Hope is the most treacherous of all human fancies. So
long as there is a plausible ground to expect relief from any
particular quarter, men will relax their exertions in the face
of the most imminent danger, and they cling to their
expectations long after reason has begun to place the chances
of success on the adverse side of the scale. Thus it was
with the party in the Montauk. Two or three precious hours
were lost in the idle belief that the gun would be heard by
Captain Truck, and that they might momentarily look for
the appearance of, at least, one of the boats.

Paul Blunt was the first to relinquish this delusion. He
knew that, if it reached their friends at all, the report must
have been heard in a few seconds, and he knew, also, that
it peculiarly belonged to the profession of a seaman to come
to quick decisions. An hour of smart rowing would bring
the cutter from the wreck to the headland, where it would
be visible, by means of a glass, from the foretop. Two
hours had now passed away and no signs of any boat were
to be discovered, and the young man felt reluctantly compelled
to yield all the strong hopes of timely aid that he had
anticipated from this quarter. John Effingham, who had
much more energy of character than his kinsman, though
not more personal fortitude and firmness, was watching the
movements of their young leader, and he read the severe
disappointment in his face, as he descended the last time

[figure description] Page 069.[end figure description]

from the top, where he had often been since the consultation,
to look out for the expected succour.

“I see it in your countenance,” said that gentleman;
“we have nothing to look for from the boats. Our signal
has not been heard.”

“There is no hope, and we are now thrown altogether on
our own exertions, aided by the kind providence of God.”

“This calamity is so sudden and so dire, that I can
scarcely credit it! Are we then truly in danger of becoming
prisoners to barbarians? Is Eve Effingham, the beautiful,
innocent, good, angelic daughter of my cousin, to be
their victim!—perhaps the inmate of a seraglio!”

“There is the pang! Had I a thousand bodies, a thousand
lives, I could give all of the first to unmitigated suffering,
lay down all the last to avert so shocking a calamity.
Do you think the ladies are sensible of their real situation?”

“They are uneasy rather than terrified. In common
with us all, they have strong hopes from the boats, though
the continued arrival of the barbarians, who are constantly
coming into their camp, has helped to render them a little
more conscious of the true nature of the danger.”

Here Mr. Sharp, who stood on the hurricane-house, called
out for the glass, in order to ascertain what a party of the
Arabs, who were collected near the in-shore end of the
reef, were about. Paul Blunt went up to him, and made
the examination. His countenance fell as he gazed, and
an expression like that of hopelessness was again apparent
on his fine features, when he lowered the glass.

“Here is some new cause of uneasiness!”

“The wretches have got a number of spars, and are
lashing them together to form a raft. They are bent on
our capture, and I see no means of preventing it.”

“Were we alone, men only, we might have the bitter
consolation of selling our lives dearly; but it is terrible to
have those with us whom we can neither save nor yet devote
to a common destruction with our enemies!”

“It is indeed terrible, and the helplessness of our situation
adds to its misery.”

“Can we not offer terms?—Might not a promise of ransom,
with hostages, do something? I would cheerfully

[figure description] Page 070.[end figure description]

remain in the hands of the barbarians, in order to effect the
release of the rest of the party.”

Mr. Blunt grasped his hand, and for a moment he envied
the other the generous thought. But smiling bitterly, he
shook his head, as if conscious of the futility of even this
desperate self-devotion.

“Gladly would I be your companion; but the project is,
in every sense, impracticable. Ransom they might consent
to receive with us all in their power, but not on the condition
of our being permitted to depart. Indeed, no means
of quitting them would be left; for, once in possession of
the ship, as in a few hours they must be, Captain Truck,
though having the boats, will be obliged to surrender for
want of food, or to run the frightful hazard of attempting
to reach the islands, on an allowance scarcely sufficient to
sustain life under the most favourable circumstances. These
flint-hearted monsters are surrounded by the desolation of
their desert, and they are aware of all their appalling advantages.”

“The real state of things ought to be communicated to
our friends, in order that they may be prepared for the
worst.”

To this Mr. Blunt agreed, and they went together to inform
John Effingham of the new discovery. This sternminded
man was, in a manner, prepared for the worst, and
he now agreed on the melancholy propriety of letting his
kinsman know the actual nature of the new danger that
threatened them.

“I will undertake this unpleasant office,” he said, “though
I could, in my inmost soul, pray that the necessity for it
might pass away. Should the worst arrive, I have still
hopes of effecting something by means of a ransom; but
what will have been the fate of the youthful, and delicate,
and lovely, ere we can make ourselves even comprehended
by the barbarians? A journey in the desert, as these journeys
have been described to me, would be almost certain
death to all but the strongest of our party, and even gold
may fail of its usual power, when weighed against the evil
nature of savages.”

“Is there no hope, then, really left us?” demanded Mr.
Sharp, when the last speaker had left them to descend to

[figure description] Page 071.[end figure description]

the cabins. “Is it not possible to get the boat into the
water, and to make our escape in that?”

“That is an expedient of which I have thought, but it is
next to impracticable. As anything is better than capture,
however, I will make one more close examination of the
proceedings of the demons, and look nearer into our own
means.”

Paul Blunt now got a lead and dropped it over the side of
the ship, in the almost forlorn hope that possibly she might
lie over some hole on the bottom. The soundings proved to
be, as indeed he expected, but a little more than three
fathoms.

“I had no reason to expect otherwise,” he said, as he
drew in the line, though he spoke like a disappointed man.
“Had there been sufficient water the ship might have been
scuttled, and the launch would have floated off the deck;
but as it is, we should lose the vessel without a sufficient
object. It would appear heroic were you and I to contrive
to get on the reef, and to proceed to the shore with a view to
make terms with the Arabs; but there could be no real use
in it, as the treachery of their character is too well established
to look for any benefit from such a step.”

“Might they not be kept in play, until our friends returned?
Providence may befriend us in some unexpected
manner in our uttermost peril.”

“We will examine them once more with the glass. By a
movement among the Arabs, there has probably been a new
accession to their numbers.”

The two gentlemen now ascended to the top of the hurricane-house
again, in feverish haste, and once more they applied
the instrument. A minute of close study induced Mr.
Blunt to drop the glass, with an expression that denoted
increased concern.

“Can any thing possibly make our prospects worse?”
eagerly inquired his companion.

“Do you not remember a flag that was on board the
Dane—that by which we identified his nation?”

“Certainly: it was attached to the halyards, and lay on the
quarter-deck.”

“That flag is now flying in the camp of these

[figure description] Page 072.[end figure description]

barbarians! You may see it, here, among the tents last pitched by
the party that arrived while we were conversing forward.”

“And from this, you infer—”

“That our people are captives! That flag was in the
ship when we left it; had the Arabs returned before our
party got there, the captain would have been back long ere
this; and in order to obtain this ensign they must have obtained
possession of the wreck, after the arrival of the boats;
an event that could scarcely occur without a struggle: I
fear the flag is a proof on which side the victory has fallen.”

“This then would seem to consummate our misfortunes!”

“It does indeed; for the faint hope that existed, of being
relieved by the boats, must now be entirely abandoned.”

“In the name of God, look again, and see in what condition
the wretches have got their raft?”

A long examination followed, for on this point did the fate
of all in the ship now truly seem to depend.

“They work with spirit,” said Mr. Blunt, when his examination
had continued a long time; “but it seems less
like a raft than before—they are lashing spars together
lengthwise—here is a dawning of hope, or what would be
hope, rather, if the boats had escaped their fangs!”

“God bless you for the words!—what is there encouraging?”

“It is not much,” returned Paul Blunt, with a mournful
smile; “but trifles become of account in moments of extreme
jeopardy. They are making a floating stage, doubtless
with the intention to pass from the reef to the ship, and
by veering on the chains we may possibly drop astern sufficiently
to disappoint them in the length of their bridge. If
I saw a hope of the final return of the boats, this expedient
would not be without its use, particularly if delayed to the
last moment, as it might cause the Arabs to lose another
tide, and a reprieve of eight or ten hours is an age to men
in our situation.”

Mr. Sharp caught eagerly at this suggestion and the
young men walked the deck together for half an hour, discussing
its chances, and suggesting various means of turning
it to the best account. Still, both felt convinced that
the trifling delay which might thus be obtained, would, in
the end, be perfectly useless, should Captain Truck and

[figure description] Page 073.[end figure description]

his party have really fallen into the hands of the common
enemy. They were thus engaged, sometimes in deep
despondency, and sometimes buoyant with revived expectations,
when Saunders, on the part of Mr. Effingham,
summoned them below.

On reaching the cabin, whither both immediately hastened,
the two gentlemen found the family party in the
distress that the circumstances would naturally create.
Mr. Effingham was seated, his daughter's head resting on
a knee, for she had thrown herself on the carpet, by his
side. Mademoiselle Viefville paced the cabin, occasionally
stopping to utter a few words of consolation to her young
charge, and then again reverting in her mind to the true
dangers of their situation, with a force that completely
undid all she had said, by betraying the extent of her own
apprehensions. Ann Sidley knelt near her young mistress,
sometimes praying fervently, though in silence, and
at other moments folding her beloved in her arms, as if to
protect her from the ruffian grasp of the barbarians. The
femme de chambre was sobbing in a state-room, while John
Effingham leaned, with his arms folded against a bulk-head,
a picture of stern submission rather than of despair.
The whole party was now assembled, with the exception of
the steward, whose lamentations throughout the morning
had not been noiseless, but who was left on deck to watch
the movements of the Arabs.

The moment was not one of idle forms, and Eve Effingham,
who would have recoiled, under other circumstances,
at being seen by her fellow travellers in her present situation,
scarce raised her head, in acknowledgement of their
melancholy salute, as they entered. She had been weeping,
and her hair had fallen in profusion around her
shoulders. The tears fell no longer, but a warm flushed
look, one which denoted that a struggle of the mind had
gotten the better of womanly emotions, had succeeded to
deadly paleness, and rendered her loveliness of feature and
expression bright and angelic. Both of the young men
thought she had never seemed so beautiful, and both felt a
secret pang, as the conviction forced itself on them, at the
same instant, that this surpassing beauty was now likely to
prove her most dangerous enemy.

[figure description] Page 074.[end figure description]

“Gentlemen,” said Mr. Effingham, with apparent clamness,
and a dignity that no uneasiness could disturb, “my
kinsman has acquainted us with the hopeless nature of our
condition, and I have begged the favour of this visit on
your own account. We cannot separate; the ties of
blood and affection unite us, and our fate must be common;
but, on you there is no such obligation. Young, bold, and
active, some plan may suggest itself, by which you may
possibly escape the barbarians, and at least save yourselves.
I know that generous temperaments like your will not be
disposed to listen, at first, to such a suggestion: but reflection
will tell you that it is for the interest of us all. You
may let our fate be known, earlier than it otherwise would
be, to those who will take immediate measures to procure
our ransoms.”

“This is impossible!” Mr. Sharp said firmly. “We
can never quit you; could never enjoy a moment's peace
under the consciousness of having been guilty of an act so
selfish!”

“Mr. Blunt is silent,” continued Mr. Effingham, after a
short pause, in which he looked from one of the young men
to the other. “He thinks better of my proposition, and
will listen to his own best interests.”

Eve raised her head quickly, but without being conscious
of the anxiety she betrayed, and gazed with melancholy intentness
at the subject of this remark.

“I do credit to the generous feelings of Mr. Sharp,” Paul
Blunt now hurriedly answered, “and should be sorry to admit
that my own first impulses were less disinterested; but
I confess I have already thought of this, and have reflected
on all the chances of success or failure. It might be practicable
for one who can swim easily to reach the reef; thence
to cross the inlet, and possibly to gain the shore under cover
of the opposite range of rocks, which are higher than those
near us; after which, by following the coast, one might
communicate with the boats by signal, or even go quite to
the wreck if necessary. All of this I have deliberated on,
and once I had determined to propose it; but—”

“But what?” demanded Eve quickly. “Why not execute
this plan, and save yourself? Is it a reason, because
our case is hopeless, that you should perish? Go, then, at

[figure description] Page 075.[end figure description]

once, for the moments are precious; an hour hence, it may
be too late.”

“Were it merely to save myself, Miss Effingham, do you
really think me capable of this baseness?”

“I do not call it baseness. Why should we draw you
down with us in our misery? You have already served us,
Powis, in a situation of terrible trial, and it is not just
that you should always devote yourself in behalf of those
who seem fated never to do you good. My father will
tell you he thinks it your duty now to save yourself if possible.”

“I think it the duty of every man,” mildly resumed Mr.
Effingham, “when no imperious obligation requires otherwise,
to save the life and liberty which God has bestowed.
These gentlemen have doubtless ties and claims on them
that are independent of us, and why should they inflict a
pang on those who love them, in order to share in our disaster?”

“This is placing useless speculations before a miserable
certainty,” observed John Effingham. “As there can be no
hope of reaching the boats, it is vain to discuss the propriety
of the step.”

“Is this true, Powis? Is there truly no chance of your
escaping. You will not deceive us—deceive yourself—on a
vain point of empty pride!”

“I can say with truth, almost with joy, for I thank God
I am spared the conflict of judging between my duty and
my feelings, that there can no longer be any chance of finding
the wreck in the possession of our friends,” returned
Paul fervently. “There were moments when I thought the
attempt should be made; and it would perhaps have properly
fallen to my lot to be the adventure; but we have
now proof that the Arabs are masters, and if Captain
Truck has escaped at all, it is under circumstances that
scarcely admit the possibility of his being near the land.
The whole coast must be watched and in possession of the
barbarians, and one passing along it could hardly escape
being seen.”

“Might you not escape into the interior, notwithstanding?”
asked Eve, impetuously.

“With what motive? To separate myself from those

[figure description] Page 076.[end figure description]

who have been my fellows in misfortune, only to die of
want, or to fall into the hands of another set of masters? It
is every way our interest to keep together, and to let those
already on the coast become our captors, as the booty of
two ships may dispose them to be less exacting with their
prisoners.”

“Slaves!” muttered John Effingham.

His cousin bowed his head over the delicate form of Eve,
which he folded with his arms, as if to shield it from the
blasts and evils of the desert.

“As we may be separated immediately on being taken,”
resumed Paul Blunt, “it will be well to adopt some common
mode of acting, and a uniform account of ourselves, in order
that we may impress the barbarians with the policy of carrying
us, as soon as possible, into the vicinity of Mogadore,
with a view to obtaining a speedy ransom.”

“Can any thing be better than the holy truth?” exclaimed
Eve. “No, no, no! Let us not deform this chastening act
of God by colouring any thought or word with deception.”

“Deception in our case will hardly be needed; but by
understanding those facts which will most probably influence
the Arabs, we may dwell the most on them. We cannot do
better than by impressing on the minds of our captors the
circumstance that this is no common ship, a fact their own
eyes will corroborate, and that we are not mere mariners,
but passengers, who will be likely to reward their forbearance
and moderation.”

“I think, sir,” interrupted Ann Sidley, looking up with
tearful eyes from the spot where she still knelt, “that if
these people knew how much Miss Eve is sought and
beloved, they might be led to respect her as she deserves,
and this at least would `temper the wind to the shorn
lamb!' ”

“Poor Nanny!” murmured Eve, stretching forth a hand
towards her old nurse, though her face was still buried in
her own hair, “thou wilt soon learn that there is another
leveller beside the grave!”

“Ma'am!”

“Thou wilt find that Eve, in the hands of barbarians, is
not thy Eve. It will now become my turn to become a
handmaiden, and to perform for others offices a thousand

[figure description] Page 077.[end figure description]

times more humiliating than any thou hast ever performed
for me.”

Such a consummation of their misery had never struck
the imagination of the simple-minded Ann, and she gazed at
her child with tender concern, as if she distrusted her senses.

“This is too improbable, dear Miss Eve,” she said, “and
you will distress your father by talking so wildly. The
Arabs are human beings though they are barbarians, and
they will never dream of anything so wicked as this.”

Mademoiselle Viefville made a rapid and fervent ejaculation
in her own language, that was keenly expressive of her
own sense of misery, and Ann Sidley, who always felt
uneasiness when anything was said affecting Eve that she
could not understand, looked from one to the other, as if
she demanded an explanation.

“I'm sure Mamerzelle cannot think any such thing likely
to take place,” she continued more positively; “and, sir,
you at least will not permit Miss Eve to torment herself with
any notions as unreasonable, as monstrous as this!”

“We are in the hands of God, my worthy Ann, and you
may live to see all your fixed ideas of propriety violated,”
returned Mr. Effingham. “Let us pray that we may not
be separated, for there will at least be a tender consolation
in being permitted to share our misery in company. Should
we be torn asunder, then indeed will the infliction be one of
insupportable agony!”

“And who will think of such a cruelty, sir? Me they
cannot separate from Miss Eve, for I am her servant, her
own long-tried, faithful attendant, who first held her in arms,
and nursed her when a helpless infant; and you too, sir,
you are her father, her own beloved revered parent; and
Mr. John, is he not her kinsman, of her blood and name?
And even Mamerzelle also has claims to remain with Miss
Eve, for she has taught her many things, I dare say, that it
is good to know. Oh! no, no, no! no one has a right to
tear us asunder, and no one will have the heart to do it.”

“Nanny, Nanny,” murmured Eve, “you do not, cannot
know the cruel Arabs!”

“They cannot be crueller and more unforgiving than our
own savages, ma'am, and they keep the mother with the

[figure description] Page 078.[end figure description]

child; and when they spare life, they take the prisoners into
their huts, and treat them as they treat their own. God has
caused so many of the wicked to perish for their sins, in
these eastern lands, that I do not think a man can be left
that is wretch enough to harm one like Miss Eve. Take
courage then, sir, and put your trust in his Holy Providence.
I know the trial is hard to a tender father's heart, but should
their customs require them to keep the men and women
asunder, and to separate you from your daughter, for a
short time, remember that I shall be with her, as I was in
her childhood, when, by the mercy of God, we carried her
through so many mortal diseases in safety, and have got
her, in the pride of her youth, without a blemish or a defect,
the perfect creature she is.”

“If the world had no other tenants but such as you, devoted
and simple-hearted woman, there would indeed be
little cause for apprehension; for you are equally unable to
imagine wrong yourself, or to conceive it in others. It
would remove a mountain from my heart, could I indeed believe
that even you will be permitted to remain near this dependent
and fragile girl during the months of suffering and
anguish that are likely to occur.”

“Father,” said Eve, hurriedly drying her eyes, and rising
to her feet with a motion so easy, and an effort so slight,
that it appeared like the power of mere volition,—the superiority
of the spirit over her light frame,—“father, do not
let a thought of me distress you at this awful moment. You
have known me only in happiness and prosperity,—an indulged
and indolent girl; but I feel a force which is capable
of sustaining me, even in this blank desert. The Arabs can
have no other motive than to preserve us all, as captives
likely to repay their care with a rich ransom. I know that
a journey, according to their habits, will be painful and arduous,
but it may be borne. Trust, then, more to my spirit
than to my feeble body, and you will find that I am not as
worthless as I fear you fancy.”

Mr. Effingham passed his arm round the slender waist of
his child, and folded her almost frantically to his bosom. But
Eve was aroused, and gently extricating herself, with bright
but tearless eyes, she looked round at her companions, as if

[figure description] Page 079.[end figure description]

she would reverse the order of their sympathies, and direct
them to their own wants and hazards.

“I know you think me the most exposed by this dreadful
disaster,” she said; “that I may not be able to bear up
against the probable suffering, and that I shall sink first, because
I am the feeblest and frailest in frame; but God permits
the reed to bend, when the oak is destroyed. I am
stronger, able to bear more than you imagine, and we shall
all live to meet again, in happier scenes, should it be our
present hard fortune to be separated.”

As Eve spoke, she cast affectionate looks on those dear to
her by habit, and blood, and services; nor did she permit an
unnecessary reserve at such a moment to prevent glances of
friendly interest towards the two young men, whose very
souls seemed wrapped in her movements. Words of encouragement
from such a source, however, only served to
set the frightful truth more vividly before the minds of her
auditors, and not one of them heard what she said who did
not feel an awful presentiment that a few weeks of the suffering
of which she made so light, did she even escape a
crueller fate, would consign that form, now so winning and
lovely, to the sands. Mr. Effingham now rose, and for the
first time the flood of sensations that had been so long
gathering in his bosom, seemed ready to burst through the
restraints of manhood. Struggling to command himself, he
turned to his two young male companions, and spoke with
an impressiveness and dignity that carried with them a double
force, from the fact of his ordinary manners being so
tempered and calm.

“Gentlemen,” he said, “we may serve each other, by
coming to an understanding in time; or at least you may
confer on me a favour that a life of gratitude would not repay.
You are young and vigorous, bold and intelligent,
qualities that will command the respect of even savages.
The chances that one of you will survive to reach a Christian
land are much greater than those of a man of my
years, borne down as I shall be with the never-dying anxieties
of a parent.”

“Father! father!”

“Hush! darling: let me entreat these gentlemen to bear

[figure description] Page 080.[end figure description]

us in mind, should they reach a place of safety; for, after
all, youth may do that in your behalf, which time will deny
to John and myself. Money will be of no account, you
know, to rescue my child from a fate far worse than death,
and it may be some consolation to you, young men, to recollect,
at the close of your own careers, which I trust will
yet be long and happy, that a parent, in his last moments,
found a consolation in the justifiable hopes he had placed on
your generous exertions.”

“Father, I cannot bear this! For you to be the victim
of these barbarians is too much; and I would prefer trusting
all to a raft on the terrible ocean, to incurring the smallest
chance of such a calamity. Mademoiselle, you will join me
in the entreaty to the gentlemen to prepare a few planks to
receive us, where we can perish together, and at least have
the consolation of knowing that our eyes will be closed by
friends. The longest survivor will be surrounded and supported
by the spirits of those who have gone before, into a
world devoid of care.”

“I have thought this from the first,” returned Mademoiselle
Viefville in French, with an energy of manner that
betokened a high and resolved character: “I would not expose
gentlewomen to the insults and outrages of barbarians;
but did not wish to make a proposition that the feelings of
others might reject.”

“It is a thousand times preferable to capture, if indeed it
be practicable,” said John Effingham, looking inquiringly
towards Paul. The latter, however, shook his head in the
negative, for, the wind blowing on shore, he knew it would
be merely meeting captivity without the appearance of a self-reliance
and dignity, that might serve to impress their captors
favourably.

“It is impossible,” said Eve, reading the meaning of the
glances, and dropping on her knees before Mr. Effingham:
“well, then, may our trust be in God! We have yet a few
minutes of liberty, and let them not be wasted idly, in vain
regrets. Father, kiss me, and give me once more that holy
and cherished blessing, with which you used to consign me
to sleep, in those days when we scarce dreamed of, never
realized, misfortune.”

[figure description] Page 081.[end figure description]

“Bless you, bless you, my babe; my beloved, my
cherished Eve!” said the father solemnly, but with a quivering
lip. “May that dread Being whose ways, though mysterious,
are perfect wisdom and mercy, sustain you in this
trial, and bring you at last, spotless in spirit and person, to
his own mansions of peace. God took from me early thy
sainted mother, and I had impiously trusted in the hope that
thou wert left to be my solace in age. Bless you, my Eve;
I shall pray God, without ceasing, that thou mayest pass
away as pure and as worthy of His love, as her to whom
thou owest thy being.”

John Effingham groaned; the effort he made to repress
his feelings causing the out-breaking of his soul to be deep
though smothered.

“Father, let us pray together. Ann, my good Ann, thou
who first taught me to lisp a thanksgiving and a request,
kneel here by my side—and you, too, mademoiselle; though
of a different creed, we have a common God! Cousin John,
you pray often, I know, though so little apt to show your
emotions; there is a place for you, too, with those of your
blood. I know not whether these gentlemen are too proud
to pray.”

Both the young men knelt with the others, and there was
a long pause in which the whole party put up their supplications,
each according to his or her habits of thought.

“Father!” resumed Eve, looking up as she still knelt between
the knees of Mr. Effingham, and smiling fondly in
the face of him she so piously loved; “there is one precious
hope of which even the barbarians cannot rob us: we may
be separated here, but our final meeting rests only with
God!”

Mademoiselle Viefville passed an arm round the waist of
her sweet pupil, and pressed her against her heart.

“There is but one abode for the blessed, my dear mademoiselle,
and one expiation for us all.” Then rising from
her knees, Eve said with the grace and dignity of a gentlewoman,
“Cousin Jack, kiss me; we know not when another
occasion may offer to manifest to each other our mutual regard.
You have been a dear and an indulgent kinsman to
me, and should I live these twenty years a slave, I shall not
cease to think of you with kindness and regret.”

[figure description] Page 082.[end figure description]

John Effingham folded the beautiful and ardent girl in his
arms, with the freedom and fondness of a parent.

“Gentlemen,” continued Eve, with a deepening colour,
but eyes that were kind and grateful, “I thank you, too, for
lending your supplications to ours. I know that young men
in the pride of their security, seldom fancy such a dependence
on God necessary; but the strongest are overturned,
and pride is a poor substitute for the hope of the meek. I
believe you have thought better of me than I merit, and I
should never cease to reproach myself with a want of consideration,
did I believe that any thing more than accident
has brought you into this ill-fated vessel. Will you permit
me to add one more obligation to the many I feel to you
both?” advancing nearer to them, and speaking lower; “you
are young, and likely to endure bodily exposure better than
my father—that we shall be separated I feel persuaded—and
it might be in your power to solace a heart-broken parent.—
I see, I know, I may depend on your good offices.”

“Eve — my blessed daugther — my only, my beloved
child!” exclaimed Mr. Effingham, who overheard her lowest
syllable, so death-like was the stillness of the cabin—“come
to me, dearest; no power on earth shall ever tear us
asunder!”

Eve turned quickly, and beheld the arms of her parent
extended. She threw herself into them, when the pent and
irresistible emotions broke loose in both, for they wept together,
as she lay on his bosom, with a violence that in a
man it was awfully painful to witness.

Mr. Sharp had advanced to take the offered hand of Eve,
when she suddenly left him for the purpose just mentioned,
and he now felt the grasp of Paul's fingers on his arm, as if
they were about to penetrate the bone. Fearful of betraying
the extent of their feelings, the two young men rushed on
deck together, where they paced backward and forward for
many minutes, quite unable to exchange a word, or even a
look.

CHAPTER VI.

[figure description] Page 083.[end figure description]

The sublime consolations of religion were little felt by
either of the two generous-minded and ardent young men
who were pacing the deck of the Montauk. The gentle and
the plastic admit the most readily of the divine influence;
and of all on board the devoted vessel at that moment, they
who were the most resigned to their fate were those who by
their physical force were the least able to endure it.

“This heavenly resignation,” said Mr. Sharp, half whispering,
“is even more heart-rending than the out-breakings
of despair.”

“It is frightful!” returned his companion. “Any thing
is better than passive submission in such circumstances. I
see but little, indeed no hope of escape; but idleness is
torture. If I endeavour to raise this boat, will you aid
me?”

“Command me like your slave. Would to Heaven there
were the faintest prospects of success!”

“There is but little; and should we even succeed, there
are no means of getting far from the ship in the launch, as
all the oars have been carried off by the captain, and I can
hear of neither masts nor sails. Had we the latter, with
this wind which is beginning to blow, we might indeed prolong
the uncertainty, by getting on some of those more
distant spits of sand.”

“Then, in the name of the blessed Maria!” exclaimed
one behind them in French,“delay not an instant, and all
on board will join in the labour!”

[figure description] Page 084.[end figure description]

The gentlemen turned in surprise, and beheld Mademoiselle
Viefville standing so near them as to have overheard
their conversation. Accustomed to depend on herself,
coming of a people among whom woman is more energetic
and useful, perhaps, than in any other Christian nation, and
resolute of spirit naturally, this cultivated and generous female
had come on deck purposely to see if indeed there remained
no means by which they might yet escape the
Arabs. Had her knowledge of a vessel at all equalled her
resolution, it is probable that many fruitless expedients
would already have been adopted; but finding herself in
a situation so completely novel as that of a ship, until now
she had found no occasion to suggest any thing to which her
companions would be likely to lend themselves. But, seizing
the hint of Paul, she pressed it on him with ardour, and,
after a few minutes of urging, by her zeal and persuasion
she prevailed on the two gentlemen to commence the necessary
preparations without further delay. John Effingham
and Saunders were immediately summoned by Mademoiselle
Viefville herself, who, once engaged in the undertaking,
pursued it fervently, while she went in person into the
cabins to make the necessary preparations connected with
their subsistence and comforts, should they actually succeed
in quitting the vessel.

No experienced mariner could set about the work with
more discretion, or with a better knowledge of what was
necessary to be done, than Mr. Blunt now showed. Saunders
was directed to clear the launch, which had a roof on
it, and still contained a respectable provision of poultry,
sheep and pigs. The roof he was told not to disturb, since
it might answer as a substitute for a deck; but everything
was passed rapidly from the inside of the boat, which the
steward commenced scrubbing and cleaning with an assiduity
that he seldom manifested in his cabins. Fortunately,
the tackles with which Mr. Leach had raised the sheers and
stepped the jury-mast the previous morning were still lying
on the deck, and Paul was spared the labour of reeving new
ones. He went to work, therefore, to get up two on the
substitute for a main-stay; a job that he had completed,
through the aid of the two gentlemen on deck, by the time

[figure description] Page 085.[end figure description]

Saunders pronounced the boat to be in a fit condition to receive
its cargo. The gripes were now loosened, and the
fall of one of the tackles was led to the capstan.

By this time Mademoiselle Viefville, by her energy and
decision, had so far aroused Eve and her woman, that Mr.
Effingham had left his daughter, and appeared on deck
among those who were assisting Paul. So intense was the
interest, however, which all took in the result, that the
ladies, and even Ann Sidley, with the femme de chambre,
suspended their own efforts, and stood clustering around
the capstan as the gentlemen began to heave, almost breathless
between their doubts and hopes; for it was a matter of
serious question whether there was sufficient force to lift so
heavy a body at all. Turn after turn was made, the fall
gradually tightening, until those at the bars felt the full
strain of their utmost force.

“Heave together, gentlemen,” said Paul Blunt, who directed
every thing, besides doing so much with his own
hands. “We have its weight now, and all we gain is so
much towards lifting the boat.”

A steady effort was continued for two or three minutes,
with but little sensible advantage, when all stopped for
breath.

“I fear it will surpass our strength,” observed Mr. Sharp.
“The boat seems not to have moved, and the ropes are
stretched in a way to menace parting.”

“We want but the force of a boy added to our own,”
said Paul, looking doubtingly towards the females; “in
such cases, a pound counts for a ton.”

“Allons!” cried Mademoiselle Viefville, motioning to the
femme de chambre to follow; “we will not be defeated for
the want of such a trifle.”

These two resolute women applied their strength to the
bars, and the power, which had been so equally balanced,
preponderated in favour of the machine. The capstan,
which a moment before was scarcely seen to turn, and that
only by short and violent efforts, now moved steadily but
slowly round, and the end of the launch rose. Eve was
only prevented from joining the labourers by Nanny, who
held her folded in her arms, fearful that some accident might
occur to injure her.

[figure description] Page 086.[end figure description]

Paul Blunt now cheerfully announced the certainty that
they had a force sufficient to raise the boat, though the operation
would still be long and laborious. We say, cheerfully;
for while this almost unhoped-for success promised
little relief in the end, there is always something buoyant
and encouraging in success of any sort.

“We are masters of the boat,” he said, “provided the
Arabs do not molest us; and we may drift away, by means
of some contrivance of a sail, to such a distance as will
keep us out of their power, until all chance of seeing our
friends again is finally lost.”

“This, then, is a blessed relief!” exclaimed Mr. Effingham;
“and God may yet avert from us the bitterest portion
of this calamity!”

The pent emotions again flowed, and Eve once more wept
in her father's arms, a species of holy joy mingling with her
tears. In the mean time, Paul, having secured the fall by
which they had just been heaving, brought the other to the
capstan, when the operation was renewed with the same success.
In this manner in the course of half an hour the
launch hung suspended from the stay, at a sufficient height
to apply the yard-tackles. As the latter, however, were not
aloft, Paul having deemed it wise to ascertain their ability to
lift the boat at all, before he threw away so much toil, the
females renewed their preparations in the cabins, while the
gentlemen assisted the young sailor in getting up the purchases.
During this pause in the heaving, Saunders was
sent below to search for sails and masts, both of which Paul
thought must be somewhere in the ship, as he found the
launch was fitted to receive them.

It was apparent, in the mean time, that the Arabs watched
their proceedings narrowly; for the moment Paul appeared
on the yard a great movement took place among them, and
several muskets were discharged in the direction of the ship,
though the distance rendered the fire harmless. The gentlemen
observed with concern, however, that the balls passed
the vessel, a fearful proof of the extraordinary power of the
arms used by these barbarians. Luckily the reef, which by
this time was nearly bare ahead of the ship, was still covered
in a few places nearer to the shore to a depth that forbade a

[figure description] Page 087.[end figure description]

passage, except by swimming. John Effingham, however,
who was examining the proceedings of the Arabs with a
glass, announced that a party appeared disposed to get on
the naked rocks nearest the ship, as they had left the shore,
dragging some light spars after them, with which they
seemed to be about to bridge the different spots of deep
water, most of which were sufficiently narrow to admit of
being passed in this manner.

Although the operation commenced by the Arabs would
necessarily consume a good deal of time, this intelligence
quickened the movements of all in the ship. Saunders, in
particular, who had returned to report his want of success,
worked with redoubled zeal; for, as is usual with those
who are the least fortified by reason, he felt the greatest
horror of falling into the hands of barbarians. It was a
slow and laborious thing, notwithstanding, to get upon the
yards the heavy blocks and falls; and had not Paul Blunt
been quite as conspicuous for personal strength as he was
ready and expert in a knowledge of his profession, he would
not have succeeded in the unaided effort;—unaided aloft,
though the others, of course, relieved him much by working
at the whips on deck. At length this important
arrangement was effected, the young man descended, and
the capstan was again manned.

This time the females were not required, it being in the
power of the gentlemen to heave the launch out to the side
of the ship, Paul managing the different falls so adroitly,
that the heavy boat was brought so near, and yet so much
above the rail, as to promise to clear it. John Effingham
now stood at one of the stay-tackle falls, and Paul at the
other, when the latter made a signal to ease away. The
launch settled slowly towards the side of the vessel until it
reached the rail, against which it lodged. Catching a turn
with his fall, Mr. Blunt sprang forward, and bending beneath
the boat, he saw that its keel had hit a belaying-pin.
One blow from a capstan-bar cleared away this obstruction,
and the boat swung off. The stay-tackle falls were let go
entirely, and all on board saw, with an exultation that
words can scarcely describe, the important craft suspended
directly over the sea. No music ever sounded more

[figure description] Page 088.[end figure description]

sweetly to the listeners than the first plash of the massive
boat as it fell heavily upon the surface of the water. Its
size, its roof, and its great strength gave it an appearance
of security, that for the moment deceived them all; for, in
contemplating the advantage they had so unexpectedly
gained, they forgot the many obstacles that existed to their
availing themselves of it.

It was not many minutes before Paul was on the roof of
the launch, had loosened the tackles, and had breasted the
boat to, at the side of the ship, in readiness to receive the
stores that the females had collected. In order that the
reader may better understand the nature of the ark that
was about to receive those who remained in the Montauk,
however, it may be well to describe it.

The boat itself was large, strong, and capable of resisting
a heavy sea when well managed, and, of course,
unwieldy in proportion. To pull it, at a moderate rate,
eight or ten large oars were necessary; whereas, all the
search of the gentlemen could not find one. They succeeded,
however, in discovering a rudder and tiller, appliances
not always used in launches, and Paul Blunt shipped
them instantly. Around the gunwales of the boat, stanchions,
which sustained a slightly-rounded roof, were fitted,
a provision that it is usual to make in the packets, in order
to protect the stock they carry against the weather. This
stock having been turned loose on the deck, and the interior
cleaned, the latter now presented a snug and respectable
cabin; one coarse and cramped, compared with those
of the ship certainly, but on the other hand, one that might
be well deemed a palace by shipwrecked mariners. As it
would be possible to retain this roof until compelled by bad
weather to throw it away, Paul, who had never before seen
a boat afloat with such a canopy, regarded it with delight;
for it promised a protection to that delicate form he so
much cherished in his inmost heart, that he had not even
dared to hope for. Between the roof and the gunwale of
the boat, shutters buttoned in, so as to fill the entire space;
and when these were in their places, the whole of the
interior formed an enclosed apartment, of a height sufficient
to allow even a man to stand erect without his hat.

[figure description] Page 089.[end figure description]

It is true, this arrangement rendered the boat clumsy, and,
to a certain extent, top-heavy and unmanageable; but so
long as it could be retained, it also rendered it infinitely
more comfortable than it could possibly be without it.
The roof, moreover, might be cut away in five minutes, at
any time, should circumstances require it.

Paul had just completed a hasty survey of his treasure,
for such he now began to consider the launch, when casting
his eye upward, with the intention to mount the ship's side,
he saw Eve looking down at him, as if to read their fate in
the expression of his own countenance.

“The Arabs,” she hurriedly remarked, “are moving
along the reef, as my father says, faster than he could wish,
and all our hopes are centred in you and the boat. The first,
I know, will not fail us, so long as means allow; but can
we do anything with the launch?”

“For the first time, dearest Miss Effingham, I see a little
chance of rescuing ourselves from the grasp of these barbarians.
There is no time to lose, but everything must be
passed into the boat with as little delay as possible.”

“Bless you, bless you, Powis, for this gleam of hope!
Your words are cordials, and our lives can scarcely serve
to prove the gratitude we owe you.”

This was said naturally, and as one expresses a strong
feeling, without reflection, or much weighing of words; but
even at that fearful moment, it thrilled on every pulse of the
young man. The ardent look that he gave the beautiful
girl caused her to redden to the temples, and she hastily
withdrew.

The gentlemen now began to pass into the boat the different
things that had been provided, principally by the
foresight of Mademoiselle Viefville, where they were received
by Paul who thrust them beneath the roof without stopping
to lose the precious moments in stowage. They included
mattresses, the trunks that contained their ordinary sea-attire,
or those that were not stowed in the baggage-room,
blankets, counterpanes, potted meats, bread, wine, various
condiments and prepared food, from the stores of Saunders,
and generally such things as had presented themselves in
the hurry of the moment. Nearly half of the articles were

[figure description] Page 090.[end figure description]

rejected by Paul, as unnecessary, though he received many
in consideration of the delicacy of his feebler companions,
which would otherwise have been cast aside. When he
found, however, that food enough had been passed into the
boat to supply the wants of the whole party for several
weeks, he solicited a truce, declaring it indiscreet to render
themselves uselessly uncomfortable in this manner, to say
nothing of the effect on the boat. The great requisite,
water, was still wanting, and he now desired that the two
domestics might get into the boat to arrange the different
articles, while he endeavoured to find something that might
serve as a substitute for sails, and obtain the all-important
supply.

His attention was first given to the water, without which
all the other preparations would be rendered totally useless.
Before setting about this, however, he stole a moment to
look into the state of things among the Arabs. It was indeed
time, for the tide had now fallen so low as to leave the
rocks nearly bare, and several hundreds of the barbarians
were advancing along the reef, towing their bridge, the
slow progress of which alone prevented them from coming
up at once to the point opposite the ship. Paul saw there
was not a moment to lose, and, calling Saunders, he hurried
below.

Three or four small casks were soon found, when the
steward brought them to the tank to be filled. Luckily the
water had not to be pumped off, but it ran in a stream into
the vessel that was placed to receive it. As soon as one
cask was ready, it was carried on deck by the gentlemen,
and was struck into the boat with as little delay as possible.
The shouts of the Arabs now became audible, even to those
who were below, and it required great steadiness of nerve to
continue the all-important preparation. At length the last
of the casks was filled, when Paul rushed on deck, for, by
this time, the cries of the barbarians proclaimed their presence
near the ship. When he reached the rail, he found
the reef covered with them, some hailing the vessel, others
menacing, hundreds still busied with their floating bridge,
while a few endeavoured to frighten those on board by discharging
their muskets over their heads. Happily, aim was

[figure description] Page 091.[end figure description]

impossible, so long as care was taken not to expose the body
above the bulwarks.

“We have not a moment to lose!” cried Mr. Effingham,
on whose bosom Eve lay, nearly incapable of motion.
“The food and water are in the boat, and in the name of a
merciful God, let us escape from this scene of frightful barbarity?”

“The danger is not yet so inevitable,” returned Paul,
steadily. “Frightful and pressing as it truly seems, we have
a few minutes to think in. Let me entreat that Miss Effingham
and Mademoiselle Viefville will receive a drop of this
cordial.”

He poured into a glass a restorative from a bottle that had
been left on the capstan as superfluous, in the confusion of
providing stores, and held it to the pallid lips of Eve. As
she swallowed a mouthful, nearly as helpless as the infant
that receives nourishment from the hand of its nurse, the
blood returned, and raising herself from her father's arms,
she smiled, though with an effort, and thanked him for his
care.

“It was a dread moment,” she said, passing a hand over
her brow; “but it is past, and I am better. Mademoiselle
Viefville will be obliged to you, also, for a little of this.”

The firm-minded and spirited Frenchwoman, though pale
as death, and evidently suffering under extreme apprehension,
put aside the glass courteously, declining its contents.

“We are sixty fathoms from the rocks,” said Paul calmly,
“and they must cross this ditch yet, to reach us. None of
them seem disposed to attempt it by swimming, and their
bridge, though ingeniously put together, may not prove long
enough.”

“Would it be safe for the ladies to get into the boat where
she lies, exposed as they would be to the muskets of the
Arabs?” inquired Mr. Sharp.

“All that shall be remedied,” returned Paul. “I cannot
quit the deck; would you,” slightly bowing to Mr. Sharp,
“go below again, with Saunders, and look for some light
sail? without one, we cannot move away from the ship, even
when in the boat. I see a suitable spar and necessary rigging
on deck; but the canvas must be looked for in the

[figure description] Page 092.[end figure description]

sail-room. It is a nervous thing, I confess, to be below at
such a moment; but you have too much faith in us to dread
being deserted.”

Mr. Sharp grasped the hand as a pledge of a perfect reliance
on the other's faith, but he could not speak. Calling
Saunders, the steward received his instructions, when the
two went hastily below.

“I could wish the ladies were in the boat with their
women,” said Paul, for Ann Sidley and the femme de
chambre were still in the launch, busied in disposing of its
mixed cargo of stores, though concealed from the Arabs by
the roof and shutters; “but it would be hazardous to
attempt it while exposed to the fire from the reef. We shall
have to change the position of the ship in the end, and it
may as well be done at once.”

Beckoning to John Effingham to follow, he went forward
to examine into the movements of the Arabs, once more,
before he took any decided step. The two gentlemen placed
themselves behind the high defences of the forecastle, where
they had a fair opportunity of reconnoitring their assailants,
the greater height of the ship's deck completely concealing
all that had passed on it from the sight of those on
the rocks.

The barbarians, who seemed to be, and who in truth
were, fully apprised of the defenceless and feeble condition
of the party on board, were at work without the smallest
apprehension of receiving any injury from that quarter.
Their great object was to get possession of the ship, before
the returning water should again drive them from the rocks.
In order to effect this, they had placed all who were willing
and sufficiently subordinate on the bridge, though a hundred
were idle, shouting, clapping their hands, menacing, and
occasionally discharging a musket, of which there were
probably fifty in their possession.

“They work with judgment at their pontoon,” said Paul,
after he had examined the proceedings of those on the reef
for a few minutes. “You may perceive that they have
dragged the outer end of the bridge up to windward, and
have just shoved it from the rocks, with the intention to permit
it to drift round, until it shall bring up against the bows

[figure description] Page 093.[end figure description]

of the ship, when they will pour on board like so many
tigers. It is a disjointed and loose contrivance, that the
least sea would derange; but in this perfectly smooth water
it will answer their purpose. It moves slowly, but will
surely drift round upon us in the course of fifteen or twenty
minutes more; and of this they appear to be quite certain
themselves, for they seem as well satisfied with their work
as if already assured of its complete success.”

“It is, then, important to us to be prompt, since our time
will be so brief.”

“We will be prompt, but in another mode. If you will
assist me a little, I think this effort, at least, may be easily
defeated, after which it will be time enough to think of
escape.”

Paul, aided by John Effingham, now loosened the chains
altogether from the bitts, and suffered the ship to drop astern.
As this was done silently and stealthily, it occupied several
minutes; but the wind being by this time fresh, the huge
mass yielded to its power with certainty; and when the
bridge had floated round in a direct line from the reef, or
dead to leeward, there was a space of water between its end
and the ship of more than a hundred feet. The Arabs had
rushed on it in readiness to board; but they set up a yell of
disappointment as soon as the truth was discovered. A
tumult followed; several fell from the wet and slippery
spars; but, after a short time wasted in confusion and
clamour, the directions of their chiefs were obeyed, and they
set to work with energy to break up their bridge, in order to
convert its materials into a raft.

By this time Mr. Sharp and Saunders had returned, bringing
with them several light sails, such as spare royals and
top-gallant studding-sails. Paul next ordered a spare mizzen-top-gallant
mast, with a top-gallant studding-sail boom, and
a quantity of light rope to be laid in the gangway, after
which he set about the final step. As time now pressed in
earnest, the Arabs working rapidly and with increasing
shouts, he called upon all the gentlemen for assistance,
giving such directions as should enable them to work with
intelligence.

“Bear a hand, Saunders,” he said, having taken the

[figure description] Page 094.[end figure description]

steward forward with him, as one more accustomed to ships than
the others; “bear a hand my fine fellow, and light up this
chain. Ten minutes just now are of more value than a year
at another time.”

“'Tis awful, Mr. Blunt, sir — werry awful, I do confirm,”
returned the steward, blubbering and wiping his eyes
between the drags at the chains. “Such a fate to befall
such cabins, sir!—And the crockery of the werry best
quality out of London or New York! Had I diwined such
an issue for the Montauk, sir, I never would have counselled
Captain Truck to lay in half the stores we did, and most
essentially not the new lots of vines. Oh! sir, it is truly
awful to have such a calamity wisit so much elegant preparation!”

“Forget it all, my fine fellow, and light up the chain.
Ha!—she touches abaft! Ten or fifteen fathoms more will
answer.”

“I've paid great dewotion to the silver, Mr. Blunt, sir, for
it's all in the launch, even to the broken mustard-spoon;
and I do hope, if Captain Truck's soul is permitted to superintend
the pantry any longer, it will be quite beatified and
encouraged with my prudence and oversight. I left all the
rest of the table furniture, sir; though I suppose these
muscle-men will not have much use for any but the oysterknives,
as I am informed they eat with their fingers. I declare
it is quite oppressive and unhuman to have such wagabonds
rummaging one's lockers!”

“Rouse away, my man, and light up! the ship has caught
the breeze on her larboard bow, and begins to take the chain
more freely. Remember that precious beings depend on us
for safety!”

“Ay, ay, sir; light up, it is. I feel quite a concern for
the ladies, sir, and more especially for the stores we abandon
to the underwriters. A better-found ship never came out of
St. Catherine's Docks or the East River, particularly in the
pantry department; and I wonder what these wretches will
do with her. They will be quite abashed with her conveniences,
sir, and unable to enjoy them. Poor Toast, too!
he will have a monstrous unpleasant time with the muscle
men; for he never eats fish; and has quite a genteel and

[figure description] Page 095.[end figure description]

ameliorated way with him. I shouldn't wonder if he forgot
all I have taken so much pains to teach him, sir, unless he's
dead; in which case it will be of no use to him in another
world.”

“That will do,” interrupted Paul, ceasing his labour;
“the ship is aground from forward aft. We will now hurry
the spars and sails into the boat, and let the ladies get into
her.”

In order that the reader may better understand the present
situation of the ship, it may be necessary to explain what
Mr. Powis and the steward had been doing all this time.
By paying out the chains, the ship had fallen farther astern,
until she took the ground abaft on the edge of the sand-bank
so often mentioned; and, once fast at that end, her bows
had fallen off, pressed by the wind, as long as the depth of
the water would allow. She now lay aground forward and
aft, with her starboard side to the reef, and the launch between
the vessel and the naked sands was completely covered
from the observations and assaults of the barbarians
by the former.

Eve, Mademoiselle Viefville, and Mr. Effingham now got
into the launch, while the others still remained in the ship to
complete the preparations.

“They get on fast with their raft,” said Paul, while he
both worked himself and directed the labour of the others,
“though we shall be safe here until they actually quit the
rocks. Their spars will be certain to float down upon the
ship; but the movement will necessarily be slow, as the
water is too deep to admit of setting, even if they had poles,
of which I see none. Throw these spare sails on the roof
of the launch, Saunders. They may be wanted before we
reach a port, should God protect us long enough to effect so
much. Pass two compasses also into the boat, with all the
carpenter's tools that have been collected.”

While giving these orders, Paul was busied in sawing off
the larger end of the pole-mizzen-top-gallant-mast, to convert
it into a spar for the launch. This was done by the time
he ceased speaking; a step was made, and, jumping down
on the roof of the boat, he cut out a hole to receive it, at a
spot he had previously marked for that purpose. By the

[figure description] Page 096.[end figure description]

time he had done, the spar was ready to be entered, and in
another minute they had the satisfaction of seeing a very
sufficient mast in its place. A royal was also stretched to
its yard, and halyards, tack and sheet, being bent, everything
was ready to run up a sail at a moment's warning. As
this supplied the means of motion, the gentlemen began to
breathe more freely, and to bethink them of those minor
comforts and essentials that in the hurry of such a scene
would be likely to be overlooked. After a few more busy
minutes, all was pronounced to be ready, and John Effingham
began seriously to urge the party to quit the ship; but
Paul still hesitated. He strained his eyes in the direction of
the wreck, in the vain hope of yet receiving succour from
that quarter; but, of course, uselessly, as it was about the
time when Captain Truck was warping off with his raft, in
order to obtain an offing. Just at this moment a party of
twenty Arabs got upon the spars, which they had brought
together into a single body, and began to drift down slowly
upon the ship.

Paul cast a look about him to see if anything else that
was useful could be found, and his eyes fell upon the gun.
It struck him that it might be made serviceable as a scarecrow
in forcing their way through the inlet, and he determined
to lodge it on the roof of the launch, for the present,
at least, and to throw it overboard as soon as they got into
rough water, if indeed they should be so fortunate as to get
outside of the reef at all. The stay and yard tackles
offered the necessary facilities, and he instantly slung the
piece. A few rounds of the capstan lifted it from the deck,
a few more bore it clear of the side, and then it was easily
lowered on the roof, Saunders being sent into the boat to set
up a stanchion beneath, in order that its weight might do no
injury.

The gentlemen at last got into the launch, with the exception
of Paul, who still lingered in the ship watching the
progress of the Arabs, and making his calculations for the
future.

It required great steadiness of nerve, perfect self-reliance,
and an entire confidence in his resources and knowledge,
for one to remain a passive spectator of the slow drift of the

[figure description] Page 097.[end figure description]

raft, while it gradually settled down on the ship. As it
approached, Paul was seen by those on it, and, with the
usual duplicity of barbarians, they made signs of amity and
encouragement. These signs did not deceive the young man,
however, who only remained to be a close observer of their
conduct, thinking some useful hint might thus be obtained,
though his calmness so far imposed on the Arabs that they
even made signs to him to throw them a rope. Believing it
now time to depart, he answered the signal favourably, and
disappeared from their sight.

Even in descending to the boat, this trained and cool
young seaman betrayed no haste. His movements were
quick, and everything was done with readiness and knowledge
certainly, but no confusion or trepidation occasioned
the loss of a moment. He hoisted the sail, brought down
the tack, and then descended beneath the roof, having first
hauled in the painter, and given the boat a long and vigorous
shove, to force it from the side of the vessel. By this
last expedient he at once placed thirty feet of wate between
the boat and the Montauk, a space that the Arabs had no
means of overcoming. As soon as he was beneath the roof
the sheet was hauled in, and Paul seized the tiller; which
had been made, by means of a narrow cut in the boards, to
play in one of the shutters. Mr. Sharp took a position in
the bows, where he could see the sands and channels through
the crevices, directing the other how to steer; and just as a
shout announced the arrival of the raft at the other side of
the ship, the flap of their sail gave those in the boat the welcome
intelligence that they had got so far from her cover
as to feel the force of the wind.

CHAPTER VII.

[figure description] Page 098.[end figure description]

The departure of the boat was excellently timed. Had
it left the side of the ship while the Arabs on the raft were
unoccupied, and at a little distance, it would have been exposed
to their fire; for at least a dozen of those who boarded
had muskets; whereas the boat now glided away to leeward,
while they were busy in getting up her side, or were
so near the ship as not to be able to see the launch at all.
When Paul Powis, who was looking astern through a
crevice, saw the first Arab on the deck of the Montauk, the
launch was already near a cable's length from her, running
with a fresh and free wind into one of the numerous little
channels that intersected the naked banks of sand. The unusual
construction of the boat, with its enclosed roof, and
the circumstance that no one was visible on board her, had
the effect to keep the barbarians passive, until distance put
her beyond the reach of danger. A few muskets were discharged,
but they were fired at random, and in the bravado
of a semi-savage state of feeling.

Paul kept the launch running off free, until he was near
a mile from the ship, when, finding he was approaching the
reef to the northward and eastward, and that a favourable
sandbank lay a short distance ahead, he put down the helm,
let the sheet fly, and the boat's forefoot shot upon the sands.
By a little management, the launch was got broadside to the
bank, the water being sufficiently deep, and, when it was
secured, the females were enabled to land through the opening
of a shutter.

The change from the apparent hopelessness of their situation,
was so great, as to render the whole party comparatively
happy. Paul and John Effingham united in affirming

[figure description] Page 099.[end figure description]

it would be quite possible to reach one of the islands to leeward
in so good a boat, and that they ought to deem themselves
fortunate, under the circumstances, in being the
masters of a little bark so well found in every essential.
Eve and Mademoiselle Viefville, who had fervently returned
their thanks to the Great Ruler of events, while in the boat,
walked about the hard sand with even a sense of enjoyment,
and smiles began again to brighten the beautiful features
of the first. Mr. Effingham declared, with a grateful
heart, that in no park, or garden, had he ever before met
with a promenade that seemed so delightful as this spot of
naked and moistened sand, on the sterile coast of the Great
Desert. Its charm was its security, for its distance from
every point that could be approached by the Arabs, rendered
it, in their eyes, a paradise.

Paul Powis, however, though he maintained a cheerful
air, and the knowledge that he had been so instrumental in
saving the party lightened his heart of a load, and disposed
him even to gaiety, was not without some lingering remains
of uneasiness. He remembered the boats of the Dane, and,
as he thought it more than probable Captain Truck had
fallen into the hands of the barbarians, he feared that the
latter might yet find the means to lay hands on themselves.
While he was at work fitting the rigging, and preparing a
jigger, with a view to render the launch more manageable,
he cast frequent uneasy glances to the northward, with a
feverish apprehension that one of the so-long-wished-for
boats might at length appear. Their friends he no longer
expected, but his fears were all directed towards the premature
arrival of enemies from that quarter. None appeared,
however, and Saunders actually lighted a fire on the bank,
and prepared the grateful refreshment of tea for the whole
party; none of which had tasted food since morning, though
it was now drawing near night.

“Our caterers,” said Paul, smiling, as he cast his eyes
over the repast which Ann Sidley had spread on the roof of
the boat, where they were all seated on stools, boxes, and
trunks, “our caterers have been of the gentler sex, as any
one may see, for we have delicacies that are fitter for a banquet
than a desert.”

[figure description] Page 100.[end figure description]

“I thought Miss Eve would relish them, sir,” Nanny
meekly excused herself by saying; “she is not much accustomed
to a coarse diet; and mamerzelle, too, likes niceties,
as I believe is the case with all of French extraction.”

Eve's eyes glistened, though she felt it necessary to say
something by way of apology.

“Poor Ann has been so long accustomed to humour the
caprices of a petted girl,” she said, “that I fear those who
will have occasion for all their strength may be the sufferers.
I should regret it for ever, Mr. Powis, if you, who are every
way of so much importance to us, should not find the food
you required.”

“I have very inadvertently and unwittingly drawn down
upon myself the suspicion of being one of Mr. Monday's
gourmets, a plain roast and boiled person,” the young man
answered laughingly, “when it was merely my desire to
express the pleasure I had in perceiving that those whose
comfort and ease are of more account than any thing else,
have been so well cared for. I could almost starve with
satisfaction, Miss Effingham, if I saw you free from suffering
under the extraordinary circumstances in which we are
placed.”

Eve looked grateful, and the emotion excited by this
speech restored all that beauty which had so lately been
chilled by fear.

“Did I not hear a dialogue between you and Mr. Saunders
touching the merits of sundry stores that had been left
in the ship?” asked John Effingham, turning to Paul by way
of relieving his cousin's distress.

“Indeed you might; he relieved the time we were rousing
at the chains with a beautiful Jeremiad on the calamities of
the lockers. I fancy, steward, that you consider the misfortunes
of the pantry as the heaviest disaster that has befallen
the Montauk!”

Saunders seldom smiled. In this particular he resembled
Captain Truck; the one subduing all light emotions from an
inveterate habit of serious comicality, and the responsibility
of command; and the other having lost most of his disposition
to merriment, as the cart-horse loses his propensity to
kick, from being overworked. The steward, moreover, had

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taken up the conceit that it was indicative of a “nigger” to
be merry; and, between dignity, a proper regard to his
colour—which was about half-way between that of a Gold
Coast importation, and a rice-plantation overseer, down with
the fever in his third season—and dogged submission to unmitigated
calls on his time, the prevailing character of the
poor fellow's physiognomy was that of a dolorous sentimentality.
He believed himself to be materially refined by having
had so much intimate communication with gentlemen
and ladies suffering under sea-sickness, and he knew that
no man in the ship could use language like that he had
always at his finger's ends. While so strongly addicted to
melancholy, therefore, he was fond of hearing himself talk;
and, palpably encouraged as he had now been by John
Effingham and Paul, and a little emboldened by the familiarity
of a shipwreck, he did not hesitate about mingling in
the discourse, though holding the Effinghams habitually in
awe.

“I esteem it a great privilege, ladies and gentlemen,” he
observed, as soon as Paul ceased, “to have the honour of
being wracked (for so the steward, in conformity with the
Doric of the forecastle, pronounced the word,) in such company.
I should deem it a disgrace to be cast away in some
society I could name, although I will predicate, as we say in
America, nothing on their absence. As to what inwolves
the stores, it surgested itself to me that the ladies would like
delicate diet, and I intermated as much to Mrs. Sidley and
t'other French waiting-woman. Do you imagine, gentlemen,
that the souls of the dead are permitted to look back
at such ewents of this life as touches their own private concerns
and feelings?”

“That would depend, I should think, steward, on the
nature of the employment of the souls themselves,” returned
John Effingham. “There must be certain souls to which any
occupation would be more agreeable than that of looking
behind them. But, may I ask why you inquire?”

“Because, Mr. John Effingham, sir, I do not believe Captain
Truck can ever be happy in heaven, as long as the ship
is in the hands of the Arabs! If she had been honourably
and fairly wracked, and the captain suffercated by

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drowning, he could go to sleep like another Christian; but, I do
think, sir, if there be any special perdition for seamen, it
must be to see their vessel rummaged by Arabs. I'll warrant,
now, those blackguards have had their fingers in every
thing already; sugar, chocolate, raisins, coffee, cakes, and
all! I wonder who they think would like to use articles
they have handled! And there is poor Toast, gentlemen,
an aspiring and improving young man; one who had the
materials of a good steward in him, though I can hardly say
they were completely deweloped. I did look forward to the
day when I could consign him to Mr. Leach as my own
predecessor, when Captain Truck and I should retire, as I
have no doubt we should have done on the same day, but
for this distressing accident. I dewoutly pray that Toast is
deceased, for I would rather any misfortune should befal him
in the other world than that he should be compelled to associate
with Arab niggers in this. Dead or alive, ladies, I am
an advocate for a man's keeping himself respectable, and in
proper company.”

So elastic had the spirits of the whole become by their
unlooked-for escape, that Saunders was indulged to the top
of his humour, and while he served the meal, passing
between his fire on the sands and the roof of the launch, he
enjoyed a heartier gossip than any he had had since they
left the dock; not even excepting those sniggering scenes
with Mr. Toast in the pantry, in which he used to unbend
himself a little, forgetting his dignity as steward in the
native propensities of the black.

Paul Powis entered but a moment into the trifling, for on
him rested the safety of all. He alone could navigate, or
even manage the boat in rough water; and, while the others
confided so implicitly in his steadiness and skill, he felt the
usual burthen of responsibility. When the supper was
ended, and the party were walking up and down the little
islet of sand, he took his station on the roof therefore, and
examined the proceedings of the Arabs with the glass; Mr.
Sharp, with a species of chivalrous self-denial that was not
lost on his companion, foregoing the happiness of walking
at the side of Eve, to remain near him.

“The wretches have laid waste the cabins already!”

[figure description] Page 103.[end figure description]

observed Mr. Sharp, when Paul had been looking at the ship
some little time. “That which it took months to produce
they will destroy in an hour.”

“I do not see that,” returned Paul; “there are but about
fifty in the ship, and their efforts seem to be directed to hauling
her over against the rocks. They have no means of
landing their plunder where she lies; and I suspect there is
a sort of convention that all are to start fair. One or two,
who appear to be chiefs, go in and out of the cabins; but
the rest are actively engaged in endeavouring to move the
ship.”

“And with what success?”

“None, apparently. It exceeds their knowledge of mechanics
to force so heavy a mass from its position. The
wind has driven the ship firmly on the bank, and nothing
short of the windlass, or capstan, can remove her. These
ignorant creatures have got two or three small ropes between
the vessel and the reef, and are pulling fruitlessly at both
ends! But our chief concern will be to find an outlet into
the ocean, when we will make the best of our way towards
the Cape de Verds.”

Paul now commenced a long and close examination of the
reef, to ascertain by what openings he might get the launch
on the outside. To the northward of the great inlet there
was a continued line of rocks, on which he was sorry to
perceive armed Arabs beginning to show themselves; a sign
that the barbarians still entertained the hope of capturing the
party. Southward of the inlet there were many places in
which a boat might pass at half-tide, and he trusted to getting
through one of them as soon as it became dark. As the escape
in the boat could not have been foreseen, the Arabs had
not yet brought down upon them the boats of the wreck;
but should morning dawn and find them still within the reef,
he saw no hope of final escape against boats that would possess
the advantage of oars, ignorant as the barbarians might
be of their proper use.

Every thing was now ready. The interior of the launch
was divided into two apartments by counterpanes, trunks,
and boxes; the females spreading their mattresses in the forward
room, and the males in the other. Some of those

[figure description] Page 104.[end figure description]

profound interpreters of the law, who illustrate legislation by
the devices of trade, had shipped in the Montauk several
hundred rude leaden busts of Napoleon, with a view to save
the distinction in duties between the metal manufactured and
the metal unmanufactured. Four or five of these busts had
been struck into the launch as ballast. They were now
snugly stowed, together with the water, and all the heavier
articles, in the bottom of the boat. The jigger had been
made and bent, and a suitable mast was stepped by means
of the roof. In short, every provision for comfort or safety
that Paul could think of had been attended to; and every
thing was in readiness to re-embark as soon as the proper
hour should arrive.

The gentler portion of the party were seated on the edge
of the roof, watching the setting sun, and engaged in a discourse
with feelings more attempered to their actual condition
than had been the case immediately after their escape.
The evening had a little of that wild and watery aspect
which, about the same hour, had given Captain Truck so
much concern, but the sun dipped gorgeously into the liquid
world of the West, and the whole scene, including the endless
desert, the black reef, the stranded ship, and the movements
of the bustling Arabs, was one of gloomy grandeur.

“Could we foretell the events of a month,” said John
Effingham, “with what different feelings from the present
would life be chequered! When we left London, the twenty
days since, our eyes and minds were filled with the movements,
cares, refinements, and interest of a great and polished
capital, and here we sit, houseless wanderers, gazing
at an eventide on the coast of Africa! In this way, young
men, and young ladies too, will you find, as life glides away,
that the future will disappoint the expectations of the present
moment!”

“All futures are not gloomy, cousin Jack,” said Eve;
“nor is all hope doomed to meet with disappointment. A
merciful God cares for us when we are reduced to despair
on our own account, and throws a ray of unexpected light
on our darkest hours. Certainly we, of all his creatures,
ought not to deny this!”

“I do not deny it. We have been rescued in a manner

[figure description] Page 105.[end figure description]

so simple as to seem unavoidable, and yet so unexpected
as to be almost miraculous. Had not Mr. Blunt, or Mr.
Powis, as you call him—although I am not in the secret
of the masquerade—but, had not this gentleman been a
seaman, it would have surpassed all our means to get this
boat into the water, or even to use her properly were she
even launched. I look upon his profession as being the
first great providential interference, or provision, in our behalf;
and his superior skill and readiness in that profession
as a circumstance of no less importance to us.”

Eve was silent; but the glow in the western sky was
scarcely more radiant and bright than the look she cast on
the subject of the remark.

“It is no great merit to be a seaman, for the trade is
like another, a mere matter of practice and education,”
observed Paul, after a moment of awkward hesitation.
“If, as you say, I have been instrumental in serving you,
I shall never regret the accidents—cruel accidents of my
early life I had almost called them—that cast my fortunes
so early on the ocean.”

A falling pin would have been heard, and all hoped the
young man would proceed; but he chose to be silent.
Saunders happened to overhear the remark, for he was
aiding Ann Sidley in the boat, and he took up the subject
where it was left by the other, in a little aside with his
companion.

“It is a misfortune that Mr. Dodge is not here to question
the gentleman,” said the steward to his assistant,
“and then we might hear more of his adwentures, which, I
make no doubt, have been werry pathetic and romantical.
Mr. Dodge is a genuine inquisitor, Mistress Ann; not such
an inquisitor as burns people and flays them in Spain,
where I have been, but such an inquisitor as torments people,
and of whom we have lots in America.”

“Let the poor man rest in peace,” said Nanny, sighing.
“He's gone to his great account, steward; and I fear
we shall none of us make as good a figure as we might at
the final settling. Besides Miss Eve, I never knew a mortal
that wasn't more or less a sinner.”

“So they all say; and I must allow that my experience

[figure description] Page 106.[end figure description]

leans to the wicked side of the question. Captain Truck,
now, was a worthy man; but he had his faults, as well as
Toast. In the first place he would swear when things
took him aback; and then, he had no prewarication about
speaking his mind of a fellow-creature, if the coffee happened
to be thick, or the poultry didn't take fat kindly.
I've known him box the compass with oaths if the ship
was got in irons.”

“It's very sinful; and it is to be feared that the poor
man was made to think of all this in his latter moments.”

“If the Arabs undertook to cannibalize him, I think he
must have given it to them right and left,” continued Saunders,
wiping an eye, for between him and the captain there
had existed some such affection as the prisoner comes to
feel for the handcuffs with which he amuses his ennui;
“some of his oaths would choke a dog.”

“Well, let him rest—let him rest. Providence is kind;
and the poor man may have repented in season.”

“And Toast, too! I'm sure, Mrs. Ann, I forgive Toast
all the little mistakes he made, from the bottom of my heart;
and particularly that affair of the beefsteak that he let fall
into the coffee the morning that Captain Truck took me so
flat aback about it; and I pray most dewoutly that the captain,
now he has dropped this mortal coil, and that there is
nothing left of him but soul, may not find it out, lest it should
breed ill-blood between them in heaven.”

“Steward, you scarcely know what you say,” interrupted
Ann, shocked at his ignorance, “and I will speak of it no
more.”

Mr. Saunders was compelled to acquiesce, and he amused
himself by listening to what was said by those on the roof.
As Paul did not choose to explain farther, however, the conversation
was resumed as if he had said nothing. They
talked of their escape, their hopes, and of the supposed fate
of the rest of the party; the discourse leaving a feeling of
sadness on all, that harmonized with the melancholy, but not
unpicturesque, scene in which they were placed. At length
the night set in; and as it threatened to be dark and damp,
the ladies early made their arrangements to retire. The
gentlemen remained on the sands much later; and it was

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ten o'clock before Paul Powis and Mr. Sharp, who had assumed
the watch, were left alone.

This was about an hour later than the period already described
as the moment when Captain Truck disposed himself
to sleep in the launch of the Dane. The weather had
sensibly altered in the brief interval, and there were signs
that, to the understanding of our young seaman, denoted a
change. The darkness was intense. So deep and pitchy
black, indeed, had the night become, that even the land was
no longer to be distinguished, and the only clues the two
gentlemen had to its position were the mouldering watch-fires
of the Arab camp, and the direction of the wind.

“We will now make an attempt,” said Paul, stopping in
his short walk on the sand, and examining the murky vault
over head. “Midnight is near; and by two o'clock the tide
will be entirely up. It is a dark night to thread these narrow
channels in, and to go out upon the ocean, too, in so
frail a bark! But the alternative is worse.”

“Would it not be better to allow the water to rise still
higher? I see by these sands that it has not yet done coming
in.”

“There is not much tide in these low latitudes, and the
little rise that is left may help us off a bank, should we strike
one. If you will get upon the roof, I will bring in the grapnels
and force the boat off.”

Mr. Sharp complied, and in a few minutes the launch was
floating slowly away from the hospitable bank of sand. Paul
hauled out the jigger, a small sprit-sail, that kept itself closehauled
from being fastened to a stationary boom, and a little
mast stepped quite aft, the effect of which was to press the
boat against the wind. This brought the launch's head up,
and it was just possible to see, by close attention, that they
had a slight motion through the water.

“I quit that bank of sand as one quits a tried friend,”
said Paul, all the conversation now being in little more
than whispers: “when near it, I know where we are;
but presently we shall be absolutely lost in this intense
darkness.”

“We have the fires of the Arabs for lighthouses still.”

“They may give us some faint notions of our position;

[figure description] Page 108.[end figure description]

but light like that is a very treacherous guide in so dark a
night. We have little else to do but to keep an eye on the
water, and to endeavour to get to windward.”

Paul set the lug-sail, into which he had converted the
royal, and seated himself directly in the eyes of the boat,
with a leg hanging down on each side of the cutwater. He
had rigged lines to the tiller, and with one in each hand he
steered, as if managing a boat with yoke-lines. Mr. Sharp
was seated at hand, holding the sheet of the mainsail; a boat-hook
and a light spar lying on the roof near by, in readiness
to be used should they ground.

While on the bank, Paul had observed that, by keeping
the boat near the wind, he might stretch through one of the
widest of the channels for near two miles unless disturbed
by currents, and that, when at its southern end, he should
be far enough to windward to fetch the inlet, but for the
banks of sand that might lie in his way. The distance had
prevented his discerning any passage through the reef at the
farther end of this channel; but, the boat drawing only two
feet of water, he was not without hopes of being able to find
one. A chasm, that was deep enough to prevent the passage
of the Arabs when the tide was in, would, he thought,
certainly suffice for their purpose. The progress of the boat
was steady, and reasonably fast; but it was like moving in
a mass of obscurity. The gentleman watched the water
ahead intently, with a view to avoid the banks, but with little
success; for, as they advanced, it was merely one pile
of gloom succeeding another. Fortunately the previous observation
of Paul availed them, and for more than half an
hour their progress was uninterrupted.

“They sleep in security beneath us,” said Paul, “while
we are steering almost at random. This is a strange and
hazardous situatien in which we are placed. The obscurity
renders all the risks double.”

“By the watch-fires, we must have nearly crossed the
bay, and I should think we are now quite near the southern
reef.”

“I think the same; but I like not this baffling of the
wind. It comes fresher at moments, but it is in puffs, and I
fear there will be a shift. It is now my best pilot.”

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