SMALL | MEDIUM
" -- Thou, Julia, thou hast metamorphosed me;
Made me neglect my studies, lose my time,
War with good counsel, set the world at nought."
Two Gentlemen of Verona .
purpose. Throughout the whole of the preceding in-
terview, he had jealously watched the eye and fea-
tures of la belle Barbérie; and he had not failed to
draw his conclusions from a mien that too plainly
expressed a deep interest in the free-trader. For a
time, only, had he been induced, by the calmness
and self-possession with which she received her uncle
and himself, to believe that she had not visited the
Water-Witch at all; but when the gay and reckless
being who governed the movements of that extra-
ordinary vessel, appeared, he could no longer flatter
himself with this hope. He now believed that her
choice for life had been made; and while he deplored
the infatuation which could induce so gifted a woman
to forget her station and character, he was himself
too frank not to see that the individual who had in
so short a time gained this ascendency over the feel-
ings of Alida, was, in many respects, fitted to exer-
cise a powerful influence over the imagination of a
youthful and secluded female.
There was a struggle in the mind of the young
commander, between his duty and his feelings. Re-
membering the artifice by which he had formerly
fallen into the power of the smugglers, he had taken
his precautions so well in the present visit to the
villa, that he firmly believed he had the person of
his lawless rival at his mercy. To avail himself of this
advantage, or to retire and leave him in possession of
his mistress and his liberty, was the point mooted in
The night had advanced into the first watch of
the seaman. The shadow of the mountain, however,
still covered the grounds of the villa, the river, and
In endeavoring to conceal the interior of her
apartment from the eyes of those without, Alida had
suffered a corner of the drapery to remain open.
When Ludlow reached the gate that led to the
landing, he turned to take a last look at the villa;
and, favored by his new position, he caught a glimpse,
through the opening, of the person of her who was
still uppermost in his thoughts.
La belle Barbérie was seated at the little table,
by whose side she had been found, earlier in the
evening. An elbow rested on the precious wood, and
one fair hand supported a brow that was thoughtful
far beyond the usual character of its expression, if
not melancholy. The commander of the Coquette
felt the blood rushing to his heart, for he fancied that
the beautiful and pensive countenance was that of a
penitent. It is probable that the idea quickened his
drooping hopes; for Ludlow believed it might not
yet be too late to rescue the woman, he so sincerely
loved, from the precipice over which she was sus-
pended. The seemingly irretrievable step, already
taken; was forgotten; and the generous young sailor
was about to rush back to la Cour des Fées, to im-
plore its mistress to be just to herself, when the hand
fell from her polished brow, and Alida raised her
face, with a look which denoted that she was no
When Alida lifted her eyes, it was in kindness,
and with that frank ingenuousness with which an
unperverted female greets the countenance of those
who have her confidence. She smiled, though still
in sadness rather than in pleasure; and she spoke,
but the distance prevented her words from being
audible. At the next instant, Seadrift moved into
the space visible through the half-drawn drapery,
and took her hand. Alida made no effort to with-
draw the member; but, on the contrary, she looked
up into his face with still less equivocal interest, and
appeared to listen to his voice with an absorbed at-
tention. The gate was swung violently open, and
Ludlow had reached the margin of the river before
he again paused.
The barge of the Coquette was found where her
commander had ordered his people to lie concealed,
and he was about to enter it, when the noise of the
little gate, again shutting with the wind, induced him
to cast a look behind. A human form was distinctly
to be seen, against the light walls of the villa,
descending towards the river. The men were com-
manded to keep close, and, withdrawing within the
shadow of a fence, the captain waited the approach
of the new-comer.
As the unknown person passed, Ludlow recognized
the agile form of the free-trader. The latter ad-
vanced to the margin of the river, and gazed warily
about him for several minutes. A low but distinct
note, on a common ship's-call, was then heard. The
summons was soon succeeded by the appearance of
a small skiff, which glided out of the grass on the
opposite side of the stream, and approached the spot
where Seadrift awaited its arrival. The free-trader
sprang lightly into the little boat, which immediately
began to glide out of the river. As the skiff passed
As the course to be taken by the barge was diago-
nal rather than direct, a few powerful strokes of
the oars brought it so near the skiff, that Ludlow,
by placing his hand on the gunwale of the latter,
could arrest its progress.
"Though so lightly equipped, fortune favors you
less in boats than in larger craft, Master Seadrift;"
said Ludlow, when, by virtue of a strong arm, he
had drawn his prize so near, as to find himself seated
within a few feet of his prisoner. "We meet on our
proper element, where there can be no neutrality
between one of the contraband and a servant of the
Queen."
The start, the half-repressed exclamation, and the
momentary silence, showed that the captive had been
taken completely by surprise.
"I admit your superior dexterity," he at length
said, speaking low and not without agitation. "I
am your prisoner, Captain Ludlow; and I would now
wish to know your intentions in disposing of my per-
son."
"That is soon answered. You must be content to
take the homely accommodations of the Coquette,
for the night, instead of the more luxurious cabin of
your Water-Witch. What the authorities of the
Province may decide, to-morrow, it exceeds the
knowledge of a poor commander in the navy to say."
"The lord Cornbury has retired to -- ?"
"A gaol," said Ludlow, observing that the other
"We deal lightly with dignities!" exclaimed the
captive, with all his former gaiety of tone and man-
ner. "You have your revenge for some personal
liberties that were certainly taken, not a fortnight
since, with this boat and her crew; still, I have much
mistaken your character, if unnecessary severity
forms one of its features. May I communicate with
the brigantine?"
"Freely -- when she is once in the care of a
Queen's officer."
"Oh, Sir, you disparage the qualities of my mis-
tress, in supposing there exists a parallel with your
own! The Water-Witch will go at large, till a far
different personage shall become your captive. -- May
I communicate with the shore?"
"To that there exists no objection -- if you will
point out the means."
"I have one, here, who will prove a faithful mes-
senger."
"Too faithful to the delusion which governs all
your followers! Your man must be your companion
in the Coquette, Master Seadrift, though;" and Lud-
low spoke in melancholy, "if there be any on the
land, who take so near an interest in your welfare
as to find more sorrow in uncertainty than in the
truth, one of my own crew, in any of whom confi-
dence may be placed, shall do your errand."
"Let it be so;" returned the free-trader, as if
satisfied that he could, in reason, expect no more.
"Take this ring to the lady of yonder dwelling," he
continued, when Ludlow had selected the messenger,
"and say that he who sends it is about to visit the
"And, mark me, fellow -- " added his captain;
"that duty done, look to the idlers on the shore, and
see that no boat quits the river, to apprize the smug-
glers of their loss."
The man, who was armed in the fashion of a sea-
man on boat duty, received these orders with the
customary deference; and the barge having drawn
to the shore for that purpose, he landed.
"And now, Master Seadrift, having thus far com-
plied with your wishes, I may expect you will not be
deaf to mine. Here is a seat at your service in my
barge, and I confess it will please me to see it occu-
pied."
As the captain spoke, he reached forth an arm,
partly in natural complaisance, and partly with a
carelessness that denoted some consciousness of the
difference in their rank, both to aid the other to
comply with his request, and, at need, to enforce it.
But the free-trader seemed to repel the familiarity;
for he drew back, at first, like one who shrunk sen-
sitively from the contact, and then, without touching
the arm that was extended with a purpose so equivo-
cal, he passed lightly from the skiff into the barge,
declining assistance. The movement was scarcely
made, before Ludlow quitted the latter, and occu-
pied the place which Seadrift had just vacated. He
commanded one of his men to exchange with the
seaman of the brigantine; and, having made these
preparations, he again addressed his prisoner.
"I commit you to the care of my cockswain and
these worthy tars, Master Seadrift. We shall steer
different ways. You will take possession of my cabin,
where all will be at your disposal; ere the middle
watch is called, I shall be there to prevent the pen-
Ludlow then whispered his orders to his cockswain,
and they separated. The barge proceeded to the
mouth of the river, with the long and stately sweep
of the oars, that marks the progress of a man-of-
war's boat; while the skiff followed, noiselessly,
and, aided by its color and dimensions, nearly invisi-
ble.
When the two boats entered the waters of the
bay, the barge held on its course towards the distant
ship; while the skiff inclined to the right, and steer-
ed directly for the bottom of the Cove. The precau-
tion of the dealer in contraband had provided his
little boat with muffled sculls; and Ludlow, when
he was enabled to discover the fine tracery of the
lofty and light spars of the Water-Witch, as they
rose above the tops of the dwarf trees that lined
the shore, had no reason to think his approach was
known. Once assured of the presence and position
of the brigantine, he was enabled to make his ad-
vances with all the caution that might be necessary.
Some ten or fifteen minutes were required to bring
the skiff beneath the bowsprit of the beautiful craft,
without giving the alarm to those who doubtless were
watching on her decks. The success of our adven-
turer, however, appeared to be complete; for he
was soon holding by the cable, and not the smallest
sound, of any kind, had been heard in the brigantine.
Ludlow now regretted he had not entered the Cove
with his barge; for, so profound and unsuspecting
was the quiet of the vessel, that he doubted not of
his ability to have carried her by a coup-de-main.
Vexed by his oversight, and incited by the prospects
of success, he began to devise those expedients which
would naturally suggest themselves to a seaman in
his situation.
The wind was southerly, and, though not strong,
Though Ludlow felt, at the instant of this inter-
ruption, that he stood in jeopardy of his life, the con-
cern it awakened was momentarily lost in the spec-
tacle before him. The bronzed and unearthly features
of the image were brightly illuminated; and, while
"This mummery is well maintained!" muttered
Ludlow, when the skiff had reached a distance that
assured him of safety. "Here is a symptom that the
rover means soon to quit the coast. The change of
dress is some signal to his superstitious and deluded
crew. It is my task to disappoint his mistress, as he
terms her, though it must be confessed that she does
not sleep at her post."
During the ten succeeding minutes, our foiled ad-
venturer had leisure, no less than motive, to feel how
necessary is success to any project whose means ad-
mit of dispute. Had the hawser been cut and the
brigantine stranded, it is probable that the under-
taking of the captain would have been accounted
among those happy expedients which, in all pursuits,
are thought to distinguish the mental efforts of men
particularly gifted by Nature; while, under the ac-
tual circumstances, he who would have reaped all
"This has been a false board, Master Yarn," ob-
served the captain, when the skiff was past the en-
trance of the Cove, and some distance down the bay;
"for the credit of our cruise, we will not enter the
occurrence in the log. You understand me, Sir: I
trust a word is sufficient for so shrewd a wit?"
"I hope I know my duty, your Honor, which is to
obey orders, though it may break owners," returned
the top-man. "Cutting a hawser with a knife is but
slow work in the best of times; but though one who
has little right to speak in the presence of a gentle-
man so well taught, it is my opinion that the steel is
not yet sharpened which is to part any rope aboard
yon rover, without the consent of the black-looking
woman under her bowsprit."
"And what is the opinion of the berth-deck con-
cerning this strange brigantine, that we have so long
been following without success?"
"That we shall follow her till the last biscuit is
eaten, and the scuttle-butt shall be dry, with no bet-
ter fortune. It is not my business to teach your
Honor; but there is not a man in the ship, who ever
expects to be a farthing the better for her capture.
Men are of many minds concerning the `Skimmer
of the Seas;' but all are agreed that, unless aided
by some uncommon luck, which may amount to the
same thing as being helped by him who seldom lends
a hand to any honest undertaking, that he is alto-
gether such a seaman as another like him does not
sail the ocean!"
"I am sorry that my people should have reason to
think so meanly of our own skill. The ship has not
yet had a fair chance. Give her an open sea, and a
cap-full of wind, and she 'll defy all the black wo-
men that the brigantine can stow. As to your ` Skim-
mer of the Seas,' man or devil, he is our prisoner."
"And does your Honor believe that the trim-built
and light-sailing gentleman we overhauled in this skiff,
is in truth that renowned rover?" asked Yarn, resting
on his sculls, in the interest of the moment. "There
are some on board the ship, who maintain that the
man in question is taller than the big tide-waiter at
Plymouth, with a pair of shoulders -- "
"I have reason to know they are mistaken. If we
are more enlightened than our shipmates, Master
Yarn, let us be close-mouthed, that others do not steal
our knowledge -- hold, here is a crown with the face
of King Louis; he is our bitterest enemy, and you
may swallow him whole, if you please, or take him
in morsels, as shall best suit your humor. But re-
member that our cruise in the skiff is under secret
orders, and the less we say about the anchor-watch
of the brigantine, the better."
Honest Bob took the piece of silver, with a gusto
that no opinions of the marvellous could diminish;
and, touching his hat, he did not fail to make the
usual protestations of discretion. That night the
messmates of the fore-top-man endeavored, in vain,
to extract from him the particulars of his excursion
with the captain; though the direct answers to their
home questions were only evaded by allusions so dark
and ambiguous, as to give to that superstitious feel-
ing of the crew, which Ludlow had wished to lull,
twice its original force.
Not long after this short dialogue, the skiff reached
the side of the Coquette. Her commander found his
prisoner in possession of his own cabin, and, though
grave if not sad in demeanor, perfectly self-possessed.
Light observers of the forms under which human
qualities are exhibited, too often mistake their out-
ward signs. Though it is quite in reason to believe,
that he who mingles much in rude and violent scenes
should imbibe some of their rough and repelling as-
pects, still it would seem that, as the stillest waters
commonly conceal the deepest currents, so the powers
to awaken extraordinary events are not unfrequent-
ly cloaked under a chastened, and sometimes under
a cold, exterior. It has often happened, that the
most desperate and self-willed men are those whose
mien and manners would give reason to expect the
mildest and most tractable dispositions; while he who
has seemed a lion sometimes proves, in his real na-
ture, to be little better than a lamb.
Ludlow had reason to see that the incredulity of
his top-man had extended to most on board; and, as
he could not conquer his tenderness on the subject of
Alida and all that concerned her, while on the other
hand there existed no motive for immediately declar-
ing the truth, he rather favored the general im-
pression by his silence. First giving some orders of
the last importance at that moment, he passed into
the cabin, and sought a private interview with his
captive.
"That vacant state-room is at your service, Mas-
ter Seadrift," he observed, pointing to the little
apartment opposite to the one he occupied himself.
"We are likely to be shipmates several days, unless
you choose to shorten the time, by entering into a ca-
pitulation for the Water-Witch; in which case -- "
"You had a proposition to make."
Ludlow hesitated, cast an eye behind him, to be
"Sir, I will deal with you as becomes a seaman.
La belle Barbérie is dearer to me than ever woman
was before; -- dearer, I fear, than ever woman will
be again. You need not learn that circumstances
have occurred, -- Do you love the lady?"
"I do."
"And she -- fear not to trust the secret to one who
will not abuse the trust -- returns she your affection?"
The mariner of the brigantine drew back with
dignity; and then, instantly recovering his ease, as if
fearful he might forget himself, he said with warmth,
"This trifling with woman's weakness is the be-
setting sin of man! None may speak of her inclina-
tions, Captain Ludlow, but herself. It never shall
be said, that any of the sex had aught but fitting
reverence for their dependent state, their constant
and confiding love, their faithfulness in all the world's
trials, and their singleness of heart, from me."
"These sentiments do you honor; and I could
wish, for your own sake, as well as that of others,
there was less of contrariety in your character. One
cannot but grieve -- "
"You had a proposition, for the brigantine?"
"I would have said, that were the vessel yielded
without further pursuit, means might be found to
soften the blow to those who will otherwise be most
wounded by her capture."
The face of the dealer in contraband had lost
some of its usual brightness and animation; the color
of the cheek was not as rich, and the eye was less at
ease, than in his former interviews with Ludlow.
But a smile of security crossed his fine features, when
the other spoke of the fate of the brigantine.
"The keel of the ship that is to capture the Water-
Witch is not yet laid," he said, firmly; "nor is the
canvas that is to drive her through the water, wove!
"This mummery of a supernatural aid may be of
use in holding the minds of the ignorant beings who
follow your fortunes, in subjection, but it is lost when
addressed to me. I have ascertained the position of
the brigantine -- nay, I have been under her very
bowsprit, and so near her cut-water, as to have ex-
amined her moorings. Measures are now taking to
improve my knowledge, and to secure the prize."
The free-trader heard him without exhibiting
alarm, though he listened with an attention that
rendered his breathing audible.
"You found my people vigilant?" he rather care-
lessly observed, than asked.
"So much so, that I have said the skiff was pulled
beneath her martingale, without a hail! Had there
been means, it would not have required many mo-
ments to cut the hawser by which she rides, and to
have laid your beauteous vessel ashore!"
The gleam of Seadrift's eye was like the glance
of an eagle. It seemed to inquire, and to resent, in
the same instant. Ludlow shrunk from the piercing
look, and reddened to the brow, -- whether with his
recollections, or not, it is unnecessary to explain.
"The worthy device was thought of! -- nay, it was
attempted!" exclaimed the other, gathering confirm-
ation in the consciousness of his companion. -- "You
did not -- you could not succeed!"
"Our success will be proved in the result."
"The lady of the brigantine forgot not her charge!
You saw her bright eye -- her dark and meaning
face! Light shone on that mysterious countenance --
my words are true, Ludlow; thy tongue is silent, but
that honest countenance confesses all!"
The gay dealer in contraband turned away, and
laughed in his merriest manner.
"I knew it would be so," he continued; "what
An officer, to announce the near approach of a
boat, entered. Both Ludlow and his prisoner started
at this intelligence, and it was not difficult to fancy
both believed that a message from the Water-Witch
might be expected. The former hastened on deck;
while the latter, notwithstanding a self-possession that
was so much practised, could not remain entirely at
his ease. He passed into the state-room, and it is
more than probable that he availed himself of the
window of its quarter-gallery, to reconnoitre those
who were so unexpectedly coming to the ship.
But after the usual hail and reply, Ludlow no
longer anticipated any proposal from the brigantine.
The answer had been what a seaman would call
lubberly; or it wanted that attic purity that men of
the profession rarely fail to use on all occasions, and
by the means of which they can tell a pretender to
their mysteries, with a quickness that is almost in-
stinctive. When the short, quick "boat-ahoy!" of
the sentinel on the gangway, was answered by the
"what do you want?" of a startled respondent in
the boat, it was received among the crew of the
Coquette with such a sneer as the tyro, who has
taken two steps in any particular branch of know-
ledge, is apt to bestow on the blunders of him who
has taken but one.
A deep silence reigned, while a party consisting
of two men and as many females mounted the side
of the ship, leaving a sufficient number of forms
behind them in the boat to man its oars. Notwith-
standing more than one light was held in such a
manner as would have discovered the faces of the
"Master Cornelius Ludlow, one might as well put
on the Queen's livery at once, as to be steering in
this uncertain manner, between the Coquette and
the land, like a protested note sent from endorser to
endorser, to be paid," commenced Alderman Van
Beverout, uncasing himself in the great cabin with
the coolest deliberation, while his niece sunk into a
chair unbidden, her two attendants standing near in
submissive silence. "Here is Alida, who has insisted
on paying so unseasonable a visit, and, what is worse
still, on dragging me in her train, though I am past
the day of following a woman about, merely because
she happens to have a pretty face. The hour is un-
seasonable, and as to the motive -- why, if Master
Seadrift has got a little out of his course, no great
harm can come of it, while the affair is in the hands
of so discreet and amiable an officer as yourself."
The Alderman became suddenly mute; for the
door of the state-room opened, and the individual he
had named entered in person.
Ludlow needed no other explanation than a
knowledge of the persons of his guests, to understand
the motive of their visit. Turning to Alderman Van
Beverout, he said, with a bitterness he could not
repress --
"My presence may be intrusive. Use the cabin
as freely as your own house, and rest assured that
while it is thus honored, it shall be sacred to its
present uses. My duty calls me to the deck."
The young man bowed gravely, and hurried from
the place. As he passed Alida, he caught a gleam
of her dark and eloquent eye, and he construed the
glance into an expression of gratitude.