in 
 here I meant to get discharged. I had no thought that Mr. Trelaw- 
 ney would hear a word." 
 
 " No more I would," cried the squire. " Had Livesey not been 
 here I should have seen you to the deuce. As it is, I have heard 
 you. I will do as you desire; but I think the worse of you." 
 
 " That's as you please, sir," said the captain. " You'll find I do 
 my duty." 
 
 And with that he took his leave. 
 
 " Trelawney," said the doctor, " contrary to all my notions, I be- 
 lieve you have managed to get two honest men on board with you 
 —that man and John Silver."
 
 44 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 " Silver, if you like," cried the squire; " but as for that intoler- 
 able humbug, I declare I think his conduct unmanly, unsailorly, 
 and downright un-English." 
 
 " Well," says the doctor, " we shall see." 
 
 When we came on deck, the men had begun already to take out 
 the arms and powder, yo-ho-ing at their work, while the captain 
 and Mr. Arrow stood by superintending. 
 
 The new arrangement was quite to my liking. The whole 
 schooner had been overhauled; six berths had been made astern, 
 out of what had been the afterpart of the main hold; and this set of 
 cabins was only joined to the galley and forecastle by a sparred 
 passage on the port side. It had been originally meant that the 
 captain, Mr. Arrow, Hunter, Joyce, the doctor, and the squire were 
 to occupy these six berths. Now Redruth and I were to get two of 
 them, and Mr. Arrow and the captain were to sleep on deck in the 
 companion, which had been enlarged on each side till you might 
 almost have called it a round-house. Very low it was still, of 
 course; but there was room to swing two hammocks, and even the 
 mate seemed pleased with the arrangement. Even he, perhaps, had 
 been doubtful as to the crew, but that is only guess; for, as you 
 shall hear, we had not long the benefit of his opinion. 
 
 We were all hard at work, changing the powder and the berths, 
 when the last man or two, and Long John along with them, came 
 off in a shore-boat. 
 
 The cook came up the side like a monkey for cleverness, and, as soon 
 as he saw what was doing, " So ho, mates!" said he, " what's this?" 
 
 " We're a-changing the powder. Jack," answers one. 
 
 " Why, by the powers," cried Long John, " if we do, we'll miss 
 the morning tide!" 
 
 "My orders!" said the captain shortly. " You may go below, 
 my man. Hands will want supper." 
 
 "Ay, ay, sir," answered the cook; and, touching his forelock, 
 he disappeared at once in the direction of his galley. 
 
 " That's a good man, captain," said the doctor. 
 
 " Very likely, sir," replied Captain Smollett. " Easy with that, 
 men — easy," he ran on, to the fellows who were shifting the pow- 
 der: and then suddenly observing me examining the swivel we car- 
 ried amidsliips, a long brass nine — "Here, you shiji's boy," he 
 cried, " out o' that! Off with you to the cook and get some work." 
 
 And then as I was hurrying off I heard him say, quite loudly, to 
 the doctor: 
 
 " I'll have no favorites on my ship."
 
 TEEASUEE ISLA1S"D. 45 
 
 I assure you I was quite of the squire's way of thinking, and 
 hated the capteiin deeply. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE VOYAGE. 
 
 All that night we were in a great bustle getting things stowed in 
 their place, and boatfuls of the squire's friends, Mr. Blandly and 
 the like, coming off to wish him a good voyage and a safe return. 
 We never had a night at the Admiral Benbow when I had half the 
 work; and I was dog-tired when, a little before dawn, the boat- 
 swain sounded his pipe, and the crew began to man the capstan- 
 bars. I might have been twice as weary, yet I wovdd not have left 
 the deck; all was so new and interesting to me — the brief com- 
 mands, the shrill notes of the whistle, the men bustling to their 
 places in the glimmer of the ship's lanterns. 
 
 " Now, Barbecue, tip us a stave," cried one voice. 
 
 " The old one," cried another. 
 
 " Ay, ay, mates," said Long John, who was standing by, with 
 his crutch under his arm, and at once broke out in the air and 
 words 1 knew so well : 
 
 " Fifteen men on the dead man's chest "— 
 
 And then the whole crew bore chorus: 
 
 " Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum 1" 
 And at the third " ho!" drove the bars before them with a will. 
 
 Even at that exciting moment it carried me back to the old Ad- 
 miral Benbow in a second; and I seemed to hear the voice of the 
 captain piping in the chorus. But soon the anchor was short up; 
 soon it was hanging dripping at the bows; soon the sails began to 
 draw, and the land and shipping to flit by on either side; and before 
 I could lie down to snatch an hour of slumber the " Hispaniola " 
 had begun her voyage to the Isle of Treasure. 
 
 I am not going to relate the voyage in detail. It was fairly pros- 
 perous. The ship proved to be a good ship, the crew were capable 
 seamen, and the captain thoroughly understood his business. But 
 before we came the length of Treasure Island, two or three things 
 had happened which require to be known. 
 
 Mr. Arrow, first of all, turned out even worse than the captain 
 had feared. He had no command among the men, and people did 
 what they pleased with him. But that was by no means the worst 
 of it; for after a day or two at sea he began to appear on deck with 
 hazy eye, red cheeks, stuttering tongue, and other marks of drunk-
 
 46 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 enncss. Time after time he was ordered below in disgrace. Some- 
 times he fell and cut himself i sometimes he lay all day long iu his 
 little bunk at one side of the companion; sometimes for a day ov 
 two he would be almost sober and attend to his work at least pass, 
 ably. 
 
 In the meantime, we could never make out where he got the 
 drink. That was the ship's mystery. Watch him as we pleased, 
 we could do nothing to solve it; and when we asked him to his face, 
 he would only laugh, if he were drunk, and if he were sober, deny 
 solemnly that he ever tasted anything but water. 
 
 He Avas not only useless as an officer, and a bad influence amongst, 
 the men, but it was plain that at this rate he must soon kill himself 
 outright; so nobody was much surprised, nor very sorry, when one 
 dark night, with a head sea, he disappeared entirely and was seen 
 no more. 
 
 " Overboard!" said the captain. " Well, gentlemen, that saves 
 the trouble of putting him in irons." 
 
 But there we were, without a mate; and it was necessary, of 
 course, to advance one of the men. The boatswain, Job Anderson, 
 was the likeliest man aboard, and, though he kept his old title, he 
 served in a way as mate. Mr. Trelawuey had followed the sea, and 
 his knowledge made him very useful, for he often took a watch 
 himself in easy weather. And the cockswain, Israel Hands, was a 
 careful, wily, old, experienced seaman, who could be trusted at a 
 pinch with almost anything. 
 
 He was a great confidant of Long John Silver, and so the men- 
 tion of his name leads me on to speak of our ship's cook. Barbecue, 
 as the men called him. 
 
 Aboard ship he carried his crutch by a lanyard roimd his neck, to 
 have both hands as free as possible. It was something to see him 
 wedge the foot of the crutch against a bulkhead, and, propped 
 against it, yielding to every movement of the ship, get on with his 
 cooking like some one safe ashore. Still more strange was it to see 
 him in 1 he heaviest of weather cross the deck. He had a linear 
 two rigged up to help him across the widest spaces — Long John's 
 ear-rings, they were called; and he would hand himself from one 
 place to another, now using the crutch, now trailing it alongside by 
 the lanyard, as quickly as another man could walk. Yet some of 
 the men who had sailed with him before expressed their pity to see 
 him so reduced. 
 
 " He's no common man. Barbecue," said the cockswain to me. 
 " He had good schooling iu his young days, and can speak like a
 
 TKEASUEE ISLAND. 47 
 
 book when so minded; and brave — a lion's nothing alongside of 
 Long John! I see him grapple four, and knock their heads together 
 — him unarmed." 
 
 All the crew respected and even obeyed him. He had a way of 
 talking to each, and doing everybody seme particular service. To 
 me he was unweariedly kind; and always glad to see me in the 
 galley, which he kept as clean as a new pin; the dishes hanging up 
 burnished, and his parrot in a cage in the corner. 
 
 *' Come away, Hawkins," he would say; " come and have a yarn 
 with John. Nobody more welcome than yourself, my son. Sit 
 you down and hear the news. Here's Cap'u Flint — I calls my par- 
 rot Cap'n Flint, after the famous buccaneer — here's Cap'n Flint 
 predicting success to our v'yage. Wasn't you, cap'n?" 
 
 And the parrot would say, with great rapidity, " Pieces of eight! 
 pieces of eight! pieces of eight!" till you wondered that it was not 
 out of breath, or till John threw his handkerchief over the cage. 
 
 "Now, that bird," he would say, "is, may be, two hundred 
 years old, Hawkins — they live forever mostly; and if anybody's 
 seen more wickedness, it must be the devil himself. She's sailed 
 with England— the great Cap'n England, the pirate. She's been at 
 Madagascar, and at Malabar, and Surinam, and Providence, and 
 Portobello. She was at the fishing up of the wrecked plate ships. 
 It's there she learned ' Pieces of eight,' and little wonder; three 
 hundred and fifty thousand of 'em, Hawkins! She was at the 
 boarding of the ' Viceroy of the Indies ' out of Goa, she was; and 
 to look at her you would think she was a babby. But you smelled 
 powder — didn't you, cap'n?" 
 
 " Stand by to go about," the parrot would scream. 
 
 " Ah, she's a handsome craft, she is," the cook would say, and 
 give her sugar from his pocket, and then the bird would peck at 
 the bars and swear straight on, passing belief for wickedness. 
 " There," John would add, "you can't touch pitch and not be 
 mucked, lad. Here's this poor old innocent bird of mine swearing 
 blue fire, and none the wiser, you may lay to that. She would 
 swear the same, in a manner of speaking, before the chaplain." And 
 John would touch his forelock with a solemn way he had. that 
 made me think he was the best of men. 
 
 In the meantime, squire and Captain Smollett were still on pretty 
 distant terms with one another. The squire made no bones about 
 the matter; he despised the captain. The captain, on his part, 
 never spoke but when he was spoken to, and then sharp and short 
 ■and dry, and not a word wasted. He owned, when driven into ^
 
 48 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 corner, that he seemed to have been wrong about the crew, that 
 some of them were as brisk as he wanted to see, and all had behaved 
 fairly well. As for the ship, he had taken a downright fancy to 
 her. " She'il lie a point nearer the wind than a man has a right to 
 expect of his own married wife, sir. But," he would add, " all I 
 say is, we're not home again, and 1 don't like the cruise." 
 
 The squire, at this, would turn away and march up and dowu 
 the deck, chin in air. 
 
 *' A trifle more of that man." he would say, " and I should ex- 
 p\ode." 
 
 "We had some heavy weather, which only proved (he qualities of 
 the " Hispaniola." Every man on board seemed well content., and 
 they must have been hard to please if they had been otherwise; for 
 it is my belief there was never a ship's company so spoiled since 
 Noah put to sea. Double grog was going on the least excuse; there 
 was duff on odd days, as for instance, if the squire heard it as any 
 man's birthday; and always a barrel of apples standing broached in 
 the waist, for any one to help himself that had a fancy. 
 
 "Never knew good to come of it yet, " the captain said to Dr. 
 Livesey. " Spoil fok's'le hands, make devils. That's my belief." 
 
 But good did come of the apple barrel, as you shall hear; for if 
 it had not been for that, we should have had no note of warning 
 ind might all have perished by the hand of treachery. 
 
 This is how it came about. 
 
 We had run up the trades to get the wind of the island we were 
 after — I am not allowed to be more plain — and now we were run- 
 ning down for it with a bright lookout day and night. It was 
 about the last day of our outward voyage, by the largest computa- 
 tion; some time that night, or, at latest, before noon of the morrow, 
 we should sight the Treasure Island. We were heading S. S. W., 
 and had a steady breeze abeam and a quiet sea. The " Hispaniola " 
 rolled steadily, dipping her bowsprit now and then with a whiff of 
 spray. All was drawing alow and aloft; every one was in the 
 bravest spirits, because we were now so near an end of the first part 
 of our adventure. 
 
 Now, just after sundown, when all my work was over, and I was 
 on my way to my berth, it occurred to me that I should like an 
 apple. I ran on deck. The watch was all forward looking out for 
 the island. The man at the helm was watching the luff of the sail, 
 «nd whistling away gently to himself; and that was the only sound 
 excepting the swish of the sea against the bows and around tha 
 'ides of the ship.
 
 TEEASURE ISLAND. 49 
 
 In I got bodily into the apple barrel, and found there was scarce 
 an apple left; but, sitting down there in the dark, what with the 
 sound of the waters and the rocking movement of the ship, I had 
 either fallen asleep, or was on the point of doing so, when a heavy- 
 man sat down with rather a clash close by. The barrel shook as he 
 leaned his shoulders against it, and I was just about to jump up 
 when the man began to speak. It was Silver's voice, and, before I 
 had heard a dozen words, I would not have shown myself for all 
 the world, but lay there, trembling and listening, in the extreme ol 
 fear and curiosity; for from these dozen words I understood that 
 the lives of all the honest men aboard depended upon me alone. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 ■WHAT I HEARD IN THE APPLE BARREL. 
 
 " No, not I," said Silver. " Flint was cap'n; I was quarter-mas- 
 ter, along of my timber leg. The same broadside I lost my leg, old 
 Pew lost his deadlights. It was a master surgeon, him that 
 ampytated me — out of college and all — Latin by the bucket, and 
 what not; but he was hanged like a dog, and sun-dried like the rest, 
 at Corso Castle. That was Roberts' men, that was, and corned of 
 changing names to their ships — ' Royal Fortune ' and so on. Now, 
 what a ship was christened, so let her stay, I says. So it was with 
 the ' Cassandra,' as brought us all safe home from Malabar, after 
 England took the ' Viceroy of the Indies;' so it was with the old 
 ' Walrus,' Flint's old ship, as I've seen a-muck with the red blood 
 and fit to sink with gold." 
 
 " Ah!" cried another voice, that of the youngest hand on board, 
 and evidently full of admiration, " he was the flower of the flock, 
 was Flint!" 
 
 " Davis was a man, too, by all accounts," said Silver. " I never 
 sailed along of him; first with England, then with Flint, that's my 
 story; and now here on my own account, in a manner of speaking. 
 I laid by nine hundred safe, from England, and two thousand aftei 
 Flint. That ain't bad for a man before the mast — all safe in bank. 
 'Tain't earning now; it's saving does it, you may lay to that. 
 Where's all England's men nowT I dunno. Where's Flint's? 
 Why, most on 'em aboard here, and glad to get the duff — been beg- 
 ging before that, some on 'em. Old Pew, as had lost his sight, and 
 might have thought shame, spends twelve hundred pounds in a 
 year, like a lord in Parliament. Where is he now? Well, he's 
 dead now and under hatches; but for two years before that, shiver
 
 50 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 my timbers! that man was starving. He begged, and he stole, and 
 he cut throats, and starved at that, by the powers!" 
 
 " Well, it a\a't much use, after all," said the young seaman. 
 
 " 'Tain't much use for fools, you may lay to it — that, nor noth- 
 ing," cried Silver. " But now, you look here: you're youug, j^ou 
 are, but you're as smart as paint. I see that when I set my eyes on 
 you, and I'll talk to you like a man." 
 
 You can imagine how I felt when I heard this abominable old 
 rogue addressing another in the very same words of flattery as he 
 had used to myself. I think, if I had been able, that I would have 
 killed him through the barrel. Meantime, he ran on, little suppos- 
 ing he was overheard. 
 
 " Here it is about gentlemen of fortune. They lives rough, and 
 they risk swinging, but they eat and drink like fighting-cocks, and 
 when a cruise is done, why it's hundreds of pounds instead of hun- 
 dreds of farthings in their pockets. Now, the most goes for rum 
 and a good fling, and to sea again in their shirts. But that's not 
 the course I lay. I puts it all away, some here, some there, and 
 none too much anywheres, by reason of suspicion. I'm fifty, mark 
 you; once back from this cruise, I set up gentleman in earnest. 
 Time enough, too, says you. Ah, but I've lived easy in the mean- 
 time; never denied myself o' nothing heart desires, and slept soft 
 and eat dainty all my days, but when at sea. And how did I be- 
 gin? Before the mast, like you!" 
 
 " Well," said the other, "but all the other money's gone now, 
 ain't it? You daren't show face in Bristol after this." 
 
 " Why, where might you suppose it was?" asked Silver, de- 
 risively. 
 
 " At Bristol, in banks and places," answered his companion. 
 
 " It were, " said the cook; " it were when we weighed anchor. 
 But my old missis has it all by now. And the Spy-glass is sold, lease 
 and good will and rigging; and the old girl's off to meet me. I 
 would tell you where, for I trust you; but it 'ud make jealousy 
 among the mates." 
 
 " And you can trust your missis?" asked the other. 
 
 " Gentlemen of fortune," returned the cook, " usually trusts little 
 among themselves, and right they are, you may lay to it. But I 
 have a way with me, I have. When a mate brings a slip on his 
 cable — one as knows me, I mean — it won't be in the same world 
 with old John. There was some that was feared of Pew, and some 
 that was feared of Flint; but Flint his own self was feared of me. 
 Feared he was, and proud. They was the roughest crew afloat, was
 
 TREASURE ISLA2ST). 51 
 
 Flint's; the devil himself would have been feared to go to sea with 
 them. Well, now, I tell you, I'm not a boasting man, and 3'ou 
 seen yourself how easy i keep company; but when 1 was quarter- 
 master, lambs wasn't the word for Flint's old buccaneers. Ah, you 
 may be sure of yourself in old John's ship.'' 
 
 " Well, I tell you now," replied the lad, " I didn't half a quarter 
 like the job till I had this talk with you, John; but there's my hand 
 on it now." 
 
 " And a brave lad you were, and smart, too," answered Silver, 
 shaking hands so heartily that all the barrel shook, " and a finer 
 figure-head for a gentleman of fortune I never clapped my eyes on. " 
 
 By this time I had begun to understand the meaning of their 
 terms. By a " gentleman of fortune " they plainly meant neither 
 more nor less than a common pirate, and the little scene that I had 
 overheard was the last act in the corruption of one of the honest 
 hands — perhaps of the last one left aboard. But on this point 1 was 
 soon to be relieved, for Silver giving a little whistle, a third man 
 strolled up and sat down by the party. 
 
 " Dick's square," said Silver. 
 
 " Oh, I know'dDick was square," returned the voice of the cock- 
 swain, Israel Hands. "He's no fool, is Dick." And he turned 
 his quid and spat. " But, look here," he went 00, " here's what I 
 want to know. Barbecue — how long are we a-going to stand off 
 and on like a blessed bum-boat? I've had a'most enough o' Cap' a 
 Smollett; he's hazed me long enough, by thunder! I want to go 
 into that cabin, I do. I want their pickles and wines, and that." 
 
 " Israel," said Silver, " your head ain"t much account, nor ever 
 was. But you're able to hear, I reckon; leastways, your ears is 
 big enough. Now, here's what I sey — you'll berth forward, atjd 
 you'll live hard, and you'll speak soft, and you'll keep sober, till I 
 give the word; and you may lay to that, my son." 
 
 " Well, I don't say no, do I?" growled the cockswain. " What I 
 say is, when? That's what I say." 
 
 " When! by the powers!" cried Silver. " Well, now, if j-ou 
 want to know, I'll tell you when. The last moment I can manage; 
 and that's when. Here's a first rate seaman, Cap'n Smollett, sails 
 the blessed ship for us. Here's this squire and doctor with a map 
 and such— I don't know where it is, do I? No more do you, saj-s 
 you. Well, then, I mean this squire and doctor shall find tlie stuff 
 and help us to get it aboard, by the powers. Then we'll see. If 1 
 was sure of you all, sons of double Dutchmen, I'd have Cap'n 
 Smollet navigate us half way back again before I struck."
 
 53 TREASUKE ISLAND. 
 
 " Why, we're all seamen aboard here, I should think," said the 
 lad Dick. 
 
 "We're all fok's'le hands, you mean," snapped Silver. "We 
 can steer a course, but who's to set one? That's what all you gen- 
 tlemen split on, first and last. If I had my way, I'd have Cap'n 
 Smollett work us back into the trades at least: then we'd have no 
 blessed miscalculations and a spoonful of water a day. But I know 
 the sort you are. I'll finish with 'em at the island, as soon's the 
 blunt's on board, and a pity it is. But you're never happy till 
 you're drunk. Split my sides, I've a sick heart to sail with the 
 likes of you I" 
 
 "Easy all, Long John," cried Israel. "Who's a-crossin' of 
 you?" 
 
 " Why, how many tall ships, think ye, now, have I seen laid 
 aboard? and how many brisk lads drying in the sun at Execution 
 Dock?" cried Silver; " and all for tbis same hurry and hurry and 
 hurrJ^ You hear me? I seen a thing or two at sea, I have. If 
 you would on'y lay your course, and a p'int to windward, you 
 would ride in carriages, you would. But not you! I know you. 
 You'll have your mouthful of rum to-morrow, and go hang." 
 
 " Everybody know 'd you was a kind of "a chapling, John; but 
 there's others as could hand and steer as well as you," said Israel. 
 " They liked a bit o' fun, they did. Tliey wasn't so high and dry, 
 nohow, but took their fling, like jolly companions every one." 
 
 " So?" says Silver. " Well, and where are they now? Pew was 
 that sort, and he died a beggar-man. Flint was, and he died of 
 rum at Savannah. Ah, they was a sweet crew, they was! on'y, where 
 are they?" 
 
 "Bui," asked Dick, " when we do lay 'em athwart, w^hat are 
 we to do with 'em, anyhow?" 
 
 " There's the man for me!" cried the cook, admiringly. " That's 
 what I call business. Well, what would you think? Put 'cm 
 ashore like maroons? That would have been England's way. Or 
 cut 'em down like that much pork? That would have been Fliul's 
 or Billy Bones's. " 
 
 " Billy was the man for that," said Israel. " ' Dead men don't 
 bite,' says he. Well, he's dead now hisself; he knows the long and 
 short on it now; and if ever a rough hand come to port, it was 
 Billy." 
 
 ' ' Right you are, ' ' said Silver, ' ' rough and ready. But mark j-ou 
 here; I'm an easy man — I'm quite the gentleman, says you; but this 
 time it s serious. Dooty is dooty, mates. I give my vote death.
 
 TREASURE ISLAKD. 53 
 
 When I'm in Parlyment, and riding in my coach, I don't want none 
 of these sea- lawyers in the cabin a-coming home, unlooked for, like 
 the devil at prayers. Wait is what I say; but when the time comes, 
 why let her rip!" 
 
 " John," cries the cockswain, " you're a mani" 
 
 " You'll say so, Israel, when you see," said Silver, " Only one 
 thing 1 claim— I claim Trelawney I'll wring his calf's head ofl 
 his body with these hands. Dick!" he added, breaking off, " you 
 must jump up, like a sweet lad, and get me an apple, to wet my 
 pipe like." 
 
 You may fancy the terror I was in! I should have leaped out 
 and run for it, if I had found the strength; but my limbs and heart 
 alike misgave me. I heard Dick begin to rise, and then some on? 
 seemingly stopped him, and the voice of Hands exclaimed: 
 
 " Oh, stow that! Don't you get sucking of that bilge, John 
 Let's have a go of the rum." 
 
 "Dick," said Silver, "I trust you. I've a gauge on the keg, 
 mind. There's the key; you fill a pannikin and bring it up." 
 
 Terrified as I was, I could not help thinking to myself that this 
 must have been how Mr. Arrow got the strong waters that destroyed 
 him. 
 
 Dick was gone but a little while, and during his absence Israel 
 spoke straight on in the cook's ear. It was but a word or two that 
 I could catch, and yet 1 gathered some important news; for, besides 
 other scraps that tended to the same purpose, this whole clause was 
 audible; "Not another man of them'll jine" Hence there were 
 still faithful men on board. 
 
 When Dick returned, one after another of the trio took the pan- 
 nikin and drank — one " To luck;" another with a " Here's to old 
 Flint;" and Siiver himself saying, in a kind of song, " Here's to 
 ourselves, and hold your luff, plenty of prizes and plenty of duff." 
 
 Just then a sort of brightness fell upon me in the barrel, and, 
 looking up, I found the moon had risen, and was silvering the 
 mizzen-top and shining while on the luff of the foresail; and almost 
 at the same time the voice on the lookout shouted, " Land ho!" 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 COUNCIIi OP WAR. 
 
 There was a great rush of feet across the deck. I could hear 
 people tumbling up from the cabin and the fok's'le; and, slipping 
 in an instant outside my barrel, 1 dived bciiiud the foresail, mad.i a
 
 64 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 dou'jle toward the stern, and came out upon the open deck in time 
 to join HunI er and Dr. Livesey in the rush for the weather bow. 
 
 Thisre all hands were already congregated. A belt of fog had 
 lifted almost simultaneously with the appearance of the moon. 
 Away to the south-west of us we saw two low hills, about a couple 
 of miles apart, and rising behind one of them a third and higher 
 hill, whose peak was still buried in the fog. All three seemed sharp 
 and conical in figure. 
 
 So much I saw almost in a dream, for I had not yet recovered 
 from my horrid fear of a minute or two before. And then I heard 
 the voice of Captain Smollett issuing orders. The ' ' Hispaniola ' ' 
 was laid a couple of points nearer the wind, and now sailed a course 
 that would just clear the island on the east. 
 
 '* And now, men," said the captain, when all was sheeted home, 
 " has any one of you ever seen that land ahead?" 
 
 " I have, sir," said Silver. " I've watered there with a trader I 
 was cook in." 
 
 " The anchorage is on the south, behind an islet, I fancy?" asked 
 the captain. 
 
 " Yes, sir; Skeleton Island they calls it. It were a main place 
 for pirates once, and a hand we had on board knowed all their 
 names for it. That hill to the nor'ard they calls the Foremast Hill; 
 there are three hills in a row running south'ard — fore, main and 
 mizzen, sir. But the main — that's the big 'un, with the cloud on 
 it — they usually calls the Spy-glass, by reason of a lookout they 
 kept when they was in the anchorage cleaning; for it's there they 
 cleaned their ships, sir, asking your pardon." 
 
 "I have a chart here," says Captain Smollett. "See if that's 
 the place " 
 
 Long John's eyes burned in his head as he took the chart; but, 
 by the fresh look of the paper, I knew he was doomed to disap- 
 pointment. This was not the map we found in Billy Bones's chest, 
 but an accurate copy, complete in all things — names, and heights, 
 and soundings — with the single exception of the red crosses and the 
 written notes. Sharp as must have been his aimoyance. Silver had 
 the strength of mind to hide it. 
 
 " Yes, sir,'" said he, " this is the spot, to be sure; and very prettily 
 drawed out. Who might have done that, I wonder? The pirates 
 were too ignorant, I reckon. Ay, here it is: ' Captain Kidd's 
 anchorage ' — just the name my shipmate called it. There's a 
 strong current runs along the south, and then away nor'ard up the 
 ■west coast. Right you was, sir," says he, " to haul your wind and
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 55 
 
 keep the weather of the island. Leastways, if such was your ia- 
 tention as to enter and careen, and there ain't no better place for 
 that in these waters." 
 
 " Thank you, my man," says Captain Smollett. " 1*11 ask you, 
 later on, to give us a help. You may go." 
 
 I was surprised at the coolness with which John avowed his 
 knowledge of the island; and I own I was half -frightened when I 
 saw him drawing nearer to myself. He did not know, to be sure, 
 that I had overheard his council from the apple barrel, and yet I 
 had, by this time, taken such a horror of his cruelty, duplicity, and 
 power, that I could scarce conceal a shudder when he laid his hand 
 upon my arm. 
 
 " Ah," says he, " this here is a sweet spot, this island — a sweet 
 spot for a lad to get ashore on. You'll bathe, and you'll climb 
 trees, and you'll hunt goats, you will; and you'll get aloft on them 
 hills like a goat yourself. Why, it makes me young again. I was 
 going to forget my timber leg, I was. It's a pleasant thing to be 
 young, and have ten toes, and you may lay to that. When you 
 want to go a bit of exploring, you just ask old John, and he'll put 
 up a snack for you to take along." 
 
 And clapping me in the friendliest way upon the shoulder, he 
 hobbled off forward, and w^ent below. 
 
 Captain Smollett, the squire, and Dr. Livesey were talking to- 
 gether on the quarter-deck; and, anxious as I was to tell them my 
 story, I durst not interrupt them openly. While I was still casting 
 about in my thoughts to find some probable excuse. Dr. Livesey 
 called me to his side. He had left his pipe below, and being a slave 
 to tobacco, had meant that I should fetch it; but as soon as I was 
 near enough to speak and not be overheard, I broke out immediate- 
 ly: "Doctor, let me speak. Get the captain and squire down to 
 the cabin, and then make some pretense to send for me. I have 
 terrible news." 
 
 The doctor changed countenance a little, but next moment he was 
 master of himself. 
 
 " Thank you, Jim, " said he, quite loudly, " that was all I wanted 
 to know," as if he had asked me a question. 
 
 And with that he turned on his heel and rejoined the other two. 
 They spoke together for a little, and though none of them started, 
 or raised his voice, or so much as whistled, it was plain enough that 
 Dr. Livesey had communicated my request; for the next thing that 
 I heard was the captain giving an order tn .Tob Anderson, and aU 
 iands were piped on deck.
 
 56 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 " My lads," said Captain Smollett, "I've a word to say to you. 
 This land that we have sighted is the place we have been sailing to. 
 Mr. Trelawney, being a very open handed gentleman, as we all 
 know, has just asked me a word or two, and as I was able to tell 
 him that every man on board had done his duty, alow and aloft, as 
 I never ask to see it done better, why, he and I and the doctor are 
 going below to the cabin to drink your health and luck, and you'll 
 have grog served out for you to drink our health and luck. I'll tell 
 you what 1 Ihiuk of this: I think it handsome. And if you think 
 as I do, you'll give a good sea cheer for the gentleman that does it." 
 
 The cheer followed— that was a matter of course; but it rang out 
 so full and hearty, that I confess 1 could hardly believe these same 
 men w^ere plotting for our blood. 
 
 "One more cheer for Cap'u Smollett," cried Long John, when 
 the first had subsided. 
 
 And this also was given with a will. 
 
 On the top of that the three gentlemen went below, and not long 
 after word was sent forward that Jim Hawkins was wanted in the 
 cabin. 
 
 I found them all three seated round the table, a bottle of Spanish 
 wine and some raisins before them, and the doctor smoking away, 
 with his wig on his lap, and that, I liuew, was a sign that he was 
 agitated. The stern window was open, for it was a warm night, 
 and you could see the moon shining behind on the ship's wake. 
 
 " Now, Hawkins," said the squire, " yoxx have something to say. 
 Speak up." 
 
 I did as I w\as bid, and, as short as I could make it, told the whole 
 details of Silver's conversation. Nobody interrupted me till I was 
 done, nor did any one of the three of them make so much as a 
 movement, but they kept their eyes upon my face from first to last. 
 
 " Jim," said Dr. Livesey, " take a seat." 
 
 And they made me sit down at table beside them, poured me out 
 a glass of wine, filled my hands wutli raisins, and all three, one after 
 the other, and each with a bow, drank my good health, and their 
 service to me, for my luck and courage. 
 
 "Now, captain," said the squire, " j'ou were right, and I was 
 wrong. I own myself an a3S, and I await your orders." 
 
 " No more an ass than I, sir," returned the'jcaptain. " I never 
 heard of a crew that meant to mutiny but what showed signs before, 
 for any man that had an eye in his head to see the mischief and take 
 steps according. But this crew," he added, " beats me."
 
 TREASUKE ISLAND. 57 
 
 " Captain," said the doctor, " with your permission, tliat's Silver. 
 A. very remarkable man." 
 
 " He'd look remarkably well from a yard-arm, sir," returned the 
 captain. " But this is talk; this don't lead to anything. I see 
 three or four points, and with Mr. Trelawney's permission I'll name 
 them." 
 
 " You, sir, are the captain, it is for you to speak," says Mr. 
 Trelawney, grandly. 
 
 " First point," began Mr. Smollett. " We must go on because 
 we can't turn back. If I give the word to turn about they would 
 rise at once. Second point, we have time before us — at least until 
 this treasure's found. Third point, there are faithful hands. Now, 
 sir, it's got to come to blows sooner or later; and what I propose is 
 to take time by the forelock, as the saying is, and come to blows 
 some fine day when they least expect it. We can count, I take it, 
 on your own home servants, Mr. Trelawney?" 
 
 " As upon myself," declaimed the squire. 
 
 "Three," reckoned the captain; "ourselves make seven, count- 
 ing Hawkins here. Now about the honest hands?" 
 
 *' Most likely Trelawney's own men," said the doctor; " those he 
 picked up for himself before he lit on Silver." 
 
 " Nay," replied the squire, " Hands was one of mine." 
 
 " I did think I could have trusted Hands," added the captain. 
 
 "And to think that they're all Englishmen!" broke out the 
 B^uire. " Sir, I could find it in my heart to blow the ship up." 
 
 " Well, gentlemen," said the captain, " the best that I can say is 
 not much. We must iay to, if you please, and keep a bright look- 
 out. It's trying on a man, I know. It would be pleasanter to come 
 to blows. But there's no help for it till we know our men. Lay 
 to, and whistle for a wind, that's my view." 
 
 " Jim here," said the doctor, " can help us more than any one. 
 The men are not shy with him, and Jim is a noticing lad." 
 
 " Hawkins, I put prodigious faith in you," added the squire. 
 
 T began to feel pretty desperate at this, for I felt altogether help- 
 less; and yet, by an odd train of circumstances, it was indeed 
 through me that safety came. In the meantime, talk as we 
 pleased, there were only seven out of the twenty-six on whom we 
 knew we could rely; and out of these seven one was a boy, so that 
 the grown men on our side were six to their nineteen.
 
 58 TEEASUKE ISLAND. 
 
 PART III. 
 MT SHORE ADVENTURE. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 HOW I BEGAN MY SHORE ADVENTURE. 
 
 The appearance of the island when I came on deck next morn- 
 ing was altogether changed. Although the breeze had now utterly 
 failed, we had made a great deal of way during the night, and were 
 now lying becalmed about half a mile to the south-east of the low 
 eastern coast. Gray-colored woods covered a large part of the sur- 
 face. This even tint was indeed broken up by streaks of yellow 
 sand-break in the lower lands, and by many tall trees of the pine 
 family, out-topping the others — some singly, some in clumps; but 
 the general coloring was uniform and sad. The hills ran up clear 
 above the vegetation in spires of naked rock. All were strangely 
 shaped, and the Spy-glass, which was by three or four hundred feet 
 the tallest on the island, was likewise the strangest in configuration, 
 running up sheer from almost every side, and Ihen suddenly cut off 
 at the top like a pedestal to put a statue on. 
 
 The " Hispaniola " was rolling scuppers under in the ocean 
 swell. The booms were tearing at the blocks, the rudder was bang- 
 ing to and fro, and the whole ship creaking, groaning, and jumping 
 like a manufactory. I had to cling tight to the backstay, and the 
 world turned giddily before my eyes; for though I was a good 
 enough sailor when there was way on, this standing still and being 
 rolled about like a bottle was a thing I never learned to stand with- 
 out a qualm or so, above all in the morning, on an empty stomach. 
 
 Perhaps it was this — perhaps it was the look of the island, with 
 its gray, melancholy woods, and wild slone spires, and the surf that 
 we could both see and hear foaming and thundering on the steep 
 beach — at least, althcugh the sun shone bright and hot, and the 
 shore birds were fishing and crying all around us, and you would liave 
 thought any one would have been glad to get to land after being so 
 long at sea, my heart sunk, as the saying is, into my boots; and from 
 that first look onward, 1 hated the very thought of Treasure Isiand. 
 
 We had a dreary morning's work before us, tor there was no sign 
 of any wind, and the boats had to be got out and manned, and llie
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 58 
 
 ship warped three or four miles round the corner of the island, and 
 up the narrow passage to the haven behind Skeleton Island. I 
 volunteered for one of the boats, where I had, of course, no busi- 
 ness. The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over 
 their work. Anderson was in command of my boat, and instead of 
 keeping the crew in order, he grumbled as loud as the worst. 
 
 " Well," he said, with an oath, " it's not forever." 
 
 I thought this was a very bad sign; for, up to that day, the men 
 had gone briskly and willingly about their business; but the very 
 sight of the island had relaxed the cords of disciplhie. 
 
 All the way in. Long John stood by the steersman and conned 
 the ship. He knew the passage like the palm of his hand; and 
 though the man in the chains got everywhere more water than was 
 down in the chart, John never hesitated once. 
 
 " There's a strong scour with the ebb," he said, " and this here 
 passage has been dug out, in a manner of speaking, with a spade." 
 
 We brought up just where the anchor was in the chart, about a 
 third of a mile from either shore, the mainland on one side, and 
 Skeleton Island on the other. The bottom was clean sand. The 
 plunge of our anchor sent up clouds of birds wheeling and crying 
 over the woods; but in less than a minute they were all down again, 
 and all was once more silent. 
 
 The place was entirely land-locked, buried in woods, the trees 
 coming right down to high water mark, the shores mostly flat, and 
 the hill-tops standing round at a distance in a sort of amphitheater, 
 one here, one there. Two little rivers, or, rather, two swamps, 
 emptied out into this pond, as you might call it; and the foliage 
 round that part of the shore had a kind of poisonous brightness. 
 From the ship, we could see nothing of the house or stockade, for 
 they were quite buried among trees; and if it had not been for the 
 chart on the companion, we might have been the first that had ever 
 anchored there since the island arose out cf the seas. 
 
 There was not a breath of air moving, nor a sound but that of the 
 surf booming half a mile away along the beaches and against the 
 rocks outside. A peculiar stagnant smell hung over the anchorage 
 —a smell of sodden leaves and rotten tree trunks. I observed the 
 doctor sniffing and sniSing, like some one tasting a bad egg. 
 
 " I don't know about treasure," he said, " but I'll stake my wig 
 there's fever here." 
 
 If the conduct of the men had been alarming in the boat, it be* 
 came truly threatening when they had come aboard. They laj 
 about the deck growling together in talk. The slightest order was
 
 iiO I'iiEASURB 18ULND. 
 
 received with a black look, and grudgingly and carelessly obeyed 
 Even the honest hands must have caught the infection, for therwi 
 was not one man aboard to mend another. Mutiny, it was plain... 
 hung over us like a thimder-cloud. 
 
 And it was not only we of the cabin party who perceived the 
 danger. Long John was hard at work going from group to group, 
 spending himself in good advice, and as for example no man could 
 have shown a better, tie fairly outstripped himself in willingness 
 and civility; he was all smiles to every one. If an order were given, 
 John would be on his crutch in an instant, with the cheeriest " Ay, 
 ay, sir I" in the world; and when there was nothing else to do, he kept 
 up one song after another, as if to conceal the discontent of the rest. 
 
 Of all the gloomy features of that gloomy afternoon, this obvious 
 anxiety on the part of Long John appeared the worst. 
 
 We held a council in the cabin. 
 
 " Sir," said the captain, " if I risk another order, the whole ship'U 
 come about our ears by the run. You see, sir, here it is. I get 
 a rough answer, do I not? Well, if I speak back, pikes will be 
 going in two shakes; if I don't. Silver will see there's something 
 under that, and the game's up. Now, we've only one man to rely on." 
 
 " And who is that?" asked the squire. 
 
 " Silver, sir," returned the captain; " he's as anxious as you and 
 I to smother things up. This is a tiff; he'd soon talk 'em out of it 
 if he had the chance, and what I propose to do is to give him tho 
 chance. Let's allow the men an afternoon ashore. If they all go, 
 why, we'll fight the ship. If they none of them go, well, then, wo 
 hold the cabin, and God defend the right. If some go, you mark 
 my words, sir. Silver '11 bring 'em aboard again as mild as lambs." 
 
 It was so decided; loaded pistols were served out to all the sure 
 men; Hunter, Joyce, and Redruth were taken into our confidence, 
 and received the news with less surprise and a better spirit than we had 
 looked for, and then the captain went on deck and addressed the crew. 
 
 *' My lads," said he, " we've had a hot day, and are all tired and 
 out of sorts. A turn ashore'll hurt nobody— the boats are still in 
 the water; you can take the gigs, and as many as please can go ashore 
 for the afternoon. I'll fire a gun half an hour before sundown. " 
 
 I believe the silly fellows must iiave thought they would break 
 Iheir shins over the treasure as soon as they were landed; for they 
 all came out of their sulks in a moment, and gave a cheer that start- 
 ed the echo in a far-away hill, and sent the birds once more flying 
 and squalling round the anchorage. 
 
 Tho captain was too bright to be in the way. He whipped out of
 
 TEEASTJEE ISLAND. 61 
 
 eight fn a moment, leaving Silver to arrange the party; and I fancy 
 it was as well he did so. Had he been on deck, he could no »onger 
 80 much as have pretended not to understand the situation. It was 
 as plain as daJ^ Silver was the captain, and a mighty rebellious 
 crew he had of it. The honest hands — and I was soon to see it 
 proved that there were such on board — must have been very stupid 
 fellows. Or, rather, I suppose the truth was this: that all hands 
 were disafEected by the example of the ringleaders — only some 
 more, some less; and a few, being good fellows in the main, could 
 neither be led nor driven any further. It is one thing to be idle 
 and skulk, and quite another to take a ship and murder a number 
 of innocent men. 
 
 At last, however, the party was made up. Six fellows were to stay on 
 board, and the remaining thirteen, including Silver, began to embark. 
 
 Then it was that there came into my head the first of the mad 
 notions that contributed so much to save our lives. If six men were 
 left by Silver, it was plain our party could not lake and fight the 
 ship: and since only six were left, it was equally plain that the cabin 
 party had no present need of my assistance. It occurred to me at once 
 to go ashore. In a jiffy 1 had slipped over the side, and curled up 
 in the fore-sheets of the nearest boat, and almost at the same mo- 
 ment she shoved off. 
 
 No one took notice of me, only the bow oar saying, " Is that you, 
 Jim? Keep your head down." But Silver, from the other boat, 
 looked sharply over and called out to know if that were me; and 
 from that moment I began to regret what I had done. 
 
 The crews raced for the beach; but the boat I was in, having some 
 start, and being at once the lighter and the better manned, shot far 
 ahead of her consort, and the bow had struck among the shore-side 
 trees, and I had caught a branch and swung myself out, and plunged 
 into the nearest thicket, while Silver and the rest were stili a hun- 
 dred yards behind. 
 
 " Jim, Jim!" I heard him shouting. 
 
 But you may suppose I paid no heed; jumping, ducking, and break 
 ing through, I ran straight before my nose, till I could run no longer. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 •THE FIRST BLOW. 
 
 I WAS SO pleased at having given the slip to Long John, that I 
 began to enjoy myself and look around me with some interest on 
 the strange land that I was in. 
 
 I had crossed a marshy tract full of wiliows, bulrushes, and odd
 
 63 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 outlandish, swampy trees; and I had now come out upon the skirte 
 of an open piece of undulating, sandy country, about a mile long, 
 dotted with a few pines, and a great number of contorted trees, not 
 unlike the oak in growth, but pale in the foliage, like willows. On 
 the far side of the open stood one of the hills, with two quaint, 
 craggy peaks, shining vividly in the sun. 
 
 I now felt for the first time the joy of exploration. The isle was 
 uninhabited; my shipmates I had left behind, and nothing lived in 
 front of me but dumb brutes and fowls. I turned hither and 
 thither among the trees. Here and there were flowering plants, 
 unknown to me; here and there I saw snakes, and one raised his 
 head from a ledge of a rock and hissed at me with a noise not un- 
 like the spinning of a top. Little did I suppose that he was a deadly 
 enemy, and that the noise was the famous rattle. 
 
 Then I came to a long thicket of these oak-like trees — live, or 
 evergreen, oaks, I heard afterward they should be called — which 
 grew low along the sand like brambles, tUe boughs curiously' twist- 
 ed, the foliage compact, like thatch. The thicket stretched down 
 from the top one of the sandy knolls, spreading and growing taller 
 as it went, until it reached the margin of the broad, reedy fen, 
 through which the nearest of the little rivers soaked its way into the 
 anchorage. The marsh was steaming in the strong sun, and the 
 outline of the Spy-glass trembled through the haze. 
 
 All at once there began to go a sort of bustle among the bul 
 rushes; a wild duck flew up with a quack, another followed, and 
 soon over the whole surface of the marsh a great cloud of birds 
 hung screaming and circling in the air. I judged at once that some 
 of my shipmates must be drawing near along the borders of the fen. 
 Nor was I deceived; for soon I heard the very distant and low tones 
 of a human voice, which, as I continued to give ear, grew steadily 
 louder and nearer. 
 
 This put me in great fear, and I crawled under co^^er of the near- 
 est live-oak, and squatted there, hearkening, as silent as a mouse. 
 
 Another voice answered; and then the first voice, which I now 
 recognized to be Silver's, once more took up the story, and ran on 
 for a long while in a stream, onlj^ now and again interrupted by the 
 other. By the sound they must have been talking earnestly, and 
 almost fiercely; but no distinct word came to my hearing. 
 
 At last the speakers seemed to have paused, and perhaps to have 
 sat down; for not only did they cease to draw any nearer, but the 
 birds themselves began to grow more quiet, and to settle again to 
 tiieir places in the swamp.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 63 
 
 And now I began to feel that I was neglecting my business; that 
 since I bad been so foolhardy as to come ashore with these des- 
 peradoes, the least I could do was to overhear them at their coun- 
 cils; and that my plain and obvious duty was to draw as close as I 
 could manage, under the favorable ambush of the crouching trees. 
 
 I could tell the direction of the speakers pretty exactly, not only 
 by the sound of their voices, but by the behavior of the few birds 
 that still hung in alarm above the heads of the intruders. 
 
 Crawling on all-fours, I made steadily but slowly toward them; 
 till at last, raising my head to an aperture among the leaves, I could 
 see clear down into a little green dell beside the marsh, and closely 
 Bet about with trees, where Long John Silver and another of the 
 crew stood face to face in conversation. 
 
 The sun beat full upon them. Silver had thrown his hat beside 
 him ou the ground, and his great, smooth, blonde face, all shining 
 with heat, was lifted to the other man's in a kind of appeal. 
 
 " Mate," he was saying, " it's because I thinks gold-dust of you 
 — gold-dust, and you may lay to thati If I hadn't took to you like 
 pitch, do you think I'd have been here a- warning of you? All's up 
 — you can't make nor mend; it's to save your neck that I'ma-speak- 
 ing, and if one of the wild 'uns knew it, where 'ud 1 be, Tom^- 
 now, tell me, where 'ud I be?" 
 
 " Silver,*' eaid the otiier man — and I observed he was not only 
 red in the face, but spoke as hoarse as a crow, and his voice shook, 
 too, like a taut rope — " Silver," says he, "you're old, and you're 
 honest, or has the name for it; and you've money, too, which lots 
 of poor sailors hasn't; and you're brave, or I'm mistook. And 
 will you tell me you'll let yourself be led away with that kind of a 
 mess of swabs? not you! As sure as God sees me, I'd sooner lose 
 my hand. If I turn agin my dooty — " 
 
 And then all of a sudden he was interrupted by a noise. I had 
 found one of the honest hands — well, here, at that same moment, 
 came news of another. Far away out in the marsh there arose, all 
 of a sudden, a sound like the cry of anger, then another on the back 
 of it, and then one horrid, long-drawn scream. The rocks of the 
 Spy-glass re-echoed it a score of times; the whole troop of marsh- 
 birds rose again, darkening heaven, with a simultaneous whir; and 
 long after that death yell was still ringing in my brain, silence had 
 re-established its empire, and only the rustle of the redescending 
 birds and tho boom of the distant surges disturbed the languor of 
 liie afternoon, 
 
 Tom bad leaped at the sound, like a horse at the spur; but Silver
 
 34 TREASURE I-SLAND. 
 
 had not wiaked an eye. He stood where he was, resting lightly on 
 his crutch, watching his companion like a snake about to spring. 
 
 " John!" said the sailor, stretching out his hand. 
 
 *' Hands offl" cried Silver, leaping back a yard, as it seemed to 
 me, with the speed and security of a trained gymnast. 
 
 " Hands off, if 3'ou like, John Silver," said the other. " It's a 
 black conscience that can make you feared of me. But, in Heaven's 
 name, tell me what was that?" 
 
 " That?" returned Silver, smiling away, but warier than ever, 
 his eye a mere pin-point in his l)ig face, but gleaming like a crumb 
 of glass. " Thac? Oh, I reckon that'll be Alan." 
 
 And at this poor Tom flashed out like a hero. 
 
 " Alan!" he cried. " Then rest his soul for a true seaman! And 
 as for you, John Silver, long you've been a mate of mine, but 
 you're mate of mine no more. If I die like a dog, I'll die in my 
 dooty. You've killed Alan, have you? Kill me, too, if you can. 
 But I defies j'ou." 
 
 And with that, this brave fellow turned his back directly on the 
 cook, and set off walking for the beach. But he was not destined 
 to go far. With a cry, John seized the branch of a tree, whipped 
 the crutch out of his armpit, and sent that uncouth missile hurtling 
 through the air. It struck poor Tom, point foremost, and with 
 stunning violence, right between the shoulders in the middle of his 
 back. His hands flew up, he gave a sort of gasp, and fell. 
 
 Whether he was injured much or little, none could ever tell. 
 Like enough, to judge from the sound, his back was broken on the 
 spot. But he had no time given him to recover. Silver, agile as a 
 monkey, even without leg or crutcii, was on the top of him next 
 moment, and had twice buried his knife up to the hilt in that de- 
 fenseless body. From my place of ambush, I could hear him pant 
 aloud as he struck the blows. 
 
 I do not know what it rightly is to faint, but I do know that for 
 the next little while the whole world swam away from befoie me in 
 a whirling mist; Silver and the birds, and the tall Spy-glass hill- 
 top, going round and round and topsy-turvy before my e^'es, and 
 all manner of bells ringing and distant voices shouting in my ear. 
 
 AVhen I came again to mj'self, the monster had pulled himself 
 together, his crutch under his arm, his hat upon his head. Just 
 before him Tom lay motionless upon the sward; but the murderer 
 minded him not a whit, cleansing his blood stained knife the while 
 upon a wisp of grass. Everything else was unchanged, the sun still 
 ghining mercilessly on the steaming marsh and the tall pinnacle of
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 65 
 
 the mountain, and I could scarce persuade myself that murder had 
 actually been done, and a human life cruelly cut short a moment 
 since, before my eyes. 
 
 But now John put his hand into his pocket, brought out a whis- 
 tle, and blew upon it several modulated blasts, that rang far across 
 the heated air. I could not tell, of course, the meaning of the sig- 
 nal; but it instantly awoke my fears. More men would be coming. 
 I might be discovered. They liad already slain two of the honest 
 people; after Tom and Alan, mighl not I come next? 
 
 Instantly I began to extricate mj^self and crawl back again, with 
 what speed and silence I could manage, to the more open portion 
 of the wood. As 1 did so, I could hear hails coming and going be- 
 tween the old buccaneer and his comrades, and this sound of danger 
 lent me wings. As soon as I was clear of the thicket, I ran as I 
 never ran before, scarce minding the direction of my flight, so long 
 as it led me from the murderers; and as I ran, fear grew and grew 
 ujwn me, until it turned Into a kind of frenzy. 
 
 Indijed, could any one be more entirely lost than I? When the 
 gun fired, how should I dare to go down to the boats among those 
 fiends, still smoking from their crime? Would not the first of them 
 who saw me wring my neck like a snipe's? Would not my absence 
 itself be an evidence to them of mj^ alarm, and therefore of my 
 fatal knowledge? It was all over, I thought. Good-bye to the 
 " Hispaniola;'' good-bye to the squire, the doctor, and the captain. 
 There was nothing left for me but death by starvation, or death by 
 the hands of the mutineers. 
 
 All this while, as I saj^ I was still running, and, without taking 
 any notice, I had drawn near to the foot of the little hill with the 
 two peaks, and had got into a part of the island where the wild oaka 
 grew more widely apart, and seemed more like forest trees in their 
 bearing and dimensions. Mingled witU these were a few scattered 
 pines, some fifty, some nearer seventy, feet high. The air, too, 
 smelled more freshly than down beside the marsh. 
 
 And here a fresh alarm brought me (o a stand-still with a thump- 
 ing heart. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE MAN OF THE ISLAND, 
 
 From the side of the hill, which was here steep and stony, a 
 spout of gravel was dislodged, and fell rattling and bounding 
 through the trees. My eyes turned instinctively in that direction,
 
 66 TREASTJRE ISLAND. 
 
 and I saw a figure leap with great rapidity behind the trunk of a 
 pine. What it was, whether bear or man or monkey, I could in no 
 wise tell. It seemed dark and shaggy; more I knew not. But the 
 terror of this new apparition brought me to a stand, 
 
 I was now, it seemed, cut oif upon bclh sides; behind me the 
 murderers, before me this lurking nondescript. And immediately 
 I began to prefer the dangers that I knew to those I knew not. 
 Silver himself appeared less terrible in contrast with this creature 
 of the woods, and I turned on my heel, and, looking sharply behind 
 me over my shoulder, began to retrace my steps in the direction of 
 the boats. 
 
 Instantly the figure reappeared, and, making a wide circuit, began 
 to head me off. I was tired, at any rate; but had I been as fresh as 
 when I rose, I could see it was in vain for me to contend in speed 
 with such an adversary. From trunk to trunk the creature flitted 
 like a deer, running man-like on two legs, but unlike any man that 
 I had ever seen, stooping almcst double as it ran. Yet a man it 
 was, I could no longer be in doubt about that. 
 
 I began to recall what I had heard of cannibals. I was within an 
 ace of calling for help. But the mere fact that he was a man, how- 
 ever wild, had somewhat reassured me, and my fear of Silver began 
 to revive in proportion. I stood still, therefore, and cast about for 
 some method of escape; and as I was so thinking, the recollection 
 of my pistol flashed into my mind. As soon as I remembered I 
 was not defenseless, courage glowed again in my heart; and I set 
 my face resolutely for this man of the island, and walked briskly 
 toward him. 
 
 He was concealed by this time, behind another tree tniiik; but he 
 must have been watching me closely, for as soon as I began to 
 move in his direction he reappeared and took a step to meet me. 
 Then he hesitated, drew back, came forward again, and at last, to 
 my wonder and confusion, threw himself on his knees and held out 
 his clasped hands in supplication. 
 
 At that I once more stopped. 
 
 " Who are you?" 1 asked. 
 
 "Ben Gunn," he answered, and his voice sounded hoarse and 
 awkward, like a rusty lock, " I'm poor Ben Gunn, I am; and I 
 haven't spoke with a Christian these three years." 
 
 I could now see that he was a Avhite man like myself, and that 
 his features were even pleasing. His skin, wherever it was ex- 
 posed, was burned by the sun; even his lips were black, and his
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 67 
 
 fair eyes looked quite startling in so dark a face. Of all the beg- 
 gar-men that I had seen or fancied, he was the chief for raggedness. 
 He was clothed with tatters of old ship's canvas and old sea-cloth; 
 and this extraordinary patchwork was all held together by a system 
 of the most various and incongruous fastenings, brass buttons, bits 
 of stick, and loops of tarry gaskin. About his waist he wore an 
 old brass-buckled leather belt, which was the one thing solid iu his 
 whole accouterment. 
 
 " Three yearsl" I cried. " "Were you shipwrecked?" 
 
 " Nay, mate," said he — " marooned." 
 
 I had heard the word, and I knew it stood for a horrible kind of 
 punishment common enough among the buccaneers, in which the 
 offender is put ashore with a little powder and shot, and left behind 
 on some desolate and distant island. 
 
 "Marooned three years agoue," he continued, "and lived on 
 goats since then, and berries, and oysters. Wherever a man is, siys 
 I, a man can do for himself. But, mate, my heart is sore for 
 Christian diet. You mightn't happen to have a piece of cheese 
 about you, now? No? Well, many's the long night I've dreamed 
 of cheese — toasted, mostly — and woke up again, and here I were." 
 
 " If ever I can get aboard again," said I, " you shall have cheese 
 by the stone." 
 
 All this time he had been feeling the stuff of my jacket, smooth- 
 ing my hands, looking at my boots, and generally, in the intervals 
 of his speech, showing a childish pleasure iu the presence of a fel- 
 low creature. But at my last words he perked up into a kind of 
 startled slyness. 
 
 " If ever you get aboard again, says you?" he repeated. *' Why, 
 now, who's to hinder you?" 
 
 " Not you, I know," was my reply. 
 
 " And right you was," he cried. " Now you— what do you call 
 yourself, mate?" 
 
 " Jim," I told him. 
 
 " Jim, Jim, " says he, quite pleased apparently. "Well, now, 
 Jim, I've lived that rough as you'd be ashamed to a hear of. Now, 
 for instance, you wouldn't think I had had a pious mother— to look 
 at me?" he asked. 
 
 " Why, no, not in particular," I answered. 
 
 " Ah, well," said he, " but I had — j-cmarkable pious. And I was 
 a civil, pious boy, and could rattle off my catechism that fast, as 
 you couldn't tell one word from another. And here's what it come 
 to, Jim, and it begun with chuck-farthen on the blessed grave-
 
 68 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 stonesi That's what it begun with, but it went further'n that; and 
 so my mother told me, and piedicked the whole, she did, the pious 
 woman. But it were Providence that put me here. I've thought 
 it all out in ihis here lonely island, and I'm back on piety. You 
 can't catch me tasting rum so much; but just a thimbleful for luck, 
 of course, the lirst chance I have. I'm bound I'll be good, and 1 
 see the way to. And, Jim " — looking all round him, and lowering 
 his voice to a wbisper — " I'm rich." 
 
 I now felt sure that the poor fellow had gone crazy in his solitude, 
 and I suppose I must have shown the feeling in my face; for he re- 
 peated the statement liotly: 
 
 " Rich! richi I says. And I'll tell j'ou what; I'll make a man 
 of you, Jim. Ah, Jim. you'll bless your stars, you will, you was 
 the first that found mel" 
 
 And at this there came suddenly a lowering shadow over his face, 
 and he tightened his grasp upon my hand, and raised a forefinger 
 threateningly before my eyes. 
 
 " Now, Jim, you tell me true; that ain'l Flint's ship?" he asked. 
 
 At this I had a happy inspiration. I began to believe that I had 
 found an allj^ and I answered him at once. 
 
 " It's not Flint's ship, and Flint is dead; but I'll tell you true, as 
 you ask me — there are some of Flint's hands aboard; worse luck 
 for the rest of us." 
 
 " Not a man — with one— leg?" he gasped. 
 
 " Silver?" I asked. 
 
 *' Ah, Silverl" says he; " thai were his name." 
 
 " He's the cook; and the ringleader, too." 
 
 He was still holding me by the wrist, and at that he gave il quite 
 a wring. 
 
 "If you was sent by Long John," he said, "I'm as good as 
 pork, and I know it. But where was j'ou, do you suppose?" 
 
 I had made my mind up in a moment, and by way of answer told 
 him the whole story of our voyage, and the predicament in which 
 we found ourselves. He heard me with the keenest interest, and 
 when I had done he patted me on the head. 
 
 " You're a good lad, Jim," he said; " and you're all in a clove 
 hitch, ain't you? Well, you just put your trust in Ben Gunn — Ben 
 Gunn's the man to do it. Would you think it likely, now, that 
 your squire would prove a liberal-minded one in case of help — him 
 being in a clove hitch, as you remark?" 
 
 I told him the squire was the most liberal of men. 
 ' Ay, but you see," returned Ben Gunn, " I didu'l mean giving
 
 »• treasuet: island. 69 
 
 me a gate to keep, and a suit of livery clothes, and such; that's 
 not my mark, Jim. "What I mean is, would he be likely to come 
 down to the toon of, say one thousand pounds out of money that's 
 as good as a man's own already?" 
 
 " I am sure he would," said I. "As it was, all hands rrere to 
 share." 
 
 " And a passage home?" he added, with a look of great shrewd- 
 ness. 
 
 " Why," I cried, " the squire's a gentleman. And, besides, if 
 we got rid of the others, we should want you to help work the ves- 
 sel home." 
 
 "Ah," said he, "so you would." And he seemed very much 
 relieved. 
 
 " Now, I'll tell you what," he went on. " So much 1 11 tell you, 
 and no more. I were in Flint's ship when he buried the treasure; 
 he and six along — six strong seamen. They was ashore nigh on a 
 week, and us standing oflf and on in the old ' Walrus.' One tine 
 day up went the signal, and here come Flint by himself in a little 
 boat, and his head done up in a blue scarf. The sun was getting 
 up, and mortal white he looked about the cutwater. But, there he 
 was, you mind, and the six all dead — dead and buried. How had 
 he done it, not a man aboard us could make out. It was battle, 
 murder, and sudden death, leastways — him against six. Billy Bones 
 was the mate; Long John, he was quarter- master; and they asked 
 him where the treasure was. ' Ah, ' says he, ' you can go ashore, if 
 you like, and stay,' he says; ' but as for the ship, she'll beat up for 
 more, by thunder 1' That's what he said. 
 
 " Well, I was in another ship three years back, and we sighted 
 this island. * Boys,' said I, ' here's Flint's treasure; let's land and 
 find it.' The cap'n was displeased at that; bul my messmates were 
 all of a mind, and lauded. Twelve days they looked for it, and 
 every day they had the worse word for me, until one fine morning 
 all hands went aboard. ' As for you, Benjamin Gunn, ' says they, 
 ■ here's a musket,' they says, ' and a spade, and pick-ax. You can 
 stay here, and find Flint's money for yourself,' they says. 
 
 " Well, Jim, three years have I been here, and not a bite of Chris- 
 tian diet from that day to this. But now, you look here; look at 
 me. Do I look like a man before the mast? No, says you. Nor I 
 weren't, neither, I says." 
 
 And with that he winked and pinched me hard. 
 
 " Just you mention them words to your squire, Jim " — he went 
 on: "Nor he weren't, neither — that's the words. Three years he
 
 70 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 were the man of this island, light and dark, fair and rain; and 
 sometimes he would, may be, think upon a prayer (says you), and 
 sometimes he would, may be, think of his old mother, so be as she's 
 alive (you'll say); but the most part of Gunn's time (this is what 
 you'll say) — the most part of his time was took up with another 
 matter. And then j^ou'll give him a nip, like I do." 
 
 And he pinclied me again, in the most confidential manner. 
 
 " Then," he continued — "then you'll up, and you'll say this: 
 Gunn is a good man (you '11 say), and he puts a precious sight more 
 confidence— a precious sight, mind that — in a gen'leman born than 
 in these gen'lemen of fortune, having been one hisself." 
 
 " Well," I said, " I don't understand one word that you've been 
 saying. But that's neither here nor there; for how am I to get on 
 board?" 
 
 " Ah," said he, " that's the hitch for sure. Well, there's my 
 boat that 1 made with my two hands. I keep her under the white 
 rock. If the worst come to the worst, we might try that after 
 dark. HiT'.he broke out, " what s that?" 
 
 For just then, although the sun had still an hour or two to run, 
 all the echoes of the island awoke and bellowed to the thunder of a 
 cannon. 
 
 " They have begun to fight!" I cried. " Follow me." 
 
 And I began to run toward the anchoiage, my terrors all forgot- 
 ten; while, close at my side, the marooned man in his goatskins 
 trotted easily and lightly. 
 
 " Left, left,' says he; " keep to your left hand, mate Jim I Un- 
 der the trees with you I There's where I killed my first goat. They 
 don't come down here now; they're all mastheaded on them mount- 
 ings for the fear of Benjamin Gunn. Ah! and there's the cete- 
 mery " — cemetery he must have meant. "You see the mounds? 
 I come here and prayed,, nows and thens, when I thought may be a 
 Sunday would be about doo. It weren't quite a chapel, but it 
 seemed more solemn like; and then, says you, Benn Gunn was 
 shorthanded — no chapling, nor so much as a Bible and a flag, you 
 says." 
 
 So he kept talking as I ran, neither expecting nor receiving any 
 answer. 
 
 The cannon-shot was followed, after a considerable interval, by a 
 volley of small arms. 
 
 Another pause, and then, not a quarter of a mile in front of me, 
 I beheld the Union Jack flutter in the air above a wood.
 
 IREASUliE ISLAND. 71 
 
 PART IV. 
 THE BTOGKADE. 
 
 CHAPTER XVL 
 
 NAKKATIVE CONTrNTJED BY THE DOCTOR: HOW THE SHIP WAS 
 ABANDONED. 
 
 It was about half past one — three bells in the sea phrase — that 
 the two boats went ashore from the " Hispaniola. " The captain, 
 the squire, and I were talking matters over in the cabin. Had there 
 been a breath of wind, we should have fallen on the six mutineers 
 who were left aboard with us, slipped our cable, and away to sea. 
 But the wind was wanting; and, to complete our helplessness, 
 down came Hunter with the nevk's that Jim Hawkins had slipped 
 into a boat and was gone ashore with the rest. 
 
 It had never occurred to us to doubt Jim Hawkins; but we were 
 alarmed for his safety. With the men in the temper they were in, 
 it seemed an even chance if we should see the lad again. We ran 
 on deck. The pitch was bubbling in the seams; the nasty stench of 
 the place turned me sick; if evera mansniftUed fever and dysentery, 
 it was in that abominable anchorage. The six scoundrels were 
 sitting grumbling under a sail in the forecastle; ashore we could 
 see the gigs made fast, and a maa sitting in each, hard by where 
 the river runs in. One of them was whistling " Lillibullero." 
 
 Waiting was a strain; and it was decided that Hunter and I 
 should go ashore with the jolly-boat, in quest of information. 
 
 The gigs had leaned to their right; but Hunter and I pulled 
 straight in, in the direction of the stockade upon the chart. The 
 two who were left guarding their boats seemed in a bustle at our 
 appearance; "Lillibullero" stopped off, and I could see the pair 
 discussing what they ought to do. Had they gone and told Silver, 
 all might have turned out differently; but they had their orders, I 
 suppose, and decided to sit quietly where they were and hark back 
 again to " Lillibullero." 
 
 There was a slight bend in the coast, and I steered so as to put it 
 between us, even before we landed we had thus lost sight of the
 
 72 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 gigs. I 3um];)cd out, and came as near running as I durst, with a 
 big silk handkerchief under my hat for coolness' sake, and a brace 
 of pistols ready primed for safety. 
 
 I had not gone a hundred yards when I came on the stockade. 
 
 This was how it was; a spring of clear water rose almost at the 
 top of a knoll Well, on the knoll, and inclosing the spring, they 
 had clapped a stout log-house, fit to hold two score people on a 
 pinch, and loop-holed for musketry on every side. All round this 
 tliey had cleared a wide space, and then the thing was completed by 
 a paling six feet high, without door or opening, too strong to pull 
 down without time and labor, and too open to shelter the besiegers. 
 The people in the log-house had them in every way; they stood 
 quiet in shelter and shot the others like partridges. All they 
 wanted was a good watch and food; for, short of a complete sur- 
 prise, they might have held the place against a regiment. 
 
 What particularly took my fancy was the spring. For, though 
 we had a good enough place of it in the cabin of the " Hispaniola," 
 with plenty of arms and ammunition, and things to eat, and ex- 
 cellent wines, there had been one thing overlooked — we had no 
 water. I was thinking this over, when there came ringing over 
 the island the cry of a man at the p dnt of death. I was not new 
 to violent death — I have served his Royal Highness the Duke of 
 Cumberland, and got a wound myself at Fontenoy — but I know 
 my pulse went dot and carry one. " Jim Hawidns is gone," was 
 my first thought. 
 
 It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have 
 been a doctor. There is no time to dilly-dally in our work. And 
 so now I made up my mind instantl}^ and with no time lost returned 
 to the shore, and jumped on board the jolly-boat. 
 
 By good fortune Hunter pulled a good oar. We made the water 
 fly; and the boat was soon alongside, and I aboard the schooner. 
 
 I found them all shaken, as was natural. The squire was sitting 
 down, as white as a sheet, thinking of the harm he had led us to, 
 the good soul! and one of the six forecastle hands was little better. 
 
 "There's a man," said Captain Smollett, nodding toward him, 
 " new to this work. He came nigh-hand fainting, doctor, when he 
 heard the cry. Another touch of the rudder and that man would 
 join us." 
 
 I told my plan to the captain, and between us we settled on the 
 details of its accomplishment, 
 
 We put old Redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the 
 forecastle, with three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for
 
 TREASURE ISLAN-D. 73 
 
 protection. Hunter brouglil the lioat round under the stem-port, 
 and Joyce and I set to work loading her with powder tins, muskets, 
 bags of biscuits, kegs of pork, a cask of cognac, and my invaluable 
 medicine chest. 
 
 In the meantime, the squire and the captain stayed on deck, and 
 tlu latter hailed the cockswain, who was the principal man aboard. 
 •' Mr. Hands," he said, " here are two of us with a brace of pis- 
 tols each. If any one of you six make a signal of any description, 
 that man's dead." 
 
 They were a good deal taken aback; and, after a little consulta 
 lion, one and all tumbled down the fore companion, thinking, no 
 doubt, to take us on the rear. But when they saw Redruth waiting 
 for them in the sparred gallery, they went about ship at once, and 
 a head popped out again deck. 
 " Down, dog!" cries the captain. 
 
 And the head popped back again; and we heard no more, for the 
 time, of these six very fainthearted seamen. 
 
 By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly- 
 boat loaded as much as we dared. Joyce and I got out through the 
 stern port, and we made for shore again, as fast as oars could take 
 us. 
 
 This second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore. " Lilli- 
 bullero " was dropped again; and just before we lost sight of them 
 behind the little point, one of them whipped ashore and disappeared. 
 I had half a mind to change my plan and destroj"- their boats, but I 
 feared that Silver and the others might be close at hand, and ali 
 might very well be lost by trying for too much. ' 
 
 We had soon touched land in the same place as before, and set to 
 provision the block house. AH three made the first journey, 
 heavily laden, aiid tossed our stores over the palisade. Then, leav- 
 ing Joyce to guard them — one man, to be sure, but with half a 
 dozen muskets — Hunter and I returned to the jolly-boat, and loaded 
 ourselves once more, So we proceeded without pausing to take 
 breath, till the whole cargo was bestowed, when the two servants 
 took up their position in the block-house, and I, with all my power, 
 sculled back to the " Hispaniola." 
 
 That we should have risked a second boat load seems more daring 
 than it really was. They had the advantage of numbers, of course, 
 but we had the advantage of arms, Not one of the men ashore had 
 a musket, and before they could get within range for pistol shoot- 
 ing, we flattered ourselves we should be able to give a good account 
 of a half dozen at least.
 
 74 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 The squire was waiting for me at the stern window, all his faint 
 ness gone from him. He caught the painter and made it fast, and 
 we fell to loading the boat for our very lives. Pork, powder, and 
 biscuit was the cargo, with only a musket and a cutlass apiece for 
 squire and me and Redruth and the captain. The rest of the arms 
 and powder we dropped overboard in two fathoms and a half of 
 water, so that we could see the bright steel shining far below us in 
 the sun, on the clean, sandy bottom. 
 
 By this time the tide was beginning to ebb, and the ship was 
 swinging round to her anchor. Voices were heard faintly halloing 
 in the direction of the two gigs; and though this reassured us for 
 Joyce and Hunter, who were well to the eastward, it warned our 
 party to be off. 
 
 Redruth retreated from his place in the gallery, and dropped into 
 the boat, which we then brought round to the ship's counter, to be 
 handier for Captain Smollett. 
 
 " Now, men," said he, " do you hear me?" 
 
 There was no answer from the forecastle. 
 
 " It's to you, Abraham Gray— it's to you I am speaking." 
 
 Still no reply. 
 
 "Gray," resumed Mr. Smollett, a little louder, " I am leaving 
 this ship, and I order j'ou to follow your captain. I know you are 
 a good man at bottom, and I dare say not one of the lot of you's as 
 bad as he makes out. I have my watch here in my hand; I give 
 you thirty seconds to join me in." 
 
 There was a pause. 
 
 *' Come, my fine fellow," continued the captain, " don't hang so 
 long in stays. I'm risking my life, and the lives of these good gen- 
 tlemen every second." 
 
 There was a sudden scuffle, a sound of blows, and out burst 
 Abraham Gray with a knife-cut on the side of the cheek, and came 
 running to the captain, like a dog to the whistle. 
 
 " I'm with you, sir,'" said he. 
 
 And the next moment he and the captain had dropped aboard ol 
 us, and we had shoved off and given way. 
 
 "We were clear out of the ship; but not yet askore in our stock
 
 TREASURE ISLAITD. 75 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY THE DOCTOR: THE JOLLY-BOAT'S LAST 
 
 TRIP. 
 
 This fifth trip was quite different from any of the ethers. In the 
 first place, the little gallipot of a boat that we were ^n was gravely 
 overloaded. Five grown men, and three of them — Trelawney, 
 Redruth, and the captain — over six feet high, was already more 
 than she was meant to carry. Add to that the powder, pork, and 
 the bread-bags. The gunwale was lipping astern. Several times 
 we shipped a little water, and my bre>ches and the tails of my coat 
 were all soaking wet before we had gone a hundrea yards. 
 
 The captain made us trim the boat, and we got her to lie a little 
 more evenly. All the same, we were afraid to breathe. 
 
 In the second place, the ebb was now making— a strong rippling 
 current running westward through the basin, and then south'ard 
 and seaward down the straits by which we had entered in the morn- 
 ing. Even the ripples were a danger to our overloaded craft; but 
 the worst of it was that we were swept out of our true course, and 
 away from our proper landing-place behind the point. If we let the 
 current have its way we should come ashore beside the gigs, where 
 the pirates might appear at any moment. 
 
 " I can not keep her head for the stockade, sir," said I to the 
 captain. I was steering, while he and Redruth, two fresh men, 
 were at the oars, " The tide keeps washing her down. Could you 
 pull a little stronger?" 
 
 " Not without swamping the boat," said he. " You must bear 
 up, sir, if you please— bear up until you see you're gaining." 
 
 I tried, and found bj'- experiment that the tide kept sweeping us 
 westward until I had laid her head due east, or just about right 
 angles to the way we ought to go. 
 
 " We'll never get ashore at this rate," said I. 
 
 " If it's the only course that we can lie, sir, we must even lie it," 
 returned the captain, " We must keep upstream. You see, sir," 
 he went on, '* if once we dropped to leeward of the landing-place, 
 it's hard to say where we should get ashore, besides the chance of 
 being boarded by the gigs; whereas, the way we go the curreni 
 must slacken, and then we can dodge back along the shore."
 
 76 TREASURE ISLATn). 
 
 " The current s less a'ready, sir," said the man Gray, who was 
 sitting in the fore sheets; " you can ease her off a bit." 
 
 " Thank you, my man," said I, quite as if nothing had happened; 
 for we had all quietly made up our minds to treat him lilce one of 
 ourselves. 
 
 Suddenly the captain spoke up again, and I thought his voice was 
 a little changed. 
 
 " The gun!" said he. 
 
 " I have thought of thai," said I, for I made sure he was think- 
 ing of a bombardment of the fort. " They could never get the gun 
 ashore, and if they did, they could never haul it through the 
 woods." 
 
 " Look astern, doctor," replied the captain. 
 
 We had entirely forgotten the long nine; and there, to our horror, 
 were the five rogues busy about her, getting off her jacket, as they 
 called the stout tarpaulin cover under which she sailed. Not only 
 that, but it flaslied into my mind at the same moment that the 
 round shot and the powder for the gun had been left behind, and a 
 stroke with an ax would put it all into the posssession of the evil 
 ones aboard. 
 
 " Israel was Fhnt's gunner," said Gray, hoarsely. 
 
 At any risk, we put the boat's head direct for the landing-place. 
 By this time we had got so far out of the run of the current, that 
 we kept steerage way even at our necessarily gentle rate of rowing, 
 and 1 could keep her steady for tlie goal. But the worst of it was, 
 that with the course I now held, we turned our broadside instead 
 of our stern to the " Hispaniola," and offered a target like a barn 
 door. 
 
 I could hear, as well as see, that brandy faced rascal, Israel Hands, 
 plumping down a round-shot on the deck. 
 
 " Who's the best shot?" asked the captain. 
 
 " Mr. Trelawney, out and away," said I. 
 
 " Mr. Trelawney, will you please pick me off one of those men, 
 sir? Hands, if possible," said the captain, 
 
 Trelawney was as cold as steel. He looked to the priming of his 
 gun. 
 
 " Now," cried the captain, " easy with that gun, sir, or you'll 
 swamp the boat. All hands stand by to trim her when he aims." 
 
 The squire raised his gun, the rowing ceased, and we leaned over 
 to the other side to keep the balance, and all was so nicely contrived 
 that we did not ship a drop. 
 
 They had the gun, by this time, slewed round upon the swivel.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 77 
 
 and Hands, who was at the muzzle with the rammer, was, in con- 
 sequence, the most exposed. However, w^e had no luck; for just 
 as Trelawney fired, down he stooped, the ball whistling over him, 
 and it was one of the other four who fell. 
 
 The cry he gave was echoed, not only by his companions on 
 board, but by a great number of voices from the shore, and looking 
 in that direction I saw the other pirates trooping out from among 
 tlie trees and tumbling into their places in the boats. 
 
 " Here come the gigs, sir," said I. 
 
 " Give way, then," said tlie captain. " We mustn't mind if we 
 swamp her now. If we can't get ashore, all's up." 
 
 "Only one of the gigs is being manned, sir," I added, "the 
 crew of the other most likely goiug round by shore to cut us off." 
 
 "They'll have a hot run, sir," returned the captain. "Jack 
 ashore, you know. It's not them I mind; it's the round-shot. Car- 
 pet bowls! My lady's maid couldn't miss. Tell us, squire, when 
 you see the match, and we'll hold water." 
 
 In the meanwhile we had been making headway at a good pace 
 for a boat so overloaded, and we had shipped but little water in the 
 process. We were now close in; thirty or forty strokes and -^e 
 should beach her; for the ebb had already disclosed a narrow belt 
 of sand below the clustering trees. The gig was no longer to be 
 feared; the little point had already concealed it from our eyes. The 
 ebb-tide, which had so cruelly delaj^ed us, was now making repara- 
 tion, and delaying our assailants. The one source of danger was 
 the gun. 
 
 " If I durst," said the captain, " I'd stop and pick off another 
 man." 
 
 But it was plain that they meant nothing should delay their shot. 
 They had never so much as looked at their fallen comrade, though 
 he was not dead, and 1 could see him trying to crawl away. 
 
 " Ready!" cried the squire. 
 
 " Hold!" cried the captain, quick as an echo. 
 
 A.nd he and Redruth backed with a great heave that sent her 
 stern bodily under water. The report fell in at the same instant of 
 time. This was the first that Jim heard, the sound of the squire's 
 shot not having reached him. When the ball passed, not one of us 
 precisely knew; but I fancy it must have been over our heads, and 
 that the wind of it may have contributed to our disaster. 
 
 At any rate, the boat sunk by the stern, quite gently, in three 
 feet of water, leaving the captain and myself, facing each other, on
 
 78 TREASURE ISLAK^D. 
 
 our feet. The otber three took complete headers, and came up 
 again, drenched and bubbling. 
 
 So far there was no great harm. No lives were lost, and we 
 could wade ashore in safety. But there were all our stores at the 
 bottom, and, to make things worse, only two guns out of five re- 
 mained in a state for service. Mine I had snatched from my knees, 
 and held over my head, by a sort of instinct. As for the captain, 
 he had carried his over his shoulder by a bandoleer, and, like a wise 
 man, lock uppermost. The other three had gone down with the 
 boat. To add to our concern, we heard voices already drawing near 
 us in the woods along shore; and we had not only the danger of 
 being cut off from the stockade in our half-crippled state, but the 
 fear before us whether, if Himter and Joyce were attacked by half 
 a dozen, they would have the sense and conduct to stand firm. 
 Hunter was steady, that we knew; Joyce was a doubtful case — a 
 pleasant, polite man for a valet, and to brush one's clothes, but not 
 entirely fitted for a man-of-war. 
 
 With all this in our minds, we waded ashore as fast as we could, 
 leaving behind us the poor jolly-boat, and a good half of all our 
 powder and provisions. 
 
 CHAPTER XVin. 
 
 NARRATIVE CONTINUED BY THE DOCTOR: END OF THE FIRST 
 day's FIGHTINGK 
 
 We made our best speed across the strip of wood that now divided 
 us from the stockade; and at every step we took the voices of the 
 buccaneers rang nearer. Soon we could hear their footfalls as they 
 ran, and the cracking of the branches as they breasted across a bit 
 of thicket, 
 
 I began to see we should have a brush for it in earnest, and looked 
 to ray priming. 
 
 " Captain," said I, " Trelawney is the dead shot. Give him your 
 gun; his own is useless." 
 
 They exchanged guns, and Trelawney, silent and cool as he had 
 been since the beginning of the bustle, hung a moment on his heel to 
 see that all was fit for service. At the same time, observing Gray to 
 be unarmed, I handed him my cutlass. It did all our hearts good to 
 see him spit in his hand, knit his brows, and make the blade sing 
 through the air. It was plain from every line of his body that our 
 aew hand was worth his salt.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 79 
 
 Forty paces further we came to the edge of the wood and saw the 
 stockade in front of us. We struck the inclosure about the middle 
 of the south side, and, almost at the same time, seven mutineers- 
 Job xVnderson, the boatswain, at their head — appeared in full cry at 
 the south-western corner. 
 
 They paused, as if taken aback; and before they recovered, not 
 only the squire and I, but Hunter and Joyce from the block-house, 
 had time to fire. The four shots came in rather a scattering volley; 
 but they did the business; one of the enemy actually fell, and the 
 rest, without hesitation, turned and plunged into the trees. 
 
 After reloading, we walked down the outside of the palisade to 
 see tD the fallen enemy. He was stone dead — shot through the heart. 
 We began to rejoice over our good success, when just at that mo- 
 ment a pistol cracked in the bush, a ball whistled close past my ear, 
 and poor Tom Redruth stumbled and fell his length on the ground. 
 Both the squire and I returned the shot; but as we had nothing to 
 aim at, it is probable we on^y wasted powder. Then we reloaded, 
 and turned our attention to poor Tom. 
 
 The captain and Gray were already examining him, and I saw 
 with half an eye that all was over. 
 
 I believe the readiness of our return volley had scattered the 
 mutineers once more, for we were suffered without further molesta- 
 tion to get the poor old gamekeeper hoisted over the stockade, and 
 carried, groaning and bleeding, into the log-house. 
 
 Poor old fellow, he had not uttered one word of surprise, com- 
 plaint, fear, or even acquiescence, from the very beginning of our 
 troubles tiJ now, when we had laid him down in the log-house to 
 die. He had laid like a Trojan behind his mattress in the gallery; 
 he had followed every order silently, doggedly, and well; he was 
 the oldest of our part,y by a score of years; and now, sullen, old, 
 serviceable servant, it was he that was to die. 
 
 The squire dropped down beside him on his Jinees, and kissed his 
 hand, crying like a child. 
 
 " Be I going, doctor?" he asked. 
 " Tom, my man," said I, " you're going home." 
 " I wish I had had a lick at them with the gun first," he replied. 
 " Tom," said the squire, " say you forgive me, won't you?" 
 " Would that be respectful like, from me to you. squire?" was 
 the answer. '■ Howsoever, so be it, ameul" 
 
 After a little while of silence, he said he thought somebody might 
 read a prayer. "It's the custom, sir, " he added, apologetically, 
 And not lonj? after, without another word, he passed away.
 
 80 TBEASUEE ISLAND. 
 
 In tie meantime the captain, whom I had observed to be wonder 
 fully swollen about the chest and pockets, had turned out a great 
 many various stores — the British colors, a Bible, a coil of stoutish 
 rope, pen, ink, the log-book, and pounds of tobacco. He had found 
 a longish fir-tree lying felled and cleared in the inclosure, and, with 
 the help of Hunter, he had set it up at the corner of the log-house 
 where the tiunks crossed and made an angle. Then, climbing on 
 the roof, he had with his own hand bent and run up the colors. 
 
 This seemed mightily to relieve him. He re-entered the log- 
 house, and set about counting up the stores, as if nothing else ex- 
 isted. But he had an eye on Tom's passage for all that; and as 
 soon as all was over, came forward with another flag, and reverent- 
 ly spread it on the body. 
 
 " Don't 3'ou take on, sir," he said, shaking the squire's hand. 
 " All's well with him; no fear for a hand that's been shot down in 
 his duty to captain and owner. It mayn't be good divinity, but it's 
 a fact." 
 
 Then he pulled me aside. 
 
 "Doctor Livesey," he said, "in how many weeks do you and 
 squire expect the consort?" 
 
 I told him it was a question, not of weeks, but of months; that if 
 we were not back by the end of August, Blandly was to send to find 
 us; but neither sooner nor later. " You can calculate for yourself," 
 I said. 
 
 " Why, 3'es," returned the captain, scratching his head, "and 
 making a large allowance, sir, for all the gifts of Providence, I 
 should say we were pretty close hauled." 
 
 '* How do j^ou mean?" I asked. 
 
 " It's a pity, sir, we lost that second load. That's what I mean," 
 replied the captain. " As for powder and shot, we'll do. But the 
 rations are short, very short — so short. Doctor Livesey, that we're 
 perhaps as well without that extra mouth." 
 
 And he pointed to the dead body under the flag. 
 
 Just then, with a roar and a whistle, a round shot passed high 
 above the roof of the log-house and plumped far beyond us in the 
 wood. 
 
 " Oho!" said the captain. " Blaze away! You've little enough 
 powder already, my lads," 
 
 At the second trial the aim was better, and the ball descended in- 
 side the stockade^ scattering a cloud of sand, but doing no further 
 damage. 
 
 "Captain," said the squire, "the house is quite invisible from
 
 TEEASURE ISLAND. 81 
 
 the ship. It must be the flag they are aiming at. Would it not be 
 wiser to take it in?" 
 
 " Strike my colors!" cried the captain. " No, sir, not I;" and, 
 a8 soon as he had said the words, I think we all agreed with him. 
 For it was not only a piece of stout, seamanly good feeling; it was 
 good policy besides, and showed our enemies that we despised their 
 cannonade 
 
 All through the evening they kept thundering away. Ball after 
 ball flew over or fell short, or kicked up the sand in the inclosure; 
 but they had to fire so high that the shot fell dead and buried itself 
 in the soft 6and. We had no ricochet to fear; and though one 
 popped in through the roof of the log-house and out again through 
 the floor, we soon got used to that sort of horse-play and minded it 
 no more than cricket. 
 
 " There is one thing good aliout all this," observed the captain; 
 " the wood in front of us is likely clear. The ebb has made a good 
 while; our stores should be uncovered. Volunteers to go and bring 
 in pork." 
 
 Gray and Hunter were the first to come forward. Well armed, 
 they stole out of the stockade, but it proved a useless mission. The 
 mutineers were bolder than we fancied, or they put more trust in 
 Israel's gunnery. For four or five of them were busy carrying off 
 our stores, and wading out Mith them to one of the gigs that lay 
 close by, pulling an oar or so to hold her steady against the current. 
 Silver was in the stern-sheets in command; and every man of them 
 was now provided with a musket from some secret magazine of 
 their own. 
 
 The captain sat down to his log, and here is the beginning of the 
 entry: 
 
 " Alexander Smollett, master; David Livesey, ship's doctor; 
 Abraham Gray, carpenter's mate; John Trelawney, owner; John 
 Hunter and Richard Joyce, owner's servants, landsmen — being all 
 that is left faithful of the ship's company — with stores for ten days 
 at short rations, came ashore this day, and flew British colors on 
 the log-house in Treasure Island. Thomas Redruth, owner's serv- 
 ant, landsman, shot by the mutineers; James Hawkins, cabin- 
 boy-" 
 
 And at the same time I was wondering over poor Jim Hawkins 
 fate. 
 A hail on the land side.
 
 82 TREASUEE ISLAXD. 
 
 " Somebody hailing us," said Hunter, who "was on guard. 
 
 " Doctor! squire! captain! Hallo, Hunter, is that you?" came 
 the cries. 
 
 And I ran to the door in time to see Jim Hawkins, safe and 
 sound, come climbing over the stockade. 
 
 CHAPTER XTX. 
 
 KARRATITE RESUMED BY JIM HAWKINS'. THE OABBISON AT THE 
 
 STOCKADE. 
 
 As soon as Ben Gunn saw the colors he came to a halt, stopped 
 me by the arm, and sat down. 
 
 " Now," said he, " there's 3^our friends, sure enough." 
 
 ** Far more likely it's the mutineers,' I answered. 
 
 " That!" he cried. " Why, in a place like this, where nobody puts 
 in but gen'lemen of fortune. Silver would fly the Jolly Roger, you 
 don't make uo doubt of that. No; that's your friends. There's been 
 blows, too, and I reckon your friends has had the best of it; and here 
 they are ashore in the old stockade, as was made years and years ago 
 by Flint. Ah., he was the man to have a headpiece, was Flint! 
 Barring rum, his match was never seen. He were afraid of none; 
 not he; on'y Silver — Silver was that genteel." 
 
 " "Well," said I, " that may be so, and so be it; all the more rea- 
 son that I should hurry on and join my friends." 
 
 " Nay, mate," returned Ben, " not you. You're a good boy, or 
 I'm mistook; but you're on'y a boy, all told. Now, Ben Gunn is 
 fly. Rum wouldn't bring me there, where you're going — not rum 
 wouldn't, till 1 see your born gen'leman, and gets it on his word of 
 honor. And you won't forget my words: ' A precious sight ' (that's 
 what you'll say), ' a precious sight more confidence * — and then nips 
 him." 
 
 And he pinched me the third time with the same air of cleverness, 
 
 " And when Ben Gunn is wanted, you know where to find him, 
 Jim. Just where you found him to-day. And him that comes is 
 to have a white thing in his hand; and he's to come alone. OhI 
 and you'll say this: 'Ben Gunn,* says you, 'has reasons of his 
 own.' " 
 
 ' Well," said I, " I believe I understand. Tou have something 
 to propose, and you wish to see the squire or the doctor; and you're 
 jo be found where I found you. Is that all?"
 
 TEEASUEE ISLAIS^D. 83 
 
 "And when? says you," he added. "Why, from about noon 
 observation to about six bells." 
 " Good," says I, " and now may I go?" 
 
 " You won't forget?" he inquired, anxiously. " Precious sight, 
 and reasons of his own, says you. Reasons of his own; that's the 
 mainstay; as between man and man. Well, then "—still holding 
 me — " I reckon you can go, Jim. And Jim, if you was to see Sil- 
 ver, you wouldn't go for to sell Ben Gunn? wild horses wouldn't 
 draw it from you? No, says you. And if them pirates came 
 ashore, Jim, what would you say but there'd be widders in the morn- 
 ing?" 
 
 Here he was interrupted by a loud report, and a cannon-ball came 
 tearing through (he trees and pitched in the sand, not a hundred 
 yards from where we two were talking. The next moment each of 
 us had taken to his heels in a different direction. 
 
 For a good hour to come frequent reports shook the island, and 
 balls kept crashing through the woods. I moved from hiding-place 
 to hiding-place, always pursued, or so it seemed to me, by these ter- 
 rifying missiles. But toward the end of the bombardment, though 
 still I durst not venture in the direction of the stockade, where the 
 balls fell oflenest, I had begun, in a manner, to pluck up my heart 
 again ; and after a long detour to the east, crept down among the 
 shore-side trees. 
 
 The sun had just set, the sea breeze was rustling and tumbling in 
 the woods, and ruffling the gray surface of the anchorage; the tide, 
 too, was far out, and great tracts of sand lay uncovered; the air, 
 after the heat of the da3% chilled me through my jacket. 
 
 The " Hispaniola " still lay where she had anchored; but, sure 
 enough, there was the Jolly Roger— the black flag of piracy— flying 
 from her peak. Even as I looked there came another red flash and 
 another report, that sent the echoes clattering, and one more round 
 shot wbietled through the air. It was the last of the cannonade. 
 
 I lay for some time, watching the bustle which succeeded the at- 
 tack. Men were demolishing something with axes on tlie beach 
 near the stockade; the poor jolly-boat, I afterward discovered. 
 Away, near the mouth of the river, a great fire was glowing among 
 the trees, and between that point and the ship one of the gigs kept 
 coming and going, the men, whom I had seen so gloomy, shouting 
 at Ihe oars like children. But there was a sound in their voices 
 which suggested rum. 
 
 At, length I thought I might return toward the stockade. I was 
 pretty far down on the low, sandy spit that incloses the anchorage
 
 84 TREASURE ISLAiqi). 
 
 to the east, and is joined at half- water to Skeleton Island; and now, 
 as I rose to my feet, I saw, some distance further down the spit, 
 and rising from among low bushes, an isolated rock pretty high, 
 and peculiarly white in color. It occurred to nie that this might be 
 the white rock of which Ben Gunn had spoken, and that some day 
 or other a boat might be wanted, and I should know where to look 
 for one. 
 
 Then I skirted among the woods until I had regained the rear, or 
 shoreward side, of the stockade, and was soon warmly welcomed by 
 the faithful party. 
 
 I had soon told my story, and began to look about me. The log- 
 house was made of unsquared trunks of pine— roof, walls, and 
 floor. The latter stood in several places as much as a foot or a foot 
 and a half above the surface of the sand. There was a porch at the 
 door, and under this porch tlie little spring welled up into an artifi- 
 cial basin of a rather odd kind — no other than a great ship's kettle 
 of iron, with the bottom knocked out, and sunk " to her bearings," 
 as the captain said, among the sand. 
 
 Little had been left beside the frame- work of the house; but in 
 one corner there w^as a stone slab laid down by way of hearth, and 
 an old rusty iron basket to contain the fire. 
 
 The slopes of the knoll and all the inside of the stockade had been 
 cleared of limber to build the house, and we could see by the stumps 
 what a fine and lofty grove had been destroyed. Most of the soil 
 had been washed away or buried in drift after the removal of the 
 trees; only where the streamlet ran down from the kettle a thick 
 bed of moss and some ferns and little creeping bushes were still 
 green among the sand. Very close around the stockade — loo close 
 for defense, they said— the wood still flourished high and dense, all 
 of fir on the land side, but toward the sea with a large admixture of 
 live-oaks. 
 
 The cold evening breeze, of which I have spoken, whistled 
 through every chink of the rude building, and sprinkled the floor 
 with a continual rain of fine sand. There was sand in our eyes, 
 sand in our teeth, sand in our suppers, sand dancing in the spring 
 at the bottom of the kettle, for all the world like porridge beginning 
 to boil. Our chimney was a square hole in the roof; it was but a 
 little part of the smoke that found its way out, and the rest eddied 
 about the house, and kept us coughing and piping the eye. 
 
 Add to this that Graj^ the new man, had his face tied up in a 
 Wndage for a cut he had got in breaking away from the mutineersj
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 85 
 
 and that poor old Tom Redruth, still unburied, lay along the wall, 
 stiff and stark, under the Union Jack. 
 
 If we had been allowed to sit idle, we should all have fallen in 
 the blues, but Captain Smollett was never the man for that. All 
 hands were called up before him, and he divided us into watches. 
 The doctor, and Gray, and I, for one; the squire. Hunter, and 
 Joyce upon the other. Tired as we all were, two were sent out for 
 firewood; two more were sent to dig a grave for Redruth; the doc- 
 tor was named cook; I was put sentry at the door; and the captain 
 himself went from one to another, keeping up jur spiri s and lend- 
 ing a hand wherever it was wanted. 
 
 From time to time the doctor camo ,o 'he dor i r : little air and 
 to rest his eyes, which were almost Bmo.\.(. ou j- his head; and 
 whenever he did so, he had a word for me. 
 
 " That man Smollett," he said once, * is u better inai^ th^r\ I am. 
 And when I say that it means a deal, Jim " 
 
 Another time he came and was silent for awhil:. Then he put 
 his head on one side, and looked at me. 
 
 " Is this Ben Gunn a man?" he asked. 
 
 " I do not know, sir," said I. " I am not very sure whether he's 
 sane." 
 
 "If there's any doubt about the matter, he is, " returned the 
 doctor. " A man who has been three years biting his nails on a 
 desert island, Jim, can't expect to appear as sane as j^ou or me. It 
 doesn't lie in human nature. Was it cheese you said he had a 
 fancy for?" 
 
 " Yes, sir, cheese," I answered. 
 
 " Well, Jim," says he, " just see the good that comes of being 
 dainty in your food. You've seen my snuff-box, haven't you? 
 And you never saw me take snuff; the reason being that in my 
 snuff-box I carry a piece of Parmesan cheese — a cheese made 11 
 Italy, very nutritious. Well, that's for Ben Gunn!" 
 
 Before supper was eaten we buried old Tom in the sand, and 
 stood round him for awhile bare-headed in the breeze. A good deal 
 of firewood had been got in, but not enough for the captain's fancy 
 and he shook his head over it, and told us we " must get back to 
 this to-morrow rather livelier." Then, when we had eaten our 
 pork, and each had a good stiff glass of brandy grog, the three 
 chiefs got together in a corner to discuss our prospects. 
 
 It appears they were at their wits' end what to do, the stores being 
 so low that we must have been starved into surrender long before 
 help came. But our best hope, it was decided, was to kill off )\d
 
 86 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 buccaneers until they either hauled down their flag or ran away 
 with the *' Hispaniola." From nineteen they were already reduced 
 to fifteen, two others were wounded, and one, at least— the man 
 shot beside the gun — severely wounded, if he were not dead. Every 
 time we had a crack at them, we were to take it, saving our own 
 lives, with the extremest care. And, besides that, we had two able 
 allies — rum and the climate. 
 
 As for the first, though we were about half a mile away, we could 
 hear them roaring and singing late into the night; and as for the 
 second, the doctor staked his wig that, camped where they were in 
 the marsh, and unprovided with remedies, the half of them would 
 be on their backs before a week. 
 
 *' So," he added, " if we are not all shot down first they'll be 
 glad to be packing in the schooner. It's always a ship, and they 
 can get to buccaneering again, I suppose." 
 
 " First ship that I ever lost," said Captain Smollett. 
 
 I was dead tired, as you may fancy; and when I got to sleep, 
 which was not till after a great deal of tossing, I slept like a log of 
 wood. 
 
 The rest had long been up, and had already breakfasted and in- 
 creased the pile of firewood by about half as much again, when I 
 was wakened by a bustle and the sound of voices. 
 
 " Flag of trucel" I heard some one say; and then, immediately 
 after, with a cry of surprise, " Silver himself I * 
 
 And, at that, up I jumped, and, rubbing my eyes, ran to a loop- 
 hole in the walL 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 SIliVER's EMBASSY. 
 
 Sure enough, there were two men just outside the stockade, one 
 of them waving a white cloth; the other, no less a person than Silver 
 aimself, standing placidly by. 
 
 It was still quite early, and the coldest morning that I think I 
 ever was abroad in; a chill that pierced into the marrow. The sky 
 was bright and cloudless overhead, and the tops of the trees shone 
 rosily in the sun. But where Silver stood with his lieutenant all 
 was still in shadow, and they waded knee deep in a low white vapor, 
 that had crawled during the night out of the morass. The chill and 
 the vapor taken together told a poor tale of tha island. It was 
 plainly a damp, feverish, unhealthy spot
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 8? 
 
 " Keep in-doors, men," said the captain. " Ten to one this is a 
 trick, ' ' 
 
 Then he hailed the buccaneer. 
 
 " Who goes? Stand, or we fire." 
 
 " Flag of truce," cried Silver. 
 
 The captain was in the porch, keeping himself carefully out of 
 the way of a treacherous shot should any be intended. He turned 
 and spoke to us: 
 
 " Doctor's watch on the lookout. Doctor Livesey take the north 
 side, if you please; Jim the east; Gray, west. The watch below, 
 all hands to load muskets. Lively, men, and careful." 
 
 And then he turned again to the mutineers. 
 
 " And what do you want with your flag of truce?" he crifid. 
 
 This time it was the other man who replied. 
 
 " Cap'n Silver, sir, to come on board and make terms," he shouted. 
 
 " Cap'n Silver! Don't know him. Who's he?" cried the cap- 
 tain. And we could hear him adding to himself. '* Cap'n, is it? 
 My heart, and here's promotion!" 
 
 Long John answered for himself. 
 
 " Me, sir. These poor lads have chosen me cap'n, after your de- 
 sertion, sir" — laying a particular emphasis upon the word " deser- 
 tion." " We're willing to submit, if we can come to terms, and no 
 bones about it. All I ask is your word, Cap'n Smollett, to let me 
 safe and sound out of this here stockade, and one minute to get out 
 o' shot before a gun is fired!" 
 
 " My man," said Captain Smollett, " I have not the slightest de- 
 sire to talk to you. If you wish to talk to me, you can come, that's 
 all. If there's any treachery, it'll be on your side, and the Lord 
 help you.' 
 
 " That's enough, cap'n," shouted Long John, cheerily. " A 
 word from you's enough. I know a gentleman, and you may lay 
 to that." 
 
 We could see the man who carried the flag of truce attempting to 
 hold Silver back. Nor was that wonderful, seeing how cavalier 
 had been the captain's answer. But Silver laughed at him aloud, 
 and slapped him on the back, as if the idea of alarm had been ab- 
 surd. Then he advanced to the stockade, threw over his crutch, 
 got a leg up, and with great vigor and skill succeeded in surmount- 
 ing the fence and dropping safely to the other side. 
 
 I will confess that I was far too much taken up with what was 
 going on to be of the slightest use as sentry; indeed, I had already 
 deserted my eastern loop-hole and crept up behind the captain, who
 
 8? TEEASUEE ISLAND. 
 
 had now seated himself on the threshold, with his elbows on his 
 knees, his head in his hands, and his eyes fixed on the water as it 
 bubbled out of the old iron kettle in the sand. He was whistling 
 to himself, " Come, Lasses and Lads." 
 
 Silver had terrible hard work getting up the knrll. What with 
 the steepness of the incline, the thick tree-stumps, and the soft 
 sand, he and his crutch were as helpless as a ship in slays. But he 
 stuck to it like a man in silence, and at last arrived before the cap- 
 tain, whom he saluted in the handsomest style. He was tricked out 
 in his best; an immense blue coat, thick with brass buttons, hung 
 as low as to his knees, and a fine laced hat was set on the back of 
 his head. 
 
 " Here you are, my man," said the captain, raising his head. 
 " You had better sit down." 
 
 " You ain't a-going to let me inside, cap'n?" complained Long 
 John. " It's a main cold morning, to be sure, sir, to sit outside 
 upon the sand." 
 
 " Why, Silver," said the captain, " if you had pleased to be an 
 honest man you might have been sitting in your galley. It's your 
 own doing. You're either my ship's cook — and then you were treat- 
 ed handsome — or Cap'n Silver, a common mutineer and pirate, and 
 then you can go hang!" 
 
 "Well, well, cap'n," returned the sea-cook, sitting down as he 
 was bidden on the sand, ' ' j^ou'U have to give me a hand up again, 
 that's all A sweet, pretty place you have of it here. Ah, there's 
 Jim! The top of the morning to you, Jim. Doctor, here's my 
 service. Why, there you all are together like a happy family, in a 
 manner of speaking," 
 
 " If you have anything to say, my man, better say it," said the 
 captain. 
 
 "Right you are, Cap'n Smollett," replied Silver. " Dooty is 
 dooty, to be sure. Well, now, you look here, that was a good lay 
 of yours last night. I don't deny it was a good lay. Some of you 
 pretty handy with a handspike-end. And I'll not deny neither but 
 what some of my people was shook — may be all was shook; may be 
 I was shook myself; may be that's why I'm here for terms. But 
 you mark me, cap'n, it won't do twice, bj^ thunder! We'll have to 
 do sentry-go, and ease ofE a point or so on the rum. May be you 
 think we were all a sheet in the wind's eye. But I'll tell you I was 
 sober, I was on'y dog tired; and if I'd awoke a second sooner I'd a 
 caught you at the act^ I would. He wasn't dead when I got round 
 to him, not ha "
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 89 
 
 " Well?" says Captain Smollett, as cool as can be. 
 
 All that Silver said was a riddle to him, but you would never 
 have guessed it from his tone. As for me, I began to have an ink- 
 ling. Ben Gunn's last words came back to my mind. I began t^ 
 suppose that he had paid the buccaneers a visit while they all lay 
 drunk together round their fire, and 1 reckoned up with glee that 
 we had only fourteen enemies to deal with. 
 
 " Well, here it is," said Silver. " We want that treasure, and 
 we'll have it — that's our pointi You would just as soon save your 
 lives, I reckon; and that's yours. You have a chart, haven't you?" 
 
 " That's as may be," replied the captain. 
 
 " Oh, well, you have, I know that," returned Long John. " You 
 needn't be so husky with a man; there ain't a particle of service in 
 that, and you may lay to it. AYhat I mean is, we want your chart. 
 Now, I never meant you no harm, myself." 
 
 "That won't do with me, my man," interrupted the captain. 
 *' We know exactly what you meant to do, and we don't care; for 
 now, you see, you can't do it." 
 
 And the captain looked at him calmly, and proceeded to fill a pipe. 
 
 " If Abe Gray — " Silver broke out. 
 
 " Avast there!" cried Mr. Smollett. *' Gray told me nothing, 
 and I asked him nothing; and wliat's more I would see you and 
 him and this whole island blown clean out of the water into blazes 
 first. So there's my mind for you, my man, on that." 
 
 This little whiff of temper seemed to cool Silver down. He had 
 been growing nettled before, but now he pulled himself together. 
 
 " Like enough," said he. " I would set no limits to what gen- 
 tlemen might consider shipshape, or might not, as the case were. 
 And, seein' as how you are about to take a pipe, cap'n, I'll make so 
 free as do likewise." 
 
 And he filled a pipe and lighted it; and the two men sat silently 
 smoking for quite awhile, now looking each other in the face, now 
 stopping their tobacco, now leaning forward to spit. It was as good 
 as the play to see them. 
 
 " Now," resumed Silver, '* here it is. You give us the chart to 
 get the treasure by, and drop shooting poor seamen, and stoving of 
 their heads in while asleep. You do that, and we'll offer j'ou a 
 choice. Either you come aboard along of us, once the treasure 
 shipped, and then I'll give you my affy-davy, upon my word of 
 honor, to clap you somewhere safe ashore. Or, if that ain't your 
 fancy, some of my hands being rough, and having old scores, on 
 account of hazing; then 3'nu can stay here, you can. We'll divide
 
 9>J TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 Stores with you, man for man; and I'll give my affy-davy, as be* 
 fore, to speak the first ship I sight, and send 'em here to pick you 
 Up. Now you'll own that's talking. Handsomer you couldn't look 
 to get, not you. And I hope " — raising his voice — " that all hands 
 in this here block-house will overhaul my words, for what is spoke 
 to one is spoke to all." 
 
 Captain Smollett rose from his seat, and knocked out the ashes of 
 his pipe in the palm of his left hand. 
 
 " Is that air?" he asked. 
 
 " Every last word, by thuuderl" answered John. *' Refuse that, 
 and you've seen the last of me but musket-balls." 
 
 " Very good," said the captain. " Now you'll hear me. If you'll 
 come up one by one, unarmed, I'll engage to clap you all in irons, 
 and take you home to a fair trial in England. If you won't, my 
 name is Alexander Smollett, I've flown my sovereign's colors, and 
 I'll see you all to Davy Jones. You can't find the treasure. You 
 can't sail tlie ship — there's not a man among you fit to sail the ship. 
 You can't fight us — Gray, there, got away from five of you. Your 
 ship's in irons. Master Silver; you're on a lee-shore, and so you'll 
 find. I stand here and tell you so, and they're the last good words 
 you'll get from me; for, in the name of Heaven, I'll put a bullet in 
 your back when next I meet jou. Tramp, my lad. Bundle out of 
 this, please, hand over hand, and double quick." 
 
 Silver's face was a picture; his eyes started in his head witii 
 wrath. He shook the fire out of his pipe. 
 
 " Give me a hand up I" he cried. 
 
 " Not I," returned the captain. 
 
 " Who'll give me a hand up?" he roared. 
 
 Not a man among us moved. Growling the foulest imprecations, 
 be crawled along the sand till he got hold of the porch and could 
 hoist himself again upon his crutch. Then he; spat into the spring. 
 
 " There!" he cried, " that's what I think of ye. Before an hour's 
 out, I'll stove in your old block-house like a rum puncheon. Laugh, 
 by thunder, laugh! Before an hour's out, ye'll laugh upon the 
 other side. Them that die'll be the lucky ones." 
 
 And with a dreadful oath he stumbled off, plowed down the sand, 
 was helped across the stockade, after four or five failures, by the 
 man with the flag of truce, and disappeared in an instant afterward 
 among the trees.
 
 TBEASUEE ISLAND. 91 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 THE ATTACK. 
 
 As soon as Silver disappeared, the captain, who had been closely 
 watching him, turned toward the interior of the house, and found 
 not a man of us at his post but Gray. It was the first time we had 
 ever seen him angry. 
 
 " Quarters!" he roared. And then, as we all slunk back to our 
 places, " Gray," he said, " I'll put your name in the log; you've 
 stood by your duty like a seaman. Mr. Trelawney, I'm surprised 
 at you, sir. Doctor, I thought you had worn Ihe king's coat! If 
 that was how you served at Fontenoy, sir, you'd have been better 
 in your berth. ' ' 
 
 The doctor's watch were all back at their loop-holes, the rest were 
 busy loading the spare muskets, and every one with a red face, you 
 may be certain, and a flea in his ear, as the saying is. 
 
 The captain looked on for awhile in silence. Then he spoke. 
 
 " My lads," he said, "I've given Silver a broadside. I pitched it 
 in red-hot on purpose; and before the hour's out, as he said, we 
 shall be boarded. We're outnumbered, I needn't tell you that, but 
 we fight in shelter; and, a minute ago, I should have said we fought 
 with discipline. I've no manner of doubt that we can drub them, 
 if you choose." 
 
 Then he went the rounds, and saw, as he said, that all was clear. 
 
 On the two short sides of the house, east and west, there were 
 only two loop-holes; on the south side where the porch was, two 
 again; and on the north side, five. There was a round score of 
 muskets for the seven of us; the firewood had been built into four 
 piles — tables, you might say — one about the middle of each side, 
 and on each of these tables some ammunition and four loaded mus- 
 kets were laid ready to the hand of the defenders. In the middle, 
 the cutlasses lay ranged. 
 
 " Toss out the fire," said the captain; " the chill is past, and we 
 mustn't have smoke in our eyes." 
 
 The iron fire basket was carried bodily out by Mr. Trelawney, 
 and the embers smothered among sand. 
 
 " Hawkins hasn't had his breakfast. Hawkins, help yourself,
 
 92 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 and back to your post to eat it," continued Captain Smollett, 
 " Lively, now, my lad; you'll want it before you've done. Hunter, 
 serve out a round of brandy to all hands." 
 
 And while this was going on, the captain completed, in his own 
 mind, the plan of the defense. 
 
 " Doctor, you will take the door," he resumed. " See and don't 
 expose yourself: keep within, and fire through the porch. Hunter, 
 take the east side, there. Joyce, you stand by the west, my man. 
 ]V[r. Trelawney, you are the best shot — you and Gray will take this 
 long north side, with the five loop-holes; it's there the danger is. If 
 they can get up to it, and fire in upon us through our own ports, 
 things would begin to look dirty. Hawkins, neither you nor I are 
 much account at the shooting; we'll stand by to load and bear a 
 hand." 
 
 As the captain had said, the chill was past. As soon as the sun 
 had climbed above our girdle of trees, it fell with all its force upon 
 the clearing, and drank up the vapors at a draught. Soon the sand 
 was baking, and the resin melting in the logs of the block-house. 
 Jackets and coats were flung aside; shirts were thrown open at the 
 neck, and rolled up to the shoulders; and we stood there, each at 
 bis post, in a fever of heat and anxiety. 
 
 An hour passed away. 
 
 "Hang them!" said the captain. "This is as dull as the dol- 
 drums. Gray, whistle for a wind." 
 
 And just at that moment came the first news of the attack, 
 
 " If you please, sir," said Joyce, " if I see any one, am I to fire?" 
 
 " I told you so!" cried the captain. 
 
 " Thank you, sir," returned Joyce, with the same quiet civility. 
 
 Nothing followed for a time: but the remark had set us all on the 
 alert, straining ears and eyes — the musketeers with their pieces bal- 
 anced in their hands, the captain out in the middle of the block- 
 house, with his mouth very tiglit and a frown on his face. 
 
 So some seconds passed, till suddenly Joyce whipped up his 
 musket and fired. The report had scarcely died away ere it was re- 
 peated and repeated from without in a scattering volley, shot be- 
 hind shot, like a string of geese, from every side of the iuclosure. 
 Sev^eral bullets struck the log-house, but not one entered, and, as 
 the smoke cleared away and vanished, the stockade and the woods 
 around it looked as qaiet and empty as before. Not a bough waved, 
 not the gleam of a musket-barrel betrayed the presence of our foes, 
 
 '• Did you hit your man?" asked the captain.
 
 TEEASUEE ISLAND. 93 
 
 " No, sir," replied Joyce. " I believe not, sir." 
 ' Next best thiug to tell the truth," muttered Captain Smollett. 
 " Load his gun, Hawkins. How many should you say there were 
 on your side, doctor?" 
 
 " I know precisely," said Dr. Livesey. " Three shots were fired 
 on this side. I saw the three flashes— two close together— one fur- 
 ther to the west." 
 
 " Three!" repeated the captain. " And how many on yours, Mr. 
 Trelawney?" 
 
 But this was not so easily answered. There had come many from 
 the north — seven, by the squire's computation; eight or nine, ac- 
 cording to Gray. From the east and west only a single shot had 
 been fired. It was plain, therefore, that the attack would be devel- 
 oped from the north, and that on the other three sides we were only 
 to be annoyed by a show of hostilities. But Captain Smollett made 
 no change in his arrangements. If the mutineers succeeded in 
 crossing the stockade, he argued, they would take possession of any 
 unprotected loop-hole, and shoot us down like rats in our own 
 stronghold. 
 
 Nor had we much time left to us for thought. Suddenly, with a 
 loud huzza, a little cloud of pirates leaped from the woods on the 
 north side, and ran straight on the stockade. At the same moment, 
 the fire was once more opened from the woods, and a rifle-ball sung 
 through the door-way, and knocked the doctor's musket into bits. 
 
 The boarders swarmed over the fence like monkeys. Squire and 
 Gray fired again and yet again; three men fell, one forward into the 
 inclosure, two back on the outside. But of these, one was evidently 
 more frightened than hurt, for he was on his feet again in a crack, 
 and instantly dsappeared among the trees. 
 
 Two had bit the dust, one had fled, four had made good their 
 footing inside our defenses; wiiile from the shelter of the woods 
 seven or eight men, each evidently supplied with several muskets, 
 kept up a hot though useless fire on the log-house. 
 
 The four who had boarded made straight before them for the 
 building, shouting as they ran, and the men among the trees shout- 
 ed back to encourage them. Several shots were fired, but, such was 
 the hurry of the marksmen, that not one appeared to have taken 
 effect. In a moment the four pirates had swarmed up the mound 
 and were upon us. 
 
 The head of Job Anderson, the boatswain, appeared at the middle 
 loop-hole.
 
 94 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 *' At 'em, all hands — all hands!" he roared, in a voice of thunder. 
 
 At the same moment, another pirate grasped Hunter's musket b^ 
 the muzzle, wrenched it from his hands, plucked it through the 
 loop-hole, and, with one stunning blow, laid the poor fellow sense- 
 less on the floor. Meanwhile a third, running unharmed all round 
 the house, appeared suddenly in the door- way, and fell with his cut- 
 lass on the doctor 
 
 Our position was utterly reversed. A moment since we were fir 
 ing, under cover, at an exposed enemy, now it was we who lay un 
 covered, and could not return a blow. 
 
 The log-house was full of smoke, to which we owed our compar- 
 ative safety. Cries and confusion, the flashes and reports of pistol 
 shots, and one loud groan, rang in my ears. 
 
 *' Out, lads, out, and fight 'em in the open! Cutlassesl" cried 
 the captain. 
 
 I snatched a cutlass from the pile, and some one, at the same time 
 snatching another, gave me a cut across the knuckles which I hard- 
 ly felt. I dashed out of the door into the clear sunlight. Some one 
 was close behind, I knew not whom. Right in front, the doctor was 
 pursuing his assailant down the hill, and, just as my eyes fell upon 
 him, beat down his guard, and sent him sprawling on his back, 
 •with a great slash across his face. 
 
 "Round the house, lads! round the house!" cried the captain; 
 and even in the hurly-burly I perceived a change in his voice. 
 
 Mechanically I obeyed, turned eastward, and with my cutlass 
 raised, ran round the corner of the house. jSIext moment I was face 
 to face with Anderson. He roared aloud, and his hanger went up 
 above his head, flashing in the sunlight I had not time to be 
 afraid, but, as the blow still hung impending, leaped in a trice upon 
 one side, and missing my foot in the soft sand, rolled headlong 
 down the slope. 
 
 When I had first sallied from the door, the other mutineers had 
 been already swarming up the palisade to make an end of us. One 
 man, in a red night-cap, with his cutlass in his mouth, had even got 
 upon the top and thrown a leg across. Well, so short had been the 
 interval, that when I found my feet again all was in the same post- 
 ure, the fellow with the red night-cap still Jialf-way over, another 
 still just showing his head above the top of the stockade." And yet, 
 in this breath of time, the fight was over, and the victory ours. 
 
 Gray, following close behind me, had cut down the big boatswain 
 ere he bad time to recover from his lost blow. Another had been
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 95 
 
 shot at a loophole in the very act of firing into the house, and nov^ 
 lay in agony, the pistol still smoking in his hand. A third, as I had 
 seen, the doctor had disposed of at a blow. Of the four who had 
 scaled the palisade, one only remained unaccounted for, and he, 
 having left his cutlass on the field, was now clambering out again 
 with the fear of death upon him. 
 
 " Fire — fire from the housel" cried the doctor. " And you, lads, 
 back into cover." 
 
 But his words were unheeded, no shot was fired, and the last 
 boarder made good his escape, and disappeared with the rest into 
 the wood. In three seconds nothing remained of the attacking party 
 ')ut the five who had fallen, four on the inside, and one on the out- 
 side, of the palisade. 
 
 The doctor and Gray and I ran full speed for shelter. The sur- 
 vivors would soon be back where they had left their muskets, and 
 at any moment the fire might recommence. 
 
 The house was by this time somewhat cleared of smoke, and we 
 saw at a glance the price we had paid for victory. Hunter lay be- 
 side his loop-hole, stunned; Joyce by his, shot through the head, 
 never to move again; while right in the center, the squire was sup- 
 porting the captain, one as pale as the other. 
 
 " The captain's wounded," said Mr. Trelawney. 
 
 " Have they run?" asked Mr. Smollett. 
 
 " All that could, you may be bound," returned the doctor; " but. 
 there's five of them will never run again." 
 
 " Five!" cried the captain. " Come, that's better. Five against 
 three leaves us four to nine. That's better odds than we had at 
 starting. We were seven to nineteen then, or thought we were, and 
 that's as bad to bear."* 
 
 * The mutineers were soon only eight in number, for the man shot by Mr. 
 Trelawney on board the schooner died that same evening of his wound. But 
 rhis was, of course, not known till after by the faithful party.
 
 TBEASUEE ISLAifD. 
 
 PART V. 
 
 XT SEA ADVENTUBE. 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 HOW I BEGAN MY SEA ADYENTUKE. 
 
 There was no return of the mutineers — not so much as another 
 shot out of the woods. They had " got their rations for that day," 
 as the captain put it, and we had the place to ourselves and a quiet 
 time to overhaul the wounded and get dinner. Squire and I cooked 
 outside in spite of the danger, and even outside we could hardly tell 
 what we were at, for the horror of the loud groans that reached us 
 from the doctor's patients. 
 
 Out of the eight men who had fallen in the action only three still 
 breathed — that one of the pirates who had been shot at the loop-hole, 
 Hunter, and Captain Smollett; and of these the first two were as 
 good as dead; the mutineer, indeed, died under the doctor's knife, 
 and Hunter, do what we could, never recovered consciousness in 
 this world. He lingered all day, breathing loudly like the old buc- 
 caneer at home in his apoplectic fit; but the bones of his chest had 
 been crushed by the blow, and his skidl fractured in falling, and 
 some time in the following night, without sign or sound, he went to 
 his Maker. 
 
 As for the captain, his wounds were grievous, indeed, but not 
 dangerous. No organ was fatality injured. Anderson's ball — for 
 it was Job that shot him first — had broken his shoulder-blade and 
 touched the lung, not badly; the second had only torn and displaced 
 some muscles in the calf. He was sure to recover, the doctor said, 
 but, in the meantime and for weeks to come, he must not walk or 
 move his arm, nor so much as speak when he could help it. 
 
 My own accidental cut across the knuckles was a flea-bile. Dr. 
 Livesey patched it up with plaster, and pulled my ears for me into 
 the bargain. 
 
 After dinner the squire and the doctor sat by the captain's side 
 awhile in consultation; and when they had talked to their hearts' 
 content, it being then a little past noon, the doctor took up his hat 
 and pistols, girt on a cutlass, put the chart in his pocket, and with
 
 TKEASURE ISLAN^D. 97 
 
 a musket over his shoulder, crossed the palisade on the north side, 
 and set off briskly through the trees. 
 
 Gray and I were sitting together at the far end of the block-house, 
 to be out of ear-shot of our officers consulting; and Gray took his 
 pipe out of his mouth and fairly forgot to put it back again, so 
 thunder-struck he was at this occurrence. 
 
 " Why, in the name of Davy Jones," said he, " if Doctor Livesey 
 mad?" 
 
 " Why, no," says I. " He's about the last of ♦his crew for that, 
 I take it." 
 
 " Well, shipmate," said Gray, " mad he vary not be; but if 7ie'8 
 not, mark my words, I am." 
 
 "I take it," replied I, "the doctor ha^ Ms idea; and if lam 
 right, he's going now to see Ben Gunn." 
 
 I was right, as appeared later; but in the meantime, the house 
 being stifling hot, and the little patch of sand inside the palisade 
 ablaze with midday sun, I began to get another thought into my 
 head, which was not by any means so right. What I began to do 
 was to envy the doctor, walking in the cool shadow of the woods, 
 with the birds about him, and the pleasant smell of the pines, while 
 I sat grilling, with my clothes stuck to the hot resin, and so much 
 blood about me, and so many poor dead bodies lying all around, 
 that I took a disgust of the place that was almost as strong as fear. 
 
 All the time I was washing out the blockhouse, and then wash- 
 ing up the things from dinner, this disgust and envy kept growing 
 stronger and stronger, till at last, being near a bread-bag, and no 
 one then observing me, I took the first step toward my escapade, 
 and filled both pockets of my coat with biscuit. 
 
 I was a fool, if you like, and certainly I was going to do a foolish, 
 overbold act; but I was determined to do it with all the precautions 
 in my power. These biscuits, should anything befall me, would 
 keep me, at least from starving till far on in the next day. 
 
 The next thing I laid hold of was a brace of pistols, and as I al- 
 ready had a powder-horn and bullets, I felt myself well supplied 
 with arms. 
 
 As for the scheme I had in my head, it was not a bad one in it- 
 self. It was to go down the sandy spit that divides the anchorage 
 on the east from the open sea, find the white rock I had observed 
 last evening, and ascertain whether it was there or not that Ben 
 Gunn had hidden his boat; a thing quite worth doing, as I still be- 
 lieve. But as I was certain I should not be allowed to leave the in- 
 
 closure, my only plan was to take French leave, and slip out when 
 4
 
 98 TREASURE ISLAKD. 
 
 nobody was watcliiug; aud that was so bad a way of doing it as 
 made the thing itself wrong. But I was only a boy, and I had made 
 my mind up. 
 
 Well, as things at last fell out, I found an admirable opportunity. 
 The squire and Gray were busy helping the captain with his band 
 ages; the coast was clear; I made a bolt for it over the stockade and 
 into the thickest of the trees, aud before my absence was observed 1 
 was out of cry of companious. 
 
 This was my second folly, far worse than the first, as I left out 
 two sound men to guard the house; but like the first, it was a help 
 toward sa\ing all of us. 
 
 I took my way straight for the east coast of the island, for I was 
 determined to go down the sea-side of the spit to avoid all chance of 
 observation from the anchoi age. It was already late in ihe after- 
 noon, although still warm aud sunny. As I continued to thread the 
 tall woods I could hear from far before me not only the continuous 
 thunder of the surf, but a certain tossing of foliage aud grinding of 
 boughs which showed me the sea breeze had set in higher than 
 usual. Soon cool draughts of air began to reach me; and a few 
 steps further I came forth into the open borders of the grove, and 
 saw the sea lying blue and sunny to the horizon, ar»d the surf tum- 
 bling and tossing its foam along the beach. 
 
 I have never seen the sea quiet round Treasure Island. The suu 
 might blaze overhead, the air be without a breath, the surface 
 smooth aud blue, but still these great rollers would be running 
 along all the external coast, thundering aud thundering by day aud 
 night; and I scarce believe there is one spot in the island Avhere a 
 man would be out of ear-shot of their noise. 
 
 I walked along beside the surf with great enjo}Tnent, till, think- 
 ing I was now got far enough to the south, I toolc the cover of some 
 thick bushes, and crept waril}' up to the ridge of the spit. 
 
 Behind me was the sea, in front the anchorage. The sea breeze, 
 as though it had the sooner blown itself out by its unusual violence, 
 was alreadj- at an end; it had been succeeded by light, variable airs 
 from the south and south-east, carrying great banks of fog; aud the 
 anchorage, under lee of Skeleton Island, lay still and leaden as 
 when first we entered it. The " Hispaniola," in that unbroi;eu 
 mirror, was exactly portraj'cd from the truck- to the water-line, the 
 Jolly Roger hanging from her peak. 
 
 Alongside lay one of the gigs. Silver in the stern sheets— him I 
 could always recognize —while a couple of men were leaning over 
 tbc Stero biUwarks. one of them with a red cap— the very rogue
 
 TREASUEE ISLAND. 09 
 
 that 1 had seen some hours before stride-legs upon the palisade. 
 Apparently they were talking and laughing, though at that distance 
 — upward of a mile — I could, nf course, hear no word of what was 
 said. All at once, there began the most horrid, unearthly scream 
 ing, which at first startled me badly, though I had soon remem- 
 bered the voice of Captain Flint, and even thought I could make 
 out the bird by her bright plumage as she sat perched upou her 
 master's wrist. 
 
 Soon after the jolly-boat shoved off and pulled for shore, and the 
 man with the red cap and his comrade went below by the cabin 
 companion. 
 
 Just about the same time the sun had gone down behind the Spy- 
 glass, and as the fog was collecting rapidly, it began to grow dark 
 in earnest. I saw I must lose no time if I were to find the boat that 
 evening. 
 
 The white rock, visible enough above the brush, was still some 
 eighth of a mile further down the spit, and it took me a goodish 
 while to get up with it, crawling, often on all-fours, among the 
 scrub. Night had almost come when I laid my hand on its rough 
 sides. Eight below it there was an exceedingly small hollow of 
 green turf, hidden by banks and a thick underwood about knee- 
 deep, that grew there very plentifully; and in the center of the dell, 
 sure enough, a little tent of goat-skins, like what the gypsies carry 
 about with them in England. 
 
 1 dropped into the hollow, lifted the side of the tent, and there 
 was Ben Gunn's boat — home-made if ever anything was home- 
 made; a rude, lop-sided frame-work of tough wood, and stretched 
 upon that a covering of goat-skin, with the hair inside. The thing 
 was extremely small, even for me, and I can hardly imagine that it 
 could have floated with a full-sized man. There was one thwart 
 set as low as possible, a kind of stretcher in the bows, and a double 
 paddle for propulsion. 
 
 I had not then seen a coracle, such as the ancient Britons made, 
 but I have seen one since, and I can give j^ou no fairer idea of Ben 
 Gunn's boat than by saying it was like the first and the worst cora- 
 cle ever made by man. But the great advantage of the coracle it 
 certainly possessed, for it was exccedinglj^ light and portable. 
 
 Well, now that I had found the boat, you would have thought 1 
 had had enough of truantry for once; but in the meantime I had 
 taken another notion, and become so obstinately fond of it that 1 
 would have carried it out, I believe, in the teeth of Captain Smollett 
 bimself. This was to slip out under covio' oi tbe uigbt, cut tlio
 
 100 TEEASUKE ISLAND. 
 
 " Hlspaciola " adrift, and let her go ashore where she fancied. ] 
 had quite made up my mind that the mutineers, after their repulse 
 of the morning, had notliing nearer their hearts than to up anchor 
 and away to sea: this, I thought, it would be a fine thing to pre- 
 vent, and now that I had seen how they left their watchmen unpro- 
 vided with a boat, I thought it might be done with little risk. 
 
 Down I sit to wait for darkness, and made a hearty meal of bis- 
 cuit. It was a night out of ten thousand for my purpose. The fog 
 had now buried all heaven. As the last rays of daylight dwindled 
 and disappeared, absolute blackness settled down on Treasure Isl- 
 and. And when, at last, I shouldered the coracle, and groped my 
 way stuniblingly out of the hollow where I had supped, there were 
 but two points visible on the whole anchorage. 
 
 One was the great fire on shore, by which the defeated pirates lay 
 carousing in the swamp. The other, a mere blur of light upon the 
 darkness, indicated the position of the anchored ship. She had 
 swung round to the ebb — her bow was now toward me — the only 
 lights on board were in the cabin; and what I saw was merely a re- 
 flection on the fog of the strong rays that flowed from the stern 
 window. 
 
 The ebb had already run some time, and I had to vrade through 
 the long belt of swampy sand, where I sunk several times above the 
 ankle, before I came to the edge of the retreating water, and wading 
 a little way in, with some strength and dexterity, set my coracle, 
 keel downward, on the surface. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE EBB-TIDE RUNS. 
 
 TuE coracle — as I had ample reason to know before I was done 
 with her — was a very safe boat for a person of my height and 
 weight, both buoyant and clever in a sea-way; but she was the most 
 cross-grained, lop-sided craft to manage. Do as you pleased, she 
 always made more leeway than anything else, and turning round 
 and round was the maneuver she was best at. Even Ben Gunn 
 himself has admitted that she was " queer to handle till j'ou knew 
 her way." 
 
 Certainly I did not know her way. She turned in every direction 
 but the one I was bound to go; the most part of the time we were 
 broadside on, and I am very sure I never should have made the ship 
 at all but for the tide. By good fortune, paddle as I pleased, the
 
 TREASURE ISLAMD. 101 
 
 tide was still sweeping me down; and there lay the " Hispaniola " 
 
 right in the fair way, hardly to be missed. 
 
 First she loomed before nie like a blot of something yet blacker 
 than darkness, then her spars and hull began to take shape, and the 
 next moment, as it seemed (for the further I went the brisker grew 
 the current of the ebb), I was alongside of her hawser, and had laid 
 hold. 
 
 The hawser was as taut as a bowstring — so strong she pulled upon 
 her anchor. All round the hull, in the blackness, the rippling cur- 
 rent bubbled and chattered like a little mountain stream. One cut 
 vviih my sea gully, and the " Hispaniola " would go humming 
 down the tide. 
 
 So far so good; but it next occurred to my recollection that a taut 
 hawser, suddenly cut, is a thing as dangerous as a kicking horse. 
 Ten to one, if I were so foolhardy as to cut the " Hispaniola " from 
 her anchor, I and the coracle would be knocked clean out of the 
 water. 
 
 This brought me to a full stop, and if fortune had not again par- 
 ticularly favored mCj I should have had to abandon my design. 
 But the light airs which had begun blowing from the south-east and 
 south had hauled round after nightfall into the south-west. Just 
 while I was meditating, a puff came, caught the " Hispaniola," and 
 forced her up into the current; and, to my great joy, I felt the 
 hawser slacken in my grasp, and the hand by which I held it dip 
 for a second under water. 
 
 With that I made my mind up, took out my gully, opened it with 
 my teeth, and cut one strand after another, till the vessel swung by 
 two. Then I lay quiet, waiting to sever these last when the strain 
 should be once more lightened by a breath of wind. 
 
 All this time I had heard the sound of loud voices from the cabin; 
 but, to say truth, my mind had been so entirely taken up with other 
 thoughts that I had scarcely given ear. Now, however, when I had 
 nothing else to do, I began to pay mere heed. 
 
 One I recognized for the cockswain's, Israel Hands, that had been 
 Flint's gunner in former days. The other was, of course, my friend 
 of the red night-cap. Both men were plainly the worse of drink, 
 and they were still drinking; for, even while I was listening, one of 
 them with a drunken cry, opened the stern window and threw out 
 something, which I divined to be an empty bottle. But they were 
 not only tipsy; it was plain that they were furiously angry. Oaths 
 flew like hailstones, and every now and then there came forth such 
 an explosion as 1 thought was sure to end in blows. But each time
 
 103 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 the quarrel passed oflE, and the voices grumbled lower for awhile, 
 uu'il the next crisis came, and, in its turn, passed away without 
 vesult. 
 
 On shore, I could see the glow of the great camp-fire burning 
 warmly through the shore-side trees. Some one was singing, a 
 dull, old, droning sailor's song, with a droop and a quaver at the 
 end of every verse, and seemingly no end to it at all but the patience 
 of the singer. I had heard it on the voyage more than once, and 
 remembered these words: 
 
 " But one man of the crew alive, 
 What put to sea with seventy-five." 
 
 And I thought it was a ditty rather too dolefully appropriate for n 
 company that had met such cruel losses in the morning. But, in- 
 deed, from what I saw, all these buccaneers were as callous as the 
 sea they sailed on. 
 
 At last the breeze came; the schooner sidled and drew nearer in 
 the dark; I felt the hawser slacken once more, and with a good, 
 tough effort, cut the lust fibers through. 
 
 The breeze had but little action on the coracle, and I was almost 
 instantly swept against the bows of the " Hispaniola." At the same 
 time the schooner began to turn upon her heel, spinning slowly, end 
 for end, across the current, 
 
 I wrought like a fiend, for I expected every moment to bo 
 swamped; and since I found I could not push the coracle directly 
 off, I now shoved straight astern. At length I was clear of my 
 dangerous neighbor; and just as I gave the last impulsion, my 
 hands came across a light cord that was trailing overboard across 
 the stern bulwarks. Instantly I grasped it. 
 
 Why I should have done so I can hardly say. It was at first mere 
 instinct; but once I had it in my hands and found it fast, curiosity 
 began to get the upper hand, and I determined I should have one 
 look through the cabin window, 
 
 I pulled in hand over hand on the cord, and, when I judged my- 
 self near enough, rose at infinite risk to about half my height, and 
 thus commanded the roof and a slice of the interior of the cabin. 
 
 By this time the schooner and her little consort were gliding 
 pretty swiftly through the water; indeed, we had already fetched 
 up level with the camp-fire. The ship was talking, as sailors say, 
 loudly, treading the innumerable ripples with an incessant welter- 
 ing splash; and until I got my eye above the window-sill I could 
 uot comprehend why the watchmen had taken no alarm. One
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 103 
 
 glance, however, was sufficient; and it was only one glance that 1 
 durst take from that unsteady skiff. It showed me Hands and hia 
 companion locked together in deadly wrestle, each with a hand 
 upon the other's throat. 
 
 I dropped upon the thwart again, none too soon, for I was near 
 overboard. I could see nothing for the moment, but these two f uri 
 ous, encrimsoned faces, swaying together under the smoky lamp; 
 and I shut my eyes to let them grow once more familiar with the 
 darkness. 
 
 The endless ballad had come to an end at last, and the whole di- 
 minished company about the camp-fire had broken into the chorus 
 I had heard so often: 
 
 *' Fifteen men on the dead man's chest— 
 Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum I 
 Drink and the devil had done for the rest— 
 Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum I" 
 
 I was just thinking how busy drink and the devil were at that 
 very moment in the cabin of the " Hispaniola," when I was sur- 
 prised by a sudden lurch of the coracle. At the same moment she 
 yawed sharply and seemed to change her course. The speed in the 
 meantime had strangely increased. 
 
 I opened my eyes at once. All round me were little ripples, 
 combing over with a sharp, bristling sound and slightly phosphor- 
 escent. The " Hispaniola " herself, a few yards in whose wake I 
 was still being whirled along, seemed to stagger in her course, and 
 I saw her spars toss a little against the blackness of the night; nay, 
 as I looked longer, 1 made sure she also was wheeling to the south- 
 ward. 
 
 I glanced over my shoulder, and my heart jumped against my 
 ribs. There, right behind me, was the glow of the camp-fire. The 
 current had turned at right angles, sweeping round along with it 
 the tall schooner and the little dancing coracle; ever quickening, 
 ever bubbling higher, ever muttering louder, it went spinning 
 through the narrows for the open sea. 
 
 Suddenly the schooner in front of me gave a violent yaw, turn- 
 ing, perhaps, through twenty degrees; and almost at the same mo- 
 ment one shout followed another from on board; I could hear feet 
 pounding on the companion-ladder: and I knew that the two 
 drunkards had at last been interrupted in thjir quarrel and awakened 
 to a sense of their disaster. 
 
 I lay down flat in the bottom of that wretched skiff, and devoutly 
 recommended my spirit to its Maker. At the end of the straits, I
 
 104 TREASURE ISLAKT). 
 
 made sure we must fall into some bar of raging breakers, where all 
 my troubles would be ended speedily; and though I could, per- 
 haps, bear to die, I could not bear to look upon my fate as it ap- 
 proached. 
 
 So I must have laid for hours, continually beaten to and fro 
 upon the billows, now and again wetted with flying sprays, and 
 never ceasing to expect death at the next plunge. Gradually wear- 
 iness grew upon me; a numbness, an occasional stupor, fell upon 
 my mind even in the midst of my terrors; until sleep at last inter- 
 vened, and in my sea-tossed coracle I lay and dreamed of home and 
 the old Admiral Benbow. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE CRUISE OF THE CORACLE. 
 
 It was broad day when I awoke, and found myself tossing at the 
 south-west end of Treasure Island. The sun was up, but was still 
 hid from me behind the great bulk of the Spy-glass, which on this 
 side descended almost to the sea in formidable cliffs. 
 
 Haulbowline Head and Mizzeu-mast Hill were at my elbow; the 
 hill bare and dark, the head bound with cliffs forty or fifty feet 
 high, and fringed with great masses of fallen rock. I was scarce a 
 quarter of a mile to seaward, and it was my first thought to paddle 
 in and land. 
 
 That notion was soon given over. Among the fallen rocks the 
 breakers spouted and bellowed; loud reverberations, heavy sprays 
 flying and falling, succeeded one another from second to second; 
 and I saw myself, if I ventured nearer, dashed to death upon the 
 rough shore, or spending my strength in vain to scale the beetling 
 crags. 
 
 Nor was that all; for crawling together on flat tables of rock, or 
 letting themselves drop into the sea with loud reports, I beheld huge 
 slimy monsters — soft snails, as it were, of incredible bigness — two 
 or three score of them together, making the rocks to echo with their 
 barkings. 
 
 I have understood since that they were sea-lions, and entirelj 
 harmless. But the look of them, added to the difficulty of the shore 
 and the high running of the surf, was more than enough to disgust 
 me of that landing-place. I felt willing rather to starve at sea than 
 to confront such perils. 
 
 In the meantime 1 had a better chance, as I supposed, before m*
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 105 
 
 North of Haulbowline Head, the land runs in a long way, leaving, 
 at low tide, a long stretch of yellow sand. To the north of that, 
 again, there comes another cape — Cape of the Woods, as it was 
 marked upon the chart — buried in tall green pines, which descended 
 to the margin of the sea. 
 
 I remembered what Silver had said about the current that sets 
 northward along the whole west coast of Treasure Island; and see- 
 ing from my position that I was already under its intiueuce, I pre- 
 ferred to leave Haulbowline Head behind me, and reserve my 
 strength for an attempt to land upon the kindlier-looking Cape of 
 the Woods. 
 
 There was a great, smooth swell upon the sea. The wind blow- 
 ing steady and gentle from the south, there was no contrariety be 
 tween that and the current, and the billows rose and fell unbroken 
 Had it been otherwise, I must long ago have perished; but as it 
 was, it is surprising how easily and securely my little and liglil boat 
 could ride. Often, as 1 still lay at the bottom, and kept no more 
 than an eye above the gunwale, I would see a big blue summit 
 heaving close above me; yet the coracle would but bounce a little, 
 dance as if on springs, and subside on the other side into the trough 
 as lightly as a bird. 
 
 I began after a little to grow very bold, and sat up to try my skill 
 at paddling. But even a small change in the disposition of the 
 weight will produce violent changes in "he behavior of a coracle 
 And I Lad hardly moved before the boat, giving up at once her 
 gentle, dancing movement, ran straight down a slope of water so 
 steep that it made me giddy, and struck her nose, with a spout of 
 spray, deep into the side of the next wave. 
 
 I was drenched and terrified, and fell instantly back into my old 
 position, whereupon the coracle seemed to find her head again, and 
 led me softly as before among the billows. It was plain she was not 
 to be interfered with, and at that rate, since I cculd in no way in- 
 fluence her course, what hope had I left of reaching land? 
 
 I began to be horribly frightened, but 1 kept my head, for all that. 
 First, moving with all care, I gradually bailed out the coracle with 
 my sea cap; then getting my eye once more above the gunwale, I 
 set myself to study how it was she managed to slip so quietly 
 through the rollers. 
 
 I found each wave, instead of the big, smooth, glossy mountain 
 it looks from shore, or froir. a vessel's deck, wsm for all the world 
 like any range of hills on the dry land, full of peaks and smoolt 
 places and valleys The coracle, left to herself, turning from side
 
 106 TREASUIIE ISLAND. 
 
 to side, threaded, so to speak, her way through these lower parts, 
 and avoided the steep slopes and higher, toppling summits of the 
 wave. 
 
 " Well, now," thought I to myself, " it is plain I must lie where 
 I am, and not disturb the balance; but it is plain, also, that I can 
 put the paddle over the side, and from time to time, in smooth 
 places, give her a shove or two toward land." 
 
 No sooner thought upon than done. There I lay on my elbows, 
 in the most trying attitude, and every now and again gave a weak 
 stroke or two to turn her head to shore. 
 
 It was very tiring, and slow work, yet I did visibly gain ground; 
 and, as we drew near the Cape of the Woods, though I saw I must 
 infallibly miss that point, I had still made some hundred yards of 
 easting. 1 was, indeed, close in. I could see the cool, green tree- 
 tops swaying together in the breeze, and I felt sure I should make 
 the next promontory without fail. ^ 
 
 It was high time, for I now began to be tortured with thirst. The 
 glow of the sun from above, its thousand-fold reflection from the 
 waves, the sea- water that fell and dried upon me, caking my very 
 lips with salt, combined to make my throat burn and my brain 
 ache. The sight of the trees so near at hand had*almost made me 
 sick with longing; but the current had soon carried me past the 
 point; and, as the next reach of sea opened out, I beheld a sight 
 that changed the nature of my thoughts. 
 
 Right in front of me, not half a mile away, I beheld the " His- 
 paniola " under sail. I made sure, of course, that I should be 
 taken; but I was so distressed for want of water, that I scarce knew 
 whether to be glad or sorry at the thought; and, long before I had 
 come to a conclusion, surprise had taken entire possession of m}' 
 mind, and I could do nothing but stare and wonder. 
 
 The " Hispaniola " was under her mainsail and two jibs, and Ihe 
 beautiful white canvas shone in the sun like snow or silver. When 
 I tirst sighted her, all her sails were drawing; she was lying a course 
 about north-west; and I presumed the men on board were going round 
 the island on their way back to the anchorage. Presently she began 
 to fetcli more and more to the westward, so that I thought they had 
 sighted me and were going about in chase. At last, however, she 
 fell right into the wind's eye, was taken dead aback, and stood there 
 awhile helpless, with her sails shivering. 
 
 " Clumsy fellows," said 1, " they must still be drunk as owls." 
 And I thought how Captain Smollett would have set them skipping. 
 
 Meanwhile the schooner gradually fell off, and filled again upon
 
 Treasure island. 107 
 
 aaolher tack sailed swiftly for a minute or so, and brought up once 
 more dead in the wind's eye Again and again was this repeated. 
 To and fro, up and down, north, south, east, and west the " His 
 paniola " sailed by swoops and dashes, and at each repetition ended 
 as she had begun, with idly flapping canvas. It became plain to 
 me that nobody was steering. And, if so, where were the men' 
 Either they were dead drunk, or had deserted her, I thoughtj and 
 perhaps if I could get on board, I might return the vessel to her 
 captain. 
 
 The current was bearing coracle and schooner southward at an 
 equal rate. As foi the latter's sailing., it was so wild and intermit 
 tent, and she hung each time so long in irons, thai, she certainly 
 gained nothing, if she did not even lose. If only I dared to sit up 
 and paddie, I made sure that I could overhaul her. The scheme 
 had an air of adventure that inspired me, and the thought of the 
 water breaker beside the fore-companion doubled my growing cour- 
 age. 
 
 Up I got, was welcomed almost instantly by another cloud of 
 spray, bui this time stuck to my purpose; and set myself with all 
 my strength and caution to paddle after the unsteered " Hispani- 
 ola. " Once I shipped a sea so heavj^ that I had to stop and bail, 
 with my heart fluttering like a bird; but gradually I got into the 
 way of the thing, and guided my coracle among the waves, with 
 only now and then a blow upon her bows and a dash of foam in 
 my face. 
 
 I was now gaining rapidly on the schooner; I could see the brass 
 glisten on the tiller as it banged about; and still no soul appeared 
 upon her decks. I could not choose but suppose she was deserted. 
 If not, the men were lying drunk below, where I might batten them 
 down, perhaps, and do what I chose with the shii?. 
 
 For some time she had been doing the worst thing possible for 
 me — standing still. She headed nearly due south, yawing, of 
 course, all the time. Each time she fell off her sails partly filled, 
 and these brought her, in a moment, right to the wind again. I 
 have said this was the worst thing possible for me; for helpless as 
 she looked in this situation, with the canvas crackling like cannon, 
 and the blocks trundling and banging un the deck, she still contin- 
 ued to run away from me, not only with the speed of the current, 
 but by the whole amount of her leeway, wliich was naturally great. 
 
 But now, at last, I had my chance. The breeze fell, for some 
 seconds, veiy low, and the current gradual!}' turning her, the " His- 
 paniola" revolved slowly round her center, and at last presente(J
 
 108 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 me her stern, with, the cabia window still gaping open, and the 
 lamp over the table still burning on into the day. The mainsail 
 hung drooped like a banner. She was stock-still, but for the current. 
 
 For the last little while I had even lost; but now, redoubling my 
 efforts, I began once more to overhaul the chase. 
 
 I was not a hundred yards from her when the wind came again 
 in a clap; she filled on the port tack, and was off again, stooping 
 and skimming like a swallow. 
 
 JVIy first impulse was one of despair, but my second was toward 
 joy. Round she came, till she was broadside on to me — round still 
 till she had covered a half, and then two thirds, and then three 
 quarters of the distance that separated us. I could see the waves 
 boiling white under her forefoot. Immensely tall she looked to me 
 from my low station in the coracle. 
 
 And then, of a sudden, I began to comprehend. T had scarce 
 time to think — scarce time to act and save myself. I was on the 
 summit of one swell when the schooner came stooping over the 
 next. The bowsprit was over my head. I sprung to my feet, and 
 leaped, stamping the coracle under water. With one hand I caught 
 the jib-boom, while my foot was lodged between the stay and the 
 brace; and as I still clung there panting, a dull blow told me that 
 the schooner had charged down upon and struck the coracle, and 
 that I was left without retreat on the " Hispaniola." 
 
 ^CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 I STRIKE THE JOLLY ROGER. 
 
 I HAD scarce gained a position on the bowsprit, when the flying 
 jib flapped and filled upon the other tack, with a report like a gun. 
 The schooner trembled to her keel under the reverse; but next mo- 
 ment, the other sails still drawing, the jib flapped back again, and 
 hung idle. 
 
 This had nearly tossed me off into the sea; and now Host no time, 
 crawled back along the bowsprit, and tumbled head-foremost on 
 the deck. 
 
 I was on the lee side of the forecastle, and the mainsail, which 
 was still drawing, concealed from me a certain portion of the after- 
 deck. Not a soul was to be seen. The planks, which had not been 
 swabbed since the mutiny, bore the print of many feet; and an 
 empty bottle, broken by the neck, tumbled to and fro like a live 
 thing in the scuppers.
 
 TREASUEE ISLAND. 109 
 
 Suddenly the " Hispaniola " came right info the wind. The jibs 
 behind me cracked aloud: the rudder slammed to; the whole ship 
 gave a sickening heave and shudder; and at the same moment the 
 main-boom swung inboard, the sheet groaning in the blocks, and 
 showed me the lee after-deck. 
 
 There were Ihe two watchmen, sure enough; red-capon his back, 
 as stiff as a handspike, with his arms stretched out like those of a 
 crucifix, and his teeth showing through his open lios; Israel Hands 
 propped against the bulwarks, his chin on his chest his hands lying 
 open before him on the deck, his face as white, under its tan, as a 
 tallow candle. 
 
 For awhile the ship kept bucking and sidling like a vicious horse, 
 the sails filling, now on one tack, now on another, and the boom 
 swinging to and fro till the mast groaned aloud under the strain 
 Now and again, too, there would come a cloud of light sprays over 
 the bulwark, and a heavy blow of the ship's bows against the swell 
 — so much heavier weather was made of it by this great rigged ship 
 than by my home-made, lop-sided coracle, now gone to the bottom 
 of the sea. 
 
 At every jump of the schooner, red-cap slipped to and fro; but — 
 what was ghastly to behold — neither his attitude nor his fixed teeth- 
 disclosing grin was any way disturbed by this rough usage At 
 every jump, too, Hands appeared still more to sink into himself and 
 settle down upon the deck, his feet sliding ever the further out, and 
 the whole body canting toward the stern, so that his face became, 
 little by little, hid from me; and at last I could see nothing beyond 
 his ear and the frayed ringlet of one whisker. 
 
 At the same time, I observed, around both of them, splashes of 
 dark blood upon the planks, and began to feel sure that they had 
 killed each other in their drunken wrath. 
 
 While I was thus looking and wondering, in a calm moment, 
 when the ship was still, Israel Hands turned partly round, and, with 
 a low moan, writhed himself back to the position in which I had 
 seen him first. The moan, which told of pain and deadly weakness, 
 and the way in which his jaw hung open, went right to my heart. 
 But when I remembered the talk I had overheard from the apple 
 barrel, all pity left me. 
 
 I walked aft until I reached the mainmast. 
 
 *' Come aboard, Mr Hands," I said, ironically. 
 
 He rolled his eyes round heavily; but he was too far gone to ex 
 press surprise. All he could do was to utter one word, " Brandy." 
 
 It occurred to me there was no time to lose; and, dodging the
 
 no TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 boom as it once more lurched across the deck, I slipped aft, aaC 
 down the companion-stairs into the cabin. 
 
 It was such a scene of confusion as you can hardly fancy. AIJ 
 the lockfast places had been broken open in quest of the chart. The 
 floor was thick with mud, where ruffians had sat down to drink or 
 consult after wading in the marshes round their camp. The bulk- 
 heads, all painted in clear white, and beaded round with gilt, bore a 
 pattern of dirty hands. Dozens of empty bottles clinked together iu 
 corners to the rolling of the ship. One of the doctor's medical books 
 lay open on the table, half of the leaves gutted out, I suppose, for 
 pipe-lights. In the midst of all this the lamp still cast a smoky glow, 
 obscure and brown as umber. 
 
 I went into the cellar; all the barrels were gone, and of the bottles 
 a most surprising number had been drunk out and thrown away. 
 Certainly, since the mutiny began, not a man of them could ever 
 have been sober. 
 
 Foraging about, I found a bottle with some brandy left, for 
 Hands; and for myself I routed out some biscuit, some pickled 
 fruits, a great bunch of raisins, and a piece of cheese. With these 
 I came on deck, put down my own stock behind the rudder-head, 
 and well out of the cockswain's reach, went forward to the water- 
 breaker, and had a good, deep drink of water, and then, and not till 
 then, gave Hands the brandy. 
 
 He must have drunk a gill before he took the bottle from his 
 mouth. 
 
 " Ay," said he, " by thunder, but I wanted some o' thatl" 
 
 I had sat down already in my own corner and began to eat. 
 
 " Much hurt?" I asked him. 
 
 He grunted, or, rather, I might say, he barked. 
 
 " If that doctor was aboard," he said, " I'd be right enough in a 
 couple of turns; but I don't have no manner of luck, you see, and 
 that's what's the matter with me. As for that swab, he's good and 
 dead, he is," he added, indicating the man with the red cap. " He 
 warn't no seaman, anyhow. And where mought you have come 
 from?" 
 
 "Well," said I, "I've come aboard to take possession of this 
 ship, Mr. Hands; and you'll please regard me as your captain unti' 
 further notice." 
 
 He looked at me sourly enough, but said nothing. Some of the 
 color had come back into his cheeks, though he still looked very 
 sick and still continued to slip out and settle down as the ship 
 banged about.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. Ill 
 
 "By tho b3'e," I continued, "I can't have these colors, Mr. 
 Hands: and by your leave I'll strike 'em. Better none than these.'' 
 
 And. again dodging the boom, I ran to the color lines, hauled 
 dovn their cursed black flag, and chucked it overboard. 
 
 " God save the kingl" said I, waving my cap; " and there's an 
 end to Captain Silver." 
 
 He watched me keenly and slyly, his chin all the while on his 
 breast. 
 
 " I reckon," he said at last — " I reckon, Cap'n Hawkins, you'll 
 kind of want to get ashore, now. S'pose we talks." 
 
 " Why, yes," says I, " with all my heart, Mr. Hands. Say on." 
 And I went back to my meal wilh a good appetite. 
 
 " This man," he began, nodding feebly at the corpse—" O'Brien 
 were his name — a rank Irelander — this man and me got the canvas 
 on her, meaning for to sail her back. Well, he's dead now, he is — 
 as dead as bilge; and who's to sail this ship, I don't see. Without 
 1 give j'ou a hint, you ain't that man, as far's I can tell. Now, 
 look here, you gives me food and drink, and a old scarf or ankecher 
 to tie my wound up, you do; and I'll tell you how to sail her; and 
 that's about square all round, I take it." 
 
 " I'll tell you one thing," says I; " I'm not going back to Cap- 
 tain Kidd's anchorage. I mean to get into North Inlet, and beach 
 her quietly there." 
 
 " To be sure you did," he cried. " Why, I ain't sich an infernal 
 lubber, after all. I can see, can't I? I've tried my fling, I have, 
 and I've lost, and it's you has the wind of me. North Inlet? 
 Why, I haven't no ch'ice, not I! I'd help you sail her up to Exe- 
 cution Dock, by thunder! so I would." 
 
 Well, as it seemed to me, there was some sense in this. We 
 struck our bargain on the spot. In three minutes I had the " His- 
 paniola " sailing easily before the wind along the coast of Treasure 
 Island, with good hopes of turning the northern point ere noon, and 
 beating down again as far as North Inlet before high water, when 
 we might beach her safel}', and wait till the subsiding lide jjer- 
 mitted us to land. 
 
 Then I lashed the tiller and went below to my own chest, where 
 I got a soft silk handerchief of my mother's. With this, and with 
 my aid, Hands bound up the great bleeding stab he had received in 
 the thigh, and after he had eaten a little and had a swallow or two 
 more of the brandy, he began to pick up visibly, sat 'jtrj^igiiter up. 
 spoke louder and clearer, and looked in every way anomei man. 
 
 The Oreeze served us admirably. W» skimmed before it like" ^
 
 113 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 bird, the coast of the island flashing by, and the view changiDg 
 every minute. Soon we were past the high hxnds and bowling ?je- 
 side low, sandy country, sparsely dotted with dwarf pines, and soon 
 we were beyond that again, and had turned the corner of the rocky 
 hUl that ends the island on the north. 
 
 I was greatly elated with my new command, and pleased with the 
 bright, sunshiny weather and these different prospects of the coast. 
 I had now plenty of water and good things to eat, and my con- 
 science, which had smitten me hard for my desertion, was quieted 
 by the great conquest I had made. I should, I think, have had 
 nothing left me to desire but for the eyes of the cockswain as they 
 followed me derisivelj^ about the deck, and (he odd smile that ap- 
 peared continually on his face. It was a smile that had in it some- 
 thing both of pain and weakness — a haggard, old man's smile; but 
 there was, besides that, a grain of derision, a shadow of treachery, 
 in his expression as he craftily watched, and watched, and watched 
 me at my work. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 ISRAEL HANDS. 
 
 The wind, serving us to a desire, now hauled into the west. "We 
 could run so much the easier from the northwest corner of the island 
 to the mouth of the North Inlet. Only, as we had no power to 
 anchor, and dared not beach her till the tide had flowed a good deal 
 further, time hung on our hands. The coxwain told me how to lay 
 the ship to; after a good many trials I succeeded, and we both sat 
 in silence, over another meal. 
 
 " Cap'n," said he, at length, with that same uncomfortable smile, 
 " here's my old shipmate, O'Brien; s'pose you was to heave him 
 overboard, I ain't partic'lar as a rule, and I don't take no blame 
 for settling his hash; but I don't reckon him ornamental, now, do 
 you?" 
 
 " I'm not strong enough, and I don't like the job; and there he 
 lies, for me," said I. 
 
 " This here's an unlucky ship — the * Hispaniola,' Jim," he went 
 on, blinking. " There's a power of men been killed in this ' Hispan- 
 iola ' — a sight o' poor seamen dead and gone since you and me took 
 ship to Bristol. I never seen such dirty luck, not I. There was 
 this here O'Brien, now — he's dead, ain't he? "Well, now, I'm no 
 scholar^ and you're a lad as can read and figure; and, to put it
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 113 
 
 Straight, do you lake it as a dead man is dead for gcod, or do he 
 come alive again?" 
 
 " You can kill the body, Mr Hands, but not the spirit; you must 
 know that already," I replied. " O'Brien, there, is in another world, 
 and may be watching us." 
 
 " Ah!" says he. " Well, that's unfort'nate— appears as if killing 
 parties was a waste of time. Howsoraever, spcrrits don't reckon 
 for much, by what I've seen. I'll chance it with the sperrits, Jim. 
 And now, you've spoke up free, and I'll take it kind if j'ou'd step 
 down into that there cabin and get me a— well, a — shiver my tim- 
 bers! I can't hit the name on't; well, you get me a bottle of wine^ 
 Jim— this here brandy's too strong for my head." 
 
 Now the cockswain's hesitation seemed to be unnatural; and as for 
 the notion of his preferring wine to brandy, I entirely disbelieved 
 it. The whole story was a pretext. He wanted me to leave the deck 
 ^so much was plain; but with what purpose I could in no way im- 
 agine. His eyes never met mine; they kept vyandering to and fro, 
 up and down, now with a look to the sky, now with a flitting glance 
 upon the dead O'Brien. All the time he kept smiling, and putting 
 his tongue out in the most guilty, embarrassed manner, so that a 
 child could have told that he was bent on some deception. I was 
 prompt with my answer, however, for I saw where my advantage 
 lay; and that with a fellow so densely stupid I could easily conceal 
 my suspicions to the end. 
 
 "Some wine?" I said. " Far better. Will you have white or 
 red?" 
 
 " Well, I reckon it's about the blessed same to me, shipmate," he 
 replied; " so it's strong, and plenty of it, what's the odds?" 
 
 "All right;" I answered. "I'll bring you port, Mr. Hands. 
 But I'll have to dig for it." 
 
 With that I scuttled down the companion with all the noise I 
 could, slipped off my shoes, ran quietly along the sparred gallery, 
 mounted the forecastle ladder, and popped my head out of the fore 
 companion. 1 knew he would not expect to see me there; yet I 
 took every precaution possible; and certainlj'- the worst of my sus- 
 picions proved too true. 
 
 He had risen from his position to his hands and knees; and, 
 though his leg obviously hurt him pretty sharply when he moved 
 — for I could hear him stifle a groan — yet it was at a good, rattling 
 rate that he trailed himself across the deck. In half a minute he 
 had reached the port scuppers, and picked, out of a coil of rope, a 
 long knife, or rather a short dirk, discolored to the hilt with blood
 
 114 TREASUKE ISLAKD. 
 
 He looked upon it for a moment, thrusting forlli his under jaw^ 
 tried the point upon his hand, and then, hastily concealing it in the 
 bosom of his jacket, trundled back again into his old place against 
 the bulwark. 
 
 This was all that I required to know. Israel could move about; 
 he was now armed; and if he had been at so much trouble to get 
 rid of me, it was plain that I was meant to be the victim. What he 
 would do afterward — whether he would try to crawl right across 
 the island from North Inlet to the camp among the swamps, or 
 whether he would fire Long Tom, trusting that his own comrade? 
 might come first to help him, was, of course, more than I could say. 
 
 Yet I felt sure that I could trust him in one point, since in that 
 our interests jumped together, and that was in the disposition of 
 the schooner. We both desired to have her stranded safe enough, 
 in a sheltered place, and so that, when the time came, she could be 
 got otf again with as little labor and danger as might be; and until 
 that was done I considered that mj^ life would certaiulj^ be spared. 
 
 While I was thus turning the business over in my mind I had not 
 been idle with my body. I had stolen back to the cabin, slipped 
 once more into my shoes, and laid my hand at random on a bottle 
 of wine, and now, with this for an excuse, I made my reappearance 
 on the deck. 
 
 Hands lay as I had left him, all fallen together in a bundle, and 
 with his eyelids lowered, as though he were too weak to bear the 
 light. He looked up, however, at my coming, knocked the neck 
 ofC the bottle, like a man who had done the same thing often, and 
 took a good swig, with his favorite toast of " Here's luck!" Then 
 he lay quiet for a little, and then, pulling out a stick of tobacco, 
 begged me to cut him a quid. 
 
 " Cut me a junk o' that," says he, " for I haven't no knife, and 
 hardly strength enough, so be as I had. Ah,, Jim, Jim, I reckon 
 I've missed stays! Cut me a quid as'll likely be the last, lad; for 
 I'm for my long home, and no mistake." 
 
 "Well," said I, "I'll cut j-ou some tobacco; but if I was you 
 and thought myself so badly, I would go to my prayers, like a 
 Christian man." 
 
 " Why?" said he. " Now, you tell me why," 
 
 " Why?" I cried. " You were asking me just now about the 
 dead. You've broken your trust; you've lived in sin and lies and 
 blood; there's a man you killed lying at your feet this moment; and 
 you ask me wbyl For God's mercy, Mr. Hands, that's why." 
 
 I spoke with a little heat, thinking of the bloody dirk he had hid-
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 115 
 
 den in his pocket, and designed, in his ill thoughts, to end me with. 
 He, for his part, took a great draught of the wine, and spoke with 
 the most unusual solemnity. 
 
 " For thirty year," he said, "I've sailed the seas, and seen good 
 and bad, better and worse, fair weather and foul, provisions run- 
 ning out, knives going, and what not Well, now I tell you, I 
 never seen good come o' goodness yet Him as strikes first is my 
 fancy; dead men don't bite; them's my views — amen, so be it. 
 And now, you look here," he added, suddenly changing his tone, 
 " we've had about enough of this foolery. The tide's made good 
 enough by now. You just take my orders, Cap'n Hawkins, and 
 we'll sail slap in and be done with it." 
 . All told, we had scarce two miles to run; but the navigation was 
 delicate, the entrance to this northern anchorage was not only nar- 
 row and shoal, but lay east and west, so that the schooner must be 
 nicely handled to be got in. I think I was a good, prompt subal- 
 tern, and I am very sure that Hands was an excellent pilot; for we 
 went about and about, and dodged in, shaving the banks, with a 
 certainty and a neatness Ihat were a pleasure to behold. 
 
 Scarcely had we passed the head before the land closed around 
 us. The shores of North Inlet were as thickly wooded as those of 
 the southern anchorage; but the space was longer and narrower, 
 and more like, what in truth it was, the estuary of a river. Right 
 before us, at the southern end, we saw the wreck of a ship in the 
 last stages of dilapidation. It had been a great vessel of three 
 masts, but had laid so long exposed to the injuries of the weather, 
 that it was hung about with great webs of dripping sea- weed, and 
 on the deck of it shore bushes had taken root, and now flourished 
 thick with flowers. It was a sad sight, but it showed us that the 
 anchorage was calm. 
 
 " Now," said Hands, " look there; there's a pet bit for to beach 
 a ship in. Fine flat sand, never a catspaw, trees all around of it, 
 and flowers a-blowing like a garding on that old ship." 
 
 "And once beached," I inquired, "how shall we get her off 
 again?" 
 
 " Whj^ so," he replied; "you take a line ashore there on the 
 other side at low water; take a turn about one o' them big pines; 
 bring it back, take a turn round the capstan, and lie to for the tide. 
 Come high water, all hands take a pull upon the line, and off she 
 comes as sweet as natur'. And now, boy, you stand by. "We're 
 near the bit now, and she's too much way on her. Starboard a 
 Ijttle— so— steady— starboard— larboard a little — steady — steady!"
 
 116 TKEASUEE ISLAND. 
 
 So he issued liis commands, whicli I breathlessly obeyed; till, all 
 of a suddou, he cried, " Now, my hearty, luff!" And I put the 
 helm hara jp, and the " Hispaniola " swung round rapidly, and 
 ran stem ou for the low- wooded shore. 
 
 The excitement of these last maneuvers had somewhat interfered 
 with the watch 1 had liept hitherto, sharply enough, upon the cock- 
 swain. Even then I was still so much interested, waiting for the 
 ship to touch, that I had quite forgot the peril that hung over my 
 head, and stood craning over the starboard bulwarks and watching 
 the ripi)les spreading wide before the bows. 1 might have fallen 
 without a struggle for my life, had not a sudden disquietude seized 
 upon me, and made me turn my head. Perhaps I had heard a 
 creak, or seen his shadow moving with the tail of my eye: perhaps 
 ft was an instinct like a cat's; but, sure enough, when I looked 
 round, there was Hands, already half-way toward me, with the 
 dirk in his right hand. 
 
 We must both have cried out aloud when our eyes met ; but while 
 mine was the shrill cry of terror, his was a roar of fury lilie a 
 charging bull's. At the same instant he threw himself forward, 
 and I leaped sideways toward the bows. As I did so I left hold of 
 the tiller, which sprung sharp to leeward; and 1 tliink this saved 
 my life, for it struck Hands across the chest, and stopped him, for 
 the moment, dead. 
 
 Before he could recover I was safe out of the corner where he had 
 me trapped, with all the deck to dodge about. Just forward of the 
 mainmast I stopped, drew a pistol from my pocket, tools a cool aim, 
 though he had already turned and was once more coming directly 
 after me, and drew the trigger. The hammer fell, but there fol- 
 lowed neither flash nor sound; the priming was useless with sea' 
 water. I cursed myself for my neglect. Why had not I, long be- 
 fore, reprimed and reloaded my only weapons? Then I should not 
 have been as now, a mere fleeing sheep before this butcher. 
 
 Wounded as he was, it was wonderful how fast he could move, 
 his grizzled hair tumbling over his face, and his face itself as red as 
 a red ensign with his haste and fury. I had no time to try my 
 other pistol, nor, indeed, much inclination, for I was sure it would 
 be useless. One thing I saw plainly; I must not simply retreat be- 
 fore him, or he would speedily hold me boxed into the bows, as a 
 moment since he had so nearly boxed me in the stern. Once so 
 caught, and nine or ten inches of the blood-stained dirk would be 
 my last experience on this side of eternity, I placed my palms
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 117 
 
 against the mainmast, which was of a goodish bigness, and waited, 
 every nerve upon the stretch. 
 
 Seeing that I meant to dodge he also paused, and a moment or 
 two passed in feints on his part and corresponding movements upon 
 mine. It was such a game as 1 had often played at home 
 about the rocks of Black Hill Cove; but never before, you may 
 be sure, with such a wildly beating heart as now. Still, as I say, it 
 was a boy's game, and 1 thought I could hold my own at it against 
 an elderly seaman with a wounded thigh. Indeed, my courage had 
 begun to rise so higli that I allowed myself a few darting thoughts 
 on what would be tlie end of the afifair; and while I saw certainly 
 that I could spin it out for long, I saw no hope of any ultimate 
 escape. 
 
 Well, while things stood thus, suddenly the " Hispaniola " 
 struck, staggered, ground for an instant in the sand, and then, 
 swift as a blow, canted over to the port side, till the deck stood at 
 an angle of forty-tive degrees, and about a puncheon of water 
 splashed into the scupper-holes, and lay in a pool between the deck 
 and bulwark. 
 
 We were both of us capsized in a second, and both of us rolled, 
 almost together, into the scuppers; the dead red-cap, with his arms 
 still spread out, tumbling stiffly after us. So near were we, indeed, 
 that my head came against the cockwain's foot with a crack that 
 made my teeth rattle. Blow and all, I was the first afoot again, 
 for Hands had got involved with the dead body. The sudden cant- 
 ing of the ship had made the deck no place for running on; I had 
 to find some new way of escape, and that upon the instant, for my 
 foe was almost touching me. Quick as thought, I sprung into the 
 mizzenshrouds, rattled up hand over hand, and did not draw a 
 breath till I w'as seated on the cross-trees. 
 
 I had been saved by being prompt; the dirk had struck not half 
 a foot below me, as I pursued my upward flight; and there stood 
 Israel Hands with his mouth open and his face upturned to mine, a 
 perfect statue of surprise and disappointment. 
 
 Now that I had a moment to myself, I lost no time in changing 
 the priming of my pistol, and then, having one ready for service, 
 and to make assurance doublj'^ sure, I proceeded to draw the load of 
 the other, and recharge it afresh from the beginning. 
 
 My new employment struck Hands all of a heap; he began to see 
 the dice going against him; and after an obvious hesitation, he also 
 hauled himself heavily into the shrouds, and, with the dirk in his 
 teeth, began slowly and painfully to mount. It cost him no end of
 
 118 TREASURE ISLAISTD. 
 
 time and grcans to haul his wounded leg beliind him; and I had 
 quietly finished my arrangements before he was much more than a 
 third of the way up. Then, with a pistol in either hand, I ad- 
 dressed him. 
 
 " One more step, Mr. Hands," said I, " and I'll blow your brains 
 out! Dead men don't bile, you know," I added, with a chuckle. 
 
 He stopped instantly. I could see by the workings of his fact 
 that he was trying to think, and the process was so slow and labori- 
 ous that, in my new-found security, I laughed aloud. At last, -with 
 a swallow or two, he spoke, his face stiil wearing the same expres- 
 eion of extreme perplexity. In order to speak he had to take the 
 dagger from his mouth, but, in all else, he remained unmoved. 
 
 " Jim," says he, " I reckon we're fouled, you and me, and we'll 
 have to sign articles. I'd have had you but for that there lurch; 
 but I don't have no luck, not I; and I reckon I'll have to strike, 
 which comes hard, you see, for a master mariner to a ship's younkei 
 like you, Jim." 
 
 I was drinking in his words and smiling away, as conceited as tk 
 cock upon a walk, when, all in a breath, back went his right hand 
 over his shoulder. Something sung like an arrow through the air; 
 I felt a blow and then a sharp pang, and there I was pinned by the 
 shoulder to the mast. In the horrid pain and surprise of the mo- 
 ment — I scarce can say it was by my own volition, and I am sure it 
 was without a conscious aim — both mj' pistols went off, and both 
 escaped out of my hands. They did not fall alone; with a choked 
 cry the cockswain loosed his grasp upon the shrouds, and plunged 
 head first into the water. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVn. 
 
 "pieces op eight." 
 
 Owing to the cant of the vessel, the masts hung far out over tlii 
 water, and from my perch on the cross-trees I had nothing below 
 me but the surface of the bay. Hands, who was not so far up, was, 
 in consequence, nearer to the ship, and fell between me and the bul- 
 warks. He rose once to the surface in a lather of foam and blood, 
 and then sunk again for good. As the water settled, I could seo 
 him lying huddled together on the clean, bright sand in the shadow 
 of the vessel's sides. A fish or two whipped past his body. Some- 
 times, by the quivering of the water, he appeared to move a little, 
 as if he were trying to rise. But he was dead enough, for all tliat,
 
 TREASURE ISLAISTD. IIJ 
 
 being both shot and drowned, and was food for fish in the very 
 place where he had designed my slaughter. 
 
 I was uo sooner certain of this than I began to feel sick, faint, 
 and terrified. The hot blood was running over my back and chest. 
 Tbe dirk, where it had pinned my shoulder to the mast, seemed to 
 burn like a hot iron; yet it was not so much these real sufferings 
 that distressed me, for these, it seemed to me, I could bear without 
 a murmur; it was the horror I had upon my mind of falling from 
 the cross-trees into that still green water, beside the body of the 
 cockswain. 
 
 I clung with both hands till my nails ached, and I shut my eyes 
 as if to cover up the peril. Gradually my mind came back again, 
 my pulses quieted down to a more natural time, and I was once 
 more in possession of myself. 
 
 It was my first thought to pluck forth the dirk; but either U 
 stuck too hard or my nerve failed me; and I desisted with a violent 
 shudder. Oddly enough, that very shudder did the business. The 
 knife, in fact, had come the nearest in the world to missing me al- 
 together; it held me by a mere pinch of skin, and this the shudder 
 tore away. The blood ran down the faster, to be sure; but I was 
 my own master again, and only tacked to the mast by my coat and 
 shirt. 
 
 These last I broke through with a sudden jerk, and then regained 
 the deck by the starboard shrouds. For nothing in the world 
 would I have again ventured, shaken as I was, upon the overhang- 
 ing port shrouds, from which Israel had so lately fallen. 
 
 I went below, and did what I could for my wound; it pained me 
 a good deal, and still bled freely; but it was neither deep nor dan- 
 gerous, nor did it greatly gall me when I used my arm. Then I 
 looked around me, and as the ship was now, in a sense, my own, I 
 began to think of clearing it from its last passenger— the dead man, 
 O'Brien. 
 
 He had pitched, as I have said, against the bulwarks, where he 
 lay like some horrible, ungainly sort of puppet; life-size, indeed, 
 but how different from life's color or life's comeliness! In that po- 
 sition, I could easily have my way with him; and as the habit of 
 tragical adventures had worn off almost all my terror for the dead, 
 I took him by the waist as if he had been a sack of bran, and, with 
 one good heave, tumbled him overboard. He went in with a sound 
 ing plunge; the red cap came off, and remained floating on the sur- 
 face; and as soon as the splash subsided, I could see him and Israel 
 lying side by side, both wavering with the tremulous movement of
 
 120 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 the water. O'Brien, though still quite a young man, was very bald. 
 There he lay, with that bald head across the knees of the man who 
 had killed him, and the quick fishes steering to and fro over both. 
 
 I was now alone upon the ship; the tide had just turned. The 
 sun was within so few degrees of setting that already the shadow of 
 the pines upon the western shore began to reach right across the 
 anchorage, and fall in patterns on the deck. The evening breeze 
 had sprung up, and though it was well warded off by the hill with 
 the two peaks upon the east, the cordage had begun to sing a little 
 softly to itself and the idle sails to rattle to and fro. 
 
 I began to see a danger to the ship. The jibs I speedily doused 
 and brought tumbling to the deck; but the mainsail was a harder 
 matter. Of course, when the schooner canted over, the boom had 
 swung out-board, and the cap of it and a foot or two of sail hung 
 even under water. I thought this made it still more dangerous; yet 
 the strain was so heavy that I half feared to meddle. At last I got 
 my knife and cut the halyards. The peak dropped Instantly, a 
 great belly of loose canvas floated broad upon the water; and since, 
 pull as I liked, I could not budge the downhaul, that was the extent 
 of what I could accomplish. For the rest, the " Hispaniola " must 
 trust to luck, like myself. 
 
 By this time the whole anchorage had fallen into shadow — the 
 last rays, I remember, falling through a glade of the wood, and 
 shining bright as jewels, on the flowery mantle of the wreck. It 
 began to be chill; the tide was rapidly fleeting seaward, the schooner 
 settling more and more on her beam-ends, 
 
 I scrambled forward and looked over. It seemed shallow enough, 
 and holding the cut hawser in both hands for a last security, I let 
 myself drop softly overboard. The water scarcely reached my 
 waist; the sand was firm and covered with ripple-marks, and I 
 waded ashore in great spirits, leaving the " Hispaniola " on her 
 side, with her mainsail trailing wide upon the surface of the bay. 
 About the same time the sun went fairly down, and the breeze 
 whistled low in the dusk among the tossing pines. 
 
 At least, and at last, I was off the sea, nor had I returned thence 
 empty-handed. There lay the schooner, clear at last from buc 
 cancers and ready for our own men to board and get to sea again. 
 I had nothing nearer my fancy than to get home to the stockade and 
 boast of my achievements. Possibly I might be blamed a bit for 
 my truantry, but tlie recapture of the " Hispaniola " was a clinching 
 answer, and I hoped that even Captain Smollett would confess I 
 bad not lost mj time.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 121 
 
 So thinking, and in famous spirits, I began to se^ liy face home- 
 ward for the block-house and my companions. I i-^membered that 
 the most easterly of the rivers which drain into Captain Kidd's 
 anchorage ran from the two-peaked hill upon my 'eft; and I bent 
 my course in that direction that I might pass the stream while it 
 was small. The wood was pretty open, and ke'^ping along the 
 lower spurs, I had soon turned the corner of that hill, and not long 
 after waded to the mid-calf across the water-course. 
 
 This brought me near to where I had encountered Ben Gunn, the 
 maroon: and I walked more circumspectly, keeping un eye on every 
 side. The dusk had cOme nigh hand completely, and, as I opened 
 out the cleft between the two peaks, I became aware of a wavering 
 glow against the sky, where, as I judged, the man of the island was 
 cooking his supper before a roaring fire. And yet I wondered, in 
 my heart, that he should show himself so careless. For if I could 
 see this radiance, might it not reach the eye of Silver himself where 
 he camped upon the shore among the marshes? 
 
 Gradually the night fell blacker; it was all I could do to guide 
 myself even roughly toward my destination; the double hill behind 
 me and the Spy-glass on my right hand loomed faint and fainter; 
 the stars were few and pale; and in the low ground where I wan- 
 dered I kept tripping among bushes and rolling into sandy pits. 
 
 Suddenly a kind of brightness fell about me. I looked up; a pale 
 glimmer of moonbeams had alighted on the summit of the Spy glass, 
 and soon after I saw something broad and silvery moving low down 
 behind the trees, and knew the moon had risen. 
 
 With this to help me, I passed rapidly over what remained to me 
 of my journey; and, sometimes walking, sometimes running, im- 
 patiently drew near to the stockade. Yet, as I began to thread the 
 grove that lies before it, I was not so thoughtless but that I slacked 
 my pace and went a trifle warily. It would have been a poor end 
 of my adventures to get shot down by my own party in mistake. 
 
 The moon was climbing higher and higher; its light began to fall 
 here and there in masses through the more open aistricts of the 
 wood; and right in front of me a glow of a different color appeared 
 among the trees. It was red and hot, and now and again it was a 
 little darkened — as it were tlie embers of a bonfire smoldering. 
 For the life of me, I could not think what it might be. 
 At last I came right down upon the borders of the clearing. The 
 western end was already steeped in moonshine; the rest, and the 
 block-house itself, still lay in a black shadow, checkered with Jong, 
 silvery streaks of light; On the other side of the house an immfins?
 
 123 TREASURE ISLAKD. 
 
 fire had burned itself into clear embers, and shed a steady, red re 
 verberation, contrasted strongly with the mellow paleness of the 
 moon. There was not a soul stirring, nor a sound beside the noises 
 of the breeze. 
 
 I stopped, with much wonder in my heart, and perhaps a little 
 terror also. It had not been our way to build great fires; we were, 
 indeed, by the captain's orders, somewhat niggardly of fire- wood; 
 and 1 began to fear that something had gone wrong while I was ab- 
 sent. 
 
 I stole round by the eastern end, keeping close in shadow, and at 
 a convenient place, where the darkness was thickest, crossed the 
 palisade. 
 
 To make assurance surer, I got upon my hands and knees, and 
 crawled, without a sound, toward the corner of the house. As I 
 drew nearer, my heart was suddenly and greatly lightened. It was 
 not a pleasant noise in itself, and I have often complained of it at 
 other times; but just then it was like music to hear my friends snor- 
 ing together so loud and peaceful in their sleep. The sea-cry of the 
 watch, that beautiful " All's well," never fell more reassuringly on 
 my ear. 
 
 In the meantime, there was no doubt of one thing; they kept an 
 infamous bad watch. If it had been Silver and his lads that were 
 now creeping in on them, not a soul would have seen day-break. 
 That was what it was, thought I, to have the captain wounded; and 
 again I blamed myself sharply for leaving them in that danger witn 
 so few to mount guard. 
 
 By this time I had got to the door and stood up. All was dark 
 within, so that I could distinguish nothing by the eye. As for 
 sounds, there was the steady drone of the snorers, and a small occa- 
 sional noise, a flickering or pecking that I could in no way account 
 for. 
 
 With my arms before me I walked steadily in. I should lie down 
 in my own place (I thought, with a silent chuckle) and enjoy their 
 faces when they found me in the morning. My foot struck some- 
 thing yielding— it was a sleeper's leg; and he turned and groaned, 
 but without awaking. 
 
 And then, all of a sudden, a shrill voice broke forth out of the 
 darkness; 
 
 " Pieces of eight 1 pieces of eight 1 pieces of eight! pieces of eightl 
 'pieces of eight!" and so forth, without pause or change, like the 
 clacking of a tiny mill. 
 
 Silver's green parrot. Captain Flint! It was she whom I had
 
 TREASURE ISLAKD. 133 
 
 heard pecking at a piece of bark; it was she, keeping better watch 
 than any human being, who thus announced my arrival with her 
 wearisome refrain. 
 
 I had no time left me to recover. At Ihe sharp, clipping tone of 
 the parrot, the sleepers awoke and sprung up; and with a mighty 
 oath, the voice of Silver cried: 
 
 " Who goes?" 
 
 I turned to run, struck violently against one person, recoiled, and 
 ran full into the arms of a second, who, for his part, closed upon 
 and held me tight. 
 
 " Bring a torch, Dick," said Silver, when my capture was thus 
 assured. 
 
 And one of the men left the log-house, and i^resently returned 
 with a lighted brand. 
 
 -0- 
 
 PART VI. 
 CAPTAIN SILVER. 
 
 CHAPTER XXVni. 
 
 IN THE enemy's CAMP. 
 
 The red glare of the torch, lighting up the interior of the block- 
 house, showed me the worst of my apprehensions realized. The 
 pirates were in possession of the house and stores; there was a cask 
 of cognac, there were the pork and bread, as before; and, what ten- 
 fold increased my horror, not a sign of any prisoner. I could only 
 judge that all had perished, and my heart smote me sorely that I 
 had not been there to perish with them. 
 
 There were six of the buccaneers, all told; not another man was 
 left alive. Five of them were on their feet, flushed and swollen, 
 suddenly called out of the first sleep of drunkenness. The sixth 
 had only risen upon his elbow; he was deadl}'- pale, and the blood- 
 stained bandage round his head told that he had recently been 
 wounded, and still more recently dressed. I remembered the man 
 who had been shot and had run back among the woods in the great 
 attack, and doubted not that this was he. 
 
 The parrot sat, preening her plumage, on Long John's shoulder. 
 He himself, I thought, looked somewhat paler and more stern than
 
 134 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 I was used to. He still wore his fine broadcloth suit in which he 
 had fulfilled his mission, but it was bitterly the worse for wear, 
 daubed with clay and torn with the sharp briers of the wood. 
 
 "So," said he, "here's Jim Hawkins, shiver my timbersl 
 dropped in, like, eh? Well, come, I take that friendly." 
 
 And thereupon he sat down across the brandy-cask, and began to 
 fill a pipe. 
 
 " Give me the loan of a link, Dick," said he; and then, when he 
 had a good light, " That'll do, lad," he added, " stick the glim in 
 the wood heap; and you, gentleni'^n, bring yourselves to! — j^ou 
 needn't stand up for Mr. Hawkins; he'll excuse you, you may lay 
 to that. And so, Jim " — stopping the tobacco — "here you are, 
 and quite a pleasant surprise for poor old John. I see you were 
 smart when first I set my eyes on you; but this here gets away from 
 me clean, it do." 
 
 To all this, as may be well supposed, I made no answer. They 
 had set me with my back against the wall; and I stood there, look- 
 ing Silver in the face, pluckily enough, I hope, to all outward ap- 
 pearance, but with black despair in my heart. 
 
 Silver took a whifl or two of his pipe with great composure, and 
 then ran on again. 
 
 " Now, you see, Jim, so be as you are here," says he, " I'll give 
 you a piece of my mind. I've always liked you, I have, for a lad 
 of spirit, and the picter of my own self when I was young and 
 handsome. I always wanted you to jine and take your share, and 
 die a gentleman, and now, my cock, you've got to. Cap'n Smol- 
 lett's a fine seaman, as I'll own up to any day, but stifE on discip- 
 line. ' Dooty is dooty, ' says he, and right he is. Just you keep 
 clear of the cap'n. The doctor himself is gone dead again you — 
 ' ungrateful scamp ' was what he said; and the short and the long 
 of the whole story is about here: you can't go back to your own lot, 
 for they won't have j'ou; and, without you start a third ship's com- 
 pany all by yourself, which might be lonely, you'll have to jine 
 with Cap'n Silver." 
 
 So far so good. My friends, then, were still alive, and though 1 
 partly believed the truth of Silver's statement, that the cabin party 
 were incensed at me for my desertion, I was more relieved than dis- 
 tressed by what I heard. 
 
 " I don't say nothing as to your being in our hands," continued 
 Silver, " though there you are, and you may lay to it. I'm all for 
 argyment; I never seen good come out o' threatening. If you like 
 the service, well, you'll jine; and if you don't, Jim, why, you're
 
 TREASUEE ISLAND. 135 
 
 free to answer no — free and welcome, shipmate; and if fairer can 
 be said by mortal seaman, shiver ray sides!" 
 
 " Am I to answer, then?" I asked, with a very tremulous voice. 
 Through all this sneering talk, I was made to feel the threat of 
 death that overhung me, and my cheeks burned and my heart beat 
 painfully in my breast. 
 
 "Lad," said Silver, "no one's a-pressing of you. Take your 
 bearings. None of us won't hurry you, mate; time goes so pleasant 
 in your company, you see." 
 
 " "Well," says I, growing a bit bolder, " if I'm to choose, I de- 
 clare I have a right to know what's what, and why you're here, and 
 where my friends are." 
 
 " Wot's wot?" repeated one of the buccaneers, in a deep growl. 
 " Ah, he'd be a lucky one as knowed that!" 
 
 " You'll, perhaps, batten down your hatches till you're spoke, 
 my friend," cried Silver, truculently, to this speaker. " Yesterday 
 morning, Mr. Hawkins," said he, " in the dog-watch, down came 
 Doctor Livesey with a flag of truce. Says he, ' Cap'n Silver, 
 you're sold out. Ship's gone! Well, may be we'd been taking a 
 glass, and a song to help it round. I won't say no. Leastways 
 none of us had looked out. We looked out, and, by thunder! the 
 old ship was gone. I never seen a pack o' fools look fishier; and 
 you may lay to that, if I tells you that I looked the fishiest. ' Well,' 
 says the doctor, ' let's bargain.' We bargained, him and I, and here 
 we are; stores, brandj% block-hoase, the fire- wood you was thought- 
 ful enough to cut, and, in a manner of speaking, the whole blessed 
 boat, from cross-trees to keelson. As for them, they've tramped: I 
 don't know Where's they are." 
 
 He drew again quietly at his pipe. 
 
 " And lest you should take it into that head of yours," he went 
 on, " that you was included in the treaty, here's the last word that 
 was said: ' How many are you,' says I, ' to leave?' ' Four,' says 
 he — ' four and one oi us wounded. As for that boy, I don't know 
 where he is, confound him,' says he, 'nor I don't much care. 
 We're about sick of him.' These was his words." 
 
 "Is that all?" I asked. 
 
 " Well, it's all you're to hear, my son," returned Silver. 
 
 " And now I am to choose?" 
 
 " And now you are to choose, and you may lay to that," &aid 
 Silver. 
 
 " Well," said I, " I am not such a fool but I know pretty well 
 what I have to look for. Let the worst come to the worst, it's little
 
 126 TREASUKE ISLAND. 
 
 I care. I've seen too many die since I fell in with j^ou. But there's 
 a thing or two I have to tell you," I said, and by this time I was 
 quite excited; "and the first is this: here you are, in a bud way; 
 ship lost, treasure lost, men lost; your whole business gone to 
 wreck; and if you want to know who did it— it was I! I was in 
 the apple barrel the night we sighted land, and I heard you, John, 
 and you, Dick Johnson, and Hands, who is now at the bottom of 
 the sea, and told every word you said before the hour was out. 
 And as for the schooner, it was I who cut her cable, and it was I 
 who killed the men you had aboard of her, and it was 1 who biought 
 her where you'll never see her more, not one of you. The laugh's 
 on my side; I've had the top of this business from the first; I no 
 more fear you than I fear a fly. Kill me, if you please, or spare 
 me. But one thing I'll say, and no more; if you spare me, by-gones 
 are by-gones, and when you fellows are in court for piracy, I'll save 
 you all I can. It is for you to choose. Kill another and do your- 
 selves no good, or spare me and keep a witness to save you from the 
 gallows." 
 
 I stopped, for, I tell you, I was out of breath, and, to my wonder, 
 not a man of them moved, but all sat staring at me like as many 
 sheep. And while they were still staring I broke out again: 
 
 " And now, Mr. Silver," I said, " I believe you're the best man 
 here, and if things go to the worst, I'll take it kind of you to let the 
 doctor know the way I took it." 
 
 " I'll bear it in mind," said Silver, with an accent so curious that 
 I could not, for the life of me. decide whether he were laughing at 
 my request or had been favorably affected by my courage. 
 
 "I'll put one to that," cried the old mahogany faced seaman — 
 IMorgan by name — whom I had seen ia Long John's public-house 
 upon the quaj's of Bristol " It was him that knowed Black Dog." 
 
 "Well, and see here," added the sea-cook. " I'll put another 
 again to that, bj^ thunder! for it was this same boy that faked the 
 chart from Billy Bones. First and last we've split upon Jim Haw- 
 kinsi" 
 
 " Then here goes!" said Morgan, with an oath. 
 
 And he sprung up, drawing his knife as if he had been twenty. 
 
 " Avast, there!" cried Silver. " Who are you, Tom IMorgan? 
 May be you thought you were captain here, perhaps. By the powers, 
 but I'll teach you better! Cross me, and you'll go where many a 
 good man's gone before you, first and last, these thirty year back — 
 some to the yard-arm, shiver my sides! and some by the board, and 
 all to feed the fishes There's never a man looked me between the
 
 TREASUKE ISLAND. 127 
 
 eyes and seen a good day a'terward, Tom Morgan, you may lay to 
 that." 
 
 Morgan paused; but a hoarse murmur rose from the others. 
 
 " Tom's right," said one. 
 
 " I stood hazing long enough from one," added another. " I'll 
 be hanged if I'll be hazed by you, John Sliver." 
 
 " Did any of yon gentlemen want to have it out with 'ine?" roared 
 Silver, bending far forward from his position on the keg, with his 
 pipe still glowing in his right hand. " Put a name on what you're 
 at; you ain't dumb, I reckon. Him that wants shall get it. Have 
 I lived this many years, and a son of a rum puncheon cock his hat 
 athwart my hawse at the latter end of it? You know the way; 
 you're all gentlemen o' fortune, by your account. Well, I'm ready. 
 Take a cutlass him that dares, and I'll see the color of his inside, 
 crutch and all, before that pipe's empty." 
 
 Not a man stirred; not a man answered. 
 
 " That's your sort, is it?" he added, returning his pipe to his 
 mouth. " Well, you're a gay lot to look at, any way. Not much 
 worth to fight, you ain't. P'r'aps you can understand King 
 George's English. I'm cap'n here by 'lection. I'm cap'n here be- 
 cause I'm the best man by a long sea-mile. You won't fight, as 
 gentlemen o' fortune should; then, by thunder, you'll obey, and 
 you may lay to it! I like that boy, now; I never seen a better boy 
 than that. He's more a man than any pair of rats of you in this 
 here house, and what I say is this: let me see him as'il lay a hand 
 on him — that's what I say, and you may lay to it." 
 
 There was a long pause after this. I stood straight up against 
 the wall, my heart still going like a sledge-hammer, but with a ray 
 of hope now shining in my bosom. Silver leaned back against the 
 wall, his arms crossed, his pipe in the corner of his mouth, as calm 
 as though he had been in church; yet his eye kept wandering fur- 
 tively, and he kept the tail of it on his unruly followers. They, on 
 their part, drew gradually together toward the far end of the block- 
 house, and the low hiss of their whispering sounded in my ears 
 continuously, like a stream. One after another they would look 
 up, and the red light of the torch would fall for a second on their 
 nervous faces; but it was not toward me, it was toward Silver that 
 they turned their eyes, 
 
 " You seem to have a lot to say," remarked Silver, spitting far 
 into the air. " Pipe up and let me hear it, or lay to." 
 
 " Ax your pardon, sir," returned one of the men, " you're pretty 
 free with some of the rules; may be you'll kindly keep an eye upo«j
 
 128 TREASUEE ISLAND. 
 
 tne rest. This crew's dissatisfied; this crew don't vally bullying a 
 nia'-'linspike; this crew has its rights like other crews, I'll make &o 
 free as that; and by your own rules, I take it we can talk together. 
 I ax your pardon, sir, acknowledging you for to be capting at this 
 present; but I claim my right, and steps outside for a council." 
 
 And with an elaborate sea-salute, this fellow, a long, ill-looking, 
 yellow-eyed man of five- and- thirty, stepped coolly toward the door 
 and disappeared out of the house. One after another the rest fol- 
 lowed his example; each making a salute as he passed; each adding 
 some apology. " Accordiog to rules," said one. " Fo'k's'le coun- 
 cil," said Morgan. And so with one remark or another all marched 
 out, and left Silver and me alone with the torch. 
 
 The sea-cook instantly removed his pipe. 
 
 " Now, look you here, Jim Hawkins," lie said, in a steady whis- 
 per, that was no more than audible, " you're within half a plank of 
 death, and, what's a long sight worse, of torture. They're going 
 to throw me off. But, you mark, I stand hy you through thick 
 and thin. I didn't mean to; no, not till you spoke up. I was 
 about desperate to lose that much blunt, and be hanged into the 
 bargain. But I see you was the right sort. I says to m3rself : You 
 stand by Hawkins, John, and Hawkins'U stand by you. You're 
 his last card, and by the living thunder, John, he's yours! Back to 
 back, says 1. You save your witness, and he'll save your neckl" 
 
 I began dimly to understand. 
 
 " You mean all is lost?" I asked. 
 
 " Ay, by gum, I do I" he answered. " Ship gone, neck gone — 
 that's the size of it. Once I looked into that bay, Jim Hawkins, 
 and seen no schooner — well, I'm tough, but gave out. As for that 
 lot and their council, mark me, they're outright fools and cowards. 
 I'll save j^our life — if so be as I can — from them. But, see here, 
 Jim — tit for tat — you save Long John from swinging." 
 
 I was bewildered; it seemed a thing so hopeless be was asking — 
 he, the old buccaneer, the ringleader throughout. 
 
 " What I can do, that I'll do," I said. 
 
 *' It's a bargain!" cried Long John. " You speak up plucky, 
 and, by thunder! I've a chance." 
 
 He hobbled to the torch, where it stood propped among the fire- 
 wood, and took a fresh ^ight to his pipe. 
 
 "Understand "le, Jim," he said, returning. "I've a head on 
 my shoulders, i have. I'm on squire's .side, now. I know you've 
 5K)t that ship safe somewheres. How you done it, I don't know, 
 but safe it is. 1 guess Hands and O'Brien turned soft. I never
 
 TEEASURE ISLAND. 139 
 
 much believed in neither of them. Now you mark me. I ask no 
 questions, nor I won't let others. I know when a game's up, I do; 
 and I know a lad that's stanch. Ah, you that's young — you and 
 me might have done a power of good together!" 
 
 He drew some cognac from the cask into a tin canikin. 
 
 " Will you taste, messmate?" he asked; and when I had refused; 
 " Well, I'll fake a drain myself, Jim," said he. " I need a caulker, 
 for there's trouble on hand. And, talking o' trouble, why did that 
 doctor give me the chart, Jim?" 
 
 My face expressed a wonder so unaffected that he saw the need- 
 lessness of further questions. 
 
 " Ah, well, he did, though," said he. " And there's something 
 under that, no doubt — something, surely, under that, Jim — bad or 
 good. ' ' 
 
 And he took another swallow of the brandy, shaking his great 
 fair head like a man who looks forward to the worst. 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 THE BLACK SPOT AGAIN. 
 
 The council of the buccaneers had lasted some time, when one of 
 them re-entered the house, and with a repetition of the same salule, 
 which had in my eyes an ironical air, begged for a moment's loan 
 of the torch. Silver briefly agreed; and this emissary retired again, 
 leaving us together in the dark. 
 
 " There's a breeze coming, Jim," said Silver, who had, by this 
 time, adopted quite a friendly and familiar tone. 
 
 I turned to the loop-hole nearest me and looked out. The embers 
 of the great flre had so far burned themselves out, and now glowed 
 so low and duskily, that I understood why these conspirators de- 
 sired a torch. About half-way down the slope to the stockade they 
 were collected in a group; one held the light; another was on his 
 knees in their midst, and I saw the blade of an open knife shine in 
 his hand with varying colors, in the moon and torchlight. The 
 rest were all somewhat stooping, as though watching the maneuvers 
 of this last. I could just make out that he ha 1 a book as well as a 
 knife in his hand; and was still wondering how anything so incon- 
 gruous had come in their possession, when the kneeling figure rose 
 once more to his feet, and the whole party began to move together 
 toward the house. 
 
 " Here they come," said I; and I returned to my former position, 
 
 5
 
 130 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 for it seemed beneath my dignity that they should find me watch 
 ing them. 
 
 " Well, let 'em come, lad— let 'em come," said Silver, cheerily. 
 "I've still a shot in my locker." 
 
 The door opened, and the five men, standing huddled together 
 just inside, pushed one of their number forward. In any other 
 circumstances it would have been comical to see his slow advances, 
 hesitating as he set down each foot, but holding his closed right 
 hand in front of him. 
 
 " Step up, lad," cried Silver. " I won't eat you. Hand it over, 
 lubber. I know the rules, I do; I won't hurt a depytation." 
 
 Thus encouraged the buccaneer stepped forth more briskly, and 
 having passed something to Silver, from hand to hand, slipped yet 
 more smartly back again to his companions. 
 
 The sea-cook looked at what had been given him. 
 
 " The black spotl I thought so," he observed. " Where might 
 you have got the paper? Why, hillo! look here, now; this ain't 
 lucky! You've gone and cut this out of a Bible. What fool's cut 
 a Bible?" 
 
 " Ah, there!" said Morgan — " there. Wot did I say? Ko good'U 
 come o' that, I said." 
 
 "Well, you've about fixed it now, among you," continued Sil- 
 ver, " You'll all swing now, I reckon. What soft-headed lubber 
 had a Bible?" 
 
 " It was Dick," said one. 
 
 " Dick, was it? Then Dick can get to prayers," said Silver. 
 " He's seen his slice of luck, has Dick, and j'ou may lay to that." 
 
 But here the long man with the yellow ejes struck in. 
 
 " Belay that talk, John Silver," he said. " This crew has tipped 
 you the black spot iu full council, as in dooty bound; just you turn 
 it over, as in dooty bound, and see what's wrote there. Then you 
 can talk." 
 
 " Thanky, George," replied the sea-cook. " You always was 
 brisk for business, and has the rules by heart, George, as I'm 
 pleased to see. Well, what is it, any way? Ah! * Deposed ' — that's 
 it, is it? Very pretty wrote, to be sure; like print, I swear. Your 
 hand o' write, George? Why, you was gettin' quite a leadin' man 
 in this here crew. You'll be cap'n next, I shouldn't wonder. Just 
 oblige me with that torch again, will you? this pipe don't draw." 
 
 " Come, now," said George, " you don't fool this crew no more. 
 You're a funny man, by your account; but you're over now, and 
 youli may be step down off that barrel, and h'^lp vote "
 
 TEEASURE ISLAND. 13 1 
 
 "I thought you said you knowed the rules," returned Silver, 
 contemptuously. " Leastways, if you don't, I do; and I wait here 
 — and I'm still your cap'n, mind — till you outs with your griev- 
 ances, and I reply; in the meantime, your black Rpot ain't worth a 
 biscuit. After that we'll see." 
 
 " Oh," replied George, " you don't be under no kind of appre- 
 hension; we're all square, we are. First, you've made a hash of 
 this cruise — ^you'll be a bold man to say no to that. Second, you 
 let the enemy out o' this here trap for nothing. Why did they want 
 out! I dunno; but it's prettj-- plain they wanted it. Third, you 
 wouldn't let us go at them upon the march. Oh, we see through 
 you, John Silver; you want to play booty, that's what's wrong with 
 you. And then, fourth, there's this here boy." 
 
 " Is that all?" asked Silver, quietly. 
 
 '* Enough, too," retorted George. " We'll all swing and sun-dry 
 for your bungling." 
 
 " Well, now, look here, I'll answer these four p'ints; one after 
 another I'll answer 'em, I made a hash o' this cruise, did I? Well, 
 now, you all Imow what I wanted; and you all know, if that had 
 been done, that we'd 'a' been aboard the ' Hispaniola ' this night as 
 ever was, every man of us alive, and fil, and full of good plum- 
 duff, and the treasure in the hold of her, by thunderl Well, who 
 crossed me? Who forced my hand, as was the lawful cap'n? Who 
 tipped me the black spot the day we landed, and began this dance? 
 Ah, it's a fine dance — I'm with you there- -and looks mighty like a 
 hornpipe in a rope's end at Execution Dock by London town, it 
 does. But who done it? Why, it was Anderson and Hands and 
 you, George Merrj'-l And you're the last above-board of that same 
 meddling crew; and you have the Davy Jones's insolence to up and 
 stand for cap'n over me — you, that sunk the lot of usl By the 
 powers! but this tops the stiffest yarn to nothing." 
 
 Silver paused, and I could see by the faces of George and his late 
 comrades that these words had not been said in vain. 
 
 "That's for number one," cried the accused, wiping the sweat 
 from his brow, tor he had been talking with a vehemence that 
 shook the house. *' Why, I give you my word, I'm sick to speak 
 to you. You've neither sense nor memory, and I leave it to fancy 
 where your mothers was that let you come to sea. Sea! Gentle- 
 men o' fortune! 1 reckon tailors is your trade." 
 
 " Go on, John," said Morgan. " Speak up to the others." 
 
 " Ah, the othersl" returned John. " They're a nice lot, ain't 
 they? You say this cruise is bungled. Ah! by gum, if you could
 
 133 TEEASUKE ISLAISTD. 
 
 understand how bad it's bungled, you would seel We're that near 
 the gibbet that my neck's stiff with thinking on it. You've seen 
 *em, maybe, hanged in chains, birds about 'em, seamen p'inting 'em 
 out as they go down with the tide. ' Who's that?' says one, 
 'That! Why, that's John Silver. I knowed him well,' says an- 
 other. And you can hear the chains a- jangle as you go about and 
 reach for the other buoy. Now, that's about where we are, every 
 mother's son of us, thanks to him, and Hands, and Anderson, and 
 other ruination fools of you. And if you want to know about 
 number four, and that boy, why, shiver my timbers! isn't he a 
 hostage? Are we going to waste a hostage? No, not us; he might 
 be our last chance, and I shouldn't wonder. Kill that boy? not 
 me, matesi And number three? All, well, there's a deal to say to 
 number three. May be you don't count it nothing to have 
 a real college doctor come to see you every day — you, John, with 
 your head broke — or you, George Merrj^ that had the ague shakes 
 upon you not six hours agoue, and has your e3'es the color of lemon 
 peel to this same moment on the clock? And may be, perhaps, you 
 didn't know there was a consort coming, either? But there is, and 
 not so long till then; and we'll see who'll be glad to have a hostage 
 when it comes to that. And as for number two, and why I made a 
 bargain — well, you came crawling on your knees to me to make it — 
 on your knees j^ou came, you was that down-hearted — and you'd 
 have starved, too, if I hadn't — but that's a tritiel j'ou look there— 
 that's whyl" 
 
 And he cast down upon the floor a paper that I instantly recog- 
 nized — none other than the chart on yellow pai)er, with the three 
 red crosses, that I had found in the oilcloth at the bottom of the 
 captain's chest. Why the doctor had given it to him was more 
 than I could fancy. 
 
 But if it were inexplicable to me the appearance of the chart was 
 incredible to the surviving mutineers. They leaped upon it like 
 cats upon a mouse. It went from hand to hand, one tearing it from 
 another; and by the oaths and the cries and the childish laughter 
 with which they accompanied their examination, you would have 
 thought, not only they were fingering the very gold, but were at sea 
 with it, besides, in safety. 
 
 " Yes," said one, " that's Flint, sure enough. J. F., and a score 
 b&low, with a clove hitch to it, so he done ever." 
 
 " Mighty pretty," said George. " But how are we to get away 
 with it, and us no ship?'' 
 
 Silver suddenly sprung up, and supporting himself with a hand
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 133 
 
 against the wall: " Now, I give you warning, George," he cried. 
 " One more word of your sauce, and I'll call you down and fight 
 you. How? Why, how do I know? You had ought to tell nae 
 that — you and the rest, that lost me my schooner, with your inter- 
 ference, burn youl But not you, you can't; you hain't got the in 
 vention of j, cockroach. But civil you can speak, and shall, George 
 Merry, you may lay to that." 
 " That's fair enow," said the old man Morgan. 
 "Fair! I reckon so," said the sea-cook. " You lost the ship; I 
 found the treasure. Who's the better man at that? And now I re- 
 sign, by thunder! Elect whom you please to be your cap'n now; 
 I'm done with it." 
 "Silver!" they cried. " Barbecue forever! Barbecue for cap'n I" 
 " So that's the toon, is it?" cried the cook. " George, I reckon 
 you'll have to wait another turn, friend, and lucky for you as I'm 
 not a revengeful man. But that was never my way. And now, 
 shipmates, this blade spot? 'Tain't much good now, is it? Dick's 
 crossed his luck and spoiled his Bible, and that's about all." 
 
 " It'll do to kiss the book on still, won't it?" growled Dick, who 
 ■was evidently uneasy at the curse he had brought upon himself. 
 
 " A Bible with a bit cut outi" returned Silver, derisively. " Not 
 it. It don't bind no more'n a ballad-book." 
 
 " Don't it, though?" cried Dick, with a sort of joy. " Well, I 
 reckon that's worth having, too." 
 
 " Here, Jim — here's a cur'osity for you," said Silver; and he 
 tossed me the paper. 
 
 It was a round about the size of a crown-piece. One side was 
 blank, for it had been the last leaf; the other contained a verse or 
 two of Revelation — these words among the rest, which struck sharp- 
 ly home upon my mind: " Without are dogs and murderers." The 
 printed side had been blackened with wood-ash, which already be- 
 gan to come off and soil my fingers; on the blank side had been 
 written with the same material the one word, " Deposed." I have 
 that curiosity beside me at this moment; but not a trace of writing 
 now remains beyond a single scratch, such as a man might make 
 with his thumb-nail. 
 
 That was the end of the night's business. Soon after, with a drink 
 all round, we lay down to sleep, and the outside of Silver's venge- 
 ance was to put George Merry up for sentinel, and threaten him 
 with death if he should prove unfaithful. 
 
 It was long ere I could close an eye, and Heaven knows I had 
 matter enough for thought in the man whom I had slain that after
 
 134 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 noon, in my own most perilous position, and, above all, In the re 
 markable game that I saw Silver now engaged upon— keeping the 
 mutineers together with one hand, and grasping, with the other, 
 after every means, possible and impossible, to make his peace and 
 save his miserable life. He himself slept peacefully, and snored 
 aloud; yet my heart was sore for him, wicked as he was, to think 
 on the dark perils that environed, and the shameful gibbet that 
 awaited him. 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 ON PAROLE. 
 
 I WAS wakened — indeed, we were all wakened, for I could see 
 even the sentinel shake himself together trom where he had fallen 
 against the door-post by a clear, hearty voice hailing us from the 
 margin of the wood: 
 
 '* Block-house, ahoyl" it cried. " Here's the doctor." 
 
 And the doctor it was. Although I was glad to hear the sound, 
 yet my gladness was not without admixture. I remembered with 
 confusion my insubordinate and stealthy conduct; and when I saw 
 where it had brought me — among what companions and surrounded 
 by what dangers — I felt ashamed to look him in the face. 
 
 He must have risen in the dark, for the day had hardly come; 
 and when I ran to a loophole and looked out, 1 saw him standing, 
 like Silver once before, up to the mid leg in creeping vapor. 
 
 "You, doctor! Top o' the morning to you, sirl" cried Silver, 
 broad awake and beaming with good nature in a moment. " Bright 
 and early, to be sure; and it's the earl}'' bird, as the saying goes, 
 that gets the rations. George, shake up your timbers, son, and help 
 Doctor Livesey over the ship's side. All a-doin' well, your patients 
 was — all well and merry." 
 
 So he pattered on, standing on the hill-top, with his crutch under 
 Lis elbow, and one hand upon the side of the log house — quite the 
 old John in voice, manner, and expression, 
 
 "We've quite a surprise for you, too, sir," he continued 
 " We've a little stranger here— he! he! A noo boarder and lodger, 
 sir, and looking fit and taut as a fiddle; slep' like a supercargo, he 
 did, right alongside of John — stem to stem we was, all night," 
 
 Dr. Livesey was by this time across the stockade and pretty neai 
 the cook; and I could hear the alteration in his voice as he said: 
 
 ":NotJim?"
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 135 
 
 " The very same Jim as ever was," says Silver 
 
 The doctor stopped outright, although he did not speak, and it 
 was some seconds before he seemed able to move on. 
 
 "Well, well, ' he said at last, " duty first and pleasure after- 
 ward, as you might have said yourself, Silver. Let us overhaul 
 these patients of yours." 
 
 A moment afterward he had entered the block-house, and, with 
 one grim nod to me, proceeded with his work among the sick. He 
 seemed to me under no apprehension, though he must have known 
 that his life, among these treacherous demons, depended on a hair; 
 and he rattled on to his patients as if he were paying an ordinary 
 professional visit in a quiet English family. His manner, I suppose, 
 reacted on the men; for tbey behaved to him as if nothing had oc- 
 curred—as if he were still ship's doctor, and they still faithful 
 hands before the mast. 
 
 " You're doing well, my friend," he said to the fellow with the 
 bandaged head, " and if ever any person had a close shave, it was 
 you; your head must be as hard as iron. Well, George, how goes 
 it? You're a pretty color, certainly; why, your liver, man, is up- 
 side down. Did you take that medicine? Did he take that medi- 
 cine, men?" 
 
 " Ay, ay, sir, he took it, sure enough," returned Morgan. 
 
 " Because, you see, since I am mutineers' doctor, or prison doctor, 
 as I prefer to call it," says Dr. Livesey, in his pleasantest way, " I 
 make it a point of honor not to lose_a man for King George (God 
 bless him!) and the gallows." 
 
 The rogues looked at each other, but swallowed the home-thrust 
 in silence. 
 
 *' Dick don't feel well, sir," said one. 
 
 " Don't he?" replied the doctor. " Well, step up here, Dick, 
 and let me see your tongue. No, I should be surprised if he did; 
 the man's tongue is fit to frighten the French. Another fever." 
 
 " Ah, there," said Morgan, " that corned of sp'iling Bibles." 
 
 " That comed— as you call it — of being arrant asses," retorted the 
 doctor, " and not having sense enough to know honest air from 
 poison, and the dry land from a vile, pestiferous slough. I think it 
 most probable — though, of course, it's only an opinion — that you'll 
 all have the deuce to pay before you get that malaria out of your 
 systems. Camp in a bog, would you? Silver, I'm surprised at you. 
 You're less of a fool than many, take you all round; but you don't 
 appear to me to have the rudiments of a notion of the rules of health. 
 Well," he added, aft*"' he had docdihem round, and they had
 
 136 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 taken his prescriptions, with really laughable humility, more like 
 charity school children than blood guilty mutineers and pirates— 
 " well, that's done for to day. And now 1 should wish to have a 
 talk with that boy, please." 
 
 And he nodded his head in my direction carelessly. 
 
 Greorge Merry was at the door, spitting and spluttering over some 
 bad-tasted medicine; but at the first word of the doctor's proposal 
 he swung round with a deep tlush, and cried, " Nol" and swore. 
 
 Silver struck the barrel with his open hand. 
 
 " Si-lence!" he roared, and looked about him positively like a 
 lion. " Doctor," he went on, in his usual tones, " I was a-think- 
 ing of that, knowing as how you had a fancy for the boy. We're 
 all humbly grateful for your kindness, and, as you see, puts faith 
 in you, and takes the drugs down like that much grog And I take 
 it I've found a way as'U suit all. Hawkins, will you give me your 
 word of honor as a young gentleman — for a young gentleman you 
 are, although poor born — your word of honor not to slip your cable?" 
 
 1 readily gave the pledge required. 
 
 " Then, doctor," said Silver, " j^ou just step outside o' that stock- 
 ade, and once you're there, I'll bring the boy down on the inside, 
 and I reckon you can yarn through the spars. Good day to you, 
 sir, and all our dooties to the squire and Cap'n Smollett." 
 
 The explosion of disapproval, which nothing but Silver's black 
 looks had restraitied, broke out immediately the doctor had left the 
 house. Silver was roundly accused of playing double — of trying to 
 make a separate peace for himself — of sacrificing the interests of his 
 accomplices and victims; and, in one word, of the identical, exact 
 thing that he was doing. It seemed to me so obvious, in this case, 
 that I could not imagine how he was to turn their anger. But he 
 was twice the man the rest were; and his last night's victory had 
 given him a huge preponderance on their minds. He called them 
 nil the fools and dolts you can imagine, said it was necessary I 
 should talk to the doctor, fluttered the chart in their faces, asked 
 them if they could afford to break the treaty the ver}'^ day they were 
 bound a-treasure-hunting. 
 
 " No, by thunderl" he cried, " it's us must break the treaty 
 when the time comes: and till then I'll gammon that doctor, if I 
 have to ile his boots with brandy. ' ' 
 
 And then he bade them get the fire lighted, and stalked out upon 
 his crutch, with his hand on my shouWer, leaving them in a dis- 
 array, and silenced by his volubility lather than convinced.
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 137 
 
 " Slow, lad, slow," he said. " They might round upon us in a 
 twinkle of an eye, if we was seen to hurry." 
 
 Very deliberately, then, did we advance across the sand to where 
 the doctor waited us on the other side of the stockade, and as soon 
 as we were wthin easy spealving distance, Silver stopped. 
 
 " You'll make a note of this here also, doctor," says he, " and the 
 boy'h tell you how I saved his life, and were deposed for it, too, 
 and you may lay to that. Doctor, when a man's steering as near 
 the wind as me — playing chuck-farthing with the last breath in his 
 body, like— you wouldn't think it too much, mayhap, to give him 
 one good word! Youll please bear in mind it's not my life only 
 now — it's that boy into the bargain; and you'll speak me fair, doc- 
 tor, and give me a bit o* hope to go on, for the sake of mercy." 
 
 Silver was a changed man, once he was out there and had his 
 back to his friends and the block-house; his cheeks seemed to have 
 fallen in, his voice trembled; never was a soul more dead in earnest. 
 
 " Why, John, you're not afraid?" asked Dr. Livesey. 
 
 " Doctor, I'm no coward; no, not I — not sc much!" and he 
 snapped his fingers " If I was I wouldn't say it. But I'll own 
 up fairly I've the shakes upon me for the gallows. You're a good 
 man and a true; I never seen a better man! And you'll not forget 
 what 1 done good, not an}' more than j^ou'll forget the bad,l know. 
 And I step aside — see here — and leave you and Jim alone. And 
 you'll put tnat down for me too, for it s a long stretch, is that!" 
 
 So saying, he stepped back a little way till he was out of ear-shot, 
 and there sat down upon a tree-stump and began to whistle; spin- 
 ning round now and again upon his seat so as to command a sight 
 sometimes of me and the doctor, and sometimes of his unruly ruf- 
 fians as they went to and fro in the sand, between the fire — which 
 they were busy rekindling — and the house, from which they brought 
 forth pork and bread to make the breakfast. 
 
 '* So, Jim," said the doctor, sadly, " here you are. As you have 
 brewed, so shall you drink, my boy. Heaven knows, I can not find 
 it in my heart to blame you; but this much 1 will say, be it kind or 
 unkind: when Captain Smollett was well, you dared not have gone 
 off; and when he was ill, and couldn't help it, by George, it was 
 downright cowardly!" 
 
 1 will own that 1 here began to weep. " Doctor," I said, " you 
 might spare me. I have blamed myself enough; ray life's forfeit 
 any way, and 1 should have been dead now, if Silver hadn't stood 
 for me; and, doctor, believe this, I can die — and I dare say I de- 
 serve U — "bnt what I fear is torture. If they come to torture me — '*
 
 138 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 " Jim, the doctor interrupted, and his voice was quite changed, 
 " Jim, I can't have this. Whip over, and we'll run for it." 
 
 " Doctor," said I, " I passed my word." 
 
 " I know, I know," he cried. " "We can't help that, Jim, now. 
 I'll take it on my shoulders, holus bolus, blame and shame, my boy; 
 but stay here, I can not let you. JumpI One jump, and you're 
 out, and we'll run for it like antelopes." 
 
 " No," I replied, " you know right well you wouldn't do the thing 
 yourself: neither you, nor squire, nor captain; and no more will I. 
 Silver trusted me; I passed my word, v.nd back I go. But, doctor, 
 you did not let me finish. If they come to torture me, 1 might let 
 slip a word of where the ship is; fori got the ship, part by luck and 
 part by risking, and she lies in North Inlet, on the southern beach, 
 and just below high water. At half- tide she must be high and dry." 
 
 " The ship!" exclaimed the doctor. 
 
 Rapidly I described to him my adventures, and he heard me out 
 in silence. 
 
 " There is a kind of fate in this," he observed, when I had done. 
 " Every step it's you that saves our lives; and do j^ou suppose by 
 any chance that we are going to let you lose yoursV That would 
 be a poor return, my boy. You found out the plot; you found Ben 
 Gunn — the best deed that ev r you did, or will do, though you live 
 to ninety. Oh, by Jupiter! and talking of Ben Gunn, why, this is 
 the mischief in person. Silver!" he cried, 'Silver! I'll give you 
 a piece of advice," he continued, as the cook drew near again; 
 " don't you be in auy great hurry after that treasure." 
 
 " Why, sir, I do my possible, which that ain't," said Silver. " 1 
 can only, asking your pardon, save my life and the boy's by seek- 
 ing for that treasure, and you may lay to that." 
 
 " Well, Silver,' replied the doctor, " if that is so, I'll go one step 
 further; look out for squalls when you find it!" 
 
 " Sir," said Silver, " as between man and man, that's too much 
 and too little. What you're after, why you left the block-house, 
 why you given me that there chart, I don't know now, do I? and 
 yet I done your bidding with my eyes shut and never a word ot 
 hope! But no, this here's too much. If you won't tell me what 
 you mean plain out, just say sc , and I'll leave the helm.'* 
 
 "No," said the doctor, musingl^^ "I've no right to say more, 
 it's not my secret, j'ou see. Silver, or, I give you my word, I'd tel' 
 it you. But I'll go as far with you as I dare go, and a step beyond 
 for I'll have my wig sorted by the captain, or I'm mislakenl And,
 
 TEEASTJRE ISLAN-D. 139 
 
 first, IT., give you a bit of hope; Silver, if we both get alive out of 
 this wolf- trap, I'll do my best to have you, short of perjury," 
 
 Silver's face was radiant. " You couldn't say more, I'm sure, sir, 
 not if you was my mother," he cried. 
 
 " Well, that's my first concession," added the doctor. "My 
 second is a piece of advice • Keep the boy close beside you, and 
 when you need help, halloo. I'm off to seek it for you, and that it 
 self will show you if I speak at random. Good-bye, Jim." 
 
 And Dr. Livesey shook hands with me through the stockade, 
 nodded to Silver, and set oil at a brisk pace into the wood. 
 
 CHAPTEK XXXI. 
 
 THE TREASUUE-HUNT FLINT'S POtNTEB. 
 
 "Jim," said Silver, when we were alone, "if I saved your life, 
 you saved mine; and I'll not forget it, I seen the doctor waving 
 you to run for it — with the tail of my eye, I did; and I seen you say 
 no, as plain as hearing. Jim, that's one to you. This is the first 
 glint of hope I had since the attack failed, and I owe it you. And 
 now. Jim, we're to go in for this here treasure-hunting, with sealed 
 orders, too. and I don't like it; and you and me must stick close, 
 back to back like, and we'll save our necks in spite o' fate and fort- 
 une." 
 
 Just then a man hailed us from the fire that breakfast was ready, 
 and we were soon seated here and there about the sand over biscuit 
 and fried junk. They had lighted a fire fit to roast an ox; and it 
 was now grown so hot that they could only approach it from the 
 windward, and even there not without precaution. In the same 
 wasteful spirit, they had cooked, I suppose, three times more than 
 we could eat; and one of them, with an empty laugh, threw what 
 was left into the fire, which blazed and roared again over this un- 
 usual fuel. I never in my life saw men so careless of the morrow; 
 hand to mouth is the only word that can describe their way of do- 
 ing; and what with wasted food and sleeping sentries, though they 
 were bold enough for a brush and be done with it, I could see their 
 entire unfitness for anything like a prolonged campaign. 
 
 Even Silver, eating away, with Captain Flint upon his shoulder, 
 had not a word of blame for their recklessness. And this the more 
 surprised me, for I thought he had never shown himself so cun 
 ning as he did then. 
 
 "Ay, mates," said he, "it's lucky you have Barbecue to think
 
 140 TREASUR-E TSLANI>. 
 
 for you with this here head, I got what I wanted, I did. oute 
 enough, they have the ship. Where they have it, I don't know yet; 
 but once we hit the treasure, we'll have to jump about and find out. 
 And then, mates, us that has the boats, I reckon, has the ui^per hand." 
 
 Thus he kept running on, with his mouth full of the hot bacon; 
 thus he restored their hope and confidence, and, I more than sus- 
 pect, repaired his own at the same time. 
 
 " As for hostage," he continued, " that's his last talk, I guess, 
 with them he loves so dear. I've got my piece o' news, and thanky 
 to him for that; but it's over and done. I'll take him in a line 
 when we go treasure-hunting, for we'll keep him like so much gold, 
 in case of accidents, you mark, and in the meantime, once we got 
 the ship and treasure both, and off to sea like jolly companions, 
 why, then we'll talk Mr. Hawkins over, we will, and we'll give him 
 his share, to be sure, for all his kindness." 
 
 It was no wonder the men were in a good humor now. For my 
 part, I was horribly cast down. Should the scheme he had now 
 sketched prove feasible. Silver, already doubly a traitor, would not 
 hesitate to adopt it. He had still a foot in either camp, and there 
 was no doubt he would prefer wealth and freedom with the pirates 
 to a bare escape from hanging, which was the best he had to hope 
 on our side. 
 
 Nay, and even if things so fell out that he was forced to keep his 
 faith with Dr. Livesey, even then what danger lay before us! 
 What a moment that would be when the suspicions of his followers 
 turned to certainty, and he and I should have to fight for dear life 
 — he, a cripple, and I, a boy — against five strong and active seameni 
 
 Add to this double apprehension, the mystery that still hung over 
 the behavior of my friends; their unexplained desertion of the 
 slockade; their inexplicable cession of the chart; or, harder still to 
 understand, the doctor's last warning to Silver, " Look out for 
 squalls when j'ou find it;" and you will readily believe how little 
 taste I found in my breakfast, and with how uneasy a heart I set 
 forth behind my captors on the quest for treasure. 
 
 We made a curious figure, had any one been there to see us; all 
 in soiled sailor clothes, and all but me armed to ihe teeth. Silver 
 had two guns slung about him, one before and one behind — besides 
 the great cutlass at his waist, and a pistol in each pocket of his 
 square-tailed coat. To complete his stnmge appearance, Captain 
 Flint sat perched upon his shoulder and gabbled odds and ends of 
 purposeless sea-talk. I had a line about my waist, and foUowea 
 oheniently after the sea cook, who held the loose end of the rope,
 
 TREASTJEE ISLAND. 141 
 
 now in his free hand, now between his powerful teeth. For all the 
 world, I was led like a dancing bear. 
 
 The other men were variously burdened; some carrying picks 
 and shovels — for that had been the very first necessary they brought 
 ashore from the " Hispaniola " — others laden with pork, bread, and 
 brandy for the midday meal. All thw stores, I jbserved, came from 
 our stock; and I could see the truth of Silver's words the night be- 
 fore. Had he not struck a bargain with the doctor he and his 
 mutineers, deserted by the ship, must have beeu driven to subsist 
 on clear water, and the proceeds of their hunting. Water would 
 have been little to their taste; a sailor isnot usually a good shot; 
 and, Desides all that, when they were so short of eatables, it was not 
 likely they would be very flush of powder. 
 
 Well, thus equipped, we all set out — even the fellow with the 
 broken head, who should certainly have kept in shadow — and strag- 
 gled, one after another, to the beach, where the two gigs awaited 
 us. Even these bore trace of the drunken folly of the pirates, one 
 in a broken thwart, and both in their muddled and unbailed condi- 
 tion. Both were to be carried along with us, for the sake of safety; 
 and so, with our numbers divided between them, we set forth upon 
 the bosom of the anchorage. 
 
 As we pulled over there was some discussion on the chart. The 
 red cross was, of course, far too large to be a guide; and the terms 
 of the note on the back, as you will hear, admitted of some am- 
 biguity. They ran, the reader may remember, thus: 
 
 " Tall tree. Spy-glass shoulder, bearing a point to the N. of 
 N. N. E. 
 
 " Skeleton Island E. S. E. and by E. 
 " Ten feet." 
 
 A tall tree was thus the principal mark. Now, right before us, 
 the anchorage was bounded by a plateau from two to three hundred 
 feet high, adjoining on the north the sloping southern shoulder of 
 the Spy-glass, and rising again toward the south into the rough. 
 Cliffy eminence called the Mizzen-mast Hill. The fop of the plateau 
 was dotted thickly with pine trees of varying height. Every here 
 and there, one of a different species rose forty or fifty feet clear 
 above its neighbors, and which of these was the particular " tali 
 tree " of Captain Flint could only be decided on the spot, and by 
 the readings of the compass. 
 
 Yet, although that was the case, every man on board the boats had 
 picked a favorite of his own ere we were half-way over, Long Jinj
 
 143 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 alone shrugging his shoulders and bidding them wait till they were 
 there. 
 
 We pulled easiiy, by Silver's directions, not to weary the hands 
 prematurely; and, after quite a long passage, landed at the mouth 
 of the second river — that which runs down a woody cleft of the 
 Spy-glass. Thence, bending to our left, we began to ascend the 
 slope toward the plateau. 
 
 At the first outset, heavy, miry ground and a matted, marsh vege- 
 tation, greatly delayed our progress; but by little and little the hill 
 began to steepen and become stony under-foot, and the wood to 
 change its character and to grow in a more open order. It was, in- 
 deed, a most pleasant portion of the island that we were now ap- 
 proaching. A heavy-scented broom and many flowering shrubs 
 had almost taken the place of grass. Thickets of green nutmeg- 
 trees were dotted here and there with the red columns and the 
 broad shadow of the pines; and the first mingled their spice with 
 the aroma of the others. The air, besides, was fresh and stirring, 
 and this, under the sheer sunbeams, was a wonderful refreshment 
 to our senses. 
 
 The party spread itself abroad, in a fan shape, shouting and leap- 
 ing to and fro. About the center, and a good wa}^ behind the rest. 
 Silver and I followed — I tethered by my rope, he plowing, with 
 deep pants, among the sliding gravel. From time to time, indeed, 
 I had to lend him a hand, or he must have missed his footing and 
 fallen backward down the hill. 
 
 "We had thus proceeded for about half a mile, and were approach- 
 ing the brow of the plateau, when the man upon the furthest left 
 began to cry aloud, as if in terror. Shout after shout came from 
 him, and the others began to run in his direction. 
 
 " He can't have found the treasure," said old Morgan, hurrying 
 past us from the right, " for that's clean a-top." 
 
 Indeed, as we found when we also reached the spot, it was some- 
 thing very different. At the foot of a pretty big pine, and involved 
 in a green creeper, which had even partly lifted some of the smaller 
 bones, a human skeleton lay, with a few shreds of clothing, on the 
 ground. I believe a chill struck for a moment to every heart. 
 
 "He was a seaman," said George Merry, who, bolder than the 
 rest, had gone up close, and was examining the rags of clothing. 
 " Leastways, this is good sea-cloth." 
 
 " Ay, ay." said Silver, " like enough; j^ou wouldn't look to find 
 a bishop here, I reckon. But what sort of a way is that for bones 
 to lie? 'Tain't in natur'."
 
 TEEASURE ISLAND. 143 
 
 Indeed, on a second glance, it seemed impossible to fancy that the 
 body was in a natural position. But for some disarray (the work, 
 perhaps, of the birds that had fed upon him, or of the slow-growing 
 creeper that had gradually enveloped his remains) the man lay per- 
 fectly straight— his feet pointing in one direction, his hands, raised 
 above his head lilie a diver's, pointing directly in the opposite. 
 
 "I've taken a notion into ray old numskull," observed Silver. 
 " Here's the compass; there's the tiptop p'int of Skeleton Island, 
 stickin' out like a tooth. Just take a bearing, will you, along the 
 line of them bones." 
 
 It was done. The body pointed straight in the direction of the 
 island, and the compass read duly E. S. E. by E. 
 
 " 1 thought so," cried the cook; " this here is a p'inter. Right 
 up there is our line for the Pole Star and the jolly dollars. But, by 
 thunder! if it don't make me cold inside to think of Flint. This is 
 one of Ms jokes, and no mistake. Him and these six was alone 
 here; he killed 'em, every man; and this one he hauled here and 
 laid down by compass, shiver my timbers! They're long bones, 
 and the hair's been yellow. Ay, that would be Allardyce. You 
 mind Allardyce, Tom Jlorgan?" 
 
 " Ay, ay," returned Morgan, " I mind him; he owed me money, 
 he did, and look my knife ashore with him." 
 
 " Speaking of knives," said another, " whj^ don't we find his'n 
 lying round? Flint warn't the man to pick a seaman's pocket; and 
 the birds, I guess, would leave it be." 
 
 " By the powers, and that's true!" cried Silver. 
 
 "There ain't a thing left here," said Merry, still feeling round 
 among the bones, "not a copper doit nor a baccy box. It don't 
 look nat'ralto me." 
 
 "No, by gum, it don't," agreed Silver; "not nat'ral, nor not 
 nice, says you. Great guns! messmates, but if Flint was living, 
 this would be a hot spot for you and me. Six they were, and six 
 are we; and bones is what they are now." 
 
 " I saw him dead with these here deadlights," said Morgan. 
 " Billy took me in. There he laid, with penny-pieces on his eyes." 
 
 "Dead — ay, sure enough he's dead and gone below," said me 
 fellow with the bandage; " but if ever sperrit walked, it would be 
 Flint's. Dear heart, but he died bad, did Flint!" 
 
 " Ay, that he did," observed another; " now he raged, and now 
 he hollered for the rum, and now he sung. ' Fifteen Men ' were 
 bis only song, mates; and I tell you true, I never rightly liked to 
 hear it since It was main hot, and the windy was open, and I heas
 
 144 TREASUEE ISLAND. 
 
 that old song comin' out as clear as clear — and the death-haul on th* 
 man already." 
 
 " Come, come," said Silver, " stow this talk. He's dead, and he 
 dont walk, that I know; leastways, he won't walk by day, and 
 you may lay to that. Care killed a cat. Fetch ahead for the 
 doubloons." 
 
 We started, certainly; but in spite of the hot sun and the staring 
 daylight, tlie pirates no longer ran separate and shouting through 
 the wood, but kept side by side and spoke with bated breath. Tiie 
 terror of the dead buccaneer had fallen on their spirits. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 THE TREASURE HUNT: THE VOICE AMONG THE TREES. 
 
 Partly from the damping influence of this alarm, partly to rest 
 Silver and the sick folk, the whole party sat down as soon as they 
 had gained the brow of the ascent. 
 
 The plateau being somewhat tilted toward the west, this spot on 
 which we had paused commanded a wide prospect on either hand. 
 Before us, over the tree-tops, we belield the Cape of the Woods 
 fringed with surf; behind, we not only looked down upon the 
 anchorage and Skeleton Island, but saw — clear across the spit and 
 the eastern lowlands— a great field of open sea upon the east. Sheer 
 above us rose the Spy-glass, here dotted with single pines, there 
 black with precipices. There was no sound but that of the distant 
 breakers, mounting from all round, and the chirp of countless in- 
 sects in the brush. Not a man, not a sail upon the sea; the very 
 largeness of the view increased the sense of solitude. 
 
 Silver, as he sat, took certain bearings witli his compass. 
 
 " There are three ' tall trees,' " said he, " about in the right line 
 from Skeleton Island. ' Spy-glass Shoulder,' I take it, means that 
 lower p'int tlicre. It's child's play to find the stuff now. I've half 
 a mind to dine first.'' 
 
 " I don't feel sharp," growled Morgan. " Thinkin' o' Flint— 1 
 think it were — as done me." 
 
 " All, well, my son, you praise your stars he's dead," said Silver. 
 
 " He was an ugly devil," cried a third pirate, with a shudder; 
 " that blue in tlie face, too!" 
 
 " That was how the rum took him," added Merry. " Bluel well, 
 I reckon he was blue. That's a true word. " 
 
 Ever since they had found the skeleton and got upon this train
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 145 
 
 of thougbt, they had spoken lower and lower, and they had almost 
 got to whispering by now, so that the sound of their talk hardly 
 interrupted the silence of the wood. All of a sudden, out of the 
 middle of the trees in front of us, a thin, high, trembling voice 
 struck up the well-known air and words: 
 
 " Fifteen men on the dead man's chest— 
 Yo-ho-ho, and a bottle of rum 1" 
 
 I never have seen men more dreadfully affected than the pirates. 
 The color went from their six faces like enchantment; some leaped 
 to their feet, some clawed hold of others; Morgan groveled on the 
 ground. 
 
 " It's Flint, by !" cried Merry. 
 
 The song had stopped as suddenly as it began — broken off, you 
 would have said, in the middle of a note, as though some one had 
 laid his hand upon the singer's mouth. Coming so far through the 
 clear, sunny atmosphere among the green tree-tops, I thought it 
 had sounded airily and sweetly; and the effect on my companions 
 was the stranger. 
 
 "Come," said Silver, struggling with his ashen lips to get 1 ho 
 word out, " that won't do. Stand by to go about. This is a rum 
 start, and I can't name the voice, but it's some one skylarking — 
 some one that's flesh and blood, and you may lay to that." 
 
 His courage had come back as he spoke, and some of the color to 
 his face along with it. Already the others had begun to lend an 
 ear to this encouragement, and were coming a little to themselves, 
 when the same voice broke out again — not this time singing, but in 
 a faint, distant hail, that echoed yet fainter am.ong the clefts of the 
 Spy-glass. 
 
 " Darby M'Graw," it wailed — for that is the word that best de 
 scribes the sound — " Darby M'Graw! Darby M'Graw!" again and 
 again and again; and then rising a little higher, and with an oath 
 that I leave out: " Fetch aft the rum, Darby!" 
 
 The buccaneers remained rooted to the ground, their eyes start- 
 ing from their heads. Long after the voice had died away they slill 
 stared in silence, dreadfully, before them. 
 
 " That fixes it!" gasped one. " Let's go." 
 
 "They was his last words," moaned Morgan, "his last wordg 
 above-board." 
 
 Dick had his Bible out, and was praying volubly. He had been 
 well brought up, had Dick, before he came to sea and fe?l among 
 oad companions.
 
 146 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 Still, Silver was unconquered. I could hear his teeth rattle *n 
 
 his head; but he had not yet surrendered. 
 
 " Nobody ia this here island ever heard of Darby," he muttered; 
 "not one but us that's here." And then, making a great effort. 
 " Shipmates," he cried, " I'm here to get that stuff, and I'll not be 
 beat by man nor devil, I never was feared of Flint in his life, and, 
 by the powers, I'll face him dead. There's seven hundred thousand 
 pound not a quarter of a mile from here. When did ever a gentle- 
 man o' fortune show his stern to that much dollars, for a boosy old 
 seaman with a blue mug — and him dead, too?" 
 
 But there was no sign (>f reawakening courage in his followers; 
 rather, indeed, of growing terror at the irreverence of his words. 
 
 *' Belay there, John!" said Merry. " Don't you cross a sperrit." 
 
 And the rest were all too territied to reply. They would have 
 run away severally had they dared, but fear kept them together, 
 and kept them close by John, as if his daring helped them. He, 
 on his part, had pretty well fought his weakness down. 
 
 " Sperrit? Well, may be," he said, " But there's one thing not 
 clear to me. There was an echo. Now, no man ever seen a sperrit 
 with a shadow; well, then, what's he doing with an echo to him, 
 I should like to know? That ain't in natur', surely?" 
 
 This argument seemed weak enough to me. But you can never 
 tell what will affect the superstitious, and, to my wonder, George 
 Merry was greatly relieved. 
 
 " Well, that's so," he said. " You've a head upon your shoul- 
 ders, John, and no mistake. 'Bout ship, mates! This here crew is 
 on a wrong tack, I do believe. And come to think on it, it was like 
 Flint's voice, I grant you, but not just so clear away like it, after 
 all. It was liker somebody else's voice now — it was liker — " 
 
 " By the powers, Ben Gunnl" roared Silver. 
 
 "Ay, and so it were," cried Morgan, springing on his knees. 
 " Ben Gunn it werel" 
 
 "It don't make much odds, do it, now?" asked Dick. "Ben 
 Gunn's not here in the body, any more'n Flint." 
 
 But the older hands greeted this remark with scorn. " Why no- 
 body minds Ben Gunn." cried Merry; "dead or alive, nobody 
 minds him " 
 
 It was extraordinary how their spirits had returned, and how the 
 natural color had revived in their faces. Soon they were chatting 
 together, with intervals of listening; and not long after, hearing no 
 further sound, they shouldered the tools and set forth again, Merr/ 
 walking first with Silver's compass to keep them on the right linfl
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 147 
 
 with Skeleton Island. He liad said the truth: dead or alive, no- 
 body minded Ben Gunn. 
 
 Dick alone still held his Bible, and looked around him as he 
 went, with fearful glances; but he found no sympathy, and Silver 
 even joked him on his precautions. 
 
 " I told you," said he—" I told you, you had sp'iled your Bible. 
 If it ain't no good to swear by, what do you suppose a sperrit would 
 give for it? Not that!" and he snapped his big fingers, halting a 
 moment on his crutch. 
 
 But Dick was not to be comforted; indeed, it was soon plain to 
 me that the lad was falling sick; hastened by heat, exhaustion, and 
 the shock of his alarm, the fever, predicted by Dr. Livesey, was 
 evidently growing swiftly higher. 
 
 It was fine open walking here, upon the summit; our way lay a 
 little downhill, for, as I have said, the plateau tilted toward the 
 west. The pines, great and small, grew wide apart; and even be- 
 tween the clumps of nutmeg and azalea, wide open spaces baked in 
 the hot sunshine. Striking, as we did, pretty near north-west across 
 the island, we drew, on the one hand, ever nearer under the shoul- 
 ders of the Spy-glass, and on the other, looked ever wider over that 
 western bay where I had once tossed and trembled in the coracle. 
 
 The first of the tall trees was reached, and by the bearing, proved 
 the wrong one. So with the second. The third rose nearly two 
 hundred feet into the air above a clump of underwood; a giant of 
 a vegetable, with a red column as big as a cottage, and a wide 
 shadow around in which a company could have maneuvered. It was 
 conspicuous far to sea both on the east and west, and might have 
 been entered as a sailing mark upon the chart. 
 
 But it was not its size that now impressed my companions; it was 
 the knowledge that seven hundred thousand pounds in gold lay 
 somewhere buried below its spreading shadow. The thought of the 
 money, as they drew nearer, swallowed up their previous terrors. 
 Their eyes burned in their heads; their feet grew speedier and light- 
 er; their whole soul was bound up in that fortune, that whole life- 
 time of extravagance and pleasure, that lay waiting there for each 
 of them. 
 
 Silver hobbled, grunting, on his crutch, his nostrils stood out and 
 quivered; he cursed like a madman when the flies settled on his hot 
 and shiny countenance; he plucked furiously at the line that held 
 me to him, and, from time to time, turned his eyes upon me with a 
 deadly look. Certainly he took no pains to hide his thoughts; and 
 certainly I re-ad them like print. In the immediate nearness of the
 
 148 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 gold, all else had been forgotten; his promise and the doctor's warn- 
 iog were both things of the past; and I could not doubt thai he 
 hoped to seize upon the treasure; find and board the " Hispaniola " 
 under cover of night, cut every honest throat about that island, and 
 sail away as he had at first intended, laden with crimes and riches. 
 
 Shaken as I was with these alarms, it was hard for me to keep up 
 with the rapid pace of the treasure-hunters. Now and again T tum- 
 bled; and it was then that Silver plucked so roughly at the rope and 
 launched at me his murderous glances. Dick, who had dropjDed 
 behind us, and now brought up the rear, was babbling to himself 
 both prayers and curses, as his fever kept rising. This also added 
 to my wretchedness, and, to crown all, I was haunted by the 
 thought of the tragedy that had once been acted on that plateau, 
 ■when that ungodly buccaneer with the blue face — he who had died 
 at Savannah, singing and shouting for drink — had there, with his 
 own hand, cut down his six accomplices. This grove, that was 
 now so peaceful, mu^t then have rung with cries, I thought; and 
 even with the thought I could believe I heard it ringing still. 
 
 We were now at the margin of the thicket. 
 
 " Huzza, mates, altogether]" shouted Merry; and the foremost 
 broke into a run. 
 
 And suddenl}^ not ten yards further, we beheld them stop. A 
 low cry arose. Silver doubled his pace, digging away with the 
 foot of his crutch like one possessed, and next moment he and I had 
 come also to a dead halt. 
 
 Before us was a great excavation, not very recent, for the sides 
 had fallen in and grass had sprouted on tiie bottom. In this were 
 the shaft of a pick broken in two and the boards of several packing- 
 cases strewn around. On one of these boards I saw, branded with 
 a hot iron, the name " Walrus " — the name of Flint's ship. 
 
 All was clear to probation. The cache had been found and rifled 
 —the seven hundred thousand pounds were gone I 
 
 CHAPTER XXXin. 
 
 THE FALL OP A CHIEFTAIN. 
 
 There never was such an overturn in this world. Each of these 
 eix men was as though he had been struck. But with Silver the 
 blow passed almost instantly. Every thought of his soul had been 
 set full-stretch, like a racer, on that money; well, he was brought 
 up in a single second, dead; and he kept his he?d, found his tern-
 
 TREASUKE ISLAND. 149 
 
 per, and changed his plan before the others had had time to realize 
 the disappointment. 
 
 •' Jim," he whispered, " take that, and stand by for trouble." 
 
 And he passed me a double-barreled pistol. 
 
 At the same time he began quietly moving northward, and in a 
 few steps had put the hollow between us two and the otlier five. 
 Then he looked at me and nodded, as much as to say, " Here is a 
 narrow corner," as, indeed, I thought it was. His looks were now 
 quite friendly; and I w'as so revolted at these constant changes, that 
 I could not forbear whispering, " So you've changed sides again." 
 
 There was no time left for him to answer in. The buccaneers, 
 with oaths and cries, began to leap, one after another, into the pit, 
 and to dig with then* fingers, throwing the boards aside as they did 
 so. Morgan found a piece of gold. He held it up with a perfect 
 spout of oaths. It was a two-guinea piece, and it went from band 
 to hand among them for a quarter of a minute. 
 
 "Two guineas!" roared Merrj% shaking it at Silver. "That's 
 your seven hundred thousand pounds, is it? You're the man for 
 bargains, ain't you? You're him that never bungled nothing, you 
 wooden-headed lubberl" 
 
 " Dig aw^ay, boys," said Silver, with the coolest insolence; 
 " you'll find some pig-nuts, and I shouldn't wonder." 
 
 " Pig-nuts!" repeated Merry, in a scream. " Mates, do you hear 
 \hat? I tell you, now, that man there knew it all along. Look in 
 the face of him, and you'll see it wrote there." 
 
 "Ah, Merry," remarked Silver, " standing for cap'n again? 
 You're a pushing lad, to be sure." 
 
 But this time every one was entirely in Merry's favor. They be- 
 gan to scramble out of the excavation, darting furious glances be- 
 hind them. One thing I observed, which looked well for us; they 
 all got out upon the opposite side from Silver. 
 
 Well, there we stood, two on one side, five on the other, the pit 
 between us, and nobody screwed up high enough to offer the first 
 blow. Silver never moved; he watched them, very upright on his 
 crutch, and looked as cool as ever I saw him. He was brave, and 
 no mistake. 
 
 At last, Merry seemed to think a speech might help matters. 
 
 " Mates," says he, " there's two of them alone there; one's the 
 old cripple that brought us all here and blundered us down to this; 
 the other's that cub that I mean to have the heart of. Now, mates — " 
 
 He was raising his ann and his voice, and plainly meant to lead a 
 charge But Just then — crack! crack! crackl — three musketshota
 
 150 TREASURE ISLAKD. 
 
 flashed out of the thicket. Merry tunibled head- foremost into the 
 excavation; the man with the bandage spun round like a teetotum, 
 and fell all his length upon his side, where he lay dead, but still 
 twitching; and the other three turned and ran for it with ali their 
 might. 
 
 Before you could wink Long John had fired two barrels of a pis- 
 tol into the siruggling Merry; and as the man rolled up his eyes at 
 him in the last agony, " George," said he, " I reckon I settled you." 
 
 At the same moment the doctor, Graj^ and Ben Gunn joined us, 
 ■with smoking muskets, from among the nutmeg-trees. 
 
 "Forward!" cried the doctor. "Double quick, my lads. We 
 must head 'em oflE the boats. ' ' 
 
 And we set off at a great pace, sometimes plunging through the 
 bushes to the chest. 
 
 I tell you, but Silver was anxious to keep up with us. The work 
 that man^went through, leaping on his crutch till the muscles of 
 his chest were fit to burst, was work no sound man ever equaled; 
 and so thinks the doctor. As it was, he was already thirty yards 
 behind us, and on the verge of strangling, when we reached the 
 brow of the slope. 
 
 " Doctor," he hailed, " see there I no hurry I" 
 
 Sure enough there was no hurry. In a more open part of the 
 plateau, we could see the thi-ee survivors still running in the same 
 direction as they had started, right for Mizzeu-mast Hill. We were 
 already between them and the boats; and so we four sat down to 
 breathe, while Long John, mopping his face, came slowly up with 
 us. 
 
 " Thank ye kindly, doctor," says he. " You came in in about 
 the nick, I guess, for me and Hawkins. And so it's you, Ben 
 GunnI" he added. " Well, you're a nice one to be sure." 
 
 " I'm Ben Gunn, I am," replied the maroon, wriggling like an 
 eel in his embarrassment. " And," he added, after a long pause, 
 " how do, Mr. Silver! Pretty well, I thank ye, says you." 
 
 " Ben, Ben," murmured Silver, " to think as 3'ou've done me." 
 
 The doctor sent back Gray for one of the pick-axes, deserted, in 
 their flight, by the mutineers; and then as we proceeded leisurely 
 downhill to where the boats were lying, related in a few words, 
 what had taken place. It was a story that profoundly interested 
 Silver, and Ben Gunn, the half -idiot maroon, was the hero from be 
 ginning to end. 
 
 Ben, in his long, lonely wanderings about the island, had found 
 the skeletoa— it was he that had rifled it; he had found the treasure,
 
 TREASUEE ISLAND. 15 1 
 
 he had dug it up (it was the haft of his pick-ax that lay broken in 
 the excavation); he had carried it on his back, in many weary 
 journeys, from tlie foot of the tall pine to a cave he had on the two- 
 pointed hill at the north-east angle of the island, and there it had 
 laid stored in safety since two months before the arrival of the 
 " Hispaniola." 
 
 When the doctor had wormed this secret from him, on the after- 
 noon of the attack, and when, next morning, he saw the anchorage 
 deserted, he had gone to Silver, given him the chart, which was 
 now useless — given him the stores, for Ben Gunn's cave was well 
 supplied with goats' meat salted by himself— given anything and 
 everything to get a chance of moving in safety from the stockade to 
 the two-pointed hill, there to be clear of malaria and keep a guard 
 upon the money. 
 
 " As for you, Jim," he said, " it went against my heart, but I 
 did what I thought b(?st for those who had stood by their duty; and 
 if j'ou were not one of these, whose fault was it?" 
 
 That morning, finding that I was to be involved in the horrid dis- 
 appointment he had prepared for the mutineers, he had run all the 
 way to the rave, and, leaving squire to guard the captain, had taken 
 Gray and the maroon, and started, making the diagonal across the 
 island, to he at hand beside the pine. Soon, however, he saw that 
 our party had the start of him; and Ben Gunn, being fleet of foot, 
 had been dispatched in front to do his best alone. Then it had oc- 
 curred to him to work upon the superstitions of his former ship- 
 mates; and he was so far successful that Gray and the doctor had 
 come up and were already ambushed before the arrival of the treas- 
 ure hunters. 
 
 " Ah," said Silver, *' it was fortunate for me that I had Hawkins 
 here. Yon would have let old John be cut to bits, and never given 
 it a thought, doctor." 
 " Not a thought," replied Dr. Livesey, cheerily.' 
 And by this time we had reached the gigs. The doctor, with the 
 pick-ax, demolished one of them, and then we all got aboard the 
 other, and set out to go round by the sea for North Inlet 
 
 This was a run of eight or nine miles. Silver, though he was al- 
 most killed already with fatigue, was set to an oar, like the rest o1 
 us, and we were soon skimming swiftly over a smooth sea. Soon 
 we passed out of the straits and doubled the south-east corner of the 
 island, round which, four days ago, we had towed the " Hisf»aniola." 
 As we passed the two-pointed hill, we could see the black mouth 
 of Ben Gunn's cave, and a figure standing by it, leaning on a mus
 
 182 TEEASUKE ISLAND. 
 
 ket. It was the squire; and we waved a handkerchief and gave 
 him three cheers, in which the voice of Silver joined as heartily as 
 any. 
 
 Three miles further, just inside the mouth of North Inlet, what 
 should we meet but the " Hispaniola," cruising by herself. The 
 last flood had lifted her; and had there been much wind, or a strong 
 tide current, as in the southern anchorage, we should never have 
 found her more, or found her stranded beyond help. As it was, 
 there was little amiss, beyond the wreck of the mainsail, Another 
 anchor was got ready, and dropped in a fathom and a half of water. 
 We all pulled round again to Rum Cove, the nearest point for Ben 
 Gunn's treasure-house; and then Gray, single-handed, returned 
 with the gig to the " Hispaniola," where he was to pass the night 
 on guard. 
 
 A gentle slope ran up from the beach to the entrance of the cave. 
 At the top, the squire met us. To me he was cordial and kind, 
 saying nothing of my escapade, either in the way of blame or praise. 
 At Silver's polite salute he somewhat flushed. 
 
 *' John Silver," he said, " you're a prodigious villain and Impos- 
 tor — a monstrous impostor, sir. I am told I am not to prosecute you. 
 Well, then, I will not. But the dead men, sir, hang about your 
 neck like millstones." 
 
 *' Thank you kindly, sir," replied Long John, again saluting. 
 
 " How dare you to thank mel" cried the squire. " It is a gross 
 dereliction of my duty. Stand backl" 
 
 And thereupon we all entered the cave. It was a large, airy 
 place, with a little spring and a pool of clear water, overhung with 
 ferns. The floor was sand. Before a big fire lay Captain Smollett; 
 and in a far corner, only duskily flickered over by the blaze, I be- 
 held great heaps of coin and quadrilaterals built of bars of gold. 
 That was Flint's treasure that we had come so far to seek, and that 
 had cost already the lives of seventeen men from the " Hispaniola." 
 How many it had cost in the amassing, what blood and sorrow, 
 what good ships scuttled on the deep, what brave men walking the 
 plank blindfold, what shot of cannon, what shame and lies and 
 cruelty, perhaps no man alive could tell. Yet there w-ere still three 
 upon that island — Silver, and old Morgan, and Ben Gunn — who had 
 each taken his share in these crimes, as each had hoped in vain to 
 share in ttie reward. 
 
 " Come in, Jim," said the captain. " You're a good boy in your 
 iiae, Jim; but I don't think you and me'll go to sea again. You're
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 153 
 
 too much of the bom favorite for me. Is that you, John Silver? 
 What b-iugs you here, man?" 
 
 " Ccme back to do my dooty, sir," returned Silver. 
 
 " Ahl" said the captain; and that was all he said. 
 
 What a supper I had of it that night, with all my friends around 
 me; and what a meal it was, with Ben Gunn's salted goat, and 
 some delicacies and a bottle of old wine from the " Hispaniola." 
 Never, I am sure, were people gayer or happier. And there was 
 Silver, sitting back almost out of the fire-light, but eating heartily, 
 prompt to spring forward when anything was wanted, even joining 
 quietly in our laughter— the same bland, polite, obsequious seaman 
 of the voyage out. 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 AND LAST. 
 
 The next morning we fell early to work, for the transportation 
 of this great mass of gold near a mile by land to the beach, and 
 thence three miles by boat to the " Hispaniola," was a considerable 
 task for so small a number of workmen. The three fellows still 
 abroad upon the island did not greatly trouble us; a single sentry 
 on the shoulder of the hill was sufficient to insure us against any 
 sudden onslaught, and we thought, besides, they had had more 
 than enough of fighting. 
 
 Therefore the work was pushed on briskly. Gray and Bpn Gunn 
 came and went with the boat, while the rest during their absence 
 piled treasure on the beach. Two of the bars, slung in a rope's- 
 end, made a good load for a grown man — one that he was glad to 
 w^alk slowly with. For my part, as I was not much use at carrying, 
 I was kept busy all day in the cave, packing the minted money into 
 bread-bags. 
 
 It was a strange collection, like Billy Bones's hoard for the diver- 
 sity of coinage, but so much larger and so much more varied that I 
 think I never had more pleasure than in sorting them. English, 
 French, Spanish, Portuguese, Georges, and Louises, doubloons and 
 double guineas and moidores and sequins, the pictures of all the 
 kings of Europe for the last hundred years, strange Oriental pieces 
 stamped with what looked like wisps of string or bits of spider's 
 web, round pieces and square pieces, and pieces bored through the 
 middle, as if to wear them round yoar neck — nearly every variety 
 of money in the world must J i kink, have found a place in that
 
 J.54 TREASURE ISLAND. 
 
 coUectioD.; and for number, I am sure they were like autumn leaves, 
 so that my back ached with stooping and my fingers with sorting 
 them out. 
 
 Day after day this work went on; by every evening a fortune had 
 been stowed aboard, but there was another fortune waiting for the 
 morrow; and all this time we heard nothing of the three surviving 
 mutineers. 
 
 At last — I think it was on the third night — the doctor and I were 
 strolling on the shoulder of the hill where it overlooks the lowlands 
 of the isle, when, from out the thick darkness below, the wind 
 brought us a noise between shrieking and singing. It was only a 
 snatch that reached our ears, followed by the former silence. 
 
 " Heaven forgive them," said the doctor; " 'tis the mutineersl" 
 
 " All drunk, sir," struck in the voice of Silver from behind us. 
 
 Silver, I should say, was allowed his entire liberty, and, in spite 
 of daily rebuffs, seemed to regard himself once more as quite a priv- 
 ileged and friendly dependent. Indeed, it was remarkable how 
 well he bore these slights, and with what unwearying politeness he 
 kept at trying to ingratiate himself with all. Yet, I think, none 
 treated him better than a dog; unless it was Ben Gunn, who was 
 still terribly afraid of his old quarter master, or myself, who had 
 really something to thank him for; although for that matter, I sup- 
 pose, I had reason to think even worse of him than anybody else, 
 for I had seen him meditating a fresh treachery upon the plateau. 
 Accordingly, it was pretty gruffly that the doctor answered him. 
 
 " Drunk or raving t" said he, 
 
 " Right you were, sir," replied Silver; " and precious little odds 
 which, to you and me." 
 
 " I suppose you would hardly ask me to call you a humane man, " 
 returned the doctor, with a sneer, " and so my feelings may sur- 
 prise you. Master Silver. But if I were sure they were raving — as 
 I am morally certain one, at least, of them is down with fever — I 
 should leave this camp, and, at whatever risk to -my own carcass^ 
 take Ihem the assistance of my skill." 
 
 " Ask your pardon, sir, you would be very wrong," quoth Silver. 
 " You would lose your precious life, and you may lay to that. I'm 
 on your side now, hand and glove; and I shouldn't wish for to see 
 the party weakened, let alone yourself, seeing as I know what I 
 owes you. But these men down there, they couldn't keep their 
 word— no, not supposing they wished to; and what's more, tJiey 
 couldn't believe as you could."
 
 TREASURE ISLAND. 155 
 
 • No," said the doctor. "You're the man to keep your word, 
 we know that." 
 
 Well, that was about the last news we had of the three pirates. 
 Unly ODce we heard a gunshot a great way off, and supposed them 
 to be hunting. A council was held, and it was decided that we 
 must desert them on the island— to the huge glee, I must say, of 
 Ben Gunn, and with the strong approval of Gray. We left a good 
 stock of powder and shot, the bulk of the salt goat, a few medicines, 
 and some other necessaries, tools, clothing, a spare sail, a fathom or 
 two of rope, and, by the particular desire of the doctor, a handsome 
 present of tobacco. 
 
 That was about our last doing on the island. Before that we had 
 got the treasure stowed, and had shipped enough water and the re- 
 mainder of the goat meat, in case of any distress; and at last, one 
 fine morning, we weighed anchor, which was about all that we 
 could manage, and stood out of North Inlet, the same colors flying 
 that the captain had flown and fought under at fhe palisade. 
 
 The three fellows must have been watching us closer than we 
 thought for, as we soon had proved. For, coming through the nar- 
 rows, we had to lie very near the southern point, and there we saw 
 all three of them kneeling together on a spit of sand, with their 
 arms raised in supplication. It went to all our hears, I think, to 
 leave them in that wretched state; but we could not risk another 
 mutiny; and to take them home for the gibbet would have been a 
 cruel sort of kindness. The doctor hailed them and told them of 
 the stores we had left, and where they were to find them, but they 
 continued to call us by name, and appeal to us, for God's sake, to 
 be merciful, and not leave them to die in such a place. 
 
 At last, seeing the ship still bore on her course, and was now 
 swiftly drawing out of ear-shot, one of them — I know not which it 
 was — leaped to his feet with a hoarse cry, whipped his musket to his 
 shoulder, and sent a shot whistling over Silver's head and through 
 the mainsail. 
 
 After that, we kept under cover of the bulwarks, and when nexi 
 I looked out they had disappeared from the spit, and the spit itself 
 had almost melted out of sight in the growing distance. That was, 
 at least, the end of that; and before noon, to my inexpressible joy, 
 the highest rock of Treasure Isiaud had sunk into the blue round 
 of sea. 
 
 We were so short of men that every one on board had to bear a 
 hand — only the captain lying on a mattress in the stern and giving 
 Jtus orders; for, though greatly recovered, he was still in want of
 
 156 TREASUEE ISLAKD. 
 
 quiet. We laid her head for the nearest port in Spanish America, 
 for we could not risk the voyage home without fresh hands; and as 
 it was, what with baffling winds and a couple of fresh gales, we 
 were all worn out before we reached it. 
 
 It was just at sundown when we cast anchor in a most beautiful 
 land-locked gulf, and were immediately surrounded by shore boats 
 full of negroes, and Mexican Indians, and half-bloods, selHug fruits 
 and vegetables, and offering to dive for bits of money. The sight 
 of so many good-humored faces (especially the blacks), the taste ot 
 the tropical fruits, and above all, the lights that began to shine ia 
 the town, made a most charming contrast to our dark and bloody 
 sojourn on the island; and the doctor and the squire, taking me 
 along with them, went ashore to pass the early part of the night. 
 Here thej' met the captain of an English man-of-war, fell in talk 
 with him, went on board his ship, and, in short, had so agreeable a 
 time, that day was breaking when we came alongside the ' ' His- 
 paniola." 
 
 Ben Gunn was on deck alone, and, as soon as we came on board, 
 he began, with wonderful contortions, to make us a confession. 
 Siiver was gone. The maroon had connived at his escape in a 
 ehore-boat some hours ago, and he now assured us he had only done 
 so to preserve our lives, which would certainly have been forfeited if 
 " that man with the one leg had stayed aboard." But this was not 
 all. The sea cook had not gone emply-handed. He had cut through 
 a bulkhead unobserved, and had removed one of the sacks of coin, 
 worth, perhaps, three or four hundred guineas, to help him on his 
 further wanderings. 
 
 I think we were all pleased to be so cheaply quit of him. 
 
 Well, to mtike a long story short, we got a few hands on board, 
 made a good cruise home, and the " Hispaniola " reached Bristol 
 just as Mr. Blandly was beginning to think of fitting out her con- 
 sort. Five men only of those who had sailed returned with her. 
 " Drink and the devil had done for the rest" with a vengeance; 
 although, to be sure, we were not quite in so bad a case as that 
 other ship they sung aoout: 
 
 ** With one man of the .crew alive, 
 What put to sea with seventy-flve." 
 
 All of US had an ample share of the treasure, and used it wisely 
 or foolishly, according to our natures. Captain Smollett is now re- 
 tired from the sea. Gray not only saved his money, but, being sud- 
 denly smit with the desire to rise, also studied his profession; and
 
 TREASUEE ISLAND. 15? 
 
 he is now mate and part owner of a fine full-rigged ship; married 
 besides, and the father of a family. As for Ben Gunn, he got a 
 thousand pounds, which he spent or lost in three weeks, or, to be 
 more exact, in nineteen days, for he was back begging on the twen- 
 tieth. Then he was given a lodge to keep, exactly as he had feared 
 upon the island; and he still lives, a great favorite, though some- 
 thing of a butt, with the country boys, and a notable singer in 
 church on Sundays and saints' days. 
 
 Of Silver we have heard no more. That formidable seafaring 
 man with one leg has at last gone clean out of my life; but I dare 
 say he met his old negress, and perhaps still lives in comfort with 
 her and Captain Flint. It is to be hoped so, I suppose, for his 
 chances of comfort in another world are very small. 
 
 The bar silver and the arms still lie, for all that 1 know, where 
 Flint buried them; and certainly they shall lie there for me. Oxen 
 and wain-ropes would not bring me back again to that accursed 
 island; and the worst dreams that ever 1 have are when I hear the 
 surf booming about its coasts, or start upright in bed, with th^ 
 sharp voice of Captain Flint still ringing in my ears: " Pieces oT 
 sight! pieces of eightl" 
 
 TE£ END.
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 BOOK L 
 
 PRINCE EEBAIfT. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 m WHICH THE PKmCE DEPAKTS ON AN ADVENTURE. 
 
 You shall seek in vain upon the map of Europe for the by- gone 
 State of Grunewald. An independent principality, an infiniteeimai 
 member of the German Empire, she played, for several centuries, 
 her part in the discord of Enrcpe; and, at last, in the ripeness of 
 time and at the spii-iting of several bald diplomatists, vanished like 
 a morning ghost. Less fortunate than Poland, she left not a regret 
 behind her; and the very memory of her boundaries has faded. 
 
 It was a patch of hilly country covered with thick wood. Many 
 streams took their beginning in the glens of Grlinewald, turning 
 mills for the inhabitants. There was one town, Mittwalden, and 
 many brown, wooden hamlets, climbing roof above roof, along the 
 pteep bottom of dells, and communicating by covered bridges over 
 the larger of the torrents. The hum of water-mills, the splash of 
 rimning water, the clean odor of pine sawdust, the sound and smell 
 of the pleasant wind among the innumerable army of the mountain 
 pines, the dropping fire of huntsmen, the dull stroke of the wood- 
 ax, intolerable roads, fresh trout for supper in the clean bare cham- 
 ber of an inn, and the song of birds and the music of the village- 
 bells — these were the recollections of the Grunewald tourist. 
 
 North and east the foothills of Grlinewald sunk with varying pro- 
 file into a vast plain. On these sides many small states bordered with 
 the principality, Gerolstein, an extinct grand duchy, among the 
 number. On the south it marched with the comparatively powerful 
 kingdom of Seaboard Bohemia, celebrated for its flowers and 
 mountain beais, and inhabited by a people of singular simplicity
 
 6 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 and tenderness of heart. Several intermarriages had, in the course 
 of centuries, united the crowned families of Grunewald and mari- 
 time Bohemia; and the last Prince of Grunewald, whose history I 
 purpose to relate, drew his descent through Perdita, the only 
 daughter of King Florizel the Fii-st of Bohemia. That these inter- 
 marriages had in some degree mitigated the rough, manly stock of 
 the first Griiuewalds, was an opinion widely held within the borders 
 of the principality. The charcoal burner, the mountain sawyer, 
 the wielder of the broad-ax among the congregated pines of Griine- 
 wald, proud of their hard hands, proud of their shrewd ignorance 
 and almost savage lore, looked with an imfeigned contempt on the 
 soft character and manners of the sovereign race. 
 
 The precise year of grace in which this tale begins shall be left 
 to the conjecture of the reader But for the season of the year 
 (which, in such a story, is the more important of the two) it was 
 already so far forward in the spring, that when mountain people 
 heard horns echoing all day about the north-west corner of the 
 principality, they told themselves that Prince Otto and his hunt 
 were up and out for the last time till the return of autumn. 
 
 At this point the borders of Grilnewald descend somewhat 
 steeply, here and there breaking into crags; and this shaggy and 
 trackless country stands in a bold contrast to the cultivated plain 
 below. It was traversed at that period by two roads alone; one, 
 the imperial highway, bound to Brandenau in Gerolstein, descended 
 the slope obliquely and by the easiest gradients. The other ran 
 like a fillet across the very forehead of the hills, dipping into sav- 
 age gorges, and wetted by the spray of tiny water-falls. Once it 
 passed beside a certain tower or castle, built sheer upon the margin 
 of a formidable cliff, and commanding a vast prospect of the skirts 
 of Grilnewald and the busy plains of Gerolstein. The Felsenburg 
 (so this tower was called) served now as a prison, now as a hunting- 
 seat; and for all it stood so lonesome to the naked eye, with the aid 
 of a good glass the burghers of Brandenau could count its windows 
 from the lime-tree terrace where they walked at night. 
 
 In the wedge of forest hill-side inclosed between the roads, the 
 horns continued all day long to scatter tumult; and at length, as the 
 sun began to draw near to the horizon of the plain, a very rpusing 
 triumph announced the slaughter of the quarry. The first and 
 second huntsman had drawn somewhat aside, and from the summit 
 of a knoll gazed down before them on the drooping shoulders of the 
 hill and across the expanse of plain. They covered their eyes, foi 
 the sun was in their faces. The glory of its going down was some-
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 7 
 
 what pale. Through the confused tracery of many thousands of 
 naked poplars, the smoke of so many houses and the evening steam 
 ascending from the fields, the sails of a windmill on a gentle emi- 
 nence moved very conspicuously, like a donkey's ears. And hard 
 by, like an open gash, the imperial high-road ran straight sunward, 
 an artery of travel. 
 
 There is one of nature's spiritual ditties, that has not yet been set 
 to words or human music: " The Invitation to the Road;" an air 
 continually sounding in the ears of gj-psies, and to whose inspira- 
 tion our nomadic fathers journeyed all their days. The hour, the 
 season, and the scene, all were in delicate accordance. The air was 
 full of birds of passage, steeling westward and northward over 
 Griinewald, an army of specks to the up-looking eye. And below, 
 the great practicable road was bound for the same quarter. 
 
 But to the two horsemen on the laioll this spiritual ditty was 
 unheard. They were, indeed, in some concern of mind, scanning 
 every fold of the subjacent forest, and betraying both anger and 
 dismay in their impatient gestures. 
 
 " 1 do not see him, Kuno," said the first huntsman, " nowhere — 
 not a trace, not a hair of the mare's tail! No, sir, he's off; broke 
 cover and got away. Why, for twopence I would hunt him with 
 the dogs!" 
 
 " Mayhap, he's gone home," said Kuno, but without conviction. 
 
 " Home!" sneered the other. "I give him twelve days to get 
 home. No, it's begun again; it's as it was three years ago, before 
 he married; a disgrace! Hereditary prince, hereditary fool! There 
 goes the government over the borders on a gray mare. What's that? 
 No, nothing — no, I tell you, on my word, I set more store by a good 
 gelding or an English dog. That for your Otto!" 
 
 " He's not my Otto," gi-owled Kuno. 
 
 " Then I don't linow whose he is,'' was the retort. 
 
 " You would put your hand in tie fire for him to-morrow," caid 
 Kuno, facing round. 
 
 " Me!" cried thehuntsman. " 1 would see him hanged! I'm a 
 Grunewald patriot enrolled, and have my medal, too; and I would 
 help a prince! I'm for liberty and Gondremark." 
 
 "Well, it's all one," said Kuno. "If anybody said what you 
 said, you would have his blood, and you know it." 
 
 "You have him on the brain," retorted his companion. " There 
 he goes!" he cried, the next moment. 
 
 And sure enough, about a mile down the mountain, a rider on a
 
 8 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 tphite horse was seen to flit rapidly across a heathy open and vanish 
 among the trees on the further side. 
 
 " In ten minutes he'll be over the border into Gerolstein," said 
 Kimo. " It's past cure." 
 
 " Well, if he founders that mare I'll never forgive him," added 
 the other, gathering his reins. 
 
 And as they turned down from the knoll to rejoin their comrades, 
 the sun dipped and disappeared, and the woods fell instantly into 
 the gravity and grayness of the early night. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 ht which the prince plays harotjn-al-raschid. 
 
 The night fell upon the prince while he was threading green 
 tracks in the lower valleys of the wood; and though the stars came 
 out overhead and displayed the interminable order of the pine-tree 
 pyramids, regular and dark like cj'presses, their light was of small 
 service to a traveler in such lonely paths, and from thenceforth he 
 rode at random. The austere face of nature, the uncertain issue of 
 his course, the open sky and the free air, delighted him like wine; 
 and the hoarse chafing of a river on his left sounded in his ears 
 agreeably. 
 
 It was past eight at night before his toil was rewarded and he 
 issued at last out of the forest on the firm white high-road. It lay 
 downhill before him, with a sweeping eastward trend, faintly bright 
 between the thickets; and Otto paused and gazed upon it. So it 
 ran, league after league, still joining others, to the furthest ends of 
 Europe, there skirting the sea-surge, here gleaming in the lights of 
 cities; and the innumerable army of tramps and travelers moved 
 upon it in all lands as by a common impulse, and were now in all 
 places drawing near to the inn door and the night's rest. The pict- 
 ures swarmed and vanished in his brain; a surge of temptation, a 
 beat of all his blood, went over him, to set spur to the mare and to 
 go on into the unlaiown forever. And then it passed away; hunger 
 and fatigue, and that habit of middling actions which we call com- 
 mon sense, resumed their empire; and in that changed mood his eye 
 lighted upon two bright windows on his left hand, between the road 
 and river. 
 
 He turned off by a by-road, and in a few minutes he was knock- 
 ing with his whip on the door of a large farm-house, and a chorus
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 9 
 
 of dogs from the farm-yard were making angry answer. A very 
 tall, old, white-headed man came, shading a candle, at the summons. 
 He had been of great strength in his time, and of a handsome coun- 
 tenance; but now he was fallen away, his teeth were quite gone, 
 and his voice when he spoke was broken and falsetto. 
 
 " You will pardon me," said Otto. " I am a traveler, and have 
 entireljr lost my way." 
 
 " Sir," said the old man, in a very stately, shaky manner, " you 
 are at the River Farm, and I am Killian Gottesheim, at your dis- 
 posal. We are here, sir, at about an equal distance from Mittwal- 
 den in Grilnewald and Brandenau in Gerolstein; six leagues to 
 either, and the road excellent; but there is not a wine-bush, not a 
 carter's ale-house, anjTvhere between. You will have to accept my 
 hospitality for the night; rough hospitality, to which 1 make you 
 freely welcome; for, sir," he added, with a bow, " it is God who 
 sends the guest." 
 
 " Amen. And I most heartily thank you," replied Otto, bowing 
 in his turn. 
 
 "Fritz." said the old man, turning toward the interior, "lead 
 round this gentleman's horse; and you, sir, condescend to enter." 
 
 Otto entered a chamber occupying the greater part of the ground- 
 floor of the building. It had probably once been divided; for the 
 further end was raised by a long step above the nearer, and the 
 blazing fire and the white supper-table seemed to stand upon a dais. 
 All round were dark, brass-mounted cabinets and cupboards; dark 
 shelves carrying ancient country crockery; guns and antlers and 
 broadside ballads on the wall; a tall old clock with roses on the dial: 
 and down in one corner the comfortable promise of a wine barrel. It 
 was homely, elegant, and quaint. 
 
 A powerful youth hurried out to attend on the gray mare; and 
 when Mr. Killian Gottesheim had presented him to his daughter 
 Ottilia, Otto followed to the stable as became, not perhaps the 
 prince, but the good horseman. "When he returned, a smoking 
 omelet and some slices of home-cured ham, were waiting him; these 
 were followed by a ragout and a cheese; and it was not until his 
 guest had entirely satisfied his hunger, and the whole party drew 
 about the fire over the wine jug, that Killian Gottesheim 's elaborate 
 courtesy permitted him to address a question to the prince. 
 
 " You have perhaps ridden far, sir?" he inquired. 
 
 "I have, as you say, ridden far," replied Otto; "and, as you 
 have seen, I was prepared to do justice to your daughter's cookery "
 
 10 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 "Possibly, sir, from the direction of Brandenau?*' continuefl 
 Killian. 
 
 " Precisely; and I should have slept to-night, had I not wandered, 
 in Mittwalden," answered the prince, weaving in a patch of truth, 
 according to the habit of all liars. 
 
 " Business leads you to Mittwalden?" was the next question. 
 
 " Mere curiosity," said Otto. " I have never yet visited the prin 
 cipality of Griinewald." 
 
 "A pleasant state, sir," piped the old man, nodding, " a very 
 pleasant state, and a fine race, both pines and people. We reckon 
 ourselves part Grlinewaldcrs here, lying so near the borders, and the 
 river there is all good Griinewald water, every drop of it. Yes, sir, 
 a fine state. A man of Griinewald now will swing me an ax over 
 his head that many a man of Gerolstein could hardly lift, and the 
 pines, why, deary me, there must be more pines in that little state, 
 sir, than people in this whole big world. 'Tis twenty years now 
 since I crossed the marches, for we grow home-keepers in old age; 
 but I mind it as if it was j-esterday. Up and down, the road keeps 
 right on from here to Mittwalden; and nothing all the way but the 
 good green pine-trees, big and little, and water power! water power 
 at every step, sir. We once sold a bit of forest, up there beside 
 the high-road; and the sight of minted money that we got for it 
 has set me ciphering ever since what all the pines in Griinewald 
 would amount to." 
 
 " I suppose you see nothing of the prince?" inquired Otto, 
 
 *' No," said the young man, speaking for the first time, "nor 
 want to." 
 
 " Why so? is he so much disliked?" asked Otto 
 
 " Not what you might call disliked," replied the old gentleman, 
 " but despised, sir." 
 
 " Indeed," said the prince, somewhat faintly. 
 
 " Yes, sir, despised," nodded Killian, filling a long pipe, " and, 
 to my way of thinking, justly despised. Here is a man with great 
 opportunities, and what does he do with them? He hunts and he 
 dresses very jirettily, which is a thing to be ashamed of in a man, 
 and he acts plays; and if he does aught else, the news of it has not 
 come here." 
 
 "Yet these are all innocent," said Otto, "What would you 
 have him do — make war?" 
 
 "No, sir," replied the old man. "But here it is; I have been 
 fifty years upon this River Farm, and wrought in it, day in, day 
 out; I have plowed and sowed and reaped, and risen early, and
 
 PRIXCE OTTO. 11 
 
 waked late; and this is the uj^shot: that all these years it has sup 
 ported me and my family; and been the best friend that ever I had, 
 set aside mj' wife; and now, when my time comes, I leave it a bet- 
 ter farm than when I found it. So it is, if a man works hearty in 
 the order of nature; he gets bread and he receives comfort, and 
 whatever he touches breeds. And it humbl}^ appears to me if that 
 prince was to labor on his throne, as I have labored and wrought in 
 my farm, he would find both an increase and a blessing." 
 
 " I believe with you, sir," Otto said; " and j'et the parallel is in- 
 exact. For the farmer's life is natural and simple; but the prince '.s 
 is both artificial and complicated. It is easy to do right in the one, 
 and exceedingly diflicult not to do wrong in the other. If your 
 crop is blighted, you can take off j'our bonnet and say, ' God's will 
 be done;' but if the prince meets with a reverse, he may have to 
 blame himself for the attempt. And perhaps, if all the kings in 
 Europe were to confine themselves to innocent amusement, the 
 subjects would be better off." 
 
 "Ay," said the young man Fritz, "you are in the right of it 
 there. That was a true word spoken. And I see you are like me;, 
 a good patriot and an enemy to princes. ' ' 
 
 Otto was somewhat abashed at this deduction, and he made haste 
 lo change his ground. " But," said he, " you surprise me by what 
 you say of this Prince Otto. I have heard him, I must own. more 
 favorably painted. I was told he was, in his heart, a good fellow, 
 and the enemy of no one but himself. ' ' 
 
 "And so he is, sir," said the girl, " a very handsome, pleasant 
 prince; and we Icnow some who would shed their blood for him.' 
 
 "Oh! Kuno!" said Fritz. " An ignoramus!" 
 
 " Ay, Kuno, to be sure," quavered the old farmer. " Well, since 
 this gentleman is a stranger to these parts, and curious about tne 
 prince, I do believe that story might divert him This Kuno, you 
 must know, sir, is one of the hunt servants, and a most ignorant, 
 intemperate man; a right Griinewalder, as we say in Gerolstein. 
 We know him well, in this house; for he has come as far as here 
 after his stray dogs; and I make all welcome, sir, without account 
 of .state or nation. And, indeed, between Gerolstein and Grline 
 wald the peace has held so long that the roads stand open like my 
 door, and a man will make no more of the frontier than the very 
 birds themselves." 
 
 " Ay," said Otto, " it has been a long peace — a peace of centu- 
 ries," 
 
 " Centuries, as you say," returned Killian; " the more the pity
 
 12 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 that it should not be forever. "Well, sir, this Kimo was one day 
 in fault, and Otto, who has a quick temper, up with his whip and 
 thrashed him, they do say, soundly. Kuno took it as best he could, 
 but at last he broke out, and dared the prince to throw his whip 
 away and wrestle like a man; for we are all great at wrestling in 
 these parts, and it's so that we generally settle our disputes. Well, 
 sir, the prince did so; and being a weakly creature, fovmd the tables 
 turned; for the man whom he had just been thrashing like a negro 
 slave, lifted him with a back grip and threw him heels overhead." 
 
 "He broke his bridle-arm," cried Fritz — "and some say his 
 nose. Serve him right, say II Man to man, which is the better at 
 that?" 
 
 " And then?" asked Otto. 
 
 "Oh, then Kuno carried him home; and they were the best of 
 friends from that day forth. I don't say it's a discreditable story, 
 you observe," continued Mr. Gottesheim; "but it's droll, and 
 that's the fact. A man should think before he strikes; for, as my 
 nephew says, man to man Avas the old valuation." 
 
 " Now, if you were to ask me." said Otto, " I should perhaps sur- 
 prise you. I think it was the prince that conquered. " 
 
 " And, sir, you would be right," replied Killian, seriously. " In 
 the eyes of God, I do not question but you would be right; but 
 men, sir, look at these things differently, and they laugh." 
 
 " They made a song of it," observed Fritz, " How does it go? 
 Ta-tum-ta-ra — " 
 
 " Well, " interrupted Otto, who had no great anxiety to hear the 
 song, " the prince is young; he may yet mend." 
 
 "Not so young, by your leave," cried Fritz. "A man of 
 forty," 
 
 " Thirty-six," corrected Mr. Gottesheim. 
 
 " Oh, " cried Ottilia, in obvious disillusion, " a man of middle age! 
 And they said he was so handsome when he was youngi" 
 
 " And bald, too," added Fritz. 
 
 Otto passed his hand among his locks. At that moment he was 
 far from happy, and even the tedious evenings at IVIittwalden Pal- 
 ace began to smile upon him by comparison. 
 
 "Oh, six-and-thirty!" he protested. " A man is not yet old at 
 six-and-thirty. I am that age myself." 
 
 " I should have taken you for more, sir," piped the old farmer. 
 " But if that be so, you are of an age with Master Ottekin, as peo- 
 ple call him; antt, 1 would wager a crown, have done more service 
 in your time. Though it seems joung by comparison with men of
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 13 
 
 a great age like me, yet it's some way tlirough life for all that; and 
 the mere fools and fiddlers are beginning to grow weary and to 
 looli old. Yes, sir, by six-and-thirty, if a man Wfe a follower of 
 God's laws, he should have made himself a home and a good name 
 to live by; he should have got a wife and a blessing on his mar- 
 riage; and his works, as the Word says, should begin to follow 
 him." 
 
 " Ah, well, the prince is married," cried Fritz, with a coarse 
 burst of laughter. 
 
 " That seems to entertain you, sir," said Otto. 
 
 "Ay," said the young boor. "Did you not know that? I 
 thought all Europe knew it!" And he added a pantomime of a 
 nature to explain his accusation to the dullest. 
 
 " Ah, sir," said Mr. Gottesheim, "it is very plain that you are 
 not from hereabouts! But the truth is, that the whole princely 
 family and court are rips and rascals, not one to mend another. 
 They live, sir, in idleness and — what most commonly follows it — 
 corruption. The princess has a lover; a baron, as he calls himself, 
 from East Prussia. Nor is that the worst of it, for this foreigner 
 and his paramour are suffered to transact the State affairs, while 
 the prince takes the salary and leaves all things to go to wrack. 
 There will follow upon this some manifest judgment which, though 
 I am old, I may survive to see." 
 
 "Good man, j-ou are in the wrong about Gfondiemark, " said 
 Fritz, showing a greatly increased animation; "but for all the 
 rest, you speak the God's truth like a good patriot. As for the 
 prince, if he would take and strangle his wife, I would forgive 
 him yet." 
 
 " Nay, Fritz," said the old man, " that would be too add iniquity 
 to evil. For you perceive, sir," he continued, once more addressing 
 himself to the unfortunate prince, " this Otto has himself to thank 
 for these disorders. He has his young wife and his principality, 
 and he has sworn to cherish both." 
 
 "Sworn at the altar!" echoed Fritz. "But put your faith in 
 princes!" 
 
 " Well, sir, he leaves them both to an adventurer from East Prus- 
 sia," pursued the farmer; " leaves the girl to be seduced and to go 
 on from bad to worse, till her name's become a tap-room by -word, 
 and she not yet twenty; leaves the country to be overtaxed, and 
 bullied with armaments, and jockeyed into war — " 
 
 " War.'" cried Otto. 
 
 " So they say, sir; those that watch their ongoings, say to war,"
 
 14 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 asseverated Killian. " Well, sir, that is very sad; it is a sad thing 
 for this poor, wicked girl to go down to hell with people's curses; 
 it's a sad thing for a tight little happy country to be misconducted; 
 but whoever may complain, I humbly conceive, sir, that this Otto 
 can not. What he has worked for, that he has got; and may God 
 have pity on his soul, for a great and a silly sinner's!" 
 
 '■ He has broke his oatii; then he is a perjurer. He takes the 
 money and leaves the work; why, then plainly he's a thief. A 
 cuckold he was before, and a fool by birth. Better me that!" cried 
 Fritz, and snapped his fingers. 
 
 "And now, sir, you will see a little," continued the farmer, 
 " why we think so poorly of this Prince Otto. There's such a thing 
 as a man being pious and honest in the private way; and there is 
 such a thing, sir, as a public virtue; but when a man has neither, 
 the Lord lighten him! Even this Gondremark, that Fritz here 
 thinks so much of — " 
 
 " Ay, " interrupted Fritz, " Gondremark 's th3 man for me. I 
 would we had his like in Gerolstein. ' ' 
 
 " He is a bad man," said the old farmer, shaking his head; " and 
 there was never good begun by the breach of God's command- 
 ments. But so far I will go with you: he is a man that works for 
 what he has." 
 
 "I tell you he's the hope of Grlinewald," cried Fritz. "He 
 doesn't suit some of your high-and-dry, old, ancient ideas; but 
 he's a downright modern man — a man of the new lights and tlie 
 progress of the age. He does some things wrong; so they all do; 
 but he has the people's interests next his heart; and you mark me — 
 you, sir, who are a Liberal, and the enemy of all their governments, 
 you please to mark my words — the day will come in Grilnewald, 
 when they take out that yellow-headed skulk of a prince and that 
 dough-faced Messalina of a princess, march 'em back foremost over 
 the borders, and proclaim the Baron Gondremark first President. 
 I've heard them say it in a speech. I was at a meeting once at 
 Brandenau, and the Mittwalden delegates spoke up for fifteen thou- 
 sand. Fifteen thousand, all brigaded, and each man with a medal 
 round his neck to rally by. That's all Gondremark." 
 
 " Ay, sir, you see what it leads to: wild talk to day, and wilder 
 doings to-morrow," said the old man. "For there is one thing 
 certain : that this Gondremark has one foot in the court backstairs, 
 and the other in the Masons' lodges. He gives himself out, sir, for 
 what nowadays they call a patriot — a man from East Prussia!"
 
 PRIKCE OTTO. 15 
 
 "Give himself out!" cried Fritz. "He is! He is to lay by his 
 title as soon as the Republif is declared; I heard it in a speech." 
 
 " Lay by baron to take up president?" returned Killian. " King 
 Log, King Stork. But you'll live longer than 1, and you will sec 
 the fruits of it." 
 
 "Father," whispered Ottilia, pulling at the speaker's coat, 
 *' surely the gentleman is ill." 
 
 ' ' I beg your pardon, ' ' cried the farmer, rewaking to hospitable 
 thoughts; " can 1 offer you anything?" 
 
 " I thank you. I am very weary," answered Otto. " I have 
 presumed upon my strength. If you would show me to a bed, I 
 should be gi'ateful." 
 
 "Ottilia, a candle!" said the old man. "Indeed, sir, you look 
 pale. A little cordial water? No? Then follow me, I beseech 
 you, and I will bring you to the stranger's bed. You are not the 
 first by many who has slept well below my roof, ' ' continued the 
 old gentleman, mounting the stairs before his guest; " for good 
 food, honest wine, a grateful conscience, and a little pleasant chat 
 before a man retires, are worth all the possets and apothecary's 
 drugs. See, sir," and here he opened a door and ushered Otto into 
 a little whitewashed sleeping- room, " here you are in port. It is 
 small, but it is airy, and the sheets are clean and kept in lavender. 
 The window, too, looks out above the river, and there's no music 
 like a little river's. It plays the same tune (and that's the favorite) 
 over and over again, and yet does not weary of it like men tiddlers. 
 It takes the mind out-of-doors; and though we should be grateful 
 for good houses, there is, after all, no house like God's out-of- 
 doors. And lastly, sir, it quiets a man down like saying his prayers. 
 So here, sir, I take my kind leave of you until to-morrow; and it is 
 my prayerful wish that you may slumber like a prince. ' ' 
 
 And the old man, with the twentieth courteous inclination, left 
 his guest alone. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 IN WHICH THE PRINCE COMFORTS AGE AND BEAUTY AND DE- 
 LIVERS A LECTURE ON DISCRETION IN LOVE. 
 
 The prince was early abroad; in the time of the first chorus of 
 birds, of the pure and quiet air, of the slanting sunlight and the 
 mile-long shadows. To one Avho had passed a miserable night, the 
 freshness of that houi- was tonic and reviving; to steal a march
 
 16 PRIIfCE OTTO. 
 
 upon his slumbering fellows, to be the Adam of the coming day, 
 composed and fortified his spirits; and the prince, breathing deep 
 and pausing as he went, wallced in the wet fields beside his shadow, 
 and was glad. 
 
 A trellised path led down into the valley of the brook, and he 
 turned to follow it. The stream was a break-neck, boiling high- 
 land river. Hard by the farm, it leaped a little precipice in a thick 
 gray mare's tail of twisted filaments, and then lay and worked and 
 bubbled in a lin. Into the middle of this quaking pool a rock 
 protruded, shelving to a cape; and thither Otto scrambled and sat 
 down to ponder. 
 
 Soon the sun struck through the screen of branches and thin early 
 leaves that made a hanging bower above the fall; and the golden 
 lights and flitting shadows fell upon and marbled the surface of 
 that seething pot; and rays plunged deep among the turning waters; 
 and a spark, as bright as a diamond, lit upon the swaying eddy. It 
 began to grow warm where Otto lingered, warm and heady; the 
 lights swam, weaving their maze across the shaken pool; on the 
 impending rock, reflections danced like butterflies; and the air 
 was fanned by the water-fall as by a swinging curtain. 
 
 Otto, who was weary with tossing and beset with horrid phan- 
 toms of remorse and jealousy, instantly fell dead in love with that 
 sun-checkered, echoing corner. Holding his feet, he stared out of 
 a drowsy trance, wondering, admiring, musing, losing his way 
 among uncertain thoughts. There is nothing that so apes the ex- 
 ternal bearing of free will as that unconscious bustle, obscurely 
 following liquid laws, with which a river contends among obstruc- 
 tions. It seems the very play of man and destiny, and as Otto pored 
 on tliese recurrent changes, he grew, by equal steps, the sleepier and 
 the more profound. Eddy and prince were alike jostled in their 
 purpose, alike anchored by intangible influences in one corner of 
 the world. Eddy and prince were alike useless, starkly useless, in 
 the cosmology of men. Eddy and prince — prince and eddy. 
 
 It is probable he had been some while asleep when a voice re- 
 called him from oblivion. " Sir," it was saying; and looking 
 round, he saw Mr. Killian's daughter, terrified by her boldness and 
 making bashful signals from the shore. She was a plain, honest 
 lass, healthy and happy and good, and with that sort of beauty 
 that comes of happiness and health. But her confusion lent her for 
 the moment an additional charm. 
 
 " Good-morning," said Otto, rising and moving toward her. " I 
 arose early and was in a dream. ' '
 
 PRINCE OTTO. X* 
 
 " Oh, sir! ' she cried, " I wish to beg of you lo spare my father; 
 for 1 assure your highness, if he had liuown wlio you was, he 
 would have bitten his tongue out sooner. And Fritz, too — how he 
 went on! But I had a notion; and this morning I went straight 
 down into the stable, and tliere was your liighness's crown upon the 
 stirrup-irons! But, oh, sir, I made certain you would spare them; 
 for they were as innocent as lambs." 
 
 " My dear," said Otto, both amused and gratiiied, " you do not 
 understand. It is I who am in the wrong; for I had no business to 
 conceal my name and lead on these gentlemen to speak of me. And 
 it is I who have to beg of you that you will keep my secret and 
 not betray the discourtesy of which I was guilty. As for any fear 
 of me, your friends are safe in Gerolstein; and even in my own 
 territory, you must be well aware I have no power," 
 
 " Oh, sir," she said, courtesying, " I would not say that, the hunt- 
 men would all die for you." 
 
 " Happy prince!" said Otto. " But although you are too courte- 
 ous to avow the knowledge, you have had many opportunities of 
 learning that 1 am a vain show. Only last night we heard it very 
 clearly stated. You see the shadow flitting on this hard rock. 
 Pr-nce Otto, 1 am afraid, is but the moving shadow, and the name 
 of the rock is Gondremark. Ah! if your friends had fallen foul of 
 Gondremark! But happily the younger of the two admires him. 
 And as for the old gentleman, your father, he is a wise man and an 
 excellent talker, and I would take a long wager he is honest." 
 
 " Oh, for honest, your highness, that he is!" exclaimed the giri, 
 " And Fritz is as honest as he. And as for all they said, it was just 
 talk and nonsense. When country-folk get gossiping, they go on, i 
 do assure you, for the fun; they don't as much as think of what 
 they say. If j^ou went to the next farm, it's my belief you would 
 hear as much against my father. ' ' 
 
 "Nay, nay," said Otto, " there you go too fast. For all that 
 was said against Prince Otto — " 
 
 " Oh, it was shameful!" cried the girl. 
 
 " Not shameful — true," returned Otto. " Oh, yes — true. I am 
 all they said of me — all that and worse." 
 
 "I never!" cried Ottilia. "Is that how you do? Well, you 
 would never be a soldier. Now if any one accuses me, I get up and 
 give it them. Oh, I defend myself. I wouldn't take a fault at 
 another person's hands, no, not if I had it on my forehead. And 
 that's what you must do, if you mean to live it out. But, indeed,
 
 18 PKIXCE OTTO. 
 
 1 never heard such nonsense. I should think you was ashamed ol 
 yourself! You're bald then, I suppose?" 
 
 " Oh, no," said Otto, fairly laughing. " There I acquit myself: 
 not bald!" 
 
 " Well, and good?" pursued the girl. " Come now, you know 
 you are good, and I'll make you say so — Your highness, I beg 
 your humble pardon. But there's no disrespect intended. And 
 anyhow, you know you are." 
 
 " Why, now, what am I to say?" replied Otto. " You are a 
 cook, and excellently well you do it; I embrace the chance of 
 thanking you for the ragout. Well now, have you not seen good 
 food so bedeviled by unskillful cookery, that no one could be 
 brought to eat the pudding? That is me, my dear. I am full of 
 good ingredients, but the dish is worthless. I am — I give it you in 
 one word — sugar in the salad." 
 
 "Well, I don't care, you're good," reiterated Ottilia, a little 
 flushed by having failed to understand. 
 
 " I will tell j"Ou one thing," replied Otto. " You are!" 
 " Ah, well, that's Avhat they all said of you," moralized the girl; 
 " such a tongue to come round — such a flattering tongue!" 
 " Oh, }-ou forget, I am a man of middle age," the prince chuckled. 
 " Well, to speak to you, I should think you was a boy; and 
 prince or no prince, if you came worrying where I was cooking, I 
 would pin a napkin to your tails — And, O Lord, I declare I 
 hope your highness will forgive me," the girl added. " I can't 
 keep it in my mind." 
 
 "No more can I," cried Otto. " That is just what they com- 
 plain of!" 
 
 They made a loverly looking couple; only the heavy pouring of 
 that horse tail of water made them raise their voices above lovers' 
 pitch. But to a jealous on-looker from above, their mirth and close 
 pi'oximity might easily give umbrage; and a rough voice out of a 
 tuft of brambles began calling on Ottilia by name. She changed 
 color at that. " It is Fritz," she said. "I must go." 
 
 "Go, my dear, and I need not bid you go in peace, for I think 
 you have discovered that I am not formidable at close quarters," 
 said the prince, and made her a fine gesture of dismissal. 
 
 So Ottilia skipjed up the bank, and disappeared into the thicket, 
 
 stopping once for a single blushing bob -blushing, because she had 
 
 'Ji the interval once more forgotten and remembered the stranger's 
 
 quality. 
 
 Otto returned to his rock promontory; but his humor had in the
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 19 
 
 meantime changed. The sun now .shone more fairly on the pool; 
 and over its brown, welling surface, the blue of heaven and the 
 golden green of the spring foliage danced in fleeting arabesque. 
 The eddies laughed and brightened with essential color. And the 
 beauty of the dell began to rankle in the prince's mind: it was so 
 near to his own bordei-s, yet without. He had never had much of 
 the joy of possessorship in any of the thousand and one beautiful 
 and curious things that were his; and now he was conscious of 
 envy for what wa; another's. It was, indeed, a smiling, dilettante 
 sort of envy; but yet there it was: the passion of Ahab for tlie 
 vineyard, done in little; and he was relieved when Mr. Killian ap- 
 peared upon the scene. 
 
 " I hope, sir, that you have slept well under my plain roof," said 
 the old farmer. 
 
 " I am admiring this sweet spot that you are privileged to dwell 
 in," replied Otto, evading the inquiry. 
 
 "It is rustic," returned Mr. Gottesheim, looking around him 
 with complacency, " a very rustic corner; and some of the land to 
 the west is most excellent fat land, excellent deep soil. You should 
 see my wheat in the ten-acre field. There is not a farm in Grune- 
 wald, no, nor many in Gerolstein, to match the River Farm. 
 Some sixty — I keep thinking when I sow — some sixty, and some 
 seventy, and some an hundred-fold; and my own place, six scorel 
 But that, sir, i partly the farming." 
 
 " And the stream has fish?" asked Otto, 
 
 " A fish-pond, " said the farmer. '" Ay, it is a pleasant bit. It 
 is pleasant eve» here, if one had time, with the brook drumming in 
 that black pooi md the green things hanging all about the rocks, 
 and, dear heart \o see the very pebbles! all turned to gold and 
 precious stones! But you have come to that time of life, sir, when, 
 if you will excuse me, you must look to have the rheumatism set 
 in. Thirty to forty is, as one may say, their seed-time. And this 
 is a damp cold corner for the early morning and an emptj' stomach. 
 If I might humbly advise you, sir, I would be xuoving. ' ' 
 
 " With all my heart," said Otto, gravely. "And so you have 
 lived your life here?" he added, as they turned to go. 
 
 " Here I was born," replied the farmer, " and here I wish I 
 could say I was to die. But fortune, sir, fortune turns the wheel. 
 They say she is blind, but we will hope she only sees a little fur- 
 ther on. My grandfather and my father and I, we have all tilled 
 these acres, my furrow following theirs. AU the iliree names are 
 on the garden bench, two Killians and one Johann. Yes, sir, good
 
 20 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 men have prepared lliemselves for the great change in my old gar- 
 den. Well do I mind my father, in a woolen night-cap, the good 
 soul, going round and round to see the last of it. " Killian," said 
 he, " do j'ou see the smoke of my tobacco? Why," said he, " that 
 is man's life." It was his last pipe, and I believe he knew it; and 
 it was a strange thing, without doubt, to leave the trees that he had 
 planted, and the son that he had begotten, ay, sir, and even the old 
 pipe with the Turk's head that he had smoked since he was a lad 
 and went a-courting. But here we have no continuing city; and as 
 for the eternal, it's a comfortable thought that we have other merits 
 than our own. And yet you would hardly think how sore it goes 
 against the grain with me, to die in a strange bed." 
 " And must you do so? For what reason?" Otto asked. 
 " The reason? The place is to be sold; three thousand crowns," 
 replied Mr. Gottesheim. " Had it been a third of that, I may say 
 without boasting that, what with my credit and my savings, 1 
 could have met the sum. But at three thousand, unless I have 
 singular good fortune and the new proprietor continues me in 
 office, there is nothing left me but to budge." 
 
 Otto's fancy for the place redoubled at the news, and became 
 joined with other feelings. If all he heard were true, Grliuewald 
 was growing very hot for a sovereign prince; it might be well to 
 have a refuge; and if so, what more delightful hermitage could 
 man imagine? Mr. Gottesheim, besides, had touched his sympa- 
 thies. Every man loves in his soul to play the part of the stage 
 deity. And to step down to the aid of the old farmer, who had so 
 roughly handled him in talk, was the ideal of a Fair Revenge. 
 Otto's thoughts brightened at the prospect, and he began to regard 
 himself with a renewed respect. 
 
 " I can find you, I believe, a purchaser," he said, " and one who 
 would continue to avail himelf of your skill." 
 
 " Can you, sir, indeed?" said the old man. " Well, I shall be 
 heartily obliged; for I begin to find a man may practise resignation 
 all his days, as he takes physic, and not come to like it in the end, " 
 " If you will have the papers drawn, you may even burden the 
 purchase Avith your interest," said Otto. " Let it be assured to you 
 through life. ' ' 
 
 "Your friend, sir,' insinuated Killian, "would not, perhaps, 
 care to make the interest revertible? Fritz is a good lad," 
 
 "Fritz is young," said the prince dryly; "he must earn oon 
 eideration, not inherit" 
 " He has long worked uison the place, sir," insisted IVlr. Gotte-
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 21 
 
 sheim; " and at my great age, for I am seventy-eight come harvest, 
 it would be a troublesome thought to the proprietor how to fill my 
 shoes. It would be a care spared to assure yourself of Fritz, And 
 I believe he might be tempted by a permanency." 
 
 " The j'oung man has unsettled views," returned Otto. 
 
 *' Possibly the purchaser — " began Killian. 
 
 A little spot of anger burned in Otto's cheek. " I am the pur- 
 chaser," he said. 
 
 " It was what I might have guessed," replied the farmer, bowing 
 with an aged, obsequious dignity. " You have made an old man 
 very happy; and I may say, indeed, that 1 have entertained an angel 
 unawares. Sir, the great people of this world — and by that I mean 
 those who are great in station — if they had only hearts like yours, 
 hoAV they would make the fires burn and the poor sing!" 
 
 "I would not judge them hardly, sir," said Otto. "We all 
 have our frailties." 
 
 "Truly, sir," said Mr. Gottesheim with unction. ''And by 
 what name, sir, am I to address my generous landlord?" 
 
 The double recollection of an English traveler, whom he had 
 received the week before, at court, and of an old English rogue 
 called Transome, whom he had known in youth, came pertinently 
 to the prince's help. " Transome," he answered, " is my name. I 
 am an English traveler. It is, to-day, Tuesday. On Thursday be- 
 fore noon, the money shall be ready. Let us meet, if you please, 
 in !Mittwalden, at the ' Morning Star. ' ' ' 
 
 " I am, in all things lawful, your servant to command," replied 
 the farmer. " An Englishman! You are a great race of travelers. 
 And has your lordship some experience of land?" 
 
 "I have had some interest of the kind before," returned the 
 prince; " not in Gerolstein, indeed. But fortune, as j^ou say, turns 
 the wheel, and I desire to be beforehand with her revolutions." 
 
 " Very right, sir, I am sure," said Mr. Killian. 
 
 They had been strolling with deliberation; but they were now 
 drawing near to the farm-house, mounting by the trellised pathway 
 to the level of the meadow. A little before them, the sound of 
 voices had been some while audible, and now grew louder and 
 more distinct with every step of their advance. Presently, when 
 they emerged upou the top of the bank, they beheld Fritz and Ot- 
 tilia some way off; he, very black and bloodshot, emphasizing his 
 hoarse speech with the smacking of his fist against his palm; she, 
 standing a Uttle way off in blowsy, voluble distress.
 
 22 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " Dear me!" said Mr. Gottesheim, and made as if he would turn 
 aijide. 
 
 But Otto went straight toward the lovers, in whose dissension he 
 believed liimself to have a share. And, indeed, as soon as he had 
 seen the prince, Fritz had stood tragic, as if awaiting and defying 
 his approach. 
 
 ' Oh, here j'ou are!" he cried, as soon as they were near enough 
 for easy speech. " You are a man at least, and must reply. What 
 were you after? Why were you two skulking in the bush? God!" 
 he broke out, turning again upon Ottilia, '' to think that I should 
 waste my heart on you'" 
 
 " I beg your pardon, sir," Otto cut in. " You were addressing 
 me. In virtue Df what circumstance am I to render you an account 
 of this lady's conduct? Are you her father? her brotlier? her hus- 
 bmd?" 
 
 " Oh, sir, you know as well as I," returned the peasant. " We 
 keep company, she and I. I love her, and she is by way of loving 
 me; but all shall bfe above-board, I would have her to know, I 
 have a good pride of my own." 
 
 " Why, sir, I perceive I must explain to j^ou what love is," said 
 Otto. " It's measure is kindness. It is very possible that you are 
 proud; but this lady, too, may have some self-esteem; I do not 
 speak for myself. And perhaps, if your own doings were so curi- 
 ously examined, j'Ou might find it inconvenient to reply." 
 
 " These are all set-offs," said the young man. " You know very 
 well that a man is a man, and a woman only a woman. That holds 
 good all over, up and down. I ask you a question, I ask it again, 
 and here I stand." He drew a mark and toed it. 
 
 " When you have studied liberal doctrines somewhat deeper," said 
 the prince, "you will perhaps change your note. You are a man 
 of false weights and measures, mj'' j'ouug friend. Y^ou have one 
 scale for women, another for men; one for princes and one for farm- 
 er-folk. On the prince who neglects his wife j^ou can be most 
 severe. But what of the lover who insults his mistress? You use 
 the name of love. I should think this lady might very fairly ask 
 to be delivered from love of such a nature. For if I, a stranger, 
 had been one-tenth part so gross and so discourteous, you would 
 most righteously have broken my head. It would have been in 
 your part, as lover, to protect her from such insolence. Protect her 
 first, then, from yourself . " 
 
 " Ay," quoth Mr. Gottesheim, who had been looking on with his 
 hands behind his taU old back, " ay, that's Scripture truth."
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 23 
 
 Fritz was staggered, not only bj' the prince's imperturbable su- 
 periority of manner, but by a glimmering consciousness that he him- 
 self "Was in the Avrong. The appeal to liberal doctrines had, besides, 
 unmanned him. 
 
 " Well," said he, " if I was iiide, I'll own to it. I meant no ill, 
 and did nothing out of my just rights; but I am above all these old 
 vulgar notions, too; and if 1 spoke sharp I'll ask her pardon. '■ 
 
 " Freely granted, Fritz," said Ottilia. 
 
 " But all this doesn't answer me," cried Fritz. " I ask what you 
 two spoke about. She says she promised not to tell; well, then, I 
 mean to know. Civility is civility; but I'll be no man's gull. I 
 have a right to common justice, if I do keep company!" 
 
 " If you will ask Mr. Gottesheim," replied Otto, " you will find 
 I have not spent my hours in idleness. I have, since I arose this 
 morning, agreed to buy the farm. So far I will go to satisfy a 
 curiosity which I condemn." 
 
 " Oh, well, if there was business, that's another matter," returned 
 Fritz. " Though it beats me why you could not tell. But, of 
 course, if the gentleman is to buy the farm, I suppose there would 
 naturallj^ be an end." 
 
 "To be sure," said Mr. Gottesheim, with a strong accent of 
 conviction. 
 
 But Ottilia was much braver. "There now!" she cried in 
 triumph. " What did I tell you? I told you I was lighting your 
 battles. Kow you see! Think shame of your suspicious temper! 
 You should go down upon your bended knees both to that gentle- 
 man and me." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 IN WHICH THE PRINCE COLLECTS OPINIONS BY THE WAT. 
 
 A LITTLE before noon Otto, by a triumph of maneuvering, 
 effected his escape. He was quit in this way of the ponderous grat- 
 itude of Mr. Killian, and of the confidential gratitude of poor Ot- 
 tilia; but of Fritz he was not quit so readily. That joung politi- 
 cian, brimming with mysterious glances, offered to lend his convoy 
 as far as to the high-road; and Otto, in fear of some residuary jeal- 
 ousy and for the girl's sake, had not the courage to gainsay him; 
 but he regarded his companion with uueasj^ glances, and devoutly 
 wished the business at an end. For some time Fritz walked by the 
 mare in silence; and they had already traversed more than half the
 
 24 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 proposed distance when, "witli something of a bhish, he looked up 
 and opened fire. 
 
 " Are you not," he asked, " what they call a socialist?" 
 "Why, no," returned Otto, "not precisely what they call so. 
 Why do you ask?" 
 
 " I will tell you why," said tha young man. " I saw from the 
 first that you were a red progressional, and nothing but the fear of 
 old Killian kept you back. And there, sir, you were right; old 
 men are always cowards. But noAvadays, you see, there are so 
 many groups; you can never tell how far the likeliest kind of man 
 may be prepared to go; and I was never sure you were one of the 
 strong thinkers, till you hinted about women and free love." 
 " Indeed," cried Otto, " I never said a word of such a thing." 
 " Not you!" cried Fritz. " Never a word to compromise! You 
 was sowing S'^ed- a ground-bait, our president calls it. But it's 
 hard to deceive me, for I know all the agitators and their ways, and 
 all the doctrines; and between you and me," lowering his voice, 
 " I am myself affiliated. Oh, y^s, I am a secret-society man, and 
 here is my medal." And drawing out a green ribbon that he wore 
 about his neck, he held up, for Otto's inspection, a pewter medal 
 bearing the imprint of a Phoenix and the legend, Liberia^. " And 
 so now j'ou see you may trust me," added Fritz. " I am none cf 
 your ale-house talkers; I am a convinced revolutionary, " And he 
 looked meltingly upon Otto. 
 
 " I see," replied the prince; " that is very gratifying. Well, sir, 
 the great thing for the good of one's country is, first of all, to be a 
 good man. All springs from there. For my part, although you 
 are right in thinking that T have to do with politics, I am unfit by 
 intellect and. temper for a leading role. I "was intended, I fear, for 
 a subaltern. Yet we have all something to command, Mr. Fritz, if 
 it be only our own temper; and a man about to marry must look 
 closely to himself. The husband's, like the prince's, is a very arti- 
 ficial standing; and it is hard to be kind in either. Do you follow 
 that?" 
 
 "Oh, yes, I follow that," replied the young man, sadly chop- 
 fallen over the nature of the information he had elicited; and then 
 brightening up: "Is it," he ventured, "is it for an arsenal that 
 you have bought the farm?" 
 
 ' We'll see about that," the prince answered, laughing. " You 
 must not be too zealous. And in the meantime, if I were you, I 
 world say nothing on the subject." 
 
 " Oh, trust me, sir, for that," cried Fritz, as he pocketed a crowa
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 25 
 
 " And you've let nothing out; for I suspected — I might say I knew 
 it — from the nrst. And mind you, when a guide is required," he 
 added, " I know all the forest paths." 
 
 Otto rode away, chuckling. This talk with Fritz had vastly en- 
 tertained him; nor was he altogether discontented with his bearing 
 at the farm; men, he was able to tell himself, had behaved worse 
 under smaller provocation. And, to harmonize all, the road and 
 the April air were both delightful to his soul. 
 
 Up and down, and to and fro, ever mounting through the wooded 
 foot-hills, the broad, white high-road wound onward into Grlinewald 
 On either hand the pines stood coolly rooted — green moss prosper! 
 ing, springs welling forth between their knuclded spurs; and though 
 some were broad and stalwart, and others spiry and slender, yet all 
 stood firm in the same attitude and with the same expression, like 
 a silent army presenting arms. 
 
 The road lay all the way apart from towns and villages, which it 
 left on either hand. Here and there, indeed, in the bottom of green 
 glens, the prince could s^^y a few congregated roofs, or perhaps 
 above him, on a shoulder, the solitary cabin of a woodman. But the 
 highway was an international undertaking, and with its face set for 
 distant cities, scorned the little life of Grlinewald. Hence it was 
 exceeding solitary. Near the frontier Otto met a detachment of his 
 own troops marching in the hot dust; and he was recognized and 
 somewhat feebly cheered as he rode by. But from that time forth 
 and for a long vv^hile he was alone with the great woods. 
 
 Gradually the spell of pleasure relaxed; his own thoughts re- 
 turned, like stinging insects, in a cloud; and the talk of the night 
 before, like a shower of buffets, fell upon his memory. He looked 
 east and west for any comforter; and presently he was aware of a 
 cross-road coming steeply down the hill, and a horseman cautiously 
 descending, A human voice or presence, like a spring in the desert, 
 was now welcome in itself, and Otto drew bridle to await the com 
 ing of this stranger. He proved to be a very red-faced, thick-lipped 
 countryman, with a pair of fat saddle-bags and a stone bottle at his 
 waist; who, as soon as the prince hailed him, jovially, if somewhat 
 ihickly, answered. At the same time he gave a beery yaw in the 
 saddle. It was clear his bottle Avas no longer full. 
 
 " Do you ride toward i\littwaldcu?" asked the prince. 
 
 " As far as the cross-road to Tanneubrunn," the man replied 
 " Will you bear company?" 
 
 *' With pleasure I have even waited for you on the chance;" 
 answered Otto,
 
 36 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 By this time they were close alongside; and the man, with the 
 conntry-folk instinct, turned this cloudy vision first of all on his 
 companion's mount. " The devil!" he cried. " You ride a bonny 
 mare, friend!" And then, his curiosity being satisfied about the 
 essential, he turned his attention to that merely secondary matter, 
 his companion's face. He started. '* The prince!" he cried, salut- 
 ing, with another yaw that came near dismount mg him. " I beg 
 your pardon, your highness, not to have reco'nized you at once." 
 
 The prince was vexed out of his self-possession. " Since you 
 know me," he said, " it is unnecessary we should ride together. I 
 will precede you, if you please." And he was about to set spur to 
 the gray mare, when the half-drunken fellow, reaching over, laid 
 his hand upon the rein. 
 
 " Hark you," he said, *' prince or no prince, that is not how one 
 man should conduct himself with another. What! You'll ride 
 with me incog, and set me talking! But if I know you, you'll pre- 
 shede me, if you please! Spy!" And the fellow, crimson with 
 drink and injured vanity, almost spat the word into the prince's 
 face. 
 
 A horrid confusion came over Otto. He perceived that he had 
 acted rudely, grossly presuming on his station. And perhaps a 
 little shiver of physical alarm mingled with his remorse, for the 
 fellow was very powerful, and not more than half in the possession 
 of his senses. "Take your hand from my rein," he said, with a 
 suificient assumption of command; and when the man, rather to his 
 wonder, had obeyed: "You should understand, sir," he added, 
 *' that while I might be glad to ride with you as one person of 
 sagacity with another, and so receive your true opinions, it would 
 amuse me very little to hear the empty compliments you would ad- 
 dress to me as prince." 
 
 " You think I would lie, do you?" cried the man with the bottle, 
 purpling deeper. 
 
 " I know you would," returned Otto, entering entirely into his 
 self-possession. " You would not even show me the medal j^ou 
 wear about your neck. " For he had caught a glimpse of a green 
 ribbon at the fellow's throat. 
 
 The change was instantaneous; the red face became mottled with 
 yellow; a thick-fingered, tottering hand made a clutch at the tell- 
 tale ribbon. " Medal!" the man crieo, wonderfully sobered. "J 
 have no medal." 
 
 ' ' Pardon me," said the prince. " I will even tell you what that 
 **V2dal bears: a Phoenix burning, Avith the Avord Libertas." The
 
 PRIXCE OTTO 27 
 
 medallist remaining speechless, " You are a pretty fellow," contin- 
 ued Otto, smiling, " to complain of incivili'y from the mau whom 
 you conspire to murder." 
 
 "Murder!" protested the man. "Nay, never that; nothing 
 criminal for me!" 
 
 "You are strangely misinformed," said Otto. " Conspiracy it- 
 self is criminal, and insures the pain of death. Nay, sir, death it 
 is; I will guarantee my accuracy. Not that you need he sodeplor- 
 ably affected, for I am no officer. But those who mingle with poli- 
 tics should look at both sides of the medal." 
 
 " Your Highness — " began the knight of the bottle. 
 
 " Nonsense! you are a Republican," cried Otto; " what have you 
 to do with highnesses? But let us continue to ride forward. Since 
 you so much desire it, I can not find it in my heart to deprive you of 
 my company. And for that matter, have a question to address to 
 you. Why, being so great a body of men — for you are a great body 
 — fifteen thousand, I have heard, but that will be understated; am 
 I right?" 
 
 The man gurgled in his throat. 
 
 " Why, then, being so considerable a party," resumed Otto, " do 
 you not come before me boldly with your wants? — what do I say, 
 with your commands? Have I the name of being passionately de- 
 voted to my throne? I can scarce suppose it. Come, then; show 
 me j'our majority, and I will instantly resign. Tell this to your 
 friends; assure them from me of my docility; assure them that, 
 however they conceive of mj^ deflciences, they can not suppose me 
 more unfit to be a ruler than I do myself. I am one of the worst 
 princes in Europe; will they improve on that?" 
 
 " Far be it from me — " the man began. 
 
 " See, now, if you will not defend my gOA^ernmentl" cried Otto. 
 " Oh, sir, if I were you, I would leave conspiracies. You are as 
 little fit to be a conspirator as I to be a king." 
 
 " One thing I will say out," said the man. " It is not so much 
 you that we complain of; it's your lady." 
 
 "Not a word, sir," said the prince; and then after a moment's 
 pause, and in tones of some anger and contempt: " I once more 
 advise you to have done with politics," he added; " and when next 
 I see you, let me see you sober. A morning drunkard, sir, is the 
 last man to sit in judgment even upon the worst of princes." 
 
 " I have had a drop, but I have not been drinking," the man re- 
 plied, triumphing in a sound distinction. " And if I had, what 
 then? Nobody hangs by me. But my mill is standing idle, and I
 
 88 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 biame it on your wife. Am I alone in that? Go round and ask. 
 Where are the mills? Where are the young men that should be 
 working? Wliere is the currency? All paralyzed. No, sir, it is 
 not equal; for I suffer for your faults — I pay for them, by George, 
 out of a poor man's pocket. And what have you to do with mine? 
 Drunk or sober, I can see my country going to hell, and I can see 
 whose fault it is. And so now, I've said my say, and you may 
 drag me to a stinking dungeon; what care I? I've spoke the truth, 
 and so I'll hold hard, and not intrude upon your Highness' society." 
 
 And the miller reined up and, clumsily enough, saluted. 
 
 "You will obsei-ve, I have not asked your name," said Otto. 
 " I wish you a good ride," and he rode on hard. But let him 
 ride as he pleased, this interview with the miller was a choke-pear, 
 which he could not swallow. He had begun by receiving a reproof 
 in manners and ended by sustaining a defeat in logic, both from a 
 man whom he despised. All his old thoughts returued with fresher 
 venom. And by three in the afternoon, coming to the cross-roads 
 for Beckstein, Otto decided to turn aside and dine there leisurely. 
 Nothing at least could be wo^se than to go on as he was going. 
 
 In the inn at Beckstein 1:3 remarked, immediately upon his en- 
 trance, an intelligent young gentleman dining, with a book in front 
 of him. He had his own place laid close to the reader, and with a 
 proper apology, broke ground by asking what he read. 
 
 " I am perusing," answered the j'Oung gentleman, " the last work 
 of the Herr Doctor Hohenstockwitz, cousin and librarian of your 
 prince here in Grlinewald — a man of great erudition and some lam- 
 bencies of vnt." 
 
 " I am acquainted," said Otto, " with the Herr Doctor, though 
 not yet with his work." 
 
 " Two privileges that I must envy you," replied the young man, 
 politely; " an honor in hand, a pleasure in the bush." 
 
 " The Herr Doctor is a man much respected, I believe, for his 
 attainments?" asked the prince. 
 
 " He is, sir, a remarkable instance of the force of intellect," re- 
 plied the reader. " Who of our young men know anything of his 
 cousin, all reigning prince although he be? Who but has heard of 
 Doctor Gotthold? But intellectual merit, alone of all distinctions, 
 has its base in nature." 
 
 " I have the gratification of addressing a student — perhaps an 
 author?" Otto suggested. 
 
 The young man somewhat flushed. " I have some claim to both 
 distinctions, sir, as you suppose," said he; " there is my card. I
 
 PRINCE OTTO. S9 
 
 am the licentiate Roederer, author of several works on the theoi^ 
 
 and practice of politics." 
 
 " You immensely interest me," said tlie prince; " the more so as 
 I gather that here in Grilnewald we are on the brink of revolution. 
 Pray, sir, since these have been your special studies, would you 
 augur hopefully of such a movement?" 
 
 " I perceive," said the young author, with a certain vinegary 
 twitch, " that you are unacquainted with my opuscula. I am a con- 
 vinced authoritarian. I share none of those illusory, Utopian fancies 
 with which empirics blind themselves and exasperate the ignorant. 
 The day of these ideas is, believe me, past, or at least passing." 
 " When I look about me — " began Otto. 
 
 " Wlien you look about you," interrupted the licentiate, "you 
 behold the ignorant. But in the laboratory of opinion, beside the 
 studious lamp, we begin already to discard these figments. We be- 
 gin to return to nature's order, to what I might call, if I were to 
 borrow from the language of therapeutics, the expectant treatment 
 of abuses. You will not misunderstand me," he continued: "A 
 countrj' in the condition in which we find Grlinewald, a prince such 
 as your Prince Otto, we must explicitly condemn; they are behind 
 the age. But I would look for a remedy not to brute convulsions, 
 but to the natural supervenience of a more able sovereign. I should 
 amuse you, perhaps," added the licentiate, with a smile, " I think 
 I should amuse you if I were to explain my notion of a prince. We 
 who have studied in the closet no longer, in this age, propose our- 
 selves for active service. The paths, we have perceived are incom- 
 patible. I would not have a student on the throne, though I would 
 have one near by for an adviser. I would set forward as prince a 
 man of a good, medium understanding, lively rather than deep; a 
 man of courtly manner, possessed of the double art to ingratiate and 
 to command; receptive, accommodating, seductive, I have been 
 observing you since your first entrance. Well, sir, were I a subject 
 of Grilnewald I should pray Heaven to set upon the seat of govern- 
 ment just such another as yourself." 
 " The devil jou would!" exclaimed the prince. 
 The licentiate, Roederer, laughed most heartily. " I thought I 
 should astonish you," he said. "These are not the ideas of the 
 masses." 
 " They are not, I can assure you," Otto said, 
 " Or rather," distinguished the licentiate, " not to-day, The time 
 will come, however, when these ideas shall prevail." 
 " You will permit me, sir, to doubt it," said Otto.
 
 30 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 "Modesty is always admirable," chuckled the theorist, "Bui 
 yet I assure you, a man like you, with such a man as, say. Doctor 
 Gotthold at your elbow, would be, for all practical issues, my ideal 
 ruler. ' ' 
 
 At this rate the hours sped pleasantly for Otto. But the licentiate 
 unfortunately slept that night at Beckstein, where he was, being 
 dainty in the saddle and given to half stages. And to find a convoy 
 to Mittwalden, and thus mitigate the company of his own thoughts, 
 the prince had to make favor with a certain party of wood-mer- 
 chants from various states of the empire, who had been drinking to- 
 gether somewhat noisily at the far end of the apartment. 
 
 The night had already fallen when they took the saddle. The 
 merchants were very loud and mirthful; each had a face like a nor'- 
 west moon; and they played pranks with each others' horses, and 
 mingled songs and choruses, and alternately remembered and forgot 
 the companion of their ride. Otto thus combined society and soli- 
 tude, hearkening now to their chattering and empty talk, now to the 
 voices of the encircling forest. The starlit dark, the faint wood 
 airs, the clank of the horseshoes making broken music, accorded to- 
 gether and attuned his mind. And he was still in a most equal tem- 
 per when the party reached the top of that long hill that overlooka 
 Mittwalden. 
 
 Down in the bottom of a bowl of forest, the lights of the little 
 formal town glittered in a pattern, street crossing street; away by 
 itself on the right, the palace was glowing like a factory. 
 
 Although he knew not Otto, one of the wood- merchants was a 
 native of the state. " There," said he, pointing to the palace with 
 his whip, " there is Jezebel's inn." 
 
 " What, do you call it that?" cried another laughing. 
 
 " Ay, that's what they call it," returned the Grilnewalder; and 
 he broke into a song, which the rest, as people well acquainted with 
 the words and air, instantly took up in chorus. Her Serene High- 
 ness Amalia Seraphina, Princess of Griinewald, was the heroine, 
 Gondremark the hero of this ballad. Shame hissed in Otto's ears. 
 
 He reined up short and sat stunned in the saddle; and the singers 
 continued to descend the hill without him. 
 
 The song went to a i-ough, swashing, popular air; and long after 
 the words became inaudible the swing of the music, rising and fall- 
 ing, echoed insult in the Prince's brain. He fled the sounds. Hard 
 by him on his right a road struck toward the palace, and he fol- 
 lowed it through the thick shadows and branching alleys of the 
 park. It was a busy place on a fine summer's afternoon, when the
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 31 
 
 court and burghers met and saluted; but at that hour of the night 
 in the early spring it was deserted to the roosting birds. Hares 
 rustled among the covert; here and there a statue stood glimmer- 
 ing, with its eternal gesture; here and there the echo of an imitation 
 temple clattered ghostly to the trampling of the mare. Ten minutes 
 brought him to the ujjper end of his own home garden, where the 
 small stables opened, over a bridge, upon the park. The yard clock 
 was striking the hour of ten; so was the big bell in the palace bell- 
 tower; and, further off, the belfries of the town. About the stable 
 all else was silent but the stamping of stalled horses and the rattle 
 of halters. Otto dismounted; and as he did so a memory came back 
 to him; a whisper of dishonest grooms and stolen corn, once hear I, 
 long forgotten, and now recurring in the nick of opportunity. He 
 crossed the bridge, and, going up to a window, knocked six or 
 seven heavy blows in a particular cadence, and, as he did so, 
 smiled. Presently a wicket was opened in the ga^^e, and a man's 
 head appeared in the dim starlight. 
 
 " Nothing to-night," said a voice. 
 
 " Bi-ing a lantern," said the prince. 
 
 " Dear heart a* mercy!" cried the groom. " Who's that?" 
 
 " It is I, the prince," replied Otto. *' Bring a lantern, take in the 
 mare, and let me through into the garden." 
 
 The man remained silent for a while, his head still projecting 
 through the wicket. 
 
 " His Highness!" he said at last. " And why did your Highness 
 knock so strange?" 
 
 " It is a superstition in Mittwalden," answered Otto, " that it 
 cheapens corn." 
 
 With a sound like a sob the groom fled. He was very white when 
 he returned, even by the light of the lantern; and his hand trembled 
 as he undid the fastenings and took the mare. 
 
 " Your Highness," he began at last, " for God's sake — " And 
 there he paused, oppressed with guilt. 
 
 " For God's sake, what?" asked Otto,, cheerfully. "For God's 
 sake, let us have cheaper corn, say I. Good-night!" And he 
 strode off into the garden, leading the groom petrified once more. 
 
 The garden descended by a succession of stone terraces to the 
 level of the fish pond. On the far side the ground rose again, and 
 was cro^^^led by the confused roofs and gables of the palace. The 
 modern pillared front, the ball-room, the great library, the princely 
 apartments, the busy and ilhuuinatcd quarters of that great house, 
 all faced the towu. The garden side was much older; and here it
 
 33 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 ■?ras almost dark; only a few -windows quietly lighted at various 
 elevations, 1 he great square tower rose, thinning by stages like a 
 telescope; and on the top of all the flag hung motionless. 
 
 The garden, as it now lay in the dusk and glimmer of the star- 
 shine, breathed of April violets. Under night's cavern arch the 
 shrubs obscurely bustled. Through the plotted terraces and down 
 the marble stairs the prince rapidly descended, fleeing still before 
 uncomfortable thoughts. But, alas! from these there is no city of 
 refuge. And now, when he was about midway of the descent, dis- 
 tant strains of music began to fall upon his ear from the ball-room, 
 where the court was dancing. They reached him faint and broken, 
 but they touched the keys of memory; and through and above them. 
 Otto heard the ranting melody of the wood-merchants' song. Mere 
 blackness seized upon his mind. Here he was, coming home; the 
 wife was dancing, the husband had been playing a trick upon a 
 lackey; and meanwhile, all about them, they were a by-word to their 
 subjects. Such a prince, such a husband, such a man, as this Otto 
 had become! And he sped the faster onward. 
 
 Some May below he came unexpectedly upon a sentry; yet a little 
 further, and he was challenged by a second; and as he crossed the 
 bridge over the fish pond, an officer making the rounds stopped 
 him once more. 
 
 The parade of watch was more than usual; but curiosity was 
 dead in Otto's mind, and he only chafed at the interruption. The 
 porter of the back postern admitted him, and started to behold him 
 so disordered. Thence, hasting up by private stairs and passages, 
 he came at length unseen to his own chamber, tore off his 
 clothes, and threw himself in the dark upon his bed. The music of 
 the ball-room still continued to a very lively measure; and still, be- 
 hind that, he heard in spirit the chorus of the merchants clanking 
 down the hill.
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 83 
 
 BOOK 11. 
 OF LOVE AND POLJTJO& 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LIBRART. 
 
 At a quarter before six on the followiug morning Doctor Gotthold 
 .. iS already at Lis desk in the library; and with a small cup of 
 JlAcli. coffee at his elbow, and an eye occasionally wandering to the 
 busts and the long array of many-colored books, was quietly review- 
 ing .he labors of the day before. He was a man of about forty, 
 flax«;n-haired, with refined features a little worn, and bright eyes 
 somewhat faded. Early to bed and early to rise, his life was de- 
 voted to two things: erudition and Rhine wine. An ancient friend- 
 ship existed latent between him and Otto; they rarely met, but 
 when ihey did it was to take up at once the thread of their sus- 
 pended intimacy. Gottliold, the virgin priest of knowledge, had 
 envied Ms cousin, for half a day, when he was married; he had 
 never onvied him his throne. 
 
 Reading was not a popular diversion at the court of Grilnewald; 
 and that great, pleasant, sunshiny gallery of books and statues was, 
 in pratwlce, Gotthold's private cabinet. On this particular Wednes- 
 day morning, however, he had not been long about his manuscript 
 when .4 door opened and the prince stepped into the apartment. The 
 doctor watched him as he drew near, receiving, from each of the 
 embayed windows in succession, a flush of morning sun; and Otto 
 looked so gay, and walked so airily, he was so well dressed and 
 bi-usUed and frizzled, so point-de-vice, and of such sovereign ele- 
 gance, that the heart of his cousin the recluse was rather moved 
 agaijst him. 
 
 " Good-morning, Gotthold," said Otto, dropping In a chair. 
 
 " Good morning. Otto," returned the librarian. " You are an 
 eai«y bird. Is this an accident, or do jou begin reforming?" 
 
 " It Is about time, I fancy," answered the prince. 
 
 " I can not imagine," said the doctor. " I am too skeptical to be 
 a 1 ethical adviser; and as for good resolutions, I believed in them 
 when I was young. They are the coiors of hope's rainbow."
 
 34 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 '''' If you come to think of it, " said Otto, "I am not a popular 
 sovereign." And with a look he changed his statement to a ques- 
 tion. 
 
 " Popular? Well, there I would distinguish," answered Gott- 
 hold, leaning back and joining the tips of his fingers. " Tliere are 
 various kinds of popularity; the bookish, which is perfectly imper- 
 sonal, as unreal as the nightmare; the politician's, a mixed variety; 
 and yours, which is the most personal of all. Women take to you; 
 footmen adore you; it is as natural to like you as to pat a dog; and 
 were you a saw-miller you Avould be the most popular citizen in 
 Grunewald. As a prince — well, you are in the wrong trade. It ia 
 perhaps philosophical to recognize it as you do." 
 
 " Perhaps philosophical?" repeated Otto. 
 
 " Yes, perhaps. I would not be dogmatic," answered Gotthold, 
 
 "Perhaps philosophical, and certainly not virtuous," Otto re- 
 sumed. 
 
 " Not of a Roman virtue," chuckled the recluse. 
 
 Otto drew his chair nearer to the table, leaned upon it with his 
 elbow, and looked his cousin squarely in the face. " In short," 
 he asked, " not manly?" 
 
 "Well," Gotthold hesitated, "not manly, if you will." And 
 then with a laugh, " I did not know that you gave j^ourself out to 
 be manly," he added. " It was one of the points that I inclined to 
 like about you; inclined. I believe, to admire. The names of vir- 
 tues exercise a charm on most of us; we must lay claim to all of 
 them, however incompatible; Ave must all be both daring and pru- 
 dent; we must all vaunt ovu- pride and go to the stake for our humil 
 ity. Not so you. Without compromise j'ou were yourself; a pretty 
 sight. I have always said it; none so void of all pretense as Otto." 
 
 " Prepense and effort both!" cried Otto. "A dead dog in a 
 canal is more alive. And the question, Gotthold, the question that 
 I have to face is this: Can I not, with effort and self-denial, can I not 
 become a tolerable sovereign?" 
 
 " Never," replied Gotthold. " Dismiss the notion. And besides, 
 dear child, you would not try." 
 
 " Nay, Gotthold, I am not to be put by," said Otto. " If I am 
 constitutionally unfit to be a sovereign, what am I doing with this 
 money, with this palace, with these guards? And I -a thief — am 
 to execute the law on others?" 
 
 • I admit the difficulty," said Gotthold. 
 
 " Well, can I not try?" continued Otto. " Am I not bound to 
 try? And Tvith the advice and help of such a man as you — "
 
 PEIXCE OTTO. 35 
 
 " Me!" cried the librarian. " Now, God forbid!" 
 
 Otto, though he was in no ver}^ smiling humor, could not forbear 
 to smile. " Yet 1 was told last night," he laughed, " that with a 
 man like me to impersonate, and a man like j'ou to touch the 
 springs, a very possible government could be composed." 
 
 "Now, I wonder in what diseased imagination," Gotthold said, 
 " that preposterous monster saw the light of daj^?" 
 
 "It was one of j-our own trade — a writer; one Roederer," said 
 Otto. 
 
 " Eoederer! an ignorant puppy!" cried the librarian. 
 
 " You are ungrateful," said Otto. " He is one of your professed 
 admirers. ' ' 
 
 " Is he?" cried Gotthold, obviously impressed. " Come, that is 
 a good account of the young man. I must read his stuff again. It 
 is the rather to his credit, as our \'iews are opposite. The east and 
 west are not more opposite. Can I have converted him? But no; 
 the incident belongs to Fairy-land." 
 
 " You are not then," asked the prince, " an authoritarian?" 
 
 "I? God bless me, no!" said Gotthold. "I am a red, dear 
 child." 
 
 " That brings me then to my next point, and by a natural transi- 
 tion. If I am so clearlj^ unfitted for my post," the prince asked; 
 " if my friends admit it, if my subjects clamor for my downfall, if 
 revolution is preparing at this hour, must I not go forth to meet the 
 inevitable? should I not save these horrors and be done with these 
 absurdities? in a word, should I not abdicate? Oh, believe me, 1 
 feel the ridicule, the vast abuse of language," he added, wincing, 
 "but even a principulus like me can not resign; he must make a 
 great gesture, and come buskined forth, and abdicate." 
 
 " Aj'," said Gotthold, " or else stay where he is. What gnat has 
 bitten you to-day? Do you not know that you are touching, with 
 lay hands, the very holiest inwards of philosophy, where madness 
 dwells? Ay, Otto, madness; for in the serene temples of the wise, 
 the inmost shrine, which we keep locked, is full of spiders' webs. 
 All men, all, are fundamentally useless; nature but tolerates, she 
 does not need, she does not use them: sterile flowers! All — down 
 to the fellow swinking in a byre, whom fools point out for the ex- 
 ception — all are useless; all labor, making ropes of sand; or like a 
 child that has breathed upon a window, write and obliterate, WTite 
 and obliterate, Idle works! Talk of it no more. That way, I tell 
 you, madness lies." The speaker rose from his chair and then sat 
 down again. He laughed a little laugh, and then, changing hk
 
 8S PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 tone, resumed; " Yes, dear child, we are not here to do battle with 
 giants; we are here to be happy like the flowers, if we can be. It 
 is because you could, that I have always secretly admired you. 
 Cling to that trade; believe me, it is the right one. Be happy, be 
 idle, be airy. To the devil with all casuistry! and leave the state 
 to Gondremark, as heretofore. He does it well enough, they say; 
 and his vanity enjoys the situation. " 
 
 " Gotthold," cried Otto, " what is this to me? Useless is not the 
 question; I can not rest at uselessness; I must be useful or 1 must 
 be noxious — one or other. I grant you the whole thing, prince and 
 principalit^y alike, is pure absurdity, a stroke of satire, and that a 
 banker or the man who keeps an inn has graver duties. But now, 
 when I have washed my hands of it three years, and left all — labor, 
 responsibility, and honor and enjojanent, too, if there be any — to 
 Gondremark and to — Seraphina — " He hesitated at the name, and 
 Gotthold glanced aside. "Well," the prince continued, "what 
 has come of it? Taxes, aimy, cannon — why, it's like a box of lead 
 soldiers! And the people sick at the folly of it all, and fired with 
 the injustice! And war, too — I hear of war — war in this teapot! 
 What a complication of absiu'dity and disgrace! And when the in- 
 evitable end arrives — the revolution — who will be to blame in the 
 sight of God, who will be gibbeted in public opinion? I! Prince 
 Puppet!" 
 
 " 1 thought you had despised public opinion," said Gotthold. 
 
 " I did," said Otto, somberly, " but now I do not. I am grow- 
 ing old. And then, Gotthold, there is Seraphina. She is loathed 
 in this country that I brought her to and suffered her to spoil. 
 Yes, I gave it her as a plaything, and she has broken it; a fine prince, 
 an admirable princess! Even her life — I ask you, Gotthold, is her 
 life safe?" 
 
 " It is safe enough to-day," replied the librarian; " but since you 
 ask me seriously, I would not answer for to-morrow. She is ill- 
 advised." 
 
 " And by whom? By this Gondremark, to whom you counsel 
 me to leave my country," cried the prince. "Bare advice! The 
 course that I have been following all these years, to come at last to 
 this. Oh, ill advised! if that were all! Sfle now, there is no sense 
 in beating about the bush between two men; you know what scan- 
 dal says of her?" 
 
 Gotthold, with pursed lips, silently nodded. 
 
 " Well, come, you are not very cheering as to my conduct as tiie 
 prince; have I even done my duty as a husband?" Otto asked.
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 37 
 
 " Nay, nay," said Gotthold, earnestly and eagerly, " this is an- 
 otlaer chapter. I am an old celibate, an old monk. 1 can not advise 
 you in your marriage." 
 
 ' Nor do I require advice," said Otto, rising. " All of this must 
 cease." And he began to walk to and fro with his hands behind 
 his back. 
 
 " Well, Otto, may Grod guide you!" said Gotthold, after a consid- 
 erable silence. "I cannot." 
 
 " From what does all this spring?" said the prince, stopping in 
 his walk. " What am I to call it? Diffidence? The fear of ridi- 
 cule? Inverted vanity? What matter names, if it has brought me 
 here? I could never bear to be bustling about nothing; I was 
 ashamed of this toy kingdom from the first beginning; I could not 
 tolerate that people should fancy I believed in it — a thing so 
 patently absurd! I would do nothing that can not be done smiling. 
 I have a sense of humor forsooth! I must know better than my 
 Maker. And it was the same thing in my marriage," he added, 
 more hoarsely. "I did not believe this girl could care for me; I 
 must not intrude; I must preserve the foppery of my indifference. 
 What an impotent picture!" 
 
 " Ay, we have the same blood," moralized Gotthold. " You are 
 drawing, with fine strokes, the character of the born skeptic." 
 
 " Skeptic? — coward!" cried Otto. " Coward is the word. A 
 springless, putty-hearted, cowering coward!" 
 
 And as the prince rapped out the words in tones of unusual 
 vigor, a little, stout old gentleman, opening a door behind Gotthold, 
 received them fairly in the face. With his parrot's beak for a 
 nose, his pursed mouth, his little goggling eyes, he was the picture 
 of formality; and in ordinary circumstances, strutting behind the 
 drum of his coiporation, he impressed the beholder with a certain 
 air of frozen dignity and wisdom. But at the smallest contrariety, 
 his trembling hands and disconnected gestures betrayed the weak- 
 ness at the root. And now^, when he was thus surprisingly received 
 in that library of Mittwalden Palace, which was the customary 
 haunt of silence, his hands went up into the air as if he had been 
 shot, and he cried aloud with the scream of an old woman. 
 
 " Oh!" he gasped, recovering, " Your highness! I beg ten thou 
 sand pardons. But your highness at such an hour in the library! a 
 circumstance so unusual as your highness's presence was a thing I 
 could not be expected to foresee." 
 
 " There is no harm done, Herr Cancellarius, " said Otto. 
 
 " I came upon the errand of a moment: some papers I left over
 
 38 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 night with the Heir Doctor," said the Chancellor of Giiinewald. 
 ' ' Herr Doctor, if you will kindly give me them, I will intrude no 
 longer. ' ' 
 
 Gotthold unlocked a drawer and handed a bundle of manuscript 
 to the old gentleman who prepared, with fitting salutations, to take 
 his departure. 
 
 "Herr Greisengesang, since we have met," said Otto, "let us 
 talk." 
 
 " I am honored by his highness 's commands," replied thp. chan 
 cellor. 
 
 "All has been quiet since 1 left?" asked the prince, resuming 
 his seat. 
 
 "The usual business, your highness," answered Greisengesang: 
 " punctual trifles; huge, indeed, if neglected, but trifles when dis- 
 charged. Your highness is most zealously obeyed." 
 
 "Obeyed, Herr Cancellarius?" returned the prince. "And 
 when have I obliged you with an order? Replaced, let us rather 
 say. But to touch upon these trifles; instance me a few." 
 
 " The routine of government, from which your highness has so 
 wisely dissociated his leisure," began Greisengesang. 
 
 "We will leave my leisure, sir," said Otto. "Approach the 
 facts." 
 
 " The routine of business was proceeded with," replied the offi- 
 cial, now visiblj^ twittering. 
 
 "It is very strange, Herr Cancellarius, that you should so per- 
 sistently avoid my questions," said the prince. " You tempt me to 
 suppose a purpose in your dullness. I have asked you whether all 
 was quiet; do me the pleasure to reply." 
 
 " Perfectly — Oh, perfectly quiet," jerked the ancient puppet, with 
 every signal of untruth. 
 
 " I make a note of these Avords," said the prince gravely. " You 
 assure me, your sovereign, that since the date of my departure, 
 nothing has occurred of which you owe me an account." 
 
 " I take j-our highness, I take the Herr Doctor to witness," cried 
 Greisengesang, " that I have had no such expression." 
 
 " Halt!" said the prince; and then, after a pause: " Herr Greisen- 
 gesang, you are an old man, and you served my father before you 
 served me," he added. " It consists neither with j^our dignity nor 
 mine that you should babble excuses and stumble possibly upon 
 untruths. Collect your thoughts; and then categorically inform 
 me of all j^ou have been charged to hide." 
 
 Gotthold, stooping very low over his desk, appeared to have re-
 
 PRINCE OTTO- 39 
 
 pumed his lUbors; but his shoulders heaved with subterranean mer 
 riment. The prince waited, drawing his handkerchief quietly 
 through his fingers. 
 
 " Your highness, in this informal manner," said the old gentle- 
 man at last, 'and being unavoidably deprived of documents, it 
 would be difficult, it would be impossible, to do justice to the some- 
 what grave occurrences which liave transpired." 
 
 " I will not criticise your attitude," replied the prince. " I de- 
 sire that, between you and me, all should be done gently; for I 
 have not forgotten, my old friend, that you were kind to me from 
 the first, and for a period of years a faithful servant. I will thus 
 dismiss the matters on which you waive immediate inquiry. But 
 you have certain papers actually in your hand. Come, Herr Grei- 
 sengesang, there is at least one point for which 3'ou have authority. 
 Enlighten me on that." 
 
 " On that?" cried the old gentleman. " Oh, that is a trifle; a mat- 
 ter, your highness, of police; a detail of a purely administrative 
 order. These are simply a selection of papers seized upon the En- 
 glish traveler." 
 
 " Seized?" echoed Otto. " In what sense? Explain yourself . " 
 
 "Sir John Crabtree," interposed Gotthold, looking up, " waa 
 arrested yesterday evening." 
 
 " Is this so, Herr Cancellarius?" demanded Otto sternly. 
 
 " It was judged right, j'our highness," protested Greisengesang. 
 " The decree was in due form, invested with j-our highness's au- 
 thority by procuration. I am but an agent; I had no status to pre- 
 vent the measure. ' ' 
 
 " This man, my guest, has been arrested," said the prince. " On 
 what grounds, sir? With what color of pretense?" 
 
 The chancellor stammered. 
 
 "Your highness will perhaps find the reason in these docu- 
 ments," said Gotthold, pointing with the tail of his pen. 
 
 Otto thanked his cousin with a look. " Give them to me," he 
 «aid, addressing the chancellor. 
 
 But that gentleman visibly hesitated to obey. " Baron von Gon- 
 dremark," he said, "has made the affair his own. I am in this 
 case a mere messenger; and as such, I am not clothed with any 
 capacity to communicate the documents I carry. Herr Doctor, I 
 am convinced you will not fail to bear me out." 
 
 "I have heard a great deal of nonsense," said Gotthold, "and 
 iviostof it from you; but this beats all." 
 
 " Come, sir," said Otto, rising. " the papers. I command.''
 
 40 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 Herr Greisengesang instantly gave way. 
 
 " With your liighness's permission," he said, " and laying at his 
 feet my most submissive apologies, I will now hasten to attend his 
 further orders in the chancery. ' ' 
 
 " Herr Cancellarius, do you see this chair?" said Otto. " There 
 is where you shall attend my further orders. Oh, now, no more!' 
 he cried, with a gesture, as the old man opened his lips. ' ' You 
 have sufficiently marked your zeal to your employer; and I begin 
 to weary of a moderation you abuse. ' ' 
 
 The chancellor moved to the appointed chair and tooli his seat in 
 silence. 
 
 " And now," said Otto, opening the roll, " what is all this? it 
 looks like the manuscript of a book. ' ' 
 
 " It is," said Gotthold, " the manuscript of a book of travels." 
 
 " You have read it. Doctor Hohenstockwitz?" asked the prince. 
 
 " Nay, I but saw the title page, " replied Gotthold. "But the 
 roll was given to me open, and I heard no word of any secrecy." 
 
 Otto dealt the chancellor an angry glance. 
 
 " I see," he went on. " The papers of an author seized at this 
 date of the world's history, in a state so petty and so ignorant as 
 Grlinewald, here is indeed an ignominious folly. Sir," to the 
 chancellor, " I marvel to find you in so scurvy an employment. On 
 your conduct to your prince 1 will not dwell; but to descend to be 
 a spy! For what else can it be called? To seize the papers of this 
 gentleman, the private papers of a stranger, the toil of a life, per- 
 haps — to open, and to read them. And what have we to do with 
 books? The Herr Doctor might perhaps be asked for his advice; 
 but we have no index expurgatoriits in Grlinewald. Had we but 
 that, we should be the most absolute parody and farce upon this 
 tawdry earth. ' ' 
 
 Yet, even while Otto spoke, he had continued to unfold the roll; 
 and now, when it lay fully open, his eye rested on the title page 
 elaborately written in red ink. It ran thus: 
 
 " Memoirs 
 
 of a Visit to the Various 
 
 Courts of Europe, 
 
 by 
 
 Sir John Crabtree, Baronet." 
 
 Below was a list of chapters, each bearing the name of one of the 
 European Courts; and among these the nineteenth and the last 
 upon the list was dedicated to Grlinewald.
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 41 
 
 "Ahl the Court of Grilnewald!" said Otto, "that should be 
 droll reading." And his curiosity itched for it. 
 
 " A methodical dog, this English baronet," said Gotthold. " Each 
 chapter written and finished on the spot . I shall look for his work 
 when it appears." 
 
 " It would be odd, now, just to glance at it," said Otto, wavering, 
 
 Gotthold 's brow darkened, and he looked out of the window. 
 
 But though the prince comprehended the reproof, his weakness 
 was greater than his strength. " I will," he said, with an uneasy 
 laugh, " I will, I think, just glance at it." 
 
 So saying, he resumed his seat and spread the traveler's manu- 
 script upon the table. 
 
 CHAPTER n. 
 
 " ON THE COURT OF GRtJNEWALD," BEING A PORTION OF THB 
 traveler's MANUSCRIPT. 
 
 " It may well be asked " {it was Urns the English traveler began his 
 nineteenth chapter) " why I should have chosen Grilnewald out of so 
 many other states equally petty, formal, dull, and corrupt. Acci- 
 dent, indeed, decided and not I; but I have seen no reason to regret 
 my visit. The spectacle of this small society macerating in its own 
 abuses was not perhaps instructive, but I have found it exceedingly 
 diverting. 
 
 " The reigning prince. Otto Johann Friedrich, a young man of 
 imperfect education, questionable valor, and no scintilla of capaci y, 
 has fallen into entire public contempt. It was with difficulty that [ 
 obtained an interview, for he is frequently absent from a co nt 
 where his presence is unheeded, and where his only role is to b»J a 
 cloak for the amours of his wife. At last, however, on the th i d 
 occasion when I visited the palace, I found this sovereign in tlie 
 exercise of his inglorious function, with the wife on one hand and 
 the lover on the other. He is not ill- looking; he has hair of a 
 ruddy gold, which naturally curls, and his eyes are dark, a com- 
 bination which I always regard as the mark of some congenital 
 deficiency, physical or moral; his features are irregular but pleas- 
 ing; the nose perhaps a little short, and the mouth a little woman- 
 ish; his address is excellent, and he can express himself with 
 point. But to pierce below these externals is to come on a vacuity 
 of any sterling quality, a deliquescence of the moral nature, a friv- 
 olity and inconsequence of puipose that mark the nearly perfect
 
 "43 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 fruit of a decadent age. He has a worthless smattering of n\any 
 subjects, but a grasp of none. ' I soon weary of a pursuit, ' he 
 said to me, laughing; it would almost appear as if he took a pride 
 in his incapacity and lack of moral courage. The results of his 
 dilettantism are to be seen in every field; he is a bad fencer, a sec- 
 ond-rate horseman, dancer, shot; he sings — I have heard him — and 
 he sings like a child; he writes intolerable verses in more than 
 doubtful French; he acts like the common amateur; and in short 
 there is no end to the number of the things that he does, and does 
 badly. His one manly taste is for the chase. In sum, he is but a 
 plexus of weaknesses; the singing chambermaid of the stage, 
 tricked out in man's apioarel and mounted on a circus horse. I have 
 seen this poor phantom of a prince riding out alone or with a few 
 huntsmen, disregarded by all, and I have been even grieved for the 
 bearer of so futile and melancholy an existence. The last Merovin- 
 gians may have looked not otherwise. 
 
 " The Princess Araalia Seraphina, a daughter of the Grand Ducal 
 house of Toggenburg-Tannhauser, would be equally inconsiderable 
 if she were not a cutting instrument in the hands of an ambitious 
 man. She is much younger than the prince, a girl of two-and- 
 twenty, sick with vanity, superficially clever, and fundamentally 
 a fool. She has a red-brown, rolling eye, too large for her face, and 
 with sparks of both levity and ferocity; her forehead is high and 
 narrow, her figure thin and a little stooping. Her manners, her 
 conversation, which she interlards with French, her very tastes 
 and ambitions, are alike assumed; and the assumption is ungrace- 
 fully apparent; Hoyden playing Cleopatra. I should judge her to 
 be incapable of truth. In private life a girl of this description em- 
 broils the peace of families, walks attended by a troop of scowling 
 swains, and passes, once at least, through the divorce court; it is a 
 common and, except to the cynic, an uninteresting type. On the 
 throne, however, and in the hands of a man like Gondremark, she 
 may become the authoress of serious public evils. 
 
 "Gondremark, the true ruler of this unfortunate country, is a 
 more complex study. His position in Grilnewald, to which he is a 
 foreigner, is eminently false; and that he should maintain it as he 
 does, a very miracle of impudence and dexterity. His speech, his 
 face, his policy, are all double : heads and tails. "Which of the two 
 extremes may be his actual design, he were a bold man who should 
 offer to decide. Yet I will hazard the guess that he follows both ex- 
 perimentally, and awaits, at the hand of destiny, one of those di- 
 recting hints of which she is so lavish to the wise. 
 
 ^
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 43 
 
 '* On the one hand, as Maire de Palais to the incompetent Otto, and 
 using the love-sick princess for a tool and mouth-piece, he pursues a 
 policy of arbitrary poAver and territorial aggrandizement. He luva 
 called out the whole capable male population of the state to military 
 service; he has bought cannon; he has tempted away promising 
 othcers from foreign armies; and he now begins, in his interna- 
 tional relations, to assume the swaggering port and the vague, threat- 
 ful language of a bully. The idea of extending Grlinewald may 
 appear absurd, but the little state is advantageously placed, its 
 neigiibors are all defenseless; and if at any moment the jealousies 
 of the greater courts should neutralize each other, an active policy 
 might double the principality both in population and extent. Cer- 
 tainly at least the scheme is entertained in the court of Mittwalden; 
 nor do I myself regard it as entirely desperate. The margravate 
 of Brandenburgh has grown from as small beginnings to a formid- 
 able power; and though it is late in the day to try adventurous 
 policies, and the age of war seems ended. Fortune, we must not 
 forget, still blindly turns her wheel for men and nations. Concur- 
 rently with, and tributary to, these warlike preparations, crushing 
 taxes have been levied, journals have been suppressed, and the 
 country, which three years ago was prosperous and happy, now 
 stagnates in a forced inaction, gold has become a curiosity, and thc> 
 mills stand idle on the mountain streams. 
 
 ' ' On the other hand, in his second capacity of popular tribune, 
 Gondremark is the incarnation of the free lodges, and sits at the 
 center of an organized conspiracy against the state. To any such 
 movement my sympathies were early acquired, and I would not 
 willingly let fall a word that might embarrass or retard the revolu- 
 tion. But to show that I speak of knowledge, and not as the re- 
 porter of mere gQssip, I may mention that I have myself been pres- 
 ent at a meeting where the details of a republican Constitution were 
 minutely debated and arranged; and I may add that Gondremark 
 was throughout referred to by the speakers as their captain in ac- 
 tion and the arbiter of their disputes. He has taught his dupes (for 
 so 1 must legard them) that his power of resistance to the prin- 
 cess is limited, and at each fresh stretch of authority persuades 
 them, with specious reasons, to postpone the hour of insurrection. 
 Thus (to give some instances of his astute diplomacy) he salved 
 over the decree enforcing military service, under the plea that to be 
 well drilled and exercised in arms was ever a necessary preparation 
 for revolt. And the other day, when it began to be rumored abroad 
 that a war was being forced on a reluctant neighbor, the Grand
 
 44 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 Duke of Gerolstein, and I made sure it would be the signal for an 
 instant rising, I was struck dumb with wonder to find that even 
 this had been prepared and was to be accepted. I went fiom ono 
 to another in the Liberal camp, and all were in the same story, all 
 had been drilled and schooled and fitted out with vacuous argu- 
 ment. 'The lads had better see some real fighting,' they said; 
 ' and besides, it will be as well to capture Gerolstein; we can then 
 extend to our neighbors the blessing of liberty on the same day 
 that we snatch it for ourselves; and the Republic will be all the 
 stronger to resist, if the kings of Europe should band themselves to- 
 gether to reduce it. ' I know not which of the two I should ad- 
 mire the more : the .simplicity of the multitude or the audacity of 
 the adventurer. But such are the subtleties, and the quibbling 
 reasons, with which he blinds and leads this people. How long a 
 course so tortuous can be pursued with safety I am incapable of 
 guessing; not long, one would suppose; and yet this singular 
 man has been treading the mazes for five years, and his favor at 
 court and his popularity among the lodges still endure unbroken. 
 
 " I have the privilege of slightly knowing him. Heavily and 
 somewhat clumsily built, of a vast, disjointed, rambling frame, he 
 can still pull himself together and figure, not without admiration, in 
 the saloon or the ball-room. His hue and temperament are plenti- 
 fully bilious; he has a saturnine eye; his cheek is of a dark blue 
 where he has been shaven. Essentially he is to be numbered among 
 the man-haters, a convinced contemner of his fellows. Yet he ia 
 himself of a commonplace ambition and greedy of applause. In 
 talk he is remarkable for a thirst of information, loving rather to 
 hear than to communicate; for sound and studious views; and, 
 judging by the extreme short-sightedness of common politicians, 
 for a remarkable prevision of events. All this, however, without 
 grace, pleasantry, or charm, heavily set forth with a dull counten- 
 ance. In our numerous conversations, although he has always 
 heard me with deference, I have been conscious throughout of a 
 sort of ponderous finessing, hard to tolerate. He produces none of 
 the effect of a gentleman; devoid not merely of pleasantry, but of 
 all attention or communicative warmth of bearing. No gentleman, 
 besides, would so parade his amours with the princess; still less re- 
 pay the prince for his long-suffering with a studied insolence of de- 
 meanor and the fabrication of insulting nicknames, such as Prince 
 Featherhead, which run from ear to ear and create a laugh through- 
 out the country. Gk)ndremark has thus some of the clumsier charac- 
 iers of the self-made man, combined with an inordinate, almost a
 
 PRINCE OTTO. i.") 
 
 besotted, pride of intellect and birth. Heavj^, bilious, selfish, iuor 
 nate, he sits upon this court and country like an incubus, 
 
 " But it is probable that he preserves softer gifts for necessary pur- 
 poses. Indeed, it is certain, although he vouchsafed none of it to 
 me, that this cold and stoliil politician possesses to a great degree 
 the art of iugratiation, and can be all things to all men. Hence 
 there has probably sprung up the idle legend that, in private life, 
 he is a gross, romping voluptuary. Nothing, at least, can well be 
 more surprising than the terms of his connection with the princess 
 Older than her husband, certainly ugliei', and, according to the 
 feeble ideas common among women, in every particular less pleas- 
 ing, he has not only seized the complete command of all her thought 
 and action, but has imposed upon her in public a humiliating part. 
 I do not here refer to the complete sacrifice of every rag of her rep- 
 utation; for to many women these extremities are in themselves 
 attractive. But there is about the court a certain lady of a di- 
 sheveled reputation, a Countess von Rosen, wife or widow of a 
 cloudy count, no longer in her second youth and already bereft of 
 some of her attractions, who unequivocally occupies the station of 
 the baron's mistress. I had thought, at first, that she was but a 
 hired accomplice, a mere blind or buffer for the more important 
 sinner. A few hours' acquaintance with Madame von Rosen for- 
 ever dispelled the illusion. She is one rather to make than to pre- 
 vent a scandal; and she values none of those bribes — money, hon- 
 ors, or employment — with which the situation might be gilded. In- 
 deed, as a person frankly bad, she pleased me, in the court of 
 Griinewald, like a piece of nature. 
 
 " The power of this man over the princess is, therefore, without 
 bounds. She has sacrificed, to the adoration with which he lias in- 
 spired her, not only her marriage vow and every shred of public 
 decency, but that vice of jealousy which is so much dearer to the 
 female sex than either intrinsic honor or outward consideration. 
 Nay, more : a young, although not a very attractive woman, and a 
 princess both by birth and fact, she submits to the triumphant 
 rivalry of one who might be her mother as to years, and who is so 
 manifestly her inferior in station. This is one of the mysteries of 
 the human heart. But the rage of illicit love, when it is once in- 
 dulged, appears to grow by feeding; and to a person of the charac- 
 ter and temperament of this unfortunate young lad}^ almost any 
 depth of degradation is within the reach of possibility."
 
 46 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 CHAPTER m 
 
 THE PRINCE AND THE ENGLISH TRAVELEB. 
 
 So far Otto read, with waxing indignation; and here his fury 
 overflowed. He tossed the roll upon the table and stood up. " This 
 man, " he said, " is a devil. A filthy imagination, an ear greedy 
 of evil, a ponderous malignity of thought and language: I grow 
 like him by Ihe reading! Chancellor, where is this fellow lodged?" 
 
 ' ' He was committed to the Flag Tower, ' ' replied Greisengesang, 
 " in the Gamiani apartment." 
 
 " Lead me to him," said the prince; and then a thought striking 
 him, ' ' Was it for that, ' ' he asked, ' ' that I found so many sentries 
 in the garden?" 
 
 " Your highness, I am unaware," answered Greisengesang, true 
 to his policy. ' ' The disposition of the guards is a matter distinct 
 from my functions. ' ' 
 
 Otto turned upon the old man fiercely, but ere he had time to 
 speak, Gotthold touched him on the arm. He swallowed his wrath 
 with a great efliort. "It is well," he said, taking the roll. " Fol- 
 low me to the Flag Tower. ' ' 
 
 The chancellor gathered himself together, and the two set for- 
 ward. It was a long and complicated voyage; for the library was 
 in the wing of the new buildings, and the tower which carried the 
 flag was in the old schloss upon the garden. By a great variety of 
 stairs and corridors they came out at last upon a patch of graveled 
 court; the garden, with a flash of green, peeped through a high 
 grating; tall, old, gabled buildings mounted on every sidfi; stage 
 after stage, the Flag Tower climbed into the blue, and high over 
 all, among the building daws, the yellow banner flaunted in the 
 wind. A sentinel at the foot of the tower stairs presented arms; 
 another paced the first landing; and a third was stationed before 
 the door of the extemporized prison. 
 
 " We guard this mud-bag like a jewel," Otto sneered. 
 
 The Gamiani apartment was so called from an Italian doctor who 
 had imposed on the credulity of a former prince. The rooms were 
 large, airy, pleasant, and looked upon the garden; but the walls 
 were of great thickness (for the tower was old) and the windows were 
 heavily barred. The prince, followed by the chancellor, still trotting 
 to^ keep up with him, brushed swiftly through the little library
 
 PRIJTCE OTTO 47 
 
 and the long saloon, and burst like a thunderbolt into the bedroom 
 at the further end. Sir John was finishing his toilet; a man of 
 fifty, hard, uncompromising, able, with the eye and teeth of phys- 
 ical courage. He was unmoved by the irruption, and bowed with 
 a sort of sneering ease. 
 
 " To what am I to attribute the honor of this visit?" he asked. 
 
 " You have eaten my bread," replied Otto, " you have taken my 
 hand, you have been received under my roof. When did I fail 
 you in courtesy? What have you asked that was not granted as to 
 an honored guest ? And here, sir, ' ' tapping fiercely on the manu- 
 script, " here is your return." 
 
 "Your highness has read my papers?" said the baronet. "I 
 am honored, indeed. But the sketch is most imperfect. I shall 
 now have much to add. I can say that the prince, whom I had 
 accused of idleness, is zealous in the department of police, taking 
 upon himself those duties that are most distasteful. I shall be able 
 to relate the burlesque incident of my arrest, and the singular inter- 
 view with which you honor me at present. For the rest, I have al- 
 ready communicated with my embassador at Vienna; and unless 
 you propose to murder me, I shall be at liberty, whether you please 
 or not, within the week. For I hardly fancy the future empire of 
 GrUnewald is yet ripe to go to war with England. I conceive I am 
 a little more than quits. I owe you no explanation; yours has been 
 the wrong. You, if you have studied my writing with intelligence, 
 owe me a large debt of gratitude. And to conclude, as I have not 
 yet finished my toilet, I imagine the courtesy of a turnkey to a 
 prisoner would induce you to withdraw." 
 
 There was some paper on the table, and Otto, sitting down, WTOte 
 a passport in the name of Sir John Crabtree. 
 
 " Afiix the seal, Herr Cancellarius/ ' he said, in his most princely 
 manner, as he rose. 
 
 Greisengesang produced a red portfolio, and affixed the seal in 
 the unpoetic guise of an adhesive stamp; nor did his perturbed and 
 clumsy movements at all lessen the comedy of the performance. 
 Sir John looked on with a malign enjoyment; and Otto chafed, re- 
 gretting, when too late, the unnecessary royalty of his command 
 and gesture. But at length the chancellor had finished his piece of 
 prestidigitation, and, without waiting for an order, had counter 
 signed the passport. Thus regularized, he returned it to Otto witk 
 a bow. 
 
 ' ' You will now, ' ' said the prince, ' ' order one of my own car- 
 riages to be prepared, sei; it, with your own eyes, charged with Sir
 
 48 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 John's effects, and have it waiting within the hour behind the 
 Pheasant House. Sir John departs this morning for Vienna. " 
 
 The chancellor took his elaborate departure. 
 
 " Here, sir, is your passport," said Otto, turning to the baronet 
 " I regret it from my heart that you have met inhospitable usage." 
 
 " Well, there will be no English war," returned Sir John. 
 
 " Nay, sir," said Otto, " you surely owe me your civility. Mat- 
 ters are now changed, and we stand again upon the footing of two 
 gentlemen. It was not I who ordered your arrest; I returned late 
 last night from hunting; and as you can nol blame me for your 
 imprisonment, you may even thank me for your freedom." 
 
 '■ And yet you read my papers," said the traveler, shrewdly. 
 
 " There, sir, I was wrong," returned Otto; " and for that I ask 
 your pardon. You can scarce refuse it, for your own dignity, to 
 one who is a plexus of weaknesses. Nor was the fault entirely 
 mine. Had the papers been innocent, it would have been at most 
 an indiscretion. Your own guilt is the sting of my offense." 
 
 Sir John regarded Otto with an approving twinkle; then he 
 bowed, but still in silence. 
 
 " Well, sir, as you are now at your entire disposal, I have a favor 
 to beg of your indulgence, ' ' continued the prince. ' ' I have to re- 
 quest that you will walk with me alone into the garden, so soon as 
 your convenience permits." 
 
 "From the moment that I am a free man," Sir John replied, 
 this time with perfect courtesy, "I am wholly at your highness 's 
 command; and if jou will excuse a rather summary toilet, I will 
 even follow you as I am." 
 
 " I thank you, sir," said Otto. 
 
 So without more delay, the prince leading, the pair proceeded 
 down through the echoing stairway of the tower, and out through 
 the grating, into the ample air and sunshine of the morning, and 
 among the terraces and flower-beds of the garden. They crossed 
 the fish-pond, where the carp were leaping as thick as bees; they 
 mounted, one after another, the various flights of stairs, snowed 
 upon, as they went, with April blossoms, and marching in time to 
 the great orchestra of birds. Nor did Otto pause till they had 
 reached the highest terrace of the garden. Here was a gate into the 
 park, and hard by, under the tuft of laurel, a marble garden seat. 
 Hence they looked down on the green tops of many elm- trees, 
 where the rooks were busy; and, beyond that, upon the palace roof, 
 and the yellow banner flying in the blue. ' ' I pray you to be 
 seated, sir," said Otto.
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 40 
 
 Sir John complied without a word; and for some seconds Ottc 
 walked to and fro before him, plunged in angry thought. The 
 birds were all singing for a wager. 
 
 "Sir," said the prince at length, turning toward the English- 
 man, * ' you are to me, except by the conventions of society, a per- 
 fect stranger. Of your character and wishes I am ignorant. I have 
 never wittingly disobliged you. There is a difference in station, 
 which I desire to waive. I would, if you still think me entitled to 
 so much consideration — I would be regarded simply as a gentleman. 
 Now, sir, I did wi-ong to glance at these papers, which I here re- 
 turn to you; but if curiosity be undignified, as I am free to own, 
 falsehood is both cowardly and cruel. I opened your roll; and 
 what did I find — what did I find about ray wife? Lies!" he broke 
 out. " They are lies! There are not, so help me God! four words 
 of truth in your intolerable libel. You are a man; you are old and 
 might be the girl's father; you are a gentleman; you are a scholar 
 and have learned refinement; and you rake together all this vulgar 
 scandal, and propose to print it in a public book! Such is your 
 chivalry! But, thank God, sir, she has still a husband. You say, 
 sir, in that paper in your hand, that I am a bad fencer; I have to 
 request from you a lesson in the art. The park is close behind; 
 yopder is the Pheasant House, where you will find your carriage; 
 should I fall, you know, sir — you have written it in your paper — 
 how little my movements are regarded; I am in the custom of dis- 
 appearing; it will be one more disappearance; and long before it has 
 awakened a remark, you may be safe across the border. " 
 
 " You will observe," said Sir John, " that what you ask is im- 
 possible. ' ' 
 
 " And if I struck you?" cried the prince, with a sudden, menac- 
 ing flash. 
 
 " It would be a cowardly blow," returned the baronet, unmoved, 
 " for it would make no change. I can not draw upon a reigning 
 Bovereign. ' ' 
 
 " And it is this man, to whom you dare not offer satisfaction, 
 that you choose to insult!" cried Otto. 
 
 " Pardon me," said the traveler, " you are unjust. It is because 
 you are a reigning sovereign that I can not fight with you; and it 
 is for the same reason that I have a right to criticise your action 
 and your wife. You are in everything a public creature; you be- 
 long to the public, body and bone. You have witli you the law, 
 the muskets of the army, and the eyes of spies. We, on our side, 
 have but one weapon — truth, ' '
 
 50 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " Truth!" echoed the prince, with a gesture. 
 
 There was another silence. 
 
 "Your highness," said Sir John at last, "you must not expect 
 grapes from a thistle. I am old and a cynic. Nobody cares a 
 rush for me; and on the whole, after the present interview, I scarce 
 know anybody that I like better than I like yourself. You see, I 
 have changed my mind, and have the uncommon virtue to avow the 
 change. I tear up this stuff before you, here in your own garden; I 
 ask your pardon, I ask the pardon of the princess; and I give you 
 my word of honor as a gentleman and an old man, that, when my 
 book of travels shall appear, it shall not contain so much as the 
 name of Griinewald. And j^et it was a racy chapter! But had 
 yf ur higlmess only read about the other courts! I am a carrion 
 crow; but it is not my fault after all that the world is such a nau- 
 eeous kennel." 
 
 " Sir," said Otto, " is the eye not jaundiced?" 
 
 " Nay," cried the traveler, " verj' likely. I am one who goes 
 sniffing; I am no poet. I believe in a better future for the world; 
 or, at all accounts, 1 do most potently disbelieve in the present. 
 Rotten eggs is the burden of my song. But indeed, your highness, 
 when I meet with any merit, I do not think that I am slow to recog- 
 nize it. This is a day that I shall still recall with gratitude, for I 
 have found a sovereign with some manly virtues; and for once — 
 old courtier and old radical as I am — it is from the heart and quite 
 sincerely that I can request the honor of kissing your highness's 
 hand." 
 
 " Nay, sir," said Otto, " to my heart!" 
 
 And the Englishman, taken at unawares, was clasped for a mo- 
 ment in the prince's arms. 
 
 " And now, sir," added Otto, " there is the Pheasant House; close 
 behind it you will find my carriage, which I pray you to accept. 
 God speed you to Vienna!" 
 
 " In the impetuosity of youth," replied Sir John, " your highness 
 has overlooked one circumstance. I am still fasting." 
 
 " Well, sir," said Otto, smiling, " you are your own master; you 
 may go or stay. But I warn you, your friend may prove less 
 powerful than your enemies. The prince, indeed, has thoroughly 
 acquired you; he has all the will to help; but to whom do I speak? 
 you know better than I do, he is not alone in Griinewald. ' ' 
 
 " There is a deal in position," returned the traveler, gravely 
 nodding. " Gondremark loves to temporize; his policy is below 
 ground, and he fears all open courses; and now that 1 have seen
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 61 
 
 you act with so much spirit, I will cheerfully risk myself on yout 
 protection. Who knows? You may be yet the better man. " 
 
 " Do you indeed believe so?" cried the prince. "You put life 
 into my heart!" 
 
 " I will give up sketching portraits," said the baronet. " I am a 
 blind owl; I had misread you strangely. And yet remember this: 
 a sprint is one thing, and to run all the day another. For 1 still 
 mistrust your constitution: the short nose, the hair and eyes of 
 several complexions; no, thsy are diagnostic; and I must end, I 
 see, as I began." 
 
 " I am still a singing chamber-maid?" said Otto. 
 
 " Nay, your highness, I pray you to forget what I had written," 
 said Sir John; " I am not like Pilate; and the chapter is no more. 
 Bury it, if you love me." 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 WHILE THE PRINCE IS IN THE ANTEROOM- 
 
 Greatly comforted by the exploits of the morning, the prince 
 turned toward the princess's anteroom, bent on a more difficult en- 
 terprise. The curtains rose before him, the usher called his name, 
 and he entered the room with an exaggeration of his usual mincing 
 and airy dignity. There were about a score of persons waiting, 
 principally ladies; it was one of the few societies in Grilnewald 
 where Otto knew himself to be popular; and while a maid-of-honor 
 made her exit by a side door to announce his arrival to the prin- 
 cess, he moved round the apartment, collecting homage and be- 
 stowing compliments, with friendly grace. Had this been the sum 
 of his duties, he had been an admirable monarch. Lady after lady 
 was impartially honored by liis attention. 
 
 " Madam," he said to one, " how does this happen? I find you 
 daily more adorable." 
 
 "And your highness daily browner, " replied the lady. "We 
 began equal: O, there I will be bold; we have both beautiful com- 
 plexions. But while I study mine, your highness tans himself." 
 
 " A perfect negro, madam; and what so fitly — being beauty's 
 slave?" said Otto. ' Madame Grafinski, when is our next play? I 
 have just heard that I am a bad actor." 
 
 "0 del!"'' cried Madame Grafinski. "Who could venture? 
 What a bear I"
 
 52 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 " An excellent man, I can assure you," returned Otto. 
 
 " O, never! O, is it possible!" fluted the lady. " Your highness 
 plays like an angel." 
 
 " You must be right, madam; who could speak falsely and yet 
 look so charming?" said the prince. "But this gentleman, it 
 seems, would have preferred me playing like an actor. ' ' 
 
 A sort of hum, a falsetto, feminine cooing, greeted the tiny 
 sally; and Otto expanded like a peacock. This warm atmosphere 
 of women and flattery and idle chatter, pleased him to the marrow. 
 
 "Madame von Eisenthal, your coiffure is delicious," he re- 
 marked. 
 
 " Everyone was saying so," said one. 
 
 " If I have pleased Prince Charming!" And Madame von Eisen- 
 thal swept him a deep courtsey with a killing glance of adoration. 
 
 "It is new?" he askea. " Vienna fashion?" 
 
 "Mint new," replied the lady, " for your highness's return. I 
 felt young this morning; it was a premonition. But why, prince, 
 do you ever leave us?" 
 
 " For the pleasure of the return," said Otto. " I am like a dog; 
 I must bury my bone, and then come back to gloat upon it." 
 
 " Oh, a bone! Fie, what a comparison! You have brought back 
 the manners of the wood," returned the lady. 
 
 " Madam, it is what the dog has dearest," said the prince. " But 
 I observe Madame von Rosen." 
 
 And Otto, leaving the group to which he had been piping, stepped 
 toward the embrasure of a window where a lady stood. 
 
 The Countess von Rosen had hitherto been silent, and a thought 
 depressed; but on the approach of Otto she began to brighten. She 
 was tall, slim as a nymph, and of a very airy carriage; and her 
 face, which was already beautiful in repose, lightened and changed, 
 flashed into smiles and glowed with lovely color, at the touch of 
 animation. She was a good vocalist; and, even in speech, her 
 voice commanded a great range of changes, the low notes rich with 
 tenor quality, the upper ringing, on the brink of laughter, into 
 music. A gem of many faces and variable hues of fire; a woman 
 who withheld the better portion of her beauty, and then, in a 
 caressing second, flashed it like a weapon full on the beholder; 
 row merely a tall figui-e and a sallow handsome face, with the evi- 
 dence of a reckless temper, anon opening like a flower to life and 
 color, mirth and tenderness. Madame von Rosen had always a 
 dagger in reserve for the dispatch of ill-assured admirers. She met 
 Utto with the dart of tender gayety.
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 53 
 
 " You have come to me at last, Prince Cruel," she said " But- 
 terfly! Well, and am I not to kiss j^our hand?" she added 
 
 " Madame, it is I who must kiss yours." And Otto bowed and 
 kissed it. 
 
 "You deny me every indulgence," she said, smiling, 
 
 " And now what news in court?" inquired the prince, " I come 
 to you for my gazette." 
 
 " Ditch-water!" she replied. " The world is all asleep, grown 
 gray in slumber; I do not remember any waking movement since 
 quite an eternity; and the last thing in the nature of a sensation 
 was the last time my governess was allowed to box my ears. But 
 yet I do myself and your unfortunate enchanted palace some in- 
 justice. Here is the last — O positively!" And she told him the 
 story from behind her fan, with many glances, many cunning 
 strokes of the narrator's art. The others had drawn away; for it 
 was understood that Madame von Rosen was in favor with the 
 prince. None the less, however, did the countess lower her voice 
 at times to within a semitone of whispering; and the pair leaned 
 together over the narrative. 
 
 ' ' Do you know, ' ' said Otto, laughing, ' ' you are the only enter- 
 taining woman in this earth?" 
 
 " Oh, you have found out so much?" she cried. 
 
 " Yes, madame, I grow wiser with advancing years," he re- 
 turned. 
 
 " Years!" she repeated. " Do vou name the traitors? I do not 
 believe in years; the calendar is a delusion. " 
 
 "You must be right, madame," replied the prince. " For six 
 years that we have been good friends, I have obserred you to grow 
 younger. ' ' 
 
 "Flatterer!" cried she, and then with a change, "But why 
 should I say bo," she added, "when I protest I tbink the same? 
 A week ago I had a council with my Father Director, the glass; 
 and the glass replied, ' Not .yet!' I confess my face in this way 
 once a month. Oh! a very solemn moment. Do you know what I 
 shall do when the mirror answers: ' Now '?" 
 
 " I can not guess," said he. 
 
 "No more can I," returned the countess. ** There is such a 
 choice! Suicide, gambling, a nunnery, a volume of memoirs, oi 
 politics — the last, I am afraid." 
 
 " It is a dull trade," said Otto. 
 
 "Nay," she replied, "it is a trade I rather like. It is after all 
 Irst cousin to gossip, which no one can deny to be amusing. I'or
 
 54: PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 instance, if I were to tell you that the princess and the baron rode 
 out together daily to inspect the cannon, it is either a piece of politics 
 or scandal, as I turn my phrase. I am the alchemist that makes the 
 transmutation. They have been everywhere together since you 
 left," she continued, brightening as she saw Otto darken — " that is 
 a poor snippet of malicious gossip; and they were everywhere 
 cheered — and with that addition all becomes political intelligence." 
 
 " Let us change the subject," said Otto. 
 
 "I was about to propose it," she replied, "or rather to pursue 
 the politics. Do you know? this war is popular — Oh, but popular! 
 popular to the length of cheering Princess Seraphina ' ' 
 
 " All things, madame, are possible," said the prince; " and lliis 
 among others, that we may be going into war, but I give you my 
 word of honor I do not know with whom." 
 
 " And you put up with it?" she cried. " I have no pretensions 
 to morality; and I confess I have always abominated the lamb, and 
 nourished a romantic feeling for the wolf. Oh, be done with lambi- 
 ness! Let us see there is a prince, for I am weary of the distaff." 
 
 " Madame," said Otto, " I thought you were of that faction," 
 
 " 1 should be of yours, mon Prince, if you had one," she re- 
 torted. " Is it true tnat you have no ambition? There was a man 
 once in England whom they called the King-maker. Do you know," 
 she added, " 1 fancy I could make a prince?" 
 
 " Some day, madame," said Otto, " I may ask you to help make 
 a farmer. ' ' 
 
 " Is that a riddle?" asked the countess. 
 
 " It is," replied the prince, " and a very good one, too." 
 
 " Tit for tat. I will ask you another," she returned. " Where is 
 Gondremark?" 
 
 "The prime minister? In the prime ministry, no doubt," said 
 Otto. 
 
 " Precisely," said the countess; and she pointed with her fan to 
 the door of the princess's apartments. "' You and I, mon Prince, 
 are in the anteroom. You think me unkind, ' ' she added. ' ' Try 
 me and you will see. Set me a task, put me a question; there is no 
 enormity I am not capable of doing to oblige you, and no secret 
 that I am not ready to betray. ' ' 
 
 " Nay, madame, but I respect my friend too much," he answered, 
 kissing her hand. "I would rather remain ignorant of all. "We 
 fraternize like foemen soldiers at the outposts, but let each be true 
 to his own army." 
 
 " Ah," she cried, " if men wer« generous like you, it would b§
 
 PKINCE OTTO. 55 
 
 worth while to be a woman!" Yet, judging by her loolcs, his 
 generosity, if anything, had disappointed her; she seemed to seek a 
 remedy, and, having found it, brightened once again. " And 
 now," she said, " may I dismiss my sovereign? This is rebellion 
 and a cas pendable ! but what am I to do? My bear is jealous!" 
 
 " Madame, enough!" cried Otto. " xlhasuerus reaches you the 
 scepter; more, he will obej' you in all points. I should have been 
 a dog to come to whistling. ' ' 
 
 And so the prince departed, and fluttered round Grafinski and 
 Von Eisenthal. But the countess knew the use of her offensive 
 weapons, and had left a pleasant arrow in the prince's heart. That 
 Gondremark was jealous — here was an agreeable revenge! And 
 Madame von Rosen, as the occasion of the jealousy appeared to 
 him in a new light. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 GONDREMARK IS IN MY LADY'S CHAMBER. 
 
 The Countess von Rosen spoke the truth. The great Prime 
 Minister of Griinewald was already closeted with Seraphina. The 
 toilet was over; and the princess, tastefully arrayed, sat face to 
 face with a tall mirror. Sir John's description was unkindly true, 
 true in terms and yet a libel, a raisogynistic masterpiece. Her 
 forehead was perhaps too high, but it became her; her figure some- 
 what stooped, but eveiy detail was formed and finished like a gem; 
 her hand, her foot, her ear, the set of her comely head, were all 
 dainty and accordant; if she was not beautiful, she was vivid, 
 changeful, colored and pretty with a thousand various prettinesses; 
 and her ej'es, if they indeed rolled too consciously, yet rolled to 
 purpose. They were her most attractive feature, yet they contin- 
 ually bore eloquent false witness to her thoughts; for while she 
 herself, in the depths of her immature, unsoftened heart, was given 
 altogether to man-like ambition and the desire of power, the eyes 
 were by turns bold inviting, fiery, melting, and artful, like the eyes 
 of a rapacious siren. And artful, in a sense, she was. Chafing 
 that she was not a man and could not shine by action, she had con- 
 ceived a woman's part, of answerable domination; she sought to 
 subjugate for bj'-ends, to rain influence and be fancy free; and 
 "while he loved not man, loved to see man obey her. It is a com- 
 mon girl's ambition. Such was perhaps the lady of the glove, who 
 sent her lover to the lions. But the snare is laid alike for male 
 and female, and the world most artfully contrived.
 
 56 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 Near her, in a low chair, Gondremark had arranged his limbs 
 into a cat-lilve attitude, high-shouldered, stooping, and submissive. 
 The formidable blue jowl of the man, and the dull, bilious eye. set 
 perhaps a higher value on his evident desire to please. His face 
 was marlied by capacity, temper, and a kind of bold, piratical dis- 
 honesty, which it woidd be calumnious to call deceit. His manners, 
 as ne smiled upon the princess, were ovirfiue, yet hardly elegant. 
 
 " Possibly," said the baron, " I should now proceed to take my 
 leave. I must not keep my sovereign in the anteroom. Let us 
 come at once to a decision." 
 
 " It can not, can not be put off?" she asked. 
 
 '• It is impossible," answered Gondremark. "Your highness 
 sees it for herself. In the earlier stages, we might imitate the ser- 
 pent; but for the ultimatum, there is no choice but to be bold like 
 lions. Had the prince chosen to remain away, it had been better; 
 but we have gone too far forward to delay. ' ' 
 
 "What can have brought him?" she cried. "To-day of all 
 days?" 
 
 " The marplot, madam, has the instinct of his nature," returned 
 Gondremarli. ' ' But you exaggerate the peril. Think, madame, 
 how far we have prospered, and against what odds! Shall a 
 Featherhead? but no!" And he blew upon his fingers lightly with 
 a laugh. 
 
 " Featherhead," she replied, " is still the Prince of Grilnewald." 
 
 ' ' On your sufferance only, and so long as you shall please to be 
 indulgent," said the baron. " There are rights of nature; power to 
 the powerful is the law. If he shall think to cross your destiny — 
 well, you have heard of the brazen and the earthen pot." 
 
 " Do you call me pot? You are ungallant, baron," laughed the 
 princess. 
 
 " Before we are done with j^our glory, I shall have called you by 
 many different titles, ' ' he replied. 
 
 The girl flushed with pleasure. " But Frederic is still the prince, 
 Monsietirele Flatteur," she said. "You do not propose a revolu- 
 tion? you of all men?" 
 
 "Dear madame, when it is already made!" he cried. "The 
 prince reigns indeed in the almanac; but my princess reigns and 
 rules." And he looked at her with a fond admiration that made 
 the heart of Seraphina swell. Looking on her huge slave, she drank 
 the intoxicating joys of power. Meanwhile he continued with that 
 sort of massive archness that so ill became him. " She has but one 
 fault; tnere is but one danger in the great career that I foresee ful
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 57 
 
 her. May I name it? may I be so irreverent? It is in herself — her 
 heart is soft." 
 
 " Her courage is faint, baron," said the princess. " SlSpposo 
 we have judged ill, suppose we v^'ere defeated?" 
 
 " Defeated, madame?" returned the baron, with a touch of ill 
 humor. " Is the dog defeated by the hare? Our troops are all can- 
 toned along the frontier; in five hours the vanguard of five thousand 
 bayonets shall be hammering on the gates of Brandenau; aad in all 
 Gerolstein there are not fifteen hundred men who can manetiver. It 
 is as simple as a sum. There can be no resistance. " 
 
 " It is no great exploit," she said. " Is that what you call glory? 
 It is like beating a child." 
 
 " The courage, madame, is diplomatic," he replied. " "We take 
 a grave step; we fix the eyes of Europe, for the first time, on Grilne- 
 wald; and in the negotiations of the next three months, mark me, 
 we stand or fall. It is there, madame, that I shall have to depend 
 upon your counsels," he added, almost gloomily. "If I had not 
 seen you at work, if I did not know the fertility of your mind, I 
 own I should tremble for the consequence. But it is in this field 
 that men must recognize their inability. All the great negotiators, 
 when they have not been women, have had women at their elbows. 
 Madame de Pompadour was ill served; she had not found her 
 Grondremark; but what a mighty politician! Catherine de Medfci, 
 too, what justice of sight, what readiness of means, what elasticity 
 against defeat! But alas! madam, her Featherheads were her own 
 children; and she had that one touch of vulgarity, that one trait of 
 the good-wife, that she suffered family ties and affections to con- 
 fine her liberty." 
 
 These singular views of history, strictly ad usum SerapJiinm, 
 did not weave their usual soothing spell over the princess. It was 
 plain that she had taken a momentary distaste to her own resolu- 
 tions; for she continued to oppose her counselor, looking upon him 
 out of half-closed eyes and with the shadow of a sneer upon her 
 lips. "What boys men are!" she said; "what lovers of big 
 words! Courage, indeed! If you had to scour pans, Herr von 
 Gondremark, you would call it, I suppose. Domestic Courage?" 
 
 "I would, madame," said the baron, stoutly, " if I scoured them 
 W(!ll. I would put a good name upon a virtue; you will not overdo 
 it; they are not so enchanting in themselves." 
 
 " Well, but let me see," she said. " I wish to understand 3'our 
 courage. Why we asked leave, like children! Our grannie in 
 Borliu, our imcle in Vienna, the whol^ family, have patted us ou
 
 58 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 the head and sent us forward. Courage I I wonder when I hear 
 you!" 
 
 " My princess is unlike herself," returned the baron. " She has 
 forgotten where the peril lies. True, we have received encourage- 
 ment on every hand; but my princess knows too well on what 
 untenable conditions; and she knows besides how, in the publicity 
 of the diet, these whispered conferences are forgotten and disowned. 
 The danger is very real " — (he raged inwardly at having to blow 
 the very coal he had been quenching) — " none the less real in that 
 it is not precisely military, but for that reason th" easier to be 
 faced. Had we to count upon your troops, although 1 share your 
 highness's expectations of the conduct of Alvenau, we can not for- 
 get that he has not been proved in chief command. But where 
 negotiation is concerned, the conduct lies with us; and with your 
 help, I laugh at danger." 
 
 " It may be so," said Seraphina, sighing. " It is elsewhere that 
 I see danger. The people, these abominable people — suppose they 
 should instantly rebel? What a figure we should make in the eyes 
 of Europe to have undertaken an invasion, while my own throne 
 was tottering to its fall!" 
 
 " Nay, madame," said Gondremark, smiling, " here you are be- 
 neath yourself. What is it that feeds their discontent? What but 
 the taxes? Once we have seized Gerolstein, the taxes are remitted, 
 the sons return covered with renown, the houses are adorned with 
 pillage, each tastes his little share of military glory, and behold us 
 once again a happy family! ' Ay, ' they will say, in each other's 
 long ears, ' the princess knew what she was about; she was in the 
 right of it; she has a head upon her shoulders; and here we are, 
 you see, better off than before.' But why should I say all this? 
 It is what my princess pointed out to me herself; it was by these 
 reasons that she converted me to this adventure." 
 
 "I think, Herr von Gondremark," said Seraphina, somewhat 
 tartly, " you often attribute your own sagacity to your princess." 
 
 For a second Gondremark staggered under the shrewdness of the 
 attack; the next, he had perfectly recovered. "Do I?" he said. 
 "It is very possible. I have observed a similar tendency in your 
 highness." 
 
 It was so openly spoken, and appeared so just, that Seraphina 
 breathed again. Her vanity had been alarmed, and the greatness of 
 the relief improved her spirits. " Well," she said, " all this is lit- 
 tle to the purpose. We are keepmg Frederic without, and I am
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 59 
 
 Still ignorant of our line of battle. Come, co-admiral, let us con- 
 sult." 
 
 "Admiral?" replied the baron, smiling, "How many year;* 
 before we have an admiral in Grllnewald?" 
 
 "It is a long way to the sea, Monsieur V amhitieux ; and we can 
 not have an admiral until we have a port," she answered. 
 
 " Oh, a long way!" said Gondremark. " "When a state begins 
 growing, it grows by geometrical progression." 
 
 '• Come," she said, " you trifle. Monsieur mon premier minidre. 
 How am I to receive him now? And what are we to do if he 
 should appear at the council?" 
 
 "Now," he answered, "I shall leave him to my princess for 
 just now! I have seen her at work. Send him off to his theatric- 
 als! But in all gentleness, " he added. "Would it, for instance, 
 would it displease my sovereign to affect a headache?" 
 
 "Never!" said she. "The woman who can manage, like the 
 man who can fight, must never shrink from an encounter. The 
 knight must not disgrace his weapons." 
 
 " Then let me pray, my belle dame sans merci," he returned, " to 
 affect the only virtue that she lacks. Be pitiful to the poor young 
 man; affect an interest in his hunting; be weary of politics; find in 
 his society, as it were, a grateful repose from dry considerations. 
 Does my princess authorize the line of battle?" 
 
 " Well, that is a trifle," answered Seraphina. " The council — 
 there is the point." 
 
 "The council?" cried Grondremark. "Permit me, madame." 
 And he rose and proceeded to flutter about the room, counterfeiting 
 Otto both in voice and gesture not unhappily. ' What is there to- 
 day, Herr von Gondremark? Ah, Herr Cancellarius, a new wig! 
 You can not deceive me; I know every wig in Grllnewald; I have 
 the sovereign's eye. What are these papers about? Oh, I see. Oh, 
 certainly. Surely, surely, I wager none of you remarked that wig. 
 By all means. I know nothing about that. Dear me, are there as 
 many as all that? Well, you can sign them; you have the procura- 
 tion. You see, Herr Cancellarius, I knew your wig.' And so," 
 concluded Gondremark, resuming his own voice, " our sovereign, 
 by the particular grace of God, enlightens and supports his privy 
 councilors. ' ' 
 
 But when the baron turned to Seraphina for approval, he found 
 her frozen. " You are pleased to be witty, Herr von Gondremark," 
 «lie said, " and have perhaps forgotten where you are. But these
 
 6*0 PfelKCE OTTO. 
 
 rehearsals are apt to be misleading. Your master, the Prince of 
 Grlinewald, is sometimes more exacting." 
 
 Gondremaric cursed her in his soul. Of all injured vanities, that 
 of the reproved buffoon is the most savage; and when grave issues 
 are involved, these petty stabs become unbearable. But Gondre- 
 mark was a man of iron; he showed nothing; he did not even, like 
 the common trickster, retreat because he had presumed, but held to 
 his point bravely. " Madame," he said, " if, as you say, he prove 
 exacting, we must take the bull by the horns." 
 
 "We shall see," she said, and she arranged her skirt like one 
 about to rise. Temper, scorn, disgust, all the more acrid feelings, 
 became her like jewels; and she now looked her best. 
 
 " Pray God they quarrel," thought Grondremark, " The d d 
 
 minx may fail me yet, unless they quarrel. It is time to let him 
 in. Zz — fight, dogs!" Consequent on these reflections, he bent a 
 stiff knee and chivalrously kissed the princess's hand. " My prin- 
 cess," he said, " must now dismiss her ser\rant. I have much to 
 arrange against the hour of council. ' ' 
 
 " Go," she said, and rose. 
 
 And as Gondreraark tripped out of a private door, she touched a, 
 bell, and gave the order to admit the prince. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 THE PRmCE DELIVEKS A LECTURE ON MARRIAGE, WITH PRACTI 
 CAL ILLUSTRATIONS OP DIVORCE. 
 
 With what a world of excellent intentions Otto entered his wife's 
 cabinet! how fatherly, how tender, how morally affecting were the 
 words he had prepared! Nor was Seraphina unamiably inclined. 
 Her usual fear of Otto as a maiplot in her great designs was now 
 swallowed up in a passing distrust of the designs themselves. 
 For Gondremark, beside.-.., she had conceived an angry horror. In 
 her heart she did not like the baron. Behind his impudent servility, 
 behind the devotion which, with indelicate delicacy, he still forced 
 on her attention, she divined the grossness of his nature. So a 
 man may be proud of having tamed a bear, and yet sicken at his 
 captive's odor. And above all, she had certain jealous intimations 
 that the man was false, and the deception double. True, she falsely 
 trifled with his love; but he, perhaps, was only trifling witli her 
 vanity, The innocence of his late mimicry and the odium of hex
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 61 
 
 own position as she sat and watched it, lay besides like a load upon 
 her conscience. She met Otto, almost with a sense of guilt, and 
 yet she weicomed him as a deliverer from ugly things. 
 
 But the ivheels of an interview are at the mercy of a thousand 
 ruts; and even at Otto's entrance, the first jolt occurred. Gondre- 
 mark, he saw, was gone; but there was the chair drawn close for 
 consultation; and it pained him, not only that this man had been 
 received, but that he should depart with such an air of secrecy. 
 Struggling with this twinge, it was somewhat sharply that he dis- 
 missed the attendant who had brought him in. 
 
 " You make yourself at home, chefmoi," she said, a little ruffled 
 both by his tone of command and by the glance he had thrown 
 upon the chair. 
 
 " Madame," replied Otto, " I am here so seldom that I have al- 
 most the rights of a stranger. ' ' 
 
 " You choose your own associates, Frederic," she said. 
 
 " I am here to speak of it," he returned. " It is now four years 
 since we were married; and these four years, Seraphina, have not 
 perhaps been happy either for you or for me. I am well aware I 
 was unsuitable to be your husband. I was not young, I had no 
 ambition, I was a trifler; and you despised me, I dare not say un- 
 justly. But to do justice on both sides you must bear in mind how 
 I have acted. When I found it amused you to play the part of 
 princess on this little stage, did I not immediately resign to you my 
 box of toys, this Grlinewald? And when I found 1 was distasteful 
 as a husband, could any husband have been less intrusive? You 
 will tell me that I have no feelings, no preference, and thus no 
 credit; that I go before the wind; that all this was in my charac- 
 ter; and indeed, one thing is true, that it is easy, too easy, to leave 
 things undone; but Seraphina, I begin to learn it is not always wise. 
 If I were too old and too uncongenial for your husband, I should 
 still have remembered that I was the prince of that country to 
 which you came, a visitor and a child. ] n that relation also, there 
 were duties, and these duties I have not performed." 
 
 To claim the advantage of superior age is to give sure offense. 
 " Duty!" laughed Seraphina, " and on your lips, Frederic! You 
 make me laugh. What fancy is this? Go, flirt with the maids 
 and be a prince in Dresden China, as you look. Enjoy yourself, 
 mon enfant, and leave duty and the state to us." 
 
 The plural grated on the prince. ' ' I have enjoyed myself too 
 much," he said, " since eujo^^ment is the word. And yet there 
 were much to say upon the other side. You must suppose me des-
 
 (J 9 PRIKrE OTTO. 
 
 perately fond of hunting. But indeed there were days when I 
 found a great deal of interest in what it was courtesy to call mv 
 government. And I have always had some claim to taste; I could 
 tell live hapi^iness from dull routine; and between hunting, and the 
 throne of Austria, and your society, my choice had never wavered, 
 had the choice been mine. You were a girl, a bud, when you were 
 given me — " 
 
 " Heavens!" she cried, " is this to be a love scene?" 
 
 "I am never ridiculous," he said; "it is my only merit; and 
 you may be certain this shall be a scene of marriage a la mode. But 
 when I remember the beginning, it is bare courtesy to speak in sor- 
 row. Be just, madame : you would think me strangely uncivil to 
 recal these days without the decency of a regret. Be yet a little 
 juster, and own, if only in complaisance, that you yourself regret 
 that past. ' ' 
 
 "I have nothing to regret," said the princess, "You surprise 
 me. I thought you were so happy." 
 
 " Happy and happy, there are so many hundred ways," said Otto. 
 " A man may be happy in revolt; he may be happy in sleep; wine, 
 change and travel make him happy; virtue, they say, will do the 
 like — I have not tried; and they say also that in old, quiet and 
 habitual marriages, there is yet another happiness. Happy, yes; I 
 am happy if you like; but I will tell you frankly, I was happier 
 when I brought you home." 
 
 " Well," said the prince'^s, not without constraint, " it seems you 
 changed your mind." 
 
 "Not I," returned Otto; "I never changed. Do you remem- 
 ber, Seraphina, on our way home, when you saw the roses in the 
 lane, and I got out and plucked them? It was a narrow lane be- 
 tween great trees; and at the end the sunset was all gold, and over- 
 head the rooks were flying. There were nine, nine red roses; you 
 gave me a kiss for each, and I told myself that every rose and 
 every kiss should stand for a year of love. Well, in eighteen 
 months there was an end. But do you fancy, Seraphina, that my 
 heart has altered?" 
 
 " I am sure I can not tell," she said, like an automaton. 
 
 " It has not," the prince continued. " There is nothing ridicu- 
 lous, even from a husband, in a love that owns itself unhappy and 
 that asks no more. I built on sand; pardon me, I do not breathe a 
 reproach — I built, I suppose, upon my own infirmities, but I put 
 my heart in the building, and it still lies among the ruins." 
 
 " How very poetical! ' she said with a little choking laugh, un
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 63 
 
 known relentings, unfamiliar softnesses, moving within her. 
 " What would you be at?" she added, hardening her voice. 
 
 "I would be at this," he answered; " and hard it is to say. 1 
 would be a1 this: Seraphina, I am your husband, after all, and a 
 poor fool that loves you. Understand, ' ' he cried almost fiercely, ' ' I 
 am no suppliant husband; what your love refuses, I would scorn to 
 receive from your pity. I do not ask, I would not take it. And for 
 jealousy, what ground have I? A dog-in-the-manger jealousy is a 
 thing the dogs may laugh at. But at least, in the world's eye, 
 I am still your husband; and I ask you if you treat me fairly? I keep 
 to myself, I leave you free, I have given you in everything your 
 will. What do j'ou in return? I find, Seraphina, that you have 
 been too thoughtless. But between persons such as we, in our con- 
 spicuous station, particular care and a particular courtesy are 
 owing. Scandal is perhaps not easy to avoid; but it is hard to 
 bear. ' ' 
 
 " Scandal!" she cried, with a deep breath. " Scandal! It is for 
 this you have been driving!" 
 
 " I have tried to tell you how I feel," he replied. " I have told 
 you that I love you — love you in vain — a bitter thing for a hus- 
 band; I have laid myself open that I might speak without offense. 
 And now that I have begun, I will go on and finish." 
 
 " I demand it," she said. " What is this about?" 
 
 Otto flushed crimson. "I have to say what I would fain not, " 
 he answered. " I cpunsel you to see less of Gondremark." 
 
 " Of Gondremark? And why?" she asked. 
 
 " Your intimacy is the ground of scandal, madame," said Otto, 
 firmly enough — " of a scandal that is agony to me, and would be 
 crushing to your parents if they knew it." 
 
 " You are the first to bring me word of it," said she. " I thank 
 you." 
 
 "You have perhaps cause, " he replied. "Perhaps I am alone 
 among your friends — " 
 
 " Oh, leave my friends alone," she interrupted. " My friends are 
 of a different stamp. You have come to me here and made a parade 
 of sentiment. When have I last seen you? I have governed your 
 kingdom for you in the meanwhile, and there I got no help. At 
 last, when I am weary with a man's work, and you are weary of 
 your playthings, you return to make me a scene of conjugal re- 
 proaches — the grocer and his wife! The positions are too much re- 
 versed; and you should understand, at least, that I can not at the 
 same time do your work of government and behave myself like a
 
 64 PEINCT2 OTTO. 
 
 little girl. Scandal is the atmosphere in which we live — we 
 princes; it is what a prince should know. You play an odious 
 part. Do you believe this rumor?" 
 
 " Madame, should 1 be here?" said Otto. 
 
 "It is what I want to know!" she cried, the tempest of her 
 scorn increasing. " Suppose you did — I say, suppose you did be- 
 lieve it?" 
 
 " I should make it my business to suppose the contrary," he an- 
 swered. 
 
 " I thought so. Oh, you are made of baseness!" said she. 
 
 "Madame," he cried, roused at last, "enough of this. You 
 wilfully misunderstand my attitude; you outwear my patience. In 
 the name of your parents, in my own name, I summon you to be 
 more circumspect. ' ' 
 
 " Is this a request, Monsieur man mari!" she demanded. 
 
 " Madame, if I chose, I might command," said Otto. 
 
 " You might, sir, as the law stands, make me prisoner," returned 
 Seraphina. ' ' Short of that you will gain nothing. ' ' 
 
 " You will continue as before?" he asked. 
 
 " Precisely as before," said she. "As soon as this comedy is 
 over, I shall request the Freiherr von Gondremark to visit me. Do 
 you understand?" she added, rising. " For my part, I have done." 
 
 " I will then ask the favor cf your hand, madame," said Otto, 
 palpitating in every pulse with anger. "I have to request that 
 you will visit in my society another part of my poor house. And 
 reassure yourself — it will not take long — and it is the last obligation 
 that you shall have the chance to lay me under. ' ' 
 
 " The last?" she cried. " Most joyfully!" 
 
 She offered her hand, and he took it; on each side with an 
 elaborate affectation, each inwardly incandescent. He led her out 
 by the private door, following where Gondremark had passed; they 
 threaded a corridor or two, little frequented, loipking on a court, 
 until they came at last into the prince's suite. The first room was an 
 armory, hung all about with the weapons of various countries, and 
 looking forth on the front terrace. 
 
 " Have you brought me here to slay me?" she inquired. 
 
 " I have brought you, madame, only to pass on," replied Otto. 
 
 Next they came to a library, where an old chambeilain sat half 
 asleep. He rose and bowed before the princely couple, asking for 
 orders. 
 
 " You will attend us here," said Otto. 
 
 Th« next stage was a gallery of pictures, where Seraphina 's por
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 60 
 
 trait hung conspicuous, dressed for the chase, red roses in her hair, 
 as Otto, in the first months of marriage, had directed. lie pointed 
 to it, without a word. She raised her eyebrows in silence; and they 
 passed still forward into a matted corridor where four doors opened. 
 One led to Otto's bedroom; one was the private door to Seraphina's. 
 And here, for the first time. Otto left her hand, and stepping for- 
 ward, shot the bolt. 
 
 "It is long, ma dame," said he, " since it w^as bolted on the 
 other side." 
 
 " One was effectual," returned the princess. " Is this all?" 
 
 " Shall I reconduct you?" he asked, bovving. 
 
 " I should prefer," she asked, in ringing tones, " the conduct of 
 the Freiherr von Gondremark." 
 
 Otto summoned the chamberlain. " If the Freiherr von Gondre- 
 mark is in the palace," he said, "bid him attend the princess 
 here." And when the official had departed, "Can I do more to 
 serve you, madame?" the prince asked. 
 
 " Thank you, no. I have been much amused," she answered. 
 
 "I have now," continued Otto, "given you your liberty com- 
 plete. This has been for you a miserable marriage. ' ' 
 
 "Miserable!" said she. 
 
 "It has been made light to you; it shall be lighter still," con- 
 tinued the prince. " But one thing, madame, you must still con- 
 tinue to bear — my father's name, which is now yours. I leave it in 
 your hands. Let me see you, since you will have no advice of 
 mine, apply the more attention of your own to bear it worthily." 
 
 " Herr von Gondremark is long in coming," she remarked. 
 
 " Oh, Seraphina, Seraphina!" he cried. And that was the end of 
 their interview. 
 
 She tripped to a window and looked out; and a little after, the 
 chamberlain announced the Freiherr von Gondremark, who entered 
 with something^ a wild eye and changed complexion, confounded, 
 as he was, at this unusual summons. The princess faced round 
 from the window with a pearly smile; nothing but her heightened 
 color spoke of discomposure. Otto was pale, but he was otherwise 
 the master of himself. 
 
 " Herr von Gondremark," said he, " oblige me so far: reconduct 
 the princess to her own apartment." 
 
 The baron, still all at sea, offered his hand, which was .smilingly 
 accepted, and the pair sallied forth through the picture gallery. 
 
 As soon as they were gone, and Otto knew the length and breadth 
 of his miscarriage, and how he had done the contrary of all that he
 
 C)6 Tumcv. OTTO. 
 
 intended, he stood stupefied. A fiasco so complete and sweeping, 
 even to himself, was laughable; and he laughed aloud in his 
 wrath. Upon this mood there followed the sharpest violence of 
 remorse; and to that again, as he recalled his provocation, anger 
 succeeded afresh. So he was tossed in spirit; now bewailing his 
 inconsequence and lack of temper, now flaming up in white-hot 
 indignation and a noble pity for himself. 
 
 He paced his apartment like a leopard. There was danger in 
 Otto, for a flash. Like a pistol he could kill at one moment, and 
 the next he mighl be kicked aside. But just then, as he walked 
 tlie long floors in his alternate humors, tearing his handkerchief 
 between his hands he was strung to his top note, every nerve at- 
 tent. The pistol, you might say, was charged. And when jealousy 
 from time to time fetched him a lash across the tenderest of his 
 feeling, and sent a string of her fire-pictures glancing before his 
 mind's eye, the contraction of his face was even dangerous. He 
 disregarded jealousy's inventions, yet they stung. In this height 
 of his anger, he still preserved his faith in Seraphina's innocence; 
 but the thought of her possible misconduct was still the bitterest 
 ingredient in his pot of sorrow. 
 
 There came a knock at the door, and the chamberlain brought 
 him a note. He took it and ground it in his hand, continuing his 
 march, continuing his bewildered thoughts; and some minutes had 
 gone by before the circumst«,nce came clearly to his mind. Then 
 he paused and opened it. It was a pencil scratch from Gcotthold, 
 thus conceived: 
 
 " The council is privately summoned at once. 
 
 "G. v. H." 
 
 If the council was thus called before the hour, and that pri- 
 vately, it was plain they feared his interference. Feared : here was 
 a sweet thought. Gotthold, too — Gotthold, who had always used 
 and regarded him as a mere pleasant lad, had now been at the 
 pains to warn him; Gotthold looked for something at his hands. 
 Well, none should be disappointed; the prince, too long beshado wed 
 by the uxorious lover, should now return and shine. He sum- 
 moned his valet, repaired the order of his appearance with elaborate 
 care; and then, curled, and scented, and adorned. Prince Charming 
 in every line, but with a twitching nostril, he set forth unattended 
 for tije wxincil.
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 6? 
 
 CHAPTER Vn. 
 
 THE PRINCE DISSOLVES THE COUNCIL. 
 
 It was as Gotthold wrote. . The liberation of Sir Jolin, Greisen- 
 gesang's uneasy narrative, last of all, the scene between Seraphina 
 and the prince, had decided the conspirators to take a step of bold 
 timidity. There had been a period of bustle, liveried messengers 
 speeding here and there with notes; and at half past ten in the 
 morning, about an hour before its usual hour, the council of Griine- 
 wald sat around the board. 
 
 It was not a large body. At the instance of Gondremark, it had 
 undergone a strict purgation, and was now composed exclusively 
 of tools. Three secretaries sat at a side table. Seraphina took the 
 head; on her right was the baron, on her left Greisengesang; below 
 these Grafinski the treasurer. Count Eisenthal, a couple of non-com- 
 batants, and, to the sui-prise of all, Gotthold. He had been named 
 a privy-councilor by Otto merely that he might profit by the 
 salary; and as he was never known to attend a meeting, it had oc- 
 curred to nobody to cancel his appointment. His present appearance 
 was the more ominous, coming when it did. Gondremark scowled 
 upon him; and the non-combatant on his right, intercepting this 
 black look, edged away from one who was so clearly out of favor. 
 
 "The hour presses, your highness," said the baron; "may we 
 proceed to business?" 
 
 " At once," replied Seraphina. 
 
 " Your highness will pardon me," said Gotthold; " but you are 
 still, perhaps, unacquainted with the fact that Prince Otto has re- 
 turned." 
 
 "The prince will not attend the council," replied Seraphina, 
 with a momentary blush. ' The dispatches, Herr Cancellarius? 
 There is one for Gerolstein?" 
 
 A secretary brought a paper. 
 
 " Here, madame," said Greisengesang. " Shall I read it?" 
 
 "We are all familiar with its terms," replied Gondremark. 
 " Your highness approves?" 
 
 " Unhesitatingly," said Seraphina. 
 
 "It may then be held as read," concluded the baron. "Will 
 your highness sign?" 
 
 The princess did so; Gondremark, 'Eisenthal, and one of the nou-
 
 68 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 combatants followed suit; and the paper was then passed across the 
 table to the librarian. He proceeded leisurely to read. 
 
 " We have no time to spare, Herr Doctor," cried the baron bru- 
 tally. ' ' If you do not choose to sign on the authority of your sover- 
 eign, pass it on. Or you may leave the table," he added, his tem- 
 per ripping out. 
 
 " I decline your invitation, Herr yon Gondremark; and my 
 sovereign, as I continue to observe with regret, is still absent from 
 the board," replied the doctor calmly; and he resumed the perusal 
 of the paper; the rest chafing and exchanging glances. " Madame 
 and gentlemen," he said at last, " what I hold in my hand is simply 
 a declaration of war. ' ' 
 
 " Simplj^," said Seraphina, flashing defiance. 
 
 ' ' The sovereign of this country is under the same roof with us, ' ' 
 continued Gotthold, " and I insist he shall be summoned. It is 
 needless to adduce my reasons; you are all ashamed at heart of this 
 projected treachery. ' ' 
 
 The council waved like a sea. There were various outcries. 
 " You insult the princess," thundered Gondremark. 
 
 " I maintain my protest," replied Gotthold. 
 
 At the height of this confusion, the door was thrown open; an 
 usher announced, " Gentlemen, the prince!" and Otto, with his 
 most excellent bearing, entered the apartment. It was like oil upon 
 the troubled waters; every one settled instantly into his place, and 
 Greisengesang, to give himself a countenance, became absorbed in 
 the arrangement of his papers; but in their eagerness to dissemble, 
 one and all neglected to rise. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the prince, pausing. 
 
 They all got to their feet in a moment; and this reproof still fur- 
 ther demoralized the weaker brethren. 
 
 The prince moved slowly toward the lower end of the table; then 
 he paused again, and, fixing his eye on Greisengesang. " How 
 comes it, Herr Cancellarius, " he asked, " that I have receive no no- 
 tice of the change of hoiir?" 
 
 " Your highness," replied the chancellor, " her highness the prin- 
 cess — " and there paus(d. 
 
 " I understood," said Seraphina, taking Mm up, " that you did 
 not puipose to be present. ' ' 
 
 Their eyes met for a second, and Seraphina's fell; but her anger 
 only burned the brighter for that private shame. 
 
 "And now, gentlemen," said Otto, taking his chair, "I pray 
 you to be seated. I have been absent, there are doubtless some ar-
 
 PEIJifCE OTTO. GI) 
 
 rears; but ere we proceed to business, Herr Grafiuski, you will 
 direct four thousand crowns to be sent to me at once. Make a 
 note if you please," he added, as the treasurer still stared in 
 wonder. 
 
 " Four thousand crowns?" asked Seraphina. Pray, for what?" 
 
 " Madame," returned Otto, smiling, " for my own puiposes." 
 
 Gondremark spurred up Grafinski underneath the table. " If 
 your highness will indicate the destination — " began the puppet. 
 
 " You are not here, sir, to interrogate your prince," said Otto. 
 
 Grafinski looked for help to his commander; and Gondremark 
 came to his aid, in supve and measured tones. "Your highness 
 may reasonablj^ be surprised, " he said; "and Herr Grafinski, al- 
 though I am convinced he is clear of the intention of offending, 
 would have perhaps done better to begin with an explanation. The 
 resources of the State are at the present moment entirely swallowed 
 up, or, as we hope to prove, wisely invested. In a ipontli from 
 now, I do not question we shall be able to meet any command 
 your highness may lay upon us; but at this hour I fear that, even in 
 so small a matter, he must prepare himself for disappointment. Our 
 zeal is no less, although our power may be inadec|uate." 
 
 " How much, Herr Grafinski, have we in the treasury?" asked 
 Otto. 
 
 " Your highness," protested the treasurer, " we have immediate 
 need of every crown. ' 
 
 " I think, sir, you evade me," flashed the prince; and then turn- 
 ing to the side table, ' ' Mr. Secretary, ' ' he added, ' ' bring me, if 
 you please, the treasury docket. ' ' 
 
 Herr Grafinski became deadly pale; the chancellor, expecting his 
 own turn, was probably engaged in prayer; Gondremark was 
 watching like a ponderous cat. Gotthold, on his part, looked on 
 with wonder at his cousin; he was certainly showing spirit, but 
 what, in such a time of gravity, was all this talk of money? and 
 why should he waste his strength upon a personal issue? 
 
 "I find, " said Otto, with his finger on the docket, "that we 
 have 20,000 crowns in case." 
 
 "That is exact, your highness, " replied the baron. "But our 
 liabilities, all of which are happily not liquid, amount to a far 
 larger sum; and at tlie present point of time, it would be morally 
 impossible to divert a single florin. Essentially, the case is empty. 
 We have, already presented, a large note for material of war. " 
 
 ''Material of war?" exclaimed Otto, with an excellent assump-
 
 70 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 tion of surprise. " But if my memory serves me right, we settled 
 these accounts in January. ' ' 
 
 "There have been further orders," the baron explained. "A 
 new park of artillery has been completed; five hundred stand of 
 amis, seven hundred baggage mules — the details are in a special 
 memorandum. Mr. Secretary Holtz, the memorandum, if you 
 please." 
 
 " One would think, gentlemen, that we were going to war," said 
 Otto. 
 
 " We are," said Seraphina. 
 
 " War!" cried the prince. " And, gentlemen, with whom? The 
 peace of Griinewald has endured for centuries. What aggression, 
 what insult have we suffered?" 
 
 "Here, your highness," said Gotthold, "is the ultimatum. It 
 was in the very article of signature, when your highness so oppor- 
 tunely entered." 
 
 Otto laid the paper before him; as he read, his fingers played 
 tattoo upon the table. " Was it proposed," he inquired, " to send 
 this paper forth without a knowledge of my pleasure?" 
 
 One of I he non-combatants, eager to trim, volunteered an an- 
 swer. " The Herr Doctor von Hohenstockwitz had just entered his 
 dissent," he added. 
 
 " Give me the rest of this correspondence," said the prince. It 
 was handed to him, and he read it patiently from end to end, while 
 the councilors sat foolishly enough looking before them on the 
 table. The secretaries, in the background, were exchanging glances 
 of delight; a row at the council was for them a rare and welcome 
 feature. 
 
 " Gentlemen, " said Otto, when he had finished, "I have read 
 with pain. This claim upon Obermilnsterol is palpably unjust; it 
 has not a tincture, not a show of justice. There is not in all this 
 ground enough for after-dinner talk, and you propose to force it as 
 a casus belli." 
 
 ' ' Certainly, your highness, ' ' returned Grondremark, too wise to 
 defend the indefensible, "the claim on Obermilnsterol is simply a 
 pretext." 
 
 "It is well," said the prince. "Herr Cancellarius, take your 
 pen. ' The council,' " he began to dictate — " I withhold all notice 
 of my intervention," he said, in parenthesis and addressing himself 
 more directly to his wife; " and I say nothing of the strange sup- 
 pression by which this business has been smuggled past my knowl- 
 edge. I am content to be in time, ' The council,' " he resumed,
 
 PKINCE OTTO. 71 
 
 " ' on a further examination of the facts, and enlightened by the 
 note in the last dispatch from Gerolstein, have the pleasure to an- 
 nounce that they are entirely at one, both as to fact and sentiment, 
 ■with the Grand Ducal Court of Gerolstein.' You have it? Upon 
 these lines, sir, you will draw up the dispatch. ' ' 
 
 " If your highness will allow me," said the baron, " your high- 
 ness is so imperfectly acquainted with the internal history of this 
 correspondence, that any interference will be merely hurtful. Such 
 a paper as j'our highness proposes would be to stultify the whole 
 previous policy of Grilnewald." 
 
 " The policy of Grunewald!" cried the prince. " One would sup- 
 pose you had no sense of humor! "Would you fish in a coffee-cup?" 
 " With deference, your highness," returned the baron, " even in 
 a coffee-cup, there may be poison. The puipose of this war is not 
 simply territorial enlargement; still less is it a war of glory; for, as 
 your highness indicates, tl e state of Grunewald is too small to be 
 ambitious. But the body politic is seriously diseased; republican- 
 ism, socialism, many disintegrating ideas are abroad; circle within 
 circle, a really formidable organization has grown up about your 
 highness's throne." 
 
 " I have heard of it, Herr von Gondremark," put in the prince; 
 " but I have reason to be aware that j^ours is the more authoritative 
 information." 
 
 " I am honored by this expression of my prince's confidence," 
 returned Gondremark, unabashed. " It is, therefore, with a single 
 eye to these disorders, that our present external policy has been 
 shaped. Something was required to divert public attention, to em- 
 ploy the idle, to popularize your highness's rule, and, if it were 
 possible, to enable him to reduce the taxes at a Mow and to a notable 
 amount. The proposed expedition — for it can not without h3q5er- 
 bole be called a war — seemed to the council to combine the various 
 characters required; a marked imjjrovement in the public senti- 
 ment has followed even upon our preparations; and I can not 
 doubt that when success shall follow, the effect will surpass even 
 our boldest hopes." 
 
 " You are very adroit, Herr von Gondremark," said Otto. " You 
 fill me with admiration. I had not heretofore done justice to your 
 qualities." 
 
 Seraphiua looked up with joy, supposing Otto conquered; but 
 Gondremark still waited, armed at every point; he knew how very 
 stubborn is the revolt of a weak character. 
 
 •' And the territorial army scheme, to which I was persuaded to
 
 73 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 consent — was it secretly directed to the same end?" the prince 
 asked. 
 
 " I still believe the eflfect to have been good," replied the baron; 
 " discipline and mounting guard are excellent sedatives. But I 
 will avow to your highness, I was unaware, at the date of that de- 
 cree, of the magnitude of the revolutionary movement; nor did any 
 of us, I think, imagine that such a territorial army was a part of 
 the republican proposals." 
 
 " It was?" asked Otto. "Strange! Upon what fancied grounds?" 
 
 " The grounds were indeed fanciful," returned the baron. " It 
 was conceived among the leaders that a territorial aimy, drawn 
 from and returning to the people, would, in the event of any popu- 
 lar uprising, prove lukewarm or unfaithful to the throne." 
 
 " I see," said the prince. '' I begin to understand." 
 
 " His highness begins to understand?" repeated Grondremark 
 with the sweetest politeness. ' ' May I beg of him to complete the 
 phrase?" 
 
 "The history of the revolution," replied Otto dryly. "And 
 now," he added, " what do you conclude?" 
 
 " I conclude, yoiu' highness, with a simple reflection," said the 
 baron, accepting the stab without a quiver. " The war is popular; 
 were the rumor contradicted to-morrow, a considerable disappoint- 
 ment would be felt in many classes; and in the present tension of 
 spirits, the most lukewarm sentiment may be enough to precipitate 
 events. There lies the danger. The revolution hangs imminent; 
 we sit at this council board, Velow the sword of Damocles." 
 
 " We must then la}^ our heads together," said the prince, " and 
 devise some honorable means of safety. ' ' 
 
 Up to this moment, since the first note of opposition fell from the 
 librarian, Seraphina had uttered about twenty words. With a 
 somewhat heightened color, her ej'es generally lowered, her foot 
 sometimes nervously tapping on the floor, she had kept her own 
 counsel and commanded her anger like a hero. But at this stage of 
 the engagement she lost control of her impatience. 
 
 "Means!" she cried. "They have been found and prepared, 
 before j^ou knew the need for them. Sign the dispatch, and let us 
 be done with this delay." 
 
 " Madame, I said ' honorable,' " returned Otto, bowing. " This 
 war is, in my eyes and by Herr von Gondremark's account, an in- 
 admissible expedient. If we have misgoverned here in Griinewald, 
 are the people of Gerolstein to bleed and pay for our misdoings! 
 Never, madamc; not while I live. But I attach so much irapor
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 73 
 
 tance to all that I have heard to-day for the first time — and why 
 only to-daj% I do not even stop to ask — that I am eager to find some 
 plan that I can follow with credit to myself." 
 
 " And should you fail?" she asked. 
 
 " Should I fail, I will then meet the blow half-way," replied the 
 prince. " On the first open discontent, I shall convoke the States, 
 and when it pleases them to bid me, abdicate." 
 
 Seraphiua laughed angrily. ' ' This is the man for whom we 
 have been la^)oring!" she cried. " We tell him of change; he will 
 devise the means, he says; and his device is abdication! Sir, have 
 you no shame to come here at the eleventh hour among those who 
 have borne the heat and burden of the day? Do you not wonder 
 at yourself? I, sir, was here in my place, striving to uphold your 
 dignity alone. I took counsel with the wisest I could find, while 
 you were eating and hunting. I have laid my plans with fore- 
 sight; they were ripe for action; and then — " she choked — "then 
 you return — for a forenoon — to ruin all! To-morrow, you will be 
 once more about your pleasures; you will give us leave once more 
 to think and work for you; and again you will come back, and 
 again you will thwart what you had not the industry or knowledge 
 to conceive. Oh! it is intolerable. Be modest, sir. Do not pre- 
 sume upon the rank you can not worthily uphold. I would not 
 issue my commands with so much gusto — it is from no merit in 
 yourself they are obeyed. What are you? What have you to d« 
 in this grave council? Go," she cried, "go among your equals! 
 "The very people in the streets mock at you for a prince." 
 
 At this surprising outburst the whole council sat agtiast. 
 
 "Madame," said the baron, alarmed out of his caution, "com- 
 mand yourself." 
 
 "Address yourself to me, sir!" cried the prince, "i will not 
 bear these whisperings!" 
 
 Seraphina burst into tears. 
 
 " Sir," cried the baron, rising, " this lady — " 
 
 ' ' Herr von Gondremark, ' ' said the prince, ' ' one more observa- 
 tion, and I place you under arrest. " 
 
 " Your highness is the master," replied Gondremark, bowing. 
 
 "Bear it in mind more constantly," said Otto. " Herr Cancel- 
 larius, bring all the papers to my cabinet. Gentlemen, the council 
 is dissolved. ' ' 
 
 And he bowed and left the apartment, followed by Greisengesang 
 and the secretaries, just at the moment when the princess's ladies, 
 summoned in all haste, entered by another door to help Uer fortlt.
 
 74 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 CHAPTER Vin. 
 
 THE PARTY OF WAK TAKES ACTION, 
 
 Half an hour after, Gondremark was once more closeted with 
 Seraphina. 
 
 " Where is he now?" she asked, on his arrival. 
 
 " Madame, he is with the chancellor," replied the baron. " Won- 
 der of wonders, he is at work!" 
 
 " Ah," she said, " he was born to torture me! Oh, what a fall, 
 what a humiliation! Such a scheme to wreck upon so small a 
 trifle! Who could have dreamed he would become a bully? But 
 now all is lost." 
 
 " Madame," said Gondremark, " nothing is lost. Something on 
 the other hand is found. You have found your senses; you see him 
 as he is — see him as you see everji:hing where your too-good heart 
 is not in question — with the judicial, with the statesman's eye. So 
 long as he had a right to interfere, the empire that may be was still 
 distant. I have not entered on this course without the plain fore- 
 sight of its dangers; and even for this I was prepared. But. 
 madame, I knew two things : I knew that you were born to com- 
 mand, that I was born to serve; I knew that by a rare conjuncture, 
 the hand had found the tool; and from the first I was confident, as 
 I am confident to-day, that no hereditary trifler has the power to 
 shatter that alliance. ' ' 
 
 " I, born to command!" she said. " Do you forget my tears?" 
 
 "Madame, they were the tears of Alexander, " cried the baron. 
 " They touched, they thrilled me; I forgot myself a moment — even 
 I! But do you suppose that I had not remarked, that I had not ad- 
 mired, your previous bearing? your great self-command? Ay, that 
 was princely!" He paused. 
 
 " It was a thing to see. O! I drank confidence! I tried to imi- 
 tate your calm. And I was well inspii-ed; in my heart, I think that 
 I was well inspired; that any man, within the reach of argument, 
 had been convinced! But it was not to be; nor, madame, do I re- 
 gret the failure. Let us be open; let me disclose my heart. I 
 have loved two things, not unworthily: Grlinewald and my sover- 
 eign!" Here he kissed her hand. "Either I must resign my 
 ministry, leave the land of my adoption and the queen whom I had 
 chosen to obey — or — " He paused again.
 
 PRIXCE OTTO. 75 
 
 " Alas, Herr von Gondremark, there is no ' or,' " said Seraphina. 
 "Nay, madame, give me time," he replied. "When first I 
 saw you, you were still young; not every man would have re- 
 marked your powers; but I had not been twice honored b}^ j'our 
 conversation, ere I had found my mistress. I have, madame, I 
 believe, some genius; and I have much ambition. But the genius 
 is of the serving kind; and to offer a career to my ambition, I had 
 to find one born to rule. This is the base and essence of our union; 
 each had need of the other; each recognized master and servant, 
 lever and fulcrum, the complement of his endowment. Marriages, 
 they say, are made in heaven : how much more these pure, labori- 
 ous, intellectual fellowships, born to found empires! Nor is this 
 all. We found each other ripe, filled with great ideas that took 
 shape and clarified with every word. We grew together — ay, 
 madame, in mind we grew together like twin children. All of mj"- 
 life until we met, was petty and groping; was it not — I will flatter 
 myself openly — it was the same with you! Not till then had you 
 those eagle surveys, that wide and hopeful sweep of intuition! 
 Thus we had formed ourselves, and we were ready." 
 
 " It is true," she cried. " I feel it. Yours is the genius; your 
 generosity confounds your insight; aK I could offer j'ou was the 
 position, was this throne, to be a fulcrum. But I offered it without 
 reserve; I entered at least warmly — into all your thoughts; you 
 were sure of me — sure of my support — certain of justice. Tell me, 
 tell me again, that I have helped you." 
 
 "' Nay, madame," he said, " you made me. In everything you 
 were my inspiration. And as we prepared our policy, weighing 
 every step, how often have I had to admire your perspicacity, your 
 man-like diligence and fortitude! You know that these are not the 
 words of flattery; your conscience echoes them; have you spared a 
 day, have you indulged yourself in any pleasure? Young and beau- 
 tiful, you have lived a life of high intellectual effort, of irksome in 
 tellectual patience with details. Well, you have your reward: with 
 the fall of Brandenau, the throne of your empire is founded." 
 
 " What thought have you in your mind?" she asked. " Is not 
 all ruined?" 
 
 " Nay, my princess, the same thought is in both our minds," he 
 said. 
 
 " Herr von Gondremark," she replied. " by all that I hold sacred, 
 I have none; I do not think at all; I am crushed." 
 
 "You are looking at the passionate side of a rich nature, mis-
 
 76 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 understood and recently insulted, " said tlie baron. ''Look into 
 your intellect, and tell me." 
 
 " I find nothing, nothing but tumult," she replied. 
 
 "You find one word branded, madame," returned the baron; 
 ' Abdication!' " 
 
 " Oh!" she cried. " The coward! He leaves me to bear all, and 
 in the hour of trial, stabs me from behind. There is nothing in 
 him, not respect, not love, not courage — his wife, his dignity, his 
 throne, the honor of his father, he forgets them all! Incarnate 
 milk! how I despise him!" 
 
 " Yes, " pursued the baron, " the word Abdication. I perceive 
 a glimmering there. ' ' 
 
 " I read your fancy," she returned. " It is mere madness, mid 
 summer madness. Baron, I am more unpopular than he. You 
 know it. They can excuse, they can love, his weakness; but me, 
 they hate." 
 
 " Such is the gratitude of peoples," said the baron. "But we 
 trifle. Here, madame, are my plain thoughts. The man who in 
 the hour of danger speaks of abdication is, for me, a venomous ani- 
 mal. I speak with the bluntness of gravity, madame; this is no 
 hour for mincing. The coward, in a station of authority, is more 
 dangerous than fire. "We dwell on a volcano; if this man can have 
 his way, Grllnewald, before a week, will have been deluged with 
 innocent blood. You know the truth of what I say; we have looked 
 unblenching into this ever-possible catastrophe. To him it is noth- 
 ing: he will abdicate! Abdicate, just God! and this unhappy coun- 
 try committed to his charge, and the lives of men and the honor of 
 women — " His voice appeared to fail him; in an instant, he had 
 conquered his emotion and resumed: " But you, madame, conceive 
 more worthily of your responsibilities. I am with you in the 
 thought; and in the face of the horrors that I see impending, I say, 
 and your heart repeats it — we have gone too far to pause. Honor, 
 duty, ay, and the care of our own lives, demand we should pro- 
 ceed." 
 
 She was looking at him, her brow thoughtfully knilted. " I feel 
 it," she said. " But how? He has the power." 
 
 " The power, madame? The power is in the army," he replied; 
 and then hastily, ere she could intervene, " we have to save our- 
 selves," he went on; "I have to save my princess, she has to save 
 her minister; we have both of us to save this infatuated youth 
 from his own madness. He, in the outbreak, would be the earliest 
 victim; I see him," he cried, " torn in pieces; and Griinewald, uu-
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 77 
 
 happy Griinewalcll Nay, madame, you who have the power must 
 use it; it lies hard upon your conscieuce." 
 
 "Show lue how!' she cried. "Suppose I were to place him 
 under some constraint? the revolution would break us instantly." 
 
 The baron feigned defeat. "It is true," he said. "You ree 
 more clearly than I do. Yet there should, there must be some 
 way." And he waited for his chance. 
 
 ' ' No, ' ' she said, ' ' I told you from the first there is no remedy. 
 Our hopes are lost: lost by one miserable trifler, ignorant, fretful, 
 fitful — who will have disappeared to-morrow, who knows? to his 
 boorish pleasures!" 
 
 Any peg would do for Gondremark. " The thing!" he cried, 
 striking his brow. " Fool, not lo have thought of it! Madame, 
 without perhaps knowing it, j"OU have solved our problem." 
 
 " What do you mean? Speak!" she said. 
 
 He appeared to collect himself; and then, with a smile, " The 
 prince," he said, " must go once more a-hunting." 
 
 " Ay, if he would!" cried she, " and stay there!" 
 
 "And stay there," echoed the baron. It was so significantly 
 said, that her face changed; and the schemer, fearful of the sinister 
 ambiguity of his expression, hastened to explain. " This time he 
 shall go hunting in a carriage, with a good escort of our foreign 
 lancers. His destination shall be the Felensenburg; it is health}^, 
 the rock is high, the Avindows are small and barred; it might have 
 been built on purpose. We shall intrust the captaincy to the 
 Scotchman Gordon; he at least will have no scruple. Who will 
 miss the sovereign? He is gone hunting; he came home on Tues- 
 day, on Thursday he returned; all is usual in that. Meanwhile, 
 the war proceeds; our prince will soon weary of his solitude; and 
 about the time of our triumph or, if he prove very obstinate, a lit- 
 tle later, he shall be released upon a proper understanding, and I 
 see him once more directing his theatricals," 
 
 Seraphina sat gloomy, plunged in thought. "Yes," she said 
 suddenly, " and the dispatch? He is now writing it." 
 
 " It can not pass the council before Friday," replied Gondre- 
 mark; " and as for any private note, the messengers are all at my 
 disposal. Picked men, madame. I am a person of precaution." 
 
 ' ' It would appear so, ' ' she said, with a flash of her occasional 
 repugnance to the man; and then after a pause, " Herr von Gondre- 
 mark," she added, " I recoil from this extremity." 
 
 "I share your highness's repugnance," answered he. "But 
 what would you have? We are defen.seless, else."
 
 78 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 "I see it. But this is sudden. It is a public crime," she said, 
 nodding at hirr with a sort of horror. 
 
 " Looi: but a little deeper," he returned, "and "whose is tha 
 crime?" 
 
 " His!" she cried. '' His, before God! And I hold him liable. 
 But still—" 
 
 " It is not as if he would be harmed," submitted Gondremark. 
 
 " I know it," she replied, but it was still unheartily. 
 
 And then, as brave men are entitled, by prescriptive right as 
 old as the world's history, to the alliance and the active help of 
 Fortune, the punctual goddess 8tei)ped from the machine. One of 
 the princess's ladies begged to enter; a man, it appeared, had 
 brought a line for the Freiherr von Gondremark. It proved to be 
 a pencil billet, which the crafty Greisengesang had found the means 
 to scribble and dispatch imder the very guns of Otto; and the dar- 
 ing of the act bore testimony to the terror of the action. For Greisen- 
 gesang had but one influential motive : fear. The note ran thus: 
 
 " At the first council, procuration to be withdrawn. Corn. 
 Greis." 
 
 So, after three years of exercise, the right of signature was to 
 be stripped from Seraphina. It was more than an insult; it was a 
 public disgrace; and she did not pause to consider how she had 
 earned it, but morally boimded under the attack as bounds the 
 woimded tiger. 
 
 "Enough," .she said; " I will .sign the order. When shall he 
 leave?" 
 
 ' ' It will take me twelve hours to collect my men, and it had best 
 be done at night. To-morrow midnight, if j'ou please?" answered 
 the baron. 
 
 " Excellent," .she said. " My door is always open to you, baron. 
 As soon as the order is prepared, bring it me to sign." 
 
 ' ' Madame, ' ' he said, ' ' alone of all of us you do not risk your 
 head in this adventure. For that reason, and to prevent all hesita- 
 tion, I venture to propose the order should be in your hand through- 
 out." 
 
 " Tou are right," she replied. 
 
 He laid a form before her, and she wrote the order in a clear 
 hand, and reread it. Suddenly a cruel smile came on her face. " I 
 had forgotten his puppet," said she. " They will keep each other 
 company." And she interlined and initialed the condemnation of 
 Doctor Gotthold. 
 
 " Your highness has more memory than her servant," said the
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 79 
 
 -baron; and then he, in Lis turn, carefully perused the fateful 
 paper. ' ' Good, ' ' said he. 
 
 " You will appear in the drawing-room, baron?" she asked. 
 
 "I thought it better," said he, "to avoid the possibility of a 
 public affront . Anything that shook my credit might hamper us 
 in the immediate future. ' ' 
 
 "You are right," she said; and she held out her hand as to an 
 old friend and equal. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE PRICE OP THE RIVER FARM; IN WHICH VAINGLORY GOES 
 BEFORE A FALL. 
 
 The pistol had been practically fired. Under ordinary circum- 
 stances the scene at the council table would have entirely exhausted 
 Otto's store both of energy and auger; he would have begun to ex- 
 amine and condemn his conduct, have remembered all that was 
 true, forgotten all that was unjust in Seraphina's onslaught; 
 and by half an hour after, -nould have fallen into that state 
 of mind in which a Catholic flees to the confessional and a 
 sot takes refuge in the bottle. Two matters of detail pre- 
 served his spirits. For, first, he had still an infinity of business 
 to transact; and to transact business, for a man of Otto's neglectful 
 and procrastinating habits, is the best anodyne for conscience. All 
 the afternoon he was hard at it with the chancellor, reading, dictat- 
 ing, signing and dispatching papers; and this kept him in a glow of 
 self-approval. But, secondlj^, his vanity was still alarmed; he had 
 failed to get the money; to-morrow before noon he would have to 
 disappoint old Killian; and in the eyes of that family which counted 
 him so little, and to which he had sought to play the part of the 
 heroic comforter, he must sink lower than at first. To a man of 
 Otto's temper, this was death. He could not accept the situation. 
 And even as he worked, and worked wisely and well, over the 
 hated details of his principality, he was secretly maturing a plan by 
 which to turn the situation. It was a scheme, as pleasing to the 
 man as it was dishonorable in the pi'ince; in which his frivolous 
 nature found and took vengeance for the gravity and burden of the 
 afternoon. He chuckled as he thoughtrof it; and Greisengesang 
 heard him with wonder, and attributed his lively spirits to the skir- 
 mish of the morning. 
 
 Led by this idea, the antique courtier ventured to compliment his 
 sovereign on his bearing. It reminded him, he said, of Otto's father.
 
 80 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " What?" asked the prince, whose thoughts were miles away. 
 
 " Tour highness's authority at the board," explained the flat- 
 terer. 
 
 '• Oh, that! Oh yes," returned Otto; but for all his carelessness, 
 his vanity was delicately tickled, and his mind returned and 
 dwelled approvingly over the details of his victory. " I quelled 
 them all," he thought. 
 
 When the more pressing matters had been dismissed, it was al- 
 ready late, and Otto kept the chancellor to dinner, and was enter- 
 tained with a leash of ancient histories and modern compliments. 
 The chancellor's career had been based, from the first off -put, on 
 entire subserviency; he had crawled into honors and employments; 
 and his mind was prostitute. The instinct of the creature served 
 him well with Otto. First, he let fall a sneering word or two upon 
 the female intellect; thence he proceeded to a closer engagement; 
 and before the third course he was artfully dissecting Seraphina's 
 character to her approving husband. Of course no names were 
 used; and of course the identity of that abstract or ideal man, with 
 whom she was currently contrasted, remained an open secret. But 
 this stiff old gentleman had a wonderful instinct for evil, thus to 
 wind his way into man's citadel; thus to harp by the hour on the 
 virtues of his hearer and not once alarm his self-respect. Otto was 
 all roseate, in and out, with flattery and Tokay and an approving 
 conscience. He saw himself in the most attractive colors. If even 
 Greisengesang, he thought, could thus espy the loose stitches in 
 Seraphina's character, and thus disloyally impart them to the oppo- 
 site camp, he, the discarded husband — the dis2)ossessed prince — 
 could scarce have erred on the side of severity. 
 
 In this excellent frame he bade adieu to the old gentleman, whose 
 voice had proved so musical, and set forth for the drawing-room. 
 Already in the stair, he was seized with some compunction; h\\ 
 when he entered the great gallery and beheld his wife, the chancel- 
 lor's abstract flatteries fell from him like rain, and he reawoke to 
 the poetic facts of life. She stood a good way off below a shining 
 luster, her back turned. The bend of her waist overcame him with 
 a physical weakness. This was the girl-wife who had lain in his 
 arms and whom he had sworn to cherish; there was she, who was 
 better than success. 
 
 It was Seraphina who restored him from the blow. She swam 
 forward and smiled upon her husband witli a sweetness that waa 
 insultingly artificial. " Frederic," she lisped, '' you are late. " It
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 81 
 
 was a scene of high comedy, such as is proper to unhappy mar- 
 riages; and her aplomb disgusted him. 
 
 There was no etiquette at these small drawing-rooms. People 
 came and went at pleasure. The window embrasures became the 
 roost of happy couples; at the great chimnej', the talkers most!}' 
 congregated, each full-charged with scandal; and down at the 
 further end the gamblers gambled. It was toward this point that 
 Otto moved, not ostentatiously, but with a gentle insistance, and 
 scattering attentions as he went. Once abreast of the card-table, 
 he placed himself opposite to Madame von Rosen, and as soon as 
 he had caught her eye, withdrew to the embrasure of a window. 
 There she had speedily joined him. 
 
 "You did well to call me," she said, a little wildly. "These 
 cards will be my ruin." 
 
 " Leave them," said Otto. 
 
 "I!" she cried, and laughed, "they are my destiny. My only 
 chance was to die of a consumption; now I must die in a garret." 
 
 " You are bitter to-night," said Otto. 
 
 "I have been losing," she replied. "You do not know what 
 greed is." 
 
 " I have come, then, in an evil hour," said he. 
 
 " Ah, you wish a favor!" she cried, brightening beautifully. 
 
 "Madame," said he, "I am about to found my party, and I 
 come to you for a recruit." 
 
 " Done," said the countess. " I am a man again." 
 
 "I may be wrong," continued Otto, "but I believe upon my 
 heart you wish me no ill." 
 
 " I wish you so well," she said, " that I dare not tell it you." 
 
 " Then if I ask my favor?" quoth the prince. 
 
 "Ask it, mon prince," she answered; "whatever it is, it is 
 granted." 
 
 " I wish you," he returned, " this very night to make the farmer 
 your talk." 
 
 "Heaven knows your meaning!" she exclaimed. " I know not, 
 neither care; there are no bounds to my desire to please you. Call 
 him made " 
 
 " I will put it in another way," returned Otto. " Did you ever 
 steal?" 
 
 " Often!" cried the countess. " I have broken all the ten com- 
 mandments; and if there were more to-morrow I should not sleep 
 till I had broken these."
 
 82 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 "This is a case of burglary: to say truth, I thought it would 
 amuse you," said the prince. 
 
 " I have no practical experience," she replied, " but O! the good- 
 will! I have broken a work-box in my time, and several hearts, my 
 own included. Never a house! But it can not be difficult; sins 
 are so unromantically easy! What are we to break?" 
 
 "Madame, we are to break the treasury," said Otto; and he 
 sketched to her briefly, wittily, with here and there a touch of pa- 
 thos, the story of his visit to the farm, of his promise to buy it, and 
 of the refusal with which his demand for money had been met that 
 morning at the council; concluding with a few practical words as 
 to the treasury windows, and the helps and hinderances of the pro- 
 posed exploit. 
 
 "They refused you the money," she said, when he had done. 
 " And you accepted the refusal? Well!" 
 
 " They gave their reasons," replied Otto, coloring, " They were 
 not such as I could combat; and I am driven to dilapidate the 
 funds of my own country by a theft. It is not dignified; but it is 
 fun." 
 
 "Fun," she said, "yes." And then she remained silently 
 plunged in thought for an appreciable time. " How much do you 
 require?" she asked at length. 
 
 "Three thousand crowns will do, " he answered, "for I have 
 still some money of my own." 
 
 " Excellent, " she said, regaining her levity. "I am your true 
 accomplice. And where are we to meet?" 
 
 " You know the Flying Mercury," he answered, " in the park? 
 Three pathways intersect; there they have made a seat and raised 
 the statue. The spot is handy, and the deity congenial." 
 
 " Child," she said, and tapped him with her fan. " But do you 
 know, my prince, j^ou are an egoist — your handy trysting-place is 
 miles from me. You must give me ample time; I can not, I 
 think, possibly be there before two. But as the bell beats two, your 
 helper shall arrive: welcome, I trust. Stay — do you bring any 
 one?" she added. " Oh, it is not for a chaperon — I am not a 
 prude!" 
 
 " I shall bring a groom of mine," said Otto. " I caught him 
 stealing corn." 
 
 " His name?" she asked. 
 
 " I profess I know not. I am not yet intimate with my corn 
 stealer," returned the prince. "It was in a professional capac- 
 ity-"
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 83 
 
 "Like me! Flatterer!" she cried. "But oblige me in one 
 thing. Let me find you waiting at the seat — yes, you shall await 
 me; for on this expedition it shall be no longer prince and countess, 
 it shall be the lady and the squire — and your friend the thief shall 
 be no nearer than the fountain. Do you promise?" 
 
 " Madame, in everything you are to command; you shall be cap- 
 tain, I am tut supercargo," answered Otto. 
 
 " Well, Heaven bring all safe to port!" she said. "It is not 
 Friday!" 
 
 Something in her manner had puzzled Otto, had possibly touched 
 him with suspicion. " Ls it not strange," he remarked, "that I 
 should choose my accomplice from the other camp?" 
 
 " Fool!" she said. " But it is your only wisdom that you know 
 your friends." And suddenly, in the vantage of the deep window, 
 she caught up his hand and kissed it with a sort of passion. " Now 
 go," she added, "go at once." 
 
 He went, somewhat staggered, doubting in his heart that he was 
 overbold. For in that moment she had flashed upon him like a 
 jewel; and even through the strong panoply of a previous love he 
 had been conscious of a shock. Next moment he had dismissed 
 the fear. 
 
 Both Otto and the countess retired early from the drawing- 
 room; and the prince, after an elaborate feint, dismissed his valet 
 and went forth by the private passage and the back postern in quest 
 of the groom. 
 
 Once more the stable was in darkness, once more Otto employed 
 the talismanic knock, and once more the groom appeared and 
 sickened with terror. " Good-evening, friend," said Otto, pleas- 
 antly. ' ' I want you to bring a corn sack — empty this time — and to 
 accompany me. We shall be gone all night. ' ' 
 
 " Your highness," groaned the man, " I have the charge of the 
 small stables. I am here alone. ' ' 
 
 " Come," said the prince, " you are no such martinet in duty." 
 And then seeing that the man was shaking from head to foot, Otto 
 laid a hand upon his shoulder. " If I meant you harm," he said, 
 " should I be here?" 
 
 The fellow became instantly reassured. He got the sack; and 
 Otto led him round by several paths and avenues, conversing 
 pleasantly by the way, and left him at last planted by a certain 
 fountain where a goggle-eyed Triton spouted intermittentlj^ into a 
 rippling laver Thence he proceeded alone to where, in a round
 
 84 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 clearing, a copy of Gian Bologna's Mercury stood tiptoe in the twi- 
 light of the stars. The night was warm and windless. A shaving 
 of new moon had lately arisen; but it was still too small and too 
 low down in heaven to contend with the immense host of lesser 
 luminaries; and the rough face of the earth was drenched with 
 starlight. Down one of the alleys, which widened as it receded, 
 he could see a part of the lamplit terrace where a sentry silently 
 paced, and beyond that a corner of the town with interlacing 
 street-lights. But all around him the young trees stood mystically 
 blurred in the dim shine; and in the stock-still quietness the up- 
 leaping god appeared alive. 
 
 In the dimness and silence of the night. Otto's conscience became 
 suddenly and staringly luminous like the dial of a city clock. He 
 averted the eyes of his mind, but the finger, rapidly traveling, 
 pointed to a series of misdeeds that took his breath away. What 
 was he doing in that place? The money had been wrongly squan- 
 dered, but that was largely by his ow^n neglect. And he now pro- 
 posed to embarrass the finances of this country which he had been 
 too idle to govern. And he now proposed to squander the money 
 once again, and this time for a private, if a generous end. And the 
 man whom he had reproved for stealing corn, he was now to set 
 stealing treasure. And then there was Madame von Rosen, upon 
 whom he looked down with some of that ill-favored contempt of 
 the chaste male for the imperfect woman. Because he thought of 
 her as one degraded below scruples, he had picked her out to be 
 still more degraded and to risk her whole irregular establishment 
 in life, by complicity in this dishonorable act. It was uglier than a 
 seduction. 
 
 Otto had to walk very briskly and whistle very busily; and when 
 at last he heard steps in the narrowest and darkest of the alleys, it 
 ■was with a gush of relief that he sprung to meet the countess. The 
 wrestle alone with one's good angel is so hard! and so precious, at 
 the proper time, is a companion certain to be less virtuous than 
 one's self! 
 
 It was a young man who came toward him; a young man of 
 small stature and a peculiar gait, wearing a wide, flapping hat and 
 carrying, with great jveariness, a heavy bag. Otto recoiled; but 
 the young man held up his hand by way of signal, and coming up 
 with a panting run, as if with the last of his endurance, laid the bag 
 upon the ground, threw himself upon the bench and disclosed the 
 features of Madame von Rosen. 
 
 "You, countess!" cried the prince,
 
 PKIKCE OTTO. 85 
 
 "No, no," she panted, "the Count von Rosen— my young 
 brother. A capital fellow. Let him get his breath. " 
 
 " Well, and why has he a bag?" he asked. 
 
 " Sit down beside me here," sho said, patting the further corner 
 of the bench. " I will tell you in a moment. Oh, I am so tired — 
 feel how my heart leaps! Where is your thief?" 
 
 "At his post," replied Otto. "Shall I introduce him? He 
 seems an excellent companion." 
 
 " No," she said, " do not hurry me yet. I must speak to 3'ou. 
 Not but I adore your thief; I adore any one who has the spirit to 
 do wrong. I never cared for virtue till I fell in love with my 
 prince." She laughed musically. " And even so, it is not for your 
 virtues," she added with a nod. 
 
 Otto was embarrassed. " But you have not yet told me. What 
 is in the bag?" he asked. 
 
 "Presently, presently. Let me breathe," she said, panting a 
 little harder than before. 
 
 "Well,' he returned, "I shall see for myself." And he put 
 down his hand. 
 
 She stopped him at once. " Otto," she said^ " no — not that way. 
 I will tell, I will make a clean breast. It is done already. I have 
 robbed the treasury single-handed. There are three thousand, two 
 hundred crowns. O; I trust it is enough!" 
 
 Her embarrassment was so obvious that the prince was struck 
 into a muse, gazing in her face, with his hand still outstretched, 
 and she still holding him by the wrist. " You!" he said, at last. 
 " How?" And then drawing himself \ip, " O madame," he cried, 
 " I understand. You must indeed think meanly of the prince." 
 
 " Well then, it was a lie!" she cried. " The money is mine, hon- 
 estly my own — not yours. This was an unworthy act that you 
 proposed. But I love your honor, and I swoie to m.yself that I 
 should save it in j^our teeth. I beg of you to let me save it " — 
 with a sudden, lovel}^ change of tone. "Otto, I beseech you let 
 me save it. Take this dross from your poor friend who loves you!" 
 
 " Madame, madame," babbled Otto, in the extreme of misery," I 
 can not — I must go." 
 
 And he half rose; but she was on the ground before him in an 
 instant, clasping his knees. "No," she gasped, "you shall not 
 go. Do 3^ou despise me so entirely? It is dross; I hate it; I 
 should squander it at play and be no richer; it is an investment; it 
 is to save me from ruin. Otto," she cried, as he again feebly tried 
 to put her from him, " if you leave me alone in this disgrace, I.
 
 SQ PRIXCE OTTO. 
 
 will die here!" He groaned aloud. " O," she said, " think what 
 I suffer! If you suffer from a piece of delicacy, think what I 
 suffer in my shame! To have my trash refused! You would rather 
 steal, you think of me so basely! You would rather tread my heart 
 in pieces! O, unkind! O my prince! O Otto! O pity me!" She 
 was still clasping him; then she found his hand and covered it with 
 kisses, and at this his head began to turn. " O," she cried again, 
 " I see it! O what a horror! It is because I am old, because I am 
 no longer beautiful. ' ' And she burst into a storm of sobs. 
 
 This was the coup cle (jrdcc. Otto had now to comfort and com- 
 pose her as he could, and before many words, the money was ac- 
 cepted. Between the woman and the weak man, such was the in- 
 evitable end. Madame von Rosen instantly composed her sobs. 
 She thanked him with a fluttering voice, and resumed her place 
 upon the bench at the far end from Otto. "Now you see, "she 
 said, " why I bid you keep the thief at distance, and why I came 
 alone. How I trembled for my treasure! But I was armed, I had 
 my pistols. You see I could have kept my threat." 
 
 "Madame," said Otto, with a tearful whimper in his voice, 
 " spare me! You are too good, too noble!" 
 
 ' ' I wonder to hear you, ' ' she returned. ' ' You have avoided a 
 great folly. You will be able to meet your good old peasant. You 
 have found an excellent investment for a friend's money. You 
 have preferred essential kindness to an empty scruple; and now 
 you are ashamed of it! You have made your friend happy; and 
 now you mourn as the dove! Come, cheer up. I know it is de- 
 pressing to have done exactly right; but you need not make a 
 practice of it. Forgive yourself this virtue; come now, look me 
 in the face and smile!" 
 
 He did not look at her. When a man has been embraced by a 
 woman, he sees her in a glamour; and at such a time, in the baflling 
 glimmer of the stars, she will look wildly well. The hair is 
 touched with light; the eyes are constellations; the face sketched 
 in shadows — a sketch, you might say, by passion. Otto became 
 consoled for his defeat; he began to take an interest. "No," he 
 said, " I am no ingi-ate." 
 
 " You promised me fun," she returned, with a laugh. " I have 
 given you as good. We have had a stormy scena. " 
 
 He laughed in his turn, and the sound of the laughter, in either 
 case, was hardly reassuring. 
 
 " Come, what are yon going to give me in exchange," she con- 
 tinued, " for my excellent declamation?'
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 87 
 
 " What you will," he said. 
 
 "Whatever I will? Upon your honor? Suppose I asked the 
 crown?" She was flashing upon him, beautiful in triumph. 
 
 " Upon my honor," he replied. 
 
 " Shall I ask the crown?" she continued. " Nay; what should 
 I do with it? Grlinewald is but a petty state; my ambition swells 
 above it. I shall ask — I find I want nothing," she concluded. " I 
 will give you something instead. 1 will give you leave to kiss me 
 — once. ' ' 
 
 Otto drew near, and she put up her face; they were both smiling, 
 both on the brink of laughter, all was so innocent and playful; and 
 the prince, when their lips encountered, was dumfounded by the 
 sudden convulsion of his being. Both drew instantly apart, and for 
 an appreciable time sat tongue-tied. Otto was indistinctly conscious 
 of a peril in the silence, but could find no words to utter. Sud- 
 denly the countess seemed to awake. "As for your wife — " she 
 began in a clear and steady voice. 
 
 The word recalled Otto, with a shudder, from his trance. " I 
 will hear nothing against my wife," he cried wildly; and then, re- 
 covering himself and in a kindlier tone, " I will tell you my one se- 
 cret," he added. " I love my wife." 
 
 " You should have let me finish," she returned, smiling. "Do 
 you suppose I did not mention her on purpose? You know you 
 had lost your head. Well, so had I. Come now, do not be abashed 
 by words," she added, somewhat sharply. "It is the one thing I 
 despise. If you are not a fool, you will see that I am building fort- 
 resses about your virtue. And at any rate, I choose that you shall 
 understand that I am not dying of love for you. It is a very smil- 
 ing business; no tragedy for me! And now here is what i have to 
 say about your wife. She is not and she never has been Gondre- 
 mark's mistress. Be sure he would have boasted if she had. Good- 
 night!" 
 
 And in a moment she was gone down the alley, and Otto was 
 alone with the bag of money and the flying god. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 gotthold's revised opinion; and the fall completed. 
 
 The countess left poor Otto with a caress and buffet simultane- 
 ously administered. The welcome word about his wife and the 
 virtuous ending of his interview, should doubtless have delighted
 
 88 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 him. But for all that, as he shouldered the bag of money and set 
 forward to rejoin his groom, he was conscious of many aching sen- 
 sibilities. To have gone wrong and to have been set right, make? 
 but a double trial for man's vanity. The discovery of his owd 
 weakness and possible unfaith had staggered him to the heart; anc 
 to hear in the same hour of his wife's fidelity, from one who loved 
 her not, increased the bitterness of the surprise. 
 
 He was about half-way between the fountain and the Flying Mer- 
 ciuy, before his thoughts began to be clear; and he was surprised 
 to find them angry. He paused in a kind of temper, and struck 
 with his hand a little shrub. Thence there arose instantly a cloud 
 of awakened sparrows, which as instantly dispersed and disap- 
 peared into the thicket. He looked at them stupidly, and when 
 they were gone continued staring at the stars. " I am angry. By 
 what right? By none!" he thought; but he was still angry. He 
 cursed Madame von Rosen and instantly repented. Heavy was 
 the money on his shoulders. 
 
 When he reached the fountain, he did, out of ill-humor and par- 
 ade, an unpardonable act. He gave the money bodily to the dis- 
 honest groom. " Keep this for me," he said, " until I call for it to- 
 morrow. It is a great sum, and by that you will judge that I have 
 not condemned you." And he strode away ruffling, as if he had 
 done something generous. ■ It was a desperate stroke to re-enter at 
 the point of the bayonet into his self-esteem; and, like all such, it 
 was fruitless in the end. He got to bed with the devil, it appeared; 
 kicked and tumbled till the gray of the morning; and then fell 
 inopportunely into a leaden slumber, and awoke to find it ten. To 
 miss the appointment with old Killian after all, had been too tragic 
 a miscarriage; and he hurried with all his might, found the groom 
 (for a wonder) faithful to his trust, and arrived only a few minutes 
 before noon in the guest chamber of the Morning Star. Killian was 
 there in his Sunday's best and looking very gaunt and rigid; a 
 lawyer from Brandenau stood sentinel over his outspread papers; 
 and the groom and the landlord of the inn were called to serve as 
 witnesses. The obvious deference of that great man, the inn- keeper, 
 plainly affected the old faimer with surprise; but it was not until 
 Otto had taken the pen and signed that the truth flashed upon him 
 fully. Then, indeed, he was beside himself. 
 
 "His highness!" he cried, "his highness!" and repeated the 
 exclamation till his mind had grappled fairly "uith the facts. Then 
 he turned to the witnesses. " Gentlemen," he said, " you dwell in 
 a country highly favored by God; for of all generous gentlemen, I
 
 PRIXCE OTTO. 89 
 
 will say it on my consc'ence, this one is the king. I am an old 
 man, and I have seen good and bad, and the year of the great fam- 
 ine; but a more excellent gentleman, no, never." 
 
 "We know that," cried the landlord, "we know that well in 
 Grilnewald. If we saw more of his highness we should be the bet- 
 ter pleased." 
 
 " It is the kindest prince," began the groom, and suddenly closed 
 his mouth upon a sob, so that every one turned to gaze upon his 
 emotion. Otto not last; Otto .struck with remorse, to see the man 
 so grateful. 
 
 Then it was the lawyer's turn to pay a compliment. "I do not 
 know what Providence may hold in store," he said, " but this day 
 should be a bright one in the annals of your reign. The shouts of 
 armies could not be more eloquent than the emotion on these hon- 
 est faces." And the Brandenau lawyer bowed, skipped, stepped 
 back and took snuff, with the air of a man who has found and 
 seized an opportunity. 
 
 " Well, young gentleman," said Killian, " if you will pardon me 
 the plainness of calling you a gentleman, many a good day's work 
 you have done, I doubt not, but never a better or one that will be 
 better blessed; and whatever, sir, may be your happiness and tri 
 umph in that high sphere to which you have been called, it will be 
 none the worse, sir, for an old man's blessing!" 
 
 The scene had almost assumed the proportions of an ovation; and 
 when the prince escaped he had but one thought; to go wherever 
 he was most sure of praise. His conduct at the board of council 
 occurred to him as a fair chapter; and this evoked the memory of 
 Gotthold. To Gotthold he would go. 
 
 Gotthold was in the library as usual, and laid down his pen, a 
 little angrily, on Otto's entrance. "Well," he said, "here you 
 are." 
 
 " Well," returned Otto, " we made a revolution, I believe." 
 
 " It is what I fear," returned the doctor. 
 
 " How?" said Otto. " Fear? Fear is the burned child. I have 
 learned my strength and the weakness of the others; and I now 
 mean to govern." 
 
 Gotthold said nothing, but he looked down and smoothed hij 
 chin. 
 
 " You disapprove?" cried Otto. " You are a weathercock." 
 "On the contrary," replied the doctor. "My observation has 
 confirmed my fears. It will not do. Otto, not do,"
 
 00 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 " What will not do?" demanded the prince, with a sickening stall 
 of pain. 
 
 " None of it," answered Gotthold. " You are unfitted for a life 
 of action; you lack the stamina, the habit, the restraint, the pa- 
 tience. Your wife is greatly better, vastly better; and though she 
 is in bad hands, displays a very different aptitude. She is a woman 
 of affairs; you are— dear boy, you are yourself. I bid you back to 
 your amusements; like a .smiling dominie, I give you holidays for 
 life. Yes," he continued, " there is a day appointed for all when 
 they shall turn again upon their own philosophy. I had grown to 
 disbelieve impartially in all; and if in the atlas of the sciences 
 there were two charts I disbelieved in more than all the rest, they 
 were politics and morals. I had a sneaking kindness for your 
 vices; as they M^ere negative, they flattered my philosophy; and I 
 called them almost virtues. Well, Otto, I was wrong; I have for- 
 sworn my skeptical philosophy; and I perceive your faults to be 
 unpardonable. You are unfit to be a prince, unfit to be a husband, 
 And I give you my word, I would rather see a man capably doing 
 evil, than blundering about good." 
 
 Otto was still silent, in extreme dudgeon. 
 
 Presently the doctor resumed : " I will take the smaller matter 
 fi.rst; your conduct to your wife. You went, I hear, and had an 
 explanation. That may have been right or wrong; I know not; at 
 least, you had stirred her temper. At the council, she insults you; 
 well, you insult her back, a man to a woman, a husband to his 
 wife, in public! Next upon the back of this, you propose — the 
 story runs like wildfire — to recall the power of signature. Can she 
 ever forgive that? a woman? a young woman? ambitious, conscious 
 of talents bej^ond yours? Never, Otto. And to sum all, at such 
 a crisis in your married life, you get into a window corner with 
 that ogling dame, Von Ro?en. I do not dream that there was any 
 harm; but I do say it was an idle disrespect to your wife. Why, 
 man, the woman is not decent. ' ' 
 
 " Gotthold," said Otto, " I will hear no evil of the countess." 
 
 "You will certainly hear no good of her," returned Gotthold; 
 " and if you wish your wife to be the pink of nicety, you should 
 clear j^our court of demi-reputations. " 
 
 " The commonplace injustice of a by-word," Otto cried. " The 
 partiality of sex. She is a demirep; what then is Gondremark? 
 Were she a man — ' ' 
 
 "It would be all one," retorted Gotthold roughly. " When I 
 see a man, come to years of wisdom, who speaks in double-meau-
 
 PUINCE OTTO. 91 
 
 ings and is the braggart of his vices, I spit on the other side. 
 ' You, my friend,' say I, ' are not even a gentleman.' Well, she's 
 not even a lady." 
 
 •' She is the best friend I have, and I choose that she shall be re- 
 spected," Otto said. 
 
 " If she is your friend, so much the worse," replied the doctor. 
 " It will not stop there." 
 
 "Ah!" cried Otto, "there is the charity of virtue! All evil in 
 the spotted fruit. But I can tell you, sir, that you do Madame 
 von Rosen prodigal injustice." 
 
 "You can tell me!" said the doctor shrewdly. "Have you 
 tried? have you been riding the marches?" 
 
 The blood came into Otto's face. 
 
 "Ah!" cried Gotthold, " look at your wife and blush! There's 
 a vdfe for a man to marry and then lose! She's a carnation. Otto. 
 The soul is in her eyes. ' 
 
 " You have changed your note for Seraphina, I perceive," said 
 Otto. 
 
 "Changed it!" cried the doctor, with a flush. "Why, when 
 was it different? But I own I admired her at the council. When 
 she sat there silent, tapping with her foot, I admired as I might a 
 hurricane. Were I one of those who venture upon matrimony, 
 there had been the prize to tempt me! She invites, as Mexico in- 
 vited Cortez; the enterprise is hard, the natives are unfriendly — I 
 believe them cruel, too — but the metropolis is paved with gold and 
 the breeze blows out of paradise. Yes, 1 could desire to be that 
 conqueror. But to philander with Von Rosen; never! Senses? I 
 discard them; what are they? pruritus! Curiosity? Reach me my 
 anatomy!" 
 
 " To whom do you address yourself?" cried Otto. " Surely, you 
 of ail men know that I love my wife!" 
 
 " Oh, love!" cried Gotthold; " love is a great word; it is in all 
 the dictionaries. If you had loved, she would have paid you 
 back. What does she ask? A little ardor!" 
 
 " It is hard to love for two," replied the prince. 
 
 "Hard? Why, there's the touchstone! Oh, I know my 
 poets!" cried the doctor. "We are but dust and fire, too arid to 
 endure life's scorching; and love, like the shadow of a great rock, 
 should lend shelter and refreshment, not to the lover only, but to 
 his mistress and to the children that reward them; and their very 
 friends should seek repose in the fringes of that peace. Love is 
 not love that can not build a home. And you call it love to grudge
 
 93 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 and quarrel and pick faults? You call it love to thwart her to hei 
 face, and bandy insults? Love!" 
 
 " Gotthold, you are unjust. I was then fighting for my coun- 
 try, ' ' said the prince. 
 
 " Ay, and there's the worst of all," returned the doctor. " You 
 could not even see that you were wrong; that being where they 
 were, retreat was ruin." 
 
 " Why, you supported me!" cried Otto. 
 
 " I did. I was a fool like you," replied Gotthold. "But now 
 my eyes are open. If you go on as you have started, di..grace this 
 fellow Gondremark, and publish the scandal of your divided 
 house, there will befall a most abominable thing in Grilnewald. A 
 revolution, friend — a revolution." 
 
 ' ' You speak strangely for a red, ' ' said Otto. 
 
 "A red republican, but not a revolutionary, " returned the doc- 
 tor. " An ugly thing is a Grlinewalder drunk! One man alone 
 can save the country from this pass, and that is the double-dealer 
 Gondremark, with whom I conjure you to make peace. It will 
 not be you ; it never can be you : you, who can do nothing, as 
 your wife said, but trade upon your station — you, who spent the 
 hours in begging money! And in God's name, what for? Why 
 money? What mystery of idiocy was this?" 
 
 "It was to no ill end. It was to buy a farm," quoth Otto, 
 sulkily. 
 
 " To buy a farm!" cried Gotthold. " Buy a farm!" 
 
 " Well, what then?" returned Otto. " I have bought it, if you 
 come to that. ' ' 
 
 Gotthold fairly bounded on his seat. "And how that?" he cried. 
 
 " How?" repeated Otto, startled. 
 
 " Ay, verily, how!" returned the doctor. " How came you by the 
 money?" 
 
 The prince's countenance darkened. " That is my affair, " said 
 he. 
 
 " You see you are ashamed," retorted Gotthold. " And so you 
 bought a farm in the hour of your covm try's need — doubtless to be 
 ready for the abdication; and I put it that you stole the funds. 
 There are not three ways of getting money; there are but two: to 
 earn and steal. And now, when you have combined Charles the 
 Fifth and Long-fingered Tom, you come to me to fortify your 
 vanity! But I will clear my mind upon this matter: until I know 
 the right and wrong of the transaction, I put my hand behind my
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 93 
 
 back. A man may be the pitifullest prince, he must be a spotless 
 gentleman. ' ' 
 
 The prince had gotten to his feet, as pale as paper. ' ' Gotthold, ' ' 
 he said, " you drive me beyond bounds. Beware, sir, beware!" 
 
 " Do you threaten me, friend Otto?" asked the doctor grimly. 
 " That would be a strange conclusion." 
 
 ' ' When have you ever known me use my power in any private 
 animosity?" cried Otto. ' ' To any private man, your words were 
 an unpardonable insult, but at me you shoot in full security, and 1 
 must turn aside to compliment you on your plainness. 1 must do 
 more than pardon, 1 must admire, because you have faced this — 
 this formidable monarch, like a Nathan before David. You have 
 uprooted an old kindness, sir, with an unsparing hand. You leave 
 me very bare. My last bond is broken; and though I take Heaven 
 to witness that I sought to do the right, I have this reward: to find 
 myself alone. You say I am no gentleman; yet the sneers have 
 been upon your side; and though I can very well perceive where 
 you have lodged youi sympathies, I will forbear the taunt." 
 
 " Otlo, are you insane?" cried Gotthold, leaping up. " Because 
 I ask you how you came by certain moneys, and because you re- 
 fuse — " 
 
 " Herr von Hohenstockwitz, I have ceased to invite your aid in 
 my aflfairs," said Otto. " I have heard all that I desire, and you 
 have sulficiently trampled on my vanity. It may be that I can 
 not govern, it may be that I can not love — you tell me so with 
 every mark of honesty; but God has granted me one virtue, and I 
 can still forgive. I forgive you; even in this hour of passion, I 
 can perceive my faults and your excuses; and if I desire that in 
 future I may be spared your conversation, it is not, sir, from re- 
 sentment — not resentment — but by Heaven, because no man on 
 earth could endure to be so rated. You have the satisfaction to see 
 your sovereign weep; and that person whom you have so often 
 taunted with his happiness, reduced to the last pitch of solitude 
 and misery. No — I will hear nothing; I claim the last word, sir, 
 as your prince; and that last word shall be — forgiveness." 
 
 And with that Otto was gone from the apartment, and Doctor 
 Gotthold was left alone with the most conflicting sentiments of sor- 
 row and remorse and merriment : walking to and fro before his 
 table, and asking himself, with hands uplifted, which of the pair 
 of them was most to blame for this unhappy rupture. Presentl)^ 
 he took from a cupboard a bottle of Rhine wine and a goblet of 
 the deep Bohemian ruby. The first glass a little warmed and com-
 
 94 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 forted his bosom; with the second, he began to look down upon 
 these troubles from a sunny mountain; yet awhile, and filled with 
 this false comfort and contemplating life throughout a golden me- 
 dium, he owned to himself, with a flush, a smile and a half-pleas- 
 urable sigh, that he had been somewhat overplain in dealing with 
 his cousin. " He said the truth, too," added the penitent librarian, 
 "for in my monkish fashion, I adore the princess." And then 
 with a still deepening flush and a certain stealth, although he sat 
 all alone in that great gallery, he toasted Seraphina to the dregs. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 fBOVIDENCE VON ROSEN. — ACT THE FERST. — SHE BEGUILES THE 
 BARON. 
 
 At a sufliciently late hour or, to be more exact, at three in the 
 afternoon, Madame von Rosen issued on the world. She swept 
 down.-stairs and out across the garden, a black mantilla thrown 
 over her head, and the long train of her black velvet dress ruth- 
 lessly sweeping in the dirt. 
 
 At the other end of that long garden, and back to back with the 
 villa of the countess, stood the large mansion where the prime 
 minister transacted his afl:airs and pleasures. This distance, which 
 was enough for decency by the easy canons of Mittwalden, the 
 countess swiftly traversed, opened a little door with a key, mounted 
 a flight of stairs, and entered unceremoniously into Gondremark's 
 study. It was a large and very high apartment; books all about 
 the walls, papers on the table, papers on the floor; here and there a 
 picture, somewhat scant of drapery; a great fire glowing and 
 flaming in the blue tiled hearth; and the daylight streaming 
 through a cupola above. In the midst of this sat the great Baron 
 Gondremark in his shirt-sleeves, his business for that day fairly at 
 an end, and the hour arrived for relaxation. His expression, his 
 veiy nature seemed to have undergone a fundamental cljange. 
 Gondremark at home appeared the very antipode of Gondremark 
 on duty. He had an air of massive jollity that well became him; 
 grossness and geniality sat upon his features; and along with his 
 manners, he had laid aside his sly and sinister expression. He lolled 
 there, sunning his bulk before the fire, a noble animal. 
 
 "Hey!" he cried. "At last!" 
 
 The countess stepped into the room in silence, threw herself up-
 
 PRIKCE OTTO. 9o 
 
 on a chair and crossed her legs. la her lace and velvet, with a 
 good display of smooth black stocking and of snowy petticoat, and 
 with the retined prolile of her face and slender plumpness of her 
 body, she showed in singular contrast to the big, black, intellectual 
 satyr by the fire. 
 
 " How often do you send for me?" she cried. " It is compromis- 
 ing." 
 
 Gondremark laughed, "Speaking of that," said he, " what in 
 the devil's name were you about? You were not home till morning. " 
 
 " I was giving alms," she said. 
 
 The baron again laughed loud and long, for in his shirt-sleeves he 
 was a very mirthful creature. " It is fortunate I am not jealous," 
 he remarked. "But you know my way; pleasure and liberty go 
 hand in hand. I believe what I believe; it is not much, but I be- 
 lieve it. But now, to business. Have you not read my letter?" 
 
 " No," she said, " my head ached." 
 
 " Ah, well! then I have news indeed!" cried Gondremark. "I 
 was mad to see j^ou all last night and all this morning: for yester- 
 day afternoon, I brought my long business to a head; the ship has 
 come home; one more dead lift, and I shall cease to fetch and carry 
 for the Princess Eatafia. Yes, it's done. I have the order all in 
 Ratafia's hand; I cany it on my heart. At the hour of twelve to- 
 night. Prince Featherhead is to be taken in his bed and, like the 
 bambino, whipped into a chariot; and by next morning, he will 
 command a most romantic prospect from the donjon of the Felsen- 
 burg. Farewell, Featherhead! The war goes on, the girl is in my 
 hands; I have long been indispensable, but now I shall be sole. I 
 have long," he added exultingly, "long carried this intrigue 
 upon my shoulders, like Sampson with the gates of Gaza; now I dis- 
 charge that burden." 
 
 She had sprung to her feet a little paler. " Is this true?" she 
 cried. 
 
 " I tell you a fact, " he asseverated. " The trick is played. " 
 
 "I "will never believe it," she said. "An order? In her own 
 hand? I will never believe it, Heinrich." 
 
 " I swear to you," said he. 
 
 " Oh, what do you care for oaths— or I either? What would you 
 swear by? Wine, women and song? It is not binding," she said. 
 She had come quite close up to him and laid her hand upon his 
 arm. "As for the order— no, Heinrich, never! I will never be- 
 lieve it. I will die ere I believe it. You have some secret purpose 
 — what I can not guess — but not one word of it is true,"
 
 9G PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " Shall I show it you?" he asked. 
 
 " You can not," she answered. " There is no such thing." 
 
 " Incorrigible Sadducee!" he cried. " Well, I will convert you, 
 you shall see the order." He moved to a chair where he had 
 thrown his coat, and then drawing forth and holding out a paper, 
 " Read," said he. 
 
 She took it greedily, and her eye flashed as she perused it. 
 
 "Hey!" cried the baron, "there falls a dynasty; and it was I 
 that felled it, and I and you inherit!" He seemed to swell in stat- 
 ure; and next moment, with a laugh, he put his hand forward. 
 " Give me the dagger," said he. 
 
 But she whisked the paper suddenly behind her back and faced 
 him, lowering. "No, no," she said. "You and I have first a 
 point to settle. Do you suppose me blind? She could never have 
 given that paper but to one man, and that man her lover. Here 
 you stand — her lover, her accomplice, her master — oh, I well be- 
 lieve it, for I know your power. But what am 1?" she cried; " I, 
 whom you deceive!" 
 
 "Jealousy!" cried Gondremark. "Anna, I would never have 
 believed it! But I declare to you by all that's credible, that I am 
 not her lover. I might be, I suppose; but I never yet durst risk 
 the declaration. The chit is so unreal; a mincing doll; she will 
 and she will not; Ihere is no counting on her, by God! And 
 hitherto I have had my own way without, and keep the lover in 
 reserve. And I say, Anna," he added with severity, "you must 
 break yourself of this new fit, my girl; there must be no combus- 
 tion. I keep the creature under the belief that I adore her; and if 
 she caught a breath of you and me, she is such a fool, prude, and 
 dog-in-the-manger, that she is capable of spoiling all." 
 
 " All very fine," returned the lady. " With whom do you pass 
 your days? and which am I to believe, your words or your ac- 
 tions?" 
 
 " Anna, the devil take you, are you blind?" cried Gondremark. 
 " You know me. Am I likely to care for such a preciosa? 'Tis 
 hard that we should have been together for so long, and you should 
 still take me for a troubador. But if there is one thing that I de- 
 spise and deprecate, it is all such figures in Berlin wool. Give me 
 a human woman — like myself. You are my mate; you were made 
 for me; you amuse me like the play. And what have I to gain 
 that 1 should pretend to you? If I do not love you, what use are 
 you to me? Why, none. It is as clear as noonday."
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 97 
 
 "Do you love me, Heinrich?" she asked, languishing. "Do 
 you truly?" 
 
 " I tell you," he cried, " I love you next after myself. I should 
 be all abroad if I had lost you." 
 
 "Well, then," said she, folding up the paper and putting i( 
 calmly in her pocket, "I will believe you, and I join the plot 
 Count upon me. At midnight, did you say? It is Gordon, 1 see, 
 that you have charged with it. Excellent; he will stick at nothing." 
 
 Gondremark watched her suspiciously. " Why do you take tiiat 
 paper?" he demanded. "Give it here." 
 
 " No," she returned, " I mean to keep it. It is I who must pre- 
 pare the stroke; you can not manage it without me; and to do my 
 best I must possess the paper. Where shall I find Gordon? In 
 his rooms?" She spoke with a rather feverish self-possession. 
 
 "Anna," he said sternly, the black, bilious countenance of his 
 palace role taking the place of the more open favor of his hours at 
 home, " 1 ask you for that paper. Once, twice and thrice." 
 
 " Heinrich," she returned, looking him in the face, " take care. 
 I will put up with no dictation." 
 
 Both looked dangerous; and the silence lasted for a measurable 
 interval of time. Then she made haste to have the first word; 
 and with a laugh that rang clear and honest, " Do not be a child," 
 she said. " I wonder at you. If your assurances are true, you 
 can have no reason to mistrust me, nor I to play you false. The 
 difficulty is to get the prince out of the palace without scandal. His 
 valets are devoted; his chamberlain a slave; and yet one cry might 
 ruin all. ' ' 
 
 " They must be overpowered," he said, following her to the new 
 ground, " and disappear along with him." 
 
 "And your whole scheme along wiih them!" she cried. "He 
 does not take his servants when he goes a-hunting: a child could 
 read the truth. No, no; the plan is idiotic; it must be Ratafia's. 
 But hear me. You know the prince worships me?" 
 
 " I know," he said. " Poor Featherhead, I cross his destiny!" 
 
 " Well now," she continued, " what if I bring him alone out of 
 the palace, to some quiet corner of the park — the Flying Mercury, 
 for instance? Gordon can be posted in the thicket; the carriage 
 wait behind the temple; not a cry, not a scuffle, not a footfall: sim- 
 ply, the prince vanishes! What do you say? Am I an able ally? 
 Are my beaux yeux of service? Ah, Heinrich, do not lose your 
 Anna! she has power!" 
 
 He struck with his open hand upon the chimney, " Witchl" 
 4
 
 98 PRTN'CE OTTO. 
 
 he said, " there is not your match for devilry in Europe. Service! 
 the thing runs on wheels. ' ' 
 
 " Kiss me, then, and let me go. I must not miss my Feather- 
 head," she said. 
 
 " Stay, stay," said the baron, " not so fast. I wish, upon my 
 soul, that I could trust you; but you are, out and in, so whimsical 
 a devil that I dare not. Hang it, Anna, no; it's not possible!" 
 
 " You doubt me, Heinrich?" she cried. 
 
 "Doubt is not the word, " said he. " I know you. Once you 
 were clear of me with that paper in your pocket, who knows what 
 you would do with it? not you, at least — nor I. You see," he ad- 
 ded, shaking his head paternally upon the countess, ' you are as 
 vicious as a monkey. ' ' 
 
 " I swear to you," she cried, " by my salvation — " 
 
 " Singular child! I have no curiosity to hear you swearing," 
 said the baron. 
 
 " You think that I have no religion? You suppose me destitute 
 of honor. "Well," she said, " see here: I will not argue, but I tel^ 
 you once for all : leave me this order and the prince shall be arrested 
 — take it from me and, as certain as I speak, I will upset the coach. 
 Trust me, or fear me: take your choice." And she offered him 
 the paper. 
 
 The baron, in a great contention of mind, stood irresolute, weigh- 
 ing the two dangers. Once his hand advanced, then dropped. 
 " Well,'' he said, " since trust is what you call it — " 
 
 " No more," she interrupted. " Do not spoil your attitude. And 
 now since you have behaved like a good sort of fellow in the dark, 
 I will condescend to tell you why. I go to the palace to arrange 
 with Gordon; but how is Gordon to obey me? And how can I 
 foresee the hours? It may be midnight; ay, and it may be night- 
 fall; all's a chance; and to act, I must be free and hold the strings 
 of the adventure. And now, ' she cried, " your Vivien goes. Dub 
 me your knight!' And she held out her arms and smiled upon him 
 radiant. 
 
 "Well," he said, when he had kissed her, "every man must 
 have his folly; I thank God mine is no worse. Off with youl I 
 have given a child a squib."
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 99 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 PROVIDENCE VON ROSEN. — ACT THE SECOND. — SHE INFORMS THE 
 PRINCE. 
 
 It was the first impulse of Madame von Rosen to return to her 
 own villa and revise her toilet. Whatever else should come of this 
 adventure, it was her firm design to pay a visit to the princess. 
 And before that woman, so little beloved, the countess would ap- 
 pear at no disadvantage. It was the work of minutes. Von Rosen 
 had the captain's ej'e in matters of the toilet; she was none of 
 those who hang in Fabian helplessness among their flneiy and, 
 after hours, come forth upon the world as dowdies. A glance, a 
 loosened curl, a studied and admired disorder in the hair, a bit of 
 lace, a touch of color, a yellow rose implanted in the bosom, and 
 the instant picture was complete. 
 
 " That will do," she said. " Bid my carriage follow me to the 
 palace. In half an hour it should be there in waiting. " 
 
 The night was beginning to fall, and the shops to shine with 
 lamps along the tree-beshadowed thoroughfares of Otto's capital, 
 when the countess started on her high emprise. She was jocund at 
 heart; i^leasure and interest had winged her beauty, and she knew 
 it. She paused before the glowing jeweler's; she remarked and 
 praised a costume in the milliner's window; and when she reached 
 the lime-tree walk, with its high umbrageous arches and stir of 
 passers-by in the dim alleys, she took her place upon a bench and 
 dallied with the pleasures of the hour. It was cold, but she did 
 not feel it, being warm within; her thoughts, in that dark corner, 
 shone like the gold and rubies at the jeweler's; her ears, which 
 heard the brushing of so many footfalls, transposed it into music. 
 
 What was she to do? She held the paper by which all de- 
 pended. Otto and Gondreraark and Ratafia, and the estate itself, 
 hung light in her balances, as light as dust; her little finger laid in 
 either scale would set all flying; and she hugged herself upon her 
 huge preponderance, and then laughed aloud to think how giddily 
 it might be used. The vertigo of omnipotence, the disease of 
 Caesars, shook her reason. " Oh, the mad world!" she thought, 
 and laughed aloud in exultation. 
 
 A child, finger in mouth, had paused a little way from where she 
 sat, and stared with cloudy interest upon tliis laugliing lady. She
 
 100 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 ^lled it nearer-, but the child hung back. Instantly with that curi 
 ous passion which you may see any woman in the world display, 
 on the most odd occasions, for a similar end, the countess bent her- 
 self with singleness of mind to overcome this diffidence; and pres- 
 ently, sure enough, the child was seated on her knee, thumbing and 
 glowering at her watch. 
 
 " If you had a clay bear and a china monkey," asked Von Rosen, 
 " whicli would you prefer to break?" 
 
 " But I have neither," said the child. 
 
 " Well," she said, " here is a bright florin, with which you may 
 purchase both the one and the other; and I shall give it you at 
 once, if you will answer my question. The clay bear or the china 
 monkey — come ! ' ' 
 
 But the unbreeched soothsayer only stared upon the florin with 
 big eyes; the oracle could not be persuaded to reply: and the count- 
 ess kissed him lightly, gave him the florin, set him down upon the 
 path and resumed her way with swinging and elastic gait. 
 
 ■' Which shall I break?" she wondered; and she passed her hand 
 with delight among the careful disarrangement of her locks. 
 " Which? ' and she consulted heaven with her bright eyes. " Do 
 I love both or neither? A little— passionately — not at all? Both or 
 neither — both, I believe, but at least I will make hay of Ratafla." 
 
 By the time she had passed the iron gates, mounted the drive, 
 and set her foot upon the broad-flagged terrace, the night had come 
 completely; the palace front was thick with lighted windows; and 
 along the balustrade, the lamp on every twentieth baluster shone 
 clear. A few withered tracks of sunset, amber and glowworm 
 green, still lingered in the western sky; and she paused once more 
 to watch them fading. 
 
 " And to think," she said, " that here am I — destiny embodied, 
 a norn, a fate, a providence — and have no guess upon which side I 
 shall declare myself!" Otto's windows were bright among the rest, 
 and she looked on them with rising tenderness. " How does it 
 feel to be deserted.'" she thought. "Poor, dear fool! The girl 
 deserves (hat he should see this order. ' ' 
 
 Without more delay, she passed into the palace and asked for an 
 audience of Prince Otto The prince, she was told, was in his own 
 apartment, and desired to be private. She sent her name, A man 
 presently returned with word that the prince tendered his apologies, 
 but could see no one. "' Then 1 will write," she said, and scribbled 
 a few lines alleging urgency of life and death. " Help me, my 
 prince," she added, ' none but you can help me. " This lime the
 
 riUNCE OTTO. 01 
 
 messenger returned more speedily and begged the countess to fol- 
 low bim; the prince was graciously pleased to receive the Frau 
 Grafin von Rosen. 
 
 Otto sat by the tire in his large armory, weapons faintly glitter- 
 ing all about him in the changeful light. His face was disfigured 
 by the marks of weeping. He looked sour and sad; nor did he rise 
 to greet his visitor, but bowed and bade the man begone. That 
 kind of general tenderness which served the countess for both 
 heart and conscience, sharply smote her at this spectacle of grief 
 and "weakness; she began Immediately to enter into the spirit of 
 her part; and as soon as they were alone, taking one step forward 
 and with a magnificent gesture — " Up!" she cried. 
 
 "Madame von Rosen," replied Otto dully, "you have used 
 strong words. You speak of life and death. Pray, madamo, Avho 
 is threatened? Who is there," he added bitterly, "so dcstilute 
 that even Otto of Griinewald can assist him?" 
 
 "First learn," said she, "the names of the conspirators: the 
 Princess and the Baron Goudremark. Can you not guess the 
 rest?" And then as he maintained his .silence — " You!" she cried, 
 pointing at him with her finger. " 'Tis j'ou they threaten! Your 
 rascal and mine have laid their heads together and condemned you. 
 But they reckoned without j'ou and me. We make a pariie carre, 
 prince, in love and politics. Thej^ lead an ace, but we shall trump 
 it. Come, partner, shall I draw my card?" 
 
 " Madame, " he said, "explain yourself. Indeed I fail to com- 
 prehend. ' 
 
 " See, then," said she; and handed him the order. 
 He took it, looked upon it with a start; and then, still without 
 speech, he put his hand before his face. She waited for a word in 
 vain. 
 
 "What?" she cried, "do j'ou take the thing down-heartedly? 
 As well seek wine in a milk pail as love in l.iat girl's heart! Be 
 done with this, and be a man. After the league of the lions, let us 
 have a conspiracy of mice, and pull this piece of machinery to 
 ground. You were brisk enough last night when nothing was at 
 stake and all was frolic. Well, here is better sport; here is life 
 indeed." 
 
 He got to his feet with some alacrity, and his face, which was 
 a little flushed, bore the marks of resolution. 
 
 "Madame von Rosen," said he, "I am neither unconscious nor 
 ungrateful; this is (ho true continuation of your friendship; but 1 
 sec that I must disappoint your expectations. You seem to expect
 
 102 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 from mc some effort of resistance; but why should I resist? 1 
 have not much to gaiu; and now that I have read this paper, and 
 the last of a fool's paradise is shattered, it would be hyperbolical 
 to speak of loss in the same breath with Otto of Grlinewald. I have 
 no party; no policy; no pride, nor anything to be proud of. For 
 what benefit or principle below the sky do j'ou expect me to con- 
 tend? Would you have me bite and scratch like a trapped weasel? 
 No, madame; signify to those who sent you my readiness to go. 1 
 would at least avoid a scandal." 
 
 " You go? — of your own will, j'ou go?" she cried. 
 
 " I can not say so much perhaps," he answered; " but I go with 
 good alacrity. I have desired a change some time; behold one 
 offered me! Shall I refuse? Thank God, I am not so destitute of 
 humor as to make a tragedy of such a farce." He flicked the order 
 on the table. "You may signify my readiness," he added, 
 grandly. 
 
 " Ah," she said, " you are more angry than j'ou own." 
 
 " I, madame? angry?" he cried. " You rave. I have no cause 
 for angor. In every way I have been taught my weakness, my in- 
 stability and my unfitness for the world. 1 am a plexus of weak- 
 nesses, an impotent prince, a doubtful gentleman; and you your- 
 self, indulgent as you are, have twice reproved my levity. And 
 shall I be angry? I may feel the unkindness, but I have suflicient 
 honesty of mind to see the reasons of this couj) d'etat." 
 
 " From whom have you got this?" she cried in wonder. " You 
 think you have not behaved well? My prince, were you not young 
 and handsome, I should detest you for your virtues. You push 
 them to the verge of commonplace. And this ingratitude — " 
 
 " Understand me, Madame von Rosen." returned the prince, flush- 
 ing a little darker, ' ' there can be hero no talk of gratitude, none 
 of pride. You are here, bj^ what circumstance I know not, but 
 doubtless led bj^ your kindness, mixed up in what regards my fam- 
 ily alone. You have no kno nledge whaV my wife, your sovereign, 
 may have suffered; it is not for j-ou — no, nor for me — to judge. I 
 own myself in fault ; and were it otherwise, a man were a very 
 empty boaster, who should talk of love and start before a small 
 humiliation. It is in all the copy-books that one should die to 
 please his lady-love; and shajl a man not go to prison?" 
 
 " Love? And what has love to do with being sent to jail?" ex- 
 claimed the countess, appealing to the walls and roof. '" Heaven 
 Ivoows I think as much of love as any one; my life would prove it;
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 103 
 
 but I admit no love but what is equally returned. The rest is 
 moonshine. ' ' 
 
 " I think of love more absolutely, madame, though I am certain 
 no more tenderly, than a lady to whom I am indebted for such kind- 
 nesses, " returned the prince. "But this is unavailing. We are 
 not here to hold a court of troubadours." 
 
 " Still," she replied, " there is one thing j'ou forget. If she con- 
 spires with Goudremark against your liberty, she may conspire with 
 him against your honor also. ' ' 
 
 "My honor?" he repeated. " For a woman you surprise me. If 
 I have failed to gain her love or play my part of husband, what 
 right is left me? or what honor can remain in such a scene of fail- 
 ure? No honor that I recognize. I am become a stranger. If my 
 wife no longer loves me, I will go to prison since she wills it; if she 
 love another, where should I be more in place? or whose fault is 
 it but mine? You speak, Madame von Rosen, like tco many 
 women, with a man's tongue. Had I myself fallen into tempta- 
 tion (as heaven knows, I might) I should have trembled but still 
 hoped and asked for her forgiveness; and yet mine had been a 
 treason in the teeth of love. But let me tell you, madame," he pur- 
 sued, with rising irritation, ' ' where a husband by futility, facility, 
 and ill-timed humors has outwearied his vdfe's patience, I will 
 suffer neither man nor woman to misjudge her. She is free : the 
 man has been found wanting. ' ' 
 
 "Because she loves you not?" the countess cried, " You know 
 she is incapable of such a feeling." 
 
 " Rather, it was I who was born incapable of winning it," said 
 Otto. 
 
 Madame von Rosen broke into sudden laughter. "Fool," she 
 cried, " I am in love with you myself." 
 
 "Ah, madame, you are most compassionate," the prince re- 
 torted, smiling. " But this is waste debate. I know my purpose. 
 Perhaps, to equal you in frankness, I know and embrace my ad- 
 vantage. I am not without the spirit of adventure. I am in a 
 false position — so recognized by public acclamation: do you grudge 
 me, then, my issue?" 
 
 "If your mind is made up, why should I dissuade you?" said 
 the countess. "I own, with a bare face, I am the gainer. Go, 
 you take my heart with you, or more of it than I desire; I shall not 
 sleep at night for thinking of your misery. But do not be afraid; I 
 would not spoil you, you are such a fool and hero." 
 
 " Alafi, madame," cried the prince, " and your unlucky moneys
 
 104 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 I did amiss to take it, but you are a wonderful persuader. And 1 
 thank God, I can still offer you the fair equivalent." He took 
 some papers from the chimney, " Here, madame, are the title 
 deeds," he said; " where I am going, they can certainly he of no 
 use to me, and I have now no other hope of making up to you your 
 kindness. You made the loan without formality, obeying your 
 kind heart. The parts are somewhat changed; the sun of this 
 Prince of Griinewald is upon the point of setting; and I know you 
 better than to doubt you will once more waive ceremony, and ac- 
 cept the best that I can give you. If I may look for any pleasure 
 in the coming time, it will be to remember that the peasant is se- 
 cure, and my most generous friend no loser." 
 
 " Do you not understand my odious position?" cried the count- 
 ess. " Dear prince, it is upon your fall that I begin my fortune." 
 
 " It was the more like you to tempt me to resistance," returned 
 Otto. " But this can not alter our relations; and I must, for the 
 last time, lay my commands upon you in the character of prince." 
 And with his loftiest dignity, he forced the deeds on her accept- 
 ance. 
 
 " I hate the very touch of them, " she cried. 
 
 There followed upon this a little silence. " At what time," re- 
 sumed Otto, " if indeed j-ou know, am I to be arrested?" 
 
 " Your highness, when you please!" exclaimed the countess. 
 " Or if you choose to tear that paper, never!" 
 
 " I would rather it were done quickly," said the prince. " I shall 
 take but time to leave a letter for the princess. ' ' 
 
 " "Well," said the countess, " I have advised you to resist; at the 
 same time, if you intend to be dumb before your shearers, I must 
 say that I ought to set about arranging your arrest. I offered " — 
 she hesitated—" I offered to manage it, intending, my dear friend, 
 intending, upon my soul, to be of use to you. Well, if you will 
 not profit by my good will, then be of use to me; and as soon as 
 ever you feel ready, go to the Flying Mercuiy where we met last 
 night. It will be none the worse for you; and to make it quite 
 plain, it Avill be better for the rest of us." 
 
 " Dear madame, certainly," said Otto. "If I am prepared for 
 the chief evil, I shall not quarrel with details. Go, then, with my 
 best gratitude; and when I have written a few lines of leave-taking, 
 I shall immediately hasten to keep tryst. To-night, I shall not meet 
 so dangerous a cavalier," he added, with a smiling gallantry. 
 
 As soon as Madame von Rosen was gone, he made a great call 
 upon his self-command. He was face to face with a miserable
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 105 
 
 passage where, if it were possible, he desired to carrj' himself with 
 dignity. As to the main fact, he never swerved or faltered; he had 
 come so heart-sick and so cruelly humiliated from his talk with 
 Gotthold, that he embraced the notion of imprisonment with 
 something bordering on joy. Here was, at least, a step which he 
 thought blameless; here was a way from out his troubles. He sat 
 down to write to Seraphina; and his anger blazed. The tale of his 
 forbearances mounted, in his ej'es, to something monstrous; still 
 more monstrous, the coldness, egotism and cruelty, that had re- 
 quired and thus requited them. The pen which he had taken 
 trembled in his hand. He was amazed to find his resignation tied, 
 but was not able to recall it. In a few white-hot words he bade 
 adieu, dubbed desperation by the name of love, and called his wrath 
 forgiveness; cast but one look of leave-taking upon the place that 
 was no longer to be his; and hurried forth — love's prisoner — or 
 pride's. 
 
 He took the private passage, trod so often in less momentous 
 hours. The porter let him out; and the bountiful, cold air of night 
 and the pure glory of the stars received him on the threshold. He 
 looked around him, breathing deep of earth's plain fragrance; he 
 looked up into the great array of heaven, and was quieted. His 
 little turgid life dwindled to its true proportions; he saw this great, 
 flame-hearted martyr stand but a speck in that cool cupola of night; 
 he felt his cureless injuries already soothed; the live air of out-of- 
 doors, the quiet of the world, as if by their silent music, sobered 
 his emotions. 
 
 " Well, I forgive her," he said. "If it be of any use to her, I 
 forgive." 
 
 And with brisk steps, he crossed the garden, issued upon the 
 park, and by a glimmering alley, came at last to where the Flying 
 Mercury stood poised. A dark figure moved forward from the 
 shadow of the pedestal. 
 
 " I have to ask yoiu- pardon, sir," a voice observed, " but if I 
 am right in taking you for the prince, I was given to understand 
 that 3^ou would be prepared to meet me." 
 
 " Herr Gordon, I believe?" said Otto. 
 
 " Herr Oberst Gordon," replied that officer. " This is rather a 
 ticklish business for a man to be embarked in; and to find that all 
 is to go pleasantly, is a great relief to me. The carriage is at hand, 
 shall I have the honor of following your highness?" 
 
 " Colonel," said the prince, " I have now come to that happj^ mo- 
 ment of my life, when I have orders to receive but none to give."
 
 106 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " A most philosophical remark!" returned the colonel " Begad, 
 a very pertinent remark! it might be Plutarch. I am not a drop's 
 blood to your highness or indeed to any one in this principality; or 
 else I should dislike my orders. But as it is, and since there is 
 nothing unnatural or unbecoming on my side, and your highness 
 takes it in good part, I begin to believe we may have a capital time 
 together, sir— a capital time. For a jailer is only a fellow captive." 
 
 " May I inquire, Herr Gordon," asked Otto, " what led you to 
 accept this dangerous and I would fain hope thankless office?" 
 
 " Very natural, I am sure," replied the officer of fortune. " My 
 pay is, in the meanwhile, doubled." 
 
 " Well, sir, I will not presume to criticise," returned the prince. 
 " And I perceive the carriage." 
 
 Sure enough, at the intersection of two alleys of the park, a 
 coach and four, conspicuous by its lanterns, stood in waiting. 
 And a little way off about a score of lancers were drawn up under 
 the shadow of the trees. 
 
 CHAPTER Xni. 
 
 PROVIDENCE VON ROSEN. — ACT THE THIRD. — SHE ENLIGHTENS 
 SERAPHINA. 
 
 When INIadame von Rosen left the prince, she hurried straight to 
 Colonel Gordon; and not content with directing the arrangements, 
 she had herself accompanied the soldier of fortune to the Flying 
 IMercurj'. The colonel gave her his ami, and_ the talk between this 
 pair of couspiratoi-s ran high and lively. The countess, indeed, was 
 in a whirl of pleasure and excitement; her tongue stumbled upon 
 laughter, her eyes shone, the color that was usually wanting now 
 perfected her face. It would have taken little more to bring Gor- 
 don to her feet — or so, at least, she thought, disdaining the idea. 
 
 Hid in some lilac bushes, she enjoyed the great decorum of the 
 arrest, and heard the dialogue of the two men die away along the 
 path. Soon after the rolling of a carriage and the beat of hoofs 
 arose in the still air of night, and passed speedily further and 
 fainter into silence. The prince was gone. 
 
 Madame von Rosen consulted her watch. She had still, she 
 thought, time enough for the tit-bit of her evening; and hurrying 
 to the palace, winged by the fear of Gondremark's arrival, she sent 
 her name and a pressing request for a reception to the Princess
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 107 
 
 Seraphina. As the Countess von Rosen undisguised, she was secure 
 of a refusal ; but as an emissary of the baron's, for so she chose to 
 style herself, she gained immediate entry. 
 
 The princess sat alone at fable, maldng a feint of dining. ITer 
 cheeks were mottled, her eyes heavy; she had neither slept nor 
 eaten ; even her dress had been neglected. In short, she was out 
 of health, out of looks, out of heart, and hag-rid by her conscience. 
 The countess drew a swift comparison, and shone brighter still in 
 beauty. 
 
 " You come, madame, de la part de Monsieur le Baron,'' 
 drawled the princess. " Be seated! What have you to say?" 
 
 "To say?" repeated Madame von Rosen. "Oh, much to sayl 
 Much to say, that I would rather not, and much to leave unsaid 
 that I would rather say. For I am like St. Paul, your highness, 
 and always wish to do the things I should not. Well! to be categor- 
 ical — that is the word? — I took the prince your order. He cou7d 
 not credit his senses. ' Ah,' he cried, ' dear Madame von Rosen, it 
 is not possible — it can not be — I must hear it from your lips. My 
 wife is a poor girl misled, she is only silly, she is not cruel.' ' Mon 
 Prince,' said I, ' a girl — and therefore cruel; youth kills flies.' He 
 had such pain to understand it!" 
 
 " Madame von Rosen," said the princess, in most steadfast tones 
 but with a rose of anger in her face, ' ' who sent you here, and for 
 what purpose? Tell yoiu- errand. Hitherto you have but tried 
 my patience. ' ' 
 
 " Oh, madame, I believe you understand me very well," returned 
 Von Rosen. " I have not your philosophy. I wear my heart upon 
 my sleeve, excuse the indecency! It is a very little one," she 
 laughed, " and I so often change the sleeve!" 
 
 "Am I to understand the prince has been arrested?" asked the 
 princess, rising. 
 
 " While you sat there dining!" crifd the coimtess, still nonchg- 
 lantly seated. 
 
 " You have discharged your errand," was the reply, " I will no# 
 detain you." 
 
 " Oh, no, madame," said the countess, " with your permission, I 
 have not yet done. I have borne much this evening in your serv- 
 ice. I have suffered. I was made to suffer in your service." She 
 unfolded, as she spoke, her fan. Quick as her pulses beat, the fan 
 waved languidly. It was in her bright face and eyes, and her tri- 
 umphant beauty, looking down, mile deep, upon her rival, that the 
 thrill of her emotion stood confessed.
 
 108 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 •' You are no servant, Madame von Rosen, of mine," said Sera 
 pliina. 
 
 "No, madame, indeed," returned the countess; "but we both 
 serve the same person, as you know — or if you do not, then 1 have 
 the pleasure of informing you. Your conduct is so light — so lighl," 
 she repealed, the fan wavering higher like a butterfly, "that per- 
 haps you do not truly understand. " The countess rolled her fan 
 together, laid it in her lap, and rose to a less languorous position. 
 "Indeed," she continued, "I should be sorry to see any young 
 woman in your situation. You began with every advantage, birth, 
 a suitable marriage — quite pretty too — and see what you have come 
 to! My poor girl, to think of it! But there is nothing that does 
 so much harm, ' ' observed the countess finely, ' ' as giddiness of 
 mind." And she once more unfurled the fan, and fanned herself 
 approvingly. 
 
 "I will no longer permit you to forget yourself," cried Sera- 
 phina. " What have you been doing? You are mad, I think." 
 
 " Not mad," returned Von Rosen. " Sane enough to know you 
 dare not break with me to-night, and to profit by the knowledge. 
 I left my poor, pretty Prince Charming crying his eyes out for a 
 wooden doll. My heart is soft; I love my pretty prince; you Avill 
 never understand it, but 1 long to give my prince his doll, dry his 
 poor eyes, and send him happy with a kiss. Oh, you immature 
 fool!" the countess cried, rose to her feet, and pointed at the prin- 
 cess the closed fan that now began to tremble in her hand. ' ' Oh 
 wooden doll!" she cried, " have you a heart, or blood, or any nat- 
 ure? This is a man, child — a man who loves you. Oh, it will 
 not happen twice! it is not common; beautiful and clever women 
 look in vain for it. And you, you pitiful school-girl, tread this 
 jewel underfoot! you, stupid with your vanity! Before you try to 
 govern kingdoms, you should first be able to behave yourself at 
 home; home is the woman's kingdom." She paused and laughed a 
 little, strangely to hear and look upon. ' ' I will tell you one of the 
 things," she said, "that were to stay unspoken. Von Rosen is a 
 better woman than you, my princess, though you will never have 
 the pain of understanding it; and when I took the prince your 
 order, and looked upon his face, my soul was melted — oh, I am 
 frank — here, within my arms, I offered him repose!" She advanced 
 a step superbly as she spoke, with outstretched arms; and Seraphina 
 shrunk. "Do not be alarmed!" the countess cried; "I am not 
 offering that hermitage to you; in all the world there is but one 
 who wants to, and him you have dismissed! ' If it will give her
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 109 
 
 pleasure I should wear the martyr's crown, ' lie cried, ' I will em- 
 brace the thorns. ' I tell you — I am quite frank — I put the order in 
 his power and begged him to resist. You, who have betrayed your 
 husband, may betray me to Gondremark; my prince would betray 
 no one. Understand it plainly," she cried, " 'tis of his pure for- 
 bearance 3'ou sit there; he had the power — I gave it him — to change 
 the parts; and he refused, and went to prison in your place." 
 
 The princess spoke with some distress. " Your violence shocks 
 me and pains me," she began, " but I can not be angry with what 
 at least does honor to the mistaken kindness of your heart: it was 
 right for me to know this. I will condescend to tell you. It was 
 with deep regret that I Avas driven to this step. I admit in many 
 ways the prince — 1 admit his amiability. It was our great misfort- 
 une, it was, perhaps, somewhat of my fault, that we were so un- 
 suited to each other; but I have a regard, a real regard, for all his 
 qualities. As a private person I should think as you do. It is diffi- 
 cult, I know, to make allowances for state considerations. I have 
 only with sincere reluctance obeyed the call of a superior duty; 
 and so soon as I dare do it for the safety of the state, I promise you 
 the prince shall be released. Many, in my situation, would have 
 resented your freedoms. I am not — " and she looked for a mo- 
 jnent rather piteously upon the countess, "I am not altogether so 
 inhuman as you think. ' ' 
 
 "And you can put these troubles of the state," the countess 
 cried, " to weigh with a man's love?" 
 
 " Madame von Rosen, these troubles are affairs of life and death 
 to many; to the prince, and perhaps even to yourself, among the 
 number," replied the princess with dignity, "I have learned, 
 inadame, although still so young, in a hard school, that my own 
 feelings must everywhere come last. ' ' 
 
 " Oh, callow innocence!" exclaimed the other. " Is it possible 
 you do not know, or not suspect, the intrigue in which you move? 
 I find it in my heart to pity j^ou! We are both women after all — 
 poor girl, poor girl! and who is born a woman is born a fool. And 
 though I hate all women — come, for the common folly, I forgive 
 you. Your highness " — she dropped a deep stage courtesy and re- 
 sumed her fan — " I am going to insult you, to betray one who is 
 called my lover, and if you please to use the power, to ruin my 
 dear self. Oh, what a French comedy! Y^'ou betray, I betray, 
 they betray. It is now my cue. The letter, yes. Behold the letter, 
 raadame, its seal unbroken as I found it by my bed this morning; 
 for I was out of humor, and I get many, too many of these favors.
 
 110 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 For your own sake, for the sake of my Prince Charming, for the 
 sake of this great principality that sits so heavy on your conscience, 
 open it and read!" 
 
 ' ' Am I to understand, ' ' inquired the princess, ' ' tliat this letter 
 in any way regards me?" 
 
 " You see I have not opened it," replied Von Rosen; " but 'tis 
 mine, and I beg you to experiment. ' ' 
 
 ' ' I can not look at it till you have, ' ' returned Seraphina very 
 seriously. " There may be matter there not fit for me to see; it is 
 a private letter." 
 
 The countess tore it open, glanced it through, and tossed it back; 
 and the princess, taking up the sheet, recognized the hand of Gon- 
 dremark and read with a sickening shock the following lines; 
 
 " Dearest Anna, come at once. Ratafia has done the deed, her 
 husband to be packed to prison. This puts the minx entirely in 
 my power; le tour es>tjoue ; she will now go steady in harness or I 
 will know the reason why. Come. 
 
 "Heinrich." 
 
 " Command yourself , madame," said the countess, watching with 
 some alarm the white face of Seraphina. " It is in vain for you to 
 fight with Gondremark: he has more strings than mere court favor, 
 and could bring you down to-morrow with a word. I would not 
 have betrayed him otherwise; but Heinrich is a man, and plays 
 with all of you like marionettes. And now at least you see for 
 what you sacrificed my prince. Madame, will you take some wine? 
 I have been cruel." 
 
 " Not cruel, madame — salutary," said Seraphina, with a phan- 
 tom smile. " No, I thank you, I require no attentions. The first 
 sui-prise affected me; will you give me time a little? I must think." 
 
 She took her head in both her hands, and contemplated for a 
 while the hurricane confusion of her thoughts. 
 
 " This information reaches me," she said, " when I have need of 
 it. I would not do as you have done, but yet I thank you. I have 
 been much deceived in Baron Gondremark. ' ' 
 
 " Oh madame, leave Gondremark and think upon the prince!" 
 cried Von Rosen. 
 
 "You speak once more as a private person," said the princess; 
 " nor do I blame you. But my own thoughts are more distracted. 
 However, as 1 believe you are truly a friend to my — to the — as I be- 
 lieve," she said, " you are a friend to Otto, I shall put the order for 
 his release into your hands this moment. Give me the ink-dish. 
 There!" And she wrote hastily, steadying her arm upon the table,
 
 PRIKCE OTTO 111 
 
 for she tremblerl like a rccd. "Remember, madame," she re- 
 sumed, handing her the order, " this must not be used nor spoken 
 of at present; till I have seen the baron, I perceive that any hur- 
 ried step — Ilosemj'sclf in tl. inking. The suddenness has sliaken 
 me." 
 
 " I promise j'ou I will not use it," said the countess, " till you 
 give me leave. Althoue,-h I wish the prince could be informed of it, 
 to comfort his poor heart. And oh, I had forgotten, he has left a 
 letter. Suffer me, madame; I will bring it you. This is the door 
 I think?" And she sought to open it. 
 
 " The bolt is pushed," said Seraphina flushing. 
 
 "Oh! oh!" cried the countess. 
 
 A silence fell between them. 
 
 "I will get it for myself," said Seraphina, " and in the mean- 
 while I beg of you to leave me. I thank you, I am sure-, but I will 
 be obliged if you will leave me. ' ' 
 
 The countess deeply courtesied and withdrew. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 RELATES THE CAUSE AND OUTBREAK OP THE REVOLUTION. 
 
 Brave as she was, and brave by intellect, the princess, when first 
 she was alone, clung to the table for support. The four corners of 
 her universe had fallen. She had never liked nor trusted Gondre- 
 mark completely; she had still held it possible to find him false to 
 friendship; but from that to finding him devoid of all those public 
 virtues for which she had honored him, a mere commonplace in- 
 triguer, using her for his own ends, the step was wide and the de- 
 scent giddy. Light and darkness succeeded each other in her brain ; 
 now she believed, and now she could not. She turned, blindly 
 groping for the note. But Von Rosen, who had not forgotten to 
 take the warrant from the prince, had remembered to recover her 
 note from the princess : Von Rosen was an old campaigner, whose 
 most violent emotion aroused rather than clouded the vi^or of her 
 reason. 
 
 The thought recalled to Seraphina the remembrance of the other 
 letter — Otto's. She rose and went speedily, her brain still wheeling, 
 and burst into the prince's armory. The old chamberlain was 
 there in waiting; and the sight of another face, prying (or so she 
 felt) on her distress, struck Seraphina into childish anger.
 
 113 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " Go!" she cried; and then, when the old man was abeady half 
 way to the door, " Stay!" she added. " As soon as Baron Gondre- 
 mark arrives, let him attend me here." 
 
 ' ' It shall he so directed, ' ' said the chamberlain. 
 
 " There was a letter — " she began, and paused. 
 
 "Her highness," said the chamberlain, "will find a letter on 
 the table. I had received no orders, or her highness had been 
 spared this trouble." 
 
 ' ' No, no, no, ' ' she cried. ' ' I thank you. I desire to be alone. ' ' 
 
 And then, when he was gone, she leaped upon the letter. Her 
 mind was still obscured; like the moon upon a night of clouds and 
 wind, her reason shone and darkened, and she read the words by 
 flashes. 
 
 " Seraphina," the prince wrote, " I will write no syllable of re- 
 proach. I have seen your order and I go. What else is left me? 
 I have wasted my love and have no more. To say that I forgive 
 you is not needful; at least, we are now separate forever; by your 
 own act, you free me from my willing bondage; I go free to prison. 
 This is the last that you will hear of me in love or anger. I have 
 gone out of your life; you may breathe easy; you have now rid 
 yourself of the husband who allowed j'ou to desert him, of the 
 prince who gave you his rights, and of the married lover who made 
 it his pride to defend you in your absence. How you have requited 
 him, your own heart more loudly tells j'ou 1 ban my words. There 
 is a day coming when your vain dreams will roll away like clouds, 
 and you will find yourself alone. Then you will remember 
 
 " Otto." 
 
 She read with a great horror on her mind: Ihat day, of which he 
 wrote, was come. She was alone; she had been false, she had been 
 cruel; remorse rolled in upon her; and then with a more piercing 
 note, vanity, bounded on the stage of consciousness. She a dupe! 
 she helpless! she to have betrayed herself in seeking to betray her 
 husband ! she to have lived these years upon flattery, grossly swal- 
 lowing the bolus, like a clown with sharpers! she — Seraphina! Her 
 swift mind drank the consequences; she foresaw the coming fall, 
 her public shame; she saw the odium, disgrace, and folly of her 
 story flaunt through Europe. She recalled the scandal she had so 
 royally braved; and alas! how differently in that hour it scowled 
 upon her! She to be thought the mistress of that man: perhaps 
 for that. She closed her eyes on agonizing vistas. Swift as thought 
 she was beside the wall, a dagger glittering in her hand. Ay, she 
 would escape. From that world wide theater of nodding heads and 
 buzzing whisperers, in which she now beheld herself unpitiably
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 113 
 
 martyred, one door stood open. At any cost, through any stress of 
 suffering, that greasy laughter should be stifled. She closed her 
 eyes; she breathed a wordless prayer, and pressed the weapon to her 
 bosom. 
 
 At the surprising sharpness of the prick, she gave a cry and 
 awoke to the sense of a miraculous escape. A little ruby spot of 
 blood was the reward of that great act of desperation; but the pain 
 had braced her like a tonic, and her whole design of suicide had 
 passed away. 
 
 At the same instant, regular feet drew near along Ihe gallery, 
 and she knew the tread of the big baron, so often gladly welcome, 
 and even now rallying her spirits like a call to battle. She con- 
 cealed the dagger in the folds of her skirt; and drawing her stat- 
 ure up, she stood firm-footed, radiant with anger, waiting for the 
 foe. 
 
 The baron was announced and entered. To him, Seraphina was 
 a hated task; like the school-boy with his Virgil, he had neither will 
 nor leisure to remark her beauties; but when he now beheld her 
 standing illuminated by her passion, new feelings flashed upon 
 him, a frank admiration, a brief sparkle of desire. He noted both 
 with joy; they were means. " If I have to play the lover," thought 
 he, for that was his constant preoccupation, " I believe I can put 
 soul into it." Meanwhile, with his usual ponderous grace, he bent 
 before the lady. 
 
 " I propose," she said, in a strange voice, not known to her till 
 then, " that we release the prince and do not prosecute the war." 
 
 " Ah, madame," he replied, " 't is as I knew it would be! Your 
 heart I knew would wound you, when we came to this distasteful 
 but most necessary step. Ah, madame, believe me, I am not 
 unwor'Jiy to be your ally; I know you have qualities to which I 
 am a stranger, and count them the best weapons in the armorj^ of 
 our alliance. The girl is the queen — pity, love, tenderness, laugh- 
 ter; the smile that can reward. I can only command; I am the 
 frowner. But you! And you have the fortitude to command 
 these comely weaknesses, to tread them down at the appeal of 
 reason. How often have I not admired it even to yourself. Ay, 
 even to j-ourself," he added tenderh^ dwelling, it seemed, in mem- 
 ory on hours of a more private admiration. " But now, madame — " 
 
 " But now, Herr Gondremark, the time for these declarations ha* 
 gone by, " she cried. " Are you true to me? are you false? Look 
 in your heart and answer, it is your heart I want to know." 
 
 "It has come," thought Gondremark. "You, madame!" he
 
 114 PETKCE OTTO. 
 
 cried, starting back — with fear, you would have said, and yet a 
 timid joy. " You! yourself, you bid me look into my heart?" 
 
 "Do you suppose I fear?" she cried, and looked at him with 
 such a heightened color, such bright eyes, and a smile of so abstruse 
 a meaning, that the baron cast aside his latest doubt. 
 
 " Ah, madame!" he cried, plumping on his knees. " Seraphina! 
 Do you permit me? have you divined my secret? It is true — I put 
 my life with joy into your power — I love you, love with ardor, as 
 an equal, as a master, as a brother-in-arms, as an adored, desired, 
 sweet-hearted woman. O, Bride!" he cried, waxing dithyrambic, 
 " bride of my reason and my senses, have pity, have pity on my 
 love!" 
 
 She heard him with wonder, rage, and then contempt. His very 
 words offended her to sickness; his appearance, as he groveled bulk- 
 ily upon the floor, moved her to such laughter as we laugh in night- 
 mares. 
 
 "Oh, shame!" she cried. "Absurd and odious! What would 
 the countess say?" 
 
 That great Baron Gondremark, the excellent politician, remained 
 for some little time upon his knees in a frame of mind which per- 
 haps we are allowed to pity. His vanity, within his iron bosom, 
 bled and raved. If he could have blotted all, if he could have 
 withdrawn part, if he had not called her bride — with a roaring in 
 his ears, he thus regretfully reviewed his declaration. He got to 
 his feet tottering; and then, in that first moment when a dumb 
 agony finds a vent in words, and the tongue betrays the inmost and 
 worst of a man, he permitted himself a retort which, for six weeks 
 to follow, he was to repent at leisure. 
 
 "Ah," said he, "the countess? Now I perceive the reason of 
 your bigness' s disorder." 
 
 The lackey-like insolence of the words was driven home by a 
 more insolent manner. There fell upon Seraphina one of those 
 storm-clouds which had already blackened upon her reason; she 
 heard herself cry out; and when the cloud dispersed, flung the 
 blood-stained dagger on the floor, and saw Gondremark reeling 
 back with open mouth, and clapping his hand upon the wound. 
 The next moment, with oaths that she had never heard, he leaped 
 at her in savage passion; clutched her as she recoiled; and in the 
 very act, stumbled and drooped. _ She had scarce time to fear his 
 murderous onslaught, ere he fell before her feet. 
 
 He rose upon one elbow; she still staring upon him, white with 
 horror
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 115 
 
 '"Anna!" he cried, "Anna! help!" 
 
 And then his utterance failed him, and he fell back, to all ap- 
 pearance dead. 
 
 Seraphina ran to and fro in the room; she wrung her hands and 
 cried aloud; within she was all one uproar of terror, and conscious 
 of no articulate wish but to awake. 
 
 There came a knocking at the door; and she sprung to it and 
 held it, panting like a beast, the strength of madness in her arms, 
 till she had pushed the bolt. At this success a certain calm fell 
 upon her reason. She went back and looked upon her victim, the 
 knocking growing louder. Oh, yes,, he was dead! She had killed 
 him. He had called upon Von Rosen with his latest breath; ah, who 
 would call on Seraphina? She had killed him. She, whose irreso- 
 lute hand could scarce prick blood from her own bosom, had found 
 strength to cast down that great colossus at a blow. 
 
 All this while, the knocking was growing more uproarious and 
 more unlike the staid career of life in such a palace. Scandal was 
 at the door, with what a fatal following she dreaded to conceive; 
 and at the same time among the voices that began to summon her 
 by name, she recognized the chancellor's. He or another, some- 
 body must be the first. 
 
 " Is Herr von Greisengesang without?" she called. 
 
 "Your highness — yes!" the old gentleman answered. "We 
 have heard cries, a fall. Is anything amiss?" 
 
 "Nothing," replied Seraphina. "I desire to speak with you. 
 Send off the rest." She panted between each phrase; but her mind 
 was clear. She let the looped curtain down upon both sides before 
 she drew the bolt; and thus secure from any sudden eyeshot from 
 without, admitted the obsequious chancellor and again made fast 
 the door. 
 
 Greisengesang clumsily revolved among the wings of the curtain; 
 so that she was clear of it as soon as he. 
 " My God!" he cried. " The baron!" 
 " I have killed him," she said. " Oh, killed him!" 
 " Dear me," said the old gentleman, " this is most unprecedented. 
 Lovers' quarrels," he added ruefully, " redintegratio — " and then 
 paused. "But, my dear madame," he broke out again, " in the 
 name of all that is practical, what are we to do? This is exceed- 
 ingly grave; morallj% madame, it is appalling. I take the liberty, 
 your highness, for one moment, of addressing you as a daughter, a 
 loved although respected daughter; and I must say that I can not
 
 116 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 conceal from you that this is morally most questionable. And, oh 
 dear me, we have a dead body!" 
 
 She had watched him closely; hope fell to contempt; from his 
 despicable weakness, she drew away her skirts and, in the act, 
 found strength. "See if he be dead," she said; not one word of 
 explanation or defense; before so poor a creature, she had scorned 
 to justify herself: " See if he be dead," was all. 
 
 With the greatest compunction, the chancellor drew near; and as 
 he did so, the wounded baron rolled his eyes. 
 
 "He lives," cried the old courtier, turning effusively to Sera- 
 phina. '' Madame, he still lives." 
 
 " Help him, then," returned the princess, standing fixed. " Bind 
 up his wound. ' ' 
 
 " Madame, I have no means," protested the chancellor. 
 
 " Can you not take your handkerchief, your neckcloth, any- 
 thing?" she cried; and at the same moment, from her light muslin 
 gown, she rent off a flounce and tossed it on the floor. " Take 
 that," she said, and stood upright in her ruined finery. 
 
 But the chancellor held up his hands and turned away his head 
 in agony. The grasp of the falling baron had torn down the 
 dainty fabric of the bodice; and — "Oh highness!" cried Greisen- 
 gesang appalled, " the terrible disorder of your toilet!" 
 
 ' ' Take up that flounce, ' ' she said, ' ' the man may die. ' ' 
 
 Greisengesang turned in a flutter to the baron, and attempted 
 some innocent and bungling measures. "He still breathes," he 
 kept saying. " All is not yet over; he is not yet gone." 
 
 ' ' And now, ' ' said she, ' if that is all that you can do, begone 
 and get some porters; he must instantly go home." 
 
 ' ' Madame, ' ' cried the chancellor, ' ' if this most melancholy sight 
 were seen In town — oh, dear, the State would fall!" he piped. 
 
 ' ' There is a litter in the palace, ' ' she replied. " It is your part 
 to see him safe. I lay commands upon you. On your life it stands. " 
 
 " I see it, dear highness," he jerked. " Clearly I see it. But 
 how? what men? The prince's servants — yes. They had a per- 
 sonal affection. They will be true, if any." 
 
 " Oh, not them!" she cried " Take Sabra, my own man." 
 
 " Sabra! The grand-mason!" returned the chancellor aghast. 
 " If he but saw this, he would sound the tocsin — we should all be 
 butchered." 
 
 She measured the depth of her abasement steadily. " Take 
 whom you must," she said, " and bring the litter here." 
 
 Once she was alone, she ran to the baron, and with a sickening
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 117 
 
 heart sought to allay the flux of blood. The touch of the skin of 
 that great charlatan revolted her to the toes; the wound in her ig- 
 norant eyes looked deathly; yet she contended with her shuddering, 
 and with more skill at least than the chancellor's, stanched Ihe 
 welling injury. An eye unprejudiced with hate would have ad- 
 mired the baron in his swoon; he looked so great and shapely; it 
 was so powerful a machine that lay arrested; and his features, 
 cleared for the moment both of temper and dissimulation, were seen 
 to be so purely modeled. But it was not thus with Seraphina. 
 Her victim, as he lay outspread, twitching a a little, his big chest un- 
 bared fixed her with his ugliness; and her mind flitted for a glimpse 
 ^,0 Otto. 
 
 Rumors began to sound about the palace of feet running and of 
 voices raised; the echoes of the great arched staircase were voluble 
 of some confusion; and then the gallery jarred with a quick and 
 heavy tramp. It was the chancellor, followed by four of Otto's val- 
 ets and a litter. The servants, when they were admitted, stared at 
 ihe disheveled princess and the wounded man; speech was denied 
 them, but their thoughts were riddled with profanity. Gondre- 
 mark was bundled in; and with the curtains lowered, the four 
 bearers carried forth the litter, and the twittering chancellor fol- 
 lowed with a white face behind. 
 
 Seraphina ran to the window. Pressing her face upon the pane, 
 she could see the terrace, where the lights contested; thence, the 
 avenue of lamps that joined the palace and town; and overhead the 
 hollow night and the larger stars. Presently the small procession 
 issued from the palace, crossed the parade, and began to thread the 
 glittering alley : the swinging couch with its four porters, the much- 
 pondering chancellor behind. She walched them dwindle with 
 strange Ihougbts: her eyes flxed upon the scene, her mind still, 
 glancing right and left on the overthrow of her life and hopes. 
 There was no one left in whom she might confide; none whose hand 
 was friendly, or on whom she dared to reckon for the barest loy- 
 alty. With the fall of Gondremark, her party, her brief popular- 
 ity, had fallen. So she sat crouched upon the window-seat, her 
 brow to the cool pane; her dress, in tatters, barely shielding her; 
 her mind revolving bitter thoughts. 
 
 Meanwhile consequences were fast mounting; and in the decep- 
 tive quiet of the night, downfall and red revolt were brev^ing. The 
 litter had passed forth between the iron gates and entered on the 
 streets of the town. By what flying panic, by what thrill of air 
 communicated, who shall say? but the passing bustle in the palace
 
 118 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 had already reached and re-echoed in the region of the burghers. 
 Rumor, with her loud whisper, hissed about the town; men left 
 their homes, without knowing why; knots formed along the boule- 
 vard; under the rare lamps and the great limes the crowd grew 
 blacker. 
 
 And now through the midst of that expectant company, the un- 
 usual sight of a closed litter was observed approaching, and trotting 
 hard behind it that great dignitary, Cancellarius Greisengesang. 
 Silence looked on as it went by; and as soon as it was passed the 
 whispering seethed over like a boiling pot. The knots were sun- 
 dered; and gradualh", one following another, the whole mob began 
 to form into a procession and escort the curtained litter. Soon 
 spokesmen, a little bolder than their mates, began to ply the chan- 
 cellor with questions. Never had he more need of that great art of 
 falsehood, by whose exercise he had so richly lived. And yet now 
 he stumbled, the master passion, fear, betraying him. He was 
 pressed; he became incoherent; and then from the jolting litter 
 came a groan. In the instant hubbub and the gathering of the 
 crowd as to a natural signal, the clear-eyed, quavering chancellor 
 heard the catch of the clock before it strikes the hour of doom; and 
 for ten seconds he forgot himself. This shall atone for many sins. 
 He plucked a bearer by the sleeve. ' ' Bid the princess flee. All is 
 lost, ' ' he whispered. And the next moment he was babbling for his 
 life among the multitude. 
 
 Five minutes later, the wild-eyed servant burst into the armory. 
 " All is lost!" he cried. " The chancellor bids you flee." And at 
 the same time, looking through the Avindow, Seraphina saw the 
 black rush of the populace begin to invade the lamplit avenue. 
 
 " Thank you, Georg," she said. " I thank you. Go." And as 
 the man still lingered, " I bid you go," she added. " Save yourself. " 
 
 Down bj^ the private passage, and just some two hours later, 
 Amalia Seraphina, the last princess, followed Otto Johann Friedrich, 
 the last Prince of Griinewald.
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 119 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 FORTUNATE MISFORTUNE. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PBmCESS CINDERELLA. 
 
 The porter, drawn by the growing turmoil, had vanished from 
 the postern, and the door stood open on the darkness of the night. 
 As Seraphina fled up the terraces, the cries and loud footing of 
 the mob drew nearer the doomed palace; the rush was like the 
 rush of cavalry; the sound of shattering lamps tingled above the 
 rest; and overtowering all, she heard her own name bandied 
 among the shouters. A bugle sounded at the door of the guard 
 room; one gun was fired; and then with the yell of hundreds, Mitt- 
 walden Palace was carried at a rush. 
 
 Sped by these dire sounds and voices, the princess scaled the long 
 garden, skimming like a bird the starlit stairways; crossed the park, 
 which was in that place narrow, and plunged upon the further side 
 into the rude shelter of the forest. So, at a bound, she left the 
 discretion and the cheerful lamps of palace evenings; ceased ut- 
 terly to be a sovereign lady; and falling from the whole height of 
 civilization, ran forth into the woods, a ragged Cinderella. 
 
 She went direct before her through an open tract of the forest, 
 full of brush and birches, and where the starlight guided her; and 
 beyond that again, must thread the columned blackness of a pine 
 grove, joining overhead the thatch of its long branches. At that 
 hour, the place was breathless; a horror of night like a presence 
 occupied that dungeon of the wood; and she went groping, knock- 
 ing against the boles — her ear, between whiles, strained to aching 
 and yet unrewarded. 
 
 But the slope of the ground was upward and encouraged her; 
 and presentlj'^ she issued on a rocky hill that stood forth above the 
 fine of forest. All around were other hill-tops, big and little; sable 
 vales of forest between; overhead the open heaven and the brill- 
 iancy of countless stars; and along all the western sky the dim 
 forms of mountains. The glory of the great night laid hold upon 
 her; her eyes shone with stars; she dipped her sight into the cool-
 
 120 PEINCE OTTO. 
 
 ness and brightness of the sky, as she might have dipped her wrist 
 into a spring; and her heart, at that ethereal shock, began to move 
 more soberly. The sun that sails overhead, plowing into gold the 
 fields of daylight azure and uttering the signal to man's myriads, 
 has no word apart for man the individual; and the moon, like a 
 violin, only praises and laments our private destiny. The stars 
 alone, cheerful whisiDerers, confer quietly with each of us like 
 friends; they give ear to our sorrows smilingly, like wise old men, 
 rich in tolerance and counsel; and by their double scale, so small to 
 the eye, so vast to the imagination, they keeij before the mind the 
 double character of man's nature and fate. 
 
 There sat the princess, beautifully looking upon beauty, in coun- 
 cil with these glad advisers. Bright like pictures, clear like a 
 voice in the porches of her ear, memory re-enacted the tumult of 
 the evening: the countess and the dancing fan; the big baron on his 
 knees; the blood on the polished floor; the knocking; the swing of 
 the litter down the avenue of lamps; the messenger; the cries of the 
 charging mob; and yet all were far awaj^ and phantasmal, and she 
 was still healingly conscious of the peace and glory of the night. 
 She looked toward Mittwalden; and above the hill-top which al- 
 ready hid it from her view, a throbbing redness hinted of fire. Bet- 
 ter so: better so, that she should fall with tragic greatness, lit by 
 a blazing palace! Of pity for Gondremark, of concern for Grilne- 
 wald, not a trace was found in her: that period of her life was 
 closed forever, a wrench of wounded vanity alone surviving. She 
 had but one clear idea: to flee; and another, obscure and half re- 
 jected, although still obej'^ed : to flee in the direction of the Felsen- 
 burg. Not her heart, for that is conscious, but her whole dumb 
 nature warmed and j'earued for Otto. She had a duty to perform, 
 she must free him: so her mind said, very coldly; but by the heat 
 that mounted in her bosom and the tears that pricked her ej-eballs, 
 she ran to him as to a friend and protector. 
 
 She rose, with a start of recollection, and plunged down the slope 
 into the covert. The woods received her. Once more, she wan- 
 dered and hasted in a blot, uncheered, unpiloted. Here and there, 
 indeed, through rents in the wood-roof, a glimmer attracted her; 
 here and there, a tree stood out among its neighbors by some force 
 of outline; here and there, a brushing among the leaves, a notable 
 blackness, a dim shine, relieved, only to exaggerate, the solid op- 
 pression of the night and silence. And between whiles, the unfeat- 
 ured darkness would redouble and the whole ear of night appear 
 to be gloating on her steps. Kow she would stand still, and the
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 131 
 
 silence would grow and grow, till it weighed upon her breathing; 
 and then she would address herself again to run, stumbling, fall- 
 ing, and still hurrying the more. And presently the whole wood 
 rocked and began to run along with her. The noise of her own 
 mad passage through the silence spread and echoed and filled the 
 night with terror. Panic hunted her : panic from the trees reached 
 forth with clutching branches; the darkness was lit up and peopled 
 with strange forms and faces. She strangled and fled before her 
 fears. And yet in the last fortress, reason, blown upon by these 
 gusts of terror, still shone with a troubled light. She linew, yet 
 could not act upon her knowledge; she knew that she must stop, 
 and yet she still ran. 
 
 She was already near madness when she broke suddenly into a 
 narrow clearing. At the same time, the din grew louder, and she 
 became conscious of vague forms and fields of whiteness. And 
 with that the earth gave way; she fell and found her feet again 
 with an incredible shock to her senses, and her mind was swallowed 
 up. 
 
 When she came again to herself, she was standing to the mid-leg 
 in an icy eddy of a brook, and leaning with one hand on the rock 
 from which it poured. The spray had wet her hair. She saw the 
 white cascade, the stars wavering in the shaken pool, foam flitting, 
 and high overhead the tall pines on either hand serenely drinking 
 starshine; and in the sudden quiet of her spirit, she heard with joy 
 the firm plunge of the cataract in the pool. She scrambled forth 
 dripping. In the face of her proved weakness, to adventure again 
 upon the horror of blackness in the grove, were a suicide of life or 
 reason. But here, in the alley of the brook, with the kind stars 
 above her, and the moon presently swimming into sight, she could 
 await the coming of day without alarm. 
 
 This lane of pine-trees ran very rapidly down hill and wound 
 among the woods; bul it was a wider thoroughfare than the brook 
 needed, and here and there were little dimpling lawns and coves of 
 the forest, where the starshine slumbered. Such a lawn she paced, 
 taking patience bravely; and now she looked up the hill and saw 
 the brook coming down to her in a series of cascades; and now ap- 
 proached the margin, where it welled among the rushes silently; 
 and now gazed at the great company of heaven with an enduring 
 wonder. The early evening had fallen chill, but the night was now 
 temperate; out of the recesses of the wood there came mild airs aa 
 from a deep and peaceful respiration; and the dew was heavy on 
 the grass and the tight-shut daisies. This was the girl's first nighJ
 
 122 PEIl^CE OTTO. 
 
 u)ider the naked Leaven : and now that her fears were overpast 
 she was touched to the soul by its serene amenity and peace. Kindly 
 the host of heaven blinked down upon that wandering princess, 
 and the honest brook had no words but to encourage her. 
 
 At last she began to be aware of a wonderful revolution compared 
 to which the fire of Mittwalden Palace was but the crack and flash 
 of a percussion-cap. The countenance with which the pines re- 
 garded her began insensibly to change; the grass too, short as it 
 was, and the whole winding staircase of the brook's course, began 
 to wear a solemn freshness of appearance. And this slow trans- 
 figuration reached her heart, and played upon it, and transpierced 
 it with a serious thrill. She looked all about; the whole face of 
 nature looked black, brimful of meaning, finger on lip, leaking its 
 glad secret. She looked up; and lo! heaven was almost emptied of 
 the stars, and the last lingerers were fainting in the blue. " Oh," 
 she cried, joy catching at her breath, " it is the dawn!" 
 
 In a breath she passed over the brook, and looping up her skirts, 
 began to run in the dim alleys, on the carpet of the moss and tassel 
 'for the nearest rising ground. As she ran her ears were aware of 
 many pipings, more beautiful than music; in the small dish-shaped 
 houses, in the fork of giant arms, where they had lain all night, 
 lover by lover, warmly pressed, the bright-eyed, big-hearted singers 
 began to awaken for the day. Her heart melted and flowed forth to 
 them in kindness. And thej^ from their small and high perches in 
 the clerestories of the wood cathedral, peered sidelong down and 
 saw with wonder that ragged princess flitting below them on the 
 moss. 
 
 Soon she had struggled to a certain hill-top, and saw far before her 
 the silent inflooding of the day. Out of the east it welled and 
 whitened; the darkness trembled into light; and the stars were ex- 
 tinguished like the street-lamps of a human city. The whiteness 
 brightened into silver, the silver warmed into gold, the gold kindled 
 into pure and living fire. The day drew its first long breath, steady 
 and chill; and for leagues around the woods sighed and shivered. 
 And then, at one bound, the sun had floated up; and her startled 
 eyes received day's first arrow, and quailed under the bufl'et. On 
 every side the shadows leaped from their ambush and fell prone. 
 The day was come, plain and garish. Only up the steep and sol- 
 itary eastern heaven, the sun, victorious over his competitors, con- 
 tinued slowly and royally to mount. 
 
 Seraphina drooped for a little, leaning on a pine, the shrill joy of 
 the woodlands mocldng her. The shelter of the night, the thrilling
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 123 
 
 and joyous changes of the dawn, were over; and now, in the hot 
 eye of the day, she turned uneasily and looked sighingly about 
 her. Some way off, among the lower woods, a pillar of smoke was 
 mounting and melting in the gold and blue. There, surely enough, 
 were human-folk, the hearth-surrounders. Man's firgers had laid 
 the twigs; it was man's breath that had quickened ai^i encouraged 
 the baby flames; and now, as the fire cauglit, it played ruddily on 
 the face of its creator. At the thought she felt a-cold, and little, 
 and lost in that great out-of-doors. The electric shock of the 
 young sunbeams and the unhuman beauty of the woods began to 
 irk and daunt her. The covert of the house, the decent privacy of 
 rooms, the swept and regulated fire, all that denotes or beautifies 
 the home life of man, began to draw her as with cords. The pillar 
 of smoke was now risen into some stream of moving air; it began 
 to lean out sideways in a pennon; and thereupon, as though the 
 change had been a summons, Seraphina plunged once inore into 
 the labyrinth of the wood. 
 
 She left day upon the high ground. In the lower groves-, there still 
 lingered the blue early twilight and tlie seizing freshness of the dew. 
 But here and there, above this field of shadow, the head of a great 
 outspread pine was already glorious with day; and here and there, 
 through the breaches of the hills, the sunbeams made a great and 
 luminous entry. Here Seraphina hastened along forest patLs. She 
 had lost sight of the pilot smoke, which blew another way, and 
 conducted herself in that great wilderness by the direction of the 
 sun; but presently fresh signs bespoke the neighborhood of man; 
 felled trunks, white slivers from the axe, bundles of green boughs, 
 and stacks of firewood. These guided her forward, until she 
 came forth at last upon the clearing whence the smoke arose. A 
 hut stood in the clear shadow, hard by a brook which made a series 
 of inconsiderable falls; and on the threshold, the princess saw a 
 sunburned and hard-featured woodman, standing with his hands be- 
 hind his back and gazing skyward. 
 
 She went to him directly : a beautiful, bright-ej^ed and haggard 
 vision: splendidly arrayed and pitifully tattered; the diamond ear- 
 drops still glittering in her ears; and with the movement of her 
 coming, one small breast showing and hiding among the ragged 
 covert of the laces. At that ambiguous hour, and coming as she 
 did from the great silence of the forest, the man drew back from 
 the princess as from something elfin. 
 
 " I am cold," she said, and weary. Let me rest beside your fire." 
 
 The woodman was visibly commoved, but answered nothing.
 
 124 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " I will pay," she said, and then repented of the "Words, catch- 
 ing perhaps a spark of terror from his frightened eyes. But as 
 usual, her courage rekindled brighter for the check- she put him 
 from the door and entered; and he followed her in superstitious 
 wonder. 
 
 Within, the hut was rough and dark; but on the stone that 
 served as hearth, twigs and a few dry branches burned with the 
 brisk sounds and all the variable beauty of fire. The very sight of 
 it composed her; she crouched hard by on the earth floor and shiv- 
 ered in the glow, and looked upon the eating blaze with admira- 
 tion. The woodman was still staring at his guest: at the wi-eck of 
 the rich dress, the bare arms, the bedraggled laces and the gems. 
 He found no word to utter. 
 
 " Give me food," she said, " here, by the fire." 
 
 He set down a pitcher of coarse wine, bread, a piece of cheese 
 and a handful of raw onions. The bread was hard and sour, the 
 cheese like leather; even the onion, which ranks with the truffle 
 and the peach in the chief place of honor of earth's fruits, is scarce 
 a dish for princesses when raw. But she eat, if not with appetite, 
 with courage; and when she had eaten, did not disdain the pitcher. 
 In all her life before, she had not tasted of gross food nor drunk 
 after another; but a brave woman far more readily accepls a change 
 of circumstances than the bravest man. All that while, the wood- 
 man continued to observe her furtivelj^ many low thoughts of fear 
 and greed contending in his eyes. She read them- clearly, and she 
 knew she must be gone. 
 
 Presently she arose, and offered him a florin. 
 
 " Will that repay you?" she asked. 
 
 But here Ihe man found his tongue. "I must have more than 
 that," said he. 
 
 " It is all I have to give you," she returned, and passed him by 
 eerenely. 
 
 Yet her heart trembled, for she saw his hand stretched forth as if 
 to arrest her, and his unsteady ^es wandering to his ax. A beaten 
 path led westward from the clearing, and she swiftly followed it. 
 She did not glance behind her. But when a tiu-ning of the path 
 concealed her from the woodman's eyes, she slipped into the shelter 
 of the trees and ran till she deemed herself in safet3^ 
 
 By this time the strong sunshine pierced in a thousand places 
 the pine-thatch of the forest, fired the red boles, irradiated the cool 
 aisles of shadow, and burned in jewels on the grass. The gum of
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 135 
 
 these trees was dearer to the senses than the gums of Araby; each 
 pine, in the lusty morning sunlight, burned its own wood-incense; 
 and now and then a breeze would rise and toss these rooted censers, 
 and send shade and sun-gem flitting, swift as swallows, thick aa 
 bees; and wake a brushing bustle of sounds that murmured and 
 went by. 
 
 On she passed, and up and doMii, in sun and shadow; now aloft 
 on the bare ridge among the rocks and birches, with the lizards and 
 the snakes; and anon in the deep grove among sunless pillars. Now 
 she followed wandering wood-paths, in the maze of valleys; and 
 again, from a hill-top, beheld the distant mountains and the great 
 birds circling under the sky. She would see afar off a nestling 
 hamlet, and go round to avoid it. Below, she traced the course of 
 the foam of mountain torrents; but where she wandered, only ten- 
 der springs welled up in silence, or oozed in green moss; or in the 
 more favored hollows, a whole family of infant rivers would com- 
 bine, and tinkle in the stones, and lie in pools to be a bathing-place 
 for sparrows, or fall from the sheer rock in rods of crystal. Upon 
 all these things, as she still sped along in the bright air, she looked 
 with a rapture of surprise and a joyful fainting of the heart; they 
 seemed so novel, they touched so strangely home, they were so 
 hued and scented, they were so beset and canopied by the dome of 
 the blue air of heaven. 
 
 At length, when she was well weary, she came upon a wide and 
 shallow pool. Stones stood in it, like islands; bulrushes fringed 
 the coast; the floor was paved with the pine needles; and the pines 
 themselves, whose roots made promontories, looked down silently 
 on their green images. She crept to the margin and beheld herself 
 with wonder, a hollow and bright-eyed phantom, in the ruins of 
 her palace robe. The breeze now shook her image; now it would 
 be marred with flies; and at that she smiled; and from the fading 
 circles, her coimtei-part smiled back to her and looked kind. She 
 sat long in the warm sun, and pitied her bare arms that were all 
 bruised and marred with falling, and marveled to see that she was 
 dirty, and could not grow to believe that she had gone so long in 
 such a strange disorder. 
 
 Then, with a sigh, she addressed herself to make a toilet by that 
 forest mirror, washed herself pure from all the stains of her ad- 
 venture, took off her jewels and wrapped them in her handkerchief. 
 rdMlK^ljf^he tatters of her dress, and took down the folds of her 
 hair. She shook it round her face, and the pool repeated her thus 
 veiled. Her hair had smelled like violets, she remembered Otto say-
 
 126 PRmCE OTTO. 
 
 ing; and so now she tried to smell it, and then shook her head, 
 and laughed a little sadly to herself. 
 
 The laugh was returned upon her in a childish echo. She looked 
 up; and lo! two children looking on, a small girl and a yet smaller 
 boy, standing, like playthings, by the pool, below a spreading pine. 
 Seraphina was not fond of children, and now she was startled to 
 the heart. 
 
 " Who are you?" she cried, hoarsely. 
 
 The mites huddled together and drew back; and Seraphina's 
 heart reproached her that she should have frightened things so 
 quaint and little, and yet alive with senses. She thought upon the 
 birds and looked again at her two visitors: so little larger and so far 
 more innocent. On their clear faces, as in a pool, she saw the re- 
 flection of their fears. With gracious purpose, she arose. 
 
 " Come," she said, " do not be afraid of me," and took a step 
 toward them. 
 
 But alas! at the tirst movement, the two poor babes in the word 
 turned and ran helter-skelter from the pi'incess. 
 
 The most desolate pang was struck into the girl's heart. Here 
 she was, twenty-one — soon twenty-two — and not a creature loved 
 her; none but Otto; and would even he forgive? If she began 
 weeping in these woods alone, it would mean death or madness. 
 Hastily she trod the thoughts out like a burning paper; hastily 
 rolled up her locks, and with terror dogging her, and her whole 
 bosom sick with grief, resumed her journey. 
 
 Past ten in the forenoon she struck a high-road, marching in that 
 place uphill between two stately groves, a river of sunlight; and 
 here, dead weary, careless of consequences, and taking some cour- 
 age from the human and civilized neighborhood of the road, she 
 stretched herself on the green margin in the shadow of a tree. Sleep 
 closed on her, at first with a horror of fainting, but when she 
 ceased to struggle, kindly embracing her. So she was taken home 
 for a little, from all her toils and sorrows, to her father's arms. 
 And there in the meanwhile her body lay exposed by the highway- 
 side, in tattered finery; and on either hand from the woods, the birds 
 came flying by and calling upon others, and debated in their own 
 tongue this strange appearance. 
 
 The sun pursued his journey; the shadow flitted from her feet, 
 shrunk higher and higher and was upon the point of leaving her 
 altogether, when the rumble of a coach was signaled to and fro by 
 the birds. The road in that part was very steep; the rumble grew 
 near with great deliberation; and ten minutes passed before a gen-
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 127 
 
 tleman appeared, walking "with a sober elderly gait upon the grassy- 
 margin of the highway and looking pleasantly around him as he 
 walked. From time to time he paused, took out his note-book and 
 made an entry with a pencil; and any spy who had been near 
 enough, would have heard him mumbling words as though he were 
 a poet testing verses. The voice of the wheels was still faint, and it 
 was plain the traveler had far outstripped his carriage. 
 
 He had drawn verj'^ near to where the princess la}^ asleep, before 
 his eye alighted on her; but when it did he started, pocketed his 
 note-book, and approached. There was a mile-stone close to where 
 she lay; and he sat down on that and coolly studied her. She lay 
 upon one side, all curled and sunken, her brow on one bare arm, the 
 other stretched out, limp and dimpled. Her young body, like a 
 thing thrown down, had scarce a mark of life. Her breathing 
 stirred her not. The deadliest fatigue was thus confessed in every 
 language of the sleeping flesh. The traveler smiled grimiy. As 
 though he had looked upon a statue, he made a grudging inventory 
 of her charms: the figure in that touching freedom of forgetfulness 
 surprised him; the flush of slumber became her like a flower. 
 
 " Upon my word," he thought, " I did not think the gin could 
 be so pretty. And to think," he added, "that I am under obli- 
 gation not to use one word of this!" 
 
 He put forth his stick and touched her; and at that she awoke, 
 sat up with a cry, and looked upon him wildly. 
 
 ' ' I trust your highness has slept well, ' ' he said nodding. 
 
 But she only uttered sounds. 
 ^ " Compose yourself," said he, giving her certainly a brave exam- 
 ple in his own demeanor. " My chaise is close at hand; and I shall 
 have, I trust, the singular entertainment of abducting a sovereign 
 princess." 
 
 " Sir John!" she said, at last. 
 
 " At your highness's disposal," he replied. 
 
 She sprung to her feet. ' ' Oh, ' ' she cried, ' ' have you come from 
 Mittwalden?" 
 
 " This morning," he returned, " I left it; and if there is any one 
 less likely to return to it than yourself, behold him!" 
 
 " The baron — " she began, and paused. 
 
 " Madame," he answered, " it was well meant, and you are quite 
 a Judith; but after the hours that have elapsed, you will probably 
 be relieved to hear that he is fairly well. I took his news this 
 morning ere I left. Doing fairly well, they said, but suffering
 
 128 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 acutely. Hey? — acutely. They could hear his groans in the next 
 room." 
 
 " And the prince," she asked, " is anything known of him?" 
 
 "It is reported," replied Sir John, with the same pleasurable 
 deliberation, " that upon that point your highness is the best au 
 thority." 
 
 "Sir John," she said eagerly, "you were generous enough to 
 speak about j'our carriage. Will yo«, I beseech you, will you take 
 me to the Felseuburg? I have business there of an extreme im- 
 portance." 
 
 " I can refuse you nothing," replied the old gentleman, gravely 
 and seriously enough. " Whatever, madame, it is in my power to 
 do for you, that shall be done with pleasure. As soon as my chaise 
 shall overtake us, it is yours to carry you where you will. But, ' ' 
 added he, reverting to his former manner, " I observe you ask me 
 nothing of the palace." 
 
 " I do not care," she said. " I thought I saw it burning." 
 
 "Prodigious," said the baronet. "You thought? And can 
 the loss of forty toilets leave you cold? Well, madame, I admire 
 your fortitude. And the state, too? As I left, the government 
 was sitting; the new government, of which at least two members 
 must be known to you by name : Sabra, who had, I believe, the 
 benefit of being formed in your employment — a footman, am I 
 right? — and our old friend, the chancellor, in something of a subal- 
 tern position. But in these convulsions the last shall be first and 
 the first last. ' ' 
 
 "Sir John," she said, with an air of perfect honesty, " I am sure 
 you mean most kindly, but these matters have no interest for me. ' ' 
 
 The baronet was so utterly discountenanced that he hailed the 
 appearance of his chaise with welcome, and by way of saying some- 
 thing, proposed that they should walk back to meet it. So it was 
 done; and he helped her in with courtesy, mounted to her side, 
 and from various receptacles (for the chaise was most completely 
 fitted out) produced fruits and truffled liver, beautiful white bread 
 and a bottle of delicate wine. With these he served her like a 
 father, coaxing and praising her to fresh exertions; and during all 
 that time, as though silenced by the laws of hospitality, he was not 
 guilty of the shadow of a sneer. Indeed his kindness seemed so 
 genuine that Seraphina was moved to gratitude. 
 
 " Sir John," she said, " you hate me in your heart; why are you 
 so kind to me?" 
 
 " Ah, my good lady," said he, with no disclaimer of the accusa-
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 129 
 
 tion, " I have the honor to be much your husband's friend, and 
 somewhat his admirer." 
 
 " You!" she cried. " They told me you wrote cruelly of both 
 of us." 
 
 " Such was the strange path by which we grew acquainted," 
 said Sir John. "I had written, madame, with particular cruelty 
 (since that shall be the phrase) of your fair self. Your husband 
 set me at liberty, gave me a -passport, ordered a carriage, and 
 then, with the most boyish spirit, challenged me to fight. Know- 
 ing the nature of his married life I thought the dash and loyalty 
 he showed delightful. 'Do not be afraid,' says he, 'if I am 
 killed there is nobody to miss me. ' It appears you subsequently 
 thought of that yourself. But I digress. I explained to him it 
 was impossible that I could fight! ' Not if 1 strike you?' says, he. 
 Very droll; I wish I could have put it in my book. However, I 
 was conquered, took the young gentleman to my high iavor, and 
 tore up my bits of scandal on the spot. That is one of the little 
 favors, madame, that j^ou owe your husband." 
 
 Seraphina sat for some while in silence. She could bear to be 
 misjudged without a pang bj^ those whom she contemned; she had 
 none of Otto's eagerness to be approved, but went her own way 
 straight and head in air. To Sir John, however, after what he had 
 said and as her husband's friend, she was prepared to stoop. 
 
 " What do you think of me?" she asked abruptly. 
 
 " I have told you already," said Sir John: "I think you want 
 another glass of my good wine. ' ' 
 
 "Come," she said, "this is unlike you. You are not wont to 
 be afraid. You say that you admire my husband: in his name, be 
 honest." 
 
 " I admire your courage," said the baronet. " Bej'ond that, as 
 you have guessed and indeed said, our natures are not sympa- 
 theHc. " 
 
 " You spoke of scandal," pursued Seraphina. " Was the scan- 
 dal great?" 
 
 " It was considerable," said Sir John. 
 
 " And you believed it?" she demanded. 
 
 " Oh, madame," said Sir John, " the question!" 
 
 "Thank you for that answer!" cried Seraphina. "And now 
 here, I will tell you upon my honor, upon my soul, in spite of all 
 the scandal in this world, I am as true a wife as ever stood." 
 
 "We should probably not agree upon a definition," observed 
 Sir John. 
 
 &
 
 130 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 "Oh!" slie cried, "I have abominably used him — I know that; 
 it is not that I mean. But if you admire my husband, I insist that 
 you shall imderstand me: I can look him in the face without a 
 blush." 
 
 " It may be, madame," said Sir John, " nor have I presumed to 
 think the contrary." 
 
 " You will not believe me?" she cried. " You think I am a 
 guilty wife? You think he was my lover?" 
 
 " Madame," returned the baronet, " when I tore up my papers 
 I promised your good husband to concern myself no more with 
 your affairs; and I assure you for the last time that I have no de- 
 sire to judge you." 
 
 "But you will not acquit me! Ah!" she cried, " Ae will— he 
 knows me better!" 
 
 Sir John smiled. 
 
 " You smile at my distress?" asked Seraphina. 
 
 "At your woman's coolness," said Sir John. " A man would 
 scarce have had the courage of that cry, which was, for all Ihat, 
 very natural, and I make no doubt quite true. But remark, 
 madame — since you do me the honor to consult me gravely — I have 
 no pity for what you call your distresses. You have been com- 
 pletely selfish, and now reap the consequence. Had you once 
 thought of your husband instead of singly thinking of yourself, 
 you would not now have been alone, a fugitive, with blood upon 
 your hands, and hearing, from a morose old Englishman, truth 
 more bitter than scandal." 
 
 " I thank you,'- she said quivering. "This is very true. Will 
 you stop the carriage?" 
 
 " No, child," and Sir John, "not until I see you mistress of 
 yourself." 
 
 There was a long pause during which the carriage rolled by rock 
 and woodland. 
 
 "And now," she resumed, with perfect steadiness, "will you 
 consider me comix)sed? I request you, as a gentleman, to let me 
 out." 
 
 "I think you do unwisely," he replied. "Continue, if you 
 please, to use my carriage." 
 
 "Sir John," she said, "if death were sitting on that pile of 
 stones, I would alight! I do not blame, I thank you; I now know 
 how I appear to others; but sooner than draw breath beside a man 
 who can so think of me, I would— Oh!" she cried, and was silent
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 131 
 
 Sir John pulled the string, alighted, and offered her his hand; 
 but she refused the help. 
 
 The road had now issued from the valleys in which it had been 
 winding, and come to that part of its course where it runs, like a 
 cornice, along the brow of the steep northward face of Griine- 
 wald. The place where they had alighted was at a salient angle; a 
 bold rock and some wind-tortured piue-trees overhung it from 
 above; far below the blue plains laj^ forth and melted into heaven; 
 and before them the road, by a succession of bold zigzags, was 
 seen mounting to where a tower upon a tall cliff closed the view. 
 
 " There," said the baronet, pointing to the tower, " you see the 
 Felsenburg, your goal. I wish you a good journey, and regret I 
 can not be of more assistance." 
 
 He mounted to his place and gave a signal, and the carriage 
 rolled away. 
 
 Seraphina stood by the wayside, gazing before her with blind 
 eyes. Sir John she had dismissed already from her mind: she 
 hated him, that was enough; for whatever Seraphina hated or con- 
 temned fell instantly to Lilliputian smallness, and was thencefor- 
 ward steadily ignored in thought. And now she had matter for 
 concern indeed. Her interview with Otto, which she had never yet 
 forgiven him, began to appear before her in a very different light. 
 He had come to her, still thrilling under recent insult, and not yet 
 breathed from fighting her own cause; and how that knowledge 
 changed the value of his words! Yes, he must have loved her; 
 this was a brave feeling — it Avas no mere weakness of the will. And 
 she, was she incapable of love? It would appear so; and she 
 swallowed her tears, and j^earned to see Otto, to explain all, to ask 
 pity upon her knees for her transgressions, and, if all else were 
 now bej'ond the reach of reparation, to restore at least the liberty 
 of which she had deprived him. 
 
 Swiftly she sped along the highway; and as the road wound out 
 and in about the bluffs and gullies of the mountain, saw and lost 
 by glimpses the tall tower that stood before and above her, purpled 
 by the mountain air. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 TREATS OP A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE. 
 
 When Otto mounted to his rolling prison, he found another oc- 
 cupant in a corner of the front seat; but as this person hung his 
 head and the brightness of the carriage lamps shone o it ward, the
 
 133 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 prince could only see it was a man. The colonel followed his 
 prisoner and clapped to the door; and at that the four horses broke 
 immediately into a swinging trot. 
 
 " Gentlemen," said the colonel, after some little while had 
 passed, ' ' if we are to travel in silence, we might as well be at 
 home. I appear of course in an invidious character; but I am a 
 man of taste, fond of books and solidly informing talk, and un- 
 fortunately condemned for life to the guard-room. Gentlemen, 
 this is my chance; don't spoil it for me. I have here the pick of 
 the whole court, barring lovely woman; I have a great author in 
 the person of the doctor — " 
 
 "Gotthold!" cried Otto. 
 
 ' ' It appears, ' ' said the doctor bitterly, ' ' that we must go to- 
 gether. Your highness had not calculated upon that." 
 
 " What do 3"ou infer?" cried Otto, " that I had you arrested?" 
 
 " The inference is simple," said the doctor. 
 
 " Colonel Gordon," said the prince, "oblige me so far, and set 
 me right with Herr von Hohenstorkevitz. " 
 
 "Gentlemen," said the colonel, "you are both arrested on the 
 same warrant and by the authority of the Princess Seraphina, act- 
 ing regent, countersigned by Prime Minister Freiherr von Gondre- 
 mark, and dated the day before yesterday, the twelfth. I reveal to 
 you the secrets of the i^rison house," he added. 
 
 " Otto," said Gotthold, " I ask you to pardon my suspicions." 
 
 "Gotthold," said the prince, "I am not sure I can grant you 
 that." 
 
 " Your highness is, I am sure, far too magnanimous to hesitate," 
 said the colonel. " But allow me: we speak at home in my religion 
 of the means of grace; and I now propose to offer them." So 
 saying, the colonel lighted a bright lamp which he attached to one 
 side of the carriage, and from below the front seat produced a 
 goodly basket adorned with the long necks of bottles. " Tu spem 
 reducis — how does it go, doctor?" he asked, gayly. " I am in a 
 sense your host; and I am sure you are both far too considerate of 
 my embarrassing position to refuse to do me honor. Gentlemen, I 
 drink to the prince!" 
 
 " Colonel," said Otto, " we have a jovial entertainer. I drink to 
 Colonel Gordon." 
 
 Thereupon all three took their wine very pleasantly; and even as 
 they did so, the carriage with a lurch turned into the high-road and 
 began to make better speed. 
 
 AH was bright within; the wine had colored Gotthold's cheek;
 
 PKINGE OTTO. 133 
 
 dim forms of forest trees, dwindling and spinning, scarves of the 
 starry sky, now wide and now narrow, raced past tlie windows; 
 through one that was left open the air of the woods came in with a 
 nocturnal raciness; and the roll of wheels and the tune of the trot- 
 ting horses sounded merrily on the ear. Toast followed toast; glass 
 after glass was bowed across and emptied by the trio; and presently 
 there began to fall upon them a luxurious spell, under the influence 
 of which the sound of quiet, confidential laughter interrupted the 
 long intervals of meditative silence. 
 
 " Otto," said Gotthold, after one of these seasons of quiet, " I do 
 not ask you to forgive me. "Were the parts reversed, I could not 
 forgive you." 
 
 "Well," said Otto, "it is a phrase we use. I do forgive you, 
 but your words and your suspicions rankle; and not yours alone. 
 It is idle. Colonel Gordon, in view of the order you are carrying 
 out, to conceal from you the dissensions of my family; they have 
 gone so far that they are now public property. Well, gentlemen, 
 can I forgive my wife? I can, of course, and do; but in what 
 sense? I would certainly not stoop to any revenge; as certainly I 
 could not think of her but as one changed beyond my recognition." 
 "Allow me," returned the colonel. "You will pemiit me to 
 hope that I am addressing Christians? We are all conscious, I 
 trust, that Ave are miserable sinners." 
 
 " I disown the consciousness," said Gotthold. "Warmed with 
 this good fluid, I deny your thesis." 
 
 "How, sir? You never did anything wrong? and I heard you 
 askmg pardon but this moment, not of your God, sir, but of a com- 
 mon fellow-worm!" the colonel cried. 
 
 " I own you have me; you are expert in argument, Herr Oberst," 
 said the doctor. 
 
 " Begad, sir, I am proud to hear you say so," said the colonel. 
 " I was well grounded indeed at Aberdeen. And as for this matter 
 of forgiveness, it comes, sir, of loose views and (what is if anything 
 more dangerous) a regular life. A sound creed and a bad morality, 
 that's the root of wisdom. You two gentlemen are too good to be 
 forgiving. ' ' 
 
 " The paradox is somewhat forced," said Gotthold. 
 " Pardon me, colonel," said the prince; " I readily acquit you of 
 any design of offense, but your words bite like satire. Is this a 
 time, do you think, when I can wish to hear myself called good, 
 now that I am paying the penalty (and am willing like yourself to 
 think it just) of my prolonged misconduct?"
 
 13-1 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " Oh, but pardon me!" cried the colonel " You have never 
 been expelled from the divinity hall; you have never been 
 broke. I was; broke for a neglect of military duty. To tell you 
 the open truth, your highness, I was the worse of drink; it's a thing 
 I never do now, " he added, taking out his glass. "But a man, 
 you see, who has really tasted the defects of his own character as I 
 have, and has come to regard himself as a kind of blind tee-totem 
 knocking about life, begins to learn a very different view about 
 forgiveness. I will talk of not forgiving others, sir, when I have 
 made out to forgive myself, and not before; and the date is like to 
 be a long one. My father, the Reverend Alexander Gordon, was a 
 good man and damned hard upon others. I am what they call a 
 bad one, and that is just the difference. The man who can not 
 forgive any mortal thing is a green hand in life." 
 
 " And yet I have heard of you, colonel, as a duelist," said Gott- 
 hold. 
 
 " A different thing sir," replied the soldier. "Professional eti- 
 quette. And, I trust, without unchristian feeling." 
 
 Presently after the colonel fell into a deep sleep; and his com- 
 panions looked upon each other smiling. 
 
 " An odd fish," said Gotthold. 
 
 " And a strange guardian," said the prince. " Yet what he said 
 was true." 
 
 " Rightly looked upon," mused Gotthold," it is ourselves that we 
 can not forgive, when we refuse forgiveness to our friend. . Some 
 strand of our own misdoing is involved in eveiy quarrel. ' ' 
 
 " Are there not offenses that disgrace the pardoner?" asked 
 Otto. " Are there not bounds of self-respect?" 
 
 " Otto," said Gotthold, " does any man respect himself? To this 
 poor waif of a soldier of fortune, we may seem respectable gentle- 
 men; but to ourselves, what are we, unless a paste-board portico 
 and a deliquium of deadly weaknesses within?" 
 
 "I? yes," said Otto; "but you, Gotthold — you with your in- 
 terminable industry, your keen mind, your books, serving man- 
 kind, scorning pleasures and temptations! You do not know how 
 I envy you." 
 
 " Otto," said the doctor, " in one word, and a little one to say: 1 
 am a secret tippler. Yes, I drink too much. The habit has robbed 
 these very books, to which you praise my devotion, of the merits 
 that they should have had. It has spoiled my temper. When I 
 spoke to you the other day, how much of my wamith was in the 
 cause of virtue? how much was the fever of last night's wine? Ay,
 
 PEINCE OTTO. 135 
 
 as my poor fellow-sot there said, and as I vaingloriously denied, 
 wc are all miserable sinners, put here for a moment, knowing the 
 good, choosing the evil, standing naked and ashamed in the eye of 
 God." 
 
 " Is it so?" said Otto. " Why. then, what are we? Are the 
 very best — ' ' 
 
 " There is no best in man," said Gotthold. " I am not better, it 
 Is likely I am not worse, than you or that poor sleeper. I was a 
 sham, and now you know me; that is all." 
 
 "And yet it has not changed my love," returned Otto softly. 
 " Our misdeeds do not change us. Gotthold, fill your glass. Let 
 us drink to what is good in this bad business; let us drink to our 
 old affection; and when we have done so, forgive your too just 
 grounds of offense and drink with me to my wife, whom I have so 
 misused, who has so misused me, and whom I have left, I fear, I 
 greatly fear, in danger. What matters it how bad we are, if others 
 can still love us, and we can still love others?" 
 
 " Ay!" replied the doctor. " It is very well said. It is the true 
 answer to the pessimist, and the standing miracle of mankind. So 
 you still love me, and so you can forgive your wife? Why, then, 
 we may bid conscience ' down, dog, ' like an ill-trained puppy, yap- 
 ping at shadows. Ay, love is the solid." 
 The pair fell into silence, the doctor tapping on his empty glass. 
 The carriage swung forth out of the valleys on that open balcony 
 of high-road that runs along the front of Grunewald, looking down 
 on Gerolstein. Far below, a white water-fall was shining to the 
 stars from the falling skirts of forest, and beyond that, the night 
 stood naked above the plain. On the other hand, the lamplight 
 skimmed the face of the precipices, and the dwarf pine-trees 
 twinkled with all their needles, and were gone again into the wake. 
 The granite roadway thundered imder wheels and hoofs, and at 
 times, by reason of its continual winding. Otto could see the escort 
 on the other side of a ravine, riding well together in the night. 
 Presently the Felsenburg came plainly in view, some way above 
 them, on a bold projection of the mountain, and planting its bulk 
 against the starry sky. 
 
 " See, Gotthold," said the prince, " our destination." 
 Gotthold awoke as from a trance. 
 
 " I was thinking," said he, " if there is danger, why did you not 
 resist? T was told you came of your free will; but should you not 
 be there to help her?" 
 The color faded from the prince's cheeks.
 
 136 PEIKCE OTTO. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 providence von rosen. — act the last. — in which she gal- 
 
 lopB off. 
 
 When the busy countess came forth from her interview with 
 Seraphina, it is not too much to say that she was beginning to be 
 terribly afraid. She paused in the corridor and reckoned up her 
 doings with an ej^e to Gondremark. The fan was in requisition in 
 an instant; but her disquiet was beyond the reach of fanning. 
 " The girl has lost her head," she thought; and then dismally, " I 
 have gone too far. " She instantly decided on secession. Now the 
 Mbiis Sacer of the Frau von Rosen was a certain rustic villa in the 
 forest, called by her, in a smart attack of poesy, Tannen-Zauber, 
 and by everybody else plain Kleinbrunn. 
 
 Thither, upon the thought, she furiouslj'^ drove, passing Gondre- 
 mark at the entrance to the palace avenue, but feigning not to ob- 
 serve him; and as Kleinbrunn was seven good miles away and in 
 the bottom of a narrow deli, she passed the night without any 
 rumor of the outbreak reaching her, and the glow of the conflagra- 
 tion was concealed by intervening hills. Frau von Rosea did not 
 sleep well; she was seriously uaeasy as to the results of her delight- 
 ful evening, and saw herself condemned to quite a lengthy sojourn 
 in her deserts and a long defensive correspondence, ere she could 
 venture to return to Gondremark. On the other hand, she examined, 
 by way of pastime, the deeds she had received from Otto; and even 
 here saw cause for disappointment. In these troublous days she 
 had no taste for landed property, and she was convinced besides 
 that Otto had paid dearer than the farm was worth. Lastly, the 
 order for the prince's release fairly burned her meddling fingers. 
 
 All things considered, the next day beheld an elegant and beauti- 
 ful lady in a riding-habit and a flapping hat draw bridle at the gate 
 of the Felsenburg, not perhaps with any clear idea of her purpose, 
 but with her usual experimental views on life. Governor Gordon, 
 summoned to the gate, welcomed the omnipotent countess with his 
 most gallant bearing, though it was wonderful how old he looked at 
 morning. 
 
 " Ah, governor," she said, " we have surprises for you, sir," and 
 nodded at him meaningly. 
 
 "Eh, madame, leave me my prisoners, " he said; "and if you 
 will but join the band, begad, I'll be content for life." 
 
 I
 
 PRIKCE OTTO. 137 
 
 " You would spoil me, would you not?" she asked. 
 
 "I would try, I would try," returned the governor, and he 
 offered her his arm. 
 
 She took it, picked up her skirt, and drew him close to her. " I 
 have come to see the prince," she said. " Now, inlidel! on busi- 
 ness. A message from that stupid Gondremark, who keeps me 
 running like a courier. Do I look like one, Herr Gordon?" And 
 she planted her eyes on him. 
 
 " You look like an angel, ma'am," returned the governor, with 
 a great air of finished gallantry. 
 
 The countess laughed. " An angel on horseback!" she said. 
 " Quick work!" 
 
 "You came, you saw, you conquered," flourished Gordon, in 
 high good humor with his own wit and grace. ' ' We toasted j^ou, 
 madame, in the carriage, in an excellent good glass of wine; toasted 
 you fathom deep; the finest woman -^vith, begad, the finest eyes in 
 Grlinewald. I never saw the like of them but once in my own 
 country when I was a young fool at college; Thomasina Haig, her 
 name was. I give you my word of honor, she was as like you as 
 two peas." 
 
 " And so you were merry in the carriage?" asked the countess, 
 gracefully dissembling a yawn. 
 
 "We were; we had a very pleasant conversation; but we took 
 perhaps a glass more than that fine fellow of a prince has been ac- 
 customed to," said the governor; " and I observe this morning that 
 he seems a little off his mettle. We'll get him mellow again ere 
 bed-time. This is his door. " 
 
 " Well," she whispered, " let me get my breath. No, no; wait. 
 Have the door ready to open." And the countess, standing like 
 one inspired, shook out her fine voice in " Lascia ch' io pianga;" 
 and when she had reached the proper point, and lyrically uttered 
 forth her sighings after liberty, the door, at a sign, was flung wide 
 open, and she swam into the prince's sight, bright-eyed and with 
 her color somewhat freshened by the exercise of singing. It was a 
 great, dramatic entrance, and to the somewhat doleful prisoner 
 within, the sight was sunshine. 
 
 " Ah, madame," he cried, running to her — " you here!" 
 
 She looked meaningly at Gordon; and as soon as the door was 
 closed she fell on Otto's neck. " To see you here!" she moaned, 
 and clung to him. 
 
 But the prince stood somewhat stiffly in that enviable situation-, 
 and the countess instantly recovered from her outburst.
 
 138 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " Poor child, " she said, " poor child! Sit down beside me here, 
 and tell me all about it. My heart really bleeds to see you. How 
 does lime go?" 
 
 ' ' Madame, ' ' replied the prince, sitting down beside her, his gal- 
 lantry recovered, "the time will now go all too quickly till you 
 leave. But I must ask you for the news. I have most bitterly 
 condemned myself for my inertia of last night. You wisely coun- 
 seled me; it was my duty to resist. You wisely and noblj^ coun- 
 seled me; I have since thought of it with wonder. You have a 
 noble heart." 
 
 " Otto," she said, " spare me. Was it even right, I wonder? I 
 have duties, too, you poor child; and when I see you they all melt 
 — all my good resolutions fly away." 
 
 " And mine still come too late," he replied, sighing. " Oh, what 
 would I not give to have resisted? What would I not give for 
 freedom?" 
 
 " Well, what would you give?" she asked; and the red fan was 
 spread; only her eyes, as if from over battlements, brightly sur- 
 veyed him. 
 
 "I? What do you mean? Madame, jou have some news for 
 me," he cried. 
 
 " Oh, oh!" said madame, dubiously. 
 
 He was at her feet. " Do not trifle with my hopes," he pleaded. 
 " Tell me, dearest Madame von Rosen, tell me! You can not be 
 cruel, it is not in your nature. Give? I can give nothing; I have 
 nothing; I can only plead in mercy." 
 
 " Cliild," she said, " do not; it is not fair. Otto, you know my 
 weakness. Spare me. Be generous." 
 
 " Oh, madame," he said, "it is for you to be generous, to have 
 pity." He took her hand and pressed it; he plied her with caresses 
 and appeals. The countess had a most enjoyable sham siege, and 
 then relented. She .sprung to her feet, she tore her dress open, and, 
 all warm from her bosom, threw the order on the floor. 
 
 " There!" she cried. " I forced it from her. Use it, and I am 
 ruined!" And she turned away as if to veil the force of her emo- 
 tions. 
 
 Otto sprung upon the paper, read it, and cried out aloud. " Oh, 
 God bless her!" he said, "God bless her." And he kissed the 
 writing. 
 
 Von Rosen was a singularly good-natured woman, but her part was 
 now beyond her. "Ingrate!" she cried; " I wrung it from her, I 
 betrayed my trust to get it, and 'tis her you thank.'"
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 139 
 
 " Can you blame me?" said the prince. " I love her." 
 " I see that, " she said. " And I?" 
 
 " You, Madame von Rosen? You are my dearest, my kindest 
 and most generous of friends," he said, approaching her. "You 
 would be a perfect friend, if you were not so lovely. You have a 
 great sense of humor, you can not be unconscious of your charm, 
 and you amuse yourself at times by playing on my weakness; and 
 at times I can take pleasure in the comedy. But not to-day : to-da}' 
 you will be the true, the serious, the manly friend, and you will 
 suffer me to forget that you are lovely and that I am weak. Come, 
 dear countess, let me to-day repose in you entirely." 
 
 He held out his hand smiling, and she took it frankly. " I vow 
 you have bewitched me," she said; and then with a laugh, " I break 
 my staff!" she added; " and I must pay you my best compliment. 
 You made a difficult speech. You are as adroit, dear prince, as I 
 am — charming." And as she said the word with a great courtesy, 
 she justified it. 
 
 " You hardly keep the bargain, madame, when you make yourself 
 so beautiful, ' ' said the prince, bowing. 
 
 " It was my last arrow," she returned. " I am disarmed. Blank 
 cartridge, mon prince ! And now I tell you, if you choose to 
 leave this prison, you can, and I am ruined. Choose!" 
 
 "Madame von Rosen," replied Otto, "I choose, and I will go. 
 My duty points me, duty still neglected by this Featherhead. But 
 do not fear to be a loser. I propose instead that j'ou .should take me 
 with you a bear, in chains, to Baron Gondremark. I am become per- 
 fectly unscrupulous; to save my wife I will do all, all he can ask or 
 fancy. He shall be filled; were he huge as leviathan and greedy as 
 the grave, I will content him. And you, the fairy of our panto- 
 mime, shall have the credit." 
 
 " Done!" she cried. " Admirable! Prince Charming no longer — 
 Prince Sorcerer, Prince Solon! Let us go this moment. Stay," 
 she cried pausing; " I beg, dear prince, to give you back these 
 deeds; 'twas you who liked the farm, I have not seen it; and it was 
 you who wished to benefit the peasants. And, besides," she added, 
 with a comical change of tone, " I would prefer the ready money." 
 Both laughed. "Here I am, once more a farmer," said Otto, 
 accepting the papers, ' ' but overwhelmed in debt. ' ' 
 
 The countess touched a bell, and the governor once more ap- 
 peared. 
 
 " Governor," she said, " I am going to elope wtih his highness.
 
 140 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 The result of our talk has been a thorough undei'standing, and the 
 coup d'etat is over. Here is the order." 
 
 Colonel Gordon adjusted silver spectacles upon his nose. " Yes," 
 he said, " the princess: very right. But the warrant, madame, was 
 countersigned." 
 
 "By Heinrich!" said Von Rosen. "Well, and here I am to 
 represent him." 
 
 "Well, your highness," resumed the soldier of fortune, " I must 
 congratulate you upon my loss. You have been cut out by beauty, 
 and I am left lamenting. The doctor still remains to me : probus, 
 doctus,lepidus,jucnndus; a man of books." 
 
 " Ay, there is nothing about poor Gotthold," said the prince. 
 
 "The governor's consolation? Would you leave him bare?" 
 asked Von Rosen. 
 
 " And, your highness," resumed Gordon, " may I trust that, in 
 the course of this temporary obscuration, you have found me dis- 
 charge my part with suitable respect and, I may add, tact? I 
 adopted purposely a cheerfulness of manner; mirth, it appeared to 
 me, and a good glass of wine, were the fit alleviations." 
 
 " Colonel," said Otto, holding out his hand, " your society was 
 of itself enough. I do not merely thank you for your pleasant 
 spirits; I have to thank you besides for some philosophy, of which 
 I stood in need; I trust I do not see you for the last time; and in 
 the meanwhile as a memento of our strange acquaintance, let me 
 offer you these verses on which I was but now engaged. I am so 
 little of a poet, and was so ill inspired by prison bars, that they 
 have some claim to be at least a curiosity." 
 
 The colonel's countenance lighted as he took the paper; the silver 
 spectacles were hurriedly replaced. " Ha!" he said, " Alexandrines, 
 the tragic meter. I shall cheiish this, your highness, like a relic; 
 no more suitable offering, although I say it, could be made. ' Dieux 
 de I'immense plaine et des vastes for^ts.' Very good," he said, 
 " very good indeed! ' Et du geolier luimgme apprendre des lemons.' 
 Most handsome, begad!" 
 
 " Come, governor," cried the countess, " you can read his poetry 
 when we are gone. Open your grudging portals." 
 
 " I ask your pardon," said the colonel. " To a man of my char- 
 acter and tastes, these verses, this handsome reference — most 
 moving, I assure you. Can I offer you an escort?" 
 
 " No, no," replied the countess. " We go incogniti, as we ar- 
 rived. We ride together; the prince will take my servant's horse
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 141 
 
 Hurry and privacy, Herr Oberst, tluit is all we seek." And she 
 began impatiently to lead the way. 
 
 But Otto had still to bid farewell to Dr. Gotthold; and the gov 
 ernor, following with his spectacles in one hand and the paper in 
 the other, had still to communicate his treasured verses, piece bj 
 piece, as he succeeded in deciphering the manuscript, to all he came 
 across; and still his enthusiasm mounted. " I declare," he cried at 
 last, with the air of one who has at length divined a mystery, " they 
 remind me of Robbie Burns!" 
 
 But there is an end to all things; and al length Otto was walking 
 by the side of Madame von Rosen, along that mountain wall, her 
 servant following with both the horses, and all about them sim- 
 light and breeze, and flying bird, and the vast regions of the air, 
 and the capacious prospect : wildwood and climbing pinnacle, and 
 the sound and voice of mountain torrents at their hand; and far 
 below green melting into sapphire on the plains. 
 
 They walked at first in silence; for Otto's mind was full of the 
 delight of liberty and nature, and still, between whiles, he was pre- 
 paring his interview with Gondremark. But when the first rough 
 promontory of the rock was turned, and the Felsenburg concealed 
 behind its bulk, the lady paused. 
 
 " Here," she said, " I Avill dismoimt from Karl, and you and 1 
 must ply our spurs. I love a wild ride with a good companion." 
 
 As she spoke a carriage came into sight round the corner next 
 below them in the order of the road. It came heavilj' creaking, 
 and a little ahead of it, a traveler was soberly walking, note-book 
 in hand. 
 
 " It is Sir John," cried Otto, and he hailed him. 
 
 The baronet pocketed his note-book, stared through an eyeglass, 
 and then waved his stick; and he on his side, and the countess and 
 the prince on theirs, advanced with somewhat quicker steps. Thej' 
 met at the re-entrant angle, where a thin stream sprayed across a 
 bowlder and was scattered in rain among the brush; and the baronet 
 saluted the prince with much i^unctilio. To the countess, on the 
 other hand, he bowed with a kind of sneering wonder. 
 
 " Is it possible, madame, that you have not heard the news?" he 
 asked. 
 
 " What news?" she cried. 
 
 " News of the first order," returned Sir John, " a revolution in 
 the state, a republic declared, the palace burned to the ground, the 
 princess in fligh^, Gondremark wounded — " 
 
 "Heinrich wounded?' she screamed.
 
 142 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 "Wounded and suffering acutely," said Sir John. "His 
 groans — " 
 
 There fell from the lady's lips an oath so potent that, in smoother 
 hours, it would have made her hearers jump. She ran to her horse, 
 scrambled herself into the saddle, and, yet half seated, flashed at 
 full gallop down the road. The groom, after a pause of wonder, 
 followed her. The rush of her impetuous passage almost scared 
 the carriage horses over the verge of the steep hill; and still she 
 clattered further, and the crags re-echoed to her flight, and still the 
 groom flogged vainly in pursuit. At the fourth corner a woman 
 trailing slowly up leaped back with a loud cry and, by a hand's- 
 breadth, escaped death. But the countess wasted neither glance 
 nor thought upon that incident. Out and in, about the bluffs of 
 that steep mountain wall, she fled, loose-reined, and still the servant 
 toiled in her pursuit. 
 
 " A most impulsive lady," said Sir Jolm. " Who would have 
 thought she cared for hiLi?" Anil before the words were uttered 
 he was struggling in the prince's grasp. 
 
 " My wife! the princess? What of her?" 
 
 " She is down the road," he gasped. " I left her twenty minutes 
 back." 
 
 And next moment the choked author stood alone, and the prince 
 OP foot was racing down the hill behind the countess. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 BABES IN THE WOOD. 
 
 While Ihe feet of the prince continued to run swiftly, his 
 heart, which had at first by far outstripped his running, began to 
 linger and hang back. Not that he ceased to pity the misfortune 
 or to yearn for the sight of Seraphina; but the memory of her ob- 
 durate coldness awoke within him, and woke in turn his own 
 habitual diffidence of self. Had Sir .John been given time to tell 
 him all, had he even known that she was speeding to the Felsen- 
 burg, he would have gone to her with ardor. As it was, he began 
 to see himself once more intruding, profiting, perhaps, by her mis- 
 fortune, and now that she was fallen, proffering unloved caresses to 
 the wife who had spurned him in prosperity. The same spots upon 
 his vanity began to burn; once more his anger assumed the carriage 
 of a hostile generosity; he would utterly forgive indeed, he would 
 help, save and comfort his unloving wife; but all with distant self-
 
 PRIKCE OTTO. 143 
 
 denial, imposing silence on his heart, respecting Seraphina's dis- 
 aflfection as he would the innocence of a child. Thus it came about, 
 that, when at length he turned a corner and beheld that tattered 
 princess toiling up the hill, it was his first thought to reassure her 
 of the purity of his respect, and he ceased at once from ninning 
 and stood still. She, upon her part, holding out her arms, began 
 to run to him with a little cry; then, seeing him pause, she pau.sed 
 also, smitten with remorse, and at length, with the most guilty 
 timidity, walked nearlj^ up to where he stood. 
 
 " Otto," she said, " forgive m«J I have ruined all." 
 
 " Oh, my wife!" he cried, with a sob, but did not move, partly 
 withheld by his resolutions, partly struck stupid at the sight of her 
 weariness and disorder. Had she stood silent they had soon been 
 locked in an embrace. But she too had prepared herself against the 
 interview, and must spoil the golden hour with protestations. 
 
 " All," she went on, "I have ruined all. But, Otto, in kindness, 
 you must hear me — not justify, but own my faults. I have been 
 taught so cruelly; I have had such time for thought, and see the 
 world so changed. I have been blind, stone-blind; I have let all 
 true good go by me, and still lived on shadows. But when this 
 dream fell, and I had betrayed you, and thought I had killed — " 
 She paused. " I tliought I had killed Gondremark," .she said, with 
 a deep flush, " and I found myself, even as you said, alone." 
 
 The mention of the name of Gondremark pricked like a spur the 
 prince's generosity. "Well," he cried, "and whose fault was it 
 but mine? It was my duty to be still beside you, loved or not. 
 But I was a skulker in the grain, and found it easier to desert than 
 to oppose you. And I went, and left you friendless, and believed 
 myself to be love's martjT. And, dearest, love there was. But I 
 am made so loosely, I could never learn that better part of love, to 
 fight love's battles. Still I must yield, and play the woman; and 
 by fits, insult j'ou — as I own I did. But yet the love was there; 
 and now when this toj^ kingdom has come down, by my demerits 
 first, and next by your simplicity, and we are here alone together, 
 poor as Job and merely man and woman, let me conjure you to 
 forgive the weakness and tc repose entirely in the love. Mistake 
 me not!" he cried, seeing her about to speak and imposing silence 
 with uplifted hand. " Sly love is changed; is purged of anj^ con- 
 jugal pretension; it does not ask, not hope, not wish, for a return 
 in a kind. You may forget forever that part in which j'ou found 
 me so distasteful, and accept without embarrassment the affection 
 of a brother."
 
 144 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 " You are too generous, Otto," she said. " I know that I have 
 forfeited your love. I can not take this sacrifice. You had far 
 better leave me. Oh, go away, and leave me to my fate!" 
 
 "Oh, no," said Otto; " we must first of all escape out of this 
 hornet's nest, to which I led you. My honor is engaged. I said 
 but now, we were as poor as Job; and, behold not many miles from 
 here I have a house of my own to which I will conduct you. Otto 
 the prince being down, we must try what luck remains to Otto the 
 Hunter. Come^ Seraphina; show that you forgive me (I do, if I 
 have anything to forgive), and let ga set about this business of es- 
 cape in the best spirits possible. You used to say, my dear, that 
 except as a husband and a prince I was a pleasant fellow. I am 
 neither now, and you may like my company without remorse. 
 Come, then; it were idle to be captured; can you still walk?" 
 
 "Otto, I can and will do anything to give you pleasure," she 
 said, with the most unnecessary fervor of asseveration, 
 
 " Faith, then," said he, and he began to lead the way. 
 
 A little below where they stood, a good-sized runnel passed below 
 the road, which overleaped it in a single arch. On the one bank of 
 that loquacious water a footpath descended a green dell. Here it 
 was rocky and stony, and lay on the steep scaips of the ravine; here 
 it was choked with brambles; and there, in fairy haughs, it lay for 
 a few paces evenly on the green turf. Like a sponge, the hill-side 
 oozed with well water. The burn kept growing both in force and 
 volume; and still, at every ler.p, it fell with heavier plunges and 
 spun more widely in the pool. Great had been the labors of that 
 stream, and great and agreeable the changes it had wrought. It 
 had cut through dykes of stubborn rock, and now, like a blowing 
 dolphin, spouted through the orifice; along all its humble coasts, it 
 had undermined and rafted-down the goodlier timber of the forest; 
 and on these rough clearings it now set and tended primrose gar- 
 dens, and planted woods of willow, and made a favorite of the sil- 
 ver birch. Through all these friendly features the path, its human 
 acolyte, conducted our two wanderers downward. Otto before, 
 still pausing at the steeper parts to lend assistance; still, with un- 
 welcome effort, making talk; the princess following, unconsoled. 
 From time to time, when he turned to help her, her face would 
 lighten upon his — her eyes, half desperately, woo him. He saw. 
 but dared not understand. ' ' She does not love me, ' ' he told him- 
 self, with great stolidity. " This is remorse or gratitude; I were no 
 gentleman, no, nor yet a man, if I presumed upon these pitiful con- 
 cessions."
 
 tRINCE OTtO. 145 
 
 Some way down the glen, the stream, already grown to a good 
 bulk of water, was rudely dammed across, and about a third of it 
 abducted in a wooden trough. Gayly the pure water, air's first 
 cousin, fleeted along the rustic aqueduct, whose sides and floor it 
 had made green with grasses. The path, bearing it close company, 
 threaded a wilderness of brier and wild rose. And presently, a 
 little in front, the brown top of a mill and the tall mill-wheel, 
 spraying diamonds, arose in the narrows of the glen; and the snor- 
 ing music of the saws awoke the silence. 
 
 The miller, hearing steps, came forth upon the threshold, and at 
 the mutual recognition both he and Otto started. 
 
 " Good-morning, miller," said the prince. " You were rfgiit, it 
 seems, and I was wrong. I give you the news, and bid you to 
 Mittwalden. My throne has fallen — great was the fall of it! — and 
 your good friends of the Phojnix bear the rule." 
 
 The red-faced miller looked supreme astonishment. " And your 
 highness?" he gasped. 
 
 ' ' My highness is running away, ' ' replied Otto, ' ' straight for the 
 frontier. ' ' 
 
 "Leaving Grlinewald?" cried the man. "Your father's son? 
 It's not to be permitted!" 
 
 " Do j'ou arrest us, friend?" asked Otto, smiling. 
 
 " Arrest you? I?" exclaimed the man. " For what does your 
 liighness take me? Why, sir, I make sure there is not a man in 
 Grlinewald would lay hands upon you." 
 
 " Oh, many, many," said the prince; " but from you, who were 
 bold with me in my greatness, I should even look for aid in my 
 distress." 
 
 The miller became the color of beet root. " You may say so in- 
 deed," said he. "And meanwhile, you and your lady, step into 
 my house." 
 
 " We have not time for that," replied the prince; "but if you 
 would oblige us with a cup of wine without here, you will give a 
 pleasure and a service, both in one. ' ' 
 
 The miller once more colored to the nape. He hastened to bring 
 forth wine in a pitcher and three bright crystal tumblers. " Your 
 highness must not suppose," he said, " as he filled them, " that I 
 am an habitual drinker. The time when I had the misfortune to 
 encounter you, I was a trifle overtaken, I allow; but a more sober 
 man than I am in my ordinarj', I do not Ivnow where you are to 
 look for; and even this glass that I drink to you (and to the lady) is 
 quite an unusual recreation."
 
 146 PRINCE OTTO. 
 
 All drank to eacli other in good form; and then refusing further 
 hospitality, Otto and Seraphina once more proceeded to descend the 
 glen, -which now began to open and to be invaded by the taller 
 trees. 
 
 " I owed that man a reparation," said the prince; " for when we 
 met I was not merely in the wrong, but put a sore affront upon 
 him. I judge by myself, perhaps; but I begin to think that no one 
 is the better for a humiliation. ' ' 
 
 " It was like you," she said; "you are a prince in kindliness." 
 She looked at h'ui, as she said it, with a glow; and Otto winced. 
 
 " Do not say such things to me!" he cried. 
 
 " Otto," she returned, " I never spared you the bad, when I 
 thought it. Now, when I think all good, shall I begin?" 
 
 " Well, well," he said, blushing withal and with a mortal tender- 
 ness at heart. " Well, well. But let us think of safety. My 
 miller is all very good, but I do not pin my faith to him. To fol- 
 low down this stream will bring us, but after innumerable wind- 
 ings, to my house. Here, up this glade, there lies a cross-cut — the 
 world's-end for solitude — the very deer scarce visit it. Are you too 
 tired, or could you pass that way?" 
 
 " I would follow you to the moon," said Seraphina. 
 
 " No," he replied, with a singular imbecility of manner and ap- 
 pearance, " but I meant the path was rough. It lies, all the way, 
 by glade and dingle, and the dingles are both deep and thorny." 
 
 " Do you take me for so fine a lady?" said she. " I am no more 
 afraid of briers than yourself. Come, lead on! Let us forget that 
 we were ever princes; I am Eve, you Adam; you will see that I 
 can pick up my petticoats and jump a brook. Come; here is open 
 turf; let us take hands and run like children." 
 
 Indeed they had now burst across a veil of underwood, and were 
 come into a lawn among the forest, very green and innocent, and 
 solemnly surrounded by the trees. It seemed to invite glad spirits 
 to the games of childhood; and the prince and princess did as she 
 proposed. Her hand lay warm and moist and human within his; 
 his heart leaped, not with the running, but this nearness. And 
 when they had come to the far end of the glade, she dropped upon 
 the sod, made him sit by her, and still held his hand. 
 
 " Let us pretend that we have never met," she said. " You do 
 not know, and I will tell you my story. I was bewitched for 
 years in an enchanted palace, and at last my prison (which was all 
 of crockery!) fell with a crash, and I ran forth into the woods. I 
 do not think that I had breathed before; my heart had been entirely 
 
 I
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 147 
 
 dead. There was a stream and the moon shone, and then, the 
 most wonderful of all, dawn came, and I was changed into a living 
 girl. That is my tale; tell yours." 
 
 "I have not any," replied Otto, "but only this, that I was a 
 great fool, and am one still." 
 
 "Let me tell your fortune," she said, looking at his hand in 
 hers. " Here I see that you will always be generous, even to the 
 unworthy; but yet that you are proud; and you are very worthy to 
 be loved, and will be loved; and you have long been misjudged, 
 but now your friends adore you. ' ' 
 
 " Who does?" he asked. 
 
 " All of them," said she; and then suddenly, " Look round 5^ou 
 at this glade," she cried, "and where the leaves are coming on 
 young trees, and the flowers begin to blossom. This is where we 
 meet, meet for the first time; it is so much better to forget and to 
 be born again. I never saw, you never knew me, till to-day. Oh, 
 what a pit there is for sins — God's mercy, man's oblivion! And 
 then to awaken, grown man-children. No, we have never met." 
 
 " Seraphina," he said, " let it be so, indeed; let all that was be 
 merely the abuse of dreaming; let me not have seen, not sought, 
 not married, not misused you; let me begin again, a stranger. I 
 have dreamed, in a long dream, that I adored a girl, unkind and 
 beautiful; in all things my superior, but still cold like ice. And 
 again I dreamed, and thought she changed and melted, glowed and 
 turned to me. And I — who had no merit but a love, slavish and 
 unerect — lay close, and durst not move for fear of waking." 
 
 " Lie close," she said, with a deep thrill of speech. " Stir not a 
 finger, dear, or we may both awake. I, too, have dreamed my 
 nightmare. Now, as I sit here, I begin to tell myself there was a 
 prince in fairy tales, who loved a thing of ice and folly; and under 
 every trial, still loved on; loved the ingrate, the traitor, the insolent 
 — and oh! still loved, or so I tell myself; and Avhen at last God sent 
 a soul into his froward mistress, his great heart leaped up, and he 
 forgave her all." 
 
 So they spake in the spring woods; and meanwhile, in Mitt- 
 walden Rath-haus, the Republic was declared.
 
 148 PKINCE OTTO. 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL POSTSCRIPT. 
 
 TO COMPLETE THE STORV. 
 
 The reader, well informed in modern history, will not requira 
 details as to the fate of the Republic. The best account is to be 
 found in the memoirs of Herr Greisengesang (7 Bande : Leipzig) by 
 our passing acquaintance, the licentiate Roederer. Herr Rojderer, 
 with too much of an author's license, makes a great figure of his 
 hero, poses him, indeed, to be the center-piece and cloud-compeller 
 of the whole. But with due allowance for this bias, the book is able 
 and complete. 
 
 The reader is of course acquainted with the vigorous and bracing 
 pages of Sir John (2 volumes: London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, 
 Orme & Brown). Sir John, who plays but a toothcomb in the or- 
 chestra of this historical romance, blows in his own book the big 
 bassoon. His character is there drawn at large; and the sympathy 
 of Landor has countersigned the admiration of the public. One 
 point, however, calls for explanation: the chapter on Grilnewald 
 was torn by the hand of the axithor in the palace gardens; how 
 comes it, then, to figure at full length among my more modest 
 pages, the Lion of the caravan? That eminent literatus was a man 
 of method; "Juvenal by double entry," he was once profanely 
 called; and when he tore the sheets in question, it was rather, as 
 he has since explained, in the search for some dramatic evidence of 
 his sincerity, than with the 1 bought of practical deletion. At that 
 iime, indeed, he was possessed of two blotted scrolls and a fair copy 
 in double. But the chapter, as the reader knows, was honestly 
 omitted from the famous "Memoirs on the Various Courts of 
 Europe." It has been mine to give it to the public. 
 
 Bibliography still helps us with a further glimpse of our char- 
 acters. I have here before me a small volume (printed for private 
 circulation: no printer's name; n.d.), "Poesies par Frederic et 
 AmeJie. '* Mine is a presentation copy, obtained for me by Mi 
 Bain in the Haymarket; and the name of the first owner is written 
 on the fly-leaf in the hand of Prince Otto himself. The modest 
 epigraph — " La rime n'est pas riche " — may be attributed, with a 
 good show of likelihood, to the same collaborator. It is strikingly 
 appropriate, and I have found the volume very dreary. Those 
 pieces, in which I seem to trace the hand of the princess, are par-
 
 PRINCE OTTO. 149 
 
 ticularly dull and conscientious. But the booklet had a fair suc- 
 cess with that public for which it was designed; and I have come 
 across some evidences of a second venture of the same sort, now 
 unprocurable. Here, at least, we may take leave of Otto and Sera- 
 phina — what do I say? of Frederic and Amelie— aging together 
 peaceably at the court of the wife's father, jingling French rhymes 
 and correcting joint proofs. 
 
 Still following the book-lists, I perceive that Mr. Swinburne has 
 dedicated a rousing lyric and sixteen vigorous sonnets to the mem- 
 ory of Gondremark; that name appears twice at least in Victor 
 Hugo's trumpet-blasts of patriot-enumeration; and I came latterly, 
 when I supposed my task already ended, on a trace of the fallen 
 politician and his countess. It is in the " Diary of J. Hogg Cot- 
 terill, Esq." (that very interesting w^ork). Mr. Cottcrill, being at 
 Naples, is introduced (Maj^ 27th) to " a Baron and Baroness Gondre- 
 mark — he, a man wdio once made a noise — she still beautiful — both 
 witty. She complimented me much upon my French — should 
 never have known me to be English — had known my uncle, Sir 
 John, in Germany — recognized in me as a family trait some of his 
 grand air and studious courtesy — asked me to call." And again 
 (May 30th): " Visited the Baronne de Gondremark — much gratified 
 — a most refined, inieUigent woman, quite of the old school, now 
 Jielas / extinct — had read my ' Remarks on Sicily ' — it remJnds her 
 of my uncle, but with more of grace — I feared she thought there 
 was less energy — assured no — a softer style of presentation, more of 
 the literary grace, but the same firm grasp of circumstance and 
 force of thought — in short, just Buttonhole's opinion. Much en- 
 couraged. I have a real esteem for this patrician lady." The ac- 
 quaintance lasted some time; and when Mr. Cottcrill left in the 
 suite of Lord Protocol, and, as he is careful to inform us, in Admiral 
 Yardarm's flag-ship, one of his chief causes of regret is to leave 
 "that most sptrifne/le and sympathetic lady, who already regards 
 me as a younger brother." 
 
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