Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form
Glasses itself in tempests; in all time,
Calm or convulsed -- in breeze, or gale, or storm,
Icing the pole, or in the torrid clime
Dark-heaving; -- boundless, endless, and sublime --
The image of eternity; the throne
Of the Invisible; even from out thy slime
The monsters of the deep are made; each zone
Obeys thee; thou goest forth, dread, fathomless, alone.
BYRON.
As the day advanced, that portion of the inmates of the vessel
which had the liberty of doing so appeared on deck. As yet the
sea was not very high, from which it was inferred that the cutter
was still under the lee of the islands; but it was apparent to all
who understood the lake that they were about to experience one of
the heavy autumnal gales of that region. Land was nowhere visible;
and the horizon on every side exhibited that gloomy void, which
lends to all views on vast bodies of water the sublimity of mystery.
The swells, or, as landsmen term them, the waves, were short and
curling, breaking of necessity sooner than the longer seas of the
ocean; while the element itself, instead of presenting that beautiful
hue which rivals the deep tint of the southern sky, looked green
and angry, though wanting in the lustre that is derived from the
rays of the sun.
The soldiers were soon satisfied with the prospect, and one by one
they disappeared, until none were left on deck but the crew, the
Sergeant, Cap, Pathfinder, the Quartermaster, and Mabel. There
was a shade on the brow of the last, who had been made acquainted
with the real state of things, and who had fruitlessly ventured an
appeal in favor of Jasper's restoration to the command. A night's
rest and a night's reflection appeared also to have confirmed the
Pathfinder in his opinion of the young man's innocence; and he,
too, had made a warm appeal on behalf of his friend, though with
the same want of success.
Several hours passed away, the wind gradually getting heavier and
the sea rising, until the motion of the cutter compelled Mabel and
the Quartermaster to retreat also. Cap wore several times; and it
was now evident that the _Scud_ was drifting into the broader and
deeper parts of the lake, the seas raging down upon her in a way
that none but a vessel of superior mould and build could have long
ridden and withstood. All this, however, gave Cap no uneasiness;
but, like the hunter that pricks his ears at the sound of the horn,
or the war-horse that paws and snorts with pleasure at the roll
of the drum, the whole scene awakened all that was man within him;
and instead of the captious, supercilious, and dogmatic critic,
quarrelling with trifles and exaggerating immaterial things, he
began to exhibit the qualities of the hardy and experienced seaman
which he truly was. The hands soon imbibed a respect for his
skill; and, though they wondered at the disappearance of their old
commander and the pilot, for which no reason had been publicly
given, they soon yielded an implicit and cheerful obedience to the
new one.
"This bit of fresh water, after all, brother Dunham, has some spirit,
I find," cried Cap about noon, rubbing his hands in pure satisfaction
at finding himself once more wrestling with the elements. "The
wind seems to be an honest old-fashioned gale, and the seas have
a fanciful resemblance to those of the Gulf Stream. I like this,
Sergeant, I like this, and shall get to respect your lake, if it
hold out twenty-four hours longer in the fashion in which it has
begun."
"Land, ho!" shouted the man who was stationed on the forecastle.
Cap hurried forward; and there, sure enough, the land was visible
through the drizzle, at the distance of about half a mile, the
cutter heading directly towards it. The first impulse of the old
seaman was to give an order to "stand by, to ware off shore;" but
the cool-headed soldier restrained him.
"By going a little nearer," said the Sergeant, "some of us may
recognize the place. Most of us know the American shore in this
part of the lake; and it will be something gained to learn our
position."
"Very true, very true; if, indeed, there is any chance of that we
will hold on. What is this off here, a little on our weather-bow?
It looks like a low headland."
"The garrison, by Jove!" exclaimed the other, whose trained eye
sooner recognized the military outlines than the less instructed
senses of his connection.
The Sergeant was not mistaken. There was the fort, sure enough,
though it looked dim and indistinct through the fine rain, as if
it were seen in the dusk of evening or the haze of morning. The
low, sodded, and verdant ramparts, the sombre palisades, now darker
than ever with water, the roof of a house or two, the tall, solitary
flagstaff, with its halyards blown steadily out into a curve that
appeared traced in immovable lines in the air, were all soon to
be seen though no sign of animated life could be discovered. Even
the sentinel was housed; and at first it was believed that no eye
would detect the presence of their own vessel. But the unceasing
vigilance of a border garrison did not slumber: one of the look-outs
probably made the interesting discovery; a man or two were seen on
some elevated stands, and then the entire ramparts next the lake
were dotted with human beings.
The whole scene was one in which sublimity was singularly relieved
by the picturesque. The raging of the tempest had a character of
duration that rendered it easy to imagine it might be a permanent
feature of the spot. The roar of the wind was without intermission,
and the raging water answered to its dull but grand strains with
hissing spray, a menacing wash, and sullen surges. The drizzle
made a medium for the eye which closely resembled that of a thin
mist, softening and rendering mysterious the images it revealed,
while the genial feeling that is apt to accompany a gale of wind
on water contributed to aid the milder influences of the moment.
The dark interminable forest hove up out of the obscurity, grand,
sombre, and impressive, while the solitary, peculiar, and picturesque
glimpses of life that were caught in and about the fort, formed
a refuge for the eye to retreat to when oppressed with the more
imposing objects of nature.
"They see us," said the Sergeant, "and think we have returned on
account of the gale, and have fallen to leeward of the port. Yes,
there is Major Duncan himself on the north-eastern bastion; I know
him by his height, and by the officers around him."
"Sergeant, it would be worth standing a little jeering, if we could
fetch into the river, and come safely to an anchor. In that case,
too, we might land this Master Eau-douce, and purify the boat."
"It would indeed; but, as poor a sailor as I am, I well know it
cannot be done. Nothing that sails the lake can turn to windward
against this gale; and there is no anchorage outside in weather
like this."
"I know it, I see it, Sergeant; and pleasant as is that sight to
you landsmen, we must leave it. For myself, I am never so happy
in heavy weather as when I am certain that the land is behind me."
The _Scud_ had now forged so near in, that it became indispensable
to lay her head off shore again, and the necessary orders were
given. The storm-staysail was set forward, the gaff lowered, the
helm put up, and the light craft, that seemed to sport with the
elements like a duck, fell off a little, drew ahead swiftly, obeyed
her rudder, and was soon flying away on the top of the surges, dead
before the gale. While making this rapid flight, though the land
still remained in view on her larboard beam, the fort and the groups
of anxious spectators on its rampart were swallowed up in the mist.
Then followed the evolutions necessary to bring the head of the
cutter up to the wind, when she again began to wallow her weary
way towards the north shore.
Hours now passed before any further change was made, the wind
increasing in force, until even the dogmatical Cap fairly admitted
it was blowing a thorough gale of wind. About sunset the _Scud_
wore again to keep her off the north shore during the hours of
darkness; and at midnight her temporary master, who, by questioning
the crew in an indirect manner, had obtained some general knowledge
of the size and shape of the lake, believed himself to be about
midway between the two shores. The height and length of the seas
aided this impression; and it must be added that Cap by this time
began to feel a respect for fresh water which twenty-four hours
earlier he would have derided as impossible. Just as the night
turned, the fury of the wind became so great that he found it
impossible to bear up against it, the water falling on the deck
of the little craft in such masses as to cause it to shake to the
centre, and, though a vessel of singularly lively qualities, to
threaten to bury it beneath its weight. The people of the _Scud_
averred that never before had they been out in such a tempest, which
was true; for, possessing a perfect knowledge of all the rivers
and headlands and havens, Jasper would have carried the cutter
in shore long ere this, and placed her in safety in some secure
anchorage. But Cap still disdained to consult the young master,
who continued below, determining to act like a mariner of the broad
ocean.
It was one in the morning when the storm-staysail was again got on
the _Scud_, the head of the mainsail lowered, and the cutter put
before the wind. Although the canvas now exposed was merely a rag
in surface, the little craft nobly justified the use of the name
she bore. For eight hours did she scud in truth; and it was almost
with the velocity of the gulls that wheeled wildly over her in the
tempest, apparently afraid to alight in the boiling caldron of the
lake. The dawn of day brought little change; for no other horizon
became visible than the little circle of drizzling sky and water
already described, in which it seemed as if the elements were
rioting in a sort of chaotic confusion. During this time the crew
and passengers of the cutter were of necessity passive. Jasper
and the pilot remained below; but, the motion of the vessel having
become easier, nearly all the rest were on deck. The morning
meal had been taken in silence, and eye met eye, as if their owners
asked each other, in dumb show, what was to be the end of this
strife in the elements. Cap, however, was perfectly composed, and
his face brightened, his step grew firmer, and his whole air more
assured, as the storm increased, making larger demands on his
professional skill and personal spirit. He stood on the forecastle,
his arms crossed, balancing his body with a seaman's instinct, while
his eyes watched the caps of the seas, as they broke and glanced
past the reeling cutter, itself in such swift motion, as if they
were the scud flying athwart the sky. At this sublime instant one
of the hands gave the unexpected cry of "A sail!"
There was so much of the wild and solitary character of the
wilderness about Ontario, that one scarcely expected to meet with
a vessel on its waters. The _Scud_ herself, to those who were in
her, resembled a man threading the forest alone, and the meeting
was like that of two solitary hunters beneath the broad canopy of
leaves that then covered so many millions of acres on the continent
of America. The peculiar state of the weather served to increase
the romantic, almost supernatural appearance of the passage. Cap
alone regarded it with practised eyes, and even he felt his iron
nerves thrill under the sensations that were awakened by the wild
features of the scene.
The strange vessel was about two cables' length ahead of the _Scud_,
standing by the wind athwart her bows, and steering a course to
render it probable that the latter would pass within a few yards
of her. She was a full-rigged ship; and, seen through the misty
medium of the tempest, the most experienced eye could detect no
imperfection in her gear or construction. The only canvas she had
set was a close-reefed main-topsail, and two small storm-staysails,
one forward and the other aft. Still the power of the wind pressed
so hard upon her as to bear her down nearly to her beam-ends,
whenever the hull was not righted by the buoyancy of some wave under
her lee. Her spars were all in their places, and by her motion
through the water, which might have equalled four knots in the
hour, it was apparent that she steered a little free.
"The fellow must know his position well," said Cap, as the cutter
flew down towards the ship with a velocity almost equalling that
of the gale, "for he is standing boldly to the southward, where he
expects to find anchorage or a haven. No man in his senses would
run off free in that fashion, that was not driven to scudding, like
ourselves, who did not perfectly understand where he was going."
"We have made an awful run, captain," returned the man to whom
this remark had been addressed. "That is the French king's ship,
Lee-my-calm (_Le Montcalm_), and she is standing in for the Niagara,
where her owner has a garrison and a port. We've made an awful
run of it!"
"Ay, bad luck to him! Frenchman-like, he skulks into port the
moment he sees an English bottom."
"It might be well for us if we could follow him," returned the man,
shaking his head despondingly, "for we are getting into the end of
a bay up here at the head of the lake, and it is uncertain whether
we ever get out of it again!"
"Pooh, man, pooh! We have plenty of sea room, and a good English
hull beneath us. We are no Johnny Crapauds to hide ourselves
behind a point or a fort on account of a puff of wind. Mind your
helm, sir!"
The order was given on account of the menacing appearance of the
approaching passage. The _Scud_ was now heading directly for
the fore-foot of the Frenchman; and, the distance between the two
vessels having diminished to a hundred yards, it was momentarily
questionable if there was room to pass.
"Port, sir, port," shouted Cap. "Port your helm and pass astern!"
The crew of the Frenchman were seen assembling to windward, and a
few muskets were pointed, as if to order the people of the _Scud_
to keep off. Gesticulations were observed, but the sea was too
wild and menacing to admit of the ordinary expedients of war. The
water was dripping from the muzzles of two or three light guns on
board the ship, but no one thought of loosening them for service
in such a tempest. Her black sides, as they emerged from a wave,
glistened and seemed to frown; but the wind howled through her
rigging, whistling the thousand notes of a ship; and the hails and
cries that escape a Frenchman with so much readiness were inaudible.
"Let him halloo himself hoarse!" growled Cap. "This is no weather
to whisper secrets in. Port, sir, port!"
The man at the helm obeyed, and the next send of the sea drove the
_Scud_ down upon the quarter of the ship, so near her that the old
mariner himself recoiled a step, in a vague expectation that, at
the next surge ahead, she would drive bows foremost directly into
the planks of the other vessel. But this was not to be: rising
from the crouching posture she had taken, like a panther about to
leap, the cutter dashed onward, and at the next instant she was
glancing past the stern of her enemy, just clearing the end of her
spanker-boom with her own lower yard.
The young Frenchman who commanded the _Montcalm_ leaped on the
taffrail; and, with that high-toned courtesy which relieves even
the worst acts of his countrymen, he raised his cap and smiled
a salutation as the _Scud_ shot past. There were _bonhomie_ and
good taste in this act of courtesy, when circumstances allowed of
no other communications; but they were lost on Cap, who, with an
instinct quite as true to his race, shook his fist menacingly, and
muttered to himself, --
"Ay, ay, it's d----d lucky for you I've no armament on board here,
or I'd send you in to get new cabin-windows fitted. Sergeant, he's
a humbug."
"'Twas civil, brother Cap," returned the other, lowering his hand
from the military salute which his pride as a soldier had induced
him to return, -- "'twas civil, and that's as much as you can expect
from a Frenchman. What he really meant by it no one can say."
"He is not heading up to this sea without an object, neither.
Well, let him run in, if he can get there, we will keep the lake,
like hearty English mariners."
This sounded gloriously, but Cap eyed with envy the glittering
black mass of the _Montcalm's_ hull, her waving topsail, and the
misty tracery of her spars, as she grew less and less distinct, and
finally disappeared in the drizzle, in a form as shadowy as that
of some unreal image. Gladly would he have followed in her wake
had he dared; for, to own the truth, the prospect of another stormy
night in the midst of the wild waters that were raging around him
brought little consolation. Still he had too much professional
pride to betray his uneasiness, and those under his care relied on
his knowledge and resources, with the implicit and blind confidence
that the ignorant are apt to feel.
A few hours succeeded, and darkness came again to increase the
perils of the _Scud_. A lull in the gale, however, had induced
Cap to come by the wind once more, and throughout the night the
cutter was lying-to as before, head-reaching as a matter of course,
and occasionally wearing to keep off the land. It is unnecessary
to dwell on the incidents of this night, which resembled those
of any other gale of wind. There were the pitching of the vessel,
the hissing of the waters, the dashing of spray, the shocks that
menaced annihilation to the little craft as she plunged into the
seas, the undying howl of the wind, and the fearful drift. The
last was the most serious danger; for, though exceedingly weatherly
under her canvas, and totally without top-hamper, the _Scud_ was
so light, that the combing of the swells would seem at times to
wash her down to leeward with a velocity as great as that of the
surges themselves.
During this night Cap slept soundly, and for several hours. The
day was just dawning when he felt himself shaken by the shoulder;
and arousing himself, he found the Pathfinder standing at his
side. During the gale the guide had appeared little on deck, for
his natural modesty told him that seamen alone should interfere
with the management of the vessel; and he was willing to show the
same reliance on those who had charge of the _Scud_, as he expected
those who followed through the forest to manifest in his own skill;
but he now thought himself justified in interfering, which he did
in his own unsophisticated and peculiar manner.
"Sleep is sweet, Master Cap," said he, as soon as the eyes of the
latter were fairly open, and his consciousness had sufficiently
returned, -- "sleep is sweet, as I know from experience, but life
is sweeter still. Look about you, and say if this is exactly the
moment for a commander to be off his feet."
"How now? how now, Master Pathfinder?" growled Cap, in the first
moments of his awakened faculties. "Are you, too, getting on the
side of the grumblers? When ashore I admired your sagacity in
running through the worst shoals without a compass; and since we
have been afloat, your meekness and submission have been as pleasant
as your confidence on your own ground. I little expected such a
summons from you."
"As for myself, Master Cap, I feel I have my gifts, and I believe
they'll interfere with those of no other man; but the case may be
different with Mabel Dunham. She has her gifts, too, it is true;
but they are not rude like ours, but gentle and womanish, as they
ought to be. It's on her account that I speak, and not on my own."
"Ay, ay, I begin to understand. The girl is a good girl, my worthy
friend; but she is a soldier's daughter and a sailor's niece, and
ought not to be too tame or too tender in a gale. Does she show
any fear?"
"Not she! not she! Mabel is a woman, but she is reasonable and
silent. Not a word have I heard from her concerning our doings;
though I do think, Master Cap, she would like it better if Jasper
Eau-douce were put into his proper place, and things were restored
to their old situation, like. This is human natur'."
"I'll warrant it -- girl-like, and Dunham-like, too. Anything is
better than an old uncle, and everybody knows more than an old
seaman. _This_ is human natur', Master Pathfinder, and d--- me if
I'm the man to sheer a fathom, starboard or port, for all the human
natur' that can be found in a minx of twenty -- ay, or" (lowering
his voice a little) "for all that can be paraded in his Majesty's
55th regiment of foot. I've not been at sea forty years, to come
up on this bit of fresh water to be taught human natur'. How this
gale holds out! It blows as hard at this moment as if Boreas had
just clapped his hand upon the bellows. And what is all this to
leeward?" (rubbing his eyes) -- "land! as sure as my name is Cap
-- and high land, too."
The Pathfinder made no immediate answer; but, shaking his head,
he watched the expression of his companion's face, with a look of
strong anxiety in his own.
"Land, as certain as this is the _Scud!_" repeated Cap; "a lee
shore, and that, too, within a league of us, with as pretty a line
of breakers as one could find on the beach of all Long Island!"
"And is that encouraging? or is it disheartening?" inquired the
Pathfinder.
"Ha! encouraging -- disheartening! -- why, neither. No, no, there
is nothing encouraging about it; and as for disheartening, nothing
ought to dishearten a seaman. You never get disheartened or afraid
in the woods, my friend?"
"I'll not say that, I'll not say that. When the danger is great,
it is my gift to see it, and know it, and to try to avoid it; else
would my scalp long since have been drying in a Mingo wigwam. On
this lake, however, I can see no trail, and I feel it my duty to
submit; though I think we ought to remember there is such a person
as Mabel Dunham on board. But here comes her father, and he will
naturally feel for his own child."
"We are seriously situated, I believe, brother Cap," said the
Sergeant, when he had reached the spot, "by what I can gather from
the two hands on the forecastle? They tell me the cutter cannot
carry any more sail, and her drift is so great we shall go ashore
in an hour or two. I hope their fears have deceived them?"
Cap made no reply; but he gazed at the land with a rueful face, and
then looked to windward with an expression of ferocity, as if he
would gladly have quarrelled with the weather.
"It may be well, brother," the Sergeant continued, "to send for
Jasper and consult him as to what is to be done. There are no
French here to dread; and, under all circumstances, the boy will
save us from drowning if possible."
"Ay, ay, 'tis these cursed circumstances that have done all the
mischief. But let the fellow come; let him come; a few well-managed
questions will bring the truth out of him, I'll warrant you."
This acquiescence on the part of the dogmatical Cap was no sooner
obtained, than Jasper was sent for. The young man instantly made
his appearance, his whole air, countenance, and mien expressive of
mortification, humility, and, as his observers fancied, rebuked
deception. When he first stepped on deck, Jasper cast one hurried,
anxious glance around, as if curious to know the situation of the
cutter; and that glance sufficed, it would seem, to let him into
the secret of all her perils. At first he looked to windward, as
is usual with every seaman; then he turned round the horizon, until
his eye caught a view of the high lands to leeward, when the whole
truth burst upon him at once.
"I've sent for you, Master Jasper," said Cap, folding his arms, and
balancing his body with the dignity of the forecastle, "in order
to learn something about the haven to leeward. We take it for
granted you do not bear malice so hard as to wish to drown us all,
especially the women; and I suppose you will be man enough to help
us run the cutter into some safe berth until this bit of a gale
has done blowing!"
"I would die myself rather than harm should come to Mabel Dunham,"
the young man earnestly answered.
"I knew it! I knew it!" cried the Pathfinder, clapping his hand
kindly on Jasper's shoulder. "The lad is as true as the best compass
that ever ran a boundary, or brought a man off from a blind trail.
It is a mortal sin to believe otherwise."
"Humph!" ejaculated Cap; "especially the women! As if _they_ were
in any particular danger. Never mind, young man; we shall understand
each other by talking like two plain seamen. Do you know of any
port under our lee?"
"None. There is a large bay at this end of the lake; but it is
unknown to us all, and not easy of entrance."
"And this coast to leeward -- it has nothing particular to recommend
it, I suppose?"
"It is a wilderness until you reach the mouth of the Niagara in
one direction, and Frontenac in the other. North and west, they
tell me, there is nothing but forest and prairies for a thousand
miles."
"Thank God! then, there can be no French. Are there many savages,
hereaway, on the land?"
"The Indians are to be found in all directions; though they are
nowhere very numerous. By accident, we might find a party at any
point on the shore; or we might pass months there without seeing
one."
"We must take our chance, then, as to the blackguards; but, to be
frank with you, Master Western, if this little unpleasant matter
about the French had not come to pass, what would you now do with
the cutter?"
"I am a much younger sailor than yourself, Master Cap," said Jasper
modestly, "and am hardly fitted to advise you."
"Ay, ay, we all know that. In a common case, perhaps not. But
this is an uncommon case, and a circumstance; and on this bit of
fresh water it has what may be called its peculiarities; and so,
everything considered, you may be fitted to advise even your own
father. At all events, you can speak, and I can judge of your
opinions, agreeably to my own experience."
"I think, sir, before two hours are over, the cutter will have to
anchor."
"Anchor! -- not out here in the lake?"
"No, sir; but in yonder, near the land."
"You do not mean to say, Master Eau-douce, you would anchor on a
lee shore in a gale of wind?"
"If I would save my vessel, that is exactly what I would do, Master
Cap."
"Whe-e-e-w! -- this is fresh water, with a vengeance! Hark'e, young
man, I've been a seafaring animal, boy and man, forty-one years,
and I never yet heard of such a thing. I'd throw my ground-tackle
overboard before I would be guilty of so lubberly an act!"
"That is what we do on this lake," modestly replied Jasper, "when
we are hard pressed. I daresay we might do better, had we been
better taught."
"That you might, indeed! No; no man induces me to commit such a
sin against my own bringing up. I should never dare show my face
inside of Sandy Hook again, had I committed so know-nothing an
exploit. Why, Pathfinder, here, has more seamanship in him than
that comes to. You can go below again, Master Eau-douce."
Jasper quietly bowed and withdrew; still, as he passed down the
ladder, the spectators observed that he cast a lingering anxious
look at the horizon to windward and the land to leeward, and then
disappeared with concern strongly expressed in every lineament of
his face.