The Phantom Ship Page 8

  CHAPTER EIGHT.

  Before we follow Philip Vanderdecken in his venturous career, it will benecessary to refresh the memory of our readers, by a succinctrecapitulation of the circumstances that had directed the enterprise ofthe Dutch towards the country of the East, which was now proving to thema source of wealth, which they considered as inexhaustible.

  Let us begin at the beginning. Charles the Fifth, after havingpossessed the major part of Europe, retired from the world for reasonsbest known to himself, and divided his kingdoms between Ferdinand andPhilip. To Ferdinand he gave Austria and its dependencies; to Philip,Spain; but to make the division more equal and palatable to the latter,he threw the Low Countries, with the few millions vegetating upon them,into the bargain. Having thus disposed of his fellow-mortals much tohis own satisfaction, he went into a convent, reserving for himself asmall income, twelve men, and a pony. Whether he afterwards repentedhis hobby, or mounted his pony is not recorded; but this is certain--that in two years he died.

  Philip thought (as many have thought before and since) that he had aright to do what he pleased with his own. He therefore took away fromthe Hollanders most of their liberties: to make amends, however, he gavethem the Inquisition; but the Dutch grumbled, and Philip, to stop theirgrumbling, burnt a few of them. Upon which the Dutch, who are aquaticin their propensities, protested against a religion which was much toowarm for their constitutions. In short, heresy made great progress; andthe duke of Alva was despatched with a large army to prove to theHollanders that the Inquisition was the very best of all possiblearrangements, and that it was infinitely better that a man should beburnt for half an hour in this world than for an eternity in the next.

  This slight difference of opinion was the occasion of a war which lastedabout eighty years, and which, after having saved some hundreds ofthousands the trouble of dying in their beds, at length ended in theSeven United Provinces being declared independent.--Now we must go backagain.

  For a century after Vasco de Gama had discovered the passage round theCape of Good Hope, the Portuguese were interfered with by other nations.At last the adventurous spirit of the English nation was roused. Thepassage to India by the Cape had been claimed by the Portuguese as theirsole right: they defended it by force. For a long time no privatecompany ventured to oppose them, and the trade was not of that apparentvalue to induce any government to embark in a war upon the question.The English adventurers, therefore, turned their attention to thediscovery of a north-west passage to India, with which the Portuguesecould have no right to interfere, and in vain attempts to discover thatpassage the best part of the fifteenth century was employed. At lastthey abandoned their endeavours, and resolved no longer to be deterredby the Portuguese pretensions.

  After one or two unsuccessful expeditions, an armament was fitted outand put under the orders of Drake. This courageous and successfulnavigator accomplished more than the most sanguine had anticipated. Hereturned to England in the month of May, 1580, after a voyage whichoccupied him nearly three years; bringing home with him great riches,and having made most favourable arrangements with the king of theMolucca Islands.

  His success was followed up by Cavendish and others, in 1600. TheEnglish East India Company, in the meanwhile, received their firstcharter from the government and had now been with various successcarrying on the trade for upwards of fifty years.

  During the time that the Dutch were vassals to the crown of Spain, itwas their custom to repair to Lisbon for the productions of the East,and afterwards to distribute them through Europe; but when theyquarrelled with Philip, they were no longer admitted as retailers of hisIndian produce: the consequence was that, while asserting and fightingfor their independence, they had also fitted out expeditions to India.They were successful; and in 1602 the various speculators were, by thegovernment, formed into a company, upon the same principles andarrangement as those which had been chartered in England.

  At the time, therefore, to which we are reverting, the English and Dutchhad been trading in the Indian seas for more than fifty years; and thePortuguese had lost nearly all their power, from the alliances andfriendships which their rivals had formed with the potentates of theEast, who had suffered from the Portuguese avarice and cruelty.

  Whatever may have been the sum of obligation which the Dutch owed to theEnglish for the assistance they received from them during their strugglefor independence, it does not appear that their gratitude extendedbeyond the Cape; for, on the other side of it, the Portuguese, English,and Dutch fought and captured each other's vessels without ceremony; andthere was no law but that of main force. The mother countries wereoccasionally called upon to interfere; but the interference up to theabove time had produced nothing more than a paper war; it being veryevident that all parties were in the wrong.

  In 1650 Cromwell usurped the throne of England, and the year afterwards,having, among other points, vainly demanded of the Dutch satisfactionfor the murder of his regicide ambassador, which took place in thisyear, and some compensation for the cruelties exercised on the Englishat Amboyne some thirty years before, he declared war with Holland. Toprove that he was in earnest, he seized more than two hundred Dutchvessels and the Dutch then (very unwillingly) prepared for war. Blakeand Van Tromp met, and the naval combats were most obstinate. In the"History of England" the victory is almost invariably given to theEnglish, but in that of Holland to the Dutch.--By all accounts, theseengagements were so obstinate, that in each case they were both wellbeaten. However, in 1654, peace was signed; the Dutchman promising "totake his hat off" whenever he should meet an Englishman on the highseas--a mere act of politeness, which Mynheer did not object to, as it_cost nothing_. And now, having detailed the state of things up to thetime of Philip's embarkation, we shall proceed with our story.

  As soon as Philip was clear of his own threshold he hastened away asthough he were attempting to escape from his own painful thoughts. Intwo days he arrived at Amsterdam, where his first object was to procurea small, but strong, steel chain to replace the ribbon by which therelic had hitherto been secured round his neck. Having done this, hehastened to embark with his effects on board of the Ter Schilling.Philip had not forgotten to bring with him the money which he had agreedto pay the captain, in consideration of being received on board as anapprentice rather than a sailor. He had also furnished himself with afurther sum for his own exigencies. It was late in the evening when hearrived on board of the Ter Schilling, which lay at single anchor,surrounded by the other vessels composing the Indian fleet. Thecaptain, whose name was Kloots, received him with kindness, showed himhis berth, and then went below in the hold to decide a question relativeto the cargo, leaving Philip on deck to his own reflections.

  And this, then, thought Philip, as he leaned against the taffrail andlooked forward--this, then, is the vessel in which my first attempt isto be made. First and--perhaps last. How little do those with whom Iam about to sail imagine the purport of my embarkation? How differentare my views from those of others? Do _I_ seek a fortune? No! Is itto satisfy curiosity and a truant spirit? No! I seek communion withthe dead. Can I meet the dead without danger to myself and these whosail with me? I should think not, for I cannot join it but in death.Did they surmise my wishes and intentions, would they permit me toremain one hour on board? Superstitious as seamen are said to be, theymight find a good excuse, if they knew my mission, not only for theirsuperstition, but for ridding themselves of one on such an awful errand.Awful indeed! and how to be accomplished? Heaven alone, withperseverance on my part, can solve the mystery. And Philip's thoughtsreverted to his Amine. He folded his arms, and entranced in meditation,with his eyes raised to the firmament, he appeared to watch the flyingscud.

  "Had you not better go below?" said a mild voice, which made Philipstart from his reverie.

  It was that of the first mate, whose name was Hillebrant, a short,well-set man of about thirty years of age. His hair was flaxen, andfell in long flakes upon his shoulders,
his complexion fair, and hiseyes of a soft blue: although there was little of the sailor in hisappearance, few knew or did their duty better.

  "I thank you," replied Philip; "I had, indeed, forgotten myself, andwhere I was: my thoughts were far away. Good night, and many thanks."

  The Ter Schilling, like most of the vessels of that period, was verydifferent in her build and fitting from those of the present day. Shewas ship-rigged, and of about four hundred tons burden. Her bottom wasnearly flat, and her sides fell in (as she rose above the water), sothat her upper decks were not half the width of the hold.

  All the vessels employed by the Company being armed, she had her maindeck clear of goods, and carried six nine-pounders on each broadside;her ports were small and oval. There was a great spring in all herdecks,--that is to say, she ran with a curve forward and aft. On herforecastle another small deck ran from the knight-heads, which wascalled the top-gallant forecastle. Her quarter-deck was broken with apoop, which rose high out of the water. The bowsprit staved very much,and was to appearance almost as a fourth mast: the more so, as shecarried a square spritsail and sprit-topsail. On her quarter-deck andpoop-bulwarks were fixed in sockets implements of warfare now long indisuse, but what were then known by the names of cohorns andpatteraroes; they turned round on a swivel, and were pointed by an ironhandle fixed to the breech. The sail abaft the mizzen-mast(corresponding to the driver or spanker of the present day) was fixedupon a lateen-yard. It is hardly necessary to add (after thisdescription) that the dangers of a long voyage were not a littleincreased by the peculiar structure of the vessels, which (although withsuch top hamper, and so much wood above water, they could make good waybefore a favourable breeze) could hold no wind, and had but littlechance if caught upon a lee-shore.

  The crew of the Ter Schilling was composed of the captain, two mates,two pilots, and forty-five men. The supercargo had not yet come onboard. The cabin (under the poop) was appropriated to the supercargo;but the main-deck cabin to the captain and mates, who composed the wholeof the cabin mess.

  When Philip awoke the next morning, he found that the topsails werehoisted, and the anchor short-stay apeak. Some of the other vessels ofthe fleet were under weigh and standing out. The weather was fine andthe water smooth? and the bustle and novelty of the scene were cheeringto his spirits. The captain, Mynheer Kloots, was standing on the poopwith a small telescope, made of pasteboard, to his eye, anxiouslylooking towards the town. Mynheer Kloots, as usual, had his pipe in hismouth, and the smoke which he puffed from it for time obscured thelenses of his telescope. Philip went up the poop ladder and salutedhim.

  Mynheer Kloots was a person of no moderate dimensions, and the quantityof garments which he wore added no little to his apparent bulk. Theouter garments exposed to view were, a rough fox-skin cap upon his head,from under which appeared the edge of a red worsted nightcap; a redplush waistcoat, with large metal buttons; a jacket of green cloth, overwhich he wore another of larger dimensions of coarse blue cloth, whichcame down as low as what would be called a spencer. Below he had blackplush breeches, light-blue worsted stockings, shoes, and broad silverbuckles; round his waist was girded, with a broad belt, a canvas apron,which descended in thick folds nearly to his knee. In his belt was alarge broad-bladed knife in a sheath of shark's skin. Such was theattire of Mynheer Kloots, captain of the Ter Schilling.

  He was as tall as he was corpulent. His face was oval, and his featuressmall in proportion to the size of his frame. His grizzly hairfluttered in the breeze, and his nose (although quite straight) was, atthe tip, fiery red from frequent application to his bottle of schnapps,and the heat of a small pipe which seldom left his lips, except for_him_ to give an order, or for _it_ to be replenished.

  "Good morning, my son," said the captain, taking his pipe out of hismouth for a moment. "We are detained by the supercargo, who appears notover-willing to come on board; the boat has been on shore this hourwaiting for him, and we shall be last of the fleet under weigh. I wishthe Company would let us sail without these _gentlemen_, who are (_in myopinion_) a great hinderance to business; but they think otherwise onshore."

  "What is their duty on board?" replied Philip.

  "Their duty is to look after the cargo and the traffic, and if they keptto that it would not be so bad; but they interfere with everything elseand everybody, studying little except their own comforts; in fact, theyplay the king on board, knowing that we dare not affront them, as a wordfrom them would prejudice the vessel when again to be chartered. TheCompany insist upon their being received with all honours. We salutewith five guns on their arrival on board."

  "Do you know anything of this one whom you expect?"

  "Nothing, but from report. A brother captain of mine (with whom he hassailed) told me that he is most fearful of the dangers of the sea, andmuch taken up with his own importance."

  "I wish he would come," replied Philip; "I am most anxious that weshould sail."

  "You must be of a wandering disposition, my son: I hear that you leave acomfortable home, and a pretty wife to boot."

  "I am most anxious to see the world," replied Philip; "and I must learnto sail a ship before I purchase one, and try to make the fortune that Icovet." (Alas! how different from my real wishes, thought Philip, as hemade this reply.)

  "Fortunes are made, and fortunes are swallowed up too, by the ocean,"replied the captain. "If I could turn this good ship into a good house,with plenty of guilders to keep the house warm, you would not find mestanding on this poop. I have doubled the Cape twice, which is oftenenough for any man; the third time may not be so lucky."

  "Is it so dangerous, then?" said Philip.

  "As dangerous as tides and currents, rocks and sand-banks, hard galesand heavy seas, can make it,--no more! Even when you anchor in the bay,on this side of the Cape, you ride in fear and trembling, for you may beblown away from your anchor to sea or be driven on shore among thesavages, before the men can well put on their clothing. But when onceyou're well on the other side of the Cape, then the water dances to thebeams of the sun as if it were merry, and you may sail for weeks with acloudless sky and a following breeze, without starting tack or sheet, orhaving to take your pipe out of your mouth."

  "What ports shall we go into, Mynheer?"

  "Of that I can say but little. Gambroon, in the Gulf of Persia, willprobably be the first rendezvous of the whole fleet. Then we shallseparate: some will sail direct for Bantam, in the island of Java;others will have orders to trade down the Straits for camphor, gum,benzoin, and wax; they have also gold and the teeth of the elephant tobarter with us: there (should we be sent thither) you must be carefulwith the natives, Mynheer Vanderdecken. They are fierce andtreacherous, and their curved knives (or creeses, as they call them) aresharp and deadly poisoned. I have had hard fighting in those Straitsboth with Portuguese and English."

  "But we are all at peace now."

  "True, my son; but when round the Cape, we must not trust to paperssigned at home; and the English press us hard, and tread upon our heelswherever we go. They must be checked; and I suspect our fleet is solarge and well appointed in expectation of hostilities."

  "How long do you expect your voyage may occupy us?"

  "That's as may be: but I should say about two years;--nay, if notdetained by the factors, as I expect we shall be, for some hostileservice, it may be less."

  "Two years," thought Philip, "two years from Amine!" and he sigheddeeply, for he felt that their separation might be for ever.

  "Nay, my son, two years is not so long," said Mynheer Kloots, whoobserved the passing cloud on Philip's brow. "I was once five yearsaway, and was unfortunate, for I brought home nothing, not even my ship.I was sent to Chittagong, on the east side of the great Bay of Bengala,and lay for three months in the river. The chiefs of the country woulddetain me by force; they would not barter for my cargo, or permit me toseek another market. My powder had been landed and I could make noresistance. The worms ate through the bo
ttom of my vessel and she sankat her anchors. They knew it would take place, and that then they wouldhave my cargo at their own price. Another vessel brought us home. HadI not been so treacherously served, I should have had no need to sailthis time; and now my gains are small, the Company forbidding allprivate trading. But here he comes at last; they have hoisted theensign on the staff in the boat; there--they have shoved off. MynheerHillebrant, see the gunners ready with their linstocks to salvo thesupercargo."

  "What duty do you wish me to perform?" observed Philip. "In what can Ibe useful?"

  "At present you can be of little use, except in those heavy gales inwhich every pair of hands is valuable. You must look and learn for sometime yet; but you can make a fair copy of the journal kept for theinspection of the Company, and may assist me in various ways, as soon asthe unpleasant nausea, felt by those who first embark, has subsided. Asa remedy, I should propose that you gird a handkerchief tight round yourbody so as to compress the stomach, and make frequent application of mybottle of schnapps, which you will find always at your service. But nowto receive the factor of the most puissant Company. Mynheer Hillebrant,let them discharge the cannon."

  The guns were fired, and soon after the smoke had cleared away, theboat, with its long ensign trailing on the water, was pulled alongside.Philip watched the appearance of the supercargo--but he remained in theboat until several of the boxes with the initials and arms of theCompany were first handed on the deck; at last the supercargo appeared.

  He was a small, spare, wizen-faced man with a three-cornered cocked-hat,bound with broad gold lace, upon his head, under which appeared afull-bottomed flowing wig, the curls of which descended low upon hisshoulders. His coat was of crimson velvet, with broad flaps: hiswaistcoat of white silk, worked in coloured flowers, and descendinghalf-way down to his knees. His breeches were of black satin, and hislegs were covered with white silk stockings. Add to this, gold bucklesat his knees and in his shoes, lace ruffles to his wrists, and asilver-mounted cane in his hand, and the reader has the entire dress ofMynheer Jacob Janz Von Stroom, the supercargo of the Honourable Company,appointed to the good ship Ter Schilling.

  As he looked round him, surrounded at a respectful distance, by thecaptain, officers, and men of the ship, with their caps in their hands,the reader might be reminded of the picture of the "Monkey who had seenthe world," surrounded by his tribe. There was not, however, the leastinclination on the part of the seamen to laugh, even at his flowing,full-bottomed wig: respect was at that period paid to dress; andalthough Mynheer Von Stroom could not be mistaken for a sailor, he wasknown to be the supercargo of the Company, and a very great man. Hetherefore received all the respect due to so important a personage.

  Mynheer Von Stroom did not, however, appear very anxious to remain ondeck. He requested to be shown into his cabin, and followed the captainaft, picking his way among the coils of ropes with which his path wasencumbered. The door was opened, and the supercargo disappeared. Theship was then got under weigh, the men had left the windlass, the sailshad been trimmed, and they were securing the anchor on board, when thebell of the poop-cabin (appropriated to the supercargo) was pulled withgreat violence.

  "What can that be?" said Mynheer Kloots (who was forward), taking thepipe out of his mouth. "Mynheer Vanderdecken, will you see what is thematter?"

  Philip went aft, as the pealing of the bell continued, and opening thecabin door, discovered the supercargo perched upon the table and pullingthe bell-rope, which hung over its centre, with every mark of fear inhis countenance. His wig was off, and his bare skull gave him anappearance peculiarly ridiculous.

  "What is the matter, sir?" inquired Philip.

  "Matter!" spluttered Mynheer Von Stroom--"call the troops in with theirfirelocks. Quick, sir. Am I to be murdered, torn to pieces, anddevoured? For mercy's sake, sir, don't stare, but do something--look,it's coming to the table! O dear! O dear!" continued the supercargo,evidently terrified out of his wits.

  Philip, whose eyes had been fixed on Mynheer Von Stroom, turned them inthe direction pointed out, and much to his astonishment perceived asmall bear upon the deck, who was amusing himself with the supercargo'sflowing wig, which he held in his paws, tossing it about and now andthen burying his muzzle in it. The unexpected sight of the animal wasat first a shock to Philip; but a moment's consideration assured himthat the animal must be harmless, or it never would have been permittedto remain loose in the vessel.

  Nevertheless, Philip had no wish to approach the animal, whosedisposition he was unacquainted with, when the appearance of MynheerKloots put an end to his difficulty.

  "What is the matter, Mynheer?" said the captain. "O! I see: it isJohannes," continued the captain, going up to the bear, and saluting himwith a kick, as he recovered the supercargo's wig. "Out of the cabin,Johannes! Out, sir!" cried Mynheer Kloots, kicking the breech of thebear till the animal had escaped through the door. "Mynheer Von Stroom,I am very sorry,--here is your wig. Shut the door, MynheerVanderdecken, or the beast may come back, for he is very fond of me."

  As soon the door was shut between Mynheer Von Stroom and the object ofhis terror, the little man slid off the table to the high-backed chairnear it, shook out the damaged curls of his wig, and replaced it on hishead; pulled out his ruffles, and, assuming an air of magisterialimportance, struck his cane on the deck, and then spoke.

  "Mynheer Kloots, what is the meaning of this disrespect to thesupercargo of the puissant Company?"

  "God in Heaven! no disrespect, Mynheer;--the animal is a bear, as yousee; he is very tame, even with strangers. He belongs to me. I havehad him since he was three months old. It was all a mistake. The mate,Mynheer Hillebrant, put him in the cabin, that he might be out of theway while the duty was carrying on, and he quite forgot that he washere. I am very sorry, Mynheer Von Stroom; but he will not come hereagain, unless you wish to play with him."

  "Play with him! I! supercargo to the Company, play with a bear!Mynheer Kloots, the animal must be thrown overboard immediately."

  "Nay, nay; I cannot throw overboard an animal that I hold in muchaffection, Mynheer Von Stroom; but he shall not trouble you."

  "Then, Captain Kloots, you will have to deal with the Company, to whom Ishall represent this affair. Your charter will be cancelled, and yourfreight-money will be forfeited."

  Kloots was, like most Dutchmen, not a little obstinate, and thisimperative behaviour on the part of the supercargo raised his bile."There is nothing in the charter that prevents my having an animal onboard," replied Kloots.

  "By the regulations of the Company," replied Von Stroom, falling back inhis chair with an important air, and crossing his thin legs, "you arerequired to receive on board strange and curious animals, sent home bythe governors and factors to be presented to crowned heads,--such aslions, tigers, elephants, and other productions of the East;--but in noinstance is it permitted to the commanders of chartered ships to receiveon board, on their own account, animals of any description, which mustbe considered under the head and offence of private trading."

  "My bear is not for sale, Mynheer Von Stroom."

  "It must immediately be sent out of the ship, Mynheer Kloots. I orderyou to send it away,--on your peril to refuse."

  "Then we will drop the anchor again, Mynheer Von Stroom, and send onshore to head-quarters to decide the point. If the Company insists thatthe brute be put on shore, be it so; but recollect, Mynheer Von Stroom,we shall lose the protection of the fleet, and have to sail alone.Shall I drop the anchor, Mynheer?"

  This observation softened down the pertinacity of the supercargo: he hadno wish to sail alone, and the fear of this contingency was morepowerful than the fear of the bear.

  "Mynheer Kloots, I will not be too severe; if the animal is chained, sothat it does not approach me, I will consent to its remaining on board."

  "I will keep it out of your way as much as I can; but as for chaining upthe poor animal, it will howl all day and night and you will have nos
leep, Mynheer Von Stroom," replied Kloots.

  The supercargo, who perceived that the captain was positive and that histhreats were disregarded, did all that a man could do who could not helphimself. He vowed vengeance in his own mind, and then, with an air ofcondescension, observed--"Upon those conditions, Mynheer Kloots, youranimal may remain on board."

  Mynheer Kloots and Philip then left the cabin; the former, who was in novery good humour, muttering as he walked away--"If the Company sendtheir _monkeys_ on board, I think I may well have my _bear_." Andpleased with his joke, Mynheer Kloots recovered his good humour.