The Perils of Certain English Prisoners | Page 7

Even Mr. Commissioner Pordage (and
he was a grave one!) formally addressed her as Mrs. Belltott, but, I
shall come to Mr. Commissioner Pordage presently.
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