It was considered much more advisable that Smallbones should pretend to believe that he had been attacked by robbers, and that the ball had missed him, after he had frightened his master by his unexpected appearance, for Vanslyperken would still be of opinion that the lad possessed a charmed life.
The state of Mr. Vanslyperken during the remainder of that night was pitiable, but we must leave the reader to suppose rather than attempt to describe it.
In the morning the corporal came in, and after asking after his superior's health, informed him that Smallbones had come on board; that the lad said that the robbers had fired a pistol at him, and then knocked him down with the butt end of it, and that he had escaped, but with the loss of the bag.
This was a great relief to the mind of Mr. Vanslyperken, who had imagined that he had been visited by the ghost of Smallbones daring the night: he expressed himself glad at his return, and a wish to be left alone, upon which the corporal retired. As soon as Vanslyperken found out that Smallbones was still alive, his desire to kill him returned; although, when he supposed him dead, he would, to escape from his own feelings, have resuscitated him. One chief idea now whirled in his brain, which was, that the lad must have a charmed life; he had floated out to the Nab buoy and back again, and now he had had a pistol-bullet passed through his scull without injury. He felt too much fear to attempt anything against him for the future, but his desire to do so was stronger than ever.
Excitement and vexation brought on a slow fever, and Mr. Vanslyperken lay for three or four days in bed; at the end of which period he received a message from the admiral, directing him to come or send on shore (for his state had been made known) for his despatches, and to sail as soon as possible.
Upon receiving the message, Mr. Vanslyperken recollected his engagement at the house of the Jew Lazarus, and weak as he was, felt too much afraid of the results, should he fail, not to get out of bed and go on shore. It was with difficulty he could walk so far. When he arrived he found Ramsay ready to receive him.
"To sail as soon as possible:— 'tis well, sir. Have you your despatches?"
"I sent to the admiral's for them," replied Vanslyperken.
"Well then, be all ready to start at midnight. I shall come on board about a quarter of an hour before; you may go, sir."
Vanslyperken quailed under the keen eye and stern look of Ramsay, and obeyed the uncourteous order in silence; still he thought of revenge as he walked back to the boat and re-embarked in the cutter.
"What's this, Short?" observed Coble: "here is a new freak; we start at midnight, I hear."
"Something quite new, any how:— don't understand it, do you?"
"Well, now Jemmy's gone, I don't care how soon I follow, Dick."
"I've a notion there's some mystery in all this. For," continued Coble, "the admiral would never have ordered us out till to-morrow morning, if he did not make us sail this evening. It's not a man-of-war fashion, is it Dick?"
"Well, we shall see," replied Coble. "I shall turn in now. You've heard all about Smallbones, heh! Dick?"
"Well, we shall see: but I'll back the boy 'gainst master and dog too, in the long run. D—n his Dutch carcase —he seems to make but small count of English subjects, heh!"
Short leant over the gunwale and whistled.
Coble, finding it impossible to extract one monosyllable more from him, walked forward, and went down below.
A little before twelve o'clock a boat came alongside, and Ramsay stepped out of it into the cutter. Vanslyperken had been walking the deck to receive him, and immediately showed him down into the cabin, where he left him to go on deck and get the cutter under way. There was a small stove in the cabin, for the weather was still cold: they were advanced into the month of March. Ramsay threw off his coat, laid two pair of loaded pistols on the table, locked the door of the cabin, and then proceeded to warm himself, while Vanslyperken was employed on deck.
In an hour the cutter was outside and clear of all danger, and Vanslyperken had to knock to gain admittance into his own cabin. Ramsay opened the door, and Vanslyperken, who thought he must say something, observed gloomily,—
"Very good," replied Ramsay; "and now, sir, I believe that you have despatches on board?"
"You will oblige me by letting me look at them."
"My despatches!" said Vanslyperken, with surprise.
"Yes, sir, your despatches; immediately, if you please— no trifling."
"You forget, sir," replied Vanslyperken angrily, "that I am not any longer in your power, but on board of my own vessel."
"You appear not to know, sir, that you are in my power even on board of your own vessel," replied Ramsay, starting up, and laying his hand over the pistols, which he drew towards him, and replaced in his belt. "If you trust to your ship's company you are mistaken, as you will soon discover. I demand the despatches."
"But, sir, you will ruin me and ruin yourself," replied Vanslyperken, alarmed.
"Fear not," replied Ramsay; "for my own sake, and that of the good cause, I shall not hurt you. No one will know that the despatches have been ever examined and—"
"And what?" replied Vanslyperken, gloomily.
"For the passage, and this service, you will receive one hundred guineas."
Vanslyperken no longer hesitated: he opened the drawer in which he had deposited the letters, and produced them.
"Now lock the door," said Ramsay, taking his seat.
He then examined the seals, pulled some out of his pocket, and compared them; sorted the letters according to the seals, and laid one corresponding at the heading of each file, for there were three different Government seals upon the despatches. He then took a long Dutch earthen pipe which was hanging above, broke off the bowl, and put one end of the stem into the fire. When it was of a red heat he took it out, and applying his lips to the cool end, and the hot one close to the sealing-wax, he blew through it, and the heated blast soon dissolved the wax, and the despatches were opened one after another without the slightest difficulty or injury to the paper. He then commenced reading, taking memorandums on his tablets as he proceeded.
When he had finished, he again heated the pipe, melted the wax, which had become cold and hard again, and resealed all the letters with his counterfeit seals.
During this occupation, which lasted upwards of an hour, Vanslyperken looked on with surprise, leaning against the bulkhead of the cabin.
"There, sir, are your despatches," said Ramsay, rising from his chair: "you may now put them away; and, as you may observe, you are not compromised."
"No, indeed," replied Vanslyperken, who was struck with the ingenuity of the method; "but you have given me an idea."
"I will tell you what that is," replied Ramsay. "You are thinking, if I left you these false seals, you could give me the contents of the despatches, provided you were well paid. Is it not so?"
"It was," replied Vanslyperken, who had immediately been struck with such a new source of wealth; for he eared little what he did —all he cared for was discovery.
"Had you not proposed it yourself, I intended that you should have done it, sir," replied Ramsay; "and that you should also be paid for it. I will arrange all that before I leave the vessel. But now I shall retire to my bed. Have you one ready."
"I have none but what you see," replied Vanslyperken. "It is my own, but at your service."
"I shall accept it," replied Ramsay, putting his pistols under his pillow, after having thrown himself on the outside of the bedclothes, pulling his roquelaure over him. "And now you will oblige me by turning that cur out of the cabin, for his smell is anything but pleasant."
Vanslyperken had no idea of his passenger so coolly taking possession of his bed, but to turn out Snarleyyow as well as himself appeared an unwarrantable liberty. But he felt that he had but to submit, for Ramsay was despotic, and he was afraid of him.
After much resistance, Snarleyyow was kicked out by his master, who then went on deck not in the very best of humours at finding he had so completely sold himself to those who might betray and hang him the very next day. "At all events," thought Vanslyperken, "I'm well paid for it."
It was now daylight, and the cutter was running with a favourable breeze; the hands were turned up, and Corporal Van Spitter came on deck. Vanslyperken, who had been running over in his mind all the events which had latterly taken place, ha considered that, as he had lost the Portsmouth widow, he might as well pursue his suit with the widow Vandersloosh, especially as she had sent such a conciliating message by the corporal; and perceiving the corporal on deck, he beckoned to him to approach. Vanslyperken then observed, that he was angry the other day, and that the corporal need not give that message to the Frau Vandersloosh, as he intended to call upon her himself upon his arrival. Van Spitter, who did not know anything about the Portsmouth widow, and could not imagine why the angry message had been given, of course assented, although he was fully determined, that the widow should be informed of the insult. The question was now, how to be able to go on shore himself; and to compass that without suspicion he remarked that the maid. Babette was a very fine maid and he should like to see her again.
This little piece of confidence was not thrown away. Vanslyperken was too anxious to secure the corporal, and he replied, that the corporal should go ashore and see her, if he pleased; upon which Corporal Van Spitter made his best military salute, turned round on his heel, and walked away laughing in his sleeve at having so easily gulled his superior.
On the third morning the cutter had arrived at her destined port. During the passage Ramsay had taken possession of the cabin, ordering everything as he pleased, much to the surprise of the crew. Mr. Vanslyperken spoke of him as a king's messenger; but still Smallbones, who took care to hear what was going on, reported the abject submission shown to Ramsay by the lieutenant, and this was the occasion of great marvel; moreover, they doubted his being a king's messenger, for, as Smallbones very shrewdly observed, "Why, if he was a king's messenger, did he not come with the despatches?" However, they could only surmise, and no more. But the dog being turned out of the cabin in compliance with Ramsay's wish was the most important point of all. They could have got over all the rest, but that was quite incomprehensible; and they all agreed with Coble, when he observed, hitching up his trousers "Depend upon it, there's a screw loose somewhere."
As soon as the cutter was at anchor, Ramsay ordered his portmanteau into the boat, and Vanslyperken having accompanied him on shore, they separated, Ramsay informing Vanslyperken that he would wish to see him the next day, and giving him his address.
Vanslyperken delivered his despatches, and then hastened to the widow Vandersloosh, who received him with a well assumed appearance of mingled pleasure and reserve.
Vanslyperken led her to the sofa, poured forth a multitudinous compound composed of regret, devotion, and apologies, which at last appeared to have melted the heart of the widow, who once more gave him her hand to salute.
Vanslyperken was all rapture at so unexpected a reconciliation: the name of the cur was not mentioned; and Vanslyperken thought to himself, "This will do —let me only once get you, my Frau, and I'll teach you to wish my dog dead at your porch."
On the other hand the widow thought, "And so this atomy really believes that I would look upon him! Well, well, Mr. Vanslyperken, we shall see how it ends. Your cur under my bed, indeed, so sure do you never—. Yes, yes, Mr. Vanslyperken."
There is a great deal of humbug in this world, that is certain.
