BEN BEACE. MARRYATT'S WORKS, STANDARD EDITION Price 2s. 6d. each, Cloth, with Fmntisj^iece. PBTBB SIMPLE. JACOB FAITHFUL. THE PHANTOM SHIP. PEBCIVAL KBBNB. THE POACHEE. THE DOG FIEND. BATTLIN THE EEEEEB. PEANK MILDMAT. THE king's OWN. NEWTON FORSTEE. JAPHET IN SEABCH OF A FATHEB. THE PACHA OP ITANT TALES. ME. MIDSHIPMAN EAST. GEORGE ROUTLEDGE AND SONS, THE BEOADWAT, LUDGATE. Ex Ijbris C. K. OGDEN BEN BEACE: THE LAST OF NELSON'S AGAMEMNONS. BY CAPTAIN CHAMIER. ^ j^c&j CElittiott. LONDON: GEORGE ROUTLEDGE & SONS, THE BROADWAY, LUDGATE ; NEW YORK: 416, BROOME STREET. 1867. :i5 4- LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA BEN BRACE, THE LAST OF NELSON'S AGAMEMNONS. CHAPTER L A sailor's life 's the life for me, He takes his duty merrily ; If winds can whistle he can sing, Still faithful to his friend and king. UlBDIV. i WAS born at Cawsancl Bay, July 5th, 17o8. My father was a fisherman ; and a pair better suited to each other, than he and his wife, never was known. Father was short, stout, and saucy : mother was all milk and modesty. It was many a year before she mustered up courage enough to crimp a skate ; and she never boiled a lobster in her life without dropping a tear when the poor creature cried like a child : — and well it might cry ; it 's no joke to be shoved into a boiling bath, and to be changed from a sea monster into a soldier. She Avas all tenderness, dear soul ! and if she had been more of a woman and less of a mother, I should now have been a follower of my father's trade, and have netted a nice property. I deserted ; and this is how it happened. Because I was a curly-pated boy and reckoned as much like my mo- ther as one rope-yarn is to another, she never would allow me to go out with my father ; although I would stand by the hour gazing on the sea as it rolled into Plymouth Sound, and the higher it rolled, the louder it blew, the more murky the day looked, the more I sighed to face the 2 BEN BRACE. dangers, and the more earnestly begged my father to take me with him. My father was rather under that most enviable of control, a wife's government, and that Avas one reason why I was a discharged petitioner ; but the strong- est reason which operated on his mind, was the unusual roughness of the Avinter, and the consequent increased danger of the fisherman. '' No, no, boy," he would say, making his voice as tender as his rough life would permit, — •' no, no ; when you get a piece more spliced on to your brace, then you may try ; — next summer, lad, you shall come with me. There, that 's a good boy, don't cry, but run home to mother, and make yourself useful. Next year, Ben, an(i you '11 be a man." Next year never came, at least for me to claim the pro- mise ; for one night I left Cawsand, my father, mother, and sister — -(she was a little beauty just toddling about, and just wise enough to know a Newfoundland dog from her curly-pated brother) — and got a ferry across from Edgecombe to IMutton Cove, and what by the kindness of a waggoner and the use of my own legs, I managed to get to Portsmouth. Here I was received on board the Raisonnable, about a fortnight before my future officer. Nelson, had joined the ship. I am now, as may be seen, a Greenwich pensioner ; I Avear my cocked-hat athwart- ships, like Napoleon ; am the joUiest dog in the establish- ment, and the last surviving seaman of the old Agamem- nons. I had all the shot-holes on the right side, which consequently gives me a slight heel to port ; and when aiy larboard bow " look-out " gets a little dim with draining a glass or two to the memory of him who will be remem- bered whilst the country exists, Avhy I not unfrequently make a wrong cast ; but being knoAvn as the last of the Agamemnons, every waterman in the place has in turns been my guide and supporter. Is it odd, then, that my reputation should increase with my years, and as time be- comes daily more distant from October, 1S05, that the young and the ambitious should become eager to hear of the exploits of our greatest naval hero from the mouth of one who participated in almost every action, and was an BEN BKACE ;> eye-witness of the moments of his retirement, — who was his coxswain when afloat, and his servant when on shore ? I am that man ! I am Ben Brace, Nelson's coxswain and his vdlet, I was by him when he was a fore- top man, and I held his head when he was wounded at the Nile. I had a mess-mate, who is keeping his dead reckoning now, — he has been stowed away by the Quarter-master of the Graves : he and all the rest of them look like ham- mocks in a netting. Tom Toprail and I have seen many a strange sight. He had been burnt out of one ship, and blown out of another. One night, when we were sitting under the lee of the weather bulwark on the forecastle, I said to him, '' Tom, let the old Agamemnon roU about in this Gulf of Lyons, as they call it, until she rolls the sea smooth ; here we are, safe and snug : and now tell me about that fire and your brother, which some one said was the reason you never lit a pipe if a rope-yarn was near. Come, shave this glass with me, and begin." " This is all about it," he replied, " and no man knows it better; it is not half a century that can daub out the lines of my memory, and I remember it just as well as if is happened yesterday." " No doubt you do, Tom," said I; " I remember longer ago than that. But blaze away, ray boy." " Well, then," continued Tom, " since you can't stopper your impatience, I suppose I must go smack at it. It was in the year ] 779 that I belonged to the Glasgow, of twenty guns, when she was stationed in the West Indies. 1 was then seventeen years old j and though I say it myself, Avho perhaps ought not to say it, yet I was as good a looking feUow as ever weathered the Palisades * at Jamaica, or sucked a monkey + at Barbadoes. My brother Bill was on board with me; he was a year younger than myself — but such a fellow ! Lord love you, his heart was all for me ; lie was a brother and a friend : — I could spin you such a yarn about him ! "W'ell, brother Bill was stationed in the fore-top, and so was I ; he was in the starboard- watch, ♦ The Palisades is the burying-ground of Port Royal. t Drinking ruin out of a cocoa-nut, the milk being drawn off and the tpiris. ubstituted. B 2 4" BKX BRACK. I in the larboard; we were both light hands, and therefore regular cloud-brushers, always the highest up, always at the light sails aloft. We had been cruising off St. Do- mingo, wheUj finding that we had no luck there, we steered away for Jamaica^ and came to an anchor in Montego Bay." " Stopper over all for a moment,"' said I : " did n't you find the Badger there .'' " " Ay, surely." " I know all about it," 1 said, as 1 twisted the end of the main-top gallant brace round my wrist to save me from a lurch. " Why, Nelson commanded the Badger and I was in the jolly-boat when " " Avaust there, Ben ! " said Tom ; " it will all come out now. Well, we came into Montego Bay, as I said before ; and there we found the Badger at anchor. We shortened sail, man-of-war fashion, altogether, for the cat had taught some of us to skip. Bill and I were on the foretop-gallant yard furling the sail, when the first lieu- tenant called out to one of the midshipmen, to run below and see what smoke that was coming up the after-liatch- way. Well, I had done my duty aloft, and had come down on the forecastle, when there was the devil's own rumpus about beating to quarters, calling the firemen with their buckets ; and before we had time to say Jack Robinson, the flames followed the smoke, and the ship was on fire. The purser's steward had done the thing. It came up the main hatchway in one line of light, flying up aloft, catching every rope, and in a mconent the whole ship from hull to trucks was in a blaze. There was the devil to pay, and, for once_, plenty of pitch hot, as you may sup- pose. The men abaft, frightened by the sudden blaze, endeavoured lo lower the quarter-boats ; but, before they could do this, the deck became so hot that they took the shortest way of leaving the ship, by jumping overboard. I was all ' no how;' I did not know what to do. The panic had spread for'ard, and those who preferred a dry b<;rth to a swim crowded on the forecastle, and got ready to lower themselves into the boats of the Badger, which put off im- mediately the accident was perceived. Nelson himself ^vas in one, as :ool as if we )iad no sun or fire to warm BEN BKACE. 5 him : he picked up those who had thrown tneinsehes over- board." " I see it all now !" said I ; " I remember it as well a.5 yesterday's grub: bear a hand and come to the clinc'.i, Tom. We picked up the floaters, and the sharks got nu dinner. Go on, Tom : why, you 're as long as a seventy- four in stays." " Well," continued Tom, '■ it was sove Id poo, as the Crapauds say, and each man endeavoured to save some of his traps as well as himself. I made a dive below in hopes of getting near the mess-chest ; but the smoke was so thick, that I came up crying as if the cooper had knocked off my eyelids. I was just in time to avoid being roasted ; for now the fire had rushed for'ard, and the flames run up both sides of the fore-rigging, and there was a general jump overboard ; it was like so many rockets going up together, and the whole for'ard was in a blaze, whilst the melted pitch came dropping down like a shower of boiling rain. I had got upon the starboard cat-head, making ready to part company with the ship, when I heard a scream aloft, and I saw my brother on the topmost cross- trees, standing against the mast, and clinging close to it to avoid the fire ; — he had lost his mind, and I was to frightened 1 could not assist him. Several in the boats " " I was one," I interrupted, " who called out to him not to mind a singe, but come down by the topmast-stay." " And so did I," continued Tom. " I saw the poor boy, my own brother, his mother's favourite, clinging like a cat to the masts to avoid the flames. I made a rush at the fore-rigging, but the boiling pitch prevented my run- ning up; every moment made it worse; nothing could save him. unless God's mercy should prompt him to run out to the top-gallant yard-arm and jump overboard. ' Here, here !' said 1, spreading out my arms, — "'here. Bill, jump down and 1 '11 catch you, — scud out to the yard-arm and jump over-board.' The fire had already caught his clothes; he had no jacket on — I see him now," said my old friend, — "I see him, with his long hair blown about by the breeze, bis face pale with fear, the fire just burning his () BEN BRACE. trowsers, — I see him now endeavouring with liis hands to stop the mounting of the flames ; and, oh, God ! I see him at tliis moment winding up his courage to the last pitch, looking down upon me ; and, as I live here, I saw a tear fall from his eye. I could not speak, I could not move ; I did not feel the hot boiling tar which showered down upon me ; I did not feel the heat which was almost melting me. I stood with my arms extended to catch him. ' Jump, Bill," said I ; ' the water is soft enough, never mind the height ; you will be up again before the sharks know you are down.' And he did jump — ay, he jumped, by heavens! like a man — he was down in a second. I tried to catch him, my hands stretched to their utmost : — T grazed his trowsers, and saw his brains shat- tered to atoms against the shank of the best bower-anchor. He fell overboard, and I was after him before he touched the water : he went to the bottom like a stone, and I was taken up by one of the boats, swimming in the water coloured by my brother's blood." Here Tom stopped. The rough storms of life had not turned the natural current of affection ; and as I, with the sleeve of my coat, endeavoured to make objects more dis- tinct, the whistle of the wind, as it howled through the rigging as the old ship surged to windward, was the only noise that broke the dead silence. " Starboard cat-head!" Faid the look-out man, as it struck five bells of the middle watch, and Tom jumped up to keep a sharp look-out to v^'indward. '' Stop," said I, " for a moment : it 's no use now, Tom, a-thinking of that which happened years ago , Bill is in heaven long before this. But only to think that you should have been a messmate of mine in this good old ship so long, and I never know that yon were the man just sinking in that blood, when I managed to hook you on and haiil you into the jolly-boat. Ay, you would all have been blown to a thousand smithereens, if it had not been for Nelson ; who, at the commencement, made some of your hands ' throw the powder overboard, and point the g\ms upward.'* I remember it all: come- Tom. cheer up, and take a little of this stuff." * Southey. BKN BRACK. 7 " Give us your hand first/' said Tom. " and let me look at tlie man who saved my hfe. I always liked you ; and when you shall he mowed down hy death, as the parson says, I '11 drop a tear over the grave of Brace of the Agamemnon." '' Much obliged to you, Tom, with all my heart," I re plied ; " but I hope 1 may have to do as much for you. There is many a day for each of us to see before we start our anchors for Gravesend ; and so, my best wishes for your eyesight, Tom, and a good relief Avhen your time is up. — Die ! " said I to myself ; " bnt I 'm blessed if I do just yet, if I can help it ; and as for life, I should like it to be as long as the old black fellows at Jamaica,, who drew his pension from his master's will more than one hundred years, and was called Old Glory at fifty when his master died." It is not every man who has luck in this life, or I should be first lord of the Admiralty. But I have no reason to complain ; for when I left my home and got to Ports- mouth, resolved to sail upon the seas, J shipped on board the Raisonnable, Captain Suckling, on the 20th of Septem- ber, 1770, being then twelve years and two months old; and from that day to this I never regretted being a fore- mast man, or was ever ashamed of my calling. Young Nelson was in this ship ; it was his first trip, and it was not a long one — we never started our anchors : the squa- dron of which the Raisonnable formed a part had, in conse- quence of some disputes between ^England and Spain about the Falkland Islands, been fitted out, — but, as the proverb " One sword drawn keeps the other in the scabbard "' was verified, the hostile preparations led to negociations, and the question was settled without fighting. The Raisonnable was with the other ships paid off; and I, w>.o had some- how taken a fancy to the sickly boy ^ — -as the greatest naval hero in the world was once called — joined him in rather a wild freak, entered on board a merchantman, and, in the capacity of fore-mast lads, we made a voyage to the A\'es' Indies, ^'e returned together, both the better as sailors for the hard work and the knowledge we had gained. A week in the fore-top will teach a willing scholar more sea- manship in regard to splicing, knotting, reefing, and furling fi KN 11 n ACE, than could be obtained by one year's conversiition or observ« ation from the quartev-deck : and I have heard Nelson say — and he knew the fore-tack from the captain's scraper — " Aft, the more honour ; forward, the better man." It was on board this merchant-ship that I became at- tached to him. He was a thin spare boy when he re- turned, for the climate had taken the colour out of his face. and the situation did not please him. He was soon sick of merchant sailing, and so was I, for I had a spice of the devil in my composition ; and when he said to me, "Let's leave this sugar-ship, and try the Navy again," I did not refuse, I promise you. He was received as a midshipman on board the Triumph, and I entered as ships boy : and there was I once more in the King's service, alongside of the lad I had made my friend; and although he was only a few months older than me, yet he was the o-fficer and I the man. This was in the year 1772. It did not suit us to re- main doing nothing but looking out of the port-holes. Nelson was no idler, and I was all for the open waters. We never were king's hard bargains, — fellows with short hair and long teeth, who stick in a guard-ship, and wonder they don't make prize-money ; not a bit of it : the Triumph was too still for us ; and no sooner did he hear that two ships were fitting out for a voyage of discovery towards the Vorth Pole, than he volunteered for a frost-bite, and was eceived on board the Carcass bomb- vessel, commanded by Captain Lutwidge, who was to sail in company with the Racehorse, under the orders of Captain the Honourable John Phipps, eldest son of Lord Mulgrave, and senior officer of the two ships. There was the devil to pay about me, for no boys were allowed to enter for that service ; Nelson himself was rated as coxswain, in order to blind the clerk of the check ; and as I was only fourteen years of age, it required my being taken as captain's servant, or I might have been fishing out of the fore-chains of the Triumph, whilst my master was blowing the snow from off his nose in latitude 79"* 56' 39", and longitude 9° 43' 30" east, where we were on the 6th of Jvdy, having sailed from the Nore on the 4th o June. We had all kinds of contrivances on board ; and IJEN UIIACK. y the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich, came on board himself to see that we were well provided with every thing. I think I see him now, as he stood by the galley, watching the salt water turned into fresh by one Dr. Ir- ving, who went out with us, and who managed, by shipping a tube to the ship's coppers, and dabbing it with a wet swab as the vapour passed, to get from thirty-four to forty gallons of fresh water every day out of the salt sea. I remember, when I told this to 'I'om, that he exclaimed " Go it, my lad ! 1 have seen islands jump up in a moment and go down the next, and know something of the Red Sea and flying fishes. Blow pie, jf ever I heard the like of that — getting fresh water out of a salt-water swab ! " '• How should you, Tom," said I, " when you have never been to the North Pole ? " " No, that 's true," replied Tom ; '" but / have been round Cape Horn." * Well, on the .'JOth July we were in lat. 80° 13', and long. 1 8*^ 48' east, among the islands and in the ice, with no ap- pearance of an opening for the ships : there we were stuck fast, with nothing to do but go into the ice-fields and fill the casks with water. I did not believe one word of fields of ice until I saw them, for I was then as green as 1 thought they ought to have been. The next day, we were regularly jammed up within two lengths of each other, separated by the ice, which was no longer smooth like fields, but forced higher than the main- yard, rising up in all manner of odd shapes, and seeming very much inclined to crush us between two mountains. We then set to work to saw through pieces of ice twelve feet thick, in order to get the ships to the westward. This was cold work ; and although we laboured hard, we never moved them more than three hundred yards, and we drifted, ice and all, just as much to the eastward. The season was now far advanced ; and Nelson, young as he was, was placed in commar.d of a boat, and I pulled the bow-oar of it. We went to look for a passage to the westward, and got into an action, the like of which was * The reader is perhaps not aware that this last expression is used by seameu who have the privilege ol" tolling wonderjui stories. — Knir. 10 BEN BRACE. never seen or heard. Whilst we were in a small pool of water, some officers in a boat belonging to the Racehorse wounded a walrus. AVell, what docs the animal do, but dives down and brings up a whole r'egiment of them, and they all began to attack the baot. One of the Avalruses twisted an oar out of one of the men's hands, and they then made a rush to upset the boat. At this moment we came up, and the animals, finding the reinforcement likely to overpower them, made a retreat by diving imder the ice. Ay, it makes me freeze when I think of it, how nearly w were losing young Nelson by his being eaten by a bear. It was a week after the walrus affair, when, during the night. Nelson called me, and said be was going after a bear ; so we armed ourselves with ship's muskets, and away we went. It became very foggy, we were out of sight of the ship, and shortly afterwards could not see one an- other : I stopped to load my musket, and when it was done I could not see my companion. About four in the morn- ing, the w-eather cleared, and I saw Nelson close aboard of a large bear. They twigged us from the ship, and up went a flag. I told him of it : he did not care a straw, but took aim at the bear. His gun missed fire, and mine would not go ofF; so there we were, close to the beast, only separated by a rent in the ice. " There's the signal," said I. " Never mind," said he ; "only let me get a blow at this devil with the butt-end of my musket, and we shall have him." He was saved the trouble, however, for Captain Lut- widge fired a shot at us, which startled the bear, and made us heave about and return to the ship. Well, after that, we found the ships hard and fast in the ice, and no chance of moving them an inch. We tried the boats, and we found the Avater clear to the westward ; so the commodore kept sail upon both ships, and, by degrees, we got clear ol the standing harbour ; — but to be sure we paid for it. I remember one of the men taking up his own foot, which had fallen off from a frost-bite, and asking the surgeon what animal it belonged to ; and another chap, who put his hand upon one of the guns, ran round and round the deck, caUing out that it was red-hot and had burnt fcim. Jii:S BRACK. 11 1 have been in hot and cold climates : one is always wet and dry in one, and that is not so uncomfortable either ; whilst in the other^ you are blowing fingers from morning to night, and require as many wrappers as a mummy, to keep soul and body together. Some people say a cold climate is the best, because you may get warm, whilst in a hot one you can't get cool. These men never felt the first of tlie land-breeze in the latter case, or sailed with Captain Phipps in the North Seas for the former. Let Jack Frost only take hold of either the nose or the hand, and you may rub until doomsday, and then, I fancy, you will not be very warm. How can a man be comfort- able in a country where no insect can live, and where the heavens are frozen as well as the sea — where thunder is never heard, nor lightning seen ? — at least I know it was so in 81° north. We got clear of it at last, — I mean the ice ; and right glad I was when v/e left the ship, and our recollections began to thaw : mine s been right ever since. We left the Carcass — I never liked her on account of the name — and joined the Sea-horse, Captain Farmer. CHAPTER II. ".\ brush with Mounseer i-s better any day than a brush with Yellow Jack." — Old Sai/ing. It is not every man who mounts a ladder without a slip backwards, and this was the case with Nelson. He had been an officer, now he came back to the seaman ; for we were foretopmen together ; he was in the starboard, and I in the other watch, so we always kneNV what was going on. To get the chill out of us, we went out to India : Sir Ed- ward Hughes commanded the squadron, It was owing to old Soundings, the master, afterwards Captain Surricige, a regular good sailor, who kept his hawk's eye upon aU 12 REX BRACE. skulkers, and who knew a good man from the way he held his head, that young Nelson was rated a midshipman. He was then a stout florid-looking young man, but he soon melted away in India ; and when we had been out about eighteen months, he fell sick, and was very near slipping his wind, for he could not move hand or foot, and was just like a skeleton in sheets. I often got to talk to him, and I took it so much to heart, that I fell sick myself. They thought it all up with us, and the purser offered to write home to my mother, and took her direction ; but, thank God ! we were both brought home safe and sound, by Captain Pigot in the Dolphin. In that ship we had plenty of the right sort, and amongst them was Sir Charles Pole, and that gallant fellow Sir Thomas Trowbridge : they were all midshipmen together, and all full of life and hope but Nelson and myself. I got well ; but when I saw my old shipmate and companion drooping, I never thought to see him in command of the Victory. He used to despond very much ; he thought he had neither strength nor health to follow the sea, and was melancholy and down-hearted. The Dolphin was paid off, and he was appointed acting lieutenant in the Worcester sixty-four, then commanded by Captain Mark Robinson, that gallant officer who saw and shared in the actions of Sir Peter Warren and Lord Hawke. When Captain Robinson commanded the Falcon at the attack on Guadaloupe, his ship sunk under him ; «nd afterwards, in 1778, he led the British fleet, when he commanded the Shrewsbury, five times into action. He lost his leg on the 5th September, 1781, in Admiral Graves's affair off the Chesapeake, and died. Lord bless him! a superannuated rear-admiral in 1798. It's odd how a man breaks off a yarn when a hero comes athwart him, and we sailors never go straight an end with our his- tories. I got into the Worcester, for Nelson gave me a cha- racter as an active seaman, and one who did not care any more for heat and cold than a toad. We did not do much in that ship, because no opportunity offered ; but when we BKN BRACK. 13 came back. Nelson passed his examination, and tho next day they made him second lientcnant of the Lowestoffe frigate, commanded by Captain William Locker ; and away he went, and I on board, and always a foretopman, to the West Indies again. — I '11 just tell you a short yarn about Nelson, to show you what a spirited fellow he was even in those days. ^Ve had a nice chase after an American letter of marque ; it was blowing so hard that one of the main- topraen, who was going up the lee rigging, was blown straight out like a pennant, and, if he had not held on with his eyelids, he would have been carried away Hke a feather. The sea was rolling mountains high, and we never met one lower than Greenwich-hill. " Take the cutter," says the captain to the first lieute- nant, " and board that vessel." '^ Ay, ay, sir," he answered, and dived below like a widgeon to fish up his dirk ; he was a long time finding it, however; when who should come on deck but the captain, who had been below with the master with the charts ; he saw the boat along-side, very likely to be staved to atoms. ' Hulloa ! " said he. I was in the boat keeping her oiF with the stretchers, and shoving her clear off the lee main- yard arm, which was rolling in the water. The captain looks squally-like, as he says, " Have 1 got no officer on board my ship who can take possession of the prize ? " " Yes, sir," said the master, " I 'm the man who will do it." " I beg your pardon," says Lieutenant Nelson, " it "s my turn first ; and if I come back without securing her, why then it's your turn." We had a tough job of it ; and onf> sea, for the vessel was water-logged, nearly washed us right over as high as the main-top. When I told this yarn to Tom — for we were alway> a-spinning them one to the other — says Tom, " What year was that in ? " — " Why, in 1779," said I. " Ah !" said he, " I went higher in the air than you that year and lower in the water." And this is the way he told his stor) . " I '11 just take the liberty," he began, " of telling you 14 BEN BKACE. about one Captain Farmer. I 'm not the man to let such a gallant fellow as that be neglected ; for though we may no%v have more finished officers on board our .ships, yet we can't have braver, more loyal, or more excellent seamen than we had fifty years back. You may make the uniform more tidy, and you may make them know more about stars, and the sun and the moon ; but you cannot place better hearts in their bodies than our old ones had, dress them how you will. This I 'm quite certain of, that ever since the seamen docked their tails, and invited one mess to drink tea with the other, your old Jack is gone to the devil ; and all I hope is, that the hyson mundungo ships' companies will do as well as we did. " It was on the 6th of October, 1 77.9, when Captain Farmer commanded the Quebec, of thirty-two guns, that we saw a large ship to leeward, we being off Ushant. We bore up, and as she was within two gun-shots when we first observed her at daylight, we were soon, in spite of her endeavour to escape, alongside of her, and commenced action with the Surveillante, of forty-guns. At ten o'clock A. M. we poured in our first broadside ; it went rat- tling into her in great style, and we made sure of our prize ; but she gave us a smart return, and there were plenty of petitioners for Greenwich. WeW, it was give and take, like two good ones, for three hours and a half, during winch time our brave captain was severely wounded. Away went the Frenchman's foremast, and we gave three good cheers ; but before we could finish the huzzas, our mizen-mast had fallen, and the main-mast was badly wounded. ' Don't make game of the foolish,' said Bill Jones, ' you might be struck comical yourself; ' and sure enough away went the main-mast over the side, and the topsail and course was right in the way of our firing. Be- fore one o'clock the Frenchman had not a stick standing, and we were just in the same state. Our enemy's guns were heavier than ours, and he had more of them, and more men to work them. " We did not have all this fun to ourselves ; for the Rambler, a littla cutter, commanded by one Lieutenant George, was touching up a French cutter to l(i'3ward ot us, BKiV J(II.\(;E. 15 and their little popguns came in between our great guns and musketry. ' Huzzas my boys !' said Captain Farmer, ' now at it again ; never say die while there 's a shot in the locker.' Well, we were doing it properly, when all of a sudden the sails caught fire from our firing through them, and we were soon in a blaze. I thought I was born to be burnt alive, for I never could steer clear of a fire : other ships have sailed round the world and not been burnt, or fought all through the Nile without catching fire ; but every blessed siiip / get into, somehow or other, pays a compli- ment to old Nick and lights up a blaze. — Tbe firemen were all alive with their buckets ; and I, who had seen quite enough of ship-burning in Montego Bay, in the beginning of the year, did not go to sleep on this occasion. " But it was no use ; we lost ground, and the French- man did not leave us alone during this misfortune. She was dismasted like ourselves ; and she could make but lit- tle of the advantage of not being on fire, for she rolled about heavily, so that most of her shots were harmless. There was some talk of removing Captain Farmer, who was dreadfully wounded, to the Rambler, which cutter was a long way to leeward ; but although he could be of no service — for the ship was now in flames beyond all power of being extinguished — yet he sAvore lie would never strike his colours, or leave his brave companions. This gave us a little life ; for nothing shakes the courage of sailors more than the doubts of their officer ; and every man fore and aft knows it as well as I do, that if a captain winks, half the crew shut their eyes. We tried all that men could do to put out the fire, but it increased rapidly. The wind in the mean lime had lulled from the firing ; and there was the Quebec a complete vrreck and burning away like smoke and oakum. We had been fighting from ten till half-past one, and hard at work ever since, in en deavouring to quench theflames; we had stuck our colours on anensign-staflf'j and there we rem.ained without being meddled with by the er.emy, for she hardly struck us once, until six o'clock in the evening, when the magazine caught fire, and A'e blew up — 1 don"t know how high I went, but I think I must have been very near the stars, for I saw them a' twinklins; " 1 6 IJKN BRACK. "Hurrah, Tom !" said 1. " When down I comes souse in the sea, and began to strike out, after I had nearly paid a visit to the bottom : for I came down headforemost, and must have been hke an ice- berg, twice as far under water as I had been above it. I was picked up by the Rambler's boat, and then I found that the captain, most of the officers, and nearly all t!;t crew, had perished. " I never shall forget when I got on board the cutter. I ran down in the fore peak, and I 'm blessed if I did not kneel down and say my prayers. I was afraid to open my eyes, for fear I should find myself close to the moon, with only slippery fingers to hold on with. Well, Captain Far- mer was a right brave one, for just before we blew up, and when the first lieutenant went to him and touched his hat, just as coolly as if he was reporting the men all clean at divisions, and said, ' The fire, sir, has reached the ma- gazine door;' the captain looked up at the colours, and then giving a kind of frown of defiance at the Surveillante, said, ' I would rather go there (pointing aloft), with the colours flying, than tow into Brest harbour astern of any Frenchman.' " Away he went a moment after. He lost his life, the country a brave man, the navy a good officer , and here am I, Tom Toprail, to tell the story, who was so highly elevated, and yet never promoted." Poor Tom always swore when, in after life, his tail gi-ew rather grey, that it was owing to this dive ; and he used to say, " that the tow-rope of his head had got as white as a hawser under water." I had heard something of Captain Farmer before ; for Ve do something like that ; for if a fove-top man gets spliced, we hang some ribbon from the topmast stay ; if a gunner, ftom the main stay; and then we sit down and stay long enough over our grog to make us forget our- selves. So we only do at the beginning what others wish to do after they are spliced. I remember old Tom telling me of his marriage ; but 32 BEN BRACE. 1 'm blessed if I don't think Tom had as many wives aa the Grand Turk ; and if the Turk got rid of them by sending tliem adrift on the sea, Tom went the other way to work, for he went adrift himself; and as he used to say, "' he showed his colours and parted company." He told me the following yarn, when we were both of us old fellows, and I clap it in here out of its place, just because it pleases me, " It was after the battle of Trafalgar," Tom began ; " I had got my limbs according to the description book ; and when the fleet arrived at Spithead, for I belonged to the Royal Sovereign, I had liberty to go on shore for three days. " The girls were all for the sailors then. A soldier might have stumped about his regulation step, or stood upon one leg performing the goose-ste}), like a flamingo in South America, — he might have capered about the Point in his white breeches and leggins, his fine-weather tuffs and tails, until he danced the coat off his back, — before any one of the craft would have looked at him. " Of course, when we got on shore, the first thing we did was to steer to the back of the Point, and make up the lee- way of Ouf spirit- room. It is all right enough having an allowance on board ship, but it never does on shore. To tell a man not to get drunk, is like saying to a drowning man, ' Don't drink salt water.' There we were just as happy as lords ; — we drank like fishes to the glory of the Victory ; and as long as we could keep our mouths above water, we drank and cheered, and sang, until we began to dance to the penn'orth of tune old Catgut was pleased to pay. " Well, we had lots of women in company ; and amongst these was one Betsy Matson, a round, plump- looking rosy-faced girl, who had always a smile upon her face, and showed, when her little red lips Avere opened, as white a set of head-rails as any ship in the navy. D- rectly I saw her, I felt my heart somehow sicken ; — it was just as unpleasant a feeling as the first cut of the cat. I nearly turned sick, and was struck all of a heap. " ' Ma'am ' said I, ' will you dance a step with me.^' BICN BRACE. S3 " ' Yes, surely,' she answered, and up we stood for a step. I steered rather wild ; for every now and then, as we were navigating in and out in the reel, I ran foul of my partner ; she always smiled so good-naturedly, that, when we had finished, I thought '.t was all proper to show my fondness; so I just put my arm round her waist, and I gave her a kiss. In a moment after, however, a decent- looking chap of a soldier gave me another kind of slap. • Sailor,' said he, ' not ?o free till better acquainted. I love that young woman, and neither you nor any otlier man shall kiss her.' " It was side out for a bend in a moment ; and as it was only one sodger amongst about forty Trafalgar men, of course we gave him fair play. One or two of our lads stood by him. We ordered in a pot of porter for both of us ; and as I passed Betsy, and saw her piping her eye, said she, *■ I love you both : I have known the young soldier these two years ; but I am all for Trafalgar lads at my heart.' "MVell, ma'am,' said I, 'it's a stand-up fight for a good prize. My hand is yours : I love you from the bottom of my heart, Betsy.' So, hitcliing up my trowsers, I. stretched out my legs, gave her a squint of the eye and a squeeze of the hand, and says I, 'It's not Tom Top- rail, who has been hammering away witti two-and-thirty pounders at four ships at once, — for you know, Ben, we had four on the Sovereign at one time, — who is a-going to strike his flag or douse his colours to any such herring- looking fellow, although he is made up of heelball and pipeclay.' " I must say this for the soldier, he was a civil chap, and stripped like a good one. He was not put together as 1 was, Ben, all ribs and tucks, like a tinker's donkey ; but he was made up of legs and arms like a superannuated spider. If I could only get alongside of him, it was the value of the admiral's goldlaced hat and epaulettes to a waister's stockings that I won the day without much trouble : but then, again, considering I saw double, and might hit at the wrong figure, some people might fanny die soldier, young and raw as he was. D 34 BEN BRACE. " I shook hands with him before I began, and told him I rather hked him ; but that this was an affair of love, and the sooner we settled who liked her most, the more re- spectable it would be for both of us. At this time the landlord, who was quite astonished at our silence, came in, and offered to settle the business without the fight. He said he would make us both dead drunk, and take the girl himself; but no sooner had he proposed this, than his wife flew at him like a bull-dog, clawed his face and tore his jacket, — so we lent a hand to send him back to his bar, having had his claret tapped in the room. This being done, there was a call for the soldier ; and he, casting a sheep's-eye at Betsy, and pumping up all his wind to make a sigh, made himself up to stand fire just as if he was standing at attention. " Bill Jones, and some more of the Sovereigns stood by me ; Tom Walker, and three other chaps from the Teme- raire, lent a hand to the soldier. I made all sail at him in a jiffy, and I should have run him aboard if the liquor had not puzzled my eyes. I tripped up over a part of the boards, and I went at him head-foremost, bobbing about like a jolly-boat in a cross tide. I don't know if so be the soldier had ever been at Malta and seen those half-and-half Africans puzzle the bulls, but he did just what they do ; he waited until I was within hail, and then stepped on one side. I had good way upon me, and ran end on to the store-room bulkhead : down went a whole barrow-load of pewter-pots and glasses, and the landlord's wife and daugh- ter set up as great a row as a hundred sea-gulls after a piece of pork. " Thank God, Ben, I 'm no soft-headed fellow like a child six months old — not I ; no black chap in Jamaica ever had a thicker head, and all the mischief I got from my bad steerage was being brought up all standing, and having as many stars dancing before my eyes as would have served to navigate the Spanish fleet. Well, the sol- dier, who was sober, would not take any advantage of my lubberly conduct ; but when I fell down, as I did, he was the first to pick me up, and pass me over to my own side. The, Temeraires gave three cheers, and the Sovereigns — BEX BRACE. 35 all off coats in a moment ; the women, for we had plenty of them, took the side on which their fancy- men were standing, and we had about as pretty a blow-up as ever was seen at a fair in Paddy's land. I don't much remem- ber how it all finished ; but I recollect the next morning rousing up from the straw in a cold place they call the lock-up. I had plenty of company — all hands but two had been pressed by these peace-officers, and about eleven o'clock we all toed a line in front of the justice. " ' \VTiat was this disturbance last night, constable ? ' said he. ' Speak out, I 'm rather deaf — Eh ? ' And he clapped up one hand to his lug to make a kind of a trumpet. " ' Please your honour's worship,' said one of those chaps, roaring out loud enough to be heard half-way up the Peak of TenerifFe, ' we took all these men and women from the Three Jolly Sailors, at the Point. They were all fighting like enemies, and making such a noise, it was im- possible to sleep, and I told them to keep the peace.' " ' Ah, quite right,' said the deaf justice with the spec- tacles ; ' you told them that now they might sleep in peace, like jolly sailors, after fighting their enemies: that's quite right — now go on with the charge.' " ' There was a soldier,' the constable continued. " ' Avaust there ! ' said Bill Jones ; ' it was Tom Top- rail there — he without his jacket — that charged. '•' ' Who charged .'' ' said his worship ; ' who gave him in charge .'' ' " ' Tom commenced action,' said Jones ; '^ he tried to run aboard of him.' '"^Eh!' said the magistrate; 'one at a time, if you please. Go on, constable, and don't speak as if you were whispering secrets. That man,' meaning Bill Jones, 'says, \a the action he was aboard the same ship with him — gallant fellows ! Now go on.' " ' I told them, please your worship,' continued the constable, ' that I would take them up.' " ' Quite right,' replied the magistrate. " ' So, your worship, they knocked me down.' D 2 36 Br-.N BRACE. " ' Eh, my fine fellows, that was very wrong : knock down a peace-officer when doing his duty ! ' " ' He declared war first,' said Jones ; ' for when we were a little in liquor, your worship, and were showing how we boarded the Frenchman, in came that fellow, with a dozen more of his press-gang, and walked us off. He popped us into a place without tobacco, grog, or lights ; and he came master-at-arms over us, and clapped us under lock and key.' " That speech of Jones's quite flabbergastered his wor- ship, for says lie, — ' Oh ! I perceive this disturbance arose out of a press-gang wanting to press a soldier, who was regaling himself with tobacco and grog, and who was a little in liquor, and mistook the men for Frenchmen — so he used his arms, and was assisted by the master of the inn.' " After hammering away at the drum-head of his wor- ship's ear, be was made at length to understand the whole business ; but to lock up sailors then was no joke — so he gave us some advice, just the same as the captain used to give before he punished us for being drunk — and finislied by saying he dismissed us. " Now go along,' said he, • and be quiet, my men, — here 's five shillings to drink the King's health.' Upon which Bill called out, — 'Three cheers, lads, for his worship !' and in spite of some muti- nous rascals, we did just as he told us, kept quite quiet and drank the King's health ; roaring out, ' Long life to his worship, and bad luck to his clerk ! ' "We were quite or- derly and sober, excepting when we got one of t'ne consta- bles to drink with us : then we sat down in a circle and played goose, and I 'm blessed if we did not serve him out for clapping us under an arrest the night before ; he never had had such a roasting before in his precious life. *'•' Away we steered for the Three Jolly Sailors, and there we found Betsy. Poor dear little soul ! she had taken our being captured so much to heart, that she and the soldier contrived to drink a sufficient quantity to forget our mis- fortunes. The soldier was all abroad, but Betsy could just have seen a hole through a grating. BEN BRACK. 37 *' ' Here,' said I, 'Betsy, — here am I, Tom Toprail, with as long a tail as any man in the Sovereign, — as full a purse — at least it 's a-coming from the prizes, — and as hearty a chap as ever chewed tobacco. Now^ Betsy, this is all about it : I have liberty, so have my mess-mates and shipmates here, to remain on shore till Saturday night ; — then, or on Sunday morning, Ave must all be on board to muster at division, and hear the articles of war read. We do that instead of going to church, and a man need as much remember them as his prayers, for if he does not, he may swing out of this life, and cut a caper from the yard- arm. Well, as I was a-saying — Betsy, there's my flip- per ; it 's none the worse for being rather hard in the palm and tarry about the claws ; — there it is, and, as I said before, I love you from the very bottom of my heart;' and I clapped my hand well below it to make her know how deep my love was. ^ Now if you'll act as becomes a ■woman, and pitch that soldier overboard. Bill Jones and the rest of them shall see you my wife to-morrow. And, Lord love you, Betsy ! who do you think would marry a soldier in these times? chaps that stand in boxes half the night with a musket over their shoulders. Then to think that they are made to walk about, all to put their feet down at the same time ! I should like to see the drill- sergeant, and be d — d to him ! who could put his feet down this fashion.' Forthwith I tipped them the double shuffle and fling, — clapped my hat, my neat little round hat, on one side of my head, and gave such a twirl that my tail came before my face. ' There ! ' said I, as I stood upon one leg like tlie adjutant-bird, and clapped my left arm akimbo — ' let 's see the soldier that ever walked a parade do that in time, and my name 's not Tom Top- rail. So now, Betsy, none of your coming Corporal Sly over me!' " She was a lovely craft : she clapped her headgear like corkscrews all down, her pretty face : and then her eyes ! why she looked right through one ! — and such head-rails, — my eyes ! — - and then her lips — whew ! what a kiss I gave her ! She was, every inch of her, cut out for a sea- man's wife, and she behaved like a woman, — she said 38 BEN BRACK. Yes/ and we drank her health with three cheers ; the old fiddler struck up ' Moll in the Wad/ and he never played Avith more life and spirit before. " It was all settled, all agreed ; so I took and slewed her round, and never in my born days did I see a neater- cut craft from stem to stern. She cut off a small piece of the tow-rope of my head ; and leaving her to bouse her own jib up as taut as she chose, I went out to look for a lawyer and a parson. I told the first fellow what I wanted, and he said he would soon set me on the right tack ; so he made the signal to follow the motions of the commodore : he clapped on his hat, and we all followed him. " We hove-to off a decent looking harbour enough, and after a rum old chap, with a swivel eye, had asked me some questions, — I only remember one, which was, • how many wives I had alive already } ' — and after grinning at the law- yer, he handed out a licence — that 's the word, — and the business was all straight enough. " ' You are a jolly good fellow,' said T to the lawyer ; ' what would you like to drink ? I am in your debt for your assistance, and you can order any thing you like from shrub to swipes ; and if so be you would like to see my craft, you can step into the Jolly Sailors, and there we shall find her blowing a cloud and drinking the King's health.' " If you had seen my face, Ben," said Tom to me as he came to this part of the story, " when the lawyer said he would merely take his bill, you would have thought that I had tumbled amongst the cannibals, and was like to be eat with my clothes on. He went home, and he chalked out two pound twelve and more for the licence ; he clapped on six shilhngs and eight-pence for his advice, and he charged thirteen and four-pence for having walked with us. Well, we all set to work to see what shots we had in the locker, and we could not muster between us more than two pound five ; and says I, ' That 's enough for you, a^d all you 've done, my hearty ! Why I 'm obliged to skim up to the mast-head, and run out to the yard-arm, when it is blowing great guns and small arms, or raining BKN BHACE. SQ marlin-spikes with their points downwards, and I don't get as much as you have got for that scaly piece of paper in four montlis ; and then I stand to be shot at every time we come within sight of a Frenchman, whilst you sit there upon a high stool dangling your legs and dancing to your own tune. Hang me if I give you any more; because why, do you know, old chap ? because I 'm run aground ; I have not enough to turn over for a new moon or jingle upon a tombstone ; so take tliat and be civil.' " The black man merely said he would have what was his due, or he would not give up the licence, and then we could not be married ; whereupon Bill Jones, who was always ready to assist a friend upon a pinch, made a grab at the thing and got hold of it. The little gentleman was too late to stop him ; and as Bill made sail out of the enemy's harbour, he made signal for one or two of us to blockade the port ; so when the lawyer was coming in chase, Joe Gibson and one or two more, kept sailing athwart his hawse, and Bill and I got safe with the prize. The land- lord put us up to the rest, which was merely to send notice to the parish clerk of the splice ; and that matter was all right. " When we had got over the business, and had ordered some ham and eggs, with a few sausages and cabbages. Bill clapped his hand upon the end of his neckerchief, and gave a pufF of wind from his mouth, as much as to say, ' You may blow out the end like a pendant, and there 's no weight to keep it steady.' There we were, about a dozen of us, brought to anchor alongside of the table, hoisting in our provisions and wine, and with the devil a farthing to pay the storekeeper of the victualling yard. " I whispered to Bill — ' Bill,' says I, ' I '11 just run over to Moses on the Hard ; I '11 pledge my prize-money, and take a new set of toggery from his shop, in order to be decent-like in the church.' " So I left Betsy, who was a cloth or two in the wind, and sailing a little by the head with the rest ; and away I steered to Moses. He was at home, or some one so cursedly like him that I should not have known one from the other : but all Jews are alike. The shark knew ms ; 4C BEX BRACK. for many 's the time I had taken a jacket from liis kit wlien he came on board ; and knowing how sharp these fellows are to catch a seaman, I thought I would let him bite at the bait well before I hooked him ; so said I, ' Moses, here we are all alive, and with plenty of prizes :' — To be sure, that was rather more smoke than reality. "' ]My Gosh ! yes,' says Moses ; 'how much wosh \ou take for your prize-money ? ' '' There 's a nibble ! thought I ; this fellow would swal- low bait, hook, line, and all. — ' How much Moses? Why, how much do you think I ought to get ? ' " ' Five pounds,' said Moses. " ' Five devils ! ' said I ; ' more likely fifty, and that would hardly be enough for all the work we have had.' " "^ It 's a sight of inoney Mr. Toprail,' said Moses ; — ' fifty pounds ! it vill be long times before it is paid, eh ? ' " ' Yes,' said I ; ' so long that a man might die before he got it. What 's the price of this new turn-out, here? ' "'Oh, it's very sheap, Mr. Toprail, — very sheap ; just three pounds, — only one little three pounds. You can take it, Mr. Toprail upon the security of your prize- money. If you make me your agent, I can let you have many things: as you say, you maybe dead and buried before the money is paid. Come, I '11 give you twenty pounds and this suit of clothes for your share. You are an A. B. I know.' " ' Then you know wrong, my jolly friend Moses ; for I 'm captain of tlie fore-top.' " ' Petty officer's rating,' said Moses. ' Fifty pounds I quite impossible. I 'II giA'e you thirty — thirty now, thi? morning, in one hour; and that's more worth to you, Mr. Toprail, than fifty, four years from this time.' " ' Thirty, and the suit of rigging complete : white ducks, blue jacket, black tie, white stockings, long-quar- tered shoes, new hat with Royal Sovereign marked on the ribbon. Tiiat, or go. Give us your hand upon it. I dare say you will get more than half back in traps. W!.at s the price of a watch ? ' " He showed me a hundred all very fine watches ; and all very sheap as he said. I was not quite so sheepish as RKN BI'.ACK. 41 to buy them. But I signed a paper, making over my prize-money ; and I touched the thirty pounds ; and ■wrapping my new suit up in a pocket-handkerchief which I bought of Moses, I steered away to the Three Jolly Sailors. " Knowing that I should be rather hazy before the even- ing was over, I went up to a room in which I was to swing my liammock, and I clapped every thing under hatches, and stowed the key away in a corner, where I knew I should find it the next day. I got a one-pound note changed ; and I told Bill what tack I had been sailing upon, and we sat down for a jollification. Betsy was now a little less the worse for liquor than before, and I wanted her to take another glass, because I thought, poor girl, what she must feel at the thoughts of leaving the soldier, and all her friends, to live aboard with me when the ship was in harbour. " •' No,' says she, ' no more, my dear Tom ; but I 'm thinking we had better go and set me some new ribbons for to-morrow. You see, mine are none the cleaner for last night's business ; besides, you know that I must look clean and tidv, or I shall not be much credit to one of the Sovereign's crew.' " ' That 's all as it should be, Betsy,' said I ; ' I like a tidy craft ; so up anchor, and away we go. Bill Jones will give you a rowlock for your larboard oar; and here's mine for the other.' So out we bolted, and sailed up the street in search of a shop. Betsy knew the navigation well ; although, before long, we had contrived to run foul of a number of shore-going lubbers, — for though we understood the sailing orders, ' Ships on the starboard tack to keep their wind, and those on the larboard tack to bear up,' yet they knew nothing of navigation, and were with every flaw of wind sailing right athwart us. Every body lo»)ked at us ; every one knew we belonged to CoUingwood's ship, and certainly never was there more respectful beha- viour like, for they all tried to get out of our way ; and as we were trying to do the same, we fell foul of one another. Betsy wanted some red ribbons ; but I said, 'No, you shan't carry any false c:ilours! — true blue 42 BKN' ITRACE. never stains.' So I made her clap on a blue ribbon in the cap, and round her dear little chest-trees, and bought a pair of blue shoes, after she had festooned some blue ribbon round the bottom of her dress. All this being done, I made sail back to the Jolly Sailors, and had a regular sheevo before we turned in. There was dancing, and drink- ing and kissing the bride ; such cheering, and singing, and fiddling, that the like was never seen, and when I turned out the next morning, my head was turning like a boy's peg-top. " Well, we mustered all hands of us by eight o'clock ; and I '11 tell you how we set about it : never was there such a lark at Portsmouth since the first day sailors were made. Bill and I, and some more, were all new-rigged, from the mast-head downwards : and Betsy looked a re- gular sailor's wife, when she turned out, spick and span. It was not right for chaps such as we, belonging to the So- vereign, to be married like a parcel of soldiers, who march to church with their side-arms and stand all attention before the parson. It is all well enough for them to toddle on foot ; but I was not a-going to sm.uggle tobacco after that fashion. So, first of all, I mustered my shipmates, and then set about the order of sailing. We were twelve belonging to the Sovereign, and Betsy had six belonging to her, to sail in her wake. They were all dressed alike, but Betsy was worth them all. We were to be spliced at ten, and we had only two hours to get the convoy together. " I felt my pockets — my money was safe; and I was up to the mark to do the thing like a good 'un. So I or- dered all the coaches I could find. I got together six decent-looking articles, and we clapped our colours at the mast-head of the coachman. Some one said, they ought to be white ; and I think it was old Drinkhard the land- lord : but Bill, who had just taken a glass to the success of the day, shoved his fist in the old fellow's mouth ; and says he, ' White ! why, you fool, do you think we are a- going to show a flag of truce to the parson .'' No, no ; blue 's our colour ; and if we go all fair and above-board, that 's only what we ought to do : so up with the blue at the main ;' — and we shoved large cockades into the hats, BEN BRACK. 4S aiul made the horse-whippers show another from th^ breast- work of their button-holes, " Of course, bringing all the vehicles together in this manner made a bit of a stir amongst the folks about the Point ; and they had time enough to reconnoitre our force, — for when we got the carriages in line, as we intended to start, we hove about for a good swig to the honour of the bride. In order to keep up also the hearts of the wo- men, we made them hoist in enough to fill their spirit- rooms. Well, time went on, and a quarter to ten came. ' Now,' says Bill, ' heave and a weigh, my lads ; and come, stick on the colours, and hurrah aloft ! ' So up I jumped, and handed Betsy into the cabin of the coach with three more of her tribe, whilst I and Bill got on the quarter-deck. " ' Heave and paul,' said Watson. ' I 'm not going in this jolly-boat on wheels ! I '11 ride a horse, and keep a look-out ahead of the squadron ; and what 's more, I 've one a-coming, and here it is, so avaust heaving a minute. Let's hang the colours to the flag-staff forward;' and he claps a bunch of blue ribbons round the ears of the animal, jamming it into the ears, and saying, ' There, my boys ; there 's no mistake here ; for as I make sail, they '11 see the colours even out of the hawse-holes ! Jump up, youngster,' said Watson, ' behind me ; and now I 'm off.' — Off he was, sure enough ; for he gave himself too much heel to starboard, and fell on the other side. We soon righted him, however, and he started ahead. " ' You must n't sit on the roof,' said the coachman to me and Bill and Scrapehard, who had got on the quarter- deck of the coach, the old fiddler playing ' Moll in the Wad,' and slewing round on his stern like a fifer on the capstan when it 's ' up anchor ! ' " ' Drive on,' said Bill, ' or I 'm blessed if I don't sit on your shoulders ! Why, here 's a mutiny before we read our commissions ! You are a pretty particular scoundrel to say that Tom and I, two fore-topmen, are going to be smuggled into your stow-hole below. Start ahead and save the tide, or we shall have the parson a-lecturing us. — Make sail,' said Bill, as he stood up- 44 BEN BRACE. right on the roof, ' and follow the motions of the commo- dore ;' and off we went. " ' Oh ! the Gibson ahoy I' said I. " ' Hulloa ! ' said he. " * Keep close in the commodore's wake ; and if your chap does not clap a little more canvass on his coach, do you supersede him, — do you hear ? ' " ' Ay, ay, sir ! ' said Gibson. " Well, the chap that steered Joe would not crack on — not a hit : so Joe says, ' By your leave, my man ; ' and he endeavoured to take hold of the tiller-ro|>es. " ' No,' said the coachman ; ' this is my place.' " ' Your place ! ' said Joe. ' 1 '11 let you know that I '11 be captain of my own ship ; ' and he mimics an old skipper, who used always to begin with that when he in- tended to end with the cat. ' So, out of the way. guardo, and make way for a stationer.' The coachman still held on, and Joe still held on also. Joe got the whip, and began to bellows away at the nags, until the animals, not being accustomed to punisliment, forged ahead in spite of the hawser which was fast to their bows, and they ran their bowsprit right smack through the after-panels of our stern-frame, and carried away the stern-lantern. " ' Up helm, you lubberly scoundrel ! ' said Joe : ' I told you not to pass the commodore, but to back themizen- topsail in time, and tbere you are right on board of him. Why, you lubber, you went end-on like a bull with his peak up ; ' and seizing hold of the tiller-ropes, he gave the larboard one a haul, the horses made a start, the larboard wheel got foul of a ])Ost, and over went Joe, coachman, and coacli. Joe, who was like a cat, fell upon his legs without being hurt, and called out for the next ship in the line to take the jdace of the one capsized ; but, as I was not going into the action without all my line complete. I gave the signal to heave-to to repair damages. " The women in the cabin thought they were going down stern foremost, and roared out to open the cabin- doors ; whilst Joe, and a landsman who was standing thereabout, lifted the coachman, who had been wounded in tlie leg, into a 'pothecary's, which was within hail. Leav- BKN IJKACi:. 45 ing him there, we righted the craft, and Joe jumped upon deck, seized hold of the tiller-ropes, and made signal for ready for sea. We filled our maintop-sail and forged ahead ; and Joe, who had got both lines, one in each hand, nd who sprawled his legs out on the foot-rope to hinder iiis fetching way Avhen she rolled, — for we were right before the wind, — looked as if he understood navigation. His eyes were wide open ; but some of the ribbons got foul of his optics ; his long curls — for, do you mind, in those days we wore our hair like corkscrews — got blowing athwart his face ; his hat was cocked on one side, and his big chew was a little to leeward, although his tail stuck out behind like the staff of a rocket, to keep him head to wind. He got hauling at both ropes at once, so that his vessel was not under command ; she had no steerage way, but just the reversej for the animals made a sternboard before Joe could drop the steerage to get hold of the whip, and he backed aboard of the coacli astern of him. '■' This threw the whole line in confusion ; and when Joe started on end again, he kept yawing about like a pig ^n a high wind ; it was hard a-starboard and hard a-port every moment. The squadron were all in disorder, and although Bill roared like a bull for the ship next in line to make sail and occupy Gibson's place, yet it was no use ; there was not a master in the fleet who could take charge of a vessel in such rocky water ; and the crews of half the squadron were in a state of mutiny. I think Gibson would have weathered the corner of the church after all, and come safe to anchor, if it had not been for about a thousand spalpeens of boys Avho kept shouting ' A sailor adrift on a carriage ! ' and bobbing under the horses' noses until they got discontented at being worked so hard, and began to mutiny outright. One fired away at Joe with his heels, who dropped the helm and touched him up over the stern. This made both worse ; for Joe had got all hands to the whip, and was only determined to punish his crew for their bad behaviour. " We had not got far, when we found the look-out craft hove-to and trimming ship. " ' Hulloa,' said I, ' what 's the matter, Watson ? ' 46 BEX BRACE. ■ ' ' 'We have hove-to to repair damages,' said he ; ' for as I was steering end-on for the churchy the craft got into a head sea, and, after bobbing about, run agroud upon her knees, and shook my timbers a bit, for I went over the bows ; whilst the youngster, as the ship lifted forward with the sea, slipped over the stern ; but we shall be ready in a moment. I 've repaired damages forward, and I 'm shift- ing my ballast aft, for she sails too much by the head. I can manage her well enough now ; but I think you had better shift the boy on one of your nags. So away with you, little one,' said he, giving him a slap on the back ; 'and mind, do you hear.'' ' ' Victualled on board the day discharged !" " ' Come on deck here,' said Bill ; ' and, do you hear .'' turn to and dance us a hornpipe as we go along. Strike up, old Scrapehard ! and tip us your best hornpipe ; and, squadron, make sail !' " In a thort time we had got off the harbour and were unlading the cargo, when Joe came along, going about fourteen knots, his tiller- ropes lost, and his ship running away with him. " ' Shorten sail,' said Bill, ' or you '11 be aboard the church.' " ' LufF, Joe, luff", and weather it,' said I. ' j\Iy eyes ! there he goes, right end on ! ' and down came the horses, pitching Joe over the bows. " Nothing ever hurt his health but going without his grog. He was up in a moment, and reported Ahat his ship Avas wrecked, her stem-piece stove in, and that she was bilged and lying over on her starboard side. The crew- were all safe, and we prepared to enter the harbour. I caught hold of Betsy by the flipper ; and Bill was behind with Moll Davis. She was rather the worse for her allow- ance in the morning, and would sing, although a chap who said he was a clerk in the establishment tried to stop her. " ' To the devil wid you !' said Moll Davis. ' Do you think, you black-looking raven, that I won't sing a song on the day of Betsy's marriage } ' And she set off at the top of her voice, which was rather thick and hoarse than other- wise. After she had given us the song, and all hands were aboard, we walked into the church as quiet and as or- derly as men at a funeral. BEX BKACE. 47 " Well, we were all ranged one alongside of each other round some rail-work, and the parson stood inside. He soon began to read somethingj which none of us seemed to understand, xintil he looked me full in the face with one eye, and said he, ' Will you have this woman to thy wedded wife ? ' Now the parson squinted a bit with the other, and I thought his eye, which was looking towards his star- board ear, was upon Moll Davis ; and as I understood the words to mean, whether I would take Moll Davis to my wedded wife, I answered, ' Certainly not, sir/ '•' The clerk began to say something ; but Bill soon stopped him by saying, ' Avaust heaving, young man ! hadn't you better take a reef in your jawing- tacks, and double your distance ? ' " The clergyman explained what it meant, and he asked me again : ' Certainly, sir,' said I ; ' I come here for that same purpose,' '' ' You must say,' said the clerk^ ' / will,' " ' Certainly!' said I. '"' ' That won't do,' continued the devil-dodger ; ' you must say only, / will.' " ' I will,'' says 1 ; ' and now I hope you are satisfied.' " We got through the business in about a quarter of an hour ; and we were then taken into a room to sign our names. " WeW, I never could write, for I never had no educa- tion like ; so I clapped a cross, such as we make to the paper about the prize-agents. Well, Betsy could not write, so she stuck another. Then they told Bill he must witness it, and he could n't write either : and then MoU Davis made her mark, which was a large black blot on the book ; for she was then all nohow, and dabbed down the pen, and then shoved it athwart the clerk's muzzle. But the best of all was Bill when he heard the little chap in black ask for a fee. "'What's that?' said Bill; 'I never heard of that liquor before.' " ' It 's money I want,' said the clerk : * any little gift . — a crown or so.' " ' Take that upon your crown,' said Bill ; and he put 48 BKN BRACK. the clerk's hat on, and giving it one rap, flattened in the jib-sheet, and only left the mouth and chin to l)e seen. " ' Now then,' said I, after all hands liad kissed Betsy, ' the devil take the hindmost, and let 's have a ride round the town. And, perhaps,' said I respectfully, — ' perhaps your worship will come with us ? — we won't stow you in rile cabin ; you shall be up aloft amongst the seamen on the quarter-deck, where you can see the ship is properly ■worked.' I am blessed if 1 don't think he thought wc were going to press him ; for he sheered off, leaving his clerk to see us off. " No sooner was he gone, than the little black fellow followed us out, and began to say something quite disre- spectful to Bill ; who quietly turned round, took the little chap under his arm, and clapped him in among the women. They began to play ' none of my child,' and shoved him about from one to another, until, as we were sailing along at a good rate, the door flew open, and out went old straight- hair, with a shot in his stern which nearly sent him across the street. " All Portsmouth turned out to see us. There was Watson touching up his horse over the tafFrail, and it kicked up behind high enough to have lifted the spanker- boom from the crutch, and went on worse than ever. I roared out for him to pass within hail, but the animal would not answer its helm at all ; but slewing round like a boat in an eddy, it made a start on one side, and in went "W^atson into a gentleman's breakfast parlour ; %vhile away went the horse, tossing up its head and tail, and kicking and flinging in all directions : this cleared the passage for the squadron, and on we went through the crowd. " Whenever the boys cheered, 1 stood up and returned the salute with an equal number of guns. Slap we went through one street, down another ; round one corner, then another ; Bill and I on the top of the coach, standing on the roof and cheering. Old Scrapehard was fiddUng like a good one ; the youngster, with his hat held up over his head, was standing on one leg like a flamingo, and slewing about like a dog- vane in a calm ; whilst the women had ^ot their heads out of the windows and made more row BEV BRACE. 49 than the devil in a g-ile of wind. At last the horses were near coming to an anchor without our ranging the cables ; they were bitted already ; so we drove down to the Point, took the bridles in, and got our crew and passengers all safe. Then it was that we got to work with the knives and forks ; and we played a rare stick at eating. We stuck at it, dancing and smoking, until ten o'clock at night, when all hands were as drunk as owls ; and I had given Betsy nearly all my money to take care of, which she did right well, for I never could get a farthing back. " So ended my marriage ; and it was a real sailor's mar- riage, got up in a moment, and it lasted nearly as long. We got on well enough the next day : but on Sunday morning we all retured to our ships ; and I told the first lieutenant that I had got spliced, and asked to have Betsy aboard. The ship was going round to the River the next day, so I could n't get leave either to go to her, or she to come to me. I thought, to be sure, she rr.jght as well have tried to get alongside ; but 1 never got a glance of her eye from the morning of our mustering on board till now. I got one of the purser's steward's lads, who could handle a pen without making a cross, and I wrote her this letter: — "'Dear Betsy, — AVhy don't you come alongside in the bum-boat? I have been standing in the starboard fore-chains from one till four bells, overhauling the craft which came within hail. Come, that 's a good girl ! up stick and make sail ! If I can only get a Avord with you under the bows, I "m satisfied.' *' Well, what do you think she writes to me, or gets somebody else to write to me ? — " 'Old Tom, — I know you are ship-bound, church- hound, and poverty- struck ; you belong to no parish but Port Sea, and you may whistle for good luck and for Betsy Matson.' " It ran right into my heart, and gave me the liiccups for a fortnight; and I never was all right in the head until I heard she had married the soldier under another name, and that I had saved my allotment." There's many a sailor who marries as Tom did, and gets a divorce without bothering the lawyers. E BO BEN BR^CE. CHAPTER V. I shall see my iiarents, kiss the tears From their pale hollow cheeks, cheer their sad hearts. And drive that gaping phantom, meagre want. For ever from their board. — Lillo. I HAD been from home about thirteen years^ wlien Captain Nelson went to France. During that time I had only heard from or of the old people once. I now got leave to go to Cawsand Bay until his return. He gave me money enough to pay my passage, and I started with a good store of pocket-lining, intending to buy new nets, or lend a hand in purchasing a sail or repairing the boat. Away I went with a light heart and a fair wind, having in the fob of my pocket twenty-five pounds, and singing — " I that once was a ploughboy a sailor am now." I soon got on the right course for Plymouth, and I knew by the distances marked upon stones how many miles I had run. I went on, as all men do at first when they start on an expedition they fancy, head down and legs out. I took as long strides as a goose in dry weather, and walked as fast as an ostrich over the Pampas. I got to a place called Hounslow without feeling a bit fatigued ; and seeing a decent kind of harbour, I came to anchor, and called for a pot of porter and a pipe. In the shaking of a handspike I was so comfortable that I would not have called the King ray grandfathei-. It was a pretty good kind of house, with a large daub called the King's Head outside, and there were several country-looking lubbers in smock-frocks who came in to take a drop ; and, as at this time it began to rain, I thought I might as well anchor for the night. I began therefore to look out for a berth. " Hulloa ! shipmate," said I, to a better kind of looking fellow, " what kind of hammocks do they swing in this house ? ' The feUow gave me a quick glance of the eye, and 1 BK-N BKACi:. 51 thought J. felt him reacting my heart. He answered, " Oh, very good, every thing a man could want to make him comfortable and happy. But where are you bound to, for you don't belong to this place?" "No, not I" (I wondered how he guessed it): "I am going to Plymouth." " To Plymouth ?" says he. " Yes," said I, " to Plymouth ; the wars are over now, and T am off for home. I am not without a shot in the locker," giving my pocket a bit of a smack. " I can assist you, my noble-hearted fellow," says my friend ; " give me your hand. You sailors are the best men in the world." '■•' Take a drop out of my jorum, sir," said I. " Here landlord, freshen hawse here — another pot of porter." " Yes, sir," said he, " but who pays for it ? " "I do, you lubber," says I. "Do you think I'm a shark to come swallowing the bait and then shake myself off the hook ? No, I never did that : so, here's your pay, and I have enough left to buy a hogshead of porter, and a purser's bread-bag of tobacco; so, stir your stumps, old Blowhard." He was as fat as a ground tier butt, and seemed as if all his crew inside of him was pumping up liis breath ; his face was as red as a boiled lobster, and he wore a great white apron which came down to his knees, and from those to his fore foot he wore top-boots. He seemed to know my new companion, and he looked at him as much as to say, " You're a pretty scoundrel, I'm blessed if you arn't." I thought it was all jealousy, and paid no attention to the landlord, but asked my friend how he proposed that I should get on my way to my journey's end } " Why, this way," he answered. " I am going beyond Exeter myself, for I live down in that part of the world ; and as I know most of the common carriers, I get into their waggons, and thus for a very little money get home to my family. I advise you to follow this plan also; for what is the use of paying the Lord hardly knows how much, to be upset from a coach, or of walking upwards of two hundred miles, sleeping every night in some strange .52 BKN BRACE. inn, and perhaps robbed if yon are out after dark ? We can go together if you hke ; and company, you know, will make the journey agreeable ; but, as the waggon will not be here for a couple of hours, we may as well have some dinner ; for I am uncommonly hungry, and wo shall get nothing from the time we start until the next morning." I agreed to all this, because it looked so very friendly. We accordingly ordered some cold meat and potatoes ; my friend declaring that I should be his guest, and should peck and perch with him. After we had finished our dinner we had a little grog, and my friend was very anxious to make me drink ; but I never was a man given to liquor. I like now and then \ pot of beer and my pipe, and 1 love to see myself sur- rounded by a jolly set of fellows, who have rubbed through life like sailors, and who carry their grey hairs about as honours won in old age. But no man can say that I was ever brought up to the gangway for being intoxicated ! Well, 1 drank my allowance, gind by and by, about eight o'clock, the waggon was passing through the village. My friend could not find his money at the moment ; so 1 untied the knot in my handkercliief, and paid for him : we both got up behind and bundled into the straw. I was in a rare humour for spinning a yarn, and I set to work and related my life; during which time, when I spoke of home, my friend managed to got out of me where I kept my money, and commended my prudence, as 1 said that no land-shark could get hold of it without he ripi)ed me open. It was about midnight when we passed through a little town ; there was a light in one of the public-houses, so we freshened the nip; and as my friend was now evidently sail- ing by tlic heail, I took him under my care, and supported him to the waggon. He was very much overcome, and he clung round me closely, making a great number of false steps, and staggering like a drunken brute as he was. At last, when 1 wanted to lift him into the waggon, he swore he would not go another inch farther ; that he felt hot, although it was the month of December; and that he would bathe in the river which was near us. For some BfcN BRACE. 53 time I would not let him ; but at ^ast he got so quarrel- some and made such a noise, that I jumped into the wag- gon, and give iiim permission to go to a place where he i* snug enough now if he has left this world. I soon fell asleep, and wlieii 1 awoke it was broad daylight, but a windy squally morning: so I thought I'd stand two calls before I unbuttoned my eyes for a long spell, and I soon got to sleep again. The waggoner about an hour afterwards roused me up, and we went into a house and had some breakfast. He was a stout fellow, and ate like one of his own cart-horses, — it did me good to see him feed so heartily. I swore I would stand treat, and pulling out the end of my black silk neckerchief, I started like a harpooned porpoise when I found the end cut clean off, and all my stores for present service gone. I looked at the waggoner, but he had so honest a face, that I could not suspect him ; although, at first, I had some doubts about his honesty. I immediately clapped my hand upon my private store-room, in which I had stowed away the supplies for my father. It did not require any fumbling about my fob; the lower part of the pocket was ripped open, and I found that 1 had only eight guineas left out of twenty- five that I intended to take to the old folks. Well, I was certain that I had been in company with a pirate. Tlie honest old waggoner said he did not think the other traveller was so drunk as he pretended to be, and he made no doubt that, whilst I was en- deavouring to steady him last night, he had cut my pocket and taken out the money. I now thought of tack- ing ship and returning ; but in a short lime resolved to proceed, and to be more prudent in future. So, stowing the money which I had left in a place that should defy detection, I took out one guinea, and tied that, or the change of it, in the corner which was left in my necker- chief. I made friends with the waggoner, and walked by his side almost all day : towards evening I got into my straw again, and slept like a weasel with one eye open comfort- ably enough. In seven days' ''nie we got to Plymouth, and I did not stand long in takit eave of the waggoner, who i)4 BEN BRACE. wascontentea with four shillings, and told me that he should be returning in a fortnight, wliich would be quite Jong enough for me to remain m Cawsand Bay. I told him that I should be steering up to London about that time, and would be with him: then giving my trowsers a hitch up, I stepped out like a good one for ^Mutton Cove, got into the ferry, and was soon over at Mount Edgecombe. I trotted away like a postman, never looking behind me, and carrying a press of sail, until I came to the turn which overlooks the bay and commands a view of the village. Here I stopped. I remember at this moment the feeling which overcame me. I saw before me the cottage in which I was born and reared. I could perceive the door from which I had escaped, and left my poor father and mother in all the agony of uncertainty whether I had been kidnap- ped or murdered. From the time of leaving them I had never sent them any tidings; and afterwards, when I had learned to write, I had grown somehow dim in memory, and had forgot my poor mother in the scenes I have al- ready described. I had grown to be a man ; the sultry sun of the West Indies had scorched me, sickness had altered, manhood had changed me. I knew I could advance unknown, but I feared lest I should hear some bad news of the old people. I stood more than an hour undecided how to act. I watched each girl that I saw running to and fro, and thought of my own little sister Jane ; and it was sunset before I wound up my resolution to face the old people. "Cheer up, Ben!" said I to myself. "Had not the land-sharks grabbed your hard- won money, all might have been well ; for the old boy would then have seen that I had not forgotten him although so long separated from home." The sun %vas down by five o'clock, and the drizzling rain and gusty winds showed that a gale was at hand. The boats all came in together, and every man and mother's son was in activity. The women took the fish away in baskets, whilst the crew of the different boats set to work to haul them up above high-water mark. I was soon in amongst them, and I watched for my father g boat. Near BEX BRACE. 5.) me was a weather-beaten Samson, who, witli his crew and his boys, soon began to place their vessel in security. The next and the next seemed well provided with hands ; but the farthest one seemed afraid of coming in contact with the larger vessels. This was the one I sought. " Poor old fellow, you will be drenched to the skin," thought I to myself, " before you get your boat safe, with- out some one lends you a hand ; and as I 'm not afraid of rubbing the skin off mine, I am just the lad to assist you." So saying, I walked up to him, shipped the capstan-bar, and when he had made fast the rope, I hove round with the two men who formed the crew. My assistance soon placed the boat above the tide. As I was walking away to help some one else, he came to me, and sure enough it was poor old father ! I determined, however, seeing that he did not know me again, not to discover myself at pre- sent. In return for the good turn I had done him, he said that his dame was getting his supper ready, and he hoped I would come and take shelter from the gale. " I know what you are from your rig," said be, " you're some man-of-war's-man turned adrift for the peace." "Just sOj" said I; "much obliged to you — I'll come." Well, I shouldered some of the nets, and carried up a basket on my arm, until we approached the old cottage, and into this we steered. I knew my mother at a glance. Poor old soul ! age had advanced upon her, and although I could discover the features of former times, the marks of grief were deep in her face. She made no reply to my father's remark about his success, but went to work to dress some of the fish. On turning round she saw me, and looked at father, as much as to ask who and what I was : "' A willing lad," said my father, " to assist the old. He saw the weather was getting worse, and the rain coming on hard, so he came and lent us a hand to secure the boat; and now I have made him come here, dame, for some supper, for he seems all adrift in this part of the world." " Oh, John," said mother, " Why, as I 'm a living woman, he looks something like Ben !" 56 BK.V nUACE. A dead cold dull ran through me. There was a tender- ness in poor mother's manner, which made my eyes flow like a waterfall. I brushed away the tears with my sleeve. " Ah, no ! poor Ben ! perhaps he is oat of this miser- able world," said the old man, " But come, give the lad a welcome. Bring that stool to the table, and we 11 have a fish and a potatoe. There, sit down, every man to hi:5 station, and the cook to the foresheet, as they say on board a man-of-war. There 's a knife and fork ; we have got some of those left yet ; and this gale will raise the price of fish." In a short time supper was ready. There was some bread, the fish, and the potatoes ; and although I have had regular feeds many a time when the dollars were not va- lued more than penny-pieces, and we have been surround- ed by those who fought with us, and were wounded to save us, yet I call Heaven to witness that I never felt so happy as I did when I found I was sometimes in tlieir thoughts, — and that I was once more seated by their side. The old boy, remarking that I looked rather the worse for wear, got a bottle from a small cupboard, and pouring out some brandy for my mother and myself, not forgetting his own glass, spliced it with water, and then handed the jug to me. But where was Jane all this time ? I was anxious not to discover myself, and therefore did not say a word ; but I looked round the cottage in the hope of finding some mark of female dress by which I could guess if she were alive. I saw nothing, however, except a curious old chair which stood up in a corner ; and when I took my eyes off it, I found that both father and mother were looking at me with so inquisitive a stare, that I began to fear I was re- cognised. " Ah !" be began, " that chair reminds us often of our troubles ; we keep it that we may not forget those who have forgotten us." My mother looked like a wax figure in tears as iny fa- ther went on to speak. " In that chair we laid our son Ben when he was first bora, for we had no cradle in the house ; he left us when BEN IMJACIi. he was about twelve years of age, and we liave never heard of him since ! Hut, what "s the matter with you, young man? You change colour like a dying dolpliin. Luid love you, dame ! just see how like he is to our Ben !" I could not hold on any longer — the ttars stood in my eyes. " Stop, father," said I, " you shall be happy again, 1 hope." My mother, who had never taken her gaze off me, immediately recollected me, and had me in her arms in a moment, exclaiming, " Ben ! Ben ! God Almighty be praised that I see you before I die !" Father was soon on the other side of me, wliilst mother unbuttoning my shirt-sleeves, showed father the mark of an anchor which one of the fishermen had pricked out about a year before I left them. '^' Lord bless you, boy !" said father, ■' %vhy how changed you are ! But now I look at you again, what a fool I must have been not to have known you at first ! " " Tell us, Ben," said poor mother, " where you have been. Oh ! I could look at you for ever ! " and she knelt down upon the ground, and kept her eyes fixed upon my face. I could not rouse up a word from the store-room of my voice. I was right aback, and they saw it. At length, father said, " I have bad news to tell you, Ben, about your sister. A fellow of the name of Tackle, as great a scoun- drel as ever lived, came and kept company with Jane ; and Jane soon liked him — that was as plain as a pikestaff. Very .shortly afterwards, Jane told us that Tackle had of- fered to marry her, and that she hoped we had no objec- tion. I took her hand, for I loved her dearly, and ' Jane,' says I, ' you know very little of Tackle ; he may be a good one, but his father never was : a black bitch, they say, never has white pups, and a wild duck never lays a tame egg : his father was transported for a highway robbery, but got to windward of the gallows ; his mother soon danced at Ply- mouth Dock, at the penny hops of the sailors. Besides all this, Jane, although he could not help what his father and mother were, he is a bad-humoured man, is always quar- relsome, and whenever so much jjleased, looks more like a devil than a Christian, But this was ic Ben, — Tackle was a s'i.o"t fellow, and once or twice when the young men canit 58 liEX RHACK. a coavting, he stood like a mastiftj and growled them off ; then managed to pick a quarrel, fought a battle, and, by this dogged kind of courage and strength, established himself firmer in the girl's affections. AVomen always love your daring men. Dame did not like the match either, for Tackle had no money, and although we were better off than we are now, yet I could not give the young people either money or employment; for, said I, fishermen are like service — no inheritance. Dame spoke to Jane ; but she cried and got into her chair near the fire, and could do nothing ; she was quite beside herself — absent like — of no use whatever in regard to the house ; and she would sit by the hour, look- ing at the fire as if she expected Tackle to jump out of it, with her hands upon her knees, — and so she would remain and do nothing ; and when that 's the case, depend upon it, Ben, the woman is lost — idleness is the road-maker of love. Well, it was not long after this, when I was at sea and dame at work, that Jane went off with Tackle : we heard of them at Plymouth Dock, and two days afterwards we lost all trace and have never heard of them any more." The tear stood in poor father's eye : as for mother, slie cried bitterly. At length father endeavoured to turn away his melancholy thoughts to some other subject. — " Now, Ben," said he, " where have you been ?" I was on the point of breaking adrift with the log-line of my adventures, when, raising the latch of the door, in came a small snub-nosed chap who turned out to be an attorney's clerk. The poor old folks seemed taken quite aback. " Well, Mr. Brace," he began, " are you going to pay these three last quarters' rent or not ? — because, if you do not, out you will turn bag and baggage to-morrow morn- ing." " Really, sir," said father, " I am very distressed, — very sir, indeed : I have no money — this is all I have in the world ;" and he showed two or three half-crowns. " I know I owe my landlord more than I can pay at pre- sent ; bu I trust that his honour will not throw two poor old creatures upon the parish, or turn them adrift on th« world io the middle of wimer." BKS biiacj:. 5() "■ Coine, Mr. Brace," said the skeleton of" the law, " fine words, you know, butter no parsnips : 1 have been at you every day since June, and now I '11 stand it no longer, for I don't believe one word you say. Here I find you sitting by a comfortable fire, with a visitor to assist you in empty- ing a bottle of brandy ; and I don't require the nose of a pointer to swear that you have made a jolly supper. And there 's your good old Avoman's eyes, which speak volumes as to the attention she has paid to her consumptive friend, the almost finished bottle. I'm not to be done; to-morrow you will pay, or I will seize every rag in tlie house, and you may turn out and wash your eyes in the rain." I was posted behind this land-shark, my jacket off, — father was standing up with a look of trouble which might have melted even the heart of an attorney's clerk ; whilst mother sat weeping like one of the dripping caves in the North of Ireland. When the wretch had finished his spech, I just took him by the cufFof the coat, and giving him a little head-way with my foot, sent him to the full enjoy- ment of the cold lodgings he had intended for the old folks. As he had left his umbrella behind him, however, he re- turned for it. "What!" says I, "have you cleared for action, and come into the enemy's port to battle the watch with him ? I'm for you, my hero" — and I seized him by the throat. The little quill-driver fixed his hands upon my shirt- sleeves ; his face was as red as a lobster, and he blustered cut something about assault and battery. " Here's assault your battery for you," says I; and I gave his nose broadside. He came at me, after this, twirling his hands as if he was spinning rope-yarns ; but I touched him up on his figure-head, and soon darkened his toplights : for, do you see, I was young and stout, and he might as well have knocked his fists against a stonewall as against my head — for my skull had grown thick like a black fellow's. "Well, it all finishes by my rolling him in a dirty puddle, and by giving him a salute, which was ' more honoured in the breach tlian in the observance,' as I learnt by heart. '' I hope, sir," says I, *■' there's nothing personal — but \ou arc a d — d backbiting, dirtv, dishonest scoundrel, and €0 BliiV BIIACK. much better in the iniid than in an honest man's house." So saying, I shut the door, and came to an anchor. '' Oh I Ben, Ben, you have ruined us ! " said my mother ; " to-morrow we shall certainly be turned out, and all our furniture sold. I know he will never rest luUil he is re- venged. You had better therefore be off at once, or he'll have you for striking him ; he'll take the law of you." " I tell you what it is," says I, " 1 '11 set up my da- maged shirt here against his nose, and I think I 've the best of it." "Never mind, dame," said the old fisherman. ''To find Ben at such a moment is worth all the money in the world! Now the attorney may go to I'll soon turn the tide of misfortune ; I feel as if I was not twenty years of age ; I could dance a hornpipe and kick up Bob 's a-dying." Night came on, and a precious night it was. ^Mother •was for giving me her bed, and fatlier talked of pricking for the softest plank ; but 1 said, '• No, I 'm the youngest, and the best to caulk the seam ;"' so I took up my station in the old chair. Though I have stood by Nelson's side when the proudest victory ever gained was won, yet I never felt as I did at that moment. I thought somehow I could fly •. I felt so light, so happy. Well, the old pair bles-cd me, — I that had left them, and had caused such trouble to them, and who, had I remained, might perhaps have saved Jane also. Then father snapped his fingers, and says he, " A dog-fish's eye for that snub-nosed at- torney's clerk! we'll manage somehow." And to bed they went. I slept like a top, and was making up the lee-way of my nap, when I heard a row at the door, and I saw the little shark, the clerk's master, with his precious assistant, who was marked with a pair of beautiful black eyes, and his nose as big as a cocoa-nut. '-' HuUoa! shipmate," said I, " you must have run stem on to the chimney-sweep, and taken some of his soot to paint your figure-head." " Here is the account of rent due for this house," said the fellow to my father : "do you intend to pay it r " BEN BRACE. 61 " How miu^'ii is it, old SnufFand Twopenny ?" said I, " Four pounds;, Mr. Impudence," said ho. " Have you got a receipt ? " said I. " No," said lie. "^ Then you may just trudge back and get it, old Shivor- tlie-Mizen." " Where 's the money ?" said he. " Here," said I, " and more besides." " 1 '11 have you up before the magistrate," said the clerk, " for the assault upon me last night, " " You be d — d !' said I. Upon which the attorney whispered to his clerk, who ran away home, whilst the old one blockaded the port. He soon returned with the receipt. " There 's your money, my boy," said I ; " and I don't want any receipt for the attack you made upon me last night, and tore my shirt. You show that as plain as the nose on your face. So, brush, old Sweepings and Tape strings. Nothing personal, you know — but curse me if ever I saw such an ill-begotten bandy-legged beggar, with eyes hke two burnt holes in a blanket, and mouth like a sick cod-fish." So away he wpnt. CHAPTER v.. The tor 's a jolly tar who loves a beauty briglit. And at sea olten tliinlc» of her charms ; Who toasts her with glee on a Saturday nisht, And wishes her moor'd in his arms Uiuui.v. Both father and mother looked ten years younger when they found themselves once more clear of the rent, and likely to do well for some months to come. Mother cast off the stopper of her tongue, and she rattled her words out like a chain-cable through an iron hawse-hole. 1 now cast my eye upon a pretty black-eyed daughter of a baker. Figure, face, feet, d — me if 1 ever saw such a craft ! She seemed to like me also. I left Cawsand at tlie €2 ESN BRACE. end of the fortnight, telling Susan that as sure as I ever returned a living man I would marry her if she was then disposed to have me. I made mother promise also to take care of her, and so giving all my money to the old folks except one guinea, I turned my back on the cottage. Well, I went away from homcj promising never to lose sight of father and mother again ; and, as Susan could write a bit, she was to stand captain's clerk for them, and not only read ray letters to them, but write their answers. Susan was always to be found at father's cottage ; and mother loved her — and so it all went smooth enough. In the year 1784<, Nelson, v.'ho had tumbled in love with a clergyman's daughter in France, thought it prudent to get afloat again, in order to avoid marriage ; so he asked Lord Hood for an appointment; and he got the Boreas, of twenty-eight guns, and once again we went to the West Indies. I always retained my old rating of coxswain ; for in those times they might have rated a lad of twelve for that situation, and no fault found. I occasionally assisted the clerk, and thus I made good progress in my writing and reading, and soon became a scholar ; and as I had been so long with Nelson, he placed confidence in me, and I was made to copy many of his letters. I have not much to say about this cruise in the Boreas, because it was peace time ; but, somehow. Nelson got em- broiled in many differences of opinion about the right of the Americans to trade. Nelson soon put his opinion in force ; for, on a stated day, he seized several Yankee vessels which, to his knowledge, had interfered with the privileges of Great Britain in trading from America to the West Indies. This being done in defiance of the opinion of the custom-house officers and even of the different governors, all hands began to hate him, and had he lefi the ship his life would not have been safe. However, when the government at home came to investigate the business, the conduct of Captain Nelson was very much applauded, and received the warmest approbation. If he had no enemies of his country to fight, he had plenty of lawyers to contend against. Good, we are told, often comes out of evil. Owing to BEN BRACE. 63 the law-suit which arose about the American vessels, he got acquainted with the lady he afterwards married. The captains of the ships which Nelson had detained brought an action against him^ and laid the damages at 40,000/. ; and they tried all in their power to arrest him. He re- mained in his ship, and the marshal came on board once or twice to seize him ; but Mr. Wallis, the first lieutenant, always bamboozled him, and he went on diore again as wise as he came. One day, one of the lieutenants — I think it was Wallis — in speaking of the confinement to his ship winch Nelson was obliged to suffer for fear of arrest, said he pitied him. "Pity/" exclaim.ed Nelson: " pity, did you say ? I shall live, sir, to be envied; and to that point I shall always direct my course." Eight weeks he remained in durance, bottling up his revenge. The President of Nevis, one Mr. Herbert, took a great fancy to him, and it was generally reported that he had offered to become Nelson's security for 10,000Z. if he would allow himself to be arrested. It was at his house that Nelson first saw Mrs. Nisbet, the widow of Dr. Nisbet, whom he afterwards married, the lady being then only nineteen years of age. Nelson's letter to his uncle, Mr. Suckling, gives his own description of his future wife's birth, parentage, and education. " Boreas, Nevis, Nov. 14th, 1785. "My Dear Sir, " Not a scrap of a pen have I by the last packet from any relation in England ; but, however, you see I don't think I am forgot — more especially when I open a busi- ness, at which perhaps you will smile, in the first instance, and say, ' This Horatio is for ever in love.' My present attachment is of pretty long standing ; but I was determined to be fixed before I broke the matter to any person. The lady is Mrs. Nisbet, widow of Dr. Nisbet, who died eighteen months after her marriage, and has left her with a son. From her infancy (for her father and mother died when she was only two years of age) she has been brought up by her mother's brother, Mr. Herbert, President of Nevis ; 64 BK.N BRACE. a gentleman wliose fortune and character must be well known to all the West India merchants^ therefore I shall say nothing upon that head. Her age is twenty-two ; and her personal accomplishments you will suppose / think equal to those of any person I ever saw ; but, without vanity, her mental accomplishments are superior to those of most people of eitlier sex : and we shall come together as two persons most sincerely attached to each other from friendship. Her son is under her guardianship, but totally independent of her. " But I must describe Herbert to you, that you may know exactly how I stand ; for when we apply for advice, we must tell all circumstances. Herbert is very rich and very proud — he has an only daughter, and this niece, who he looks upon in the same light, if not higher. I have lived at his house, when at Nevis, since June last, and am a great favourite of his. I have told him I am as poor as Job ; but he tells me he likes me, and I am descended from a good family, which his pride likes ; but he also says, 'Nelson, I am ])roud, and I must live like myself, therefore I can't do much in my lifetime : when I die she shall have 20,000/. ; and if my daughter dies before me, she shall possess the major part of my property. I intend going to England in 17S7, and remaining there my life ; therefore, if you two can live happily together till that event takes place, you have my consent.' " This is exactly my situation with him ; and I know the way to get him to give the most, is not to appear to want it. Thus circumstanced, who can I ajjply to but you."* The regard you have ever expressed for me leads me to hope you will do something. My future happiness, I give you ray honour, is now in your power : if you can- not afford to give me any thing for ever, you will, I am sure, trust to me, that if I ever can afford it, I will return it to some part of your family. I think Herbert will be brought to give her two or three hundred a-year during his life ; and if you will either give me, I will call it — I think you will do it — either one hundred a-year, for a few years, or a thousand pounds, how happy you will make a couple who will pray for you for ever ! Don't disappoint me, or bi:n brace. 65 my heart will break. Trust to my honour to do a good turn for some other person if it is in my power. I can say no more, but trust im.plicitly to your goodness, and pray let me know of your generous action by the first packet." Nelson's love, however, did not prevent him from doing his duty; for he pleaded his own cause, and the vessels were condemned ; but the Treasury, instead of sending thanks to Nelson, sent them to the commander-in-chief, wl'.o was opposed to Nelson in opinion. " Had they known all," said Nelson upon this subject, "1 do not think they would have bestowed thanks in that quarter and have neglected me. 1 feel hurt that, after the loss of health, and risk of fortune, another should be thanked for that which I did against his orders. I either deserved to be sent out of the service, or at least to have had some little notice taken of what I had done. They have thought it worthy of notice, and yet have neglected me. If this is the reward for a faithful discharge of my duty, I shall be careful, and never stand forward again ; but I have done my duty, and have nothing to accuse myself of." Now I will give you another letter from Nelson, and show vou, that although he had the heart of a lion in war he was as meek as a lamb in love, and as affectionate as a seal to his relations : besides, you see, it gives a kind of insight into his very soul. His uncle had written to him, offering assistance in a pecuniary point of view, but not being very rich himself, the accommodation distressed- him. "Boreas, Carlisle Bay, March 9th, 1786. '' My dear Uncle, " Your kind letter of January 3d I received y^sterda) on my arrival here from Nevis. ^Vhen I made applica- tion to you in November, it was, I assure you, not so much considering you in the light of a near relation, as of a sin- cere friend who would do every thing which was proper for the happiness of one who sincerely regarded and esteemed him, and whose friendship was pure, without any interested views in it ; and had it not been for one sentence in your letter, viz. ' your application has in a great degree de- 66 BEN BRACE. prived meofmyfree agency,' I should have been supremely happy ; but my feelings are too quick, aiul I feel sharply what perhapr, others would not, so they gained their ends. That sentence would mak« me suppose that you thought I conceived I had a right to ask pecuniary assistance ; if you did think so, be assured you did me great injustice ; for I was convinced, that whatever you might be kind enough to do for me must spring from your own generous heart, and not from any shadow of right I could be fool enough to suppose I derived from our relationship. Relations are not always the people we are to look up to for doing friendly ofBces. O, my dear uncle! you can't tell what I feel — indeed I can hardly write, or know what I am writing: you would pity me did you know what I suffer by that sen- tence — for although it does not make you act less generous, it embitters my happiness. You must know me, and con- sequently that I am guided by the strictest rules of honour and integrity ; and that had I not been more ambitious of fame than money, I should not most probably have been under the necessity of making the present application to you. No dangers or difficulties shall ever deter me from doing my utmost to provide handsomely for my dearest Fanny, for with the purest and most tender affection do I love her. Her virtues and accomplishments are not more conspicuous than her goodness of heart and gentleness of disposition ; and you will esteem her for herself when you know her. " Your readiness in giving, my dear friend, will not make me more anxious to receive ; for can I live without your putting yourself to the inconvenience of advancing me money, I certainly shall do it, for my disposition is not; that of endeavouring to grasp all it can. The greatest fe- licity I can enjoy is to make her happy: for myself, I can care but little when she is considered ; and I couM lay down my life with pleasure at this moment for her future happiness. After what I have written, you will believe my love is founded upon that strong basis which must have the appearance of enjoying happiness with her. I will endeavour, as much as my indisposed mind will let me, to answer all your questions about her son and herself. BEN BIIACK. 67 " When Mrs. Nisbet marritd. Mr. Herbert promised 2000/. with her ; but as her husband settled in the islantl, '.vhere he died a few months after, it never lias been paid. Mr. H. told me he had given, and should pay to the child. \000L when he grew up ; and that he should bring him up at his expense, and put him in a way of providing for himself. Mr. Nisbet (the gentleman whose wife went astray) was a brother. His estate, I understand from Mr. Herbert, owes, for money lent and attending it as doctor, about SOOO/. currency ; but Dr. Nisbet dying insane, with- out a will, or any papers which were regular, has made this business rather troublesome, as Mr. Nisbet wishes to pay as little as he can help. Mr. Stanley, the attorney- general, whose property is next Mr. Herbert's, and who is his particular friend, has undertaken to settle it for her. She will not get much ; but it must, I conceive, make her little fellow independent. " Her uncle, although he is a man who must have his own way in every thing, yet, 1 believe, has a good and ge- nerous heart, and loves her and her son very sincerely ; and, I have every reason to suppose is as much attached ;o me as to any person who could pay his addresses to his dear Fanny, as he always calls her. Although his income is immense, yet his expenses must be great, as his house is open to all strangers, and he entertains them most hospit- ably. I can't give you an idea of his wealth, for I don't believe he knows it himself. Many estates in that islaml are mortgaged to him. The stock of negroes upon his es- tate, and cattle, are valued at 60,000Z. sterling ; and he sends to England (average for seven years) 500 casks of sugar. His daughter's fortune must be very large ; and as he says, and told me at first, that he looked upon his niece as his child, I can have no reason to suppose that he wiU not provide handsomely for her. I had rather wish that whatever he may do at her marriage may flow sponta- neously from himself. '• I have not an idea of being married till nearly the time of our sailing for England, which I did not tliink was o be till 1787; but report says (which I don't believe, by 68 BKN BIIACB. the by, but you can ask Mr. Stevens), we are to go home this summer ; but I thought it right to know every senti- ment of my friends upon a business of tliis moment." What between love and law, he was obliged to take to physic • so tiiat he flirted with the three black Graces. Any one may see by the following letter what effect it had upon his framework. " Nevis, July 5th, 1786. " Mv DEAR SlU, i'his will be delivered to you by Mr. Suckling, wno has done me the favour of calling here on his way to Eng- land. He appears much improved since I last saw him, and seems to jiossess a modesty of behaviour which must ever get friends and promotion for him. " I wish I could tell you I was well ; but I am far from it: my activity of mind is too much for my puny constitution ; I am worn to a skeleton, but I trust that the doctors and asses' milk will set me up again. Perhaps you will think it odd if I do not mention Mrs. Nisbet : I can only assure you that her heart is equal to her head, which every person knows is filled with good sense. My affection for her is fixed upon that solid basis of esteem and regard, that I trust can only increase by a longer know- ledge of her. I have not a line from either my father or sister. My brother just mentioned it in a cursory manner as you did. I hope you and your family are well, and ever will continue so. You have been my best friend, and I trust will continue as long so as I shall prove myself by my actions worthy of supplying that place in the service of my country which my dear uncle left for me. I feel my- self, to my country, his heir, and i-j 'Jiall, I am bold to say^ never lack the want of his counsel; I feel he gave it to me a* a legacy, and had I been near him when he was removeii, he would have said, ' My boy, I leave you to my country : serve her well, and she 11 never desert^ but will ultimately reward you.' You who know much of me, I believe and hope, think me not unworthy your regards. " But I beg your pardon for this digression ; but what I have said is the inward monitor of my heart upon every BKN HIJACK. 69 difficult ccc.ision. IJless you^ my best friend, and bclicvfc rr.e most affectionately, •" Horatio Nelson." " William SuDkliiig, Esq." It is nothing very new to say, tliat when once a man gets into love he is the most obstinate creature that walks the earth. Nelson was in love, and he married on the 1 1 th March, 178?. I was there of course, and I saw Prince William Henry, his present ^lajesty, — God bless him ! Yes, Nelson i;ot married and I got drunk. It 's a faint heart whicli never rejoices ; and although I can say that I never boused my jib up on board since I entered tlie ser- vice, yet I must confess that now and then, in order to do honour to the service — that is, four times a year — once for Lord St. Vincent's action, or rather Nelson's bridge build- ing (I'll explain that as I spin out my life), the Nile, Copenhagen, and Trafalgar, — I get as royal as a Scotch piper; although, when it comes to the last action, and which is in winter-time, I drink my first glass in solemn silence for the loss of my old commander, and then I give three cheers for the victory. Nelson was married, and many a man in the service thought he was ruined ; for I have heard those say Avho know nothing about the business, " that a man is never properly ruined until he is spliced : " but we feel, I tliink, as much disposed to gain high re^vards when we know that the woman with whom we have shared our lives is to share in the honours; and although it may be true that in a des- perate business of cutting out, a man remembers his wife and eight small children, yet few are the instances on re- cord of a sailor proving himself deficient in couraize bccaust he was married. Nelson thought that love is not to be drowned ; but this opinion was written before his marriage. " We are often separate " (this is written to the widow), " but our affections are not by any means on that account diminished. Our country has the first demand for our ser- vices, and private convenience or happiness must ever give way to the public good. Duty is tlie great business of a 70 BEN BRACE. sea-officer : all private considerations must give way to itj however painful. Have you not often heard that salt water and absence wash away love ? Now I am such a heretic as n„I to believe that article; for^ behold, every morning I have had six pails of saltwater poured upon my head, and instead of finding what seamen say to be true, it goes on so contrary to the prescription, that you must see me perhaps before the fixed time. To write letters to you is the next greatest pleasure I feel to receiving them from you. What I experienced when I read such as I am sure are the pure sentiments of your heart, my poor pen cannot express : nor, indeed, would I give m.uch for any pen or head which could express feelings of that kind. Absent from you I feel no pleasure : it is you who are every thing to me — without you I care not for this world ; for I have found lately nothing in it but vexation and trouble. These are my present sentiments — God Almighty grant they may never change ; .nor do I think they will — indeed there is, as far as human knowledge can judge, a moral certainty that they cannot ; for it must be real affection that brings us together, not interest or compulsion." That was a happy ship, that Boreas. We had all man- ner of amusements on board, from play-acting am.ongst the officers to single-stick between the men ; and when the hiu-ricane-months came on, we used to shelter in English Harbour, Antigua, and took to music and dancing as if we had been French skipjacks. We came home in June; and Nelson was none the better for the heat of his love and the leat of the climate, so the Admiralty thought they would cool him again, — and by way of doing this, they kept the Old ship at the Nore as a receiving vessel till the end of November, when she was paid off. Nelson did not relish this treatment, and he said out loud to the first lieutenant, the morning we went iuto the Medway, ' It is my firm de- termination never again to set foot on board a King's ship. The ship was jiaid off, and the captain, after again fioing to court, went to Burnham Thorpe, and I went to Caw- san;i Bay. Bi:X BBACE. 71 CHAPTER VII. Yes ! the hope of return is the joy of a tar : 'T is his compass, his helm ; 't is his guide and his sta. 'T IS impressed on his bosom the niduienl he sails ; It shortens long nights, and it quickens light gales. — Sea *-jt^ I don't know how it is, but it is certain that there is no subject a man likes to talk about so much as his misfor- tunes and his sweetheart : the first always raises his mind, and the second his heart ; and that man is sure to be reck- oned a friend who can listen to either. I remember my sweetheart when she was young, hand- some, sprightly, with eyes all fire, and with the sweetest lips that ever man kissed ; but now Mr. Time has taken some few liberties with her figure-head ; and I don't think she walks so well as she did, for she s got rather of a broken back, do you see, which makes her sail by the head; so it s very dangerous when she goes down hill, which I think we are all doing. When Captain and Mrs. Nelson went down to their father, who, poor fellow ! was very sick, and had been condemned by the doctors forty years before he was broken up, I got leave to go to Cawsand ; and as I had saved my pay, and got a little addition from my new captain, that is Mrs. Nelson, I took good care to profit by former experi- ence, and not to talk about gold-dust to any chaps who had not been to the coast of Africa ; so I had it all sewed into my neckhandkerchief, excepting the present service store, which 1 tied up in the corner. Because, do you see, in those times, although we had long tails, we had no pockets, and I thought no pirate should take my cargo without cut- ting my throat. Away I went '• with a light heart and a thin pair of breeches," as the song says ; and 1 fell in with the Plymouth waggon. " G od day to you, my jolly sailor," said the waggoner, " }ou must have been in foreign oarts, T suppose, for you ore as brown as a gipsy ? " 72 BEN BRACE. " Just SO, old Blowhard^" says I ; " and now, do you see, J. am going to moor ship for a full due." " Nay, sir," said he, " I don't know the place — we don't pass through it. There's Dart-wioor, but that's on t'other road; and there's Moorfields, but that's t'other side of Lunnun, ; but Moreship — no, I never heard of it afore; it's nowhere here abouts, and it's not near Ply- mouth." " Yes, buc it is," says I ; '• it 's at Cawsand Bay." " I say, master sailor," replied the old waggoner, " you bean't very mad, be you? or I can't let you get into the waggon, for there's a poor woman in there with her child." " What, a sail !" said I ; •'' then here goes, old boy, for an overhaul." I jumped into the waggon ; and there sure enough I saw a pretty young creature, with a poor little half-starved infant. " What cheer, missus ? " said I : " you seem liere m the doldrums. Why, what 's the matter? Is your hus- band dead ? " She held down her head, and I hardly knew what to say — I was taken right aback. So I tried again. Although I don't think our voices are soft enough for consolation, yet, when I had turned my quid to cool in my pocket, and had given my mouth a slight heel to starboard, I thought I spoke more like a parson. " If you're hard up on a clinch," said I, for I could not help talking like a sailor, " and no knife to cut tlie seizings, here's money enough to buy one, and set you on your legs again. Come, talk, that's a good woman • — it will do you good. Nothing eases the mind so much as a flourish of the tongue, or a stiff glass ; and I have often heard an officer say, when the watch on deck moved rather slowly, that it did him good to get rid of a good round oath. What's the matter, my cherub?" and I took hold of her hand. Lord bless you ! as gently as if she had been a chap with the yellow fever. AFell, I can 't say I w,'is much pleased when she withdrew it as if I had jioisoned her, and commenced abusing sailors all in a bunch. BEX BRACK. 73 " Come, come, missus," said I, " we 're not all as bad as you think us. If it's money you want, I 'II p:ive you as m.uch as I can spare ; but I 'm going down to Cawsand Bay to get married, and must keep a little for ribbons, you know." "Well, at this she gave a sigh from the bottom of her heart, and says slie, " I hope you will be more happy than I have been." " Thank you, ma'am," said I, "^ with all my heart. Now let me stow your hold with some of the provisions of life : tell me, what 's the matter with you } " " I am starving, and my child is dying," she replied. " My husband — no, no, not my husband — has deserted me ; I have not a farthing to buy me a crust of bread, and am tired of my life, and of the trouble I have undergone." The waggon now stopped, and the Avaggoner brought a piece of bread and some beer for the poor creature. Lord ! my heart was all alive, to think that a poor fellow who had to work so hard for his money, and to walk all his life though he had a waggon alongside of him, should have so much charity as to share the little he had witli a stranger, whom hardly any other would have assisted. He pressed her very kindly to eat, saying, " There, my good young woman, cheer up, and eat: you really do look very fatigued; but don't disturb yourself — you may ride all the way to Ply- mouth, and I '11 do all I can to assist you." At this 1 jumped out of the waggon, and, taking him by the hand, says I, " Who the devil ever made you a waggoner, when you have generosity enough for a sailor? You have all the credit, however, of doing what every man ought to do, and. as I am the richest man, I shall pay the piper." After a good deal of disputing as to who should pay, we split the difference, each agreeing to bear half the expense; and that being arranged, I got into the waggon again. The woman seemed to be about two or three-and-tweuty, with fine large daik eyes and hair, which, although rough and neglected, was long enough for one of the crew of old Ben- bow's barge. The child had a remarkable mole exactly between the two eyes, nearly as large as a sixpence, and was so plain to be seen, that any person who saw the in- 74 BhJN BRACE. fant once might swear to her ever after. Although I always am mighty polite to the fair sex, and have such a wheed- ling tongue that I can come at the secrets of tlieir hearts, yet this woman beat me ; I could not get any thing out of her, but that she was taking the child to her grandmother, who now had no children ; and that, although it wore her to death to take care of it, yet she did not think she could bear to part with her, for although her ruin, the child was now her greatest consolation. I asked her for her name; this however she would not tell me ; and I could not get her to say one word in regard to him who had caused her auflPerings. As we neared Plymouth she became worse and worse. " Pray, young woman," says I, "what are you going to do when you get to Plymouth ? " ''Beg my bread from the man who has left me." "But supposing he turns you away empty-handed?" " Then I will die, " she replied, " and put an end to all my misery in this world." " That's all wrong," said I. " No sentinel can leave his post until he is relieved ; and the look-out man would taste the cat if he shut his eyes before his time was out. Then to commit a murder upon one's self ! Lord love you, I would sooner cut the throats of half the French nation than let daylight into my own, excepting in the natural way, which a man does when he is sleepy or hungry, and opens his mouth to gape or to eat. No, you must not talk of this, my good Avoman ; it is all wrong, depend upon it." We had only another mile to go. So I untied my neck- erchief, and took my knife out of my pocket, " Hold this end, young woman," said I, and I ripped open the maga- zine and took out some money. " Now, there 's some shiners for you." She looked at the money, and then at the child, as much as to say, " We need not part yet." But I shoved in my oar, and said, ' Take an old sailor's advice ; leave the young one with the grandmother, buy some new rigging, and go to service like a Christian, and don't be having a penn'o'rth of steps at Point or Stonehouse — that always leads to evil with you pretty creatures. If you get a place, and are BEN BRACE. 75 honest and hard-working, you will soon be able to look after the young one again ; and although your upper-works may be damaged, I think the steerage of your heart is all right and clear. There, put it in your pocket ; and if one sailor has injured you, another has relieved you ; so don't abuse us all as you did do." She took my hand, and looking earnestly in my face for the first time, she blessed me. " Tell me," said she, " who you are." " No, ma'am," says I, " fair play 's a jewel ; you keep your own name safe, and I '11 keep mine ; then there's no reckoning to be brought against us hereafter. I see enough thanks in your eyes to float a jolly-boat ; so good-b'ye, my little black-eyed cherub ! I say, old waggoner, here 's your money, and more to boot ; and the next time you see Ben Brace " A hurried exclamation from the woman stopped what I was going to say. Away I started, and some one called after me ; but I thought every inch a mile until I was at Mutton Cove, then in the ferry round by ]\Iount Edge- combe ; and Avith one kind of hornpipe step, 1 made a jump to father's door, and taking off my small straw hat, 1 gave three loud cheers and popped into the cottage. Mother seemed to have expected me, for I had written to her. Father Avas out fishing. My tail was down to my stern-post. I had on a pair of ducks, tight round the waist, with enough canvass in the legs of them to dress an Irish family ; a pair of sailor's shoes, with about a yard of ribbon in each, for I never liked buckles ; and about as neat a jacket as you could see of a summer's day. At the moment I approached the cottage, I did not see a figure in black standing close alongside of me. All of a sudden, however, I saw her — I drew back — my knees shook — I opened my arms, and just as the dear creature began to grow dim to my sight, she rushed into my arms, and I kissed her. It was Susan. — Sruch a craft ! eyes like the lights that welcome us home when Ave first make the Lizard — figure, face, feet, — d — me if ever any one s^w such a beauty ! I could see from the way she embraced me that she liked rae : it was not * — not a bit of it;" so I tried again. I went steadily along the house, when I distinguished a woman seated under the lee of the stone, in order to shelter herself from the inclemency of the weather. " Hulloa, messmate ! " said I, " you have got a bad berth of it here : why, you will be blown to pieces before morning." " Leave me," said the woman, — " leave me to die .' I have lost my child for ever ; it has been taken from me ; and I have waited here watching the door which enclosty my infant, but is clcscd against me. And now, the soosiei I die the better ! " I thought I recollected the voice ; it was that of the poor forlorn creature who had come down with me in the waggon. Raising her up, for what with cold and hunger she could scarcely stand without support, I led her towards the cottage. My father opened the door ; and immediately the old man rushed forward, he seized the woman by the arm, exclaiming, "^ Jane, Jane ! do I live to see you again ; to bless you my poor lost one — to comfort you \" BE.V BIIACK. 0.> It was my poor sister Jane ! I never saw such a scene. There was slie, dripping wet, lying along the floor; she never spoke or cried — she was dried up by grief ; and there was father, the rough old fisherman, whose life had been one struggle against storms, now beaten, fairly beaten. My mother had raised Jane's head and placed it on her knees. A\'^lienever I see a fellow looking calmly on such scenes of affliction, or when, in the last rattle of death, the by- stander is without a tremor, I always think he must be either a doctor or a brute. We get accustomed to death, to be sure, and that is the excuse for the former : and he would make but a poor surgeon who felt the wound he inflicted. But with us — we who are paid for being shot — why, it would ill become us not to feel for others. ^Vell, we got all hands to bed ; and the next morning I was as light as a cork, and skipped about like one of the figures we see in Punch's box. Before we piped to break- fast, I was on my road to Susan's, which was about a hundred yards from our house. She was up, and received me very kindly : she saw 1 was in high spirits, and asked me the reason. " Jane 's come back, Susan," said /. " Why, what — how you look. You 11 come, I know, and see her, and be her friend, as you used to be." "No, no, Mr. Brace," she answered; "that I c n never do. Think what the world would say." " Tliat sounds, Susan," said I, " like as much as to say, you never will shake hands with my sister again, — that you won't be her friend now that she most requires it." ^ Certainly, Mr. Brace," said she, " that is what I m.ean." " Then you never shall say that you are Mrs. Brace. I teW you what it is. Miss Susan " (you see I came the cap- tain over her), "your heart is not in the right place, or you would feel for Jane, and rather endeavour to raise than to trample on her — So, good-by to you ! We part company from this moment: and hereafter, when that attorney has cheated you out of your person and your pro- 86 BEN BUACE. perty, you will think of the sailor — the coxswain of Nel- son." Then taking off my hat, I made her a proper bow, lift- ing up my left leg to keep the balance even as I bobbed my head and right hand : " Good-by to you^ Miss Susan ! I hope you may feel the satisfaction which 1 feel at this moment." I just took a last look, and I saw her lift her apron to her eyes, then run into her house. " There," said I, as I nearly ran foul of the attorney on my way home, — "there's a clear coast for you to smuggle upon, old Tapes : but use Susan well, for she is a nice craft after all, and we part friends : so, tip us yoiu: flipper, and good luck to you both ! " CHAPTER Vlll. Now close 'longside of stout Moiinseer, A British broadside pour'd ; " Again," cried I, " boys, never fear, We 've shot enough aboard. Helm-a-weather now ; now lay her close ; Vard-arm and yard-arm now she lies; Again, boya, give her t' other dose, Man shrouds and grapple, or she flies '. " — Sea Song. I FOUND I could not remain in Cawsand after this business ; so I left my money with the old people, and returned to Nelson. It was on the 30th of January, 1793, that I left Burnham with my captain to join the Agamemnon : and now, we begin to get a-head in our history. During the time I had been down in the country, 1 had learnt to garden ; for Nelson was very fond of that employment, ^nd he was one of those men who never could be idle. He «ras always active, always alive, and never walked about with his hands in his pockets, as if he was feehng for his money, and wondering where the devil he was to find it. I had got rid of my sweetheart, and I did not care a fig when I heard, by a letter from Jane, a full account of the marriage of Susan with Tapes. I was digging potatoes BKX nitAci:. 87 when I began to think of it, nnd, said T, as T turned up a whole parcel of the roots, " Women are like you, all the better for dressing ; and not unfrequently when you have taken off the finest skin, you find the lieart is rotten, — nay, sometimes the fairest blossom of you contains the most poison : T 'm much better single." So in that way I argued myself into the conviction that whatever is, is right; and I shovelled away with a light heart and willing hand. The Agamemnon was ordered to the Mediterranean, and made one of a fleet under the command of Lord Hood: and shortly after our arrival off Toulon, we were sent to Naples, with despatches for Sir William Hamilton. Our business being concluded at Naples, we sailed to jom Commodore Linzee at Tunis, and on the way we had a little bit of a brush with five sail of French ships — three forty- four-gun frigates, a corvette of twenty- four, and a biig of twelve guns. We only mustered three hundred and forty-five men ; for we had left some behind in prizes captured off Toulon, and some we had landed We soon got into action ; but it was playing at long balls. The Frenchmen had tlie heels of us, and although we main- tained a running fight for three hours with one of the fri- gates, we had nearly silenced her, when a change of wind soon gave her the advantage of escaping, and left us nicely riddled about the rigging. The other ships, which had crowded all sail to her assistance, did not renew the action with us ; and we were left to repair damages, whilst they made sail and escaped together. From Tunis we rejoined the admiral ; and shortly after- wards we v/ere despatched with a small squadron to co- operate Avith General Paoli, in Corsica. Here we had plenty to do — for Nelson kept us most actively employed: we were cutting out one day, landing the next, and so on during the whole time, until some misunderstanding took place between the Admiral and General Dundas about the attack on Bastia. Lord Hood then resolved to reduce it by the naval force alone, and he came himself with a large part of the fleet to Bastia. Nelson was the oldest captain employed upon this service, for the admiral had left his senior officers to blockade Toulon. The only men we had HS UK.V liRACE. froTii the army were a few artillerymen ; and we began the siege with eleven hundred and eighty-three soldiers, artil- lerymen, and marines, and two hundred and fifty sailors, — all belonging, with the exception of the artillery, to the fleet. " Wc are but few," said Nelson, " but of the right sort. Our general at St. Fiorenzo will not give us one man of the five regiments he has there lying idle." It was on the 4th of April, 1 794', that we landed, under the command of Lieutenant-colonel Villettes and Nelson. To be sure, we had work enough. We lugged the guns ■which we landed, on heights which at first seemed only to be got at by monkeys ! Nelson cheered us ; he was every where, his eye was on every one of us ; and, one and all. we put a willing hand to the rope. We were constant in our exertions. Nor were our enemies idle. They had bor- rowed fresh courage from our delay : they built new works, and repaired the old : night or day made no difference. We saw them at work; and we perceived that one hour of wavering is a year to a besieged enemy. Their furnaces were in readiness ; and it was evident that they had the greatest confidence of success ; firstly, from our slender number, — and secondly, from their increased fortifications. But, as we advanced our works, the enemy gradually gave way, and on the 20th May, one thousand regular troops, fifteen hundred national guards, and a large party of Cor- sican troops, laid down their arms to one thousand two hundred soldiers, marines, and seamen. It was one of those bloodless victories which are gained by steady perse- verance and undaunted courage. The cartd which conveyed the prisoners to Toulon brought back information that the French fleet were all a taunto, and ready for sea ; and we were soon under weigh, in company with Lord Hood, for Hieres. We saw the French fleet off St. Tropez ; but the wind was so scant, that we were unable to get between them and the land, and cut thern ofi": besides which their boats came out from Antibes and lent a hand to tow them within the shoals of Gourjean Roads, and iilace both broadsides. We could not miss if we would, — it was muzzle to muzzle, and blaze away, my hearties ! "There's for your grand nation, and sans-culottes!" said Bill Simmons, who spoke French like a Spanish cow. — " And there 's for your soup meagre tureen ! " said Tom Sykes, the man that afterwards, in the battle of Trafalgar, 5xed the worm into a Frenchman's jacket, and hauled him overboard, sliaking him off" like you would a wad. It was "blaze away, my hearties !" until down came both their tricoloured rags ; and Andrews, one of our lieutenants — a man. Nelson said, who was as gallant an officer as ever BEN BRACE. Q3 Stepped a quarter-deck — hoisted the English colours on boai d of both of them. The rest of the Frencli fleet escaped ; but had Hood or Nelson commanded But, avast there ! we must not be throwing poisoned shot at any of our admirals ! The attack wiis daring ; the resistance, as far as concerns the two ships captured, desperate ; and bravery is more shown in the advance into action than in the noise and the tumult, when a man, although a coward by nature, fights natu- rally. 1 think in that business of Napier's who they call Cape St. Vincent, the gallantry of the action was in the determination to attack so superior a force ; for none but a really brave man would have ventured on so desperate an action. Some envious men say, the Miguelite fleet did not fight: no, they did not fight as they might have done, that is true enough ; but that cannot detract from the bravtry of the English leader, who planned the at- tack, and who made it almost unsupported. I have called our fight a brush, and I '11 tell you why — Nelson called it only a b)-ush — and here's his letter. " Agamemnon, Porto Espccia, March 22d, 1795. " My Dear Sir, " The event of our brush with the French fleet you will know long before this reaches you, and I know you will participate in the pleasure I must have felt in being the great cause of our success. Could I have been supported, I would have had Ca-Ira on the I.'^th, which might pro- bably have increased our success on the next day. The enemy, notwithstanding their red-hot shot and shells, must now be satisfied (or we are ready to give them further proof's) that England yet reigns mistress on the seas ; and I verily believe our seamen have lost none of their courage, and sure I am, that had the breeze continued so as to ha^e allowed us to close with, the enemy, we should have destroyed their whole fleet. They came out to tight us, and yet, when they found us, all their endea- vours were used to avoid an action. But accidents will happen to us as to others : a few days after the action we BF.X BRACE. met with a very heavy gale of wind, which has driven '.he Illustrious on shore ; but we have some faint hopes ihe may yet be saved. Our prizes are almost refitted ; md to-morrow we sail for Corsica. I beg leave to trouble you with a letter for Mrs. Nelson, and have to beg you will give my kindest remembrances to Mrs. Sr.ckling, Miss Suckhng, and all the family, not foi-getting Mr. Rjimsey anci family. Believe me ever " Your most affectionate * Horatio Nelson." I thought Nelson would have gone mad when he saw the French fleet steering away unpursued ; and when he heard the admiral say^ " We must be contented ! we have done well enough " ! — " Why," said he, " if I had taken ten sail and allowed the eleventh to escape, when it had been pos- sible to get at her, I should never have called it well done. Ay," said he, "if I had commanded on the 14th, either the whole fleet would have graced my triumph, or I should have been in a confounded scrape." They made him a colonel of marines about this time; I suppose, because he had commanded so like a soldier at Calvi : and he was pleased at this, for I have often heard him say, "that he thought he deserved it." We were all of *us now more fit for the dock-yard than the Gulf of Lyons ; we were miserably short in regard to numbers, and although Admiral Man arrived with a squadron from England, con- sisting of five sail of the line, yet the French had a vast superiority as to numbers. We were more used to the work, however ; we did not mind shot, as Nelson said of us, no more than peas ; and we were very anxious to have another brush. iiT.:r BHAjE. ')S CHAPTER IX. ShoiiM the foe hear in sight, and all hands call'd on deck, J.')on't thii.k .idly sailors are cow'd : No — "e Ml teach them the old British flag to respect. And bid them defiance aloud. — Sea Song. Many's the tough yarn we used to twist on board the old Agamemnon, and very little time had we to sleep or play 'sling the monkey. Vet often when the moon shines brightly, and the ship slips through the water steadily and quietly, — like some men get through life, the ripple under the bows, and the bubbles as they pass, being something like the rebukes we meet with, and the pleasures which we have left far, far behind us, — some of us., grown careless as to rest from constant activity, would come to an anchor under the lee of the bulwark, or form a circle before the foremast, and spin out long stories of our actions. I cannot stop here, however, to clear away the cobwebs of ray memory, and tell the sprees of a seaman's life, for I am close on board the battle of St. Vincent. After the brush we were sent to co-operate with the Austrian and Sardinian armies under General de Vins ; and we had to run away from our enemy, or we should have paid a visit to Toulon. We used to laugh at Nelson's running away ; but thus it happened. We fell in ofF Cape ■ del ^lele with the whole of the Frencli fleet, and, as we were only three ships, they made sail after us. Well, we turned tail and made sail for St. Fiorenzo, where we had left our fleet watering and refitting; and for seven hours it was a toss up if we went to heaven or to prison ; but when the evening began to close in, the French made sail away. During the night Admiral Ho- tham managed to get out, and we went in pursuit of the enemy. The fifth day we saw them, but we were cursed with those Mediterranean calms, which, like a lady's face, is ready to show the smallest breeze which comes over the countenance. The French got in-shore of us, and we were l»calme in order to attack a considerable convoy in Alassio ; but the new admiral, who did not know Nelson quite as well as Lord Hood did, instead of complying with the request,, reduced the squadron under our orders to only one frigate- and one brig. Old Vins was always too late ; whenever- he attacked a magazine or store, he invariably found it- empty, and was told, that had he made the attempt a week previously, he would have made a grand prize. At last the French gun-boats harassed the left flank oS old De Vins' army at Pietra, and before he could remedv the evil a general panic ensued. The Commander-in-chiet Vins gave up the comma:id in the middle of the battle, pleading ill health, and (here's some of Nelson's letters for the rest) " From that moment not a soldier stayed at his post — it was the devil take the hindmost. Many thousands ran away who had never seen the enemy, some of them thirty miles from the advanced posts. Had I not, though I own against my inclination, been kept at Genoa, from eight t&' ten thousand men would have been taken prisoners, and amongst the number General de Vins hi'-nself ; but by this means the pass of the Bochetta was kepi open. The pur- ser of the ship, who was at Vado, ran with the Austrians eighteen miles without stopping ; the men without arms, officers without soldiers, women without assistance. The- oldest officers say they never heard of so complete a defeat, and certainly without any reason. Thi;& has ended my campaign ; we have established the French republic, which but for us, I verilv believe, would never have been settlet? by such a volatile, changeable people. I hate a Frenchman ; they are equally objects of my detestation, whether royalist or republican ; in some points I believe the latter are the best." After this we went to Leghorn to refit, where we wenV into dock : it was not before we wanted it, for the hul, '^as so riddled that we had secured it with cables. H 98 BKN BRACE. Sir John Jervis had now taken command of the fleet, and we being patched up, joined him in St. Fiorenzo Bay. Wc afterwards took up our old station jfF Genoa ; and here it was that we first heard of Bonaparte, and his rapid suc- cesses : for, from the time he beat the Austrians at Monte- notte, a fortnight had scarcely elapsed before the Court of Turin acceded to his orders of peace, and all the strongest places in Piedmont were placed in his hands. We managed to get hold of six vessels laden with cannon and ordnance stores, which, for a time, checked the French conqueror. Captain Cockburn, who commanded the Me- leager^, assisted at this business; upon this occasion we drove the convoy under the batteries, silenced them, and took the ships. It was in 1796 that the English evacuated Corsica, and Nelson's determined manner was the cause of each English merchant securing his property, which previously had been confiscated by the new government; and on the 14th October we had managed to save public stores to the amount of 200,000/. Tlie French, on the 20th, having landed near Cape Corse, on the 18th entered the town one hour after Nelson, who was the last man who had left it. Nelson now hoisted his broad pendant on board the Mi- nerva frigate, commanded by Captain George Cockburn. I went with him, of course ; for I was his right-hand valet, his deputy clerk, his coxswain, and his oldest fol- lower. We were bound to Porto Ferrajo, and we did not get there without another brush. The fact is, that we were never out of the way of old Death, and he always had his greedy paw out to catch some of us. We fell in with two Spanish frigates, the Sabina and the Ceres, and of course we attacked one of them without loss of time. Nelson said one Englishman was worth two Frenchmen, and consequently six Spaniards. We engaged the Sabina for three hours, and we sent one hundred and sixty-four men to their long account. The captain, one Don Jacobo Stuart, was the only officer left ; he fought like a Briton, and, as his name was Jacob Stuart, there was no wonder in that. We had just got the prize in tow, when the Ceres hauls BEN BirACIC. 9^ up for a dust : we cast off the laize and tackled her, and in half an hour she had received quite enough of our shots, iind had hauled off, Avhen two line-of-battle ships and two iVigates, all enemies, hove in sight. It was now no time to be making prizes, so we made sail ; the enemy recap- tured their ship ; we got to Porto Ferrajo in safety. The whole naval establishment was withdrawn from Elba, and we then (early in 1797) sailed for Gibraltar with a convoy. It was on the 13th February that we communicated to the admiral. Sir John Jervis, that we had seen the Spanish fleet off the mouth of the Straits. Nelson was instantly desired to hoist his broad pendant on board the Captain, seventy-four, commanded by Captain R. W. Miller ; and by the time I had stowed my hammock in the nettings, I looked aloft on board the admiral's ship, and there was the signal to prepare for action. I had seen that so often, that I did not want the signal-book to teach me. At daybreak the next morning we caught sight of them being then in the order for sailing in two lines. The morning was dark and hazy, and at half-past six the Cul- loden made the signal for five sail in the south-west quar ter : at eight the signal was flying for " prepare for ac tion." It wanted no officer to stimulate the men ; they were warm for the business ; and although La Bonne Citoyenne made the signal that the enemy's fleet consisted of twenty-five sail of the line, whilst we had only fifteen sail of the line, four frigates, a sloop, and a cutter, there was -not a man fore and aft the deck that did not think some of the Spaniards would be seen in Spithead with at English flag on board of them. When I first saw them distinctly, I began to rub my eyes and look at the commodore : he was all alive and merry ; he walked quickly up and down the deck, rubbed his hands, looked again, and seemed just as pleased as if he was meeting an old friend. When I looked out of the main-deck port, however, and saw a four-decker of at least one hundred and thirty-six guns, six three-deckers of one hundred and twelve, two eighty-fours, eighteen seventy- fours, making in all twenty-seven sail of the line, with tea , frigates an<2 a brig, I began to think that we were in for a H 2 100 UKN CUACE. oloody business, out of which we could never retreat^ and only to be won by such men as Jervis and Nelson. The ships first telegraphed by the Culloden were, when first discovered, separated from the main body, which was bearing down to join the separated vessels. We first eu' deavoured to cut off* these five ships ; but the main body of the fleet becoming too near for this experiment, we formed into '" a line of battle ahead," giving up the chase and pi-eparing for a serious business. Every man in the navy goes through some awful scenes ; but there is nothing like the dead quiet on board a man-of- war before the fight begins. When every thing is ready — and we, God knows ! are ready enough to do our duty — when we get tourniquets and devilments to clap on the wounded, and when we look about us amongst old and tried shipmates, then it is that a curious kind of cold feeling runs through the bravest of us all. There we are, standing to our guns, with nothing to divert the thought ; and then it is that a thousand ideas occur of home and all our dearest friends. The morning was foggy, and this concealed our numbers from the enemy, who believed, on the authority of an Ame- rican, that we had only nine sail of the line : but Admiral Parker with five sail of the line had joined, and so had we and the Culloden, between the admiral's boarding the Ame- rican and the American communicating with the Spanish admiral, one Don Joseph de Cordova. At daylight we were in compact order close together, whilst the Spaniards were straggling : the look-out ship of the enemy not getting her signal heeded, hoisted another, saying, that our fleet consisted of forty sail of the line. This puzzled old Cor- dova, and frightened the whole fleet ; for it was on the authority of the American that we were so inferior that, instead of going into Cadiz as Cordova intended, he had been, indeed in search of our fleet, in order to crush us by his overpowering force. When, however, he came to find by the false signal that we were nearly double his number, he made a cross and blessed himself. At about twenty minutes after eleven the admiral made the signal lo pass throu^jh the enemy's line. Owing, how BEN BRACE. 101 ever, to the press of sail he carried, the enemy could not form in regular order before we were close aboard of them ; so that Troubridge, in the Culloden, had liardly fired at the enemy's headmost ship to windward, before tlie rest of our ships came up, passed right through their straggling line, cut off nine ships from the main body, and then tacked. We then poured broadside upon broadside into the nearest ships. That part of the Spanish fleet thus completely cut off, formed on the larboard tack, with the intention of passing through, or to leeward of, the English line : but we gave them such a warm salute, and received them so heartily, that they soon tacked and stood off, and did not appear in the action until their comrades had lost the day. Having disposed of this division, the admiral made the signal to tack in succession (I remember it all as yesterday, because I was placed *o assist the signal officer), and accordingly the headmost ships did tack. But Nelson, who was stationed in the rear of the British line, and who had the better opportunity of remarking all the enemy's tactics, observed the Spaniards bear up, in order to join their scat- tered ships, and likewise to form their line again. This was a well-planned manoeuvre ; but Nelson was alive to the consequences in a moment, and therefore, without any hesitation, he disobeyed the order to tack, and wore, directly he had passed the Spanish rear. In executing this bold and decisive evolution, the commodore found himself along- side of the Spanish admiral, in the Santissima Trinidada, the four-decker I mentioned before. She was big enough to swallow us up. I'm blessed if I don't think she might have stowed us in the main hold, and our trucks would not have come above the combings of the main hatchway ! — but this was a trifle. We had, besides this monster, the San Josef Cshe that maiiy a time has had an English ad- miral's flag on board since) of one hundred ami twelve guns; the Salvador del Mundo (we have seen her keeping guard, I think, in Plymouth, for these last five-and-twenty years) ; the San Nicholas, eighty, and tl:e San Isidore, seventy-four. This was odds against us ; and Troubridge galLmtly made sail to support us in the very imequal fights We two fought the whole batch of them for more than i02 BEN BRA.CE. half an hour. The roar of the guns, the immense smoke, the cries of the wounded^ the orders of the commodore, took away from any of us, if we had it^ the reflection of the unequal contest. Cheers after cheers followed — we were determined to conquer. I have heard some great man say, " They can conquer who believe they can." Up comes the Blenheim, commanded by Captain Frederick ; he passed between us and our enemy, and poured a tremendous fire into the Spaniard ; it caused the Salvador del Mundo and San Isidore to drop astern, and there they found, pushing up to our support, the Excellent, Captain Collingwood^ who took the liberty to break some of the cabin windows, and to spoil the paint and filigree-work abaft. Both ships struck ; and CoUingwood, who thought some one else might pick up the wounded birds, pressed on to support us (for we were getting it rather warmly), when the near approach of Admiral Parker, with the Prince George, Orion, Irresistible, and Diadem, determined the Spanish admiral to relinquish his attempt of rejoining the ships to leeward ; and he made the signal for the main body to haul their wind and make sail on the larboard tack. At this time we were hard at it with three first-rates. The San Nicholas and two other vessels wei-e firing into us, and we were, of course, returning them as much iron for use as we could spare. It was then that CoUingwood, who never forgot a friend or spared an enemy, said that the Blenheim was a-head disabled, ai.d the Culloden was crippled astern of us ; he therefore came up, man-of-war fashion, took the mainsail off the Excellent, as if he were going to dine with the admiral, and, passing within ten feet of the San Nicholas, poured in such a broadside as jiearly to send her to old Nick — after which, I believe, she was named — and passed on to the Santissima Trinidada. The San Nicholas luffed up, — and well she might, for it would have slewed any stern, — and fell on board the Sau Josef, and we placed ourselves close alongside of them, making three abreast, thus giving both of them the advan- tage of our generosity, whilst only one of them could return It. We were properly disabled ; every rope Avas cut to pieces, the fore-topmast was gone, and we had not a shroud BEN BRACE. 103 left to support a mast ; but we had still a little head-way. Nelson ordered the captain to put the helm a-starboard, and we ran on board the San Nicholas. " Boarders, fore and aft ! " was the cry. You may see the picture in the Painted Hall, with the admiral in a cocked-hat heading the boarders. Captain Berry, who had been the commodore's first lieutenant, led the way, and was the first man on the enemy's mizen chains. The spritsail yard of the Captain having passed over the enemy's poop, got foul of the mizen rigging, and thus steadied us. Berry was not a second without a supporter ; for Lieutenant Pearson, who com- manded a detachment of the 69th regiment, then doing duty on board as marines, gallantly followed the noble example, and passed into the San Nicholas. One of the soldiers broke the upper quarter gallery window and jumped in ; and the commodore and myself were soon at his heels, having lots of our crew close behind us. We found the cabin-doors fastened ; but what 's a door to an English sailor but a place to pass through } which we did in a second, without using the hinges. We pushed on to the deck, and there was our gallant shipmates in pos- session of the poop — the Spanish ensign down, the ship our^. The commander of her was mortally wounded, and Nelson was just in time to receive his sword. Every pre- caution was instantly taken to secure the prize ; but we did not do it in quiet. The stern of the San Josef was directly on the weather- beam of the San Nicholas ; and the enemy opened a brisk and destructive fire upon our men, now on tlie upper deck of the prize. Nelson saw that to remain was fatal; he must cither go on or retreat. He only knew how to do one ; although the other shows the good officer, they say, more than the advance. — More men were sent from the Captain : " Follow me," said Nelson : " Westminster Ab- bey or victory ! " Berry assisted the commodore into the main-chains, and I was alongside of him. " Forward, my lads ! "' Avas the cry : but it was no use to hurry, for a Spaniard popped his head over the quarter-deck rail, ami oellDwed out that they surrendered. The commodoro 104 BEN BRACE. lieapt on the quarter-deck ; and there we were sure enough, without any poking or piking, the conquerors of the San -Josef. The Spanish captain delivered his sword ; for the ■ admiral was below severely wounded, — indeed, dying. There, on the quarter-deck of this noble ship; did the commodore receive the swords, which were handed to me ; — to me, — think of that ; and I bundled them under my -arm as if they had been broomsticks. And what cared we :then for the fire of twenty-two sail of the line which w^ere ■still firing at us .'' Admiral Jervis, whilst we were boarding, placed his ■ship, the Victory (Lord ! how my heart stops whenever •■I mention that ship !), in the lee-quarter of the rearmost •ship of the enemy, the Salvador del Mundo, and poured in such a broadside, that the Spaniard, seeing the Barfleur coming up to pay him equal attention, struck her colours and was captured. Our other ships in the van continued to press the Santissima Trinidada and her supporters, which formed the rear of the enemy ; but the ships which we had -separated from their fleet in the morning having got to- gether, bore up and seemed inclined to renew the action. Sir John Jervis made the signal to heave-to, anil then formed a strong line to protect the prizes and the disabled ships. The enemy, as they approached, fired a few broad- sides, and then left us to walk off' unmolested with the captured. Thus ended that famous action, in which we upheld the daring character of British seamen. It was an action well calculated to give to Spain a lesson not easily forgotten, of lier total inability to meet the English on the high seas ; for it is said that out of a council of war held by the ■Spanish admiral as to renewing the action (for he could then, had they been equal to us in bravery and skill, have changed the fate of the day), only two officers — namely, the captains of the Pelayo and the Principe Conquistador — voted for a continuance of the battle. Sir John Jervis «hook my gallant captain by the hand on the quarter-deck ; and although lie never mentioned him in the despatch, yet in his private letters he was not backward in his praise. BPS ItlSACE. '0* JIlAPTEll X The action was 118 BEN BRACE. but he will never make an independent man of you. Only think what it is to be independent, — to clap your hands in your pocket and find plenty of money, and to know ■vvhere to get more ! Why, according to your account, you have been at sea ever since 1770, and now we are in 1797, making twenty-seven years, and you have not got enough money, I '11 be bound, to jingle o, a tombstone." " That 's wrong," said 1, as I nnstowed my magazine : " here 's five-and-twenty pounds ; and I have more due for prize-money." '' ^Vell, what 's that ? You know you make it like horses, and spend it like asses ; and then you are obliged to slave for more. Besides, what can be worse than being at the mercy of any capricious character ; to be seized up to the grating — to be flogged like a boy — to be placed in a black list — to work, ay, worse than any negro in the West Indies ? And, after all, what do you gain ; — twenty-five pounds ! Now, you are just the lad I want : you are quick, brave, jntelhgent, a seaman, and a sailor : you might do for a lord- cliancellor, for you can speak Spanish after a fashion, and can write a good hand. If you will serve me, 1 '11 serve vou ; and so let 's have another glass, and we 'U see if we CO n't make a bargain." *'^Much obliged to you, sir," said I ; "but I might have been a baker, and lived like a lord at Cawsand Bay, only I could n't leave Nelson ; so let 's drop the subject, for I am sure if you and I talk for ever, we shall never agree on tliis point." To tell the truth, I did rot like my man : he was, indeed, one of the surliest-looking fellows I ever knew. He had great quickness of manner, and was one of the stoutest-look- ing men alive. His crew were more afraid of him than of a press-gang ; and whenever he was displeased, he used to say, " I '11 ship you on board a man-of-war ; and then you will know what slavery is, under the glorious name of ' British Sailor,' ' Lords of the Ocean,' ' Bulwarks of England,' and so on." Well, I looked at him, and I could not help thinking that I had some recollection of his features : but although I looked and looked again, and turned over the log-book of my memory, yet I could not recall to my mind that I had BEN BRACE. 119 ever actually seen him before ; still I was quite convinced that his features and his manner were not unknown to me. "When people are only half-drunk, they are either exces- sively knowing or confoundedly quarrelsome. Now I was never the latter ; because I had had quarrelling enough with the Spaniards to last me until the admiral recovered his health ; and as to the former, v/hy I must say, that I was just in that humour to bet I could have counted the number of patches on the skipper's counterpane without a mistake ; and, therefore, giving a very knowing wink with my right eye, I remarked that I hoped it was not personal, but that 1 once did remember having seen a man nearly as ugly as himself in the West Indies. " Where, and when ? " said he. " I think," said I — and you know how we sailors re- member dates, — "I think in the Badger, in 1779, i" Jamaica." He looked at me — right through me; and. his eyes, neither blue nor black, seemed on fire ; they then became rather dead, as he seemed to retrace in his memory scenes long since almost forgotten. Then followed one of those slight twinges which crawl over the countenance when a man tells a falsehood. I soon found that I was on the wrong tack, for this fellow could have pounded me to a jelly ; so, by way of making it up, said I, " "W^hy, now I come to think of it again, you are not like the man I thought." '•' Come, Master Fearnay, no more of this, if you please. Who this fellow was you are kind enough to think re- sembled me, I neither know nor care. "Will you join my craft }" '•' Much obliged to you, sir," said I, " but I've already told you I cannot : I belong to the Royal Navy, and I "rr. proud of the service ; I like it better than carrying merchan- dise from London to Plymouth, and back again." " Merchandise.''" saiil the skipper with a sneer: "now, Mr. Fearnay, do you think I look like a man to carry car- pets ? Look here," he continued, opening a panel near his bed-place, and discovering a regular stand of arms — short cutlasses with baskets round the handles, pistols, tomaliawks, and every other invention for cutting throats, breaking heads, J 20 BEN BRACE. or shooting sailors. " Why, do you think that a man of my build and power goes groping along the coast for cod- fish, or that I could have a comfortable house on shore bv such like twopenny tradings.''" " Umph I " said I, giving him a wink, and running iny forefinger across my throat ; then pointing to the sea, I looked at him and said, " Ay ? " " No," said he, " not exactly that. No, not a pirate, but a little given to this " (touching the brandy-bottle) ; " some of the right sort — real Guernsey, and so on. Do you twig ?" " Smuggler," said I in a whisper, as if I was afraid tiie very deck should overhear me. " That 's it, as right as a trivet — only a little risk, you know. Besides, I have lots of companions in Cawsand, and that is the place where I run the cargo." " Why, you have got none on board now, have you ? " said I. " Not yet," he replied ; " but before we get in I shall have enough to supply half the parliament-men in Eng- land." " VV'here do you find it," said I. " WiW you join.''" said he. " No," said I ; "Nelson never liked your profession.'" " Nor I yours," said he, " although I once belonged lo It, when — but no matter ; listen, and mind, you 've a man, and a desperate man, to deal with. You heard me refuse to take a score of those long-tailed coated gentry who wanted a passage, and yet I took you at half-price : I saw you had a little of the devil in your composition, and I took a won- derful liking to you. Now pay attention : I am going to place myself in your power; but remember, you are i« mine. I could soon drown the secret with you. — A\t ! you need net look at that locker ; you nor no one else can open it now. Last voyage, when I had another vessel, we were opposed in running our cargo, and the mate was killed ; I fired, and he was revenged ; — he was just your build, Ijut he had more heart. The scuffle was long and serious ; for a man-of-war's boat happened to be at Cawsand, and joined tke custom-house officers. It was the first time we were IJKX BUACE. 121 obliged to fire. We should have been takeiij had not my twelve men " " Why," said I, interrupting, " twelve men ! AVhy, y^u have but two and a boy ! " " I dare say," he continued, " we shall find fourteen before we arrive. But listen. We lost our cargo, which we had already landed. Owing to the fishermen, who are our friends, being apprehensive that a discovery was certain, they left us ; and we fought as gallantly as men can fi;_^ht who fear transportation or a man-of-war, or perhaps a gallows. I got on board my craft again, leaving the mate dead ; and having lost the cargo, I became more desperate and more cunning. I have now two vessels concerned in the traffic. You will find that when I make the Eddystone, which I shall do after dark to-morrow if the breeze last, tliat a fishing-boat will show me two lights in answer to my three : she has a small cargo or board, with a hand or two to spare. We shall shift all this, and be in Cawsand Bay before day.light. We have confederates in readiness. " Young man," he continued, " you had better make up your minrl, for out of this vessel you never stir, excepting to be transported. Now mark me, you are concerned with us. Here you are, and we are going to run the cargo. You will assist — or by G — ! " (and he made the sign I had made to indicate; a pirate). He looked me steadfastly in the face — " My life," said he, " is in your hands — my security is in your death ; it is but a toss overboard, and the waves will roll over AYilliam Fearnay as quietly and as secretly as they roll over the custom-house shark I decoyed last year. You think we are alone, but there are others who hear, and who are nearer than you expect/' This was a stopper over all : he had me safe enough, I felt ; and I heard a low whispering close to me. 1 was now snugly entrapped by a man who owned to having shot one man to revenge his mate, and drowned another to re- venge the loss of his cargo. '• Answer ! " said he, " will you be one of us, or wili you swim like a stone for it .'' Uon't say we took you im- awares. Here, freshen your draught witli the Frencliman's 122 HEX EUACi:. water of life, and when you have imbibed some of their spirits, perhaps we may find you a man of more mettle. I went too far before my danger sobered me ; now I am alive to my own situation, and I 'm not the man to be trifled with. Answer ! " "Sir," said 1 (for I saw that civility was the best po- licy, and if his danger had sobered him, my apprehensions had roused my cunning), " I wiU answer you plainly and straightforward. — You ask me to become a smuggler ; — I will not. You tell me that I shall sink by myself, or swim with you : that is optional only with you ; and in this wprld and the next you will answer for it. But I cannot see the necessity of your adding another murder to your numbers. You have decoyed me here ; you have endea- voured to wean me from the service I most like, — and you seem ready to murder me because I refuse your offer. Stop, sir, and hear me out. I see the determination already taken in your mind, but I 'm not the man to look on with a white face. No ; I have faced Death too often to be afraid of him ; though I 'm not fond of paying him a visit before my time. I will not join you, I repeat : but by all that is in heaven or hell I swear that I never will be a witness against you ! I now leave it to you to trust me, or to consult your better safety by my death." " Safety ! " said he : ' " What is my danger ? You could be no witness against me. What have you ■ seen as yet? Go look in the hold, and see if there is a tub of liquor, or a pound of tobacco. I tell you I don't care for your death a straw ; and when I die, 1 11 turn a black face on the world. Your own folly would be my best argument to get rid of you. There is but one man alive, — perhaps he is not alive, — that can hold up his hand against me. There, give us your flipper, — Good night ; and to-morrow we '11 talk over the matter again. It gets late, and to-morrow night we shall not close our eyes." Saying this, he threw himself upon his bed ; and I, overcome by what I had heard, and alarmed at my own situation, was glad to lay my head upon my pillow and ponder on what I had heard. I turned restlessly in my narrow crib. To join such a man was impossible^ — to BEN BRACK. 123 escape was impracticable. Of his crew, I had (,nly seen two, — yet those two were of that braAvny ca^t, that I should have been a baby in their hands. Oh ! were it possible to write what passed in my mind that night ! I could not sleep ; I kept my eyes fixed on his bed-place : strange as it may appear, the skipper slept — as if his life had been creditable, — as if no secret monitor, no small still voice, as the parson says, witnessed against him. He slept soundly — he never turned or spoke At the first dawn of day I was on deck. The cool air refreshed me much ; and I hardly felt the Channel mist which allowed this cursed vessel to glide along unperceived by our numerous cruisers. Of course, I had resolved, in the event of our being boarded, to try to escape in the scufile ; but no vessel hove in sight. Once, when I was steering, we saw a brig, and I edged towards her ; but it was a Smyrna-man, making a run for it. The tide of ill luck had regularly set against me, and I had nothing else for it than quietly to meet the danger I could not avoid. We breakfasted together. The skipper was in high spirits, and talked of his future life of affluence. It ap- pears that he had been well educated, and having an in- quisitive mind, soon became, as he stated, far above his situation. He spoke dictionary lingo, and was a kind of long-togged sailor — more of a gentleman than a seaman ; yet he understood his vessel well, and worked her properly. The day passed slowly away, and by seven o'clock in the evening it was pitch dark, and the easterly wind rather high and cold. We were now near Torbay, and the skip- per made his only preparation, which was to have the lan- terns all ready. We went down into the cabin a little before eight : he placed the brandy-bottle upon the table, and began directly at me. " Well, young man," said he, " I ha\e not bothered you all day, in order that you might undis Curbed consider niy offer." " There 's the Eddystone on the starboard bo'.v ! " said one of his men. He looked at me searchingly; then said to the man, " Keep her off a couple of points, and give us a hail when 124. BEN BRACE. it bears south-west. I have been successful in every trip but one," he continued, turning to me, " am now well to do in the world, and want such a fellow as you, young, hardy, and resolute, to make one or two trials first, and afterwards to take the sea business, whilst I retire to ma- nage it on shore. " It 's a life of danger ; but that danger has its charms. A woman is not worth winning when there is no opposi- tion to the love, — and a fortune is more satisfactory when it is made by perils, and in defiance of the law. A stolen kiss is always the sweetest. Your gentleman, who inherits his fortune which his father has toiled for, cannot feel tlie glow you have felt when the enemy has struck his colours, and the prize has been gained by courage and hard Avork. — Come, this is no time for long words ; here 's my hand upon it : serve me well this night, — be my friend — my companion in danger, and you shall not go unrewarded." I shook my head. " What ! " continued he, " you refuse ? Consider, before your word is passed ; — again, will you join me ? " " No \" said 1, " never ! — never ! " " Then this night," said Tackle coolly, " you shall see, if there is a dust, how easy it is to grin through bars, and afterwards to visit foreign parts at the King's expense." "■' There 's a vessel on the larboard bow, sir ! " said a man who had been placed to look out. The skipper went forward, and I jumped into the cabin m order to get a pistol : but I could not open the locker ; so I whipped a large sharp-pointed carving-knife inside my shirt. I was on deck before the skipper came aft ; and I managed to stow away my only defence in such a man- ner as to baffle his quick eye, and to hinder its wounding m \ s elf. HK.V I, RACK, 125 CHAPTER XII. Different deaths at once surround us ; Hark ! what means that dreadful cry? — Sea Soiif;. The vessel which we had seen was a fishing-boat, under easy sail on the larboard tack ; and I shortly saw two lights on her deck, as if by accident, and not shown as any signal. " That 's her ! " said one of the seamen ; and our three lights were held over the lee quarter ; then two were shown by her more boldly, and we shot up alongside of her and hove- to. " Hooker, ahoy ! " said the skipper- " How are you in the Nancy ? " was the reply. — "All right from Cawsand," continued the stranger. "^Any news from the islands ? " said the skipper; and this finished the discourse, consisting of many private signals, which no one knew but the two skippers, and con- sequently a mistake was impossible The boat of the Xancy was out in a moment, and very shortly afterwards the skipper of the hooker came on board. He shook his worthy partner by the hand, and they both went into the cabin. The conversation was in a low tor.e of voice, which gradually grew louder, and I soon found that I was the object. I sat by the companion ; for the man who ought to have been at the helm had lashed it a-lee, and had gone below to prepare for the ensuing struggle. " I really don't know," said the stranger, " how we can manage him ; but of this we are certain, that we can con- trive, if we are opposed in the landing, to get rid of him without much trouble, but otherwise he might blow the gafF upon us." " He promised me he never would," replied the skip- per; "and there is something all fair and above-board about him. Let 's have him down and try him again.' 126 BEN BRACE. " I 'd rather he did not see me, so as to swear to me," Baid the first. "■ Never fear, Jacob ; we can always find means to stop my oath. So let me call hira ; we must not bear up for the next hour with tins breeze — we should be in too soon. But as our talk is over, we wiU run down within a couple of miles inside the Eddystone, and at one make a run for it. Tapes said that he did not imagine we should meet with any opposition ; and he and his men are all ready to assist. ^V'hat a precious old scoundrel he is I " " I think he cheats us finely, Tom," replied Jacob. " But wait awhile; they say, when rogues fall out, honest men get their due : it won't be long before we give him a receipt in full." This bit of intelligence about Tapes did not pass me unheeded. " 1 '11 recollect you, my fine fellow, some o ' these days, depend on it," thought I to myself. " Let 's have Fearnay down, Jacob, and see what we can make of him ;" and he called me. I went down, and seated myself against the foremost bulk-head, only keeping my right side towards them, for I was fearful that the carving-knife might be discovered. They pushed the brandy towards me, and I took a strong south-wester to keep the cold out and to twist me up a Uttle. " Now, Fearnay," said the skipper, " will you join us or not? " " No," said I, '•' I won't ! I feel much obliged to yon for the offer, which I dare say might turn out beneficial to me ; but I have followed Nelson ever since he was entered on board a man of war, and I covld to-morrow be a war- rant-ofiicer in the service. I refused promotion to be al- ways near him ; and it is not in any ill-will, but for the same reason, that I refuse your offer." " Well," said Jacob, who was a stout square-built fel- low, with more fire in his eyes than would have blown up a magazine, '^'that, I must say, is all fair and above- board. But you know that now we are in your power, and you in ours; — will you swear never to give evidence against us under any circumstances ? " BEN BHACE. J 2? " No," said I ; " I will not promise that." At this both of them leaped up in a moment. " Stop," said I ; " don't be in a hurry. As far as re- gards the unlawful trade you are concerned in, I swear bv Heaven that I Avill never give any evidence against you." " And what other evidence could you give .'' " said Ja- cob, as he looked through me, for his eyes no man could face — he kept them fixed upon me. " None," said I, " as yet : but circumstances uncon- nected with this affair might arise." " I say, my lad," continued Jacob, " you are a bit of a sea-attorney, and before half-an-hour is over your head, your throat will not require a neckerchief. Either this minute join us, or, by the piper who played before Moses, you are a dead man in five minutes ! Come, Tom, this fellow is not to be trusted." " I think not," said the skipper : " he is just the man for us, if he could be trusted." " I never yet," said Jacob, " made much of such fel- lows." He retired towards the companion, and took out of his bosom a pistol, which he very deliberately cocked. "Stand aside, Tom, and we'U have an enemy the less in a moment." " No, no," said the skipper, " no murder yet : we may run the cargo without blood ; and if he swears never to appear against us in this affair, that's enough for us. Put up your pistol, Jacob ; — we have use enough for that." " Why, you must be mad ! " said Jacob. " The noise of running the cargo will arouse Cawsand in a moment. It must not be : either we must take him over to Guern- sey, or we must save him the hazard of being false to us." '' No," said the skipper, • ■ say no more about it ; I have him fast. Let's to work. You say the vessel is so deep, that it would take us half the night to change the cargo ; so let us run it in your vessel. The wind seems edging round, so that you may yet be out before daylight, and the tide will float you off in an hoiu- after we run her ashore. Take Fearnay with you, and I'll run in and anchor, am: get ready." I can't say I felt very easy under this arrangement ; for BEN UUACi;. Jacob was not a man to stand upon trifleSj and lie seemeil rather glad to get nie so much under his control. 1 jumped mto the boat without saying a word, because I knew that one word in opposition would be useless. So I hugged my left arm pretty close to my side, and having said a bit of a prayer, 1 made up my mind that if any blood was spilt, mine should have a companion. The night was murky and misty, and a small drizzly rain made it darker and more damp. The Nancy bore up for the anchorage. About a quarter of an hour afterwards we did the same. The boat, for so the hooker might be called, was exactly the shape and rig of a Cawsand tishing- boat, and she might have laid alongside of any of them without suspicion. She was however evidently of a better build ; and when she felt her canvass, she walked along through the water at a great rate. I stood on deck watch- ing the land with great anxiety; and my heart beat quickly when I saw Cawsand Bay, and remarked cne bright light in a house I could not mistake — it was that of the attorney. The Nancy was at anchor close to the shore. It was dead low water, and the sea was harmless, for the projec- tion of the land rendered the bay smooth. Jacob had been talking to his crew, and had mentioned the plan to be pur- sued. One of the anchors, to which a strong hawser was bent, was cleared, and before we touched, and about a hun- dred feet distant from the shore, was let go, and the hawser paid overboard. As the vessel advanced, she grounded easily in the mud, and instant preparations were made to land. There were one or two men ready on shore, and the kegs, slung in couples, were thrown out, and conveyed to the shore by the crew, some of whom had jumped over- board, the water not being higher than their waists. Those on shore slung the kegs over their shoulders, and ran along to Tapes's house, where they were to be deposited. Jacob never landed, and the tide had begun to flow be- fore I thought of my own welfare. I kept a bright look- out, and availing myself of a moment's inattention of Master Jacob, I was over the bows before he could get any of his crew to stop me. He called to those on the mud to seize tne ; but I was rot bouii4 to Guernsey then. I stepped EEN BRACK. 129 over the water like a fisherman ; and when the first person put his arms out to hold me, I came the eel over him, and slipped through his fingers before he could clutch me. I did not want to fight — that was no part of my plan, be- cause I should have been overmastered or detained ; but I wanted to get clear off. From these devils 1 did escape, though not without a slight exchange of blows ; but they were too eager to get off themselves to chase me far. When I found they had given over the chase, 1 began to walk rather slowly towards my father's house ; and it Avas well I did. The knife was still in my shirt ; and a man who has had such an escape never likes to throw away the friend on whom he has principally relied. When I turned the corner, I saw a man listening at the window; and I knew him in a moment to be the skipper. " Now," said I to myself, — " Now, Ben, you may bring him to action without fear ; for what business has he there ?" So I walked up gently behind him, put one knee against his back, and before he could recover the haul I gave his collar, he was on the ground, and none the easier for the heavy fall. I knelt upon his breast, and fixing my left hand in his neckerchief, I gave it a twist which would have made any man believe the finisher of the law was at work. He struggled fiercely, and his strength was tremendous ; but I tightened the nip about his throat, until his face was as black as a lobster. " Lie still!" said I, as I found I could master him. I spoke loud, for I was in a high passion. At this mo- ment I found my arm caught ; and turning round, I saw Jane. " For God's sake, let not your father at his last gasp hear this scuffle ! I knew your voice, Ben, and I knew his. Release him, — for Heaven's sake do not harm him ! he is — he is — my husband ! " " Avaust there, Jane," said I ; "is that fellow your hus- band } " " Say yes, say yes. Tackle, and I '11 forgive you all the miseries you have inflicted on me — say yes," This, then, was the villain who had ruined my poor 130 BEN BRACE sister ! A fellow who had confessed himself to be not only a smuggler, but a murderer ! If ever I felt strongly the passion of revenge, it was now. Still I v;as so overcome at seeing Jane, that I unintentionally slackened my grip on the scoundrel's throat. In a moment, before I could re- cover myself. Tackle was on his legs, and, standing in front of me, he drew a pistol from his pocket, cocked and pointed it — Jane threw herself between us. Tackle fired, and she fell a corpse at my feet ! I sprang forward and struck the murderer with the knife, and it entered deeply. But he was off to the beach : his associates were there ready to resist an attack or to favour a flight. I followed until I saw him amongst his crew, carried on board the hooker, and she afloat with her sails hoisted. I threw the knife from me, and returned to my sister. She was dead : no one had approached her. Poor Jane ! My heart sunk within me, to think of her cruel death. Although the door of the cottage was open, the noise of the pistol had been unheeded. I caught up the body and brought it to- wards the door ; and as I looked in and saw no one moving, I placed it inside. A stream of blood still flowed from the wound, and I kissed her, cold and pale and motionless as she was. I then advanced into the room, and drawing aside the curtain, I saw my father. The hand of death was upon him ; but no wife was there to soothe his last moments ; no daughter was ready to wet the dry parched Ups, which hardly were separated enough to allow the last breath of hfe to escape ; none stood by to proffer as- sistance or to soothe pain : there he lay alone, his daughter a corpse, his son perhaps a murderer ! " Father," said I, as I approached the bed. He opened his eyes, but there was no knowledge in them ; he fixed them upon me, but he saw me not — I felt he did not know me. The heavy lids soon closed again, and he lay in a state of stupor, pale and almost inanimate. I looked at him with all the respect an affectionate son could feel ; ami I re- mained hanging over the bed, my eyes fixed upon my father, my memory retracing scenes of former days. Every now and then, I endeavoured to bring myself to his recollection. BEN BllACi;. 131 There was occagionally a noise in the streets ; but the door was fastened and guarded by the dead : the body had fallen down and formed an unnatural barrier against intrusion. Again my father opened his eyes, and faintly called for " Drink." Some weak brandy and water was in a cup upon the table, in which was a sponge. I took it and squeezed some on the parched lips of the old man. He opened his mouth and greedily endeavoured to swallow : it revived him much, and in his eyes returning sense seemed to flash like lightning. " Jane," he said, as he looked at me, — " Jane, is it you ? or, O God ! it is like my son, my boy ! " " It is I, father. Look at me; do you not know Ben ? Oh, do not close those eyes, — Father, it is I." "Jane," he said, — "Jane, where are you'? Ah! if my old dame lived I should not be so neglected." The thought of my mother then first occurred to me. In the great anxiety for my father I had forgotten her who gave me life. Poor old soul ! in vain he called — my mother was dead ! Jane was now dead also ; and there was none left to close his eyes, to stretch his limbs in death, but me! He breathed heavily, and was occasionally convulsed a little ; and as a kind of foam covered his lips, I washed it ofF with the sponge, squeezing some of the spirit and water into his mouth. At last, about four o'clock in the morning, he gaped strongly and sat upright in the bed. The candle on the table, from its long wick, burned but faintly. Holding out to me his withered hand, which felt like that of a skeleton, — " Ben," said he, " God bless you, my boy ! you are come to see the last of me. I feel it is all over with me ; I soon shall follow your poor mother, and, like her, bless you in my last moments. Ben, I have much to say. Take care of Jane. Poor soul ! she is gone to sleep ; she is tired, for she has been by my bedside ever since I was taken poorly. There is her child — ^you must be a father to her now. We must all muster aloft, you know, and the poor and the rich will there have equal judgment. God K 2 132 BEN BRACK, forgive me for having wished Tackle's deatii ! — but now I forgive hiin." " I cannot, father," I said. " Look to her^ Ben : he may still marry her. I feel weak, very weak : caU Jane to hear my dying prayer, — call her, Ben. Why do you sit staring at me ? Go ; she is asleep behind the screen." I got up. Who can awake the dead but Him ? I passed round the bed : I saw the body of Jane move — I saw the hand rise. I felt an awful creeping of my flesh • — ay, more fsar came over me, Avith its chill, its cold suffocation of my breath, than when I had stood where hundreds fell. I well remember that dreadful scene. My father followed me with his death-struck look, and as I slowly and cautiously moved towards the dead, a loud shriek paralysed my limbs, and I saw the child striving to shut her mother's eyes ; — the cold, glassy stare had frightened her. My father was sitting upright ; — the child shrieked on seeing me, and ran to my father. One spark of life remained in him to whom she ran for refuge : he, with all his last energies, almost leapt from the bed, and then fell back a corpse. I stood like a stone — and for some minutes did not dare to move. At length I roused myself with some effort and lifted Jane also upon the bed, drawing the sheet over the father and daughter. I then turned to look for the child, but it was gone. I had no heart to call it from the place where it had hidden. Death is awful even to us who know it, who are familiar with it, and I did not like to frighten the child ; so I began to speak as if my father still hved, calling myself Jane's brother, the child's uncle, his son. I heard a rustling behind the screen, and when I had stirred the dying embers of the fire, I told little Jane to come to me ; and she came. The sight of the blood frightened her. I kissed her and fondled her : children know when they are beloved more instinctively than men, and infants will run to those who really love them, whilst the words of those who endeavour to express what they cannot feel are «iiscovered in a second. CKX BRACK. 133 The child kept her eyes upon the bed, and I was not bold enough to look upon it. 1 knew that the removal of the sheet would sliow only the dead ; I therefore consoled the poor thing, who shivered with cokl, and taking it into its own sleeping place, I sat by her until she fell asleep. Oh, happy innocence ! who could thus slumber where murder had been busy, and where the arm of death had been extended to the sick bed ! I came back to the front room and made a large tire ; for the candle was nearly out, and I could not bear darkness. To go out was impossible, for I thought of the child. I sat down in Jane's chair, and keeping my eyes fixed upon the fire, I endeavoured to cheer up my heart and feel like a man. I could not have been long thus seated, my mind excited by the many melancholy and horrid scenes I had lately witnessed, before I became oensible that some people were close to the house. I heard voices, and I was at once aware of the danger of my situation. Tackle must have been certain that he had shot Jane and not me, for he saw her fall and saw me following him. The pistol had dropped from his hand as he retreated ; this evidence I had secured. Aware that I was the object of search, and that the danger was at hand, I began to turn in my mind the best method of keeping secure until daylight. I put a chair, on which I hung a blanket, between the fire and the window. The blaze of the wood had expended itself, and the light was now barely sufficient to make darkness visible. I first looked to the door ; it was fast, and required very little more to render it difficult of being forced. I then got up to the shutter, and thus overheard the following conversation, the first speaker being Jacob : no one could mistake that ruffian. " We must have him somehow : Tackle is dangerously wounded, and the woman shot. We must get at him. Is he in here? " " Ay ; I saw him go in and take the woman with liim," " Listen 1 " continued Jacob ; " do you hear any one stirring .'' " 131 liE.N ui:.'\ci-. " No ; all is as still as death." " Is old Brace alive yet?" continued Jacob. "Yes," a strange voice replied ; "but be i:- r.vc likely to live long." • "And the child?" " It is still alive also." " Then we have three alive in the house, evei) if the woman is dead. "What o'clock is it r " " Nearly five : it will be daylight at six ; or^ at any rate, many of the fishermen will be stirring." " Then we must be quick, finish him, and get on board as soon as possible. Tackle is off in the hooker, and will not wait beyond daylight ; then the custom-house sharks may overhaul the Nancy from stem to stern and be none the wiser. Did Tackle take his pistol aboard Avith him ?" " No ; he said he had dropped it." " We must search for that ; it would be strong evidence. Look round the cottage, and see if there is no way in besides the door." When 1 heard this, I cleared for action. I saw I was the object of their conversation, and I knew that if Jacob had only the crew of the Nancy, he liad not more than three in his gang ; but three such fellows ! big enou-'h and ugly enough to fight a Norway bear. As the front was secure, I thought it Avas no time to stow away like a frightened child ; so I hghted the remains of a rushlight, and blinding the light for fear of disturbing the childj 1 carefully surveyed my castle of defence. I v.'as secure enough behind, for the door which led out that way was more secure than the front. As 1 looked round the room, I saw one of the child's playthings. It was composed of eight or ten pieces of flat wood ])a)nted on both sides, ■which when you turned the top piece over, the rest followed !he example, making a slight clatter. This I lashed on the latch of the door ; so that if they had raised that, the plaything would have warned me of it. 'With this tell- tale secured, 1 returned into the front room, well knowing that no one therein could break the silence, on which now 1 mainly depended for safety. The child slept, as inno- cence always sleeps when health and exercise are its asso- lil.N UKACE. 135 ciates : its littie niouili -was partly open; ihe fiush of warmth was in her cheek, and as I placed my ear i^.ear her bed I could hardly hear her breathe, so softly, so soundly did she rest. " Now God grant," said I, " that the child njay sleep through this night \" I opened the cupboard, in which I had often seen the bottle deposited, and took a little en- couragement from the spirit. 1 was dead beat ; for I had not slept the night previously^ and the excitement had wearied me more than the exercise. In every hole I sought for some powder, but I could not find a grain. Arms there were none : but the poker became a good substitute ; and 1 placed that in the embers still burning, but not blazing. Having extinguished the light and left the passage clear between the two doors, I then took up my listening quarters. " There 's a door on the other side," said one of the men. " Have you tried it ? " asked Jacob. " No ; for I saw a light through the crevice, and I thought we might only be discovered." " Go," said Jacob, " and try it." A silence of some moments ensued, and then I heard the plaything mark the attempt. The man seemed to hear the noise, for he ran round to Jacob, and spoke so low and hurriedly, that 1 could not make out what he uttered. But Jacob spoke loud enough when he said, '' Then we must go to work boldly." I started as if I had been elec- trified. I jumped on my legs when I heard two loud raps at the door, which sounded in the chamber of silence like the beat of a sledge hammer. I ran to the door, and, pre- tending to have been asleep, answered, '' Who 's there .'' " " Me," replied a voice to which I was a stranger. " Mc ! " said I : " Avhy, who the devil is me, at this time of the morning } " " Why, it 's 7ne. I want to speak to old Brace about his boat." " Well, then," said I, " you may top your boom and be off: old Brace won't give you an answer now ; and I 'm 156 BEN BKAUE. none the better obliged to you for having tried to disturb him." " Oh, you '11 do as well : open the door and I '11 talk to you." '■' Much obliged to you, sir, all the same," said I ; "' but it 's rather cold, and too early for visiters." " I say, Ben," said Jacob, altering his voice, '*' here 's the devil to pay, and no pitch hot. I know you are here, from Tackle, who is dying. Come along, and I '11 get you out of the scrape, and tell your father where we have stowed you. The constables will soon be after you." " Bless your considerate heart, Jacob," said I ; " but you may tell that to the marines — the sailors won't believe it. I 'm awake ; and I'm blest if I don't make more candidates for coffins if you or any of your precious gang attempt to enter in here ! " As the silence succeeded my words, I heard the toy rattle at the other door. I was there in a moment, and, imitating another voice, I called out, " Ship, ahoy ! if you 're a pirate, you had better be stirring, or I '11 dust your jacket for you ! " Then I hopped back again. The child was awakened, and began to cry with fright ; for she saw me standing before the door with a red-hot poker in my hand. Jacob and his gang made a rush at it ; but it stood firm, thanks to a cross-bar ! " Pop your finger in the hole," said Jacob, " and lift the latch, whilst we try another surge." In came the finger against the red-hot poker, and out it went again. "^ Ah," said I, ' my lad, your finger will be warm enough for the next hour. Had n't you better try and burn your finger again ?" '^ This won't do," said Jacob; "^ that fellow is well de- fended. Let us be off" to the constable, and tell him of Tackle's murder. We will soon unearth this precious fox." " I say, Jacob," said I, " don't you know that before a murder can be proved the body must be found .'' " "You d — d sea-lawyer!" said he, " we will have the ^retching of your legs before long. Come away, lads." I was not much frightened at this declaration, because I BKN BRACK. 137 knew well enough that they were ignorant of Jane's death; and that before I could be taken up for Tackle's murder, even if he was dead, some one must have identified the body. Moreover, Tackle had sailed in the hooker : I was in that secret, thanks to my ears and my silence ! About a quarter of an hour afterwards I heard footsteps, and up came a devil of a row against tlie door. " Open, in the name of the king ! " said a strange voice. " No," said I, " Jacob, it won't do, — it won't, I assure you. I 'm a king's man, and hope all you Guernsey gen- tlemen are the same." '* I 'm a constable, and desire the door may be imme- diately opened." " Very sorry, sir, I can't obey your orders. If you think I 'm a murderer, you can watch the house until day- light : I can't fly away, or get through the keyhole, like Jacob's friend's finger." '' Then we must burst the door open." " The poker is still red-hot." Jacob found I was resolved not to be taken by surprise ; and, after one or two more attempts, he and his ruffians withdrew. I then got an hour's sleep, and when I awoke it Avas broad daylight. My own danger had interfered with the affection I bore my father and my sister : the dead were beyond human vengeance, but I was not. Now came in full array against me all that the malice of my enemies might invent. Yet I felt a security from the knowledge I had of the place the smugglers had chosen for the safe stowage of their contraband articles. I dressed the child, and, as well as I could, I made myself look decent. I then opened the window-shutter : there was only one man in the street, and he was an old beggar. Closing the door carefully, and taking with me the child, I walked on ; and as I went along the street, I was struck by the appearance of a neat house, with a brass knocker, and with a large brass plate, on which was engraved, " Crimp, Attorney." "You 're the man to my mind," said I to myself; and I knocked at the door. I saw the old beggar run away like a hare. " Hulloa !" said I ; " I smell a rat." 138 BKN i;uA( i:. It was not eight o'clock : Crirap was asleep, and his dirty raaid had hardlj?^ unbuttoned her eyes, although her tongue seemed to have been prepared for any conversation. ' Is your master up, Molly ? " said I. " MoUy yourself, Mr. Sailor, my name 's Martha," said she. " AVhy, you 're like a Yankee," said I ; " you never give an answer. Is your master up ? " " Yes, to be sure he is, t//)-stairs in his room." " Come, Martha, my pretty girl," said I, " will you tell him that I want to see him on very particular business? — tell him it 's about a murder." " Lord have mercy upon us ! " said she ; " and sure enough the blood 's upon you now !" Banging the door in my face, she ran away, screaming, like an enraged co^^atoo that her throat was cut. " I wish it Avas ! " said Crimp, coming down stairs. " Who is this fellow ? " said he, as he opened the door. He was dressed in a bedgown, with a white nightcap, and looked for all the world like an Italian butcher. " Sir," said I, touching my hat, " I am come to you for advice how to act. My sister has been murdered, my father is lying dead in the same bed with her, and my own life is in danger. I could not go to Mr. Tapes, for he knows more about last night's Tausiness than he ought." " Come in," said he. " Tapes concerned for the de- fendant, I suppose } Good case — quarter sessions near at hand — advice, six and eightpence. Let 's hear all abo, it. Pretty child that ! — old Brace's grand-daughter. How is he, my little dear ? " *' Dead ! " she answered. " Dead ? ' said Crimp. '•' Poor fellow ! — happy re- lease — lost his wife, honest woman ! — honest man ! has a son, far away of course. ^Vhy don't you begin, my man ? " " Because I did n't think it right to inturrupt your honour. I am old Brace's son : I arrived last night." I then told him every thing connected with the business, from the time of my leaving London, smking that part which referred to the place where the cargo was placed, rsK.v nriACE. 13^ because I thought of Susan, and I would not bring hoi into trouble. " A strong case !" said Crimp. " Old Tapes concerned. Send for the coroner — settle him, and take his business — 1 mean Tapes of course." In a small place like Cawsand Bay such events as those that had occurred during the night were not likely to re- main long a secret. Martha had overheard what I said, and before Crimp's boy could have got to the ferry to cross to Dock to find the coroner, every soul in the town knew all about the business. The house was beset with people, and loud and general was the indignation against Tackle. That he never had intended to shoot Jane, I knew ; but that his intention was to commit murder was equally evi- dent. Hundreds came to see the murdered daughter, now stretched by the side of her poor old father. The fault of Jane was forgotten in her sufferings — in the death she had received from the hand of her betrayer. In the meantime Jacob and his party were not idle, Jacob himself proposed to give me a handsome sum of money to be off; but I declined, again saying that in re- gard to the smuggling I would never hold up my hand against him. Tapes ridiculed the whole business : "he declared it was an affair of jealousy with some unknown person ; that Tackle had not been seen in Cawsand for up- wards of three years, and that the whole story was impro- bable and untrue ; — nay, he went so far as to hint that I had murdered my own sister, mistaking her for another. " Tapes," said I, " you are a scoundrel, and you know it better than I do. "STtTien last we met it was in anger, and I left jny mark upon you : now you think to crush me by the malice of your suspicions. But Mr. Tapes," said I, as I whispered in his ear, " I don't wonder at your being in such good spirits, since you had so large an im- portation last night." Tapes looked rather astonished, and kept his mouth open like an alligator catching flies, only shutting it to say •' What?" " I know all about it, old boy. Let me speak to Susan a minute, and we may yet be friends." 140 UEN BRACE. "Whereupon I walked into his house^ and offered my hand to Susan^ but she walked out of the room. I felt that behaviour ; it cut me to the heart. I saw her children running about the room, and could have kissed them for the mother's sake ; but she drove them from me, as if I could contaminate them. My heart misgave me : men cannot control their feelings — at least honest men cannot. I said, — and bitterly I repented it afterwards, for it gave Susan pain and ren- dered her unhappy, — " Why, Susan, you need not be proud, for it was owing to your own husband that Tackle committed the murder : and," I continued, " your hus- band and yourself are in my hands — in my power." I looked at her as she walked proudly by me, taking a child in each hand. I watched her; I was half inclined to recall to her mind the time when she sat with my mother, and was my correspondent. Tapes came in as I went down stairs, and said something to irritate me ; upon which I called out, " I '11 transport you and your wife, you nest of smugglers I" " Smugglers ! " said Tapes. " Smugglers," said I ; "put that in your pipe and smoke it;" and out I walked like a lord. The coroner came, and I was placed in the witness-box. Tapes attended merely to hear the proceedings ; but Crimp was there to bring the secret to light. I went through the whole of my examination fearlessly. I did not implicate Jacob, because 1 felt I could bring nothing against him which I could prove; and he was present, sitting as coolly as an innocent man. By the side of Crimp was an excise officer, who, with the rest, seemed led there from motives of curiosity. I detailed the facts. The coroner asked if tliere was any other witness ; when Crimp said " Yes," and put up a young lad of about eighteen, who having had occasion to go to Dock early, had risen before his intended time in consequence of a noise he heard in the street. He saw the scuffle between myself and Tackle, and, after the murder, followed him to the beach, and saw him em- bark. " Well," said the coroner, " did you see any one else ?** BK.V BUACK. 141 " Yes," replied the boy ; " I saw him I " pointing to Jacob. " What had he to do ivith it ? " " Nothing particular ; but he seemed very intimate with the man who fired the pistol, and pushed him into the boat." " Oh ! " said the coroner. " Pray, did you see any one else ? " •''■ Yes," said the boy ; " I saw Mr. Tapes down there." " Down where? " " By the boat : he was talking to that man, and the man who fired." " What was he about down there } " " Why, he was busy getting some kegs from the boat, and taking them to the old bake-house." " Oh ! " said the excise officer ; and he was off like a rocket, just whispering something to Crimp, who turned his nose up, rubbed his hands, and looked at Tapes with a mighty pretty sneer. Jacob was aoout to be ott": but the coroner detained him for evidence ; during which time the exciseman had made the seizure of the whole concern, had taken steps for the security of Jacob and Tapes, — and they were in for a nice job. The inquest returned a verdict of " ^^^ilful murder against Thomas Tackle," and the coroner issued his war- rant for his apprehension. Jacob was detained in order to be examined before a magistrate, one or two of whom had come over to witness the inquest ; and Tapes was seized as a smuggler, the goods bemg found on his premises, and the boy's evidence being conclusive against him. Crimp rose in estimation upon the wreck of Tapes ; and Susan — poor dear Susan ! — soon changed her fine house for a •hovel near the county gaol. By the kindness of one or two of the gentlemen, wJio saw how I took the murder to heart, and who felt inte- rested about the child, I was saved much expense in the decent funeral of my father and sister ; and as I turned from the grave, I felt myself alone in the worlil, without friend or relations ! I was the last of our name, for the 142 nEN BRACK. child had hardly a legal right to it. 1 dropped a tear as 1 put the key of the cottage in Crimp's hand ; and leaving him to arrange matters in that respect, I left Cawsand with the child, and, crossing to Dock, soon returned to London and to the admiral. HEN BRAOC 149 VOLUME THE SECOND. CHAPTER I. Scarce ihc foul hurricane was clear'd ; Scarce winds and waves liad ceased to rattle ; When a bold enemy appear'd. And, dauntless, we prepared for battle. — Dibdix Whkx I got to town, I went of course to the admiral's: I knew he would be overcome by the sight of the pretty orphan. I asked if the admiral was at home, and the maid told me he was. So op I ran to my room, and getting some fresh rigging over my masthead, and washing the child's figure-head, I took her by the hand and walked into the room. Nelson was writing ; but hearing the door open, he looked up and said, " Ah, Brace ! you are just returned in time. — Why, who have you got there.''" looking at the child. " It's all that is left of our family, your honour: my sister has been murdered by her husband." — I did not like to hurt her reputation, and in a good cause I ventured tlw! first lie I ever told to the admiral. — " My father and my mother are dead, and I am here alone in the world, and, without your honour, I have no friend." Nelson rose. The voice in which I had summed up my losses had found its way to his heart. " Come here, my little cherub," said he. " What's her name ? " " Jane, your honour," said I. " Brace," said he, " I '11 be a father and a friend to her." Nelson looked at the child with the fondness of a good man : he patted her little head and played with her hair; 144 BEiV BRACB. then he placed her on his knee, and began coaxing her to speak. The child grew fond of him directly ; and always after that, until we sailed, little Jane was much noticed by the admiral and Lady Nelson. Both seemed to like her ; and ivhen we parted to sail for the Straits again, Lady Nelson promised that on our return Jane should be able to write, in order to stand secretary for her uncle, who, she said, one day might be like her husband. That was a compliment I treasured up in tlie store-room of my heart. It was early in the year 1798 that Nelson hoisted his flag on board the Vanguard ; and there was Ben Brace a sort of pet spaniel on board. I was a kind of servant, secretary, and quartermaster, and in action was stationed at the signals. We had a convoy under our charge, and sailed on the 9th of April for Lisbon, in order to join Lord St. Vincent. I remember, when we parted from Lady Nelson, that the admiral gave Jane to her care with words of great tenderness. Well, we sailed, and joined the commander-in-chief on the 20th, off Cadiz. We were then sent ofF Toulon to watch the French fleet ; we had with us the Orion and Alexander of seventy-four guns each, the Emerald and Terpsichore frigates, and the Bonne Citoyenne sloop-of- war. The French had in Toulon thirteen ships of the Hne, seven forty-gun frigates, twenty-four smaller vessels of war, and about two hundred transports : they were fitting out under Bonaparte, who was then determined to take Malta, and afterwards land in Egypt. Our business was to watch the marauders, and to be ready for another brush upon any occasion. We soon liad one, but it was not with the French — it was with the Clerk of the Weather. We had got into the Gulf of Lyons ; and a precious place it is for a gale of wind ! for it seems to me as if it never stopped blowing and rolling from one year's end to another. It was on the igth of May, and it sprang up after noon. We old sailors, who have been half our lives in those seas, know that if a breeze springs up after twelve o'clock in the day, and freshens gradually as the sur goes down, in the night we shall catch it pretty warmly. At BKN BKACE. 145 first the breeze came from the northward^ and then chopped round to the north-west. About three p. m. we reefed top- sails, and began to look to windward, for the mackerel-sky ; but the clouds were blowing out like so many locks of ladies' hair. At sunset, all round us looked like the black- smith's forge in his dirty shop of a dark night when he is blazing up ; or like the copper-foundry in Portsmouth, or like the prospect of the devil's own gale of wind. About eight p. m. we took every stitch off the ship, with the exception of a mizen staysail ; and the wind came howling and whistling with such force, that one of the after-guard, who was coiling the lee fore-b? ace down by the bits, was blown against one of the boats on the booms, and was jammed there so tightly that he could not move : the pressure was so great against him that he soon afterwards died. And as for that gale of wind when the captain of the main-top could not cut away the top -sail because the edge of the knife was turned by the wind, or when every tooth in the quartermaster's head was blown down his throat, they were quite cat's-paws to this ! In all my life I never knew it blow harder. "Well, the gale continued. The scud flew over the stars, and the moon was only visible at intervals. The sea looked as if it was all in flames, and more like an angry surf breaking upon a reef of rocks at the first dawn of day, than a regular roll of even a short sea. The gale now roared through the rigging ; the night got darker and darker as the moon Avent down, and by mid- night we looked like a vessel in a fiery ocean. The sea was running high ; the ship worked and creaked. About one A. M. she was struck by one of those toppling waves which come rolling along like a Congreve-rocket : it struck us on the starboard chesstree, flew over us like a fountain, and carried away the main-topmast. The hands were on deck, of co\irse ; for the mizen-topmast was over the side also, and it was requisite to clear the wreck. "We tried a signal or two; but it was of no use — the lanterns were playing " dodge Pompey," and the lights were out before the signal could be made. The admiral wished the squadron to wear together, to prevent any mischief from one ship L 146 EKN ETACK. running on board the other: but it blew so hard that t!ie lights were of no use ; and as for guns, the man who fired them scarcely heard the report or saw the flash ! The ship laboured so much, that the admiral endea- voured to wear; but, at the moment, the foremast went in three places, and the bowsprit was sprung. The cap- tain tried to use the speaking-trumpet, but the wind blew the voice back into his throat, and the jumble of the one coTiing up and the other going down nearly choked him. "WkJ worked like sea-horses ; and, when daylight dawned, there we were, a wreck at the mercy of the waves. But we got her before the wind, by the assistance of the rem- nant of the spritsail, and Captain Ball, who commanded the Alexander, took us in tow, and we got safe into St. Peter's Island, near Sardinia. Misfortunes never come single. On the day of the gale, the French fleet sailed from Toulon, and must have passed us within a few miles. That was a misfortune ; though it would have been a greater if they had caught us after the gale. But I will give you the admiral's account of the storm which he wrote to his wife. " Vanguard, off St. Peter's Island, May 24., 1798. " My dearest Fannv, *•' I ought not to call what has happened to the Van- guard by the cold name of accident : I believe firmly it was the Almighty goodness, to check my consummate vanity. I hope it has made me a better ofl'icer, as I feel it has made me a better man : I kiss with all humility the rod. Figure to yourself, on Sunday evening at sunset, a vain man walking in his cabin, with a squadron around nim who looked up to their chief to lead them to glory, and on whom their chief placed the firmest reliance, that the ])roudest ships, if equal numbers, belonging to France, would have lowered their flags. Figure to yourself, on Monday morning when the sun rose, this proud conceited man, his ship dismasted, his fleet dispersed, and himself in such distress, that the meanest frigate out of France would have been an unwelcome guest ! But it has pleased Almighty God to bring us into a safe port," &c. BEN BRACE. 14? Sir Horatio never took any credit to himself, or gave much, of it to Captain Ball : he thought it was to Heaven alone that thanks should be given for such a deliverance. We were four days refitting, Captain Ball and Captain Berry lending us a hand, and at the expiration of that time we had a jury foremast. M^e fished the bowsprit, and on the evening of the fourth day we were at sea again. Some few weeks afterwards we had a reinforcement of ships sent us. There was Troubridge in the Culloden ; Foley in the Goliath ; Louis in the Minotaur ; John Pey- ton in the Defence ; the Bellerophon, Captain Darby ; Majestic, Captain Westcott ; Zealous, Captain Hood ; Swiftsure, Captain Hallowell ; Theseus, Captain Miller ; Audacious, Captain Gould : all of them seventy -fours. The Leander, Captain Thompson, of fifty guns, afterwards joined us. 1 remember all these names, because they all fought with us at the Nile. There have been many accounts of this famous victory, but it has never yet been told by the coxswain, the valet, the under-secretary, the follower, the signal-man of Sir Horatio Nelson : and I flatter luyself — not that I want a certificate from any one — that I signalised myself. No sooner had the squadron joined us, than it was '^'Hurrah for the first man who sees the French fleet !" At daylight we had half the officers, with their glasses slung over their shoulders, scudding up to the mastheads, and sweeping the horizon as we did the seas. We had no directions from Lord St. Vincent what course to steer ; the admiral knew that he had given the command to Nelson, and although one or two older officers complained of this favour and affection, yet St. Vincent knew that he had placed the honour of England in hands well able to maintain it. The first news we had was, that the French fleet had surprised Malta, and that the place had surrendered. Thp consul at Messina told the admiral, that owing to the treachery of the Grand Master and some of the Knights of Malta, Bonaparte had been successful. These foolish knights contrived, by various means, to prevent any oppo- sition being made by the garrison ; — the batteries were L 2 t48 BEN BRACE. unprovided with ammunition^ — the cartridges were filled "vrith sand — and the shot (to be sure, without powder, shot are not of much use^ were too large for the guns. Yet Bony pompously styled ix '•' one of the most brilliant exploits of the French nation \ ' We were a day after the fair in that quarter — the mischief was done : we therefore steered towards the Archipelago ; the French fleet having left Goza on the l6th of June, and it was the 20th when we arrived. It was a time of great excitement. We knew our enemy was out of his harbour ; we knew that Nelson would not allow any opportunity to escape ; and the daily exercising of guns, flourishing of cutlasses, and twirling of boarding-pikes, gave us clearly to understand that if we did meet the French fleet an action was determined on. Yet, in spite of our look-out (for we afterwards learnt this), the French fleet, amounting in all to nearly 400 sail, passed us during the night of the 22d, within four miles. They must have huddled together like sheep in a squall, or we should have pounced on a straggler, and had the action at sea instead of at anchor. On the 28th of June we arrived off Alexandria ; but the French were not there, neither could we get any in- formation relative to them. The governor expected them, and was repairing the fortifications, and getting every thing ready to give them a warm welcome. We steered away for Caramania ; the admiral and all his officers looking like those people who follow a hearse. Still the enemy were somewhere and the one eye of the admiral never closed. We steei^ed along the southern side of Candia, carrying all sail night and day. Nelson often said he should like to try Bonaparte on a wind : he had beat us at Vado Bay, but I 'm blessed if we would not have beat him out at sea ! Well, night followed the day, and day followed the night, as the boatswain used to say; but no French fleet could we find. The ships required a supply of water ; and we were obliged to put into Syracuse, in Sicily, in order to get some of that stuff, which is only good for shaving, on board. We might have been there now if it had not been for a BEN BRACE. 149 lady. We sailed on the 25th of July from Syracuse, and made the Gulf of Coron on the 28th. Trouhridge stood in for intelligence, and returned making the signal that the enemy had steered to the south-east four v/eeks ago. Well, we before-the-mast-men thought that a month was a long time. I have known a frigate come from the Havannah in eighteen days ; and it is on record that the admiral on the Newfoundland station breakfasted in his own house one Sunday, and dined with the admiral at Portsmouth on the next. So that, when we put that and that together, we smoked our pipes in the galley, and cocked our eyes at each other, as much as to say, " Catch a weasel asleep ! Bony is off" to Jamaica before this, and has drunk cocoa-nut water at Barbadoes." The admiral was as pleased as if he had found them ; he walked quickly up and down the quarter-deck, rubbing his hand against the side of his trowsers, his face jumping about like Sykes when he was electrified. We had just given it up for a bad job : but the admiral bears up, spreading out the studding-sails, and making the mate of the watch heave the log every quarter of an hour to see how much faster we went. We steered from Alexandria, carrying on until the masts groaned, and saihng close together, every morning keeping the look-out ships well distant from us, and in the evening collecting the squadron together. " If the French are on the seas," said Nelson, " I '11 find them, or it shall not be for sparing the spars or eaving the sails." CHAPTER II. At the battle of the Nile, Our children shall smite. And tell ages yet unborn what deeds Nelson has performed— Sea Soii;i^. It was on the 1st of August — the glorious 1st of Au- gust ! — England will remember that day, antl so will France, as long as the nations exist. Hood, in the Zea- 150 BEN BIIACE. lous, -.vho had made the signal for the land^ ahout four in the afternoon made the signal also for the French fleet at anchor. It v/as round the decks in a second ; we did not want any drummer to beat to quarters, or boatswain to turn the hands up. We were every man of us aloft ; and we came bolting down the rigging to clear the decks, foi we saw that before dark we should be into a fight. The admiral, who ever since we entered the Gulf of Coron had never sat down to a regular meal, now ordered his steward to pipe to dinner ; and he seemed that day in higher spirits than ever I saw him. I was in the cabin the whole time, clearing away for the breeze ; and when the officers rose from table, Nelson said, " Before this time to-morrow I shall have gained a peerage or ^Festminster Abbey." As we drew in-shore, I counted the number of the enemy myself. The odds before the battle stood thus, though they changed a little afterwards. The French fleet consisted of thirteen ships of the line and four frigates, carrying in all eleven hundred and ninety- six guns, and eleven thousand two hundred and thirty men. Our fleet consisted of the same number of ships of the line and one fifty-gun ship, carrying ten hundred and twelve guns, and eight thousand and sixty-eight men. Ours were all seventy- fours : the French had three eighty-gun ships^ and one three-decker of one hundred and twenty guns. The French were moored in a line of battle in Aboukir Bay ; and directly we were close enough to make out the position, we hauled our wind. It was then north-north- west, blowing a top-gallant breeze, and we took in the royals when we hauled up : the rest of the squadron did the same. We now got a bower-cable out abaft and bent it forward, in order to anchor by the stern should it be re- quisite ; and the signal was made " to prepare to anchor with sjirings at the cable : " then followed Nelson's inten- tion, " to engage the van and centre of the enemy." A close line of battle was formed, and we stood in to the bay, sounding as if we were going into Port Royal, the leads- man calling the soundings without the least shake in his voice. Not a man in our fleet had the least knowledge of the bay, nor was any known chart of it in existence : to be DKN CnACK. 151 sure, they found on board of a vessel captured on the 29th June, an ill-drawn plan, so unlike the original, that it would have resembled Mount Bay in Jamaica as much as that of Aboukir. The signal was flying " for the head- most ship to bear down and engage as she reached the van of the enemy, the next ship to pass by and engage the «-p- cond ship of the line," and so on. The French admiral had sounded before us ; he knew where the reef was, and he placed a French brig there in order to tempt us to near the Island of Bakier. But old birds, you know, are not to be caught with chaff, and that plan failed. "We bore up, the Goliath leading the way, she having outsailed the Zealous, much to the anger of Hood, who disputed the honour with Foley until his ship dropped astern. It is an awful thing going into an engagement like this. Every preparation had been made, and we stood in silence awaiting the fire of our enemies. Their line presented a noble appearance: they were anchored in compact order close in with the shore, describing an obtuse angle in its form, flanked by gun-boats, mortar-vessels, and four large frigates ; these again were supported by a battery of guns and mortars on the island, near which it was requisite to pass. The situation was well chosen; for it gave a decided ad- vantage. They had no sails to work, no anchors to drop, no ropes to belay, no position to insure ; they had only to blaze away steadily ; their ships forming fixed batteries, and the batteries protecting the ships. The firing began. The French line opened with a stea- diness which proved their nerves and thoir skill ; but as the ships approached without yawing a point, each vessel steering for the van-ship, round which they had to pass, a little wildness of direction, a little hurry to blaze away, was evident. The Goliath took the first shot about half- past six o'clock : batteries, gun-boats, and ships, all saluted him at once ; he passed ahead of the van-ship and anchored alongside of the second ship. Hood in the Zealous followed clnse, and brought up on the bow of the Guerrier. When we were standing in, Nelson hailed Hood, and asked him 152 HKN BUACE. if he thouglit there was sufficient depth of water for our ships between the enemy and the shore ? " I don't know, sir," repHed the gallant captain ; '' but, with your permis- sion, / will stand in and try." He did carry all sail to be the first ; but the Goliath beat him in sailing, and, like the giant, beat all the enemies he came near. In twelve minutes the Guerrier was dismasted ; and the next opponent of the Zealous, the Conquerant, shared the same fate. The third ship was the Orion, Captain James Saumarez. In standing in, La Serieuse, a French frigate, dared to fire upon him ; he gave her only one broadside, and she reeled and sunk directly. That was an awful moment ! the work of a second had sent hundreds to de- struction ! Saumarez passed on as if nothing had been done, and quietly took his station on the larboard bow of the Franklin and the quarter of the Peuple Souverain, re- ceiving and returning the fire of both. Then came the Audacious, Captain Gould ; she anchored on the bow of the Conquerant. The Theseus, Captain Miller, followed, giving the Guerrier a salute that astonished her ship's company, and took his station on the larboard side of the Spartiate. It was no small mortification to be looking on so long; but it was now our turn. Nelson, aware of the impossi- biHty of the rear of the French line, which were to lee- ward, coming to the assistance of their van, resolved to double his force on the van in order to destroy it at once ; and, having his own permission, he set the example to the rest of the fleet, and anchored on the outside of the enemy's line, placing them by this manoeuvre between two fires. The Vanguard, with half-a-dozen ensigns flying, steered for the larboard side of the Spartiate, anchored within half pistol-shot, and opened a fire which soon silenced that ship, although we suffered terribly ; for the raking fire of the Aquilon, the next ship in the French line, was hot and ■well directed : but Captain Louis, in the Minotaur, anchor- ing between the Aquilon and the Vanguard, relieved us, and soon settled the affair with her opponent. There I stood, with a spy-glass under my arm, on the poop of the Vanguard, reporting the ships to the admiral BKN BRACE. 153 as they came into action : and it was with no small pride that I saw the Bellerophon, Captain Darby, run along the line, and drop her anchor close alongside the Orient, of one hundred and twenty guns ; the latter being the flag- ship of the French admiral Brueys : and boldly and gal- lantly was it done. Captain Peyton, in the Defence, followed close in the Bellerophon's wake, and taking his station ahead of the Minotaur, the line remained unbroken. He had on his larboard bow the Franklin, of eighty guns, which ship carried the flag of Rear-admiral Blanquet. The Majestic, Captain AVestcott, got foul of one of the ship s astern of the Orient, and suffered severely from that ship's fire : she was soon cleared, and got into action with the Heureux, on the starboard bow, and the Tonnant, of eighty guns, on the starboard quarter, the eighth and ninth ships of the enemy's line. Four other ships of the English squadron had yet to come into action : they had been de- spatched to reconnoitre Alexandria, previously to the dis- covery of the French fleet ; they were therefore far away at half-past six p. m. when the action began ; and night having closed about seven, it required much prudence to avoid the shoals, when they saw the fierceness of the action, and, like all seamen, were anxious to make a straight course towards their enemies. The Culloden was about two leagues astern, but was the leading ship of the detached squadron. The night was dark; but Troubridge was cool and collected. The leads- man called the soundings ; and no man could have ima- gined that between the soundings of eleven and the time required to gather in the lead-line, especially when direc- tions had been given to "■ heave quick," the ship would be on shore. But so it was with the Culloden : neither could all the exertions of the crews of the Leander or Mutine relieve her from her situation in time to share in the action. Just think what a man Hke Troubridge must have felt, when he heard the roar of the guns, the blaze of the musketry, and saw the lights of the English .fleet — (we had each of us four). The Culloden served as a beacon to the following ships; and it must have been some consolation tj all the gallaot 164 BEN BRACE. fellows on board of her, that although they were hard and fast, they warned the rest of the danger, and thus the other ships got safe into action. The Cullodens could boar it ; they were all tried men ; their captain was as brave a fellow as ever drew breath, their officers heroes. Hallowell, in the Swiftsure, kept further away from the reef, and seeing a dismasted ship drifting out of the bay, imagined it might he an English ship. It was the Beller- ophon, who had been overpowered by the Orient, her masts and cables cut away, two hundred of her crew killed and wounded. She was going out of the action, although eirery heart on board of her yearned to get her into fire again. Hallowell occupied the space she had left open, never firing a shot until his sails were clewed up and his ship anchored in her station ; whilst the Alexander, Cap- tain Ball, boldly and nobly supported him. Then came the Leander : Troubridge had despatched her to Nelson's assistance. She endeavoured to anchor athwart hawse of the Orient ; but the Franklin being so close to her as to render this impossible. Captain Thompson took his station ahead of the latter ship, thus raking the two ships of the two French admirals. Now, then, it was a fair field and no favour. The French fought well ; but this doubling system quite sur- prised their intellects. Such was the destruction, that before a quarter of an hour had expired, the two van-ships of the enemy's line were dismasted ; and although ships don't want masts when they are at anchor, yet no sailor fights as well in a floating hulk as he does when the top- gallant yards are across : a mast going creates confusion, and confusion begets fear. The action was now in the centre of the line. The Orient, Tonnant, Franklin, and Heureux were fighting like fury to recover the day — or night, whichever you like best. The Bellerophon, having been blown almost to pieces, gave fresh heart to the French seamen : and those who know any thing of that nation, know that no men fight better when a little success has flushed them with conquest; but in a retreat, or when they begin to wax faint-hearted, they go off like chaps o-n the West India station, when BEN BRACE. 155 yellow Jac!^ has laid his claws upon them — they are all noise and nonsense, and then despair and die. They fought well — there's no denying that: and that man is a fool who ever takes from the valour of his beaten enemy ; for in that proportion he takes from the merit of the victory. "When our fleet first bore up to engage, we were saluted by a shower of shot and shell from two batteries on the island, and were then obhged to receive the whole fire from the broadsides of the French line fuU into our bows. The Frenchmen were at first as cool as cucumbers^ and never fired until we were within half gun-shot distance, when both fleets and batteries hoisted their colours, and the Frenchmen began to salute. It was now that the admiral received a severe wound and fell into the arms of Captain Berry. I saw him fall, and jumped off the poop like a lamplighter, I never saw such an ugly hit in my life. The Langridge-shot — a mix- ture of broken nails, glass, tomahawks, and boarding- pikes — came skimming along the deck, and one of them had struck the admiral on the forehead : it cut the skin at right angles, and it fell down over his face, making a hor- rible wound. I thought it must have gone right through his head ; and I trembled like a leaf when I took him by the legs, and gently with some assistance conveyed him below. I had never seen the doctor at work before during an action ; and he looked for all the world like a butcher with his bleechng lambs around him. " Make -way for the admiral !" said I. Thei-e was not a man in that cockpit, wounded or dying, that didn't make a stir to leave room for him they all but worshipped. " No, doctor," said Nelson ; " I will take my turn with my brave followers." I wish I could give an idea of the murmur of admiration which came from lips fast closing for ever, the dying, whose thoughts had been far away. Directly Nelson came amongst them, they recollected he was their admiral ; and one gallant fellow under the surgeon's hand rolled off the chest to make room for his commander. He heard me say to the surgeon, " Lord love you, sir ! do look at this." 156 BEN BRACE. " Is that you, Brace ? " said the admiral, for the skin covered liis eyes. " It is. Sir Horatio," said I. "^ Always by me," he continued, — ''when most wanted. Tell the cler2;yman to come here." It was evident he thought that he had received his orders from aloft, and that he was fitted foreign. Well, away I went for Mr. Corayns ; and the good gen- tleman immediately attended the summons. He was a man much liked by us all, for he v.-as always very kind. He came. Lord ! how I shuddered and shook, when I saw this hero stretched out, believing himself to be mortally wounded ! "My last remembrance, — my last, — mind, Mr. Comyns, — to Lady Nelson." He recollected other matters, and told me to get a commission filled up for Captain Hardy, pro- moting him to be post-captain, and appointing him to the Vanguard. "And, do you hear, tell Mr. Capel to go on ooard the Minotaur, and desire Captain Louis to come to me : I must thank him for his gallant support and assist- ance this day. — I have been, Mr. Comyns, one hundred and twenty- four times engaged; bat now, I believe, it is nearly over with me." Captain Louis came down ; and he hung over his friend and glorious chief in silent sorrow. " Farewell, dear Louis, farewell ! I shall never forget the obligation I am under to you for your brave and generous conduct. And now, whatever may become of me, my mind is at peace." I was then supporting the head which was laid as if in death upon my lap. I was wiping away from my eyes what no man could have suppressed, and hardly saw the surgeon who had approached. The quick glance of science instantly de- tected that the wound was not mortal ; and before the doctor could say the word, the conviction had flashed also upon my mind, and I called out, "Cheer up, cheer up, ship- mates ! the admiral's wound is not serious, after all." Whilst the surgeon had been examining the wound, you might have heard a pin-fall ; but when the words " not se- rious " were repeated, the wounded and the dying, the bleed- ing and the fainting, gave a cheer which must have come more home to the heart of Nelson than all the rewards that BEN BRACE. 15? were ever showered upon him. I blubbered like a girl, and Captain Louis was like a man electrified. It was no use that the doctor said, " Do, sir, keep quiet." " Brace," said the admiral, " tell Mr. Campbell to ge every thing ready for writing the despatches." Campl)ell had been wounded himself, and was unable, partly from his wound, and partly from his feelings for the admiral, to write. " Tell the chaplain, then," said the admiral, " to come." But before he came, I had carried the admiral to his cabin, and he had taken a pen, and begun to trace the first lines, which marked the gratitude to Him who had thus given the victory to us. About half-past eight, the Aquilon and Peuple Souverain had an English crew on board of them ; and captain Berry despatched a lieutenant to take possession of the Spartiate. The oflScer returned with the French captain's sword, which ("aptain Berry brought to the admiral. He looked at it, and then handing it to me, said, " Come, Brace, some more of the old work ; you '11 never be able to carry all these under your arms." It was about nine o'clock — the victory was certain : the van of the line had Englishmen on board of them ; the firing still continued along the line, but the result was un- questionable. The admiral was below, when a noise — a loud, busy noise — announced that the Orient, the ship of the French commander-in-chief, was on fire. It 's an awful sound, " Ship on fire ! " on board a ship, and all eyes were immediately turned in the direction of the ruin. I left the admiral all alone: his head was bandaged up, the skin re- placed, so that he saw well enough out of his larboard hawse- hole *, and I ran on deck to get all intelligence I could. * A very intclligciic friend of mine, and one who has kindly marked some errors in the first edition of tliis work, lias a marginal note added bv himself in reference to this expression. He declares it is not nautical, and that a sailor would have said " glimmer," or " toplight." The editur of lOen Brace's life and adventures difTcrs from the learned captain ; trembling, of course, at his audacity lot daring to think contrary to such successful authority. The Maltese vessels have generally the hawse-holes of their ships paiuteii to re- senible f^fs ; on their boats, where, if hawse-holes were placed in boats, they would be in the same place, are eyes. The Chinese have eyes in the same place; ard I am fearful the gallant officer when he affixed the note saw with j.iiindicet q^cs. 1 cannot, howevar, become his pupil on this occasion, not- withstaiA/ Jig I admit his nc'.e to have been a'l eye-lash. 1 58 r.ICN BUACK. it appears that the French admiral, httle dreaming that this action was likely to take place where he was moored, had heen painting his broadside, which the Bellerophon af- terwards spoilt. The paint-pots were all about the decks, — and new paint and oil are not like the newly-discovered dresses in which a man may walk in a fire without being singed. When this blaze was first observed to have broken out in the after-part of the Orient, Captain Hallowell desired all the guns that could be spared from accommodating the Franklin to be directed to that part of the Orient which was now on fire ; and he called Captain Allen of the Marines, and ordered him to continue his musketry only in that di- rection : this was done to hinder the French from extinguish- ing the flames. The crew of the Orient slackened their fire^ although they blazed away from the lower deck to the last, in order to put out the blaze on board of their own ship ; and our increased energy, all in one direction, made the slaughter more serious. The admiral, who had fought like a Frenchman — and like a gallant fellow too — had already received {hree serious wounds ; yet he kept his station and cheered on his men. A round-shot from the Swiftsure at last cut him in half, and he was spared the terrible termination of the battle. Casa Branca, his captain, fell by his side The confusion now became dreadful ; the flames spread far and near ; for the fire of the Swiftsure was so well directed, and the slaughter so great, that, gallant fellows as they were, the crew of the Orient quailed before the increasing and devouring element. Many jumped over- board to avoid what they saw was inevitable ; whilst the flames spread along the decks, and darted up the rigging like the quick rocket in its ascent, leaving behind it a stream of liquid fire. In vain now did many supplicate for mercy ; the steady aim of the Swiftsure soon thinned the number who yet nobly, though fruitlessly, endeavoured to remedy the evil. The water closed over many whio sought it as a refuge ; •whilst the roar of the gims, the unceasing rattle of the musketTy, the cracking of the wood, the rush of the blaze ri:N BnACE. 159 overcame any shriek which the sufferers might have uttered. At this moment, one sound, louder than the loudest thunder, deadened even the fury of the combatants ; and each ship experienced a tremulous motion as if an earth- quake had occurred. The Orient had blown up ; and such was the startling effect of this dreadful explosion, that those whose blood boiled, with the heat of victory Avere paralysed by the sudden crash, and they left the work of death to gaze on that of destruction. The glare of light illuminated the Bay of Aboukir. The darkness of the night had before rendered the position of the four last ships which came into action doubtful; but now the terrible blaze turned night into day, — every ship, every flag was visible. An awful, a death-like silence succeeded the fearful event ; and not a soul whispered his fears, not a voice even shouted the name which flew on the tongues of all, until mast after mast, and spar after spar, fell with their loud splash into the water, and broke the silence Never has man seen such "a sight ! I turned to see who it was that rested his arm upon my shoulder ; — it was the admiral. He had, unobserved, reached the deck ; and his voice first broke the silence on board the Vanguard. " The boats ! — the boats. Berry ! Be quick — send them instantly to rescue the crew, if possible ! — Brace ! " " Sir," said I, turning my head. " The signal-book, instantly." I left him, and he stood amongst his own crew hardly recognised : the scene they had just witnessed had destroyed even the discipline of an English sailor ; and you know what a sound it must have been to shake the brains of the foremastmen, so that they stood by their admiral without noticing him. The boats of our ship, and those of the other vessels near the F'ranklin, saved about seventy of the Orient's men : many more were picked up, who, previously to the explosion, and knowing its certainty, had lashed themselves to spars, and launched themselves overboard. Awful as the scene was, it was mixed up with a little 160 BEN BRACE. Amusement. A French lieutenant of the Orient, when he found it impossible to quench the flames, stripped himself for a swim. He then thought it would be requisite for him to wear some distinguishing mark of his rank, and he clapped on a cocked-hat, as the most unhkely to embar- rass him. In this undress he was received on board the Swiftsure, and at once walked to the quarter-deck, where he took off his hat and bowed in his Adam-like costume with much gravity to the first lieutenant, announcing his rank. " Very well," said the Englishman, " mountez the poop, Munseer." "Bien obUge pour voire politesse," replied the Frenchman, and just reached his destination in time to see his ship blown up. The English fleet was now in some danger from the falling spars : two large pieces fell in the foretop of the Swiftsure : a lighted portfire fell into the main-royal of the Alexander ; but Ball, who was a good officer, had pro- vided against all contingencies, and it blazed innocently until a hand was sent aloft and removed it. When the silence occasioned by this dreadful explosion had been broken by the fall of the masts, &c., the firing instantly recommenced along the line to leeward of the centre, and continued without intermission until three o'clock. At daybreak every eye was on the alert to mark the progress of victory. Every ship, with the exception of the Guillaume Tell and the Genereux, the two rear- most ships of what was formerly the French line, had struck her colours ; and these two, taking advantage of a light flaw of wind, cut their cables and put to sea. The Zealous instantly made sail in chase ; but every other ship had been so seriously injured in the rigging, that none could follow the noble example of Captain Hood, and Nelson recalled him. Two frigates escaped also ; and, with the exception of these four ships, every vessel of the French line lowered her colours to tlie Cross of St. George. Think what must have been the feeling of those men who looked at the glorious sight ! think how we shook each other by the hand ! think how heartily we congratulated each other : To be sure we did growl a bit when we BEN BRACE. I6l learned that the Orient had on board 600,000/., which had gone to the fishes. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were taken and two burnt ; of the frigates one was sunk and one burnt. This latter was the Artemise, commanded by a scoundrel, a disgrace to the French navy, one Monsieur Standelet. He fired his broadside into the Theseus ; that was all fair enough, and we gave him credit for his pluck, especially after the example of La St'rieuse. Directly he had blazed away all his wrath, which he did in this one broadside, he struck his colours. That was all right enough, if he and his crew liked being prisoners better than sheering off and making sail. But after he had struck, and when the Theseus' creAV, with all the generosity of sailors, would have stretched a hand to assist any one of the crew of the frigate had they been in danger, what does this fellow do, in the face of every law of honour and of nations, but set fire io the ship, now no longer his, but ours, and getting his men into the boats, escape with the rest of his poltroon crew. — That was a disgrace to the Great Nation, as these flamingoes call themselves. AV^ell, this was a victory — Nelson said it sliould have been called a conquest. ^V'e lost eight hundred and ninety- five men, and no less than five thousand two hundred and twenty-five of the French were killed ; the rest, three thousand one hundred and five, were sent away in a cartel. We lost one gallant fellow, Captain Westcott ; but he fell in the moment of victory, in the most glorious action ever fought. And as, on the 2d of August, we worked like horses to secure our prizes and to repair our fleet, many and many 's the time that we stopped in our duty, and shaking hands with our next neighbour, would say, " It was a great victory : and only think what the girls will say wdien we stand in to Spithead !" — Lord bless them ! we always used to think of them. Who would give a fig for a laurel, if the eyes of woman did not render it sacred? But avaust ! I am going out of the yarn, — and that's wrong, because 1 have a duty to perform towards the adm.iral. His mind, although occupied with the numerous objects around him, was full of gratitude to Providence ; 162 BEN CKAOE. and when the signal had been made for a midshipman from each ship, and they had copied the orders, the dif- ferent captains read t\.° following: — " Vanguard, off the mouth of the Nile, 2d August, 1798. " Almighty God having blessed his Majesty's arms with victory, the admiral intends returning public thanksgiving for the same at two o'clock this day ; and he recom- mends every ship doing the same as soon as possible." At the time specified, Mr. Comyns read the prayers, and each ship's chaplain did the same. The service made a deep impression on the prisoners ; and it was remarked by one of them, " that it Avas no wonder the English officers could maintain such discipline and order, when it was possible to impress the minds of the men with such sentiments after a victory so great, and at a moment of such seeming confusion." The Ara*\s had oeen looking on at the action, and, like all wise people, declared for the conquerors. You see in life it is just the same all over the world: it is not every man who sticks by an opposition when he can get into office by changing his words a little ; and these Arabs, directly they found we were masters, illuminated the coast, as far as we could see, for the three following nights. These were the very men who would have speared us and cooked us the day before. The 3d of August came, and every ship had been secured but the Timoleon and Tonnant : they were both dismasted, and could not escape. The Timoleon was aground ; and her captain, after setting her on fire, es- faped with his men on shore. The Tonnant refused to submit, and consequently the Theseus and the Swiftsure ivere sent to settle the business in another manner ; but no sooner did the captain of the Frenchman perceive what was approaching him, than he did what he ought to have done before — surrendered without resistance: for what is the use of giving trouble when nothing can be gained by it ? He had cut his cable and drifted on shore ; but Captain Miller soon got her off, and she was secured in BKN UUACE. 163 our line. Captain Berry was sent in the Leander, on the 5th, to Lord St. Vincent ; and Captain Capel was (hrected to land at Naples and proceed overland. For days afterwards we were employed burying the dead : every now and then bodies could be d'-^tinguished floating in the bay ; and wlien tne morning gun was nrea, up jumped one or two to inquire how the action was going on. We were obliged to be quick at the grave- digging line, for the stench was so horrible that we appre- hended a pestilence. Of course, the admiral expected votes of thanks from every body, and presents from half the crowned heads in Europe ; but he never expected one which, after all, although a queer gift, was the most suitable ; and wlien Captain Hallo well sent him a coffin made of the main- topmast of the Orient, which was fished up with a part of the wreck of that ship, adding, that when he (Nelson) had finished his military career in this world, he might be buried in one of his own trophies, he had it stuck up in his cabin ; and I had to dodge round this death-box sometimes in the dark, not much to my liking or my amusement. Although four ships escaped us at the time, sooner or later we had them all. We picked up the Genereux off Cape Passaro, when I was in the Foudroyant; and the same ship — but I was on shore in Sicily with the admiral, he was a lord then — took the Guillaume Tell, of eighty- six guns and one thousand men, and she was the last remaining ship of the French fleet which was in the action of the 1st of August. To be sure those Frenchmen picked up the Leander; and well the fight was kept up. Captain Thompson fought right well, and we had the satisfaction, when we took the Genereux, to repay them for some of their incivilities to Sir Edward Berry and the crew of the frigate which IVIonsieur Lejoille — j\lr. Jowl, as we used to call him — and his precious gang of robbers were kind enough to practise on their prisoners. Thompson had his reward in the sentence of the court- martial which took place on the 17th of December I7983 at Sheerness ; and what the captains said was all true — M 2 164 BKX BRACE. " tliat the gallant and almost unprecedented defence of the captain of his Majesty's late ship the Leantler, against so superior a force as that of the Genereux, is deserving of every praise his country and this court can give : and that his condnct, with that of the officers and men under his command, reflects not only the highest honour on himself and them, but to their country at large," &c. CHAPTER III The black flag was hoisted ; the schooner bore down. And the merchantman yielded to fate Sea Sung. Now let us change the subject for a while. I 'Jl relate a yarn of my messmate, Tom Toprail, about a ghost : we sailors are rather partial to those gentlemen. " It 's many a day," says Tom, " since I actually saw it — but I have seen it often in my memory since. We had been sent down in the Glasgow to Rio, about some pirating business which had been carried on there by some of the Spaniards ; and we soon set that affair straight, and recovered one or two men, the only survivors out of some fifty or sixty belonging to different ships, the crews of which had walked the plank or been bundled overboard. It is no use being able to swim ; nothing saves a man but being either a cooper or a barber : one chap was saved because he played the fiddle. This was old Jack, a fellow who could twist a yarn, play a hornpipe, or sing a stave. I believe he had been concerned in every mischief under the sun : he had belonged to a vessel out of Liverpool, and was shipped as painter, fiddler, barber, seaman, and car- penter : he could do any thing, or do nothing : he was either employed for the ship, or stopping the other men from doing their duty by playing and singing ; he had been thirty years at sea. " The vessel was bound to the Plate*, and was picked up by a Spanish schooner — a regular black-flag man — a long distance from the coast. The Liverpool ship was * Rio de la Plata. — Ed BEV im.ACK. lo5 called the John and Sarah, and had on board only two popguns and twelve men. " AVhen the schooner hove in siglit, all liands said their prayers; for the captain of her was one of your rum and religion men, — a kind of bodies who take to the spirit and only leave the ghost of a bottle — people fond of having the Cove of Cork as dry as the Goodwin's at low water; in short, a regular methody parson, — always kicking up the greatest row against the sin they mostly practise. " Dov/n came the schooner. It Avas like a hawk at a sparrow ; for the pirate was determined to claw the John and Sarah, and the latter had no spirits on board, excepting what remained in the captain's bottle. There were two men besides old Jack who winked at the guns ; but their minds ran the same ; for after looking at the barking irons, they nodded at each other, as much as to say ' No use;' so they Avent below, clapped on three sliirts and their best suits, and then came on deck to see how the affair was to end. " The schooner did not sail under fal^^e colours ; for when she was within pistol-shot, she fired a long gun right smack at the Liverpool ship, and up went the black flag. '* I forgot to mention — for I may as well spin the yarn from clew to earring — that the captain had his wife and daughter on board. The Avife was the oidy half of any thing that the captain would have spared without much persuasion ; but the daughter was a beautiful creature, just seventeen, and was much more fitted to serve out grog to us old ones on shore, than to be bobbing about the high seas like the buoy at the Nore. " When the captain, who had said his prayers, and taken in enough Dutcli courage to fight a ghost, saw the black flag, he knew what was coming ; and old Jack said, he really did believe that no man that ever was born more cordially hated his wife and loved his daughter. Iler name was Sarah ; for she was christened after the OAvner's wife; and she was as mild as a A\'est India night, with eyes as bright and as blue as one sees in the skies in these climates. " The black flag sobered him in a moment ; and the crew, as they came aft Avith terror marked in every face. J 66 UEN BRACE. soon cominced the girl of their fears. There was not a man in the craft that did not love her, for she never spoke without a smile on her face : and who is there that docs not love a fair face which seems to smile in happiness ? But as to the captain's missus, there was not a seaman on board that had not said more than twice that she was the devil in petticoats, and would lead the whole batch of them into destruction. " Sarah looked in all their faces, but could get no con- solation from any ; on the contrary, they all looked at her as the victim most likely to be sacrificed. Ay, then it was that her large dark eyes were filled with tears, and her red lips grew white with fear : she was a prize worth the risk of die pirates, for she was above all price. Old Jack was the only one who said a word; and that was, ' Cheer up, miss, perhaps they won't murder you. But as for your father ! — Howsomedever, if they have an ear for music, I don't think they '11 feed the sharks with my carcass.' " This was meant for consolation, and Jack said it kindly; but somehow it had just the different effect. By way of separating the sheep for slaughter, the pirate hove-to to windward, and fired at the ship as if she had been a cask put out to practise upon. The colours were doused in a moment, but still the pirate fired. They lowered all their sails on board the Liverpool ship ; and this seemed suffi- cient, for the pirate edged down close alongside, and hailed the ship to send the captain on board. The boat was lowered directly, and the skipper went down below. — There was a scene, thank God! 1 never saw; and I hope old Jack painted the picture a little too strong. — The daughter pushed the mother away for the last embrace : she clung to her father ; no nipper round a messenger, when it 's ' thick and dry for weighing,' ever held faster : and even Mrs. Belzebub, the wife, quarrelled for a kiss. And there they would have remained, had not the schooner, which had edgetl a little to windward, fired another shot, which passed through the cabin and cut the she-devil nearly in half. Old Jack swore that he saw her come out of the companion untouched, and fly away to leeward with th? fore-topmast studding-boom, her petticoats spread cut HK.< BRACE. lC?7 like a sail, and she diving about like a Mother Gary's chicken in a gale. "■ The daughter, seeing the mother dead, fell upon the body and fainted : whilst the father, with some hope still left in him, jumped in the boat, in which was old Jack, and went on board the schooner. Here they found the deck crowded with armed men ; fellows with faces like devils, and with their right arms all bare, as if ready to butcher the crew of their prize. " The captain of her was one of king John's men — four feet nought in his shoes, and about as broad as he was long. He spoke English as well as any of us, and he began, before the captain had time to take his hat off, or lift up his leg as he made a bow, — " ' There — none of your civility. Come here. WTiere is your ship from ? ' " ' Liverpool.' " ' Are you the captain of her } '• ' Yes, sir.' " ' What is your cargo ? ' '' ' Here are the papers, sir.' " ' Who asked you for papers, you mongrel } Bring a pair of scissors and exit the fellow's tongue out, for it is no use to him if he can't answer as he ought. Do you hear there ? ' '' Before you could say Jack Robinson, his tongue was out, and he left bleeding on the deck. " ' Hand here a hot iron,' said the pirate : there was one in a moment. ' Stop the bleeding for a time, for he must not die yet ;' and one of the crew opened the poor fellow's mouth, and then rubbed the hot iron against the sore. " ' Here, you odd-looking scarecrow ! ' said the pirate to old Jack ; ' look tliere !' pointing to the mutilated captain, ' and mind your tongue. Who are you ?' " ' I 'm barber, carpenter, cooper, fiddler, and seaman.' " ' Any thing else ? ' — ' Nothing else.' " ' What 's her cari;o ? ' — ' Don 't know, for I never saw.' " ' Your eyes don't seem of much use to you ; so ■' " Old Jack interrupted, ' Except to shave and to saw.' " ^ Ah ! — How nianv men are there on board f ' l68 BEX BRACE. " ' Twelve men and two women.' " ' AVhew ! ' went the pirate. ' Who are the women ? " ' The captain's wife — but she 's killed by the last shot, and his daughter.' " ' Daughter ! Here, go off,' said he to one of his crew, ' and bring tlie rest on board, women and all. And, do you hear ? throw those three chaps overboard ; but keep this fiddler.' " Jack had not time to look about him, before his ship- mates were struggling in the grasp of the pirates, and three distinct splashes in the water tokl that the captain's orders had been obeyed. " ' Let her forge ahead a little,' said the captain : for, do you see, even his black soul was wilhng to be removed from the murdei--spot. They put the helm amidships, and she shot ahead in a moment.^ Jack could not look over the side — he was afraid to move a foot. " The boat soon returned. The pirate's orders had been observed to the very letter : two women were in the stern sheets, and both apparently dead — both covered Avith blood, while the rest of the crcAv sat between the thwarts of the boat, looking as if the pirate need not give orders for their execution. They came alongside : the low deck of the schooner was hardly higher than the boat's gunwale ; a kind of door was opened, and the crew of the ' John and Sarah ' were told to get on board. What they thought when they saw the captain stretched on the deck writhing in horrible pain, Jack could not tell ; but they walked by the mainmast of the schooner, where old Jack was stand- ing, as one sheep follows the othrr, and as if liope could be increased by their herding together, or as if they could resist the better should the butchers fall among them. '" Hand up the women ! ' said the captain. " In vain poor Sarah had wound her arms round the body of the mother ; the strong arm of the pirates soon separated the living from the dead ; and the daughter's scream, when she was torn from her parent, reached the ear of her father. He started upon his feet ; his swollen face, his burnt lips, quivering with pain, and seemingly endeavouring to give utterance to his wishes. Sarah rushed into his arms, saying, ' My fatlier ! my father ! — BEN BIMCK. 169 oh, save me ! save me ! ' Her hair had got adrift from tlie combs -which had bound it together, and the long locks hung in disorder over her shoulders ; she had hidden her face in his neck. She clung to him as if to fix her hands so that no mortal could separate them. " The scene, terrible to any to behold, had operated on the crew of that fatal ship, who knew the sweet disposition of the daughter, and the better qualities of the father ; and although their own situation was sufficiently awful, they forgot themselves to weep for her. " The captain of the pirate stood close to the companion unmoved, his eyes gloating over the beautiful features of his captive. Death was a sight so common to him, that he cared not how often he saw it. The woman — and such a woman — awoke every bad passion ; and he resolved to gratify his wishes, not at all unconcerned at the anguish he occasioned the dying man. The captain of the prize still remained standing, his eyes fixed upon his wife and daughter, one dead, the other worse than dead. " ' Here,' said the pirate, ' take that girl to my cabin ; and, do you hear ? ' (he whispered something to his nearest man) ' and be quick.' " ' Ay, ay, sir,' said the man in good English. To another he spoke in Spanish ; and the two came to take hold of the girl. As they stooped, the father kicked them so violently on the head, that they both fell back : this was the last effort of a parent to protect his child. " ' What ! ' exclaimed the pirate captain, jumping round the comptiniou, and seizing the girl in his grasp. Lord love you ! it was like a terrier snapping a rat. He lifted her like an infant, although she clung to her mother ; and when that hold gave way, she took a fresh nip at her father's hand. He leant forward, more from weakness than intention ; but as he fell, he stuck his knife up to the hilt in the pirate's shoulder. The blade remained in, for he never withdrew it ; the exertion, however, had over- powered him, and he fell on the deck. " In a moment after, he was thrown overboard, together with the bleeding body of his wife. " The man who acted as surgeon stepped forward and withdrew the knife. It had made a good wound, though 170 BKN BRACt;. not serious. In a quarter of an hour it was dressed. Dur- ing which time he never uttered a word about pain, but gave directions about the prize and the prisoners. The latter were all lashed with their hands behind them, and seized to the bits near the mainmast, old Jack and all. The vessel was lansacked and plundered ; every thing small and of value was removed to the pirate ; and then a few men were sent on board, all of whom but two were English, and she made sail away. " It Avas now getting fast towards sunset ; and old Jack never thought to see it rise again. However, he kept his spirits U]i better than the rest, because he had been already saved when passion was the strongest. He thought the blood-letting would cool the captain a bit ; but he was wrong there, for it only made him the more riotous. He had been down in his cabin, and the half-stifled shriek of the girl had been heard ; but shortly afterwards all was silent. The men fore and aft the decks were sharing out their plunder, and never even heeded the prisoners, who now had a little time to whisper to each other, not only their fears, but their hopes of escape. The man at the helm seemed to have command of the schooner, which was slipping slowly through the water; and darkness was coming on. When the prisoners saw the captain coming on deck, their hearts were in their mouths in a second. " When a man ds lashed ,and can't get a fling for his life, it 's a kind of fortune de guerre that no one envies. Poor devils ! they expected more than they wanted ; no less than to walk the plank ! ^' When the captain came on deck, he stood listening at the companion : he called his boy and whispered in his ear, and the boy went down below, and the prisoners had their eyes fixed upon the murderer. He first looked at the compass — all sailors do that when they come on deck, and any man on board a man-of-war might know the purser from one of Jthe lieutenants without the uniform : one looks at the compass, and then at the sails ; and the other looks at his feet, to see if the lower deck dry holy fetone dust has stuck to his shoes. " But to heave ahead and to tell about the ghost. *' WeUj after the captain had looked about him, he sees BEN BRACK. 171 the prisoners, and he came close up to them. Me looked at the first who was nearest to him, and said he, — " ' What 's your name ? ' " ' Richard Brookes, sir.' " ' How long have you been at sea i* " ' Eight years, sir.' '^ ' Did you ever cut a man's throaty or pick his pocket? * i< f Never, sir.' " ' Can you swim ?' said he pointing to the water, " ' Yes, sir.' " ' 'Which do you choose to do, — commit a murder, or ' pointing to the gangway. " Brookes remained silent. " The captain gave a nod of his head, and one or two of the m.en came aft. They seemed to understand the business : one tied a piece of canvass over poor Brookes's eyes, whilst the other placed a broad plank which was on the booms over the tafFrail to windward, the end projecting over the boat astern. Brookes was then cast off, his hands loosened : the captain walked aft, and they saw Sarah placed on the companion ladder ; her hands tied behind her, her dress almost torn from her shoulders, and her head turned towards the stern. Brookes was led blind- folded to the plank, along which he walked, the two pirates keeping him straight. No sooner had he passed the taffrail, than two other men lifted tlie plank from the deck, and Brookes slipped overboard ; he screamed as he fell. Oh, it must have been dreadful for those poor fellows left behind to hear Brookes's voice gradually growing less and less as the schooner increased her distance, shrieking for mercy. The evening was almost calm, at least there was little wind, and the craft, built like a wedge, slipped silently through the water. At last the sounds grew fainter and fainter, and tlien ceased altogether. He was a strong swimmer. " The only remark the captain made was this : ' I won- der if the pilot-fish are on the look-out ; for their masters will have a feast to-night.' Those iish always find the food for those sea-devils, shai-ks ; and whenever you see the little coupee blue and white fish, you may be certain the large one is near at hand. 172 BEN BRACE. " There were six more to finish, including old Jack and great was the pluck shown by all of them. "'Will you swim, or commit a murder?' said the captain to William Hindmarsh. " Hindmarsh had a wife and family, and was a quiet well-disposed man ; but he was none of the bravest, — at least so his ship-mates fancied ; and there's no doubt that the thoug;hts of his wife and his little daughter must have made him think that, joining the pirates, which he took the last question to mean, might give him an opportunity of returning perhaps without the sin fastened to his soul ; 80 he answered, ' Commit the murder.' " ' Then throw that girl overboard!' said the captain. " Hindmarsh's face grew in an instant into a resolution none could mistake. He said, ' May the Lord have mercy upon me ! for I will rather die ten thousand times.' " ' Indeed ! ' said the captain ; ' then we will take you at your word.' " ' Bring the scissors and the hot iron.' '" I '11 do it, sir, but spare me.' " ' Then do it ; ' and he was cut loose. He walked aft to Sarah : every one of his shipmates called out to him not to touch a hair of her head ; but when he got near her, he made one spring, cleared the way to the tafFrail, and giving a leap, was overboard and drowned. "■ It was at this moment that a vessel was seen on the larboard bow ; for it was not quite dark, and just the last glimmer of daylight. The man aloft had seen the stranger : it made life shorter to the rest, for they were bundled over- board, every motliers son of them, but old Jack and Sarah. The latter was taken below and put to bed, the boy being left to watch her. All sail was now cracked on the schooner in chase, the decks cleared of the plunder, and every thing got ready for a fight. Wlien this was done, old Jack was called. " ' What do you say you can do ? ' " ' I 'm a carpenter, a cooper, a barber, a fiddler, and a sailor.' " * Jack-of-all-trades and master of none, I suppose,' said the captain. * Here, boy, hand up my violin. And do you hear, you old scoundrel, take care how you play, bi;n buace. 173 for I shall judge by that of your other callings: and do you mind — ' and he pointed to the gangway. " This was the hardest trial of them all. When a rnan'e life depends upon his playing well upon such an instrument as the violin, not a little nerve, steadiness of finger, and presence of mind are necessary. Well, Jack said that he could play very decently, and that he had no fears before about his execution ; but now, you sePj it is like enough he thought about both, hi the way of being bow-strung, or 3i-bridyed, like Hindmarsh. It is for all the world like telling a sailor to make his defence before a court of cap- tains, when it is a hundred to one if the sight of the skippers does not take the talk out of him if he had any to lose. What 's a foremast-man's lingo to the first lieutenant's, or perhaps his own commander's, — a man Jack has been taught to obey, and to stand with his hat off Avhen he speaks to him on the quarter deck. All that ought to be altered, Ben ; it 's not giving the sailor a fair chance ; I know that, for I was: present when Johnson was tried. '•■ Well, ohl Jack took the fiddle, and he strikes up ' Moll in the AVad ' with so much spirit that these devils in trowseis began to dance. Then he changed it to the hornpipe, and away the fellows went along the deck, with a double shuffle and cut, just as light of heart as if the eleven men they had just murdered had never been amongst them. Even the Spaniards took the cigars from their mouths to laugh ; and that proves how he carried away the heads and heels of all present : for a Spaniard never leaves off smoking, not even in bed, I believe. As for laughing, they are like Turks, — they think laughing a kind of work, and they don't like work. " ' You '11 do,' said the captain. ' When you have (lone with him, my lads, give him some supper and let him go to bed. We want a cooper and a barber, and he '11 do well enough.* "^ They lost sight of the cliase about an hour after, and it came on to blow fresh : the sails were managed, old Jack said, in proper seaman-like style, for the captain un- derstood his trade in all its branches. About midnight they kept a bright look-out, but they could not hit upon the stranger ; and when morning came, she was out of T74 BEN BRACE. Biglit. rhey then altered the course, and stood towards Rio Janeiro. '' Old Jack was determined to make the best of his situation, and lay by for a good opportunity of slipping his cable. He was soon introduced into the cabin to shave the captain. There he saw Sarah, who was always in tears, and endeavouring to make him understand sometliing; but the pirate made the girl sit before him, so that Jack could not shave him and see her at the same time. About a week after the capture, and when they were approaching the land, a large ship was reported when the captain was getting his chin mowed ; up he jumps, and leaves the two together. " 'God forgive me ! ' exclaimed Sarah, 'but I wish that fearful man were dead.' " ' Wait until we get into harbour,' said Jack. " ' Alas ! I have not the heart to do it,' rejoined Sarah, * or I could find an opportunity.' " ' Nor I the inclination to have my tongue cut out and thrown to the sharks.' " ' Jack, Jack ! you would not see me ruined.? ' said Sarah. <' ' No, miss ; certainly not, if I could help it.' '' ' Oh ! gracious God, what shall I do ! ' " Here she was interrupted by the return of the half- shaven captain. Old Jack was stropping the razor, and Sarah, as usual, crying. " ' Come, Jack, finish your job as quick as you can, without cutting my throat. But,' said he, as he continued singing, — ' The sea is deep, and the man that's slim, And carries good weight of bone, Will have a long and a silent swim. If he swims as well as a stone ; and I don't much think Hindmarsh has got down, for he has lots of toll-gates in the shape of sharks to pass ; and, like those on shore, old Jack, there is no trust.' " As you may suppose, this made old Jack think that he had been overheard, and he very seriously thought of doing the job. But old Jack was no fool, and he knew that the chief mate would soon claim Sarah and despatch BEN BKACE. 175 liim ; and thus arguing that no good would come to either, he finished his work, whipped up his soapsuds and strop, and toddled off forward among his companions. " He had already become a great favourite, for he was always useful and always willing ; he sang a joUy song, played a good tune, and could scrape his lipgs along the deck like a clown at a fair ; besides which he never lost his temper. "^ ' What 's the ship, lads ? ' said he. •"What ship, old boy?' said one of the pirates; ' there 's nothing in sight.' " ' Then what the devil made the captain jump up when I was shaving him ? ' " ' Why, he sometimes does that when he wants to hear what is going on in the cabin ; for he has got another berth which communicates with the after cabin, and he went down there just now.' " Old Jack turned away quite sick, and looked at the water alongside, as much as to say, ' My days are numbered, and you are to be my grave.' " Two days afterwards they made the land about Rio. Jack had shaved the captain every morning, and his fears were rubbed off. Twice the captain left the cabin, and in- stantly Jack communicated to Sarah where he was gone ; so he went on the other tack, saying, — " ' The captain is a very nice man, miss, and will make you very happy : I dare say he loves you dearly.' " To this Sarah could not reply, for her heart was overflowing with grief. ' Never, never ! ' was all she said. " Well, the schooner got safe to her anchors, under Spanish colours ; and the first thing Jack saw was an English man-of-war close to the pirate. "^ My bobs!' thought he, ' but I '11 do it now ! ' Sarah had never left the cabin, and was very iU indeed : poor soul ! she had got as thin as a marline spike. The captain was on deck, and Jack said as he passed, ' Here 's an English man-of-war close on board of us.' She sprang from her bed-place, and tried to rush on deck : old Jack caught her, and said, ' Get back — leave it to me.' " ' Will vou do it then ? ' nS BKN BRACE. " ' I '11 try/ said Jack. " Down came the captain. ' Sarah,' said he, ' you must jump up and come on shore.' She looked astonished, as if all hope was gone. ' Go on deck, old Jack ; and when she 's dressed, 1 want you to shave me.' " Jack did as he was desired ; for he was no match for the pirate, even with a razor in his hand. He looked at the Glasgow, for he could not keep his eyes off her ; and this was noticed by his shipmates. " ' It is jio use, old Jack,' said one : ' she 's going to sea directly ; they are heaving round now, and the anchor is nearly a short stay ; so don't stand making faces over the taifrail — trudge away for'ard.' " It was evident that the poor fellow was well watched, and that although he was within hail of succour, yet he had no chance of making himself heard ; for had he be- gun, his voice would have been gagged in a second. He heard the merry notes of the fife as the men worked at the capstan to the stamp and go, keeping time with the music on board the Glasgow; and when the ' Away aloft!' was shouted, away went the hands scudding up the rigging to obey the orders. Jack saw the ' let fall ' obeyed ; he saw the topsails at the mast-head ; and as the Glasgow was close up to the pirate, he Iieard the first lieutenant call out "^ Ship the bars ! ' and hailing the forecastle, he said, ' Let 's know when the anchor is up and down.' Jack was then standing by the mainmast, with his shaving appara- tus ready, with two men, one on each side of him; and he knew that they were placed to hinder him from hailing. They were stout men ; whilst old Jack was as thin as his own razor, and as weak as West India swizzle. " ' Send the barber here,' said the the captain. " Old Jack went down with a beating heart and shaking hand. The captain had his shirt-collar open ; Avhilst Sarah was dressed all ready to go on shore, in the very newest bonnet saved from the plunder. She gave Jack a look which, poor fellow ! he understood well enough. He placed his bo3i upon the table, dipped in the brush, and lathered the bull-throat of the pirate. He took the razor and began his work : his hand trembled and he cut the BEN BRACE. 177 lip ; the blood began to flow — the sighf of it restored him to more confidence. * Up and down, sir ! ' he heard dis. tinctly from the Glasgow ; then ' Thick and dry for weii;hinp; ! ' He drew the razor acrcss the captain's throat, and nearly severed his head from his body. In an instant Jack was overboard, and one of the pirates after him. He ¥wam well — his pursuer also. Jack hailed: the boat- swain saw and heard ; the boats were hooked on for hoist- ing, one shoved off instantly, and the pirate had just placed his hand upon the back of his victim, when the boat saved them both. The story was told in a minute, and expedition used in both vessels. The pirate had cut her cables and was making sail ; the Glasgow weighed and fired right into her: all exertion was useless; she was captured, anchored, and Sarah saved. The dead captain was buried on the shore, close to a large tree ; and 1 was one who dug the grave and placed him in it. " As the vessel was under Spanish colours, it was requi- site to inform the authorities, and to claim the vessel le- gally ; and this, with the ' poco, a poco' gentleman, re- quires time. Jack never held up his head ; he thought always of the act, which every one justified : but it was at his heart that he felt uneasy. ' Tom,' said he to me one day, ' I think my mind would he easier if I went on shore to the grave and stuck up a cross.' ' We '11 get liberty,' said I. So we did, — our captain was a Christian, — and there was not a man in the craft who did not honour old Jack for the thought. We were landed at the town, and had leave to remain until nine at night, when the boat was to be on shore for the liberty-men. A\'e got to the grave about sunset, and we sat down by the tree. It was a beau- tiful evening, and the Avater washed the shore without a ripple : every thing was still as death, excepting the chirp- ing of the birds, the noise of the crickets, and the buzz of the musquitoes. " Jack sat by the tree, his face covered with his hands^ saying his prayers. I did not disturb him, although I saw the tw'light was fast going, the clouds rising, and night almost at hand. About eight it was dark, — dark as pitch. The lightning and the thunder began, and Jack awoke as 178 BEN BRACE. it were from a dream, holding the cross in his hand. He turned to me; but I was no man then. He said, ' Come and place it, Tom, at his head — I killed him in cold blood — come.' I could not stir : I trembled like a leaf and I remained seated. " ' Why, what ails you ? ' said he ; '^he's dead — dead, and cold, and buried — there ! ' A flash of lightning came at the moment, and I saw something move on the grave ; — ay, I saw the eyes look fiercely at him, for he was the nearest; — and he saw it too, and trembled. At last he got near the grave, and placed the cross on the head. Another flash came; I saw the body without the head carried away ; a growl succeeded ; the cross was thrown down ; old Jack fell prostrate on the grave, and I ran back to the town, and never spoke until we had got on board." CHAPTER IV. 'Tis unmanly to chatter behind people's back, But 't is pretty well known that the lady 's a crack; Besides, if those things about beauty be true, That there is but one Venus, why, 1 say there's two. — Diboin. But to return to my story. After the battle of the Nile I grew an inch taller. At every place we were looked upon as conquerors. Mr. Davison, the agent, had medals struck in gold, silver, gilt metal, and copper. I had a silver one, — the admiral got it for me ; and I keep it at home, screwed up in the canvass, as bright and as new as the day it came out to us. It was on the 22d September that the Vanguard, none the worse for her shot-holes — for they, like the medals and crosses, ai"e the badges of bravery — came m sight of Naples. It was here we saw the first fruits of our victory. The bay was crowded with boats, full of thousands of lovely creatures, all waving their handkerchiefs, all kissing BEN BKACE. 179 their liaiuls. Music was playing in all directions ; and as for flap:s, there were enough to have supplied the fleet with bunting for three years. To look upon these gaieties, and the loveliness of that bay, was indeed a sight worth seeing. The Alexander had arrived before us, and the whole of liberated Italy, at least the coast about Naples, seemed to have got into boats to welcome Nelson. As we ncared the anchorage, Sir William and Lady Hamilton led the squadron of boats, and came alongside. I had seen her once before, but 1 never saw any woman look more lovely: they made a Venus of her afterwards. No sooner did she get on deck, than she embraced the admiral, and fainted. There was the devil to pay, for the King was coming on board ; and although we were three leagues from the anchorage, his Majesty had come out to shake hands with Lord Nelson, and call him his deliverer The best of all the sights, however, was to see the lazzaj'oni, as they call the mob, all coming near the ships with bird-cages, and letting the little creatures have their liberty. What the birds had to do with it I don't know. Lord Nelson's birthday occurred shortly afterwards ; and then it was that be became so disgusted with the whole batch of idlers, that he called them a country of fiddlers, poets, fiefies, and scoundrels. He was right : he knew them well, for there they were, doing nothing but squalling about the streets, or twanging a guitar, or seeing the dan- cers at the big theatre. The first time I went in the pit, as they call it, of the St. Carlos, and saw the women standing on one leg like so many adjutant-birds, and then twisting round and round like a weathercock-man in a squall, I thought to myself that it was just for all the world like naked women, and I got as red in the face as a boiled lobster. The Neapolitans were all alike. The King did nothing but shoot, and hunt, aud kill boars. The Queen — I heard all kind of stories about her — was no better than she ought to have been ; so that we were in a pretty mess, and I was glad enough when in October we sailed for Malta. The French had it ; but we were going to see if N 2 ISO Bi:X BRACE. they could live on that rock without food. Gozo sur- rendered a week after we had shown ourselves; and we left Captain Ball to finish Malta, and returned to Naples. Here we embarked 5000 Neapolitans, and landed them at Leghorn ; and had there been a shot fired, I think they would have tipped us leg bail. Once more we returned to Naples ; and it was about this time that one General Mack and General St. Philip marched to meet the French, at the head of 32,000 men. They fell in with 3000, and all hands used their legs. There never was such a set of cowardly rascals. Although they only lost forty men in all, yet they contrived to leave behind — not honour, — they had none of that, — but their tents, baggage, ammvmition, and all. This left the high road to Naples open ; and in the town there were plenty of idle fellows ready to get up a mutiny, which they call a revolution. So, on board the ships we began to get ready for a start or a breeze. I knew the admiral expected passengers, for I had orders every day to have the cabin separated with bulkheads, to run screens along the deck, and so on ; and every night the boats were sent to a small opening, and returned on board deeply laden with gold and silver, and paintings and jewels, to the amount of two millions and a half. On the night ^f the 21st of December, the admiral directed that three barges should be in attendance at the place. It was blowing pretty sharply and there was a heavy sea running. Of course, I was there : I steered his barge that night. We were at our station ; but we saw no one to give any orders, and we lay bobbing about waiting for news. About half-past eight, it was as dark as pitch. We heard the admiral hail, and we pulled in directly. First of all comes a stout chap, rolled up in as many cloaks as would have covered the starboard watch of the Vanguard : he was looking about him in all directions, and was very anxious to get away. Then comes another fat thing, I could not make out what it was; then the admiral, — faith ! I knew him. No sooner had we cleared tile coast, than I recognised the king and queen through the disguise they wore. They had escaped froi" their UKS lUlACE. 181 subjects, and were indebted to Lady Hamilton ami Nelson for their delivery. Well, I thought to myself that crowns were pretty coins — but great weights. Here was a sove- reign, a man who a month before was the idol of his people, for they bowed as he passed, — nay, some of them even crossed themselves, as if good fortune awaited the glance of a monarch; — and now, here was he in an open boat, and a rough sea, protected by foreigners, afraid of his own countrymen, and looking to each dash of the oar as providing for his retreat ! 1 began to think, that it is a great consolation for a man to be contented in that station of life unto which it has pleased God to call him. So I fancy myself; and I am just as happy in spinning the yarn of my life, as if I were bedizened in gold^ and made to attend upon a king. It is no use my running up the log of all we did at this time, because I don't exactly understand it; but this I know, that I saw the Prince Caraccioli dangling to the fore yard-arm, and pulled round the frigate with Nelson and Lady Hamilton in the boat. I shan't say a word about that execution. I do not like to think of it ; for every one says it was an error of Nelson's. As I cant bring myself to believe he ever conmiitted an error, as an officer, — mind, I say, as an officer ; and I can't say that his lordship acted But no matter. However, the affair reminds me of the ghost ; for about three weeks after- wards, when the King was on board of us, we saw the old prince rise fiora the bottom of the sea ; and that gave his lordship a shock which all the guns in St. Elmo never could have given. A boat was sent to get the body anil to bury it ashore ; but I 'm blessed if it did not nearly create a mutiny. When the cutter's crew was called away, only two men got in the boat; and when, after much calling and starting, we got all of them in the boat, it was quite awful to see how the poor fellows clapped their oars in the water, and tried, when they took them out, to stop the effect they had produced. A\'hen they got near to him, even the midshipman did not like it, and the boat kept pulling round and round the corpse, like a cooper round a cask. No one liked to touch it, for they had all 18S BEN BRACE. seen it hung ; and as it rose with the swell of the sea, it seemed to surge towards the land, from which it had been treacherously taken. He was buried on shore ; and some say he walks about Naples every night, and that on the anniversary of his execution he wears a rope round his neck. We landed our royal cargo on the 26th, having ex- perienced a most riotous gale of wind, during which one of the princesses was taken ill and died in Lady Hamil- ton's arms. Now I 'm not going to talk like a philosopher ; but this I must say, that although the great people have been pleased to abuse Lady Hamilton right and left, yet, I say, she had more heart, more courage, than a whole regiment of Neapolitan soldiers. She was a wonderful woman ; she did not know what fear was. Some say her heart was naturally revengeful. Nelson was now made a duke in Sicily, His title was Duke of Thunder, — for Bronte means thunder, — and we used to call him Thunder and Lightning between decks. And there he was a duke ; whilst I, who had served in every action with him, from the time he fought the bear until he hung the prince, was a coxswain ! .1 might have been a warrant ; but what 's a gunner to a duke ? but, perhaps, if I had been a duke, I should nevej have known the delight of writing my life ; so I am, as I always was, contented with my station. I won't talk about Malta ; but I '11 just say what made Nelson quit the Mediterranean in 1800. It was because Lord Keith was appointed to the command, and Sir Syd- ney Smith had a squadron in those seas not under the control of Nelson. I came all the way home with him by land ; and Sir WUliam and Lady Hamilton were with us. We had an Italian, who taught me a little of his lingo ; and T in return made an English scholar of him. He had been on board the Foudroyant with us, and I made a man of him. He was a capital cook, and used to ilress those " tobacco-pipes made easy," called maccaroni, so well without breaking them, that I have known him put 120 fathom the length of a cable, down his throat, and BEN BRACE. 183 Stow it away in the tiers of his stomach, without one bend riding over the other ! Now, some who Jon't swallow quite so well, may perhaps disbelieve it ; but, after all, I only said it went down through the mouth of the tier with- out a bight, — and that 's not so bad either. We went through Germany ; and of all the sights I ever saw, I never clapped eyes upon any thing the like of this. At Prince Esterhazy's there used to be 100 gre- nadiers, all six feet high, who waited at table: there was not a man of them that could n't have clapped me in his pocket, and my head would never have come clear of the hole. They wanted to shove one of your long-togged ginger- bread coats on me ; but 1 did n't want any cloth tails ; — had n't I one of ray own to cover my stern ? " No," said I; *' we sailors are all fair and above-board, — no dis- guise about us : here you see our shape and build, and no mistake ; but if you were unrigged, and had nothing over your mast-heads, and no paint on your hulls, I 'm think- ing I could thrash any four of you." I must say this for them, — they stuffed me as if I had been a turkey for Christmas. They made as much of the admiral as if he had been their king. After this we got on towards Hamburg ; and it is not for me, who ever received kindness, to say one word about his lordship : but that woman ! — Ah ! that was it I never shall see any thing like her again : and yet sometimes, when one walks over Westminster-bridge, or goes to the fair, we see faces that the whole world could not rival. Then, to look at their feet, ivhen a breeze takes their canvass a little aback, or keeps it shivering like a topsail lowered for reefing ! This I know, — for I have been east and west, north and south, — that in no part of the world are women to be seen like those of our dear little island. Lord bless them ! I love them all. 184 nt.V BRACE. CHAPTER V. Smh Jiavoc, such slashing, (inns tiring, swords clashing, I'hc battle grows warm : Shot on shot quick are pour'd in, Then grappling and boarding; I\Ian to man, arm to arm. — Sea Seng. When we arrived in England, never was such a reception given to any man as was given to the admiral. We landed at Yarmouth in 1800. Every ship in the harbour wore her colourSj and the mayor and his corporation (he was a plaguy fat man, and tliat 's the reason they called him both, which Avas very personal) came out to welcome him : and all hands went in procession to church. When night same in, they lighted it up with bonfires and fireworks, and other combustibles. Through every place we passed, the same signs of joy took place ; and Avhen vve got liome, there was the ear ready to hsten, the eye to drop a tear, the arms to embrace : but although Nelson's heart was once hers, it was now evidently that of another. I was met by little Jane ; and when I held her in my arms and kissed the dear little creature, and thought of past times, I felt as if I could have been either married or transported (they don't always mean the same thing) to any body to be the father of sucli a child. When the admiral called me, he looked at me as if he envied me, for liis happiness was gone for ever — he never recovered it. Before we had been on shore a week, there was an evident coolness between him and Lady Nelson : it was not the same thing as formerly ; she was often in tears, and he was restless and unhappy. He used fre- quently to kiss little Jane, and once said, " Honour is a fine bauble, glory is a great name, but innocence and youth jre worth them all ! " At last the coolness grew daily more evident. Nelson was never at home to dinner ; he no longer listened to the voice of his wife ; her words were not sweet in his ear ; and at the expiration of three months BfcN BRACK. 185 he lefi her entirely. Jane overheard the last words he ever said to her ; they were added after he had taken his last embrace : " I call God to witness, there is nothing in you or your conduct that I wish otherwise ! " No ; it was his own fault. I can bear witness to her unceasing love, admiration, and affection of him. It is hard, very hard, when a woman knows her husband is the first man in the universal world, and dotes on him, to see him loiter- ing in the room of another ; to be left unprotected, because a more beautiful woman happens to fix upon him. Ay, ay, I remember it all : it made me unhappy ; it made Jane unhappy, for she was removed to the house of Lady Hamilton ; but as she was petted and caressed by her, she soon got reconciled. Lord ! that woman would have made the devil in love with her if she chose, for she had the sweetest voice that ever whispered mischief in a mortal's ear ! Fortunately for us all, Lord Nelson got his blue bunting at the fore, and was appointed second in command under Sir Hyde Parker in the Baltic. Vv'e sailed in the St. George, but afterwards changed into the Elephant. We started from Yarmouth Roads on the 12th of March, 1801. Tliere was a diflPerence of opinion as to what w^e were to do, and how we were to set about it ; but Lord Nelson was all " for taking the bull by the horns," as he said. I re- member I was in the cabin when the different plans were proposed. Nelson was all for the short-cut. " The mea- sure," said he, '•' might be thought bold, but the boldest measures are sometimes the safest." It was on the 29th of ]\Iarch, the wind whistling merrily from the north-west, blowing a double-reefed topsail breeze, that we weighed, in order to pass the Sound. Nelson led the van : his flag was on board Foley's ship, the Elephant ; Sir Hyde Parker the centre, and Admiral Graves the rear. The passage of the Sound is about three miles wide ; and the castle of Elsineur, and close to it that of Cronenburg, on the Danish coast, command more than half-way across ; whilst the guns from lielsinburg could reach over the spot where the shots from Elsineur would fall. So that, go which way you would, either one side or the other, or mid-channel, the shots were sure to whistle over our heads ; and they ISO" BEN BRACE. must have been bad rnarksmcn to miss us all, for we had fifty-one sail with us, and out of this number sixteen were ships of the line. We were going into action now with stone walls, where we had no mast to fire away, and give three cheers as it fell. The Monarch went first ; and no sooner had she reached mid-channel, than a hundred guns, and mortars by scores, opened upoi. her. The shot fell like hail; but they did no damage, and were more hke a Turkish salute than an angry fire. It was only fit to be laughed at ; for no sooner did the admiral perceive that the Swedish shore never fired, than our fleet hauled over that side, keeping out of range of the Danish guns : and although they blazed away during the whole time of the passage, not a man was touched. In the evening we were all at anchor between the Island of Huen and Copenhagen. No sooner had the fleet anchored, than a council of war was held on board Sir Hyde Parker's ship ; and a lugger which belonged to our fleet was seen standing in-shore reconnoitring the enemy's position. It was no joke to see such a line of galleys, fire-ships, gun-boats, line-of-battle ships, radeaus, pontoons, with large batteries, and such hke, extending nearly four miles ; but I heard Nelson say, " he wished it had been eight." We had got so used to fighting, that we thought nothing of half-a-dozen batteries. We had to buoy the channel to get at them, for the Danes knew how to throw every obstacle in our way, — and we knew how to remove them. I remember, when I told this yarn to Jack Halyard, who was in Howe's action, and who was one of your regular barge's crew (such a chap ! with the handsomest face and the largest quid in the fleet), says I to him, as we sat at our mess-table, whilst we were emptying the kid of grog, " I must have some biscuits, or I shall never make you understand this action without I place the batteries and the ships. This big one stands for Copenhagen, — and this other represents the middle ground : it 's about two leagues from the city. This," said I, as I dipped my finger into the kid, " this represents the channel between the middle ground and the town it *s called the King's BEN BRACE. 187 Channel, and is deeper than this allowance of ours. I wish we could fill it up : you see I have to put my fingers such a way down before I get enough to luark a channel. — Well, along this channel the Danes had got their hne of defence, as close to the shore as possible. " They had nineteen ships there ; there they are, nine- teen of them : those are the floating batteries, and these round ones are the crown batteries. — They are artificial islands at the mouth of the harbour ; and this one, the largest, had sixty-six guns. There — there it is, all right! " Well, on the 1st of April our fleet anchored here, ofi' the north-west end of the middle ground ; and I — for 1 was Nelson's servant then — assisted at the signals, lent a hand to hoist the old flags, ' prepare for battle ; ' whilst Nelson went on board the Amazon, commanded by that brave fellow Riou, to take a last look of the ships and their position. He returned at one a. m. and we all weighed. "Along here," I continued, making another line of grog, '' was a narrow channel between the Island of Salt- holm and the middle ground : this channel we jiad buoyed. Riou led the way in the Amazon, and the small fry kept sounding on both sides of us. We coasted along the outer ridge of the shoal, — along here, you see, — and we anchored off Draco Point just at dark ; the headmost of the Danish ships being about two miles from us. " Such work as we had on board that night ! Lord Nelson was as tired as a smuggler after he has run his cargo, and I was sent for to ask him to lie down in his cot, which I placed on the deck*, whilst he told the clerks what orders to write ; and he kept me running up and down the hatchway like a messenger-boy, every five minutes, to see which way the wind was. He was in high spirits, and kept them all alive. He had only Riou and Foley with him ; the rest of the captains had gone on board their own ships, but most of them had dined on board the Elephant. Nelson never thought of going to sleep : he kept hurrying the clerks, and asking ' how the wind was.' I know I wished it had been very ill and died into a calm. * Soutliey mentions that all persuasion was unavailing, until Allen, Iiis old servant, used that kind of autho-ity which long and affectionate services entitled and enablcr;.v uit.M i:. 25f) captain said^ ' I thought so ; a deserter in all probability, a smuggler, and certainly a thief ! — fifty pounds easily got ! and I '11 take him back at a cheaper rate J AVhat business has he now out of irons ? ' " ' That's gratitude !' said I. ' Good night, captain ; if you want a light hand aloft again, don't reckon upon me. I 've saved your owners more than fifty poundr, to- night, and you some hours' rest. I know v/hat respect is due to the captain of a ship, or I should answer your other murmur in another style.' " 'A mutiny !' said he, collaring me, and leading me to- the mainmast. ' Here, Thompson, and you, Macintyre, seize this fellow's hands behind him, and lash him to the bits for a little. And here, boy,' said he, calling for his youngster, ' jump down in the cabin, and in the starboard locker abaft all, you'll find a pair of handcuffs. Now you are my prisoner, and shall remain so snug enough.' '' I need not tell you that I was a favourite with the crew,, and that even they hesitated ; but the captain was a thick- set, sturdy fellow, and, stout as I was, I felt like a flea in his grip. One of the men, Thompson, I believe, talked about such usage to a gentleman passenger ; and then, and not till then, Avas it that the whole tide set against me. '^ Gentleman, indeed!' said the captain. ' Do gentlemen, mark their arms this way?' and he tore my shirt and showed the cursed proof of what I was. ' AVhy this,' he continued, ' is the man for whom the reward was offered — he is the man who committed the murder ! ' '' 'Never !' said I, 'never ! I wanted to stop them after the robbery ! ' " ' That 's no business of ours ; and you did not save him, after all.' " ' My eyes ! ' said Macintyre ; and in a moment I felt his hands holding me the faster. " ' Bear a hand, boy ! ' said the captain. *' ' I can't find them, sir,' said he. " ' Hold him fast, Thompson, whilst I jump below foE them.' " ' Ay, ay, sir,' said lie. s 2 260 nKN BRACE. " ' Is it thus you repay me for what I have cione ? ' said I. ' Then my curse light upon you, you ungrateful vil- lains ! ' At that moment the captain came up with the handcuffs. I had but one chance — a struggle. ' To tho devil with you all !' said I, and made a sudden jerk and got clear. It was three to one. I had no chance; mv security was in an accident. That accident happened whilst the captain was urging on Thompson and tlie other, and whilst y, as far as in me lay, defended myself. The ship was lifted upon a high sea, and surged liea>ily forwarcl. ■^ Round her to ! ' said a man forward, ' we are in the rollers ! ' Scarcely had his voice reached us, when again a long rolling sea, which came roaring behind us, broke just astern, and the surf flew over the stern. This shook the determination of the captain. He rounded the ship to, and as she came flying to the wind, the sails were taken aback, a heavy sea struck her on the chest-tree, and the foremast, giving a tremendous crash, fell over the star- board side. " 'Who is the prisoner now ? ' said I. " No sooner had the ship become aback, than she lost her %vay through the water, became perfectly unmanage- able, and as the succeeding roller came along, the main-top- mast fell, the bowsprit snapped. — You may have seen some sights ; but I had never seen thirty or forty affrighted women rush almost naked from their beds, gaining the slippery deck, to see ruin aloft, and inevitable shipwreck to leeward. To hear the scream of women in such moments ! All chance of escape from any thing like order was instantly gone : the captain did not know what he was about ; and I, who had seen some few dangerous surfs, and am not accus- tomed to be frightened before I am hurt — lost all pre- sence of mind, and ran in amongst the women, who had got abaft the mizen-mast, all huddled together, and looking like a flock of sheep when a strange dog comes barking near them. " I saw old Richardson in the arms of his daughter. The poor old fellow had been very ill, and had latterly fretted himself very much about his health, thinking he BKN BIIACK. :5l had not enough left to start afresli in America. I tolil Lucy th!»t I would die by her side^ or sa ;" her and her father. " I held Lucy round the ■waist with my riglit hand, and with the left I held on to a ring-holt in thie larboard bul- wark, and kept as close under it as possible. Her father I had placed just before me, and he was clinging to a rope's end with both hands with a fearful grasp. ' Here's another coining sea,' said I, — 'hold fast — cling to me.' Like thunder it came on. Those who have heard how the sea topples along in its heavy rollers just as it begins to break — who have seen a stranded vessel smashed as if it were a light boat — alone can understand the tremendous power with which this rolling sea fell upon us. It broke about a hundred yards from the ship, dashed its entire strength against the ' Hope,' and carried away the upper works fore and aft. The ship shook terribly and her timbers started. She would have sunk from the immense quantity we shipped, had she not struck upon the sand as the wave passed almost over us, and nearly split fore and aft. " Fearful was the cry whicli then arose — not from those on the deck — ior only two remained, Lucy and myself — but from the lips of forty or fifty women, who, by that one sea, were swept clear from the decks, and left to struggle in the foaming sea. Short Avas the cry, but dreadful : Lucy's father had been carried away with the rest ; and of that group of women who a few minutes before were on their knees, some holding up their children, — some clinging to sisters or to mothers — all, all praying, — not one soul re- mained. " Never shall I forget that moment. Between the seas — and they don't take many seconds in following each other — the whole of that unfortnnate robbery rushed before me. ' My poor father,' screamed Lucy ! — and she clung to me faster as the sea came bellowing along again. I heard the voice of the captain, under the lee of the mainmast, calling out, ' Hold on — hold on !' The sea lifted the vessel afloat and left her again a wreck, with her starboard gun- wale under water. 1 had answered the captain's 'Hold on;* 262 UKN BRACE. and he, directly the danger was past, left Ws place and came aft to us. " ' What ! ' said he — for he was a man who could look death in the face — ' What! has the Devil forgot his own in such a night as this .'*' " ' No,' said I, 'he '11 have you before long.' " Another sea was coming ; ' Let me hold on by that ring-bolt,' said the captain. "■ ' Not you,' said 1 . " ' Then I will hold by your throat,' tald he ; ' you sha'n't be saved whilst honest men drown.' " I let go my hold of the ring-bolt to save myself from being in his grasp. The sea broke right into us, and when I recovered my breath I found myself in the water : near me was Lucy, and not far from her the captain. I cannot think of this last scene without trembling. I caught Lucy by the hair, and at the same time seized hold of a studding- sail boom, which, amidst the general wreck, had been washed overboard. The ' Hope' was devoured by that last sea ; and the waves were covered with the pieces of the wreck. I pulled Lucy to the spar, and bade her cling to it ; it hardly would support her weight, and I was obliged to hold it for fear it should be swept away from me. You know how little a swimmer requires to keep him above water ; but iiere the surf raged over and over me fearfully, and I felt that I requii'ed a little more assistance. " At this moment, the captain, who could swim, made towards us. The spar, I told you, was not more than suf- ficient for Lucy. I saw her certain death if the captain caught hold of it ; and therefore I resolved to drown him ! As he approached, I lifted myself a little by the aid of the r-par. The captain was nearly done; he grasped at the boom, and as he missed it I placed my foot on his head and shoved him under water. He rose again, and again I succeeded. I saw his imploring look to me to save him — /of all men alive to save him ! — and with my own life in danger ! He must have known very little of men of my character. 1 drowned him — and now the secret is out. '' I awoke from a kind of stupor to find myself in a BRN" BUACK. 2(53 fislieiman's hut. How I had been saved, God only knows: but 1 of all that crew — I, the only one wlio would have wished to die, was saved. Days before I had strength to go out, body after body had been washed on shore and buried. No description of mine could identify Lucy. No doubt she was buried with the rest on tlie beach, near the spot wliere her body was washed ashore. " I have never slept, from that moment ; but no hu- man being, except yourself, has ever yet heard of the loss of the ' Hope.' I entered on board an American merchant- ship, having procured a certificate that I was a native of that country. I made two voyages ; the third we were boarded by an English man-of-war. We were mus- tered, my protection torn before my face, and after one or two changes, I was drafted on board the Victory. Now, Ben, I have a favour to ask of you. — My daughter " " Forecastle there ! " said the officer of the watch. "^ Sir," answered the lieutenant,who was on the weather side. '' Keep a good look-out for any rockets or blue lights." " Ay, ay, sir.'' '•' The admiral s on deck," said Matson. "■' It 's a pity," said I, " he has not two eyes ; he would sleep with one always open." CHAPTER XII. We always are ready ; Steady, boys, steady. Sea Song During the day, while we were about sixty miles to the westward of Cadiz, we always preserved our liiie of battle in order of sailing. The fleet was kept in two lines, with an advance squadron of eight of the fastest sailers. Col- 264 BEN BIIACK. lingwood led his line, and Nelson liis ; and ne'.er befor? did two English admirals seem to understand each other better than theye two gallant men. It was not the first time they had met on service ; and, in the earlier part of their lives, Collingwood succeeded Nelson in many of the ships out of which tiie latter was promoted or exchanged. Tliere was v.o paltry jealousy between them ; they were above all that. Collingwood might have envied the chances which fell to Nelson, but he never would have attributed the success of the great admiral to chance alone : if the same chance had fallen to Collingwood, he would have fought the battle of the Nile just as well as Nelson. The enemies of our country did not know Collingwood ; but the English service knew and respected him. It is probable that the enemy would have put to sea before the 19th October, had they not heard that Nelson had joined the fleet; for they knew well enougli that Admiral Louis had been sent to Gibraltar, for provisions and water, with six sail of the line ; and Villeneuve, who commanded the combined fleets, was not a man to let a chance escape him. The arrival of Nelson, and the rein- forcement we brought with us, put a stopper upon the Frenchman's calculation ; and he and old Gravina used to smoke a cigar or two, and look at each other like two strange cats iu a garret. Villeneuve did not like the hero of the Nile — the conqueror of Copenhagen, for an anta- gonist, and therefore he remained in harbour until his mas- ter turned him out. It was on the IQth October that the Mars, the nearest ship to the fleet which formed the line of communication with the in-shore squadron, made the signal that the enemy were coming out of harbour. The wind was south-south- west, and the admiral had his cocked-hat on. I remember this ; for when the signal was reported to him, he jumped on the poop in such a hurry that he left his scraper behind him. " Let them come ! " said he; " I won't force them back. Only let me get between them and their harbour, and we will try our strength on the high seas. Keep a ttrict look-out upon the Mars," said he: "Brace, keep your eye fixed upon her. You may have some more EE.V IJitACK. 26/3 swords under your arm between this and tlie day after to- morrow." The wind had varied a little more towards the west, and we now steered south-east, in order to let the enemy out of harbour comfortably, and give them time to eat their dinner ; and, I know, I had very little time for mine, for every two minutes I heard the admiral's voice to the signal- lieutenant, " Has Brace got his eye upon the Mars?" and then I felt a kind of warm feeling, as if I was somebody, with my glass to my eye. At two o'clock I called out, " Signal going up on board the Mars !" One of the flags had broken its top, and I saw it before it cleared the top- sail-yard. Every eye was turned to her, but I made out the numbers first ; and there it was as large as the flags could make it — '• The enemy have put to sea." Every man fore and aft knew it as soon as the admiral, for the signal-lieutenant, who had got the book, could not report such a signal in the usual cold manner, but he called out from the break of the poop, as he bundled over the leaves, — '• The enemy have put to sea, mv lord !" As a pretty deal of curiosity had been excited from the first signal, and as the men got nearer the gangways than they usually did, the signal was heard by those on the look- out, and the ship shook with the tramp of tlie men as they scudded on deck to look at the Mare. " Steer south-east," said the admiral, "and make more sail !" That was soon done. We did not Avant the hands turned up. I believe, if Nelson had called out to turn the ship inside out, it would have been done in the turn of a handspike. The day closed ; tlie signal had been repeated ; and the men, fore and aft, began to get together, in small numbers, talking over the chances. Many of them had been at Co- penhagen ; some in the Nile, and with St. Vincent ; and all had been more or less pretty warmly engaged at one time or another. Powder and shot were nothing new to them ; and it would have been quite sufficient to convince ViUeneuve, had he only listened to the yarns that were spun that night, and the confidence of every man ami boy on board the Victory, that the combined fleet would sail into 2()()' BEN BRACE. Portsmouth without troubling either the French or the Spaniards to navigate or to work them. I have often thought of the feeling of the men on tliat night. We knew that the largest fleet we ever yet tackled was out of its stow-hole ; we knew who commanded us ; and we did not want any ghost to come over the water to tell us that, if they had been twice as many, we should not have turned our sterns towards them. My day's work being finished, I had to turn in till - tune, who did the same and finished her : the crash of the three broadsides was tremendous ! Nelson then told Hardy to take his choice of an opponent, who ordered the helm to be put hard a-port, and the Victory fell alongside of the Redoutable. She was all ready to give us a warm re- ception ; for, as we came close, she poured into us a broad- 278 BKN KllACK. side of giape, canister, round-shot, and laiigridge ; and if tliey could have rammed into their guns any tomahawks and boarding-pikes, I think they would have made us a present of them all ! It put me in mind of the Javanese when tliey smoke opium : they pay so much for as long a puff as they can take without a bubble bursting ; directly that takes place, down goes the pipe, and off walks the smoker, comfortably drunk. So it was with this ship : she fired one heavy broadside, and that broke many a bub- ble, she knew she was not to try that trick again, so she Jet down her lower-deck ports, and never fired another gun from that deck during the action. On the larboard side of us we had the Santissima Trini- dada and the Bucentaure. Pat O'Riley, who was captain of one of the quarter-deck guns, roared out, " Och me ! and I "m a Catholic too ! does any man think I '11 fire into the Holy Trinity ? — not I. But small blame to the others if they don't catch O'Riley 's blessing ! " and he blazed away at the Bucentaure. Away went our mizen-mast about eight or ten feet above the poop-deck : it was '' Stand from ujider, signal-man," and I gave a jump clear of the wreck, and was all clear and above board. In the mean time the Temeraire had fixed herself upon the broadside of the Redoutable ; a Spaniard fell on board of the Temeraire ; and the four ships were all in a line, as if we were going to try the battle of St. Vincent's over again. Well, there 's only one way of describing an action where the ships are placed broadside to broadside, and when it is give and take, just as hard as both parties can give and take. One im- mense cloud of smoke almost suffocated us, and for some time it was impossible to make out what the other ships were about. Tlie noise of the guns, the " Blaze away, boys ! " the singing out for powder, and the snarl for the match, only came between the shots, which flew about like hail-stones in a gale cf wind. We soon found out that the great guns were the smallest part of the annoyance ; for every now auu tiien whiz came a small whistle of a musket-shot, and down went a man to a certainty. This amusement to our enemies and death to us, we scon found, came from the different tops of the BEX BRACi:. 279 French and Spanish ships. As this part of the play was not what we exactly bargained for, our marines, who were getting thinned from this hidden fire, thought they might as well return the compliment, and they prepared to make themselves topmen for the occasion. Captain Adair^ as gallant an ofBcer as the marines ever had amongst them (and that's saying a great deal for any man, for in that force are to be found as many brave and excellent soldiers as in any regiment or army in the whole world. Indeed, wherever a danger was to be faced, there you saw a marine ; and whenever any cutting-out took place, you would find one or two volunteers from that noble corps, either sitting in the stern-sheets or peeping over the bows of the boats) ; — Adair was to lead them aloft. It is not every man who wears a blue jacket and loose trowsers who can carry a musket into the main-top on a calm day, even without three enemy's ships alongside of you. " Follow me ! " said Adair, " and I'll make sailors of you ! " Up he jumped upon the ratlines, and before he had got a fathom aloft, he fell down dead upon the deck, having received eighteen musket-balls in him. That shows how well the Frenchmen fired; — eighteen shots in a mo- ment, and all to hit ; that shows how sharp the business was ! — Since tlie days when the first admiral, whom they call Noah, sailed about the world, there never was such a roar of cannon on the high seas. No man can relate that action without feeling pity for those who fell : it was a dreadful slaughter. The Bucentaure lost three hundred and sixty men killed before she struck, and not a ship es- caped withoLi'; a considerable thinning of the different messes. As yet, all prospered ; every thing was going on well and leading to a certain victory. Nelson was Avalking the deck ; and in spite of the quick eyes of the Frenchmen aloft who had shot Adair, they had not distinguished him. He wore that day his every-day dress.* * Some people have since said >hat he liesiretl his stars to be placed on his <'oat ; but they are wrong. On all his 'X)3ts he had four orders embroidered, and Nelson was not a likely man to order them to be picked out because he wa? going into action. 280 ni;N ciJACK. The Redoutable having ceased firing her great guns, was considered to liave struck : hhe had no flag up, nor liad she ever hoisted one. I wish I had been alongside of the signal-man — I think he would have shown it for a moment. Nelson desired that the firing should be directed upon the Bucentaure, and from that moment the firing from the tops of the Redoutable increased. I thought I had got into a parcel of birds' nests, the balls came whist- ling about me so fast; and then I thought the Frenchmen had mistaken me for Lord Nelson. 1 was standing on the starboard side of the poop close to the ladder, watching the admiral, for I could not keep my eyes off him, when I saw him fall. I never felt the splinter which a moment afterwards grazed my leg ; I never touched one of the steps of the ladder, for I made but one leap, and I Avas the first man alongside of him ; Hardy was the next. " I hope it is not mortal," he said. Nelson had fallen on his face, and I knelt down to lift him up ; when he said, " They have done for me at last, Hardy." '' I hope not, my lord," he replied. His heart was too full to say more. " Yes," replied Nelson ; " they have shot my back- bone through." Mr. Burke, the purser, and myself, carried him below. I saw the admiral cover his face with his handkerchief, in order that the crew might not know him. That was of no use ; it was along the decks in a minute. Who could keep that a secret which every one desired should not happen } But the sight which followed was one that few have ever seen ! We took him below ; here we found the wounded and the dying — one groaning in agony, the next showing a silent disdain of all pain. Here was one who, feeling the torment of the tourniquet, had loosened it, and was gradually sinking ; there the hasty of temper cursing his fate, and wishing to be revenged. Over our heads, the guns thundered ; the ship trembled with the continued firing ; whilst the loud cheers of the crew, as the enemy showed an ensign only to strike it immediately, Bii.v i:uA(jK. 281 lit^hted up tlie countenance of the admiral, who would l)rif;hten v>rith hope, although nearly crushed by pain. We carried Nelson over heaps of the wounded. A dead silence took place when we got to the cockpit, and every eye was turned towards us to see whom we were bringing. We placed him on a purser's mattress spread on the deck ; he was immediately stripped, and looked like a skeleton with a skin over it. I always wondered how so Weak a frame could enclose so great a heart. — By the side of Nelson was placed young Westphall : he was wounded on the head. I rolled up Nelson's coat and placed it under the youngster : the blood flowed freely, and becoming coagulated, the bullion of the epaulette adhered to the mass. When Westphall was removed, after Nelson's death, we were obliged to cut the bullion off; and this, as every relic of Nelson, was deservedly prized. It was claimed by Pascoe, who had it set as a brooch, encircled by the words, " England expects every man will do his duty- ' — Long may Pascoe live to wear it ! He was wounded, but he never complained — he bore his pain without a groan ; but when he heard Nelson was killed, he burst into tears and crieil like a child. * Beattie came. " It is useless," said Nelson in a faint tone of voice — " It is useless, Beattie; you can do nothing for me : I feel it in my back ; I feel a gush of blood every moment in my breast. Go, Beattie, go to those to whom you may be useful !" The doctor stood watching his countenance ; and when the chaplain touched Beattie's arm, and looked at him in the face, as much as to say, " Doctor, what is your opinion ? " I overheard the answer, which was only meant for the ears of the captain and the chaplain, " No hope whatever !" I ran upon deck. I was burning for some revenge ; and if 1 could have boarded the top of that cursed ship, d — n me if I would not almost have eaten the French- man ! I was on the poop in an instant; I seized a musket, • 'ITie eye-witness of the scene would do an injustice if he failed to mention this, nnd the work of the historian is ennobled by the record of this officer'* nanie 282 3KV BRACK. .rnd I watched the mizen-top of the Redoutable, from which the fatal shot had been fired. There were still two Frenchmen left aloft — the rest had been killed — and one of those had killed the admiral. Mr. Pollard and Mr. Col- lingwood, two gallant young midshipmen, were the only two left alive on the poop of the Victory when I joined them- I supplied them with cartridges, and loaded my own gun. I saw the man, for we knew him by his glazed hat and white frock jacket. " Be ready," said Pollard : " he will come within sight directly ; he has loaded his musket." — " That's he ! that 's he !" we all said at the same moment, and we fired instantly. His gun was dis- charged at the same time, — he fell dead, and I lost my arm ! I was desired to go below ; and I did not stand two calls, — my worst enemy was dead, my best friend was dying. Smarting from the wound, I was going down the poop-ladder, when a small splinter struck my eye, and caused the most insufferable pain for a short time. Bleeding and almost fainting, I went below. A tourniquet was instantly applied, and some water given me. I Avas in the act of drinking it, when one of the men said, — " Brace, the admiral is near his end." I staggered to the midshipmen's berth. Although the space Avas kept as clear as possible in order to give Nelson all the air which could reach him, room was made for me. Every one knew that I had stood by him from the first hour he became a sailor until this last sad moment : besides which, he had inquired for me. '• Who is that } " said the admiral, as he heard the noise in making room for me. " Brace, my lord," I replied. "■ Not wounded, I hope.'' " " I have lost an eye and an arm, my lord," said 5, • and shall better resemble for the future my glorious commander ! " " Come nearer," said he ; his voice was getting very weak and indistinct. Hardy" — (the captain inclined his head), " this is my oldest follower, wounded — unfit any longer to serve his Majesty ; to you I leave it to place BKN BKACE. 283 him in Greenwich." Whilst he was saying this, I had taken his hand ; and as I kissed it, he felt the tears which dropped upon it. '■ Listen to me," he, continued. " When you get to England and are discharged, go to Merton ; tell her of my last moments — tell her 1 have left a memorial in her behalf; — tell her, that even now, when all is shortly to pass away, I thought of her ; that my last prayer was for her; tell her " At this moment a loud cheer from the crew of the Victory startled him. We had passed the Royal Sovereign, and we gave them that cheer which every one felt was a signal of victory, and that no great loss had overtaken us. The Royal Sovereign returned it, Col- lingwood's hat waving above the rest. " What is that. Hardy }" he said ; but Hardy was on deck. About a minute afterwards he returned, when Nelson repeated the question. "It was the men cheering for the tenth ship of the enemy's line which has struck, and as they passed the Royal Sovereign." " None of ours have struck, I hop-?. Hardy } " " There 's no fear of that, my lort replied the captain. " Then I am more easy," the admiral continued. ■' Hardy, I am a dead man : I am going fast — it will be ail over with me soon." At the time this overwhelming event happened, the battle had been nobly fought along the whole line. After Colhngwood had raked the Santa Anna and ranged up alongside of her, he v.-as nobly seconded by tlie Mars, com- manded by WorthyDufF, as he was caDed — and he merited the name. After fighting Uke a good officer, he, poor fellow ! was nearly cut iu iialf by a round shot, and England thus lost another hero. The Sovereign after hi.r first flourihh with the Santa Anna, fell foul of every ship, Spanish or French, within reach of her guns ; whilst the Bellerophon, after breaking the line, got aboard of the Aijle, an eighty- gun ship. The fore-yard of the Bellerophon caught the main- yard of the Frenchman, and a heavy fire was imme- diately directed upon her from the starboard bow ; tlie larboard bow guns were blazin;; awav into the Monarca. 284 uicr. uitACE. i\t the same time she was receiving and returning, witliout much time being lost, the -fire of the Bahama, a Spanish eighty-gun ship, which had drifted on the Bellerophon's larboard quarter ; whilst a ship, as large as her name was long, the St. Juan Nepomuceno, got athwart her stern ; and a French eighty-gun ship, the Swiftsure, touched her up on the starboard quarter. The Bellerophon's men never thought of the odds against them ; they fought like English tars — the more they have upon them, the stronger they rise. Several hand-grenades were thrown into the lower-deck ports of the Bellerophon, and caused great havoc amongst the men ; and had there been a breeze, they must have mustered the sails to see which were missing. The main and mizen topmast fell over the starboard side ; whilst the sails, the main- topsail, and top-gallant sails caught fire. Still they gallantly blazed away ; still they were able to show that Collingwood's line could fight under their ad- miral as well as the Victory's could fight imder Nelson. Cheer after cheer followed, as the men saw the results of their bravery, and were convinced that the signal which had been hailed with such pride, " England expects that every man will do his duty," had been most gloriously answered by every man and boy in the fleet. If I was to give an account of what Moorsom did, and every other captain throughout the British fleet, why, 1 should never come to an end. But I mention the Bellerophon, because the Frenchmen became better acquainted with her after- wards. The action had now been maintained with bravery by the French and the Spaniards for three hours. The victory was won ; ten ships had struck ; but the last sad result was yet to take nlace. It is of no use drawing a picture of what occurred in the midshipmen's berth of the Victory ; the greatest admiral England eveiv^iad was now stretched out breathing his last. From time to time, as the service would permit. Hardy came below and reported to the ad- miral how the day went, ^Vhen Hardy returned and re- ported that ten had struck, Nelson said, " I am growing weaker and weaker ; it is impossible I can live : my back- BEX BIJACK. 285 bone is shot through, I have no feeling below my breast, it is all gone ; — you know it," he said, as he looked at Beattie. " I know it ; I feel something rising in mv breast." After a partial lull, the Victory now fired her whole larboard broadside at once ; this shook the ship from stem to stern ; then came a silence again. Nelson said, in a firm tone of voice, "Oh ! victory, victory !" and then added, " How dear is life to all men ! — Hardy," he con- tinued, ''send my cAKCASs to England." — Carcass was the word : it was an odd word to use at such a moment, but I '11 swear to it, for it struck me as a cool disdain of death, although he had not a minute before declared how sweet was life. In a few minutes. Hardy, who had been on deck, re- turned again. " Fourteen, my lord," he said — "fourteen have struck." A gleam of animation lighted up Lord Nelson's countenance before he died. " I bargained for twenty ! " he said. '•' A\liat have you done. Hardy } " The captain answered, " I have sent Lieutenant Hill to Lord CoUingwood, to mention you are wounded, my lord, and to beg of him to make the requisite signals." *' No other man shall command while I live, — not whilst I am alive. Hardy ! Anchor, Hardy, anchor ! " Had that order been obeyed, in spite of all that has been said, Portsmouth harbour would have had more prizes in Rotten Row. '•'God bless you, — kiss me. Hardy!" he murmured; " kiss me." It was now fast growing towards the last mcraeut of his life ; and although there were many present, yet not a word was spoken. The eye began to warn us that the hero of the Nile and Trafalgar Avas fast sinking. It no longer sparkled up as the cheers were heard below ; whilst he breathed with great difficulty, and when he spoke, it was in a low and indis- tinct voice. Once or twice he made an attempt ; but the restlessness of his spirit was fast subsiding. The chaplain stood by, and watched the last breathings of this great use Ui.S JJllACE. iTiaii. It was then that lie spoke again, — about sius and errors, which even the best of us may commit ; for he was too much of a Christian to die without acknowledging them. This done, he again thought of .us King, his country, — of lie?'. '• Remember," he said, '' I leave her and my daughter Horatio as a legacy to my country. I have done my duty to my King ; but who shall say J have done my duty to my God ! " The last words which he uttered were, "^^ Thank God, I have done my duty ! " and shortly after- wards his under jaw fell, and Nelson of the Nile was no more ! I watched his countenance : I saw the last motion of his lip ; I saw the glassy stillness of his eye — the dead cold paleness of his forehead — the fluttering tremor which shook his whole frame ; and when Beattie said, and loud enough for all to hear, " He is gone ! " I fainted on the table, and was carried away to the cockpit. CHAPTER II. The sons of Britannia triumphant shall mourn The loss of lier hero, of Nelson the brave, Who fought, bled, and tonqucr'd, but ne 'er can rcluiii To claim from our gratitude more than a grave ! — .SV« Song. When I was broad awake again, I was destined to have the limb cut off — my good right arm. It was soon done, and done well ; and I remember how odd I felt when I saiv one of the assistants walk away with my flipper : then it was that I became lop-sided, and had only one eye in ray bows, like a Maltese boat. Just as they were finishing the par- celling which they wound round and round the stump, I heard some one groaning near me ; and there, sure enough, was Bob iMatson. He had been wounded by a piece of iron in the side ; and though he lingered long enough to give the last cheer, as the last flag came down and the firing ceased, yet he nevei s^aw the sun set : before that time he was over- board. Poor fellow ! his last word was '■ Fanny ! " Well, BEX BRACE. /8 7 his heart was in the right place ! — Bob was not the only ■one who had a hint. Smith, a midshipman, wrote a letter to his parents to beg them to bear " his loss with resignation for that he was to die in the great action.' He was right — a shot unmanned him ; he loosened the tourniquet alter drinking a glass of water, and died. He was a brave and a good young gentleman. In the glorious action of Trafalgar, out cf the twenty for which our brave commander had bargained, we got nine- teen, either taken, sunk, burnt, or wrecked. Four which escaped us were taken by Sir Richard Strachan ; and I suppose there never Avas, nor ever will be again, such a noise on the Atlantic. It was not long after this fight before we Avere ail in England again. We had placed the body of Nelson in spirits, in order to convey it safely to England, and we heard some reports about tapping the admiral. If it was done, it -was of course on account of the bravery of Nelson that the seamen required some of his spirit. It is certain, that, owing to the cask in whicli Nelson was placed being badly headed up, when fermentation took place, the head flew off, and up jumped the admiral. The sentinel left his post without being relieved. — It was the intention of Col- lingwood to send the body home in the Euryalus ; but even I, wounded as I was, turned out to join the ship's company in humbly begging, that, as the admiral fought with us and fell on our own deck, we might see all that was left of him safely in England. We went toGibraltar ; and, on the 4th cf November sailed in company with the Belleisle, for England, — the body never being removed from the pipe of spirits in which we had placed it until the arrival of the Victory at Spithead. We had a long and a bad passage, for we did not arrive at Portsmouth until the 2d of December. Then every flag was hoisted half-mast, and many hundreds crowded upon the platform to see the ship which had Nelson's body on board. Although many cursed the wind which so obsti- nately hindered our reaching England before, yet/ blessed it ; for the delay which it caused gave timo for my re- cover v. BEN BRACE. 1 was Avounded on the 21st of October, and on the 30t)« of November I was well again. I was short of a flipper, to be sure, and not quite so good a signal man as one who squints and looks at both lines at once ; but I was still the man that put my foot afloat with Nelson, and who had stuck by him until his death. I had yet to see him buried. When a messmate is knocked off the hooks, or loses the number of his mess from sickness or accident, who stand by the grating at the gangway when the flag is placed over him before he is launched, and who launch him, but those who have eaten, drunk, and lived with him ? Well, then, should an admiral like Lord Nelson be left to strangers ? No ; I saw it all : and although I am a man, yet I never thought the worse of myself for feeling like a man ; and when I saw the cofiin for the last time, if I had had both my flippers, I couldn't have swabbed up the tears, which went rushing out of my eyes like an ebb-tide at London- bridge. When we got off Ushant, — that is, the Victory, Belle- isle, and Bellerophon, — we fell in with Admiral Cornwallis and the Channel fleet. We telegraphed that we had the admiral's body on board, and the flag was shown half-mast. Cornwallis passed under our stern ; and never do I re- member to have seen a more affecting sight than on that day. Willing to give us the welcome we deserved, and yet anxious to show their grief for the death of Nelson, the ships company gave us three dumb cheers ; they waved their hats as a compliment to us, whilst they checked their voices in compliment to the dead. As the ship passed si- lently under our stern, the dead march in Saul was played by the band, and our comrades glided away from us silently and slowly, without a word and without a cheer. The Victory, hardly seaworthy now, — for she had re- ceived eighty shots between wind and water, and her spars were wounded, — was ordered to Sheerness to be paid off, and we arrived on the 17th of December. There it was that I saw the very coffin rhich Captain HaUoweU, after the Nile, had given to Nelson, brought on board ; and the last service 1 ever performed for him who had, v.'hen alive, been a constant friend to me and mine, was to dress the body BEX BRACK. 289 before it was placed in the coffin. I placed the last rig- ging, over his mast-head, put on the shirt, silk stockings, breeches, and tied the white handkerchief round his neck, and bound another round the forehead. The body was then sent to Greenwich; and I was allowed, by the kind- ness of Captain Hardy and Mr. Gray, to go on board the yacht. On the 24th we landed it, having the flag of the Victory over it. It Avas carried by eight of the Victory's men (I was one), and placed in the Painted Hall. They have placed a mark upon the deck of the Victory where Nelson fell when he was wounded. Once a year, for some years afterwards, before time had a little darkened ray other daylight, I used to go to look at that diamond on the deck. Hallo well's coffin was placed in another coffin, and on a gold plate was written all the titles of Lord Nelson. On the 5th, 6th, and 7th of January, 1806, the body lay in state ; and on the Sunday, when the gates were opened, several people nearly lost their lives from the rush which was made to gain admission. They got into the Hospital easily enough : but they could not get into the hall quite so easily. A party of the Victory's crew with.boarding pikes was placed inside, and we soon let them see that we knew the use of them : so we got on according to orders orderly enough. We let in fifty at a time, as nearly as we could count them : they could n't all see, for it was calculated that fifty thousand people came to Greenwich on that day, and that twenty thousand returned unable to gain admit- tance. The day before the funeral, forty-six seamen and four- teen marines belonging to the Victory landed at Greenwich ; and every one of them had been wounded on the 21st of October. Lord Hood met them, and told them that they might go and see the last of their admiral. I was with them. I watched them ; and I feel I am doing a duty to those gallant shipmates of mine when I say, that out of the whole of them, only two did not let the current cf their eyes get the better of their lids : they felt as much, I dare say, although they did not show it, as the others tUd. 290 BEN BRACE. On the 8 th of January Nelson was removed from Green- wich to the Admiralty. Nearly thirty years have passed since all the great men of the land and many of the crew of the Victory saw their favourite hero buried in St. Paul's. I believe every man in London was there. The river seemed more like bridges of boats than a stream of water. Guns were fired, and every soul stood uncovered as the body passed them. On the morning of the 9th all London was alive before daylight, and soldiers were placed to keep the middle of the streets clear : hundreds and thousands witnessed the scene. The Duke of York led the line ; and amongst the great men who honoured his memory by attending him to his grave, was the Prince of Wales. Nelson was buried on that day ; and many 's the time sinpe, great men have died and been taken to their graves out we have never seen — not even when the king died, — any thing like the Reeling which was uppermost on the 9th of January, 1806. L don't like even to think of it ; for on that day my kind- est, best of friends, was launched for ever. My duty done to him who had ever been my friend, as soon as my heart beat right again, I resolved to obey his last command and go to Merton. As yet I had not seen aiy wife ; for she was living near Rochester, on fifty pounds a year, allowed by her brother-in-law, Mr. Tapes, the wine- merchant of Exeter. She was well to do in the world, for she never ran in debt. She was not afraid of any lubberly chap in sliding gunter-boots running aboard of her like a pirate and selling her traps to pay her debts. I went to Merton and saw her. It was a meeting I shall long remember. She was sitting in deep mourning before her writing-desk, on which lay a picture of Nelson : it was so like him, that I could have sworn it was alive. Her hands were clasped together, and she was crying like a child. When I got on board the room, and had put my hair straight with my hand, and lifted up my leg and bowed, she looked at me a moment, then holding her hands >pen, and clasping them in an agony of grief, she ran for- ward to greet me. BEN BRACK. 291 " Come here. Brace," said she ; "sit down. Don't mind my tears, I will endeavour to command them." For some moments, hov^ever. she remained in uncon- trollable grief. At last, with oyes drowned in tears, she thus began : — " You were present at the moment of his f. It was in 1806 that I moored for a full due; and day after day and year after year passed along, bringing no changes but the weather out of doors, and now and then a new pensioner without a leg inside. As we dropped off, there we were laid ; and I felt a curious change from the rough life I had led, to the steady one I was now called upon to pursue. In Greenwich we liave each our cabin — at least it is 3 1 : uuACE. 2Q'^ so with the oldest of us. Now and then one or two are clapped into the same herth ; and it requires some good management to stow away more than two thousand of us, Of course, amongst such a number I found many of my old shipmates : some who had sailed with Nelson in the Agamemnon ; some who had been on board the Vanguard, and made -a jump from the Nile to Greenwich; and all who had seen much service. It was a great change in my life, from the constant em- ployment of a ship to the quiet of the Hospital. Amongst the number of old^ armless, legless men heaped together in this huge palace, 1 remarked that nearly all had grown more thoughtful ; that, although we fought our battles over and over again, the manner of relating them was much altered. Very few of those oaths which are so common round the gsdley-fire, or under the lee of the weather- bulwark, were used ; and on Sunday, when we all mustered in our clean rigging, I always remarked that after church some of the oldest amongst us got upon the benches with Bibles in their hands. There the old fellows might be seen with their legs crossed and their spectacles wiped, reading with much attention what before they had long neglected. For myself, as may he seen, I had never joined. in all the wild sprees of ray shipmates. I had been made a companion in his first adventures by Nelson ; and he, although he had a little of the devil in his composition, never was one of the shore-going rioters. He was always, as the black fellows say, " Working head-work, massa," and more steady than his messmates. The first thing I found when I was admitted on the books of the Hospital, and made a boatswain's mate (for I had held a petty-officer's rating ever since I had been on board the Boreas in 1784), was, that the provisions were as much as a man could eat with his wife's assistance ; and the tobacco-money, although it would not buy the Lord Mayor's barge, which we saw every now and then all gilt and ginger- bread like a beadle's coat, yet it lent a hand at the cottage to make Susan more comfortable. She was per- haps better off than any other man's wife in Greenwich. It must be a man with the stomach of a boy who can 300 BKN BIIACE. get through the allowance. We had seven loaves of bread, five pounds of meat, a pint of peas, a pound and a quarter of cheese, two ounces of butter, and fourteen quarts of beer in a week, and eightcen-pence for tobacco. Who amongst the whole ships' companies in the Navy, I should like to know, would begrudge the sixpence a month he pays to Greenwich, when in his old days, after all the stuff of youth is worked up into twice-laid cordage, only fit to be kept dry, and not have much strain upon it, he is moored in a palace — better than belongs to any king in the world ; where he is fed without fear of the purser's steward being a cheat ; where he is nursed when he is ill, and buried amongst his old shipmates when he is dead ? This is not all for us alone : any man who has been ren- dered unfit for sea-service by defending any ship belonging to an English subject, may have the satisfaction, although he was in the merchant-service, of dying amongst the best of us in Greenwich. Many a time I have thought, that although it does look very hard to be pressed into service, where a man begins by being sea-sick and finishes by being short of a leg or so, and is made to follow a life he never likes ; yet, when he gets old, and moors in Greenwich, I don't think any one who had been pressed would say it was a bad day's work when they docked his coat-tails and made his own tail grow, r ve talked to hundreds of them about it, and I never knew one who did not think the pressgang the best gang he ever got amongst. All I know is, that it now is many a year since I first shipped the uniform and stuck on a cocked-hat ; and although I have been wandering about for nearly thirty years- yet I never had cause to complain of a harsh word being used towards me, and I have never been unhappy for an hour since I came within the gates. Our lives went on steadily enough, and we often at the end of the year sat down and wondered how we had got through three hundred and sixty-five days. Years and years however crept away until the latter end of I8I6, without any thing happening to change my thoughts. I was growing older and older, and yet I was a stout able- bodied man, and at a pinch might have gone afloat again. REN BRACE. 301 Once or twice at the beginning of my being a pensioner, Jane had come down to see me ; she always brought a little money, but she stayed a very short time. As she grew up to be a woman, she became less frequent in her visits, until at last, I suppose she got ashamed of being seen walking with me; and after 1814, when she was about sixteen years of age, she forgot poor old Ben Brace, — at least I thought so, — and for yearp. she never came again. I liad been rather ill about this time, and as my wife was admitted as one of the nurses, every care was taken of me. At the close of 1816" I was out again, having under- gone a thorough repair, and being ready to ride out any gale. I was walking about, wondering of what use I was, Avhen I saw an economical pensioner stumping along. He had lost both legs, and therefore liad no occasion for the blue stockings ; he had shipped on the regulation-pins, and looked for all the world like a barrel of beer upon stumps. AVell, when I saw that he was not used to his new timbers, but that he laboured heavily, and every now and then, when a squall took his tliree-corned scraper and nearly lifted it off his noddle, in jiutting up Iiis hand to save it, his balance was not quite sure, but he pitched like a Billygoat before he got steady again, 1 made sail to lend him a hand. It was dangerous however to come alongside of him, for his arms Avere flying about like the telegraph on the top of the Hospital. When I got within hail, I offered him assistance, seeing that he had been so riddled about the hull that he was scarcely sea-worthy ; and he ans\rered, — " I shall never weather the corner, messmate, unless you take me in tow ; for I find it preciously difficult to keep upon an even keel with these moveable shores ; and although I have got these two sticks, like shrouds to a wounded mast, yet I always feel as if I was going by the board. If I get upon my beam-ends, I shall never right again !" " Why, shipmate," said I, " you have not practised long upon this tack, I should think, and you look pretty weak in the bends ; I take it that a man does not lose both 302 BEN KRACE. his pins Avithout being on his beam-ends for some time." As I made this remark, I looked at the poor fellow's face which was so thin and wizened that it might liave done for a lantern and not hid much of the liglit. His cocked- hat, placed athwart-ships, did not come sufficiently over his head, and I never remember to have seen such a woe- begone phiz since I was a pensioner. He stopped every now and then, but at last I brought him to an anchor on one of the benches just in time to save him from fainting. " I shall get used to these timbers in time, I suppose," said he ; " but it is hard work for the knees. I never used to trouble them much before, and now they don't like the work ; — it makes me feel sea-sick again." " Ay," said I, " it will all come right in time. When we are young, it requires lots of practice before we can toddle upon the legs we are born with ; and when we get old, we never learn so quickly as when we were young. But tell us, sliipmate, where did you lose them ? " " At Algiers, ' he replied ; " and the devil take aL Turks who ever smoked pipes and wore turbans ! I should not have minded one, and then to have got Greenwich ; but to slap them both off with one shot was sharp work — and for me, too, who have been in so many actions and escaped. It is, as you say, rather hard to learn even patience when one 's old. I never could ivait without kicking my heels at the grog-tub when first I went to sea, and I was one of the worst hands on board to stand doing nothing at quarters when the ship was in a blaze and only the firemen at work." " What ward are you in ? " I asked. " The Victory," said he : " but I 'm hardly clear of the sick-list yet ; and in this squally weather, with the wind veering about like a dog-vane in a calm, with rain one mo- ment and a glimpse of the sun the next, I feel my feet itching and aching just as plainly as if they were on." " What actions were you in, messmate, besides this one against the stone walls ? — and a good one it was !" " What actions ! I 'm blessed if I must not look up my memory and shake my noddle before I shall remember them all. \Fliy, I was in the Surveillance, and was blown BEN BRACK. SOS up. That was an action I never wished to try again, for, if I had lost my legs then, I should have hcen drowned. — Well, then, I was in St. Vincent's." "What ship?" said I quickly; "what ship, mess- mate ? " " Why, I was in the Agamemnon with Nelson." " In the Agamemnon with Nelson ? — I don't re- member you." " Nor T you in that three-cornered Portuguese man-of- war-looking skull-thatcher," said he ; " but just take the top off your mast-head, and if you 've a feature left in your face, I 'm not the one to forget an old shipmate, how- ever much bad weather and rough usage may alter him." I took off my hat and flattened my hair down over my forehead and lugged out my tail, and then looking him in the face, said, " Now, shipmate, take a good overhaul ; who do you think I am ? " " Why," said he in a moment, " if you had another toplight, and got your starboard David on again, I should say that you would be very like Ben Brace." " Give us a flipper, messmate ! I 'm he, snug enough. But who the devil are you ? I don't remember you at all." '• No wonder, Ben," he said, as he shook me with a friendly grip by the hand — " no wonder ; when half a man has fed the sharks, t'other half never looks like what it was. I 'm thinking, too, when men lose both their legs, they get like hump-backed people, all alike in the face. But now look at me without this gold-laced topper, — don't you know me now ? " " No more, shipmate," said I, " than if you Avere a Turk." " Then I'm blessed if poor Tom Toprail is not changed for somebody else ; and I wish I had his legs, whoever he may be." " Lord love you, Tom !" said I ; " why, is it you, or only a part of you ? Let 's look at you again. Why, you're as thin as a midshipman's boy, and your clothes hang upon you hke a purser's shirt on a handspike ; your nose has got a slew to starboard, and the tow-rope of your 304> nic.v ur.ACL. head is as white as a liawser under water. But now I look at you agaiiij you are something like him. A^'ellj tell ue. all about it ; how have they used you lately ? " ''Oh, well enough, Ben," he replied, ''until this last affair against those Turks: I get through Trafalgar with- out a scratch. I got spliced one day and drew it the next, as I told you before. " And now," continued he, " I must be off, and get upon my broadside, for I feel as if this wind is not doing me any good. Lord, Ben ! how odd it is for a seaman to be afraid of the wind ! but just now 1 feel all the pains of the devil shooting right through me ; and I 'm told not to be out in the gale when there 's a snug harbour for my hull. Give us a lift, that 's a good fellow; I heard that you were safe landed here. There, gently^ Ben — I almost wish I had been one of those priests we used to see at Malta, who made more use of their knees than they did of their feet ; but I can tell you it is hard work to weigh now, so I 'm coming to an anchor in my own cabin." CHAPTER IV. So in Misfortune's school grown tough. In this same sort of knoivlrdgo. Thinking, mayhap, I 'd not enough, They sent me here to college ; And here we fell old tales, and smoke, And laugh, while we are drinking ; Sailors, you know, will have their joke. Even though the ship were sinking Dibdin. Tom had not lost any of his fun or of his f pirit, and every now and then, when his eye blazed up, I had no doubt in my own mind that in a little time he would be able to spin out his yarn as well as the best. I got my old nurse, my wife, to look after him ; for time had made her accustomed to her work, and knowing old Tom was a friend of mine through life, she looked after him kindly. \VTien Tom BEX UUACE> SOS was not in paiu^ he used to have his legs clapped on a stool, and wonder how any man could wear his own,, wlien he never could get wet feet, and wanted no shoes or stockings. Tom had fitted up his cabin with a print of the Royal Sovereign, £?nd he hung his Trafalgar medal up, and kept it as polished and as bright as a marine does the buttons of his best jacket. But my old messmate was not clear of the coffin-maker yet, and any fall would have placed the D. D.* on the books against his name. Even Tom, him- self, wlio did not fear death any more than a lad who picks plums out of rum in a blaze, once or twice began to think that he was unmoored, and his anchor at a short stay-peak. By degrees, however, he got better, and as he found his spirits restored, so he began, according to his own plan through life, to replenish them. Tom was always a right good one at a glass of grog, and now when old and more than half goae, for he had both legs in the grave, when he couid balance niraseli so as to w^alkwith only the assistance of his crutches, he pegged away to the Dolphin, and there blew his cloud and drank his grog regardless of any con- sequences. I felt as if I was young again when I saw old Tom ; — all the former scenes in the Mediterranean when we were on board the Agamemnon used to rise up before me, and often and often did we spin our yarns over and over again. '"' 'W'ell, Tom," said I to him one day, " you have never given me a sketch of what became of you after your mar- riage. Your wife married the soldier, you know, and left you before she got the allotment; at that time 1 was up in London about Nelson's funeral and getting Greenwich, and I have lost sight of you ever since." " And no wonder, Ben," he replied ; " you don't see half as much as you used to see : but I '11 tcU you. After the Sovereign was paid off, I took a cruise to London myself, and all the money I got from Moses's allowance for the Trafalgar prize-money, and my pay at the back of it, soon got into other pockets. I first of all went to Portsmouth * Discharged, dead ; the usual way, on board a nian-of.war, of writing a man's epoapii. S S06 bi::n brack. to see if I could. find my wife, and T steered away to the Jolly Sailors. The old landlord was at home, and I sat down and blew a cloud with him. ' Well,' said I, ' old boy, have you seen my wife ? ' "'Your wife!' said he! 'why, to be sure I did; I saw her after she married the lobster. They started off for Ireland, Avhere his regiment v;as quartered, and neither of them have been back since. To be sure, it's not more than a month ago altogether, and 1 don't well see, if they get across the water, how they could have been back.' " ' In course,' says I, ' she was married under a purser's name ? ' " * Not she,' said the landlord. ' Her name was Eliza- beth Susan Matson ; she married you as Betsy ]\Iatson, and she married the soldier as Susan Matson. The clerk swore he knew her again, although she had changed her colours, for this time she wore red ribbons : she answered that she was Betsy's twin sister, and as much like as two peas. This silenced the clerk, and they were married.' " This settled all I had to know ; and although I did still love Betsy, yet I could not forgive her exactly, so I got drunk and forgot her. The next day I shipped myself on board a stage-coach, and back I went to Tower Hill. It Avas not long before I v/as hauled up before the mayor, locked up in the lock-house, run aboard of by land pirates, and cleaned out, with store-room brushed, and not a shot in the locker. I had, therefore, nothing for it but to volunteer again ; and before a fortnight was over my head, I was a quarter-master on board the Arethusa, commanded by Captain Charles Brisbane, as gallant an officer as ever led his ship into an enemy's harbour or caught hold of a Frenchman at sea. We were off to the West Indies ; and although, Ben, I had been burnt there once before, I 'm blessed if I don't think it gets hotter and hotter, until one of these days I expect to hear that Jamaica is all in a blaze, and the black fellows burning like tallow-candles. " As far as Yellow Jack was concerned, we got off pretty well ; he took his proportion, for he 's never asleep ; and when we got ashore at Barbadoes on the watering- party, some of us went about a week afterwards much far- BEN BUACE. 307 ther under the water than ever we expected. Well^ that yellow fever is the devil himself ! " We had not long been there, — I mean in Jamaica, — Avhen we were joined by the Latona, and Anson, and put to sea in company with them. We were beating up to- wards the island of Cura JJKN BRACE. Caledonia, and the in-shore squadron edged down to smell their powder, it was tack ship, and in they went again. I think, in 1813, I remember counting over the low land by Cape Sepet twenty-two sail of the line, and amongst them six three-deckers, all a-taunto, with top-gallant yards across, ready for sea, colours flying ; and yet they never exchanged a shot with any of us but once, and that was very much against their intentions. " Tlie Menelaus was always barking at them ; but what could a frigate do ? At last we thought we were in for a brush, and we got to quarters, intending to show them that, although they had killed one Nelson, yet another was alive. We had been kept so long without a real fight, that not half the men remembered how a shot whizzed. " It was gunpowder-day (I never knew why it was called so, for we never had any great action that I heard of on the 5th of November), when the Frenchmen came out for an exercise. We were all of us well off the land, and therefore they got out into salt-water, in order to tack, and wear, and reef, and be sick. Out they came, all sail set. Any one would have supposed that they were going to see how many of us would look pretty in Toulon har- bour ; for they had got a fair wind back again from the east-south-east, and they showed their colours like good men and true. We were away to the southward, hardly in sight ; but we soon knew what was going on, for our advanced squadron of four sail of the line made the signal that the enemy were coming out. We had had that so often that it made no stir amongst us, and the admiral never turned his hands up to make sail ; but he quietly set his top-gaUant sails and main sail, and the fleet followed the motion. Just at this time the wind suddenly chopped round to the south-west, and the French harbour was now to windward of their fleet. Directly this was seen, there was a stir to some purpose : the in-shore squadron cracked on, and we (for we kept the wind from the east-south-east) were not behind in making sail. " It began to look pretty enough ; for four of the French line were at some distance from the rest of their fleet, and our advance made a slap at them. In the mean time they BEN BRACE. 3l6 were working back as hard as they could, ami we were coming up with a fair wind, and so it continued until we were within shot, when the wind headed us, and we paid ofT, and tried to pay them off too, for the Caledonia opened lier broadside on a large three-decker. " The firing seemed to make us all jump sky-higli, and we carried on in the hopes of a general action. Sir Ed- ward Pellew had smelt the powder, and he was not going to give it up without trying its strength. But tiiere was always some good luck for those Frenchmen. They had so much the advantage of flaws of wind, and were so well protected by the batteries, that although eleven shot struck the Caledonia, and she was close enough in-shore to have asked the officer of the battery to dinner, the fleet got in, and we went off". That was the only time Sir Edward got a shot at a three-decker. lie got one broadside afterwards at an eighty-gun ship that we had managed in the Boyne to separate from the main body ; but she got into Toulon with only one or two shots in her side and eighteen in her stern. " This was our work," Tom continued ; '•' and between that and refitting at Mahon, and sometimes running over to Genoa, we got through the years until the peace came, and Bony was shoved ashore at Elba to get a good night's sleep, and give us another chance of a penn'orth of steps at Portsmouth. But before we got to Old England again, we went down among the Barbary boys, and had the ad- miral's flag on board of us. If they had not done just what the admiral liked, which was to pay us some dollars and send some slaves away, we should have made such a uoise in the Bay of Algiers that fish would have been dear in the market. ^Vell, that was done ; home we came ; and, as usual with all stationers, Avent to Portsmouth. '• ' Well, Tom,' said I to myself, ' here you are all safe after the war, with a grisly head and a petty officer's rating; you may now just ship a broom under your arm and sweep a crossing, or volunteer, and be refused by the captain of a colher. What am 1 to do.' thinks I, 'on half-pay ? — nothing a day and feed yourself, won't do. Although I 'v« grumbled occasionally about a piece of pork being bad, and 516 IJKN' BRACK. the beei ocing made out of a salted horse "■, yet I 'm think- hig that when the pay is gone, ship's allowance will be better than monkey's — more kicks than halfpence.' " "NFell, I turned all this end for end in the cable-tier of my mind, and I did not like it. I was p;etting old in the service, but I had not a friend left in the world. I had been as often in action as any man in the fleet ; but what was that ? I had not a shot in my hull, and my spars were all safe and strong. I knew that if I went to volunteer for a ship on the peace establishment, the first lieutenant would have turned round upon his heel, never have looked at my certificates, but would say, ' Very likely, my fine fellow ; you may have been with Nelson, Colling- wood, and Exmouth — (for they had made a Lord of Sir Edward Pellew) — but we Avant young, active men. Here, Mr. Jonas, see this old fellow out of the ship.' — Then, if I had gone to a West Indiaman, tlie skipper would have said, ' No, my lad, I can't take you. Men-of-war's men always want grog, and they don't like working all day and night.' In short, I began to think, that let a man serve his country as truly as he would serve himself — and 1 take that to be pretty staunchly — if he escape the shot of the French or the knife of the Spaniard, he may have all the pleasure of dying by starvation in the streets. What can an old sailor turn his hand to ? " I had this before me. I was never an idler ; and although rather Avild at Portsmouth, was tame aboard. We were to be paid off; the pay-books were made up, and Tom Toprail likely to turn fisherman's boy in his old age, when one morning, just before Ave were to be sent adrift, whom should we see coming alongside but the admiral. He used to play these tricks in Port Mahon ; and no skipper knew that he might not be roused out of his cot at daylight to find the commander-in-chief looking on at the holy-stoning of the decks. Well, no sooner does his lord- ship come aboard, than the boatswain and his mates were at work to turn the hands up, and aft we all came on the quarter-deck. The officers were all in attendance, and we did not know if the gratings were going to be rigged, or the admiral going to pi each. BEN c::.\';i:. 317 " * My lads,' said lie, ' the fewer words I use, the better you will understand me. ^\'e have sailed together some time, and we are pretty well acquainted Avitli one another. Here is a letter from the Admiralty, desiring me to fit out a squadron for very particular service in the Mediterranean, — that kind of service which you all like : in short, it is to attack Algiers. Now you all know you are ordered to be paid off: who amongst you wnll volunteer to serve under your old commander-in-chief, and enter on board the Queen Charlotte ? ' " You know, Ben, when an admiral speaks. Jack is always silent; and it's a long time before he gets his jawing- tacks on board. Well, there w^as one fellow turn- ing his hat round as if he expected to find Spanish dollars in the rim ; another was flattening his hair down and looking as if he was shipping the winch of his lungs to get a word up ; and a third was shuffling his feet about, as if he Avas getting ready to dance a hornpipe. Not a man, however, spoke a word, — they all stood, like a flock of sheep in a squall, huddled together, " ' What! not one ?' said bis lordship : ' Is there not not a man in the Boyne who will sail with me ? ' " ' I 'U enter, ray lord,' said I ; ' but I should like a day or two's liberty to get rid of ray money ; and then I 'd go round the world with your lordship.' " ' That 's well spoken, Toprail,' said the admiral, for he "was not the one to get on board a ship and not know his crew. ' You shall liave your present rating; and I hope that in twenty-four hours you will have spent all you ought to spend, and appear on board the Queen Charlotte. — Is there no one else ?' " About a hundred spoke at once : it was all to the same end as my say. We 'vanted to hear old Scrapehard's fiddle again, to have one good double-shuffle and cut, and take the sand off" the lower -deck of our shoes; to go to the theatre, and take Poll, and Susan, and Jane, and Betsy a cruise in a coach, and then we were ready for Turk, or Frenchman, or any other set of fellows in the world, whe- ther they wore hats or turbans. '^ ' Ah ! said his lordship, ' I thought you only required 318 BEN BUACK. one to break the ice ; that 's all as it should be. You want a run on shore, and you shall have it : but remember, the good men who come first will have the best ratings. Pipe down, Mr. Calls.' " The next day we were paid off, and the Israelites were on the look-out for us : but they were not half so bad as a new set of chaps, who had set up a kind of coast-guard on the grog-shops, as if we were smugglers, and wanted over- hauling. They came on board first, about six of them, all dressed in black, calling themselves Methody parsons ; and. Lord love them, Ben ! what do you think they wanted ? — why, for us to hand over our pay to them, and to go to church instead of going to the JoUy Sailors. They turned up their sanctified eyes, and told us they had a regard for our souls ; and that the devil was a bad spirit, and was in the Jolly Sailors, and such places. " ' I takes the liberty,' said Jack Henderson, ' to say to you that you don't speak Gospel. Man and boy, these last twenty years, whenever I 've been at Portsmouth, I 've gone at the Sailors ; and there 's not a drop of bad spirit in the house. And now, what have you got to say to that > ' " ' My good man,' said one of them, ' if you give us your money, we will take care of it for you, keep you sober, save your soul, and make you a better man.' " ' Well,' said Jack, ' that 's all fair for the payment, but come down below, for I don't want these chaps to see me strike my colours without firing a shot.* I knew Jack was up to some rig, so I claps myself on the combings of the main hatchway, and listened. Jack got the parson into the cockpit, and then asked him to go along the wings, as his chest was forward ; and away goes Jack straight a-head in the dark. He knew, and he saw — for he was used to the light below — that one of the gratings was up : in course, he jumps across to the other, and says he, ' Take care, your reverend worship, how you comes along. Take care of the hold, it 's all clear as the boatswain's store- room.' Well, the poor fellow goes groping, and holding on by the knees, when he comes to the place where Jack had leaped over, and down he goes smack into the hold. BKN BllACi:. "/I9 Jack hears the noise, and calls out, ' 'NVhere are you, your honour's worship's reverence?' " ' Oh, oh ! I 'm sorely bruised !' said the poor fellow : * I have fallen into the pit.' "'Why, I'm blessed,' said Jack, ' if his honour's re- verence hasn't tumbled down the hold ! Oh, my eyes and limbs! how shall I got him out again? — there's not a rope in the ship, and we have no Jacob's ladder left !' '' ' Jacob's ladder was a vision, a dream,' said the Me- thody parson (for he Avas not hurt much, — more's the wonder ; for if the devil had n't taken care of his own, he would have broken his neck). ' Oh, release me, my good man : — why did you deceive me ?' " ' Didn't I tell you,' said Jack, ' to mind the hold, for it was as clear as the boatswain's storeroom ? Now 1 won't deceive you this time, and you may get out how you can, for 1 'm blessed if I lend you a hand. If you can reach from the kelson to the lower part of the hatchway, you must be as long and as straight as old Domet, who used to stand on the break of the poop and whisper into the main-top. Good-by to your honour's worship's rever- ence ! I'm off to the Jolly Sailors, and I'll just tell your brothers that you are in a sad state, and tumbled into the pit, as you call the hold, you lubberly rascal !' " Up comes Jack, and he goes to another, who was preaching away by the hour ; it was all about grog, and drunkenness ; when Jack then whips his oar in. " ' Hulloa, old straight hair and black buttons ! what 's the use of your tossing up your eyes, like a dying cod-fish, about grog, when there 's one of your crew so drunk that he's fallen down into the hold, and he's singing out like a good one just now — Listen, my old boy.' " Tiie parson clapped a stopper on his tongue, and whipped out the hawse plug of his ear, and sure enough he hears his fiiend down below roaring like a bull, and talking about ladders, and Jacob, and spirits. So what does he do but call the rest of them, and they got down below as far as they knew the way, and then perched themselves upon the combing like so many crows. Jack wanted to get some more into the scrape, but the poor 320 KKN BllAGB. fellow below called out to them not to follow the deceiver ; upon which Jack tops his boom, jumps on deck, and getting his shipmates away, left the parsons to assist one another. " ^ You 're a pretty set of fellows to take care of sailors on shore, and can't get out of the ship's hold ! ' said Jack. ' You 're down in the spirit-room, old fellow,' he con- tinued ; ' but all you drink won't hurt your eyesight.' Away we all went, giving three cheers as we shoved off; and Ave had a regular spree. " The admiral was quite right : in four-and-twenty hours I had n't enough money to buy a quid of tobacco ; so I got a boat, and away I went on board the Queen Charlotte. In about three days I was amongst almost all my old shipmates. " Jack met the parson on shore, but he sheered off when Jack hailed him across the street and asked, ' If he was not a pretty considerable humbug of a parson to go aboard a ship and try to pocket the pay of the men, and then get drunk and fall down the hatchway ? ' '• A\''ell, I've often thought that that was the most im- pertinent thing I ever remember; — to think that we lads who sailed round the world, knew every corner Avhere a grog-shop stood, and thrashed every nation that ever wore a flag, should be treated like a set of dogs, and only given so many halfpence, for fear we should get sick in the bun- shop. These Methody fellows caught some of the comical ; but they did n't make much of a haul with us. Who knew if they were n't lawyers under false colours ? — at any rate, the black flag was not likely to tempt us. I believe every one of them who are such sanctified fellows that they won't let a sailor have a glass, and want to keep his money, are nothing more or less than a set of pirates ; and after they had plundered the ship, they would scuttle the hull, and send you to blazes in a moment. No, no ; let 's have it all in the regular way : the chaplain to preach, and the captain to read the articles of war ; give us our grog, and touch up the man who skulks ; then I 'm much mistaken if we don't beat all the world, as we have done before. To make sailors a tea-drinking set of Chinese, and to cram them with Methody, is altering the man as much as they altered the old ones when they cut off" their tails !' BEK BUACE. 39\ CHAPTER VI. 1 Knows all about it, you see, for I was quartered on the poop at the signals. ^Vr.'^ down we runs ; when the admiral, both ways bent for a belly-fUll, makes the general signal for dinner, — and many 's the brave fillow that never oc!;i.\l another. But 't war no time to be nice in stowing away ground-tier grub — so vou may suppose every man was at his gun in a crack XavaC' Sketch-Book. ' We -were not long in harbour. Directly it was known that we were going out to fight, and not to be stuck in Malta or Gibraltar, eating figs and exchanging biscuits for sausages, plenty of the right sort (men who had been half their lives working guns) volunteered. Before the 25th of July, on which day we left Portsmouth, five sail of the line, in which number were included the Queen Charlotte and the Impregnable, three frigates of the large sort, and two of the small ones, five gun-brigs, and four bomb- vessels, were manned and ready for sea. There was no necessity, Ben, for the press-gang. I never saw men come on board more determined to have prize-money : some of them, to be sure, had already been in action on shore, and mustered the first Suntlay with a dark dab about both eyes ; but they left their pay and their prize-money beliind them. I 'm told that half the captains and lieutenants in the Navy volunteered, and that you might have manned a frigate with officers; they couldn't go in only five large ships, unless they went as captains of the guns. " On the 28th we started from Plymouth and stood down the Channel ; and from that time when we fished the anchor, until we anchored at Algiers, we had not many hours to look after our clothes-bags. There we were, directly we had swallowed our cocoa, hard at practice with the guns, Tliere was a twelve-pounder cast adrift on the quarter-deck, and a large target stuck from the fore-top- mast studding boom, and we had to blaze away at that. Of course, when the ship rolled the target rolled ; and for a week I would have bet my half allowance of grog against a marine's powder belt, that the target was as safe as a man in irons. 322 BEN BRACE. " At last Joe Miller hit it. I think he shut his eyes when he fired ; but he was patted on the back, and they gave him a glass of grog. When the other first and second captains of the guns saw that, if they made a hole in the rope yarns, it let rum out of tlie bottle, they began to be more cautious, and before we got to Gibraltar, I would n 't have swung in the target for all the prize-money of the gaUeons. I 've seen fourteen bottles broke in the course of the morning's exercise — and the bottle was the bull's-eye. It was as much as to say, ' Smash me, and the liquor will run out.' Besides this regular noise, we had two days in the week to blaze away powder ; and I 'm sure that the Dey of Algiers, as they call the great Turk there, must have known exactly how far off Wc' were, from the difference of the sound. "■ Well, Ben, after making as much sail as the ships could carry, and after blazing away as much powder as would have served for the battle of St. Vincent, we came in sight of the rock, and dropped our anchors. Lots of rock scorpions were alongside in a moment, and we had a blow-out of grapes for a piastre, enough for twelve in a mess. But we were not to eat and do nothing; we had to complete the water and provisions, and we made up our powder — for stone walls take a deal of battering, and we had seen the batteries before, and knew that it would be hot work and no favour. There were five frigates and a corvette, all Dutchmen, under an Admiral Mynheer Ca- pellan, who joined our squadron ; and those lads talked of nothing but schnaps and Turks from the time we anchored until we sailed. '^ On the 14th we sailed, Dutchmen in co., and in right good order they were. They did not look quite so light aloft as we did, and when we came to reef topsails, ours were generally at the mast*head before they had got the weather earring out, or a point tied ; but they stuck close to us, and from the exercise they were at, you would have thought old Van Tromp had jumped up again, and was going to work after his old fashion. " On the l6th the Prometheus joined the fleet. She was come* straight from Algiers, and although it was not BEN BRACE. 323 often m men-of-war's boats that any of the men came on board an admiral's ship, yet the midshipman who came with Captain Dashwood just jumped up for a minute and then jumped down in the cockpit, and then up jumps the stroke-oar's man, and we began to pick his brains for know- ledge, and his memory for news. " ' Sharp work, lads, we shall have of it,' says he. ' Every blessed morning, noon, and night, are the donkeys and the slaves carrying sand to make batteries ; and they walk guns about as easily as we used to carry a coil of rope in Portsmouth dock-yard, when the officer of the party, and Whistle, the boatswain, did not like it to be rolled. They know we are coming ; they march the men into the batteries every morning, and there you see ram- mers and sponges turning about like a chap with two swords for a dog-vane. For the last twenty-four hours, we never met a Turk who was not loading his pistols, or looking into tlie barrels : and the other day, when we tried to get off the consul's family, having clapped a midship- man's rigging over their mast-heads, notwithstanding they were rather bluff about the bows — (at least the wife and the grown daughter), — yet those Turks were so hard at work getting ready for action, that they let them pass the gate, and did not know a woman from a man. I 'm blessed if I did n't think that if any born creature ought to know a man from a woman, a Turk was the fellow I and yet they looked in their faces and let them pass.' " ' Prometheus' boat !' said the mid of the deck ; but it was only to get ready, so on went the coxswain with his story. " Our doctor was on shore to rig them out, and it was managed right well. All the corkscrew locks were shoved under the hat, and they looked so like officers, that no- body had got the chair ready to hoist them in. Well, when the surgeon had got the mother and daughter in breeches, he gives the child, quite an infant, something to set it to sleep. He then claps it into a basket like you would a pig, and covers it up carefully, leaving the poor creature as much air as could come through the grating- work of the basket. Over all, he clapped some fruit, and 3^4 BKX BRACK. walks down with it towards the boat, whistling ' Oh tlie roast beef of Old England,' and swinging the basket about like you would a cock to set it to sleep. You know, lads, the streets of Algiers are so narrow, that when a donkey with a cargo of sand comes sailing along, you must screw up against the house and make yourself as fiat as a pan- cake, or you might lose your storeroom altogether. If seven or eight of them come along, like a flock of wild geese, one after the other, the stopping of the first at the gate, to see Avhat he is laden with, brings all the rest in a heap, and Turk or Christian could n't get by. Well, it so happened that, what between a heap of donkeys, and the beating them, and the slaves who were endeavouring to pass, the doctor got jammed against the wall by a jackass. He did not care a straw about himself, because he knew he could set his victualling department right when he got on board ; but the basket was another affair, and he kept it down under the donkey's belly, swinging it about as much as he could, and whistling the 'Roast Beef in sharp notes, whenever the animal gave him a jam, and sent the wind out of him. The Turks were laughing at the doctor, and spitting at him for a Christian ; but he did not care much about that, and when they found he took it so quietly, they thought they would jam him more tightly against the wall, and make him stick there for a fuU due. So what does one of the Turks do, but out sword and give the donkey a touch in the stern that would have made even a pig forge ahead. Down went ncddy's head, and up went his tail, and he began pitching about like a ten-gun brig in a head sea, working the doctor into the wall ; when smack came a stick upon his crupper. He forged ahead fast enough then, and his hind legs gave the basket such a jog that the baby awoke, and set up a cry that might have been heard at the palace. " ' They seized the doctor and child instantly, and I had just time to get down to the boat and shove off with the mother and daughter. They might have found out then that they were women, for they piped their eyes and swabbed their faces, and called out for the boy and the basket. The devil a word, however, did they- say about BEN BRACE. 325 either the fruit or the doctor, who by this time, I should think, is about getting back to his own shape again. Well, lads, what do you think the Dey does ? He sends for the child, and it was a toss up if he roasted and eat it, or pitched it into the harbour. However, something went right at that time, and he sent the child on board ; but he has kept tlie doctor, the consul, and every body else he could find ashore. Lord have mercy upon them all ! I would n't be in their clothes for all the shag-tobacco ia Virginia ! — You could n't give a chap a drop of watei , could you ? — but perhaps your grog has been servet? out ^ ' '' I took the hint, Ben ; but before I could wet his throat, down came the captain, the boat was off, and we under sail. " On the 26th we made the land, and then we began to look about us in earnest. The admiral had made up his mind not to stand shilly-shallying, and sending messages and getting no answers ; for Turks are never in a hurry to talk, and when they have to write an answer, they take care to have time enough to mend their pens. As there was no secret in the matter, we all knew what we were- going about just as well as the admiral. At daylight, on the morning of the 27th, when I came to relieve the quarter-master of the middle watch, there was the place in sight, and looking for all the world like a large main- topsail spread out to dry on the side of a hill ; narrow to- wards the head and broad at the foot ; the reef-points standing for streets ; whilst the walls, w'hich we could see as plainly as we could see the lighthouse, looked like the leach-ropes. It appeared nothing else, Ben, but for- tification and big guns ! batteries south of the town, bat- teries north of the town, batteries over the town, and batteries under it. And then comes the pier and Mole- head, which must have taken all the donkeys between Tetuan and Tunis to have carried the stone- work alone to have built them. Wa lay almost becalmed, with our heads towards the place ; and as we looked through the haze of the morning, the town appeared larger, and the batteries bigger, than perhaps they re?.]ly Aveve. 'When I looked 326 RLN BRACE. round at the squadron going to attack it^ I thought that we must be blown out of the water, and that if any of us came down again with our arms and hmbs, we should be jammed into our right shapes again by a donkey in the gateway. " I had been on shore often before at Algiers, and I knew the place as well as if 1 had carried the stones to build it ; for when I was there in the Boyne, getting water, I got leave from the midshipman, after the hose was fixed and the water running, just to step through the gate and see what it was like. Well, there I saw houses jammed together, built of stone, with walls so thick, that I thought one could make a defence for the other, and that nothing could hurt the second street after the first one was knocked down. Then 1 got into the Fish market, where was a battery, which if well managed, was strong enough to sink a three-decker. When I walked round the Mole, I said to myself, ' I should like to see all the ships in the world come alongside of this, and let me have only three hundred blue jackets, and the guns fitted with tackles,' (for I don 't understand that handspiking them out, when one good haul, and out it would run to the wall). Many 's the time 1 looked into the coffee-shop and saw these chaps sitting cross-legged like tailors, with more pistols and swords than ever were used to cut out the Hermione ; and then I used to imagine that these Turks thought of nothing but smoking and fighting. They were a fine stout set of fellows, and did not caie for death any more than they did for their law against drinking grog. 1 've seen them turn it down by quarts, and well they may. Did any man yet have a thing denied him and not wish for it .'' When there 's no liberty to go on shore, don't we all wish to go directly ? whereas, had the word been passed ' for those who wanted liberty to go on shore, to go aft on the quar- ter-deck and 2'ut their names down,' not thirty would have gone. I heard tlie parson say, also, one morning, when somebody had eaten his hot roll, tliat, ' like Adam with an apple, the roll never would have been touched if it had not been the proj-erty of another.' But this is all human nature. Fancy how we boys longed for soft-tack when BEN BRACE. 327 tjie first lieutenant would not let the bum-boat come alongside : stop a man's grog, and he '11 get drunk if he can. " The time was near at hand when many a brave fellow who was then asleep in his hammock would be lashed up in it before the morrow, or launched overboard without it. Yet how quietly they slept ! — many of them dreaming of home and their wives and their children, and such like encumbrance, which, by the blessed aid of the soldier, I have been spared. It was a beautiful morning, and there was a stillness about us like the calm before the hurricane. There was the Impregnable, as steady as if she had been built out of the sea ! her sails were hanging dead down from the yards : not a breath of wind blew even the jib out for a second. On board of her all seemed as quiet below as the wind aloft, yet before night two hundred of her crew were either dead or wounded ! Now and then one or two gulls would come screaming up towards the ship to pick up what had been thrown overboard ; and then one might hear a pipe on board of one of the ships, just to break the silence. Somehow I felt quite happy when we began to slush the water about the decks, and I never liked the noise of a holy-stone so much as I did on that morning. " The admiral was up early, and he sent away a boat with a flag of truce ; but he knew well enough he would get a Turk's answer, — which means, Ben, that the Great Turk would think about it ; and that 's as much as to say. Don't bother us, we want coffee and pipes. Well, I watched the admiral, — for I have seen many of them when going into action. I had a good look at Collingwood at Trafalgar, as he walked the deck as quietly as a marine officer on a Sunday morning when he is full tog for muster. I saw Nelson at St. Vincent : he was not an admiral then, but his arms worked about just as much as the stump did afterwards : and I saw Exmouth before and during the battle of Algiers: he seemed more thoughtful than any of them ; and well he might be, for there was he with five ships, which were likely to be riddled before they anchored, or which might be so disabled as not to get to the stations which had been chalked outfor them. Even if we did get all right,anchor 328 BEN BRACE. down and sails stopped aloft, who could look at those stone walls, and know how thick they were, and yet feel confident of success? He who commanded us all, and who gave the word to fire, how could he look on at the double row of iron teeth peeping out bravely from the portholes of the bat- teries, and not think that, close as we were to be, not one of them could he fired without carrying some execution along with it? He was thoughtful; and as he stood upon the poop overhauling the town through his glass, I thought to myself, ' I'm blessed if I would not sooner be Tom Top- rail, and have only to look after No. One, than be Lord Exmouth, with all the fleet upon his mind !' One dwells on these things afterwards ; but certain it was he thought, when he first volunteered for the business, that many a hat would be without a head, and for that reason he would not take one of his own family. They came crowding all sail to get a chance of being shot, — for there's not a finer, braver set of men in the service than belong to that name. He was right. ' No ! no ! ' said he, ' I have quite enough upon my hands and head, without having the anxiety of a son with me.' " The Severn had got a slight cat's paw of wind, and she towed the flag of truce some distance ; but the wind deserting her, the boat shoved off, and a long hot pull they had of it. 'We watched her as she came to a grap- nel outside of the Mole, and waited for an answer to the letter, which a Turkish officer had carried on shore. " The breeze came down about two bells in the forenoon watch, and by the time we had got our pork and pease-soup stowed away, we were close to the land, and hove-to near enough to see the heads of the Turks' pipes. There they were by thousands, Ben, sitting crossed-legs, with a lap full of arms and a mouth full of smoke, looking at us just as quietly as if we were some show got up by the Dey for the amusement of his subjects. But we soon altered the show ' Well,' thinks I to myself, although I said it out loud to Tom Simpson the signal-man, ' this is a pretty go ! This is what it is to be a Turk ! For do you mind, Tom,' said I, ' these here fellows who clap canvass on their skulls be- cause they've no hair, think that all the shot that ever was BEN BilACE. y29 blazed since Adam was an oakum-boy in Chatliam dock- yard would never hit thern unless they were wanted aloft ! If they are killed, why it's all right! if they escape, it was all arranged it was to be so ! And certain they feel, that if it's their time to answer muster to the general roll, although we may be bunglers enough to miss them, yet that some tile would tumble upon their skulls, or some powder blow up, or some catamaran capsize, for, somehow or other, they were to go, and go they would ! I wish I could think so,' I continned to Simpson, ' for my legs itch very much.' " ' What !' said Simpson, ' not to run away, Tom?* " ' No, no !' said I. ' Did Tom Toprail ever bob his head to a two-and-thirty pounder yet ? Handle your purser's pump and look out, for here 's the boat coming back.' " It was a little after four bells p.m., as they write it on the log-board, — and which means, Ben, I believe, ' provisions munched,' as it begins after dinner, — that we saw the boat returning, and, as the admiral thought before- hand, without any answer. Up goes the signal, 'Are you ready }' and it was a hard matter to say what ship answered first. The stops seemed to break all at tlie same moment, excepting on board the Superb, aud the signal-man there was determined not to be last, so he sent the flag aloft without any stop at all. " ' Put the helm up, Mr. Gaze,' said the admiral : and IVIr. Gaze, who Avas the master, called out as quietly as if he was going to wear ship at sea, ' Up helm, quarter- master !' — 'Ay, ay, sir!' said I, and round flew the spokes. '•' The sails were trimmed, and each ship steered for her station. I was at the weather wheel ; and althougli I did think a bit, yet I never took my eye off the lighthouse, which JMr. Gaze told me to keep in a line with a flag-staff. ' Yes,' said I to myself, ' here we go, right before the wind on a lee shore, to see which is hardest, iron or stone, into a place not large enough to swing a decent-sized bum-boat ; and if we are to get out again, we must haul her over the Mole-head ; — for the breadth across was not more than three 330 BEN BRACK, hundred and fifty feet^ and how the devil were we to work a three-decker out of that horse-pond ?' " ' Starboard a httle^ Toprail ! ' said the master. " ' Starboard it is, sir,' said I. " ' We must anchor by the stern. Gaze,' said the ad- miral. " ' Certainly, my lord !' said the master ; not looking round the devil a point; but continuing, ' Steady-i-e !' " ' Steady it is, sir !' said I, " The wind was light, and we slipped along gently through the water. All hands were at quarters : the sail- trimmers stood ready to shorten sail, whilst the men on the lower deck were to attend to the cables. Well, Ben, as we got closer and closer, I expected a Turkish salute, for now the Mole-head seemed coming on board of us. But no, there they were, sitting as I told you before, and not a blessed one of them was afraid of the flying jib-boom shoving them off the battery ! " ' Shorten sail, Brisbane ! ' said the admiral, and every thing was clewed up, and Ave went gently to our station. " ' Let go the anchor. Gaze !' said his lordship. " ' Hold on for a moment !' said the master with a louder voice. ' My lord, we must go a little farther in; — now I think we are about right to rake the Mole-head !' Down went the anchor from the stern, a hawser was run out to a brig, and the jolly old Queen Charlotte lay like a duck on the water, with her starboard broadside ready to light the Turks' pipes. I lashed the wheel, and jumped upon the poop to assist Simpson if any signals were to be made. ' If those Turks,' says I, * understand English, they must think it odd that we come poking in here, right under their guns, and calling out the soundings as if we were going into one of our own harbours.' Well, by way of letting them believe their ears if they doubted their eyes, we waited until we were all stoppered and snug, and then we gave them three such cheers as made the whole batch of them take their pipes out of their mouths, and they sent the smoke after the mouth-piece as coolly as 1 should have done at the Jolly Sailors. " The admiral seemed to know what answer we should BEX BRACK. 331 get to the cheer ; and as he did not want to hurt the smokers, he waved his hat, for he was on the poop, to the Turks, and kept saying, ' Get out of the way, will you ? I'm going to tire ! ' But they looked at him with as much composure as a boatswain's mate looks at a man lashed to the gratings. ' Stupid fellows!' said the admiral, ' will you. get out of the way ?' He kept Avaving his hat with as large a sweep as a chap makes when he is mowing the governor's grass. '^ Just at this time, when the Leander was the only ship which had taken up her position besides ourselves, the si- lence was disturbed by a shot from the Lighthouse battery, which came smack in amongst us. "' Stand by ! ' said the admiral. Two or three more followed the first ; and as the fight was fairly begun by the Turks, he called out, after again waving to the people, who were close to the muzzles of the guns, ' Fire !' The whole broadside was blazed at the word, and no man was left on that pier-head who had not his pipe put out. Close as we were, I could see distinctly the effect of our shot. The top of the Mole-head seemed almost smashed ; but the smoke (for all the batteries opened their fire) soon clapped a stopper upon all observations in that quarter. '• The Superb was the next ship to us, and she got all snug without much damage. The Minden was next to her ; then came the Albion, and last of all the Impregnable. These four line-of-battle ships were with their broadsides to the broadside of the Mole-battery ; whilst the Severn and the Glasgow were on our larboard quarter, astern of the Leander, which ship was abreast of the Fish-market, — for of course the Turks did not want any fish that day — they had to look out for their own souls ! " I suppose, Ben, ever since Trafalgar, there never was so much noise made about a parcel of Turks. We saw them driven into the batteries like a set of donkeys ; and no sooner had a whole batch of them been blown to Jericho, than in comes a new set to fill up their places. In the mean time we were not left to look at them in comfort. The whole contents of the inner part of the harbour seemed determined to have a crack at the admiral ; and once or 332 BEN BRACE. twice I wished he had %valked a little farther away from ine. Every now and then we heard the bomb-vessels blazing away, and we saw the shells fall into the town and batteries, as exactly as a boy pitches a stone in a hat. " In the middle of aU this smoke and noise, there was Alynheer Capellan coming into action with his frigates, and ranging up to his station, to the southward of the town, in a style which made the admiral say, ' AV^ell done, Capellan ! Ah ! that 's a brave nation, and right well do they uphold the character of their country !' The Turks blazed away at them, for now they found out what asses they had been to let us anchor without annoyance ; but Mynheer and his broad-sterned crew took it all in good part until they anchored, and then they set to work to clear off the score ; and never yet did they stand to their guns better and act more coolly than they did at Algiers. " The Dutch admiral brought up astern of the Glasgow, and his squadron anchored astern of him. But of aU the gallant sights that ever I saw, I never saw any thing to beat the courage and the coolness of Wise in the Granicus. The Hebrus and she were left to fill up any opening which might be made by some ship being unable, from the light- ness of the wind, to reach her situation ; and there he re- mained out of fire, until he saw all the horses in their proper stables, and now he was to do just as he liked. Well, he never looked any where else, but smack in the hottest of the fire. He was not going to tail an end with the Dutchmen, or get half out of range by boxing about the bomb-vessels, so he drops his courses, sets his top- gallant sails, and steers smack for the admiral's flag, which he saw above the smoke ; for he knew we were the closest in, aad had got the warmest berth. He shortened sail all at once, ranges up between the Queen Charlotte and the Superb, and sets to work to make himself equal to a Une- of-battle ship by blazing away faster than any ship in the fleet. " It has been the fashion ever since that business of the Seahorse and the Turkish frigates, to say, ' Oh ! they are only Turks ! what can they do ? ' But I '11 tell you, Ben, what they tried to do. I 'm blessed if they did n't try in a BEN BUACK. 3S3 parcel of crazy boats to board us in the smoke, and set fire to the Leander ! Now that business of Hamikon's and the Hermione, which is painted up in the Hall, was a great thing ; but what think you of a parcel of Turks (fellows in large trowsers and turbans, and who hardly know an oar from a neckcloth) pulHng up, catching crabs every moment, to board a three-decker ? Why, 1 suppose such impertinence was never known ! We could have thrashed them with wet swabs, or left them to tumble overboard, by shutting the lower-deck ports and lianding them some greasy ropes over the side. But to think even of such a thing ! Well, poor fellows ! they had not long to think what was coming next, for the Leander sent one broadside of round and grape in among them ; and then if any man had wanted to fish, he would have hooked a Turk. They would have bit, poor fellows ! at any bait ; and if I could have saved some of them, it 's not Tom Toprail who would have seen such gallant fellows made food for fishes. " We soon finished the Mole-head battery, and sprang the ship round to touch up the Lighthouse-battery. Thos<> gentlemen had got it all their own way ; for unless some stray shot from the Impregnable, or a shell or two from the bomb, gave them something to think of, they were amusing themselves with pelting away at us, as if we had been stuck in a pillory. We paid them off, however, and set them dancing about like a set of fellows at Portsdown fair. They never saw heads unshipped as we unshipped them. In half an hour the bottle-hitting had come into use, and they had not a gun left to blaze away at us. "^ Although from this time our share of the shot was but sparingly served out to us, yet the other ships were upon whole allowance, and the Impregnable got more than she wanted. She was, from her station, the last of the line- of-battle ships which came into action, and she took up her station in as pretty a fire as ever whistled round any ship. 1 've heard say, that by some accident she was ex- posed to a raking fire, and that her loss was the greatest during the time she endeavoured to get her broadside to the battery. But well did she repay the Turks when the op- portunity offered. It was requisite, however, if possible. 334 BEN BRACK. to get some other ship to take a little of the fire from her, and the Glasgow tried to stand her friend ; but the wind had lulled altogether, and she could not reach the Impreg- nable. There we all were, becalmed, close under the bat- teries ; the powder growing short, and the men getting tired ; whilst the Turks (for they had forty thousand soldiers in the place) had always a fresh supply of hands • who, although they were driven into the batteries, fought like devils when they were there ; for they had no chance of escape but through their own exertions. " The shot was like hail occasionally ; yet in the Queen Charlotte we had very few killed or wounded. We had knocked the batteries to atoms ; and now the admiral was for burning the fleet, or rather one or two ships which be- longed to the Dey ; and which he, as he did not know the difference from a fleet or a squadron (and how should he ?) called by the name of a Jleet. They were burnt by ^Ir Richards from our barge and we only lost two men in so doing. But a Mr. Pocock from the Hebrus, a. gentleman who had been under Sir Peter Parker in the Menelaus in America, and who was a regular devil-me-care man as far as shot and shell were concerned, pushed alongside in a rocket-boat ; the Turks made a desperate attack upon him, and he and nine of his crew were killed in a minute. The boat came out with only three men left in it, and these three were half inclined to try it again ; but wo were deviUsh glad there was no occasion for her going back. The whole batch of the Turks were burning, and one drifted out so near us that I thought my whiskers weie £-fire. '' Well, I need scarcely tell you, that the business was settled to a certainty ; the ships were destroyed, the bat- teries beaten in, and the town shaken ; but when night closed in, there we remained without a breath of wind to blow us clear of the harbour. If the calm had continued, why, between you and me, considering the magazines on board the different ships were getting so empty that the pursers' stewards might have turned them into candle- Soxes without any fear of their blowing up, I 'm thinking •Jhat we might have carried sand, as well as the donkeys, to BEX BRACE. 3SS repair our own work ! "When the sun went down and it began to be dark, I can't say that I felt so easy as 1 could have wished. 1 thought I should have been a slave, for I could not shut my eyes to the danger. " The admiral had been wounded and had pone below ; ■when his crew saw that his wound Avas not serious, they gave three cheers. We had already swung the ship's head round to seaward ; but the devil a flaw of wind by two bells had come towards us. The flag the mast-head was hanging upright and downright like a jackass's fore-leg; and although I kept my eyes aloft like a Methody parson at prayers, yet I could not see it move. We ran out haw- sers and got boats to tow ; and about four bells a light air springing up from off" the land, we dropped our canvass, and were standing out. Well then, I felt as a man should feel who had been in such a business — blazing away from four bells in the afternoon to four bells in the first watch. I had left the poop and got to the wheel, cast off the twiddling-lines, and clapped ray hands on the spokes, having given it a bit of a twist to find out if all was right astern of us. " Although we had given up firing, the Turks had not. The batteries along the Mole could only find work for the stone-masons ; but one or two forts over the town, and which if we had blazed at until now we never could have struck, continued to play upon us. The hawsers were cut and the tow-ropes smashed ; but as we had just steerage- way from the breeze, it did not much signify. We were creeping out, and the rest of the fleet were getting under weigh as fast as they could. The master called out, ' Port a little, Toprail ! ' 1 heard it, Ben, but I could n't answer. A shot had come through the quarter-deck port from that cursed battery I told you of, and both my pins were shot off below the knee. Mr. Gazie not hearing the answer, stepped to the wheel, and I should have been dead enough if he had not called a couple of stout hands and sent me below, I saw no more of the action ; but I heard the thunder roll over our heads, for it came on to rain and thunder and lightning. I heard the cables as they ran through the hawse-holes, and before eight bells had struck 336 BEX BRACE. and the watch were relieved, I was in my hammock, short of both legs. I had gone through all the business of docking, without once singing out to the doctor ' to hold his hand.* " Well, you know the rest. The Dey had had quite enough of that day ; and, although he might have known that powder could not last for ever, unless they could get the saltpetra out of the salt-Avater (and you know going to sea they hoist the blue peter), yet he was such an ass as to come to the terms we sent in by the flag of truce : whereas, had he sent back his compliments to know if he could assist the admiral in repairing his ships for him to sail back again, not all the Exmouths, or CoUingwoods, or Nelsons, that ever commanded a fleet, could have forced him to beg pardon for his impudence. We could n't have returned to the fight. I tell you, some of the ships had already taken the powder out of the brigs ; and the bat- teries on the hills, which had never heard the whiz of a shot or the burst of a shell, might have fired away at us until another fleet came from Spithead. " It was a great action ! a noble action ! a daring action ! but it was a lucky action ; and as they say fortune favours the brave, so it favoured the admiral. " My service to you, Ben, said Tom, as he took off" his hat and made me a low bow ; our logs are run up, and the glass is turned, I hope, for a long run." CHAPTER VII. Even when my time comes, ne'er believe me so soft, As with grief to be taken aback : That same little cherub that sits up aloft Will look out a good berth for poor Jack ! — Dibdix. I NEVER looked at old Tom without thinking, that although Greenwich was a long reach in a seaman's life, yet it was a very snug mooring when once we had got the BEN BHv\CE. 337 bridles in. Now the gales of wind which whistled over our heads might sing and howl, the rain might patter against the windows — frost and snow, or winter or sum- mer, might come all of a heap, yet Tom and I, after all our hardships and dangers, might lay our licads on our pillows in security, and reap the fruits of our services. That battle of Algiers was most glorious, and would convince all seamen, that Lord Exmouth knew the value of a ship's broadside as well as any man afloat. He might have had more ships if he had asked for them ; but he cal- culated exactly (perhaps rather too closely) the force which was requisite. But there are no fools like Turks ! To let the fleet take up its position ! why, they must have known that English sailors would not turn back for a shot or two ; and secondly, that once well within point-blank shot, they could not turn back, if they were so inclined, without ex- posing themselves to a killing fire ; so that they might as well have waited until the flag-ship got near the Mole, and then have opened every gun upon her. The firing would have put down the wind ! the other ships would have drifted in under a blaze of great guns, raking them fore and aft, and have had to take up their positions under every disadvantage. And then the following day to come to terms, must have been a very agreeable surprise ! No man ever led more gallant ofl5cers and seamen into battle than Lord Exmouth did ; no man ever fought a harder action, or more richly deserved what he obtained. But, Lord bless their rum-covered Turkish heads ! — the French were not quite so civil either at the Nile or Trafalgar, and the Danes at Copenhagen never threw a chance away. Tom and I had seen more service than any two in Greenwich. Most of my old shipmates in the Agamennion were dead and buried, and we were the regular yarn- spinners of the Hospital ; but as year after year crept on, we began to look at each other as if before long we should part com])any. Occasionally I received some money from Jane ; at least I suppose it came from her, for I had lost sight of the other lady, and believed that she was on the foreign cruise. We had nothing to set us on the talking tack until the z 338 UES BHACE. battle of Navaiino, ami we used to laugh heartily at that. To think of three fleets of different nations setting to work seriously to sink a parcel of Turkish ships, when half their crews and their admirals were on sliore smoking their pipes. It was no doubt a great victory either for the French or the Russians ; but for tlie English, it must have been mere child's play I I know we always treated it as such. Tom used to say, "It was just like those fools, who thought, if they v.'ere to be killed, they Avould be killed ; so some went on shore to smoke, whilst the others rtmainetl to be shot ! " At last, at the beginning of 1835, my old friend Tom ■began to give way in right earnest. He seemed to walk with great difficulty, and I thought that the March gales ■would make him clew every thing up and lay him on his beam-ends. But he had his wits about him ; and in February he began to think that Jorum's allowance grew less, and that the old red-nosed landlord thought it no longer a joke to bouse up Tom's jib every Saturday night and get nothing for it but the battle of Algiers, which, in •spite of Tom's alterations, was very much like the old story, which Jorum by that time knew by heart, and could tell quite as well as my old shipmate. " Well, Ben," said Tom to me, " I intend to square the yards with that old quart-pot to-day, and then I shall be ready to trip my anchor without any load upon the flukes." " How do you intend to do that, Tom ? " said I ; " for the score is heavy, and your tobacco-money has all gone in smoke." " I have n't furled sails altogether yet," said Tom, " al- though I may have taken a reef in my brain ; and, Ben," said he, " you must come to the Dolphin to-night and be a witness to the payment; because, you see, I intend to leave you to look after my traps when I brace about my head- yards for a full due. So, mind the signal ! Rendezvous, Ben, at the Dolphin to-night at four o'clock !" And away he went hobbling along, and not exactly making his marks in the mud as straight as a farmer when he plants beans. The time came, I was there, and Tom at anchor in a dry dock. Jorum did not open the gates to float the hull BKX BUACE. S39 although it was Saturday nighty which was the night agreed upon by the old host for returning some of the money in kind which had fallen from Tom's pockets during his dancing days at Plymouth. " I say. Jorum," said Tom, " did I ever tell you a yam about Algiers?" " Oh ! " said Jorum, twisting round like a pig in a squall, or like a monkey in chase of his own tail, " did you ever tell me of any thing else ? I 'm blessed if I don't know every man's name from Exmouth's to Pocock's, and from Milne to Millar. I begin to think, Mr. Toprail, that you must be Joe Miller yourself!" " Well, don't be surly, old fellow ! "We are all winding-up fast, and some of us may not weather the March gales ! Come, give us a drop, and I '11 tell you about Napier's busi- ness with the Portuguese." " I don't want to hear any thing about Napier and his Portuguese ! I 've read it all in the papers ! You talk ot a drop — hang me if I don't think you would drink a cask full ! and as for a barrel, I should be sorry to see that at your Ups !" " Ay," said Tom, " breakers ahead is a sign of shoal water 1 You don't want me to run on the bank and be high and dry \" "^ Run on the bank?" said Jorum, who tooK this iu another sense than Tom intended it. " No, I don't want that ; we have had lots of those breakers already ! \ " What day of the month is this, Jorum ? " said Tom, apparently recollecting something. " What game are you up to now?" said the landlord. " Why, it's the 14th of February." " Give us your hand, Ben," said Tom ; " eight-and- thirty years ago you and I were about something else than thinking of beer and pipes at this time !" I gave Tom a hearty shake, and said I, " That 's true, Tom ; but after such a day's work, a drop then would not have been unwelcome." " Why, what did you do eight-and-thirty years ago?" said Jorum, looking as knowing as a Johnny Crow at Jamaica. z 2 340 BEN BUACE. " Give us your hand again, Ben," said Tom, not noticing the landlord's question at all. " When I tliink, that was the first action we were ever in together ; for I was in the Excellent when she ranged up to take the fire off the Cap- tain, when Nelson clapped his helm a-starboard and run alongside of the San Nicholas. My eyes, Ben ! I can fancy you as proud as a dog with two tails, carrying the swords under your arm ! " " I say, Tom, did you ever hear my song about that business ? " said I. " No," said he. " Will you hear it, old Jorum ? " said I. " Certainly," said he. " Chorus," said I. '' Done," said he. '' Come, Tom, take your beer: I wish it would put your pipe out." " Now, Ben," said Tom, " never mind the smoke." " On February the fourteenth, St. Vincent's Cape not very far, We spied a noble Spanish fleet of twenty-seven men-of-war ; Ten frigates too we counted, and a brijj they had moreover. All under the command of one Don Josef de Cordova. Hurrah ! there they are, all with colours flying, And Spanish ships and enemies — of that there 's no deny- ing. " We had but sixteen ships with us, but all our hearts were firm and good : Old Jervis he commanded us, with Nelson, Troubridge, Colliiig- wood ; With many other captains bold, resolved to fight the harder Wlien they saw the Spanish four-deck'd ship the S.inta Trinidada. Hurrah ! here they are; how soon the guns will rattle! Up goes a signal now — look out — ' Prepare for battle' " Brave Troubridge soon commenced tlie fight, cut through the Spaniards' straggling line ; Then Nelson cheer'd — ' Hurrah ! ' said he, ' there 's some of them shall soon be mine." The Victory pour'd her broadside in ; the Spaniards flinch"d the fun through. As the colours soon came tumbling down of the Salvador da Mundo. Hurrah! there they are ; blaze away my gallant boys ! Never mind your legs or arms, the grape shot or the noise. BK>: CIIACK. 'J41 " Brave Nelson in t'lie Captain sought the largest siiip of all the fleet ; And how, my eye ! the shot did fly, when these two vessels clianced to meet 1 The San Josef back'd her comrade up, with the Nicliolas and Isidore ; — The first she carried eighty guns, the latter had but seventy-four. Hurrah ! here they are ! — Boar-liTs fore and aft, be ready : ' Follow me,' said Nelson, ' lads ; ' and ' Follow we,' said Berry. " He boarded the Saint Nicholas — in a un.iutc she was captured then : The Holy Joe still blazed awsy, stiil ' Follow me, my gallant men, Forward! forward!' Nelson cried; 'my noble captains, stick to me. And Nelson bridge shall bear us on to Westminster or Victory !' Hurrah ! here we are; the admiral is dead below. We've captured a good pair of them — the Nicholas and Holy Joe. " The fight is done, the battle won, and Jervis is victorious ; Tlie British flag still waves aloft, as proud as it is glorious ; And Nelson's coxswain, here am I, who carried all the swords away. Shall find his nanoe in every page that tells of this triumphant day. Hurrah ! here we are, jolly dogs and gallant tars. Safe from shot, from gales of wind, from battles and from wars." By this time Jorum had come to an anchor, and seeing me l)!aze up a l)it upon the business, he said, "Tell us all about tliat, and Tom sha'n't be high and dry, as he calls it, any longer." '•Now, then," says Tom, ''three cheers for this fight !" a;iil he manages to get upon the table. '• Now then another 52 BEN BRACli:. be ungrateful ; I own that Tapes did give us the money, and many a time it has made us happy. I would not have you or any man think, however, that I respected him. He behaved badly to his brother, and every one else he had to do with." " Well," said the attorney, " I must be going, for my time is my money. There is one thing, however — a most important matter, which I had nearly forgotten. There is a confession drawn up by one Tackle before his execution ; and before you are put in possession of what is left you, that confession is to be burnt before the executors; but should the seal have been broken and the confession read, there is a clause which would not be the most comfortable to you. We shall see all about that, however, in proper time. You must call upon us at Furnival's Inn to-morrow or next day, as suits your convenience. And now, as you have nearly choked me with smoke, I will wish you good morning." " He was right," thought I to myself as he went out ; for when I began to talk about Tapes and Tackle, I had puffed rather a long cloud, and had made a smoke which none but an old signal-man could see through. Well, I ran and kissed Susan : and I 'm blessed if I don't think every man, woman, and child in the parish heard all about it, and much more into the bargain. CHAPTER VIII. But mirth is turn 'd to melancholy. For Tom has gone aloft! — Dibdin. I SAW Tom a few days afterwards. It was clear that he had received secret instructions from aloft, for he was on his beam-ends in his bed, and had altered more in two hours than the last fifteen years, so much so indeed that I started back when I looked at him. ' BEN BRACK. 355 " What cheer^ Tom^" said I. Tom twisiterl about like a jiorpoise on the grains, and began to gasp like a harpooned whale. 1 gave a hail for the assistant, surgeon ; and when he came alongside of the old tar, he shook his head, and gave me a look as much as to say, " He's off." " Don't you think, your honour," said I, " that brandy might give him a cast again ? " for I recollected Tom's old tricks, and I thought he might be up to beating Tom Cox's traverse. This time, however, lie never gave a squint of his eye, but laid out as still as a turtle under the half-deck. " He has broken a blood-vessel," said the doctor ; " and it 's a chance if ever he speaks again. He must be kept quite still for the present ; but," said he, lowering his voice, " at his age 1 have very little hope of his getting over it." Going nearer to him, Tom heaved a convulsive sigh, got very pale, and seemed all abroad like. I sat down and watched him. With all his spirit, he was now as still and as quiet as the Atlantic in a calm ; he never moved, and his breath came but feebly. " Ah ! " said I to myself, '' when a young man every thing was welcome, no matter whether pleasure or danger, and who was more lively than Tom ? when the squall was heaviest, he would cling to the yard-arm with death staring him in the face whichever way he looked, and yet regard it no more than he would a mosquito. Then, in action who more daring ? who v.'ould fling himself into a forest of boarding-pikes, with death seated at the top of every one of them, with a louder cheer than Tom, pushing Death aside with the blade of his cutlass as if he despised him ? " I drew near him and took his hand. " Tom, how fares it with you?" He made an effort to speak and to raise himself up ; but immediately fell back. The nurse had left the room ; but upon her return she went to the side of Tom's bed. " He's dead !" she ex- claimed. With deep melancholy, I turned my steps home- ward — I had lost my old messmate and my friend. Susan endeavoured to cheer me. " VV'hen Tom is ^^54 BEX BRACli. buried," said she, " you will leave Greenwich, and cast off that livery, won't you?" "Never, Susan!" said I, in a firm voice. "What! cast off the reward of my services ? No. My coat is of itself a certificate that the man who wears it has done his duty, and that the country has not been unmiiidful of his services." " I cannot see the necessity of your remaining here, Ben," she said. " You do not know the value of money — you throw it away without thought, contented with the allowance of the Hospital; but I know you will think of me. It is hard to be condemned to live here, although perhaps with money enough to be comfortable elsewhere." "^ You may buy the Observatory if you like, if that will make you comfortable ; but I will not start my anchors, for I 'm moored for life. I think more ofmyself in this uniform, Susan," saiJ I, laying down my pipe, for I was in grief and I smoked, " than if I was a lord of the Admiralty." •'' Bless ycu ! Ben, I always knew that your heart was warm," said Susan, for she said that my head was stricken ; " but now Tom is dead, what more "an you do for him ? so leave this place as soon as you can. " Not I. I must go and see him moored in his last harbour. I have got also to place the last rigging over his mast-head, to carry him to his grave, and see him covered up, and then " " Ah ! " interrupted Susan, with a tear, " you seem to think more about your friend than your wife." " Susan," I replied, " that's the first unkind word you ever uttered since our marriage. Before we talk any more about this business, don't you think it would be as well to wait until we know what old Tapes has left us ? Ccme, dame, kiss and let us remain friends ! I do believe," said I, as I passed my sleeve over my face, " I am an old fool." I took up my hat and walked away. All was done as Tom had desired. I set to work to parcel his tail with new ribbon. I bought the slops he had mentioned, and put them in his coffin ; and when he was rigged in his shirt and trowsers, I fastened the medals over BEN BRACF. 355 his heart. I earned him, with some others to assist me, to his grave: I threw the earth over liim myself; and when all the rest went away, I lingered by the side of the graM-. The rain fell, the chill air of evening blew upon my old frame, I felt like a crazy old craft, separated from the convoy with which she sailed, dismasted in a gale, a plank started, the pumps broken, her crew disheartened, and her captain a coward. Slowly and silently I straggled to the Hospital. Immediately I lay down on my bed, I felt a cold shiver run through me, and sleep, which before came to me as my day's relief, this night never came at all. I thought of Tom without ceasing ; his death had un- manned me more than that of the fifty men on board the Victory, before she returned a shot, at Trafalgar. CHAPTER IX. Mi7. You lie, I believe. Ki'if;. Lie: lie '. how strange it seems to me to be talked to in this style . Mii. Come, come, sirrah, confess. King and MiUer of Mansfield. In the morning when I rose, a strange feeling was some- how all over me ; my back ached with pain, and I felt through all my limbs as if a severe rheumatism had attacked me. I was hardly able to dress myself; and when I went to Susan, her first remark was, that I looked very — very ill. I had fixed this day to attend the lawyers ; and as I was not on the doctor's list I wished to have the busi- ness all settled as quickly as possible ; for whilst I lay thinking of Tom about midnight, I noticed a strange noise at the window, which I imagined to be what I had heard called a death-watch. These pains and aches at my age, moreover, were a kind of jog which shook me a little. Looking up Tackle's confession (which might have been the history of his life, for all I knew — for the seal had never been touched by me, although, in covering the packet over with some other paper, I had placed another seal directly over Tackle's), I thought to mvself I won't A A e 3.56 Ui:S BRACK. open it, but take it just as it is. It will show that I never looked at the secret orders, but kept them as snug and as fast as lock and key could make them. I felt very ill, but the necessity of going to London gave me a little courage, Avhich I backed up by a small drop of Dutch resolution, and getting into one of those long hearses with windows, which they call omnibuses, I poked myself uj) in the further corner, and there came to an anchor. I waited a long time before we made sail ! So, by way of amusement, and whilst the man outside kept watching me, I took the confession out of my pocket, and began to tear off my cover. It happened that at this moment, another omnibus drove up alongside of us, and a bit of a squabble arose. I looked out, and kept tearing off the cover, until I began to feel that it was off. Looking at it, I saw that Tackle's seal had stuck to the brown paper covering, which I had torn off clean enough. I now remembered what the lawyer had said about it, if it was found that I had opened it. However, I never read a word, but clapped it back in my pocket. Thinks I, " Nobody ever doubted my word yet. I'll be all fair and above-board; I'll tell them all about it; and they'll see that I speak the truth." It vexed me, however, all the way to Oxford Street, where I got into another omnibus, and told the look-out man to put me adrift at Furnival's Inn. I kept turning the business on every tack in my mind ; and by the time I was let out abreast of a large building, I had determined how to act. When I got under the arch, I asked a man, who seemed lounging about for strange sail, if he knew where Mr. Hawk and Kite lived, and I was shown by him to the office, and gave a pull at the signal halyards. I was hailed by a young man, and taken by him into another room. Here I found four people sitting down ; so 1 pulled out my watch, and hoped I had not kept their honours waiting, as I had still five minutes to veer and haul upon; it wanting that much to the appointed time. " This is Ben Brace," said the gentleman who came to Greenwich. " There is no mistake in the person, and he will be identified again if it is requisite." 1 took off my hat and smoothed my hair down with my HEN BHAUE. 35'J hand, and, giving my iail a bit of a shake, I made the gentleman a bow. Mr. Kite gave me a chair, which I de- clined to sit upon. I bepan to think there were sonie sharks among them, so I stood upright, with my eye fixed upon him, and I never budged an inch. At last, when Hawk had whispered to one, and smiled at another, and squinted at me, and muttered to Kite, he found the wind of his lungs, and began to blow away after this fashion : — '' Pray, Mr. Brace," said he with a smile, " have you brought with you a confession of one Tackle ? " " Yes, sir," said I, standing as stiff as a midshipman on half pay. '•'Have the kindness," continued Hawk, ''to give it to me." '• If it 's all the same to you, sir," I replied, " I *d rather be excused ; " and I made him a bow, as much as to say, " Catch a weasel asleep ! " "Why not.''" continued Mr. Hawk : "my partner, Mr. Kite, told, you, I believe, that it was requisite we should be placed in possession of that document .'' " " Yes, sir," said I ; " when yon have given me my money. Then, you know, it 's aU fair and above-board, and you may take the confession and burn it ; but 1 'm not a-going to part with it until I get the money." "But, my pood man " commenced Hawk ; but I cut off the tail of his speech. " Avaust heaving, your honour," said I ; " this is the whole of it. I premised Tapes that no human being should see it as long as he continued to act as he did ; and I 'm not the man to break my word with him, for he has kept faith with me." "I see," said Mr. Hawk, who took my manoeuvring for a little suspicion. " I '11 remove your scruples : Tapes is dead, and therefore you cannot injure him by producing the document." " Not at all," said I, " if you show me his sailing orders — his testament; because, do you see, although I cannot injure him if he is dead, yet I might hurt his character." Upon this they began to talk and to whisper again ; and. S5S BEN BUACE. "If. it's all the same to you, gentlemen," says I, "\ should like this business to be carried on all fair and above- board. That gentleman, Kite, told me that Tapes was dead, and had left his money to me and mine ; and that if 1 came here I should receive it. Here I am ; and if so be that what I have said is all right, and you have got 'i'apes's testament, read it outright like men, and don't stand shuffling and whispering, and dodging like American bush- fighters. Besides, he told me that the confession was to be burnt before the executioners, without being read; and it vv'ill puzzle you, I know, to get all who cla[)ped on the yard-rope together now. So, do you see, when you give me the money and show me the document (for I know a cuckoo from a Jamaica jackass when I see them together, although I am a sailor), then I will burn the confession before as many executioners as you can muster together ; although, 1 tell you, some of them can't answer to their muster now. However, until I get what 1 am told is my own, I shall keep it safe and snug in my locker here, and that 's the long and the short of it ; and you may believe it all, for I swear to the truth of it." " Well, sir,'" said Hawk, after he had carried on the war in a whisper, " we will read you the will ; but as the document is rather long, you had better be seated." I came to an anchor, for I felt very weak and ill ; and somehow I thought that, owing to my cursed folly, I had ruined Susan and her child. I had a good mind to out with the thing and tell the plain truth ; but then I knew 4hat lawyers are sharks, and one never gets much mercy from one or the other. So I took the chair, and placed it right in front of the whole squadron ; and sitting down, 1 placed my gold-covered hat upon my stick, clapped my timbers well apart, held out my arm at full stretch (sup- porting it with the stick), and looked like one of those parish chaps in churches, who keep the boys in order, and are allowed to make as much noise themselves as they like. " Go it, my hearties ! " I called out, "and if you get to windward of Ben Brace, the devil may change his first lieutenant." Kite took the deed, ap.d after humming to clear his BKV BKACE. 359 voice, he began someliow after tliis fashion : — " Know all men by these presents " (Oh ! thinks I, as many of them as you like, old Tapes !) " that I, Richard Tapes, being in sound mind and vigour of body, do thus dispose of all my worldly goods and chattels ; in the first place recommending my soul to God, in the full hope of a glorious eternity." " The devil he does ! " said I out loud, for I could not help it, " Then all I can say is, I 'm blest if I don't expect to die governor of Greenwich ! — Beg your pardon, gentlemen, but I could not help letting out a little of the cable of my mind ; now, heave ahead." Well, they all looked at me rather oddly ; Hawk left the door open, and Kite went on reading, but I could make out nothing, except that the word " trust " and " Hawk," and " Kite," and " Brace," and " Susan," went over and over again like boys playing coach-wheel. At last, when I thought all the wind was out of the thin man's body, "Heave and pall, sir," said I, "unship the bars; it 's of no use heaving round any more ; I 'm blest if that gentleman has not hove clear through all. I can't under- stand a word, and I 'U pay any of you a golden guinea to put it into English." " I thought as much," said Kite ; " it would be much better if you had appointed " He got thus far, when Hawk stoppered his tongue and looked at him as if he could eat him. " Now, Mr. Brace," said Hawk, addressing me, " the thing is as clear as lawyers could make it, and adapted to the meanest capacity. The fact is, that the greatest pains were taken by my poor worthy friend Tapes, in order that no dispute could arise ; and, as you said before (and I think the words capital) the long and short of it is this ; and here is the clause : — ' That if you, according to your promise, have kept the document you possess unopened, the seal entire, and so that no doubt upon that point can be raised/ Mr. Kite, Mr. Chatterton, and myself, in con- junction with Mr. Beedon, are to hold the money in trust for you and your wife during the term of your natural life; and afterwards it is to become the property of youi 360 BEX BRACE. wife's daughter, still to continue in trust ; for if she dies unmarried or without issue, the whole reverts to myself. ' But if the seal is broken ' (I turned rather pale, and Hawk observed it), " and here is the clause,"he continued, " ' then the allowance of fifty pounds a year is to be continued, as heretofore, and to cease entirely at the daughter's death.'" '■' I wonder," says I, " he did not put it in so many words, and then any man could unlay tlie stranns, and get at the rogue's yarn. Well, what 's to be done now,, sir ? " said I. " Nothing but what can be done in a moment. We hold the money ; show us the seal unbroken, and the money will be paid you as the interest becomes due from the funds." " But, mind you, Mr. Hawk," says I, " the confession is not to be read." " On no account," said Hawk. " It is to be burnt, before us all, there, in that fire ; " and he went and stirred it up. " We have a person here who can swear to the handwriting of Tackle, for we have several letters of his during the time he was connected with Mr. Tapes. Here they are: it can be decided in a moment, from the pecu- liarity of his signature, which we are certain you could not forge. If the paper has nothing written on its outside, we shall open it, look at the signature or the handwriting, and decide it in a minute. If against you, you will have your remedy at law ; if favourably, into that fire goes the whole concern. Now, give us the paper." " Hear me, gentlemen. I have sailed with Nelson, and been by his side in every battle, and have learnt to speak truth and shame the devil. From the time I was the height of a marline-spike, to this moment, I never told a lie to hurt an enemy or serve a friend. I don't want money ; I 'm provided for. For myself, I neither want Tapes's money nor Tapes's kindness; but I feel for my wife, necause the property is properly hers — it is left on her account, and not on mine ; and, therefore, it is hard if through any carelessness of mine she should be left to want." " Then you have opened the seal.''" said Hawk, his BKX BRACE. 36l little eyes looking through me, whilst Kite kept making signals beliind his back for me to hold my tongue. " I never said so," 1 continued ; '■' and maybe I was only thinking what a scoundrel Tapes was to tiie last, to leave his sister-in-law dependent upon the integrity or the carelessness of an old sailor. But I 'm not going to back out of the matter in this manner : all I want of you, gen- tlemen, is to believe me, to listen to what 1 have to say, and then to act fairly between man and man. When Tackle gave me his confession, it was about five minutes before he was hanged ; he was as cool as a boatswain's mate going to give a man a dozen at the gangway. ' Ben,' said he, ' here is every thing concerning the business — you understand me; take it — tell Tapes you have it, and he will be frightened into doing something for your wife. But mind, if he does give you enough, promise me on your oath not to open it — not to read it ; but keep it until he is dead, and then destroy it.' 1 told him I would. ' Remember, Ben,' he said, ' this is the last request of a dying man, excepting this — ' and he placed his daughter's hand in mine. I took it, and said, ' So help me God, I will never read one word of it ! ' ' I 'm satisfied,' said he ; ' and now I am ready to die.' He believed me — he, gentlemen, when the rope was round his neck, believed me : and you, I think, cannot doubt the man whose word would be believed by every man in Greenwich. — Then, listen. On my way to your office this morning But no — I'm before my yarn. — When Tackle died, I took his daughter on shore, and the first thing I did was to get a piece of tough brown paper. '\V\.\\\ this I covered up the confession, and I got Nelson's seal and stamped it. I then locked up the paper, and from the time the fifty pounds a year were paid, it has never seen daylight. Until this day my eye has never been directed towards it, nor has my curiosity e\er been excited by the desire of reading it. I held it on a solemn promise ; and I have kept my pro- mise ! To-day, gentlemen, in my way to town. I took off my own cover ; and, in so doing, the seal which Tackle had placed came off also.'' Hawk clapped his hands ; and Kite stepped up : " Take 3b2 BEN BRACE. my advice, my old friend," said he, " and don't show it ; keep it in your pocket until I can send you an adviser." " Mr. Kite," said Mr. Hawk, " I desire you to leave this room directly ; Mr. Brace is not your client, I pre- sume. He admits the seal to be torn off; and the words expressly are — ' the seal entire, so that no doubt can be entertained upon the point.* No doubt, gentlemen — re- mark that, and couple it with the other words, and who shall dispute to whom the property belongs ? Give me the paper, and let these gentlemen be witnesses that the seal has been removed. As for the reading of the paper, that, of course, we shall form our own opinions about. A man iloes not open a seal without going further ; and if you, after the warning given you by Mr. Kite, have opened the cover at all, you must have been either mad or drunk. The fact is clear : he read the confession after the fifty pounds had been paid ; and he has invented this story of opening it to day, because he finds the money likely to slip through his fingers." " Avaust heaving there, if you rjlease, sir ! " said I: " the day is gone by when I should jave shaken the words of sorrow out of your throat for what you have now said : but, sick as I am at this time, and feeling a heavy squall about to burst upon me, without sufficient hands to shorten sail, I have nothing left but to up helm and scud. If you had acted like a man, I would have placed the paper in your hands : here it is — the seal broken, I 'm too much of a sailor to deny it ; but, as I know such as you are no- thing but landsharks, I 'm blessed if I don't take that gen- tleman's advice, and I '11 get a bigger shark than yourself to fight you ! — Sir, I 'm obliged to you," said I to Kite ; "■ you 're an honour to your profession. It shows an ho- nest man when he comes forward to protect the old, the poor, and the innocent ; but as for that other fellow, who seems as hungry as Port-Royal Tom, he '11 find it hard to get the paper, and without it he cannot get the money." " Stop, Mr. Brace," said Hawk, ''and understand me. The money was left under certain conditions ; those con- ditions are favourable to me. You will only rush headlong into ruin by opposing me. A writ of discovery will be BKN BRACE. 363 issued ; your not producing the paper will be the strongest evidence against you : and ultimately, when it is brought forward, you will find a heavy bill to discharge, and no money to do it witli ; for from this moment I shall stop the ])ayment of the fifty pounds a year, until the matter is decided. Mr. Kite has, under the influence of his feelings (and I feel for you and yours as much as any man), ad- vised you to keep back this paper ; he has advised you badly. The consequences will be ruinous — your wife's misery and want beyond a doubt." '■'Ah! there it is!" said I. " For myself, I don't value the money any more than a loaf of soft tack ; but for her who has been a kind wife and good helpmate to me, and who might justly look forward to this money, to make her slip easily off the ways, until the dog-shores are sent adrift, — for her I do feel. But, sir, I am very ill, and nearly broken down ; my anchor 's a short-stay peak, my sails loose, the yards braced for canting. Surely you, who call yourself a man, would n't run on board of me like a pirate, and rob me of the little I possess as my cargo. I '11 do what is right and fair ; but I am not going to strike my colours without a broadside. I 'm not going to see my poor old wife wrecked on the bank, without veering away some cable to assist her. Here 's the paper," and I clapped my hand in my bosom to get it out again : when Kite said, — " Keep it where it is. Mr. Hawk, as an honourable man, cannot wish to possess a document; to which at pre- sent he has no right. You are looking very ill ; get home as quickly as possible, and I will either come myself or send you a proper adviser. You have already shown too much in showing the seal off; but a hundred circumstances may arise to assist you ; and when you think you have the least chance, you may have the grestest. The more desperate a case is, the more likely certain attorneys are to win it. I am not one of them ; but I owe you a debt of gratitude of Avhich you are ignorant just now, and 1 will not see you ruined by my partner." " There 's my hand, sir," said I : " you speak like an iionest man. I go home almost broken-hearted with sor- 364 BEiV BUACE. row. I could have weathered any squall wliich only blew against myself ; hut, instead of towing the craft which has stuck close to my side for thirty years in safety, I have run her down when the harbour of security was under our lee — that I can't get over, for ' I feel it,' as Nelson said when his death was approaching, ' rising in my breast.' I am, sir, very ill indeed — I never felt so weak before, and it does not require much of a sea to shake such an old hull to pieces." " Will you take a glass of wine, Brace .'' " said Mr. Kite kindly. " No, sir, I thank you ; I could not drink in this house for the universal world. I can hold on until I get home, although I feel rather weak and giddy. — My service to you, sir," said I to Hawk ; then 1 bowed to the two others, who had never said a word the whole time, and I left the room. Mr. Kite followed me : " Take my advice, Brace," said he, as he shook me by the hand : '• lock up that paper in your cabin in the Hospital — don't let a soul read it or look at it ; and I need not tell you to act as honour- ably as you have hitherto done yourself. Get home ; you want a doctor of medicine more than one of laws just now. Don't agitate yourself by telling your wife what has hap- pened ; but keep quiet, and trust in me." " It was only yesterday, sir," said I, " that I buried the only man who could say a word about Tackle ; and when I placed him in his grave, I got thinking about all we had done and seen together, until the evening came on, and the rain fell a little. I got up with a coldness I never knew before, and I was only able to muster up strength enough to come to town, kept up by the anxiety of my poor Susan, who thought that once more she would wear a pen- dant from her mast-head, and sink into her grave a respect- able old woman. If I have ruined her, I shall never live to hear her tell me of it. God bless you, sir! — Hoy! omnibus, ahoy ! — why, you want a crow-bar to pick your ears with — give us a lift to Charing Cross." And I waved my hand to Kite, and got safe home. BEN BRACE. 36^ CHAPTER X. [ 'm bubbled! Oil ! how I am troubled! Bamboozled and bit! My distresess are doubled ! — Beggars' Opera. AVuEN I got home that evening, I did not require the purser's steward to stop my allowance. I was in the doc- tor's hst hard and fastj I felt all the pains and aches of cold, rheumatism, disappointment, vexation, and sorrow. Ill as I was, however, I took Kite's advice, and before I went to Susan I locked up the cursed paper just as it was. Having stowed it under all in my chest, and covered it over with my heaviest traps, — " There," said I, " stick there ! and I wish my fingers were off" my hand for having touched you ! " Then with a heavy heart, not like that I used to have (for it seemed like a weight. heavy enough to sink me) I went to Susan. Like all women, she was standing with the door open ready for the news ; and long before I weathered the door- way she began. "Now, Brace, make haste — tell us all about it. How much has he left us ? when are we to have it ? I have sent for the crape and the black bonnets. Is he buried yet ? ^Fhen are you to go to town again ? I wonder if we can't get some of the money to-morrow. Lord ! Ben, you look very pale — take a little brandy, and then talk as fast as you can." " Susan," said I, as I sat down in the chair, " they say it 's an ill wind that blows nobody any good ; and mayhap you know, that when the wind 's foul for one, it is fair for another. It 's of no use, dame, your asking as many ques- tions as the clerk of tlie check when he comes to muster a ship's company in the harbour, and never waiting for an answer. The last question, however, is the easiest an- swered: — I am ill; 1 feel that I am following in poor Tom's wake, and that before long I shall be under hatches, as he is now. No^ dame, take away the bottle — that's S66 BEN BRACE. not the kind of spirit 1 want now ; and as for Dutch cou ragCj I never required that. I have nearly expended all my breath ; and when a man has been blowing away at the bellows of his lungs for seventy-seven years, why he's lucky if he gets wind enough out of them to keep up even a flickering flame. Sit down, dame ; I 've much to tell you. There — come nearer to me, and give me your hand. Let me see — it is now some thirty years ago since you and 1 were spliced ; and though we have seen the rough and the smooth of life, 1 don't think we have ever showed our colours as enemies. When I remember, too, what you were at Cawsand ; how through me your former husband was detected in the smuggling — how in poverty he died, and how, when the storm was the hardest, the fog the thickest, I stepped forward — ay, and gladly stepped for- ward; — moreover, when you recollect that 1 loved you as a boy — loved you as a man — loved you as a husband and as a friend, — I say 1 don't think, when you hear what 1 have to tell you, that you will let me be swamped without lending me a hand." " Ben," said she, " I don't like this kind of beginning — it brings many a bitter reflection along with it; but, thank God, it brings with it an increasing gratitude, with- out the remembrance of it deadening the obligation. You look very ill, Ben, — you had better go to bed, and to- morrow we '11 talk over all this." " You know," said I, " that this morning I went to London. You saw the paper sealed, — and you know that ever since Tackle's death I have never overhauled the con- tents of the paper. I can guess Avhat's inside of it: of course it is merely, that Tapes and his brother were part- ners in the concern, and that any discovery would have turned all the King's lawyers like a pack of hounds on the scent. When I was looking on at a quarrel this morning in that painted hearse they call an omnibus, I broke the seal : it seems that by doing this we lose every farthing that was to have come to us. You start, Susan ; and well you may. Now, as I cannot find any good to tell you, I don't Uke to croak of evil." Susan took her handkerchief and swabbed her eyes. BEN BRACE. 367 " It 's of no use, Susan," said I, " making bad worse : one of the lawyers said he would come and advise me." I could not stand Susan's tears. I knew that slie who looked always forward with some hope tliat one day she would be in a better condition, could never bear the news which I had to tell, and I rubbed my sleeve across my eyes, for I felt that I could have braved any blow rather than this. Somehow I could not plug up the scupper- holes of my eyes, and a tear or two did drop over the lids. " Forgive me, Ben," said Susan, as she wound her arms round me, — " forgive me, Ben, or I shall hate myself for ever ! It was only a moment of disappointment. There," she continued, as she took my hand, — " there, only say you forgive my ingratitude, in having brought tears into the eyes of the most generous of men, and I '11 never think of the money any more .' Can't we be as nappy as we have been ? There, look at all the little com- forts we have got together ; and now, in our old age, what would be the benefit to us if we had the gold of the whole world ? Only kiss me, Ben, and smile again, and I will never say another word to make you unhappy." I took her in my arm, and as when the sea runs highest, and breaks with the greatest violence on the beach, rush- ing up to the very cliff, so it recedes the farther as it again ebbs back, carrying with it half the shingle which stopped it before, — so did I feel my heart beat twice as strongly for my poor Susan, " You are right, my Susan," said I. " Is it not odd, that when we have rubbed through life upon short allow- ance, we should find ourselves, just when the gale is the strongest, and we less able to weather it, with more affec- tion than we required to begin the cruise ? So it is through life. The shipwrecked boy who has clung to a plank (the last that broke adrift from the sinking vessel), and who has held to it for his existence until his strength nearly lails him, finds, when assistance does come, ten thousand times more aid than would have served him at the first. It s true, this money might have given you a larger house and more to eat ; but if this cottage is sufficient, we can do without Tapes's money, which, for ray part, may all go 3(38 BEN BRACE. to the devil or the lawyer. One thing, Susan, has always occurred to me through life, and that is, ' not to cry out before I am hurt.' A man may shorten sail wiien he sees the squall upon the water, but he is a fool wlio furls sails in a calm because a gale may come. Many 's the time I have seen the black cloud settle on the horizon and threaten the heaviest fall of rain ; yet a flash of lightning has come, and every drop has fallen clear of the ship, whilst the cloud dispersed and the bright sun shone full upon us. I 'm ill, Susan — more so than you think, and in spite of the rain I '11 go to ray cabin ; for if I was to die out of Greenwich, I should never lay my head in peace. I '11 ask Sir William to let you be my nurse ; he is too generous to refuse such a favour ; and besides, he knows that I would rather see him at my last moment than any other man alive. Good night, my dear Susan ! I know you '11 forgive me. I never read a word that was in the paper ; and, whatever you may think of me, I am sure you vvill never suspect me of telling a lie. If I get worse in the night, 1 '11 send for you ; but I think I can hold on. God bless you ! " She gave me another kiss ; and when I walked through the gates, I felt happier than I had done for years, for I felt that she would be able to bear the blow which my care- lessness had inflicted upon her. The next morning I found my chest like a midship- man's — every thing on top, and nothing at hand. In stowing away the paper, I had piled every thing I could over it ; and being, I suppose, a little adrift, I did not stow them away as I generally did. I awoke better, but still with some odd feeling which I did not like; — I was anxious to see Susan through the difficulty. When she came to see me, " Oh, Ben," said she, " you make me happy, for I can see you are better. We shall be all right again." The day was very fine, and I thought if I just took the stiffness out of my legs, it would do me good. Accord- ingly I popped on my hat, and taking my stick, I steered away to sun myself on one of the benches ; and there I got thinking about steair -boats, and Indiamen, and every blessed thing but the lawyer and the paper. " What 's BliN EKACE. 369 the use of masts and sails, and all such expenditure/' thinks Ij " when, by working a little smoke through a funnel, it does not signify a straw if the wind is foul or fair, but away the vessel will go eight knots an hour straight on end and make her port? " Well, I got turning this end for end in my mind, and thinking how nicely we should have been served during the war if these things had then been in use, and what a glorious opportunity it would be at the opening of the next to fit out a^ood-sized boat, carrying one long gun on a pivot, and about forty men for a crew ! Not your picked-up-along- shore fellows, wiih long tails to their coats, and cigars in their mouths, but some of the chips-of-the-old-block fellows, with large tiowsers and broad shoulders, who would look to windward in a gale of wind, when it blowed so hard that if they did not shut their mouths they would be blown up. Then it would be — paddle away within long range, make her out well, touch her up at a distance, run alongside when the colours are down, clap a tow-rope on board and see her safe under an English flag, and out again, before a sailing vessel with a foul wind would have got ten miles from the ylace, and half the privateers on the sea would have been within sight to recapture their prize. " Ay, if ever another war does begin," thought I (but somehow we have got in the dol- drums in that respect), " I would rather be on board of a good steamer than the best frigate in the navy ; — not but that I remember the delight of sitting under the fore- castle bulwark wdien the sea flew over the craft, and when we spun our yarns, and felt safe and snug in our fancy frigate." Well, I got thinking of one thing and another, when 1 was startled by the noise of a carriage which drew up along- side the gates, whilst two chaps in cocked hats and long canes, who had been standing abaft, jumped down, opened the cabin door, and out comes the captain and his wife. Up I got directly, and steered towards the ^ate; for 1 thought I had never seen so fine a concern, with such a crew. The gentleman was a man about five-and-forty, togged off to the nines ; and he gives his aim to his lady, iind makes sail right towards me, steering for the go\ enior's 370 BEN BRACE. house. "Well, I did as we always did, saluted a stranger when he came into port ; so, as they went by, I took off my hat and scraped my leg. The lady was looking the other way at a gingerbread barge belonging to the Lord Mayor, which was bringing down a batch of hungry fel- lows to eat small fish ; but the gentleman took off" his hat, and said to his lady, for I heard him, " My dear, you did not see that gallant old fellow who welcomed you to Greenwich." She gave a hasty cast of her eye, and they went on. " Well," thought I, " now we have exchanged salutes, I '11 just ask tlie admiral's name ;" so I steered up to the gates and hailed the servants, — although, to be sure, they looked more like Austrian generals than English footmen. " What cheer, lads."*" said I ; upon which all these land-lubbers began to grin. "Cheer!" said one; " who cheered ? I should think, old boy, you didn't give a cheer when the Frenchmen whipped off your arm, or bunged up your eye ?" " Then you 're just on the wrong tack," said I ; " for it was at Trafalgar, and 1 did not value my arm, no, not at a shilling, when I thought of the victory." "Ah ! " said one of them, "that happened before we were born, old boy, and we are not going to believe all you choose to tell us about that." — " AVhat a rum coat the old fellow has got on.!" said another; " And twig his cocked-hat !" — " Why/' said the coachman, " I wonder he walks about, when the pigs might mistake his legs for cabbage-stalks !" Upon which they all set up a laugh ; and one fellow takes off his white gloves, and claps them in his pocket, whilst the other asked who had the honour of making my clothes. " I say, my lads," said I, for there was a crowd of pen- '^ioners and idlers gathered about, " is that the Avay you answer a civil question .'' I thought you servants were taught better manners." " Servants ! " they all exclaimed : " mind your own business, old boy, and don't talk about what you don't ' understand." '•' What!" said I, "are yon ashamed of your rigging, — are you ashamed of your master's clothes ? Now look BEN BRACE. 371 here," says I, as I showed the Greenwich mustering suit: ••' these clothes are the reward of honest service foi my country. I have fought for it — bled for it — whilst you powder-monkeys have only cleaned your master's shoes, or carried away the plate on which he fed. — \\'hat, strike me !" said I, for one of the fellows raised his stick ; " strike Brace if you dare, and we '11 haul you through every pond in the place, and wash the flour off your head under the pump. Don't commence action," said I to some of my messmates ; " but only let them fire the first shot, and we '11 soon see if we, old as we are, can't tackle them to their hearts' content. I only asked a civil question — I wanted to know to whom the carriage belonged, and I was then going to take them over and give them something to drink the King's healthj when they began to jeer an old man of seventy-seven with only one arm. But what can you expect from chaps who are ashamed of their own colours and their master's livery ? " These flamingoes began to think it was no good battling the watch with us ; so they all three got upon the fore- castle of the coach, and they steered away for a public- house. " Here's after them !" said about a dozen of the old ones ; " and we '11 get them into a line foi their im- pudence ! " and I was left alone by the gate. As for the line business^ that was a failure ; for the servants, not liking to get amongst the old boys, remained on the coach- box, and drank their beer aloft, and shortly returned. I was backing and filling about the place (for the weather was warm, and I felt better by being in the air), when I saw the servants come down by the run from the box, clap their scrapers all right and square, and handle their sticks like the drum-major of a regiment. I turned round, and I saw the lady and gentleman coming towards the carriage, accompanied by Sir William. I heard him say, " I dare say your lordship will find him at his wife's cot- tage, for he generally goes there about this Jiour. Poor old fellow ! he was rather iE last night, and he is getting very aged for a sailor." Well, thinks I, Avhat can tlie doctor mean by a great age for a sailor.'' but J heard his reason. 3?2 RKN BHACE. •'* When they first enter the navy," said the doctor, " they are habituated to much ardent spirits, and the con- tinued use of tliem is more pernicious than all the fatigues they undergo. Oh, here is Brace !" said he. Upon which I took off my hat, and made a bow. " This is Lord Nel- son's old follower for whom your ladyship inquired." She looked at me — I knew her at once. I did not do what my heart prompted me to do — run and kiss her, and welcome her who had come to me at the very moment when I was most beset with difficulty ; for I thought it would be wrong for me, an old sailor in the Greenwich uniform, to take hold of a lady covered up with silks, and with a bonnet on her jib large enough for a coal-scuttle ! Well, I was faiily taken aback ; and it was of no use turn- ing the hands up to brace about, although I had got stern- way, and was backing a small distance off. I can't write what I felt — it was uncommon to me. I could have kissed her ; and yet I felt as if the thought was a kind of presumption. My heart bade me go forward like a man and an uncle, and then I thought discipline kept hauling me back. It was a regular squabble between affection and duty ; but when the heart 's in the right place, affection will carry the day, without neglecting one's duty. The servants were looking (the coachman had placed himself as upright as a pump-bolt). Sir William had just called me, his lordship was eyeing me ; when Avhat does Jane do, but she drops her rain-preventer, and she gets head-way upon her, runs me right aboard, claps her arms round my neck, falls to a-kissing me, and bursting out a. crying, said, " Did you think that I could ever forget you, uncle?" '' My eyes and limbs !" said old Lanyard, as he hobbled away, " that is a queer go, surely ; there 's old Brace a- kissing the lord's wife ; " My heart was full. '• Blessings on you, Jane ! " said I, " and now that I see you happy — I don't care how soon I die. Lord love you, and bless you ! your heart always was good. I knew that you would come and see me." " Give me your hand, my fine old fellow," says his lordship : " Jane has often told me of your kindness to her, and the manner in which you behaved to her." BKN Bit ACE. 373 " Belay all that," said I, interrupting hira : "^ not a word about it. I 'm at this moment in great distress about her father's affairs ; and if Jane — (I beg your honour's pardon, but I can 't help calling her Jane) — will just let your honour unlay the strands of this difficulty, you will make me and my poor wife happy for ever." "^ Oh ! " said Jane, '' take me directly to Susan : I have never seen her since I was a httle child, and still I remember her pretty face." " Get into the carriage. Brace," said his lordship : "and we '11 drive to the cottage. Come, Jane, let me hand you in first." And off he walked with his wife. Well, it was a fine sight to see those footmen who had jeered me, standing at attention, one fellow ho'ding the door open, and the other standing like a marine at muster, whilst I, the old sailor, was handed into the carriage by a lord. I felt I had always done my duty, and therefore I ■vas not ashamed to look any man in the face. " Now, listen to me," said Jane, " and let me run up my history. I dare say you know already that my hus- band is a sailor. But listen, when you last saw her (for you never would mention her name, you know) — and when you made your last request for an admission into Greenwich, you never saw me, you truant old fellow ! and I was waiting for my last kiss. I shortly afterwards went into the country with her, and remained there until I was sixteen years old — you know I was boru in 1792. Now, instead of seeing the pretty little girl, as I was in 1805, you must remember that I am now forty and more, so that I am getting old and speak ray mind. I learned from Hardy that you were at Greenwich, and at that time I had only the wish, not the power, to serve you. Much as I would have given to have come down here and seen you settled " " Moored for life, my dear," interrupted his lordship. '' Yet I neither had the means nor the permission to gratify that desire. I heard that henceforth your life would be one of ease and comfort ; that you would sleep without having one ear open for a summons ; and that \ou would enjoy comparative luxury. I well know ""» S'''4 BEN BRACE. might have been an officer ; I have lieard Nelson tell her that he wanted to make you one, but that you preferred following him ; and, uncle, you are a much greater man now than if you were laid up in ordinary in rotten row (you see 1 have learned all your sea-terms), as his lord- ship says is his lot. In 1810 I married Captain Hen- nington — here you see him. He was sent on the North American station, and I, by way of being as uear him as possible, went to Bermuda, and lived there " " I pity you, Jane," said I ; "for never was there such a sandy hole in the world, with its white houses and cedar trees. As for water, why if it does not rain for a month, they have their mouths open like alligators catching flies, and they are obliged to preserve that stuff as a sailor does his grog. — I beg your honour's pardon, but I could n't help it." " Talk away, Ben Brace," said his lordship ; " there 's no distinction now between officer and man : I 'm on half- pay, and you in Greenwich." "Now, Hennington," said Jane, "let me talk, if ycu please. I have more to tell uncle than you can have; principally because I want to explain to him how it was he never saw me. I remained at Bermuda until after the peace in 1815, indeed, I did not return home until 181(5; but at that time Hennington's father was alive, althouj^h seriously ill at Florence. I came home with him in his frigate, and she was paid off at Portsmouth " "Of course, ma'am," said I, "ships from a foreign station always go to Portsmouth, or the River." " That 's all right," said his lordship. " It 's all wrong, uncle," said Jane, smacking my hand ; " remember you are under my command," said she, smiling, " and keep ' Silence fore and aft ! ' — We did not stay a week in England, and during that time I went down to see my husband's brother in Yorkshire ; but I sent you some money." " Ay ! " said I ; " I thought it came from you, al- though. Lord love you ! I was half inclined to think you had made a ' haul of all ' of your memory, and thjit Ben Brace was paid off from your books." / BEN BRACK. 375 " Nonsense, dear uncle ! you could not have fancied any such thing, unless you believed me to be an ungrateful creature. — No sooner, however, had we paid our visit, than iny husband, using his man-of-war-like commands, gave me sailing orders for Italy ; and as soon as we could contrive to get ready, we started for Florence. Here he found his father ill — very ill ; but being one of those men who have lived steadily in their youth, he survived a life of mental exertion only to fall into second childhood. His memory was fast going, and he seemed never very anxious to exert it. Year after year passed away — he lived, although he might be supposed dead, for he took little notice of any thing : he could not think, he could not reason, he could not remember : he was fed as a child, controlled as a child." '• Say no more of that, Jane," said his lordship, " it is too painfully impressed upon my mind. Of all scenes, the most dreadful to have brought familiarly before our eyes is that of seeing the man die at top first — to see the still robust stem unable to put forth any leaves — to see the man who was once all energy, all sense, become a weak and drivelling idiot. He lingered in this drtadful state for upwards of fifteen years, kept alive by her anxious care." When his lordship said this, and I saw a ttar standing in his eye, I could n't help taking Jane's hand ; and as I kissed it, I gave her an old man's blessing. " It is useless, I believe, uncle," she continued, after giving me a look of acknowledgment, "ever to dwell upon painful scenes : it is of no use looking back — we should look forward. On the death ot his father, my husband at the beginning of this year returned with me to England. Some family business took us immediately into Yorkshire; but no sooner had we made ourselves comfortable in London, than one of my first cares was to look for you. You see before you your captain, uncle, and you will obey his orders. I leave him to tell you what he wishes, for you will find in him all the genuine worth of the seaman, with all the sterling qualities of the gentleman." We drove up to the door of the cottage, and when Susan oT6 BEN UKACi;. saw her old husband in his blue stockings lugged out of the cabin-door of the carriage, she didn't know what to make of it. She kept bobbing about like a trim buoy- over the best bower-anchor in a short sea, but imme- diately recollecting that it was Saturday, and that her clean Sunday's cap was upstairs, away she bolted to clean herself to muster at division. " I beg your pardon, my lord," said X, " but I have something to say to you quite alone." His lordship came into the little garden behind the house. " Your honour has heard of me afore," I began; " and I hope that, what- ever character I may have had through life, I have always had that of being all fair and above-board with every man. " Did Jane," said I, " ever tell you, before you made a splice for life that a foremast-man, a Greenwich pen- sioner, was her uncle, and that hei* father " Here I stopped short and looked at him ; for I did not know whether I was right to blow the gaff upon her. " She told me," said his honour, " every word about her unfortunate father and all your kindness to her. 1 loved her the more for her open-heartedness. But I have since learned, Ben, from her that her father left with you a confession of his former life. This paper I want you to give me, in order that I may destroy it." " I beg your honour's pardon," said I, " but I can't part with that paper. No man has seen the contents of it — it has never been in any other hands but mine. Your lord- ship will know what value I ought to put upon this docu- ment by the mischief which has already aiisen out of it;" and I told him every particular of Tapes's death, and the unfortunate business of my having broken the seal. '•' I know you well enough, Ben," said his lordship, "from all I have heard of your character, to believe every word that you have said. I very much fear, however, that if the wording of the will is so express as you mention, we have little cliance of overthrowing the attorney ; still it shall not be for the want of exertion, or the fear of expense, if we do not disappoint him. How much has Tapes left you?" " I can't say, your honour," 1 replied, " for the lawyer BEN BKACK. 377 never mentioned that ; but he rubbed his hands and was overjoyed when he found the seal was broken, so that I anticipate there must be a good sum left. It 's not for my- self, my lord, that I care about this business, but it is for Susan and her daughter. For those two to be robbed by this rascal does hurt me ; and when I think that I am the cause of even a doubt, it makes my poor old heart beat quicker, and wears out my old hull more than all the roll- ings and pitchings in the Bay of Biscay. My wife was once in better circumstances, my lord : and I thought that, after all the squalls had passed, she might run into port with a fair breeze and smooth water." " Don't take it so much to heart — I will take care to send you down my solicitor. All the expense shall be borne by me ; and, by way of keeping soul and body together until we meet again, take this money ; it comes from a sailor to a sailor. Since that fellow has ceased to pay the fifty pounds, you will allow me to pay it, and any thing more you may require." " Come here, you two old sailors," said Jane. " We must have a council of war ; I am going to be president, and uncle is to be the culprit." In we walked, and Jane, Lord love her ! to see her in our cottage, with a smile of contentm.ent, taking Susan's hand in hers ! I could not help saying, " Such a woman as your ladyship — " (she put her finger on my lips and said, " Jane, if you please, uncle Ben") — " deserves to he happy. 1 have heard the parson say, that a good heart and a quiet conscience carries with it its own reward in the cheerfulness and contentment of the mind ; and surely you must be happy, when every action of your life has been to promote the happiness of others." " Ben," said s^he, " I shall have you appointed one of his lordship's chaplains. You take a wrong view of the case, however, in one respect : a youth of labour and toil, followed by an honourable old age, is the greatest blessing of hfe ; and you may lay your head on your pillow, and be certain that a grateful niece will never forget what is due to her uncle, her protector, her friend. Now, prisoner, come into court. You are accused by your wife of a de- 378 BEN BBACE. termination to disobey her wishes, and to remain in Gieen. wich, although you are possessed of certain monies suffi- cient for your honourable maintenance elsewhere. What say you to this charge ? " " Only this, Mrs. Honourable President," said I, '■ that I am guilty, and not guilty, of the charge. That I intend to die in Greenwich is tme enough, but still I shall be glad to do any thing else to make the remainder of the life of my Susan as comfortable as I can." " As for the other business," said his lordship, " I think we shall dispose of that in due time ; but we don't get justice in England either without time or money. My solicitor will tell you what to do ; and when the gentleman (who is a partner of the one who claims the property) comeS down, you will speak handsomely to him, and desire him to call upon me, mentioning that I have provided you with legal advice. — Come, Jane, the day gets on, and we nust be going. Ben knows where to find us; and we will send the carriage for him and his wife to-morrow, and he shall dine with us early, so as to get home betimes. So good-b'ye, uncle Ben!" said his lordship; and after a friendly sliake of the hand they got into the carriage and drove off. CHAPTER XI. Oh, 't is a day Of jubilee, cajollery ; A day we never saw before. — Tom Thumb. " Ben," said Susan, when the carriage had driven off, " I hope that we shall be quite alone with them, when we dine at Lord Hennington's to-morrow ; or perhaps it would he better if there were a great number, and then we might be overlooked, fo** I 'm sure I shall make some mistake and be ridiculous." " 1 don't much think, Susan." said I, " that many men BEN BHACE. 379 in the Greenwich uniform ever dined with the great lords of the Admiralty ; but this good, I know, will come out of it, — it will teach those servants of his lordship to know an honest man by the cut of his jib ; and also, that although the rigging of a ship may come from tlie dock yard, and the hull be rather old and rusty for want of blacking the bends, yet it may be built of good stuff, and not to be de- spised. Look what a handful of money his lordship gave me, Susan ! and he promised to give me fifty pounds a year. So that, in spite of the lawyer, we have not gone to lee- ward on this tack ; and I begin to think we may weather the attorney, after all." It was late when Mr. Kite came. I told liim all about his lordship ; and this honest fellow said, '■ I am sincerely glad, Mr. Brace, that you have some person on whom you can rely, who will see you through this business. I have looked at the will, and certainly, as far as I can judge, the case is much against you. It seems the intention of the testator was to this effect, — that the money should be yours, subject to some regulations and restrictions of which it is useless now to speak, provided it was evident that even you could never have read the confession. And for this reason it is mentioned that the seal being broken should be a sufficient evidence against you. I confess, at the moment I told you not to give up the document, I considered, and I do still consider, the case to be desperate. You have, it appears, found a good friend in Lord Hen- nington, who will take care you have justice done you. I am an old sailor myself, and thought it was better that you should not surrender without a fight." " And I 'm blessed if I do, Mr. Kite ! I 'm obliged to you," said I, " and so is his lordship ; and if I weather the point, I won't forget the pilot who showed me the passage through the shoals.' " Have you examined the document, Mr. Brace r " " Not I, Mr. Kite. As you advised, so I did, — I placed it under all, in my chest ; and that 's safe and snug as a vessel in Dock-yard Creek at Malta." " Since I cannot be of any further service to you, Mr. Brace," said he, " I shall wish you good-b'ye. Yours is 380 BEN BRACE. a hard case, but something may still turn up. I really wish you success; althoughj I again say, I despair of it. If I could see the document, I could speak more posi- tively." " That's what no man living will do but the judge upon the bench," said I. " His lordship wanted to see it ; but I have promised and pledged my word, and I would not show it to the First Lord of the Admiralty himself. Many thanks to you, sir ; you are an honest man, and that 's more than I can say for the other man. There 's my hand, sir, and God bless you !" Well, he went away, and I went to bed ; and I slept better for the prospect of being able to have a good stand- up fight before I was laid up in ordinary for ever. 'I'he next morning, when I got to Susan, in came a long, sandy- haired fellow, with a small eye as bright as a fire-fly in Jamaica on a dark night. He inquired for me, and lugged out a note he had received the evening before from Lord Hennington. " I come, Mr. Brace," he began, " according to orders received last night, to inquire into this business, and see how far it is advisable to contest the matter. I have not been idle, I assure you ; I have seen the will, and now you must show me the document." " Beg your pardon, sir ; but I shall uo no such thing." '•' But you must," said he. " Must !" said I ; " who can make me } who can make a man break his word } Is there any law to make a man a rascal t " " Plenty to save rascals, at any rate," said the lawyer. " But just consider : how can I advise you unless I know exactly how far you have committed yourself.'' Tell rne the whole story." Well, I spun him the yarn, — mentioned the name of the omnibus — the day it happened — the fight — the words of the cad — the name of the other omjiibus — the scene at Hawk's, and so on. '^ Did Hawk ever have the deed in his hand ?" '• Indeed he had not," said I, " and never will." " Well then," said he, " it appears I can make no more BEN RUACK. 381 of it at present tlian to inquire of the cad, and to send word to Hawk that he must apply to me for further in*, formation in the case. He will file a bill of discovery, I suppose ; but as Lord Hennington is resolved to contest the business to the last, I shall do all in my power to em- barrass the proceedings. If any thing more transpires, you will hear from me." Away he went, leaving me more resolved than ever that no man living should see it. About five o'clock up comes the carriage, and half the neighbourhood turned out to see it. Yesterday's business had given the idle a great desire to know who we were, and all manner of reports were in circulation. Some de- clared Susan was the mother of Jane, who had been stolen in her youth by gipseys, and ultimately married a lord who fell in love with her beauty. Others said she was my daughter by a former wife ; but every one knew of the kiss in the Hospital, and every blessed mother's son of them had seen the carriage. Now they beset the door, to see Susan, whom they remembered for years, placed in the carriage, and Ben Brace, the old pensioner, driven to Lon- don like a lord. I was glad of one thing ; which was, that we had no fellows with cauliflower heads and long sticks, stuck up like painters on a grating over the ship's stern, — we had only the look-out man on the forecastle, and he was a jolly-looking fellow. " Now then, sir, if you please to get in, for I must be in town by six o'clock," said he ; and he opened the door " Avaust heaving, shipmate," said I ; " we never sail without ballast ; and if we were to carry on without some of that inside lining, we should capsize if we stove in stays suddenly round a corner. But I see you don't understand me : this is it — Ave must freshen hawse before we start." '■ What ! " said he, " want fresh horses ? that is a good one ! Why, do you suppose my cattle can't go eight miles without a change ? " " Lord love you ! " said 1 to Susan ; " what precious fools these landsmen are! Get him the bottle of brandy, and perhaps he will understand that, although it may be French. There," says I, as I poured out a glass, and gave Susan the bottle to clap in the locker- "that's as S82 BLN BK.ACE. good as twenty horses^, — swallow that, and then you will sail head to wind hke a steamboat. That's well done; and the next time you come this way, we will pipe to grof]^ again. Now then heave and aweigh, my lad ! and take care how you weather the omnibuses : they are so long, that they shoot well a head in stays; and when they make a stern bound to pick up a passenger, they clap the cabin-door right athwart the road. Now mind your steer- age^ my fine fellow ! and if you want a signal-man aloft, I'm the man, for I'm used to the mast-head.*' WeW, away we drove ; and as I was rather afraid of this galloping affair, I kept a good look-out from the cabin windows. " Starboard a little," said I, as we ran by the Elephant and Castle, " or you '11 be aboard of some of this convoy ; — port with all, my lad, or you '11 be athwart hawse of the turnpike gate. — There, steady now — that's your sort ; steer right over the bridge, and take care you don't yaw us over the breastwork." " A sailor adrift ! " said one fellow. " You be d — d ! " said I ; upon which a whole batch of boys followed the carriage, hallooing and shouting like mad ones. The horses being all fire and tow, set to work to run a race with them ; and as we luffed short round the corner to get into Parliament Street, %ve were nearly on our beam ends. " Shorten sail, you precious cuckoo ! " said I : "why, I 'm blessed if the ship is not running away with us ! Bring her to the wind gently, and heave-to for a moment, if you can't reef topsails going before it." Well, I must say this for the man at the wheel, that he steered beautifully : it was touch and go a dozen times, but that 's a sign of a good pilot. He knew all the reaches fore and aft the great town ; and after getting us first on one tack, then on the other, until I began to think he was beating Tom Cox's traverse, or up to a man-of- war's cruise, " There and back again," and just whilst Susan was getting on her pins to look out of the larboard quarter gallery window, he brings us up all standing, and smack goes Susan through the foremost bulk-head. " Stopper there ! " said I ; meaning that the coachman should not veer any more cable, for he backed us a bit. BKX BRACK. 3S3 She was not damaged about the figure-head at all : so, after giving her rigging a shake down, and lifting her cap from her mast-head to feel if any of the lashings aloft had given way, we walked into the house. I told you some time ago of Nelson's dinner in Austria, where there were a hundred grenadiers in attendance. ^V'e had now to steer through lots of these fellows, who were squinting and chirruping as if they had swallowed a flock of spar- rows. " What name, sir ? " said a chap all gold and gammon, like a dying dolphin. " Name ! " said I ; " Ben Brace, to be surp, who be- longed to the Agamemnon, — and she was a fine ship in her day." Well, what does this fellow do, but he hails another man in the main-top, for we were going up the rigging step by step, and says he, in a voice that would startle a boatswain, " Ben Brace and Mr. Agamemnon ! " After puffing a little, for I was not used to mount a reevo in this style, we found the man who had been hailed ; and when we came nearly alongside, he opens the sliding gunter doors, and bellows like a bull — " Sir Ben Brace and Mr. Agamemnon ! — Shall I take your hat and stick, sir.' " said he to me, looking. Lord love you ! as if butter would n't melt in his mouth. " Thank you, shipmate," said I, " but I never part company with my kit." " I beg your pardon, my lord," says I, as I hove in sight ; for there was Lord Hennington and Jane, and two other ladies, and the attorney who had been sent down to Greenwich : so I whipped off my gold-laced scraper, and made a bow, whilst Jane came forward and took Susan by the hand kindly, and led her to the fireplace, and told her the names of the other two, who exchanged numbers with her, and showed their colours ; whilst his lordship, after giving her a hail, passed on to me, and said, " Brace, my old fellow, I 'm glad to see you ! Ladies, let me pre- sent you to as gallant a fellow as ever sailed salt water, ',nd who was the constant follower of Nelson." Well, after this 'I walked up to the ladies, ha> ing dapped 584 HEN BRACE. my hat and stick under my arm ; and as I leaned forward a bit, to take hold of their dear little flippers, I lifted my leg and caught the attorney just above the shin, and set him polishing his leg with both hands. " I beg your pardon, Mr. Lawyer," says I ; and as I turned round, not know- ing that I had not room to swing clear of other craft in the anchorage, the end of my stick caught a smelling- bottle which was on a table, and off that went smack over a lady's dress. '' Let me take your hat and stick," said his lordship kindly ; " for although I 'm a sailor and used to these roadsteads, yet such is the fashion of blocking up the rooms now with furniture, that I myself can hardly steer through these shoals without running aground." Well, I handed him the things, and then 1 looked round to see what mischief I had done. But it so hap- pened, that although I sent the glass spinning along the table and lodged it in the lady's lap, it never broke, so there was no harm ; and the dear creatures smiled and looked so kind-hearted like, that as I looked at them, I said, " Lord bless you both ; you ought to be the wives of any officer in the navy." " That's something like a compliment, Ben," said Jane. " Now come here, and sit by me. Don't you think vou would be much better in a nice house in London than in Greenwich Hospital .'' " " Certainly not, Jane," said L " It 's all well enough for you to come to an anchor here ; but for a sailor there 's 110 place like Greenwich. I 'm a sailor in heart and soul ; I '11 give up any point but this." " Well, well," said Jane, "we will say no more about it, uncle, at present. But I forgot to introduce you to your two cousins, who are as anxious to see you as they would have been to see Nelson. Luckily for you, the bottle did not break, or you would have been obliged to make them both presents of new dresses." All hands now began to talk away like a set of seamen on the forecastle playing goose. My lord was patting the flipper of one cousin, and the lawyer was whispering to the other, and Jane was blowing the same breeze down BEX BUACE. 383 Greenwich Reach about me ; when in comes the gentle- man who had opened the door^ and sings out, " Dinner is ready, my lady." " NoWj Brace," said his lordship, " offer your arm to that lady," pointing to my cousin, "and follow me down stairs." In the mean time he held out his arm to Susan, who dropped him a courtsey, and he very good-naturedly took her in tow and steered away. AV^ell, I did as I was ordered ; I clapped my arm akimbo, and says I, " By your leave, my lady," whilst 1 saw the attorney range up alongside of my other cousin ; so I hove to. " Avaust there !" says I, " this will never do ; whv, there 's one of the convoy without a tow-rope." So 1 hails Jane, and (ffers her the sleeve of my right arm. Then the lawyer got bowing for us to go foremost ; but I did not like to push on before my betters, so says I, " Heave ahead, your honour, and save the tide, whilst I bring up the rear with these two craft." ^V ell, we made sail ; and when we got down stairs, I saw the two chaps with cauliflower heads who had jeered me at Greenwich : they bowed their heacis as we passed. '" Ah," th'nks I, "my lads, you're precious civil when you can't nelp yourselves; but I'm blessed if I've forgotten the other day ! " Well, we took up our difFc-rent stations. I was niaced on the starboard side of Jane, and Susan was on tlie star- board side of his lordsliip, so that we could see each other. The lawyer was opposite me, and I saw him watching me as if he thought I should make a mainsail haul of the silver forks ; so that, whilst I Avas overhauling the position of the squadron, I forgot to watch their movements. The cauliflower heads began to hustle about with plates, and his lordship began to bale out the soup from a large silver kid; and when one of the men brouuht the cat-lap to me, I saw a kind of a cloth in my plate, which I clapped into my coat pocket. Jane saw it, and smiled ; and she looked at the servant, as much as to say, " Mind your own business," which I was precious near putting into English for her. "Never mird, old Ben, my aunt Susan," said his lord- ship, as he saw her watching my proceedings ; " let him c c 386 BEN KRACE. keep a Jook-out at his end of the table, and we will have a glass of wine at ours." " Come, Ben," said Jane, " is this all the attention you pay me? — ask me directly to have some wine with you, and I '11 say yes, and get your cousin Lucy to join us. Come, my dear old uncle, may you have good health, and I dare say you wish me the same." " That I do, and with all my heart. If all women were like you, I 'm thinking they would be the admirals, and we imder command : any man might lower his flag before the fire of such eyes, and " " Why, you will make all the women in love with you," said Jane, " if you pay such compliments. Come let me send you some fish." " Do allow me," said the lawyer, whose name was Marshall ; and he began to serve out the fish. " I 'd a volunteered, Jane," said I, " but I 've only one fin." " I know it," said she, " like all good seamen, you are always ready to serve the ladies : but tell me, Ben, how do you like your old captain as governor of Greenwich .'' " " How ! why I could kiss the ground he walks upon. Whenever I see him, I think of Nelson ; and there is no man alive more fit to have such honourable retirement than Sir Thomas. Every blessed one of us likes him, and I 'd walk half a mile any day to hear him say, ' Ah, Brace, how do you do .'' better place this Greenwich than the bay in a gale.' Then he is always ready to hear us, and we look up to him with the respect which a brave man de- serves." " Ben," said his lordship, " that is as it should be when the old officer carries to his grave the respect and regard of the seamen. Fill Mr. Brace's glass." And he noddec to me, witn a smile on his countenance ; and I stood uj> and said. " Your honour's health, and long life to you ! " Well, I got ahead pretty well at dinner, and did not fee] so awkward as I thought I should in such company. If we could have got rid of those cauliflower rascals, who kept giggling and grinning at each other as if they expected to see a baboon at breakfast, I should have felt pretty well BEN BRACE. 387 at ease. Blind as 1 was, I could see their impertinence ; and I could likewise detect the kind manner with which his lordship or Jane interfered if we were ge:ting adrift ic conversation. At last we got our provisions on board, and the wine was coming alongside, when they put before each of us a large round glass, and I saw every body clap lips to it first, and then dabble tingers about in it ; and I thought it a nrecioas dirty trick. — " However, 1 'II just tike i sip , ' ih.r.l;'. 1. but when I found it was water, and that half warm enough to make a hog ill, '' I beg your pardon, sir," says I to the gentleman who put it down, "but if it's all the same to you, I prefer grog." Very soon after, they cleared away the decks and made a sweep of the cloth ; but I 'm blessed if they had not got another one underneath ! and I began to say to his lordshij) as I touched the spare canvass, " There shall be no wasteful expense of any powder, shot, arms, ammunition, or other stores, — and I think your lordship ought to be brought to a court-martial for this, for it's in direct defiance of the articles of war." Hereupon Jane whips in her oar. " It's the fashion, uncle," says she ; '•' we must follow the fashion, you know." " That 's a queer fashion enough," said I. " I have often heard of fashion, but I never could understand it yet." " Why," said his lordship, " fashion is doing that which a particular class of people choose to do ; but I can best explain it by your own coat. That coat is cut in the Greenwich fashion, mine is cut in the London style ; and I should be just as much out of fashion with my round hat at the Hospital, as you would be with your three- cornered scraper in Bond Street. Now do you understand it .-* " "Yes, your honour: it's all the same as if the great people swore the moon was made of green cheese; then it would be the fashion to believe it." " Just so, Ben. Now, take some wine ; and although it's not the fashion, yet it's a good old custom. " 2 S88 BEN URACE. " Here is^ the blessing of a grateful heart," s-aiil Jane, "upon you! Hapjien what may with the lawsuit, uncle," she continued, as she took my hand, "you shall never want, and your wife never shall want. Now, as I know Mr. Marshall, Lord Henningion, and yourself wish to talk over some business, we lariies will go upstairs and leave you to your council." So saying, she got under weigh ; and all the women did the same. " Now," said his lordship, as he came to the chair in which Jane had been seated, — " Now, Mr. Marshall, let us hear w'hat you propose to do in this case. I believe I have already fully explained myself to you: 1 feel con- fident that Brace has never read a word of this twopenny confession, and therefore I feel more annoyed, that by the accident of his having sealed his envelope exactly over the enclosure, this circumstance by which he is likely to he defrauded of his money, should have arisen. As to the money, I repeat, it is not of great moment, because I shall take care that an ample sufficiency shall be settled upon Brace, and his wife after him ; but I see no reason why we should give up this money without a struggle. Some- thing may turn up. In the first place, Mr. Marshall, what is the amount left?" " I beg your pardon, my lord," said I, just cutting out the lawyer, who was clearing his pipes for a yarn by washing down the cobwebs of his throat, " but 1 am ashamed to give your lordship this trouble. All the doubloors on board of a galleon would not make me happier than I am at this moment. 1 don't wish your lordship, therefore, to spend your money for me, when I am as rich as I care to be." " That's all very well, my good old fellow," said Lord Hennington ; " but at this moment you forget one very material point (and one which 1 know you would not wish to forget), the intenst of your wife, and her daughter after her. You are snug moored ; but, Ben, although you have weathered many a breeze, a squall may come which will swamp you, and then your wife and daughter would, without some assistance, be reduced to poverty Now, this money, I am convinced, is honourably yours HEN BRACF. 389 although an accident seems likely to deprive you of it. U'liy, therefiire, think of giving up a right, when by a little exertion we may maintain it ? In fiict, I am resolved to use my utmi.-st endeavours to obtain it for yr-u ; so, for the present, old boy, hold your tongue, and let Mr. Marshall and myself settle it. — How much did you say was left .'' " " There is no less a sum than four huudred pounds a year. The principal is held in trust for the present ; but in the event of Mr. Brace's daughter — whose name, I believe, is Tapes" — I nodded an affirmative, for the gentleman looked at me — " being married, the trust, after the death of Mr. Brace and his wife, will be givm up to the husband of the daughter. Pray, how old is she, Mr. Brace ? " " About thirty, your honour," said I : " she was an infant when old Tapes died. She has a clean run fore and aft ; and alihout;h slie has light air, is a wonderfully fine young woman, with a good figure-head and a capital build." ''■ Why, Ben," said his lordship, smiling, " you describe your daughter as you would a ship !" " Certainly, my lord,'' said I ; " ai'nt they both alike ? — haven't they caps and bonnets, stays, rings, stem, and sternpost, all the same as a frigate .''" - " Weil, Mr. Marshall, what do you propose.?" " Why, my lord, knowing your lordship's anxiety about this case, I have given it a most patient consideration. I have procured copies of the will, and I have on my own responsibility taken counsels opinion upon the case, as far as I could state it — not having seen the paper in Mr. Brace's possession, and which, moreover, he seems determined not to show." " Nor ever will," says I, "but to the judge u]ion the bench : no, not even to his lordship. If I go to my grave knowing that no mortal man has ever held that paper in his hands but myself, then I know that Tackle's last wishes have been complied with, and I shall close my eyes with- out reproaching myself about the matter. " " Yoa see, my lord, that I was obliged to propose the ca 3 390 BEX BRACE. questions to counsel, founded on the supposition that the seal was removed partially ; and, for all we know, the letter may at this moment be closed sufficiently to establish our case. The answers of counsel to the queries I sub- mitted to him I have brought with me, and here they are : — ' I am of opinion, that if the seal is totally removed, a successful defence of the point would be impossible, the words of the will being so very explicit : on the contrary, although the seal may be damaged, and even broken, yet if it can be shown that the letter is in such a state as to render its having been opened impossible, or most highly improbable, I am of opinion that the action may be safely maintained.' Here is the paper, my lord, with the extracts of the will ; and new you are as much in possession of the case as 1 am." " I 'm blessed," said I, as I gave the table a crack with my hand, which set bottles and glasses, plates and dishes, a-dancing, "if I don't think that the paper is all fast by a piece of the inside lining ! but I won't touch it again to look — not for the universal world." " What reason have you for thinking so, old boy ?" said his lordship. " Why, your honour, because when I saw what I had done, I gave the outside part a bit of a lift with a light hand, and it did not come open." '■' Then, Mr. Brace," said Mr. Marshall, " will you send me the paper enclosed and sealed any way you like.'' — only take care not to put the seal again over the enclosed one, in order that I may have it ready to produce in court." •' I could have saved your honour," said I, " half the question, by saying that I will produce it myself, and no man breathing but the judge shall handle it." " I have some kind of feeling, Mr. Marshall," said his lordship, " that all this will come right after all. It is but a slender hope, 't is true, that Brace has given us, yet to that hope I will cling. You will, therefore, take it for granted that I intend to combat this business, and I wish to know how you propose to proceed. I see well enough that we must work in the dark, for old Ben is determined not to let us go on to a certainty. Now, Ben, could n't BEN BRACE. 391 you bring the letter here and let me see it ? we will just look and try if we can proceed with hope or not." " No, my lord," said I, standing up : " I never told hut one lie to a living man, and I '11 keep my word with the dead." " Freshen hawse, Ben," said his lordship, as he shook my hand : " I honour your feeling, and I shall not again ask you to alter your determination. You must proceed, Mr. Marshall, as well as you can." " Then, my lord, I shall give notice to the trustees to pay the interest to Mr. Brace to-morrow, for it became due yesterday. They will refuse unless the document is pro- duced, and we will then bring an action against them in the Common Pleas, in order to enforce the payment ; we can avoid the Chancery Court altogether by getting an order to have the case tried in the Pleas ; and they will be glad enough to meet our wishes, as they think they are sure of their cause, and therefore will willingly avoid delays and expenses." " So let it be then. And now. Brace, a bumper to the success of your law-suit ; and I have this consolation for you to take to bed with you, — that the more desperate your case is, the more likely you are to succeed, ^\'e "11 fight them openly and honourably like seamen ; and if you are beaten, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have done your duty by your wife and her daughter, and that you will never be worse oft' than you are at present ; but, on the contrary, that your wife and daugliter shall be under my protection. If you require any more shot in your lockers, you will apply to Mr. Marshall, and he will keep the racks full. Now, having settled our plans of opera- tion, let 's keep our spirits up a little, and hope for the best. How do you like the wine, old boy ? " said his lordship, as he caught me by the hand ; " and just tell us a little what you do with yourself at Greenwich from day- light to dark." " That's easily answered, my lord," said I, " for I do no- thing, and the rest help me. We sometimes spin our yarns ; but I believe 1 have run all mine off the reel ! so, like a midshipman in war-time, I turn my clothes-bag end for end, c 4 392 BEN BRACK. and begin again. We have most of us got short memories for the present time, although we rem mber years and years ago, with the dates of the actions and the names of the officers, as well as ever." *• Are there many older than yourself, Mr. Brace?" said Mr. Marsliall. Njt many, sir," said 1 : "■ we sailors don't live so long as the soldiers at Chelsea ; for, generally speaking, we have more of our spars shot away, and we have had more of the wear and tear of active life ; besides which, I believe what Sir M'illiam said is true, that the spirits we take on board wlien we first go to sea burn us up a bit. But, with all that, here am I, the last of the Agamemnons, excepting my wife, and she got christened to-day by his lordship's servant." " We can manage another bottle, Ben," said his lord- ship. " For the matter of that, my lord, it 's not a bottle of black strap, which I take this to be, that will make me sail by the head ; and if so be that his honour over the way there is inclined for a booze, I 'm young enough yet to crack a dozen, and yet see a hole through a grating." " You ought to write your lite. Brace," said his lord- ship. " Lord bless your honour !" said I, "ever since I learnt to write to Susan (which is many a year now past and gone) I have kept a regular log ; ay, even now day after day I add it up ; and every now and then I take a general overhaul of it. I 've thought of that, my lord, for I have seen many dangers and troubles ; besides which, I have tacked on some of old Tom's yarns. The other day, when I was sunning myself like a turtle on a calm day, I came athwart a navy man who had come doAvn to see the Hos- pital. As he seemed to know the jib-halyards from the spanker -boom, I got unlaying my memory a bit; when an old chap told me that the officer Avas an author, and that it was a pity that old Brace, who had seen so much service, should only be remembered when any one looked at the Hospital books. So I made up to him, ray lord, and I asked him ♦'^ loot at the Iok ant! see what 'le could BEN BHACK. 3^3 make of it. He lias got the first part of it now ; and as I CO on from day to day, I send it to him. — But I beg your honour's pardon, I hope you won't think it wrong of me if I ask Hberty to return to Greenwich ; Su-an is rather a'raid like, and I should like to get her into harbour before dark." " Well, then," said his lordship, '^'let us go upstairs, Mr. Marshall, and have some coffee." And away we went. After we had taken coffee, and talked a little while longer, " Come, Susan, my girl," said I, " Ave must heave and aweigh." " Is the carriage here ? " said Jane to one of the land- lubbers. " Yes, my lady," said the fellow. So I shook hands with all hands, and kissed Jane, bless her ! — ay, she was a woman with her heart in the right place. " I shall come and see you often," s^.id she ; " and. as vou will be obliged to call at Mr. Marshall's, in your way, do not forget St. James's Square. Good b'ye, Susan ! the carriage will take you safely home." " Good night to you, Ben ! " said his lordship, " I look forward with some hope still to defeat Mr. Hawk, after all. You will hear from me again soon ; so, once more, good night ! " I shook him heartily by the hand. I could have said what I felt, for it was uppermost in mv heart, and what is there soon finds its way to the lips. Else how is it that when the marines and afterguard are hauling away at the wpather fore-topsail brace and the yard does not budge an inch, the officer of the watch lets out a volley of curses ht'aw enough to knock down the front line of a regular army ? He has not to look for his words, — it goes to his heart to see the duty so badiy done, and his mouth is ready to bear witness to his feelings. " I say, coachman," says I, as 1 clapped my head out of the starboard window, ' don't you think we had better rake a gla'^s to our safe cruise, and our certainty of making the land .'' Listen, my lad : you wear a cocked-hat as well ac myself, and I dare say you will have no objection to my SP^ HEN BnACE. coming on the quarter-deck ; for 1 'm blessed if ever 1 liked being a cabin passenger : so heave to, and let me get aloft. Can't you haul up alongside of a public-house?" " Ay, ay, sir, as you gentlemen say on board a ship ;" and he cracks on all sail, runs down to the bridge, whips over it in the shaking of a handspike, and comes to an anchor alongside of a gin-palace on the other side. " Ben," said Susan, " remember how kind the lord and the lady have been, and how careful we ought to be not to offend them. It 's true, Jane is your niece ; but if through anything we gave the coachman an accident should happen to the carriage, they might think, and with good reason, that we ought to be contented \vith their arrangements, without any alteration on our part. You had better re- main where you are ; and after the coachman has taken us safely home, then you can give him some liquor." " VVhy, Susan," said I, "^ are you afraid of a capsize ? These gentlemen are not like waisters in a large ship, always dirty and always near the grog-tub. It's only now and then that they bouse their jibs up ; and surely, if the gentleman drives us in a lord's carriage, we ought to give him something to keep the cold out of his stomach." '' Nonsense, my dear ! ' said Susan : " at any rate, I don't think Lord Hennington would like his carriage to be stopping for half an hour at a gin-palace." At this moment the door was opened, and I walked out " I shall stand the shot, my hearty," said I ; and I own I felt more at home when I got to the tap than I did at St. James's Square. To be sure, I thought afterwards that his lordship's black strap might have been a little too heavy for me ; for when I had turned down a couple of glasses and got on the box of the coach in the air, every now and then I thought I saw two coaches instead of one. The coachman was only a sheet or two in the wind, neither drunk nor sober, but cherry merry. NotAvitlistanding we had steered rather wild on the way, we arrived at home al last , and Susan was right glad to get hack with her old boy safe. BEN BRACE. 395 CHAPTER Xll. Mv timbers! what lingo he'd coil and belay .' Why, 't was just all as one as high Dutcli. - Sea So'-.g. " Splick the main brace, my hearty," sai;l I, '" before you take a fresh departure : it 's rather dark, and you had bet- ter steer small when you get near th.e bridge. There, give u» your flipper ! I suppose you know the course and dis- tance to be run before you heave to ? " " Why, — y — y — yes, admiral," said the coachman, who was now unfit to muster at quarters, and was getting every moment worse ; " of course I know the distance. So good night, old woman '" and he slewed the carriage end for end, and started off at a furious ])ace. " Thank God, we are safe ! but I would not, on any ac- crunt, that an accident should happen to the carriage," said Susan. " Nonsense, ma'am !" said I. " Now tell me, Susan," I continued, as we drew round the fire, " how would you like to be a fine lady like Jane, — to have carriages and horses — all those servants — that house, — in short, to be the wife of a lord ?" " As true as 1 live I would rather be your wife, Ben." The old girl said this so heartily that I gave her a regular broadside of kisses. " There — you need not smotlier me with kisses !" said she. " The great have a thou.-and ail- ments to which we are strangers. They blaze for a short time, it 's true, but, like us, they die. We have certainly hardships to encounter, and die also ; but labour and em- ployment occupy our minds and bodies, and we have our reward in unbroken sleep. On the whole, I think, there- fore, we are happier in our state than they are in theirs." " You are right, Susan. Many a time, after a hard day's work, have I gone to my hammock and slept like a top, whilst Nelson, who had all the charge, was restless and un- quiet : he knew the danger, — I did not. I slept because 3.0O BKN BHACK. I was tired ; lie was tired more in mind than I was in body^ and yet lie never closed his eyes the whole blessed night (luring the heavy gale in the Gulf of Lyons. You are right: if we are contented here, we need envy no one." '' No, Ben, but we may feel grateful for a kindness." "A kindness !" said I ; "there is not in tins world a kinder hearted soul than Jane! How many thousands are there who would be ashamed to know even an old seaman — to own a pensioner in Greenwich for a relation ; and who, if they gave charity to one of their own kin, would treat them like beggars — chuck the money over ihe lee- ward quarter, and leave the half-sinking craft to bear np and pick it up the best way she could, and then make sail, showing the colours when far enough off", to make them sensible to whom they owed the obligation, whilst they dreaded being near enough to be thanked even for their charity — if charity that can be called which is ashamed of its own act. When a woman is grateful, Susan, she does not do her work by halves : she is heart and soul in the cause, and it is not a trifle which will turn her from her course. " Lord love you all!" continued I, "dear you are to us in health — kind in sickness — always ready to cheer the sorrowful and support the afflicted ! I tell you, dame, if the law had allowed it, so fond as I am of you all, 1 would have married every blessed one of you. I 'd rather see the flutter of a petticoat in a breeze than all the Flush- ing jackets in Europe." The next morning, Tom's gravestone was all cut, and dried, and painted, and stuck up, when I took an overhaul at the anchorage, \Vnien I afterwards walked away to Susan's cotttige, there she was all flutter and tremble like a leaf in a breeze. " I told you how it would be, Ben !" she began ; " Lord Henniiigton's carriage was upset, and the coachman has broken his arm ; he was thrown nearly over the bridge." " Serve iiim quite right too !" said I : '' what business has the captain to leave the wreck the instant he runs on "hore } His hardship 's a sailor ; he knows we were re- lieved from our watch — he can't bring us to a court mar- ui:x BiiACK. 397 UiA, because th« master lie placed in charge as pilot did nol know his navigation. 1 think it would have puzzled hiin a little, to be sure, to have taken an observation, for he u ould have seen so many stars that he never would have shot the right one. Any more news?" " No, my dear," said Susan ; " except that Mr. Kite was down here yesterday, and I should say almost that lie was a-courting my daugliter." " Oh, oh !" said I, '• is that the w-ay the land 's lying ? 1 caii see how the cat is jumping, just as plainly as I used to see the white patch in a rtef'er's weekly account. We shall see." Away I went with a light heart, thinking that Kite supposed I had a chance of success, or he would not have come cruising in our waters. A\'ell, weeks passed and little was done, until the be- ginning of June, when I was told that the action was to be fought on the 4th of June. I would rather it had been on the 1st of the month, for a good reason; for that was as fine a victory, with the exception of the Nile and Trafalgar, as the Pvnglish navy can boast of. I was told I was to bring the paper; and accordiniily I was in Si. James's Square by eight o'clock in the morning, having wrapped up the thing in my silk handkerchief, and stowed it away right over my heart : I thought 1 could keep it prett\ safe there. .Jane was up,, and all kindness as usual ; I breakfasted with her, and in my Greenwich uniform made my appearance, with Lord Hennington and Mr. Marshall, in clie Court of Common I'leas. W^e were placed between the judge and the talking law- yers ; and shortly after nine o'clock, in came his l(;rddiip. lie was a little man, about the size of Ntlson ; with a tlioiightful countenance, and a heavine-s about his eyes, as if all his brains were crowding down upon them. I took a good look at him : he seemed a kind-hearted man, and Mr. Marshall said he was as good a judge of a case as Nelson was of a ship. " ^\'ell, ' said 1, " if it 's all fair and above- board, 1 have no fears." .At the further end of the table I saw Hawk, with a rol' of papers, talking to a little snub-nosed fat fellow, wHo K'zoined very attentive to hun ; whilst a man wl.o sat just 398 BEN liUACK. before the judge mustered twelve men into a kind of box, and made them take an oath. \V^iien this was done, up jumped a chap in a wig, who said sometliing about its being a case between Benjamin Brace, John Hawk, and others ; and he said that issue was joined, and sat down. Then up jumps the gentlema;! to whom Lord Hennington had been speaking, and he spoke to this effect. — - But before he began tliere was a cry of "Silence, silence!" — so says 1 to Marshall, " Is he going to talk for me?" and he said, "Yes; he is a celebrated counsel, who will, if possible, make the worse ap[)ear the better cause ; for if the seal is broken, Mr. Brace, as I told you before, your case is des- perate." " May it please your lordship," he began, "gentlemen of the jury, my learned friend who has opened the case has informed you who is the plaintiff and who the defendant in this action ; and I believe I may say, that in all my pro- fessional experience I have never had a harder task devolve upon me than the cause in which I am now engaged. Gen- tlemen, it will require but few words to place you in full possession of the circumstances connected with this case ; it will be unnecessary to call more than one witness to identify the plaintiff; and therefore I trust that you Avill be de- tained but a very short time before your verdict is returned. " It may be in your remembrance that in 1797 a mur- der was committed by one John Tackle on the person of Jane Brace, a fisherman's daughter, at the village of Caw^ sand, — the murdered girl being the sister of the plaintiff. I will not harrow your feelings, gentlemen, by painting in vivid colours all the atrocities of that night ; let it be suf- ficient to state that this poor girl was the victim, first, of her murderer's appetite. There are, however, one or two circumstances which it will be my painful duty to lay be- fore you, although I doubt much whether the length of time now elapsed has obliterated them from the memory of the public. At the coroner's inquest held on the body of this unfortunate girl, it was given in evidence that this John Tackle, being a smuggler " " Avaust heaving there, sir !" said I ; but Mr. Marshall pulled me back, and the judge pointed at me. and, clapping BEN BRACK. S^Q on his quarter-deck look, said, " Silence, sir, or I shall order you out of court !" So I clapped my hand to my hair, and says I, " Certainly, my lord." "Weil, the lawyer leaned over and said, " My good old friend, don't interrupt me ; I will do my best." — "I '11 take care of him," said Lord Hennington. " Gentlemen, I said this Tackle was a smuggler. He had decoyed the plaintiff, who was then under the name of Feaniay (and you know, gentlemen, sailors change their names as often as play-actors), to take a passage from Lon- don to Cawsand on board the Nancy, a vessel, from her peculiar build and description, admirably adapted for the business : she was a schooner " " A sloop, your honour," said L " Thank you, sir," he continued ; " a slooi^, then, of so careless a rig, that no one would suspect her of being em- ployed in a contraband trade, but of a build which enabled her to sail so fast that few could have caught her. When this Tackle, who commanded her, had got through the Downs on his passage to the Eddystoiie Lighthouse, off which he was to fall in with a vessel from Guernsey, having smuggled articles on board, and which cargo Tackle was to run, he made attempts to lure the plaintiff into the same course of life which he himself pursued, and he used all those arguments best calculated to ensure his success : for at that time, gentlemen, the plaintiff was young in years, of a robust health, active, intelligent, atid, from the various actions in which he had foutzht, every way calculated to face any danger, or to forward any desperate enterprise. With the true spirit of a British seaman, however, he re- fused so base, so unworthy an employment. Tackle, still thinking he might succeed in entrapping him, did not put into execution the design he harboured ; but when he fell in with his coadjutor, one Jacob, it was resolved to keep Fearnay a prisoner, for fear of his betraying the secret now in his power, and thus leading to the detection and appre- hension of Tackle. " During the time the crew of the smugglers were em- ployed running the cargo, the plaintiff slipped overboard and effected his escape, and hastened to the ab de of his parents, 400 r>EiV bj;ace. at the windows of which he saw Tackle listening and looking. It was evident, from the situation in which he was found, that he had intentions of continuing, not only his illicit tiade, but his illicit connection. A scuffle ensued letween the parties : the sister hearing the noise, and recognising tiie voices, that of her brother, and that of the man she most loved, rushed out of the house ; and Tackle, in order to effect his escape, pointed a pistol at the plaintiff. At this instant his sister rushed forward to seize the weapon, in doing which s^he received its contents and died. " It is requisite, g, ntlemen of the jury, for me to dwell upon this subject a little; for although apparently of no connection with the cause, you will find it to prove the strong integrity of the plaintiff. Gentlemen, I blush to say, an attorney was concerned with the smugglers ; and he was the first husband of the plaintiff's wife. That man was named Tapes ; and he had a brother of the same name, and, I fear of the same calling, inasmuch as Tackle had been employed by both of them ; the latter residing at Exeter, and carrying on the trade of a wine and spirit merchant in that city. There cannot be a shadow of a (U)ubt but that Tapes of Cawsand assisted at the sujuggling of these goods, and passed them on to his brother. Gen- tlemen, Tapes of Cawsand was convicted before a jury of smuggling ; indeed, the goods were found in an old bake- house, the property of his wife before his marriage, and then and at that time actually in possession of Tapes. Tackle effected his escape, but Tapes was sentenced to serve on board a man-of-war for ten years : he was taken ill on board of the Hulks, and died there, leaving a wife and four children. At this moment, when starvation stared the hopeless fam.ily in the face — ay, gentlemen, when hope had withdrawn its last rays ; — and you know, gentlemen, how long hope will last, even in the most des- perate of cases (for we have known the felon, even with the rope about his neck and the cap drawn over his face, still cling to hope, and express his belief that he 's to be pari'oned even when the bolt is half drawn) ; at that mo- ment, gentlemen, this gallant straightforward English i-ailor — I can give him no higher character than that h"; BBN BRACE. 401 was the follower of the immortal Nelson — stepped for ward. He offered all he possessed to the widow of that man through whose evil ways he had lost his only sister ; he not only gave with seamanlike liberality his last far- thing, but he married her, and restored her to an honour- able life. Gentlemen, by his exertions he supported his wife and Tapes's children. Death made fearful havock in the family ; for I find in my brief, that, after the battle of Trafalgar, three of the four had died, leaving only one, a daughter, and who is mainly interested in this cause. " Gentlemen, I now come to the most important part of this case, and to which 1 must beg your undivided at- tention. In 1801, you well remember that Loid Nelson made an attack on the flotilla off Boulogne " " I beg your pardon, your honour," said I, " but Nelson did not go himself." I got as far as this, when his lord- ship hauled me down, — for I jumped up when I began 10 speak. " No matter, my gallant fellow," continued the lawyer, whose lungs must have been made of air-pumps, for he never took breath. " Gentlemen, you doubtless are well informed of the circumstance to which I allude. It was during the attack made upon that flotilla by the boats of the English squadron, that an Englishman was taken in arms against his countrymen, and was made prisoner. He was passed round the fleet and recognised as having de- serted from the Isis, and was soon known, notwithstanding his false name, to be no other than Tackle. He was tried at a court-martial, sentenced to death, and executed. But, gentlemen of the jury, whilst a prisoner awaiting his trial, he was discovered by the plaintiff"; he was visited by him, he was encouraged by him ; and when life had lost all its charms, and when death itself seemed desirable, the plain- tiff* reminded him that the daughter, the fruit of that un- happy connection with his murdered sister, still lived : — it was the link in that chain of events which hound hira strongly to existence, and with his last breath he con- signed that child to this gallant fellow's charge. In that awful moment Tackle sought to make amends for his past life ; and, having learned from the plaintiff that Tapes of J> D 402 'i'-'N BRACE. Exeter did not contribute to the support of his brother's children, and left his own sister-in-law ou the scanty sub- sistence earned by a foremast seaman, gave into Mr. Brace's hand a paper, and as he gave it to him, he said, ' Tell Tapes I have given you this paper ; that it is a confession of all acts connected with my life ; that in the event of his making you an allowance, which he can well afford, you will never 0[)en it, or read one word of it ; but that you hold it secret as long as he continues to pay : with his dis- continuance I absolve you from the oath I now exact of you, — ' Never, so help you God, to read it, or to allow any other to read it.' " Gentlemen, after the execution of Tackle, the plaintiff appeared before Mr. Tapes, and in consequence of what passed at that interview, the sum of fifty pounds annually was paid until Mr. Tapes's death, which occurred early in the present year. I am aware that this last part will be distorted with the usual ability of my learned opponent ; but you, gentlemen of the jury as fathers of famihes, as citizens of the world, will place a proper construction on what I have said. It surely was the bounden duty of this man to have sheltered and supported his brother's chil- dren ; for who could have a greater claim upon his affec- tion and his ill-gotten affluence than the children of his own brother, in whose veins his own blood may be said to circulate ? " Gentlemen of the jury, I now come to the last part requisite to imprint on your minds. By the wiU of the late Mr. Tapes, a sworn copy of which will be produced to you. you will perceive that he has left the sum of five hundred pounds a year to Susan Brace and her husband during the term of their natural lives, at the expiration of which the property is to descend to the daughter ; and in the event of her dying unmarried, the whole to revert to Mr. Hawk, the defendant in this action ; for he is not only the inheritor in reversion, but he is also trustee in conjunction with others. Now, gentlemen of the jury this action is brought to enforce the payment of the first dividends, which became due in April last, and which tlie trustees refuse to pay, until this confession, to which I ni:N SHACB. 403 have before alluded, should be produced in court. 'I'l-.ero is a clause in tlie will which is to this effect : that ii anj suspiciiin should arise as to the probability of this confession having been read, the whole sum sh.ould at once becciri the property of Mr. Hawk. " Now, gentlemen of the jury, let nie draw your aten- tiun to this point. You see before you this Benjamin Brace, a seaman of worth and of reputation, the follower of Nel- son, the mutilated of Trafalgar. You fee one who foiiglif side by side wiih die great hero of the ocean, and having served that great man in every capacity in which seaman could serve him, and having been v.ounded in the m(>st glorious action on record, is now an inmate of that noble establishment, Greenwich. So far for his public character ; his private life is equally deserving of your notice. In his early life he was distinguished by Nelson, and although frequently offered promotion as the reward of his services, he has frequently refused it, in order to be always about the man to whom he was so warmly attached, and with v/hom lie entered the service. You see before you the rough and hardy son of the ocean, bold, daring, desperate ; yet has his heart so much of that softness which has ever distinguished our seamen, that when the battle was won, he was ever foiemost to assist his wounded adversary- Nay, gentlemen of the jury, you see before you the man tried to the utmost which human nature could support, — who caught his ruined, his murdered sister in his arms, receiving her lifeless form in the arm just raised to shed her oppressor's blood, — you see that man, I say, not only using his utmost endeavours to save his life, but, when that hope was desperate, with ready hand proffering forgive ness — becoming the friend of his greatest, his cruelest enemy, and receiving the child from the father's hand as he was led to the scaffold, and becoming to that child a father, a protector, and a friend. See, gentlemen ot the Jury, the truth so often asserted, that the boldest men have the finest hearts ; and in those tears which now drop over his rugged and furrowed cheeks, the best proof of what 1 have advanced. * Is it likely, gentlemen of the jury, that suth a mar. D i> 2 404 BEN BRACE. would pawn his soul for a falsehood ? Is it possible, I will ask, that such a man would stand before his God and swear to a base lie — and he has sworn, and would be ready again now to do so could his oath be received — that he never has allowed the eye of curiosity to pry into the secrets of the dead. Nay, with such scrupulous faith has he acted, that not even his legal adviser has been permitted to see the paper ; and I, his counsel, to this moment am as ignorant as the child unborn whether the paper be opened or not. All I am informed of is this : that when he received this document, on which now rests his claim to that money which would support his wife in affluence, or beggar her to poverty, he carefully enveloped it in another cover ; that on his way to Mr. Hawk, whither he went with all the unsuspecting frankness of a sailor, to cope with one cunning in the law, subtle in evasions, and whose greatest disgrace is his having so sought to arrive at his end, here- moved the envelope : he had, unguardedly, placed his seal over that of the deceased ; in removing one, he tore away the other. I see my learned adversary smile ; but he must be aware that, although the seal is removed, the letter may be unopened : and this will shortly be decided by his lordship. " It remains for me, gentlemen of the jury, having thus made you familiar with the case, only to call upon you to exercise your best judgment in this affair. It is a case where a counsel can be of little use, as the justice of the Claim is founded upon a deed which will be opened in your presence. But surely, surely it would be hard to de- prive this gallant veteran of his due, if through such a cir- cumstance as the one I have mentioned he should have forfeited his claim. I do not envy that man's conscience, who, seeing the short space of life in all probability allotted to that gallant man, could wrest from him that which it was clearly the intention of the testator should be a reward for his good faith, and enable him to pass his few remain- ing days in comfort and in affluence." After this long-winded yarn, I jumped up and took the gentleman by the hand, and said, " Thank you, sir, for your good opinion of me ; although you have mentioned BEN BRACE. 405 one or cwo things I had rather never had been said ; and confound me if I can make out how you know so much about me ! Were you ever in the fore-top of the Aga- memnon ?" " Never mind now, my fine fellow," said the lawyer : " keep yourself quiet." '' My lord," he continued, addressing the judge, " 1 propose in the first place to identify the [)laintifF." " We will save my learned brother the trouble," said little Snub-nose. " We are satisfied he is the man ; bu 1 presume it is your intention to produce the confes- sion ? " '' Certainly," said his lordship, " my learned brother " (addressing my lawyer) "is bound tu prove that the plain- tiff has a claim to the estate, or his case falls to the ground." " Very well, my lord," said my man ; " then, with your lordship's permission, I will first put in the will ; and as my learned brother has a copy, of course he will save us the trouble also of producing any witnesses as to that document." " In regard to the will, certainly. Perhaps, my lord, the clerk of the court had better read it to the gentlemen of the jury ? " "If you please, my learned brother." A paper was then handed to a young man who sat before the judge, right under his feet ; and as he read, little Snub- nose kept looking towards the jury, and moving his finger about as if to draw their attention to the strongest points against me ; and when tins passage was read, '" But if it appears that the seal has been removed, so as to allow the possibility of the document having been read by Benjamin Brace or others, then, and in that case, the entire sum aforesaid, that is to say," Sec. And so it went on repealing and repeating, but twisted off at last to the old yam. that the money and I were to part company. Al'^ell, as I was saying, when this was read, especially the word ''pos- sibility," Si'ub-nose pointed so well to the men in the box, that I could understand his dumb show as well as if he had talked it all with his fingers ; he twisted about like a cock- U D 3 4.0() BEN BHACE. chafer on a pin, and ,nade more faces, and full as ugly a« a clown at a play. When the little clerk had done reading, my man said, " Now, Mr. Brace, produce the document;" and as I un- buttoned my coat to get at it, every blessed man and woman in the court leaned over to see it, and at that moment yon might have heard a pin fall. Well, I took it cut, and I unlaid the parcelling of my pocket-handkerchief: upon which little Snub-nose said, " Let me see it, sir, if you please ; allow me to look at it." So 1 turns round, and says I, " If I do, I '11 be d — d, old boy !" " You had better hand it to his lordship," said my man. " That 's just the tack I 'm going to sail upon. But," said I to his lordship, "my lord, as God is above, I have never read it. I promised Tackle no man should read it, and 1 trust your lordshij) will neither read it yourself, nor satisfy the curiosity of that little man in the wig, who seems as ready to claw it as a Jamaica land-crab to taste a new-buried marine." Well, at this there was a great langh ; but " Silence — silence in the court ! " a fellow cried out, and soon put them all to rights. The clerk who read the will put out his paw for the ])a|ier ; but says I, " Avaust heaving there, shipmate ! every man to his station, and the cook to the fore-sheet. No man touches this but his lordship, and he won't read it either. There, my lord," said I as I gave it him, "you are the first man who has ever touched the outside of this paper ; and if it was not for my wife and her daughter, neither you nor any nian breathing should ever have seen it." " There is some difficulty," said his lordship, " in this affair. Can we by any means identify the paper ? who knows that this is the actual document }" " Why, for the matter of that," said I, " I '11 take my bible nath of it." "I wish," said my opponent, "some one would keep that old fellow quiet. I can explain to your lordship, if my learned brother will allow me, that we have the original seal in court, which it appears that Tapes affixed to the document himself; and, by a paper which is in the de- BEN BRACE, i07 neased's handwriting, we learn that he preserved this sea] ■11 order to j rove the identity of tlie document." " Give us your flij)per." said I to my man ; " we are all on the riglit lack, and we shall fetch to windward of ihe other old boy soon enough. VV'hy, what a fool I was never to have thought of that before ! What a treat of brandy and tobacco we'll have this blessed night!" " Are you mad. Brace ?" said Lord Hennington ; " what the devil is the matter with you ? Sit down directly, and be silent." " Silence !" said his lordship : but I was standing close to his clerk, with my hand out. " Ay," said I, in a whisper, " we '11 soon silence him. and that chap Hawk too. You may clap a stopper on your jaw-tackle fall, and shove your tongue into the cable tier of your mouth, Mr, Marshall." I was then lugged down on the seat, and brought to an anchor snug enough. " Depend upon it," said Lord Hennington to my man " we are all right. This is the way sailors express them- selves when they think talking quite useless about a certain point." " Then, my learned brother," said the judge, " I will describe the seal, and you will see if it corresponds with yours." At this moment you might have heard a pin fall in the court. " Why," said his lordship, looking through his spec- tacles, " it does look a queer concern ; but 1 cannot mis- take. It is two anchors across each other, with a cable round about them." " That's all wrong," said the fat little fellow. " It 's all right enough, my lord," said I ; '' that 's j)ii/ seal : I borrowed a button from off the purser's coat when ; stuck my own parcelling round it. If you take oft' the rounding, my lord, you '11 soon see the cable." Upon which Lord Hennington, who knew the judge, said, " My lord, perhaps I can stand interpreter. He means to say that the seal you described was placed by him on his envelope, and that if your lord hip removes that, you will see the original paper." n. A 408 BEN BRACE. " My eye ! " said I, " if that 's not beating Tom Cox'n traverse to get to windward." His lordship then removed the outer covering, and held the indorse up to my adversary. The seal was almost broken off, only hanging by the end, and the description answered exactly : it was a pelican bird eating a snake. The paper was carried away with the seal, and the letter might have been opened. His lordship just lifting the cover, said, "■ It is open." " Then, my lord, I apprehend," said the little fellow, " that it is useless to detain your lordship any longer. My learned friend will, of course, consent to a nonsuit, as from the terms in which the will is couched, there cannot re- main a doubt." *' You have lost it," said Mr. Marshall to me. " My good old fellow," said my man, as he leaned over, " 1 fear you have lost your cause ; we must give it up." " Not without another broadside," said 1. " What ! strike my colours when the victory is mine ? — no : I 'm blessed if that's like Nelson any how, — when you know you have the advantage, to give it up." " Well, my learned brother," said the judge to my man, " are you contented to be non-suited ? " "Non-suited!" said I, jumping up; "why, my lord, I 'm very well suited indeed. Before your lordship says a word about the money take off that covering and let 's see that it 's open." " There is no occasion, my fine old fellow," said the little snub-nosed chap ; " we are quite satisfied, nor do we wish to expose the secrets of the dead. I would not on any account give you such pain as I am sure it would occasion you, to hear the paper read, or even opened before the court. We are quite satisfied, I say, and do not wish to disturb your quiet of mind, which reflects honour upon you." " I 'm sure I 'm much obliged to you, counsellor," said T ; *' and if I had not swallowed a top-chain when I was young, I should speak more smoothly : but I 11 have it opened, so that we may know we are all clear and above- board. Then, if that broadsidt- liulls us, why, down comek BEK BRACE. 409 the colours, and you may tow old Ben Brace into your own harbour." Lord Hennington had been whispering to my lawyer, who now said, " My lord, I cannot hurt my client by having the paper opened ; for it is his only chance, and •^herefore I must request your lordship so to do. " His lordship," said the other lawyer, " has declared it open." "• It is very true " SBid my man, " his lordship has so declared it; but the gentlemen of the jury have not seen it." " Then I shall open it," said the judge ; " and, gentle- men of the jury, you will be pleased to observe that the * SEAL is broken.' I mention this, as the will has reference to it. And now, gentlemen of the jury " " We are quite satisfied, my lord," said the ringleader of that round robin. " No doubt, gentlemen," said his lordship ; " but this must be beyond a doubt." So saying, he opened the paper, and out fell an inclosure. His lordship took it up and proceeded: "Gentlemen, on this paper — the paper which had the seal — there is not a word written ; '' antl he handed it to my opponent ; " and here, on this inclosure, are two seals ; — one, the pelican with the snake, the same as that we have already referred to ; and the other, a helmet, with the initials R. C." " It's the chaplain's," said I, " my lord : it's Mr. Car- ter's ; for when the master-at-arms came to tell Tackle that his hour was come, and the yard-rope manned, he sealed that paper, and borrowed the seal from the chap- lain." " Pooh, pooh ! my good fellow," said little Snub-nose. " It 's very strange you never thought of that before." " My lord," said my man, " that is my case." The letter was handed round to the jury, and to my and the opposite lawyer. The seal was examined — nay, tried by Tapes's seal; and Hawk and the Uttle lawyer chattered away like young rooks ; whilst Mr. Kite, making a bow to me and shaking me by the hand, walked out of the court " May it please your lordship — gentlemen of the 410 Eh;>f BRACK. jury," began the little fat lawyer, " well miglit my learned opponent begin ins opening speech by saying, that ' in all his [)rofessional practice a harder task had never devolved upon him than the cause in which he is now engaged ;' and very certain am I, that, had lie said ' a more hopeless C3>e,' you, gentlemen of the jury, would have given him the credit due to his sincerity. There are cases so easily disposed of, and so certain in their results, that nothing has surprised me more than that the plaintiff should have had the audacity to bring the action at all, knowing that he must be defeated. Drowning men, however, catch at straws, and 1 dare say, to use a phrase familiar to the plaintiff, he was told ' that a chance shot might kill the devil.' Those shots may succeed in a naval action ; but in an action in the Common Pleas, where we are defended by the iiulwark of hones-ty, those shots only hit which are di- rected by the cuolness and clearsightedness of truth. " Gentlemen of tlie jury, my learned brother was pleased to enact rlie biogra])her in regard to his client ; and you may now judge how true is the saying of Coleridge, that ' literary executors make sad havock of the testator's brains.' You would suppose, from the statement made by my learned brother, tliat the plaintiff, although bold and resolute before the enemies of his country, was shy, stupid, wanting in common observance — a very infant in regard to transactions on shore, — an