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Page 4.
»
A FLOATING CITY,
AND
_ THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
Lo By JULES VERNE,
AUTHOR OF **A JOURNEY TO THE CENTRE OF THE EARTH,†‘‘ FROM THE
EARTH TO THE MOON,’ ** A MYSTERIOUS ISLAND,’’ ETC., ETC.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH.
NEW YORK
SCRIBNER, ARMSTRONG & CO.,
654 BROADWAY.
1875.
Joun F. Trow & Son,
PRINTERS AND BOOKBINDERS,
205-213 Hasti12th St.,,
NEW YORK.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
ceemeeem cement nne commend
PAGE
One would have taken her for a small Island . ‘ ° ° ° 4
Carpentering, Rigging, and Painting . . . « « «+ 6
Then began the slow interminable Ascent rr re ¥
Every Man at the capstan-bars was knocked down . e . - 22
Soon we came in sight of Queenstown . .. ° : ‘ « 29
_ Captain Corsican and I bowed ‘ . ° . ‘ . » 30
_ When a body rolled at my fect. . . ° ° . » 40
The waif was the hull of a ship ° . . e ° ° e 49
“They,†said he, ‘‘ are people from the Far West†° » 56
I often see them leaning over the railings of the engine-rooms . « OF
He made an angry gesture, which I arrested . . ° -« - 68
**T see,†said Dr. Pitferge . ° ° . ° ° . ~ 76
A fine-looking young fellow . ° ° . ° . . | » 85
- His back rounded, and his head muffled ina hood . ° . » 9g!
The Black Lady . . : : ° ‘ : 3 - 96
He treated Drake with supreme contempt °° 8 : - 108
- Fabian went near to the cabin doors . ° ° ° “ » II3_
One of the sailors lying unconscious ° ° ° ° - 122
A troop of Minstrels . . : : so . - 130
‘*Do you accept that blow?â€. —- ° ° ‘ : . 132
The Prayer for the Dead ° , ° ° : . - » 4&4]
iV LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
I remained on deck, watching the storm rise . ‘ ‘ : » 52
A small schooner was signalled to starboard . ‘ . © -e 153
I turned, and saw Ellen, paleasdeath . «© . «© «+ « 162
The fog cleared off. ° ° vo : ° ' - 174
Nature has combined everything to astonish the eye . ‘ ‘ » 179
The Cataract falling before us. elle 2 « 187
‘* Fabian ! Fabian!†cried she, at last . ° , ‘ ‘ e IOI
She plunged into the Clyde. . ° , . ° ‘ e 199
*¢The same,†replied the Skipper . . . ‘ . © . « 208
And soon disappeared . : ‘ . ‘ ' ‘ e 2 213
‘*Captain!†exclaimed he . ‘ . . ‘ ‘ . , 220
Thank you, sir, thank you ° . ° ° . . . » 232
He saw distinctly . ‘ e . ° e . ‘ ‘ e 235
The Squall . . . ole ° . . . . . 244
Crockston was examining the horizon attentively , ‘ . » 246
Miss Halliburtt was standing on the poop . . ‘ . » 251
‘**T promise you, Miss Jenny †. . , . . . » 260
Mr. Halliburtt? 2. . 3. .« «© «© « «© « 4. 271
Jenny fell into her father’s arms ‘ ‘ ° . , : © 275
He took the shell . ‘ : . ‘ e e . . e 282
‘¢ Well, Uncle Vincent †° ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ . ~ 286
‘
A FLOATING CITY. .
CHAPTER TI.
ON the 18th of March, 1867, I arrived at Liverpeol, in-
tending to take a berth simply as an amateur traveller on
board the “Great Eastern,†which in a few days was to
sail for New York. I had sometimes thought of paying a
visit to North America, and was now tempted to cross the
Atlantic on board this gigantic boat. First of all the
“Great Eastern,†then the country cclebrated by Cooper.
' This steam-ship is indeed a masterpiece of naval con-
struction ; more than a vessel, it is a floating city, part of
the country, detached from English soil, which after having
crossed the sea, unites itself to the American Continent,’ ]
pictured to myself this enormous bulk borne on the waves,
her defiant struggle with the wind, her boldness before the
powerless sea, her indifference to the billows, her stability i in
the midst of that element which tosses “ Warriors†and
B:
2 A FLOATING CITY.
ee
“Solferinos†like ship’s boats. But my imagination carried
me no farther; all these things I did indeed see during the
passage, and many others which do not exclusively belong
to the maritime domain. If the “Great Eastern†is not
merely a nautical engine, but rather a microcosm, and
carries a small world with it, an observer will not be
astonished to meet here, as on a larger theatre, all the
instincts, follies, and passions of human nature.
On leaving the station, I went to the Adelphi Hotel.
The “Great Eastern†was announced to sail on the 20th
of March, and as I wished to witness the last preparations,
I asked permission of Captain Anderson, the commander,
to take my place on board immediately, which permission
he very obligingly granted.
The next day I went down towards the basins which
form a double line of docks on the banks of the Mersey.
The gate-keepers allowed me to go on to Prince’s Landing-
Stage, a kind of movable raft which rises and falls with the
tide, and is a landing place for the numerous hoats which
run between Liverpool, and the opposite tows of Birken-
head on the left bank of the Mersey.
Ihe Mersey, like the Thames, is only an Insignificant
stream, unworthy the name of river, although it falls into
the sea. |
It is an immense depression of the land filled with
‘water, in fact nothing more than a hole, the depth of
A FLOATING CITY. | 3
ee
which allows it to receive ships of the heaviest tonnage,
| such as the “Great Eastern,†to which almost every other
port in the world is closed. Thanks to this natural con-
dition, the streams of the Thames and the Mersey have
seen two immense commercial cities, London and Liver-
pool, built almost at their mouths, and from a similar cause
has Glasgow arisen on. the Clyde. |
At Prince’s Landing-Stage, a small tug in the service of
the “Great Eastern†was getting up steam. I went on
board and found it already crowded with workmen and
mechanics. As the clock in Victoria Tower struck seven,
the tender left her moorings and quickly ascended the
Mersey with the rising tide. |
scarcely had we started, when I saw on the quay a tall
young man, with that aristocratic look which so distin-.
guishes the English officer. I thought I recognized in him
a friend whom I had not seen for several years, a captain
in the Indian army; but I must have been mistaken,
for Captain Mac Elwin could not have left Bombay, as
_ I ought to have known, besides Mac Elwin was a gay,
careless fellow, and a jovial companion, but this person, if
he resembled him in feature, seemed melancholy, and
as though burdened with a secret grief. Be it as it may,
I had not time to observe him more closely, for the tender
was moving rapidly away, and the impression founded on
this resemblance soon vanished from my mind.
B 2
4 A FLOATING CITY.
The “Great Eastern†was anchored about three miles
up the river, at a depth equal to the height of the tallest
houses in Liverpool. She was not to be seen from Prince's
Stage, but I caught a glimpse of her imposing bulk from
the first bend in the river. 7
One would have taken her for a small island, hardly
discernible in the mist. She appeared with her bows
‘towards us, having swung round with the tide ; but soon the
tender altered her course, and the whole length of the
steam-ship was presented to our view; she seemed what in
fact she was—enormous! Three or four colliers alongside
were pouring their cargoes of coal into her port-holes..
Beside the “Great Eastern,†these three-mast ships looked
like barges ; their chimneys did not even reach the first line
of light-ports in her hull; the yards of their gallant-sails
did not come up to her bulwarks. The giant could have
hoisted these ships on its davits like shore-boats, _ |
Meanwhile the tender approached the “Great Eastern,†|
whose chains were violently strained by the pressure of the
tide, and ranged up to the foot of an immense. winding
staircase, on the larboard side. In this position the deck
of the tender was only on a level with the load water-line
of the steam-ship, to which line she would be depressed
when in full cargo, and which still emerged two yards. .
The workmen were now hurriedly disembarking and
_clambering up the numerous steps which terminated at
A FLOATING CITY. | 5
the fore-part of the ship. I, with head upturned, and my
body thrown back, surveyed the wheels of the “Great
Eastern,†like a tourist looking up at a high edifice.
Seen from the side, these wheels looked narrow and
contracted, although their paddles were four yards broad,
but in front they had a monumental aspect. Their elegant
fittings, the arrangements of the whole plan, the stays
crossing each other to-support the division of the triple
centre rim, the radius of red spokes, the machinery half
lost in the shadow of the wide paddle-boards, all this im-
pressed the mind, and awakened an idea of some gigantic
and mysterious power.
~ With what force must these wooden paddles strike the
waves which are now cently breaking over them! what a boil-
ing of water when this powerful engine strikes it blow after
blow! what a thundering noise engulfed in this paddle-box
cavern! when the “Great Eastern†goes at full speed,
under the pressure of wheels measuring fifty-three feet in
diameter and 166 in circumference, weighing ninety tons,
and making eleven revolutions a minute. The tender had
disembarked her crew; I stepped on to the fluted iron steps,
and in a few minutes had crossed the fore-part of the
“Great Eastern,†|
6 A FLOATING CITY,
“ name eneecemememmeneeeeeemenermmieciremteemiatinaainindiiieanimnenememenmmmenninienememmmemmenneminmneene etree cane anne eee a
CHAPTER II.
THE deck was still nothing but an immense timber-yard
given up to an army of workmen. I could not believe I
was on board a ship. Several thousand men—workmen,
crew, engineers, officers, mechanics, lookers-on—mingled
and jostled together without the least concern, some on
deck, others in the engine-room; here pacing the upper
decks, there scattered in the rigging, all in an indescribable
pell-mell. Here fly-wheel cranes were raising enormous
pieces of cast-iron, there heavy joists were hoisted by steam-
windlasses; above the engine-rooms an iron cylinder, a
metal shaft in fact, was balanced. At the bows, the yards
creaked as the sails were hoisted; at the stern rose a
scaffolding which, doubtless, concealed some building in
construction. Building, fixing, carpentering, rigging, and
painting, were going on in the midst of the ereatest dis-
order.
My luggage was already on board. I asked to see
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Page 7.
A FLOATING CITY. 7
Captain Anderson, and was told that he had not yet’
arrived ; but one of the stewards undertook to install
me, and had my packages carried to one of. the aft.
cabins, | . Pe
“My good fellow,†said I to him, “the ‘Great Eastern? _
was announced to sail on the 20th of March, but is it
possible that we can be ready in twenty-four hours p Can
you tell me when we may expect to leave Liverpool 2â€
But in this respect the steward knew no more than I did,
and he left me to myself. I then made up my mind to
visit all the ins and outs of this immense ant-hill, and began
my walk like a tourist: in a foreign town. A black mire—
that British mud which is so rarely absent. from the pave-
ment of English towns—covered the deck of the steam-—
ship; dirty gutters wound here and there, One might have
thought oneself in the worst part ‘of | Upper Thames
Street, near London Bridge. I walked on, following the
upper decks towards the stern. “Stretching on either side
were two wide streets, or rather boulevards, filled with a
compact crowd; thus walking, I came to. the centre of
the steam-ship between the paddles, united by: a double ;
set of bridges.
Here opened the pit containing the machinery of the
paddle-wheels, and I had an opportunity of looking at
this admirable locomotive engine. About fifty workmen
‘ were scattered on the metallic skylights, some clinging to
8 A FLOATING CITY.
me
the long suction-pumps fixing the eccentric wheels, others
hanging on the cranks riveting iron wedges with enor-
mous wrenches. After having cast a rapid glance over
these fitting works, I continued my walk till I reached
the bows, where the carpenters were finishing the decora-
tion of a large saloon called the “ smoking-room,†a
magnificent apartment with fourteen windows; the ceiling
white and gold, and wainscoted with lemon-coloured
panels, Then, after having crossed a small triangular
space at the bows, I reached the stem, which descends
perpendicularly into the water.
furning round from this extreme point, through an
opening in the mists, I saw the stern of the “Great
_ivastern†at a distance of more than two hundred
yards.
IT returned by the boulevards on the starboard side,
avoiding contact with the swaying pulleys and the ropes
of the rigging, lashed in all directions by the wind ; now
keeping out of the way, here of the blows of a fly-wheel
crane, and further on, of the flaming scoria which were
showering from a forge like a display of fireworks, I
could hardly see the tops of the masts, two hundred feet
in height, which lost themselves in the mist, increased by
the black smoke from the tenders and colliers, |
After having passed the great hatchway of the encine-
rooms, I observed a “small hotel†on my left, and then
A FLOATING CITY. 9
me
the spacious side walls of a palace surmounted by a terrace,
the railings of which were being varnished. At last I reached
the stern of the steam-ship, and the place I had already
noticed where the scaffolding was erected. Here between
the last small deck cabin and the enormous gratings of
the hatchways, above which rose the four wheels of the
rudder, some engineers had just finished placing a steam-
engine. The engine was composed of two horizontal
cylinders, and presented a system of pinions, levers, and
blocks which seemed to me very complicated. I did not
understand at first for what it was intended, but it ap-
peared that here, as everywhere else, the preparations
were far from complete.
And now, why all these delays? Why so many new
arrangements on board the “Great Eastern,†a compara-
tively new ship? The reason may be explained in a few
words. |
After twenty passages from England to America, one of
which was marked by very serious disasters, the use of the
“Great Eastern†was temporarily abandoned, and this
immense ship, arranged to accommodate passengers,
seemed no longer good for anything. When the first
attempt to lay the Atlantic cable had failed,— partly
because the number of ships which carried it was insuf-
ficient—engineers thought of the “Great Eastern.†She
alone could store on board the 2100 miles of metallic wire,
TO A. FLOATING CITY.
ee
weighing 4500 tons. She alone, thanks to her perfect indif-
ference to the sea, could unroll and immerse this immense
cable. But special arrangements were necessary for storing
away the cable in the ship’s hold. Two out of six boilers
were removed, and one chimney out of three belonging to
the screw engine ; in their places large tanks were placed
for the cable, which was immersed in water to preserve
it from the effects of variation of the atmosphere; the
wire thus passed from these tanks of water into the sea
without suffering the least contact with the air.
Ihe laying of the cable having been successfully accom-
plished, and the object in view attained, the “Great
Fastern†was once more left in her costly idleness. A
French company, called the “Great Eastern Company,
Limited,†was floated with a capital of 2,000,000 francs,
with the intention of employing the immense ship for the
conveyance of passengers across the Atlantic. Thus the
reason for rearranging the ship to this purpose, and the con-
sequent necessity of filling up the tanks and replacing the
boilers, of enlarging the saloons in which so many people
were to live during the voyage, and of building extra dining
saloons, finally the arrangement of a thousand berths in
the sides of the gigantic hull.
The “Great Eastern†was freighted to the amount of ©
25,000 francs a month. Two contracts were arranged
with G. Forrester and Co., of Liverpool, the first to the
A FLOATING CITY. if
amount of 538,750 francs, for making new boilers for the
screw; the second to the amount of 662,500 francs for
general repairs, and fixings on board.
Before entering upon the last undertaking, the Board of
Trade required that the ship’s hull should undergo a strict
examination, This costly operation accomplished, a long
crack in her exterior plates was carefully repaired at a
great expense, and the next proceeding was to fix the new
boilers; the driving main-shaft of the wheels, which had
been damaged during the last voyage, had to be replaced
by a shaft, provided with two eccentric wheels, which
insured the solidity of this important part. And now for
the first time the “ Great Eastern†was to be steered by
steam.
It was for this delicate operation that the engineers |
intended the engine which they had placed at the stern.
The steersman standing on the bridge between the signal
apparatus of the wheels and the screw, has before his eyes
a dial provided with a moving needle, which tells him
every moment the position of his rudder. In order to
modify it, he has only to press his hand lightly on a small
wheel, measuring hardly a foot in diameter, and placed
within his reach. Immediately the valves open, the steam
from the boilers rushes along the conducting tubes into the
two cylinders of the small engine, the pistons move rapidly,
and the rudder instantly obeys. If this plan succeeds,
I2 A FLOATING CITY.
es
a man will be able to direct the gigantic body of the
“Great Eastern†with one finger.
For five days operations continued with distracting
activity. These delays considerably affected the enterprize
of the freighters, but the contractors could do no more. The
day for setting sail was irrevocably settled for the 26th of
March. The 25th still saw the deck strewn with all kinds
of tools.
During this last day, however, little by little the gan g-
ways were cleared, the scaffoldings were taken down, the
fly-wheel cranes disappeared, the fixing of the engines was
accomplished, the last screws and nails were driven in, the
reservoirs filled with oil, and the last slab rested on its
metal mortise. This day the chief engineer tried the
boilers, ‘The engine-rooms were full of steam; leaning
over the hatchway, enveloped in a hot mist, I could
see nothing, but I heard the long pistons groaning, and
the huge cylinders noisily swaying to and fro on their solid
swing blocks. The muddy waters of the Mersey were
lashed into foam by the slowly revolving paddle-wheels ; at
the stern, the screw beat the waves with its four blades ; the
two engines, entirely independent of each other, were
in complete working order.
Towards five o'clock a small steamer, intended as a
- shore-boat for the “Great Eastern,†came alongside. Her
movable engine was first hoisted on board by means of
A FLOATING CITY. 13
windlasses, but as for the steamer herself, she could not be
embarked. Her steel hull was so heavy that the davits
to which it was attached bent under the weight, un-
doubtedly this would not have occurred had they sup-
ported them with lifts. Therefore they were obliged to
abandon the steamer, but there still remained on the
“Great Eastern†a string of sixteen boats hanging to the
davits. | |
_Everything was finished by evening; not a trace of mud:
was visible on the well-swept boulevards, for an army of-
sweepers had been at work. There was a full cargo;
provisions, goods, and coal filled the stewards’ room, the
store, and the coal houses. However, the steamer had not
yet sunk to the load water-line, and did not draw the
necessary thirty-three feet. It was an inconvenient position
for the wheels, for the paddles not being sufficiently
immersed, caused a great diminution in the speed. |
Nevertheless it was possible to set sail, and I went
to bed with the hope of starting next day. I was not |
disappointed, for at break of dawn I saw the English,
French, and American flags floating from the masts. |
TA A FLOATING CITY,
ee
CHAPTER TT.
THE “Great Eastern†was indeed preparing to sail.
Already volumes of black smoke were issuing from the
five chimneys, and hot steam filled the engine-rooms.
Some sailors were brightening up the four great fog-can-
nons which were to salute Liverpool as we sailed by.
The top-men climbed the yards, disentangled the
rigging, and tightened the shrouds on the thick rcpes
fastened to the barricades. About eleven o’clock the
carpenters and painters put the finishing touches to their
work, and then embarked on board’ the tender which
awaited them. As soon as there was a sufficient pressure,
the steam rushed into the cylinders of the rudder engine, ©
and the engineers had the pleasure of seeing that this
ingenious contrivance was an entire success.
The weather was fine, with bright gleams of sunshine
darting through the rapidly-moving clouds. There
‘must have been a strong breeze at sea, but we did not
feel it.
A FLOATING CITY. 15
The officers were all dispersed about the deck, making
preparations for getting under sail. The ship’s officers
were composed of the Captain, the first officer, two
assistant officers, five lieutenants, of whom one was a
Frenchman, M. H——, and a volunteer who was also
French.
Captain Anderson holds a high place in the commercial
marine of England. It is to him we are indebted for the
laying of the Transatlantic cable, though it is true that if he
succeeded where his predecessors had failed, it was because
he worked under more favourable circumstances, having
the “Great Eastern†at his command. Be it as it may,
his success gained for him the title of “Sir.†I found him
to be a very agreeable commander. He was a man of
about fifty years of age, with that tawny complexion
which remains unchanged by weather or age; a thorough
Englishman, with a tall figure, a broad smiling face, and
merry eyes; walking with a quiet dignified step, his hands
never in his pockets, always irreproachably gloved and
elegantly dressed, and invariably with a little piece of his
white handkerchief peeping out of the pocket of his nine
and gold-laced overcoat.
The first officer presented a singular contrast to Captain
Anderson, and his appearance is easily described :—an
active little man, with a very sunburnt skin, a black beard
almost covering his face, and legs which defied every lurch
TO: A FLOATING CITY.
of the vessel. A skilful, energetic seaman, he gave his
orders in a clear, decided tone, the boatswain repeating
them with a voice like the roaring of a hoarse lion. The
second officer’s name was W—-—: I think he was a naval
officer, on board the “Great Eastern†by special permission;
he had all the appearance of a regular “ Jack-tar,â€
_ Besides the ship officers, the engines were under the com-
mand of a chief engineer, assisted by eight or ten engi-
neering officers, and a battalion of two hundred and fifty
men, some stokers, others oilers, who hardly ever left the
engine-rooms.
_ This army of men was well occupied night and day,
having ten boilers with ten furnaces and about a hundred
fires to attend to. |
As for the crew of the steam-ship proper, what with
quartermasters, topmen, steersmen, and cabin-boys, ° it
comprised about one hundred men, and _ besides these,
there were two hundred stewards errployed for serving the
passengers, :
_ Every man was at his post; the pilot who was to conduct
the vessel out of the Mersey had been on board since the
evening before. I saw also a French pilot, who was to
make the passage with us, and on her return to take the
steam-ship into anchorage at Brest.
_. “T begin to think we shall sail to-day,†said I to Lieu-
tenant H——., |
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THEN BEGAN THE SLOW INTERMINABLE ASCENT.
Page 17.
A, FLOATING CITYS 7 :
“We are only waiting for our. ‘passengers,’ replied my:
countryman.
« Are there many ??.
“Twelve or thirteen hundred. ae Et
At half-past eleven: the. tender was. hailed,’ Jaden
with passengers, who; as I afterwards: ‘learnt, were.
Californians, Canadians, | “Americans, Peruvians, English, |
Germans, and two: or three Frenchmen. » Among ‘the’
most distinguished:.were the - celebrated Cyrus Field of:
New York, the Honourable : John: ‘Rose of Canada,’ the
Honourable J.: Mac. Alpine of New. York, Mr. and Mrs.â€
Alfred Cohen: of San Francisco, Mr. and Mrs, Whitney of
Montreal, Captain. Mc: Ph—— and his wife. Among: the.
French was the ‘founder. of the “Great Eastern. Freight
Company,†M. Jules. D , representative of. the '“ Tele-_
graph. Construction and: Maintenance Company,†who had
made a contribution of twenty thousand ' ‘Pounds to. the’
fund. Ca bea EO, Sos: De
The tender ranged h herself at the foot of a ficht of steps, :
and then began the slow, interminable ascent of f passengers |
and luggage. : P oe
The first care of each passenger, when he had once. set:
foot on ‘the steamer, was to go and’ secure’ his place in the
dining-room ; his card, or. his name written on a scrap of.
paper, was enough to insute his possession.
I remained on deck in-order to notice all the details of
Cc
is A FLOATING CITY.
embarkation. At halfpast twelve the ° luggase was all on
board, and I saw thousands of packages of every descrip
tion, from chests large enough to contain a suite of
furniture, to elegant little travelling-cases and fanciful
American and English trunks, heaped together peil-mell.
All these were soon cleared from the deck, and stowed
away in the store-rooms; workmen and porters returned
to the tender, which steered off, after having blackened
the side of the “ Great Eastern†with her smoke. |
I was going back towards the bows, when suddenly I
found myself face to face with the young man I had seen
on Prince’s Landing-Stage. He stopped on seeing me, and
held out his hand, which I warmly shook.
“Vou, Fabian!†I cried. “You here?â€
“Even so, my dear friend.â€
“T was not mistaken, then; it was really you I saw on
the quay a day or two since.†|
“Tt is most likely,†replied Fabian, “but I did not see
you.â€
« And you are going to America?â€
“Certainly! Do you think I could spend a month’s
leave better than in travelling ?â€
“ How fortunate that you thought of making your tour
in the ‘Great Eastern’ !â€
“Tt was not chance at all, my dear fellow. I read in
the newspaper that you were one of the passengers; and as
A FLOATING CITY. 19
we have not met for some years now, I came on board,
in order to make the passage with you.â€
“Have you come from India ?â€
“Yes, by the ‘Godavery,’ which arrived at Liverpool
| the day before yesterday.â€
“And you are travelling, Fabian?†I asked, noticing
his pale, sad face. | |
“To divert my mind, if I can,†interrupted Captain
Mac Elwin, warmly pressing my hand, | |
CZ
26 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER IV.
FABIAN left me, to look for his cabin, which, according to
the ticket he held in his hand, was number seventy-three
of the grand saloon series. At this moment large volumes
of smoke curled from the chimneys; the steam hissed
with a deafening noise through the escape-pipes, and fell
in a fine rain over the deck; a noisy eddying of water
announced that the engines were at work. We were at
last going to start,
First of all the anchor had to be raised. The “Great
Eastern†swung round with the tide; all was now clear,
and Captain Anderson was obliged to choose this moment
to set sail, for the width of the “Great Eastern†did not
allow of her turning round in the Mersey. He was more
master of his ship and more certain of guiding her skil-
fully in the midst of the numerous boats always plying on
the river when stemming the rapid current than when
driven by the ebb-tide; the least collision with this
gigantic body would have proved disastrous, © |
A FLOATING CITY. “21
To weigh anchor under these circumstances required
considerable exertion, for the pressure of the tide stretched
the chains by which the ship was moored, and besides this, —
‘a strong south-wester blew with full force on her hull, so
that it required powerful engines to hoist the heavy
anchors from their muddy beds. An anchor-boat, intended
for this purpose, had just stoppered on the chains, but the
windlasses were not sufficiently powerful, and they were
obliged to use the steam apparatus which the “Great
Eastern†had at her disposal.
At the bows was an engine of sixty-six horse-power.
In order to raise the anchors it was only necessary to
send the steam from the boilers into its cylinders
to obtain immediately a considerable power, which could
be directly applied to the windlass on which the chains
were fastened. This was done; but powerful as it
was, this engine was found insufficient, and fifty of
the crew were set to turn the capstan with bars, thus
the anchors were gradually drawn in, but it was slow
work, |
I was on the poop at the bows with several other pas-—
sengers at this moment, watching the details of departure.
Near me stood a traveller, who frequently shrugged his
shoulders impatiently, and did not spare disparazing jokes
on the tardiness of the work. He was a thin, nervous little
man, with quick, restless eyes: a physiognomist could
22 A FLOATING CITY.
OETA
easily see that the things of this life always appeared on
their funny side to this philosopher of Democrates school,
for his risible muscles were never still for a moment; but
without describing him further, I need only say I found
him a very pleasant fellow-traveller. |
“I thought until now, sir,†said he to me, “that engines
were made to help men, not men to help engines.â€
I was going to reply to this wise observation, when
there was a loud cry, and immediately my companion
and I were hurled towards the bows; every man at the
capstan-bars was knocked down; some got up again, others
lay scattered on the deck. A catch had broken, and
the capstan being forced round by the frightful pressure
of the chains, the men, caught by the rebound, were
struck violently on the head and chest. Freed from
their broken rope-bands, the capstan-bars flew in all direc-
tions. like grape-shot, killing four sailors, and wounding
twelve others; among the latter was the boatswain, a
Scotchman from Dundee. |
The spectators hurried towards the unfortunate men, the
wounded were taken to the hospital at the stern; as for the
four already dead, preparations were immediately made to
send them on shore: so lightly do Anglo-Saxons regard
death, that this event made very little impression on board,
- These unhappy men, killed and wounded, were only tools,
which could be replaced at very little expense. The
EVERY
=
a
tes
MAN AT THE CAPSTAN BARS WAS KNOCKED DOWN,
Page 22.
A FLOATING CITY. 23
tender, already some distance off, was hailed, and in a few
minutes she was alongside. |
I went towards the fore-part of the vessel, the staircase
had not yet been raised.. The four corpses, enveloped in
coverings, were let down, and placed on the deck of the
tender. One of the surgeons on board embarked to go
with them to Liverpool, with injunctions to rejoin the
“Great Eastern†as quickly as possible. The tender
immediately sheered off, and the sailors went to the bows,
to wash the stains of blood from the deck.
J ought to add that one of the passengers, slightly
wounded by the breaking of the pinion, took advantage of
this circumstance to leave by the tender; he had already
had enough of the “Great Eastern.†.
I watched the little boat going off full steam, and, turn-
ing round, I heard my ironical fellow-traveller mutter,—
“A good beginning for a voyage!â€
s¢ A very bad one, sir,†said I. “‘Io whom have I the
_ honour of speaking 2†|
“To Dr. Dean Pitferge.â€
24 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER V.
THE work of weighing anchors was resumed; with the help
of the anchor-boat the chains were eased, and the anchors at
last left their tenacious depths. A quarter past one sounded
from the Birkenhead clock-towers, the moment of departure
could not be deferred, if it was intended to make use of the
tide. The captain and pilot went on the foot-bridge; one
lieutenant placed himself near the screw-signal apparatus,
another near that of the paddle-wheel, in case of the
failure of the steam-engine; four other steersmen watched
at the stern, ready to put in action the great wheels placed
on the gratings of the hatchings. The “Great Eastern,â€
making head against the current, was now only waiting to
descend the river with the ebb-tide. |
The order for departure was given, the paddles slowly
struck the water, the screw bubbled at the stern, and the
‘enormous vessel began to move. |
The greater part of the passengers on the poop were
A FLOATING CITY. 25
gazing at the double landscape of Liverpool and Birken-
head, studded with manufactory chimneys. The Mersey,
covered with ships, some lying at anchor, others ascending
and descending the river, offered only a winding passage
for our steam-ship.. But under the hand of a pilot, sensible
to the least inclinations of her rudder, she glided through
the narrow passages, like a whale-boat beneath the oar of
a vigorous steersman. At one time I thought that we
were going to run foul of a brig, which was drifting across
the stream, her bows nearly grazing the hull of the “Great.
Eastern,†but a collision was avoided, and when from the
height of the upper deck I looked at this ship, which was —
not of less than seven or eight hundred tons burden, she
seemed to me no larger than the tiny boats which children
play with on the lakes of Regent’s Park or the Serpentine.
It was not long before the “ Great Eastern†was opposite
the Liverpool landing-stages, but the four cannons whicn
were to have saluted the town, were silent out of respect
to the dead, for the tender was disembarking them at this
moment; however, loud hurrahs replaced the reports
which are the last expressions of national politeness.
Immediately there was a vigorous clapping of hands
and waving of handkerchiefs, with all the enthusiasm with
which the English hail the departure of every vessel, be it
only a simple yacht sailing round a bay. But with what
shouts they were answered! what echoes they called forth
26 A FLOATING CITY.
from the quays! There were thousands of spectators on
both the Liverpool and Birkenhead sides, and boats laden
with sight-seers swarmed on the Mersey. The ‘sailors
manning the yards of the “Lord Clyde,†vee at anchor
opposite the docks, saluted the giant with their hearty
cheers.
But even the noise of the cheering could not drown the
frightful discord of several pands playing at the samie
time. Flags were incessantly hoisted in honour of the
“Great Eastern,†but soon the cries grew faint in the
distance. Our steam-ship ranged near the .“ Tripoli,†a
Cunard emigrant-boat, which in spite of her 2000 tons
burden looked like a mere barge; then the houses grew
fewer and more scattered on both shores, the landscape was
no longer blackened with smoke; and brick walls, with the
exception of some long regular buildings intended for
workmen’s houses, gave way to the open country, with
pretty villas dotted here and there. Our last salutation
reached us from the platform of the lighthouse and the
walls of the bastion.
At three o'clock the “Great Eastern†had crossed the
bar of the Mersey, and shaped her course down St.
George’s Channel. There was a strong sou’wester blowing,
and a heavy swell on the sea, but the steam-ship did not
‘feel it.
Towards tour o'clock the Captain gave orders to heave
A FLOATING CITY. | 27
to; the tender put on full steam to rejoin us, as she was
bringing back the doctor. When the boat came along-
side a rope-ladderwas thrown out, by which he ascended, not
without some difficulty. Our more agile pilot slid down
by the same way into his boat, which was awaiting him,
each rower provided with a cork jacket. Some minutes
after he went on board a charming little schooner waiting
to catch the breeze. |
Our course was immediately continued; under the
pressure of the paddles and the screw, the speed of the
“Great Eastern†greatly increased; in spite of the wind
ahead, she neither rolled nor pitched. Socn the shades of
night stretched across the sea, and Holyhead Point was
lost in the darkness,
28 A FLOSTING CITY.
CHAPTER VI.
THE next day, the 27th of March, the “Great Easternâ€
coasted along the deeply-indented Irish shore. I had
chosen my cabin at the bows; it was a small room well
lighted by two skylights. A second row of cabins
separated it from the first saloon, so that neither the noise
of conversation, nor the rattling of pianos, which were
not wanting on board, could reach me. It was an isolated
cabin ; the furniture consisted of a sofa, a bedstead, anda
toilet-table.
The next morning at seven o’clock, having crossed the
first two rooms, I went on deck. A few passengers were
already pacing the upper decks; an almost imperceptible
swell balanced the steamer; the wind, however, was high,
but the sea, protected by the coast, was comparatively
calm. |
From the poop of the smoking-room, I perceived that
long line of shore, the continual verdure of which has won
for it the name of “Emerald Coast.†A few solitary
ywry
I
IN
Ue
A ee
zip.
ea ie
La IE LFF th TL MY)
UL un
Vie ue er
ear Te
ae
ris eo - ‘
cally, yn N\
naj, add cA
if
HT G07)
———————
vy
ae
AMON
!
ft
i
H
y
‘
ae
SOON WE CAME IN SIGHT OF QUEENSTOWN,
Page 29.
A FLOATING CITY. | 2Q
houses, a string of tide-waiters, a wreath of white smoke.
curling from between two hills, indicating, the passing of a.
train,.an isolated —signal-post making grimacing gestures
to the vessels at large, here. and there animated the
scene, _ . | , | ;
The sea between us ‘and the coast was of a. dull green:
shade; there was a fresh breeze blowing, mists. floated
above the water like spray. Numerous vessels, brigs and’
schooners, were awaiting the tide; steamers puffing away.
their black. smoke were soon distanced by the |“ Great
Eastern,’ y aithougi she was going at.a very. moderate
speed. | | | | .
Soon we came in sight of Queenstown, a small “ ‘calling.
place,â€: before which several fishermen’s boats were at:
work. It is here that all ships bound for Liverpool,.
whether steamers or sailing-ships, throw out their
despatch-bags, which are carried to Dublin in a few
~ hours by an express train always in readiness. From
Dublin they are conveyed across the channel to Holy-
head by a fast steamer, so that despatches thus: sent
are one day in advance of the most rapid Transatlantic
steamers. a
About nine o ‘clock the bearings of the “ Great Eastern†|
were west-north-west. I was just going on deck, when I met
Captain Mac Elwin, accompanied by a friend, a tall, robust —
man, with a light beard and long moustache which mingled
30 | A FLOATING CITY.
with the whiskers and left the chin bare, after the fashion
of the day. This tall fellow was the exact type of an
iinglish officer; his figure was erect without stiffness, his
look calm, his walk dignified but easy; his whole appear-_
ance seemed to indicate unusual courage, and I was not
mistaken in him.
“My friend, Archibald Corsican,†said Fabian to me,
“a captain in the 22nd regiment of the Indian army,
like myself.†|
_ Thus introduced, Captain Corsican and I bowed.
“We hardly saw each other yesterday, Fabian,†said I,
shaking Captain Mac Elwin’s hand, “we were in the bustle
of departure, so that all I know about you is that it was
not chance which brought you on board the ‘Great
Eastern†JI must confess that if I have anything to do
with your decision—â€
“Undoubtedly, my dear fellow,†interrupted Fabian;
“ Captain Corsican and I came to Liverpool with the inten-
tion of taking our berths on board the ‘China,’ a Cunard
steamer, when we heard that the ‘Great Eastern’ was coing
to attempt another passage from England to America 3; it
was a chance we might not get again, and learning that
you were on board I did not hesitate, as I had not seen
you since we took that delightful trip in the Scandinavian
‘States three years ago; so now you know how it was that
the tender brought us tiere yesterday.â€
, ain
PROMS MUTOH
SSeS
ZL
:
ii
il)
|
|
Ay
i
{
Uy iN
1 ————
(24) He 2
ih
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Teel
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i
Page 30.
CAPTAIN CORSICAN AND I BOWED.
A FLOATING CITY. 31
“My dear Fabian,†I replied, “I believe that neither
Captain Corsican nor yourself will regret your decision, as
a passage across the Atlantic in this huge boat cannot fail
to be interesting even to you who are so little used to the
sea. But now let us talk about yourself. Your last letter,
and it is not more than six weeks since I received it, bore
the Bombay post-mark, so that I was justified in believing
you were still with your regiment.â€
‘“We were so three weeks ago,†said Fabian, “leading
the half-military, half-country life of Indian officers, ©
employing most of our time in hunting; my friend here
is a famed tiger-killer ; however, as we are both single and
without family ties, we thought we would let the poor wild
beasts of the peninsula rest for a time, while we came to
Europe to breathe a little of our native air. We obtained
a year’s leave, and travelling by way of the Red Sea, Suez, -
and France, we reached Old England with the utmost
possible speed.â€
“ Old England,†said Captain Corsican, smiling ; “we are
there no longer, Fabian; we are on board an English ship,
but itis freighted by a French company, and it is taking us
to America; three different flags float over our heads, sig-
nifying that we are treading on Franco-Anglo-American
boards.â€
“What does it matter,†replied Fabian, and a painful
expression passed over his face; “what does it matter, so
320 A FLOATING CITY.
Nervencncecee sare
long as it whiles away the time? ‘Movement is life ;’ and
it is well to be able to forget the past, and kill the present
by continual change. In a few days I shall be at New
York, where I hope to meet again my sister and her children,
whom I have not seen for several years ; then we shall visit
the great lakes, and descend the Mississippi as far as
New Orleans, where we shall look for sport on the Amazon.
From America we are going to Africa, where the lions and
elephants will make the Cape their ‘rendezvous,’ in order
to celebrate the arrival of Captain Corsican. Finally, we
shall return and impose on the Sepoys the caprices of the
metropolis,â€
Fabian spoke with a nervous volubility, and his breast
heaved ; evidently there was some great grief weighing on
his mind, the cause of which I was as yet ignorant of, but
with which Archibald seemed to be well acquainted. He
evinced a warm friendship for Fabian, who was several years
younger than himself, treating him like a younger brother,
with a devotion which at times almost amounted to
heroism.
At this moment our conversation was interrupted by the
sound of a horn, which announced the half-past twelve
lunch. Four times a day, to the great satisfaction of the
passengers, this shrill horn sounded: at half-past eight
for breakfast, half-past twelve for lunch, four o’clock for
dinner, and at seven for tea. Ina few minutes the long
A FLOATING CITY. 33
a
streets were deserted, and soon the tables in the immense
saloons were filled with guests. I succeeded in getting a
place near Fabian and Captain Corsican.
The dining-rooms were provided with four long rows of
tables ; the glasses and bottles placed in swing-racks kept
perfectly steady ; the roll of the steamer was almost imper-
ceptible, so that the guests—men, women, and children—
could eat their lunch without any fear. Numerous waiters:
were busy carrying round the tastily-arranged dishes, and
supplying the demands for wine and beer ; the Californians
certainly distinguished themselves by their proclivities for
champagne. Near her husband sat an old laundress, who had
found gold in the San Francisco washing-tubs, emptying a
bottle of champagne in no time; two or three pale, delicate-
looking young ladies were eagerly devouring slices of red
beef; and otners discussing with evident satisfaction the
merits of rhubarb tart, &c. Every one worked away in the
highest spirits; one covld have fancied oneself at a
restaurant in the middle of Paris instead of the onen sea.
Lunch over, the decks were again filled; people bowed and
spoke to each other in passing as formally as if they were.
walking in Hyde Park; children played and ran about, throw-
ing their balls and bowling hoops as they might have done
on the gravel walks of the Tuileries ; the greater part of the
men walked up and down smoking; the ladies, seated on
folding-chairs, worked, read, or talked together, whilst the
D
34 A FLOATING CITY.
moe
governesses and nurses looked after the children. A few
corpulent Americans swung themselves backwards and for-
wards in their rocking-chairs ; the ship’s officers were con-
tinually passing to and fro, some going to their watch on the
bridge, others answering the absurd questions put to them
by some of the passengers ; whilst the tones of an organ
and two or three pianos making a distracting discord,
reached us through the lulls in the wind.
About three o’clock a loud shouting was heard; the
passengers crowded on to the poop; the “ Great Easternâ€
had ranged within two cable-lengths of a vessel which she
had overhauled. It was the “ Propontis,†on her way to
New York, which was saluting the giant of the seas on her
passage, which compliment the giant returned.
Land was still in sight at four o’clock, but hardly dis-
cernible through the mist which had suddenly surrounded
us. Soon we saw the light of Fastenet Beacon, situated on
an isolated rock. Night set in, during which we must have
doubled Cape Clear, the most southerly point of Irelana.
A FLOATING CITY. 38
nn LLL LL LLL LC CREE O AC a Ree eet
CHAPTER VII.
I SAID that the length of the “Great Eastern†exceeded
two hectometres. For the benefit of those partial to com-
parisons, I will add that it is a third longer than the “ Pont
des Arts;†in reality this steam-ship measures 673 feet at
the load water-line, between the perpendiculars ; the upper
deck is 680 feet from stem to stern; that is to say, its
length is double that of the largest transatlantic steamers ;
its width amidships is about 71 feet, and behind the paddles
about 107 feet.
The hull of the “Great Eastern†is proof against the
most formidable seas; it is double, and is composed of a
number of cells placed between the deck and hold ; besides
these, thirteen compartments, separated by water-tight
partitions, increase the security against fire or the inlet of
water. Ten thousand tons of iron were used in the con-
struction of this hull, and 3,000,000 rivets secured the iron
plates on her sides. ) —
D2
25 A FLOATING CITY.
~
The “Great Eastern†draws 30 feet of water with a
cargo of 28,500 tons, and with a light cargo, from 20 to 30
feet. She is capable of receiving 10,000 passengers, so that
out of the 373 principal districts in France, 274 are less
populated than this floating sub-prefecture with its average
number of passengers,
The lines of the “Great Eastern†are very elongated ;
her straight stem is pierced with hawse-holes, through
which the anchor-chains pass; no signs of dents or pro-
tuberances are to be seen on her finely-cut bows, but the
slight sweep of her rounded stern somewhat mars the
general effect.
From the deck rise six masts and five chimneys. The
three masts in front are the “ fore-gigger†and the “ fore-
mast†(both of them mizen-masts) and the “ main-mast.â€
The last three astern are the “ after-main-mast,†“ mizen-
mast,†and “after-gigger.’ The fore-masts and the main-
masts carry the schooner-sails, the top-sails, and the
gallant-sails; the four other masts are only rigged with
ordinary sails; the whole forming 5400 square yards of
good canvas. On the spacious mastheads of the second
and third masts a band of soldiers could easily manceuvre.
Of these six masts, supported by shrouds and metallic
back-stays, the second, third, and fourth are made of sheet.
iron, and are really masterpieces of ironwork. At the base
they measure 43 inches in diameter, and the largest (the
A FLOATING CITY. 37
main-mast) rises to the height of 207 French feet, which is
higher than the towers of Notre Dame.
“As to the chimneys, the two belonging to the paddle-
engine and the three belonging to the screw, they are
enormous cylinders, 90 feet high, supported by chains
fastened to the upper deck.
The arrangements with regard to the interior are ad-
mirable. The laundries and the crew’s berths are shut
off at the fore-part, then come the ladies’ saloon and a
grand saloon ornamented with lustres, swinging lamps,
and pictures. These magnificent rooms are lighted by
side sky-lights, supported on elegant-gilded pillars, and
communicate with the upper-deck by wide staircases with
metallic steps and mahogany balusters.
On deck are arranged four rows of cabins separated
by a passage, some are reached by a landing, others on
a lower story by private staircases. At the stern the
three immense dining-rooms run in the same direction as
the cabins, a passage leads from the saloons at the stern to
those at the bows round the paddle-engine, between its
sheet-iron partitions and the ship’s offices,
The engines of the “Great Eastern†are justly con-
sidered as masterpieces—I was going to say of clock-
work, for there is nothing more astonishing than to
see this enormous machine working with the precision
and ease of a clock, a singular contrast to the screw,
38° A FLOATING CITY.
which works rapidly and furiously, as though getting itself
into a rage,
Independently of these two engines, the “ Great Easternâ€
possesses six auxiliary ones to work the capstans, so that
it is evident steam plays an important part on board.
Such is this steam-ship, without equal and known every-
where; which, however, did not hinder a French captain
from making this zaive remark in his log-book: “Passed
a ship with six masts and five chimneys, supposed to be the
39?
‘Great Eastern’â€
A FLOATING CITY. 20°
nse eete nee eeEEeEEEEEnEEEEnEE em
CHAPTER VIII.
ON Wednesday night the weather was very bad, my
balance was strangely variable, and I was obliged to
lean with my knees and elbows against the sideboard, —
to prevent myself from falling. Portmanteaus and bags
came in and out of my cabin; an unusual hubbub reigned
in the adjoining saloon, in which two or three hundred.
packages were making expeditions from one end to
the other, knocking the tables and chairs with loud
crashes ; doors slammed, the boards creaked, the partitions
made that groaning noise peculiar to pine wood; bottles
and glasses jingled together in their racks, and a cataract
of plates and dishes rolled about on the pantry floors. I
heard the irregular roaring of the screw, and the wheels
beating the water, sometimes entirely immersed, and at
others striking the empty air; by all these signs I con-
cluded that the wind had freshened, and the steam-ship was
no longer indifferent to the billows.
At six o'clock next morning, after passing a sleepless
5» 4 p S
40. A FLOATING CITY:
night, I got up and dressed myself, as well as I could with
one hand, while with the other I clutched at the sides of my
cabin, for without support it was impossible to keep one’s
feet, and I had quite a serious struggle to get on my over-
coat. I left my cabin, and helping myself with hands and
feet through the billows of luggage, I crossed the saloon,
scrambling up the ‘stairs on my kriees, like a Roman
peasant devoutly climbing the steps of the “Scala santaâ€
of Pontius Pilate; and at last, reaching the deck, I hung
on firmly to the nearest. kevel.
No land in sight; we had doubled Cape Clear in
the night, and around us was that vast circumference
bounded by the line, where water and sky appear to meet.
The slate-coloured sea. broke in great foamless billows.
The “Great Eastern†struck amidships, and, supported by
no sail, rolled frightfully, her bare masts describing immense
circles in the air. There was no heaving to speak of, but
the rolling was dreadful, it was impossible to stand upright.
Lhe officer on watch, clinging to the bridge, looked as if he
was ina swing, —
From kevel to kevel, I managed to reach the paddles on
the starboard side, the deck was damp and slippery from
the spray. and.mist: I was just going to fasten myself to
a stanchion of the bridge when a body rolled at my feet.
It was Dr. Pitferge, my quaint friend: he scrambled on
to his knees, and looking at me, said, —
fi maT
TMT i
suit:
int
fl
MY FEET.
oh
y
Tae
dm
eer Te
Fn
ii psu
HEN A BODY ROLLED AT
W
ns
Ae x
RRA
oo
.
v
A FLOATING CITY. 4I
“That’s all right, the amplitude of the arc, described by
the sides of the ‘Great Eastern,’ is forty degrees ; that is,
twenty degrees below the horizontal, and twenty above it.â€
“Indeed!†cried I, laughing, not at the observation, but
at the circumstances under which it was made.
“Yes!â€.replied the Doctor. “During the oscillation the
speed of the sides is fifty-nine inches per second, a trans-
atlantic boat half the size takes but the same time to
recover her equilibrium.â€
“Then,†replied I, “since that is the case, there is an
excess of stability in the ‘Great Eastern,â€
“For her, yes, but not for her passengers,†answered
Dean Pitferge gaily, “for you see they come back to the
horizontal quicker than they care for.â€
The Doctor, delighted with his repartee, raised himself,
and holding each other up, we managed to reach a seat on
the poop. Dean Pitferge had come off very well, with only
a few bruises, and I congratulated him on his lucky escape,
as he might have broken his neck.
‘Oh, it is not over yet,†said he; “there is more trouble
coming.â€
“To-us?â€
“To the steamer, and consequently to me, to us, and to
all the passengers,â€
“Tf you are speaking seriously, why did you come on
board ?â€
42 A FLOATING CITY.
“To sce what is going to happen, for I should not be at
all ill-pleased to witness a shipwreck!†replied the Doctor,
looking at me knowingly.
“Ts this the first time you have been on board the
‘Great Eastern’ ?â€
“No, [ have already made several voyages in her, to
satisfy my curiosity.â€
“You must not complain, then.â€
“YT do not compiain; I merely state facts, and patiently
await the hour of the catastrophe.†|
Was the Doctor making fun of me? I did not know
what to think, his small twinkling eyes looked very
roguish ; but I thought I would try him further.
“Doctor,†I said, “I do not know on what facts your
painful prognostics are founded, but allow me to remind
you that the ‘Great Eastern’ has crossed the Atlantic
twenty times, and most of her passages have been satis-
factory.â€
“That’s of no consequence; this ship is bewitched, to
use a common expression, she cannot escape her fate; I
know it, and therefore have no confidence in her. Remem-
ber what difficulties the engineers had to launch her; I
believe even that Brunel, who built her, diced from the
‘effects of the opcration,’ as we doctors say.â€
“Ah, Doctor,†said I, “are you inclincd to be a
matcrialist 2â€
A FLOATING CITY. 43
‘““Why ask me that question ?â€
“Because I have noticed that many who do not believe
in God believe in everything else, even in the evil eye.â€
“Make fun if you like, sir,†replied the Doctor, “ but allow
me to continue my argument. The ‘Great Eastern’ has
already ruined several companies, Built for the purpose of
carrying emigrants to Australia, she has never once been
there ; intended to surpass the ocean steamers in speed, she
even remains inferior to them.â€
“From this,†said I, “it is to be concluded that—â€
“Listen a minute,†interrupted the Doctor. “ Already
one of her captains has been drowned, and he one of the
most skilful, for he knew how to prevent this rolling by
keeping the ship a little ahead of the waves.â€
“ Ah, well!†said I, “the death of that able man is to be
reeretted.â€
“Then,†continued Dean Pitferge, without noticing my
incredulity, “strange stories are told about this ship; they
say that a passenger who lost his way in the hold of
the ship, like a pioneer in the forests of America, has never
yet been found.â€
“Ah!†exclaimed I ironically, “there’s a fact!â€
“They say, also, that during the construction of the
boilers an engineer was melted by mistake in the steam-box.â€
— “ Bravo \†cried I; “the melted engineer! ‘E ben
trovato. Do you believe it, Doctor?â€
AA A FLOATING CITY.
ee
“I believe,†replied Pitferge, “I believe quite seriously
that our voyage began badly, and that it will end in the
same manner.â€
“But the ‘Great Eastern’ is a solid structure,†I said,
“and built so firmly that she is able to resist the most
furious seas like a solid block.â€
“ Solid she is, undoubtedly,†resumed the doctor; “but
let her fall into the hollow of the waves, and see if she wil!
rise again. Maybe she is a giant, but a giant whose
strength is not in proportion to her size; her engines are
too feeble for her. Have you ever heard speak of her
nineteenth passage from Liverpool to New York ?â€
“No, Doctor.â€
“Well, I was on board. We left Liverpool on a Tuesday,
the roth of December: there were numerous passengers,
and all full of confidence. Everything went well so long
as we were protected by the Irish coast from the billows of
the open sea; no rolling, no sea-sickness ; the next day,
even, the same stability; the passengers were delighted.
On the 12th, however, the wind freshened towards morn-
ing; the “Great Eastern,’ heading the waves, rolled con-
siderably ; the passengers, men and women, disappeared
into the cabins. At four o’clock the wind blew a hutti-
cane ; the furniture began to dance; a mirror in the saloon
‘was broken by a blow from the head of your humble ser-
vant ; all the crockery was smashed to atoms ; there was a
A FLOATING CITY. 45
ete arenmarcee:
frightful uproar; eight shore-boats were torn from the
davits in one swoop. At this moment our situation was
serious; the paddle-wheel-engine had to be stopped;
an enormous piece of lead, displaced by a lurch of the
vessel, threatened to fall into its machinery ; however, the
screw continued to send us on. Soon the wheels began
turning again, but very slowly; one of them had been
damaged during the stoppage, and its spokes and paddles
scraped the hull of the ship. The engine had to be
stopped again, and we had to content ourselves with the
screw. ‘The night was fearful; the fury of the tempest was
redoubled; the ‘Great Eastern’ had fallen into the trough
of the sea and could not right herself; at break of day
there was not a piece of iron-work remaining on the wheels.
They hoisted a few sails in order to right the ship, but no
sooner were they hoisted than they were carried away ;
confusion reigned everywhere; the cable-chains, torn from
their beds, rolled from one side of the ship to the other; a
cattle-pen was knocked in, and a cow fell into the ladies’
saloon through the hatchway; another misfortune was the
breaking of the rudder-chock, so that steering was no longer
possible. Frightful crashes were heard; an oil tank,
weighing over three tons, had broken from its fixings, and,
rolling across the tween-decks, struck the sides alternately
like a battering-ram. Saturday passed in the midst of a
general terror, the ship in the trough of the sea all the
AS A FLOATING CITV,
a
time. Not until Sunday did the wind begin to abate, an
American engineer on board then succeeded in fastening
the chains on the rudder; we turned little by little, and
the ‘Great Eastern’ righted herself. A week after we
left Liverpool we reached Queenstown. Now, who knows,
sir, where we shall be in a week 2?â€
A fLOATING CITY. Ar
CHAPTER IX.
IT must be confessed the Doctor's words were not very
comforting, the passengers would not have heard them
without shuddering. Was he joking, or did he speak
seriously ? Was it, indeed true, that he went with the
“Great Eastern†in all her voyages, to be present at some
catastrophe? Everything is possible for an eccentric,
especially when he is English.
However, the “Great Eastern†continued her course,
tossing like a canoe, and keeping strictly to the loxodromic
line ofsteamers. It is well known, that on a flat surface, the
nearest way from one point to another is by a straight line.
On a sphere it is the curved line formed by the circumfer-
ence of great circles. Ships have an interest in following
this route, in order to make the shortest passage, but sail-
ing vessels cannot pursue this track against a head-wind,
so that steamers alone are able to maintain a direct course,
and take the route of the great circles. This is what the
“Great Eastern†did, making a little for the north-west.
48 A FLOATING CITY.
The rolling never ceased, that horrible sea-sickness, at
the same time contagious and epidemic, made rapid pro-
gress. Several of the passengers, with wan, pallid faces,
and sunken cheeks, remained on deck, in order to breathe
the fresh air, the greater part of them were furious at the
unlucky steam-ship, which was conducting herself like a
mere buoy, and at the freighter’s advertisements, which
had stated that sea-sickness was “unknown on board.â€
At nine o’clock in the morning an object three or four
miles off was signalled from the larboard quarter. Was it
a waif, the carcass of a whale, or the hull of a ship? As
yet it was not distinguishable. A group of convalescent
passengers stood on the upper-déck, at the bows, looking
at this waif which was floating three hundred miles from
the nearest land.
Meanwhile the “Great Eastern†was bearing towards
the object signalled; all opera-glasses were promptly
raised, and there was no lack of conjecture. Between
the Americans, and English, to whom every pretext for a
wager is welcome, betting at once commenced. Among
the most desperate of the betters I noticed a tall man,
whose countenance struck me as one of profound duplicity.
His features were stamped with a look of general hatred,
which neither a physiognomist, nor physiologist could mis-
take; his forehead was seamed with a deep furrow, his
manner was at the same time audacious and listless,
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Page 49.
A FLOATING CITY... 49
his eyebrows nearly meeting, partly concealed the stony
eyes beneath, his shoulders.were high and his. chin. thrust
forward, in fact all the indications of insolence and knavery
were: united in his-.appearance. He spoke in. loud
pompous tones, while some. of. his , worthy associates
laughed: at his coarse jokes... This personage. pretended
to recognize in the waif the carcass of a whale, and he
backed his.opinion by, heavy. stakes, which soon found
ready acceptance. | ee eee
These wagers, amounting to several hundred. dollars, he
lost every. one ; in fact, the waif was the hull ‘of a ship 3.
the steamer rapidly drew near it, and we could already see
the rusty copper of her keel. . It was a three-mast ship of,
about five or six hundred tons, deprived of her'masts and.
rigging, and. vag on one side, with broken chains hanging
from her davits. | eo oe
“ « Had this steam- ship 1 been! abandoned by her. oem
appeared ¢ on ‘the deck, ‘pethaps the “shipwrecked « ones had:
taken refuge inside... I saw an object moving for several
“moments at the bows, but it turned out to be only the
remains of the jib lashed toand fro by the wind. La
The hull was quite visible at the distance of half a mile ; |
she was a comparatively. new ship, and ina perfect state of
preservation ; her cargo, which had been shifted by the
wind, obliged her to lie along on her starboard side.
E
50 | A FLOATING CITY,
The “Great Eastern†drew nearer, and, passing round,
gave notice of her presence by several shrill whistles; but
the waif remained silent, and unanimated ; nothing was to
be seen, not even a shore-boat from the wrecked vessel was
visible on the wide expanse of water. |
The crew had undoubtedly had time to leave her, but
could they have reached land, which was three hundred
miles off? Could a frail boat live on a sea like that which
had rocked the “Great Eastern†so frightfully 2? And_
when could this catastrophe have happened? It was evi-
dent that the shipwreck had taken place farther west, for
the wind and waves must have driven the hull far out
of her course. These questions were destined to remain
unanswered.
When the steam-ship came alongside the stern of the
wreck, I could read distinctly the name “Lerida,’ but the
port she belonged to was not given.
A. merchant-vessel or a man-of-war would have had no
hesitation in manning this hull which, undoubtedly, con-
tained a valuable cargo, but as the “Great Eastern †was
on regular service, she could not take this waif in tow for
so many hundreds of miles; it was equally impossible to
1eturn and take it to the nearest port. Therefore, to the
great regret of the sailors, it had to be abandoned, and it
“was soun a mere speck in the distance. The croup of
passengers dispersed, some to the saloons, others to their
A FLOATING CITY. SI
cabins, and even the lunch-bell failed to awaken the slum-
berers, worn out by sea-sickness. About noon Captain
Anderson ordered sail to be hoisted, so that the ship,
better supported, did not roll so much,
52 A FLOATING CITY,
CHAPTER X,
IN spite of the ship’s disorderly conduct, life on board was
becoming organized, for with the Anglo-Saxon nothing is
more simple. The steam-boat is his street and his house
for the time being; the Frenchman, on the contrary,
always looks like a traveller, |
When the weather was favourable, the boulevards were
thronged with promenaders, who managed to maintain the
perpendicular, in spite of the ship’s motion, but with the
peculiar gyrations of tipsy men. When the passengers
did not go on deck, they remained either in their private
sitting-rooms or in the grand saloon, and then began the
noisy discords of pianos, all played at the same time,
which, however, seemed not to affect Saxon ears in the
least. Among these amateurs, I noticed a tall, bony
woman, who must have been a good musician, for, in order
to facilitate reading her piece of music, she had marked all
‘the notes with a number, and the piano-keys with a
number corresponding, so that if it was note twenty-seven,
A FLOATING CITY. 53
ee
she struck key twenty-seven, if fifty-three, key fifty-three,
and so on, perfectly indifferent to the noise around her, or
the sound of other pianos in the adjoining saloons, and
her equanimity was not even disturbed when some dis-
agreeable little children thumped with their fists on the
unoccupied keys.
Whilst this concert was going on, a bystander would
carelessly take up one of the books scattered here and
there on the tables, and, having found an interesting
passage, would read it aloud, whilst his audience listened
good-humouredly, and complimented him with a flattering
murmur of applause. Newspapers were scattered on the
sofas, generally American and English, which always look
old, although the pages have never been cut ; it is a very
tiresome operation reading these great sheets, which take
up so much room, but the fashion being to leave them
uncut, so they remain. One day I had the patience to
read the New York flerald from beginning to end under
these circumstances, and judge if I was rewarded for my
trouble when I turned to the column headed “ Private: â€
“M. X. begs the pretty Miss Z——, whom he met yester-
day in Twenty-fifth Street omnibus, to come to him to-
morrow, at his rooms, No. 17, St. Nicholas Hotel; he
wishes to speak of marriage with her.†What did the
pretty Miss Z—— do? I don't even care to know.
I passed the whole of the afternoon in the grand saloon
54 A FLOATING CITY.
talking, and observing what was going on about me. Con-
versation could not fail to be interesting, for my friend
Dean Pitferge was sitting near me.
“Have you quite recovered from the effects of your
tumble?†I asked him.
“ Perfectly,†replied he, “ but it’s no go.â€
“What is nogo? You?â€
“No, our steam-ship ; the screw boilers are not working
well; we cannot get enough pressure.â€
“You are anxious, then, to get to New York?â€
“Not in the least, I speak as an engineer, that is all.
I am very comfortable here, and shall sincerely regrec
leaving this collection of originals which chance has,thrown
together... for my recreation.â€
“Originals!†cried I, looking at the passengers who
crowded the saloon; “but all those people are very much
alike.â€
“ Nonsense!’ exclaimed the Doctor, “one can see you
have hardly looked at them, the species is the same, I
allow, but in that species what a variety there is! Just
notice that group of men down there, with their easy-going
air, their legs stretched on the sofas, and hats screwed
down on their heads. They are Yankees, pure Yankees,
from the small states of Maine, Vermont, and Con-
necticut, the produce of New England. Energetic and
intelligent men, rather too much influenced by ‘the
A FLOATING CITY, 55
Reverends, and who have the disagreeable fault of never
putting their hands before their mouths when they sneeze.
Ah! my dear sir, they are true Saxons, always keenly
alive to a bargain; put two Yankees ina room together,
and in an hour they will each have gained ten dollars from
the other.†|
“T will not ask how,†replied I, smiling at the Doctor,
\
“but among them I see a little man with a consequential
air, looking like a weather-cock, and dressed in a long
overcoat, with rather short black trousers,—who is that
gentleman ?â€
“He is a Protestant minister, a man of ‘importance’ in
Massachusetts, where he is going to join his wife, an ex-
governess advantageously implicated in a celebrated law-
suit.†.
~ « And that tall, gloomy-looking fellow, who seems to be
absorbed in calculation ?†|
“That man calculates: in fact,†said the Doctor, “he is
for ever calculating.â€
“Problems?â€
“No, his fortune, he is a man of ‘importance,’ at any
moment he knows almost to a farthing what he is worth;
he is rich, a fourth part of New York is built on his land ;
a quarter of an hour ago he possessed 1,625,367 dollars
and a half, but now he has only 1,625,367 dollars and a
quarter.â€
56 A FLOATING CITY.
“How came this difference in his fortune ?â€
“Well! he has just smoked a quarter-dollar cigar.â€
Doctor. Dean Pitferge. amused me with his clever
repartees, so I pointed out to him another group : stowed
away.in a corner of the saloon. | | |
“They,†said he, “are people from the Far West, the
tallest, who looks like a head clerk, is a man of ‘importance,’
the head of a Chicago bank, he always carries an album
under his arm, with the principal views of his beloved city.
He is, and has reason to be, proud of a city founded ina
desert in 1836, which at the present day has a population
of more than’ 400,000 souls. Near him you.see a Cali-
fornian. couple, the young wife is delicate and charming,
her well- polished husband was once a plough-boy, who
one fine day turned “up some nuggets. That gentle-
man—†| Oe
“Ts a man of ‘ importance, said I. ;
“Undoubtedly,†replied the Doctor, “for his assets count
by the million.†oe | -
“And pray who may this tall individual be, who moves
his head backwards ‘and forwards like the pendulum of a
clock?†| a | |
“That person,†replied the Doctor, “is. the celebrated
Cockburn of Rochester, the universal Statician, who-has.
weighed, measured, proportioned, and calculated every-
thing. Question this harmless maniac, he will tell you
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Page 56.
A FLOATING CITY. 57
ae
how much bread a man of fifty has eaten in his life, and
how many cubic feet of air he has breathed. He will tell
you how many volumes in quarto the words of a Temple
lawyer would fill, and how many miles the postman
goes daily carrying nothing but love-letters; he will tell
you the number of widows who pass in one hour over
London Bridge, and what would be the height of a pile of
sandwiches consumed by the citizens of the Unton in a
year; he will tell you—†|
The Doctor, in his excitement, would have continued for
a long time in this strain, but other passengers passing us
were attracted by the inexhaustible stock of his original
remarks. What different characters there were in this
crowd of passengers! not one idler, however, for one does
not go from one continent to the other without some
serious motive. The most part of them were undoubtedly
going to seek their fortunes on American ground, for-
getting that at twenty years of age a Yankee has made
his fortune, and that at twenty-five he is already too old to
begin the struggle.
Among these adventurers, inventors, and fortune-hunters,
Dean Pitferge pointed out to me some singularly interest-
ing characters. Here was a chemist, a rival of Dr. Liebig,
who pretended to have discovered the art of condensing all
the nutritious parts of a cow into a meat-tablet, no larger
than a five-shilling piece. He was going to coin money
58 A FLOATING CITY.
out of the cattle of the Pampas. Another, the inventor of
a portable motive-power—a steam horse in a watch-case—
was going to exhibit his patent in New England. Another,
a Hrenchman from the “Rue Chapon,†was carrying to
America 30,000 cardboard dolls, which said “ papa†with
a very successful Yankee accent, and he had no doubt
but that his fortune was made.
But besides these originals, there were still others whose
secrets we could not guess; perhaps among them was some
cashier flying from his empty cash-box, and a detective
making friends with him, only waiting for the end of the
passage to take him by the collar; perhaps also we might
have found in this crowd clever genii, who always find
people ready to believe in them, even when they advocate
the affairs of “ The Oceanic Company for lighting Polynesia
with gas,†or “The Royal Society for making incom-
bustible coal.†|
But at this moment my attention was attracted by the
entrance of a young couple who seemed to be under the
influence of a precocious weariness.
“They are Peruvians, my dear sir,†said the Doctor, “a
couple married a year ago, who have been to all parts of
the world for their honeymoon. They adored each other
in Japan, loved in Australia, bore with one another in
‘India, bored each other in France, quarrelled in England,
and will undoubtedly separate in 1 “America,â€
A FLOATING CITY. 59
“And,†said I, “who is that tall, haughty-looking man
just coming in? from his appearance I should take him for
an officer.â€
“He is a Mormon,†replied the doctor, “an elder, Mr.
Hatch, one of the great preachers in the city of Saints,
-What a fine type of manhood he is! Look at his proud
eye, his noble countenance, and dignified bearing, SO
different from the Yankee. Mr. Hatch is returning: from
Germany and England, where he has preached Mormonism
with great success, for there are numbers of this sect in
Europe, who are allowed to conform to the laws of their
country.â€
“Tndeed!†said I; “I quite thought that polygamy was
forbidden them in Europe.’
“Undoubtedly, my dear sir, but do not think that poly-
samy is obligatory on Mormons; Brigham Young has
his harem, because it suits him, but all his followers do
not imitate him, not even those dwelling on the banks of
the Salt Lake.â€
“Indeed! and Mr. Hatch ?â€
“Mr. Hatch has only one wife, and he finds that quite
enough; besides, he proposes to explain his system in a
meeting that he will hold one of these evenings.â€
“The saloon will be filled.â€
“Ves,†said Pitferge, “if the gambling does not attract
too many of the audience; you know that they play in a
60 A FLOATING CITY.
room at the bows? There is an Englishman there with an
evil, disagreeable face, who seems to take the lead among
them, he is a bad man, with a detestable reputation. Have
you noticed him ?â€
From the Doctor’s description, I had no doubt but that
he was the same man who that morning had made himself
conspicuous by his foolish wagers with regard to the waif.
My opinion of him was not wrong. Dean Pitferge told me
his name was Harry Drake, and that he was the son of a
merchant at Calcutta, a gambler, a dissolute character, a
duellist, and now that he was almost ruined, he was most
likely going to America to try a life of adventures. “Such
people,†added the Doctor, “always find followers willing to
flatter them, and this fellow has already formed his circle
of scamps, of which he is the centre. Among them I have
noticed a little short man, with a round face, a turned-up
nose, wearing gold spectacles, and having the appearance of
a German Jew; he calls himself a doctor, on the way to
Quebec; but I take him for a low actor and one of Drake’s
admirers.â€
At this moment Dean Pitferge, who easily skipped from
one subject to another, nudged my elbow. I turned my head
towards the saloon door: a young man about twenty-eight,
and a girl of seventeen, were coming in arm in arm.
“A newly-married pair?†asked I.
“No,†replied the Doctor, ina softened tone, “an engaged
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A FLOATING CITY. GI
couple, who are only waiting for their arrival in New York
_ to get married, they have just made the tour of Europe, of
course with their family’ s consent, and they know now that
_ they are made for one another. Nice young people ; it is a
pleasure to look at them. I often see them leaning over
the railings of the engine-rooms, counting the turns of the
wheels, which do not go half fast enough for their liking.
Ah! sir, if our boilers were heated like those two youthful
hearts, see how our speed wouid increase!â€
C2 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XI.
THis day, at half-past twelve, a steersman posted up on the
grand saloon door the following observation :—
Lat. 51° 15’ N.
Long. 18° 13’ W.
Dist.: Fastenet, 323 miles.
This signified that at noon we were three hundred and
twenty-three miles from the Fastenet lighthouse, the last
which we had passed on the Irish coast, and at 51° 15’ north
latitude, and 18° 13’ west longitude, from the meridian of
Greenwich. It was the ship’s bearing, which the captain thus
made known to the passengers every day. By consulting
this bearing, and referring it to a chart, the course of the
“Great Eastern†might be foilowed. Up to this time she
had only made three hundred and twenty miles in thirty-
six hours, it was not satisfactory, for a steamer at its ordi-
nary speed does not go less than three hundred miles in
twenty-four hours,
A FLOATING CITY. 63
After having left the Doctor, i spent the rest of the day
with Fabian; we had gone to the stern, which Pitferge called
“walking in the country.†There alone, and leaning over
the taffrail, we surveyed the great expanse of water, while
around us rose the briny vapours distilled from the spray ;
small rainbows, formed by the refraction of the sun’s rays,
spanned the foaming waves. Below us, at a distance of
forty feet, the screw was beating the water with a tremen-
dous force, making its copper gleam in the midst of what ap-
peared to bea vast conglomeration of liquefied emeralds, the
fleecy track extending as far as the eye could reach, mingled
ina milky path the foam from the screw, and the paddle
engines, whilst the white and black fringed plumage of the
sea-gulls flying above, cast rapid shadows over the sea.
Fabian was looking at the magic of the waves without
speaking. What did he see in this liquid mirror, which
gave scope to the most capricious flights of imagination? -
Was some vanished face passing before his eyes, and bid-
ding him a last farewell? Did he see a drowning shadow
in these eddying waters? He seemed to me sadder than
usual, and I dared not ask him the cause of his grief.
' After the long separation which had estranged us from
each other, it was for him to confide in me, and for me to
await his confidences. He had told me as much of his past
life as he wished me to know; his life in the Indian garrison,
his hunting, and adventures; but not a word had he said of
64. A FLOATING CITY.
aD
the emotions which swelled in his heart, or the cause of the
sighs which heaved his breast ; undoubtedly Fabian was
not one who tried to lessen his grief by speaking of it, and
therefore he suffered the more.
Thus we remained leaning over the sea, and as I turned
my head Isaw the great paddles emerging under the regular
action of the engine.
Once Fabian said to me, “This track is indeed magnifi-
cent. One would think that the waves were amusing them-
selves with tracing letters! Look at the ‘I’s’ and ‘e’s’. AmI
deceived? No, they are indeed always the same letters,â€
Fabian’s excited imagination saw in these eddyings that
which it wished to see. But what could these letters signify?
What remembrance did they call forth in Fabian’s mind ?
The latter had resumed his silent contemplation, when
suddenly he said to me,—
“Come to me, come; that gulf will draw me in!â€
“What is the matter with you, Fabian,†said I, taking
him by both hands ; “ what is the matter, my friend 2â€
“T have here,†said he, pressing his hand on his heart,
“YT have here a disease which will kill me.â€
“A disease?†said I to him, “a disease with no hope of
cure?â€
“No hope.â€
And without another word Fabian went to the saloon,
and then on to his cabin.
A FILOATING CITY. Ag,
oe
CHAPTER XII.
THE next day, Saturday, 30th of March, the weather was
fine, and the sea calm ; our progress was more rapid, and
the “Great Eastern†was now going at the rate of twelve
knots an hour. | | ee
The wind had set south, and the first officer ordered the
mizen and the top-mast sails to be hoisted, so that the
ship was perfectly steady. Under this fine sunny sky the
upper decks again became ,crowded; ladies appeared in
fresh costumes, some walking about, others sitting down—
I was going to say on the grass-plats beneath the shady
trees, and the children resumed their interrupted games.
With a few soldiers in uniform, strutting about with their
hands in their pockets, one might have fancied oneself on
a French promenade.
At noon, the weather being favourable, Captain Anderson
and two officers went on to the bridge, in order to take the
sun’s altitude ; each held a sextant in his hand, and from
PF
66 A. FLOATING CITY.
cen
nacre MU eI NEG
time to time scanned the southern horizon, towards which
their horizon-glasses were inclined.
“ Noon,†exclaimed the Captain, after a short time.
Immediately a steersman rang a bell on the bridge, and
all the watches on board were regulated by the statement
which had just been made.
Falf-an-hour later, the following observation was posted
up i— |
Lat. 51° 10’ N.
Long. 24° 13’ W.
Course, 227 miles. Distance 550.
We had thus made two hundred and twenty-seven miles
since noon the day before.
I did not see Fabian once during the day. Several times,
uneasy about his absence, I passed his cabin, and was con-
vinced that he had not left it.
He must have wished to avoid the crowd on deck, and
evidently sought to isolate himself trom this tumult. I met
Captain Corsican, and for an hour we walked on the poop.
He often spoke of Fabian, and I could not help telling him
what had passed between Fabian and myself the evening
before. |
“Yes,†said Captain Corsican, with an emotion he did not
try to disguise. ‘“ Two years ago Fabian had the right to
think himself the happiest of men, and now he is the most
unhappy.†Archibald Corsican told me, ina few words, that
A FLOATING CITY. 67
at Bombay Fabian had known a charming young girl,a
Miss Hodges. He loved her, and was beloved by her.
_ Nothing seemed to hinder a marriage between Miss Hodges
and Captain Mac Elwin ; when, by her father’s consent, the
young girl’s hand was sought by the son of a merchant at
Calcutta. It was an old business affair, and Hodges, a harsh,
obstinate, and unfeeling man, who happened at this time to
be in a delicate position with his Calcutta correspondent,
thinking that the marriage would settle everything well,
sacrificed his daughter to the interests of his fortune. The
poor child could not resist; they put her hand into that of
the man she did not and could not love, and who, from
all appearance, had no love for her. It was a mere business
transaction, and a barbarous deed. The husband carried
off his wife the day after they were married, and since then
Fabian has never seen her whom he has always loved.
This story showed me clearly that the grief which
seemed to oppress Fabian was indeed serious.
“What was the young girl’s name?†asked I of Captain
Corsican, | .
“Ellen Hodges,†replied he.
“ Fllen,—that name explains the letters which Fabian
thought he saw yesterday in the ship’s track. And what
is the name of this poor young woman’s husband: said I
to the Captain.
“Harry Drake.â€
xj
i)
68 | A FLOATING CITY.
», “Drake!†cried I, “but that man is on board.â€
“He here!†exclaimed Corsican, seizing my hand, and
looking straight at me. — | |
“Ves,†I replied, “he is on board.â€
“Heaven grant that they may not meet!†said the Cap-
tain gravely. “ Happily they do not know each other, at
least Fabian does not know Harry Drake; but that name
uttered in his hearing would be enough to cause an out-
burst.†= So |
I then related t to Captain Corsican what T knew of Harry
Drake, that is to say, what Dr. Dean Pitferge had told me
of him. I described him such as he was, an insolent, noisy
adventurer, already ruined by gambling, and other vices,
and ready to do anything to get money; at this moment
Harry Drake .passed close to us; I pointed him out to the
Captain, whose eyes suddenly grew animated, and he made
an angry gesture, which I arrested. |
“ Yes,†said he, “there is the face of a villain. But where
is he going?†am : |
“To America, they say, to try and 1 get by chance | what
he does not care to work for.†|
“Poor Ellen!†murmured the Captain; “where is she
now >?†:
_ “Perhaps this wretch has abandoned her, or - why should
‘she not be on board?†said Corsican, looking at me.
This idea crossed my mind for the first time, but I re-
earl ies | Laas eel a _ .
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HE MADE AN ANGRY GESTURE WHICH I ARRESTED.
A FLOATING CITY. _ 69
a
jected it. No; Ellen was not, could not be on board ; she
could not have escaped Dr. Pitferge’s inquisitive eye. No!
she cannot have accompanied Drake on this voyage!
“May what you say be true, sir!†replied,Captain Cor-
sican; “for the sight’ of that poor victim reduced to so
much misery would be a terrible blow to Fabian: I
do not know what would happen, for Fabian is a man who |
would kill Drake like a dog. I ask you, as a proof of your
friendship, never to lose sight of him; so that if anything
should ‘happen, one of us may be near, to throw ourselves
between him and hisenemy. You understand a duel must
not take place between these two men. Alas! neither here
nor elsewhere. A woman cannot marry her husband’s
murderer, however unworthy that husband may have
been. | |
I well understood Captain Corsican’s reason. Fabian
could not be his own justiciary. It was foreseeing, from a
distance, coming events, but how is it that the uncertainty
of human things is so little taken into account? A pre-
sentiment was boding in my mind. Could it be possible,
that in this common life on board, in this every-day
mingling together, that Drake’s noisy personality could
remain unnoticed by Fabian? An accident, a trifle,a mere
name uttered, would it not bring them face to face? Ah!
how I longed to hasten the speed of the steamer which
carried them both! Before leaving Captain Corsican I pro-
t
70 A FLOATING CITY.
me
mised to keep a watch on our friend, and to observe Drake
whom on his part he engaged not to lose sight of ; then he
shook my hand, and we parted.
‘Towards evening a dense mist swept over the ocean,
and the darkness was intense. The brilliantly-lighted
saloons contrasted singularly with the blackness of the
night. Waltzes and ballad songs followed each other; all
received with frantic applause, and even hurrahs were not
wanting, when the actor from T——., sitting at the piano,
bawled his songs with the self-possession of a strolling
player.
A FLOATING CITY. ay
CHAPTER XIIt.
THE next day, the 31st of March, was Sunday. How
would this day be kept on board? Would it be the
English or American Sunday, which closes the “bars†and
the “taps†during service hours; which withholds the
butcher’s hand from his victim; which keeps the baker’s
shovel from the oven ; which causes a suspension of busi-
ness; extinguishes the fires of the manufactories ; which
closes the shops, opens the churches, and moderates the
speed of the railway trains, contrary to the customs
in France? Yes, it must be kept thus, or almost
thus,
First of all, during the service, although the weather was
fine, and we might have gained some knots, the Captain
did not order the sails to be hoisted, as it would have been
“improper.†I thought myself very fortunate that the
screw was allowed to continue its work, and when I in-
quired of a fierce Puritan the reason for this tolerance,
“ Sir,†said he to me, “ that which comes directly from God
A FLOATING CITY.
1}
3
must be respected; the wind is in His hand, the steam is
in the power of man.â€
I was willing to content myself with this reason, and in
the meantime observed what was going on on board.
All the crew were in full uniform, and dressed with ex-
treme propriety. I should not have been surprised to see
the stokers working in black clothes; the officers and
engineers wore their finest uniforms, with gilt buttons;
their shoes shone with a British lustre, and rivalled their
glazed hats with an intense irradiation. All these good
people seemed to have hats and boots of a dazzling bright-_
ness. The Captain and the first officer set the example,
and with new gloves and military attire, glittering and per-
fumed, they paced up and down the bridges awaiting the
hour for service. ne
The sea was magnificent and resplendent beneath the
first rays of a spring sun ; not a sailin sight. The “Great
Eastern†‘occupied alone the centre of the immense ex-
panse. At teno’clock the bell on deck tolled slowly and at
regular intervals ; the ringer, who wasa steersman, dressed
in his best, managed to obtain from this bell a kind of solemn,
religious tone, instead. of the metallic peals with which
it accompanied the whistling of the boilers, when the ship
was surrounded by fog. Involuntarily one looked for the
village steeple which was calling to prayer.
At this moment numerous groups appeared at the doors
of the cabins, at the bows and stern; the boulevards were
soon filled with men, women, and children carefully dressed
for the occasion. Friends exchanged quiet greetings ; every
one held a Prayer-book in his hand, and all were waiting for
the last bell which would announce the beginning of service.
I saw also piles of Bibles, which were to be distributed
in the church, heaped upon trays generally used for sand-
wiches,. ns oo :
The church was the great saloon, formed by the upper- .
deck at the stern, the exterior of which, from its width and
regularity. of structure, reminded one very much of the
hotel of the Ministere des F inances, in the Rue de Rivoli.
I entered. Numbers of the faithful were already in their
places. A profound ‘silence reigned among the congrega-
tion; the officers occupied the apsis-of the church, and, in
the midst of them, stood Captain Anderson, as pastor.
My friend Dean Pitferge was near him, his quick little eyes
running over the whole assembly. JI-will venture to say he
was there more out of curiosity than anything else. .
At half-past ten the Captain rose, and the service began ;
he read a chapter from the Old Testament. After each
verse the congregation murmured the one following; the
shrill soprano voices of the women and children distinctly
separate from the baritone of the men. ‘This Biblical
dialogue lasted for about half-an-hour, and the simple, at
the same time impressive ceremony, was performed witha
7A A FLOATING CITY.
puritanical gravity. Captain Anderson assuming the office
of pastor on board, in the midst of the vast ocean, and
speaking to a crowd of listeners, hanging, as it were, over
the verge of an abyss, claimed the respect and attention of
the most indifferent. It would have been well if the service
had concluded with the reading; but when the Captain
had finished a speaker arose, who could not fail to arouse
feelings of violence and rebellion where tolerance and
meditation should reign. |
It was the reverend gentleman of whom I have before
spoken—a little, fidgety man, an intriguing Yankee; one
of those ministers who exercise such a powerful influence
over the States of New England. His sermon was already
prepared, the occasion was good, and he intended to make
use of it. Would not the good Yorrick have done the
same? I looked at Dean Pitferge ; the Doctor did not
frown, but seemed inclined to try the preacher's zeal.
The latter gravely buttoned his black overcoat, placed
his silk cap on the table, drew out his handkerchief, with
which he touched his lips lightly, and taking in the assembly
at a glance—
“Tn the beginning,†said he, “ God created America, and
rested on the seventh day.†......
Thereupon I reached the dvor.
A FLOATING CITY. | 75
CHAPTER. XIV.
AT lunch Dean Pitferge told me that the reverend gentle-
man had admirably enlarged on his text. Battering rams,
armed forts, and submarine torpedoes had figured in his
discourse ; as for himself, he was made great by the great-
ness of America. If it pleases America to be thus extolled,
{ have nothing to say. |
_ Entering the grand saloon, 1 read the following note :—
Lat. 50° 8’ N.
Long. 30° 44’ W.
Course, 255 miles.
Always the same result. We had only made eleven
hundred miles, including the three hundred and ten
between Fastenet and Liverpool, about a third part of our
voyage. During the remainder of the day officers, sailors,
and passengers continued to rest in accordance with esta-
blished custom. Nota piano sounded in the silent saloons ;
the chess-men did not leave their box, or the cards their
case; the billiard-room was deserted. I had an oppor-
vie) A FLOATING CITY.
(Wiles,
‘
tunity this day to introduce Dean Pitferge to Captain
Corsican. My original very much amused the Captain by
telling him the stories whispered about the “ Great Eastern.â€
He attempted to prove to him that it was a bewitched
ship, to which fatal misfortune must happen. The yarn of
the melted engineer greatly pleased the Captain, who,
being a Scotchman, was a lover of the marvellous, but he
could not repress an incredulous smile.
“JT see,†said pr Pitferge, “the Captain has not much
faith in my stories.â€
“Much! that is saying a great deal, " replied Cor.
sican.,
“Will you believe me, Captain, if I affirm that this. ship
1S haunted at night ?†asked the Doctor, in a serious tone.
“Haunted!†cried the Captain ; “what next? Ghosts?
and you believe in them : 27
“T believe,†replied Pitferge, eT believe what people who
can be depended on have told me. Now, I know some of
the officers on: watch, and the sailors also, are quite
unanimous on this point, that during the darkness of
the night a shadow, a vague form, walks the ship. How it
comes there they do not know, neither do they know how
it disappears.†|
“By St. Dunstan!†- exclaimed Captain Corsican, “we -
_ will watch it well together.†|
. “To-night ?†asked the Doctor.
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Page 76.
SAID DR. PITFERGE.
9
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A FLOATING CITY. 77
“To-night, if you like; and you, sir,’ added the Captain,
turning to me, “ will you keep us company ?â€
“No,†said I; “I do not wish to trouble the solitude of
this phantom; besides, I would rather think that our
Doctor is joking.â€
“Tam not joking,†replied the obstinate Pitferge.
“Come, Doctor,†said I. “Do you really believe in the
dead coming back to the decks of ships ?â€
“I believe in the dead who come to life again,†replied
the Doctor, and this is the more astonishing as I am a
physician.†:
“A physician !†cried the Captain, drawing back ; as if
the word had made him uneasy. | ,
“Don't be alarmed, Captain,†said the Doctor, smiling,
good-humouredly ; “I don’t practise while travelling.â€
78 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XV.
THE next day, the tst of April, the aspect of the sea was
truly spring-like ; it was as green as the meadows beneath
the sun’s rays. This April sunrise on the Atlantic was
superb; the waves spread themselves out voluptuously,
while porpoises gambolled in the ship’s milky track.
When I met Captain Corsican, he informed me that the
ghost announced by the Doctor had not thought proper to
make its appearance. Undoubtedly, the night was not
dark enough for it. Then the idea crossed my mind that
it was a joke of Dean Pitferge’s, sanctioned by the Ist of
April; for in America, England, and France this custom is
very popular. Mystifiers and mystified were not wanting ;
some laughed, others were angry ; I even believe that blows
were exchanged among some of the Saxons, but these
blows never ended in fighting; for it is well known that in
Iengland duels are liable to very severe punishment ; even
officers and soldiers are not allowed to fight under any
pretext whatever. The homicide is subject to the most
A FLOATING CITY. 79
painful and ignominious punishments. I remember the
Doctor telling me the name of an officer who was sent toa
convict prison, for ten years, for having mortally wounded
his adversary in a very honourabie engagement. One can
understand, that in face of this severe law duels have
entirely disappeared from British customs. —
The weather being so fine, a good observation couid be
made, which resulted in the following statement : Lat. 48°
47’, and 36° 48’ W. L.; dist., 250 miles only. The slowest
of the Transatlantic steamers would have had the right to
offer to take us in tow. This state of things very much
annoyed Captain Anderson. The engineers attributed the
failure of pressure to the insufficient ventilation of the new
furnaces; but for my part, I thought that the diminution
of speed was owing to the diameter of the wheels
having been imprudently made smaller.
However, to-day, about two o’clock, there was an im-
provement in the ship’s speed; it was the attitude of the
two young lovers which revealed this change to me.
Leaning against the bulwarks, they murmured joyful
words, clapped their hands, and looked smilingly at the
escape-pipes, which were placed near the chimneys, the
apertures of which were crowned with a white wreath of
vapour. The pressure had risen in the screw boilers ; as yet
it was only a feeble breath of air, a wavering blast; but our
young friends drank it in eagerly with their eyes. No, not
So | A FLOATING CITY.
even Denis Papin could have been more delighted, when he
saw the steam half raise the lid of his celebrated saucepan.
“They smoke! they smoke!†cried the young lady,
whilst a light breath also escaped from her parted lips,
“Let us go and look at the engine,†said the young man,
placing her arm in his.
Dean Pitferge had joined me, and we followed the loving
couple on to the upper-deck.
“ How beautiful is youth !†remarked the Doctor.
“Yes,†said I, “ youth afflanced.â€
Soon we also were leaning over the railing of the engine-
rooms. There, in the deep abyss, at a distance of sixty
feet below us, we saw the four long horizontal pistons
swaying one towards the other, and with each movement
moistened by drops of lubricating oil.
In the meanwhile the young man had taken out his
watch, and the girl, leaning over his shoulder, followed the
movement of the minute-hand, whilst her lover counted
the revolutions of the screw.
“One minute,†said she.
“ Thirty-seven turns,†exclaimed the young man.
“Thirty-seven and a half,†observed the Doctor, who had
entered into the work. :
“And a half,’ cried the young lady. “You hear,
Edward! Thank you, sir,†said she, favouring the worthy
Pitferge with one of her most pleasing smiles, |
A FLOATING CITY. ST
CHAPTER XVi,
GOING back to the grand saloon, I saw the following pro-
gramme posted on the door -—
THIS NIGHT!
ParRT FIRST ©
“Ocean Time†. ; ; . Mr. Mac Alpine.
Song: “Beautiful Isle of the Sea†Mr. Ewing.
. , . . Mr. Affect.
Piano solo: “Chant du Berger†. Mrs. Alloway.
Scotch Song . ° . . » Doctor °.
Reading .
(Ten minutes interval)
PART SECOND.
Piano solo =, 2 ° « Mr. Paul V——..
Burlesque: “Lady of Lyons†. Doctor LT
®
G.
82 A FLOATING CITY.
Entertainment , , . » Sur Fames Anderson.
Song: “ Happy Moment†. ~ Mr, Norville.
Song: “You Remember†, » Aly. Ewing.
FINALE.
“GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.â€
As may be seen, it was a complete concert, with a first
part, entr’acte, second part, and finale; but it seems there
was something wanting in the programme; for I heard
some one mutter behind me, “What! no Mendelssohn,â€
I turned, and saw that it was a steward, who thus pro-
tested against the omission of his favourite music.
I went on deck, and began to look for Mac Elwin.
Corsican had just told me that Fabian had left his cabin,
and I wanted, without intruding myself on him, to draw
him out of his isolation. I found him at the bows:
we talked for some time, but he made no allusion
to his past life. At times he was silent and pensive,
absorbed in his thoughts, no longer listening to me, and
pressing his breast, as if to restrain a painful spasm.
Whilst we were walking together, Harry Drake passed
us several times, always the same noisy, gesticulating man,
obstructive as would be a windmill in a ball-room. Was
I mistaken? I could not say; for I had already anti-
cipated it in my mind; but it seemed to me that Harry
é
A FLOATING CITY. 83
a
Drake stared at Fabian with a persistency which the lettec
must have noticed; for he said to me,-—
“ Who is that man?â€
“TI don’t know,†I replied.
“ T don't like his looks,†added Fabian. ,
Put two ships in the open sea, without wind or tide, and,
at last, they will come together. Throw two planets
into space, and they will fall one on the other. Place
two enemies in the midst of a crowd, and they will inevi-
tably meet; it is a fatality, a question of time, that is all.
In the evening the concert took place according to the
programme; the grand saloon, filled with the audience,
was brilliantly lighted. Through the half-open hatchways
might be seen the broad, sunburnt faces, and the great
black hands of the sailors; the doorways were crowded
with stewards ; the greater part of the audience—men and
women—were seated on side sofas, and in the centre of
the saloon, in arm-chairs and lounges, all facing the piano,
firmly fastened between the two decors, which opened into
the ladies’ saloon. From time to time a rolling motion
disturbed the audience; arm-chairs and folding-chairs
glided about, a kind of swell caused a similar undulatory |
movement to all; they caught hold of one another silently,
and without making any joke; but upon the whole there
was not much fear of falling, thanks to the subsidence.
The concert opened with the “Ocean Times.†The
G2
84 A FLOATING Cry.
“Ocean Times†was a daily newspaper, political, com-
mercial, and literary, which certain passengers had started
for the requirements on board. Americans and English
took to this sort of pastime; they wrote out their sheet
during the day; and let me say, that if the editors were
not particular,as to the quality of their articles, their
readers were not more so. They were content with little,
even with “not enouga, ’
This number for the ist of April contained a “Great
Eastern†leader—tame enough, on general politics—also
various facts quite uninteresting to a Frenchman ; articles
on the money-markets, not particularly comic; curious
telegrams, and sonie rather insipid home news, After all
this kind of fun is only amusing to those who make it.
‘The Honourable Mac Alpine, a dogmatical American, read,
with earnest gravity, some rather dull lucubrations, which
were received by his audience with great applause. He
finished his reading with the following news :—
‘It is announced that President Johnson has resigned
in favour of General Grant.â€
“It is said that Fernando Cortez is going to attack the
Emperor Napoleon the Third, piratically, out of revenge ©
for the latter’s conquest of Mexico.â€
“We are told for a certainty that Pope Pius IX. has
designated the Prince Imperial as his successor.â€
When the “Ocean Times†had been sufficiently
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Page 85.
A FLOATING CITY. 85
applauded, the Honourable Mr. Ewing, a -fine-looking
young fellow, with a tenor voice, warbled “ Beautiful Isle
of the Sea,†with all the harshness of an English throat.
The “reading†appeared to me to havea questionable
charm; it was simply two or three pages of a book, read
by a worthy Texian, who began in a low voice, and
gradually got higher and higher; he also was very, much
applauded. |
~The “ Shepherd’s Song,†a piano solo, by Mrs. Alloway,
and a Scotch song, sung by Doctor pr, concluded: the
first part of the programme, | Oo |
“After the ten minutes’ interval, during which some of the
audience left their seats, the second part of the concert
began. The Frenchman, Paul V——, played some charm-
ing waltzes, which were noisily encored. One of the ship’s
doctors on board, a very conceited young man, recited a
burlesque scene, a kind of parody on the “ Lady of Lyons,â€
a drama very much in vogue in England.
The “ burlesque†was succeeded by the “ entertainment.â€
What had Sir James Anderson prepared under this name?
Was it a conference or a sermon? Neither the one nor the
other. .Sir James Anderson rose smilingly, drew a pack of
cards from his pocket, turned back his white cuffs, and per-
formed some tricks, the simplicity of which was redeemed
by the graceful manner in which they were done. Hurrahs
and applause.
86. A FLOATING CITY.
Senter rete
After the Happy Moment,†and “ You Remember,â€
sung by Mr. Norville and Mr. Ewing, the programme
announced “God Save the Queen;†but some Americans
begged Paul V
national French Anthem. Immediately my agreeable
,as he was a Frenchman, to play the
countryman began the inevitable “Partant pour la Syrie.â€
Energetic demands from a party of north-men, who wished
to hear the “Marseillaise,’ and without being pressed
further, the obedient pianist, with a compliance which be-
tokened rather a musical facility than political convictions,
vigorously attacked the song of Rouget de I'Ile.
his was the grand success of the evening, and the as-
sembly, standing, slowly sang the “National Anthem,â€
which prays God to bless the Queen.
Upon the whole this soirée was as good as amateur
soir€es generally are; that is to say, it was chiefly a suc-
cess for the performers and their friends. Fabian did not
show himself there at all.
A FLOATING CITY. 87
ana reneeenneneeennenmnennenenEeEE nee .
CHAPTER XVII.
DURING Monday night the sea was very stormy. Once
more the partitions began creaking, and again the lug-
gage made its way through the saloons. When I went
on deck, about seven o’clock in the morning, the wind had
freshened, and it was raining. The officer on watch had
ordered the sails to be taken in, so that the steam-ship, left
without any support, rolled dreadfully. All this day, the
2nd of April, the deck was deserted, even the saloons were
empty, for the passengers had taken refuge in their cabins ;
and two-thirds of the guests were missing at lunch and
dinner, Whist was impossible, for the tables glided from
under the players’ hands. The chess-men were unmanage-
able. A few of the more fearless stretched themselves on
the sofas, reading or sleeping, as many preferred to brave
the rain on deck, where the sailors, in their oil-skin jackets
and glazed hats, were sedately pacing to and fro. The first
officer, well wrapped in his macintosh, and perched on the
bridge, was on watch, and in the midst of the hurricane his
88 | A FLOATING CITY.
eee
small eyes sparkled with delight. This was what the little
man loved, and the steamer rolled to his liking.
The water from the skies and sea mingled in a dense
fog. The atmosphere was grey, and birds flew screech-
ing through the damp mists. At ten o’clock a three-mast
ship was hailed, sailing astern of us, but her nationality
could not be recognized.
At about eleven o’clock the wind abated, and veered to
the north-west. The rain ceased, almost suddenly, blue
sky appeared through the opening in the clouds, the sun
shone out again, and permitted a more or less perfect
observation to be made, which was posted up as follows :—
Lat. 46° 20’ N.
Long. 42° 25’ W.
Dist., 356 miles,
So that, although the pressure of the boilers had risen, the
_ ship’s speed had not increased ; but this might be attri-
buted to the westerly wind, which caught the ship ahead,
and considerably impeded her progress.
“At two oclock the fog grew dense again, the wind fell
and rose at the same time. The thickness of the fog was
so intense that the officers on the bridge could not sce the
men at the bows. These accumulated vapours rising from
the sea constitute the greatest danger of navigation. They
cause accidents which it is impossible to avoid, and a colli-
sion ‘at sea is more to be dreaded than a fire.
A FLOATING CITY. 89
oe
Thus, in the midst of the fog, officers and sailors were
_ obliged to keep a strict watch, which soon proved to be
necessary, for about three o’clock a three-master appeared
at less than two hundred yards from the “Great Eastern,â€
her sails disabled by a gust of wind, and no longer answer-
ing to her helm. The “Great Eastern†turned in time to
avoid her, thanks to the promptitude with which the men on
watch warned the steersman. These well-regulated signals
are given by means of a bell, fastened to the poop at the
bows. One ring signifies ship a-head ; two, ship-starboard ;
three, ship a-larboard ; and immediately the man at the
helm steers in order to avoid a collision,
The wind did not abate until evening ; however the roll-
ing was nothing to speak of, as the sea was protected by
the Newfoundland heights. Another entertainment, by Sir
James Anderson, was announced for this day. At the ap-
pointed hour the saloon was filled; but this time it had
nothing to do with cards. Sir James Anderson told us the
history of the Transatlantic Cable, which he had himself laid.
He showed us photographs representing thedifferent engines
used for the immersion. He sent round a model of the
splice which was used to fasten together the pieces of cable.
Finally, very justly merited, the three cheers with which his
lecture was received, a great part of which was meant for
the Honourable Cyrus Field, promoter of the enterprise, who
was present on this occasion.
Qo - & FLOATING CITY,
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE next day, the 3rd of April, from early dawn the hori-
zon wore that peculiar aspect which the English call
“Dlink.†It was of that misty white colour which signifies
that icebergs are not far distant; in fact the “Great
Eastern†was ploughing those seas on which float the first
blocks of ice detached from the icebergs in Davis’ Straits.
A special watch was kept, in order to avoid the rude col-
lision with these enormous blocks.
There was a strong westerly wind blowing; strips of
clouds, or rather shreds of vapour, hung over the sea, through
which glimpses of blue sky appeared. A dull thudding
noise came from the waves tossed by the wind, and drops
of water, seemingly pulverized, evaporated in foam.
Neither Fabian, Captain Corsican, nor Doctor Pitferge
had yet come on deck, so I went towards the bows, where
the junction of the bulwarks formed a comfortable angle,
a kind of retreat, in which like a hermit, one could retire
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A FLOATING CITY. Ol
from the world. I took my place in this corner, sitting on
a skylight, and my feet resting “on an enormous ‘pulley ;
the wind béing dead ahead passed over without touching
me. This was a good place for reflection. From here I
had a view of the whole immensity of. the ship; /1-could
see. the. lone slanting ropes of the. rigging .at the stern.
On the: first level. a top-man, hanging in the. mizen-
shrouds, held himself up with one hand, whilst: with
thé. other he worked with a remarkable dexterity. On
the deck below him paced the officer on watch, peering
through the: mists. On.the bridge, at the stern, I caught
a glimpse of an officer, his back rounded, and his head
muffled in a hood, strigeling against the gusts of wind.
I could distinguish nothing of the sea, except a bluish
horizontal. line discernible behind the paddles. . Urged
on by her powerful engines, the narrow stem of the
stearn- ship cut the waves, with a hissing sound, like. that
when the sides of.a boiler aré heated by a roaring fire,
But the colossal ship, with the wind a-head, and borne
on. three waves, hardly felt the movement of the sea,
which would have. shaken any. other. steamer with its |
pitchings. | Se ese
At. half-past twelve the notice stated that we. were in
44° 53! North lat. and 47° 6! W:-long:, and had made
two hundred and twenty-seven miles in twenty-four hours
only. The young couple must have scolded the wheels
92 A FLOATING CITY:
which did not turn, and the steam which was not at ail
strong enough to please them.
About three o'clock the sky, swept by the wind, cleared
up; the line of the horizon was once more clearly defined,
the wind fell, but for a long while the sea rose in great foam-
crested billows. Such a gentle breeze could not cause this
swell; one might have said that the Atlantic was still
sulky,
At twenty-five minutes to four a three-mast ship
was hailed to larboard. She hoisted her name ; it
was the “Illinois,†an American ship, on her way to
England.
At this moment Lieutenant H
we were passing Cape Race point. We were now in the
informed me that
rich coasts where are obtained cod-fish, three of which
would suffice to supply England and America if all the roe
were hatched. The day passed without any remarkable
occurrence; no accident had as yet thrown Fabian and
Harry Drake together, for the Captain and I never lost
sight of them. In the evening the same harmless amuse-
ment, the same reading, and songs in the grand saloon
called forth, as usual, frantic applauses. As an extraordi-
nary occurrence a lively discussion broke out between a
Northerner and a Texian. The latter demanded an Em-
-peror for the Southern States. Happily this political dis-
cussion, which threatened to degenerate into a quarrel,
A FLOATING CITY. 93
rr
was put an end to by the timely arrival of an imaginary
despatch, addressed to the “ Ocean Times,†and conceived
in these terms: “Captain Semmes, Minister of War, has
made the South compensate for its ravages in Alabama.â€
04 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XIX,
LEAVING the brilliantly lighted saloon I went on decie
with Captain Corsican. The night was dark; not a star
in the firmament; an impenetrable gloom surrounded the
ship. The windows of the saloon shone like the mouths
of furnaces; the man on watch, heavily pacing the poop,
was scarcely discernible, but one could breathe the fresh
air, and the Captain inhaled it with expanded lungs.
“T was stifled in the saloon,†said he; “here at least I
can breathe. I require my hundred cubic yards of pure
air every twenty-four hours, or I get half suffocated.â€
“ Breathe, Captain, breathe at your ease,†said I to him;
“the breeze does not stint your wants. Oxygen is a good
thing, but it must be confessed Parisians and Londoners
know it only by reputation.â€
“Yes,†replied the Captain, “and “they prefer carbonic
acid. Ah well! every one to his liking ; for my own part
I detest it, even in champagne.â€
A FLOATING CITY. 95°
Wei ceremnenentsteey wy eh a etiewt vances seventeenth clean nec ea
Thus talking, we paced up and down the deck on the
starboard side, sheltered from the wind by the high par-
titions of the deck cabins. Great wreaths of smoke, illu-
minated with sparks, curled from the black chimneys; the
noise of the engines accompanied the whistling of the wind
in the shrouds, which sounded like the cords of a harp.
Mingling with this hubbub, each quarter of an hour,
came the cry of the sailors on deck, “All’s well, all’s
well.†|
In fact no precaution had been neglected to insure the
safety of the ship on these coasts frequented by icebergs.
The Captain had a bucket of water drawn every half-
hour, in order to ascertain the temperature, and if it
had fallen one degree he immediately changed his
course, for he knew that the “ Peruvian†had been seen
but a fortnight since blocked up by icebergs in this
latitude ; it was therefore a danger to be avoided. His.
orders for night were to keep a strict look-out. He
himself remained on the bridge with an. officer each
side of him, one at the wheel signal, the other at the
screw; besides these a lieutenant and two men kept
watch on the poop, whilst a quarter-master with a sailor
stood at the stern; the passengers might therefore rest
quietly.
After noticing these arrangements we went back again to
the stern, as we had made up our minds to stay some time
99 A FLOATING CITY.
longer, walking on deck like peaceful citizens taking an
evening stroll in their town squares.
The place seemed deserted. Soon, however, our eyes
gréw accustomed to the darkness, and we perceived a man
leaning perfectly motionless, with his elbow on the railing.
Corsican, after looking at him. attentively for some time,
said to me,— |
“Tt is Fabian.†ee a
It was indeed Fabian, We recognized him, but absorbed
as he was in a profound contemplation he did not see us.
His eyes were fixed on an angle of the upper deck ; I saw
them gleam in the dark. What was,he looking at : > How
could he pierce this black gloom? I thought it better to
leave him to his reflections, but Captain Corsican went up
to him. | |
“Fabian,†said he. | | |
Fabian did not answer ; he had not heard, Again Corsi-
can Called. him. He shuddered, and turned his head fora
moment, saying,—
“Hush.†. | :
Then with his hand he pointed t toa shadow which | was
slowly moving at the further end of the upper deck. It
was this almost invisible figure that F abian was looking at,
and smiling sadly he murmured,— |
* The black lady.†|
I shuddered. Captain Corsican took hold of my arm,
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A FLOATING CITY. O7
and I felt that he also was trembling. The same thought
had struck us both. This shadow was the apparition about
which Dean Pitferge had spoken. So
Fabian had relapsed into his dreamy contemplation. I,
with a heaving breast and awe-struck glance, looked at this
human figure, the outline of which was hardly discernible ;
but presently it became more defined. It came forward,
stopped, turned back, and then again advanced, seeming to
glide rather than walk. At ten steps from us it stood per-
fectly still. I was then able to distinguish the figure of a
_ slender female, closely wrapped in a kind of brown bur-
nous, and her face covered with a thick veil. |
“A mad woman, a mad woman, is it not?†murmured
Fabian. ,
It was, indeed,a mad woman; but Fabian was not
asking us: he was speaking to himself.
In the meantime the poor creature came still nearer to
us. I thought I could see her eyes sparkle through her
veil, when they were fixed on Fabian, She went up to him,
Fabian started to his feet, electrified. The veiled woman
_ put her hand on her heart as though counting its pulsa-
tion, then, gliding swiftly away, she disappeared behind the
angle of the upper deck. Fabian staggered, and fell on his
knees, his hands stretched out before him,
“Tt is she,†he murmured,
‘Then snaking nis nead,—-
98 A FLOATING CITY.
“What an hallucination!†he added.
Captain Corsican then took him by the hand.
“Come, Fabian, come,†said he, and he led away his
unhappy friend. |
A FLOATING CITY. | 99
ET ON aceon cca SR ANNES ARR F IC ET nT TNR IEP Ahee sense
CHAPTER XxX.
CORSICAN and I could no longer doubt but that it was Ellen,
Fabian’s betrothed, and Harry Drake’s wife. Chance had
brought all three together on the same ship. Fabian had
not recognized her, although he had cried, “It is she, it is
she!†and how was it possible that he could have done so?
But he was not mistaken in saying, “A mad woman!â€
Ellen was mad, undoubtedly ; grief, despair, love frozen in
her heart, contact with the worthless man who had snatched
her from Fabian, ruin, misery, and shame had broken her
spirit. It was on this subject that Corsican and I spoke
the following morning. We had no doubt as to the iden-
tity of the young woman; it was Ellen, whom Harry Drake
was dragging with him to the American continent. The
Captain’s eyes glowed with a dark fire at the thought of
this wretch, and I felt my heart stir within me. What
were we against the husband, the master? Nothing. |
But now, what was most important, was to prevent
another meeting between Fabian and Ellen, ior Fabian
II 2
Ino A FLOATING CITY,
could not fail at last to recognize his betrothed, and
thus the catastrophe we wished to avoid would be brought
about.
At the same time we had reason to hope that these twe
poor creatures would not see each other again, as the un-
happy Ellen never appeared in the daytime, either in the
saloons or on the deck. Only at night, perhaps eluding
her gaoler, she came out to bathe herself in the damp air,
and demand of the wind a smooth passage. In four
davs, at the latest, the “Great Eastern†must reach
New York harbour; therefore we might hope that
accident would not dally with our watchfulness, and
that Fabian would not discover Ellen during this time;
but we made our calculations without thinking of
events.
The steamer’s course had been slightly altered in the
night, three times the ship, being in water twenty-seven
degrees Fahrenheit—that is to say, five degrees below
zero, had been turned towards the south. There was no
longer any doubt of icebergs being very near, for the sky
that morning had a peculiarly brilliant aspect ; the atmo-
sphere was misty, and the northern sky glittered with an
intense reverberation, evidently produced by the powerful
reflection from the icebergs. There was a piercing wind,
and about ten o’ciock the deck was powdered by a slight
snow-fali; then dense fog surrounded us, in which we gave
A FLOATING CITY. IOI
eee
warning of our approach, by deafening whistles, which
scared away the flocks of sea-gulls in the ship’s yards. At
half-past ten, the fog having cleared off, a screw steamer
appeared on the horizon, a-starboard, the white tops of
her chimneys indicating that she was an emigrant ship,
belonging to the Inman Company.
Before lunch several of the passengers organized a pool, |
which could not fail to please those fond of betting and
gambling. The result of this pool was not to be known for
four days; it was what is called the “pilot’s pool.†When
a ship arrives at the land-falls every one knows that a pilot
comes on board; so they divide the twenty-four hours of
the day and night into forty-eight half-hours, or ninety-six
quarters, according to the number of the passengers, Each
player stakes one dollar, and draws one of the half or
quarter hours: the winner of the forty-eight or ninety-six
dollars is the one during whose quarter of an hour the pilot
comes on board. From this it may be seen that the game
is very simple; it is not a race-course, but a quarter-of-an-
hour race.
It was a Canadian, the Honourable MacAlpine, who
undertook the management of the affair. He easily
collected ninety-six players, including several professed
gamblers, not the least among those ready for gain. I,
following the general example, staked my dollar, and fate.
allotted me the ninety-fourth quarter; it was a bad
102 A FLOATING CITY.
—
number, and one which left me no chance of profit. The
fact is, these divisions are reckoned from noon to noon, so
that there are night as well as day quarters; and as it is
very seldom that ships venture close in in the dark, the
chance of a pilot coming on board then is very small.
However, I easily consoled myself. Going down into the
saloon, I saw a lecture announced. The Utah missionary
was going to hold a meeting on Mormonism; a good
opportunity for those wishing to initiate themselves in the
mysteries of the City of Saints; besides, this Elder, Mr.
Hatch, was an orator of no mean power. The execution
could not fail to be worthy of the work. The announce-
ment of the conference was received very favourably by
the passengers.
The observation posted up was as follows :—
Lat. 42° 32’ N,
Long. 51° 50’ W.
Course, 254 miles,
About three o’clock in the afternoon the steersman sig-
naled a large four-mast steamer, which slightly changed its
course, in order to give the “Great Eastern†its number.
It was the “Atlanta,†one of the largest boats running
between London and New York, calling at Brest on the
way. After having saluted us, which we returned, in a
short time she was out of sight.
| At | this moment Dean Pitferge, in a vexed tone,
A FLOATING CITY. 103
informed me that Mr. Hatch’s lecture was forbidden, as
the wives of the puritans on board did not approve ot
their husbands becoming acquainted with the mysteries
of Mormonism.
104 A FLOATING CIIy.
CHAPTER XXTI,
£:T four o'clock, the sky, which had been overcast, cleared
up, the sea grew calm, and the ship was so steady, one
might almost have thought oneself on “erva_firma—this
gave the passengers the idea of getting up races. Epsom
tuif could not have afforded a better coursing-ground, and
as for horses, they were well replaced by pure Scotchmen,
as good asany “Gladiator,†or “La Touque.†The news
soon spread, sportsmen immediately hurried to the field.
An Englishman, the Hon, J. Mac Carthy, was appointed
commissioner, and the competitors presented themselves
without delay. They were half a dozen sailors, kind
of centaurs, man and horse at the same time, all ready to
try for the prize.
The two boulevards formed the race-course, the runners
were to go three times round the ship, thus making a
course of about 1300 yards, which was quite enough,
Soon the galleries were invaded by crowds of spectators,
A FLOATING CITY. 105
all armed with opera-glasses. Some of them had hcisted
the “green sail,†no doubt to shelter themselves from
the spray of the Atlantic. Carriages were missing, I
must confess, but not the rank, where they might
have ranged in file. Ladies in gay costumes were hur-
rying on to the upper-decks ; the scene was charming.
Fabian, Captain Corsican, Dr. Pitferge and I had taken
our places on the poop, which was what might be
called the centre of action. Here the real gentlemen
riders were assembled ; in front of us was the starting and
winning post. Betting soon began with a true British
animation. Considerable sums of money were staked, but
only from the appearance of the racers, whose qualifications
had not as yet been inscribed in the “stud-book.†It was
not without uneasiness that I saw Harry Drake interfering
in the preparations with his usual audacity, discussing, dis-
puting, and settling affairs in a tone which admitted of no
reply. Happily, although Fabian had risked some pounds
in the race, he appeared quite indifferent to the noise; he
kept himself aloof from the others, and it was quite evident
his thoughts were far off.
Among the racers who offered themselves, two particu-
larly attracted the public attention. Wilmore, a small,
thin, wiry Scotchman, with a broad chest and sharp eyes,
was one of the favourites; the other, an Irishman named
O’Kelly, a tall, supple fellow, balanced the chance with
106 A FLOATING CITY.
EE
Wilmore, in the eyes of connoisseurs. Three to one was
asked on him, and for myself partaking the general infa-
tuation. I was going to risk a few dollars on him, when
the Doctor said to me,—
“Choose the little one; believe me, the tall one is
no go.â€
“ What do you say ?â€
“Tsay,†replied the Doctor, “that the tall one is not
genuine; he may have a certain amount of speed, but he
has no bottom. ‘The little one, on the contrary, is of
pure Scotch race; look how straight his body is on his
legs, and how broad and pliant his chest is; he is a man
who will lead more than once in the race. Bet on him,
I tell you; you won't regret it.â€
I took the learned doctor’s advice, and bet on Wil-
more; as to the other four, they were not even dis-
cussed,
They drew for places; chance favoured the Irishman,
who had the rope-side; the six runners were placed along
the line, bounded by the posts, so that there was no unfair
start to be feared. |
The commissioner gave the signal, and the departure
was hailed by a loud hurrah. It was soon evident that
Wilmore and O’Kelly were professional runners; without
- taking any notice of their rivals, who passed them breath-
less, they ran with their bodies thrown slightly forward,
A FLOATING CITY. 107
heads very erect, arms tightly pressed against their
chests, and holding their fists firmly in front.
In the second round O’Kelly and Wilmore were in a
line, having distanced their exhausted competitors. They
obviously verified the Doctor’s saying,—
“It is not with the legs, but with the chest that one
runs; ham-strings are good, but lungs are better.â€
At the last turning but one the spectators again cheered
their favourites. Cries and hurrahs broke out on all sides,
“The little one will win,†said Pitferge tome. Look,
he is not even panting, and his rival is breathless.â€
Wilmore indeed looked calm and pale, whilst O’Kelly was.
steaming like a damp hay-stack ; he was “pumped out,†to
use a sportsman’s slang expression, but both of them kept
thesame line. At last they passed the upper decks ; the
hatchway of the engine-rooms, the winning-post,
“ Hurrah! hurrah! for Wilmore,†cried some,
“ Hurrah! for O’Kelly,†chimed in others,
“Wilmore has won.â€
“No, they are together.â€
The truth was Wilmore had won, but by hardly half a
head so the Honourable Mac Carthy decided. How-
ever, the discussion continued, and even came to words.
The partisans of the Irishman, and particularly Harry
Drake, maintained that it was a “dead heat,†and that
they ought to go again.
108 . A: FLOATING CITY.
» But vat this moment, urged by an irresistible impulse,
Fabian went up to Harry Drake, and said to him ina cold
tone,— | |
. “You are wrong, sir, the winner was the Scotch sailor.â€
“What do you say?†he asked, in a threatening tone.
“TI say you are wrong,†answered Fabian quietly. |
“ Undoubtedly,†retorted Drake, “because you bet on
Wilmore.†| a
«Twas for O'Kelly, like yourself ; I lost, and I have
paid,â€
_ “Sir,†cried Drake, “do you pretend to teach me?— |
’ But he did not finish his sentence, for Captain Corsican
had interposed between him and Fabian, with the intention
of taking up the quarrel. He treated Drake with supreme
contempt, but evidently Drake would not pick a quarrel
with him ;.so when Corsican had finished, he crossed his
arms, and addressing himself to Fabian,— :
“This gentleman,†said he, with an evil smile, “this
gentleman wants some one to fight his battles for him.â€
Fabian grew pale, he would have sprung at Drake, but I
held him back, ‘andthe scoundrel’s companions dragged
him away; not, however, before he had cast a look of
hatred at his enemy. | |
Captain. Corsican and I went below with Fabian, who
. contented himself by saying, “ The nist opportunity I have,
I will box that impudent fellow’s ears,’
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CHAPTER XXII.
from Thursday night to Saturday the “Great Easternâ€
was crossing the Gulf Stream, the water of which is of a
dark colour, the surface of the current forcing its way
against the waters of the Atlantic, is even slightly convex.
It is, in fact, a river running between two liquid shores, and
one of the largest in the world, for it reduces the Amazon
and Mississippi to mere brooks in comparison.
This day, the 5th of April, began with a magnificent
sunrise, the waves glittered, and a warm south-west wind
was wafted through the rigging. It was the beginning of
the fine weather; the sun, which had clothed the fields of
the continent with verdure, caused fresh costumes to bloom
on board. Vegetation is sometimes behind-hand, but
fashion never. Soon the Boulevards, filled with groups of
promenaders, looked like the Champs Elysées on a fine
Sunday afternoon in May. |
I did not see Captain Corsican once that morning;
ee
TiO A FLOATING CITY.
wishing to hear of Fabian, I went to his cabin, and knocked
‘at the door, but getting no answer I opened it and went in.
Fabian was not there. I went on deck again, but could
find neither my friends nor the Doctor; the idea then
crossed my mind to find out where the unfortunate Ellen
was confined. What cabin did she occupy? Where had
Drake shut her up? In whose care was the poor creature
left, when Drake abandoned her for whole days? Most
likely with some disinterested stewardess, or an indifferent
nurse. I wished to know how it was, not from any vain
motive of curiosity, but simply in Ellen and Fabian’s
interest, if it was only to prevent a meeting, always to be
dreaded.
I began my search with the cabin near the ladies’ saloon,
and went along the passages of both stories. This inspec-
tion was easy enough, as the names of the occupants were
written on each door, in order to facilitate the steward’s
work. I did not see Harry Drake’s name, but this did not
surprise me much, as I had no doubt he had preferred the
more isolated cabins at the stern. In matter of comfort,
however, no difference existed between the cabins at the
bows and those at the stern, for the Preighters had only
admitted one class of passengers. _
I next went towards the dining saloons, keeping careiully
_to the side passages which wound between the double row
of cabins. All these rooms were occupied, and all had the
A FLOATING CITY. Ill
name of the passengers outside, but Harry Drake’s name
was not to be seen. This time the absence of his name
astonished me, for I thought I had been all over our
Floating City, and I was not aware of any part more
secluded than this.
I inquired of a steward, who told me there were yet a
hundred cabins behind the dining saloons,
“ How do you get to them ?†I asked.
“ By a staircase at the end of the icper deck,â€
“Thank you, and can you tell me which cabin Mr. Harry
Drake occupies ?†| |
“T do not know, sir,†replied the steward.
Again I went on deck, and following the steward’s direc-
tion at last came to the door at the top of the stairs. This
staircase did not lead to any large saloons, but simply toa
dimly-lighted landing, round which was arranged a double
row of cabins. Harry Drake couid hardly have found a
more favourable place in which to hide Ellen.
The greater part of the cabins were unoccupied. I went
along the landing, a few names were written on the doors,
but only two or three at the most. Harry Drake’s name
was not among them, and as I had made a very minute
inspection of this compartment, 1 was very much dis-
appointed at my ill success. JI was going away when
suddenly a vague, almost inaudible murmur caught my
ear, it proceeded from the left side of the passage. I went
Ti2 A FLOATING CITY.
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towards the place; the sounds, at first faint, grew louder,
and I distinguished a kind of plaintive song, or rather
melopceia, the words of which did not reach me.
I listened; it was a woman singing, but in this uncon-
scious voice one could recognize a mournful wail. | Might
not this voice belong to the mad woman? My presenti-
ments could not deceive me. I went quietly nearer to the
cabin, which was numbered 775. It was the last in this
dim passage, and must have been lighted by the lowest
light-ports in the hull of the “ Great Eastern ;†there was
no name on the door, and Harry Drake had no desire
that any one should know the place where he confined
Ellen.
I could not distinctly hear the voice of the unfortunate
woman; her song was only a string of unconnected
sentences like one speaking in sleep, but at the same time
it was sweet and plaintive.
Although I had no means of recognizing her identity, I
had no doubt but that it was Ellen singing.
I listened for some minutes, and was just going away,
when I heard a step on the landing. Could it be Harry
Drake? I did not wish him to find me here, for Fabian
and Ellen’s sake; fortunately I could get on deck, with-
out being seen, by a passage leading round the cabins.
- However, I stopped to know who it really was that I had
heard. The darkness partially hid me, and standing
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A FLOATING CITY. | 113
behind an angle of the | passage I. could see wathout being
myself in sight. BO
In the meantime the sound of the footsteps had ceased,
and with it, as a strange coincident, Ellen’s voice: : 1 waited
and soon the song began again, and, the. Doatds:creaked
uncertain light which 1 elimmered cough the creas « of the
cabin doors, I recognized. Fabian. - an Ls
It was my unhappy friend! What instinct’ could thaw
led him to this place?. Had he then discaveted the voung
woman's. retreat before me? I did not ‘know what «to
think. Fabian slowly advanced -along the passage, listen-
ing, following the voice, as if it was a thread drawing him
unconsciously on, and ‘in spite of himself; It seemed to’me
that the song grew fainter as he approached, and: that the
thread thus held was about to break. Fabian:went quite
near to the cabin ‘doors. and then stopped...’ |
How. those sad accents must. have rent his heart! and’
how his whole being - must. have thrilled as he caught.some.
tone in the voice, which reminded him of the past! But:
how was it, ignorant as he was of Harry Drake being on.
board, that he had any suspicion of Ellen’s presence ? No,.
it was impossible ; he had only been attracted by the plain-
tive accents which insensibly responded to the great grief
weighing down his spirit.
Fabian was still listening. What was he going to do?
I
114 A FLOATING CITY.
Would he call to the mad woman? And what if Ellen
suddenly appeared? Everything was dangerous in this
situation! However, Fabian came nearer still to the door of
her cabin ; the song, which was growing fainter and fainter,
suddenly died away, and a piercing shriek was heard.
Had Ellen, by a magnetic communication, felt him whom
she loved so near her? Fabian’s attitude was desperate ;
he had gathered himself up. Was he going to break the
door open? I thought he would, so I rushed up to him.
He recognized me; I dragged him away, and he made
no resistance, but asked me in a hollow voice, “Do you
know who that unhappy woman is?â€
“ No, Fabian, no.â€
“Tt is the mad woman,†said he, in an unnatural voice,
“Dut this madness is not without remedy. I feel that a little
devotion, a little love, would cure the poor woman.â€
“ Come, Fabian,†said I, ‘come away.â€
We went on deck, but Fabian did not utter another
word. I did not teave him, however, until he had reached
nis cabin,
A FLOATING CITY. T15
CHAPTER XXIII.
SOME moments later I met Captain Corsican, and told him >
of the scene I had just witnessed. He understood, as well
as I did, that the situation of affairs was growing more and
more serious. Ah! could I have foreseen all that would
happen, how I should have longed to hasten the speed of
the “Great Eastern,’ and put the broad ocean between |
Fabian and Harry Drake!
On leaving each other, Captain Corsican and I agreed
to watch the actors in this drama more narrowly than
ever,
The “Australasian,†a Cunard steamer, running between
Liverpool and New York, was expected this day. She
was to leave America on Wednesday morning, and there-
fore would not be long before passing us. A watch was
kept ; however, she did not come in sight. ©
About eleven o’clock the English passengers organized
a subscription on behalf of the wounded on board, some of
I 2
116 A FLOATING CITY.
eee
whom had not been able to leave the hospital ; among
them was the boatswain, threatened with an incurable
lameness. There was soon a long list of signatures, not
however, without some objections having been raised.
At noon a very exact observation was able to be made—
Long. 58°, 37! W.
Lat. 41° 41’ 11†N,
Course, 257 miles.
We had the latitude to a second. When the young
engaged couple read the notice they did not look remarkably
pleased, and they had good reason to be discontented
with the steam.
Before lunch, Captain Anderson wishing to divert the
passengers from the tedium of their long voyage, arranged
some gymnastic exercises, which he directed in person.
About fifty unemployed men, each armed, like himself, with
a stick, imitated all his movements with a strict exactitude.
These improvised gymnasts, with their firm set mouths,
worked as methodically as a band of riflemen on parade.
Another entertainment was announced for this evening,
Iwas not present, for the same amusement, night after
night, only wearied me. A new paper, a rival of the
“Ocean Times,†was to be the great attraction,
I passed the first hours of the night on deck ; the sea
heaved, and gave warning of stormy weather, and although
the sky was perfectly serene, the rolling grew more empha-
A FLOATING CITY. 117
sized. Lying on a seat of the upper deck, I could admire
the host of constellations with which the firmament was
bespangied, and although there are only 5000 stars, in
the whole extent of the celestial sphere, which are visible to
the naked eye, this evening I thought I could see millions.
There, along the horizon, trailed the tail of Pegasus, in all
its zodiacal magnificence, like the starry robe of the queen
of fairies. The Feliades ascended the celestial heights
with Gemini, who, in spite of their name, do not rise one
after the other, like the heroes of the fable. Taurus looked
down on me with his great fiery eye, whilst Vega, our
future polar-star, shone brilliantly, high up in the azure
vault, and not far from her was the circle of diamonds,
which form the constellation of Corona Borealis. All
these stationary constellations seemed to move with the
pitching of the vessel, and in one lurch I saw the main-
mast describe a distinct arc of a circle from 8, in the
Great Bear, to Altair in the Eagle, whilst the moon,
already low in the heavens, dipped ner crescent in the
horizon,
118 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE night was stormy, the steam-ship, beaten by the
waves, rolled frightfully, without being disabled; the furni-
ture was knocked about with loud crashes, and the crockery
began its clatter again. The wind had evidently freshened,
and besides this the “Great Eastern†was now in those
coasts where the sea is always rough.
At six o'clock in the morning I dragged myself to the
staircase, leading on to the upper decks. By clutching at
the balusters, and taking advantage of a lurch or two, I
succeeded in climbing the steps, and with some difficulty
managed to reach the poop. The place was deserted, if
one may so qualify a place where was Dr. Pitferge.
The worthy man, with his back rounded as a protection
against the wind, was leaning against the railing, with his
right leg wound tightly round one of the rails, He
beckoned for me to go to him—with his head, of course, for
he could not spare his hands, which held him up against
A FLOATING CITY. I1Q
the violence of the tempest, After several queer move-
ments, twisting myself like an analide, I reached the upper-
deck, where I buttressed myself, after the doctor’s fashion.
“We are in for it!†cried he to me; “this will last.
Heigh ho! this ‘Great Eastern!’ Just at the moment of
arrival, a cyclone, a veritable cyclone is commanded on
purpose for her.†|
The Doctor spoke in broken sentences, for the wind cut
short his words, but I understood him; the word cyclone
carried its explanation with it.
It is well known that these whirlwinds, called hurricanes
in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans, tornadoes on the coast
of Africa, simoons in the desert, and typhoons in the
Chinese Sea, are tempests of such formidable power, that
they imperil the largest ships,
Now the “Great Eastern†was caught in a cyclone
How would this giant make head against it?
“Harm will come to her,†repeated Dean Pitferge.
“ Look, how she dives into the billows.â€
This was, indeed, the exact position of the steam-ship,
whose stern disappeared beneath the mountains of waves,
which swept violently against her. It was not possible to
see to any distance: there were all the symptoms of a
storm, which broke forth in its fury about seven o’clock. The
ocean heaved terrifically, the small undulations between
the large waves entirely disappeared under an overwhelm-
120 A FLOATING CITY.
oe
ing wind, the foam-crested billows clashed together, in the
wildest uproar, every moment; the waves srew higher, and
the “Great Eastern,†cutting through them, pitched
frightfully.
“There are but two courses now to choose from,†said
the Doctor, with the self-possession of a seaman, “either to
put the ship’s head on to the waves, working with a mini-
mum speed, or take flight and give up the struggle with
this baffling sea; but Captain Anderson will do neither
one thing nor the other.â€
“And why not?†I asked.
“ Because—" replied the doctor, “because something
must happen.†|
Turning round, I saw the Captain, the first officer, and
the chief engineer, muffled in their macintoshes, and
clutching at the railings of the bridge ; they were enveloped
in spray from head to foot. The Captain was smiling as
usual, the first officer laughed, and showed his white teeth,
at the sight of the ship pitching enough to make one think
the masts and chimneys were coming down.
Nevertheless I was really astonished at the Captain’s
obstinacy. At half-past seven, the aspect of the Atlantic
was terrible; the sea swept right across the deck at the
bows. I watched this grand sight; this struggle between
the giant and the billows, and to a certain extent I could
sympathize with the Captain’s wilfulness; but I was for-
A FLOATING CITY. I21I
getting that the power of the sea is infinite, and that
nothing made by the hand of man can resist it; and,
indeed, powerful as she was, our ship was at last obliged to
fly before the tempest.
Suddenly, at about eight o’clock, a violent shock was
felt, caused by a formidable swoop. of the sea, which struck
the ship on her tore larboard quarter. |
“ That was not a box on the ear, it was a blow in the
face,†said the Doctor to me.
And the blow had evidently bruised us, for spars
appeared on the crests of the waves. Was it part of our
ship that was making off in this manner, or the dédris of a
wreck ?
On a sign from the Captain, the “Great Easternâ€
shifted her course, in order to avoid the spars, which
threatened to get entangled in the paddles. Looking more
attentively, I saw that the sea had carried off the bulwarks
on the larboard side, which were fifty feet above the surface
of the water ; the jambs were broken, the taggers torn away,
and the shattered remnants of glass still trembled in their
casements. The “Great Eastern†had staggered beneath
the shock, but she continued her way with an indomitable
audacity. It was necessary, as quickly as possible, to
remove the spars which encumbered the ship at the bows,
and in order to do this it was indispensable to avoid the
sea, but the steam-ship obstinately continued to make
122 A FLOATING CITY:
head against the waves. The spirit of her captain seemed
to animate her; he did not want to yield, and yield he
would not. An officer and some men were sent. to the
bows to clear the deck.
“ Mind,†said the Doctor to me, “the moment of the
catastrophe is not far off.†|
The sailors went towards the bows, whilst we fastened
ourselves to the second mast, and looked through the
spray, which fell in showers over us with each wave. Sud-
denly there was another swoop more violent than the first,
and the sea poured through the barricading by the opened
breach, tore off an enormous sheet of cast-iron which
covered the bit of the bows, broke away the massive top of
the hatchway leading to the crew’s berths, and lashing .
against the starboard barricadings, swept them off like the
sheets of a sail. — | |
The men were knocked down; one of them, an officer,
half-drowned, shook his red whiskers, and picked himself
up; then seeing one of the sailors lying unconscious
across an anchor, he hurried towards him, lifted him on
his shoulders and carried him away. At this moment the
rest of the crew escaped through the broken hatchway.
There were three feet of water in the tween-decks, new
_ spars covered the sea, and amongst other things several
thousand of the dolls, which my countryman had thought
to acclimatize in America; these little bodies, torn from
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Page 122.
A FLOATING CITY. 123
their cases by the sea, danced on the summits of the waves,
and under less serious circumstances the sight would have
been truly ludicrous. In the meantime the inundation was
gaining on us, large bodies of water were pouring in
through the opened gaps, and according to the engineer,
the “Great Eastern†shipped more than two thousand
tons of water, enough to float a frigate of the largest size.
“Well!†exclaimed the Doctor, whose hat had been
blown off in the hurricane, “to keep in this position is
impossible ; it is fool-hardy to hold on any longer; we
ought to take flight, the steam-ship going with her battered
stem ahead, is like a man swimming between two currents,
with his mouth open.†|
This Captain Anderson understood at last, for I saw him
run to the little wheel on the bridge which commanded the
movement of the rudder, the steam immediately rushed
into the cylinders at the stern, and the giant turning like a
canoe made head towards the north, and fled before the
storm,
At this moment, the Captain, generally so calm and self-
ee
possessed, cried angrily,—
“My ship is disgraced,â€
124 A FLOATING CITY
CHAPTER XXV.
SCARCELY had the “ Great Eastern†tacked and presented
her stern to the waves, than the pitching gave way to
perfect steadiness ; breakfast was served, and the creater
part of the passengers, reassured by the ship’s stiliness,
came into the dining-rooms, and took their repast without
fear of another shock. Not a plate fell off the table, and
not a glass emptied its contents on to the cloth, although
the racks had not even been put up. But three quarters of
an hour later the furniture was set in motion again, and
the crockery clattered together on the pantry shelves, for
the “Great Eastern†had resumed her westerly course,
which for the time had been interrupted.
{ went on deck again with Dr. Pitferge, who seeing tne
man belonging to the dolls said to him,—
“Your little people have been put to a severe test,
‘sir; those poor babies wili never prattle in the United
States.†|
A FLOATING CITY. 125
“Pshaw!†replied the enterprising Parisian, “the
stock was insured, and my secret has not perished
with it.†|
It was evident my countryman was not a man to be
easily disheartened, he bowed to us with a pleasant smile,
and we continued our way to the stern, where a steersman
told us that the rudder-chains had been jammed in the
interval between the two swoops.
“Tf that accident had happened when we were turning,â€
said Pitferge to me, “I cannot say what would have
become of us, for the sea would have rushed in, in over-
whelming torrents ; the steam pumps have already begun to
reduce the water, but there is more coming yet.â€
“And what of the unfortunate sailor?†asked I of the
Doctor.
“He is severely wounded on his head, poor fellow! he
is a young married fisherman, the father of two children,
and this is his first voyage. The Doctor seems to think
there is hope of his recovery, and that is what makes me
fear for him, but we shall soon see for ourselves. A report
was spread that several men had been washed overboard,
but happily there was no foundation for it.â€
“ We have resumed our course at last,†said I.
“Ves,†replied the Doctor, “the westerly course, against
wind and tide, there is no doubt about that,†added he,
catching hold of a kevel to prevent himself from rolling on
126 A FLOATING CITY.
a
the deck. “Do you know what I should do with the
‘Great Eastern’ if she belonged to me? No. Well, I
would make a pleasure-boat of her, and charge- 10,000
francs ahead; there would only be millionnaires on board,
and people who were not pressed for time. I would take a
month or six weeks going from England to America; the
ship never against the waves, and the wind always ahead
or astern; there should be no rolling, no pitching, and I
would pay a 100/. in any case of sea-sickness,â€â€™
“That is a practical idea,†said I.
“Yes,†replied Pitferge, “there’s money to be gained or
lost by that!â€
In the meantime the “Great Eastern†was slowly but
steadily continuing her way ; the swell was frightful, but
her straight stem cut the waves regularly, and shipped
no more water. It was no longer a metal mountain making
against a mountain of water, but as sedentary as a rock the
“Great Eastern†received the billows with perfect indif-
ference. The rain fell in torrents, and we were obliged to
take refuge under the eaves of the grand saloon; with
the shower the violence of the wiud and sea assuaged ;
the western sky grew clear, and the last black clouds
vanished in the opposite horizon; at ten o'clock the
hurricane sent us a farewell gust.
At noon an observation was able to be made and was as
follows :—
A FLOATING CITY. 127
Lat. 49° 50’, N.
Long. 61° 57’, W.
Course, 193 miles.
This considerable diminution in the ship’s speed could
only be attributed to the tempest, which during the night
and morning had incessantly beaten against the ship, and
a tempest so terrible that one of the passengers, almost an
inhabitant of the Atlantic, which he had crossed forty-four
times, declared he had never seen the like. The engineer
even said that during the storm, when the “Great Easternâ€
was three days in the trough of the sea, the ship had never
been attacked with such violence, and it must be repeated
that even if this admirable steam-ship did go at an inferior
_ speed, and rolled decidedly too much, she nevertheless
presented a sure security against the fury of the sea, which
she resisted like a block, owing to the perfect homogenity
of her construction. _
But let me also say, however powerful she might be, it
was not right to expose her, without any reason whatever,
to a baffling sea; for however strong, however imposing a
ship may appear, it is not “disgraced†because it flies
before the tempest. A commander ought always to re-
member that a man’s life is worth more than the mere
satisfaction of his own pride. In any case, to be obstinate
is blameable, and to be wilful is dangerous. A recent
incident in which a dreadful catastrophe happened to a
£28 A FLOATING CITY.
ee
Transatlantic steamer shows us that a captain ought not
to struggle blindly against the sea, even when he sees the
boat of a rival company creeping ahead.
A. FLOATING CITY. 720
CHAPTER XXVI
IN the meantime the pumps were exhausting the lake
which had been formed in the hold of the “ Great Eastern,â€
like a lagoon in the middle of an island; powerfully and
rapidly worked by steam they speedily restored to the
Atlantic that which belonged to it. The rain had ceased
_and the wind freshened again, but the sky, swept by the
tempest, was clear. I stayed several hours after dark walk-
ing on deck. Great floods of light poured from the half-
opened hatchways of the saloons, and at the stern stretched
a phosphorescent light as far as the eye could reach,
streaked here and there by the luminous crests of the
waves. The stars refiected in the lactescent water appeared
and disappeared, as though peering through rapidly driving ©
clouds. Night had spread her sombre covering far and
near; forward roared the thunder of the wheels, whilst
beneath me I heard the clanking of the rudder-chains.
Going back to the saloon door I was surprised to see
E
130 A FLOATING CITY.
ot
there a compact crowd of spectators, and to hear vociferous.
applauses, for, in spite of the day’s disasters, the entertain-
ment was taking place as usual. Not a thought-of the
wounded and, perhaps, dying sailor. The assembly seemed
highly animated, and loud hurrahs hailed the appearance of
a troop of minstrels on board the “Great Eastern.†The
niggers—black, or blackened, according to their origin—were
no others than sailors in disguise. They were dressed in
cast-off trumpery, ornamented with sea-biscuits for buttons;
the opera-glasses which they sported were composed of two
bottles fastened together, and their jew’s-harps consisted
of catgut stretched on cork. These merry-andrews were
amusing enough upon the whole; they sang comic songs,
and improvised a mixture of puns and cock-and-bull
stories. ‘The uproarious cheers with which their perform-
ances were greeted only made them increase their con-
tortions and grimaces, until one of them, as nimble as a
monkey, finished the performance by dancing the sailor’s
hornpipe. | : a
However amusing the minstrels may have been, they had
not succeeded in attracting all the passengers. Numbers of
them had flocked to their usual haunt, the “smoking-room,â€
and were eagerly pressing round the gaming-tables, where
enormous stakes were being made, some defending their
acquisitions during the voyage, others. trying to conquer
fate by making rash wagers at the last moment. The room
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Page 130.
A FLOATING CITY. 131
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was in a violent uproar, one could hear the voice of the
money agent crying the stakes, the oaths of the losers, the
clinking of gold, and the rustling of dollar-papers ; then
there was a sudden lull, the uproar was silenced by a bold
stake, but as soon as the result was known the noise was
redoubled.
I very seldom entered the smoking-room, for I have a
horror of gambling. It is always a vulgar and often an
unhealthy pastime, and it is a vice which does not go alone;
the man who gambles will find himself capable of any evil.
Here reigned Harry Drake in the midst of his parasites,
here also flourished those adventurers who were going to
seek their fortunes in America. I always avoided a meeting
with these boisterous men, so this evening I passed the
door without going in, when my attention was arrested by
a violent outburst of cries and curses. I listened, and, after
a moment’s silence, to my great astonishment I thought I
could distinguish Fabian’s voice. What could he be doing
in this place? Had he come here to look for his enemy,
and thus the catastrophe, until now avoided, been brought
about?
I quickly pushed the door open: at this moment the
uproar was at its height. In the midst of the crowd of* |
gamblers I saw Fabian standing facing Harry Drake. I
hurried towards him, Harry Drake had undoubtedly grossly
insulted him, for Fabian was aiming a blow with his fist at
K 2
132 A FLOATING CITY.
him, and if it did not reach the place it was intended for, it
was only because Corsican suddenly appeared and stopped
him with a quick gesture.
But, addressing himself to his enemy, Fabian said, in a
cold, sarcastic tone,—
“Do you accept that blow?â€
“Yes,†replied Drake, “and here is my card!â€
Thus, in spite of our efforts, an inevitable fatality had
brought these two deadly enemies together. It was too
late to separate them now, events must take their course.
Captain Corsican looked at me, and I was surprised to see
sadness rather than annoyance in his eyes.
Inthe meantime Fabian picked up the card which Harry
Drake had thrown on the table. He held it between the
tips of his fingers as if loath to touch it. Corsican was
pale, and my heart beat wildly. At last Fabian looked at
the card, and read the name on it, then with a voice stifled -
by passion he cried,—
“Harry Drake! you! you! you!†|
“Thesame, Captain Mac Elwin,†quietly replied Fabian’s.
rival. |
We were not deceived, if Fabian was ignorant until now
of Drake’s name, the latter was only too well aware of
Fabian’s presence on the “Great Eastern,â€
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A FLOATING CITY. 333
CHAPTER XXVIT,
THE next day, at break of dawn, I went in search of
Captain Corsican, whom I found in the grand saloon. He
had passed the night with Fabian, who was still suffering
from the shock which the name of Ellen’s husband had
given him. Dida secret intuition tell him that Drake was
not alone on board? Had Ellen’s presence been revealed
to him by the appearance of this man? Lastly, could he
guess that the poor crazed woman was the young girl
whom he so fondly loved? Corsican could not say, for
Fabian had not uttered one word all night.
Corsican resented Fabian’s wrongs with a kind of
brotherly feeling. The intrepid nature of the latter had
from childhood irresistibly attracted him, and he was now
in the greatest despair.
“T came in too late,†said he tome. “ Before Fabian
could have raised his hand, I ought to have struck that _
wretch.â€
“Useless violence,†replied I. “ Harry Drake would not
134 A FLOATING CITY.
have risked a quarrel with you; he has a grudge
against Fabian, and a meeting between the two had
become inevitable.†|
“Vou are right,’ said the Captain. “That rascal has
got what he wanted; he knew Fabian, his past life, and
his love. Perhaps Ellen, deprived of reason, betrayed her
secret thoughts, or, rather, did not Drake before his
marriage learn froin the loyal young woman all he was
ignorant of regarding her past life? Urged by a base
impulse, and finding himself in contact with Fabian, he
has waited for an opportunity in which he could assume
the part of the offended. This scoundrel ought to be a
clever duellist.â€
“Ves,†replied I. “He has already had three or four
encounters of the kind.â€
“My dear sir,†said the Captain, “it is not the duel in
itself which I fear for Fabian. Captain McElwin is one of
those who never trouble themselves about danger, but it is
the result of this engagement which is to be dreaded. If
Fabian were to kill this man, however vile he may be,
it would place an impossible barrier between Ellen and
himself, and Heaven knows, the unhappy woman needs a
support, like Fabian, in the state she now is.â€
“True,†said 1; “whatever happens we can but hope
‘that Harry Drake will fall. Justice is on our side.â€
“Certainly,†replied the Captain, “but one cannot help
A FLOATING CITY. 135
feeling distressed to think that even at the risk of my own
life I could not have spared Fabian this.â€
“Captain,†said I, taking the hand of this devoted friend,
“Drake has not sent his seconds yet, so that, although
circumstances are against us, I do not despair.â€
~ “Do you know any means of preventing the duel 2â€
“None at present; at the same time, if the meeting
must take place, it seems to me that it can only do so in
America, and before we get there, chance, which has
brought about this state of things, will, perhaps, turn the
scales in our favour.â€
Captain Corsican shook his head like a man who had no
faith in the efficacy of chance in human affairs. At this
moment Fabian went up the stairs leading to the deck. I
only saw him for a moment, but I was struck by the
deadly pallor of his face. The wound had been re-
opened, and it was sad to see him wandering aimlessly
about, trying to avoid us,
Even friendship may be troublesome at times, and Cor-
sican and I thought it better to respect his grief rather
than interfere with him. But suddenly Fabian turned, and
coming towards us, said,—
“ The mad woman, was she! It was Ellen, was it not?
Poor Ellen!â€
He was still doubtful, and went away without waiting
for an answer, which we had not the courage to give.
136 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XXVIII
AT noon, Drake had not sent Fabian his seconds to my
knowledge, and these were preliminaries which could not
be dispensed with, if Drake determined to demand imme-
diate satisfaction. Might we not take hope from this
delay? I knew that the Saxon race do not regard a debt
of honour as we do, and that duels had almost disap-
peared from English customs, for, as I have already said,
not only is there a severe law against duellists, but, more-
over, the: public opinion is strongly averse to them. At
the same time, in this, which was an uncommon case, the
engagement had evidently been voluntarily sought for; the
offended had, so to speak, provoked the offender, and my
reasonings always tended to the same conclusion, that a
meeting between Fabian and Harry Drake was in-
evitable. |
The deck was at this moment crowded with passengers
and crew returning from service,
A FLOATING CITY. 137
At half-past twelve the observation resulted in the fol-
lowing note — |
Lat. 40° 33’ N.
Long. 66° 24’ W.
| Course, 214 miles,
Thus the “Great Eastern†was only 348 miles from
sandy Hook Point, a narrow tongue of land which forms
the entrance to the New York harbour; it would not be
long before we were in American seas, |
I did not see Fabian in his usual place at Junch, but
Drake was there, and although talkative, he did not
appear to be quite at his ease. Was he trying to drown
his fears in wine? I cannot say, but he indulged in
bountiful libations with his friends. Several times [I
saw him leering at me, but insolent as he was, he
dared not look me in the face. Was he looking for
Fabian among the crowd of guests? I noticed he
left the table abruptly before. the meal was finished,
and I got up immediately, in order to observe him,
but he went to his cabin and shut himself up
there. |
I went up on deck. Not a wave disturbed the calm
surface of the sea, and the sky was unsullied by a cloud ;
the two mirrors mutually reflected their azure hue. I met ©
Doctor Pitferge, who gave me bad news of the wounded
sailor. The invalid was getting worse, and, in spite of the
138 A FLOATING CITY,
nnn
doctor’s assurance, it was difficult to think that he could
recover.
At four o'clock, a few minutes before dinner, a ship was
hailed to larboard. The first officer told me he thought it
must be the “City of Paris,†one of the finest steamers of
the “Inman Company,†but he was mistaken, for the
steamer coming nearer, sent us her name, which was the
“Saxonia,†belonging to the ‘“ National Steamship Com-
pany.†For a few minutes the two boats came alongside,
within two or three cables’ length of each other. The
deck of the “Saxonia†was covered with passengers, who
saluted us with loud cheers.
At five o’clock another ship on the horizon, but too far
off for her nationality to be recognized. This time it was
undoubtedly the “City of Paris.†This meeting with
ships, and the salutation between the Atlantic’s visitors,
caused great excitement on board. One can understand
that as there is little difference between one ship and
another, the common danger of facing the uncertain
element unites even strangers by a friendly bond.
At six o’clock a third ship appeared, the “ Philadelphia,†.
one of the Inman line, used for the transportation of emi-
grants from Liverpool to New York. We were evidently
in frequented seas, and land could not be far off. How I
longed to reach it!
The “ Europe,†a steamer belonging to the “ Transatlantic
A FLOATING CITY. 139
Company,†carrying passengers from Havre to New York,
was expected, but she did not come in sight, and had most
likely taken a more northerly course.
Night closed in about half-past seven. As the sun sank
below the horizon, the moon grew brighter and for some
time hung shining in the heavens. A prayer-meeting, held
by Captain Anderson, interspersed with hymns, lasted until
nine o’clock.
The day passed without either Captain Corsican or my-
self receiving a visit from Drake’s seconds,
140 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE next day, Monday, the 8th of April, the weather was
very fine. I found the Doctor on deck basking in the sun,
He came up to me. “Ah well!†said he, “our poor
sufferer died in the night. The doctor never gave him
up—oh, those doctors! they never will give in. This
is the fourth man we have lost since we left Liverpool, the
fourth gone towards paying the ‘ Great Eastern’s’ debt, and
Wwe are not at the end of our voyage yet.â€
“Poor fellow,†said I, “just as we are nearing port, and
the American coast almost in sight. What will become of
his widow and little children ?â€
“Would you have it otherwise, my dear sir. It is the
law, the great law! we must die! We must give way to
others. It is my opinion we die simply because we are
occupying a place which by rights belongs to another.
Now can you tell me how many people will have died
during my existence if I live to be sixty?â€
A FLOATING CITY. 141
“] have no idea, Doctor.â€
“The calculation is simple enough,†resumed Dean
Pitferge. “If I live sixty years, I shall have been in the
world 21,900 days, or 525,600 hours, or 31,536,000 minutes,
or lastly, 1,892,160,000 seconds, in ‘round numbers
2 ,000,000,000 seconds, Now in that time two thousand
millions individuals who were in the way of their succes-
sors will have died, and when I have become inconvenient, I
shall be put out of the way in the same manner, so that the
long and short of the matter is to put off becoming in-
convenient as long as possible.â€
The Doctor continued for some time arguing on this
subject, tending to prove to mea very simple theory, the
mortality of human creatures. I did not think it worth
while to discuss the point with him, so I let him have his
say. Whilst we paced backwards and forwards, the Doctor
talking, and I listening, I noticed that the carpenters on
board were busy repairing the battered stem. If Captain
Anderson did not wish to arrive in New York with
damages, the carpenters would have to hurry over their
work, for the “Great Eastern†was ‘rapidly speeding
through the tranquil waters; this I understood from the
lively demeanour of the young lovers, who no longer
thought of counting the turns of the wheels. The long
pistons expanded, and the enormous cylinders heaving on
their axle-swings, looked like a great peal of bells clanging
142 A FLOATING CITY.
together at random. The wheels made eleven revolutions
a minute, and the steam-ship went at the rate of thirteen
miles an hour.
At noon the officers dispensed with making an observa-
tion; they knew their situation by calculation, and land
must be signalled before long.
While I was walking on deck after lunch, Captain
Corsican came up. If saw, from the thoughtful expression
on his face, that he had something to tell me.
“Fabian,†said he, “has received Drake’s seconds, I
am to be his second, and he begs me to ask you if you
would kindly be present on the occasion. He may rely
on you?â€
“Yes, Captain; so all hope of deferring or preventing
this meeting has vanished ?â€
“ All hope.â€
“But tell me, how did the quarrel arise ?â€
“A discussion about the play was a pretext for it,
nothing else. The fact is if Fabian was not aware who
Harry Drake was, it is quite evident he knew Fabian, and
the name of Fabian is so odious to him that he would
gladly slay the man to whom it belongs.â€
“Who are Drake’s seconds ?†I asked,
“One of them is that actor—â€
“ Doctor T——?â€
“Just so; the other isa Yankee I do not know.â€
A FLOATING CITY. — 143
“When are you to expect them ?â€
“Tam waiting for them here.â€
And just as he spoke I saw the seconds coming towards
us. Doctor T—— cleared his throat; he undoubtedly
thought a great deal more of himself as the representa-
tive of a rogue. His companion, another of Drake’s
associates, was one of those extraordinary merchants who
has always for sale anything you may ask him to buy.
Doctor T—— spoke first, after making a very emphatic
bow, which Captain Corsican hardly condescended to
acknowledge.
“Gentlemen,†said Doctor T——, in a grave tone, “ our
friend Drake, a gentleman whose merit and deportment
cannot fail to be appreciated by every one, has sent us to
arrange a somewhat delicate affair with you ; that is to say, .
Captain Fabian Mac Elwin, to whom we first addressed
ourselves, referred us to you as his representative. I hope
that we shall be able to come to an understanding between
ourselves worthy the position of gentlemen touching the
delicate object of our mission.†|
We made no reply, but allowed the gentleman to become
embarrassed with his delicacy.
“Gentlemen,†continued he, “there is not the remotest
doubt but that Captain Mac Elwin is in the wrong. That
gentleman has unreasonably, and without the slightest
pretext, questioned the honour of Harry Drake’s pro-
TA4. A FLOATING CITY.
ceedings in a matter of play, and without any provoca-
tion offered him the greatest insult a gentleman could
receive.â€
These honeyed words made the Captain impatient, he
bit his moustache, and could refrain speaking no longer.
“Come to the point,†said he sharply to Doctor T——,
whose speech he had interrupted, “we don’t want so many
words ; the affair is simple enough; Captain Mac Elwin
raised his hand against Mr. Drake, your friend accepted
the blow, he assumes the part of the offended, and de-
mands satisfaction. He has the choice of arms. What
next?â€
,“ Does Captain Mac Elwin accept the challenge?†asked
the Doctor, baffled by Corsican’s tone,
* Decidedly.â€
“Our friend, Harry Drake, has chosen swords.â€
“Very well, and where is the engagement to take place?
In New York ?â€
“No, here on board.â€
“On board, be it so; at what time? To-morrow
morning ?â€
“This evening at six o'clock, at the end of the upper-
deck, which will be deserted at that time.â€
“Very well.â€
Thus saying, the Captain took my arm, and turned his
back on Dr. T . |
A FLOATING CITY. 145
| ead Sa tr
CHAPTER XXX.
ir was no longer possible to put off the duel. Only a
few hours separated us from the moment when Fabian
and Harry Drake must meet. What could be the reason
of this haste? How was it that Harry Drake had not
delayed the duel until he and his enemy had disembarked ?
Was it because this ship, freighted by a French company,.
seemed to him the most favourable ground fer a meeting
which must be a deadly struggle? Or rather, might not
Drake have a secret interest in freeing himself of Fabian
before the latter could set foot on the American continent,
or suspect the presence of Ellen on board, which he must
have thought was unknown to all save himself? Yes, it
must have been for this reason. |
“Little matter, after all,†said the Captain; “far better
to have it over.â€
“Shall I ask Dr. Pitferge to be present at the duel as a
doctor 2â€
146 A FLOATING CITY.
a
“Yes, it would be well to do so.â€
Corsican left me to go to Fabian. At this moment the
bell on deck began tolling, and when I inquired of a
steersman the reason of this unusual occurrence, he told
me that it was for the burial of the sailor who had died
in the night, and that the sad ceremony was about to
take place. The sky, until now so clear, became overcast,
and dark clouds loomed threateningly in the south.
At the sound of the bell the passengers flocked to the
starboard side. The bridges, paddle-boards, bulwarks,
masts and shore-boats, hanging from their davits, were
crowded with spectators, the officers, sailors, and stokers
off duty, stood in ranks on deck.
At two o'clock a group of sailors appeared at the far
end of the upper deck, they had left the hospital, and
were passing the rudder-engine. The corpse, sewn in a
piece of sail and stretched on a board, with a cannon ball at
the feet, was carried by four men. The body, covered with
the British flag, and followed by the dead man’s comrades,
slowly advanced into the midst of the spectators, who un-
covered their heads as the procession passed.
On their arrival at the starboard paddle-wheel, the
corpse was deposited on a landing of a staircase which
terminated at the main deck.
In front of the row of spectators, standing one above
the other, were Captain Anderson and his principal officers
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A FLOATING CITY. “447
in full uniform. The Captain, holding a prayer-book in
his hand, took his hat off, and for some minutes, during a
profound silence, which not even the breeze interrupted, he
solemnly read the prayer for the dead, every word of
which was distinctly audible in the deathlike silence.
On a sign from the Captain the body, released by the
bearers, sank into ‘the sea. For one moment it floated on
the. surface, became upright, | and, then disappeared in a
circle of foam. |
At this moment the voice of the sailor on watch was
heard crying “ Land!†oS
L 2
148 A FLOATING CITY.
otra
CHAPTER XXXI.
THE land announced at the moment when the sea was
closing over the corpse of the poor sailor was low-lying
and of a yellow colour. This line of slightly elevated
downs was Long Island, a great sandy bank enlivened with
vegetation, which stretches along the American coast from
Montauk Point to Brooklyn, adjoining New York. Several
yachts were coasting along this island, which is covered with
villas and pleasure-bouses, the favourite resorts of the New
Vorkists.
Every passenger waved his hand to the land so longed
for after the tedious voyage, which had not been exempt
from painful accidents. Every telescope was directed to-
wards this first specimen of the American continent, and
each saw it undera different aspect. The Yankee beheld in
it his mother-land; the Southerner regarded these northern
‘lands with a kind of scorn, the scorn of the conquered for
the conqueror ; the Canadian looked upon it as a man who
A FLOATING. CITY. 149
had only one step to take to call himself a citizen of the
Union ; the Californian in his mind’s eye ‘traversed the
plains of the Far West, and crossing the Rocky Mountains
had already set foot on their inexhaustible mines. The
Mormonite, with elevated brow and scornful lip, hardly
noticed these shores, but peered beyond to where stood the
City of the Saints on the borders of Salt Lake, in the far-
off deserts. As for the young lovers, this continent was to
them the Promised Land. |
In the meanwhile the sky was growing more and more
threatening. A dark line of clouds gathered in the zenith,
anda suffocating heat penetrated the atmosphere as though
a July sun was shining directly above us.
“Would you like me to astonish you ?†said the Doctor,
who had joined me on the ganeway.
“ Astonish me, Doctor ?â€
“Well, then, we shall have a storm, perhaps a thunder-
storm, before the day is over.â€
“A thunder-storm in the month of April!†I cried.
“The ‘Great Eastern’ does not trouble herself about
seasons,†replied Dean Pitferge, shrugging his shoulders.
“Tt is a tempest called forth expressly on her account.
Look at the threatening aspect of those clouds which cover
the sky; they look lke antediluvian animals, and before
long they will devour each other.â€
“TI confess,†said I, “the sky looks stormy, and were it
150 A FLOATING CITY.
ee
three months later I should be of your opinion, but not at
this time of year.â€
“T tell you,†replied the Doctor, growing animated, “the
storm will burst out before many hours are past, I feel it
like a barometer. Look at those vapours rising in a mass,
observe that cirrus, those mares’ tails which are blending
together, and those thick circles which surround the horizon.
Soon there will be a rapid condensing of vapour, which will
consequently produce electricity. Besides the mercury has
suddenly fallen, and the prevailing wind is south-west, the
only one which can brew a storm in winter.â€
“Your observations may be very true, Doctor,†said I,
not willing to yield, “but who has ever witnessed a
thunder-storm at this season, and in this latitude?â€
“We have proof, sir, we have proof on record. Mild
winters are often marked by storms. You ought only to
have lived in 1172, or even in 1824, and you would have
heard the roaring of the thunder, in the first instance in
February, and in the second in December. In the month
of January, 1837, a thunder-bolt fell near Drammen in
Norway, and did considerable mischief. Last year, in the
month of February, fishing-smacks from Tréport were
struck by lightning. If I had time to consult statistics
I would soon put you to silence.â€
“Well, Doctor, since you will have it so, we shall soon
see, At any rate, you are not afraid of thunder?â€
A FLOATING CITY. | 151
a
“Not I,†replied the Doctor. “The thunder is my friend ;
better still, it is my doctor.†|
“Your doctor?â€
“Most certainly. I was struck by lightning in my bed
on the 13th July, 1867, at Kew, near London, and it cured
me of paralysis in my right arm, when the doctors had
given up the case as hopeless.†|
“You must be joking.â€
“Not at all. It is an economical treatment by electri-
city. My dear sir, there are many very authentic facts
which prove that thunder surpasses the most skilful physi-
cians, and its intervention is truly marvellous in apparently
hopeless cases.â€
“Nevertheless,†said I, “I have little trust in your
doctor, and would not willingly consult him.â€
“ Because you have never seenhim at work. Stay; here
is an instance which I have heard of as occurring in 1817.
A peasant in Connecticut, who was suffering from asthma,
supposed to be incurable, was struck by lightning in a field,
and radically cured.â€
In fact I believe the Doctor would have been capable of.
making the thunder into pills.
“Laugh, ignoramus!†said he to me. “You know
dy
a
nothing either of the weather or medicine
152 A FLOATING CiTY.
CHAPTER XXXII
DEAN PITFERGE left me, but I: remained on deck,
watching the storm rise. Corsican was still closeted with
Fabian, who was undoubtedly making some arrange-
ments in case of misfortune. I then remembered that
he had a sister in New York, and I shuddered at the
thought that perhaps we should have to carry to her the
news of her brother’s death. I should like to have seen
Fabian, but I thought it better not to disturb either him or
Captain Corsican.
“At four o'clock we came in sight of land stretching before
Long Island. It was Fire Island. In the centre rose a
lighthouse, which shone over the surrounding land. The
passengers again invaded the upper decks and _ bridges.
All eyes were strained towards the coast, distant about
six miles. They were waiting for the moment when the
arrival of the pilot should settle the great pool business.
It may be thought that those who had night quarters, and
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Page 152,
I REMAINED ON DECK WATCHING THE STORM RISE
Ce
A SMALL SCHOONER WAS SIGNALLED TO STARBOARD.
Page 153.
A FLOATING CITY. 153
I was of the number, had given up all pretensions, and that
those with the day quarters, except those included between
four and six o'clock, had no longer any chance, ‘Before
night the pilot would come on board and settle this affair,
so that all the interest was now concentrated, in the seven
or eight. persons to whom fate had attributed the next
quarters. The latter were taking advantage of their good
luck—selling, buying, and reselling their chances, bartering
with such energy one mignt almost have fancied oneself in
the Royal Exchange. _ | os
At sixteen minutes past four a small schooner, bearing
towards the steam-ship, was signalled to ‘starboard. There
was no longer any possible doubt of its: being the pilot’s
boat, and he would be on board’ in fourteen. or fifteen
minutes at the most. The struggle was now between the
possessors of the second and third quarters from four
to five o'clock. Demands and offers were made with
renewed vivacity. Then absurd wagers were laid even
on the pilot’s person, | the tenor of which I have faithfully |
given.
“Ten dollars that the pilot is married,
“ Twenty that he is‘a widower.â€
“ Thirty dollars that he has a moustache, â€
“Sixty that he has a wart on his nose.’
“A hundred dollars that he will step on board with his |
right foot first.â€
154 A FLOATING CITY,
“ He will smoke.†|
“He will have a pipe in his mouth,â€
“No! a cigar.â€
“Nol? “Yes!†“Nolâ€
And twenty other wagers quite as ridiculous, which
found those more absurd still to accept them. —
In the meanwhile the little schooner was sensibly ap-
proaching the steam-ship, and we could distinguish her
graceful proportions. These charming little pilot-boats,
of about fifty or sixty tons, are good sea-boats, skim-
ming over the water like sea-gulls. The schooner, grace-
fully inclined, was bearing windward in spite of the breeze,
which had begun to freshen. Her mast and foresails stood
out clearly against the dark background of clouds, and the
sea foamed beneath her bows. When at two cables’ length
from the “Great Eastern,†she suddenly veered and
launched a shore-boat. Captain Anderson gave orders to
heave-to, and for the first time during a fortnight the
wheels of the screw were motionless. A man got into the
boat, which four sailors quickly pulled to the steam-ship.
A rope ladder was thrown over the side of the giant down
to the pilot in his little nutshell, which the latter caught,
and, skilfully climbing, sprang on deck.
He was received with joyous cries by the winners,
‘and exclamations of disappointment from the losers. The
pool was regulated by the following statements :—
A FLOATING CITY. 155
“The pilot was married.â€
“He had no wart on his nose.â€
“He had a light moustache.â€
“He had jumped on board with both feet.â€
“Lastly, it was thirty-six minutes past four o’clock when
he set foot on the deck of the ‘Great Eastern.’ â€
The possessor of the thirty-third quarter thus gained the
ninety-six dollars, and it was Captain Corsican, who had
hardly thought of the unexpected gain. It was not long
before he appeared on deck, and when the pool was presented
to him, he begged Captain Anderson to keep it for the
widow of the young sailor whose death had been caused
by the inroad of the sea. The Captain shook his hand with-
out saying a word, but a moment afterwards a sailor came
up to Corsican, and, bowing awkwardly, “Sir,†said he,
“my mates have sent me to say that you are a very kind
gentleman, and they all thank you in the name of poor
Wilson, who cannct thank you for himself.â€
The Captain, moved by the rough sailor’s speech, silently
pressed his hand.
As for the pilot, he was a man of short stature, with
not much of the sailor-look about him. He wore a
glazed hat, black trousers, a brown ‘overcoat lined with
red, and carried an umbrella. He was master on board
now.
In springing on deck, before he went to the bridge, he
156 A FLOATING CITY.
arora
had thrown a bundle of papers among the passengers, who
eagerly pounced on them. They were European and
American journals—the political and civil ponds whicn
again united the “Great Eastern†to the two continents.
A FLOATING CITY. . 157
CHAPTER XXXII.
THE storm was gathering, and a black arch of clouds had
formed over our heads; the atmosphere was misty ; nature
was evidently about to justify Dr. Pitferge’s presentiments,
The steam-ship had slackened her speed, and the wheels
only made three or four revolutions a minute ; volumes
of white steam escaped from the half-open valves, the
anchor-chains were cleared, and the British flag floated
from the mainmast; these arrangements Captain Anderson
had made preparatory to mooring. The pilot, standing on
the top of the starboard paddle, guided the steam-ship
through the narrow passages; but the tide was already
turning, so that the “Great Eastern†could not yet cross
the bar of the Hudson, and we must wait till next day.
At a quarter to five by the pilot’s order the anchors were
let go; the chains rattled through the hawse-holes with a
noise like thunder. I even thought for a moment that the
storm had burst forth, When the anchors were firmly
embedded in the sand, the “Great Eastern†swung round
158 A FLOATING CITY.
ees
by the ebb tide, remained motionless, and not a wave dis-
turbed the surface of the water.
At this moment the steward’s trumpet sounded for the
last time ; it called the passengers to their farewell dinner.
The “Society of Freighters†would be prodigal with the
champagne, and no one wished to be absent. An hour
later the saloons were crowded with guests, and the deck
deserted,
However, seven persons left their places unoccupied ; the
two adversaries, who were going to stake their lives in a
duel, the four seconds, and the Doctor, who was to be pre-
sent at the engagement. The time and the place for the
meeting had been well chosen; there was not a creature
on deck; the passengers were in the dining-rooms, the
sailors in their berths, the officers absorbed with their own
particular bottles, and not a steersman on board, for the ship
was motionless at anchor.
At ten minutes past five the Doctor and I were joined
by Fabian and Captain Corsican. I had not seen Fabian
since the scene in the smoking-room. He seemed to me
sad, but very calm. The thought of the duel troubled him
little, apparently ; his mind was elsewhere, and his eyes
wandered restlessly in search of Ellen. He held out his
hand to me without saying a word.
“Has not Harry Drake arrived?†asked the Captain of
mec.
A FLOATING CITY. 159
“Not yet,’ I replied.
“Let us go to the stern ; that is the place of rendezvous.â€
Fabian, Captain Corsican, and I, walked along the
upper decks; the sky was growing dark; we heard the
distant roar of thunder rumbling along the horizon. It was
like a monotonous bass, enlivened by the hips and hurrahs
issuing from the saloons; flashes of lightning darted
through the biack clouds, and the atmosphere was power- |
fully charged with electricity.
At twenty minutes past five Harry Drake and his
seconds made their appearance. The gentlemen bowed
to us, which honour we strictly returned. Drake did not
utter a word, but his face showed signs of ill-concealed
excitement. He cast a look of malignant hatred on
Fabian; but the latter, leaning against the hatchway, did
not even see him; so absorbed was he in a profound medi-
tation, he seemed not yet to have thought of the part he
was to play in this drama.
In the meanwhile Captain Corsican, addressing himself
to the Yankee, one of Drake’s seconds, asked him for the
swords, which the latter presented to him. They were
battle swords, the basket-hilts of which entirely protected
the hand which held them. Corsican took them, bent, and
measured them, and then allowed the Vankee to choose.
Whilst these preparations were being made, Harry Drake
had taken off his hat and jacket, unbuttoned his shirt, and
£60 A FLOATING CITY.
ee
turned up his sleeves; then he seized his sword, and J
saw that he was left-handed, which gave him, ac-
customed to right-handed antagonists, an unquestionable
advantage.
Fabian had not yet left the place where he was standing.
One would have thought that these preparations had
nothing to do with him. Captain Corsican went up to
him, touched him, and showed him the sword. Fabian
looked at the glittering steel, and it seemed as if his
memory came back to him at that moment. |
He grasped his' sword with a firm hand.
“Right!†he murmured; “TI remember !â€
Then he placed himself opposite Harry Drake, who
immediately assumed the defensive.
“Proceed, gentlemen,†said the Captain.
They immediately crossed swords. From the first clash-
ing of steel, several rapid passes on both sides, certain ex-
trications, parries, and thrusts proved to me the equality
in strength of the opponents. I augured well for Fabian.
He was cool, self-possessed, and almost indifferent to the
struggle; certainly less affected by it than were his own
seconds. Harry Drake, on the contrary, scowled at him
with flashing eyes and clenched teeth, his head bent
- forward, and his whole countenance indicative of a hatred
which deprived him of all composure. He had come
there to kill, and kill he would.
A FLOATING CITY. | 161
| |
After the first engagement, which lasted some minutes,
swords were lowered. With the exception of a slight
scratch on Fabian’s arm, neither of the combatants had
been wounded. They rested, and Drake wiped off the
perspiration with which his face was bathed.
The storm now burst forth in all its fury. The thunder
was continuous, and broke out in loud deafening reports ;
the atmosphere was charged with electricity to such an
extent that the swords were gilded with luminous crests,
like lightning conductors in the midst of thunder clouds.
After a few moments’ rest, Corsican again gave the
signal to proceed, and Fabian and Harry Drake again fell
to work. | |
This time the fight was much more animated; Fabian
defending himself with astounding calmness, Drake madly
attacking him. Several times I expected a stroke from
Fabian, which was not even attempted.
Suddenly, after some quick passes, Drake made a rapid
stroke. I thought that Fabian must have been struck in
the chest, but, warding off the blow, he struck Harry Drake’s
sword smartly. The latter raised and covered himself
by a swift semi-circle ; whilst the lightning rent the clouds
overhead.
Suddenly, and without anything to explain this strange
surrender of himself, Fabian dropped his sword. Had he
been mortally wounded without our noticing it? The
M
162 A FLOATING CITY.
eee
blood rushed wildly to my heart. Fabian’s eyes had
grown singularly animated.
“Defend yourself,†roared Drake, drawing himself up
like a tiger ready to spring on to his prey.
I thought that it was all over with F abian, disarmed as he
was. Corsican threw himself between him and his enemy,
to prevent the latter from striking a defenceless man; but
now Harry Drake in his turn stood motionless.
I turned, and saw Ellen, pale as death, her hands
stretched out, coming towards the duellists, F abian, fasci-.
nated by this apparition, remained perfectly still,
“You! you!†cried Harry Drake to Ellen; “you here!â€
His uplifted blade gleamed as though on fire ; one might
have said it was the sword of the archangel Michael in the
hands of a demon.
Suddenly a brilliant flash of lightning lit up the whole.
stern, I was almost knocked down, and felt suffocated, for
the air was filled with sulphur; but by a powerful effort I
regained my senses. |
I had fallen on one knee, but I got up and looked around.
_ Ellen was leaning on Fabian. Harry Drake seemed petri-
fied, and remained in the same position, but his face had
grown black. 7 |
Had the unhappy. man been struck when attracting the
~ lightning with his blade ?
Ellen left Fabian, and went up to Drake with her face
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A FLOATING CITY. 163
full of holy compassion. She placed her hand on his
shoulder ; even this light touch was enough to disturb the
— equilibrium, and Drake fell to the ground a corpse.
Ellen bent over the body, whilst we drew back terrified.
The wretched Harry Drake was dead.
“Struck by lightning,†said Dean Pitferge, catching
hold of my arm. “Struck by lightning! Ah! will you
not now believe in the intervention of thunder?â€
Had Harry Drake indeed been struck by lightning as
Dean Pitferge affirmed, or rather, as the doctor on board
said, had a blood-vessel broken in his chest? I can only
say there was nothing now but a corpse before our eyes.
164 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
THE next day, Tuesday, the oth of April, the “Great
Eastern†weighed anchor, and set sail to enter the Hud-
son, the pilot guiding her with an unerring eye. The storm
had spent itself in the night, and the last black clouds
disappeared below the horizon. The aspect of the sea was
enlivened by a dotilla of schooners, waiting along the coast
for the breeze.
A small steamer came alongside, and we were boarded
by the officer of the New York sanitary commissioners,
It was not long before we passed the light-boat which
marks the channels of the Hudson, and ranged near Sandy
Hook Point, where a group of spectators greeted us with a
volley of hurrahs.
When the “ Great Eastern†had gone round the interior
bay formed by Sandy Hook Point, through the flotilla of
‘fishing-smacks, I caught a glimpse of the verdant heights
of New Jersey, the enormous forts on the bay, then the
A FLOATING CITY. 165
low line of the great city stretching between the Hudson
and East river.
In another hour, after having ranged opposite the New
York quays, the “Great Eastern†was moored in the Hud-
son, and the anchors became entangled in the submarine
cable, which must necessarily be broken on her departure.
Then began the disembarkation of all my fellow-
voyagers whom I should never see again: Californians,
Southerners, Mormonites, and the young lovers. I was
waiting for Fabian and Corsican.
I had been obliged to inform Captain Anderson of the
incidents relating to the duel which had taken place on
board. The doctors made their report, and nothing what-
ever having been found wrong in the death of Harry Drake,
orders were given that the last duties might be rendered to
him on land.
At this moment Cockburn, the statician; who had not
spoken to me the whole of the voyage, came up and said,—
~ Do you know, sir, how many turns the wheels have
made during our passage ?â€
“T do not, sir,â€
“One hundred thousand, seven hundred and twenty-
three.†| |
“Ah! really sir, and the screw ?â€
«Six hundred and eight thousand, one hundred and
thirty.†|
166 A FLOATING CITY,
ee
“Tam much obliged to you, sir, for the information.â€
And the statician left me without any farewell whatever.
Fabian and Corsican joined me at this moment, Fabian
pressed my hand warmly.
“Ellen,†said he to me, “ Ellen will recover. Her reason
came back to her foramoment. Ah! God is just, and He
will restore her wholly to us.â€
Whilst thus speaking, Fabian smiled as he thought of the
future. As for Captain Corsican, he kissed me heartily
without any ceremony. |
‘Good-bye, good-bye, we shall see you again,†he cried
to me, when he had taken his place in the tender where
were Fabian and Ellen, under the care of Mrs. R——,
Captain Mac Elwin’s sister, who had come to meet her
brother.
Then the tender sheered off, taking the first convoy of
passengers to the Custom House pier.
I watched them as they went farther and farther away,
and, seeing Ellen sitting between Fabian and his sister, I
could not doubt that care, devotion, and love would restore
to this poor mind the reason of which grief had robbed it.
Just then some one took hold of my arm, and I knew it
was Dr. Pitferge.
“Well,†said he, “and what is going to become of you ?â€
“My idea was, Doctor, since the ‘Great Eastern’ re-
mains a hundred and ninety-two hours at New York, and
A FLOATING CITY. Btey,
as I must return with her, to spend the hundred and ninety-
two hours in America. Certainly it is but a week, but a
week well spent is, perhaps, long enough to see New York,
the Hudson, the Mohawk Valley, Lake Erie, Niagara, and
all the country made familiar by Cooper.
“Ah! you are going to the Niagara!†cried Dean Pit-
ferge. “T'Il declare I should not be sorry to see it again,
and if my proposal does not seem very disagreeable to
you—†|
The worthy Doctor amused me with his crotchets. I had
taken a fancy to him, and here was a well-instructed guide
placed at my service. |
“ That’s settled, then,†said I to him.
A quarter of an hour later we embarked on the tender
and at three o’clock were comfortably lodged in two
rooms of Fifth Avenue Hotel.
16538 : A FLOATING CIPY.
CHAPTER XXXV.
f\ WEEK to spend in America! The “ Great Eastern†was
to set sail on the 16th of April, and it was now the oth,
and three o’clock in the afternoon, when I set foot on the
land of the Union. A week! There are furious tourists
and express travellers who would probably find this time
enough to visit the whole of North America; but I had no
such pretention, not even to visit New York thoroughly, and
to write, after this extra rapid inspection, a book on the
manners and customs of the Americans. But the consti-
tution and physical aspect of New York is soon seen; it
is hardly more varied than a chess-board. The streets, cut
at right angles, are called avenues when they are straight,
and streets when irregular. The numbers on the prin-
cipal thoroughfares are a very practical but monotonous
arrangement. American cars run through all the avenues.
Any one who has seen one quarter of New York knows
the whole of the great city, except, perhaps, that intricacy
A FLOATING CITY. 169
of streets and confused alleys appropriated by the com-
mercial population. |
New York is built on a tongue of land, and all its
activity is centred on the end of that tongue; on either
side extend the Hudson and East River, arms of the sea,
in fact, on which ships are seen and ferry-boats ply, con-
necting the town on the right hand with Brooklyn, and on
the left with the shores of New Jersey.
AA single artery intersects the symmetrical quarters of
New York, and that is old Broadway, the Strand of
London, and the Boulevard Montmatre of Paris; hardly
passable at its lower end, where it is crowded with people,
and almost deserted higher up;: a street where sheds and
marble palaces are huddled together ; a stream of carriages,
omnibusses, cabs, drays, and waggons, with the pavement
for its banks, across which a bridge has been thrown for the
traffic of foot passengers. Broadway is New York, and it
was there that the Doctor and I walked until evening.
After having dined at Fifth Avenue Hotel, I ended my
day's work by going to the Barnum Theatre, where they
were acting a play called “New York Streets,†which
attracted a large audience. In the fourth Act there
was a fire, and real fire-engines, worked by real firemen;
hence the “ great attraction.†|
The next morning I left the Doctor to his own affairs,
and agreed to meet him at the hotel at two o’clock. My
170 A FLOATING CITY.
Sanne
first proceeding was to go to the Post Office, 51, Liberty
Street, to get any letters awaiting me there; then I went
to No. 2, Bowling Green, at the bottom of Broadway, the
residence of the French consul, M. le Baron Gauldrée
Boilleau, who received me very kindly. From here I made
my way to cash a draft at Hoffman’s; lastly, I went to
No. 25, Thirty-sixth Street, where resided Mrs. R——,
Fabian’s sister. I was impatient to get news of Ellen
and my two friends; and here I learnt that, following
the Doctor’s advice, Mrs. R——, Fabian, and Corsican
had left New York, taking with them the young lady,
thinking that the air and quiet of the country might
have a beneficial effect on her. A line from Captain
Corsican informed me of this sudden departure. The kind
fellow had been to Fifth Avenue Hotel without meeting
me, but he promised to keep me acquainted with their
whereabouts. They thought of stopping at the first place
that attracted Ellen’s attention, and, staying there as long
as the charm lasted; he hoped that I should not leave
without bidding them a last farewell. Yes, were it but for
a few hours, I should be happy to see Ellen, Fabian, and
Corsican once again. But such are the drawbacks of
travelling, hurried as I was, they gone and I. going, each
our separate ways, it seemed hardly likely I should see
them again. |
At two o’clock I returned to the hotel, and found the
A FLOATING CITY, X75
Doctor in the bar-room, which was full of people. It is
a public hall, where travellers and passers-by mingled
together, finding gratis iced-water, biscuits, and cheese.
“ Well, Doctor,†said I, “when shall we start ?â€
** At six o'clock this evening.â€
“ Shall we take the Hudson railroad ?â€
“No; the ‘St. John;’ a wonderful steamer, another
world—a ‘Great Eastern’ of the river, one of those
admirable locomotive engines which go along with a will.
I should have preferred showing you the Hudson by
daylight, but the ‘St. John’ only goes at night. To-
morrow, at five o’clock in the morning, we shall be at
Albany. At six o’clock we shall take the New York Cen-
tral Railroad, and in the evening we shall sup at Niagara
Falls.†—
I did not discuss the Doctor’s programme, but accepted
it willingly. |
The hotel lift hoisted us to our rooms, and some
minutes later we descended with our tourist knapsacks. A
fly took us in a quarter of an hour to the pier on the
Hudson, before which was the “St. John,†the chimneys of
which were already crowned with wreaths of smoke, ©
172 A FLOATING CITY.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
THE “St. John,†and its sister ship, the “Dean Richmond,†.
are two of the finest steam-ships on the river. They are’
buildings rather than boats; terraces rise one above
another, with galleries and verandahs. One would almost
have thought it was a gardener’s floating plantation. There
are twenty flag-staffs, fastened with iron tressings, which
consolidate the whole building. The two enormous paddle-
boxes are painted al fresco, like the tympans in the Church
of St. Mark, at Venice. Behind each wheel rises the chimney
of the two boilers, the latter placed outside, instead of in
the hull of the steam-ship, a good precaution in case of
explosion. In the centre, between the paddles, is the
machinery, which is very simple, consisting only of a single
cylinder, a piston worked by a long cross-beam, which riscs
and falls like the monstrous hammer of a forge, and a single
crank, communicating the movement to the axles of the
massive wheels.
A FLOATING CITY. 173
Passengers were already crowding on to the deck of the
“St. John.†Dean Pitferge and I went to secure a cabin ;
we got one which opened into an immense saloon, a kind
of gallery with a vaulted ceiling, supported by a succession
of Corinthian pillars. Comfort and luxury everywhere,
carpets, sofas, ottomans, paintings, mirrors, even gas, made
in a small gasometer on board.
At this moment the gigantic engine trembled and began
to work. JI went on to the upper terraces. At the stern
was a gaily painted house, which was the steersman’s room,
where four strong men stood at the spokes of the double
rudder-wheel. After walking about for a few minutes, I
went down on to the deck, between the already heated
boilers, from which light blue flames were issuing. Of the
Hudson I could see nothing. Night came, and with ita
fog thick enough to be cut. The “St. John†snorted in
the gloom like a true mastodon ; we could hardly catch a
glimpse of the lights of the towns scattered along the banks
of the river, or the lanterns of ships ascending the dark
water with shrill whistles, )
At eight o’clock I went into the saloon. The Doctor
took me to have supper at a magnificent restaurant placed
between the decks, where we were served by an army
of black waiters. Dean Pitferge informed me that the
number of passengers on board was more than four thou-
sand, reckoning fifteen hundred emigrants stowed away in
174 A FLOATING CITY,
a
the lower part of the steam-ship. Supper finished, we —
retired to our comfortable cabin.
At eleven o'clock I was aroused by a slight. shock,
The “St. John†had stopped. The captain, finding it im-
possible to proceed in the darkness, had given orders to
_ heave-to, and the enormous boat, moored in the channel,
slept tranquilly at anchor.
At four o'clock in the morning the “St. John†resumed
her course. I got up and went out under one of the veran-
dahs. The rain had ceased, the fog cleared off, the water
appeared, then the shores; the right bank, dotted with
green trees and shrubs, which gave it the appearance of a
long cemetery; in the background rose high hills, closing
in the horizon by a graceful line; the left bank, on the
contrary, was flat and marshy.
Dr, Pitferge had just joined me under the verandah.
“Good morning, friend,†said he, after having drawn a
good breath of air; “do you know we shall not be at
Albany in time to catch the train, thanks to that wretched
fog. This will modify my programme.â€
_ “So much the worse, Doctor, for we must be economical
with our time.â€
“Right ; we may expect to reach Niagara Falls at night
instead of in the evening. That is not my fault, but we
must be resigned.â€
The “St. John,†in fact, did not moor off the Albany
THE OG CLEARED OFF,
Page 174.
A FLOATING CITY. 175
quay before eight o’clock. The train had left, so we were
obliged to wait till half-past one. In consequence of this
delay we were able to visit the curious old city, which forms
the legislative centre of the State of New York: the
lower town, commercial and thickly populated, on the right
bank of the Hudson, and the high town, with its brick
houses, public buildings, and its very remarkable museum |
of fossils. One might almost have thought ita large quar-
ter of New York transported to the side of this hill, up
which it rises in the shape of an amphitheatre.
At one o'clock, after having breakfasted, we went to the
station, which was without any barrier or officials. The
train simply stopped in the middle of the street, like an
omnibus ; one could get up and down at pleasure. The cars
communicate with each other by bridges, which allow the
traveller to go from one end of the train to the other. At
the appointed time, without seeing either a guard or a
porter, without a bell, without any warning, the brisk loco-
motive, a real gem of workmanship, started, and we were
whiried away at the speed of fifty miles an hour. But
instead of being boxed up, as one is in European trains,
we were at liberty to walk about, buy newspapers and books,
without waiting for stations. Refreshment buffets, book-
stalls, everything was at hand for the traveller. We
were now crossing fields without fences, and forests newly
cleared, at the risk of a collision with the felled trees;
176 A FLOATING CITY.
mp
through new towns, seamed with rails, but still wanting in
houses ; through cities adorned with the most poetic names
of ancient literature—Rome, Syracuse, and Palmyra. It
was thus the Mohawk Valley, the land of Fenimore, which
belongs to the American novelist, as does the land of Rob
Roy to Walter Scott, glided before our eyes. For a
moment Lake Ontario, which Cooper has made the scene
of action of his master-work, sparkled on the horizon. All
this theatre of the grand epopee of Leather Stocking,
formerly a savage country, is now a civilized land. The
Doctor did not appreciate the change, for he persisted in
calling me Hawk’s Eye, and would only answer to the
name of Chingachgook.
At eleven o'clock at night we changed trains at
Rochester; the spray from the Tennessee cascades fell
over the cars in showers. At two o’clock in the morning,
after having kept alongside the Niagara for several
leagues without seeing it, we arrived at the village of
Niagara Falls, and the Doctor conducted me to a magnif-
cent hotel, grandly named “ Cataract House.â€
A FLOATING CITY. 177
IL ITLL SEI IN EC CNN TTT SON gf re 0 SELINA,
CHAPTER XXXVIL
‘THE Niagara is not a stream, not even a river; it is simply
a weir sluice, a canal thirty-six miles long, which empties
the waters of the Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, and
Erie into the Ontario. The difference in the level of these
last two lakes is three hundred and forty feet ; this difference
uniformly proportioned the whole of the width would
hardly have created a “rapid ;†but the Falls alone absorb.
half the difference in level, whence their formidable power.
This Niagarine trench separates the United States from
Canada. Its right bank is American and its left English ;
on one side policemen, on the other not the shadow of
one. ,
On the morning of the 12th of April, at break of day,
the Doctor and I walked down the wide street of Niagara
Falls, which is the name of the village situated on the
banks of the Falls. It is a kind of small watering-place,
three hundred miles from Albany, built in a healthy and
charming situation, provided with sumptuous hotels and
N
178 A FLOATING CITY.
comfortable villas, which the Yankees and Canadians
frequent in the season. The weather was magnificent, the
sun warmed the cold atmosphere, a dull, distant roar was
heard, and I saw vapours on the horizon which could not
be clouds.
“Ys that the Fall?†I asked of the Doctor,
“Patience !†replied Pitferge.
In a few minutes we were on the banks of the Niagara.
The river was flowing peacefully along ; it was clear, and
not deep, with numerous projections of grey. rock emerging
there and there. The roar of the cataract grew louder and
louder, but as yet we could not see it. A wooden bridge,
supported by iron arches, united the left bank to an island
in the midst of the current ; on to this bridge the Doctor
led me. Above, stretched the river as far as the eye could
reach; .down the stream, that is to’say on our right, the
rst unevenness of a rapid was noticeable; then, at halfa
‘mile from the bridge, the earth suddenly gave way, and
Clouds of spray filled the air. This was the American fall,
which we could not see. Beyond, on the Canadian side,
lay a peaceful country, with hills, villas, and bare trees.
“Don't: look! don’t look!†cried the. Doctor to me;
“reserve yourself, shut your eyes, and do not open them
until I tell you!†| oo
I hardly listened to my original, but continued to look,
The bridge crossed. we set foot on the island known as_
NATURE HAS COMBINED EVERYTHING TO ASTONISH THE EYE.
Page 175.
A FLOATING CITY. 179
Goat Island. It is a piece of land of about seventy acres,
_covered with trees, and intersected with lovely avenues with |
carriage drives. It is like a bouquet thrown between the
American and Canadian Falls, separated from the shore by
a distance of three hundred yards. ‘We ran under the great
trees, climbed the slopes, and went down the steps; the
thundering roar of the falls was redoubled, and the air
saturated with spray. |
“Look!†cried the Doctor.
Coming from behind a mass of rock, the Niagara appeared
in all its splendour. At this spot it meets with a sharp
angle of land, and falling round it, forms the Canadian
cascade, called the “Horse-shoe Fall,†which falls from a
height of one hundred and fifty-eight feet, and is 5 two miles
broad. .
In this, one of the most beautiful spots in the world,
Nature has combined everything to astonish the eye:
The fall of the Niagara singularly favours the effects of light
and shade; the sunbeams falling on the water, capriciously
diversify. the colour; and these who have seen this effect,
must admit that it is without parallel. In fact, near Goat
Island the foam is white; it is then a fall of snow, or a
heap of. melted silver, ‘pouring into the abyss. In the
centre of the cataract the colour of the. water is a most
beautiful sea-green, which indicates its depth, so that the
“Detroit,†a ship drawing twenty feet and launched on the
N 2
ISO A FLOATING CITY.
eccrine
current, was able to descend the falls without grazing.
Towards the Canadian shore the whirlpool, on the
contrary, looks like metal shining beneath the luminous
rays, and it is melted gold which is now poured into the
gulf. Below, the river is invisible from the vapours which
rise over it. J caught glimpses, however, of enormous
blocks of ice accumulated by the cold of winter ; they take
the form of monsters, which, with open jaws, hourly absorb
the hundred millions of tons poured into them by the
inexhaustible Niagara. Half a mile below the cataract the
river again became tranquil, and presented a smooth
sutface, which the winds of April had not yet been able to
ruffle.
“ And now for the middle of the torrent,†said the Doctor
to me.
I could not imagine what the Doctor meant by those
words, until he pointed to a tower built on the edge of a
rock some hundred feet from the shore, almost overhang-
ing the precipice. This monument, raised in 1832, by a
certain audacious being, one Judge Porter, is called the
“Terrapin Tower.â€
We went down the steps of Goat Island, and, coming to
the height of the upper course of the Niagara, I saw a
bridge, or rather some planks, thrown from one rock to the
other, which united the tower with the banks of the river.
The bridge was but a few feet from the abyss, and below it
A. FLOATING CITY, ISI
roared the torrent. We ventured on these planks, and in
a few minutes reached the rock which supported Terrapin
Tower. This round tower, forty-five feet in height, is built
of stone, with a circular balcony at its summit, and a roof
covered with red stucco. The winding staircase, on which
thousands of names are cut, is wooden. Once at the top
of the tower, there is nothing to do but cling to the balcony
and look.
The tower is in the midst of the cataract. From its summit
the eye plunges into the depths of the abyss, and peers into
the very jaws of the ice monsters, as they swallow the
torrent. One feels the rock tremble. which supports
it. It is impossible to hear anything but the roaring
of the surging water. The spray rises to the top of the
monument, and splendid rainbows are formed by the sun
shining on the vapourized water. |
By a simple optical illusion, the tower seems to move
with a frightful rapidity, but, happily, in the opposite direc-
tion to the fall, for, with the contrary illusion, it would be
impossible to look at the gulf from giddiness.
Breathless and shivering, we went for a moment inside
the top landing of the tower, and it was then that the
Doctor took the opportunity of saying to me,—
“This Terrapin Tower, my dear sir, will some dav fall
into the abyss, and perhaps sooner than is expected.â€
Ah! indeed!â€
Io2. A FLOATING CITY.
“There is no doubt about it. The great Canadian Fall —
recedes insensibly, but still, it recedes. The tower, when it
was first built in 1833, was much farther from the cataract.
Geologists say that the fall, in the space of thirty-five thou-
sand years, will be found at Queenstown, seven miles up
the stream. According to Mr. Bakewell, it recedes a yard
in a year; but according to Sir Charles Lyell one foot
only. The time will come when the rock which supports
the tower, worn away by the water, will glide down the
Falls of the cataract. Well, my dear sir, remember this:
the day when the Terrapin Tower falls, there will be some
eccentrics who will descend the Niagara with it.â€
I looked at the Doctor, as if to ask him if he would be
of that number, but he signed for me to follow him, and
we went out again to look at the “ Horse-shoe Fall,†and
the surrounding country. We could now distinguish the
American Fall, slightly curtailed and separated by a pro-
jection of the island, where there is another small central
cataract one hundred feet wide; the American cascade,
equally fine, falls perpendicularly. Its height is one hundred
and sixty-four feet. But in order to have a good view of it
it is necessary to stand facing it, on the Canadian side.
All day we wandered on the banks of the Niagara, irre-
sistibly drawn back to the tower, where the roar of the
_water, the spray, the sunlight playing on the vapours, the
excitement, and the briny odour of the cataract, holds you
A FLOATING CITY. 183
in a perpetual ecstasy. Then we went back to Goat Island,
to get the Fall from every point of view, without ever being
wearied of looking at it. The Doctor would have taken me
to see the “Grotto of Winds,†hollowed out underneath
the central Fall, but access to it was not allowed, on account
of the frequent falling away of the rocks.
At five o’clock we went back to the hotel, and after a
hasty dinner, served in the American fashion, we returned
to Goat Island. The Doctor wished to go and see the
“Three Sisters,’ charming little islets scattered at the head
of the island ; then, with the return of evening, he led me
back to the tottering rock of Terrapin Tower.
The last rays of the setting sun had disappeared behind
the grey hills, and the moon shed her soft clear light over
the landscape. The shadow of the tower stretched across
the abyss; farther down the stream the water glided silently
along, crowned with a light mist. The Canadian shore,
already plunged in darkness, contrasted vividly with the
moon-lit banks of Goat Island, and the village of Niagara
Falls. Below us, the gulf, magnified by the uncertain light,
looked like a bottomless abyss. in which roared the formi-
dable torrent, What effect! What artist could ever depict
such a scene, either with the pen or paint-brush? For some
minutes a moving light appeared on the horizon; it was.
the signal light of a train crossing the Niagara bridge at a
distance of two miles fiom us. Here we remained silent
184. A FLOATING CITY.
and motionless on the top of the tower until midnight,
leaning over the waters which possessed such a fascination.
Once, when the moon-beams caught the liquid dust at a
certain angle, I] hada glimpse of a milky band of trans-
parent ribbon trembling in the shadows. It was a lunar
rainbow, a pale irradiation of the queen of the night,
whose soft light was refracted through the mist of the
cataract. |
A FLOATING CITY. 185
CHAPTER XXXVIIL
YHE next day, the 13th of April, the Doctor’s programme
announced a visit to the Canadian shore. We had only to
follow the heights of the bank of the Niagara for two miles
to reach the suspension bridge. We started at seven o’clock
in the morning. From the winding path on the right bank
we could see the tranquil waters of the river, which no
longer felt the perturbation of its fall.
At half-past seven we reached the suspension bridge. It
is the bridge, on which the Great Western and New
York Central Railroads meet, and the only one which gives
access to Canada on the confines of the State of New York.
This suspension bridge is formed of two platforms; the
upper one for trains, and the lower for carriagesand pedes-
trians. Imagination seems to lose itself in contemplating
this stupendous work. This viaduct, over which trains can
pass, suspended at a height of two hundred and fifty feet
186 | A FLOATING CITY.
above the Niagara, again transformed into a rapid at this
spot. This suspension bridge, built by John A. Roebling,
of Trendon (New Jersey), is eight hundred feet long, and
twenty-four wide ; the iron props fastened to the shore pre-
vent it from swinging ; the chains which support it, formed
of four thousand wires, are ten inches in diameter, and can
bear a weight of twelve thousand four hundred tons. The
bridge itself weighs but eight hundred tons, and cost five
hundred thousand dollars. Just as we reached the centre
a train passed over our heads, and we felt the platform
bend under its weight. |
It is a little below this bridge that Blondin crossed the
Niagara, on a rope stretched from one shore to the other,
and not, as 1s generally supposed, across the falls. How-
ever, the undertaking was none the less perilous; but if
Blondin astonished us by his daring, what must we think of
his friend who accompanied him, riding on his back during
this aerial promenade?
“Perhaps he was a glutton,†said the Doctor, “and Blon-
din made wonderful omelets on his tight-rope.â€
We were now on Canadian ground, and we walked up
the left bank of the Niagara, in order to see the Falls under
anew aspect. Halfan hour later we reached the English
hotel, where the Doctor ordered our breakfast, whilst I
glanced through the “ Travellers’ Book,†where figured
several thousand names: among the most celebrated I
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A’FLOATING CITY. _ 89
noticed the following :—Robert: Peel, ° Lady . Franklin,
Comte de Paris, Duc de Chartres, Prince de Joinville, ‘Louis
Napoleon ; (1846), Prince and. Princess Napoleon,: Barnum
(with his address), Maurice. Sand: (1865), Agassis (1854),
Almonte, ‘Prince Hohenlohe, Rothschild, Bertin: Gans),
Lady Elgin, Burkhardt (1 832), &e |
“And now let us go under the F alls, said the Doct tot to
me, when we had finished breakfast.
4
I followed Dean Pitferge. . A negro. conducted us. to. ‘the
dressing-room, where we were. provided ‘with waterproof
trousers, macintoshes, and ‘glazed hats. Thus. equipped,
our guide led us down a slippery. path, obstructed. by’ sharp-
edged stones, to the lower level of the Niagara.. Then we
passed behind the great fall through clouds of spray, the
cataract ‘falling before us like the curtain of a theatre
before the actors. But what a theatre! | Soaked, blinded,
deafened, we could neither see: nor. hear in. this cavern’ as
hermetically closed by the liquid:sheets of the cataract:as
though. Nature had sealed. it.in. bya wall of granite.
At nine o’clock. we returned to. the hotel, where: they
relieved us of our, streaming clothes. . Going back again to
the bank, I uttered a cry of. surprise and: j Joys
“ Captain. Corsican ! PP Do
‘The Captain heard, and came: towards me..
“You here!†he cried; “what a pleasure to see you
again !â€
188 " A FLOATING CITY.
ee
“And Fabian? and Ellen?†I asked, shaking both his
hands,
; They are here, and going on as well as possible;
Fabian full of hope, almost merry; and our poor Ellen
little by little regaining reason.â€
“ But how is it that I meet you at the Niagara oâ€
“The Niagara,†repeated Corsican. “Well, it is the
principal resort of English and Americans in the warm
months. They come here to breathe, to be cured by the
sublime spectacle of the Falls. Our Ellen seemed to be
struck at first sight by this glorious scenery, and we have
come to stay on the banks of the Niagara. You see that
villa, ‘Clifton House,’ in the midst of those trees, half way
up the hill; that is where we all live, with Mrs. R——,
Fabian’s sister, who is devoted to our poor friend.â€
“Has Ellen recognized Fabian ?†I asked.
“No, not yet,†replied the Captain. “You are aware,
however, that at the moment when Drake was struck
dead, Ellen had a brief interval of consciousness, Her
reason became clear in the gloom which surrounded her, but
this did not last long. At the same time, since we brought
her to breathe this fresh air in this quiet place, the doctor
has discovered a sensible improvement in her condition,
She is calm, her sleep is tranquil, but there is a look in her
-eyes as though she were trying to think of something past
or present.â€
A FLOATING CITY. : 189
wae
“Ah,†my dear friend!†cried I, “you will cure her; put
where are Fabian and his betrothed 2â€
“Look!†said Corsican, and he pointed towards the shore
of the Niagara. "
In the direction indicated by the Captain I saw Fabian,
who had not yet noticed us. He was standing on a rock,
and a few feet in front of him sat Ellen perfectly motion-
less, Fabian watching her all the time. This spot on the
left bank is known by the name of “ Table Rock.†Itisa
kind of rocky promontory juttmg out mzo the river, which
roars at a distance of four hundred feet below. Formerly
it was more extensive, but the crumbling away of large
pieces of rock has now reduced it to a surface a few yards
square.
Elien seemed absorbed in speechless ecstasy. From
this place the aspect of the Falls is “most sublime,†as say
the guides, and they are right. It gives a view of two
cataracts; on the right the “Canadian Fall,†the crest of
which, crowned with vapours, shuts in the horizon on one
side, like the horizon of the sea. In front is the “ American
Fall,†and above, the elegant village of Niagara Falls, half
hidden in the trees; on the left, the whole perspective
of the river flowing rapidly between its high banks, and
below the torrent struggling against the overthrown ice-
bergs.
Corsican, the Doctor, and I went towards Table Rock,
190 A FLOATING CITY.
ee
but I did not want to disturb Fabian. Ellen was as
motionless as a statue. What impression was this scene
making on her mind? Was reason gradually coming back
to her under the influence of the grand spectacle? Sud-
denly I saw Fabian step towards her. Ellen had risen
quickly, and was going near to the abyss, with her arms
extended towards the gulf; but all at once she stopped,
and passed her hand rapidly across her forehead, as if she
would drive away some thought. Fabian, pale as death,
but self-possessed, with one bound placed himself between
Ellen and the chasm ; the latter shook back her fair hair,
and her graceful figure staggered. Did she see Fabian?
No. One would have said it was a dead person coming
back to being, and looking round for life !
Captain Corsican and I dared not move, although, being
so near the abyss, we dreaded some catastrophe ; but the
Doctor kept us back.
“Tet Fabian alone,†said he.
[heard the sobs which escaped from the young woman’s
heaving breast, the inarticulate words which came from her
lips ; she seemed as though she were trying to speak, but
could not. Atlast she uttered these words :—
“Wy God! my God! where am I, where am I?â€
“She was conscious that some one was near her, for she
half turned round, and her whole face seemed trans-
figured.
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A FLOATING CITY. I9I
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There was a new light in her eyes, as she saw Fabian, -
trembling and speechless, standing before her with out-
stretched arms. | | .
“Fabian! Fabian!†cried she, at last, o |
Fabian caught her in his arms, where she felt in an un-
conscious state. He uttered a piercing cry, thinking that
Ellen was dead, but the Doctor interposed.
“Don’t be alarmed,†said he; “this crisis, on _ the con-
trary, will be the means of saving her!â€
Ellen was carried to Clifton House and put to bed, where
she recovered consciousness and slept peacefully. |
Fabian, encouraged by the Doctor, was full of hope.
Ellen had recognized him! Coming back to us, he said toâ€
me,—- °
“We shall save her, we shall save her! Every day I
watch her coming back to life. To-day, to-morrow, per-
haps she will be restored to me. Ah! the just God be
praised! We will stay here as long as it is necessary for
her, shall we not, Archibald?â€
The Captain clasped Fabian in his arms; then the latter
turned to the Doctor and me. He loaded us with thanks,
and inspired us with the hope which filied his breast, and
never was there better reason for hope—Ellen’s recovery
was near at hand. 7
But we must be starting, and there was hardly an hour
for us to reach Niagara Falls. Ellen was still sleeping ~
PO2 A FLOATING CITY.
Nee narrrtee
when we left our dear friends. Fabian and Corsican bid
us a last farewell, after having promised we should have
news of Ellen by telegram, and at noon we ieft Clifton
House,
A FLOATING CITY. 193
CHAPTER XXXIX.
SOME minutes later we were descending along flight of
steps on the Canadian side, which led to the banks of the
river, covered with huge sheets of ice. Here a boat was
waiting to take us to “America.†One passenger had
already taken his place in it. He was an engineer from
Kentucky, and acquainted the Doctor with his name and
profession, We embarked without loss of time, and by dint
of steering, so as to avoid the blocks of ice, reached the
middle of the river, where the current offered a clear pas-
sage. From here we had a last view of the magnificent
Niagara cataract. Our companion observed it with a
thoughtful air. |
“Ts it not grand, sir? Isit not magnificent ?†said I to
him, | | }
“Yes,†replied he; “but what a waste of mechanical
force, and what a mill might be turned with such a fall as
that !â€
O
194 A FLOATING CITY.
ee
Never did I feel more inclined to pitch an engineer into
the water!
On the other bank a sma!l and almost vertical railroad,
worked by a rope on the American side, hoisted us to the
top. At half-past one we took the express, which put us
down at Buffalo at a quarter past two. After visiting this
large new town, and tasting the water of Lake Erie, we
again took ihe New York Central Railway at six o'clock
in the evening. The next day, on leaving the comfortable
beds of a “sleeping car,†we found ourselves at Albany»
and the Hudson Railroad, which runs along the left bank
of the river, brought us to New York a few hours later,
The next day, the 15th of April, in company with the
indefatigable Doctor, I went over the city, East River, and
Brooklyn. In the evening I bade farewell to the good
Dean Pitferge, and I felt, in leaving him, that I left a
friend,
Tuesday, the 16th of April, was the day fixed for the
departure of the “Great Eastern.†At eleven o’clock I
went to Thirty-seventh pier, where the tender was to await
the passengers. It was already filled with people and lug-
gage when I embarked. Just as the tender was leaving the
quay some one caught hold of my arm, and turning round
I saw Dr. Pitferge.
“You!†I cried; “and are you going back to Europe?â€
“Yes, my dear sir.â€
A FLOATING CITY. | 195
pa
“By the ‘ Great Eastern’ ?â€
‘“ Undoubtedly,â€. replied the amiable original, smiling; “T
have considered the matter, and have come to the con-
clusion that I must go. Only think, this may be the
‘Great Eastern’s’ last voyage ; the one which she will never
compieter
- The bell for departure had rung, when one of the waiters
from Fifth Avenue Hotel came running up to me, and put
a telegram+into my hands, dated from Niagara Falls :—
“Ellen has awakened ; her reason has entirely returned to
her,†said Captain Corsican, “and the doctor has every hope
of her recovery.†|
I communicated this good news to Dean Pitferge.
“ Every hope for her indeed! every hope!†said my fellow-
traveller, in a sarcastic tone. “I also have every hope for her,
but what good does thatdo? Any one may have great
hopes for you, for me, for all of us, but at the same time
he may be just as much wrong as right.†....
Twelve days later we reached Brest, and the day follow-
ing Paris. The return passage was made without any
misfortune, to the great displeasure of Dean Pitferge, who
always expected to see the great ship wrecked.
And now, when I am sitting at my own table, if I had
not my daily notes before me, I should think that the “Great
Eastern,†that floating city in which I lived for a month,
the meeting of Ellen and Fabian, the peerless Niagara, all
0 2
196 A FLOATING CITY.
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these were the visions of a dream. Ah! how delightful is
travelling, “even when one does return,†in spite of what
the Doctor may say to the contrary.
For eight months I heard nothing of my original, but
one day the post brought me aletter, covered with many-
coloured stamps, which began with these words —
“On board the ‘Corinquay,’ Auckland Rocks. At last
we have been shipwrecked.â€
And ended thus :—
‘Was never in better health.
“Very heartily yours,
“ DEAN PITFERGEâ€*
END OF “A FLOATING CITY.â€
THE BLOCKADE RUNNEBS.
CHAPTER I.
THE “ DOLPHIN.â€
THE Clyde was the first river whose waters were lashed
into foam bya steam-boat. It was in 1812, when the
steamer called the “Comet†ran between Glasgow and
Greenock, at the speed of six miles an hour. Since
that time more than a million of steamers or packet-
boats have plied this Scotch river, and the inhabitants of
Glasgow must be as familiar as any people with the
wonders of steam navigation. |
However, on the 3rd of December, 1862, an immense
crowd, composed of ship-owners, merchants, manufac-
turers, workmen, sailors, women, and children, thronged the
muddy streets of Glasgow, all going in the direction of
198 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
a
Kelvin Dock, the large ship-building premises belonging
to Messrs. Tod and Mac Gregor. This last name especially
proves that the descendants of the famous Highlanders
have become manufacturers, and that they have made
workmen of all the vassals of the old clan chieftains.
Kelvin Dock is situated a few minutes’ walk from the
town, on the right bank of the Clyde. Soon the immense
timber-yards were thronged with spectators ; not a part of
the quay, not a wall of the wharf, not a factory roof,
showed an unoccupied place; the river itself was covered
with craft of all descriptions, and the heights of Govan, on
the left bank, swarmed with spectators,
There was, however, nothing extraordinary in the event
about to take place ; it was nothing but the launching ura
ship, and this was an every-day aifair with the people of
Glasgow. Had the “Dolphin,’ then—for that was the
name of the ship built by Messrs. Tod and Mac Gregor—
some special peculiarity ? To tell the truth it had none.
It was a large ship, about 1500 tons, in which every-
thing combined to obtain superior speed. Her engines, of
500-horse power, were from the workshops of Lancefield
Forge; they worked two screws, one on either side the
stern-post, completely independent of each other. As for
the depth of water the “ Dolphin†would draw, it must be
very inconsiderable ; connoisseurs were not deceived, and
they concluded rightly that this ship was destined for
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THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 199
meee
shallow straits. But all these particulars could not in any
Way justify the eagerness of the people: taken altogether
the “Dolphin†was nothing more or less than an ordinary
ship. Would her launching present some mechanical diff- -
culty to be overcome? Not any more than usual. The
Clyde had received many a ship of heavier tonnage, and
the launching of the “ Dolphin†would take place in the
usual manner. | |
In fact, when the water was calm, the moment the ebb-
tide set in, the workmen began to operate. Their mallets:
kept perfect time falling on the wedges meant to raise the
ship’s keel: soon a shudder ran through the whole of her
massive structure; although she had only been ‘slightly
raised, one could see that she shook, and then gradually
began to glide down the well-greased wedges, and in a few '
moments she plunged into the Clyde. Her stern struck
the muddy bed of the river, then she raised herself on the
top of a gigantic wave, and, carried forward by her start,
would have been dashed against. the quay of the Govan.
timber-yards, if her anchors had not restrained her. _
The launch had been perfectly successful, the “ Dolphinâ€
swayed quietly on the waters of the Clyde, all the spec-
tators clapped their hands when she took possession of
her natural element, and loud hurrahs arose from either
bank: | |
But wherefore these cries and this applause? Un-
200 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
doubtedly the most eager of the spectators would have
been at a loss to explain the reason of his enthusiasm.
What was the cause, then, of the lively interest excited by
this ship? Simply the mystery which shrouded her desti-
nation ; it was not known to what kind of commerce she
was to be appropriated, and in questioning different groups
the diversity of opinion on this important subject was
indeed astonishing.
However, the best informed, at least those who pre-
tended to be so, agreed in saying that the steamer was
going to take part in the terrible war which was then
ravaging the United States of America, but more than this
they did not know, and whether the “Dolphin†was a
privateer, a transport ship, or an addition to the Federal
marine, was what no one could tell.
“Hurrah!†cried one, affirming that the “ Dolphin†had
been built for the Southern States.
“Tip! hip! hip!†cried another, swearing that never
had a faster boat crossed to the American coasts.
Thus its destination was unknown, and in order to
obtain any reliable information one must be an intimate
friend, or, at any rate, an acquaintance of Vincent Play-
fair and Co., of Glasgow.
A rich, powerful, intelligent house of business was that
of Vincent Playfair and Co., in a social sense, an old and
honourable family, descended from those tobacco lords who
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 201
built the finest quarters of the town. These clever mer-.
chants, by an act of the Union, had founded the first
Glasgow warehouse for dealing in tobacco from Virginia
and Maryland. Immense fortunes were realized; mills
and foundries sprang up in all parts, and in a few years
the prosperity of the city attained its height.
The house of Playfair remained faithful to the enter-
prising spirit of its ancestors, it entered into the most
daring schemies, and maintained the honour of English
commerce. The principal, Vincent Playfair, a man of fifty,
with a temperament essentially practical and decided,
although somewhat daring, was a genuine shipowner.
Nothing affected him beyond commercial questions, not
even the political side of the transactions, otherwise he
was a perfectly loyal and honest man.
However, he could not lay claim to the idea of building
and fitting up the “ Dolphin ;†she belonged to his nephew,
James Playfair, a fine young man of thirty, the boldest
skipper of the British merchant marine.
It was one day at the Tontine coffee-room under the
arcades of the Town-hall, that James Playfair, after having
impatiently scanned the American journal, disclosed to
his uncle an adventurous scheme.
“Uncle Vincent,†said he, coming to the point at once,
“there are two millions of pounds to be gained in less than
a month.â€
202 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
“ And what to risk?†asked Uncle Vincent.
“A ship and a cargo.â€
“ Nothing else?â€
“Nothing, except the crew and the captain, and that does
not reckon for much.â€
“Let us see,’ said Uncle Vincent.
“Tt is all seen,†replied James Playfair. “ You have read
the Tribune, the New Vork Herald, the Times, the Rich
mond Ingutrer, the American Review ?â€
“ Scores of times, nephew.â€
“Vou believe, like me, that the war of the United States
will last a long time still ?â€
“A very long time.â€
“Vou know how much this struggle will affect the
interests of England, and especially those of Glas-
gow ?â€
“And more especially still the house of Playfair and
Co.,†replied Uncle Vincent.
“ Theirs especially,†added the young Captain.
“T worry myself about it every day, James, and I cannot
think without terror of the commercial disasters which this
war may produce; not but that the house of Playfair is
firmly established, nephew; at the ‘same time it has cor-
respondents which may fail. Ah! those Americans, slave-
holders or abolitionists, I have no faith in them!â€
If Vincent Playfair was wrong in thus speaking with
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 203
respect to the great principles of humanity, always and
everywhere superior to personal interests, he was, neverthe-
less, right in a commercial point of view. The most
important material was failing at Glasgow, the cotton
famine became every day more threatening, thousands of
workmen were reduced to live upon public charity.
Glasgow possessed 25,000 looms, by which 625,000 yards
of cotton were spun daily; that is to say, fifty millions of
pounds yearly. From these numbers it may be guessed —
what disturbances were caused in the commercial part
of the town, when the raw material failed altogether.
Failures were hourly taking place, the manufactories were
closed, and the workmen were dying of starvation.
It was the sight of this great misery which had put the
idea of his bold enterprise into James Playfair’s head.
“1 will go for cotton, and will get it, cost what it
may.†| |
But as he also was a merchant as well as his uncle
Vincent, he resolved to carry out his plan by way of ex-
change, and to make his proposition under the guise of a
commercial enterprise.
“Uncle Vincent,†said he, “this is my idea.â€
“Well, James?†|
“Tt is simply this ; we will have a ship built of superior
sailing qualities and great bulk.â€
“That is quite possible.â€
s
204 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
“We will load her with ammunition of war, provisions,
and clothes.â€
“ Just so.â€
“T will take the command of this steamer, I will defy
all the ships of the Federal marine for speed, and I will
run the blockade of one of the southern ports.†-
“Vou must make a good bargain for your cargo with
the Confederates, who will be in need of it,’ said his
uncle.
“And I shall return laden with cotton.â€
“Which they will give you for nothing.â€
“As you say, uncle. Will it answer?â€
“Tt will; but shall you be able to get there?â€
“T shall, if I have a good ship.â€
“One can be made on purpose. But the crew?â€
“Oh, I will find them. I do not want many men;
enough to work with, that is all. It is not a question of
fighting with the Federals, but distancing them.â€
“They shall be distanced,†said uncle Vincent, in a
peremptory tone; “but now, tell me, James, to what port
of the American coast do you think of going ?â€
“Up to now, uncle, ships have run the blockade of New
Orleans, Willmington, and Savannah, but I think of
going straight to Charlestown; no English boat has yet
‘been able to penetrate into the harbour, except the ‘ Ber-
muda,’ I will do like her, and if my ship draws but very
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 205
sinanaal
little water, I shall be able to go where the Federalists
will not be able to follow.â€
“The fact is,†said Uncle Vincent, “ Charlestown is over-
whelmed with cotton ; they are even burning it to get rid
of it.â€
“Yes,†replied James; “besides, the town is almost
invested, Beauregard is running short of provisions, and he
will pay me a golden price for my cargo!â€
“Well, nephew! and when will you start?â€
“Tn six months; I must have the long winter nights to
aid me.†|
“Tt shall be as you wish, nephew.â€
“Tt is settled, then, uncle?â€
“ Settled!â€
“ Shall it be kept quiet?â€
— “Ves; better so.â€
And this is how it was that five months later the
steamer “Dolphin†was launched from the Kelvin Dock
timber-yards, and no one knew her real destination,
206 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
CHAPTER It.
* GETTING UNDER SAJJ,,â€
THE “Dolphin†was rapidly equipped, her rigging was
ready, and there was nothing to do but fit her up. She
carried three schooner-masts, an almost useless luxury; in
fact, the “ Dolphin†did not rely on the wind to escape the
Federalists, but rather on her powerful engines.
Towards the end of December a trial of the steamer was
made in the gulf of the Clyde. Which was the most
satisfied, builder or captain, it is impossible to say. The
new steamer shot along wonderfully, and the patent log
showed a speed of seventeen miles an hour, a speed which
as yet no English, French, or American boat had ever
obtained, The “Dolphin†would certainly have gained
by several lengths in a sailing match with the fastest
opponent.
The loading was begun on the 25th of December, the
steamer having ranged along the steamboat-quay a little
TIIE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 207
below Glasgow Bridge, the last which stretches across the’
Clyde before its mouth. Here the wharfs were heaped
with a heavy cargo of clothes, ammunition, and provisions,
which were rapidly carried to the hold of the “ Dolphin.â€
The nature of this cargo betrayed the mysterious desti-
nation of the ship, and the house of Playfair could no
longer keep it secret; besides, the “Dolphin†must not
be long before she started. No American cruiser had
been signalled in English waters; and, then, when the
question of getting the crew came, how was it possible
to keep silent any longer? They could not embark them
even, without informing the men whither they were bound,
for, after all, it was a matter of life and death, and when
one risks one’s life, at least it is satisfactory to know how
and wherefore. a
However, this prospect hindered no one; the pay was
good, and every one had a share in the speculation, so that
a great number of the finest sailors soon presented them-
selves. James Playfair was only embarrassed which to
choose, but he chose well, and in twenty-four hours his.
muster-roll bore the names of thirty sailors, who would
have done honour to her Majesty’s yacht.
_ The departure was settled for the 3rd of January; on
the 31st of December the “Dolphin†was ready, her hold
full of ammunition and provisions, and nothing was
keeping her now.
208 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
me
The skipper went on board on the 2nd of January, and
was giving a last look round his ship with a Captain’s eye,
when a man presented himself at the fore part. of the
“Dolphin,†and asked to speak with the Captain. One
of the sailors led him on to the poop.
Fle was a strong, hearty-looking fellow, with broad
shoulders and ruddy face, the simple expression of which
ill concealed a depth of wit and mirth. He did not seem
to be accustomed to a seafaring life, and looked about him
with the air of a man little used to being on board a ship ;
however, he assumed the manner of a Jack-tar, looking up
at the rigging of the “Dolphin,†and waddling in true
sailor fashion.
When he had reached the Captain, he looked fixedly at
him and said, “ Captain James Playfair ?â€
“The same,†replied the skipper. “What do you want
with me?â€
“To join your ship.â€
“There is no room; the crew is already complete.â€
“Qh, one man, more or less, will not be in the way;
quite the contrary.â€
“You think so?†said James Mayfair giving a sidelong
glance at his questioner.
“Tam sure of it,†replied the sailor.
“ But who are you ?†asked the Captain.
“A rough sailor, with two strong arms, which, I can teff
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THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 209
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you, are not to be despised on board a ship, and which [.
now have the honour of putting at your service.’
“But there are other ships besides the ‘ Dolphin,’ and
other captains besides James Playfair. Why do you come
here?†|
“Because it is on board the ‘Dolphin’ that I wish to
serve, and under the orders of Captain James Playfair.â€
“T do not want you.†|
“There is always need of a strong man, and if to prove
my strength you will try me with three or four of the
strongest fellows of your crew, I am ready.â€
“That will do,†replied James Playfair. “ And what is
your name ?†|
“Crockston, at your service.â€
The Captain made a few steps backwards in order to get
a better view of the giant, who presented himself in this
odd fashion. The height, the build, and the look of the
sailor did not deny his pretensions to strength.
“Where have you sailed?†asked Playfair of him.
“A little everywhere. †|
“sind do you know where the ‘Dolphin ° is bound’
for?†|
. “Yes; and that is what tempts me.â€
“ Ah, well! I have no mind to let a fellow of your stamp
escape me. Go and find the first mate, and get him to
enrol you.†|
P
210 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
ee
Having said this the Captain expected to see the man
turn on his heel and run to the bows, but he was mistaken.
Crockston did not stir. |
“Well! did you hear me?†asked the Captain.
“Yes, but it is not all,†replied the sailor, “I have some-
thing else to ask you.â€
“Ah! You are wasting my time,†replied James sharply ;
“J have not a moment to lose in talking.â€
“T shall not keep you long,†replied Crockston, “two
words more and that is all; I was going to tell you that I
have a nephew.â€
“He has a fine uncle, then,†interrupted James Playfair.
“ Hah! Hah!†laughed Crockston.
“Fave you finished?†asked the Captain, very impa-
‘tiently.
“Well, this is what I have to say, when one takes the
uncle, the nephew comes into the bargain.â€
“Ah! indeed!â€
“Yes, that is the custom, the one does not go without
the other.â€
“And what is this nephew of yours ?â€
“A lad of fifteen whom I am going to train to the sea ;
he is willing to learn, and will make a fine sailor some day.â€
“How now, Master Crockston,†cried James Playfair ;
“do you think the ‘Dolphin’ is a training-school for cabin-
boys?â€
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 2IT
“Don’t let us speak ill of cabin-boys: there was one of.
them who became Admiral Nelson, and another Admiral.
Franklin.†| |
“Upon my honour, friend,†replied James Playfair, “you
have a way of speaking which I like; bring your nephew, -
but if I don’t find the uncle the hearty fellow he pretends
to be, he will have sorne business with me. Go,and be back
in an hour.†|
Crockston did not want to be told twice; he bowed
awkwardly to the Captain of the “Dolphin,†and went on
to the quay. An hour afterwards he came on board with
his nephew, a boy of fourteen or fifteen, rather delicate and
weakly-looking, with a timid and astonished air, which —
showed that he did not possess his uncle’s self-possession
and vigorous corporeal qualities. Crockston was even
obliged to encourage him by such words as these :—
“Come,†said he, “don’t be frightened, they are not
going to eat us, besides there is yet time to return.â€
3
“No, no,†replied the young man, “and may God
protect us!â€
The same day the sailor Crockston and his nephew were
inscribed in the muster-roll of the “ Dolphin.â€
The next morning, at five o’clock, the fires of the steamer
were well fed, the deck trembled under the vibrations of
tne boiler, and the steam rushed hissing through the escape-
pipes. The hour of departure had arrived.
P 2
212 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
ree,
A considerable crowd in spite of the early hour flocked
on the quays and on Glasgow Bridge, they had come to
salute the bold steamer for the last time. Vincent Play-
fair was there to say good-bye to Captain James, but he
conducted himself on this occasion like a Roman of the
good old times. His was a heroic countenance, and the
two loud kisses with which he gratified his nephew were the
indication of a strong mind.
“Go, James,†said he to the young Captain, “go quickly,
and come back quicker still; above all, don’t abuse your
position. Sell at a good price, make a good bargain, and
you will have your uncle’s esteem.â€
On this recommendation, borrowed from the manual of
the perfect merchant, the uncle and nephew separated, and
all the visitors left the boat.
At this moment Crockston and John Stiggs stood
together on the forecastle, while the former remarked to
his nephew, “ This is well, this is well; before two o’clock
we shall be at sea, and I have a good opinion of a voyage
which begins like this.â€
For reply the novice pressed Crockston’s hand.
James Playfair then gave the orders for departure.
“Have we pressure on?†he asked of his mate.
“Ves, Captain,†replied Mr. Mathew.
“Well, then, weigh anchor.â€
This was immediately done, and the screws began | to
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Page 213.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, 213,
move. The “Dolphin†trembled, passed between the ships
in the port, and soon disappeared from the sight of the
people, who shouted their last hurrahs,
The descent of the Clyde was easily accomplished, one
might almost say that this river had been made by the
hand of man, and even by the hand of a master. For sixty
years, thanks to the dredges and constant dragging. it
has gained fifteen feet in depth, and its breadth has been.
tripled between the quays andthe town. Soon the forests
of masts and chimneys were lost in the smoke and fog ; the’
noise of the foundry hammers, and the hatchets of the ~
timber-yards grew fainter in the distance. After the village
of Patrick had been passed the factories gave way to
country houses and villas. The “ Dolphin,†slackening her
speed, sailed between | the dykes which carry the river
above the shores, and often through very narrow channel,
which, however, is only a small inconvenience fora navigable
river; for, after all, depth is of more importance than width,
The steamer, guided by one of those-excellent pilots from
the Irish sea, passed without hesitation between floating
buoys, stone columns, and diggings, surmounted with light-
houses, which mark the entrance to the channel. Beyond
the town of Renfrew, at the foot of Kilpatrick hills, the
Clyde grew wider. Then came Bouling Bay, at the end of
which opens the mouth of the canal which joins Edinburgh
to Glasgow. Lastly, at the height of four hundred feet
214 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
—
from the ground, was seen the outline of Dumbarton Castle,
alinost indiscernible through the mists, and soon the har-
bour-boats of Glasgow were rocked on the waves which the
“Dolphin†caused. Some miles farther on Greenock, the
birthplace of James Watt, was passed: the “Dolphin†now
found herself at the mouth of the Clyde, and at the entrance
of the gulf by which it empties its waters into the Northern
Ocean. Here the first undulations of the sea were felt, and
the steamer ranged along the picturesque coast of the Isle
of Arran. At last the promontory of Cantyre, which runs
out into the channel, was doubled; the Isle of Rattelin was
hailed, the pilot returned by a shore-boat to his cutter,
which was cruising in the open sea; the “Dolphinâ€
returning to her Captain’s authority, took a iess trequented
route round the north of Ireland, and soon, having lost
sight of the last European land, found nerself in the open
ocean.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 215
CHAPTER IIL.
THE “Dolphin†had a good crew, not fichting men, or
boarding sailors, but good working men, and that was all
she wanted. These brave, determined fellows were all,
more or less, merchants; they sought a fortune rather than
glory; they had no flag to display, no colours to defend
with cannon ; in fact all the artillery on board consisted of _
two small swivel signal-guns.
The “Dolphin†shot bravely across the water, and
fulfilled the utmost expectations of both builder and
captain. Soon she passed the limit of British seas; there
was not a ship in sight; the great Ocean route was free ;
besides no ship of the Federal marine would have a right to —
attack her beneath the English flag. Followed she might
be, and prevented from forcing the blockade, and precisely
for this reason had James Playfair sacrificed everything to
the speed of his ship, in order not to be pursued.
Howbeit a careful watch was kept on board, and in spite
216 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
ee
of the extreme cold a man was always in the rigging ready
to signal the smallest sail that appeared on the horizon,
When evening came, Captain James gave the most. precise
orders to Mr. Mathew. |
“ Don't leave the man on watch too long in the rigging,
the cold may seize him, and in that case it is impossible to
keep a good look-out ; change your men often.â€
“ T understand, Captain,†replied Mr. Mathew.
“Try Crockston for that work; the fellow pretends
to have excellent sight; it must be put to trial; put
him on the morning watch, he will have the morning
mists to see through. If anything particular happens
call me.â€
This said, James Playfair went to his cabin. Mr.
Mathew called Crockston, and told him the ‘Captain’s
orders.
“ To-morrow, at six o'clock,†said he, “you are to relieve
watch of the main-masthead.†.
For reply, Crockston gave a decided grunt, but Mr.
Mathew had hardly turned his back when the sailor mut-
tered some incomprehensible words, and then cried,—
“ What on earth did he say about the main-mast ?â€
At this moment his nephew, John Stiggs, joined him on
the forecastle.
“ Well, my good Crockston,†said he,
“Tt’s all right, all right,†said the seaman, with a forced
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. : 217
=e
smile; “there is only one thing, this wretched boat shakes
herself like a dog coming out of the water, and it makes
my head confused.â€
“ Dear Crockston, and it is for my sake,â€
“ For you and him,†replied Crockston, “but not a word
about that, John; trust in God, and He will not forsake
you.â€
So saying, John Stiggs and Crockston went to the
sailor’s berth, but the sailor did not lie down before he had
seen the young novice comfortably settied in tne narrow
cabin which he had got for him.
The next day, at six o’clock in the morning, Crockston
got up to go to his place; he went on deck, where the first
officer ordered him to go up into the rigging, and keep
good watch. | |
At these words the sailor seemed undecided what to do;
then making up his mind, he went towards the bows of
the “ Dolphin.â€
“Well, where are you off to now?†cried Mr. Mathew.
“Where you sent me,†answered Crockston.
“T told you to go to the main-mast.â€
“And Iam going there,†replied the sailor, in an uncon-
cerned tone, continuing his way to the poop.
“ Are you a fool?†cried Mr. Mathew, impatiently; “you
are looking for the bars of the main on the foremast.
You are like a cockney, who doesn’t know how to twist a
218 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
cat-o-nine-tails, or make a splice. On board what ship
can you have been, man? The main-mast, stupid, the
main-mast !†|
The sailors who had run up to hear what was going on,
burst out laughing, when they saw Crockston’s disconcerted
look, as he went back to the forecastle.
“So,†said he, looking up the mast, the top of which was
quite invisible through the morning mists; “so, am I to
climb up here ?â€
“Yes,†replied Mr. Mathew, “and hurry yourself! By
ot. Patrick a Federal ship would have time to get her bow-
sprit fast in our rigging before that lazy fellow could get to
his post. Will you go up?â€
Without a word, Crockston got on the bulwarks with
some difficulty; then he began to climb the rigging with
most visible awkwardness, like a man who did not know
how to make use of his hands.or feet. When he had
reached the top-gallant, instead of springing lightly on to
it, he remained motionless, clinging to the ropes, as if he
had been seized with giddiness. Mr. Mathew, irritated by
his stupidity ordered him to come down immediately.
“That fellow there,†said he to the boatswain, “has
never been a sailor in his life. Johnston, just go and see
what he has in his bundle.â€
The boatswain made haste to the sailor’s berth.
In the meantime Crockston was with difficulty coming
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 219
down again, but his foot having slipped, he slid down the:
rope he had hold of, and fell heavily on the deck. |
“Clumsy blockhead! land-lubber!†cried Mr. Mathew,
by way of consolation. “What did you come to do
on board the ‘ Dolphin’! Ah! you entered as an
able seaman, and you cannot even distinguish the main
from the foremast! I shall have a little talk with —
3)
you. |
Crockston made no attempt to speak; he bent his back
like a man resigned for anything he might have to bear ;
just then the boatswain returned. -
“This,†said he to the first officer, “is all that I have
found ; a suspicious portfolio with letters.†| |
“Give them here,†said Mr. Mathew. “Letters with
Federal stamps! Mr. Halliburtt, of Boston! An abo-
litionist! a Federalist! Wretch! you are nothing but
a traitor, and have sneaked on board to betray us!
Never mind, you will be paid for your trouble with the
cat-o’-nine-tails! Boatswain, call the Captain, and you
others, just keep an eye on that rogue there.â€
Crockston received these compliments with a hideous
grimace, but he did not open his lips. They had fastened
him to the capstan, and he could move neither hand nor
foot. |
A few minutes later James Playfair came out of his
cabin and went to the forecastle, where Mr. Mathew.
22000 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
immediately acquainted him with the details of the
case, | |
“What have you to say?†asked James Playfair,
scarcely able to restrain his anger.
“ Nothing,†replied Crockston.
~“ And what did you come on board my ship for?â€
“ Nothing.†|
© And what.do you expect from me now?â€
“ Nothing.â€
“Who are you? An American, as these letters seem to
prove?†:
Crockston did not answer.
“Boatswain,†said fames Playfair, “fifty lasnes with the
cat-o’-nine-tails to loosen his tongue. Will that be enough,
Crockston ?†: |
“Tt will remain to be seen,†replied John Stiggs’ uncle
without moving a muscle. :
“ Now then, come along, men,†said the boatswain.
At. this order, two strong sailors stripped Crockston of
his woollen jersey; they had already seized the formid-
able weapon, and laid it across the prisoner’s shoulders,
when the novice, John Stiggs, pale and agitated, hurried
ondeck, :
“Captain!†exclaimed he.
«“ Ah! the nephew!†remarked James Playfair.
“Captain,†repeated the novice, with a violent effort to
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Page 220,
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 221
steady his voice, “I will tell you what Crockston does not
want to say. Iwill hide it no longer; yes, he is Ameri-
can, and so am I; we are both enemies of the slave-
holders, but not traitors come on board to betray the
‘Dolphin’ into the hands of the Federalists,â€
“What did you come to do, then ?†asked the Captain,
in a severe tone, examining the novice attentively. The
latter hesitated a few seconds before replying, then he
said, “ Captain, I should like to speak to you in private.â€
Whilst John Stiggs made this request, James Playfair
_did not cease to look carefully at him; the sweet young
face of the novice, his peculiarly gentle voice, the delicacy
and whiteness of his hands, hardly disguised by paint,
the large eyes, the animation of which could not hide
their tenderness—all this together gave rise to a certain
suspicion in the Captain’s mind. When John Stiggs had
made his request, Playfair glanced fixedly at Crockston,
who shrugged his shoulders ; then he fastened a questioning
look on the novice, which the latter could not withstand,
and said simply to him, “ Come.†|
John Stiggs followed the Captain on to the poop, and
then James Playfair, opening the door. of his cabin, said
to the novice, whose cheeks were pale with emotion, “ Be
so kind as to walk in, miss.â€
John, thus addressed, blushed violently, and two tears
rolled involuntarily down his cheeks.
222 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
a
“Don't be alarmed, miss,†said James Playfair, in a
gentle voice, “but be so good as to tell me how I come to
have the honour of having you on board ?â€
The young girl hesitated a moment, then reassured by
the Captain’s look, she made up her mind to speak.
“Sir,†said she, “I wanted to join my father at Charles-
ton; the town is besieged by land and blockaded by
sea. I knew not how to get there, when I heard that the
‘Dolphin’ meant to force the blockade. I came on board
your ship, and I beg you to forgive me if I acted without
your consent, which you would have refused me.â€
“ Certainly,†said James Playfair.
“JT did well, then, not to ask you,†resumed the young
girl, with a firmer voice.
The Captain crossed his arms, walked round his cabin,
and then came back.
“What is your name ?†said he,
“Jenny Halliburtt.â€
“ Vour father, if I remember rightly the address on the
letters, is he not from Boston?â€
“Ves, sir.â€
“And a Northerner is thus in a southern town in tne
thickest of the war?â€
“My father is a prisoner; he was at Charleston when
the first shot of the Civil War was fired, and the troops
of the Union driven from Fort Sumter by the Confede-
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 223
rates. My father’s opinions exposed him to the hatred of |
the Slavist part, and by the order of General Beauregard
he was imprisoned. IJ was then in England, living with a
relation who has just died, and left alone with no help but
that of Crockston, our faithful servant, I wished to go to
my father and share his prison with him.â€
“What was Mr. Halliburtt, then?†asked James Play-
fair.
“A loyal and brave journalist,†replied Jenny proudly,
one of the noblest editors of the “ Tribune,†and the one who
was the boldest in defending the cause of the negroes.
“An abolitionist,†cried the Captain angrily; “one of
those men, who, under the vain pretence or abolishing
slavery, have deluged their country with blood and ruin.†_
“Sir!†replied Jenny Halliburtt, growing pale, “you
are insulting my father ; you must not ferget that I stand
alone to defend him.â€
The young Captain blushed scarlet ; anger mingled with
shame struggled in his breast; perhaps he would have
answered the young girl, but he succeeded in restraining
himself, and opening the door of the cabin, he called
“ Boatswain !â€
The boatswain came to him directly.
“This cabin will henceforward belong to Miss Jenny
Halliburtt ; have a cot made ready for me at the end of
the poop; that’s all [ want.
224 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
eee
Lhe boatswain looked with a stupefied stare at the
young novice addressed in a feminine name, but on a sion
from James Playfair he went out.
“And now, miss, you are at home,†said the young
Captain of the “Dolphin.†Then he retired,
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 228
CHAPTER IV.
CROCKSTON’S TRICK. |
IT was not long before the whole crew knew Miss Halli-
hurtt’s story, which Crockston was no longer hindered
from teliing. By the Captain’s orders he was released
from the capstan, and the cat-o’-nine-tails returned to its
place. |
“A pretty animal,†said Crockston, “especially when it
shows its velvety paws.â€
| As soon as he was free, he went down to the sailors’
berths, found a small portmanteau, and carried it to Miss
Jenny ; the young girl was now able to resume her femi-
‘nine attire, but she remained in her cabin, and did not
again appear on deck.
As for Crockston, it was well and duly ered | that, as he
‘was no more a sailor than a horse-guard, he should be
exempt from all duty on board.
In the meanwhile the “ Dolphin,†with her twin screws
Q
226 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
ee
cutting the waves, sped rapidly across the Atlantic, and
there was nothing now to do but keep a strict look out.
The day following the discovery of Miss Jenny’s identity,
James Playfair paced the deck at the poop with a rapid
Step ; he had made no attempt to see the young girl and
resume the conversation of the day before.
Whilst he was walking to and fro, Crockston passed him
several times, looking at him askant with a satisfied
grin: he evidently wanted to speak to the Captain, and
at last his persistent manner attracted the attention of the
latter, who said to him, somewhat impatiently,—
“ How now, what do you want? You are turning round
me like a swimmer round a buoy: when are you going to
leave off?â€
“Excuse me, Captain,†answered Crockston, winking,
“T wanted to speak to you.â€
“ Speak, then.†.
“Oh, it is nothing very much, I only wanted to tell you
frankly that you are a good fellow at bottom,â€
“Why at bottom ?â€
“ At bottom and surface also.†|
“T don’t want your compliments.â€
“T am not complimenting you, I shall wait to do that
when you have gone to the end.â€
To what end?â€
“To the end of your task.â€
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 227
mem,
LURE RY NEES A EP
“ Ah! I have a task to fulfil ?â€
“Decidedly, you have taken the voung girl and mvself
on board; good. You have given up your cabin to Miss
Halliburtt ; good. You released me from the cat-o’-nine-
tails ; nothing could be better. You are going to take us
straight to Charleston ; that’s delightful, but it is not all.â€
“How not all?†cried James Playfair, amazed at
Crockston’s boldness. |
“No, certainly not,†replied the latter, with a knowing
look, “the father is prisoner there.â€
“Well, what about that ?†|
“Well, the father must be rescued.â€
“Rescue Miss Halliburtt’s father ?â€
“Most certainly, and it is worth risking something for
such a noble man and courageous citizen as he.â€
“Master Crockston,†said James Playfair, frowning, “I
am not in the humour for your jokes, so have a care what
you say.â€
“Vou misunderstand me, Captain,†said the American.
“Tam not joking in the least, but speaking quite seriously.
What I have proposed may at first seem very absurd to
you; when you have thought it over you will see that you
cannot do otherwise.â€
“What, do you mean that I must deliver Mr. Halliburtt ?â€
“Just so, you can demand his release of General Beaure-
gard, who will not refuse you.â€
Q 2
228 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
“But if he does refuse me ?â€
“Tn that case,’ replied Crockston, in a deliberate tone,
“we must use stronger measures, and carry off the prisoner
by force.â€
“So,†cried James Playfair, who was beginning to get
angry, “so, not content with passing through the Federal
fleets and forcing the blockade of Charleston, I must run
out to sea again from under the cannon of the forts, and this
to deliver a gentleman I know nothing of, one of those
Abolitionists whom I detest, one of those journalists who
shed ink instead of their blood!â€
“Oh! it is but a cannon-shot more or less!†added
Crockston.
“ Master Crockston,†said James Playfair, “mind what I
say; if ever you mention this affair again to me, I will send
you to the hold for the rest of the passage, to teach you
manners.â€
Thus saying the Captain dismissed the American, who
went off murmuring, “Ah, well, I am not altogether dis-
pleased with this conversation: at any rate, the affair is
broached ; it will do, it will do!â€
James Playfair had hardly meant it when he said an
Abolitionist whom I detest; he did not in the least side
with the Federals, but he did not wish to admit that
‘the question of slavery was the predominant reason for
the civil war of the United States, in spite of President
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 220
Lincoln’s formal declaration. Did he then think that the ©
Soutnern States, eight out of thirty-six, were right in
separating when they nad been voluntarily united? Notso;
he detested the Northerners, and that was all; he detested
them as brothers separated from the common family—true
Englishmen—who had thought it right to do what he,
James Playfair, disapproved of with regard to the United
States: these were the political opinions of the Captain of
the “Dolphin.†But more than this, the American war
interfered with him personally, and he had a grudge against
those who had caused this war; one can understand, then,
how he would receive a proposition to deliver an Aboli-
tionist, thus bringing down on him the Confederates, with
whom he pretended to do business.
However, Crockston’s insinuation did not fail to disturb
him, he cast the thought from him, but it returned un-
ceasingly to his mind, and when Miss Jenny caine on
deck the next day for a few minutes, he dared not look her
in the face. | | .
And really it was a great pity, for this young girl with
the fair hair and sweet, intelligent face deserved to be -
looked at by a young man of thirty. But James felt
embarrassed in her presence; he felt that this charming
creature who had been educated in the school of misfortune
possessed a strong and generous soul; he understood that
his silence towards her inferred a refusal to acquiesce in
230 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
~~ a
her dearest wishes; besides, Miss Jenny never looked out
for James Playfair, neither did she avoid him. Thus for the
first few days they spoke little or not at all to each other,
Miss Halliburtt scarcely ever left her cabin, and it is
certain she would never have addressed herself to the
Captain of the “Dolphin †if it had not been for Crockston’s
strategy, which brought both parties together.
The worthy American was a faithful servant of the
Halliburtt family, he had been brought up in his master’s
house and his devotion knew no bounds. His good sense
equalled his courage and energy, and, as has been seen, he
had a way of looking things straight in the face. He was
very seldom discouraged, and could generally find a way
out of the most intricate dangers with a wonderful skill,
This honest fellow had taken it into his head to deliver
Mr. Halliburtt, to employ the Captain’s ship, and the
Captain himself for this purpose, and to return with him to
England. Such was his intention, so long as the young girl
had no other object than to rejoin her father and share his
captivity. It was this Crockston tried to make the Captain
understand, as we have seen, but the enemy had not yet
surrendered, on the contrary.
“Now,†said he, “it is absolutely necessary that Miss
Jenny and the Captain come to an understanding ; if they
are going to be sulky like this all the passage we shall get
nothing done: they must speak, discuss; let them dispute
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 231
even, so long as they talk, and I'll be hanged if during their
conversation James Playfair does not propose himself what
he refused me to-day.â€
-But when Crockston saw that the young girl and the
young man avoided each other, he began to be perplexed.
“We must look sharp,†said he to himself, and the
morning of the fourth day he entered Miss Halliburtt’s
cabin, rubbing his hands with an air of perfect satisfaction.
“Good news!†cried he, “ sood news! You will never
- guess what the Captain has proposed to me. A very noble
young man he is. Now try.â€
“Ah!†replied Jenny, whose heart beat violently, “has
he proposed to—â€
“To deliver Mr. Halliburtt, to carry him off from the
Confederates, and bring him to England.†|
“Ts it true?†cried Jenny. |
“Tt is, as I say, miss. What a good-hearted man this
James Playfair is! These English are either all good or all
bad. Ah! he may reckon on my gratitude, and I am
ready to cut myself in pieces if it would please him.â€
Jenny’s joy was profound on hearing Crockston’s words.
Deliver her father! she had never dared to think of such a
plan, and the Captain of the “ Dolphin†was going to risk
his ship and crew!
“© That’s what he is,†added Crockston; “and this, Miss
Jenny, is well worth an acknowledgment from you.â€
232 | THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
“More than an ‘acknowledgment †cried the young girl ;
‘a lasting friendship!†|
And immediately she left the cabin to find James Play-
fair, and express to him the sentiments which flowed from
her heart.
“Getting on by degrees,†muttered the American.
James Playfair was pacing to and fro on the poop, and,
as may be thought, he was very much surprised, not to
say amazed, to see the young girl go up to him, her eyes
moist with grateful tears, and holding out her hand to him
saying, — - |
“Thank you, sir, thank you for your’ kindness,
which I should never have dared to expect from a_
stranger.†|
“Miss,†replied the Captain, as if he understood nothing
of what she was talking, and could not understand, “I do not
know—†|
‘“ Nevertheless, sir, you are going to brave many dangers,
perhaps compromise your interests for me, and you have
done so much already in offering me on board an hospi-
tality to which I have no right whatever—â€
“Pardon me, Miss Jenny,†interrupted James Playfair,
“but I protest again I do not understand your words; I
have acted towards you as any well-bred man would towards
‘a lady, and my conduct deserves neither so many thanks
nor so much gratitude.â€
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THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 233
“Mr. Playfair,†said Jenny, “it is useless-to pretend any
longer ; Crockston has told me all] !â€
“ Ah!†said the Captain, “Crockston has told you all;
then I understand less than ever the reason for your leaving
your cabin, and saying these words which—â€
Whilst speaking the Captain felt very much embarrassed ;
he remembered the rough way in which he had received the
American’s overtures, but Jenny, fortunately for him, did
not give him time for further explanation; she interrupted
him, holding out her hand and saying,— -
“Mr. James, I had no other object in coming on board ©
your ship except to go to Charleston, and there, however
cruel the slave-holders may be, they will not refuse to let
a poor girl share her father’s prison, that was all; I had
never thought of a return as possible; but since you are so
generous as to wish for my father’s deliverance, since you
will attempt everything to save him, be assured you have
my deepest gratitude.â€
James did not know what to do or what part to assume ;
he bit his lip; he dared not take the hand offered him; he
saw perfectly that Crockston had compromised him, so that
escape was impossible ; at the same'time he had no thoughts
of delivering Mr. Halliburtt, and getting complicated in a
disagreeable business: but how dash to the ground the hope
which had arisen in this poor girl’s heart? How refuse the
hand which she held out to him with a feeling of such pro-
234 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
ra
found friendship > How change to tears of grief the tears
of gratitude which filled her eyes?
So the young man tried to reply evasively, in a manner
which would insure his liberty of action for the future.
“Miss Jenny,†said he, “rest assured I will do everything
in my power for—†|
And he took the little hand in both of his, but with the
gentle pressure he felt his heart melt and his head grow
confused: words to express his thoughts failed him. He
stammered out some incoherent words,—
“Miss—Miss Jenny—for you—†|
Crockston, who was watching him, rubbed his hands,
grinning and repeating to himself,—
“Tt will come! it will come! it has come!†|
How James Playfair would have managed to extricate
himself from his embarrassing position no one knows, but
fortunately for him, if not for the “ Dolphin,†the man on
watch was heard crying,—
“ Ahoy, officer of the watch !â€
“What now?†asked Mr. Mathew, ’
“A sail to windward!â€
James Playfair, leaving the young girl, immediately sprang
to the shrouds of the main-mast.
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THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. | 235,
CHAPTER v.
THE SHOT FROM, THE “ IROQUOIS, vs AND MISS ; JENNY’ 's
| ARGUMENTS,
UNtin now “the: navigation of the “Dolphin * had been
very fortunate. | “Not one ship had been signalled before
the sail: hailed. by the’man on watch. mo : 7
The “ Dolphin †was | then i in 32° a] latitude, and 57 a3
west longitude. | For forty. eight hours a fog which. now
began to risé: had covered. the | ocean. If this mist favoured
the.“ Dolphin’ "by hiding her course, ‘it also prevented any
observations ata distance being made,. and, without being
aware of it, she might be sailing side bys side, SO ‘to speak,
with the ships she wished most to avoid. |
Now. this i is just what had’ happened, and when the ship
was signalled she was only three miles to windward,
When James. Playfair had reached the bars, he saw
distinctly, through an opening in the mist, a large F ederal
corvette in full pursuit of the “ Dolphin.â€
236 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
meee
After having carefully examined her, the Captain came
down on deck again, and called to the first officer,
“Mr. Mathew,†said he, “what do you think of this ship?â€
“JT think, Captain, that it is a Federal cruiser, which
suspects our intentions.â€
“There is no possible doubt of her nationality,†said
James Playfair. “Look!â€
At this moment the starry flag of the North United
States appeared on the gaff-yards of the corvette, and the
latter asserted her colours with a cannon-shot.
“An invitation to show ours,†said Mr. Mathew. “ Well,
let us show them; there is nothing to be ashamed of.â€
“What's the good ?†replied James Playfair. “ Our flag
will hardly protect us, and it will not hinder those people
from paying us a visit? No; let us go ahead.â€
“And go quickly,†replied Mr. Mathew, “ for if my eyes
do not deceive me, I have already seen that corvette lying
off Liverpool, where she went to watch the ships in
building: my name is not Mathew, if that is not ‘The
Iroquois’ on her taffrail.â€
“ And is she fast ?â€
“One of the fastest vessels of the Federal marine.â€
“What guns does she carry ?â€
“ Bight.â€
“ Pooh.â€
“Oh, don’t shrug your shoulders, Captain,†said Mr.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 237
Mathew, in a serious tone; “two out of those eight guns
are rifled, one is a sixty-pounder on the forecastle, and the
other a hundred-pounder on deck.â€
“Upon my soul!†exclaimed James Playfair, “they are
Parrott’s, and will carry three miles.†:
“Yes, and farther than that, Captain.â€
“Ah, well! Mr. Mathew, let their guns be sixty or
only four-pounders, and let them carry three miles or five
hundred yards, it is all the same if we can go fast enough
to avoid their shot. We will show this ‘Iroquois’ how a
ship can go when she is built on purpose to go. Have the
fires well banked up, Mr. Mathew.â€
The first officer gave the Captain’s orders to the engineer,
and soon volumes of black smoke curled from the steamer’s
chimneys.
This proceeding did not seem to please the corvette, for
she made the “Dolphin†the signal to lie to, but James
Playfair paid no attention to this warning, and did not
change his ship’s course.
- “Now,†said he, “we shall see what the ‘Iroquois’ will
do; there is a fine opportunity for her to try her guns ;
go ahead full speed !â€
“Good!†exclaimed Mr. Mathew; “she will not be long
in saluting us.â€
Returning to the poop, the Captain saw Miss Halliburtt
sitting quietly near the bulwarks,
238 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
a
“Miss Jenny,†said: he, “ we shall probably be chased by
that corvette you see to windward, and as she will speak
to us with shot, I beg to offer you my arm to take you to
your cabin again.â€
“Thank you, very much, Mr. Playfair,†replied the young
girl, looking at him, “but I am not afraid of cannon-
shots.â€
‘‘ However, miss, in spite of the distance, there may be
some danger.â€
“Oh, I was not brought up to be fearful; they accustom
us to everything in America, and I assure you that the
shot from the ‘Iroquois’ will not make me lower my
head.â€
“You are brave, Miss Jenny.â€
“Let us admit, then, that I am brave, and allow me to
stay by you.â€
“T can refuse you nothing, Miss Halliburtt,†replied
the Captain, looking at the young girl’s calm face.
These words were hardly uttered when they saw a
line of white smoke issue from the bulwarks of the
corvette ; before the report had reached the “ Dolphinâ€
a projectile whizzed through the air in the direction of the
steamer.
At about twenty fathoms from the “Dolphin†the shot,
the speed of which had sensibly lessened, skimmed
over the surface of the waves, marking its passage by a
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 239°
series of water-jets ; then, with another burst, it rebounded
to a certain height, passed over the “Dolphin,†grazing -
the mizen-yards on the starboard side, fell at thirty fathoms
beyond, and was buried in the waves. |
“By Jove!†exclaimed James Playfair, “we must get
along ; another slap like that is not to be waited for.â€
“Oh!†exclaimed Mr. Mathew, “they will take some
time to reload such pieces.†| |
“Upon my honour, it is an interesting sight,†said
Crockston, who, with arms crossed, stood perfectly at his
ease looking at the scene, “and to say they are friends
who send such brandy-balls !â€
“Ah! that’s you,†cried James Playfair, scanning the
American from head to foot.
“Tt is me, Captain,†replied the American, undisturbed.
-“T have come to see how these brave Federals fire; not.
badly, in truth, not badly.â€
The Captain was going to answer Crockston sharply,
but at this moment a second shot struck the sea on the
starboard side.
“Good,†cried James Playfair, “we have already gained
two cables on this ‘Iroquois.’ Your friends sail like a
buoy ; do you hear, Master Crockston ?â€
_ “T will not say they don’t,†replied the American, “and
for the first time in my life it does not fail to please
>?
me.
240 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
(nt eer mance PR SSE SSSA TDN VPN ee nt eg ee cern
A third shot fell still farther astern, and in less than
’)
ten minutes the “Dolphin†was out of range of the
corvette’s guns.
“So much for patent-logs, Mr. Mathew,†said James
Piayfair; “thanks to those shot we know how to rate
our speed. Now have the fires lowered; it is not worth
while to waste our coal uselessly.â€
“It is a good ship that you command,†said Miss Ffalli-
burtt to the young Captain.
“Ves, Miss Jenny, my good ‘ Dolphin,’ makes her seven-
teen knots, and before the day is over, we shall have
lost sight of that corvette.â€
James Playfair did not exaggerate the sailing qualities
of his ship, and the sun had not set before the masts of
the American ship had disappeared below the horizon.
This incident allowed the Captain to see Miss Halli-
burtt’s character in a new light; besides, the ice was
broken, henceforward, during the whole of the voyage.
the interviews between the Captain and his passenger were
frequent and prolonged; he found her to be a young girl,
calm, strong, thoughtful, and intelligent, speaking with
great ease, having her own ideas about everything, and
expressing her thoughts with a conviction which uncon-
sciously penetrated James Playfair’s heart.
She loved her country, she was zealous in the great’
cause of the Union, and expressed herself on the civil war
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 2AT
a
in the United States with an enthusiasm of which no other
woman would have been capable. Thus it happened, more |
than once, that James Playfair found it difficult to answer
her, even when questions purely mercantile arose in con-
nexion with the war: Miss Jenny attacked them none the
less vigorously, and would come to no other terms whatever.
At first James argued a great deal, and tried to uphold
the Confederates against the Federals, to prove that the
Secessionists were in the right, and that if the people were
united voluntarily they might separate in the same man-
ner. But the young girl would not yield on this point;
she demonstrated that the question of slavery was pre-
dominant in the struggle between the North and South
Americans, that it was far more a war in the cause of
morals and humanity than politics, and James could make
no answer. Besides, during these discussions, which he
listened to attentively, it is difficult to say whether he was
more touched by Miss Halliburtt’s arguments, or the
charming manner in which she spoke; but at last he was
obliged to acknowledge, among other thinys, that slavery
was the principal feature in the war, that it must be put an
end to decisively, and the last horrors of barbarous times
abolished. |
It has been said that the political opinions of the Cap-
tain did not trouble him much, He would have sacrificed
his most serious opinion before such enticing arguments
R
242 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
See
and under like circumstances; he made a good bargain of
his ideas for the same reason, but at last he was attacked
in his tenderest point: this was the question of the traffic
in which the “Dolphin†was being employed, and, conse-
quently, the ammunition which was being carried to the
Confederates. |
“Yes, Mr. James,†said Miss Halliburtt, « gratitude does
not hinder me from speaking with perfect frankness; on
the contrary, you are a brave seaman, a clever merchant,
the house of Playfair is noted for its respectability ; but in
this case it fails in its principles, and follows a trade
unworthy of it.â€
“How!†cried James, “the house of Playfair ought not
to attempt such a commercial enterprise ?â€
“No! it is taking ammunition to the unhappy creatures
in revolt against the government of their country, and it is
lending arms to a bad cause.â€
“Upon my honour, Miss Jenny, I will not discuss the
tight of the Confederates with you ; I will only answer you
-with one word: I am a merchant, and as such I only
occupy myself with the interests of my house; I look for
gain wherever there is an opportunity of getting it.â€
“That is precisely what is to be blamed, Mr. James,â€
«replied the young girl; “profit does not excuse it;
thus, when you supply arms to the Southerners, with
which to continue a criminal war, you are quite as guilty
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 243
as when you sell opium to the Chinese, which stupefiesâ€
them.â€
“Qh! for once, Miss Jenny, this is too much, and I
cannot admit—’
“No; what I say isjust, and when you consider it, when ~
you understand the part you are playing, when you think
of the results for which you are responsible, you will yield
to me in this point, as in so many others.â€
James Playfair was dumbfoundered at these words; he
left the young girl, a prey to angry thoughts, for he felt his
powerlessness to answer; then he sulked like a child for
half an hour, and an hour later he returned to the singular
young girl who could overwhelm him with convincing
arguments, with quite a pleasant smile.
In short, however it may have come about, and although
he would not acknowledge it to himself, Captain James
Playfair belonged to himself no longer, he was no longer
commander-in-chief on board his own ship.
Thus, to Crockston’s great joy, Mr. Halliburtt’s affairs
appeared to be in a good way; the Captain seemed to have
decided to undertake everything in his power to deliver
Miss Jenny’s father, and for this he would be obliged to
compromise the “ Dolphin,†his cargo, his crew, and incur
the displeasure of his worthy uncle Vincent,
244. THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
on
â„¢ RO Nie
CHAPTER VI.
SULLIVAN ISLAND CHANNEL.
Two days after the meeting with the “ Iroquois,†the
‘ Dolphin†found herself abreast of the Bermudas, where
she was assailed by a violent squall. These isles are
frequently visited. by hurricanes, and are celebrated for
shipwrecks. It is here that Shakspeare has placed the
exciting scene of his drama, “The Tempest,†in which
Ariel and Caliban dispute for the empire of the floods.
The squall was frightful ; James Playfair thought once
of running for one of the Bermudas, where the English
had a military post: it would have been a sad waste
of time, and therefore especially to be regretted ; happily
the “ Dolphin†behaved herself wonderfully well in the
storm, and after flying a whole day before the tempest,
she was able to resume her course towards the American
coast.
But if James Playfair had been pleased with his ship, he
THE SQUALL.
Page 244,
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, 245
had not been less delighted with the young girl’s bravery ;
Miss Halliburtt had passed the worst hours of the storm
at his side, and James knew that a profound, imperious,
irresistible love had taken possession of his whole being.
“Yes,†said he, “this brave girl is mistress on board;
she turns me like the sea a ship in distress—I feel that I am —
foundering! What will Uncle Vincent say? Ah! poor
nature, I am sure that if Jenny asked me to throw all this
cursed cargo into the sea, I should do it without hesitating, |
for love of her.â€
Happily for the firm of Playfair and Co., Miss Halliburtt
did not demand this sacrifice ; nevertheless, the poor Captain
had been taken captive, and Crockston, who read his
heart like an open book, rubbed’ his hands gleefully.
«We will hold him fast!†he muttered to himself, “and
before a week has passed my master will be quietly
installed in one of the best cabins of the ‘ Dolphin,’â€â€™
As for Miss Jenny, did she perceive the feelings which she
inspired? did she allow herself to share them? No one
could say, and James Playfair least of all; the young girl
kept a perfect reserve, and her secret remained deeply
buried in her heart.
But whilst love was making such progress in the heart
of the young Captain, the “Dolphin†sped with no less
rapidity towards Charleston.
On the 13th of January, the watch signalled land ten
246 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
eee ee
miles to the west. It was a low-lying coast, and almost
blended with the line of the sea in the distance. Crockston
was examining the horizon attentively, and about nine
oclock in the morning he cried,—
“ Charleston light-house!â€
Now that the bearings of the “Dolphin†were set, James
Playfair had but one thing to do, to decide by which
channel he would run into Charleston Bay.
“If we meet with no obstacles,†said he, “ before three
o'clock we shall be in safety in the docks of the port.â€
The town of Charleston is situated on the banks of an
estuary seven miles long and two broad, called Charleston
Harbour, the entrance to which is rather difficult. It is
enclosed between Morris Island on the south, and Sullivan
Island on the north. At the time when the “Dolphinâ€
attempted to force the blockade Morris Island already
belonged to the Federal troops, and General Gillmore had
caused batteries to be erected overlooking the. harbour.
sullivan Island, on the contrary, was in the hands of the
Confederates, who were also in possession of Moultrie
Fort, situated at the extremity of the island ; therefore it
would be advantageous to the “ Dolphin†to go as close as
possible to the northern shores to avoid the firing from the
forts on Morris Island, | |
Five channels led into the estuary, Sullivan Island
Channel, the Northern Channel, the Overall Channel, the
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CROCKSTON WAS EXAMINING THE HORIZON ATTENTIVELY.
Paze 246,
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 247
Principal Channel, and lastly, the Lawford Channel; but it.
was useless for strangers, unless they had skilful pilots on
board, or ships drawing less than seven feet of water to
attempt this last; as for Northern and Overall Channels,
they were in range of the Federalist batteries, so that it
was no good thinking ofthem. If James Playfair could have
had his choice, he would have taken his steamer through
the Principal Channel, which was the best, and the bearings
of which were easy to follow; but it was necessary to yield
to circumstances, and to decide according to the event.
Besides, the Captain of the “ Dolphin†knew perfectly all
the secrets of this bay, its dangers, the depths of its water
at low tide, and its currents, so that he was able to steer
his ship with the greatest safety as soon as he entered one
of these narrow straits. The great question was to get
there.
Now this work demanded an experienced seaman, and
one who knew exactly the qualities of the “ Dolphin.â€
In fact two Federal frigates were now cruising in the
Charleston waters. Mr. Mathew soon drew James Play-
fair’s attention to them. |
“ They are preparing to ask us what we want on these
shores,†said he.
«Ah, well! we won’t answer them,†replied the Captain,
“and they will not get their curiosity satisfied.â€
In the meanwhile the cruisers were coming on full steam
248 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. |
eee
towards the “ Dolphin,†who continued her course, taking
care to keep out of range of their guns. But in order
to gain time James Playfair made for the south-west,
wishing to put the enemies’ ships off their guard ; the latter
must have thought that the “Dolphin†intended to make
for Morris Island Channel. Now there they had batteries
and guns, a single shot from which would have been
enough to sink the English ship ; so the Federals allowed
the “Dolphin†to run towards the south-west, contenting
themselves by observing her without following closely.
Thus for an hour the respective situations of the ships did
not change, for James Playfair, wishing to deceive the
cruisers as to the course of the “ Dolphin,†had caused the
fires to be moderated, so that the speed was decreased.
However, from the thick volumes of smoke which escaped
from the chimneys, it might have been thought that he was
trying to get his maximum pressure, and, consequently, his
maximum of rapidity.
“They will be slightly astonished presently,†said
James Playfair, “when they see us slip through their
fingers!†|
In fact, when the Captain saw that he was near enough to
Morris Island, and before a line of guns, the range of which
he did not know, he turned his rudder quickly, and the ship
-resumed her northerly course, leaving the cruisers two
miles to windward of her; the latter seeing this manceuvre
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 249
amnmw©
understood the steamer’s: object, and began to pursue
her in earnest, but it was too late. The “ Dolphin†doubled
her speed under the action of the screws, and distanced
them rapidly. Going nearer to the coast, a few shell
were sent after her as an acquittal of conscience, but the
Federals were outdone, for their projectiles did not reach
half way. At eleven o’clock in the morning, the steamer
ranging near Sullivan Island, thanks to her small draft,
entered the narrow strait full steam ; there she was in safety,
for no Federalist cruiser dared follow her in this channel,
the depth of which, on an average, was only eleven feet at
low tide. < | -
“How?†cried Crockston, “and is that the only dif-
ficulty ?â€
“Oh! oh! Master Crockston,†said James Playfair, “the
difficulty is not in entering, but in getting out again.â€
“Nonsense !†replied the American, “ that does not make
me at all uneasy; with a boat like the ‘Dolphin’ and a
Captain like Mr. James Playfair, one can go where one
likes, and come out in the same manner.â€
Nevertheless, James Playfair, with telescope in his hand,
was attentively examining the route to be followed. He
had before him excellent coasting cuides, with which he
could go a-head without any difficulty or hesitation.
Once his ship safely in the narrow channel which runs
the length of Sullivan Island, James steered bearing
250 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
towards the middle of Fort Moultrie as far as the Pickney
Castle, situated on the isolated island of Shute’s Folly ;
on the other side rose Fort Johnson, a little way to the
north of Fort Sumter.
At this moment the steamer was saluted by some shot
which did not reach her, from the batteries on Morris Island.
She continued her course without any deviation, passed
before Moultrieville, situated at the extremity of Sullivan
Island, and entered the bay.
Soon Fort Sumter on the left protected her from the
batteries of the Federalists.
This fort, so celebrated in the civil war, is situated three
miles and a half from Charleston, and about a mile from
each side of the bay: it is nearly pentagonal in form,
built on an artificial island of Massachusetts granite, it
took ten years to construct and cost more than 900,000
dollars.
It was from this fort, on the 13th of April, 1861, that
Anderson and the Federal troops were driven, and it was
against it that the first shot of the Confederates was fired.
It is impossible to estimate the quantity of iron and
lead which the Federals showered down upon it. How-
ever, it resisted for almost three years, but a few
months after the passage of the “Dolphin,†it fell
beneath General Gillmore’s three hundred-pounders on
Morris Island. | |
<
v
are
——=
cay
sain
MISS HALLIBURTT WAS STANDING ON THE POOP.
Page 25%.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 251
But at this time it was in all its strength, and the
Confederate flag floated proudly above it. | |
Once past the fort the town of Charleston appeared
lying between Ashley and Cooper rivers.
James. Playfair threaded his way through the buoys
which mark the entrance of the channel, leaving behind
the Charleston lighthouse visible above Morris Island. He
had hoisted ‘the English flag, and made his way with
wonderful rapidity through the narrow channels. When
he had passed the Quarantine buoy, he advanced freely
into the centre of the bay. Miss Halliburtt was ‘standing
on the Poop, looking at the town where her father was
kept prisoner, and her eyes filled with tears.
At last the steamer’s speed was moderated . by the
Captain’s orders; the “Dolphin†ranged along the end
of the. south and east batteries, and was soon moored
at the quay of the North Commercial Wharf.
252 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
inate emer iiete meen emernnennennnemetien nem nes ne a ET
CHAPTER VII.
A SOUTHERN GENERAL,
THE “Dolphin†on arriving at the Charleston quay, had
been saluted by the cheers of a large crowd. The inhabi-
tants of this town, strictly blockaded by sea, were not
accustomed to visits from European ships. They asked
each other, not without astonishment, what this great
steamer, proudly bearing the English flag, had come to do
in their waters; but when they learned the object of her
voyage, and why she had just forced the passage Sullivan,
when the report spread that she carried a cargo of smuggled
ammunition, the cheers and joyful cries were redoubled.
James Playfair, without losing a moment, entered into
negotiation with General Beauregard, the military com-
mander of the town. The latter eagerly received the young
Captain of the “Dolphin,†who had arrived in time to
provide the soldiers with the clothes and ammunition they
were so much in want of. It was agreed that the unload-
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 253
ing of the ship should take place immediately, and nume-
rous hands came to help the English sailors. |
Before quitting his ship James Playfair had received from
Miss Halliburtt the most pressing injunctions with regard
to her father, and the Captain had placed himself entirely
at the young girl’s service. |
“ Miss Jenny,†he had said, “you may rely on me; I
will do the utmost in my power to save your father, but I
hope this business will not present nfany difficulties ; I shall
go and see General Beauregard to-day, and without asking
him at once for Mr. Halliburtt’s liberty, I shall learn in
what situation he is, whether he is on bail, or a prisoner.â€
“My poor father!†replied Jenny, sighing; “ he little
thinks his daughter isso near him. Oh that I could fly into
his arms!â€
“A little patience, Miss Jenny, you will soon embrace
your father. Rely upon my acting with the most entire
devotion, but also with prudence and consideration.â€
This is why James Playfair, after having delivered
the cargo of the “Dolphin†up to the General, and
bargained for an immense stock of cotton, faithful to
his promise, turned the conversation to the events of
the day.
“So,†said he, “you believe in the triumph of the slave-
holders ?â€
“I do not for a moment doubt of our final success, and as
254 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
regards Charleston, Lee’s army will soon relieve it:
besides, what do you expect from the Abolitionists ? admit-
ting that which will never be, that the commercial towns of
Virginia, the two Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, fall under
their power, what then? Will they be masters of a country
they can never occupy? No, certainly not; and for my
part if they are ever victorious they shall pay dearly for it.â€
“And you are quite sure of your soldiers?†asked the
Captain; “you are not afraid that Charleston will grow
weary of a siege which is ruining her?†|
“No, I do not fear treason ; besides, the traitors would be
punished remorselessly, and I would destroy the town
itself by sword or fire if I discovered the least Unionist
movement. Jefferson Davis confided Charleston to me,
and you may be sure that Charleston is in safe hands.â€
“Have you any Federal prisoners?†asked James Play-
fair, coming to the interesting object of the conversation.
“Yes, Captain,†replied the General, “it was at Charles-
ton that the first shot of separation was fired. The
Abolitionists who were here attempted to resist, and
after being defeated they have been kept as prisoners of
39
war.
“ And have you many ?â€
« About a hundred.â€
“Free in the town?â€
“They were until I discovered a plot formed by them :
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 256
eee
their chief succeeded in establishing a communication with
the besiegers, who were thus informed of the situation of
affairs in the town. Iwas then obliged to lock up these
dangerous guests, and several of them will only leave their
prison to ascend the slope of the citadel, where ten con-
federate balls will reward them for their federalism.â€
“What! to be shot!†cried the young man, shuddering
involuntarily. |
“Yes, and their chief first of all. He is a very dangerous
man to have in a besieged town. I have sent his letters to
the President at Richmond, and before a week is passed his
sentence will be irrevocably passed.â€
“Who is this man you speak of,†asked James Playfair,
with an assumed carelessness.
“A journalist from Boston, a violent Abolitionist with
the confounded spirit of Lincoln.â€
“And his name?â€
“Jonathan Halliburtt.â€
“Poor wretch!†exclaimed James, suppressing his
emotion; “whatever he may have done one cannot help
pitying him. And you think that he will be shot ?â€
“T am sure of it,†replied Beauregard. “What can you
expect ? War is war, one must defend oneself as best
one can,â€
“Well, it is nothing to me,†said the Captain; “TI shall
be far enough away when this execution takes place.â€
256 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
eee
“What! you are thinking of going away already.â€
“Yes, General, business must be attended to; as soon is
my cargo of cotton is on board I shall be out to sea again,
I was fortunate enough to enter the bay, but the difficulty
is in getting out again. The ‘Dolphin’ is a good ship; she
can beat any of the Federal ships for speed, but she does
not pretend to distance cannon-balls, and a shell in her
hull or engine would seriously affect my enterprise.â€
“As you please, Captain,†replied Beauregard; “I have
no advice to give you under such circumstances. You are
doing your business, and you are right. I should act in
the same manner were I in your place; besides a stay
at Charleston is not very pleasant, and a harbour where
shells are falling three days out of four is not a safe
shelter for your ship; so you will set sail when you please ;
but can you tell me what is the number and the force of
the Federal ships cruising before Charleston ?â€
James Playfair did his best to answer the General,
and took leave of ‘him on the best of terms; then he
returned to the “Dolphin†very thoughtful and very
depressed from what he had just heard.
“What shall I say to Miss Jenny? ought I to tell her of
Mr. Halliburtt’s terrible situation? or would it be better to
keep her in ignorance of the trial which is awaiting her?
‘Poor child!†|
He had not gone fifty steps from the governor's house
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. | 257
when he ran against Crockston: the worthy American had
been watching for him since his departure.
“Well, Captain?â€
James Playfair looked steadily at Crockston, and the
latter soon understood he had no favourable news to give
him.
“ Have you seen Beauregard ?†he asked.
“Yes,†replied James Playfair.
“And have you spoken to him about Mr. Halliburtt pâ€
“No! it was he who spoke to me about him.â€
“Weil, Captain ?â€
“Well! I may as well tell you everything, Crockston.â€
“Everything, Captain.â€
“General Beauregard has told me that your master will
be shot within a week.â€
At this news any one else but Crockston would have
erown furious or given way to bursts of grief, but the
American, who feared nothing, only said, with almost a
smile on his lips,— |
“Pooh! what does it matter?â€
“ How! what does it matter?†cried James Playfair; “I
tell you that Mr. Halliburtt will be shot within a week, and
you answer, what does it matter?â€
“And I mean it—if in six days he is on board the
‘Dolphin,’ and if in seven days the ‘ Dolphin’ is on the open.
oCa.
258 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
a
“Right!†exclaimed the Captain, pressing Crockston’s
hand, “T understand, my good fellow, you have got some
pluck; and for myself, in spite of Uncle Vincent, I would
throw myself overboard for Miss Jenny.â€
“No one need be thrown overboard,†replied the
American, “only the fish would gain by that: the most
important business now is to deliver Mr. Halliburtt.â€
“But you must-know that it will be difficult to do so.â€
“Pooh!†exclaimed Crockston.
“Tt is a question of communicating with a prisoner
strictly guarded.â€
“ Certainly.â€
“ And to bring about an almost miraculous escape.†)
“Nonsense,†exclaimed Crockston; “a prisoner thinks
more of escaping than his guardian thinks of keeping
him ; that’s why, thanks to our help, Mr. Halliburtt will be
saved.†|
“Vou are right, Crockston.â€
“ Always right.â€
“But now what will you do? there must be some plan:
and there are precautions to be taken.â€
“T will think about it.â€
“But when Miss Jenny learns that her father is con-
demned to death, and tnat the order for his execution may
come any day—†|
“She will know nothing about it, that is all.â€
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 259
“Yes, it will be better for her and for us to tell her
nothing.†| |
“Where is Mr. Halliburtt imprisoned?†asked Crock-
ston. |
“Tn the citadel,†replied James Playfair.
“ Just so!—On board now °â€
“On board, Crockston!â€
BAO ™™I BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
a EI ANE A ee TT a OT en OU" RN RESET SEANPI MR tao
CHAPTER VIL
THE ESCAPE.
MISS JENNY, sitting at the poop of the “Dolphin.†was
anxiously waiting the captain’s return; when the latter went
up to her she could not utter a word, but her eyes ques-
tioned James Playfair more eagerly than her lips could
have done. The latter, with Crockston’s help, informed the
young girl of the facts relating to her father’s imprisonment.
He said that he had carefully broached the subject of the
prisoners of war to Beauregard, but as the General did not
seem disposed at all in their favour, he had thought it
better to say no more about it, but think the matter over
again.
“Since Mr. Halliburtt is not free in the town, his
escape will be more difficult; but I will finish my task,
and I promise you, Miss Jenny, that the ‘Dolphin’ shall
not leave Charleston, without having your father on
board.â€
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THE BLUUsapE RUNNERS. 261
eee
“Thank you, Mr. James; I thank you with my whole
heart.†|
At these words James Playfair felt a thrill of joy through
his whole being. |
He approached the young girl with moist eyes and
quivering lips ; perhaps he was going to make an avowal
of the sentiments he could no longer repress, when Crock-
ston interfered,—
“This is no time for grieving,†said he; “we must go to
work, and consider what to do.†|
“Have you any plan, Crockston?†asked the young
girl, | |
“T always have a plan,†replied the American: “ it is
my peculiarity.â€
“ But a good one?†said James Playfair. |
“Excellent! and all the ministers in Washington could
not devise a better ; it isalmost as good as if Mr. Halliburtt
was already on board.â€
Crockston spoke with such perfect assurance, at the same
time with such simplicity, thar it must have been the most
incredulous person who coud doupt his words.
“We are listening, Crockston.†said James Plavfair.
“Good! Vou, Captain, will go to General Beauregard,
and ask a favour of him which he will not refuse you.â€
“And what is that?â€
“You will tell him that you have on board a tiresome
2
2 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
eee
subject, a scamp who has been very troublesome during the
voyage, and excited the crew to revolt. You will ask of
him permission to shut him up in the citadel; at the
4 &
same time on the condition that he shall return. to the ship
on her departure, in order to be taken back to England,
to be delivered over to the justice of his country.â€
“Good!†said James Playfair, half smiling, “I will
do all that, and Beauregard will grant my request very
willingly.â€
“Tam perfectly sure of it,’ replied the American,
“But,†resumed Playfair, “one thing is wanting.†|
‘* What is that?â€
« The scamp.â€
“ He is before you, Captain.â€
«“ What, the rebellious subject ?>—â€
“Ts myself; don’t trouble yourself about that.â€
“Oh! you brave, generous heart,†cried Jenny, pressing
the American’s rough hands between her small white
palms,
“Go, Crockston,†said James Playfair; “I understand
you, my friend; and I only regret one thing, that 1s, that
I cannot take your place.â€
“ Every one his part,†replied Crockston ; “if you put
yourself in my place you would be very much embarrassed,
‘which I shall not be; you will have enough to do later on
to get out of the harbour under the fire of the Feds
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 263
LN erence ergy
and Rebs, which, for my part, I should manage very
badly.â€
‘“ Well, Crockston, go on.â€
“ Once in the citadel—I know it—I shall see what to do,
.and rest assured I shall do my best ; in the meanwhile, you
will be getting your cargo on board.â€
“Oh! business is now a very unimportant detail, †said
the Captain.
“Not at all! and what would your uncle Vincent say to
that? We must join sentiment with work; it will pre-
vent suspicion ; but do it quickly. Can you be ready in
six days?â€
“Yes,â€
“Well, let the ‘Dolphin’ be ready to start on the
22nd.â€
“ She shall be ready.â€
“On the evening of the 22nd of January, you under-
stand, send a shore-hoat with yout best men to White
Point, at the end of the town; wait there till nine o’clock,
and then you will see Mr. Halliburtt and your ser-
vant.â€
“But how will you manage to effect Mr. Halliburtt’s
deliverance, and also escape yourself?â€
“ That’s my look-out.†—
“ Dear Crockston, you are going to risk your life then,
to save my father !â€
204 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, |
eee
“Don’t be uneasy, Miss Jenny, I shall risk absolutely
nothing, you may believe me.â€
“Well,†asked James Playfair, “when must I have you
locked up ?â€
“ To-day—you understand—I demoralize your crew;
there is no time to be lost.†|
* Would you like any money? it may be of use to you
in the citadel.â€
“Money to buythe gaoler! Oh, no! it would be
a poor bargain; when one goes there the gaoier keeps the
money and the prisoner! No! I have surer means than
that ; however, a few dollars may be useful; one must be
able to drink, if needs be.†|
“ And intoxicate the gaoler.â€
“No, an intoxicated gaoler would spoil everything.
No, I tell you I have an idea, let me work it out.â€
“ Here, my good fellow, are ten dollars.â€
‘Tt is too much, but I will return what is over.â€
“ Well, then, are you ready ?â€
“ Quite ready to be a downright rogue.â€
“ Let us go to work then.†|
“Crockston,†said the young girl, in a faltering voice,
“vou are the best man on earth.â€
I know it,’ replied the American, laughing good-
-humouredly. “ By-the-bye, Captain, an important
item.â€
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 865
weâ€
“What is that ?â€
“If the General proposes to hang your rebel—you know |
that military men like sharp work—â€
“Well, Crockston ?†|
“Well, you will say that you must think about it.â€
“I promise you I will.â€
Lhe same day to the great astonishment of the crew,
who were not in the secret, Crockston with his feet and
hands in irons was taken on shore by a dozen sailors, and
half-an-hour after, by Captain James Playfair’s request, he
was led through the streets of the town, and in spite of his
resistance was imprisoned in the citadel.
During this and the following days the unloading of
the “Dolphin†was rapidly accomplished; the steam
cranes lifted out the European cargo to make room for
the native goods. The people of Charleston, who were |
present at this interesting work, helped the sailors, whom
they held in great respect, but the Captain did not leave
the brave fellows much time for receiving compliments ;
he was constantly behind them, and urged them on with
a feverish activity, the reason of which the sailors could
not suspect.
Three days later, on the 18th of January, the first
bales of cotton began to be packed in the hold: aithough
James Playfair troubled himself no more about it, the firm |
cf Playfair and Co. were making an excellent bargain,
266 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
eee
having obtained the cotton which encumbered the Charles-
ton wharves at very far less than its value.
In the meantime no news had been heard of Crockston.
Jenny without saying anything about it was a prey to
incessant fears, her pale face spoke for her, and James
Playfair endeavoured his utmost to ease her mind.
“T have all confidence in Crockston,†said he, “he is a
devoted servant, as you must know better than I do, Miss
Jenny. You must make yourself quite at ease ; believe me,
in three days you will be folded in your father’s arms.â€
“Ah! Mr. James,†cried the young girl, “how can I ever
repay you for such devotion? How shall we ever be able
to thank you?â€
“T will tell you when we are in English seas,†replied
the young Captain.
Jenny raised her tearful face to him for a moment,
then her eyelids drooped, and she went back to her
cabin.
James Playfair hoped that the young girl would know
nothing of her father’s terrible situation until he was in
safety, but she was apprized of the truth by the involun-
tary indiscretion of a sailor.
The reply from the Richmond cabinet had arrived by
a courier who had been able to pass the line of outposts
the reply contained Jonathan Halliburtt’s death-warrant.
The news of the approaching execution was not long
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, 207
in spreading through the town, and it was brought on
board by one of the sailors of the “Dolphin ;†the man
told the Captain, without thinking that Miss Halliburtt
was within hearing; the young girl uttered a piercing cry,
and fell unconscious on the deck. James Playfair carried
her to her cabin, but the most assiduous care was neces-
sary to restore her to life.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the young
Captain, who, with a finger on his lips, enjoined absolute
silence. With difficulty she repressed the outburst of
her grief, and James Playfair, leaning towards her, said
cently,—
“Jenny, in two hours your father will be in safety
near you, or I shall have perished in endeavouring to
save him!â€
Then he left the cabin, saying to himseif, “And now
he must be carried off at any price, since | must pay for
his liberty with my own life and that of my crew.â€
The hour for action had arrived, the loading of the
cotton cargo had been finished since morning; in two
hours the ship would be ready to start.
James Playfair had left the North Commercial Wharf
and gone into the roadstead, so that he was ready to make
use of the tide, which would be high at nine o’clock in the
evening.
It was seven o'clock when James left the young girl,
268 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
See
and began to make preparations for departure. Until the
present time the secret had been strictly kept between
himself, Crockston, and Jenny; but now he thought it
wise to inform Mr. Mathew of the situation of affairs, and
he did so immediately.
“Very well, sir,†replied Mr. Mathew, without making
the least remark, “and nine o'clock is the time ?â€
“Nine o'clock, and have the fires lit immediately, and
the steam got up.â€
“Tt shall be done, Captain.â€
“The ‘Dolphin’ may remain at anchor; we will cut our
moorings and sheer off. without losing a moment.â€
“ Tust so.â€
“Have a lantern placed at the mainmast-head; tne
night is dark, and will be foggy ; we must not risk losing
our way in returning; you had better have the bell for
starting rung at nine o'clock.â€
“Your orders shall be punctually attended to, Cap-
tain.â€
“ And now, Mr. Mathew, have a shore-boat manned with
six of our best men; I am going to set out directly
for ‘White Point.’ I leave Miss Jenny in your charge,
and may God protect us!†|
“May God protect us!†repeated the first officer. |
Then he immediately gave the necessary orders for the
fires to be lighted, and the shore-boat provided with men.
TIE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, 2Cgq
I
In a few minutes the boat was ready, and James Play-
fair, after bidding Jenny good-bye, stepped into it, whilst
at the same time, he saw volumes of black smoke issuing
from the chimneys of the ship, and losing itself in the fog,
‘The darkness was profound; the wind had fallen, and
in the perfect silence the waters seemed to slumber in
the immense harbour, whilst a few uncertain lights glim-
mered through the mist. James Playfair had taken his
place at the rudder, and with a steady hand he guided
his boat towards White Point. It was a distance of about
two miles; during the day James had taken his bearings
perfectly, so that he was able to make direct for Charles-
ton Point.
Eight o'clock struck from the church of St. Philip when
the shore-boat ran aground at White Point.
‘There was an hour to wait before the exact time fixed
by Crockston ; the quay was deserted, with the exception
of the sentinel pacing to and fro on the south and east
batteries. James Playfair grew impatient, and the minutes
seemed hours to him.
At half-past eight he heard the sound of approaching
steps; he left his men with their oars clear and ready
to start, and went himself to see who it was; but he had
not gone ten feet when he met a band of coast-guards,
in all about twenty men. James drew his revolver from
his waist, deciding to make use of it, if needs be; but -
270 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
eT ec
EL A TT al aD ee we ST Ny, «- ~~
what could he do against these soldiers, who were coming
on to the quay?
The leader came up to lim, and secing the boat,
asked,—
“Whose craft is that?â€
“It is a shore-boat belonging to the ‘Dolplun, repued
the young man.
And who are you?â€
“Captain James Playfair.â€
“Y thought you had already started, and were now in
the Charleston channels.â€
“YT am ready to start. I ought even now to be on mv
way, but—†.
“ But—†persisted the coast-guard.
A bright idea shot through James’s mind, and he
- answered,—
“ One of my sailors is locked up in the citadel, and to tell
the truth I had almost forgotten him ; fortunately I thought
of him in time, and I have sent my men to bring him.â€
“Ah! that troublesome fellow; you wisn to take him
back to England?â€
“Ves.â€
“He might as well be hung here as there,†said the
coast-guard, laughing at his joke.
“So I think,’ said James Playfair, “ but it is better to
have the thing done in the regular way.â€
MR, HALLIBURTT ?
TIE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 271.
——
“Not much chance of that, Captain, when you nave
to face the Morris Island batteries.†|
“Don’t alarm yourself. I got in and Iii get out
again.†-
“ Prosperous voyage to you!â€
“Thank you.†| Oo
With this the men went off, and the shore was Jett
silent. | | |
At this moment nine o'clock struck; it was the
appointed moment. James felt his heart beat violently :
a whistle was heard; he replied to it, then he waited,
listening, with his hand up to enjoin perfect silence on
the sailors; a man appeared enveloped in a large cloak.
and looking from one side to another, James ran up tc
him,
“Mr. Halliburtt ?â€
“Yam he,†replied the man with the cloak.
“God be praised!†cried James Playfair; “embark
without losing a minute. Where is Crockston 2?â€
“Crockston!†exclaimed Mr. Halliburtt, amazed. “What
do you mean ?â€
“Phe man who has saved you and brought you here
wes your servant Crockston.â€
“The man who came with me was the gaoler from the
citadel,†replied Mr. Halliburt.
“The gaoler!†eried James Play fuir,
ofa THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
Evidently he knew nothing about it, and a thousand
fears crowded in his mind.
“Quite right, the gaoler,†cried a well-known voice;
“the gaoler is sleeping like a top in my cell.â€
“Crockston! you! can it be you?†exclaimed Mr.
Halliburtt.
“No time to talk now, master; we will explain everv-
thing to you afterwards ; it is a question of life or death.
Get in quick!â€
The three men took their places in the boat.
“ Push off!†cried the captain.
Immediately the six oars dipped into the water; the
boat darted like a fish through the waters of Charleston
Harbour,
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, 2723
CHAPTER JX,
“BETWEEN TWO FIRES.â€
THE boat. pulled by six robust oarsmen. flew over the
water. The fog was growing dense, and it was with diff-
culty that James Playfair succeeded in keeping to the line
of his bearings. Crockston sat at the bows, and Mr.
Halliburtt at the stern next the Captain. The prisoner, only
now informed of the presence of his servant, wished to
speak to him, but the latter enjoined silence,
However, a few minutes later, when they were in the
middle of the harbour, Crockston determined to speak,
knowing what thoughts were uppermost in Mr. Halliburtt’s
mind.
“Yes, my dear master,†said he, “the gaoler is in my
place in the cell, where I gave him two smart blows, one on
the head and the other on the stomach, to actasa sleeping ©
draught, and this when he was bringing me my supper ;
there is gratitude for you. I took his clothes and his keys,
7
274. THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
See
found you, and let you out of the citadel, under the soldiers’
noses, ‘That is all I have done.â€
“ But my daughter ?—†asked Mr. Halliburtt.
“Is on board the ship which is going to take you to
England.â€
“My daughter there! there!†cried the American,
springing from his seat.
“Silence!†replied Crockston, “a few minutes, and we
shall be saved.†|
The boat flew through the darkness, but James Plav-
fair was obliged to steer rather by guess, as the lanterns
of the “ Dolphin†were no longer visible through the fog.
He was undecided what direction to follow, and the dark-
ness was so great that the rowers could not even see to the
end of their oars.
“Well, Mr. James ?†said Crockston.
“We must have made more than a mile and a haly,â€
replied the Captain. “You don’t see anything, Crock-
ston ?†|
“ Nothing ; nevertheless I have good eyes, but we shall
get there all right. They don’t suspect anything out
there.†| |
These words were hardly finished when the flash of a gun
gleamed for an instant through the darkness, and vanished
in the mist.
“A signal!†cried James Playfair.
INNN
LA
SS
SRI Deal LE atta
JENNY FELL INTO HER FATHER’S ARMS.
Page 275.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 275
eS
“Whew!†exclaimed Crockston, “it must have come from
the citadel. Let us wait.â€
A second, then a third shot was fired in the direction of
the first, and almost the same signal was repeated a mile
in front of the shore-boat.
“That is from Fort Sumter,†cried Crockston, “and it is
the signal of escape. Urge on the men; everything is
discovered.â€
“Puil for your lives, my men!†cried James Playfair,
urging on the sailors, “those gun-shots cleared my route.
‘The Dolphin’ is eight hundred yards ahead of us, Stop!
I hear the bell on board. Hurrah, there it is again!
Twenty pounds for you if we are back in five minutes!â€
The boat skimmed over the waves under the sailors’
powerful oars. A cannon boomed in the direction of the
town. Crockston heard a ball whiz past them.
The bell on the “Dolphin†was ringing loudly. A few
more strokes and the boat was alongside. A few more
seconds and Jenny fell into her father’s arms.
The shore-boat was immediately raised, and Tames
Playfair sprang on to the poop.
“Is the steam up, Mr. Mathew?â€
« Yes, Captain.â€
“ Have the moorings cut at once.â€
A few minutes later the two screws carried the steamer
towards the principal channel, away from Fort Sumter.
T 2
2’°6 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
oe
“Mr. Mathew,†said James, “we must not think of
taking the Sullivan Island channel ; we should run directly
Aiea
under the Confederate guns. Let us fo as near as
possible to the right side of the harbour out of range
of the Federal batteries. Have you a safe man at the
helm ?†|
“Yes, Captain.â€
“Have the lanterns and the fires on deck extin-
guished ; there is a great deal too much light, but we can-
not help the reflection from the engine-rooms.’
During this conversation “the Dolphin†was going at’ a
great speed ; but in altering her course to keep to the right
side of the Charleston Harbour she was obliged to enter a
channel which took her for a moment near Fort Sumter ;
and when scarcely half a mile off all the guns bearing on
her were discharged at the same time, and a shower of
shot and shell passed in front of the “Dolphin†with a
thundering report.
“Too soon, stupids,†cried James Playfair, with a burst of
laughter. “Make haste, make haste, Mr. Engineer! We
shall get between two fires.â€
The stokers fed the furnaces, and the “ Dolphin†trembled
all over with the effort of the engine as if she was on the
pcint of exploding.
At this moment a second report was heard, and
a. other shower of balls whizzed behind the “ Dolphin.†|
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 277
“Too late, stupids,†cried the young Captain, with a
regular roar.
Then Crockston, who was standing on the poop, cried,
“That's one passed. A few minutes more, and we shail
have done with the Rebs.â€
“Then do you think we have nothing more to fear from
Fort Sumter ?†asked James.
“Nothing at all, but everything from Fort Moultrie, at
the end of Sullivan fsiand; but they will only get a chance
at us for half a minute, and then they must choose their
time well, and shoot straight if they want to reach us. We
are getting near.†| |
“Right ; the position of Fort Moultrie will allow us to go
straight for the principal channel. Fire away then, fire
away !â€
At the same moment, and as if in obedience to James
Playfair, the fort was illuminated by a triple line of
lightning. A frightful crash was heard; then a crackling
sound on board the steamer.
““rouched this time!†exclaimed Crockston.
“Mr. Mathew!†cried the Captain to his second, who
was stationed at the bows, “ what has been damaged ?â€
“The bowsprit broken.â€
“ Any wounded ?â€
“No, Captain.â€
“Well, then, the masts may go to Tericho. Straight
3 ) 2
278 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
into the pass! Straight! and steer towards the
island.â€
“We have passed the Rebs!†cried Crockston;
“and if we must have balls in our hull, I would much
rather have the Northerners; they are more easily
digested.†|
In fact, the “Dolphin†could not yet consider herself
out of danger; for if Morris Island was not fortified with
the formidable pieces of artillery which were placed there
a few months later, nevertheless its guns and mortars
could easily have sunk a ship like the “ Dolphin.â€
The alarm had been given to the Federals on the
island, and to the blockading squadron, by the firing from
Forts Sumter and Moultrie. The besiegers could not
make out the reason of this night attack; it did not seem
to be directed against them. However, they were obliged
to consider it so, and were ready to reply. |
It occupied James Playfair’s thoughts whilst making
-towards the passes of Morris Island; and he had reason
to fear, for in a quarter of an hour’s time lights gleamed
rapidly through the darkness. A shower of small shell
fell round the steamer, scattering the water over her
bulwarks; some of them even struck the deck of the
. “Dolphin,†but not on their points, which saved the ship from
certain ruin. In fact, these shell, as it was afterwards
discovered, could break into a hundred fragments, and each
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 279
cover a superficial area of a hundred and twenty square
feet with Greek fire, which would burn for twenty minutes,
and nothing could extinguish it. One of these shell alone
could set a ship on fire. Fortunately for the “ Dolphin,â€
they were a new invention, and as yet far from perfect.
Once thrown into the air, a false rotary movement kept
‘them inclined, and, when falling, instead of striking on
their points, where is the percussion apparatus, they
fell flat. This defect in construction alone saved the
“Dolphin.†The falling of these shells did her little |
harm, and under the pressure of her over-heated boilers
she continued to advance into the pass.
At this moment, and inspite of his orders, Mr. Halliburtt
and his daughter went to James Playfair on the poop;
the latter urged them to return to their cabins, but Jenny
declared that she would remain by the Captain. As for
Mr. Halliburtt, who had just learnt all the noble conduct
of his deliverer, he pressed his hand without being able to
utter a word.
The “Dolphin†was speeding rapidly towards the open
sea. There were only three miles more before she would
be in the waters of the Atlantic ; if the pass was free at its
entrance, she was saved. James Playfair was wonderfully
well acquainted with all the secrets of Charleston Bay,
and he guided his ship through the darkness with an
unerring hand. He was beginning to think his daring
280 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS.
eee
enterprise successful, when a sailor on the forecastle
cried ,—
“A ship!â€
“A ship?†cried James,
“Yes, on the larboard side.â€
The fog had cleared off, and a large frigate was seen
making towards the pass, in order to obstruct the passage
of the “ Dolphin.†It was necessary, cost what it might, to
distance her, and urge the steam-engine to an increase of
speed, or all was lost. | |
“Port the helm at once!†cried the Cap-
tain. |
Then he sprang on to the bridge above the engine. By
his orders one of the screws was stopped, and under the
action of the other the “Dolphin,†veering with an extra-
ordinary rapidity avoided running foul of the frigate, and
advanced like her to the entrance of the pass. It was now
a question of speed.
James Playfair understood that in this lay his own safety,
Miss Jenny’s, her father’s, and that of all his crew.
The frigate was considerably in advance of the “ Dolphin.â€
It was evident from the volumes of black smoke issuing
from her chimneys that she was getting up her steam.
James Playfair was not the man to be left in the back-
ground. |
“ How are the engines ?†cried he to the engineer.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. | 281
“At the maximum speed,†replied the latter; “the
steam is escaping by all the valves.â€
“Fasten them down,†ordered the Captain.
And his orders were executed at the risk of blowing up
the ship.
The “ Dolphin†again increased her speed; the pistons
worked with frightful rapidity; the metal plates on
which the engine was placed trembled under the terrific
force of their blows. It was a sight to make the boldest
shudder.
“More pressure!†cried James Playfair ; “put on more
pressure !â€
“Impossible!†replied the engineer; “the valves are
tightly closed ; our furnaces are full up to the mouths.â€
“What difference! Fill them with cotton soaked in
spirits ; we must pass that frigate at any price.â€
At these words the most daring of the sailors looked at
each other, but did not hesitate. Some bales of cotton were
thrown into the engine-room, a barrel of spirits broached
over them, and this expensive fuel placed, not without dan-
ger, in the red-hot furnaces. The stokers could no longer
hear each other speak for the roaring of the flames. Soon
the metal plates of the furnaces became red-hot ; the pistons
worked like the pistons of a locomotive; the steam-gauge
showed a frightful tension; the steamer flew over the
water ; her boards creaked, and her chimneys threw out
282 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. °
volumes of smoke mingled with flames. She was going at
a headlong speed, but, nevertheless, she was gaining on the
frigate—passed ‘her, distanced her, and in ten minutes was
out of the channel. | |
“ Saved !†cried the Captain.
“Saved !†echoed the crew, clapping their. hands.
_ Already the Charleston beacon was disappearing in the
south-west ; the sound of firing from the batteries grew
fainter, and it might with reason be thought that the
danger was all past, when a shell from a gun-boat cruising
at large was hurled whizzing through the air. It was easy
to ‘trace its course, thanks to the line of fire which fol-
lowed it. | |
Then was a moment of anxiety impossible to describe ;
every one was silent, and each watched fearfully the arch
described by the projectile. Nothing could be done to
escape it, and in a few seconds it fell with a frightful noise
on the fore-deck of the “ Dolphin.â€
The terrified sailors crowded to the stern, and no one
dared move a step, whilst the shell was burning with a
brisk crackle. a |
But one brave man alone among them ran up to the
formidable weapon of destruction. _It was Crockston; he
took the shell in his strong arms, whilst showers of sparks
were falling from it; then, with a superhuman effort, he
threw it overboard.
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Page 282.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS, 283
Hardly had the shell reached the surface of the water
when it burst with a frightful report. |
“Hurrah! hurrah!†cried the whole crew of the
“Dolphin†unanimously, whilst Crockston rubbed his
hands.
Some time later the steamer sped rapidly through the
waters of the Atlantic; the American coast disappeared
in the darkness, and the distant lights which shot across
the horizon indicated that the attack was general between
the batteries of Morris Island and the forts of Charleston
Harbour.
284 THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS,
ot
CHAPTER X.
ST. MUNGO.
THE next day at sunrise the American coast had disap-
peared; not a ship was visible on the horizon, and the
“Dolphin,†moderating the frightful rapidity of het speed,
made quietly towards the Bermudas.
It is useless to recount the passage across the Atlantic,
which was marked by no accidents, and ten days after the
departure from Queenstown the French coast was hailed.
What passed between the Captain and the young girl
may be imagined, even by the least observant individuals.
How could Mr. Halliburtt acknowledge the devotion and
courage of his deliverer, if it was not by making him the
happiest of men? James Playfair did not wait for English
seas to declare to the father and daughter the sentiments
which overflowed his heart, and, if Crockston is to be
believed, Miss Jenny received his confession with a happi-
ness she did not try to conceal.
THE BLOCKADE RUNNERS. 285
ne
Thus it happened that on the 14th of February, 18—, a
numerous crowd was collected in the dim aisles of St.
Mungo, the old cathedral of Glasgow. There were seamen,
merchants, manufacturers, magistrates, and some of
every denomination, gathered here. There was Miss Jenny
in bridal array, and beside her the worthy Crockston, re-
splendent in apple-green clothes, with gold buttons, whilst
Uncle Vincent stood proudly by his nephew.
In short, they were celebrating the marriage of James
Playfair, of the firm of Vincent Playfair and Co., of
Glasgow, with Miss Jenny Halliburtt, of Boston.
The ceremony was accomplished amidst great pomp.
Every one knew the history of the “ Dolphin,†and every
one thought the young Captain well recompensed for his
devotion. He alone said that his reward was ereater than
he deserved.
In the evening there was a grand ball and banquet at
Uncle Vincent's house, with a large distribution of shillings
to the crowd collected in Gordon Street. Crockston did
ample justice to this memorable feast, while keeping him-
self perfectly within bounds.
Every one was happy at this wedding ; some at their
own happiness, and others at the happiness around them,
which is not always the case at ceremonies of this kind.
Late in the evening, when the guests had retired, James
Playfair took his uncle’s hand.
286 TUE ELOCKADE RUNNERS.
“Well, Uncle Vincent,†said he to him.
“Well, Nephew James ?â€
“Are you pleased with the charming cargo I brought
you on board the ‘ Dolphin’ ?†continued Captain Playfair,
showing him his brave young wife.
“T am quite satisfied,†replied the worthy merchant ;
“TI have sold my cotton at three hundred and seventy-five
per cent. profit.â€
THE END.
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Page 286.
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