He was not content with taking extracts, as he did of the Government despatches for Ramsay; he copied every word, and he replaced the seals with great dexterity. At night his mind was troubled, and he dare not lay himself down to rest until he had fortified himself with several glasses of scheedam; even then his dreams frightened him; but he was to be more frightened yet.
Corporal Spitter came into the cabin on the third morning with a very anxious face. "Mein Gott! Mynheer Vanslyperken, de whole crew be in de mutinys."
"Mutiny!" exclaimed Vanslyperken, "what's the matter?"
"They say, sir, dat dey see de ghost of Smallbones last night on de bowsprit, with one great cut on his head, and de blood all over de face."
"Mein Gott, mynheer! it all true, I really think I see it myself at de taffrail; he sit there, and have great wound from here down to," said the corporal, pointing to his own head, and describing the wound exactly. "The people say that he must have been murdered, and dey kick up de mutiny."
"I did not do it, corporal, at all events," replied Vanslyperken, pale and trembling.
"So Smallbones tell Dick Short, when he speak to him on bowsprit."
"Did it speak to Short?" inquired Vanslyperken, catching the corporal's arm.
"Yes, mynheer; Mynheer Short speak first, and den the ghost say dat you not do it, but dat you give gold to old woman to do it, and she knock him brain out vid de hammer."
To portray Vanslyperken's dismay at this intelligence would be impossible. He could not but be certain that there had been a supernatural communication. His knees knocked and trembled, and he turned sick and faint.
"O Lord, O Lord! corporal, I'm a great sinner," cried he at last, quite unaware of what he was saying. "Some water, corporal." Corporal Van Spitter handed some water, and Vanslyperken waved his hand to be left alone; and Mr. Vanslyperken attempted to pray, but it ended in blaspheming.
"It's a lie, all a lie," exclaimed he, at last, pouring out a tumbler of scheedam. "They have frightened the corporal. But —no —he must have seen him, or how could they know how was murdered? He must have told them; and him I saw and stiff with these own eyes. Well, I did not do the deed," continued Vanslyperken, attempting to palliate his crime to himself; but it would not do, and Mr. Vanslyperken paced the little cabin, racked by fear and guilt.
Remorse he felt none, for there was before his eyes the un-healed stump of Snarleyyow. In the evening Mr. Vanslyperken went on deck; the weather was now very warm, for it was the beginning of July; and Mr. Vanslyperken, followed by Snarleyyow, was in a deep reverie, and he turned and turned again.
The sun had set, and Mr. Vanslyperken still continued his walk, but his steps were agitated and uneven, and his face was haggard. It was rather the rapid and angry pacing of a tiger in his den, who has just been captured, than that of a person in deep contemplation. Still Mr. Vanslyperken continued to tread the deck, and it was quite light with a bright and pale moon.
The men were standing here and there about the forecastle and near the booms in silence, and speaking in low whispers, and Vanslyperken's eye was often directed towards them, for he had not forgotten the report of the corporal, that they were in a state of mutiny.
Of a sudden, Mr. Vanslyperken was aroused by a loud cry from forward, and a rush of all the men aft. He thought that the crew had risen, and that they were about to seize him; but, on the contrary, they passed him and hastened to the taffrail with exclamations of horror.
"What! what is it?" exclaimed Vanslyperken, fully prepared for the reply by his own fears.
"O Lord! have mercy upon us," cried Bill Spurey.
"Good God, deliver us!" exclaimed another.
"Ah, mein Gott!" screamed Jansen, rushing against Vanslyperken, and knocking him down on the deck.
"Well, well, murder will out! —that's sartain," said Coble, who stood by Vanslyperken when he had recovered his legs.
"What, what!" exclaimed Vanslyperken, breathless.
"There, sir —look there" —said Coble, breathless, pointing to the figure of Smallbones, who now appeared from the shade in the broad moonshine.
His head was not bound up, and his face appeared pale and streaked with blood. He was in the same clothes in which he had gone on shore, and in his hand he held the hammer which had done the deed.
The figure slowly advanced to the quarter-deck, Vanslyperken attempted to retreat, but his legs failed him, he dropped down on his knees, uttered a loud yell of despair, and then threw himself flat on the deck face downwards.
Certainly, the pantomime was inimitably got up, but it had all been arranged by Moggy, the corporal, and the others. There was not one man of the crew who had not been sworn to secrecy, and whose life would have been endangered if, by undeceiving Vanslyperken, they had been deprived of such just and legitimate revenges.
Smallbones disappeared as soon as Vanslyperken had fallen down.
He was allowed to remain there for some time to ascertain if he would say anything, but as he still continued silent, they raised him up, and found that he was insensible. He was consequently taken down into the cabin and put into his bed.
The effect produced by this trial of Mr. Vanslyperken's nerves was most serious. Already too much heated with the use of ardent spirits, it brought on convulsions, in which he continued during the major part of the night. Towards the morning, he sank into a perturbed slumber.
It was not till eleven o'clock in the forenoon that he awoke and perceived his faithful corporal standing by the side of the bed.
"Have I not been ill, corporal?" said Mr. Vanslyperken, whose memory was impaired for the time.
"There was something happened, was not there?"
"My head swims now; what was it, corporal?"
"It was de ghost of de poy," replied the corporal.
"Yes, yes," replied Vanslyperken, falling back on his pillow.
It had been intended by the conspirators, that Smallbones should make his appearance in the cabin, as the bell struck one o'clock; but the effect had already been so serious that it was thought advisable to defer any further attempts. As for Smallbones being concealed in the vessel for any length of time, there was no difficulty in that; for allowing that Vanslyperken should go forward on the lower deck of the vessel, which he never did, Smallbones had only to retreat into the eyes of her, and it was there so dark that he could not be seen. They therefore regulated their conduct much in the same way as the members of the inquisition used to do in former days; they allowed their patient to recover, that he might be subjected to more torture.
It was not until the fourth day that the cutter arrived at the port of Amsterdam, and Mr. Vanslyperken had kept his bed ever since he had been put into it; but this he could do no longer: he rose weak and emaciated, dressed himself, and went on shore with the despatches which he first delivered, and then bent his steps to the syndic's house, where he delivered his letters to Ramsay.
The arrival of the cutter had been duly notified to the widow Vandersloosh, before she had dropped her anchor, and in pursuance with her resolution she immediately dispatched Babette to track Mr. Vanslyperken, and watch his motions. Babette took care not to be seen by Mr. Vanslyperken, but shrouding herself close in her cotton print cloak, she followed him to the Stadt House, and from the Stadt House to the mansion of Mynheer Van Krause, at a short distance from the gates of which she remained till he came out. Wishing to ascertain whether he went to any other place, she did not discover herself until she perceived that he was proceeding to the widow's —she then quickened her pace so as to come up with him.
"Oh! Mynheer Vanslyperken, is this you? I heard you had come in and so did my mistress, and she has been expecting you this last half-hour."
"I have made all the haste I can, Babette. But I was obliged to deliver my despatches first," replied Vanslyperken.
"But I thought you always took your despatches to the Stadt House?"
"Well, so I do, Babette; I have just come from thence."
This was enough for Babette; it proved that his visit to the syndic's was intended to be concealed! she was too prudent to let him know that she had traced him.
"Why, Mr. Vanslyperken, you look very ill. What has been the matter with you? My mistress will be quite frightened."
"I have not been well, Babette," replied Vanslyperken.
"I really must run home as fast as I can. I will tell my mistress you have been unwell, for otherwise she will be in such a quandary:" and Babette hastened ahead of Mr. Vanslyperken, who was in too weak a state to walk fast.
"The syndic's house —heh!" said the widow —"Mynheer Van Krause. Why he is thorough king's man, by all report," continued she. "I don't understand it. But there is no trusting any man now-a-days. Babette, you must go there by-and-bye, and see if you can find out whether that person he brought over, and he called a king's messenger, is living at the syndic's house. I think he must be, or why would Vanslyperken go there? and if he is, there's treason going on —that's all! and I'll find it out, or my name is not Vandersloosh."
Shortly after, Mr. Vanslyperken arrived at the house, and was received with the usual treacherous cordiality; but he had not remained more than an hour when Coble came to him (having been dispatched by Short), to inform Mr. Vanslyperken that a frigate was coming in with a royal standard at the main, indicating that King William was on board of her.
This intelligence obliged Mr. Vanslyperken to hasten on board, as it was necessary to salute, and also to pay his respects on board of the frigate.
The frigate was within a mile when Mr. Vanslyperken arrived on board of the cutter, and when the batteries saluted, the cutter did the same. Shortly afterwards the frigate dropped her anchor and returned the salute. Mr. Vanslyperken, attired in his full uniform, ordered his boat to be manned and pulled on board.
On his arrival on the quarter-deck Vanslyperken was received by the captain of the frigate, and then presented to King William of Nassau, who was standing on the other side of the deck, attended by the Duke of Portland, Lord Albemarle, and several others of his courtiers, not all of them quite so faithful as the two whom we have named.
When Mr. Vanslyperken was brought forward to the presence of his majesty, he trembled almost as much as when he had beheld the supposed spirit of Smallbones; and well he might, for his conscience told him, as he bowed his knee, that he was a traitor. His agitation was, however, ascribed to his being daunted by the unusual presence of royalty. And Albemarle, as Vanslyperken retreated with a cold sweat on his forehead, observed to the king with a smile,—
"That worthy lieutenant would show a little more courage, I doubt not, your majesty, if he were in the presence of your enemies."
"It is to be hoped so," replied the king with a smile. "I agree with you, Keppel."
But his majesty and Lord Albemarle did not know Mr. Vanslyperken, as the reader will acknowledge.
