Arthur O'Leary Part 9

"'Play a spade, captain,' said the priest, who had no common horror of the story, he had heard every evening for twenty years.

"'And did he really put the kitten into the oven?' inquired Mrs. Brown.

"'Worse than that--he brought in Healy's buck goat yesterday, and set him opposite the looking-gla.s.s, and the beast, thinking he saw another, opposite him, bolted straightforward, and, my dear, he stuck his horns through the middle of it. There isn't a piece as big as the ace of diamonds.'"

"'When I was in the Buffs----

"''Tis at _say_ he ought to be--don't you think so, captain?' said the priest----'them's trumps.'

"'I beg your pardon, Father Donellan, let me look at the trick. Well I'm sure I pity you, Miss O'Kelly.'

"'And why wouldn't you! his mother had a bad drop in her, 'tis easy seen. Sure Peter, that's gone, rest his soul in peace, he never harmed man nor beast; but that child there, has notions of wickedness, that would surprise you. My elegant cornelian necklace he's taken the stones out of, till it nearly chokes me to put it on.'

"'When I was in the Buffs, Miss O'Kelly, there was----'

"'Pay fourpence,' said the priest pettishly, and cut the cards. As I was saying, I'd send him to say, and if the stories be thrue, I hear, he's not ill fitted for it; he does be the most of his time up there at the caves of Ballybunnion, with the smugglers.'

"My aunt crimsoned a little at this, as I could see from my place on the hearth rug: for it was only the day before, I had brought in a package of green tea, obtained from the quarter alluded to.

"'I'd send him to Banagher to-morrow,' said he, resolutely; 'I'd send him to school.'

"'There was one Clancy, I was saying, a great devil he was--'

"'And faix ould Martin will flog his tricks out of him, if birch will do it,' said the priest.

"''Tis only a fortnight since he put hot cinders in the letterbox, and burned half the Dublin bag,' said Mrs. Brown. 'The town will be well rid of him.'

"This was exactly the notion I was coming to myself, though differing widely as to the destination by which I was to manage my exchange out of it. The kind wishes of the party towards me, too, had another effect--it nerved me with a courage I never felt before--and when I took the first opportunity of a squabble at the whist-table, to make my escape from the room, I had so little fear of ghosts and goblins, that I opened the street door, and, although the way led under the wall of the church-yard, set out on my travels, in a direction which was to influence all my after life.

"I had not proceeded far, when I overtook some cars on their way to Tarbert, on one of which I succeeded in obtaining a seat; and, by daybreak, arrived at the Shannon, the object of my desires, and the goal of all my wishes.

"The worthy priest had not calumniated me, in saying, that my a.s.sociates were smugglers. Indeed, for weeks past, I never missed any opportunity of my aunt leaving the house, without setting ont to meet a party who frequented a small public-house, about three miles from Tralee, and with whom I made more than one excursion to the caves of Ballybunnion. It was owing to an accidental piece of information I afforded them--that the revenue force was on their track--that I first learned to know these fellows; and from that moment, I was a sworn friend of every man among them. To be sure they were a motley crew. The craft belonged to Flus.h.i.+ng, and the skipper himself was a Fleming; the others were Kinsale fishermen, Ostenders, men from the coast of Bretagny, a Norwegian pilot, and a negro, who acted as cook. Their jovial style of life, the apparent good humour and good fellows.h.i.+p that subsisted among them, a dash of reckless devil-may-care spirit, resembling a school-boy's love of fun--all captivated me; and when I found myself on board the 'Dart,' as she lay at anchor under the shadow of the tall cliffs, and saw the crew burnis.h.i.+ng up pistols and cutla.s.ses, and making ready for a cruise, I had a proud heart when they told me, I might join, and be one among them, I suppose every boy has something in his nature that inclines him to adventure; it was strong enough in me, certainly.

"The hardy, weather-beaten faces of my companions--their strong muscular frames--their coa.r.s.e uniform of striped Jersey wear, with black belts crossing on the chest--all attracted my admiration: and from the red bunting that floated at our gaff, to the bra.s.s swivels that peeped from our bows, the whole craft delighted me. I was not long in acquiring the rough habits and manners of my a.s.sociates, and speedily became a favourite with every one on board. All the eccentricities of my venerable aunt, all the peculiarities of Father Donellan, were dished up by me for their amus.e.m.e.nt, and they never got tired laughing at the description of the whist-table. Besides, I was able to afford them much valuable information about the neighbouring gentry, all of whom I knew, either personally, or by name. I was at once, therefore, employed as a kind of diplomatic envoy to ascertain if Mr. Blennerha.s.sett wouldn't like a hogshead of brandy, or the Knight of Glynn a pipe of claret, in addition to many minor emba.s.sies among the shebeen houses of the country, concerning n.i.g.g.e.r-heads of tobacco, packages of tea, smuggled lace, and silk handkerchiefs.

"Thus was my education begun; and an apter scholar, in all the art and mystery of smuggling, could scarcely have been found. I had a taste for picking up languages; and, before my first cruise was over, had got a very tolerable smattering of French, Dutch, and Norwegian, and some intimacy with the fas.h.i.+onable dialect used on the banks of the Niger.

Other accomplishments followed these. I was a capital pistol-shot--no bad hand with the small swords--could reef and steer, and had not my equal on board in detecting a revenue officer, no matter how artfully disguised. Such were my professional--my social qualifications far exceeded these. I could play a little on the violin, and the guitar, and was able to throw into rude verse any striking incident of our wild career, and adapt an air to it, for the amus.e.m.e.nt of my companions.

These I usually noted down in a book, accompanying them with pen ill.u.s.trations and notes; and I a.s.sure you, however little literary reputation this volume might have acquired, 'O'Kelly's Log,' as it was called, formed the great delight, of 'Sat.u.r.day night at sea.' These things were all too local and personal in their interest to amuse any one who didn't know the parties; but mayhap one day or other I'll give you a sight of the 'log,' and let you hear some of our songs.

"I won't stop to detail any of the adventures of my sea-faring life; strange and wild enough they were in all conscience: one night, staggering under close-reefed canvas beneath a lee-sh.o.r.e; another, carousing with a jolly set in a 'Schenk Hans' at Rotterdam, or Ostende--now, hiding in the dark caves of Ballybunnion, while the craft stood out to sea--now, disguised, taking a run up to Paris, and dining in the 'Cafe de L'Empire,' in all the voluptuous extravagance of the day. Adventure fast succeeding on adventure, escape upon escape, had given my life a character of wild excitement, which made me feel a single day's repose, a period of _ennui_ and monotony.

"Smuggling, too, became only a part of my occupation. My knowledge of French, and my power of disguising my appearance, enabled me to mix in Parisian society, of a certain cla.s.s, without any fear of detection.

In this way I obtained, from time to time, information of the greatest consequence to our government; and once brought some doc.u.ments from the war department of Napoleon, which obtained for me the honour of an interview with Mr. Pitt himself. This part of my career, however, would take me too far away from my story, were I to detail any of the many striking adventures which marked it; so I'll pa.s.s on, at once, to one of those eventful epochs of my life, two or three of which have changed, for the time, the current of my destiny.

"I was about eighteen: the war had just broke out with France, and the a.s.sembled camp at Boulogne threatened the invasion of England. The morning we left the French coast, the preparations for the embarkation of the troops, were in great forwardness, and certain particulars had reached us, which convinced me that Napoleon really intended an attempt, which many were disposed to believe, was a mere menace. In fact, an officer of the staff had given me such information as explained the mode of the descent, and the entire plan of the expedition. Before I could avail myself of this, however, we should land our cargo, an unusually rich one, on the west coast of Ireland, for my companions knew nothing all this time of the system of 'spionage' I had established, and little suspected that one of their crew was in relation with the Prime Minister of England.

"I have said I was about eighteen. My wild life, if it had made me feel older than my years, had given a hardihood and enterprise to my character, which heightened for me the enjoyment of every bold adventure, and made me feel a kind of ecstasy in every emergency, where danger and difficulty were present. I longed to be the skipper of my own craft, sweeping the seas at my own will; a bold buccaneer, caring less for gain than glory, until my name should win for itself its own meed of fame, and my feats be spoken of in awe and astonishment.

"Van Brock, our captain, was a hardy Fleming, but all his energy of character, all his daring, were directed to the one object--gain. For this, there was nothing he wouldn't attempt, nothing he wouldn't risk. Now, our present voyage was one in which he had embarked all his capital; the outbreak of a war warned him that his trade must speedily be abandoned--he could no longer hope to escape the cruisers of every country, that already filled the channel. This one voyage, however, if successful, would give him an ample competence for life, and he determined to hazard everything upon it.

"It was a dark and stormy night in November, when we made the first light on the west coast of Ireland. Part of our cargo was destined for Ballybunnion; the remainder, and most valuable portion, was to be landed in the Bay of Galway. It blew a whole gale from the southward and westward, and the sea ran mountains high, not the short jobble of a land-locked channel, but the heavy roll of the great Atlantic,--dark and frowning, swelling to an enormous height, and thundering away on the iron-bound coast to leeward, with a crash, that made our hearts quiver.

The 'Dart' was a good sea-boat, but the waves swept her from stem to stern, and though nothing but a close-reefed topsail was bent, we went, spinning through the water, at twelve knots. The hatchways were battened down, and every preparation made for a rough night, for as the darkness increased, so did the gale.

"The smuggler's fate is a dark and gloomy one. Let the breeze fall, let the blue sky and fleecy clouds lie mirrored on the gla.s.sy deep, and straight a boat is seen, sweeping along with sixteen oars, springing with every jerk of the strong arms, to his capture. And when the white waves rise like mountains, and the lowering storm descends, sending tons of water across his decks, and wetting his highest rigging with the fleecy drift he dares not cry for help; the signal that would speak of his distress, would be the knell, to toll his ruin. We knew this well.

We felt that come what would, from others, there was nothing to be hoped. It was then, with agonizing suspense we watched the little craft, as she worked in the stormy sea; we saw that with every tack, we were losing. The strong land current that set in sh.o.r.e, told upon us, at every reach; and when we went about, the dark and beetling cliffs seemed actually toppling over us, and the wild cries of the sea-fowl, rang, like a dirge in our ears. The small storm-jib we were obliged to set, sunk us by the head, and at every pitch the little vessel seemed threatening to go down, bow foremost.

"Our great endeavour was to round the headland, which forms the southern sh.o.r.e of the Shannon's mouth. There is a small sound there, between this point and the rocks, they call the 'Blasquets,' and for this we were making with all our might. Thus pa.s.sed our night, and when day broke, a cheer of joy burst from our little crew, as we beheld the Blasquets on our weather bow, and saw that the sound lay straight before us. Scarce had the shout died away, when a man in the rigging cried out--

"'A sail to windward:' and the instant after added--'a man-of-war brig.'

"The skipper sprang on the bulwark, and setting his gla.s.s in the shrouds, examined the object, which, to the naked eye, was barely a haze in the horizon.

"'She carries eighteen guns,' said he slowly, 'and is steering our course. I say, O'Kelly, there's no use in running in sh.o.r.e, to be pinioned,--what's to be done?'

"The thought of the information I was in possession of, flashed across me. Life was never so dear before, but I could not speak. I knew the old man's all, was on the venture, I knew, too, if we were attacked, his resolve was to fight her to the last spar that floated.

"'Come,' said he again, 'there's a point more south'ard in the wind; we might haul her close, and make for Galway Bay. Two hours would land the cargo, at least enough of it, and if the craft must go--'

"A heavy squall struck us as he spoke; the vessel reeled over, till she laid her channels in the sea. A snap like the report of a shot was heard, and the topmast came tumbling down upon the deck, the topsail falling to leeward, and hanging by the bolt-ropes over our gunwale. The little craft immediately fell off from the wind, and plunged deeper than ever in the boiling surf; at the same instant a booming sound swept across the water, and a shot striking the sea near, ricochetted over the bowsprit, and pa.s.sed on, dipping and bounding, towards the sh.o.r.e.

"'She's one of their newly-built ones,' said the second-mate, an Irishman, who chewed his quid of tobacco as he gazed at her, as coolly, as if he was in a dock-yard. 'I know the ring of her bra.s.s guns.'

"A second and a third flash, followed by two reports, came almost together, but this time they fell short of us, and pa.s.sed away in our wake.

"We cut away the fallen rigging, and seeing nothing for it, now, but to look to our own safety, we resolved to run the vessel up the bay, and try if we could not manage to conceal some portions of the cargo, before the man-o'-war could overtake us. The caves along the sh.o.r.e were all well known to us, every one of them had served either as a store, or a place of concealment. The wind, however, freshened every minute; the storm jib was all we could carry, and this, instead of aiding, dipped us heavily by the head, while the large s.h.i.+p gained momentarily on us, and now, her tall masts and white sails lowered close in our wake.

"'Shall we stave these puncheons?' said the mate in a whisper to the skipper; 'she'll be aboard of us in no time.'

"The old man made no reply, but his eyes turned from the man-o'-war to sh.o.r.e, and back again, and his mouth quivered slightly.

"'They'd better get the hatches open, and heave over that tobacco,' said the mate, endeavouring to obtain an answer.

"'She's hauled down her signal for us to lie to,' observed the skipper, 'and see there, her bow ports are open--here it comes.'

"A bright flash burst out as he spoke, and one blended report was heard, as the shots skimmed the sea beside us.

"'Run that long gun aft,' cried the old fellow, as his eyes flashed and his colour mounted. 'I'll rake their after-deek for them, or I'm mistaken.

"For the first time the command was not obeyed at once. The men looked at each other in hesitation, and as if not determined what part to take.

"'What do you stare at there,' cried he in a voice of pa.s.sion, 'O'Kelly, up with the old bunting, and let them see who they've got to deal with.'

"A brown flag, with a Dutch lion in the centre, was run up the signal-halliards, and the next minute floated out bravely from our gaff.

"A cheer burst from the man-of-war's crew, as they beheld the signal of defiance. Its answer was a smas.h.i.+ng discharge from our long swivel, that tore along their decks, cutting the standing rigging, and wounding several as it went. The triumph was short-lived for us. Shot after shot poured in from the brig, which, already to windward, swept our entire decks; while an incessant: roll of small arms, showed that our challenge was accepted to the death.

"'Down, helm,' said the old man in a whisper to the sailor at the wheel--'down, helm;' while already the spitting waves that danced half a mile ahead, betokened a reef of rocks, over which at low water a row boat could not float.