Part 19 (1/2)
Under this arrangement, one of the cabin-doors was opened, and I sallied forth
Astonishment almost deprived me of the power of vision, when I looked around me Quite fifty armed white e, crowded round me, as curious to see me, as I could possibly be to see them In their midst was Harris, who approached me with an embarrassed and sorrowful air--
”I know I deserve death, Mr Wallingford,” this man co looking so safe and out-of-harm's-way like; and when I woke up, I found these people on hoard, and in possession of the shi+p”
”In the name of wonder, whence come they, Harris? is there a French shi+p at the island?”
”By all I can learn and see, sir, they are the crew of a wrecked letter-of-ood occasion to get off the island, and make a rich prize, they have helped theh she is now under the French flag, I suppose”
I looked up at the gaff, and, sure enough, there was flying the _tri-color!_
CHAPTER XVI
”The ladly in his sight;”
”The sea-birds call, and wheel, and skiht!”
”He doth not hear their joyous call; he sees No beauty in the wave, nor feels the breeze”
DANA
Truth is, truly, often stranger than fiction The history of the circuht us into the hands of our enemies will fully show this La Pauline was a shi+p of six hundred tons, that carried letters-of-overnment She sailed from France a feeeks after we had left London, bound on a voyage soh neither sea-otter skins, sandal-wood, nor pearls, forains Her first destination was the French islands off Madagascar, where she left part of her cargo, and took in a few valuables in return Thence she proceeded to the Philippine Islands, passing in the track of English and A theo as suited her own views From Manilla, la Pauline shaped her course for the coast of South Aht from France, others purchased at Bourbon, the Isle of France, and the Philippines, and divers bales and boxes found in the holds of her prizes, in that quarter of the world, in exchange for the preciousall this, Monsieur Le Co of his shi+p; secondly, on his own uncommon boldness and dexterity, and thirdly on the well-known disposition of the South A up but little room, he reserved most of the interior of his vessel, after his traffic on the ”Main,” for such property as ht prizes he calculated, with certainty, onto the eastward of the Horn All these well-grounded anticipations had been signally realized down to a period of just three months to a day, prior to our own arrival at this unhappy island
On the night of the day just mentioned, la Pauline, without the s in an easy bowline, and without ht up on another part of the very reef fro coral, there was little hope for her; and, in fact, they appeared through her bottoars taken in at the Isle of France, as a ground tier of ballast, were soon rendered of doubtful value, as apleasant, Captain Le Co else of value on the island, and forthwith set about breaking up the wreck, in order to construct a craft that ht carry hi plenty of tools, and soress had beenthen so far completed, as to be nearly ready to be put in the water Such was the state of things, when, one fine night, we arrived in the manner already related The French kept constant look-outs, and it seems ere seen, a distant speck on the ocean, just as the sun set, while the low trees of the island eluded our vigilance
By the aid of a good night-glass, our movements atched, and a boat was about to be sent out to warn us of our danger, e passed within the reef Captain Le Compte knew the chances were twenty to one that ere an enemy, and he chose to lie concealed to watch the result As soon as we had anchored within the basin, and silence prevailed in the shi+p, he , and pulled witheverything quiet, he ventured into the fore-chains, and thence on deck, acco with his back supported against a gun-carriage, and immediately secured him Then, it only remained to close the forescuttle and the cabin-doors, and to fasten them, to have us all prisoners below The boat was sent for more men, and hours before any of us in the berths were awake, the shi+p had effectually changed masters
Harris told our story, and the captors knew our whole history, fro down to the present time
Much of this I learned in subsequent conversations with the French, but enough of it was related to me then, to let me understand the outlines of the truth My eyes also let ht, substantially as I had supposed it to be It was not so large, however, as it had seeeneral character was the saht have covered a hundred and fifty acres in extent, the belt of land which encircled it, varying in breadth from a quarter of a rove, lying at an elevation of from ten to thirty feet above the ocean; and we ascertained there were several springs of the sweetest water on it Nature, by one of its secret processes, had covered the earth with a beautiful short grass; and the French, with their usual attention to the table, and their commendable activity, had already several ht be had for asking, and _petits pois_ were literally a drug I saw the tents of the French, extending in a line beneath the shades of the trees; and there was la Petite Pauline (the schooner) on her ways, actually undergoing the process of receiving her first coat of paint As for la Pauline, herself, I could just discover her lower rees froh a vista in the trees
There was a good-hus of Mons
Le Compte, that showed he was a philosopher in the best sense of the word He took things without repining himself, and wished to make others as happy as circuestion, I invited Marble on deck; and, aftermy own commander acquainted with the state of the facts, we both listened to the propositions of our captor
Mons Le Compte, all his officers, and not a few of his land, and there was no difficulty in carrying on the negotiations in our ue
”_Votre batiment_--your _sheep_, shall become French--_bien entendu_”--co,_ and _tout cela Bien; c'est convenu_ I shall not exact _rigueur_ in _mes conditions_ If you shall have _possible_ to take your _sheep_ from _nous autres Francais_--_d'accord_ Every man for himself _et sa nation_ Zere is the _pavillion Francais_--and zere it shall fly, so long as we shall not help--_mais--parole d'honneur_, ze prize come cheep, and shall be sell very dear--_entendez vous? Bien_ Now, sair, I shall put you and all your peepl' on ze island, vere you shall take our place, while we take your place Ze arm shall be in our hand, while ze sheep stay, but we leave you _fusils, poudre et tout cela_, behind”
This was nearly verbatiramme of capitulation, as laid down by Captain Le Compte As for Marble, it was not in his nature to acquiesce in such an arrange and contention But _cui bono?_ We were in Mons le Coh disposed to deal very handsoh to see he was determined toMarble understand that resistance was useless; and he subrace as a man, who has not been mesmerized, submits to an aht in the amusement
The terms of the capitulation--and they differed but little froreed to, than our people were ordered into the forecastle, whence they were transferred to the boats, in readiness to be sent ashore All the chests, and private effects, were moved out, in the most honourable manner, and sent into la Pauline's boats, which lay prepared to receive the, Neb and the cabin steward being charged with the duty of looking after our private property When everybody, the blacks excepted, was in a boat, we shoved off, and proceeded towards the landing, as chop-fallen and melancholy a party as ever took possession of a newly-discovered country Marble affected to whistle, for he was secretly furious at the _nonchalance_parts of Monny Musk and the Irish Washerwoman, into the same strain To own the truth, the ex-mate was morally much disturbed As for myself, I considered the affair as an incident of war, and cared much less
”_Voila,his arenerosity; ”you shall be o away, and take our leetl' property wid us!”
”He's d----d generous, Miles,” growled Marble, in my ear ”He'll leave us the island, and the reef, and the cocoa-nuts, when he has gone off with our shi+p, and her cargo I'll bet all I'ain”
”There is no use in coood terms with the French, we may fare the better”
The truth of this was soon apparent Captain Le Compte invited us all to share his breakfast, and we repaired to the tent of the French officers, with that purpose In thethe few articles they intended to carry away, to the shi+p, with the generous object of leaving their own tents to the immediate occupation of us prisoners As Monsieur Le Compte's plan was to proceed to the Spanish Main, in order to complete his contemplated traffic in that quarter, no sooner were the tents prepared, than the French began also to shi+p such articles of their own, as it had originally been proposed to exchange for Spanish dollars In the mean tiuerre!_--vat you call fortune of war, _ the stick in a vessel of chocolate, in a very artistical manner, all the while ”_Bon--c'est excellente--Antoin--_”