680

AN ENGLISH MAN-OF-WAR.

listen to the grave and even gloomy suggestions which my prudence dictated. They would not look upon the arrival of the ship in any other light than that of a fortunate event; and Miss Jenny especially, giving full course to her naïve imagination, assured us that it was certainly her father come in search of her, and that God himself had guided him to our island. The young girl's pious confidence pleased me greatly; I willingly smiled at her anticipations, but could not believe they were likely to be realized.

I gave directions that all things should be put in order in the grotto; my three youngest sons, my wife, and Miss Jenny set out for Falcon's-Nest with our cattle; and I and Frederick equipped the cajack for the purpose of making a reconnaissance. In this separation there was something sorrowful and unaccustomed; my good Elizabeth, whom age rendered less trusting than our children, could not restrain her tears, and over and over again she made us promise to exercise the greatest caution in our projected expedition.

It was nearly noon when we put to sea. At first we followed up the coast-line, but without making any discovery; the waves which rose against the horizon, and which our imagination clothed with all the forms suggested by our hopes, were, for a considerable time, the only sight that greeted us. It was a momentary illusion, which the first breath of wind scattered into foam. Nevertheless, we were so sure of having heard the seven guns, that we did not lose our courage, and continued rowing along the shore, when, suddenly, on doubling the rocky promontory which had previously covered us, we discovered a noble European vessel, reposing majestically on her anchors, with a boat alongside of her, and recognized her, from the flag flying at her stern, as an English ship.

In vain should I attempt to express the emotions which then filled our hearts. We raised our hands and eyes towards heaven, and in this simple action ascended prayer of faith and gratitude to God. Had I been willing to trust Frederick, he would have flung himself into the water and swam to the vessel; but I detained him, representing the danger into which his impetuosity

RECONNOITRING THE STRANGER.

might plunge him. For, in truth, we had no evidence that
the ship before us was really English; it was very
possible that Malay corsairs had had recourse to an
artful stratagem, and made use of the colours of an
European nation to carry out their nefarious pro-
jects the more completely, and beguiling the
imprudent but unfortunate victims who
trusted to the well-known flag.

We remained in the

cove from whence we
had discovered the ship;
I thought the safest means
was in the first place to
reconnoitre her thorough-
ly from a distance.
and not to
approach her
nearer until

681

fidence was re-established.

682

66

WELCOME, ENGLISHMEN!"

Two tents, we also discovered, had been erected on the shore; and tables loaded with fruit, joints of meat roasting before immense fires, and men moving about in every direction, gave to the whole scene the appearance of an organized camp. Two sentinels paced to and fro on the deck of the ship, and the moment they perceived us, gave information to the captain, who immediately came upon the quarter-deck, and directed his telescope towards us.

66

They are Europeans!" cried Frederick; "that is evident enough! Look at the captain's face and figure! Malay pirates would be copper-coloured, and besides, would hardly be attired in an English uniform."

Though I felt that Frederick's remark was just, I did not feel completely reassured. We still hovered about the bay, manœuvering our canoe with all the dexterity we were capable of. We began singing one of our national songs, and, when we had finished, I shouted through my speaking-tube, "Welcome! brave Englishmen!"

No reply was made, for, as we afterwards learned, the manœuvres of our canoe, and our strange attire, led the English to mistake us for savages. The captain made signs for us to approach, holding out knives, scissors, bead-necklaces, and similar articles, to which the rude inhabitants of uncivilized lands are usually very partial.

We laughed at the mistake, but did not judge proper to advance; we had convinced ourselves of the friendly dispositions of our new-comers, but wished to appear before them with greater pomp and dignity. We therefore shouted once more the magic words, "Welcome, Englishmen!" that they might understand we had recognized them, and then disappeared with all the swiftness we could put into our oars. The joy we felt redoubled our energies; we understood that the morrow would inaugurate a new era for us, and that the limits of our existence would be doubled in extent from the moment our relations with our kind were renewed.

We landed at Falcon's-Nest, where our dear ones awaited us on the shore, impatient to know the issue of our expedition.

Our prudence was approved; Miss Jenny alone, animated with a strong conviction that her father was on board the ship,

RIGGING THE PINNACE.

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could not understand our reserve, and was sorry that we prolonged to the end our little comedy. My wife, on the other hand, specially praised us for not having presented ourselves before strangers in so petty a craft as the cajack.

"That, in truth," said she, laughing, "would have been to give a sorry idea of our forces, and of the importance of our establishment. You must take the handsomest of your boats on such an occasion, that the English captain may not think he has to deal with wretched castaways!"

I could not help smiling at my wife's little vanity: however, it was decided that, next morning, the pinnace should be rigged, and convey all the family, in holiday attire, to the anchorage of the English vessel.

We were on the eve of too great and important an event not to cherish an infinite variety of projects. Each had his own, and all were more fantastic and more extravagant than the others. I, without sharing the enthusiasm of my young companions, was not less pre-occupied, and in a very lively manner, by the probable consequences of the step we were about to take. I could not make up my mind to abandon my patriarchal life-the buildings I had erected-and the establishments which had become dear to me from the thought and labour I had involved; nor did my wife look forward to a fresh voyage except with feelings of excessive repugnance. All our projects, however, were as yet nothing more than dreams; for, in the first place, we had to ascertain the dispositions of the English captain, and the amount of assistance he might be willing to afford us.

We spent a whole day in equipping our shallop, and loading her with presents for the captain: we considered it a point of honour to show him that those whom he had taken for rude savages were not unaccustomed to the refinements of civilization.

At length the sun rose, and we set sail; the weather was magnificent; we unfurled all our canvas; and Frederick preceded us in his canoe as pilot. My wife and Jenny were attired as sailors; Ernest, Rudly, and Fritz acted as the crew; I, myself, was seated at the helm. We had loaded our cannons and muskets, and, by way of precaution, had arranged on the cabin-deck all our arms of

684

INTERVIEW WITH THE CAPTAIN.

attack and defence, swords, pikes, axes, and the like.

We relied upon the friendly intentions of the English; but, if they deceived us, were prepared to sell our lives very dearly.

As soon as we got near enough to distinguish the vessel clearly, a sudden emotion thrilled through all of us; my sons were silent with expectation and delight.

"Hoist the English flag!

I shouted, with the voice of a Stentor; and in a moment an ensign, resembling the Union Jack which floated from the vessel's stern, waved from the mast-head of our pinnace.

If we had become conscious of an extraordinary emotion on approaching an European vessel, the English were not less astonished at seeing a light bark skimming the waves before a favourable wind. Had they been pirates, it is probable that, in this first moment of con

fusion, we might have taken them at a great disadvantage. But shouts of welcome soon arose on either side, and we exchanged a series of friendly salutes. I joined Frederick in his canoe, and rowed towards the ship to pay our respects to its commander.

He received us with the frankness and cordiality characteristic of English seamen, and conducted us into his cabin, where, over a glass of wine, we cemented our newly-formed alliance.

I related to him, as briefly as possible, the history of our shipwreck, and of our ten years' residence upon the island. I also spoke to him of Miss Jenny, and asked him if he had ever heard of Colonel Montrose. Not only did our captain know the latter, but it was part of his instructions to cruise in these latitudes, where three years previously the ship Dorcas, on board of which the governor's daughter had sailed, was supposed to have been lost, and to ascertain, if possible, the particulars of her fate. Consequently, he showed the greatest eagerness to see the young maiden, and to bring her acquainted with the good news of which he was the bearer.

He informed us that a hurricane of four days' duration had