Tom Cringles Log | Page 5

in his cheek from a junk of
tobacco therein stowed, with pale, wet visage, and whiskers sparkling
with moisture, while his long black hair hung damp and lank over his
fine forehead and the stand--up cape of his coat, immediately presented
himself at the door, with the lead in his claws, an octagonal--shaped
cone, like the weight of a window--sash, about eighteen inches long,
and two inches diameter at the bottom, tapering away nearly to a point
at top, where it was flattened, and a hole pierced for the line to be
fastened to. At the lower end--the but--end, as I would say there was a
hollow scooped out, and filled with grease, so that when the lead was
cast, the quality of the soil, sand, or shells, or mud, that came up
adhering to this lard, indicated, along with the depth of water, our
situation in the North Sea; and by this, indeed, we guided our course, in
the absence of all opportunity of ascertaining our position by
observations of the sun.
The Captain consulted the chart--"Sand and shells; why, you should
have deeper water, Mr Treenail. Any of the fishing--boats near you?"
"Not at present, sir; but we cannot be far off some of them."
"Well, let me know when you come near any of them."
A little after this, as became my situation, I rose and made my bow, and
went on deck.
By this time the night had fallen, and it was thicker than ever, so that,
standing beside the man at the wheel, you could not see farther forward
than the booms; yet it was not dark, either,--that is, it was moonlight, so
that the haze, thick as it was, had that silver gauze--like appearance, as
if it had been luminous in itself, that cannot be described to any one
who has not seen it. The gun had been fired just as I came on deck, but
no responding tinkle gave notice of any vessel being in the
neighbourhood. Ten minutes, it may have been a quarter of an hour,
when a short roll of the drum was beaten from the forecastle, where I
was standing. At the moment I thought I heard a holla, but I could not
be sure. Presently I saw a small light, with a misty halo surrounding it,

just under the bowsprit.
"Port your helm," sung out the boatswain,--"port your helm, or we shall
be over a fishing--boat!"
A cry arose from beneath a black object was for an instant
distinguishable and the next moment a crash was heard. The
spritsailyard rattled, and broke off sharp'at the point where it crossed
the bowsprit; and a heavy smashing thump against our bows told, in
fearful language, that we had run her down. Three of the men and a boy
hung on by the rigging of the bowsprit, and were brought safely on
board; but two poor fellows perished with their boat. It appeared, that
they had broken their bell; and although they saw us coming, they had
no better means than shouting, and showing a light, to advertise us of
their vicinity.
Next morning the wind once more chopped round, and the weather
cleared, and in four--and--twenty hours thereafter we were off the
mouth of the Elbe, with three miles of white foaming shoals between us
and the land at Cuxhaven, roaring and hissing, as if ready to swallow us
up. It was low water, and, as our object was to land the emissary at
Cuxhaven, we had to wait, having no pilot for the port, although we
had the signal flying for one all morning, until noon, when we ran in
close to the green mound which constituted the rampart of the fort at
the entrance. To our great surprise, when we hoisted our colours and
pennant, and fired a gun to leeward, there was no flag hoisted in answer
at the flag--staff, nor was there any indication of a single living soul on
shore to welcome us. Mr Splinter and the Captain were standing
together at the gangway--"Why, sir," said the former, "this silence
somewhat surprises me: what say you, Cheragoux?" to the government
emissary or messenger already mentioned, who was peering through
the glass close by.
"Why, mi Lieutenant, I don't certain dat all ish right on sore dere.'
"No?" said Captain Deadeye; "why, what do you see?"
"It ish not so mosh vat I shee, as vat I no shee, sir, dat trembles me. It
cannot surely be possib dat de Prussian an' Hanoverian troop have left
de place, and dat dese dem Franceman ave advance so far as de Elbe
autrefois, dat ish, once more?'
"French!" said Deadeye: 'poo, nonsense; no French hereabouts; none
nearer than those cooped up in Hamburgh with Davoust, take my word

for it."