Isabella, when left to herself, neither screamed, nor went into
hysterics or tears; she sat still and motionless in the chair, into
which she had sunk when the dreadful truth was made known to her; she
became deadly pale, her temples throbbed, her breathing seemed
oppressed, the light swam before her eyes, she uttered a convulsive sob,
and, to the terror of her faithful and sympathising attendant, fell
senseless upon the floor. The Indian girl, with great presence of mind,
though sorely frightened, dashed water in her face, loosened her
clothes, and practised all those modes of relief, better understood by
ladies than described by me. The unhappy young lady at length recovered,
and, with the assistance of her attendant, threw herself upon the bed,
and gave way to a flood of tears, to the relief caused by which, and her
subsequent repose, we must for a time leave her.
Captain Williams saluted the governor, as they met, with a countenance
partaking of anger as well as sorrow; and, without much circumlocution,
proceeded to state his business, and interceded most warmly in behalf of
his men in confinement. But the old Don, before whose mind visions of
promotion and honors were floating, was in no humor to grant petitions
of any kind, much less one, the acceding to which would overthrow all
his air-built castles; and he steadily refused to listen to the
warm-hearted old seaman's arguments, urged with all the fervency of
almost paternal affection for both Mr. Morton and his seamen. Unable to
oppose or refute the arguments of Captain Williams, proving the
innocence of the prisoners, or, at least, the veniality of their
offence, if guilty, and the unreasonable disproportion between the crime
and the punishment; wearied by the perseverance of the petitioner, and
convinced, though unwilling to own it, by his arguments;--convinced,
too, that he was making a very ridiculous figure in the eyes of his
officers and several merchants who were present, he did, as all
obstinate and pig-headed people do when they find themselves in the
wrong, and see that they are making themselves contemptible: that is, he
plunged still deeper into the wrong, by giving the good old seaman a
harsh refusal to his prayer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account