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Page 7
The name of the captain of the sloop was Captain Maryon, and
therefore it was no news to hear from Mrs. Belltott, that his
sister, the beautiful unmarried young English lady, was Miss Maryon.
The novelty was, that her christian-name was Marion too. Marion
Maryon. Many a time I have run off those two names in my thoughts,
like a bit of verse. Oh many, and many, and many a time!
We saw out all the drink that was produced, like good men and true,
and then took our leaves, and went down to the beach. The weather
was beautiful; the wind steady, low, and gentle; the island, a
picture; the sea, a picture; the sky, a picture. In that country
there are two rainy seasons in the year. One sets in at about our
English Midsummer; the other, about a fortnight after our English
Michaelmas. It was the beginning of August at that time; the first
of these rainy seasons was well over; and everything was in its most
beautiful growth, and had its loveliest look upon it.
"They enjoy themselves here," I says to Charker, turning surly
again. "This is better than private-soldiering."
We had come down to the beach, to be friendly with the boat's-crew
who were camped and hutted there; and we were approaching towards
their quarters over the sand, when Christian George King comes up
from the landing-place at a wolf's-trot, crying, "Yup, So-Jeer!"--
which was that Sambo Pilot's barbarous way of saying, Hallo,
Soldier! I have stated myself to be a man of no learning, and, if I
entertain prejudices, I hope allowance may be made. I will now
confess to one. It may be a right one or it may be a wrong one;
but, I never did like Natives, except in the form of oysters.
So, when Christian George King, who was individually unpleasant to
me besides, comes a trotting along the sand, clucking, "Yup, So-
Jeer!" I had a thundering good mind to let fly at him with my
right. I certainly should have done it, but that it would have
exposed me to reprimand.
"Yup, So-Jeer!" says he. "Bad job."
"What do you mean?" says I.
"Yup, So-Jeer!" says he, "Ship Leakee."
"Ship leaky?" says I.
"Iss," says he, with a nod that looked as if it was jerked out of
him by a most violent hiccup--which is the way with those savages.
I cast my eyes at Charker, and we both heard the pumps going aboard
the sloop, and saw the signal run up, "Come on board; hands wanted
from the shore." In no time some of the sloop's liberty-men were
already running down to the water's edge, and the party of seamen,
under orders against the Pirates, were putting off to the Columbus
in two boats.
"O Christian George King sar berry sorry!" says that Sambo vagabond,
then. "Christian George King cry, English fashion!" His English
fashion of crying was to screw his black knuckles into his eyes,
howl like a dog, and roll himself on his back on the sand. It was
trying not to kick him, but I gave Charker the word, "Double-quick,
Harry!" and we got down to the water's edge, and got on board the
sloop.
By some means or other, she had sprung such a leak, that no pumping
would keep her free; and what between the two fears that she would
go down in the harbour, and that, even if she did not, all the
supplies she had brought for the little colony would be destroyed by
the sea-water as it rose in her, there was great confusion. In the
midst of it, Captain Maryon was heard hailing from the beach. He
had been carried down in his hammock, and looked very bad; but he
insisted on being stood there on his feet; and I saw him, myself,
come off in the boat, sitting upright in the stern-sheets, as if
nothing was wrong with him.
A quick sort of council was held, and Captain Maryon soon resolved
that we must all fall to work to get the cargo out, and that when
that was done, the guns and heavy matters must be got out, and that
the sloop must be hauled ashore, and careened, and the leak stopped.
We were all mustered (the Pirate-Chace party volunteering), and told
off into parties, with so many hours of spell and so many hours of
relief, and we all went at it with a will. Christian George King
was entered one of the party in which I worked, at his own request,
and he went at it with as good a will as any of the rest. He went
at it with so much heartiness, to say the truth, that he rose in my
good opinion almost as fast as the water rose in the ship. Which
was fast enough, and faster.
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