On Capt. Boldheart’s now assembling his men, a circumstance occurred. He
found it necessary with one blow of his cutlass to kill the cook, who,
having lost his brother in the late action, was making at the
Latin-grammar master in an infuriated state, intent on his destruction
with a carving-knife.
Capt. Boldheart then turned to the Latin-grammar master, severely
reproaching him with his perfidy, and put it to his crew what they
considered that a master who spited a boy deserved.
They answered with one voice, ‘Death.’
‘It may be so,’ said the captain; ‘but it shall never be said that
Boldheart stained his hour of triumph with the blood of his enemy.
Prepare the cutter.’
The cutter was immediately prepared.
‘Without taking your life,’ said the captain, ‘I must yet for ever
deprive you of the power of spiting other boys. I shall turn you adrift
in this boat. You will find in her two oars, a compass, a bottle of rum,
a small cask of water, a piece of pork, a bag of biscuit, and my Latin
grammar. Go! and spite the natives, if you can find any.’
Deeply conscious of this bitter sarcasm, the unhappy wretch was put into
the cutter, and was soon left far behind. He made no effort to row, but
was seen lying on his back with his legs up, when last made out by the
ship’s telescopes.
A stiff breeze now beginning to blow, Capt. Boldheart gave orders to keep
her S.S.W., easing her a little during the night by falling off a point
or two W. by W., or even by W.S., if she complained much. He then
retired for the night, having in truth much need of repose. In addition
to the fatigues he had undergone, this brave officer had received sixteen
wounds in the engagement, but had not mentioned it.
In the morning a white squall came on, and was succeeded by other squalls
of various colours. It thundered and lightened heavily for six weeks.
Hurricanes then set in for two months. Waterspouts and tornadoes
followed. The oldest sailor on board—and he was a very old one—had never
seen such weather. ‘The Beauty’ lost all idea where she was, and the
carpenter reported six feet two of water in the hold. Everybody fell
senseless at the pumps every day.
Provisions now ran very low. Our hero put the crew on short allowance,
and put himself on shorter allowance than any man in the ship. But his
spirit kept him fat. In this extremity, the gratitude of Boozey, the
captain of the foretop, whom our readers may remember, was truly
affecting. The loving though lowly William repeatedly requested to be
killed, and preserved for the captain’s table.
We now approach a change of affairs. One day during a gleam of sunshine,
and when the weather had moderated, the man at the masthead—too weak now
to touch his hat, besides its having been blown away—called out,
‘Savages!’
All was now expectation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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