Part 24 (1/2)

”Oh, no, no!” exclai her hands ”Let hi to pay a fore, she hastened out to rejoin Mr Willoughby He had in the meantime discovered the prison where Stephen was confined

It was not a place into which Alice could have entered alone, but she was able to accoe of the prisoners, and presented the docuiven to Alice, to prevent the risk of anymade The man looked well pleased ”A live prisoner is worth ten dead ones, and youhim if we can help it”

Alice had hoped to have been allowed to see Stephen, to communicate to him the fact that his life had been spared This the jailer said was ih he promised to do so as soon as he could Alice rehby, and at length succeeded in obtaining an interview Stephen had heard the change in his fate ”While there is life there is hope,” he said ”Iland, and I may be able to return without let or hindrance”

Alice was equally hopeful, and they parted, she having the satisfaction of believing that she had contributed to save Stephen's life

The Colonel received her with a look of approbation as she arrived

”You have acted like a brave girl,” he said ”I trust that we shall welcoh”

The Colonel tried to keep up Alice's spirits, and did not tell her of the cruel execution which had taken place at Lyentleh character, were put to death, including poor Andrew Battisob

The fate of those ere transported was still more cruel They were indiscriminately sold to West India merchants, planters, and others, who shi+pped theether in sht hundred poor wretches, who had been condemned to be sold as slaves by Jeffreys, arrived in London, having been carried there in carts Here they were awarded to the various noblemen, courtiers, and others who had applied for them, who sold them for the suentle been executed, with the exception of such as could pay heavy fines for their lives Lord Grey, Ferguson, Wade, and other leadingforty thousand pounds to the Lord Treasurer, and smaller sums to other courtiers, for their lives In London the slaves yll, who had, like them, been condemned to the West Indies Stephen, with about sixty others, was shi+pped on board a se_, Captain Hawkins, which, with seven other vessels freighted in the saether froland The unhappy passengers knew that they were never likely to see those shores again; they had been torn fro to a pestiferous cli sun, like the negroes from Africa,--a climate which, under such circumstances, is sure to prove fatal to Europeans Stephen, notwithstanding what he had gone through, was in tolerable health, and he did his utmost to keep up his spirits Scarcely was the fleet free of the Channel than, a heavy gale springing up, the _Surge_ was separated froe alone The passengers were secured together below like African slaves, on a deck extending nearly fore and aft, with low benches on which they could sit, a bar running behind it with iron rings to which they were chained

Here they were co allowed on deck at a time Stephen contrived to make himself known to the Captain, who listened with interest to the account of his adventures in Africa, and allowed hie_ had not ale, in which she receivedover her deck

”Hold on for your lives,” shouted the Captain When the sea had passed, the second mate and two otherin the waves astern There was no hope of saving thee_ herself would ere long founder The pumps were manned, but the creere soon knocked up Stephen proposed to the Captain to liberate the slaves, in order to get them to work the pumps, and explain to them that unless they did so, the vessel would sink, and they would lose their lives To this they agreed, Stephen setting thereatly froe, were unequal to the task, and sank down exhausted The creho had no intention again of working the pumps themselves, endeavoured to stir them up Several declared their inability to labour, and proved it by dying shortly afterwards on the deck where they lay Stephen, however, urged the stronger ones to persevere explaining to theood

The leak continued, and though by keeping the puain on the shi+p, it was found impossible to discover it, and it was evident that only by the greatest exertions they could hope to reach their port A fever, however, of a ers as soon as they got into wareon had been sent on board First one died, then another, and another Stephen suggested to Captain Hawkins variousthe vessel Nothing seehtest effect on those once stricken Before long two of the creere attacked, and died The weather again became calm, and the leak with considerable exertion was kept under, but the fever did not abate The death-shi+p sailed on, losing soers daily The Captain had asked Stephen to take charge of a watch, and he now enjoyed perfect liberty, and took possession of the cabin of the second mate, who had been lost overboard Should the death-rate continue there would be few left on board when the vessel arrived at Jamaica, even should the fair wind and fine weather continue

The first ator, and on the fever attacking the creell as the passengers, he lost all heart

Stephen did his best to doctor hie_ was left with a very limited crew

Captain Hawkins was a stout-hearted e He asked Stephen to select so the shi+p It was Stephen's afternoon watch, when he saw heavy clouds gathering in the west They came on rapidly, while the sea below them was broken up into a mass of foam He immediately sent and summoned the Captain, and ordered sail to be shortened Short-handed as the _Surge_ was through the loss of so many of her crew, this was done but slowly

The Captain, who had quickly come on deck, and Stephen exerted themselves to the utmost, while they tried to obtain the assistance of so at the pumps were unable to be of much use Before all the canvas could be reduced the hurricane struck her abeam Had she been under her usual sail she would have been sent completely over and have foundered As it was, she heeled before the blast The next instant two loud crashes caone The Captain and Stephen summoned all hands to clear away the wreck before the butt-ends of the masts should stave in the vessel with the treainst the side Axes were found, shrouds and other ropes which held fast the masts were speedily cut Still the hapless vessel lay in the trough of the sea, the waves dashi+ng against her sides, and threatening to sweep everything overboard The great object noas to get a sail rigged on the stump of the foremast and put her before the wind When thetheht of it Now that he wished to exert himself more than ever, he was unable to do so He called for a chair, and sat aft, giving his directions Stephen had to take everything upon hily While he and the party orking forward, the sea ca up and struck the vessel aht aft, carrying everything before it When it had disappeared, Stephen looked for the Captain, as nowhere to be seen, nor were any of those ere standing in that part of the deck; the helone Another hand was sent to the helot ready, hoisted, and the vessel put before the wind Stephen now found hie_, but fro at a port To go to Ja his companions, and possibly himself, into slavery He resolved, therefore, if he could save the _Surge_, to carry her to one of the New England settlements, where he and his companions would be received as friends; indeed, all those who had escaped froemoor had probably already arrived there, and would welcoers and creere, however, sadly reduced Of the former, scarcely twenty remained alive, while of the crew only six were fit for duty--not a single officer, the boatswain having succumbed to the fever Stephen picked out two of the best h neither of theers of his intention of steering for New England, as soon as the hurricane should be over, they all willingly undertook to aid him to the utmost Of late the vessel did not leak aswhich prevented the water entering This tended to keep up the spirits of the storm-tossed party Still they were in a very desperate condition

They could hope to get up only very imperfect jury-masts, and then, even should they obtain a favourable wind, they would be a long tiland port With their reduced numbers, and their provisions and water, they hoped to hold out, if all hands were at once put on an allowance Stephen deterale was over Still the fever continued aers died the day after the loss of the Captain Poor fellows! it see, in the prospect of liberty, thus to be suh

Stephen had kept the deck nearly two days without once going below, having his food brought to hiue, he was compelled to seek an hour or two's rest in the cabin to enable hi he had closed his eyes he could not tell, when he felt that the shi+p hove on her beam ends He rushed up on deck, and shouted to the crew No voices replied It was very dark, but he made out that the jury-h of the sea He went to the helm The rudder had been injured, if not carried away; scarcely any of the bulwarks ree_ lay a co waters Another sea had apparently swept the deck and carried away every one within its power As he went below to ascertain if any of the crew survived, cries and groans of the terrified passengersforward, he could not discover one of the crew He aroused the passengers, and urged theht keep the vessel afloat till the ht heave in sight and rescue them

Feever, were able to labour efficiently It seeth had been kept up, when he saw stout fellows, accustomed to wield the scythe and flail, reduced to e_ still floated, but to build a raft seemed beyond the power of those on board They wanted both strength and skill Stephen urged the all the spars and planks to be found, he co them as far as he was able what to do The wind had fallen, the sea was going down, or they could not possibly have made even the attempt The shi+p, too, had risen more on an even keel than before It seeer above water The hours went slowly by The poor fellows laboured as hard as they could First one dropped, then another, soe_ had been kept afloat during the day Another night was approaching; nothing could be done during it; even seamen could have scarcely worked in the dark Stephen, as he went below to kneel in prayer, as was his wont, did not expect to see the sun rise again over the waste of waters

CHAPTER TWELVE

We hby, who had fortunately, fro drawn in by Stephen to serve the cause of Mon Stephen and his coer earnestly hoped that his friend would be favoured with fine weather, and would reach a Dutch port in safety The _Ruby_, on her course down the English Channel, then ran so to the orders her Captain had received, but she fell in with no vessels or boats containing persons whom he considered himself bound to look upon as rebels He boarded several vessels with passengers bound out to the New England States, where they said they were going to settle Some had their families, and, of course, they could not be considered as rebels, while the greater nuentleleto prove that they had been supporters of Monht have suspected, he resolved to give them the benefit of the doubt, and would not detain theood many escaped ould have tended to swell the victireat indignation, heard when sending occasionally on shore The _Ruby_, having remained the time she had been directed on the west coast, returned to Portsmouth, where she waited for orders Seldom in those days could a shi+p's co a nuratiated himself with his crew, that when their leave was up they all returned on board

Roger, e Liking ard and esteem of his Captain, who promised as soon as possible to obtain for hier had several h some of them were jealous of the favour he received from the Captain His chief friend was Charles Ross, a lad soer than himself, who had come to sea with Captain Benbow for the first tiht-hearted, h he had his serious htless as er was always ready to ie which he hiation Another enerally known as Old dick Kemp, had been a shi+p's-boy, but had been placed on the quarter-deck for his good behaviour and gallantry during the last Dutch war, for saving the lives of two shi+pale on a lee shore, when the shi+p on board which he served narrowly escaped being cast away Since then, however, dick Ke no friends to plead for his pro a true tarpaulin, on whom he could rely at all times, which was more than he would have said for his lieutenants, ere young gentlemen of fa gone through the inferior grades of the profession of navigation, they knew nothing, and looked upon it as beneath their notice, while they were only slowly learning the art of seae to put a shi+p about with the aid of dick Kehby, or one of the other tarpaulins or true sailors Such was the way shi+ps were manned in those days

It is true that entlemen who strutted about in silk doublets, feathers in their hats, and jewelled swords by their sides, fought bravely enough When they found themselves in the presence of an eneuns, which they looked upon as their principal avocation; or when boarders had to be repelled, or a boarding-party led, they were generally found fighting bravely at the head of their men Since Charles the Second, however, hting except a few engageerine or Sallee rovers

Benbow's lieutenants soon learned to respect hih he did not pretend to say that they were sailors On the contrary, he drew a entle the preference undoubtedly to the latter The _Ruby_ reer had time to write home, and also to receive a reply He now heard for the first time of Stephen's capture, and of his narrow escape froh the exertions of Alice

”Bless her!” he exclaiirl, and I knew that, should occasion require, she would prove a real heroine Fancy her bearding that h I am afraid he will suffer fearfully, and be sent out to the West Indies; but he got accustomed to a hot climate in Africa, and will stand it better than most people; but poor Andrew! sad to think that he should have lost his life, after so nearly escaping I wish I could have been on shore to help theh I do not know that I could have done much; but I do know that I would have run every risk I would have insisted on theirtheir escape when they were shut up at Eversden I am sure that my uncle and Madam Pauline would not have found fault with me”

All he could learn of Stephen was that he sailed a short time before with many hundred slaves from the Thames bound out to the West Indies

His father, rote, told him of the hapless Maids of Taunton, who had presented the banners to the Duke of Mon sold to the Queen and the Maids of Honour, erewhat money they could out of their parents and friends; but one poor little girl had died frohly addressed by Jeffreys Many thousand pounds had been obtained by the courtiers to whoet his share of profit out of the rebellion These details, which were pretty well known on board, did not tend to increase the loyalty of the officers and seamen of the _Ruby_ The Captain himself, as became him, expressed no opinion, but dick Keh he did not venture to say that he wished Mon and his courtiers were as vile a set of ragah places, and that the Queen and Maids of Honour orthy of theth the _Ruby_ had orders to proceed to the West Indies to look after certain piratical craft, under the leadershi+p of a daring French those seas