The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1879-04-19 00:00:00

CAPTAIN OF THE CORMORANT.

BY W. C. M.
IN THE year 18— I was resident in New York, in
Which city my father was established in business as a
civil engineer. The building in which he occupied
offices was situated in B-- street, and was one of the
very few old houses still existing in that busy thorough-
tare; the stately mansions, in which the wealthier
Citizens of a former generation had both lived and
transacted their affairs, having given place, in nearly
every instance, to buildings exclusively adapted to the
Purposes of commerce.
On one occasion it was found that the house re-
quired very extensive repairs; and these the proprietor
chose to superintend in person. He was, therefore, in
and about the place, almost daily, for some weeks.
At this time it so happened that I—a lad of eighteen—
was at home from college for the summer holidays.
My father's private residence was in the upper part of
the city; but finding my time there occasionally hang
rather heavily on my hands, I was in the habit of
Spending many of my leisure hours at the office, where
I sometimes amused myself by making copies, in

crayon, of engravings contained in an old portfolio
Which was lying about the place.
I was thus engaged one day, when our landlord--
Whose name was Warner—entered the office. He in-
quired for my father, and on being informed that he
had gone out for a few minutes only, said that he
Would await his return. Mr. Warner seated himself
mar me, and as I looked up from my work and bowed
to him, I was struck by his appearance. He was a
tall, powerfully built man, about sixty-five years of
age, with snow-white hair and a long flowing beard,
Which gave him a most venerable aspect. His whole
bearing and manner, too, impressed me as being singu-
larly quiet and dignified. I noticed, however, one
little peculiarity he had, which was; that notwith-
standing the weather was intensely hot—the ther-
mometer standing at 95deg. in the shade—he kept his
left hand tightly gloved the whole time he was in the
room. He watched, for a short time, without speak-
ing, the progress I was making with my drawing, aLd
then broke silence by enquiring if I were the son of
31r.
I replied in the affirmative.
" I thought so," was the rejoinder, "from the
strong resemblance there is between you."
The ice thus broken, some further conversation
ensued, in the course of which Mr. Warner, referring
to the subject of the task upon which I was engaged,
said, "You appear to be very fond of drawing."
"I am," I replied; "it is the favourite amusement
of my leisure time; but, unfortunately, I have enjoyed
'very few opportunities of cultivating my taste by the
study of really superior works of art."
"That being the case," said Mr. Warner, courteously,
"I think I can show you some engravings with which
you will be pleased. My uncle, u hen travelling many
years ago in Europe, made a collection, which I now
Possess, and which connoisseurs have informed me is
almost unique in this country. I have some etchings,
for instance, by Albert Darer, which I believe are the
Only works from his hands in the United States. It
Will afford me pleasure if you will come up to my
house one evening, and look over the collection.

Flattered by such a proposition from a gentleman so
Many years my senior, I replied promptly that I
Should be most happy to do so.
"Well, then," said my new acquaintance, "if you
have no other engagement, will you dine with me next
Wednesday, and, after dinner, we will turn over
together the contents of the portfolios in my library."
I accepted the invitation, and, on the day named,
duly presented myself at Mr. Warner's house in G-
Street.
I should state here that when I consented to become
Mr. Warner's guest I had not the faintest idea of the
character of his antecedents, or I should, of course,
have declined his proffered hospitality. That the
nature of his early career was partially known, or
suspected, by some few persons in New York, I
subsequently learnt; but at the time of which I speak
no whisper to his disadvantage had ever reached the
ears of either my father or myself.

The house was well, but plainly furnished, and pre-
sented no evidence of being the residence of a wealthy
man, which my host was reputed to be. The dinner,
however, was an excellent one, the wines being of the
very best. We dined by ourselves, my host being a
bachelor, and, as I subsequently learnt, without any
near relatives.
After dinner we adjourned to the libraryi where
Coffee was served; and I passed the evening most
ag'reeably to myself in looking over an admirable col-
lection of works of art. Mr. Warner kindly pressed
Upon my acceptance two or three of the engravings
Which I more particularly admired, and added that
any work I might desire to copy should be placed at
My disposal for that purpose. When my visit drew
to a close my host extended a warm invitation to me
to repeat it. I did so, and, in course of time, became
a frequent guest in G-- Street. The old gentleman
seemed, indeed, to have conceived a strong regard for
me; and, so readily does liking beget liking, that I
soon reciprocated his sentiments towards me. Nay,
so much are loving and hating, to some extent,
matters of pure habit, that when I came to know what
Mr. Warner's early life had been, I could not help
Still entertaining towards him kindlier feelings than a
rigid moralist would altogether have approval of.
Our acquaintance had lasted some three or four
Years, when I had occasion to visit Europe, where I
remained several months. On my return to New
York, I at once went to see Mr. Warner, and was
Shocked at the change in the appearance of my old
friend, who was evidently breaking up fast. He
greeted me with even more than his wonted cordiality,
but I could see he was suffering, and would have
Made my visit a brief one, had he not pressed me to
Stay.

. "It is true, I am not well," he said, "but do not
eave me to the companionship of only my own sad
thoughts. To-day is the anniversary of a very pain-
ful incident in my career."
As Mr. Warner spoke he sighed deeply, and, indeed,
I had never before seen him in so subdued a mood,
MY curiosity was excited, and I should have liked to
have asked him the nature of the event to which he
referred; but a sense of the indelicacy of clout so
restrained me, so I simply said—
Indeed, sir !"
"Yes," was the reply: "it was on this day, just
five-and-thirty years ago, that I lost the hand, which
You see is wanting here." And, as he spoke, Mr.
Warner lightly touched his left arm.
I was not a little surprised at these words, for
although I had long been aware that the hand,
always so tightly gloved, was an artificial one—never,
rTtil that evening had the old gentleman made,
directly or indirectly, any reference to the depriva-
tion from which he suffered.
" You are curious to know how I lost it," continued
rig host, looking at me with a sad smile, "but you
heaitate to say so. Am I not right?"
Colouring slightly at the reflection that my thoughts
could be so easily read in my countenance, I signified
My assent to the correctness of Mr. Warner's observa-
tion,

"Well, I will tell you," he replied, for I feel—l
know not why—in a strangely communicative mood
t°llight."
I intimated, of course, that I should very much like
to hear the story, if the exertion of telling it were not
troc much for him, in his weak state of health.
was the reply, "my tale is not a long one,
and it will not hurt me to relate it." My host then
Without further preface, began his narrative.
'My father," said he, "was the younger of two sons
Of en East India merchant, who, in the days when
New York was still a colony of Great Britain, carried
en business in the house in which Mr. M— now has
hill offices. My uncle, in course of time, succeeded my
grandfather in the business. My father chose the law
for his profession, and, when a young man, settled
in the State of o—, where he ultimately rose to be
One of the judges of the Supreme Court. As I was
his only son he wished me to pursue the same career,
'ince his official position would have afforded him
many opportunities of advancing me in life; But I
had early conceived a predilection for the sea; and,
fulallY, I wrung from my father a reluctant consent
to toy following the bent of my own inclinations.
Through the interest of the member who represented
°ur district in Congress, a midshipman's commission
was obtained for me on board the A—. I remained
' her three years; at the expiration of that period I
Was ordered to join the P—, then on the West India
Station.

"The first lieutenant of this vessel and myself, by

s°roe unhappy fatality, conceived a mutual antipathy
to each other almost at first sight. You know what
Eforace says :

"'Non amo te Sabadi, nee possum deeere quare
lloe solum novl, non amo to Sabadi.'
Innumerable trifling incidents served to foster and
strengthen this dislike. As my superior officer,
had many opportunities of annoying me; nor was he
Blow to avail himself of them. At last, his petty per-
secutions became so intolerable that I made application
to the Secretary of the Navy to be transferred to
Another ship.
"Whilst awaiting—with what patience I could com-
Uland—the result of my letter, it so happened that, one
day, I became involved in an altercation with 11—,
le the course of which he gave me the lie direct, In
an instant I forgot alike the restraints of discipline
and the utter ruin to my future prospects which must
result from my rash act. I only knew that the inch.vidual before me had offered me one of the grossest
Insults one man can offer another—and I struck him to
the deck.

"I was, of course at once placed under arrest, and,
in due time, tried by court-martial for striking my
superior °lli cer, My sentence was—taking into con-
sideration the provocation I had received—dismissal
from the service. The career of a life time blasted in
a day!
"In less than a week after the result of my trial was
made public, I received two letters, which materially
influenced Illy deAiny. ilha first was from my
father; it was brief and stern. He said that having
chosen a profession in express opposition to his wishes,
I had ended by being dismissed, in disgrace, from it;
that he disowned me and never desired to set eyes on
me again. The second "—here Mr. Warner paused
slightly, and then resumed his narrative in a yoke in
which emotion was plainly visible—" The second was
from the lady who was my promised bride, and to
whom I was devotedly attached. She stated that she
considered my conduct had released her from her
engagement to me; and that—independent of the
stigma which rested, and must always rest, upon my
name—there could be but little hope of future hap-
piness for a woman who should link her fate with one,
whose temper, events had shown, was of so violent
and ungovernable a character as mine.
"She was right, Ido not blame—l have never blamed
her. None the leas, the blow was hard to bear.
Abandoned thus by the two beings I loved most on
earth, I was reckless, desperate, and cared not what
became of me. While in this mood, the command of
a slaver, about to sail for the West Coast of Africa,
was offered me."

"Of a slaver !" I involuntarily ejaculated.
"Yes, of a slaver," was the reply. "You must re-
member the business at that time was a perfectly legi-
timate one, the laws prohibiting the Slave Trade not
having been passed by the United States Government
until some years later. Still the gradual growth of
moral sentiment on the subject of slavery in the
Northern and Eastern States had created a prejudice
in society against the traffic; and, under other circum-
stances, I should never have thought of engaging in
it.
"I followed this occupation with varied success for
some years. At last the law I have referred to was
passed making the slave trade piracy."
Here Mr. Warner paused and remained silent for a
minute or two, apparently absorbed in his own
reflections.

"What did you do then, six ?" I ventured to
inquire.
"I, then," resumed Mr. Warner, "resolved to with-
-draw from the business; but, unhappily, at this con-
juncture the firm with which I had deposited my
savings failed, and I was rendered penniless. I, there-
fore, though most reluctantly, closed with the offer
made me by the agents in Havana of a Spanish house
to run a cargo of negroes to Cuba. The terms offered
me were, necessarily, of the most liberal character,
since I risked a shameful death by undertaking the
voyage, which I intended should be my last. Indeed,
once possessed of the means of engaging in some
more legitimate avocation, I was determined to abandon
a business so utterly condemned by the laws of my
country.

"I sailed in a light brigantine—the 'Cormorant,'
for Africa took on board a cargo of about three
hundred souls, and had almost reached Cuba in safety,
when a United States sloop-of-war—which was
cruising in those latitudes—suspecting the character of
the brigantine, gave chase to us. I succeeded, how-
ever, in running into a harbour on the south coast of
the island, and landing the negroes before the sloop
could come up with us. So long as I remained in
Spanish waters I was safe, the jurisdiction of every
state extending to three miles from its shore. The
commander of the sloop, however, was resolved not to
be baulked of his prey. He anchored his vessel not
far from my own, ready, the instant I should leave the
port, to follow me. I watched for a favourable oppor-
tunity of escaping; and, one dark night, slipped my
anchor, and stole quietly out of the harbour. I did
not doubt but that, if I could only get a fair start, I
should soon show the sloop a clean pair of heels, the
' Cormorant ' being much the lighter vessel of the two.
We were, however, promptly followed by the govern-
ment cruiser, which was a very smart sailer. Never-
theless we gradually dropped her astern and should
easily have distanced her, had not a sudden squall
carried away a couple of our upper spars, partially
crippling the brigantine. In this emergency I deter-
mined, instead of keeping the open sea, to seek safety
in another direction.

"Do you know where the Ciacos are," said my host,
pausing abruptly in his story.

"Oh, yes," I replied; "they lie to the 4orth of St.
Domingo: they are mentioned in Maryates novel of
the--"

"Pirate 1" said my companion, supplying the word
I had hesitated to utter. "I see you know the situa-
tion of the islands. Well, I ran direct for them,
closely pursued by the sloop. Being perfectly
familiar with every intricacy of the various channels,
and aware that the cruiser drew too much water to
follow me through some of the shallower of them, I
boldly directed my course into a narrow strait, separat-
ing two of the smaller islands. But I soon discovered
that, owing to the shifting of some portion of one of
the sand-banks, there was not depth of water enough
in the channel to permit even a vessel of such light
draft as my brigantine to pass through it. I found
myself, in fact, in a species of cal-de sac, the mouth of
which was commanded by the guns of the enemy's
vessel. In this dilemma, I had no alternative but to
anchor and prepare for the attack, which I had no
doubt would be made by the sloop's boats as soon as
the tide served, which would be about midnight.
"The sloop, herself, had not ventured to enter the
strait further than the mouth of it, lest she should run
aground; but, with the aid of a telescope, the situa-
tion of our vessel—some four miles distant—must have
been plainly visible from the deck of that of the
enemy, and her commander, doubtless, congratulated
himsalf on the trap in which he had caught us.
"Driven thus to bay, one common sentiment
animated myself and crew. Better die there and
then, with arms in our hands, than surrender only to
meet a shameful death at the hands of the exe-
cutioner,
"A little after midnight we descried four boats
rowing, with muffled oars, up the channel. As soon
as they were within a few yards of the brigantine,
they opened a hot fire of small-arms, under cover of
which they made a most determined attempt to board
us; but finally, after a severe encounter, were beaten
off and retired, carrying their wounded with them.
One prisoner, however, remained in our hands, and
that was the captain of the sloop, who—contrary to
the usual practice on such occasions—had commanded
one of the boats in person. He had been the first man
to climb on board, and, indeed, was the only one who
succeeded in gaining a footing on our decks; for, his
boat having been sunk by a cold shot, his comrades
had been unable to follow and support him. He was,
of course, immediately struck down and disarmed,
and would have been killed, had I not beaten up the
boarding pike, which, in another moment, would have
pinned him to the deck. As I did this, the moon
bursting through the clouds which had hitherto par-
tially enveloped it, its rays fell full upon the upturned
face of the prostrate man and revealed to me the fea-
tures of my old enemy, H—, who, however, evidently
did not recognise me, and I would not then trust myself
to speak to him. I therefore, simply gave directions
that he should, be taken below, where a cabin was
placed at his disposal and refreshments supplied
him,

--`"For hnura that night T paced the deck, thinking
of my anticipated revenge, and revolving in my mind
the best means for its accomplishment."
"You did not surely contemplate taking the life of
the unfortunate man in cold blood ? " I said, impe-
tuously.
"No, I did not," was the reply. "You have
cruelly misjudged me, Edward, to have supposed me
capable of such an act. What I did do, you shall hear.
After long and anxious deliberation, I at last decided
upon the course I should pursue; and then, utterly
worn out by the conflicting emotions which, during
the last few hours, had warred in my breast, I threw
myself upon a couch and slept until morning.
"When day broke, the sloop was no where to be
seen. Her officers, believing, doubtless, that their
captain had been killed, and hopeless of renewing their
attack upon us with success, had put out to sea, pro-
bably in the expectation of meeting with another man-
of-war, which would assist them in capturing the
brigantine. I could, therefore, carry out my plans
without any fear of interruption for the next twenty.
four hours, at least.

"I desired my prisoner to be informed that,l wished
to see him. When H— entered the cabin, we con-
fronted each other for a moment in silence. Then I
said—

" 'You do not appear to recollect me, Captain
H—.'
"' I do not,' he replied, coldly, but with an air of
surprise.

"'Look at me more closely,' I rejoined, 'and see if
you do not recognise in me the man whom your tyranny
drove from his country's service, and made—what he
is.,

"A slight flush passed over Captain H-'s brow
as I spoke, and I perceived that, at last, he did re-
member me.

" ' Well, sir, and if I do know you—what then ? ' said

" Had I been your prisoner, I should in all proba-
bility, at this moment, be swinging from the yard-arm
of the vessel you command. You are in my power—
what fate do you expect at my hands '
"'Simply that you will murder me, as you have
doubtless done many a better man,' was the con-
temp tuoue reply.

" You are mistaken,' I said. 'Outlaw and pirate
as the law brands me, I have never yet taken human
life save in fair fight. Listen to me—l have a proposi-
tion to make you. What you have done to me, I will
not—cannot—pardon ; but I seek an honourable
revenge.'

Honourable!' with a sarcastic emphasis on the
word.

"'Yes, honourable! however absurd the phrase,
from my lips, may sound in your ears. You are an
expert swordsman. I have some skill with the weapon;
I proffer you, therefore, a fair duel,'
"'Here, on the deck of your vessel: where, if I
proved the victor, it would be but to fall, the next
moment, butchered by your crew n revenge for the
loss of their leader.'

"'Not so! You see the island which lies under our
lee, about a mile from this. To-night, we two, alone,
will leave the brigantine in the pinnace—which I have
had fitted and provisioned for a fortnight's voyage—
steer for that island, and there settle our quarrel. If
you are victorious in the encounter your safety is
secured, for we are less than a week's sail from either
Cuba or St. Domingo, and the pinnace is a good sea
boat. Do you accept my offer ? '
"For a moment a shade of emotion passed over Cap-
tain H—'s face, and he said: 'Perhaps, in former
days, we 'loner rightly understood each other; but,'
he added, with a half-sigh, 'it is too late to think of
that now. Briefly, I agree to your proposition.'
"it is, indeed, too late, I thought, bitterly, as I
reflected on my wasted life; nut I made no reply, and
we parted for the time.

"As soon as it was dark, accompanied by Captain
H--, I quitted the brigantine, hoisted the light sail
of the pinnace, and steered for the island already
referred to. By the time we reached the land the
moon had risen, and there was ample light for the
business we had in hand. The two rapiers I had
brought with me were precisely alike in every respect;
and when I offered my adversary his choice of them,
he took the one nearest him without hesitation. We
made our preparations for the encounter in silence,
and then took our stand upon the firm, hard sand,
below high-water mark. As we did so, Captain H—
said—

"' I hays one favour to ask of you. If I fall, the
few lines on this paper wil inform my family of my
fate, and that I have met my end in a fair encounter.
Will you see that the letter is forwarded to them?'

"I pledged myself to do so; and then, without
another word being uttered on either side, we crossed
swords. I was the younger and more active man of
the two, but this advantage was compensated by
H—'s greater mastery over his weapon; and, for
some little time, we fought with equal fortune. At
last, being hard pressed by my antagonist, my blade
was, for an instant, thrown out of guard, and, in en-
deavouring to parry his thrust with my left arm, I
received a rather severe wound in the hand close to
the wrist. I lunged fiercely in return. In endeavour-
ing to recover his guard H—'s foot slipped, and he
fell forward on my blade, which passed completely
through him. The unhappy man dropped; convul-
sively tore up the sand for a second or two with his
outstretched hands, and rolled over on his back—a
corpse.

As Mr. Warner uttered these last words, he shud-
dered slightly, and remained silent for a brief period.
"As my enemy lay there," he said, resuming his
narrative, "with his pale, upturned face before me,
I experienced a singular revulsion of feeling. The
long cherished hatred of years seemed to have vanished
in one moment; and I would have given the wealth
of the Indies—had I possessed it—to have recalled my
adversary to life once more. However, regrets were
idle now. With a heavy heart I knelt down and
scooped out, as well as I was able, for my left hand
was almost useless—a grave in the sand, using my
sword for that purpose. Then murmuring a few brief
words of prayer—the first that had passed my lips
for many years—l laid the body in the bed pre-
pared for it, and covered it over, treading down the
sand as firmly as possible that no carrion birds might
be attracted to the spot.
"I returned to the brigantine that night an altered
man. My past life had become hateful and insup-
portable to me, and I was determined to abandon it at
once and for ever.

"My crew had wondered alike at the circumstances
under which I had left and returned to the vessel; but
so strict was the discipline I had enforced, that—
marvel as they might—none dared question me.
I called them before me on the quarter deck,
and stated that I proposed sailing for the Gulf
of Mexico, running into one of the bayous on
the coast of Florida, and there scuttling the
brigantine; that, this being done, we should dis-
perse, each man providing for his own safety as
he best might. My proposal being agreed to, I
divided amongst the crew a considerable sum of
money in Spanish doubloons I had on board, so that
every one of them might possess the means of support
until he could find some other occupation.
"As we steered our course for the Gulf, an incident,
however, occurred, which entirely changed our plans.
We, by good fortune, fell in with the British fleet,
carrying the troops destined for the attack on New
Orleans. As I spoke Spanish fluently I had no
difficulty in passing for a native of Florida, which, at
that time, was a dependency of Spain. Disguised
as the captain of a guada costa, I went on
board some of the English transports, and picked
up what information I could as to the mili-
tary force the fleet carried, the number of
vessels, and their armament. Furnished with
this intelligence, I determined to play a hazardous
game. I directed my course for New Orleans, which
port, in my swift brigantine, I reached several days in
advance of the slower sailing vessels of the enemy. I
obtained an interview with General Jackson, who had
been entrusted with the defence of the city ; and the
information I had brought was considered by him so
valuable that—having frankly confided to him my
history—he interested himself so strongly in my behalf
that both I and my crew subsequently received a full
pardon under the Great Seal of the United States.
"I took part in the defence of the city, and came
scatheless out of the battle; but, a few days after-
wards, the wound in my left hand—which had
been unskillfully treated—began to mortify, and
I was obliged to submit to amputation. When
I rose from my sick bed, I made my way
to New York, where I learnt that both my father
and uncle were dead. The former had, as he had
threatened, disinherited me, leaving his property to
various charitable institutions, The latter, however,
had died intestate, and the whole of his large estate
came to me as next-of•kin.

"So soon as I had taken possession of the property, I
caused inquiries to be made as to the position of
H----'s family. I learnt that they were in rather
slender circumstances; and determined to make such
poor atonement as was in my power for the injury
they had sustained at my hands, I settled upon them
a considerable sum of money, taking every precaution
that they should never know whence it cams. The
lawyer to whom I entrusted the business faithfully
executed his task; and, to this day, the family have
no suspicion that their unknown benefactor is the man
by whose hand their father fell."
As Mr. Warner uttered these last words he fell into
a reverie, and for a few moments the silence remained
unbroken. Daring the interval I revolved in my
mind what course, in this conjuncture, I should
pursue. Duty seemed te prescribe that I should close
my acquaintance with Mr. Warner at once and for
ever; and, had the events of which he had spoken
been of recent occurence, I should probably have done
so. But truly, as the poet says :

"Time hath a wallet at his back,
In which he puts alms for oblivion."

And I did not, could not, feel the same horror and
indignation at offences committed over five-and-
thirty years ago, that I should have experienced had
they been of later date. Besides, if the aged man
before me had sinned much, he had suffered much;
and was it for me to sit in judgment upon him. No!
I felt that I could not do so.

"The rest of my story," resumed my host, "is soon
told. I settled down here, in New York, where I
have lived for many, many years, a lone, friendless
man—the last of my race. Your society, Edward, is the
sole solace of my solitary existence. Do not deprive me
of it. Do not let the memory of the evil I have done
come between us for the few remaining days of a life,
which I feel is fast drawing to a close."
I was touched—deeply touched; not so much by the
words themselves as by the tone in which they were
uttered. I rose from my seat, grasped the outstretched
hand of my host, and gave him the assurance he
required.
From that time until his death, which happened leas
than three months afterwards, I spent nearly every
evening at Mr. Warner's house. I was with him at
the last, and he died with his hand clasped in mine.
When the contents of his will were made public, I
found that, although he had left the bulk of his pro-
perty to various charities, to me he had bequeathed his
collection of engravings and other works of art,
together with a not inconsiderable legacy.
_ - - -

So closed the career f a man possessed of the daring
and energy of character which, under other circum•
stances, ,would have won him distinction in the service
of his country; but.who, by one rash act, had not only
ruined all his future prospects in life, but had been
rendered so utterly reckless and desperate that he
had not scrupled to engage in enterprises condemned
alike by the laws Of his country and of humanity.

Tha Glasgow News states that the Glasgow Un•
employed Rtdiet Committee's expenditure during the past
winter amounted to £27,500. This expenditure represents
grants in aid of the very poorest inhabitants of the city
during a period of unprecedented distress. A. special appeal
Is being made to meet a deficiency of £2,568.