The pilot; a tale of the sea

THE PILOT

A TALE OF THE SEA

BY

J. FENIMORE COOPER

WITH AN

INTRODUCTION BY SUSAN FENIMORE COOPER

" List I ye Landsmen, all to me."

BOSTON AND NEW YORK
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

Copyright, 1884,
Bt SDBAN FIENIMOEK COOFEK

WILLIAM BRANFORD SHUBRICK, ESO^
U. S. NAVY.

Mr Dear Shubrick:

Each year brings some new and melancholy chasm in wh&z is now
the brief list of my naval friends and former associates. War, dicease,
«aid the casualties of a hazardous profession, have made fearful inroads
in the limited number ; while the places of the dead are supplied by
pomes that to me are those of strangers. With the consequences of
these sad changes before me, I cherish the recollection of those with
irhom I once lived in close familiarity with peculiar interest, and feel
a triumph in their growing reputations, that is but little short of their
own honest pride.

But neither time ncr separation has shaken our intimacy : and I
know that in dedicating to you this volume, I tell you nothing new,
when I add, that it is a tribrtc paid to an enduring friendship, by
Your old Messmate,

THE AUTHOR.

PEEFAOE.

It ifl probable a true history of human events would shoir
that a far larger proportion of our acts are the results of
■udden impulses and accident, than of that reason of which
we so much boast. However true, or false, this opinion
may be in more important matters, it is certainly and strictly
correct as relates to the conception and execution of this
book.

« The Pilot " was published in 1823. This was not long
ftfter the appearance of " The Pirate," a work which, it is
hardly necessary to remind the reader, has a direct connec-
tion with the sea. In a conversation with a friend, a man
of polished taste and extensive reading, the authorship of
the Scottish novels came under discussion. The claims of
Sir Walter were a little distrusted, on account of the pecul-
iar and minute information that the romances were then
very generally thought to display. " The Pirate " was cited
AS a very marked instance of this universal knowledge, and
H was wondered where a man of Scott's habits and associti-
cions could have become so familiar with the aea. The
writer had frequently observed that there was much loose-
5.ess in this universal knowledge, and that the secret of iUi
B access was to be traced to the power of creatmg that
vraisemblance, which is so remarkably exhibited in those
world-renowned fictions, rather than to any very accurate
information on the part of their author. It would have
been hypercritical to object to " The Pirate," that it was
not strictly nautical, or true in its details ; but, when the
rrverse was urged as a proof of what, considering the char-

fill PEEFACE.

acter of other portions of the work, would have been most
extraordinary attainments, it was a sort of provocation to
^pute the seamanship of " The Pirate," a quality to which
me book has certainly very little just pretension The
result of this conversation was a sudden determination to
produce a work which, if it had no other merit, might pre-
gent truer pictures of the ocean and ships than any that ar«
to be found in " The Pirate." To this unpremeditated
decision, purely an impulse, is not only " The Pilot " due,
but a tolerably numerous school of nautical romances that
have succeeded it.

The author had many misgivings concerning the success
of the undertaking, atter he had made some progress in the
work ; the opinions of his different friends being anything
but encouraging. One would declare that the sea could not
be made interesting ; that it was tame, monotonous, and
without any other movement than unpleasant storms, and
that, for his part, the less he got of it the better. The
women very generally protested that such a book would
have the odor of bilge-water, and that it would give them
the maladie de men Not a single individual among all
those who discussed the merits of the project, within the
range of the author's knowledge, either spoke, or looked,
encouragingly. It is probable that all these persons antici-
pated a signal failure.

So very discouraging did these ominous opinions get to
be, that the writer was once or twice tempted to throw his
manuscript aside, and turn to something new. A favorable
opinion, however, coming from a very unexpected quarter,
put a new face on the matter, and raised new hopes.
Among the intimate friends of the writer, was an English-
man, who possessed most of the peculiar qualities of the
educated of his country. He was learned even, had a taste
thr" ?ra8 so just as always to command respect, but was prej-
odiceti, »nd particularly so in all that related to this ooantry
umI \i& literature. He could never be persuad»l to »liDir«

PREFACE. Im

Bryant's " Water-Fowl," and this mainly liecause. If it wer«
accepted aa good poetry, it must be placed at once amongst
the finest fugitive pieces of the language. Of the " Thana-
topsis " he thought better, though inclined to suspect it of
being a plagiarism. To the tender mercies of this one-sided
critic, who had never affected to compliment the previoua
works of the author, the sheets of volume of *' The Pilot '*
were committed, with scarce an expectation of his liking
them. The reverse proved to be the case ; he expressed
Limfielf highly gratified, and predicted a success for the book
which it probably never attained.

Thus encouraged, one more experiment was made, a sea-
man being selected for the critic A kinsiixan, a namesake,
and an old messmate of the author, one now in coidvnand on
a foreign station, was chosen, and a considerable portion of
the first volume was read to him. There is no wish to con-
ceal the satisfaction with which the e^ect on this listener
was observed. He treated the whole matter as fact, and his
criticisms were strictly professional, and perfectly just. But
the interest he betrayed could not be mistaken. It gave a
perfect and most gratifying assurance that the work would
be more likely to find favor with nautical men, than with
any other class of readers.

" The Pilot " could scarcely be a favorite with females.
The story has little interest for them, nor was it much
heeded by the author of the book, in the progress of his
'abors. His aim was to Illustrate vessels and the ocean,
-ather than to draw any pictures of sentiment and love,
in this last respect, the book has small claims on the
reader's attention, though it is hoped that the story has
guScient interest to relieve the more strictly nautical fea-
tures of the work.

It would be affectation to deny that '• The PUot " met
with a most unlooked-for success. The novelty of the
design probably contributed a large share of this result
8«*ft-ia2e8 came into vogue, as a consequence- and, as every

X PREf A0£

practical part of knowledge has its uses, something has l»een
gained by letting the landsman into the secrets of the sea-
man's manner of life. Perhaps, in some small degree, an
interest has been awakened in behalf of a very numerous,
and what has hitherto been a sort of proscribed class of
men, tliat may directly tend to a melioration of their con-
dition.

It is not easy to make the public comprehend all the
necessities of a service afloat. With several hundi-ed ruds
beings confined within the narrow limits of a vessel, men
of aU nations and of the lowest habits, it would be to the
last degree indiscreet to commence their reformation by
relaxing the bonds of discipline, under the mistaken impulses
of a false philanthropy. It has a lofty sound, to be sure, to
talk about American citizens being too good to be brought
under the lash, upon the high seas ; but he must have a very
mistaken notion who does not see that tens of thousands of
these pretending persons on shore, even, would be greatly
benefited by a little judicious flogging. It is tb judgment
in administering, and not the mode of punishment, that
requires to be looked into ; and^ in this respect, there has
certainly been a great improvement of late years. It is
eeldom, indeed, that any institution, practice, or system, is
improved by the blind interference of those who know
nothing about it. Better would it be to trust to the experi-
ence of those who have long governed turbulent men, than
to the impulsive experiments of those who rarely regard
more than one side of a question, and that the most showy
and glittering ; having, quite half of the time, some selfish
personal end to answer.

There is an uneasy desire among a vast many well-dis-
jtosed persons to get the fruits of the Christian faith, with-
oc* troubling themselves about the faith itself. This is
done under the sanction of Peace Societies, Temperance and
Moral Reform Societies, in which the end is ^oo often mis-
taken for the means. When the Almighty sent his Son on

PREFACE. n

earth, it was to point out the way in which all this waa V)
be brought about, by means of the Church ; but men have
»o frittered away tliat body of divine organization, through
their divisions and subdivisions, all arising from human con-
ceit, that it is no longer regarded as the agency it was so
obviously intended to be, and various contrivances are to
be employed as substitutes for that which proceeded d' recti?
from the Son of God !

Among the efforts of the day, however, the;e is one con
nected with the moral improvement of the sailor that com-
mands our profound respect. Cut off from most of the
charities of life, for so large a portion of his time, deprived
altogether of association with the gentler and better portions
of the other sex, and living a man in a degree proscribed,
»mid the many signs of advancement that distinguish the
\ge, it was time that he should be remembered and singled
9ut, and become the subject of combined and Christian
philanthropy. There is much reason to believe that the
effort, now making in the right direction and under proper
fcuspices, will be successful ; and that it will cause the lash
to be laid aside in the best and most rational manner. — by
rendering its use unnecessary.

OoOTMtttowii, Auguat 10, Ittf.

LN"TEODUOTIOJSr.

BY SUSAN FENIMORE COOPER.

The idea of writing a romance connected with che se*
msLS accidentally suggested by a conversation at the table
of Mr. Charles Willies. This gentleman, belonging to a
generation older than Mr. Cooper, held a prominent posi-
tion in the society of New York, at that date ; he was a
nephew of the celebrated John Wilkes of " North Briton "
notoriety, but a man of widely opposite character, distin-
guished not only for his literary tastes, but for his polished
manners and agreeable conversation. He had known the
author of " The Spy " from boyhood, and felt a warm interest
in him personally, and in connection with bis literary career.
It was, indeed, by the advice of this gentleman that " Pre-
caution," the first tale of the writer, was published, in 1819
Mr. Wilkes lived at that time in what was then considered
the choicest groimd in New York for homes of elegant lei-
sure, in Hudson Square, under the shadow of St. John's
Church, where rows of dignified houses surrounded what
was called St. John's Park, a quiet, pleasant green, of no
great size, *o which the owners of the adjoining houses
alone had access. To-day that same ground has become
one of the great railroad centres of the largest town in
America, where travel and traffic reign supreme, with all
the din and racket following in the train of the locomotive,
The last tree of the " Park " has long since been felled.
The inmates of those homes of quiet elegance have long
since taken flight to streets more congenial. St. John's
Church alone keeps its ground. But fifty years ago, among

XIV INTRODUCTION.

the dignified homes surrounding the green " Park," none
was more hospitable than that of Mr. Wilkes, and there
Ml". Cooper was very frequently to be found among the
guests.

"The Pioneers" was published in October, 1822. The
dinner party referred to occurred not long after. The au-
thor of " Waverley " had recently published " The Pirate,"
and,' as usual with every fresh volume from his pen, the
book and its characters entered largely into the table-talk
of the hour. The admiration of the landsmen of the party
was much excited by the nautical passages of the narrative,
and some of the guests doubted whether Sir Walter Scott,
the legal man, the poetical interpreter of past centuries,
could have drawn marine touches so correctly ; the fact was,
indeed, given as a reason for doubting his identity with the
author of " Waverley." No man admired the genius of Sir
Walter Scott more than the author of " The Pioneers," but
on this occasion he maintained the opinion that " The Pirate "
was not thoroughly satisfactory to a nautical reader ; he
added, that a man accustomed to ships and the sea could have
accomplished far more with the same materials as those em-
ployed in " The Pirate." His companions all differed from
him. They considered the proportion of nautical matter as
a proof of the author's skill ; they held that similar scenes
introduced very freely into a work of fiction must neces-
sarily become tedious from their monotony, that they could
not long be made really interesting to the general reader,
professional men might take pleasure in them, but for a
landsman occasional passages, brief episodes, admitted for
the sake of variety, must always be sufficient. More than
this must necessarily become an error of judgment in any
work of fiction. Mr. Cooper opposed this view, with his
usual spirit and animation. He mentioned Smollett, but
was told that the novels of this writer owed their success to
their coarse, but vigorous wit and humor, and in spite of
any connection with the sea. Still the author of " The Spy "
maintained that a work of this nature, with the scene laid

INIKODUCTION. XV

on the ocean, whose machinery should be ships, the waves,
»nd the winds, whose principal characters should be sea-
men, acting and talking as such, might be written with pro*
fessiona. accuracy, and yet possess equal interest with a
similar book connected with the land. The general opin-
ion of the company was very strongly against him. An J.
ui a conversation with his host, prolonged after they had
left the table, the same views were clearly expressed by
Mr. Wilkes, for whose taste and judgment Mr. Cooper hud
the highest respect. On this occasion, however, the friends
differed very decidedly. Before the conversation had tiirne/1
to other subjects Mr. Cooper had already resolved to pro\e
the justness of his own opinion, although no declaration to
that effect was then made. The same evening, on his way
home from the house of Mr. "Wilkes, the outline of a nau-
tical romance was vaguely sketched in his own mind.

" I must write one more book, — a sea tale, — to show
what can be done in that way by a sailor ! " he exclaimed
to Mrs. Cooper, little foreseeing that the freshly-planned
romance should be only the first of a series of similar nar-
ratives.

It was the intention to blend history and nautical fiction
in the new work, or at least to introduce some one striking
historical character, believing that the reader's attention
could thus be more readily attracted. No necessity for any
such historical figure would seem really to have existed ; at
a later day many were the incidents of sea life to which the
same pen gave deep interest, and in which the characters
were all imaginary. The new book, however, was to bo a
first attempt, a bold experiment with elements as yet un-
tried. It was conceived necessary to connect with tho
narrative some historical name which should give it impor-
tance, and for the same reason the period of the Revolution
was chosen for the date of the tale. The nautical annals
of that time were brief, and a rapid glance was sufficient to
•how that among the historical figures that of the bold ad
Tenturer, Paul Jones, stood prominent as one of the few

XVI INTRODUCTION.

adaj[«ied to a work of fiction. His cruise in the Ranger

suggested the plot of " The Pilot."

The reader may have partially forgotten the daring de-
scent of Jones upon Whitehaven and St Mary's Isle. A
few details of the exploit are given ; they may have interest
to one holding " The Pilot " in his hand, history and fiction
under the reader's eye at the same moment. Paul Jones
bad received a lieutenant's commission in the Americao
navy as earl) as 1775. Three years later, after active and
honorable service in different vessels, he wrote to the Amer-
ican Commissioners at Paris that he had long entertained
the opinion that our ships should be employed in small
squadrons, or singly, on secret and sudden expeditious upon
important ports of the enemy, then in a condition so de-
fenseless that they might easily be surprised by a small
force. " We cannot yet fight their navy, as their numbers
and force are so far superior to ours. Therefore, it seems
to be our most natural province to surjsrise their defenseless
places, and thereby divert their attention, and draw it ofi
from our coasts." The cruise of the Ranger was the con-
sequence of these suggestions. " I have in contemplation
several enterprises of some importance. When an enemy
thinks a design against him improbable, he can always be
surprised and attacked with advantage." With these view»
he sailed from Brest early in April, 1778, running into the
Irish Channel, taking several trading vessels as he mored
northward. On the 18th of April the Ranger was off the
Isle of Man ; the wind was favorable for carrying out a
project her commander had already formed of attacking the
town of Whitehaven, on the coast of Cumberland, and
burning the shipping in that port, " to put an end, by one
good fire, in England, of shipping, to all the burnings in
America." as he declared. The shifting of the wind com-
pelled Jones to give up the attack on that day, after he had
reached the harbor and his boats were ready to be lowered.
The following day, having captured and sunk a schooner,
he learned that nearly a dozen merchantmen, under convojr

INTRODUCTION. XVll

of a king's tender, manned with impressed seamen, were
lying at anchor in I ochvyan, on the adjacent coast of Scot-
land. Instantly he ietermined to capture them, but again
the wind changed. A day later he was off Carrickfergus,
and learned from a fishing-smack that a sloop-of-war which
he could see at anchor with his glass was the Drake, of
the royal navy, carrying twenty guns. Immediately he
planned a bold and manly attack on the sloop, intending
to run into the harbor at night, overlay the cable of the
Drake, as if by accident, and take a position on her bow,
by which her decks would be open to a fire of musketry
from the Ranger, when boarders could be thrown into the
English vessel, and her capture would be all but certain.
The plan was successfully carried out up to the last impor-
tant act; the Ranger entered the harbor, drew near the
Drake, overlaid her anchor, rounded to on her bow, but — •
the anchor hung, and did not drop at the important moment i
the Ranger drifted too far on the quarter of the English
man-of-war to carry out the plan of a surprise. This enter
prise, so daring in its conception, also failed. But tho
Ranger, having been taken at night for an awkward mer-
chantman, made her way safely out to sea again, and that
in spite of a gale, without her true character having been
discovered. The acts in the drama of Jones's naval career
followed each other with wonderful rapidity. If one plan
failed at sunset, another was under way with the dawn of
the next day. Whitehaven was again the goal on the 2 2d
of April ; a fair, mild day, although the country was white
with snow. Again the lightness of the wind delayed the
approach until midnight. When a lad Paul Jones had
made his first cruise from this Cumberland port ; some
fears of his life, as boy and man, had been passed in the
vown ; his mother and sisters were at that moment living
in the neighborhood ; he knew the ground thoroughly —
these facts were all in favor of the success of the plan, but
they t'hrow a shadow over the daring exploit. A man of
■ound feeling and high sense of honor would scarcely have
b

XVIU INTRODUCTION.

aimed at that particular port, even as an act of retaliaticm,
smless under especial necessity. But it was, beyond aU
doubt, this very intimate knowledge of what had been
almost home ground which led Jones to that point of the
coast. Setting aside this drawback to the brilliancy of the
exploit, we are compelled to admire the daring gallantry
and imperturbable coolness with which the plan was carried
out. At midnight, on the 22d of April, Jones left the
Ranger with two boats, containing thirty-one officers and
men who had volunteered for the duty. The early spring
morning had already dawned when the boats reached the
pier. It is said that not far from one hundred large trading
ships lay on the northern side of the large stone pier divid •
ing the harbor, while about one hundred and fifty craft,
varying from two to four hundred tons, lay on the opposite
side of the wall. The ships were all aground ; and so com-
pletely were they considered out of all danger, that there
was not water enough within reach to have saved a single
vessel, had the flames once been thoroughly kindled. Two
batteries of thirty guns commanded the port. On landing,
Jones instantly led the attack upon the batteries ; he scaled
the breastwork of that nearest the pier, and, with a few fol
lowers, completely surprised the small garrison, who were
very snugly enjoying the comfort of the guard-house, in-
cluding the sentinel, made them prisoners, and spiked the
guns. Posting sentinels, and giving directions as to firing
the shipping, he hastened with but one follower to the sec-
ond post, a quarter of a mile distant ; here the guns also
were spiked, and a safe retreat thus secured for the party.
But the shipping had not yet been fired, Lieutenant Wal-
lings ford, to whom the task had been committed, declared
that his light had gone out. He evidently disliked the
duty which had been allotted to him, muttering words ta
the effect that " nothing could be gained by burning poor
•,»eople's propert}'." The day was beginning to dawn ; the
people of the town had become alarmed. The invaders
had depended upon caudles brought wi*^^'' '"-=>m for firing

INTRODUCTION. XIX

the shipping, but these had now all burned away. It seems
odd to a reader of the present day, when lucifer matches
Ere carried about in the pocket, that candles should have
been the only means depended on for a great conflagration ;
but such was the fact, and to this fact Wliitehaven owed
its safety. But Jones was resolved that the lire should at
least be kindled ; he ran to a neighboring house, procured
A light, and with his own hand kindled a fire in the steerage
of one of the larger ships, closely surrounded by others,
emptying a barrel of tar into the flames, which soon bursi
through the hatchway, and fired the rigging. The sun had
now risen. Parties of the townspeople began to gather
hurriedly here and there, amazed and bewildered. Jonea
held his ground, however, steadily, until his party had all
embarked, even standing alone on the pier for a moment,
looking about him in proud defiance ; then he entered his
boat and rode quietly out of the harbor. Three of his men,
however, had deserted, and betrayed the object of the expe-
dition. The townspeople gathered at the pier, and suc-
ceeded in arresting the flames. The one ship fired by Jones
is said to have been the only vessel destroyed.

Jones had apparently scarcely touched the deck of the
Ranger, when his active spirit aimed another blow at the
enemy. He steered for St. Mary's Isle, near Kirkcud-
bright, on the Scotch coast. Here lay a beautiful estate of
Lord Selkirk ; to seize the person of this gentleman and
exchange him for some distinguished American prisoner
was the object. Again the bold adventurer started with a
single boat on his daring errand. He landed on the isle,
bat on his way to the house learned that Lord Selkirk was
absent. He returned to the shore ; his oflacers were eager
to seize the plate in the house, again larging the plea of re-
taliation, much silver having been seized in American home^
by English soldiers. Jones always declared that he con-
sented to this step with great reluctance. However, armed
with pistols and cutlasses, and commanded by the first lieu-
*^iBnant. the boat's crew went tp the house. Lady Selkirk

XX INTRODUCTION.

was at breakfast ; she saw the party approaching, and, little
aware of their character, sent to offer them refreshments.
Lieutenant Simpson and another officer then went into the
house and stated their errand to Lady Selkirk herself. No
violence was offered, and no resistance was made ; the but*
ler collected the plate, including the tea-pot on the table,
wliich was emptied for the purpose. Jones himself kept
aloof ; he no doubt spoke the truth when he declared that
this act was not approved by himself, and he labored ear-
nestly to purchase the plate and return it to Lo'd Selkirk.
It was sold by prize agents in France, and it was with no
little difficulty that Jones eventually succeeded in repur-
chasing it all, and returning it to Lord Selkirk, after an
interval of more than seven years and a long correspond-
ence. The old tea-leaves from Lady Selkirk's eventful
breakfast were still found in the silver tea-pot. Nothing
delighted the vanity of Paul Jones more than carrying on
a correspondence with distinguished personages ; many were
the letters he wrote during those seven years to Lord and
Lady Selkirk, to Franklin, to M. de Vergennes, relating to
the plate, the correspondence beginning as soon as he landed
in France by a letter to Lady Selkirk. An allusion in the
letter to Lady Selkirk, declaring that he had " sacrificed
the softer affections of the heart and prospects of domestic
happiness," led to the introduction of the character of Alice
Dunscombe into " The Pilot."

The day after the descent on St. Mary's Isle, Paul Jones
*ras already off Carrickfergus, on an errand more manly,
and more worthy of the flag under which he sailed. He
was in quest of the Drake, the sloop-of-war he had fruit'
lessly attempted to capture by surprise in the port of Loch
vyau; only three days earlier. Tidings of the attempt upon
Whitehaven had already reached Belfast, and the Drake
was preparing to pursue the American cruiser, with a large
number of volunteers on board, her crew amounting in ab
to one hundred and sixty men. The feats of the Ranger
uul her daring commander had indeed excited a, pank

INTRODUCTION. XXI

throughout the three kiugdoms, more especially on the
coasts of the Irish Channel, where alarm beacons were
now blazing on both shores. It was not until the sun had
nearly set that the Drake succeeded in making her way out
of Belfast Ix)ugh, against a strong tide. The ships met ii*
mid-channel, and the fire was kept up obstinately, at close
quarters, broadside to broadside, for an hour and four min-
utes, when the brave Captain Burden of the Drake was
killed, and the crew called for quarter. The English vessel
was very much cut up, and her loss in killed and wounded
was forty-two. The injuries to the Ranger were compara-
tively inconsiderable, and her number of killed and wounded
amounted to only eight. An act of humanity on the part
of Jones will be read with pleasure. It had been necessary
to seize a fishing-boat and crew, on the Ranger's fir?t ap-
proach to Belfast Lough, five days earlier ; these poor men
were now released, and as their boat had been swamped,
another was given to them, and money to replace what they
had lost. He also sent ashore at the same time two infirm
men captured in one of his prizes, giving them his last
guinea to pay their expenses to Dublin. The Drake was
soon after carried successfully into Brest. This brief record
of only two weeks of the daring and gallant career of Paul
Jones will give an accurate idea of the man himself, and
of his feats of nautical adventure. Such was the original of
the nameless hero of " The Pilot." For the machinery of
the tale, two ships, a frigate and a schooner, were chosen.
The name of the larger vessel was purposely omitted, with
the idea of vaguely connecting her cruise in the readers'
valnd with that of some one of the few American men-of-
'var of the same date. To the schooner the name of th3
Ariel was given, — a name well adapted to the peculiar
character of the beautiful American craft of that size, and
also a repetition of the name of a larger vessel, commarided
at one time by Paul Jones himseK, when in the American
service.

" The Pilot " was written in New York, in 1823, and

XXU INTEODUCTIUN.

published 6y Mr. Charles Wiley, on the 29th ol Decembe-'
of that year. While writing the book the author received
a large amount of discouragement from his friends, wh«i
were not to be convinced of the possibility of writing a tale
3f the sea which should be even tolerably interesting. Not
one, as he himself repeatedly stated, encouraged him either
by word or look. On the contrary, all shook their heada
ominously. They all apparently anticipated a signal failure.
The subject was deemed to be, in its very nature, incapable
cf literary treatment. It is amusing now to look back at
this notion, the last half century having produced so many
nautical works, more or less interesting.

There could be no doubt, however, as to the success of
" The Pilot," after publication. All that interest which the
writer had believed it possible to throw around a naval
narrative was fully aroused. The opinion declared some
months earlier at the table of Mr. Wilkes was proved to be
correct. The pictures placed before the reader were drawr"
with so much spirit and poetical feeling, with so much clea
ness and fidelity, as to command attention and fill the pul
lie mind for the moment. The success of the book in
England was also decided. Ere long, indeed, the tale was
translated into French and German and Italian, — and that
Ji spite of the many technical difficulties of the subject, —
« convincing proof of the interest of the work. The flag
of the little Ariel was carried triumphantly into the Bay of
Biscay, aye, into the classic waters of the Mediterranean.

With the character of Paul Jones, as given in " The Pilot,"
Mr. Cooper, at a later day, was himself dissatisfied. It wa«
not sufficiently true to the reality. The pilot of the frigate
was represented as a man of higher views and aims, in a
moral sense, than the facts of the life of Paul Jones would
justify. The commander of the Ranger was in truth a bold
and daring adventurer, a skillful seaman, a brave partisan,
%u ambitious man — but ne was not the enthusiast in f»ri
rate feeling, in political views, described in ilie pih t of the
jrgtkte. The author would gladly have severed entirely

INTRODUCTION, XXIU

the slight historical link between the two, and left the pilot
A8 vaguely connected with the annals of the country as the
ship he steered. It will be observed that the name of Jones
never once occurs in the book, although, of course, his fig-
ure, and different incidents of his career are alluded to with
suili^ient distinctness to mark his identity with the famous
li/lventurer.

With Long Tom Coffin, also, he was in later life lesa
darlsfied than most of his readers. As he looked back at
the character, in the maturity of long experience, he saw it
with a clearer view, a greater fullness of conception, a more
complete finish of detail ; he considered it, as it now ap-
pears, as only a sketch, and would gladly have wrought up
the portrait of the old salt, a man after his own heart, to a
finished picture, as he had done with Natty Bumppo. He
felt that he had not done full justice to Long Tom. Of the
two characters, he considered that of Boltrope better, per-
haps, as a piece of workmanship, than that of the old Nan-
'ucket hero.

" The Pilot " was dedicated to a very dear and intimate
friend, William Branford Shubrick, of South Carolina, then
a lieutenant in the navy, a former messmate on the Wasp,
when both were midshipmen. It was a friendship of much
more than common strength of attachment, lasting unbroken
until death. Mr. Cooper continued deeply interested in
the navy, and closely watchful of its interests throughout
his life. When traveling in Europe, and passing through
Geneva, he called to pay his respects to M. Simon, a
F-ench gentleman, an emigre, who had lived long in New
i'oik, where he had married Miss Wilkes, a sister of Mr.
Charles Wilkes. In the course of the conversation M. Si-
mon, a literary man of some note at that day, remarked to
him : " You were the only man I ever heard foretell the
result of the naval war of 1812, between England and Amer»
ica. You were correct i/i your prediction." " I knew the
ships, and I knew the men who commanded them," was th«
tmphatic reply.

THE PILOT.

CHAPTER L

Sullen waves, incessant rolling,
Rudely dashed against her sides.

Sono.

A SDiTGLE glance at the map will make the reader ao>
qaainted with the position of the eastern coast of the Inland
of Great Britain, as connected with the shores of the oppo-
site continent. Together they form the boundaries of the
Email sea that has for ages been known to the world as the
scene of maritime exploits, and as the great avenue through
which commerce and war have conducted the fleets of the
northern nations of Europe. Over this sea the islanderj
long asserted a jurisdiction, exceeding that which reason
concedes to any power on the highway of nations, and
which frequently led to conflicts that caused an expenditure
of blood and treasure, utterly disproportioned to the advan-
tages that can ever arise from the maintenance of a useless
and abstract right. It is across the waters of this disputed
ocean that we shall attempt to conduct our readers, select-
ing a period for our incidents that has a peculiar interest
for every American, not only because it was the birthday
of his nation, but because it was also the era when reason
and common sense began to take the place of custom and
feudal practices in the management of the affairs of na-
tions.

Soon after the events of the Revolution had involved the
kingdoms of France and Spain, and the republics of Hol-
land, in our quarrel, a group of laborers was collected in a
field that lay exposed *o the winds of tixe ocean, on the
1

3 THE PILOT.

northeastern coast of England. These men wete llghtei^
ing their toi], and cheering the gloom of a day in Decern,
ber, by uttering their crude opinions on the political aspect*
)f the times. The fact that England was engaged in a wai
with some of her dependencies on the other side of the At-
lantic, had long been known to them, after the mannei thai
faint rumors of distant and miiuteresting events gain on the
eai ; but now that nations, with whom she had been useo
to battle, were armed against her in the quari-el, the din of
war had disturbed the quiet even of these secluded and illit-
erate rustics. The principal speakers, on the occasion, wer*
a Scotch drover, who was waiting the leisure of the occu-
pant of the fields, and an Irish laborer, who had found his
way across the Channel, and thus far over the island, in
quest of employment.

" The nagurs wouldn't have been a job at all for ould
England, letting alone Ireland," said the latter, " if these
French and Spanishers hadn't been troubling themselves in
the matter. I'm sure it's but little reason I have for thank-
ing them, if a man is to kape as sober as a praist at mass,
for fear he should find himself a souldier, and he knowing
nothing about the same."

" Hoot ! mon ! ye ken but little of raising an airmy in
Ireland, if ye mak' a drum o' a whiskey keg," said the dro-
ver, winking to the listeners. " Noo, in the north, they ca'
a gathering of the folk, and follow the pipes as graciously
)»3 ye wad journey kirkward o' a Sabbath morn. I've seen
a' the names o' a Heeland rt^j'ment on a sma' bit paper, that
ye might cover wi' a leddy's hand. They war' a' Camerons
and ]\r Donalds, though they paraded sax hundred men !
But what ha' ye gotten here ! That chield has an ow'r lik-
ing to the land for a seafaring body ; an' if the bottom o' the
gea be ony thing like the top o't, he's in gr'at danger o' a
flhipwrack ! "

Tliis unexpected change in the disco irse drew all eyes on
the object towards which the staff of the observant drover
was pointed. To the utter amazement of every individual
present, a small vessel was seen moving slowly round a
[K>int of land that formed one of the sides of the little b»j

THE PILOT. a

to which the field the laborers were in compo-ed the other.
There was something very peculiar in the externals of this
unusual visitor, which adderl in no small degree to the sur-
prise created by her appearance in that retired place.
None but the smallest vessels, and those rarely, or, at lon^
intervals, a desperate smuggler, were ever known to venture
eo close to the laud, amid the sand-bars and sunken rocks
irith which that immediate coast abounded. The adventur^
ous mariners who now attempted this dangerous navigation
in 80 wanton, and, apparently, so heedless a manner, were
in a low black schooner, whose hull seemed utterly dispro-
portioned to the raking masts it upheld, which, in their turn,
supported a lighter set of spars, that tapered away until
their upper extremities appeared no larger than the lazy
pennant, that in vain endeavored to display its length in the
light breeze.

The short day of that high northern latitude was already
drawing to a close, and the sun was throwing his i)arting
rays obliquely acoss the waters, touching the gloomy waves
here and there with streaks of pale light. The stormy
winds of the German Ocean were apparently lulled to rest ;
and, though the incessant rolling of the surge on the shore
heightened the gloomy character of the hour and the view,
the light ripple that ruffled the sleeping billows was pro-
duced by a gentle air, that blew directly from the land.
Notwithstanding this favorable circumstance, there was
something threatening in the aspect of the ocean, which
was speaking in hollow but deep murmurs, like a volcano
on the eve of an eruption, that greatly heightened the feel-
ings of amazement and dread with which the peasants be-
held this extraordinary interruption to the quiet of their
little bay. With no other sails spread to the action of the
air than her heavy mainsail, and one of ihose light jib*
{hat projected far beyond her bows, the vessel glided ovei
the water with a grace and facility that seemed magical to
the beholders, who turned their wondering looks from tho
•chooner to each othe* in silent amizement. At length th<j
irover spoke in a low solemn voice : —

" He's a boM chield tha^ steers her! and Jf that bit craft

• THE PILOT.

has wood in her bottom, like the brigantines that ply be*
tween Lun'on and the Frith at Leith, he's iu man dangei
Jiaii a prudent mou could wish. Aye ! he's by the big
r(;ck that shows his head when the tide runs low, but it's no
mortal man who can steer long m the road he's jou'"neying
ftud not speedily find land wi' water a-top o't."

'llie little schoouer, however, still held her way f.mong
Ihe rooks and sand-pits, making such slight deviations in her
iX)ur8e, as proved her to be under the direction of one who
knew his danger, until she had entered as far into the bay
as prudence could at all justify, when her canvas was gath-
ered into folds, seemingly without the agency of hands, and
the vessel, after rolling for a few minutes on the long bil-
lows that hove in from the ocean, swung round in the cur
rents of the tide, and was held by her anchor.

The peasants now began to make their conjectures moie
freely concerning the character and object of their visitor ;
some intimating that she was engaged in contraband trade,
and others that her views were hostile, and her business
war. A few dark hints were hazarded on the materiality
of her construction, for nothing of artificial formation, it
vvas urged, would be ventured by men in such a dangerous
place, at a time when even the most inexperienced lands-
man was enabled to foretell the certain gale. The Scotch-
man, who, to all the sagacity of his countrymen, added no
small portion of their superstition, leaned greatly to the
latter conclusion, and had begun to express this sentiment
warily and with reverence, when the child ot Erin, who ap«
peare*! not to possess any very definite ideas gn the subject,
interrupted him by exclaiming —

" Faith ! there's two of them ! a big and a little ! sure
fchii bogles of the saa likes good company the same as any
ether Christians ! "

•*Twa!" echoed the drover; " twa ! ill luck bides o'
lome o' ye. Twa craft a-sailing without hand to guide
them, in sic a place as this, whar' eyesight is na guid jnougb
to show the dangers, bodes evil to a' that luik .hereon
Hoot ! she's na yearhng, the tither ! Luik, mon ! luik
•he's a gallaut boat, and a gr'at : " he paused, raised hij

THE PILOT. a

pack from tlie gr mnd, and first giving one searching look
»tthe objects of his susi)icioiis, he nodded with great saga'jity
to the listeners, and continued, as he moved slowly towa.fta
the interior of the country, •' I should na wonder if she
carried King George's commission aboot her : weel, weel
I wull journey upward to the town, and ha' a crack wi' t,h<
good mon ; for they craft have a suspeecious aspect, ^d
the sma' bit thing wu'ld nab a mon quite easy, and the big
ane wu'ld hold u? a' and no feel we war' in her."

This sagacious warning caused a general movement in
the party, for the intelligence of a hot press was among the
rumors of the times. The husbandmen collected theii
implements of labor, and retired homewards ; and though
many a curious eye was bent on the movements of the
vessels from the distant hills, but very few of those not
immediately interested in the mysterious visitors ventured
to approach the little rocky cliffs that lined the bay.

"^he vessel that occasioned these cautious movements was
a gallant ship, whose huge hull, lofty masts, and square
yards, loomed in the evening's haze, above the sea, like a
distant mountain rising from the deep. She carried but
little sail, and though she warily avoided the near approach
to the land that the schooner had attempted, the similarity
of their movements was suiliciently apparent to warrant the
conjecture that they were employed on the same duty.
The frigate, for the ship belonged to this class of "-oels.
floated across the entrance of the little bay, majestically in
the tide, with barely enough motion through the water to
govern her movements, until she arrived opposite to the
place where her consort lay, when she hove up heavily into
the wiml, squared the enormous yards on her mainmast, and
attempted, in counteracting the 250wer of her sails by each
itther, to remain stationary ; but the light air that had at
CO time swelled her heavy canvas to the utmost begm to
fail, and the long waves that rolled in fi-om the ocean
rteased to be rufiled with the breeze from the land. Tiie
currents and the billows were fast sweeping the fiigale
Vowards one of the pomts of the estuary, where the black
heads of tht^ roi^ks could be seen ruuuing far into the sea,

9 THE PILOT.

and, 111 their turn, the mariners of the ship dropi)ed as
anchor to the bottom, and drew her sails in festoons to the
yards. As the vessel swung round to the tide, a heavy
ensign was raised to her peak, and a current of air opening;,
for a moment, its folds, the white field and red cross, that
distinguished the flag of England, were displayed to view.
So much even the wary drover had loitered at a distance
to behold ; but when a boat was launched from eithei
vessel, he quickened his steps, observing to his wondering
and amused companions, that " They craft woj-o a'thegithoi
mair bonny to luik on than to abide wi'."

-A numerous crew manned the barge that was lowered
from the frigate, which, after receiving an officer, with an
attendant youth, left the ship, and moved with a measured
stroke of its oars, directly towards the head of the bay.
As it passed at a short distance from the schooner, a light
whale-boat, pulled by four athletic men, shot from her side,
and rather dancing over than cutting through the waves,
crossed her course with a wonderful velocity. As the boats
approached each other, the men, iz. obedience to signals
from their officers, suspended their efforts, and for a few
mmutes they floated at rest, during which time there was
the following dialogue : —

" Is the old man uiad ! " exclaimed the young officer in

ne whale-boat, when his men had ceased rowing ; " does he

think that the bottom of the Ai'iel is made of iron, and that

a rock can't knock a hole in it ! or does he think she ia

manned with alligators, who can't be drowned ! "

A languid smile played for a moment round the hand
•ome features of the yoimg man, who was rather reclining
than sitting in the stern-sheets of the barge, as he re
plied, —

* He knows your prudence too well. Captain Barnstal Ic^
to fear either the wreck of your vessel or'the drowning ot
her crew. How near the bottom does your keel lie ? "

" I am afraid to sound," returned Barnstable. " I havt
oever the heart to touch a lead-line when I see the rocki
coming up to breathe like so many porpoises."

• You are afloat ! " exclaimed the other, with a vehemonoo
that denoted an abundance of latent fire.

THE PILOT. 7

•* Afloat ! " echoed his friend ; " aye ! the little Ariel
irould float in air ! '' As he spoke, he rose in the boat,
and lifting his leathern sea-cap from his head, stroked back
the thick clusters of black locks which shadowed his sun-
burnt conntenance, while he viewed his little vessel with
the complacency of a seaman who was proud of her qualities-
** But it's close work, Mr. GrifTith, when a man rides to »
single anchor in a place like this, and at such a night-fall
What are the orders ? "

"' I shall pull into the surf and let go a grapnel ; you will
take ]Mr. ]\Ierry into your whale-boat, and try to drive her
through the breakers on the beach."

" Beach ! " retorted Barnstable ; " do you call a perpen-
dicular rock of a hundred feet in height a beach ! "

" We shall not dispute about terms," said Griffith, smil-
ing, " but you must manage to get on the shore ; we have
Been the signal from the land, and know that the pilot,
whom we have so long expected, is ready to come off."

Barnstable shook his head with a grave air, as he
muttered to himself, " This is droll navigation ; first we run
into an unfrequented bay that is full of rocks, and sand-pits,
and shoals, and then we get off our pilot. But how am I
to know him ? "

" Merry will give you the pass-word, and tell you where
to look for him. I would land myself, but my orders for-
bid it. K you meet with difficulties, show three oar-blades
in a row, and I will pull in to your assistance. Three oarc
on end and a pistol will bring the fire of my muskets, and
the signal repeated from the barge will draw a shot from
the ship."

" I thank you, I thank you," said Barnstable, carelessly ;
* I believe I can fight my own battles against all the
enemies we are likely to fall in with on this coast. Bat
ilia old man is surely mad. I would " —

" Yoi would obey his orders if he were here, and ycu
wUl now please to obey mine." said Griffith, in a tone that
the frienvlly expression of liis eye contradicted. " Pull in,
And keep a lookout for a small man in a drab pea-jacket ;
Merry will give you the word ; if he answer it, bring him
off" to the barge."

8 THE PILOT.

The young men now nodded familiarly and kindly to
each other, and the boy who was called Mr. Merry having
changed his place from the barge to the whale-boat, Barn-
stable threw himself into his seat, and making a signal with
his hand, his men again bent to their oars. The light
vessel shot away from her companion, and dashed in boldly
tjwards the rocks ; after skirting the shore for some dis-
tance in quest of a favorable place, she was suddenly turned
and, dashing over the broken waves, was run upon a spot
where a lauding could be effected in safety.

In the mean time the barge followed these movein</iit«,
j»t some distance, with a more measured progress, and when
file whale-boat was observed to be drawn up alongside of a
rock, the promised grapnel was cast into the water, and hei
crew deliberately proceeded to get their fire-arms in a state
for immediate service. Everything appeared to be done in
obedience to strict orders that must have been previously
Juiamunicated ; for the young man, who has been introduced
to the reader by the name of Griffith, seldom spoke, and
then only in the pithy expressions that are apt to fall from
those who are sure of obedience. Whei* the boat had
brought up to her grapnel, he sunk back at his length on
the cushioned seats of the barge, and drawing his hat over
his eyes in a listless manner, he continued for many minutes
apparently absorbed in thoughts altogether foreign to his
present situation. Occasionally he rose, and would first
bend his looks in quest of his companions on the shore, and
then, turning his expressive eyes towards the ocean, the ab-
stracted and vacant air that so often usurped the place of
animation and intelligence in his countenance, would givo
place to the anxious and intelligent look of a seaman gifted
with an experience beyond his years. His weather-beaten
Hud hardy crew, having made their dispositions for otfensf,
lat in profound silence, with their hands thrust into the bo
K?m8 of their jackets, but with their eyes earnestly regarding
e\'ery cloud that was gathering in the threatening atmos-
phere, and exchanging looks of deep cure, whenever the
boat "ose higher than usual on one of these long, heavy
g^ouLd-swells, that were heavhig in from the ocean with
increasiniir rapidity and magnitude.

THE PILOT.

CHAPTER n.

A horseman's coat shaU hide
Thy taper shape and comeliness of side ;
And with a bolder stride and looser air,
Mingled with men, a man thou must appear

Priob.

Wben tlie whale-boat obtained the position we have d^
■rVibed, the young lieutenant, who, in consequence of com-
Ujanding a schooner, was usually atldressed by the title of
captain, stepped on the rocks, followed by the youthful mid-
shipman, who had quitted the barge to aid in the hazard-
ous duty of their expedition.

" This is, at best, but a Jacob's ladder we have to climb,"
said Barnstable, casting his eyes upward at the difficult as-
cent, " and it's by no means certain that we shall be well
received when we get up, even though we should reach the
top."

" We are under the guns of the frigate," returned the
boy ; " and you remember, sir, three oar-blades and a pistol
repeated from the barge, will draw her fire."

" Yes, on our own heads. Boy, never be so foolish as to
trust a long shot. It makes a great smoke and some noise,
but it's a terrible uncertain manner of throwing old iron
about. In such a business as this I would sooner trust Tom
Coffin and his harpoon, to back me, than the best broadside
that ever rattled out of the three decks of a ninety gtia
thip. Come, gather your limbs together, and try f you r,<ui
^alk on terra firma, Mister Coffin."

The seaman who was addressed by this dire ai">pellalion
t.rose slowly from the place where he was stationed as cock-
swain of the boat, and seemed to ascend high in air by th«
gradual evolution of numberless folds in his body. When
erect, he stood nearly s^x fuot and as many inches in hi*

iO THE PILOT.

shoes, though, when elevated in his most perpendicular atti
tude, there was a forward inclination about his head and
shoulders that appeared to be the consequence of habitual
confinement in limited lodgings. His whole frame was des-
titute of the rounded outlines of a well formed man, though
bis enormous hands furnished a display of bones and sinews
which gave indication of gigantic strength. On his head he
wore a little, low, brown hat of wool, with an arched t jp,
that threw an expression of peculiar solemnity and hardness
oyer his harsh visage, the sharp, prominent features of which
were completely encircled by a set of black whiskers, that
began to be grizzled a little with age. One of his hands
grasped, with a sort of instinct, the staff of a bright harpoon,
the lower end of which he placed firmly on the rock, as, in
obedience to the order of his commander, he left the place
where, considering his vast dimensions, he had been estab-
lished in an incredibly small space.

As soon as Captain Barnstable received this addition to
his strength, he gave a few precautionary orders to the men
in the boat, and proceeded to the difficult task of ascending
the rocks. Notwithstanding the great daring and personal
agility of Barnstable, he would have been completely baffled
in this attem2:)t, but for the assistance he occasionally re-
ceived from his cockswain, whose prodigious strength and
great length of limbs enabled him to make exertions which
it would have been useless for most men to attempt. When
within a few feet of the summit, they availed themselves of
a projecting rock to pause for consultation and breath, both
of which seemed necessary for their further movements.

" This will be but a bad place for a retreat, if we should
uappet to fall in with enemies," said Barnstable. " Where
wee we to look for this pilot, Mr. Merry, or how are we to
kuow him ; and what certainty have you that he will not
betray us?"

" The -uestion you are to put to him is written on trus
bit of paper," returned the boy, as he handed the other the
word of recognition : " we made the signal on the point of
the rock at yon headland, but, as he must have seen our
poat, he will follow us to this place. As to his '>etrayiuj{

THE PILOT 11

ns, he seems to have the confidence of Captain Muv eou, who
has kept a bright lookout for him ever since we made the
land."

" Aye," muttered the lieutenant, " and I shall have a
bright lookout kept on him now we are on the land. I
like not this business of hugging the shore so closely, u^:ir
have I much faith in any traitor. What think you of iti
Master Coffin ? "

The hardy old seaman, thus addressed, turned his grave
visage on his commander, and replied with a becoming grav-
ity,—

" Give me a plenty of sea-room, and good canvas, where
there is no occasion for pilots at all, sir. For my part, I
was born on board k chebacco-man, and never could see the
use of more land than now and then a small island to raise
a few vegetables, and to dry your fish ; I'm sure the sight
of it always makes me feel uncomfortable, unless we have
the wind dead off shore."

" Ah ! Tom, you are a sensible fellow," said Barnstable,
with an air half comic, half serious. " But we must be
moving ; the sun is just touching those clouds to sea-ward,
and God keep us from riduig out this night at anchor in
such a place as this."

Laying his hand on a projection of the rock above him,
Barnstable swung himself forward, and following this move-
ment with a desperate leap or two, he stood at once on the
brow of the clilF. His cockswain very deliberately raised
the midshipman after his officer, and proceeding with more
caution but less exertion, he soon placed himself by his side.

When they reached the level land that lay above the
cliffs, and began to inquire, with curious and wary eyes,
into the surrounding scenery, the adventurers discovered a
cultivated country, divided in the usual manner, by hediget
and walls. Only one habitation for man, however, and that
B small dilapivlated cottage, stood within a mile of thero,
most of the d\>ellings being placed as far as convenience
would permit, from the fogs and damps of tlie ocean.
• "Here seenrs to be neithe:* anything to apprehend, nor
Uie object of )ur search," said Barnstable, when he had

>S, THE PILOT.

taken th^ whole view in his survey : " I fear Me have landed
to no purpose, IVIr. Merry. What say you, long Tom ; see
you what we want ? "

" I see no pilot, sir," returned the cockswain , " but it's
an ill wind that blows luck to nobody ; there is a mouth-
ftil of fresh meat stowed away under that row of bushes,
thit would make a double ration to all hands in the Ariel."

The midshipman laughed, as he pointed out to Barnstable
the object of the cockswain's solicitude, which proved to be
a fat ox, quietly ruminating under a hedge near them.

"There's many a hungry fellow aboard of us," said the
boy, merrily, " who would be glad to second long ' Tom's
motion, if the time and business would permit us to slay the
animal."

"It is but a lubber's blow, INIr. Merry," returned the
cockswain, without a muscle of his hard face yielding, as he
struck the end of his harpoon violently against the earth,
and then made a motion towards poising the weapon ; " let
Captain Barnstable but say the word, and I'll drive the
iron though him to tlie qixick ; I've sent it to the seizing in
many a whale, that hadn't a jacket of such blubber as that
fellow wears."

" Pshaw ! you are not on a whaling voyage, where every-
thing that offers is game," said Barnstable, turning himself
pettishly away from the beast, as if he distrusted his own
forbearance ; " but stand fast ! I see some one approaching
behind the hedge. Look to your arms, Mr. Merry, — the
first thing we hear may be a shot."

" Not from that cruiser," cried the thoughtless lad ; " he
Is a younker, like myself, and would hardly dare run down
opon such a formidable force as we muster."

" You saj' true, boy," returned Barnstable, relinquishing
the grasp he held on his pistol. " He comes on with ca:J«
tion, as if afraid. He is small, and is in drab, though I
should hardly call it a pea-jacket — and yet he nay be cnr
num. Stand you both here, while I go and haU hfjn "

As Barnstable walked rapidly towards the hedge, that -n
part concealed the stranger, the latter stopped suddenly, and
teemed to be In doubt whether to advance or to retreat

THE PILOT. 13

Before he had decided on e^^her, the instive sailor was within
a few feet of liim.

" Pnij, sir," said Barnstable, "what water have we in
this baj ? "

The slight term of the stranger started, with an extraor
diuary emotion, at this question, and he shrunk aside in
voluntarily, as if to conceal his features, before he answered^
in a voice that was barely audible, —

" I should think it would be the water of the German
Ocean."

" Indeed ! you must have passed no small part of your
short life in the study of geography, to be so well informed,"
returned the lieutenant ; " perhaps, sir, your cunning is also
equal to telling me how long we shall sojourn together, if 1
make you a prisoner, in order to enjoy the benefit of youi
wit ? "

To this alarming intimation, the youth who was ad-
dressed made no reply ; but as he averted his face, and
concealed it with both his hands, the offended seaman, be-
lieving that a salutary impression had been made upon the
fears of his auditor, was about to proceed with his inter*
rogatories. The singular agitation of the stranger's frame,
however, caused the lieutenant to continue silent a few mo-
ments longer, when, to his utter amazement, he discovered
that what he had mistaken for alarm was produced by an
endeavor, on the part of the youth, to suppress a violent
fit of laughter.

" Now, by all the whales in the sea," cried Barnstiible,
" but you are merry out of season, young gentleman. It's
quite bad enough to be oi'dered to anchor in such a bay aa
this with a storm brewing before my eyes, without lauding
to be laughed at by a stripling who has not strength to
carry a beard if he had one, when I ought to be getting an
ofSng for the safety of both body and soul. But I'll kxow
more of you and your jokes, if I take you into my own
mess, and am giggled out of my sleep for the rest of thi
cruise."

As the commander of the schooner concluded, he aj>
nroache.i the stranger, with an air of offering some violence

14 THE PILOT.

but the other shrank Dack from his extended arm, and ei«
claimed, with a voice m which real terror had gotten tlw
better of mirth, —

" Barnstable ! dear Barnstable ! would you harm me ! "

The sailor recoiled several feet, at this unexpected ap«
peal, and rubbing his eyes, he threw the cap from h's head,
before he cried, —

" A\^hat do I hear ! and what do I see ! There lies th«
Ariel — and yonder is the frigate. Can this be Katherine
Plowden ! "

His doubts, if any doubts remained, were soon removed,
for the stranger sank on the bank at her side, in an attitude
in which female bashfulness was beautifully contrasted with
her attire, and gave vent to her mirth in an uncontrollable
burst of merriment.

From that moment, all thoughts of his duty, and the
pilot, or even of the Ariel, appeared to be banished from
the mind of the seaman, who sprang to her side, and joined
in her mirth, though he hai'dly knew why or wherefore.

When the diverted girl had in some degree recovered
her composure, she turned to her companion, who had sat
good-naturedly by her side, content to be laughed at, and
said, —

" But this is not only silly, but cruel to others. I owe
you an explanation of my unexpected appearance, and per-
baps, also, of my extraordinary attire."

" I can anticipate everything," cried Barnstable ; " you
beard that we were on the coast, and have flown to redeem
the promises you made me in America. But I ask no
more ; the chaplain of the frigate " —

" May preach as usual, and to as little purpose," inter-
inptcd the disguised female; "but no nuptial benediction
bliall be pronounced over me, until I have effected the ob-
ject of this hazard :)us experiment. You are not usually
gelfish, Barnstable ; would you have me forgetful of the
happuiess of others ! "

" Of whom do you speak ? "

^ My poor, my devoted cousin. I heard laat two vesseU
answering the description of the frigate and the Ariel yren

THE PILOT. 15

leen hovering on the coast, and I determined at once te
have a communi nation with you. I liave followed your
movements for a week, in this dress, hut have been unsuc-
cessful till now. To-day I observed you to approach nearer
to the shore than usual, and happily, by being advert-uT-ous,
1 have been successful."

" Aye, God knows we are near enough to the land !
But does Captain Munson know of your wish to get on
board his ship ? "

" Certainly not — none know of it but yourself. 1
thought that if Griffith and you could learn our situation,
you might be tempted to hazard a little to redeem us from
our thi'alldom. In this paper I have prepared such an ac-
count as will, I trust, excite all your cliivalry, and by which
you may govern your movements."

" Our movements ! " interrupted Barnstable. " You will
pilot us in person."

" Then there's two of them ! " said a hoarse voice near
them. The alarmed female shrieked as she recovered her
feet, but she still adhered, with instinctive dependence, to
the side of her lover. Barnstable, who recognized the
tones of his cockswain, bent an angry brow on the sober
visage that was peering at them above the hedge, and de-
manded the meaning of the interruption.

" Seeing you were hull-down, sir, and not knowing but
the chase might lead you ashore, Mr. Merry thought it best
to have a lookout kept. I told him that you were over-
hauling the mail bags of the messenger for the news, but as
he was an officer, sir, and I nothing but a common hand, I
did as he ordered."

'^ Return, sir, where I commanded you to remain," said
Barnstable, " and desire Mr. Merry to wait my pleasure."

The cockswain gave the usual reply of an obedient sea-
man ; hilt before he left the hedge, he stretched out one of
his brawny arms towards the ocean, and said, in tones of
Bolenanity suited tD his apprehensions and character, —

" 1 showed you how to knot a reef-point, and pass a gas-
ket, Captain Barnstable, nor do I believe you could even
Ake two half-hitches when vou first "lan e abosrl of th*

IC THE PILOT

Spalmacitty. These be things that a man is soon oxpsrt
in, but it takes the time of his nat'ral life to larn to know
the weather. There be streaked wind-galls in the offing
that speak as plainly, to all that see them, and know God's
language in the clouds, as ever you spoke tlirougk a trum-
pet, to shorten sail ; besides, sir, don't you hear the sta
muaning, as if it knew the hour was at hand when it wjw
M wake up from its sleep ! "

" Aye, Tom," returned his officer, walking to the edge of
the cliffs, and throwing a seaman's glance at the gloomy
ocean, " 'tis a threatening night indeed ; but this pilot must
be had — and " —

" Is that the man ? " interrupted the cockswain, pointing
towards a man who was standing not far from them, an at-
tentive observer of their proceedings^ at the same time that
he was narrowly watched himself by the young midshipman.
" God send that he knows his trade well, for the bottom
of a ship will need eyes to find its road out of this wild
anchorage."

" That must indeed be the man ! " exclaimed Barnstable,
at once recalled to his duty. He then held a short dialogue
with his female companion, whom he left concealed by the
hedge, and proceeded to address the stranger. When near
3nough to be heard, the commander of the schooner de-
nanded, —

" What water have you in this bay ? "

The stranger, who seemed to expect this question, an-
wered without the least hesitation, —

" Enough to take all out in safety, who have entered with
lonfideuce."

" You are the man I seek," cried Barnstable ; " are yoa
ready to go off?"

" Both ready and willing," returned the Pilot, " and there
m need of haste. I would give the best hundred guineas
that ever were coined for two hours more use of that sun
which has left us, or for even half tie time of tliis fading
twilight."

" Think yd 'i our situation so bad ? " said the lieutenant
** Follow this gentleman to the boat then ; I will join yov

THE PiLCT. 17

by the tim« you can descend the cliffa. I believe I can pre- ,

vail on another hand to go off with us."

" Time is more precious now tlian any number of hands,"
said the Pilot, throwing a glance of impatience from ander
his lowering orows, " and the consequences of delay maet
be visited on those who occasion it."

" And, sir, I will meet the consequences with those who
hare a right to inquire into my conduct," said Barmtable,
haughtilf.

With this warning and retort they separated ; the young
officer retracing his steps impatiently towards his mistre&s,
muttering his indignation in suppressed execrations, and the
Pilot, drawing the leathern belt of liis pea-jacket mechanic-
ally around his body, as he followed the midshipman and
cockswain to their boat, in moody silence.

Barnstable found the disguised female who had announced
herself as Katherine Plowden, awaiting his return, with in-
tense anxiety depicted on every feature of her intelligent
countenance. As he felt all the responsibility of his situa-
tion, notwithstanding his cool reply to the pilot, the yomig
man hastily drew an arm of the apparent boy, foi'getful of
her disguise, through his own, and led her forward.

" Come, Katherine," he said, " the time urges to be
prompt."

" What pressing necessity is there for immediate depart-
ure ? " she inquired, checking his movements by withdi-aw
ing herself from his side.

" You heard the ominous prognostic of my cockswain on
the weather, and I am forced to add my own testimony to
his opinion. 'Tis a crazy night that threatens us, though I
cannot repent of coming into the bay, since it has led to
this interview."

" God forbid that we should either of us have cause to
repent of it," eaid Katherine, the paleness of anxiety chas-
tig away the rich bloom that had mantled the animated
face of the brunette. " But you have the paper — folio vi
its directions, and come to our rescue ; you will find ua
wnling captives, if Griffith and yourself are our conquer-
ors."

1

18 THE PILOT.

" What mean you, Katherine ! " exclaimed her lover
•* you at least are now in safety ; 'twould be madness to
tempt your fate again. M}'^ vessel can and shall protjict
you, until your cousin is redeemed ; and then, remember, 1
have a claim on you for life."

" And how would you dispose of me in the interval .'' "
Raid the young maiden, retreating slowly from his ad-
vances.

" In the Ariel ; by Heaven, you shall be her commander
I mil bear that rank only in name."

" I thank you, thank you, Barnstable, but distrust my
abilities to fill such a station," she said, laughing, though
the color that again crossed her youthful features was like
the glow of a summer's sunset, and even her mirthful eyes
seemed to reflect their tints. " Do not mistake me, saucy
one. If I have done more than my sex will warrant, re-
member it was through a holy motive, and if I have more
than a woman's enterprise, it must be " —

" To lift you above the weakness of your sex," he cried,
" and to enable you to show your noble confidence in
me.

" To fit me for, and to keep me worthy of being one day
your wife." As she uttered these words she turned and
disappeared, with a rapidity that eluded his attempt to de-
tain her, behind an angle of the hedge, that was near them.
For a moment, Barnstable remained motionless, through
surprise, and when he sprang forward in pursuit, he was
able only to catch a glimpse of her light form, in the gloom
of the evening, as she again vanished in a little thicket at
some distance.

Barnstable was about to pursue, when the air lighted
with a sudden flash, and the bellowing report of a cannon
rolled along the cliffs, and was echoed among the hills far
iaiand.

" Aye, grumble away, old dotard ! " the disappointed
young saibr muttered to himself, while he reluctantly
obeyed the signal ; '' you are in as great a hurry to get oul
of your danger as you were to run into it."

The quick reports of three muskets from the barge b»

THE PILOT. 11»

DeatL where he stood urged him to quicken his pace, and as
he threw himself carelessly down the rugged and dangerous
passes of the cliffs, his experienced eye beheld the weU-
knowE lights disjjlayed from the frigate, which commanded
** the recall of all her boats."

THE FlUn.

CHAPTER ra.

In such a time as this, it is not meet

That every nice otfeuse should hear its comuent.

SuAKBiFBASm.

The cliffs threw tlieir dark shadows wide on the waters,
And the gloom of the evening had so for advanced as to
conceal the discontent that brooded over the ordinarily open
brow of Barnstable as he sprang from the rocks into the
boat, and took his seat by the side of the silent Pilot.

"5Shove off! " cried the lieutenant, in tones that his men
knew must be obeyed. " A seaman's curse light on the
folly that exposes planks and lives to such navigation ; and
all to burn some old timberman, or catch a Norway trader
asleep ! give way, men, give way ! "

Notwithstanding the heavy and dangerous surf that was
beginning to tumble in upon the rocks, in an alarming man-
ner, the startled seamen succeeded in urging their light boat
over the waves, and in a few seconds were without the point
where danger was most to be apprehended. Barnstable
bad seemingly disregarded the breakers as they passed, but
Brat sternly eying the foam that rolled by them in succes
sive sur^'es, until the boat rose regularly on the long seas,
when he turned his looks around the bay in quest of the
barge.

" Aye. Griffith has tired of rocking in his pillowed cra-
dle," he muttered, " and will give us a pull to the frigate
when we ought to be getting the schooner out o*' tliis har*i
"eatured landscape. This is just such a pl&^ as one of
your sighing lovers would doat on a little land, a little
water, and a good deal of rock. Damme, long Tom, but I
%xn more than half of your mind, that an island now and
Iheu 18 all the terra lirma that a seaman needs."

IHl!. PILUi. 21

" It's reason and philosophy, sir," returned the sedate
«.'ukswain ; " and wliat laud there is, should always be a
bC'ft mud, or a sandy ooze, in order that an anchor might
C'tld, and to make soundiugs sartain. I have lost many %
d(!ep sea, besides hand-leads by the dozetis, on rocky bot^
toms ; but give me the roadstead where a lead comes up
light and an anchor heavy. There's a boat pulling athwart
our fore-foot, Captain Barnstable ; shall I run her aboard,
or give her a berth, sir ? "

" 'Tis the barge ! " cried the officer ; " Ned has not de
serted me, after all ! "

A loud hail from the approaching boat confirmed this
opinion, and, in a few seconds, the barge and whale-boat
were again rolling by each other's side. Griffith was no
longer reclining on the cushions of his seats, but spoke
earnestly, and with a slight tone of reproach in his man-
ner.

" Why have you wasted so many precious moments,
when every minute threatens us with new dangers ? I was
obeying the signal, but I heai*d your oars, and pulled back
to take out the Pilot. Have you been successful?"

" There he is ; and if he finds his way out, through the
shoals, he will earn a right to his name. This bids fair to
oe a night when a man will need a spy-glass to find the
moon. But when you hear what I have seen on those
jascally cliffs, you will be more ready to excuse my delay,
Mr. Griffith."

'• You have seen the true man, I trust, or we inejur this
hazard to an evil purpose."

" Aye, I have seen him that is a true man, and bim that
ig not," replied Barnstable, bitterly ; " you have the boy
with vou, Griffith — ask him what his young eyes have
seen."

" Shall I ! " cried the y'oung midshipman, laughing ;
"then I have seen a httle clipper, in disguise, outsail an
dd man-of-war's man in a hard chase, and 1 have been a
straggling rover in long-togs as much like my cousin " —

" Peace, gabbler ! " exclaimed Barnstable in a voice of
thunder ; " would you detain th*» lx)ats with your silly non

22 THE PILOT.

sense at a time like this ? Away into the barge, gir, and if
fou find him willing to hear, tell Mr. Griffith what jovat
foolish conjectures amount to, at your leisure."

The boy stepped lightly from tlie whale-boat to the barge,
»irhither the Pilot had already preceded him, and, as ho simk,
with a mortified air, by the side of Griffith, he said, in a low
voice, —

" And that won't be long, I know, if Mr. Giiffith think*
and feels on the coast of England as he thought and felt at
home."

A silent pressure of his hand was the only reply that the
young lieutenant made, before he paid the parting compli-
ments to Barnstable, and directed his men to pull for their
ship.

The boats were separating, and the plash of the oars was
already heard, when the voice of the Pilot was for the first
time raised in earnest.

" Hold ! " he cried ; « hold water, I bid ye ! "

The men ceased their effiarts, at the commanding tones
of his voice, and turning towards the whale-boat, he con-
tinued, —

" You will get your schooner under way immediately
Captain Barnstable, and sweep into the offing with as little
delay as possible. Keep the ship well open from the
northern headland, and as you pass us, come within hail."

" This is a clean chart and plain sailing, Mr. Pilot,"
returned Barnstable ; " but who is to justify my moving
without orders, to Captain Munson? I have it in black
and white, to run the Ariel into this feather-bed sort of a
place, and I must at least have it by signal or word of
mouth from my betters, before my cut-water curls another
wave. The road may be as hard to find going out as it
was coming in ; and then I had daylight as w^U as vouf
written directions to steer by."

** Would you lie there to perish on such a night ? " said
the PUot, sternly. " Two hours hence, this heavy swell will
break where your vessel now rides so quietly."

" There we think exactly alike ; but if I get drowned
now, I am drowned according to orders ; wherea*. if I

THE PILOT. 22)

knock a plank out of the schooner's bottom, by following
your directions, 'twill be a hole to let iu matiny, as well as
BOa-water. How do I know but the old man wants another
pilot or two ? "

" That's philosophy," muttered the cockswain of tba
whale-boat, in a voice that was audible : " but it's a hard
strain on a man's conscience to hold 3n in such an aachc* •

" Then keep your anchor down, and follow it to the
bottom," said the Pilot to himself ; " it's worse to contend
with a fool than a gale of wind ; but if" —

" No, no, sir — no fool neither," interrupted Griffith.
" Barnstable does not deserve that epithet, though he cer-
tainly carries the point of duty to the extreme. Heave up
at once, JNIr. Barnstable, and get out of this bay as fast aa
possible."

"Ah! you don't give the order with half the pleasure with
which I shall execute it ; pull away, boys ! the Ariel shall
never lay her bones in such a hard bed, if I can help it."

As the commander of the schooner uttered these words
with a cheering voice, his men spontaneously shouted, and
the whale-boat darted away from her companion, and was
Boon lost in the gloomy shadows cast from the clifls.

In the mean time, the oarsmen of the barge were not
idle, but by strenuous efforts they forced the heavy boat
rapidly through the water, and in a few minutes she ran
alongside of the frigate. During this period the Pilot, in a
voice which had lost all the startling fierceness and authority
it had manifested in his short dialogue with Barnstable,
-equested Griffith to repeat to him, slowly, the names of
the officers that belonged to his ship. When the young
lieutenant had complied with this request, he observed to
lus companion, —

" All good men and true, IMr. Pilot ; and though this
business in wliich you are just now engaged maybe hazard-
ous to an Eng'ishman, there are none with us who will
betray you. We need your services, and as we expect good
faith from you, so shall we offer it to you in exehange."

" And how know you that I need ita exerciae 7 " asked

24 THE PILOT.

the Pilot, in a manner that denoted a cold indifference U
the subject.

" Why, though you talk pretty good English, for a na-
tive," returned Griffith, " yet you have a small bur-r-r in
your mouth that would prick the tongue of a man who was
born on the other side of the Atlantic."

" It is but of littl-i moment where a man is born, or how
he speaks," returned the Pilot, coldly, " so that he does his
duty bravely, and ia good faith."

It was perhaps fortunate for the harmony of this dialogue,
that the gloom, which had now iacreased to positive dark-
ness, completely concealed the look of scornful irony that
crossed the handsome features of the young sailor, as ha
leplied, —

" True, true, so that he does his duty, as you say, in good
faith. But, as Barnstable observed, you must know your
road well to travel among these shoals on such a night as
this. Know you what water we draw ? "

" 'Tis a frigate's draught, and I shall endeavor to keep
you in four fathoms ; less than that would be dangerous."

" She's a sweet boat ! " said Griffith ; " and minds her
helm as a marine watches the eye of his sergeant at a drill ;
but you must give her ^-oom in stays, for she fore-reaches,
as if she would put out the wind's eye."

The Pilot attended, with a practiced ear, to this descrip-
tion of the qualities of the ship that he was about to at-
tempt extricating from an extremely dangerous situation.
Not a syllable was lost on him ; and when Griffith had
ended, he remarked, with the singular coldness that per-
vaded his manner, —

'• That is both a good and a bad quality in a ciirrow
:iannel. I fear it will be the latter to-night, when we shiii
l^uire to have the ship in leading-strings."

" I suppose we must feel our way with the lead ? " said
Griffith.

" We shall need both eyes and leads," returned the Pilot,
recurring insensibly to his soliloquizing tone of voice. " I
have been both in and out in darker nights than this, though
•erer with a heavier draught than a half-two."

THE PILOl. 25

** Then, by Heaven, you are not fit to Landle that ship
among these rocks and breakers!" exclaimed Griffith;
"your men of a light drauglit never know their water; 'tia
die deep keel only that linds a channel ; Pilot ! Pilot !
beware how you trifle with us ignorantly ; for 'tis a dan-
gerous experiment to play at hazards with an enemy."

" Young man, you know not what you threaten, nor
whom," said the Pilot sternly, though his quiet manner still
remained undisturbed ; " you forget that you have a supe-
rior here, and that I have none."

" That shall be as you discharge your duty," cried
Griflith; "for if" —

" Peace ! " interrupted the PUot, " we approach the ship ;
let us enter in harmony."

He threw himself back on the cushions when he had said
this ; and Grilfith, though filled with the apprehensions of
suffering, either by great ignorance or treachery on the part
of his companion, smothered his feelings so far as to be
silent, and they ascended the side of the vessel in apparent
cordiality.

The frigate was already riding on lengthened seas, that
I oiled in from the ocean at each successive moment with
increasing violence, though her topsails still hung supinely
from her yards ; the air, which continued to breathe occa-
sionally from the land, being unable to shake the heavy
canvas of which they were composed.

The only sounds that were audible, when Griflith and
the Pilot had ascended to the gangway of the frigate, were
produced by the sullen dashing of the sea against the
massive bows of the ship, and the shrill whistle of the boat-
swain's mate, as he recalled the side-boys, who were
placed on either side of the gangway, to do honor to the
sutrance of the first lieutenant and his companion.

But though such a profound silence reigned among the
hundreds who inhabited the huge fabric, the light produced
by a dozen battle-lanterns, that were arranged in different
parts of the decks, served not only to exhibit faintly the
persons of the crew, but the mingled feeling of curios'ty
and care that dwelt on most of their countenances.

26 THE PILOT.

Large groups of men were coDec.ed in the gangw*)'^,
around the maiiimast, and on the booms of the vessel, whose
faces were tlistinctly visible, while numerous figures, lying
along the lower yards, or bending out of the tops, might be
dimly traced in the background, all of whom expressed by
their attitudes the interest they took in the arrival of the
bt>at.

Though such crowds were collected m other parts of the
ven&el, the quarter-deck was occupied only by the officers,
who were disposed according to their several ranks, and
were equally silent and attentive as the remainder of the
crew. In front stood a small coUectiot of young men, who,
by their similarity of dress, were the equals and companions
of Griffith, though his juniors in rank. On the opposite
side of the vessel was a larger assemblage of youths, who
claimed Mr. Merry as their fellow. Around the capstan
three or four figures were standing, one of whom wore a
coat of blue, with the scarlet facings of a soldier, and
another the black vestments of the ship's chaplain. Behind
these, and nearer the passage to the cabin from which he
had just ascended, stood the tall, erect form of the com-
mander of the vessel.

After a brief salutation between Griffith and the junior
officers, the former advanced, followed slowly by the Pilot,
to the place where he was expected by his veteran com-
mander. The young man removed his hat entirely, as he
bowed with a little more than his usual ceremony, and
said, —

'' We have succeeded, sir, though not without more diffi-
culty and delay than were anticipated."

" But you have not brought off the Pilot," said the cap-
tain, " and without him, all our risk and trouble have been
?n vain."

" lie is here," said Griffith, stepping aside, and extending
his arm towards the man that stood behind him, wrappe(f
lO the chin in his coarse pea-jacket, and his face shadowed
by the falling rims of a large hat, that had seen much and
hard service.

" This ! " exclaimed the oiptain ; " then there is a Md

THF riLOT. 27

mistake — this is not the man I would have seen, ntrcaa
another supply his place."

" I know not whom you expected, Captain Munson," sai^
the stranger, in a low, quiet voice; "but if you have nat
forgotten the day when a very different flag from t'lat
emblem of tyranny that now hangs over yon taffrail waa
first spread to the wind, you may remember the hand tbil
raised it."

" Bring here the light ! " exclaimed the commander,
hastily.

AVhen the lantern was extended towards the Pilot, sind
the glare fell strong on his features, Captain Munson started,
as he beheld the calm blue eye that met his gaze, and the
composed but pallid countenance of the other. lavolun
tarily raising his hat, and baring his silver locks, the veteran
cried, —

" It is he ! though so changed " —

" That his enemies did not know him," interrupted the
Pilot, quickly ; then touching the other by the arm as he
Jed him aside, he continued, in a lower tone, " neither must
his friends, until the proper hour shall arrive."

Griffith had fallen back to answer the eager questions of
his messmates, and no part of this short dialogue was over
heard by the officers, though it was soon perceived that their
commander had discovered his error, and was satisfied that
the proper man had been brought on board his vessel. For
many minutes the two continued to pace a part of the
quarter-deck, by themselves, engaged in deep and earnesi
discourse.

As Griffith had but little to communicate, the currosity
of his listeners was soon apjjeased, and all eyes were directed
towards that mysterious guide, who was to conduct them
from a situation already surromided by perils^ which each
noment not only magnified in appearance, but increased ixi
r«ality.

tR THE IILOT.

CHAPTER IV.

Behold the threaden sails,
Borne with the invisible and creeping wijde
Draw the huge bottoms through the furrowed saa,
Breasting the lofty surge.

SUAKSSPXAUL

It bas been already explained to the reader, that the: 4
were threatening symptoms in the appearance of the weather
to create serious forebodings of evil in the breast of a sea-
man. When removed from the shadows of the cliffs, the
night was not so dark but objects could be discerned at
some little distance, and in the eastern horizon there was a
streak of fearful light impending over the gloomy waters,
in which the swelling outline formed by the rising waves
was becommg each moment more distinct, and, consequently,
more alarming. Several dark clouds overhung the vessel,
whose towering masts apparently propped the black vapor,
while a few stars were seen twinkling, with a sickly flame,
in the streak of clear sky that skirted the ocean. Still,
light currents of air, occasionally, swept across the bay,
bringing with them the fresh odor from the shore, but
iheir flitting irregularity too surely foretold them to be the
expiring breath of the land-breeze. The roaring of the
ttrf, as it rolled a the margin of the bay, produced a dull,
aicnotonous sound, that was only interrupted, at times, by
.t hollow bellowing, as a larger wave than usual broke
▼iclently against some cavity in the rock. Everything, in
abort, anited to render the scene gloomy and portentous.
mthout creating instant terror, for the ship rose easily on
Ihe long billows, without even straightening the heavy cable
that held her to her anchor.

Tl.e Ir.gher officers were collected aroimd the capstan,
engaged in earnest dieoourse about their situation and pro*-

THE PILOT 29

pects, while som 3 of the oldest and most favored seamen
would extend their short walk to the hallowed precircts
of the quarter-deck, to catch, with greedy ears, the opinions
that fell from their superiors. Numberless were the un-
easy glances that were thrown from both officers and mei
at their commander and the Pilot, who still continued iheii
secret communion in a distant part of the vessel. Onw, an
ungovernable curiosity, or the heedlessness of his years, led
one of the youthful midshipmen near them, but a Btem
rebuke from his captain sent the boy, abashed and cower,
mg, to hide his nlortification among his fellows. Thii
reprimand was received oy tlie elder officers as an intimation
that the consultation which they beheld was to be strictly
inviolate ; and, though it by no means suppressed the
repeated expressions of their impatience, it effectually pre-
vented an interruption to the commtinications, which all,
however, thought were unreasonably protracted for the
occasion.

" This is no time to be talking over bearings and dis-
tances," observed the officer next in rank to Griffith ; " but
we should call the hands up, and try to kedge her off while
the sea will suffer a boat to live."

" 'Twould be a tedious and bootless job to attempt warp-
ing a ship for miles against a head-beating sea," returned
the first lieutenant ; " but the land-breeze yet flutters aloft,
ind if our light sails would draw, with the aid of this ebb
lide we might be able to shove her from the shore."

" Hail the tops, Griffith," said the other, " and ask if
they feel the air above ; 'twill be a hint at least to set tho
old man and that lubberly Pilot in motion."

Griffith laughed as he complied w^ith the :eque5t, and
when he received the customary reply to his call, he de-
roanded in a loud voice, —

♦' "VVliich way have you the wind, aloft ? "

" We feel a light cat's-paw, now and then, from the land,
ftir," returned the sturdy captain of the top ; " but our top-
sail }iang8 in the clew-lines, sir, without winking."

Cajitain Mimson and his companion suspended their dis-
course "vbile this question and answer were excoaaged, aibd

80 THE PILOT.

then resumed their dialogue as earnestly as if it had received

no interruption.

" If it did wink, the hint would be lost on our betters,'*
saic the officer of the marines, whose ignorance of seaman
ship added greatly to his perception of the danger, but who,
from pure idleness, made more jokes than any other man
in the ship. " That Pilot would not receive a delicate
inti lation through his ears, Mr. Griffith ; suppose you try
bim by the nose."

" Faith, there was a flash of gunpowder between us in
the barge," returned the first lieutenant, " and he does not
seem a man to stomach such hints as you advise. Although
he looks so meek and quiet, I doubt whether he has paid
much attention to the book of Job."

" Why should he ? " exclaimed the chaplain, whose appre
hensions at least equaled those of the marine, and with a
much more disheartening effect ; " I am sure it would have
been a great waste of time : there are so many charts of
the coast, and books on the navigation of these seas, for him
to study, that I sincerely hope he has been much better
employed."

A loud laugh was created at this speech among the
listeners, and it apparently produced the effect that was so
long anxiously desired, by putting an end to the mysterious
conference between their caj^tain and the pilot. As the
former came forward towards his expecting crew, he said,
in the composed, steady manner that formed the principal
trait in his character, —

" Get the anchor, IMr. Griffith, and make sail on the
ship ; the hour has arrived when we must be moving."

The cheerftd " Aye. aye, sir ! " of the young lieutenant
was hardly uttered, before the cries of half a dozen midship-
ncen were heard summoning the boatswain and his mates to
their duty

There was a general movement in the living masses that
clustered around the mainmast, on the booms, and in the
gangways, tboagh their habits of discii^line held the crew a
moment longer in suspense. The silence was first broken
by the sound of the boatswain's whistle, followed by the

TEE PILOT. 31

hoarse cry of "All hands, up anchor, ahoy!" the foimer
rising on the night air from its first low mellow notes to a
piercing shrillness that gradually died away on the waters
and the latter bellowing through every cranny of the ship,
like the hollow murmurs of distant thunder.

The change produced by the customary summons was
magical. Human behigs sjirang out from between the guns,
rushed up the hatches, threw tliemselves with careless
activity from the booms, and gathered from every quai'ter
BO rapidly, that in an instant, the deck of the frigate was
alive with men. The profound silence, that had hitherto
been only interrupted by the low dialogue of the officers,
was now changed for the stern orders of the lieutenants,
mingled with the shriller cries of the midshipmen, and the
hoarse bawling of the boatswain's crew, rising above the
tumult of preparation and general bustle.

The captain and the pilot alone reminded passive, in this
scene of general exertion ; for apprehension had even stimu-
lated that class of officers which is called " idlers " to unusual
activity, though frequently reminded by their more experi-
enced messmates that, instead of aiding, they retarded the
duty of the vessel. Tlie bustle, however, gradually ceased,
and in a few minutes, the same silence pervaded the ship as
before.

" We are brought-to, sir," said Griffith, who stood over-
Jooking the scene, holding in one hand a short speaking-
trumpet, and grasping with the other one of the shrouds of
the ship, to steady liimself in the position he had taken on a
gua.

" Heave round, sir," was the calm reply.

*< Heave round ! " repeated Griffith, aloud.

'' Heave round ! " echoed a dozen eager voices at onoe,
and the lively strains of a fife struck up a brisk dr, to
enli^'en the labor. The capstan was instantly set in motion,
and thj measured tread of the seamen was heard, as they
gtamped the deck in the cii'cle of their march. For a few
minutes no other sounds were heard, if we except the voice
of an oficer, occasionally cheering the sailors, when it was
announced that trey " were shurt ; " or, iu other words, that
the ship was nearly over her anchor.

85 THE PILOT

'* Heave and pall," cried Griffith ; when the qui»"e'^«g
cotes of the whistle were again succeeded by a general still-
ness in the vessel.

" What is to be done now, sir ? " continued the lieu-
tenant ; " shall we trip the anchor ? There seems not a
breath of air ; and as the tide runs slack, I doubt whether
the sea do not heave the ship ashore."

There was so much obvious truth in this conjecture,
that all eyes turned from the light and animation afforded
by the decks of the frigate, to look abroad on the waters,
in a vain desire to pierce the darkness, as if to read the
fate of their apparently devoted ship, from the aspect of
nature.

" I leave all to the pilot," said the captain, after he had
Btood a short time by the side ol Griffith, anxiously studying
the heavens and the ocean. " What say you, Mr. Gray ? "

The man who was thus first addressed by name was lean-
ing over the bulwarks, with his eyes bent in the same direc-
tion as the others ; but as he answered he turned his face
towards the speaker, and the light from the deck fell full
upon his quiet features, which exhibited a calmness border-
ing on the supernatural, considering his station and responsi-
bility.

" There is much to fear from this heavy ground-swell,"
he said, in the same unmoved tones as before ; " but there
is certain destruction to us, if the gale that is brewing in
the east finds us waiting its fury in this wild anchorage.
All the hemp that ever was spun into cordage would not
hold a ship an hour, chafing on these rocks, with a north-
easter pouring its fury on her. If the powers of man cau
compass it, gentlemen, we must get an offing, and that
epeedilj."

" You say no more, sir, than the youngest boy in the ship
can see for himself," said Griffith ; " ha ! here comes tha
schooner ! "

The dashing of the long sweeps in the water was now
plainly audible, and the little Ariel was seen through the
gloom, moving heavily under their feeble impulse. As she
massed slowly under the stern of the frigate, the cheeriu

THE PILOT. 83

»oice of BamFtable was first heard, oiiening the commumca^
tions between them.

'• Here's a night for spectac.es, Captain Munson ! " he
cried ; " but I thought I heard your fife, sir. 1 trust iu
God, you do not mean to ride it out here till morning ? "

" I like the berth as little as yourself, Mr. Barnstat-e '
returned the veteran seaman, in his calm manner, in which
anxiety was, however, beginning to grow evident. " We
are short ; but are afraid to let go our hold of the bott/jra,
lest the sea cast us ashore. How make you out .ne
wind ? "

" Wind ! " echoed the other ; " there is not enough to
blow a lady's curl aside. K you wait, sir, till the land-
breeze fills your sails, you will wait another moon. 1
believe I've got my egg-shell out of that nest of gray-caps i
but how it has been done m the dark, a better man than
myself must explain."

" Take your directions from the Pilot, IMr. Barnstable,"
returned his commanding officer, " and follow them strictly
and to the letter."

A deathlike silence, in both vessels, succeeded this order ;
for all seemed to listen eagerly to catch the words that fell
from the man on whom, even the boys now felt, depended
their only hopes for safety. A short time was suffered to
elapse, before his voice was heard, in the same low but dis-
Xinct tones as before : —

" Your sweeps will soon be of no service to you," he said,
" against the sea that begins to heave in ; but your light
wails will help them to get you out. So long as you can
head east-and-by-north, you are doing well, and you can
stand on till you open the light from that northern headland,
«hen you can heave to, and fire a gun ; but if, as I dread,
you are struck aback before you open the light, you may
trust to your lead on the larboard tack ; but beware, with
jrour head to the southward, for no lead will serve yoxi
there"

** i can walk over the same ground on one tack as on .he
^3r," said Barnstable, "and make both legs of a length."

" It will not do." returned the Pilot. " If you fall off a

84 THE PILOT.

point to starboard from east-and -by-north, in going large,
you will find both rocks and points of shoals to brin^ you
up ; and beware, as I tell you, of the starboard tack."

" And how shall I find my way ? you will let me trust to
neither time, lead, nor log."

" You must trust to a quick eye and a ready hand. The
breakers only will show you the dangers, when you are uot
able to make out the bearings of the land. Tack in season,
»ir, and don't spare the lead when you head to port."

"Aye, aye," returned Barnstable, in a low muttering
roice. " This is a sort of blind navigation with a venge-
Mice, and all for no purpose that I can see — see ! damme,
eyesight is of about as much use now as a man's nose would
be in reading the Bible."

" Softly, softly, Mr. Barnstable," interrupted his com-
mander, — for such was the anxious stillness in both vessels
that even the rattling of the schooner's rigging was heard,
as she rolled in the trough of the sea, — " the duty on
which Congress has sent us must bo performed, at the
hazard of our lives."

" I don't mind my life, Captain Munson," said Barnstable,
" but there is a great want of conscience in trusting a vessel
in such a place as this. However, it is a time to do, and
not to talk. But if there be such danger to an easy draught
of water, what will become of the frigate ? had I not better
play jackal, and try and feel the way for you ? "

" I thank you," said the Pilot ; " the offer is generous,
but would avail us nothing. I have the advantage of
knowing the ground well, and must trust to my memory
and God's good favor. Make sail, make sail, sir, and if you
succeed, we will venture to break ground."

The order was promptly obeyed, and in a very short
tune the Ariel was covered with canvas. Though no air
iras peroaptiWe on the decHs of the frigate, the little
•chooner was so light, that shi», succeeded in stemming Ler
Way over the rising waves, aic'ed a little by the tide ; and
in a few minutes her low hull was just discernible in th«
Btraak of light along the horiz.)n, with the dark outline of
her sails rising above the sea, until their fanciful sumaiiti
were lost in the shadows of the clouds.

THE PILOT. to

Griffith had listened to the foregoing dialogue lil«e tbe

rest of the junioi- officers, in profound silence ; out when
the Ariel began to grow indistiuct to the eye, he jumped
lightly from the gun to the deck, and cried, —

" She slips off, like a vessel from the stocks ! shall I trip
the anchor, sir, and follow ? "

" "We have no choice," replied his captain. " You heal
the question, Mr. Gray? shall we let go the bottom? "

" It must be done, Captain Muuson ; we maj want more
drift than the rest of this tide to get us to a place of safety,"
said the Pilot. " I would give five years from a life that
I know will be short, if the ship lay one mile further sea-
ward."

This remark was unheard by all, except the commander
of the frigate, who again walked aside with the Pilot, where
they resumed their mysterious communications. The words
of assent were no sooner uttered, however, than Griffith
gave forth from his trumpet the command to " Heave
away ! " Again the strains of the fife were followed by the
tread of the men at the capstan. At . the same time that
the anchor was heaving up, the sails were loosened from
the yai'ds, and opened to invite the breeze. In effecting
this duty, orders were thundered through the trumpet of
the first lieutenant, and executed with the rapidity of
thought. Men were to be seen, like spots in the dim light
from the heavens, lying on every yard, or hanging as in air,
while strange cries were heard issuing from every part of
the rigging, and each spar of the vessel. " Ready the fore«
royal," cried a shrill voice, as if from the clouds ; " Ready
the fore-yard," uttered the hoarser tones of a seaman be-
neath him ; " All ready aft, sir," cried a third, from anothei
quarter ; and in a few minutes the order was given to " Let
fell."

The little light which fell from the sty was now excluded
by the falling canvas, and a deeper gloom was cast athwart
the decks of the ship, that served to render the brilliancy
of the lanterns even vivid, while it gave to objects outboard
% more appalling and dreary appearance than before.

Every individual, excepting the commander and hif

B6 THE PILOT.

associate, was notv earnestly engaged in getting the ship
ander way. The sounds of " We're away," were repeated
by a burst from fifty voices, and the rapid evolutions of the
capstan announced that nothing but the weight of the
anchor was to be lifted. The hauling of cordage, the
rattling of blocks, blended with the shrill calls of the boat-
ewuin and his mates, succeeded ; and though to a landsman
all would have appeared confusion and hurry, long practice
and strict discipline enabled the crew to exhibit their ship
under a cloud of canvas, from her deck to the trucks, in
less time than we have consumed in relating it.

For a few minutes, the officers were not disappointed by
the result ; for though the heavy sails flapped lazily against
the masts, the light duck on the loftier spars swelled out-
wardly, and the ship began sensibly to yield to their in-
fluence.

" She travels ! she travels ! " exclaimed Griffith, joyously ;
" ah, the hussy ! she has as much antipathy to the land as
any fish that swims : it blows a little gale aloft, yet ! "

"We feel its dying breath," said the Pilot, in low, sooth-
ing tones, but in a manner so sudden as to startle Griffith,
at whose elbow they were unexpectedly uttered. " Let us
forget, young man, everything but the number of lives that
depend, this night, on your exertions and my knowledge."

" If you be but half as able to exhibit the one, as I am
willing to make the other, we shall do well," returned the
lieutenant, in the same tone. " Remember, whatever may
be your feelings, that we are on an enemy's coast, and love
it not enough to wish to lay our bones there."

With this brief explanation they separated, the vegfe'fel
requiring the constant and close attention of the officer to
her movements.

The exultation produced in the crew by the progress of
their ship through the water was of short duration ; for the
breeze that had seemed to await their motions, after forc-
ing the vessel for a quarter of a mile, fluttered for a few
minutes amid their light canvas, and then left them en^
tirely. The quartermaster, whose duty it was to superin«
tend the helm, soon announced that he was losing the com

THE riLOT. 37

mnnd of the vessel, as she was no longer obedient to her
rudder. This ungrateful intelligence was promptly eom-
municated to his commander by Griihth, who suggested the
propriety of again dropping an anchor.

" I refer you to Mr. Gray," returned the captain ; " he la
the pilot, sir, and with him rests the safety of the ■vessel."

" Pilots sometimes lose ships as well as save them," said
Griffith: " know you the man well. Captain Munson, who
holds all our lives in his keeping, and so coolly as if ho
cared but little for the venture ? "

" Mr. Griffith, I do know him ; he is, in my opinion,
both competent and faithful. Thus much I tell you, to
relieve your anxiety ; more you must not ask ; but is there
not a shift of wind ? "

" God forbid ! " exclaimed his lieutenant ; " if that north-
easter catches us within the shoals, our case will be desper-
ate indeed ! "

The heavy rolling of the vessel caused an occasional
expansion, and as sudden a reaction, in their sails, which
left the oldest seaman in the ship in doubt which way the
currents of air were passing, or whether there existed ^ny
that were not created by the flapping of their own canvas.
The head of the ship, however, began to fall off from the
sea, and notwithstanding the darkness, it soon became
apparent that she was driving in, bodily, towards the shore.

During these few minutes of gloomy doubt, Griffith, by
one of those suddeu revulsions of the mind, that connect
the opposite extremes of fooling, lost his animated anxiety,
and relapsed into the listless apathy that so often came
over him, even in the most critical moments of trial and
danger. He was standing with one elbow restng on his
capstan, shading his eves from the light of the battle-lantern
Uiat stood near him with one hand, when he felt a gentle
ressure of the other, that recalled his recollection. Look-
ng affectionately, though still recklessly, at the boy who
stood at his side, he said, —

" Dull music, Mr. Merry."

"^ So dull, sir, that I can't dance to it," returned the
nuishipman. " Nor do I bolie^e there is a man in the

88 THE PILOT.

ship who would not rather hear ' The girl I left behind me,
than those execrable sounds."

" What sounds, boy ? The ship is as quiet as the Quaker
meeting in the Jerseys, before your good old grandfather
used to break the charm of silence with his sonorous voice."

" Ah ! laugh at my peaceable blood, if thou wilt, Mr.
Griffith," said the arch youngster ; " but remember, there is
a mixture of it in all sorts of veins. I wish I could hear
ona of the old gentleman's chants now, sir ; I could always
sleep to them, like a gull in the surf. But he that sleeps
to-night, with that lullaby, will make a nap of it."

" Sounds ! I hear no sounds, boy, but the flapping aloft ;
even that Pilot, who struts the quarter-deck like an admiral,
has nothing to say."

" Is not that a sound to open a seaman's ear ? "

" It is in truth a heavy roll of the surf, lad, but the night
air carries it heavily to our ears. Know you not the sound
of the surf yet, younker ? "

" I know it too well, Mr. Griffith, and do not wish to
know it better. How fast are we tumbling in towards that
Burf, sir ? "

" I think we hold our own," said Griffith, rousing again ;
'* though we had better anchor. Luff, fellow, luff; you are
broadside to the sea ! "

The man at the wheel repeated his former intelligence,
adding a suggestion, that he thought the ship " was gather-
ing stern-way."

" Haul up your courses, Mr. Griffith," said Captain Man-
eon, " and let us feel the wind."

The rattling of the blocks was soon heard, and the enor-
mous sheets of canvas that hung from the lower yards were
jistantly suspended " in the brails." When this change was
effected, all on board stood silent and breathless, as if ex-
pecting to learn their fate by the result. Several contra-
dictory opinions were at length hazarded among the officers,
when Griffith seized the candle from the lantern, and spring-
ing on one of the guns, held it on high, exposed to the ac-
tion of the air. The little flame waved, with uncertain
•liramering, for a moment, and then buined steadily, in a

TBE I'llOT. 89

line with the masts. Griffith was about to lower his ftx-
tended arm, when, feeling a slight sensation of coolness ou
his hand, he paused, and the light turned slowly towards the
land, flared, flickered, and finally deserted the wick.

" l;0se not a moment, Mr. Griffith," cried the Pilot aloud ;
" clew up and furl everything but your three topsails, and
"let them be double-reefed. Now is the time to fulhll your
promise."

The young man paused one moment, in astonishment, aa
the clear, distinct tones of the stranger struck his ears so
unexpectedly ; but turning his eyes to seaward, he sprang
on the deck, and proceeded to obey the order, as if life uad
deith depended ou bis despatch.

40 -rgx pilot.

CHAPTER V.

She rights ! she rights, boys ! wear off shore .

Soka

The extraordinary activity of Griffith, which comtr.uni
cated itself with promjititude to the crew, was produced by
a sudden alteration in the weather. In place of the well
defined streak along the horizon, that has been already de-
scribed, an immense body of misty light appeared to be
moving in, with rapidity, from the ocean, while a distinct
but distant roaring announced the sure approach of the
tempest that had so long troubled the waters. Even Grif-
fith, while thundering his orders through the trumpet, and
urging the men, by his cries, to expedition, would pause,
for instants, to cast anxious glances in the direction of the
coming storm ; and the faces of the sailors who lay on the
yards were turned, instinctively, towards the same quarter
of the heavens, while they knotted the reef-points, or passed
the gaskets, that were to confine the unruly canvas to the
prescribed limits.

The Pilot alone, in that confused and busy throng, where
voice rose above voice, and cry echoed cry, in quick suc-
cession, appeared as if he held no interest in the important
Btake. AVith his eyes steadily fixed on the approacliing
mist, and his arms folded together in composure, he stood
calmly waiting the result.

The ship had fallen off, with her broadside to he sea,
fcnd was become unmanageable, and the sails were already
brought into the folds necessary to her security, when I he
quick and heavy fluttering of canvas was thrown across the
water, with all the gloomy and chilling sensations that such
sounds produce, where darkness and danger unite to appall
the seaman.

THE PILOT 41

" The schooner has it ! " cried Griffith ; " :6arnstable has
held on, like himself, to the last moment. God send that
the squall leave him cloth enough to keep hin, from the
shore ! "

" His sails are easily handled," the commander observed,
** and she must be over the principal danger. We aie
felling off before it, jMi-. Gray ; shall we try a cast of the
lead ? "

The Pilot turned from his contemplative posture, and
mo 7ed slowly across the deck before he returned any reply
to this question, like a man who not only felt that every-
thing depended on himself, but that he was equal to the
emergency.

" 'Tis unnecessary," he at length said ; " 'twould be cer-
tain destruction to be taken aback ; and it is difficult to say,
within several points, how the wind may strike us."

" 'Tis difficult no longer," cried Griffith ; " for here it
comes, and in right earnest ! "

The rushing sounds of the wind were now, indeed, heard
at hand ; and the words were hardly past the lips of the
young lieutenant, before the vessel bowed down heavily to
one side, and then, as she began to move through the water,
rose again majestically to her upright position, as if saluting,
like a courteous champion, the powerful antagonist with
which she was about to contend. Not another minute
elapsed, before the ship was throwing the waters aside, with
a lively progress, and, obedient to her helm, was brought
as near to the desired course as the direction of the wind
would allow, "^he hurry and bustle on the yards gradually
subsided, and the men slowly descended to the deck, all
straining their eyes to pierce the gloom in which they were
enveloped, and some shaking their heads, in melancholy
doubt, afraid to express the apprehensions they really enter-
tained. All on board anxiously waited for the fury of the
gale ; for there were none so ignorant or inexperienced in
that gallant frigate, as not to know tliat as yet they only felt
the infant effiDrts of the wind. Each moment, however, it
'ncreased in power, though so gradual was the alteration,
that the relieved mariners began to believe that all their

42 THE PILOT.

gloomy forebodings were not to be realized. During this
short interval of uncertainty, no other sounds were hoard
than the whistling of the breeze, as it passed quickly through
the mass of rigging that belonged to the vessel, and the
dashing of the spray that began to fly from her bows, like
the foam of a cataract.

" It blows fresh," cried Griffith, who was the first to
speak in tliat moment of doubt and anxiety ; " but it is uc
more than a cap-full of wind after all. Give us elboW'
room, and the right canvas, Mr. Pilot, and I'll handle the
ghip like a gentleman's ya^ht, in this breeze."

" Will she stay, think y 3, under this sail ? " said the low
voice of the stranger.

" She will do all that man, in reason, can ask of wood
and iron," returned the lieutenant ; " but the vessel don't
float the ocean that will tack under double-reefed topsails
alone, against a heavy sea. Help her with the courses,
Pilot, and you shall see her come round like a dancing-
master."

" Let us feel the strength of the gale first," returned
the man who was called Mr. Gray, moving from the side
of Giilfith to the weather gangway of the vessel, where he
stood in silence, looking ahead of the ship, with an air of
singular coolness and abstraction.

All the lanterns had been extinguished on the deck of
the frigate, when her anchor was secured, and as the first
mist of the gale had passed over, it was succeeded by a
faint light that was *a good deal aided by the glittering foam
of the waters, wliich now broke in white curls around che
vessel in every direction. The land could be fairly dis-
cerned, rising like a heavy bank of black fog, above the
margin of the waters, and was only distinguishable from the
ieavcns by its deejier gloom and obscurity. The last rope
was coiled, and deposited in its proper place, by the teamen,
and for several minutes the stillness of death pervaded the
crowded decks. It was evident to every one, that their
ship was dashing at a prodigious rate through the waves
and as she was approaching, with sucli velocity, the quarter
rf the bay where the shoals and dangers were known to Jt

THE PILOT. 48

situated, nothing but the habits of the most exact disci*
pline could suppress the uneasiness of the officers and men
■'/ithin their own bosoms. At length the voice of Captain
Munson was heard, calling to the Pilot.

" Shall I send a hand into the chains, Mr. Gray," he said,
^ and try our water ? "

Althoagh this question was asked aloud, and the interest
ft excited drew many of the officers and men around him,
iH eager impatience for his answer, it was unheeded by the
man to whom it was addressed. His head rested on his
hand, as he leaned over the hammock-cloths of the vessel,
and his whole air was that of one whose thoughts wandered
from the pressing necessity of their situation. Griffith was
among those who had approached the Pilot ; and after wait-
ing a moment, from respect, to hear the answer to his com-
mander's question, he presumed on his own rank, and leav-
ing tl>e circle that stood at a little distance, stepped to the
aide of the mysterious guardian of their lives.

" Captain Munson desires to know whether you wish a
cast of the lead ? " said the young officer, with a little im-
patience of manner. No immediate answer was made to
this repetition of the question, and Griffith laid his hand
unceremoniously on the shoulder of the other, with an in-
tent to rouse liim before he made another application for a
reply, but the convulsive start of the Pilot held him silent
in amazement.

" Fall back there," said the lieutenant, sternly, to the
men, who were closing around them in a compact circle ;
"away with you to your stations, and see all clear for
stays." The dense mass of heads dissolved, at this order,
tike the water of one of the waves commingling with the
ocean, and the lieutenant and his companions were left by
ti.emselves.

" This is not a time for musing, Mr. Gray," continued
Griffith ; " remember our compact, and look to your charge ;
IS it not time to put the vessel in stays ? of what are you
ji earning ? "

The Pilot laid his hand on the extended arm of tho lieu
tenant and gasped it with a convulsive pressure, as he an
••■ered, —

44 THE PILOT.

" 'Tis a dream of reality. You are young, Mr Griffith,
nor am I past the noon of life ; but should you live fifty
years longer, you never can see and experience what ^
have encountered in my little period of three-andithirty
years ! "

A good deal astonished at this burst of feeling, so singu»
lar at such a moment, the young sailor was at a loss for a
reply ; but as his duty was uppermost in his thoughts, ha
still dwelt or. the theme that most interested him.

" I hope much of your experience has been on this coast,
for the ship travels lively," he said, " and the daylight
shewed us so much to dread, that we do not feel over valiant
in the dark. How much longer shall we stand on, upon
this tack ? "

The Pilot turned slowly from the side of the vessel, and
walked towards the commander of the frigate, as he replied,
in a tone that seemed deeply agitated by his melancholy re-
flections, —

" You have your wish, then ; much, very much of my
early life was passed on this dreaded coast. What to you
is all darkness and gloom, to me is light as if a noon-day
sun shone upon it. But tack your ship, sir, tack your ship;
I would see how she works before we reach the point where
she must behave well, or we perish."

Griffith gazed after him in wonder, while the Pilot slowly
paced the quarter-deck, and then, rousing from his trance,
gave forth the cheering order that called each man to his
station, to perform the desired evolution. The confident
assurances which the young officer had given to the Pilot
respecting the qualities of his vessel, and his own ability to
manage her, were fully realized by the result. Tiie helm
was no sooner put a-lee, than the huge ship bore up gal^
lantly against tlie wind, and, dashing directly through the
waves, threw the foam high into the' air, as she looked boldly
into the very eye of the wind ; and then, yielding grace-
fully to its })ower, she fell off on the other tack, with her
head pointed from those dangerous shoals that she had so
recently approached with such terrifying velocity. The
Ueavy ya^Us swung round, as if they had been vanes t*

THE PIICT. 4fi

dedicate the currents of the air ; and iu a few moments the
frigate again moved, with stately progress, through the
water, leaving the rocks and shoals behind her on one side
of the bay, but advancing towards those that offered equal
danger on the other.

During this time the sea was becoming more agitated,
and the violence of the wind was gradually increasing.
The latter no longer whistled amid the cordage of the ves-
sel, but it seemed to howl, surlily, as it passed the compli-
cated machinery that the frigate obtruded on its path. An
endless succession of white surges rose above the heavy
b'Uows, and the very air was glittering with the light
that was disengaged from the ocean. The ship yielded,
each moment, more and more before the storm, and in less
than half an hour from the time that she had lifted her
anchor, she was driven along with tremendous fury by the
full power of a gale of wind. Still, the hardy and expe-
rienced mariners who directed her movements held her to
the course that was necessary to their preservation, and
Btill Griffith gave forth, when directed by their unknown
Pilot, those orders that turned her in the narrow channel
where alone safety was to be found.

So far, the performance of his duty appeared easy to the
stranger, and he gave the required directions in those stuJi,
calm tones, that formed so remarkable a contrast to the re-
sponsibility of his situation. But when the land was be-
coming dim, in distance as well as darkness, and the agitated
sea alone was to be discovered as it swept by them in foam,
he broke in upon the monotonous roaring of the tempest
with the sounds of his voice, seeming to shake off hia
apathy, and rouse himself to the occasion.

" Now is the time to watch her closely, Mr. Griffith," he
cried ; " here we get the true tide and the reai danger
Place the best quartermaster of your ship in those chains,
and let an officer stand by him, and see that he gives ue the
nght water."

" I will take that office on myself,"' said the captaia
"pass a light into the weather main-chains."

" Stand by your braces ! " exclaimed the Pilot, with start
'iag quickness. " Heave away that lead ! "

4b THE PILOT.

These preparations laught the crew to expect the crisis
and every officer and man stood in fearfid silence, at his as-
signed station, awaiting the issue of the trial. Even the
quartermaster at the cun gave out his orders to the men at
the wheel, in deeper and hoarser tones than usual, as if
anxious not to disturb the quiet and order of the vessel.

While tliis deep expectation pervaded the frigate, thp^
piercing cry of the leadsman, as he called " By the mark
seven,"' rose above the tempest, crossed over the decks, and
appeared to pass away to leeward, borne on the blast like
the warnings of some water spirit.

•• 'Tis well," returned the Pilot calmly ; " try it again."

" The short pause was succeeded by another cry, " And
a half-five ! "

" Sho shcals ! .'^he shoals ! " exclaimed Griffith ; " keep
her a good full."

" Aye ! you must hold the vessel in command, now," said
the Pilot, with those cool tones that are most appalling in
critical moments, because they seem to denote most prepa-
ration and care.

The third call, " By the deep four ! " was followed by a
prompt direction from the stranger to tack.

Griffith seemed to emulate the coolness of the Pilot, in
issuing the necessary orders to execute this manceuvre.

The vessel rose slowly from the inclined position into
which she had been forced by the tempest, and the sails
were shaking violently, as if to release themselves from
their confinement, while the ship stemmed the billows, when
the well-known voice of the sailing-master was heard shout-
ing from the forecastle, —

" Breakers ! breakers, dead ahead ! "

This appalling sound seemed yet to be lingering about
file ship, when a second voice cried, —

" Breakers on our lee-bow ! "

" We are in a bight of the shoals, Mr. Gray," cried the
commander. " She loses her way ; perhaps an anchor
might hold her."

" Clear away that best bower I " shoited Griffith tbrougb
ais trumpet.

THE PILOT. 47

Hold on ! " cried the Pilot, in a voice that reached
ihe very heaits of aL who heard him ; " hold on every-
thhig."

The young man turned fiercely to the daring stranger
who thus defied the discipline of his vessel, and at once
demanded, —

" Who is it that dares to countermand my orders ? is it
i:ot enough that you run the ship into danger, but you must
interfere to keep her there ? If another word " —

'' Peace, Mr. Griffith," interrupted the captain, bending
from the rigging, his gray locks blowing about in the wind,
and adding a look of wildness to the haggard care that he
exhibited by the light of his lantern ; " yield the trumpet
to Mr. Gray ; he alone can save us."

Griffith threw his speaking-trumpet on the deck, and as
he walked proudly away, muttered in bitterness of feel-

" Then all is lost, indeed ! and among the rest, the foolish
hopes with which I visited this coast."

There was, however, no time for reply ; the ship had been
rapidly running into the wind, and as the effiarts of the
crew were paralyzed by the contradictory orders they had
heard, she gradually lost her way, and in a few seconds all
her sails were taken aback.

Before the crew understood their situation the Pilot had
applied the trumpet to his mouth, and in a voice that rose
above the tempest, he thundered forth his orders. Each
command was given distinctly, and with a precision that
showed him to be master of his profession. The helm was
kept fast, the head yards swung up heavily against the wini,
imd the vessel was soon whirling round on her heel, with
fi retrograde movement.

Griffith was too much of a seaman not to perceive that
the Pilot had seized, with a perception almost intuitive, the
only method that promised to extricate the vessel from her
eituation. He was young, impetuous, and proud — but he
was also generous. Forgetting his resentment and hia
jaortifiijation, he rushed forward among the men, and, by
tus presence and example, added certamty to the experi

48 THE PILOT.

ment. The ship fell off slowly before the gale, and bowed
her yards nearly to the water, as she felt the blast pouring
its fury on her broadside, while the surly waves beat
violently against her stern, as if in reproach at departing
from her usual manner of moving.

The voice of the Pilot, however, was stUl heard, steady
»nd calm, and yet so clear and high as to reach every ear ;
and the obedient seamen whirled the yards at his bidding,
in despite of the tempest, as if they handled the toys of
their childhood. When the ship had fallen off dead liefore
the wind, her head-sails were shaken, her after- yarda
trimmed, and her helm shifted, before she had time to run
upon the danger that had threatened, as well to leeward as
to windwai'd. The beautiful fabric, obedient to her govern-
ment, threw her bows up gracefully towards the wind again ;
and, as hnr sails were trimmed, moved out from amongst
the dangerous shoals, in which she had been embayed, aa
steadily and swiftly as she had approached them.

A moment of breathless astonishment succeeded the
accomplishment of this nice manoeuvre, but there was no
time for the usual expressions of surprise. The stranger
still held the trumpet, and continued to lift his voice amid
the bowlings of the blast, whenever prudence or skill
required any change in the management of the ship. For
an hour longer there was a fearful struggle for their pres-
ervation, the channel becoming at each step more comph-
cated, and the shoals thickening around the mariners on
every side. The lead was cast rapidly, and the quick eye
of the Pilot seemed to pierce the darkness with a keenness
of vision that exceeded human power. It was apparent to
all in the vessel that they were under the guidance of one
who understood the navigation thoroughly, and their exer-
ious kept pace with their reviving confidence. Again and
again the frigate appeared to be rushing blindly on shoals
whers the sea was covered with foam, and where destruction
would have been as sudden as it was certain, when the
clear voice of the stranger was heard warning them of the
danger, and inciting them to their duty. The vessel was
implicitly yielded to his government ; and during those

THE PL.*.iT. 49

>

anxious moments when she waa dashing the waters aside,
throwr>^ the spray over her enormous yards, each ear
would lisicn eagerly for those sounds that had obtained a
command over the crew, that can only be acquired, under
such cucumstauces, by great steadiness and consummate
skill. The ship was recovering from the inaction of chang-
ing Ler course, in one of those critical tacks that she had
made so often, when the PUot, for the first time, addressed
the commander of the frigate, who stUl continued to superin-
tend the all-important duty of the leadsman.

" Now is the pinch," he said, " and if the ship bebavea
well, we are safe ; but if otherwise, all we have yet done
will be useless."

The veteran seaman whom he addressed, left the chains
at this jjortentous notice, and calling to his first lieutenant,
required of the stranger an explanation of his warning.

" See you yon light on the southern headland ? " returned
the Pilot ; " you may know it from the star near it, by its
sinking, at times, in the ocean. Now observe the hum-
mock, a little north of it, looking like a shadow in the
norizon ; 'tis a hill far inland. If we keep that light open
from the hill, we shall do well ; but if not, we surely go to
pieces."

" Let us tack again ! " exclaimed the lieutenant.

The PUot shook his head as he replied, —

" There is no more tacking or box-hauUng to be done
to-night. We have barely room to pass out of the shoals
on this course ; and if we can weather the ' Devil's Grip,'
we clear their outermost point ; but if not, as I said before,
there is but an alternative."

" If we had beaten out the way we entered," exclaimed
Griffith, " we should have done well."

" Say^ also, if the tide would have let us do so," returned
the Pilot, calmly. " Gentlemen, we must be prompt ; we
have but a mUe to go, and the ship appears to fly. That
topsail is not enough to keep her up to the wind ; we want
both jib and mainsail."

"'Tis a perilous thing to loosen cauvas m ftuch a torn*
pest!" observed the dsubtful captait

60 THE PILOT.

i

"It must be done," returned the collected stranger ; » w«
perish without it ; see ! the light already touches the edge
of the hummock ; the sea casts us to leeward ! "

" It shall be done ! " cried Griffith, seizing the trumpet
from the hand of the Pilot.

The orders of the lieutenant were executed almost aa
soon as issued ; and, everything being ready, the enormout
foils of the mainsail were trusted loose to the blast. There
was an instant when the result was doubtful ; the tremen-
dous threshing of the heavy sail seemed to bid defiance to
all restraint, shaking the ship to her centre ; but art and
strength prevailed, and gradually the canvas was distended,
and bellying as it filled, was drawn down to its usual placo
by the power of a hundred men. The vessel yielded to
this immense addition of force, and bowed before it like a
reed bending to a breeze. But the success of the measure
was announced by a joyful cry from the stranger, that
seemed to burst from his inmost soul.

"She feels it! she springs her luff! observe," he said,
" the light oj)ens from the hummock already : if she will
only bear her canvas, we shall go clear ! "

A report, like that of a cannon, interrupted his excla-
mation, and something resembling a white cloud was seen
drifting before the wind from the head of the ship, till it
was driven into the gloom far to leeward.

" 'Tis the jib, blown from the bolt-ro^jes," said the com-
mander of the frigate. " This is no time to spread light
duck — but the mainsail may stand it yet."

" The sail woidd laugh at a tornado," returned :he lieu-
tenant; "but the mast springs like a piece of steel."

" Silence all ! " cried the Pilot. " Now, gentlemen, we
shall soon know our fate. Let her luff — luff you can ! "

This warning effectually closed all discourse, and the
h^iirdy mariners, knowing that they had already done all in
tlie power of man to insure their safety, stood in breathless
anxiety, awaiting the result. At a short distance ahead of
them the whole ocean was white with foam, and the wave&
lastead of rolling on in regular succession, appeared to bj
toatins about in mad gambols. A single streak of dark

THE PILOT. 61

hillows, not half a cable's length in width, could be dis-
cerned running into this chaos of water ; but it was soon
lost to the eye amid tlie confusion of the disturbed element.
Along this narrow path the vessel moved more heavUy
than before, being brought so near the wind as to keep her
Bails touching. The Pilot silently proceeded to the wheel,
and, with his own hands, he imdertook the steerage of the
ship. No noise proceeded from the frigate to interrupt the
horrid tumult of the ocean ; and she entered the channel
among the breakers, with the silence of a desperate calm-
ness. Twenty times, as the foam rolled away to leeward,
the crew were on the eve of uttering their joy, as they
Bup2X/sed the vessel past the danger ; but breaker after
breaker would still heave up before them, following each
other into the general mass, to check their exultation.
Occasionally, the fluttering of the sails would be heard ;
and when the looks of the starts .d seamen were turned to
the wheel, they beheld the stranger grasping its spokes,
with his quick eye glancing from the water to the canvas.
At length the ship reached a point, where she appeared to
be rushing directly into the jaws of destruction, when, sud-
denly her course was changed, and her head receded rapidly
from the wind. At the same instant the voice of the Pilot
was heard shouting, —

" Square away the yards ! — in mainsaU ! "

A general burst from the crew echoed, " Square away
the yards ! " and, quick as thought, the frigate was seen
gliding along the channel before the wind. The eye had
jardly time to dwell on the foam, wliich seemed like clouds
driving in the heavens, and directly the gallant vessel issued
from her perUs, and rose and fell on the heavy waves of
the sea.

The seamen were yet drawing long breaths, ar 1 gazing
About them like men recovered from a trance, when Griffith
»pproached the man who had so successfully conducted
Jaem through their perils. The lieutenant grasped the
band of the other, as ha said, —

" You have this night proved yourself a faithful pilot,
*nd such a seaman as the world cannot equal."

62 THE PILOT.

The pressure of the hand was warmly returned hi the
mknown mariner, who replied, —

" I am no stranger to the seas, and I may yet find my
grave in them. But you, too, have deceived me ; you have
acted nobly, young man, and Congress " —

" What of Congress ? " asked Griffith, observing him to
pause.

'• Wliy, Congress is fortunate if it has many such ships as
ihis," said the stranger, coldly, walking away toward the
/»mmander.

Griffith gazed after him a moment in surprise ; but, aa
his duty required his attention, other thoughts soon engaged
his mind.

The vessel was pronounced to be in safety: The gale
was heavy and increasing, but there was a clear sea before
them ; and, as she slowly stretched out into the bosom of
the ocean, preparations were made for her security during
its continuance. Before midnight, everything was in order.

A gun from the Ariel soon announced the safety of the
schooner also, which had gone out by another and an easier
channel, that the frigate had not dared to attempt ; when
the commander directed the usual watch to be set, and the
remainder of the crew to seek their necessary repose.

The captain withdrew with the mysterious pilot to his
own cabin, Griffith gave his last order ; and renewing his
charge to the officer instructed with the care of the vessel,
he vtished him a pleasant watch, and sought the refresh-
ment of his own cot. For an hour the young lieutenant
lay musing on the events of the day. The remark of
Barnstable would occur to him, in connection with the
singular comment of the boy ; and then his thoughts would
recur to the Pilot, who, taken from the hostile shores of
Britain, and with her accent on his tongue, had served
them so faithfully and so well. He remembered the
anxiety of Captain Munson to procure this stranger, at the
rery hazard from which they had just been relieved, and
puzzled himself with conjecturing why a pilot was to be
Bought at such a risk. His more private feelings would
then resume their sv/ay, and the recollection of America, hi»

TUE PILOT. 58

mistress, and his home, mingled with the confused images <A
the drowsy youth. The dashing oi the billows against ihe
Bide of the ship, the creaking of guns and bulk-heads, with
the roaring of the tempest, however, became gradually less
and less distinct, until nature yielded to necessity, and the
young man forgot even the romantic Images of hi& loif^ Oi
Uw deep sleep of a seaocuui.

M THE PILOT.

CMAPTER VI.

The letter ! aye, the letter'.
TIm there a woman loves to speak her wishes;
It gpares the blushes of the love-sick maiden
And every word's a smile, each line a tongue.

Duo.

The slumljers of Griffith continued till late on the, fol-
fowing morning, when he was awakened by the report of a
cannon, issuintr from the deck above him. He threw him-
self, listlessly, from his cot, and perceiving the officer of
marmes near him, as his servant opened the door of liia
state-room, he inquired, with some little interest in his man-
ner, if " the ship was in chase of anything, that a gun was
fired ? "

" 'T's no more than a hint to the Ariel," the soldier re-
plied, " that there is bunting abroad for them to read. It
seems as if all hands were asleep on board her, for we have
shown her signal, these ten minutes, and she takes us for a
collier, I believe, by the respect she pays it."

" Say, rather, that she takes us for an enemy, and is
wavy," returned Griffitli. " Brown Dick has played the
English so many tricks himself, that he is tender of hia
faith."

," Why, they have shown him a yellow flag over a blue
one, with a cornet, and that spells Ariel, in every signal
book we have ; surely he can't suspect the English of know*
ng how to read Yankee."

*' J have known Yankees read more difficult English, '
Bait'. Griffith, smiling ; " but, in truth, I suppose that
Barp stable has been, like myself, keeping a dead reckoning
of bis fime, and his men have profited by the occasion.
She )B hing to, I trust?"

" Ajo ! like a cork in a mill-pond, and I dare say yon

THE PILOT. 55

are rigli*. Give Barnstable plenty of sea-room, a heavy
wind, and but little sail, and he will send his men below,
put that fellow he calls long Tom at the tiller, and follow
himself, and sleep as quietly as I ever could at church."

" Ah ! yours is a somniferous orthodoxy. Captain Man-
ual," said the young sailor, laughing, while he slipped his
arms into the sleeves of a morning round-about, covered
with the gilded trappings of his profession ; '' sleep appears
to come most naturally to all you idlers. But give me a
passage, and I will go up, and call the schooner down to us
in the turning of an hour-glass."

The indolent soldier raised himself from the leaning
posture he had taken against the door of the state-room,
and Griffith proceeded through the dark ward -room, up the
narrow stairs that led him to the principal battery of the
ship, and thence, by another and broader flight of steps, to
the open deck.

The gale still blew strong, but steadily ; the blue water
of the ocean was rising in mimic mountains, that were
crowned with white foam, which the wind, at times, lifted
from its kindred element, to propel in mist, through the air,
from summit to summit. But the ship rode on these
agitated billows with an easy and regular movement, that
denoted the skill with which her mechanical powers were
directed. The day was bright and clear, and the lazy sun,
who seemed unwilling to meet the toU of ascending to the
meridian, was crossing the heavens with a southern inclina-
tion, that hardly allowed him to temper the moist air of the
ocean with his genial heat. At the distance of a mile,
directly in the wind's eye, the Ariel was seen, obeying the
signal which had caused the dialogue we have related.
Her low black hull was barely discernible, at moments,
wh.en she rose to the crest of a larger wave than common ;
but the spot of canvas that she exposed to the wind was
to bo seen, seeming to touch the water on either hand, as
the little vessel rolled amid the seas. At times she was
entirely hid from view, when the faint lines of her raking
masts would be again discovered, issuing, as it were, from
!be oc^au, and continuing to ascend, until the hull itself

66 THE PILOT.

would appear, thrusting its bows into the air, 8nrrom»ded
by foam, and apparently ready to take its flight into another
element.

After dwelling a moment on the beautiful sight we have
attempted to describe, Griffith cast his eyes upward, to ex-
amine, with the keenness of a seaman, the disposition of
things aloft, and then turned his attention to those who
were on the deck of the frigate.

His commander stood, in his composed manner, patiently
awaiting the execution of his order by the Ariel, and at his
side was placed the stranger who had so recently acted such
a conspicuous part in the management of the ship. Griffith
availed himself of daylight and his situation to examine the
appearance of this singular being more closely than the
darkness and confusion of the preceding night had allowed.
He was a trifle below the middle size in stature, but his
form was muscular and athletic, exhibiting the finest pro-
portions of manly beauty. His face appeared rather
characterized by melancholy and thought, than by that
determined decision which he had so powerfully displayed
in the moments of their most extreme danger ; but Griffith
well knew that it could also exhibit looks of the fiercest
impatience. At present, it appeared, to the curious youth,
when compared to the glimpses he had caught by the
lights of their lanterns, like the ocean at rest, contrasted
with the waters around him. The eyes of the Pilot rested
on the deck, or when they did wander, it was with uneasy
and rapid glances. The large pea-jacket, that concealea
most of bis other attire, was as roughly made, and oi
materials as coarse, as that worn by the meanest seaman iu
the vessel ; and yet, it did not escape the inquisitive gaze
of the young lieutenant, that it was worn with an ai] ot
neatness and care that was altogether unusual in men of hi*
profession. The examination of Griffith ended here, for the
near approach of the Ariel attracted the attention of all on
the deck of the frigate, to the conversation that was about
to pass betw'ien their respective commanders.

As the little schooner rolled along under *.heir storti,
Captain Munson directed his subordinate to leave his vessel

THE PILGT. CT

Hid repau- ou board the ship. As sc^n as the order was
received, t-he Ariei rounded-to, and drawing ahead into the
smooth water oi^ca&ioned by the huge fabric that protected
her from the gale, the whale-boat was again launched from
her decks, aud maimed by the same crew that had landed
on those shores which were now faintly discerned far to lee-
ward, looking like Wue clouds on the skirts of the ocean.

'When Barnstable had entered his boat, a few strokes of
the oars sent it, dar.crng over the waves, to the side of the
ship. The little vessel was then veered oif to a distance,
where it rode in safety under the care of a boat-keeper, and
the officer and his «ien ascended the side of the lofty
frigate.

The usual ceremonials of reception were rigidly observed
by Griffith and his juniors, when Barnstable touched the
deck ; and though every hand was ready to be extended
towards the reckless seaman, none presumed to exceed the
salutations of official decorum, until a short and private dia
logue had taken place between him and their captain.

In the mean time, the crew of the whale-boat passed for-
ward, and mingled with the seamen of the frigate, with the
exception of the cockswain, who established himself in one
of the gangways, where he stood in the utmost composure,
fixing his eyes aloft, and shaking his head, in evident dis-
satisfaction, as he studied the complicated mass of rigging
above him. This spectacle soon attracted to his side some
half-dozen youths, with Mr. Merry at their head, who
endeavored to entertain their guest in a manner that should
most conduce to the indulgence of their own waggish pro-
pensities.

The conversation between Barnstable and his superior
soon ended ; when the former, beckoning to Griffith, passed
the wondering group who had collected around the capstan,
awaiting his leisure to greet him more cordially, and led the
way to the ward -roc m, with the freedom of one who telt
himself no stranger. As this unsocial manner formed no
part of the natural temper or ordinary deportment of the
man. the remainder of the officers suffijred their first lieu-
tenant to follow him alone, believing that duty required that

68 THE PILOT.

their interview should be private. Barnstable was deter«
mined that it should be so, at all events ; for he seized the
lamp from the mess-table, and entered the state-room of his
friend, closing the door behind them, and turning the key.
When they were both within its narrow limits — pointing
to the only chair the little apartment contained, with a sort
of instinctive deference to his companion's rank — the com-
mander of the schooner threw himself carelessly on a sea
chest ; and, placing the lamp on the table, he opened the
discourse as follows : —

" What a night we had of it ! twenty times I thought 1
could see the sea breaking over you ; and I had given you
over as drowned men, or, what is worse, as men driven
ashore, to be led to the prison-ships of these islanders, when
I saw your lights in answer to my gun. Had you hoisted
the conscience of a murderer, you wouldn't have relieved
him more than you did me, by showing that bit of tallow
and cotton, tipped with flint and steel. But, Griffith, I have
a tale to tell of a different kind " —

" Of how you slept when you found yourself in deep
■water, and how your crew strove to outdo their commander,
and how all succeeded so well, that there was a gray head
on board here, that began to shake with displeasure," inter-
rupted Griffith ; " truly, Dick, you will get into lubberly
habits on board that bubble in which you float about, where
all hands go to sleep as regularly as the inhabitants of a
poultry-yard go to roost."

" Not so bad, not half so bad, Ned," returned the other,
laughing ; " I keep as sharp a discipline as if we wore a
flag. To be sure, forty men can't make as much parade as
three or four hundred ; but as for making or taking in sailj
I am your better any day."

" Aye, because a pocket-handkerchief is sooner opened
*nd shut than a table-cloth. But I hold it to be unseaman-
like to leave any vessel without human eyes, and tho£*
open, to watch whether she goes east or west, north o*
iouth."

" And who is guilty of such a dead man's watch ? "

" Why, they say aboard here, that when it blows hard,

THE PILOT. 69

you seat the rr.in you call long Tom by the bide of the tiller,
tell liira to keep her heml-to-sea, and then pipe all hands to
their night-caps, where you all remain, comfortably stowed
in your hammocks, until you are awakened by the snoring
of your helmsman."

" 'Tis a damned scandalous insinuation," cried Barnstable,
with an indignation that he in vain attempted to conceal
* Who gives currency to such a libel, Mr. Griffith ? "

" I had it of the marine," said his friend, losing the arch-
ness that had instigated him to worry his companion, in the
vacant air of one who was careless of everything ; " but I
don't believe half of it myself — I have no doubt you all
had your eyes open last night, whatever you might have
been about this morning."

" Ah ! this morning ! there was an oversight, indeed !
But I was studying a new signal-book, Griffith, that has a
thousand times more interest for me than all the bunting
you can show, from the head to the heel of your masts."

" What ! have you found out the Englishman's private
talk ? "

" No, no," said the other, stretching forth his hand, and
grasping the arm of his friend. " I met last night one on
those cliffs, who has proved herself what I always believed
her to be, and loved her for, a girl of quick thought and bold
spirit."

" Of whom do you speak ? "

«0f Katherine" —

Griffith started from his chair involuntarily at the sound
of tliis name, and the blood passed quickly through the
shades of his countenance, leaving it now pale as death, and
then burning as if oppressed by a torrent from the heart.
Struggling to overcome an emotion which he appeared
ashamed to betray even to the friend he most loved, tho
young man soon recovered himself so far as to resume iifi
Beat, when he asked, gloomily, —

« Was she alone ? "

" She wa-s ; but she left with me this paper, and this inval-
Qable book which is wortl* a library of all other works,"

Tlie eye "if Griffith rested vacantly on the treasure thai

60 Tl'S HLOT.

the other vaiued so highly, but his haud seized eagerly tha
open letter which was laid on the table for his perusal
The reader will at once understand, that it was in the hand-
writing of a female, and that it was the coma unication
Barnstable had received from his betrothed on the clifl&
Its contents were as follows : —

** Believing tl at Providence may conduct me where we
»hiil meet, or whence I may be able to transmit to you this
account, I have prepared a short statement of the situation
of Cecilia Howard and myself; not, however, to urge you
and Griffith to any rash or foolish hazards, but that you may
both sit down, and, after due consultation, determine what ia
proper for our relief.

" By this time, you must understand the character of
Colonel Howard too well to expect he will ever consent to
give his niece to a rebel. He has already sacrificed to his
loyalty, as he calls it (but I whisper to Cecilia, 'tis his
treason), not only his native country, but no small part of
his fortune also. In the frankness of my disposition (you
know my frankness, Barnstable, but too well !) I confesi^ed
to him, after the defeat of the mad attempt Griffith made to
carry off Cecilia, in Carolina, that I had been foolish enough
to enter into some weak promise to the brother officer who
had accompanied the young sailor in his traitorous visits to
the plantation. Heigho ! I sometimes think it would have
been better for us all, if your ship had never been chased
into the river, or, after she was there, if Griffith had made
ao attempt to renew his acquaintance with my cousin.
The colonel received the intelligence as such a guardian
would hear that his ward was about to throw away thirty
thousand dollars and herself on a traitor to his king and
country. I defended you stoutly : said that you hal no
king, as the tie was dissolved ; that America was your
country, and that your profession was honorable ; but it
wojild not all do. He called you rebel ; that I was used to.
He said you were a traitor ; that, in his vocabulary, amount!
to the same thing. He even hinted that you were a coward
•nJ that I knew to be false, and did not hesitate to tell hin

THE PILOT. 61

BO. He used fifty opprobrious terms that I ^anuot remem-
ber ; but among others were the beautiful epithets of ' dis-
organizer,' ' leveler,' ' democrat,' and ' jacobin.' (I hope he
did not mean a monk !) In short, he acted Colonel Howard
m a rage. But as his dominion does not, like that of his
favorite kings, continue from generation to generation, and
one short year will release me from his power, and leave me
mistress of my own actions — that is, if your fine promises
are to be believed — I bore it all very well, being resolved
to suffer anything but martyrdom, rather than abandon
Cecilia. She, dear girl, has much more to distress her than
I can have ; she is not only the ward of Colonel Howard,
but his niece, and his sole heir. I am persuaded this last
circumstance makes no difference in either her conduct or
her feelings ; but he appears to think it gives him a right
to tyrannize over her on all occasions. After all. Colonel
Howard is a gentleman when you do not put him in a pas-
sion, and, I believe, a thoroughly honest man ; and CecUia
even loves him. But a man who is driven from his country,
in his sixtieth year, with the loss of near half his fortune, is
not apt to canonize those who compel the change.

" It seems that when the Howards lived on this island, a
hundred years ago, they dwelt in the county of Northum-
berland. Hither, then, he brought us, when political events,
and his dread of becoming the uncle to a rebel, induced
him to abandon America, as he says, forever. We have
been here now three months, and for two thirds of that time
we lived in tolerable comfort ; but latterly, the papers have
announced the arrival of the ship and your schooner in
France ; and from that moment as strict a watch has becm
kept over us, as if we had meditated a renewal of the Car-
olina flight. The colonel, on his arrival here, hired an eld
building, that is, part house, part abbey, part castle, and all
orison ; because it is said to have once belonged to an an-
cestor of his. In this delightful dwelling there are many
fc&ges that wUl secure more uneasy birds than we are,
A.bout a fortnight ago an alarm was given in a neighl)oriiig
village, which is situated on the shore, that two American
vessels, answering your description, had been seen hovering

b2 THE PILOT.

blong the coast ; and, as people in this quarter di-eam of
iiothing but that terrible fellow Paul Jones, it was said that
he was on board one of them. But I believe that Colonel
lloward suspects who you really are. He was very minute
in his inquiries, I hear ; and since then has established a
Bort of garrison in the house, under the pretense of defend-
ing it against marauders, like those who are said to hav«
laid my Lady Selkirk under contribution.

" Now, understand me, Barnstable ; on no account wo'ild
I have you risk yourself on shore ; neither must there l>e
blood spilt, if you love me ; but that you may know what
sort of a place we are confined in, and by whom surrounded,
I will describe both our prison and the garrison. The
whole building is of stone, and not to be attempted with
slight means. It has windings and turnings, both internally
and externally, that would require more skill than I posses*
to make intelligible ; but the rooms we inhabit are in tlie
upper or third floor of a wing, that you may call a tower,
if you are in a romantic mood, but which, in truth, is noth-
ing but a wing. Would to God I could fly with it ! If
any accident should bring you in sight of the dwelling, you
will know our rooms by the three smoky vanes that whiffle
about its pointed roof, and also, by the windows in that
story being occasionally open. Opposite to our windows,
at the distance of half a mile, is a retired, unfrequented ruin,
concealed, in a great measure, from observation by a wood,
and affording none of the best accommodations, it is true,
but shelter in some of its vaults or apartments. I have
prepared, according to the explanations you once gave me
on this subject, a set of small signals, of differently colored
Bilks, and a little dictionary of all the phrases that I could
imagine as useful to refer to, properly numbered to corre-
spond with the key and the flags, all of which I shall send
jrou with this letter. You must prepare your own flag?,
and of course I retain mine, as well as a copy of the key
and bock. If opportunity should ever offer, we can have,
Rt least, a pleasant discourse together ; you from the top of
the old tower in the ruins, and I from the east window oi
my dressing-room ! But now for the garrison. In additioi

THE PILOT. 68

to the commandant, Colonel Howard, who retains all the
fierceness of his former military profession, there is, as his
Becond in authority, that bane of Cecilia's happiness, Ivit
Dillon, with his long Savannah face, scornful eyes of black,
and skin of the same color. This gentleman, you know, i8
a distant relative of the Howards, and wishes to be more
nearly allied. He is poor, it is true, but Jien, as the
colonel daily remarks, he is a good and loyal subject, and
uo rebel. When I asked why he was not in arms in these
stirring times, contending for the prince he loves so much,
the colonel answered that it is not his profession, that he has
been educated for the law, and was destined to fill one of
the highest judicial stations in the colonies, and that he
hoped he should yet live to see him sentence certain name-
less gentlemen to condign punishment. This was consoling,
to be sure ; but I bore it. However, he left Carolina with
us, and here he is, and here he is likely to continue, unlesa
you can catch him, and anticipate his judgment on himself.
The colonel has long desired to see this gentleman the hus-
band of Cecilia, and since the news of your being on the
coast, the siege has nearly amounted to a storm. The con-
sequences are, that my cousin a^ first kept her room, and
then the colonel kept her there, and even now she is pre-
cluded from leaving the wing we inhabit. In addition to
these two principal jailers, we have four men-servants, two
black and two white ; and an officer and twenty soldiers
from the neighboring town are billeted on us, by particular
desire, until the coast is declared free from pirates ! yes,
that is the musical name they give you — and when their
own people land, and plunder, and rob, and murder ;he
men and insult the women, tliey are called heroes ! It's a
(ine thing to be able to invent names and make dictionaries
— and it must be your faiUt, if miue has been framed for
ao purpose. I declare, when I recollect all the insulting
tind cruel things I hear in this country of my own and her
people, it makes me lose my temper, and forget my sex •
but do not let my ill humor urge you to anything rash
remember your life, remember their prisons, remember youl
•eputation, but do not, d^ not foiget your

" lOxiWiRINE PlOWDEN

64 THE PILOT.

" P. S. — I had almost forgotten to tell you, that in the
signal-book you will find a more particular description of
our prison, where it stands, and a drawing of the grounds,
etc."

When Griffith concluded this epistle, he returned it to
the man to whom it was addressed, and fell back in his
chair, in an attitude that denoted deep reflection.

" I knew she was here, or I should have accepted the
command offered to me by our commissioners in Paris," he
at length uttered ; " and I thought that some lucky chance
might throw her in my way ; but this is bringing us close,
indeed ! This intelligence must be acted on, and that
promptly. Poor girl, what does she not suffer in such a
situation ! "

" What a beautifixl hand she writes ! " exclaimed Barn-
stable ; " 'tis as clear, and as pretty, and as small, as her
own delicate fingers. Griff., what a log-book she would
keep ! "

" Cecilia Howard touch the coarse leaves of a log-book ! "
cried the other in amazement ; but perceiving Barnstable
to be poring over the contents of his mistress's letter, he
smiled at their mutual folly, and continued silent. After a
short time spent in cool reflection, Griffith inquired of his
friend the nature and circumstances of his interview with
Katherine Plowden. Barnstable related it, briefly, as it
occurred, in the manner already known to the reader.

" Then," said Griffith, " Merry is the only one, besides
ourselves, who knows of this meeting, and he will be too
chary of the reputation of his kinswoman to mention it."

" Her reputation needs no shield, Mr. Griffith," cried her
lover ; " 'tis as spotless as the canvas above your head,
Wd" —

" Peace, dear Richard ; I entreat your pardon ; my words
may have conveyed more than I intended ; but it is impor-
tant that our measures should be secret, as well as pru
denily concerted."

'^ We must get them both off," returned Barnstable, for-
f^ettmg his displeasure the moment it was exhibited, " anc

THE PILOT. bd

that, too, before the old man takes it into his wise head to
leave the coast. Did you ever get a sight of his Instruc-
tions, or does he keep silent ? "

" As the grave. This is the first time we have left port,
that he has not conversed freely with me on the nature of
the cruise ; but not a syllable has been exchanged between
us on the subject, since we sailed from Brest."

" Ah ! that is your Jersey bashfulness," said Barnstable ;
" wait till I come alongside him, with my Eastern curiosity,
and I pledge myself to get it out of him in an hour."

" 'Twill be diamond cut diamond, I doubt," said Griffith,
laughing ; " you will find him as acute at evasion, as you
can possibly be at a cross-examination."

" At any rate, he gives me a chance to-day ; you know,
I suppose, that he sent for me to attend a consultation of
his officers on important matters."

" I did not," returned Grifiith, fixing his eyes intently on
the speaker ; " what has he to offer."

" Nay, that you must ask your Pilot ; for while talking
to me, the old man would turn and look at the stranger,
every minute, as if watching for signals how to steer."

" There is a mystery about that man, and our connection
with him, that I cannot fathom," said Griffith. " But I
hear the voice of Manual calling for me ; we are wanted in
the cabin. Remember, you do not leave the ship without
seeing me again."

" No, no, my dear fellow ; from the public we must retire
to another private consultation."

The young men arose, and Griffith, throwing off" the
roundabout in which he had appeared on deck, drew on a
coat of more formal appearance, and taking a sword care-
lessly in his hand, they proceeded together along the pas-
sage alreadj described, to the gun-deck, where they entered,
with the proper caremonials, into the principal cabin of the
Cigate.

i

66 THE VILOn.

CHAPTER Vn.

Sempronius, speak.

Cato.

Thb aiTangem(ints for the consultation were brief &&d
Bimple. The veteran commander of the frigate received hia
officers with punctilious respect ; and pointing to the chairs
that were placed round the table, which was a fixture in the
centre of his cabin, he silently seated himself, and his ex-
ample was followed by all without further ceremony. In
taking their stations, however, a quiet, but rigid observance
was paid to the rights of seniority and rank. On the
right of the captain was placed Griffith, as next in author-
ity ; and opposite to him was seated the commander of the
schooner. The officer of marines, who was included in the
number, held the next situation in point of precedence, the
same order being observed to the bottom of the table, which
was occupied by a hard-featured, square-built, athletic man,
who held the office of sailing-master. "When order was re-
stored, after the shont interruption of taking their places,
the officer who had required the advice of his inferiors,
opened the business on which he demanded their opinions

" My instructions direct me, gentlemen," he said, " after
making the coast of England, to run the land down " —

The hand of Griffith was elevated respectfully for silence,
and the veteran paused, with a look that inquired the reasoa
i}( hi« interruption.

" "We are not alone," said the lieutenant, glancing his eyo
kwards the part of the cabin where the P'lot stood, leatiiig
on on, (f the guns, in an attitude of easy indulgence.

The sti anger moved not at this direct hint; neither did
Ms eye change fnm its close survey of a chart that lay
lear him on the deck. The captain dropped his voice to
ones of cautious respect, as he replied, —

THE PILOT, 67

** Tis oijy Mr. Gray. His services will be necessary on
the occasion, and therefore nothing need be concealed from
him."

Gliinces of surprise were exchanged among the young
men ; but Griffith bowing his sUent acquiescence in fhe
decision of his suj^erior, the latter proceeded : —

'•I was ordered to watch for certain signals from the
headJands that we made, and was furnished with the best
of charts, and such directions as enabled us to stand into
the bay we entered last night. We have now obtained a
pilot, and one who has proved himself a skillful man ; such
a one, gentlemen, as no officer need hesitate to rely on, in
any emergency, either on account of his integrity or his
knowledge."

The veteran paused, and turned his looks on the counte
nances o^ the listeners, as if to collect their sentiments on
this important point. Receiving no other reply than the
one conveyed by the silent inclinations of the heads of his
hearers, the commander resumed his explanations, referring
to an open paper in his hand : —

" It is known to you all, gentlemen, that the unfortunate
question of retaliation has been much agitated between the
two governments, our own and that of the enemy. For
this reason, and for certain political purposes, it has become
an object of solicitude with om* commissioners in Paris to
obtain a few individuals of chai'acter from the enemy, who
may be held as a check on their proceedings, while at the
same time it brings the evils of war, from our own shores,
home to those who have caused it. An opportunity now
offers to put this plan in execution, and I have collected
you, in order to consult on the means."

A profound silence succeeded this unexpected communi-
cation of the object of their cruise. After a short pause,
their captain added, addressing himself to the sailing mas-
ter,—

" "WTiat course would you advise me to pursue, I^Ir. Bolt-
rope ? "

The weather-beaten seaman who was thus called on to
break through the difficulties of a knotty point with hi«

68 THE PILOT.

opinion, laid one of his short, bony hands ou the table, and
began to twirl an inkstand with great industry, while with
the other he conv^eyed a pen to his mouth, which was appar-
ently masticated with aU tlie relish that he could possibly
have felt had it been a leaf from the famous Virginian,
weed. But perceiving that he was expected to answer,
after looking first to his right hand, and then to his left, he
epoke as follows, in a hoarse, thick voice, in which the fogi
of the ocean seemed to have united with sea-damps and
colds to destroy everything like melody : —

" If this matter is ordered, it is to be done, I suppose,"
he said ; " for the old rule runs, ' Obey orders, if you break
owners ; ' though the maxim which says, ' One hand for the
owner, and t'other for yourseli",' is quite as good, and has
saved many a hearty fellow from a fall that would have
balanced the purser's books. Not that I mean a purser's
books are not as good as any other man's ; but that when
a man is dead, his account must be closed, or there wiU be
a false muster. Well, if the thing is to be done, the next
question is, how is it to be done? There is many a man
that knows there is toa much canvas on a ship, who can't
teU how to shorten sail. Well, then, if the thing is really
to be done, we must either land a gang to seize them, or
we must show false lights and sham colors, to lead them off
to the ship. As for landing. Captain Mimson, I can only
speak for one man, and that is myself, which is to say, that
if you run the ship with her jib-boom into the king of Eng-
land's parlor-windows, why, I'm consenting, nor do 1 care
how much of his crockery is cracked in so doing ; but as to
putting the print of my foot on one of his sandy beaches, if
I do, that is always speaking for only one man, and saving
your presence, may 1 hope to be d d."

The yo'ing men smiled as the tough old seaman uttered
his sentiments so f-tikly, rising with his subject, to tJiat
which with him was the climax of all discussion ; but hia
commander, who was but a more improved scholar from the
same rough school, appeared to understand his argument*
entirely, and without altering a muscle of his rigid counte-
nance, he required the opinion of the junior lieutenant.

THE PILOT. 69

The young man spoke firmly, but modestly, though the
amount of what he said was not much more distinct than
that uttered by the master, and was very much to the same
purpose, with the exception, that he appeared to entertain
no personal reluctance to trusting himself on dry ground.

The opinions of the others grew gradually more explicit
and clear, as they ascended in the scale of rank, until it
came to the turn of the captain of marines to speak. Thero
was a trifling exhibition of professional pride about the sol-
dier, in delivering his sentiments on a subject that embraced
a good deal more of his peculiar sort of duty than ordinarily
occurred in the usual operations of the frigate.

" It appears to me, sir, that the success of this expedition
depends altogether upon the manner in which it is con-
ducted." After this lucid opening, the soldier hesitated a
moment, as if to collect his ideas for a charge that should
look down all opposition, and proceeded. " The landing, of
course, will be effected on a fair beach, mider cover of the
frigate's guns, and could it be possibly done, the schooner
should be anchored in such a manner as to throw in a
flanking fire on the point of debarkation. The arrange-
ments for the order of march must a good deal depend on
the distance to go over ; though I should think, sir, an ad-
vanced party of seamen, to act as pioneers for the column
of marines, should be pushed a short distance in front, whUe
the baggage and baggage-guard might rest upon the frigate
antU the enemy was driven into the interior, when it coidd
advance without danger. There should be flank-guards,
under the orders of two of the oldest midshipmen ; and a
light corps might be formed of the top-men to cooperate with
the marines. Of course, sir, Mr. Griffith will lead, in person,
the musket-men and boarders, armed with their long pikes,
whom I presume he will hold in reserve, as I trust my
inib"':ary claims and experience entitle me to the command
of the m liu body "

" Well done, field-marshal ! " cried Barnstable, with a
glee that seldom regarded time or place ; '' you should
never let salt-water mould your buttons ; but in Washiug-
tou's camp, aye ! and in Washington's tent, you should

70 THE PILOT.

«wmg your hammock in future. Why, sir, do you think T»a

are about to invade Eugland ? "

" I know that every military movemeni should be execated
with precision, Captain Barnstable," returned the marine.
" I am too much accustomed to hear the sneers of the sea*
officers, to regai'd what I know proceeds from ignorance.
If Captain Muuson is disposed to employ me and my com-
mand in this expedition, I trust he wUl discover that marines
arc good for something more than to mount guard and pay
salutes." Then, turning haughtily from his antagonist, he
continued to address himself to their common superior, as
if disdaining further intercourse with one who, from the
nature of the case, must be unable to comprehend the force
of what he said. " It will be prudent. Captain Munson, to
send out a party to reconnoitre, before we march ; and as it
may be necessary to defend ourselves in case of a repulse, I
would beg leave to recommend that a corps be provided
with intrenching tools, to accompany the expedition. They
would be extremely usefiol, sir, in assisting to throw up
field-works ; though, I doubt not, tools might be found in
abundance in this country, and laborers impressed for the
service, on an emergency."

This was too much for the risibility of Barnstable, who
broke forth in a fit of scornful laughter, which no one saw
proper to interrupt ; though Griffith, on turning his head,
to conceal the smile that was gathering on his own face,
perceived the fierce glance which the Pilot threw at the
merry seaman, and wondered at its significance and impa-
tience. When Captain Munson thought that the mirth of
the lieutenant was concluded, he rmldly desired his reasons
foi amusing himself so exceedingly with the plans of the
marme.

" 'Tis a chart for a campaign ! " cried Barnstable, " and
should be sent off express to Congress, before the French
men are brought into the field ! "

" Have you any better plan to propose, Mr. Barnstable r *
inquired the patient commander.

" Better ! aye, one that wiU take no time, and cause no
trouble, to execute it," cried the other ; " 'tis a seaman's job,
lir, and must be done with a seaman's means."

THE PILOT. 71

** Pardon me, Captain Barnstable," intennpteJ the marine,
whose jocular vein was entirely absorbed in his military
pride ; *' if there be service to be done on shore, I claim it
as my right to be employed."

" Claim what yo i will, soldier ; but how will you carry
on the tvar with a parcel of fellows who don't know one end
of a boat from the other ? " returned the reckless sailor,
" Do you think that a barge or a cutter is to be beached in
tlie same manner you ground firelock, by word of command ?
No, no, Captain Manual — I honor your courage, for I hava
seen it tried, but d e if " —

" You forget, we wait for your project, Mr. Barnstable/
said the veteran.

"I crave your patience, sir; but no project is necessary.
Point out the bearings and distance of the place where the
men you want are to be found, and I will take the heel of
the gale, and rrni in to the land, always speaking for good
water and no rocks. Mr. Pilot, you will accompany me,
for you carry as true a map of the bottom of these seas in
your head as ever was made of dry ground. I will look
out for good anchorage ; or if the wind should blow off
shore, let the schooner stand off and on, till we should be
ready to take the broad sea again. I would land, out of
my whale-boat, with long Tom and a boat's crew, and find-
ing out the place you will describe, we shall go up, and take
the men you want, and bring them aboard. It's all plain-
sailing ; though as it is a well-peopled countiy, it may be
necessary to do our shore work in the dark."

" Mr. Griffith, we only wait for your sentiments," pro-
ceeded the ca^jtain, " when, by comparmg opinions, we may
decide on the most prudent course."

The first lieutenant had been much absorbed in thought
during the discussion of the subject, and might have been
on that account, better prepared to give his opinion with
effect. Pointing to the man who yet stood behind him.
leaning on a gun, he commenced by asking, —

•' Is it your intention that man shall accompany IIh
party ? "

- It «»."

72 THE PILOl.

" And from Lim you expect the necessary information, ux
to guide our movements ? "

" You are altogether right."

" K, sir, he has but a moiety of the skill on the land that
he possesses on the water, I will answer for his success."
returned the lieutenant, bowing slightly to the stranger,
who received the compliment by a cold inclination of his
head. " I must desire the indulgence of both Mr. Barnsta-
ble and Captain Manual," he continued, "and claim the
command as of right belonging to my rank."

" It belongs naturally to the schooner," exclaimed the
impatient Barnstable.

" There may be enough for us all to do," said Griffith,
elevating a finger to the other, in a manner, and with an im-
pressive look, that was instantly comprehended. " I neither
agree wholly with the one nor the other of these gentlemen,
*Tis said, that since our appearance on the coast, the dwell-
ings of many of the gentry are guarded by small detach-
ments of soldiers from the neighboring towns."

" Who says it ? " asked the Pilot, advancing among them
with a suddeunecis that caused a general silence.

" I say it, sir," returned the lieutenant, when the moment-
ary surprise had passed away.

" Can you vouch for it ? "

« I can."

" Name a house, or an individual, that is thus pro-
tected ? "

Griffith gazed at the man who thus forgot himself in the
midst of a consultation like the present, and yielding to his
Dative pride, hesitated to reply. But mindful of the deo-
tarations of his captain, and the recent services of the Pilot,
he at length said, with a little embarrassment of manner, —

*' I know It to be the fact, in the dwelling of a Colonel
Howard, who resides but a few leagues to the north of us "

The stranger started at the name, and then raising his
eye keenly to the face of the young man, appeared to study
his thoughts in his varying countenance. But the action
and the pause that followed, were of short continuance.
His lip slightly curled, whether in scorn or with a concealed

1HE PILOT. 78

smile, would have been difficult to say, so closely did it
resemble both, and as he dropped quietly back to his place
at the gun, he said, —

" 'Tis more than probable you are right, sir ; and if 1
might presume to advise Captain Munson, it would be to
lay great weight on your opinion."

Griffith turned, to see if he could comprehend more
meaning in the manner of the stranger than his words ex-
pressed, but his face was again shaded by his hand, and his
eyes were once more fixed on the chart with the same vacant
abstraction as before.

'• I have said, sir, that I agree wholly neither with Mr.
Barnstable nor Captain Manual," continued the lieutenant,
after a short pause. " The command of this party is mine,
as the senior officer, and I must beg leave to claim it. I
certainly do not think the preparation that Captain Manual
advises necessary ; neither would I imdertake the duty with
as little caution as Mr. Barnstable proposes. K there are
soldiers to be encountered, we should have soldiers to
oppose them ; but as it must be sudden boat work, and
regular evolutions must give place to a seaman's bustle, a
Bea-officer should command. Is my request granted, Captain
Munson ? "
. The veteran replied, without hesitation, —

" It is, sir ; it was my intention to offer you the service,
snj I rejoice to see you accept it so cheerfully."

Griffith with difficulty concealed the satisfaction with
which he listened to his commander, and a radiant smilo
Ulumined his pale features, when he observed, —

" With me then, sir, let the responsibility rest. I request
that Captain Manual, with twenty men, may be put under
my orders, if that gentleman does not dislike the duty."
TL'> marine bowed, and cast a glance of triumph at Barn-
stable. " I will take my own cutter, with her tried crew,
go on board the schooner, and when the wind lulls, we will
run in to the land, and then be governed by circumstances.

The commander of the schooner threw back the tri
umphant look o^ the marine, and exclaimed, in his joyoui
manner, —

74 TKS PILOT.

"'Tis a good p.an, and done like a seaman, Mr. Griffith
A.ye, aye, let the schooner be employed ; and il it be necea-
Bary, you shall see her anchored in one of their duck-ponds,
with her broadside to bear on the parlor-windows of the
best house in the island ! But twenty marines ! they wilt
cause a jam in my little craft."

" Not a man less than twenty would be prudent,"
returned Griffith. " More service may offer than that lee
seek."

Barnstable well understood his allusion, but still Qe
replied, —

" Make it all seamen, and I will give you room for
thirty. But these soldiers never know how to stow away
their arms and legs, vmless at a drill. One will take the
room of two sailors ; they swing their hammocks athwari-
ships, heads to leeward, and then turn out wrong end upper-
most at the call. Why, damn it, sir, the chalk and rotten-
stone of twenty soldiers will choke my hatches ! "

" Give me the launch, Captain Munsdn ! " exclaimed the
indignant marine, " and we will follow Mr. Griffith in an
open boat, rather than put Captain Barnstable to so much
inconvenience."

" No, no, Manual," cried the other, extending his muscular
arm across the table, with an open palm, to the soldier ;
" you would all become so many Jonahs in uniform, and I
doi'bt whether the fish could digest your cartridge-boxes
and bayonet-belts. You shall go with me, and learn, with
your own eyes, whether we keep the cat's watch aboard the
Ariel that you joke about."

The laugh was general, at the expense of the soldier, if
we except the Pilot and the commander of the frigate. The
former was a silent, and apparently an abstracted, but in
reality a deeply interested listener to the discourse ; and
liere were moments when he bent his looks on the speakers,
tie if he sought more in their characters than was exhibited
oy the gay trifling of the moment. Captain Munson seldom
allowed a muscle of his wrinkled features to disturb then
repose ; and if he had not the real dignity to repress the
antimely mirth of his officers, he had too much good naturt;

THE PILOT. 76

to wish to disturb their harmless enjoyments. He expressecl
himself satisfied with the proposed arrangements, and
beckoned to his steward to place before them the usual
beverage, with which all their coii.sidtations concluded.

The sailing-master appeared to think that the same order
was to be observed in their potations as in councli, and
helping himself to an allowance which retained its hue even
in its diluted state, he first raised it to the light, and then
observed, —

" This ship's water is nearly the color of rum itself ; if it
only had its flavor, what a set of hearty dogs we should be !
]Mr. Griffith, I find you are willing tu haul your land-tacka
aboard. Well, it's natural for youth to love the earth ; but
there is one man, and he is sailing-master of this ship, who
saw land enough, last night, to last him a twelvemonths
But if you will go, here's a good land-fiiU, and a better
offing to you. Captain Munson, my respects to you. I
Bay, sir, if we should keep the ship more to the south'ard,
it's my opinion, and that's but one man's, we should fall in
with some of the enemy's homeward-bound West-Indiamen,
and find wherewithal to keep the life in us when we see
fit to go ashore ourselves."

As the tough old sailor made frequent application of the
glass to his mouth with one hand, and kept a firm hold of
the decanter with the other, during this speech, his com-
panions were compelled to listen to his eloquence, or depart
with their thirst unassuaged. Barnstable, however, quite
coolly dispossessed the tar of the bottle, and mixing for
himself a more equal potation, observed, in the act, —

" That is the most remarkable glass of grog you have,
Boltrope, that I ever saOed with ; it draws as little water
as the Ariel, and is as hard to find the bottom. If your
«pirit-room enjoys the same sort of engine to replenish it,
as you pump out your rum, Congress will sail this frigate
cheaply."

TLe other officers helped themselves with still greater
moderation, Griffith barely moistening his lips, and the
Pilot rejecting the offered glass altogether. Captain Mun-
K)n ooutir Aed standing, and his officers, perceiving that

76 THE PILOT.

their presence was uo longer necessary, bowed, and took
their leave. As Griffith was retiring last, he felt a hand
•aid lightly on his shoulder, and turning, percei\ jd that he
was detanied by the Pilot.

" Mr. Griffith," he said, when they were quite alone with
the commander of the frigate, " the occurrences of the last
night should teach us conlidence in each other ; without it,
we go on a dangerous and fruitless errand."

"Is the hazard equal ? " returned the youth. " I am
known to all to be the man I seem — am in the service of
my country — belong to a family, and enjoy a name, that
is a pledge for my loyalty to the cause of America ; and
yet I trust myself on hostile ground, in the midst of enemies,
with a weak arm, and under circumstances where treachery
would prove my ruin. Who and what is the man who thus
enjoys your confidence, Captain Munson ? I ask the ques-
tion less for myself than for the gallant men who wdl fear-
lessly follow wherever I lead."

A shade of dark displeasure crossed the features of the
stranger, at one part of this speech, and at its close he sank
into deep thought. The commander, however, replied, —

" There is a show of reason in your question, Mr. Griffith,
and yet you are not the man to be told that implicit
obedience is what I have a right to expect. I have not
your pretensions, sir, by birth or education, and yet Con-
gress have not seen proper to overlook my years and
services. I command this frigate " —

" Say no more," interrupted the Pilot. " There is reason
iji his doubts, and they shalj be appeased. I like the proud
and fearless eye of the young man, and while he dreads a
gibbet from my hands, I will show him how to repose a
noble coafiience. Read this, sir, and tell me if you dis-
trust me now ? "

While the stranger spoke, he thrust his hand into the
bosom of his dress, and drew forth a parchment, decorated
with rilibons, and bearing a massive seal, which he opened,
i»nd laid on the table before the youth. As he pointed with
his finger impressively, to difi'erent parts of the witing, hi»
i^ye kindled with a 'look of unusual fire, and there was «
(kiut tinge discernible ou his pallid features when he spoke.

THE PILOT. 77

" See ! " he said, " royalty itself does not hesitate to bear
w^itiiess in my fiivor, and that is not a name to occasion
dread to an American."

Griifith gazed with wonder at the fair signature of the
Qnfortunate Louis, which graced the bottom of the parch-
ment ; but when his eye obeyed the signal of the stranger,
and rested on the body of the instrument, he started back
from the table, and fixing his animated eyes on the Pilot, he
cried, while a glow of tiery courage flitted across his coun-
tenance, —

" Lead on ! I'll follow you to death ! "

A smile of gratified exultation struggled aiound the lips
of the stranger, who took the arm of the young man, and
led him into a state-room, leaving the commander of the
frigate, standing in his unmoved and quiet mauaer, a
ipeo.'Htor of, but hardly an acto** in, the scene.

78 THE PILOT

CHAPTER Vin.

Fierce bounding, forward sprang the ship.
Like greyhound starting from the slip
To seize his flying prey.

Lord of the Isles.

Although the subject of the consultation remained a
secret with those whose opinions were required, yet enough
of the result leaked out among the subordinate officers, to
throw the whole crew into a state of eager excitement.
The rumor spread itself along the decks of the frigate, with
the rapidity of an alarm, that an expedition was to attempt
the shore on some hidden service, dictated by the Congress
itself; and conjectures were made respecting its force and
destination, with all that interest which might be imagined
A^ould exist among the men whose lives or liberties were to
abide the issue. A gallant and reckless daring, mingled
with the desire of novelty, however, was the prevailing
sentiment among the crew, who would have received with
cheers the intelligence that their vessel was commanded to
force the passage of the united British fleet. A few of the
older and more prudent of the sailors were exceptions to
this thoughtless hardihood, and one or two, among whom
the cockswain of the whale-boat was the most cons^jicuous,
ventured to speak doubtingly of all sorts of land service, as
being of a nature never to be attempted by seamen.

Captain Manual had his men paraded in the weather-
gangway ; and after a short address, calculated to infame
their military ardor and patriotism, acquainted ihcva that
ae required twenty volunteers, which was in truth half their
aumber, for a dangerous service. After a short pause, the
isompany stepped forward, like one man, and announced
themselves as ready to follow him to the end of the world.
The maj ine cast a look over his shoulder, at this gratifying

THE PILOT. 79

^tvlaration, in quest of Barnstable ; but observing that the
Bailor was occupied with some papers on a distant part of
the quarter-deck, he proceeded to make a most impartial
division among the candidates for glory ; taking care at the
same time, to cull his company in such a manner as to give
himself the flower of his men, and, consequently, to leave
the ship the refuse.

While this arrangement was taking place, and the crew
of the frigate was in this state of excitement, Griffith as-
cended to the deck, his countenance flushed witl unusual
enthusiasm, and his eyes beaming with a look of ai mation
and gayety, that had long been strangers to the face of the
young man. He was giving forth the few necessary orders
to the seamen he was to take with him from the ship, wheu
Barnstable again motioned him to follow, and led the way
once more to the state-room.

" Let the wind blow its pipe out," said the commander
of the Ariel, when they were seated ; " there will be no
landing on the eastern coast of England till the sea goea
down. But this Kate was made for a sailor's wife ! See,
Griffith, what a set of signals she has formed, out of her
own cunning head."

" I hope your opinion may prove true, and that you may
be the happy sailor who is to wed her," returned the other.
" The girl has indeed discovered surprising art in this busi-
ness ! where could she have learnt the method and system
«o well?"

" Where ! why, where she learnt better things ; how to
prize a whole-hearted seaman, for instance. Do you think
that my tongue was jammed in my mouth, all the time we
used to sit by the side of the river in Carolina, and thit
we found nothing to talk about ! "

" Did you amuse your mistress with treatises on the art
cf navigation, and the science of signals ? " said Griffith,
Bmiling.

'' I answered her questions, Mr. Griffith, as any civil man
«»^Guld to a woman he loved. The girl has as much curios-
ily as one of my own townswomen who has weathered cap«
fcjty without a husband and her tongue goes like a dog*

80 THE PILOT.

vane in a calm, first one way and then another. Bat here
is her dictionary. Now own, GrifF., in spite of your col-
lege learning and sentimentals, that a woman of ingenuity
and cleverness is a very good sort of a help-mate."

" I never doubted the merits of Miss Plowden," said the
other, with a droll gravity that often mingled with his
deeper feelings, the result of a sailor's habits, blended with
native character. " But this indeed surpasses all my expeo
tations ! Why, she has, in truth, made a most judicious
selection of phrases. 'No. 168. **** indelible;' '169,
**** end only with life ; ' '170. **** I fear yot-s misleads
me;' '171.'" —

" Pshaw ! " exclaimed Barnstable, snatching the book
from before the laughing eyes of Griffith ; " what folly, to
throw away our time now on such nonsense ! What thmk
you of this expedition to the land ? "

" That it may be the means of rescuing the ladies, though
it fail in making the prisoners we anticipate."

" But this Pilot ! you remember that he holds us by our
necks, and can run us all up to the yard-arm of some Eng-
lish ship, whenever he chooses to open his throat at their
threats or bribes."

" It would have been better that he should have cast the
ship ashore, when he had her entangled in the shoals ; it
would have been our last thought to suspect him of treach-
ery then," returned Griffith. " I follow him with confi-
dence, and must believe that we are safer with him than we
should be without him."

" Let him lead to the dwelling of his fox-hunting minis-
ters of state," cried Barnstable, thrusting his book of sig-
nals into his bosom : " but here is a chart that will show ua
the way to the port we wish to find. Let my foot once
more touch terra firma, and you may write craven against
my name, if that laughing vixen slips her cable before my
eyes, and shoots into the wind's eye again like a flying-fish
chased by a dolphin. Mi-. Griffith, we must have the chap-
lam with us to the shore."

" The madness of love is driving you into the errors of
the soldier. Would you 'ie-by to hear sermons, with a fljr
wifi party like ours ? "

THE PaOT. 51

** Nay, nay, we must lay-to for nothing that is not un
avoidable ; but there are so many tacks in such a chase,
when one has time to breathe, that we might as well spend
our leisure in getting that fellow to splice us together. He
has a handy way with a praj'er book, and could do the jo a
as well as a bishop ; and I should like to be able to say,
that this is the last time these two saucy names, which are
written at the bottom of this letter, should ever be seen
sailing in the company of each other."

" It will not do," said his friend, shaking his head, and
endeavoring to force a smile which his feelings suppressed ;
" it will not do, Richard ; we must yield our own inclinai-
tions to the service of our country ; nor is this Pilot a man
who wUl consent to be led from his purpose."

" Then let him follow his purpose alone," cried Barnsta-
ble. " There is no human power, always saving my supe-
rior officer, that shall keep me from throwing abroad these
tiny signals, and having a private talk with my dark-eyed
Kate. But for a paltry pilot ! he may luff and bear away
as he pleases, while I shall steer as true as a magnet for
that old ruin, where I can bring my eyes to bear on that
romantic wing and three smoky vanes. Not that I'll forget
my duty ; no, I'll help you catch the Englishmen ; but
when that is done, hey ! for Katherine Plowden and my
true love 1 "

" Hush, madcap ! the ward-room holds long ears, and
our bulk-heads grow thin by wear. I must keep you and
myself to our duty. This is no children's game that we
play ; it seems the commissioners at Paris have thoughl
proj)er to employ a frigate in the sport."

Barnstable's gayety was a little repressed by the grave
luanner of his companion ; but after reflecting a moment,
he started on his feet, and made the usual movements for
departure.

" Whither ? " asked Griffith, gently detaining his impa
tient friend.

" To old Moderate ; I have a proposal to make that may
remove every difficulty ''

6

82 THE PILOT.

" Name it to me, then ; I am in his council, aud may
Kive you the trouble and mortification of a refusal."

" How many of those gentry does he wish to line his
cabin with ? "

" The Pilot has named no less than six, all men of rant
and consideration with the enemy. Two of them are peers,
two more belong to the Commons House of Parliament, cue
is a general, and the sixth, like ourselves, is a sailor, and
holds the rank of captain. They muster at a hunning-seat
near the coast, and believe me, the scheme is not without
its plausibility."

" Well, then, there are two apiece for us. You follow
the Pilot, if you will ; but let me sheer off for this dwelling
of Colonel Howard, with my cockswain and boat's crew. I
will surprise his house, release the ladies, and on my way
back, lay my hands on two of the first lords I fall in with
I suppose, for our business, one is as good as another."

Griflith could not repress a faint laugh, whde he re-
plied, —

" Though they are said to be each other's peers, there is, I
believe, some difference even in the quality of lords. Eng-
land might thank us for ridding her of some among them-
Neither are they to be found, like beggars, under every hedge.
No, no, the men we seek must have something better than
their nobility to recommend them to our favor. But let us
examine more closely into this plan and map of IVIiss Plow-
den ; something may occur that shall yet bring the place
within our circuit, like a contingent duty of the cruise."

Barnstable reluctantly relinquished his own wild plan to
the more sober judgment of his friend, and they passed an
hour together, inquiring into the practicability, and consult-
ing on the means, of making their public duty subserve the
piirposes of their private feelings.

The gale continued to blow heavily during the whr e
c i that morning ; but towards noon the usual indications of
better weather became apparent. During these few hours
jf inaction in the frigate, the marines, who were draftea
for service on the land, moved through the vessel with a
busy ind stirring air, as if they were about to participate ia

THE PILOT. 83

the glory anJ danger of the campaign their officer had
planned, while the few seamen who were to accompany the
expedition steadily paced the deck, with their hands thrust
into the bosoms of their neat blue jackets, or cccasioually
stretched towards the horizon, as their fingers traced, for
their less experienced shiijmates, the signs of an abatement in
the gale among the driving clouds. The last lagger among
the soldiers had appeared, with his knapsack on his back^
in the lee-gangway, where his comrades were collected,
armed and accoutered for the strife, when Captain Munsou
ascended to the quarter-deck, accompanied by the straugei
and his first lieutenant. A word was spoken by the latter
in a low voice to a midshipman, who skipped gayly along
the deck, and presently the shrill call of the boatswain was
heard, preceding the hoarse cry of —

" Away there, you Tigers, away ! "

A smart roll of the drum followed, and the marines pa-
raded, while the six seamen who belonged to the cutter that
owned so fierce a name, made their preparations for lower-
mg their little bark from the quarter of the frigate into the
troubled sea. Everything was conducted in the most exact
order, and with a coolness and skill that bade defiance to
the turbulence of the angry elements. The marines were
safely transported fi'om the ship to the schooner, under
the favoring shelter of the former, though the boat ap-
peared, at times, to be seeking the cavities of the ocean,
and again to be riding in the clouds, as she passed from one
vessel to the other.

At length it was announced that the cutter was ready to
receive the officers of the party. The Pilot walked asVla,
and held private discourse, for a few moments, with the
commander, who listened to his sentences with marked and
singular attention. When their confidence was ended, the
veteran bared his gray head to the blasts, and offered his
hand to the other, with a seaman's frankness, mingled with
ihe deference of an inferior. The compliment was cour-
teously returned by the stranger, who turned quickly on hia
heel, and directed the attention of those wlio awaited hi*
movements, by a significant gesture, to the gangway.

84 THE PILOT.

** Come, gentlemen, let us go," said Griffith, start, ug fronj
A reverie, and bowing his hasty compliments to his brethroD
in arms.

When it appeared that his superiors were ready to entei
the boat, the boy, who, by nautical courtesy, was styled IMr
Merry, and who had been ordered to be in readiness, sprang
over the side of the frigate, and glided into the cutter, with
fhe activity of a squirrel. But the captain of mai'inea
j.aused, and cast a meaning glance at the Pilot, whose place
It was to precede him. The stranger, as he lingered on the
deck, was examining the aspect of the heavens, and seemed
unconscious of the expectations of the soldier, who gave
vent to his impatience, after a moment's detention, by say-

'«& —

" "We wait for you, INIr. Gray."

Aroused by the sound of his name, the Pilot glanced hin
quick eye on the speaker, but instead of advancing, he gen-
tly bent his body, as he again signed towards the gangway
with his hand. To the astonishment not only of the sob
dier, but of all who witnessed this breach of naval etiquette,
Griffith bowed low, and entered the boat with the same
promptitude as if he were preceding an admiral. Whether
the stranger became conscious of his want of courtesy, or
was too indifferent to surrounding objects to note occur-
rences, he immediately followed himself, leaving to the u a-
rine the post of honor. The latter, who was distinguished
for his skill in all matters of naval or military etiquette,
thought proper to apologize, at a fitting time, to the first
lieutenant, for suffering his senior officer to precede him
into a boat, but never failed to show a becoming exultation,
when he recounted the circumstance, by dwelling on the
wanner in which he had brought down the pride of th*
haughty Pilot.

Barnstable had been several hours on board his littl*
vessel, which was every way prepared for their reception ;
and as soon as the heavy cutter of the frigaie was hoisted
on her deck, he announced that the schooner was ready ta
«ul It has been already intimated, that the Ai-iel ijc-
longed to the smallest class of sea- vessels ; and as the

THE PILOT. 8i>

•ymmetry of Iier construction reduced e\en that size m
appearance, she was peculiarly well adapted to the sort of
service in which she was about to be employed. Notwith
8tan(lin<r her lightness rendered her nearly as buoyant as a
."jork, iad at times she actually seemed to ride on the foam,
her low decks were perpetually washed by the heavy seaa
that dashed against her frail sides, and she tossed and rolled
in the hollows of the waves, in a manner that compelled
even the practiced seamen v/ho trod her decks to move with
guarded steps. Still she was trimmed and cleared with aa
air of nautical neatness and attention that aiforded the
utmost possible room for her dimensions ; and though in
miniature, she wore the trappings of war as proudly as if
the metal she bore was of a more fatal and dangerous
character. The murderous gim, which, since the period of
which we are writing, has been universally adopted in all
vessels of inferior size, was then in the infancy of its inven-
tion, and was known to the American mariner only by
reputation, under the appalling name of a " smasher." Of
a vast calibre, though short and easily managed, its ad-
vantages were even in that early day beginning to be
appreciated, and the largest ships were thought to be un-
usually well provided with the means of offense, when they
carried two or three cannon of this formidable invention
among their ai'mament. At a later day, this weapon ha?
been improved and altered, until its use has become general
in vessels of a certain size, taking its appellation from the
Carron, on the banks of w^hich river it was first moulded.
In place of these carronades, six light brass cannon were
tirmly lashed to the bulwarks of the Ariel, their brazen
throats blackened by the sea-water, which so often broke
harmlessly over these engines of destruction. In the centre
of the vessel, between her two masts, a gun of the name
iuetal, but of nearly twice the length of the other, was
mounted on a carriage of a new and singular construction,
which admitted of its being turned in any direction, so Jia
to be of service in most of the Emergencies that o<*cur in
wval warfare.

The eye of the Pilot examined this armament closolj,

86 THE PILOT.

and then turned to the well-ordered decks, the neat and
compact rigging, and the hardy faces of the tine young
crew, with manifest satisfaction. Contrary to what had
beet his practice during the short time he had been vith
them, he uttered his gratification freely and aloud.

" You have a tight boat, Mr. Barnstable," he said, " and
a gallant-looking crew. You promise good service, sira in
time of need, and that hour may not be far distant."

" The sooner the better," returned the reckless sailor ;
" I have not had an opportunity of scaling my guns since
we quitted Brest, though we passed several of the enemy's
cutters coming up channel, with whom our bull-dogs longed
for a conversation. Mr. Griffith will tell you, Pilot, that
my little sixes can speak, on occasion, with a voice nearly
as loud as the fi-igate's eighteens."

" But not to as much purpose," observed Griffith ; " ' Vox
et prasterea nihil,' as we said at the school."

" I know nothing of your Greek and Latin, Mr. Griffith,"
retorted the commander of the Ariel ; " but if you mean
that those seven brass playthings won't throw a round-shot
as far as any gun of their size and height above the water
or won't scatter grape and canister with any blunderbuss
in your ship, you may possibly find an opportunity that will
convince you to the contrary, before we part company."

" They promise well," said the Pilot, who was evidently
Ignorant of the good understanding that existed between
the two officers, and wished to conciliate all under his
directions ; " and I doubt not they will argue the leading
points of a combat with good discretion. I see that you
have christened them — I suppose for their respective
merits. They are indeed expressive names ! "

" 'Tis the freak of an idle moment," said Barnstable,
laughmg, as he glanced his eyes to the caimon, above
Ivhi^h were painted the several quaint names of "Boxer,"
" Plumper," " Grinder," " Scatterer," " Exterminator," and
• NaLl-Driver."

'' Why have you thrown the mid-ship gun without th«
pale of y )ur baptism ? " asked the Pilot ; " or do you koow
•t lij the usual title of the ' Old Woman ' ? "

THE PILOT. 87

" No, no ; I have no such petticoat terras on joanl me,"
cried the other ; " but move more to starboard, and yon
will see its style painted on the cheeks of the carriage ; it's
a name that need not cause them to blush either."

" 'Tis a singular epithet, though not without some Tiean-
ing!"

" It lias more than you, perhaps, di'eam of, sir. That
•worthy seaman whom you see leaning against the foremast,
»nd who would serve, on occasion, for a spare spar himself,
is the captain of that gun, and more than once has decided
some warm disputes with John Bull, by the manner in
which he has wielded it. No marine can trail his musket
more easily than my cockswain can train his nine-pounder
on an object ; and thus from their connection, and some
resemblance there is between them in length, it has got the
name which you perceive it carries — that of ' Long Tom.' "

The Pilot smiled as he listened, but turning away from
the speaker, the deep reflection that crossed his brow but
too plainly showed that he trifled only from momentary
indulgence ; and Griffith mtimated to Barnstable, that as
the gale was sensibly abating, they would pursue the object
of their destination.

Thus recalled to his duty, the commander of the schooner
forgot the delightful theme of expatiating on the merits of
his vessel, and issued the necessary orders to direct their
movements. The little schooner slowly obeyed the impulse
of her helm, and fell off before the wind, when the folds of
her square sail, though limited by a prudent reef, were
opened to the blasts, and she shot away from her consort,
like a meteor dancing across the waves. The black mass
of the frigate's hull soon sunk in distance ; and long before
the bun had fallen below the hills of England, her tall masts
were barely distinguishable by the small cloud of sail that
held the vessel to her station. As the ship disappeared,
the land seemed to issue out of the bosom of the deep ; and
m rapid was their progress, that the dwellings of the
gentry, the humbler cottages, and even the dim lines of the
bedges, became gradually more distinct to the eyes of the
Aold mariners, until they were beset with the gloom of

88 THE PILOT.

evening, whe'i the whole scene faded from their view in the
darkness of the hour, loaving only the fiint outline of the
land visible in the tract before them, and the sullen bUlowa
of the ocean raging with appalling violence in the rear.

Still the little Ariel held on her way, skimming the
ocean like a water-fowl seeking its place of nightly rest,
and shooting in towards the land as fearlessly as if the
dangers of the preceding night were already forgotten. No
ekoals or rocks appeared to arrest her course, and we must
leave her gliding into the dark streak that was thrown froin
the high and rocky cliffs, that lined a basin of bold entrance,
whore the mariners often sought and found a refuge froiB
Ibe dangers of the German Ocean.

THE PILOT. 89

CHAPTER IX.

Sirrah . how dare you leave your barley-broth,
To come in armor thus, against your king ?

Drama.

The large irregular building iiihabitea by Colonel How-
ttrd well deserved the name it had received from the pen
of Katherine Plowden. Notwithstanding the confusion in
its orders, owing to the diiferent ages in which its several
parts had been erected, the interior was not wanting in that
appearance of comtbrt which forms the great characteristic
of English domestic life. Its dark and intricate mazes of
halls, galleries, and apartments were all well provided with
good and substantial furniture ; and whatever might have
been the purposes of their original construction, they were
now peacefully appropriated to the service of a quiet and
well-ordered family.

There were divers portentous traditions of cruel separa-
tions and blighted loves, which always linger, like cobwebs,
around the walls of old houses, to be heard here also, and
which, doubtless, in abler hands, might easily have been
wrought up into scenes of high interest and delectable
pathos. But our humbler eiforts must be limited by an
attempt to describe man as God has made him, vulgar and
unseemly as he may appear to sublimated faculties, to the
possessors of which enviable qualifications we desire to say,
at once, that we are determined to eschew all things super-
naturally refined, as we would the devil. To all those,
then, who are tired of the company of their species, we
ivould bluntly insinuate that the sooner they throw aside
our pages, and seize upon those of some more highly gifted
bard, the sooner will they be in the way of quitting earth,
If not of attaining heaven. Our business is solely to treat
«f man, and this ^air scene on which he aces, and that tMtt

90 THE PILOT.

in bis subtleties, and metaphysical contradictions, but in hia
palpable nature, that all may understand our meaning as
well as ourselves — whereby we manifestly reject the
prodigious advantage of being thought a genius, by perhaps
foolishly refusing the mighty aid of incomprehensibility to
establish such a character.

Leaving the gloomy shadows of the cliffs, under which
the little Ariel has been seen to steer, and the sullen roaring
of the surf along the margin of the ocean, we shall endeavor
to transport the reader to the dining-parlor of St. Ruth's
Abbey, taking the evening of the same day as the time for
introducing another collection of those personages, whose
acts and characters it has become our duty to describe.

The room was not of very large dimensions, and every
part was glittering with the collected light of half a dozen
handles, aided by the fierce rays that glanced from the grate,
vhich held a most cheerful fire of sea-coal. The mouldings
of the dark oak wainscoting threw back upon the massive
table of mahogany streaks of strong Hght, wliich played
among the rich fluids that were sijarkling on the board, in
mimic haloes. The outline of this picture of comfort was
formed by damask curtains of a deep red, and enormous
oak chairs with leathern backs and cushioned seats, as if the
apartment were hermetically sealed against the world and
its chilling cares.

Around the table, which still stood in the centre of the
floor, were seated tlu-ee gentlemen, in the easy enjoyment
of their daily repast. The cloth had been drawn, and the
bottle was slowly passing among them, as if those who par-
took of its bounty well knew that neither the time nor the
opportunity would be wanting for their deliberate indul-
gence in its pleasures.

At one end of the table an elderly man was seated, who
performed whatever little acts of com'tesy the duties of a
host would appear to render necessary, in a company where
all seemed to be equally at their ease and at home. Thia
gentleman was in the decline of life, though his erect car-
riage, quick movements, and steady hand, equally denoted
that it was an old age free from the usual iniirmitiea. I&

THE PILOT. 91

his dress, he belonged to that class whose members always
follow the fashions of the age anterior to the one iii which
they live, whether from disinclination to sudden changes of
any kind, or from the recollections of a period which, with
them, has been hallowed by scenes and feehngs that the
chilling evening of life can neither revive nor equal. Age
might possibly have thrown its blighting frosts on his thin
locks, but art had labored to conceal the ravages with the
nicest care. An accurate outline of powder covered not
only the parts where the hair actually remained, but wher-
ever nature had prescribed that hair should grow. IIi«
countenance was strongly marked in features, if not in ex-
pression, exhibiting, on the whole, a look of noble integi-ity
and high honor, which was a good deal aided in its effect
by the lofty receding forehead, that rose like a monument
above the whole, to record the character of the aged veteran.
A few streaks of branching red mingled with a swarthiness
of complexion, that was rendered more conspicuous by the
outline of unsullied white, which nearly surrounded his
prominent features.

Opposite to the host, who it will at once be understood
was Colonel Howard, was the thin yellow visage of Mr.
Christopher Dillon, that bane to the happiness of her cousin,
already mentioned by INIiss Plowden.

Between these two gentlemen was a middle-aged, hard-
featured man, attired in the livery of King George, whose
countenance emulated the scarlet of his coat, and whose
principal employment, at the moment, appeared to consist
in doing honor to the cheer of his entertainer.

Occasionally, a servant entered or left the room in silen* e
giving admission, however, through the open door, to :he
rushing sounds of the gale, as the wind murmured amid the
vigies and high chimneys of the edifice.

A man in the dress of a rustic was standmg near the
chair of Colonel Howard, between whom and the master of
the mai sion a dialogue had been maintained which closed ag
follows. The colonel was the first to speak, after the cur-
tain is drawn from between the eyes of the reader and the
•eeue.

92 THE PILOT.

" Said you, farmer, that the Scotchman beheld the V8»
§els with his own eyes ? "

The answer was a simple negative.

" Well, well," continued the colonel, " you can withdraw/'

The man made a rude attempt at a bow, which being re-
turned by the old soldier with formal grace, he left the
ro(»m. The host, turning to his companions, resumei tba
subject.

•' If those rash boys have really persuaded the silly dotaia
who commands the frigate, to trust himself within the shoals
OB the eve of such a gale as this, their case must have been
hopeless indeed ! Thus may rebellion and disaffection
ever meet with the just indignation of Providence ! It
would not surprise me, gentlemen, to hear that my native
land had been engulfed by earthquakes, or swallowed by the
ocean, so awful and inexcusable has been the weight of her
transgressions ! And yet it was a proud and daring boy
who held the second station in that ship ! I knew his
father well, and a gallant gentleman he was, who, like my
own brother, the parent of Cecilia, preferred to serve his
master on the ocean rather than on the land. His son in-
herited the bravery of his high spirit, without its loyalty.
One would not wish to have such a youth drowned, either."

This speech, which partook much of the nature of a solil-
oquy, especially towards its close, called for no immediate
reply ; but the soldier, having held his glass to the candle,
to admire the rosy hue of its contents, and then sipped of
the fluid so often that nothing but a clear light remained to
gaze at, quietly replaced the empty vessel on the table, and,
as he extended an arm towards the blushing bottle, he spoke,
in the careless tones of one whose thoughts were dwelling
on another theme : —

" Aye, true enough, sir ; good men are scarce, and, as
you say, one cannot but mourn his fate, though his death
be glorious ; quite a loss to his majesty's service, I dare
Bay, it will prove."

" A loss to the service of his majesty ! " echoed the hosV
^ his death glorious ! No, Captain BorroughclitFe, the death
of no rebel cau be glorious ; and how he can be a lou

THE PILOT. 93

to his mrvjdyiy's service, I am myself quite at a loss to im-
derstand."

The soldier, whose ideas were in that happy state of con-
fusion '/hat renders it ditficult to command the one most
needet', but who still, from long discipline, had them under
a wonderful control for the disorder of his brain, answered,
with great promptitude, —

" I mean the loss of his example, sir. It would have
been so appalling to others to have seen the young maa
executed instead of shot in battle."

" He is drowned, sir."

" Ah ! that is the next thing to being hanged ; that cir-
cumstance had escaped me."

" It is by no means certain, sir, that the ship and schooner
that the drover saw are the vessels you take them to have
been," said 'Ms. Dillon, in a harsh, drawling tone of voice.
" I should doubt their daring to venture so openly on the
coast, and in the direct track of our vessels of war."

" These people are our countrymen, Christopher, though
they are rebels," exclaimed the colonel. " They are a hardy
and brave nation. When I had the honor to serve his maj-
esty, some twenty years since, it was my fortune to face the
enemies of my king in a few small affairs. Captain Borrough-
clitfe ; such as the siege of Quebec, and the battle before
its gates, a trifling occasion at Ticonderoga, and that un-
fortunate catastrophe of General Braddock — with a few
others. I must say, sir, in favor of the colonists, that they
played a manful game on the latter day ; and this gentle-
man who now heads the rebels sustained a gallant name
among us for his conduct in that disastrous business. He
was a discreet, well-behaved young man, and quite a gentler-
man. I have never denied that Mr. Washington was very
tiuch of a gentleman."

" Yes ! " said the soldier, yawning, " he was educated
lime jg his majesty's troops, and he could hardly be other-
wise. But I am quite melancholy about this unfortunate
drowning. Colonel Howard. Here will be an end of my
vocation, J suppose ; and I am far from denying that your
hoepitality has made these quarters most agreeable to me."

94 THE PILOT.

" Then, sir, the obligation is only mutual," returned the
host, with a polite inclination of his head : " but gentlemen
who, like ourselves, have been made free of the camp, need
not bandy idle compliments about such trifles. If it were
my kinsman Dillon, now, whose thoughts run more on
' Coke upon Littleton ' than on the gayeties of a mess-table
and a soldier's life, he might think such formalities as neces-
sary as his hard words are to a deed. Come, Borrough-
cliffe, my dear fellow, I believe we have given an honeei
glass to each of the royal family (God bless them all !) ; let
us swallow a bumper to the memory of the immortal
Wolfe."

" An honest proposal, my gallant host, and such a one as
a soldier will never decline," returned the captain, who
roused himself with the occasion. " God bless them all !
Bay I, in echo ; and if this gracious queen of ours ends as
famously as she has begun, 'twill be such a family of princes
as no other army of Europe can brag of around a mess-
table."

" Aye, aye, there is some consolation in that thought, in
the midst of this dire rebellion of my countrymen. But I'll
vex myself no more with the unpleasant recollections ; the
arms of my sovereign will soon purge that wicked land of
the foul stain."

" Of that there can be no doubt," said Borroughcliffe,
whose thoughts still continued a little obscured by the spark-
ling Madeii-a that had long lain ripening under a Carolinian
pun ; " these Yankees fly before his majesty's regulars, like
BO many dirty clowns in a London mob before a charge of
the horse-guards."

•' Pardon me, Captain Borroughcliffe," said his host,
elevating his person to more than its usually erect attitude:
" they may be misguided, deluded, and betrayed, but the
comparison is unjust. Give them arms and give them dis-
cipline, and he who gets an inch of their land from them,
plentiful as it is, will find a bloody day on which to take
possession."

" The veriest coward in Christendom would fight in a
gountry where wine brews itself into such a cordial as this.

THE PILOT. 95

returned the cool soldier. "I am a living proof that jou
mistook my meaning ; for had not those loose-flapped
eeiitlemen they call Vermontese and Hampshire-granters
(God grant them his blessing for the deed !) finished two
thirds of my company, I should not have been at this day
under your roof, a recruiting instead of a marching officer ;
neither should I have been bound up in a covenant, like the
law of Moses, could Burgoyne have made heed against their
long-legged marchings and counter-marchings. Sir, I drink
their healths, with all my heart ; and with such a bottle of
guUien sunshuie before me, rather than disj)lease so good n
friend, I will go through Gates's whole army, regiment ly
regimejit, company by company, or, if you insist on the
same, even man by man, in a bumper."

" On no account would I tax your politeness so far,"
.>eturned the colonel, abundantly mollified by this ample
concession ; " I stand too much your debtor, Captain Bor-
roughclitfe, for so fi-eely volunteering to defend my house
against the attacks of my piratical, rebellious, and misguided
countrymen, to think of requiring such a concession."

" Harder duty might be performed, and no favors asked,
my respectable host," returned the soldier. " Country
quaiirers are apt to be didl, and the liquor is commonly
execrable ; but in such a dwelling as this, a man can rock
himself in the very cradle of contentment. And yet there
is one subject of complaint, that I should disgrace my regi-
ment did I not speak of — for it is incumbent on me, both
as a man and a soldier, to be no longer silent."

" Name it, sir, freely, and its cause shaU be as freely
redressed," said the host, in some amazement.

'' Here we three sit, from morning to night," continued
the soldisr; "bachelors all, well provisioned and better
liquored, I grant you, but like so many well-fed anchorites,
while two of the loveliest damsels in the island pine in soli-
tude within a hundred feet of us, without tasting the homage
of oiir sighs. This, I will maintain, is a reproach both to
your character. Colonel Howard, as an old soldier, and to
mine as a young one. As to our old friend Coke on top
of Littleton here, I leave him to the quiddities of thft law
to plead his own cause." ^

96 THE PILOT.

The brow of the host contracted for a memento and the
sallow cheek of Dillon, who had sat during the dialogue in
a sullen silence, appeared to grow even livid ; but gradually
the open brow of the veteran resumed its frank expression,
and the lips of the other relaxed into a Jesuitical sort of a
smile, that was totally disregarded by the captain, who
amused himself with sipping his wine while he waited for
an answer, as if he analyzed each drop that crossed hig
palate.

After an embarrassing pause of a moment, Colonel
Howard broke the silence.

" There is reason in Borroughcliffe's hint, for such I take
it to be" —

" I meant it for a plain, matter-of-fact complaint," inter-
rupted the soldier.

" And you have cause for it," continued the colonel. " It
is unreasonable, Christopher, that the ladies should allow
their dread of these piratical countrymen of ours to exclude
us fi'om their society, though prudence may require that
they remain secluded in their apartments. We owe the
respect to Captain BorroughcliflPe, that at least we admit
him to the sight of the cofFee-urn in an evening."

" That is precisely my meaning," said the captain : " as
for dining with them, why, I am well provided for here ; but
there is no one knows how to set hot water a hissing in so
professional a manner as a woman. So forward, my dear
and honored colonel, and lay your injunctions on them, that
they command your humble servant and Mr. Coke unto
Littleton to advance and give the countersign of gallantry."

Dillon contracted his disagreeable features into something
that was intended for a satirical smile, before he spoke as
follows . —

" Both the veteran Colonel Howard and the gallant Cap-
tain BorroughcliiFe may find it easier to overcome tne
enemies of his majesty in the field than to shake a woman's
caprice. Not a day has passed these three weeks, that I
have not sent my inquiries to the door of INIiss Howard, as
became her father's kinsman, with a wish to appease her
ipprehensiona of the pirates ; but little has she deigned OM

THE PILOT. 97

Ui reply, more tlian such thanks as her ibx and breeding
could not well dispense with."

" Well, you have been as fortunate as myself, and why
you should be more so, I see no reason," cried the soldier^
throwing a glance of cool contempt at the other : " fear
whitens the cheek, and ladies best love to be seen when the
roses flourish rather than the lilies."

" A woman is never so interesting. Captain Borrough-
diffe." sal I the gallant host, " as when she appears to lean
on man for support ; and he who does not feel himself
honored by the trust, is a disgrace to his species,"

" Bravo ! my honored sir, a worthy sentiment, and spoken
like a true soldier ; but I have heard much of the Icveliness
of the ladies of the Abbey since I have been in my present
quarters, and I feel a strong desire to witness beauty en-
circled by such loyalty as could induce them to flee their
native country, rather than to devote their charms to the
rude keeping of the rebels." The colonel looked grave,
and for a moment fiei'ce ; but the expression of his dis-
pleasure soon passed away in a smile of forced gayety, and,
as he cheerfully rose from his seat, he cried, —

" You shall be admitted this very night, and this instant,
Captain Borroughcliffe. "We owe it, sir, to your services
here, as well as in the field, and those froward girls shall be
humored no longer. Nay, it is nearly two weeks since I
have seen my ward myself ; nor have I laid my eyes on my
niece but twice in aU that time. Christoj^her, I leave the
captain under your good care while I go seek admission
into the cloisters : we call that part of the building the
cloisters, because it holds our nuns, sir ! You will pardon
my early absence from the table, Captain Borroughclifl'e."

" I beg it may not be mentioned ; you leave an excellent
representative behind you, sir," cried the soldier, taking in
the lank figure of IMr. Dillon in a sweeping glance, that
terminated with a settled gaze on his decanter. " Make my
devoirs to the recluses, and say all that your own excellent
wit shall suggest as an apology for my impatience. Mr.
Dillon, I meet you in a bumper to their healths and la
their honor."

f

98 THE PILOT.

The challenge was coldly accepted ; and while tl^sc

gentlemen still held their glasses to their }ips, Colonel
Howard left the apartment, bowing low, and uttering a
thousand excuses to his guest, as he proceeded, and even
oiFering a very unnecessary apology of the same effect to
his habitual inmate, Mr. Dillon.

" Is fear so very powerful within these old walls," said
the soldier, when the door closed behind their host, " that
your ladies deem it necessary to conceal themselves before
even an enemy is known to have landed ? "

Dillon coldly replied, —

" The name of Paul Jones is terrific to all on this coast,
I believe ; nor are the ladies of St. Ruth singular in their
apprehensions."

" Ah ! the pirate has bought himself a desperate name
since the affair of Flamborough Head. But let him look
to't, if he trusts himself in another Whitehaven expedition,
while there is a detachment of the th in the neighbor-
hood, though the men should be nothing better than re-
cruits."

" Our last accounts leave him safe in the court of Louis,**
returned his companion ; " but there are men as desperate
as himself, who sail the ocean under the rebel flag, and from
one or two of them we have had much reason to apprehend
the vengeance of disappointed men. It is they that we
hope are lost in this gale."

" Hum ! I hope they were dastards, or your hopes are a
Uttle unchristian, and " —

He would have proceeded, but the door opened, and his
orderly entered, and announced that a sentinel had detamed
three men, who were passing along the highway, near the
A.bbey, and who, by their dress, appeared to be seamen.

" Well, let them pass," cried the captain ; " what, have
we nothing to do better than to stop passengers, like foot-
pads on the king's highway ! Give them of your canteens,
and let the rascals pass. Your orders were to give th«
alarm if any hostile party landed on the coast, net to detait
peaceable subjects on their lawful business."

** J beg your honor's pardon," returned the sergeant

THE PILOT. 99

* but these men seemed lurking abou the grounds for no
good, and as they kept carefully aloof from the place where
our sentinel was posted, until to-night, Downing thought it
looked suspiciously, and detained them."
» " Downing is a fool, and it may go hard with him for hia
officiousness. What have you done with the men ? "

" I took them to the guard-room in the east wing, yoiv
honor."

" Then feed them ; and harkye, sirrah ! liquor them well
that we hear no complaints, and let them go."

" Yes, sir, yes ; your honor shall be obeyed ; but there i»
a straight, soldierly-looking fellow among them, that I think
might be persuaded to enlist, if he were detained till morn-
ing. I doubt, sir, by his walk, but he has served already."

" Ha ! what say you ! " cried the captain, pricking up
his ears like a hound who hears a well-known cry, "served,
think ye, already ? "

" There are signs about him, your honor, to that effect.
An old soldier is seldom deceived in such a thing ; and con-
sidering his disguise, for it can be no other, and the place
where we took him, there is no danger of a have-us corpses
until he is tied to us by the laws of the kingdom."

" Peace, you knave ! " said Borroughcliffe, rising, and
making a devious route towards the door ; " you speak in
the presence of my Lord Chief Justice that is to be, and
should not talk lightly of the laws. But still you say rea-
son ; give me your arm, sergeant, and lead the way to the
east wing ; my eyesight is good for nothing in such a dark
night. A soldier should always visit his guard before the
tattoo beats."

After emulating the courtesy of their host, Captain Bor-
roughcliffe retired on this patriotic errand, leaning on hia
iabordinate in a style of most familiar condescension. Dil-
ion continued at the table, endeavoring to express the ran-
corous feelings of his breast by a satirical smile of contempt,
that was necessarily lost on all but himself, as a large mir-
ror threw back the image of his morose and unpleasant fea-
tures.

But we must precede the ve'.eran colonel in his visits Ut
\he " clcii ters."

IOC THE PILOT

CHAPTER X.

And kindness like their own
Inspired those eyes, affectionate and glad,
That seemed to love wbate'ei they looked upon;
Whether with Hebe's mirth her features shone,
Or, if a shade more pleasing them o'ercast —
Yet so becomingly th' expression past,
That each succeedmg look was loveUer than the last.

Gektrude of Wyomihg.

The western wing of St. Ruth House, or Abbey, as the
building was indiscriminately called, retained but few ves-
tiges of the uses to which it had been originally devoted.
The upper apartments were small and numerous, extending
on either side of a long, low, and dark gallery, and might
have been the dormitories of the sisterhood who were said
to have once inhabited that portion of the edifice ; but the
ground-floor had been modernized, as it was then called,
about a century before, and retained just enough of its
ancient character to blend the venerable with what was
thought comfortable in the commencement of the reign of
the third George. As this wing had been appropriated to
the mistress of the mansion, ever since the building had
changed its spiritual character for one of a more carnal na-
ture. Colonel Howard continued the arrangement, when he
became the temporary possessor of St. Ruth, until, in the
course of events, the apartments which had been apjiro-
oriated for the accommodation and convenience of his niece
were eventually converted into her prison. But as the se-
verity of the old veteran was as often marked by an exhi
bition of his virtues as of his foibles, the confinement an''
bis displeasure constituted the sole subjects of complaint
that were given to the young lady. That our readers may
be better qualified to judge of the nature of their imprison
ment, we shall transport them, without further cinuunloow-

THE PILOT. 101

tion, into the presence of the two females, whom tbey must
be already prepared to receive.

The withdrawing-room of St. Ruth's was an apartment
which, tradition said, had formerly been the refectory of the
little bevy of fair sinners who sought a refuge within its
walls from the temptations of the world. Their numl)er
was not large, nor their entertainments very splendid, oi
this limited space could not have contained them. Th«
room, however, was of fair dimensions, and an air of pecul-
iar comfort, mingled with chastened luxury, was thrown
around it, by the voluminous folds of the blue damask car-
tains that nearly concealed the sides where the deep win-
dows were placed, and by the dark leathern hangings,
richly stamped with cunning devices in gold, that orna-
mented the two others. Massive couches in carved ma-
hogany, with chairs of a similar material and fashion, all
covered by the same rich fabric that • composed the curtains,
together with a Turkey carpet, over the shaggy surface of
which all the colors of the rainbow were scattered in bright
confusion, united to relieve the gloomy splendor of the
enormous mantel, deep, heavy cornices, and the complicated
carvings of the massive wood-work which cumbered the
walls. A brisk fire of wood was burning on the hearth, in
compliment to the willful prejudice of Miss Plowden, who
had maintained, in her most vivacious manner, that sea-coal
was *' only tolerable for blacksmiths and Englishmen." In
addition to the cheerful blaze from the hearth, two waxen
lights, in candlesticks of massive silver, were lending their
aid to enliven the apartment. One of these was casting its
rays brightly along the confused colors of the carpet on
which it stood, flickering before the active movements of
the form that played around it with light and animated in-
flections. The posture of this young lady was infantile in
grace, and, with one ignorant of her motives, her employ-
ment would have been obnoxious to the same construction.
Divers small square pieces of silk, strongly contrasted to
each other in color, lay on every side of her, and were
changed, as she kneeled on the floor, by her nimble hands,
into as many different combinations as if she was humor-

102 THE PILOT.

ttig the fancies of her sex, or consulting the shades of hei
own dark but rich complexion in the shop of a mercer.
The close satin dress of this young female served to display
her small figure in its true proportions, while her dancing
eyes of jet-black shamed the dyes of the Italian manufac-
turer by their superior radiancy. A few ribbons of pink,
disposed about her person with an air partly studied, and
yet carelessly coquettish, seemed rather to reflect than lend
the rich bloom that mantled around her laughing counte-
nance, leaving to the eye no cause to regret that she was
not fauer.

Another female figure, clad in virgin white, was reclining
on the end of a distant couch. The seclusion in which they
lived might have rendered this female a little careless of
her appearance, or, what was more probable, the comb had
been found unequal to its burthen ; for her tresses, which
rivaled the hue and gloss of the raven, had burst from their
confinement, and dropping over her shoulder, feU along her
dress in rich profusion, finally resting on the damask of the
couch, in dark folds, like glittering silk. A small hand,
which seemed to blush at its own naked beauties, supported
her head, imbedded in the volumes of her hair, like the
fairest alabaster set in the deepest ebony. Beneath the
dark profusion of her curls, which, notwithstanding the
Bweeping train that fell about her person, covered the sum-
mit of her head, lay a low, spotless forehead of dazzling
whiteness, that was relieved by two arches so slightly and
truly drawn that they appeared to have been produced by
the nicest touches of art. The fallen lids and long silken
lashes concealed the eyes that rested on the floor, as if their
mistress mused in melancholy. The remainder of the fea-
tures of this maiden were of a kind that is most difficult
to describe, being neither regular nor perfect in their sev-
eral parts, yet harmonizing and composing a whole, that
formed an exquisite picture of female delicacy and loveli-
ness. There might or there might not have been a tinge
ftf slight red in her cheeks, but it varied with each emotios.
»f her bosom, even as she mused in quiet, now seeming to
^teal iiiiidiouslj over her glowing temples, and then leaving

THE pnoT. 103

on her face ai' almost startling paleness. Her stature, as
"he reclined, seemed above the medium height of woman-
hood, and her figure was rather delicate than fiill, though
the little foot that rested on the damask cushion before her,
displayed a rounded outline that any of her sex might
envy.

" 0 ! I'm as expert as if I were signal officer to the Lord
High Admiral of this realm ! " exclaimed the laughing
female on the floor, clapping her hands together in girlish
exultation. " I do long, Cecilia, for an opportunity to ex-
hibit my skill."

While her cousin was speaking, Miss Howard raised her
head, with a faint smile, and as she turned her eyes towards
the other, a spectator might have been disappointed, but
could not have been displeased, by the unexpected change
the action produced in the expression of her countenance.
Instead of the piercing black eyes that the deep color of
her tresses would lead him to expect, he would have beheld
two large, mild, blue orbs, that seemed to float in a liquid
60 pm-e as to be nearly invisible, and which were more re-
markable for their tenderness and persuasion, than for the
vivid flashes that darted from the quick glances of her com-
panion.

" The success of your mad excursion to the sea-side, my
cousin, has bewildered your brain," returned Cecilia ; " but
I know not how to conquer your disease, unless we pre-
scribe salt water for the remedy, as in some other cases of
madness."

*' Ah ! I am afraid your nostnim would be useless," cried
Katherine ; " it has failed to wash out the disorder from the
sedate Mr. Richard Barnstable, who has had the regimen
administered to him through many a hard gale, but who
continues as fair a candidate for Bedlam as ever. Would
you thiiik it. Cicely, the crazy one urged me, in the ten
Koiutes' conversation we held together on the cliffs, to
fccept of his schooner as a shower-bath ! "

" I can think that joui hardihood might encourage him
te expect much, bnt surely he could not have been serioiu
h) such a proposal ! "

104 THE PILOT.

" 0 ! to do the wretch justice, he did say something of a
chaplain to consecrate the measure, but there was boundlesa
impudence in the thought. I have not, nor shall I forget
it, or forgive him for it, these six-and-twenty years. What
a fine time he must have had of it, in his little Ariel, among
the monstrous waves we saw tumbling in upon the shore to-
day, coz ! I hope they will wash his impudence out of
him ! I do think the man cannot have had a dry thread
about him, from sun to sun. I must believe it as a punish-
ment for his boldness, and, be certain, I shall tell him of it.
I will form half a dozen signals, this instant, to joke at his
moist condition, in very revenge."

Pleased with her own thoughts, and buoyant with the se-
cret hope that her adventurous vmdertaking would be finally
crowned with complete success, the gay girl shook her black
locks, in infinite mirth, and tossed the mimic flags gayly
around her person, as she was busied in forming new com-
binations, in order to amuse herself with her lover's disas-
trous situation. But the features of her cousin clouded
with the thoughts that were excited by her remarks, and
she replied, in a tone that bore some little of the accents of
reproach, —

" Katherine ! Katherine ! can you jest when there is so
much to apprehend? Forget you what Alice Dunscombe
told us of the gale, this morning? and that she spoke of
cwo vessels, a ship and a schooner, that had been seen ven-
turing with fearful temerity within the shoals, only six
miles from the Abbey, and that vmless God in his gracious
providence had been kind to them, there was but little
.loubt that their fate would be a sad one ? Can you, that
know so well who and what these daring mariners are, be
marry about the self-same winds that cause their danger ? "

The thoughtless, laughing girl was recalled to her recol-
l?y?.ticn by this remonstrance, and every trace of mirtla van*
ished fi'om her countenance, leaving a momentary de&th-like
paleness crossing her face, and she clasped her hands before
her, and fastened her keen eyes vacantly on the splendid
pieces of silk that now lay unheeded around her. At this
critical moment the door of the room slowly opened, aad

THE PILOT. 105

lloionel Howard entered the apartmeut with an air that
displayed a droll mixture of stern indignation, with a chiv-
airic and habitual respect to the sex.

" I solicit your pardon, young ladies, for the interrup-
tion," he said ; '• I trust, however, that an old man's pres-
ence can never be entirely unexpected in the drawing-room
of his wards."

As he bowed, the colonel seated himself on the end of
the couch, opposite to the place where his niece had been
reclinirg, for Miss Howard had risen at his entrance, and
continued standing until her uncle had comfortably disposed
of himself. Throwing a glance which was not entii'ely free
from self-commendation around the comfortable apartment,
the veteran proceeded, in the same tone as before : —

" You are not without the means of making any guest
welcome, nor do I see the necessity of such constant seclu-
sion from the eyes of the world as you thus rigidly prac-
tice."

Cecilia looked timidly at her uncle, with surprise, before
she returned an answer to his remark.

" We certainly owe much to your kind attention, dear
sir," she at length uttered ; " but is our retirement altogether
voluntary ? "

" How can it be otherwise ! are you not mistress of this
mansion, madam ? In selecting the residence where your,
and, permit me to add, my ancestors, so long dwelt in credit
and honor, I have surely been less governed by any natural
j^jride that I might have entertained on such a subject, than
by a desire to consult your comfort and happiness. Every-
thing appears to my aged eyes as if we ought not to be
ashamed to receive our friends within these walls. The
cloisters of St. Ruth, Miss Howard, are not entirely bare^
tt'ither are their tenants wholly unworthy to be seen/'

■ Open, then, the portals of the Abbey, sir, and ycui
aiece wiil endeavor to do proper credit to the hospitality
tf its master."

" That was spoken like Harry Howard's daughter, franklv
«ad generously ! " cried the old soldier, insensibly edging
himsell nearer to his niece. " If my brother had devoted

106 THE PILOl.

himself to the camp, Instead of the sea, Cecilia, he would
have made one of the bravest and ablest generals in his
majesty's service — poor Harry! he might have been living
at this very day, and at this moment leading the victorious
troops of his sovereign through the revolted colonies in tri-
umph. But he is gone. Cicely, and has left you behind him,
as his dear representative, to perpetuate our family, and to
possess what little has been left to us from the ravages of
the times."

" Surely, dear sir," said Cecilia, taking his hand, which
had unconsciously approached her person, and pressing it to
her lips, " we have no cause to complain of our lot in re-
spect to fortune, though it may cause us bitter regret that
80 few of us are left to enjoy it."

" No, no, no," said Katheriue, in a low, hurried voice ;
" Alice Dunscombe is and must be wrong ; Providence
would never abandon brave men to so cruel a fate!"

" Ahce Dunscombe is here to atone for her error, if she
has fallen into one," said a quiet, subdued voice, in which
the accents of a provincial dialect, however, were slightly
perceptible, and which, in its low tones, wanted that silvery
clearness that gave so much feminine sweetness to the words
of IMiss Howard, and which even rang melodiously in the
ordinarily vivacious strains of her cousin.

The surprise created by these sudden interruptions caused
a total suspension of the discourse. Katherine Plowden,
who had continued kneeling in the attitude before described,
arose, and as she looked about her in momentary confusion,
the blood again mantled her face with the fresh and joyous
springs of life. The other speaker advanced steadily into
the middle of the room ; and after returning, with studied
civility, the low bow of Colonel Howard, seated herself tc
eilence on the opposite couch. The manner of her en-
tiaiice, her reception, and her attire, sufficiently denoted
that the presence of this female was neither unusual nor
unwelcome. She was dressed with marked simplicity,
though with a studied neatness, that more than compensated
for the absence of ornaments. Her age might not have
much exceeded thirty, but there was an adoption of custom!

THE PILOT. 107

In her attire that indicated she was not unwilling to be
thought older. Her fair flaxen hair was closely confined
by a dark bandeau, such as was worn in a nation farther
uorth by virgins only, over which a few curls strayed, in
a manner that showed the will of their mistress alone re-
strained their luxuriance. Her light complexion liad lost
much of its brilliancy, but enough still remained to assert
its original beauty and clearness. To this description might
be added, fine, mellow, blue eyes ; beautifully white, though
large, teeth; a regular set of features, and a person that
was clad in a dark lead-colored silk, which fitted her full,
but gracefiilly-moulded form with the closest exactness.

Colonel Howard paused a moment after this lady wag
seated, and then turning himself to Katherine with an air
that became stiff and constrained by attempting to seem
extremely easy, he said, —

" You no sooner summon Miss Alice, but she appears,
Miss Plowden — ready and (I am bold to say, Mss Alice)
able to defend herself against all charges that her worst
enemies can allege against her."

" I have no charges to make against INIiss Dunscombe,"
said Katherine, pettishly, " nor do I wish to have dissen-
sions created between me and my friends, eveu by Colonel
Howard."

" Colonel Howard will studiously avoid such ofienses in
future," said the veteran, bowing ; and turning stifily to the
others, he continued, " I was just conversing with my niece
as you entered, Miss Alice, on the subject of her immuring
herself hke one of the veriest nuns who ever inhabited these
cloisters. I tell her, madam, that neither her years, nor my
fortsine, nor, indeed, her own, for the child of Harry How-
ard was not left penniless, require that we should live as if
the doors of the world were closed against us, or there was
n ") other entrance to St. Ruth's but through those antiquated
whidows. Miss Plowden, I feel if to be my duty to uiquire
why those pieces of silk are provided in such an unusual
abundance, and in so extraordinary a shape ? "

'' To make a gala dress for the ball you are about t«
give, sir," said Kathe-ine, with a saucy smile, that was onlj

108 THE PILOT.

checked by tho. reproachful glance of her cousin. " Yon
have taste in a lady's attire, Colonel Howard ; mil not this
bright yellow form a charming relief to my brown face,
wliile this white and black relieve one another, and this pink
contrasts so sweetly with black eyes. Will not the whole
form a tm-ban- fit for an empress to wear ? "

As the arch maiden prattled on in this unmeaning man-
ner, her rapid fingers entwined the flags in a confused maze,
which she threw over her head m a form not unlike the
ornament for which she intimated it was intended. The
veteran was by far too polite to dispute a lady's taste, and
he renewed the dialogue, with his slightly awakened suspi-
cion completely quieted by her dexterity and artifice. But
although it was not difiicult to deceive Colonel Howard in
matters of female dress, the case was very different with
Alice Dunscombe. This lady gazed with a steady eye and
reproving countenance on the fantastical turban, until Kath-
erine threw herself by her side, and endeavored to lead her
attention to other subjects, by her playful motions and
whispered questions.

" I was observing. Miss Alice," continued the colonel,
" that although the times had certainly inflicted some loss on
my estate, yet we were not so much reduced, as to be un-
able to receive our friends in a manner that would not dis-
grace the descendants of the ancient possessors of St. Kuth.
Cecilia, here, my brother Harry's daughter, is a young lady
that any imcle might be proud to exhibit, and I would have
her, madam, show your English dames, that we rear no un-
worthy specimens of the parent stock on the other side of
the Atlantic."

" You have only to declare your pleasure, my good uncle,"
said IVIiss Howard, " and it shall be executed."

*' Tell us how we can oblige you, sir," continued Kath-
erine, " and if it be in any manner that will relieve the
tedium of this dull residence, I promise you at least one
cheerful assistant to your scheme."

"You speak fair," cried the colonel, "and like two di»
creet and worthy girls ! Well, then, our first step shall be
to send a message to Dillon and the captain, and invite them
o attend jrour coffee. I see the hour approaches."

THE ?IL0T. 10?

Cecilia made no reply, but looked distressed, and dropped
her mild eyes to the carpet ; but Miss Plowdeu took it upon
herself to answer.

" Nay, sir, that would be for them to proceed in the mat*
tei ; as your proposal was that the first step should be oxu"s,
Bupjjose we all adjourn to your part of the house, and do
the honors of the tea-table in your drawing-room, instead of
our own. I understand, sir, that you have had an apart-
ment fitted up for that purpose in some style ; a woman's
taste might aid your designs, however."

" Miss Plowden, I believe I intimated to you some time
since," said the displeased colonel, " that so long as certain
suspicious vessels were known to hover on this coast, I should
desire that you and JMiss Howard would confine yourselves
to this wing."

"Do not say that we confine ourselves," said Katherine,
" but let it be spoken in plain English, that you confine us
here."

" Am I a jailer, madam, that you apply such epithets to
my conduct? INIiss Alice must form strange conclusions of
our manners, if she receive her impressions 6'om your very
singular remarks. I" —

" All measures adopted from a dread of the ship and
schooner that ran within the Devil's Grip, yester-eve may be
dispensed with now," interrupted Miss Dunscombe, in a mel-
ancholy, reflecting tone. " There are few living who know
the dangerous paths that can conduct even the smallest craft
in safety from the land, with daylight and fair winds ; but
when darkness and adverse gales oppose them, the chance
for safety lies wholly in God's kindness."

" There is truly much reason to believe they are lost,"
letumed the veteran, in a voice in which no exultation was
apparent.

" They are not lost ! " exclaimed Katherine, with start-
ling energy, leaving her seat, and walking across the room
to join Cecilia, with an air that seemed to elevate her little
figure to the height of her cousin. " They are skillful and
they are brave, and what gallant sailors can do will they do,
tnd successfully ; besides, in what behalf would a just ProT

110 THE PILOT.

idence sooner exercise its merciful power, than to protect
the daring cliildren of an oppressed country, while contend
ins against tyranny and countless wrongs ? "

The conciliating disposition of the colonel deserted him,
as he listened. His own black eyes sparkled with a rivid-
uess unusual for his years, and his courtesy barely permitted
the lady to conclude, ere he broke forth, —

" What sin, madam, what damning crime, would sooner
call down the just wrath of Heaven on the transgressors, than
the act of foul rebellion ? It was this crime, madam, that
deluged England in blood in the reign of the first Charles ;
it is this crime tliat has dyed more fields red than all the
rest of man's oiFeoses united ; it has been visited on our
race as a condign punishment, from the days of the deservedly
devoted Absalom, down to the present time ; in short, it lost
heaven forever to some of the most glorious of its angels,
and there is much reason to believe that it is the one un
pardonable sin named m the holy gospels."

" I know not that you have authority for believing it to
be the heavy enormity that you mention, Colonel Howard,"
said IMlss Dunscombe, anticipating the spirited reply of
Katherine, and willing to avert it ; she hesitated an instant,
and then drawing a heavy, shivering sigh, she continued, in
a voice that grew softer as she spoke, '' 'tis indeed a crime
of magnitude, and one that throws the common backslidings
of our lives, sjDeaking by comiiarison, into the sunshine of
his favor. Many there are who sever the dearest ties o'^
this life, by madly rushing into its sinful vortex ; for I fain
tliink the heart grows hard with the sight cf human calamity,
and becomes callous to the miseries its owner inflicts ;
especially where we act the wrongs on our own kith and kin,
regardless who or how many that are dear to us suffer by
our evil deeds. It is, besides. Colonel Howard, a dangerous
temptation, to one little practiced in the great world, to find
himself suddenly elevated into the seat of j^ower ; and if it
do not lead tQ the commission of great crimes, it surely pre*
pares the way to it, by hardening the heart."

" I hear you patiently, ]\Iiss Alice," said Katherine, dano>
mg her little foot, in affected coolness : " for you neithei

THE PILOl. in

know of whom nor to whom you speak. But Colonel
Howard has not that apology. Peace;, Cecilia, for I must
Bpeak ! Believe them not, dear girl ; there is not a we^
hair on their heads. For you. Colonel Howard, who must
recollect that the sister's son of the mothers of both your
niece and myself is on board that frigate, there is tn appear^
ance of cruelty in using such language."

" I pity the boy ! from my soul I pity him ! " exclaimed
the veteran ; " he is a child, and has followed the current
that is sweeping our unhappy colonies down the tide of de-
struction. But there are others in that vessel who have no
excuse of ignorance to offer. There is a son of my old ac-
quaintance, and the bosom friend of my brother Harry,
Cecilia's father, dashing Hugh Griffith, as we called him.
The urchins left home together, and were rated on board
one of his majesty's vessels on the same day. Poor Harry
lived to carry a broad pennant in the service, and Hugh died
in command of a frigate. This boy, too ! he was nurtured
on board his father's vessel, and learned, from his majesty's
discipline, how to turn his arms against his king. There is
something shockingly unnatural in that circumstance, Miss
Alice ; 'tis the child inflicting a blow on the parent. 'Tis
such men as these, with Washington at their head, who
maintain the bold front that this rebellion wears."

" There are men, who have never worn the servile livery
of Britain, sir, whose names are as fondly cherished in
America as any that she boasts of," said Katherine proudly ;
•' aye, sir, and those who would gladly oppose the bravest
officers in the British fleet."

" I contend not against your misguided reason," said
Colonel Howard, rising with cool respect. " A young lady
who ventures to compare rebels with gallant gentlemen
engaged in their duty to their prince, cannot escape the
imjmtation of possessing a misguided reason. No man
' — 1 speak not of women, who cannot be supposed so well
versed in human nature — but no man who has reached
ihe time of life that entitles him to be called by that name
can consort with these disorganizers, who would destroy
everything that is sacred — these levelers, who would pull

112 THE PILOT.

dovin the great, to exalt the little — these jacobins, who —
who" —

" Nay, sir, if you are at a loss for opprobrious epithets,"
Baith Katherine, with provoking coolness, " call on Mr.
Christopher DUlon for assistance ; he waits your pleasure
at the door."

Colonel Howard turned in amazement, forgetting his
angry declamations at this unexpected intelligence, and
beheld, in reality, the sombre visage of his kinsman, who
stood holding the door in his hand, apparently as much 8ur»
prised at finding himself in the presence of the ladiea, M
they themselve« could be at Ids unusual visit.

THE PILOT. 118

CHAPTER XI.

Prithee, Kate, let's stand a^ide, and see the end of this coDtroveny.

Shak£spkak».

During the warm discussions of the preceding chapter,
Miss Howard had bowed her pale face to the arm of the
couch, and sat an unwilling and distressed listener to the
controversy ; but now that another, and one whom she
thought an unauthorized intruder on her privacy was
announced, she asserted the dignity of her sex as proudly,
.hough with something more of discretion, than her cousin
zovld possibly have done. Rising from her seat, she
jiquired, —

" To what are we indebted for so unexpected a visit from
Mr. Dillon ? Surely he must know that we are prohibited
going to the part of the dwelling where he resides, and I
just Colonel Howard will tell him that common justice
"equires we should be permitted to be private."

The gentleman replied, in a manner in which malig
aant anger was sufl&ciently mingled with calculating humU-

" ISIiss Howard will think better of my intrusion, when
ihe knows that I come on business of importance to her
ancle."

" Ah ! that may alter the case. Kit ; but the ladies must
jave the respect that is due to their sex. I forgot, some-
jow, to have myself announced ; but that Borroughcliffe
.eads me deeper into my Madeira than I have been accus-
X)med to go, since the time when my poor brother Harry,
with his worthy friend, Hugh Griffith — the devil seize
Hugh Griffith, and all his race — your pardon. Miss Alice
— what is your business with me, Mr. Dillon ? "

** I bear a message from Captain Borroughcliffe. Yoa
8

114 THE PILOT.

may remember that, according to your suggestioDS, the
sentinels were to be changed every night, sir."

" Aye, aye ; we practiced that in our campaign against
Montcalm ; 'twas necessary, to avoid the murders of their
Indians, who were sure. Miss Alice, to shoot down a man
at his post, if he were placed two nights running in the
same place."

" Well, sir, your prudent precautions have not been
thrown away," continued Dillon, moving farther into the
apartment, as if he felt himself becoming a more welcome
guest as he proceeded ; " the consequences are, that we have
already made three prisoners."

" Truly it has been a most politic scheme ! " exclaimed
Katherine Plowden, with infinite contempt. " I suppose, as
Mr. Christopher Dillon applauds it so highly, that it has
some communion with the law ! and that the redoubtable
garrison of St. Euth are about to reap the high glory of
being most successful thief-takers ! "

The sallow face of Dillon actually became livid as he
replied, and his whole frame shook with the rage he vainly
endeavored to suppress.

" There may be a closer communion with the law, and
its ministers, perhaps, than ]\Iiss Plowden can desire," he
said ; " for rebellion seldom finds favor in any Christian
code."

" Rebellion ! " exclaimed the colonel ; " and what ha*
this detention of three vagabonds to do with rebellion. Kit ?
Has the damnable poison found its way across the Atlantic ?
— your pardon, Miss Alice — but this is a subject on which
you can feel with me ; I know your sentiments on the
allegiance that is due to our anointed sovereign. Speak,
]SIr. Dillon, are we surrounded by another set of demons 1
if so, we must give ourselves to the work, and rally round
our prince ; for this island is the main pillar of his throne."

" I cannot say that there is any appearance, at present,
of an intention to rise in this island," said Dillon, with
demure gravity ; " though the riots in London warrant any
precautionary measures on the part of his majesty's min
iaters. even to a suspension of the habeas corpus. But yoa

THE PILOT. 115

hare Lad your suspicions concerning two c»?rtain vessels
that have been threatening the coast, for several days past,
in a most piratical manner?"

The little foot of Katherine played rapidly on the splen-
ddd carpet, but slie contented herself with bestowing a glance
of the most sovereign contempt on the speaker, as if she dis-
dained any further reply. With the colonel, however, this
was touching a theme that lay nearest his heart, aud he
answered, in a manner worthy of the importance of the
subject, —

" You speak like a sensible man, and a loyal subject, Mr.
Dillon. The habeas corpus. Miss Alice, was obtained in
the reign of King John, along with Magna Charta, for the
security of the throne, by his majesty's barons ; some of my
own blood were of the number, which alone would be a
pledge that the dignity of the crown was properly consulted.
As to our piratical countrymen, Christopher, there is much
reason to think that the vengeance of an offended Providence
has already reached them. Those who know the coast well
tell me that without a better pilot than an enemy would be
likely to procure, it would be impossible for any vessel to
escape the shoals among which they entered, on a dark
night, and with an adverse gale ; the morning has arrived,
and they are not to be seen ! "

" But be they friends or be they enemies, sir," continued
Dillon, respectfully, " there is much reason to think that we
have now in the Abbey those who can tell us something of
their true character ; for the men we have detained carry
with them the appearance of having just landed, and wear
not only the dress, but the air of seamen,"

" Of seamen ! " echoed Katherine, a deadly paleness
chasing from her cheeks the bloom which indignation had
heightened.

" Of seamen, JNIiss Plowden," repeated DilloUj with ma-
lignanl satisfaction, but concealing it under an air of submis-
give respect.

" I thank you, sir, for so gentle a term," replied the young
)ady, recollecting herself, aud recovering her presence of
mind in .he same instaut: "the imagination of Mr. Dillos

llo THE PILOT.

is so apt to conjure the worst, that he is entitled to oaf
praise for so far humoring our weakness, as not to alarm ui
with, the apprehensions of their being pirates."

"Nay, madam, they may yet deserve that name," re-
turned the other, coolly ; " but my education has instructed
me to hear the testimony before I pronounce sentence."
* " Ah ! that the boy has found in his ' Coke upon Little-
ton,' " cried the colonel ; " the law is a salutary corrective
ti human infirmities, IVliss Alice ; and among other things,
it teaches patience to a hasty temperament. But for this
cursed, unnatural rebellion, madam, the young man would,
at this moment, have been diffusing its blessings from a
judicial chair, in one of the colonies — aye, and I pledge
myself, to all alike, black and white, red and yellow, with
such proper distinctions as nature has made between the
officer and the private. Keep a good heart, kinsman ; we
shall yet find a time ! the royal arms have many hands, and
things look better at the last advices. But come, we wUl
proceed to the guard-room, and put these stragglers to the
question ; run-away s, I'll ventm-e to predict, from one of his
majesty's cruisers, or, perhaps, honest subjects engaged in
supplying the service with men. Come, Kit, come, let us
go, and " —

" Are we then to lose the company of Colonel Howard
so soon ? " said Katherine, advancing to her guardian, with
an air of blandishment and pleasantry. " T know that he
too soon forgets the hasty language of our little disputes, to
part in anger, if, indeed, he will even quit us till he has
tasted of our coffee."

The veteran turned to the speaker of this unexpected
address, and listened with profound attention. When she
had done, he replied, with a good deal of softness in his
tones, —

"Ah! provoking one! you knosv me too well, to doubt
my forgiveness ; but duty must be attended to, though even
a yoimg lady's smiles tempt me to remain. Yes, yes, child,
you, too, are the daughter of a very brave and worthy se*
man ; but you carry your attachment to that profession too
fiu", IMiss Plowden — you do, indeed you do."

THE PILOT. 117

Katherine migat nave faintly blushed ; but the slight
•mile, which mingled with the expression of her shame,
gave to her countenance a look of additional archness, and
she laid her hand lightly on the sleeve of her guardian, to
detain him, as she replied, —

" Yet why leave us. Colonel Howard ? It is long smce
we have seen you in the cloisters, and you know you come
RS a father; tarry, and you may yet add confessor to the
title."

" I know thy sins already, girl," said the worthy colonel,
unconsciously yielding to her gentle eiforts to lead him back
to his seat; "they are, deadly rebellion in your heart to
your prince, a most inveterate propensity to salt water, and
a great disrespect to the advice and wishes of an old fellow
whom your father's will and the laws of the realm have
made the guardian of your person and fortune."

" Nay, say not the last, dear sir," cried Katherine ; " for
there is not a syllable you have ever said to me on that
foolish subject, that I have forgotten. Will you resume
your seat again ? Cecilia, Colonel Howard consents to take
his coffee with us."

" But you forget the three men, honest lOt, there, and
our respectable guest. Captain Borroughcliflfe."

" Let honest Kit stay there, if he please ; you may send
a request to Captain BorroughcliiFe to join our party ; I
have a woman's curiosity to see the soldier; and as for the
three men " — she paused, and affected to muse a moment,
jyhen she continued, as if struck by an obvious thought^
" yes, and the men can be brought in and examined h<^re ;
who knows but they may have been wrecked in the gale,
and need our pity and assistance, rather than deserve your
suspicions ! "

" There is a solemn warning in Miss Plowden's conjec-
ture, that should come home to the breasts of all who live
on •this wild coast," said Alice Dunscombe ; "I have kiiowr.
many a sad wreck among the hidden shoals, and when thj
wind has blown but a gentle gale compared to last night'/
tempest. The wars, and the uncertainties of the timet,
together with man's ovf^ 'vicked passions ^;c;ve made great

118 THE PILOT.

havoc with those who knew well the windings of the chan-
nels among the ' Ripples.' Some there were who could
pass, as I have often heard, within a fearful distance of the
Devil's Grip,' the darkest night that ever shadowed Eng-
land ; but all are now gone of that daring set, either by th?
nand of death, or, what is even as mournful, by unnatura?
banishment from the land of their fathers."

" This war has then probably drawn off most of them^
for your recollections must be quite recent, IMiss Alice,"
said the veteran ; " as many of them were engaged in the
business of robbing his majesty's revenue, the country is in
some measure requited for the former depredations, by their
present services, and at the same time it is happily rid of
their presence. Ah ! madam, ours is a glorious constitu
tion, where things are so nicely balanced, that, as in the
physical organization of a healthy, vigorous man, the baser
parts are purified in the course of things, by its own whole-
some struggles."

The pale features of Alice Dunscombe became slightly
tinged with red, as the colonel proceeded, nor did the faint
glow entirely leave her pallid face, untU she had said, —

" There might have been some who knew not how to
respect the laws of the land, for such are never wanting;
but there were others, who, however guilty they might be
in many respects, need not charge themselves with that
mean crime, and yet who could find the passages that lie
hid from common eyes, beneath the rude waves, as well as
you could find the way through the halls and galleries of
the Abbey, with a noonday sun shining upon its vanes and
high chimneys."

*' Is it your pleasure. Colonel Howard, that we examine
the three men, and ascertain whether they belong to the
number of these gifted pilots?" said Christopher Dillon,
who was growing uneasy at his awkward situation, and who
hardly deemed it necessary to conceal the look of contempt
which he cast at the mild Alice, while he spoke ; " perhaps
we may gather information enough from them, to draw a
chart of the coast that may gain us credit with my lo^di
of the Admiralty."

THE PILOT. 119

This unprovoked attack on their unresisting and on-
offending guest, brought the rich blood to the very temj/ies
of Miss Howard, who rose, and addressed herself to ha'
kinsman, with a manner that could not easily be mistaken,
any more than it could be condemned : —

'• If Mr. Dillon will comply with the wishes of Colonel
Howard, as my cousin has expressed them, we shall not, at
least, have to accuse ourselves of unnecessarily detaining
men who probably are more unfortunate than guilty."

When she concluded, Cecilia walked across the apartment
and took a seat by the side of Alice Dunscombe, with whom
she began to converse, in a low, soothing tone of voice.
Mr. Dillon bowed with a deprecating humility, and hav-
ing ascertained that Colonel Howard chose to give an
audience, where he sat, to the prisoners, he withdrew to
execute his mission, secretly exulting at any change that
promised to lead to a renewal of an intercourse that might
terminate more to his advantage, than the lofty beauty
whose favor he courted was, at present, disposed to concede.

" Christopher is a worthy, serviceable, good fellow," said
the colonel, when the door closed, " and I hope to live yet
to see him clad in ermine. I would not be understood
literally, but figuratively ; for furs would but ill comport
with the climate of the Carolinas. I trust I am to be con-
sulted by his majesty's ministers when the new appoint-
ments shall be made for the subdued colonies, and he may
safely rely on my good word being spoken in his favor.
Would he not make an excellent and independent ornament
of the bench, IVIiss Plowden ? "

Katherine compressed her lips a little as she replied, —

" I must profit by his own discreet rules, and see testi-
mony to that effect, before I decide, sir. But listen ! "
The young lady's color changed rapidly, and her eyea
became fixed in a sort of feverish gaze on the door. " He
has at least been active ; I hear the heavy tread of meu
already approaching."

" Ah ! it is he certainly ; justice ought always to be
jiTompt as well as certain, to make it perfect , like a drum-
head court-martial, which, by the way, is as summary a sort

120 THE PILOT.

of government as heart could wish to live under. If hit
majesty's ministers could be persuaded to introduce into the
revolted colonies " —

" Listen ! " interrupted Katherine, in a voice which be«
Bpoke her deep anxiety ; " they draw near ! "

The sound of footsteps was in fact now so audible as to
induce the colonel to suspend the delivery of his plan for
governing the recovered provinces. The long, low gallery
which was paved with a stone flagging, soon brought the foot
steps of the approaching party more distinctly to their ears,
and presently a low tap at the door announced their arrival.
Colonel Howard arose, with the air of one who was to
sustain the principal character in the ensuing interview, and
bade them enter. Cecilia and Alice Dunscombe merely
cast careless looks at the opening door, indifferent to the
scene ; but the quick eye of Katherine embraced, at a glance,
every figure in the group. Drawing a long, quivering
breath, she fell back on the couch, and her eyes again
lighted with their playful expression, as she hummed a low,
rapid air, with a voice in which even the suppressed tones
were liquid melody.

Dillon entered, preceding the soldier, whose gait had
become more steady, and in whose rigid eye a thoughtful
expression had taken the place of its former vacant gaze.
In short, something had manifestly restored to him a more
complete command of liis mental powers, although he might
not have been absolutely sobered. The rest of the party
continued in the gallery, whUe Mr. DUlon presented the
renovated captain to the colonel, when the latter did him
the same kind office with the ladies.

" IMiss Plowden," said the veteran, for she offered first in
the circle, " this is my friend. Captain Borroughcliffe : he
has long been ambitious of this honor, and I have no doubt
his reception will be such as to leave him no cause to repent
he has been at last successful."

Katherine smiled, and answered, with ambiguous em-
phasis, —

** I know not how to thank him suflaciently for the care
he has bestowed on our poor persons."

THE PILOT. 121

Tb« soldier locked steadily at her for a moment, with au
eye that seemed to threaten a retaliation in kind, ero he
replied, —

" One of those smiles, madam, would be an ample com-
pensation for services that are more real than such as exist
only in intention."

Katherine bowed ■« ith more complacency than she usually
bestowed on those who wore the British uniform ; and they
proceeded to the next.

" This is INIiss Alice Dunscombe, Captain Borroughcliffe,
daughter of a very worthy clergyman who was formerly the
curate of this parish, and a lady who does us the pleasure
of giving us a good deal of her society, though far less than
we all wish for."

The captain returned the civil inclination of Alice, and
the colonel proceeded.

" JVIiss Howard, allow me to present Captain Borrough-
cliffe, a gentleman who, having volunteered to defend St.
Ruth in these critical times, merits all the favor of its
mistress."

Cecilia gi'acefully rose, and received her guest with sweet
complacency. The soldier made no reply to the customary
compliments that she uttered, but stood an instant gazing
at her speaking coimtenance, and then, laying his hand
involuntarily on his breast, bowed nearly to his sword-hilt.

These formalities duly observed, the colonel declared his
readiness to receive the prisoners. As the door was opened
by Dillon, Katherine cast a cool and steady look at the
strangers, and beheld the light glancing along the arms of
the soldiers who guarded them. But the seamen entered
alone ; while the rattling of arms, and the heavy dash of
the muskets on the stone pavement, announced that it was
thought prudent to retain a force at hand, to watch thesfl
secret intruders on the grounds t^' the Abbey.

\S2 THE PILOT.

CHAPTER Xn.

Food for powder; they'U fill a pit as well aa better.

TlTE three men who now entered the apartment appeared
tv be nothing daunted by the presence into which they were
osbered, though clad in the coarse and weather-beaten
vestments of seamen who had been exposed to recent and
severe duty. They silently obeyed the direction of the
soldier's finger, and took their stations in a distant corner of
the room, like men who knew the deference due to rank,
at the same time that the habits of their lives had long ac-
customed them to encounter the vicissitudes of the world.
"With this slight preparation, Colonel Howard began the
business of examination.

" I trust ye are all good and loyal subjects," the veteran
commenced, with a considerate respect for innocence, " but
the times are such that even the most worthy characters
become liable to suspicion ; and, consequently, if our ap-
prehensions should prove erroneous, you must oveilook the
mistake, and attribute it to the awful condition into which
rebellion has plunged this empire. We have much reason
to fear that some project is about to be undertaken on the
coast by the enemy, who has appeared, we know, with a
frigate and schooner ; and the audacity of the rebels is onlj
equaled by their shameless and wicked disrespect for the
fights of the sovereign."

While Colonel Howard was uttering his apologetic pre*
&mble, the prisoners fastened their eyes on him with much
interest ; but when he alluded to the apprehended attack
the gaze of two of them became more keenly attentive, and,
before he concluded, they exchanged furtive glances of deep
meaniog. No reply was made, however, and after a short

THE PILOT. 123

jMiuse, as if to allow time for his words to make a proper
impression, the veteran continued : —

" We have no evidence, I understand, that you are in the
smallest degree connected with the enemies of this country ;
but as you have been found out of the king's highway, or,
rather, on a by-path, which I must confess is frequently
used by the people of the neighborhood, but which is nev«
ertheless nothing but a by-path, it becomes no m( re than
what self-preservation requires of us, to ask you a few such
questions as I trust will be satisfactorily answered. To
use your own nautical phrases, ' From whence came ye,
pray ? ' and ' Wliither are ye bound ? ' "

A low, deep voice replied, —

" From Sunderland, last, and bound, overland, to White-
haven."

This simple and direct answer was hardly given, before
the attention of the listeners was called to Alice Dunscombe,
who uttered a faint shriek, and rose from her seat involun-
tarily, while her eyes seemed to vri'l fearfully, and perhaps
a little wildly, round the room.

" Are you ill, Miss Alice ? " said the sweet, soothing tones
of Cecilia Howard ; " you are, indeed you are : lean on me,
that I may lead you to your apartment."

" Did you hear it, or was it only fancy ? " she answered^
uer cheek blanched to the whiteness of death, and her
whole frame shuddering as if in convulsions ; " say, did yon
hear it too ? "

• "I have heard nothing but the voice of my imc'e, who is
standing near you, anxious, as we all are, for your recovery
from this dreadftil agitation."

Alice still gazed wUdly from face to face. Her eye did
aot rest satisfied with dwelling on those who surrounded
her, but surveyed, with a sort of frantic eagerness, the fig
ures and appearance of the three men, who stood in humble
patience, the silent and unmoved witnesses of this extraor
dinary scene. At length she veiled her eyes with both her
hands, as if to shut out some horrid vision, and then remov-
ing them, she smiled languidly, as she signed for Cecilia to
«A8ist her from the room. To the polite and assiduoad

124 THE PILOT.

offers of tlie gentlemen, she returned no other thanks thaj
those conveyed in her looks and gestures ; but when the
eentiiidls who paced the gallery were passed, and the ladies
were alone, she breathed a long, shivering sigh, and found
an utterance.

" 'Twas like a voice from the silent gi-ave ! " she said,
** but it could be no more than mockery. No, no, 'tis a just
punishment for letting the image of the creature fill the
place that should be occupied only with the Creator. Ah !
Miss Howard, Miss Plowden, ye are both young — in tho
pride of your beauty and loveliness — but little do ye know,
and less do ye dread, the temptations and errors of a sinful
world."

" Her thoughts wander ! " whisjiered Katherine, with
anxious tenderness ; " some awful calamity has affected her
intellect ! "

" Yes, it must be ; my sinful thoughts have wandered,
and conjured sounds that it would have been dreadful to
hear in truth, and within these walls," said Alice, more
composedly, smiling with a ghastly expression, as she gazed
on the two beautiful, solicitous maidens who supported her
yielding person. " But the moment of weakness is passed,
and I am better ; aid me to my room, and return, that you
may not interrupt the reviving harmony between yourselves
and Colonel Howaixl. I am now better — nay, I am quite
restored."

" Say not so, dear Miss Alice," returned Cecilia ; " your
fcice denies what your kindness to us induces you to utt6r ;
ill, very ill, you are, nor shall even your own commands
induce me to leave you."

" Remain, then," said IMiss Dunscombe, bestowing a Icolr
of gratetul affection on her lovely supporter ; " and while
our Katherine returns to the drawing-room, to give the
gentlemen their coffee, you shall continue with me, as my
^ntle nurse."

By this time they had gained the apartment, and Kath
erine, after assisting her cousin to place Alice on her bed
"^turned to do the honors of the drawing-room.

Colonel Howard ceased his examuiation of the priaouersi

THE PILOT. 126

at her entrance, to inquire, with courtly solicitude, after the
invalid ; and when his questions were answered, he again
proceeded as follows : —

"This is what the lads would call plain sailing, Borrocgh-
cliffe : they are out of employment in Sunderland, and have
acquaintances and relatives in Whitehaven, to wliom Aiey
are going for assistance and labor. All very probable, and
perfectly harmless."

" Nothing more so, my respectable host," returned the
jocund soldier ; " but it seometh a grievous misfortune that
a trio of such flesh and bh-od should need work wherewithal
to exercise their thews and sinews, while so many of the
vessels of his majesty's fleet navigate the ocean in quest of
the enemies of old England."

" There is truth in that ; much truth in your remark,"
cried the colonel. " What say you, my lads, will you fight
the Frenchmen and the Don — aye, and even my own re-
bellious and infatuated countrymen ? Nay, by Heaven, it is
not a trifle that shall prevent his majesty from possessing
the services of three such heroes. Here are five guineas
apiece for you the moment that you put foot on board the
Alacrity cutter ; and that can easily be done, as she lies at
anchor this very night, only two short leagues to the south
of this, in a small port, where she is riding out the gale as
snugly as if she were in a corner of this room."

One of the men affected to gaze at the money with long-
ing eyes, while te asked, as if weighing the terms of the
engagement, —

" Whether the Alacrity was called a good sea-boat, and
w as thought to give a comfortable berth to her crew ? "

" Comfortable ! " echoed Borroughcliffe ; " for that matter,
flhe is called the bravest cutter in the navy. You have seen
much of the world, I dare say ; did you ever see such •
flace as the Marine Arsenal at Carthagena, in old Spain ? "

" Indeed I have, sir," returned the seaman, in a cool, c-ol-
•t?cted tone.

" Ah ! you have ! well, did you ever meet with a house
Oi Paris that they call the Tuileries ? because it's a dog-
kennel to the Alacrity.''

126 THE PILOT.

" I have even fallen in with the plact. , ou mention, sir,"
returned the sailor; "and must own the berth quite goo I
enough for such as I am, if it tallies with your description."

" The deuce take these blue-jackets," muttered Borrough-
cliflfe, addressing himself unconsciously to Mi&^ Plowden,
near whom he happened to be at the time ; " thej run their
tarry countenanges into all the corners of the eai*h, and
abridge a man most lamentably in his comparisons. iTow,
who the devU would have thought that fellow had ever j-uS
his sea-green eyes on the palace of King Louis ? "

Katherine heeded not his speech, but sat eying the pris
oners with a confused and wavering expression of counte-
nance, while Colonel Howard renewed the discourse, b>
exclaiming, —

" Come, come, Borroughclifle, let us give the lads n'
tales for a recruit, but good, plain, honest English — Go<i
bless the language, and the land for which it was first made,
too ! There is no necessity to tell these men, if they are
what they seem to be, practical seamen, that a cutter of ten
guns contains all the room and accommodation of a palace."

" Do you allow nothing for English oak and English
comfort, mine host ? " said the immovable captain ; " do
you think, good sir, that I measure fitness and propriety by
square and compass, as if I were planning Solomon's temple
anew ? All I mean to say is, that the Alacrity is a vessel
of singular compactness and magical arrangement of room.
Like the tent of that handsome brother of the fairy, in the
Arabian Nights, she is big or she is little, as occasion need-
eth ; and now, hang me, if I don't think I have uttered more
in her favor than her commander would say to help me to
ft recruit, though no lad in the three kingdoms should ap-
j»ear wUling to try how a scarlet coat would suit his boorish
figure."

" That time has not yet arrived, and God forbid that it
ever should, while the monarch needs a soldier in the field
to protect his rights. But what say ye, my men ? you have
heard the recommendation that Captain Borroughcliffe ha»
given of the Alacrity, which is altogether ti-ue — aft( r mak-
ing some allowances for language. WUI ye serve r shall J

THE PILOT. 127

order you a cheering glass a man, and lay by the gold, till I
hear from the cutter that you are enrolled under the banners
of the best of kings ? "

Katherine Plowden, who hardly seemed to breathe, so
close and intent was the interest with which she regarded
the seamen, fancied she observed lurking smiles on their
faces ; but if her conjectures were true, their disposition to
be merry went no further, and the one who had spoken
hitherto replied, in the same calm manner as before, —

" You will excuse us, if we decline shipping in the cuttefj
bir ; we are used to distant voyages and large vessels,
whereas the Alacrity is kept at coast duty, and is not of a
size to lay herself alongside of a Don or a Frenchman with
a double row of teeth."

" If you prefer that sort of sport, you must to the right-
about for Yarmouth ; there you will find ships that will
meet anytliing that swims," said the colonel.

" Perhaps the gentlemen would prefer abandoning the
cares and dangers of the ocean for a life of ease and gayety,"
said the captain. " The hand that has long dallied with a
marhnspike may be easily made to feel a trigger, as grace-
fully as a lady touches the keys of her piano. In short,
there is and there is not a great resemblance between the
life of a sailor, and that of a soldier. There are no gales
of wind, nor short allowances, nor reefing topsails, nor ship-
wrecks, among soldiers ; and, at the same time, there is just
as much, or even more, grog-drinking, jollifying, care-killing
fun around a canteen and an open knapsack, than there is
on the end of a mess-chest, with a full can and a Saturday
night's breeze. I have crossed the ocean several times, and
I must own that a ship, in good weather, is very much the
same as a camp or comfortable barracks ; mind, I say only
in very good weather."

" We have no doubt that all you say is true, sir," observed
the spokesman of the three ; " but what to you may seem a
hardship, to us is pleasure. We have faced too many a gale
to mind a capful of wind, and should think ourselves always
in the calm latitudes in one of your barracks, where there is
nothing to do but to eat our g'ub, and tc march a L'ttJe fore

128 THE PILOT.

and aft a small piece of green earth. "We hardly know one
end of a musket from the other."

" No ! " said Borroughcliiie, musing ; and then advancing
with a quick step towards them, he cried, in a spirited
manner, "Attention ! right ! dress ! "

The speaker, and the seaman next him, gazed at the cap-
tain in silent wonder ; but the third individual of the party,
who had drawn himself a little aside, as if willing to be
unnoticed, or perhaps pondering on his condition, involun.
tarily started at this unexpected order, and erecting himself,
threw his head to the right as promptly as if he had been
on a parade-ground.

" Oho 1 ye are apt scholars, gentlemen, and ye can
learn, I see," continued Borroughcliffe. " I feel it to be
proper that I detain these men till to-morrow morning,
Colonel Howard ; and yet I would give them better quarters
than the hard benches of the guard-room."

"Act your pleasure, Captain Borroughcliffe," returned
the host, " so you do but your duty to our royal master.
They shall not want for cheer, and they can have a room
over the servants' offices in the south side of the Abbey."

" Three rooms, my colonel, three rooms must be provided,
though I give up my own."

" There are several small empty apartments there, where
blankets might be taken, and the men placed for safe-keep-
ing, if you deem it necessary ; though, to me, they seem like
good, loyal tars, whose greatest glory it would be to ser^e
their prince, and whose chief pleasure would consist ii: get-
ting alongside of a Don or a Monsieur."

" We shall discuss these matters anon," said Borrough-
cliffe, dryly. " I see Miss Plowdeu begins to look grave at
our abusing her patience so long, and I know that cold cof-
fee is, like withered love, but a tasteless sort of a beverage.
Come, gentlemen, en avant ! you have seen the Tuileriea,
and must have heard a little French. Mr. Christopher Dil-
lon, know you where these three small apartments ar«
situate, lying, and being,' as your parchments read ? "

" I do, sir," said the complying lawyer, " and sliall tak«
much pleasure in guiding you to them. I thiuk your decia>

THE PILOT. 129

ion that of a prudent and sagacious officer, and much doubt
wrhether Durham Castle, or some other fortress, will bo
thought too big to hold them, ere long."

As this speech was uttered while the men were passing
from the room, its effect on them was unnoticed ; but Kath-
arine Plowden, who was left for a few moments by rierself,
sat and pondered over what she had seen and heard, with a
thonghtfulness of manner that was not usual to her gay and
buoyant spirits. The sounds of the retii'ing footsteps, how-
ever, gradually grew fainter, and the return of her guardian
alone recalled the recollection of the young lady to the
duties of her situation.

While engaged in the little offices of the tea-table, Kath-
erine threw many furtive glances at the veteran ; but,
although he seemed to be musing, there was nothing aus-
tere or suspicious in his frank, open countenance.

" There is much useless trouble taken with these wander-
ing seamen, sir," said Katherine, at length ; " it seems to
be the particular province of Mr. Christopher Dillon to
make all that come in contact with him excessively uncom-
fortable."

"And what has Kit to do with the detention of the

men

" What ! why, has he not undertaken to stand godfather
to their prisons ? — by a woman's patience, I think. Colonel
Howard, this business will gain a pretty addition to the
names of St. Ruth. It is already called a house, an abbey,
a place, and by some a castle ; let Mr. Dillon have his way
"or a month, and it will add jail to the number."

" Kit is not so happy as to possess the favor of Miss
Vlowden ! but still Kat is a worthy fellow, and a good felloWj
jfcud a sensible fellow ; aye ! and what is of more value than
aU these put together, Miss Katherine, Mr. Christopher
Dillon is a faithful and loyal subject to his prince. His
mother was my cousin-german, madam, and I cannot say
how soon I may call him my nephew. The Dillons are of
good Irish extraction, and I believe that even Miss Plowden
will admit that the Howards have some pretensions to s
name."

9

180 THE PILOT.

" Ah ! it is those very things called names that I n. osi
allude to," said Katherine, quickly. " But au hour since
you were indignant, my dear guardian, because you suspected
that I insinuated you ought to write jailer behind the name
of Howard, and even now you submit to have the office
palmed upon you."

" You forget. Miss Katherine Piowden, that it is the
pleasure of one of his majesty's officers to detain these
men."

" But I thought that the glorious British conslitutiou,
which yoj so often mention," interrupted the young lady,
spiritedly, "gives liberty to all who touch these blessed
shores ; you know, sir, that out of twenty blacks that you
brought with you, how few remain ; the rest having fled on
the wings of the spirit of British liberty ! "

This was touching a festering sore in the colonel's feel-
mgs, and his provoking ward well knew the effects her ob-
servation was likely to produce. Her guardian did not
ireak forth in a violent burst of rage, or furnish those man-
tfestations of his ire that he was wont to do on less impor-
tant subjects ; but he arose, with all his dignity concentered
in a look, and, after making a violent effort to restrain his
feelings within the bounds necessary to preserve the decorum
of his exit, he ventured a reply.

" That the British constitution is glorious, madam, is
most true. That this island is the sole refuge where liberty
has been able to find a home, is also true. The tyranny
and oppression of the Congi'ess, which are grinding down
the colonies to the powder of desolation and poverty, are
not worthy the sacred name. Rebellion pollutes all that it
*ouches, madam. Although it often commences under the
lanction of holy liberty, it ever terminates in despotism.
The annals of the world, fi'om the time of the Greeks and
Romans down to the present day, abundantly prove it.
There was that Julius Cassar — he was one of your peo-
ple's men, and he ended a tyrant. Oliver Cromwell was
(mother — a rebel, a demagogue, and a tyrant. The grad*
tions, madam, are as inevitable as from childhood to youtli.
"Mjd from youth to age. As for the little afialr that y(ju

THE PILOT. 131

have beeu pleased to mention, of the — of the — of my pri-
vate concerns, I can only say that the affairs of nations are
not to be judged of by domestic incidents, any more than
domestic occurrences are to be judged of by national poli-
tics" The colonel, like many a better logician, mistook hia
antithesis for argument, and paused a moment to admire his
own eloquence ; but the current of his thoughts, which
always flowed in torrents on this subject, swept him along
in its course, and he continued : " Yes, madam, here, and
Lere alone, is true liberty to be found. With this solemn
asseveration, which is not lightly made, but which is the re-
sult of sixty years' experience, I leave you. Miss Plowden ;
let it be a subject of deep reflection with you, for I too well
understand your treachei'ous feelings not to know that your
political errors encourage your personal foibles ; reflect, for
your own sake, if you love not only your own happiness, but
your respectability and standing in the world. As for the
black hounds that you spoke of, they are a set of rebellious,
mutinous, ungrateful rascals ; and if ever I meet one of the
damned " —

The colonel had so far controlled his feelings, as to leave
the presence of the lady before he broke out into the bitter
invectives we have recorded, and Katherine stood a minute,
pressing her forefinger on her lips, listening to his voice as
it grumbled along the gallery, until the sounds were finally
excluded by the closing of a distant door. The willful girl
then shook her dark locks, and a smile of arch mischief
blended with an expression of regret in her countenance, as
she spoke to herself, whUe with hurried hands she threw
her tea equipage aside in a confused pile : —

" It was perhaps a cruel experiment, but it has succeeded.
Though prisoners ourselves, we are at least left free for the
remainder of this night. These mysterious sailors must be
examined more closely. If the proud eye of Edward Grif-
fith was not glaring under the black wig of one of them, I
am no judge of features ; and where has Master Barnstable
concealed his charming visage ! for neither of the others
oould be he. But now for Cecilia."

132 THE PILOT.

Her light form glided from the room, while she wis yet
Bpeakuig ; and flitting along the dimly lighted passages, it
disappeared in one of those tm-nings that led to the more
■ecret apartipente of the Abbey.

THE PILOT. 133

CHAPTER Xm.

How I Lncia, wouldst thou have me sink awftj
In pleasing dreams, and lose myself in love?

Cato.

The reader must not imagine that the world stood stil2
during the occurrence of the scenes we have related. By
the time the three seamen were placed in as many different
rooms, and a sentinel was stationed in the gallery common
to them all, in such a manner as to keep an eye on his
whole charge at once, the hour had run deep into the night.
Captain Borroughcliffe obeyed a summons from the colonel,
who made him an evasive apology for the change in their
evening's amusement, and challenged his guest to a renewal
of the attack on the Madeira. This was too grateful a
theme to be lightly discussed by the captain ; and the Abbey
clock had given forth as many of its mournful remonstrances
as the division of the hours wolud permit, before they sepa-
rated. In the mean time, Mr. Dillon became invisible ;
though a servant, when questioned by the host on the sub-
ject, announced, that " he believed Mr. Christopher had

chosen to ride over to , to be in readiness to join the

hunt, on the morning, with the dawn." WhUe the gentle-
men were thus indulging themselves in the dining-parlor,
and laughing over the tales of other times and hard cam-
paigns, two very different scenes occmred in other parts of
the building.

When the quiet of the Abbey was only interrupted by
the howling of the wind, or by the loud and prolonged
*aughs which echoed through the passages from the joyous
pair who were thus comfortably established by the side of
the bottle, a door was gently opened on one of the galleries
of the " cloisters," and Katherine Plowden issued from it|
mapped in a close mantle, and holding in ber hand a chaa>-'

IM THE PILOT.

berlamp, which threw its dim light faintly along the gloomv
w^alls in front, leaving all behind her obscured in darkness.
She was, however, soon followed by two other female fig-
ires, clad in the same manner, and provided with similar
lights. When all were in the gallery, Katherine drew the
door softly to, and proceeded in front to lead the way.

" Hist ! " said the low, tremulons voice of Cecilia, " they
are yet up in the other parts of the house ; and if it be as
you suspect, our visit would betray them, and prove the
means of their certain destruction."

" Is the laugh of Colonel Howard in his cups so singular
and unknown to your ear, Cecilia, that you know it not ? "
said Katherine with a little spirit ; " or do you forget that
on such occasions he seldom leaves himself ears to hear, or
eyes to see with ? But follow me ; it is as I suspect — it
must be as I suspect ; and unless we do something to rescue
them, they are lost, unless they have laid a deeper scheme
than is apparent."

" It is a dangerous road ye both journey," added the
placid tones of Alice Dunscombe ; " but ye are young, and
ye are credulous."

" K you disapprove of our visit," said Cecilia, " it cannot
be right, and we had better return."

" No, no ; I have said naught to disapprove of your
present errand. If God has put the lives of those in your
custody whom ye have taught yourselves to look up to
with love and reverence, such as woman is bound to yield
to one man, He has done it for no idle purpose. Lead
18 to their doors, Katherine ; let us relieve our doubts, at
. east."

The ardent girl did not wait for a second bidding, but she
led them, with light and quick steps, along the gallery, until
they reached its termination, where they descended to the
basement floor by a flight of narrow steps ; acd carefoUy
opening a small door, emerged into the open air They
now stood on a small plat of grass, wliich lay betTceen the
building and the ornamental garden, across which they
moved rajiidly, concealing their lights, and bending their
shrinking forms before the shivering blasts that poured tbeii

THE PILOT. 136

fiiry upon them from the ocean. They sool reached a
large but rough addition to the buildings, that concealed it»
plain architecture behind the more labored and highly-
finished parts of the edilice, into wliich they entered through
a massive door that stood ajar, as if to admit them.

" Chloe has been true to my orders," whispered Kather»
ine, as they passed out of the chilling air ; " now, if all the
servants are asleep, our chance to escape imnoticed amouuta
to certainty."

It became necessary to go through the servants' hall,
which they effected unobserved, as it had but one occupant,
an aged black man, who, being ])osted with his ear within
two feet of a bell, in this attitude had committed himself to
* deep sleep. Gliding through this hall, they entered divers
long and intricate passages, all of which seemed as familiar
lo Katherine as they were unknown to her companions,
antil they reached another flight of stejis, which they as-
cended. They w(ire now near their goal, and stopped to
examine whether any or what difficulties were likely to be
jpposed to their further progress.

" Now, indeed, our case seems hopeless," whispered Kath-
irine, as they stood, concealed by the darkness, in one end
•if an extremely long nari'ow passage ; " here is the sentinel
Ji the building, instead of being, as I had supposed, under the
<<rindows ; what is to be done now ? "

" Let us return," said Cecilia, in the same manner ; " my
aifluence with my uncle is great, even though he seems un-
^nd to us at times. In the morning I will use it to per-
suade him to free them, on receiving their promise to abaU'
Ion all such attempts in future."

" In the morning it will be too late," returned Katherine ;
'*I saw that demon. Kit Dillon, mount his horse, under the
pretense of riding to the great hunt of to-morrow, but I
know his malicious eye too well to be deceived in his errand.
Hs is silent that he may be sure ; and if to-morrow cornea,
»nd fuids Griffith within these walls, he will be condemned
to a scaffold."

'* Say no more," said Alice Dunscombe, with singular
emotion ; " some lucky circumstance may aid us with thin

186 THE PILOT.

As she spoke, she advanced : they bad not proceeded far,
before the stern voice of the soldier challenged the party.

" 'Tis no time to hesitate," whispered Katherine : " we
are the ladies of the Abbey, looking to our domestic affairs,"
she continued aloud, "and think it a little remarkable that
we are to encounter armed men, while going through our
own dwelling."

The soldier respectfully presented his musket, and re-
plied, —

" My orders are to guard the doors of these three rooms,
ladies ; we have prisoners in them, and as for anything else,
my duty will be to serve you all in my power."

" Prisoners ! " exclaimed Katherine, in affected surprise
** does Captain Borroughcliffe make St. Ruth's Abbey a
jail ! Of what offenses are the poor men guilty ? "

" I know not, my lady ; but, as they are sailors, I suppose
they have run from his majesty's service."

" This is singular, truly ! and why are they not sent to
the county prison ? "

" This must be examined into," said Cecilia, dropping the
mantle from before her face. " As mistress of this house, I
claim a right to know whom its walls contain ; you will
oblige me by opening the doors, for I see you have the keys
suspended from your belt."

The sentinel hesitated. He was greatly awed by the
presence and beauty of the speakers, but a still voice re-
minded him of his duty. A lucky thought, however, inter-
posed to relieve him from his dilemma, and at the same
time to comply with the request, or rather order, of the
lady. As he handed her the keys, he said, —

" Here they are, my lady ; my orders are to keep the
prisoners in, not to keep any 3ne out. When you are done
with them, you will please return them to me, if it be only
to save a poor fellow's eye ; for unless the door is kept
locked, I shall not dare to look about me for a moment."

CecUia promised to return the keys, and she had ajj-lied
one of them to a lock with a trembling hand, when Alica
Dunscombe arrested her arm, and addressed the soldier.

" Say you there are three ? — are they men in years ? *"

THE PILOT. 137

"■ No, my lady, all good serviceable lads, who couldn't do
better than to serve his majesty, or, as it may prove, worse
than to run from their colors."

" But are their years and appearance similar ? I ask,
for I have a friend who has been guilty of some boyish
tricks, and has tried the seas, I hear, among other foolish
hazards."

" There is no boy here. In the far room on the left is a
mart, soldier-looking chap, of about thirty, who the captain
thinks has carried a musket before now ; on him I am
charged to keep a particular eye. Next to him is as pretty
a looking youth as eyes could wish to see, and it makes one
feel mournful to think what he must come to, if he has
really deserted his ship. In the room near you, is a smaller,
quiet little body, who might make a better preacher than a
sailor, or a soldier either, he has such a gentle way with
him."

Alice covered her eyes with her hand a moment, and
then recovering herself, proceeded : —

" Gentleness may do more with the unfortunate men
than fear ; here is a guinea ; withdraw to the far end of
the passage, where you can watch them as well as here,
while we enter, and endeavor to make them confess who
and what they really are."

The soldier took the money, and after looking about him
in a little uncertainty, he at length complied, as it was
obviously true they could only escape by passing him, near
the flight of steps. When he was beyond hearing, Alice
Dumscombe turned to her companions, and a slight glow
appeared in feverish spots on her cheeks, as she addressed
them : —

" It would be idle to attempt to hide from you, that I
expect to meet the individual whose voice I must have
heard in reality to-night, instead of cmly imaginary soundai
as I vainly, if not wickedly, supposed. I have many rea-
sons for changing my opinion, the chief of which is, that he
is leagued with the rebellious Americans in this unnatural
war. Nay, chide me not. Miss Plowden •, you will remem-
ber that I found my being on this 'sland. I come here on

138 THE PILOT.

no vain or weak errand, Miss Howard, but to »pare hnmaa
blood." She paused, as if struggling to S}.eak calmly
" But no one can witness the interview except our God."

" Go, then," said Katherine, secretly rejoicing at her de-
termination, " while we inquire into the characters of the
others."

Alice Dunscombe turned the key; and gently opening
the door, she desired her companions to tap for her, as they
returned, and then instantly disappeared in the apartment.

Cecilia and her cousin proceeded to the next door, which
they opened in silence, and entered cautiously into the room.
Katherine Plowden had so far examined into the arrange-
ments of Colonel Howard, as to know that at the same time
he had ordered blankets to be provided for the prisoners, he
had not thought it necessary to administer any further to
the accommodations of men who had apparently made their
beds and pillows of planks for the greater part of their lives.

The ladies accordingly found the youthful sailor whom
they sought, with his body rolled in the shaggy covering,
extended at his length along the naked boards, and buried
in a deep sleep. So timid were the steps of his visitors,
and so noiseless was their entrance, that they approached
even to his side without disturbing his slumbers. The head
of the prisoner lay rudely pillowed on a billet of wood, one
hand protecting his face from its rough surface, and the
other thrust into his bosom, where it rested, with a relaxed
grasp, on the handle of a dirk. Although he slept, and
that heavily, yet his rest was unnatural and perturbed. His
breathing was hard and quick, and something like the low,
rapid murmurings of a confused utterance mingled with his
respiration. The moment had now arrived when the char-
acter of Cecilia Howard appeared to undergo an entire
change. Hitherto she had been led by her cousin, whose
activity and enterprise seemed to qualify her so well for the
office of guide ; but now she advanced before Katherine,
and, extending her lamp in such a manner as to throw the
light across the face of the sleeper, she bent to examuie hvk
wuntenance, with keen and anxious eyes.

" Am I right ? " whispered her couain.

THE PILOT. 139

*' May God, in his infinite compassion, pity and protect
him ! " murmured CecUia, her whole frame involuntarily
fihuddering, as the conviction that she beheld Griffith flashed
across her mind. " Yes, Katherine, it is he, and presump-
tuous madness has driven him here. But time presses ; he
must be awakened, and his escape effected at every hazard."

" Nay, then, delay no longer, but rouse him from hi«
sleep."

"Griffith! Edward Griffith!" said the soft tones ot
Cecilia ; " Griffith, awake ! "

" Your call is useless, for they sleep nightly among tem-
pests and boisterous sounds," said Katherine ; " but I have
heard it said that the smallest touch will generally cause
one of them to stir."

" Griffith ! " repeated Cecilia, laying her fair hand timidly
on his own.

The flash of lightning is not more nimble than the leap
that the young man made to his feet, which he no sooner
gained, than his dirk gleamed in the light of the lamps, as
he brandished it fiercely with one hand, while with the
other he extended a pistol, in a menacing attitude, towards
his disturbers.

" Stand back ! " he exclaimed ; " I am your prisoner only
as a corpse ! "

The fierceness of his front, and the glaring eyeballs, that
rolled wildly around him, appalled Cecilia, who shrank back
in fear, dropping her mantle from her person, but still keep-
ing her mild eyes fastened on his countenance with a con-
fiding gaze, that contradicted her shrinking attitude, as she
replied, —

" Edward, it is I — Cecilia Howard, come to «ave yon
from destruction ; you are known even through your in-
genious disguise."

The pistoi and the dirk fell together on the blanket of
the young sailor, whose looks instantly lost their disturbed
expression in a glow of pleasure.

" Fortune at length favors me ! " he cried. " This ia
kind, Cecilia ; more than I deserve, and much more tha^ I
expected. But you are nov, alone."

140 THE PILOT.

" 'Tis my cousin Kate ; to her piercing eyes you ow«
your detection, and she has kindly consented to accompany
me, that we might urge you to — nay, that we might, if
necessary, assist you to fiy. For 'tis cruel folly, Griffith,
thus to tempt your fate."

" Have I tempted it, then, in vain ! Miss Plowden, to
you I must appeal for an answer and a justiicaticn.'

Katherine looked displeased-; but after a moment's hesi-
tation, she replied, —

" Your servant, Mr. Griffith ; I perceive that the erudite
Captain Barnstable has not only succeeded in spelling
through my scrawl, but he has also given it to all handa
for perusal."

" Now you do both him and me injustice," said Griffith ;
" it surely was not treachery to show me a plan in which I
was to be a principal actor."

" Ah ! doubtless your excuses are as obedient to your calls
as your men," returned the young lady ; " but how comes it
that the hero of the Ariel sends a deputy to perform a duty
that is so peculiarly his own ? is he wont to be second in

rescues

?"

" Heaven forbid that you should think so meanly of him
for a moment ! We owe you much, Miss Plowden ; but we
may have other duties. You know that we sei've our com-
mon country, and have a superior with us, whose beck is
oiir law."

" Return, then, Mr. Griffith, while you may, to the service
of our bleeding country," said Cecilia ; " and, after the joint
effijrts of her brave children have expelled the intruders
from her soil, let us hope there shall come a time when
Katherine and myself may be restored to our native homes."

*' Think you, Miss Howard, to how long a period the
mighty arm of the British king may extend that time ? We
shall prevail ; a nation fighting for its dearest rights must
ever prevail ; but 'tis not the work of a day, for a people,
poor, scattered, and impoverished as we have been, to bea»
down a power like that of England ; surely you forget, that
in bidding me to leave you witli such expectations. Miss
Howard, you doom me to an almost hopeless banishment I '

THE PILOT. 141

*» We must trust to the will of God," said Cecilia ; " if He
ordaip that America is to be free only after protracted suf
ferings, I can aid her but with my prayers ; but you have
an arm and an experience, Griffith, that might do her better
service ; waste not your usefulness, then, in visionary schemes
for private happiness, but seize the moments as they offer,
and return to your ship, if indeed it is yet in safety, and en«
deavor to forget this mad undertaking, and, for a time, the
being who has led you to the adventure."

" This is a reception that I had not anticipated," returned
Griffith ; " for though accident, and not intention, has thrown
me into your presence this evening, I did hope that whea I
again saw the frigate, it would be in your company, Cecilia."

"You cannot justly reproach me, Mr. Griffith, with your
disappointment ; for I have not uttered or authorized a syl-
lable that could induce you or any one to believe that I
would consent to quit my uncle."

*' Miss Howard will not think me presumptuous, if I re-
mind her that there was a time when she did not think me
unworthy to be intrusted with her person and happiness."

A rich bloom mantled on the face of Cecilia, as she
replied, —

" Nor do I now, Mr. Griffith ; but you do well to remind
me of my former weakness, for the recollection of its folly
and imprudence only adds to my present strength."

" Nay," interrupted her eager lover, " if I intended a re«
proach, or harbored a boastful thought, spurn me from you
forever, as unworthy of your favor."

" I acquit you of both much easier than I can acquit my*
Belf of the charge of weakness and folly," continued Cecilia ;
" but there are many things that have occurred, since we
last met, to prevent a repetition of such inconsiderate rash-
ness on my part. One of them is," she added, smiling
eweetly, " that I have numbered twelve additional months to
my age. and a hundred to my experience. Another, and
perhaps a more important one, is, that my uncle then con-
tinued among the friends of his youth, surrounded by those
whose blood mingies with his own ; but here he lives a
•tranger ; and, though he finds some consolation in dwelling

142 THE PILOT.

i

in a building where his ancestors have dwelt before him, yet

he walks as an alien through its gloomy passages, and would
find the empty honor but a miserable compensation for the
kindness and affection of one whom he has loved and cher-
ished from her infancy."

" And yet he is opposed to you in your private wishes,
Cecilia, unless my besotted vanity has ied me to believe what
it would now be madness to learn was false ; and in your
opinions of public things, you are q'lite as widely separated.
I should think there could be but little happiness dependent
on a connection where there is no one feeling entertained in
common."

" There is, and an all-important one," said Miss Howard ;
" 'tis our love. He is my kind, my affectionate, and, unless
thwarted by some evil cause, my indtdgent uncle and guard-
ian, — and I am his brother Harry's child. This tie is not
easily to be severed, ]\Ir. Griffith ; though, as I do not wish to
Bee you crazed,! shall not add, that your besotted vanity has
played you false ; but surely, Edward, it is possible to feel
a double tie, and so to act as to discharge our duties to both.
I never, never can or will consent to desert my uncle, a
stranger as he is in the land whose rule he upholds so
blindly. You know not this England, Griffith ; she receives
her children from the colonies with cold and haughty dis-
trust, like a jealous stepmother, who is wary of the favors
that she bestows on her fictitious offspring."

" I know her in peace, and I know her in war," said the
young saUor, proudly, " and can add, that she is a haughty
friend, and a stubborn foe ; but she grapples now with those
who ask no more of her than an open sea and an enemy's
favors. But this determination will be melancholy tidings
for me to convey to Barnstable."

" Nay," said Cecilia, smiling, " I cannot vouch for others
who have no uncles, and who have an extra quantity of Ul-
humor and spleen against this country, its people, and its
laws, although profoundly ignorant of them all."

" Is Miss Howard tired of seeing me under the tiles ol
St. Ruth ? " asked Katherine. " But hark ! are there noi
fiootateps approaching along the gallery ? "

THE PILOT. 143

They listened, in breathless silence, and soon heard dis*
tiuctly the approaching tread of more tliau one person.
Voices were quite audil)le, and before they had time to con-
sult on what was best to be done, the words of the speakers
were distinctly heard at the door of their own apartment.

" Aye ! he has a military air about him, Peters, that wul
make him a prize ; come, open the door."

" This is not his room, your honor," said the alarmed
Soldier ; " he quarters in the last room in the gallery."

" How know you that, fellow ? come, produce the key,
and open the way for me ; I care not who sleeps here ; there
JB no saying but I may enlist them all three."

A single moment of dreadful incertitude succeeded, when
the sentinel was heard saying, in reply to this peremptory
order, —

" I thought your honor wanted to see the one with tho
blacK stock, and so left the r3st of the keys at the other end
of the passage ; but " —

" But nothing, you loon ; a sentinel should always carry
his keys about him, like a jailer ; follow, then, and let* me
see the lad who dresses so well to the right."

As the heart of Katherine began to beat less vehemently
she said, —

" 'Tis Borroughcliffe, and too drunk to see that we have
left the key in the door ; but what is to be done .'' we have
but a moment for consultation."

" As the day dawns," said Cecilia, quickly, " I shall send
here, under the pretense of conveying you food, my own
woman " —

" There is no need of risking anything for my safety," in-
terrupted Griffith ; " I hardly think we shall be detained,
and if we are, Barnstable is at hand with a force that would
scatter these recruits to the four winds of heaven."

" Ah ! that would lead to bloodshed, and scenes of hor-
roi . " exclaimed Cecilia.

'' 1 /iflten ! " cried Katherine, " they approach again ! **

A man now stopped, once more, at their door, which was
«l)eiied softly, and the face of the sentinel was tlunist into
ihe aparticent.

144 THE PILOT.

** Captain Borrouglicliffe is on Ms rounds, and for fifty of
your guineas I would not leave you here another minute."

" But one word more," said CecUia.

" Not a syllable, my lady, for my life," returned the man ;
** the lady from the next room waits for you, and in mercy
to a poor fellow, go back where you came from."

The appeal was unanswerable, and they complied, Cecilia
Baying, as they left the room, —

*' 1 shall send you food in the morning, young man, and
directions how to take the remedy necessary to your safety."

In the passage they found Alice Dungcombe, with her
face concealed in her mantle ; and, it would seem, by the
heavy sighs that escaped from her, deeply agitated by the
interview which she had just encountered.

But as the reader may have some curiosity to know what
occurred to distress this unoffending lady so sensibly, we
shall detain the narrative, to relate the substance of thai
which passed between her and the individual whom she
•ought

THE PILOT. 14b

CHAPTER XIV

Ai wben a lion in hln den,
Hath heard the hwiVtn' cries,
And nisheo forth to meet hig foea,
So did the Douglaa rise.

Peect.

Alice Do'scombe did not find the second of the pnaon-
ere l)uried,like Griinth, in sleep, Vjut he was seated on one
of the old chairs that were in the apartment, with his back
to the door, and ajjparently looking through the small win-
dow, on the dark and dreary scenery over which the tempest
was yet sweeping in its fury. Her approach was unheeded,
until the light from her lamp glared across his eyes, when
be started from his musing posture, and advanced to meet
her. He was the first to speak.

" I expected this visit," he said, " when I found that yon
recogTiized my voice ; and I felt a deep assurance in my
breast, that Alice Dunscombe would never betray me."

His listener, though expecting this confirmation of her
conjectures, was unable to make an immediate reply, but
Bbe sank into the seat he had abandoned, and waited a few
moments, as if to recover her powers.

" It was, then, no mysterious warning ! no airy voice that
mocked my ear ; but a dread reality ! " she at length said.
"Why have you thus braved the indignation of the laws of
your country ? On what errand of fell mischief has youi
ruthless temper again urged you to embark ? "

" This is strong and cruel language, coming from you to
me, Alice Dunscombe," returned the stranger, with cool
asperity ; " and the time has been when I should have been
greeted, after a shorter absence, with milder terms."

" I deny it not ; I cannot, if I would, conceal my infirmity
from myself or you : I hardly wish it to continue unknow t
10

146 THE PILOT.

to tLe world. K I have once jsteemed you — if I have

plighted to you my troth, and in my confiding folly forgot
my higher duties, God has amply punished me for the weak-
ness in your own evil deeds."

" Nay, let not our meeting be embittered with useless
and provoking recriminations," said the other ; " for we have
much to say before you communicate the errand of mercy
on which you have come hither. I know you too well,
Alice, not to see that you perceive the peril in wliich I am
placed, and are willing to venture something for my safety.
Your mother — does she yet live ? "

" She is gone in quest of ray blessed father," said Alice
covering her pale face with her hands ; " they have left me
alone, truly ; for he who was to have been all .to me, was
first false to his faith, and has since become unworthy of my
confidence."

The stranger became singularly agitated, his usually quiet
eye glancing hastily from the floor to the countenance of
his companion, as he paced the room with hurried steps ; at
length he replied, —

" There is much, perhaps, to be said in explanation, that
you do not know. I left the country, because I found in it
nothing but oppression and injustice, and I could not invite
you to become the bride of a wanderer, without either name
or fortune. But I have now the opportunity of proving my
truth. You say you are alone ; be so no longer, and try
how far you were mistaken in believing that I should one
day supply the place to you of both father and mother."

There is something sootliing to a female ear in the offer
of even protracted justice, and Alice spoke with less of
acrimony in her tones, during the remainder of their con-
ference, if not with less of severity in her language.

" You talk not like a man whose life hangs but on a
thread that the next minute may snap asunder. Whither
would you lead me ? is it to the Tower at London ? "

" Think not I have weakly exposed my person without
a sulficient protection," returned tko stranger, with cool Id-
difference ; " there are many gallant men who only wait my
signal, to crush the paltry force of this officer like a worn
\eneath my feet."

THE PILOT. 147

" Then has the conjecture of Colone Howard been trae 1

and the manner in which the enemy's vessels have passed
the shoals is no longer a mystery ! you have been their
pilot!"

" I have."

" What ! would ye pervert the knowledge gained in the
springtime of your guileless youth to the foul purpose of
bringing desolation to the doors of those you once knew and
respected ! John ! John ! is the image of the maiden whom
in her morning of beauty and simplicity I believe you did
love, so faintly impressed, that it cannot soften your hard
heart to the misery of those among whom she has been born,
and who compose her little world ? "

" Not a hair of theirs shall be touched, not a thatch shall
blaze, nor shall a sleepless night befall the vilest among
them — and all for your sake, Alice ! England comes to
this contest with a seared conscience, and bloody hands, but
all shall be forgotten for the present, when both opportunity
and power offer to make her feel our vengeance, even in her
vitals. I came on no such errand."

" What, then, has led you blindly into snares, where all
your boasted aid would avail you nothing ; for, should I call
aloud your name, even here, in the dark and dreary pas-
sages of this obscure edifice, the cry would echo through
the country ere the morning, and a whole people would
be found in arms to punish your audacity."

" My name has been sounded, and that in no gentle
strains," returned the Pilot, scornfully, " when a whole
people have quailed at it, the craven, cowai'dly wretches fly-
ing before the man they had wronged. I have lived to
bear the banners of the new republic proudly in sight of
the three kingdoms, when practiced skill and equal arms
have in vain sti-uggled to pliick it down. Aye, Alice, the
echoes of my guns are still roaring among your eastern hills,
and would render my name more appalling than inviting to
your sleeping yeomen."

" BoabC not of the momentary success that the arm of
God has yielded to your unhallowed efforts," said Alice ;
* for a day of severe and heavy retribution must follow .

148 THE PILOT.

nor flatter yourself with the idle hope, that >our name,
terrible as ye have rendered it to the virtuous, is sufficient,
of itself, to drive the thoughts of home, and country, and
kin, from all who hear it. Kay, I know not that even
now, in listening to you, I am not forgetting a solemn duty,
which would teach me to proclaim your presence, that the
land might know that her unnatural son is a dangerous bur-
then in her bosom."

The Pilot turned quickly in his short walk ; and, after
reading her countenance, with the expression of one who
felt his security, he said, in gentler tones, —

" Would that be Alice Dunscombe ? would that be like
the mild, generous girl whom I knew in my youth ? But
I repeat, the threat would fail to intimidate, even if you
were capable of executing it. I have said that it is only to
make the signal, to draw around me a force sufficient to
scatter these dogs of soldiers to the four winds of heaven."

" Have you calculated your power justly, John ? " said
Alice, unconsciously betraying her deep interest in his
safety. " Have you reckoned the ijrobability of Mr. Dillon's
arriving, accompanied by an armed band of horsemen, with
the morning's sun ? for it's no secret in the Abbey that he
is gone in quest of such assistance."

" Dillon ! " exclaimed the Pilot, starting ; " who is he ?
and on what suspicion does he seek this addition to your
guard ? "

" Nay, John, look not at me, as if you would know the
secrets of my heart. It was not I who prompted him to
such a step ; you cannot for a moment think that I would
beti'ay you ! But too surely he has gone ; and, as the night
wears rapidly away, you should be using the hour of grace
to effect your own security."

" Fear not for me, Alice," returned the Pilot proudly;
while a faint smUe struggled around his compressed lip
* and yet I like not this movement either. How call you
his name ? Dillon ! is he a minion of King George ? "

" He is, John, what you are not, a loyal subject of his
sovereign lord the king ; and, though a native of the re-
volted colonies, he h-is preserved his virtue uncontaminatod
uuid the corruptions and temptations of the times."

THE PILOT. 149

•* An American I and disloyal to the liberties of the human
race ! By Heuven, he had better not cross me ; for if my
arm reach him, it shall hold him forth as a spectacle ol
treason to the world."

" And has not the world enough of such a spectacle in
yourself? Are ye not, even now, breathing your native a'j',
though lurking through the mists of the island, with desptr-
ate intent against its peace and happiness?"

A dark and fierce expression of angry resentment flashed
from the eyes of the Pilot, and even his iron frame seemed
to shake with emotion, as he answered, —

" Call you his dastardly and seliish treason, aiming, as it
does, to aggrandize a few, at the expense of millions, a par-
allel case to the generous ardor that impels a man to fight
in the defense of sacred liberty ? I might tell you that I am
armed in the common cause of my fellow-subjects and coun-
trymen ; that though an ocean divided us in distance, yet
are we a people of the same blood, and children of the same
parents, and that the hand which oppresses one inflicts an
injury on the other. But I disdain all such narrow apolo-
gies. I was born on this orb, and I claim to be a citizen
of it. A man with a soul not to be limited by the arbitrary
boundaries of tyrants and hirelings, but one who has the
right as well as the inclination to grapple with oppression,
in whose name soever it is exercised, or in whatever hollow
and specious shape it founds its claim to abuse our race."

" Ah ! John, John, though this may sound like reason to
rebellious ears, to mine it seemeth only as the ravings of
insanity. It is in vain ye build up your new and disorganiz-
ing systems of rule, or rather misrule, which are opposed to
all that the world has ever yet done, or ever will see done
in peace and happiness. What avail your subtleties and
false reasonings against the heart ? It is the heart which
iells us where our home is, and how to love it."

" You talk like a weak and prejudiced woman, Alice,"
said the Pilot, more composedly ; " and one who would
ghackle nations with the ties that bmd the young and feebl«
of your own sex togethe"."

" And by what holier or better bond can they be united ?

IbO THE PILOT.

said Alice. " Are not the relations of domestic life of God'g
establishing, and have not the nations grown from families,
as branches spread from the stem, till the tree overshadows
the land ? 'Tis an ancient and sacred tie that binds man
to his nation ; neither can it be severed without infamy."

The Pilot smiled disdainfully, and throwing open the
rough exterior of his dress, he drew forth, in succession,
several articles, while a glowing pride lighted his counte-
nance, as he offered them singly to her notice.

" See, Alice ! " he said, " call you this infamy ! This
broad sheet of parchment is stamped with a seal of no mean
importance, and it bears the royal name of the princely
Louis also ! And view this cross ! decorated as it is with
jewels, the gift of the same illustrious hand ; it is not apt to
be given to the children of infamy, neither is it wise or
decorous to stigmatize a man who has not been thought un-
worthy to consort with princes and nobles, by the oppro«
bi'ious name of the ' Scotch Pirate.' "

" And have ye not earned the title, John, by ruthless
deeds and bitter animosity ? I could kiss the baubles ye
show me, if they were a thousand times less splendid, had
they been laid upon your breast by the hands of your lawful
prince ; but now they appear to my eyes as indelible blots
upon your attainted name. As for your associates, I have
heard of them : and it seemeth that a queen might be better
employed than encouraging by her smiles the disloyal sub-
jects of other monarchs, though even her enemies. God
only knows when his pleasure may suffer a spirit of disaffec-
tion to rise up among the people of her own nation, and
then the thought that she has encouraged rebellion may prove
both bitter and unwelcome."

" That the royal and lovely Antoinette has deigned to
repay my services with a small portion of her gracious ap-
probation is not among the least of my boasts," returned the
Pilot, in affected humility, while secret pride was manifested
even in his lofty attitude. " But venture not a syllable in
her dispraise, for you know not whom you censure. She
M less distinguished by her illustrious bii'th and elevated
**on, than by hor virtues and loveliness. She lives the

THE PILOT. 161

first of her sex in Europe : the daughter of an einpeior, tho
consort of the most powerful king, and the smiling and be-
loved i^atroness of a nation who worship at her feet. Her
life is above all reproach, as it is above all earthly punish-
ment, were she so lost as to merit it ; and it has been the
will of Providence to place her far beyond the reach of all
human misfortunes."

" Has it placed her above human errors, John ! punish-
ment is the natural and inevitable consequence of sin ; and
unless she can say more than has ever fallen to the lot of
humanity to say truly, she may yet be made to feel the
chastening arm of One, to whose eyes all her pageantry and
power are as vacant as the air she breathes — so insignifi-
cant must it seem when com^iared to his own just rule !
But if you vaunt that you have been permitted to kiss the
hem of the robes of the French queen, and have been the
companion of high-born and flaunting ladies, clad in their
richest array, can ye yet say to yourself, that amid them all
ye have found one whose tongue has been bold to tell you
the truth, or whose heart has sincerely joined in her false
professions ? "

" Certainly none have met me with the reproaches that
I have this night received from Alice Dunscombe, after a
separation of six long years," returned the Pilot.

" If I have spoken to you the words of holy truth, John,
let them not be the less welcome, because they are strangers
to your ears. O ! think that she who has thus dared to
use the language of reproach to one whose name :'s terrible
to all who live on the border of this island, is led to the rash
act by no other motive than interest in your eternal wel
fare."

" Alice ! Ahce ! you madden me with these foolish
speeches ! \m I a monstei- to frighten unprotected women
and helpless children ? What mean these epithets, as
coupled with my name ? Have you, too, lent a credulous
ear to the vile calumnies with which the policy of your
rulers has ever attempted to destroy the fair fame of those
who oppose them, and those chiefly who oppose them with
■ixcess r My name may be terrible to the otficers of th«

loJ! THE PILOT.

royal fleet, but where and how have I earned a claim to be

considered formidable to the helpless and unoffending ? "

Alice Dunscombe cast a furtive and timid glance at the
Pilot, which spoke even stronger than her words, as she re-
plied, —

" 1 know not that all which is said of you and your deedj
is true. I have often prayed, in bitterness and sorrow, that
a tenth part of that which is laid to your charge may not be
heaped on your devoted head at the great and final account.
But, John, I have known you long and well, and Heaven
forbid, that on this solemn occasion, which may be the last»
the last of our earthly interviews, I should be found want,
ing in Christian duty, through a woman's weakness. I have
often thought, when I have heard the gall of bitter reproach
and envenomed language hurled against your name, that
they who spoke so rashly, little understood the man they
vituperated. But, though ye are at times, and I may say
almost always, as mild and even as the smoothest sea over
which ye have ever sailed, yet God has mingled in your na-
ture a fearfid mixture of fierce passions, which, roused, are
more like the southern waters when troubled with the tor-
nado. It is diflicult for me to say how far this evil spirit
may lead a man, who has been goaded by fancied wrongs
to forget his country and home, and who is suddenly clothed
■with power to show his resentments."

The PUot listened with rooted attention, and his piercing
eye seemed to reach the seat of those thoughts which she
but half expressed ; still he retained the entire command o*
himself, and answered, more in sorrow than in anger, —

" If anything could convert me to your own peaceful
and unresisting opinions, Alice, it would be the reflections
that offer themselves at this conviction, that even you ha"Tfl
been led, by the base tongues of my dastardly enemies, to
doubt my honor and conduct. What is fame, when a man
can be thus traduced to his nearest friends ? But no more
of these childish reflections ! they are unworthy of myself,
my office, and the sacred cause in which I have enlisted I '

" Nay, John, shake them not off," said Alice, unconsciously
laying her hand on his arm ; " they are as the dew to tL«

THE PILOT. 168

pa/ched herbage, and may freshen the feelings of your
youth, and soften the heart that has grown hard, if hard it
be, more by unnatural indulgence, than its own base incli-
nations."

" Alice Dunscombe," said the Pilot, api^roaching her with
solemn earnestness, " I have learnt much this night, though
I came not in quest of such knowledge. You have taught
me how powerful is the breath of the slanderer, and how
frail is the tenure by which we hold our good names. Full
twenty times have I met the hirelings of your prince in
open battle, fighting ever manfully under that flag which
was first raised to the breeze by my own hands, and which,
I thank my God, I have never yet seen lowered an inch ;
but with no one act of cowardice or private wrong in aU
that service can I reproach myself; and yet, how am I re-
warded ! The tongue of the vile calumniator is keenei
than the sword of the warrior, and leaves a more indelible
scar ! "

" Never have ye uttered a truer sentiment, John, and
God send that ye may encourage such thoughts to your
own eternal advantage," said Alice, with engaging interest.
'* You say that you have risked your precious life in twenty
combats, and observe how little of Heaven's favor is be-
stowed on the abettors of rebellion ! They tell me that the
world has never witnessed a more desperate and bloody
struggle than this last, for which your name has been made
to sound' to the furthermost ends of the isle."

" 'Twill be known wherever naval combats are spoken
of!" interrupted the Pilot, the melancholy which had bo*
^'Un to lower in his countenance giving place to a look of
proud exultation.

" And yet its fancied glory cannot shield your name from
pn-ong, nor are the rewards of the victor equal, in a tempo-
ral sense, to those which the vanquished has received.
Know you that our gracious monarch, deeming your adver*
sary's cause so sacred, has extended to him liis royal favor ? "

" Aye ! he has dubbed him knight ! " exclaimed the
Pilot, with a scornful and bitter laugh : " let him be again
furnished with a ship, and me with another opportunity, and

154 THE PILOT.

I promise him an earldom, if being again vanquislied cai

constitute a claim ! "

" Spe«ik not so rashly, nor vaunt yourself of possessing a
protecting power that may desert you, John, when you most
need it, and least expect the change," returned his compan-
ion ; " the battle is not always to the strong, neither is the
race to the swift."

* Forget you, my good Alice, that your words wili admit
of a double meaning ? Has the battle been to the strong !
Thoxigh you say not well in denying the race to the swift.
Yes, yes ; often and again have the dastards escaped me
by their prudent speed ! Alice Dunscombe, you know
not a thousandth part of the torture that I have been made
to feel, by high-born miscreants, who envy the merit they
cannot equal, and detract from the glory of deeds that they
dare not attempt to emulate. How have I been cast upon
the ocean, like some unworthy vessel that is commissioned
to do a desperate deed, and then to bury itself in ftie ruin
it has made ! How many malignant hearts have triumphed
as they beheld my canvas open, thinking that it was spread
to hasten me to a gibbet, or to a tomb in the bosom of the
ocean ! but I have disappointed them ! "

The eyes of the Pilot no longer gazed with their piercing
and settled meaning ; but they flashed with a fierce and
^ild pleasure, as he continued, in a louder voice, —

" Yes, bitterly have I disappointed them ! O ! the tri-
umph over my fallen enemies has been tame to this heart-
felt exultation which places me immeasurably above those
false and craven hypocrites ! I begged, I implored the
Frenchmen, for the meanest of their craft, which possessed
but the common qualities of a ship of war ; I urged the pol-
icy and necessity of giving me such a force, for even then 1
promised to be found in harm's way ; but envy and jealousy
robbed me of my just dues, and of more than half my glory
They call me pirate ! If I have claim to the name, it wac
furnished more by the paltry outfit of my friends, than by
any act towards my enemies ! "

** And do not these recollections prompt you to return to
your allegiance, to your prince and native land, Johr i '
wud Alice, in a subdued voice.

THE PILOT. 156

' Away with the silly thought ! " interrupted the Pilot.
re.««lled to himself as if by a sudden conviction of the weak-
ne.>ri he had betrayed ; " it is ever thus where men are made
cOiiepicuous by their works — but to your visit ; I have the
po*ver to rescue myself and companions from this paltry
coiiflnement, and yet, I would not have it done with violence
for your sake. Bring you the means of doing it in quiet ? "

' When ths morning arrives, you will all be conducted to
the apartment where we first met. This will be done at
the solicitation of Miss Howard, under the plea of compas-
eion and justice, and with the professed object of inquiring
into your situations. Her request wiU not be refused ;
and wuxle your guard is stationed at the door, you will be
shown, Dy another entrance, through the private apartments
of the wing, to a window whence you can easily leap to the
ground, where a thicket is at hand ; afterwards we shall
trust your safety to your own discretion."

" And if this Dillon, of whom you have spoken, should
suspect the truth, how will you answer to the law for aiding
our escape ? "

" I believe he little dreams who is among the prisoners,"
said Alice, musing, " though he may have detected the char-
acter of one of your companions. But it is private feeling,
rather than public spirit, that urges him on."

" I have suspected something of this," returned the Pilot,
with a smile, that crossed those features where ungovernable
passions had so lately been exhibited, with an effect that
might be likened to the last glimmering of an expiring con-
flagration, serving to render the surrounding ruin more ob-
vious. " Tliis young Griffith has led me from my direct
path with his idle imprudence, and it is right that his mis-
tress should incur some risk. But with you, Alice, the case
is different ; here you are only a guest, and it is unnecessary
that you should be known in the unfortunate affair. Should
my name get abroad, this recreant American, this Colonel
Howard, wiU find all the favor he has purchased by advo-
cating the cause of tyranny necessa"y to protect him from
Ihe displeasure of the ministry."

" I feai to trust so delicate = measure to the young

156 THE PILOT.

discretion of my amiable friend," said Alice, shftking her
head.

" Remember, that she has her attachment to plead in her
excuse ; but dare you say to the world that you stUl re-
member, with gentle feelings, the man whom you stigmatize
with such opprobrious epithets ? "

A slight color gleamed over the brow of Alice Duns-
combe, as she uttered, in a voice that was barely audible, —

" There is no longer a reason why the world shoiOd
know of such a weakness, though it did exist." And, as the
feint glow passed away, leaving her face pale nearly as the
hue of death, her eyes kindled with unusual fire, and she
added, " They can but take my life, John ; and that I am
ready to lay down in your service ! "

" Alice ! " exclaimed the softened Pilot, " my kind, my
gentle Alice ! "

The knock of the sentinel at the door was heard at this
critical moment. "Without waiting for a reply to his sum-
mons, the man entered the apartment ; and, in hurried lan-
guage, declared the urgent necessity that existed for the
lady to retire. A few brief remonstrances were uttered by
both Alice and the PUot, who wished to comprehend more
clearly each other's intentions relative to the intended es-
cape ; but the fear of personal punishment rendered the sol-
dier obdurate, and a dread of exposure at length induced
the lady to comply. She arose, and was leaving the apart-
ment with lingering steps, when the Pilot, touching her
hand, whispered to her impressively, —

" Alice, we meet again before I leave this island for-
ever ? "

" We meet in the morning, John," she returned, in the
eame tone of voice, " in the apartments of Miss Howard."

He dropped her hand, and she glided from the room,
when the impatient sentinel closed the door, and silently
turned the key on his prisoner. The Pilot remained in a
Ustening attitude, until the light footsteps of the retiring
pair were no longer audible, when he paced his confined
apartment with perturbed steps, occasionally pausing to look
out at tVe driving clouds, and the groaning oaks that were

THE PILOT. 157

tremoling and rocking their broad arms in the fitful gusts
of the gale. In a few minutes the tempest in his own pas-
sions had gradually subsided to the desperate and still calm-
ness that made him the man he was ; when he again seated
himself where Alice had found him, and began to muse on
the events of the times, from which the transition to pro-
jecting schemes of daring enterprise and mighty conse-
quences was but the usual employment of his active and
restless mind.

158 THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XV.

1 have no exquisite reason for't, but I've reason good enough.

TWELJ-TH NiOBI

Ths cou&tenance of Captain BorroughclifFe, when the
Bentinel admitted him to the apartment he had selected, was
in that state of doubtful illumination, when looks of peculiar
cunning blend so nicely with the stare of vacancy, that the
human face is rendered not unlike an April day, now smil-
ing and inviting, and at the next moment clouded and
dreary. It was quite apj^arent that the soldier had an ob-
ject for his unexpected visit, by the importance of his air,
and the solemnity of the manner with which he entered on
the business. He waved his hand for the sentinel to retire,
with lofty dignity, and continued balancing his body, during
the closing of the door, and while a sound continued audible
to his confused faculties, with his eyes fixed in the direction
of the noise, with that certain sort of wise look that in many
men supplies the place of something better. When the cap«
tain felt himself secure from interruption, he moved round
with quick military precision, in order to face the man of
whom he was in quest. Griffith had been sleeping, though
uneasily, and with watchfulness ; and the Pilot had been
calmly awaiting the visit which it seemed he had antici-
pated ; but their associate, who was no other than Captain
Manual, of the marines, was discovered in a very different
condition from either. Though the weather was cool, and
the night tempestuous, he had thrown aside his pea-jacket,
with most of his disguise, and was sitting ruefully on hia
blanket, wiping, with one hand, the large drops of sweat
from his forehead, and occasionally grasping his throat with
the other, with a kind of convulsed mechanical movement.
He stared wildly at his visitor, though his entrance pro

THE PILOT. 159

daced no other alteration in these pursuits, than a more
diligent application of his handkerchief, and a more frequent
grasping of his naked neck, as if he were willing to ascer-
tain, by actual experiment, what degree of pressure the part
was able to sustain, without exceeding a given quantity of
inconvenience.

" Comrade, I greet ye ! " said BorroughclifFe, staggering
tc the side of his prisoner, where he seated himself with an
eiitu'e absence of ceremony : " Comrade, I greet ye ! Is the
kingdom in danger, that gentlemen traverse the island in
the uniform of the regiment of incognitus, incognitii, 'torum
— damme, how I forget my Latin ! Say, my fine fellow,
are you one of these 'torums ? "

Manual breathed a little hard, which, considering the
manner he had been using his throat, was a thing to be ex-
pected; but, swallowing his apprehensions, he answered
with more spirit than his situation rendered prudent, or the
occasion demanded.

" Say what you wUl of me, and treat me as you please, I
defy any man to call me Tory with truth."

" You are no 'torum ! Well, then, the war-office has got
up a new dress ! Yoiu" regiment must have earned their
facings in storming some water battery, or perhaps it has
done duty as marines. Am I right ? "

" I'll not deny it," said Manual, more stoutly : " I have
eerved as a marine for two years, though taken from the
line of" —

" The army," said Borroughcliffe, interrupting a most
damning confession of which "• state rine " the other had be-
longed to. " I kept a dog-watch, myself, once, on board the
fleet of my Lord Howe ; but it is a service that I do not
envy any man. Our afternoon parades were dreadfully un-
steady for it's a time, you know, when a man wants solid
ground to stand on. However, I purchased my company
with some prize-money that fell in my way, and I always
remember the marine service with gi-atitude. But tliis ia
dry work. I have put a bottle o+' sparkling Madeira in my
pocket, with a couple of glasses, which we will discuss, while
we talk over more important matters. Thrust your hand

160 THE PILOT.

into my right pocket ; I have been used to dress to the front
80 long, that it comes mighty awkward to me to make this
backward motion, as if it were into a cartridge-box."

Manual, who had been at a loss how to construe the man-
ner of the other, perceived at once a good deal of plain
English in this request, and he dislodged one of Colonel
Howard's dusty bottles, with a dexterity tLat denoted tne
earnestness of his purpose. Borroughcliife had made a
suitable j^rovision of glasses ; and extracting the cork in a
certain scientific manner, he tendered to his companion a
bumper of the liquor, before another syllable was uttered by
either of the expectants. The gentlemen concluded their
draughts with a couple of smacks, that sounded not unlike
the pistols of two practiced duellists, though certainly a
much less alarming noise, when the entertainer renewed the
discourse.

" I like one of your musty -looking bottles, that is covered
with dust and cobwebs, with a good southern tan on it," he
said. " Such liquor does not abide in the stomach, but it
gets into the heart at once, and becomes blood in the beat-
ing of a pulse. But how soon I knew you ! That sort of
knowledge is the freemasonry of our craft. I knew you to
be the man you are, the moment I laid eyes on you in what
we call our guard-room ; but I thought I would humor the
old soldier who lives here, by letting him have the formula
of an examination, as a sort of deference to his age and
former rank. But I knew you the instant I saw you. I
have seen you before ! "

The theory of BorroughclLffe, in relation to the incorpo-
lation of wine with the blood, might have been true in the
case of the marine, whose whole frame appeared to undergo
a kind of magical change by the experiment of drinking,
which, the reader will understand, was diligently persevered
in, while a drop remained in the bottle. The perspiration
no longer rolled from his brow, neither did his throat mani
fest that uneasiness which had rendered such constant ex-
ternal applications necessary ; but he settled down into an
air of cool but curious interest, which, in some measure, wai
khe necessary concomitant of his situation.

THE PILOT. 161

" We may have met before, as I have been much m ser-
vice, aud yet I know not where you could have seen me,"
said Manual. " Were you ever a prisoner of war ? "

" Hum ! not exactly such an unfortunate devil ; but a
sort of conventional non-combatant. I shared the hardships,
the glory, the equivocal victories (where we killed and drove
countless numbers of rebels — who were not), and, woe h
me ! the capitulation of Burgoyne. But let that pass —
which was more than the Yankees would allow us to do.
loa Know not where I could have seen you ? I have seen
you on parade, in the field, in battle and out of battle, in
camp, in barracks, in short, everywhere but in a diawing-
room. No, no ; I have never seen you before this night in
a drawing-room ! "

Manual stared in a good deal of wonder and some un-
easiness, at these confident assertions, which promised to put
his life in no little jeopardy ; and it is to be supposed that
the pecuUar sensation about the throat was revived, as he
made a heavy draught, before he said, —

" You will swear to this — can you call me by name ? "

" I will swear to it in any court in Christendom," said
the dogmatical soldier ; " and your name is — is — Fugle-
man ! "

" If it is, T'll be damned ! " exclaimed the other with ex-
alting precipitation.

" Swear not ! " said BorroughclifFe, with a solemn air ;
" for what mattereth an empty name ! Call thyself by what
appellation thou wilt, I know thee. Soldier is written on
thy martial front ; thy knee bendeth not ; nay, I even doubt
if the rebelliou8 member bow in prayer."

" Come, sir," interrupted Manual, a little sternly ; " 1.0
more of this trifling, but declare your will at once. Rebel-
lious member, indeed ! These fellows will call the skies of
America rebellious heavens shortly ! "

"I like thy spirit, lad," returned the undisturbed Bor-
roughcliffe : " it sits as gracefully on a soldier, as his sash
Hnd gorget ; but it is lost on an old campaigner. I marvali
however, that thou takest such umbrage at my slight at-
lack on thy orthodoxy. I fear the fortress must be weak,
U

162 THE PILOT.

where the outworks are defended with such a waste of ass-
necessary courage ! "

" I know not why or wherefore you have paid me thii
visit, Captain Borroughcliffe," said Manual, with a laudable
discretion, which prompted him to reconnoitre the other's
views a little, before he laid himself more open ; " if captain
be your rank, and Borroughcliffe be your name. But this
I do know, that if it be only to mock me in my present sit-
uation, it is neither soldier-like nor manly ; and it is what,
in other circumstances, might be attended by some hazard."

" Hum ! " said the other, with his immovable coolness ;
" I see you set the wine down as nothing, though the king
drinks not as good ; for the plain reason that the sun of
England cannot find its way through the walls of Windsor
Castle as easily as the sun of Carolina can warm a garret
covered with cedar shingles. But I like your spirit more
and more. So draw yourself up in battle array, and let us
have another charge at this black bottle, when I shall lay
before your military eyes a plan of the whole campaign."

Manual fi^rst bestowed an inquiring glance on his com-
panion ; when, discovering no other expression than foolish
cunning, which was fast yielding before the encroaching
footsteps of stupid inebriety, he quietly placed himself in the
desired position. The wine was drunk, when Borroughcliffe
proceeded to open his communications more unreservedly.

" You are a soldier, and I am a soldier. That you are
a soldier, my orderly could tell ; for the dog has both seei
a campaign, and smelt villainous saltpetre, when compounded
according to a wicked invention ; but it required the officer
to detect the officer. Privates do not wear such linen
is this, which seemeth to me an unreasonably cool attire
for the season ; nor velvet stocks, with silver buckles ; nor
is there often the odorous flavor of sweet-scented pomatum
to be discovered around their greasy locks. In short, thou
art both soldier and officer."

" I confess it," said Manual ; " I hold the rank of captaioi
and shall expect the treatment of one."

" I thmk I have furnished you with wine fit for a gen
«ral.'' r^t'lrned Borroughcliffe; "but have your own way

THE PILOT. 163

Now, it would be apparent to men, whose facvdties had noi
been rendered clear by such cordials as this dwelling
abouudeth with, that when you officei's journey through the
island, clad in the uniform iucognitorum, which, in your
case, means the marine corps, something is in the wind of
more than usual moment. Soldiers owe their allegiamxr
to their prince, and next to him, to war, women, and wine.
Of war, there is none in the realm ; of women plenty; but
win-g, I reget to say, that is, good wine, grows both sc&;"ce
and dear. Do I speak to tlie purpose, comrade ? "

" Proceed," said Manual, whose eyes were not less atten-
tive than his ears, in a hope to discover whether his true
character were understood.

" En avant ! in plain English, forward march ! Well,
then, the difficulty lies between women and wine ; which,
when the former are pretty, and the latter rich, is a very
agreeable sort of an alternative. That it is not wine of
which you are in quest, I must believe, my comrade captain,
or you would not go on the adventure in such shabby attire.
You will excuse me, but who would think of putting any-
thing better than their Port before a man in a pair of tarred
trowsers ? No ! no ! Hollands, green-and-yellow Hollands,
is a potation good enough to set before one of the present
bearing."

" And yet I have met with him who has treated me to the
choicest of the south-side Madeira ! "

" Know you the very side from which the precious fluid
comes! That looks more in favor of the wine. But, after
all, woman, dear capricious woman, who one moment fancies
Bhe sees a hero in regimentals, and the next a saint in a cas-
sock ; and who always sees something admirable in a suitor,
whether he be clad in tow or velvet — • woman is at the
bottom of this mysterious masquerading. Am I right, com-
rade ? "

By this time Manual had discovered that he was safe, and
he returned to the conversation with a revival of all his
eady wits, wliich had been strangely paralyzed by his pre-
vious disorder in the region of the throat. First bestowiui'
R wicked wink on his companion, and a look that would
have ouikloue the wisest aspect of Solomon, he replied. —

164 THE PILOT.

* Ah ! woman Las much to answer for ! "

" I knew it," exclaimed Borroughcliffe ; " and ttis confe»>
sion only confirms me in the good opinion I have always en-
tertained of myself. If his majesty has any particular wish
to close this American business, let him have a certain con-
vention burnt, and a nameless person promoted, and we
ehall see ! But, answer as you love truth ; is it a busiDcsa
of holy matrimony, or a mere dalliance with the sweets of
Cupid?"

" Of honest wedlock," said Manual, with an air as seriooi
as if Hymen already held him in his fetters.

" 'Tis honest ! Is there money ? "

" Is there money ? " repeated Manual, with a sort of con-
temptuous echo. " Would a soldier part with his liberty,
but with his life, unless the chains were made of gold ? '*

" That's the true military doctrine ! " cried the other ;
" faith, you have some discretion in your amphibious corps,
I find ! But why this disguise ? are the ' seniors grave,'
as well as ' potent and reverend ' ? Why this disguise, I
again ask ? "

" WTiy this disguise ! " repeated Manual, coolly : " is there
any such thing as love in your regiment without disguise ?
With us, it is a regular symptom of the disease."

" A most just and discreet description of the passion, my
amphibious comrade ! " said the English officer ; " and yet
the symptoms in your case are attended by some very ma-
lignant tokens. Does your mistress love tar ? "

" No ; but she loveth me ; and, of course, whatever attire
I choose to appear in."

" Still discreet and sagacious ! and yet only a most pal-
pable feint to avoid my direct attack. You have heard of
such a placer*as Gretna Green, a little to the north of this, I
dare say, my aquatic comrade. Am I right ? "

" Gretna Green ! " said Manual, a little embarrassed by
his ignorance ; " some parade-ground, I suppose ? "

" Aye, for those who suffer under the fire of Master Cupi(i
A parade-ground ! well, there is some artful simplicity in
that ! But all will not do with an old campaigner. It is a
difficult thing to impose on an old soldier, my water battery

THE PILOT. 166

Now listen and answ er ; and you shall see what it is to pos-
sess a discernment — therefore deny nothing. You are in
love ! "

" I deny nothing," said Manual, comprehending at once
that this was his safest course.

" Your mistress is willing, and the money is ready, but
the old people say, Halt ! "

" I am still mute ! "

" 'Tis prudent. You say, March — Gretna Green is the
object ; and your flight is to be by water ! "

" Unless I can make my escape by water, I shall never
make it," said Manual, with another sympathetic movement
with his hand to his throat.

" Keep mute ; you need tell me nothing. I can see into a
mystery that is as deep as a well, to-night. Your companions
are hirelings ; perhaps your shipmates ; or men to pilot you
on this expedirion ! "

" One is my shipmate, and the other is our pilot," said
Manual, with more truth than usual.

" You are well provided. One thing more, and I shall
become mute in my turn. Does she whom you seek lie in
this house ? "

" She does not ; she lies but a short distance from this
place ; and I should be a happy fellow could I but once
more put foot " —

" Eyes on her. Now listen, and you shall have your wish.
You possess the ability to march yet, which, considering the
lateness of the hour, is no trifling privilege ; open that win-
dow — is it possible to descend from it .'' "

Manual eagerly complied, but he turned from the place
in iisappointment.

"It would be certain death to attempt the leap. Tha
devil only could escape from it."

" So I should think," returned Borroughcliffe, dryly.
" You must be content to pass for that respectable gentleman
for the rest of your days, in St. Ruth's Abbey. For through
that identical hole must you wing your flight on the oinioM
•f love."

" But how ! The tL'ng ii impossible."

166 THE PILOT

" In imagLQation only. There is some stir, a good deal
of foolish apprehension, and a great excess of idle c iriosity
among certain of the tenants of this house, on your account.
They fear the rebels, who, we all know, have not soldiers
enough to do their work neatly at home, and who, of course,
would never think of sending any here. You wish to be
snug — I wish to serve a brother in distress. Through
that window you must be supposed to iiy — no matter
how ; while by following me you can pass the sentinel, and
retire peaceably, like any other mortal on your own two
Btout legs."

This was a result that exceeded all that Manual had an-
ticipated from their amicable but droll dialogue ; and the
hint was hardly given, before he threw on the garments
that agitation had before rendered such encumbrances ; and
in less time than we have taken to relate it, the marine was
completely equipped for his departure. In the mean time,
Captain Borroughcliffe raised himself to an extremely erect
posture, which he maintained with the inflexibility of a rigid
martinet. When he found himself established on his feet.
the soldier intimated to his prisoner that he was ready to
proceed. The door was instantly opened by Manual, and
together they entered the gallery.

" Who comes there ? " cried the sentinel, with a vigilance
and vigor that he intended should compensate for his pre-
vious neglect of duty.

" Walk straight, that he may see you," said Borrough-
cliffe, vrith much philosophy.

" Who goes there ? " repeated the sentinel, throwing hia
aausket to a poise, with a rattling sound that echoed along
the naked walls.

" Walk crooked," added Borroughcliffe, " that if he fire
he may miss."

" We shall be shot at, with this folly," muttered ManuaL
^ We are friends, and your officer is one of us."

" Stand, friends ; advance, officer, and give the counter
tign," cried the sentinel.

" That is much easier said than done," returned his cap«
tain ; '■'■ forward, Mr. Amphibious, you can walk like a post^

THE PILOT. 167

man , move to the front, and proclaim the magical word,
'Loyalty;' 'tis a standing countersign, ready furnish "^l to
my hands by mine host, the colonel ; your road is then clear
before you — bat hark " —

Manual made an eager step forward, when, recollecting
himself, he turned, and added, —

" My assistants, the seamen ! I can do nothing without
them."

" Lo ! the keys are in the doors, ready for my aumis-
eion," said tlie Englishman ; " turn them, and bring out your
forces."

Quick as thought. Manual was in the room of Griffith,
to whom he brietiy communicated the situation of things,
when he reappeared in the passage, and then proceeded ou
a similar errand to the room of the Pilot.

" Follow, and behave as usual," he whispered ; " say not
a word, but trust all to me."

The Pilot arose, and obeyed these instructions without
asking a question, with the most admirable coolness.

" I am now ready to proceed," said Manual, when they
had joined Borroughcliff'e.

During the short time occupied in these arrangements,
the sentinel and his captain had stood looking at each othef
with great military exactitude. The former ambitious of
manifesting his watchfulness, the latter awaiting the return
of the marine. The captain now beckoned to Manual to
advance and give the countersign.

"Loyalty," whispered Manual, when he approached the
sentinel. But the soldier had been allowed time to reflect ;
and as he well understood the situation of hio officer, he
hesitated to allow the prisoner to pass. After a moment'*
pause, he said, —

" Advance, friends." At this summons the whole party
moved to the point of his bayonet ; when the man contm-
ued : " The prisoners have the countersign, Captain Bor*
roughclitfe, but 1 dare not let them pass."

" Why not ? " asked the captain ; " am I not here, sirrah 1
do you not know me ? "

" Yes, sir, I know your honor, and respect your honor

168 THE PILOT.

but I was posted here by my sergeant, and ordered not to

let these men pass out on any account."

" That's what I call good disciplme," said Borroughcliffe,
with an exulting laugh ; " I knew the lad would not mind
me any more than that he would obey the orders of that
lamp. Here are no slaves of the lamp, my amphibious
comrade ; drill ye your marines in this consummate style to
niceties ? "

" What means this trifling ? " said the Pilot, sternly.

" Ah ! I thought I should turn the laugh on you," cried
Manual, affecting to join in the mirth ; " we know all these
things well, and we practice them in our corps ; but though
the sentinel cannot know you, the sergeant will ; so let
him be called, and orders be given through him to the man
on post, that we may pass out."

" Your throat grows uneasy, I see," said Borroughcliffe ;
" you crave another bottle of the generous fluid. Well, it
shall be done. Sentinel, you can throw up yon window,
and give a call to the sergeant."

" The outcry wUl ruin us," said the Pilot, in a whisper to
Griffith.

" Follow me," said the young sailor. The sentinel was
turning to execute the orders of his captain as Griffith
spoke, when springing forward, in an instant he wrenched
the musket from his hands ; a heavy blow with its butt
felled the astonished soldier to the floor ; then, poising his
weapon, Griffith exclaimed, —

" Forward ! we can clear our own way now ! "

" On ! " said the Pilot, leaping lightly over the prostrate
soldier, a dagger gleaming in one hand, and a pistol pre-
sented in the other.

Manual was by his side in an instant, armed in a similar
manner ; and the three rushed together from the building,
without meeting any one to oppose their flight.

Borroughcliffe was utterly unable to follow, and so as-
tounded was he by this sudden violence, that several min-
ntes passed before he was restored to the use of his speech,
a faculty which seldom deserted him. The man had recov-
ered his senses and his feet, however ; and the two stood

THE PILOT. 169

gazing at each other in mute condolence. At length the
sentinel broke the silence : —

" Shall I give the alarm, your honor ? "

" I rather think not, Peters. I wonder if there be any
such thing as gratitude or good-breeding in the marine
corps ! "

" I hope your honor will remember that I did my duty,
and that I was disarmed while executing your orders."

" I can remember nothing about it, Peters, except that
it is rascally treatment, and such as I shall yet make this
amphibious aquatic gentleman answer for. But lock the
door — look as if nothing had happened, and " —

" Ah ! your honor, that is not so easily done as your
honor may please to think. I have not any doubt but
there is the print of the breech of a musket stamped on my
back and shoulders, as plainly to be seen as that light."

" Then look as you please ; but hold your peace, sirrah.
Here is a crown to buy a plaster. I heard the dog throw
away your musket on the stairs — go seek it, and return to
your post ; and when you are relieved, act as if nothing
had happened. I take the responsibility on myself."

The man obeyed ; and when he was once more armed,
Borroughcliffe, a good deal sobered by the surprise, made
the best of his way to his own apartment, muttering threats
and execrations against the " corps of marines and the
whole race," as he called them, '' of aquatic amphibii."

170 THE PiLOT

CHAPTER XVL

Away! away! the covey's fled tbe cover;
Put forth the dogs, and let the falcon fly;
I'll spend some leisure in the keen pursuit,
Nor longer waste my hours in sluggish quiet.

The soldier passed the remainder of the night in tbe
heavy sleep of a bacchanalian, and awoke late on the
following morning, only when aroused by the entrance of
his servant. When the customary summons had iudvced
the captain to unclose his eyelids, he arose in his bed, and
after performing the usual operation of a dil'gent friction
on his organs of vision, he turned sternly to his man, and
remarked, with an ill-humor that seemed to implicate the
innocent servant in the fault which his master condemned, ^

" I thought, sirrah, that I ordered Sergeant Drill not to
let a drumstick touch a sheep-skin while we quartered in
the dwelling of this hospitable old colonel ! Does the fellow
despise my commands ? or does he think the roll of a drum,
echoing through the crooked passages of St. Ruth, a mel-
ody that is fit to disturb the slumbers of its inmates ? "

" I believe, sir," returned the man, " it was the wish of
Colonel Howard himself, that on this occasion the sergeant
should turn out the guard by the roll of the drum."

" The devil it was ! I see the old fellow loves to tickle
the drum of his own ear now and then with familiar sounds ;
but have you had a muster of the cattle from the farm-yard
too, as well as a parade of the guard ? I hear the tram-
pling of feet, as if the old Abbey were a second ark, and all
the beasts of the field were coming aboard of us ! "

" 'Tis nothing but the party of dragoons from , who

are wheeling into the court-yard, sir, where the colonel has
gone out to receive them."

** Court-yard ! liglit dragoons ! " repeated Borroughcliffe

THE PILOT. 171

in amazement; "and has it come to this, that twenty gtont
fellows of the th are not enough to guard such a rook-
ery as this Old Abbey, against the ghosts and northeast
storms, but we must have horse to reinforce us ? Hum ! I
suppose some of these booted gentlemen have heard of this
South Carolina Madeira."

" O, no, sir ! " cried his man ; " it is only the party thai
]\Ir. Dillon went to seek last evening, after you saw fi% sir,
to put the three pirates in irons."

" Pirates in irons ! " said Borroughcliffe, again passhig
his hands over his eyes, though in a more reflecting manner
than before : " ha ! O ! I remember to have put three
suspicious-looking rascals in the black-hole, or some such
place ; but what can Mr. Dillon, or the light dragoons,
have to do with these fellows ? "

" That we do not know, sir ; but it is said below, sir, as
some suspicions had fallen on their being conspirators and
rebels from the colonies, and that they were great officers
and Tories in disguise ; some said that one was General
Washington, and others that it was only three members of
the Yankee parliament, come over to get our good old
English fashions to set themselves up with."

" Washington ! Members of Congress ! Go — go, sim-
pleton, and learn how many these troopers muster, and
what halt they make ; but stay, place my clothes near me.
Now, do as I bid you, and if the dragoon officer inquire for
me, make my respects, and tell him I shall be with him
Boon. Go, fellow ; go."

^VTien the man left the room, the captain, while he pro-
ceeded with the business of the toilet, occasionally gave
utterance to the thoughts that crowded on his recollection,
after the manner of a soliloquy.

" Aye ! my commission to a half-pay ensigncy, that some
of these lazy fellows, who must have a four-legged beast to
cai ry them to the wars, have heard of the ' south side.'
South side ! I believe I must put an advertisement in the
London Gazette,' calling that amphibious soldier to an
account;. K he be a true man, he will not hide himself
ander his incognito, but wll give me a meeting. Jf that

172 THE riLOT.

should fail, damme, J'il ride across to Yarmouth, and caE
out the first of the mongrel breed that I fall in with.
'Sdeath ! was ever such an insult ]iracticed on a gentleman,
and a scldier, before ? Would that I only knew his name
Why, if the tale should get abroad, I shall be the standing
joke of the mess-table, until some greater fool than myself
can be found. It would cost me at least six duels to get
rid of it. No, no ; not a trigger will I pull in my own
regiment about the silly affair : but I'll have a crack at
some marine in very revenge ; for that is no more than
reasonable. That Peters ! if the scoundrel should dare
whisper anything of the manner in which he was stamped
with the breech of the musket ! I can't flog him for it ; but
if I don't make it up to him the first time he givei me a
chance, I am ignorant of the true art of balancing regi
mental accounts."

By the time the recruiting officer had concluded this
BolUoquy, which affords a very fair exposition of the cur-
rent of his thoughts, he was prepared to meet the new-
comers, and he accordingly descended to the court-yard, as
in duty bound, to receive them in his proper person.
BorroughclifFe encountered his host, in earnest conversation
with a young man in a cavalry uniform, in the principal
entrance of the Abbey, and was greeted by the former
with, —

" A good morning to you, my worthy guard and pro-
tector ! here is rare news for your loyal ears. It seems
that our prisoners are enemies to the king in disguise ; and

Cornet Fitzgerald — Captain BorroughclifTe, of the th,

permit me to make you acquainted with Mr. Fitzgerald, of

the th Light Dragoons." While the soldiers exchanged

their salutations, the old man continued, " The cornet has
been kind enough to lead down a detachment of his troop
to escort the rogues up to London, or some other place,
where they will find enough good and loyal officers to form
a court-martial, that can authorize their execution as spies.
Christopher Dillon, my worthy kinsman. Kit, saw into their
real characters at a glance ; while you and I, like two un
suspecting boys, thought the rascals would have made jil

THE PILOT. 178

■len eo hOiT'e the king. But Kit has an eye and a head
ihat lew enjoy like him, and I would that he might receive
ais dues at the English bar."

" It is to be desired, sir," said Borroughcliffe, with a
-^ave aspect, that was produced chiefly by his effort to
give tiffed to his sarcasm, but a little, also, by the recoUeo
/-icn of the occurrences that were yet to be explained ;
"but what reason has iNIr. Christopher Dillon to believ^e
that the three seamen are more or less than they seem ? "

" I know not what ; but a good and sufficient reason, I
will venture my life," cried the colonel ; " Kit is a lad for
reasons, which you know is the foundation of his profession,
and knows how to deliver them manfully in the proper
place ; but you know, gentlemen, that the members of the
bar cannot assume the open and bold front that becomes a
soldier, without often endangering the cause in which they
are concerned. No, no ; trust me. Kit has his reasons, and
in good time will he deliver them."

" I hope, then," said the captain carelessly, " that it may
be found that we have had a proper watch on our charge,
Colonel Howard ; I think you told me the windows were
too high for an escape ia that direction, for I had no sen-
tinel outside of the building."

" Fear nothing, my worihj friend," cried his host ; " un-
less your men have slept, ruitead of watching, we have
them safe ; but, as it will be necessary to convey thetn
away before any of the civil authority can lay hands oe
them, let us proceed to the rear, and unkennel the dog3
A party of the horse might proceed at once with theo^

io , while we are breaking our fasts. It would be no

very wise thing to allow the civilians to deal with them for
they seldom have a true idea of the nature of the crime."

" Pardon me, sir," said the young officer of horse ; " I
was led to believe, by l\Ir. Dillon, that we might meet w.ih
a party of the enemy in some little force, and that I should
find a pleasanter duty than that of a constable ; besides, sir,
the laws of the realm guarantee to the subject a trial by
Uis peers, and it is more than I dare do to carry the men to
ihe barracks, without first taking the m before a magistrate '

174 THE PILOT.

"Aye! you speak of loyal and dutiful subjects," said the
oolonel ; " and, as respects them, doubtless, you are right
but such privileges are withheld from enemies and traitors"

" It must be first proved that they are such, before they
can receive the treatment or the punishment that they
merit," returned the young man, a little positively, who felt
tlie more confidence, because he had only left the Temple
the year before. " If I take charge of the men at all, it
will be only to transfer them safely to the civil authority."

" Let us go and see the prisoners," cried Borroughcliffe,
with a view to terminate a discussion that was likely to
wax warm, and which he knew to be usdess ; " perhaps
they may quietly enroll themselves under the banners of
our sovereign, when all other interference, save that of
wholesome discipline, will become unnecessary."

" Nay, if they are of a rank in life to render such a step
probable," returned the cornet, " I am well content that
the matter should be thus settled. I trust, however, that

Captain Borroughcliffe will consider that the th light

dragoons has some merit in this affair, and that we are far
short of our numbers in the second squadron."

" We shall not be difficult at a compromise," returned the
captain ; " there is one apiece for us, and a toss of a guinea
shall determine who has the third man. Sergeant ! follow,
to deliver over your prisoners, and relieve your sentry."

As they proceeded, in compliance with this arrangement,
to the building in the rear, Colonel Howard, who made one
of the party, observed, —

" I dispute not the penetration of Captain Borroughcliffe,
but I understand Mr, Christopher Dillon that there is rea-
son to believe one of these men, at least, to be of a dasa
altogether above that of a common soldier ; in which oase,
^our plans may fall to the ground."

" And who does he deem the gentleman to be ? " asked
Borroughcliffe, " a Bourbon in disguise, or a secret repre-
sentative of the rebel Congress ? "

" Nay, nay : 'le said nothing more ; my kinsman Kit
keeps a close mouth whenever Dame Justice is about to
balance hes- scales. There are men wJio may be said to

THE PILOT. 176

have been bom to be soldiers ; of which number I should
call the Earl Cornwallis, who makes such head against the
rebels in the two Carolinas ; others seem to be intended by
nature for divines, and saints on earth, such as their Gracee
of York and Canterbury ; while another class appears as if
it were impossible for them to behold things unless with
discriminating, impartial, and disinterested eyes ; to which>
I should say, belong my Lord Chief Justice Mansfield, and
my kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon. I trust, gentlemen,
that, when the royal arms have crushed this rebellion, hia
majesty's ministers will see the propriety of extending the
dignity of the peerage to the colonies, as a means of reward
to the loyal, and a measure of policy to prevent further
disaffection ; in which case I hope to see my kinsman dec-
orated with the ermine of justice bordering the mantle of a
peer."

" Your expectations, my excellent sir, are right reason-
able ; as I doubt not your kinsman will become, at some
future day, that which he is not at present, unhappily for
his deserts, right honorable," said Borroughcliffe. " But be
of good heart, sir ; from what I have seen of his merits, I
doubt not that the law will yet have its revenge in due
season, and that we shall be properly edified and instructed
how to attain elevation in life, by the future exaltation of
]\lr. Christopher Dillon ; though by what title he is to be
then known, I am at a loss to say."

Colonel Howard was too much occupied with his own
ex-parte views of the war and things in general, to observo
the shrewd looks that were exchanged between the soldiers ;
but he answered with perfect simplicity, —

'''■ I have reflected much on that point, and have come to
\hi opinion, that as he has a small estate on this river, he
ihculd cause his first barony to be known by the title of
Pedee.' "

*' Barony ! " echoed Borroughcliffe ; " I trust the new
nobles of a new world will disdain the old worn-out distinc-
tions of a hackneyed universe — eschew all baronies, mine
host, and cast earldoms and dukedoms to the shades. The
'\r\mortal Locke has unlocked his fertUe mind to furnish

17© THE PILOT.

you with appellations suited to the originality of your con-
dition and the nature of your country. Ah ! here comei
the Cacique of Pedee, in his proper person ! "

As Borroughcliffe spoke, they were ascending the flight
of stone steps which led to the upper apartments, where
the prisoners were still supposed to be confined ; and, at
the same moment, the sullen, gloomy features of DUlon
were seen as he advanced along the lower passage, with aa
expression of malicious exultation hovering about his dark
brow, that denoted his secret satisfaction. As the hours
passed away, the period had come round when the man who
had been present at the escape of Griffith and his friends,
was again posted to perform the duty of sentinel. As this
soldier well knew the situation of his trust, he was very
coolly adjusted, with his back against the wall, endeavoring
to compensate himself for his disturbed slumbers during the
night, when the sounds of the approaching foosteps warned
him to assume the appearance of watchfulness.

" How now, fellow ! " cried Borroughcliffe ; " what have
you to say to your charge ! "

" I believe the men sleep, your honor ; for I have heard
no noises from the rooms since I relieved the last senti-
nel."

" The lads are weary, and are right to catch what sleep
they can in their comfortable quarters," returned the cap-
tain. " Stand to your arms, sirrah ! and throw back your
shoulders ; and do not move like a crab, or a train-band
corporal ; do you not see an officer of horse coming up ?
Would you disgrace your regiment ? "

" Ah ! your honor. Heaven only knows whether I shall
ever get my shoulders even again."

" Buy another plaster," said Borroughcliffe, slipping a
shilling into his hand ; '' observe, you know nothing but
your duty."

" Which is, your honor " —

" To mind me, and be silent. But here comes the ser
geant with his guard: he will relieve you."

The rest of the j>arty stopped at the other end of the
gallery, to allow the few files of soldiers who were led bj

THE PILOT. 177

the orderly to pass them, when they all move J towards ths
prisons in a body. The sentinel was relieved in due mil-
itary style when Dillon jilaced his hand on one of the
doors, and said, with a malicious sneer, —

" Open here first, Mr. Sergeant ; this cage holds the man
we most want."

" Softly, softly, my Lord Chief Justice, and most puia«
Bant Cacique," said the captain ; " the hour bus not yei
r;ome to impanel a jury of fat yeomen, and no man must
interfere with my boys but myself."

" The rebuke is harsh, I must observe, Captain Bor-
roughcliffe," said the colonel ; " but I pardon it because it
is military. No, no. Kit ; these nice points must be left to
mai'tial usages. Be not impatient, my cousin ; I doubt not
the hour will come, when you shall hold the scales of jus-
tice, and satisfy your loyal longings on many a traitor.
Zounds ! I could almost turn executioner myself in such a

cause

" I can curb my impatience, sir," returned Dillon, with
hy]30critical meekness, and great self-command, though his
eyes were gleaming with savage exultation. " I beg par-
don of Captain Borroughcliffe, if, in my desire to render
the civil authority su])erior to the military, I have trespassed
on your customs."

" You see, Borroughcliffe ! " exclaimed the colonel, ex-
ultingly, " the lad is ruled by an instinct in all matters of
law and justice. I hold it to be impossible that a man
thus endowed can ever become a disloyal subject. But our
breakfast waits, and Mr. Fitzgerald has breathed his horse
his cool morning; let us proceed at once to the examjna-
iion."

Borroughcliffe motioned to the sergeant to open the door
when the whole party entered the vacant room.

" Your prisoner has escaped ! " cried the cornet, after a
single moment employed in making sure of the fact.

" Never ! it must not, shall not be ! " cried Dillon, quiv-
ering with rage, as he glanced his eyes furiously around the
apaifment; "here has been treachery I and foil treason to
die king ! "

U

178 THE PILOT.

"By whom committed, Mr. Christopher Dillodf" (aid
Borroughcliffe, knitting liis brow, and speaking in a sup-
pressed tone : " dare you, or any man living, charge treason
to the th! "

A very different feeling from rage appeared now to in-
crease the shivering propensities of the future judge, who
at once perceived it was necessary to moderate his passion ;
and he returned, as it were by magic, to his former plausi-
ble and insinuating manner, as he replied, —

" Colonel Howard will understand the cause of my warm
feelings, when I tell him that this very room contained, last
night, that disgrace to his name and country, as well as
traitor to his king, Edward Griffith, of the rebel navy."

" What ! " exclaimed the colonel, starting, " has that rec-
reant youth dared to pollute the threshold of St. Ruth
mth his footstep ? but you dream, Kit ; there would be
too much hardihood in the act."

" It appears not, sir," returned the other ; " for though
in this very apartment he most certainly was, he is here no
longer. And yet from this window, though ojjen, escape
would seem to be impossible, even with much assistance."

" If I thought that the contumelious boy had dared to be
guilty of such an act of gross impudence," cried the colonel^
" I should be tempted to resume my arms, in my old age,
to punish his effrontery. What ! is it not enough that he
entered my dwelling in the colony, availing himself of the
distraction of the times, with an intent to rob me of my
choicest jewel — aye ! gentlemen, even of my brother
Harry's daughter — but that he must also invade this hal-
lowed island with a like purpose, thus thrusting his treason,
as it were, into the presence of his abused prince ! No,
nc, Kit, thy loyalty misleads thee : he has never dared to
do the deed ! "

" Listen, sir, and you shall be convinced," returned ihc
plia. it Christopher. " I do not wonder at your unbelief;
- but as a good testimony is the soul of justice, I cannot re«
gist its influence. You know that two vessels, coi respond
iiLg in aj^ijearance to the two rebel cruisers that annoyed
us so much in the Carolinas, have been seen on ihe coa»t

THE PILOT. 179

for several days, which induced us to beg the protection of
Captain Borroughcliffe. Three men are found, the day
succeeding that on which we hear that these vesselb came
within the shoals, stealing through the grounds of St. Ruth,
in sailors' attire. They are arrested, and in the voice oi
one of them, sir, I immediately detected that of the traitor
Griflith. He was disguised, it is true, and cunningly so ;
but when a man has devoted his whole life to tl e business
of investigating truth," he added, with an air of uiuch mod-
esty, " it is difficult to palm any disguise on his senses."

Colonel Howard was strongly impressed with the proba-
bility of these conjectures, and the closing appeal confirmed
him immediately in his kinsman's opinion, while Borrough-
cliffe listened with deep interest to the speakers, and moro
than once bit his lip with vexation. When Dillon con-
cluded, the soldier exclaimed, —

" I'll swear there was a man among them, who has been
used to the drill."

" Nothing more probable, my worthy friend," said Dil-
lon ; " for as the landing was never made without some evil
purpose, rely on it, he came not unguarded or unprotected.
I dare say, the three were all officers, and one of them might
have been of the marines. That they had assistance is cer-
tain, and it was because I felt assured they had a force
secreted at hand, that I went in quest of the reinforce
ment."

There was so much plausibility, and, in fact, so much
ruth in all this, that conviction was unwillingly admitted
by Borroughcliffe, who walked aside a moment, to conceal
he confusion which, in spite of his ordinary mflexibility of
countenance, he felt was manifesting itself in his rubric vill-
age, while he muttered, —

" The amphibious dog ! he was a soldier, but a txa'.toi
and an enemy. No doubt he will have a marvelous satisfac-
tion in delighting the rebellious ears of his messmates, by
rehearsing the manner in which he poured cold water down

the back of one Borroughcliffe, of the th, who was

amusing him, at the same time, by pouring good, rich,
souih-side Madeira down his own rebellious throat. I hav«

180 THE PILOT.

a good mind to exchange my scarlet coat tor a blu*i jacket,
on purpose to meet the sly rascal on the other element
where we can discuss the matter over again. Well, ser
geant do you find the other two ? "

"They are gone together, your honor," returned the or-
derly, who just then reentered from an examination of the
other apartments ; " and unless the evil one helped thena
off, it's a mysterious business to me."

" Colonel Howard," said Borroughcliffe, gravely, " your
precious south-side cordial must be banished from the board,
regularly with the cloth, until I have my revenge ; for sat-
isfaction of this insult is mine to claim, and I seek it this
instant. Go, Drill ; detail a guard for the protection of
the house, and feed the rest of your command, then beat
the general, and we will take the field. Aye, my worthy
veteran host, for the first time since the days of the unlucky
Charles Stuart, there shall be a campaign in the heart of
England."

" Ah ! rebellion, rebellion ! accursed, unnatural, unholy
rebellion, caused the calamity then and now ! " exclaimed
the colonel.

" Had I not better take a hasty refreshment for my men
and their horses ? " asked the cornet ; " and then make a
Bweep for a few miles along the coast ? It may be my luck
to encounter the fugitives, or some part of their force."

" You have anticipated my very thoughts," returned Bor-
roughcliffe. " The Cacique of Pedee may close the galea
of St. Ruth, and, by barring the windows, and arming the
servants, he can make a very good defense against an at-
tack, should they think proper to assail our fortress ; after
he has repulsed them, leave it to me to cut off their re-
treat." .

Dillon but little relished this roposal ; for he thought an
attempt to storm the Abbey would be the most probable
course adopted by Griffith, in order to rescue his mistress ;
and the jurist had none of the spirit of a soldier in his
composition. In truth, it was this deficiency that had in-
duced him to depart in person, the preceding night, in quest
of the reinforcement, instead of sending an express on th«

THE PILOT. 181

errand. But the necessity of devising an excuse for a
change in this dangerous arrangement was obviated by
Colonel Howard, who exclaimed, as soon as Borroughcliffe
concluded his plan, —

" To me. Captain Borroughcliffe, belongs, of right, the
duty of defending St. Ruth, and it shall be no boy's plav to
force my works ; but Kit would rather try his chance m ine
open field, I know. Come, let us to our breakfast, and then
he shall mount, and act as a guide to the horse, along the
difficult passes of the sea-shore."

" To breakfast then let it be," cried the captain ; " I dig-
trust not my new commander of the fortress ; and in the
field the Cacique forever ! We follow you, my worthy
host."

This arrangement was hastily executed in all its parts.
The gentlemen swallowed their meal in the manner of men
who ate only to sustain nature, and as a duty ; after which
the whole house became a scene of bustling activity. The
troops were mustered and paraded ; Borroughcliffe, setting
apart a guard for the building, placed himself at the head
of the remainder of his little party, and they moved out of
the court-yard in open order, and at quick time. Dillon joy-
fully beheld himself mounted on one of the best of Colonel
Howard's hunters, where he knew that he had the control,
in a great measure, of his own destiny ; his bosom throbbing
with a powerful desire to destroy Griffith, while he enter-
tained a lively wish to effect his object without incurring
any personal risk. At his side was the young cornet, seated
with practiced grace in his saddle, who, after giving time
for the party of foot-soldiers to clear the premises, glanced
tis eye along the few files he led, and then gave the word
0 move. The little division of horse wheeled briskly into
tpen column, and, the officer touching his cap to Cclone!
Howard, they dashed through the gateway together, ani
pursued their route towards the sea-side at a hand-gallop.

The v^eteran lingered a few minutes, while the clattering
of hoofs was to be heard, or the gleam of arms was visible,
to he.ar and gaze at sounds and sights that he still loved ;
ttftor which he proceeded, in person, and not without a

182 THE PILOT.

secret enjoy men t of the excitement, to barricade the doon
and windows, with an undaunted determination of making,
in case of need, a stout defense.

St. Ruth lay but a short two miles from the ocean , to
which numerous roads led, through the grounds of the Abbey,
which extended to the* shore. Along one of these paths
Dillon conducted his party, until, after a few minutes of
hard riding, they approached the cliffs, when, posting hi 8
troopers under cover of a little copse, the cornet rode in ad-
vance with his guide, to the verge of the perpendicular rocks,
whose bases were washed by the foam that still whitened the
•waters from the surges of the subsiding sea.

The gale had broken before the escape of the prisonei's ;
and as the power of the eastern tempest had gradually
diminished, a light current from the south, that blew directly
along the land, prevailed ; and, though the ocean still rolled
in fearful billows, their surfaces were smooth, and they were
becoming, at each moment, less precipitous and more regu-
lar. The eyes of the horsemen were cast in vain over the
immense expanse of water that was glistening bi'ightly vmder
the rays of the sun, which had just risen from its bosom, in
quest of some object, or distant sail, that might confirm their
suspicions, or relieve their doubts. But everything of that
description appeared to have avoided the dangerous naviga-
tion during the violence of the late tempest, and Dillon was
withdrawing his eyes in disappointment from the vacant
view, when, as they fell towards the shore, he beheld that
which caused him to exclaim, —

" There they go ! and, by Heaven, they will escape ! "

The cornet looked in the direction of the other's finger,
when he beheld, at a short distance from the land, and ap-
parently immediately under his feet, a little boat that looketl
like a dark shell upon the water, rising and sinking amid
the waves, as if the men it obviously contained were resting
on their oars in idle expectation.

" 'Tis they ! " continued Dillon ; " or, what is more prob-
able, it is their boat waiting to convey them to their vessel
"_o common business would induce seamen to lie in this caifr
iess manner, within sveh a narrow distance of the surf."

THE PILOT. 188

" And what is to be done ? They cannot he made 'o
feel horse where they are ; nor would the muskets of the
foot be of any use. A light three-pounder would do ita
work handsomely on them ! "

The strong desire which Dillon entertained to intercept,
or rather to destroy the party, rendered him prompt at ex-
pedients. After a moment of musing, he rejilied, —

" The runaways must yet be on the land ; and by scour-
ing the coast, and posting men at proper intervals, their re-
treat can easily be prevented ; in the mean time I will ride
undar the spur to bay, where one of his majesty's cut-
ters now lies at anchor. It is but half an hour of hard rid-
ing, and I can be on board of her. The wind blows directly
in hei" favor ; and if we can once bring her down behind
that headland, we shall infallibly cut off or sink these mid-
night depredators."

" Off, then ! " cried the cornet, whose young blood was
boiling for a skirmish ; " you will at least drive them to the
shore, where I can deal with them."

The words were hardly uttered, before Dillon, after gal-
loping furiously along the cliffs, and turning short into a
thick wood that lay in his route, was out of sight. The
loyalty of this gentleman was altogether of a calculating na-
ture, and was intimately connected with what he considered
his fealty to himself. He believed that the possession of
Miss Howard's person and fortune were advantages that
would much more than counterbalance any elevation that he
was likely to obtain by the revolution of affairs in his native
colony. He considered Griffith as the only natural obstacle
to his success ; and he urged his horse forward with a des-
perate determination to work the ruin of the young sailor,
before another sun had set. When a man labors in an evU
cause, with such feelings, and with such incentives, he seldom
eliglits or neglects his work ; and Mr. Dillon, accordingly,
was on board the Alacrity several minutes short of the time
in wh'.ch he had promised to perform the distance.

The plain old seaman who commanded the cutter, listened
to his tale with cautious ears ; and examined into the state
of the weather, and other matters connected with his duty

184 ^H'=', PI1.0T.

mth the slow and deliberate decision of one who had never
done much to acquire a confidence in himself, and who had
been but niggardly rewarded for the little he had actually
performed.

As Dillon was urgent, however, and *hc day seemed pr'^^
pitious, he at length decided to act as he was desired, and
the cutter was accordingly gotten under way.

A crew of something less than fifty men moved with no
little of their commander's deliberation ; but as the little
vessel rounded the j oint behind which she had been anch-
ored, her guns were cleared, and the usual preparations were
completed for immediate and actual service.

Dillon, sorely against his will, was compelled to continue
on board, in order to point out the place where the unsus-
pecting boatmen were expected to be entrapped. Every-
thing being ready, when they had gained a safe distance
from the land, the Alacrity was kept away before the wind,
ftnd glided along the shore with a swift and easy progress
that promised a speedy execution of the business in which
ear commander had embarked.

THE PILOT. 185

CHAPTER XVn.

Very like a whale.

Shakespeare.

Notwithstanding the ob;ect of their expedition was of
a public nature, the feelings which had induced both Griffith
and Barnstable to accompany the Pilot with so much will-
ingness, it will easily be seen, were entirely personal. The
short intercourse that he had maintained with his associates
enabled the mysterious leader of their party to understand
the characters of his two j)rincipal officers so thoroughly, as
to induce him, when he landed, with the purpose of recon-
noitering to ascertain whether the objects of his pursuit still
held their determination to assemble at the appointed hour,
to choose Griffith and Manual as his only associates, leaving
Barnstable in command of his own vessel, to await their
return, and to cover their retreat. A good deal of argu-
ment, and some little of the authority of his superior officer,
was necessary to make Barnstable quietly acquiesce in this
arrangement ; but as his good sense told him that nothing
should be unnecessarily hazarded, until the moment to strike
the final blow had arrived, he became gradually more
resigned ; taking care, however, to caution Griffith to recon-
noitre the Abbey while his companion was reconnoitering

house. It was the strong desire of Griffith to comjDly

with this injunction, which carried them a little out of their
proper path, and led to the consequences that we have partly
related. The evening of that day was the time when the
Pilot intended to complete his enterprise, thinking to entrap
his game while enjoying the festivities that usually succeeded
their sports ; and an early hour in the morning was
appointed, when Barnstable should appear at the nearest
point to the Abbey, and take off bis countrymen, in order

186 THE PILOT.

that they might be as little as possible subjected to the gaw
of their enemies by daylight. If they foiled to arrive at
the appointed time, his instructions were to return to his
pchooner, which lay snugly embayed in a secret and retired
haven, that but few ever approached, either by land or
water.

While the young cornet still continued gazing at the
whale-boat (for it was the party from the schooner that he
Baw), the hour expired for the appearance of Griffith and
his companions ; and Barnstable reluctantly determined to
comply with the letter of his instructions, and leave them to
their own sagacity and skill to regain the Ariel. The boat
had been suffered to ride in the edge of the surf, since the
appearance of the sun ; and the eyes of her crew were kept
anxiously fixed on the cliffs, though in vain, to discover the
signal that was to call them to the place of landing. After
looking at his watch for the twentieth time, and as often
casting glances of uneasy dissatisfaction towards the shore,
the lieutenant exclaimed, —

" A charming prospect, this, Master Coffin, but rather too
much poetry in it for your taste ; I believe you relish no
land that is of a harder consistency than mud ! "

" I was born on the waters, sir," returned the cockswain,
from his snug abode, where he was bestowed with his usual
economy of room, '' and it's according to all things for a
man to love his native soil. I'll not deny, Cajitain Barn-
stable, but I would rather drop my anchor ow a. oottom that
won't broom a keel, though, at the same time, I harbor no
great malice against dry land."

" I shall never forgive it, myself, if any accident has
befallen Griffith in this excursion," rejoined the lieutenant ;
** his pilot may be a better man on the water than on terra
firma, long Tom."

The cockswair turned his solemn visage, with an ex»
traordinary meanmg, towards his commander, before he
replied, —

" For as long a time as I have followed 'the waters, sir
and that has been ever since I've drawn my rations, seeing
(hat I was bom while the boat was crossing Nantucket

THE PILOT. x87

ihoals, I've never known a pilot come off in greater need,
than the cne we fell in with, when we made that stretch or
two on the laud, in the dog-watch of yesterdaj ."

" Aye, the fellow has played his part like a man ; the
oocasion was great, and it seems that he was quite equal to
his work."

" The frigate's people tell me, sir, that he handled ths
gliip like a top," continued the cockswain ; " but she is a
Bliip that is a nateral inimy of. the bottom ! "

" Can you say as much for this boat, Master CoflBn ? "
cried Barnstable ; " keep her out of the surf, or you'll have
us rolling in uj^on the beach, presently, like an emjjty water-
cask ; you must remember that we cannot all wade, like
yourself, in two-fathom water."

The cockswain cast a cool glance at the crests of foam
that were breaking over the tops of the billows, within a
few yards of where their boat was riding, and called aloud
to his men, —

" Pull a stroke or two ; away with her into dark water."

The drop of the oars resembled the movements of a nice
machine, and the light boat skimmed along the water like a
duck, that approaches to the very brink of some imminent
danger, and then avoids it, at the most critical moment,
apparently without an effort. AYhile this necessary move-
ment was making, Barnstable arose, and surveyed the cliffs
with keen eyes, and then turning once more in disappoint
ment from his search, he said, —

" Pull more from the land, and let her run down at an
easy stroke to the schooner. Keep a lookout at the cliffs,
boys ; it is possible that they are stowed in some of the
holes in the rocks, for it's no daylight business they are
on."

The order was promptly obeyed, and they had glided
along for nearly a mile in this manner, in the most pro-
found silence, when suddenly the stillness was broken by a
heavy rush of air, and a dash of the water, seemingly at no
great distance from them

" By Heaven, Tom," criei Barnstable, starting, " there
* the blow of a whale ! "

188 THE PILOT.

" Aye, aye, sir," returned the cockswain -Tith undisturbed
composure ; " here is his spout not half a mile to seaward ;
the easterly gale has driven the creatur' to leeward, and he
b^ns to find himself in shoal water. He's been sleeping,
while he should have been working to windward ! "

" The fellow takes it coolly, too ! he's in no hurry to got
%j otSng ! "

" I rather conclude, sir," said the cockswain, rolling orep
his tobacco in his mouth, very composedly, while his little
sunken eyes began to twinkle with pleasure at the sight,
" the gentleman has lost his reckoning, and don't know
which way to head to take himself back into blue water."

" 'Tis a fin-back ! " exclaimed the lieutenant ; " he will
soon make headway, and be off."

" No, sir, 'tis a right whale," answered Tom ; " I saw his
spout ; he threw up a pair of as pretty rainbows as a Chris-
tian would wish to look at. He's a raal oil-butt, that
<eUow ! "

Barnstable laughed, turned himself away from the tempt-
ing sight, and tried to look at the clifis ; and then uncon-
sciously bent his longing eyes again on the sluggish animal,
who was throwing his huge carcass, at times, for many feet
^om the water, in idle gambols. The temptation for sport,
and the recollection of his early habits, at length prevailed
over his anxiety in behalf of his friends, and the young
oflScer inquired of his cockswain, —

" Is there any whale-line in ihe boat, to make fast to that
harpoon which you bear about with you in fair weather or
foul ? "

" I never trust the boat from the schooner without part
of a shot, sir," returned the cockswaLu ; " there is some-
thing nateral in the sight of a tub to my old eyes."

Barnstable looted at his watch, and again at the cliffs,
when he exclaimed, in joyous tones, —

" Give strong wa,v, n:v hearties ! There seems nothing
better to be done ; iei us have a stroke of a harpoon a/
that impudent rascal."

The men shouted spontaneously, and the old coc>*«fv<«n
faff«MV<l hi» goiwi^k visage to relax into a small laugh, 'wtui*

THE PILOT. 189

the whale-boat sprang forward like a courser for the goal
During the few minutes they were pulling towards tneii
game, long Tom arose from his crouching attitude in the
Etern-sheets, and transferred his huge form to the bows of
the boat, where he made such preparations to strike ihe
whale as the occasion required. The tub, containing about
half of a whale line, was placed at the feet of Barnstable/
who had been preparing an oar to steer with in place of
the rudder, wliich was unshipped, in order that, if neceasarjj
the boat might be whirled round when not advancing.

Their approach was utterly unnoticed by the monster of
the deep, who continued to amuse himself with throwing
the water in two circular spouts high into the air, occasion-
ally flourishing the broad flukes of his tail with a graceful
but terrific force, until the hardy seamen were within a few
hundred feet of him, when he suddenly cast his head down-
ward, and, without an apparent effort, reared his immense
body for many feet above the water, waving his tail vio-
lently, and producing a whizzing noise, that sounded likp
the rushing of winds.

The cockswain stood erect, poising his harpoon, ready
for the blow ; but when he beheld the creature assume this
formidable attitude, he waved his hand to his commander,
who instantly signed to his men to cease rowing. In this
situation the sportsmen rested a few moments, while the
whale struck several blows on the water in rapid succession,
the noise of which reechoed along the cliffs, like the hollow
reports of so many cannon. After this wanton exhibition
of his terrible strength, the monster sank again into his
native element, and slowly disappeared from the eyes of his
pursues.

" Which way did he head, Tom ? " cried Barnstable, the
moment the whale was out of sight.

" Pretty much up and down, sir," returned the cock '
swain, whose eye was gradually brightening with the ex-
citement of the sport ; " he'll soon run his nose against thfl
bottom if he stands long on that course, and will be glad to
get another snuff of pure air ; send her a few fathoms to
starboard, sir, and I promise we shall not be out of lu
Kruck."

190 THE PILOT

The conjecture of the experienced old seaman proved
true ; for in a few moments the water broke near them,
and another spout was cast into the air, when the huge ani-
mal rushed for half his length in the same direction, ard
fell on the sea with a turbulence and foam equal to that
which is produced by the launching of a vessel, for the first
time, into its proper element. After this evolution thfi
whale rolled heavily, and seemed to rest from furtlie'/
efforts

His slightest movements were closely watched by Barn-
stable and his cockswain, and when he was in a state of
comparative rest, the former gave a signal to his crew to
ply their oars once more. A few long and vigorous strokes
sent the boat directly up to the broadside of the whale,
with its bows pointing towards one of the fins, which was,
at times, as the animal yielded sluggishly to the action of
the waves, exposed to view. The cockswain poised his
harpoon with much precision, and then darted it from him
with a violence that buried the iron in the blubber of their
foe. The instant the blow was made, long Tom shouted,
with singular earnestness, —

" Starn all ! "

" Stern all ! " echoed Barnstable ; when the obedient
seamen, by united efforts, forced the boat in a backward
direction beyond the reach of any blow from their formida-
ble antagonist. The alarmed animal, however, meditated
no such resistance; ignorant of his own power, and of the
msignificance of his enemies, he sought refuge in flight.
One moment of stupid surprise succeeded the entrance cf
the iron, when he cast his huge tail into the air, with a
violence that threw the sea around him into increased com-
motion, and then disappeared with the quickness of light-
ning, amid a cloud of foam.

" Snub him ! " shouted Barnstable ; " hold on, Tom ; ha
rises already."

" Aye, aye, sir," replied the composed cockswain, seizing
the line, which was running out of the boat with a velocity
that rendered such a manoeuvre rather hazardous, and caus-
ing it to yield more gradually round the large loggerhead

THE PILOT. 191

thac was placed in the bows of the boat for that purpose.
Presently the line stretched forward, and rising to the sur-
face with trema.ous vibrations, it indicated the direction in
which the animal might be expected to reajjpear. Barn-
etable had cast the bows of the boat towards that point, be-
fore the terrified and wounded victim rose once more to the
surface, whose time was, however, no longer wasted in his
sports, but who cast the waters aside, as he forced his way,
with prodigious velocity, along the surface. The boat was
dragged violently in his wake, and cut through the billows
with a terrific rapidity, that at moments appeared to bury
the slight fabric in the ocean. When long Tom beheld his
victim throwing his spouts on high again, he pointed with
exultation to the jetting fluid, which was streaked with the
deep red of blood, and cried, —

" Aye, I've touched the fellow's life ! it must be . more
than two foot of blubber that stops my iron from reaching
the life of any whale that ever sculled the ocean ! "

" I believe you have saved yourself the trouble of using
the bayonet you have rigged for a lance," said his com-
mander, who entered into the sport with all the ardor of
one whose youth had been chiefly passed in such pursuits :
*' feel your line. Master Coflin ; can we haul alongside of
our enemy ? I like not the course he is steericg, as he
tows us from the schooner."

" 'Tis the creatur's way, sir," said the cockswain ; " you
know they need the air in their nostrils, when they run,
the same as a man ; but lay hold, boys, and let's haul up to
him."

The seamen now seized the whale-line, and slowly drew
their boat to within a few feet of the tail of the fish, whose
progress became sensibly less rapid, as he grew weak with
the loss of blood. In a few minutes he stopped running,
and ajjpeared to roll uneasily on the water, as if suflTering
the agoliy of death.

" Shall we pull in, and finish him, Tom ? " cried 6am-
rttable ; " a few sets from your bayonet would do it."

The cockswain stood examining his game with cool ji»«
STOtion, and replied to this interrogatory, —

192 THE PUC?'.

"No, sir, no — he's going into his flurry ; there's no oo
casion for disgracing ourselves by isiag a soldier's weapon
in tak'ng a whale. Starn off, sir, a'^-arn off! the creatur's
in his flurry ! "

The warning of the prudent cochswain was promptly
obeyed, and the boat cautiously drrw off to a distance,
leaving to the animal a clear space, while under its dying
agonies. From a state of perfect rest, the terrible monster
threw its tail on high, as when in sport, ]>ut its blows were
trebled in rapidity and violence, tUl all ra.s hid from view
by a pyramid of foam, that was deeplj dyed with blood.
The roarings of the fish were like the btl'owing of a herd
of bulls ; and to one who was ignorant of the fact, it would
have appeared as if a thousand monsters uv^re engaged in
deadly combat, behind the bloody mist that obstructed the
view. Gradually, these effects subsided, and irhen the dis-
colored water again settled down to the long i\nd regular
swell of the ocean, the fish was seen, exhausted, and yield-
ing passively to its fate. As life departed, the enormous
black mass rolled to one side ; and when the white and
glistening skin of the belly became apparent, the seamen
well knew that their victory was achieved.

" What's to be done now ? " said Barnstable, as he stood
and gazed with a diminished excitement at their victim ;
" he will yield no food, and his carcass wUl probably arift
to land, and furnish our enemies with the oil."

" If I had but that creatur' in Boston Bay," said th^
cockswaia, " it would prove the making of me ; but such ^
my luck forever ! Pull up, at any rate, and let me get r-""
harpoon and line — the English shall never get them whi*"
old Tom Cofiin can blow."

" Don't speak too fast," said the strokesman of the boat
** whether you get your iron or not, here he comes is
chase ! "

" "What mean you, fellow ? " cried Barnstable.

" Captain Barnstable can look for himself," returned the
•eaman, " and tell whether I speak truth."

The yoimg sailor turned, and saw the Alacrity, bearing
down before the wind, with all her sails set, as she rounded

THE VILOT. 193

a headland, but a short hai^ league to windward of the
place where the boat lay.

" Pass that glass to me," i aid the captain, with steady
composure. " This promises is work in one of two ways :
if she be armed, it has become our turn to run ; if not, ive
are strong enough to carry her."

A very brief survey made the experienced oflBccr ac-
quainted with the true character of the vessel in sight ; and,
replacing the glass with much coolness, he said, —

'• That fellow shows long arms, and ten teeth, beside
King George's pennant from his topmast-head. Now, my
lads, you are to pull for your hves ; for whatever may be
the notions of Mr. Coffin on the subject of his harpoon, I
have no inclination to have my arms jjinioned by John
Bull, though his majesty himself put on the irons."

The men well understood the manner and meaning of
their commander ; and, throwing aside their coats, they
applied themselves in earnest to their task. For haF an
hour a profound sUence reigned in the boat, which made an
amazing progress. But many circumstances conspired to
aid the cutter ; she had a fine breeze, with smooth water,
and a strong tide in her favor ; and, at the expiration of
the time we have mentioned, it was but too apparent that
the distance between the pursued and the pursuers was les-
sened nearly half. Barnstable preserved his steady coun-
tenance, but there was an expression of care gathering
around his dark brow, which indicated that he saw the in-
creasing danger of their situation.

" That fellow has long legs. Master Coffin," he said, in a
cheerful tone ; " your whale-line must go overboard, and
the fifth oar must be handled by your delicate hands."

Tom arose from his seat, and proceeding forward, he cast
the tub and its contents together into the sea, when he seated
himself at the bow oar, and bent his athletic frame with
amazing vigor to the task.

" Ah ! there is much of your philosophy in that stroke,
long Tom," cried his commander ; " keep it up, boys ; and
if we gain nothing else, we shall at least gam time for de-
liberation. Come, Master Coffin, what think you ! we hav«
13

194 THE PILOT.

three resources before us ; let us hear which is your choice
first, we can turn and fight and be sunk ; secondly, we can
pull to the land, and endeavor to make good our retreat to
the schooner in that manner ; and thirdly, we can head to
the shore, and possibly, by running under the guns of that
fellow, get the wind of him, and keep the air in our nos-
trils, after the manner of the whale. Damn the whale '
but for the tow the black rascal gave us, we should have
been out of sight of this rover ! "

" If we fight," said Tom, with quite as much composuK
as his commander manifested, " we shall be taken or sunk ;
if we land, sir, I shall be taken for one man, as I never
could make any headway on dry ground ; and if we try to
get the wind of him by pulling under the cliflTs, we shall be
cut oiF by a parcel of lubbers that I can see running along
their edges, hoping, I dare say, that they shall be able to
get a skulking shot at a boat's crew of honest seafaring
men."

" You speak with as much truth as pliilosophy, Tom,''
said Barnstable, who saw his slender hopes of success cur-
tailed, by the open appearance of the horse and foot on the
cliffs. " These Englishmen have not slept the last night,
and I fear Griffith and Manual will fare but badly. That
fellow brings a capful of wind down with him — 'tis just
his play, and he walks like a race-horse. Ha ! he begins
to be in earnest ! "

While Barnstable was speaking, a column of white smoke
was seen issuing from the bows of the cutter; and as the
report of a cannon was wafted to their ears, the shot was
seen skipping from wave to wave, tossing the water in spray,
and flying to a considerable distance beyond them. The
seamen cast cursory glances in the direction of the passing
ball, but it produced no manifest eflfect in either their con-
duct or appearance. The cockswain, who scanned its range
with an eye of more practice than the rest, observed
" That's a lively piece for its met:il, and it speaks with a
good clear voice ; but if they hear it aboard the Ariel, tlie
man who fired it will be sorry it wasn't born dumb."

" You are the prince of philosophers, Master Coffin 1 *

THE PILOT. 195

cried Barnstable ; " there is some hope in ihac ; let the
Englishmen talk away, and my life on it, the Ariels doa't
believe it is thmider ; hand me a musket — I'll draw an-
other shot."

The piece was given to Barnstable, who discharged it sev-
eral times, as if to taunt their enemies ; and the scheme
was completely successful. Goaded by the insults, the cut-
ter discharged gim after gun at the little boat, throwing the
shot frequently so near as to wet her crew with the spray,
but without injuring them in the least. The failure of
these attempts of the enemy excited the mirth of the reck-
less seamen, instead of creating any alarm ; and whenever
a shot came nearer than common, the cockswain would utter
some such expression as —

" A ground swell, a long shot, and a small object, make
a clean target ; " or, " A man must squint straight to hit a
boat."

As, notwithstanding their unsuccessful gunnery, the cut-
ter was constantly gaining on the whale-boat, there was a
prospect of a speedy termination of the chase, when the re-
port of a cannon was thrown back like an echo from one of
the Englishman's discharges, and Barnstable and his com-
panions had the pleasure of seeing the Ariel stretching
slowly out of the little bay where she had passed the night,
with the smoke of the gun of defiance curling above her
taper masts.

A loud and simultaneous shout of rapture was given by
the lieutenant and all his boat's crew, at this cheering sight,
while the cutter took in all her light sails, and, as she
iiauled up on a wind, she fired a whole broadside at the
successful fugitives. Many stands of grape, with several
round shot, flew by the boat, and fell upon the water near
them, raising a cloud of foam, but without doing any in-
jury.

" She dies in a flurry," said Tom, casting his eyes at the
little vortex into which the boat was then entering.

" If her commander be a true man," cried Barnstable,
* he'll not leave us on so short an acquaintance. Give
way, my souls I give way ! I would see more of this lo-
quaciour cruiser."

196 THE PILOT".

1 he temptation for exertion was great, and it waa not
disregarded by the men ; in a few jciinutes the whale-boat
reached the schooner, when the crew of the latter received
their commander and his companions with shouts and cheers
that rang across the waters, and reached the ears of the <!»•
^)pointod srpectators on the verge of the clifis.

THE PILOT. 197

CHAPTER XVni.

Thus guided on their course they bore,
Until they neared the mainland shore ;
When frequent on the hollow blast,
Wild shouts of merriment were cast.

Lord of niE l8i.n.

The joyful shouts and hearty cheers of the Ariel's crew
continued for some time after her commander had reached
her deck. Barnstable answered the congratulations of hia
otficers by cordial shakes of the hand ; and after waiting
for the ebullition of delight among the seamen to subside a
little, he beckoned with an air of authority for silence.

" I thank you, my lads, for your good-will," he said, when
all were gathered around him in deep attention : " they
have given us a tough chase, and if you had left us another
mile to go, we had been lost. That fellow is a king's cutter ;
and though his disposition to run to leeward is a good deal
mollified, yet he shows signs of fight. At any rate, he is
stripping off some of his clothes, which looks as if he were
game. Luckily for us. Captain Manual has taken all the
marines ashore with him (though what he has done witl
them or himself, is a mystery), or we should have had our
decks lumbered with live cattle; but, as it is, we have a
good working breeze, tolerably smooth water, and a dead
match ! There is a sort of national obligation on us to
ivhip that fellow ; and therefore, without more words about
the matter, let us turn to and do it, that we may get our
breakfasts."

To this specimen of marine eloquence the crew cheered
as usual, the young men burning for the combat, and the
few old sailors who belonged to the schooner shaking their
heads with infinite satisfaction, and swearing by sundry
•traiige oaths that their captain " could talk, when there

198 THE PILOT.

was need of such thing, like the best dictionary that eve
vas launched."

During this short harangue, and the subsequent com
ments, tlie Ariel had been kept under a cloud of canvas,
as near to the wind as she could lie ; and as this was her
best sailing, she had stretched swiftly out from the land, to a
distance whence the cliffs, and the soldip>rs who were spread
along their summits, became plainly visible, Barnstable
turned his glass repeatedly, from the cutter to the shore, as
different feelings predominated in his breast, before he again
Bpoke.

" If INIr. Griffith is stowed away among those rocks," he
at length said, " he shaU see as pretty an argument dis-
cussed, in as few words, as he ever listened to, provided the
gentlemen in yonder cutter have not changed their minds
as to the road they intend to journey — what think you,
Mr. Merry?"

" I wish with all my heart and soul, sir," returned the
fearless boy, "that Mr. Griffith was safe aboard us; it
seems the country is alarmed, and God knows what will
happen if he is taken ! As to the fellow to windward, he'U
find it easier to deal with the Ariel's boat than with her
mother ; but he carries a broad sail ; I question if he means
to show play."

" Never doubt him, boy," said Barnstable ; " he is working
off the shore, like a man of sense, and besides, he has his
spectacles on, trying to make out what tribe of Yankee
Indians we belong to. You'll see him come to the wind
presently, and send a few pieces of iron down this way, by
way of letting us know where to find him. Much as I like
your first lieutenant, Mr. Merry, I would rather leave him
on the land this day, than see him on my decks. I want
uo fighting captain to work this boat for me ! But tell the
drummer, sir, to beat to quarters."

The boy, who was staggering under the weight of hia
melodious instrument, had been expecting this command,
and, without waiting for the midshipman to communicate
the order, he commenced that short rub-a-dub air, that will
at any time rouse a thousand men from the deepest sleep

THE PILOT. 199

ftnd cause them to fly to their means of offense with a com*
mon soul. The crew of the Ariel had been collected in
groups, studying the appearance of the enemy, cracking
their jokes, and waiting only for this usual order to repair
to the guns ; and at the first tap of the drum, they spread
with steadiness to the different parts of the little vessel,
where their various duties called them. The cannon were
surrounded by small parties of vigorous and athletic young
men ; the few marines were drawn up in array with mus-
kets ; the officers appeared in their boarding-caps, with
pistols stuck in their belts, and naked sabres in their hands,
Barnstable paced his little quarter-deck with a firm tread,
dangling a speaking-trumpet, by its lanyard on his fore*
finger, or occasionally applying the glass to his eye, which,
when not in use, was placed under one arm, while his sword
was resting against the foot of the mainmast ; a pair of
heavy ship's pistols were thrust into his belt also ; and piles
of muskets, boarding-pikes, and naked sabres, were placed
on different parts of the deck. The laugh of the seamen
was heard no longer ; and those who spoke uttered their
thoughts only in low and indistinct whispers.

The English cutter held her way from the land, until she
got an offing of more than two miles, when she reduced her
sails to a yet smaller number ; and heaving mto the wind,
she fired a gun in a direction opposite to that which pointed
to the Ariel.

" Now I would wager a quintal of codfish, Master Coffm,"
said Barnstable, " against the best cask of porter that -was
sver brewed in England, that fellow believes a Taukee
schooner can fly in the wind's eye ! If he wishes *o speak
to us, why don't he give his cutter a little sheet, and come
down?"

The cockswain had made his arrangements for the com-
bat, with much more method and philosophy than any other
man in the vessel. When the drum beat to quarters, he
tlirew aside Ins jacket, vest, and shirt, with as little nesita-
tion as if he stood under an American sun, and with all tha
discetion of a man who had engaged in an undertaking
that required the free u-e of his utmost powers. As he

200 THE PILOT.

was known to be a privileged individual in the Ariel, and
one whose opinions, in all matters of seamanship, were
regarded as oracles by the crew, and were listened to by
his commander with no little demonstration of respect, the
question excited no surprise. He was standing at the
breech of his long gun, with his brawny arms folded on a
breast that had been turned to the color of blood by long
exposure, his grizzled locks fluttering in the breeze, and h's
tall form towering far above the heads of all near him.

" He hugs the wind, sir, as if it was his sweetheart," was
his answer ; " but he'll let go his hold soon ; and if he
don't, wo can find a way to make him fall to leeward."

" Keep a good full ! " cried the commander, in a stern
voice ; " and let the vessel go through the water. That
fellow walks well, long Tom ; but we are too much for him
on a bowline ; though, if he continue to di'aw ahead in this
manner, it will be night before we can get alongside him."

" Aye, aye, sir," returned the cockswain ; " them cutters
carries a press of canvas when they seem to have but
little; their gaffs are all the same as young booms, and
spread a broad head to their mainsails. But it's no hard
matter to knock a few cloths out of their bolt-ropes, when
she will both drop astarn and to leeward."

" I believe there is good sense in your scheme, this time,"
said Barnstable ; " for I am anxious about the frigate's
people — though I hate a noisy chase ; speak to him, Tom,
jmd let us see if he will answer."

*' Aye, aye, sir," cried the cockswain, sinking his body in
such a manner as to let his head fall to a level with the
cannon that he controlled, when, after divers orders, and
dLmdry movements to govern the direction of the piece, he
applied a match, with a rapid motion, to the priming. An
immense body of white smoke rushed from the muzzle of
the cannon, followed by a sheet of vivid fii-e, until, losing
iti power, it yielded to the wind, and, as it rose from the
water, spread like a cloud, and, passing through the masts
of the schooner, was driven far to leeward, and soon blended
m the mists which were swiftly scudding before the fresh
Dreezes of the ocean.

THE PILOT. 201

Althougb irany curious eyes \rere watching this beautifiil
eight from the cliffs, there was too little of novelty in the
exhibition to attract a single look of the crew (»f the
schooner, from the more important examination of the effect
of the shot on their enemy. Barnstable sprang lightly on
a gun, and watched the instant when the ball would strike,
with keen interest, while long Tom threw himself aside
from the line of the smoke with a similar intention ; hold*
ing one of his long arms extended towards his namesake,
with a finger on the vent, and supporting his frame by plac-
ing the hand of the other on the deck, as his eyes glanced
through an opposite port-hole, in an attitude that most men
might have despaired of imitating with success.

" There go the chips ! " cried Barnstable. " Bravo !
Master Coffin, you never planted iron in the ribs of an
Englishman with more judgment. Let him have another
piece of it; and if he like the sport, we'll play a game of
long bowls with him ! "

" Aye, aye, sir," returned the cockswain, who, the instant
he witnessed the effects of his shot, had returned to superin-
tend the reloading of his gun ; " if he holds on half an hour
longer, I'll dub him down to our own size, when we can
close, and make an even fight of it."

The drum of the Englishman was now, for the first time,
heard, rattling across the waters, and echoing the c»ll to
quarters, that had already proceeded from the Ariel.

" Ah ! you have sent him to his guns ! " said Barnstable ;
we shall now hear more of it ; wake him up, Tom — wake
Un up ! "

" We shall start him on end, or put him to sleep alto
gether, shortly," said the deliberate cockswain, who never
allowed himself to be at all hurried, even by his commander.
" My shot are pretty much like a shoal of porpoises, auJ
eommonly sail in each other's wake. Stand by — hea /e
her breech forward — so; get out of that, you damned
young reprobate, and let my harpoon alone ! "

" What are you at, there, Master Coflin ? " cried Bant*
•table ; "are you tongue-tied ? "

" Here's one of the boys skylarking with my bar|>oon m

202 THE PILOT.

the lee-scuppers, and by-and-by, when I shall want it most,

theie'U be a no-man's-land to hunt for it in."

" Never mind the boy, Tom ; send him aft here to me,
and I'll polish his behavior ; give the Englishman some
more iron."

" I want the little villain to pass up my cartridges," re-
turned the angry old seaman ; " but if you'll be so good, sir,
as to hit him a crack or two, now and then, as he goes by
you to the magazine, the monkey wUl learn his manne's,
and the schooner's work will be all the better done for it.
A yovmg herring-faced monkey ! to meddle with a tool ye
don't know the use of. If your parents had spent more of
their money on your edication, and less on your outfit, you'd
ha' been a gentleman to what ye are now."

" Hurrah ! Tom, hurrah! " cried Barnstable, a Mttle im-
patiently ; " is your namesake never to open his turoat
again ! "

" Aye, aye, sir ; all ready," grumbled the cockswain ;
•'depress a little; so — so; a damned young baboon-behaved
curmudgeon ; overhaul that forward fall more ; stand by
with your match — but I'll pay him ! — fire ! " This was
the actual commencement of the fight ; for as the shot of
Tom Cofiin travelled, as he had intimated, very much in the
Bame direction, their enemy found the sport becoming too
hot to be endured in sUence, and the report of the second
gun from the Ariel was instantly followed by that of the
whole broadside of the Alacrity. The shot of the cutter
6ew in a very good direction, but her guns were too light
to give them efiiciency at that distance ; and as one or two
were heard to strike against the bends of the schoonei', and
fell back, innocuously, into the water, the cockswain, whose
good-humor became gradually restored as the combat thick-
ened, remarked with his customary apathy, —

* Them count for no more than love-taps — does the
Esiglishman think that we are firing salutes ! "

'' Stir him up, Tom ! every blow you give him will help
to open his e3^es," cried Barnstable, rubbing his hands with
glee, as he witnessed the success of his eflforts to close.

Thus far the cockswain and his crew had the tight, on th«

THE t»rLOT. 203

part of the Ariel, altogether to tNmselves, the men who
were stationed at the smaller and shorter guns standing in
perfect idleness by their sides ; but in ten or fifteen minutes
the commander of the Alacrity, who had been staggered by
the weight of the shot that had struck him, found that it
was no longer in his power to retreat, if he wished it ; when
he decided on the only course that was left for a brave ma:i
to pursue, and steered boldly in such a direction as would
soonest bring him in contact with his enemy, without expos-
ing his vessel to be raked by his fire. Barnstable watched
each movement of his foe with eagle eyes, and when the
vessel had got within a lessened distance, he gave the order
for a general fire to be opened. The action now grew
warm and spirited on both sides. The power of the wind
was counteracted by the constant explosion of the cannon ;
and, instead of driving rapidly to leeward, a white canopy
of curling smoke hung above the Ariel, or rested on the
water, lingering in her wake, so as to mark the path by
which she was approaching to a closer and still deadlier
Btruggle. The shouts of the young sailors, as they handled
their instruments of death, became more animated and fierce,
while the cockswain pursued his occupation with the silence
and skiU of one who labored in a regular vocation. Barn-
stable was unusually composed and quiet, maintaining the
grave deportment of a commander on whom rested the for-
tunes of the contest, at the same time that his dark eyes
were dancing with the fire of suppressed animation.

" Give it them ! " he occasionally cried, in a voice that
might be heard amid the bellowing of the cannon ; " never
mind their cordage, my lads ; drive home their bolts, and
make your marks below their ridge-ropes."

In the mean time the Englishman played a manful game.

Il3 had suffered a heavy loss by the distant Ciinncnade,
which no metal he possessed could retort upon his enemy ;
but he struggled nobly to repair the erior in judgment with
which he hud begun the contest. The two vessels gradu-
ftily drew nigher to each other until they both entered into
^he common cloud created by their fire, which thickened
and spread around then: in such a manner as to conceal

204 THE PILOT.

their dark bulls from the gaze of the curious and interested
spectators on the cliffs. The heavy reports of the cannon
were now mingled with the rattling of muskets and pistols,
and streaks of fire might be seen glancing like flashes o\'
lightning tbrout,b the white cloud which enshrouded the
combatants ; and many minutes of painful uncertainty fol-
lowed, before the deeply-interested soldiers, who were gaz-
ing at the scene, discovered on whose banners victory had
alighted.

We shall follow the combatants into their misty wreath,
and display to the reader the events as they occurred.

The fire of the Ariel was much the most quick and
deadly, both because she had suffered less, and her men
were less exhausted ; and the cutter stood desperately on
to decide the combat, after grappling, hand to hand. Barn-
stable anticipated her intention, and well understood her
commander's reason for adopting this course ; but he was not
a man to calculate coolly his advantages, when pride and
daring invited him to a more severe trial. Accordingly, he
m^t the enemy half-way, and as the vessels rushed together,
the stern of the schooner was secured to the bows of the
cutter, by the joint efforts of both parties. The voice of
the English commander was now plainly to be heard, in
the uproar, calling to his men to follow him.

" Away there, boarders ! repel boarders on the starboai'd
quarter ! " shouted Barnstable through his trumpet.

This was the last order that the gallant young sailor
gave with this instrument ; for, as he spoke, he cast it from
him, and, seizing his sabre, flew to the spot where the
enemy was about to make his most desperate effort. The
shouts, execrations, and tauntings of the combatants, now
succeeded to the roar of the cannon, which could be used
no longer with effect, though the fight was still maintained
wilh spirited discharges of the small-arms.

" Sweep him from his decks ! " cried the English com-
mander, as he appeared on his own bulwarks, surrounded
by a dozen of his bravest men ; " drive the rebellious dog«
uto the sea ! "

" Away there, marines ! " retorted Barnstable, firing hu

THE riLOT 205

pistol at the advancing enemy ; " leave not a man of them
to sup his grog again."

The tremendous and close volley that succeeded this
order, nearly accomplished the command of Barnstalle to
the letter, and the commander of the Alacrity, perceiving
that he stood alone, reluctantly fell back on the deck of his
own vessel, in order to bring on his men once more.

" Board her ! gray-beards and boys, idlers and all ! "
shouted Barnstable, springing in advance of his crew ; a
powerful arm arrested the movement of the dauntless sea-
man, and before he had time to recover himself, he was
drawn violently back to his own vessel by the irresistible
grasp of his cockswain.

" The fellow's in liis flurry," said Tom, " and it wouldn't
be wise to go within reach of his flukes ; but I'll just step
ahead and give him a set with my harpoon."

Without waiting for a reply, the cockswain reared his
tall frame on the bulwarks, and was in the attitude of
stepping on board of his enemy, when a sea separated the
vessels, and he fell with a heavy dash of the waters into the
ocean. As twenty muskets and pistols were discharged at
the instant he appeared, the crew of the Ariel supposed hia
fall to be occasioned by his wounds, and were rendered
doubly fierce by the sight, and the cry of their commander
to —

" Revenge long Tom ! board her ! long Tom or death ! "

They threw themselves forward in irresistible numbers,
and forced a passage, with much bloodshed, to the forecastle
of the Alacrity. The Englishman was overpowered, but
Btill remained undaunted — he rallied his crew, and bore up
most gallantly to the fray. Thrusts of pikes and blows of
sabres were becoming close and deadly, while muskets and
pistols were constantly discharged by those who were kept
At a distance by the pressure of the throng of closer com-
tjatants.

Barnstable led his men in advance, and became a mark
■>f peculiar vengeance to his enemies, as they slowly yielded
aefore his vigorous assaults. Chance had placed the two
pommanders on opposite sides of the cutter's deck, and tu»

206 THE PILOT.

victory seemed to incline towards either party, wherever
these daring officers directed the struggle in person. But
the Englishman, perceiving that the ground he maintained
in person was lost elsewhere, made an effort to restore 'he
battle, by changing his position, followed by one or two of
his best men. A marine, who preceded him, leveled his
musket within a few feet of the head of the American com-
ma ider, and was about to fire, when Merry glided among
the combatants, and passed his dirk into the body of the
man who fell at the blow ; shaking his jiiece, with horrid
imprecations, the wounded soldier prepared to deal his
vengeance on his youthful assailant, when the fearless
boy leaped within its muzzle, and buried his own keen
weapon in his heart.

" Hurrah ! " shouted the unconscious Barnstable, from
the edge of the quarter-deck, where, attended by a few men,
he was driving all before him. " Revenge ! — long Tom
and victory ! "

" We have them ! " exclaimed the Englishman ; " handle
your pikes ! we have them between two fires."

The battle would probably have terminated very differ-
ently from what previous circumstances had indicated, had
not a wild-looking figure appeared in the cutter's channels
at that moment, issuing from the sea, and gaining the deck
at the same instant. It was long Tom, with his iron visage
rendered fierce by his previous discomfiture, and his
grizzled locks drenched with the briny element from which
ae had risen, looking like Neptune with his trident. With-
out speaking, he poised his harpoon, and, with a powerful
effort, pinned the unfortunate Englishman to the mast of
his own vessel.

" Starn all ! " cried Tom by a sort of instinct, when the
Wow was struck; and catching up the musket of the falleu
canrine, he dealt out terrible and fatal blows with its butt,
dn all who apj^roached liim, utterly disregarding the use of
the bayonet on its muzzle. The unfortunate commander
of the Alacrity brandished his sword witli frantic gestures
wliile his eyes rolled in horrid wilduess, when he writhe<i
*or an instani m his passing agonies, and then, as his heal

THE PILOT. 5i07

dropped lifeless upon his gored breast, 1)8 hung figuinbt tha
Bpar, a spectacle of dismay to his crew A ew of the
Englishmen stood chained to tiie spot in silent horror at
the sight, l)ut most of them fled to their lower deck, or
hastened to conceal themselves in the secret parts of the
vessel, leaving to the Americans the undisputed possession
of the Alacrity.

Two thirds of the cutter's crew suffered either in life oi
limbs, by this short struggle ; nor was the victory obtained
by Barnstable without jiaying the jjrice of several valuable
lives. The first burst of conquest was not, however, the
moment to appreciate the sacrifice, and loud and reiterated
shouts proclaimed the exultation of the conquerors. Aa
the flush of victory subsided, however, recollection returned,
and Barnstable issued such orders as humanity and his duty
rendered necessary. While the vessels were separating,
and the bodies of the dead and w^ounded were removing,
the conqueror paced the deck of his prize, as if lost in deep
reflection. He passed his hand frequently across his black-
ened and blood-stained brow, while his eyes would rise to
examine the vast canopy of smoke that was hovering above
the vessels, like a dense fog exhaling from the ocean. The
result of his deliberations was soon announced to the crew.

" Havd down all your flags," he cried ; " set the English-
man's colors again, and show the enemy's jack above our
ensign in the Ariel."

The appearance of the whole channel fleet within half
gun-shot, would not have occasioned more astonishment
among the victors than this extraordinary mandate. The
wondering seamen suspended their several employments, to
gaze at the singular change that was making in the flags^
those symbols that were viewed with a sort of reverence ;
feut none presumed to comment openly on the procedure
fxcept long Tom, who stood on the quarter-deck of the
i>rizc, straightening the pliable iron of the harpoon which
he had recovered, with as much care and diligence as if it
were necessary to the maintenance of their conquest. Like
Ac others, however, he suspended his employment, when
be heard this order, and maniiested no reluctance to ex
press his dissatisfactioa at the measure.

208 THE PILOT.

" If the Englishmen grumble at the fight, and think a
not fair play," muttered the old cockswain, " let as tr)- it
over again, sir ; as they are somewhat short of hands, they
can send a boat to the land, and get off a gang of them
lazy riptyles, the soldiers, who stand looking at us, like so
many red lizards crawling on a beach, ind we'll give thena
another chance ; but damme, if I see the use of whipping
them, if this is to be the better end of the matter."

" What's that you're grumbling there, like a dead north-
eMSter, you horse mackerel ? " said Barnstable ; " where are
our friends and countrymen who are on the land ? are we
to leave them to swing on gibbets or rot in dungeons ? "

The cockswain listened with great earnestness, and when
his commander had spoken, he struck the palm of his broad
hand against his brawny thigh, with a report like a pistol,
and answered, —

" I see how it is, sir ; you reckon the red-coats have Mr.
Griffith in tow. Just run the schooner into shoal water,
Captain Barnstable, and drop an anchor, where we can get
the long gun to bear on them, and give me the whale-boat
and five or six men to back me — they must have long
legs if they get an offing before I run them aboard ! "

" Fool ! do you think a boat's crew could contend with
fifty armed soldiers ? "

" Soldiers ! " echoed Tom, whose spirits had been strongly
excited by the conflict, snapping his fingers with ineffiible
disdain ; " that for all the soldiers that were ever rigged :
one whale could kill a thousand of them ! and here stands
the man that has killed his round hundred of whales ! "

" Pshaw, you grampus, do you turn braggart in your old
age?"

" It's no bragging, sir, to speak a log-book truth ! but if
Captain Barnstable thinks that old Tom Coffin carries a
speaking-trumpet for a figure-head, let him pass the word
forrard to man the boats."

" No, no, my old master at the marlinspike," said Barn-
stable, kindly, " I know thee too well, thou brother of Nep-
tune ! but shall we not throw the bread-room dust in those
Englishmen's eyes, by wearing their bunting awnile, tiL
something may offer lo help our captured countrymen ?"

THE PILOT. 209

The cockswain shook his head and cogitated a moment,
M if struck with sundry new ideas, when he an&wered, —

" Aye, aye, sir ; that's blue-water philosophy : as deep as
the sea ! Let the riptyles clew up the corners of their
mouths to their eyebrows, now ! when they come to hear
the raal Yankee truth of the matter, they will sheet them
down to their leather neckcloths ! "

With this reflection the cockswain was much consoled,
and the business of repairing damages and securing the
prize proceeded without fiirther interruption on his part.
The few prisoners who were unhurt, were rapidly trans
ferred to the Ariel. While Barnstable was attending to
this duty, an unusual bustle drew his eyes to one of the
hatchways, where he beheld a couple of his marines drag-
ging forward a gentleman, whose demeanor and appearance
indicated the most abject terror. After examining the
extraordinary appearance of this individual, for a moment,
iu silent amazement, the lieutenant exclaimed, — ■

" Who have we here ? some amateur in fights ! an in-
quisitive, wonder-seeking non-combatant, who has volun-
teered to serve his king, and perhaps draw a picture, or
write a book, to serve himself ! Pray, sir, in what capacity
did you serve in this vessel ? "

The captive ventured a sidelong glance at his interroga-
tor, in whom he expected to encounter Griffith, but perceiv-
ing that it was a face he did not know, he felt a revival of
confidence that enabled him to reply, —

" I came here by accident ; being on board the cutter at
the time her late commander determined to engage you.
It was not in his power to land me, as I trust you will not
hesitate to do ; your conjecture of my being a non-com-
batant " —

" Is perfectly true," interrupted Barnstable ; " it requires
no spy-glass to read that name written on you from stem to
•tern ; but for certain weighty reasons " —

Ho paused to turn at a signal given him by young Merry
who whispered eagerly in his ear, —

" 'Tis Mr. Dillon, kinsman of Colonel Howard ; I've seen
him often, sailing in the wake of my cousin Cicely."
14

210 THE PILOT.

" Dillon !" exclaimed Barnstable, rubbing his haniU with
pleasure ; " what, Kit of that name ! he witli ' the Savannah
face, eyes of black, and skin of the same color ? ' he's grown
a little whiter with fear ; but he's a prize, at this moment,
worth twenty Alacrities ! "

These exclamations were made in a low voice, and at
Bome little distance from the prisoner, whom he new
mpproached and addressed.

" Policy, and consequently duty, require that I should
detain you for a short time, sir ; but you shall have a sailor's
welcome to whatever we possess, to lessen the weight of
captivity."

Barnstable precluded any reply, by bowing to his captive,
and turning away to superintend the management of his
vessels. In a short time it was announced that they were
ready to make sail, when the Ariel and her prize were
brought close to the wind, and commenced beating slowly
along the land, as if intending to return to the bay whence
the latter had sailed that morning. As they stretched in to
the shore on the first tack, the soldiers on the cliffs rent the
air with their shouts and acclamations, to which Barnstable,
pointing to the assimaed symbols that were fluttering in the
breeze from his masts, directed his crew to respond in the
most cordial manner. As the distance, and the want of
boats, prevented any further communication, the soldiers,
after gazing at the i-eceding vessels for a time, disappeared
from the cliffs, and were soon lost from the sight of the
adventurous mariners. Hour after hour was consumed in
the tedious navigation, against an adverse tide, and the short
day was drawing to a close, before they approached the
mouth of their destined haven. While making one of theu'
numerous stretches, to and from the land, the cuttei, in
which Barnstable continued, passed the victim of their morD»
mg's sport, riding on the water, the waves cui-ling over hia
huge carcass as on some rounded rock, and already sur-
rounded by the sharks, who were preying on his defenselesa
body

" See ! Master Cofiin,'' cried the lieutenant, pointing out
the object to his cockswain as they glided by i^, " the shovel-

THE PILOT. 211

noued gentlemen are regaling daintily ; you have neglected
the Christian's duty of burying your dead."

The old seaman cast a melancholy look at the dead
whale, and replied, —

" II" I had the creatur' in Boston Bay, or on the Sandy
Point of Munny-Moy, 'twould be the making of me ! But
riches and honor are for the great and the larned, and there's
nothing left for poor Tom Coffin to do, but to veer and haul
on his own rolling-tackle, that he may ride out the rest of
the gale of life without springing any of his old spars."

" How now, long Tom ! " cried his officer, " these rocks
and cliffs will shipwreck you on the shoals of poetry yet ;
you grow sentimental ! "

" Them rocks might wrack any vessel that struck them,''
said the literal cockswain ; " and as for poetry, I wants none
better than the good old song of Captain Kidd ; but it's
enough to raise solemn thoughts in a Cape Poge Indian, to
see an eighty-barrel whale devoured by shirks — 'tis an
awful waste of property ! I've seen the death of two hun-
dred of the creaturs, though it seems to keep the rations of
poor old Tom as short as ever."

The cockswain walked aft, while the vessel was passing
the whale, and seating himself on the taffrail, with his face
resting gloomily on his bony hand, he fastened his eyes oa
the object of his solicitude, and continued to gaze at it with
melancholy regret, while it was to be seen glistening in the
sunbeams, as it rolled its glittering side of white into the
air, or the rays fell unreflected on the black and rougher
coat of the back of the monster. In the mean time, the
navigators diligently pursued their way for the haven wo
have mentioned, into which they steered with every appear-
ance of the fearlessness of friends, and the exultation of con-
querors.

A few eager and gratified spectators lined the edges of
the small bay, and Barnstable concluded his arrangement
for deceiving the enemy, by admonishing his crew that they
were now about to enter on a service that would require
their utmost intrepidity and sagacity

212 THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XIX.

Our trumpet called you to this gentle paile.

Kino Jom.

As Griffith and his companions rushed from the office!
of St. Ruth into the open air, they encountered no one to
intercept their flight, or communicate the alarm. Warned
by the experience of the earlier part of the same niglit,
they avoided the points where they knew the sentinels were
posted, though fully prepared to bear down all resistance,
and were soon beyond the probability of immediate detec-
tion. They proceeded, for the distance of half a mile, with
rapid strides, and with the stern and sullen silence of men
who expected to encounter immediate danger, resolved to
breast it with desperate resolution ; but, as they plunged
into a copse, that clustered around the ruin which has been
already mentioned, they lessened their exertions to a more
deliberate pace, and a short but guarded dialogue ensued-

" "We have had a timely escape," said Griffith ; " I would
much rather have endured captivity, than have been the
cause of introducing confusion and bloodshed into the peace-
ful residence of Colonel Howard."

" I would, sir, that you had been of this opinion some
lours earlier," returned the Pilot, with a severity in his
tones that even conveyed more meaning than his words.

" I may have forgotten my duty, sir, in my anxiety to
mquire into the condition of a family in whom I feel a
particular interest," returned Griffith, in a manner in which
pride evidently struggled with respect ; " but this is not a
time for regrets ; I apprehend that we follow you on an
errand of some moment, where actions would be raor«
acceptable than any words of apology. What is your pieaa-
ore now ? "

THE PILOT. 213

" I much fear that our project will be defeated," said the
Pilot, gloomily ; " the alarm will spread with the morning
fogs, and there will be musterings of the yeomen, and con-
sultations of the gentry, that will drive all thoughts of
amusement from their minds. The rumor of a descent will;
at any time, force sleep from the shores of this island, to at
least ten leagues inland."

" Aye, you have probably passed some pleasant nights,
with your eyes open, among them, yourself, Master Pilot,"
said Manual ; " they may thank the Frenchman, Thurot, in
the old business of '56, and our own dare-devil, the bloody
Scotchman, as the causes of their quarters being so often
beaten up. After all, Thurot, with his fleet, did no more
than bully them a little, and the poor fellow was finally ex-
tinguished by a few small cruisers, like a drummer's boy
under a grenadier's cap ; but honest Paul sang a different
tune for his countrymen to dance to, and " —

" I believe you will shortly dance yourself. Manual,"
interrupted Griffith, quickly, " and in very pleasure that you
have escaped an English prison."

" Say, rather, an English gibbet," continued the elated
marine ; " for had a com-t-martial or a court-civil discussed
the manner of our entrance into this island, I doubt whether
we should have fared better than the dare-devil himself,
honest " —

" Pshaw ! " exclaimed the impatient Griffith ; " enough
of this nonsense. Captain Manual : we have other matters to
discuss now. What course have you determined to piu'sue,
]^Ir. Gray ? "

The Pilot started, like a man aroused from a deep mus-
ing, at this question, and after a pause of a moment, he spoke
in a low tone of voice, as if still under the influence of deep
and melancholy feeling : —

" The night has already run into the morning watch, but
the sun is backward to show himself in this latitude in the
heart of winter. I must depart, my friends, to rejoin you
Bome ten hour^ hence : it will be necessary to look deeper
into our scheme before we hazard anything, and no
one can do the service but myself: where shall we meet
•gain ^ "

•214 THE PILOT.

*'I have reason to think that there is an unfrequented
ruin at no great distance from us," said Griffith ; " perhaps
we might find both shelter and privacy among its deserted
walls."

" The thought is good," returned the Pilot, " and 'twill
answer a double purpose. Could you find the place where
you put the marines in ambush, Captain Manual? "

" Has a dog a nose ? and can he follow a clean scent ? '
exclaimed the marine ; " do you think, Signor Pilota, that
a general ever puts his forces in an ambuscade where he
can't find them himself? 'Fore God! I knew well enough
where the rascals lay snoring on their knapsacks, some half
an hour ago, and I would have given the oldest majority in
Washington's army to have had them where a small intima-
tion from myself could have brought them in line ready
dressed for a charge. I know not how you fared, gentle-
men, but, with me, the sight of twenty such vagabonds would
have been a joyous spectacle : we would have tossed that
Captain Borroughcliffe and his recruits on the point of our
bayonets, as the devil would pitch " —

" Come, come, IManual," said Griffith, a little angrily,
" you constantly forget our situation and our errand ; can
you lead your men hither without discovery, before the day
dawns ? "

" I want but the shortest half-hour that a bad watch ever
travelled over to do it in."

"Then follow, and I will appoint a place of secret rendez-
vous," rejoined Griffith ; " Mr. Gray can learn our situation
at the same time."

The Pilot was seen to beckon, through the gloom of the
night, for his companions to move forward ; when they
proceeded, with cautious steps, in quest of the desired shelter.
4. short search brought them in contact with a part of the
*uinous walls, which spread over a large surface, and which,
in places, reared their black fragments against the sky,
casting a deeper obscurity across the secret recesses of the
irood.

" This will do," said Griffith, when they had skirted fo-
•ome distacce the outline of the crumbl'ng fabric ; " bring

THE PILOT. 215

B7> your men to this point, where I will meet you, and con-
tiiict them to some more secret place, for which I shall search
during your absence."

" A perfect paradise, after the cable-tiers of the Ai-iel ! "
exclaimed Manual ; " I doubt not but a good spot might be
selected among these trees for a steady drill, — a thing my
Boul has pined after for six long mouths."

" Away, away ! " cried Griffith ; " here is no place foi
idle parades ; if we find shelter from discovery and cap
ture uutil you shall be needed in a deadly struggle, 'twill b«
well."

Manual was slowly retracing his steps to the skirts cf
the wood, when he suddenly turned, and asked, —

" Shall I post a small picket, a mere corporal's guard, m
the open ground in front, and make a chain of sentinels to
our works ? "

" We have no works — we want no sentinels," returned
his impatient commander ; " our security is only to be found
in secrecy. Lead up your men under the cover of the
trees, and let those three bright stars be your landmarks ;
bring them in a range with the northern corner of the
wood " —

" Enough, Mr. Griffith," interrupted Manual ; " a column
of troops is not to be steered like a ship, by compass, and
bearings and distances ; trust me, sir, the march shall be
conducted with proper discretion, though in a military
manner."

Any reply or expostulation was prevented by the sudden
disappearance of the marine, whose retreating footsteps
were heard for several moments, as he pioved at a deliber-
ate pace through the underwood. During this shoit in-
terval, the Pilot stood reclining against the corner of the
ruins in profound silence ; but when the sounds of Maimal's
march were no longer audible, he advanced from under the
deeper shadows of the wall, and approached his youthful
companion.

" We are indebt«d to the marine for our escape,'* he said ;
" I hope we are not to suffer by his folly."

" He is what Barnstable calls a rectangular man," returuod

216 THE PILOT.

GriflSth, " and will have his way in matters of his profession,
though a daring companion in a hazardous expedition. If
we can keep him from exposing us by his silly parade, we
shall find him a man who will do his work like a soldier
sir, when need happens."

" 'Tis all I ask ; until the last moment, he and his com-
mand must be torpid ; for if we are discovered, any attempt
of ours, with some twenty bayonets and a half-pike or two,
would be useless against the force that would be brought to
crush us."

"The truth of your opinion is too obvious," returned
Griffith ; " these fellows will sleep a week at a time in a
gale at sea, but the smell of the land wakes them up, and I
fear 'twill be hard to keep them close during the day."

" It must be done, sir, by the strong hand of force," said
the Pilot, sternly, " if it cannot be done by admonition ; if
we had no more than the recruits of that drunken martinet
to cope with, it would be no hard task to drive them into the
sea ; but I learned in my prison that horse are expected on
the shore with the dawn ; there is one they call Dillon, who
is on the alert to do us mischief"

" The miscreant ! " muttered Griffith ; " then you also
have had communion, sir, with some of the inmates of St.
Ruth?"

" It behooves a man who is embarked in a perilous enter-
prise to seize aU opportunities to learn his hazard," said the
Pilot, evasively : " if the report be true, I fear we have but
little hopes of succeeding in our plans."

" Nay, then, let us take the advantage of the darkness to
regain the schooner ; the coasts of England swarm with
hostile cruisers, and a rich trade is flowing into the bosons
of this island from the four quarters of the world ; we shall
not seek long for a foe worthy to contend with, nor for thfl
opportunities to cut up the Englishman in his sinews of
war " — his wealth."

" Griffith," returned the Pilot, in his still, low tones, thai
seemed to belong to a man who never knew ambition, no'*
felt human passion, " I grow sick of this struggle between
merit and privileged rank. It is in vain that I scour tba

THE PILOT. 211

i^aters which the King of England boastingly calls \iis own,
and capture his vessels in the very mouths of his harbors,
if my reward is to consist only of violated promises, and
hollow professions ; but your proposition is useless to me ;
I have at length obtained a ship of a size sufficient to con-
vey my person to the shores of honest, plain-dealing
America ; and I would enter the hall of Congress, on my
return, attended by a few of the legislators of this learned
isle, who think they possess the exclusive privUege to be
wise, and virtuous, and great."

" Such a retinue might doubtless be grateful both to youi
own feelings and those who would receive you," said Griffith
modestly ; "but would it affect the great purposes of ooi
struggle ? or is it an exploit, when achieved, worth th«
hazard you incur ? "

Griffith felt the hand of the Pilot on his own, pressing i*
with a convulsive grasp, as he replied, in a voice, if possi
ble, even more desperately calm than his former tones, —

" There is glory in it, young man ; if it be purchased
with danger, it shall be rewarded by fame ! It is true, I
wear your republican livery, and call the Americans my
brothers ; but it is because you combat in behalf of human
nature. "Were your cause less holy, I would not shed the
meanest drop that flows in English veins to serve it ; but
now, it hallows every exploit that is undertaken in its
favor, and the names of all who contend for it shall belong
to posterity. Is there no merit in teaching these proud
islanders that the arm of liberty can pluck them from the
very empire of their corruption and oppression ? "

" Then let me go and ascertain what we most wish to
know ; you have been seen there, and might attract " —

" You little know me," interrupted the Pilot ; " the deed
IS my own. If I succeed, I shall claim the honor, and it is
proper that I incur the hazard ; if I fail, it will be buried in
oblivion, like fifty others of my schemes, which, had I
power to back me, would have thrown this kingdom in con-
sternation, from the lookouts on the boldest of its head-
Ian is, to tnose on the turrets of Windsor Castle. But I
was bom without the nobij'ty of twenty generations to oot^

218 THE PILOT.

rupt my blood and deaden my soul, and am not trusted by
the degenerate wretches who rule the French marine."

*' 'Tis said that ships of two decks are building from our
own oak," said Griffith ; " and you have only to present
yourself in America, to be em]>loyed most honorably."

" Aye ! the republics cannot doubt the man who has sup-
ported their flag, without lowering it an inch, in so many
bloody conflicts ! I do go there, Griffith, but my way lies
on this path ; my pretended friends have bound my hands
often, but my enemies, never — neither shall they now
Ten hours will determine all I wish to know, and with yon
I trust the safety of the party till my return ; be vigilant,
but be prudent."

" If you should not appear at the appointed hour," ex-
daimed Griffith, as he beheld the Pilot turning to depart,
" where am I to seek, and how serve you ? "

" Seek me not, but return to your vessel ; my earliest
years were passed on this coast, and I can leave the island,
should it be necessary, as I entered it, aided by this disguise
and my own knowledge ; in such an event, look to your
charge, and forget me entirely."

Griffith could distinguish the silent wave of his hand when
the Pilot concluded, and the next instant he was left alone.
For several minutes the young man continued where he had
been standing, musing on the singular endowments and rest-
less enterprise of the being with whom chance had thus
unexpectedly brought him in contact, and with whose fate
and foi-tune his own prospects had, by the intervention of
nnlooked-for circumstances, become intimately connected.
When the reflections excited by recent occurrences had
passed away, he entered within the sweejiing circle of the
ruinous walls, and after a very cursory survey of the state
if the dilapidated building, he was satisfied that it contained
enough secret places to conceal his men, until the return of
the Pilot should warn them that the hour had come when
they must attempt the seizure of the devoted sportsmen, or
darkness should again facilitate their return to the Ariel
ft was now about the commencem'ent of that period of deep
light, which seamen distinguish as the morning watch, and

THE PILOT. 219

GriflBth ventured to the edge of the little \*ood, to listen if
any sounds or tumult indicated that thej were pursued.
On reaching a point where his eye could faintly distinguish
distant objects, the young man paused, and bestowed a close
and wary investigation on the surrounding scene.

The fury of the gale had sensibly abated, but a steady
current of sea air was rushing through the naked branches
of the oaks, lending a dreary and mournful sound to the
gloom of the dim prospect. At the distance of a short half-
•uile, the confused outline of the pile of St. Ruth rose
proudly against the streak of light which was gradually
increasing above the ocean, and there were moments when
the young seaman even fancied he could discern the bright
caps that topped the waves of his own disturbed element.
The long, dull roar of the surf, as it tumbled heavUy on the
beach, or dashed with unbroken violence against the hard
boundary of rocks, was borne along by the blasts distinctly
to his ears. It was a time and a situation to cause the
young seaman to ponder deeply on the changes and chances
of his hazardous profession. Only a few short hours had
passed since he was striving with his utmost skill, and with
all his collected enei'gy, to guide the enormous fabric, in
which so many of his comrades were now quietly sleeping
on the broad ocean, from that very shore on which he now
stood in cool indifference to the danger. The recollection
of home, America, his youthful and enduring passion, and
the character and charms of his mistress, blended in a sort
of wild and feverish confusion, which was not, however,
without its pleasures, in the ardent fancy of the young
man ; and he was slowly approaching, step by step, towards
the Abbey, when the sound of footsteps, proceeding evi-
dently from the measured tread of disciplined men, reached
his ears. He was instantly recalled to his recollection by
this noise, which increased as the party deliberately ap-
proached ; and in a few moments he was able to distinguish
a line of men, marching in order towards the edge of the
wood, from which he had himself so recently issued. Re-
tiring rapidly under the deeper shadow of the *ree3, he
waited until it was apparent the party intended to entei
•nder its cover also, when he ventured to speak.

220 THE PILOT.

" Who comes ? and on what errand ? " he cried.

" A skulker, and to burrow like a rabbit, or jump from
hole to hole, like a wharf-rat ! " said Manual, sulkily ;
"here have I been marching, within half musket-shot of
the enemy, without daring to pull a trigger even on their
outposts, because our muzzles are plugged with that uni-
versal extinguisher of gunpowder, called prudence. 'Fore
God ! Mr. Griffith, I hope you may never feel the tempta-
tion to do an evil deed, which I felt just now to throw a
volley of small shot into that dog-kennel of a place, if it
were only to break its windows, and let in the night air
upon the sleeping sot who is dozing away the fumes of
Bome as good old ' south-side — harkye, Mr. Griffith, one
word in your ear."

A short conference took place between the two officers,
apart from the men, at the close of which, as they rejoined
the party, Manual might be heard urging his plans on the
reluctant ears of Griffith in the following words : —

" I could carry the old dungeon without waking one of
the snorers ; and consider, sir, we might get a stock of as
rich cordial from its cellars as ever oOed the throat of a
gentleman ! "

" 'Tis idle, 'tis idle," said Griffith impatiently ; " we are
not robbers of hen-roos«^s, nor wine-gaugers, to be prying
into the vaults of the English gentry, Captain Manual ;
but honorable men, employed in the sacred cause of liberty
and our country. Lead your party into the ruin, and let
them seek their rest ; we may have work for them with tho
dawn."

" EvU was the hour when I quitted the line of the army,
to place a soldier under the orders of an awkward squad of
tarry jack(jts ! " muttered Manual, as he proceeded to exe-
cute an order that was delivered with an air of authority
that he knew must be obeyed. " As pretty an opportunity
for a surprise and a forage thrown away, as ever crossed
'he path of a partisan ! but, by all the rights of man
I'll ha7e an encampment in some order. Here, you ser-
geajt, detail a corporjxl and three men for a picket, and sta-
tion them in the skirts of tliis wood. We shall have a

THE T'lLOT. 221

sentinel in adva/ice of our position, and things shall be con-,
ilucted witli some air of discipline."

Griffith heard this order with great inward disgust ; but
as he anticipated the return of the Pilot before the light
could arrive to render this weak exposure of their situat''>if
apparent, he forbore exercising his power to alter the ar-
rangement. Manual had, therefore, the satisfaction of see-
ing his little party quartered, as he thought, in a military
manner, before he retired with Griffith and his men into
one of the vaulted apartments of the ruin, which, by its
open and broken doors, invited their entrance. Here the
marines disposed themselves to rest, while the two officers
succeeded in passing the tedious hours, without losing their
characters for watchfulness, by conversing with each other,
or, at whiles, suffering their thoughts to roam in the very
different fields, which fancy would exhibit to men of such
differing characters. In this manner hour after hour passed,
in listless quiet, or sullen expectation, until the day had
gradually advanced, and it became dangerous to keep the
sentinels and picket in a situation where they were liable
to be seen by any straggler who might be passing near the
wood. Manual remonstrated against any alteration, as
being entirely unmilitary, for he was apt to carry his notions
of tactics to extremes whenever he came in collision with a
sea officer; but in this instance his superior was firm, and
the only concession the captain could obtain was the per-
mission to place a solitary sentinel within a few feet of the
vault, though under the cover of the crumbling walls of the
building itself. With this slight deviation in their arrange-
ments, the uneasy party remained for several houi's longer,
impatiently waiting the period when they should be requires
o move.

The g-ms first fired from the Alacrity had been distinctly
r.udJble, and were pronounced by Griffith, whose practiced
ear detected the metal of the piece that was used, as not
uroceeding from the schooner. When the rapid though
distant rumbling of the spirited cannonade became audible,
It was with difficulty that Griffith could restrain either
his owp feelings or the conduct of his companions withio

222 THE PILOT.

those bounds that prudence and their situation requireil
The last ^un was, however, fired, and not a, man had left
the vault, and conjectures as to the result of the fight sno
ceeded to those which had been made on th^ character of
^he combatants during the action. Some c? the marinea
ivould raise their heads from the fragments which served
them as the pillows on which they were seeking disturbed
and stolen slumbers, and after listening to the cannon would
again compose themselves to sleep, like men who felt no
concern in a contest in which they did not participate.
Others, more alive to events, and less drowsy, lavishly ex-
pended their rude jokes on those who were engaged in the
struggle, or listened with a curious interest to mark the
progress of the battle, by the uncertain index of its noise.
When the fight had been some time concluded. Manual in-
dulged his ill-humor more at length : —

" There has been a party of pleasure within a league of
us, Mr. Griffith," he said, " at which, but for our present
subterraneous quarters, we might have been guests, and
thus laid some claim to the honor of sharing in the victory.
But it is not too late to push the party on as far as the
cliffs, where we shall be in sight of the vessels, and we
may possibly establish a claim to our share of the prize-
money."

" There is but little wealth to be gleaned from the cap-
ture of a king's cutter," returned Griffith ; " and thsre
«rould be less honor were Barnstable encumbered with our
additional and useless numbers."

" Useless ! " repeated Manual ; " there is much good ser-
vice to be got out of twenty-three well-drilled and well-
chosen marines : look at those fellows, Mr. Griffith, and
tnen tell me if you think them an encumbrance in the hour
of need."

Griffith smiled, and glanced his eye over the sleeping
grcup, — for when the firing had ceased the whole party
had again sought their repose, — and he could not help ad
miring the athletic and sinewy limbs that lay scattered
arcand the gloomy vault, in every posture that ease or whia
dictated. From the stout frames of the men, hi» glanco

THE PILOT. 228

WHS directed to the stack of fire-arms, from whose glittering
lubes and polished bayonets strong rays of light were re-
flected, even in that dark apartment. Manual followed the
direction of his eyes, and watched the expression of his
countenance, with inward exultation ; but he had the for-
bearance to await his reply before he manifested his feelings
more openly.

" I know them to be true men," said Griffith, " when
needed, but — hark ! what says he ? "

" Who goes there ? what noise is that ? " repeated the
•entinel who was placed at the entrance of the vault.

Manixal and Griffith sprang at the same instant from
their places of rest, and stood, unwilling to create the slight-
est sounds, listening with the most intense a)\xiety to catch
the next indications of the cause of their gixardian's alarm.
A short stillness, like that of death, succeeded, during which
Sriffith whispered, —

" 'Tis the Pilot ! his hour has been long passed."

The words were hardly spoken, when the clashing of
Bteel in fierce and sudden contact was heard, and at the
next instant the body of the sentinel fell heavily along the
stone steps that led to the open air, and rolled lifelessly to
their feet, with the bayonet that had caused his death pro-
jecting from a deep wound in his breast.

" Away, away I sleepers away ! " shouted Griffith.

" To arms ! " cried Manual, in a voice of thunder.

The alarmed marines, suddenly aroused from their slum-
bers at these thrilling cries, sprang on their feet in a con-
fused cluster, and at that fatal moment a body of living fire
darted into the vault, which reechoed with the reports of
twenty muskets. The uproar, the smoke, and the groans
wLich escaped from many of his party, could not restrain
fyrlfnth another instant ; his pistol was fired through the
cloud which concealed the entrance of the vault, and he
followed the leaden messenger, trailing a half-pike, and
ihouting to his men, —

" Cone on ! follow, my lads ; th?y are nothing but sol

liflTS."

Even while he spoke, the ardent young seaman was ruab'

224 THE PILOT.

mg up the narrow passage ; but as he gained the open Bpace,
his foot struck the writhing body of the victim of his shot,
and he was precipitated headlong into a group of armed
men.

" Fire ! Manual, fire ! " shouted the infuriated prisoner j
" fire, while you have them in a cluster."

* Aye, fire, Mr. Manual," said Borroughclifie, with greal
coolness, " and shoot your own ofiicer : hold him up, boys
hold him up in front ; the safest place is nighest to him."

" Fire ! " repeated Griffith, making desperate eflforta to
release himself from the grasp of five or six men ; " fire,
and disregard me."

" If he do, he deserves to be hung," said BorroughcliflTe j
" such fine fellows are not sufficiently plenty to be shot at
like wild beasts in chains. Take him from before the mouth
of the vault, boys, and spread yourselves to your duty."

At the time Griffith issued from the cover, Manual was
mechanically employed in placing his men in order ; and
the marines, accustomed to do everything in concert and
array, lost the moment to advance. The soldiers of Bor-
roughcliffe reloaded their muskets, and fell back behind
different portions of the wall, where they could command
the entrance to the vault with their fire, without much ex-
posure to themselves. This disposition was very coolly
reconnoitered by Manual in person, through some of the
crevices in the wall, and he hesitated to advance against the
force he beheld while so advantageously posted. In this
situation several shots were fired by either party, without
effect, until Borroughcliffe, perceiving the inefficacy of that
mode of attack, summoned the garrison of the vault to a
parley.

" Surrender to the forces of his majesty. King George
che Third," he cried, " and I promise you quarter."

" Will you release your prisoner, and give us free pas
sage to our vessels ? " asked Manual ; " the garrison tu
march out with all the honors of war, and officers to retain
their side-arms ? "

" Inadmissible," returned Borroughcliffe, with greaf
gravity ; " the honor of his majesty's arms, and the welfare

THE PILOT. 22i>

of the realm, forbid such a treaty: but I offer you safe
quarter, and honorable treatment."

" Officers to retain tlieir side-arms, your prisoner to be
released, and the whole party to return to America, on
parole, not to serve until exchanged ! "

" Not granted," said BorroughclifFe. * The most that 1
can yield is a good potation of the generous south-side ,;
and if you are the man I take you for, you will know how
to prize such an offer."

" In what capacity do you summon us to yield ? as men
entitled to the benefit of the laws of arms, or as rebels to
your king ? "

" Ye are rebels all, gentlemen," returned the deliberate
Borroughcliffe, " and as such ye must yield ; though so far as
good treatment and good fare goes, you are sure of it while
in my power ; in all other respects you lie at the mercy of
his most gracious majesty."

" Then let his majesty show his gracious face, and come
and take us, for I'll be " —

The asseveration of the marine was interrupted by Grif-
fith, whose blood had sensibly cooled, and whose generous
feelings were awakened in behalf of his comrades, now that
his own fate seemed decided.

" Hold, Manual," he cried, " make no rash oaths : Cap-
tain Borroughcliffe, I am Edward Griffith, a lieutenant in
the navy of the United American States, and I pledge you
Viy honor to a parole " —

" Release him," said Borroughcliffe.

Griffith advanced between the two parties, and spoke so
as to be heard by both : —

" I propose to descend to the vault, and ascertain the loss
»nd present strength of Captain Manual's party : if the
atter be not greater than I apprehend, I shall advise him
c a surrender on the usual conditions of civilized nations.*

" Go," said the soldier ; " but stay ; is he a half-and-Ialf
~ an amphibious — pshaw ! I mean a marine ? "

" lie is, sir, a captain in that corps" —

" The very man," interrupted Borroughcliffe ; " I thought
• recollected the liquid sounds of his voice. It will be well

15

226 THE PILOT.

to speak to hiir. of the good fare of St. Ruth ; and you may
add, that I know my man : I shall besiege, instead of storm'
ing him, with the certainty of a surrender when his canteen
is empty. The vault he is in holds no such beverage as the
cellars of the Abbey."

Griffith smiled, in spite of the occasion and his vexation ;
and making a slight inclination of his head, he passed into
the vault, giving notice to his friends, by his voice, in order
to apprise them who approached.

Ha found six of the marines, including the sentinel, lying
dead on the ragged pavement, and four others wounded, but
stifling their groans, by the order of their commander, that
they might not inform the enemy of his weakness. With
the remainder of his command Manual had intrenched him-
self behind the fragment of a wall that intersected the vault,
and, regardless of the dismaying objects before him, main-
tained as bold a front, and as momentous an air, as if the
fate of a walled town depended on his resolution and
ingenuity.

" You see, Mr. Griffith," he cried, when the young sailor
approached this gloomy but really formidable arrangement,
*' that nothing short of artillery can dislodge me : as for that
drinking Englishman above, let him send down his men by
platoons of eight or ten, and I'll pile them up on those steps,
four and five deep."

" But artillery can and will be brought, if it should be
necessary," said Griffith ; " and there is not the least chance
of your eventual escape : it may be possible for you to de-
stroy a few of the enemy, but you are too humane to wish
tc do it unnecessarily."

" No doubt," returned Manual with a grim smile ; " aM
let methinks I could find present pleasure in shooting seve^i
3f them — yes, just seven, which is one more than they ha^' i
rtrnck off my roster."

'' Rem amber your own wounded," added Griffith ; " they
»s;ff(!r i^T v/ant of aid, while you protract a i:<seless defense.

A few smothered groans from the sufferers seconded thia
appeal, and INlanual yielded, though with a very iU grace, w*
th3 necessity of the case.

THF. PILOT. 227

" Go, then, and tell him that we will surrender as pris-
oners of war," he said, " on the conditions that he grants me
my side-arms, and that suitable care shall be taken of the
sick — be particular to call them sick — for some lucky-
accident may yet occur before the compact is ratified^ and I
would not have him learn our loss."

Gritfith, without waiting for a second bidding, hastened t<?
Borroughcliffe with his intelligence.

" His side-arms ! " repeated the soldier, when the other
had done ; " what are they, I pray thee — a marlinspike ? for
if his equipments be no better than thine own, my worthy
prisoner, there is little need to quarrel about their owner-
ship."

" Had I but ten of my meanest men, armed with such
half-pikes, and Captain Borroughcliffe and his party were
put at deadly strife with us," retorted Griffith, " he might
find occasion to value our weapons more highly."

" Four such fiery gentlemen as yourself would have
routed my command," returned Borroughcliffe, with undis-
turbed composure. " I trembled for my ranks when I saw
you coming out of the smoke like a blazing comet from
behind a cloud! and I shall never think of somersets with-
out returning inward thanks to their inventor. But our
treaty is made ; let your comrades come forth and pile their
arms."

Griffith communicated the result to the captain of ma-
rines, when the latter led the remnant of his party out of
his sunken fortress into the open air.

The men, who had manifested throughout the whole busi-
ness that cool subordination and unyielding front, mixed
with the dauntless spirit that to this day distinguishes the
corps of which they were members, followed their com-
jaander in sullen silence, and stacked their arras, with as
wuch regularity and precision as if they had been ordered
xt relieve themselves after a march. When this necessary
preliminary had been observed, Borroughcliffe unmasked his
forces, and our adventurers found themselves once mure in
".he power of the enemy, and under circumstances which
tendered the prospect of a speedy release from their cap-
U^ity no«trly hopeless.

228 THE PILOT

CHAPTER XX.

If your father will do me any honor, so ;

If not, let him kill the next Percy himself;

I look to be either earl or duke, I can assure jon.

FAUrtATW.

Manual cast sundry discontented and sullen looks froua
his captors to the remnant of his own command, while the
process of pinioning the latter was conducted, with much
discretion, under the directions of Sergeant Drill, when
meeting, in one of his dissatisfied glances, with the pale and
disturbed features of Griffith, he gave vent to his ill-humor,
by saying, —

" This results from neglecting the precautions of military
discipline. Had the command been with me, who, I may
say, without boasting, have been accustomed to the duties
of the field, proper pickets would have been posted, and
instead of being caught like so many rabbits in a burrow, to
be smoked out with brimstone, we should have had an open
field for the struggle ; or we might have possessed ourselves
of these walls, which I could have made good for two hours
at least, against the best regiment that ever wore King
George's facings."

" Defend the outworks before retreating to the citadel ! "
oried BorroughclifFe ; " 'tis the game of war, and shows
science : but had you kept closer to your burrow, the
rabbits might now have all been frisking about in that
pleasant abode. The eyes of a timid hind were greeted thia
mornings while journeying near this wood, with a passing
eight of armed men in strange attire ; and as he fled, with
an intent of casting himself into the sea, as fear will some
iimes urge one of his kind to do, he luckily encountered me
on the cliffs, who humanely saved his life, by compelling hiiu
to cooduct us hither. There is often wisdom in science, my

THE PILOT 229

worthy contemporary in arms ; but there is sometimes
safety in ignorance."

" You have succeeded, sir, and have a right to be plea»
ant," said Manual, seating himself gloomOy on a fragment
of the ruin, and fastening his looks on the melancholy spec-
tacle of the lifeless bodies, as they were successively brought
from the vault and placed at his feet ; " but these men have
been my own children, and you will excuse me if I cannoi
retort your pleasantries. Ah ! Captain Borroughcliffe, you
are a soldier, and know how to value merit. I took those
very fellows, who sleep on these stones so quietly, from the
hands of nature, and made them the pride of our art.
They were no longer men, but brave lads, who ate and
drank, wheeled and marched, loaded and fired, laughed or
were sorrowful, spoke or were silent, only at my will. As
for soul, there was but one among them all, and that was in
my keeping ! Groan, my children, groan freely now ; there
is no longer reason to be silent. I have known a single
musket-bullet cut the buttons from the coats of five of them
in a row, without rasing the skin of a man ! I could ever
calculate, with certainty, how many it would be necessary
to expend in all regular service ; but this accursed banditti
business has robbed me of the choicest of my treasures.
You stand at ease now, my children ; groan, it will soften
your anguish."

Borroughcliffe appeared to participate, in some degree, in
the feelings of his captive, and he made a few appropriate
ipmarks in the way of condolence, while he watcher! the
j^ reparations that were making by his own men to move.
At length his orderly announced that substitutes for bar-
rows were provided to sustain the wounded, and inquired if
it were his pleasure to return to their quarters.

" Who has seen the horse ? " demanded the captain ;
** which way did they march ? Have they gained any lid-
ings of the discovery of this party of the enemy ? "

" Not from us, your honor," returned the sergeant ; " they
bad ridden along the coast before we .left the cliffs, and it
.was said their officer intended to scour the shore for several
miles, and spread the alarm."

230 THE FILOT.

" Let him ; it is all such gay gallants are good for. Drill,
honor is almost as scarce an article with our arms just now
as pi'omotion. We seem but the degenerate children of the
heroes of Poictiers ; you understand me, sergeant ? "

" Some battle fou't by his majesty's trooi)s against the
French, your honor," returned the orderly, a little at a loss
)0 comprehend the expression of his officer's eye.

" Fellow, you grow dull on victory," exclaimed Bor-
wughclifFe : " come hither, I would give you orders. Do
you think. Mister Drill, there is more honor, or likely to be
more profit, in this little morning's amusement than you and
I can stand under ? "

" I should not, your honor : we have both pretty broad
shoulders " —

" That are not weakened by undue burthens of this
nature," interrupted his captain, significantly : " if we let
the news of this affair reach the ears of those hungry dra-
goons, they would charge upon us open-mouthed, like a pack
of famished beagles, and claim at least half the credit, and
certainly all the profit."

" But, your honor, there was not a man of them even" —

" No matter. Drill ; I've known troops that have been
engaged, and have suffered, cheated out of their share of
victory by a well-worded despatch. You know, fellow, that
in the smoke and confusion of a battle a man can only see
what passes near him, and common prudence requires that
he only mention in his official letters what he knows can't
be easily contradicted. Thus your Indians, and, indeed, all
alUes, are not entitled to the right of a general order, any
more than to the right of a parade. Now, I dare say, you
have heard of a certain battle of Blenheim?"

•' Lord ! your honor, 'tis the pride of the British army,
that and the Culloden ! 'Twas when the great Corporal
John beat the French king, and all his lords and ncbility
with half his nation in arms to back him."

" Aye ! there is a little of the barrack readings in the
Recount, but it is substantially true ; know you how many
French were in tho field that Jay, JVIister Drill ? "

" 1 have never seen the totals of their muster, sir, in

THE PILOT. 231

print ; but, judging oy the difference betwixt the nations, I
•hould suppose some hundreds of tliousands "

" And yet, to oppose this vast army, tlie duke had onlj
ten or twelve thousand well-fed Englishmen! You look
aslounded, sergeant ! "

" Why, your honor, that does seem rather an overmatch
ibi- an old soldier to swallow ; the random shot would sweep
aivay so small a force."

"And yet the battle was fought, and the victory won I
but the Duke of Marlborough had a certain Mr. Eugene,
with some fifty or sixty thousand High-Dutchers, to back
him. You never heard of Mr. Eugene ? "

"Not a syllable, your honor; I always thought that
Corporal John " —

" Was a gallant and great general ; you thought right,
Mister Drill. So would a certain nameless gentleman be
also, if his majesty would sign a commission to that effect.
However, a majority is on the high road to a regiment, and
with even a regiment a man is comfortable ! In plain
English, Mister Drill, we must get our prisoners into the
Abbey with as little noise as possible, in order that the
horse may continue their gambols along the coast, without
coming to devour our meal. All the fuss must be made at
the war-olfice : for that trifle you may trust me ; I thmk I
know who holds a quiU that is as good in its way as the
sword he wears. Drill is a short name, and can easily be
written within the folds of a letter."

" Lord, your honor ! " said the gratified halberdier, " I'm
sure such an honor is more — but your honor can ever
command me ! "

" I do ; and it is to be close, and to make your men keep
close, until it shall be time to speak, when I pledge myself
there shall be noise enough." Borroughcliffe shook hie
head, with a grave air, as he continued, "' It has beeu a devil
of a bloody fight, sergeant ! look at the dead and wounded ;
a wood on each flank — supported by a rum in the centre.
O 'i ink — ink can be soilt on the details with great effect

D, fellow, and prepare to march."

Thus enlightened on the subject of his comip«\ider'i

282 THE PILOT

ulterior views, the non-commissioned agent of the captain 8
wishes proceeded to give suitable instructions to the rest ot
the party, and to make the more immediate preparations for
a march. The arrangements were soon completed. The
bodies of the slain were left unsheltered, the seclusion of
the ruin being deemed a sufficient security against the
danger of any discovery, until darkness should favor their
removal, in conformity with Borroughcliffe's plan to monop-
olize the glory. The wounded were placed on rude litteru,
composed of the muskets and blankets of the prisoners,
when the conquerors and vanquished moved together in a
compact body from the ruin, in such a manner as to make
the former serve as a mask to conceal the latter from the
curious gaze of any casual passenger. There was but little,
indeed, to apprehend on this head, for the alarm and the
terror, consequent on the exaggerated reports that flew
through the country, effectually prevented any intruders on
the usually quiet and retired domains of St. Ruth.

The party was emerging from the wood, when the crack-
ing of branches, and rustling of dried leaves, announced,
however, that an interruption of some sort was about to
occur.

" K it should be one of their rascally patrols ! " ex-
claimed Borroughcliffe, with very obvious displeasure ,
*' they trample like a regiment of cavalry ! but, gentlemen,
you will acknowledge yourselves, that we were retiring
from the field of battle when we met the reinforcement, if
it should prove to be such."

" We are not disposed, sir, to deny you the glory of hav-
ing achieved your victory single-handed," said Griffith,
glancing his eyes uneasily in the direction of the approach-
uig sounds, expecting to see the Pilot issue from the thicket
jn which he seemed to be entangled, instead of any detach-
er en t of his enemies.

" Clear the way, Caesar ! " cried a voice at no great dis-
tance from them ; " break through the accursed vines on
•ny right, Pompey ! — press forward, my fine fellows, or we
may be too late to smell even the smoke of the fight."

" Hum ! " ejaculated the captain, with his phUosophi*

THE PILOT. 233

mdiffereuce of manner entirely reestablished, " this most b«
• Roman legion just awoke from a trance of some seven
teen centuries, and that the voice of a centurion. We will
halt, Mister Drill, and view the manner of an ancient
march ! "

While the captain was yet speaking, a violent effort dis-
engaged the advancing party from the thicket of orarcbles
in which they had been entangled, when two blacks, each
bending under a load of fire-arms, preceded Colonel How-
ard into the clear space where Borroughcliffe had halted
bis detachment. Some little time was necessary to enable
the veteran to arrange his disordered dress, and to remove
the perspiring effects of the unusual toil from his features,
before he could observe the addition to the captain's num«
bers.

" We heard you fire," cried the old soldier, making, at
the same time, the most diligent application of his bandanna,
•' and I determined to aid you with a sortie, which, when
judiciously timed, has been the means of raising many a
siege ; though, had Montcalm rested quietly within his
walls, the plains of Abr'am might never have drunk his
blood."

" 0 ! his decision was soldierly, and according to all
rules of war," exclaimed Manual ; " and had I followed his
example, this day might have produced a different tale ! "

" Why, who have we here ! " cried the colonel, in aston-
ishment ; " who is it that pretends to ci'iticise battles and
sieges, dressed in such a garb ? "

" 'Tis a dux incognitorum, my worthy host," said Bor-
roughcliffe ; " which means, in our English language, a cap-
taia of marines in the service of the American Congress."

** What ! have you then met the enemy ? aye ! and by
the fame of the immortal Wolfe you have captured them ! "
cried the delighted veteran. " I was pressing on with a
part of my garrison to your assistance, for I had seen that
fou were marching in this direction, and even the report
of a few muskets was heard."

" A few ! " interrupted the conqueror ; '• I know not
what you call a few, ay gallant and ancient friend : j^v

23i THE PILOT.

may possibly have shot at each other by the week in the
lays of Wolfe, and Abercrombie, aud Braddock ; but 1 toe
have seen smart firing, and can hazard an opinion in such
matters. There was as pretty a roll made by fire-arms at
the battles on the Hudson as ever rattled from a drum ; it
is all over, and many live to talk of it : but this has been
the mosi desperate affair, for the numbers, I ever was en--
gaged in ! I speak always with a reference to the numbers.
The wood is pretty well sprinkled with dead ; and we have
contrived to bring off a few of the desperately wounded
with us, as you may perceive."

" Bless me ! " exclaimed the surprised veteran, " that
such an engagement should happen within musket-shot of
the Abbey, and I know so little of it ! My faculties are on
the wane, I fear, for the time has been when a single dis-
charge would rouse me from the deepest sleep."

" The bayonet is a silent weapon," returned the composed
captain, with a significant wave of his hand ; " 'tis the Eng-
lishman's pride, and every experienced officer knows, that
one thrust fi-om it is worth the fire of a whole platoon."

" What, did you come to the charge ! " cried the colonel ;
* by the Lord, BorroughcliiFe, my gallant young friend, I
would have given twenty tierces of rice, and two able-bod-
ied negroes, to have seen the fray ! "

" It would have been a pleasant spectacle to witness, sans
disputation," returned the captain ; " but victory is ours
without the presence of Achilles, this time. I have them,
ail that survive the affair ; at least, all that have put foot
on English soU."

" Aye, and ths king's cutter has brought in the
schooner ! " added Colonel Howard. " Thus perish all re-
bellion fof evermore ! Where's Eat ? my kinsman, 'Mr.
Christopher Dillon ? I would ask him what the laws of the
realm next prescribe to loyal subjects. Here will be work
foi the jurors of INIiddlesex, Captain BorroughclifFe, if n#t
for a secretary of state's warrant. Where is Kit, my kins-
man ; the ductile, the sagacious, the loyal Christopher ? "

" The Cacique ' non est,' as more than one bailiff haa
laid of sundry clever fellows in our regiment, when ther*

THE PILOT. 235

has been a pressing occasion for their appearance," said the
•oldier ; " but the cornet of horse has given me reason to
believe that his provincial lordship, who repaired on board
the cutter to give intelligence of the position of the enemy,
continued there to share the dangers and honois cf naval
combat."

" Aye, 'tis like him ! " cried the colonel, rubbing his hands
with glee ; " 'tis like him ! he has forgotten the lavf and
his peaceful occupations, at the sounds of military prepara-
tion, and has carried the head of a statesman into the fight,
with the ardor and thoughtlessness of a boy."

" The Cacique is a man of discretion," observed the cap-
tain, with all his usual dryness of manner, "and will, doubt-
less, recollect his obligations to posterity and himself, though
be be found entangled in the mazes of a combat. But I
marvel that he does not return, for some time has now
elapsed since the schooner struck her flag, as my own eyes
have witnessed."

" You will pardon me, gentlemen," said Griffith, advanc-
ing towards them with uncontrollable interest ; " but I have
■unavoidably heard part of your discourse, and cannot think
you will find it necessary to withhold the whole truth from
» disarmed captive : say you that a schooner has been
captured this morning ? "

" It is assuredly true," said Borroughcliffe, vrith a dis-
play of nature and delicacy in his manner that did his heart
infinite credit ; " but I forbore to tell you, because I thought
your own misfortunes would be enough for one time. Mr.
Griffith, this gentleman is Colonel Howard, to whose hos-
pitality you will be indebted for some favors before wo
separate."

" Griffith! " echoed the colonel, in quick reply," Griffith !
what a sight for my old eyes to witness ' — the child of
vorthy, gallant, loyal Hugh Griffith a captive, and taken in
arms against his prince ! Young man, young man, what
would thy honest father, what would his bosom friend, my
own poor brother Harry, have said, had it pleased God that
tnev nad survived to witness this burning shame and lasting
•^igma on thy respectable name F "

2S6 THL PILOT.

" Had my father lived, he would now have becu uphold
ing the independence of his native land," said the young
man, proudly. " I wish to respect even the prej ad' ces of
Colonel Howard, and beg he will forbear urging a subject
on which I fear we never shall agree."

" Never, while thou art to be found in the ranks of re-
bellion ! " cried the colonel. " 0 ! boy, boy ! how T co-ild
have lovad and cherished thee, if the skill and knowledge
obtair.?d :n the service of thy prince were now devoted to
the maintenance of his unalienable rights ! I loved thy
father, worthy Hugh, even as I loved my own brothc
Harry."

" And his son should still be dear to you," interrupted
Griffith, taking the reluctant hand of the colonel into both
his own.

. *' Ah, Edward, Edward ! " continued the softened vet-
eran, "how many of my day-dreams have been destroyed
by thy perversity ! nay, I know not that Kit, discreet and
loyal as he is, could have found such favor in my eyes as
thyself; there is a cast of thy father in that face and smile,
Ned, that might have won me to anything short of treason
— and then Cicely, provoking, tender, mutinous, kind, af-
fectionate, good Cicely, would have been a link to unite us
forever."

The youth cast a hasty glance at the deliberate Bor
roughcliffe, who, if he had obeyed the impatient expression
of his eye, would have followed the party that was slowly
bearing the wounded towards the Abbey, before he yielded
to his feelings, and answered, —

" Nay, sir ; let this then be the termination of our mis-
understanding — your lovely niece shall be that link, and
you shall be to me as your friend Hugh would have been
.tad he lived, and to Cecilia tvdce a parent."

" Boy, boy," said the veteran, averting his face to conceal
the working of his muscles, " you talk idly ; my word li
now plighted *o my kinsman Kit, and thy scheme is imprao
ticable."

" Nothing is impracticable, sir, to youth and enterprise
when aided by age and experience like yours," returaeO
Griffith ; " this war must soon terminate."

THE PILOT. 237

*♦ ITiis war ! " echoed the colouel, shaking loose the grasp
which Griffith held on liis arm ; " aye, what of this war,
young man ? Is it not an accursed attempt to deny the
rights of our gracious sovereign, and to place tyrants, reared
in kennels, on the throne of princes ! a scheme to elevate
the wicked at the expense of the good ! a project to aid
anrighteous ambition, under the mask of sacred liberty and
the popular cry of equality ! as if there could be liberty
without order ! or equality of rights, where the privileges of
the sovereign are not as sacred as those of the people ! "

" You judge us harshly, Colonel Howard," said Griffith.

" I judge you ! " interrupted the old soldier, who, by
this time, thought thj youth resembled any one rather than
his friend Hugh ; " it is not my province to judge you at
all ; if it were ! — but the time will come, the time will
come. I am a patient man, and can wait the course of
things ; yes, yes, age cools the blood, and we learn to sup-
press the passions and impatience of youth : but if the
ministry would issue a commission of justice for the colo-
nies, and put the name of old George Howard in it, I am a
dog, if there should be a rebel alive in twelve months.
Sir," turning sternly to Borroughcliffe, " in such a cause, I
could prove a Roman, and hang — hang — yes, I do think,
sir, I could hang my kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon ! "

" Spare the Cacique such an unnatural elevation before
his time," returned the captain, with a gi'ave wave of the
hand : " behold," pointing towards the wood, " there is a
more befitting subject for the gallows ! Mr. Griffith, yon-
der man calls himself your comrade ? "

The eyes of Colonel Howard and Griffith followed the
direction of his finger, and the latter instantly recognized
the Pilot, standing in the skirts of the wood, with hi«
arms folded, apparently surveying the condition of his
friends.

^ That man," said Griffith, in confusion, and hesitating to
atter even the equivocal truth that suggested itself, " that
man does not belong to our ship's conipany."

" And yet he has been seen in your company," returned
the incredulous Borroughelitfe ; " he was the spokesman in

288 THE PILOT.

last night's examination, Colonel Howard, ard, donhtless,
commands the rear-guard of tlie rebels."

" You say true," cried the veteran ; " Pc mpey I Caesar
present ! fire ! "

The blacks started at the sudden orders of their master
of whom they stood in the deepest awe • and, presenting
their muskets, they averted their faces, and shuttuig thei*
eyes, obeyed the bloody mandate.

" Charge ! " shouted the colonel, flourishing the ancient
Bword with which he had armed himself, and pressing foi
ward with all the activity that a recent fit of the gout would
allow ; " charge, and exterminate the dogs with the bayo-
net ! push on, Pompey — dress, boys, dress."

" If your friend stand this charge," said Borroughcliffe
to Griffith, with unmoved composure, " his nerves are made
of iron ; such a charge would break the Coldstreams ; with
Pompey in the ranks ! "

" I trust in God," cried Griffith, " he will have forbear
ance enough to respect the weakness of Colonel Howard
— he presents a pistol ! "

" But he will not fire ; the Romans deem it prudent to
halt ; nay, by Heaven, they countermarch to the rear.
Holla ! Colonel Howard, my worthy host, fall back on jova
reinforcements ; the wood is full of armed men ; they can-
not escape us ; I only wait for the horse to cut oflF the re-
treat."

The veteran, who had advanced within a short distance
of the single man who thus deliberately awaited the attack,
halted at this summons ; and, by a glance of his eye, ascer-
tained that he stood alone. Believing the words of Bor-
roughcliffe to be true, he slowly retired, keeping his 5ice
manfully towards his enemy, until he gained the support of
the captain.

" Recall the troops, Borroughcliffe ! " he cried, " and let
us charge into the wood ; they will fly before his majesty's
arms like guilty scoundrels, as they are. As for the ne-
groea, I'll teach the black rascals to desert their master at
such a moment. They say Fear is pale, but, damme, Bor
roughcliffe, if I do not believe his skin is black."

THE PILOT. 289

"T have seen him of all colors; blue, white, black, and
party-colored," said the ca])tain. " I must take the com-
mand of matters on myself, however, my excellent host ;
let U3 retire into the Abbey, and trust me to cut otf the re-
mainder of the rebels."

In this arrangement the colonel reluctantly acquiesced,
ajid the three followed the soldier to the dwelling, at a pace
that was adapted to the infirmities of its master. The ex-
citement of the onset, and the current of his ideas, had
united, however, to banish every amicable thought from tho
breast of the colonel, and he entered the Abbey with a
resolute determination of seeing justice dealt to Griffith
and his companions, even though it should push them to the
foot of the gallows.

As the gentlemen disappeared from his view, among the
shrubbery of the grounds, the Pilot replaced the weapon
that was hanging from his hand, in his bosom, and, turning
with a saddened and thoughtful brow, he alowlj reentered
iht wood.

24^ THE PILOT

CHAPTER XXI.

When these prodigies
Do 80 conjointly meet, let not men say,
These are their reasons, — They are natural;
For, I believe they are portentous things
Unto the climate that they point upon.

Casca.

The reader will discover, by referring to the time oon
•urned in the foregoing events, that tlie Ariel, with her
prize, did not anchor in the bay already mentioned, imtL
Griffith and his party had been for several hours in the cus-
tody of their enemies. The supposed capture of the rebel
Bchooner was an incident that excited but little interest, and
no surprise, among a people who were accustomed to con
Bider their seamen as invincible ; and Barnstable had not
found it a difficult task to practice his deception on the few
rustics whom curiosity induced to venture alongside the
vessels during the short continuance of daylight. When,
however, the fogs of evening began to rise along the nar-
row basin, and the curvatures of its margin were lost in the
single outline of its dark and gloomy border, the young sea-
man thought it time to apply himself in earnest to his duty.
The Alacrity, containing all her own crew, together with
the Ariel's wounded, was gotten sUently under way ; and
driving easily before the heavy air that swept from the
land, she drifted from the harbor, until the open sea lay be-
fore her, when her sails were spread, and she continued to
maka the best of her way in quest of the frigate. Barn-
Btable had watched this movement with breathless anxiety;
for on an eminence that completely commanded the waters
to some distance, a small but rude battery had been erected
for the purpose of protecting the harbor against the depre-
dations and insults of the smaller vessels of the enemy

THE PILOT. 241

i»nd a guard of sufficient force to manage the two heavy
guns it contained was maintained in the work at all times.
He was ignorant how far this stratagem had been success
ful, and it was only when he heard the fluttering of the
Alacrity's canvas, as she opened it to the breeze, that he
felt he was yet secure.

" 'Twill reach the Englishmen's ears," said the boy
Slerry, who stood on the forecastle of the schooner, by the
Bide of his commander, listening with breathless interest to
the sounds ; " they set a sentinel on the point, as the suu
went down, and if he is a trifle better than a dead man, or
a marine asleep, he will suspect something is wrong."

" Never ! " returned Barnstable, with a long breath, that
announced all his apprehensions were removed ; " he will
be more likely to believe it a mermaid fanning herself thia
cool evening, than to suspect the real fact. What say you^
Master Cofiin ? will the soldier smell the truth ? "

" They're a dumb race," said the cockswain, casting his
eyes over his shoulders, to ascertain that none of their own
marine guard was near him ; " now, there was our sergeant,
who ought to know something, seeing that he has been
afloat these foiu' years, maintained, dead in the face and
eyes of what every man, who has ever doubled Good Hope,
knows to be true, that there was no such vessel to be fallen
in with in them seas, as the Flying Dutchman ! and then,
again, when I told him that he was a ' know-nothing,' and
asked him if the Dutchman was a more unlikely thing than
that there should be places where the inhabitants split the
year into two watches, and had day for six months, and
night the rest of the time, the greenhorn laughed in my
face, and I do believe he would have told me I lied, but for
one thing."

" And what might that be ? " asked Barnstable, gravely

" Why, sii ," returned Tom, stretching his bony fingers, aa
he surveyed his broad palm, by the little light that re-
oiained, " though I am a peaceable man, I can be roused."

" And you have seen the Flying Dutchman ? "

" I never doubled the east cape ; though I can find ray
ray through Le Maire in the darkest night that ever fell

IS

242 THE PILOT.

from the heavens ; but I have seen them that liav 8 seeo
her, and siDoken her too."

" "Well, be it so ; you must turn fly-ag Yankee, yourselt,
to-nigLc, Master Cotiin. Man your boat at once, sir, and
arm your crew."

The cockswain paused a moment before he proceeded to
obey this unexpected order, and, pointing towards the bat-
tery, he inquired with infinite phlegm, —

" For shore-work, sir ? Shall we take the cutlashes and
pistols ? or shall we want the pikes ? "

" There may be soldiers in our way, with their bayonets,'*
Baid Barnstable, musing ; " arm as usual, but thi'ow a few
long pikes into the boat ; and harkye, Master Coffin, out
with your tub and whale-line : for I see you have rigged
yourself anew in that way."

The cockswain, who was moving from the forecastle,
turned short at this new mandate, and with an air of re-
monstrance, ventured to say, —

" Trust an old whaler, Captain Barnstable, who has beeu
used to these craft all his life. A whale-boat is made to
pull with a tub and line in it, as naturally as a ship is made
to sail with ballast, and " —

" Out with it, out with it," interrupted the other, with an
impatient gesture, that his cockswain knew signified a pos-
itive determination. Heaving a sigh at what lie deemed his
commander's prejudice, Tom apjjlied himself without further
delay to the execution of the orders. Barnstable laid hia
hand familiarly on the shoulder of the boy, and led him to
the stern of his little vessel, in profound silence. The can-
vas hood that covered the entrance to the cabin was thrown
partly aside ; and by the light of the lamp that was burning
iu the small apartment, it was easy to overlook, from the
t-\'ck, what was passing beneath them. Dillon sat support-
/flg his head with his two hands, in a manner that shaded
ios face, but in an attitude that denoted deep and abstracted
musing.

*' I would that I could see the face of my prisoner," said
Barnstable, in an undertone, that was audible only to hi»
companion. "The eye of a man is a sort of light-bousa-

THE PILCT. 243

n> tell one how to steer into the haven of his confidence,
boy."

" And sometimes a beacon, sir, to warn you there is no
safe anchorage near him," returned the ready boy.

" Rogue ! " muttered Barnstable, " your cousin Kate
Bpoke there."

" If my cousin Plowden were here, INIr. Barnstable,, I
know that her opinion of yon gentleman would not be at
all more favorable."

" And yet, I have determined to trust him ! Listen, boy,
and tell me if I am wrong ; you have a quick wit, like some
others of your family, and may suggest something advan-
tageous." The gratified midshipman swelled with the con-
scious pleasure of possessing his commander's confidence,
and followed to the taffrail, over which Barnstable leaned,
while he delivered the remainder of his communication. "I
have gathered from the 'long-shore-men who have come off
this evening, to stare at the vessel which the rebels have
been able to build, that a party of seamen and marines have
been captured in an old ruin near the Abbey of St. Ruth,
this very day."

" 'Tis l\Ir. Griffith ! " exclaimed the boy.

" Aye ! the wit of your cousin Katherine was not nece*.
Bary to discover that. Now, I have proposed to this gen-
tleman with the Savannah face, that he should go into the
A.bbey, and negotiate an exchange. I will give him for
Griffith, and the crew of the Alacrity for Manual's command
and the Tigers."

" The Tigers ! " cried the lad, with emotion ; " have they
got my Tigers, too ! would to God that jNlr. Griffith had
permitted me to land ! "

" It was no boy's work they were about, and room waa
iCArcer in their boat than live lumber. But this Mr. Dillon
has accepted my proposition, and has pledged himself that
Griffith shall retiu^n within an hour after he is permitted to
enter the Abbey : will he redeem his honor from the
pledge ? "

" He may," said Merry, musing a moment ; " for I be-
.'cve he thinks the presence of INIr. Griffith under the «am6

244 THE PILOT.

roof with Mis3 Howard, a thing to be prevented, if posn*
ble ; he may be true in this instance, though he has a hol-
low look."

" He has bad-looking light-bouses, I will own," said
Barnstable ; " and yet he is a gentleman, and promises fair ;
'tis unmanly to suspect him in such a matter, and I will
have faith ! Now listen, sir. The absence of older heads
oust throw great responsibility on your young shoulders :
watch that battery as closely asif you were at the mast-
head of your frigate, on the lookout for an enemy ; tbo
instant you see lights moving in it, cut, and run into the
offing ; you will find me somewhere under the cliffs, and
fou will stand off and on, keeping the Abbey in sight, untU
you fall in with us."

Merry gave an attentive ear to these and divers other
solemn injunctions that he received from his commander,
who, having sent the officer next to himself in authority in
charge of the prize (the third in command being included
in the list of the wounded), was compelled to intrust his
beloved schooner to the vigilance of a lad whose years gave
no promise of the experience and skill that he actually
possessed.

When his admonitory instructions were ended, Barnsta-
ble stepped again to the opening in the cabin hood, and for
a suigle moment before he spoke, once more examined the
countenance of his prisoner, with a keen eye. Dillon had
"emoved his hands from before his sallow features ; and, as
u conscious of the sci'utiny his looks were to undergo, had
concentrated the whole expression of his forbidding aspect
m a settled gaze of hopeless submission to his fate. At
.least, so thought his captor, and the idea touched some of
the finer feelings in the bosom of the generous young sea-
man. Discarding, instantly, every suspicion of his pris-
oner's honor, as alike unworthy of them both, Barnstable
■uramoued him, in a cheerful voice, to the boat. There
Iras a flashing of the features of Dillon, at this call, which
gave an indefinable expression to his countenance, that again
■tartled the sailor ; but it was so very transient, and could
■o easily be mistaken for a smile of pleasure at his promised

THE PILOT. 245

fiberation, that the doubts it engendered passed away almost
AS speedily as the ecjuivocal expression itself. BurL-ttable
was in the act of foilowinn; his companion into the boa'*,
when he felt himself detained by a slight hold of his arm.

*' What would you have ? " he asked of the midshipraau
who had given him the signal.

" Do not trust too much to that Dillon, sir," returned (he
Anxious boy, in a whisper ; " if you had seen his face, ati 1
did, when the binnacle light fell upon it, as he came up the
cabin ladder, you would put no faith in him."

" I should have seen no beauty," said the generous lieu-
tenant, laughing ; " but, there is long Tom, as hard-featured
a youth of two score and ten as ever washed in brine, who
has a heart as big, aye, bigger than that of a kraken. A
bright watch to you, boy, and remember a keen eye on the
battery." As he was yet speaking, Barnstable crossed the
gunwale of his little vessel, and it was not until he waa
seated by the side of his prisoner, that he continued, aloud,
— "Cast the stops off your sails, Mr. Merry, and see all
clear to make a run of everything ; recollect, you are short-
handed, sir. God bless ye ! and d'ye hear ? if there is a
man among you who shuts more than one eye at a time,
I'll make him, when I get back, open both wider than if
Tom Coffin's friend, the Flying Dutchman, was booming
down upon him. God bless ye. Merry, my boy ; give 'em
the square-sail, if this breeze off-shore holds on till morn-
ing : shove off."

As Barnstable gave the last order, he fell back on his seat^
and, drawing back his boat-cloak around him, maintained
b. profound silence, until they had passed the two small
headlands that formed the mouth of the harbor. The men
pulled, with muffled oars, their long, vigorous strokes, and
the boat glided with amazing rapidity past the objects that
could be yet indistinctly seen along the dim shore. When,
however, they had gained the open ocean, and the direction
)f their little bark was changed to one that led thfm in a
Mi with the coast, and within the shadows of the cliffs, the
^ckswain, deeming that the silence was no longer necessarf
to their safety, ventured lo break it, as follows : —

246 THE PILOT.

" A square- sail is % good sail to carry on a craft, dead
afore it, and in a heavy sea ; but if fifty years can teach a
man to know the weather, it's my judgment that should the
Ariel break ground after the night turns at eight bells,
she'll need her mainsail to hold her up to her course."

The lieutenant started at this sudden interruption, ana
casting his cloak from his shoulders, he looked abroad on
the waters, as if seeking those portentous omens which uis-
tarbed the imagination of his cockswain.

" How now, Tom," he said, sharply, " have ye turned
croaker in your old age ? what see you, to cause such an
old woman's ditty ? "

" 'Tis no song of an old woman," returned the cockswain,
with solemn earnestness, " but the warning of an old man ;
and one who has spent his days where there were no hiUs
to prevent the winds of heaven from blowing on him, unless
they were hills of salt water and foam. I judge, sir,
there'll be a heavy northeaster setting in upon us afore the
morning watch is called."

Barnstable knew the experience of his old messmate too
well, not to feel uneasiness at such an opinion, delivered in
BO confident a manner; but after again surveying the
horizon, the heavens, and the ocean, he said, with a contin-
ued severity of manner, —

" Your prophecy is idle, tliis time, Master Coffin ; every-
thing looks like a dead calm. This swell is what is left
from the last blow ; the mist over-head is nothing but the
nightly fog, and you can see, with your own eyes, that it ia
driving seaward ; even this land-breeze is nothing but the
air of the ground mixing with that of the ocean ; it is heavy
with dew and fog, but it's as sluggish as a Dutch galliot."

" Aye, sir, it is damjj, and there is little of it," rejoined
Tom ; " but as it comes only from the shore, so it never
goes far on the water. It is hard to learn the true signs
of the weather. Captain Barnstable, and none get to know
them well, but such as study little else, or feel but little
else. There is only One who can see the winds of heaven,
or who can tell when a hurricane is to begin, or where it
wil] end. Still, a man isn't like a whale or a porpoise, thii

TIIK PILOT. 247

takes the air in his nostril.^, but never knows whether it ia
ft southeaster or a northwester that he feeds upon. Look
broad-off to leeward, sir ; see the streak of clear sky shin-
ing under the mists ; take an old seafaring man's word for
it, Captain Barnstable, that whenever the light shines out
of the heavens in that fashion, 'tis never done for noJ;hing ,
besides, the sun set in a dark bank of clouds, and the little
moon we had was dry and windy."

Barnstable listened attentively, and with increasing con
cern, for he well knew that his cockswain possessed a quck
and almost unerring judgment of the weather, notwithstand-
ing the confused medley of superstitious omens and signs
with which it was blended ; but again throwing himself
back in his boat, he muttered, —

" Then let it blow ; Griffith is worth a heavier riskj and
if the battery can't be cheated, it can be carried."

Nothing further passed on the state of the weather.
Dillon had not ventured a single remark since he entered
the boat, and the cockswain had the discretion to under-
stand that his officer was willing to be left to his own
thoughts. For nearly an hour they pursued their way with
diligence ; the sinewy seamen, who wielded the oars, urging
their light boat along the edge of the surf with unabated
velocity, and apparently with untired exertions. Occasion-
ally, Barnstable would cast an inquiring glance at the littlo
irJets that they passed, or would note, with a seaman's eye,
the small portions of sandy beach that were scattered here
and there along the rocky boundaries of the coast. One,
in particular, a deeper inlet than common, where a run of
fresh water was heard gurgling as it met the tide, he
point ad out to his cockswain, by significant, but silent ges-
tures, as a place to be especially noted. Tom, who under-
stood the signal as intended for his own eye alone, made
his observations on the spot with equal taciturnity, biit with
all the minuteness that would distinguish one long accus-
tomed to find his way, whether by land or water, by lauvl-
marks, and the bearings of different objects. Soon atter
this silent communication between the lieutenant and his
coriltswain. tlie boat was suddenly turned, and was in tho

24 S THE PILOT.

act of clashing upon the spit of sand before it, when Bany
Btable checked the movement by his voice : —

" Hold water ! " he said ; " 'tis the sound of oars ! "

The seamen held their boat at rest, while a deep atten-
tion was given to the noise that had alarmed the ears of
their commander.

" See, sir," said the cockswain, pointing towards the
eastern horizon ; " it is just rising into the streak of light to
seaward of us — now it settles in the trough — ah ! he re
you have it again ! "

"By heavens !" cried Barnstable, " 'tx8 a man-of-war's
stroke it pulls ; I saw the oar-blades as they fell ! and
listen to the sound ! neither your fisherman nor your
smuggler pulls such a regular oar."

Tom had bowed his head nearly to the water, in the act
of listening, and now raising himself, he spoke with con-
fidence, —

" That is the Tiger ; I know the stroke of her crew as
well as I do of my own. Mr. Merry has made them learn
the new-fashioned jerk, as they dip their blades, and they
feather with such a roU in their rullocks ! I could swear to
the stroke."

" Hand me the night-glass," said his commander im-
patiently ! " I can catch them, as they are lifted into the
streak. You are right, by every star in our flag, Tom ! —
but there is only one man in her stern-sheets. By my
good eyes, I believe it is that accursed Pilot, sneaking from
the land, and leaving Griffith and Manual to die in English
pilsons. To shore with you — beach her at once ! "

The order was no sooner given than it was obeyed, and
in less than two minutes, the impatient Barnstable, Dillon,
and the cockswain, were standing together on the sands.

The impression he had received, that his friends wore
abandoned to their fate by the Pilot, urged the generous
young seaman to hasten the departure of his prisoner, as ho
was fearful every moment might interpose some new
obstacle to the success of his plans.

" IMr. Dillon," he said, the instant they were landed, " I
exact no new promise — your honor is already plighted"*-

THE PILOT. 249

** If oaths can make it stronger," interrupted Dillon, " I
mil take them."

"Oaths cannot — the honor of a gentleman is, at all
times, enough. I shall send my cockswain with yon to the
Abbey, and you will either return with him, in person^
within twD hours, or give Mr. Griilith and Captain Manual
to his guidance. Proceed, sir, you are coudidonally free ;
there is an easy opening by which to ascend the cliffs."

Dillon once more thanked his generous captor, and then
proceeded to force his way up the rough eminence.

" Follow, and obey his instructions," said Barca^able to
his cockswain, aloud.

Tom, long accustomed to implicit obedience, handled his
harpoon, and was quietly following in the footsteps of his
new leader, when he felt the hand of the lieutenant on his
shoulder.

" You saw where the brook emptied over the hillock of
sand ? " said Barnstable, in an undertone.

Tom nodded assent.

"You will find us there riding without the surf — 'twill
not do to trust too much to an enemy."

The cockswain made a gesture of great significance with
Lis weapon, that was intended to indicate the danger their
prisoner would incur, should he prove false ; when, apply-
ing the wooden end of the harpoon to the rocks, he ascended
the ravine at a rate that soon brou^rh him to the aide oi
Mn ooupanion.

260 THE PILOT

CHAPTER XXII.

Aye, marry, let me have him to sit under;
He's like to be a cold soldier.

Falstaft.

Barnstable lingered on the sands for a few minutet,
imtil the footsteps of Dillon and the cockswain were no
longer audible, when he ordered his men to launch their
boat once more into the surf. While the seamen pulled
leisurely towards the place he had designated as the point
where he would await the return of Tom, the lieutenant
first began to entertain serious apprehensions concerning the
good faith of his prisoner. Now that Dillon was beyond
his control, his imagination presented, in very vivid colors,
several little circumstances in the other's conduct, which
might readily excuse some doubts of his good faith ; and,
by the time they had reached the place of rendezvous, and
had cast a light grapnel into the sea, his fears had rendered
him excessively uncomfortable. Leaving the lieutenant to
his reflections on this unpleasant subject, we shall follow
Dillon and his fearless and unsuspecting companion in their
progress towards St. Ruth.

The mists to which Tom had alluded in his discussion
with his commander on the state of the weather, appeared
to be settling nearer to the earth, and assuming more
decidedly the appearance of a fog, hanging above them in
Bluggish volumes, but little agitated by the air. The con-
sequent obscurity added deeply to the gloom of the night,
and it would have been difficult for one less acquaintec than
Dillon with the surrounding localities, to find the path
which led to the dwelling of Colonel Howard. After some
Utile search, this desirable object was effected ; and tlie
civilian led the way, with rapid strides, towards the Abbey.

" Aye, aye ! said Tom, who followed his steps, and

THE PILOT. 251

equaled his paces, without any apparent effort- " you ahore
people have an easy way to find your course and distance-
when you get into the track. I was once left by the craft
I belonged to, in Boston, to find my way to Plymouth,
which is a matter of fifteen leagues, or there-away ; and so,
finding nothing was bound up the bay, after lying-by for a
week, I concluded to haul aboard my land-tacks. I spent
the better part of another week in a search for some hooker^,
on board which I might work my passage across the coun-
try, for money was as scarce then with old Tom CofTm as
it is now, and is likely to be, unless the fisheries get a
good luff soon ; but it seems that nothing but your horse-
flesh, and horned cattle, and jackasses, are privileged to do
the pulling and hauling in your shore-hookers ; and I was
forced to pay a week's wages for a berth, besides keeping
a banyan on a mouthful of bread and cheese, from the
time we hove-up in Boston, 'till we came-to in Plymouth
town."

" It was certainly an unreasonable exaction on the part
of the wagoners, from a man in your situation," said Dillon,
in a friendly, soothing tone of voice, that denoted a willing-
ness to pursue the conversation.

" My situation was that of a cabin passenger," returned
the cockswain ; " for there was but one hand forward, beside
the cattle I mentioned — that was he who steered — and an
easy berth he had of it ; for there his course lay atween
walls of stone, and fences : and, as for his reckoning, why,
they had stuck up bits of stone on an end, with his day's
work footed up, ready to his hand, every half league or so.
Besides, the landmarks were so plenty, that a man with
half an eye might steer her, and no fear of getting to le>
ward."

" You must have found yourself as it were in i new
world," observed Dillon.

" Why, to me it was pretty much the same as if I had
been set afloat in a strange country, though I may be said
to be a native of those parts, being born on the coast. I
had often heard shore-men say, that there was as nc>acb
arth as water in the world, which I always set down as ««

252 THE PILOT.

rank lie, for Tve sailed with a flowing sheet mouths an -end
without falling in with as much land or rock as would
answer a gull to lay its eggs on ; but I will own, that
atween Boston and Plymouth, we were out of sight of
water for as much as two full watches ! "

Dillon pursued this interesting subject with great dili-
gence ; and by the time they reached the wall, winch
inclosed the large paddock that surrounded the Abbey, the
cockswain was deeply involved in a discussion of the com-
parative magnitude of the Atlantic Ocean and the continsLt
of Amei ica.

Avoiding the principal entrance to the building, through
the great gates which communicated with the court in front,
Dillon followed the windings of the wall until it led them
to a wicket, which he knew was seldom closed for the night
until the hour for general rest had arrived. Their way
now lay in the rear of the principal edijSce, and soon con-
ducted them to the confused pile which contained the oflftces-
The cockswain followed his companion with a confiding reli-
ance on his knowledge and good faith, that was somewhat
increased by the freedom of communication that had been
maintained during their walk from the cliffs. He did not
perceive anything extraordinary in the other's stopping at
the room which had been provided as a sort of barracks for
the soldiers of Captain Borroughcliffe. A conference which
took place between Dillon and the sergeant was soon ended,
when the former beckoned to the cockswain to follow, and,
taking a circuit round the whole of the offices, they entered
the Abbey together, by the door through which the ladies
had issued, when in quest of the three prisoners, as has been
already related. After a turn or two among the narrow
passages of that part of the edifice, Tom, whose faith in the
Gicilities of land navigation began to be a little shaken,
^ound himself following his guide through a long dark
^lery, that was terminated at the end toward which they
were approaching, by a half-open door, that admitted a
glimpse into a well-lighted and comfortable apartment. To
►his door Dillon hastily advanced, and, throwing it open,
khe cockswain enjoyed a fiiL view of the very scene that w«

THE PILOT. 253

iefscribed, in introducing Colonel Howard to the acquaint-
ance of the reader, and under circumstances of great simili-
tude. The cheerfiil fire of coal, the strong and glaring
light, the tables of polished mahogany, and the blushing
fluids, were still the same in appearance, while the only
perceptible change was in the number of those who partook
of the cheer. The master of the mansion, and Borrough'
cliffe, were seated opposite to each other, employed in dis-
cussing the events of the day, and diligently pushing to and
fro the glittering vessel, that contained a portion of the
generous liquor they both loved so well ; a task which each
moment rendered lighter,

" If Kit would but return," exclaimed the veteran, whose
back was to the opening door, " bringing with him his honest
brows encircled, as they will be, or ought to be, with laurel,
I should be the happiest old fool, BorroughclifFe, in his
majesty's realm of Great Britain ! "

The captain, who felt the necessity for the unnatural
restraint he had imposed on his thirst to be removed by the
capture of his enemies, pointed towards the door with one
hand, while he grasped the sparkling reservoir of the " south-
side " with the other, and answered, —

" Lo ! the Cacique himself ! his brow inviting the diadem
— ha ! who have we in his highness's train ? By the Lord,
Sir Cacique, if you travel with a body-guard of such grena-
diers, old Frederic of Prussia himself will have occasion to
envy you the corps ! a clear six-footer in nature's stock-
ings ! and the arms as unique as the armed ! "

The colonel did not, however, attend to half of his com-
panion's exclamations, but turning, he beheld the individual
he had so much desired, and received him with a delight
proportioned to the unexpectedness of the pleasure. For
several minutes, Dillon was compelled to listen to the rapid
questions of his venerable relative, to all of which he
answered with a prudent reserve, that might, in some
measure, have been governed by the presence of the cock-
swain. Tom stood with infinite composure, leaning on his
harooon, and surveying, with a countenance where wonder
was singularly blended with contempt, the furniture anri

254 THE pilot:

arrangements of an apartment that was far more splendi'J
than any be Lad before seen. In tbe mean time, Borrough-
cliffe entirely disregarded tbe private communications tbat
passed between bis bost and Dillon, wbicb gradually became
more deeply interesting, and finally drew tbem to a distant
corner of tbe apartment, but taking a most undue advantage
of tlie absence of tbe gentleman, wbo bad so lately been big
boon companion, he swallowed one potation after another,
as if a double duty bad devolved on him, in consequence of
tbe desertion of tbe veteran. Whenever his eye did wander
from tbe ruby tints of his glass, it was to survey with
unrepressed admiration tbe inches of the cockswain, about
whose stature and frame there were numberless excellent
points to attract the gaze of a recruiting officer. From
this double pleasure, the captain was, however, at last
Bummoned, to participate in the councils of bis friends.

Dillon was spared tbe disagreeable duty of repeating the
artful tale be had found it necessary to palm on the colonel,
by tbe ardor of tbe veteran himself, wbo executed tbe task
in a manner tbat gave to tbe treachery of his Idnsman
every appearance of a justifiable artifice, and of unshaken
zeal in tbe cause of bis prince. In substance, Tom was to
be detained as a prisoner, and the party of Barnstable were
to be entrapped, and of course to share a similar fate. Tbe
sunken eye of Dillon cowered before tbe steady gaze which
Sorrougbcliffe fastened on him, as the latter listened to the
plaudits tbe colonel lavished on his cousin's ingenuity ; but
the hesitation tbat lingered in the soldier's manner vanished
when he turned to examine their unsuspecting prisoner,
who was continuing bis survey of tbe apartment, while be
innocently imagined tbe consultations be witnessed were
merely tbe proper and preparatory steps to his admissiou
into tbe presence of Mr. Griffith.

" Drill," said Borrougbcliffij, aloud, " advance, and receive
your orders." Tbe cockswain turned quickly at this sudden
mandate, and, for the first time, perceived tbat be bad been
followed into tbe gallery by tbe orderly and two files of tbe
recruits, armed. *' Take this man to tbe guard-room, and
feed hin, and see tbat he dies not of thirst."

THE PILOT. 255

There was nothing alarming in this order ; and Tom waa
following the soldiers, in obedience to a gesture from their
captiiin, when their steps were arrested in the gallery, by
the cry of " Halt ! "

" On recollection, Drill," said BorroughcliFe, in a tcnc
from which all dictatorial sounds were banished, " show thfl
gentleman into my own room, and see him properly sup-
plied."

The orderly gave such an intimation of his comprehend-
ing the meaning of his officer, as the latter was accustomed
to receive, when Borroughcliffe returned to his bottle, and
the cockswam followed his guide, with an alacrity and good
will that were not a little increased by the repeated mention
of the cheer that awaited him."

Luckily for the impatience of Tom, the quarters of the
captain were at hand, and the promised entertainment by no
means slow in making its appearance. The former was an
apartment that opened from a lesser gallery, which com
municated with the principal passage already mentioned ;
and the latter was a bountiful but ungarnished supply of
that staple of the British isles, called roast beef; of which
the kitchen of Colonel Howard was never without a due
And loyal provision. The sergeant, who certainly under-
stood one of the signs of his captain to imply an attack on
the citadel of the cockswain's brain, mingled, with his own
hands, a potation that he styled a rummer of grog, and
which he thought would have felled the animal itself that
Tom was so diligently masticating, had it been alive and in
its vigor. Every calculation that was made on the infirmity
of the cockswain's intellect, under the stimulus of Jamaica,
was, howev^er, futile. He swallowed glass after glass, with
prodigious relish, but, at the same time, with immovable
Pteadiness i and the eyes of the sergeant, who felt it incum-
IxiTit to do honor to his own cheer, were already glistening
in his head, when, happily for the credit of his heart, a tap
at tho door announced the presence of his captain, and
relieved him from the impending disgr-ace of being drunk
blind by a recruit.

As Bon-oughcliife entered the apartment, he cor'-Tandod
«JU8 orderly to retire, adding, —

256 THE PILOT.

"Mr. Dillon will give you instructions, which you are
implicitly to obey."

Drill, who had sense enough remaining to apprehend the
displeasure of his officer, should the latter discover his con-
dition, quickened his departure, and the cockswain soon
found himself alone with the captain. The vigor of Tom's
attacks on the remnant of the sirloin was now much abated,
leaving in its stead that placid quiet which is apt to linger
about the palate long after the cravings of the appetite have
been appeased. He had seated himself on one of the tmnka
of BorroughclifFe, utterly disdaining the use of a chair ; and,
with the trencher in his lap, was using his own jackknife
on the dilapidated fragment of the ox, with something of
that nicety with which the female ghoul of the Arabian
Tales might be supposed to jiick her rice with the point of
her bodkin. The captain drew a seat nigh the cockswain ;
and, with a familiarity and kindness infinitely condescend-
ing, when the difference in their several conditions is con-
sidered, he commenced the following dialogue : —

" I hope you have found your entertainment to your
liking, Mr. — a — a — I must own my ignorance of your
name."

" Tom," said the cockswain, keeping his eyes roaming
over the contents of the trencher ; " commonly called long
Tom, by my shipmates."

" You have sailed with discreet men, and able navigators,
it will seem, as they understood longitude so well," rejoined
the captain ; " but you have a patronymic — I would say
another name ? "

" Coffin," returned the cockswain " I'm called Tom,
when there is any hurry, such as letting go the halyards,
or a sheet ; long Tom, when they want to get to windward
of an old seaman, by fair weather ; and long Tom CofSu,
when they wish to hail me, so that none of my cousins of
the same name, about the islands, shall answer ; for ]
Delieve the best man among them can't measure much ovei
a fcithom, taking him from his headworks to his heel."

" You are a most deserving fellow," cried BorroughclifFe,
" and it is painful to think to what a fate the treachery oi
Mr. Dillon has ccusigned you."

THE PILOT. 25T

The suspicious of Tom, if he ever entertained any, were
lulled to rest too effectually by the kindness he had received,
to be awakened by this equivocal lament ; he therefore,
after renewing his intimacy with the rummer„ contented
himself by saying, with a satisfied simplicity, —

" I am consigned to no one, carrying no cargo but 1 his
Mr. Dillon, who is to give me Mr, Griffith in exchange, or
go back to the Ariel himself, as my prisoner."

"Ah! my good friend, I fear you will find, whfn the
time comes to make this exchange, that he will refuse to do
either."

" But, I'll be d d if he don't do one of them ! my

orders are to see it done, and back he goes ; or Mr. Griffith^
who is as good a seaman, for his years, as ever trod a deck,
slips his cable from this here anchorage."

BorroughclifFe affected to eye his companion with great
commiseration ; an exhibition of compassion that was, how-
ever, completely lost on the cockswain, whose nerves were
strung to their happiest tension by his repeated libations,
while his wit was, if anything, quickened by the same cause,
though his own want of guile rendered him slow to com-
prehend its existence in others. Perceiving it necessary to
speak plainly, the captain renewed the attack ' in a more
direct manner : —

" I am sorry to say that you will not be permitted to
return to the Ariel ; and that your commander, Mr. Barn-
stable, will be a prisoner within the hour; and,. in fact, that
your schooner will be taken before the morning breaks."

" Who'll take her ? " asked the cockswain, with a grim
smile, on whose feelings, however, this combination of
threatened calamities was beginning to make some impres-
sion.

"You must remember, that she lies immediately under
the heavy guns of a battery that can sink her in a few
minutes ; an express has already been sent to acquaint the
commander of the work with the Ariel's true character
»na as the wind has already begun to blow from the ocean*
her escape is impossible."

The truth, together with its portentous consequences, now

17

258 THE PILOT.

begaa to glare across the faculties -of the cockswain. He
remembered his own prognostics on the weather, and the
nelpless situation of the schooner, deprived of more than
half her crew, and left to the keeping of a boy, while her
commander himself was on the eve of captivity. The
trencher fell from his lap to the floor, his head sunk on his
knees, his face was concealed between his broad palms, and,
in spite of every effort the old seaman could make to con-
ceal his emotion, he fairly groaned aloud.

For a moment, the better feelings of Borroughcliffe pra»
railed ; and he paused as he witnessed this exhibition cf
suffering in one, whose head was already sprinkled with the
marks of time ; but his habits, and the impressions left by
many years passed in collecting victims for the wars, soon
resumed their ascendency, and the recruiting officer dili-
gently addressed himself to an improvement of his advan-
tage.

" I pity from my heart the poor lads whom artifice or
mistaken notions of duty may have led astray, and who will
thus be taken in arms against their sovereign ; but as they
are found in the very island of Britain, they must be made
examples to deter others. I fear, that unless they can make
their peace with government, they will all be condemned to
death.'*

" Let them make their peace with God, then ; your
government can do but little to clear the log-account of a
man whose watch is up for this world."

" Buv, by making their peace with tho?e who have the
power, their lives may be spared," said the captain, watch-
jig, with keen eyes, the effect his words produced on the
cockswain.

" It matters but little, when a man hears the messenger
pipe liis hammock down for the last time ; he keeps hig
Iratch in another world, though he goes below in this. But
to see wood and iron, that has been put together after such
moulds as the Ariel's, go into strange hands, is a blow that
a man may remember long after the purser's books have
been squared against his iwme forever ! I would rather that
twenty shot should strike my old carcass, than one should

THE PILOT. 259

hull tho schoonir that didn't pass out above her water-
liiie."

Borroughcliffe replied, somewhat carelessly, " 1 maj be
mistaken, after all ; and, instead of putting any of you to
deatli, they may place you all on board the prison-ahjps,
whare you may yet have a merry time of it these ten or
fifteen years to come."

" How's that, shipmate ! " cried the cockswain, with a
start ; " a prison-ship, d'ye say ? you may tell them they
can save the expense of one man's rations by hanging him^
if they please, aud that is old Tom Coffin."

" There is no answering for their caprice : to-day they
:Qay order a dozen of you to be shot for rebels ; to-morrow
thev may choose to consider you as prisoners of war, and
send you to the hulks for a dozen years."

" Tell them, brother, that I'm a rebel, will ye ? and ye'll
tell 'em no lie — one that has fou't them since Manly'a
time, in Boston Bay, to this hour. I hope the boy will
blow her up ! it would be the death of poor Richard Barn-
stable to see her in the hands of the English ! "

" I know of one way," said Borroughcliffe, affecting to
muse, " and but one, that will certainly avert the prison-
ship ; for, on second thoughts, they will hardly put you to
death."

" Name it, friend," cried the cockswain, rising from his
seat in evident perturbation, " and if it lies in the power of
man, it shall be done."

" Nay," said the captain, dropping his hand familiarly on
the shoulder of the other, who listened with the most eager
attention, " 'tis easily done, and no dreadful thing in itself ,
you are used to gunpowder, aud know its smell from otto of
roses ! "

" Aye, aye," cried the impatient old seaman ; " I have
had it flashing under my nose by the hour ; what then ? "

" Why, then, what I have to propose will be nothing to 9
man like you ■ — you found the beef wholesome, and the grog
mellow ? "

*' Aye, aye, all well enough ; but what is that to an old
aaiJor?" asked the cockswain, uucousciously grasping tha

260 THE PILOT.

collar of Borrouglicliffe's coat, in his agitation ; " wbftt
then ? "

The captain manifested no displeasure at this unexpected
familiarity, but smiled with suavity as he unmasked the bat-
tery, from behind which he had hitherto carried (it his aV
tacks.

" Why, then, you have only to serve your Kiug &a you
have before served the Congress — and Jet me be the mau
to show you your colors."

The cockswain stared at the speaker intently, but it waa
evident he did not clearly comprehend the nature of the
proposition, and the captain pursued the subject : —

" In plain English, enlist in my company, my fine fellow,
and your life and liberty are both safe."

Tom did not laugh aloud, for that was a burst of feeling
in which he was seldom known to indulge ; but every feature
of his weather-beaten visage contracted into an expression
of bitter, ironical contempt. Borroughcliffe felt the iron
fingers, that still grasped his collar, gradually tightening
about his throat, like a vice ; and, as the arm slowly con-
tracted, his body was drawn, by a power that it was in vain
to resist, close to that of the cockswain, who, when their
faces were within a foot of each other, gave vent to his
emotions in woi'ds : —

" A messmate, before a shipmate ; a shipmate, before a
stranger; a stranger, before a dog — but a dog before a
soldier ! "

As Tom concluded, his nervous arm was suddenly extended
to the utmost, the fingers relinquishing their grasp at the
same time ; and, when Borroughcliffe recovered his dis-
ordered faculties, he found himself in a distant corner of the
apartment, prostrate among a confused pde of chairs, tables,
and wearing apparel. In endeavoring to rise from this
bumble posture, the hand of the captain fell on the hilt of
his sword, which had been included in the confused assem*
blage of articles produced by his overthrow.

" How now, scoundrel ! " he cried, baring the glittering
weapon, and springing on his feet ; " you must be taught
your distance, I perceive."

THE PILOT. 261

rhe cockswain seized the harpoon which leaned against
thn wall, and dropped its barbed extremity within a foot of
the breast of his assailant, with an expression of the eye that
denoted the danger of a nearer approach. The captain,
however, wanted not for courage, and stung to the quick by
the insult, he had received, he made a desperate parry, and
atxempted to pass within the point of the novel weapon of
hi^ adversary. The slight shock was followed by a sweep-
ing whirl of the harpoon, and Borroughcliffe found himself
without arms, completely at the mercy of his foe. The
bloody intentions of Tom vanished with his success; for,
laying aside his weapon, he advanced upon his antagonist,
and seized him with an open palm. One more struggle, in
which the captain discovered his incompetency to make any
defense against the strength of a man who managed him as
if he had been a child, decided the matter. When the cap-
tain was passive in the hands of his foe, the cockswain pro-
duced sundry pieces of sennit, marline, and ratlin-stufF, from
his pockets, which appeared to contain as great a variety of
small cordage as a boatswain's store-room, and proceeded to
lash the arms of the conquered soldier to the posts of hi«
bed, with a coolness that had not been distui'bed since tho
commencement of hostilities, a silence that seemed inflexible,
and a dexterity that none but a seaman could equal. When
this part of his plan was executed, Tom paused a moment,
and gazed around him as if in quest of something. The
naked sword caught his eye, and, with this weapon in his
hand, he deliberately approached his captive, whose alarm
prevented his observing, that the cockswain had snapped the
blade asunder from the handle, and that he had already
encircled the latter with marline.

" For God's sake," exclaimed Borroughcliffe, " murder me
not in cold blood ! "

The silver hilt entered his mouth as the words issued from
A, and the captain found, while the line was passed and re
passed, in reiieated involutions across the back of his neck,
that he was in a condition to which he often subjected his
own men, when unruly, and which is universally called bemg
gaggea." The cock^waia now ai>peared to think himhi-lf

262 THE PILOT.

entitled (o all the privileges of a conqueror ; for, taking the
light in his hand, he commenced a scrutiny into the nature
and quality of the worldly effects that lay at his mercy.
Sundry articles, that belonged to the equipments of a soldier,
were examined, and cast aside with great contempt, and
divers garments of plainer exterior were rejected as unsuited
to the frame of the victor. He, however, soon encountered
tv^o articles, of a metal that is universally understood. But
ancertainty as to their use appeared greatly tc embarrass
him. The circular prongs of these curiosities were applied
to either hand, to the wrists, and even to the nose, and the
little wheels, at their opposite extremity were turned and
examined with as much curiosity and care, as a savage
would expend on a watch, until the idea seemed to cross the
mind of the honest seaman, that they formed part of the
useless trappings of a military man ; and he cast them aside
also, as utterly worthless. 'BorroughclilFe, who watched
every movement of his conqueror, with a good-humor that
would have restored perfect harmony between them, could
he but have expressed half what he felt, witnessed the safety
of a favorite pair of spurs with much pleasure, though
nearly suffocated by the mirth that was unnaturally re-
pressed. At length, the cockswain found a pair of hand*
somely mounted pistols, a sort of weapon with which he
seemed quite familiar. They were loaded, and the knowl-
edge of that fact appeared to remind Tom of the necessity
of departing, by bringing to his recollection the danger of
his commander and of the Ariel. He thrust the weapons
into the canvas belt that encircled his body, and, graspirg
his harpoon, approached the bed, where Borroughcliffe was
seated in duresse.

" Harkye, friend," said the cockswain, " may the Lord
forgive you, as I do, for wishing to make a soldier of a sea-
faring man, and one who has followed the waters since he
was an hour old, and one who hopes to die off soundings,
and to be buried in brine. I wish you no harm, friend
but you'U have to keep a stopper on your conversation tih
such time as some of your messmates call in this way, whicli
^ hope will be as soon after I get an offing as may be."

THE PILOT. *i»*3

"With these amicable wishes, the cockswain departe«L
leaving BorroughcliiFe the light, and the undisturbed poS'
session of his apartment, though not in the most easy or
the most enviable situation imaginable. The captain heard
the bolt of his lock turn, and the key rattle as the cockswain
withdrew it from the door — two precautionary steps which
clearly indicated that the vanquisher deemed it piudent to
secure his retreat by insuring the detention of the rvf
tjuinhf^d, for at least a time.

S64 THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XXm.

Whilst Vengeance, in the lurid sdr,
Lifts her red arm, exposed and bare —
Who, Fear, this ghastly train can see,
And look not madly wild, like thee !

CoLLura^

It h certain that Tom Coffin had devised no settled plan
»f operations, when he issued from the apartment of Bor-
roughcliffe, if we except a most resolute determination to
make the best of his way to the Ariel, and to share her
fete, let it be either to sink or swim. But this was a
resolution much easier formed by the honest seaman than
executed, in his present situation. He would have found it
less difficult to extricate a vessel from the dangerous shoals
of the " Devil's Grip," than to thread the mazes of the
labyrinth of passages, gallexies, and apartments, in which
he found himself involved. He remembered, as he ex-
pressed it to himself, in a low soliloquy, " to have run into a
narrow passage from the main channel, but whether he had
sheered to the starboard or larboard hand," was a material
fact that had entii'ely escaped his memory. Tom was in
that part of the building that Colonel Howard had desig-
nated as the " cloisters," and in which, luckily for him, he
was but little liable to encounter any foe, the room occu-
pied by Borroughcliffe being the only one in the entire
wing that was not exclusively devoted to the service of the
ladies. The circums^vice of the soldier's being permitted to
invade this sanctuarj was owing to the necessity, on the
part of Colonel Howard, of placing either Griffith, Manual,
O' the recruiting officer, in the vicinity of his wards, or of
Bubjecting his prisoners to a treatment that the veteran
Would have thought unworthy of his name and character
This recent change in the quarters of Borroughcliffe ope^

THE PILOT. 26a

a ted doubly to the advantage of Tom, by lessening the
chance of the speedy release of his uneasy captive, as well
as by diminishing his own danger. Of the former circum
stance he was, however, not aware : and the consideration
of the latter was a sort of reflection to which the cockswain
was in no degree addicted.

Following, necessarily, the line of the wall, he soon
emerged from the dark and narrow passage in which he had
first found himself, and entered the principal gallery, that
communicated with all the lower apartments of that wing,
as well as with the main body of the edifice. An open
door, through which a strong light was glaring, at a distant
end of this gallery, instantly caught his eye, and the old
seaman had not advanced many steps towards it, before he
discovered that he was approaching the very room which
had so much excited his curiosity, and by the identical
passage through which he had entered the Abbey. To
turn, and retrace his steps, was the most obvious course for
any man to take who felt anxious to escape ; but tho
sounds of high conviviality, bursting from the cheerful
apartment, among which the cockswain thought he dis-
tinguished the name of Griffith, determined Tom to advance
and reconnoitre the scene more closely. The reader will
anticipate that when he paused in the shadow, the doubting
old seaman stood once more near the threshold which he
had so lately crossed, when conducted to the room of
Borroushcliflfe. The seat of that gentleman was now oc-
cupied by Dillon, and Colonel Howard had resumed his
wonted station at the foot of the table. The noise was
chiefly made by the latter, who had evidently been enjoy-
ing a more minute relation of the means by which his kins*
man had entrapped his unwary enemy.

" A noble ruse ! " cried the veteran, as Tom assumed his
post, in ambush ; " a most noble and ingenious ruse, and
such a one as would have baffled Caesar ! He must have
been a cunning dog, that Caesar ; but I do think, Kit, you
would have been too much for him ; hang me, if I don't
think you would have puz/'ed Wolfe himself, had you held
Quebec, instead of Montcalm ! Ah, boy, we vrxat yoa io

266 THE PILOT.

the colonies, with the ermine over your shoulders ; micb
meJi as you, cousin Christopher are sadly, sadly wanted
there to defend his majesty's rights."

" Indeed, dear sir, your partiality gives me credit for
qiialities I do not possess," said Dillon, drojiping his eyes,
perhaps with a feeling of conscious unworthiness, but with
an air of much humility; "the little justifiable artifice" —

*' Aye ! there lies the beauty of the transaction," in-
terrupted the colonel, shoving the bottle from him, with the
free, open air of a man who never harbored disguise ; " you
told no lie ; no mean deception, that any dog, however base
and unworthy, might invent ; but you practiced a neat, a
niilitary, a — a — yes, a classical deception on your enemy ;
^ classical deception, that is the very term for it ! such a
deception as Pompey, or Marc Antony, or — or — you
know those old fellows' names, better than I do, Kit ; but
name the cleverest fellow that ever lived in Greece or
Rome, and I shall say he is a dunce compared to you.
'Twas a real Spartan trick, both simple and honest."

It was extremely fortunate for Dillon, that the anima-
tion of his aged kinsman kept his head and body in such
constant motion, during this apostrophe, as to intercept the
aim that the cockswain was deliberately taking at his head
with one of Bon-oughcliffe's pistols ; and perhaps the sense
of shame which induced him to sink his face on his hands,
was another means of saving his life, by giving the indig-
nant old seaman time for reflection.

" But you have not spoken of the ladies," said Dillon,
after a moment's pause ; " I should hope, they have borne
the alarm of the day like kinswomen of the family of
Howard."

The colonel glanced his eyes around him, as if to assure
himself they were alone, and dropped his voice, as he
Ruswered, —

" Ah, Kit ! they have come to, since this rebel scoundrel
Griffith, has been brought into the Abbey ; we were
favored with the company of even Miss Howard, jn the
dining-room, to-day. There was a gc od deal of * deal
nucleing,' and ' fears that my life might be e imposed by th«

THE PILOT. 267

qnairels and skirmishes of these desperadoes who have
landed ; ' as if an old fellow, who served through the whole
war, from '56 to 'G3, was afraid to let his nose smell gun-
powder p.nj more than if it were snuff! But it will be a
hard matter to wheedle an old soldier out of his allegiance !
This Griffith goes to the Tower, at least, Mr. Dillon."

" It would be advisable to commit his person to the nvii
authority, without delay."

" To the constable of the Tower, the Earl Cornwallis, a
good and loyal nobleman, who is, at this moment, fighting
the rebels in my own native province, Christopher/' inter-
rupted the colonel ; " that will be what I call retributive
justice ; but," continued the veteran, rising with an air of
gentlemanly dignity, " it will not do to permit even the
constable of the Tower of Loudon to surpass the master of
St. Ruth in hospitality and kindness to his prisoners. I
have ordered suitable refreshments to their apartments,
and it is incumbent on me to see that my commands have
been properly obeyed. Arrangements must also be made
for the reception of this Captain Barnstable, who will,
doubtless, soon be here."

" Within the hour, at farthest," said Dillon, looking un-
easily at his watch.

" We must be stirring, boy," continued the colonel, mov-
mg towards the door that led to the apartments of his
prisoners ; " but there is a courtesy due to the ladies, aa
well as to those unfortunate violators of the laws — go,
Christopher, convey my kindest wishes to Cecilia ; she
don't deserve them, the obstinate vixen, but then she is my
brother Harry's child ! and while there, you arch dog,
plead your own cause. Marc Antony was a fool to you at
% ' ruse,' and yet Marc was one of your successful suitors,
ioo ; there was that Queen of the Pyramids " —

The door closed on the excited veteran, at these wcrds,
and Dillon was left standing by himself, at the side
of the table, musing, as if in doub:, whether to venture on
the step that his kinsman had proposed, or not.

The greater part of the preceding discourse was unin*
telligibk *» the cockswain who had waited its terraiDation

268 THE PILOT.

«\itli extraordinary patience, in hopes he might obtain some

information that he could render of service to the captives.
Before he had time to decide on what was now best for him
to do, Dilfon suddenly determined to venture himself in
the cloisters ; and, swallowing a couple of glasses of wine>
in a breath, he passed the hesitating cockswain, who waa
concealed by the opening door, so closely as to brush his
person, and moved down the gallery with those rapid strides
which men who act under the impulse of forced resolutions
ire very apt to assume, as if to conceal their weakness from
themselves. Tom hesitated no longer ; but aiding the im-
pulse given to the door by Dillon, as he passed, so as to
darken the passage, he followed the sounds of the other's
footsteps, while he trod in the manner already described,
the stone pavement of the gallery. Dillon paused an in-
stant at the turning that led to the room of BorroughcliiFe,
but whether irresolute which way to urge his steps, or lis-
tening to the incautious and heavy tread of the cockswain,
is not known ; if the latter, he mistook them for the echoes
of his own footsteps, and moved forward again without
making any discovery.

The light tap which Dillon gave on the door of the
withdrawing-room of the cloisters, was answered by the soft-
voice of Cecilia Howard herself, who bid the applicant
enter. There was a slight confusion evident in the manner
of the gentleman as he complied with the bidding, and io
its hesitancy, the door was, for an instant, neglected.

" I come. Miss Howard," said Dillon, " by the commands
of your uncle, and, permit me to add, to my own " —

" May Heaven shield us ! " exclaimed Cecilia, clasping
\e hands in affright, and rising involuntardy from her
©juch, " are we, too, to be imprisoned and murdered ? "

" Surely IMiss Howard will not impute to me " — Dillon
paused, observing that the wild looks, not only of Cecilia,
br : of Katherine and Alice Dunscombe, also, were directed
Ai some other object, and turning, to his manifest terror he
beheld the gigantic frame of the cockswain, surmounte<1 by
an iron visage fixed hi settled hostility, in possession of the
9uly passage from the apartment.

THE PILOT 269

" If there's murder to be done," said Toin, after survey-
lug the astonished group with a stern eye, " it's as likely
this here liar will be the one to dp it, as another ; but you
have nothing to fear from a man who has followed the seaa
too long, and has grappled with too many monsters, both
fish and flesh, not to know how to treat a helpless wom.in.
None, who know him, will say that Thomas Coffin ever
used uncivil language, or unseaman-like conduct, to any u!
his mother's kind."

" Coffin ! " exclaimed Katherine, advancing with a more
confident air, from the corner into which terror had driven
lier with her companions.

" Aye, Coffin," contiimed the old sailor, his grim features
gradually relaxing, as he gazed on her bright looks ; " 'tis
a solemn word, but it's a word that passes over the shoals,
among the islands, and along the cape, oftener than any
other. My father was a Coffin, and my mother was a Joy ;
and the two names can count more flukes than all the rest
in the island together ; though the Worths, and the Gar'
ners, and the Swaines, dart better harpoons, and set truei
lances, than any men who come fiom the weather-side of
the Atlantic."

Katherine listened tc this digression in honor of the
whalers of Nantucket, with marked complacency ; and,
when he concluded, she repeated, slowiv, —

" Coffin ! this, then, is long Tom ! " '

" Aye, aye, long Tom, and no sham in the name either,"
returned the cockswain, suffering the stern indignation that
had lowered around his hard visage to relax into a low
laugh as he gazed on her animated features ; " the Lord
bless your smiling face and bright black eyes, young madam J
fou have heard of old long Tom, then ? most lively, 'twas
something about the blow he strikes at the fish — ah ! Tvc
old and I'm stiff, now, young madam, but afore I was nine«
teen, I stood at the head of the dauce. at a ball on the
sape, and that with a partner almost as handsome as your-
self; aye, and this was after I had three broad flukes logged
against my name."

" No," said Katherine, adva-^ioing in her eagerness » st«p

270 THE PILOT.

or two nigher to the old tar, her cheeks flushing while sho
«poke, " I had heard of you as an instructor in a seaman's
iuty, as the faithful cockswain, nay, I may say, as the de-
voted companion and friend, of Mr. Richard Barnstable ;
but, perhaps, you come now as the bearer of some message
or letter from that gentleman."

The sound of his commander's name suddenly revived
the recollection of Coffin, and with it all the tierce stern-
ness of his manner returned. Bending his eyes keenly on
the cowering form of Dillon, he said, in those deep, harsU
tones, that seem peculiar to men who have braved the ele-
ments, until they appear to have imbibed some of their
roughest qualities, —

" Liar ! how now ? what brought old Tom Coffin into
these shoals and narrow channels ? was it a letter ? ha !
but by the Lord that maketh the winds to blow, and teach-
eth the lost mariner how to steer over the wide waters, you
shall sleep this night, villain, on the planks of the Ariel ;
and if it be the will of God that beautiful piece of handi-
craft is to sink at her moorings, like a worthless hulk, ye
shall still sleep in her ; aye, and a sleep that shall not end,
till they call all hands, to foot up the day's-work of this
life, at the close of man's longest voyage."

The extraordinary vehemence, the language, the attitude
of the old seaman, commanding in its energy, and the hon-
es«- indignation that shone in every look of his keen eyes,
together with the nature of the address, and its paralyzing
effect on Dillon, who quailed before it like the stricken
Jeer, united to keep the female listeners, for many moments,
Bilent through amazement. During this brief period, Tom
advanced upon his nerveless victim, and lashing his arms
Bogether behind his back, he fastened him by a strong cord,
to the broad canvas belt that he constantly wore around
his own body, leaving to himself, by this arrangement, the
free use of his arms and weapons of offense, while he se-
cured his captive.

" Surely," said Cecilia, recovering her recollection the
first of the astonished group, " Mr. Barnstable haS not cont
Daissioued you to offer this violence to my uncle's kinsraau

THE PILOT. 271

ander the roof uf Colonel Howard ? Miss Plowden, youl
frieud has strangely forgotten himself in this transaction, if
this man acts in obedience to his order ! "

" My friend, my cousin Howard," returned Katherine,
" would never commission his cockswain, or any one, to dc
an unworthy deed. Speak, honest sailor ; why do you com-
mit this outrage on the woi-thy Mr. Dillon, Colonel HoW"
ard's kinsman, and a cupboard cousin of St. Ruth's Ab-
bey ? "

" Nay, Katherine " —

" Nay, Cecilia, be patient, and let the stranger have
utterance ; he may solve the difficulty altogether."

The cockswain, understanding that an explanation was
expected from his lips, addressed himself to the task with
an energy suitable both to the subject and to his own feel-
ings. In a very few words, though a little obscured by his
peculiar diction, he made his listeners understand the confi-
dence that Barnstable had reposed in Dillon, and the treach-
ery of the latter. They heard him with increased astonish-
ment, and Cecilia hardly allowed him time to conclude,
before she exclaimed, —

" And did Colonel Howard, could Colonel Howard listen
to this treacherous project ! "

" Aye, they spliced it together among them." returned
Tom ; " though one part of this cruise wLU turn out but
badly."

" Even Borroughcliffe, cold and hardened as he appears
'o be by habit, would spurn at such dishonor," added Mias
Jloward.

" But, Mr. Barnstable ? " at length Katherine succeeded
in saying, when her feelings permitted her utterance, " said
you not, that soldiers were in quest of him ? "

" Aye, aye, young madam," the cockswain replied, smil-
ing with grim ferocity, " they are in chase, but he has
shifted his anchorage, and even if they should find him, his
long pikes would make short work of a dozen red-coats.
The Lord of tempests and calms have mercy, though, on
the schooner ! Ah, young maduin, she is as lovely to
'he eyes of an old seafarnig man, as any of your kind can
ye to human nature ! "

272 THE PILOT.

" But whj this delay ? away then, honest Tom, and r^
real the treachery to your commander ; you may not yet
be too late — why delay a moment ? " '

" The ship tarries for want of a pilot. I could carry
three fathom over the shoals of Nantucket, the darke&t
night that ever shut the windows of heaven, but I should
be likely to run upon breakers in this navigation. As it
was, I was near getting into company that I should have
had to fight my way out of."

" If that be all, follow me," cried the ardent Katherine ;
•* I will conduct you to a path that leads to the ocean, with-
out approaching the sentinels."

UntU this moment, Dillon had entertained a secret ex-
pectation of a rescue, but when he heard this proposal, he
felt his blood retreating to his heart, from every part of hia
agitated frame, and his last hope seemed wrested from him.
Raising himself from the abject shrinking attitude in which
both shame and dread had conspired to keep him, as though
he had been fettered to the spot, he approached Cecilia, and
cried, in tones of horror, —

" Do not, do not consent. Miss Howard, to abandon me
to the fury of this man ! Your imcle, your honorable
uncle, even now applauded and united with me in my enter
prise, which is no more than a common artifice in war."

" My uncle would unite, Mr. Dillon, in no project of df
.^berate treachery like this," said Cecilia, coldly.

"He did, I swear by " —

" Liar ! " interrupted the deep tones of the cockswain.

DUlon shivered with agony and terror, while the sounc*^
of this appalling voice sunk into his inmost soul ; but a''
the gloom of the night, the secret ravines of the cliffs, anc*
he turbulence of the ocean, flashed across his imagination,
lie again yielded to a dread of the horrors to which he
fchould be exposed, in encountering them at the mere) of
his powerful enemy, and he continued his solicitations : —

"Hear me, once more hear me — Miss Howard,! be-
seech you, hear me ! Am I not of your own blood and
country ? will you see me abandoned to the wild, merciless,
malignant fury of this man, who will transfix me vith thai

THE PILOT. 273

«— O God ! if you hf^d but seen the sight T beheld in the
Alacrity ! — hear me, Miss Howard ; for the love you bear
your INIakcr, intercede for me ! Mr. Griffith shall be re«
leased " —

" Liar ! " again interrupted the cockswain.

" What promises he ? " asked Cecilia, turning her averted
fiice once more at the miserable captive.

"Nothing at all that will be fulfilled," said Kalherine;
" follow, honest Tom, and I, at least, will conduct you in
good faith."

" Cruel, obdurate Miss Plowden ; gentle, kind Miss Alice,
you will not refuse to raise your voice in my favor ; your
heart is not hardened by any imaginary dangers to thos»
you love."

" Nay, address not me," said Alice, bending her meek
eyes to the floor ; " I trust your life is in no danger ; and I
pray that He who has the power, will have the mercy, to
see you unharmed."

" Away ! " said Torn, grasping the collar of the helpless
Dillon, and rather carrying than leading him into the
gallery : " if a sound, one quarter as loud as a young por-
poise makes when he draws his first breath, comes from
you, villain, you shall see the sight of the ^Alacrity over
again. My harpoon keeps its edge well, and the old arm
can yet drive it to the seizing."

This menace effectually silenced even the hard, perturbed
breathings of the captive, who, with his conductor, followed
the light steps of Katherine through some of the secret
mazes of the building, until, in a few minutes, they issued
through a small door into the open air. "Without pausing
to deliberate, Miss Plowden led the cockswain through the
grounds, to a different wicket from the one by which be had
tntered the paddock, and pointing to the path, which might
)e dinxy tra :ed along the faded herbage, she bade God blosa
Am, iai a voice that discovered her interest in his safety,
»nd vanished from his sight like an aerial being.

Tom needed no incentive to his speed, now that his course
ay so plainly before him, but loosening his pistv^ls in hia
Selt, and jxjising his harpoon, he crossed the fields at a gai<
18

274 THE PILOT.

that compelled his companion to exert his utmost powers,
in the way of walking, to equal. Once or twice Dillon
ventured to utter a word or two ; but a stern " Silence ! "
from the cockswain warned him to cease, until, perceiving
that they were approaching the cliffs, he made a final effort
to obtain his liberty by hurriedly promising a large bribe.
The cockswain made no reply, and the captive was secretly
hoping that his scheme was produchig its wonted effects,
when he unexpectedly felt the keen, cold edge of the barbed
•'ron of ths harpoon pressing against his breast, through the
opening of his ruffles, and even rasing the skin.

" Liar ! " said Tom ; " another word, and Pll drive it
through your heart ! "

From that moment Dillon was as silent as the grave.
They reached the edge of the cliffs, without encountering
the party that had been sent in quest of Barnstable, and at
a point near where they had landed. The old seaman
paused an instant on the verge of the precipice, and cast his
experienced eyes along the wide expanse of water that lay
before him. The sea was no longer sleeping, but already in
heavy motion, and rolling its surly waves against the base
of the rocks on which he stood, scattering their white crests
high in foam^ The cockswain, after bending his looks along
the whole line of the eastern horizon, gave utterance to a
low and stifled groan; and then, striking the staff of his
harpoon violently against the earth, he pursued his way
along the very edge of the cliffs, muttering certain dreadful
denunciations, which the conscience of his appalled listener
did not fail to apply to himself. It appeared to the latter,
that his angry and excited leader sought the giddy verge of
the precipice with a sort of wanton recklessness, so daring
were the steps that he took along its brow, notwithstanding
the darkness of the hour, and the violence of the :iast8 ihat
occasionally rushed by them, leaving behind a kiad of reac-
tion, that more than once brought the life of the mar.acled
captive in imminent jeopardy. But it would seem the wary
cockswain had a motive for this apparently inconsiderate
desperation. When they had made good quite half the
ii*tance between the point where Barnstable had landed

THE PILOT. 279

»nd that where he had appointed to meet his cockswain, the
Bounds of voices were brought indistinctly to their ears, in
one of the momentary pauses of the rushing winds, and
caused the cockswain to make a dead stand in his progress.
lie listened intently for a single minute, when his resolution
appeared to be taken. He turned to Dillon and spoke;
though his voice, was suppressed and low, it was deep and
resolute.

" One word, and you die ; over the cliffs ! You must
take a seaman's ladder: there is footing on the rocks, and
crags for your hands. Over the cliff, I bid ye, or I'll cast
ye mto the sea, as I would a dead enemy ! "

" Mercy, mercy ! " implored Dillon ; " I could not do it
in the day ; by this light I shall surely perish."

•' Over with ye ! " said Tom, " or " —

Dillon waited for no more, but descended, with trembling
steps, the dangerous precipice that lay before him. He was
followed by the cockswain, with a haste that unavoidably
dislodged his captive from the trembling stand he had taken
on the shelf of a rock, who, to his increased horror, found
himself dangling in the air, his body impending over the
sullen surf, that was tumbling in with violence upon the
rocks beneath him. An involuntaiy shriek bm-st from
Dillon, as he felt his person thrust from the narrow shelf;
and his cry sounded, amidst the tempest, like the screechings
of the spirit of the storm.

" Another such a call, and I cut your tow-line, villain,"
said the determined seaman, " when nothing short of eter-
nity will bring you up."

The sounds of footsteps and voices were now distinctly
audible, and presently a party of armed men appeared on
the edges of the rocks, directly above them.

" It was a human voice," said one of them, " and ike a
man in distress."

" It cannot be the men we are sent in search of," returned
Sergeant Drill ; " for no watchword that I ever heard
bounded like that cry."

" They say that such cries are often heard in storms along
this coast," said a voice that was uttered with less of mditarj

216 THE PILOT.

coiifidence than the two others : '* and the; are thoug)\t to
come from drowned seamen."

A feeble laugh arose among the listeners, and one or two
forced jokes were made at the expense of their superstitious
comrade 3 but the scene did not fail to produce its effect on
even the most sturdy among the unbelievers in the marvel-
ous ; for, after a few more similar remarks, the whole party
retired from the cliffs, at a pace that might have been
accelerated by the nature of their discourse. The cock-
swain, who had stood all this time, firm as the rock which
supported him, bearing up not only his own weight, but the
person of Dillon also, raised his head above the brow of the
precipice; as they withdrew, to reconnoitre, and then, draw
ing up the nearly insensible captive, and placing him in
safety on the bank, he followed himself. Not a momenft
was wasted in unnecessary explanations, but Dillon found
himself again urged forward, with the same velocity as
before. In a few minutes they gained the desired ravine,
down which Tom plunged with a seaman's nerve, dragging
his prisoner after him, and directly they stood where the
waves rose to their feet, as they flowed far and foaming
across the sands. The cockswain stooped so low as to bring
the crests of the billows in a line with the horizon, when he
discovered the dark boat, playing in the outer edge of the
urf.

" What ho ! Ariels there ! " shouted Tom, in a voice that
the growing tempest cai'ried to the ears of the retreating
soldiers, who quickened their footsteps, as they listened to
sounds which their fears taught them to believe super-
natural.

" Who hails ? " cried the well-known voice of Barnstable.

"Once your master, now your servant," answered the
cockswain with a watchword of his own invention.

" 'Tis he," returned the lieutenant ; " veer away, boys,
Teer away. You must wade into the surf."

Tom caught Dillon in his arms ; and throwing him, like
a cork, across his shoulder, he dashed into the streak of
foam that was bearing the boat on its crest, and before his
companion had time for remonstrance o" entreaty, he fovmd
Uimself once more by the side of Barnstable.

THE PILOT. 277

" Who have we here ? " asked the lieutenant ; " this :«
pot Griffith ! "

" Haul out and weigh your grapnel," said the excited
cockswain ; " and then, boys, if you love the Ai"iel, pull
while the life and the will is left in you."

Barnstable knew his man, and not another question wa«
asked, until the boat was without the breakers, now skim"
ming the rounded summits of the waves, or settling mto the
hollows of the seas, but always cutting the waters asunder,
as she urged her course, with amazing velocity, towards the
haven where the schooner had been left at anchor. Then,
in a few but bitter sentences, the cockswain explained to his
commander the treachery of DUlon, and the danger of the
schooner.

" The soldiers are slow at a night muster," Tom concluded ;
"and from what I overheard, the express will have to make
a crooked course, to double the head of the bay, so that but
for this northeaster, we might weather upon them yet ; but
it's a matter that lies altogether in the will of Providence.
Pull, my hearties, pull ! everything depends on vour cars
tQ-night."

Barnstable listened in deep silence to this uriexpected
narration, which sounded in the ears of DilloP like his
funeral knell. At length, the suppressed voice of the lieu-
tenant was heard, also, uttering, —

"Wretch ! if I should cast you into the se^ «» f ^^ for
the fishes, who could blame me ? But if my «»W*-'X)t goei
to tlie bottom, she shall prove your coffin 1 "

ST8 THE FJurr.

CHAPTER XXIV.

Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, ere
It should the good ship so have swallowed.

The arms of Dillon were released from their confinement
by the cockswain, as a measure of humane caution against
accidents, when they entered the surf; and the captive now
availed himself of the circumstance to bury his features in
the folds of his attire, when he brooded over the events
of the last few hours with that mixture of malignant pas-
sion and pusillanimous dread of the future, that formed the
chief ingredients in his character. From this state of ap-
parent quietude neither Barnstable nor Tom seemed dis-
posed to rouse him by their remarks, for both were too much
engaged with their own gloomy forebodings, to indulge in
any unnecessary words. An occasional ejaculation from
the former, as if to propitiate the spirit ci£ the storm, as he
gazed on the troubled appearance of the elements, or a
cheering cry from the latter to animate his crew, alone were
aeard amid the sullen roaring of the waters, and the mourn
ful whistling of the winds that swept heavily across tha
broad waste of the German Ocean. There might hav«
been an hour consumed thus, in a vigorous struggle between
the seamen and the growing billows, when the boat doubled
the northern headland of the desired haven, and shot at
once, from its boisterous passage along the margin of the
breakers, into the placid waters of the sequestered r»ay
The passing blasts were still heard rushing above the high
lands that surrounded, and in feet formed the estuary ; but
the profound stillness of deep night pervaded the secret re-
cesses, along the uuruffled surface of its waters. The shad-
ows of the hUls seemed to have accumulated, like a mass ot

THE PILOT. 279

gloom, in the centre of the basin, and though every eye iu-
voluntarily turned to search, it was in vain tliat the anxiout
seamen endeavored to discover their little vessel through its
density. While the boat glided into this quiet scene, Barn-
stable anxiously observed, —

" Everything is as still as death."

"God send it is not the .stillness of death!" ejaculated
*he cockswain. " Here, here, ' he continued, speaking in a
lower tone, as if fearful of being overheard, " here she lies,
sir, more to port ; look into the streak of clear sky above
the marsh, on the starboard hand of the wood, there ; that
long black line is her main-topmast ; I know it by the
rake ; and there is her night-pennant fluttering about that
bright star ; aye, aye, sir, there go our own stars aloft yet,
dancing among the stars in the heavens ! God bless her !
God bless her ! she rides as easy and as quiet as a gull
asleep ! "

" I believe all in her sleep too," returned his commander.
" Ha ! by Heaven, we have arrived in good time ; the sol-
diers are moving ! "

The quick eye of Barnstable had detected the glimmer-
ing of passing lanterns, as they flitted across the embrasures
of the battery, and at the next moment the guarded but dis-
tinct sounds of an active bustle on the decks of the schooner
were plainly audible. The lieutenant was rubbing his hands
together, with a sort of ecstasy, that probably will not be
understood by the great majority of our readers, while long
Tom was actually indulging in a paroxysm of his low spirit-
less laughter, as these certain intimations of the safety of
the Ariel, and of the vigilance of her crew, were conveyed
to iheir ears ; when the whole hull and taper spars of their
floating home became unexpectedly visible, and the sky, the
placid basin, and the adjacent hills, were illuminated by a
flash as sudden and as vivid as the keenest lightning. Both
Barnstable and his cockswain seemed instinctively to strain
their eyes towards the schooner, with an effort to surpass
human vision ; but ere the rolling reverberations of the re
port of a heavy piece of ordnance from the»heights had com
mcnced. the dull, wbiiitling rush of the shot swept over thei*

280 THE PILOT.

heads, like the moaning of a hurricane, and was succeeded
by the plash of the waters, which was followed, in a breath,
by the rattling of the mass of iron, as it bounded with vio-
lent fury from rock to rock, shivering and tearing the frag*
ments that lined the margin of the bay.

" A bad aim with the first gun generally leaves your ej*-
emy clean decks," said the cockswain, with his delibeiat€
sort of philosophy ; " smoke makes but dim spectacles ;
besides, the night always grows darkest as you call off the
morning watch."

" That boy is a miracle for his years ! " rejoined the de-
lighted lieutenant. ' See, Tom, the younker has shifted his
berth in the dark, and the Englishmen have fired by the
day-range they must have taken, for we left him in a direct
line between the battery and yon hummock ! What would
have become of us, if that heavy fellow had plunged upon
our decks, and gone out below the water-line ? "

" We should have sunk into English mud, for eternity,
as sure as our metal and kentledge would have taken us
down," responded Tom ; " such a point-blanker would have
torn off a streak of our wales, outboard, and not even left
the mariners time to say a prayer ! Tend bow there ! "

It is not to be supposed that the crew of the whale-boat
continued idle, during this interchange of opinions between
the lieutenant and his cockswain ; on the contrary, the sight
of their vessel acted on them like a charm, and, believing
that all necessity for caution was now over, they had ex-
pended their utmost strength in efforts that had already
brought them, as the last words of Tom indicated, to the
side of the Ariel. Though every nerve of Barnstable was
thrilling with the excitement produced by his feelings pass-
ing from a state of the most doubtful apprehension to thai
of a revived and almost confident hope of effecting his es-
cape, he assumed the command of his vessel with all that
etern but calm authority, that seamen find it most necessary
to exert in the moments of extremest danger. Any one of
the heavy shot that their enemies continued to hurl from
their heights into the darkness of the haven he well knew
nast prove fatal to them, a* it would, unavoidably, past

THE PILOT. 281

through the slight fabric of the Ariel, and open a passage to
the water that no means he possessed could remedy. HIm
mandates were, therefore, issued with a full perception of
the critical nature of the emergency, but with that collect-
edness of manner, and intonation of voice, that were beal
adapted to enforce a ready and animated obedience. Un-
der this impulse, the crew of the schooner soon got their
anchor freed from the bottom, and, seizing their sweeps,
they forced her by their united efforts directly in the face
of the battery, under that shore whose summit was now
crowned with a canopy of smoke, that every discharge of
the ordnance tinged with dim colors, like the faintest tints
that are reflected from the clouds toward a setting sun. So
long as the seamen were enabled to kee]) their little bark
vmder the cover of the hill, they were, of course, safe ; but
Barnstable perceived, as they emerged from its shadow, and
were drawing nigh the passage which led into the ocean,
that the action of his sweeps would no longer avail them
against the currents of air they encountered, neither would
the darkness conceal their movements from his enemy, who
had already employed men on the shore to discern the po-
sition of the schooner. Throwing off at once, therefore, all
appearance of disguise, he gave forth the word to spread
the canvas of his vessel, in his ordinary cheerful manner.

" Let them do their worst now, Merry," he added ; " we
have brought them to a distance that I think will keep
their iron above water, and we have no dodge about us,
younksr ! "

" It must be keener marksmen than the militia, or vol-
unteers, or fencibles, or whatever they call themselves,
behind yon grass-bank, to frighten the saucy Ariel from the
wind," returned the reckless boy ; " but why have you
brought Jonah aboard us again, sir ? Look at him by t he
light of the cabin lamp ; he wuiks at every gun, as if he
expected the shot would hull his own ugly yellow physiog-
jcmy. And what tidings have we, sir, from Mr. Griffith
and the marine ? "

" Name him not," said Barnstable, pressing the shoulder
on which he lightly leaned,- with a convulsive grasp, thai

£82 THE PILOT.

caused the boy to yield with pain ; " name him not, Merry
I want my temper and my faculties at this moment undis-
turbed, and thinking of the wretch unfits me for my duty
But, there will come a time ! go forward, sir ; we feel the
wind, and have a narrow passage to work through."

The boy obeyed a mandate which was given in the isuai
prompt manner of their profession, and which, he wcil un-
derstood, was intended to intimate, that the distance which
years and rank had created between them, but which Baru-
Dtable often chose to forget while communing with Merry,
Was now to be resumed. The sails had been loosened and
set ; and, as the vessel approached the throat of the paS"
sage, the gale, which was blowing with increasing violence,
began to make a very sensible impression on the light bark.
The cockswain, who, in the absence of most of the inferior
officers, had been acting, on the forecastle, the part of one
who felt, from his years and experience, that he had some
right to advise, if not to command, at such a juncture, now
walked to the station which his commander had taken, near
the helmsman, as if willing to place himself in the way of
being seen.

" Well, Master Coffin," said Barnstable, who well imder-
stood the propensity his old shipmate had to commune with
him on all important occasions, " what think you of the
cruise now ? Those gentlemen on the hill make a great
noise, but I have lost even the whistling of their shot ; one
would think they could see our sails against the broad band
of light which is opening to seaward."

" Aye, aye, sir ; they see us, and mean to hit us too ; but
we are running across their fire, and that with a ten-knot
breeze ; but when we heave in stays, and get in a line wlub
their guns, we shall see, and it may be feel, more of their
work than we do now ; a thirty-two ain't trained as e^sDy
fta a fowling-piece or a ducking-gun."

Bar)istable was struck with the truth of this observatiou
but as there existed an immediate necessity for placing the
schooner in the very situation to which the other alluded,
be gave his orders at once, and the vessel came about, and
ran with her head pointing towards the sea, in as short a
time as we hare taken to record it.

THE PILOT. 283

" There, they have us now, or never," cried the lieuteit-
ant, when the evolution was completed. " If we fetch to
windward off the northern point, we shall lay out into the
offing, and in ten minutes we might laugh at Queen Anne's
pocket-piece, which, you know, old boy, sent a ball from
Hover to Calais."

"* Aye, sir, I've heard of the gun," returned the grave sea-
man, " and a lively piece it must have been, if the straits
were always of the same width they are now. But I see
that. Captain Barnstable, which is moi-e dangerous than a
dozen of the heaviest cannon that were ever cast can be, it
half a league's distance. The water is bubbling through our
lee-scuppers, already, sir."

" And what of that ? haven't I buried her guns often, and
yet kept every spar in her without crack or splinter ? "

" Aye, aye, sir, you have done it, and can do it again,
where there is sea-room, which is all that a man wants for
comfort in this life. But when we are out of these chops,
we shall be embayed, with a heavy northeaster setting dead
into the bight ; it is that which I fear. Captain Barnstable,
more than all the powder and ball in the whole island."

" And yet, Tom, the balls are not to be despised, either ;
those fellows have found out their range, and send fheir
iron within hail again : we walk pretty fast, Mr. Coffin ;
but a thirty -two can out-travel us, with the best wind that
ever blew."

Tom threw a cursory glance towards the battery, which
had renewed its fire with a spirit that denoted they saw
their object, as he answered, —

" It is never worth a man's while to strive to dodge a
shot; foi they are all commissioned to do their work; the
same as a ship is commissioned to cruise in certain lati*
tudes ; but for the winds and the weather, they are given
for a seafaring man to guard against, by making or short'
ening sail, as the case may be. Now, the headland to tha
southward stretches full tliree leagues to windward, and the
shoals lie to the north ; among which God keep us com
ever running this craft again ! "

" We will beat her out of tin bight, old fellow," ciied the

284 THE PILOT.

lieutenant ; " we shall have a leg of three leagues iu length
to do it in."

" I have known longer legs too short," returned the
cockswain, shaking his head ; " a tumbling sea, with a lee*
tide, on a lee-shore, makes a sad leeway."

The lieutenant was in the act of replying to this saying
with a chee:'ful laugh, when the whistling of a passing ^hct
was instantly succeeded by a crash of splintered wood ; and
at the next moment the head of the mainmast, after totter-
ing for an instant in the gale, fell toward the deck, bring-
ing with it the mainsail, and the long line of topmast, that
had been bearing the emblems of America, as the' cock-
swain had expressed it, among the stars of the heavens.

" That was a most unlucky hit ! " Barnstable suffered to
escape him, in the concern of the moment ; but, instantly
resuming all his collectedness of manner and voice, he gave
h'«t orders to clear the wreck, and secure the fluttering
canvas.

The mournful forebodings of Tom seemed to vanish with
the appearance of a necessity for his exertions, and he waa
foremost among the crew iu executing the orders of their
commander. The loss of all the sail on the mainmast
forced the Ariel so much from her course, as to render it
difficult to weather the point, that jutted, under her lee, for
some distance into the ocean. This desirable object was.
however, effected by the skill of Barnstable, aided by the
excellent properties of his vessel ; and the schooner, borne
down by the power of the gale, from whose fury she had
now no protection, passed heavily along the land, heading,
as far as possible, from the breakers, while the seamen were
engaged in making their preparations to display as much of
their mainsail as the stump of the mast would allow them
to spread. The firing from the battery ceased, as the Ariel
rounded the little promontory ; but Barnstable, whose gaze
was now bent intently on the ocean, soon perceived that, aa
bis cockswain had predicted, he had a much more threat-
ening danger to encounter in the elements. When their
damages were repaired, so far as circumstances would per-
pDUt, the cockswain returned to his wonted station new th«

THE PILOT. 285

fieutenant; and after a momentary pause, during wlu<li hig
eyes roved over the rigging witli a seaman's scrutiny, he
resumed the discourse.

" It would have been better for us that the best man in
the schooner sliould have been dubbed of a limb, by that
shot, than that the Ariel should have lost her best leg ; a
mainsail close-reefed may be prudent canvas as the w^ind
blows, but it holds a poor lulF to keep a craft to windward."

" What would you have, Tom Coffin ? " retorted his com-
mander. " You see she draws ahead, and off-shore ; do you
expect a vessel to fly in the very teeth of the gale ? or
would you have me wear and beach her at once ? "

" I would have nothing, nothing. Captain Barnstable,"
returned the old seaman, sensibly touched at his command-
er's disjileasure : " you are as able as any man that ever
trod a plank to work her into an offing ; but, sir, when that
soldier-officer told me of the scheme to sink the Ariel at
her anchor, there were such feelings come athwart my phi-
losophy as never crossed it afore. I thought I saw her a
wrack, as plainly, aye, as plainly as you may see the stump
of that mast ; and, I will own it, for it's as natural to love
the craft you sail in as it is to love one's self, I will own
that my manhood fetched a heavy lee-lurch at the sight."

'' Away with ye, ye old sea-croaker ! forward with ye,
and see that the head-sheets are trimmed flat. But hold !
come hither, Tom ; if you have sights of wrecks, and sharks,
and other beautiful objects, keep them stowed in your own
silly brain; don't make a ghost-parlor of my forecastle.
The lads begin to look to leeward, now, oftener than I
would have them. Go, sirrah, go, and take example from
Ml. Merry, who is seated on your namesake there, and is
singing as if he were a chorister in his father's church."

" Ah, Captain Barnstable, Mr. Merry is a boy, and knows
Jiothing, so fears nothing. But I shall obey your orders,
sir ; and if the men fall astarn this gale, it shan't be Ibr
anything tliey'll hear from old Tom Coffin."

The cockswain lingered a moment, notwithstanding hifl
pi omised obedience, and then ventured to request that —

" Captain Barnstable would please call Mr. Merry from

286 THE PILOT.

the gun ,• for I know, from having followed the seas my
natural life, that singing in a gale is sure to bring the wind
down upon a vessel the heavier ; for He who rules the
tempests is displeased that man's voice shall be heard whe&
He chooses to send his own breath on the water."

Barnstable was at a loss, whether to laugh at his cock
Bwain's infirmity, or to yield to the impression which his
ea/nest and solemn manner had a powerful tendency to
produce, amid such a scene. But making an effort to shake
off the superstitious awe that he felt creeping around his
own heart, the lieutenant relieved the mind of the worthy
old seaman so far as to call the careless boy from his perch,
to his own side ; where respect for the sacred character of
the quarter-deck instantly put an end to the lively air he
had been humming. Tom walked slowly forward, appar-
ently much relieved by the reflection that he had effected
so important an object.

The Ariel continued to struggle against the winds and
ocean for several hours longer, before the day broke on the
tempestuous scene, and the anxious mariners were enabled
to form a more accurate estimate of their real danger. As
the violence of the gale increased, the canvas of the
schooner had been gradually reduced, untU she was unable
to show more than was absolutely necessary to prevent her
driving helplessly on the laud. Barnstable watched the
appearance of the weather, as the light slowly opened upon
them, with an intense anxiety, which denoted that the pre-
sentiments of the cockswain were no longer deemed idle.
On looking to windward, he beheld the green masses of
water that were rolling in towards the land, with a violence
that seemed irresistible, crowned with ridges of foam ; and
there were monents when the air appeared filled with
sparkling gems, as the rays of the rising sun fell upon the
spray that was swept from wave to wave. Toward the
land the view was still more appalling. The cliffs, but a
short half-league under the lee of the schooner, were, at all
times, nearly hid from the eye by the pyramids of water
which the furious element, so sudden'^y restrained in iti
rioleuoe, cast high into the air, as if seeking to overleaf

THE PILOT. 28T

!;he boundaries that nature had fixed to its dominion. The
whole coast, from the distant lieadland at the soutli, to the
well-known shoals that stretched far beyond their course
in the opposite direction, displayed a broad belt of foam,
.uto which it would have been certain destruction, for the
proudest ship that ever swam, to enter. Still, the Ariel
(luated on the billows lightly and in safety, though yield-
ing to the impulses of the waters, and, at timef, appearing
to be engulfed in the yawning chasms, which, apparently,
opened beneath her to receive the little fabric. The low
rumor of acknowledged danger had found its way through
ihe schooner, and the seamen, after fastening their hopeless
looks on the small spot of canvas that they were still able
to show to the tempests, would turn to view the dreary line
of coast, that seemed to offer so gloomy an alternative.
Even Dillon, to whom the report of their danger had found
its way, crept from his place of concealment in the cabin,
and moved about the decks unheeded, devouring, with
greedy ears, such opinions as fell from the lips of the sullen
mariners.

At this moment of appalling apprehension, the cockswain
exhibited the calmest resignation. He knew all had beeu
done, that lay in the power of man, to urge their little
vessel from the land, and it was now too evident, to his ex-
perienced eyes, that it had been done in vain ; but, consid-
ering himself as a sort of fixture in the schooner, he was
quite prepared to abide her fate, be it for better or for
worse. The settled look of gloom that gathered around
the fi'ank brow of Barnstable was in no degree connected
with any considerations of himself; but proceeded from
that sort of parental responsibility, from which the sea-
conunander is never exempt. The discipline of the crew,
however, still continued perfect and unyielding. There
had, it is true, been a slight movement made by one or two
of the older seamen, which indicated an intention to drown
the apprehensions of death in ebriety ; but Barnstable had
c;»!led for his pistols in a tone tnat checked the procedure
instantly, and, although the fatal weapons were, untouched
hj bun, left to lie exposed on the capstan, where they had

288 THE PILOT.

been placed by his servant, aot another symptom of msub"
ordination appeared among the devoted crew. There was
even what to a landsman might ieem an appalling affecta-
tion of attention to the most trifling duties of the vessel ;
and the men who, it should seem, ought to be devoting the
brief moments of their existence to the mighty business of
the hour, were constantly called to attend to the moat trivial
details of their profession. Ropes were coiled, and the
slightest damages occasioned by the waves, which, at short
mtervals, swept across the low decks of the Ariel, were
repaired, with the same precision and order^ ns if she yet
lay embayed in the haven from which she had just been
driven. In this manner the arm of authority was kept
extended over the silent crew, not with the vain desire to
preserve a lingering though useless exercise of power, but
with a view to maintain that unity of action that now could
alone afford them even a ray of hope.

" She can make no head against this sea, under that rag
of canvas," said Barnstable, gloomily, addressing the cock-
swain, who, with folded arms, and an air of cool resignation,
was balancing his body on the verge of the quarter-deck,
while the schooner was plunging madly into waves that
nearly buried her in their bosom : " the poor little thing
trembles like a frightened child, as she meets the water."

Tom sighed heavily, and shook his head, before he an-
swered, —

" If we could have kept the head of the mainmast an
hour longer, we might have got an offing, and fetched to
windward of the shoals ; but as it is, sir, mortal man can't
drive a craft to windward — she sets bodily in to land, and
will be in the breakers in less than an hour, unless God wills
that the wind shall cease to blow."

" We have no hope left us, but to anchor ; our ground
tackle may yet bring her up."

Tom turned to his commander, and replied solemnly, and
with that assurance of manner, that long experience only
can give a man in moments of great danger, —

" If our sheet-cable was bent to our heaviest anchor, this
■ea would bring it home, though nothing but her launch was

THE PILOT. liM9

ndiflg bj it. A northeaster in the German Ocvian must and
will blow itself out ; nor shall we get the crown of the gale
until the sun falls over the land. Then, indeed, it may lull ;
for the winds do often seem to reverence the glory of the
heavens too much to blow their might in its very face ! "

"We must do our duty to ourselves and the country,"
returned Barnstable. " Go, get the two bowers spliced, and
have a kedge bent to a hawser : we'll back our two anchors
together, and veer to the better end of two hundred and
forty fathoms ; it may yet bring her up. See all clear there
for anchoring, and cutting away the mast ! we'll leave the
wiTid nothing but a naked huU to whistle over."

" Aye, if there was nothing but the wind, we might yet
live to see the sun sink behind them hills," said the cock-
swain ; " but what hemp can stand the strain of a craft
that is buried, half the time, to her foremast in the
water ? "

The order was, however, executed by the crew, with a

sort of desperate submission to the will of their commander ;

and when the preparations were completed, the anchors and

kedge were dropped to the bottom, and the instant that the

Ariel tended to the wind, the axe was applied to the little

that was left of her long, raking masts. The crash of the

falling spars, as they came, in succession, across the decks

of the vessel, appeared to produce no sensation amid that

scene of complicated danger ; but the seamen proceeded in

silence to their hopeless duty of clearing the wrecks. Every

eye followed the floating timbers, as the waves swept them

away from the vessel, with a sort of feverish curiosity, to

witness the effect produced by their collision with those

rockg that lay so fearfully near them ; but long before the

spars entered the wide border of foam, they were hid from

view by the furious element in which they floated. It was

now felt by the whole crew of the Ariel, that their lasc

means of safety had been adopted ; and, at each desperate

»nd headlong plunge the vesseJ took, into the bosom of the

jeas that rolled upon her forecastle, the anxious seamen

thought' that they could percei^'e the yielding of the iron

diat yet clung to the bottom, or could hear the violent surge

18

290 THE PILOT.

of the parting strands of the cable, that siill held them to

their anchors. While the minds of the sailors were agitated
with the faint hopes that had been excited by the movements
of their schooner, Dillon had been permitted to wander
about the deck unnoticed : his rolling eyes, hard breathing,
and clenched hands, excited no observation among the men,
«yhose thoughts were yet dwelling on the means of safety.
But now, when with a sort of frenzied desperation he would
follow the retiring waters along the decks, and venture his
person nigh the group that had collected around and on the
gun of the cockswain, glances of fierce or of sullen vengeance
were cast at him, that conveyed threats of a nature that bo
was too much agitated to understand.

" K ye are tired of this woi'ld, though your time, like my
own, is probably but short in it," said^j^om to him, as he
passed the cockswain in one of his turns,*' "you can go for-
ward among the men ; but if ye have need of the moments
to foot up the reck'ning of your doings among men, afore
ye're brought to face your Maker, and hear the log-book of
Heaven, I would advise you to keep as nigh as possible to
Captain Barnstable or myself."

" Will you promise to save me if the vessel is wrecked ? ''
exclaimed Dillon, catching at the first sounds of friendly
interest that had reached his ears since he had been recap-
tured ; " O ! if you will, I can secure your future ease, yes,
wealth, for the remainder of your days ! "

" Your promises have been too ill kept afore this, for the
{.■eace of your soul," returned the cockswain, without bitter-
ness, though sternly ; " but it is not in me to strike even a
whale that is already spouting blood."

The intercessions of Dillon were interrupted by a dread-
fdl cry, that arose among the men forward, and which
sounded with increased horror, amid the roarings of the
tempest. The schooner rose on the breast of a wave at the
same instant, and falling off with her broadside to the sea,
she drove in towards the cliffs, like a bubble on the rapids
of a cataract.

" ( )ur ground-tackle has parted," said Tom, with his re*
signed patience of manner undisturbed ; " she shall die aa

THE PILOT. 291

Baey as man can make her i " While he yet spoke, he seized
the tiller, and gave to the vessel such a direction as would
be most likely to cause her to strike the rocks with her bows
foremost.

Tliere was, for one moment, an expression of exqui'site
anguish betrayed in the dark countenance of Barnstable ;
but, at the next, it passed away, and he spoke cheerfully to
his men : —

" Be steady, my lads, be calm ; there is yet a hope of lift
for you — our light draught will let us run in close to tht
cliiJs, and it is still falling water — see your boats clear, and
be steady."

The crew of the whale-boat, aroused by this speech from
a sort of stupor, sprang into their light vessel, which was
quickly lowered into the sea, and kept riding on the foam,
free from the sides of the schooner, by the powerful exertions
of the men. The cry for the cockswain was earnest and
repeated, but Tom shook his head, without replying, still
grasping the tiller, and keeping his eyes steadily bent on the
chaos of waters into whicti they were driving. The launch,
the largest boat of the two, was cut loose from the " gripes,"
and the bustle and exertion of the moment rendered the
crew insensible to the horror of the scene that siuTounded
them. But the loud hoarse call of the cockswain, to " Look
out ! secure yourselves ! " suspended even their efforts, and
Sit that instant the Ariel settled on a wave that melted from
under her, heavily on the rocks. The shock was so violent,
as to throw all who disregarded the warning cry from their
feet, and the universal quiver that pervaded the vessel was
like the last shudder of animated nature. For a time long
enough to breathe, the least experienced among the men sup-
posed the danger to be past ; but a wave of great height
followed the one that had deserted them, and raising the
ressel again, threw her roughly still farther on the bed of
•ocks, and at the same time its crest broke over her quar-
er, sweeping the length of her decks with a fury that was
«lmost resistless. The shuddering seamen beheld their
lOOsened boat driven from their grasp, and dashed against
ibe base o\ the cliffs, where no fragment of her wreck could

292 THE PILOT.

be t;raced, at the receding of the waters. But the passing

billow had thrown the vessel into a position which, in some
measure, protected her decks from the violence of those that
succeeded it.

" Go, my boys, go," said Barnstable, as the moment of
dreadful uncertainty passed ; " you have still the whale-
boat, and she, at least, will take you nigh the shore. Go
into her, my boys. God bless you, God bless you all !
You have been faithful and honest fellows, and I believe
He will not yet desert you ; go, my friends, while there ia
a lull."

The seamen threw themselves, in a mass, into the light
vessel, which nearly sunk under the unusual burden ; but
when they looked around them, Barnstable and Merry, Dillon
and the cockswain, were yet to be seen on the decks of the
Ariel. The former was pacing, in deep, and perhaps bitter
melancholy, the wet planks of the schooner, while the boy
hung, unheeded, on his arm, uttering disregarded petitions
to his commander to desert the wreck. Dillon approached
the side where the boat lay, again and again, but the
threatening countenances of the seamen as often drove him
back in despair. Tom had seated himself on the heel of
the bowsprit, where he continued, in an attitude of quiet
resignation, returning no other answers to the loud and
repeated calls of his shipmates, than by waving his hand
toward the shore.

" Now hear me," said the boy, urging his request, to
tears ; " if not for my sake, or for your own sake, Mr.
Barnstable, or for the hope of God's mercy, go into the
boat, for the love of my cousin Katherine."

The young lieutenant paused in his troubled walk, and
f jr a moment he cast a glance of hesitation at the cliffs ;
but, at the next instant, his eyes fell on the ruin of his
reseel, and he answered, —

" Never, boy, never ; if my hour has come, I will not
ghrink from my fate."

" Listen to the men, dear sir ; the boat will be swamped,
idongside iSie wreck, and their cry is, that without you thej
will not let her go."

THE PILOT. 298

Barnstable motioned to the boat, to bid the boy enter it,
»Dd turned away in silence.

" "Well," said Merry, with firmness, " if it be right that a
lieutenant shall stay by the wreck, it must also be right for
a midshipman ; shove off; neither Mr. Barnstable nor my-
eelf will quit the vessel."

" Boy, your life has been intrusted to my keeping, «iud
at my hands will it be required," said his comm&nder, ift"
ing the struggling youth, and tossing him into the arms
of the seamen. " Away with ye, and God be with you ;
there is more weight in you, now, than can go safe to
land."

Still the seamen hesitated, for they perceived the cock
swain moving, with a steady tread, along the deck, and they
hoped he had relented, and would yet persuade the lieu-
tenant to join his crew. But Tom, imitating the example
of his commander, seized the latter, suddenly, in his power-
ful grasp, and threw him over the bulwarks with an
irresistible force. At the same moment he cast the fast
of the boat from the pin that held it, and, lifting his broad
hands high into the air, his voice was heard in the tem-
pest : —

" God's will be done with me," he cried. " I saw the
first timber of the Ariel laid, and shall live just long enough
to see it turn out of her bottom ; after which I wish to live
no longer."

But his shipmates were swept far beyond the sounds of
his voice, before half these words were uttered. All com-
mand of the boat was rendered impossible, by the numbers
it contained, as well as the raging of the surf; and, as it
rose on the white crest of a wave, Tom saw his beloved
little craft for the last time. It fell into a trough of the
sea, and in a few moments more its fragments were ground
into splinters on the adjacent rocks. The cockswain still
remained where he had cast off the rope, and beheld 1h«
numerous heads and arms that appeared rising, at sh*^*?!
mtervali?, on the waves ; some making powerful and well-
directed efforts to gain the sands, that were becoming visible
ti the tide fell, and others wUdlj tossed, in the frantic

294 THE PILOT.

moveiiients of helpless despair. The honest old Beaiuan
gave a cry of joy, as he saw Barnstable issue fiom the surf,
bearing the form of Merry in safety to the sands, where,
one by one, several seamen soon appeared also, dripping
and exhausted. Many others of the crew were carried, in
a similar manner, to places of safety ; though, as Tom
raturned to his seat on the bowsprit, he could not conceal
from his reluctant eyes, the lifeless forms that were, in
other spots, driven against the rocks with a fury that soon
left them but few of the outward vestiges of humanity.

Dillon and the cockswain were now the sole occupants
of their dreadful station. The former stood in a kind of
stupid despair, a witness of the scene we have related ; but
as his curdled blood began again to flow more warmly
through his heart, he crept close to the side of Tom, with
that sort of selfish feeling that makes even hopeless misery
more tolerable, when endured in participation with another.

" "When the tide falls," he said, in a voice that betrayed
the agony of fear, though his words expressed the renewal
of hope, " we shall be able to walk to land."

" There was One and only one to whose feet the waters
were the same as a dry deck," returned the cockswain ;
" and none but such as have his power will ever be able to
walk from these rocks to the sands." The old seaman
paused, and turning his eyes, which exhibited a mingled
expression of disgust and compassion, on his companion, he
added, with reverence, " Had you thought more of Him
in fair weather, your case would be less to be pitied in this
tempest."

" Do you still think there is much danger ? " asked
Dillon.

" To them that have reason to fear death. Listen ! do
you hear that hollow noise beneath ye ? "

" 'Tis the wind driving by the vessel ! "

" 'Tis the poor thing herself," said the affected cockswain
'* giving her last groans. The water is breaking up her
decks, and in a few minutes more, the handsomest model
♦.Hat ever cut a wave, will be like the chips that fell from
her timbers in framing 1 "

THE PILOT. 295

** Why then did you remain here ! " cried Dillor , wildly.

" To die in my coffin, if it should be the will of God,"
returned Tom. " These waves, to me, are what the lanij
is to you ; I was born on them, and I have always meaat
that they should be my grav^i."

" But I — I," shrieked Dillon, " I am not ready to die 1
T cannot die ! — I will not die ! "

" Poor wretch ! " muttered his companion ; " you muet
go, like the rest of us ; when the death-watch is called, none
can skulk from the muster."

" I can swim," Dillon continued, rushing with frantic
eagerness to the side of the wreck. " Is there no billet of
wood, no rope, that I can take with me ? "

" None ; everything has been cut away, or carried off by
the sea. If ye are about to strive for your life, take with
ye a stout heart and a clean conscience, and trust the rest
to God ! "

" God ! " echoed Dillon, in the madness of his frenzy
" I know no God ! there is no God that knows me ! "

" Peace ! " said the deep tones of the cockswain, in a
voice that seemed to speak in the elements ; " blasphemer,
peace ! "

The heavy groaning, produced by the water, in the
timbers of the Ariel, at that moment added its impulse to
the raging feelings of Dillon, and he cast himself headlong
into the sea.

The water, thrown by the rolling of the surf on the
beach, was necessarily returned to the ocean, in eddies, in
different places favorable to such an action of the element.
Into the edge of one of these counter- currents, that was
produced by the very rocks on which the schooner lay, and
which the watermen call the " under-tow," Dillon had, 'i»-
knowingly, thrown his person ; and when the waves bad
di*iven him a short distance from the wreck, he was met by
B stream that his most desperate efforts could not overcome.
He was a light and powerful swimmer, and the struggle
was hard and protracted. With the shore immediately
before his eyes, and at no great distance, he was led, as by
» false phantom, to continue his efforts, although they did

29C THE PILOT.

not advance him a foot. The old seaman, who at first had
watched his motions with careless indifference, understood
the danger of his situation at a glance ; and, forgetful of
his own fate, he shouted aloud, in a voice that was driven
ovciT the struggling victim to the ears of his shipmates on
the sands, —

" Sheer to port, and clear the imder-tow ! sheer to the
southward ! "

Dillon heard the sounds, but his faculties were too much
obscured by terror, to distinguish their object ; he, however,
blindly yielded to the call, and gradually changed his direc-
tion, until his face was once more turned towards the vessel.
The current swept him diagonally by the rocks, and he was
forced into an eddy, where he had nothing to contend
against but the waves, whose violence was much broken by
the wreck. In this state, he continued still to struggle, but
with a force that was too much weakened to overcome the
resistance he met. Tom looked around him for a rope,
but all had gone over with the spars, or been swept away
by the waves. At this moment of disappointment, his eyes
met those of the desperate Dillon. Calm, and inured to
horrors, as was the veteran seaman, he involuntarily passed
his hand before his brow, to exclude the look of despair he
encountered ; and when, a moment afterwards, he removed
the rigid member, he beheld the sinking form of the victim
as it gradually settled in the ocean, stUl struggling, with
regular but impotent strokes of the arms and feet, to gain
\lie wreck, and to preserve an existence that had been so
much abused in its hour of allotted probation.

" He will soon know his God, and learn that his God
knows him ! " murmured the cockswain to himself. As he
yet spoke, the wreck of the Ariel yielded to an overwhelm-
ing sea, and, after an universal shudder, her timbers and
planks gave way, and were swept towards the cliffs, bear-
ing the body of the simple-hearted cockswain among thti
*«iiu.

THE PILOT, Wl

CHAPTER XXV.

Let U3 think of them that sleep
Full many a fathom deep,
By the wild and stormy steep,
Elsiuore 1

Campbeu>.

Long and dreary did the hours appear to Barnstable, be»
53re the falliug tide had so far receded as to leave the sand*
entirely exposed to his search for the bodies of his lost
shipmates. Several had been rescued from the wild fury
of the waves themselves ; and one by one, as the melan-
choly conviction that life had ceased was forced on the
fcurvivors, they had been decently interred in graves dug on
the very margin of that element on which they had passed
their lives. But still the form longest known and most
beloved was missing, and the lieutenant paced the broad
space that was now left between the foot of the cliiFs and
the raging ocean, with hurried strides and a feverish eye,
watching and following those fragments of the wreck that
the sea still continued to cast on the beach. Living and
dead, he now found that of those who had lately been in
the Ariel, only two were missing. Of the former he could
muster but twelve, besides Merry and himself, and his nion
had already interred more than half that number of the
latter, which, together, embraced all who had trusted their
lives to the frail keeping of the whale-boat.

'* Tell me not, boy, of the impossibility of his being safe,"
»a'!d Barnstable, in deep agitation, which he in vain strog-
gi^ to conceal from the anxious youth, who thought it
unnecessary to follow the uneasy motions of his commander,
as he strode along the sands. " How often have men been
found floating on pieces of wreck, days after the loss of
their vessel ? and you caj see, with your own eyes, that the

298 THE PILOT.

falling water has swept the planks this distance ; aye, t
good half-league from where she struck. Does the look-
out, from the top of the cliffs, make no signal of seeing him
yet?"

" None, sir, none ; we shall never see him again. The
men say, that he always thought it sinful to desert a wreck,
and that he did not even strike out once for his life, though
he has been known to swim an hour, when a whale has
Btove his boat. God knows, sir," added the boy, hastily
dashing a tear from his eye, by a stolen movement of hie
hand, " I loved Tom Coffin better than any foremast mau in
either vessel. You seldom came aboard the frigate but we
had him in the steerage among us reefers, to hear his long
yarns, and share our cheer. We all loved him, Mr. Barn-
stable ; but love cannot bring the dead to life again."

" I know it, I know it," said Barnstable, with a huskiness
in his voice, that betrayed the depth of his emotion. " I
am not so foolish as to believe in impossibilities ; but while
there is a hope of his living, I will never abandon poor
Tom Coffin to such a dreadful fate. Think, boy, he may,
at this moment, be looking at us, and praying to his Maker
that He would turn our eyes upon him ; aye, praying to hia
God, for Tom often prayed, though he did it in his watch,
standing, and in silence."

" If he had clung to life so strongly," returned the mid
shipmau, " he would have struggled harder to preserve it."

Barnstable stopped short in his hurried walk, and fast-
ened a look of opening conviction on his companion ; but,
as he was about to speak in reply, the shouts of the seamen
reached his ears, and, turning, they saw the whole party
running along the beach, and motioning, with violent ges-
tures, to an intermediate point in the ocean. Tlie lieuten-
ant and Merry hui-ried back, and, as they approached the
men, they distinctly observed » human figure, borne along
by the wives, at moments seeminj^ ♦x? rise above them, and
already floating in the last of the breakers. They had
hardly ascertained so much, when a heav swell carried tha
'juanimate body far upon the sands, where was left by th«
retiring waters.

THE PILOT. 299

'* Tis my cockswain ! " cried Barnstable, rushing to the
spot. He stopped suddenly, however, as he came within
view of the features, and it was some little time before he
appeared to have collected his faculties sufficiently to add,
in tones of deep horror, "What wretrh is this, boy.! hia
•:orm is unmutilated, and yet observe the 3yes ! they eeem
as if the sockets would not contain them, and they gaze as
wildly as if their owner yet had life — the hands are open
and spread, as though they would still buffet the waves ! "

" The Jonah ! the Jonah ! " shouted the seamen, with
Bavage exultation, as they successively approached the
corpse ; " away with his carrion into the sea again ! give
him to the sharks ! let him tell his lies in the claws of the
lobsters ! "

Barnstable had turned away from the revolting sight, in
disgust ; but when he discovered these indications of impo-
tent revenge, in the remnant of his crew, he said, in that
voice which all respected and still obeyed, —

" Stand back ! back with ye, fellows ! would you disgrace
your manhood and seamanship, by wreaking your venge-
ance on him whom God has already in judgment!" A
silent, but significant gesture towards the earth succeeded
his words, and he walked slowly away.

" Bury him in the sands, boys," said Merry, when his
commander was at some little distance ; " the next tide will
unearth him."

The seamen obeyed his orders, while the midshipman
rejoined his commander, who continued to pace along the
bsach, occasionally halting, to throw his uneasy glances
ever the water, and then hurrying onward, at a rate that
caused his youthful companion to exert his greatest powe2
to maintain the post he had taken at his side. Every effort
to discover the lost cockswain was, however, after two
hours' more search, abandoned as fruitless; and with
reason, for the sea was never known to give up the body
»f the man who might be emphatically called its own dead,

" There goes the sun, already dropping behind the cliffs,"
6aid the lieutenant, throwing himself on a rock ; " and the
hcur will soon arrive to set the dog-watches ; but we bav*

800 T5L fILOT.

notliing left to watch over, boy ; the surf and rocks h» $
Dot even left us a whole plank that we may lay our be»». i
on for the night."

" The men have gathered many articles on yon beab-si^
BIT," returned the lad ; " they have found arms to delend
curs elves with, and food m give us strength to use thein.*

" And who shall be our enemy ? " asked BarnstaWe,
bitterly ; " shall we shoulder our dozen pikes, and carry
England by boarding ? "

" We may not lay the whole island under contribution,"
continued the boy, anxiously watching the expression of hia
commander's eye ; " but we may still keep ourselves in
work until the cutter returns fi'om the frigate. I hope, sir,
you do not think our case so desperate, as to intend yield-
ing as prisoners."

" Prisoners ! " exclaimed the lieutenant ; " no, no, lad, it
has not got to that, yet ! England has been able to wreck
my craft, I must concede ; but she has, as yet, obtained no
other advantage over us. She was a precious model.
Merry ! the cleanest run, and the neatest entrance, that art
ever united on the stem and stern of the same vessel ! Do
you remember the time, younker, when I gave the fi'igate
my topsails, in beating out of the Chesapeake? I could
always do it, in smooth water, with a whole-sail-breeze.
But she was a frail thing ! a frail thing, boy, and could bear
but little."

" A mortar ketch would have thumped to pieces where
she lay," returned the midshipman.

" Aye, it was asking too much of her, to expect she could
hold together on a bed of rocks. Merry, I loved her ;
dearly did I love her ; she was my first command, and X
knew and loved every timber and bolt in her beautitui
ftame!"

" I believe it is as natural, sir, for a seaman to love the
wood and iron in which he has floated over the depths
of the ocean for so many days and nights," rejoined the
boy, " as it is for a father to love the members of his own
family."

^ Quite, quite, aye, more so," said Barnstable, speaking

THE PILOT. 301

M if he were choked by emotion. Merry felt the hoavj
grasp of the lieutei.ant on his slight arm, while his com-
mander continued, in a voice that gradually increased in
power, as his feelings jjredomiuated ; " and yet, boy, a hu-
man being cannot love the creature of his own formation \<i
■ he does the works of God. A man can never regard his
ship as he does his shipmates. I sailed with him, boy, when
everything seemed bright and happy, as at your age ; when^
as he often expressed it, I knew nothing and feared nothing.
I was then a truant from an old father and a kind mother,
and he did that for me which no parents could have done in
my situation — he was my father and mother on the deep !
hours, days, even months, has he passed in teaching me the
art of our profession ; and now, in my manhood, he has fol-
lowed me from ship to ship, from sea to sea, and has only
quitted me to die, where I should have died — as if he felt
the disgrace of abandoning the poor Ariel to her fate, by
herself ! "

" No, no, no — 'twas his superstitious pride ! " inter-
rupted Merry ; but perceiving that the head of Barnstable
had sunk between his hands, as if he would conceal his
emotion, the boy added no more ; but he sat respectfully
watching the display of feeling that his officer in vain en-
deavored to suppress. Merry felt his own form quiver with
sympathy at the shuddering which passed through Barnsta-
ble's frame ; and the relief experienced by the lieutenant
himself was not greater than that which the midshi^jman
felt, as the latter beheld large tears forcing their way
through the other's fingers, and fallincr on the sands at his
feet. They were followed by a violent burst of emotion,
Buch as is seldom exhibited in the meridian of life ; but
which, when it conquers the nature of one who has buffeted
the chances of the world with the loftiness of his sex and
character, breaks down every barriei', and seems to sweep
before it, like a rushing torrent, all the factitious defenses
which habit and education have created to protect the pride
of manhood. Merry had often beheld the commanding
severity of the lieutenant's manner in moments of dangeri
with deep respect ; he had been drawn towards him bj

302 THE PILOT.

kindness and affection, in times of gayety and recklessness .
but he now sat for mauy minutes, profoundly sUent, regard-
ing his officer with sensations that were nearly allied to
awe. The struggle with himself was long and severe in
the bosom of Barnstable ; but, at length, the calm of re-
lieved passions succeeded to his emotion. When be arose
from the rock, and removed his hands from his features, hj'2
eye was hard and proud, his brow slightly contracted, auJ
he spoke in a voice so harsh, that it startled his compan-
ion: —

'' Come, sir ; why are we here and idle ? are not yon
poor fellows looking up to us for advice and orders how to
proceed in this exigency ? Away, away, ]\Ir. Merry ; it is
not a time to be drawing figures in the sand with your
dirk ; the flood-tide will soon be in, and we may be glad to
hide our heads in some cavern among these rocks. Let us
be stirring, sir, whUe we have the sun, and muster enough
food and arms to keep life in us, and our enemies off us,
until we can once more get afloat."

The wondering boy, whose experience had not yet taught
him to appreciate the reaction of the passions, started at
this unexpectyi summons to his duty, and followed Barn-
stable towards the group of distant seamen. The lieuten-
ant, who was instantly conscious how far pride had ren-
dered him unjust, soon moderated his long strides, and
continued in milder tones, which were quickly converted
into his usual frank communications, though they still re-
mained tinged with a melancholy that time only could en-
tirely remove, —

" We have been unlucky, Mr. Merry, but we need not
despair ; these lads have gotten together abundance of sup-
plies, I see; and, with our arms, we can easUy make cur-
eelves mastc rs of some of the enemy's smaller craft, and
find our way back to the frigate, wlieu tnis gale has blown
itself ou.t. We must keej) ourselves close, though, or we
shall have the red-coats coming down upon us, like so many
sharks around a wreck. Ah ! God bless her. Merry ! there
is not such a sight to be seen on the whole beach as two of
her planks holding together."

THE PILOT. 303

The midshipman, without adverting to this suddei/ alln-
lion tc their vessel, prudently pursued the. train of ideas in
which his coramancer had started.

" There is an opening into the country, but a short distanc*
south of us, where a brook empties into the sea," he said.
" We might find a cover in it, or in the wood above, into
which it leads, until we can have a survey of the coaat, or
san seize some vessel to carry us off."

' There would be a satisfaction in waiting till the morn-
ing watoh, and then carrying that accursed battery, which
took off the better leg of the poor Ariel ! " said the lieu
tenant ; " the thing might be done, boy, and we could hold
the work, too, until the Alacrity and the frigate draw in to
land."

" If you prefer storming works to boarding vessels, there
is a fortress of stone, Mr. Barnstable, which Ties directly on
our beam. I could see it through the haze, when I was on
the cliffs, stationing the lookout — and " —

" And what, boy ? speak without a fear ; this is a time
for jfree consultation."

" Why, sir, the garrison might not all be hostile — we
should liberate Mr. Griffith and the marines ; besides " —

" Besides what, sir ? "

" I should have an opportunity, perhaps, of seeing my
cousin Cecilia, and my cousin Katherine."

The countenance of Barnstable grew animated as he list-
ened, and he answered with something of his usual cheer-
fiil manner, — >

" Aye, that, indeed, would be a work worth carrying !

and the rescuing of our shipmates, and the marines, would

read like a thing of military discretion — ha ! hoy ! all the

rest would be incidental, younker ; like the capture of the

eet, after you have whipped the convoy."

" ] do suppose, sir, that if the Abbey be taken, Colonel
I Toward will own himself a prisoner of war."

" And Colonel Howard's wards ! now there is good sense
Ji this scheme of thine. Master Merry, and I will give it
proper reflection. But here are our poor fellows ; speak
cheeringly to them, sir, that we may hold them in tem[)ei
for our enterprise."

804 THE PILOT.

Barnstable and the naidshipman joined their shipwiecked
companions, with that air of authority which is seldonj
wanting between the superior and the inferior, in nautical
intercourse, but at the same time with a kindness of sj^eecb
and looks, that might have been a little increased by their
critical situation. After partaking of the food which had
been selected from among the fragments that still lay scat-
tered, for more than a mile, along the beach, the lieutenant
directed ths seamen to arm themselves with such weapons
as offered, and also to make sufficient provision, from the
schooner's stores, to last them for four-and-twenty houra
longer. These orders were soon executed ; and the whoJe
party, led by Barnstable and Merry, proceeded along the
foot of the cliffs, in quest of the opening in the rocks,
through which the little rivulet found a passage to the
ocean. The weather contributed, as much as the seclusion
of the spot, to prevent any discovery of the small party,
which pursued its object with a disregard of caution that
might, under other circumstances, have proved fatal to its
safety. Barnstable paused in his march when they had all
entered the deep ravine, and ascended nearly to the brow of
the precipice, that formed one of its sides, to take a last
and more scrutinizing survey of the sea. His countenance
exhibited the abandonment of all hope, as his eye moved
slowly from the northern to the southern boundary of the
horizon, and he prepared to pursue his march, by moving,
reluctantly, up the stream, when the boy, who still clung to
his side, exclaimed joyously, — *

" Sail ho ! It must be the frigate in the offing ! "

" A sail ! " repeated his commander ; " where-away do
you see a sail in this tempest ? Can there be another a?
hardy and unfortunate as ourselves ! "

" Look to the starboard hand of the point of rock ^o
windward ! " cried the boy ; " now you lose it — ah ! new
the sun falls upon it ! 'tis a sail, sir, as sure as canvas can
be spread in such a gale ! "

" I see what you mean," returned the other, " but i*
•eems a gull, skimming the sea ! nay, now it rises, indeed,
*nd shows itself like a bellying topsail ; pass up that glas^

THl PILOT. 305

ladj; here is a fellow in the offing who may prove a
fiiend "

Merry waited the result of the lieutenant's examination
with yeuthfiil impatience, and did not fail to ask imme-
diately, —

"Can you make it out, sir? is it the ship or the cutter?"

" Come, there seemeth yet some hope left for us, br^y,"
retarned Barnstable, closing the glass ; " 'tis a ship lying-
to undei her main-topsail. If one might but dare to show
himself on these heights, he would raise her hull, and make
sure of her character ! But I think I know her spars,
though even her topsail dips, at times, when there is noth-
ing to be seen but her bare poles ; and they shortened by
her topgallant-masts."

" One would swear," said Merry, laughing, as much
through the excitement produced by this intelligence, as at
his conceit, " that Captain Munson would never carry wood
aloft, when he can't carry canvas. I remember, one night,
Mr. Griffith was a little vexed, and said, around the capstan,
he believed the next order would be, to rig in the bowsprit,
and house lower-masts ! "

" Aye, aye, Griffith is a lazy dog, and sometimes gets
lost in the fogs of his own thoughts," said Barnstable ;
" and I suppose old Moderate was in a breeze. However,
this looks as if he were in earnest ; he must have kept the
Bhjjp away, or she would never have been where she is ; 1
do verily believe the old gentleman remembers that he has
a few of his officers and men on this accursed island. This
is well, Mer y ; for should we take the Abbey, we have a
place at hand in which to put our prisoners."

" We must have patience till the morning," added the
boy, " for no boat would attempt to land in such a sea."

" No boat could land ! The best boat that ever floated,
boy, has sunk in these breakers ! But the wind lessens, and
before morning the sea will fall. Let us on, and find a
''erth for our poor lads, where they can be made more com-
'ortable."

The two officers now descended from their elevation, and
'«d th« way still further up the deep and narrow dell, iintil,
30

506 THE riLOi.

as the ground rose gradually before them, they found theiDi

selves in a dense wood, on a level with the adjaccD'i
country,

" Here should be a ruin at hand, if I have a true reckon,
ing, and know my courses and distances," said Barnstable ;
" I have a chart about me that speaks of such a landmark.'

The lieutenant turned away from the laughing expression
of the boy's eye, as the latter archly inquired, —

" Was it made by one who knows the coast well, sir ? or
was it done by some schoolboy, to learn his maj^s, as the
girls work samplers ? "

" Come, younker, no sampler of your impudence. But
look ahead ; can you see any habitation that has been de-
serted ? "

" Aye, sir, here is a pile of stones before us, that looks as
dirty and ragged as if it was a soldier's barrack ; can this
be what you seek ? "

" Faith, this has been a whole town in its day I we
should call it a city in America, and furnish it with a mayor,
aldermen, and recorder ; you might stow old Faneuil Hall
in one of its lockers."

"With this sort of careless dialogue, which Barnstable en-
gaged in, that his men might discover no alteration in his
manner, they approached the mouldering walls that had
proved so fraU a protection to the party under Griffith.

A short time was passed in examining the premises, when
the wearied seamen took possession of one of the dilapidated
apartments, and disposed themselves to seek that rest of
which they had been deprived by the momentous occur-
rences of the past night.

Barnstable waited until the loud breathing of the eeamen
assured him that they slept, when he aroused the drowsy
boy, who was fast losing his senses in the same sort of ob-
livion, and motioned him to follow. Merry arose, and they
stole together from the apartment, with guarded steps, and
penetrated more deeply into the gloomy recesses of Ufa*
place.

THE PILOT. 807

CHAPTER XXVI.

I permit thee to be Sosia again

Drt deh.

Ws must leave the two adventurers winding their way
among the broken piles, and venturing boldly beneath the
tottering arches of the ruin, to accompany the reader, at the
same hour, within the more comfortable walls of the Abbey ;
where, it will be remembered, Borroughclitfe was left in a
condition of very equivocal ease. As the earth had, how-
ever, in the interval, nearly run its daily round, circum-
stances had intervened to release the soldier from his con-
finement — and no one, ignorant of the fact, would read in
the careless air and smiling visage of the gentleman who
who was now seated at the hospitable board of Colonel
Howard, directing, with so much discretion, the energies
of his masticators to the delicacies of the feast, that those
foragers of nature had been so recently condemned, for
four long hours, to the mortification of discussing the bar-
ren subject of his own sword-hilt. BorroughclifFe, however,
maintained not only his usual post, but his well-earned
reputation at the table, with his ordinary coolness of de-
meanor ; though at times there were fleeting smiles that
crossed his military aspect, which sufficiently indicated that
he considered the matter of his reflection to be of a par-
ticularly ludicrous character. In the young man who sat
by his side, dressed in the deep-blue jacket of a seaman,
with the fine white linen of his collar contrasting strongly
with the black silk handkerchief tliat was tied with studied
uegligence around his neck, and whose easy air and mannei
contrasted still more strongly with this attire, the reader
(«\Ll discover Griffith. The captive paid much less devotion
to the viands than his neighbor, thoui^h lie affected mora

808 THE PILOT.

attention to the business of the table than he actually be^
Btowed, with a sort of consciousness that it would relieve
the blushing maiden who presided. The laughing eyea
of Katherine Plowden were glittering by the side of the
mild countenance of Alice Dunscombe, and, at times, were
fastened in droll interest on the rigid and upright exterior
that Captain Manual maintained, directly opposite to where
she was seated. A chair had also been jalaced for Dillon

— of course it was vacant.

' And so, Borroughclitfe," cried Colonel Howard, w ith a
freedom of voice, and a vivacity in his air, that announced
the increasing harmony of the rejjast, " the sea-dog left you
nothing to chew but the cud of your resentment ! "

" That and my sword-hilt," returned the immovable
recruiting officer. " Gentlemen, I know not how your Con-
gress rewards militaiy achievements ; but if that worthy
fellow were in my company, he should have a halberd within
a week — spurs I would not oiFer him, for he affects to
Bpurn their use."

Griffith smiled, and bowed in silence to the liberal com-
pliment of BorroughclifFe ; but Manual took on himself the
task of replying : —

" Considering the drilling the man has received, the con-
duct has been well enough, sir ; though a well-trained soldier
would not only have made prisoners, but he would hav*
secured them."

" I perceive, my good comrade, that your thoughts are
ronning on the exchange," said Borroughcliffe, good-
humoredly ; " we will fill, sir, and, by permission of the
ladies, drink to a speedy restoration of rights to both parties

— the s;atu quo ante bellum ! "

" With all my heart ! " cried the colonel ; " and Cicely
and Miss Katherine will pledge the sentiment in a woman's
eip ; will ye not, my fair wards ? Mr. Griffith, I honor this
proposition of yours, which will not only liberate yourself.
but restore to us my kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon. Kit
had imagined the thing well ; ha ! Borroughcliffe ! 'twas
ngeniously contrived, but the fortune of war interposed
l^lf to bis success ; and yet it is a deep and iiiexp lir^bi^

THE PILOT. 309

mystery to me, how Kit should have been conveyed from
the Abbey with so little noise, and without raising the
ftlarm."

" Chiistopher is a man who understands the philosophy
of B-lence, as well as that of rhetoric," returned Boirougli-
diife, " and must have learned, in his legal studies, that it is
Bometimes necessary to conduct matters sub silentio. You
Bmile at my Latin, INIiss Plowden ; but really, since I have
become an inhabitant of this monkish abode, my little learn-
ing is stimulated to unwonted efforts — nay, you are pleased
to be yet more merry ! I used the language, because silence
is a theme in which you ladies take but little pleasure.'

Katherine, however, disregarded the slight pique that was
apparent in the soldier's manner ; but, after following the
train of her own thoughts in silent enjoyment for a moment
longer, she seemed to yield to their drollery, and laughed
until her dark eyes flashed with merriment. Cecilia did
not assume the severe gravity with which she sometimes
endeavored to repress what she thought the unseasonable
mirth of her cousin ; and the wondering Griffith fancied, as
he glanced his eye from one to the other, that he could dis-
cern a suppressed smile playing among the composed fea-
tures of Alice Dunscombe. Katherine, however, soon suc-
ceeded in repressing the .paroxysm, and, with an air of
infinitely comic gravity, she replied to the remark of the
soldier : —

" I think I have heard of such a process in nautical affairs
as towing ; but I must appeal to ISIr. Griffith for the cor-
rectness of the term."

" You could not speak with more accuracy," returned the*
young sailor, with a look that sent the conscious blood to
the temples of the lady, " though you had made marine
terms your study."

" The profession requires less thought, perhaps, than you
imagine, sir ; but is this towing often done, as Captain Bop-
roughcliffe — I beg his pardon — as the monks have it, sub
silentio ? "

" Spare me, fair lady," cried the captain, " and we will
establish a compact of mutual grace ; you to forgive my
teaming, and I to suppress my suspicious."

510 THE PILOT.

" Suspicions, sir, is a word that a lady must defy."

" And defiance a challenge that a soldier can nevei
receive ; so I must submit to talk English, though the
fathers of the Church were my companions. I suspect that
Miss Plowden has it in her power to explain the manner of
Mr. Christopher Dillon's departure."

The lady did not reply, but a second burst of merriment
succeeded, of a liveliness and duration quite equal to ihe
former.

" How's this ? " exclaimed the colonel ; " permit me to
say. Miss Plowden, your mirth is very extraordinary ! I
trust no disrespect has been offered to my kinsman ? Mr
Griffith, our terms are, that the exchange shall only bo
made on condition that equally good treatment has been
extended to the parties ! "

" If Mr. Dillon can complain of no greater evil than that
of being laughed at by Miss Plowden, sir, he has reason to
call himself a happy fellow."

" I know not, sir ; God forbid that I should forget what
is due to my guests, gentlemen ! but ye have entered my
dwelling as foes to my prince."

" But not to Colonel Howard, sir."

" I know no difference, Mr. Griffith. King George or
Colonel Howard — Colonel Howard or King George. Our
feelings, our fortunes, and our fate, are as one ; with the
mighty odds that Providence has established between the
prince and his people ! I wish no other fortune than to
share, at an humble d'atance, the weal or woe of my sov-
ereign ! "

" You are not called upon, dear sir, to do either, by the
thoughtlessness of us ladies," said Cecilia, rising ; " but hero
comes one who should turn our thoughts to a more impor-
tant subject — our dress."

Politeness induced Colonel Ploward, who both loved an(J
resi)ected his niece, to defer his remarks to another time :
and Katherine, springing from her chair with childish eager-
ness, flew to the side of her cousin, who was directing a ser-
vant that had announced the arrival of one of those erratic
Tenders of small articles, who supply, in remote districts of

THF PILOT. 311

the country, the places of more regular traders, to show the
lad into the diuing-parlor. The repast was so far ended, aa
to render this interruption less objectionable ; and as all
felt the object of Cecilia to be the restoration of hai'mony,
the boy was ushered into the room without further delay.
The contents of his small basket, consisting chiefly of
essences, and the smaller articles of female economy, were
p]a}^ully displayed on the table by Katherine, who declared
herself the patroness of the itinerant youth, and who laugh-
uigly appealed to the liberality of the gentlemen in behalf
of her protege.

" You perceive, my dear guardian, that the boy must be
loyal ; for he offers, here, perfume that is patronized by no
loss than two royal dukes : do suffer me to place a box
aside, for your especial use : you consent ; I see it in your
eye. And, Captain Borroughcliffe, as you appear to be
foi getting the use of your own language, here is even a
horn-book for you ! How admirably provided he seems to
be ! You must have had St. Ruth in view, when you laid
in your stock, child ? "

" Yes, my lady," the boy replied, with a bow that was
studiously awkward ; " I have often heard of the grand
ladies that dwell in the old Abbey, and I have journeyed a
few miles beyond my rounds, to gain their custom."

" And surely they cannot disappoint you. Miss Howard,
tlat is a palpable hint to your purse; and I know not that
even Miss Alice can escape contribution, in these trouble-
some times. Come, aid me, child ; what have you to rec-
ommend, in particular, to the favor of these ladies ? "

The lad approached the basket, and rummaged its contents,
for a moment, with the appearance of deep, mercenary in-
terest ; and then, without lifting his hand from the confu-
sion he had caused, he said, while he exhibited something
within the basket to the view of his smiling observer, —

« This, my lady."

Katherine started, and glanced her eyes, with a piercing
look, at the countenance of the boy, and then turned them
..neiisily from face to face, with conscious timidity. Cecilia
had effected her object, and had resumed her seat in silent

312 THE PILOT.

abstraction ; Alice was listening to the remarks of Captain
Manual and the host, as they discussed the propriety of cer-
tain military usages ; Griffith seemed to hold communion
with his mistress, by imitating her silence ; but Katherine,
in her stolen glances, met the keen look ct Borroughcliffe
fastened on her face, in a manner that did not fail instanU.y
to suspend the scrutiny,

" Come, CecUia," she cried, after a pause of a moment
" we trespass too long on the patience of the gentlemen |
not only to keep possession of our seats, ten minutes after
the cloth has been drawn ! but even to introduce our es-
sences, and tapes, and needles, among the Madeira, and —
shall I add, cigars, colonel ? "

" Not while we are favored with the company of Miss
Plowden, certainly."

" Come, my coz ; I perceive the colonel is growing par-
ticularly polite, which is a never-failing sign that he tires-
of our presence."

Cecilia rose, and was leading the wq,y to the door, when
Katherine turned to the lad, and added, —

" You can follow us to the drawing-room, child, where we
can make our purchases, without exposing the mystery of
our toilets."

" Miss Plowden has forgotten my horn-book, I believe,"
said Borroughcliffe, advancing from the standing group who
surrounded the table ; " possibly I can find some work, in
the basket of the boy, better fitted for the improvement of
a grown-up young gentleman than this elementary treatise."

CecUia, observing him to take the basket from the lad,
resumed her seat, and her exan pie was necessarily followed
by Katherine ; though not without some manifest indica-
tions of vexation.

" Come hither, boy, and explain the use of your wares.
This is soap, and this a penknife, I know ; but what name
do you affix to this ? "

" That ? that is tape," returned the lad, with an unpa-
tience that might very naturally be attributed to the inter
ruption that was thus given to bis trade.

" And this ? "

THE PiLOT. 313

"That?" repeated the stripling, pa asing, with a hesiufc'
tion between sulkiness and doubt; "that?" —

" Come, this is a little ungallant ! " cried Katherine ; " to
keep three ladies dying with irajtatience to possess them
selves of their finery, while you detain the boy, to ask the
name of a tambouring-needle ! "

" I should apologize for asking questions that are so
easily answered ; but perhaps he will find the next naore
difficult to solve," returned Borrouglicliffe, placing the sub-
ject of his inquiries in the palm of his hand, in such a man-
ner as to conceal it from all but the boy and himself. " This
*ias a name too ; what is it ? "

" That ? — that — is sometimes called — white-line."

" Perhaps you mean a white lie ? "

" How, si? ! " exclaimed the lad, a little fiercely, " a
Ue!"

" Only a white one," returned the captain. " What do
you call this. Miss Dunscombe ? "

" We call it bobbin, sir, generally, in the north," said the
placid Alice.

" Aye, bobbin, or white-line ; they are the same thing,"
added the young trader.

*' They are ? I think, now, for a professional man, you
know but little of the terms of your art," observed Borrough-
cliffe, with an affectation of irony ; " I never have seen a
youth of your years who knew less. What names, now
would you affix to this, and this, and this ? "

While the captain was speaking, he drew from his pockets
the several instruments that the cockswain had made use of
the preceding night to secure his prisoner.

" That," exclaimed the lad, with the eagerness of one who
would vindicate his reputation, "is ratlin-stuff; and this ia
marline ; and that is sennit."

" Enough, enough," said Borroughcliffe ; " you have ex-
hibited sufficient knowledge, to convince me that you do
know something of your trade., and nothing of these articles.
Mr. Griffith, do you claim this boy ? "

" I believe I must, sir," said the young sea-officer, who
had been intently listening to the eiaminatio u. " On what

314 THE PILOT.

ever errand you have now ventured here^ Mr. Merry, it ia

useless to affect further concealment."

"Merry!" exclaimed Cecilia Howard; ' is it you, then,
my cousin? are you, too, fallen into the power of your
enemies ! was it not enough that " —

The young lady recovered her recollection in time to
suppress the remainder of the sentence, though the grate-
ful expression of Griffith's eye sufficiently indicated that he
had, in his thoughts, filled the sentence with expressions
abundantly flattering to his own feelings.

" How's this, again ! " cried the colonel ; " my two wards
embracing and fondling a vagrant, vagabond pedlar, before
my eyes ! is this treason, Mr. Griffith ? or what means the
extraordinary visit of this young gentleman ? "

" Is it extraordinary, sir," said Merry himself, losing his
assumed awkwardness, in the ease and confidence of one
whose faculties had been early exercised, " that a boy, like
myself, destitute of mother and sisters, should take a like
risk on himself, to visit the only two female relatives he has
in the world ? "

" Why this disguise, then ? surely, young gentleman, it
was unnecessary to enter the dwelling of old George How-
ard, on such an errand, clandestinely, even though your
tender years have been practiced on, to lead you astray
from your allegiance. Mr. Griffith and Captain Manual
must pardon me, if I express sentiments, at my own table,
that they may find unpleasant ; but this business requires.
us to be explicit."

" The hospitality of Colonel Howard is unquestionable,"
returned the boy ; " but he has a great reputation for his
ioyalty to the crown."

* Aye, young gentleman ; and, I trust, with some justice.'

*' Would it, then, be safe to intrust my person in th«
lands of one who might think it his duty to detain me ?"

" Tins is plausible enough, Captain Borroughcliffe, and 1
loulit not the boy speaks with candor. I would, now, that
jQy kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon, were here, that I
might learn ^f it would be misprision of treason to per mil
this youth *> depart, unmolested, and without exchange? '''

THE PILOT. 31b

" Inquire of tlie young gentleman, after the Cac'que,"
returned the recruiting officer, who, apparently satisfied in
producing the exposure of ]Merry, had resumed his seat at
the table ; " perhaps he is, in verity, an ambassador, em-
powered to treat on behalf of his highness."

" How say you ? " demanded the colonel ; " do you know
anything of my kinsman ? "

The anxious eyes of the whole party were fasteneJon he
boy for many moments, witnessing the sudden change froin
careless freedom to deep horror expressed in his countenance.
At length he uttered, in an undertone, the secret of Dillon's
&te.

" He is dead."

" Dead ! " repeated every voice in the room.

" Yes, dead ! " said the boy, gazing at the pallid faces of
those who surrounded him.

A long and fearful silence succeeded the announcement
of this intelligence, which was only interrupted by Griffith,
who said, —

" Explain the manner of his death, sir, and where his
body lies."

" His body lies interred in the sands," returned Merry,
with a deliberation that proceeded from an opening percep-
tion, that if he uttered too much, he might betray the losa
of the Ariel, and, consequently, endanger the liberty of
Barnstable.

" In the sands ? " was echoed from every part of the room.

" Aye, in the sands : but how he died, I cannot explain."

" He has been murdered ! " exclaimed Colonel Howard,
whose command of utterance was now amply restored to
him ; " he has been treacherously, and dastardly, and basely
nurdered ! "

" He has not been murdered," said the boy, firmly ; " uor
did he meet his death among those who deserve the name
5i*her of traitors or of dastards."

" Said you not that he was dead ? that liy kinsman was
buried in the sands of the sea-shore ? "

" Both are true, sir " —

" And you refuse to explaiu how he met his death, and
•rhj he has been thus iguomiuiously iiterred?"

316 iHE PILOT.

>* He received his interment by my orders, sir ; and if
there be ignominy about his grave, his own acts have heaped
it on him. As to the manner of his death, I cannot, and
will not speak."

" Be calm, my cousin," said Cecilia, in an imploring voice :
" re?pect the age of my uncle, and remember his strong at*
hchment to ^h: Dillon."

The veteran had, however, so far mastered his feelings,
ti to continue the dialogue with more recollection.

" IMr. Griffith," he said, " I shall not act hastily — you and
y^our companion will be jileased to retire to your several
apartments. I will so far respect the son of ray brother
Hari-y's friend as to believe your parole will be sacred. Go,
gentlemen ; you are unguarded."

The two prisoners bowed low to the ladies and their
host, and retired. Griffith, however, lingered a moment on
the threshold, to say —

" Colonel Howard, I leave the boy to your kindness and
consideration. I know you will not forget that his blood
mingles with that of one who is most dear to you."

" Enough, enough, sir," said the veteran, waving his hand
to him to retire ; " and you, ladies ; this is not a place for
you, either."

" Never will I quit this child," said Katherine, " whUe
such a horrid imputation lies on him. Colonel Howard, act
your pleasure on us both, for I suppose you have the power ;
but his fate shall be my fate."

" There is, I trust, some misconception in this melancholy
affair," said Borroughcliffe, advancing into the centre of the
agitated group ; " and I should hope, by calmness and mod-
oration, all may yet be exjilaiued : young gentleman, you
have borne arms, and must know, notwithstanding your
y^oath, what it is to be in the power of your enemies ? "

" Never ! " returned the proud boy ; " I am a captive for
tSie first time."

" I speak sir, in reference to our power."

" You nay order me to a dungeon ; or, as I have entered
the Abbey in disguise, possibly to a gibbet."

'■* And is that a fate to be met so calmly by one so young ? *

THE PILOT. 817

** You dare not do it, Captain Borroughcliffe," cried Kath*
erine, involuntarily throwing an arm around the boy, as il
to shield him from harm ; " you would blush to think of
such a cold-blooded act of vengeance. Colonel Howard."

" If we could examine the young man, where* the warmth
of feeling, which these ladies exhibit, might not be excited,"
said the captain, apart to his host, " we should gain important
intelligence."

" Miss Howard, and you, Miss Plowden," said the veteran,
in a manner that long habit had taught his wards to respect,
" your young kinsman is not in the keeping of savages, and
you can safely confide him to my custody. I am sorry that
we have so long kept Miss Alice standing, but she will find
relief on the couches of your drawing-room, Cecilia."

Cecilia and Katherine permitted themselves to be coa^
ducted to the door, by their polite but determined guardian,
where he bowed to their retiring persons, with the exceed-
ing courtesy that he never failed to use, when in the least
excited.

" You appear to know your danger, Mr. Merry," .<?aid
BorroughclitFe, after the door was closed ; " I trust you also
know what duty would dictate to one in my situation."

" Do it, sir," returned the boy ; " you have a king to
render an account to, and I have a country."

" I may have a country also," said Borroughcliffe, with a
calmness that was not in the least disturbed by the taunting
air with which the youth delivered himself " It is possible
for me, however, to be lenient, even merciful, when the in-
terests of that prince, to whom you allude, are served ; you
tame not on this enterprise alone, sir ? "

" Had I come better attended, Captain Borroughcliflfe
miglit have heard these questions instead of putting them."

" I am happy, sir, that your retinue has been so small
%ad yet, oven the rebel schooner called the Ariel might have
Tirnished you with a more becoming attendance. I cannot
but thinb you are not far distant from your friends."

" He is near his enemies, your honor," said Sergeant
Drill, who had entered the room unobserved ; '' for here Li
a boy who says he has been seized in the old ruin, and

318 THE PILOT.

robbed of his goods and clothes ; and by his description, thin

lad should be the thief."

Borroughcliffe signed to the boy, who stood in the back«
ground, to advance ; and he was instantly obeyed, with all
that eagerness which a sense of injury on the part of the
sufferer could excite. The tale of this unexpected intruder
was soon told, and was briefly this : —

He had been assaulted by a man and a boy (the lattfcf
was in presence), while arranging his effects, in the ruin-
preparatory 4o exhibiting them to the ladies of the Abbey,
and had been robbed of such part of his attire as the boy
had found necessary for his disguise, together with his basket
of valuables. He had been put into an apartment of an
old tower, by the man, for safe keeping ; but as the latter
frequently ascended to its turret, to survey the country, he
had availed himself of this remissness, to escape : and, to
conclude, he demanded a restoration of his property, and
vengeance for his wrongs.

Merry heard his loud and angry details with scornful com-
posure, and before the offended pedlar was through his nai •
rative, had divested himself of the borrowed garments, whicii
he threw to the other with singular disdain.

" We are beleaguered, mine host ! beset ! besieged ! "
cried Borroughcliffe, when the other had ended. " Plere is
a rare plan to rob us of our laurels ! aye, and of our re-
wards ! but, harkye. Drill ! they have old soldiers to deal
with, and we shall look into the matter. One would wish
to triumph on foot ; you understand me ? — there was no
horse in the battle. Go, fellow, I see you grow wiser ; take
this young gentleman — and remember he is a young gentle-
nan — put him in safe keeping, but see him supplied with
till he wants."

Borroughcliffe bowed politely to the haughty bend of the
body with which Merry, who now began to think himself a
toartyr to his country, followed the orderly from the room.

" There is mettle in the lad ! " exclaimed the captain ;
"' and if he Lve to get a beard, 'twill be a hardy dog who
ventures to pluck it. I am glad, mine host, that this ' wau-
^firmg Jew ' has arrived, to save the poor fellow's feelingCi

THE PILOT. 319

for I detest tamijering with such a noble spirit. I saw, by
his eye, that he had squinted oftener over a gun, than
through a needle ! '*

" But they have murdered my kinsman ! — the loyal, the
learned, the ingenious Mr. Christopher Dillon ! "

" If they have done so, they shall be made to answer it,**
said Borroughcliffe, reseating himself at the table, with a
coolness that furnished an ample pledge of the impartiality
of his judgment ; "but let us learn the facts, before we do
aught hastily."

Colonel Howard was fain to comply with so reasonable a
proposition, and he resumed his chair, while his companion
proceeded to institute a close examination of the pedlar
boy.

We shall defer, until the proper time may arrive, record-
ing the result of his inquiries ; but shall so far satisfy the
curiosity of our readers as to tell them, that the captaiu
learned sufficient to convince him a very serious attempt
WHS meditatei on the Abbey ; and, as he thought, euoD^
wlfo, to eoAbla him to avert the danger.

82€ THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XXVII.

I have not seen
Scr likely an ambassador of love.

Merchant cf Tsitioa.

Cecilia, and Katherine separated from Alice Dunsoombe
ic the lower gallery of the cloisters ; and the cousins as*
cended to the apartment which was assigned them as a dress-
ing-room. The intensity of feeling that was gradually
accumulating in the breasts of the ladies, as circumstances
brought those in whom their deepest interests were centered
into situations of extreme delicacy, if not of actual danger,
perhaps, in some measure, prevented them from experienc-
ing all that concern which the detection and arrest of Merry
might be supposed to excite. The boy, like themselves,
was an only child of one of those three sisters, who caused
the close connection of so many of our characters ; and his
tender years had led his cousins to regard him with an affec-
tion that exceeded the ordinary interest of such an affinity
but they knew, that in the hands of Colonel Ploward his
person was safe, though his liberty might be endangered.
When the first emotions, therefore, which were created by
his sudden appearance after so long an absence, had sub-
Bided, their thoughts wore rather occupied by the considera-
tion of what consequences to others might proceed from hia
arrest, than by any reflections on the midshipman's actual
condition. Secluded from the observations of any strange
3yes, the two maidens indulged their feelings, without re-
»traint, according to their several temperaments. Kather-
ine moved to and fro in the apartment, with feveri.sh anx-
iety, while Miss Howard, by concealing her countenance
under the ringlets of her luxuriant, dark hair, and shading;
her eyes with a fair hand, seemed to be willing to commuDO
with her thoughts more quietly.

THE PILOT. 321

" Barnstable cannot be far distant," said the fojtner, after
B few minutes bad passed ; " for he never would have sent
that child on such an errand, by himself! "

Cecilia raised her mild, blue eyes to the countei.auce of
her cousin, as she answered, —

" All thoughts of an exchange must now be a])andoned ;
' and perhaps the persons of the prisoners will be held sa
pledges, to answer for the life of Dillon."

" Can the wretch be dead ? or is it merely a threat,
or some device of that urchin ? he is a forward child,
and would not hesitate to speak and act boldly, on emer-
gency." ^

" He is dead ! " returned Cecilia, veiling her face again,
in horror ; " the eyes of the boy, his whole countenance,
confirmed his words ! I fear, Katherine, that Mr. Barnstar
ble has suffered his resentment to overcome his discretion,
when he learned the trea^^hery of Dillon ; surely, surely,
though the hard usages of war may justify so dreadful a
revenge on an enemy, it was unkind to forget the condition
of his own friends ! "

" ]Mr. Barnstable has done neither, Miss Howard," said
Katherine, checking her uneasy footsteps, her light form
swelling with pride ; " Mr. Barnstable is equally incapable
of murdering an enemy, or of deserting a friend ! "

" But retaliation is neither deemed nor called murder, by
nen in arms."

" Think it what you will, call it what you will, Cecilia
Howard, I will pledge my life, that Richard Barnstable haa
"M answer for the blood of none but the open enemies of his
»imtry."

" The miserable man may have fallen a sacrifice to the
anger of that terrific seaman, who led him hence a cap
.ive I "

" That terrific seaman, INliss Howard, has a heart as teu •
ler as your own. He is " —

"Nay, Katherine," interrupted Cecilia, "you chide ma
unkindly ; let us not add to our unavoidable misery, by
Buch harsh contention."

" I do not contend with you, Cecilia ; J merely defeai
ai

822 THE PILOT.

the absent and the innocent from your unkind Buspicioua,
my cousin."

" Say, rather, your sister," returned Miss Howard, their
hands involuntarily closing upon each other, " for we are
surely sisters! But let us strive to think of something lesa
horrible. Poor, poor Dillon ! now that he has met a fate so
f'^rrible, I can even fancy him less artful and more upright'
than we had thought him ! You agree with me, Kather-
ine, I see by your countenance, and we will dwell no longer
on the subject. Katherine ! my cousin Kate, what see
you ? "

Miss Plowden, as she relinquished her pressure of the
hand of Cecilia, had renewed her walk with a more regu-
lated step; but she was yet making her first turn across tlie
room, when her eyes became keenly set on the opposite
window, and her whole frame was held in an attitude of ab-
sorbed attention. The rays of the setting sun fell bright
upon her dark glances, which seemed fastened on some dis-
tant object, and gave an additional glow to the mantling
color that was slowly stealing, across her cheeks, to her
temples. Such a sudden alteration in the manner and ap-
pearance of her companion had not failed to catch the atten-
tion of Cecilia, who, in consequence, interruj^ted herself by
the agitated question we have related. Katherine slowly
beckoned her companion to her side, and, pointing in the
direction of the wood that lay in view, she said —

" See yon tower, in the ruin ! Do you observe those
small spots of pink and yellow that are fluttering above xtH
iraUs?"

" I do. They are the lingering remnants of the foliage
of some tree ; but they want the vivid tints which grace
tLa autumn of our own dear America ! "

" One is the work of God, and the other has been .^ro
iuced by the art of man. Cecilia, those are no leaves, but
Uiey are my own childish signals, and without doubt ]iarn-
Btable himself is on that ruined tower. Merry cannot, will
not, betray him ! "

"My life should be a pledge for the honor of our little
oousin," said Cecilia. " But you have the telescone of vaj

THE PILOT. 328

uncle at Laud, ready for such an event ! one look through
it will ascertain the truth " —

Katherine sprang to the spot where the instrument stood,
and with eager hands she prepared it for the necessary
observation.

'^ It is he ! " she cried, the instant her eye was put to the
glass. " I even see his head above the stones. How un
thinking, to expose himself so unnecessarily ! "

" But what says he, Katherine ? " exclaimed Ce-cilia ;
" you alone can interpret his meaning."

The little book which contained the explanations of IVIiss
Plowden's signals was now hastily produced, and its leavea
rapidly run over in quest of the necessary number.

" 'Tis only a question to gain my attention. I must let
him know he is observed."

When Katherine, as much to indulge her secret propen-
sities, as with any hope of its usefulness, had devised this
plan for communicating with Barnstable, she had, luckily,
not forgotten to arrange the necessary means to reply to his
interrogat6ries. A very simple arrangement of some of
the ornamental cords of the window-curtains enabled her to
effect this purpose ; and her nimble fingers soon fastened
the pieces of silk to the lines, which were now thrown into
the air, when these signals in miniature were instantly dis-
played in the breeze.

" He sees them ! " cried CecUia, " and is preparing to
change his flags."

•' Keep then your eye on him, my cousin, and tell me
the colors that he shows, with their order, and I will en-
dear r to read his meaning."

" He is as expert as yourself! There are two more of
them fluttering above the stones again : the upper is wbi^e
and the lower black."

" White over black," repeated Katherine, rapidly, to her*
self, as she turned the leaves of her book. " ' My messenger:
has he been seen ? ' To that we must answer the unhappy
truth. Here it is — yellow, white, and red : ' He is a pris-
,m€r.' Hoi/ fortunate that I should have prepared such a
question and answer. What says he, Cecilia, to this news?"

324 THE PILOT.

" He is busy making his changes, dear. Nuj Katherine,
you shake so violently as to move the glass ! Now he is
done ; 'tis yellow over black, this time."

" ' Griffith, or who ? ' He does not understand us ; but
"^ had thought of the poor boy, in making out the numbers
— ah ! here it is ; yellow, green, and red : ' My cousin
Merry.'' He cannot feil to understand us now."

" He has already taken in his flags. The news seems to
alarm him, for he is less expert than before. He shows
^hem now — they are green, red, and yellow."

" The question is, ' Am I safe ? ' 'Tis that which made
him tardy. Miss Howard," continued Katherine. " Barn-
stable is ever slow to consult his safety. But how shall 1
answer him ? should we mislead him now, how could we
ever forgive ourselves ! "

" Of Andrew Merry there is no fear," returned Cecilia ;
" and I think if Captain BorroughclifFe had any intimation
of the proximity of his enemies, he would not continue at
the table."

" He will stay there while wine will sparkle, and man
can swallow," said Katherine ; " but we know, by sad expe-
rience, that he is a soldier on an emergency ; and yet, I'll
trust to his ignorance this time — here, I have an answer*
' You are yet safe, hut be wary.^ "

" He reads your meaning with a quick eye, Katherine ;
and he is ready with his answer too : he shows green over
white, this time. Well ! do you not hear me ? 'tis green
over white. Why, you are dumb — what says he, dear ? "

Still Katherine answered not, and her cousin raised her
eyes from the glass, and beheld her companion gazing ear-
nestly at the open page, while the glow which excitement
had before brought to her cheek was increased to a still
deeper bloom,

'^ I hope your blushes and his signals are not ominouf^
Kate," added Cecilia ; " can green imply his jealousy, as
white does your purity ? what says he, coz ? "

"He talks, like yourself, muv..K nonsense," said Katherine,
turning to her flags, with a pettish air, that was singularly
»ntradicted by her gratified countenance ; "but the situa

THE PILOT. 325

lion of things requires that I should talk to Barnstable
more freely."'

" I can retire," said Cecilia, rising from her chair with a
grave manner.

" Nay, Cecilia, I do not deserve these looks — 'tis /ou
who exhibit levity now! But you can perceive for your-
self tliat evening is closing in, and that some other medium
for conversation, besides the eyes, may be adopted. Here
is a signal, which will answer : ' When the Abbey clock strikes
nine, come with care to the wichet, which opens, at the ecut
side of the Paddock, on the road : until then, keep secret.' I
had prepared this very signal, ii case an interview should
be necessary."

" Well, he sees it," returned Cecilia, who had resumed
her place by the telescope, " and seems disposed to obey
you, for I no longer discern his flags or his person."

IVliss Howard now arose from before the glass, her ob-
servations being ended ; but Katherine did not return the
instrument to its corner, without fastening one long and
anxious look through it on what now appeared to be the
deserted tower. The interest and anxiety produced by thia
short and imperfect communication between IMiss Plowden
and her lover, did not fail to excite reflections in both the
ladies, that furnished materials to hold them in earnest dis-
course, until the entrance of Alice Dunscombe announced that
their presence was expected below. Even the unsuspecting
Alice, on entering, observed a change in the countenances
and demeanor of the two cousins, which betrayed that their
secret conference had not been entirely without contention.
The features of Cecilia were disturbed and anxious, and
their expression was not unlike melancholy ; while the dark
flashing eye, flushed temples, and proud, determined step of
Katherine exhibited in an equal, if not a greater degree, a
very different emotion. As no reference to the subject of
their conversation was, however, made by either of the
foung ladies, after the entrance of Alice, she led the .vay,
OQ silence, to the drawing-room.

The ladies were received, by Colonel Howaid and Bor-
vovghcVtSe, uith marked attention. In the former ther«

326 THE PILOT.

wer(j ir^mefits wheu a deep gloom would, in spit© of hia
very obvious exertions to the contrary, steal over his opea
generous countenance ; but the recruiting officer maintained
an air of immovable coolness and composure. Twenty
times did he detect the piercing looks of Katherine fastened
on him, with an iutentness that a less deliberative man
might have had the vanity to misinterpret ; but even this
flattering testimonial of his power to attract failed to dis-
turb his self-possession. It was in vain that Katherine
endeavored to read his countenance, where everything was
fixed in military rigidity, though his deportment appeared
more than usually easy and natural. Tived at length with
her fruitless scrutiny, the excited girl turned her gaze upon
the clock : to her amazement, she discovered that it was on
the stroke of nine, and, disregarding a deprecating glance
from her cousin, she arose and quitted the apartment.
BorroughclifFe opened the door for her exit, and, while the
lady civilly bowed her head in acknowledgment of his at-
tention, their eyes once more met ; but she glided quickH
by him, and found herself alone in the gallery. Katherine
hesitated, more than a minute, to proceed, for she thought
she had detected in that glance a lurking expression, that
manifested conscious security mingled with secret design.
It was not her nature, however, to hesitate, when circum-
etances required that she should be both prompt and alert;
and, throwing over her slight person a large cloak, that was
in readiness for the occasion, she stole warily from the
building.

Although Katherine suspected most painfully, that Bor-
roughcliffe had received intelligence that might prove dan-
gerous to her lover, she looked around her in vain, on
gaining the open air, to discover any alteration in the ar-^
rangements of the defense of the Abbey, which might con-
firm her suspicions, or the knowledge of which might enable
her to instruct Barnstable how to avoid the secret danger.
Every disposition remained as it had been since the capture
of Griffith and his companion. She heard the heavy, c/^ick
Bteps of the sentinel, who was posted beneath their windows,
eudeavoring to warm liimself on his confined post ; and m

THE PILOT. ' 32?

she paused to listen, she also detected the n itling of anna
from the soldier, who, as usual, guarded th i appi oach o»
that part of the building where his comrades v.^ere quartered
The night had set in cloudy and dark, althougli the gale had
greatly subsided towards the close of the day ; still the wind
swept heavily, and, at moments, with a rushing noise, among
the irregular walls of the edifice ; and it required the utmogf
nicety of ear to distinguish even these well-known sounds,
among such accompaniments. When Katherine, however,
was satisfied that her organs had not deceived her, sho
turned an anxious eye in the direction of what Borrough-
cliffe called his " barracks." Everything in that direction
appeared so dark and still, as to create a sensation of un-
5asiness, by its very quiet. It might be the silence of sleep
ihat now pervaded the ordinarily gay and mirthful apart-
.nent ! or it might be the stillness of a fearful preparation !
rhere was no time, however, for further hesitation, and
Katherine drew her cloak more closely about her form, and
j^roceeded with light and guarded steps, to the appointed
.iipot. As she approached the wicket the clock struck the
.iour, and she again paused, while the mournful sounds were
jorne by her on the wind, as if expecting that each stroke
jn the bell would prove a signal to unmask some secret de-
tiign of BorroughclifFe. As the last vibration me.ted away,
»>ae opened the little gate, and issued on the highway. The
lugure of a man sprang forward from behind an angle of the
I, all, as she appeared ; and while her heart was sLill throb-
t .ng with the suddenness of the alarm, she found herself in
tl.e arms of Barnstable. After the first few words of recog-
r.iiion and pleasure which the young sailor uttered, he ao
yaainted his mistress with the loss of his schooner, and tbe
citaation of the survivors.

'' And now, Katherine," he concluded, " you have come,
I trust, never to quit me ; or, at most, to return no more to
tLat old Abbey, unless it be to aid in liberating Griffith, and
then to join me again forever."

" Why, truly, there is so much to tempt a young woojaa
to renounce her homo and friends, in the description you
iuive just given of your condition, that I hardly knoiv how

828 THE PILOT

to refuse your request, Barnstable. You are ver/ tokrably
provided with a dwelling in the ruin ; and I suppose certain
predatory schemes are to be adopted to make it habitable .'
St. Ruth is certainly well supplied with the necessary arti-
cles, but whether we should not be shortly removed to the
Castle at York, or the jail at Newcastle, is a question that
T put to your discretion."

" Why yield your thoughts to such silly subjects, lovely
trifler ! " said Barnstable, " when the time and the occasioa
both urge us to be in earnest ? "

" II is a woman's province to be thrifty, and to look after
the comforts of domestic life," returned his mistress ; " and
I would discharge my functions with credit. But I feel you
are vexed, for, to see your dark countenance is out of the
question, on such a night. When do you propose to com-
mence housekeeiDing, if I should yield to your proposals ? "

" I have not concluded relating my plans, and your pro-
voking wit annoys me ! The vessel I have taken will im-
questionably come into the land, as the gale dies ; and I
intend making my escape in her, after beating this English-
man, and securing the liberty of Miss Howard and yourself.
I could see the frigate in the offing, even before we left the
cliffs."

" This certainly sounds better ! " rejoined Katherine, in
a manner that indicated she was musing on their prospects ;
" and yet there may exist some difficulties in the way that
you little suspect."

" Difficulties there are none — there can be none."

" Si^eak not irreverently of the mazes of love, Mr. Barn-
Btable. When was it ever known to exist unfettered or
anembarrassed ? even I have an explanation to ask of you,
that I would much rather let alone."

" Of me ! ask what you will, or how you will ; I am a
careless, unthinking fellow, Miss Plowden ; but to you I
have little to answer for — unless a foolish scrt of adoration
be an offense against your merits."

Barnstable felt the little hand that was supported on his
»rm, pressing the limb, as Katherine replied, in a tone so
changed from its former forced levity, that he started as the

THE PILOT. 329

fir»f eounds reached his ears. " Merry has brought in a
horrid report ! " she said ; " I would I could believe it un-
true ! but the looks of the boy, and the absence of Dillon,
both confirm it."

" Poor Merry ! he too has fallen into the trap ! but thejr
shall yet find one who is too cunning for them. Is it to
the fate of that wretched Dillon that you allude ? "

" He was a wretch," continued Katheriue, in the sara*
roice, " and he deserved much punishment at your hands,
Barnstable ; but life is the gift of God, and is not to bo
taken whenever human vengeance would aj^pear to require
a victim."

'^ His life was taken by Him who bestowed it," said the
sailor. " Is it Katherine Plowden who would suspect me
of the deed of a dastard ? "

" I do not suspect you — I do not suspect you," cried
Katherine ; '' I will never suspect any evil of you again.
You are not, you cannot be angry with me, Barnstable ?
Had you heard the cruel suspicions of my cousin Cecilia,
and had your imagination been busy in portraying your
wrongs and the temptations to forget mercy, like mine,
even while my tongue denied your agency in the suspected
deed, you would — you would at least have learned how
much easier it is to defend those we love against the open
attacks of others, than against our own jealous feelings."

" Those words, love and jealousy, will obtain your ac-
quittal," cried Barnstable, in his natural voice ; and, after
uttering a few more consoling assurances to Katherme,
whose excited feelings found vent in tears, he brie£y re-
lated the manner of Dillon's death.

" I had hoped I stood higher in the estimation of M'sa
Howard than to be subjected to even her suspicions," he
said, when he had ended his explanation. " Griffith has
been but a sorry representative of our trade, if he has loft
such an opinion of its pursuits."

" I do not know that Mr. Gr'ffith would altogether have
escaped my conjectures, nad he been the disappointed com-
mander, and you the prisoner," returned Katherine : " yoa
know not how much we have both, studied th« usaaes of

330 THE PILOT.

war, and with what dreadful pictures of hosti*ge8, retalia-
tions, and military executions our minds are stored ! but a
mountain is raised off my spirits, and I could almost say
that I am now ready to descend the valley of life in youi
company."

" It IS a discreet determination, my good Katherli.e, ar.d
God bless you for it; the companion may not be so good
as you deserve, but you will find him ambitious of your
praise. Now let us devise means to effect our object."

" Therein lies another of my difficulties. Griffith, I
much fear, will not urge Cecilia to another flight, against
her — her — what shall I call it Barnstable — her caprice,
or her judgment ? Cecilia will never consent to desert" her
uncle, and I cannot muster the courage to abandon my poor
cousin, in the face of the world, in order to take shelter
with even Mr. Richard Barnstable ! "

" Speak you from the heart now, Katherine ? "

" Very nearly — if not exactly."

" Then have I been cruelly deceived ! It is easier to
tind a path in the trackless ocean, without chart or compass,
than to know the windings of a woman's heart ! "

" Nay, nay, foolish man ; you forgot that I am but small,
and how very near my head is to my heart ; too nigh, I
fear, for the discretion of their mistress ! but is there no
method of forcing Griffith and Cecilia to their own good,
vithout undue violence ? "

" It cannot be done ; he is my senior in rank, and tho
Instant I release him he will claim the command. A ques-
tion might be raised, at a leisure moment, on the merits
or such a claim — but even now my own men are, as
you know, nothing but a draft from the frigate, and thrj
^ould not hesitate to obey the orders of the first lieutenant.
*»ho is not a man to trifle on matters of duty."

" 'Tis vexatious, truly," said Katherine, " that all my
well-concerted schemes in behalf of this wayward paii
should be frustrated by their own willful conduct ! But
after all, have you justly estimated your strength, Barnsta^
b)e ? are you certain that you would be successful, and tha*
ir.'thout hazard, too, if you should make the attempt ? '"

THE PILOT. 331

* Morally, and what is better, physically certain. My
men are closely hid, where no one suspects an enemy to
lie ; they are anxious for the enterprise, and the suddenness
of the attack will not only make the victory sure, but it
will be rendered bloodless. You will aid us in our en>
trance, Katherine : I shall first secure this recruiting olBcer,
and his command will then surrender without striking a
blow. Perhaps, atter all, Griffith will hear reason ; if he
do not, I will not yield my authority to a released captiv^
without a struggle."

" God send that there shall be no fighting ! " mtinnured
his companion, a little appalled at the images his language
had raised before her imagination ; " and, Barnstable, I en-
join you, most solemnly, by all your affection for me, and
by evei'y thing you deem most sacred, to protect the person
of Colonel Howard at every hazard. There must be no
excuse, no pretense, for even an insult to my passionate, good,
obstinate, but kind old guardian. I believe I have given
him already more trouble than I am entitled to give any
one, and Heaven forbid that I should cause him any serious
misfortune ! "

" He shall be safe, and not only he, but all that are with
him, as you will perceive, Katherine, when you hear my
plan. Three hours shall not pass over my head before you
will see me master of that olo" Abbey. Griffith, aye, Grif-
fith, must be content to be my inferio*-, until we get afloat
again."

" Attempt nothing vmless you feel certain of being abla
to maintain your advantage, not only against your enemies^
but also against your friends," said the anxious Katherine.
*' Rely on it, "both Cecilia and Griffith are refining so much
on their feelii^gs, that neither will be your ally."

" This comes of passing the four best years of his lifo
within walls of brick, poring over Latin grammars and
syntaxes, and such other nonsense, when he should have
jcen rolling them away in a good box of live-oak, and
jtudying, at most, how to sum up his day's work, and tell
where his ship lies after a blow. Your college learning
may answer well enough f jr a man who has to live by hia

332 THIE. PILOT,

wits, l*"!^ it can be of little use to one who :s never aRraid
to read human nature, by looking his fellow-creatures foil
in the face, and whose hand is as ready as his tongue. 1
have generally found the eye that was good at Latin was
dull at a compass, or in a night squall : and yet, Giiff is a
seaman ; though I have heard him even read the Testu*
ment in Greek ! Thank God, I had the wisdom to run
away from school the second day they undeitook to teach
me d strange tongue, and I believe I^m the more honest
tasfn, and the better seaman, for my ignorance ! " ^

" There is no telling what you might have been, Barnsta-
ble, under other circumstances," retorted his mistress, with
a playfulness of manner that she could not always repress,
though it was indulged at the expense of him she most
loved ; " I doubt not but, under proper training, you would
have made a reasonably good priest."

" If you talk of priests, Katherine, I shall remind you
that we carry one in the ship. But listen to my plan : we
may talk further of priestcraft when an opportunity may
offer."

Barnstable then proceeded to lay before his mistress a
project he had formed for surprising the Abbey that night,
which was so feasible that Katherine, notwithstanding her
recent suspicions of Borroughcliffe's designs, came gradually
to believe it would succeed. The young seaman answered
her objections with the readiness of an ardent mind, bent
on executing its purposes, and with a fertility of resources
that proved he was no contemptible enemy, in matters that
required spirited action. Of Merry's remaining firm and
Caithful he had no doubt ; and although he acknowledged
the escape of the pedlar boy, he urged that the lad had seen
no other of his party besides himself, whom he mistook for
a common marauder.

As the disclosure of these plans were frequently inter-
rupted by little digressions, connected with the peculiar
emotions of the lovers, more than an hour flew by, before
they separated. But Katherine at length reminded him
how swiftly the time was passing, and how much remaiuetl
to be done, when he reluctantly consented to see her ouc«
through the wicket, where they parted.

THE PILOT. 333

Mia* Plowden adopterl the same precaution in returning
to the house she had used on leaving it ; and she was con«
gratulating herself on its success, when her eye caught a
glimpse of the figure of a man, who was apparently follow-
ing at some little distance, in her footsteps, and dogging her
motions. As the obscure form, however, paused also when
she 9'opped to give it an alarmed, though inquiring look,
and then slowly retired towards the boundary of the pad-
dock, Katherine, believing it to be Barnstable watching over
her safety, entered the Abbey, with every idea of alarm
entirely lost i» the pleasing reflection of her lover's aolici-

todA

834 THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XXVm.

He looks aliroad, and soon appears,
O'er Homcliffe hill, a plump of spears,
Beneath a pennon gay.

Mahmiov.

The sharp sounds of the supper-bell were ringing along
the gallery, as JMiss Plowden gained the gloomy passage ;
and she quickened her steps to join the ladies, in order that
no further suspicions might be excited by her absence
Alice Dunscombe was already proceeding to the dining-
parlor, as Katherine passed through the door of the draw-
ing-room ; but Miss Howard had loitered behind, and was
met by her cousin alone.

" You have then been so daring as to venture, Kathei
ine ! " exclaimed Cecilia.

" I have," returned the other, throwing herself into a
chair, to recover her agitation, " I have, CecUia ; and I have
met Barnstable, who wdl soon be in the Abbey, and its mas-
ter."

The blood which had rushed to the face of Cecilia on first
seeing her cousin, now retreated to her heart, leaving every
part of her fine countenance of the whiteness of her pol-
ished temples, as she said —

** And are we to have a night of blood ! "

" "We are to have a night of freedom, IMiss Howard ;
freedom to you, and to me ; to Andrew Merry, to Griffith,
and to his companion ! "

" What freedom, more than we now enjoy, Katherine, is
needed by two young women ? Think you I can remain
silent, and see my uncle betrayed before my eyes? his life
perhaps endangered ! "

" Your own life and person wUl not be held more sacred,
^''ocilia Howari, than that of your uncle. If you will con-

THE PILOT. 335

liemn GriflSth to a prison, and perhaps to a gibbet, oetray
Barnstable, as you have tlireatened ; an opportunity will
not be wanting at the supper-table, whither I thall lead the
way, since the mistress of the house appears to forget her
duty."

Katherine arose, and with a firm step and proud eye she
moved along the gallery to the room where their presence
was expected by the rest of the family. Cecilia followed
ill silence, and the whole party immediately took their sev-
eral places at the board.

'ITie first few minutes were passed in the usual attentiotiB
of the gentlemen to the ladies, and the ordinary civilities
of the table ; during which, Katherine had so far regained
the equanimity of her feelings, as to commence a watchful
scrutiny of the manners and looks of tier guardian and
BorroughcliiFe, in which she determined to persevere until
the eventful hour when she was to expect Barnstable should
arrive. Colonel Howard had, however, so far got the com-
mand of himself, as no longer to betray his former abstrac-
tion. In its place Katherine fancied, at moments, that she
could discover a settled look of conscious scrutiny, mingled
a little with an expression of severe determination ; such
as, in her earlier days, she had learned tb dread as sure in-
dications of the indignant, but upright, justice of an honor-
able mind. Borroughclifife, on the other hand, was cool,
polite, and as attentive to the viands as usual, with the
alarming exception of discovering much less devotion to
the Pride of the Vineyards than he commonly manifested
on such occasions. In this manner the meal passed by, and
the cloth was removed, though the ladies appeared willing
ro retain their places longer than was customary. Colonel
Howard, filling up the glasses of Alice Dunscombe and
himself, passed the bottle to the recruiting officer, and, with
a sort of effort that was intended to rouse the dormant
sheerfulness of his guests, cried, —

" Come, Borroughcliffe, the ruby lips of your neighbors
^ould be still more beautiful, were they moistened with
•.his rich cordial, and that, too, accompanied by some loyal
■entimeut. Miss Alice is ever ready to express her fealtj

83G THE PILOT.

to her sovereign ; in her name, I can give the health of hw

most sacred Majesty, with defeat and death to all traitors ! "

" If the prayers of an humble subject, and one of a sex
that has but little, need to mingle in the turmoil of the
world, and that has less right to pretend to understand tho
Eubtleties of statesmen, can much avail a high and mighty
prince like him who sits on the throne, then will he never
know temporal evil," returned Alice, meekly ; " but I can-
not wish death to any one, not even to my enemies, if any
I have, and much less to a people who are the children of
the same family with myself."

" Children of the same family ! " the colonel repeated,
slowly, and with a bitterness of manner that did not fail to
attract the painful interest of Katherine : " children of the
same family ! Aye ! even as Absalom was the child of
David, or as Judas was of the family of the holy Apostles !
But let it pass unpledged — let it pass. The accursed
spirit of rebellion has invaded my dwelling, and I no longer
know where to find one of my household that has not been
assailed by its malign influence ! "

" Assailed I may have been among others," returned
Alice ; " but not corrupted, if purity, in this instance, con-
sists in loyalty " —

" What sound is that ! " interrupted the colonel, with
startling suddenness. " Was it not the crash of some
violence. Captain Borroughcliffe ? "

" It may have been one of my rascals who has met with
a downfall in passing from the festive board — where you
know I regale them to-night, in honor of our success — to
his blanket," returned the captain with admirable indiffer*
ence ; " or i'; may be the very spirit of whom you have
spoken so freely, my host, that has taken umbrage at your
remarks, and is passing from the hospitable walls of St.
Ruth into the open air, without submitting to the smali
trouble of ascertaining the position of doors. In the latter
case there may be some dozen perches or so of wall to re-
place in the morning."

The colonel, who had risen, glanced his eyes uneasily
from the speaker to the door, and was evidently but littl«
disposed to enter into the pleasantry of his guest.

THE PILOT. 387

* There are unusual noises, Captain BorrouglicLife, in
the ground.'! of the Abbey, if not in the building itself," he
said, advancing with a fine military air, from the table to
the centre of the room, " and, as master of the mansion, I
will inquire who it is that thus unseasonably disturbs these
domains. If as friends, they shall have welcome, though
their visit be unexpected ; and if enemies, they shall also
meet with such a reception as will become an old soldier ! "

"No, DO," cried Cecilia, entirely thrown off her guard
by the manner and language of the veteran, and rushing
into his arms. " Go not out, my uncle ; go not into the
terrible fray, my kind, my good uncle ! you are old, you
have already done more than your duty ; why should you
be exposed to danger ? "

" The girl is mad with terror, Borroughcliffe," cried the
colonel, bending his glistening eyes fondly on his niece,
" and you will have to furnish my good-for-nothing, gouty
old person vdth a corporal's guard, to watch my night-cap,
or the silly child will have an uneasy pillow, till the sun
rises once more. But you do not stir, sir ? "

" Why should I ? " cried the captain ; " Miss Plowden
yet deigns to keep me comj^any, and it is not in the nature

of one of the th to desert his bottle and his standard at

the same moment. For, to a true soldier, the smiles of a
lady are as imposing in the parlor as the presence of his
colors in the field."

" I continue undisturbed. Captain Borroughcliffe," said
Katherine, "because I have not been an inhabitant, for so
many months, of St. Ruth, and not learned to know the
tunes which the wind can play among its chimneys and
pointed roofs. The noise which has taken Colonel Howard
from his seat, and which has so unnecessarily alarmed my
cousin Cicely, is nothing but the JEolian harp of the Abbey
sounding a double bass."

The captain fastened on her composed countenance, while
fcbe was speaking, a look of open admiration that brought,
though tardily, the color more deeply to her cheeks : and he
answered with something extremely equivocal, both in hie
emphasis and his air —
22

338 THE PILOT.

" I have avowed my allegiance, and I ^\'ill abide by it
So long as Miss Plowden will deign to bestow ber com-
pany, so long will sbe find me among ber most faitbful and
persevering attendants, come wbo may, or wbat will."

" You compel me to retire," returned K itherine, rising
"whatever may have been my gracious intentions in the
matter ; for even female vanity must crimson, at an adora-
iion so profound as that which can chain Captain Borrough
cliffe to a sujiper-table ! As your alarm has now dissipated
my cousin, will you lead the way ? Miss Alice and myself
attend you."

" But not into the paddock, surely, Miss Plowden," said
the captain ; " the door, the key of which you have just
turned, communicates with the vestibule. This is the
passage to the drawing-room."

The lady faintly laughed, as if in derision of her own for-
getfulness, while she bowed her acknowledgment, and moved
towards the proper passage : she observed, —

" The madness of fear has assailed some, I believe, who
have been able to affect a better disguise than Miss Howard."

" Is it the fear of present danger, or of that which is iu
reserve ? " asked the captain ; " but, as you have stipulated
80 generously in behalf of my worthy host here, and of one,
also, who shall be nameless, because he has not deserved
such a favor at your hands, your safety shall be one of my
especial duties in these times of peril."

" There is jieril, then ! " exclaimed Cecilia ; " your looks
announce it, Captain Borroughcliffe ! The changing coun-
tenance of my cousin tells me that my fears are too true ! "'

The soldier had now risen also, and, casting aside the air
if i^adinage, which he so much delighted iu, he came for^
ward into the centre of the apartment, with the manner of
.ane who felt it was time to be serious.

" A soldier is ever in peril, when the enemies of his king
are at hand. Miss Howard," he answered : " ind that such
Ib now the case, Miss Plowden can testify, if she will. But
you are the allies of both parties ; retire, then, to your own
apartments, and await the result of the struggle which is a^
hand."

THE PILOT. 339

"You speak of clanger and hidden perils,' said Alice
Dunsconibe ; " know ye aught that justifies your fears ? **

"I know all," Borroughcliffe coolly replied,

" All ! " exclaimed Katherine.

''All!" echoed Alice, in tones of honor. "If, then,
you know all, you must know his desperate courage, and
powerful hand, when opposed ; yield in quiet, and he will
not harm ye. Believe me, believe one who knows his very
nature, that no lamb can be more gentle than he would be
with unresisting women ; nor any lion more fierce, with his
enemies ! "

" As we happen not to be of the feminine gender," re-
turned Borroughcliffe, with an air somewhat splenetic, " we
must abide the fury of the king of beasts. His paw is,
even now, at the outer door ; and, if my orders have been
obeyed, his entrance will be yet easier than that of the
wolf to the respectable female ancestor of the little Red-
riding-hood."

" Stay your hand for one single moment ! " said Kath
erine, breathless with interest ; " you are the master of my
secret, Captain Borroughcliffe, and bloodshed may be the
consequence. I can yet go forward, and, perhaps, save
many inestimable lives. Pledge to me your honor, that
they who come hither as your enemies, this night, shall
depart in peace, and I will pledge to you my life for the
safety of the Abbey."

'* O ! hear her, and shed not human blood ! " cried
Cecilia.

A loud crash interrupted further speech, and the sounds
jf heavy footsteps were heard in the adjoining room, as if
many men were alighting on its floor, in quick succession.
Borroughcliffe drew back, with great coolness, to the op-
posite side of the large apartment, and took a sheathed
Bword from the table where it had been placed ; at the
same moment the door was burst open, and Barnstable
entered alone, but heavily armed.

" You are my prisoners, gentlemen," said the sailor, as
he advanced ; " resistance is useless, and without it you
shall receive favor. Ha, Miss Plowden ! my advice was,
th&t you should not be present at this scene."

340 THE PILOT.

" Barnstable, we are betrayed ! " cried the agitated
Katherine. " But it is not yet too late. Blood has not
yet been spilt, and you can retire, without that dreadful
alternative, with honor. Go, then, delay not another
moment ; for should the soldiers of Captain Borroughcliffe
come to the rescue of their commander, the Abbey would
be a scene of horror ! "

" Go you away ; go, Katherine," said her lover, with
impatience ; " this is no place for such as you. But, G\p-
tain Borroughcliffe, if such be your name, you must perceive
that resistance is in vain. I have ten good pikes in this
outer room, in twenty better hands, and it will be madness
to fight against such odds."

" Show me your strength," said the captain, " that I may
take counsel with mine honor."

" Your honor shall be appeased, my brave soldier, for
such is your bearing, though your livery is my aversion,
and your cause most unholy ! Heave ahead, boys ! but
hold your hands for orders."

The party of fierce-looking sailors whom Barnstable led,
on receiving this order, rushed into the room in a medley ;
but, notwithstanding the surly glances, and savage char-
acters of their dress and equipments, they struck no blow,
nor committed any act of hostility. The ladies shrank
back appalled, as this terrific little band took possession of
the hall ; and even Borroughcliffe was seen to fall back
towards a door, which, in some measure, covered his re-
treat. The conftision of this sudden movement had not yet
subsided, when sounds of strife were heard rajiidly ap-
proaching from a distant part of the building, and presently
one of the numerous doors of the apartment was violently
opened, when two of the garrison of the Abbey rushed into
the hall, vigorously pressed by twice their number of sea-
men, seconded by Griffith, Manual, and Merry, who were
armed with such weapons of offense as had presented them-
selves to their hands, at their unexpected liberation. There
was a movement on the part of the seamen, who were
RJready in possession of the room, that threat? ned instant
death to the fiimtiyes : but Barnstable beat down theii

THE PILOT. 3-41

pikOH with his sword, and sternly ordered them to fall back.
Surprise produced the same pacific result among the com-
batants ; and as the soldiers hastily sought a refuge behind
their own officers, and the released captives, with their
liberators, joined the body of their friends, the quiet of tiie
hall, which had been so rudely interrupted, was socn
restored.

" You see, sir," said Barnstable, after grasping the handi
of Griffith and Manual in a warm and cordial pressure,
" that all my plans have succeeded. Your sleeping guard
are closely watched in their barracks by one party ; our
officers are released, and your sentinels cut off by another ;
while, with a third, I hold the centre of the Abbey, and am
substantially in possession of your own person. In consid-
eration, therefore, of what is due to humanity, and to the
presence of these ladies, let there be no struggle ! I shall
impose no difficult terms, nor any long imprisonment."

The recruiting officer manifested a composure throughout
the whole scene, that would have excited some uneasinesa
in his invaders, had there been opportunity for minute ob-
servation ; but his countenance now gradually assumed an
appearance of anxiety, and his head was frequently turned,
as if listening for further and more important interruptions.
He answered, however, to this appeal with his ordinary
deliberation.

" You speak of conquests, sir, before they are achieved.
My venerable host and myself are not so defenseless as you
may choose to imagine." While speaking he threw aside
the cloth of a side table, from beneath which the colonei
iud himself were instantly armed with a brace of pistola
each, " Here are the death-warrants of four of your party,
and these brave fellows at my back can account for two
.nore. I believe, my transatlantic warrior, that we are new
something in the condition of Cortes and the Mexicans,
.vhen the former overran part of your continent — I being
Cortes, armed with artificial thunder and lightning, and you
the Indians, with nothing but your pikes and slings, and such
other antediluvian inventions. Shipwrecks and sea-watet
are Catal dampers of gunpowder I "

842 THE PILOT.

"That W3 are unprovided with fire-arms, I will not
deny," said Barnstable ; " but we are men who are used,
from infancy, to depend on our good right arms for life and
safety, and we know how to use them, though we should
even grapple with death ! As for the trifles in your hands,
gentlemen, you are not to suppose that men who are trained
to look in at one end of a thirty-two pounder, loaded with
graj^e, while the match is put to the other, will so much as
wink at their report, though you fired them by fifties.
What say you, boys, is a pistol a weapon to repel board-
ers?"

The discordant and disdainful laughs that burst from the
restrained seamen, were a sufficient pledge of their indiffer-
ence to so trifling a danger. Borroughcliffe noted their
hardened boldness, and taking the supper bell, which was
lying near him, he rang it, for a minute, with great violence.
The heavy tread of trained footsteps soon followed this ex-
•raordinary summons ; and presently the several doors of
ihe apartment were opened, and filled with armed soldiers,
irearing the livery of the English crown.

" If you hold these smaller weapons in such vast con-
tempt," said the recruiting officer, when he perceived that
his men had possessed themselves of all the avenues, " it is
in my power to try the virtue of some more formidable.
After this exhibition of my strength, gentlemen, I presume
you cannot hesitate to submit as prisoners of war."

The seamen had been formed in something like military
array, by the assiduity of Manual, during the preceding
dialogue ; and as the different doors had discovered fresh
accessions to the strength of the enemy, the marine indus-
triously offered new fronts, until the small party was com-
pletely arranged in a hollow square, that might have proved
formidable in a charge, bristled as it was with the deadly
pikes of the Ariel.

" Here has been some mistake," said Griffith, after glanc-
Dg his eye at the formidable array of the soldiers ; " I take
precedence of Mr. Barnstable, and I shall propose to you,
Captain Borroughcliffe, terms tli-at may remove this scene
of strife from the dwelling of Colonel Howard."

THE PILOT. 343

" ITie dwelling of Colonel Howard," cried the veteran,
'- is the dwelling of his king, or of the meanest servant of
the crown ! so, BorroughclifFe, spare not the traitors on ciiy
behalf; accept no other terms than such unconditional sub*
mission as is meet to exact from the rebellious subjects c£
the anointed of the Lord."

"While Griffith spoke, Barnstable folded his arms, iu
•ffected composure, and glanced his eyes expressively at the
shivering Katherine, who, with her companions, still con-
tinued agitated spectators of all that passed, chained to the
ipot by their apprehensions ; but to this formidable denun-
ciation of the master of the Abbey he deemed proper to
reply —

" Now, by every hope I have of sleeping again on salt
water, old gentleman, if it were not for the presence of these
three trembling females, I should feel tempted to dispute,
at once, the title of his majesty. You may make such a
covenant as you will with Mr. Griffith, but if it contain one
syllable about submission to your king, or of any other
allegiance than that which I owe to the Continental Con-
gress, and the State of Massachusetts, you may as well con-
sider the terms violated at once ; for not an article of such
an agreement will I consider as binding on me, or on any
that shall choose to follow me as leader."

" Here are but two leaders, Mr. Barnstable," interrupted
the haughty Griffith ; " the one of the enemy, and the other
of the arms of America. Captain Borroughcliffe, to you,
as the former, I address myself. The great objects of the
contest which now unhappily divides England from her
ancient colonies, can be iu no degree affected by the events
of this night ; while, on the other hand, by a rigid adher-
enco to military notions, much private evil and deep domes*
tic calamity must follow any struggle in such a place. We
.ave but to speak, sir, and these rude men, who already
btand impatiently handling their instruments of death, will
aim them at each other's lives ; and who can say that he
•hall be able to stay their hands when and where he wiii !
I know you to be a soldier, and that you are not yet to
learn how much easier it is to stimulate to blood, than to
glut vengeance."

344 THE PILOT.

Borroughcllffe, unused to the admission of violent emo
tions, and secure in the superiority of his own party, both
in numbers and equipments, heard him with the cooles*
composure to the end, and then answered in his customary
manner, —

" I honor your logic, sir. Your premises are indisputa-
ble, and the conclusion most obvious. Commit, then, these
worthy tars to the good keeping of honest Drill, who will
see their famished natures revived by divers eatables, and a
due proportion of suitable fluids ; wliile we can discuss the
manner in which you are to return to the colonies, around
a bottle of liquor, which my friend Manual there assures mh
has come from the sunny side of the island of Madeira, to
be drunk in a bleak corner of that of Britain. By my pal-
ate ! but the rascals brighten at the thought. They know-
by instinct, sir, that a shipwrecked mariner is a fitter com
panion to a ration of beef and a pot of porter, than to sucl«
unsightly things as bayonets and boarding-pikes ! "

" Trifle not unseasonably ! " exclaimed the impatient
young sailor. " You have the odds in numbers, but
whether it will avail you much in a deadly struggle of hand
to hand, is a question you must put to your prudence ; wa
stand not here to ask terms, but to grant them. You must
be brief, sir ; for the time is wasting while we delay."

" I have offered to you the means of obtaining, in per-
fection, the enjoyment of the three most ancient of the
numerous family of the arts — eating, drinking, and sleep-
ing ! What more do you require ? "

" That you order these men, who fill the pass to the outer
door, to fall back and give us room. I would take, in
oeac^, these armed men from before the eyes of those who
are unused to such sights. Before you oppose this demand,
think how easily these hardy fellows could make a way for
themsi Ives, against your divided force."

" Your companion, the experienced Captain Manual, wiU
tell you tha^ such a manoeuvre would be very unmilitary
with a superior body in your rear ! "

" I have not leisure, sir, for this folly," cried the indig-
uant Griffith. " Do you refuse us an unmoles>^^ed retreat
from the Abbey ? "

THE PILOT. 840.

-Ido."

Griffith turned, witji a look of extreme emotion, to the
ladies, and beckoned to them to retire, unable to give utter-
ance to his wishes in words. After a moment of deep
silence, however, he once more addressed Borroughcliife in
the tones of conciliation.

" K Manual and myself will return to our prisons, and
submit to the will of your government," he said, " can the
rest of the party return to the frigate unmolested ? "

" They cannot," replied the soldier, who, perceiving that
the crisis approached, was gradually losing his artificial
deportment in the interest of the moment. "You, and all
others who willingly invade the peace of these realms, must
abide the issue ! "

" Then God protect the innocent and defend the right ! "

" Amen."

" Give way, villains ! " cried Griffith, facing the party
that held the outer door ; " give way, or you shall be
riddled with our pikes ! "

" Show them your muzzles, men ! " shouted Borrough-
cliffe ; " but pull no trigger till they advance."

There was an instant of bustle and preparation, in which
the rattling of fire-arms blended with the suppressed execra-
tions and threats of the intended combatants ; and Cecilia
and Katherine had both covered their faces to veil the horrid
sight that was momentarily expected, when Alice Duns-
combe advanced boldly between the points of the threaten-
ing weapons, and spoke in a voice that stayed the hands
that were already uplifted.

" Hear me, men ! if men ye be, and not demons, thirsting
for each other's blood ; though ye walk abroad in the
semblance o? Him who died that ye might be elevated to
the rank of angels ! Call ye this war ? Is this ^he glorv
that is made to warm the hearts of even silly and confiding
iromen ? Is the peace of families to be destroyed to gratify
your wicked lust for conquest ; and is life to be taken in
vain, in order that ye may boast of the foul deed in your
wicked revels ? Fall back, then, ye British soldiers ! if ye
be worthy of that name, and give passage to a woman ; and

846 THE PILOT.

remember that the first shot that is fired will be buried in
her bosom ! "

The men, thus enjoined, shrank before her commanding
mein, and a way was made for her exit through that very
door which Grifl&th had, in vain, solicited might be cleared
for himself and party. But Alice, instead of advancing,
appeared to have suddenly lost the use of those faculties
which had already effected so much. Her figure seemed
rooted to the spot where she had spoken, and her eyes were
fixed in a settled gaze, as if dwelling on some horrid object
While she yet stood in this attitude of unconscious heljiless-
ness, the door-way became again darkened, and the figure
of the Pilot was seen on its tkreshhold, clad, as usual, in
the humble vestments of his profession, but heavily armed
with the weapons of naval war. For an iustant, he stood a
eilent spectator of the scene ; and then advanced calmly,
bat with eearohing eyes, into the centre c^ the apartment

THE PILOT. 347

CHAPTER XXJX.

Welcome, SigniDr ■ you are almost come t/ part almost a fray,

Much Ado About Notbivg.

** Down with your arms, you Englishmen ! " said the Jar
ing intruder ; " and you, who fight in the cause of sacred
liberty, stay your hands, that no unnecessary blood may
flow. Yield yourself, proud Briton, to the power of the
Thirteen Republics ! "

" Ha ! " exclaimed Borroughcliffe, grasping a pistol, with
an air of great resolution, " the work thickens ; I had not
included this man La my estimate of their numbers. Is he
a Samson, that his single arm can change the face of things
80 suddenly ! Down with your own weapon, you masquer-
ader ! or, at the report of this pistol, your body shall be
made a target for twenty bullets."

'* And thine for a hundred ! " returned the Pilot.
" Without there ! wind your call, fellow, and bring in our
numbers. We will let this confident gentleman feel his
Weakness."

He had not done speaking, before the shrill whistle of a
Hoatswain rose gradually on the ears of the listeners, imtil
'he sense of hearing became painfully oppressed, by the
piercing sounds that rang under the arched roof of the hall,
and penetrated even to the most distant recesses of the
Abbey. A tremendous rush of men followed, who drove in
before them the terrified fragment of BorroughclifFe's com-
mand, that had held the vestibule ; and the outer room
became filled with a dark mass of human bodies.

" Let them hear ye, lads ! " cried their leader ; " the
Abbey is your own ! "

The roaring of a tempes'' was not louder than the shoal
'iiat burst from his followers, who continaed their cJieen,

348 THE PILOT.

peal on peal, until the very roof of the edifice aj,pviared tu
tremble with their vibrations. Numerous dark and shaggy
heads were seen moving around the passage ; some cased in
the iron-bound caps of the frigate's boarders, and others
glittering with the brazen ornaments of her marine guard
The sight of the latter did not faU to attract the eye of
Manual, who rushed among the throng, and soon reappeared,
followed by a trusty land of his own men, who took posses-
sion of the post held by the soldiers of BorroughclifFe, while
the dialogue was continued between the leaders of the
adverse parties.

Thus far Colonel Howard had yielded to his guest, with
a deep reverence for the priuciiiles of military subordina-
tion, the functions of a commander ; but, now that affairs
appeared to change so materially, he took on himself th^
right to question these intruders into his dwelling.

" By what authority, sir," the colonel demanded, " is it
that you dare thus to mvade the castle of a subject of thia
realm ? Do you come backed by the commission of tho
lord lieutenant of the county, or has your warrant the
signature of his majesty's secretary for the home depart-
ment ? "

" I bear no commission from any quarter," returned the
Pilot ; " I rank only an humble follower of the friends of
America ; and having led these gentlemen into danger, I
have thought it my duty to see them extricated. They are
no\> safe ; and the right to command all that hear me rests
with Mr. Griffith, who is commissioned by the Continental
Congress for such service."

When he had spoken, he fell back from the position hf
occupied in the centre of the room, to one of its sides
where, leaning his body agamst the wainscot, he stood a
silent observer of what followed.

" It appears, then, that it is to you, degenerate son of a
most worthy father, that I must repeat my demand," con-
tinued the veteran. "By what right is my dwelling thus
rudely assailed ? and why is my quiet and the peace of
those I protect, so daringly violated ? "

" I might answer you, Colonel Howard, by saying that it

THE PILOT. 349

Is according to the laws of arms, or rather in retaliation for
the thousand evils that your English troops have inflicted
between Maine and Georgia ; but I wish not to increase
the unpleasant character of this scene, and I therefore will
tell you, that our advantage shall be used with moderation.
The instant that our men can be collected, and our prisoners
properly secured, your dwelling shall be restored to your
authority. We are no freebooters, sir ; and you will find
it so after our departure. Captain Manual, draw off your
guard into the grounds, and make your dispositions for a
return march to our boats; let the boarders fall back,
there ! out with ye ! out with ye — tumble out, you
boarders ! "

The amicable order of the young lieutenant, which was
delivered after the stern, quick fashion of his profession,
operated on the cluster of dark figures that were grouped
around the door like a charm ; and as the men whom Barn-
stable had led followed their shipmates into the court-yard,
the room was now left to such only as might be termed the
gentlemen of the invading party, and the family of Colonel
Howard.

Barnstable had continued silent since his senior officer
had assumed the command, listening most attentively to
each syllable that fell from either side ; but now that so
few remained, and the time pressed, he spoke again : —

" If we are to take boat so soon, Mr. Griffith, it would be
seemly that due preparations should be made to receive the
ladies, who are to honor us with their presence; shall I
take that duty on myself? "

The abrupt proposal produced a universal surprise in hia
hearers ; though the abashed and conscious expression of
Katherine Plowden's features sufficiently indicated that to
her, at least, it was not altogether unexpected. The long
silence that succeeded the question was interrupted by
Colonel Howard.

" Ye are masters, gentlemen ; help yourselves to what-
ever best suits your inclinations. My dwelling, my goods,
and my wards, are alike at your disposal — or, perhaps Miss
AJice here, good and kind Miss Alice Duliscombe, may suit

860 THE PILOT.

the "taste of some among ye! Ah! Edward GriffitJil
Edward Griffnh ! little did I ever " —

" Breathe not that name in levity again, thou scoffer, or
even your years may prove a feeble protection ! " said a
stern, startling voice from behind. All eyes turned invol
untarily at the unexpected sounds, and the muscxilar form
of the Pilot was seen resuming its attitude of repose against
the wall, though every fibre of his frame was working with
suppressed passion.

When the astonished looks of Griffith ceased to dweL od
this extraordinary exhibition of interest in his companion,
they were turned imploringly towards the fair cousins, who
ijtill occupied the distant corner, whither fear had impelled
them.

" I have said, that we are not midnight marauders,
Colonel Howard," he replied : " but if any there be, here,
who will deign to commit themselves to our keeping, I trust
it will not be necessary to say, at this hour, what will be
their reception."

" We have not time for unnecessai:y compliments," cried
the impatient Barnstable; " here is Merry, who, by years
and blood, is a suitable assistant for them, in arranging their
little baggage — what say you, urchin, can you play the
lady's maid on emergency ? "

" Aye, sir, and better than I acted the pedlar boy," cried
the gay youngster ; " to have my merry cousin Kate and
my good cousin Cicely for shij^mates, I could play our
common grandmother ! Come, coz, let us be moving ;
you will have to allow a little leeway in time, for my awk-
wardness."

" Stand back, young man ! " said Miss Howard, rejDulsing
^s familiar attempt to take her arm ; and then advancing,
with a maidenly dignity, nigher to her guardian, she con-
tinued, " I cannot know what stipulations have been agreed
o by my cousin Plowden, in the secret treaty she has made
this night with Mr, Barnstable : this for myself Colonel
Howard ; I would have you credit your brother's child when
the says, that, to her, the events of the hour have not been
TQore unexpected than to yourself."

THE PILOT. 351

Hie veteran gazed at her. for a moment, with an exprea-
■ion of his eye that denoted reviving tenderness ; but gloomy
doubts appeared to cross his mind again, and he shook his
head, as he walked proudly away.

" Nay, then," added Cecilia, her head dropping meekly on
her bosom, " I may be discredited by my uncle, but I cannot
be disgraced without some act of my own."

She slowly raised her mild countenance again, and bend-
ing her eyes on her lover, she continued, while a rich rush
of blood passed over her fine features —

" Edward Griffith, I will not, I cannot say how humiliat-
irg it is to think that you can, for an instant, believe I
would again forget myself so much as to wish to desert him
whom God has given me for a protector, for one chosen by
oay own ei-ring passions. And you, Andrew Merry ! learn
to respect the child of your mother's sister, if not for her
own sake, at least for that of her who watched your
cradle ! "

" Here appears tobe some mistake," said Barnstable, who
participated, however, in no trifling degree, in the embar-
rassment of the abashed boy ; " but, like all other mistakes
on such subjects, it can be explained away, I suppose. ]Mr.
Griffith, it remains for you to speak ; damn it, man," he
whispered, " you are as dumb as a cod-fish — I am sure so
fine a woman is worth a little fair weather talk : you are
muter than a four-footed beast — even an ass can bray ! "

" We will hasten our departure, Mr. Barnstable," said
Griffith, sighing heavily, and rousing himself, as if from a
trance. " These rude sights cannot but appal the ladies.
You will please, sir, to direct the order of our march to the
shore. Captain Manual has charge of our prisoners, who
nust all be secured, to answer for an equal number of our
own countrymen."

" And our countrywomen ! " said Barnstable, " are they
to be forgotten, in the selfish recollection of our own secu-
rity?"

'' "With them we have no right to interfere, unless at their
'equest."

" By Heaven ! Mr. Griffit^n, this may smack of learning,"

352 THE J'lLOT.

cried the other, " and it may plead bookish aiithority as its
precedent ; but let me tell you, sir, it savors but little of
a sailor's love."

" Is it unworthy of a seaman, and a gentleman, to permit
ihe woman he calls his mistress to be so, other than in
name ^ "

" Well, then, Griif, I pity you, fi-om my soul. I woul I
rather have had a sharp struggle for the happiness that I
shall now obtain so easily, than that you should be thus
cruelly disappointed. But you cannot blame me, my friend,
that I avail myself of fortune's favor. Miss Plowden, your
fair hand. Colonel Howard, I return you a thousand thanks
for the care you have taken, hitherto, of this precious
charge; and believe me, sir, that I speak frankly, when I
say, that, next to myself, I should choose to entrust her with
you in j^reference to any man on earth."

The colonel turned to the speaker, and bowed low, while
he answered with grave courtesy, —

" Sir, you repay my slight services "with too much grat-
itude. If Miss Katherine Plowden has not become under
my guardianship all that her good fixther. Captain John
Plowden, of the Royal Navy, could have wished a daughter
of his to be, the fault, unquestionably, is to be attributed to
my inability to instruct, and to no inherent quality in the
young larly herself. I will not say, Take her, sir, since you
have her in your possession already, and it would be out of
my power to alter the an-angement ; therefore, I can only
wish that you may find her as dutiful as a wife, as she has
been, hitherto, as a ward and a subject."

Katherine had yielded her hand, passively, to her lover,
and suffered him to lead her inore into the circle than she
had before been ; but now she threw off his arm, and shak-
ing aside the dark curls which she had rather invited to fall
in disorder around her brow, she raised her face and looked
proudly up, with an eye that sparkled with the spirit of its
mistress, and a face that grew pale with emotion at each
moment, as she proceeded —

" Gentlemen, the one may be as ready to receive as the
other is to leject ; but has the daughter of John Plowden

THE PILOT. 358

no ■voice in this cool disposal of her person ? If her guardian
tires of her presence, other habitations may be found, with-
out inflicting so severe a ^jenalty on this gentlenaan, as to
compel him to provide for her accommodation in a vessel
which must be already straitened for room ! "

She turned, and rejoined her cousin with such an air of
maidenly resentment, as a young woman would be apt to
discover, who found herself the subject of matrimonial
arrangement without her own feelings being at all consulted.
Barnstable, who knew but little of the windings of the female
heart, or how necessary to his mistress, notwithstanding hei
previous declarations, the countenance of Cecilia was to any
decided and open act in his favor, stood in stupid wonder at
her declaration. He could not conceive that a woman who
had already ventured so much in secret in his behalf, and
who had so often avowed her weakness, should shrink to
declare it again at such a crisis, though the eyes of a uni
verse were on her ! He looked from one of the party to
the other, and met in every face an expression of delicate
reserve, except in those of the guardian of his mistress, and
of Borroughcliffe.

The colonel had given a glance of returning favor at her,
whom he now conceived to be his repentant ward, while
the co-untenance of the entrapped captain exhibited a look
of droll surprise, blended with the expression of bitter
ferocity it had manifested since the discovery of his own
mishap.

" Perhaps, sir," said Barnstable, addressing the latter,
fiercely, " you see something amusing about the person of
this lady, to divert you thus unseasonably. We tolerate no
Buch treatment of our women in America ! "

" Nor do we quarrel before ours in England," returned
the soldier, throwing back the fierce glance of the sailor
with interest ; " but I was thinking of the revolutions that
time can produce ! nothing more, I do assure you. It :g
not half an hour since I thought myself a most happy fellow
secure in my plans for overreaching the scheme you had to
im*prise me ; and now 1 am as u.isei'able a dog as wetira

•ing'e epaulette, and has no hope of seeing its fellow ! "
23

854 THE PILOT.

" An I in what manner, sir, can this sudden change apply
to me ? " asked Katherine, with all her spirit.

" Certainly not to your perseverance in the project to
assist my enemies, madam," returned the soldier with affected
humility ; " nor to your zeal for their success, or youi con-
summate coolness at the supper-table ! But I find it is :ime
that I should be superannuated — I can no longer serve
my king with credit, and should take to serving my God,
like all other worn-out men of the world ! My hearing is
surely defective, or a paddock wall has a most magical effect
in determining sounds ! "

Katherine waited not to hear the close of this sentence,
but walked to a distant part of the room to conceal the
burning blushes that covered her countenance. The manner
in which the plans of Barnstable had become known to his
foe was no longer a mystery. Her conscience also re-
proached her a little with some unnecessary coquetry, as she
remembered that quite one half of the dialogue between her
lover and herself, under the shadow of that very wall to
which Borroughcliffe alluded, had been on a subject alto-
gether foreign to contention and tumults. As the feelings
of Barnstable were by no means so sensitive as those of his
mistress, and his thoughts much occupied with the means of
attaining his object, he did not so readily comprehend the
ndirect allusion of the soldier, but turned abruptly away to
Griffith, and observed with a serious air, —

" I feel it my duty, Mr. Griffith, to suggest, that we have
standing instructions to secure all the enemies of America,
wherever they may be found, and to remind you, that the
States have not hesitated to make prisoners of femalos n
many instances."

" Bravo ! " cried Borroughcliffe ; " if the ladies will not
go as your mistresses, take them as your captives! "

" 'Tis well for you, sir, that you are a captive yourself,
«T Tou should be made to answer for this speech," retorted
the irritated Barnstable. " It is a responsible command,
Mr. Griffith and must not be disregarded."

" To your duty, ]\Ir. Barnstable," said Griffith, again
arousing from deep abstraction ; " you have your orderi|
tir : let them be executed promptly."

THE PILOT. 355

** I have also the orders of otir common superior, Cap-
tain Munson, Mr Griffith ; and I do assure you, sir, that in
making out my instructions for the Ariel — poor thing!
there are no two of her timbers hanging together — but
my instructions were decidedly particular on that head."

" And my orders now supersede them."

" But am I justifiable m obeying a verbal order from au
inferior, in direct opposition to a written instruction ? "

Griffith had hitherto manifested in his deportment noth-
ing more than a cold determination to act ; but the blood
now flew to every vessel in his cheeks and forehead, and his
dark eyes flashed fire, as he cried, authorita'tively, —

" How, sir ! do you hesitate to obey ? "

" By Heaven, sir, I would dispute the command of the
Continental Congress itself, should they bid me so far to for-
get my duty to — to " —

" Add yourself, sir ! Mr. Barnstable, let this be the last
of it. To your duty, sir."

« My duty calls me here, Mr. Griffith."

" I must act, then, or be bearded by my own oflicers.
]SIr. Merry, direct Captain Manual to send a sergeant and a
file of marines."

" Bid him come on himself ! " cried Barnstable, mad-
dened to desperation by his disappointment ; " 'tis not his
whole corps that can disarm me — let them come on !
Hear, there, you Ariels ! rally round your captain."

" The man among them who dares to cross that threshold
without my order, dies ! " cried Griffith, menacing with a
naked hanger the seamen who had promptly advanced at
the call of their old commander. " Yield your sword,
Mr, Barnstable, and spare yourself the disgrace of having
it forced from you by a common soldier."

" Let me see the dog who dare attempt it ! " exclaimed
Barnstable, flourishing his weapon in fierce anger. Griffith
had extended his own arm in the earnestness of his feelings,
and their hangers crossed each othe."'. The clashing of the
Bte(il operated on both like the sound of the clarion on a
wai-horse, and there were sudden and rapid blows, and aM
tapid paJries, exchanged between the hashing weapons.

356 THE PILOT.

" Barnstable ! Barnstable ! " cried Katlieriiie, rushing
into his arms, " I will go with you to the ends of the
earth ! "

Cecilia Howard did not speak ; but when Griffith recov
ered Ms coolness, he beheld her beautiful form kneeling at
his feet, with her pale face bent imploringly on his own dis-
turbed countenance. The cry of Miss Plowden had sepa-
rated the combatants, before an opportunity for shedding
blood had been afforded; but the young men exchanged
looks of keen resentmeut, notwithstanding the interference
of their mistresses. At this moment Colonel Howard ad-
vanced, and raising his niece from her humble posture,
said, —

" Tliis is not a situation for a child of Harry Howard,
though she knelt in the presence, and before the throne, of
her sovereign. Behold, my dear Cecilia, the natural con-
sequences of this rebellion ! It scatters discord in their
ranks ; and, by its damnable leveling principles, destroys
aU distinction of rank among themselves ; even these rash
boys know not where obedience is due ! "

" It is due to me," said the Pilot, who now stepped for-
ward among the agitated group, " and it is time that I en-
force it. ]Mr. Griffith, sheathe your sword. And you, sir,
who have defied the authority of your senior officer, and
have forgotten tlie obligation of your oath, submit, and re-
turn to your duty."

Griffith started at the sounds of his calm voice, as if with
sudden recollection ; and then, bowing low, he returned the
weapon to its scabbard. But Barnstable still encircled the
waist of his mistress with one arm, while with the other he
brandished his hanger, and laughed with scorn at this ex-
traordinary assumption of authority.

" And who is this," he cried, " who dare give such aa
order to me ! "

The eyes of the Pilot flashed with a terrible fire, while a
fierce glow seemed to be creeping over his whole frame,
which actually quivered with passion. But, suppressing
this exhibition of his feelings, by a sudden and pofrerfuj
effort, he answered in an emphatic manner, — .

THL PILOT. 367

•*Oiie who has a right to order, and who wi'U he
obeyed ! "

The extraordinary manner of the speaker contributpd aa
much as his singular assertion to induce Barnstable, in has
surprise, to lower the point of his weapon, with an air that
migl t easily have been mistaken for submission. The Pilot
fastened his glowing eyes on him, for an instant, and then
turning to the rest of the listeners, he continued, more
nuldly, —

'* It is true that we came not here as marauders, and that
our wish is, to do no unnecessary acts of severity to the
aged and the helpless. But this officer of the crown, and
this truant American in particular, are fairly our prisoners ;
as such, they must be conducted on board our ship."

" But the main object of our expedition ? " said Grif-
fith.

" 'Tis lost," returned the Pilot, hastily ; " 'tis sacrificed
to more private feelings ; 'tis like a hundred others, ended
in disappointment, and is forgotten, sir, forever. But
the interests of the Republics must not be neglected, Mr.
Griffith. Though we are not madly to endanger the
lives of those gallant fellows, to gain a love smile from
one young beauty, neither are we to forget the advan-
tages they may have obtained for us, in order to procure
one of approbation from another. This Colonel Howard
will answer well in a bargain with the minions of the
crown, and may purchase the freedom of some worthy pa-
triot who is deserving of his liberty. Nay, nay, suppress
tha-; haughty look, and turn that proud eye on any, rather
tkan me ; he goes to the frigate, sir, and that immediately.''

" Then," said Cecilia Howard, timidly approaching the
§pot where her uncle stood, a disdainful witness of the dis-
sensions amongst his captors ; " then will I go with him I
He shall never be a resident among his enemies alone ! "

** It would be more ingenuous, and more worthy of my
brother's daughter," said her uncle, coldly. " if she ascribed
her willingness to depart to its proper motive." Disregard-
ing thfe look of deep distress with which Cecilia received
Jiis mortifying rejection of her tender attentiou, the old

358 THE PROT.

man walked towards Borrouglicliffe, who was gnawing tli«
hilt of his sword, in very vexation at the downfall of his
high-raised hopes, and placing himself by -his side, with an
air of infinitely dignified submission, he continued, " Act
your pleasure on us, gentlemen : you are the conquerors,
and we must even submit. A brave man knows as well
how to yield with decorum, as to defend himself stoutly
when he is not surprised, as we have been. Bi<t if aa
opportunity should ever offer ! Act your pleasures, gen-
tlemen ; no two lambs were ever half so meek as Captain
Borroughchffe and myself."

The smile of affected, but bitter resignation, that the
colonel bestowed on his fellow-prisoner, was returned by
that officer with an attempt at risibility that abundantly be-
tokened the disturbed state of his feelings. The two, how-
3ver, succeeded in so far maintaining appearances, as to
contemplate the succeeding movements of the conqueror's
with a sufficient degree of composure.

The colonel steadily and coldly rejected the advances of
his niece, who bowed meekly to his will, and relinquished,
for the present, the hope of bringing him to a sense of his
injustice. She however employed herself in earnest, to give
such directions as were necessary to enforce the resolution
she h«d avowed, and in this unexpected employment she
found both a ready and a willing assistant in her cousin.
The latter, unknown to Miss Howard, had, in anticipation of
some such event as the present, long since made, in secret, aU
those preparations which might become necessary to a sud-
den fhght from the Abbey. In conjunction with her lover,
-then, who, perceiving the plan of the Pilot was furthering
his own views, deemed it most wise to forget his quarrel with
ihat mysterious individual, she flew to point out the means
of securing those articles which were already in prej^aration
Barnstable and Merry accompanied her light steps among
the narrow, dark passages of the Abbey, with the utmost
delight ; the former repeatedly apostrophizing her wit and
oeauty, and, indeed, all of her various merits, and the latter
lAughiug, and indulging those buoyant spirits, that a l)oy of
bis years ai d i eflection might be supposed to feel even ic

THE PILOT. 359

«nch a scene. It was fortunate for her cousin that Kather*
ine had poc-sessed so much forethought ; for the attention
of Cecilia Howard ^vas directed much more to the comforts
of her uiicie, tlian to those whicli were necessary for lier'
self. Attendee! by Alice Dunscombe, the young mistress
of St. Ruth moved through the solitary apartments of tha
building, listening to the mild religious consolation of hei
companion, in silence, at times yielding to those bursts of
mortified feeling that she could not repress, or again as
calmly giving her orders to her maids, as if the intended
movement was one of but ordinary interest. All ihi^
time the party in the dining-hall remained stationary. Th.i
Pilot, as if satisfied with what he had already done, sank
back to his reclining attitude against the wall, though his
eyes ke>3nly watched every movement of the preparations,
in a manner which denoted that his was the master-spirit
that directed the whole. Griffith had, however, resumed,
u: appearance, the command, and the busy seamen addressed
themselves for orders to him alone. In this manner an
hour was consumed, when Cecilia and Katherine appearing
In succession attired in a suitable manner for their departure,
and the baggage of the whole party having been already
intrusted to a petty officer and a party of men, Griffith gave
forth the customary order to put the whole in motion. The
shrill, piercing whistle of the boatswain once more rang
among the galleries and ceilings of the Abbey, and was fol-
lowed by the deep hoarse cry of —

" Away, there, you S'hore-draft ! away, there, you board-
ers ! ahead, heave ahead, sea-dogs ! "

This extraordinary summons was succeeded by the roll
of a drum, and the strains of a fife, from without, when the
whole party moved from the building in the order that had
been previously prescribed by Captain Manual, who acted
as the marshal of the forces on the occasion.

The Pilot had conducted his surprise with so much skill
ftud secrecy as to have secured every individual about the
Abbey, whether male i " female, soldier or civilian ; and as
'«t might be dangerous to leave any behind who could con-
vey intelligence into the country, Griffith had ordered

360 THE PILOT.

that every human being found in the building should be
conducted to the cliffs ; to be held in durance at least until
the departure of the last boat to the cutter, which, he was
informed, lay close in to the land, awaiting their reembark-
ation. The hurry of the departure had caused many
lights to be kindled in the Abbey, and the contrast between
the glare within and the gloom without attracted the
wandering looks of the captives, as they issued into the
paddock. One of those indefinable and unaccountable
feelings which so often cross the human mind, induced
Cecilia to pause at the great gate of the grounds, and look
back at the Abbey, with a presentiment that she was to
behold it for the last time. The dark and ragged outline
of the edifice was clearly delineated against the northern
sky, while the open windows and neglected doors per-
mitted a view of the solitude within. Twenty tapers were
shedding their useless light in the empty apartments, as
if in mockery of the deserted walls ; and Cecilia turned
shuddering from the sight, to press nigher to the person of
her indignant uncle, with a secret impression that her pres*
ence would soon be more necessary than ever to his happi-
ness.

The low hum of voices in front, with the occasional
strains of the fife, and the stern mandates of the sea-officers
icon recalled her, however, from these visionary thoughts
to the surrounding realities, whUe the whole party pursued
'jheir way with diligence to the margin of the ocean.

THE PILOT. 361

CHAPTER XXX.

A chieftain to the Highlands bound,

Cries, " Boatman, do not tarry!
And I'll give thee a silver pound,

To row us o'er the ferry."

Lord Ulun's Davohtbk.

The sky had been without a cloud during the day, tha
gale having been dry and piercing, and thousands of stars
w"re now shining through a chill atmosphere. As the eye,
therefore, became accustomed to the change of light, it
obtained a more distinct view of surrounding objects. At
the head of the line that was stretched along the narrow
pathway marched a platoon of the marines, who maintained
the regular and stead v front of trained warriors. They
were followed at some little distance by a large and con-
fused body of seamen, heavily armed, whose disposition to
disorder and rude merriment, which became more violent
from their treading on solid ground, was with difficulty
restrained by the presence and severe rebukes of their own
oflBcers. In the centre of this confused mass, the whole of
the common prisoners were placed, but were no otherwise
attended to by their nautical guard than as they furnished
the subjects of fun and numberless quaint jokes. At some
distance in their rear marched Colonel Howard and Bor-
roughcliffe, arm in arm, both maintaining the most rigid
and dignified silence, though under the influence of very
bilter feelings. Behind these, again, and pressing as nigh
as possible to her uncle, was Miss Howard, leaning on the
arm of Alice Dunscombe, and surrounded by the female
domestics of the establishment of St. Ruth. Katherine
Plowden moved lightly, by herself, in the shadow of this
group, with elastic steps, but with a maiden coyness that
taught her to veil her satisfactiDi: with the semblance of

862 THE PILOT.

captivity. Barnstable watched her movements with delight,
within six feet of her, but submitted to the air of caprice in
his mistress, which seemed to require that he should come
no nearer. Griffith, avoiding the direct Hue of the party
walked on its skirts in such a situation tliat his eye could
command its whole extent, in order, if necessary, to direct
the movements. Auother body of the marines marched at
the close of the procession, and Manual, in jierson, brought
np the rear. The music had ceased by command, and
nothing was now audible but the regular tread of the
soldiers, with the sighs of the dying gale, interrupted oc-
casionally by the voice of an officer, or the hum of low
dialogue.

" This has been a Scotch prize that we've taken," muv
tered a surly old seaman ; " a ship without head-money or
cargo ! There was kitchen timber enough in the old jug
of a place to have given an outfit in crockery and knee-
buckles to every lad in the ship ; but, no ! let a man's
mouth water ever so much for food and raiment, damme,
if the officers would give him leave to steal even so good a
thing as a spare Bible."

" You may say all that, and then make but a short \arn
of the truth," returned the messmate who walked by his
side : " if there had been such a thing as a ready-made
prayer handy, they would have choused a poor fellow out
of the use of it. I say, Ben, I'll tell ye what; it's my
opinion, that if a chap is to turn soldier and carry a musket,
he should have soldier's play, and leave to plunder a
little ; now the devil a thing have I laid my hands on to*
night, except this firelock and my cutlash — unless you can
call this bit of a table-cloth something of a windfall."

"Aye! you have fallen hi there -with a fresh bolt of
duck, I see ! " said the other, in manifest admiration of the
texture of his companion's i:)rize ; " why, it would spread aa
broad a clue as our mizen-royal, if it was loosened ! well,
your luck hasn't been every man's luck ; for my part, J
think this here hat was made for some fellow's great toe
I've rigged it on my head both fore and aft, and athwan
ships ; but curse the inch can 1 drive it down ; I say, Sam
yonH give us a shirt off that table-clotb ? "

THE PILOT. 368

* Aye, aye, you can have one comer of it ; or for that
matter, ye can take the full half, Ben ; but I don't see that
we go otf to the ship any richer than we lauded, unless you
may muster she-cattle among your prize money."

" No richer ! " interrupted a waggish young sailor, who
had been hitherto a silent listener to the conversation be-
tween his older and more calculating shipmates ; " I think
we are set up for a cruise in them seas where the day
watches last six months ; don't you see we have caught a
double allowance of midnight ! "

While speaking, he laid his hands on the bare and woolly
heads of Colonel Howard's two black slaves, who were
moving near him, both occupied in mournful forebodings on
the results that were to flow from this unexpected loss of
their liberty. " Slue your faces this way, gentlemen," he
added ; " there ; don't you think that a sight to put out the
binnacle lamps ? there's darkness visible for ye ! "

" Let the niggers alone," grumbled one of the more aged
speakers ; " what are ye skylarking with the like of them
for ? the next thing they'll sing out, and then you'll hear
one cf the officers in your wake. For my part, Nick, I
can't see why it is that we keep dodging along shore here,
with less than ten fathoms under us, when, by stretching
into the broad Atlantic, we might fall in with a Jamaica-
man every day or two, and have sugar bogheads and rum
pimcheons as plenty aboard us as hard fare is now."

" It is all owing to that Pilot," returned the other ; " for,
t'ye see, if there was no bottom, there would be no pilots.
This is a dangerous cruising gi'ound, where we stretch into
live fathoms, and then drop our lead on a sand-pit, or a
rock ] Besides, they made night- work of it too ! If we
had daylight for fourteen hours instead of seven, a man
might trust to feeling his way for the other ten."

" Now, ain't ye a couple of old horse marines ! " again
interrupted the young sailor ; " don't you see that Congress
wants us to cut up Johnny Bull's coasters, and that old
Blow-Hard has found the days too short for his business,
and so he has landed a party to get hold of night. Here
we have him 1 and whci we get off to the sliip, we shali

S64 TUE PILOT.

put hL-i under hatches, and then you'll see the face cf the
fiun again ! Come, my lilies ! let these two gentlemen look
into your cabin windows — what ? you won't ! Then I
must squeeze your woolen night-caps for ye ! "

The negroes, who had been submitting to his humora
^ith the abject humility of slavery, now gave certain low
intimations that they were suffering pain, under the rough
manipulation of their tormentor.

" AMiat's that ! " cried a stern voice, whose boyish tones
seemed to mock the air of authority that was assumed by
the speaker, " who's that, I say, raising that cry among
ye?"

The willful young man slowly removed his two hands
from the woolly polls of the slaves, but as he suffered them
to fell reluctantly along their sable temples, he gave the
ear of one of the blacks a tweak that caused him to give
vent to another cry, that was uttered with a much greater
confidence of sympathy than before.

" Do ye hear there ! " repeated Merry ; " who's skylark-
incj with those negroes ? "

" 'Tis no one, sir," the sailor answered with affected
gravity ; " one of the pale faces has hit his shin against a
cobweb, and it has made his ear ache ! "

" Harkye, you IMr. Jack Joker ! how came you in the
midst of the prisoners ? did not I order you to' handle your
pike, sir, and to keep in the outer line ? "

" Aye, aye, sir, you did ; and I obeyed orders as long as
I could ; but these niggers have made the night so dark,
that I lost my way ! "

A low laugh passed through the confused crowd of sea-
men ; and even the midshipman might have been indulging
himself in a similar manner at this specimen of quaint
humor from the fellow, who was one of those licensed men
tkat are to be found in every ship. At length —

" Well, sir," he said, " you have found out your false
rtv;kouing now ; so get you back to the place where I bid
fou «;tay."

" Aye. aye, sir, I'm going. By all the blunders in th«
t ai'ser's book, Mr. Merry, but that cobweb has made one or

THE PILOT. 865

those niggers shed tears ! Do let me stay to catch a little
ink, sir, to write a letter with to my poor old mother^
devil the line has she had from me since we sailed froin the
Chesapeake ! "

"If ye don't mind me at once, Mr. Jack Joker, I'll h?
my cutlass over your head," returned Merry, his voice
now betraying a much greater sympathy in the sutfcring?
of that abject race, who are still in some measure, but who
formerly were much more, the butts of the unthinking and
licentwus among our low countrymen ; " then ye can writ«
your letter in red ink if ye will ! "

" I wouldn't do it for the w^orld," said Joker, sneaking
away towards his proper station ; " the old lady wouldn't
forget the hand, and swear it was a forgery ; I wonder,
though, if the breakers on the coast of Guinea be black !
as I've heard old seamen say, who have cruised in them
latitudes."

His idle levity was suddenly interrupted by a voice that
spoke above the low hum of the march, with an air of
authority, and a severity of tone, that could always quell,
by a single word, the most violent ebullition of merriment
in the crew.

The low buzzing sounds of " Aye, there goes Mr. Grif-
fith ! " and of " Jack has woke up the first lieutenant, he
had better now go to sleep himself ; " were heard passing
among the men. But these suppressed communications
80on ceased, and even Jack Joker himself pursued his way
with diligence, on the skirts of the party, as mutely as if
v'ae power of speech did not belong to his organization.

The reader has too often accompanied us over the ground
between the Abbey and the ocean, to require any descrip-
tion of the route pursued by the seamen during the preced-
mg characteristic dialogue ; and we shall at once pass to
the incidents which occurred on the arrival of the party at
the cliffs. As the man who had so unexpectedly assurt'^ a
momentary authority within St. Ruth had unaccountably
disappeared from among them, Griffith continued to exer-
cise lae right of command, without referring to any other
for oousultation. He never addressed himself to Barnst*

566 THE PILOT.

ble, and it was apparent that both the haughty young meo
felt that the tie which had hitherto united them in such
close intimacy was, for the present at least, entirely severed*
Indeed, Griffith was only restrained by the presence of
Cecilia and Katherine from arresting his refractory inferior
on the spot; and Barnstable, who felt all the consciousness
of error, without its proper humility, with difficulty so fa
repressed his feelings, as to forbear exhibiting in the pres-
ence of his mistress such a manifestation of his spirit as his
wounded vanity induced him to imagine was necessary to
his honor. The two, however, acted in harmony on ono
Bubject, though it was without concert or communication.
The first object with both the young men was to secure the
embarkation of the fair cousins ; and Barnstable ])roceeded
instantly to the boats, in order to hasten the prepaxations
that were necessary before they could receive these anex-
pected captives : the descent of the Pdot having been made
in such force as to require the use of all the frigate's boats,
which were left riding in the outer edge of the surf, await-
ing the return of the expedition. A loud call from Barn-
stable gave notice to the officer in command, and in a few
moments the beach was crowded with the busy and active
crews of the "cutters," "launches," "barges," "jolly-boats,"
"pinnaces," or by whatever names the custom of the times
attached to the different attendants of vessels of war. Had
the fears of the ladies themselves been consulted, the frig-
■ite's laimch would have been selected for their use, on ac-
count of its size ; but Barnstable, who would have thought
6uch a choice on his part humiliating to his guests, ordered
the 3ag, low barge of Captain Munson to be drawn upon
the sand, it being peculiarly the boat of honor. The haadg
of fifty men were applied to the task, and it was soon au'
aounced to Colonel Howard and his wards that the little
vessel was ready for their reception, IManual had halted
tn the summit of the cliffs with the whole body of the
laarines, where he was busily employed in posting pickets
and sentinels, and giving the necessary instructions to his
men to cover the embarkation of the seamen, in a style
that he cooceived to be altogether military. The mass of

THE PILOT. 367

the common prisoners, including the inferior domestics of
the Abbey and the men of Borroughcliffe, were also held in
the same place, under a suitable guard ; but Colonel Howard
and his companion, attended by the ladies and their own
maidsj had descended the rugged path to the beach, and
were standing passively on the sands, when the intelligence
that the boat waited for them was announced.

" Where is he ? " asked Alice Dunscombe, turning heT
head, as if anxiously searching for some other than those
around her.

" Where is who ? " inquired Barnstable ; " we are all
herC; and the boat waits."

" And will he tear me — even me, from the home of my
infancy! the land of my birth and my affections!"

" I know not of whom you speak, madam, but if it be of
Mr. Griffith, he stands there, just without that cluster of
seamen."

Griffith, hearing himself thus named, approached the
ladies, and, for the first time since leaving the Abbey, ad-
dressed them : " I hope I am already understood," he said,
" and that it is unnecessary for me to say, that no female
here is a prisoner ; though, should any choose to trust them
selves on board our ship, I pledge to them the honor of an
oflScer, that they shall find themselves protected, and safe.**

" Then will I not go," said Alice.

" It is not expected of you," said Cecilia ; " you have no
ties to bind you to any here." (The eyes of Alice were
«till wandering over the listeners.) " Go, then, IVIiss Alice,
and be the mistress of St. Ruth, until my return ; or," she
added, timidly, " until Colonel Howard may declare his
pleasure."

" I obey you, dear child ; but the agent of Colonel How-
aid, at B , will undoubtedly be authorized to take

i^arge of his effects."

Wliile no one but his niece alluded to his will, the mas-
tet of the Abbey had found, in his resentment, a sufficient
tpology foi his rigid demeanor ; but he was far too well
bred to bear in silence, such a modest appeal to his wighesi
from so fair and so loyal a subject as Alice Dunscombe.

868 THE PILOT.

** To relieve you, madam, and for no other reason, will I
speak on this subject," he said ; " otherwise, I should leave
the doors and windows of St. Ruth open, as a melancholy
monument of rebellion, and seek my future compensation
from the crown, when the confiscated estates of the leaders
of this accursed innovation on the rights of princes shall
come to the hammer. But you. Miss Alice, are entitled tc
every consideration that a lady can expect from a gentle
man. Be pleased, therefore, to write to my agent, and re-
quest him to seal up my papers, and transmit them to the
office of his majesty's secretary of state. They breathe no
treason, madam, and are entitled to official protection. The
house, and most of the furniture, as you know, are the prop-
erty of my landlord, who, in due time, will doubtless take
charge of his own interest. I kiss your hand, IMiss Alice,
and I hope we shall yet meet at St. James' — depend on it
madam, that the royal Charlotte shall yet honor your
merits ; I know she cannot but estimate your loyalty."

" Here I was born, in humble obscurity ; here I have
lived, and here I hope to die in quiet," returned the meek
Alice ; " if I have known any pleasure, in late years, beyond
that which every Christian can find in our daily .duties, it
has been, my sweet friends, in your accidental society.
Such companions, in this remote corner of the kingdom,
have been a boon too precious to be enjoyed without alloy,
it seems ; and I have now to exchange the past pleasure for
present pain. Adieu ! my young friends ; let your trust be
in Him, to whose eyes both prince and peasant, the Euro-
pean and the American, are alike, and we shall meet again,
tnough it be neither in the island of Britain, nor on your
own wide continent."

" That," said Colonel Howard, advancing, and taking her
Hand with kindness, " that is the only disloyal sentiment I
biave ever heard fall from the lips of jMiss Alice Dunscombo !
Is it to be supposed that Heaven has established ordera
among men, and that it does not respect the works of ita
own formation ! But adieu ; no doubt, if time was allowed
«»8 for suitable explanations, we should find but little or no
•^ilTererice of opinion on this subject."

THE PILOT. 36*

Alice did not appear to consider the matter as worthy of
further discussion at sucli a moment ; for she gently returned
the colonel's leave-taking, and then gave her undivided at-
tention to her female friends. Cecilia wept bitterly on the
shoulder of lier respected companion, giving vent to her
regret at parting, and her excited feelings, at the same mo-
ment ; and Katherine pressed to the side of Alice, with the
kindliness prompted by her warm but truant heart. Their
embraces were given and received in silence, and each of
the young ladies moved towards the boat, as she with-
drew herself from the arms of Miss Dunscombe. Colonel
Howard would not precede his wards, neither would he as-
sist them into the barge. That attention they received from
Barnstable, who, after seeing the ladies and their attendants
seated, turned to the gentlemen, and observed —

" The boat waits."

" Well, ]Miss Alice," said Borroughcliffe, in bitter irony,
" you are intrusted by our excellent host with a message to
his agent ; will you do a similar service to me, and write a
report to the commander of the district, and just tell him
what a dolt — aye, use the plainest terms, and say what an
ass one Captain Borroughcliffe has proved himself in this
affair. You may throw in, by way of episode, that he has
been playing bo-peep with a rebellious young lady from the
violonies, and, like a great boy, has had his head broken for
his pains ! Come, my worthy host, or rathei fellow pris-
oner, I follow you, as in duty bound."

" Stay," cried Griffith ; " Captain Borroughcliffe does no t
embark in that boat."

" Ha ! sir ; am I to be herded with the common men ?
Forget you that I have the honor to bear the commissioa
jf his Britannic Majesty, and that " —

" I forget nothing that a gentleman is bound to remem-
ber, Captain Borroughcliffe ; among other things, I recol-
lect the liberality of your treatment to myself, when a pris-
oner. The instant the safety of my command will justify
«uch a step, not only you but your men, shall be set at
liberty."

Borroughcliffe started iu surprise, but bis feelings wera
24

870 THE PILOT.

too much soured by the destruction of those visious of glory
in which he had been luxuriously indulging for the last day
or two, to admit of his answering as became a man. He
swallowed his emotions, therefore, by a violent effort, and
walked along the beach, affecting to whistle a low, but lively
air.

" Well, then," cried Barnstable, " all our captives are
seated. The boat waits only for its officers ! "

In his turn, Griffith walked away in haughty silence, aa
if disdaining to hold communion with his former friend.
Barnstable paused a moment, from a deference that long
habit had created for his superior officer, and which was
not to be shaken off by every burst of angry passion ; but
perceiving that the other had no intention to return, he or-
dered the seamen to raise the boat from the sand, and bear
it bodily into the water. The command was instantly
obeyed ; and by the time the young lieutenant was in his
seat, the barge was floating in the still heavy though no
longer dangerous surf, and the crew sprang into their
places.

" Bear her off, boys ! " he cried ; " never mind a wet
jacket. Pve seen many a worthy fellow tumbling on this
beach in a worse time than t\is ! Now you have her head
to sea; give way, my souls, give way."

The seamen rose simultaneously at their oars, and by an
united effort obtained the command of their boat ; which,
after making a few sudden ascents, and as many heavy
pitches in the breitkers, gained the smoother seas of the
swelling ocean, and stemmed the waters in a direction foi
the plaos wbere thrj Alacrity was supposed to be in wsiit-

THE PILOT. 871

CHAPTER XXXI.

His only plot was this — that, much provoked,
He raised his vengeful arm against his country.

Thombor.

Alice Ddnscombe remained on the sands, watching the
dark spot that was soon hid amid the waves in the obscu-
rity of night, and listening, with melancholy interest, to the
regulated sounds of the oars, which were audible long after
the boat had been blended with the gloomy outline of the
eastern horizon. When all traces of her departed friends
were to be found only in her own recollections, she slowly
turned from the sea, and hastening to quit the bustling
throng that were preparing for the embarkation of the rest
of the party, she ascended the path that conducted her once
more to the summit of those cliffs, along which she had so
often roved, gazing at the boundless element that washed
their base with sensations that might have been peculiar to
her own situation.

The soldiers of Boi-roughcliffe, who were stationed at the
head of the pass, respectfully made way ; nor did any of the
%entinels of Manual heed her retiring figure, until she
\pproached the rear guard of the marines, who were com-
manded by their vigilant captain in person.

" Who goes there ? " cried Manual, advancing without
the dusky group of soldiers, as she approached them.

" One who possesses neither the power nor the inclination
to do ye harm," answered the solitary female ; " 'tis Alice
Dunscombe, returning, by permission of your leader, to the
place of her birth."

" Aye," muttered Manual, " this is one of Griffith's
immilitary exhibitions of his politeness ! does the man think
that there was ever a woman who had no tongue ! Have

872 THE PILOT.

you the countersign, madam, that 1 may know you bear a
sufficient warrant to pass ? "

" T have no other warrant besides my sex and weakness,
unless Mr. Griffith's knowledge that I have left him can be
so considered."

" The two former are enough," said a voice, that pro-
ceeded from a figure which had hitherto stood unseen,
shaded by the trunk of an oak, that spread its wide but
naked arms above the spot where the guard was paraded.

" Who have we here ! " Manual again cried ; " come in
yield, or you will be fired at."

" What, will the gallant Captain Manual fire on his owi
rescuer ! " said the Pilot, with cool disdain, as he advanced
from the shadow of the tree. " He had better reserve his
bullets for his enemies, than waste them on his friends."

" You have done a dangerous deed, sir, in approaching,
clandestinely, a guard of marines ! I wonder that a man
who has already discovered, to-night, that he has some
knowledge of tactics, by so ably conducting a surprise, should
betray so much ignorance in the forms of approaching a
picket ! "

" 'Tis now of no moment," returned the Pilot ; " my
knowledge and my ignorance are alike immaterial, as the
command of the party is surrendered to other and perhaps
more proper hands. But I would talk to this lady alone,
sir ; she is an acquaintance of my youth, and I will see her
on her way to the Abbey."

" The step would be unmilitary, Mr. Pilot, and you will
excuse me if I do not consent to any of our expedition
straggling without the sentries. If you choose to remain
here to hold your discourse, I will march the picket out of
hearing ; though I must acknowledge I see no ground so
favorable as this we are on, to keep you within the range
of our eyes. You perceive that I have a ravine to retreat
into in case of surprise, with this line of wall on my left
flank and the trunk of that tree to cover my right. A very
pretty stand might be made here, on emergency ; for even
the oldest troops fight the best when their flanks are properly
covered, and a way to make a regular retreat is open ir
their rear."

THE PILOT. 373

* Say no more, sir; I would not break up such a poaition
on any account," returned the Pilot ; " the lady w'll con-
sent to retrace her path for a short distance."

Alioe followed his steps, in compliance with this request,
until he had led her to a place, at some little distance from
the marines, where a tree had been prostrated by the late
gale. She seated herself quietly on its trunk, and appeared
to await with patience his own time for the explanation of
his motives in seeking the interview. The Pilot paced for
several minutes back and forth, in fi'ont of the place where
she was seated, in profound silence, as if communing with
himself; when suddenly throwing off his air of absence, he
came to her side, and assumed a position similar to the one
which she herself had taken.

" The hour is at" hand, Alice, when we must part," he at
length commenced ; " it rests with yourself whether it shall
be forever."

" Let it then be forever, John," she returned, with a
slight tremor in her voice.

" That word would have been less appalling, had tliis
accidental meeting never occurred. And yet your choice
may have been determined by prudence ; for what is there
in my fate that can tempt a woman to wish that she might
share it ? "

" If ye mean your lot is that of one who can find but
few, or even none, to partake of his joys, or to share in hia
sorrows — whose life is a continual scene of dangers and
calamities, of disappointments and mishaps — then do ye
know but little of the heart of woman, if ye doubt of either
her ability or her willingness to meet them with the man
%f her choice."

" Say you thus, Alice ? then have I misunderstood your
meaning, or misinterpreted your acts. My lot is not alto-
gether that of a neglected man, unless the favor of princes,
and the smiles of queens, are allowed to go for nothing.
My life is, however, one of many and fearful dangers ; and
yet it is not filled altogether with calamities and mishaps ;
b it, A'.ice?" He paused a moment, but in vain, for her
jswer. " Nay, then, I have been deceived in the estia»

574 THE PILOT.

tion that the world has affixed to my combats and enter*
prises ! I am not, Alice, the man I would be, or even the
man I had deemed myself."

" You have gained a name, John, among the warriofp ; f
the age," she answered, in a subdued voice ; " and it is a
name that may be said to be written in blood ! "

" The blood of my enemies, Alice ! "

" The blood of the subjects of your natural prince ! The
blood of those wKo breathe the air you first breathed, and
who were taught the same holy lessons of instruction that
you were first taught ; but which, I fear, you have too soon
forgotten ! "

" The blood of the slaves of despotism ! " he sternly inter-
rupted her ; " the blood of the enemies of freedom ! you
have dwelt so long in this dull retirement, and you have
cherished so blindly the prejudices of your youth, that the
promise of those noble sentiments I once thought I could
see budding in Alice Dunscombe, has not been fulfilled."

" I have lived and thought only as a woman, as became
my sex and station," Alice meekly reiDlied ; " and when it
shall be necessary for me to live and think otherwise, I
should wish to die."

" Aye, there lie the first seeds of slavery ! A dependent
woman is sure to make the mother of craven and abject
wretches, who dishonor the name of man ! "

" I shall never be the mother of children, good or bad,"
said Alice, with that resignation in her tones that showed
she had abandoned the natural hopes of her sex. " Singly
and unsupported have I lived ; alone and uulamented must
t be carried to my grave."

The exquisite pathos of her voice, as she uttered this
olacid speech, blended as it was with the sweet and calm
.ignity of virgin pride, touched the heart of her listener,
tad he continued silent many moments, as if in reverence
jf her determination. Her sentiments awakened in his own
breast those feelings of generosity and disinterestedness,
i^^bich had nearly been smothered in restless ambition ana
the pride of success. He resumed the discourse, therefore,
more mildly, and with a much greater exhibition of deef
Geeling, and Ijss of passion, in his manner.

THE PILOT. 3T5

* I know not, Alice that I ought, situated as I am, aiid
eoi) tented, if not happy, as you are, ev'en to attempt to
revive in your bosom those sentiments which I was once led
to think existed there. It cannot, after all, be a desirable
fate, to share tl)e lot of a rover like myself: one who may
be termed a Quixote hi the behalf of libera! principles, and
who may be hourly called to seal the truth of those prin-
ciples with his life."

" There never existed any sentiment in my breast, in
wliich you are concerned, that does not exist there still, and
unchanged," returned Alice, with her single-hearted sin-
cerity.

" Do I hear you aright? or have I misconceived your
resolution to abide in England ? or have I not rather mis-
taken your early feelings ? "

" You have fallen into no error now nor then. The
weakness may still exist, John ; but the strength to struggle
with it has, by the goodness of God, grown with my years.
It is not, however, of myself, but of you, that I would speak.
I have lived like one of our simple daisies, which in the
budding may have caught your eye ; and I shall also wilt
like the humble flower, when the winter of my time arrives,
without being missed from the fields that have known me
for a season. But your fall, John, will be like that of the
oak that now supports us, and men shall pronoimce on the
beauty and grandeur of the noble stem while standing, as
well as of its usefulness when felled."

" Let them pronounce as they will ! " returned the proud
stranger. " The truth must be finally known : and when
that hour shall come, they will say, he was a faithful and
gallant warrior in his day ; and a worthy lesson for a.'l who
Hre born in slavery, but would live in freedom, shall be
found in Ms example."

" Such may be the language of that distant people, whcm
ye have adopted in the place of those that once formed
home and kin to ye," said Alice, glancing her eye timidly
at his countenance, as if to discern how far she might ven-
ture, without awakening his resentment ; " but what will
tiie men of the land of your birth transmit to their children,

876 THE PILOT.

who will be the childreu of those that are of your ow>-
blood ? "

" They will say, Alice, whatever their crooked policy may
suggest, or their disappointed vanity can urge. But the
picture must be drawn by the friends of the hero, as well as
by his enemies ! Think you that there are not pens as
well as swords in America ? "

" I have heard that America called a land, John, where
God has lavished his favors with an unsparing hand ; where
He has bestowed many climes with their several fruits, and
where his power is exhibited no less than his mercy It is
said her rivers are without any known end, and that lakes
are found in her bosom, which would put our German Ocean
to shame ! The plains, teeming with verdure, are spread
over wide degrees ; and yet those sweet valleys, which a
single heart can hold, are not wanting. In short, John, I
hear it is a broad land, that can furnish food for each pas-
sion, and contain objects for every affection."

" Aye, you have found those, Alice, in your solitude, who
have been willing to do her justice ! It is a country that
can form a world of itself; and why should they who in-
herit it look to other nations for their laws ? "

" I pretend not to reason on the right of children of that
soil to do whatever they may deem most meet for their own
welfare," returned Alice ; " but can men be born in such
a land, and not know the feelings which bind a human being
to the place of his birth ? "

" Can you doubt that they should be patriotic ? " ex-
claimed the Pilot in surprise. " Do not their efforts in this
Bacred cause — their patient sufferings — their long priva-
tions— speak loudly in their behalf?"

" And will they, who know so well how to love home,
song the praises of him, who has turned his ruthless hand
against the laud of his fathers ? "

" Forever harping on the word home ! " said the Pilot,
who now detecled the timid approaches of Alice to her hid-
den meaning. " Is a man a stick or a stone, that he must
be cast into the fire, or buried in a wall, wherever his hXe
jnay have doomed him to appear on the earth ? The sound

THE PILOT. 377

of home is said to feed the vanity of an Englishman, let
him go where he will ; but it would seem to have a still
more powerful charm with English women ! "

" It is the dearest of all terms to every woman, John, for
it embraces the dearest of all ties ! If your dames in
America are ignorant of its charm, all the favors which
God has lavished on their land will avail their happineaa
but little."

" Alice," said the Pilot, rising in his agitation, " I see
but too well the object of your allusions. But on this sub-
ject we can never agree ; for not even your powerful influ-
ence can draw me from the path of glory in which I am
now treading. But our time is growing brief; let us, then,
talk of other things. This may be the last time that I
shall ever put foot on the island of Britain."

Alice paused to struggle with the feelings excited by this
remark, before she pursued the discourse. But soon shak-
ing off the weakness, she added, with a rigid adherence to
that course which she believed to be her duty —

" And now, John, that you have landed, is the breaking
up of a peaceful family, and the violence ye have shown
towards an aged man, a fit exploit for one whose object is
the glory of which ye have spoken ? "

" Think you that I have landed, and placed my life m
the hands of my enemies, for so unworthy an object ! No,
Alice : my motive for this undertaking has been disap-
pointed, and therefore will ever remain a secret from the
world. But duty to my cause has prompted the step which
you so unthinkingly condeum. This Colonel Howard hais
some consideration with those in power, and will answer to
exchange for a better man. As for his wards, you forget
their home, their magical home, is in America : unless, in-
deed, they find them nearer at hand, under the proud flag
of a frigate that is now waiting for them in the ofSng."

" You talk of a frigate ! " said Alice, with sudden inter-
est in the subject ; " is she your only means of escaping
from your enemies ? "

" Alice Dunscombe has *aken but little heed of passing
eyents, to ask such a question of me I '' returned the

378 THE PILOT.

haughty Pilot. " The question would have sounded more
discreetly, had it been, ' Is she the only vessel with you
that your enemies will have to escape from ? ' "

" Nay, I cannot measure my langua-^e at such a moment,"
continued Alice, with a still stronger exhibition of anxiety.
" It was my fortune to overhear a part of a plan that was
intended to destroy, by sudden means, those vessels of
America that were in our seas."

" That might be a plan more suddenly adopted than
easily executed, my good Alice. And who were these re-
doubtable schemers ? "

" I know not but my duty to the king should cause me
to suppress this information," said Alice, hesitating.

" Well, be it so," returned the Pilot, coolly ; " it may
prove the means of saving the persons of some of the
royal officers from death or captivity. I have already said,
this may be the last of my visits to this island, and conse'
quently, Alice, the last of our interviews " —

" And yet," said Alice, still pursuing the train of her
own thoughts, " there can be but little harm in sparing
human blood ; and least of all in serving those whom we
have known long and regarded ! "

" Aye, that is a simple doctrine, and one that is easily
maintained," he added, with much apparent indifference ;
" and yet Bang George might well spare some of his ser-
vants — the list of his abject minions is so long ! "

" There was a man named Dillon, who lately dwelt ui
the Abbey, but who has mysteriously disappeared," con
tinned Alice ; " or, rather, who was captured by your com-
panions : know you aught of him, John ? "

" I have heard there was a miscreant of that name, but
we have never met. Alice, if it please Heaven that thia
ghould be the last " —

" He was a captive in the schooner called the Ariel," she
added, still unheeding his affected indifference to her com-
m'lnication ; " and when permitted to return to St. Ruth,
he lost sight of his solemn promise, and of his plighted
honor, to wreak his malice. Instead of effecting the ejt
diange that he had conditioned to see made, he plo* ted trea-

THE PILOT. 379

•on against Lis captors. Yes ; it was most foul treason !
for his treatment was generous and kind, and his liberation
certain."

" He was a most unworthy scoundrel ! But, Alice " —

" Nay, listen, John," she continued, urged to even a
keener interest in his behalf by his apparent inattention ;
" and yet I should speak tenderly of his failings, for he ij
already numbered with the dead ! One part of his scheme
must have been frustrated ; for he intended to destroy that
schooner which you call the Ariel, and to have taken the
person of the young Barnstable."

" In both of which he has failed ! The person of Barn-
stable I have rescued, and the Ariel has been stricken by
a hand far mightier than any of this world ! — she is
wrecked."

" Then is the frigate your only means of escape ! Has-
ten, John, and seem not so proud and heedless ; for the
hour may come when all your daring will not profit ye
against the machinations of secret enemies. This Dillon
had also planned that expresses should journey to a seaport
at the south, with the intelligence that your vessels were in
these seas, in order that shij^s might be despatched to inter-
cept your retreat."

The Pilot lost his affected indifference as she proceeded ;
and before she ceased speaking, his eye was endeavoring
to anticipate her words, by reading her countenance through
the dusky medium of the star-light.

" How know you this, Alice ? " he asked quickly, " and
what vessel did he name ? "

" Chance made me an unseen listener to their plan, and — •
I know not but I forget my duty to my prince — but, John,
'lis asking too much of a weak woman, to* require that shf.
bhali see the man whom she once viewed with eyes of favor,
sacrificed when a word of caution, given in season, might
enable mm to avoid the danger ! "

" Once viewed with an eye of favor ! Is it then so ? "
said the Pilot, speaking in a vacant manner. " But, Alice,
heard ye the force of the ships, or their names? Give ma
heii names, and the first lord of your British admiralty

380 THE PILOT.

shall not give so true an account of their force as I will
furnish from this list of my own."

" Their names were certainly mentioned," said Alice,
witli tender melancholy ; " but tlie name of one far nearer
to me was ringing in my ears, and has driven them from my
mind."

" You are the same good Alice I once knew ! And my
name was mentioned? What said they of the Pirate?
Had his arm stricken a blow that made them tremble in
their Abbey ? Did they call him coward, girl ? "

" It was mentioned in terms that pained my heart as I
listened ; for it is ever too easy a task to forget the lapse
of years, nor are the feelings of youth to be easily eradi-
cated."

" Aye, there is luxury in knowing that, with all their
affected abuse, the slaves dread me in their secret holds ! "
exclaimed the Pilot, pacing in front of his listener with
quick steps. " This it is to be marked, among men, above
all others in your calling! I ho[)e yet to see the day when
the third George shall start at the sound of that name, even
witliin the walls of his palace."

Alice Dunscombe heard him in a deep and mortified
silence. It was too evident that a link in the chain of their
sympathies was broken, and that the weakness in which she
had been unconsciously indulging was met by no corre-
spondent emotions in him. After sinking her head for a
moment on her bosom, she arose with a little more than
her usual air of meekness, and recalled the Pilot to a sense
of her presence, by saying, in a yet milder voice, —

"I have now communicated all that it can profit you to
know, and it is meet that we separate."

" What, thus soon ? " he cried, starting and taking her
hand. " This is but a short interview, Alice, to precede
so long a separation."

" Be it short, or be it long, it must now end," she re-
plied. " Your companions are on the eve of departure, and
I trust you would be one of the last who would wish to be
deserted. If we do visit England again, I hope it may
be with altered sentiments, so far as regards her interests

THE PILOT. tSl

I wish ye. peace, Jolin, and the blessings of God, as je may
be found to deserve them."

" I ask no farther, unless it may be tlie aid of your gen-
tle prayers ! But the night is gloomy, and I will see you
in safety to the Abbey."

" It is unnecessary," she returned, with womanly reserve.
" The innocent can be as fearless on occasion, as the most
valiant among your warriors. But here is no cause for
fear. I shall take a path that will conduct me in a differ-
ent way from that which is occupied by your soldiers, and
where I shall find none but Him who is ever ready to pro-
tect the helpless. Once more, John, I bid ye adieu." Hef
voice faltered as she continued : " Ye will share the lot of
humanity, and have your hours of care and weakness ; at
such moments ye can remember those ye leave on this de-
spised island, and perhaps among them ye may think of
some whose interest in your welfare has been far removed
from selfishness."

" God be with you, Alice ! " he said, touched with her
emotion, and losing all vain images in more worthy feelings,
" but I cannot permit you to go alone."

" Here we part, John," she said firmly, " and forever !
*Tis for the happiness of both, for I fear we have but little
in common." She gently wrested her hand from his grasp,
and once more bidding him adieu, in a voice that was nearly
inaudible, she turned and slowly disappeared, moving, with
lingering steps, in the direction of the Abbey.

The first impulse of the Pilot was, certainly, to follow,
and insist on seeing her on the way ; but the music of the
guard on the cliffs at that moment sent forth its martial
strains and the whistle of the boatswain was heard winding
its shril call among the rocks, in those notes that his prac-
ticed ear well understood to be the last signal for embark-
ing.

Obedient to the summons, this singular man, in whose
breast the natural feelings, that were now on the eve of a
violent eruption, had so long been smothered by the vision-
try expectations of a wild ambition, and perhaps of fierce
"esentrrxints, pursued his coui-se, in deep abstraction, towards

382 THE PILOT.

the boats. He was soon met by the soldiers of Borrough-

clifFe, deprived of their arms, it is true, but unguarded, and
returning peacefully to their quarters. The mind of the
Pilot, happily for the liberty of these men, was too much
absorbed in his peculiar reflections, to note this act of
Grifl[ith's generosity, nor did he arouse from his musing
until his steps were arrested by suddenly encountering i
human figure in the pathway. A light tap on his shouldei
was the first mark of recognition he received, when Bor-
roughclifie, who stood before him, said —

'' It is evident, sir, from what has passed this evening,
that you are not what you seem. You may be some rebel
admiral or general, for aught that I know, the right to
command having been strangely contested among ye this
night. But let who will own the chief authority, I take
the liberty of whispering in your ear that I have been
Bcurvily treated by you ; I repeat, most scurvily treated by
you all, generally, and by you in particular."

The Pilot started at this strange address, which was
uttered with all the bitterness that could be imparted to it
by a disappointed man ; but he motioned with his hand for
the captain to depart, and turned aside to pursue his own
way.

" Perhaps I am not properly understood," continued the
obstinate soldier ! " I say, sir, you have treated me scur-
vily ; and I would not be thought to say this to any gentle-'
man, without wishing to give him an opportunity to vent
his anger."

The eye of the Pilot, as he moved forward, glanced at
the pistols which BorroughclifFe held in his hands, the one
by the handle, and the other by its barrel, and the soldiep
even fancied that his footsteps were quickened by the sight.
After gazing at him until his form was lost in the darkness,
the captain muttered to himself —

" He is no more than a common pilot, after all ! No true
gentleman would have received so palpable a hint with
euch a start. Ah! here comes the party of my worthy
friend whose palate knows a grape of the north side of
Madeira from one of the south. The dog has the tbroal

THE PILOT 383

af a gentleman ; we will see how he can swallow a uelicate
allusion to his faults ! "

Borroughclitfe stepped aside to allow the marines, who
were also iu motion for the boats, ic» frass, ancr watched
with keen looks for the jjerson of the commander. Manual,
who had been previously apprised of the intention of Griffith
to release the prisoners, had halted to see that none bul
those who had been liberated by authority were marchiLg
into the country. This accidental circumstance gave
Borroughclitfe an opportunity of meeting the other at some
little distance from either of their respective parties.

" I greet you, sir," said Borroughclitfe, " with all affec-
tion. This has been a pleasant forage for you, Captaiit
Manual."

The marine was far from being disposed to wrangle, but
there was that in the voice of the other which caused him
to answer —

" It would have been far pleasanter, sir, if I had met an
opportunity of returning to Captain Borroughclitfe some of
the favors that I have received at his hands."

" Nay, then, dear sir, you weigh my modesty to the
earth ! Surely you forget the manner in which my hos-
pitality has already been requited — by some two hours
mouthing of my sword-hilt ; with a very unceremonious
ricochet into a corner ; together with a love-tap over the
Bhoulders of one of my men, by so gentle an instrument aa
the butt of a musket ! Damme, sir, but I think an ungrate-
ful man only a better sort of beast."

" Had the love-tap been given to the officer instead of the
man," returned Manual, with all commendable coolness, " it
would have been better justice; and the ramrod might
.»ave answered as well as the butt, to Hoor a gentlemaa
who carried the allowance of four thirsty fiddlers under oao
man's jacket."

** Now that is rank ingratitude to your own cordial of
tlie south aide, and a most biting insult ! I really see but
one way of terminating this wordy war, which, if not di»«
erectly ended, may lead us far into the morning."

** Elect your own manner of determining the dispute, sir i

884 THE PILOT.

I hope, however, it will not be by your innate knowledge
of mankind, which has already mistaken a captain of ma-
rines in the service of Congress, for a runaway lover, bound
to some green place or other."

" You might just as well tweak my nose, sir ! " said
Borroughcliffe. " Indeed, I think it would be the milder
reproach of the two ! will you make your selection of these,
dir ? They were loaded for a very different sort of service,
but I doubt not will answer on occasion."

" I am provided with a pair, that are charged for any
Bervice," returned Manual, drawing a pistol from his own
belt, and stepping backward a few paces.

" You are destined for America, I know," said Borrough-
cliife, who stood his ground with consummate coolness ;
" but it would be more convenient for me, sir, if you could
delay your march for a single moment."

" Fu-e and defend yourself ! " exclaimed Manual, furi-
ously, retracing his steps towards his enemy.

The sounds of the two pistols were blended in one re-
port, and the soldiers of Borroughcliffe and the marines all
rushed to the place on the sudden alarm. Had the former
been provided with arms, it is probable that a bloody fray
would have been the consequence of the sight that both
parties beheld on arriving at the spot, which they did
simultaneously. Manual lay on his back, without any
signs of life, and Borroughcliffe had changed his cool,
haughty, upright attitude for a recumbent posture, which
was somewhat between lying and sitting.

" Is the poor fellow actually expended ? " said the Eng-
lishman, in something like the tones of regret ; " well, he
had a soldier's mettle in him, and was nearly as great a fool
Rs myself!"

The marines had, luckily for the soldiers and their cap-
tain, by this time discovered the signs of life in their own
commander, who had been only slightly stunned by the
bullet, which had grazed his crown, and who, being assisted
on his feet, stood a minute or two rubbing his head, as if
awakiug from a dream. As Manual came gradually to his
•enses, he recollected the business in which he had juai

THE PILOT. 385

been engaged, and, in his turn, inquired after the fate of hia
antagonist.

"I am here, my wortliy incognito," cried the other, with
the voice of perfect good nature ; " lying in the lap of
mother Earth, and all the better for opening a vein or two
in my right leg ; though I do think that the same effect
might have been produced without treating the bone so
roughly ! But I opine that I saw you also reclining on th«
bosom of our common ancestor."

" I was down for a few minutes, I do believe," returned
Manual ; " there is the path of a bullet across my scaip."

" Humph ! on the head ! " said BorroughclifFe, dryly, " the
hur . is not likely to be mortal, I see. "Well, I shall offer
to raffle with the first poor devil I can find that has but
one good leg, for who shall have both ; and that will just
set up a beggar and a gentleman ! Manual, give me
your hand ; we have drunk together, and we have fought
surely there is nothing now to prevent our being sworn
friends."

" Wliy," returned Manual, continuing to rub his head,
" I see no irremovable objections — but you will want a
surgeon ? can I order anything to be done ? There go the
signals again to embark — march the fellows down at quick
time, sergeant ; my own man may remain with me, or, I
can do altogether without assistance."

" Ah ! you are what I call a well-made man, my dear
friend ! " exclaimed Borroughcliffe ; " no weak points about
your fortress ! such a man is worthy to be the head of a
whole corps, instead of a solitary company. Gently, gently ;
handle me as if I were made of potter's clay. I will not
detain you longer, my fi'iend Manual, for I hear signal after
signal ; they must be in want of some of your astonisliing
reasoning faculties to set them afloat."

Manual might have been offended at the palpable allia
sions that his new friend made to the firmness of his occiput
had not his perception of things been a little confused by &
humming sound that seemed to abide near the region of
thought. As it was, he reciprocated the good wishes of the
other, whom he shook most cordi^ly by the hand, and ones
26

886 THE PILOT.

more renewed his offers of service, after exchaug' <g suLdry
friendly speeches.

" I thank you quite as much as if I v?ere not at all in
debted to you for letting blood, thereby saving i (3 a fit of
apoplexy ; but Drill has already despatched a messenger

to B for a leech, and the lad may bring r.he whole

depot down upon you. Adieu, once more, and remember
that if you ever visit England again as a friend, t^ou are to
let me see you."

" I shall do it without fail ; and I shall keep jou to your
promise if you once more put foot in America."

" Trust me for that: I shall stand in need of y/ur excel-
lent head to guide me safely among those rude foresters.
Adieu ; cease not to bear me in your thoughts."

" I shall never cease to remember you, my good friend,*
returned Manual, again scratching the member xhich was
snapping in a manner that caused him to fancy b«» heard it
Once more these worthies shook each other by the hand,
and again they renewed their promises of future intccourse ;
after which they separated like two reluctant lovers -part'
ing in a manner that would have put to shuue the *w«»d
chip of Orestes and Fylades.

THE PILOT 887

CHAPTER XXXI.

Nay, answer me: stand and unfold yoursilf

Hah l en.

During the time occupied by the incidents that occurred
after the Pilot had made his descent on the land, the Alac-
rity, now under the orders of JMr. Boltrope, the master
of the frigate, lay off and on, in readiness to receive the
successful mariners. The direction of the wind had been
gradually changing from the northeast to the south, during
the close of the day ; and long before the middle watches
of the night, the wary old seaman, who, it may be remem-
bered, had expressed, in the council of war, such a deter-
mined reluctance to trust his person within the realm of
Britain, ordered the man who steered the cutter to stand in
boldly for the land. Whenever the lead told them that it
was prudent to tack, the course of the vessel was changed:
and in this manner the seamen continued to employ the
hours in patient attendance on the adventurers. The sail-
ing-master, who had spent the early years of his life as the
commander of divers vessels employed in trading, was apt,
like many men of his vocation and origin, to mistake the
absence of refinement for the surest evidence of seamanship ;
and, consequently, he held the little courtesies and punctilios
Kf a man-of-war in high disdain. His peculiar duties of
euperintending the expenditure of the ship's stores, in theii
several departments, of keeping the frigate's log-book, and
of making his daily examinations into the state of her saila
and rigging, brought him so little in collision with the
gay, lauglung, reckless young lieutenants, who superintended
the ordinary management of the vessel, tliat he might be
said to have formed a distinct species of the animal, though
eertainly of the same genus with his more polished mefl»

iJ3« THE PILOT.

mates. Whenever circumstances, however, required that
he should depart from the dull routine of his duty, he made
it a rule, as far as possible, to associate himself with sucu
of the crew as possessed habits and opinions the least at
variance with his own.

By a singular fatality, the chaplain of the frigate was, aa
respects associates, in a condition nearly assimilated to that
fi this veteran tar.

An earnest desire to ameliorate the situation of those who
were doomed to meet death on the great deep, had induced
an experienced and simple-hearted divine to accept this
stat'on, in the fond hope that he might be made the favored
instrument of salvation to many, who were then existing in
a state of the most abandoned self-forgetfulness. Neither
our limits, nor our present object, will permit the relation
of the many causes that led, not only to an entire frustra-
tion of all his visionary expectations, but to an issue which
rendered the struggle of the good divine with himself both
arduous and ominous, in order to maintain his own cla'ms
to the merited distinctions of his sacred office. The con-
sciousness of his backsliding had so far lessened the earthly,
if not the spiritual, pride of the chaplain, as to induce him
to relish the society of the rude master, whose years had
brought him, at times, to take certain views of futurity,
that were singularly affected by the peculiar character of
the individual. It might have been that both found them-
uelves out of their places — but it was owing to some such
Becret sympathy, let its origin be what it would, that the
two came to be fond of each other's company. On the
night in question, Mr. Boltrope had invited the chaplain to
accompany him in the Alacrity ; adding, in his broad rough
language, that as there was to be fighting on shore, " his
aand might come in play with some poor fellow or other."
This singular invitation had been accepted, as well from a
desire to relieve the monotony of a sea life by any change,
AS perhaps with a secret yearning in the breast of the
troubled divine, to get as nigh to terra tirma as possible.
Accordingly, after the Pilot had landed with his boisterous
party, the sailug-master and the chaplain, together with »

I

THE PILOT. 389

boatswain's mate and some ten or twelve seamen, were left
in quief possession of the cutter. The first few hours of
this jjeaceable intercourse had been spent by the worthy
messmates, in the little cabin of the vessel, over a can of
grog ; the savory relish of which was much increased by a
characteristic disquisition on polemical subjects, which our
readers have great reason to regret it is not our present
humor to record. When, however, the winds invited the
near approach to the hostile shores already mentioned,, the
prudent sailing-master adjourned the discussion to another
and more suitable time, removing himself and the can, by
the same operation, to the quarter-deck.

" There," cried the honest tar, placing the wooden vessel,
with great self-contentment, by his side on the deck, " this
is ship's comfort ! There is a good deal of what I call a
lubber's fuss, parson, kept up on board a ship that shall be
nameless, but which bears, about three leagues distant,
broad off in the ocean, and which is lying to under a close-
reefed maintopsail, a foretopmast-stay-sail and foresail — T
call my hand a true one mixing a can — take another pull
at the halyards ! 'twill make your eye twinkle like a light-
house, this dark morning ! You won't ? well, we must
give no offense to the Englishman's rum." After a poteut
draught had succeeded this considerate declaration, he
added, "You are a little J ike our first lieutenant, parson,
who drinks, as I call it, nothing but the elements — which
is, water stiflfened with air."

" Mr. Griffith may indeed be said to set a wholesome
I xample to the crew," returned the chaplain, perliaps with a
blight consciousness that it had not altogether possessed ita
due weight with himself.

" Wholesome ! " cried Bol trope ; " let me tell you, my
JForthy leaf-turner, that if you call such a light diet whole- '
some, you know but little of salt water and sea fogs !
However, INIr. Griffith is a seaman ; and if he gave his mind
less to trifles and gimcracks, he would be, by the time he
got about our years, a very rational sort of a companion.
But you see, parson, just now, he thinks too much of small
follies ; such as man-of-war disciplyne. Now there if

390 THE PILOT.

rationality in giving a fresh nip to a rope, or ba looking well
at your mast, or even in crowning a cable ; but damme,
priest, if I see the use — lufF. lufF, your lubber ; don't ye see,
sir, you are steering for Garmany ! — if I see the use as I
was saying, of making a rumpus about the time when i. man
changes his shirt ; whether it be this week, or p^xt week,
or, for that matter, the week after, provided it be bi weather.
I sometimes am mawkish about attending mustv.r (and I
believe I have as little to fear on the score of behavior as
any man), lest it should be found I carried my tobacco in
the wrong cheek ! "

" I have indeed thought it somewhat troublesome to my-
self, at times ; and it is in a striking degree vexatious to the
spirit, especially when the body has been suffering under
sea-sickness."

" Why, yes, you were a little apt to bend your dud<j
wrong for the first month, or so," said the master ; " I re-
member you got the marine's scraper on your head, once, in
your hurry to bury a dead man ! Then you never looked
as if you belonged to the ship, so long as those cursed black
knee-breeches lasted ! For my part, I never saw you come
up the quarter-deck ladder, but I expected to see your shins
give way across the combing of the hatch — a man does
look like the devil, priest, scudding about a ship's decks in
that fashion, under bare poles ! But now the tailor has
found out the articles aren't seaworthy, and we have got
your lower stanchions cased in a pair of purser's slops, I
am puzzled often to tell your heels from those of a maintop-
man ! "

" I have good reason to be thankful for the change,*^
said the humbled priest, " if the resemblance you men ion
existed, while I was clad in the usual garb of on^ of my
• calling."

'-* What signifies a calling ? " returned Boltrope, catching
nis breath after a most persevering draught : " a man's shins '
are his shins, let his upper works belong to what sarvice
they may. I took an early prejudyce against knee-breeches,
perhaps from a trick I've always had of figuring the devil as
wearing them. You know, parson, we seldom hear much

THE PILOT. 891

•aid of a man, without forming some sort of an idea concern <
ing his rigging and fashion-pieces — and so, as I had no
particuhir reason to believe that Satan went naked — keep
full, ye lubber ; now you are running into the eye, and be
d cl to ye ! But as I was saying, I always took a con-
ceit that the devil wore knee-breeches and a cock-ed hat.
There's some of our young lieutenants, who come to muster
on Sundays in cocked hats, just like soldier-officers ; but,
d'ye see, I would sooner show my nose under a night-cap
than under a scraper ! "

" I hear the sound of oars ! " exclaimed the chaplain,
who, finding this image more distinct than even his own
vivid conceptions of the great father of evil, was quite will-
ing to conceal his inferiority by changing the discourse ; " is
not one of our boats returning ? "

" Aye, aye, 'tis likely ; if it had been me, I should have
been land-sick before this — wear round, boys, and stand by
to heave to on the other track."

The cutter, obedient to her helm, fell off before the
wind ; and rolling an instant in the trough of the sea, came
up again easily to her oblique position, with her head to-
wards the cliffs ; and gradually losing her way, as her saUs
were brought to counteract each other, finally became sta-
tionary. During the performance of this evolution, a boat
had hove up out of the gloom, in the direction of the land ;
and by the time the Alacrity was in a state of rest, it had
approached so nigh as to admit of hailing.

" Boat, ahoy ! " murmured Boltrope, through a trumpet,
which, aided by his lungs, produced sounds not unlike the
roaring of a bull.

" Aye, aye," was thrown back from a clear vo.ce, .hat
Bwept across the water with a fullness that needed no facti*
Uous aid to render it audible.

' " Aye, there comes one of the lieutenants with his aye,
Rj e," said Boltrope ! " pipe the side, there, you boatswain's
mate! But here's another fellow more on our quarter!
boat, ahoy ! "

'' Alacrity ! " returned another voice, in a direction dif
rtsrent from the other.

802 THE PILOT.

"Alacrity! There goes my commission of capfain ol
this craft, in a whifF," returned the sailing-master. " That
is as much as to say, here comes one who will command
when he gets on board. Well, well, it is Mr. Griffith, and
I can't say, notwithstanding his love of knee-buckles, and
small wares, but I'm glad he's out of the hands of the Er g-
lish ! Aye, here they all come upon us at once ! here if
another fellow, that pulls like the jolly-boat, coming up on
our lee-beam, within hail — let us see if he is asleep — boat,
ahoy ! "

" Flag," answered a third voice from a small, light-rowing
boat, which had approached very near the cutter, in a direct
line from the cliffs, without being observed.

" Flag ! " echoed Boltrope, dropping his trumpet in amaze-
ment ; " that's a big word to come out of a jolly-boat I Jack
Manly himself could not have spoken it with a fuller mouth ;
but I'll know who it is that carries such a weather helm,
with a Yankee man-of-war's prize ! Boat, ahoy ! I say."

This last call was uttered in those short, menacing tones,
that are intended to be understood as intimating that the
party hailing is in earnest ; and it caused the men who were
rowing, and who were now quite close to the cutter, to sus-
pend their strokes, simultaneously, as if they dreaded that
the cry would be instantly succeeded l)y some more efficient
means of ascertaining their character. The figure that was
eeated by itself in the stern of the boat started at this second
summons, and then, as if with sudden recollection, a quiet
voice replied —

" No — no."

" ' No — no,' and ' flag,' are very different answers,"
grumbled Boltrope ; " what know-nothing have we here ? "

He was yet muttering his dissatisfaction at the ignoracct'
of the individual that was approaching, whoever it might be
when the jolly-boat came slowly to their side, and the Pilot
Btepped from her stern-sheets on the decks of the prize.

" Is it you, Mr. Pilot ? " exclaimed the sailing-master
raising a battle-lantern within a foot of the other's face, and
looking with a sort of stupid wonder at the proud and angry
eye he encountered ; " is it you ! well, 1 should liave rated

THE PILOT. 398

you for a man of more experience than to aorae bodniing
down upon a man-of-war in the dark, with such a big word
in your mouth, when every boy in the two vessels knows that
we carry no swallow-tailed bunting abroad ! Fla^ ! why
you might have got a shot, had there been soldiers."

The Pilot threw him a still fiercer glance, and turning
away with a look of disgust, he walked along the quarter-
deck towards the stei-n of the vessel, with an air of haughty
silence, as if disdaining to answer. Boltrope kept his eyee
fiistened ou him for a moment longer, with some appearance
of scorn ; but the arrival of the boat first hailed, which
proved to be the barge, immediately drew his attention to
other matters. Barnstable had been rowing about in the
ocean for a long time, unable to find the cutter ; and as he
had been comj^elled to suit his own demeanor to those with
whom he was associated, he reached the Alacrity in no very
good-humored mood. Colonel Howard and his niece had
maintained, during the whole period, the most rigid silence,
the former from pride, and the latter touched with her
uncle's evident displeasure ; and Katherine, though secretly
elated with the success of all her projects, was content to
emulate their demeanor for a short time, in order to save
appearances. Barnstable had several times addressed him-
self to the latter, without receiving any other answer than
euch as was absolutely necessary to prevent the lover from
taking direct offense, at the same time that she intimated by
her manner her willingness to remain silent. Accordingly,
the lieutenant, after aiding the ladies to enter the cutter, ana
offering to jierform the same service to Colonel Howa'-d,
which was coldly declined, turned, with that sort of irritation
that is by no means less rare in vessels of war than with poor
Tuman nature generally, and gave vent to his spleen wheis
he dared.

" How's this ! Mr. Boltrope ! " he cried, " here are boata
coming alongside with ladies in them, and you keep your
{»aff swayed up till the leach of the sail is stretched like a
fiddle-string ; settle away your peak-halyards, sir, settle
away ! "

" Aye, aj e, sir "' grumbled the master " settle a'^ay that

894 THE PILOT.

peak there ; though the craft wouldn't forge ahead a knot
in a month, with all her jibs hauled over ! " He walked
Bulkily forward among the men, followed by the meek
divine ; and added, " I should as soon have expected to see
]Mr. Barnstable come off with a live ox in his boat as a
petticoat ! The Lord only knows what the shiji is coming
to next, parson ! what between cocked hats and epaulette?,
and other knee-buckle matters, she was a sort of no man's
land before ; and now, what with the women and their
band-boxes, they'll make another Noah's ark of her. 1
wonder they didn't all come aboard in a coach and six, or a
one horse shay ! "

It was a surprising relief to Barnstable to be able to give
utterance to his humor, for a few moments, by ordering the
men to make sundry alterations in every department of the
vessel, in a quick, hurried voice, that abundantly denoted,
not only the importance of his improvements, but the tem-
per in which they were dictated. In his turn, however, he
was soon compelled to give way, by the arrival of Griffith
in the heavily-rowing launch of the frigate, which was
crowded with a larger body of the seamen who had been
employed in the expedition. In this manner, boat after
boat speedQy arrived, and the whole party were once more
happily embarked in safety under their national flag.

The small cabin of the Alacrity was relinquished to
Colonel Howard and his wards, with their attendants.
The boats were dropped astern, each protected by its own
keeper; and Griffith gave forth the mandate to fill the sails
and steer broad off into the ocean. For more than an hour
the cutter held her course in this direction, gliding grace-
fully through the glittering waters, rising and settling heav-
ily on the long, smooth billows, as if conscious of the unusual
})urden that she was doomed to carry ; but at the end of
that period her head was once more brought near the wind,
and she was again held at rest, awaiting the appearance of
the dawn, in order to discover the position of the proudei
vessel on which she was performmg the humble duty of a
tender. More than a hundied and fifty living men were
Towded within her narrow limits ; and her decks presenwd

THE PILOl. 39a

in the gloom, as she moved along, the piciLie of a mass of
human heads.

As the freedom of a successful expedition was unavoida-
bly permitted, loud jokes, and louder merriment, broke op
the silent waters from the reckless seamen, while the exhila-
rating can passed from hand to hand, strange oaths and
dreadful denunciations breaking forth at times from some of
the excited crew against their enemy. At length the bustle
of reembarkiug gradually subsided, and many of the crew
descended to the hold of the cutter, in quest of room to
stretch their limbs, when a clear, manly voice was heard
rising above the deep in those strains that a seaman most
loves to hear. Air succeeded air, from different voices,
until even the spirit of harmony grew dull with fatigue,
and vei'ses began to be heard where songs were expected,
and fleeting lines succeeded stanzas. The decks were soon
covered with prostrate men, seeking their natural rest undei
the open heavens, and perhaps dreaming, as they yielded
heavily to the rolling of the vessel, of scenes of other times
in their own hemisphere. The dark glances of Katheriue
were concealed beneath her falling lids ; and even Cecilia,
with her head bowed on the shoulder of her cousin, slept
sweetly in innocence and peace. Boltrope groped his way
into the hold among the seamen, where, kicking one of the
most fortunate of the men from his berth, he established
himself in his place with all that cool indifference to the
other's comfort, that had grown with his experience, from
the time when he was treated thus cavalierly in his own
person to the present moment. In this manner head wasi
iropped after head on the planks, the guns, or on whatever
r.rst offered for a pillow, until Griffith and Barnstable alone
wore left, pacing the different sides of the quar^^er-deck in
haughty silence.

Never did a morning watch appear so long to the two
young sailors, who were thus deprived, by '-esentment and
pride, of that frank and friendly communion that had for
«o many years sweetened the tedious hours of their long
and at times dreary service. To increase the embarrass-
uent of their situation, Cecilia and Katherine. suffering from

sue THE PILOT.

the conliiiemeut of the small and crowded cabin, sought the
* purer air of the deck, about the time when the deepest
sleep had settled on the senses of the wearied mariners.
They stood, leaning against the taffrail, discoursing with
each other in low and broken sentences ; but a sort of in-
stinctive knowledge of the embarrassment which existed
between their lovers caused a guarded control over every
look or gesture which might be construed into an encour-
agement for one of the young men to advance at the
expense of the other. Twenty times, however, did the
impatient Barnstable feel tempted to throw off the awkward
restraint, and approach his mistress ; but in each instance
was he checked by the secret consciousness of error, as well
as by that habitual respect for superior rank that forms a
part of the nature of a sea-officer. On the other hand,
Griffith manifested no intention to profit by this silent con-
cession in his favor, but continued to pace the short quarter-
deck, with strides more hurried than ever ; and was seen to
throw many an impatient glance towards that quarter of
the heavens where the first signs of the lingering day might
be expected to appear. At length Katherine, with a ready
ingenuity, and perhaps with some secret coquetry, removed
the embarrassment, by speaking first, taking care to address
the lover of her cousin : —

" How long are we condemned to these limited lodgings,
Mr Griffith ? " she asked ; " truly, there is a freedom in
your nautical customs, which, to say the least, is novel to
us females, who have been accustomed to the division of
«pace ! "

" The instant that there is light to discover the frigate,
Miss Plowden," he answered, " you shall be transferred
from a vessel of an hundred, to one of twelve hundred tons
II" your situation there be less comfortable than when within
the walls of St. Ruth, you will not forget that they who
«ve on the ocean claim it as a merit to d^pise the luxuries
of the land."

" At least, sir," returned Katherine, with a sweet grace
which she well knew how to assume on occasion, " what w«
thall enjoy will be sweetened by liberty and embellishwl bj

THE PILOT. 397

t. sailor's hospitality. To me, Cicely, the air of this open
sea is as fresh and invigorating as if it were wafted from
our own distant America ! "

" If you have not the arm of a patriot, you at least pos-
sess a most loyal imagination, Miss Plowden," said Griffith
laughing ; " this soft breeze blows in the direction of the
fens of Holland, instead of the broad plains of America.
Thank God, there come the signs of day, at last ! unless
the currents have swept the ship far to the north, we shall
surely see her with the light."

This cheering intelligence drew the eyes of the fair
cousins towards the east, where their delighted looks were
long fastened, while they watched the glories of the sun
rising over the water. As the morning had advanced, a
deeper gloom was spread across* the ocean, and the stars
were gleaming in the heavens like balls of twinkling fire.
But now a streak of pale light showed itself along the hori-
zon, growing brighter, and widening at each moment, until
long fleecy clouds became visible, where nothing had been
seen before but the dim base of the arch that overhung the
dark waters. This expanding light, which, in appearance,
might be compared to a silvery opening in the heavens, was
won tinged with a pale flush, which quickened with sudden
transitions into glows yet deeper, until a belt of broad flame
bounded the water, ditfusing itself more faintly towards the
zenith, where it melted into the pearl-colored sky, or played
on the fantastic volumes of a few light clouds with incon
Btant glimmering. While these beautiful transitions wer?
Btill before the eyes of the youthful admirers of their beau-
ties, a voice was heard above them, crying as if from the
heavens —

" Sail ho ! The frigate lies broad off to seaward, sir ! "

" Aye, aye ; you have been watch'ng with one eye asleep,

feliow," returned Griffith, " or we should have heard you

before ! Look a little north of the place where the glare

of the sun is coming, INIiss Plowden, and you will be able to

ee our gallant vessel."

An involuntary cry of pLasure burst from the 'ips of
Ka'henne, as she followed his directions, and first beheld

898 THE PILOT.

the frigate through the medium of the fluctuating colors cf
tLe morning. The undulating outline of the lazy ocean,
which rose and fell heavily against the bright boundary of
the heavens, was without any relief to distract the eye^as it
fed eagerly on the beauties of the solitary ship. She was
ridxng sluggishly on the long seas, with only two of her
lower and smaller sails spread, to hold her in command ;
but her tall masts and heavy yards were painted against the
fiery sky in strong lines of deep black, while even the
smallest cord in the mazes of her rigging might be distinctly
traced, stretching from spar to spar, with the beautiful accu-
racy of a picture. At moments, when her huge hull rose
on a billow, and was lifted against the background of sky,
its shape and dimensions were brought into view ; but these
transient glimpses were «oon lost, as it settled into the
trough, leaving the waving spars bowing gracefully towards
the waters, as if about to foilow the vessel into the bosom
of the deep. As a clearer light gradually stole on the
senses, the delusion of colors and distance vanished together,
and when a flood of day preceded the immediate appearance
of the sun, the ship became plainly visible within a mile of
the cutter, her black hull checkered with ports, and her
high, tapering masts exhibiting their proper proportions and
hues.

At the first cry of "' A sail ! " the crew of the Alacrity
had been aroused from their slumbers by the shrill whistle
0^ the boatswain, and long before the admiring looks of the
<wo cousins had ceased to dwell on the fascinating sight of
morning chasing night from the hemisphere, the cutter was
again in motion to join her consort. It seemed but a
moment before their little vessel was in what the timid
females thought a dangerous proximity to the frigate, under
whose lee she slowly passed, in order to admit of the follow-
ing,dialogue between Griffith and his aged commander: —

" I rejoice to see you, Mr. Grittith ! " cried the cajitaiu,
who stood in the channel of his ship, waving his hat in the
way of cordial greeting. "You are welcome back. Captain
Maimal ; welcome, welcome, all of you, ray boys ! as wel
Bome as a nreeze hi the calm latitudes." As his eye, bow

THE PILOT. 399

erer, passed along the deck of the Alacrity, it encoai, tered
the shrinking figures of Cecilia and Katherir.e ; and a dark
shade of displeasure crossed his decent features, wliile he
added, " How's this, gentlemen ? The frigate of Congresa
is neither a ball-room, nor a church, that is to be througfe<l
with women ! "

" Aye, aye," muttered Boltrope to his friend the chaplain,
" now the old man has hauled out his iiizzen, you'll see him
carry a weather helm ! He wakes up about as often as the
trades shift their points, and that's once in six months. Bui
when ihere has been a neap-tide in his temper for any time,
you're sure to find it followed by a flood with a vengeance.
Let us hear what the first lieutenant can say in favor of his
petticoat quality ! "

The blushing sky had not exhibited a more fiery glow
than gleamed in the fine fiice of Griffith for a moment ; but
struggling with his disgust, he answered with bitter empha-
pis —

" 'Twas the pleasure of Mr. Gray, sir, to bring off the
prisoners."

" Of Mr. Gray ! " repeated the captain, instantly losing
every trace of disjileasure in an air of acquiescence.
" Come-to, sir, on the same tack with the ship, and I will
hasten to order the accommodation-ladder rigged, to receive
our guests ! "

Boltrope listened to this sudden alteration in the larguage
of his commander with sufficient wonder ; nor was it until
he had shaken his head repeatedly, with the manner of one
who saw deeper than his neighbors into a mystery, that he
found leisure to observe —

" Now, parson, I suppose if you held an almanac in your
fist, you'd think you could tell which way we shall have the
wind to-morrow ! but damn me, priest, if better ca'culatora
than you haven't failed ! Because a lubberly — no, he's a
■.horough seaman, I'll say that for the fellow ! — because a
pilot chooses to say, ' Bring me off these here women,' the
fchip is to be so cluttered with she-cattle, that a man w^ill be
obligated to spend half his time in making his manners
Now mind what I tell you, priest, this very frolic will cost

400 THE PILOT.

Coiigi'ess the price of a year's wages for an able-bodiei^ sea-
man, in bunting and canvas for screens ; besides the wear
ind tear of running-gear in shortening sail, in order that
the women need not be 'stericky in squalls ! "

The jjresence of ]^Ir. Boltrope being required to take
charge of the cutter, the divine was denied an opportunity
of dissenting from the opinions of his rough companion ; for
the loveliness of thAr novel shipmates had not failed to
plead loudly in their favor with every man in the cutter
whose habits and ideas had not become rigidly set in
obstinacy.

By the time the Alacrity was hove-to, with her head
towards the frigate, the long line of boats that she had been
towing during the latter part of the night, were brought to
her side, and filled with men. A wild scene of unbridled
merriment and gayety succeeded, while the seamen were
exchanging the confinement of the j^rize for their accus-
tomed lodgings in the ship, during which the reins of disci-
pline were slightly relaxed. Loud laughter was echoed from
boat to boat, as they glided by each other ; and rude jests,
interlarded with quaint humors and strange oaths, were
freely bandied from mouth to mouth. The noise, however,
soon ceased, and the passage of Colonel Howard and his
wards was then effected with less precipitancy and due
decorum. Captain Munson, who had been holding a secret
dialogue with Griffith and the Pilot, received his unexpected
guests with plain hospitality, but with an evident desire to
be civil. He politely yielded to their service his two con'
venient state-rooms, and invited them to partake, in oonuooa
with liiinself, of the comforts of the great cabin.

THE PILOT. 401

CHAPTER XXXin.

Furious press the hostile squadron,

Furious he repels their rat;e,
Loss of blood at length enfeebles ;

Who can war with thousands wage ?

Spanish VVab Soao.

We cannot detain the narrative, to detail the scenes
which busy wonder, aided by the relation of divers marvel-
ous feats, produced among the curious seamen who re-
mained in the ship, and their more fortunate felIowi< who
had returned in glory from an expedition to the land.
For nearly an hour the turbulence of a general movement
was heard, issuing from the deep recesses of the frigate, and
the boisterous sounds of hoarse merriment were listened to
by the officers in indulgent silence ; but all these symptoms
of unbridled humor ceased by the time the morning repast
was ended, when the regular sea-wutch was set, and tho
greater portion of those whose duty did not require their
presence on the vessel's deck, availed themselves of the
opportunity to repair the loss of sleep sustained in the
preceding night. Still no preparations were made to put
the ship in motion, though long and earnest consultations,
which were supposed to relate to their future destiny, were
observed by the younger officers to be held between their
captain, the first lieutenant, and the mysterious Pilot. The
latter threw many an anxious glance along the eastern
horizon, searching it minutely with his glass, and then
would turn his impatient looks at the low, dense bank of
fog, which, stretching across the ocean like a barrier of
cloud, entirely intercepted the view towards the south. To
the north and along the land the air was clear, and the sea
without spot of any kind ; but in the east a small white sail
had been discovered since the opening of day, which wa«

26

402 THE PILOT.

gradually rising above the water, and assuming the appear
Buce of a vessel of some size. Every officer on the quar ■
ter-deck in his turn had examined this digi^ant sail, and had
ventured an opinion on its destination and character ; and
even Katherine, who with her cousin was enjoying, in the
open air, the novel beauties of the ocean, had been tempted
to place her sparkling eye to a glass, to gaze at the stranger

" It is a collier," Griffith said, " who has hauled from the
land in the late gale, and who is luffing up to his courv
igain. If the wind holds here in the south, and he does
not get into that fog-bank, we can stand off for him and get
a sup2:)ly of fuel before eight bells are struck."

" I think his head is to the northward, and that he is
steering off the wind," returned the Pilot, in a musing
manner. " If that Dillon succeeded in getting his express
far enough along the coast, the alarm has been spread, and
we must be wary. The convoy of the Baltic trade is in
the North Sea, and news of our presence could easily have
been taken off to it by some of the cutters that line tha
coast. I could wish to get the ship as far south as the
Helder ! "

" Then we lose this weather tide ! " exclaimed the im-
patient Griffith ; " surely we have the cutter as a look-out !
besides, by beating into the fog, we shall lose the enemy,
if enemy it be, and it is thought meet for an American
frigate to skulk from her foes ! "

The scornful expression that kindled the eye of the Pilot,
like a gleam of sunshine lighting for an instant some dark
dell and laying bare its secrets, was soon lost in the usually
quiet look of his glance, though he hesitated, like one who
was struggling with his passions, before he answered —

" K prudence and the service of the States require it,
even this pro-zi frigate must retreat and hide from the
meanest of her enemies. My advice, Captain Munson, is.
that you. make sail, and beat the ship to windward, as Mr
Griffith has suggested, and that you order the cutter to jire-
cede us keeping more in with the land."

The aged seaman, who evidently susj^ended his orders
inly to receive an intimation of the other's pleasure, imme-

THE PILOT. 403

diately commanded his youthful assistant to issue the
necessary mandates to put these measures in force. Ac
cordingly, the Alacrity, which vessel had been left uuder
the command of the junior lieutenant of the frigate, waa
quickly under way ; and, making short stretches to wind-
ward, she soon entered the bank of fog, and was lost to the
eye. In the mean time the canvas of the ship was loos-
ened, and spread leisurely, in order not to disturb the
portion of the crew who were sleepmg ; and, following her
little consort, she moved heavily through the water, bearing
up against the duU breeze.

The quiet of regular duty had succeeded to the bustle of
making sail ; and, as the rays of the sun fell less obliquely
on the distant land, Katherine and Cecilia were amusmg
Griffith by vain attempts to point out the rounded emi-
nences which they fancied lay in the vicinity of the deserted
mansion of St. Ruth. Barnstable, who had resumed hia
former station in the frigate, as her second lieutenant, was
pacing the opposite side of the quarter-deck, holding under
his arm the speaking-trumpet, which denoted that he held
the temporary control of the motions of the shi]}, and
inwardly cursing the restraint that kept him from the side
of his mistress. At this moment of universal quiet, when
nothing above low dialogues interrupted the dashing of the
waves as they were thrown lazily aside by the bows of the
vessel, the report of a light cannon burst out of the barrier
of fog, and rolled by them on the breeze, apparently vibrat-
ing with the rising and sinking of the waters.

" There goes the cutter ! " exclaimed Griffith, the instant
the sound was heard.

" Surely," said the captain, " Somers is not so indiscreet
as to scale his guns, after the caution he has received ! "

'' No idle scaling of guns is intended there," said the Pilot,
Btraining his eyes to pierce the fog, but soon turning away
in disappointment at his inability to succeed, " that gun it
shotted-, and has been fired in the hurry of a sudden signal !
oan your look-outs see nothing, Mr. Barnstable ? "

The lieutenant of the watch hailed the man aloft, and
domauded if anything wf>r« visible in the direr 'ion of the

404 THE PILOT.

wind, and received for answer, that the fog itteicepted the
view in that quarter of the heavens, but that the sail in tlie
east was a ship, running large, or before the wind. The
Pilot shook his head doubtingly at this information, but
still he manifested a strong re'uctance to relinquish th€
attempt of getting more to the southward. Again he com*
inuned with the commander of the frigate, apart from all
other ears ; and while they yet deliberated, a second report
was heard, leaving no doubt that the Alacrity was firing
signal -guns for their particular attention.

" Perhaps," said Griffith, " he wishes to point out hia
position, or to ascertain ours ; believing that we are lost
like himself in the mist."

" We have our compasses ! " returned the doubting
captain ; " Somers has a meaning in what he says ! "

" See ! " cried Katherine, with girlish delight, " see, my
cousin ! see, Barnstable ! how beautifidly that vapor is
wreathing itself in clouds above the smoky line of fog !
It stretches already into the very heavens like a lofty
pyramid ! "

Barnstable sprang lightly on a gun, as he repeated her
words —

" Pyramids of fog ! and wreathing clouds ! By Heaven ! "
he shouted, " 'tis a tall ship ! Royals, skysails, and stud-
ding-sails all abroad ! She is within a mile of us, and
comes down like a race-horse, with a spanking-breeze, dead
before it ! Now know we why Somers is speaking in the
mist!"

" Aye," cried Griffith, " and there goes the Alacrity, just
breaking out of the fog, hovering in for the land ! "

" There is a mighty hull under all that cloud of canvas,
Captain Munson," said the observant but calm Pilot ; " it
-g time, gentlemen, to edge away to leeward."

" What, before we know from whom we run ! " cried
Griffith ; " my life on it, there is no single ship King
George owns, but would tire of the sport before she had
played a full 'game of bowls with " —

The haughty air of the young man was daunted by th«
levere lock he encountered in the eye of the Pilot, and hu

THE PILOT. 405

Btiddenlj ceased, though inwardly chalTtig with iuipatient
pride.

" The same eye that ietected the canvas above the fog,
might have seen the flag of a vice-admiral fluttering still
nearer the heavens," returned the collected stranger ; " and
England, faulty as she may be, is yet too generous to place
% flag-officer in time of war in command of a fiigate, or a
captain in command of a fleet. She knows the value of
those who shed their blood in her behalf, and it is thus that
she is so well served ! Believe me. Captain Muuson, thera
is nothing short of a ship of the line under that symbol of
rank, and that broad show of canvas ! "

" We shall see, sir, we shall see," returned the old officer,
whose manner grew decided, as the danger appeared to
thicken ; " beat to quarters, Mr. Griffith, for we have none
but enemies to exjiect on this coast."

The order was instantly issued, when Griffith remarked,
with a more temperate zeal —

" If Mr. Gray be right, we shall have reason to thank
God that we are so light of heel ! "

The cry of " a strange vessel close aboard the frigate,"
having already flown down the hatches, the ship was in an
uproar at the first tap of the drum. The seamen threw
themselves from their hammocks, and lashing them rapidly
into long, hard bundles, they rushed to the decks, where
they were dexterously stowed in the netting, to aid the
defenses of the upper part of the vessel. While this tu-
multuous scene was exhibiting, Griffith gave a secret order
to Merry, who disappeared, leading his trembling cousins to
a place of safety in the inmost depths of the ship.

The guns were cleared of their lumber, and loosened
The bulk-heads were knocked down, and the cabin relieved
of its furniture ; and the gun-deck exhibited one unbroken
line of formidable cannon, arranged in all the order of a
aaval battery ready to engage. Arm-chests were thrown
open, and the decks strewed with pikes, cutlasses, pistols,
*nd all the various weapons for boarding. In short, the
yards were slung, and every other arrangement was made
"Kith a readiness and dexterity that were actually wonder

406 THE PILOT.

fill, though all was performed amid an appearance of disop
der and confusion that rendered the ship another Babel
during the continuance of the preparations. In a very few
minutes everything was completed, and even the voices of
the men ceased to be heard answering to their names, a"*
they were mustered at their stations, by their respective
officers. Gradually the ship became as quiet as the grave j
Und when even Griffith or his commander found it neces*
lary to speak, their voices were calmer, and their tones
more mild than usual. The course of the vessel was
changed to an oblique line from that in which their enemy
was approaching, though the ajjpearance of flight was to be
studiously avoided to the last moment. When nothing
further remained to be done, every eye became fixed on
the enormous pile of swelling canvas that was rising, in
cloud over cloud, far above the fog, and which was mani-
festly moving, like driving vapor, swiftly to the north.
Presently the dull, smoky boundai-y of the mist which rested
on the water was pushed aside in vast volumes, and the
long taper spars that projected from the bowsprit of the
Btrange ship issued from the obscurity, and were quickly
followed by the whole of the enormous fabric to which they
were merely light appendages. For a moment, streaks of
reluctant vapor clung to the huge floating pile ; but they
were soon shaken off by the rapid vessel, and the whole of
her black hull became distinct to the eye.

" One, two, three rows of teeth ! " said Boltrope, deliber-
ately counting the tiers of guns that bristled along the sides
of the enemy ; " a three-decker ! Jack Manly would show
bis stern to such a fellow ! and even the bloody Scotch-
man would run ! "

" Hard up with your helm, quartermaster ! " cried Cap-
tain Munson ; " there is indeed no time to hesitate, with
Buch an enemy within a quarter of a mile ! Turn the hands
op, Mr. Griffith, and pack on the ship from her trucks to
her lower studding-sail booms. Be stirring, sir, be stirring !
Hard up with your helm ! Hard up, and be damned to
Vou ! "

The unusual earnestness of their aged commander acted

THE PILOT. 4)7

an the startled crew like a voice from li. 3 detp, ani they
waiter! not for the usual signals of the boatswain and drum-
mer to be given, before they broke away from their guus,
and rushed turaultuously to aid in spreading the desiiei'
canvas. There was one minute of ominous confusion, that
to an inexperienced eye would have foreboded the destruc-
tion of all order in the vessel, during which every hand^
and each tongue, seemed in motion ; but it ended in cpen •
Ing the immense folds of light duck which were displayed
along the whole line of the masts, far beyond the ordinary
sails, overshadowing the waters for a great distance, OE
either side of the vessel. During the moment of inaction
that succeeded this sudden exertion, the breeze, which had
brought up the three-decker, fell fresher on the sails of the
frigate, and she started away from her dangerous enemy
with a very perceptible advantage in point of sailing.

" The fog rises ! " cried Gritfith ; " give us but the wind
for an hour, and we shall run her out of gunshot ! "

" These nineties are very fast off the wind," returned the
captain, in a low tone, that was intended only for the ears
»f his first lieutenant and the Pilot ; " and we shall have a
struggle for it."

The quick eye of the stranger was glancing over the
movements of his enemy, while he answered —

" He finds we have the heels of him already ! he is mak-
.iig ready, and we shall be fortunate to escape a broadside !
Let her yaw a little, Mr. Griffith ; touch her lightly with
the helm ; if we are raked, sir, we are lost ! "

The captain sprang on the taffrail of his ship \vith the
activity of a younger man, and in an instant he perceived
the truth of the other's conjecture.

Both vessels now "an for a few minutes, keenly watching
each other's motion? like two skillful combatants ; the Eng-
lish ship making ght deviations from the line of her
course, and then, as her movements were anticipated by
<.l.>e other, turning as cautiously in the opposite direction,
until a sudden and wJde sweep of her huge bows told the
Americans plainly on which tack to expect her. Captain
Munson made a s'lent but impressive gesture with his arm.

408 THE PILOT.

as if the crisis were too important for speech, which indi-
cated to the watchful Griffith the way he wished the frigate
gheered, to avoid the weight of the impending danger. Both
vessels whirled swiftly up to the wind, with their heads to-
wards the land ; and as the huge black side of the three*
decker checkered with its triple batteries, frowned full upon
her foC; it belched forth a flood of fire and smoke, accom-
panied by a bellowing roar that mocked the surly meanings
of the sleeping ocean. The nerves of the bravest man in
the fi-igate contracted their fibrei, as the hurricane of iron
hurtled by them, and each eye appeared to gaze in stupid
wonder, as if tracing the flight of the swift engines of de-
struction. But the voice of Captain Munson was heard in
the din, shouting while he waved his hat earnestly in the
required direction —

" Meet her ! meet her with the helm, boy ! meet her, Mr.
Griffith, meet her ! "

Griffith had so far anticipated this movement, as to have
already ordered the head of the frigate to be turned in its
former course, when, struck by the unearthly cry of the last
tones uttered by his commander, he bent his head, and
beheld the venerable seaman driven through the air, his hat
Btill waving, his gray hair floating in the wind, and his eye
Bet in the wUd look of death.

" Great God ! " exclaimed the young man, rushing to the
6ide of the ship, where he was just in time to see the lifeless
body disappear in the waters that were dyed in its blood ;
" he has been struck by a shot ! Lower-away the boat,
lower-away the jolly-boat, the barge, the tiger, the " —

" 'Tis useless," interrupted the calm deep voice of the
PUot ; " he has met a warrior's end, and he sleeps in a
Bailor's grave ! The ship is getting before the wind agam,
and the enemy is keeping his vessel away."

The youthful lieutenant was recalled by these words to
his duty, and reluctantly turned his eyes away from the
bloody spot on the waters, which the busy frigate had already
passed, to resume the command of the vessel with a forced
composure.

*' lie has cut some or our running gear," said the master

THE PILOT. 409

whose eye had never ceased to dwell on the spars and
rigging of the ship ; " and there's a splinter out of the
main-topmast, that is big enough for a fid ! He has let
daylight through some of our canvas too ; but, taking it
by-and-large, the squall has gone over and little harm done.
Didn't I hear something said of Captain Munscn getting
jammed by a shot ? "

" He is killed ! " said Griffith, speaking in a voice that
was yet husky with horror ; " he is dead, sir, and carried
overboard ; there is more need that we forget not ourselves,
in this crisis."

" Dead ! " said Boltrope, suspending the operation of hja
active jaws for a moment, in surprise ; " and buried in a wet
jacket ! "Well, it is lucky 'tis no worse ; for damme if I did
not think every stick in the ship would have been cut out
of her ! "

With this consolatory remark on his lips, the master
walked slowly forward, continuing his oi'ders to repair the
damages with a singleness of purpose that rendered him,
however uncouth as a friend, an invaluable man in his
station.

Griffith had not yet brought his mind to the calmness
that was so essential to discharge the duties which had thus
suddenly and awfully devolved on him, when his elbow was
lightly touched by the Pilot, who had drawn closer to his
side.

" The enemy appear satisfied with the experiVnent," said
the stranger ; " and as we work the quicker of the two, he
loses too much ground to repeat it, if he be a true seaman."

" And yet as he finds we leave him so fast," returned
Griffith, " he must see that all his hopes rest in cutting us
up* aloft. I dread that he will come by tlie wind again, and
lay us under his broadside ; we should need a quarter of an
hour to rim without his range, if he were anchored ! "

" He plays a surer game ; see you not that the vessel we
made in the eastern board shows the hull of a frigate ?
'Tis past a doubt that they are of one squadron, and that
the expresses have sent them in our wake. The English
admiral has spread a broad clew Mr Griffith ; and, as he

410 THE PILOT.

gathers In his ships, he sees that his game has beor sncces*
fill."

Tlie faculties of Griffith had been too much occupied with
the hurry of the chase to look at the ocean ; but, startled at
the information of the Pilot, who spoke coolly, though like
a man sensible of the existence of approaching danger, he
took the glass from the other, and with his own eye
examined the different vessels in sight. It is certain that
the experienced officer, whose flag was flying above thf
light sails of the three-decker, saw the critical situation ol
his chase, and reasoned much in the same manner as thw
Pilot, or the fearful expedient apprehended by Griffitu
would have been adopted. Prudence, however, dictated
that he should prevent his enemy from escaping by pressing
60 closely on his rear, as to render it impossible for the
American to haul across his bows and ran into the open sea
between his own vessel and the nearest frigate of his squad-
ron. The unpracticed reader will be able to comprehend
the case better by accompanying the understanding eye of
Griffith, as it glanced from point to point, following the
whole horizon. To the west lay the land, along which the
Alacrity was urging her way industriously, with the double
purpose of keeping her consort abeam, and of avoiding a
dangerous proximity to their powerful enemy. To the east,
bearing otF the starboard bow of the American frigate, was
the vessel first seen, and which now began to exhibit the
■lostile appearance of a sliip of war, steering in a line con-
verging towards themselves, and rapidly drawing nigher ;
while far in the northeast was a vessel as yet faintly dis-
cerned, whose evolutions could not be mistaken by one who
understood the movements of nautical warfare.

" "VTe are hemmed in effectually," said Griffith, droppiBg
the glass from his eye ; " and I know not but our wisest
course would be to haul in to the land, and, cutti .g every-
thing light adrift, endeavor to pass the broadside t f the flag-
ahip."

" Provided she left a rag of canvas to do it with ! '"
returned the Pilot. " Sir, 'tis an idle hope ! She wouia
•trip your ship in ten minutes, to her plank shears. Had

THE PILOT. ill

it not been for a lu iky wave on which so many of her tihot
Btruck and glanced upward, we should have nothing to boast
of left from the fire she has already given ; we must f tand
on, and drop the three-decker as far as possible."

" But the frigates ? " said Gritlith, " what are ^ve to do
with the frigates ? "

" Fight them ! " returned the Pilot, in a low, determined
voice ; " fight them ! Yoimg man, I have borne the stars
and stripes aloft in greater straits than this, and even with
honor ! Think not that my fortune will desert me now."

" We shall have an hour of desperate battle ! "

" On that we may calculate ; but I have lived througi',
whole days of bloodshed ! You seem not one to quail at
the sight of an enemy."

" Let me proclaim your name to the men ! " said
Griffith ; " 'twill quicken their blood, and at such a moment
be a host in itself."

" They want it not," returned the Pilot, checking the
aasty zeal of the other with his hand. " I would be
unnoticed, unless I am known as becomes me. I ydl\ share
your danger, but would not rob you of a tittle of your glory.
Shoidd we come to a grapple," he continued, while a smile
of conscious pride gleamed across his face, " I will give forth
the word as a war-cry, and, believe me, these English will
t[uail before it ! "

Griffith submitted to the sti'anger's will ; and, after they
Lad deliberated further on the nature of their evolutions, he
gave his attention again to the management of the vessel.
The first object which met his eye on turning from the
Pilot was Colonel Howard, pacing the quarter-deck with a
determined brow and a haughty mien, as if already in the
enjoyment of that triumph which now seemed certain.

" 1 fear, sir," said the young man, approaching him with
icspect, " that you will soon find the deck unpleasant and
dangerous : your wards are " —

" Mention not the unworthy terii. ! " :nt€rrupted the
colonel. •' What greater pleasure can there be than to
mhale the odor of loyalty that is wafted from yonder float-
aig tower of the king And danger ! you know but little

412 THE PILOT.

of old George Howard, young man, if you think he would
for thousands miss seeing that symbol of rebellion leveleo
before the flag of his majesty."

" If that be your wish, Colonel Howard," returned Grif-
fith, biting his liji, as he looked around at the wonderin«
seamen who were listeners, " you will wait in vain ; but I
pleige you my word, that when that time arrives, you shall
be advised, and that your own hands shall do the ignoble
deed."

" Edward Griffith, why not this moment ? This is your
moment of probation — submit to the clemency of the
erown, and yield your crew to the royal mercy ! In such
a case I would remember the child of my brother Harry's
friend ; and believe me, my name is known to the ministry.
And you, misguided and ignorant abettors of rebellion !
cast aside your useless weapons, or prepare to meet the
vengeance of yonder powerful and victorious servant of
your prince."

" Fall back ! back with ye, fellows ! " cried Griffith,
fiercely, to the men who were gathering around the colonel,
with looks of sullen vengeance. " K a man of you dare
approach him, he shall be cast into the sea."

The sailors retreated at the order of their commander ;
but the elated veteran had continued to pace the deck
for many minutes before stronger interests diverted the
angry glances of the seamen to other objects.

Notwithstanding the ship of the line was slowly sinking
beneath the distant waves, and in less than an hour from
the time she had fired the broadside, no more than one of
her thr3e tiers of guns was visible from the deck of the
frigate, she yet presented an irresistible obstacle against re-
treat to the south. On the other hand, the ship first seen
^ew so nigh as to render the glass no longer necessary in
watching her movements. She proved to be a frigate,
Ibough one so materially lighter than the American, as to
bave rendered her conquest easy, had not her two consorta
continued to press on for the scene of battle with such
rapidity. During the chase, the scene had shifted from the
point opposite to St. Ruth, to the verge of those shoali

THE PILOT 413

wiie.'e cur tule commenced. As they approached the latter,
the smallest of the Eiiiilisl: sliijis drew so nigh as to render
the combat unavoidable. Gritlitli and his crew had not
heen idle in the intermediate time, but all the usual prepu
rations against the casualties of a sea-fight had been dul}
made, when the drum once more called the men to theii
quarters, and the shij) was deliberately strippec of hei -ii-
necessary sails, like a prize-fighter about to enter the arena,
casting aside the incumbrances of dress. At the inslt^int
she gave this intimation of her intention to abandon flight,
and trust the issue to the combat, the nearest English frig-
ate also took in her light canvas in token of her acceptance
of the challenge.

" lie is but a little fellow," said Griffith to the Pilot,
who hovered at his ell)OW with a sort of fatherly intertrfet in
the other's conduct of the battle, " though he carries a stout
heart."

" We must crush him at a blow," returned the stranger ;
" not a shot must be delivered until our yards are lock-
ing."

" I see him training his twelves upon us already ; we
may soon expect his fire."

" After standing the brunt of a ninety-gun ship," ob-
served the collected Pilot, " we shall not shrink from the
broadside of a two-and-thirty."

" Stand to your guns, men ! " cried Griffith, through his
trumpet ; " not a shot is to be fired without the order."

This caution, so necessary to check the ardor of the sea-
men, was hardly uttered, before their enemy became
wrapped in sheets of fire and volumes of smoke, as gun
after gun hurled its iron missiles at their vessel in quick
Buccession. Ten minutes might have passed, the two ves-
sels sheering close to each other every foot they advanced,
during which time the crew of the American were com*
pelled, by their commander, to suffer the fire of the'" adver*
Bary, without returning a shot. This short period, wnicb
seemed an age to the seamf'n, was liistinguished in theii
vessel by deop srlence. Even the wounded and dying, who
fell in every ptiit cf the ship, stifled their groans, under the

414 THE PILOT.

influence of tte severe discipline, which gave a character to
every man, and each movement of the vessel ; and thoM
officers who were required to speak, were heard only in the
lowest tones of resolute preparation. At length the ship
Blowly entered the skirts of the smoke that enveloped their
enemy ; and Griffith heard the man who stood at his side
whisper the word " Now."

" Let them have it ! " cried Griffith, in a voice that was
heard in the remotest parts of the ship.

The shout that burst from the seamen appeared to lift
the decks of the vessel, and the affi'ighted frigate trembled
like an aspen with the recoil of her own massive artillery,
that shot forth a single sheet of flame, the sailors having
disregarded, in their impatience, the usual order of firing.
The effect of the broadside on the enemy was still more
dreadful ; for a deathlike silence succeeded to the roar
of guns, which was only broken by the shrieks and exe-
crations that burst from her, like the moanings of the
damned. During the few moments in which the Ameri-
cans were again loading their cannon, and the English were
recovering from their confusion, the vessel of the former
moved slowly past her antagonist, and was already doubling
across her bows, when the latter was suddenly, and, consid-
ering the inequality of their forces, it may be added desper-
ately, headed into her enemy. The two frigates grappled.
The sudden and furious charge made by the Englishman, as
he threw his masses of daring seamen along his bowsprit,
and out of his channels, had nearly taken Griffith by sur-
prise ; but Manual, who had delivered his first fire with the
broadside, now did good service, by ordering his men to
beat back the intruders, by a steady and continued dis-
charge. Even the wary Pilot lost sight of their other foes,
In the high daring of that moment, and smiles of stern
pleasure were exchanged between him and Griffith as both
comprehended, at a glance, their advantages.

" Lash his bowsprit to our mizzen-mast," shouted the lieu-
*nant, " and we will sweep his decks as he lies ! "

Twenty men sprang eagerly forward to execute the
order, am^ng the foremost of whom were Boltrope and tho
itranger.

THE PILOT 415

** Aye, now he's our own ! " cried the busy master, *' and
we will take an owner's liberties with him, and break him
np — for by the eternal " —

" Peace, rude man," said the Pilot, in a voice of soleiria
remonstrance ; " at the next instant you may face your
God ; mock not his awful nafbe ! "

The master found time, before he threw himself from the
Bpar on the deck of the frigate again, to cast a look of
amazement at his companion, who, with a steady mien, but
with an eye that lighted with a warrior's ardor, viewed the
battle that raged around him, like one who marked its prog-
ress to control the result.

The sight of the Englishmen rushing onward with shouts
and bitter menaces, warmed the blood of Colonel Howard,
who pressed to the side of the frigate, and encouraged his
friends by his gestures and voice, to come on.

" Away with ye, old croaker ! " cried the master, seizing
him by tlie collar ; " away with ye to the hold, or I'll order
you fired from a gim."

" Down with your arms, rebellious dog ! " shouted the
colonel, carried beyond himself by the ardor of the fray ,
" down to the dust, and implore the mercy of your injured
prince ! "

Invigorated by a momentary glow, the veteran grappled
with his brawny antagonist ; but the issue of the short
struggle was yet suspended, when the English, driven back
by the fire of the marines, and the menacing front that
Griffith with his boarders presented, retreated to the forecas-
tle of their own ship, and attempted to return the deadly
blows they were receiving, in their hull, from the cannon
that Barnstable directed. A solitary gun was all they coiud
bring to bear on th« Americans ; but this, loaded with can-
ister, was fired so near as to send its glaring flame into the
very faces of their enemies. The struggling colonel, who
was already sinking beneath the arm of his foe, felt the
rough grasp loosen from his throat at the .lash, and the
two combitants sunk powerless on their knees, facing each
other.

" How now, bro'iher " exclcimed Boltrope, with a smilt

i1t> THE PILOT.

of grim iierceness ; " some of that grist has gone to jom
mUl, ha ! "

No answer could, however, be given before the yielding
forms of both fell to the deck, where they lay helpless, amid
the din of the battle and the wild confusion of the eager
combatants.

Notwithstanding the furious struggle they had witnessed,
the elements did not cease their functions ; and, urged by
the breeze, and lifted irresistibly on a wave, the American
ship was forced through the water still further across the
bows of her enemy. The idle fastenings of hemp and iron
were snapped asunder like strings of tow, and Griffith saw
his own ship borne away from the Englishman at the
instant that the bowsprit of the latter was torn from its
lashings, and tumbled into the sea, followed by spar after
spar, until nothing of all her proud tackling was remaining,
but the few parted and useless ropes that were left dan-
gling along the stumps of her lower masts. As his own
stately vessel moved fi-om the confusion she had caused, and
left the dense cloud of smoke in which her helpless an-
tagonist lay, the eye of the young man glanced anxiously
towards the horizon, where he now remembered he had
more foes to contend against.

" We have shaken off the thirty-two most happily ! " he
said to the Pilot, who followed his motions with singular
interest ; " but here is another fellow sheering in for us,
who shows as many ports as ourselves, and who appears
inclined for a closer interview ; besides, the hull of the
ninety is rising again, and I fear she will be down but too
won ! "

" We must keep the use of our braces and sails," returned
the Pilot, " and on no account close with the other frigate ;
we must play a double game, sir, and fight this new ad-
versary with our heels as well as with our guns."

" 'Tis time then that we were busy, for he is shortening
sail, and as he nears so f:xst, we may expect to hear froDC
bim every minute ; what do you propose, sir ? "

" f<et him gather in his canvas," returned the Pilot
'* and when he thinks himself snus, we can thro^v out a

THE PILOT. 411

hundred men at once upon our yards, and spread every-
thing alow and aloft ; we may then draw ahead of him by
8urpri.ae ; if we can once get him in om* wake, I have no
fears of dropping them all."

" A stern chase is a long chase," cried Griffith, " and the
thing niay do ! Clear up the decks, here, and carry down
the wmnded ; end, as we have our hands full, the poor
fellovyn who have done with us must go overboard at cnce.*^

This melancholy duty was instantly attended to, while
the young seaman who commanded the frigate returned to
his duty, with the absorbed air of one who felt its high
responsibility. These occupations, however, did not prevenv
his hearing the sounds of Barnstable's voice calling eagerly
to young Merry. Bending his head towards the sound,
Griffith beheld his friend, looking anxiously up the main
hatch, with a face grimed with smoke, his coat off, and liis
shirt bespattered with human blood. " Tell me, boy," he
said, " is Mr. Griffith untouched ? They say that a shot
came in upon the quarter-deck that tripped up the heels of
balf a dozen."

Before TVIerry could answer, the eyes of Barnstable,
which even while he spoke were scanning the state of the
vessel's rigging, encountered the kind looks of Griffith, and
from that moment perfect harmony was restored between
the friends.

" Ah ! you are there, GrifF, and with a whole skin, I
see," cried Barnstable, smiling with pleasure ; " they have
passed poor Boltrope down into one of his own store-
rooms ! If that fellow's bowsprit had held on ten minutes
longer, what a m?rk 1 should have made on his face and
eyes ! "

" 'Tis perhaps t)est as it is," returned Griffith ; " but
nhat have you done with those whom we are most bouufi
VX3 protect ? "

Baruolable made a significant gesture towards the deptha
»t the vessel, as he answered —

*' On the cables ; safe as wood, iron, and water can keep
them — though Katherine has had her head up three time»
^" —

27

418 THE PILOT.

A summons from the Pilot drew Griffith away ; and tQ«
young officers were compelled to forget their individua;
feelings, in the pressing duties of their stations.

The ship which the American frigate had now to oppose
was a vessel of near her own size and equipage ; and when
Griffith looked at her again, he perceived that she had
matle her preparations to assert her equality in manful fight.

Her sails had been gradually reduced to the usual
quantity, and, by certain movements on her decks, the
lieutenant and his constant attendant, the Pilot, well under-
stood that she only wanted to lessen her distance a few
hundred yards to begin the action.

" Now spread everything," whispered the stranger.

Griffith applied the trumpet to his mouth, and shouted in
a voice that was carried even to his enemy, " Let fall — out
with your booms — sheet home — hoist away of every-
thmg ! "

The inspiring cry was answered by a universal bustle ;
fifty men flew out on the dizzy heights of the different
spars, while broad sheets of canvas rose as suddenly along
the masts, as if some mighty bird were spreadin* its wings.
The Englishman instantly perceived his mistake, and he
answered the artifice by a roar of artillery. Griffith
watched the effects of the broadside with an absorbing
interest, as the shot whistled above his head ; but when he
perceived his masts untouched, and the few unimportant
ropes only that were cut, he replied to the uproar with a
burst of pleasure. A few men were, however, seen cling-
ipg with wild frenzy to the cordage, dropping from rope to
Dpe like wounded birds fluttering through a tree, until tlioy
tell heavily into the ocean, the sullen ship sweeping by thf.m
in cold indifference. At the next instant the spars and
Basts of their enemy exhibited a display of men similar to
their own, when Griffith again placed the trum2:)et to hi.-
mouth, and shouted aloud —

" Give it to them ; drive them from their yards, boys
scatter them with your grape — unreeve their rigging!"

The crew of tbs. American wanted but little encourage
Vtent to enter ob this experiment with hearty good w»^

THE PILOT. 419

ftad the close of his cheering words were uttered amid the
deafening roar of his own cannon. The Pilot had, however
mistaken the okill and readiness of their foe ; for, notwith-
standing the disadvantageous circumstances under which
the Englishman increased his sail, the duty was steadily and
dexterously performed.

The two ships were now running rapidly on paraile^
lineS/ hurling at each other their instruments of destruction
with furious industry, and with severe and certain loss to
both, though with no manifest advantage in favor of either.
Both Griffith and the Pilot witnessed with deep concern
this unexpected defeat of their hopes ; for they could not
conceal from themselves, that each moment lessened their
velocity through the water, as the shot of their enemy
stripped the canvas from the yards, or dashed aside the
lighter spars in their terrible progress.

" We find our equal here ! " said Griffith to the stranger.
" The ninety is heaving up again like a mountain ; and if
we contmue to shorten sail at this rate, she will soon be
down upon us ! "

" You say true, sir," returned the Pilot, musing ; " the
man shows judgment as well as spirit : but " —

He was interrupted by Merry, who rushed from the
forward part of the vessel, his whole face betokening the
eagerness of his spirit, and the importance of his intelli-
gence.

" The breakers ! " he cried, when nigh enough to be
iieard amid the din ; "we are running dead on a ripple, and
tte sea is white not two hundred yards ahead."

The Pilot jumped on a gun, and bending to catch a
glimpse through the smoke, he shouted, in those clear,
piercing tones, that could be even heard among the roaring
of the cannon, " Port, port your helm ! we are on the Devil's
Grip! pass up the trumpet, sir; port your helm, fellow j
give it them, boys — give it to the proud English dogs!
Griffith unhesitatingly relinquished the symbol of his rank,
fastening his own firm look on the calm but quick eye of
the Pilot, and gathering assurance from the high confidence
he read in the countenance of the stranger. The seamen

420 THE PILOT.

»rere too busy with their cannon and their rigging to regard
the new danger ; and the frigate entered one of the danger-
ous passes of the shoals, in the heat of a severely contested
battle. The wondering looks of a few of the older sailors
glanced at the sheets of foam that flew by them, in doubt
whether the wild gambols of the waves were occasioned by
the shot of the enemy, when suddenly the noise of cannon
was succeeded by the sullen wash of the disturbed element,
and presently the vessel glided out of her smoky shroud,
and was boldly steering in the centre of the narrow passages.
For ten breathless minutes longer the Pilot continued to
hold an uninterrupted sway, during which the vessel ran
swiftly by ripples and breakers, by streaks of foam and
darker passages of deep water, when he threw down hia
trumpet, and exclaimed —

" What threatened to be our destruction has proved our
salvation ! Keep yonder hill crowned with wood, one point
open from the church tower at its base, and steer east by
north ; you will run through these shoals on that course in
an hour, and by so doing you will gain five leagues of your
enemy, who will have to double their tail."

The moment he stepped from the gun, the Pilot lost the
air of authority that had so singularly distinguished his
animated form, and even the close interest he had mani-
♦bsted in the incidents of the day became lost in the cold,
settled reserve he had affected during his intercourse with
his present associates. Every officer in the ship, after the
breathless suspense of uncertainty had passed, rushed to
those places where a view might be taken of their enemies.
The ninety was still steering boldly onward, and had already
xpproached the two-and-thirty, which* lay a helpless wreck,
i oiling on the unruly seas that were rudely tossing her on
their wanton billows. The frigate last engaged was run-
ning along the edge of the ripple, with her torn sails flying
loosely in the air, her ragged spars tottering in the breeze,
and everything above her hull exhibiting the confusion of a
sudden and unlooked-for check to her progress. The exult-
ing taunts and mirthful congratulations of the seamen, at
they gazed at the English ships, were, however, soon for

THE PILOT. 421

gotten in the attention that was required t^ their own
vessel. The drums beat the retreat, the guns ^rere lashed,
the wounded again removed, and every individual able to
keep the deck was required to lend his assistance in repair-
ing the damages of the frigate and securing her nissts.

The promised hour carried the sliip safely through all the
dangers, which were much lessened by daylight ; and bv
the time the sun had begun to fall over the land, (arriffith,
who had not quitted the deck during the day, beheld his
vessel once more cleared of the confusion of the chase and
battle, and ready to meet another foe. At this period he
was summoned to the cabin, at the request of the ship's
chaplain. Delivering the charge of the frigate to Barn-
stable, who had been his active assistant, no less in their
subsequent labors than in the combat, he hastily divested
himself of the vestiges of the fight, and proceeded io obey
the repeated and earnest call.

4SS THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Whither, 'midst falling dew.
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,
Far through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue
Thy solitary way?

Bbtast.

Whex the youug seaman who now commanded the frig
ate descended from the quarter-deck in compliance with the
often-repeated summons, he found the vessel restored to the
Bame neatness as if nothing had occurred to disturb its order
The gun-deck had been cleansed of its horrid stains, and
the smoke of the fight had long since ascended through the
hatches and mingled with the clouds that flitted above the
ship. As he walked along the silent batteries, even the
urgency of his visit could not prevent him from glancing
his eyes towards the splintered sides, those terrible vestiges,
by which the paths of the shot of their enemy might be
traced ; and by the time he tapped lightly at the door of
the cabin, his quick look had embraced every material injury
the vessel had sustained in her principal points of defense.

The door was opened by the surgeon of the frigate, who,
as he stepped aside to permit Griffith to enter, shook his
head witL that air of meaning, which, in one of his profes-
eion, is understood to imply the abandonment of all hopes,
and then immediately quitted the apartment, in order to
attend to those who might profit by his services.

The reader is not to imagine that Griffith had lost sight
of Cecilia and her cousin during the occurrences of that
eventful day : on the contrary, liis troubled fancy had
present'.d her terror and distress, even in the hottest mo«
ments of the fight ; and the instant that the crew were
called fi'om their guns he had issued an order to replace the
julk-heads of the cabin, and to arrange ita furiiture for

THE riLOT. 423

their accommodation, though the higher and imperious
duties of his station had precluded his a*^tending to their
comfort in person. He expected, therefore, to find the
order of the rooms restored; but he was by no means pre-
pared to encounter the scene he was now to witness.

Between two of the sullen cannon, which gave such an
air of singular wilduess to the real comfort of the cabin,
was placed a large couch, on which the colonel was lying,
evidently near his end. Cecilia was weeping by his side,
her dark ringlets falling m unheeded confusion around her
pale features, and sweeping in their rich exuberance the
deck on which she kneeled. Katherine leaned tenderly
over the form of the dying veteran, while her dark, tearful
eyes seemed to express self-accusation blended with deep
commiseration. A few attendants of both sexes surrounded
the solemn scene, all of whom appeared to be under the
influence of the hopeless intelligence which the medical
officer had but that moment communicated. The servants
of the ship had replaced the furniture with a care that
mocked the dreadful struggle that so recently disfigured the
warlike apartment, and the stout square frame of Boltrope
occupied the opposite settee, his head resting on the lap of
the captain's steward, and his hand gently held in the grasj-
of his fi'iend the chaplain. Griffith had heard of the wound
of the master, but his own eyes now conveyed the first
mtelligence of the situation of Colonel Howard. When
the shock of this sudden discovery had a little subsided,
the young man approached the couch of the latter, and
attempted to express his regret and pity, in a voice that
affijrded an assurance of his sincerity.

" Say no more, Edward Griffith," interrupted the colonel,
waving his hand feebly for silence ; " it seemeth to bo the
will of God that this rebellion should triumph, and it is not
for vain man to impeach the acts of Omnipotence. To my
errnig faciUties, it wears an appearance of mystery, but
doubtless it is to answer the purpose of his own inscrutable
providence. I have sent for you, Edward, on a busiuesa
that I vrould fain see accomplished before I die, that it may
not He said that old George Howard neglected his duty

424 THE PILOT.

even in his last moments. You see this weepiug child at
mj side ; tell me, young man, do you love the maiden ? "
" Am I to be asked such a question ? " exclaimed Grffith
" And will you cherish her — will you supply to her the
places of father and mother — will you become the fond
guardian of her innocence and weakness ? '

Griffith could give no other answer than a fervent press
ure of the hand he had clasped.

" I believe you," continued the dying man ; " for however
he may have forgotten to inculcate his own loyalty, worthy
Hugh Griffith could never neglect to make his son a man
of honor. I had weak and perhaps evil wishes in belialf of
my late imfortunate kinsman, Mr. Christopher Dillon ; but
they have told me that he was false to his faith. If this ba
true, I would refuse him the hand of the girl, though he
claimed the fealty of the British realms. But he has passed
away, and I am about to follow him into a world where we
shall imd but one Lord to serve ; and it may have been
better for us both had we more remembered our duty to
Him, while serving the princes of the earth. One thing
further — know you this officer of your Congress well —'
this JVIr. Barnstable ? "

" I have sailed with him for years," returned Griffith,
" and can answer for him as myself."

The veteran made an effort to rise, which in part suc-
ceeded, and he fastened on the youth a look of keen scrutiny,
that gave to his pallid features an expression of solemn
meaning, as he continued —

" Speak not now, sir, as the companion of his idle pleas-
wes, and as the unthinking associate commends his fellow,
htt remember that your opinion is given to a dying man
who leans on your judgment for advice. The daughter of
John Plowden is a trust not to be neglected, nor will my
death prove easy, if a doubt of her being worthily bestowed
ihall remain."

" He is a gentleman," returned Griffith, " and one whose
Leart is not less kind than gallant; he loves your waixJ,
and great as may be her merit, he is deserving of it all.
Like myself, he has also loved the land that gave liim biitli,
'>efore the land of his ancestors but " —

THE PILOT. 425

•* That 18 now forgotten," interrupted the colonel ; " after
what I have this day witnessed, I am forced to believe that
it is the pleasure of Heaven that you are to prevail ! But,
sir, a disobedient inferior will be apt to make an unreason-
able commander The recent contention between you " —

" Remember it not, dear sir," exclaimed Griffith with
generous zeal ; " 'twas unkindly provoked, and it is already
fDrgotten and pardoned. He has sustained me nobly
throughout the day, and my life on it, that he knows how to
treat a woman as a brave man should ! "

" Then am I content ! " said the veteran, sinking back
on his couch ; " let him be summoned."

The whispered message which Griffith gave, requesting
Mr. Barnstable to enter the cabin, was quickly conveyed,
and he had appeared before his friend deemed it discreet
to disturb the reflections of the veteran by again address-
ing him. When the entrance of the young sailor waa
announced, the colonel again roused himself, and addressed
his wondering listener, though in a manner much less confid-
ing and familiar than that which he had adopted towards
Griffith.

" The declarations you made last night relative to my
ward, the daughter of the late Caj^tain John Plowden, sir,
have left me nothing to learn on the subject of your wishes.
Here, then, gentlemen, you both obtain the reward of your
attentions ! Let that reverend divine hear you pronounce
the marriage vows, while I have strength to listen, that I
may be a witness against ye, in heaven, should ye forget
thoir tenor ! "

'•* Not now, not now," murmured Cecilia ; " O ask it net
DOW, my uncle ! "

Katherine spoke not ; but, deeply touched by the tender
interest her guardian manifested in her welfare, she bowed
har face to her bosom, in subdued feeling, and suffered the
tears that had been suffusing her eyes to roll down her
cheeks in large drops, till they bathed the deck.

" Yes, now, my love," continued the colonel, " or I fail m
my duty. I go shortly to stand face to face with your
parents, my children for the mat who, dying, expects not

126 THE PILOT.

to meet worthy Hugh Griffith and honest Jack Plowden ia
heaven, can have no clear view of the rewards that belong
to lives of faithful service to the country, or of gallant
loyalty to the king ! I trust no one can justly say that I
ever forgot the delicacy due to your gentle sex ; but it is
no moment for idly ceremony when time is shortening into
minutes, and heavy duties remain to be discharged. I could
not die in peace, children, were I to leave you here in tb6
wide ocean, I had almost said in the wide world, without
that protection which becomes your tender years and still
more tender characters. If it has pleased God to remove
your guardian, let his place be supplied by those He wills to
succeed him ! "

Cecilia no longer hesitated, but she arose slowly from her
knees, and offered her hand to Griffith with an air of forced
resignation. Katherine submitted to be led by Barnstablo
to her side ; and the chaplain, who had been an affected
listener to the dialogue, in o\)edience to an expressive signal
from the eye of Griffith, opened the i^rayer-book from which
he had been gleaning consolation for the dying master, and
commenced reading, in trembling tones, the marriage ser-
vice. The vows were pronounced by the weeping brides in
voices more distinct and audible than if they had been
uttered amid the gay crowds that usually throng a bridal ,
fo: chough they were the irreclaimable words that bound
them forever to the men whose power over their feelings
they thus proclaimed to the world, the reserve of maiden
diffidence was lost in one engrossing emotion of solemnity,
created by the awful presence in which they stood. When
the benediction was pronounced, the head of Cec'lia drojjped
oil tLe shoulder of her husband, where she wept violently,
far a moment, and then resuming her place at the covch^
she once more knelt at the side of her uncle. Katherina
rec(3ived the warm kiss of Barnstable passively, and returned
to the spot whence she had been led.

Colonel Howard succeeded in raising his pei'son to wit-
ness the ceremony, and had answered to each jjrayer with a
fervent " Amen." He fell back with the last words ; and «
look cf satisfaction shone in liis aged and pallid featurecii
tliat declared th@ interest he had taken in the scene.

THE PILOT. 427

** 1 thank you, my children," he at length uttered, " I
thank you ; for I know how much you have sacrificed to
my wishes. You will find all my papers relative to the
estates of my wards, gentlemen, in the hands of my banker
in London ; and you will also find there my will, Edward,
by which you will learn that Cicely has not come to your
arms an unportioned bride. What my wards are in persons
and manners your eyes can witness, and I trust the vouchers
in London will show that I have not been an unfaithful
steward to their pecuniary affairs ! "

" Name it not — say no more, or you will break my
heart," cried Katherine, sobbing aloud, in the violence of
her remorse at having ever pained so true a friend. '* O !
talk of yourself, think of yourself; we are unworthy —
at least I am unworthy, of another thought ! "

The dying man extended a hand to her in kindness, and
continued, though his voice grew feebler as he spoke —

"Then to return to myself — I would wish to lie, like
my ancestors, in the bosom of the earth, and in consecrated
ground."

" It shall be done," whispered Griffith ; " I will see it done
myself."

" I thank thee, my son," said the veteran. " for such thou
art to me in being the husband of Cicely ; you will find, in
my will, that I have liberated and provided for all my
slaves — except those ungrateful scoundrels who deserted
their master ; they have seized their own freedom, and
they need not be indebted to me for the same. There is,
Edward, also an unworthy legacy to the king ; his majesty
will deign to receive it — from an old and faithful servant,
and yon will not miss the trifling gift." A long pause fol-
lowed, as if he had been summing up the account of his
earthly duties, and found them duly balanced, when he
udded, '' Kiss me, Cicely — and you, Katherine — I find
you have the genuine feelings of honest Jack, your father.
My eyes grow dim — which is the hand of Griffith ? Young
gentleman, I have given you all that a fond old man had to
l^est^ow — deal tenderly with the precious child — we have
ttot properly understood each other — J had misfakeu both

428 THE PILOT.

you and Mr. Christopher Dillon, I bel'eve ; perhaps I may
alsc have mistaken my duty to America — but I was too
old to change my politics or my religion ; I — I — I loved
the king — God bless him " —

His words became fainter and fainter as he proc<^.eviel
and the breath deserted his body with this benediction on
his livid lips, which the proudest monarch might covet from
60 honest a man.

The body was instantly borne into a state-room !)y the
attendants ; and Griffith and Barnstable supported their
brides into the after-cabin, where they left them seated on
the sofa that lined the stern of the ship, weeping bitterly, in
each other's arms.

No part of the preceding scene had been unobserved by
Boltrope, whose small, hard eyes were observed by the young
men to twinkle, when they returned into the state apart-
ment ; and they approached their woimded comrade to
apologize for the seeming neglect that their conduct had
displayed.

" I heard you were hurt, Boltrope," said Griffith, taking
him kindly by the hand ; " but as I know you are not
miused to being marked by shot, I trust we shall soon see
you again on deck."

" Aye, aye," returned the master, " you'll want no spy-
glasses to see the old hulk as you launch it into the sea. I
have had shot, as you say, before now to tear my running
gear, and even to knock a splinter out of some of my
timbers ; but this fellow has found his way into my bread
'oom ; and the cruise of life is up ! "

" Surely the case is not so bad, honest David," said Barn
■table ; " you have kept a^oat, to my knowledge, with
a bigger hole in your skin than this unlucky hit hae
made ! "

" Aye, aye," returned the master, " that was in my nppei
TTorks, where the doctor could get at it with a plug ; but
this chap has knocked away the shifting-boards, and I fee)
IS if the whole cargo was broken up. You may say thai
Tourniquet rates me all the same as a dead man ; for after
'ookiag at the shot-ho e, be has turned me over to the parson

THE PILOT. 429

here, like, a piece of old junk which is only lit to be worked
Dp into something new. Captain Munson had a lucky time
of it ! I think you said, INIr. Griffith, that the old gentleman
was launched overboard with everything standing, and that
Death made but one rap at his door, before he took his
leave ! "

" His end was indeed sudden ! " returned Griffith ; " but
it is what we seamen must expect."

" And for which there is so much the more occasion to
6e prepared," the chaplain ventured to add, in a low, humble,
and, perhaps, timid voice.

The sailing-master looked keenly from one to the other
as they spoke ; and, after a short pause, he continued, witt
an air of great submission —

" 'Twas his luck ; and I suppose ii is sinful to begrudge
a man his lawful luck. As for being prepared, parson, that
xs your business, and not mine ; therefore, as there is but
little time to spare, why, the sooner you set about it the
better : and, to save unnecessary trouble, I may as well tell
you not to strive to make too much of me ; for, I must own
it to my shame, I never took learning kindly. If you can
fit me for some middling berth in the other world, like the
one I hold in this ship, it will suit me as well, and, perhaps,
be easier to all hands of us."

If there was a shade of displeasure blended with the sur •
prise that crossed the features of the divine at this ex
traordinary limitation of his duties, it entirely disappeared
when he considered more closely the perfect expression of
simplicity with which the dying master uttered his wishes.
After a long and melancholy pause, which neither Griffith
nor his friend felt any inclination to interrupt, the chaplain
replied —

" It is not the province of man to determine on the de-
creea of the merciful dispensations of Deity ; and nothing
that I can do, Mr. Boltrope, will have any weight in mak-
ing up the mighty and irrevocable decree. What I said to
you last night, in our conversation on this very subject,
must still be fresh in your memory, and there is no good
reason why I should hold a different language to jou now

430 THE PILOT.

" I can't say that I logged all that passed," returned the
master , *' and that which 1 do recollect fell chiefly from
myself, for the plain reason that a man remembei-s his own
better than his neighbor's ideas. And this puts me in
mind, Mr. Griffith, to tell you, that one of the forty-two's
from the three-decker travelled across the forecastle, and
cut the best bower within a fathom of the clinch, as handily
as an old woman would clip her rotten yarn with a pair of
tailor's shears ! If you will be so good as to order one of
my mates to shift the cable eud-for-end, and make a ncT*
Vend of ii, I'll do as much for you another time."

" Mention it not," said Griffith ; " rest assured that every
thing shall be done for the security of the ship in your do
partraent — I will superintend the whole duty in person •
and I would have you release your mind from all anxiety
on the subject, to attend to your more important interests
elsewhere."

" Why," returned Boltrope, with a little show of perti-
nacity, " I have an opinion, that the cleaner a man takes
his hands into the other world, of matters of duty in this,
the better he will be fitted to handle anything new. Now,
the parson, here, undertook to lay down the doctrine last
night, that it was no matter how well or how ill a man be-
haved himself, so that he squared his conscience by the lifts
and braces of faith ; which I take to be a doctrine that is
not to be preached on shipboard ; for it would play the
devil with the best ship's company that was ever mustered."

" O ! no — no — dear Mr. Boltrope, you mistook me and
my doctrine altogether ! " exclaimed the chaplain ; " at least
you mistook " —

♦' Perhaps, sir," interrupted Griffith, gently, " our honest
friend will not be more fortunate now. Is there nothing
earthly that hangs upon your mind, Boltrope ? no wish to
h-i remembered to any one, nor any bequest to make of
yoar property ? "

" He has a mother, I know," said Barnstable in a low
voice ; " he often spoke of her to me in the night watches
I think she must still be living."

The master, who distinctly heard his young shIpmateH,

THE PILOT. 431

eontinuol for more than a minute rolling the tobacco, which
he still retained, from one side of his mouth to the other,
with an industry that denoted smgular agitation for the man :
and raising one of his broad hands, with the other he picked
the worn skin from fingers which were already losing their
brownish yellow hue in the fading color of ieath, before he
answered —

" Why, yes, the old woman still keeps her grip upon life,
which is more than can 'be said of her son David. The
Old man was lost the time the Susan and Dorothy was
wrecked on the back of Cape Cod ; you remember it, Mr.
Barnstable ? you were then a lad, sailing on whaling yoj-
ages from the island : well, ever since that gale, I've en-
deavored to make smooth water for the old woman myself,
though she has had but a rough passage of it at the best ;
the voyage of life, with her, having been pretty much crossed
by rugged weather and short stores."

" And you would have us carry some message to her ? "
said Griffith, kindly.

" Why, as to messages," continued the master, whose
voice was rapidly growing more husky and broken, " there
never has been many compliments — passed between us, for
the reason — that she is not more used to receive them —
than I am to make thenv But if any one of you will over-
haul — the purser's books^ ^nd see what there is standing
there — to my side of the leaf — and take a little paina
to get it to the old woman — you will find her moored in
the lee side of a house — aye, here it is, No. 10, Cornhill,
Boston. I took care — to get her a good warm berth, see-
ing that a woman of eighty wants a snug anchorage ■ — at
her time of life, if ever."

" I will do it myself, David." cried Barnstable, struggling
•o conceal his emotion ; " I will call on her the instant we
let go our anchor in Boston harbor ; and as your ciodit
can't be large, I will divide my own purse with her ! "

The sailing-master was powerfully affected by this kind
offer, the muscles of his hard, weather-beaten face working
convulsively, and it was a moment before he could trust hit
roice in reply.

432 THE PILOT.

" I know you would, Dicky, I know you would," he at
.ength uttered, grasping the hand of Barnstable with a por-
tion of his former strength ; " I know you would give the
old woman one of your own limbs, if it would do a service —
to the mother of a messmate — which it would not — 3ee-
mg that I am not the son of a — cannibal ; but you are out
of your father's books, and it's too often shoal water in your
own pockets to help any one — more especially since you
have just been spUced to a pretty young body — that will
want all your spare coppers."

" But I am master of my own fortune," said Griffith;
" and am rich."

" Aye, aye, I have heard it said you could build a frigate
and set her afloat all a-taunt-o without thrusting your hand
— into any man's purse — but your own ! "

" And I pledge you the honor of a naval officer," con-
tinued the young sailor, " that she shall want for nothing ;
not even the care and tenderness of a dutiful son."

Boltrope appeared to be choking ; he made an attempt
to raise his exhausted frame on the couch ; but fell back
exhausted and dying, perhaps a little prematurely, through
the powerful and imusual emotions that were struggling for
utterance. " God forgive me my misdeeds ! " he at length
said, " and chiefly for ever speaking a word against your dis-
cipline ; remember the best bower — and look to the slings
of the lower yards — and — and — he'll do it, Dicky, he'll
do it! I'm casting off — the fasts — of life — and so God
bless ye all — and give ye good weather — going large —
or on a bowline ! "

The tongue of the master failed him, but a look of heart-
felt satisfaction gleamed across his rough visage, as its mus-
cles suddeiJy contracted, when the faded lineaments slowly
settled into the appalling stiffness of death.

Griffith directed the body to be moved to the apartment
of the master, and proceeded with a heavy heart to the
upper deck. The Alacrity had been unnoticed during the
Arduous chase of the frigate, and, favored by daylight, and
her light draught of water, she had easily effected her es-
cape also among the mazes of tlie shoals. She was called

THE PHOT. 438

down to her consort by signal, and received tlie necessary
instructions how to steer during the approaching night.
The British ships were now only to be faintly discovered,
like small white specks on the dark sea ; and as it was
known that a broad barrier of shallow water lay between
them, the Americans no longer regarded their presence as
at all dangerous.

When the necessary orders had been given, and the ves-
sels were fully prepared, they were once more brought up
to the wind, and their heads pointed in the direction of the
coast of Holland. The wind, which freshened towards the
decline of day, hauled round with the sun ; and when that
luminary retreated from the eye, so rapid had been the
progress of the mariners, it seemed to sink in the bosom
of the ocean, the land having long before settled into ita
watery bed. All night the frigate continued to dash
through the seas with a sort of sullen silence, that was
noothing to the melancholy of Cecilia and Katherine,
neither of whom closed an eye during that gloomy period.
In addition to the scene they had witnessed, their feelings
were harrowed by the knowledge that, in conformity to the
necessary plans of Griffith, and in compliance with the new
duties he had assumed, they were to separate in the morn-
ing for an indefinite period, and possibly forever.

With the appearance of light, the boatswain sent his
rough summons through the vessel, and the crew were col-
lected in solemn silence in her gangways to " bury the
dead." The bodies of Boltrope, of one or two of her in-
ferior officers, and of several common men who had died of
their wounds in the night, were, with usual formalities, com-
mitted to the deep ; when the yards of the ship were again
bracec. by the wind, and she glided along the trackless
waste, leaving no memorial, in the midst of the ever-rcUing
waters, to mark the place of their sepulture.

WTien the sun had gained the meridian, the vessels were
once more hove-to, and the preparations were made for a
final separation. The body of Colonel Howard was trans-
ferred to the Alacrity, whither it was followed by Griffith
and his cheerless bride, while Katherine hung fondly from a
28

#34 ' THE PILOT.

window of the ship, suffering her own scalding tears to
mingle with the brine of the ocean. After everything was
arranged, Griffith waved his hand to Barnstable, who had
now succeeded to the command of the frigate, and tha
yards of the latter were braced sharp to the wind, when
she proo3eded to the dangerous experiment of forcing her
way to the shores of America, by attempting the pass of
the Straits of Dover, and running the gauntlet through the
English ships that crowded their own channel ; an under-
taking, however, for which she had the successful example
of the Alliance frigate, which had borne the stars of Amer.
ica along the same hazardous path but a few months pro
viously.

In the meanwhile the Alacrity, steering more to the
west, drew in swiftly towards the shores of Holland ; and
about an hour before the setting of the sun, had approached
80 nigh as to be once more hove into the wind, in obedience
to the mandate of Griffith. A small light boat was lowered
into the sea, when the young sailor, and the Pilot, who had
found his way into the cutter imheeded, and almost unseen,
ascended from the small cabin together. The stranger glanced
his eyes along the range of coast, as if he would ascertain
the exact position of the vessel, and then turned them ou
the sea and the western horizon to scan the weather.
Finding nothing in the appearance of the latter to induce
him to change his determination, he offered his hand frankly
to Griffith, and said —

" Here we part. As our acquaintance has not led to aU
we wished, let it be your task, sir, to forget we ever met.'

Griffith bowed respectfully, but in silence, when the othe^
continued, shaking his hand contemptuously towards the
.\md —

" Had I but a moiety of the navy of that degenerate
lepublic, the proudest among those haughty islanders should
tremble in his castle, and be made to feel there is no
security against a foe that trusts his own strength and
knows the weakness of his enemy ! But," he muttered in a
lOwer and more hurried voice, " this has been like Liver
pool — and Whitehaven — and Edinburgh, and fifty more
•t is past, sir ; lot it be forgotten."

THE PILOT. 4Sb

Without heeding the wondering crew, who were collected
fts curious spectators of his departure, the stranger bowed
hastily to (jriffith, and springing into the boat, he spread
her light sails with the readiness of one who had nothing to
learn even in the smallest matters of his daring profession.
Once more, as the boat moved briskly away from the cutter,
he waved his hand in adieu ; and Griffith fancied that even
through the distance he cou'd trace a smile of bitter resig-
nation lighting his calm features with a momentary gleam.
For a long time the young man stood an abstracted gazer
Bt his solitary progress, watching the small boat as it glided
towards the open ocean, nor did he remember to order the
head sheets of the Alacrity drawn, iu order to put the
vessel again iu motion, untd the dark speck was lost in
the strong glare that fell obliquely across the water from
the setting sun.

Many wild and extraordinary conjectures were uttered
among the crew of the cutter, as she slowly drew in towards
her friendly haven, on the appearance of the mysterious
Pilot, during their late hazardous visit to the coast of
Britain, and on his still more extraordinary disappearance,
as it were, amid the stormy wastes of the North Sea.
Griffith himself was not observed to smile, nor to manifest
any evidence of his being a listener to their rude discourse,
until it was loudly announced that a small boat was pressing
for their o\vn harbor, across the fore foot of the cutter,
under a single lug-sail. Then, indeed, the sudden and
cheerful lighting of his troubled eye betrayed the vast
relief that was imparted to his feelings by the intere8tiu|[
iiaoovery.

436 THE PILOT.

CHAPTER XXXV.

Come all you kindred chieftains of the deep,
In mighty phalanx round your brother bend ;
Hush every murmur that invades his sleep, —
And guard the laurels that o'ershade your friend !

Lines on Tripp.

Hebe, perhaps, it would be wise to suffer the curtain of
otkr imperfect drama to fall before the reader, trusting that
the imagination of every individual can readily supply the
due proportions of health, wealth, and happiness, that the
rigid rules of poetic justice would award to the different
characters of the legend. But as we are not disposed to
part so coldly from those with whom we have long held
amicable intercourse, and as there is no portion of that ia
reservation which is not quite as true as all that has been
already related, we see no unanswerable reason for dis-
missing the dramatis personae so abruptly. We shall,
therefore, proceed to state briefly the outlines of that which
befell them in after life, regretting, at the same time, that
the legitimate limits of a modern tale will not admit of such
a dilatation of many a merry or striking scene, as might
create the pleasing hope of beholding hereafter some more
of our rude sketches quickened into life by the spirited
pen:d of Dunlap.

Following the course ot the frigate, then, towards those
Bhores from which, perhaps, we should never have suffered
•ur truant pen to have wandered, we shall commence the
orief task with Barnstable, and his laughing, weeping, gay,
but affectionate bride — the black-eyed Katheriue. The
ship fought her way, gallantly, through swarms of the
enemy's cruisers, to the port of Boston, where Barnstable
was rewarded for his services by promotion, and a more
regular authority to command his vessel-

THE PILOT. 4S1

During the remainder of the war, he continued to flli
that station with ability and zeal ; nor did he return to ths
dwelling of his fathers, which he soon inherited, by regular
descent, until after peace had established not only the inde-
pendence of his country, but his own reputation as a bravt
and successful sea-officer. When the federal government
laid the foundation of its present navy, Captain Barnstable
was once more tempted by the offer of a new commission to
desert his home ; and for many years he was employed
among that band of gallant seamen who served their
country so faithfully in times of trial and high daring
Happily, however, he was enabled to accomplish a great
deal of the more peaceful part of his service accompanied
by Katherine, who, having no children, eagerly profited by
his consent to share his privations and hardships on the
ocean. In this manner they passed merrily, and we trust
happily, down the vale of life together, Katherine entirely
discrediting the ironical prediction of her former guardian,
by making, everything considered, a very obedient, and
certainly, so far as attachment was concerned, a most do-
voted wife.

The boy Merry, who in due time became a man, climg
to Barnstable and Katherine, so long as it was necessary to
hold him in leading strings ; and when he received his regu-
lar promotion, his first command was under the shadow of
his kinsman's broad pendant. He proved to be in his
meridian, what his youth had so strongly indicated, a fear-
less, active, and reckless sailor ; and his years might have
extended to this hour, had he not fallen untimely in a duel
mth a foreign officer.

The first act of Captain INIanual, after landing once more
on his native soil, was to make interest to be again restored
to the line of the army. He encountered but little dilfi-
julty in this attempt, and was soon in possession of the
complete enjoyment of that which his soul had so long
pined after, " a steady drill." He was in time to share in
all the splendid successes which terminated the war, and
*lso to participate in his due proportion of the misery of
the army. His merits were not forgotten, however, in th«

438 THE PILOT.

reorganization of the forces, and he followed both St. Clair
and his more fortunate successor, Wayne, in the western
campaigns. About the close of the century, when the
British made their tardy relinquishment of the line of posta
along the frontiers, Captain Manual was ordered to take
charge, with his company, of a small stockade on our side
of one of those mighty rivers that sets bounds to the terri-
tories of the Republic in the north. The British flag was
waving over the ramparts of a more regular fortress, that
had been recently built, directly opposite, within the new
lines of the Canadas. Manual was not a man to neglect
the observances of military etiquette ; and understanding
that the neighboring fort was commanded by a field-officer,
he did not fail to wait on that gentleman, in proper time,
with a view to cultivate the sort of acquaintance that their
mutual situations would render not only agreeable, but
highly convenient. The American martinet, in ascertain-
ing the rank of the other, had not deemed it at all necessary
to ask his name ; but when the red-faced, comical-looking
officer with one leg, who met him, was introduced as Major
Borroughcliffii, he had not the least difficulty in recalling to
recollection his quondam acquaintance of St. Ruth. The
intercourse between these worthies was renewed with re-
markable gusto, and at length arrived to so regular a pass,
that a log cabin was erected on one of the islands in the
•'iver, as a sort of neutral territory, where their feastings
loid revels might be held without any scandal to the dis-
cipline of their respective garrisons. Here the qualities ol
many a saddle of savory venison were discussed, together
with those of sundry pleasant fowls, as well as of divers
strange beasts that inhabit those western wilds, while, at
vhe same time, the secret places of the broad river were
vexed, that nothing might be wanting that could contribute
to the pleasures of their banquets. A most equitable levy
vas regularly made on their respective pockets, to sustain
the foreign expenses of this amicable warfare ; and a suit-
able division of labor was also imposed on the two com-
mandants, in order to procure such articles of comfort as
were only to be obtained from those portions of the globe

THE PILOT. 439

where the art of man had made a nearer approach to the
bounties of nature than in the vicinity of their fortifications.
All liquids in which malt formed an ingredient, as well as
the deep-colored wines of Oporto, were suffered to enter
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and were made to find their way>
under the superintendence of Borroughcliffe, to their des-
tined goal ; but Manual was solely intrusted with the more
important duty of providing the generous liquor of Madeira,
without any other restriction on his judgment, than an oc-
casional injunction from his coadjutor that it should not fail
to be the product of the " south side " !

It was not unusual for the young officers of the two gar-
risons to allude to the battle in which Major Borroughcliffe
had lost his limb — the English ensign invariably whisper-
ing to the American, on such occasions, that it occurred
during the late contest, in a desperate affair on the north-
eastern coast of their island, in which the major commanded,
in behalf of his country, with great credit and signal suc-
cess ; and for which service he obtained his present rank
" without purchase " ! A sort of national courtesy pre-
vented the two veterans, for by this time both had earned
that honorable title, from participating at all in these deli-
cate allusions ; though whenever, by any accident, they oc
curred near the termination of the revels, Borroughcliffe
would so far betray his consciousness of what was passing,
Its to favor his American friend with a leer of singular sig-
nificance, which generally produced in the other that sort
of dull recollection, which all actors and painters endeavor
to represent by scratching the head. In this manner year
after year rolled by, the most perfect harmony existing be-
tween the two posts, notwithstanding the angry passions
tliat disturbed their respective countries, when an end was
suddenly put to the intercourse by the unfortunate death of
Manual. This rigid observer of discipline never trusted his
person on the neutral island without being accompanied by
a party of his warriors, who were posted as a regular picket
sustaining a suitable line of sentries ; a practice which h»
also recommended to hie friend, as being highly conducive
\o discipline, as well as a salutary caution against a surprist

l40 THE PILOT.

on the part of either garrison. The major, however, dis
pensed with the formality in his own behalf, but was suffi-
ciently good-natured to wink at the want of confidence it
betrayed in his boon companion. On one unhappy occa-
sion when the discussion of a new importation had made s
heavy inroad on the morning, Manual left the hut to make
his way towards his picket, in such a state of utter menta'
aberration, as to forget the countersign when challenged by
a sentinel, when, imhappily, he met his death by a shot
from a soldier, whom he drilled to such an exquisite state
of insensibility, that the man cared but little whether ho
killed friend or enemy, so long as he kept within military
usage, and the hallowed limits established by the articles of
war. He lived long enough, however, to commend the
fellow for the deed, and died while delivering a eulogium
to BorroughclifFe on the high state of perfection to which
he had brought his command !

About a year before this melancholy event, a quarter-
cask of wine had been duly ordered from the south side of
the island of Madeira, which was, at the death of Manual,
toUing its weary way up the rapids of the Mississippi and
the Ohio ; having been made to enter by the port of New
Orleans, with the intention of keeping it as long as possible
under a genial sun ! The untimely fate of his fiiend im-
posed on BorroughclifFe the necessity of attending to this
precious relic of their mutual tastes : and he procured a
leave of absence from his superior, with the laudable desire
to proceed down the streams and superintend its farther
advance in person. The result of his zeal was a high fever,
that set in the day after he reached his treasure : and as
the doctor and the major espoused different theories, in
treating a disorder so dangerous in that climate — the oii?>.
advising abstemiousness, and the other administering re-
peated draughts of the cordial that had drawn him s^o far
from home — the disease was left to act its pleasure. Bcr-
roughclitfe died in three days ; and was carried back and
\nterred by the side of his friend, in the very hut which had
Bo often resounded with their humors and festivities ! We
have oeen thus particular in relating the sequel of the li> ei

I

THE PILOT. 441

of these rival chieftains, because, from their wjxnt of coa«
nection with any kind heart of the other sex, no widows
and orphans were left to lament their several ends ; and
furthermore, as they were both mortal, and might be ex-
pected to die at a suitable period, and yet did not terminate
their career until each had attained the mature age of three-
score, the reader can find no just grounds of dissatisfaction
at being allowed this deep glance into the womb of fate.

The chaplain abandoned the seas in time to retrieve his
character, a circumstance which gave no little satisfaction
to Katherine, who occasionally annoyed her worthy husband
on the subject of the informality of their marriage.

Griffith and his mourning bride conveyed the body of
Colonel Howard in safety to one of the principal towns in
Holland, where it was respectfully and sorrowfully interred ;
after which the young man removed to Paris, with a view
of erasing the sad images, which the hurried and melancholy
events of the few preceding days had left on the mind of
his lovely companion. From this place Cecilia held com-
munion, by letter, with her friend Alice Dunscombe ; and
such suitable provision was made in the affairs of her late
uncle as the times would permit. Afterwards, when Grif-
fith obtained the command which had been offered him be-
fore sailing on the cruise in the North Sea, they returned
logether to America. The young man continued a sailor
until the close of the war, when he entirely withdrew from
the ocean, and devoted the remainder of his life to the con-
joint duties of a husband and a good citizen.

As it was easy to reclaim the estates of Colonel Howard,
»rhich, in fact, had been abandoned more from pride thaa
necessity, and which had never been confiscated, their joint
inheritances made the young couple extremely affluent ; and
•v'u shall here take occasion to say, that Griffith remembered
his promise to the dying master, and saw such a provision
made for the childless mother as her situation and his char
acter required.

It might have been some twelve years after the short
cruise, which it has been our task to record in these vol-
omes, that Griffith, who was running his eyes carelessly

442 THE PILOT.

over a file of newspapers, was observed by bis wife to drop
tJie bundle from before his face, and pass his hand slowly
across his brow, like a man who had been suddenly struck
with renewed impressions of some former event, or who
was endeavoring to recajl to his mind images that had long
eince faded.

" See you anything in that paper to disturb you, Gi'if-
fith ? " said the still lovely Cecilia. " I hope that now we
have our confederate government the States will soon re-
cover from their losses — but it is one of those plans to
create a new navy that has met your eye. Ah ! truant !
you sigh to become a wanderer again, and pine after your
V)eloved ocean ! "

" I have ceased sighing and pining since you have begun
to smile," he returned with a vacant manner, and without
removing his hand from his brow.

" Is not the new order of things, then, likely to succeed ?
Does the Congress enter into contention with the Presi-
dent?"

" The wisdom and name of Washington will smooth the
way for the experiment, until time shall mature the system.
Cecilia, do you remember the man who accompanied Man-
ual and myself to St. Ruth, the night we became your
uncle's prisoners, and who afterwards led the party which
aberated us, and rescued Barnstable ? "

" Surely I do ; he was the pilot of your ship, it was then
said ; and I remember the shrewd soldier we entertained
even suspected that he was one greater than he seemed."

" The soldier surmised the truth : but you saw him not
cu that fearful night, when he carried us through the shoals !
and you could not witness the calm courage with which he
guided the ship into those very channels again, while the
confusion of battle was among us ! "

*' I heard the dreadful din ! And I can easily imagine
the horrid scene," returned his wife, her recollections chasing
the color from her cheeks even at that distance of time,
^ but •what of him ? is his name mentioned in those papers '
Ah ! they are English prints ! you called his name Gray,
f I remember ? "

THE PILOT. 448

'* That was the name he bore with us ! he was a iJiai who
bad formed romantic notions of glory, and wished every-
thing concealed in which he acted a part that he thought
would not contribute to his renown. It has been, therefore,
in compliance with a solemn promise made at the time, that
I have ever avoided mentioning his name — he is now
dead ! "

" Can there have been any connection between him and
Alice Dunscombe ? " said Cecilia, dropping her work in hei
lap, in a thoughtful manner. " She met him alone, at her
own urgent request, the night Katherine and myself saw
you in your confinement, and even then my cousin whispered
that they were acquainted ! The letter I received yesterday
from Alice was sealed with black, and I was pained with
the melancholy, though gentle manner, in which she wrote
of passing from this world into another ! "

Griffith glanced his eye at his wife with a look of sudden
intelligence, and then answered, like one who began to see
with the advantages of a clearer atmosphere —

" CecUia, your conjecture is surely true ! Fifty things
rush to my mind at that one surmise ; his acquaintance
with that particular spot — his early life — his expedition —
his knowledge of the Abbey, all confirm it ! He, altogether,
was indeed a man of marked character ! "

" Why has he nob been among us ? " asked Cecilia ; " he
appeared devoted to our cause."

"His devotion to America proceeded from desire of dis-
\inction, his ruling passion, and perhaps a little also from
resentment at some injustice which he claimed to have
suffered from his own countrymen. He was a man, and
not therefore without foibles — among which may have
been reckoned the estimation of his own acts ; but they were
most daring, and deserving of praise ! neither did he at all
merit the obloquy that he received from his enemies. Hia
love of liberty may be more questionable ; for if he com-
nenced his deeds in the cause of these free States, they ter-
minated in the service of a despot ! He is now dead — but
had he lived in times and under circumstances when his
consummate knowledge of his profession, his cool, deliberate.

444 THE PILOT.

and even desperate courage, could have been exercised in a
regular and well-supported navy, and had the habits of his
youth better qualified him to have borne, meekly, the honors
he acquired in his age, he would have left behind him no
name in its lists that would have descended to the latest
posterity of his adopted countrymen with greater renown ! "

" Why, Griffith," exclaimed Cecilia, in a ifttle surprise,
" you are zealous in his cause ! Who was he ? "

" A man who held a promise of secrecy while living,
which is not at all released by his death. It is enough to
know, that' he was greatly instrumental in procuring our
sudden union, and that our happiness might have been
wrecked in the voyage of life had we not met the unknown
Pilot of the German Ocean."

Perceiving her husband to rise, and carefully collect the
papers in a bundle, before he left the room, CecDia made no
farther remark at the time, nor was the subject ever reyived
between them.

i