chapter xvi.
a perilous journey.
1815-16.
eighteen months passed. the chief was in quebec with hannah and abbie awaiting the arrival of rug, who had been sent by his father to the mother land to dispose of two cargoes of timber.
it was an unusually cold evening in june. snow had been falling all day. the neighboring hills were covered with large feathery crystals, which, however, soon melted as the sun appeared for a moment before sinking behind the gray walls of the castle st. louis. just as the evening gun was fired, news had reached the union hotel that a vessel had been sighted near the island of orleans. it was ascertained that it was the dorris, in command of captain french, and that rug was on board. they were soon speeding down mountain street in a caleche to the docks, where they secured passage in a small row-boat which was going out to the vessel. the genial captain invited them to take tea with him, and said that rug was below supervising and arranging with the customs officer about the baggage of his numerous protégés, and would be on deck shortly.
hannah burst into a paroxysm of tears when she caught sight of her long-lost lover, who had been compelled to leave only a few weeks after their marriage. he looked twenty years older, and appeared careworn, haggard and ill. as they were seated round the table he gave an account of his travels.
"when i received your letter," he said, addressing his father, "i chartered two vessels and persuaded archie and jonathan campbell to go with me for a pleasure trip. we were nearly three months tossing about at the mercy of wind and wave when a hurricane swept the deck of the vessel, carrying with it the main-mast and sails. water began to pour in at an alarming rate, and after a desperate struggle at the pumps the captain ordered all hands on deck. we felt that we had to prepare for the worst. the sailors had abandoned the pumps from exhaustion, and jonathan and i took their places and worked until we, too, were exhausted, and as others took our places we retired to the stern, where we found archie in a sheltered nook, seated upon a coil of rope, playing his violin, apparently oblivious of our perilous condition.
"for two days the work at the pumps was a matter of life and death, and when at last the wind subsided we drifted about helplessly until a passing vessel saw our signals of distress and towed us from the bay of biscay to bristol, where the necessary repairs were made to enable us to proceed to liverpool. we soon disposed of the timber at good profit, and jonathan, archie and i took the stage-coach for london, where we had the honor of being presented at court to gay prince geordie, who is acting as regent, owing to his father's mental derangement. i wish you could have seen the carleton house," he said, turning to hannah. "he built it at a cost of ￡250,000 sterling, and had to sell his stud of race-horses and discharge most of his servants to meet the demands of the creditors, for he had led such a wild, dissipated life that the king and parliament refused for a long time to help him out of his difficulties.
"we visited many places of interest in london and the old farm in kent, which we found bordered on that of general wolfe. then we crossed to france, and after having with great difficulty secured passports, drove to paris.
"if we had arrived on the scene only a few months sooner we might have seen how napoleon turned louis xviii. from the kingdom, or we might have seen the great battle of waterloo; but napoleon is now safe at st. helena, where he was sent last october."
"the story of napoleon bonaparte," said captain french, "presents probably the most remarkable example in the world of the action of great intellect and resolute will, unrestrained by conscience, and shows both the possible success which may reward, for a time, the most unscrupulous selfishness and also, fortunately, its certain ultimate failure and overthrow."
"notwithstanding which, i have the greatest admiration for napoleon," said rug.
"the captain's sentiments are mine," said the chief. "he was a man of no conscience, no heart, and one of the most uncompromising enemies of constitutional liberty that the world has ever seen. i am amazed that a born republican like you, rug, could see anything to admire in despotism or tyranny."
"did you see anything of poor josephine?" asked abbie.
"no," he said. "the empress queen dowager died two years ago, but we saw her beautiful home, 'malmaison.'
"if one may judge from appearances, it will take many years for france to recover from the effects of the reign of terror. my object, however, in visiting france and england was that i might see something of their progressive developments in agriculture and commerce, so that we might adopt the newest and best methods in building up our own little colony. i have brought with me," he continued, "the latest novelties in the way of general merchandise; i have brought the newest inventions in agricultural and milling machinery; i have herefordshire and devon cattle, of most renowned ancestors, who have not ceased to protest against a sea voyage from the time they left liverpool.
"nor is this all," he said; "i have something better still on board for the new settlement, namely, twenty-five english families, who are going to take up land in the township and pay for it in work."
"and who nearly turned mutineers," added the captain, slapping him on the shoulder, "did they not, wright?"
"how was that?" asked the chief.
"when we boarded the vessel at liverpool," replied rug, "some were bright and cheerful, but most of them were in tears, which showed that they did not leave the old land without a struggle. we soon weighed anchor and were under sail with a fair wind, but it came round to the east and blew fresher, so that we were forced to come to anchor not far from the place we left. the ship, as you may see, was fitted up for the timber trade, and has only a small cabin or quarter-deck. on each side are ranged two tiers of berths for passengers providing their own bedding. along the open space in the middle we placed two rows of large chests which were used sometimes as tables, sometimes as seats—all of which i shall show you presently. there was much noise and confusion before all found berths; crying children, swearing sailors, scolding women, who had not been able to secure the beds they wanted, produced a chorus of a very melancholy nature. the disagreeableness of it was heightened by the darkness of the night and the rolling and tossing of the ship. after breakfast, as usual, all began to be sick. i took the advice of the sailors and drank some salt water, which acted as an emetic, and i soon felt better.
"unfortunately, while we were still at anchor, boats came from the shore with friends of the sailors, who smuggled a lot of liquor on board, and before the captain discovered it the whole crew was drunk. we were wakened at an early hour next morning by the violent motion of the ship, for there was a perfect gale blowing from the north-west. the sea was roaring and foaming around us. the passengers were all sick. things grew worse and worse. consternation and alarm were in every face. children were crying, women wringing their hands, and i could see by the angry looks of the men that they would like to have thrown me overboard. the ship had little ballast, and it mounted the waves like a feather. sometimes a hard sea would break over her with a shock that would make every one stagger. after a sleepless night, in which i received many a bruise and uttered many a groan, the captain informed us that the squall had carried away our mainyard and rigging, and that we were on our way back to bristol to refit. at one time, when the ship was on her side, several chests, though strongly lashed to the deck, broke from their moorings, and in their progress downwards carried destruction to everything on which they happened to fall.
"what a sight the deck presented! do you remember, captain? clothes, spoons, shoes, hats, bottles, dishes, were strewn about in endless confusion. the next day the captain returned with the mainyard dragging behind his boat, but owing to a strong head wind we could not prepare nor rig it till the following day, when all the men on board who could get round it assisted at the work, and we were soon speeding along at the rate of six miles an hour with a fine favorable breeze.
"the next day we made one hundred miles in twelve hours. i cannot describe what took place after that, for i was too ill. it was well that i was ill, for the indignation of the men and the fury of the women were almost unbounded as they thought of having consented to leave their comfortable cottages to follow me to what i had represented was a new and better country.
"as we neared the banks of newfoundland a most extraordinary phenomenon was produced by the dashing of the salt water against the bow of the ship in the evening. the water seemed on fire and produced a very fine effect. the next day a mass of ice appeared about two hundred yards distant. it was almost half a mile in length, and was moving south-east. soon after we found the channel between cape breton and cape ray, and got into the ice. the captain sent eight men to the bow with fenders. one piece knocked splinters off the bow and threw us all down. about five days later we reached the island of anticosti, but i was too ill to see it. we saw porpoises in shoals plunging about the ship, while the sailors tried to harpoon them beneath the bow. about two hundred and eighty miles below quebec the pilot came on board. his number was painted in large characters on his sail as well as on his boat. he had a cask of fresh water and some maple sugar, which he sold at an extortionate price to the passengers.
"near bic island we saw whales spouting water at a great height, and a habitant came out in a boat with a large basket of eggs, which he disposed of at a shilling per dozen, and so we continued on until the domes and towers of quebec came in sight and i began to realize the inexpressible joy of being at home once more."*
* diary of rev. robert bell and letters of r. wright.
rug was a young man of great executive ability, a young man whose word could be relied upon with absolute certainty, a young man who proved himself the very soul of honor in all his business transactions.
the rare, practical, common sense shown in the expenditure of twelve thousand dollars in the mother land inspired the chief with such confidence in his son that when, a few years later, he appealed for funds for the construction of timber slides at the chaudiere and the chats, of which he was the inventor, his father had no hesitation in entrusting him with over one hundred thousand dollars.
