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CHAPTER X.

My heart laments that virtue cannot live
Out of the teeth of emulation.

SHAKSPEARE.

Ir is necessary here to digress a little from the story, to inform our readers that this part of the master's history relates to a period before St. Helena became the prison or the grave of Napoleon, that wonder of the world, who shot like a brilliant meteor across the political hemisphere, at once to dazzle and to darken, leaving us bewildered at its power; till

"His glory, like a circle in the water,

Which never ceaseth to enlarge itself,

Till, by broad spreading, it disperse to nought."

The community of the island then consisted

of soldiers, merchants, and slaves; and although the ladies born and bred there, did not at that time profess to think "London must be very dull when the China Fleet sailed," yet the China Fleet was their vortex of delight, and drew them from their stores to participate in the news, the gossipings, and gaieties of this enormous accession to their population. On these occasions, their watchings over the poor negro dangling a bait by the side of his canoe to attract the swift albicore, were suspended; they no longer observed him dodging in the bottom of his frail bark at the sudden appearance of a shark, or marked the address with which he slipped the line off the pole when the bait was taken. No longer the ladies stood gazing from the cliffs for some dear speck on the horizon, or wandered listlessly up the ladders of their rocky hills to contemplate the growing of prickly pears, plantains, guavas, or bananas. No: their attention was more peculiarly fixed on man; and the poor Negro, with

his canoe filled, according to his own account, with every species of fruit except precisely that which you wished for, and which invariably "Missa Tompson had forgot to put in de Bwot che!" was more watched for the cargo he should bring on shore, and was welcomed according to the forgetfulness occasioned by the sight of red or blue coats, cocked hats, or epaulets.

Their days were spent in a continued change of motley society, while a little jealousy obtruded itself into their evening saloons, by means of the appearance of those ladies who are charitably said, "à chercher le bonheur," and uncharitably, " à chercher les bons hommes," in a voyage to India; while many fabricated scandalous stories, of officers being seen escaping from port-holes, were confidentially whispered, to the great disadvantage of some of these amiable adventurers. Such was St. Helena at the period from which the Master now continued his story.

"Death is the life of promotion, Harold," continued he, "and I was put into a vacancy, occasioned by the death of one of the master's mates, the other midshipmen being too young and inexperienced for the duty; but what was my surprise a few days afterwards, when I learned the captain had brought his commission in his pocket for another ship, and the very officer who had impressed me, stepped on board of us as captain, and charged with dispatches for England.

"The hurry and bustle of preparation for sea, prevented those usual inquiries into the character of officers and men on such appointments, and saved me being exposed, and probably the horror of being given up to be tried, and then flogged round the fleet as a deserter.

"I could not hope to remain unrecognised, and we were scarcely out of sight of the island, when I wrote a letter to the captain, informing him I was the man he impressed a few months before.

"As I then wore the mate's uniform, he sent

for me into the cabin, and told me, so far as he was concerned, I was safe, though evidently at the risk of his commission; for, as my name would stand as a deserter on the books of the frigate, I was still amenable to the law, should any person think fit to betray me.

"He however afterwards proved an honourable and a kind friend, as I shall hereafter have occasion to relate.

"Nothing remarkable occurred on our voyage home, till we arrived in the chops of the Channel. By our reckoning we were between the Scilly Islands and Ushant; but could discern neither, being enveloped in a thick dripping mist, which prevented us seeing our own mast-heads. There was a moderate breeze, and we were gliding smoothly on, when the sunbeams dispersed, for a few minutes the thick vapour, and showed us a lugger on our weather-bow within gun-shot:

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She's about,' cried several tongues at once, and the bow-guns presently spoke to her in harsh language through the mist: 'Give her some grape,'

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