I, rather wickedly, "better make one more attempt ?" But Monsieur would listen to nothing of the kind; and consoling myself with the conviction that I was in no danger of being left behind, and losing at once bag and passage, passage and passage-money, so long as I kept sight of the chief, I philosophically made up my mind to serve for the last time as pasture to the ravenous musquitoes at Preston's Hotel, on the Esplanade, where I took up my quarters during the concluding night of my sojourn in India. Next morning we were more fortunate, and with only a slight token of parting reminiscence from Old Neptune, in the shape of a little salt spray, we crossed his watery barrier, soon found ourselves on board of the good ship "La Clémentine," and making preparations for an immediate start. I found the baggage all safe, under the charge of an old factotum, the "Grenadier," and of Mr. Chowry Moutou, my faithful Maty. Poor fellows! they had been now many years in my service, and as I shared between them the few remaining rupees in my purse, and gave them each a document bearing full witness to their respective merits, the pang of separation was, I am sure, mutually and equally felt by both parties. The anchor was at last weighed; we shook out our canvas, and as we bore away from the coast, I long stood on the poop, viewing, perhaps for the last time, the fast receding shores of that sunny land where I had spent so many happy years of youthful existence. The most contending emotions swelled my breast; for although returning to my native shores, and in the hopes of meeting once more, after the lapse of so many years,-kindred, family, and friends, I recollect that I could not at the moment refrain from mentally repeating the poet's words "Adieu, adieu? th' adopted shore Fades o'er the waters blue; The night-winds sigh, the breakers roar, Yon sun which sets upon the sea Farewell awhile to him and thee, At last I grew so very poetical that I determined to write an "Adieu" on my account; and with this laudable intention dived down into the cabin, and on the stern lockers was very busily concocting sentiments and rhymes, when a tap at the door, with "Monsieur, le diner est servi," aroused me from my Parnassian lucubrations. Tearing to pieces the sheet of foolscap, I had-in imitation of so many foregoing scribblers-just been the means of spoiling, and scattering the fragments to the winds and waves, I left the world of fiction for the vulgar and substantial realities of a good dinner. Novelty has always attractions. Many years had elapsed since I had been seated at a French table, and the present scene powerfully recalled old associations, which are so closely allied with all the senses, even the grosser ones of taste, touch, and smell. Music is well known to be a powerful auxiliary to memory; and the faintest echoes of a national or familiar air will often produce the magical delusion of placing us, pro tempore, on the hearthstone of our forefathers, though mountains, seas, and deserts, may intervene. This as I seated myself at the well-garnished table, heard the old accustomed sounds of the French language, saw the neatly rolled up serviettes in their numbered cylindrical and glittering cases, and which served to mark the respective seats of the different guests, tasted la soupe au pain and the bouilli, which I ever and anon diluted with long draughts of vin ordinaire was now strongly exemplified. Methought I was still in the "land of the Gaul," and intervening years-India-the broad seas around-and heaving billows below, all vanished from my thoughts, and melted for the moment into forgetfulness! Our party consisted of five besides myself the worthy skipper, his first and second mates, the doctor, and a young English civilian going round from Calcutta to the Malabar coast, where we were to touch to take in some of our freight and the supercargo; the skipper himself being a part owner of the vessel, which was successively to call at Pondicherry, Columbo, and Aleppi, on the way to her final destination: Bordeaux, to which we had every prospect of an agreeable passage. With light but contrary winds, we took five days to reach the open roadstead of Pondicherry, where, as we came to an anchor, my eyes were gratified with a sight which caused every feeling of British pride to rise in my bosom; it was, to an Englishman, the proud and pleasing sight of beholding in these far seas one of our own men-of-war. She proved to be the Magicienne; and as the fine corvette "walked the world of waters like a thing of life," and passed rapidly to windward, the Frenchmen themselves could not withhold both admiration and applause. The captain had assured us that we were only to remain here forty-eight hours. I, however, landed with my English compagnon de voyage, Mr. Griffin, and we proceeded at once to the Hotel de Monsieur Violette. Here day after day passed in the momentary expectation of sailing, but still the moment was always most unaccountably put off, although I foresaw and earnestly represented to the captain, that unless we got clear of the Bay of Bengal before the setting-in of the south-west monsoon, we might look out for "squalls"-and the sequel proved how correct I was in my forebodings. The skipper must at the time have been aware of the justness of these remonstrances but it appears that before leaving Calcutta he had disposed of his own pumps and engines to advantage, having heard that those of a wrecked vessel were to be had at Pondicherry as a bargain; and to carry on this praiseworthy traffic, and whilst haggling about a few rupees, he delayed the vessel in the manner above described. Pondicherry presents few objects of interest to an old Indian. I observed, however, a marked difference between it and our eastern settlements in the latter, everything, even to the houses, appears adapted merely for a temporary residence, as if the idea of a final return to his own fire-side had never for a moment left the mind of the Anglo-Indian. Here, on the contrary, all recollection of la patrie seemed to be abandoned: the edifices were substantially built, and every arrangement seemed to indicate the fixed intention of a prolonged residence even unto the third and fourth generation. In the course of the skipper's negotiations for the wātāer pomps, as he called them, we received on board a fresh importation of passengers, consisting of an English civil engineer who had been employed by the French government in the construction of sugar-mills, and a French captain of infantry with his wife and daughter. Ever shall I remember the latter, the pretty and interesting little Adèle, and the terror with which she at first viewed a monstrous pet boaconstrictor I had brought on board, and which used to twine its shining folds around my body. Custom at last overcame apprehension, and it was a pleasing sight to see the lovely child fearlessly playing with the huge terrific-looking monster. Her father, a goodnatured "vielle moustache" of the time of the empire, was returning to France after an exile of some twenty years, and bringing back, as a sample of Colonial service, a tall, ungainly Creole lady, the mother of little Adèle, and whose chief characteristics were, excessive good nature, a most extraordinary appetite, and the apparent facility with which she every morning at breakfast demolished huge quantities of cheese and salt fish. On the 29th of April-after nearly a fortnight of this vexatious delay we at last left the anchorage of Pondicherry, and setting sail, hoped to reach Columbo in a few days. The wind for some time continued foul, but light with an unruffled sea and cloudless sky; under those circumstances everything went on smoothly, and the Frenchmen appeared expert and fearless mariners; but a change was soon to come o'er the "spirit of our dream." Owing to the still adverse breeze, and the lightness of the vessel, we made much lee-way; but still had hopes of being able to weather Point de Galle, when, at the end of about a fortnight, the south-west monsoon began to show itself in a more decided manner. The scud commenced drifting over-head, and a threatening sky, with occasional squalls, appeared greatly to discompose the skipper, who on these occasions invariably put the ship before the wind under closereefed courses, losing thus in the space of a few hours the way we had laboriously been gaining to the southward in as many days. Though not much of a sailor, still I could easily foresee that by following up this system of navigation, our voyage-like that of the flying Dutchman-would never come to a conclusion; when by degrees the whole truth oozed out, and in so doing proved by no means a source of consolation to us. The short and long of the business was, that the skipper appeared to entertain serious doubts of the sea-worthiness of his craft; and we learnt, when it was too late, that she had been for many years engaged in the West India trade, when,-being no longer considered fit for that, -this enterprising individual had bought her cheap, to come out on an Indian venture; and no wonder was now entertained at his anxiety to have on board his wātāer pomps, as her rotten old hull proved in a very leaky condition, and every billow which struck it, making her quiver again to the very centre, accounted for Captain D- 's great readiness to flee before the least puff of wind. We had now been nearly a month from Pondicherry; a gloom had settled on every countenance, nearly rivalling in darkness the inky colour of the lowering sky, which appeared as if enveloped in the heavy folds of a leaden mantle, for not a breath was stirring, and the sails flapped heavily against the rocking masts as lazily we rolled to the grating sound of creaking timbers and groaning bulkheads, on the long swell of the black and heaving billows. A sense of unnatural heat and oppression weighed down the atmosphere, and having escaped from the close and crowded dinner-table in the cuddy, with its smoking stews and ragouts, I had claimed the easily conceded privilege of an invalid; and, comfortably seated on the poop in an easy camp chair, with a small tabouret before me, was gloomily brooding over our unhappy fate as I munched in silence my solitary meal. In giving the list of passengers on board the good ship Clémentine, by some unaccountable omission that of a most prominent character has been left out. Jocko-for by that name he was known on board, though his real denomination happened to be the more euphonious one of Rungiah-was a native of Tanjore, and appertained to the much despised portion of the Indian community known as the Pariah caste-or rather, having no caste at all: his age might have been twelve or thirteen, and although dark as polished ebony, his classical features and pleasing contour of countenance proclaimed him as no way akin to the African or negro race. Though young in years, many were the vicissitudes of Jocko's eventful career. Left at an early age an orphan, numberless had been the adventures which he would relate to me as having undergone, and which led him at one time to occupy the important post of cook-boy with an European regiment stationed at Bengalore; and hence the favour my red jacket ensured me in the poor little nigger's sight. His opinion of the respective merits of the French and English character was rather amusing. He used to say, that "Englishmen him plenty lick, but always give bellyful of rice; but d-n Frenchman, him lick and make starve too." Deserting his French masters for everybody on board appeared to lay claim to the poor fellow's services-Mr. Jocko attached himself exclusively to me: he was a sharp, handy little fellow, and I found him particularly useful in many ways, particularly in catching the many birds which, -as we tacked along the coast-would occasionally take refuge in the rigging, and under his skilful management soon became metamorphosed into capital stuffed specimens of natural history, and increased my already large collection of birds. He thus-despite the laws of hospitality-immortalized hawks, owls, and various other land birds, together with every "booby," gull, or other sea fowl he could lay hands on, for he was in no way particular; and happened to be engaged at this, his usual vocation, and I was, as has been related, occupied in solitary grandeur at my unsocial meal on deck, when suddenly Mr. Jocko cried lustily out, whilst looking over the side of the ship: "Venez donc, Monsieur, venez voir le grand poisson avec son petit qui nage devant lui." The mate of the watch and myself, immediately looking over the stern, beheld an enormous shark, accompanied by his attendant pilot-fish, fearlessly swimming before the very jaws of the ravenous monster, whose form, partly concealed by the intervening mass of dark waters might be seen loitering under our counter, ready to pounce on any object, whether animate or inanimate, that might chance to be consigned to the tender mercies of the deep. "Increasing still the terrors of the storm, His jaws terriffic armed with three-fold fate, which appearing anxious for occupation, a large iron hook with its appendant chain, was immediately fastened to a strong line, baited with a huge piece of pork, and thrown over the taffrail. The monster instantly made a dash towards the spot where it had with a splash, fallen into the engulfing waters, and turned slowly on his side, as if to secure the prey. *We made sure he was on the point of seizing the tempting morsel, when suddenly prudence appeared to overcome appetite, and he provokingly refrained from the expected nibble. He continued thus, alternately approaching and retiring for nearly half an hour, like youth first entering on the path of temptation, and coquetting with "evil," which was well represented by the glittering snow-white morsel before his nose. We tried to sharpen his appetite by throwing in smaller pieces of the forbidden fruit; these, as glittering they rapidly descended into the abyss below, he would eagerly follow, and we could, through the intervening mass of fluid, as through a mist, indistinctly see the lazy motion, which was followed by the display of a faint streak of white, and the immediate disappearance of various portions of the unclean beast, as they were successively lost in the depths of his fathomless maw. Tired at last of this protracted flirtation of Jack Shark, who appeared to entertain no serious intentions, amidst all his assiduities towards the salt junk, I had just resumed my interrupted repast as the rest of the passengers appeared on the deck, and crowding around me, jocularly quizzed me on my propensity to solitude. The tall, ungainly form of the French captain's lady, leading by the hand the pretty little Adèle, was foremost amongst the group, and to her I was very learnedly expatiating on the superior advantages of dining al fresco, when a sudden shout was followed by the loud tramping of many feet along the deck, and ere I could rise to ascertain the cause of such a commotion, I felt the legs of my chair carried from under me, the tabouret upset, and myself * The conformation of the shark's mouth is such, that, in order to seize his prey, he is obliged to turn over on his back. |